Washington Square News January 28, 2019

4 CULTURE

9 HOUSE

San Francisco Sheds All Fur and New York City Might Be Next

Lessons From the Shutdown

6 ARTS

Overcoming Inaccessibility

10 UNDER THE ARCH

How to Win an Oscar in 2019

VOLUME LII | ISSUE I

MONDAY, JANUARY 28, 2019

NYU and Professors Butt Heads Over NYUAD NYU recently issued a statement discussing the mounting criticism of NYUAD, maintaining that academic freedom is protected at the campus.

By MEGHNA MAHARISHI News Editor Last week, NYU publicly released a statement to NBC addressing criticism about the lack of academic freedom at the Abu Dhabi campus.

In the statement, NYU spokesperson John Beckman called these judgements “poorly founded.”

“Our years of successfully operating comprehensive liberal arts research university campuses outside the U.S. have demonstrated the reverse of what the critics claim: that day in and day out, our students and faculty can carry on a full and unfettered academic program without concern,” Beckman said.

Since former NYU President John Sexton first announced the creation of the Abu Dhabi campus in 2007, the university has mainly released statements in response to specific controversies on a case-bycase basis. The recent comment by Beckman is one of the first to express the university’s reasoning and philosophy in regards to NYUAD since Sexton.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 SAM KLEIN | WSN

A student walks through the NYU Abu Dhabi Campus. NYU spokesperson John Beckman recently made a statement regarding the campus, which has been at the center of controversy during its decade of existence.

Food Insecurity Program Assisted Over 1,000 Students Last Semester

By VICTOR PORCELLI News Editor Over 1,000 students were helped by NYU’s Courtesy Meals Program last semester, according to data released to WSN. The program seeks to aid students facing temporary food shortage by providing them 75 Dining Dollars, no questions asked.

The program was conceived by the Food Insecu-

rity Workgroup comprised of students, faculty and administrators in the spring of 2016, and began that fall semester. However, it was not widely publicized by the university until two years later.

Senior Vice President for Student Affairs Marc Wais, who convened and chaired the Food Insecurity Work Group, said around 30 to 40 students used the program in previous semesters. Last

semester, 1,165 unique students used it, according to a report by Wais and Assistant Vice President for Campus Services Owen Moore.

Alternate Senator-at-Large for students experiencing food insecurity Jakiyah Bradley said that she hopes the increase in usage will correlate to an increase in discussion.

“Students are beginning to warm up to this program

as we just experienced the first semester where it was publicly promoted by the University,” Bradley wrote in an email to WSN. “I find it crucial to have conversations about the varying degrees of food insecurity that students face alongside analyzing usage of the program.”

The data lists how many students used the program between one and five times.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 2

COURTESY OF BRONSON AZNAVORIAN

Funding Your Cinematic Dream PAGE 6

Washington Square News

2

MONDAY, JANUARY 28, 2019

NEWS

NEWS@NYUNEWS.COM

Edited by VICTOR PORCELLI and MEGHNA MAHARISHI

NYU and Professors Butt Heads Over NYUAD CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

“In the 21st century, higher education confronts two choices: engagement with the world, or disengagement,” the statement reads. “NYU has made a choice: we’re going to engage the world. We have made a choice to educate students and conduct research in countries that have customs and laws different from those in the US, where NYU was founded nearly 200 years ago.”

Beckman’s statement continued to discuss the university’s mission to provide a liberal arts education in countries with different laws and cultures, and also addressed the experiences of Social and Cultural Analysis Professor Andrew Ross, who was denied entry to the United Arab Emirates in 2015 after openly criticizing labor conditions in the country.

The statement suggests that NYU was not aware of Ross’ plans to travel, and so his subsequent denial is not representative of NYUAD. Ross says the reason he did not alert NYU channels was because his research was on a sensitive topic.

“They were very much aware of what

they were doing in denying entry to an NYU professor,” Ross said. “If you’re doing research that involves sensitive areas, and in the UAE, labor research is one of those, then your duty is to protect your subjects. So, I wouldn’t be letting any authorities know that I was coming to interview workers in Abu Dhabi.”

While teaching in Abu Dhabi, NYUAD Professor Lauren Minsky had books for her course seized at customs during the 2017-2018 academic year. She claims that the director of NYUAD’s bookstore told her the books were censored. After administrative intervention, the books were finally released. The university’s statement also mentioned this experience, but did not consider it a case of censorship at NYUAD, citing the fact that Minsky did eventually receive her books.

Minsky expressed that she felt the university’s statement created “a sort of them and us,” painting those who may criticize NYUAD as being against the concept of a college in a country with different societal values. However, the professor said she supports the aims of the university but has criticisms regard-

ing some of its practices.

“I thought it was an interesting twist because I worked there for eight years, and I’m not against the liberal arts in the UAE,” Minsky said. “What I am against is an institution that’s operating a campus within a regime that has developed since the Arab Spring in 2011, an expansive and extremely paranoid state security services, which really operates at its own discretion.”

Recently, NYUAD has come under increasing scrutiny after the arrest of Durham University doctoral student Matthew Hedges, who was sentenced to life imprisonment on spying charges in the UAE. After Hedges’ arrest, 224 faculty members signed a petition urging NYU President Andrew Hamilton to condemn Hedges’ arrest. The UAE pardoned Hedges shortly after his sentencing, but faculty members were still concerned over academic freedom at NYUAD and held a forum in December to discuss these concerns.

Along with Ross’ denied entry to the UAE in 2015, Professors Mohamad Bazzi and Arang Keshavarzian were also

SAM KLEIN | WSN

Construction on the NYU Abu Dhabi campus with the city skyline in the background.

barred entry into the country in 2017.

Bazzi and Keshavarzian have attributed their denials to their religious affiliations and research. Eventually, the Arthur L. Carter Journalism Institute severed ties with NYUAD in light of these entry denials.

Bazzi believes that NYUAD and academic freedom at the campus will continue to face more scrutiny as the UAE

“becomes more repressive.” “[The statement is] an attempt to respond to this increasing criticism, especially more frequent criticism from NYU faculty and faculty from the world-at-large over the Matthew Hedges case,” Bazzi said.

Email Meghna Maharishi at mmaharishi@nyunews.com.

Food Insecurity Program Assisted Over 1,000 Students Last Semester CONTINUED FROM PAGE1

VICTOR PORCELLI | WSN

Of the 1,165 students who used the program, 1,039 used it once and 31 used it more than twice.

Steinhardt Clinical Associate Professor Domingo Piñero, who was a part of the initial Food Insecurity Workgroup, said that this suggests most students using the program are facing a more acute form of food insecurity.

“My feeling based on what I had heard in the meetings was that there were people who had acute needs, meaning they would need the service maybe once, twice, and then there were really not that many people who had long term needs,” Piñero said. “These numbers seem to show that.”

However, Piñero went on to say that the delayed advertising of the program may have contributed to these numbers. Between mid-November and the end of the semester, usage rose from 543 to 1,165 students, with more students using the program as the semester progressed.

Piñero said he would expect an increase in people who use the program two or three times this spring because more people may know about it from the start of the semester.

“I would like to see the data in May because that’s when you will have a full semester with the information available to everybody,” Piñero said. “At that point, I expect to see more of the two and three times users.”

The data also shows that more international students use the program comparatively, making up about 34 percent of the program’s usage but just under 20 percent of the student body, according to data

from 2013. Lack of available resources for food-insecure international students was also highlighted at a town hall Bradley hosted to discuss food insecurity at NYU last semester.

Piñero said that the data leads him to believe that the Courtesy Meals Program should be offered and publicized through the Office of Global Services, which provides services to international students. “[International students] go to that office at least once a semester,” Piñero said. “Since they tend to be isolated a little bit from the rest of the community, maybe this service should be offered through OGS.” Another topic of the town hall was long-term assistance for students experiencing food insecurity. Originally, the Courtesy Meals Program was meant to provide short-term aid, but Wais has suggested that it may expand beyond its original purpose.

“The Courtesy Meals program provides short-term meal assistance to any student in need, and we expect that the Courtesy Meals program will provide a pathway for us to assist any students with chronic, longer-term food insecurity issues,” Wais wrote in a statement to WSN. Wais went on to say that food insecurity is something the university should continue to look at over the course of this semester.

“Food insecurity is a national issue on almost all college campuses, and the use of the Courtesy Meals program by 1,165 individuals last semester clearly suggests that it is an issue on which NYU should continue to remain focused,” the statement reads.

Email Victor Porcelli at vporcelli@nyunews.com.

‘Anti-PC’ Professor Rectenwald Has Retired

By MEGHNA MAHARISHI News Editor Earlier this January, Liberal Studies Clinical Professor Michael Rectenwald suddenly retired.

Rectenwald became a controversial figure within the NYU community through his Twitter account @antipcnyuprof, where he fashioned himself as a vocal critic of the university’s culture.

Initially reported by NYU Local, LS removed Rectenwald’s faculty bio from its website, and his NYU email sent out an automated response redirecting to a personal email address.

University spokesperson John Beckman confirmed that Rectenwald had retired in a statement to WSN. Rectenwald did not cite any specific reasons for his retirement, but mentioned taking on speaking engagements and receiving contracts for two new books.

“Michael Rectenwald, Ph.D., author of eight books and formerly a Clinical Professor of Liberal Studies at New York University, became an official faculty retiree of the university in January 2019,” Rectenwald

wrote in a statement to WSN. “He is woking [sic] on two new books, for which he has received contracts and advances. He is also undertaking several speaking engagements and pursuing national media opportunities.”

In Oct. 2016, NYU put Rectenwald on paid leave, shortly after it was revealed that he was behind the Twitter account @antipcnyuprof. The university did not attribute his leave to the Twitter account or his beliefs.

Last year, Rectenwald sued NYU and four LS professors for defamation, alleging that professors Jacqueline Bishop, Amber Frost, Carley Moore and Theresa Senft sent out false statements in an LS email exchange, which harmed his personal and professional life. He also claimed that the university did not intervene when faculty members made these statements.

Most recently, Rectenwald invited alt-right provocateur Milo Yiannopoulos to discuss Halloween culture and politics in one of his writing classes. The invite drew backlash from student activists, some criticizing the university for not initially canceling the visit and others urging students to call their deans. Ultimately, the university postponed the appearance at the request of New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, who cited safety concerns.

Email Meghna Maharishi at mmaharishi@nyunews.com.

(PHOTO COURTESY OF NYU)

LS Professor Michael Rectenwald suddenly retired.

MONDAY, JANUARY 28, 2019

Washington Square News | News

3

Aramark and Compass Group in Last Stages of Competition for Food Provider

SOPHIA DI IORIO | WSN

By MEGHNA MAHARISHI and VICTOR PORCELLI

News Editors

Multiple groups of NYU students and administrators met in December to discuss which company will become the university’s food service provider as well as how NYU can better address food insecurity on campus.

