May 2019

BULLETIN BARNARD

MAY 2019

Emma Yee Yick ‘19 & Collier Curran ‘20 EDITORS-IN-CHIEF Claudia Levey ‘19 & Veronica Suchodolski '19 MANAGING EDITORS Yudi Liu '19 CREATIVE DIRECTOR SOCIAL MEDIA DIRECTOR POLITICS & OPINION EDITOR NEW YORK CITY LIVING EDITOR Emily Supple ‘19 Sara Hameed '20 Pavi chance '20 SOCIAL MEDIA EDITORS ASSOCIATE EDITOR Allie Goines ‘20 Naava ellenberg '21 LAYOUT DIRECTOR Aoife Henchy ‘19 STAFF WRITERS Galiba Gofur '20 Yunxiao Cherrie Zheng ‘21 Annabella Correa-Maynard '20 LAYOUT EDITOR Hadassah Solomson '20 Nicola Sheybani '22 EVENTS DIRECTOR Lillian Zhang '21 ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR PHOTOSHOOT DIRECTOR Julia Tache '19 Yuki Mitsuda '21 COMMUNITY RELATIONS ASSOCIATE EDITOR DIRECTOR Kalena chiu '20 ART DIRECTOR Sara Hameed '20 STAFF WRITER Sadie Kramer '21 Annette Stonebarger '21 FEATURES EDITOR PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR Juliana Kaplan '19 HEALTH & STYLE EDITOR Peyton Ayers '21 STAFF WRITER Isabella Monaco '20 Aliya Schneider '20 THANK YOU TO THE RUTH BAYARD SMITH '72 MEMORIAL FUND FOR ITS SUPPORT OF THE BULLETIN Barnard Bulletin 3009 broadway new york, ny 10027 Thebarnardbulletin.com LIKE US ON FACEBOOK follow us on twitter follow us on instagram

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A Letter From Our Editors Dearest Readers, EYY here. This is a particularly bittersweet issue for me because it is in fact my last — ever. I remember sitting in our pub suite for my very first pitch meeting, doe-eyed and in awe of the women around me. In all of them, I saw pieces of what I hoped to become at Barnard. Now I sit in the very same place, as Editor-in-Chief, still surrounded by women who continue to astound and inspire me. To say it one more time for the people in the back, the Barnard Bulletin is Barnard’s first and only campus lifestyle mag. This year we turned 118! That is 118 years of bringing all of you the low-down on all things NYC, news and narrative. It has also been 118 years of growing and evolving.

Despite all of this change, the BB has been my constant, a space of creativity and inclusivity that showcases what it looks like when Barnard students come together. If I have left any smidge of a mark on this campus, I hope that it has been through this lovely mag.

This issue, we let the Class of 2019 have the final word. Our Bulletin seniors reflect on their time, triumphs and struggles over the last four years and we share some of the radiant faces that make up our senior class. As Barnard’s curriculum increasingly takes a turn for a closer fusion between tech and the liberal arts, we provide some insight from President Beilock who is leading the change. We also bring you an interview with a rad student filmmaker, a campaign for #AllBodies representation in media and some veteran advice to take you into the summer.

And I guess that’s (really) all she wrote, it has been a wild ride. Thanks for sticking around. Next stop, Radio City and a sea of bold and beautiful baby blue.

Onwards and upwards, Emma Editor-in-Chief (Thank you to Collier for letting me have my moment.)

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IN THIS ISSUE SSUE 3 // Letter from the editors 5 // behind the scenes 6 // trending & playlist

HEALTH & STYLE 8 // Bacch is Back 10 // All Bodies 12 // Ripping Open Ripped Jeans 14 // HootMag: Columbia Fashion Powerhouse

FEATURES 18 // In Her Words: Your First Summer At Home 20 // Late Night At Barnumbia 22 // The Summer Struggle 28 // Centerpiece: Senior Smarts

POLITICS & OPINION 42 // Women in Politics: Kirsten Gillibrand 44 // How to Steal The Vote, as told by Barnard students 46 // TO STEM & The Liberal Arts: A Beilock Initiative 48 // Early Money is like Yeast...It Helps Raise the Dough!

50 // A Special Place in my Heart for the Special Olympics

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT 52 // The Best and Worst Movie Musical Adaptations 54 // ULTRA Nostalgia 56 // Filmmakers At Barnard: Addie Glickstein '20 60 // KCST: What Does Spring Show Mean to You?

NEW YORK CITY LIVING 64 // Barnard in the Outer Boroughs 67 // GAME ON 70 // CHEERS TO THE CLASS OF 2019!

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BEHIND THE SCENES

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5 - MAY 2019

ong sleeve leeve/ Long hirts Shirts Long sleeved shirts under short sleeved shirts. Middle school never really dies.

Roma oma Roma, a beautiful and heart wrenching film about a domestic worker in 1970s Mexico City that will be sure to make you emotional.

Bucket ucket Hats ats Bucket hats. With the weather getting warmer, you know it’s time to whip out those retro favorites!

Rock them with a fanny pack and sunglasses and you are good to go.

ame of f Game hrones Thrones eason 8 Season enim Jackets ackets Denim Oversized denim jackets for a badass look in warmer weather

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1.

Immaterial SOPHIE

Disclaimer: The Bulletin does not own any images on this page

I Got Five On It by by Luniz

3.

Cool Jonas Brothers

you should see me in a crown Billie Eilish

5.

2.

4.

Ease My Mind Ben Platt

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H&S

Bacch

is Back

B

by Isabella Monaco

acchanal-goers hit the lawns this year in neon, florals, and, of course, ripped jeans. We saw amany white sneakers and short skirts, as well as funky glasses and crop tops. SOPHIE brought out the best looks from the student body and made it an unforgettable and instagramable Bacch. Check out some of the coolest looks from my Instagram feed and maybe get some inspiration for next year. @alexandragrounds and friends killed it in color. Alexandra (right) wore a red latex skirt and tied a striped button down to make a cute crop top.

She finished off the look with gold necklaces and big red heart glasses. Charlotte (center) is rocking a one-shoulder red crop top and back jeans with a matching red detail down the sides.

Sabrina (left) is wearing a blue romper with cool pocket details, chunky bracelets, and blue shades.

@jayapuglise Jaya (‘20) sported a “Barnard Dad” cap but made it hot with a red bustier top (Meshski), light washed jeans (Zara), and Fila sneakers. Montana (right) wore a black floral print crop with skinny jeans and Adidas.

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Disclaimer: The Bulletin does not own any images on this page

@isabellamonaco My bacch look (left) featured a black crop top (Zara), black jean skirt (Forever 21), a cropped neon jacket, and tiny glasses (Princess Polly). Alexa (left) is wearing a white off-the-shoulder top (Blue Planet) and black jeans. We also wore matching white Air Force 1s.

@rinasonline One of our amazing openers, Rina Sawayama, slayed us all with her sporty, neon green mesh dress (NICOPANDA).

Her emerald green eye makeup made the look even edgier.

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All Bodies

W

by Priscilla Kong

hen we see the same type of body over and over again on magazine covers, runways, and especially our Instagram feeds, it’s easy to believe that we have to have long legs, thin arms, a flat stomach, a small waist, curves, a thigh gap (the list goes on and on) in order to be “pretty.” Society tells us that beauty is defined by these features and that skinny bodies are beautiful and healthy while larger bodies are not.

It’s hard to ignore these messages when we’re bombarded with them every day, scrolling through your Instagram feed, but it’s much more important to have a body that you feel happy with. The fact that you can be happy and healthy at any size has been gaining popularity, and many Instagrammers are showing the world that every single body is beautiful. The body positivity movement is helping us reframe our idea of what it means to be healthy, as well as what it means to be beautiful. In the end, what matters is your own happiness, not what anyone else says. The most important relationship we have is with ourselves, so we might as well learn to love ourselves! @bodyposipanda Megan Jayne Crabbe With 1.1 million followers on Instagram, Megan is encouraging people all over the world to love their bodies, no matter what size. Her “reverse” transforTHE BULLETIN -

mation photo, which shows her getting bigger instead of skinnier, captured a lot of attention. In the caption, she explains that she stopped “torturing [herself] every day”—obsessively working out for hours and starving herself—to make her body fit society’s standards. Even though society called her body beautiful, she wasn’t happy. Once she gained weight, however, she realized that you don’t need to be skinny to be happy, and it’s easy to see how much she loves her new, bigger body. “THIS IS MY HAPPY BODY,” she claims confidently. “Happiness isn’t a size.” @sophiejrose Sophie J. Rose Embracing her own unique style, Sophie is a proud supporter of body positivity.

She reminds her followers that stretch marks and body rolls are normal, that they don’t need to suck in their stomachs before a photo, that they should wear whatever makes them feel good, and that they are beautiful, sexy, and lovable no matter what. She admits that she still has a lot of insecuri-

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ties, and it’s hard to stay positive all the time. However, she encourages everyone to stop comparing themselves, celebrate their uniqueness, and focus on the positives. Self-love is a long but worthwhile journey, and learning to be happy in our bodies is one of the most important things we can do. We all deserve to be loved, especially by ourselves! @wallace_pxmkr Wallace Pxmkr A photographer and plus-size model, Wallace is another body positive influencer. He often posts nude photos of bodies of all shapes and sizes, capturing the beauty in each one. His most recent photoshoot, in collaboration with @shoot_ and_curves, features photos of shining, glimmering bodies. He doesn’t hide any of the imperfections—rolls and wrinkles are a l l on

display—but each body is still unique and perfect in its own way. Although he doesn’t post many of his own pictures, he demonstrates that the body positivity isn’t only for women: it’s for everyone, regardless of gender. @hi.ur.beautiful Instead of posting their own photos, this account shares encouraging quotes about self-love and body positivity: “Another woman’s beauty is not the absence of your own.” “You define your beauty.

