Pandora's Box Spring 2019 II Edition by Pandora's Box

Pandora’s Box

“Let the truth be told though the heavens may fall”

Serving York College of the City University of New York and the Surrounding Jamaica, Queens Community Spring Edition II: Wednesday, March 20, 2019

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PB Visits Austin, TX. for South By SouthWest Conferences & Festivals

SXSW Story Available on Page 6 INDEX NEWS: .................... 1-6 GALLERY:.................7-9 A&E: .......................10-12 OPINION: ............. 13-14 SPORTS ............... 15-16 For More News:

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More Photos SXSW Available from Pages 7 to 9

3 A&E

Biology Prof. Awarded

JCAL Art Exhibit

10 OP-ED

13 SPORTS

NY’s Law on Black Hair

CUNYAC Championship

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Women’s Center Invites #MeToo Founder For Women’s History Month By Asar John

From left to right: Tarana Burke and Ebonie Jackson. Burke was on the 2018 TIME 100 list.

The event was titled “#MeToo: The Past, Present and Future of the Movement”

Photo credit: Asar John

Tarana Burke, the founder of the #MeToo movement visited York as part of the Women’s Center’s annual Women’s History Month Colloquium. Ebonie Jackson, the director of the center headed the discussion. #MeToo was originally started to uplift the survivors of sexual violence within communities of color, Burke said in an introductory clip at the event. However, in the recent years it has expanded to include adults and people of all races and genders. “This is a movement about giving people access to healing, to make sure the most marginalized amongst us have an opportunity to start a pathway of healing from the trauma of sexual violence,” Burke explained. Burke said she is survivor of sexual abuse as a child and sexual harassment as an adult. “As a young person who did not know how to navigate that experience, it became very important to me to have something that existed in the world that could change the trajectory of a young black girl’s life,” Burke said. The term #MeToo, which was coined by Burke in 2006, years before the movement gained international attention 11 years later when actor Alyssa Milano tweeted about sexual assault allegations against Harvey Weinstein. “It was Alyssa who tweeted it, but it was also Alyssa who brought me on Good Morning America,” said Burke. “She then came back and said, we would not be here if it were not for Tarana Burke.” Burke went on to explain the movement and its growth throughout a decade. “What I would add to that is, we realized last year that the other part of our work is shifting the narrative,” said Burke. “We have to insert ourselves into pop culture, people are watching television and movies that give a very

finite view of what survivors are supposed to look like, and so it is up to us to change that.” Jackson, the Women’s Center director, said Burke was chosen as the keynote speaker for the colloquium because she believes that her message should be brought to the college. “I saw Tarana Burke speak at a conference last year and she was phenomenal,” said Jackson. “She started a movement by and for women of color, and we have tons of that here.” Samantha Jones, a student at York, mentioned a quote that Burke used to a colleague, (in terms of social work dealing with victims of sexual violence), which Jones believed made an impact. “She said, ‘we go to the work because we are the work,’ so I think that’s something that is going to stick with me,” said Jones, a Master’s in Social Work student. “As a social work student it gave me an outlook in terms of getting into the workforce and dealing with clients.” Before stepping up stage to share her story about the #MeToo movement Burke spoke to Pandora’s Box about what she hopes to accomplish in the discussion. “My goal is the same everywhere I go which is to make sure people understand that the movement is not necessarily what they see in the media, and that everyone has a role to play,” said Burke.

Asar John is a staff reporter. He can be reached at asar. john@yorkmail.cuny.edu

York College Administration Implements An Overnight Custodian Crew By Dwayne McBean York College has added four more staff members to its crew of custodians for overnight cleaning of the campus during the Spring 2019 semester. Executive Director of Facilities and Planning David Patnaude said that the cleaning crew will be cleaning from 10 p.m. to 6:30 a.m. as he plans to exploit the time where there is an absolute minimum of occupants, which led to the creation of the team. “In establishing the evening crew we have exploited the 4th dimension -- time!.....allowing us the possibility to perform more focused cleaning,” Patnaude wrote in an email. According to Patnaude, the crew consists of five custodians and one supervisor focusing on classrooms and bathrooms so they are operational for the workday. Existing schedules and four

new hires were combined to create a total of six. “The cleaning crew is primarily the result of a reallocation of staff from our other two shifts with the exception of the hiring of a new supervisor,” Ismael Perez, the Assistant Vice President for Planning and Budget Administrative Affairs wrote in an email. “The only other additional costs would be the night differential pay staff would receive by working these hours.” For this overnight shift all bathrooms will be closed from 11 p.m. to 7 a.m. except the ones by Public Safety, the “F” corridor by the loading dock and the bathroom by the Starbucks on the second floor.

Dwayne McBean is a staff reporter. He can be reached at dwayne.mcbean1@yorkmail. cuny.edu

SIx of York’s Custodian Crew.

Photo courtesy: CUNY York College

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Wednesday, March 20, 2019

York Biology Professor, Part of a Team Awarded Over $500,000 for Research By Asar John

York College has become one of three investigative teams to be awarded almost $570,000 for an ocean research grant. The grant was provided by a partnership between the New York Sea Grant and the Department of Environmental Conservation. The other teams included are Stony Brook University and the Wildlife Conservation Society. The grant will help the teams discover the variety of life in the ecosystem of New York’s coast and research species and uses of the environment around it. The research grant is set to begin in March of 2019, and represents just one of two requests for proposals awarded through 2021, the other through 2023. An amount of $174,000 is being allocated t-owards research that will involve the application of environmental DNA analysis to biodiversity evaluation and long-term ecological surveillance across New York’s marine waters. This means that testing the various marine life of the New York Bight, (an indentation along the Atlantic coast that stretches from Cape May in New Jersey to Montauk Point in New York) and the submarine Hudson Canyon will show the coastal ocean ecosystem and the animals that live in or visit New York’s ocean environment. Outreach to explain the discoveries at the New York Aquarium, will be the focus for researchers such as Dr. Elizabeth Alter, a biology professor at York, along with colleagues from the Wildlife Conservation Society. “Our study is to use a new technology called environmental

The Biology departtment at York.

DNA analysis in order to figure out where marine species live around New York’s offshore waters,” said Alter. According to the United States Geological Survey, environmental DNA is from cellular material shed by organisms through skin, excrement, into the environment, either water or land. The DNA can be sampled and monitored using new molecular methods. Two students at York were recently involved in environmental DNA projects with Alter. “We were trying to use eDNA from before a natural disaster and

then compare it to eDNA collected after a natural disaster,” said Davendra Ramnarain, a senior. “ So in this case we get an analysis of how the natural disaster affects the distribution of species of eDNA samples.” “We basically isolated the DNA, amplified the DNA, then sequenced the DNA, with various techniques that she taught us,” said Vimal Ramnarain, another senior. Vimal and his brother, Davendra, are both Biology majors who are passionate about the research and hope to be more involved in

it, despite conflicts on the rise. “Dr. Alter is away right now and her graduate students are also not here, so we currently can not access the labs and get our DNA and information,” Vimal said. “We did want to help out this semester as because it will be our final semester, and be more involved until we leave.” As for the research, Dr. Alter has high hopes for the potential results of the research. “The overall goal is to better understand the biodiversity that thrives in the New York marine ecosystems, and to examine the

Photo credit: Danielle Cruz

relationship between how we as humans are using our coastal environment and species that live there,” said Alter. “We’re trying to help New York’s agencies such as DEC and NYSG to best manage and protect marine species,” Alter added. “But to do that we need to better understand where those species live and how they move around during seasonal cycle.”

Asar John is a staff reporter. He can be reached at asar. john@yorkmail.cuny.edu

York’s Senate Election Committees Prepare for The Spring Election By Rachel Dalloo For the first time in three years, the Student Government Association (SGA) election has more than enough candidates running. There are officially 35 candidates running for 32 seats in the college senate. Five are running as departmental senators while the remaining 30 are running as senators-at-large. There were approximately 45 people who picked up applications with petitions to run as senators but 35 brought back the proper applications signed by students, according to Journalism professor Tom Moore, who is the chair of the Elections Committee. “All of the Candidates were notified this past Monday, (March 11, 2019),” said Vincent Banrey, the vice president of Student Development. “The students were all notified that they were certified.” In the Spring 2016, Spring 2017, Spring 2018 semester elections, there were 27, 28 and 30 candidates respectively for 32 positions and special elections were held during the following Fall semesters to fill the empty seats.