The bidding committee is currently reviewing Aramark and Compass Group’s proposals to fill the role of NYU’s food service provider. According to Associate Vice President for Campus Services Owen Moore, the university has sent another round of questions to the final two companies.

“We will receive [Aramark’s and Compass Group’s] responses this week, in addition, panel members are visiting campuses during the month of January and February,” Moore wrote in a statement to WSN. “The panel and recommendation committee is still on schedule to make a recommendation to the [Executive Vice President], Provost, and President by March 1, 2019.”

Once the recommendation committee gives its final input, negotiations with the chosen food service provider will begin and a new

contract is scheduled to be offered in June.

Food insecurity was one of the issues discussed during Aramark and Compass Group’s presentations. Bidding committee member and Alternate Senator-at-Large for students experiencing food insecurity Jakiyah Bradley said that the providers would be expected to take part in efforts to combat food insecurity on campus.

“I think that there’s going to be some component that we are going to ask [the food service providers] to do in terms of supplementing courtesy meals,” Bradley said.

Bradley was also involved in a meeting between a group of administrators and students that included Vice President of Student Affairs Marc Wais. The group met to discuss how NYU could improve and expand upon the Courtesy Meals Program.

The Courtesy Meals Program provides students facing a food shortage with 75 Dining Dollars, no questions asked. First created in fall 2016 by a Food Insecurity Workgroup formed due to growing concerns by students, the program was more widely publicized last semester and discourse surrounding the issue increased.

“We are trying to understand first what

students want and then what administrators think will actually work on a campus like ours, because it’s so big and unique,” Bradley said. “It’s hard.”

Besides attempting to work with whichever dining provider is selected to better address food insecurity on campus, Bradley said that the Courtesy Meals Program may be adjusted, something Wais also alluded to in an email to WSN. “They are tweaking the process in a way that will make it easier for students,” Bradley said.

Currently, students who use the program multiple times can receive an inquiry from the administration, which can involve discussing their situation and alerting them to additional resources. Although the inquiry is meant to help students, at a town hall that Bradley hosted some expressed that it may discourage them from using the program. Bradley suggested that the change may seek to address these concerns.

Bradley said the hour-long meeting was mainly spent updating administrators from different offices, such as the Office of the President and the Office of Retention, on what the Courtesy Meals Program is, how food insecurity affects students and how it may relate to their individual office. However, Bradley also brought up the idea of a food pantry — which was rejected by the university in 2016.

“The food pantry I brought up at the end because that’s the one I know students have come to me about the most,” Bradley said.

In addition to making different proposals to administrators, Bradley says she will continue to press whichever dining provider is selected to address food insecurity at NYU, saying she was “just a little bit annoying” during their presentations.

“I don’t really intend on being less annoying because this will affect students five years from now,” Bradley said.

CRIME LOG

Student Robbed on West Fourth Street

By CRIME BOT Robot Reporter From Jan. 17 to Jan. 24 the NYU Department of Public Safety received one report of controlled substance violation, one report of f ire, one report of harassment, one report of larceny, one report of robbery, one report of stalking and one report of unlawful surveillance.

Controlled Substance Violation On Jan. 23 at 1:20 p.m., Public Safety reported to an allegation of a drug law violation. A small amount of marijuana was recovered in Lafayette Street Residence Hall. Police notification was declined and the case has been referred to the Office of Community Standards.

Fire On Jan. 22 at 5 p.m., a small fire was reported in a room at Coral Tower Residence Hall. No injuries were reported. An oven was damaged in Coral. The case is closed and no further action was required.

Harassment On Jan. 18 at 5:53 p.m., an NYU affiliate reported being harassed in the lobby of 2 Washington Square Village. The case is open and under investigation.

Larceny On Jan. 24 at 11:55 a.m., an NYU staff member reported a missing photograph from a lounge space in Lafayette Hall. A police report was filed and the case is open and under investigation.

Robbery On Jan. 24 at 09:43 a.m., an NYU student reported being robbed while walking on West Fourth Street toward MacDougal Street. No injuries were reported.

A police report was filed and the case is open and under investigation.

Stalking On Jan. 17 at 7:22 p.m., an NYU student reported being stalked in the Kimmel Center for University Life. Police notification was declined and the case is open and under investigation.

Unlawful Surveillance On Jan. 22 at 3:47 p.m., an NYU student reported unlawful surveillance in the Schwartz Building of NYU’s College of Dentistry.

Police notification was declined and the case is open and under investigation.

Email Crime Bot at news@nyunews.com.

Email Meghna Maharishi and Victor Porcelli at news@nyunews.com.

Medical School Applications Surge in Light of Free Tuition

By MANSEE KHURANA Deputy News Editor After deciding to attend NYU’s School of Medicine last year, University of Massachusetts graduate Margareta Ianosi-Irimie spent her summer thinking about how she was going to afford the path to becoming a doctor.

“My parents and I spent many long nights looking at different [schools] and what the best one would be,” Ianosi-Irimie explained in an email to WSN. “I was excited to start school but knowing how much I had to pay was always looming in the back of my mind.”

“

I didn’t even realize how much finances were weighing down on me until that moment.

MARGARETA IANOSI-IRIMIE NYU Medical Student

”

Ianosi-Irimie initially decided to attend NYU Langone because of its location, as the city would expose her to a diverse patient population. However, when the news of the free-tuition for NYU medical students was announced

at her White Coat ceremony, Ianosi-Irmine found herself overjoyed with the prospect of graduating debt-free.

“I called [my parents] after the ceremony to tell them the news and immediately burst into tears when I said the words aloud for the first time,” Ianosi-Irimie said. “I didn’t even realize how much finances were weighing down on me until that moment.”

Ianosi-Irimie is not the only person who found NYU’s announcement of tuition-free medical school for all students to be encouraging. This year, Langone saw a 47-percent increase in medical school applicants.

There was also a substantial increase in minority applicants, including a 142-percent increase in applicants who identified as African American or Afro-Caribbean.

Dr. Rafael Rivera, the Associate Dean for Admission and Financial Aid at NYU School of Medicine, sees the massive increase in applicants as a victory for all medical schools, which have had a longstanding history of stagnant enrollments for minority populations.

“The projected impact on our students likewise is incredibly positive, with early projections arguing for a dramatic reduction in the number of graduating medical students who will have medical school debt and a marked decrease in their graduating medical school indebtedness,” Rivera said in a statement to WSN. “Thus far, it’s everything we hoped it would be and I hope other schools follow suit.”

CAS sophomore and pre-med stu-

TONY WU | WSN

The NYU Langone Medical Center, located on First Avenue.

dent Trisha Gupta said that she thinks NYU has made a good step, one that further encourages her to apply to the medical school.

“I think that NYU’s initiative to cover the tuition of all medical school students regardless of need is a phenomenal step in lowering the financial debt that medical students graduate with,” Gupta said.

“Personally, as a pre-med undergraduate

student at NYU who loves the university, I intended to apply to the medical school regardless, but now am more excited to apply following the free tuition decision.”

For current medical students, Ianosi-Irimie said the promise of graduating debt free makes pursuing a career in medicine a possibility.

“It is a very liberating feeling to know

that I can go into any field I choose because I don’t have to worry about paying back enormous loans,” Ianosi-Irimie said. “I don’t have any pressure to choose a field based on money, which, without the full tuition, would have definitely been there.”

Email Mansee Kurana at mkhurana@nyunews.com.

Washington Square News

4

CULTURE

CULTURE@NYUNEWS.COM

San Francisco Sheds All Fur, New York City May Be Next

By FAITH MARNECHECK Culture Editor You’ve seen the documentaries. Helpless animals with big eyes shivering in cramped cages with sad music echoing in the background. All for the purpose of making someone look beautiful. Cosmetic testing and fur are two of the main enemies, according to organizations like PETA. In the last year, New York City was home to The Official Animal Rights March and the smaller marches focused specifically on the fur industry. Movements have gained traction recently all over the country against wearing real fur and more people support fur bans. San Francisco has become the largest city to enact such a ban, which went into effect Jan. 1.

“The sale of fur products in San Francisco is inconsistent with the City’s ethos of treating all living beings, humans and animals alike, with kindness,” the legislation reads.

The Board of Supervisors passed the ban last year, and it established fines for businesses that do not comply. The ban grants retailers the ability to sell their current stock of animal fur until 2020, but all new fur is strictly prohibited.

Animal rights groups and advocates applauded the decision to consider the welfare of animals. Wayne Hsiung, the co-founder of Direct Action Everywhere, a nonviolent animal rights organization, hailed the ban as monumental.

“This historic act will usher in a new wave of animal rights legislation across the globe,” Hsiung said in a statement.

The ripple effect may not be too far from Washington Square Park. Proposed City Council legislation already exists to ban the

production and sale of fur in New York City, and Manhattan’s once glorious fur district has become a ghost of what it once was.

Devin Lee, a CAS junior, sees the appeal of real fur and thinks that the look will never stop being popular.

“I’m someone who is really really interested in fashion,” she said. “I think fur products look beautiful. I think they have a lot of vintage glamour to them.”

Despite that, Lee said that she can see both sides of the debate, though, and ultimately, she cannot approve of sacrificing animals for fashion.

“As someone who loves animals and cares about animal rights, I have a lot of ethical qualms with people wearing fur that is obtained from animals in incredibly painful, inhumane ways. I think that today, with the technology that we have to create synthetic

fur, there is absolutely no reason why anyone needs to be wearing real fur anymore.”

However, not everyone thinks that fur bans are a positive step forward for cities.

Many people, especially those who sell and produce fur, disagree with the legislation because it will hurt small businesses. LS sophomore Andres Pena worries that the bans will lead to the unregulated killing of animals for fur to sell illegally.

“I do not think wearing furs is wrong,” Pena said. “We have worn furs for nearly all of our existence as a way for us to survive. Of course, a reason like that seems mundane now, but the point here is that nature adapts.”

Email Faith Marnecheck at fmarnecheck@nyunews.com.

JORENE HE | WSN

A woman wearing a fur coat while clothing shopping.

The ultimate authority on color, paint brand Pantone, recently named Living Coral the 2019 Color of the Year. The bright orange-pink hue is a stark contrast with last year’s chosen shade, Ultra Violet.

According to the company, the 2019 Color of the Year represents and emits a “desired, familiar, and energizing aspects of color found in nature.” Pantone strongly believes in the deeper power a color can hold, and Living Coral represents “how coral reefs provide shelter to a diverse kaleidoscope of color.”

Living Coral, an intimidatingly bold color, seems somewhat difficult to integrate into everyday life, especially in the middle of New York City’s dreary winter landscape. However, just weeks after the color was announced, it has already found itself setting trends.

Pantone offers a plethora of items in the featured color such as mugs, swatches, keychains and journals. Searching Living Coral on Google or Instagram reveals numerous brands promoting clothing and accessories that feature the color. Pantone offers companies an easy way to get a head start on 2019’s predicted trends.

Living Coral is also already showing

A woman carries a coral Chanel handbag in a SoHo shop.

