Vol. CXXXIV—No. 99
Friday, October 15, 2010
columbiaspectator.com
Deans explore ‘open housing’
Rangel attends B’way Dems event, urges locals to vote BY ELAINE WANG AND SAMMY ROTH Columbia Daily Spectator According to Harlem Congressman Charles Rangel, the Democrats will face off with cartoon characters in the November elections. “It’s a serious battle, even though some of the candidates, I thought, would’ve been considered to be cartoons,” Rangel said in an interview on Thursday night at a Manhattan Valley town hall. The embattled congressman—who recently won his crowded primary race, despite ongoing allegations of ethics violations—was greeted with loud applause from the 35 or so neighborhood residents who attended the meeting, organized by the local Broadway Democrats. At the meeting on 109th Street, discussions centered on elected officials’ new initiatives and legislative efforts, though speakers also took the opportunity to emphasize the impor-
“Paladino is a wacko. ... He’s crazy. He’s a hypocrite.” —Daniel O’Donnell, State Assembly member tance of voting in November. Some weren’t shy about criticizing the Republican candidates making headlines this month. “Paladino is a wacko,” State Assembly member Daniel O’Donnell said of gubernatorial candidate Carl Paladino, who recently gained attention for homophobic remarks. “He’s crazy. He’s a hypocrite,” O’Donnell added. When asked how well he expected Democrats to perform in
Admins review task force’s pilot proposal BY LEAH GREENBAUM Spectator Senior Staff Writer
JACK ZIETMAN / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
VOTE OR DIE | Congressman Charles Rangel spoke at the Broadway Democrats’ Manhattan Valley town hall Thursday evening, where several local elected officials updated constituents on new legislation and also urged neighborhood residents to vote in November. November, Rangel reiterated the importance of getting people to the polls. “It all depends on whether people who are pained, frustrated, disappointed, whether they realize that not voting and giving up is going to be detrimental to our great country,” he said. Willie Mae Anderson, a Morningside Heights resident and member of the Broadway Democrats, said she attended the meeting in part because this year’s election is so important. “This is what everybody wants—they want Rangel to lose, Republicans in charge of the Congress,” she said. “And that makes it much easier for them to get rid of our president when he comes up for election.” For the event’s organizers, getting residents interested in elections is key. “Your everyday person doesn’t get to go, ‘Oh, that’s SEE DEMS, page 2
Three finalists left in Barnard dean search BY MADINA TOURE Spectator Senior Staff Writer The search for a new dean is gradually coming to an end, and Barnard administrators hope to announce their selection in November. There are now three finalists for the position, according to Gregory Brown, chief operating officer of Barnard and chair of a steering committee dedicated to the selection of a new dean. The committee last month interviewed eight semi-finalists, and the three finalists are all alumnae of women’s colleges. “It was an incredibly strong pool. We were just delighted with the quality of people,” Barnard President Debora Spar told reporters in a recent meeting, adding that the search
St. Hilda’s nuns prepare for green move BY ABBY MITCHELL Columbia Daily Spectator At St. Hilda’s House convent on 113th Street, many of the rooms are empty, the walls are undecorated, and the remaining pieces of furniture are labeled with notes specifying their future locations.
“It looks like a warehouse,” Sister Faith Margaret said. The sisters, who have for the past 60 years occupied three 113th Street brownstones—which the University now owns—are preparing to move in mid-November to their new, eco-friendly convent on 150th Street and the aptly named Convent Avenue in
Harlem. Construction on the new location is nearly complete, with only painting, flooring, and cabinetry left to install. “We’re not going to move until the place is ready for us,” Margaret said. Their new home will include, SEE CONVENT, page 2
GENDER BENDER
LILA NEISWANGER / SENIOR STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
CASUAL CROSS-DRESSING | From left to right, Frank Redner, Lilia Espinoza, Gavin McGown, and Steven Pfau spoke at QuAM’s cross-dressing event on Thursday. See page 2.
included candidates from all over the country. “It’s really been a wonderful process so far.” The search comes after Spar announced over the summer that current Barnard Dean Dorothy Denburg would assume the position of vice president of college relations and step down as dean once the college finds a replacement. Denburg primarily served as dean under former Barnard President Judith Shapiro, and she is also a Barnard alumna. In her new position, she will oversee the offices of Alumnae Affairs and Career Development, as well as the school’s global initiatives. She will also work with pre-college programs and teach a first-year seminar. Denburg said that the announcement of her new position
has already sparked interest among alumnae. But as Barnard pushes forward with its search for a replacement, Denburg has found herself juggling two jobs. At the Barnard Student Government Association meeting this week, Denburg said that things were “fragmented” because she is not doing her new job full-time yet. “I’ve been very busy,” she said. “We’ve begun conversations between Alumnae Affairs and Career Development about how they might work together better.” Denburg said that the position will give her a chance to do something new at the college. “I think we have the opportunity to do something interesting and special,” she said. madina.toure @columbiaspectator.com
A pilot gender-neutral housing program—under the new title of “open housing”—is two signatures away from approval for the 2011-2012 school year. A task force of students and administrators sent a proposal for open housing—a program that would allow students of opposite genders to live together in doubles—to Columbia College Dean Michele Moody-Adams and School of Engineering and Applied Science Dean Feniosky Peña-Mora three weeks ago, and a decision is expected in late October or early November. The proposal suggests that five or six residence halls be open for this housing option next year instead of all upperclassman residence halls, as was originally proposed by students last year. It also includes recommended educational materials to distribute to students. “We’re proposing this as a pilot program because administrators want to see things phased in,” said Avi Edelman, CC ’11, president of Everyone Allied Against Homophobia, and one of four students on the task force. The task force—which includes Dean of Student Affairs Kevin Shollenberger, Dean of Community Development and Multicultural Affairs Terry Martinez, and Assistant Dean of Community Development and Residential Programs Cristen Kromm—hopes that after a trial first year, the option will be expanded to all non-freshman dorms, Edelman added. SEE HOUSING, page 2
CU to fight for historic win at Penn BY JACOB LEVENFELD Spectator Senior Staff Writer They’ve won three in a row. They’ve put 84 points on the board over the last two games. And their quarterback may just be the Ivy League’s best. With all this in mind, it’s easy to forget that the Lions are just 1-0 in conference play. Tomorrow against Penn, the Columbia football team (3-1, 1-0 Ivy) will play its first of six consecutive Ivy games to conclude the 2010 season. Last week at Lafayette, the Lions wrapped up their nonconference schedule with a 2-1 record, but those games don’t matter at the end of the year when calculating the final league standings. The results from tomorrow’s game against the defending Ivy champions will go a long way toward determining whether or not Columbia is going to make a serious run for its first league title in 49 years. And Penn is a formidable opponent. “Really good team,” head coach Norries Wilson said. “I think they’re a better team than they were last year because their offense is a lot more efficient.” But Columbia will be playing against more than just Penn’s
MATTHEW SHERMAN / SENIOR STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
MAKING HISTORY | This weekend, Sean Brackett and the Lions will try to earn their first win against Penn in 13 years. offense, defense, and special teams. The Quakers (3-1, 1-0 Ivy) will benefit from a partisan Family Weekend crowd against a Light Blue team that hasn’t played on the road this season yet. They are also eager to repeat as league champions. Perhaps most dauntingly, though, Columbia is also pitted against history, a persistent and unfriendly foe that cannot be ignored when considering the game’s dynamics. Penn is 67-211 all-time in the series and has not lost to Columbia since 1997. “Is there a psychological factor?” asked Wilson. “In general,
I would say ‘yes.’ Looking at the wins and losses over time, Penn’s quote unquote ‘had our number.’” Yet Columbia is challenging the status quo all over the place these days. 1997 was also the last year the Lions had won three straight games—until last Saturday. “We just have to go play,” Wilson said. “It’s at their place. The field’s the same length, the field’s the same width, same ball we play with in practice. Let’s go play. We’ve gotta outexecute them.” SEE FOOTBALL, page 2
OPINION, PAGE 4
SPORTS, PAGE 3
EVENTS
WEATHER
Global core, global chore
Lions look to grab first from Princeton
Measuring Physical Disorder
Today
Columbia and Princeton, the lone two unbeaten teams in the conference, will face off in a match that will be pivotal for the standings in the Ivy League.
Public Lecture and Stargazing
The global core does not, and should not, fit within the core.
De-politicize Palestine Studies Ethan Perets warns the Center for Palestine Studies to avoid politics.
Tomorrow
Learn how to use Google street view to measure physical disorder in the neighborhood. 270B SIPA, 1 p.m. The astronomy department will host a “Galactic Cannibalism” lecture followed by stargazing. Pupin Hall, 8 p.m.
59°/ 47°
62°/ 45°
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NEWS / GAMEDAY
OCTOBER 15, 2010
Deans review Rangel speaks at Broadway Democrats forum ‘open housing’ the topics raised by O’Donnell specifically on preventing gang DEMS from front page and City Council member Inez violence. “Our children are litproposal what my elected official looks Dickens. erally killing each other, and HOUSING from front page
EMBRY OWEN / SENIOR STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
FAREWELL | Nuns of St. Hilda’s convent on 113th are preparing to move to a green home on Convent Avenue in Harlem.