The deadline for students to hand in their petitions was on March 5, 2019. The deadline was extended to students due to the snowstorm that took place earlier that week. The campaign period begins on March 16 and runs through April 15. “The students are given about a week and a half, almost two weeks to get the signatures.” Banrey said. “After that the Senate Elections Committee will collect all of the petitions, then review them. To make sure whoever signed those petitions are students. They randomly check those petitions, with the students Empl ID” During the special election period last Fall, another election had to be conducted with paper ballots after due to a glitch in the software used to vote electronically in the first one. Banrey said the committees involved are working to ensure there are no issues this time around. “What we’re going to be doing, is setting up the whole system a day before and test it,” said Banrey. “We usually test it a day before, but we’ll be doing it ahead of time. One thing we’re doing around this time is to make sure that the information provided to

A Voter voting via eBallot in past elections.

the database is all correct, that all the students are coded based on their departmental codes.” Banrey, who also serves as chair of the Student Elections Review Committee (SERC), says the committees involved and the office of student development will be sending out departmental newsletters to announce the election as well as a college-wide email to the college population to ensure voter turnout. In past elections, incentives were provided to students who

Photo credit: Angel Adegbesan

voted such as an “I Voted” water bottle. Banrey said they will try to acquire incentives for this election as well. In the York College Senate, there is an equal number of 32 student senators to 32 faculty senators. There are 17 senatorial positions slated for the 17 departments while the remaining 15 are left for Senators-at-Large. The number of positions available for Senators-at-Large increases when departments do not have students running as their repre-

sentatives. The Student Government elects one of its members to serve as the head of the student caucus. The student caucus is comprised of all the student representatives elected to the College Senate. The College Senate has established the following standing committees that are monitored by and reported to the Senate: Committee on Academic Standards, Committee on Elections, Committee on Admissions, Committee on Instruction, Committee on Campus Environment, Committee on Library and Curriculum Committee. Students do not have to be members of the Senate to serve on standing committees. Standing committees, including student members have full voting right privileges. The committee structure provides an opportunity for students to participate in the decision-making process.

Rachel Dalloo is the assistant News Editor. She can be reached at rachel.dalloo@ yorkmail.cuny.edu

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New Journalism Adjuncts Are Settling In for The Spring 2019 Semester

The English Department at York College.

By Asar John York alumni Joseph Jaafari has returned to his old stomping grounds in Jamaica, Queens, but this time around its not to pursue an education-- but to provide one for its current students. Jaafari debuts his return to York as a lecturer for a journalism class called Investigative Solutions Journalism for the Spring 2019 semester. He graduated

Photo credit: Danielle Cruz

York in 2013 with a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism. Jaafari says this form of journalism is something that is becoming desirable for journalists to do and to do it efficiently. “Investigative Solutions Journalism is looking at issues within a community and then reporting on the solutions that are fixing them,” says Jaafari. “This is something almost every single newsroom has been focusing on recently, there is a call for report-

York Reacts to Trump’s National Emergency

By Rachel Dalloo President Donald Trump issued the first veto of his presidency on March 15 rejecting legislation drafted to thwart his declaration of a national emergency after Congress rejected his funding request for border wall construction between the U.S. and Mexico. The legislation, which in a rare feat garnered the support of 12 Senate Republicans, was widely seen as procedural gesture since there is not enough support in Congress to override the veto. Michael Sharpe, an associate professor at York College, weighed in on the impact of the declaration and the broad power of the presidency. “The impact is that it could set a new precedent embolding the president’s emergency powers when he/she does not get what they want,” Sharpe wrote in an email. “It calls into question the system of separation of powers and checks and balances.” Immediately after the Democrats passed the resolution Trump tweeted that he “looks forward to VETOING the just passed Democrat inspired Resolution.” The White House has said that the president declared a national emergency so that he could be able to “build the wall, protect the border, and secure our great country.” “It seems he wants to use this as a way to build his wall,” said Nicholas Comberford, 21, a Sociology major. “I worry for the immigrants that will be affected by the president’s decision. I am happy that there was a bipartisan effort to block POTUS’ action. It restored my faith in the American Democracy.” Trump declared the national emergency at the border last month as part of a plan to divert money to build more barriers

along the U.S. border with Mexico, after Congress only approved $1.38 billion. “Out of all the problems that are of national importance, Trump chose the only problem that would divide people,” said Parsram Stanley, a York College Journalism Major. “I think that declaring this false issue as a national emergency will only divide people and will not solve any real problem that he is initially trying to solve.” While 12 of the 53 Republican senators opposed Trump’s emergency declaration, only 13 of the 197 Republicans in the House supported the resolution when it passed last month. “It seems that not enough Republicans are bold enough to disagree with the president.” Sharpe added. “I think that both the House and Senate passing a resolution to block the funding for national emergency is wonderful,” Stanley said. “We have an amazing system of government that won’t allow for one leader to do things only their way.” Congressional lawmakers are not the only opposition to emergency declaration. A coalition of 20 states including New York and New Jersey sued the Trump administration calling the president’s emergency “unconstitutional.” “We will possibly get a bad ruling, and then we’ll get another bad ruling, and then we’ll end up in the Supreme Court, and hopefully we’ll get a fair shake,” Trump said of the lawsuit at a press conference. A declaration of a National State of Emergency can be best defined as a situation that places a threat on the lives and health of citizens within a country.

Rachel Dalloo is the assistant News Editor. She can be reached at rachel.dalloo@ yorkmail.cuny.edu

ers to do solutions journalism well and not with fluff.” Jaafari says he has not forgotten the feeling of being a student despite having graduated five years ago. “I like the fact that I can relate to the students here,” Jaafari said. “I’ve been exactly where they were. I’ve been a procrastinator, so I can understand exactly how to do my lessons in a way that are able to tailor to the students right now.” Jaafari is just one of the three newly hired adjuncts in the English department at York. Joe Strupp, an experienced reporter, is another one of York’s new journalism adjuncts. Strupp said he made connections to those at York through his former professor, now Journalism Program Director at Brooklyn College. “One of my professors I had at Brooklyn College, Anthony Mancini, who I met with a couple months ago, was in touch with me about my book,” said Strupp. “After that he reached out to me about an opening for this class at York.”

He recently published a book last October titled Killing Journalism: How Greed, Laziness (and Donald Trump) Are Destroying News, and How We Can Save It. The English Department hosted an enrichment seminar on the discussion of his book on March 14. Strupp is currently teaching Social Justice Journalism for the Spring 2019 semester.. “We reviewed the jail in Brooklyn that had no heat and electricity and how the press handled that,” says Strupp. “This is along with going back in history to the American Revolution, when the first coverage of that was done in Common Sense by Thomas Paine and other news outlets at the time.” James Harney, an introductory course professor, is another one of York’s new journalism adjuncts. Harney, a former reporter for the Daily News, says he discovered the vacant position at a book signing in Brooklyn last October. “At that time I ran into another professor in that we know in common,” said Harney. “A con-

versation with that particular professor led to my conversation with Professor Bill Hughes, who indicated to me that he had an opening for an adjunct to teach Journalism 280 for the spring semester.” Harney says he was fond of York before becoming an adjunct professor, often taking advantage of the school library. “It occured to me that maybe when I was done being a working journalist, one of the places I would like to come would be York,” says Harney. “I was familiar with campus and interested in sharing my long time knowledge with young students who had an interest in journalism, and maybe get into the field themselves.”

Asar John is a staff reporter. He can be reached at asar. john@yorkmail.cuny.edu

Journalism Dept. Hosts Book Discussion

Photo credit: Journalism Department

By Rachel Dalloo Joe Strupp, an adjunct professor at York College, discussed his new book, Killing Journalism: How Greed, Laziness (and Donald Trump) Are Destroying News, and How We Can Save It, on March 11. Strupp discussed topics surrounding the Trump administration, the real issue with news and the main differences between liberalism and conservatism. The discussion addressed Donald Trump’s disagreements and distrust of the American press. Trump has said before that the press is a “disgrace,” “false,” “horrible,” and publishes “fake reporting.” Trump has repeatedly said that only the reports that come straight out of Fox News are true and other reports are only fake, inaccurate, take his views and statements out of context. “I think what he thinks is fake news is real news that he just doesn’t like.” Strupp said. In Killing Journalism, he mentions how reporters fear for their safety while reporting on the Trump administration. For example, MSNBC’s Katy Tur, dis-

cusses why she is terrified to be a journalist during this era. She notes that Trump has called her “incompetent,” “dishonest,” and “third rate.” Strupp also brought up the point that Donald Trump isn’t the first president to declare war on the media, former President Richard Nixon was also known for dubbing the media as “fake media” who stood to ask “racist” questions. Though Trump and Nixon were presidents during different time periods and events, their hatred for the media is incredibly similar. “He (Nixon) secretly tried to hurt news outlets.” Strupp noted. “Although Nixon was not good at using the press, he was good at attacking the press. Trump is good at both. Before he became president, Trump knew how to use the press to further his celebrity status. I believe Nixon was good at handling the press, just as much as Trump. For anyone to say the press is the enemy of the people is dangerous alone. It’s difficult to cover the president, because he is so unusual.” Many reporters do personally believe that Trump is a danger to America and also to their jobs. Trump has also blacklisted reporters and news outlets, referring to journalists as “scum” and “slime.” One reporter that Trump has publicly argued with and blacklisted is CNN’s chief White House correspondent Jim Acosta. Many people believe that Acosta is always looking for the negative angles to report on rather than the positive things that have happened during the Trump Administration. “I think there are some in the press who think Trump is so dan-

gerous and bad, that they think it is okay to go over the line a little bit. I think Jim Acosta from CNN goes over the line a little bit, trying to make a name. On the other hand, he (Trump) is a dangerous president. He doesn’t help himself either.” Strupp said. During this era when conservative mainstream news outlets like Fox News have gotten pretty high recognition, there seems to be no type of separation between Fox and Trump. “With Fox’s former chairman Roger Ailes, he would sort of hold the line a little, and not let them be pro-Trump. And now that he’s gone, they went overboard. If you’re calling yourself conservative media, you’re showing your bias. You’re saying you are biased to begin with. I think you can have a liberal view and still be professional journalist and still be fair. If you want to slant politics, don’t get into news, get into politics,” Strupp said. Although conservative television news outlets do seem to get the most attention, conservatives are taking over radio talk shows as well. Most people tend to have an ear for hearing politics in the point of view of conservatives. For example, Sean Hannity is one of the biggest American talk show hosts and conservative political commentators. “Talk radio was taken over by conservative voices. Most liberal talk radio gets a liberal audience, while conservative talk radio gets conservative and liberal audiences.” Strupp stated

