NYU’s Daily Student Newspaper
WASHINGTON SQUARE NEWS Vol. 41, No. 67
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 2013
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SEJAL KOTHARI FOR WSN
NYUGreen Day of Service brings students, faculty to Lower East Side As part of the Sustainability Initiative Task Force’s partnership with groups like the Lower East Side Ecology Center, students and faculty volunteered in the Lower East Side by sprucing up the neighborhood.
STORY ON PAGE 3
Students to dig into NYU Urban Kagame, Weisel genocide discussion Farm Lab for Harvest Day disappoints crowd By ALEX PASTRON
Bustling cities like New York City can sometimes seem almost colorless, but the NYU Urban Farm Lab is giving the city a spot of bright green to contrast with the greys of the surrounding concrete jungle. Located on a green plot of land on the Houston Street side of the University Village Silver Towers, the NYU Urban Farm celebrated
its first Harvest Day on Sept. 26, welcoming both NYU students and local community members to pick fresh produce planted and grown by NYU students over the summer. “So far we have sowed seeds in trays … and once the roots systems are established, we can transfer them back into the garden,” food studies graduate student Rachel Gill said. “It’s a trip to be planting veg-
etables next to taxi cabs,” Gill said, gesturing toward the bustling street just on the other side of the farm’s fence. The farm project was initially proposed in 2010 by Daniel Bowman Simon of SNAP Gardens, which is an extension of the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. The project faced many extraordinary challenges in
By MARIA VERBAITE
Nobel Peace Laureate and Holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel and Rwanda President Paul Kagame discussed U.S. intervention in Syria at The Bronfman Center
FARM continued on PG. 5
Violets defeated by Farmingdale State in double overtime By KEVIN DANG
In their second straight overtime effort, the NYU men’s soccer team lost 1-0 on Saturday afternoon against Farmingdale State College in Farmingdale, N.Y. Although the Violets played well in the first half and maintained more possession throughout the game than the Farmingdale Rams, they ultimately fell in the second overtime period to
a late, 102nd minute goal from sophomore midfielder Alexis Escobar. “I think that FSC came out strong and we struggled to find our rhythm,” junior goalkeeper Forrest Sexton said. “The game was pretty evenly matched.” Escobar capitalized on a hole in the Violets’ defense. He was able to get away from the defensive line, face off with Sexton and beat him with a low shot.
FARMINGDALE continued on PG. 4
JUSTIN LANIER FOR WSN
Rwandan President Kagame and Elie Weisel hold a talk.
for Jewish Life as part of a controversial event titled “Genocide: Do the strong have an obligation to protect the weak?” on Sunday. Rabbi Shmuley Boteach moderated the discussion. The event was a prelude to the 20th anniversary of the Rwandan Genocide and coincided with the UN General Assembly week, taking place in the UN headquarters from Sept. 24 to Oct. 1. Many people stood in line for over an hour to see the discussion. A half-hour before the event, organizers told attendees that the event had been overbooked and that many people would not be admitted, regardless of whether they prebooked their tickets. While the event was wellattended, several people protested Kagame outside. At the beginning of the
GENOCIDE continued on PG. 3
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WASHINGTON SQUARE NEWS Editor-in-Chief JONATHON DORNBUSH Managing Editor
‘PARKS AND RECREATION’ JONATHON DORNBUSH Comedies tend to fade after their first several years and few have the right to be as funny as “Parks and Recreation” does this late in life. Its sixth season premiere, “London,” was one of the show’s best episodes and proves there is plenty left in Pawnee’s parks department. It’s not too late to catch up on this little-watched critical darling. Make this your next show to binge watch, and you won’t be disappointed with what is, literally, one of the best comedies on TV.