St. Hilda’s prepares for move from 113th to Harlem convent CONVENT from front page among many green features, a planted roof, environmentally friendly finishes—such as recycled brick, cork flooring, and coconut wood—and an energysaving central heating system. “I think everyone is really excited about the move and the new building,” Margaret said. “Of course, it’s going to be bittersweet because we’ve been here for 60 years. ... There are a lot of memories here,” she said, adding that she has lived in the convent for 24 years. It’s the neighborhood mainstays that the nuns will miss, Margaret added, citing Westside Market and the nearby public library. But they are not leaving Morningside Heights behind, she said, since many of the sisters visit the Cathedral of Saint John the Divine frequently, either to celebrate communion or attend committee meetings. “We’re not going to be strangers to this area.” The future of the brownstones is unclear. Columbia acquired the buildings in 2009, and has helped the sisters obtain necessary permits and worked with them to ease the transition over the past year. “We’re still very focused on helping the sisters move into their new home,” said Joe Ienuso, executive vice president of facilities. “We’re not focused yet on what possible reuse opportunities exist.” Since the new location is much smaller and the convent had extra
furniture, Columbia connected the sisters with Build It Green, an organization in Queens that recycles and re-purposes home furnishings. “They [the University] have been really generous with us,” Margaret said. St. Hilda’s House’s agreement with Columbia stipulates that they have 45 days after construction is complete to vacate the brownstones, but the sisters have no intention to delay the move any further. Some nearby residents said they are sad to see the convent go. “I liked having the nuns here, but I admire what they’re doing with their green building,” neighbor Jodie Trapani said. She added, “I am not thrilled that it’s going to be taken over by Columbia. ... I’m concerned about what’s going to happen.” The Coalition to Preserve the Morningside Brownstones, which fought to save University-owned brownstones on 115th, echoed this concern. “We urge the University to keep them [the brownstones] as housing, and not to neglect them and certainly not to destroy them as they did on 115th,” coalition member Harry Schwartz, CC ’56, said. The University recently demolished the 115th Street brownstones due to safety concerns, but preservationists and local elected officials spoke out against Columbia. “We don’t know what Columbia’s going to do with this building, but we do know that we leave it changed,” Margaret said. news@columbiaspectator.com
“From the student standpoint, we don’t see this as that revolutionary a jump,” he said. “It will provide safe and comfortable living options for students.” Last winter, Steven Pfau, CC ’13, had planned to live with a female friend until the proposal was unexpectedly rejected by administrators, who said they would “seriously consider” a pilot program for the 2011-2012 academic year. “I’m not entirely sure why it didn’t pass last year, except for issues with the press and fear about the image we might have with the media,” Pfau said, referring to a New York Post article that claimed Columbia students would soon be allowed to “live in sin.” Lianna Reagan, BC ’11, said she was confused by the backlash last year, since the proposal was designed with the comfort of transgender students in mind. “The push came from the queer community, but the immediate backlash was so heteronormative,” she said, explaining that critics focused on straight couples, not the LGBT students who felt safer with roommates of the opposite gender. She added that she hopes open housing will eventually reach all residence halls. “Limiting this policy to just a few residence halls can be segregating,” she said. “I like that what we’re trying to achieve here is a very open, universal policy.” On Wednesday, MoodyAdams and Peña-Mora toured a suite and a townhouse in East Campus to get a sense of what doubles look like. According to officials from Student Affairs, an advantage this time around is that students and administrators have more time to educate others on campus and solicit a wider range of feedback. Edelman said that, since both deans are new to Columbia, they have likely not seen many of the residence halls and don’t know what terms like “corridor-style housing” and “suite housing” actually mean. The task force met a couple of times last year, held phone conferences over the summer, and met frequently in September to hash out the logistics of a pilot program to be approved by Moody-Adams and Peña-Mora. The deans will meet to discuss the proposal with the committee on October 21. news@columbiaspectator.com
like,’” said Paula Diamond Román, one of the organizers of the meeting and a Broadway Democrats district leader. “And I think it’s good for people.” The Broadway Democrats endorses candidates, but also gives residents the opportunity to interact with local officials, she said. Roads, education, landmarking, juvenile justice, and small businesses were also among
O’Donnell said that he thinks charter schools—privately run public schools—are not the solution to education problems because they cannot reach enough students. “Don’t take the one percent or two percent of kids and say, ‘Look what they can do,’” he said. Dickens, in addition to explaining a City Council measure to conserve water, also presented an initiative focused
if one of us gets in the middle, we’re dead also,” Dickens said. At the end of the meeting, Luis Román, president of the Broadway Democrats, took one last opportunity to implore attendees to go to the voting booths in November. “Tell your friends. Tell your families,” Román said. “Tell everyone they have to go out and vote.” news@columbiaspectator.com
JACK ZIETMAN / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
ASSEMBLING State Assembly member Daniel O’Donnell spoke at the B’way Dems town hall. |
Students examine cross-dressing, gender norms BY ROBIN SIMPSON-MCKAY Columbia Daily Spectator On Gavin McGown’s first day at a new high school, he sat in an assembly room with his new principal and peers and reviewed the dress code. “So they said girls may not wear skirts shorter than three inches above the knee, so I raised my hand and asked, ‘What about skirts for boys?’” McGown, CC ’13, said. On Thursday night, students—some in heels and others in ties—traded stories about cross-dressing and defying gender norms at a Queer Awareness Month discussion on casual cross-dressing. “Clothing is not just a functional object. It’s an expressive object. It’s a symbolic object,” said McGown, a member of the QuAM planning committee. Many other students added that, while they struggled with gender identity during high school, they feel more comfortable defying expectations in college. Lindsay Case, BC ’13, went
to a strict Catholic high school where female students were required to wear dresses to chapel. She always showed up in a suit and tie. “It was never something sexual, just something I felt more comfortable doing, but people got really mad at me,” she said. Students debated what constitutes cross-dressing and how it is received by others. Lianna Reagan, BC ’11, said she gets a lot more compliments when she dresses in a more feminine way. “We’re more rewarded socially by dressing up in our own gender,” she said. One male Columbia College sophomore, who declined to give his name, wore a classic pea jacket and jeans paired with gold, sparkly four-inch high heels. “They’re a bit gaudy, but that’s why I like them,” he said. Frank Redner, CC ’13 and president of GendeRevolution, opened the event in Sulzberger Parlor, explaining that casual cross-dressing, or “the integration of differently gendered
clothing into your own attire,” was something not traditionally covered by the media. The event “was a subtle protest against the clothing binary,” he said. Redner said the event was a major success. “It went way better than I thought it would,” he said, adding that he wasn’t expecting a large turnout. Avi Edelman, CC ’11 and president of Everyone Allied Against Homophobia, said the turnout of about 30 students reflected well on Columbia. “We have a very vibrant core community and a fairly supportive campus overall, but there are still a lot of ways for campus to be improved,” he said, pointing out that Columbia still does not have open housing. For some attendees, the event was an opportunity to address simple questions on the topic. One Barnard first-year asked, “When you’re a little kid and you’re playing dress up, does it count as cross-dressing?” Liza Roisman, BC ’13, promptly replied, “Depends how much you like it.” news@columbiaspectator.com
CROSS COUNTRY
Light Blue runners prepare for NCAA Pre-Nationals in Indiana FIRST LAST / POSITION
KEEP ON GOING
JASPER L. CLYATT / SENIOR STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
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A victory for Josh Martin and the Lions Saturday would extend their win streak to four and give them a 2-0 Ivy record.
CU takes on reigning champs in pursuit of 2-0 Ivy record FOOTBALL from front page On paper, the two teams are fairly evenly matched. They have identical records. Columbia leads the league in a number of statistical categories including scoring, rushing, third-down conversion rate, and turnover margin. But Penn is the class of the Ivies on defense. The Quakers are particularly adept at stopping the run and preventing third-down conversions. What will happen when the powerful Columbia offense lines up against Penn’s defensive wall? “Gotta take some chances against this defense,” Wilson said. “They’re not going to let you line up and move the ball 80 yards. Five yards at a time: five, three, five, three—you gotta get some yards in some
chunks against them. To do that, you’re going to have to protect. You’re going to throw the ball downfield. You have to break a big play some way, somehow against them.” Penn’s offense is nothing to scoff at either. The Quakers are second in the league in rushing, led by the dangerous tandem of Jeff Jack and Brandon Colavita, who are averaging more than 100 yards per game combined. And when defenses focus too much on stopping the run, the Quakers can burn their opponents with quarterback Billy Ragone, whose passing percentage is at 62 percent, but missed last week’s game with a suspension. Ryan Becker, a standout freshman, and Keiffer Garton could also see time under center for Penn.
“Their ability to run the football has made their offense that much more dangerous,” Wilson said. “They’ll pound the football at you in one formation, and all of a sudden, the quarterback’s on the corner with the football and there’s a one-man route that’s wide open.” Columbia counters with plenty of weapons of its own. Quarterback Sean Brackett currently ranks fifth in the entire league in rushing yards and leads the Ivies in passing efficiency (191.8) and touchdown passes (10). Craig Hamilton, a cornerback, is averaging nearly 34 yards per kickoff return, and linebacker Alex Gross leads the league with 50 tackles. “We’re not looking to get a 100-yard rusher or a 300-yard passer. We’re just looking to get
one more point than they get,” Wilson said. Everyone knows the implications of tomorrow’s result. A loss would make a league title that much more elusive for the Lions, who would probably need to win their last five to have a chance. A victory would extend their winning streak, but assure them of nothing. “It’s a big game. We want to be 2-0 in the league: That’s our goal after Saturday,” Wilson said. “It’s been a long time since we’ve been 2-0 in the league around here. Last year, we were 1-0 in the league and we played Penn and this year, we’re 1-0 in the league and we’re playing Penn. We want to be 2-0 in the league.” Wilson and his team go for their second league win tomorrow at noon in Philadelphia.
After an impressive showing this past weekend at the Metropolitan Championships, the Lions are teeming with excitement as they prepare for the NCAA Pre-Nationals, which will be held in Terre Haute, Ind. Head coach Willy Wood is confident about his team and the travel required for the meet. Preparation does change this week for the Light Blue, as the end of the season is drawing nearer every week. Wood stressed that the team’s “intensity will gradually increase daily,” in order to prepare for this coming weekend and future meets. Yet, despite the exciting outcome at the Metropolitan Championships, Columbia will feature fresh squads of runners for the NCAA Pre-Nationals. Without Mark Feigen and Alexandra Crawley, who shined this past weekend but will not be in attendance, the Lions will depend on other top runners to contribute. For the women, coach Wood expects Jackie Drouin and Caroline McDonough “to compete very well against the top runners in the nation.” Furthermore, Wood believes he will need Brendan Martin “to have a big race on the men’s side if
NCAA PRE-NATIONALS Terre Haute, Ind., Saturday.
we hope to compete against the nation’s top teams.” That being said, Wood has high expectations for the meet. “We hope to run significantly better than we did at Paul Short [Invitational], where we competed poorly,” Wood said. “The goal for both teams is to be in the top 10.” Look for the Lions to maintain pack-running throughout the meet, as they did during the Metropolitan Championships. This will be the key to their success. “Everything we do is a collaborative effort,” Wood said. “Everything we do is for the betterment of the group over the self. Running as a pack is what makes us better and stronger.” Columbia looks to be well rested and invigorated for this important event in their season. Coach Wood trusts the Light Blue “have been training very well and are fully ready physically.” The Lions kick off the NCAA Pre-Nationals at 11 a.m. on Saturday in Terre Haute. —Alexander Contratto
OCTOBER 15, 2010
GAMEDAY
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Gerst key for Light Blue to pull off upset over Quakers JONES from back page to score some points. And odds are it’s going to need more than just a few. Therefore, I think the Lions will need to be just about flawless if they want a chance to win. What’s more, Penn’s defense hasn’t allowed a 100-yard rusher in 27 games or a 300-yard passer in 29, so the Quakers certainly aren’t going to make it easy for the Lions to find the end zone. If Brackett can hold up his end of the deal on rushing and passing, I think the next most critical part of the puzzle is going to be Columbia’s running backs. I know it might seem unorthodox to say, but I honestly think the key is Nick Gerst. It’s not that Leon Ivery and Zack Kourouma aren’t good—I just haven’t been amazingly impressed with them so far this season. Ivery and Kourouma have experience, but from where I’ve been sitting, it doesn’t seem like they have the same fire in their eyes as Gerst does. With only a few varsity games under his belt, Gerst still has something to prove, and I think he’s willing to do just about anything to do it. If head coach Norries Wilson
Gerst still has something to prove, and I think he’s willing to do just about anything to do it. gives Gerst a chance by putting him in for some real time, I think he’s prepared to go balls to the walls for the Lions, and that’s exactly what they’ll need. 2) defensive consistency In addition to offensive brilliance, I think the Lions will need the defense to make its performance in recent games look like child’s play. Though Columbia’s defense is second in the league—allowing an average of just 17 points per game—I’m not sure that will be enough tomorrow. With the offensive struggle that lies ahead, Columbia’s defense needs to do everything it can to limit the Quakers’ offense. From what fans have seen so far, there is in fact a lot of talent on the defensive side of the ball. Everyone knows Alex Gross is practically a demigod, but there’s a lot of other guys on the squad
who can be pretty beast too. Do the names Adam Mehrer, Neil Schuster, or Craig Hamilton ring any bells? If not, take a look at the overall defensive statistics this season. While the Light Blue defense had a strong start to the season, there have been moments that show the fallibility of this squad. Last weekend against Lafayette, the defense struggled to stop the Leopards’ offense through the first two quarters of the game. Columbia’s offense picked up the slack, keeping the Lions in a good position heading into the half. With the battle that could lie ahead for Brackett and the offense, the Light Blue is going to need the defense to cram 75 minutes worth of stops, blocks, and hard hits into just 60 minutes of football. 3) getting past tradition Tradition says that the Lions basically suck. The Light Blue doesn’t deserve to win a single game. Columbia should just cut the entire program and put the money toward something useful and productive, like financial aid or better dining options. If the Lions want to win this weekend, they’re going to have to be sure that they’ve shaken off these words for good. When it comes to playing Penn in particular, history is not on the side of the Light Blue. The Quakers are 67-21-1 all-time against Columbia and they’ve won the last 13 matchups. Last time the two teams met, a season-long trend regarding turnovers was reversed for both crews. The Light Blue ended up turning the ball over seven times. Seven! That’s almost twice each and every quarter. The Lions have to make sure the past is the furthest thing from their minds on Saturday. If they intend to keep up, they’ll have to forget that they’re a team that usually has a losing Ivy record who’s up against the defending league champs. Basically, this weekend is Columbia’s true test on the gridiron, and it could determine the outlook of the rest of the season. I’m not saying it’s impossible for the Lions to win—after all, this isn’t nowheresville community college against USC, people—but the Lions are going to have to make it a dogfight if they want to keep themselves in contention. Victoria Jones is a Barnard College junior majoring in French. sports@columbiaspectator.com
DANIELLE FONG FOR SPECTATOR
SAVED
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Junior goalkeeper Lillian Klein will need to be sharp in order for Columbia to emerge victorious against Princeton.