Rachel Dalloo is the assistant News Editor. She can be reached at rachel.dalloo@ yorkmail.cuny.edu

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York’s Women’s Center Director talks on Impact of Women’s History Month By Rachel Dalloo To celebrate Women’s History Month, York College’s Women’s center planned several events as it took part in the worldwide celebration of women and worked to help spread awareness on the fight against discrimination toward women. Pandora’s Box sat down with Ebonie Jackson, the director of the Center at York to discuss the importance of women, diversity and Women’s History Month. Pandora’s Box (PB): What do you think feminism is and how impactful is it to women’s history? Ebonie Jackson (EJ): “At its core, feminism is simply believing that men and women are equal. To deserve equal opportunities, to educations, access to business, jobs, opportunities. Things like that, that’s the kind of stripped down definition of feminism. I think in our society today, it has manifested in a lot of different gender inequities. Modern day or new age Feminism is really about combatting a lot of the policies and the systems that support that gender inequity.” PB: What are some of the things that the center has been able to accomplish this semester? EJ: “So, we just saw this film on Maya Angelou, this is was our Women’s Empowering Film Series at the end of February. She was a very dynamic woman, who lived a very interesting life. She was also an activist, was a supporter. She did a lot. We also saw a film of Shirley Chisholm, for Women’s History Month. A

CUNY Grad, which is nice. Also, the first female to run for President, she was instrumental in our local politics.” PB: Currently, there is a historical change happening. A historic number of women are running for the presidency. What are your thoughts on this?

EJ: “This is a much-needed change, I am very supportive of that. I like to see that we have more than one woman who is out there in the political room. If you also look beyond politics, business and education, there’s been a rash of female CEOs, CFOs that have been recently appointed. Also, in the judiciary, as judges. It’s good to have women in all places of power.” PB: The 116th Congress has been the most diverse Congress yet. Many barriers have been broken, great positions have fallen into the hands of many females. Within this Congress, various groups of females have held many title of “first.” What do you think this means for the future of women? EJ: “Representation matters, perspectives matter. We could probably avoid a lot of issues and trouble if we have more people with different perspectives and different voices at the table. It’s important for young women to see women who look like them, doing the things they want to do. It gives them a role model, it gives them something to strive for and prove. To believe that they can do, think and be in places in which they were previously left out of.”

platforms. Right now, there is a nation-wide movement of empowerment for women. Many women are fighting and demanding for their voices to be heard. Do you think it’s working? EJ: “We have a voice, we have power, we’re also not a monolithic group. There’s a lot of diversity. Even within the women who have come into Congress. That’s important, representation matters, they are our legal representatives in the government. Having AOC, Ilhan Omar, people like that who representing us in government is important.” PB: Even though more and more women are speaking up, it is a struggle for many others to fight for for their voice because of repercussions, as it was in the case of Marielle Franco. What do you think can be done to help women move past this? EJ: “Sadly, that’s is not the first time something like this has happened. I think when women stand up in every culture, there’s always some pushback. In some places, some violent pushbacks. I do think this is a wake-up call, that it’s a call for all of us to stand up together. These days in this country, there’s slightly more women than men, there’s no reason for us to be as marginalized as we are.”

Rachel Dalloo is the assistant News Editor. She can be reached at rachel.dalloo@ yorkmail.cuny.edu

PB: More and more women are beginning to speak up through different

News Briefs: By Staff The City University of New York has joined 20 other universities in forming a national coalition to build the field of public interest technology. The alliance, called the Public Interest Technology University Network (PIT-UN) was announced by its three organizing partners, the Ford Foundation, the Hewlett Foundation and New America, a nonpartisan organization. The broad goal is to turn public interest technology into a distinct and essential academic discipline on campuses across the country. March is Advisement month. Academic advisement for the Summer 2019 and Fall 2019 has started and all students are required to be advised before they can register for classes. Students who have declared a major must be advised by a faculty advisor from their major department. Students who have not declared a major must be advised by advisors in the Academic Advisement Center at AC-2C01. Students in specialized programs such as SEEK and ESL can contact the offices for these programs for additional information. The last day to file online for graduation in the Fall 2019 semester is on April 1. Students are encouraged to talk to their program advisor and discuss graduation requirements that have been met before applying. You must have 105 or more credits completed or in process to be able to apply for graduation. Students can still go to the Registrar’s office and file for a paper application after this deadline. The Student Government Association (SGA) Election will be held on April 16, 17 and 18, 2019 from 9 a.m to 9 p.m in the AC atrium. There are a total of 35 candidates running. The campaign period for the election has already begun. Candidates day is on April 15 from 10 a.m to 7 p.m in the atrium. The Counseling Center in conjunction with the Office of Student Development is hosting a workshop titled “The 7 study habits of A+ students” on April 2 at the Counseling center from 12 p.m to 1 p.m. Students can learn the key principles of effective studying and what it takes to do well in class.

The Women’s Center Banner at York. Photo credit: Angel Adegbesan

York Mandates SPARC Training For Class Registration By Dwayne McBean In case you missed the email, York College will begin putting holds on the CUNYFirst accounts of students who fail to complete their online training on sexual harassment and guidelines of consent, officials said. In order to meet the New York State’s requirement of all colleges, all students must log on to and complete what is called SPARC Training or face the hold which could prevent them from registering for classes, according to Paola Veras, the assistant dean of Student Development. All students who are admitted for the Fall 2018 semester and Spring 2019 semester are required to complete the course. Title IX training completion is

mandatory for students in clubs at York. The SPARC training is an online course that is available on BlackBoard. This training also includes domestic violence, dating violence, stalking, sexual harassment, gender-based harassment, and sexual violence. The training takes approximately 30 minutes and is structured in four parts. It compounds with the Title IX in-person training that the college offers a few times in a semester. The City University of New York has been implementing a mandatory Sexual and Interpersonal Violence Prevention and Response Course (SPARC) in compliance with the 2015 “Enough is Enough” law enacted by the state of New York. The “Enough is Enough” law

requires all colleges to adopt a set of comprehensive procedures and guidelines, including a uniform definition of affirmative consent, a statewide amnesty policy, and expanded access to law enforcement. The law also requires all colleges and universities to report the number of sexual assault, stalking, domestic or dating violence complaints made to their Title IX offices. Title IX is part of sweeping federal legislation dealing with sex discrimination on college campuses.

Dwayne McBean is a staff reporter. He can be reached at dwayne.mcbean1@yorkmail. cuny.edu

Pandora’s Box would like to wish everyone A Happy Women’s History Month !!!

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Panels, Festivals & Attractions at SXSW By Pandora’s Box Staff

PB started planning to go to South By Southwest (SXSW) last semester after deciding we wanted to attend a conference that would not only help us have a better understanding about the changing journalism field but also serve as a networking opportunity. Needless to say, planning to attend SXSW was simultaneously the most rewarding yet stressful experience for us. From frantically trying to get the hotel the correct credit card information the same day we were set to check in, to a delayed plane that made us miss our connecting flight and then having to wait in uncertainty on standby to potentially get on a plane leaving at 9:45 or 10:45. So getting to SXSW was a hassle but when we finally walked through the Austin Convention Center all we could think was “wow we actually made it.” Below is a summary of all the panels that we attend as well as all the sightseeing we were able to do in between panels. ~ Featured Sessions: Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and the New Left Getting a chance to see and hear Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC) was undoubtedly one of the highlights of SXSW. If anything, we were lucky to get into the same room as her since the line had wrapped around the convention center with some people having to go to overflow rooms, rooms with a screen showing a livestream of the event. Speaking to the packed rooms and various livestreams, AOC talked with The Intercept’s Senior Politics Editor, Briahna Gray, about topics like the racial and class divide, the Green New Deal and her work to call out politicians who take money from lobbyists. When asked about what she has learned since she was nominated U.S. Representative for New York’s 14th congressional district, the congresswoman commented that she was fascinated with how subtle lobbyists operate in order to bribe politicians into voting for a deal that would benefit them. “In the last two months, it’s been really fascinating to see, you know, we have this idea that D.C. is dominated by dark money, and that lobbyists are hiding in people’s closets or whatever, like, ‘Boo! Vote for oil!,”said Ocasio-Cortez. “Whatever it is, but it doesn’t work like that. So it’s been very fascinating to see how subtle these very powerful influences make their way.” She ended the panel with a piece of advice, telling everyone if they want change in who represents them they need to go out and vote for politicians who will stand for them rather than sitting back and believing their vote doesn’t matter. What’s Next For News On March 9 Sara Fischer, Ax-