JORENE HE | WSN

up on the runway. The color made an appearance at the Valentino Couture Spring 2019 fashion show on Jan. 23. Consider look 1 of 65 on its website, this satin floorlength gown not only displays the vibrant color but also depicts elegant ruching completely around the head, leaving only the face visible.

If ball gowns aren’t your thing, Living Coral is easy to find in casual wear as well.

To combat the cold, Patagonia has a classic fleece zip-up sweater in the color Tomato.

In terms of activewear, Set Active’s Leggings and Sports Bras in the color Mars prove versatile for indoors or outdoors and for practically any season.

Another easy way to approach Living Coral is through beauty. Not an uncommon color for lipsticks, blushes or eyeshadows, Pantone has specific collaborations with brands such as Butter London, where they’ve released lipgloss and nail polishes under the “Pantone Collection.”

Another beauty brand that has already dipped into this shade is New York City-based Glossier, whose cult-favorite product, Cloud Paint, comes in the coral shade Dawn.

Living Coral’s vibrancy not only represents but also indicates how culture and design will play out for the rest of 2019.

After the darkness of the past year, Coral serves as a small reminder of brightness.

Email Bella Gil at bstyle@nyunews.com.

Edited by FAITH MARNECHECK

Chanel Opens the Ultimate Chic Beauty Destination

Living Coral Splashes Into 2019

By BELLA GIL Staff Writer

MONDAY, JANUARY 28, 2019

By CAROL LEE Beauty & Style Editor Nestled in the depths of SoHo on 120.5 Wooster St., the brand new Atelier Beauté Chanel opened at exactly 12 p.m. on Jan. 25 to little fanfare. The opening hadn’t been aggressively publicized and it didn’t feel like a grand opening. But because it’s Chanel, the workshop gradually filled up as a steady stream of visitors climbed up the sleek black staircase and entered the space.

Marketed as more of a communal beauty workshop than a retail location, the Atelier is described on the Chanel U.S. Beauty Community’s Instagram (@welovecoco) as “a permanent beauty workshop dedicated to discovery, creation and community.” The space employs Chanel beauty lovers, both casual and professional, creating a sense of approachability while maintaining the integrity of the Chanel name.

Once I entered the Atelier, I was illuminated by lights running through the entrance nook. In front of me was a flawless full-length mirror with the words “create yourself” staring back at me. This high-impact entry space was reflective of the magnificently Instagrammable aesthetic of the rest of the Atelier.

I was immediately greeted by a hostess and encouraged to check my coat and stow away my purse in an impossibly chic black and off-white lacquered locker. With everything stashed safely away and phone in hand, I signed into the digital Atelier — an online tool that makes keeping track of hit-and-miss beauty products and purchasing said products effortless.

The main area is split into six sections, from Cleanse, where visitors can wash their faces and hands with specially selected Chanel cleansing products, to Lip Colour, a station dedicated wholly to the exploration of lip products in various colors and formulations. Not only are there more than enough single-use applicators, but all of the products are also neatly sanitized after each use or are split into individual use amounts, dispelling any fears of an unsanitary experience.

While there are vanities all throughout the Atelier stocked with almost every makeup product and plenty of applicators where visitors can sit down and experiment, during certain hours visitors can walk into the Coco Lab, where they can play with the newest makeup releases and create the perfect flat lay or selfie for their social media. Another room is the Parfum Atelier, which is stocked with all of Chanel’s perfumes. The scents are presented under white camellias,

ALINA PATRICK | WSN

Chanel Atelier, a new beauty store in SoHo.

effectively encouraging visitors to blindly smell and choose their favorite scents instead of being swayed by packaging.

One thing that one of the Beauty Guides, Symone Mobry, made sure to emphasize was that this wasn’t about selling. Instead, it’s meant to make the brand more accessible and less intimidating to the average consumer and college student.

“This place is like a workshop. So like me, I know I used to go to Sephora after I got off work and just do a quick touch up, but Sephora isn’t for you to do that, really. This place is for you to do that,” she said. “And a lot of people are intimidated by our brand, especially the targeted market that we’re looking for, so we just really want people to know that it’s A, not that crazy expensive, and B, that it’s practical for day-to-day life.”

In fact, Chanel was so dedicated to the idea that the Atelier would exclusively be a space for experimentation that they almost didn’t sell anything at all. Mobry said, “What if they want to buy it?

That’s going to be kind of wack to not be able to give it. So if you want to buy it, cool, but absolutely nobody’s pushing anything on you. It’s not even a commission-based space.” It feels like a breath of fresh — albeit expensive — air.

The motto for the establishment is “CREATE. RECREATE. REPEAT,” encouraging visitors to wash their faces and create a new look as many times as they wish. Thus, the Atelier transforms into a hangout spot to waste away hours painting your face by yourself or with friends. Mobry underscored this aspect as well.

“We’re all normal people, and you can always find somebody to relate, and we’re all rooting for everybody,” she said. “I wanna see you come out looking great, feeling great, and come back time and time again and come hang out with me. I totally get attached to everybody coming in here.”

Email Carol Lee at clee@nyunews.com.

ALINA PATRICK | WSN

WSN Editor Carol Lee applying lipstick in Chanel Atelier, a new beauty store in SoHo.

Washington Square News | Culture

MONDAY, JANUARY 28, 2019

Battle of the Burgers: Shake Shack vs. In-N-Out

SOPHIA DI IORIO | WSN

By CALAIS WATKINS Staff Writer Let me begin with a disclaimer. I am from Southern California: home of InN-Out enthusiasts who fill with pride when defending our famous burger chain. However, I tried my best to set aside all personal prejudice for the sake of determining the truth of which burger chain reigns supreme: In-NOut or Shake Shack.

In high school, In-N-Out was the go-to hang out spot after football games. It’s filled with memories of late nights and old friends. However, since coming to NYU, Shake Shack has taken over that role— something I’m almost ashamed to admit. As my new goto fast food place, Shake Shack comes with mental images of new friends and finding community in eating our way through stressful finals weeks.

When faced with the decision of choosing the better establishment, I knew I had to dig deeper, beyond personal experience and geographical preference in order to come to a valid conclusion. The main factors to take into consideration when choosing between the two burger chains are menu options, history, secret menus and taste.

In comparison to Shake Shack, In-N-Out’s menu is limited. For the main meal, they offer variations of a hamburger paired with fries. The only gluten free option is a burger served “protein style,” which substitutes the bun with a lettuce wrap. The only vegetarian option is a grilled cheese. Shake Shack takes the cake when it comes to

menu selection, offering gluten-free buns, a vegetarian portobello mushroom burger and hot dogs. For drinks, Shake Shack offers unique milkshake flavors as well as a seasonal flavor, along with the standard fountain drink options. In-N-Out only offers strawberry, chocolate or vanilla milkshakes.

As a Californian, it pains me to admit that Shake Shack’s menu is superior. However, the history of the two chains must be taken into account. InN-Out was established in 1948 with Shake Shack starting their business in 2001. Considering that In-N-Out is older, their limited menu might come from a desire to stick to tradition.

Unfortunately, this argument doesn’t really cut it. Times are changing, and more people are adopting restricted eating patterns — I’m talking about all of the blossoming vegans, vegetarians and gluten-free people out there — and In-N-Out has not adapted its menu to cater to this surge of careful eaters.

Both In-N-Out and Shake Shack have secret menus, and I was surprised to discover that these menus offer essentially the same things: burgers with four patties, lettuce wraps instead of buns, grilled cheeses and more. For all you Californians reading this, I’m sorry to burst your bubble — In-NOut’s not-so-secret menu is not one of a kind. However, did Shake Shack derive some of their secret menu options from In-N-Out’s previously established example? Maybe. Something to ponder.

Don’t get me wrong, this article is not meant to be a diss towards In-NOut. In my personal opinion, when it comes down to taste, In-N-Out is the best. Blame it on my Californian roots or nostalgia for my high school and hometown, but I always look forward to my In-N-Out burger when visiting from school.

However, when taking all other things into consideration, with menu selection really tipping the scale, Shake Shack seems to be the more modern and accommodating establishment.

Email Calais Watkins at dining@nyunews.com.

5

Wait Two Years, Then Start Your Major

SOPHIA DI IORIO | WSN

By ANNA DE LA ROSA Deputy Culture Editor The Liberal Studies Program is unlike any other school at NYU. With its core curriculum, small class sizes and separate advising program, LS students experience a unique education while taking time to discover their interests and passions.

Two years of intimate classes limit opportunities for some at NYU, while other students are grateful for the foundation they find in Liberal Studies — and the direction it provides for their final two years.

LS includes a core curriculum with required classes, such as Cultural Foundations, Social Foundations and writing. LS firstyear Xavier Williams said that the subject matter of the classes could be improved.

“There are times where I’m learning the same stuff in Cultural and Social Foundations, and I’m just like, ‘why am I here?’”

Williams said.

Current CAS junior and former LS student Gabriella Silva also

agreed that the core curriculum lacked variety.

“I just felt that the courses were so repetitive after a while of doing the same class in three different stages,” Silva said in a Facebook message. “I would say try to add more diversity of core classes, perhaps have different versions or options for the CF and SF classes.”

LS prides itself on helping students determine their majors, which was the case for former LS and current Parsons junior Raquel Reynolds.

“For me, it was the best program since I was completely undecided about a future career,” Reynolds, who found her passion for blending art with business under a Design and Management BBA, said in a Facebook message.

One major factor that goes into determining one’s major is the advising help students receive, and LS has their own advising program specifically designed to help students form their academic and career goals. Some, like LS firstyear Bojana Starcevic, benefited from the guidance.

“After my first semester and talking to my adviser and learning about majors that I didn’t consider before or even knew it existed, I’m getting a clearer idea,” Starcevic said.

However, Silva and others had a drastically different experience.

“My academic adviser was awful and totally unhelpful — it made me wonder if it was just LS advisers or what,” Silva said.

In addition to mixed reviews of the advising program, some students, including former LS student and current CAS junior Riley Baker, saw the two-year program as a delay to their plans rather than an advantage.

“I can’t double major or have a minor now because I was in LS,” Baker said. “When I try to explain LS to people who don’t go to NYU, they are like, ‘So you have a twoyear thing and you can’t do your major?’ and I was like, ‘kind of.’”

During the college application season, many LS students read their letters with confusion.

“I actually applied to Liberal Studies on accident. I wanted to go straight into CAS and when [the acceptance] was ‘Liberal Studies,’ I was like, ‘What’s that?’” Baker said.

“I wasn’t really happy or sad, it was just like ‘whoops!’”

Starcevic was not sure if she was accepted into NYU. “My other friends from my high school also applied, and I texted them and was like, ‘I think I got in?’” Starcevic said. “I wasn’t sure if it meant I was deferred or something. I honestly didn’t know if I actually got into NYU. So I was confused, but I really wanted to go to NYU, so I was like ‘whatever it is, it’s fine’ basically.”

