NYU’s Weekly Student Newspaper
WASHINGTON SQUARE NEWS Vol. 45, No. 14
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 2016
Native American Studies as a Minor? By RAVEN QUESENBERRY Contributing Writer
Indigenous and Native American students may now study their heritages. The Native American and Indigenous Students Group said the university began addressing indigenous peoples’ concerns by creating a new Native and Indigenous studies minor. NAISG long advocated for this, since there are currently no indigenous studies programs in New York City, despite it having the largest indigenous population of any city in the U.S. NAISG worked for this new minor with the Native Studies Forum — a collaborative student and faculty organization started in 2006 — but it was met with many challenges, such as a lack funding. Gallatin adjunct professor Amalia Cordova, is a founding member of NSF, and she said the financial situation made it difficult for staff and students to rally around the effort. “Because it’s not a center, and it’s not a paid position for the chair of the Native Studies Forum, it’s
gobbinjr Captivates With Dream Pop
not a priority for anybody,” Cordova said. However, the program finally received attention when it was added to last year’s Black and Brown Coalition list of demands. It then piqued the interest of CAS Dean Gabrielle Starr, who advocated for the effort on an administrative level. NAISG co-president and GLS junior Taylor Norman said that she and the rest of the NAISG team are very optimistic about the creation of this minor and expect it to form within a semester or two. “It will take at least two years to get a major formed,” Norman said. “But right now [faculty members are] gathering up all the Native and Indigenous studies courses that NYU offers and compiling that into a minor.” Both NAISG and the NSF hope this will lead to creating an entire center or space for indigenous student life. While a course of study within the Department of Social and Cultural Analysis is a great first step, they also worry the program might be mismanaged.
By GILCHRIST GREEN Music Editor
PHOTO BY DIAMOND NAGA SIU
The NAISG has been advocating for a Native and Indigenous studies minor during a time when advocacy for MINOR continued on PG. 3 Native Americans has been at the forefront of news.
Students Doing Stand-Up Stand Out
By Camille Larkins STAFF WRITER
Whether they tell one-liners at open mics, extended stories at showcases or sketches on digital platforms, NYU comedians take every opportunity to hustle and make a name for themselves in the competitive world of New York comedy. Stand-up comedy is its own artistic form, and with hundreds of comedy clubs, New York City provides the perfect platform for these students to get on stage. Balancing a budding stand-up career with school is hard enough. Being vulnerable in front of an audience you don’t know, having to listen to your jokes bomb and waiting until
2 a.m. to finally get some mic time are just some of the challenges stand-up comedians have to face every time they get on stage. Harrison Herreman, a Tisch junior, insists that it is all about taking stand-up seriously and having passion. “The most challenging thing about stand up is that to get way better you have to treat it like a job, and that can constantly get in the way of your personal life and school,” Herreman said. “It leads to a lot of late nights. But if you really throw your spirit into it, you can learn a lot about yourself as a person, and you can learn a lot about being funny.” After dedicating countless hours to watching specials to
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learn more about the craft, Herreman decided to try it out for himself. He began his college career performing two to three times a week, but quickly got hooked and started doing it more — sometimes up to 20 open mics a week. Tisch junior Rachel Sennott did stand-up casually her freshman year until she didn’t have time to do it anymore. The spring of her sophomore year, however, she began to deal with depression and anxiety and started doing open mics seriously as an outlet. She now goes to open mics five to seven nights a week and recently performed at her first paying gig. “I was heckled and called a slut,” Sennott said. “It’s a great
time for women in comedy!” Claire Greising, a Tisch sophomore, agreed that misogyny, unfortunately, abounds in the stand-up world. “If you aren’t funny, it’s confirming their idea that women can’t be funny,” Greising said. “And if you do well, then you’re funny for a woman. It’s really emotionally taxing, performing for a bunch of old white men who are mad. I have to rev myself up every time.” The first time Greising tried performing comedy was at her audition for the Astor Place Riots, NYU’s stand up comedy club, where she did a three-minute bit about a guy trying to flirt with her by talking about
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Holding her ground in the New York music scene, gobbinjr, the project of former NYU student Emma Witmer, just released a promising new EP that hugs and kisses its listeners with dreamy, synthy femme pop. Although previously available to stream on Bandcamp and SoundCloud, the EP titled “vom night” was officially released on Nov. 4. The six-song collection is uniquely Witmer’s vision, as she wrote, recorded and mixed it herself. After leaving Tisch’s Clive Davis Institute, Witmer moved to Brooklyn and dedicated herself to being alone with her music. “vom night” is an expression of this solidarity. It is an ode to being alone. With sounds reminiscent of fellow New York artists Frankie Cosmos and Eskimeaux, the music is cute and sweet, with poppy undertones that whirl into your head. The imaginative lyrics contrast this warm sugariness with their vulnerability. They are honest, introspective and covered in a sheen of sadness, with Witmer’s low vocal pitch nestling itself into the bottom layer of the tracks. The record’s bedroom pop sound conjures up a picture of Witmer alone in her room, lying on her bed, discovering herself. The EP begins with “manatee,” a bright song with an immediate groove. Its sound is soft and girly and its lyrics are dreamy, with each line floating up and away. With a chorus about the sea, dolphins and manatees, Witmer’s usual melancholy demeanor is replaced with something much more wild and fantastical. “perfect” is a two-minute song with only two lines — “I just wanna be perfect / anything less is shameful.” Despite the fact that the lines repeat throughout the track, the song is not linear or monotonous, as the music fills the absence of lyrics. Each
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Rallying for a Native American Studies Minor
PHOTO BY DIAMOND NAGA SIU
NAISG co-president and SPS junior Khaila Moke-Sakamoto said that is because the organization is the closest thing NYU has to a center of Native American and indigenous student life, so she would like to see more student groups like this emerge on campus. “We’re not exclusive, so other people who want to be allies and get involved or know more are all welcomed,” Moke-Sakamoto
said. “I think the important thing is having our group as a place for students to come whenever they need support. Our main goal is to have an entire department for Native studies.” Cordova said that a multifaceted concept such as indigenous studies is interconnected with discussions of religion, culture, language and identity and deserves a space more like Africa
or Deutsche House. “I favor it becoming its own thing even if it’s small,” Cordova said. “Indigenous studies is the study of the world, it’s not a social science, it’s not art, it shouldn’t be subject to the classic Western division of knowledge of the world.”
Email Raven Quesenberry at news@nyunews.com.
Although Michael Rectenwald has stirred up a lot of controversy surrounding his views on political correctness, many students have thoroughly enjoyed his classes.
Anti-PC Professor in High Demand
By DIAMOND NAGA SIU News Editor
Self-proclaimed Deplorable NYU Prof tops the instructor list for many LS students. They want to enroll in his Writing II class next semester, even after adjunct professor Michael Rectenwald gained recent media attention for his Twitter handle @antipcnyuprof. He is presently on a paid leave but will resume teaching next semester.LS freshman Ashley Choi is presently enrolled in his class, and she has thoroughly enjoyed it. Choi called him a mad-genius type of person and said that while she was under Rectenwald’s guidance — before substitute professor Kristi Steinmetz started on Nov. 1 — the class was aware of his viewpoints against political correctness, trigger warnings and bias response hotlines. “He told us about the hiring process at NYU, which claims to focus on ‘diversity,’ but actually, how they hire is basically leaving white people with almost 0 percent chance to be teaching at NYU,” Choi said. “I think he certainly deserves better though because he’s really sophisticated and intelligent but he’s only a part-time professor.” She said that Rectenwald was a caring teacher and that she does not think he would say things to make himself famous or to attract attention. But even though Rectenwald has a good reputation — boasting a RateMyProessor score of 4.4 — students such as LS freshman Syanne Rios do not agree with his viewpoints and do not want to have him as a professor. “This whole project of his seems to have gotten in the way of his student’s education from what I understand,” Rios said. “I definitely have a few friends who are interested in being in his class and hearing more about his opinions and some of the backlash he’s received from this ‘social experiment.’ I most definitely would not say everyone in LS wants him as a professor, however.” She said that many LS students discussed his presence within the school, and Rios said that most of the people seemed split — they
either wanted his class or wanted to avoid it. LS freshman Audrey McCabe also heard similar, polarized opinions on Rectenwald, and she said that students who do not support the political culture at NYU used this conflict as an opportunity to voice how they really feel about their expectations and environment at the university. “Freedom of speech has also become a hot topic between those who disagree on the nature of his suspension,” McCabe said. “I don’t believe it’s appropriate for a professor to run that type of [Twitter] account publicly, but I also don’t believe that NYU has the right to silence him. It’s still unclear — to me, at least — what the true motive was behind his suspension, which further complicates the situation.” McCabe said she understands why some students, who feel overwhelmed by NYU’s politically correct standards, want to have him as a professor but also disagrees with Rectenwald’s viewpoints that political correctness is harmful. LS sophomore Kate Howard had Rectenwald last year, and she said that she did not think much of him while enrolled in his class. “I don’t remember much about what he talked about in terms of his beliefs, but he said on multiple occasions that he didn’t like moral absolutism,” Howard said. “I didn’t really have much of an opinion on what has been going on with him recently — I wasn’t too shocked — he seemed a little extreme in class and made some iffy jokes that most students wouldn’t laugh at.” She said that besides letting her attend a different class section due to a scheduling conflict, he did not stand salient in her mind. But none of that matters to Choi, because she thinks as long as a professor is intellectually fulfilling, his personality and personal beliefs do not matter as much. “If being politically correct affects the teaching quality here, then I would definitely disapprove it,” Choi said. “As a student, all I care is if the instructors are good or not.”