ios media reporter, hosted a panel called What’s Next For News at the JW Marriott. The panel was wide-ranging, but focused on the future of the digital media landscape. The speakers included Executive Vice President of the New York Times, Meredith Levien, Executive Vice President of CNN, Andrew Morse, and Editor-in-Chief of BuzzFeed, Ben Smith. The panelists spoke about their company’s different approaches to tackling the challenges that the ever-evolving digital media landscape presents. They talked about some of the the strategies that their companies are using to generate income, and about some of the different methods that they are using to distribute the news. Meredith Levien made it a point to mention that one of their biggest goals is to reach their audience in new, creative ways. “How do we decide where the Times should build a product beyond core news, I would say we look for where are people already coming to us for some kind of journalism, or experience, or some combination of those things,” she said. “Where do we have brand credibility, and permission to be, and also what do people have daily habits around? The big strategy of the New York Times is to continue to be a daily habit, whatever the medium is.” She added that the success of “The Daily,” the Times’ daily news podcast, and their crossword app, which she made a point to mention was the fourth most used news-related app each day, surpassed even their expectations. “In full disclosure, I would say we’ve done better than even we imagined a year or two ago.” Another takeaway from the panel was a discussion about the constant search for new ways to generate money and monetize the news in order to keep journalists employed. The speakers said a major obstacle currently facing the media landscape is how to accurately measure user engagement. Unlike Nielsen ratings in television, digital media has no universal standard to gather such data. Andrew Morse hoped a universal standard to measure engagement could be developed because today’s media landscape puts a major emphasis on accurately tracking that sort of information. “In a world where data and analytics matter so much, in a world where we all want to measure audiences, in a world where brands want to measure audiences, why don’t we just say it’s not working,” he questioned. “Why don’t we say it’s all a construct, that is no longer relevant, and let’s come up with a system where we can actually measure our audiences, and get actual insights to advertisers, or whoever we want to, so we know exactly how their using it.” Morse added that doing so was important for many reasons but mostly it was a matter of being able to pay reporters to gather and report the news because today’s state of affairs requires indepth journalism. “It’s an interesting time in journalism because people are

actually thanking us for the work we’re doing,” he said. Near the end of the discussion Pedro Bermejo, PB’s Managing Editor, asked the panel a question regarding their comments on diversity. He noted that earlier in the discussion they talked about how each of the companies are trying to increase diversity in their newsrooms, but that he only saw four white people talking on stage, and wondered when there might be a push for diversity in executive roles. The question appeared to catch the panel by surprise. Morse responded to the question by saying, “you’re right, we have to do a better job of that.” How the Media Covers Suicide

Deaths of prominent individuals such as Kate Spade and Anthony Bourdain are covered extensively by the media. This generates a public discussion about mental health for a short period of time. A panel of experts dove into the question of the role and responsibilities in covering tragedies of public figures. The panel at the event included Lindsay Holmes, Wellness Editor at Huffington post, Dave Itzkoff, Culture Reporter at New York Times, Dan Reidenberg, Executive Director of Suicide Awareness Voices of Education, and Zelda Williams. Williams, daughter of Robin Williams who died in 2014, commented on a family’s right to privacy. She said the media often contacts her for interviews to comment on a stranger’s suicide because she had the experience of a grieving family. She noted this as insensitive to her trauma. The panel acknowledged there is always a competition among media organizations to be the first to publish a news story regarding a prominent figure’s suicide. This can be very dangerous because of the word choice and the topic’s sensitivity. The panel also said that although the public has a right to know, it is the obligation of a reporter to give readers context so they understand what they are reading. Misconceptions cannot be created because each victim went through something specific. Itzkoff, the reporter who wrote about William’s suicide, said he hoped he covered the story in a responsible way that satisfied the need-to-know of the readers. The panel added that one thing to do is to reduce the stigma behind suicide because it affects everybody and not just one person. Reidenberg said that we, as a society, have to start addressing the issue in every community and not just caucasians. E-Sports Venues: Coming to a City Near You At SXSW, the fast-growing world of e-sports was highlighted with a multitude of sessions displaying the present and future plans of the industry. Brian Mirakian, Director of Populous Activate, and Jonathan Oudthone, President of ESports Venues LLC, were on-hand to discuss their ideas to create an e-sports ecosystem and bringing it all in one stadium. Both of the

brands represented at the session are dedicated in ensuring the venues being designed are sustainable for fans and teams while providing increased commerce to inhabited neighborhoods. Populous Activate uses the power of design to link fans, brands and properties. They were recently named in Fast Company’s 2018 Most Innovative Companies list as the #1 Most Innovative Company in Live Event Design. Esports Venues LLC focuses on the design and development of e-sports dedicated infrastructure. A highlight from the discussion was Esports Stadium Arlington, the largest e-sports specific venue in North America. The stadium was built in an underutilized section of the city’s convention center. It features fan seating, merchandise areas, analyst press boxes, player stages, and much more. The venue was specifically built to host e-sports tournaments featuring prominent teams known worldwide. The areas around the venue are structured to create amazing experiences for fans in attendance. The stages in the stadium could be configured for all game types: 6v6, 3v3, etc. Brian and Jonathan both noted their goals in expanding this kind of infrastructure to different cities in North America. They mentioned New York City and Las Vegas as potential landing spots for future e-sports ecosystems Pop-Up Shops Steal The Show

The annual South By Southwest interactive-media, film, and music conference wrapped up over the weekend, and featured several pop-up shops in the area surrounding the Austin Convention Center that appealed to a wide variety of attendees. Some of the most notable installations included Sony’s interactive exhibit, the media company Vice’s roller rink, and a Game of Thrones themed medieval fair hosted by the Red Cross. Many of the pop-up shops featured free refreshments, as well as panels hosted by the companies. Festival goers were also gifted all sorts of free merchandise, including tote bags, hats, and t-shirts. The Sony exhibit was housed at WOW Studio and focused mainly on the technology company’s involvement in developing artificial intelligence (AI). There were robotic dogs that were a lot more responsive than previous iterations of robotic pets, and several small robots that developed their own language to communicate with one another. One notable detail was that only the robots understood the language they developed. An employee of the exhibit stated that none of the programmers or developers had any idea how to translate the robot language, and that they develop a new language at each new conference that they are displayed at. Janet Garza, employee at the exhibit, said a lot of the people who took a tour around the exhibit were impressed by how advanced the AI was. “People come in here and are blown away with the robots and the puppies,” she said. “They

can’t believe what we have going on in here. At a parking lot adjacent to the Austin Convention Center, Vice set up a roller skating rink and called Skateland. Apart from the rink, people could also check out company’s famous Viceland bus. Attendees were allowed to borrow a pair of skates to hit the rink, and were periodically treated to a breakdancing show by some of the pop-up shop’s employees. The American Red Cross and HBO partnered to create a blood drive that doubled as an immersive experience. The non-profit organization collected blood from attendees that were willing and able to donate. Donation was not necessary to check out the rest of the exhibit, however. The installation was essentially a smallscale medieval fair with a Game of Thrones theme. It featured a replica of the iron throne, recreations of some of the show’s most memorable scene sets, as well as several of the actors from the actual show. Other notable pop-up shops included the Daily Show’s Presidential Twitter Library, the Dell Interactive Experience, dating app Bumble’s Hive Lounge, an Uber Eats installation, and many more. Sightseeing Around Austin Austin may have just one eighth the population of New York City, but the city has nearly as many tourist attractions. Throughout the city there are numerous sightseeing marvels for tourists and residents alike to enjoy. During the trip, PB had the opportunity to check out some of their hottest landmarks. Located just half a mile away from the convention festivities is their Capitol Building. Situated in the center of a giant park, the four-story building allows visitors to venture into its many rooms including the senate and house floors. Located at the southern edge of the city is Congress Bridge. This is Austin’s most popular attraction as each night more than 1.5 million bats fly out over the bridge to search for food. It’s the largest bat colony in the world and is really a sight to see. Tucked away in the northeast corner of the city on the University of Texas campus is the Lyndon Baines Johnson Presidential Library. It’s one of 13 presidential libraries in the country and features more than 45 million pages of historical documents on its 14acre grounds. The Austin Convention Center itself is an incredible landmark. It housed many SXSW events and holds numerous events throughout the year. The entire complex takes up nearly one million square feet and is roughly half the size of New York’s Javits Center. ~ Thank you to everyone who made this trip possible, we can honestly say that our stay in Austin and attending SXSW is an experience we all won’t soon forget.

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Gallery PB Wednesday, March 20, 2019

PB Photo Gallery: Technology at SXSW

Photo gallery by Adisa Sobers, Angel Adegbesan and Richard Heaton

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Gallery B PB Wednesday, March 20, 2019

PB Photo Gallery: Panels at SXSW

Photo gallery by Adisa Sobers, Danielle Cruz and Richard Heaton

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Gallery B PB Wednesday, March 20, 2019

PB Photo Gallery: Downtown Austin

Photo gallery by Adisa Sobers and Richard Heaton

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Wednesday, March 20, 2019

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Jamaica Center for Arts and Learning Art Exhibit: Music To Make You See

Photo credit: Angel Adegbesan

By Theodora Danso The Jamaica Center for Arts and Learning (JCAL) has opened another art exhibit featuring work from their artist in residency, Emmett Wigglesworth. The theme, Music.. To Make You See, forces the viewer to see beyond the sculptures and to perceive it in a different light. There are several paintings on the walls with quotes and messages attached to them. Each color in the painting is meant to symbolize something. For instance, the color blue in his paintings, Wigglesworth says, represents angelic forms.

