Washington Square News February 19, 2019

4 CULTURE

9 OPINION

Catch Some Z’s at The Dreamery

What NYU Gets Wrong About Confronting Racism

6 ARTS

Netflix Could Be Influencing the Next Election

10 SPORTS

Yes, NYU Has Cheerleaders

VOLUME LII | ISSUE 4

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 2019

Hedges Encourages Reflection on NYUAD got back home?

Matthew Hedges: At times it has been really hard to adjust. Having family and support has been such a huge help, and it has gradually gotten easier, but it hasn’t been smooth. We’re keeping ourselves calm by keeping ourselves busy. If we take our foot off the pedal, we stop doing things, then it’ll take a long time to get back on the saddle. I’ve already started the last chapter of my thesis because it’s such a big deal for us in our lives. It’s only the natural thing to do.

COURTESY OF MATTHEW HEDGES AND DANIELA TEJADA

Matthew Hedges, a British doctoral student who was imprisoned last year in the UAE, and his wife, Daniela Tejada, at their wedding.

By VICTOR PORCELLI and MEGHNA MAHARISHI News Editors British doctoral student Matthew Hedges was tortured last year during a months-long interrogation period and subsequently sentenced to life imprisonment in the United Arab Emirates on the grounds of spying charges. Hedges, who was conducting research in the country for his Ph.D., was granted clemency by the Emirati government shortly

after his sentencing following international pressure.

Hedges’ arrest led to increased scrutiny on academic freedom at NYU’s Abu Dhabi campus. Over 200 faculty members signed a petition urging President Andrew Hamilton to condemn the sentencing and some of the petition’s signatories hosted a forum on academic freedom at NYUAD. This January, university spokesperson John Beckman responded to these criticisms in a statement to NBC, maintaining that academ-

ic freedom at NYUAD was preserved.

Hamilton, in an email to the faculty who signed the letter, said he spoke about Hedges’ sentencing with senior officials in the Abu Dhabi government and the vice chancellor of Durham University.

WSN had the opportunity to speak with Hedges and his wife, Daniela Tejada, about their experiences and thoughts on the current state of academic freedom in the UAE. What has it been like after you

What are your specific plans moving forward, other than finishing your thesis? Are there other plans you have that you want to accomplish in the future?

Daniela Tejada: Personally, our first priority after Matt’s Ph.D. completion is starting treatments, medical treatments for the two of us. We’ve both been through a lot in the past year or so with what happened to Matt, and it would be paramount to our health to be able to start treatment. [We need] to not just process what happened to us as a couple, and as individuals, but particularly, in Matt’s case, to recover from the PTSD that resulted from it.

Another big personal [priority] for us is raising awareness about academic freedom and the rights of scholars — not just in the UAE or the gulf — but worldwide. We feel that Matt’s work was heavily misunderstood, and he had to pay a big and unjust price for it. A lot of academics worldwide have to under-

go many similar situations, nearly on a weekly basis.

According to a 2018 report published

by Scholars at Risk — an organization headquartered at NYU that seeks to protect scholars and advocate for academic freedom — there were 294 reported attacks on higher education in 47 countries from Sept. 2017 to Aug. 2018. 167 of these attacks led to killings, violence, disappearances or imprisonment. SAR also reported that at least 875 students were either killed, arrested or subjected to “coercive force” because of “their expressive activity.”

The UAE government convicted economist Nasser bin Ghaith on charges including violating the country’s counterterrorism law and sentenced him to 10 years in prison in March 2017. In December, it was reported by multiple news outlets that Ghaith had been on a twoand-a-half month long hunger strike and his health was deteriorating, causing concern among human rights organizations.

Do you feel like people are still talking enough about the UAE and the issues that came up after this?

MH: Previously, this kind of discussion would have ended. I think with what they and other countries in that region have been doing, there seems to be a sea [of] change. There’s a lot more scrutiny on their activities and what they’re doing, and I find it fascinating that it hasn’t died down.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 2

The Stern Graduate Who Chose Maui Over Wall Street

By ELIF KESIKBAS Staff Writer Bored of the traditional mindset that surrounds the Stern School of Business, Rachel Lee wanted to explore what lay outside the bubble of future finance workers. She took a semester off before her senior year, walked into Mischief Tattoo on West Fourth Street and asked for a piercing apprenticeship — while her peers were running after Wall Street’s biggest names.

Lee, originally in the Stern class of 2018, graduated this past fall with a B.S. in business with a concentration in marketing. She is currently working remotely as Marketing Project Manager for the Hawaii-based cannabis dispensary PONO Life Maui.

She is island hopping in March, leaving Manhattan for new adventures.

Her journey began with a familiar story — finance

and accounting. But as her school career unfolded, Lee realized that she did not want to follow the tradition track.

“I kind of figured out my path later on,” Lee said. “There should be some sort of thing freshman year that’s like the options are not just finance. No one ever said that, starting off. That’s why you just feel pressured.”

Lee took off the second semester of her first year to work as a full-time project manager at a digital marketing startup. She returned to NYU in the fall, still focused on finance, and stayed on her original path by working at a financial services company the summer after her sophomore year. During the January term of her junior year, Lee studied abroad at NYU Shanghai and worked on a protocol app that was designed to improve quality of life for the elderly.

She decided to take another semester off in favor of a piercing apprenticeship before returning to

complete her degree.

“Honestly, as parents each time when she took the gap year and semester, we had questions, doubts and worries and our own plan held within our heart because we know Rachel as an individual has to explore her own blueprint of her life,” said Lee’s mother, Melissa Lee. However, Lee was confident that her tattoo shop experience would benefit her.

“We spend all our lives kind of sheltered,” Lee said.

“Work at a tattoo shop and have this scary looking dude coming in and pierce his nose. What are you gonna do? You have to grow some balls, basically.

You have to be really confident and sure of yourself.”

A semester later, Lee resumed studies, and even though she had decided that corporate life was not for her, she forced herself to complete her whole junior year recruiting for consulting.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 4

Recent Stern graduate Rachel Lee.

ALINA PATRICK | WSN

Washington Square News

2

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 2019

NEWS

NEWS@NYUNEWS.COM

Edited by VICTOR PORCELLI and MEGHNA MAHARISHI

Hedges Encourages Reflection on NYUAD of academic freedom there and what changes would you like to see?