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‘THE FAULT IN OUR STARS’
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MICHAEL DOMANICO investigative KAYANA JEAN-PHILIPPE arts JEREMY GROSSMAN features JONATHAN KESHISHOGLOU sports FRANCISCO NAVAS multimedia JONATHAN TAN copy CASEY DALRYMPLE social media GENTRY BROWN senior editors VERONICA CARCHEDI, TONY CHAU, DAN HINTON, MICHELLE LIM, STEFAN MELNYK, SAM RULLO, WICY WANG
VALERIE NELSON
With all the buzz surrounding its upcoming movie adaptation starring Shailene Woodley and Ansel Elgort, now is the time to read John Green’s “The Fault in Our Stars.” It’s a love story between two terminally ill teenagers with all the laughter, tears and Pinterest-worthy quotes that we’ve come to expect from Green, writer of books like “Looking for Alaska” and “An Abundance of Katherines.” A piece of advice — use a tissue as a bookmark for when “Stars” makes you cry.
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OPINION PAGE
‘JOHN MCCRACKEN: WORKS FROM 1963 - 2011 AT DAVID ZWIRNER’ ALEX GREENBERGER No, those monoliths in “2001: A Space Odyssey” were not completely Stanley Kubrick’s idea. The monoliths were inspired by John McCracken’s planks, a series of minimalist sculptures done in the 1960s that resemble industrial objects. Now, they are the series of a fantastic, monographic show about McCracken’s nearly 50-year-long career at David Zwirner. See the show to find the transcendence Kubrick found in 1968 when he saw McCracken’s colorful, reductive forms.
opinion editor
RAQUEL WOODRUFF deputy opinion editors
‘TINY FURNITURE’ ISABEL JONES
From Lena Dunham before she was famous comes this 2009 indie-flick about growing up and getting it together — or not. “Tiny Furniture” maintains the clever wit of “Girls” and even features several of the show’s stars (Alex Karpovsky, Jemima Kirke). Dunham’s real-life mother and sister star as well, lending more authenticity to the piece. Deliciously off-beat and quietly compelling, the film is a must-see for the long hiatus between seasons of “Girls.”
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‘ONCE’
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A tarot card reader sets up his cards and table in Washington Square Park.
PHOTO BY SHAWN PIAK
Winner of eight Tony Awards, the Broadway show “Once” is still relatively unknown to a majority of NYU students. This musical about a Guy and a Girl, the character names, who meet in Dublin and fall in love over a piano, has been running for almost two years. However, the folk music still sounds fresh and bright. If you haven’t had a chance to see “Once,” now is the time to go.
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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 managing editor Jordan Melendrez at managing@nyunews.com or at 212.998.4302.
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Dining halls offer Tapingo Sustainability Task Force leads NYUGreen Day of Service for speedy service By PATRICK ANKER
By ANN SCHMIDT
Orders at some campus dining locations are now just a tap away. NYU Dining Services has brought a new tech service to the university. Tapingo, which launched at NYU on Sept. 18, is an online and mobile ordering and pickup service that allows students to use their Dining Dollars and Campus Cash. Currently, Tapingo serves 25 universities in the United States including Cornell and Columbia, where it launched in February. The service has existed since January 2012. At NYU, Tapingo serves Dunkin’ Donuts in University Hall, Burger Studio, the Weinstein Food Court, Peet’s Coffee & Tea and Argo Tea in the Academic Resource Center. “These locations were selected for a variety of reasons, such as popularity and ease of introduction service,” said Ann Powell, director of NYU Dining Services. “Plans are to expand to The Marketplace at The Kimmel Center and Starbucks at Faye’s.” Powell said that the service was implemented to aid students. “NYU Dining Services realizes that students are busy and appreciate the opportunity to get their meals quickly,” Powell said. “This service will allow students more time to enjoy their meals and socialize with friends.” Tapingo uses data acquired from users to project when and where each user wants to order something. Wayne Slavin, Tapingo’s vice president of product development, elaborated on the start and goals of Tapingo. “In order to make [Tapingo] valuable, it has to be where we go regularly,” Slavin said. “I have regular places, and you have regular places that may not be the same. But this is a whole city of choices, so we would have to be at every shop.” Tapingo has targeted college campuses across the country. Slavin said the magnitude of a city versus a university in this type of data collection would be tremendous. “A university is like a mini-universe,” Slavin said. “It has a select number of merchants, and these merchants are in-
NYU student and faculty volunteers met to beautify tree beds in the Lower East Side for the NYUGreen Day of Service, led by NYU’s Sustainability Initiative on Saturday, Sept. 28. Teaming up with six other groups, including the Lower East Side Ecology Center and the New York Tree Trust, who organized the event, NYU’s volunteers planted daffodils around trees and previously planted liriope. Jessie Baker, an overseer for NYU’s Sustainability Task Force, said environmental projects protect and preserve trees from city dangers. “Trees in urban environments face a multitude of threats — people compacting the soil by walking through tree beds, pets using them as litter boxes, car doors being slammed into trunks, the list goes on,” Baker said. The volunteers planted about 4,500 daffodil bulbs in 170 tree beds by all six groups. The two dozen NYU volunteers was a large increase compared to previous NYUGreen Day of Service in July, which brought NYU volunteers to help the Metropolitan Waterfront Alliance with its annual event, City of Water Day. “This was almost threefold to our turnout at our first event,” Baker said. “I think it has to do with the fact that it isn’t the hottest day of the year. The weather is perfect.” The goal of planting flowers around the trees and shrubbery is to pay more attention to the tree beds, avoid harming the trees and now the daffodils.