Wiglesworth, a lover of jazz and blues, uses his art to bring to light, issues around the world. He is a muralist, painter, sculptor, fabric designer, educator and a poet, who has been creating for over a decade. His artwork has been exhibited in different parts of the world including Ghana, West Africa and in the U.S. Wigglesworth’s uses his art, to bring awareness to issues such as pollution, climate change, terrorism, slavery (both past and modern-day versions), poverty, racism, discrimination, single parent families, etc. His art is thought-provoking and enlightening. He wants his artwork to help

Photo credit: Angel Adegbesan

inform the viewers about the social and economic problems society faces, especially in the African-American community. The Music.. To Make You See exhibit is incorporated with the music and lights. The works are illuminated and rotate to music transitioning from jazz to R&B. This adds a touch of pizzazz to the exhibition. At first glance, the sculpture pieces all look alike. They all look like male jazz singer and saxophone players. But upon careful examination of it, one realizes that they are all female figures. This brings to the forefront societal gender roles ingrained in us and how it plays a part in our

perception of the world. This is an example of the patriarchal society we live in. Each painting has a message that one can draw from and apply to one’s life. One of the paintings that stood out was one representing a family. It ingrains the importance of family into one’s mind. The saying “it takes a village” rings a loud bell with this painting and so does the importance of every family member in raising a child. His thought-provoking art pieces leaves you with a new sense of awareness and eye-opening perspective on things around you. It raises a sense of awareness. Another part of his exhibition

is his poetry. He has dubbed it “Written notes from around a world.” He has travelled to different parts of the world and he shares his thoughts on the places he has seen through these written notes. The exhibit is on display through April 30 at the JCAL and entrance is free. More information about the exhibit is available on the JCAL website.

Theodora Danso is a staff reporter. She can be reached at theodora.danso@yorkmail.cuny.edu

York College Fine Arts Clubs

Photo credit: Sherry Shivprasad

By Sherry Shivprasad The music club is inviting the public to its open jam session on Tuesdays. The club provides the opportunity and equipment for aspiring musicians to develop their talents. The atmosphere is music-friendly and extraordinary. “All instruments, voices, styles, traditions, abilities, MCs, approaches, beliefs, etc. are welcome,” said Thomas Zlabinger, a music professor in the Fine Arts department. “There is no limit to the types of music and styles that the music club offers such as reggae, jazz, hip-hop, and more.” This semester, the music club will be jamming to an eclectic va-

riety of musical styles with some in Spanish. They include a saxophone duo, songs from Cee Lo Green and Whitesnake along with a ballad from a Nightmare Before Christmas, according to Zlabinger. Level of experience with music does not matter. Members of the music club accept anyone, whether a beginner or an advanced musician. Brianna Maxwell, a Sociology major, attended the club for the first time and enjoyed it. “I like how all the musicians have chemistry together and it flows, and it always sounds good,” said Maxwell. Omar Feliciano works at the biology lab and enjoys the rhythms

of the guitar, drums, and piano. “I just love music so I come in and listen,” said Feliciano. “Dr. Z (as Zlabinger is known) has violinists, drummers, piano players, and even alumni come in and it was cool.” The session starts at 12 p.m through 2 p.m in room LL01 of the Academic Core Building. Interested musicians and artists are invited to visit the club or email Zlabinger at tzlabinger@york. cuny.edu. Cardinal Studio Welcomes Everyone to Make Music Cardinal Studios is a club that is meant to provide students with a space to learn about and create music tracks and beats. Ashton Webb, the president

Photo credit: Sherry Shivprasad

of the club, said that she joined because of her passion to produce beats and work with fellow students to make music oriented projects. “We did an entire project making 20 tracks,” said Webb. “It is on Apple Music, Soundcloud, and other platforms. King Nito, he performed songs here.” The songs were produced by Webb and another student. Nito sang a few songs called Playing Games and Path I Choose. “Everything was mixed and mastered and it’s all on streaming platforms,” said Webb. There is a lot that Cardinal Studios offer everyone because the lab has at least 20 computers and two recording studios.

“Your going to a school that everything is free,” Webb stated. “You can be any major...you can come here and create anything.” Cardinal Studios will be having various events this semester. Expect a beat battle between two DJs where the producer will be the judge. The event will be in April in the Milton G. Bassin Performing Arts Center. The Cardinal Studio will also be a part of the York College Arts Festival this semester.

Sherry Shivprasad is a staff reporter. She can be reached at sherry.shivprasad@yorkmail. cuny.edu

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Wednesday, March 20, 2019

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Netflix to Release More Interactive Movies

The Creative Corner Ever Had A Crush On Someone Before? By Autumn Matthews

Following the sucess of Black Mirror: Bandersnatch Netflix had revealed that they are looking into creating more interactive movies . Photo credit:Lyncconf Games

By Autumn Matthews Nearly two months ago Netflix introduced their users to Black Mirror: Bandersnatch an interactive, choose your own story line movie. Bandersnatch, which was released on Dec. 28 and starred Fionn Whitehead as Stefan Butler, allowed watchers to choose Stefan’s every action, from which cereal he ate in the morning to much darker choices like whether or not he should kill his father. Bandersnatch was the first time Netflix had created an interactive movie geared towards adults. Before Netflix had only created interactive films for kids with shows like Puss In Boots and Stretch Armstrong allowing kids a chance to choose what story line the characters followed. Truthfully I only recently watched Bandersnatch and I have to say it was really fun. I enjoyed being able to control Stefan’s choices and it really put my decision making skills to the test. As I got deeper and deeper into the

movie I realized that each choice that I made in the movie came with consequences, just like the choices that we make in real life. I found it pretty cool that everyone who watches Bandersnatch ends up getting a different ending that is tailored to the choices they made throughout the movie. It is no surprise that following the success of Bandersnatch Netflix is already in the process of making more interactive movies catered towards their adult audience. Though they have not released the names of the upcoming interactive movies, in an interview with Variety, Netflix’s vice president of product, Todd Yellin, said that Netflix has already thought of having interactive movies in various genres like comedy, romance and horror movies. Yellin went on to say that Netflix wants to explore creating interactive films to not only engage their audience but also open up a new doorway for a different, advanced form of storytelling that will give viewers a new way to

express themselves. I think Netflix’s decision to create interactive films was an incredibly smart and futuristic move. Many movie lovers often find themselves questioning the choices that characters make and the way the movie ended, so by creating a story line that is controlled by the audience it allows for them to make the choices that they feel would end up with the best outcome. The best part is that you can always go back and create another story line to see different outcomes. If you haven’t already I would recommend that anyone who has access to a Netflix account go and watch Bandersnatch, not only is it a fun and engaging new way to watch a film but it also helps improve your decision making, critical thinking, and problem solving skills.

Autumn Matthews is a staff reporter. She can be reached at autumn.matthews@yorkmail. cuny.edu

Disney Officially Owns 21st Century Fox

Photo credit: Shakir Superville via Flickr

By Richard Heaton On the morning of March 20, one of the most historic corporate mergers in history took place. Disney officially owns 21st Century Fox. Last year, Disney placed a bid

to buy-out all non-news properties of the Fox Corporation. The bid was worth in excess of $71 billion and became one of the ten largest mergers in history. Since then, everyone in the entertainment industry began to prepare for the ramifications that the merger would create by mak-

ing one of the largest companies in the world even bigger. Disney already bought out the rights to Marvel and Star Wars over the past decade and now add franchises such as Avatar, X-Men, Fantastic Four, Die Hard, and Planet of the Apes. This is big news for fans of Marvel Comics though, as both X-Men and Fantastic Four are returning to their original owners. The assets that were left behind by Disney are now collectively known as Fox Corp and include Fox News, Fox Sports, and programming rights to all FOX owned television networks. Ahead of the merger, FOX Corp added former Speaker of the House, Paul Ryan to their board of directors.

Richard Heaton is the Arts & Entertainment Editor. He can be reached at richard.heaton@ yorkmail.cuny.edu

Summer has a huge crush on one of of classmates, Hakeem, from her English class. Hakeem is very charming, handsome, smart, and respectful… the kind of guy she is looking for. Every time their professor assigns groups they always end up paired together because their professor admires how well they work together. However, trying to hold a conversation with him is always awkward. She always ended up running out of things to say to him. Sometimes she would even spend her nights practicing things to say to him only for her mind to become blank when she walked into the class because she was so nervous. She wants to tell him that she likes him but she fears that she will end up sounding like a creep or look stupid. The only thing that they talk about is classwork and that was all. Until one day, Hakeem walks into class earlier than usual and sits next to her in class instead of his normal seat right behind her. Summoning up her courage Summer decides to seize this opportunity to tell him that she likes him. Turning to Hakeem she is surprised when they both say that they have to tell each other something at the sametime. Turns out that Hakeem also likes her too and he was hesitant to tell her because she was a bit anxious about telling her. Moral of the story is if you like someone just tell them maybe they feel the same way too and if they don’t it is ok. Autumn Matthews is a staff reporter. She can be reached at autumn.matthews@yorkmail. cuny.edu

IF YOU HAVE A POEM, ESSAY, LETTER OR SHORT STORY YOU WOULD LIKE TO PUBLISH IN PANDORA’S BOX, SEND IT TO THE EDITOR-IN-CHIEF AT DANIELLE. CRUZ@YORKMAIL.CUNY.EDU

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Wednesday, March 20, 2019

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Marvel Releases Its First Ever Female Lead Superhero

Brie Larson Plays Carol “Vers” Danvers in Captain Marvel.