According to Baker, it takes a certain type of attitude to flourish in LS. “I took from [Liberal Studies] what I could get from it,” Baker said.

“LS is what you make of it — it is very self-driven. You have to read, you have to lead the discussion. That’s the biggest thing about it.”

Email Anna De La Rosa at adelarosa@nyunews.com.

Late Night Pancakes Are Clinton St. Baking Co.’s Forte

By ARIN GARLAND Dining Editor It was 7 p.m. and the yellow ceiling lights from inside the Clinton St. Baking Co. were dimmed. From the moment I laid eyes on the quaint corner restaurant at the intersection of Clinton Street and East Houston Street, its striking crimson exterior drew me in. I could hear the low hum of conversation coming from chatty customers as I approached the entrance. A warm glow emanated from the other side of the glass shielding them from the frigid January wind. I stepped inside and the chill that lined my skin immediately melted. I had arrived, cold, hungry and ready to eat brinner.

Brinner, as defined by the dependable Urban Dictionary, is a noun used to describe “breakfast eaten at the time in which you eat dinner.” This definition implies that there is a time when you are supposed to eat breakfast and dinner.

We have imposed constrictive rules upon ourselves and confined our eating habits to these suppositions. But at the Clinton

St. Baking Co., these rules have been ignored.

DeDe Lahman opened the restaurant in 2001 with her partner Neil Kleinberg, who has been working as a chef for 40 years in New York City. They serve breakfast throughout the day, which wasn’t their original intention.

“We never set out to be a restaurant famous for pancakes or breakfast or brunch,” Lahman said. “We set out to just be a wholesale bakery and cafe…but what people were really responding to was our brunch, our egg dishes our pancakes or french toast.”

Due to the high demand, she and her partner decided to serve their breakfast all day.

“If they want it, we’ll give it to them,” Lahman said.

The restaurant radiated a classic yet unconventional atmosphere, from the cushy booths to the electric candles on every table and the bright red metal chairs which were the same shade as the restaurant’s exterior. I sat down and ordered the french toast, latke eggs

Benedict and their famous blueberry pancakes, acclaimed by the New York Magazine as the best in the city.

The pancakes arrived first, three steaming, golden brown discs stacked on top of one another, accented by glistening blueberries and dusted with powdered sugar. The tartness of the blueberries blended well with the sweet and airy pancake. Drizzled with warm maple butter, they dissolved in my mouth with the first bite.

Though the french toast was not as outstanding as the pancakes, it was still enjoyable. I personally prefer challah french toast, as the brioche tends to absorb less liquid resulting in a dryer texture, but the dish was saved by the caramelized bananas, roasted pecans and, again, the maple butter.

Lastly, I tasted the eggs Benedict, carefully crafted with poached eggs, smoked salmon, creamy hollandaise and served over crispy potato pancakes. The combination was a savory break from the previous two dishes and one with dense flavors that could have easily been over-

whelming but they managed to create a balance that left my palate uncluttered.

By the time I finished my meal, it was 8 p.m. I left with a warm feeling in my stomach and a yearning for more pancakes.

Clinton St. Baking Co. made my first brinner experience cozy, delicious and unique. There is something singularly pleasant and about eating breakfast for dinner, a sort of innocuous daringness,

like I was breaking some unspoken rule by eating pancakes by candlelight rather than daylight. However, my experience having brinner at the Clinton St. Baking Co. proves that sometimes, rules are meant to be broken.

Email Arin Garland at agarland@nyunews.com.

CAROL LEE | WSN

Blueberry pancakes dusted with powdered sugar, a signature dish at Clinton St. Baking Co.

Washington Square News

6

MONDAY, JANUARY 28, 2019

ARTS

ARTS@NYUNEWS.COM

Edited by GURU RAMANATHAN

Funding Your Cinematic Dream

By GURU RAMANATHAN Arts Editor “The very fact that a movie gets made is a miracle,” the Chief Operating Officer of FilmNation Entertainment said to Tisch Film & TV senior Bronson Aznavorian during his internship.

Many Film & TV seniors are realizing the full weight of that statement this semester as they attempt to fund their advanced-senior-level short films with budgets that balloon up to tens of thousands of dollars.

After spending the first semester of the Advanced Production Workshop class writing their scripts and delivering 20-minute pitches to their professors and peers, roughly two-thirds of the students from each section were given the opportunity to make their films. Other students were able to join crews or enter the Advanced Narrative or Experimental workshops the next semester to try again for an allotment. Then, with only a $1325 grant and an equipment package provided by the school, it is entirely up to the selected students to gather the resources to bring their dreams to the big screen.

“We reach out to a lot of our professors for advice and tips but I think for the most part the core work is being done by the students,” said Aznavorian, whose current proposed budget is around $20,000. “It’s amazing what people are capable of doing.”

In order to get funding, some students pursue grants — some are awarded through the Undergraduate Film and Television Department such as the Russell Hexter Filmmaker Grant — and meet with investors. They also aggressively advertise their crowdfunding campaigns. If these measures fail to raise their desired budgets, students have to adapt in many ways: from changing locations, to shortening shooting schedules to delaying post-production. For many students, food and transportation tend to be the next most expensive things in their budget since they don’t have to worry about equipment.

Aznavorian faces the daunting chal-

lenge of raising $10,000 on Kickstarter.

If he doesn’t reach his goal by Feb. 9, he will lose all the money raised up to that point. Aznavorian, who will also produce and compose on the project, has raised $3,284 as of Jan. 27.

“The way that they do it with an all or nothing campaign is that it actually reduces risk on the filmmakers and the contributors because, whenever you have a flexible campaign, if you don’t raise all of the money, then people might wonder how are they gonna do it then if their goal was to hit this. If they can do with less, then why not just ask for less?”

Aznavorian said.

His film “Cow-Boy” is about a fraternity pledge who is pressured by an older member to commit a horrific act during a night of hazing.

“My goal with this is not to say anything bad about fraternities,” Aznavorian said. “But merely the hazing itself has such implications on the way it affects your mind and the way that it makes men think and feel.”

While he believes the film’s timely themes of toxic masculinity and peer pressure will attract contributors, the financial risk itself acts as a valuable marketing tool.

Tisch senior Peter Mancuso’s comingof-age musical “Suburban Fantasy” also has a budget closer to $20,000, but he opted to raise half of it on Indiegogo primarily because it allows for flexible goals.

On Indiegogo flexible campaigns allow the money raised to still be recouped even if it is not the total goal. But platforms with that option also take a percentage of the filmmakers’ funds so they aren’t entirely risk free.

Mancuso plans to film this project, about a teen who reconsiders his relationship the day before moving to New York for college, on location in Rhode Island in June. Most of his scenes take place outside, which require a bigger lighting setup and generators for equipment. He has until March 20 to raise $10,000.

“The lesson I learned from my grandfather is that the worst that [people] could do is say no,” Mancuso said. “It’s

all about the spin, it’s about the phrasing, it’s about the language.”

Tisch senior Harvey Kingsley-Elton has learned a lot about the marketing process and making his campaign look impressive to contributors.

“In order to make your crowdfunding look impressive you want to reduce the amount of money you can raise on it so every dollar is a larger percentage,” Kingsley-Elton added, who is raising $4,500 of his $8,100 budget on Indiegogo. “I did lower it to a point I’m happy with and in the first weekend I had raised 25% and it looks amazing.”

Kingsley-Elton has since raised $1,605 as of Jan. 27 and his campaign ends on Feb. 20. His drama “A Good Home” focuses on a runaway teen who returns home to save her younger brother from their oppressive mother, an idea he has worked on for four years.

Aside from directing, Mancuso is producing three other films, one of which is Kingsley-Elton’s. Kingsley-Elton is also Mancuso’s director of photography. The two have collaborated since their first year at NYU and became roommates last year.

Tisch senior Ashley Chan’s “The Year of the Ox,” one of the other films Mancuso’s producing, has a smaller target of $7,000. She is using only Indiegogo for finances and has raised $4,935 as of Jan. 27. Her deadline is Jan. 31. Her film focuses on an Asian-American woman who comes to terms with her mental health and her relationship with her mother during a Lunar New Year dinner.

“A lot of what’s really pushing me right now is people not investing in your film but investing in you,” Chan said.

Every dollar counts in crowdfunding, but not merely as a donation. The filmmakers are getting people emotionally invested early and are building an audience even before completion.

“There are people who will follow you through to the end of the line,” Kingsley-Elton said. “You open so many windows of mutual support whereas if you just invested in yourself you’re cutting off all those lifelines of people.”

On top of financing, students have

PHOTO BY DAYLE CHEN

On-set photo of Tisch Film & TV senior Bronson Aznavorian from a previous film he worked on.

other factors to consider with filming right around the corner, such as location scouting and transportation. Especially Mancuso, who has to balance overlapping filming schedules in late February and early March.

Students also work with a Production Advisor to submit a packet of information about their film called the production book. Approval of the production book by NYU Insurance and Enterprise Risk Management is required for students to use equipment. Most students submit their production book at least two weeks before filming, but Aznavorian has to get his in at least three weeks early since his production involves stunts and could take longer to process. He plans on hiring an intimacy director and stunt coordinator for his film, too.

The casting process also happens concurrently. This is a bundle of work that can be made more challenging if hiring SAG-AFTRA actors — which is what both Aznavorian and Chan plan on doing — because a student film agreement with the union must be approved at least month before filming begins.

Despite all the hurdles, students have the support of their professors and

peers throughout the semester since the class still meets. Students use the second semester to do a final polish on scripts before filming, resolve production issues, get notes on various cuts of the films and think about their careers post-graduation.

“The first semester is kind of like friendly competition where now it’s really like we’re all going to be helping each other,” Mancuso said. “And really more like the Sundance Lab almost where we’re all coming in and working to help each other.”

Advanced productions are not required to graduate, but they do present the opportunity to make films on a professional level and challenge students from a business and logistical perspective, something they may not have been exposed to in the past. Especially since these films are used as stepping stones in students’ careers.

“It’s very easy to take for granted the amazing opportunity we have at NYU,” Mancuso said. “This is a privilege, and I’m going to make the most of it.”

Email Guru Ramanathan at gramanathan@nyunews.com.

How to Win an Oscar in 2019

By CLAIRE FISHMAN Film & TV Editor

SOPHIA DI IORIO | WSN

Pick a subject. No, not that one. Pick a subject you’re not supposed to talk about at the Thanksgiving table. Think racism (“Blackkklansman”), politics (“Vice”) or gay celebrities (“Bohemian Rhapsody”).

The subjects your grandma sidesteps every Christmas by shifting the conversation to your love life.

Then, find a new face. Not one of those tried and true actors that have demonstrated their talents in three or more film genres — avoid Meryl Streep. No, pick a new one. A fresh one. Preferably, a young, mildly androgynous-looking one like Timothée Chalamet.