Columbia hosts Princeton in pivotal clash of unbeatens BY SARAH SOMMER Spectator Senior Staff Writer After three Ivy League games, the Columbia women’s soccer team remains unbeaten in conference play. The Lions will try to continue their successful run when they host Princeton, another squad that has yet to lose a league match. Sound familiar? That’s because it is. When Columbia last hosted Princeton in 2008, the two teams entered the game with zero Ivy losses between them. The contest gave both squads the opportunity to carve a clearer path toward the league championship. But some details have changed. When the Lions and the Tigers met two seasons ago, each team held a 2-0-1 conference record and both of them, along with Penn, held the top spot in the Ivy standings. This year, Princeton (8-4-0, 3-0-0 Ivy) holds sole possession of first place, while Columbia (7-2-3, 2-0-1) sits in second. The Lions climbed into their position by knocking Penn out of its tie with Princeton for first. Last weekend, Columbia achieved a 2-1 road win over the Quakers. The Light Blue is unbeaten in its past six games, with three victories and three draws. On Tuesday, the Lions settled for a 2-2 tie at Long Island. While Columbia held a 2-1 advantage for most of the second half, the Blackbirds knotted the score
COLUMBIA VS. PRINCETON Baker Field, Saturday, 4 p.m.
with a penalty kick that they may not have deserved. The disappointing result has become a form of motivation for Columbia. “We’re all pissed off,” senior captain Kelly Hostetler said. “It’s one of the most frustrating games that I’ve played in, probably, in my soccer career of 18 years.” On Saturday, the desire for redemption could lead Columbia
“We would really like to beat them this year. No more ties or doubleovertime losses.” —Kelly Hostetler, senior captain to a win. But Princeton will pose a significant challenge. The Tigers boast two of the league’s most dominant offensive players in sophomore midfielder Caitlin Blosser and sophomore forward Jen Hoy. Hoy has scored a league-high seven goals this season, while Blosser has scored six and
recorded a league-high seven assists. Princeton has also posted five shutouts this year, two of which have come against league opponents. Sophomore goalkeeper Kristin Watson is second in the conference in goals-against average (0.73) and third in save percentage (0.837). The Tigers’ past two games—against Brown and Lehigh, respectively—ended as 1-0 Princeton wins. Columbia will threaten with aggressiveness of its own. On offense, junior forward Ashlin Yahr has established herself as the Lions’ go-to player. After scoring a total of three goals in Columbia’s first 10 matches, Yahr netted that same number over the Lions’ past two contests. She received Ivy CoPlayer of the Week honors on Monday. Yahr is the only Columbia player to score in Ivy competition this year, having tallied both of the Lions’ goals at Penn and their one goal against Cornell. “She has given her all in every match, but I think she is even a bit more lively in Ivy matches,” head coach Kevin McCarthy said. “We expect she’s going to have another really strong game.” Junior goalkeeper Lillian Klein anchors a Columbia defense that has earned a leaguehigh six shutouts. She leads the conference in goals-against
average (0.62) and save percentage (0.881). While the Lions allowed two goals against Long Island—a number that they had not yielded in a single game since their season opener—one of those goals was the penalty kick, which resulted from a controversial foul call. Last season, the Lions and the Tigers fought to a scoreless draw in New Jersey. Then-freshman midfielder Cat Rawls appeared to net Columbia’s game-winning goal in the 103rd minute, but she was ruled offside. Columbia and Princeton each went 3-3-1 in league play last year, tying for fifth in the conference standings. Both teams had lost at least one Ivy game before facing each other, making their 2009 match less of a battle for the conference title than their previous contest had been. While the circumstances leading up to Columbia and Princeton’s game this season resemble those of 2008, the Lions will fight for a different outcome. The teams’ 2008 meeting went to two overtimes, and Princeton scored the golden goal in the 108th minute to earn a 2-1 victory. The Lions are determined to change their fate against the Tigers. “We would really like to beat them this year,” Hostetler said. “No more ties or double-overtime losses.”
Men’s soccer strives for first Ivy win BY MRINAL MOHANKA Spectator Staff Writer The Columbia men’s soccer team (4-6-1, 0-2 Ivy) welcomes Princeton (7-3-1, 2-0 Ivy) to Columbia Soccer Stadium tomorrow as it searches for its first win in the Ivy League this season. The Lions have had tough opening fixtures in the conference, visiting Brown and Penn, and will be hoping to make home-field advantage count. The Lions lost to both Brown, 3-0, and Penn, 1-0, on the road, but they will take heart in the fact that both of those teams are amongst the top 17 in the nation according to this week’s NCAA poll. Before their travels to Ivy League fixtures, the Lions won three straight games in a homestand composed of matchups against Seton Hall, 3-2, Long Island, 1-0, and Delaware, 3-0. Their only loss on home turf this season was a 2-0 defeat against St. Peter’s before the trio of wins. Freshman Henning Sauerbier, sophomore Will Stamatis, and senior Bayo Adafin have all scored multiple times this season and will be looking to add to their individual tallies in an attempt to boost Columbia’s position in the Ivy standings. The Lions will be looking to maintain their impressive home form, but it will be no easy feat against Princeton. Lions’ head coach Kevin Anderson is glad to be returning to Columbia Soccer Stadium. “It’s good to be back home and play where we’re comfortable,” he said. “We won our last three home contests, so we’re looking forward to building on that. It’s a great opportunity for us to get the season back on track to
JASPER L. CLYATT / SENIOR STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
BEST SHOT | In Columbia’s 3-0 loss to Princeton last season, junior forward Francois Anderson came closest to scoring with a shot on goal that was narrowly deflected by the Princeton goalkeeper. COLUMBIA VS. PRINCETON Baker Field, Saturday, 7 p.m.
where we want to be, and we’re going to try and take advantage of that.” The Tigers began the season slowly, but have won their last six consecutive games to boast an impressive record. The last time they managed to string together six wins in a row was in 1989 under the leadership of Bob Bradley as head coach of the program. The Tigers’ offense has come to life recently, and they have scored three goals in each of their last six games for only the fourth time in their history and have only conceded three goals during that period. They have stormed to crushing victories in their Ivy games, beating both Dartmouth and Brown by a 3-0 margin, albeit the Tigers were at home on both occasions—their away record this season is 2-2-0. Junior forward Antoine Hoppenot leads the Tigers in the points table, with six goals
and three assists this season. Senior midfielder Josh Walburn is a close second, having scored and assisted four times each this season. Sophomore midfielder Lester Nare is the reigning Ivy
“Princeton is really on fire at the moment, and that will make getting a result much more rewarding for us.” —Francois Anderson, junior forward League Player of the Week for impressing in the Tigers’ midfield and finding the net twice in the win against Brown to send Princeton to a first-place tie with Penn in the Ivy League standings. Interestingly, Nare is the only player in Division I soccer who can claim to have beaten Bears goalkeeper Paul
Grandstrand on two occasions this season. The last time the teams met, the Tigers triumphed by a 3-0 scoreline thanks to goals from Ben Harms (who has since graduated), Lester Nare, and Brandon Busch. For the Lions, now-junior Francois Anderson came closest to scoring, but he was thwarted by Princeton’s goalkeeper, Sean Lynch. Anderson acknowledges that the Lions are underdogs this weekend, but feels that will drive them on. “We don’t really have as much respect as we want in the Ivies, and this is one chance to earn it,” Anderson said. “Princeton is really on fire at the moment, and that will make getting a result much more rewarding for us. We’re getting our morale back since the coach has made changes to the starting lineup, which gives us a different dimension in attack. It’s looking good in training and we’re confident. It should be a great matchup.” Kick-off is tomorrow, Oct. 16th, at 7 p.m. at Columbia Soccer Stadium.
EDITORIAL & OPINION
PAGE 4
The Center for Palestine Studies, not debate The 134th year of publication Independent since 1962 CORPORATE BOARD BEN COTTON Editor in Chief THOMAS RHIEL Managing Editor AKHIL MEHTA Publisher
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I
was climbing the stairs of Hamilton last week when a peculiar leaflet caught my attention. Uncountable numbers of flyers like these are posted ETHAN A . throughout the stairPERETS wells of the building, and it is easy to be Living drawn to the call of one on a and then become imPiece of mediately distracted by the message of another. Pa p e r But the one I now saw before me had been plastered on the walls over and over again. Its statement was clear: The State of Israel should be prosecuted for numerous war crimes. This inflammatory flier led my mind to the recently founded Center for Palestine Studies. I’m interested in examining the impact this institution’s founding might have on students’ views on Israel, already a polarizing issue difficult to honestly discuss.
