http://www.columbiaspectator.com/sites/default/files/issues/archive/10-29-10%20Web

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Vol. CXXXIV—No. 107

Friday, October 29, 2010

MTA project adds further construction to M’ville

columbiaspectator.com

Harlem school faces possible closure Dept. of Education announces list of 47 poorly performing schools

BY ABBY MITCHELL Columbia Daily Spectator

BY SARAH DARVILLE Columbia Daily Spectator

Columbia isn’t the only one doing construction in Manhattanville. As the University continues its demolition between 129th and 131st streets from Broadway to 12th Avenue, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority is also pushing forward with a renovation project—a combination of activity that has left some residents feeling surrounded by construction. Since June, the MTA has been renovating the overhead subway line on its viaduct—the 1 train bridge that runs from 122nd to 135th. According to the Iron Bridge contractors website, it is a $7 million project for structural steel repairs and overcoat paying. Painting contractor Robson Rickli, working on site recently, said that construction extends from La Salle Street to 133rd Street, about a quarter of a mile. The painting process—which involves first removing the lead and then painting the structure green—should be complete by November, Rickli said. On Thursday, large tarps were placed over the viaduct at 126th Street. “We use the tarps for containment so it [the lead] doesn’t get into the environment,” Jerry Jpateo, an inspector for the MTA on site, said, adding that the paint job

Enrollment has declined at Roberto Clemente Middle School on 133rd Street, and next year the school could shut down entirely. Also known as I.S. 195, the school is one of 47 that the city Department of Education announced Thursday could be closed after this year due to poor performance. “Too many kids are stuck in failing schools,” Jack ZarinRosenfeld, spokesperson for the DOE, said in an email. “Right now, we are looking at those schools that have been consistently struggling to determine whether they can improve with help or need to be replaced with a new school.” I.S. 195 received a D on its latest progress report, and 74 percent of teachers reported on the latest school survey that discipline is not maintained. It now occupies part of a school building attached to 3333 Broadway, a large 35-story apartment building at 135th Street and Broadway. Though Roberto Clemente once occupied the entire school space, it now shares the building with two charter schools, KIPP Infinity and KIPP NYC College Prep High School. Aysha Waddell, who has two children enrolled in the KIPP schools, says she hasn’t heard good things about I.S 195 and often sees kids fighting outside. “If I had to send my kids to that school, I think I’d pay for private school,” she said.

SEE MTA, page 2

EMBRY OWEN / SENIOR STAFF PHOTGRAPHER

REFLECTIONS

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The MTA is renovating a viaduct in Manhattanville near Columbia’s construction.

But Suzanne Herrera, who graduated from I.S. 195 last year, said that she would be upset to see it go. “It is a good school. I passed and so did everybody else,” Herrera, who was on the softball team, said. She said that I.S. 195 offered a lot of programs, including sports teams and Achieve Now, which took students on educational field trips on Saturdays.

“Too many kids are stuck in failing schools.” —Jack Zarin-Rosenfeld, spokesperson for the DOE According to the DOE, school enrollment has fallen by 350 students since the 2006-07 school year, and scores remain low despite efforts at teacher training. A DOE report says that the city is launching a school review, and possibilities include changing the school leadership, curriculum changes, and phasing out over time. “We understand that many I.S. 195 students, families, and staff members believe in the school’s potential, and we know that this is difficult news. At the same time, we hope you share our view that we can—and must—do better SEE SCHOOLS, page 2

From women’s home to landmarked hostel CU to restore wetlands in Baker development BY JACKIE CARRERO Columbia Daily Spectator A hostel on 103rd Street and Amsterdam may host visitors from around the globe today, but over a century ago, it was home to a very different crowd. This was the topic of discussion at a talk Thursday night led by Pam Tice, former executive director of Hostelling International New York, who

presented the 103rd Street hostel’s transition from its humble beginnings as a home for aged women to a widely used hostel for youth today. “I think knowing local history to me is just so important. So many people pass by this building every day and must wonder what a large Gothic Victorian building is doing on Amsterdam,” Tice said in an interview on Thursday night at the hostel.

Today, the Upper West Side landmarked hostel is the largest in North America, has a capacity of over 600 guests, and still maintains its Victorian style. Outlining the hostel’s history at an event titled “Creating A Westside Landmark,” Tice said, “Having worked here, I really wanted to do more research myself on what it was like to be a part of the home, and how did it work and when did they get started.”

“We can learn a lot from these old buildings. It’s a reminder of our history and helps us develop our future.” —Patrick Bennett, Morningside Heights resident

ROSE DONLON / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

RELICS | Hostelling International New York on 103rd Street was once a home for aged women in the 19th century.

The hostel was originally founded by four young women—Rachel Dunlap, Rachel Maynard, Mary Bingham, and Anne Church—as a home to help aged women avoid degrading “poorhouses,” which were government-run housing complexes for needy residents, known for their poor conditions. “It was a group of women in the 1880s, when married women couldn’t own property. In the midst of this time, women banded together to form an SEE HOSTEL, page 2

BY ARVIN AHMADI Columbia Daily Spectator On the Inwood waterfront by Baker Field, any trace of a rich ecosystem has been largely erased. Though it’s one of the only remaining salt marshes in Building Manhattan, at Baker plants and wildlife are sparse, and the water quality This is part of a five-part is low. Along with series on the a five-story construction sports center, at Baker Field. the University, as part of a $50 million project, also plans to create a new waterfront park space—dubbed the Boathouse Marsh—which will include a new boathouse and restored salt marsh and freshwater marsh areas. “A wetlands restoration in a place like that would be very, very good because that area is pretty unique, ecologically,” said Steve Cohen, executive director of the Earth Institute. Because the Baker Complex is situated on the water, city law requires that the University provide 15 percent of its land for public waterfront access if it starts any new construction. But the complex, much of which was built prior to that law, makes it impossible for the University to offer that percent when they build the Campbell Sports Center, officials say, and Columbia has asked for a waiver in exchange for the 1.1-acre park and restored wetland. Part of the land is technically public property, though the city has not used it and has given the green light for Columbia to carry

JASPER L. CLYATT / SENIOR STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

INTO THE WILD | Columbia plans to revive the Inwood waterfront with a wetlands restoration tied to its Baker Field development. out its restoration project in full. “Since a great deal of land that’s being used along the waterfront area has dubious legal ownership ... accommodations can be made so that there’s more public access to the areas like the boathouse and the launch there along the shoreline,” said David Kach, assistant chair of the Community Board 12 Parks and Cultural Affairs Committee. The waterfront area will be designed by James Corner Field Operations, the landscape architecture company that created the High Line Park in Chelsea. Renderings of the park space near Baker show a boomerangshaped boardwalk connecting to a dock space and the restored wetland. Because the waterfront public access area will be open to the public, the University has said that local residents will be able to benefit from the recreation space, picnic tables, and the boathouse itself.

A group of kayakers in Inwood Hill Park near Baker Field last weekend said the dock would be useful for them. “This is a cool spot to put in for the circumnavigation of Manhattan, which is what we’re doing today,” said Kenny Lozer, one of the kayakers. “We have permits, but right now, this is not one of the designated access points.” The Boathouse Marsh will support a diverse range of native wetland plants, and its freshwater marshes will improve water quality in the river, officials say. “The [environmental] implications of the proposal are positive,” Koch said. “The area up there is a natural salt marsh. Anything we can do to preserve and add to that salt marsh area is going to increase the biodiversity.” Cohen added, “It looks like SEE BAKER, page 2

OPINION, PAGE 4

SPORTS, PAGE 3

EVENTS

WEATHER

Aim high in Dubai

Rebounding from Homecoming

Sustainable Development in Practice

Today

Columbia should not overlook Dubai.

Mulling over Miller Theatre Ethan Perets witnesses the benefits of an interdisciplinary approach in music.

Columbia will try to snap a twogame losing streak when it hits the road to New Haven for a match against Yale. Last year, the Bulldogs came from behind to win 23-22.

Tomorrow

Join experts in a discussion on the lessons learned from Amazonas. 501 Schermerhorn Hall, 2 p.m.

Film Screening Come for a conversation on “Constantine’s Sword & Sister Rose’s Passion.” 555 Lerner, 8:30 p.m.

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59°/ 46°


NEWS

PAGE 2

Argentinean prof looks back on home elections BY RAKHI AGRAWAL Columbia Daily Spectator After 19 years in the United States, Maria Victoria Murillo, a political science professor at the School of International and Public Elections Affairs and an Argentinean 2010 native, hasn’t missed an election yet. This is part of a But t h a t series of profiles doesn’t mean on local voters she thinks preparing for the Nov. elections. they’re terribly important—at least, not here. “We know already the Democrats are going to win. Why would you bother? ... For the most part, it makes no rational sense to vote. I do it only out of civic duty,” Murillo said, adding that there’s a lot more at stake in most elections in Latin American countries, where voting is compulsory and many are still shaking off the ghosts of military dictatorships. Murillo became a citizen of the United States soon after arriving at Harvard University to work on her Ph.D. She didn’t want to be sidelined during elections, she said.

But over the years, she said she has realized that her participation does not carry the same meaning as it did back at home. “In Latin America, voting changes much more of your life than here. … Obama came, and my life is still the same,” she said. Murillo said she votes mainly on two issues: human rights and immigration. As a child growing up in Buenos Aires, Murillo had friends whose parents were directly impacted by violence. “I come from a country that suffered a military dictatorship where people were kidnapped, abducted, disappeared, and tortured. I didn’t know these things could happen under a democracy, so I feel very strongly against those things,” Murillo said, adding that she was a zealous advocate of human rights even as a teenager. But in an election that hasn’t raised many concerns about immigration or human rights violations, Murillo said she votes only out of a sense of duty and mostly along party lines. Most people who are not political science professors, she said, “are minding their business” and not voting. In the countries that Murillo studies, particularly Argentina,

Chile, and Venezuela, voting is mandatory. In addition, lowerclass citizens are more inclined to vote as there are fines and penalties for not participating, which can pose a financial burdens for those who can’t afford to pay them.

“In Latin America, voting changes much more of your life than here.”

OCTOBER 29, 2010

Harlem middle school faces possible closure SCHOOLS from front page for students,” the report says. But the school did receive a ranking of ‘well-developed’ in the citywide Quality Review for the 2007-08 school year and a B on its progress report, according to a city press release from 2009 that reports steadily improving test scores. Zarin-Rosenfeld emphasized that the list released Thursday is not a final list of schools that may close, since schools could be added as new scores data comes

in. And not all schools on the list will actually face closure. The list also includes a number of Harlem schools that have faced closure before, including Academy of Collaborative Education on 134th Street. ACE is one of the schools the DOE proposed closing last year, only to have that process blocked by a successful lawsuit brought by the city teachers union and the NAACP. This summer, a judge agreed that the city did not follow proper procedures in notifying the school community before

attempting to close the schools. Now, the city is starting that process again, and ZarinRosenfeld emphasized that community interaction is necessary as they move forward. “Before we make any decisions, we are meeting with their administrators, teachers, and parents to determine the best path forward,” he said. “But we need to do right by our kids and that will involve some difficult decisions.” sarah.darville @columbiaspectator.com

—Maria Victoria Murillo, SIPA professor Murillo said she misses the way elections are conducted back home, where Election Day takes place on lazy Sundays with nothing else to do, and everyone still votes via paper ballot and envelope. Still, her husband, a U.S. citizen, won’t vote, she said. He believes that Americans don’t vote, so immigrants shouldn’t either. She said of her husband, “He says, ‘I’m more American than you. I don’t vote.’” news@columbiaspectator.com

FILE PHOTO

SHUTDOWN?

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Roberto Clemente Middle School, housed in 3333 Broadway, could close next year.

