New York University’s Independent Daily Student Newspaper
washington square news Vol. 42, No. 53
sunday, august 24, 2014
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eLab opens today as student hub
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inside this issue
By John Ambrosio
News
study away campuses closed Students will not be studying in Ghana or Israel this fall. story on PG. 5 FEATURES
New exhibitions to come to Famous NYC museums Museums such as The Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Guggenheim will feature lesser-known artists. story on PAGE 10
Freshman year DOS & DON’TS Check out some advice from upperclassmen. story on PG. 6 opinion
sexual assault education necessary NYU should lead the way in putting an end to sexual assults on campus. story on PG. 15
features
Stephanie Wu pens book inspired by NYU experience By Hannah Treasure
Everyone has that one, crazy roommate story — it’s a classic icebreaker for parties, especially living in New York City, where you have probably had more than just one strange housing situation. Even pop culture — shows like “New Girl” and “Friends” — focus on the question: can these two or more completely different people coexist in a tiny room and somehow make the best of it? CAS alumna Stephanie Wu draws inspiration from the coexistence concept — she sought out the most memorable roommate stories she could find,
collecting them from over 60 people and then splitting the tales into age-group categories for her new book, “The Roommates,” published Aug. 5. The stories are all anonymous, ranging in age and location from where each took place. “I knew I would get some crazy stories, but I just didn’t know the extent of the crazy which I would get,” Wu said. “The very first interview I did, this girl told me about her freshman year roommate who told her that she was keeping a dead hamster in their mini fridge. She said, ‘I’m keeping a dead ROOMMATES continued on PG. 7
RACHEL LIQUINDOLI/WSN
NYU is expanding its role as an incubator of startup companies with the new Mark and Debra Leslie Entrepreneur’s Lab, which officially opened its doors today. The new eLab is the latest effort from NYU’s Entrepreneurial Institute to foster student and faculty-led startup companies. “The eLab provides a hub for our students and faculty to come together from across the university when they’re interested in becoming entrepreneurs,” NYU Entrepreneurial Institute executive director Frank Rimalovski said. “I really think this is a game changer.” The 6,000-square-foot eLab is located at 16 Washington Place, and starting this semester it will be offering students and faculty resources for getting their startups off the ground. In addition to providing meeting rooms, prototyping workshops and event spaces, the eLab will be staffed by a fulltime manager, startup concierge
ELAB continued on PG. 3
arts
Alumnus reflects after “Portlandia” success By Ife olujobi
The name may not ring a bell, but Jonathan Krisel, an alumnus from the Tisch School of the Arts, Class of 2000, is a prolific comedy director who has worked on some of today’s best comedy shows, with directing credits ranging from “Saturday Night Live” to “Kroll Show.” This year he is nominated for two Emmys for his work on the IFC sketch comedy show “Portlandia,” which he co-created with stars Fred Armisen and Carrie Brownstein. “Fred and Carrie had been making little sketch videos together, and they knew they wanted to film the show in Portland,” Krisel told WSN. “I brought the idea of the city being
the unifying concept to the show. I also wanted the filmmaking to be as punchy, indie-feeling and cinematic as the city and as the characters.” Krisel is currently on set filming the fifth season of the sketch series in Portland, where the cast and crew routinely work 12-hour days, writing and creating on the fly. Citing Monty Python, the Monkees and French New Wave films as his inspirations, Krisel is not one to shy away from experimentation while his crew is on set. “Fred and Carrie might change costume and wigs five times in one day,” he said, adding that they are open to improvisation. “On a lot of
Krisel continued on PG. 11
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Washington Square news | sunday, august 24, 2014 | nyunews.com
on the side
Compiled by the
WSN staff
Washington Square News
letter from
the eDitor
Editor-in-Chief
nicole brown Managing Editors
emily bell dana reszutek Assistant Managing Editors
casey dalrymple bryna shuman Web Managing Editors
cicek erel kavish harjai Creative Director, Special Editions
lyanne natividad Creative Directors
Julie ciccone olivia martin
senior staff
news JOHN AMBROSIO, VALENTINA
DUQUE BOJANINI features HANNAH TREASURE arts ALEX GREENBERGER sports CHRIS MARCOTRIGIANO copy THOMAS DEVLIN multimedia SHAWN PAIK under the arch blog JONATHAN
KESHISHOGLOU social media ARIANA DIVALENTINO senior editors CLIO MCCONNELL, SCOTT MULLEN, VALERIE NELSON, NEELA QADIR, DANIEL YEOM, MARINA ZHENG
deputy staff
news LARSON BINZER, RAHUL
SHAWN PAIK/WSN
Dear Readers, As I sat in the WSN office listening to music and trying to write this letter, the song “Pretty Hurts” by Beyoncé came on. In that song, the line “perfection is a disease of a nation” always resonates with me.
KRISHNAMOORTHY, MARITA VLACHOU features BAILEY EVANS beauty & style DAVID BOLOGNA violet vision blog GIANNA COLLIER-PITTS dining REBECCA RIDDLE film ISABEL JONES entertainment IFE OLUJOBI music ALEXA SPIELER theater/books NIKOLAS REDA-CASTELAO multimedia hannah luu the highlighter blog MARISSA ELLIOT LITTLE
opinion page
We live in a society where self-comparison is the norm. Especially at NYU, where there is so much competition and expectation to excel in every area, we should recognize the epidemic of perfection, and as students we should not expect ourselves to achieve it. I know that is much easier said than done. It is something I have personally struggled with, but if we begin to recognize the impossible standards we set, we will more easily accept ourselves and appreciate our individuality. As you adjust to college life, you will be faced with challenges, but you have the ability to overcome them — after all, you are here for a reason — and there are people around you that are always willing to help if you need it.
opinion editor
CHRISTINA COLEBURN deputy opinion editors
OMAR ETMAN, ADAM FAZLIBEGU, TESS WOOSLEY
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ALISOM LIZZIO University and alumni coordinator
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Don’t be afraid to reach out to someone — your RA, a professor, an advisor — if you are unsure of something, and look out for those around you that may appear to need a friend.
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Welcome Week can be overwhelming, but it is also an exciting start to your college career. Try to embrace your surroundings and give yourself time to find your place at this vast university.
JESSICA TIEN
advising DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS
As you do, I hope you will use WSN as a so urce of information, inspiration, entertainment and conversation. We will provide you with a representation of NYU — its achievements and imperfections — in an effort to create community. —Nicole Brown 42nd Managing Team
NANCI HEALY EDITORIAL ADVISER
JIM LUTTRELL EDITORs-AT-LARGE
KRISTINA BOGOS, rachel kaplan, MICHELLE LIM, jordan melendrez, jonathan tan 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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World hunger initiative furthers program with new app By Larson Binzer
Stern junior Samir Goel and Gallatin junior Hannah Dehardunwala spent their summers creating an app that aims to decrease world hunger. The two co-founded Transfernation, an initiative designed to combat hunger and food insecurity by connecting corporations with social institutions, so food left over from corporate events may be repurposed for those in need. Dehradunwala said being named resolution fellows at the Social Venture Challenge at the Clinton Global Initiative University conference held in March helped create a network of people who were willing to help with problems associated with launching Transfernation. Goel said the app will act like a Google scheduler. “Corporations would be able to post all their social events on a calendar and social institutions would be able to browse through and select which to pick up from,” Goel said. Transfernation began its international initiative in Pakistan this summer, where Dehradunwala has been partnering mostly with restaurants to continue the goal of repurposing leftover food. Although governmental and social structures differ greatly between Pakistan and New York, Dehradunwala said she
and her team have done their best to help those in need near their base in Karachi. “We adjust our model based on wherever we’re working,” Dehradunwala said. “Karachi may not be totally ready for tech, but what it does have is an excess of people who are passionate and care about the cause.” Ayesha Naveed, a fine arts student at the Indus Valley School of Art and Architecture in Karachi, began working as the regional director for Transfernation in Pakistan in July and will continue the operation even after Dehradunwala returns to New York. “If we are successful in establishing a model here, the outcome will be phenomenal,” Naveed said. “49 percent of Pakistan’s population depends on food assistance and I believe we can help reduce this figure tremendously.” In New York, Transfernation has plans to continue growing their program with a new website and Indiegogo campaign. “Our goals for the upcoming semester include launching our website, running a pilot program at NYU and beginning our first corporate to social transfers, and above all else creating a tangible impact,” Goel said. Larson Binzer is a deputy news editor. Email her at lbinzer@nyunews.com.