Email Diamond Naga Siu at dsiu@nyunews.com.
PHOTO BY DIAMOND NAGA SIU
To promote more diversity on campus, NAISG has been advocating for a Native and Indigenous studies minor.
Stern Fundraises to Help Vets By COCO WANG Staff Writer
Two brothers have made business school more attainable for veterans. Lorenzo Fertitta and Stern School of Business alumni Frank Fertitta donated $15 million to the school for a new MBA program designed for veterans. Around 20 students will receive this scholarship next year, which reduces their tuition from $66,588 to $30,000 per year. The Fertitta Veterans Program also provides customized academic and professional support to help veterans overcome transitioning from the military to business school. Tuition fees are an important factor for most MBA students when they choose which school to attend. Stern MBA Samantha Sarkis said although she was not in the Fertitta Veterans Program, the full scholarship NYU offered her made Stern stand out among other topranked business schools. “Business school is a huge financial investment and an even bigger one when attending one in NYC because the cost of living is almost as much as your tuition,” Sarkis said. “When considering what schools to attend, I weighed out the opportunity costs of the school brand, location, opportunities and tuition. While researching schools, NYU was the only school that offered a non9/11 GI Bill scholarship, which was extremely appealing given the strength of its brand, location and unique opportunities of living in NYC.” Besides the scholarships, the Fertitta Veterans Program also provides extra academic resources. The Associate Dean of MBA Ad-
missions and Program Innovation Isser Gallogly said a specific summer program is designed for students to get familiar with some basic business concepts and prepare to enter the real business world. “Students will participate in a sixweek summer term during which they earn six credits and participate in a variety of academic, leadership and career development activities,” Gallogly said. “Students will take the core course statistics and data analysis, as well as accounting.” Sarkis also said that the transition from the military to business school is sometimes difficult for veterans and that students sometimes need networking resources to get in contact with other NYU veteran students. “Your skills and experiences are hard to translate and not relatable amongst your classmates,” Sarkis said. “You don’t have specific strengths in subjects such as finance, accounting, statistics or economics, therefore it’s nice to con-
verse with other veterans to know you’re not the only one whose challenged in these areas.” And that’s not the only reason why veteran students need to socialize. Vice Dean of MBA Programs Raghu Sundaram said part of the support the new program offers is both school-wide and city-wide networking resources for students to build relationship with more people in the professional field and get used to life in NYC. “A part of it is professional: connecting them to alumni who are themselves veterans and who can act as mentors, assisting in this transition process and to corporations who hold special events for veterans,” Sundaram said. “And a part of it is social, allowing them to bond with each other even as they get to know the school and the city.”
Email Coco Wang at news@nyunews.com.
FILE PHOTO BY JAKE QUAN
With cost being a huge deciding factor when applying to graduate programs, the Fertitta brothers have created the Fertitta Veterans Program and a scholarship fund to provide academic and financial resources.
NYUNEWS.COM | MONDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 2016 | WASHINGTON SQUARE NEWS
Student Fights Police Brutality By NATASHA ROY Deputy News Editor
STAFF PHOTO BY ANNA LETSON
The National Science Foundation has given NYU-X a $2.9 million grant to create a holodeck similar to virtual technology in Star Trek.
Not Star Trek: NYU Building Holodeck By HERMAN LEE Staff Writer
The classic television series “Star Trek” has gripped the imaginations of science fiction fans for decades, inspiring scholars to try to create real world versions of the technologies depicted in the show. Now, NYU is pushing the boundaries of engineering to build an actual holodeck — a virtual reality facility featured in the show that creates holographic projections of objects and people. The National Science Foundation gave NYU-X, a laboratory located in NYU’s College of Nursing, a $2.9 million grant to create the innovative tool. The holodeck will combine virtual reality, robotics, 3D printing and sound design to convey information in a uniquely experiential and immersive way. The tool is being designed by a cross-disciplinary team of experts for applications in healthcare, mathematics, robotics, urban planning, gaming, music, wireless technology and more. Dr. Ken Perlin, Professor of Computer Science at the NYU Media Research Lab and one of the designers of the holodeck, compared its utility to that of a telescope. “If you’re looking at people who are into exploring the universe, somebody has to build a telescope,” Perlin said. “By building an instrument that sees further into the future, we are inviting people to ask questions in all sorts of fields whether it is biology, physics or weather science, that they would otherwise think they can’t do yet because there’s no instrument to ask those questions.” The Dean of the College of Nursing Dr. Eileen Sullivan-Marx said that the school would benefit greatly from the holodeck’s ability to simulate
“wicked” challenges, or situations that require interdisciplinary expertise to resolve. “It provides a 3D simulation that teams of people can [use to] come together to solve problems,” Sullivan-Marx said. “It's like a 3D SimCity game that you’re playing with other people at different locations.” CAS sophomore Akash Das plans to major in computer science and is excited about the opportunities the holodeck will create for students like him. “I think the holodeck is definitely something that’s incredibly useful, with a lot of new [user interface and user experience] devices that really solidify an environment where people can simulate things,” Das said. “I think that's very incredibly important, having more interaction with what you do just increases productivity and the learning value, and I think that’s important for a university to embrace.” NYU-X Lab Director Dr. Winslow Burleson was enthusiastic about the vast potential of the holodeck. He mentioned how the holodeck could let musicians worldwide play an orchestra, prototype the new wireless technologies with higher bandwidths and the lower latencies, model mitosis during cell division. He proposes could also connect NYU campuses in Brooklyn, Washington Square and the medical quarter to serve as a prototype for future global networked universities. “We would like individuals, the community, the NYU community to imagine what they could do with the Holodeck, to bring to us your projects, your experiences and your expertise so that we can collectively build the holodeck together, to do the amazing things that NYU is capable of.”
Email Herman Lee at news@nyunews.com.
Students demanded justice at Columbus Circle on Saturday night. Freshmen from NYU, Bennington College and Drew University chanted “disarm the police” and “white silence is violence” from the steps of Christopher Columbus’ statue. They also unfurled a homemade cardboard sign at the edge of the steps that said “NO TOLERANCE.” This was the first action from the No Tolerance Movement, founded by Tisch freshman Kiyomi Calloway. It was created over the summer when she and her friends brainstormed ways to fight police brutality while promoting racial equality. “We are a student-run group led by black lives and allies using rookie knowledge to channel our passion for justice,” Calloway said. “We hope to tackle politics regarding race relations and gun reform in the U.S. through protests and legislative changes.” The organization focuses on legislative change to protect persecuted communities. At the protest, students explained to passersby the issues the No Tolerance Movement aims to address, including elimination of police brutality and militarization. Another issue it aims to eradicate is the 1033 program, and Bennington College freshman Syd Miller
said it is a Department of Defense program that allows domestic police systems to operate and obtain military equipment not being used in war. This system is free and under very little supervision. “It’s a really abused program, and is basically creating a standing military in the United States,” Miller said. “In total, there are 6,221 pieces of equipment that have been obtained through this program as of 2014, the cost of which is $28,082,595.11.” While some spectators ignored the protesters, other stopped to commend them. Brian Phillips, who stopped at Columbus Circle with his daughter, said that the efforts were respectable, but that he felt the arguments were not fully developed. “I think it’s great to see kids protesting and stuff and taking advantage of their first amendment rights, but I think people need to really educate themselves before taking things to the streets,” Phillips said. Phillips, who is not black, said that the issue of police brutality and marginalization is not necessarily a matter of race. “I really have a problem with Black Lives Matter, because they don’t go to Chicago when 47 people are shot in the weekend — it’s upsetting to me,” Phillips said. “I live in the South Bronx. I’ve been a victim of this too. It goes beyond color lines. The justice system doesn’t come for you if you don’t have money. It’s not
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justice for all.” However, Tisch freshman Isabel Asuncion, one of the main New York No Tolerance Movement organizers, thinks this can have concrete results and said that having a youth-based movement is especially important. “I think with students compared to adults, we’re a lot more optimistic, and I think we have more energy to put a lot more effort into these movement,” Asuncion said. “If we care about issues and want our lives to improve, we are the [ones] who have to go forward and do something about it ourselves because we can’t expect other people to do it for us.” Calloway and her collaborators contacted major schools cities across the county, and she even traveled to Washington D.C. over the weekend to support the No Tolerance Movement’s protest there. She said that while she dedicates a great deal of time to the cause, her efforts do not feel like a sacrifice compared to the pain of police brutality and militarization victims. “I have to keep them in the back of my mind … always reminding myself, ‘what you’re doing is nothing compared to the pain these families feel,’” Calloway said. “[The protest] was just such a humbling experience, and I’m so excited to move forward.”