Hostel looks back on 103rd Street history HOSTEL from front page

EMBRY OWEN / SENIOR STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

BUILD IT UP The MTA is continuing its construction at the 1 train viaduct in Manhattanville simultaneous to Columbia’s abatement and demolition near 125th Street. |

MTA adds construction to Manhattanville volume of work disruptive. “Too much noise, too many workers,” Benson said. “There’s no way to cross the street or get around.” Sarah Darville contributed reporting. news@columbiaspectator.com 135TH

MTA construction Columbia Manhattanville demolition 129TH 125

TH

120TH

AMSTERDAM

requires three coats. In the past, the MTA has used spraying for this kind of project but has switched due to environmental concerns. “Fumes could be harmful to the environment … and there are a lot of residences and apartments around here,” Jpateo added. Steel repairs should begin in early 2011 and end by March or April, Jack Silva, a painting contractor on site, said. Silva, who is also a union representative, said that there have been no major disputes or accidents so far. “It’s been running smoothly,” he said. One factor that has complicated the project is the confusion between Columbia’s expansion work and the MTA’s renovation. Columbia is working on sewage and utility relocation on 129th Street, including the relocation of gas and water mains and electrical ducts. Local resident Keema Peters said that of all the projects on both sides of Broadway, the MTA’s work has been the cleanest. “They block it off, no paint’s getting everywhere,” she said. Pointing to the Columbia

demolition, she added, “This? I don’t know what’s going on, and I pass it everyday.” Columbia officials said that providing updates to the neighborhood is a priority. “The fact is that we communicate on a regular basis,” Joe Ienuso, executive vice president for facilities at Columbia, said in a recent interview. “We provide details about what you see on Broadway and what you see on 129th Street.” Ienuso added that a certain degree of confusion is expected. “It’s not unusual that, if ... a construction project or two are sort of co-located in immediate proximity, that the folks may assume that it’s us, but it’s not all us,” he said. Dan Held, a spokesperson for Facilities, added in an email, “Columbia remains in regular communication with City agencies and other entities, including the MTA, that perform work at or near our project sites. We work closely with these entities to coordinate the planning and progress of construction.” But some Harlem residents, including Roselyn Benson, had no idea who was responsible for any of the construction and found the

BROADWAY

MTA from front page

GRAPHIC BY HANNAH D’APICE

association like this. It was the women who were visiting patients themselves and doing the work,” Tice said. Tice compared it to the abolitionist prohibition movements. “Women at this point were supposed to demonstrate that they were pious, that they were submissive. This charity work taught women how to cooperate with each other, how to take leadership positions, how to organize.” Patrick Bennett, a Morningside resident attending the event, said the history of the hostel still has relevance today. “Building the elderly women’s home definitely helped the women themselves get ahead,” Bennett said. “I wouldn’t want to tell a corporate woman today, ‘You can’t do things that you want to do,’” he joked. In the 1960s, the home was going to be torn down, but Columbia architecture student Fred Chapman got an assignment in a preservation class to find a structure to put on the national list of places to be preserved—right in time to stop the city from tearing it down. Peter Arndtsen, district manager of the Columbus/Amsterdam Business Improvement District, highlighted the importance of student activism in saving the hostel. “I think it’s truly remarkable that the students were able to step in at a critical point and save the building. The impact of just three students was huge,” Arndtsen said. For some attendees, preserving the neighborhood’s history is a priority. “I like to see the old buildings of New York preserved,” Bennett said. “We can learn a lot from these old buildings. It’s a reminder of our history and helps us develop our future.” news@columbiaspectator.com

CU to restore Inwood wetlands in Baker Field development BAKER from front page it’s a very well thought-out project with benefits for the students, benefits for the community, and benefits for the local ecology.” But David Brodherson, an architecture historian and member of the Inwood Mobilization Committee, which has been speaking out against Columbia’s Baker Field plans, said he’s not convinced the plan will accomplish its goals. “It’s just under an acre, and with people walking through it, there won’t be any birds there,” he said. “The people picnicking and carrying boats will be scaring critters off.” And at a town hall meeting held in early October, local residents expressed concern about

who would be maintaining and securing the park area and how residents with canoes or kayaks would be able to reach the dock. To Rita McMahon, who treats and helps birds at the Wild Bird Fund, the space has immense potential as the last remaining natural estuary in Manhattan, but the problem is that it’s being “park-ified,” or made into a place for pedestrian use at the expense of wildlife. “The birds that are coming by now, which are a good number, are not really breeding there. They don’t have enough space,” said McMahon. “It really just takes about an acre of wetlands with appropriate natural grasses to provide a breeding space for birds.” Sarah Darville contributed reporting. news@columbiaspectator.com


OCTOBER 29, 2010

GAMEDAY

PAGE 3

COLUMBIA (3-3, 1-2 Ivy) vs. YALE (4-2, 2-1 Ivy) SATURDAY, 12 p.m., new haven, ct. RADIO: WKCR 89.9 FM, WWDJ 970 AM • TELEVISION: YES NETWORK • SPECTRUM.COLUMBIASPECTATOR.COM

Witt leads Bulldogs to strong start BY ROBERT WREN GORDON Spectator Staff Writer This Saturday, as the Lions travel to Connecticut to face Yale in their second road game of the season, they will face a Bulldog team led by junior quarterback Patrick Witt. Witt has led the Bulldogs (4-2, 2-1 Ivy) to a 3-2 record as a starter this season. He has missed only one game this season, against Fordham on Oct. 16, after leaving the Dartmouth game a week earlier with an injury. In his five games so far this season, Witt has passed for 1,439 yards, completed 60.7 percent of his passes, and thrown for eight touchdowns. Witt is in his second year at Yale after transferring from Nebraska. “As a serious student, I knew I wanted a serious education,” Witt said. Witt was also motivated to transfer by his older brother Jeff, who graduated from Harvard in 2009. “Having an older brother at Harvard allowed me to see the chasm that existed between the two schools in terms of academic opportunity and achievement, and I knew I needed to make the change,” Witt said. Witt has adjusted well to the Yale locker room. “Anytime you transfer from one school to another, the adjustment that takes place … it’s like moving to a new neighborhood,” Yale head coach Tom Williams said. The Yale locker room is a friendly neighborhood, according to Witt. “The people here at Yale made me feel at home from day one,” he said. Witt has also adjusted well to Ivy League football. Witt has already passed for as many touchdowns as he did last season (eight) and with 1,431 passing yards this year, is nearing last year’s total of 1,449. Witt cites his acquired experience with Ivy League play as a reason for his better overall performance this year. “My comfort level on the football field increased significantly over the course of last season,” Witt said.

SEE WITT, page 6

JASPER L. CLYATT / SENIOR STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

PICKED

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Senior cornerback Calvin Otis leads the football team with two interceptions this season and has been a key anchor to Columbia’s solid defense.

Lions look to recover from Homecoming heartbreaker BY JACOB LEVENFELD Spectator Senior Staff Writer Two weeks ago, the Columbia football team was coming off back-to-back blowout victories. It was sitting pretty on a three-game win streak and carried a 3-1 record. Now, after a pair of disheartening conference losses, the Lions face the prospect of falling to 3-4 overall if they are defeated by Yale tomorrow in New Haven, Conn. “Can’t worry about last week now,” head coach Norries Wilson said. “There’s a lot of ifs and buts as last week goes, and we got to worry about getting to this quarterback this week.” On paper, the Bulldogs are the better team. They are 4-2 overall (2-1 Ivy),

but both of those losses were close ones. On Oct. 2, they fell by just three points to Albany, a nonconference opponent, and they are now coming off a seven-point defeat to Penn, the reigning Ivy champs. The Bulldogs played the Quakers tough and will be looking to get back in the win column against a reeling Columbia team. “They’re gonna be ready to play,” Wilson said. “They play hard, especially special teams and defense. They’ll be ready to play us.” Columbia (3-3, 1-2 Ivy) will have to counter with better offensive execution than it was able to display during the recent losses to Penn and Dartmouth. In those games, quarterback Sean Brackett was a combined

35-64 in his passing game. He was sacked nine times. Most uncharacteristically, he only rushed for 84 net yards in the two defeats. The Light Blue has been unable to summon a strong running game of late, putting even more pressure on Brackett’s arm. “We’re gonna have to play physical,” Wilson said. “We’re gonna have to play tough, and we’re gonna have to protect Sean. And we’re gonna have to create some space for the running back to run.” Even with a couple of slow games on offense, Brackett has impressive numbers on the year. He’s still sixth in the league in rushing, with 54.7 yards per game, and first in passing efficiency at 160.4. He leads the conference

with 12 passing touchdowns. Yale junior Patrick Witt represents a formidable opponent under center. He leads the league with 287.8 passing yards per game and has attempted 224 passes this year, 37 more than anyone else in the Ivies. He has thrown seven interceptions, though. “He does a good job getting the ball to people that are open, and he doesn’t make a lot of mistakes,” Wilson said. “We’ve gotta put some pressure on the passes, and we’ve gotta do a better job tackling and getting off the field on third down.” Columbia would love to limit Witt’s ability to settle into the pocket and take

SEE FOOTBALL, page 6

A cockroach inspired me, in a drunken craze, to wash out Homecoming with a lyrical haze

H

appy Halloween ghoulish readers. This was a long, strange week. I say strange because of what happened to me Wednesday night. I returned from harvest dinner at Barnard to East Campus to find a bowl of delicious Halloween candy in the lobby. With candy in hand, I went back to my room to write this column. When I sat down in my chair, I got light-headed and my vision got all hazy. What happened next is still a mystery to me, as I don’t know if it was a dream or not. This occurrence was so strange that I asked my girlfriend Emily to make sense of my insane ramblings, and this is what we got:

BART LOPEZ

The Tailgating Tales

A heaviness settled upon my heart As if I knew the game was lost from the start. I stared at my keyboard and while my head Filled with thoughts of the future and an impending dread, And as my Columbia hopes fell to the floor I heard a strange knocking at the door, A rap and nothing more. Recalling back it seems surreal Masked by a haze of too much beer. The October leaves were still floating to the ground Trampled by the footsteps of the imposing crowd. The stands erupted with every score As the Lions’ lead grew to four, Would it stay evermore?

The synthetic, sad, uncertain rustling Of the blinds the wind had set a-bustling Chilled me—though I stood repeating It’s just my suitemate, late entreating, Knocking hard upon my bedroom door. Yes, just him knocking upon my door. This it is and nothing more.

And scuttled back beneath my door The last I heard, “Lions roar.”

Then a knock so hard I stood For a creature to make that knock could not be good. To the knob I reached out my arm when it wriggled, Wrestling from beneath my door it squiggled Right to the econ book upon my floor. A roach it was, sitting on the book upon my floor, Pretty gross, that’s for sure. This peculiar roach could not help beguiling Me, the sad fan, into smiling. I sat back down and my head did scratch, Wondering to this roach what purpose to attach And such musings brought me back to the game’s final score, And if CU again would win like before, Quoth the roach, “Lions roar.” It struck me as queer such a creature to hear As a roach with the power of my thoughts to steer. Though arbitrary and strange a purpose there maybe For a roach to come like this and talk to me. As if it knew my thoughts, again it was upon the floor

This “encounter” was by far the craziest thing to ever happen, or not happen, to me. My initial reaction was to put on my shoes and head to the hospital, as I was probably going insane. I didn’t go to the nearest psychiatrist because I couldn’t help but think that maybe there was some significance behind the visit from the terrifying, mutant New York City cockroach. What I learned is what to make of Columbia’s upcoming matchup against Yale. This may sound like the same old crap, but this next game against Yale is an important one. Up until now, the Lions have not handled important games well. The loss to Penn, for all intents and purposes, ended Columbia’s Ivy title hopes. The loss to Dartmouth appeared to be a return to the old ways for Columbia football and put it in the bottom half of the Ivy League standings. This pattern has to change against Yale because, as fellow columnist Lucas Shaw pointed out on Wednesday, Columbia needs to learn out how to win games. More specifically, the Lions, if they ever hope to be a real contender for the title, must figure out how to grind out wins in situations that aren’t completely in their favor. The first step in this learning process is the game against Yale. Finish the season strong, and show us, the Columbia fans, that the Lions don’t go out with a whimper but with a roar. Bart Lopez is a Columbia College senior majoring in economics-mathematics. sports@columbiaspectator.com

Columbia hopes to keep title run alive versus Yale BY SARAH SOMMER Spectator Senior Staff Writer

JASPER L. CLYATT / SENIOR STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

KICK OFF | Goalkeeper Lillian Klein had a rare off-day, allowing two goals in the Lions’ 2-1 loss to Dartmouth. Columbia aims to rebound from that loss.

