NYU’s Daily Student Newspaper
washington square news Vol. 39, No. 48
TueSDAY, DECEMBER 6, 2011
nyunews.com
NYU and clerical union debate contract
Students hit books harder than ever, study finds By Claire Zajdel
If you’re spending more late nights in Bobst Library this year, you can take comfort in knowing you’re not alone. Last month, the National Survey of Student Engagement (also known as Nessie) released its annual findings on the average student’s study habits, and found that students nationwide are studying an average of 10 percent more than they were a year ago. Each year, the group evaluates students from hundreds of fouryear colleges, surveying 450 to 1,000 students from each school depending on total undergraduate enrollment. The questions on the survey ask how much homework students have in a typical week, the amount of writing and reading they do each semester and the amount of time they spend studying. This year, Nessie found that the
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By Eric Benson
JONATHAN TAN/WSN
Hello My Name Is Hosted by the CAS Student Council, 40 NYU and NYU-Poly students came together for a night of festive speed dating and holiday card making.
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East Village eatery gives you energy to get up and ‘GO’ By Kitty Thornton
Jamie Graber’s lifelong dream of opening her own organic, raw vegan restaurant in the East Village has come true. Gingersnap’s Organics combines healthy eating with service that matches the eatery’s initials, “GO.” Everything on the menu is organic, vegan and raw — a difficult combination to find. The prices may be a little steep for what students are accustomed to, but they reflect the time, skill and thought put into each dish. Yet the customer service makes up for the price. Graber personally answers customers’ questions and lays down silverware and mason jars of ginger-infused water on the communal wood table. Along with a slew of creative salads and small bites, the menu has some entrees that feature raw and vegan versions of foods we all know and love. For example, the tacos are made out of chili corn flax tortillas with pepitas, guacamole, salsa and shredded romaine. The pasta puttanesca is made of zucchini noodles with
via gingersnapsorganic.com
GO specializes in vegan cuisine. zesty tomato sauce, olives, capers and brazil nut ricotta. There are also organic raw vegan versions of pizza, a burger and ramen. I tried Gingersnap’s cauliflower cous cous side dish and beet chips. The cauliflower cous cous was diced to perfection, offering a compelling texture not found in cooked foods. It was comprised of scallions, bell peppers, olive oil and ras el hanout — an earthy
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The Union of Clerical, Administrative and Technical Staff Local 3882 and NYU were unable to negotiate a new contract at the most recent bargaining session last Thursday. UCATS represents administrative and technical staff in various areas of the university, from graduation application to health professionals in the Student Health Center and the College of Dentistry. Since Sept. 14, the union has held 15 bargaining sessions with NYU to negotiate a new contract. UCATS’ current deal expired on Oct. 31. The next bargaining session is scheduled for this Thursday. Stephen Rechner, president of UCATS and an administrative aide at the NYU School of Law, said the union is trying to negotiate a contract that accounts for
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Black Keys hit sophomore slump with new LP By Josh Johnson The success of The Black Keys’ 2010 release, “Brothers,” must have come as quite a shock to the intrepid indie band. After six studio albums, the blues duo from Akron, Ohio, started climbing the Billboard charts and winning Grammys, which put a lot of pressure on the band to sustain that success with their follow-up LP, “El Camino.” And it seems to have gotten to them; while “Brothers” was one of the best albums of 2010, “El Camino” is repetitive and disappointing. The opening track, “Lonely Boy,” begins with a signature blistering blues riff from guitar player and singer Dan Auerbach. Then Patrick Carney’s drums come in with a thundering beat. All is good, until the chorus starts. Suddenly there are keyboards, bass and a chorus of backup vocalists singing, “I’ve got a love that keeps me waiting/ I’m a lonely boy.” These backup vocalists take away from Auerbach’s lonesome bluesman personality. Worse, singing with a trio of ladies defeats the pur-
pose of bemoaning that you are a “lonely boy.” I’d have stronger faith in his lyrics if he was actually singing alone. The rest of the tracks are modeled after the opening song. Along with the usual guitar and drums, there’s the occasional fuzzed-out keyboard and bass. And unfortunately, the trio of backup singers appear on every song. Auerbach’s lack of lyrical conviction is also problematic. On “Run Right Back,” he bouncily sings, “She’s the worst thing I’ve been addicted to” along with his backup. I don’t buy it. I think he’s trying to say that, “This girl has such a grip on my soul that the thought of her is more powerful than the drugs I take.” What I actually hear is a seventh-grader seeing the most beautiful girl in school for the first time and mistaking his feelings for love. You can tell what kind of album “El Camino” is just by looking at the liner notes. The booklet contains 13 pages with pictures of a van similar to the one on the cover, but in various colors and parked in front of different locations. While all these
songs have slight variances, they are all essentially the same thing. The one exception is “Little Black Submarines,” which sounds like a long-lost acoustic White Stripes song. Halfway through the song, however, the keyboards, bass and backup singers return, matching the sound of all the other songs. If all the other tracks are different versions of the El Camino van, then “Little Black Submarine” is a pickup truck, which then pulls away to reveal yet another freaking van. “El Camino” is an enjoyable enough listen the first time around, but its repetitiveness makes it ultimately insubstantial. If you are desperate for some new Black Keys, listen to “Little Black Submarines” or “Lonely Boy,” which, despite its flaws, is the best van track on the album. Other than that, put “Brothers” back on and resume practicing your speech about how you loved The Black Keys before they were popular. Josh Johnson is a staff writer. Email him at music@nyunews.com.