Email Natasha Roy at nroy@nyunews.com.
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Bad Theater Festival: Better Than It Sounds
By MICHAEL LANDES Staff Writer
The name of the Bad Theater Festival doesn’t inspire confidence, nor is that its intent. The festival, which recently concluded its fifth season, relocated to larger accommodations this year. But with the toilets broken, the bar open all night and free movement between the audience and backstage, the experience would have fit perfectly on East 4th St. or St. Mark’s Place. To review the plays at the festival would give an oxymoronic perspective, as each play was only produced once, making each night completely unique. However, the few plays that went up last Thursday gave a fair overview of the material the festival produced. The first play, a realist portrayal of Christmas tree sales people, focused on verbal sparring generated by a haphazard mix of characters: a well-meaning Texan, a
foul-mouthed Jew, the two abusive suppliers of the trees (the older male partner hilariously called Junior) and the lot owner all exchanged insults. This was followed by a decidedly more absurd comedy about two best friends competing for YouTube fame and global dominance as promised by two aliens who aim to invade Earth and hijack human genitals for their own procreation. The night was rounded out by a hilariously terrible performance of Shakespeare. The show was peppered with wonderfully self-effacing jokes about off-off Broadway shows. (The actor performing the opening monologue from “Twelfth Night” has to leave rehearsal early to catch “a futuristic steampunk a capella fully-immersive production of ‘Hamilton’ at Arlene’s Grocery.”) The Bad Theater Festival certainly relies on cultural and social experience of the show, which is not to say that the plays per-
formed are in any way bad. Focused primarily on comedy, there was no doubt that the purpose was entertainment — and judging by the laughs and applause from the audience, the festival certainly de-
Though it may have closed this year, the Bad Theater Festival is worth looking out for next season.
Email Michael Landes at books@nyunews.com.
PHOTO COURTESY OF GAVIN STARR KENDALL
The Bad Theater Festival was full of absurdity and cultural comedy, providing a very entertaining season of shows.
‘Bulworth’ Relevant 20 Years Later
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By DANIELLA NICHINSON Staff Writer
VIA FACEBOOK.COM
Former NYU student Emma Witmer, also known as gobbinjr, released an EP with dreamy and layered tracks.
With Music, gobbinjr Is Never Alone
compositional addition, like that of the background vocals and the arpeggiator, layers the song, making it richer and driving Witmer’s emotive words into the headspace of the listener. The almost-title track “vom nite” is the most absorbing of the EP. It is intimate and sad; the lyrics describe a girl who has “never been loved before.” But this soft sound is silvery and sticky as it earworms into your head. The song ends with the lines “I’m a vacuum sealed freezer dinner rotting in the box / before it had a chance to get hot.” These words are strange and striking, but their meaning is gripping. It is simple but universal, showcasing the mastery of Witmer’s songwriting ability.
livered. New York’s theater scene needs more Bad Theater Festivals to embrace the off-off spirit and to continue the fringe tradition, even in such strange places as Lutheran churches with busted bathrooms.
This is the perfect album to close your eyes and let your mind swirl into, slowly taking in the words and their meaning while being comforted by layers of sweet synth pop. Through “vom night,” gobbinjr gives us a very real look into her thoughts and emotions, and they are not all pretty. They are about a girl who hasn’t found love, a girl who is alone. But hope remains: she has started to find herself through her music. Listen to “vom night” Bandcamp or buy the hard copy (that includes a minicomic illustrated by Sophia Foster-Dimino that mimics the music’s story), also via Bandcamp.
Email Gilchrist Green at music@nyunews.com.
Last Thursday, the air at the Metrograph Theater was buzzing with excitement at the imminent arrival of a Hollywood legend and film that seemed much too appropriate for our time — just days before what will surely be a momentous election. A lucky group of people had gathered to watch a screening of “Bulworth,” a political satire from 1998, introduced by none other than the film’s director, producer, writer and star Warren Beatty. In the midst of the current election and political climate, “Bulworth” is surprisingly and shockingly pertinent — and perhaps even more influential now than it was when it was first released. Jay Billington Bulworth (Beatty) is a Democratic California senator up for re-election. When we first meet him, he is sitting in his office, with a two-day-old box of pizza, unshaven and crying. Sparked by his string of sleepless days, he embarks on a journey told largely via impromptu rapping, one that no politician has ever attempted: a journey to tell the truth. “We stand on the doorstep of a new millennium.” This phrase, used in Bulworth’s campaign ads and in the opening lines of all his speeches, is repeated to excess throughout the film to mercilessly satirize the scripted nature of politics. It’s a safe phrase; it simply tells
voters what they want to hear. Beatty, through Bulworth, pulls back the curtain on the covertness of politics and reveals the corruption within the system. Though sometimes offensive and controversial, Bulworth tells people what they want to hear rather than giving them the same neutrality and dodging of questions that politicians have become accustomed to relying on. With today’s presence of Donald Trump, the concept of a character as exaggerated and farcical as Bulworth does not seem so far-fetched. Like Trump, Bulworth delivers his speeches and remarks through unfiltered thoughts, causing a divisive political battleground. This has resulted in either massive support or massive outrage at Trump; nobody would have thought that his presence in the election would mirror so closely a film meant to parody politics. After the screening, there was a brief panel discussion with three writers and editors from Entertainment Weekly. Film critic Chris Nashawaty spoke about how little has changed in 20 years and the risk involved in making this film. Watching “Bulworth” in 2016, it is evident how ahead of its time it was and how Beatty managed to foreshadow events that would seem all too surreal if they were not actually happening. Nashawaty mentioned the stir “Bulworth” might cause if it were re-released in theaters
today. Screened in a theater in the Lower East Side, the group the event attracted may not have been entirely representative of the whole nation. While this specific audience seemed to enjoy the film, others could have found it disrespectful and much too controversial. Still, Beatty’s smart and fiery “Bulworth” has been reinvigorated with new life and, thanks to the current condition of this country’s politics, it has given rise to new and vital questions about the impending election.
Email Daniella Nichinson at film@nyunews.com.
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A 1998 political satire, “Bulworth” was brought back to the big screen at the Metrograph Theater as the election draws near.
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Tisch Freshman Leads ‘Pronouns’ By HERMAN LEE Staff Writer
“Pronouns,” the new short film written and directed by Michael Paulucci, follows a black transgender teen expressing their feelings of alienation in an emotionally charged slam poetry competition. Sol Patches, a freshman studying drama at Tisch School of the Arts, plays the leading role, providing a dynamic performance that captures the uncertainties and isolation of the trans experience. Patches is an activist, rapper and gender abolitionist from the south side of Chicago. Their work touches on hot-button issues like class, race, gender and the way they intersect on multiple levels. Like their character, Patches’ preferred pronouns are they, them and their. Their latest album, “AS2 Water Hurricanes,” documents the Black Lives Matter movement from a queer perspective. The album is based on their experience with the Let Us Breathe Collective, a grassroots alliance of artists, journalists and activists that fights injustice in America and overseas. Patches’ role in this new movie
is just the latest in a long series of efforts to advocate for social justice through artistic expression. WSN had a chance to interview Patches about their role in “Pronouns.” WSN: What inspired you to take this role? Sol Patches: It was the fact that me and the character story were so alike — that I did not feel comfortable playing the role, but I felt very empathetic. I felt like I could have a different spin on this role and could really make the part meaningful. It was one of those things where I was still discovering how I understood gender and how I wanted to navigate the spectrum of gender, but I knew it was the right thing to do. I knew that it could start conversations in other families across the state, and that was something I wanted to be a part of. WSN: You wrote the poem that was the centerpiece of the film. What was your favorite line from that poem? SP: “We live in masculine worlds that does not allow for rebirth, but we’ll display queer bodies still dying to exist.” WSN: So how does this role tie in with your other artistic
endeavors like your writing, or your music or your activism? SP: This role ties into my music and my activism because of the way the film talks about gender and blackness. A lot of the work that I do tries to explore race and gender in a way that is individual, but also collective … It’s about other people who have had similar experiences. I’m just trying to bridge the gap and trying to get people to understand where I’m coming from, and also have a fun time, and have an experience when they see me do art. WSN: What is the message you are trying to convey through this film? SP: The film is trying to get families to talk more and to accept their kids and to try to understand that not everybody is a boy and not everybody is a girl, and that there’s a range of things that people can be. “Pronouns” will screen in over 10 different festivals this fall, including the Tribeca Film Festival and the NewFest, and will eventually be released online for public viewing.
Email Herman Lee at film@nyunews.com.