via facebook.com
SHAWN PAIK/WSN
Samir Goel, co-creator of the app, has big plans for the future of Transfernation.
eLab from PG. 1
New multi-purpose space to serve student innovators
rachel liquindoli/WSN
The eLab space will provide talks and events for students. to help groups find resources and entrepreneur-in-residence to advise new ventures. The Leslie eLab will also host weekly speaking events and workshops and serve as the headquarters for the NYU Entrepreneurial Institute and NYU Innovation Venture Fund, which both lead many of the university’s entrepreneurial programs. Rimalovski said giving entrepreneurs a home at NYU is
important not only to students and faculty interested in starting companies, but also to the university itself, as an expansion of its role as one of the biggest research institutes in the country. “The university spends over $400 million a year in research across all disciplines and it’s really important that as innovations emerge from these departments that we bring them
to market,” Rimalovski said. Rimalovski added that these plans were just the beginning and that the Entrepreneurial Institute plans to begin rolling out new programs through the eLab as early as the coming spring semester. Frank Yao, a second-year medical school student and co-founder of Limbr — an NYU startup that designs next generation athletic gear — said programs sponsored by the Entrepreneurial Institute have been instrumental for him and other entrepreneurs at NYU, and Limbr might not have gotten off the ground at another university. Yao added that the eLab was especially appealing to him because workspaces were rare at the NYU School of Medicine after Superstorm Sandy. “Just from the med school perspective, just because of Sandy and stuff we haven’t had a good place to work in like that this whole year,” Yao said. “And there’s nothing like what the eLab is offering.” Stern sophomore Jon Wang said he was also looking forward to the eLab opening and said that he hoped it might one day help him start his own company.
“I definitely see myself potentially using both my areas of knowledge to move into the tech startup field with some of my friends,” Wang said. “Having the eLab on campus gives me the ability to learn more about the logistics of gathering
resources for a startup and professionals to guide me through seminars and events that will be held there.” John Ambrosio is a news editor. Email him at jambrosio@nyunews.com.
rachel liquindoli/WSN
Students aspiring to build startups will find a variety of resources.
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Washington Square news | sunday, august 24, 2014 | nyunews.com
New Abu Dhabi campus to open amid controversy
By Rahul Krishnamoorthy
The start of this academic year marks the opening of NYU Abu Dhabi’s controversial Saadiyat Island campus and the arrival of its first incoming freshman class at its new permanent home. Classes begin Aug. 31. The joint-project between NYU and the United Arab Emirates has been four years in the making, and as the Washington Square News previously reported there have been numerous allegations of labor violations, which have led to public scrutiny.
The Kafala System The campus was built by a migrant labor force predominantly recruited from Bangladesh, India and Pakistan and financed by the government of Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed al-Nahyan, the Emir of Abu Dhabi. The U.A.E. has come under scrutiny from international watchdog organizations like Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International for their use of the Arabian Kafala System. Ostensibly a system for safeguarding migrant workers’ legal status and welfare in Gulf Arab states, the New York Times’ Tahmima Anam describes it as anything but. “Though Kafala, which ties workers to their employers, is supposed to act as a safety net for workers, abuse is rife,” Anam wrote in a New York Times opinion piece from April.
In practice, Anam says the Kafala allows contractors to confiscate migrant passports, withhold wages and force migrants to labor under exploitative conditions by making them legally dependent on their employers.
Statement of Labor Values Given the challenging human rights environment surrounding the construction of NYUAD’s Saadiyat Island campus, the university enacted an ambitious “Statement of Labor Values” in early 2010. This stringent charter requires that contractors fairly pay and accommodate migrant workers, along with leaving them in control of their travel documents and not subjecting them to a recruitment fee. However, the enforcement of these guidelines was a responsibility of the contractors employed by the U.A.E. government to develop the island and build NYUAD’s new campus. Investigations in previous years led by the the Human Rights Watch and the Gulf Labor Coalition turned up numerous violations.
Mott MacDonald Controversy NYU attempted to quash these concerns by cracking down on the violators and bringing on board the independent auditor Mott MacDonald to oversee enforcement of its labor values. However, an investigation and activist campaign led by members of faculty and the student
body involved in the Gulf Labor Coalition and the Coalition for Fair Labor at NYU brought up alleged continued migrant worker rights’ abuse even after these measures were put in place. In addition, Mott MacDonald was awarded a contract by the Abu Dhabi government to develop the infrastructure of the island. Professor Andrew Ross, the founder of Gulf Labor, argued against the veracity of Mott MacDonald’s positive findings. “[We] argued that Mott was not an independent monitor, and we recommended other auditors more appropriate for the task,” Ross said. “All independent investigations — by Human Rights Watch, The Guardian and now by Gulf Labor — have uncovered violations that Mott has not been able to find. Clearly, their monitoring methodologies have been inadequate.” NYU spokesman John Beckman told WSN previously that Mott MacDonald’s involvement in the establishment of the island does not impact its monitoring. “Their appointment as compliance monitor was made through a competitive process, and their contract contains provisions to ensure there are no conflicts-ofinterest,” Beckman said.
New York Times Investigation With the labor abuse issues supposedly put to bed, in May 2014 the New York Times published a critical investigation of the continued migrant worker rights abuse
courtesty of nyuad
Four years after establishment, the portal campus will now be housed on Saadiyat Island. just months before the expected completion of the campus. A day after The New York Times ran the article, NYU President John Sexton issued an official apology, vowing that the university would take greater pains to protect affiliated workers’ rights in the future and investigate alleged past misconduct.
In the wake of The New York Times article, NYU’s regional partner Tamkeen hired independent auditor Nardello & Company to pursue a retroactive investigation into instances of migrant worker rights abuse. Rahul Karishnamoorthy is a deputy news editor. Email him at rkarishnamoorthy@nyunews.com.
NYU Langone awarded grant for Sandy damages
By Marita Vlachou
NYU Langone Medical Center will receive $1.13 billion as a form of financial support for the damages caused to several buildings, study spaces and laborato-
ries at the institution by Superstorm Sandy. The grant, which was announced on July 29, is the second largest grant ever given out by the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Arielle H. Bayer, a fourth-year
medical student at the NYU School of Medicine recalled that during Sandy, school was closed for a week and students and patients were being evacuated from the building. “The hurricane affected us
File Photo by Kelly Schott
The grant will help restore Langone’s research and lab facilities back to pre-Sandy conditions.
tremendously in many ways, our school was physically in the basement [of Langone Hospital], so our classrooms and the student study space and our library as well were flooded, so it devastated our school,” Bayer said. Bayer also said that she hopes the money can help get ongoing research back on track. “I think research and the laboratories that were affected by the storm are a priority for us, because NYU is such a strong leader in research and innovation,” Bayer said. New York Senator Charles Schumer expressed hope that the monetary aid will help NYU Langone recover and keep serving its mission. “NYU Hospital is a critical nonprofit institution that sustained massive damage in Superstorm Sandy, and this award will enable them to fully recover and provide world-class healthcare to countless New Yorkers,” Schumer said in a statement. According to the report Schumer’s office published, 90 percent of the grant will be covered by the federal government, from which $540 million will be spent on repairs for damaged Langone buildings and $589 million will be used as part of the hazard mitigation project, which aims to minimize the damage caused by future storms.