DT: I think it’s impossible to say that there’s academic freedom. If there’s any form of restriction to what can or cannot be said or if there’s intimidation, particularly on the intimidation level, political or security or social intimidation of any sort, whether official or nonofficial, leads to self-censorship. And that means that any individual’s academic freedom and an institution’s is jeopardized. I think, again, the important thing is to establish a healthy dialogue where both parties acknowledge there is an issue and look to avenues to resolving it.

SAM KLEIN | WSN

Matthew Hedges’ imprisonment in the United Arab Emirates led to a controversy around academic freedom at the NYU Abu Dhabi campus.

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

It helps to say that I can speak with authority on this subject about their lack of due process, their lack of accountability because this happened to me, [and] I’m doing a Ph.D. on it. These discussions are happening, at least in Europe. In the U.S., it’s a bit more complicated, simply because of the amount of money that there is in the States from these Middle Eastern countries. The Center for American Progress had to publicly state that they wouldn’t take more money from these Middle Eastern states because it was affecting their independence in their own analysis.

There is an effect.

The Center for American Progress announced in January that it would no longer accept funds from the UAE, wishing to cut ties with authoritarian regimes deemed undemocratic by the CAP. According to the Office of the United States Trade Representative, UAE foreign direct investment in the United States was $4.8 billion in 2017, up 51.4% from 2016. U.S. foreign direct investment in the UAE was $16.8 billion in 2017, a 23.7% increase from 2016.

DT: From our point of view, not just as victims of what happened to Matt, but as researchers and individuals who hear about the generation of fair and objective knowledge, it’s important that the conversation

around practices that inhibit this sort of thought remain alive. The fact that there are Emirati academics in the UAE whose voices are oppressed, even possibly American academics at NYU, because there is a high level of scrutiny as to what people can and cannot say, or the way in which they can and cannot say it, affects their independence. It affects their independence of thought and the generation of knowledge that’s actually valuable to wider society rather than just specific political or social interests a state may have. It’s not about demonizing any particular state, it’s about encouraging healthier dialogue as to what independent thought should be and why it’s important.

Leading up to a faculty forum at NYU, CAS Professor Andrew Ross, who was previously denied entry into the UAE, told WSN that most professors would not feel comfortable sharing any negative experiences in the country.

“The fact that they feel that they can’t speak out speaks for itself,” Ross said. “There is a climate of fear.”

NYU asserts that although there might be certain restrictions at NYUAD, academic freedom is still preserved. They cite NYUAD professors lack of complaints.

What do you think about the state

NYUAD Assistant Professor Lauren Minsky previously recounted an experience of vehicular harassment, during which government police tailed her for nearly two hours while driving down a highway.

Ultimately, I think it is necessary for NYUAD and maybe NYU to realize wherever there is censorship in any form, whether it is self-inflicted or afflicted by the state the campuses are in, that immediately inhibits academic freedom. There should be measures taken to ensure that’s not the case. Even assessing protocols or to deal with complaints, many academics at NYU have expressed discontent in the UAE or after returning to the U.S. What they found is that there are no standard protocols set in place. This means that if there isn’t a protocol, it is nearly denying the fact that there is an issue to begin with.

Faculty mentioned at their forum last semester that there are not enough written protocols at NYUAD for how to deal with complaints.

Do you think NYU made a mistake in instituting a campus in Abu Dhabi?

MH: Your degree is worth more money because it has a higher reputation around the world, because it’s more well-known, because it’s more sought after. That’s part of the process and NYU isn’t the only one doing this. It’s the idea of expanding it to make it a bigger brand name, to be able to deliver that education to other people. [To maintain academic freedom] they would have to set

up institutional values and ideals they believe and make sure they abide by them.

DT: There’s absolutely no way that opening a campus in any country outside of your own can be deemed to be a mistake. From a purely academic level, it establishes possibilities for an intercultural dialogue, which expands both students’ and staffs’ vision of the world and can give you a much more real experience of what your studies are. However, it’s important that if, as an institution, you are opening a campus abroad, wherever it is, the place where you’re opening it is as willing to establish that dialogue as you are. What we find in the UAE is that the establishment of the dialogue is only limited to certain areas of studies or even certain topics — or even more worrying — certain stances on that topic. You cannot have that dialogue if the other party is not willing to accept anything beyond their comfort zone.

While teaching in Abu Dhabi, Minsky had books for her course seized at customs during the 2017-2018 academic year. Minsky said the director of the NYUAD bookstore told her the books were censored.

MH: I think the fundamental issue for NYU’s student body to be most concerned about is the possible repercussions of this investment in a campus abroad, but back at home in New York. Has this investment, has this money, has this corporation changed or influenced any ideas or values at your campus in New York?

DT: Both as students or as teachers, are there things that you can or cannot discuss?

How does it influence the research undertaken on both campuses?

MH: Theres are very genuine questions to ask from that partnership, you know, what has the result been? What have we got from it or what have we got from it that we don’t know about? What’s the real price of this cooperation?

Hamilton said he spoke on your behalf to Abu Dhabi officials, and I was just curious if that was ever relayed to you.

MH: Didn’t have a clue.

You spoke earlier about how money plays a role, especially in U.S.

How much do you think money has played a role in NYU expanding to global sites?

DT: Every institution, educational or not, has a price and runs as a business, because simply it’s the world that we live in.

Institutions and people need money to bring the bread to the table, in whatever way it is.

In that measure, of course money has played a role in NYU’s decision (MH: huge, it’s fundamental) both as a branding exercise and as a profiting exercise. Naturally, and the issue is what you would expect from educational institutions, particularly universities that are the beacons of knowledge for humanity, would be to think that they are expanding in the interest of generating new knowledge and new opportunities, to expand intercultural understanding and values and education.

However, I think where we both agree and we have a massive issue, is that any money that comes and goes is actually shaping, actively, the discourses produced by these supposedly independent beacons of knowledge. It’s so important for us to talk to staff but also to students: to what extent is the money that your university is getting from wherever, shaping the knowledge that you’re receiving? To which extent your lectures and your reseacherers — your university — are being able to actively engage in independent thinking, in independent research, and not serving external interests?

A report released by the U.S. Department of Education showed that NYU received $78 million in contracts and gifts from the UAE. Although there was a $10 million gift from the Executive Authority of Abu Dhabi, the vast majority of the donations were in the form of contracts. Almost $3 million dollars came from Tamkeen, a government agency which makes up one of NYU’s partners on the Abu Dhabi campus.