With nine wins and three draws in 15 games, the Columbia women’s soccer team rarely has had to try to rebound from a loss. But that is exactly what the Lions will do on Saturday. Columbia faces Yale one weekend after suffering its first Ivy League defeat of the season. The Lions (9-3-3, 3-1-1 Ivy) dropped a 2-1 decision to Dartmouth on Oct. 23—a loss that also ended their unbeaten streak of eight games. The Lions remain atop the Ivy standings, though their defeat enabled Penn to join them in first place. Still, Columbia is guaranteed at least a share of the league championship if it wins its last two games. Yale has no such guarantee. A victory over Columbia could spoil the Lions’ title run but would have no championship implications for the Bulldogs (6-81, 1-4-0). Yale fell out of title contention last weekend. But the Lions are aware of their

opponent’s capabilities. “Yale is in many ways, on paper, the best team in the league,” head coach Kevin McCarthy said. “They returned the Ivy League Player of the Year, and this will be their Senior Night, so I’m sure that they’re going to give us their absolute best performance.” The reigning Player of the Year, senior forward Becky Brown, continues to benefit the Bulldogs. She has scored a teamhigh four goals this season and is tied for the team lead with four assists. Yale’s one Ivy win this season came against Dartmouth, the same team that handed Columbia its only conference loss. The Bulldogs scored three goals— one coming from Brown—while holding the Big Green to one. Most recently, Yale suffered a 1-0 loss to Penn. While the Lions struggled last weekend, they are enjoying a successful season. Columbia has posted a league-high eight shutouts and has scored multiple goals in eight games. The Lions went 3-0-1 in their four games prior to facing

COLUMBIA AT YALE New Haven, Conn., Saturday, 7 p.m.

Dartmouth, tallying two goals in each contest and keeping clean sheets in the last two matches. Ten Columbia players have found the back of the net this year, giving the Lions a multitude of attacking options. Junior forward Ashlin Yahr leads the team with six goals, while eight of Columbia’s 10 scorers have tallied two goals apiece. The Lions allowed only one goal over their first four Ivy games before yielding two to Dartmouth. That was just the third time this season in which Columbia gave up more than one goal in a game. Junior goalkeeper Lillian Klein has proven a reliable anchor of Columbia’s defense, making 66 saves and preserving seven of the Lions’ shutouts. The defeat against the Big Green

SEE WOMEN’S SOCCER, page 6


EDITORIAL & OPINION

PAGE 4

The 134th year of publication Independent since 1962

True globalization, true diversity

CORPORATE BOARD BEN COTTON Editor in Chief THOMAS RHIEL Managing Editor AKHIL MEHTA Publisher

MANAGING BOARD ALIX PIANIN Campus News Editor SAM LEVIN City News Editor EMILY TAMKIN Editorial Page Editor RAPHAEL POPE-SUSSMAN Editorial Page Editor CHRISTINE JORDAN Arts & Entertainment Editor MICHELE CLEARY Sports Editor MAGGIE ASTOR Head Copy Editor EMBRY OWEN Photo Editor HANNAH D’APICE Design Editor YIPENG HUANG Staff Director ADITYA MUKERJEE Finance Director

BY WILLIAM THEODORE DE BARY There has been much ado about globalization recently at Columbia, much of it focused on the Global Centers—with new ones likely to open in Paris and Mumbai this spring. Fortunately it has been accompanied by attention also to strengthening the home base to provide for the educational resources needed to support these outreach activities— some of it in major developments like the Manhattanville campus to provide for growing academic needs; others in seemingly modest ways like providing a center for graduate students where they can meet together to discuss their common needs, as recommended by the Student Affairs Committee of the University Senate. This latter need not be a big project, but it is symbolically important that graduate students should have even a small facility where, to balance the inherent specialization of graduate schools, their common interests and shared concerns can be given a voice on the main campus, so that diversity is grounded in and sustained by shared human values.

After Office Hours

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BY TAIMUR MALIK Dubai is one of the seven emirates that make up the United Arab Emirates, which came together to form a country when British protection of the Trucial States ended in the 1970s. Since then, Dubai, which had been a smuggling and pearl-diving harbor, saw itself become the face of Middle Eastern development, much to the chagrin and envy of its neighbors. I remember asking my friend from the Columbia Model U.N. team, Margaret—who is from a small town in the southern U.S.—if she knew about Dubai. I was expecting the usual response related to the Middle East: “What’s that?” “Where’s that?” or even the occasional “Who is that?” Marge’s immediate response was quite the opposite: “Heard about it? I really want to go there one day.” She actually persuaded me, as the team head delegate, to allow her to represent the UAE at the Gas Exporting Countries Forum at Georgetown’s Model U.N. conference this weekend. Dubai’s rapid development has seen it positioned as a major, world-class port feeding the economies of many neighboring states, and also as a key shopping destination for the entire MENASA (Middle East, North Africa, and South Asia) region. In fact, many in my family fondly call it “Do-buy!” Last year, at Arab Week at Harvard Business School, I and the delegation from Columbia met with an Emirati gentleman, an HBS alum who was deeply involved with U.S.-UAE negotiations on finalizing a civilian nuclear energy treaty. This year, the negotiations led to the signing of a deal that has further beefed up Dubai’s global clout and prominence. It is small wonder, then, that Columbia students from parts of the U.S. usually stereotyped as having little global awareness are acutely aware of Dubai’s existence. However, Dubai’s success has not been without its pitfalls. Gargantuan oil price hikes in the 2000s further fed Dubai’s fetish for buildings only taller than their owners’ appetites for rapid growth. Dubai began to increase the scope of what it stood for with the creation of massive Education, Health, Financial, and Media cities. Its companies started investing all over the globe, buying soccer teams in England and almost coming to own the ports of New York, New Jersey, and Miami, among other major U.S. ports, until saber-rattling from Congress put an end to that deal. It was against this backdrop of success after success that, when the financial crisis began in the U.S., many pundits were sure that Dubai, like other emerging markets, would survive the ensuing rumble. Analysts went so far as to say,

Each Friday, a professor will share scholastic wisdom readers won’t find in lectures. Suggestions regarding which professors to feature are welcome.

This is not the first time Columbia has faced the challenge of globalization. When we were thrust unexpectedly and for the first time into World War I, Columbia College responded with a new program called War and Peace Issues that eventually became incorporated into the Contemporary Civilization course, required of all undergraduates as the first component of the new Core Curriculum. This was soon followed in the ’30s by Literature, Art, and Music Humanities. External engagement evoked an internal response to meet the challenge. The next phase was World War II, which led to the development of courses dealing with the Asian Classics and Civilization comparable to those in Literature Humanities and CC, which became part of the core requirements with limited options in the ’50s and ’60s. The more recent to-do about globalization so far has been a response primarily to opportunities offered for study centers abroad that focus on mini-campuses in major cities already heavily engaged in the world market economy. It seems a natural response to economic globalization, but the extent to which the new centers have robust links to the University’s academic base is unclear. Dual-degree programs have been vetted by the University Senate’s Executive Committee and approved by the Senate as a whole. They were treated as routine graduate programs that did not need to be discussed as part of a balanced university education. Study abroad, however, does not satisfy the need for a global “It’s Dubai, Shanghai, Mumbai, or goodbye.” But Dubai’s spiraling debt got the better of it, and it almost defaulted on its bonds until the elder emirate of Abu Dhabi saved it. The bursting of the Dubai construction bubble left many wondering about the wisdom behind its overambitious transformation into a financial, logistic, and tourist hub. This vindicated those critics who had for years called Dubai a bubble on the verge of bursting. Dubai’s importance to the region is much more than what its mere 1,500-square-mile size would imply. Its successes have galvanized its much-richer neighbors, Abu Dhabi and Qatar, to pursue similar diversification and precipitated a regional trend. Saudi Arabia is building new economic cities worth tens of billions of dollars (being built under the aegis of Dubai’s flagship construction company). Dubai has also taken the lead on human development and world issues. In 2009 alone, the UAE contributed $2.43 billion—95 percent of which was in the form of grants—to humanitarian, developmental, and charity projects across the globe. On the home front, in 2004, Dubai ended its practice of using child laborers as jockeys for camel racing. All child laborers were repatriated to their home countries and provided adequate sums for their rehabilitation. Dubai is now setting the trend for civic duty and world responsibility. This puts Dubai at the forefront as an economic and social leader of the modern Middle East, and beckons for greater involvement with this very important country. It is perhaps sad that Columbia, with its beau ideal location in New York, has never had a speaker from Dubai at the World Leaders Forum. While leaders like Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad can provide powerful theatrics and divisiveness on campus, inviting Sheikh Mohammed of Dubai would have been more fruitful. Many of Columbia’s brightest students of yesteryear are currently working in the Gulf region and in Dubai. Former Columbia College Student Council President Sue Yang is working for a top consulting firm, and many of the world’s best consulting firms are increasing their involvement in the region. Columbia must also increase its footprint in resource-rich Dubai. King’s Academy in Jordan is a marvelous first footprint to sink into the Middle East, but it is not nearly enough. This year, the Ivy Council is planning its “Ivy Middle East summit” with Dubai as a major highlight. If NYU can go to Abu Dhabi, why can’t we go to Dubai? I think Margaret, Sue, and a host of others at Columbia will all agree. The author is a senior majoring in Middle Eastern, South Asian, and African studies. He is the president of the Muslim Students Association and the head delegate of the Columbia Model United Nations team.

core, and is no substitute for it. It is fine for summer adventuring but cannot fulfill the purposes of a core curriculum. Meanwhile, the global component of the Core Curriculum has not enjoyed a similar strengthening or enhancement. On the contrary, the present Global Core requirement has undergone such diversification as to erode any concept of core at all. Instead of focusing on shared human concerns across cultures, the distribution has featured diversity in the form of departmentalization or the substitution of different disciplinary approaches to learning. This diversification can of course accommodate itself easily to the variety of opportunities presented abroad, but it is not balanced by attention to the shared human values that should guide the process of globalization. This atrophy of the Core concept is accompanied today by an exclusive emphasis on diversity, as if the latter could stand on its own without consensual agreement on the shared human values that should underlie and nourish respect for diversity. Recently, major appointments to the central administration have been hailed as advancing diversity as a self-sufficient value, and questions as to the educational philosophy that should inform and support diversity go unanswered. As a result, Columbia has tended to lose the distinct educational character that formerly was identified with the College’s Core Curriculum and which has so far been the strongest factor in student, faculty and

I

saac Newton once said, “If I have seen further, it is only by standing on the shoulders of giants.” Columbia, today we can honestly say that you must stand on the shoulders of giants. For it has never been clearer that you have seen further than perhaps any institution yet to grace this glorious earth. Columbia, you invented the greatest invention in all of man’s history. Of what invention do we speak? None other than that holiday of all holidays, respite of all respites: fall break. Or, to use its proper name, “Academic Holiday/Election Day.” Fall break is the Platonic ideal of the intra-semester vacation. It is not one weekend, but two, brought together in perfect harmony. A double weekend! Like a double rainbow, but for weekends. Five days! Well, the earth, it is said, was made in only seven. Oh frabjous day, calloo callay! Five days is such a magnificent vacation. You can travel home south to sunny Florida in five days. Dip your toes in the waters of the proud Pacific. Or simply sit silently in Hogan, watching television in all your vegetative glory. This is the weekend of the Rally to Restore

especially alumni support of the College. Now as we embark on new “global” enterprises, the University’s increasing costs are being sustained by expanding college enrollment. In the past when this had been attempted, the move to increase college tuition income was ostensibly accompanied by supposed enhancements to the College program, but anyone familiar with that program knows that these claimed “enhancements” have proven illusory. Any new moves to increase college enrollment should reckon with the danger they could represent to the dilution of the Core and its distinctive small-class, discussionmethod of instruction (in contrast to the large lecture classes exhibiting “famous” faculty “performers” common to other universities). The weakness of the Global Core and the decay of our commitment to the fundamental concepts of the Core are at the heart of the true question of how to deal with “globalization.” It is what should be in the forefront of discussion by all segments of the University— student, faculty, alumni—as well as bodies like the University Senate and the central administration. The author is the John Mitchell Mason Professor of the University. He served as provost from 1971-1978. He is a member of the Columbia College class of 1941, received his doctorate from Columbia in 1953, and was awarded an honorary doctorate of letters in 1994.

