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INSIDE 03 Many Try, Few Succeed — Improving Stern Mental Health
05 A Portrait of an American Serial Killer 07 Taco Bell Shows its Sweet Tooth 11 Mothers Can Not Protect Perpetrators 12 The Magic of NYU Quidditch
DESIGNED BY RACHEL BUIGAS-LOPEZ AND LAURA SHKOURATOFF
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WASHINGTON SQUARE NEWS | MONDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2017 | NYUNEWS.COM
Fact Checking SLAM’s Board of Trustees Claims claims to determine the facts. SLAM has a zine which explains its stances on various additional members, but WSN has thus far investigated five claims made against the three trustees on posters at last Saturday’s protest.
PHOTO BY ARUSHI SAHAY
NYU SLAM has made a number of claims recently against members of the Board of Trustees in regard to their conflicting interests. By ALEX DOMB AND CAROLINE HASKINS Deputy News Editors At the Student Labor Action Movement’s demonstration on Saturday, Oct. 21, the group paraded posters accusing Board of Trustees members William Berkeley, John Paulson and Anthony Welters of connections to predatory loans, fossil fuels and fracking. SLAM labeled these interests as counter to the interests of the NYU community. The university has not disputed SLAM’s claims, but NYU spokesman John Beckman denounced the group for making accusations against the trustees, who Beckman said give time and resources to NYU. WSN delves deeper into SLAM’s
William Berkeley: “got rich off of predatory student loans”
William Berkeley, who graduated from the Stern School of Business in 1966, headed a private student loan company that offered loans at higher interest rates than federal student loan interest rates. Although it is unclear in what sense exactly SLAM is deeming this practice “predatory,” all interpretations are associated with negative financial consequences. High interest rates on student loans reduce a person’s monthly cash flow, which places financial strain on the people who receive them. When a student pays a lot of money from interest, the student is more likely to fall behind on paying the actual loan. In essence, high interest rates make students more vulnerable to defaulting on their loans. In the United States, one in four borrowers is behind on paying their student loans, and over eight million people are in default.
William Berkeley: “got rich off of fossil fuels”
Berkeley’s company, the W.R. Berkeley Corporation, has a sub-
sidiary called Berkeley Oil and Gas which provides various services to the oil and fossil fuel sectors. According to Hoover, a business database, the annual sales of Berkeley Oil and Gas are estimated to be at $150.3 thousand, but it is unclear how much Berkeley personally receives from the sales of this specific subsidiary or how much the subsidiary contributes to his net worth.
John Paulson: “got rich off of [the] 2008 housing crisis”
John Paulson, who graduated from the Stern School of Business in 1978, is well-known within the financial sector for betting against the U.S. subprime mortgage market and predicting certain components of the 2008 housing crisis, which earned him $2.7 billion in profit. Paulson’s profit did not come without negatively affecting others. In 2016, Paulson and Goldman Sachs settled after they were sued for fraud by ACA Financial Guaranty Corporation. ACA alleged that Paulson and Goldman Sachs tricked it into insuring Abacus — a collateralized debt obligation that went under in the 2008 financial crisis. ACA and two other investors in Abacus lost an estimated total of $1 billion during the financial crisis.
John Paulson: “got rich off of [the] Puerto Rican debt crisis”
Between 2014 and 2016, Paulson
New York State Updates Vaping Law By ALEX DOMB Deputy News Editor On Oct. 23, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo signed a law that prohibits the use of electronic cigarettes in all public indoor spaces. Because NYU already has a ban in place against smoking in all forms on its campus, the new law does not change what is currently allowed on campus. However, the new law could impact students who choose to use e-cigarettes in public indoor spaces off campus. When asked if the university had any direct reaction to the policy change, NYU spokesman John Beckman directed WSN straight to the school’s Tobacco-Free NYU policy on its website. The policy was originally passed by the NYU Student Senate in 2010 and has been in effect since. The policy forbids all community members from using traditional and electronic cigarettes in campus buildings, on campus grounds or in public spaces that are less than 20 feet from university property, due to the capacity for smoke and vapor to enter windows, doors or ventilation systems of buildings. NYU students had mixed reactions to the new policy changes. Some students did not care about the new law, while some are unsure that the policy will be imposed. “I feel second-hand vapor is harmless and shouldn’t be dealt with the same way as smoking,” LS freshman Kartik Jain said. “However, for someone who doesn’t
vape, it would be annoying to have sweet-smelling smoke in your face. Not for it, not against it.” Other students said that they did not even know that there was a school-wide policy against smoking and vaping and claimed that this policy is neither abided by nor enforced. “I knew that smoking [and] vaping is not allowed,” CAS sophomore Ajay Iyer said. “Also I’m pretty sure no one respects those rules, like how outside of Bobst is just filled with smokers even though they say no smoking there. I’ve also seen multiple people smoking or vaping in dorms.”
Although some students feel that the policy is not enforced, one freshman, who asked to remain anonymous, claimed that he had once been told by Public Safety to stop vaping in front of the entrance of a building. Despite having been caught, he believes the current rules are justified, at least when they apply to traditional cigarette usage. “It’s there for a reason,” the freshman said. “Vents are just located outside buildings, and smoke ends up entering. I hate how cigarettes smell. But vapes are fine, I guess.” Email Alex Domb at adomb@nyunews.com.
PHOTO BY ABIGAIL WEINBERG
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo recently signed a law that will prohibit the use of e-cigarettes of all forms in public spaces.
invested an estimated $1.5 billion into Puerto Rican business ventures. An interview with CNN made clear that Paulson believed that during Puerto Rico’s crisis was the best time to seize opportunity, which he compared to Miami’s previous economic crisis. Residents of Puerto Rico have accused businessmen like Paulson of gentrifying the island, forcing financially vulnerable residents to find homes elsewhere. Paulson has also said that he hopes to move his business offices and personal home to the island. He has been accused of attempting to turn the island into a tax-free haven for the wealthy. According to Bloomberg Pursuits, the Puerto Rican government signed a law in early 2012 that enables people who live in Puerto Rico for at least 183 days out of a year to evade paying federal taxes entirely. However, The New York Times claimed that Paulson actually lost money through his business ventures in Puerto Rico.
Anthony Welters: “whose fracking company corrupted and poisoned native communities”
Welters, a 1977 graduate of the NYU Law School, served as the executive chairman of the BlackIvy Group and also established Spotted Hawk, a shale gas exploration company. Spotted Hawk has ventured into
several African countries as well as land surrounding Indigenous reservations in the U.S.. Indigenous publications including Indian Country Media Network have accused Spotted Hawk of hurting the health of their lands and communities. Spotted Hawk is one of multiple companies conducting oil and shale exploration in the Bakken shale formation, which is the home of the Fort Berthold Reservation. This Indigenous community has suffered from local oil and shale exploration. Rates of murders, aggravated assaults, rapes, human trafficking, robberies and illegal drug trafficking spiked when various oil and shale exploration companies moved into the Bakken region. Indigenous people living in the Bakken region are also vulnerable to respiratory issues, low birth weights and cancers as a result of oil and gas shale exploration. However, Spotted Hawk is not the only oil and shale exploration company in the Bakken shale formation. The extent to which Spotted Hawk has specifically harmed the local Indigenous community is unknown. Full sourcing for this article is available online. Additional reporting by Miranda Levingston. Email Alex Domb and Caroline Haskins at news@nyunews.com.
G O L E CRIM OCT. 26 OCT. 26 OCT. 20 TO
OCT. 20
By SAYER DEVLIN News Editor The NYU Department of Public Safety received five reports of larceny, one report of trespassing, one report of robbery, one report of harassment and one report of simple assault from Oct. 22 to Oct. 26.
Larceny
On Oct. 22, an NYU student reported that his bike was missing from the Schwartz Plaza bike rack. Police notification was declined, and the incident remains open and under investigation. On Oct. 23 at 5:35 p.m., an NYU student in 7 E 12th Street reported that an unidentified person borrowed his Spider Man cutout and never returned it. Police notification was declined, and the incident remains open and under investigation. On Oct. 25 at 6:50 p.m., an NYU student reported that a camera was missing from the fourth floor of 721 Broadway. A police report was filed, and the incident remains open and under investigation. On Oct. 26 at 2:35 p.m., an NYU student reported that his backpack and laptop were missing from a laboratory room in the Brown Building. Police notification was declined, and the incident remains open and under investigation. On Oct. 26 at 2:35 p.m., an NYU student reported that his phone
was missing from a laboratory room in the Brown Building. Police notification was declined, and the incident remains open and under investigation.
Trespassing
On Oct. 22 at 5:45 p.m., an NYU staff member reported that an unidentified man entered an office at 370 Jay St. without permission. The police were called and the man was taken into custody. No damage to NYU property was reported.
Robbery
On Oct. 20 at 4:48 p.m., a student reported that she was confronted by an unidentified person who attempted to take her purse on W. 4th St. between MacDougal Street and Sixth Avenue. Police notification was declined, and the report is open and under investigation.
Harassment
On Oct. 21 at 4:46 a.m., a student reported that she was pushed and yelled at by another NYU student at Seventh Street Residence Hall. Police notification was declined, and the incident is open and under investigation.
Simple Assault
On Oct. 24 at 6:50 p.m. an NYU student reported that he was punched in the face by an unidentified man. Police notification was declined, but the incident remains open and under investigation. Email the news team at news@nyunews.com.