DT: What’s the cost that the universities are paying for receiving certain money and vice versa? What are the foreign campuses paying for? Because it’s not just going to be the swanky buildings and foreign staff, I can assure you that.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity. Email Meghna Maharishi and Victor Porcelli at news@nyunews.com.

HackNYU Emphasizes Sustainability, Inclusivity

By AKIVA THALHEIM Social Media Editor Over 500 students squeezed into the Tandon School of Engineering gymnasium on Sunday for a 48-hour celebration of coding and creativity.

CAS senior and Executive Co-Chair of this year’s HackNYU Srishti Sanya explained how the annual hackathon works. “[Hackers] have a dedicated time to build something that solves a problem that they’re interested in or [one based on] whatever theme the hackathon has,” Sanya said.

At this year’s hackathon, students competed in four tracks loosely based on some of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals: Health and Well-Being, Sustainability, Education and Financial Empowerment.

Each track has three winners chosen by industry professionals at a Hacker Expo, during which students showcase their projects in a science-fair-like manner. Winning teams in each track get cash prizes. There are also sponsored prizes from companies like Facebook and Google. In total, the prizes are valued at over $28,000 this year.

The sponsored prizes were separate from the others and had specific requirements. Contrary Capital, a venture capital firm that invests in student companies, held a competition for most disruptive technology. Stern sophomore Lucas Wang, a venture partner at the firm, judged who would win the prize, a pitch to the firm’s CEO. Wang said he felt students can take a lot away from the hackathon.

“It’s great to get students out there in an engineering and product setting that’s outside the academic setting,” Wang said.

“I learned more in a hackathon than I did in a semester of school.”

While many projects focused on sustainability this year, there was also a heavy emphasis on creating inclusive products.

An app for the visually impaired that uses machine learning to detect objects in one’s surroundings won first place in the Health and Well-Being track. The winner for the Education track was an app intended for the blind or deaf that offers a way of learning and composing music that doesn’t involve seeing sheet music or hearing the music, using vibrations on the body instead.

HackNYU takes place simultaneously across all three of NYU’s degree-granting

campuses. The largest gathering takes place in Brooklyn, with satellite competitions in Shanghai and Abu Dhabi.

The New York City hackathon is also open to non-NYU students, and hackers attended from high schools and universities across the continent. This year’s competition had an overwhelming non-NYU participation rate, with nearly 70 percent of students coming from other schools, according to organizers of the event.

“We applied to a couple of hackathons for this weekend, but this was our top choice just because it was a big name school and it would be one of the better experiences,” Clarke University first-year Nicholas Mitchell said. “So when we got acceptances from other ones, this is the one we came to.”

While HackNYU is entirely student-organized, it relies on collaboration between multiple departments at NYU. NYU Community and Experience Strategist Nick Jensen, an organizer for the hackathon since 2013, explained that the Office of Student Affairs, NYU IT, Public Safety, Student Government and NYU Athletics are all involved in making the event a success. Jensen added that he

is proud of the event each year because it shows how much NYU administration can learn from the students.

“Students not only deserve a seat at the table, but we really should be taking more of our lead from them,” Jensen said. “And

I think this kind of event will inspire the idea that students are really creative, and they can problem-solve really well.”

Email Akiva Thalheim at athalheim@nyunews.com.

AKIVA THALHEIM | WSN

Over 500 students packed into Tandon’s gym for a 48-hour hackathon, the largest in New York. Prizes this year were valued at over $28,000.

Washington Square News | News

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 2019

Experts Endorse Safe Injection Sites

By ANISH FONSEKA Contributing Writer With the United States still in the midst of an opioid crisis, stigmas among users of narcotic substances remain. One potential solution is safe injection sites, which would allow narcotics users to inject drugs in a controlled environment in an attempt to prevent overdoses, transmission of disease and syringes left in the open.

NYU’s Center for Drug Use and HIV Research and the Drug Policy Alliance’s Office of Academic Engagement hosted the quarterly briefing on drug trends in New York City in association with the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene on Friday. The DPA is a group that advocates for evidence-based drug policy. At the event, three of its members presented findings and experiences to a group of professionals involved with drug treatment and policy, as well as to interested students.

GLS sophomore Sebastian Paine, who attended the event, said that the presentation provided an opportunity to learn about a topic they feel NYU’s courses rarely address.

“NYU doesn’t offer enough courses that deal with substance use on the undergraduate level,” Paine said.

Homelessness and mental illness were the reasons overwhelmingly cited by users for their substance abuse in a study by Sadat Iqbal, a field researcher at DOHMH. The department rec-

ommends the creation of safe spaces to increase safety for both users and non-users. Mayor Bill de Blasio and the department are awaiting approval from Governor Andrew Cuomo before proceeding with this initiative.

Bennett Allen, a research associate at DOHMH, said that safe injection sites would greatly reduce overdose deaths in New York City.

“We expect that overdose prevention centers would likely reduce the annual overdose deaths in New York City by 19 to 37 people [and] could save up to a million dollars in healthcare costs,” Allen said during the presentation.

Some criticize safe injections sites, claiming they promote drug use. Iqbal suggested the placement of kiosks in parks for users to dispose of their syringes, an alternative to safe injection sites that is less likely to seem to encourage drug use.

“Kiosks are an effective means of reducing syringe litter, they do not encourage drug use and they allow for safe disposal,” Iqbal said.

He also spoke about the problem of open syringes in public spaces in the South Bronx, which is a hazard to nearby residents, such as children playing in parks. Iqbal said this problem surged following the city’s shutdown of the Hole, a popular refuge for drug users and the homeless.

During the event, M.P.H. candidate at the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health Shivani Mantha summarized her study on the ef-

fects of excluding drug users with criminal records from community-based alternatives to prison. She concluded that such exclusion would result in a racial disparity among those eligible for the alternatives due to systemic and historical racial discrimination by law enforcement.

CAS first-year Clara Levy attended the event and said that it helped increase her awareness of drug trends. “[The event provides] more indepth information about what is happening in our city,” Levy said.

Sheila Vakharia, Policy Manager of the Office of Academic Engagement for the DPA, organized the event. She encouraged students to attend briefings and become more active in promoting evidence-based drug policy.