That’s not a power anyone can have over you.” “I am an absolute f-cking babe and my weight does not define me.” “You cannot weigh beauty.” “Your body is beautiful if: you have a body. That’s it. You’re beautiful.” Simple yet empowering, their posts are perfect for saving in a collection, o r for sharing with friends!

Illustration by Angela Tran

Ripping Open Ripped Jeans

by Veronica Suchodolski

O

n the off chance that you don’t own a pair of ripped jeans, you definitely have a friend (or ten) that does. When you go shopping for jeans, the options are endless: holes in the knees, a cheeky slit on the upper thigh, and pantlegs that are so distressed you can hardly call them pants anymore barely begin to cover the array of pre-ripped pants that you can buy these days.

That said, how many of us

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have really thought about where this trend comes from? Recently, one of my professors asked me why everyone was wearing ripped jeans these days, and she told me the answer couldn’t just be that it’s a fashion statement. I found that I had no idea how to answer her question. Why is everyone wearing ripped jeans, from trendy fifteen-year-olds to my professor’s middle-aged mom friends? The question stuck with me, so I took to

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Illustration by Sadie Kramer

the internet to get educated.

Prior to the 1970s, wearing ripped jeans was generally associated with people from lower social classes. Ripped jeans weren’t a fashion statement—they were just necessity. People wore holes through their jeans and had no option other than to keep wearing them.

Perhaps because of this, ripped jeans were adopted as a political statement during the emergence of punk culture and counterculture in the 70s. People involved in these movements tore apart consumer goods as a way to show their anger at the values of capitalist societies and the governments that run them.

From this emergence in subculture, ripped jeans quickly became a mainstay of more mainstream grunge fashion in the 90s.

Influential figures like Kurt Cobain wore ripped jeans, and the pants became dissociated from their political roots and more connected to things like music and celebrity, becoming more of, well, a fashion statement.

Still, ripped jeans weren’t quite for the faint of heart back

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then, so why is it so common to see people of all walks of life wearing ripped jeans today? In the late 90s and early 2000s, it seems as though ripped jeans were still associated with a certain brand of tomfoolery, subversion, and just generally being a hooligan. I remember that when I was growing up my mom would make me throw out the jeans that I had worn holes in, and you certainly couldn’t buy them pre-distressed in store ranging from Hollister to JC Penney.

These days, ripped jeans are back in vogue thanks to the general 90s nostalgia that is taking over everything from the way we dress to the music we listen to (the Jonas Brothers reunion, anyone?). At this point, ripped jeans are so far removed from the political counterculture that created them, that even suburban moms are donning the fashion trend. These days, you don’t have to be a revolutionary to wear ripped jeans, and that’s okay; it’s part of how fashion naturally evolves. That said, it’s always good to be educated on the clothes you wear, rather than just latching on to a trend because everyone else is doing it.

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HOOTM AG : Columbia Fashion Powerhouse

H

by Alexa Silverman

AS: When did you start becoming involved with Hoot?

MC: I went to the intro meeting of Hoot my freshman year – it was the general body meeting and I was really excited. I was still kind of too intimidated to do anything, really, but sophomore year I ended up pitching to the e-board and they vetoed my idea. [Hoot] gave me really constructive criticism, and so I went away with [it], totally redid my idea, and then repitched. I ended up working really closely with Sloane, who was the Fashion Director at the time. I was there for every step of the process: I found a brand, helped get the clothes, she really helped me artistically direct the shoot. It ended up being the cover; it was a really beautiful shoot, black and white lingerie.

[Junior year] Sloane got lunch with me and said, “Do you want to take over the Fashion Director posi-

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tion? We saw your perseverance, that you had presented an idea that needed a lot of work. You reworked it, you did exactly what we wanted, and you learned.” Such a big part of this position is flexibility – [being] able to take constructive criticism. And I [said] “Absolutely, I want to do this.” I’ve been doing it for two years now.

AS: Has your role expanded in different ways? Have you seen it change?

MC: I didn’t quite know what it would entail when I first started. You really have to just be ready to pick up anything at any time, whether that’s going and getting clothes, finding and coordinating models, finding location, going back, looking at shoots, picking selects. It’s not an individual job by any means –it’s such a collective effort. [Hoot] has really pushed my ability to see myself taking on

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Photography by Grace Brennan

oot Magazine is an impressive student-run staple of the Barnard and Columbia fashion scene. I had the opportunity to speak with the wonderful Mia Ciallella (BC ‘19), Hoot’s current Fashion Director, to talk about the magazine’s importance on campus and beyond as well as Ciallella’s own personal growth through her involvement with the club.

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many different roles in an exciting and fun way I didn’t know I could do before.

AS: I know Hoot went through some reorganization this fall— how do you think that has changed its role on campus?

MC: Hoot has always been a place of intentionally building community – like I said, it really takes a village to make even just one publication of this happen, one photoshoot happen.

It’s a really fun and cool process, but I‘ve had so many people come up to me and say ‘I want to be a part of this but I don’t know how’ or ‘I’m too scared.’ [The board thought] how do we mitigate that, how do we show that Hoot is for everyone? The fashion world doesn’t always feel like it is for everyone, so I think the special

thing about Hoot is that we have the ability to create the space we want. So we introduced the Hooties program, which is a cohort program in which all the different e-board members – there’s about 10 of us – get four to five Hooties. They basically get to see more behind the scenes, and we’ve had a lot pitch, photograph, write stuff for the blog. It’s a way of seeing more of what goes on, having a stake in it, even if you’ve never done it before. I know it can be intimidating and it seems like everyone is so cool and creative, but we’re all just trying to figure it out. Hooties was a way for us to open that up and show that yes, Hoot is an intentional community.

Hoot is accessible. Fashion might not always seem like it is, but fashion is for everyone, and we wanted to show that.

AS: Do you think Hoot has a very specific niche within the NYC fashion world?

MC: There are a lot of institutions and colleges that have student run fashion magazines. I think that Hoot occupies a really interesting position because it was rebranded, really by Sloan and Anisa when they took over a couple years ago, and basically it’s doing a lot of new things and breaking of ground within the fashion and college world.

We have the privilege of being in NY, and have a lot of access to brands who will send us things when we request clothing. It’s a perfect combination of placement, institutional access, and just the creativity of the people here.

We get invited to some of the more minor NYFW shows, and I think if we tried, we could maybe get invited to more of the higher tier ones. Hoot does have a lot of clout, we’ve worked with pretty big brands before: Milk, Warby Parker, a lot of up-and-coming brands, which is really exciting. We get to build that partnership and trust with people who aren’t related to Columbia or Barnard.

AS: Can you speak about working with student designers?

MC: We’ve worked with student designers on campus. BC/CU aren’t fashion schools, so it’s not like there’s a plethora of people doing stuff, but there’s a really strong contingency of students who are just DIY; making

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their own clothes and doing it really, really well. [They] have brands developed. We’ve had students do Popups at our launches with their own clothing, which is really cool and feels like we’re giving students a platform, in so many different ways.

AS: What do you believe Hoot has given you?

MC: Hoot has given me so much and I’m so grateful to have been a part of it. It has challenged me in a lot of ways; to see how we can better represent the student body, how we can give a platform for students to represent themselves. People have so much creativity and so much desire to push the same type of meaningful representation that we do ... Really sometimes Hoot is a job of stepping back, being like ‘Yes we’re here, come show us what you can do, show us the space and the worlds you want to create.’

Being part of that has been the biggest gift in the world.

AS: Finally, do you see any fashion trends for 2019?

MC: Honestly, I’m just so drawn to the cowboy vibe that’s happening right now. I’m really, really interested to see where that’s going to go and I am fully on board. Yeehaw, all the way.

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Features

In Her Words:

Your First Summer At Home

Y

ou made it through your first year at Barnard, and maybe you’re looking forward (or not) to heading back home for the summer. As a senior, I’ve experienced three college summers — even though I’m from California, I spent the first two here in New York and spent last summer at home. This was a little unconventional, but I certainly experienced

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the joys and difficulties of a summer at home, maybe even more pronounced since I was coming home after junior year.

On Expectations: Perhaps one of the most important things to do before going home is to set expectations, both for yourself and your relationship with your family. It can be easy for you and

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Illustration by Angela Tran

by Julia Pickel

your family to slip back into patterns from high school, or to get frustrated when you feel like you do not have as much autonomy as you do at Barnard. One thing I found beneficial was talking with my parents, even before I came home, about how things would work. For instance, I did my own laundry and drove to work everyday, but my parents also requested that I let them know when I would be home at night.

Everyone in my family is insanely busy, so we also agreed on making time to hang out as a family. Your situation might be totally different, but having a conversation to discuss all the details is one of the best ways to position yourself for a successful summer at home.

On Friends: One of my favorite things at Barnard (which I’ll definitely miss when I graduate!) is being surrounded by friends all the time.

Even though I knew friends staying at home for the summer, it’s different when you aren’t living right next door to them. The flip side of this, however, is that it can be nice to have a bit more time and space — I did activities I normally don’t have time for or easy access to during the year, like crafting and hiking my hometown’s many beautiful trails.

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On Time: Your schedule will undoubtedly be different at school than at home. Whether you have an internship, a job, are taking summer classes, or aren’t quite sure what you’ll be doing yet, you will probably have a bit more free time than you do during the semester.

Taking advantage of this flexible schedule to relax and destress from finals is a great way to spend any free time you have in the first couple of weeks. Once I felt more well-rested, I tried to take advantage of everything I missed about home, from fresh local produce to my favorite science museum, the California Academy of Sciences.

While going home for the summer is definitely an adjustment, it’s also a great experience to reconnect with your hometown and your family and friends. One of the things I miss most when I’m at school is actually driving, so I loved driving over the Golden Gate Bridge everyday on my internship commute. Even if you aren’t particularly looking forward to the experience, you can find something familiar or fun about like at home. And regardless of your thoughts on spending time at home, you’ll most likely leave feeling refreshed and ready to head back to Barnard.