Schumer recognizes that the grant given is substantial, but said he believes it is necessary. “I am pleased to see this desperately needed reimbursement to repair and rebuild in a resilient way,” Schumer said in the same statement. Dean and CEO of NYU Langone Robert Grossman expressed his deep gratitude for the support offered to the institution. “We are grateful to U.S. Senator Chuck Schumer for his unwavering support in achieving this extraordinary federal grant from FEMA, and are also appreciative of Governor Andrew Cuomo’s leadership throughout our recovery from Superstorm Sandy,” Grossman said in a statement. While the recovery process is still ongoing, Bayer said she was hopeful that NYU Langone and the NYU School of Medicine would be back in the condition it was before the storm soon. “I think being able to rebuild what was lost is really important in order to continue the momentum that we had,” Bayer said. “I hope the money goes toward that, as well as everything that was lost.” Marita Vlachou is a deputy news editor. Email her at mvlachou@nyunews.com.
nyunews.com | sunday, august 24, 2014 | Washington Square news
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Medical school professors file lawsuit over paycut
By Valentina Duque Bojanini
Two NYU School of Medicine professors filed a lawsuit in July against NYU and the medical school, having been notified that their pay would be cut after they failed to meet expectations for acquiring research grants. Following damage to their research projects after Superstorm Sandy, associate professor Marie Monaco and professor Herbert Samuels said they lost data necessary for grant applications. The professors said while this greatly impacted their ability to acquire outside funding, the suit focuses on a larger issue with the School of Medicine’s salary reduction policy. The School of Medicine policy expects all faculty to earn back at least 60 percent of the portion their salary set aside for re-
courtesy of herbert samuels
Herbert Samuels is one of the professors filing the lawsuit.
search. Failure to acquire at least 20 percent of this amount can result in salary reductions. In their petition to the New York State Supreme Court, the professors said the salary reduction policy goes against the NYU Faculty Handbook and the guaranteed tenure that protects academic and economic freedom. “The handbook defines tenure as ‘a means to certain ends, specifically: freedom of teaching and research; and a sufficient degree of economic security to make the profession of teaching attractive to men and women of ability,’” the petition said. In response to the suit, NYU spokesperson Lisa Greiner said the policy was started in 2008 by the School of Medicine and its Faculty Council to keep its job performance standards in line with that of other of other medical schools. “All faculty researchers are required to obtain research grants,” Greiner said. “Faculty are advised annually if they are meeting expectations or not. In 2014 only a very few faculty, no more than 15 out of a total of 350 faculty, failed to meet standards. Of these, fewer than half had salary reductions.” The professors said the policy applies pay cuts without considering the merit of an individual’s research and overall involvement in the medical school. “This is not only unfair to the individuals affected, but it is a very detrimental approach to the administration of an academic insti-
tution which should be rewarding hard work and innovative research regardless of how much external funding is available to support that research,” Monaco said. The doctors believe the salary reduction policy strips faculty of their rights to academic freedom, which should allow faculty to pursue research regardless of its popularity or economic potential. In an Aug. 5 press release, Samuels said he was concerned about the ways in which this policy would affect future medical discoveries. “By forcing medical school faculty to pursue only research which receives funding that would pay their salaries, many areas of medical science will be neglected, and opportunities to make important breakthroughs in medicine will be lost,” Samuels said. The School of Medicine is currently the only NYU school that implements this kind of salary reduction policy. Monaco said she fears that should the school be successful in reducing their salaries, a precedent would be set for other schools at NYU to implement a similar kind of policy. While a hearing date has not yet been scheduled, NYU Langone Medical Center plans to respond to the professors’ claims in court. Valentina Duque Bojanini is a news editor. Email her at vbojanini@nyunews.com.
shawn paik/WSN
Professor Marie Monaco’s salary was cut by the administration.
NYU Accra, NYU Tel Aviv closed for fall 2014
By John Ambrosio and Valentina Duque Bojanini
Earlier this month, NYU announced their study away cam-
puses in Accra and Tel Aviv have suspended coursework for the Fall 2014 semester over concerns for students’ health and safety. The sites are two of 11 interna-
tional study centers that make up NYU’s study away program. Students enrolled at NYU Tel Aviv for the upcoming semester were notified via email on
emily bell for wsn
Concerns over the Ebola crisis caused NYU Accra to close for the fall semester.
Aug. 4 that the program would be postponed until January amid concerns over violence between Israel and Gaza. The ongoing conflict has killed more than 2,000 people since Israel launched its offensive against Gaza in early July and has increasingly placed Israeli cities like Tel Aviv in the sights of Gazan rockets. NYU spokesperson James Devitt said both the students and the university were concerned about the situation in Tel Aviv, and the decision to suspend coursework was not made lightly. “This was not an easy decision to make, but we tend to err on the side of caution first and foremost with respect to the health and safety of our students, but also with respect to whether we think the full academic program we intend for our students may be disrupted,” Devitt said. Following this announcement, students planning on studying away in NYU Accra were informed on Aug. 7 that the campus in Ghana is also closing because of concerns over the West Africa Ebola outbreak. Students were informed in an email from vice president of Global Programs Nancy Morrison that while NYU did not have reason to believe the epidemic would
spread to Ghana, it is taking every precaution to ensure that students are not placed in harms way. “We believe that we cannot risk sending [students] into an environment in which the future is so uncertain, and in which you would have encountered significant regional travel restrictions, and potential limitations with community service projects,” Morrison said in the email. The university plans to reimburse students for the cost of travel and vaccinations made in anticipation of their trips and the Global Programs staff has helped them find alternative arrangements for the semester. For those with a U.S. passport, Devitt said that students in both programs were offered Abu Dhabi, Berlin, Buenos Aires, London, Sydney and Washington D.C. as alternative study away sites. However, some students were offered different site options. “Students with non-US citizenship were offered different alternatives based on the immigration requirements of the host country,” Devitt said. NYU hopes to resume classes at both locations this coming January. John Ambrosio and Valentina Duque Bojanini are news editors. Email them at news@nyunews.com.
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Washington Square news | sunday, august 24, 2014 | nyunews.com
FEATURES
edited by Hannah treasure FEATURES@nyunews.com
d o s a n d DO N'T s : DO
"DO N't
“Try out any activities that sound interesting to you. Whether these activities revolve around ballroom dancing, robots or cheese, NYU probably has a club for it. Explore your passions and take advantage of the extracurricular life available at NYU.”
feel obligated to hang out with people that you know from home.” – Felix Chan, Gallatin sophomore
– Lila Faria, Gallatin sophomore
"DO N't just skip all the planned activities. Actually go to the Welcome Week events. Especially Trivia Night.” – Kiyomi Taylor, Steinhardt sophomore
"DO N't be afraid to hang out with people besides the first friends you meet at NYU. Meet as many people as you can. The first ones you meet won’t necessarily be the friends you bond with for the rest of the year.” – Anthony DiCapri, Tisch sophomore
CLASSMATES’ ADVICE FOR YOUR FIRST YEAR AT NYU BY HANNAH TREASURE
"DO N't expect anything to be perfect. Don’t rely on your expectations too much. Most likely a lot of stuff will be a lot different than you have ever imagined, and it’s not necessarily a bad thing. Don’t be afraid to be focused on yourself and to explore different social circles — you probably won’t find your best friend right away anyway.”