By Richard Heaton Ever since the end of Avengers: Infinity War, Marvel fans were ready for Captain Marvel. Earlier this month, fans finally got what they asked for as the film was released on March 8. Captain Marvel follows the journey Carol “Vers” Danvers (Brie Larson), a young Kree warrior who falls to earth and teams up with a 47-year old Samuel L.

Jackson, who is reprising his role as Nick Fury, to save the world. The film serves as a nice way to get Marvel fans ready for Avengers: Endgame. At the end of Infinity War, we see everyone turning to dust and we see a post-credit scene where Nick Fury calls for Captain Marvel to come and save the day. Now we see her origin story and a start of an explanation for where she has been for the 25 years between this film and End-

Photo credit: AntMan3001 via Flickr

game. One part of the film that I think was done really well was the use of flashbacks. We only ever see brief flashbacks and no one ever directly tells her everything she needs to know about her past. At the beginning when she’s kidnapped by the Skrulls, we see her memories in a fun and clever way. Then we see how she got her powers and became a Kree, but that was through a tape recording.

Directors Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck did a great job at piecing things together in a unique way. Next are the visuals, which were spectacular, not just the space exploration and crazy laser attacks, but just the regular fights looked wicked as well. For those who have already seen the film, all you have to do is think back to the scene on the train and you’ll agree. The visuals are even better if you get to see it in theaters in a premium setting such as IMAX or Dolby. The entire experience really comes to life. The film did great with their choice of cast too. In addition to Brie Larson and Samuel L. Jackson, the film featured Jude law as her mentor Yon-Rogg and Ben Mendelsohn as Talos, the leader of the Skrulls. I only found one issue with Captain Marvel, at the end she ends up being too powerful. Yes, she’s meant to be nearly unstoppable but if she is that powerful then you have to wonder what challenges she will face in her upcoming movies if no one can defeat her or match her power. That’s not how to make a good story. You always need some sort of a conflict in a superhero film to

Dreamworks Animated: How To Train Your Dragon Review

Photo credit: BagoGames via Flickr

By Richard Heaton Sequels rarely live up to the originals, whether it’s based on scores or fanfare. Most of the time, when film lovers think of sequels, a bad taste is left in their mouths But things are different when it comes to Dreamworks Animation and their How to Train Your Dragon film series. On Feb. 22, the third and final film in the series was released and it closed out the series that has gone on for more than a decade. The first two films were released in 2010 and 2014. The first was released to a 98 percent Rotten Tomatoes score while the second was released to a 92 percent score. The Hidden World holds the lowest score of the three, but still a solid 91 percent. One of the reasons that the film and the entire series is so successful is that at its foundation, it’s what a coming of age story should be. Most coming of

age films are resolved in just one film, but not this one. Sure, the series is about dragons but it’s more about the growth and development of one boy. In the series, Jay Baruchel plays Hiccup. He’s 15 years old at the start of the first film and by the end of this one he’s 21. You can’t tell his story in just one film so it’s less of a trilogy and more of one continuous development. Throughout the series he finds his courage, he deals with loss, and he becomes a leader. The final film closes out his story from a young boy into a chief and leaves viewers wishing that there was more. One of the strongest points of the film is the music. John Powell returned to score the third film after being nominated for an Oscar in 2011 for his work on the first. Powell’s really makes you believe that you’re in the movie. The film takes place in the viking world and that’s exactly the type of tone that the music offers.

The score features instruments that you would expect to find in that age and really makes the film feel more like an epic. Powell also does a great job bouncing between happy upbeat music and emotional tunes. Another high point of the film is the graphics. The graphics of How to Train Your Dragon has come a really long way since it started in 2010. If you looked at the first and third films side by side you wouldn’t even be able to tell that they were by the same people based on graphics alone. The film features incredibly fluent animations and vibrant colors that make the action pop out and keep your eyes glued to the screen. As for voice acting, the film featured a very talented cast. In addition to Jay Baruchel as the leading man, Jonah Hill, Gerald Butler, Kit Harrington, and Kristen Wiig are some big names that you probably recognized while watching. If you are a fan of the series

then it would be a no-brainer to see this one. But even if you aren’t a fan, it’s something that you should look into if you like animated films in general. It has a little bit of everything that makes a great film and will probably end up being one of the best animated films of 2019. The film wasn’t as great as the first because there wasn’t as much world building but it’s much better than what you should expect from a sequel. Personally, the film deserves a better grade than what Rotten Tomatoes is giving it, a 95 percent seems more like a reasonable score.

Richard Heaton is the Arts & Entertainment Editor. He can be reached at richard.heaton@ yorkmail.cuny.edu

keep it grounded and to give our hero a challenge. Superman has Kryptonite, Aquaman was fighting for his life until the very end, and most of the conflict from Captain America: Civil War hasn’t even been resolved yet. Captain Marvel started fun and had lots of challenges for everyone involved, but then things became way too easy like the writers stopped really working. She didn’t even fight YonRogg. All she did was zap him and then yay the world is saved. There’s nothing wrong with that, but the ending really served no point other than looking cool and setting up Avengers: Endgame next month. Other than that, the film was a lot of fun. We get to see a young Nick Fury and the origins of the Avengers, along with some cool 1990’s nostalgia. For a grade, I’d have to say that Captain Marvel gets a respectable 88.

Richard Heaton is the Arts & Entertainment Editor. He can be reached at richard.heaton@ yorkmail.cuny.edu

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NY Passes Law Banning Discrimination Against Natural Hair

Photo credit: Bandita via Flickr

By Theodora Danso On Feb. 19 New York City’s Human Rights Commission passed a law stating that discrimination of someone because of their hair at work, schools and public places will now be considered racial discrimination. The law comes after the many instances of people with natural hair being forced to choose between keeping their hair or getting fired or sent home.

For instance, a Buena Regional High School varsity wrestler had his dreadlocks forcefully cut by a referee before his match after the referee told him to cut his hair or forfeit his match. When the video of the altercation was posted on social media it led to national outrage and got the referee banned. However, it doesn’t take away from the emotional and mental strain the wrestler may have experienced. The law says that anyone found guilty of discrimination

against someone based on their hair can get fined up to $250,000. According to the New York Times “the New York City’s Human Rights Commission specifically asserts the right of people to have natural hair, treated or untreated hairstyles such as locs, cornrows, twists, braids, bantu knots, fades, afros, and/or the right to keep hair in an uncut or untrimmed state.” Carmelyn P. Malalis, the commissioner and chairwoman of the New York City Commission on

Jussie Smollett Charged with 16 Counts of Disorderly Conduct

Photo credit: Dominick D

By Autumn Matthews Jussie Smollett, who was at one time most well known for his role as Jamal Lyon on Fox’s series Empire, was charged on March 7 with 16 counts of disorderly conduct after he lied about being the victim of a hate crime. On Jan. 30 Smollett reported to police that he was attacked by two men wearing Make America Great Again hats, who then poured an “unknown chemical substance” on him, tied a noose around his neck and shouted racial and homophobic slurs at him. After an investigation police found that Smollett had orchestrated the whole attack because he was unhappy with the current paycheck he was receiving for

Empire and wanted to use the attack as a way to advance his career. When I first heard about his attack I felt sorry for him and the fact that he to suffer the physical and emotional trauma of the attack just because someone didn’t like his sexuality and race. I wondered who would want to do such a thing to someone who wasn’t bothering anyone and was known for always being very kind and supportive to not just his fans but everyone else he has met. However, after watching the interview he did with Robin Roberts after his attack, I began to suspect that something wasn’t right with his recounting of the attack. What he was saying about the attack and what the Chicago police were saying were not adding up.

For instance in the initial report filed by Smollett it said that he had broken ribs but how can someone with broken ribs be released from the hospital the very next day. Also, according to him, his attackers had tied a rope around his neck but when I looked at the pictures of the facetime call between him and Lee Daniels his neck looked pretty fine to me. The only injury I saw was a bruise underneath his eye. Then soon after his interview, more evidence from the Chicago police department started to point to the fact that it looked like he had staged the entire attack. Once I learned that he had been charged with disorderly conduct because the police had substantial evidence that he had staged the attack and then lied to the police I was very upset and confused. I did not know what to believe especially after he turned himself in. I do sort of feel that the people who are investigating this case are either making up evidence to make Smollett look bad or this case is going to end up being one big misunderstanding. However, if Smollett is found guilty of staging his hate crime attack then he should be “canceled” and he should not be allowed to star on Empire any longer. For now, until this investigation is over, people are going to continue standing by him and believe that he is not guilty of the charges against him.