Do not allow the IsraeliPalestinian conflict to permeate the walls of your faculty’s classrooms. This obviously isn’t your first encounter with an opinion piece arguing either in favor of, or against, the preservation of the State of Israel. You might sigh and say, “This story? Again?” because the “facts” published by both sides constantly contradict each other and appear irreconcilable. I won’t be redundant and restate one side’s case. Instead, I want to implore the directors of the center to honor an urgent request—do not allow the Center for Palestine Studies to be transformed from an institute for higher learning into a safe haven for anti-Zionist propagandists. What’s in a name? The name “Center for Palestine Studies” causes more agitation in the vagueness of its title than might first be recognized. As Amanda Gutterman noted in Wednesday’s paper (“The Politics of a Name” Oct. 12), “Why call it the Center for Palestine Studies? … [the center’s founders] leave themselves open to what I can only hope is a misinterpretation of the
The Global Core lacks substance BY STEPHEN WU Last week, I received a notice from the Committee for the Global Core that the coursework I had submitted to satisfy that requirement had been returned and denied. The underlying logic was that the courses were, amusingly enough, “too Western.” At first, I was stunned that this committee could presume to delineate between sufficiently and insufficiently “Western” courses, until I realized that this was nothing more than a clever gambit to mask a more fundamental issue: that the Global Core is, at its heart, a deeply flawed profanation of an otherwise sterling Core Curriculum. To start, the supposition that anyone can find the sharp bounds of Western culture is just a little bit silly. Particularly in this age of globalization, the concept of the West as a concrete entity is becoming increasingly meaningless. Emerging nations have adopted and integrated components of traditionally Western society,
center’s position on the state of Israel.” It is evident that subtle ambiguities such as these sow the seeds of misinformation and conflict among the public. Also, in constructing a center of cultural study, the institute will undoubtedly wish to look at civilizations that have significantly influenced the society in question. Obviously enough, the Center for Palestine Studies will at some point find itself aspiring to scrutinize the relationship which exists between the peoples of Palestine and the State of Israel. This will also be the moment when disaster will be closest. Do not allow such a polarizing issue as the Israeli-Palestinian conflict to permeate the walls of your faculty’s classrooms and offices with an opining tone. Remain resolutely focused on your stated objectives of “the promotion of scholarship in Palestinian history, culture, arts, and literary studies.” If the United Nations, a large-scale forum with leaders of all creeds, can come to such an extremely biased conclusion on this relationship so speedily ( just look at the Goldstone Report), it would be much easier for a smaller organization to meet these same uncritical ends in an even shorter breadth of time. In just a few words, it would be a pity if political opinion were to enter the sphere of this center’s, or any others’, teaching and research spaces and diminish the academic integrity that resides there. It is the responsibility of instructors to provide facts and observations while it is the right of students to provide their own unique interpretations. This cannot work the other way around. More generally, the few obstacles mentioned here lend weight to the idea that it is most difficult to generate any “objective” conversation from a politically charged forum of debate. As Hume once wrote, “Reason is the slave of the passions.” It is in cases such as these that our passions become so inflamed that any reason we possess is no longer reflected in our remarks. And because a gap exists between merely having sincere hopes for discussing an issue and actually doing so as our passions become aroused, it is extremely important that those in positions of authority moderate these occasions for debate in a fair and responsible manner. This is, in fact, the same requirement the Center for Palestine Studies should now seek to satisfy. Ethan A. Perets is a Columbia College first-year. Living on a Piece of Paper runs alternate Fridays. blending them into a new hybrid that defies easy categorization. The Global Core itself struggles mightily with what constitutes an approved course, for a class can either be focused on a specified “non-Western” culture or be a comparative study. Those delineations break down in practice, though, as some cultures straddle the line between Western and non-Western or seem to wholly defy those prescriptions. Surely “Latino History and Culture” falls squarely within the West geographically, but perhaps not in ideology. How, though, does one characterize “Asian-American History,” which is, by definition, embedded within the American tradition? More and more, it is impossible to separate out threads of Western thought and influence from minority cultures simply as a logistical matter. More than these practical concerns, however, the intent of the Global Core is nothing less than anathema to the mission of a core curriculum. It violates the charge that all Columbia students read the same books at the same time, creating a unified and coherent intellectual atmosphere. The Core at its best seeks to offer a common understanding to all undergraduates by tackling the greatest questions of human civilization. It hopes to broaden the mind,
STAFF EDITORIAL
Casual Friday: Interminable midterms A s the august American thespian Matthew Steven LeBlanc once said, “Misery is manifold. The wretchedness of the earth is multiform.” And this is truly the season to remember LeBlanc’s words. For as fall creeps stealthily but steadily toward winter, the air around us becomes chilly, yet it crackles with the scorching heat of midterms. Woe betide the simple soul who seeks to sleep or sup or socialize these few mean weeks! Our studies have become a burdensome stone, pinning us to our seats in the darkened corners of Butler, Avery, or that most dismal edifice of jurisprudence—the law library. And yet, while we strive away these countless late nights, our eyes made bleary by the ethereal glow of so many liquid crystals, classes roll onward. We study assiduously for examinations and labor nobly to produce papers of the
highest quality. But the readings and problem sets build up in front of our very eyes, forming as if they were a veritable Olympus of work undone. Professors, hark at this darkest hour of the semester! What do you expect of us, your humblest pupils? That we maintain the grueling pace of a regular week’s homework whilst struggling beneath the crush of this infernal midterm season? And who was the scoundrel that wrought upon us that devilishly deceiving name of “midterms”? If these papers and tests were once intended to hail upon us at the middle point of the term, surely we have gone astray. The season of midterms is not a week, not a fortnight, but a month. Even fall break is not a respite! For the work does not cease until the harvest itself is near. Perhaps we wallow in our own naïveté when we speak of a time when midterms no longer wreak apocalyptic havoc upon us, before and after our fall vacation. You may say we’re dreamers, but we’re not the only ones. Oh Alma Mater, please lead us not into fall break with so much work hanging high above our heads. And deliver us from the evil of midterms. For thine was King’s College. And the power and glory of recreation, for at least until December. Amen.
OCTOBER 15, 2010
The new Jewish mission BY TODD GITLIN Passions travel long-distance, so Columbia sometimes feels like an outpost of the Middle East, an echo chamber where emotions collide, a university where issues get sharpened, or both. This week’s news brought Israel close to me—terribly so, in both senses of the word. Let me single out two events: one physically violent, the other morally. Insult compounds injury. Injury first. On Oct. 8, in an Arab neighborhood near the Old City of Jerusalem, where the Jewish settler group Elad has been installing the families of Jewish fanatics and knocking down buildings for touristic purposes (with the approval of the city government), an Arab boy threw a rock at a settler’s car. The driver was the head of Elad. He ran his car into the boy. The neighborhood has been in an uproar, especially since last month, when a private security guard from the group shot and killed a 32-year-old father of five. Then the insult. On Oct. 10, the Israeli Knesset voted to require all non-Jewish immigrants to swear loyalty to Israel as a “Jewish and democratic state.” An amendment to require the oath of all immigrants failed in the Cabinet. The deputy foreign minister, Danny Ayalon—from the far-right Yisrael Beiteinu party, which insisted on this measure as a price for participating in the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu—wrote in the Jerusalem Post that immigrants who are Jews can be presumed loyal without any special affirmation: “The pledge becomes unnecessary for those who join us by virtue of their national and historic ties to our land and people.” The new law meshes with a government talking point much repeated in recent weeks—that the Palestinians must recognize Israel explicitly, in so many words, “as a Jewish state.” Well, duh. As if there were any doubt of it! What else would its official Hebrew language, the law of return, and the insignia on its flag signify? The point is at least as much to humiliate the Palestinians, both within and outside pre-1967 Israel, as to stand for a value. Now, it’s the habit of many American Jews to overlook, feel defensive about, apologize for, downplay, and explain away the awful, embarrassing, and infuriating direction in which Israel’s bankrupt political leaders are steering. Isn’t the “neighborhood” rough and Israel embattled? Don’t other states also impose special burdens
After Office Hours
eliminating parochialisms by inquiring about the most fundamental of concepts, from justice to truth to duty. It is in this vein, though, that the global requirements collide most fully with the mission of the core. These classes are, by nature, intensely narrow in scope and deal not with issues that confront all of human-
The Global Core serves as little more than a politically correct submission to the trend of multiculturalism. ity, but only those of the Caribbean, or India, or Tibet. The genius of the real Core Curriculum is its stability and the timeless nature of its investigation. The Global Core’s aim is to specialize, to focus, and to constrict. “The Mongols in History” can teach us little about the universal nature of man—it equips us only with knowledge about Mongols in history, which is of questionable import as a basis for expanding knowledge.
Each Friday, a professor will share scholastic wisdom readers won’t find in lectures. Suggestions regarding which professors to feature are welcome.
on unprivileged Ausländer? Of course and of course. But the question for a Jew is finally: What does it mean to be a Jewish state? Does Israel really want to be judged by the standard of Saudi Arabia and the Islamic Republic of Iran? It was for this that Abraham moved to Canaan, that Moses freed the Israelite slaves, that the prophets thundered that Israel had failed to live up to a mission that was fundamentally ethical and not just a decision to follow dietary rules and call themselves Jews? It was for this that the Jewish people persisted, against long odds, through centuries of exile?
What does it mean to be a Jewish state? Jewish Israelis, like Americans, have never freed themselves of the burdens of chosenness—indeed, they cannot legitimately do so, because those burdens and hopes of redemption are fundamental to their raison d’être. Yet, in a state consecrated to the renewal of a time-old and distinguished mission, a mission centrally concerned with how to treat people, people who call themselves Jews—true Jews, observant Jews, excellent Jews—insist on exalting themselves over insulted others. In their evasions, Jews are gripped by an all-too-standard tribal impulse, a habit of mind reminiscent of an old joke about a Communist responding to charges that Stalin’s Russia maintained vast prison camps: “It didn’t happen, it was necessary, and they’re not doing it anymore.” Nothing unique about that: Tribalistic evasiveness is everywhere, and infectious. Some fervent Muslims tend to fall eerily silent about such atrocities as, for example, the recent murderous terror attacks on Sufis in Pakistan. Many Americans are content to call torture “enhanced interrogation techniques”—when it is committed by Americans. But just because this moral tic is common doesn’t make it admirable, or right, or a destiny of which this Jew can be proud, whether in Jerusalem or at far-off Columbia. The author is a professor of journalism and sociology and the chair of the doctoral program in communications. He is the coauthor, with Liel Liebowitz, of the recent book “The Chosen Peoples: America, Israel, and the Ordeals of Divine Election.” In the end, there is no distinction between Scandinavian truth and Indonesian truth or Mexican truth. Plato on justice and Augustine on God are explorations that do not fluctuate with time or place— they remain the pillars of philosophical thought irrespective of the petty contemporary classifications in which the global requirements so lavishly indulge. To admit that, though, would be to concede that the Global Core falls dramatically out of line with asking about the collective character of the human person and to expose the Global Core as an insignificant specialty course lurking among intellectual giants. The Global Core, then, serves as little more than a politically correct submission to the trend of multiculturalism, a poor attempt to offer disparate points of view at the expense of coherent analyses of the baseline points of human thought. It may be a worthwhile pursuit for the specialist, but it is disingenuous to argue that the Global Core is consistent with the mission to expound on great questions. Only there do we find illumination, not in these thousand points of trivial light. The author is a Columbia College sophomore. He is a senior editor for the Helvidius Group.
jody’s drawings!
JODY ZELLMAN
FRIDAY FOURTH DOWN
PIXBOX
5
week
#
Columbia at Penn (-6.5) Fordham at Yale (-6.5) Lehigh at Harvard (-11.5) Colgate at Cornell (+15.5) Brown at Princeton (+13.5) Holy Cross at Dartmouth (-4.5) Ohio State at Wisconsin (+3.5) Baltimore at New England (-1.5) Columbia Fordham Lehigh Colgate
Ohio St. Ravens Columbia Fordham Crimson Colgate Brown Holy Cross Keepin’ it Rhiel
Ravens
Michele Cleary (19-13)
Light Blue Rams Lehigh Raiders
Victoria Jones (17-15)
Brown Big Green
<Insert Heights margarita here>
Ohio Patriots
2 3
POINTS FOR
29.2 23.8
COLUMBIA
Turnovers Though the Lions have a +5 turnover margin so far this season, last time against the Quakers they had seven turnovers. The Light Blue will need to keep possession of the ball as much as possible tomorrow and avoid making any mistakes that could give the ball over to Penn’s offense.