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Many Try, Few Succeed — Improving Stern Mental Health By JEMIMA MCEVOY Managing Editor
Along with a handful of other clubs within the school, the Stern Student Council hosted a “Breaking Point Panel” on May 3. The event featured a panel of Stern School of Business upperclassmen who spoke openly to a full room of Stern students about when they reached their breaking points due to academic stress. Kaan Tuncel, a Stern senior, was one of the panelists. He was invited to speak because of his prior involvement with the Stern Student Council. Like other panelists, he talked about when he had reached his breaking points at Stern and how he learned to overcome challenges to his mental health. “For me, it was a combination of reading about mental resilience and pondering,” Tuncel said. “Almost like meditation.” Tuncel believes that intense stress is definitely a problem within Stern, but is also a function of studying at a competitive school. He thinks that the type of student NYU attracts is high-achieving but neurotic in nature, which means that stress is natural, but nonetheless needs to be addressed. “Any normal human being — when dealing with the stuff you have to deal with — would be stressed,” Tuncel said. Stern is already a competitive school, and its selectivity increases every year. Although NYU spokesperson John Beckman said the university does not have data specific to Stern’s acceptance rate, he did confirm that the acceptance rate decreases each year. According to a Poets and Quants post from December 2016, Stern’s acceptance rate was 12 percent — which is only one percent higher than Harvard Business School’s acceptance rate, which was 11 percent in December 2015 according to the same site. Students and administrators agreed that Stern students deal with a lot of academic stress. Although the “Breaking Point
Panel” was a one time event, it is indicative of a larger, overarching issue that both administrators and students have attempted to tackle for years: people don’t want to talk about mental health. According to its president, Bill Tsai, the Stern Student Council views the mental health of students as a priority. Consequently, the council has worked with Stern administrators to form a new committee, the Health and Wellness Committee. The committee is co-chaired by Stern junior Justin Lochman and Stern senior Christine Gal — two long-time members of the Stern Student Council — and is still in its early phases of development. The duo said that the initiative was inspired in part by Stern Thoughtful, an advisory panel made last year to tackle the issue of mental health in Stern. The former committee was conceived by the Stern Student Council and leaders from the Stern Inter-Club Council with help from the Office of Student Engagement. Tsai said that with the new committee, the Stern Student Council hopes to create an overarching dialogue on the subject of mental health within Stern because the conversations predominantly happen one-on-one between students and their mentors. The committee will highlight resources on campus, and it will provide a forum for students to meet and discuss possible initiatives. Stern administrators were also quick to point out that academic stress is not limited to Stern students. However, Assistant Dean of Academic Advising and Judicial Affairs Tiffany Boselli did note that the climate in Stern has changed slightly because recruitment for jobs has started earlier for students. Instead of starting the job search in junior year, students are interviewing and applying as sophomores. Beckman added that the recruitment process at Stern slightly differentiates it from other schools in the sense that
it is more of an undergraduate professional program. Hence, the pressure of recruitment is an additional stress that hits Stern students a little harder than students of other schools. “In addition to the goal of getting a degree, there is the additional goal of getting recruited into a firm,” Beckman added. “That cycle used to start later in an undergraduate course of study and it has creeped earlier and earlier. I think that goal of not only getting a degree but getting recruited is an additional goal to other schools.” Boselli, along with the Office of Student Engagement, worked closely with the Stern Student Council in developing the new committee. She said the Stern administration supports this new effort 100 percent, and believes that a collaboration between the students and the administration is the best way to encourage conversation on a topic that administrators have been trying to grapple with for years. “It can’t just be us — we’ve tried so many things,” Boselli said. “Sometimes we get good attendance [at events] and sometimes we don’t, but it’s going to take all of us working together, and we need the stigma [of talking about mental health] to be gone.” Jane Chinock, a 2016 graduate of Stern and the College of Arts and Science, said that the cut-throat culture of Stern is not just a stereotype. She said that if you don’t have a strong sense of self-confidence and security, you will crumble under the competition of Stern and the constant state of comparing yourself to others. She said the inability to trust classmates is the root of mental health problems within the school. “I think that mental health is generally stigmatized, but I don’t think that’s the issue in Stern,” Chinock said. “I think that people look at others and think they’re striving, and you feel like it’s just you that’s not doing so well. That’s the reason why it’s not so widely publicized.” In contrast to Stern adminis-
STAFF PHOTO BY RYAN QUAN
Many Stern students feel intense academic stress resulting from the competitiveness of the school. A few organisations on campus are working to combat these issues. trators who argued that students across all schools face similar levels of stress, Chinock said that there is a palpable contrast between CAS and Stern in terms of students’ attitudes. “[CAS] was less competitive than Stern — again that competitiveness means that you try extra hard, and it creates an environment where you strive for perfection,” Chinock said. “That’s a good thing. But the bad thing is that [in Stern] you have examples of people who are giving other people wrong answers; people who are tutoring people wrong. That creates an environment in which you don’t know who to trust.” She said that, from her experience, if you are in CAS and put in the work and effort, you will likely receive results accordingly. However, it is not the same case in Stern, which leads to added pressure for students. There is a limit on how many people can get high grades in some Stern courses, according to Stern’s grading standards. These guidelines state that in core classes of over 25 students, approximately 35 percent of students will receive an A or A-. In these classes, another student’s loss could mean that you gain.
Chinock said that she was impacted by these policies during her time at Stern when she did well percentage-wise on an exam but did not receive a proportional grade. According to Assistant Vice President of NYU Student Mental Health Zoe Ragouzeos, the Student Health Center has seen an increase in the number of Stern students seeking mental health services, but this increase is not limited to Stern alone. Increased conversation on the subject of mental health seems to be the goal of all parties involved: the Stern administration, the Stern Student Council and the Student Health Center. Chinock said that efforts to destigmatize mental health are vital. When she was a student, she thought she was alone in her struggles. It was only when she began seeing posts on NYU Secrets — a Facebook page where NYU students submit anonymous stories — that she realized her experience was not unique. “People probably don’t talk about it because they think that other people aren’t going through it,” Chinock said. Email Jemima McEvoy at jmcevoy@nyunews.com.
NYU College Democrats Named Best Chapter By NATASHA ROY Assistant Managing Editor
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The NYU College Democrats attended the College Democrats of America National Convention in Las Vegas where it was named Chapter of the Year.
Last weekend, the NYU College Democrats were named Chapter of the Year by the College Democrats of America at the CDA’s national convention in Las Vegas, according to CAS junior Ryan Trumbauer. Trumbauer, who is both the national development director for the CDA and the Spring 2018 vice president for NYUCD, said that Chapter of the Year is the highest distinction a CDA chapter can receive. The National Executive Board’s executive board chooses one chapter
out of the 435 chartered clubs across the country. “Some of the qualifications they took into consideration were number of events you hold, the types of events you hold, how you engage local school’s community, how you engage local political environment, how engaged you are at the national level and how engaged you are in the statewide convention as well,” Trumbauer said. NYUCD has worked toward redefining what it means to be an NYU college Democrat. Trumbauer said the club has a record of sending students to
local campaigns as staff members after graduation, and they have students serve on both the state and national boards while they are students. However, NYUCD did not set out to earn this award through its work. “Our goal was to increase membership, to increase activity among our members,” Trumbauer said. “It was quite the shock and quite the surprise, but definitely not a bad shock or a bad surprise.” Moving forward, the club is looking to increase membership and have a stronger regular membership base. The club is also including a histo-
rian position — someone who keeps track of the club’s history of accomplishments — for the first time. “Everyone comes to the club with a passion or a willingness to learn about different issues, and these task forces help them work toward something,” Trumbauer said. “We’re helping them put together events. We’re encouraging them to go out into the local community because not only does it empower them, but it spreads our message as well.” Email Natasha Roy at nroy@nyunews.com.
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Julien Baker Screams Her Fears Into Speakers By ANNABEL PAULSEN Contributing Writer
When Julien Baker pads softly to the center of the stage at Town Hall, it seems as if she thinks no one will notice. But they do — applause erupts throughout the renowned venue, with whoops and hollers springing out from various seats. She smiles sheepishly, but says nothing before beginning to pluck the strings of her steelblue Telecaster. The first notes of “Appointments” ring out, the lead single off her sophomore album, “Turn Out the Lights” — released that day to critical acclaim. When Baker released her first album, the quietly devastating “Sprained Ankle,” on Bandcamp, she didn’t expect anyone to listen. But the songs — and Baker, who has developed a reputation for writing music that makes people cry — quickly garnered attention due to their simple honesty about the most complex human experiences. The music is cathartic in its shattering lyrics and desperate vocals — it allows listeners to wallow in their sadness, while also inherently reminding them to take solace in the fact that they are not alone. Baker’s voice confronts us with the reality that although our experiences are unique, they are not singular. Sonically, the orchestration has concretized since the first record. Several tracks build until the climax of the song, at which point Baker sings in the upper register of her voice. In this moment, she seems to let the song go — the orchestration climbs along with her vocals, which have strengthened in confidence since “Sprained Ankle.” The listener feels like they have achieved some sense of euphoria; they have reached an awakening, and Baker has aided them in getting there. When Baker reaches these notes during the live performance, she awes an audience already stunned into absolute silence. Though Baker’s characteristic twinkling guitar melodies are still present, much of the record is grounded in piano. Strings and woodwinds help the tracks sound bigger, while simultaneously amplifying the isola-
tion and longing often present in her raw and cerebral lyrics. Layers of Baker’s vocals create an echo-chamber which bombards listeners with her voice as thoughts can envelop one’s mind. In “Appointments,” multiple vocal tracks sound from near and far, singing contrasting statements. There’s the poignant phrase, “Maybe it’s all gonna turn out all right, and I know that it’s not, but I have to believe that it is,” which splits into competing thoughts of “I know that it’s not” and “I have to believe it,” presenting the two sides of existence that those with mental illness often experience. The layered harmonies work to build an empty space around the listener. It feels as if we are sharing a room with Baker’s psyche, a space through which we can confront our own. While “Sprained Ankle” grappled with self-worth and the uncertainties surrounding what makes life worth enduring, “Turn Out the Lights” stands as a pillar of resilience to those destructive thoughts. When the set concludes, Baker invites onto the stage the women of her supporting acts — Kiley Lotz of Petal, Nandi Rose Plunkett of Half Waif and Camille Faulkner, who accompanied Baker on violin. The four gather around a single microphone. In perfect harmony, they launch into a rendition of “Good News.” The unity of the performance contrasts the sense of isolation of the “Sprained Ankle” track about believing you ruin everything you do. But surrounded by her friends, it is clear that Baker wishes to impart on her audience a single message: you are not alone. When they finish, a crew member walks on stage with a sheet-cake garnished with birthday candles to congratulate Baker on her album release. The 22-year-old beams with genuine surprise along with her audience, who, despite spending just over an hour singing along to intensely melancholic music, is overcome by joy. This is what Baker hopes to achieve with her sad songs — a resounding sense of hope. Email Annabel Paulsen at music@nyunews.com.
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Julien Baker’s concert at Town Hall on Oct. 27 reminded the audience that pain and joy come in waves in life; one just has to learn to balance both.
