NYU’s Daily Student Newspaper
WASHINGTON SQUARE NEWS Vol. 42, No. 98
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2014
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TECHNOLOGY
STUDENT LIFE
Students pitch TEDx Talk ideas
NYU Hackathon focuses on education
By CHRISTINE WANG Contributing Writer
By CHRISTINE PARK Staff Writer
Students gathered at the annual “Create a Better NYU Hackathon” to pitch ideas for the better use of technology at NYU. The attendees showcased their ideas to improve the educational services provided by the university. NYU’s Student Technology and Research Committee hosted the event at the Kimmel Center Market Place from Nov. 21 to 22. Students and faculty from various schools and communities formed groups based on similar interests to present at the event. SPS graduate student Sumit Gupta said this event was a great opportunity for students like himself to be involved in the improvement of the NYU community and its environment. “[When] you talk about NYU, either you have a positive or negative experience, but then
HACKATHON continued on PG. 3
STAFF PHOTO BY DANA BROWN
Students in the Kimmel Center for Univeristy Life participated in the “Create a Better NYU Hackathon,” which focuses on improving educational services.
Perez Hilton reflects on blog’s impact, future pursuits
STAFF PHOTO BY SHAWN PAIK
Alum Perez Hilton recently returned to New York City to pursue a career on Broadway.
STORY ON PAGE 4
Six students competed in a TEDxNYU event titled “The Pitch: What’s Your Angle?” for the chance to present their TED Talk at the club’s annual spring conference. The competition was held in the Global Center for Academic and Spiritual Life’s Grand Hall on Nov. 22. The students presented their pitches for full-length TED Talks. Three judges chose the student they thought had the most innovative and interesting presentation. CAS senior Blazej Gawlik, who won the competition, discussed the future of artificial intelligence and its challenges. He addressed the need to build artificial intelligence that can accurately interpret sentences, make decisions and learn like a human.
PITCH continued on PG. 3
FEATURES
Trans Week emphasizes gender identity, equality By MERANDA YSLAS Contributing Writer
Trans Awareness Week, which ran from Nov. 17 to 23, recognized and celebrated the transgender members of the LGBTQ community at NYU. Part of the purpose of the week is to add depth to the typical representations of the LGBTQ community. LS sophomore Ishani Dugar said this represntation is needed at NYU. “Trans representation and awareness is very, very little in comparison to other aspects of the community,” Dugar said. “The face of the queer movement is a white, cis, gay male.” Cisgender individuals are those whose gender and biological sex correspond. “Trans experiences are difficult for cis people to understand, and I don’t necessarily want a deep understanding from cis people,” Dugar said. “I want cis people to treat trans people like the humans they are.”
CAS senior Serena Daniari agreed that there is a discrepancy within the LGBTQ community. Daniara, a transgender woman, identified as a gay male prior to coming out as trans. “I think it’s a little bit scarier coming out as trans, having experienced both,” Daniari said. There are often many misconceptions about what it means to be transgender in addition to confusion about the differences between being transgender and being gay. “I think the biggest misunderstanding people have is they often conflate sexuality with gender identity,” Daniari said. “Even at NYU, a school with politically active, socially aware students, a lot of people just assume that trans people are the same as gay people.” There are often many steps someone has to go through as they come out as transgender. The steps, which vary for everyone, can include legalities, such as being recognized by
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WASHINGTON SQUARE NEWS | MONDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2014 | NYUNEWS.COM
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When people ask what it is like to live in Brooklyn, I have a hard time putting it in words. Do I tell them about the busy downtown streets lined with shops and buildings of past and present? Or do I describe the ever-growing skyscrapers, soaring to challenge the buildings in Manhattan? Wandering around downtown Brooklyn, I tried to capture the essence of living in this borough of New York. -Leo Lien
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Construction workers pack away mountains of building materials after the closing of The Salon: Art + Design expo held in the Seventh Regiment Armory.