If you must use one of the actors from your Rolodex, make

sure you change their weight by around fifty pounds and put them in a role they’ve never been in before. For inspiration, see Christian Bale in “Vice”, or any of his Oscar-hungry films.

Next, you’re going to want to pick an out-of-the-box director. A first-rate iconoclast like Spike Lee. Maybe they invented a new genre or have a bizarre directing method that, frankly, you don’t want to ask about. Bonus points if they have their own recognizable filter that makes your period drama look authentic, such as Paweł Pawlikowski’s “Cold War”.

After that, your next task is to pick your director of photography. Make sure you drill it into their head that you want as many iconic shots as possible. Things so unique to the film that people will line up on St. Mark’s Place to get them tattooed on their forearm after they see the movie. And make sure they color correct the footage so one or two colors really just pop off the

screen. This step is crucial for developing a film’s aesthetic.

Finally, make sure to include plenty of time-sensitive references to hot-button issues. It’s not enough that you merely make a movie about a provocative topic — you also need to relate it back to last night’s news. You may do this with an obvious nod towards the Trump presidency, either by directly showing him in the film or by telling a scary story about another power-hungry Republican like Dick Cheney.

Sorry, “Black Panther,” you had good intentions, but your message wasn’t direct enough. You really have to spell it out for people. Preferably you do this directly after the climax of the movie in a slow and intense scene with too much dramatic music and just enough urgency in the voiceover.

After you do all these things, don’t be discouraged if your uncultured, boring friends don’t like your film. In fact, take their dislike of it as a sign that

you’ve accomplished making high art: cinema. You do not produce movies for normal people, you produce films for a creative elite who are well versed in film history and director winks. To be frank, you make films that the masses are not supposed to enjoy. You make them confusing, long and uncomfortable to watch — I’m looking at you, “The Favourite”. But, don’t worry, this all works to the critic’s benefit in maintaining exclusivity for the class of creative elites.

Because isn’t the point of an Oscar-winning film to expose who understands and who does not; who can explain the message of “Inception” and who cannot; who can wax poetic about a film with no plot and who cannot?

And to think you thought this was some kind of egalitarian community. Ha. Email Claire Fishman at cfishman@nyunews.com.

MONDAY, JANUARY 28, 2019

Washington Square News | Arts

7

‘Gatz’ at Skirball: ‘Gatsby’ Reimagined for the Stage

By ALEX CULLINA Theater & Books Editor Everyone knows the story of “The Great Gatsby,” one of romantic obsession, obscene wealth, free-flowing booze despite Prohibition — and that iconic green light. But you’ve never seen Gatsby done like this before.

Elevator Repair Service is staging “Gatz,” its marathon adaptation of the classic portrait of Jazz Age New York, at Skirball through Feb. 3. First performed in 2010, the show is essentially a staged reading of the entirety of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s 1925 novel and clocks in at just about eight hours, including two intermissions and a dinner break.

But “Gatz” is no slog. In fact, I would call it the most successful adaptation of “The Great Gatsby” I’ve seen, far surpassing Baz Luhrmann’s inert 2013 film starring Leo DiCaprio, or the 1974 effort with Robert Redford and Mia Farrow.

Neither a traditionally staged play nor a simple audiobook-style recitation of the text, “Gatz” is a genre all its own. The show opens on a dingy, nondescript, vaguely ’90s office space as a man unsuccessfully attempts to boot up a cartoonishly large desktop monitor. The man, bored and frustrated, discovers a copy of “The Great Gatsby” tucked inside his Rolodex; flipping it open, he begins to read aloud to himself.

As the man reads, his coworkers shuffle into the office for the day, murmuring inaudibly to one another. But soon, the actions of these unnamed workers begin to parallel those of characters in the text. A slouchbacked colleague of the reader mirrors Jordan Baker and her louche attitude, and a flighty blonde represents Daisy Buchanan and her weak wit, until one-by-one they take up their own lines of dialogue from the reader —

COURTESY OF ELEVATOR REPAIR SERVICE

Still from “Gatz,” the eight-hour-long theater adaptation of “The Great Gatsby” playing at Skirball until Feb. 3.

who is now Nick Carraway, the narrator of Gatsby’s story, and the plot swings fully to life.

As someone who read “The Great Gatsby” in high school and didn’t really get the hype, “Gatz” brought the text to life for me in a way I hadn’t experienced before. A relatively short novel, “The Great Gatsby” is an ideal choice for this sort of adaptation; the narration is jam-packed with beautiful language that would be largely excised for a traditional staging, and the density of action and thematic allusion means the show is never boring.

The standout scene is the party at Tom and Myrtle’s love nest in the

city during Act I, as it builds to an abrupt and dramatic climax. Still, the quieter moments of the show are no less compelling, especially the concluding stretch.

While the set remains constant throughout the entire performance, the light design and particularly the sound design deftly convey both setting and tone; the dull roar of ambient city noise mingled with car horns that forms the soundscape of the show’s beginning subtly gives way to the chirping of crickets as the characters sit talking on a veranda during a summer evening, and the dim, warm light looks like gas lamps lit against the dark.

A strong ensemble doesn’t hurt, but Scott Shepherd’s performance as Nick — with by far the most speaking time I’ve seen in a theatrical performance — is what really makes the show. The dry line readings he delivers milk the text of a surprising undercurrent of humor; his Nick is a vital, complicated figure, the lens through which we see Gatsby.

The story-within-a-story format of “Gatz” illuminates the fantasy theme in the original text that is sometimes neglected in favor of the widespread reading that focuses on the theme of the “American Dream.” The show’s title is the surname Gatsby was born with before rechristening himself.

Gatsby’s fantasy love story with Daisy, Nick’s starry-eyed fixation on Gatsby and Gatsby’s self-mythologization all come to the fore. The audience feels like we’re inside this nameless reader’s imagination as he conjures up romantic images of a bygone era — by turns raucous and contemplative, contained and uninhibited, but always entertaining and emotionally stirring.

“Gatz” is now running at the Skirball Center for the Performing Arts through Feb. 3.

Email Alex Cullina at acullina@nyunews.com.

The Ophelias’ Lyricist Reflects on Tisch Graduation and Embraces Uncertainty

By AMELIA MCBAIN Contributing Writer Twenty two-year-old Spencer Peppet, a 2018 Tisch graduate, was driving through her hometown of Cincinnati when her phone buzzed with The New York Times notification. She was with her best friend and the band’s bassist, Grace Weir. When

COURTESY OF LAUREN HARPER

Spencer Peppet, a recent Tisch graduate and lyricist of the band The Ophelias.

Weir glanced at the screen, her jaw dropped: their band was featured in that week’s playlist.

“The voices are gentle, sharing unisons and then harmonizing with wistful, enigmatic tidings,” NYT said of The Ophelias’ song, “Lunar Rover.”

“Given a chance, it’s immersive.”

The review linked to a video of Peppet, who acts as guitarist and lyricist, with her trademark pink cheeks and clear, angelic voice, singing into the camera with her bandmates in the middle of a Cincinnati street.

That video now has over 13,000 views on YouTube.

“I had to pull the car over and call my mom,” Peppet said. “She was crying on the phone.”

The Ophelias’ sophomore record “Almost,” which came out in July, brought them into the public eye.

Along with the NYT piece, a slew of publications praised the release.

Pitchfork gave the album a 7.1 — higher than its average rating — and NPR praised their song “Fog” on “All Songs Considered,” saying they immediately “fell in love with it.”

“I look at all this stuff, I read all these publications, and then your name is in it and it’s kind of like … what?” Peppet said. “It feels really good to know people are listening to

things that you make, you put time into and you care about.”

Peppet started The Ophelias during her senior year at an all-girls Catholic high school, inviting her friends to play with her after teaching herself guitar. She picked the name while reading “Hamlet” for an English class.

“I was like, ‘I love her,’” she said.

“So we made her the band name. I’m an Ophelia stan.”

The girls in the band have tried their best to put music out throughout the four years since they joined, but it was hard to get together when they all went off to college in different cities.

Coincidentally, the day the NYT article dropped, Peppet was driving to the same art supply store she was in when she found out she got into NYU. “I should go to that store more often,” she joked. “I always get good news there.”

During her time at NYU, Peppet studied in Tisch’s Experimental Theater Wing, studying acting, not music. However, she has been a student of many mediums. In high school, she studied visual arts, creating two Advanced Placement portfolios with a combined 40 or so pieces. She is also a trained opera singer. Peppet is currently writing a collection of essays and a television pilot about a

Catholic high school similar to the one she attended.

Jo Shaffer, Peppet’s romantic and creative partner, said Peppet’s control of every artistic channel continues to impress them daily.

“It’s always cool when you meet someone who can carry a common thread or style through their art and throughout different mediums,” Shaffer said. “I think she can do that and I think that’s pretty rare.”

Over the two-and-a-half years Shaffer has been dating Peppet — along with creating music videos and films with her — they have noticed her “common thread” emanates from a tug-of-war battle between her art and reality.

“I think there’s a really strong tension in her art between being careful and being messy,” they said. “A big part of her art is a sense of an orderly mind trying to come to terms with human mess.”

Peppet’s aversion to life’s messes has caused her to approach her life and work with caution.

“In my life, I’m just a careful person,” Peppet agreed. “My mom worries a lot and she definitely taught me to be cautious in ways that I appreciate and in ways I’ve had to unlearn.”

Her music demonstrates this ten-

sion, as she writes lyrics in a style she called “unconscious songwriting,” a barely edited version of the moods and themes her brain spits out at her.

“Most of the time, I don’t sit down to write a song about something,” she said. “For me, maybe music is a good way to be able to say, ‘f-ck it.’”

The band wrote and recorded “Almost” two years ago, but the production time delayed its debut. Peppet said that in the time since, she has written four more albums worth of songs. They are just waiting to be recorded and released — and that is what she plans to do next now that she’s graduated.

“I’ve got something going for me, which is comforting, but no matter what, it’s still terrifying,” Peppet said. “You could have four job prospects lined up after college and you can still be like, ‘what the f-ck am I gonna do?’”

Peppet’s next move is to tour, record and put out music in the hopes that The Ophelias can make it even bigger.

“My dream is to be able to make music and art and do more movies and have that be my job,” she said.

Email Amelia McBain at music@nyunews.com.

Washington Square News

8

MONDAY, JANUARY 28, 2019

OPINION

OPINION@NYUNEWS.COM

Edited by HANNA KHOSRAVI and MELANIE PINEDA

LETTER FROM THE EDITOR

Preparing to Lead WSN Through Journalism’s Darkest Days

By SAKSHI VENKATRAMAN Editor-in-Chief Dear NYU, This has been a depressing week in the journalism world. Within just a few days, 1,000 reporters were fired from various news organizations, including BuzzFeed and Gannett. I know this wasn’t an isolated phenomenon; these incidents are becoming increasingly common. People get laid off, entire newspapers shut down in a matter of days because they can’t muster the finances to print one more issue.