Focusing on offense
PENN
400.5 381.5
COLUMBIA PENN
YARDS ALLOWED
POINTS AGAINST
17.0 18.5
COLUMBIA PENN
348.5 240.8
COLUMBIA PENN
KEY MATCHUPS
While Columbia’s offense has racked up 84 points in the last two games, Penn’s defense poses a big threat to the Lions this week. The offensive line will need to step up to the plate, and offensive players such as Sean Brackett will need to remain calm and stand strong against the Quakers.
Starting strong Last week against Lafayette, the Light Blue defensive squad had a slow start, allowing the Leopards multiple trips to the red zone. This week, the crew will need to be ready right from the start if they hope to limit the Red and Blue offense and keep the Quakers off the board as much as possible.
Columbia
Brian Burke > Glenn Sather. Here’s looking at you, Moy.
YARDS GAINED
Sean Brackett
Alex Gross
Steve Lias
Brandon Colavita Colavita is Penn’s top running back—rushing for 207 yards and four touchdowns this season over four games. Colavita, however, will be challenged by Gross this weekend. As Columbia’s top linebacker, Gross leads the Ancient Eight with 50 tackles, and Colavita is sure to be in his range of vision on Saturday.
Steve Lias leads the Red and Blue this year with 2.5 sacks for a total loss of 17 yards. Lias will have his sights back on starting Lions quarterback Sean Brackett. Brackett, who has been sacked seven times this season, will need to stay mobile in the pocket and get good protection from his offensive line if he hopes to elude Lias.
Fordham
STARTING LINEUPS
Lehigh Crazy Raiders Brown Holy Cross Ohioooo New England
Lauren Seaman (17-15)
COLUMBIA
OFFENSE
OFFENSE
luke deluca #41/fb
10
leon ivery #43/rb
10
Lions
PENN 10
Jim, much like how my Yankees will beat your Rangers, I will defeat you in the battle for Pixbox glory.
Dartmouth
1
BY THE NUMBERS
10
Jim Pagels (20-12)
Brown
So we all put $50 into this pool, right?
KEYS TO THE GAME
Dartmouth The
Vard Cornell Da Bears Green OSU
Michael Shapiro (14-18)
Lions Fordham Lehigh Colgate Bears Dartmouth
It’s the Victoria game plan ftw.
Ohio St. New England Mufasa Fordham
Saving the best for last.
20 30 40 50 40
bradford blackmon
#22/cb
zach heller #50/lb
10
erik rask #47/lb
adam mehrer neil schuster #47/fs #38/ss
brian levine #32/de
jonathan saelinger
#9/cb
alex gross #37/olb
10
drew goldsmith #90/dt
30
brian wing #92/ng
20
40 30 20
kameron jones brandon copeland #58/de #98/dt
josh powers #7/fs
fred craig #29/ss
BROWN VS. PRINCETON
FORDHAM VS. YALE
DARTMOUTH VS. HOLY CROSS
Since Brown’s resounding 29-14 win over preseason favorite Harvard, the Bears have not performed as well as they’d like, losing to Rhode Island and Holy Cross. Princeton is coming off an even worse string of games, as it lost to Columbia and Colgate by a combined total of 86-24. In last year’s game, Brown defeated Princeton 34-17. However, this time around, the Bears won’t have wide receiver Bobby Farnham, who had 10 receptions for 199 yards in that game but has now graduated.
Fordham currently stands 2-4 and is coming off of a three-game losing streak. Yale, on the other hand, has started out strong, winning both of its conference games thus far. Yale defeated Cornell in the second week of its season, 21-7, and escaped from Dartmouth with a 23-20 win. In that victory, Bulldogs running back Mordecai Cargill returned from an injury sustained the prior week to record a career-high 127 yards on 18 carries.
Dartmouth will look to notch its first win over Holy Cross since 2003. Although Dartmouth currently stands 2-2 overall (0-2 Ivy), the Big Green has been impressive this season. The squad took reigning Ivy champion Penn to overtime before losing 35-28, and narrowly lost the next week to Yale 23-20. When these two teams met last year, Dartmouth lost 34-14. This year, with the emergence of running back Nick Schwieger, Dartmouth looks to end its drought against Holy Cross.
Bulldogs
Ravens
Bart Lopez (13-19)
nick mistretta #57/ilb
DEFENSE
Ravens Puck Fenn
The week I surpass Levenfeld in Pixbox is the week I will retire from Pixbox.
matt moretto #33/olb
matt tuten #21/wr
10
Jacob Levenfeld (16-16)
craig hamilton #25/cb
joe d’orazio #59/c
20
Cornell Princeton
josh martin #95/de
10
Lehigh
Football, basketball, baseball playoffs, and hockey. It must be Oktober.
matt stotler ben popeck #92/dt #94/nt
20
10/25/97 Yale
josh smith #50/de
luis ruffologreg van roten #67/lg #62/lt
#60/rg
david wurst #2/wr
30
calvin otis #24/cb
30
Kunal Gupta (17-15)
jeff jack
40
40
Cornell
Ravens
30
DEFENSE
Harvard
Ohio State
50
Fordham
bob hauschildt jeff adamskurt williams #76/lt #63/lg #8/wr kyle stupi #75/C
#71/rt
50
50
Columbia
40
scott ward ian quirk nico gutierrez #68/rt #67/rg #3/wr
keiffer garton #14/qb
jared mollenbeck drew luongo
40
Ray Ray
Holy Cross
sean brackett #10/qb
ryan murray #86/te
30
Tressel
Princeton
andrew kennedy
#82/te
Bill Simmons
40
I just found out what the copy ad about the Oxford comma is referencing, and I still don’t give a f@$&.
30
Lucas Shaw (17-15)
Brown
Go Rangers?
nathan lenz #30/fb
20
20
Gate
20
Rams Crimson
Harvard Colgate Brown Holy Cross Buckeyes Ravens
Zach Glubiak (12-20)
COLGATE VS. CORNELL
HARVARD VS. LEHIGH
Following consecutive thrashings of Georgetown and Princeton, in which Colgate outscored its opponents by a combined score of 78-13, the Raiders will be overwhelming favorites against Cornell (1-3). In Colgate’s 34-3 win over Georgetown, running back Nate Eachus rushed for a seasonhigh 214 yards and four touchdowns en route to the victory. The following week, led by quarterback Greg Sullivan’s 205 passing yards and 91 rushing yards, Colgate was able to hand Princeton a 44-10 loss. Cornell’s lone win of the season came against Bucknell, in which the Big Red won 21-12. The last time they hit the gridiron, Cornell lost 31-17 against Harvard. In that game, Cornell trailed 10-3 headed into the fourth quarter, but faltered late and allowed the Crimson to stage an offensive onslaught.
Harvard (3-1) will look to improve its record when it faces off against Lehigh (3-2). The last time these two teams met, Harvard defeated Lehigh 28-14. In that game, Harvard’s opportunistic defense sustained the Crimson for the win. In that game, the defense picked off Lehigh quarterback Chris Lum four times and forced a fumble. This time around, Harvard is favored again. For Lehigh to have a chance at an upset, Lum will need to perform to his usual standards, as he did against Fordham, passing for two touchdowns and recording 146 yards through the air. Harvard, meanwhile, will look to its own quarterback, Collier Winters, to conduct its offensive attack.
GAMEDAY FRIDAY, OCTOBER 15 • PAGE 6
COLUMBIA (3-1, 1-0 Ivy) vs. PENN (3-1, 1-0 Ivy) SATURDAY, 12 p.m., philadelphia, pa. RADIO: WKCR 89.9 FM, WWDJ 970 AM • SPECTRUM.COLUMBIASPECTATOR.COM
Lions have tight Bagnoli becomes winningest coach in Penn history with 125th victory window for win over Quakers BY JIM PAGELS Spectator Staff Writer
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hen it comes to this weekend’s football game against Penn, I’ll admit it: I’m a little scared. Tomorrow’s matchup could set VICTORIA the pace for the rest JONES of the season, and it’s going to be a really Batting a tough battle. Thousand So far this season, the Lions have yet to be really challenged. And even with these “warm-up” games, the Lions are still 3-1. They’ve lost one game already, and things are only just about to get interesting. So let’s take a look at what worries me about tomorrow’s game. 1) an untested offense The Lions have managed to put up big points in the last two games—84 in total, to be exact—but the important thing to note is the opponents: Princeton and Lafayette. Lafayette still hasn’t won a single game this season, and the Tigers aren’t exactly known for being the toughest competition in the Ancient Eight. It’s no secret that sophomore quarterback Sean Brackett has been a beast this season, but that’s not to say that he hasn’t made any mistakes. He’s thrown interceptions, he’s been off the mark on some passes—he’s not perfect. But if the Light Blue wants to win tomorrow, it’s going to have SEE JONES, page 3
The Lions narrowly avoided being the answer to a Penn football trivia question. Had Quakers head coach Al Bagnoli lost one more game during his reign since 1992, the Light Blue would be lined up to make history for the coach. Instead, it was made last week against Bucknell. In Lewisburg, Pa., the Quakers trounced Bucknell 31-10, giving coach Al Bagnoli his 125th victory at Penn, breaking George Woodruff’s record that had been in place since 1901. Including his stint at Union College, Bagnoli now stands at 208 wins on his career. The other figures are staggering: 90 Ivy League victories, seven Ivy League championships, only one losing season in 18 years. The numbers and records don’t mean much to Bagnoli though. “In season, you don’t get to enjoy anything. You get to enjoy it for like two hours. Like everybody else, you just worry about next week,” Bagnoli said. “I think when it’s all said and done, you kind of reflect back on it. I don’t want to sound unappreciative, but really, you don’t have the time.” Coming into the Quaker program in 1992 as the hot-shot play-caller from the small Division III school, Bagnoli found success in the Ivy League quickly. Penn posted back-to-back undefeated seasons in 1993-1994 and 2002-2003. No other coach in Ivy history has ever led a team to back-to-back perfect seasons in league play, and Bagnoli now has a chance to do it for a third time this season coming off the heels of a flawless 2009 campaign—a season in which Penn lost its top three quarterbacks and had to start its fourth-stringer in the
COURTESY OF THE DAILY PENNSYLVANIAN
109 YEARS | Quaker head coach Al Bagnoli, now in his 19th season at Penn, broke a record that had been in place for 109 years with his 125th win at the helm. fourth week of the season. His ability to make adjustments when needed has been one of the keys to his success. Senior Bradford Blackmon noted his half-time mannerisms. “If we’re playing bad in the first half, he’s gonna let you know for sure,” Blackmon said.
Blackmon also discussed the coach’s warmth and accessibility to his players. “He always tells us that his door is open any time of the day,” Blackmon said. “He even gave us his phone number, so he could be in touch any time we need him.” Through all the success on the field,
Bagnoli and the Quakers have had to endure just as much hardship off of it. In 1997, the NCAA discovered that all-Ivy defensive tackle Mitch Marrow had dropped several courses and was not actually enrolled as a full-time student. Penn had to forfeit all but one game that season. The Quakers have also lost two of their own under Bagnoli’s tenure. Senior running back Kyle Ambrogi and junior defensive end Owen Thomas—one of the team’s captains—both committed suicide in 2005 and 2009, respectively. While Thomas’ death was during the spring, Ambrogi’s death was during the season, and Bagnoli had to make the difficult decision to play the game at Columbia that week. The Quakers came out firing and never looked back, dominating the Lions 44-16. The coach looks to repeat the same results this weekend in Philadelphia. “It’s time to transition to Ivy League play the rest of the way, and our first one at home is a very improved, talented Columbia team who has scored 40-plus points the past two weeks,” he said. The coach stressed that the Lions have been “one of the more efficient teams within our league” and that they have been very good at protecting the football, not allowing big defensive plays, and being tough in the red zone. In the Penn game last year, the Quakers tamed the Lions 27-13, although in that game, the Light Blue had not yet started their sensational young freshman Sean Brackett. Bagnoli called Lions quarterback Sean Brackett “very talented” and said that he “runs around and kind of drives you crazy on defense.” That alone will probably keep the Penn coach from basking in his new record.