Autumn Matthews is a staff reporter. She can be reached at autumn.matthews@yorkmail. cuny.edu

Human Rights, said that the reason the law was passed was due to the fact that refusing someone the right to wear their natural hair is “based on racist standards of appearance.” While this may seem like a trivial issue to some people, the issue of people being singled out for their hair has been an ongoing problem all over the world, and dates all the way back to the era of slavery. It is often said that the hair is a person’s crowning glory. Hair can represent beauty, social status, spirituality, religiosity and many other different reasons.. Runaway slaves braided patterns in their hair that served as maps to their escape route. Mothers put rice in the hair of their children before braiding during times when their children were going to be sold to new slave owners. This was to ensure that their kids didn’t starve on the long commute to their new slave owners. To the Rastafarians, dreadlocks have a spiritual symbolism. During slavery, slave women were asked to cover their hair with head wraps or scarves. The overlords or slave masters imposed it as a badge of enslavement. The slaves rebelled by using beautifully patterned scarves and tying them in intricate styles to adorn themselves. In the 1960s, for example, wearing an Afro, was seen

as a political stance rather than for its pure aesthetic purpose. Today, certain hair types and styles are considered unsightly and unprofessional. The question however is, why should a person’s natural hair be seen as inappropriate when it is what the person is born with? It doesn’t seem to affect the person’s productivity or attitude to their work, so why should it be an issue for others? For instance, a soldier is still a soldier protecting a country whether they have dreadlocks, braids, straight or curly hair. It doesn’t take away from their duties or make them less efficient. While this law may not stop people from thinking that natural hair is unsightly or unprofessional the passing of this law is a step in the right direction towards equality for all. This ban will help promote self-confidence, boost self-esteem, eradicate bullying and lead to an overall great mental health. Hopefully, other states in the country would follow suit as well as the rest of the world, because a person’s hair should not define them or their capabilities. No one should be made to feel inferior because of their choice of hairstyle.

Theodora Danso is a staff reporter. She can be reached at theodora.danso@yorkmail.cuny.edu

OP PBED Wednesday, March 20, 2019

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Sony Is Ready for the Future

Photo credit: Richard Heaton

By Ricard Heaton The South by Southwest Conferences and Festivals was the place to be if you wanted to see the technology of the future. There were plenty of exhibits throughout the Austin Convention Center but the real fun was discovered as I was leaving the center to look for lunch on the first day. It was 80 degrees out and near the entrance of a building with a large Sony sign on the side, there were two staff members handing out tickets for free beverages. That was enough to bring me in, unaware of what was waiting inside. Inside, near the entrance, there

was a large pit with four puppies inside. But wait, they were robots. The first exhibit was called Aibo. Aibo has been around since the late 1990’s but were discontinued in 2006. Last year, they were brought back in Japan and featured at this event. Each robotic dog had sensors on their head and backs so that they can react when pet. They also had the ability to track movement, walk, and distinguish between people, toys, and food. There were about half a dozen guests sitting and playing with the dogs. Even one of the curators were in on the fun, getting each dog to do different tricks such as standing up and playing dead. Further into the building were some tables with tiny robots on

them. They were rotating around on tables and every now and then, they would speak in a weird robotic language. Whenever one would speak, another one nearby would usually respond with it’s own series of sounds. This was when one of the curators walked over and began talking about how these robots have been developing their own language and were slowly creating their own culture. “A few years ago they began speaking to each other and over time developed their own language. Not even their developers understand it. And at each event they go to, they see new people and they learn and remember,” he said. Then came the whispers of the robotic uprising throughout the room. “It’s watching me.”

Despite an air of fear and shock, everyone who visited this exhibit displayed curiosity and amusement. Guests would walk in a circle around the robot, which would in turn rotate on its pedestal and follow them. The robots head would tilt and move, tracking the movement of guests and in a way, responding. After spending some time walking around the exhibit, I noticed that there was one robot that’s been rotating and watching me the entire time. So I did what any person would do in this situation and initiated a heated staring contest with it. I did not win. Most robots do not blink. Once I became bored of these robots, I moved onto the main area of the Sony building. It was a huge room with a 200-seat theater, a bar, and space for numerous games and exhibits. I took a seat just as one panel was beginning and tried my best to wrap my head around it. The panel was titled Is it Silly to Care About a Robot and discussed the emotional bond between a hu-

man and robot. While it was a panel designed to discuss the not so far future, it felt more like the plot of a James Cameron film than anything else. It made people think though. Not just about what robots can do in the future, but how they interact with humans as well. For those who have seen any of the Terminator films, it’s known that a number of things can go wrong with developing robots. These panels created a dynamic for what needs to be done for a well developed future. If this event was any indication, it was proof that Sony is ready for the future. We might not be ready for Sony’s preparedness though, for a long long time.

Richard Heaton is the Arts & Entertainment Editor. He can be reached at richard.heaton@ yorkmail.cuny.edu

PBPB “The robots will take over.”

“The robots are going to take all our jobs.”

Pandora’s Box EDITORIAL BOARD: Editor-in-Chief: Danielle Cruz danielle.cruz@yorkmail.cuny.edu

Managing Editor: Pedro Bermejo pedro.bermejo@yorkmail.cuny.edu

News Editor: Angel Adegbesan angel.adegbesan@yorkmail.cuny.edu

Fiifi Frimpong is the Sports Editor. He can be reached at fiifi. frimpong@yorkmail.cuny.edu

STAFF REPORTERS:

Asar John Sherry Shivprasad Autumn Matthews Theodora Danso Dwayne McBean

asar.john@yorkmail.cuny.edu sherry.shivprasad@yorkmail.cuny.edu autumn.matthews@yorkmail.cuny.edu theodora.danso@yorkmail.cuny.edu dwayne.mcbean1@yorkmail.cuny.edu

Assistant News Editor: Rachel Dalloo rachel.dalloo@yorkmail.cuny.edu Arts/Ent. Editor: Richard Heaton richard.heaton@yorkmail.cuny.edu Sports Editor: Fiifi Frimpong fiifi.frimpong@yorkmail.cuny.edu

Photo Editor: Adisa Sobers adisa.sobers@yorkmail.cuny.edu Faculty Advisor: Bill Hughes w.hughes@york.cuny.edu

This policy states Pandora’s Box position on discrimantion. This policy applies to all Pandora’s Box employees, volunteers, members, clients, and contractors. Pandora’s Box follows an equal opportunity employment policy and employs personnel without regard to race, creed, color, ethnicity, national origin, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender expression, age, physical or mental ability, veteran status, military obligations, and marital status. This policy also applies to internal promotions, training, opportunities for advancement, terminations, outside vendors, members and customers, service clients, use of contractors and consultants, and dealings with the general public.

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Wednesday, March. 20, 2019

Cardinals Perform Well at CUNYAC Champs

David Gettleman Continues to Puzzle NY

Photo Credit: Wikipedia Commons

By Fiifi Frimpong Photo credit: York Athletics Website

By Richard Heaton Last month the York College track team faced off against other schools in the CUNY Athletic Conference Championship. They did not disappoint. In the women’s 60-meter dash, York had two athletes finish in the top half. Kalice Hitchman finished seventh in 8.31 seconds while Destiny Scott finished fifth in 8.13 seconds. The men’s 60-meter dash also had two athletes finish in fifth

and seventh. Hezekiah Corbin finished in 7.39 seconds while Rojhn Miller finished in 7.31. When it came to the women’s 400-meter dash, Scott gave it her best and finished in 29.141 seconds. She placed third and behind her, Emely Cuevas finished in sixth place, clocking in at 30.829 seconds. In the 4x400-meter relay, both teams performed well in their respective races. The men’s team, consisting of Shevon Walker, Andrew George, Keshawn Ross, and Rojhn Miller finished third with a

time of 3:35.90. The women’s team consisted of Geraldine Guese, Shalanie McIntosh, Emily Cuevas, and Destiny Scott. They took home the gold by finishing in 4:20.34, beating Hunter College by less than a second. Next up, York will participate in the Wagner College Invitational in Staten Island, NY.