Don’t FFEAR the interdisciplinary approach

T

his past Saturday I witnessed a concert at Miller Theatre at Columbia. The group playing that night was named FFEAR— no, not the feeling that a random member of the ETHAN A . audience might have felt PERETS while listening to turbulent pieces named Mirage, or Living The Hunting of the Snark, on a but an acronym standing Piece of for “Forum For ElectroAcoustic Research.” The Paper jazz quartet formed by Columbia professors Ole Mathisen and Chris Washburne proved to me that we should not be fearful when it comes to taking an interdisciplinary approach to research in the arts, or any of our studies here at Columbia. The final set of pieces performed by FFEAR at Saturday’s concert were entitled “Scores 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6,” and were produced by visual artist Frederick Sommer. Sommer, with regards to composing the scores, admitted, “Years ago I got into making musical scores by very devious back doors, since I knew nothing about making music.” He chose to vaguely draw and outline these scores, noting how the artistic quality of the notes on the page related to the elegance of the music when “played” by musicians. The swirling patterns of the drawings, the more formal musical gestures, and even the smeared notes that seem either to trickle slowly, or else fly from one side of the musical staff to the other, all contributed equally to what was finally performed on stage by the quartet. The interpretations and arrangements made by Washburne and the other members of FFEAR had turned a composition concerned with visual appearances into one of sonic stimulation. I will be blunt. When the band began to interpret these pieces, I was somewhat disappointed. It all seemed a bit contrived—a group wishing to be experimental for the sake of being experimental. But by the time they reached “Score 2,” I was ecstatic. The collective had cut across boundaries to produce a new work that was engaging and charming, with little more than a novel insight into how its own world of self-expression appears to an outsider looking in. The musician’s place within the spectrum of the art world had been used to propel the visual artist to new heights, ultimately forcing the musician to explore his own domain with greater depth. So it is with interdisciplinary inquiry in

STAFF EDITORIAL

Casual Friday: Giant weekend

OCTOBER 29, 2010

general. Whether we are looking to explore art, or the natural sciences, or the humanities, our interest can be supplemented by looking past these self-imposed boundaries, and toward frontiers of research that may appear to be only loosely related to the task at hand. Do we find it odd when a book is adapted for film, or when a biologist looks to a chemist for knowledge in preparing an experiment? We are usually hard-pressed to find any faults with this approach. Likewise, we should not be surprised when this method is taken even further, such as when a Russian literary critic employs Russian scientists’ early views on genetics to explain how artworks were propagandized throughout Lenin’s rule. It is my belief that, though admittedly strained, this is only another example of the “devious back doors” that Sommer had noticed. However, it would be irresponsible to claim that there are no limits to the interdisciplinary approach. We cannot reasonably expect that all fields will extend into, or even come into contact with, every other. Because of this, it is wrong to suggest actions that ignore these limits, like ridding ourselves of majors (see Professor David Helfand’s piece, “Picking a Major? Just say no,” Sept. 30) or our ideas about what constitutes a subject in general. Certain subjects interact more frequently with certain fields, an idea that is plain to see, and a relationship that should be encouraged. In fact, options such as joint majors do promote this goal. It seems almost intuitive that economics and political science— or comparative literature and society, or neuroscience and behavior—should be combined into a single field of study, and the list goes on and on. It is likely understood what requirements are necessary to provide a solid background for starting in a field, and though a student should not be afraid to explore other areas to aid his own understanding, he must know that a single course in psychology does not make someone a psychologist, just like a single paleontology class does not make someone an expert on dinosaurs. Instead, one should try to understand completely where his or her field of interest lies in relation to other fields. As Frederick Sommer so eloquently described it, “Whereness is concerned with linkages. The legato of one squirrel holds a forest together.” Ethan A. Perets is a Columbia College firstyear hoping to major in Biochemistry and Philosophy. Living on a Piece of Paper runs alternate Fridays.

jody’s drawings! Sanity and All Hallows’ Eve. Never before have these two events happened in the same weekend. The stars align! The singularity is nigh! So take heed, fellow students. You have been given the greatest of gifts. Three Saturdays in a row: Saturday the first (Saturday), Saturday the second (Sunday), and Saturday the third (Monday). Even if you have work due afterward, you can forget about it until Tuesday (the Sunday of fall break). “But wait!” you may be saying. “My friends at other schools have nine days off.” Ah, but when it looks too good to be true, it is. For nine days is a sinfully long break, and all who rest for so long shall be indolent and weak-willed. Besotted, they shall lie in their beds, wallowing in their own filth. Do not dream of such a break, for it is naught but a nightmare. Five days. Five days is perfect. In five days, you can brew your own beer. Just do it. And brew it. And this is the season of all seasons to brew beer. For if you begin today, your fruits will be ready for Tuesday—Election Day in this fair democracy. After the rapture of fall break, you can throw three sheets to the wind. Republicans, rejoice in your victory with your own ales. Democrats, drown your sorrows in your own lagers. Swing voters, celebrate your complete ignorance of the political process with your own pilsners! The time is now, Columbia! Fall break is upon us! Let wild rumpus start!

JODY ZELLMAN


OCTOBER 29, 2010

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GAMEDAY

Lions aim for second straight Ivy win BY MRINAL MOHANKA Spectator Staff Writer The Columbia men’s soccer team (5-7-1) travels to New Haven, Conn., to take on the Yale Bulldogs (3-10-1) in a clash vital to both teams’ aspirations in this year’s Ivy League competition. Both sides have a 1-3 conference record this year and will be looking to improve in a bid to move up in the standings. The Lions ended a run of three straight conference defeats with a 2-1 victory over Dartmouth last weekend and will look to carry on where they left off. The game appeared set for overtime, but a goal by freshman Henning Sauerbier 76 seconds from the end of regulation time allowed the Light Blue to steal the win. Sauerbier is the reigning Ivy League Rookie of the Week, picking up the award for the third time. Teammate David Najem has also won the award on one occasion this term. Columbia senior forward Bayo Adafin holds a spot on this week’s honor roll for scoring a goal against the Big Green and turning provider for Sauerbier’s winner. Lions head coach Kevin Anderson acknowledges the buoyant mood in the camp. “The guys are all feeling good about accomplishing something,” he said. “But it’s another tough conference game, so we have to be ready.” The Light Blue defense has looked extremely solid during open-play this season, and the bulk of the goals against them have come from set-pieces. Sauerbier and Adafin lead the Lions’ attack with seven goals and four assists between them, and they have been ably supported by sophomore striker Will Stamatis, wingers Nick Scott and Francois Anderson, as well as freshman midfielder David Najem amongst others—who have all scored or assisted on multiple occasions as well. Stamatis shares the role of leading the line with Adafin as the Lions rarely deploy more than one striker in what has predominantly been a 4-5-1 formation. “We’re feeling good right now,” Stamatis said. “It was a good college soccer win against Dartmouth. We managed things well by choosing the right moments to go forward, and the defenders did a great job at the back. But it’s important that we stay humble because our record is 1-3 in the Ivies.” “It’s made us hungry for more, and we want to finish the season with as many wins as we can. We outplayed Princeton but conceded some bad goals, and we deserved the win against Dartmouth, so we’re looking to repeat those performances.” The Bulldogs head into the game on the back of a 1-0 win

Football looks to get back on track at Yale FOOTBALL from page 3 aim at his battery of competent receivers. Gio Christodoulou is averaging 79.3 receiving yards per game, while Jordan Forney has three touchdowns. He led the Elis with 11 receptions last Saturday. And Chris Smith, another wide receiver, is also dangerous. He has 290 yards and a touchdown on the season. Yale has had some turnover in running backs this year, with injuries to leading rusher Mordecai Cargill as well as to Alex Thomas. Thomas looks to be in good enough shape to take the field tomorrow, though. The junior from Connecticut is averaging 3.8 yards per carry over five games in 2010 and has four touchdowns.

taught Columbia that it cannot stop being aggressive. “While we need to expect that we aren’t going to let goals in, and we are going to score goals and win games, you can’t just sit back,” senior captain Kelly Hostetler said. “It’s an expectation because of how we play. It’s not because

together,” Wilson said. “The more pressure you get on the quarterback, the less time he has to throw the football and the less time the secondary has to cover.” Columbia has not had much success on the field against Yale of late. The Bulldogs have taken the last eight decisions in the rivalry, including a come-frombehind affair in New York a year ago that was decided by a Yale touchdown in the final minute. The Lions are just 18-66-2 lifetime in the series. Can they break the trend? “Nothing we can do about the history of it,” Wilson said. “We’ve got to go out and beat Yale.” Kickoff is slated for noon tomorrow at the Yale Bowl in New Haven, Conn.

ALYSON GOULDEN / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

COLUMBIA AT YALE New Haven, Conn., Sat., 4:30 p.m.

against Lehigh, thanks to freshman Cody Wilkin’s first collegiate goal. Last weekend, they fell 2-0 to league leaders No. 15 Penn, although the contest was even for the first 67 minutes. The Quakers

“As a team and as individuals, we’re definitely better than a year ago, and I would be disappointed if we came back without the three points.” —Will Stamatis, sophomore forward scored twice in an 11-minute stretch to grab the points. The Bulldogs have only scored eight times this season—Andy Shorten leads the attack with three goals, while Andy Hackbarth has scored twice. Yale goalkeeper Bobby Thalman started the first 13 games of the season and has a 1.35 goals

against average. However, he was sent-off against the Quakers for a foul in the box and thus missed the Lehigh match where Matt Chesky kept a shutout. The Lions will look to their game against the Bulldogs to end a run of five games without a victory. Coach Anderson dismissed suggestions that history would have a psychological effect on his players. “We plan on staying consistent with our approach, and, if we do that correctly, I’m sure the result will take care of itself,” he said. The Bulldogs triumphed in last season’s encounter at Columbia Soccer Stadium when they bounced back from 1-0 down to secure a 2-1 win thanks to a brace from now-senior Brad Rose. Columbia’s James Prince scored the Lions’ lone goal in that game, but he has since graduated. “Yale won last year, but we’re more mature now,” Stamatis said. “We’ve won at a neutral venue, but we’ve yet to win at someone else’s field this year. We were unlucky at Penn and BU, and we’re hoping to fix that this weekend. We feel prepared, and we’re looking forward to it because, as a team and as individuals, we’re definitely better than a year ago, and I would be disappointed if we came back without the three points.” Kick-off at Reese Stadium is scheduled for 4:30 p.m. tomorrow, Saturday, Oct. 30th.

COURTESY OF YALE DAILY NEWS, CHARLIE CROOM

QUICK RELEASE

|

Quarterback Patrick Witt is leading the league with 287.8 passing yards per game.

Yale quarterback leads oΩensive juggernaut WITT from page 3 “Having played in different types of games­—from hardfought defensive struggles to last minute, come-from-behind victories—has taught me a lot about how to manage the game and carry myself as a quarterback when things may not be going our way.” Aside from the statistics and accolades, one of Witt’s strengths is his team-oriented outlook on the game. “I’m content to be used in whatever role the team needs me most,” Witt said. “Whether that means I’m throwing the ball five times a game or 50 is irrelevant.” Witt also epitomizes the model of a well rounded athlete. He frequently volunteers in the community and has

we get lucky.” On Saturday, the Lions will attempt to dictate the game. While they will strive to score multiple goals and allow none, they would likely be satisfied with the same result they achieved against the Bulldogs in 2009. Last season, Columbia earned a 1-0 win over Yale. The Bulldogs had entered the game tied with

Harvard for first place in the league, but they fell into second with the loss. Columbia, despite winning, became mathematically eliminated from the title race due to Harvard’s victory that weekend. This year, the Lions are the ones in a tie for first place. But, as they showed by beating Yale last season, the underdog should not be underestimated.