– Anna Bialas, CAS sophomore
DO
"DO N't
“Be true to yourself and everything else — friends, academics, jobs, internships — will fall into place.” – Samantha Seid, Gallatin senior
judge anyone from knowing them on Facebook. Actually introduce yourself to people. It’s going to be awkward, but it’s worth it.” – Alana Saab, Gallatin junior
“If you ever feel pressured by peers or the whole Welcome Week atmosphere to do something you’re not completely comfortable with, force yourself. You can always find another activity to do.”
DO N't
– Emily Liu,
Steinhardt junior
Hannah Treasure is features editor. Email her at htreasure@nyunews.com.
DO “One of the best ways to meet people is to go to Welcome Week activities. For Stern, we had a field day in Central Park, and all the teams had a lot of spirit and didn’t take the games too seriously. We dressed up in our team color and chanted, it was a good end to a week of sitting inside for orientation.” – Laura Kratcha, Stern sophomore
nyunews.com | sunday, august 24, 2014 | Washington Square news
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FEATURES
edited by hannah treasure features@nyunews.com
New Stern council focuses on social impact, community By Bailey Evans
Stern’s Social Impact Council sheds a different light on opportunities available to Stern students outside of what are thought to be typical business careers. Charisse Tay, Social Impact Council president, said Stern students are often focused on careers in finance and marketing and pay little attention to careers with “social impact,” which she defines as “any activity that manages to effect positive social change, whether it generates profit or not.” The council brings together Stern students who know the importance and value that social impact work can do for a community. “Many of us in the council have been greatly impacted by our experiences serving the community and seeking to advocate for social change,” Tay said. “We’d like to see more undergraduates at Stern experience the same.” Their endeavours range anywhere from nonprofits to social entrepreneurship. “The world of business includes a whole breadth of oppor-
tunities we don’t realize — the most notable of which is social impact business,” Social Impact Council member and Stern sophomore Susmitha Ganagoni said. “Social impact is often vastly underrated, when in fact it brings a bigger perspective to business than just profit — it highlights the profit in doing good.” The council also seeks to reach out to Stern students through the Social Impact Spotlight which acknowledges students for their work in social impact businesses. “The SI Spotlight was created for the upcoming fall semester to recognize accomplished students in the social impact field,” Ganagoni said. “This program is created to bring those students into the spotlight and inspire other students to follow in their footsteps.” The Social Impact Spotlight will further the council’s goals of raising awareness to students about social impact business by bringing attention to those who have already made an impact through their work. The spotlight will recognize its first student at the beginning of the semester, and it
Roommates from PG. 1
Alumna’s book shares roommate stories
courtesy of stephanie wu
Wu’s book explores idiosyncrasies of roommate life. hamster in there, and I want to do taxidermy on it and then attach it to a hot air balloon.’” Although many of the anecdotes in “The Roommates” are outlandish incidents and unbelievable situations, some are also about roommates who become best friends, as Wu herself did with her freshman year roommate at NYU in University Residence Hall. None of Wu’s personal roommate stories are included in her book, but she dedicated the entire collection
to that first college roommate. “Especially that freshman year, I found community at NYU through the dorms,” Wu said. “If I wasn’t hanging out with my roommates in my room, I was down the hall in a friend’s room napping on their bed or studying in their living room. [Your floormates] are so important. That’s a group of ready-made friends down the hall to hang out with.” Wu hopes that readers will not only be entertained by the book, but also take away an understanding of the level of cooperation required when forced to live with someone. “Be open about how you’re going to live,” Wu said. “Habits change in college … understand your roommate will change too … Just be honest with one another. Don’t let passive-aggressiveness start.” Regardless of some of the slightly horrific scenarios in her book, Wu advocates for students to dorm with someone new to them, especially their freshman year. “I think it’s important to meet someone from a totally different background,” she said. “It’s a chance to see how people live, to understand them better.” Hannah Treasure is features editor. Email her at htreasure@nyunews.com.
will continue to distinguish a student each month. “Oftentimes, social impact is overshadowed by other, more conventional career paths, and students who go out of their comfort zone, take risks and get involved in truly innovative SI projects go unnoticed,” Ganagoni said. Stern sophomore Lori Berenberg, although not in the council itself, said she is excited for how the Social Impact Council can affect Stern as a whole. “The Social Impact council is an incredible opportunity for meaningful leadership at Stern,” Berenberg said. “The current leadership team has worked really hard to get this off the ground, and I can see it turning into an essential part of Stern student leadership.” Stern students will be showcasing their social impact businesses during an Alumni Mingle planned by the council. The event is scheduled for Oct. 2 at the Stern School of Business. Bailey Evans is deputy features editor. Email her at bevans@nyunews.com.
Shawn Paik/WSN
Charisse Tay hopes to highlight student work in the community.
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Washington Square news | sunday, august 24, 2014 | nyunews.com
FEATURES
edited by hannah treasure FEATURES@nyunews.com
Resort and menswear season brings unique trends By David Bologna
While park dwellers tanned and fans seemed to be eternally set on high, summer brought in a season of high fashion to look forward to in the coming year. This season, women’s resort and spring menswear collections begged to be worn with aesthetics from a melange of decades, eras and worlds. Florals continue to sow their roots into 2015’s resort season. Thom Browne grew a vibrant garden of motifs with three-dimensional embroidered flowers flanking knee-high socks. Handpainted knits mingled with silk floral jacquards for a truly whimsical vision of Eden. In a sea of resort collections, Tibi stood out with some of the most maritime apparel that was also ready for the streets. Sweaters polished with rope lace-up closures gave the looks a perfect, beach-ready finish. Tailored navy blazers branded with single-arm stripes understated a nautical look in a chic urban style. Following the mod madness of fall 2014, early ’70s retro is back with a modern twist. Narrowfit polo shirts in warm palettes were paired with belted A-line suede skirts in Derek Lam’s nostalgic looks. Marni ensured a
retro-tinged collection of belted long-sleeved shirts, flared pants in chunky florals and geometric shift dresses. A few surprise trends wove their way into the summer collections. Tie-dye proved its chic potential in the likes of Alexander Wang’s silk printed tees and Michael Kors’ flared-leg pants. An overall relaxed fit is this season’s must-have trouser. Culottes from Tome and Rosie Assoulin billowed in monochromatic wonder while oversized kneecropped shorts adorned Rag & Bone’s resort pieces. In the world of menswear, a slew of trends will make for an interesting spring season. Hemlines are receding and welcoming a muchneeded reprieve from the restriction of floor-length pants. Short shorts have shot their way into the male wardrobe with some of the best executions in the likes of Salvatore Ferragamo’s simple khakis to Dolce and Gabbana’s printed pops. Suede for spring seems to be an unusual but welcomed aesthetic with looks from Burberry Prorsum. The British house’s plumlicked coats and forest-hued blazers were refined in the unique suede finish to elevate the spring season with an air of supple style. The true menswear winner this season was Saint Laurent. Effort-
Graphic by Shawn Paik/wsn
Designers, including Alexander Wang and Tibi, presented notable styles for resort season. lessly bringing boho back, this spring was filled with printed ponchos and fluttering neckties. Embroidered skinny pants paired perfectly with leather blazers, languid silk shirts and low-hanging pendant necklaces to create a bohemian free spirit.