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Late Night At Barnumbia

“

by Maya Sanchez

You’re not allowed up here.”

A security guard stands next to the Alma Mater on Low Steps, hands crossed over his chest. He is blocking me from walking up the stairs and taking a seat. It’s midnight.

“I’m not?” For a second I think he means the entire Low Steps are off limits. But that couldn’t be true at all because I’ve been on those steps in the wee hours of the morning before.

“Since when?”

The security guard proceeds to give a short explanation that only the steps beyond Alma Mater were off limits from midnight until an some unknown hour in the morning. Following his heed, I take a seat midway through the steps; I can feel his eyes on me, as if daring me to do something other than take out my homework and do work.

At midnight, the campus is not quiet. As you probably know, college students don’t operate on a 9 to 5 schedule. It’s not surprising to me to see the campus mutely alive. I’m sure this vivacity is due in part to the night’s warmth. Earlier in the day, you couldn’t walk two steps on Low without tripping over someone trying

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to take in the sun’s rays. Even though the sun’s been down for hours, the heat lasts and makes it an enjoyable night. People walk back from the gym to their dorms clad in nothing but their workout gear. These people often come in pairs, sometimes small groups, rarely ever alone. There’s a group of ten or so people on the lawns, tossing a frisbee between them. Even though I’m a ways away from them, I can still hear their yells, laughter, and music.

Butler is the busiest part of campus. There’s a constant influx of people entering and exiting the building.

There are people sitting on the benches in front of the library, chatting and smoking and enjoying the fact that you can be outside at midnight without freezing a finger off.

As the minutes pass, there’s a gentle bliss that settles over campus where everything falls into place. It makes me take in a deep breath and appreciate the fact that I’m a student at this beautiful campus. That I’m here, thousands of miles away from where I grew up, living a life that is stressful at times, yes, but ultimately a life that makes me happy.

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It’s during this bliss that they come in.

This entire time there’s been a student behind me, sitting at the foot of the Alma Mater. He has an empty notebook in one hand, a pencil in the other. I chalk him up to a be CC kid that’s taking a breather and enjoying the nighttime air.

And then someone else walks by.

He’s older, just out of the gym, and begins talking so much to the CC kid that even though I’m not a part of the conversation, I feel as if we’re becoming friends. CC kid turns out to be just as I thought, a CC kid. But not entirely. He’s a junior, a transfer student whose first year at Columbia was this year. He’s studying something that has to do with math and the other man isn’t a student at all. He just lives in the area.

Sometimes, the Columbia bubble is too real. Being in the same few blocks for school, going to the same places a ten minute walk away from campus, seeing the same people every day is suffocating. But their conversation makes me realize that the bubble is something that is not as true as it seems. There is new life, new experiences that are constantly around us.

At times, living on this campus feels repetitive, but maybe that’s only because we expect it to be that way.

The man starts talking about his life, the lessons that he’s learned, exactly how he ended up here in the

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middle of Morningside Heights in the middle of the night. I get the feeling that some of the stuff he is saying is fabrications, stretches of the truths to the point where they sound more like the backstory of a protagonist with a heart of gold.

But right as I’m packing up and about to head to my dorm to go bed, he says something that stops me in my tracks.

“The biggest changes in your life always come from places that you don’t expect them to.”

It’s not by chance the first time I’ve heard that phrase. My parents have always encouraged me to try new things and see what they bring.

But for some reason, this strikes me differently. Maybe because of the time; maybe because I’m overjoyed with the fact that it’s finally spring; maybe it’s because the way he says it, with so much inflection and emotion that it feels more like an omen than advice.

Their conversation doesn’t stop there, but I walk home. My hands are cold and as I shove them in my pockets and think over how I’m going to write this piece, the man’s words stay with me. Changes come in various forms, both big and small. And maybe for me, the start of a change was sitting outside on Low Steps and seeing what exactly goes on in the late nights on Barnumbia.

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The Summer Struggle

by Sydney Hotz

I

’ve only had one summer fling, and my mom was the one who deemed it a fling before I knew it was one. All my relationships, even in middle school, were two years or longer. So when I met a Columbia grad on Coffee Meets Bagel during March of my sophomore year, and he pursued me through midterms and finals, I assumed our amazing summer romance would last through the years.

It was my first year living in NYC and working at Barnard, and he lived in Bushwick — the C train was my BFF. We explored BK, went to many a park, watched outdoor movies at the Oculus, etc. etc. The sex was great, and the romantic view from his apartment’s rooftop was the cher-

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ry on top. It was simple — reading books together on his fire escape, teaching him how to make tacos, nothing was stressful — everything was sun-kissed.

But, when I was finally settling into the relationship and school was two days away he decided it was time to call it quits. I was shook to say the least, and didn’t understand what went wrong.

The truth is: nothing major went wrong, but nothing was really going fantastic to begin with. My friends handed me tissues when I cried and reminded me that we were living different lifestyles — he was post-grad, an aspiring gym-rat, loved non-fiction, and didn’t have my hungry career

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drive. I was a junior, about to turn 21 and find my fave types of wine; I was a yoga amateur, and obsessed with fiction and heartbreaking poetry. Besides who we were, or weren’t, together, Morningside to Bushwick is basically an LDR. I was clear before we broke up that I wouldn’t be able to travel to his place beyond the special occasion or escape weekend.

And then two weeks later in a wild leap of faith, I agreed to an actual

LDR with my current boyfriend.

Besides his living in Philadelphia, he was everything I had been looking for in a partner and so I said yes when he asked to be exclusive. A year of long distance had its ups and downs, and it was the most amazing feeling when we survived the summer and he moved to NYC to work.

Here’s what I learned in both of these relationships:

DO: • Recognize how your current life will change if you pursue this S.O. • Is it an LDR? Or an UWS to BK LDR? Or are you living in their 600 or Hartley single 24/7? Will you study together or cherish the rare weekend you get to Netflix and chill? Is this the schedule you want?

• Be realistic about the summer • Will you be in NYC and they’ll be in Seattle at their dream tech internship?

• Think about your respective love languages • If you need physical touch and it’ll be a summer LDR, it probably won’t work. But if your love language is gifts, they can send you letters or postcards or flowers and you might survive.

• Negotiate how and when you’ll communicate • Is Facetime a daily requirement? Is cooking each other dinner three times per week a fun time to catch up?

DON’T: • Love the sex and not the person • Trust me, I’m all about quality time under the sheets, especially in the summer when you’re not dying over homework, but their body alone will not last once your tan or sunburn fades.

• Lie about what you want • If you want it exclusive and they don’t, bye! Not worth the confusion, the hurt feelings, the tissue boxes you’ll need when you cry.

• Get caught in the freedom of summer • Sure, you like this person while eating Amorino gelato in 80 degree weather, but do you like them when you have three essays and two exams that week, and you’re wrapped in 18 scarves?

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23 - May 2019

In Her Words:

My (Pole Dancing) Journey to Self-Love

by Kalena Chiu

M

y interest in pole dancing began as a product of an aversion to exercise. What it turned out to be, though, was a deeply spiritual journey interwoven with empowerment, reclamation, and healing. I never expected a simple Google search in 2016, after much meandering, to lead me to a place and a community that provided me the space and permission I needed to metamorphose into the self-assured, loving, and confident woman I am today.

Pole fitness had been on my radar since I was a senior in high school. I remember, at seventeen, sitting cross-legged in my bedroom and staring at the blinking cursor on my Google search: “Pole dance studios near me.”

Two years passed before I actually began pole dancing. I spent my freshman year in Fort Worth, Texas, but without a car working out off-campus was utterly implausible.

In the fall of 2017, I transferred to Barnard. The move to New York promised endless possibilities, but in the midst of adjusting to life at a new university, fitness fell to the wayside. However, in December 2017, Buzzfeed’s Ladylike published a video on YouTube titled “Devin Teaches Us Pole Dancing.” Devin recounted her own journey at S Factor, which is the pole studio she teaches at. Immediately, I was sold.

S Factor has to have a New York studio, I thought to myself. Three days later, I was down at their Chelsea studio to attend my Introductory Teaser Class, and the rest is history. I was captivated. The warm

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red light of the studios drew me in and the mirrorless walls comforted me, acting as a constant reminder that the goal was to feel good rather than to look good.

Most of all, though, I found myself entranced by the women of S; I could feel a spirituality, a power flowing through their veins, begging to be released. The moment they touched the dance floor or the pole or the chair or the wall, it was as if a window to their soul opened up. They harnessed their emotional energy, allowing it to drive their movement. They understood the power in their vulnerability. These women were in-tune with their quintessence. I knew nothing more than that I wanted to be like them.

I began my formal “journey” at S Factor in February 2018, after returning from winter break and solidifying my class schedule. Logically, I knew S Factor wasn’t just about fitness and pole technique; it was, at its core, about learning to love yourself and to own the body.

But while I understood this, I didn’t know what, exactly, it meant for me.

I spent my first year at S Factor learning the S language — we practiced spine circles, rocking cats, pumps, and reverse cat pounces in the warm-up. On the pole, I learned to Firefly, Ballerina, Pole Sit, and Snake. I noticed myself growing more limber, reaching farther during stretches. My ever-improving pole climbs proved just how much core strength I’d built (I was no longer the limp spaghetti noodle of a human who’d walked into the Intro Teaser Class the previous December). Most notably, however, was the mental and emotional change in me thanks to S — after every pole class, I’d return home feeling beautiful, powerful, and ready to take on the world.

Each person’s journey through S is entirely unique. Some women in my class progressed exponentially faster than me. I won’t claim that I didn’t feel dejected. I’d watch from the sidelines in awe of their supple, feline crawls and smooth pole dismounts. When it was my turn to dance, I’d stick strictly to the routine, wary of improvised movements. I’d convinced myself that if I wandered into unknown territory, my body would outwardly reflect my concealed apprehension.