Does Internet Redefine Celebrity? By THOMAS MIRITELLO Contributing Writer
We are currently undergoing a transition from our established forms of media to an internet-based era. In 2015, the Associated Press reported that those aged 18 to 34 were watching more than 22 hours of television less than they were just four years prior. Internet-based media consumption, however, has more than doubled over that same timespan. On an hour-to-hour basis, TV still outweighs internet-based media consumption. If these trends continue, however, our established forms of media may one day totally disappear from our culture. This brings up an interesting dynamic — as we redefine how people consume media, should we redefine how entertainers are classified? Considering this spike in internet-based entertainment, it can be argued that who we define as celebrities is rapidly changing in many different areas of our media. Many performers, comedians, musicians and actors have turned to the internet as their primary means of media distribution, which in turn has created a rift in how one should define celebrity status. One could look at the success of a multitude of YouTube channels, Vine accounts and Bandcamp
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musicians that have been given celebrity status due to their overarching popularity among many people despite having little to no experience in establishment media. There are extreme examples of this, such as PewDiePie or Markiplier, who are both worth millions of dollars and known to millions of individual YouTube subscribers. Then there are smaller, yet equally important examples of this movement away from established celebrities — people referred to as “micro-celebrities,” a term coined by NYUClinical Assistant Professor of Liberal Studies. Theresa Senft in 2001 in regards to women who documented their lives via the internet. Now the term is applied to any person well known enough to have a following on the internet. If we zoom out from the most successful examples of internet fame, we find a lot of people who are wildly successful in their own following, even though it may not be on a huge scale — people like comedian/musician Bill Wurtz, who has a strong following on Vine and YouTube, and found success in a video titled “history of japan” that colorfully recounts Japan’s history. While this nine-minute video has managed to rack up more than 18 million views in Nov. 2016, Wurtz is not a household name, nor does he even have 1 million subscrib-
ers, which is considered to be a watershed of success within the YouTube community. Despite this, he has a cult fan following and has even won a Shorty Award for his videos. Wurtz may not stack up against people like PewDiePie in terms of overall public acknowledgement, but for every PewDiePie there are several more in the same “micro-celebrity” group as Wurtz, appealing to a comparatively small (Wurtz has about 500 thousand subscribers) but dedicated audience of people. From this, it can be deduced that the movie star is declining in popularity as a role of social status. Internet media is evolving rapidly, as is how we view its content creators. In 2016, the film industry is on pace to sell the fewest U.S. tickets per person of any year since perhaps before the 1920s and the fewest total tickets in two decades. Even those with success in television have begun to have a strong online presence. For example, Josh Peck of “Drake & Josh” fame has an intense following on Vine and Snapchat. It only makes sense that in the age where Netflix means more to us culturally than television, our definitions of celebrities are beginning to change as well.
Email Thomas Miritello at entertainment@nyunews.com.
‘Roughly Speaking:’ Saga From the Streets By BLAIR BEST Staff Writer We pass them every day. We hear them clinking their plastic cups, yearning for our help and a way out. Yet we rarely even glance down. “Roughly Speaking” is a play stylized by rap that offers a rare opportunity for the homeless residents of New York City to have their stories told via a play made of 200 interviews conducted with homeless people. Set in a soup kitchen, the play introduces the audience to a wide variety of homeless characters who wait in line for their hot meal of the week. With ripped jackets, stained pants and matted hair, this graphic group of survivors paints a convoluted depiction of living homeless. Basing her play on 200 interviews with New York City’s homeless residents, playwright Shara Ashley Zeiger (who plays Diana) seeks to reveal the truth behind these destitute lives. Zeiger has had personal exchanges with homeless people over the past six-and-a-half years. Originally she was afraid of them, a behavior that many of New Yorkers share when they first arrive in the city. Zeiger’s husband dedicates his life to volunteering at soup kitchens. With his influence, she began volunteering as well. This is where her affection towards the homeless community developed. Zeiger spent time slowly getting to know the people whom she would cook for and eventually started documenting the stories she would hear every day. The ambition to write a play out of the 200 interviews she conducted was ambitious, to say the least. They are all valuable stories, to be sure, but in the end, the play included too many of them and added lengthy monologues, losing a sense of simplicity that was needed for the audience’s understanding. The play also faltered because in the crude world it is set in, topics such as drug addiction, PTSD, sexual abuse, identity acceptance and the daunting concept of the future all come up regularly but are not fully
represented. Many of the actors did not give the impression that they had truly investigated what these extreme challenges really meant to their characters. In contrast, Michael Twaine, who played an old Vietnam War veteran named Danny, was delightful to watch. He maintained a hunched back and elderly mannerisms from the beginning to the end of the play — even during the scene changes. He also altered his voice to convincingly portray a worn-out man who does all he can to finish his sentences before falling asleep. Twaine’s acting tugs at your heart, for we all have an elderly grandfather or a distant relative that we can see in him. To picture our old loved ones sleeping on the ground is painful; the empathy Twaine’s performance elicits is likely what the rest of the actors were trying to catch, but unfortunately missed. The dialogue between characters attempted to reveal the stories Zeiger recorded, but disappointingly appeared as nothing more than casual conversation. Thanks to Steven J. Michel, who played the handicapped rapper Lightning.Bolt, these characters’ tales were transformed into catchy beats that moved the show along. By the end of the play, the audience most certainly arrives at the unsettling realization that maybe the homeless man taking up an entire booth in the corner of McDonalds at 2 a.m., biting into a cheeseburger and sipping a can of Coke, feels as if he is in heaven. A piece of cornbread that is wrapped in brown paper napkin, tied with a shoelace and handed to a man at the soup kitchen, is a gift that makes him smile tears of joy. This could be one of the few points that Zeiger had wanted her audience to grasp, but these tender moments require more elaboration than painted cardboard signs covered in pleas for help pasted on the lobby walls in order to immerse an audience into this beautifully grueling world.
Email Blair Best at theater@nyunews.com.
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WASHINGTON SQUARE NEWS | MONDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 2016 | NYUNEWS.COM
FEATURES By CAMILLE LARKINS Staff Writer
EDITED BY ABIGAIL WEINBERG FEATURES@NYUNEWS.COM
You Don’t Want a Seat at These Tables
New York may have some of the best restaurants in the world, but there are definitely a few bad eggs. Whether it be because of overzealous waitresses that are a little too touchy, unsanitary conditions or undercooked food, some restaurants are downright lousy. Even though food trucks often get a bad rap, they are held to the same sanitation standards as brick-and-mortar restaurants and are inspected at least once a year. Still, it is difficult to ensure that food is always at the right temperature in food trucks. Meat could have been lying out for an unknown amount of time and cold foods might feel more like room temperature. This has led to some awful experiences for students like Steinhardt junior
Kerim Wilhelm. “I got food poisoning from the Spotted Pig food truck once,” Wilhelm said. “I could tell while I was eating it. I was like, ‘This is not good.’ I was out for two days. Now I tell everyone when I walk by, ‘This place gave me food poisoning.’” Even upscale restaurants are not exempt from undercooked food and unacceptable service. When CAS junior Libby Torres dined at Perry Street in the West Village with her friends, they expected a delicious finedining experience. “They were so rude to us because we had a Groupon,” Torres said. “My friend realized her chicken was undercooked and some of us had already eaten all of ours. We sent it back and one of us got sick.” But the experience was not all bad. The restaurant did attempt
to atone for its mistakes. “They gave us free dessert at least,” Torres said. Food poisoning aside, even small things can make or break a meal. Steinhardt senior Sebastian Coloma had a big complaint about a little critter. “I saw a rat in the Au Bon Pain on Union Square right before my food came out,” Coloma said. “But I still ate the breakfast sandwich.” One of the most shocking stories came from Gallatin junior Jack Johnston. His night at Zampa, an Asian fusion restaurant, began normally, but ended rather unexpectedly. “It looked like a Victorian cottage inside and it was very nice, very weird,” Johnston said. “Rachel was kind of a balding woman, very nice, with coarse hands. We talked a lot about psychics and she gave prompt
member that a restaurant’s appearance doesn’t always indicate its quality.
Email Camille Larkins at dining@nyunews.com.
STAFF PHOTO BY ANNA LETSON
For all the good food that can be found around campus, there are a handful of places you should avoid going to, like bad bakeries and risky food trucks.
Students Find Community at Flurry
STANDUP continued from PG. 1
By FAITH GATES Staff Writer
STAFF PHOTO BY COREY ROME
Nate Torto has been performing stand-up comedy for about two years.