The most shocking and endearing menswear trend was found in Louis Vuitton’s exceptional one-piece jumpsuit. Also featured in Versace’s one-piece business suit, it seems that the time has finally come for the boys to borrow from the girls.
From culottes and jumpsuits to tie-dye and the ’70s, the coming seasons in 2015 are filled with endlessly fashionable possibilities. David Bologna is beauty/style editor. Email him at dbologna@nyunews.com.
Avocados: The latest topping craze for your toast By Rebecca Riddle
In the world of Instagram food photos and Pinterest boards, the latest food trend is a simple yet surprisingly tasty item known as avocado toast. New York City has a variety of restaurants that serve variations of this dish, so be sure to check out these locations to get your daily dose of omega-3s.
Cafe Gitane
The Butcher’s Daughter
Bluestone Lane Coffee
Arguably the restaurant that started it all, Cafe Gitane serves its seven-grain toast topped with just avocado, lemon juice, olive oil and chili flakes to create a photogenic favorite. With a location nearby campus on Mott Street by Prince Street, there is no reason to skip this trendsetter. 242 Mott St.
Available in a single or double portion, this health-conscious eatery pairs its avocado toast with the unexpected flavors of curry, lime and mustard seed. Grab a fresh juice to go with your healthy breakfast when you visit The Butcher’s Daughter, located on the corner of Kenmare and Elizabeth streets. 19 Kenmare St.
Serving what it calls the Avocado Smash, Bluestone makes it easy to consume heart-healthy fats. The Avocado Smash is served on bread from Balthazar Bakery and gives diners the option to add a poached egg to make a more substantial meal. 30 Broad St.
Le Pain Quotidien Called a tartine at this artisanal chain, Le Pain’s take on avocado toast includes chickpeas, hemp seeds, baby greens and is served on top of organic wheat levain. A gluten-free option is also available, making this restaurant — at multiple locations — great for those with dietary restrictions. 10 Fifth Ave.
The Commons Chelsea This trendy Chelsea restaurant sets its avocado toast apart by adding a unique twist of cumin and offering optional smoked salmon. As an added bonus, The Commons Chelsea now offers delivery from Seamless, so you can enjoy your avocado toast without ever leaving home. 128 Seventh Ave.
Rebecca Riddle is dining editor. Email her at rriddle@nyunews.com.
via Yelp.com
Avocado toast is a perfect on-the-go breakfast and can be found at many locations such as Cafe Gitante, Bluestone Lane Coffee and The Commons Chelsea.
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Washington Square news | sunday, august 24, 2014 | nyunews.com
ARTS
edited by ALEX GREENBERGER Arts@nyunews.com
Range of fall shows graces New York museums
By alex greenberger
After a summer dominated by Jeff Koons’ high-meets-low kitsch antics and Kara Walker’s sphinxmammy sugar sculpture, it was easy to forget that there was hope for artists who lay outside the canon. A wave of Latin American art exhibitions brought a muchanticipated Lygia Clark show to the Museum of Modern Art and an ambitious survey of Latin American photography to the International Center for Photography, while the work of Asian, Latin American and Middle Eastern Minimalists were finally exhibited as part of “Other Primary Structures” at the Jewish Museum. The fall brings more fresh perspectives to the contemporary art world beginning in September with the Asia Society’s Nam June Paik retrospective, “Becoming Robot.” Starting on Sept. 5, this exhibition — the first New York show of the Korean-American artist’s work since his death in 2005 — focuses on Paik’s use of new media from his Zen TV sculptures, often combined with magnets to create wave-like images on TV screens, to his larger-than-life “TV Robots” made of stacked televisions. Though the “father of video art” has received several major retrospectives, the Asia Society’s show is his largest in over a decade. Two major retrospectives are
giving New Yorkers the chance to rediscover women artists in October. At El Museo del Barrio on Oct. 9, there will be a retrospective of Marisol, the VenezuelanAmerican Pop artist who, like her male colleagues, used sculpture to question the connection between commercial objects, sexuality and violence. Yet, unlike Jasper Johns whom she is often compared with, Marisol was inspired by folk art and sometimes used life-sized wood humans to restage Christian iconography, bringing a historical element to her work and merging high and low cultures in the process. At the Brooklyn Museum, “Judith Scott — Bound and Unbound,” the first major U.S. retrospective of the little-known outsider artist, will open on Oct. 22. Critics have found Scott’s work enigmatic, mostly discussing her Down syndrome as a creative force rather than her fiber-wrapped found objects themselves. The show, mounted by the museum’s feminist art center, will change all of that, making viewers think about the mystery and strange charm of Scott’s deceptively simple sculptures. No museum’s fall slate is more ambitious than the Guggenheim Museum’s, which will mount “ZERO: Countdown to Tomorrow, 1950s-60s” and “V.S. Gaitonde: Painting as Process, Process as
Rachel liquindoli/wsn
“Death Becomes Her” will show at The Metropolitan Museum of Art starting Oct.10. Life” in October. The former’s name refers to the ZERO group — a German group of artists that combined radical materials with movement. Both shows will be the first U.S. retrospective for their respective artists. The Metropolitan Museum of
Art’s “Death Becomes Her” show looks to be one of the strangest and best shows of the season. Starting on Oct. 10, the show will chart the history of mourning gowns during the 19th century. Compared to major El Greco celebrations at the Frick Collection
and the Met opening just after this, “Death” may not be mainstream, but, as with the aforementioned exhibitions, a little exploration never hurt anyone. Alex Greenberger is arts editor. Email him at agreenberger@nyunews.com.
Musicians flock to new outdoor music venue
By Alexa Spieler
When the historic Roseland Ballroom closed in April, the New York music scene took a hit, as it was forced to relinquish a venue that was a favorite for many artists since 1958. The iconic venue may have been shut down, but Live Nation, the same company that owned Roseland Ballroom, recovered from its brief absence in the New York music scene in July with the opening of its latest Manhattan venue — JBL Live at Pier 97. With a 6,000-person capacity, Pier 97 nearly doubles the capacity limitation that Roseland Ballroom had with an added bonus — it is an outdoor
venue. Located on 57th Street and the West Side Highway, the venue will be open throughout September. While acts like The Fray performed at Pier 97 earlier this summer, the new outdoor venue will hold a handful of shows throughout September. On Sept. 13, electronic rock duo Phantogram will perform there, and on Sept. 14, “Royals” singer Lorde and the Canadian indie pop band Majical Cloudz perform together in conjunction with Lorde’s two other New York performances at the United Palace Theatre on Sept. 15 and 16. The Hudson River Park partnered with Live Nation to provide these
strictly general admission concerts, which are usually more expensive than Terminal 5’s concerts — no seating will be available, and lawn chairs are prohibited. Picnics are not allowed either, and outside food and drink as well as blankets are not allowed into the venue. All concerts throughout the Pier 97 concert series will be over by 10 p.m., and all will happen rain or shine. In competition with the riverside venue is a fan-favorite and artistfavorite venue, Terminal 5, located only a few blocks away from Pier 97. Terminal 5, however, has a capacity half that of Pier 97 and is indoors. Last summer, a partnership had emerged with New York City’s Hud-
son River Park and Live Nation to create the other riverside venue, Pier 26, which was located in Tribeca. According to an April 9 Billboard article, noise complaints from neighboring residents forced the riverside venue to close for the summer. Pier 26’s sold-out performances from such popular artists as fun. and OneRepublic had made it a successful venue until then. Pier 97’s future seems brighter than Pier 26’s, however, as it faces the Hudson River and is mostly surrounded by industrial buildings. When Billboard spoke with Jason Miller, the president of Live Nation New York, he noted that Pier 97 strives to provide something differ-
ent for New Yorkers and has already been embraced by the marketplace. Recent complaints from New Jersey residents indicate that the outdoor venue may not be as successful as Miller believes it is, because it has the unexpected effect of sending sound waves across the Hudson. Until Live Nation fixes that problem, JBL Live at Pier 97 is going to have to deal with annoyed New Jerseyans — as well as a flood of performers who will surely give lively shows at this up-and-coming venue. Alexa Spieler is music editor. Email her at aspieler@nyunews.com.