Richard Heaton is the Arts & Entertainment Editor. He can be reached at richard.heaton@ yorkmail.cuny.edu

2019 Major League Baseball Preview

Photo Credit: Keith Allison

By Richard Heaton With less than two weeks to go until the start of the 2019 MLB season, it’s time to take a look at our local New York teams and see where we think they will end up. The Yankees finished the 2018 season with 100 wins while the Mets finished with 77. Both have made a lot of changes during the off-season and hope to see different results in the upcoming season. The Yankees won’t win as many games as they did in 2018. While it’s true that they have been making upgrades with guys like Troy Tulowitzki, DJ LeMahieu, and James Paxton, injuries are going to affect them big time. CC Sabathia and Luis Severino will both start the season on the injured list. Severino is going to miss at least a month. CC Sabathia will miss a short amount of time due to suspension and injuries. Didi Gregorious will miss

a chunk of the season recovering from Tommy John surgery. The Yankees could start May as a 100-win team but throughout the month of April, they will have a small hole to climb out of thanks to replacement level players taking the field. Once Didi comes back and the Yankees put out a daily infield of Didi, Luke Voit/Greg Bird, Gary Sanchez, Gleyber Torres, and Miguel Andujar, things are really going to heat up. But until that point, the first month of the season will likely be one of their worst. The Yankees will still win a lot of games, most likely between 94-97 games. Their best pitcher will most likely be Paxton. He’s projected to win a career best 15 games while posting an ERA just below 3.70. Their best hitter will most likely be Aaron Hicks. He will have his first 30 home run season while scoring more than 100 runs. The Mets on the other hand are poised for a much bigger

improvement than the Yankees. They upgraded every area except for their rotation. In the outfield they lost Jay Bruce but acquired Gregor Blanco, Keon Broxton, and Carlos Gomez. They also have Juan Lagares and Yoenis Cespedes returning from injury. In the infield, they lost Wilmer Flores, David Wright, and Jose Reyes but acquired Robinson Cano, Jed Lowrie, J.D. Davis, and Adeiny Hechavarria. They also have Peter Alonso coming up from the minor leagues. In their bullpen, they acquired last season’s best closer, Edwin Diaz as well as Justin Wilson and Jeurys Familia. When you look at the amount of power and depth that the Mets added, it’s a huge improvement, enough for the Mets to win between 89-92 games. Their best player may be Cano hitting .290 with 25 home runs and their best pitcher will be Jacob deGrom with his first 20-win season. It’s very possible that the National League East may have three teams winning at least 90 games. Both local teams will get the first wild card spot and could take the division if players stay healthy. How have the two teams been doing so far in spring training? As of March 19, the Yankees were 14-6 while the Mets were 9-14. The Mets had four players hitting above .350, with Cano hitting .475. The Yankees had two player hitting .400, Andujar and Brett Gardner. Both teams begin their respective seasons on March 28, the Yankees play the Orioles at home while the Mets play the Nationals in D.C. Fiifi Frimpong is the Sports Editor. He can be reached at fiifi. frimpong@yorkmail.cuny.edu

The NFL season hasn’t even began and Giants fans are already left in tears, confused with General Manager’s David Gettleman’s actions. On Tuesday March 12, the general manager decided to shock New York and the NFL world by trading star receiver Odell Beckham Jr. to the Cleveland Browns. What was the return you ask? First and third-round picks in this April’s draft and safety Jabrill Peppers. More simply, a bag of chips for the best receiver the franchise has ever had. Giants fans everywhere (myself included) couldn’t comprehend the move. We’re almost seven months removed from the star signing his 5-year contract extension, cementing him to be the cornerstone of the NY Giants. We go through another rocky season after being ensured the team was built for a playoff run, filled with losing and OBJ narratives that never ended. Through it all, Gettleman ensured the receiver wasn’t going anywhere. He even reiterated in the past months, as recent as Feb. 27, that Beckham will not be going anywhere despite recent trade rumors. “We didn’t sign Odell to trade him,” Gettleman said at the NFL Scouting Combine. “That’s all I need to say about that.” Pick a side Gettleman. Can we at least have some clarity on what’s going on? Alright fine, enough whining from me (not really). So let’s get a sense of what’s going on here. Trading your star receiver along with pro bowl defensive end Olivier Vernon for draft picks and young players under contract would signify you’re tearing everything down and planning strictly for the future. Also, don’t forget that defensive tackle Damon Harrison and cornerback Eli Apple were traded away last season for future picks. Landon Collins was allowed to walk away for nothing in free

agency after Giants decided not to franchise tag the safety. All signs point to rebuild mode, right? If that’s the case, fine. So be it. But why keep Eli Manning on the roster for another losing season? Cutting him would save the team $17 million this season. Maybe Gettleman still wants to follow the “Kansas City Model” he supported weeks ago, alluding to drafting a young quarterback like Patrick Mahomes and having him sit and learn behind a seasoned veteran for a year. But we already learned earlier that this general manager is quick to change is mind on things, so who knows. Why trade OBJ then sign Golden Tate to a 4-year, $37.5 million deal with $23 million guaranteed? A team looking towards the future signing a player to a multiyear deal who turns 31 before the season starts doesn’t sound ideal. Especially when you had a 26-year-old superstar under contract for the next five years. What possible explanation could there be for signing 34-yearold safety Antoine Bethea to a two-year deal when there was an opportunity to sign or franchise tag Landon Collins? It looks like Gettleman wants to find a way to win while rebuilding. Someone should knock his door down and quickly remind him he isn’t with the New York Yankees. They’re the only team in town that can successfully win games while going through a roster overhaul. Kudos Brian Cashman. I’m not sure if much worse could happen this offseason. Only thing I could think of would be to pass on both Kyler Murray and Dwayne Haskins in the draft. It is a defense-heavy draft but not drafting any of those prospects will send New York in deep misery. Hang tight Giants fans. It’s going to be a long ride. Fiifi Frimpong is the Sports Editor. He can be reached at fiifi. frimpong@yorkmail.cuny.edu

Good luck to the Cardinal track team competing in the Wagner College Invitational on March 23, at the Hameline Field in Staten Island, NY.

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Wednesday, March 20, 2019

E-Sports Coming To York?

SCHEDULE

York College’s Athletic Director, Denee’ Barracato, says she is looking into bringing E-Sports to York. Photo Credit: Wikipedia Commons

By Fiifi Frimpong York College gamers could expect to play their favorite games in a competitive e-sports league against other schools in the near future. The rising billion-dollar industry has been a trend for years and York students may have their chance to test the waters of competitive online gaming. Denee’ Barracato, York College’s athletic director, acknowledged the growing trend. She mentioned that e-sports is an area she plans to explore, but other plans have taken priority over beginning an e-sports division within the school. “E-sports is a growing interest in the collegiate realm,” she said. “We aren’t at a point to provide that service to students right now. We want to focus on other areas in the school that are lacking before we begin to implement e-sports.” The possibility of implement-

ing an e-sports team isn’t out of reach for the school. Other schools in the City University of New York (CUNY) system, like Baruch, Hunter, Queens, among others all have their own e-sports teams. They play in the Collegiate Starleague, an intercollegiate gaming league open to all accredited colleges and universities in North America. Games are run all year-long with weekly matches. There is a wide variety of games that could be played competitively. League of Legends, Overwatch, and Counter-Strike: Global Offensive are some of the most popular games in the e-sports scene right now. Tournaments on Twitch, an online live streaming platform, constantly accumulates tens, sometimes hundreds of thousands of views from fans worldwide. Students could test their skills in battle royal shooters like Apex Legends and Fortnite. Traditional first-person shooter, Call of Duty, have also been a top option for

e-sport tournaments since the origins of competitive gaming. Sports games like Madden NFL and NBA 2K are also popular and are steadily making its way up the ranks year-by-year. E-sport’s growth has been undeniable, collegiately and professionally. What started as a casual hobby turned into an avenue for gamers to receive an annual salary. Recently, a huge milestone was reached in the NBA 2k League on March 5. Warriors Gaming, run by the National Basketball Association’s Golden State Warriors, drafted Chiquita Evans in the fourth round, making her the first woman ever drafted in the NBA 2K League. With the continous growth of the industry, more milestones like this will be achieved. According to Forbes, ESPN dedicated parts of its website and magazine to e-sports due to colleges and other audiences investing so much into the industry. The business magazine also

reported that in 2013, the League of Legends World Championship sold out Staples Center in Los Angeles and brought in another 27 million viewers. That large number is almost as much as the combined audience for the NBA Finals and MLB World Series that year. Running an e-sports program would be an alternative for more students to get involved with the York community outside of daily academic rigors. Barracato noted the idea is one that she’s making sure is studied properly so all parties involved could enjoy. “I’m doing my research now,” the athletic director said. “I’ve been to seminars to discuss and learn about e-sports. I just want to make sure everything is done properly.”

Fiifi Frimpong is the Sports Editor. He can be reached at fiifi. frimpong@yorkmail.cuny.edu

Men’s Volleyball Mar. 21: Away @ Lehman College (NY) 7:00 p.m. Mar. 22: Home vs. New Jersey City University (NJ) 7:00 p.m. Mar. 26: Away @ John Jay College (NY) 7:00 p.m. Mar. 27: Home vs. St. Joseph’s College - Brooklyn (NY) 7:30 p.m. Mar. 30: Away vs Stevenson University (MD) Chester, PA 2:00 p.m. Mar. 30: Away vs Widener University (PA) - Chester, PA 4:00 p.m. Softball Mar. 20: Away @ Hunter College (NY) 3:00 p.m./5:00 p.m. Mar. 26: Away @ Baruch College (NY) 3:00 p.m./5:00 p.m. Mar. 30: Home vs. College of Staten Island (NY) 2:00 p.m./4:00 p.m. Men’s Tennis Mar. 20: Away @ Hunter College (NY) 3:30 p.m. Mar. 23: Away @ Rutgers-Newark (NJ) 1:00 p.m. Mar. 24: Home vs. Albertus Magnus College (CT) 2:00 p.m. Mar. 27: Home vs Brooklyn College (NY) 3:30 p.m. Mar. 30: Away @ John Jay College (NY) 12:00 p.m.