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Ronny Chieng, the Senior Correspondent for the “Daily Show,” was a guest comedian for the NYU Program Board at Rosenthal Pavilion on Oct. 26.
Ronny Chieng Brings Comedy to Kimmel By ANUBHUTI KUMAR Highlighter Editor
“The joke was about playing footsies with my sister, all right? You made me say it.” Senior Correspondent at “The Daily Show” Ronny Chieng revealed, during a performance hosted by the NYU Program Board in the Rosenthal Pavilion on the 10th floor of Kimmel last Thursday, that this was the punchline to the first joke he ever told. He struggled to remember the set up, as did his wife when he turned to her for help, but claimed it wouldn’t have made it much better anyway. Though he may be modest about his beginning in the world of stand up comedy, his dexterity in the craft today is plain, and he takes the stage with ease. “Honestly, making people laugh, that’s the best part,” Chieng said to the crowd. “I think it’s an important show, in terms of informing people in an entertaining way. I don’t know how many minds we change with it, but I think a lot of people watch it to learn information in an interesting way or process some bad information which they’ve heard about.” He said that offering that service is the most fun. That, and the free fruit. Chieng followed opener Sam Morril, who has appeared on “The Daily Show” and “Inside Amy Schumer” and entertained the crowd with jokes about relationships and breakups. The audience seemed to enjoy itself, but Morril suggested it was a little hard to please after some hesitant laughter at a few touchy punchlines. Chieng’s set on Thursday touched on politics without being consumed by it. Dripping with sarcasm, Chieng started his performance with a dramatic rant on consumerism and a hilarious depiction of a man on a crowded New York City subway who just won’t let the doors close without him and wait for the next train. In a room of liberal New York college students, this went over with much laughter and applause. “My jaw is hurting,” SPS junior Shorifu Siddiki said after the show.
Chieng’s overtly political punchlines included an interesting take on why President Donald Trump is immune to criticism and why Chelsea Clinton might be the one to blame for her mother’s email debacle. (His take: Don’t grandmas ask their kids how to use email?) Comedy and politics seem to go hand in hand in today’s climate. When asked by WSN whether it is a comedian’s responsibility to comment on this, Chieng responded in the negative.
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Ronny Chieng is a great guy and a model citizen. I gave him a star fruit. KAVI WIJAYARATNE
”
“No — it’s weird that comedy has such a position in pop culture where everyone, it’s in a position to be criticised by everybody,” Chieng said. “I think it comes with the territory of a platform that’s so popular. So I don’t think most people think of it as a responsibility or their job, it’s more like, when you do comedy, you just do what makes you laugh and whatever happens happens afterwards … If your style of comedy is talking about current events or what’s happening to you, it’s affected by politics and you have no choice but to do that. If your style of comedy is ‘I don’t want to talk about politics,’ then you don’t.” “Ronny Chieng is a great guy and a model citizen,” Program Board Lectures Chair and event organizer Kavi Wijayaratne, a senior in CAS, said. “I gave him a star fruit.” For those that were not able to make it to Chieng’s stellar performance, there is more of him on “The Daily Show,” weeknights at 11 p.m on Comedy Central. Email Anubhuti Kumar at akumar@nyunews.com.
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The Future Is Female, So Is the Past By JULIA FIELDS Staff Writer
Four women are transforming into female heroines of the last 100 years and singing their hearts out at St. Luke’s Theater. “This One’s for the Girls” is a new off-Broadway musical that tells the story of the life of a woman through songs from female artists that have graced the Top 40 charts since the year 1990. The show promotes female empowerment through the lens of the ideal woman from every time period and leaves the audience feeling inspired and nostalgic for these songs performed by amazing women. The show opens with a slideshow of important women from the last 100 years. These women include Princess Diana, Audrey Hepburn, Oprah Winfrey and Malala Yousafzai. The stage is lined with artistic depictions of these women. The story follows Janet, played by Jana Robbins, who looks back on her life as a woman through the lens of music. She is initially upset about a man she likes who brought his new girlfriend to her dinner party. As she yearns for him to call her, she looks at the earliest representations of women in music. She explains how all female written songs of the early 20th century are about pleasing a man despite what he may do. Barbara Streisand’s “My Man” then plays. The other three women are played by Traci Blair, Aneesa Folds and Haley Swindal, and the four girls follow this progression of vulnerable women whose lives are dedicated to pleasing men, including the fictitious Betty Boop and Marilyn Monroe. Never disregarding their legacies, Janet notes the differences in the minds of women then and now. The women perform songs about waiting helplessly by the phone for a man to call and never feeling good enough for a certain man. Every now and then, a song of power interjects into the
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musical as the quartet sings “I Am Woman” by Helen Reddy repeatedly throughout the show. Many historical movements are represented on stage through the use of music. The women transform into heroes such as Rosa Parks and Ida B. Wells when talking about the strides of African American women in the civil rights movement and belt ballads such as “Respect” by Aretha Franklin. With every new era, there is a continuous stream of photos behind the actors displaying women, men, advertisements, fashion and general pictures of the time period being represented. The performance shows women entering the workforce, changing fashion to become more risque and comfortable, waiting for their husbands and brothers to return from war, and eventually being respected and treated like the important members of society that they are. The show ends with a total dance party and sing-along to modern day representations of female empowerment including “Brave” by Sara Bareilles and “Girl on Fire” by Alicia Keys. The audience members, filled with women (and men) of all ages, could hear the music of their generations used to show the progression of women throughout history. This play is perfect for anyone of any age. The bounty of amazing songs means anyone could relate, regardless of age or gender. People were singing along and clapping throughout the entire show and good times were had all around. “This One’s for the Girls” plays every Friday and Saturday night through December. Anyone going can expect an amazing 90 minutes filled with classic hits with modern twists, clapping and dancing in your seat, all drenched with a heavy dose of feminism and empowerment. Email Julia Fields at theater@nyunews.com.
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The new off-Broadway show “This One’s for the Girls” is performed by four women who transform into female heroines from the past 100 years like Princess Diana and Malala Yousafzai.
Sonali Argade’s ‘Forever’ New Sound
COURTESY OF SONALI
NYU Tisch alum Sonali Argade sat down with WSN staff to discuss the new release of her EP after spending two years battling Chronic Lyme Disease. By SATISH REGINALD Staff Writer After spending two years battling Chronic Lyme Disease, singer-songwriter and Tisch alum Sonali Argade has returned stronger than ever with a newly released single titled “Forever.” The release marks a shift in her career to electronic pop music and away from the folk and pseudo-country influences found on her 2014 debut EP, “Wake Up.”
“It happened organically,” Argade told WSN of her reinvention. “I never woke and was like, ‘I’m gonna change genres.’” Production-oriented classes at NYU’s Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music exposed her to electronic music, and the genre slowly seeped into her own style. However, expect Argade’s new sound to share compositional heritage with her earlier work. “For me, what it always comes down to is the songwriting,” she said. “If you have a well-written song, the production behind it almost doesn’t matter.” Argade noted that she wants her music to be accessible. “I never want it to be some huge convoluted metaphor where you’ll wonder what I’m talking about,” she said. “I want people to be able to find a part of themselves in it.” What stands out the most in Argade’s new single is her sheer vocal ability. She doesn’t rely on devices like raspy timbre, which has dominated female indie vocals in recent years. Instead, her voice shines clearly and unapologetically, seeming as if it could be right at home on Top 40 radio. The track is structurall straightforward, complementing Argade’s non-esoteric songwriting. The pro-
duction contains lush synth-laden verses, catchy pre-choruses and a powerful chorus full of electronic embellishments with pitch-modulating background vocals. The single has great mass appeal, something that could help Argade achieve her goal of establishing better Indian-American representation in the music industry. She cites this as one of the chief motivations behind her pursuit of music and often incorporates her South Asian culture into her fashion choices. Overall, “Forever” is a promising foray into electronic pop music for the talented young artist. The release marks the beginning of fulfilling the goals she made before her illness. “I graduated early from NYU because I wanted to hit the road running and do music full time,” Argade said. “But I never actually got the chance to do that — just a few months after graduating, I started getting sick to the point where I had to stop working.” As she puts it, “Now that I get the chance to do what I set out for, I value it a lot more because I know what it was like to have it taken away from me.” Email Satish Reginald at music@nyunews.com.
Ross Lynch Trades Disney For Dahmer By GURU RAMANATHAN Staff Writer
Disney Channel has provided a platform for many young actors to break into the film industry. With that fame comes a glossy shell to escape from once the shows they were on stop running. Ross Lynch, of “Austin and Ally” fame, obliterates any semblance of his wholesome Disney persona in his fantastic and unsettling turn as the cannibalistic killer Jeffrey Dahmer in Marc Meyers’ “My Friend Dahmer.” Dahmer, also known as the Milwaukee Cannibal, killed 17 men and boys between 1978 and 1991. Based off of Derf Backderf’s biographical graphic novel, the film chronicles Dahmer’s late high school years (mainly in 1978) and the events that led to him becoming a murderer. “Dahmer” is greatly helped by how it aptly captures the 1970s counterculture — Myers provides a unique context in which the killer in Dahmer is made. The film also points out flaws in a previous era, using the naiveté of Dahmer and other kids to illuminate the racist and homophobic context in which they lived and how it influenced Dahmer’s internal conflicts. He is depicted as a kid struggling to conform and slowly finds a group of friends in his senior year. Dahmer gets labeled as a class freak for simulating epileptic seizures and
cerebral palsy; Backderf (Alex Wolff) befriends the outcast and uses him to play pranks on other people. The pranks are initially uncomfortable and become darkly humorous, but Dahmer’s performances grow sadder and more humiliating throughout the film, pushing him into an even worse outcast state. Meyers balances a disturbing drama and dark humor without ever losing a sense of who Dahmer is or what he will become in the future. The film is sympathetic but does not make excuses. Unlike some biopics that gloss over details to give the most empathetic portrayal of their subject matter, “My Friend Dahmer” is brave to delve into the killer’s combative parents, struggles with sexuality and obsession with roadkill, and it demonstrates how these facets of his life affect the misperception of his own identity. Lynch, who shares a striking resemblance to young Dahmer, gets under the viewer’s skin quickly. He struggles to smile and walks with his back always slightly hunched; over the course of the film, he becomes a disturbing presence in every scene. His movements and tone are so robotic that it is difficult to even see him as a human — a great juxtaposition to a line in which he talks about being normal. There are moments where he runs the risk of overacting certain emo-
COURTESTY OF VANESSA AGOVIDA
“My Friend Dahmer” is set to hit theaters on Nov. 3. tional beats, but he still manages to handle every scene with nuance, hiding underneath years of rage and humiliation begging for release. The film takes some time to get to his pseudo-friendship with Backderf, but once the ball starts rolling it becomes a thoroughly engaging drama. Bolstered by an incredible dramatic performance from Lynch and by Meyers’ capable direction, “My Friend Dahmer” is an unnerving character study of a social outcast who would go on to become one of the most infamous murderers in American history. “My Friend Dahmer” opens in theaters on Friday, Nov. 3. Email Guru Ramanathan at film@nyunews.com.