via facebook JONATHAN PACKLES/WSN
JBL Live at Pier 97 will compete with Terminal 5 for the season’s hottest shows.
nyunews.com | sunday, august 24, 2014 | Washington Square news
ARTS
edited by ALEX GREENBERGER ARTS@nyunews.com
‘Starred Up’ shines through strong acting By Jesse James Read
“Starred Up” is a striking prison film. It always feels real, and is rarely anything less than gripping. But in between all the prison politics and morally ambiguous inmates, the film loses its footing when it becomes predictable. Still, its plot, dark as it may be, is massively entertaining. Directed by David McKenzie, the British film follows 19-yearold Eric (Jack O’Connell) as he copes with the transfer from a youth institution to an adult prison facility. He is caught between hostile guards, vicious fellow inmates and his own imprisoned father (Ben Mendelsohn). For the most part, this premise revels in the patterns of a prison film. There are the usual fights with sharpened toothbrushes, and routine illicit weaponry; there are scenes in the yard, the shower and solitary confinement; and there is gang politics with the full rosters of head honchos, corrupt guards and shifty side characters who will act out of line as expected.
via facebook
Jack O’Connell stars as Eric, newly placed in adult prison. “Starred Up” sneaks in much more than standard prison-movie fare, however. Rupert Friend’s character, an unconventional prison therapist running small group sessions, teases Eric and the audience with glimpses of redemption and escape from the violent anarchy of the prison. Eric’s
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relationship with his father hints at a depth of psychology not usually touched upon in genre films. In both the film’s original bits and its stock scenes, Friend’s performance, paired with the performances from Mendelsohn, O’Connell and the rest of the cast, is worthy of all the praise it has gotten. Especially admirable is Friend as the prison therapist. Where O’Connell, Mendelsohn and most of the cast provide glimpses of tragic figures simply trying to survive, Friend’s character embodies a strange offer of salvation for the inmates. Yet Friend still seems to exhibit some form of anger, violence and despair, making the audience question whether he can really help the inmates or if he himself is being dragged deeper into the brutal world of prison. O’Connell’s protagonist is physically, intellectually and emotionally muscular. Eric’s presence is as much, if not more so, communicated through physical stature, eye movements and tastefully restrained facial expressions than through his words and actions, and the result is terrifyingly real for the audience. Mendelsohn’s father figure is similar — he often teeters, even within the same scenes, between an ineffectualyet-deeply-loving father and a monstrous product of years in a hostile closed environment. The film makes several stabs at authenticity — the screenplay was written by Jonathan Asser, who has experience as a prison therapist, and MacKenzie required his crew to live within the prison while filming. Many times, the film’s unflinching realness pays off, and it becomes difficult to watch without feeling as if it were a real prison with real prison drama. The pitfall, however, is that prison films are genre films — they do not depict real prisons with real prison dramas. You can sit down to watch “Starred Up” and guess probably about a third of the events of the film, simply due to genre constraints. Although “Starred Up” fails to revolutionize the prison film, the antics of this particular prison are sure to entertain. Jesse James Read is a contributing writer. Email him at film@nyunews.com.
informing you first
nyunews.com
Must-see concerts this week By Alexa Spieler
New Yorkers love to be busy all the time, and it is hard not to notice, especially when it comes to the arts and, in particular, concerts. Live music is one of New York City’s best offerings — between Aug. 24 and Aug. 29 alone, there is a wealth of concerts worth seeing. Whether it is at smaller venues such as Webster Hall, Irving Plaza, Gramercy Theatre and the Mercury Lounge, or larger ones like Madison Square Garden and the Barclays Center, city-dwellers never encounter difficulty when searching for a concert. Several worthwhile live music events will happen simultaneously today. For those looking to go to big concerts, Grammy Award-winning indie pop-rock band Arcade Fire will conclude its three-day takeover of the Barclays Center. Also tonight, at Tompkins Square Park, the Charlie Parker Jazz Festival will finish its free two-day festival and feature up-and-coming East Village talent. Meanwhile, at a more intimate setting, the 250-person capacity Mercury Lounge will be hosting indie folk band Parsonsfield — formerly Poor Old Shine — and Steamboats. On Aug. 25, Arlene’s Grocery will host Bootleg Glory and She Said Fire. For She Said Fire, the performance is a continuation of the rock band’s free shows at Arlene’s Grocery on every Monday throughout August. As for the following night, pop-rock indie bands Reckless Serenade and Marina City will
shawn paik/wsn
Webster Hall, among other venues, will host many artists. surely captivate the crowd at Arlene’s Grocery. Meanwhile, Rubblebucket will take over the Mercury Lounge and Sarah Darling will play before Joe’s Pub’s audience. For the self-described “wild art-pop band” Rubblebucket, its performance on Aug. 26 follows the band’s release of their album “Survival Sounds,” which is due out Aug. 25. The next night, Aug. 27, the Mercury Lounge will remain a hot spot as British electropop band Fenech Soler will be performing at the venue’s early show, only for British alt-pop duo THUMPERS to play the venue’s later show. On Aug. 29, rounding off an eventful week, various venues, including The Studio at Webster Hall,
Joe’s Pub, Arlene’s Grocery and the Mercury Lounge, will host shows worthy of checking out. Most notably, Emily’s Army, an emerging rock band currently signed to Rise Records, will perform in The Studio at Webster Hall. Competing with that show will be British altrock band Runaway Saints at the Mercury Lounge, soulful hip-hop singer Carolyn Malachi at Joe’s Pub and Brooklynite folk singer Brett Saxon at Arlene’s Grocery. There will never be a night without exciting, fresh live music so be sure to check out one of these great venues. Alexa Spieler is music editor. Email her at aspieler@nyunews.com.
krisel from PG. 1
Krisel gains Emmy nominations
sets there is a bad attitude about modification and change, however, our crew is so nimble and positive that we can really make things great,” Krisel said. Though he’s been nominated before for “Portlandia,” Krisel was still surprised by his two nods this year, one for Outstanding Directing and another for Outstanding Writing (along with Armisen, Brownstein, Graham Wagner and Karey Dornetto), both in the Variety Series category. But despite his success in the genre, Krisel is not limiting himself to variety, branching into more narrative projects soon, including the upcoming FXX dating comedy “Man Seeking Woman” and another pilot starring Zach Galifianakis and produced by Louis C.K. With that said, Krisel’s passion remains the sketch format of “Portlandia” — a passion that started while working on his
thesis at NYU. “I saw a lot of short films in college that were ‘calling cards,’” Krisel said. “They were little mini feature films, and they were boring. I liked the short films that played with the format.” Krisel also looked to video art and experimental film because these formats could produce comedy that was “more punk rock and less hindered by schmaltzy lesson learning and other sitcom tropes.” In addition to comedy, Krisel also wants to try making a drama and loves a good mix of the two genres. “I admire a good solid truth or a relatable scene just as much as something funny,” Krisel said. “I’d love to be able to achieve both.” And for anyone looking to achieve success in funny business like Krisel, he has some words of advice. “First off, never refer to it as the funny business,” he said. “It’s funny biz. Next, keep a day job. Make stuff in your spare time.” And though getting started may
courtesey of fiona o’malley
Jonathan Krisel explores new projects on FXX. be slow and tedious, Krisel believes that a career in comedy is ultimately a blast. “Making something funny is never a grind. Parts of it can be, but overall if you aren’t having a good time, it won’t be funny.” Ife Olujobi is entertainment editor. Email her at iolujobi@nyunews.com.