“We’re expecting a pretty classic Ivy League game on the road,” McCarthy said. “There’s going to be a very fine line between victory and defeat.” Columbia knows that it will not end up on the desired side of that line without a fight. “Yale will not give us this game,” Hostetler said. “We have to take it.”

VOLLEYBALL

FIELD HOCKEY

Columbia Volleyball hosts Harvard, Dartmouth for weekend doubleheader

Light Blue to aim for .500 Ivy record when it hits the road to face Yale

When Columbia and Dartmouth met three weeks ago, the Light Blue had just blown a two-set lead against Harvard, and Dartmouth was atop the Ivy League with a 3-0 conference record. The night after the crushing loss to Harvard, the Lions stunned the Big Green with a 3-1 victory led by all-Ivy sophomore Megan Gaughn’s career-best 26 kills and freshman libero Katherine Keller’s 27 digs. Columbia (12-6, 4-4) just came off a thrilling doubleheader last weekend. Although the Light Blue lost 3-1 to Penn, the team handed previously undefeated Princeton (11-7, 6-1 Ivy) its first conference loss of the year in front of a recordsetting home attendance of 522 fans after winning a dramatic 17-15 fifth set. The win marked just the third time in program history that Columbia has defeated Princeton. In that game, Columbia

In terms of slowing Yale’s offensive attack, Wilson hopes to pressure the quarterback from the start. Last week, the defense did not manage a single sack against Dartmouth’s strong offensive line. “If we get pressure on the quarterback, it takes a little bit of pressure off the secondary,” Wilson said. “We’ve got to be able to break on the routes and understand the route progression after the ball is snapped. We’ve got to do a good job breaking up passes.” Getting the defense to work as a complete unit is also key to stopping Yale’s strong passing game. “The secondary and the defensive line are married

FIGHTING FORWARD | Will Stamatis and the Lions hope to move ahead of Yale in the league standings with a win on Saturday.

Women’s soccer looks to recover from loss to Dartmouth WOMEN’S SOCCER from page 3

OCTOBER 29, 2010

COLUMBIA VS. DARTMOUTH Levien Gym, Friday, 7 p.m. COLUMBIA VS. HARVARD Levien Gym, Saturday, 7 p.m.

received contributions from everybody, with five players getting at least nine kills and four players reaching double-figure totals in digs. Junior Cindy Chen in particular played well, recording 10 kills and 28 digs. This weekend, the Lions will look to sweep its season series with the Big Green—a task they haven’t accomplished since 2001. The next day, Columbia will try to avenge its 3-2 loss to Harvard earlier this year. The Lions currently stand fourth in the Ancient Eight with a 4-4 conference record. The Dartmouth match starts 7 p.m. on Friday. The Harvard match will be held at 5 p.m. the next day. — Michael Zhong

The Columbia field hockey team (9-6, 2-3 Ivy) will attempt to improve its Ivy League record to .500 when it travels to New Haven to face Yale (10-5, 4-1 Ivy) on Saturday. The Lions are coming off an impressive 5-2 win from their last home game of the season against Dartmouth last Sunday. Head coach Marybeth Freeman said that the victory has given the team a “tremendous amount of confidence,” and that it hopes to carry that momentum into its upcoming match. “We’re really looking forward to our leadership not just ending at our last home game but continuing it on the road,” Freeman said. Columbia will be welcomed with what is expected to be tough competition from Yale. The Bulldogs have proved themselves to be a threat in league play, with their only loss coming against No. 6 Princeton. Success in

COLUMBIA AT YALE New Haven, Conn., Sat. 1 p.m.

execution of set plays and long hits along with strong fundamentals have the Yale field hockey team riding a four-game winning streak going into Saturday’s game, which also happens to be their senior day. Freeman and the Lions are very familiar with this Yale team and know that in order to beat the Bulldogs, Columbia must counterattack with sound technical skills of its own. “Having just gone through senior day on Sunday, we are well aware of what we’ll be walking into,” Freeman said. “It is important for us to just keep our focus … on our individual skills and executing these skills to play team hockey.” The game is scheduled for 1 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 30. — Molly Tow

been active in such programs like School is Cool Week, the Special Olympics, and the Saint Elizabeth Regional Burn and Wound Care Center in Nebraska. In addition to his volunteer work, Witt also uses his position with the Bulldogs to work as a speaker for the Fellowship of Christian Athletes and is currently a staff reporter for the Yale Daily News. Both coach Williams and Witt have high hopes for the future. “Senior season, I would expect him to continue to grow physically,” Williams said. “Another year in our strength and conditioning program will just add to his ability to be successful and hopefully eliminate some of the injuries that can accumulate over the course of the season, but [we] also expect him to have a

complete mastery of the offense and the things that we’re asking him to do,” Williams said. Witt hopes to use the rest of this season and the coming off-season to further establish his standing with his team. “I would like to develop more of a leadership role on the team and on the offensive side of the ball in particular. Part of that comes by winning respect with your play, but there are many other intangible facets involved in leadership. I hope to develop those other aspects this offseason through hard work and dependability.” The Lions will have a challenge on their hands this Saturday at Yale, facing a team led by signal-caller Witt who is striving to stay alive for the Ivy League title.


FRIDAY FOURTH DOWN

HALLOWEEN

PIXBOX week

#

7

Columbia at Yale (-2.5) Princeton at Cornell (+1.5) Harvard at Dartmouth (+10.5) Brown at Penn (-7.5) Michigan State at Iowa (-6.5) Titans at Chargers (-2.5) Steelers at Saints (pick) Tottenham at Man U (-0.5) Columbia Princeton Dartmouth Penn

Jim Pagels (29-19)

Michigan St. Titans Steelers

It’s a shame Giants fans now have to watch their team lose the WS at home.

Tottenham Lions

“Trust that instinct. Manage the pain. Don’t try to be a hero.”

Ugh, Tigers Harvard Penn Michigan Sorry, Zach Steelers Shrek Lions Princeton Big Green Red and Blue

Victoria Jones (26-22)

Michigan Titans New Orleans

Michele Cleary (28-20) Cute baby cousins, football, and Halloweekend. This is gonna be a good one, everybody.

Manchester

KEYS TO THE GAME

1

BY THE NUMBERS POINTS FOR

2

Change momentum After winning three straight games, the Lions have dropped two in a row heading into the toughest part of their season. It is important that they stay motivated throughout the game and get ahead quickly so they can carry that momentum through the rest of the matchup and the season.

3

Strong defense Columbia’s defense has struggled in the past few weeks. Penn’s offense ran all over the Light Blue with its rushing game two weeks ago, rushing for 281 yards. The Lions will have to clamp down and stop Yale from scoring with the pass in order to snap their losing streak and earn a win.

Lions

25.2 21.8

COLUMBIA

Moving on offense Sophomore quarterback Sean Brackett had a rough time in last week’s game against Dartmouth— he was sacked four times and rushed for only 47 net yards. Since he usually provides the spark for the Light Blue offense, he must have a better game if the Lions want a shot at defeating Yale.

YARDS GAINED

YALE

366.8 402

COLUMBIA YALE

YARDS ALLOWED

POINTS AGAINST

19.8 19.7

COLUMBIA YALE

353.7 320.2

COLUMBIA YALE

KEY MATCHUPS Andrew Kennedy

Alex Gross

Gio Christodoulou

Patrick Witt Yale’s junior quarterback Patrick Witt has been a passing machine so far this season, leading the league with 287.8 passing yards per game. He does have seven interceptions, though, so senior linebacker Alex Gross and the rest of the Columbia defense are going to have to put pressure on Witt and make sure he doesn’t get the looks he wants.

Columbia’s senior tight end Andrew Kennedy will have to be in sync with sophomore quarterback Sean Brackett on Saturday if he wants to notch more receiving yards than Yale wide receiver Gio Christodoulou. Kennedy is currently averaging 65.3 receiving yards a game, while Christodoulou is averaging 79.3.

Tigers

STARTING LINEUPS

ManChestah

Lauren Seaman (25-23)

COLUMBIA

OFFENSE

OFFENSE

10 20 30

leon ivery #43/rb

10

Light Blue

YALE alex thomas #41/rb

10

... N’orleans

10

Michigan

20

Bears

30

Hide ya kids, hide ya wife.

Dartmouth

Jacob Levenfeld (23-25)

Corn Titans Steelers

30 50 40

40 30 20 alex gross #37/ilb

drew baldwin #1/cb tom mccarthy #48/de

joe young #91/dt

jake stoller chris stanley #98/dt sean williams #22/cb #99/de

will mchale #5/olb

augie williams #44/olb

jordan haynes #42/ilb

jesse reising #10/olb

10

Brown

Coach told me to dress up as a Roman Legion officer.

matt moretto #33/olb

10

Pushovers

craig hamilton #25/cb josh martin #95/de

matt stotler ben popeck #92/dt #94/nt

20

Columbia Dartmouth

josh smith #50/de

20

Man U

calvin otis #24/cb

30

Steelers

Kunal Gupta (23-25)

30

Titans

DEFENSE

40

Penn Hawkeyes

50

DEFENSE

Harvard

50

Princeton

wes gavin g. fernandez colin krugera. golubiewski bob hauschildt jeff adamskurt williams #76/lt #61/rg #78/lg #70/lt g. christodoulou #63/lg jordan forney #79/rt #8/wr #30/wr #82/wr kyle stupi jake koury #75/C #59/c

40

When did Kunal get so handsome? Go Maple Leafs!

50

Columbia

patrick witt #11/qb

30

scott ward ian quirk nico gutierrez #68/rt #67/rg #3/wr

40

Uggh..Man U

chris blohm #89/te

40

40

Omar Epps

sean brackett #10/qb

20

#82/te

shane bannon #37/fb

40

andrew kennedy

Bolts

10

1-0.

30

Lucas Shaw (24-24)

Sparty

nathan lenz #30/fb

10

20

Amish Country

20

Big Red Crimson

geoff dunham #11/fs

adam mehrer neil schuster #47/fs #38/ss

adam money #17/ss

ManU Columbia

BROWN VS. PENN

HARVARD VS. DARTMOUTH

CORNELL VS. PRINCETON

In a game with possible title implications, Penn and Brown, the two remaining undefeated teams in the Ivy League, will face off in Philadelphia this weekend. The match, also Penn’s Homecoming game, will feature a Quakers team that has won its last 11 conference games and a Brown team that came the closest to snapping that run. The last time these two teams met, the Quakers emerged out of Providence with a 14-7 overtime victory against the Bears. In that win, Penn’s defense kept the team in the game. Then-senior Jake Lewko blocked a field goal attempt in the first half, and Brown’s only score of the game came off an interception returned for a touchdown. This time, with Lewko graduated, the Penn defense has shown holes—most notably in a 35-28 overtime win over Dartmouth. However, the defense can still be dominant, and it currently is limiting opponents to a league-best 17.8 points per game. Brown’s conference games also haven’t all been pretty. The Bears squad easily handled a talented Harvard team 29-14 but struggled to defeat Princeton, eventually winning 17-13. The team defeated Cornell 27-14 last week.

The Crimson will compete in its second straight conference road matchup when it travels to Hanover, N.H., to take on the Big Green. Harvard leads the all-time series, 63-45-5 and has won the last six in a row against Dartmouth. Harvard (4-2, 2-1 Ivy) is currently tied for third place with Yale, after defeating Princeton 45-28 last Saturday. The Crimson, who were favored to win the league in the preseason poll, actually trailed the lastplace Tigers for a few minutes of the game, as Princeton scored first. However, Harvard responded with a touchdown of its own and never looked back. Running back Gino Gordon rushed for 204 yards on 20 carries, earning him the Ivy League Offensive Player of the Week title. Dartmouth (4-2, 1-2 Ivy) is coming off its first conference win of the year, a 2421 defeat of Columbia. The Big Green offense, like Harvard’s, also benefitted from a strong performance by a running back, as Nick Schwieger had 124 net yards in the victory. The teams are scheduled to kickoff at 1:30 p.m. at Memorial Field.