In the midst of what feels like a crisis, I’m expected to gracefully take over this newspaper and write a light-hearted column in-

troducing myself to the NYU community.

What a first week on the job — witnessing the slow decline of an industry I’m currently diving into headfirst. Watching excellent reporters search for work by summing up their qualifications in a tweet. It’s disheartening to say the least.

Hi. My name is Sakshi, and I’m WSN’s new editor-in-chief for the 2019 calendar year. Sorry to introduce myself on such a sour note, but this is all I’ve been thinking about for the last few days. Journalism is in limbo, and WSN is not exempt from this volatility.

I realize I might come off as ungrateful for this opportunity, and I want you to know that’s not at all the case. I started out in journalism my first year of high school when my brilliant newspaper adviser told me how much of an impact I could have by writing people’s real stories. The Sidekick newspaper was my pride and joy for three years in high school, and when I was accepted to NYU’s Class of 2021, I immediately set my sights on WSN. I’m more passionate about what we do here than I have been about any-

thing in my life.

I started as a contributing writer, then became a deputy news editor, a news editor and a deputy managing editor. I’ve seen the paper through some excellent reporting. In my time here, we exposed the Islamophobic culture of the Stern School of Business, we analyzed why the university doesn’t respond to student suicides, we put a cam girl on the front page of our paper and we held NYU accountable for labor abuses at the Abu Dhabi campus.

I won’t deny WSN’s past shortcomings.

We’re 20-something-year-old students moonlighting as beat reporters for the largest private institution in the U.S. We get things wrong sometimes, and there are certain communities we have neglected to cover in the past. It doesn’t make it OK, but we’re learning and we’re growing. Under my leadership, I want more women, people of color, first-generation students and members of the LGBTQ community to be on our staff and in our pages’ folds.

With local newspapers like Gothamist and DNAinfo gone, the scope of WSN’s reporting needs to fill the void. Like journalists

at every newspaper in the country, it’s vital we continue to do our work and do it well, even as this industry falls apart around us.

I have spent many nights staring at the ceiling thinking about what would happen if all journalists faced the fate of the BuzzFeed reporters laid off last week or the Dallas Morning News reporters laid off just a few weeks ago. Would the country descend into complete chaos? Would people even care if our industry quietly faded into nothing? It’s bleak — and it may sound pretty dramatic. But it’s a possibility that I will confront every day as editor of WSN: journalism is more important than ever, but fewer and fewer people are paying attention to it.

I know I sound like a complete downer, so it might shock you to hear that, despite everything, I do have hope. I have faith in journalism because of the people that I work with — their talent, their savvy and their dedication. Because of our News Editor Victor Porcelli, who spent entire days and nights with student activists who were protesting in the Kimmel Center for Student Life last semester. Because of our magazine’s managing editor Pamela Jew, who has

been with WSN for six semesters, but still works every day with a fervency like it’s her first. Because of videographer Justin Park, who spent 24 hours with a subject for our annual “Influential” issue and produced a documentary that rivals those of professional news outlets.

Every time I have walked into this office since I started as a writer, I have been in awe of all the talent and dedication packed into our little basement space. This diverse, young group of reporters who see the walls of this office more than their own homes will change journalism. I feel it; I know it.

I wish I could end this with a proposition of what we can do to save this craft I love so much, but I can’t. I can ask you, the community we strive to serve, to recognize how important objective journalism is as a check on power. Support us — even by simply taking a paper off the stands on Mondays.

— Sakshi Email Sakshi Venkatraman at editor@nyunews.com.

MUSIC

In Defense of Stan Culture

By MELANIE PINEDA Opinion Editor In 2018, several crazed fans who took extreme measures to defend or criticize celebrities were the talk of social media. Fans of Ariana Grande, Lady Gaga and Nicki Minaj were covered by the HuffPost regarding their offensive and often excessive antics.

Grande’s fans sent her ex-fiance Pete Davidson death threats. Lady Gaga’s fans posted fake bad reviews for the

film “Venom,” which was released the same weekend as her breakout film “A Star Is Born.” Minaj’s fans sent freelancer Wanna Thompson death threats for criticizing Minaj’s music.

As stans — fans immensely dedicated to artists or fandoms — all of these actions were done in the name of their beloved celebrities, formulating a rather toxic culture that, taken at face value, undermines what fanbases are actually for: to create a community built on self-expression for those who may not feel confident in real life.

The origin of the word “stan” comes from an Eminem song of the same name, written about a fictitious fan who killed his own girlfriend because Eminem wouldn’t return his fan letters. Because of this, stans have become known as a rather obsessive genre of fans. But in modern media, stories of people — typically female fans of a

certain age — inappropriately invading artists’ privacy or sending disturbing gifts to others are often the ones being covered. Even though stans come from all corners of the internet, a certain stereotype follows the portrayed image of a stan: a crazed teenage girl who, against her supposed better judgement, spends ridiculous amounts of time fantasizing and gushing over certain celebrities.

In contrast, intense sports fans — a fanbase which consists of mostly males and is known for toxic masculinity — have created a phenomenon known as sports riots, where fans take to the street, setting fires and vandalizing public property. Yet these fans are not followed by the media in the same way that stans of celebrities are. The Washington Post published an article on the science behind sports riots, portraying these fans as typical Americans with a certain niche. The Post also recently

published a piece on some fangirls inappropriately obsessing over a character who is a serial killer in the Netflix Original “You.” The different tones in which both of these spectrums of stan culture were portrayed is, of course, in part due to different writing styles and methods of reporting — but they both in part further contribute to the negative portrayal of stans, using a select few examples to give all of stan culture a negative image.

We all remember the first artist or piece of media we fell in love with. For me, it was Paramore. Their frontwoman Hayley Williams’ melodic tone of voice and the band’s ever relatable symphonies about how the world is out to get everyone helped me cope with other issues going on in my life.

As I got older, I started to find other teenage girls who understood my love for this band on social media platforms.

Twitter, Tumblr and Instagram created a sense of community which I had never experienced before. As Paramore’s music matured, so did its fanbase.

Some of the fans I met years ago are still my friends now.

It’s understandable to see how stan culture has created a bad name for itself. But it’s important to note that at times, there’s sexism underlying the stereotypes of crazed fans that may make teenage girls feel as though their interests aren’t valid. In an interview with Rolling Stone, Harry Styles accurately conveyed the importance of validating teenage girl stans: “How can you say young girls don’t get it? They’re our future. Our future doctors, lawyers, mothers and presidents, they kind of keep the world going.”

Email Melanie Pineda at mpineda@nyunews.com.

CULTURE

Is This How We Kill Our Fear of Death?

By SARAH JOHN Deputy Opinion Editor It is a well-documented fact that few topics are as taboo as death. According to Psychology Today, current American society sees death and dying “as profoundly ‘un-American’ experiences” because they force us to confront our own lack of control. In a society that prizes individualism and forging one’s own fate, the finality of death threatens the way that many Americans choose to view themselves. Normally, we choose to avoid discussing the subject. “Instead of

confronting their own mortality, many Americans tend to label such talk as ‘morbid’ and try to stave it off — along with death itself — as long as they can,” author, anthropologist and Brandeis University professor Anita Hannig said.

For most Americans, there is never a good time to talk about death — and that includes the times when they or someone they know has been touched by it.

When I lost a parent, several people in my own life were extremely uncomfortable with the vulnerability that surrounds death, mourning and tragedy.

Throughout that period, I felt that my job was to recover as quickly as possible from grief so as to be “normal” again as if grief was an unnatural or perhaps inconvenient process. It took time for me to realize it is neither of those things. Even today, mentioning loss can be stressful, as I worry about how best to explain my

situation without “killing the mood.” In my experience, I find that most people would prefer to never think about death, even as it affects people around them.

Can we conquer our societal fear of death? Given the strong aversion most people have to the topic, I have spent some time grappling with that question.

In the end, I believe the answer is yes.

It is both absolutely possible and absolutely necessary to reframe the national dialogue around death and make it a more open and honest discussion.

The first thing that is essential to understand is that our national beliefs regarding death are inextricable from a number of other issues. Our thoughts on death, widows and widowers, hospice care, national tragedy, suicide and the rights of the terminally ill are all tangled together. If we cannot discuss tragedy at an individual level, then we are also unable to discuss how to better the lives

of those affected by it.

Initiatives to open up dialogue around death have already begun. In January 2011, after finishing mortuary school, Caitlin Doughty started The Order of the Good Death. The Order describes itself as “a group of funeral industry professionals, academics, and artists exploring ways to prepare a death phobic culture for their inevitable mortality.” The Order encourages creating a conversation about the topic of death, partially so people can ensure their endof-life wishes are met. The Order also highlights the importance of legal protections for the dying and dead, and the importance of equal access for everyone to have their death rites fulfilled. We can also look to when in 2016, noticing the lack of conversation around death, Hannig designed the class “Anthropology of Death and Dying.” After taking the class, students reported numerous

gains, including more respect for the elderly. One student decided to intern at a hospice over the summer. Another said the class helped her process her grief for a loved one.

Today, you can even download the WeCroak app, which sends you five daily reminders that everyone, well, croaks — so we all better choose to live well.

Death is a sad and tragic reality of life, and one that can’t be ignored. It is never something to be glorified or celebrated. But it eases death’s pain for everyone when we can, at the very least, calmly acknowledge mortality. It is true that discussing death is extremely uncomfortable in most circumstances. But living in fear of death — and isolating those that have experience with it — is a much worse fate.

Email Sarah John at sjohn@nyunews.com.

Washington Square News | Opinion

MONDAY, JANUARY 28, 2019

9

TECH

Tech CEOs and Modern-Day Prophets

By HANNA KHOSRAVI Opinion Editor One of the formal definitions of a prophet is a divinely inspired person — more generally, a visionary. The term prophet is traditionally associated with spirituality, divinity and religion, but as human beings, we have a historic propensity to make prophets out of ordinary people. Whether or not they deserve this status is somewhat ambiguous, but these characters do typically exemplify the convention of a visionary, and come to encompass the power of those whose words, actions and decrees are followed and preached by millions.

The glorifying of a prophet is a slippery slope, and in today’s era of technology and social media — an era in which the President of the United States addresses the nation more often through Twitter than on a podium, tech CEOs come to embody a new type of celebrity — a newfangled hybrid of the modern-era. These figures are powerful, wealthy, outspoken and influential. Tech CEOs and Silicon Valley giants are permeating every aspect of our world, and through this, becoming modern-day prophets.

This breed of influencers is now a part of our everyday life. It has culminated in Mark Zuckerberg’s rise to the international consciousness, and it also led to the rise of fraudulent CEO Elizabeth Holmes of Theranos. Kids look up to Elon Musk. Jeff Bezos goes to the Oscars now and hobnobs with celebrities because Amazon produces a percentage of films that make the annual awards circuit. He’s worth around $140 billion, and five years ago, he acquired The Washington Post for $250 million.