Students Juggle Comedy and Classes
Vladimir Nabokov. Now, with a full class schedule and a job, Greising still manages to get onstage two or three times a week. “If I feel tender, I’ll go to a Laughing Buddha mic because everyone usually laughs and it’s supportive there,” Greising said. “But if I have material I feel good about, I’ll go to one of the mean mics, like The Pit.” CAS senior Nate Torto, who is also a part of the Astor Place Riots, appreciates the group for the relationships he has built there since he joined at the beginning of his junior year. “At first, comedy felt so solitary for me because I was going to school during the day and then spending my nights performing in seedy bars with depressed 30-somethings,” Torto said. “So when I was introduced to a bunch of people my age interested in the same thing, it was huge for me.” Even though Torto has been performing five to 10 times a week for the past few years, he
service. But I choked on an edamame bean and she insisted on giving me the Heimlich, even when I said she didn’t need to. I didn’t like that very much.” Next time you dine out, re-
still considers himself a novice. “I have probably 18 minutes of material that actually works consistently. I’m always writing new stuff, trying it out at open mics and recording it, playing it back and editing it over and over again. When material works the first time you say it, that’s the best feeling,” Torto said. “The high you get from the instant gratification of actually doing well at stand-up is better than any other performance art I’ve tried.” Recently, Torto got to perform before Michael Che at Lucky Jack’s; the SNL comedian shook his hand and told him his stuff was funny. Torto feels that he has made a lot of progress, but knows he has much further to go. “I just want to feel successful enough on stage that I could point to my abilities and not feel insane telling my parents that it’s something I want to do when I graduate,” Torto said.
Email Camille Larkins at features@nyunews.com.
Although NYU is notorious for lacking school spirit, students unite in their holiday spirit for one event each year: Flurry. Thousands of NYU students flooded Wollman Rink in Central Park for the Inter-Residence Hall Council’s ninth annual Flurry event last Tuesday. Big Bus Tour double-decker buses took students from Kimmel to Central Park every half hour, maxing out almost every bus. At Wollman Rink, students patiently waited in the line that stretched far into the darkness with no end in sight while IRHC members kept the enthusiasm going dressed in ice cream, snowman and penguin costumes. IRHC member and Tandon freshman JoJo Okai said that IRHC members chose to dress up the in costumes and that he enjoyed working at an event with such an air of togetherness. “It makes you feel like you’re a part of something,” Okai said. Another IRHC member and Tisch sophomore, Rae King, loved seeing so many students come out and tried to keep the energy up in the line with her megaphone. “It’s exclusive things like this that remind you what makes NYU special,” King said. Because of the maximum occupancy stipulated in the fire code, students weren’t let in past the guards until the students in the rink before them had left, and they then had to sign a waiver to pro-
ceed. Once inside, they were provided with free skates and were free to enter the crowded rink or to enjoy the rinkside entertainments, including photo booths, free candy and giveaways. LS freshman Riley Blake loved skating the night away with her fellow students and said that it built a sense of community. “It was crowded, but I think everyone had fun,” Blake said. “NYU should do more free events like this, where we can explore the city and bond.” Students could be heard having fun in a variety of languages above the loud music playing as they skated around with their friends. Many students documented the fun on social media. Tandon graduate student James Powell said he skipped his class just to come to Flurry with his friends. “It was totally worth it,” Powell said. “I had tons of fun.” If students were lucky enough, they caught a glimpse
of the IRHC’s mascot Housie wandering around and posing for photos. Steinhart freshman Christine Hann was very excited about school spirit following the event and loved sharing the experience with her friends. “I thought it was very well organized,” Hann said. “It was a good school event, because we don’t have many.” One aspect of the night that didn’t go unnoticed was the name “Trump” on many signs, the Zamboni and every green shirt employees wore. Presidential candidate Donald Trump bought the rink in 1986 and has operated it ever since. “I felt gross. That was debatable, NYU,” Blake said. “With the presidential elections around the corner, I felt icky.” Despite the presence of the Trump name, students were still able to ignore politics and enjoy this community-building event.
Email Faith Gates at features@nyunews.com.
STAFF PHOTO BY ANNA LETSON
Every year, the IRHC hosts Flurry for NYU students at the Wollman Rink in Central Park.
NYUNEWS.COM | MONDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 2016 | WASHINGTON SQUARE NEWS
FEATURES
EDITED BY ABIGAIL WEINBERG FEATURES@NYUNEWS.COM
Cell Phones: Harming Your Skin? By MICHAELA HOFFMAN Staff Writer
You’ve probably heard from a nervous parent or from the internet that cell phones can cause cancer. Now, there’s another rumor circulating that is causing panic amongst beauty fanatics: the light emitted from your cell phone is damaging your skin. And the average millennial cumulatively spends almost an entire day on his or her smartphone every week, according to a TNS study. But just how bad is the smartphone light emission for your skin? There might be some truth in this idea, according to Koko Hayashi, a Japanese esthetician and founder of Mirau Clinical. Research in Japan has found that “blue light,” or high-energy visible light emitted from your phones, computers and tablets, penetrates deeper into the layers of your skin than the sun’s UV rays and therefore accelerates aging. “Its damages really worse than UVB or UVA, [hitting the] skin deeper, where collagen or hyaluronic acid or elastin resides,” Hayashi said to ELLE last month. There are some beauty products sold in Japan that protect your skin from HEV light, but few products have been sold in the U.S. Hyashi also notes that there is a very low amount of information on this topic in the U.S., which is not surprising. Here’s why you shouldn’t worry too much about HEV light: there simply isn’t enough research to confidently back up that claim. One study from 2008 found that HEV light from phones delays the recovery of your skin barrier from exposure to the environment. Another from 2014 concluded that that blue-violet light, compared to UVB light, resulted in more pronounced hyperpigmentation in the skin that lasts for up to three months. There is simply not enough information about long-term skin damage from HEV lights from phones. HEV lights may not be the only way that your phone is damaging your skin. Plenty of studies have been conducted on the fact that your cell phone contains high amounts of bacteria — sometimes more than a toilet seat — which can cause face and neck acne. It’s also no secret that the LED light from your phone can throw off your internal sleep rhythm, making it harder to fall asleep and therefore causing under-eye circles and crow’s feet. Ultimately, it is safe to conclude that your cell phone doesn’t have to be the cause of your skin’s demise, as long as you use it properly.
Email Michael Hoffman at bstyle@nyunews.com.
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NYU Classes for Student Foodies
By DIYA JIANG Staff Writer
only and another open to all NYU students.
As the winter approaches, getting out of bed and going to class becomes a struggle. We all need some sort of motivation, and food is definitely one of them. It is not merely a dream to enjoy delicious food, gain knowledge and earn college credits at the same time. In fact, many food-related NYU courses have been around, just waiting for you to take them.
If you need to fulfill your CAS Natural Science Requirement… Nutrition and Health
If you need cooking experience… Intro to Foods and Food Science NUTR-UE 86, 3 credits One of the most popular courses offered by the Nutrition and Dietetics department in Steinhardt, “Intro to Foods and Food Science” consists of a two-hour lecture and a lab session each week and includes a great combination of theory and practice. After the lab instructors perform a full demonstration of how to make a dish, students are divided into groups of four or six to reproduce it. From cutting to stewing, every detail is instructed and supervised by the very best chefs, making the class a favorite for students like Steinhardt sophomore Siqing Song. “It is definitely my favorite class so far,” Song said. She added that the class starts with teaching basic knife skills and cooking techniques. “Since I had no culinary experience before I went to a university, the class gave me lots of hands-on experience related to food,” she said. There are two versions of the class: one for nutrition majors
NUTR-UE 119, 3 credits Nutrition and Health is a theoretical class focused on the nutritional value of our daily diet and knowledge related to diseases such diabetes and obesity. This three-credit class is a part of the nutrition department and attracts a lot of fitness lovers, like LS sophomore Shaun Wang. “I originally took this class to fulfill my natural science requirement, but it turned out to be a lot of fun,” Wang said. Indeed, this course satisfies the Natural Science requirement for non-nutrition majors and is a Liberal Studies CORE equivalent. However, what really amazed Wang were the useful facts on nutrition and
the interesting projects. “I think it’s important to know what we are eating everyday,” Wang said. “I really recommend this class.”
If you aspire to be a wine connoisseur... Beverages FOOD-UE 1025, 2 credits As the name indicates, this class is all about a college student’s best friend — drinking, only a bit fancier. The course includes the history and production of different beverages as well as methods to recognize the ages of different wines. Students get to taste alcohol from different times and places. The course was a favorite for Steinhardt alumna Lili Zhu. “It’s very interesting,” Zhu said. “People always get a little bit tipsy toward the end of the class.” Only students over age 21 are able to register for this class.
If you like to explore different cuisines... Techin/Regional Cuisine
FOOD-UE 1183, 2 credits This two-credit class is an advanced version of “Intro To Foods and Food Science,” but instead of categorizing different food material, it introduces cuisine by different regions of the world. “We had a lot of field trips,” said Zhu, who took the course her junior year. “We went to Chinatown for tea and Flushing for dim sum.” This class is offered to nonmajors but requires UE 85 as a prerequisite. Your tuition allows you to take up to 18 credits, so next time you have some room for extra credits in your schedule, consider using them to improve your cooking skills.
Email Diya Jiang at dining@nyunews.com.
STAFF PHOTO BY ANNA LETSON
There are a number of classes you can take if you’re into food and health, available in Steinhardt’s Food and Nutrition Studies Department.