Cornell and Princeton will face off this weekend. The two teams have struggled this year and are currently in last place, with 1-5 overall records and 0-3 conference records. Princeton’s defense has been atrocious, allowing a league-worst 36.0 points per game. The Cornell offense has been equally bad, mustering just 11.5 points per game. Princeton is coming off a 45-28 defeat to Harvard. In that game, Harvard ran all over the Tigers’ defensive line, amassing 403 total rushing yards. Crimson running back Gino Gordon gained 204 yards on the ground, and Treavor Scales added 136 more. Princeton’s ineffectual defense overshadowed a creative offensive show, in which the Tigers had passing touchdowns from their tight end and running back and a rushing touchdown from wide receiver Trey Peacock. Quarterback Tommy Wornham, who was injured against Dartmouth, did not play against Harvard. Cornell is coming off a 27-14 loss to Brown in which the Bears amassed 444 total yards to the Big Red’s 293. Despite the loss, Big Red quarterback Jeff Matthews earned Rookie of the Week honors.

Princeton

I done changed the game.

Dartmouth Brown Iowa Titans Steelers Manchester

Bart Lopez (22-26)

CU Cornell Vard Brownies

Michael Shapiro (21-27)

Iowa Chargers Saints

When I was growing up, playoff baseball ended in October, kids!

Red Devils Columbia

Picks brought to you by Jim Pagels.

Princeton Dartmouth Penn Michigan Chargers Steelers Tottenham

Zach Glubiak (17-31)


PAGE 8

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OCTOBER 29, 2010


Weekend

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT • FRIDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2010 • PAGE B1

Being past the age of socially acceptable trick-or-treating doesn’t have to limit students’ Halloween options to crowded fraternity parties and the requisite freshman-year trip to the Village Halloween Parade. New Yorkers know how to do many things well, and All Hallows’ Eve is no exception. The holiday brings an almost overabundance of ways to celebrate, from a “Mad Men” costume competition to a David Bowie sing-along, historical graveyard visits, and period-themed tea socials. Columbians can make the process of choosing an activity easier by focusing on their favorite aspect of the holiday: the wellplanned costumes, the campy movies, or the traditional goosebump-inducing haunts. —ELIZABETH FOYDEL

CINDY PAN

Brewing a better Halloween

CLASSY

CREEPY

CAMPY

Contrary to what the current proliferation of pop-up Halloween stores might make students think, not all costume-centric events have to be cheesy. In fact, there are some downright classy, vintage-themed events that provide the perfect excuse for style-conscious Columbians to dig up that thrift store ensemble that’s been sitting unworn in the back of the closet. Combine the high style quotient with food and drinks that are more upscale than the usual candy corn and punch and this unexpected variety of Halloween events can be pretty hard to beat. Columbians can don their best Betty Draper or Jackie O getup at the Spirits of the Golden Age Halloween Party. Their ‘60s vintage will look marvelous with candy cigarettes, cocktails, and a big live band. Emulating ‘60s style icons might win the “Mad Men” costume contest, but there’s no loss either way—the event, from 8 p.m. to 3 a.m. on Saturday at Opia Restaurant & Lounge (130 E. 57th St. between Park and Lexington avenues) is free sans the cost of classic martinis to match the mod suits and Mary Quant mini dresses. A black-and-white photo booth will keep with the classy-period atmosphere (think swinging ‘60s London). For a less specific (but also free) excuse to bust out a prized vintage find, the Harlem PoP (2035 Fifth Ave. between 125th and 126th streets) is hosting a Vintage Tea Social. Fashion aficionados can either come in any “high tea”-appropriate vintage attire or play dress up with the sample fittings provided by sponsor and lifestyle brand Harriet’s Alter Ego. The Harlem PoP, a weekend pop-up experience shop, offers an art gallery, a marketplace for emerging fashion designers, an eatery, and a performance space; for this event, complimentary portraits will memorialize everyone’s period costumes and cupcakes from Brooklyn bakery Love Joy Sweet Treats will be provided from 1-3 p.m. on Saturday.

Of course, to many students, no Oct. 31 is complete without a few screams, and luckily there’s no shortage of events across the city sure to scare even the pickiest Halloween traditionalists. Additionally, students less inclined to dress up or go the costume party route will find that there’s no monster mask, witch hat, or devil outfit required outside in a dark graveyard or deep in the halls of a haunted house. Halloween frights abound at the city’s historical cemeteries, which may or may not be creepier than the transvestites in tights in the “Rocky Horror Picture Show.” The Woodlawn Cemetery at Webster Avenue and East 233rd Street (Bainbridge and Jerome avenues) in the Bronx offers Halloween cemetery tours on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Joseph Pulitzer, Duke Ellington, and Miles Davis might be the biggest graveyard celebrities here, but many of the other bodies here have more gruesome claims to fame, and their stories are highlights on the tour. Tickets are $5 for students and hours are 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. On Friday, Trinity Churchyard on Wall Street at Broadway will raise its glasses to toast Columbia alum Alexander Hamilton, who was buried there after his untimely death in a duel. Learn about the burial ground’s residents from 4-6 p.m., have a drink at the church’s Haunted Hamilton Happy Hour from 5-7 p.m., and then sit in the candlelit Gothic church for a screening of “The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari.” This 1920 silent horror film about a deranged doctor, his somnambulist minion, and a collection of insane asylum patients will be musically accompanied by organist Robert Ridgell. The evening of events is entirely free. Even more horror can be found at the Vortex Theater’s Halloween Haunted House (115 W. 27th St. between Sixth and Seventh avenues), where creators Josh Randall and Kris Thor transcended the usual concoction of eerie music and Halloween characters to create a haunted house that focuses on heightening fear on an individual level. The intensely interactive experience, in which a visitor wears a mask and carries a flashlight alone, lasts around 20 minutes and requires signing a waiver before entry. The house’s website warns more specifically that “you don’t just walk through it—you live it. And yes, you will be touched.” Tickets vary in price from $15 to $30 depending on day, hour, and capacity and are available in advance through TheaterMania online.

Students who want to spend Halloween laughing rather than screaming should head to screenings of classic cult films, which offer lowbrow humor in lieu of genuine frights. After all, the “Nightmare on Elm Street” genre isn’t for everyone, and the holiday has plenty to offer for students whose brand of horror is more kooky than creepy. For some downtown drunken revelry, the “Labyrinth” SingAlong and Costume Party (200 Hudson St. between Canal and Vestry streets) offers beer and spandex galore. Choose a favorite Bowie persona to channel and sing-along to ‘80s fantasy film “Labyrinth,” starring David Bowie, Jennifer Connelly, and a host of surprisingly disturbing puppet characters. The $13 ticket for the 10 p.m. event on Friday includes one beer, which the owners of the 92YTribeca location suggest on their website will be useful in helping attendees admit that they do know the words to the songs. Get tickets early for the perennially-popular “Rocky Horror Picture Show” at Chelsea Clearview Cinemas (260 W. 23rd St. between Seventh and Eighth avenues). Nearly everyone has seen the film adaptation of the British musical before, but there is a reason why it’s the longest-running theatrical release in history: In the 1970s, audiences began participating with the film in theaters. “Do the Time Warp” with Dr. Frank-N-Furter, Riff Raff, and the cast that performs alongside the cult film at the Clearview. Tickets are $9 for the midnight shows on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Alternatively, Oh! You Pretty Things: The “Rocky Horror Picture Show” 35th-Anniversary Bash at 9 p.m. on Sunday will be staging a full “Rocky Horror” musical revue as well as a fashion show, costume contest, and performances by gothic rockers Kayvon Zand and cabaret act The Flying Fox. The $25 tickets to this Halloween spectacular are pricey, but the party includes an exhaustive night of mischief at Le Poisson Rouge (158 Bleecker St. between Thompson and Sullivan streets). DJs will be spinning glam, goth and, postpone, and Jane Doe Makeup will be offering ghoulish glam makeovers all night.

2 HOURS TO GO...

1 HOUR TO GO...

5 MINUTES TO GO...

BABE/BOY MAGNET REALITY TV SHOW CHARACTER

GUM ON SHOE

+

+

hair spray

+

black t-shirt

+

sweater

+

glasses

BY RUBII PHAM Columbia Daily Spectator It seems that the midterm blues hit Morningside Heights extra hard this year, with students procrastinating on everything from studying to getting Halloween costumes. Even with a couple of hours or a couple of minutes left before one of students’ many Halloween parties, putting together an awesome ensemble doesn’t require superhuman efforts—just a pinch of imagination and a few random items scrounged from a resourceful closet.

girl/boy doll

glue

Creative costumes for every kind of time crunch

bronzer

chewing gum GRAPHIC BY YUMA SHINOHARA

two hours to go If time isn’t a pressing matter but getting the opposite sex’s attention is, consider becoming a babe or dude magnet for the night. Start with a sweatshirt, preferably one in an obnoxiously bright color. Then, scour local thrift stores or dollar stores for some mini Ken- or Barbie-type dolls and hot-glue or tape the dolls to the sweatshirt. Top it off with a pair of nerd-chic glasses to up the irony factor, and no one will be able to resist the magnetic pull of this costume. Or, show some school spirit by becoming Alma Mater. This works for either gender—just buy a wreath and a staff and spraypaint them gray if necessary, then drape a long black cloth over an all-black outfit. Check out a black, important-looking book from Butler, and proceed to carry it around and act stoic all night long. one hour to go For those in tune with pop culture, why not go as a reality TV show character that everyone loves to hate? For girls, make a quick

trip to Duane Reade for some bronzer and a large can of extra-hold hair spray. Ask a friend to help you achieve an all-over orange glow, poof up that hair, and voilà—a Snooki makeover in less than 30 minutes. For guys, purchase the same bronzer, plus some hair gel and a secondhand Ed Hardy T-shirt. Then watch a quick “Jersey Shore” clip on YouTube for a lesson in swagger and complete the transition to Pauly D or Mike “The Situation” Sorrentino. Don’t feel like creating a costume this year? For girls, put on a stylish dress and some extra-high heels—for guys, a fancy tux and nice dress shoes. Pay extra attention to hair and makeup, then strut down College Walk like it’s the Versace runway and proclaim yourself a supermodel. If people ask, make up a long, unpronounceable, European-sounding name. Cue the envious stares that will inevitably follow. five minutes to go Have five minutes before heading out to that party? Grab an old black T-shirt and a few sticks of Orbit. Chew, then artfully arrange the chewed gum on said shirt. It may sound goofy and slightly repulsive, but this bottom of a shoe costume will definitely earn creativity points, or at least a few chuckles, no matter where one’s Halloween night destination might be. Or embrace the little kid within and take a cue from the bipolar fall weather for an unexpected costume. Dress in all blue (or gray if it’s an angry storm cloud) and glue clumps of cotton balls all over. Buy a squirt gun to shoot people with water, and proceed to act like a rain cloud. To make the idea even funnier, enlist a buddy to be a ray of sunshine or a lightning bolt.


PAGE B2

Best of

WEEKEND

OCTOBER 29, 2010

Chelsea galleries

Art openings have very little to do with art, and more to do with observing people observing art. In one of the best cities for peoplewatching, the Thursday and Friday night gallery scene is prime spotting ground for some of the most interesting, or just visually captivating, characters in the city. Rather than traipse around Chelsea looking for what might prove stimulating, focus on these hotspot galleries to see great art, or at least exciting people. Feel free to dress up, use that vocabulary from your Introduction to Art History class, and stock up on the free white wine that makes gallery hopping the most glamorous pre-game in the city. —BY FRANCES CORRY

The Pace Gallery Pace, which celebrated its 50th anniversary in September, is a major institution in the worldwide art market. The gallery recently closed its anniversary exhibition on Oct. 23, which featured foundational works from its history, including Jasper Johns’ “Three Flags” and Andy Warhol’s “Marilyn Diptych.” Ready to enter a new era of showcasing cutting edge 20th- and 21st-century works in its four Manhattan spaces, Pace will open three new shows at the beginning of November. If students can’t make it to all the spaces, they should be sure to visit the newlyacquired location at 510 West 25th St., which displays some of the best pieces by contemporary artists today. This includes Richard Tuttle, who spoke at Columbia’s Miller Theatre on Oct. 28. Photographer and architect Hiroshi Sugimoto’s exhibition, “The Day After,” opens Nov. 6 at the 545 West 22nd St. (between Tenth and Eleventh avenues) location. Other gallery locations have openings on Nov. 9 and Nov. 12.