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Washington Square news | sunday, august 24, 2014 | nyunews.com
ARTS
edited by ALEX GREENBERGER arts@nyunews.com
By Jake Folsom
Aunt Ida and her nephew Gater are having a serious talk about lifestyle choices, and on a cursory listen her words sound familiar — all the expected cliches are in place. But then: “I’d be so proud if you ... had a nice beautician boyfriend. I’d never have to worry,” she says with concern in her eyes. “I worry that you’ll work in an office, have children, celebrate wedding anniversaries. The world of the heterosexual is a sick and boring life.” This scene is from John Waters’ seminal work, “Female Trouble,” and it is one of the more warm-and-fuzzy moments in the writer-director’s subversive filmography. While academia is filled with scholars like Judith Butler and Bell Hooks who offer thoughtful prose theories about queerness, the Film Society of Lincoln Center’s John Waters retrospective, running from Sept. 5 to Sept. 14, offers a decidedly less polite alternative. Waters — an NYU alumnus, albeit one of many artists who dropped out after just two months — keeps things plainspoken, satirical and, most of all, honest. With 10 whole days of filth, this is much more than a standard midnight screening of Waters’ cult classic “Pink Flamingos.” The extravaganza covers everything from Waters’ gritty, early independents (“Mondo Trasho,” “Eat Your Makeup”) to his mainstream breakthroughs (“Cry-Baby,” “Hairspray”). The retrospective feels welltimed. While Waters has not released a new film since 2004’s “A Dirty Shame,” he has been pro-
lific over the last year. In June, Waters released a new book called “Carsick,” which chronicles his journey hitchhiking across the United States. This past year also saw the release of “I Am Divine,” a documentary that profiles Waters’ muse and best known troupe member, the drag queen Divine. Divine will be well-represented at the Lincoln Center retrospective. She is particularly known for her roles in transgressive films, like the aforementioned “Female Trouble.” In this film, Divine plays Dawn Davenport, a juvenile delinquent-turned-guerrilla performance artist. Those looking for a safer Divine/Waters classic can see her in “Hairspray,” playing the role of Baltimore mother Edna Turnblad — the same character Harvey Fierstein later played in the Broadway version of the musical. Waters’ films are often called “gay classics,” but that is not exactly accurate. On multiple occasions, Waters has said his are films for people who are “outcasts from their own minority.” These are quintessentially queer films, mocking tropes, clichés and any semblance of mainstream society. They revel in ironic fun rather than just gay pride. And now viewers, too, can join in on the filthy humor that runs throughout Waters’ oeuvre. Viewers are asked to set aside their inhibitions for a moment and join Aunt Ida in her sentiment: being different is not equivalent — it’s far better. Jake Folsom is a staff writer. Email him at film@nyunews.com.
via wikipedia.org
Lincoln Center will be hosting Waters’ work early next month.
welcome class of 2018
Waters brings his craft to film retrospective
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opinion
edited by CHRISTINA COLEBURN opinion@nyunews.com
christina’s case
Internships should not require credit By Christina Coleburn
Summer internships are quickly drawing to a close. Colleges continually stress the importance of internships for post-graduation employment, a notion met with both consensus and criticism. From the legality of unpaid labor, limited workplace rights and barriers for lower-income students to the cost of financing internships and disparity in quality, structural shortcomings have raised controversy. Given that many universities allow internships for credit, NYU included, these issues now extend beyond outside outlets to college bursars. Universities should not charge students for internship credits, as the inevitable fluctuation in quality fosters a climate where students’ educational value can be compromised for universities’ financial profit. Some students will return to campus with meaningful internship experiences that offered mentorship and educational supplement. Others will have engaged minimally with the subject matter they intended to explore. Some interns will have been paid, but many more will not. While most internships do involve menial tasks, they
should not comprise the majority of the experience, especially if a student intends to seek academic credit. This issue also applies to prestigious outlets. Interning for a senator may look spectacular on a resume, but educational value is lacking if the student largely made coffee runs instead of engaging with legislative affairs. Under NYU’s current standards, a student who was paid for an extraordinary experience would pay the same rate as a student who was paid nothing for a mediocre experience. While the latter student has been excessively billed for an ineffectual internship, it is likely that charging for credit would also hurt the former student as the cost of the credits would easily outweigh his or her earnings. In charging for these varying experiences, universities are compensated for a service in which they have no
substantial involvement. For instance, students seeking credit through Gallatin are required to keep a journal, write an essay and submit a brief performance evaluation to their advisors. However, the academic value remains questionable. There are no lectures, no recitations and no university facilities used. Moreover, the process still lacks enough oversight to ensure that the internship was as worthwhile as a class would have been. While student activism resulted in greater transparency to identify “illegal, exploitative unpaid internships” on the Wasserman Center for Career Development website, CareerNet, more is necessary. Under current standards, NYU could be compensated for an internship that would be disqualified from CareerNet had the student applied to the internship using alternate means. With tuition costs and insufficient financial aid, NYU should make efforts to maximize opportunity for educational experiences. Charging for internship credits does not advance this goal. Christina Coleburn is opinion editor. Email her at ccoleburn@nyunews.com.
omar’s oration
Adjusting to college life in New York By Omar Etman
My brother graduated from the University of Connecticut in May. For the non-ESPN watching set, UConn is home to one of the strongest NCAA basketball programs in the nation. In early April, UConn won the men’s and women’s national championships. I watched the men’s championship game from my dorm room with my basketball-crazed roommates. When it became clear that UConn’s victory was secure, I screamed for three minutes. My RA, who lived across the hall, texted me during the final seconds of my celebration to remind me of quiet hours, curtailing my excitement. In the months building up to my freshman year, I reveled in my romantic prejudgements of a place I had never visited. I liked the way I thought New York City smelled. I rejoiced in the way I thought I would feel walking home to my Fifth Avenue dorm. Unfortunately, my tumultuous first semester at NYU demonstrated the extent of my delusion. The mawkish tenderness that carried me to New York withered within weeks of my arrival. College is hard, especially first semesters — and
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that’s before the extremes of New York City are taken into account. Learning to love NYU, I quickly discovered, would come from acceptance of trade-offs. Sure, New York City doesn’t afford me X, but at least I can do Y, I would remind myself. Attempts at justification, however illogical, preserved my spirit, especially when gloating social media postings from friends at more traditional universities left me in despair. During bad days I, like many teenagers, dutifully disguised my struggle in cheerful Facebook postings. The shared insincerity of happiness provided a momentary stopgap of real feeling, but it did little to benefit my long-term satisfaction. Only when I sacrificed the self-serving pretense of happiness was I able to move forward and seek out that which would ultimately be fulfilling.