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WASHINGTON SQUARE NEWS | MONDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 2016 | NYUNEWS.COM
OPINION
EDITED BY EMILY FONG OPINION@NYUNEWS.COM
UNIVERSITY LIFE
Majors and Non-Majors Orgo Should Not Be Separate Courses By APARNA ALANKAR Deputy Opinion Editor Course registration is fast approaching, and those who are planning to take organic chemistry have a couple of options. Two professors teach organic chemistry each term. One of these professors leads two different courses, a non-majors course and a majors course. The non-majors course consists of two lectures, a recitation and a lab each week. The majors course consists of three weekly classes where students solve problems in groups with a professor and TAs present, in addition to a lab. The material that students are responsible for in each course is identical. The only difference is the structure of the majors course versus the non-majors course — the same
professor teaches both, but the majors students get the benefit of working in close-knit groups while being directly exposed to practice exam questions. This difference should not exist. NYU should not have a delineation between majors and non-majors for organic chemistry. Lecture courses should be replaced with small-group problem solving. Organic chemistry is a notoriously difficult course. The preface to the textbook — which is used in both the non-majors and majors classes — discusses the difficulty of the course and heavily stresses group problem-solving as an effective method to learn the material. However, this emphasis on in-class group learning is not found in the non-majors’ orgo course. The structure of this class is more akin to a
lecture course. It requires students to independently absorb the lecture material, consistently coordinate busy schedules to form small study groups on their own and apply conceptual knowledge to problems without immediate guidance from a professor or TA. The non-majors course essentially necessitates the re-creation of the majors course on top of attendance to lectures and recitations, which only further complicates an already difficult subject.
Courses for majors and non-majors should not be so drastically different, especially when one course is structured in a way that seems to give an unfair advantage to the students in the other course. Only a small amount of nonmajors are allowed to enroll in the majors course each term. This number is further reduced for Organic Chemistry II, when only those who have earned a B grade and above in Organic Chemistry I are allowed to enroll in the majors course. The majors course presents a much more conducive way of learning the subject and should be made available to everyone taking the course, not just a select few. The delineation between majors and non-majors is further invalidated when considering the fact that organic chemistry
is a required course for a vast number of students, not just Chemistry majors. When hundreds of Neural Science, Biology, Global Public Health and Prehealth students have to take Organic Chemistry, a separate majors course that teaches exactly the same material is unnecessary. Majors-only courses should be reserved for upper-level chemistry courses which are not largely required by non-majors. Don’t make orgo harder than it is, NYU. Abolish the separation between non-major and majors organic chemistry courses. Reserve the exclusivity for other aspects of the university, like our D1 Quidditch team.
Email Aparna Alankar at opinion@nyunews.com.
HEALTH CARE
Male Contraceptive Study May Have Been Neutered, But Reflects Change By CARA ZAMBRANO Staff Writer It has been 60 years since the introduction of the first birth control pills, yet the burden of prevention still remains on women. Contraceptive equality was seemingly closer than ever in October, when the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism released a study stating that a male birth control pill was feasible. However, it was soon revealed that the research was cut short because men were dropping it due to the side effects, the same ones that women have been dealing with for years. At first sight, this seems to ex-
emplify the endless stream of sexism present in our society, but it is a little more nuanced than this. The study was discontinued because of safety concerns raised by an independent safety review, as one of the participants committed suicide and another could not get his sperm function back. While these events were unexpected, there was still plenty of media backlash. Many wondered why men could not handle the side effects of the pill, as women have done for years. Besides, the drop rate of 20 out of 320 is considered a normal one in female contraceptive method studies. However, sexism may still be involved in the halting of the
research; after all, even though there is no scientific proof, “20 percent or 30 percent of the women who take oral birth control pills experience depression and have to take medication for it [and] they terminated this study once it showed 3 percent depression for the men,” said Elisabeth Lloyd, a faculty scholar at The Kinsey Institute. Lloyd’s statement reinforces
the perspective that the apparently successful study — with only four unwanted pregnancies in 320 couples and a large majority of participants who became fertile again after a short recovery period — was terminated because the stakes were not high for men: if the subjects impregnated someone, they would not have to necessarily deal with the consequences, unlike women, who always have to deal with the consequences. Nevertheless, women around the world are still seen as the only ones responsible for contraception, and they can only choose from options that will affect their bodies in some
way; after all, most of the side effects include mood swings and depression. The study also suggests that the burden is getting closer to being lifted off of the shoulders of women, as 75 percent of the subjects said that they would consider taking the contraceptive injections. Additionally, although the doctors said that the halting was a disappointment, it was not going to put brakes on the research. Though contraceptive equality is still an uncertain possibility in our foreseeable future, it is reassuring to know that it may become a reality.
Email Cara Zambrano at opinion@nyunews.com.
UNIVERSITY LIFE
Core Requirements Stifle Student Growth By HAO LY Contributing Writer In Ta-Nehisi Coates’ “Between the World and Me,” Coates wrote, “The pursuit of knowing was freedom to me, the right to declare your own curiosities and follow them through all manner of books. I was made for the library, not the classroom. The classroom was a jail of other people’s interests.” Students at NYU can relate to Coates’ feeling of confinement when reflecting on their own educational experience. After all, on average, CAS students will spend more than a year studying required subjects that may not even interest them. As a matter of fact, even Gallatin, which makes
a point of promoting students’ academic freedom, imposes a year’s worth of requirements upon students. These sets of requirements are known as the core curriculum and as of right now serve as restrictions on students’ intellectual curiosities. NYU should instead implement an open curriculum to rectify the rigidity of the core curriculum. The core curriculum refers to a set of requirements that spans across disciplines such as foreign language and historical and cultural requirements that NYU claims will equip students with the skills they need for success after college. On the other hand, the open curriculum contains few to zero required courses out-
side of requirements for majors, and when compared side-by-side with the core curriculum, the open curriculum offers advantages beyond academic freedom that the core curriculum simply cannot match. For instance, when students are allowed to choose the courses that they want to study, they will be more likely to be intellectually engaged in the material in
which they are studying. This in turn benefits not only their classmates but their teachers as well. Furthermore, while proponents of the core curriculum may argue that, should students be given this much freedom, they may resort to taking easier classes that will allow them to breeze through college, this is not the case. In fact, faculty across institutions such as Brown and Wesleyan report that when given the freedom to choose, the bulk of students will choose to step outside of their comfort zone and take more challenging courses. Evidence also suggests that the open curriculum can encourage students to explore more foreign subjects. For example, Brown found that
because students no longer have to worry about having to complete a language requirement, they were more inclined to study unfamiliar languages instead of sticking with the language they were learning in high school. Education should therefore not be about giving students a map with certain checkpoints to pass before reaching a predefined endpoint. Instead, it should be about encouraging students to take the road less traveled and discover for themselves what education truly means for them. To this end, the open curriculum is clearly the better option.
Email Hao Ly at opinion@nyunews.com.
NYUNEWS.COM | MONDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 2016 | WASHINGTON SQUARE NEWS
OPINION
EDITED BY EMILY FONG OPINION@NYUNEWS.COM
CULTURE
POLITICS
Vine’s Death Has Broad Social Consequences By MELANIE PINEDA Staff Writer
The popular video sharing app known as Vine is going to be discontinued on Apple’s mobile app store in the upcoming months. Fans of the social media platform trended #RIPVine worldwide on Twitter, the app’s current owner. Some have argued that Twitter’s neglect to keep the app relevant and a viable streaming competitor with other platforms, such as Facebook’s live video streaming and the new Instagram Stories, may have been the reason for its seemingly inevitable demise. However its fall down the social ladder may have come to be, Vine’s absence is going to mean more than just losing hilarious and easily accessible content videos. We are now losing a social media platform that allowed for unrecognized artists to share their voices and for creative and engaging videos to become immortalized in a six-second loop. Vine was more than just a simply designed app used to create and spread humorous content. It was globally well-liked, reaching a wide range of audiences; both celebrities and average people alike were able to rewatch
the same hilarious skit or heartbreaking reality exemplified in several short videos. Vines did not require too much thought or focus to watch — their succinct nature was one of the reasons why so many people found Vines accessible and launched the app into the mainstream. The girl who popularized the phrase “on fleek,” for example, came from one six-second video in 2014. Vine not only changed the way we view the world, but the way we speak to one another — which may not have been intentional on Vine’s part, but should not be ignored or taken for granted. With the loss of Vine also comes the loss of a platform that allowed for a more diverse representation in media. More than 50 percent of Vine’s teen audience consisted of Hispanic and black users; they are easily some of the more consistent contributors
to the original content that has come out of Vine. Black artists gained a voice through the flexibility of the platform; some popular rap songs went viral after trending on Vine. The Black Lives Matter protests in Ferguson were both seen and felt through videos that exemplified what police brutality looks like from the point of view of a protester. This kind of visceral footage could not have been captured by the mainstream media, since they could not necessarily make it to the front lines of the conflict. Vine made all of this information readily available long before live-streaming add-ons like Periscope and Facebook Live. Sure, we still have Twitter, Facebook and Instagram, but what made Vine so unique was that it had what each of these platforms lacked. Vine was the original stream-of-consciousness app, with a vibrant community and immense social importance. The app’s demise is not just a sentimental loss for devoted users, but a loss for a society changed by Vine’s influence on media and culture.