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Tapingo allows students to order food in a quick, digital system. tegrated with student life and are managed by a single entity.” Slavin said that of the 24 other universities, more than 50 percent of students use Tapingo. Student reactions to the service are mixed. LSP freshman Ilan Nathanson said that he uses Tapingo for the Weinstein food court and Peet’s Coffee & Tea. “I’ve been using it, and the concept is great,” Nathanson said. “In practice it’s awesome. I’ve skipped lines in the morning and saved myself a ton of time.” However, other students feel differently about the service, particularly the removal of human interaction for ordering food. Tisch freshman Sabrina Sng said she would not use the app. “I personally won’t really use it because I enjoy picking up the food myself, and also I think one of the best parts of this experience would be the fact that I get to know the people working in these eating areas and we form a friendship,” Sng said. “[The workers] really are part of the dining experience at NYU that I feel is heartwarming.” Patrick Anker is a contributing writer. Email him at news@nyunews.com.
GLS sophomore Ashley Slater, a volunteer at the service day, also pointed out the benefits that the flowers will offer to the area. “It brightens up the atmosphere of the neighborhood,” Slater said. “The flowers aren’t just for the trees, but also for the community to look at.” The event on Saturday was just one of many continuing projects that the New York Tree Trust and the Lower East Side Ecology Center have been working toward. The two organizations are collaborating on planting new trees, putting up tree guards, and planting liriope bulbs and more daffodils. Other volunteer groups on NYU’s campus however, they were not aware of the opportunity to volunteer. “I think there needs to be more advertising and information about [NYUGreen Day of Service] to get people excited and involved,” said second-year graduate student
and Circle K International president Muffy Lavens. Two professors in the Steinhardt School of Culture, Education and Human Development, Rose Vukovic and Lorena Llosa, volunteered with students on Saturday and were excited about the service project. Vukovic is a sustainability advocate and helped recruit Llosa. “I’d love to bring more students and colleagues [to future events],” Llosa said. The NYU Office of Sustainability will host more events throughout the year. Christopher James, spokesperson for the Office of Sustainability, said the office plans to host several speakers for the Sustainability Lecture Series, in addition to a longer lasting project to reduce the university’s carbon footprint by 50 percent by 2017. Ann Schmidt is a contributing writer. Email her at news@nyunews.com.
SEJAL KOTHARI FOR WSN
A student plants daffodils around trees in the LES.
GENOCIDE continued from PG. 1
Genocide discussion leaves some audience members with more questions than answers event, a member of the audience interrupted Wiesel, shouting at Kagame and criticizing his governance. Rwandan and American Secret Service agents quickly escorted him out. Kagame and Wiesel talked about the Holocaust and the Rwandan genocide and provided their opinions about the potential international military intervention in Syria. Boteach also turned the attention to the ongoing civil war in Darfur and praised Kagame for sending troops to Sudan. “We should not wait to understand why killings are happening,” Kagame said. Kagame pointed out that the use of chemical weapons is unacceptable, and if the world leaders are sure these weapons have been used, then action must be taken immedi-
ately to protect the Syrian people. Wiesel agreed that intervention in Syria was necessary and said
he was disappointed with Jewish and American leadership in Syria. “We know for sure that gas
JUSTIN LANIER FOR WSN
The Bronfman Center holds a discussion about genocide.