Weekend
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT • FRIDAY, OCTOBER 15, 2010 • PAGE B1
PHOTO COURTESY OF MICHAEL BODYCOMB / ILLUSTRATIONS BY CINDY PAN
ACCESSIBLE ART? | The Frick Collection, which turns 75 this year, is offering new programs to expand its appeal to the young and the uninitiated alike.
Reframing The Frick as a student-friendly mainstay BY FRANCES CORRY Spectator Staff Writer The Frick Collection may be the only museum in New York with floors mostly done up in carpeting. Visitors shuffle by on it, quietly observing the Monets and Manets, Rembrandts and Vermeers that Henry Clay Frick acquired over his lifetime. The collection, housed in his former mansion on the Upper East Side, is part historical object and part high-class home. This year, it celebrates its 75th anniversary. As the establishment gets older, it becomes more noticeable that the patrons follow the same trajectory of dignified traditionalism. The Frick has never been one for a young crowd—it has an air of refinement that speaks more overtly to the lady who lunches than the youth who rebels. Yet with such canonical works, the Frick seems like it should fit easily into the art repertoire of a New York college student. After all, founder Henry Clay Frick should be a character many Columbians can relate to. He grew up a middle-class child of a whiskey distributor, he wasn’t very good at sports, and he had a whole lot of ambition. After becoming one of the barons of the Industrial Revolution
(and surviving an anarchist assassination attempt), Frick began collecting art, specifically the old masters. In 1914, he built the mansion that now is The Frick Collection, located at 1 E. 70th St. and encompassing nearly an entire city block between 70th and Fifth avenues. Designed to become a museum upon Frick’s death in 1919, doors finally opened to the public in 1935. The Frick is certainly unlike the superstars of the New York museum circuit—it does not have the white walls of the MoMA or the glass-boxed relics of the Met. The Collection is maintained to look much as it did when Frick himself lived there. Leather bound books line some of the walls. Portraits hang over fireplaces. Decorative furniture is placed strategically throughout the space. Can these delicacies of the Frick even compare to the granddaddy of all American art museums, the Metropolitan Museum of Art? When one wants to see art, it would be logical to see it all, from ancient to modern, decorative to fine, all in one visit. But the Frick is focused and refined, a niche of old masters in a specific setting. One doesn’t travel from the temples of Egypt to the monuments of Greece—rather, one walks from sitting room to sitting room. Could the Frick’s historical portraiture compare to the
spectacle of the MoMA, to watching Marina Abramović stare at James Franco? (Or Sharon Stone or Rufus Wainwright or Lou Reed?) These modern pieces may seem more relevant and exciting, or at least more readily understandable to the college student. Not to mention, for Columbia students, these heavy hitters of the NYC museum circuit are absolutely free. “If you can provide free admission you can really encourage people to experiment and explore throughout New York,” Eleanor Milburn, associate director of External Relations at CUarts, said in regard to their program, Passport to NY, which provides free admission for Columbia students to many cultural institutions. While the Frick costs only five dollars for students, getting to see some of the most valuable works of art in the world at no cost is a major incentive. Just over a year ago, CUarts reached out via social media to ask what other cultural institutions Columbia students would be interested in having in the program. When the New York Transit Museum was suggested, Milburn worked with them to become part of the Passport to NY program. “We listen to the students,” she said. “Through
SEE FRICK, page B3
Bistro Thursday night jazz provides local, low-key cool BY ALEXIS NELSON Columbia Daily Spectator
ANDRA MIHALI / SENIOR STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
JAZZ JAMS | At nearby Bistro Ten 18, students can enjoy the sounds of the Morningside Jazz Collective while indulging in a savory dinner.
For those craving a Thursday night without the usual fight to reach the bar at Campo or the nagging fear that someone will request the hold-out hit “Party in the USA,” Bistro Ten 18 might have a lot of appeal. The bistro, located at 110th and Amsterdam, across from the well-loved and well-worn 1020, is offering free jazz performances from 9:30 to 12:30 on Thursday nights. The French restaurant and bar has been hosting the Morningside Jazz Collective on these nights since Sept. 9. The bistro itself feels warm and inviting. Its ambiance stands in stark contrast to the more frenetic settings of popular Columbia nightlife haunts. The mean age of the crowd that arrived throughout the night for Thursday jazz was decidedly above that of Columbia’s student body—in fact, the restaurant doesn’t feel at all like it is as close to Columbia’s campus as it is. Students probably won’t see a lot of their classmates, which could be a pro or con, depending on who you are and what kind of night you want. A Thursday night at Bistro Ten 18 would be ideal for relaxed, late dining or drinks with friends. It offers the chance to unwind at the end of a long week in a slightly more refined manner than the typical Thursday night out, with less debauchery and more jazz. Food is slightly pricier at Bistro Ten 18 than other Thursday night favorites, such as Koronet’s and surrounding eateries, so it would be perfect for special occasions or maybe just a treat after midterms week.
When people weren’t dancing or milling about, bar chairs were turned toward the music, and the Collective received warm applause between sets. The energy of the jazz grew as the night progressed. The sound was never overpowering: Guests continued to talk, eat, and breathe the deep aroma of brawny oysters, hops, and crusty French bread while clearly appreciating the musical treat. Thanks to their accessible sound, it doesn’t take a jazz connoisseur to appreciate the Morningside Jazz Collective. The Collective was organized by guitarist Lee Welch, and its formation stemmed partially from a small world realization that several of the members had taken lessons from the same guitar teacher. On vocals, the Collective’s special guest for the evening brought an up-tempo energy to the performance. Her voice was lovely, and she engaged the audience in between songs with short anecdotes about their lyrics or origin. They enjoy playing Brazilian bossa novas, which were all the rage during the late 1950s and early 1960s, when Brazilian music met the sounds of American jazz. They draw from a pool of musicians including Joe Giglio, Kenny Wessel, Lee Welch, and Carl Baser on guitar; Christian Konopka and Joe Fitzgerald on bass; Joe Izzo and Lou Grassi on drums, and Zac Vancanti on sax. The group first performed together casually at a jam in the garden of the Cathedral of St. John the Divine. Bistro Ten 18 offers accessible jazz and a night of diversion different from the typical, boisterous college Thursday. The free music may be a chief draw for some, or for others, a lovely backdrop to a nice dinner and drinks. The atmosphere is subdued yet inviting, and it might just be the respite needed after a week at the grind.
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Best of
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Upcoming Postcrypt Acts For live folk music that won’t cost you a cent and a playing space so intimate that microphones are optional, look no further than Columbia’s own Postcrypt Coffeehouse. Located in the basement of St. Paul’s Chapel, the venue hosts live acoustic sets every Friday and Saturday night during the academic year, opening its doors to professional and amateur musicians alike. Performances run the full gamut of genres, from blues, rock, and jazz to a cappella and even poetry readings. After listening to some sample tracks by upcoming artists, Spec put together its musical picks for Postcrypt perfection. —BY KATY TONG
Caleb Hawley Despite a technical background in jazz composition, NYC-based singer-songwriter Caleb Hawley maintains a degree of accessibility in his music that’s comparable to Stevie Wonder and James Taylor. His latest fulllength release, “Steps,” incorporates jazz and folk influences into pop songwriting. “Every Shade of Gray,” a relaxed, syncopation-heavy blues number about becoming the ideal version of yourself, exemplifies not only Hawley’s dexterity with his instrument, but also his knack for making lyrical observations on life. A guitar virtuoso with a big voice, his music is hardly monotonous. In “Fade,” cascading piano scales complement vocals fit for musical theater. Friday, Oct. 22, 10:30–11:30 p.m. ALL PHOTOS COURTESY OF THE ARTISTS
PLAYING POSTCRYPT | Caleb Hawley (top left), Randy Niles (bottom left), and A. J. Roach (right) are some of the best upcoming acts at Postcrypt.
Randy Niles Bronx-raised singer-songwriter Randy Niles is no stranger to the musically gray area of genre crossover. Equally schooled in classic R&B and Metallica, Niles blends rock, pop, blues, and folk into seamless, radio-ready compositions—he’s John Mayer without the pretentiousness. In his 2010 release, the five-song EP “Perfect,” Niles showcases his growth as an artist straddling the genre divide. The ethereal eddy of synchs in “Satellite” is an exploration through textural landscapes that oddly recall Radiohead. His soulful crooning—“It’s a tragedy when x, y, z won’t equal three”—in “Birds of a Feather” speaks poetically to the complications of a romantic tryst over a slow-burning guitar motif. Friday, Oct. 15, 9:30–10:30 p.m.
A.J. Roach A relatively established folk musician with Appalachian roots, A.J. Roach crafts music where the lines blur between progressive indie and traditional folk—a hauntingly beautiful altcountry reminiscent of Wilco. His 2008 LP release, “Revelation,” features instruments as diverse as his approach to songwriting: The banjo, mandolin, accordion, and trumpet all make their respective appearances on the record. The title track, “The Revelation,” is a chilling discourse on
Judgment Day, when, as Roach sings in his raw Southern drawl, “every man is judged by what he’s really worth.” In light of his gripping lyrical poetry and musical depth, it is no surprise that his live shows are known for moving audience members to tears. Meanwhile, the muted, lo-fi atmosphere in “Hazel Blue” hints at a soft-spoken anger: “Some hearts you give as tokens/but mine is made out of glass that is broken.” Saturday, Oct. 23, 9:30–10:30 p.m.
Down the Mississippi to the thoughts behind Twain’s masterpieces BY SIMON RIMMELE Columbia Daily Spectator Mark Twain, a pioneer of modern American irony, died 100 years ago this year. For a man who never seemed comfortable with the changes of his own time, it is suitably ironic that many of the thoughts he struck from his own writing are both available for the public to see and still strangely relevant a century later. Timed to coincide with the long-awaited release of Twain’s own autobiography next month, the Morgan Library & Museum (36th St. and Madison Ave.) is hosting a fascinating exhibition titled “A Skeptic’s Progress,” containing some of Twain’s most personal thoughts. A century from now, literary historians will be disappointed by literature’s transition to the digital age, and the corresponding disappearance of a literal “paper trail” tracing an author’s changing thoughts. The bulk of the exhibition is made up of just these—Twain’s own handwritten notes, heavily revised, with words or entire pages sometimes unceremoniously crossed out.
that Twain could not quite make sense of the rapidly changing world. Many depict the darker sides of imperialism and modernization, and seem nightmarish and surreal. Twain himself appears in one piece, dressed only in his pajamas, as if to question the viewer about whether something this strange could possibly be real. If there is one consistent theme to “A Skeptic’s Progress,” it is that Twain himself had a difficult time comprehending the changes around him. It seems as if the only way he could make sense of the world was to relentlessly
poke fun at it. This skeptic’s “progress,” then, may have carried the same dark double meaning it did for the larger changes of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Twain’s own progression was largely a reaction to larger forces of “progress” that seemed both inevitable and somehow questionable to him. Any fan of Mark Twain or of the biting literary satire that owes so much to him would be well rewarded by this chance to see a changing world, this “strange place, and extraordinary place,” through the mind of an American icon.