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NYUNEWS.COM | MONDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2014 | WASHINGTON SQUARE NEWS
CRIME LOG nov. 12 to 20
By CHRISTINE PARK Staff Writer The NYU Department of Public Safety received reports of 15 incidents of larceny, three incidents of controlled substance and one incident of harassment between Nov. 12 and 20.
Larceny At 1:25 p.m. on Nov. 14, a staff member reported that her wallet and iPhone were stolen from her unattended handbag she left in her office between 1:15 p.m and 1:40 p.m. At 2:15 p.m. on Nov. 16, a student reported that his bicycle was missing when he returned to the bike rack on Eighth Street and University Place at 2 p.m. after having left it unattended the day before at 5:30 p.m. A student stored an envelope containing money in her Founders residence hall room on Oct. 27. She reported it missing at noon on Nov. 17 when she checked to make sure it was still there. At 7:55 p.m. on Nov. 17, a student said her bicycle was stolen from a bike rack near the NYU Dental Center between 3 p.m. and 7:50 p.m. At noon on Nov. 19, a student reported that his bicycle frame was stolen between 9:30 a.m. and noon from the bike rack near 721 Broadway. At NYU Florence, a student left 200 euros in her nightstand on the night of Nov. 18 and discov-
ered they had gone missing the following day. She reported the money missing to Public Safety at 9:30 a.m. on Nov. 20. There were nine incidents of electronics theft. Thefts were reported at Bobst Library, Deutsches Haus, Second Street residence hall, the NYU Bookstore, Rogers Hall, King Juan Carlos Center and Brittany residence hall. All but the incident at NYU Florence are still under investigation.
Controlled Substance At 9:28 a.m. on Nov. 13, Public Safety confiscated a small amount of marijuana from a dorm room at Lafayette Street residence hall. At 5:15 p.m. on Nov. 13, Public Safety and Resident Life staff confiscated a small amount of marijuana from a dorm room at Brittany residence hall. At 9:45 a.m. on Nov. 19, Public Safety confiscated a small amount of marijuana from a dorm room at Coral Towers residence hall. All of the incidents have been resolved.
Harassment At 1:55 p.m. on Nov. 14, public safety received a report from a staff member that said two of his or her co-workers were involved in a physical altercation at the NYU Bookstore. This incident is still under investigation. Email Christine Park at news@nyunews.com.
HACKATHON continued from PG. 1
Hackathon takes on community, NYU focus
you don’t really know what to change exactly,” Gupta said. “You say NYU is good or NYU is bad, but then you come to these events and realize how you could make a change within the community, whatever problem you are talking about.” The event lasted for 24 hours as groups brainstormed, coded and implemented their creative ideas into a system that could benefit the NYU community as a whole. The four main criteria were utility, creativity, impact and viability. Poly sophomore ChiaChing Song said she had been too intimidated to attend events like this one, but gained confidence through the reassuring posters around NYU that participation was not limited to those with coding experience. “You just need an idea to count, so I figured, even if I don’t know enough, I could come up with an idea and still be part of a team,” Song said. Poly graduate student Sriya Sarkar said she enjoyed meeting other students from
NYU and was able to create relationships with students outside of her academic interests. “I think NYU is such a big school and it’s so easy to get sucked into the insularity of your program, especially because we’re from Poly, so we’re in like our own little bubble,” Sarkar said. “This hackathon forced us to think about interconnectedness within the school system.” The winning team, Studor, created a search system to facilitate tutoring services that allows students, faculty and the administration to work in harmony and enhance learning opportunities for students. The team included Steinhardt senior Noah Hyams, programmer Jin Thankur, consultant Forrest Pan and CAS senior Natalie Cohen. “Our idea was basically to connect student tutors that the university already has and connect them with the students that need help in the classes here,” Hyams said. Email Christine Park at news@nyunews.com.