Vakharia told WSN she was thrilled to have co-hosted the talk and that the presentations gave important information about the overdose crisis. “[Iqbal’s and Allen’s] presentations both reiterated the need for safer consumption spaces for people who inject drugs in our community, as well as the need to address larger structural issues such as poverty and homelessness that are driving high-risk practices,” Vakharia wrote in an email. “All in all, a very informative afternoon that hopefully raised awareness of the circumstances here in [New York City].”

Additional reporting by Victor Porcelli.

Email Anish Fonseka at news@nyunews.com.

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CRIME LOG

Fights Ensue Outside of Josie’s Pub

By CRIME BOT Robot Reporter From Feb. 7 to Feb. 12, the NYU Department of Public Safety received one report of a burglary, one report of a criminal trespassing, one report of a criminal trespassing/harassment, one report of disorderly conduct, six reports of controlled substance violations, three reports of harassment, one report of harassment/simple assault and seven reports of larceny.

Burglary On Feb. 11 at 11:10 a.m., an NYU student reported that several items were missing from his desk at 19 W. Fourth St. Police notification was declined and the case is open and under investigation.

Criminal Trespassing On Feb. 11 at 3:24 p.m., an NYU staff member reported a trespass at a studio. The trespasser was escorted out of the Barney Building.

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

Criminal Trespassing/Harassment On Feb. 12 at 12:46 p.m., an NYU staff member reported being harassed by two trespassers. No injuries were reported at Rogers Hall.

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

Disorderly Conduct On Feb. 8 at 2 p.m., an NYU Dental staff member reported disorderly conduct. NYPD reported to the location and escorted the person out of Schwartz Hall. The case is open and under investigation.

Controlled Substance Violation

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On Feb. 7 at 7 p.m., Public Safety reported to an allegation of drug law violation and recovered a small amount of marijuana in Othmer Residence Hall. Police notification was declined and the case has been referred to the Office of Community Standards.

On Feb. 10 at 1:15 a.m., Public Safety reported to an incident involving a potential drug law violation and recovered a small amount of marijuana in Lipton Residence Hall. Police notification was declined and the case has been referred to the Office of Community Standards.

On Feb. 8 at 11:49 p.m., a resident assistant reported witnessing underage alcohol possession in Third Avenue North Residence Hall. Police notification was declined and the case has been referred to the Office of Community Standards.

On Feb. 9 at 11:20 p.m., an RA reported witnessing underage alcohol possession in University Residence Hall. Police notification was declined and the case has been referred to the Office of Community Standards.

On Feb. 9 at 11:30 p.m., an RA reported witnessing underage alco-

hol possession in Lipton Hall. Police notification was declined and the case has been referred to the Office of Community Standards.

On Feb. 11 at 9:20 p.m., an RA reported witnessing underage alcohol possession in Founders Residence Hall. Police notification was declined and the case has been referred to the Office of Community Standards.

Harassment On Feb. 7 at 11 p.m., an NYU student reported a case of harassment in Brittany Residence Hall. Police notification was declined and the case is open and under investigation.

On Feb. 10 at 11:35 p.m., an NYU student reported being the victim of harassment in Casa Vera. Police notification was declined and the case has been referred to the Office of Community Standards.

On Feb. 10 at 1:15 p.m., an NYU student reported being harassed by an unknown person while walking on Washington Square North.

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

Harassment / Simple Assault On Feb. 10 at 10:15 a.m., a group of NYU students reported witnessing several fights outside of Josie’s Pub on Waverly Place. A police report was filed and the case is open and under investigation.

Larceny On Feb. 7 at 8:33 p.m., an NYU student reported several items missing from his desk in Gramercy Green Residence Hall. Police notification was declined and the case is open and under investigation.

On Feb. 8 at 11:20 a.m., a nonNYU affiliate reported that her wallet was missing from her coat in Vanderbilt Hall. A police report was filed and the case is open and under investigation.

On Feb. 8 at 6:15 p.m., an NYU student reported her sweatshirt missing from a laundry room in Founders Hall. Police notification was declined and the case is open and under investigation.

On Feb. 11 at 9:15 a.m., an NYU staff member reported various items missing from cubicles and offices on the second floor in 25 W. Fourth St. The case is open and under investigation.

On Feb. 11 at 3:35 p.m., an NYU student reported a missing jacket in Tisch Hall. Police notification was declined and the case is open and under investigation.

On Feb. 12 at 7:39 a.m., an NYU student reported clothing missing from the laundry room in Othmer Hall. Police notification was declined and the case is open and under investigation.

On Feb. 12 at 1:30 p.m., an NYU staff member reported a missing camera in 721 Broadway. Police notification was declined and the case is open and under investigation.

Email Crime Bot at news@nyunews.com.

Washington Square News

4

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 2019

CULTURE

CULTURE@NYUNEWS.COM

Edited by FAITH MARNECHECK

The Stern Graduate Who Chose Maui Over Wall Street CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

“At one point, I convinced myself that it was my dream job,” Lee said.

Yet when she got an offer from a consulting firm, she was not at all excited. She could not see the next phase of her life in a corporate organization and craved a creative environment where she could combine the thrill of startups and the structure of corporate firms.

The thrill of the tattoo shop gave her the courage to chase a job that could give her the best of both worlds. Lee created her second shot by reaching out to companies.

“Go for it, reach out,” Lee said. “It doesn’t hurt. Or else you are gonna regret it.”

While some of her classmates questioned her method, she was determined not to stop until she found a job to suit her creative personality. Her friend Joanna Li, a current Stern junior, was supportive of her motivation.

“A lot of Stern kids have the misconception about finance; it’s not a get rich quick [job],” Li said. “You want to be able to be that person who is clean cut, professional, and get any job you want here, but also know who you really are and where your passions lie. Rachel is really cool in the sense that she can do both.”

When Lee heard back from PONO, her quest was finally over.

“I think it’s important for students

at NYU and Stern to realize that there are opportunities outside traditional recruitment in which you can make a difference,“ Lee said.

Lee ultimately chose to pursue the offer at PONO because of the chance to benefit others in a nontraditional medical setting, combining Lee’s interests — which extended back to childhood.

Melissa emphasized that her daughter always had a passion for helping others, and PONO lets her do that.

“It might not be the typical, traditional path in other people’s eyes, but it’s the unique mission in her heart that fits the company’s mission too,” Melissa Lee said.