Email Melanie Pineda at opinion@nyunews.com.
CULTURE
Smoking Outside Bobst Doesn’t Make You Cool By ANNIE COHEN Staff Writer
The fact that smoking is detrimental to one’s health is no secret — both smokers and non-smokers alike are aware of this. Public-service campaigns dedicated to spreading education about the dangers of smoking and tobacco are introduced in adolescence in the hopes that as children mature, they will not lose sight of the risks. Despite this, nearly 17 out of 100 American adults still smoke cigarettes, and more than 16 million Americans live with a smoking-related disease. At NYU, while smoking is prohibited in residence halls and academic buildings, clusters of cigarette smokers still tend to assemble around building entrances. This is true of most places around the city ever since the NYC Smoke-Free Air Act was passed in 2002, prohibiting smoking in workplaces and indoor recreational venues such as bars and restaurants. While the SFAA and similar legislation across the state have drastically reduced places where it is acceptable to smoke, the dangers of smoking continue to be
SUBMITTING TO
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a part of everyday life. Pedestrians — or, say, NYU students walking past Weinstein or Bobst — continue to be confronted by toxic hazes of smoke as they walk to school or work. And although a 2011 law banned smoking in NYC parks, beaches and pedestrian plazas, a walk through Washington Square Park on a crowded day would suggest that this law is rarely enforced. College and high-school students can be easily be pressured to smoke due to a number of factors including peer influence and tobacco lobbying firms that work to normalize this behavior. Many college students who smoke socially reject the label of smoker, as they plan to quit sometime around graduation, a plan which, unsurprisingly, is rarely successful. The disappointing fact is that soaring tobacco prices and
more public health information than any other time in history are simply not strong enough deterrents for to stop students from trying it. This is why, as a community here at NYU and as a society at large, we need to be working harder to curb smoking and the health risks they present. Similar universities nationwide have enacted smokefree campus regulations. Although the spread-out nature of NYU’s campus makes such an effort difficult, it can be done if enough people support it. NYU has been trying to curb the student smoking epidemic, but that unfortunately does not mean that people will abide by the university’s guidelines. Approximately 12,000 NYC residents die from smoking related causes each year. While people have the right to do whatever they choose to their body, this right does not extend to other people’s bodies. NYU, NYC and the rest of the world need to look at smoking for what it is — a public health crisis — and act accordingly.
Email Annie Cohen at opinion@nyunews.com.
America Needs a National Ballot
As the election creeps closer, voters have — hopefully — put more and more thought into who they are planning to vote for. Often overlooked, though, is how they are going to vote. There currently exists no federally standardized ballot design, an oversight that is at best disorganized and at worst a gateway to election malfeasance. Some states have voters draw lines or fill in bubbles, and the ballots themselves differ between paper ballots and electronic booths. The most high-profile case of ballot design gone awry is the 2000 election, in which Florida’s butterfly ballots led to over one thousand miscast votes. But 16 years later, America continues to use this bizarre patchwork system that confuses voters and disrupts the election process. Poorly designed ballots can mislead voters and upset the voting system as a whole. In the 2000 presidential election, the infamous Floridian butterfly ballot confused voters as to which candidate they had voted for. Since George W. Bush’s ticket was at the top of the ballot, it was easier to find. Al Gore’s name, however, was third on the list, after the less relevant Reform candidate, Pat Buchanan. This construction confused many voters, leading them to mistakenly punch the hole for Buchanan, when they had really meant to vote for Gore. It is dangerous when ballots are flawed and vague like this, as it can compromise democracy and does not reassure the public in the legitimacy of the electoral process. The solution to this issue is simple: institute a standardized ballot design nationwide. When the integrity of presidential and congressional elections is compromised due to a specific state’s shoddy design, it affects the country as a whole. This nationwide adoption of a federal standard wouldn’t even have a negative impact on the states’ right to legislative sovereignty. If anything, it would help the process. This would not be difficult to implement at all and could be done by creating a new, simplified ballot. Doing so would streamline the electoral process by decreasing state-to-state variability. There is no excuse for poorly formatted ballots in this day and age. There are plenty of better ballots out there — The Anywhere Ballot, Center for Civic Design Ballot and the Professional Association for Design are just a few examples. A standardized system for ballots would be both practical and easy to implement. The utilization of tried and tested ballot designs offers greater clarity to voters and those who record votes. When ballots are systematically organized, lingering concerns about election fraud can be more easily dispelled. Every effort should be made to improve the current ballot system in order to make the voting process more conducive to everyone involved.
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WASHINGTON SQUARE NEWS | MONDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 2016 | NYUNEWS.COM
SPORTS By ZEL FORTSON Contributing Writer A traditional college centers their athletics department around their biggest sport — and, in many cases, that sport involves helmets, big hits and tailgates. But anyone who knows anything about NYU knows that’s not what you’ll find here. Although American culture has integrated football into the typical college experience, the absence of such a popular game has only strengthened the NYU athletics community as a whole. With cooperation among both athletes and fans, Violet Nation, launched in 2013, has successfully created a supportive and exciting environment for each and every sports team. Still a growing project, Violet Nation continues to gain popularity and participation. Students all over campus are beginning to better
EDITED BY RACHEL RUECKER SPORTS@NYUNEWS.COM
Violet Nation: Rallying Together understand its purpose. “Its goal is to build a support base within the community in order to ensure that there is a support system for the athletes,” freshman Caroline Rapp said. “People just want to motivate the athletes.” While the program has increased fan excitement at games, there is always room for improvement. As an outside hitter on the varsity women’s volleyball team, Rapp has already experienced her fair share of Violet Nation events. “Sometimes it is successful when events are planned well.” Rapp said. “But a lot of our facilities, especially for sports, are spread out which makes it hard to have a sufficient fan base and to have support for every single game from different teams. The baseball team practices so far away. Soccer is uptown, so it’s hard for fans to make it to games sometimes.”
While location has seemed to inconvenience many fans this year, athletes are hopeful that attendance will improve in the future at the conclusion of the Coles renovations. “Older people on my team always talk about the fact that Coles was on campus, and how that allowed a lot more groups to be able to have access to athletic games,” Rapp said. In an effort to further increase participation, Violet Nation distributes merchandise at home games. This change has provided fans with additional incentive to support their sports teams. Athletic support starts with student participation. With the proper amount of advertisement, Violet Nation can spread the word and get many students involved and excited about varsity sports. NYU students are sometimes not made aware of when and where games take place. It is Violet Nation’s priority to more
NYU Stands Out in Weekend Athletics By MICHAEL THOMPSON Staff Writer
This weekend was a big one in the world of NYU sports, as some seasons wrapped up while others began. The cross country team made waves in conference action, while the women’s volleyball team limped to finish its season and swimming and diving continued to flourish. Meanwhile, the wrestling team started its season after last weekend’s alumni game.
Cross Country In the biggest week of action yet for cross country, the men’s squad were crowned ECAC Division III champions on Saturday, beating 17 other teams in a thrilling day at the Hudson Valley Sports Dome in Milton, New York. Though they didn’t have a firstplace finisher this time around, sophomore Brandon Shirazi led NYU with a time of 27:10.8 in the 8K race, finishing second in a field of 111. Freshmen Ben Karam and Jack Lillian also cracked the top 10 with times of 27:25.8 and 27:37.5, good enough for fourth and sixth respectively. The rest of the team was equally stellar, placing in the top 20. The Violets finished with 35 points, 27 less than the United States Merchant Marine Academy. Just two weeks remain in the season, as the Violets travel back to Glassboro, New Jersey this Saturday for the NCAA Atlantic Region Championship.
Swimming and Diving For the first time this year, the two parts that make up NYU’s swimming and diving team were split up, as the Violets’ swimmers hosted the NYU Fall Invitational this past Friday and Saturday while
the divers competed on the road against West Chester University in Pennsylvania. The swimmers remained perfect this season, defeating Ursinus College and the Stevens Institute of Technology. Meanwhile, the Violets took three out of four diving events. This was business as usual for a Violets team that has been firing on all cylinders this year, a tradition of success running back a few seasons. NYU dominated the relay events, and junior Tim Kou secured another victory, leading the pack in the 100 and 200-yard breaststrokes. The women were even more dominant, decimating their competition in a thrilling 18-for-18 weekend. Sophomore Noel Leung led the Violets. After a week off, the divers will rejoin the swimmers on Nov. 19 as the Violets head to Ewing, New Jersey to face the College of New Jersey.
thoroughly spread information. “Awareness among people who don’t play sports is very limited because they are not following the events of NYU athletics,” Rapp said. That is not what our school is centered around. But awareness can improve as long as Violet Nation keeps advertising and publicizing events.” The athletics community deserves to be recognized, and each player appreciates being given the opportunity to represent New York University. A large support system will only further motivate and encourage athletes to perform at their highest level of play. Despite its perpetual struggles to get turnout at games, Violet Nation has successfully served as the official community that enhances NYU athletics. A fairly new program, it is still working to further increase fan attendance by involving students, alumni, faculty and families alike. With the use of Facebook
and Twitter pages in addition to advertising around campus, Violet Nation expects to see positive results as the sport seasons continue. Freshman varsity freestyle and backstroke swimmer Serena Lightstone is grateful to play a part in the NYU sports program and appreciates Violet Nation’s attempts to create a larger community. “The best part about being on a sports team here is being able to contribute to the sports community,” Lightstone said. “In the city, everyone’s practicing or training in different places, but people still make an effort to come out and watch. You automatically have a support system.”