A few months ago, he met with crown prince Mohammad bin Salman of Saudi Arabia to partake in whatever Saudi-specific wheeling and dealing that we have all too often turned a blind eye to.

Amazon started by delivering us our books, and it is now so intimate that it delivers us our groceries. Amazon produces the movies we watch in the theaters and at home. Amazon’s “Alexa” is now in over 10 million homes and places of business. That number is rapidly rising, and the machine’s capabilities to eavesdrop and record human conversation are unquestionable, although Amazon attributed any seeming surveillance onto human error. Jeff Bezos is everywhere. That’s a lot of power for one man to have, even if Bezos isn’t keen on making it known to the entire world the way some more outspoken Twitter characters like Musk are.

But if a prophet is indeed defined as being a visionary, and as the initiator of inspiration, perhaps these figures do fit the mold. Look at Steve Jobs, a man whose utter transformation of our universe and daily life will cement him forever as an iconic, somewhat prophetic figure. I, and many of my peers, remem-

Submitting to

ber the day Jobs passed away — the Apple stores in Palo Alto nearby my house in the Bay Area, mecca of the tech universe and home to Jobs himself, transformed into glow-lit shrines of worship and remembrance. We see the way he is immortalized in the popular consciousness — as the indelible, pensive blackand-white image on the cover of Walter Isaacson’s renowned biography. He is remembered as an ascetic, almost monklike black-turtleneck-and-sneaker-wearing leader. Isaacson describes how Jobs would at some points eat nothing but carrots and apples for weeks at a time.

But while Jobs gave birth to this kind of celebrity, he does not typify what it has grown into. It is not necessarily the figures themselves that are the problem — it is the ecosystem of glorification that their form begins to cultivate.

We treat these CEOs with a certain brand of idolatry that is specific to this generation — they are our millennium’s version of rock stars and superheroes. It’s a culture of celebrity, cutthroat ambition and wealth that breeds calamities like that of Theranos, in which the familiar tale of drop-out-from-a-prestigious-university who uses their genius to get rich quick — a Cinderella story of the modern era trademarked by the likes of Zuckerberg — quickly turned deceitful. And the Cinderella story is appealing — I mean, Aaron Sorkin did direct a pretty darn compelling rendition of Zuckerberg’s life, the journey from Cambridge to Palo Alto, the bridges burned and the money made.

But when this tale gets conflated, we begin to put too much power into the hands of these leaders.

The industry becomes defined by the billion-dollar values within it rather than the good it can establish. When Elizabeth Holmes began to amass hundreds of millions of dollars in investments off of an at-home blood-testing device that was still at the stage of a problematic prototype, she was modeling her public persona and aspirations after her ultimate role model: Steve Jobs. She was actually called “The Next Steve Jobs” on the cover of Inc. Magazine in 2015. What was she wearing during her big moment? A black turtleneck, of course.)

Holmes was touted as a prodigy, a genius, and yes, a visionary when she started Theranos. She gained investments from well-respected figures like former Secretary of State George Shultz, sat on the cover of Forbes magazine and was projected to become one of the world’s youngest self-made billionaires. Holmes was idolized as a prophetess of sorts, a cycle which further entrenched her in the deception that would soon endanger the lives of those who might rely on her fraudulent blood-testing.

People observed Holmes’s ascent to power like audience members watching a show, obsessing over the wealth of this ingenue with intentions to transform medical technology forever. They fawned and obsessed over her wealth and ambition until she became a caricature of scientific superstardom. Today, Holmes is worth zero dollars, and she has been charged with criminal fraud.

Holmes is, of course, an outlier. This culture of tech CEOs is predominantly built of extremely innovative minds.

But perhaps they should handle their

newfound brand of celebrity with more humility, and remain innovators rather than become socialites. It will, if nothing else, help their credibility.

Seeing figures like Musk engage in Twitter rampages and strange power trips creates a formula for a leader whose sense of authority and influence overcomes their contribution. Last September, Musk unreservedly succeeded in furthering his aura of instability when he indulged in a vitriolic Twitter tantrum, calling a British diver who saved the twelve football players from entrapment in a deep sea cave in Thailand a “child rapist” and a “pedo guy” on Twitter. We aren’t here to muse on how utterly grotesque Musk’s statements were, or how his public persona has gotten inexplicably weirder and weirder — smoking pot during an interview? Saying he will “probably move to Mars”? But the idolization of these figures, combined with the power they wield, is distinctly problematic.

As America made the dramatic transition from the 19th into the 20th century, the titans who changed our nation and world at the zenith of the industrial revolution — like Rockefeller, Ford, Vanderbilt and Carnegie — were rather singularly Americans. It is important to exercise humility because unlike those influencers and visionaries of the past, today there are more Zuckerbergs and Bezoses in more places than ever before.

And while their contributions to the Information Age cannot be underestimated, they should also encourage the practice of modesty in their endeavors.

Their ability to influence should not sway their ability to contribute.

As The New York Times stated in regard to the burgeoning era of tech CEOs, “Boring is the new big.” There is more value in being a serious, solid leader — take Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO, who rather than strive to emulate his successor, leads the company with a rather understated sense of determination regarding its purpose and with little engagement in Hollywood parties or Twitter tantrums. It is crucial to reel in the culture of bombastic, larger-thanlife leaders before it combusts or subsumes Silicon Valley in cultural toxicity.

There is no doubt that figures like Steve Jobs were aware of the role they would have in history thanks to the immensity of their impact — in fact, Jobs commissioned Walter Isaacson to write his famous biography, armed with the knowledge that Isaacson had previously cataloged the lives of Benjamin Franklin and Albert Einstein. He knew how he’d be remembered — and how he wanted to be remembered. He knew he was defining a generation. But whether or not he knew that he was creating a culture of perceived prophethood is up for debate. Should we treat them as such?

Does being a greater media presence make you more of a visionary? Is there not an advantage to embracing principle before indulgence, subtlety before rhetoric, and equanimity and humility before power? As these figures continue to grow and continue to be cast as ideologues of our generation, it is important to remember one thing: what goes up must always come down.

Email Hanna Khosravi at hkhosravi@nyunews.com

STAFF EDITORIAL

Lessons From the Shutdown While we were on break, so too was the government. The longest government shutdown in U.S. history paralyzed the nation over the alleged issue of border security. Congress refused Trump’s demand of $5.7 billion to fund a wall along the southern border, which initiated the shutdown. Thirty five days later — over $6 billion lost and zero dollars secured towards Trump’s border wall — this recent political episode has come to a close.

The image of furloughed government workers calling for “jobs not walls” will be cemented into our national memory, but acquiring this knowledge also means engaging in a series of questions. What is the guarantee that we won’t have a situation like this again as long as we have a President who is willing to sacrifice the well-being of his citizens in an effort to wield power?

No matter what one feels about the shutdown, two things are clear: first, it is nothing short of a national embarrassment. A government shutdown, at its core, represents an inability, if not a refusal, to communicate at the highest level. The common theme of all the political discourse over the last month is frustration with that refusal. What adds to the frustration — as well as the embarrassment — is the fact that Trump agreed to the exact same deal he initially rejected, making the shutdown essentially pointless. In spite of that, arguably the most important lesson to be learned from the shutdown is the power of local organizing and smallscale power. One of the most decisive factors in ending this most recent government shutdown was the American worker. In particular, union workers from America’s airline industry proved to be a powerful player in the fight to reopen the government. Only after considerable pressure, ranging from staff shortages amongst air traffic controllers and TSA workers to the president of the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA calling for a general strike, did the shutdown end.

This month was primarily dominated by a state of seeming stagnancy and bubbling anger. The incidents playing out in Congress and on our TVs made the last 35 days feel like a sort of Twilight Zone — our Speaker of the House asking our President not to speak at the State of the Union and the President responding by banning the Speaker’s trip abroad, Colorado Sen. Michael Bennett delivering an emotionally-charged condemnation of Texas Sen. Ted Cruz on the Senate floor. The drama continued

with furloughed government workers mobilizing outside of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s office and begging for their paychecks, and, in a show of startling delusion, Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross asking why federal workers don’t just take out a loan instead of going to food banks.

For students, this is a particularly powerful lesson to learn — it reinforces the importance of being involved in the community. Even locally, American workers proved they can achieve change at the national level. Students can have the same kind of impact and achieve equally powerful victories through organization, especially if these issues directly affect them.

As reported by WSN, the shutdown put the financial aid of over 1,000 NYU students at risk. Said students were told they may not be provided with official tax transcripts on time to receive federal financial aid. Though NYU promised not to drop affected students from classes, the ineptitude of politicians almost put education at risk.

What this most recent instance has shown is that, in spite of a government shutdown, the importance of organizing and holding the leadership accountable will continue to be indispensable.

This last semester alone, NYU saw activists demand that our university cut ties with food providers that contribute to the prison industry, speak against the presence of an alt-right speaker on campus and highlight the importance of food insecurity amongst students.

Coming together and forming strong ties in our community is essential in our local daily struggles just as much as it is in national and international struggles.

As students and as journalists, the WSN Editorial Board believes it is imperative to acknowledge the calamitous repercussions of this administration’s actions. The fact that 800,000 federal workers were not only treated as hostages of Trump’s distinctly un-American agenda, but were treated with such apathy by his administration, is shameful. And the millions of contracted government employees that didn’t get paid deserve more than they are being given.

Even though it is easy to feel powerless in a situation this dire — in which fully-employed Americans spend the first month of 2019 in lines at food banks — it is our role and responsibility to remain cognizant of the injustices at hand and not stand idly by as this administration continues in its determination to build walls rather than embrace American value of acceptance.

Email the Editorial Board at editboard@nyunews.com.

HANNA KHOSRAVI Chair MELANIE PINEDA Chair SARAH JOHN Co-chair COLE STALLONE Co-chair

SEND MAIL TO: 75 THIRD AVE. #SB07, NEW YORK, N.Y. 10003 OR EMAIL: OPINION@NYUNEWS.COM WSN welcomes letters to the editor, opinion pieces and articles relevant to the NYU community, or in response to articles. Letters should be less than 450 words. All submissions must be typed or emailed and must include the author’s name, address and phone number. Members of the NYU community must include a year and school or job title. WSN does not print unsigned letters or editorials. WSN reserves the right to reject any submission and edit accepted submissions in any and all ways. With the exception of the staff editorial, opinions expressed on the editorial pages are not necessarily those of WSN, and our publication of opinions is not an endorsement of them.

Washington Square News

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UTA@NYUNEWS.COM

MONDAY, JANUARY 28, 2019

UNDER THE ARCH

Edited by PAMELA JEW

Due to the lack of appropriate infrastructure, navigating around the NYU campus while using a mobility aid can be a challenge for students.

By ANNA MURATOVA Under the Arch Deputy Editor

B

rian Cheng’s decision to attend NYU was not based exclusively on his academic successes or the school’s reputation.

When the time came to apply for college, Cheng’s main priority was finding a wheelchair-friendly campus.