The daughter of a neurologist father

specializing in Chinese medicine and a yoga-loving mother, Lee comes from a background of holistic and naturopathic practices, and the goal of working in this field always persisted in the back of her mind. The app to help the elderly that Lee helped develop in Shanghai reignited this passion.

Lee aims to continue making a social impact on the lives of the elderly in the medical cannabis industry. The elderly are the biggest user group of medical cannabis, allowing Lee to continue making an impact in their lives While Lee also acknowledges the benefits a Stern education brought to her through group projects, real-world experience with the Social Impact Core

and networking, she does not agree with the focus on only one type of career. She advises undergraduates to be open to diversity and take advantage of emerging industries, as the world undergoes radical change in the 21st century.

“If people are constantly following the traditional path, if the industry swings wide and things change, they might not be ready for it,” Lee said.

“It’s better to be young, be versatile, be adaptable and try these different industries. Then that way you can adapt in case anything drastic happens in the future.”

Email Elif Kesikbas at culture@nyunews.com.

Catch Some Z’s at The Dreamery

YESENIA LEON | WSN

“Napping pods” at The Dreamery.

By CAROLINE GROGAN Contributing Writer “Come in and zzz what’s inside.”

This enticing message, written in bright white against an ultramarine sign outlined by cosmic clouds and stars, caught my attention as I rushed to the dull, gray 194 Mercer Street building.

Even though I was already running late to class, I stopped just long enough to climb the steps that led to a set of cobalt blue doors, peer through

the glass panels emblazoned with the words “The Dreamery” and try to get a glimpse of what was inside.

Though I still couldn’t tell what hid behind the mysterious doors of 196 Mercer Street, a quick Google search at the beginning of class brought me up to speed. The brainchild of mattress company Casper, The Dreamery has been in the business of selling luxurious 45-minute naps for $25 since its opening last July. For almost a year now, students have walked by the shop unaware of

the peaceful slumber world that exists behind the blue illumination.

As I sat in class, I was preoccupied by the very premise of The Dreamery.

As someone who naps for free in my dorm room, I couldn’t imagine paying to do the same thing. Still, I had to find out for myself whether The Dreamery was a genius idea to bring rest to the city that never sleeps or an example of late-stage capitalism at its most exploitative and superfluous.

As soon as I walked through The Dreamery’s indigo entrance, I left the urban jungle behind and stepped into a magical archway fashioned to look like the night sky, complete with twinkling stars that illuminated my way through the dark passage. I was immediately greeted by two friendly employees who waited as I marveled at the sheer size of the place. Decked out in plush sofas, colorful books and snacks for pre- and post-nap, the check-in room was larger than I had imagined the entire place would be.

Once I finished checking in and exploring the lobby, one of the employees gave me a set of navy blue pajamas and led me into a corridor with changing areas and sleeping accessories such as slippers, extra pillows and earplugs.

Holding a finger to her lips to indicate that we were entering the silent part of The Dreamery, she led me through

a futuristic maze of napping pods.

Once she closed the curtains of my pod, I pressed a button next to the bed that said, “Press me! I’m a light switch,” and everything went dark.

For the first 10 minutes, I tossed and turned. If I had been in my dorm room, I would have grabbed my phone, but since I knew I only had 45 minutes, I restrained myself. Soon enough, I felt myself slipping into a deep, delicious sleep.

I woke up to the light in my pod gradually brightening until it returned to its full intensity. I was a bit groggy, but I was mostly impressed by how deeply I slept — the bed was cozy and spacious, and the absolute silence was a delightful change from the loud traffic of Fifth Avenue that usually sings me to sleep. As I shuffled out of the napping room, I caught a glimpse of a woman who looked to be in her mid-forties, still wearing her regular clothes and exiting another pod.

Seeing as she was the only other customer I saw during my visit, the question still remained — what kind of people take naps here?

Employee Mary Margaret Coble was able to give me some insight. According to Coble, most people who come to The Dreamery make reservations rather than just walk in. Their clientele ranges from local workers on

their lunch break to tourists who have been on their feet all day to Japanese businessmen who are used to similar establishments back home. But they have regular customers as well.

“We have a gentleman napping here right now who I think is here for his fifth day in a row,” Coble said.

The Dreamery even receives some NYU alumni who love the concept of a place to nap in between meetings and events.

“We get a lot of NYU alumni who were like, ‘where was this when I was in school?’” Cole said.

At first glance, The Dreamery may not seem like it caters exactly to college students. However, like attractions such as Times Square or the Statue of Liberty, it’s worth going at least once just to be able to say you did it. Lest you need more concrete reasons to justify spending $25 on a nap, the cost of the complimentary Chameleon Cold Brew coffee and Sunday Riley skincare products are worth more than what you pay to sleep. If you find yourself walking through the star-studded blue archway of The Dreamery to try it out, just know you’re getting some of the best sleep for your buck.

Email Caroline Grogan at culture@nyunews.com

Fancy Facials for a Fresh Face

By CELINA KHORMA Staff Writer Start of the semester got you down? Weather that won’t make up its mind affecting your skin?

Just need some self-care? All of the above? We’ve got you.

Give your skin the love it deserves with a facial at any of these five spots, all short walks from campus.

Christine Chin $$$ 82 Orchard St.

This Lower East Side spa takes your skin seriously. They have an extensive range of facial options and a customized facial that’s designed to cater to your specific needs. CAS junior Eva Minisini, a frequent Christine Chin client, said her favor-

ite treatment is the Glow Facial. A mix of cleansing, steaming, exfoliating and applying different facial masques, this treatment is a game changer for your skin.

“They really target your pores,” Minisini said. “You leave feeling so fresh and dewy.”

pending on which you pick, you’ll be presented with a range of treatments, all of which consist of workout-like kneading movements on your face to lift and sculpt it, leaving you feeling firm and fresh.

Face Gym $$

You may not be the expert on what your skin needs, so reading from a list of spa services at times just feels futile. Heyday gets it, which is why all of their facials are personalized. Your experience begins with a skin analysis session, and the rest is out of your hands. According to Heyday’s website, regardless of your skin’s needs, your facial of 30, 50 or 75 minutes will cleanse, exfoliate, hydrate and conclude with SPF application for ex-

670 Broadway

A newcomer to campus, Face Gym is wildly different from your traditional spa. In fact, it doesn’t consider itself a spa at all. According to its website, a session here is more than just a facial — it’s a workout for your face.