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WASHINGTON SQUARE NEWS | MONDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2017 | NYUNEWS.COM
FEATURES
EDITED BY KAITLYN WANG FEATURES@NYUNEWS.COM
Ghoul Over Halloween Treats By DREW LEDERMAN Staff Writer
cupcakes. Each is decorated with sugar decorations of little ghosts or little BOO letters.
Magnolia Bakery
Even if you are a dentist on a diet, everyone has a sweet tooth on Halloween. What better way to spend a candy-centric holiday than by eating a ton of sweets? Not only will these treats give you a major sugar rush, but also get you in the spooky spirit — or get the spooky spirit in you. Either way, here are the best themed treats the city has the offer.
One of the many staples of the New York dessert scene, Magnolia dominates Halloween with a vast variety of themed cupcakes and cakes, which it will be selling with Halloween decorations. You can also surprise your friends with a dozen of their spooky mini cupcakes. How ghoul? I mean, how cool?
If you haven’t had one yet, book it to Buns Bar for one of its legendary freakshakes. And if you don’t know what a freakshake is, we can’t talk anymore. To celebrate the scariest day of the year, Buns Bar brings milkshake lovers a scary, massive and delicious Halloween shake. This sea salt caramel shake comes topped with everything you could hope for including pumpkin bombolinis. Two words: mini donuts.
In both his bakery (SoHo) and kitchen (West Village), this James Beard Award-winning Pastry Chef will be gifting a cute and spirited Jack-o’-Lantern Religieuse from Oct. 27 to 31. The traditional French double-decker cream puff is dressed up as a jack-o’-lantern filled with milk chocolate orange ganache on the bottom, with an adorable little bat filled with blueberry ganache on top.
All through October, head to Sprinkle Cupcakes — the creator of the Cupcake ATM is serving up a Halloween BOO box. It’s just as cute as it sounds with vanilla milk chocolate, red velvet, black and white and caramel apple
Dylan’s has an entire collection of Halloween-themed treats. It’s vast and amazing. Think of anything you dip in chocolate, and they have dipped it and decorated it to look like all 10 of your childhood Halloween costumes.
Buns Bar
Sprinkles Cupcakes
Dominique Ansel
But the most exciting one of all is the chocolate covered Twinkie.
Jacques Torres Chocolate
Mr. Chocolate strikes again with his punny Halloween-themed chocolate. You can get chocolate Jacques O’ Lantern, Wicked Hot Chocolate and a chocolate Jacques’ Haunted House. Honestly, they are so cool, you may not even want to eat it! Just kidding — they are delicious. Try one, or try them all! They are scary good. Email Drew Lederman at dining@nyunews.com.
Dylan’s Candy Bar
#MeToo. Two simple words have shaken the internet, the movie industry and everyone watching the never-ending stories regarding Harvey Weinstein’s long pattern of abuse. This powerful hashtag has extended past Hollywood, though: people everywhere, in every industry, are speaking out. As a letter by women working in Illinois government aptly put it, “Every industry has its own version of the casting couch.” The fashion industry is no exception, and it now has its own hashtag: #myjobshouldnotincludeabuse. American model Cameron Russell started the hashtag after a friend of
VIA WIKIMEDIA.ORG
Famous producer Harvey Weinstein has been accused of multiple occasions of abuse from several actresses.
hers asked her to share her story anonymously on Instagram. In the caption of her friend’s story, Russell wrote that “on many occasions I’ve been called a feminist for reporting unwanted groping, spanking, pinching, pressure for dates, phone calls and texts of a sexual nature, lack of appropriate changing areas, etc. And because the response has always been, ‘Are you surprised?’ or, ‘That’s part of the job,’ I tolerated them.” However, in light of the women coming out about Weinstein, she thought it was about time models “begin breaking the silence while remaining protected.” Since her first post on Oct. 12, Russell has posted about 80 separate stories from anonymous models about their experiences with sexual assault that have mostly been perpetrated by photographers. Portuguese model Sara Sampaio used the hashtag and came out with her own story of abuse. The #MeToo and #myjobshouldnotincludeabuse campaigns and the new willingness to speak up and put a foot down in massive numbers have had far-reaching consequences: Condé Nast, Bulgari and Valentino all announced they would stop working with photographer Terry Richardson. At least 10 different models have reported being sexually assaulted by Richardson in recent years, which resulted in a boot from women’s magazines. However, until just now, he still found work with major fashion houses, such as Marc Jacobs and Tom Ford.
NYU Tandon is home to a new Future Labs incubator, which aims to help tech startups transform into successful companies.
Tandon’s Future Labs Supports Tech Startups By NATALIE CHINN Staff Writer
STAFF PHOTO BY TONY WU
Grab some spooky candies from Dylan’s Candy Bar by Union Square to complete your Trick-or-Treat experience.
Sexual Harassment in Fashion By AMELIA HENRY Staff Writer
STAFF PHOTO BY RYAN QUAN
So why are such blatant predators still allowed to work, and in Richardson’s case, thrive in the fashion industry? Is it because the industry is built on the objectification of beautiful bodies? “When we go on set, we enter into an unspoken contract: for that day we give our bodies and our faces over to the photographer, stylist, hairdresser, makeup artist,” model Edie Campbell said. “We give up ownership for that day. The power imbalance is huge, and the duty of care to that model is even greater as a result.” This transferral of ownership seems inevitable: shoots must have stylists, hairdressers, makeup artists and photographers to get the model to the shot. So how do we fix problems like sexual assault in a system with an embedded power imbalance? Hopefully these hashtag movements and powerful stories become a watershed moment in the industry. Hopefully they give power back to the models and away from abusers like Richardson, and hopefully models will continue to speak out against them. “Fashion must name its own predators,” Caryn Franklin, former fashion editor of i-D, wrote in a Refinery29 article. “With agreement from us all that, from this moment on, complicity is the epitome of uncool.” Email Amelia Henry at bstyle@nyunews.com.
Innovation is brewing at NYU. NYU Tandon Future Labs is helping tech startups transform into successful companies through a two-year incubation program which guides new companies through development with advice and support. Today and tomorrow, startups will learn to incorporate artificial intelligence into their companies at the NYU Tandon Future Labs AI Summit, which runs from Oct. 30 to 31. The guest speakers were hand-selected to walk attendees through the basics of artificial intelligence and train them on deploying working models. As a mentor at Future Labs, Managing Director Steven Kuyan works with the startups to build a strong foundation through networking and programming. Kuyan has been with Future Labs since 2009, just before opening the doors of what was then called the Varick Street Incubators. The Future Labs incubators make sure their startups have the connections and resources they need to develop smoothly. “It’s my job to surface our companies’ needs, whether or not they know what they are,” Kuyan said. “In many cases, companies are in the midst of development cycles, fundraising among the many other tasks that it takes to run a startup, and may not realize both potential opportunities and challenges.” According to its website, Future Labs generated over $352 million in economic impact through direct and indirect job creation, taxes and spending and created over 1,255 jobs as of 2012. Kuyan says these numbers are steadily increasing. Kuyan has also noted the mutually beneficial relationship the Future Labs has with the city of New York. Ventures with no affiliation with NYU benefit from the access to their resources and the startups are able to pull from the resources of city agencies. Thirty percent of the startups have an affili-
ation with NYU. Future Labs now has four incubator communities and a four-month acceleration program called AI NexusLab. The incubators focus on a different aspect of the tech field, and one of them was specially designed for military veterans who have graduated from NYU’s Veteran Entrepreneurship Training program. Startups pay a per-desk fee and can work in these incubators for up to two years, with full access to Future Labs workspace and media equipment, as well as a network of other business owners, NYU faculty, mentors, customers and investors. They are selected by Future Labs through a lengthy process that considers their technical feasibility, commercial viability and opportunity, Kuyan said. The length of the program is appealing to many startup founders, like Mutisya Ndunda, the co-founder and CEO of recent Future Labs graduate Alpha Vertex, a fintech company focusing on building intelligent analytical systems through the use of artificial intelligence. “We were looking at a number of competing incubator programs,” Ndunda said. “But we liked the fact that this was the only program that worked with companies for up to two years instead of just three to four months.” Some founders come back to Future Labs for further support. Vinay Anantharaman and Michal Wolski, who met through a different startup at Future Labs three years ago, are back with their new company Bite AI, which concentrates on healthy eating through the power of machine learning. “We are excited to be back in the space because it’s more than just a workspace, it’s a community,” Anantharaman said. “For any challenge or situation there is another company who is willing to provide advice and sometimes even help with the solution.” Email Natalie Chinn at features@nyunews.com.