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NYU Reacts: Plastic bag tax By ALANNA BAYARIN Staff Writer
On Nov. 19, the New York City Council held a hearing about whether or not to put a 10-cent tax on plastic bags in grocery stores. This legislation proposal has caused debate within the council for environmental and economic purposes. Some council members argued that the bill will work as an incentive to better the environment, as resorting to plastic bag alternatives would eliminate plastic bag litter. Other council members, however, argued that this fee will hurt lower income families who cannot afford to pay more when grocery shopping. Members of the NYU community shared their views on the potential tax and their take on the debate in city council.
“I think it could be affective. I know for me that I wouldn’t use plastic bags. Right now I use reuseable bags, so having an additional 10 cents would make me want to use my bags more.” — Shanze Gilani, CAS sophomore
“I try to use reusable bags anyway, but putting a tax on plastic bags would probably make me even less likely to use one. But I also feel like for too many people 10 cents would not make a huge difference to them or their finances, especially if they are buying a lot of groceries, adding 40 or 50 cents on for bags wouldn’t really cause them to change their mind if they really wanted to use the bags.” — Grace Pozniak, Steinhardt sophomore
“I do feel like, compared to Massachusetts, at least, the taxes here are way too high. That being said, despite my feeling about New York taxes, I don’t have a problem with taxes for a good cause, and I think this is a good cause.” — Andrew Francisque, GSAS student
“I think it’s a great idea. There will be less plastic bags around the city. Although, as a poor college student, I won’t be able to use free plastic bags for garbage bags anymore.” — Tate Chan, CAS freshman “I think that, despite the 10cent tax, people should be using reusable bags. Hopefully this 10 cent tax will encourage more people to do what they should already be doing. I think this tax will work, because 10 cents for every bag, for every shopping trip really adds up.” — Minhee Lee, Steinhardt freshman “I don’t think it’s going to do anything. Who cares about spending 10 cents extra?” — Sebastian Jimenez, LS freshman Email Alanna Bayarin at news@nyunews.com.
PITCH continued from PG. 1
Students compete at TEDx event
“I’m currently working with a small team of people on a data structure that will actually allow an AI to effectively do this,” Gawlik said. “But more importantly, what we’re trying to build is something that will eventually be able to learn like a child and go over and actually learn new things.” Other speakers included CAS junior Isabel Baker who discussed the faults in the current system of generalized medicine and how bacterial diversity is necessary for strong immune systems. Baker advocated for awareness of ancestral descent and access to microbiome mapping. CAS sophomore Mohamed Hassan spoke about unchaining students from their parents’ unrealistic expectations and demands, encouraging dialogue within families. Problems regarding unpaid internships were also discussed at the event. Tisch senior Christina Isnardi said that for an unpaid internship to be legal, employers must follow federal standards. CAS junior Howard Huang discussed Hanfu, a movement that
STAFF PHOTOS BY HARK KANWAL
Clockwise from top left: Isabel Baker, Mohamed Hassan, William Holley and Blazej Gawlik participated in TEDxNYU’s latest event, “The Pitch.”
aims to reclaim some of China’s old traditions, and its relation to the LGBTQ movement. Huang spoke about the desire to be normal, but questioned what normalcy really is. He categorized normal as WEIRDS — Western, Educated, Industrialized, Rich, Democratic, Straight. “Only 12 percent of the world’s population fits into WEIRDS,” Huang said. “I believe communal and parental education can help people realize they do not have to fit into the 12 percent.” The last speaker, CAS junior William Holley, discussed how technology can improve education in America, explaining that the country needs to invest in
more computers in classrooms to achieve a technical and skilloriented education. CAS senior Thomas Arce, who attended the event, said TED talks are important for students to be able to share creative ideas. “I think TED talks are an interesting idea to come up with new plans to share with people and move forward,” Arce said. LS freshman Shivani Mafatlal agreed and said the students were inspiring. “With all the negativity in the world we need positive thinkers like them,” Mafatlal said. Email Christine Wang at news@nyunews.com.