Fear was the last thing I wanted to display in a place where I thought I

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needed to be brave.

“There’s a shyness, a restraint to your creature,” Christina, my instructor, said to me one night. “Play with that.”

Christina’s words stayed with me. I wasn’t sure, though, whether shyness was a fundamental part of my deepest self — what we fondly refer to as the “erotic creature” at S — or if the real root of my tentativeness in class was because I still had walls up, because I was still letting my fear control me. Either way, I knew that I’d only find an answer by continuing on my S Journey and giving myself the time and space to grow.

It wasn’t until after a full year of pole dancing that everything finally clicked for me. I’d had a rocky fall semester filled with every breed of heartache imaginable. I was too focused on my joy relative to others; self-sustaining happiness fell far to the wayside. I returned to S after winter break feeling like I’d shed my old skin. The weight of everything before had passed and I felt freer, fresher, newer.

And suddenly, in my dances, my movements were less restrained.

I found myself growing more and more able to slide out of my head and into my desires. If my hips wanted to circle, I’d let my pelvis lead.

If my body wanted to elevate, I’d slink up the pole. If the floor called, my body would melt out of the armchair to reach it.

Now, imbued with this fluidity, this newfound freedom, call it what you want, I became open to a deeper level of self-love. Through S, my soul began stitching itself back together in areas that I didn’t know needed to be hemmed. Joy, love, anguish, desire, indignation — all my emotions pour out through my movement. With each dance, I heal a little bit more.

I look back on where I started, at the woman I was when I started S, and, peculiarly, all I can think is how I felt whole then, too. S has revealed to me new magnitudes of love and that my capacity for love — for myself and for others — is unlimited.

Today, I am in love. I am in love with myself. I am in love with the world around me. I am unequivocally happy. I return to S every week to express this joy and to probe deeper into it, into my creature, into my soul. There is a universe inside me; I plan to explore it all.

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Senior

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Smarts

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B

eing a senior is essentially feeling every conceivable emotion under the sun all the time.

It’s hard to know whether you should bathe in nostalgia, plunge excitedly into the next venture, or simply crawl under your covers and cry.

It’s generally a combination of all of the above. In the spirit of this strange and crazy and beautiful time, Bulletin seniors are here to reflect, dissect, and perhaps offer some wisdom on their time here at Barnard.

PhotographY & Art Direction: Yuki Mitsuda Models: Veronica Suchodolski Emma Yee Yick Yudi Liu Claudia Levey Emily Supple

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Juliana Kaplan :

I

’ll say it: this college is freaking weird. Four years later and suddenly you’re happily chomping on a 600 foot sandwich, not even questioning it. And I absolutely love the absurdity of it.

But the first three weeks of freshman year I called my mom every single day crying. I couldn’t understand what it was that everyone loved so much about this place; I felt like there was something just out of reach, something I was always missing. And I wish I could quantify this next step with an exact moment or milestone, but one day I simply woke up and felt okay. I said hi to friends in my hall, I went to the writing class that I enjoyed, had dinner with a friend, and suddenly just knew that I would be fine. I had so many lofty goals coming into Barnard, dreaming of the immense friend group I would have, and life changing classes I would take, and extracurriculars I would crush. But all I really needed was to be okay.

Oh, and get the M&M cookies at Liz’s Place and buy dining dollars.

That way you can get fro-yo at Cafe East.

Veronica Suchodolski :

H

ere’s the thing: I could tell you what I wish I had known as a first year, but I know I wouldn’t have listened to most of this advice and done lots of dumb things anyway. That’s show biz, baby!

It’s part of growing up and figuring out who you want to be and why. But here are some truisms that I consider an important part of my Barnard journey: Go to bed when you’re tired. Staying in Butler until 3AM isn’t a personality trait, and your work will be better and more efficient if you stick to the hours you know your brain functions best at. St A’s parties are no different from any other frat party, and if they didn’t have a guest list no one would care about them. Trust me, you’re not missing out. Send whatever text you’ve been agonizing about, and be direct about it. So many of the things that feel imperative now won’t matter to you in five years. Pick your battles. Lastly: buy your groceries at the 72nd St Trader Joe’s and use your free transfer to take the M104 back uptown for free.

That advice is non-negotiable.

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Julia Tache

I

t’s strange— I felt more sure of myself freshman year than I do now. While I still have a lot of love for Barnard, I leave with mixed and bittersweet emotions about my experience. I had all of these things I wanted to do, lots of expectations, arbitrary lists of “must-dos in college” that are half-completed. There were times I felt lost and without a sense of direction and, to some extent, I still feel that way. Evolving is part of life, and who you are walking into NSOP will not be the same person walking through Radio City. It’s cliché, but, embrace change and uncertainty: take that class you’re intimidated by, write for that magazine (wink wink), go to that Q House party and dance with your crush, study abroad if you can, keep an open mind. Comparing yourself to others will only make you sad; everyone here is so different and the one thing you have control over is what you need, so listen to that. Social media gives the illusion that everyone has it figured out, but believe me, we’re all going through it!

Imposter syndrome was real for me, but know you’re not alone.

Find yourself things that grounds you: a cause you’re passionate about, friends, a hobby, a supportive partner, etc.; we all need some stability. Finding time to spend with friends is tough, so carving out time during the week that you promise to see them is helpful.

Last, but not least, the Burke Library at Union Theological Seminary is a secret gem and the Hewitt lunch pasta bar is where it’s at! Come early before the line begins.

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Emily Supple Things I’ve learned: 1. To-do lists are surprisingly helpful and it is intensely satisfying to check each item off your list.

2. Shamelessly bringing Tupperware to events with free food (yes, I’m talking about Big Sub and Surf n Turf) is an essential college life hack.

3. Trust your gut. Tell an embarrassing story of how you walked into the wrong classroom on the first day of the semester to the smiling guy next to you because you never know, you might just get a great friend out of it.

4. College is hard. It’s impossible to balance everything all of the time but strong coffee, gCal, and good company help!

5. Nothing is permanent and you will get through it.

Things I’m still learning: 1. Do not start a movie or binge-worthy TV show as a form of procrastination. You will stay up way too late, not get enough sleep, and regret it in the morning.

2. No matter how many times you go to 1020 or Mel’s and convince yourself that this time will be ~different~ it most certainly will not be.

3. Assert your voice because people will listen. You’re more powerful than you think.

4. Despite your best intentions, shit will hit the fan during finals week, in an awkward roommate interaction, or a difficult conversation with a friend. Remember to breathe and let things roll off your shoulders.

5. It’s never too late to try new things. Dance with your friends at a school-sponsored glowstick party where you are the only attendees. Apply to leadership positions (don’t worry, you are qualified). Enroll in a class just because you find it intellectually stimulating. Take calculated risks. Go downtown more on spontaneous adventures. You will get that assignment in so enjoy yourself.

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Yudi Liu

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old. Brilliant. Barnard. We have all heard it before (and probably have said it too). Four years at this college and beginning my look back, it has dawned on me just how strongly I believe in those three words. My thesis-in-progress is a meager three pages. I made a new email because gbear is a player and only commits to undergrads. I found a realtor to help me adult. So, one could say I am ready to wrap up this chapter and move onto the next. But, despite all these indicative ingredients, there is a part of me that wishes I could stay.

Being a student at Barnard has taught me many things. That oxygen is a superb electron acceptor. That Nathaniel Hawthorne probably suffered from castration anxiety. That it is easier to sneak into Ferris than it is to find a seat at John Jay. Oh, and the best drunk food isn’t Koronets but free soup samples from Westside.

I have learned at Barnard being bold means asking questions.

It means seeing your differences as strengths and not backing down from a challenge. Other times, it means being quiet, listening to the space and people who surround you. My most formative memories are the little moments that, honestly, cannot be wholly described. Only through the shared experience of being Barnard can one truly understand the depth, the brilliance, and the complexity that is this school.

To the freshmen, the seniors, and everyone in-between, if I can offer one mantra it would be “Why Not.” Why not try out a 3000 level anthropology course. Why not apply for that club director position. Why not spend 20 hours a week holed up in Dodge with your varsity teammates. Why not say “howdy” to the sad boy spotted in Millstein. Don’t let the small fears hold you back from accomplishing big feats. So, next time you are not sure, ask yourself “why not” and be Barnard.

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F

Emma Yee Yick

or a gal who always has something to say, trying to sum up these four years has me scrambling to find the words. I guess we can begin with this: they passed by way too quickly. When I think of these four years, it is through a kaleidoscope of a million moving pieces. Together, they form my very own supercut. The moments come to me in bursts. I remember my parents leaving me for the airport, tears streaming down my face, feeling utterly alone in a city and a place that were not yet mine. The sadness was short lived because I remember the next few weeks, months and years in full-belly-laughs. There were weekly Sunday brunches at John Jay, way-too-late nightly group “‘study sessions,” karaoke shower parties and enough singing and dancing to create our very own musical. There were below-average parties made up for by above-average friends, silent walks home from the library spent admiring the stars and afternoons spent on the steps, bathing in the sun and their magic.

I remember little but mighty wins: finally mastering the subway system, leaving class wanting to shout everything I’d just learned to whoever would listen, bacon, egg and cheddar rewards after grueling 8:40 mornings. Making life-long mentors out of inspiring professors and family out of dining hall staff and desk attendants, arriving at the gates a minute before curfew, proving myself wrong time and time again after whipping out an essay I didn’t think I had in me and realizing that I wanted to be an urban studies major. I have enough stories to tell and knowledge to share for an entire lifetime.

There is a resonating pride that comes with being a Barnard woman; pride that is fueled by strength, charisma and camaraderie.