NYUNEWS.COM | MONDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2017 | WASHINGTON SQUARE NEWS
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Taco Bell Shows its Sweet Tooth By MICHAEL MUTH Contributing Writer
In order to distinguish themselves from the competition, fast food chains have turned to hidden menu items and wicked food concoctions. Starbuck’s Unicorn Frappuccino nearly broke the internet, McDonald’s beloved Shamrock Shake causes ice cream consumption to skyrocket in March every year and this list goes on. To add to the ever-changing world of creative food ventures, Taco Bell has created a new menu item, the Chocoladilla, which is ready to send the United States into a tailspin. The origin story of the Chocoladilla is one of foreign lands and whimsical journeys. Taco Bell has been toying with similar concepts overseas and tried out something called the Original Chocoladilla in London. This quesadilla was another twist on the classic — a chocolate quesadilla made of melted chocolate chips between two crispy flour tortillas. However, this is America. In order to one-up our friends in the United Kingdom, select Taco Bell locations near Milwaukee, Wisconsin have unleashed the KitKat Chocoladilla. The Americanized rendition of the original Chocoladilla ditches the standard chocolate chip filling for that of chopped up pieces of KitKat candy bar. Some might call this genius and others will call this heart attack inducing, but there is only one way to figure out the truth behind this cuisine — by making one myself. There has been no indication of an official date for when the now-infamous KitKat Chocoladilla will come to the Big Apple. All future endeavors with the $1 snack depend on its success in the Milwaukee locations. On Oct. 24 my dorm kitchen was turned into an honorary Taco Bell kitchen where I danced with
By TYLER CREWS Deputy Sports Editor
the devil — and diabetes — as I tried my hand at creating my own version of the Chocoladilla. For all those who are religiously Team Savory over Team Sweet, you might want to avert your eyes. Find my recipe for the dorm room Chocoladilla below and try your hand at it!
Michael’s “Sweet Escape” Chocoladilla
I have a deadly sweet tooth, so I saw no other option but to try and one-up the beloved taco chain. This recipe took eight minutes to complete (clean-up time included). INGREDIENTS: - One King Size KitKat bar, chopped - Honey - Cinnamon sugar (blend of equal parts ground cinnamon and granulated sugar) - Two flour tortillas - One tablespoon of canola oil
DIRECTIONS: 1. On your first tortilla, spread a light layer of honey and dust with cinnamon sugar 2. Spread the chopped KitKat bar pieces on top of the honey tortilla and top your Chocoladilla with your remaining tortilla 3. In a small or medium frying pan, coat the bottom of the pan evenly with canola oil Transfer your Chocoladilla to the pan and cook over medium heat. Each side should take roughly one to two minutes to cook. Look for some crispy golden-brown color Once both sides reach your desired level of toasty and the chocolate starts to ooze from the sides, remove from the pan and enjoy warm *Optional but game-changing move: Smear some peanut butter on top Email Michael Muth at dining@nyunews.com.
PHOTO BY MILA MAKSIMOVIC
Taco Bell recently released the KitKat Chocoladilla, using sliced KitKats instead of cheese as the filling between two flour tortillas, a simple recipe that can be recreated at home.
Study, Drugs and NYU
By KIERAN BROWN Contributing Writer
“Smoke, smoke, smoke, smoke, smoke?” These words are probably familiar with just about everybody who walks through Washington Square Park around dusk. This battle-cry of sorts is a hallmark trait of being an NYU student, the inescapable bombardment of drugs — particularly marijuana — in everyday life. “It seems like you can’t go anywhere without smelling that harsh fragrance,” Stern freshman Nicholas Pisciotti said, and it is pretty hard to disagree. One needs only to venture outside the supposedly substance-free residence halls to witness large groups of students and neighborhood residents alike lighting up various forms of marijuana and its byproducts with vape pens. What makes NYU such a hotbed for this drug, considering its complex legal status in New York City? Marijuana is in a limbo of sorts in that it is illegal to possess over 25 grams, but officers can stop you and make you throw away less than that. While it might seem as though the risk outweighs the reward, many students simply do not care. For international student and CAS freshman Yolanda Zhu, moving to New York from Shanghai was surprising in part because of the widespread drug culture here. “For students in Shanghai, finding marijuana was nearly impossible, and as a result the stigma behind usage was dramatically more negative,” Zhu said. Zhu said she has never tried the drug. But marijuana is not the only drug that is widespread on
campus. Arguably just as popular are ADHD and ADD medications such as Vyvanse and Adderall. According to Zhu, the abuse of these drugs was also incredibly rare in China. “In Shanghai, we were pushed to study by our parents, not by drugs,” Zhu said. It seems as though the competitive nature of NYU along with the overwhelming pressures of high tuition and vast debt may be a pushing factor for students to try drugs that will help them perform better academically. A pre-med student, who asked to remain anonymous, said that in their experience, study drugs are almost necessary in order to succeed. “Consider this: I’m paying $70,000 for an education and I need to get through this with as high of a cumulative average as possible,” the student said. “Why would I not take every advantage possible?” It seems that this sentiment is incredibly common on campus, and it’s hard to ignore the reasoning behind the student’s point. While students taking various sorts of drugs on campus is not a revolutionary discovery, there is a lot to be said about the usage of prescriptions without a doctor’s approval. For many NYU students, it is all about guaranteeing success for the future, even if it means ignoring the harmful long term side effects. While the stereotype is that college students who take drugs are lazy stoners and reckless thrill-seekers, it is interesting to consider other reasons why students may be taking drugs. Email Kieran Brown at features@nyunews.com.
Vice and Vogue Announce Project Vs
Global media company Vice is pushing forward into the fashion industry full speed, and we don’t see it stopping anytime soon. Recently, Vice announced its partner-
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ship with Vogue to generate a new online platform for cultural content called ‘Project Vs,’ which will launch in early 2018. This venture is not out of character for the media company and comes after a variety of fashion-based partnerships and share-
VIA VIMEO.COM
Editor-in-Chief of Vogue Anna Wintour and Chief Commercial and Creative Officer of Vice Tom Punch announced a new collaboration between their two publications titled Project Vs.
holdings. Although Vice, known for its gritty and honest approach toward educating millennials, has not been a formidable presence in the fashion industry, it now uses contemporary methods of productions and distribution in an attempt to spearhead the communication of fashion-based content to a youthful audience. Vogue and Vice appear to come from different planets. While Vogue has a sense of luxury and sophistication, Vice seems more juvenile and unrefined. However, Vogue’s editor-in-chief, Anna Wintour, recognizes these differences and said, “Vogue and [Vice] may appear to some to see the world through different lenses, but, in my view, both are fearless and breathtaking, with unquenchable curiosity and vigor. This collaboration will benefit from two talented editorial teams working together to produce relevant and exciting
stories about the way we live now.” Vice Media first dipped its toes into the fashion world when it purchased i-D, a British magazine centered around fashion and entertainment, in 2012. From there, Vice continued to expand its reach in fashion, acquiring a majority stake in Starworks Group, a fashion and beauty brand development agency that is known for its work with major brands, including Ivy Park, Calvin Klein, Guess, Chanel and L’Oreal. Vice also bought edgy fashion magazine Garage, in accordance with Vice’s grungy image. Vice’s interest in the fashion world is not unreasonable. Fashion and media have always worked hand in hand; Vice is simply taking its own approach to this collaboration of spheres, which is catering to the youth. Andrew Creighton, co-president of Vice, said, “The fashion industry contains incredible creativity, but
in many ways is stuck in the past.” Millennials, Vice’s main readers, are now entering a time in their lives where they are able to make their own smart purchases, which generates endless possibilities for major fashion brands and magazines. Vice wants to help these companies restructure their somewhat antiquated approach to marketing so that they can understand and communicate in the language of today’s youth. While Vice’s interest in fashion content and platforms is unusual on the surface, these partnerships are mutually beneficial due to the overlap of fashion and media, as well as Vice’s uniquely raw approach to content presentation. Besides, if Anna Wintour says it makes sense, then it has to make sense. Email Tyler Crews at tcrews@nyunews.
PHOTO BY NATASHA ROY
Ghosting Haunted NYU Rumors By PAMELA JEW Copy Chief Every Halloween season at NYU, there’s freshman small talk in elevators across campus about an impromptu ghost hunt to put all the newly acquired ghost rumors to rest. But it seems NYU students have only sensed ghosts, mainly in NYU’s more worn down or newly renovated buildings that still hold the spirits within their walls. WSN hunted down people who had something to say about these ghost conspiracy theories. NYU’s Brown Building was home to the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory before there was
a fire on the eighth, ninth and 10th floors with 146 garment workers inside. NYU acquired the building in 1929, and it has been used as the main building for pre-medicine study, but people still question if the building has ghosts or if it’s just its landmark status panache. “I’m a chem major in pre-med, so I’m in lab a lot [at Brown and Waverly],” CAS sophomore Sanjana Manjunath said. “They’re connected so I can use elevators for either buildings, and those elevators are wonky. But honestly I think they’re just old.” Aside from floating around in NYU academic buildings,
NYU ghosts make the dorming experience a little more homey or just plain spooky, depending on who you ask. “At first, I thought Palladium elevators were controlled by ghosts,” Gallatin sophomore Emily Golchini said. “They would always stop on the same two floors every Saturday. I told a security guard, not wanting to buy into the ghost conspiracies, but he ended up telling me the elevators are automatic for Sabbath.” Sometimes it isn’t even ghosts that are lurking around, just some other spirited creatures. “I live in Third North [Residence Hall] and I haven’t really sensed or seen ghosts,” CAS
freshman Anam-Cara O’Brien said. “The most I’ve ever heard is probably the dead mice under the floorboards.” Tisch sophomore Tayler Everts lived in Brittany Residence Hall last year and found herself in a spooky situation after doing some laundry. Her white bed sheets weren’t the only ghostly thing around. “One time I was doing my laundry in the basement of Brittany, and I was going over to the elevator to bring my stuff back upstairs,” Everts said. “I could hear the echoes of people talking from above floors coming through the caged-door elevator shafts in the basement. But this was over winter break — when
everyone was gone.” Brittany Hall is the home of the old Brittany Hotel. Most guests of the hotel are long gone, but one guest still seems to reside at Brittany — Molly, a young girl who died over 90 years ago in those hallowed halls. Molly comes out to play, often delaying elevator rides for rushing residents. “Molly just wreaks havoc in the elevators,” Everts said. “I heard she’s mainly on the fifth floor, but sometimes the door of the left side elevator keeps opening and closing. At that point, she’s practically everywhere.” Email Pamela Jew at pjew@nyunews.com.
The Bones of Washington Square Park By JEMIMA MCEVOY Managing Editor All of us have skeletons in our closets, but they’re hidden away and mostly metaphorical. For Washington Square Park, the skeletons of the past are instead kept underground and are very, very real.