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WASHINGTON SQUARE NEWS | MONDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2014 | NYUNEWS.COM
FEATURES
EDITED BY HANNAH TREASURE FEATURES@NYUNEWS.COM
Hilton opens up on NYU, blogging career, regrets By AICHA FALL Contributing Writer
The name Perez Hilton is synonymous with Hollywood scandal, but before Hilton built his celebrity gossip blog into a multimedia and multimillion-dollar empire, he was a student in the Tisch School of the Arts. Born Mario Lavanderia, Hilton grew up in Miami before coming to NYU. He said his favorite part of his college experience was living in Rubin residence hall and studying abroad in Madrid. “The first year was my favorite memory just because it was all so new and there were so many firsts,” Hilton said. “Living with people, being on my own, not having to have a car, being so independent and coming out — it was all magical.” Since graduating in 2000, Hilton has explored many career paths — writing the children’s book “The Boy with Pink Hair,” starring in music videos for Britney Spears and Rihanna and developing his website to its current rank of 9 million page views per day. “I was really one of the first to use the Internet to talk about celebrities, because when I first started in 2004, there was no TMZ or magazines using their websites to break celebrity news,” Hilton said. “People and Us just used their websites to get people
STAFF PHOTO BY SHAWN PAIK
Perez Hilton, who started his celebrity blog in 2004, admits he has regrets about some media scandals. to sign up for subscriptions to the magazines. I would never take credit for all of that, but I did help take part in changing to the way people consume media.” Hilton was able to connect with his readers in a new way by using a conversational tone on his blog. “It was just unlike anything before. The tone was fresh and
different, I was doing something new and doing it in a new way,” Hilton said. “I was very subjective, it was all about my opinion. The big difference and the consequences came from talking to my readers like I talk to my friends.” Hilton has gained fame for his coverage of any celebrity-related
Email Aicha Fall at features@nyunews.com.
Tisch alumni create sci-fi game
TRANS continued from PG. 1
By AMANDA MORRIS Staff Writer
STAFF PHOTO BY DANIEL COLE
A drag queen performs at Trans Day of Remembrance on Nov. 19.
Trans Awareness Week educates, reminds
the preferred name and pronouns, and sometimes even medical procedures to feel comfortable in their own bodies. “Once you come out as trans it’s a little bit daunting because now, okay, you say you’re trans, but there’s a lot of steps you have to go through,” Daniari said. “It’s a very radical thing for someone to do.” Acknowledging the differences in the transgender and the gay communities serves to emphasize the fact that more can be done. Even at a school as welcoming as NYU, Dugar and Daniari both agree that it is far
news or sighting, trademarked by his signature doodles. His part in media scandals and false gossip has brought on conflict in his personal life. “I have tons of regrets,” Hilton said. “I don’t want to name specific people or instances because I don’t want to open wounds for those people. Where I am today
is wiser, but I would rather be less wise and not have hurt certain people.” Along with his blog, book-writing and music videos, Hilton has used his background as a drama major at Tisch to guest star in many TV shows like “Hot in Cleveland” and “Glee.” “Over the course of the last few months, I feel like I’ve almost come full circle because I’ve been doing a lot of acting which I didn’t think about or actively pursue, but just happened,” Hilton said. Hilton now takes vocal lessons and dreams of being in a Broadway musical. He recently relocated to New York City to pursue this dream. Offering a few points of advice to current NYU students, Hilton stressed the importance of internships and building contacts. “Go to school where you want to live and work after you graduate,” Hilton said. “Once you are in school, intern every semester, beginning your freshman year, which I did not do. Even if your internship wants you to stay for an additional semester, don’t. Leave. Leave them wanting more. Do an amazing job, so that once you graduate in the city ... you have an amazing network of contacts.”
from perfect. “I definitely think NYU is very gayfriendly,” Daniari said. “With that being said, I don’t think there’s actually as much education around the trans community at NYU as I would like there to be.” One of the many misconceptions that surrounds transgender people is that it is the most salient part of who they are. “Being trans is not the biggest part of a trans person’s identity,” Dugar said. Email Meranda Yslas at features@nyunews.com.