weapons have been used for the first time in a long period,” Wiesel said. “Something must be done.” “With so many horrible killings like genocide going on in our world, why shouldn’t I hate people who commit evil deeds?” Boteach asked the speakers toward the end of the talk. “We cannot focus on evil,” Weisel replied. “We must look forward. I do believe in anger, but not hate. Because hate spreads and then the evil just continues.” Students had mixed reactions to the discussion, with some students saying the focus was unclear. “On one hand, we had the rabbi who kept talking about the Holocaust and about Jewish values, [and] on the other hand we had the Rwandan President who avoided [saying] anything concrete and just gave some abstract remarks
about genocide,” Stern freshman Lori Berenberg said. “I am very confused about the event.” Erin Diggs, a global studies student at The New School, said the event was not a useful discussion. “I feel like I have lost two hours of my life,” Diggs said.“I didn’t hear one thing that was actually worth listening to.” CAS sophomore Zachary Schwarzbaum said he appreciated the university’s emphasis on Jewish values. “I did like that the Jewish community organized this event and showed how much they care about Jewish values and about conveying them to NYU students,” Schwarzbaum said. Maria Verbaite is a contributing writer. Email her at news@ nyunews.com.
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SPORTS
EDITED BY FRANCISCO NAVAS SPORTS@NYUNEWS.COM
FARMINGDALE continued from PG. 1
Despite impressive play from midfielders, goalie, Men’s soccer falls in overtime
Having taken 11 shots compared to the Rams’ six shots, the Violets expected a better turnout when the final whistle sounded. Unfortunately for the Violets, Farmingdale junior goalie Angelo Viteritti had a solid performance, making a total of four saves. Senior midfielder Ian Cassell led the way for the Violets with three shots on goal. Junior midfielder Tim Goldman, freshman forward Reece Barton and senior midfielder Colm Dillane all had two shots apiece. Each team was issued one yellow card throughout the match. In addition to Viteritti’s four saves, he also managed to provide the decisive assist to the Rams goal-scorer. “I think the team took this as a wake up call and we have every intention of beating Rochester this weekend,” Sexton said. Despite this loss, the Violets will regroup and be back in action on Oct. 5 when they travel to Rochester, N.Y. to face the
University of Rochester for the first UAA game of the season. Kevin Dang is a contributing writer. Email him at sports@nyunews.com.
VIA GONYUATHLETICS.COM
Senior midfielder Ian Cassell dribbles the ball up through the midfield.
NFL considers adding more teams to playoffs
By CHARLES SURETTE
Perhaps no other sport is as ingratiated into the American consciousness as the National Football League. By far the most popular spectator sport in the United States, the NFL has grown to become as big a part of society as some of America’s oldest traditions. This stronghold over sports fans has created one of the most successful businesses in American history. With nearly $10 billion in revenue in 2012, the NFL has entrenched itself as a behemoth cultural institution, so much so that the Super Bowl has become a de facto national holiday. It should come as no surprise, therefore, that the NFL is reportedly considering expanding its playoffs from 12 teams to 14 and reducing its preseason from four games to three, which would add one more week of officially competitive play. Details are scarce, but it is already clear the NFL will carefully examine the benefits and risks of such an important decision. The benefits are obvious and enormous. More playoff action means new revenue from ticket
sales, broadcasting and advertising. For fans, it means more competitive, meaningful football and less oft-maligned preseason football. This means more must-see TV and Shakespearean-level drama. It’s not all tailgating and touchdowns, however. Research has demonstrated that repeated head injuries are overwhelmingly responsible for cases of chronic traumatic encephalopathy and other forms of brain damage seen in many former football players. To that effect, the NFL recently entered into a $765 million settlement with a group of former players over allegations that they were misled over football’s health risks. Although attempts to increase the safety of its players by limiting hits to the head have been made, continued questions surround football’s lasting effects. Expanded playoffs mean another week of intense play not seen in the preseason, raising the risk of careerthreatening injuries. Moreover, a shorter preseason means less practice time, potentially lowering the quality of competitive football. The NFL must decide if the risk of possibly serious injuries to
its players is worth the benefits of higher revenues and legions of ravenous fans hungry for any football they can feast their eyes on. For all the criticism the league has faced over its controversial decisions, this is one that will no doubt not be made lightly. Charles Surette is a contributing writer. Email him at sports@ nyunews.com
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Jets quarterback Gino Smith prepares to throw the ball.