HANNAH BOTKIN FOR SPECTATOR

CHELSEA GIRLS

|

Like the Gagosian and Gladstone galleries, at Casey Kaplan gallery, the prestige of the Chelsea art scene shines.

Gagosian Gallery This international gallery, which has three outposts in New York City, shows some of the most established artists in the world—think Pablo Picasso, Damien Hirst, and Cy Twombly. Its expansive white-walled spaces, two in Chelsea and one in Midtown, also host some of the most spectacular openings. Large pieces by both contemporary and modern artists make for a museum-like experience, though without the admission fee. If students are able to fight

Gladstone Gallery through the crowd to see the work, they will be in for a treat. For students who can’t get in, don’t worry—they should just keep their eyes out for the likes of Bono, Mick Jagger, and James Franco, all of whom have attended Gagosian openings. One of the Chelsea locations of Gagosian Gallery(522 West 21st St., between Tenth and Eleventh avenues) opens a major survey of Robert Rauschenberg’s work on Oct. 29 from 6-8 p.m.

Gladstone’s large space is perfect for the conceptual, contemporary installation art it exhibits­—not to mention the large crowds it attracts. The gallery has locations in Brussels, as well as on West 24th Street— though the most impressive outpost is at West 21st. Lofty ceilings and tall, stark walls leave room for the huge pieces it typically hosts, and a little more breathing room for the spectator. With its range of exhibitions,

from the punk aesthetic of artists Raymond Pettibon and Banks Violette to the more delicate work of Matthew Barney (think gold-leaf butterflies inscribed into books), Gladstone attracts a diverse crowd, both in age and taste. Gladstone opens Wangechi Mutu’s “Hunt Bury Flee” Saturday, Oct. 30 at the 530 West 21st St. (between Tenth and Eleventh avenues) location.

COURTESY OF MUSIC BOX FILMS

KICKING AND SCREAMING

|

The film adaptaion of Stieg Larsson’s “The Girl who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest,” which opens Friday, is the final installment in protagonist Lisabeth Salander’s saga.

More bees than honey in third installment of Larson’s ‘Millenium Trilogy’ adaptations BY PHILLIP ROSS Columbia Daily Spectator The first two films adapted from Stieg Larsson’s “Millennium Trilogy” were slick, well-made, and darkly suspenseful. “The Girl who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest,” unfortunately, isn’t any of these things. Part of the problem is that “Hornet’s Nest,” which opens Friday, suffers from self-identification issues. It doesn’t quite fall in the detective genre—there are no twists in this film, nor is there a scintillating plot—and it is not quite an action film, as real action sequences are at best sporadic. It’s hardly a comedy, with its most hilarious moment involving nail guns through ankles, and the

movie is not romantic—there is only unresolved sexual tension. Instead, the audience receives the same jaded “evil establishment” yarn, just set in Sweden. Essentially, protagonist Lisbeth Salander wakes up in a hospital, guilty of attempted murder and awaiting trial. Mikael Blomkvist, the editor of a magazine called “The Millennium,” attempts to prove her innocence in the face of an evil organization. At times, the movie seems to be made without the audience in mind—it is jumpy, unclear, and discombobulating, problems exacerbated by the fact that it is in Swedish. The murders depicted in the film are simply comical. Stifled laughs from the audience accompanied each and every one, even though it is highly

unlikely that these scenes were intended to be funny. The antagonists were all but plucked out of “Scooby-Doo”—and a surprising number of them really look more like retirees than killers. But these are all forgivable problems if viewers can identify with the protagonist. Unfortunately, in “Hornet’s Nest” such a feat is nearly impossible. Because the film has a hard time balancing two protagonists, the audience simply does not see enough of either one of them, and misses out on a powerful bond with the characters that a truly poignant movie can achieve. The film’s casting does not entirely help its cause. The person in charge for casting Blomkvist seems to have equated ruggedness with ugliness. Blomkvist also manages to convey a unique sense

of awkwardness that is remarkably successful in botching every touching moment and ruining the audience’s potential to connect with him. As for the female lead Salander, her cold character stops not only every other character in the film, but also the audience, from feeling sympathy for her. One thing that “Hornet’s Nest” does deliver is an insight into Swedish life—the film is full of wonderful panoramas of quaint Swedish towns and quintessentially European décors. The police even arrive at a crime scene in Volvos. But the sheer confusion and mind-numbingly insipid plot, as well as the unlikeable leads, should be more than enough to ward off the average film-goer—only avid fans of the series or students who are a bit masochistic will enjoy it.


OCTOBER 29, 2010

WEEKEND

PAGE B3

Trick-or-treating for a healthy Halloween

M

COURTESY OF NEIL VISEL

SEEING GREEN

|

Rapper, internet show personality, and star of “The Tom Green Show” comedian Tom Green will perform stand-up this weekend.

Jack-of-all-trades comedian tries NYC stand-up on for size GREEN from page B4 can hear but me,” Green said. “I’m rapping the punch line almost on a rhythm.” While Green is returning to his roots with standup comedy, he has not forgotten about the path he took to get there. Green broke into the American media scene with “The Tom Green Show” on MTV, in which played hilarious pranks on his not-amused parents. “I like doing the pranks on my parents, just because of the realism and honesty of it,” Green said. “My parents were really mad, and it was a fun situation.” In addition to the Slut Mobile stunt, which involved painting an X-rated scene on his parents’ car, another of Green’s favorite pranks includes painting his parents’ house plaid while they vacationed. On another occasion he hung an unauthorized painting in the National Gallery of Canada, then proceeded to vandalize it in front of shocked onlookers.

The show came to a halt, however, when Green was diagnosed with testicular cancer in 2000. After successful treatment, he made “The Tom Green Cancer Special,” an hour-long MTV documentary that followed Green throughout the treatment process, including the surgery. “It’s a physically traumatic and painful experience,” Green said. “You realize that life is fragile, and you have to enjoy being in the moment, because you don’t know when it’s all gonna end.” Green’s optimism was validated when he returned to the Hollywood silver screens with the movie “Freddy Got Fingered,” which he directed, co-wrote, and starred in. Green played Gordon, a 28-year-old with a bizarre sense of humor who moves back home and doesn’t seem to grow up. “It was such a surreal experience, having the opportunity to direct a major, $18 million production with 20th Century Fox,” Green said. “The goal was to make one of the craziest films we could make, and I really think we accomplished that.” Indeed, the

unforgettable scene in which Gordon ties sausage to his fingers, bangs on the piano, and chants maniacally, “Daddy, would you like some sausage?” reaches new heights of outrageousness. Today, Green has shifted gears with his Internet talk show “Tom Green’s House Tonight.” “It’s the number-one rated, longest-running online talk show in the history of the Internet,” Green said. The show was initially subject to a number of prank calls, which Green actually found funny; “It was sort of what the Internet is all about—you want to have an irreverence to it.” Now, the webcast keeps up the same spontaneity with celebrity guests and Skype callers. Even though his projects have accumulated plenty of criticism and Razzie Awards over the years, Green remains unfazed. “The more criticism I get, the more successful I feel,” he said. “People don’t tend to criticize things that are not successful.” A bold assertion indeed, but with a year-long comedy tour under his belt, Green certainly has the right to make it.

Cerebral contemporary dance challenges traditional spectatorship BY LIANA GERGELY Columbia Daily Spectator Responding to the psychological themes of today’s contemporary dance choreography, some audience members feel so disturbed that they leave mid-production. Contemporary choreographers’ focus on introspection has generated mixed feelings in dance lovers and critics alike. While some viewers find it easier to connect with works that rely less on narrative, many feel alienated and befuddled by the highly psychological content of what they see. The Barnard dance department offers various courses that allow students to explore new dance frontiers and to recognize why choreographers are moving in this direction that can be so challenging for audience members. “I love contemporary dance, but sometimes I feel very confused after a show,” Kiva Eisenstock, BC ’12, said. “It’s hard to really get into a piece of art when its meaning is so cryptic.” Many dance spaces in New York City have begun to feature contemporary dance in this eccentric vein. The Joyce Theater, located in Chelsea, just finished a week with the Batsheva Dance Company—the internationally acclaimed company is well-known for the invention of Gaga, a distinctive dance technique based on verbal commands instead of specified movements. The Joyce’s one-hour performance featured men who danced with mud and each other while responding to a diverse music selection, including a recording of a stream-of-consciousness-type monologue, alternating styles of instrumental music, and even pure silence. The highly emotional content of the Joyce’s work demonstrated the brilliance of its founder, Martha Graham. “Graham made psychological work,” said Mary Cochran, artistic director and chair of the Barnard dance department. “That’s nothing new. If one has a sense of the history of modern dance, of Western dance in general and of global forms, it is sometimes easier to relate to the questions that choreographers are asking now. Still it can be difficult for some people to absorb if they desire dance to be merely pretty. I think all it takes is some exposure. It’s similar to learning a new language.” Some audience members feel excited to take on the responsibility of reviewing and evaluating what they witness on stage, while others would prefer to leave intellectualism behind while in the presence of art. “I think it really is up to the audience member whether they want to feel alienated by modern dance or inspired by it,” Katherine Chamberlain, BC ’14, said. “I find that even those works that make no sense to me are still things I really am able to enjoy if I try.” Although the Barnard dance department does offer strictly technical courses in ballet and modern styles, more curious dancers can take courses such as contact improvisation and dance composition if they wish to explore this new choreographic terrain. “Students with little experience of contemporary dance, especially in its more experimental forms, often find it puzzling,” Lynn Garafola,

COURTESY OF ARTHUR ELGORT

DANCE WHAT YOU FEEL Emotionally and psychologically grounded dance keeps some audiences intrigued but leaves others confused. |

Upcoming NYC contemporary dance shows 1) Jane Comfort and Company: Faith Healing

Location: Joyce SoHo, 155 Mercer St. (between West Houston and Prince streets) This innovative performance, titled “Faith Healing,” was originally crafted in 1993 and converts Tennessee Williams’ “The Glass Menagerie” into a piece of post-modern dance. The work will be performed on Sunday, Oct. 31 at 3 p.m.

2) Yanira Castro: Wilderness

Location: 51 Bergen St. (between Smith and Court streets), Brooklyn By presenting Castro’s latest work, “Wilderness,” Dance Theater Workshop allows audience members to witness highly

dance historian and Barnard professor, said. “This is not because it’s necessarily ‘scary’ or offputting, but because it’s different from the kind of dance they’re used to seeing at ballet recitals or on television. Contemporary dance, unless it’s ballet-oriented, tends to avoid technical virtuosity, easily accessible music, and linear narratives or stories.” In the upcoming year, many Manhattan institutions such as Dance Theater Workshop and

psychological dance in an unfamiliar location: a dark warehouse. Pianist Michael Dauphinais will play during the performance. The show will run through Sunday, Nov. 7.

3) Doug Varone and Dancers: Stripped

Location: 92nd Street Y Harkness Dance Center, 1395 Lexington Ave. (between 91st and 92nd streets) Doug Varone and Dancers will present “Stripped,” an intimate studio rehearsal that shows dancers and movement in their most raw state. The performance will not feature any costumes or light and will give the audience a chance to interact with the art that they are witnessing. See “Stripped” on Friday, Nov. 5.