What these four years have made clear is that this place and the qualities of a Barnard student are not fleeting or time-constrained, but enduring and life-long. That doesn’t make it easier to leave, though, because my oh my I will miss this place. I haven’t even made it to Radio City yet and I already miss it. So thank you, Barnard (and you too, New York City). My heart overflows with gratitude and I feel so honored to call you mine. Here’s to a bold, brilliant and beautiful future ahead.

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P&O Women in Politics:

K i r s t e n G i l l i b ra n d

by Julia Coccaro

K

irsten Gillibrand, one of our U.S. Senators from New York, was one of the first to announce her 2020 exploratory committee for the presidency.

A native of upstate New York, Gillibrand received her undergraduate degree at Dartmouth College and subsequently attended law school at UCLA School of Law. After holding attorney positions in both government and private practice and working on Hillary Clinton's 2000 U.S. Senate campaign, Gillibrand was elected to the House in 2006, representing New York’s 20th congressional district. Traditionally conservative, the district and its electoral offices had been in Republican hands for all but four years since 1913. Gillibrand, however, defied expectations and won against the Republican nominee with 53% of the vote.

During her House tenure, Gillibrand was a Blue Dog Democrat noted for voting against the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008 (commonly known as the bank bailout) and for supporting Medicare-

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for-all. When Hillary Clinton was appointed as Secretary of State under President Obama, David Paterson— Governor of New York at the time— selected Gillibrand to fill the vacated Senate seat. Gillibrand won a special election in 2010 to keep the seat and was subsequently re-elected to full terms in 2012 and 2018.

The two most prominent criticisms of Gillibrand from the left are her condemning of popular senator Al Franken, which led to his resignation, and her relatively conservative voting record during her House tenure. In November 2017, five women accused Franken of sexual misconduct. Franken agreed to an investigation by the Senate Ethics Committee but resigned before the committee could review the allegations. Though over two dozen Democratic senators called for Franken’s resignation, Gillibrand was the first, and her leadership in that movement has proven to be a deal-breaking issue among voters. Some view her action as impulsive and unjust while others believed it signified good politics for the Dem-

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ocratic Party. The backlash toward Gillibrand, however, is exacerbated by the fact that his resignation marked not only the loss of a Democratic senator, but that of a well-known media figure and dually a progressive icon.

Additionally, upon taking office in the House, she joined the Blue Dog Coalition, a group of moderate to conservative Democrats. She opposed a 2007 state-level proposal to issue driver's licenses to undocumented immigrants and voted in favor of legislation that would withhold federal funds from immigrant sanctuary cities. Gillibrand also voted for a bill that limited information-sharing between federal agencies about firearm purchasers and has received an A+ rating from the National Rifle Association (NRA). However, since joining the U.S. Senate, Gillibrand’s voting record shifted to the left; while her conservative track record is looked upon unfavorably by some, others contest that she was indeed a Democrat representing a red district, and simply voted as such, instead of maintaining strict party loyalty.

Gillibrand also has several notable accomplishments: she has the strongest anti-Trump record in the U.S. Senate, was the first member of Congress to make her official meetings public, and has introduced

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a national paid family leave plan in every Congress since 2013. One of her primary campaign goals in 2020 continues to be fighting for women and families: she highlights sexual harassment/assault prevention, healthcare and reproductive rights, and income inequality as key issues. She is also committed to getting corruption and greed out of government, citing her support for overturning Citizens United, the monumental Supreme Court case that declared that money from corporations is free speech. She has made a 180º turn on her views on gun control—now sporting an F rating from the NRA—and has pledged to make America safer by passing universal background checks, closing gun sale loopholes, and banning assault rifles.

If elected to the presidency, Gillibrand will be the first female president in history, and will likely spend her first several months trying to repair the damage caused by the Trump administration. She has proved time and time again that women’s issues are her priority, so we could expect to see a very progressive leap in women’s rights. Though she is not the most left-leaning Democratic candidate for the presidency, she is certainly the most anti-Trump.

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Steal As Told by

A

lready, eighteen Democratic candidates have announced their bids for the 2020 primary elections and there will likely be many more contenders in the upcoming months. Overwhelmed and frustrated, many young progressives are balancing an amalgamation of competing feelings that range from excitement to dread about the upcoming elections. In order to understand some of the thoughts and opinions of some young progressives on campus, an assortment of Barnard students shared the issues that matter most to them in a presidential candidate, platforms that speak to them thus far, their general thoughts about the 2020 elections, and finally, whether a candidate could, in fact, “steal their vote.”

Unsurprisingly, students mentioned issues including environmental justice, racial justice, education reform, women’s rights, gun control reform, health care policy, and tax reform.

These politically informed students expressed a need for presidential candidates to address a range of issues that matter beyond “the five or so hot button issues that everyone is talking about,” as described SGA president and Research Assistant at the Columbia Law School in the Center for Gender and Sexuality THE BULLETIN -

Law, Nicola Kirkpatrick ‘19. Similarly, Columbia Democrats, Columbia Model Congress, and Camp Kesem affiliate, Kris Han ‘20, agrees that “candidates have to put forward concrete policies as opposed to running on personality-based campaigns” to get her vote.

Both Kirkpatrick and Han demand that candidates that want their votes put forward pragmatic policy solutions that address the specific steps they will take in the next four years to advance their platforms.

Shreya Sunderram ’19, Chair of the Barnard Bold Conference and former President of Columbia Political Union, astutely framed the dilemma that many young progressives are facing in the upcoming primaries. Sunderram explained that while the most important task is to get Trump out of office, “the sad thing, that I think will be the case for many people, is that there is a distinction between the candidate that you want and the candidate that we think will win.”

While Kirkpatrick, Han, and Sunderram do not yet endorse any of the democratic candidates thus far, Alondra Lucero ‘19, Mujeres member and an Immigration Specialist at the Mercy Center, is already leaning towards supporting Kamala Harris or Beto O’Ro-

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Vote Barnard Students

by Emily Supple urke. Lucero explains that “Kamala’s career as a public servant has demonstrated she is an advocate for the most vulnerable people and she is determined to be the voice for all people in this country... Beto O’Rourke’s platform strives to unify the nation.”

In regard to the upcoming election, Han, Kirkpatrick, Sunderram, and Lucero spoke with urgency about the need to organize collectively to influence the outcome of the election. In preparation for 2020, Han plans to do everything in her power to ensure that the winner of the general election is a progressive. “I plan to get groups of people together on the weekends to go out and canvas, especially in swing districts outside of the city because even though I feel pessimistic, there are things to be done,” stated Han. Similarly, Lucero admits that she feels both energized and nervous for the 2020 elections, as “the President of the United States must represent every American and uphold our country’s democratic values, and Trump has done the exact opposite.”

Alternatively, both Kirkpatrick and Sunderram expressed less positive views about the upcoming primary elections. “I just feel unsatisfied in general.

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2020 primary candidate and I am probably going to be unhappy about it. There isn’t a candidate that could steal my vote and there isn’t someone I can really think of that I would want to run,” said Sunderram. Likewise, Kirkpatrick is waiting to feel empowered by a candidate. “I feel very neutral and I hate feeling very neutral. It is hard to pick a favorite when there are so many and many of them are new. You can’t use their voting history to base your opinion so it is a lot harder. I am not looking forward to it [the elections] but it needs to happen,” Kirkpatrick.

As the 2020 primary elections gradually loom closer and likely more candidates will put their name in the running soon, Han, Kirkpatrick, Sunderram, and Lucero remind us to be critical, practical, and yet, hopeful in the possibilities of the 2020 election. While it is easy to remain pessimistic about our political future, it is imperative to remember the high stakes of these elections.

As Lucero stated, “We are living in the 21st century and we have to address the issues that will impact the next generation.”

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STEM A Beilock Initiative

by Hadassah Solomson

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ecoming Barnard’s president in July 2017, Sian Beilock brought her background as a scientist specializing in cognitive psychology to Barnard. Given her research focus on women’s academics performance in the math and sciences, she has continued to publish original work and sought to strengthen Barnard’s STEM programming. At Barnard’s Convocation in September 2017, Beilock delineated her vision for Barnard’s future where she articulated, in particular, how her liberal arts education enabled her to succeed in a STEM career: “It’s not just the laboratory that allowed me to do my best thinking. It has always been a much broader, more holistic view of how people behave and what makes us tick.”

Beilock has been true to her initial propositions. Barnard support for students in STEM has increased over the past couple of years -- in line with national increases in female interest in STEM -- integrating such support with Barnard’s existing liberal arts structure.

The most notable improvement is the development of Barnard’s very own computer science department. In

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an interview upon joining Barnard as the chair of Barnard’s new computer science department, Professor Rebecca Wright said she hopes to make computer science accessible for all students on campus regardless of course of study: “My goal is that every Barnard student understands how they can use computing and data in their disciplines, whatever those disciplines are.” This represents what seems to be Barnard’s commitment to improving STEM resources and opportunities in order to enhance its already highly reputable liberal arts curriculum.

While students often dichotomize their academic preferences into liberal arts and STEM classifications, this binary distinction does not have to be mutually exclusive. The Milstein Center houses the new Empirical Reasoning Center, Digital Humanities Center, and Movement Lab, which are all spaces where Barnard students have the opportunity to combine traditional liberal arts endeavors with cutting edge technology. Data visualization is a powerful tool that can enhance any humanities presentation while proper rhetorical analysis

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and ability to communicate effectively is likewise crucial when presenting the results of any scientific exploration. In that regard, Barnard’s writing center developed a recent initiative to have specific science writing fellows dedicated to assisting STEM students with their written work.

Barnard’s Thinking Technologically requirement is yet another mechanism that serves to bridge the gap between STEM and liberal arts disciplines. Barnard, in fact, is the “first liberal arts college among its peers with a pure technology requirement.” Additionally, Barnard students, regardless of chosen course of study, have been required to take courses in the sciences, social sciences, and humanities as part of both the Nine Ways of Knowing and the Foundations general education requirements.