In a world saturated with entertainment apps vying for our attention, “Sunburn!,” a smartphone game designed by three NYU Tisch alumni, sets itself apart from other games by its unique combination of humor, outer space and action. Diego Garcia, Aaron Freedman and Toni Pizza released the game through their company Secret Crush on Nov. 20, and it is available on iOS 6 or later. “Sunburn!” features over 50 action-puzzle game levels to play. The user plays as the captain of a spaceship that is destroyed by a comet. Facing certain death, the only option left is to jump into the sun and reunite the player’s crew. Garcia said the game’s space tragedy narrative was inspired by Ray Bradbury’s short story, “Kaleidoscope.” “When I read Kaleidoscope in particular, I was really affected by the feeling of vastness and helplessness — the utter terror of something slow and empty like drifting through space,” Garcia said. “We thought it would be really fun to make a game that fo-
cuses on a hopeless situation, but humor also comes naturally to us, and it is part of Secret Crush’s mission to make people smile.” In its playful nature, Secret Crush created a story that brings together traditional sci-fi themes and humorous characteristics. “Space and science fiction is recapturing the popular imagination right now, especially narratives that highlight isolation and quests for redemption,” Freedman said. Eric Zimmerman, a Tisch professor at the Game Center, said “Sunburn!” is an interesting conglomeration of seriousness and humor. “It is simple and elegant to play, and combines an unassuming cuteness with a surprisingly dark story about a group of explorers facing their final moments in space,” Zimmerman said. By unassuming cuteness, Zimmerman refers to the popular “space-pet” characters, such as a dog affectionately named “Moose Tracks,” as well as the charming discourse that takes place between characters. Secret Crush co-founder Pizza said the dialogue is her favorite part of the game.
“I love the astronaut chitchat,” Pizza said. “I think the cute little animations coupled with the things they say to each other while they wait to die work really well together.” At first, the game was developed as a student project, but after eliciting a positive response, the creators decided to apply for a spot in the NYU Game Center Incubator in Summer 2014. From there, the incubator supported the creators’ transition from the academic to commercial environment. Matt Parker, an assistant arts professor who taught all three of the creators in a Code Lab class, said teamwork contributed to the group’s success. “These are some of the best MFA students I’ve taught,” Parker said. “What makes them work so well as a team is that not only have complementary skill sets, but they also know how to work together.” The team already has a few minor updates planned for “Sunburn!” and is toying with the idea of releasing the game on another platform. Email Amanda Morris at features@nyunews.com.