Performance Space 122 are putting on shows that will have audiences scratching their heads as they witness choreography with which they are unfamiliar and perhaps uncomfortable. However, Garafola believes this cryptic nature may be the most exciting part of these performances. “It requires the audience to work a little harder, especially at first, to enter the choreographer’s universe. But the effort is worth it in the end,” she said.

y childhood memories of Halloween, like those of so many other people my age, revolve around trick-or-treating. Oh, those were the good old days, when I could HANNAH wear a princess costume YUDKIN and lug a pillow case all around town, filling it with Restricted chocolate and pretzels. I learned which homes gave away the best candy (that red brick house at the end of the street), and I shamefully knew which one gave the worst—mine. Yes, it was my home that distributed toothbrushes every year. My dentist father made it his priority to traumatize every child that dared walk down my driveway. But now, as Halloween approaches again, I cannot stop wondering: Aren’t there any healthy alternatives to candy that my father could have given these children? Can students find candy to enjoy without feeling the need to visit the gym or the dentist soon after? Surprisingly, finding simultaneously tasty and healthy candy was not as challenging a restriction as I expected it to be, especially since I knew exactly where to look. Because drugstores like Rite Aid and Duane Reade are unfortunately lacking in healthier candy options, I realized that I would have to visit several supermarkets. Westside Market, Trader Joe’s, and Whole Foods proved to be havens for healthy candy shopping. Chimes Gourmet Ginger Chews, which I stumbled upon in the checkout line at Westside, come in a variety of flavors—original, peppermint, mango, orange, and peanut butter. Each chew contains a mere two grams of sugar and 16 calories—compare that to the 210 calories in only one Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup. Plus, the ginger in the candy helps with digestion and fights symptoms of colds, allergies, and motion sickness.

As Halloween approaches, I cannot stop wondering: Aren’t there any healthy candy alternatives? Can students enjoy candy without feeling the need to visit the gym or the dentist soon after? If more traditional candy is what students are yearning for, Darrell Lea’s licorice (conveniently located below the ginger chews at Westside) is an incredibly delicious alternative to Twizzlers. Even though I’m not personally a fan of licorice candy and the like, I found Darrell Lea’s to be very addictive. Luckily, three sizeable pieces won’t send hungry students straight to Dodge. There are no artificial colors or flavors, and each serving contains a gram of protein. The mango licorice I tasted was surprisingly flavorful, but maybe a bit too chewy and difficult to eat for a quick candy fix. Trader Joe’s has a vast selection of healthy-ish candy, ranging from yogurt bites to fruit jellies. The chocolate-covered espresso beans have a nice kick, and the entire package—which is practically impossible to eat in one day—has the same number of calories as two apples. (Admittedly, though, the apples are probably better for you.) For vegan (and non-vegan) candy-lovers, Trader Joe’s has Brown Rice Marshmallow Treats and an assortment of dark chocolate bars, including a Belgian variety that is 73 percent cocoa. If chocolate is what students are craving, dark is the healthiest way to go. And because Trader Joe’s does all of its own packaging and advertising, the candy tends to be very reasonably priced. The candy at Whole Foods is equally satisfying. The Surf Sweets Halloween Sour Worms look and taste better than the ones students likely encountered in their childhood days. But instead of being made from completely artificial ingredients, the coloring is all-natural and the sweetener comes from organic fruit juices. The packaging even boasts that each serving-sized packet of worms—there are 20 per package—contains 100 percent of the daily recommended value of Vitamin C. Like the worms, EnviroKidz Peanut Choco Drizzle Crispy Rice Bars are trans fat-free, gluten-free, and contain no artificial flavoring. To give candylovers an even bigger incentive, 1 percent of each sale goes to several different charity organizations. While all of this candy is certainly better for students than candy corn or Snickers, and in many cases even medicinally good (like the ginger chews), eating it in moderation is still important. A candy binge, no matter how healthy, will still send you straight to the gym. And with all of these awesome options, trick-or-treaters and students alike won’t ever have to encounter another Halloween toothbrush ever again. Hannah Yudkin is a Barnard College senior majoring in art history and political science. Restricted runs alternate Fridays.


WEEKEND

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OCTOBER 29, 2010

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Picks

WHERE IT’S AT Place: Comix Comedy Club, 353 W 14th St. (between Eighth and Ninth avenues) Time: 7:30 p.m. and 10 p.m. shows on Oct. 29 and 30 Price: $34 COURTESY OF NEIL VISEL

COURT JESTER

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Tom Green spoke about his endeavor into stand-up on the brink of his NYC appearances this weekend.

Tom Green at Comix Jack-of-all-trades comedian tries NYC stand-up on for size BY CLAIRE FU Spectator Staff Writer He’s known for dangling a mouse from his mouth in the movie “Road Trip,” for painting a pornographic scene on his parents’ car in his MTV program “The Tom Green Show,” and for singing ludicrous lyrics in the one-hit wonder “The Bum Bum Song.” Now, Tom Green has yet another accomplishment to add to his colorful career: becoming a world-touring stand-up comedian. Hot off the heels of his current Internet talk show “Tom Green’s House Tonight,” Green is performing at Comix in New York as one of the last stops of his tour. “Stand-up comedy is something I’ve always wanted to do,” Green said. At the age of 15, he started performing at comedy clubs in his native Canada. Now, after completing about 200 shows in Canada,

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the United States, Australia, and England on his world tour since January, Green is well on his way toward realizing his childhood dream. “People coming to see my show are going to see something that’s really been 20 years in the making,” he said. “It’s a silly show,” Green admitted. “I talk about stories from my early days on MTV, stories from behind the scenes of ‘The Tom Green Show,’ and re-enact some funny things from ‘Road Trip.’” He also enjoys poking fun at technology—especially Facebook—and other changes in society. Green said that audience members can expect a “very fast-paced, high-energy show.” Onstage, Green’s comedian and rapper personas intertwine. “I’m performing my stand-up almost as if there’s a beat there that nobody

SEE GREEN, page B3

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DON’T PANIC! | Hitchcock’s “Psycho” is playing at Film Forum this Halloween weekend. All over the city, theaters small and large are breaking out classic thrillers and modern horrors.

Halloween films The best of NYC’s spooky flicks BY VANESSA THILL Columbia Daily Spectator New York always goes all-out for Halloween, but this year, venture off the beaten path to find some films that appeal to all tastes, from modern horror to classic Halloween flicks. Along the way, you just might discover some great movie venues that are worth your attention year-round.Nonprofit art house theater Film Forum (209 W Houston St. between Varick Street and Avenue of the Americas) will be showing the classic Alfred Hitchcock thriller “Psycho” from Friday through Wednesday. On Friday, film critic and author David Thomson will introduce the 7:45 p.m. show. At midnight on Friday and Saturday, the IFC Center, located at 323 Sixth Ave. at W. Third Street, will be showing “Buffy the Vampire Slayer.” The movie that spawned the cult TV show follows Buffy Summers, a cheerleader with a secret calling—to defend the world from vampires. The classic German film “Metropolis” will be showing on Friday at 92YTribeca (200 Hudson St. between Desbrosses and Vestry streets). It will be accompanied by the Alloy Orchestra band, which uses junkyard items as instruments, and will include 25 minutes of additional footage that was discovered in Buenos Aires in 2008. The Museum of Modern Art (11 West 53rd St. between Fifth and Sixth avenues) will be screening an impressive list of scary classics, such as “The Texas Chain Saw Massacre” and “Frankenstein Meets the Space Monster,” on Friday. “Night of the Living Dead” and “Ghostbusters” will follow on Saturday. Plus, MoMA is making Halloween classier with costumed cocktail receptions and DJ sets preceding the screenings. For a more relaxed Halloween, try a place with 60 reclaimed car seats, a full bar, and a gourmet snack counter. ReRun Gastropub Theater is worth the trip down to 147 Front St. (between Pearl and Front streets) in Brooklyn. The theater is showing a series of unique, low-budget scary movies this weekend, including “The Roost,” a zombie film about four friends who crash their car on their way to a Halloween wedding and seek help in a secluded farmhouse. “No Telling,” Larry Fessenden’s modern take on “Frankenstein,” will be showing as well.

events theater

Straight Up Vampire —Joe’s Pub, 425 Lafayette St. (between Astor Place and East Fourth Street), Friday-Sunday, Oct. 29-31, various times, $15. This farcical tale of the history of vampires in colonial Pennsylvania follows a character named Paula Abdul Blackwood, who falls in love with a vampire—and yes, the entire show is set to the music of Paula Abdul.

WHERE IT’S AT Place: American Museum of Natural History, 79th Street and Central Park West Time: On display through Jan. 2 Price: $12 with CUID CHRISTINA PHAN / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

HEART OF THE OCEAN

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Now on display, the 31-carat Wittelsbach-Graff diamond is one of the rarest in the world.

Wittelsbach-Graff diamond exhibit Museum of Natural History show is a jewel lover’s best friend BY ALLISON MALECHA Spectator Staff Writer There was a time when most college girls hoped for a diamond by graduation. Marriage is no longer a college priority, but that doesn’t mean a girl can’t still appreciate diamonds. For those who feel the same, the Wittelsbach-Graff Diamond, which was unveiled in the Harry Frank Guggenheim Hall of Minerals at the American Museum of Natural History Thursday afternoon, is one of the most appreciated diamonds to date. On display through Jan. 2, the 31.06-carat, “fancy deep blue” giant was originally found in India, and was once rumored to be a sister of the even more colossal 45.52-carat Hope Diamond, which is at the Smithsonian. The Wittelsbach-Graff diamond passed into its first royal hands in 1664 when King Philip IV of Spain gave it to his daughter Margarita Teresa. The “Wittelsbach” of its name came about in the mid 18th century, when it was the prized jewel of the ruling Wittelsbach family of Bavaria. The diamond then mysteriously disappeared until 2008, when Laurence Graff of Graff Diamonds bought it at an auction for 16.4 million pounds, repolished it, and made it flawless by cutting away from its original 35.56-carats. This is not just an exhibit for girly frivolity and noble

history—there is also science behind it. AMNH’s Ellen Futter, in prelude to the opening, called it an “intersection of art and science.” Dr. George Harlow, the exhibit curator, then went on to explain that this particular diamond must have been formed over 100 miles under the Earth’s surface billions of years ago. Only one in 100,000 diamonds has strong color, few of those are blue, and very few of those have the Graff diamond’s “fancy deep blue.” The encased diamond has a plush enclave to itself, the dark grey walls punctuated with burgundy information panels. Unfortunately, the dark lighting, and blue, lightly metallic background surface somewhat muffle the diamond’s dazzle. Viewed at from a certain angle, a smear is also visible across the surface. Still, as Futter said, “If it’s true what they say that diamonds are a girl’s best friend, then this diamond would be her very, very best friend—that is, her BFF.” To further satisfy a craving for fine jewels, check out luxe jewelry store F.D., opening today on the Upper East Side (21 East 65th St., between Fifth and Madison avenues). Owner Fiona Druckenmiller, a charitable socialite and wife of billionaire Stanley Druckenmiller, will fill the 1,500-square-foot space with choice pieces of rare and vintage jewelry, as well as covetable books and art works. Realistically more of a museum outing than shopping one, students can leave wallets at home—unless they’re packed with the hundreds to cover the low-end of Druckenmiller’s stock.

wildcard

art

—Abrons Arts Center, 466 Grand St. (between Pitt Street and Abraham Place), through Sunday, Oct. 31, various times, $25.

—PS1, 22-25 Jackson Ave. (at 46th Avenue), Long Island City, Saturday-Sunday, Oct. 30-31, 12-6 p.m., free with CUID.

For students hesitant to spend a night amid blood and gore, a bit of neo-Victorian era chills might be a good fit for Halloween. More sleepwalkers and broken down machines than vampires and dismembered bodies, Steampunk Haunted House puts a classic twist on the typical haunted house.

MoMA’s PS1 is bringing together two of New York City’s best aspects, fashion and art, for a crash course in stylistic collaboration. The two-day event is going to be a frenzy of hip installations, featuring designers like Marc Jacobs and Diane von Furstenberg paired with hot artists like David Blaine and Terence Koh.

Steampunk Haunted House Move!

music

All Schumann Concert —Casa Italiana, 1161 Amsterdam Ave. (at 116th Street), Monday, Nov. 1, 8 p.m., free with CUID. The Bohemians, an elite New York musicians club that boasts such impressive former members as Gustav Mahler, George Gershwin, and Aaron Copland, is hosting a high society evening at Columbia. The theme of this installment, which is one in a monthly series that runs through April, is the luscious romance of Robert Schumann’s 17th-century scores.


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