Book yours online and pick which treatment you feel your skin needs most, from de-puffing to sculpting, radiance, hydration and detox. De-

Heyday NoHo $$ 382 Lafayette St.

tra sun protection.

it makes my skin feel amazing.”

Silver Mirror Facial Bar $$

Haven Spa $$

20 W. 22nd St.

250 Mercer St.

Venture to the Flatiron District, where Silver Mirror Facial Bar awaits you. The spa offers 30 and 50-minute sessions, the latter targeting your skin’s needs with a little extra love.

Choose between their Signature, Party-Prep or even Just-for-Men facials if you’re feeling a shorter session, but if your goal is to target acne, sensitive skin or dryness, opt for the longer treatments. CAS sophomore Aimisi Aguele swears by Silver Mirror Facial Bar. “It’s perfect for the cold weather we experience in New York because my skin gets really dry,” Aguele said.

“I get a facial here every so often and

A hop, skip and a jump away from Bobst, Haven is the perfect spot for a de-stressing session during a study break. Their facial list is extensive, and you’re guaranteed to find one that suits your needs perfectly. Choose from their signature offerings, like the Fire and Ice, which smooths and hydrates your skin with masks and other botanical applications. For extra hydration, book a 30-minute long HydraFacial — perfect for both oily and dry skin — leaving you with a bright, even and fresh finish.

Email Celina Khorma at bstyle@nyunews.com

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 2019

Washington Square News | Culture

Is Curing Acne Worth the Side Effects?

By MARISA LOPEZ Staff Writer The popular acne treatment isotretinoin — originally sold under the brand name Accutane — has been dubbed by some dermatologists as “the closest thing we have to a cure for acne,” and Chris Pine’s recent favorable review may tempt some into demanding a prescription.

However, its myriad of side effects are notoriously severe and include everything from extremely dry skin to potential liver damage. Consequently, dermatologists are often hesitant to prescribe this oral medication. So how do you know if it’s right for you?

CAS junior Ladan Jaballas has a long history of severe cystic acne. After her freshman year of college, she made the decision with her doctor to go on isotretinoin.

“Before taking it I had been on antibiotics, birth control, various over-the-counter topicals and prescriptions, and Proactiv, but nothing worked for me,” Jaballas said.

Although isotretinoin worked for her, she still recommended it only as a last resort for those who have deep stubborn acne, especially considering the drug’s known potential to cause severe pregnancy complications. A Canadian study of over 59,000 women on isotretinoin found that 8 percent got pregnant and gave live birth, of which 11 percent had serious congenital abnormalities. The study further found the pregnancy rate on the drug to be between four and six out of 1,000. In order to manage the risks of isotretinoin therapy on pregnant women, the FDA mandates female patients that use isotretinoin join the iPledge Program. It requires them to take two forms of birth control and doctor-administered pregnancy tests.

Nursing sophomore Jennifer Horlick echoed Jaballa’s emphasis on isotretinoin being the last resort, as she also had to con-

The rainbow and glitter sparklers, the ornate pig floats and the red everywhere signify the start of the weeks-long celebration of Chinese New Year. Also known as the Spring Festival or Lunar New Year, the holiday fell on Feb. 5 this year, beginning the Year of the Pig. Celebrations last for weeks — in New York, there’s the parade in Chinatown, a Chinese New Year Spectacular at Carnegie Hall and various other museum exhibitions and cultural activities across the five boroughs.

CAS junior and Taiwanese American Amanda Hu went home to New Jersey to celebrate the holiday.

“Every year my family has a big dinner with all the traditional dishes, and we always get red envelopes,” Hu said. “This year we did exactly that.”

For those who don’t go home for the holiday, there are opportunities at NYU to find a small taste of home. NYU’s Chinese Mei Society held their annual Lunar New Year celebration at the start of the spring semester.

“We pride ourselves on good food,” Stern senior Richard Zhang and Steinhardt senior Grace Yan, co-presidents of the society, told WSN over email. “We usually have traditional Chinese New Year foods like noodles and dumplings brought by our club from

Authentic Chinese Food Near NYU

By TERESA ZHANG Contributing Writer Whether you are a food lover looking for authentic Chinese cuisine or a student seeking comfort food from home, these five restaurants near NYU will immediately transport you to China.

South of the Clouds 16 W. Eighth St.

SOPHIA DI IORIO | WSN

sider the implications of going on isotretinoin as a woman.

“My brother had taken Accutane before me, but I knew things would be a bit more complicated given the birth control requirements,” Horlick said.

Horlick found that the main side effect she experienced was dryness.

“I was on it for around six or eight months. It dried out my skin and I had extremely dry lips — Aquaphor was my best friend,” she said. “My hands were so dry, and there was also a period of time when I’d get nosebleeds almost every day because the inside of my nose was so dry. Sometimes I’d get multiple nosebleeds in one day.”

LS sophomore Brian Landry further underscored this aspect of the notorious treatment.

“Accutane really gets rid of acne, but it makes your skin super dry,” Landry said.

“Sometimes it flakes off of your face and looks really bad for like, weeks at a time.

During dry weather, you [have to] use hand cream and lip balm or else your skin will crack.”

Landry also noted that isotretinoin can sometimes make your joints sore because of its tendency to dry out the natural lubrication around your bones. Although isotretinoin cured Landry’s acne, he too agrees that isotretinoin be prescribed to those with a history of severe acne.

It is critical to know just how powerful a drug isotretinoin is and how it affects the body beyond just the skin on your face. However, if you and your doctor have weighed the benefits and drawbacks, isotretinoin may be the cure you have been waiting for.

Email Marisa Lopez at bstyle@nyunews.com

Finding Home Away From Home During Chinese New Year

By KYLIE KIRSCHNER Staff Writer

5

Chinatown to provide the student community a little taste of home or of a new culture.

We then play games and talk a little about the cultural aspects of Chinese New Year — we aim to provide a fun environment where people of all backgrounds can learn about and enjoy Chinese culture.”

Stern junior Lilian Chung, the president of NYU’s Taiwanese American Student Society, said her club also hosts a similar Chinese New Year event.

“We play games related to the holiday — tongue twisters and calligraphy related to the new year — and provide food that is usually eaten to celebrate the new year, like dumplings,” she said.

Chung said that while these clubs host annual New Year celebrations, some may feel that the intimacy of family gatherings that define the holiday is lost.