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SPORTS
EDITED BY CHRIS MARCOTRIGIANO SPORTS@NYUNEWS.COM
Basketball brings strong wins, one loss By BOBBY WAGNER Sports Editor
Both the men’s and women’s basketball teams had success this weekend, with the men securing a commanding 89-63 victory over Manhattanville College and the women winning 60-41 against Springfield College. The men’s team also lost a close game on Nov. 21 to The Sage Colleges by a score of 68-65. The 17th-ranked Lady Violets put their undefeated record on the line when they traveled to Springfield, Massachusetts, on Nov. 22. But with the help of a solid game from junior forward and captain Megan Dawe, the team was able to turn a three-point halftime lead into a 19-point win. The three-point lead was extended in the second half largely thanks to a 15-2 run at the 15-minute mark. The team mustered enough energy in the second half to beat an overmatched Springfield squad on its home court. Dawe was the only Violet to reach double digits in points, scoring 12, but with a stifling defense holding Springfield to just 40 points the Violets did not need a
lot of scoring. Sophomore guard Kaitlyn Read chipped in a solid all-around game as well, adding six points and leading the team with seven boards. The women are now 4-0 on the year and will next play St. Josephs College of Long Island in Patchogue, New York, on Nov. 25. The men’s team split its weekend slate of games. On Nov. 21, the team fell to The Sage Colleges in a close 68-65 contest. The Violets were able to battle back from a 13-point deficit with about 16 minutes to play but were unable to complete the comeback. Junior center Costis Gontikas had a seasonhigh 21 points in the game. The team was able to even their record to 2-2 on Saturday as the offense stole the show, hanging 89 points on Manhattanville College in their namesake tournament. Junior forward Evan Kupferberg, who was named to the all-tournament team after a dominant weekend, led the way for the Violets with 27 points and 12 rebounds — his third straight double-double. He is off to a strong start this season, averaging 18 points and nearly 12 rebounds per game, and the
STAFF FILE PHOTO BY SAM BEARZI
After a strong win against John Jay on Nov. 15, men’s basketball faced The Sage Colleges and Manhattanville. team will need his impressive performances to continue once they start facing UAA rivals. The Violets got solid guard play from freshman Ross Udine, who contributed seven points and nine assists in the winning effort. The men dominated their second game of the weekend
because of team rebounding. Manhattanville only managed one offensive rebound all game, a testament to how well each player boxed out and covered their assignments. NYU outscored them 21-3 on secondchance points, helping them to gain a 54-30 advantage in the
paint. These three statistics explain the Violets’ victory. The team will take on the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts on Nov. 29 in North Adams, Massachusetts. Email Bobby Wagner at sports@nyunews.com.
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THE NEW YORK TIMES CROSSWORD & DAILY SUDOKU Crossword A SIGN OF THE TIMES All the puzzles this week, from Monday to Saturday, have been created by one person, Patrick Blindauer. Keep your solutions handy, because the Saturday puzzle conceals a meta-challenge involving the solution grids of all six.
ACROSS 1 Travel aimlessly, with “about” 4 Sis’s sibling 7 Studio with a lion mascot 10 Standard sugar measure: Abbr. 13 King Kong, e.g. 14 Permit 15 Answer to “Paris est-il la capitale de la France?” 16 Indian immigrant on “The Simpsons” 17 Instant 20 Gen ___ (member of the MTV Generation) 21 Nutritional supplement brand
22 Lo-cal beers 24 Attire for Caesar 26 Product that competes with Uncle Ben’s 29 John who won the 1964 Heisman Trophy 31 High-ranking angels 32 Apt anagram of CO-STAR – S 33 Bridge 35 Midnight 42 Bald person’s lack 43 Expire, as a subscription 44 ___ illusion 49 What a medical examiner examines
ANSWER TO PREVIOUS PUZZLE M E S S A G E L N O S E S E E P A W L V I A A L S O S C E N T O R T D I C R I P H U S T A S C O D E S E