By the end of my first year, I had sought and found community in small groups, rejoicing in the company of intramural volleyball players and Washington Square News staffers. While I still may not feel as united with NYU as my peers from home do at their universities, I feel connected to the people that make it great and the city that makes it challenging. As the year progressed, I found myself rationalizing NYU to friends less frequently. I was telling college stories without qualifiers excusing NYU of its Division III status and unconventional campus. I proudly shared my experiences of waiting in line at “Saturday Night Live” and using our dorm’s B stairwell as a meeting place for mischievous minds. That’s what made the difference for my relationship with NYU — authentic interactions. I checked my phone again before I went to sleep. My RA had texted. “Congrats on the win.” Omar Etman is a deputy opinion editor. Email him at oetman@nyunews.com.
staff editorial
Sexual assualt education program needed at NYU
Sexual assault on college campuses is nothing new. However, the issue has only recently dominated national news, making conversation unavoidable. Fueled by years of ignored pleas for help and rejected appeals for justice, sentiments on college campuses have evolved from hushed frustration to resounding anger. To preserve image, American universities have been quietly complicit in the crisis and students should no longer stand for sluggish action. Change must come, with or without government support. The May 2014 federal recommendations urge colleges to conduct anonymous surveys on sexual assault and adopt stricter policies to help victims. While well-intended, the effort will fail without colleges’ strong support. If universities do not cooperate, the federal recommendations cannot evolve into sustainable plans for action. True reform must come from the university level, which NYU should introduce in the 2014-15 school year. Rutgers University and Florida Gulf Coast University, schools with prior sexual assault cases, have made steps in the right direction. Rutgers will include a sexual assault simulation for students during orientation and FGCU will offer education on sexual assault to supplement alcohol education. Welcome Week and subsequent weeks are an ideal time to offer similar guidance to NYU freshmen beyond what is usually mentioned in the annual Reality Show. In developing this program, NYU should aim to confront obstacles that regularly hinder universities’ efforts. While the federal recommendations make a notable effort, colleges must meet them halfway. An ideal program would explain absolute consent to students and further apply it to settings involving acquaintance rape, drugs and alcohol. Students need to be explicitly informed about precautionary measures beyond what is learned through AlcoholEdu. Students must join the fight with bystander intervention, and NYU must make clear that effective prevention is contingent on both male and female students sharing responsibility for campus safety. These education efforts, coupled with other means, could improve campus safety for students and faculty alike. Reform also rests on implicit messaging. College environments must be hospitable to victims rather than hostile. Sexual assault complaints should be met with appropriate referrals for support and thorough examination of options, not unsuitable adjudication that leaves students vulnerable to their attackers. The consequences of being sexually assaulted are devastating. Rape survivors are 13 times more likely to attempt suicide than people who have not been raped. Estimates indicate that 40 percent develop sexually transmitted infections as a result of the attack and 80 percent suffer chronic psychological and physical problems over time. The consequences of raping, in contrast, are minimal — 97 percent of rapists will never spend a day in jail. It is time universities increased sexual assault education and resources as a duty to students, not a federally mandated inconvenience. NYU can lead the way.
Email the WSN Editorial Board at editboard@nyunews.com. EDITORIAL BOARD: Christina Coleburn (Chair), Omar Etman (Co-chair), Adam Fazlibegu(Co-chair), Tess Woosely (Co-chair)
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 | sunday, august 24, 2014 | nyunews.com
Sports
edited by CHRIS MARCOTRIGIANO sports@nyunews.com
Changes go into effect for teams after Poly, NYU merger By Michelle Tran
As another school year begins, NYU Athletics prepares itself for the changes that come with the finalized NYU and the Polytechnic School of Engineering merger that occurred at the beginning of January 2014. The influx of more athletes, coaching staff and other athletic faculty has created a new atmosphere within the NYU Athletics Department. Roster sizes for men’s and women’s cross country, men’s and women’s golf and men’s and women’s tennis will increase approximately three to five people, as Poly athletes make their way over to the NYU campus. Pros and cons can both be found in the wake of this merger. Roster size increases can help foster good competitive energy in order to create the best starting line-ups or first teams. However, the increase in student-athletes under one fully merged program can also inhibit players from having the chance to see minutes or playing time. The increase in roster size leaves potential for an increase in athletic faculty. While NYU administration has offered some new positions to provide opportunity for the coach-
ing staff of Poly Athletics to continue their work within their respective sports programs, this may not be the case for all sports. Not only is there an increase in student-athletes, but an increase in the potential participation in new sports programs as well. As Poly Brooklynites merge with their campus counterparts, they also bring their baseball and softball program to the Washington Square campus. NYU, which has not seen a varsity baseball program since 1974 and never held a softball program, will now offer new baseball and softball recruits the chance to participate in this varsity sport. With all aspects of the merger wrapping up, Poly, having previously participated in the Skyline Athletic Conference, will now compete in the University Athletic Association under the same membership as NYU. Having discussed the possibility of this merger since the beginning of 2008, NYU and Poly have finally seen their work come together six years later in the unification of both programs. Michelle Tran is a staff writer. Email her at sports@nyunews.com.
NYUnews.com
via gonyuathletics.com
nyunews.com | sunday, august 24, 2014 | Washington Square news
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Sports
edited by CHRIS MARCOTRIGIANO Sports@nyunews.com
promising Players to watch: fall 2014
Reece Barton, Men’s Soccer Reece Barton burst on the scene last season as a freshman leading the Violets with six goals on 32 shots from the forward position. Now a sophomore in SCPS, Barton will look to expand on his rookie campaign and once again be the team’s primary striking option as they look to improve on a 6-8-3 2013 campaign. Barton will have to work with his midfielders such as Mickey Ingerman and Petter Aasa, a CAS senior and sophomore, respectively, to create dynamic scoring chances by using his speed down the middle of the pitch.
By CHRIS MARCOTRIGIANO
Kaitlyn Read, Women’s Basketball Hailing from University Park, Texas, CAS sophomore Kaitlyn Read really did do it all for the Violets in her first season at NYU. Averaging just under 28 minutes a game, Read chipped in 13.8 points a contest on 45.8 percent shooting. She led the team with an astounding 75 steals and was second on the Violets with 87 assists and 151 rebounds. A truly dynamic player, Read can keep defenses honest with her abilities in various skill areas. She will be crucial if the Violets are to once again reach the NCAA tournament.
Brandon Jones, Wrestling CAS junior and wrestling co-captain Brandon Jones brought home a third-place finish at the Division III NCAA championships last season, which is tied for the third highest finish ever for an NYU wrestler. If that was not enough, he was also named a University Athletic Association Outstanding Wrestler and an All-American in the 141-lb. weight class. Jones boasted the best record on last year’s team at 23-3. When wrestling season comes around in November, look for him to lead the team once again through their conference and NCAA schedules with his notable statistics.
Melissa Menta, Women’s Soccer Melissa Menta, an SCPS junior, spearheaded the Violets’ attack last season and was one of only five players to start all 18 games for the squad. Not only did she rack up a teamleading seven goals, but also four of them were game winners, demonstrating her propensity to come through in the clutch. With a strong returning class, Menta will be at the center of the team’s quest for that elusive NCAA Tournament berth as they look to get consistent goal scoring to pair with solid play in net.
Evan Kupferberg, Men’s Basketball
Chris Marcotrigiano is sports editor. Email him at cmarcotrigiano@nyunews.com photos via gonyuathletics.com
The trio of Gallatin junior Evan Kupferberg, Stern junior Max Ralby and SCPS junior Costis Gontikas are sure to scare opposing defenses this season. Ralby figures to be the top distributer with the departure of Ryan Tana, and Gontikas will use his 6-foot-9 frame to post up on defenders and block those looking for easy baskets inside. The mark of a good basketball player is being able to majorly contribute in multiple categories. Kupferberg is the team’s prolific scorer, averaging 17.5 points per game last season and was the second leading scorer in the UAA. Kupferberg was also second on the team in blocks behind Gontikas with 18 and also racked up 33 steals. Kupferberg certainly can fill multiple stat categories, and the coaching staff will be leaning on him as the team tries to make the NCAA tournament.