Some other new initiatives indicating Barnard’s commitment to increasing opportunities for students in STEM include the Summer Research Initiative, where students participate in scientific research and work closely with professors over the summer, which had over 160 participants last year. Barnard has also developed new joint masters proTHE BULLETIN -

grams with Columbia graduate schools including SEAS and IEOR. (Also the School of Public Health.)

There is no reason that support for STEM on campus should be construed as coming at the expense of supporting liberal arts. Barnard is first and foremost a classically liberal arts college. Students focusing in either area, however, ultimately benefit from exposure to the other. The fusion of STEM and liberal arts in an increasingly specialized job market adds to students’ appeal in the eyes of employers. As President Beilock mentioned in her first convocation speech: “Through the lens of the liberal arts, you are actually freeing your mind—liberating it, if you will, from a more compartmentalized way of viewing the world. You can take risks and make connections. You can think critically and cross disciplinary boundaries.

You can engage in difficult dialogue and debate and consider multiple perspectives. And you can openly pursue knowledge for its own sake and not as the means to an end. These are essential skills today and always…but definitely today.”

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Early Money is like Yeast...

It Helps Raise the Dough!

by Naava Ellenebrg

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ome political candidates have huge donors, some fund their own campaigns, and some are backed by PACs. Female candidates have EMILY’s List, an organization committed to electing pro-choice Democratic women to office. You may think that the “Emily” of EMILY’s list is some important woman. It isn’t. EMILY stands for “Early Money is Like Yeast,” the rest of that phrase being “it helps raise the dough.” The meaning behind this motto is that

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when it comes to campaigning, raising money early is important because it shows viability. If a candidate can immediately raise a lot of money, they demonstrate that their campaign efforts will be sustainable and that they will be a formidable opponent to whoever else enters the race.

Money plays a huge role in political campaigns. With a large war chest, a candidate can reach more voters through media campaigns, higher more staffers, and hold more events.

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Illustration by Sadie Kramer

Money is also extremely important to lobbyists and special interest groups.

Being able to contribute to a candidate means that you have their ear and will be able to influence their policy positions. Because of the candidate’s need for money, most are willing to take huge contributions from lobbyists and wealthy individuals and are therefore likely to compromise some of their values and policy positions in order to please those opening their wallets.

Some of this is changing in the 2020 presidential election cycle with prominent Democratic candidates such as Elizabeth Warren and Kirsten Gillibrand refusing to accept money from PACs, Super PACs, or lobbyists. They are instead focusing their time and efforts on meeting as many voters as possible and therefore counting on small, individual contributions to fund their campaigns. While this seems ambitious when going against Trump, who we know will have millions of dollars at his disposal, it is the right thing for them to do. Having more money to give to a candidate should not give you more influence over their actions. Candidates should not be focused on garnering support only from the wealthy. Every voter and every constituent must matter.

A solution to this problem is to eliminate all campaign contributions — both individual and from PACs — and instead make all campaigns publicly funded. By doing so, candidates

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could focus on talking to voters, not donors. They could spend their time at community events rather than galas and dinners. Publicly funded campaigns would also level the playing field. As evidenced by the necessity of EMILY’s List, women are at a disadvantage when it comes to raising money, especially early in the campaign cycles. Donors just don’t see them as viable. If all candidates were working with the same amount of money to build their campaigns, we would be able to more easily compare their policy ideas, not just their events and commercial presence.

Candidates should be focusing on policies and voters, not lobbyists and their demands. Money in political campaigns presents a unique challenge for women that could be changed by publicly funding campaigns. But until that happens, it is important to contribute to female candidates — whether you are positive you will be voting for them or not — because without the money, they will not be seen as viable and therefore be unable to build the campaigns that they are capable of building.

Change is possible when it comes to money and campaigns, but until it occurs, women will continue to be disadvantaged. Groups like EMILY’s list are certainly making an impact, but it is up to each one of us to support female candidates, and help them raise the dough!

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A

Special Place SPECIAL

by Swati Madankumar

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he Special Olympics is the world’s largest athletic organization for children and adults with intellectual and physical disabilities. While smaller-scale training and competitions occur yearround, the international games are biennial and alternate between the summer and winter. In 2019, they were held in late March in Abu Dhabi of the UAE. In 1962, Eunice Kennedy Shriver (1921-2009), former advocate, social worker, and President John F. Kennedy’s sister, started a summer day camp based out of her own home for children with disabilities. Called “Camp Shriver,” it was an effort to expand accessibility to organized athletics for children with disabilities.

The games were nationalized in 1968.

The benefits of the games are multidimensional. At their inception, the games helped to mitigate stigma surrounding individuals with disabilities and normalize their experiences, as well as complement deinstitutionalization. Now, funds for the

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games are also spent towards school programming, including anti-bullying campaigns that cultivate a better atmosphere for students with disabilities and enable all young children to thrive and be accepting in an increasingly diverse world as adults.

The advantages of childhood physical activity cannot be disputed.

Organized sports enhance the physical, social, and emotional development of children, as well as fine-tune their motor skills and learning ability.

Many athletes excel in multiple of the games’ events, and in non-athletic arenas, as a result of the self-confidence that the process of perseverance in the games fosters. For example, now 60-year-old Loretta Claiborne, who was born partially blind and experienced her first step and first word late, has placed highly in six international Special Olympics games and the Boston Marathon, as well as been the first Special Olympics athlete to be elected to its International Board of Directors.

It has come as a shock that cur-

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in my

Heart

for the

OLYMPICS

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rent Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos has proposed budget cuts of around 17.6 million dollars from the Special Olympics as part of President Trump’s 2020 budget plan. This was in the context of national spending priorities being re-evaluated, such as education being shortchanged in favor of funding the military and the construction of a wall along the Mexican-American border. Thankfully, the proposal was rebuked by Congress, which is now controlled by Democrats. Many of Trump’s budget plans did not fare well with his own party in control, which suggests that rejection of budgets proposed by the current administration are not merely partisan, but rather due to the intrinsic values of the organization losing funding, and those values have the potential to transcend party lines.

As shocking as her suggestion to scrap the Special Olympics from the budget is, DeVos has rationalized her proposal in a publicly-issued statement. The proposal cited that the Special Olympics is a private organization that can subsist on donations THE BULLETIN -

and would be better aided by other national, state, local, or private monies, as opposed to federal grants. Additionally, federal money does not go to other notable nonprofits. Furthermore, federal money does benefit youth with disabilities in other ways, such as the government’s Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) that subsidizes public education and necessary school support services for students with disabilities.

Ultimately, the Special Olympics is something to be boasted as being distinctly American, both literally in its founding and also symbolically in its purpose and impact of the celebration of diversity and acceptance.

Money aside, attempts to diminish its importance are simply antithetical to the progress of the nation, as the nation’s success requires the coexistence and collaboration of myriad people.

If there’s one thing one should take away about the Special Olympics, it is that it is about a lot more than the sports.

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A&E Phantoms for the Stage, Breaking Down the Best & Worst of

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ften, shifting Broadway magic from stage to the silver screen of Hollywood results in hit-or-miss film adaptations of our culture’s most beloved musicals.

With the upcoming releases of Cats and the highly-anticipated West Side Story remake directed by Steven Spielberg, many of us call into question what makes a film adaptation of a musical worthwhile. As Barnard students with the proximity to New York City’s vibrant Broadway scene, our thoughts may count for more than we think.

Best Movie Musicals: West Side Story, 1961 Mamma Mia, 2008 Natalie Wood and Richard Beymer star as Mamma Mia is inarguably one of the best romanstar-crossed lovers in this Hollywood clas- tic musical comedies released both on Broadway sic that was selected for the National Film and at the box office. Having watched both West Registry back in the 1990s. The cultural End and Broadway productions of this musical, significance of this adaptation stretches be- the movie surprisingly does it for me over the yond the choreography and music brilliantly stage version; maybe the reason is somewhere translated from the stage to the screen and amidst Meryl Streep, Colin Firth, and Julie Walinto an interracial love story; however, the ters (ahem, Molly Weasley) singing and dancing whitewashed casting and the controversial to ABBA’s greatest hits on a Greek island. Whatdepiction of the Puerto Rican community ever the reason is, count me in, as well as the aumake Steven Spielberg’s upcoming remake diences that begged for the release of the sequel a chance to revisit these areas in the film- Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again last year with making process with much-needed inclusiv- Lily James and the legendary Cher. Gather your ity and intersectionality. girl gang and grab your favorite feather boa for a fun night in with this one!

The Sound of Music, 1965 If watched not for the iconic tunes of Rodgers and Hammerstein, any viewer can appreciate the on-site filming that showcases the beauty of Salzburg, Austria. Who can forget the rolling hills we see Julie Andrews serenade in the opening sequence of this Hollywood gem that garnered the Academy Award for Best Picture?

Dreamgirls, 2006 Beyoncé, Jennifer Hudson, Anika Nani Rose, Eddie Murphy, and Jamie Foxx. Need I say more? With a line-up like this, featuring our favorite Queen B and a Disney princess, Dreamgirls became a commercial and critical success that showcased the cast’s powerhouse vocals that matched those of the original Broadway stars.

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Meryl’s for the Movies: Movie Musical Adaptations

by Stefani Shoreibah Worst Movie Musicals: The Phantom of the Opera, 2004 It should be established that Phantom is in fact my favorite Broadway musical, one that I have maintained a somewhat unhealthy obsession with since first seeing it at the age of 7. But somewhere between Gerard Butler’s rough, unpolished vocal chords (where was the “angel of music” we were promised?) and the dizzying cinematography, Andrew Lloyd Webber’s mega-musical that captivated audiences on stage was overblown visually and cut short on casting for the title role of the Phantom himself. Swap this adaptation for the live-recorded production, The Phantom of the Opera at the Royal Albert Hall from 2011, starring Broadway faves Ramin Karimloo and Sierra Boggess.