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WHAT’S IN YOUR BAG? By ALLISON COLLINS
COURTESY OF JOSH AZAR
When leaning against a lamppost next to the fountain in Washington Square Park, Josh Azar looks like any other CAS junior. But what passersby might not realize is that Azar also performs as a magician. While a magician never reveals his secrets, Azar gave a glimpse into his life by opening up his backpack to reveal some objects that may seem unusual to those unversed in magic.
Dice Azar uses three dice to perform some of his magic tricks. Magic has been one of his favorite hobbies for years now, and he is always ready to perform a trick or illusion, whether with dice, coins, a deck of cards or whatever he has on hand. Azar frequents a multitude of magic shops and is regularly learning new tricks and perfecting his skills. He has a very large repertoire of tricks and can easily show one to anyone who asks. Hacky Sack Aside from hauling around schoolwork, Josh carries the knick-knacks of his general interest on a daily basis, just in case he needs a break from the
monotony of classes. The first thing he pulled out of the front pocket of his backpack was a Hacky Sack. When asked if he kicked the Hacky Sack around with any specific group of people, he responded that there was no one in particular. “I just carry it around in case I get a good combination of a nice day and some free time,” Azar said. Both are hard to find simultaneously these days, now that classes have begun, but Azar remains hopeful.
Foreign Language Books Like many the students walking around campus, Azar lugs around several textbooks and notebooks.
As an English major, he has his fair share of English books. But his interest in language does not stop there — he has a Spanish-English dictionary and an Irish textbook in the main pocket of his bag.
Bent Coin As an avid member of the magic community, Azar has many friends who also perform tricks of their own. This coin is a symbol of that — a fellow magician was able to bend the coin. Azar is always learning new tricks from others in an effort to expand his magical horizons. Allison Collins is a contributing writer. Email her at features@nyunews.com.
FARM continued from PG. 1
Students, community celebrate harvest festival at Urban Farm
obtaining approval. But eventually things began to move forward. “Convincing the Landmark Commission that this is prettier than a lawn was the hardest part of the project,” NYU food studies professor Jennifer Berg said. Food studies visiting scholar Matthew Hoffman said the project was worth the work. “It is vitally important to have a well-run garden at NYU, one that people can connect with and see how it works, precisely because it is something that many people in that neighborhood have so little connection with or appreciation for,” Hoffman said. In an effort to include the local community, the farm is not limited to students, but has reserved a few beds for both Silver Tower residents and a local preschool. “We want to welcome the whole NYU community to come in and dig some beds and
eat some tomatoes,” Berg said during the harvest, as a string of preschool students wound their way between the vegetables. As for the farm’s future development, Hoffman stated that he would like to see the space become a center for students with common agricultural interests. “[One] of my hopes is that the farm can serve as a networking hub for students that are interested in urban agriculture of all kinds,” Hoffman said. “From the start I envisioned the farm as a place to learn biointensive gardening but also as a point of contact for students who want to connect with other urban farms around the city and outside of it.” With one successful harvest behind them, students have already begun preparations for the winter crops and welcome the community to take part in the next season of the NYU
Urban Farm. Classes in Steinhardt’s food studies program will work more with the farm, as crops are planted for the fall and winter. Alex Pastron is a contributing writer. Email him at features@nyunews.com.
SHAWN PAIK FOR WSN
The NYU community can access and enjoy the harvests from the Urban Farm Lab.