“For those who have grown up celebrating Chinese New Year every year with their families, it’s difficult to be away from home,” Chung said. “Since there are a lot of people at these events, there’s less of a personal connection to all the other people.”

Many Lunar New Year traditions revolve around the home and family, such as cleaning, decorating, cooking together and visiting family members and friends. Tandon junior Sherry Fu explained how her experiences differed drastically from New York City to home.

“It’s the longest holiday in China, and people get to reunite with their families, so

everyone appears happy all the time — there are decorations on the streets and in stores, which creates a festive atmosphere everywhere you go,” Fu said. “If I were in China during the New Year, my family and I would go back to my grandparents’ houses to have a New Year Eve dinner with them and watch the Chinese New Year Gala together. This year I did nothing because I had an entire day of class.”

Originally from Chengdu, CAS junior Mengxin Xu feels that being at college mitigates the Chinese New Year atmosphere.

“There is a lot more to do when you’re at home with your relatives,” Xu said. “This year my Chinese friends and I all cooked a dinner together and made dumplings, but in China, on the day of New Year’s Eve all my family members get together to have dinner and see fireworks, and I’d usually go to my ancestors’ graves with my grandpa the next morning.”

While students can still enjoy festivities close to campus and celebrate with friends, Fu says nothing is the same as spending the holiday at home.

“The significance of Chinese New Year is to go home,” Fu said. “It’s to unite with your families and spend time with each other. No matter how similar the decorations or parades are in the United States, it’s still not home.”

Email Kylie Kirschner at culture@nyunews.com.

If you’re looking for something to warm you up during one of the coldest months of the year, South of the Clouds is the perfect place.

The restaurant’s signature Yunnan Crossing Bridge rice noodles ($18) are a must-try. The chicken broth for the rice noodle is cooked for four hours, and it is served with nine other ingredients, including beef, pork, fish and tofu skin.

Its rich ingredients give it a light yet flavorful taste. Together with the smooth rice noodles, the dish warms you up immediately.

“The broth is rich and delicious, and the rice noodles are so chewy,” Steinhardt first-year Amy Peng said. Peng eats at South of Clouds once a week.

Her favorite dish is the Little Pot Rice Noodle ($15), which offers a stronger and richer flavor than the Yunnan Crossing Bridge noodles.

Golden Unicorn 18 E. Broadway

Who doesn’t crave dim sum on a weekend morning? Golden Unicorn, located in Chinatown, offers some of the best dim sum in the city in a traditional Cantonese setting. You get to choose what goes on your plate from the multiple small carts traveling around the restaurant. Featured dim sum includes piglet buns with egg custards, siu mai with shrimps and egg tarts for a reasonable price.

This place is packed with people on weekends, so be ready to wait around 40 minutes to get a table.

The dishes are definitely worth the time you spend in line.

China Blue 135 Watts St.

The ambiance and decoration of China Blue are reminiscent of a wealthy family’s house in 1930s Shanghai. The tableware is as del-

icate as the food. The restaurant offers signature Shanghainese dishes like osmanthus lotus root, Yan Du Xian and rice cakes with salted duck egg and shrimp. Yan Du Xian ($19) — a soup with fresh and cured pork, bamboo shoots, bok choy and tofu skin — is a staple for Shanghainese families. It can be a good appetizer or an excellent wrap to the meal.

“I come all the way from Brooklyn just for this,” said William Lin, a Tandon senior originally from Shanghai. “The food is a little bit greasy compared to what I have back home, but I can say that it [is] one of the best in the States.”

LaoMa Spicy 58 E. Eighth St.

Walking on Eighth Street, you can trace an aromatic smell to LaoMa Spicy, a Chinese restaurant that specializes in dry pot. Dry pot is a popular dish in China that is usually served spicy. At LaoMa Spicy, you get to pick what you want in the dry pot, from meat and vegetables to seafood. Some of the most popular options are sliced beef, beef tripe and enokitake mushrooms. You can also select your own spice level ranging from mild to very spicy. The dry pots are all $16 or less.

Szechuan Mountain House 23 St. Marks Place

Szechuan Mountain House is a Chinese restaurant that serves authentic spicy food from Szechuan, China. Most dishes are bright red, covered in dry chili peppers and Szechuan peppercorns. They taste just as hot as they look.

“The spice they use here is very authentic,” said Tina Tu, a Steinhardt senior originally from Szechuan. “It’s a full flavor, and it tastes like what I would eat back home.”

The signature dishes include water-boiling fish, blood curd, tripe and ham in spicy soup ($23.95) and braised frog with spicy chili broth ($26.95). Be prepared to stand in line, though; the wait time is about an hour during dinner time and they don’t take reservations.

Email Teresa Zhang at dining@nyunews.com.

TERESA ZHANG | WSN

Spicy chili soup from Szechuan Mountain House.

Washington Square News

6

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 2019

ARTS

ARTS@NYUNEWS.COM

Edited by GURU RAMANATHAN

Netflix Could Be Influencing the Next Election

By DANTE SACCO Deputy Arts Editor Dating back to before his presidency, President Donald Trump has consistently crowned himself a master of ratings, possessing an undeniable talent for stoking interest in the American pastime of sitting in front of the television, whether during his reality show, presidential debates or the State of the Union.

Democrats, having taken note of Trump’s tactics, are building media stars of their own. This month, HBO and Netflix announced that in the lead up to the 2020 Presidential election, two of the Democratic Party’s youngest and most politically gifted figures will get a small head start in the battle for screen time.

Netflix has purchased the rights to “Knock Down the House,” a documentary that followed Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and three other female House of Representatives candidates during the 2018 midterms, while HBO has acquired “Running With Beto,” a documentary that tracked former Texas Representative Beto O’Rourke’s promising but failed bid to upend a Senate seat that has been Republican for longer than Trump has.

For O’Rourke, “Running with Beto,” set to air in the spring, could not come at a better time. O’Rourke is frequently cited as a potential suitor for the Democratic presidential ticket in 2020, and given that the documentary is promoted as having “intimate access to O’Rourke,” and documenting his “rise from virtual unknown to national political sensation,” the El Paso native would start with the rare advantage of being cast in a friendly, narrative light, beamed

into the homes of 54 million HBO subscribers.It’s an advantage that could be pertinent during the scramble for 2020 Democratic Primary funds.