Design and Construction were trying to replace an old water main in the park. Most of the students I spoke to seemed unaware of WSP’s haunted past. The avid park-goers were slightly spooked at first but concluded that the existence of these bodies probably wouldn’t deter them from
“The skeletons below comfort me with the knowledge that I’m not the onlu one being walked all over.” GABE HOFFMAN In November 2015, city workers stumbled upon two tombs full of skeletal remains beneath the edge of WSP. The 19th century burial vaults were found accidentally while contractors for the Department of
traversing the area. CAS junior Gabe Hoffman had never heard about the skeletons under the park before. He was surprised but brushed off the ghastly horrors. “The skeletons below comfort
me with the knowledge that I’m not the only one being walked all over,” Hoffman said. Other students, such as CAS sophomore Nick Sawhney, took the matter much more seriously. “That’s pretty spooky,” Sawhney said after hearing about the skeletons for the first time. He was interested to know more about where these skeletons came from. When the news about the bodies first broke, the New York Post reported that the vaults are connected to a church congregation whose members were buried there. “I guess it’s interesting to know, but it doesn’t really affect my perception of Washington Square Park or NYU or anything like that,” Sawhney said. “I’m sure there’s a lot of ‘spooky’ stuff in and around Greenwich Village, just because it’s one of the oldest settled parts of [the] area.”
For the most part, people were fascinated to learn about the history of the park and the reason behind the discovery of these remains. CAS sophomore Daren Lo thinks that the existence of these skeletons is not scary as much as intriguing. “I’m not spooked out,” Lo said. “I’ll probably still go through [WSP] like any normal day given the skeletons. It’s some interesting history, and I think it’s fascinating.” Lo pointed out that there are numerous cities that have historical remains whose identities have not been discovered, like the Catacombs of Paris and the slave burial sites in Southern Manhattan and other parts of New York City. “They’re history, and people can get inspired to take the opportunity to learn more about the past and also make sure to
respect the remains,” Lo said. “Other people may not feel the same way, I’m sure. But back in Singapore there is a festival where we honor the dead and burn paper money — not real money — and leave food and pray for them, so I feel a bit less detached to the idea of ghosts, I think.” Reid Gobieski, a sophomore in CAS, was the only person I spoke with who knew about the skeletons beforehand. He didn’t seem even remotely spooked by the skeletal remains but expressed concern about preservation. “It doesn’t necessarily bother me that skeletons may lie below my feet,” Gobieski said. “However, I am more concerned about the construction at [WSP] and its effect on the graves.” Email Jemima McEvoy at jmcevoy@nyunews.com.
Janice Gunter: Ghost Hunter By NATASHA ROY Assistant Managing Editor New York City native Janice Gunter has been ghost hunting from a young age. As a child, she noticed she had certain abilities that other children didn’t. In the first grade, Gunter — who grew up in Bay Ridge — said she would see a woman who she thought was an assistant teacher standing in the classroom. However, she realized it was a ghost after asking her teacher about the woman. “I asked about this lady who kept standing in the corner of the room, and my teacher had no idea what I was talking about,” Gunter said. “I was tuned into that kind of stuff at a very young age.” Now, as an adult, Gunter takes full advantage of her gift. She ghost hunts for people who need help getting spirits out of their homes. She has a call service, and she also puts flyers up in her local area to try getting the word out. “I do just a sort of relentless flyering campaign because I want people to know there is help out there,” Gunter said. “Sometimes people have these problems, and they literally don’t know who to call.” While she works a day job at CVS, she hunts ghosts at night. “My passion happens when the sun goes down,” Gunter said. However, Gunter has not always been so openly passionate about ghost hunting. She said that though ghost hunting has become more acceptable in recent
years, it was very frowned upon when she was a child. Gunter used to be embarrassed to talk about her abilities, but she now embraces them. “I just decided I had to come into my own,” Gunter said. “I have this gift, and I have to use it.” Bay Ridge was a great place to start ghost hunting, Gunter said. She said there is no shortage of supernatural activity going on for her to investigate. She also ghost hunts in Brooklyn. She does not enjoy doing her work in Manhattan, saying the place is quite corporate. Gunter’s favorite part about ghost hunting is being able to connect with each spirit. She likes to think of all ghosts as friendly. “They get a bad rap, but the truth is, you have to know how to talk to them,” Gunter said. “I think of it as a dance. They say it takes two to dance. With ghost hunting, it’s a two-way street — it’s really more of a conversation.” She said that the main reason for a ghostly presence in a home would be because the ghosts have unfinished business from when they were alive. “They get caught in a loop,” Gunter said. “They’re just like us.” Gunter once met a ghost, Charlie, whose unfinished business was making coffee, and she needed to communicate to him that he no longer needed coffee since he was dead. Another ghost she really connected with, Deb, died by choking on a cheese ball right before hosting a cocktail party, so Gunter lured her in
PHOTO BY JEMIMA MCEVOY
with different cheeses and threw her a cocktail party so Deb could feel that she could move onto the afterworld.
“My passion happens whtn the sun goes down.” JANICE GUNTER Gunter thinks it is cool to be able to connect with people from another dimension. She said sometimes she has trouble talking to real people. “[With ghosts] there’s no ego involved — they’re not worried about how they look or if they have lipstick on their teeth,” Gunter said. “You get to talk about the real, important stuff.” Email Natasha Roy at nroy@nyunews.com.
PHOTO COURTESY OF JANICE GUNTER
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WASHINGTON SQUARE NEWS | MONDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2017 | NYUNEWS.COM
OPINION
EDITED BY ANDREW HEYING OPINION@NYUNEWS.COM
POLITICS
Trump’s Opioid Declaration Falls Short By JACOB BASS Contributing Writer The United States’ increasingly malignant opioid epidemic has galvanized the country in recent years. More than one-third of U.S. civilian, noninstitutionalized adults reported prescription opioid use in 2015, with substantial numbers reporting misuse. With opioid-related deaths nearly quadrupling between 1999 and 2015, time is of the essence. To prevent the problem from becoming more cataclysmic than it has already become, not only is proper recognition necessary, but proper deployment is indispensable. As unpredictable as President Donald Trump has shown himself to be in the past year, he has remained an adamant supporter of a complete overhaul in how opioid addiction is treated. Despite his osten-
sibly unwavering stance, however, Trump failed to declare the opioid epidemic as a national disaster this past Thursday and has instead announced it as a national public health emergency. The wording here is critical, but regardless of his announcement, this merely lays the foundation for what will remain a widespread and expanding problem if its source fails to be addressed. There are two paths Trump could have pursued. He either could have, as was anticipated, addressed the epidemic as a national disaster thus placing the issue in the hands of the Stafford Act. This relief program, mainly used for natural disasters would have considerably expanded resource allocation. But, as Rafael Lemaitre, the former communications director for the White House Drug Policy Office echoed, “the Stafford Act is not struc-
tured to deal with a long term, complicated public health crisis like the opioid crisis.” Trump instead named the Public Health Emergency Fund as the primary combatant against the epidemic. Although the structure of the fund favors more complex and long-term health crises, the question remains as to whether congressional funding will be expanded for the fund. Regardless, these arguments push along the national narrative, ultimately harboring a more suitable environment for actual progress.
Change, however, calls for more than a national discussion. The effects of Trump’s announcement will be seen in the months to come, but for now we’re left to speculate. Nevertheless, what seems somewhat obvious is the necessity for definitive allocation of funding. As Lemaitre poignantly said, additional funds would act as the “silver bullet solution to the opioid crisis.” Until substantial steps are taken, we must err on the side of caution. Aside from these hurdles, the concerns surrounding this administration continue mount. The efforts to both repeal Obamacare and strip funding from Medicaid would completely hinder a combative effort against the crisis. Obamacare’s mandate helps to enforce treatment, something most Americans with drug use problems would not be able to afford. Additionally, Harvard researchers found that
in states with increased Medicaid and naloxone — a drug used to combat overdoses — drug-related deaths decreased considerably. The proliferation of the opioid crisis is astoundingly anachronistic. Despite both technological and social advancements, people continue to die at the hands of drugs. Eventually, the broader issues of prescription leniency and treatment availability must be addressed. In the meantime, however, the onus lies increasingly on the administration to make proactive policy. It seems as though Trump’s announcement is yet another photo-op, and until the crisis shows any sign of improvement it will become progressively more difficult to assume anything more. Email Jacob Bass at opinion@nyunews.com.
CULTURE
Halloween Is Undoubtedly the Best Holiday By THOMAS PRICE Staff Writer Halloween is finally here and the literal dancing in the streets can finally commence. Halloween is undeniably different than any other occasion celebrated on such a large level. While at one point in history, it served a festive purpose to the harvests and farmers across the United States, our modern Halloween has truly become something far greater than its origins. It is the one day a year when, from the ridiculous to the sublime, all things are accounted for. It is the one day a
year to be exactly who you want to be, and instead of society chastising you for being a grown person dressed in tights and no shirt, you are literally rewarded for it with candy. In this ever-increasing cesspool of tragedy and horror, it is more important than ever to take a break from reality with fake tragedy decorating the walls. Halloween is the ultimate release of inhibitions. With the time honored tradition of dressing up, you can truly be whatever you desire. Whether that is dressing up like your favorite pop culture icons or some demonic beast, there is
a place for you on Halloween. Act on your dream to be the Superman who gives out full candy bars to the neighborhood, or even on your desire to scare small children senseless! Both are equally socially acceptable. Halloween is the holiday for all people. For NYU students, it is the
time for play in a city so aggressively focused on work. Instead of studying for midterms, you can scream the lyrics to the “Monster Mash” while dancing unashamedly in front of a crowd of students doing the exact same thing. New York City becomes a wonderland for you to explore with fresh eyes once again. Strangers hand out compliments and candy, and suddenly the cruel stress of our academic lives melts away for a moment. Halloween exists to bring back the childlike wonder into our worlds in the most delightfully twisted way. Even for the homebodies understandably unwilling
to go outside and interact with the ridiculous cast of characters wandering around, there is a near endless supply of horror movies and cartoons to curl up with in the cozy confines of your dorm. Halloween is strange and completely out of place in the modern world, yet it is precisely what it needs to be. Embrace its absurdity with open arms, and it will reward you with actual candy and enough ridiculous memories to last until it comes around to do what it does again. Email Thomas Price at opinion@nyunews.com.