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FEATURES Exhibit shows headlines of Hispanic history By BLAIR CANNON
El Diario/La Prensa commemorated its centennial anniversary on Sept. 25, establishing itself as the country’s longest-running Spanish newspaper. El Diaro lined the halls of NYU’s King Juan Carlos I of Spain Center with placards that compiled headlines, photographs and stories highlighting significant Hispanic and New York cultural events of the past three decades. Jo Labanyi, director of the KJCC, introduced the exhibition “In the Headlines: Hispanic New Yorkers, 1980-2000.” “For many of you, I’m sure it will be a great nostalgia trip,” Labanyi said. “For those of you who are younger, it will be a voyage of discovery.” The available archive was limited due to a flood in 1992 on Varick Street that destroyed the documents dated from 1913 to 1978. All that remained on paper were newspapers from 1978 to 2002, and the paper has been digital since then. One of the defining aspects of this timeframe was the “Hispanic Decade” of the 1980s, which led to the stigma that Hispanics were infiltrating American society and culture as they immigrated. “We chose 1980 [to focus on] because it is the beginning of the socalled decade of the Hispanic, which is a period in which everyone started talking about the overwhelming population growth of Hispanics,” said Javier Gómez, centennial project manager for El Diario. The voice of the Hispanic community rose as it lived through events such as the AIDS epidemic and the attack on 9/11. “We didn’t just come here to change the city, which we did,” said Rossana Rosaldo, El Diario’s publisher and CEO. “We didn’t just come here to add flavor, which we did, to make a lot of noise, which we have. But we also built this city, and we evolved with it.” Former metro editor for El Diario, Lourdes Centeno, expressed pride in the exhibit. She worked on several of the on-display stories from the ’90s. “[The exhibit] also reinforces the importance of this newspaper, and the importance of this media outlet for the Latino community, and how much of a voice it’s been for the last hundred years,” Centeno said. The exhibition is on display at 53 Washington Square South through Dec. 18. Blair Cannon is a contributing writer. Email her at features@ nyunews.com.
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Crossword ACROSS 1 For real, in slang 6 Day-___ paint 9 2008 candidate with the slogan “Change we can believe in” 14 Supreme Court justice Samuel 15 Tech giant with the catchphrase “You’ve got mail” 16 English royal house before Stuart 17 “Come on, stop being such a wimp!” 18 Wheedle 20 Backup strategy 21 Push roughly 22 “Au revoir, ___ amis” 23 Course that’s a cinch 25 Investments for old age, for short 27 Largest inland city in California
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30 Org. for the Redskins, but not the Reds 32 5K or 10K 35 Grazing area 36 “A penny saved is a penny earned,” e.g. 38 Two-legged creature 39 Illegal torching 41 Old Russian space station 42 Minor failing 43 “Kama ___” (ancient love guide) 44 Case of the blahs 46 PC hookup 47 Door turner 48 “Life of Pi” director Lee 49 Nasty looks 51 Letters of invitation? 53 Serves meals to 55 Eggs in fertility clinics 57 Gets closer to 59 Pretty poor grade
63 Like some premium roasts 65 Garlicky sauce 66 Note an alto is unlikely to hit 67 Even score 68 Basic belief 69 Stylishly streamlined 70 Urban grid: Abbr. 71 A cube has 12 of them
DOWN 1 Reading light 2 Carrier to Israel 3 Actress Gershon of “Bound” 4 ___ Store (source of many 99¢ downloads) 5 Kingpin 6 Bloated 7 Simple things to pick … or what 5-, 11-, 29- and 38-Down have? 8 Ersatz butter 9 Riverbank frolicker 10 “Nothing ___ net” 11 Lump that TO PREVIOUS PUZZLE moves when you swallow A L I S T G R A F 12 Distinctive L E N T O H A L O Cindy Crawford feature O L A T E S H A K E S N O P R I S O N E R S 13 Clumsy boats C U T A N D P A S T E 19 Satan’s doing 24 Turf U T M O T E S E A W O R T H Y 26 Diva’s delivery S P U R N A S I A 27 Hooch container 28 Any “Seinfeld” S T A R T O N K E Y showing, now P E R M F G 29 “Colorful” I N E T H A T S A M city bordering Newark, N.J. T O T H E R E S C U E E P I E A L A M O D E 31 Office plant A R U D E U N I T 33 Onetime Joker portrayer ___ D E N S E G E T S Romero