Newsies, 1992 Unlike the rest of the movie musicals named here, the film version of Newsies from 1992 was the source material for its Broadway counterpart that reached the Broadway stage in 2012. And while I adore Christian Bale as much as the next gal, his singing as lead Jack Kelly left much to be desired, especially in belting “Santa Fe,” the show’s archetypical “I want” song (a term used for a number performed by the main character in a musical). Needless to say, perhaps the former Dark Knight should stay in the dark…when it comes to musical performance.

More than anything else, the transition of a storytelling medium from stage to screen provides an opportunity to view a narrative in a different light. Although some stories may adapt to the lights of both the stage and screen, some clearly are meant to stay on stage. For students who neither attend college in New York City nor have exposure to the Broadway theatre, the movie musical opens a lens into the glittering realm of music and magic that is otherwise inaccessible.

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ULTRA Nostalgia

by Juliana Kaplan

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’ll admit it: I’m a sucker for the particular brand of nostalgia that the Jonas Brothers are selling right now. The songs slap, all of them seem to be in good places in life, and they’re still pretty cute. It’s the right time to be in the nostalgia business.

There’s something that makes these comebacks — from Miley to the JoBros — deeply satisfying. They border on revisionism, particularly in the case of the Jonas Brothers, who had a nasty public split. But they also seem to embody an ethos that many millennials long for: not only a reiteration of when things were good, but proof that someone can survive and thrive in our current cultural moment.

American culture is inherently political. Celebrities and politicians are, in essence, interchangeable. Things were certainly broken before 2016, but, in many ways, that solidified the culture we live in now. It’s one that’s simultaneously, confusingly, reductive and progressive. We not quite millennials/not quite Gen Z-ers have always lived in a space of precarity, our lifetimes cleaved by the advent of fast-paced technology and the rise of American politics as they stand today.

Think back, then, to the last time you felt some stability in the state of the world. Was it before you had a cell phone? Was it when you got to rush home and watch Disney Channel? Was it when the state of the world around wasn’t constantly, visibly in flux?

We’re old enough to remember a time when we could be frivolous, something that the current generation of children will never experience. I can’t speak to which is better or worse; Tennyson would say it’s better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all, although I’m not quite sure if I agree.

There’s something both restorative and comforting about all of these teen idols resurrecting. We are able to live gloriously, briefly back in that moment, but transposed upon our modern day. It is, as Hannah Montana

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or modern Miley would say, “the best of both worlds.” It is a small moment of hope when the Jonas Brothers recreate that silly vine of them turning the table - that associative nostalgia no longer needs to live in the past.

It also, of course, benefits these stars. Miley posing with Hannah Montana hair is a remarkably effective way to overshadow or drown out the merited accusations of cultural appropriation against her. The Jonas Brothers are no longer a band that broke up messily, but brothers who have come back together.

What’s imminently appealing, too, is that these aren’t just ghosts or repeats. We’ve seen our teen idols grow alongside us - whether we’ve seen them publicly grapple with fame or sexuality and politics - and there’s hope in that as well. If the Jonas Brothers are able to get married and work on different projects and come back together, there’s still hope for our progress too.

But that is also where the issue of nostalgia comes in. I believe it offers a limited view of progress; there are set parameters. We’re always going to measure Miley against Hannah. In many ways, culture is a cycle that constantly repeats itself, with a tiny modicum of progress each time we circle back around.

A prime example of this might be reboots of old television shows with casts that far more accurately reflect the diversity of the world at large.

The age of nostalgia makes me worried that perhaps popular culture might just be broken beyond repair, exhausted enough by the world at large to comfortably settle into these known quantities. That’s not to say that there won’t be new art created; there’s always incredible artists on the frontlines creating unique and groundbreaking work. Will it be able to permeate into the national consciousness? I’ve certainly started to see cracks in the facade - all we can hope is that nostalgia and newness can find a place to coexist.

So yes, I’ll be listening to the Jonas Brothers, because it’s comforting, and “Sucker” really does go off. But I’ll also be making space for artists like Phoebe Bridgers and Mitski and Megan Thee Stallion, all of whom are creating work that I think is excitingly new.

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Filmmakers at Barnard:

Addie Glickstein '20 The Next Agnes Varda?

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by Lila Etter

dina “Addie” Glickstein is a junior at Barnard majoring in film and minoring in anthropology. Addie and I have been friends for years and I’ve always admired her dedication to film. I study art history, and while we talk about these things socially, this was a great opportunity to discuss them in more depth. I sat down with her (virtually! She is currently abroad in London!) to discuss her creative process, inspirations, and aspirations.

What made you want to become a filmmaker?

I actually came to filmmaking through my lack of talent for what I thought to be “proper visual art”—I was never gifted at illustration, but I had a creative impulse to externalize my feelings. In high school, I felt frustrated with my inability to vivify my feelings the way painters or sculptors could, but I’ve always been a writer, and realized I could screenwrite and have a director create a visualization of my script. Once I started in film production, the impulse to realize my own work became addictive. The narrative became less important; aesthetic sensibility came to the forefront. Now, it’s a matter of having the confidence to continue producing my own work—a process I’m still in the midst of.

What is it been like to study film at Barnard/Columbia, and how has it influenced your other studies?

When I applied to Barnard, I had every intention of majoring in political science. During my freshman year, I discovered the Frankfurt School and had an “Aha Moment”— aesthetics could be political! They telegraphed ideological slants in coded ways, and that was infinitely more interesting than case law. I realized then that my interest was in cultural theory, not political science. My experience studying film has felt situated at Columbia over Barnard, because the department is much larger and many of the required classes aren’t offered at Barnard. But it’s been enriched deeply by courses I’ve taken at Barnard in THE BULLETIN -

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other departments, which, thanks to the department chair (luv u Ross!), I’ve been able to work into my major. We learn in film theory that cinema is a culturally-situated institution — to study film alone without working to understand the surrounding culture is, I think, reductive. And New York is an inimitable place to study film — I spend as much time at Metrograph as I do in class.

How’s abroad?

I love Goldsmiths! I wanted to spend my semester abroad focusing on the aspects of film studies that aren’t as represented in the Barnard/Columbia curriculum, and Goldsmiths has been perfect. My one quibble with BC/CU Film is that it’s medium-specific—almost exclusively feature-length narrative fiction films designed for cinematic exhibition, made in Europe between 1930 and 1990. I’m interested in teasing out the (dis)continuities between this vision of cinema and the forms of visual media that move in other directions— proto-cinema, new media, etc. I’m studying “Visual Cultures” here, which is essentially a line of art-historical inquiry applied to visual media in the most expansive sense. One of my finals is a close-reading of a live electronic music/ video art performance at Berlin’s notorious nightclub Berghain, read through the lens of feminist anti-surveillance studies. You can’t really get away with that in American academia as an undergrad.

Who is your biggest film inspiration, and how have they influenced your art-making process?

Chantal Akerman is my absolute biggest inspiration. I encountered her work when I was eighteen, which is about the age she was when she made several of my favorite films, including News from Home. She stages questions of identity—femininity, Jewishness, queerness, laziness, loneliness—so elegantly, I still cry when I watch her work. Her films remind me that it’s possible to make something beautiful out of “irreconcilable” facets of myself. Barbara Hammer is another favorite, particularly because enthusiasm and play are so central to her process. Hito Steyerl, too. I love the way her works incorporate theory, often playfully. Same for Harun Farocki—I’m such a fangirl.

What’s the dream job?

I’m at that exciting place in my education—a solid foundation but still a year out from graduating—where the “dream job” changes every week. I feel drawn to editorial work, though the future of print media feels precarious. I interned at Artforum for six months, and going back to work there after graduating would be a dream. While we’re shooting for the stars here: I fantasize about working for one of those European-based, artistic-practice-as-research firms like Forensic Architecture or Metahaven. I would love to learn more THE BULLETIN -

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Photograph by Addie Glickstein

about architecture/design and how they can be informed by my film background. I also see myself teaching in some capacity. Any job where I get to keep learning, researching, sharing knowledge in different ways with a community of thinkers—that’s the overarching theme.

What do you think it means to be a woman filmmaker today?

Do you feel tasked with a certain kind of responsibility?

In some ways, I feel really lucky, because there’s a strong legacy of feminist experimental cinema. Perhaps because experimental film has always been, by definition, on the margins, there’s been a richer history of celebrating women’s contributions. Any writing on experimental cinema will mention Maya Deren, while it’s totally possible (and common!) to see syllabi in mainstream film history without a single woman. So I feel more responsibility as a critic: one of the most meaningful tasks of art criticism today, as media proliferates far beyond the rate we can consume it, is to draw attention towards what’s worth looking at. I’m constantly thinking about how to uplift and recover women’s lesser-known contributions to film history. I’m amazed by how frequently I’ll stumble across an incredible director whose work I’ve never heard of, simply because the canon is so male-dominated. I’ve only recently started to uncover the oeuvres of directors like Ottinger and Von Trotta, whose work is as good as the Male Greats and whose reputations are narrower because of the historical deficiencies in mainstream film discourse.

Any advice for your young filmmakers at Barnard?

Since Barnard’s not an MFA program and production classes are a small subset of the major requirements, it’s important to find time and space to keep making your own work. It’s rare to have a class to guide your process; while this lack of structure affords some freedom, it also forces you to hold yourself accountable. Because I’m a fallible human within an imperfect discipline, I seek out external opportunities for structure and deadlines. I’m participating in a two-week residency in May which will focus on developing new ways of exhibiting existing work. Having that on the calendar helps kick me into gear, compelling me to keep making new things. I’d imagine that art school gives you a certain faith in your practice; making my own work without much formal training, the risk of imposter syndrome is real. Building a community of artists is a great way to find people who will receive your work and expand the boundaries of your practice. Soliciting honest feedback from friends is also important, since the work you make outside class isn’t graded. But at the end of the day, your evaluation of your work is the only one that matters!