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50 1965 Beatles hit that begins “Got a good reason for taking the easy way out” 53 Almighty 54 Judy’s brother on “The Jetsons” 55 It’s north of California 57 ___ of Tranquillity 58 Time leading up to Easter 63 555-55-5555, e.g.: Abbr. 64 Apex 65 Gulager of “McQ” 66 TV scientist Bill 67 Courtroom figure: Abbr. 68 Cloud’s locale 69 “For ___ a jolly good fellow” 70 Number of years in a decade DOWN 1 Exxon product 2 Smartphone purchase 3 Political conventiongoer 4 Nonkosher sandwiches 5 Sheet that might list one’s college degree and work experience 6 Cheri of old “S.N.L.” 7 Oink : pig :: ___ : cow 8 Revolver, e.g. 9 Bette of “Beaches” 10 Piece of advice from H&R Block 11 Oration 12 Pocketbooks
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18 How pawns are arranged, at first 19 100 yrs. 23 Lyricist Gershwin 24 “___ is so you!” 25 Response to an insult 27 Southwest alternative, for short 28 Home to Dollywood and Graceland: Abbr. 30 Prefix with glyceride 33 Resell, as concert tickets
34 Letter after upsilon 36 From Bangkok 37 Shine, in some brand names 38 Jean of “Bombshell” 39 Foe 40 Lenin’s land, for short 41 Critic Rex 44 Texas city named after a Ukrainian city 45 Least tanned 46 Despot
47 “Who am ___ argue?” 48 Underground tombs 49 Louisiana style of cooking 51 Opposite of neg. 52 Psychologist Fromm 56 Wildebeests 59 “All systems go” 60 007, for one 61 Cyclops or cyclone feature 62 Range of knowledge
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NYUNEWS.COM | MONDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2014 | WASHINGTON SQUARE NEWS
OPINION
EDITED BY CHRISTINA COLEBURN OPINION@NYUNEWS.COM
EDUCATION
Alternatives to Common Core also flawed By DANA BROWN Contributing Columnist
The Common Core State Standards Initiative has a variety of issues, but a prevalent critique against the educational standards is ironically misguided. Those who reject Common Core argue that it represents a onesize-fits-all, politically motivated education, yet organizations with political agendas that represent relatively small areas already decide what K-12 students throughout the nation will be taught. Over the last 20 years, the Texas State Board of Education has been worryingly influential. In a June 21, 2012 article, columnist Gail Collins outlined objections to the board’s control. Texas initially became dominant in the nation’s textbook supply because it paid 100 percent of the cost of all public school textbooks — provided that said books were approved by the board. This meant that it is cheaper for both states and publishers to use Texas textbooks across the nation. In a straight party-line vote on Nov. 21, Texas State Board of Education approved new public school history textbooks. Both liberals and
conservatives blasted the results for bias. Liberals objected to the books’ emphasis on Moses’ influence on the U.S. Constitution while conservatives condemned the books for ignoring former President Ronald Reagan’s achievements — the same achievements that those on the left say are overemphasized. Apparently, Texas politicians can only agree that the textbooks are inaccurate and one-sided. In light of current practices, Common Core is hardly the politicallymotivated education students should fear. Supporters of the Common Core include the National Parent Teacher Association, President Barack Obama, prominent Republican Jeb Bush and the business-aligned Chamber of Commerce. The only texts students would be explicitly required to read under the new standards are core documents
like the Bill of Rights and the Declaration of Independence. Contrary to popular opinion, Common Core focuses on providing standards for what students should be able to do at certain levels, rather than telling states or teachers how to instill these skills. The strange worksheets that have surfaced with taxing descriptions of mathematical concepts are materials created by for-profit companies and acquired by individual states, not direct products of the Common Core Initiative. Rather than being dictated by any particular state or by the federal government, Common Core was created in collaboration with the National Governors’ Association, the nonprofit Achieve and the Council of Chief State School Officers. While the federal government helped fund the new standards and continues to encourage states to adopt them, the state legislatures were involved in their design. As seen by the Texas State Board of Education’s domination of the textbook market, however, the alternative to Common Core is not free from political influence. Email Dana Brown at opinion@nyunews.com.