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PUZZLE BY IAN LIVENGOOD
34 Perfect settings 37 “You said it, brother!” 38 Dinner and a movie, say, with someone you don’t know 40 Spheres 45 “___ it or lose it” 48 Mimicry pro 50 Glimpsed
52 Style of T-shirt that does not have a round collar 54 ___ Park, Colo. 55 Former New York Times publisher Adolph 56 Bit of headgear raised at the wedding altar
58 Stage presentations 60 ___ John Silver 61 Title beekeeper in a 1997 film 62 Takes the bench 64 Word usually ignored in alphabetization
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OPINION
EDITED BY RAQUEL WOODRUFF OPINION@NYUNEWS.COM
HEALTH
Federal regulation needed for e-cigarettes By HARRY BROWN
The electronic cigarette has been steadily growing in popularity. E-cigarettes are fast becoming a fixture of modern society, as just last year, the number of students using the device doubled. E-cigarettes are a form of electronic vaporizer which imitate the process of smoking. Commonly known as vaping, smoking e-cigarettes do not have the harmful side effects of smoking regular cigarettes — namely due to the inhalation of tobacco with the latter. E-cigarettes, however, still provide users with their nicotine fix. They should be championed by governments keen to promote a healthier society and appropriately regulated. Consumers are switching from smoking to this alternative version for good reason — 440,000 people die each year in the United States due to smoking related diseases. Or to put it another way, a fifth of deaths in the United States are attributable to smoking. If every smoker in the country switched to an e-cigarette, one in three cancer deaths would never happen. Notwithstanding the secondary benefits of e-cigarette us-
age — they do not produce toxic ash or have a foul odor. It has also been shown that secondhand smoke’s negative effects are significantly reduced with e-cgiarettes. So why is there hostility toward this device? Opponents of vaping, such as journalist Diane Cole in this week’s National Geographic, are quick to point out that e-cigarettes may contain more harmful substances than just nicotine. But the evidence supporting these claims is nonexistent. As a study from the Food and Drug Administration stated, e-cigarettes contain far fewer harmful carcinogens than cigarettes. Of course, vaping is not entirely risk free, as dependence on any substance can be dangerous. In many cases, an addiction to nicotine is not much worse than one to caffeine. Judicious and balanced regulation is still necessary though.
Now, advocates for e-cigarettes are quick to suggest that any form of government regulation would stymie the adoption by potential vapor users. The question they should be asking is “Who are the consumers of e-cigarettes?” Presently unregulated by the FDA, e-cigarettes are vigorously marketed by firms toward kids with flavored versions including cotton candy and bubble gum. This shouldn’t be allowed to occur. Any addictive substance from alcohol to nicotine must be kept out of the hands of children. But any regulation that does occur must be carefully balanced in case it smothers any chance of adult smokers transitioning to the device. It’s now time that we welcome ecigarettes into the mainstream of society. They are a positive health and social enhancement. Like with all new products appropriate regulation is required — in this case, ensuring that an addictive substance is out of children’s reach. Ultimately, we must encourage the transition to e-cigarettes and make vaping the new smoking. Harry Brown is a contributing columnist. Email him at opinion@nyunews.com.