Editor’s Note: Zel Fortson plays on the women’s volleyball team. Email Zel Fortson at sports@nyunews.com.
Soccer Season Ends on High Note By BEN GOODKIN Contributing Writer
VIA GONYUATHLETICS.COM
Senior Nia Sorgente finished in second place in both her women’s diving events on Saturday. (25-23, 25-27, 25-13, 20-25, 15-10). Sophomore Gretchen Cash led the team with 22 kills, while junior middle blocker Rayne Ellis continued to get the job done with seven kills. Sophomore setter Katie Goyette facilitated the Violets’ attack with 47 assists. With just a .500 record, the Violets await their fate in hopes they’ll be given an at-large bid to the ECAC postseason tournament.
Women’s Volleyball
Wrestling
The NYU women’s volleyball team had an uneven weekend at the UAA Championship in St. Louis, Missouri to finish what has been an equally uneven regular season. The Violets dropped two out of three in sweeps to Emory University and Case Western Reserve University before defeating Brandeis University in five sets to finish the season 16-16, hoping for an ECAC postseason bid. Friday may have been NYU’s most trying day of the year, as the Violets dropped six sets to two teams with no set being within five points. Second-seeded Emory made quick work of the Violets (25-19, 25-8, 2515) before Case Western did much of the same (25-13, 25-20, 25-19). However, the Violets finished strong against struggling Brandeis
The Grapplers’ season officially kicked off at the Monarch Tournament hosted by King’s College in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. NYU finished fifth in a 12-team field. Grapplers new and old made their presence felt. Freshman Blaise Benderoth and senior John Messinger were victorious in their respective weight classes of 165 and 174 pounds. Junior Raymond Jazikoff almost became the third champion, finishing second at 157 pounds. The Grapplers nearly edged out York College for fourth place, behind by half of a point. The team returns to the mat this Saturday at the PA/NY Dual in Riverdale against a slew of local schools.
Email Michael Thompson at sports@nyunews.com.
It was an exciting Saturday for the NYU soccer teams as both the women and men concluded their regular seasons, hosting the Brandeis University Judges at Gaelic Park in a pair of thrillers, with the women tying at one and the men winning 1-0. The NYU women kicked off the senior day festivities with a hard fought 1-1 draw in the beautiful afternoon sun. Both teams honored six seniors who played their final game at Gaelic Park. NYU took an early lead on senior midfielder Lexi Clarke’s goal from the top of the box in the 19th minute. The Violets were able to withstand Brandeis’ pressure until a 75th minute equalizer off a free kick. The teams battled for another 35 minutes but couldn’t find the back of the net, ending the game without a victor. The Violets were able to earn a draw despite being outshot 23-8 and allowing over 20 corner kick opportunities. Clarke led NYU with three shots on goal, while freshman Alex Benedict had two with numerous chances created. The draw moves the Violets final record to 10-3-5 overall including 1-2-4 in UAA play. This secured the NYU women’s seventh place finish in the UAA. With the regular season over, the NYU women now await a potential postseason bid. Later that day, the NYU men controlled play throughout a 1-0 victory over Brandeis. Junior forward Tristan Medios-Simon scored the game’s only goal on a beautifully curled free kick in the 24th minute. The goal was Medios-Simon’s team leading
seventh of the season. The Violets managed to hold off a late charge from Brandeis, who recorded five shots in the final 10 minutes, securing the victory to close out the regular season. Medios-Simon also gifted all the players homemade leis of candy strung together in a nod to his Hawaiian origin. The win moves the Violets to 9-7-2 overall and 3-4-0 in UAA play, good enough for fifth place in conference. After the game, junior defender Greg Suter said he was excited to get a win for the senior leaders. “There was no greater joy than to give our six seniors a win to cap the regular season. The win was also significant because it marked the first time since 2010 that we had three wins in UAA play,” Suter said. “This is a validation to the team and coaching staff that the team is on the up and we are excited about what the future holds.” Junior forward Nicolas Notaro also focused on the team’s improvement, reflecting on the good feeling of ending the season on a high note. “The upward trajectory that we have had this season is extremely important,” Notaro said. “This group of graduating seniors is special and will be missed, but the young guys on the team are only looking better and better and are more than capable of keeping this momentum going.” The NYU men will find out what their postseason schedule looks like early this week, as they await their seeding in next weekend’s opening round of the ECAC tournament.
Email Ben Goodkin at sports@nyunews.com.
NYUNEWS.COM | MONDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 2016 | WASHINGTON SQUARE NEWS
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SPORTS
EDITED BY RACHEL RUECKER SPORTS@NYUNEWS.COM
Promotion Provides Momentum for Hockey
By RACHEL RUECKER Sports Editor
Coming off an exciting promotion to American Collegiate Hockey Association’s Division I last week, and a near-perfect 7-1 record to start the season, yhr stakes were high to keep the momentum going for the NYU men’s hockey team. Head coach Chris Cosentino, who has long held hopes to move up to NCAA contention, is elated by the exciting step the Violets have taken with this promotion. “We are incredibly excited about this challenge and grateful for the opportunity to take our program to the next level,” Consentino said. “Our motto is ‘be obsessed with improvement’ and this move gives us that opportunity. From day one the goal has been to inspire our student-athletes to be the best person they can be and bring the best college hockey to NYU and New York City. We take a great deal of pride in being New York City’s college hockey team and this is another step in the right direction.” With but one loss in their opening month, the team looked to maintain their momentum go-
ing into November. They did that and more, taking their Friday home game against Northeastern University 3-2 and decimating Montclair State University on the road 11-3. Friday’s game was a closer affair than the Violets have grown accustomed to. The first period was pretty uneventful, but sophomore defenseman Connor Finocchio got NYU on the board with 47 seconds left on the clock. The second period ran rampant with man-advantages and 4-on-4 action, which all came to a head when Northeastern tied things at one late in the frame — a frame in which Northeastern outshot NYU 10-5. Luckily, NYU was able to gain the advantage before things got too dire as junior forward Steven Esposito notched the Violets’ second at the seven-minute mark of the third. There was messiness at 14:54 resulting in a couple majors, but it all worked out when NYU got their third from junior forward Michael Conslato. Northeastern would go on to get a power play goal to close the gap to one, but their efforts to tie the game were quelled by the final buzzer.
Saturday was an exercise in mass destruction, with the Violets scoring early and often throughout their game against Montclair State University in Montclair, New Jersey. Esposito opened the madness, with Conslato and Finocchio also scoring in the first. All three were multi-goal scorers over the weekend. Just eight seconds into the second period, NYU got its fourth from Conslato. Later in the frame, with both teams made it out of a 4-on-4 alive, NYU jumped on the man-advantage and got its fifth from sophomore forward Keaton Baum. Literally one minute later, Baum scored again to move NYU up 6-0. The shutout bid was shut down when MSU scored at 12:21, but NYU didn’t let that swing the momentum away from them. Conslato got his hat trick-earning goal to move NYU up 7-1 and just over a minute later, freshman forward Brandon Ritchey got the eighth, improving the purple team’s lead to an enormous seven. MSU opened the third period scoring with its second, but Baum answered back with a hat trick
goal of his own. After some more 4-on-4 hockey, there was an onslaught of scoring in the game’s final minutes, beginning with the 10-2 goal for NYU, courtesy, again, of Donovan. 23 seconds later, NYU capped off the madness at a whopping 11, from freshman forward Thomas Bradshaw. MSU did manage to snag one more with 11 seconds left on the clock. NYU’s tremendous win moves them to 9-1 on the season. As for Cosentino’s dreams of NCAA grandeur?
“Some people say it will happen, some say it might happen, while others say it will never happen,” Cosentino said. “The number one thing we stress to our team is that if you have a goal, you put your heart into it 100 percent and never give up.” The Violets head to Albany on Friday to play Siena college, followed by a game in Troy against Rensselaer on Saturday.
Email Rachel Ruecker at rruecker@nyunews.com.
PHOTO BY RACHEL RUECKER
Captain Steven Esposito at center ice for the ceremonial puck drop on Friday night against Northeastern University.
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