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KCST: What Does Spring Show

Mean to You?

by Annette Stonebarger

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very May, the Barnumbia community looks forward to sunshine, summer, and KCST’s Spring Show. The King’s Crown Shakespeare Troupe has been committed to producing free, high quality Shakespeare since 1995, and this year’s production of Romeo and Juliet will be no different. Spring Show is an outdoor performance that begins on Low Steps and moves throughout Columbia’s campus and is the only production that KCST puts on in the spring semester. In order to understand why Spring Show is so special, I interviewed four people involved in the show in different roles. Here is what they had to say:

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What does Spring Show mean to You? Nina Lam, Capulet Snack Captain, BC ‘19: “I’ve done it all 4 years, so my spring semester is always sort of punctuated by Spring Show. KCST is a community that I’ve been a part of since my freshman year. It’s a really huge collaborative process on an enormous scale that a lot of theatre on this campus doesn’t achieve because they’re not as big a production.”

Sarah Miller, Run Crew, BC ‘19 “I’ve always really enjoyed Spring Show because it is such a great opportunity to be together to do something really creative. KCST is a really open group who really enjoys, especially for Spring Show, taking on everyone— everyone

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Illustration by Sadie Kramer

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gets cast or a position on the production team so it really encourages people to try theatre and see if they enjoy it!”

Tina Simpson, Producer, BC ‘19 “Spring Show was one of the reasons I wanted to come to Columbia— nothing gives you more opportunities to be big than outdoor theatre. There are so many people who come through where this will be their first and last theatrical performance, and that is such a cool opportunity to provide. Also, you make a specific kind of friend when it’s the final dress [rehearsal] in pouring rain and the sense of community of doing a production like this is really unique."

LilyWhiteman, cast. BC ‘19 “Spring Show to me is something that is extremely dear to my heart as an actor of Shakespeare. Putting Shakespeare on the campus really integrates it into the lives of students, and that’s the whole custom of Shakespearean performance. We get to do that, and that’s what theatre should be. It really shouldn’t be on a pedestal when we have to go to MLP [Minor Latham Playhouse] and sit and be proper. The-

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atre is really messy, and you get literally messy in Spring Show with mud and sometimes rain. I’m doing Spring Show because I want to have fun and hang out with my friends and run around Low Steps shouting iambic pentameter.”

Why is Romeo and Juliet significant to you, the Barnumbia community, and the world right now?

Sarah Miller: “I know something that [the creative team] really wants to embrace is the idea of actual, true love. A lot of people say that Romeo and Juliet are young kids and they don’t know what they’re doing, but for this show they particularly want Romeo and Juliet to be actually in love. I feel like it gives a lot of respect for young people and what they want to do with their lives.”

Tina Simpson: “KCST has not done Romeo and Juliet as our Spring Show since KCST was first founded, so this is really exciting. I think there is something so special about a story where even if you’ve watched it every other year since you were in 9th grade, I am always rooting for them to get a happy ending. This year is my 4th

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Spring Show and I am really excited to be participating with some really incredible people, some of whom I’ve known all 4 years. The director and I actually met in the ensemble of Spring Show 4 years ago, and I was an ASM [assistant stage manager] and we were just two people doing our best and here we are kind of running the thing.”

LilyWhiteman: “Something the directors talk about a lot is how with all the crap that’s happening in the world right now, it’s not bad to focus on love, and Romeo and Juliet is about love at its core. It’s about these people fighting for each other, and I think that fight is what’s really critical to us as a small community and as a global community. Going back to Romeo and Juliet is like going back to the basics. I love Troilus and Cressida, but it’s not the play you read freshman year of high school. It’s kind of nice to revisit Shakespeare after some time and understand why the classics are so classic.”

What Should We Expect in May? Nina Lam: “Expect a lot of sword fights, expect a lot of dancing, expect a lot of

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really pretty costumes, some really fun color pallets and a really fun show!”

Sarah Miller: “Amazing costumes, and hopefully good weather for some wandering around campus. And I also think a lot of humor—obviously it is a tragedy but I think they’re trying to make it fun!”

Tina Simpson: “I would expect to come out and have a good time. I sat in a rehearsal and I laughed more than I laughed all week and actually cried because I think everyone who has worked on it has done such a good job bringing genuine joy to the production.

Come out expecting to laugh, come out prepared to cry, and just to have a good time running around outdoors listening to some Shakespeare.”

LilyWhiteman “You should expect a lot of love, a lot of grit, a lot of lesbians, and a lot of sword fights.”

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Photography by Maura De Rose

NYCL

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Barnard in the

Outer Boroughs

by Maura De Rose

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f you need to get off the Isle of Manhattan this weekend, hop on the 1, transfer to the 2, 3, or Q, and get off at Atlantic Avenue-Barclays Center to visit Fort Greene, Brooklyn.

The historic neighborhood is known for rows of beautiful brownstones on South Oxford Street, Fort Greene Park, and the Brooklyn Academy of Music.

I spent a lot of time in Fort Greene growing up because my aunt has lived there for most of my life.

On my most recent visit, my first stop was Greenlight Bookstore at the corner of Fulton Street and South Portland. A favorite of my aunt's, the bookstore is pretty, easy to navigate, and offers a nice selection of classics and contemporaries. The children's section is particularly lovely if you have any younger siblings or cousins to shop for. The selection is not as extensive and the prices are not as good as Strand, but the tables of staff picks make it easy to find new discoveries. I bought up a copy of A Tree Grows in Brooklyn.

Perhaps a bit literal, but it felt appropriate.

Next, I went to BitterSweet on Dekalb Avenue for an iced coffee. The coffee is delicious, but there is no indoor seating. Located next to the park, I wouldn’t have wanted to sit inside anyway. In stereotypical Brooklyn fashion, the straw container read, "Do your really need a straw? Do you really need a straw?" I opted out of a straw and headed for the park.

According to the Fort Greene Association’s website, Fort Greene park is named for Revolutionary War General Nathaniel Greene, who constructed Fort Putnum at the summit of the park and defended George Washington’s retreat across the East River. At the center of the park stands the Prison Ship Martyr’s Monument. The monument honors those who refused to pledge loyalty to the Crown and were held by British soldiers in miserable conditions in ships in Wallabout Bay. In 1846, poet Walt Whitman wrote in The Brooklyn Daily Eagle urging for a park in Fort Greene, and in 1864 Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux, of Central Park fame, designed Fort Greene Park.

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Today, the park is a beautiful oasis in the middle of the already serene neighborhood. Sitting on a bench, enjoying my Greenlight purchase and my BitterSweet coffee, I admired the diversity of park-goers I saw. Yes, they were all fabulously dressed Brooklynites much like my aunt, but the park appeared to be a community gathering place for all people. Fort Greene is more than your stereotypical gentrified Brooklyn neighborhood.

My final destination was an afternoon movie at the Brooklyn Academy of Music. It’s a multi-arts center, not a real school, but as a nineyear-old I told people I wanted to go to college there. Monday to Thursday they offer $11 student tickets, and on weekends they are $15—a good price compared to other NYC movie theaters. I saw High Life, but in May they’ll have a series called Black 90s to highlight the historic surge in African-American directed films during the 1990s. They also have theater, dance, music, comedy, and more to enjoy.

Fort Greene is an important part of New York’s history and a great place to shop, eat, see art, and wander. Next time you’re looking to get off campus, consider the quick subway ride to Fort Greene.

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by Pavi Chance

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Disclaimer: The Bulletin does not own any images on this page

Game On Game On Game On Game On Game On

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Hex & Company Located on Broadway between 111th and 112th Streets, Hex & Co is the most convenient option for a student cramped for time. $5 gets you unlimited play on any of the cafe’s hundreds of board games Monday through Thursday, with the price rising to $10 for Friday through Sunday. Food and drinks—everything from coffee to beer—are also available. Its laid-back, cozy environment consistently draws a big crowd, and it’s a great place to visit with friends and maybe even make some new ones.

Color Factory NYC Originating in San Francisco, Color Factory is an immersive art exhibit that has reinvented itself for its current Soho location. Inspired by the colors of New York City, the installation consists of 16 rooms spanning 20,000 square feet of interactive works of art by local artists, from dancefloors to ball pits. As an added bonus, its brilliant color scheme is highly Instagrammable, so you can have fun and make your stressed out friends jealous at the same time!

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Illustration by Stefani Shoreibah

chool’s (almost) out for the summer, and classes are gearing up. As the final assignments and exams start accumulating, it can be difficult to find time to relax. But it’s important to carve out some time to enjoy yourself in the midst of all your hard work. Take a few hours to leave your studious self behind and engage in some child’s play at one (or more) of the following locations.

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Clue Chase What’s a better way to escape the stress of finals than by finding something else to escape from? Clue Chase hosts multiple escape rooms with themes like spies, heists and aliens. Gather a group of intrepid friends and spend an hour solving puzzles and searching for hidden objects. Reserving a room costs $29 per person.

Modern Pinball Despite the name, this venue offers much more than just pinball.

In addition to more than 30 different pinball machines, visitors can choose from over 250 other arcades games. Modern Pinball also doubles as a museum, with exhibits that delve into the history and technology behind the classic game. The $18 entry fee comes with unlimited play on all their games.

Jump Into The Light In reality, you have exams to study for and assignments to complete. But at Jump Into The Light, you can leave all that behind for virtual and augmented reality simulations where you can skydive, fly around the world, and compete in a boxing match. $10 gets you a single experience, and for an additional $20 you can purchase an all-access pass to their Lower East Side location.

Whether you’re a virtual reality expert or a curious novice, it’s a great opportunity to play around with revolutionary technology and forget about your responsibilities for awhile.

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Cheers to the

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Class of 2019!

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