TECHNOLOGY
Warrantless spying must be debated openly By TOMMY COLLISON Staff Columnist
Earlier this month, the Wall Street Journal reported that the Justice Department is gathering data from the cellphones of suspected criminals by using devices attached to small planes which fly out from “at least five” metropolitan-area airports. The program collects identifying information about the suspects, as well as their general location. Worryingly, the device also gathers information about innocent Americans who happen to be in the vicinity of the suspect. There is no information about whether this extra data is stored or used — if it is collected, it would breach an appeals court ruling that deemed such behavior unconstitutional. The program is the latest example of the U.S. government playing fast and loose with the civil liberties of law-abiding, everyday Americans. President Barack Obama has failed in his promise that transparency would be a “touchstone” of his presidency. This is not the first U.S. program in which innocent civilians are subject to dragnet surveillance, where large groups are monitored as opposed
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to specific individuals or groups being targeted. In June 2013, Edward Snowden revealed the existence of the National Security Agency’s PRISM program, which monitored millions of people as they used Google, Facebook and other websites. Pervasive dragnet surveillance has been a contentious issue for years in the United States, and its efficacy is disputed. In December 2013, a presidential review group found that such data collection was “not essential to preventing attacks.” Despite these findings, the U.S. surveillance apparatus continues to turn its lens inward, conducting espionage on its own soil. When NSA presentation slides with stated motives, “collect it all, know it all, process it all, exploit it all, partner it all, sniff it all,” were leaked, it became clear that the United States wanted to do more than spy on for-
eign bodies — it wanted to create a world where every communication is “collected” and “exploited.” Pervasive spying has a profoundly negative impact on a population and free speech, as well as hitting U.S. businesses abroad. The Obama administration must re-examine tactics such as cellphone tracking and online monitoring if they are to condemn repressive regimes in other parts of the world. Defending the use of these cellphone tracking devices, the Wall Street Journal quoted a Justice Department official who said that discussing the matter at length would reveal sensitive information about U.S. surveillance capabilities. The lack of transparency surrounding these surveillance programs is stifling a much-needed public debate about the constitutionality and morality of spying on innocent Americans. Citizens need to decide whether privacy infringement is a cost worth paying in exchange for diminished civil liberties. A vigorous public debate is necessary to analyze the implications of warrantless spying. Email Tommy Collison at opinion@nyunews.com.
STAFF EDITORIAL
Anger over undocumented students misguided The New York City Department of Education has told city schools to expect 2,350 undocumented child immigrants from Central America to be enrolled this year. Around 63,000 migrant children escaped violence in Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador and have either sought refuge or been caught trying to enter the United States. The decision to enroll these immigrants reflects the DOE’s commitment to providing education to every child. Although New York City public schools are already pressured with many students failing to meet academic standards, the DOE has made the correct decision to educate these children. In the wake of President Barack Obama’s executive action on immigration, the issue has become increasingly polarizing, but educating immigrant children should not be. Education is a basic right that is too often interrupted when students must flee violence and corruption. As noted by the United Nations’ refugee agency, or UNHCR, education allows people with disrupted lives to “build a better future.” According to the UNHCR, about 60 percent of the recent influx of unaccompanied children entering the United States could qualify for refugee status, even if they were unable to use legal channels. Many of these migrant students have already faced domestic violence and organized crime in their home countries, as well as harsh treatment and the usual challenges of adapting to a new nation. Critics of Obama’s executive action contend that undocumented immigrants are somehow being rewarded for breaking the rules. Anger toward their education unfairly pins the blame on the public education system. The DOE is simply taking a pragmatic approach: the undocumented kids are already here, and there is no reason to punitively deny them an education. The Fourteenth Amendment bars schools from discriminating against undocumented children — state schools violate the law if they ask for students’ or parents’ immigration status. DOE spokesperson Devora Kaye reaffirmed the department’s position. “The DOE believes that every child has a right to a great education,” she said. “We are committed to providing children who have escaped violence with the academic foundation and access to services that they need to establish a path to long-term achievement.” While the announcement that the children will enroll in city schools has been met with vitriol, the anger is fundamentally misguided. New York City schools are acting appropriately — denying immigrant children an education based on their status is illegal. In placing blame on the DOE for accommodating the influx of children, critics negate the principle that no child should be deprived of an education. Regardless of opinions on immigration policy, passions must be tempered with pragmatism. For better or worse, these children are now in this country — it defies common sense to deny them an education.
Email the WSN Editorial Board at editboard@nyunews.com. EDITORIAL BOARD: Christina Coleburn (Chair), Omar Etman (Co-chair), Adam Fazlibegu (Co-chair), Tess Woosley (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.
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