Born with cerebral palsy, a movement disorder which manifested in his early childhood, Cheng has been confined to a wheelchair his entire life — only using walkers for short distances.

Finding an environment with the proper infrastructure was crucial.

A Virginia native, Cheng visited the University of Maryland, College Park to see if the campus could cater to him. Its proximity to home appealed to him, but the campus and its environment couldn’t accommodate his needs.

“They dropped the ball,” Cheng said of his UMD visit. “It felt like they almost didn’t know what we were talking about.”

Cheng ultimately chose NYU for Tisch’s Film & TV program, but he had been told that the university was known to accommodate disabled students. New York has been marked by inaccessibility, whether that is the lack of ramps or the absence of hearing-aid audible speakers on subways. Contrary to the city’s reputation, NYU advertises its conscious approach to students with disabilities and the broad range of services they provide for those dealing with learning disability disorders, physical disabilities

KATIE PEURRUNG | WSN

Brian Cheng is a Tisch sophomore, studying Film & TV. He was born with cerebral palsy and has been using a wheelchair to help him move around his entire life. For Cheng, navigating NYU’s Washington Square campus can be challenging when it comes to older buildings with worse wheelchair accessibility.

and mental health illnesses.

NYU provides a variety of resources for those with disabilities, including the Moses Center for Students with Disabilities, accessible

on-campus housing and academic accommodations such as arranging for students with disabilities to take exams at the Moses Center. Mobility aids, such as wheelchairs or crutches,

KATIE PEURRUNG | WSN

This entrance to the Silver Center for Arts and Science on Waverly Place is not wheelchair-accessible. Before Steinhardt first-year Jessie Tsang discovered the more accessible entrance on Washington Place, she struggled to open heavy doors and to get up the stairs.

are provided to students by the Moses Center regardless of their condition’s term length.

Steinhardt first-year Jessie Tsang tore her ACL while playing for the NYU women’s volleyball team as a defense specialist. After her surgery, she was on crutches for a month.

Throughout her recovery process, Tsang found NYU Athletics to be a supportive resource. Not only did the department cover her medical bills for the surgery, but they also funded the subsequent physical therapy.

The Moses Center, on the other hand wasn’t as helpful, according to Tsang. After her surgery, NYU Athletics referred Tsang to the center for further support. From the center’s limited funds, Tsang was provided $75 for taxis to class. She took taxis to class to avoid the muscle pain on her good leg that came with using crutches. As an athlete, she couldn’t risk the extra stress.

The $75 wasn’t nearly enough to cover the cost of her taxi rides to and from class. According to Taxi Calculator, the average daytime fare for a cab from Rubin Residence Hall, where Tsang lives, to Elmer Holmes Bobst Library or the Silver Center for Arts and Science is around $6. Without the aid from the Moses Center, Tsang would’ve had to pay up to $200 out of

pocket to help her get to class — more than double the amount provided to her by the center. When the $75 ran out, Tsang’s friends helped her pay the rest of the rides.

Unlike Tsang, who only went to the Moses Center for a temporary injury, Cheng works with the center

“

I fell several times while trying to get past the security gates because I was forced to get off the KneeRover and hop on one foot to open the gate and get myself and my scooter through.

SIMONE Gallatin first-year

”

on a regular basis. Cheng’s cerebral palsy caused him to develop a mild

Washington Square News | Under the arch

MONDAY, JANUARY 28, 2019

processing issue which impedes his information comprehension. He thus requires note-taking assistance in his classes. The Moses Center reaches out to fellow classmates at the semester’s beginning to see if they’d be willing to share notes for those in need, offering notetakers $50 to the NYU Bookstore after the semester ends.

Cheng, however, found this approach flawed as it is easy for students to ignore the requests from the center. According to Cheng, assisting with note-taking isn’t difficult or time-consuming at all, and it can be of great support to someone.

“

It’s the right of the individual to be, to exist comfortably, whether you have a disability or not.

SIMONE Gallatin first-year

”

“You just do what you normally do, except for sharing it with someone, who needs it later,” he said.

Cheng points out that sometimes his peers help more than the Moses Center. Cheng can steer through the sidewalks on his lonesome, but subway cars and stations pose more of an issue, sometimes requiring the help of his friends. Tsang holds a similar sentiment, even relying on the kindness of others around campus.

“Maybe, hold a door for a little longer than you normally would,” she said.

Last semester, CAS first-year Lynn, who withheld her last name, broke her tibia and fibula, forcing her to undergo surgery and leaving her in a wheelchair for over a month. She said that with the help from her friends, she could better navigate inaccessible infrastructure around Washington Square Park.

Unlike Cheng and Tsang, she found the Moses Center helpful in arranging accessible locations for her to take her midterms. The center also provided her with a wheelchair for free. Lynn described herself as “lucky,” since the majority of her classes took place in wheelchair-accessible buildings. Moving around campus, however, still posed plenty of challenges.

“It was rather difficult to get from building to building, especially during the first few days after the surgery,” Lynn said.

For her, a lack of ramps made it hard to cross streets between buildings around Washington Square Park. Moving between Bobst and the Kimmel Center for Student Life, for example, could be troublesome due to construction and the absence of wheelchair-accessible bypasses.

Lynn found it difficult to access certain buildings too, and needed assistance. She pointed out that the Skirball Center for Performing Arts, built in 2003, which is newer than the Leonard N. Stern School of Business, built in 1900, or Bobst, built in 1973, doesn’t have an automatic door. Although The Center for Genomics and Systems Biology does, it isn’t wide enough for a standard wheelchair.

Navigating campus seems to be the main challenge for mobility-aid users.

LS first-year Sarah Hedayatnia had to use both crutches and a scooter when she broke her ankle two weeks into her first semester. She found a lot of places around campus extremely difficult to access — Third Avenue North Residence Hall in particular.

The stairs in the courtyard, the lack of wheelchair-accessible doors and the turnstiles at both entrances led her to further injury.

“I have repeatedly hit my knee and my foot when trying to get into Third North, opening the doors and the gates,” Hedayatnia said.

The gates at both entrances can be used as an alternative to the turnstiles. However, they aren’t equipped with an automatic door opener, making neither of the entrances wheelchair-accessible.

“I fell several times while trying to get past the security gates because I was forced to get off the kneerover and hop on one foot to open the gate and get myself and my scooter through,” Hedayatnia said.

Aside from doors and entryways, many buildings around the Washington Square campus have stairs leading up to them. Oftentimes, there are no ramps or bypasses in sight. Cheng finds accessing older buildings, such as the Silver Center or the Barney Building, notably difficult.

“One time, when I had to take photos for an article, it was [at Barney] and the handicap entrance was broken,” Cheng said. “So, I went through the back maintenance entrance. It had been broken for years.”

In terms of newer buildings, Cheng struggled with the elevators when he lived in Weinstein Residence Hall as a first-year.

“In a wheelchair, there’s a way to go up by hitting a buzzer,” he said.

“But every time I tried, the security guards wouldn’t notice me right away, so I’d spent around five minutes just waiting for them.”

Gallatin first-year Simone, who chose not to disclose her last name, took the course “Disability and the Arts” in Gallatin. Although Simone has never been wheelchair-bound around campus, she brought forth the idea of “universal design,” a concept explored in her class that speaks to design that helps beyond the intended use.

“Having spaces that are accessible is better for everyone,” Simone said.

“For example, if Third North had automatic gates, it’d help not only people with disabilities but people with suitcases.”

According to Simone, ramps on the sidewalks benefit parents with strollers, not only wheelchair users.

“It’s the right of the individual to be, to exist comfortably, whether you have a disability or not,” she concluded.

Talking about the possible improvements that can be made, Cheng pointed out the fact that most of the building, even though old, should be up to code when it comes to accommodating for the needs of disabled students.

“As we’ve seen with NYU before, there’s always money but there’s never enough money,” Cheng said. “But with the options for handicapped students — these things shouldn’t be broken. It’s an inconvenience for many students.”

The Moses Center refused to comment; Student Health Center has yet to respond at the time of publication.

Email Anna Muratova at amuratova@nyunews.com.

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KATIE PEURRUNG | WSN

The Silver Center for Arts and Science was the most difficult building for Tsang to access while she used crutches. Here, Tsang stands next to the wheelchair-accessible entrance. However, she said finding the button and pressing it, while balancing on one leg, proved to be challenging.

KATIE PEURRUNG | WSN

When not in a wheelchair, Cheng uses ergonomic canes to help him move short distances. Sometimes, he gets help from his friends with getting his wheelchair into subway carts. However, navigating New York for him became a habit.

Washington Square News Staff Editor-in-Chief

Sakshi Venkatraman Managing Editor

Sam Klein DEPUTY Akshay Prabhushankar, Bela Kirpalani Creative Director

Priya Tharwala, Sophia Di Iorio Copy Chiefs

Joey Hung, Andrew Ankersen DEPUTY Kate Lowe, Lauren Gruber, Sam Brinton, Paul Kim Multimedia

Alana Beyer DEPUTY Jorene He PHOTO Alina Patrick DEPUTY PHOTO Julia McNeil DEPUTY VIDEO Min Ji Kim SENIOR Veronica Liow Social Media

Akiva Thalheim

Senior Staff Victor Porcelli, Meghna Maharishi CULTURE Faith Marnecheck ARTS Guru Ramanathan SPORTS Zach Han, Brendan Duggan NEWS

Deputy Staff Jared Peraglia, Mansee Khurana FILM Claire Fishman THEATER & BOOKS Alex Cullina MUSIC Nicole Rosenthal CULTURE Anna de la Rosa DINING Arin Garland BEAUTY & STYLE Carol Lee NEWS

Opinion Page EDITOR Hanna Khosravi, Melanie Pineda DEPUTY Sarah John, Cole Stallone

Under the Arch

MANAGING EDITOR Pamela EDITOR Yasmin Gulec,

Jew

Natalie Chinn

DEPUTY EDITOR Joel Lee, Anna Muratova MULTIMEDIA Katie Peurrung DEPUTY MULTIMEDIA

Justin Park

CREATIVE WRITING

George Hajjar, Maxine Duzgunes ADVERTISING Business Manager

Brian Christensen Zapiecki

Open House Saturday, Feb. 2 Saturday, Feb. 9

Director of Sales

Allison Lambdin Director of Marketing and Logistics

Lukas Villarin

Creative Director, Blacklight

Syanne Rios

Account Associates

Mel Bautista, Ian Michael Clements Cecilia Lopez-Jordan ADVISING

Director of Operations

Nanci Healy

Editorial Adviser

Rachel Holliday Smith Editors-at-Large

Amanda Burkett, Sarah Jackson, Sayer Devlin, Rachel Buigas-Lopez, Laura Shkouratoff, Jemima McEvoy, Tianne Johnson, Janice Lee ABOUT WSN: Washington Square News (ISSN 15499389) is the student newspaper of New York University. WSN is published in print on Mondays and throughout the week online during NYU’s academic year, except for university holidays, vacations and exam periods.

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