CELEBRITIES
Disney stars suffer from company brand
By CHRISTINA COLEBURN
Ever since “Lizzie McGuire” ushered the coronation of Disney Channel as the unofficial king of youth television, the relationship between corporation, consumer and character has never been the same. With Disney’s production of shows like “Lizzie,” which featured a famously green Hilary Duff acting from a deliberately chaste script, consumers took it upon themselves to turn such actresses into role models by the inherent virtue of the Disney brand. Though this relationship appears to be one that could only be conjured by Disney magic, some silently suffer under this reign — the female stars. They are the young actresses who play your favorite secret pop sensation and friendly neighborhood wizard. They are Hilary Duff, Miley Cyrus, Selena Gomez, their predecessors and their contemporaries. Although the Disney corporation cannot be faulted explicitly, the public’s unwillingness to accept these actresses’ adult status reveals the disturbing truth that Disney’s intrinsic label is toxic to the personal and professional development of its female stars. When these young women at-
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tempt to break away from their juvenile careers, whether by experimenting with artistic nudity in a music video or celebrating a 21st birthday with alcohol, they are subject to public chastisement and resounding online declarations of disappointment. After the debut of “Wrecking Ball,” the public quickly dismissed the depth behind Cyrus’ song. Michael Hann, associate editor for The Guardian, flawlessly encapsulated the ignorance when he disparagingly suggested that Cyrus’ musical message was that the “best way for young women to be noticed is to sexually objectify themselves.” Instead of concentrating on the song’s poignant lyrics, Hann and his constituents focused on Cyrus’ supposed hunger for attention. Selena Gomez, who recently turned 21, also drew criticism for partaking in a natural expression of adulthood. On “The Tonight Show
with Jay Leno,” she revealed she had a shot of Jack Daniels to commemorate her legality, inspiring several users on a Yahoo blog to voice their disappointment in her separation from her Disney Channel image. Artistic nudity and celebratory drinks are obviously not behaviors befitting to Hannah Montana or Alex Russo, nor should they be. Though Cyrus and Gomez assumed these famous roles when they were teenagers, they are now young women in their 20s, and have earned the right to pursue adult lives after years of bowing to the demands of the Disney brand. The backlash for these actresses’ experimentation with maturity cannot be blamed on the characters they portray or even on the Disney corporation. Hypocrisy falls on the idolizing public and its sickening demand that these starlets remain immaculate in all endeavors. For former actresses, the intrinsic Disney branding has proven to be a double-edged sword, its powers are far from magical. Christina Coleburn is a contributing columnist. Email her at opinion@ nyunews.com.
STAFF EDITORIAL
Public deserves more transparency from NSA
The National Security Agency has been utilizing their massive data mining capacities to track and map the social connections of American citizens since 2010, according to The New York Times. The NSA’s reach extends beyond cataloging phone records — they collect and organize information from various insurance companies, bank codes and Facebook profiles to create sophisticated graphs of Americans’ associates and locations. Since the original leak by whistleblower Edward Snowden about the NSA’s controversial practices, the NSA has been defending their surveillance programs, claiming exclusive focus on foreign targets. Prior to the shift in policy in November 2010, the NSA was constrained to inspecting the social connections of foreign nationals, circumnavigating any threat of intruding on the civil liberties of American citizens. But following a substantial policy change, the spy agency has insisted on the same justification for its actions. Asked about the analysis of American data, an agency spokeswoman asserted that “all data queries must include a foreign intelligence justification, period.” Using one justification for two very distinct policies exposes fallacious — or deceptive — grounds for increasingly grave accusations. The new leak adds to a recent string of espionage allegations concerning foreign countries, particularly Brazil. Last week, Brazil’s president Dilma Rousseff opened the UN General Assembly, condemning the United States over allegations including the interceptions of her emails, as well as those of her aides and the state oil company Petrobras. Rousseff rejected the American position that the interceptions were aimed at protecting countries against terrorism. She declared Brazil would adopt legislative and technical measures against alleged illegal surveillance. As more ugly details surface about NSA programs, security officials have adopted a narrative intended to distract from their violations, one that belittles the press for speaking truth to power. Last week at the Senate Intelligence Committee, Gen. Keith Alexander lambasted the media’s “sensational headlines” for public sentiment that the NSA infringes on civil liberties. This misplaced blame shows why Americans have lost faith in the NSA, not only for abusing its power and neglecting to secure confidential information, but for decrying the media for revealing these travesties. The fundamental flaw with an intelligence agency as secretive as the NSA — which is still not subject to an effective system of checks and balances — is that it is in an unprecedented position of power to know everything about U.S. citizens, but citizens are prohibited from knowing anything about them. For presumed national security reasons, the NSA has not verified whether their massive, growing metadata pile is working to counter terrorism. If collecting mass amounts of public and private information without meaningful justification is keeping Americans safer, show us.
Email the WSN Editorial Board at editboard@nyunews.com. EDITORIAL BOARD: Raquel Woodruff (Chair), Edward Radzivilovskiy (Co-chair), Peter Keffer (Co-chair), Harry Brown, Marcelo Cicconet, Nicki Sethi, Nina Golshan, Omar Etman, Christina Coleburn
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