Twain’s chicken-scratch handwriting is nearly unreadable, but the small changes belie larger shifts in the author’s own thoughts. Twain’s chicken-scratch handwriting is nearly unreadable, but to do only that would be almost missing the point. The small changes belie larger shifts in the author’s own thoughts. In one manuscript of his novel “Pudd’nhead Wilson,” Twain crosses out an ugly racial slur meant to act as a stand-in for “stupid” or “foolish.” Other pieces of the exhibition show Twain’s abandoning subtlety for his trademark incredulous satire. Twain traveled the world in the 1890s, where he was both confronted by and came to abhor what he saw as the hypocrisies of western imperialism. He prefaces a passage about the killing of Tasmanians by Australian setters bluntly: “This chapter is an indictment of the human race.” Twain later struck the entire sentence from the page, as he was surely aware of contemporary social and commercial constraints. For a literary exhibition, “A Skeptic’s Progress” is also a surprisingly visual collection. As a highly successful author even in his own day, Twain had several artists accompany his world tour and essentially draw his thoughts as they came to him. Several of the original paintings, called gouaches, are on display. The visual medium, in particular, conveys
David Gwaltney Hailing from Bristol, Tenn., modern Renaissance man David Gwaltney is an aspiring filmmaker, writer, and frontman for the indie pop outfit thecitylights* (denoted stylistically so as to prevent confusion with an Australian band of the same name). His music sounds like a sunnier Sufjan Stevens, albeit with darker lyrical content. The twinkling chimes and feather-light string arrangements in the cheekily titled “Insert Name, NYC” belie the deprecating lyrics as Gwaltney yelps, “You look like a model/you kiss like a whore.” In the hauntingly psychedelic “What Have I Done,” layered vocals and track samples intertwine as the lyrical soul searching descends into pop haziness. Friday, Oct. 15, 10:30–11:30 p.m.
Pacific East tiki meets Midtown East TIKI from page B4 in theory, the dish is an enormous success. Peppers, curry, and tofu are an optimal culinary trio due to the tofu’s natural lack of robust flavor. For dessert, the Samoan and the StrawberryPearl rice pudding come recommended. The latter comes in a glass bowl with tear-drop shaped tapioca pearls strewn across glistening white pudding. Substituting berries for the usual raisins and brown sugar makes for a lighter, summery dessert. The inspiration for the Samoan is the girl-scout cookie of the same name. Cake layers are sandwiched together with dense white cream, dusted on the outside with coconut slivers and perforated by two long chocolate ribbons. Once a spoonful of this decadence-incarnate is taken, it is all but impossible to keep the spoons out of the bowl. Diners should accompany dessert with the warm Coconut Chai tea blended especially for The Hurricane Club. This restaurant itself is like a sinful dessert—it must be experienced infrequently. Come here too often and parents will wonder where all that money is going. That being said, for anyone who is tired of the same old tortellini al pesto or burrito grande, The Hurricane Club is sure to be a welcome relief.
Heist film series: Down and dirty at Film Forum HEIST from page B4
COURTESY OF THE MORGAN LIBRARY & MUSEUM
TAKES OF TWAIN | The literary master reposes with a cigar on his Dublin, New Hampshire porch in this well-circulated 1906 photo, one of a suite of seven by biographer Bigelow Paine.
Sicilian Clan” (1969) on Oct. 17, and feel the rush of hijacking an airplane full of jewels. Feeling artsy? Then Jean-Luc Godard’s “Band of Outsiders” (1964) is the movie to see, where the vivid fantasies of a group of friends make a turn for the worse. Marvel at the graces of Anna Karina and Claude Brasseur as they cruise around the City of Light, quoting Kafka and living the tragicomedy that life can often be. Students shouldn’t be surprised at the emotionally hollow feeling they experience after leaving the theater, because that is simply a part of Godard’s magic. Be sure to catch “That Man From Rio” (1964) for some understated Jean-Paul Belmondo charm, or Quentin Tarantino’s “Jackie Brown” (1997) to see what classic girl-power ass-kicking looks like. As thrilling as these heist films may be, it’s a good idea to take a step back to realize that they are chasing after emotional truths, which are often not as simple as they appear. Leave high-tech expectations behind and come to the movie theater prepared for angst and moral ambiguity. In a world where good guys are bad and bad guys are good, the audience should forget their assumptions and just go along for the ride.
OCTOBER 15, 2010
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Two museums, two hours, and a MetroCard
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MARIA CASTEX FOR SPECTATOR
FIT FOR A KING The Frick Collection houses the impressive art collection of Henry Clay Frick in his former mansion. As the Collection turns 75, it seeks to open its doors further to New York. |
Reframing The Frick as student-friendly FRICK from page B1 our Facebook, they ask for a particular museum— we’ll try to get that one on board.” But perhaps the problem isn’t that college students don’t want to come, but that it just isn’t as obvious as the MoMAs and Mets of the city. “When I tell people I work at The Frick Collection, they either have never heard of it, or it’s their favorite museum in New York,” Assistant Museum Educator Jennie Coyne said. “The Frick sells itself, we just need people to come here.” And when they do, they’ll find that the museum does offer events for college students—it’s just that they aren’t as geared toward the partyanimal side of the art lover. Instead of hosting an Animal Collective concert like the Guggenheim, the Frick caters to college students with events that suit its primary strength—the individual, intimate connections it fosters between viewers and works of art. On Friday nights, the museum offers “Art Dialogues,” where college students and young professionals come in to the galleries for free. The group examines a particular piece in the collection, led by Rika Burnham, the Head of Education at the Frick.
Perhaps the best thing the Frick can offer students is its immersive experience. Observing works in the museum is probably the farthest one can get from the cube of a dormitory most Columbia students call home. “You just need to come to feel the atmosphere, and feel that you’re really stepped into a moment in time, the history of New York, the gilded age,” Coyne said. “To enjoy art the way someone intended to enjoy it in 1919 is a really unique experience, and largely appeals to everyone, including college students, who live such fast-paced lives.” Indeed, seeing an iconic work in the Frick, like Hans Holbein’s painting of Sir Thomas More, or Rembrandt’s self-portrait, is far different from seeing it at the Met or MoMA. The crowds are smaller and more polite. No photography is allowed, which means no jostling from tourists trying to get a picture before they move on to the next piece. The only sounds are murmurs of admiration, or the trickling of water from the fountain in the indoor courtyard. Open benches and decorative couches provide comfortable vantage points to see the pieces. This means that visitors do not merely see works from Titian, El Greco, Rembrandt, and Monet, but can truly enjoy them as well.
hile for many the onslaught of midterms means sleepless nights in Butler, for me it means the opportunity to find new and exciting ways not to study. This morning, for example, HANNAH as I began writing a paper, I YUDKIN came up with an interesting procrastination option: visiting Restricted a museum. I also realized that going to one museum would in no way optimize my procrastination time—if I’m taking a break, I might as well try to get the most out of it. I gave myself two hours—the perfect amount of time for a good break—and a MetroCard, for I was on a mission: how to visit two museums in under 120 minutes. In planning my trip, I discovered that Museum Mile would be the one and only place I could go in order to meet all of my criteria successfully. In order to visit two museums in the specified amount of time, it clearly would be wisest to choose ones that are close to each other. For example, I would not want attempt to go to El Museo del Barrio at 104th Street and then the Metropolitan Museum of Art at 82nd Street because traveling 22 blocks would be impossible given my self-imposed time constraints. Keeping this in mind, I have to take the 1 train down to 86th Street and then make a quick transfer to the crosstown bus. No matter what anyone says, the M4 is never faster. Trust me. I also recognized that focusing on exhibitions, rather than museums, would be necessary. The best bet would be a small museum whose exhibitions tend to be very easy and quick to get through (not like the Guggenheim, which is essentially one gigantic exhibition), or a large museum with a variety of exhibition options from which to pick and choose. Keeping all of this in mind, I came up with the perfect itinerary: the Neue Galerie and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Not only are these two museums merely three blocks away from
each other, but they always have several exhibitions going on at once. Regardless of what is on view, the Neue’s permanent exhibition is my go-to option. German and Austrian favorites like Oskar Kokoschka and Egon Schiele never fail to put me in a cheery mood (I am especially partial to Schiele’s contorted, naked, and emaciated women). Gustav Klimt’s Adele Bloch-Bauer I brings a bit of controversy to my day—someone paid over $130 million for this particular painting. Plus, it only takes 30 minutes or so to peruse the collection. The Met, on the other hand, is a much more difficult beast to tackle. I try to steer clear of the blockbuster temporary exhibitions (anything Picasso, Van Gogh, etc.) and the crowded wings (Egyptian, Greek, and Roman). Time is limited here, and there’s no way a sluggish tourist or a crying child is getting in my way. “Hipsters, Hustlers, and Handball Players: Leon Levinstein’s New York Photographs, 19501980” is a good example of a small and intimate exhibit that requires very little time. Roughly 40 photographs of eclectic New Yorkers fill the room. Levinstein has an eye for the humorous— “Beach Scene: Woman Wearing Paper Bag Hat,” for example, features a smug older woman in her bathing suit, straps splayed out on her shoulders, wearing a paper bag on her head. I particularly enjoyed how Levenstein’s camera rarely focused directly on the subject. Rather, the shots are of people’s shoes, their clothing, the people in the background. It was nice to see the works of an artist whom I had never seen before. While this exhibit will be closing soon, I always find that the Met has many other small ones to choose from. And, remember, just because a museum or exhibition is small doesn’t mean it’s bad. It only means you’ll be able to get a dose of culture and a much-needed mental break in a flash, before someone else beats you back to Butler and swipes your spot. Hannah Yudkin is a Barnard College senior majoring in art history and political science. Restricted runs alternate Fridays.
‘Carlos:’ The life of a terrorist in 5.5 hours CARLOS from page B4 they might actually feel sympathy when Carlos becomes an unemployed terrorist—such is the extent to which the film normalizes terrorism. The movie also raises some interesting questions: What is the social convention between two terrorists? How does one greet a fellow terrorist? How does a fashion-conscious terrorist dress? But Assayas’ masterpiece does have its flaws. The special effects are at times reminiscent of a
1990s video game, and the modern rock-heavy soundtrack often seems incongruous and anachronistic with the events occurring. Yet, as the credits roll, the audience feels a sense of having experienced something epic, both in length and in content. While there were more than a few sighs of relief by the end of “Carlos,” these were mostly from the feeling of accomplishment for completing such a raucous journey with a truly remarkable man—monstrous jackal or not.
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OCTOBER 15, 2010
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Picks
WHERE IT’S AT Place: 360 Park Ave. South at 26th Street
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ZARA CASTANY / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
TIKI TIME |
Diners enjoy East-meets-West Polynesian fare around the wraparound crystal bar at newly opened Hurricane Club.
Pacific East meets Midtown East with upscale tiki tastes Hurricane Club BY KIMBERLY TOPILOW Columbia Daily Spectator
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COURTESY OF IFC FILMS
JACKAL HIJINX | Édgar Ramírez shoots ‘em up as Venezuelan terrorist Carlos the Jackal in Olivier Assayas’ newest IFC film.