INTERNATIONAL
Headscarf Laws Veil Systematic Discrimination
By THEO WAYT Staff Writer
The American left seems to lionize most European governments as enviably democratic and socially just. And while Europe has progressively upstaged America in some areas — universal healthcare, legal tolerance toward refugees, parliamentary representation of minority parties and so on — Europeans too often hold discriminatory sentiments toward Muslims which, in many countries, have been codified into law. Germany, France, Austria, Belgium and Bulgaria have all enacted some type of ban on headscarves worn by Muslim women. Outlawing the religious expression of a minority group is possibly more damaging to
European day-to-day social cohesion than Confederate statues are in the United States because the ban inserts itself unambiguously into day-to-day routine, backed by penalty of law. I will focus here on the policies of France, where discriminatory measures are backed by a hypocritical, quasi-rational idea of tradition. In the same way that most Americans would say they value freedom despite the fact that all Americans are not equally free, most French people would profess their love for laïcité — the French conception of secularity — even though many Frenchmen do not have equal opportunity to believe. Laïcité, though now allegedly understood to refer to uncompromising secularity in the public sphere, comes from
an extended Christian-centric tradition dating back to the French Revolution, when Frenchmen did not separate themselves from religious expression altogether, but simply resisted more centralized Catholic control. In the words of Marine Le Pen, runner-up in this year’s presidential election, “Principles we fight for are engraved in our national motto: liberty, equality, fraternity . . . that stem . . . from the principles of secularization resulting from a Chris-
tian heritage.” Laïcité is often invoked by the French for political expedience, but discriminatory policies have been supported by almost all mainstream political parties, from socialists to conservatives. According to historian Jim Frasier, the French state funds myriad Christian schools with tax dollars in France, yet only one Islamic school is publicly-funded — even though around five million Muslims live in France. France also owns and runs most Christian churches with taxpayer money, but mosques must be selffunded. At the classroom level, Muslims schoolchildren are not given holidays off, and Muslim girls are expelled for wearing any form of head-covering. Many proponents justify these
laws as steps toward assimilation for newcomers, but forced abandonment of valued customs can only lead to resentment and the feeling of being second-class. Can French only mean white Christian? Few would ever say this explicitly, but those who proclaim their love for laïcité while overlooking or justifying this blatant discrimination are effectively doing the same thing. I am not accusing all French people of forthrightly believing in racism, but I am accusing the vast majority of moral negligence. Enlightenment values — though conceived in a white Christian vacuum — must now be applied equally to all people. Email Theo Wayt at opinion@nyunews.com.
NYUNEWS.COM | MONDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2017 | WASHINGTON SQUARE NEWS
OPINION
EDITED BY ANDREW HEYING OPINION@NYUNEWS.COM
CULTURE
Assault Problem Bigger Than Weinstein By GIOVANNA TRABASSO Contributing Writer
Over the last decade, photographer Terry Richardson has been accused of sexually assaulting women. His work is notorious for its features of nudity and vast sexual innuendos. He has worked with celebrities like the Kardashians, pop stars like Miley Cyrus and, wait for it, former United States President Barack Obama, for Vibe magazine. As reported by The Telegraph on Oct. 23, Conde Nast International has implemented its official Richardson embargo and will no longer feature his pictures on its leading magazines, such as GQ and Vogue — the latter reportedly not having worked with the photographer since 2010. But, why now? Why only in 2017? In the midst of models accusing Richardson of harassment, the internet is taking it upon itself to accuse Richardson of his predatory, so-called art. The 52-year-old wrote a blog for the Huffington Post as a way to correct the rumors, according to Richardson. What Richardson did was write a reminiscent retelling of his inspirational move to New York City to portray life in the East Village (note the sarcasm). But,
the cherry on top of his account lies in his concluding statements: “Believing such rumors at face value does a disservice not only to the spirit of artistic endeavor, but most importantly, to the real victims of exploitation and abuse.” While real victims of real abuse made real accusations against a real predator, Richardson attempts to join the social activism trope by turning his statement into a defense for those he claims to be real victims. But who are those real victims of exploitation and abuse? What does it mean to be a real victim? Is a woman who is catcalled on her way to class a real victim? Is a woman offered a shoot in Vogue in exchange for sex a real victim? While two-thirds of sexual assault cases are reported to the police, only 20 percent of female college student victims report their assault cases. Out of the cases that are reported, 13 out of 1,000 cases are referred
to prosecutors, and seven cases will lead to felony convictions. Is it clear why this is only happening now? It is pretty obvious that the numbers do not add up. Women have come forth in denouncing their abusers, but they are still not heard. Models reported Richardson years prior to Conde Nast’s statement, and nothing had happened then. Instead, Richardson was given a platform to argue his case, defend his so-called artistic endeavors and deny accusations. What has now changed is the rise of the Weinstein phenomenon. After vast accusations against Harvey Weinstein have proven to be true, big names in the industry have been doing the absolute most to show their lack of support for the producer. And so the epidemic has bled into the fashion industry, Richardson being its Weinstein. And so I pose the question: is Conde Nast rising against sexual assault in the fashion industry and in favor of victims or caring for its own reputation? Only once the number of reported and prosecuted assaults increases will I trust that influencers actually care about women’s safety and well-being. Email Giovanna Trabasso at opinion@nyunews.com.
CULTURE
Mothers Can Not Protect Perpetrators By TYLER CREWS Deputy Sports Editor
On Oct. 22, The New York Times published a story titled, “‘I Was Willing to Do Everything:’ Mothers Defend Sons Accused of Sexual Assault.” The article presents a different perspective on sexual assault cases: the perspective of the mothers of the accused. The mothers are fighting to ensure that students are not punished in on-campus sexual assault cases where there is some doubt surrounding the accusations. However, the doubt these women are referring to is their own antiquated belief systems about what constitutes sexual assault. While I understand that it is difficult to make fair decisions against the words of your own son, what these mothers are calling for is absolutely ridiculous. The mothers do not care if their sons are guilty, which is unacceptable. The article stated, “Their sons may not have been falsely accused, the mothers said, but they had been wrongly accused. They made a dis-
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tinction.” What is the difference between being falsely accused and wrongly accused? If the accusation is true, then the accusation is right. The distinction they are trying to make is that, to the mothers, these cases do not seem like sexual assault. One of the lines that frustrated me the most came from a mother named Judith, whose son was expelled after a woman accused him of having sex with her when she was too intoxicated to give consent. Judith said, “In my generation, what these girls are going through was never considered assault. It was considered, ‘I was stupid and got embarrassed.’” These mothers need to understand that this is not their
generation. We now have the understanding that if a woman does not give verbal consent in a sober state without any form of abuse or coercion, then it is sexual assault. A mother’s duty is to protect her children. However, this is also the duty of the mothers of victims of sexual assault. When the mothers finally see their children in the real world by themselves, they hear that their daughters’ and sons’ bodies have been robbed. While sexual assault has an immense emotional and physical toll on the victims, it also harms the parents. These parents blame themselves for not being able to protect their children and keep them safe. Imagine knowing your child has been assaulted, but not being able to keep the assaulter away or make sure it does not happen to somebody else’s child. That is the world we will see if we allow these women to continue to halt progress. Email Tyler Crews at tcrews@nyunews.com.
STAFF EDITORIAL
‘Shemale or Female’ Quiz Unacceptable
Last week, a professor at State University of New York at Geneseo gave a quiz in which students were tasked with deciding whether women in photos were “females or shemales.” The quiz featured a slideshow of photos of both transgender and cisgender women. If this was not absurd enough, the professor, David Sorbello, gave no explanation for the relevance of the quiz to his sociology class. Not only was this quiz offensive, but it did not serve any academic purpose whatsoever. The university must hold the professor accountable and reaffirm its commitment to all students. Undoubtedly, the entire premise of the quiz is horrible. Transgender women are human beings, not “she males” to be discussed in such a cavalier manner. Furthermore, the quiz served no academic purpose for Sorbello’s sociology class. Sorbello’s claim that it serves a humorous purpose unnerved many students, especially in light of his insensitive comment, “Be careful not to get too drunk or you’ll take the wrong one home.” To make matters worse, Sorbello addressed some of the women individually by pointing at them and saying, “I’m definitely not going to the bar with you.” The students also reported that Sorbello was not happy for being called out. One student, Jillian Sternberg, had to apologize to him in an email later. The only response the school offered so far is that it will “determine if and what action is warranted.” This is unacceptable. Trans individuals are subjected to enough discrimination and abuse outside of the classroom. Universities should be spaces where marginalized students should not feel explicitly or implicitly attacked. Regardless of the topics discussed in classes, all campuses should prioritize protecting their trans students. As the students pointed out, the quiz served no clear academic purpose, and the professor admitted that he relied on humor to approach the controversial issue. The lecture was supposedly about sexual dimorphism — which is a condition only seen in animals and plants. Furthermore, sexual dimorphism was not discussed during the session, and the students could not find any correlation between the topic and the content presented. The quiz was just completely unnecessary, academically and morally. Professors are supposed to spread academic knowledge and inspire their students to be productive members of society. By administering such an offensive, unnecessary quiz, Sorbello crossed the line and instead encouraged further bigotry toward trans individuals. After the incident, Sorbello’s students were told they could no longer bring laptops, cellphones or photo-taking devices to his class. This only makes matters worse, as it seems that Sorbello is trying to cover himself. This, however, should only push SUNY Geneseo to hold Sorbello accountable. Everyone has a place in society and on their college campus. This kind of offensive barbarity must never happen again.
Email the WSN Editorial Board at opinion@nyunews.com. EDITORIAL BOARD: Andrew Heying (Chair), Adryan Barlia (Co-chair), Carine Zambrano (Co-chair) STAFF PHOTO BY POLINA BUCHAK
Send mail to: 75 Third Ave. #SB07, New York, N.Y. 10003 or email: opinion@nyunews.com WSN welcomes letters to the editor, opinion pieces and articles relevant to the NYU community, or in response to articles. Letters should be less than 450 words. All submissions must be typed or emailed and must include the author’s name, address and phone number. Members of the NYU community must include a year and school or job title.