Sweeping synthetic tropical plants and dark wooden floors transport diners out of the concrete jungle and into the far reaches of the Pacific Ocean at the newly opened Hurricane Club. Once inside this new Polynesian restaurant located on Park Avenue at 26th Street, the customer is greeted by an extensive, dimly lit space redolent of relaxation and good first dates. Multiple bottles of colorful liqueurs and umbrella-topped concoctions successfully evoke a tiki bar set on the island of Manhattan. What appear to be small, square pads of paper on the table turn out to be multiple copies of the restaurant’s Pupu platter menu. Pupu is the Polynesian take on tapas. Executive Chef Craig Koketsu, also the chef/partner at Quality Meats, another upscale NYC dining destination, has created an enticing lineup of nine small plates. Below each item is a checkbox. There are three options when it comes to the Pupu platter items—the King Kamehameha Platter for a whopping $58, the Imperial Platter for a slightly less egregious $28, or plates individually ordered for $12 each. Students should come in big groups to lighten the load or with family ready to splurge for an evening. The best way to experience Pupu platters and not break the bank is to share the Imperial Platter, which consists of the chef’s choice of five menu items. The Pupu are presented on a long, wooden board. There are only two of each item, which makes sharing a bit difficult, but everything is pre-divided. With the Peking duck
sandwiches, Chef Koketsu gives traditional British teatime fare an Asian twist. The sliced duck is savory, moist, and deliciously tender. Butter-infused bread gives the duck a subtle creaminess. Accompanying the coconut shrimp is a smooth, yellow, coconutenriched dipping sauce that partners well with the shrimps’ crisp exterior. Resting atop the Samoan deviled eggs are thin, clear strips of some onion derivative. The light tanginess they impart, along with a rather unusual yet deliciously sweet orange sauce, gives the typical deviled-egg a tropical facelift. Any spicy food craving can be sated by the Korean fire chilis. A slow, steady burn settles on the palate once the pepper is eaten. The only displeasing item is the beet cannoli. Beets have their place and function and it is definitely not in a whipped, sweetened, spreadable state and stuffed into a crisp, conical pastrylike cone. Off the tasting menu but worth the extra splurge are the peanut butter and guava jam sandwiches. Not your usual PB&J—four golden brown bread squares are topped with folded pieces of prosciutto, basil, and a dot of guava jam. The waitress explains that the chef spreads two small bread slices with peanut butter and jam, vacuum-seals them to condense and seal in the flavors, and then deep-fries them. It is a delectable tiki-spin on the popular “Elvis” sandwich. Next up are the entrees—tofu “gnocchi” with green curry vegetables, pork spareribs with tamarind chipotle barbecue sauce, and spice-crusted shrimp with coconut cream. The tofu gnocchi are not gnocchi at all but soft white knobs of tofu tossed with chopped red and green peppers in a subtly spicy green curry. Though strange
SEE TIKI, page B2
‘Carlos’ The life of a terrorist in 5.5 hours BY PHILLIP ROSS Columbia Daily Spectator The first three minutes of “Carlos”—replete with a pair of naked breasts, fast-changing scenes, and multiple European languages— immediately set the tone of the biopic detailing the life of terrorist Carlos the Jackal. That leaves a mere 327 minutes to savor the bomb plots, fast women, powerful political figures, and stunning landscapes that make up Carlos’ roller-coaster lifestyle. Fortunately, there is a shorter version of director Olivier Assayas’ epic available, at a paltry 165 minutes, showing at Lincoln Plaza Cinemas starting today. However, for those Columbians who are hardcore enough to take up the challenge, the unabridged version will be showing at the IFC Center for the next week, with special appearances by the director at both cinemas. Despite the dauntingly lengthy running time, “Carlos” is a thrilling experience. Édgar Ramírez, who portrays the Latin-American playboy, is physically the stereotypical alpha male, and he’s wonderfully adept at acting like one. At times, he is simply mesmerizing, especially when Carlos enters one of his famous rages—his animalistic wrath seems to transcend the screen, truly befitting his epithet. For Columbians unfamiliar with Carlos the Jackal, he is a surviving, incarcerated, and prominent Venezuelan terrorist who operated mainly in Europe in the ’70s and ’80s, culminating in a bold and bloody attack on an OPEC convention in Vienna. Yet Carlos, as this movie tries to explain, is much more than a cookie-cutter ideologue. A theme throughout the film is the internal conflict between his petit-bourgeois background and his idealism, and the external contrast as his warm South-American lifestyle, complete with exotic Latin music jam sessions and flowery wallpaper and interiors, demarcate him from the surrounding drab world of Europe. One of the downsides to the film is a conspicuous lack of exploration of Carlos’ motives—why would a Venezuelan feel so strongly about Palestine, to the point of terrorism? But, of course, this could be due to the fact that Carlos is still alive and ready to contradict any possible wrong interpretation. Indeed, the viewers are reminded of the existence of Carlos and the actual events behind the fictionalized film by sporadic footage of interviews with actual witnesses and coverage of some of his attacks. These complement the poignant scenes that portray the incidents in full detail. Despite these horrors, viewers inevitably begin to develop an attachment to this inherently immoral character, to the point that
SEE CARLOS, page B3
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2 COURTESY OF PHOTOFEST PHOTO
GRITTY GUYS | Alain Delon, Jean Gabin, and Lino Ventura pull it off in Henri Verneuil’s 1969 French film “The Sicilian Clean.”
Heist film series Down and dirty at Film Forum BY KINNO NOROJONO Columbia Daily Spectator Opening this explosive series is Joseph Sargent’s “The Taking of Pelham One Two Three” (1974). Despite the disastrous 2009 remake with Denzel Washington and John Travolta, this movie is considered to be one of the great New York action films. Set in 1970s Manhattan, the film tells the story of four heavily disguised and armed men who hijack the Pelham 123 subway train and secure a group of hostages. They then give the
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Annual Great Big Wheel Race Masala Bhangra —Central Park (103rd Street and Central Park West), Saturday, Oct. 16, 3 p.m., free. Don a superhero costume and hop on a Big Wheel—those childhood-favorite tricycles with, appropriately, a big wheel at the front—to Central Park. For those lacking a Big Wheel in their dorm room closet, skateboards, regular trikes, and other manual wheeled vehicles with a seat less than a foot off the ground are also acceptable.
—Ailey Extension, 405 West 55th St. (at Ninth Avenue), Saturday, Oct. 16, 8 p.m., $15. Looking to get a workout in this Saturday night? Check out the first weekly Masala Bhangra class at Ailey Extension, an offshoot of the renowned Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. Limbs will be a-flailing and foreheads a-sweating in no time.
city one hour in which to pay them $1 million, or one hostage will be killed per minute after the time limit has passed. With a stunning ensemble cast and fast-paced cinematography, this movie will keep students on the edge of their (subway) seats. It is only appropriate that this movie starts off the series, because not only is it extremely popular among audiences, but Film Forum is also the first theater to revive the movie regularly since 1994. Spanning over 30 films, this heist series has something for everyone. For students who adore gunslingers and car chases, be sure to check out “Violent Saturday” (1955) on Oct. 20, a hard-hitting noir film set in small-town America that is packed with big-town violence. They can also see if the grass is greener on the other side of the Atlantic with Alain Delon and “The
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One Step Beyond —American Museum of Natural History (79th Street and Central Park West), Friday, Oct. 15, 9–1 p.m., $25. Picking up where PS1’s Saturday dance parties left off, the American Museum of Natural History holds a night of live rap featuring Shabazz Palaces. In case the rap isn’t enough, the ticket price includes admission to the museum’s ongoing excursion out into the universe narrated by Whoopi Goldberg, “Journey to the Stars.”
SEE HEIST, page B2
food & drink
Baconpalooza —SoHo Gallery for Digital Art, 138 Sullivan St. (Between West Houston and Prince streets), Sunday, Oct. 17, 12–4 p.m., $30 for a day pass. Baconpalooza, the SoHo destination festival for pork lovers of all kinds, has a Bacon Brunch that offers treats like bacon jam and syrup, and the bacon-apple coffee cake is sure to be a singular experience. Only the price tag and a stomach full of grease might deter students from this flavor adventure.
OCTOBER 15, 2010
CLASSIFIEDS
CLASSIFIED AD RATES: $8/00 per first 20 words. 25¢ each additional word. Ad in all boldface $4.00 extra. All ads must be pre-paid. 2 business day deadline. Call 854-9550 for information; or fax ad to 854-9553.
COLUMBIA AREA. Spacious 3 BR, 2 bath. Exquisitely renov pre-war, windowed office, custom cabinetry, W/D, CAT5 wiring, lux finishes. $1.139M, or for rent $5500. Lori Glick, LGlick@ stribling.com; (212) 585-4536. ENORMOUS, SUNNY INWOOD studio near Baker Field on Park Terrace East in charming Art Deco building. 3 full rooms - 750 square feet - avail furn or semi-furn. Perfect for Columbia student or teacher. 2-year lease. Available directly from co-op owner: InwoodRental@yahoo.com
PROFESSIONAL EDITING by Columbia Ph.D. Dissertation and academic style expert (APA, Turabian, MLA, etc.). Typing services available. (877) 9229422.
HEALTHY WOMEN 19-29: NYC egg donors needed. Help someone create a family and be well compensated! Confidential. Apply at www. MyDonor.net
LOOKING FOR THIRD YEAR law student or grad P/T for legal research. Contact Rosemarie at 1 (718) 2651872 or 1 (347) 598-7798 9 am-5 pm, 7 days.
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PROGRAMMER AND WEBSITE builder needed for amateur’s online neuroscience project. Should understand Sudoku puzzle. Share “glory”. Will enhance your resume. mnemonicshouse @hotmail.com BARTENDERS NEEDED Males and females. No experience necessary for bars, clubs, restaurants, special events. Earn cash tips daily. Should enjoy working with the public. Call (718) 956-7959.
PHYLLIS LOWINGER, LCSW Experienced, sensitive, empathetic clinical social worker for help with relationships, school, career - w/specialties in infertility, adoption, 3rd party reproduction and parenting issues. Flexible fee. Located on the UWS. Call (212) 666-3400; email Phyllow @gmail.com
BERKSHIRE SEASONAL RENTAL 3 BRs, family room, kitch, large dining room, living room with brick fireplace. In Egremont, 5 miles from Great Barrington; near Catamount and Butternut Ski Resorts. Avail from Dec-May. Contact Phyllis (212) 666-3400. Email: phyllow@gmail.com
$$SPERM DONORS WANTED$$ Earn up to $1200/mo and give the gift of family through California Cryobank’s donor program. Convenient Midtown location. Apply online at: SPERMBANK. com
PAPER SHREDDING SERVICES Will shred documents, papers, credit cards, CDs/DVDs. Door-to-door, onsite. Superior Cut. Serving apts, offices, stores. Inexpensive. Call (646) 241-1633. PUBLIC NOTICE Notice is hereby given, pursuant to law, that the NYC Dept of Consumer Affairs will hold a public hearing on Wednesday, October 27, 2010 at 2 pm, at 66 John St, 11th floor, on a petition from Bu Yao Pa, LLC, to continue to maintain and operate an unenclosed sidewalk cafÈ at 2955-2957 Broadway, in the Borough of Manhattan, for a term of two years. Request for a copy of the proposed revocable consent may addressed to Dept of Consumer Affairs, 42 Broadway, New York, NY 10004, Atten: Foil Officer.
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OCTOBER 15, 2010