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WASHINGTON SQUARE NEWS | MONDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2017 | NYUNEWS.COM
SPORTS
EDITED BY MADDIE HOWARD SPORTS@NYUNEWS.COM
A Noble Wrestle With Change WEEKLY SPORTS UPDATE By NALANI OGAWA Contributing Writer
NYU’s wrestling team has seen much success in past years, adding more top notch players each year in the form of incoming freshmen or transfer athletes. CAS sophomore Matt Noble, who transferred from Bloomsburg University, represents the latter. Originally from Bridgewater, New Jersey, Noble has emerged as one of the best wrestlers this year. Washington Square News: Why did you choose to transfer to NYU? Matt Noble: I went to Bloomsburg for my freshman year, and I had a great time. I made a ton of friends and I really enjoyed the campus atmosphere. But when I got the opportunity to come to NYU, I couldn’t say no. I mean, [come on], it’s NYU. I love the city, it’s closer to home, it’s a great school, the list goes on and on. WSN: When did you start wrestling and what do you like about the sport? MN: I started wrestling when I was about five. I’ve always loved the individuality of the sport, but I really feel part of
a team here at NYU. We have a super close-knit team of guys ready to go to war for each other on the mat. WSN: Do you have any role models? MN: I’ve always looked up to guys that put in the extra effort in the room. It’s hard to single out one or two people as my role models, ‘cause they change from practice to practice. I’ll see someone drilling harder than me in practice or running harder sprints, and that’ll get me amped to push myself even further. WSN: How do you balance the intensity of wrestling season with your academics? MN: Being a student athlete is hard, but rewarding. It’s definitely helped me get better at time management. I definitely couldn’t do it without the guys though. Guys help each other on and off the mat — we have a pretty wide range of majors on the team, so if I have questions about a subject that I’m not too familiar with, chances are there’s someone on the team that can help me better understand the material. WSN: What’s your favorite memory from your
time here thus far? MN: We just had our alumni night, which was a blast. We had a huge turnout and a wicked reception afterwards. There was tons of food and I totally pigged out on the cannolis — but don’t tell my coach. Email Nalani Ogawa at sports@nyunews.com.
VIA GONYUATHLETICS.COM
CAS sophomore Matt Noble is this week’s standout athlete for NYU wrestling.
Magic of NYU Quidditch, Explained
VIA FLICKR.COM
NYU’s quidditch teams, Varsity and Pigeons, bring Harry Potter dreams to life by adapting the wizard sport to the grass field. By TORI BIANCO Contributing Writer All Harry Potter lovers know and cherish the game of Quidditch. Wizards fly across the field on brooms, dodge the bludgers, score with the quaffles and chase down the snitch. Sadly, the magical world of Hogwarts only exists within the pages of J.K. Rowling’s “Harry Potter” novels. Nevertheless, college students across the nation have the chance to partake in a bit of this magic, sans the flying broomsticks. Here at NYU, quidditch is alive and well. There are two
teams, Varsity and Pigeons. The Pigeons is a casual team, while the Varsity team is more time consuming. The Varsity team practices two to three times a week at East River Park. The team plays most of its games tournament style through the National Quidditch League. This league has two types of teams, collegiate and community. The community teams are made up of college graduates, while the collegiate teams are comprised of college students. The nation is split into regions, so teams compete in regional competitions in order to advance onto nationals in
the spring to face teams from across the country. NYU Varsity and Pigeons compete in the Northeast divison. The main difference from the fictional game is that players run across the field with a broomstick between their legs rather than mounting on flying broomsticks. A freshman on the varsity team, Kellan Cupid, said he found out about the team over the summer on a Facebook group, but most players come from the club fair. Cupid also said that although the game might seem easy on the surface level, quidditch can be taxing. “It is an extremely physical sport with tackling and lots of running, but also it’s a game of immense finesse,” Cupid said. Cupid also commented on the success of the team at NYU. “Last week we were ranked about 14th in the nation, which is exciting since we are pretty good this year,” Cupid said. Evidently, Quidditch has grown from a mere fictional fantasy to a nationwide phenomenon. While NYU Athletics has a lot of exciting sporting events you can attend this fall, be sure to look out for the quidditch teams making their magic. Email Tori Bianco at sports@nyunews.com.
Oct. 23 to Oct. 28 By TYLER CREWS Deputy Sports Editor
Women’s Volleyball The women’s volleyball team commanded the play at the New York Region Challenge on Oct. 27 and Oct. 28 in Rochester, New York. The team won all three of its matches, coming in first place at the end of the day. On Friday, the team defeated Nazareth College 3-0 in the first match of the tournament with a score of 25-22, 25-16 and 25-22. Then on Saturday, the Violets started off strong, defeating Cortland in four sets in their first match, with a score of 2725, 15-25, 25-15 and 25-23. The team followed that victory with another over Rochester Institute of Technology, ending the match with a straight-set win of 25-20, 25-20 and 25-23. The team plays again on Friday, Nov. 3 at the University Athletic Association Championship in Atlanta, Georgia against Washington University in St. Louis.
Men’s Cross Country
On Saturday, Oct. 28 the men’s cross country team finished in fourth place at the University Athletic Association Championship in Woodland Park, New Jersey. The Violets were a mere six points behind third place finisher, Emory University. Individually, CAS senior Neil Saddler placed second overall for the course, with a time of 26:06:2 in the eight-kilometer race. The Violets return to action on Saturday, Nov. 4, competing at the Eastern College Athletic Conference in Milton, New York.
Women’s Cross Country
On Saturday, Oct. 28 the women’s cross country team also competed in the UAA Championship in Woodland Park, New Jersey and came in fifth place. SPS junior Sabrina Herrmann
took sixth overall with a time of 23:59.8 in the six-kilometer race. The Violets race again on Saturday, Nov. 11 at the National Collegiate Athletic Association Atlantic Regional Championship in Houghton, New York.
Men’s Soccer
The men’s soccer team fell once more in a UAA match against the University of Chicago at home at Gaelic Park, bringing its UAA record to 0-5-0. CAS junior Grant Engel tied his career record for saves, making 10 throughout the match. However, Chicago managed to touch the net three times, ending the game with a score of 3-0. The Violets are hosting Washington University at home on Sunday, Oct. 29. The team’s seniors will be recognized prior to the game.
Women’s Soccer
NYU’s women’s soccer team earned both a win and a loss this week, bringing its overall record to 10-4-2 and its UAA record to 2-2-1. On Monday, Oct. 23 the Violets dominated in a match against Centenary University on their own turf at Gaelic Park. Scoring three goals in the first half, and one goal in the second, the Violets locked in an easy 4-0 win. This win extended the team’s season record of going undefeated to six games. Unfortunately, this streak was put to an end on Friday, Oct. 27 when the Violets played the number one ranked team in the United Soccer Coaches poll, University of Chicago, at Gaelic Park. The Violets, who are ranked at 25 in the poll, battled hard, but fell with a score of 2-0. The women’s soccer team plays again on Sunday, Oct. 29, when it hosts Washington University in St. Louis in its final home game of the season. The seniors on the team will be recognized prior to the match. Email Tyler Crews at tcrews@nyunews.com.
VIA GONYUATHLETICS.COM
The women’s cross country team finished in fifth place at the University Athletic Association Championship on Oct. 28.
NYUNEWS.COM | MONDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2017 | WASHINGTON SQUARE NEWS
13
SPORTS
EDITED BY MADDIE HOWARD SPORTS@NYUNEWS.COM
Pro Teams No Longer Staying at Trump Hotels
VIA WIKIMEDIA.ORG
Many professional sports teams have dropped Trump Hotels as one of the living options when traveling for away games in light of Trump’s comments about multiple professional sports. By BRIANNA DAVIS Contributing Writer Recent events have spurred a rocky relationship between President Donald Trump and a number of professional sports teams. Trump Hotels have been regarded among athletes
as some of the most luxurious of their kind, offering not only a room to stay in but a lifestyle to live. The Trump SoHo hotel has become a frequent destination for many National Basketball Association teams due to its proximity to Madison Square Garden,
where the New York Knicks play, and the Barclays Center, where the Brooklyn Nets play. Since Trump started his campaign in 2016, at least 12 teams across the NBA have ceased using this hotel. The Washington Post reached out to all 123 teams in the four major United States men’s sports leagues to find out how many teams planned to continue using Trump hotels. One hundred and six responded. None of the teams were able to confirm that their players stayed at Trump locations. According to one team official’s estimate, teams paid about $20,000 per night for room and board at Trump hotels. Trump’s comments during his campaign and presidency have not only led to a drop in his public opinion but have cost him a ton of revenue and valuable marketing props. These teams did not leave because of poor hotel conditions. In fact, many of the players had nothing but good to say about the properties. Players were seen doing interviews in the lobbies of Trump hotels, posting Instagram photos in their rooms and raving about the quality of their stays. It was incredible marketing for the
Trump brand. He may know how to create a successful hotel environment, but it looks like he needs to work a little bit more in the public relations department.
the Trump hotels. The players, however, were more outspoken. Milwaukee Bucks Forward Jabari Parker said during an interview with the Sporting News, “I’m proud to not
“
I’m proud to not stay in Trump hotels. I don’t support someone who endorses hate on other people. He ran his campaign on hate. He’s attacked everything that I am and believe. JABARI PARKER
”
At the beginning of the movement of NBA teams abandoning Trump hotels, many team officials were hesitant to comment on the motivation behind leaving. One of the first teams to leave was the Indiana Pacers. A spokesman claimed that the team had stopped staying at the hotel because of difficulties of getting a bus to the property. Other teams following this example also claimed there were no political connections to their decisions to leave
stay in Trump hotels. I don’t support someone who endorses hate on other people. He ran his campaign on hate. He’s attacked everything that I am and believe.” While some people would argue that sports have no place in politics and politics have no place in sports, these retractions have a lot to say about the crossover between the two and how they influence one another. Email Brianna Davis at sports@nyunews.com.
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Exposure:
Tompkins Square Halloween Dog Parade By ANNA LETSON Multimedia Editor
The dog parade in Tompkins Square Park is one of the highlights of New York City’s Halloween build up. The park is a favorite among dog owners in the East Village. The dog park is always full of dogs of all sizes, where owners and pooches are familiar with each other. On Oct. 21, the park held its annual parade with a costume contest. Pop culture references from the past year were popular choices for New Yorkers’ pooches, featuring a couple of bulldogs dressed as Rick and Morty and a Daenerys Targaryen. The elaborate costumes and details of the dogs’ costumes proved yet again that dogs are often the children of New Yorkers, and the parade is the party of the year.