In Ocasio-Cortez’s case, the film will be more of a victory lap for the unorthodox congresswoman. Her successful campaign to dethrone establishment figure Joe Crowley, captured in the documentary, has become a touchstone for progressive Democrats. Her aspirations for higher office likely need to be stayed for a while. She is years away from being old enough to run for president and her Senatorial colleagues in New York are both Democrats. Though if anyone is brash and popular enough to primary two veteran Senators and succeed, it would be Ocasio-Cortez.

The announcement of “Knock Down The House” came with the shocking report that Netflix had purchased it for $10 million, a record for a documentary brokered at a film festival. Certainly, much of this has to do with Ocasio-Cortez herself — one of the few characteristics she shares with Trump is her dual identities as a social media influencer and a politician. She has a reputation for creating intrigue in under 280 characters. Fortunately for her, mobilizing user engagement is largely the battlefield upon which politics is now fought.

This is all to say that as the nature of political campaigns and the politician themselves change, so do the mediums by which they are covered. Twenty years ago, it would have been unthinkable that a first-term representative and failed Senate candidate would be the stars of two nationally distributed and highly anticipated documentaries. Now, promising political figures can leverage

New Netflix documentaries focus on Democrats Beto O’Rourke and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.

an intimate and partial documentary to control their own stories without retort.

At the end of these films, there is no response documentary attached by the opposition party.

Still, these two documentaries are historical outliers in that both Ocasio-Cortez and O’Rourke have sparse histories as public figures and the potential for immense future political consequences.

The closest corollaries to these two films, where a subject is intimately profiled at a moment of contemporaneous political relevance, are “Mitt” on Netflix and “By The People: The Election of Barack

Obama” on HBO. Even then, “Mitt” was released four years prior to the Romney campaign for Senate, and “By The People” was released after Obama was already president. Rewatching “Mitt” today, the contrast between Mitt Romney’s mild manners and the political climate we live in is striking; in “Mitt,” Romney was a father with PG-rated language, a Ned Flanders of American politicians. This is a billing that wouldn’t draw a crowd in the age of Trump.

The guiding philosophy that Democrats have seemingly aped from Trump is that ratings and eyeballs can be king.

VIA FACEBOOK.COM

What better way to spread your message into the households of millions of Americans than by reaching the whole family in their natural state, the streaming binge? With these documentaries, Ocasio-Cortez and O’Rourke extend their reach in the arena of American celebrity, as seems to be required of today’s politicians. Former President Ronald Reagan was once elected as a movie-star-turned-politician. It appears that careers today follow the opposite progression.

Email Dante Sacco at film@nyunews.com.

‘Sorry Angel’ Unveils the Highs and Lows of Queer Love

By CLAIRE FISHMAN Film and TV Editor A young man from the Brittany region of France, Arthur (Vincent Lacoste), and a 40-something-yearold writer, Jacques (Pierre Deladonchamps), meet by chance in a cinema, sneaking guilty glances at each other from across the aisle. Jacques chuckles softly and playfully tells Arthur to watch the movie. Yet, as Arthur turns away, Jacques moves to sit next to him.

He asks Arthur if he likes the movie.

Arthur, armed and ready, says he was considering leaving before he saw

Jacques. “Life is more surprising than films,” he quips, “especially this one.”

Looking past the meta — which film is Arthur referring to? — and foreboding nature of this meet-cute, it’s important to mention how visually stunning the whole affair is. You could pause any scene in “Sorry Angel” and come away with a poster-worthy shot. Unlike “Call Me by Your Name,” colors aren’t limited to pale, muted tones with hints of summer peach. Every scene in “Sorry Angel” has a unique color palette that miraculously manages to remain cohesive with the film as a whole. For instance,

COURTESY OF PLAIRE AIMER ET COURIR

Arthur (Vincent Lacoste) dances with Jacques (Pierre Deladonchamps) after coming to Paris to comfort him during his treatment.

cinematographer Rémy Chevrin coats the cinema in dark shades of indigo, with the only remnants of light reflecting off of Arthur’s and Jacques’ faces to the beat of the movie playing in front of them. The camera closes in on the couple and stays there, holding its gaze as if to show a portrait of budding love, an unlikely couple on their first movie date. And as you sit down to watch “Sorry Angel” and see Arthur and Jacques watching you watching them, you begin to understand the implications of the aforementioned meet-cute. This is not just a storybook film about the ill-fated romance of Arthur and Jacques; it’s a film that explores real struggles that are too often left out of queer film.

I’m referring to the misrepresentation of HIV/AIDS in queer cinema.

Despite being set in the early 1980s, “Call Me by Your Name” leaves out any mention of the illness and instead focuses on sexual discovery. “Dallas Buyers Club” focuses on a straight, homophobic man who suffers drastic weight loss due to the disease, but conveniently leaves out mention of other severe symptoms. This is not to say that they’re wrong to leave out the more horrific parts of queer history, but that “Sorry Angel” should be applauded for embracing them.

Arthur and Jacques’ relationship progresses quickly — the two calling and writing love letters to each other constantly. Arthur, ever the literature student, indulges Jacques in his long,

existential speeches and admissions of devotion. Jacques, in turn, attempts to remain cool and collected when he hears Arthur is seeing other people. All the while, Jacques attempts to nurse his ex-boyfriend back from the brink of death, but his condition only seems to get worse. With one budding romance on the rise, his past one begins to wither and eventually dies. And of course, we all know what comes next: Jacques is diagnosed with

“

Even in its darkest moments, the film can’t help but be beautiful.

”

the same disease.

Arthur continues to see him, making the trip from Brittany to Paris several times, but Jacques’s condition

doesn’t deteriorate quietly. First, his vision falters, then his legs. He develops lesions all over his chest and face and he can’t control his bowels. He can hardly stand, much less be intimate. But Arthur takes his time and handles Jacques with care, never for a minute dismissing him because of his worsening symptoms. And yet, behind all this unconditional devotion, we see Arthur’s sacrifice perfectly captured in Vincent Lacoste’s performance. In continuing his intimate relationship with Jacques, Arthur takes on the same risk that Jacques took with his ex-boyfriend, and we can only assume that the domino effect continues from there.

There is nothing pretty about HIV/ AIDS. And yet “Sorry Angel” is so arresting that even as I write this, I’m still grappling with the moral implications of conflating beauty with tragedy.

How can I even begin to claim that a movie depicting a realistic progression of HIV/AIDS is beautiful, gorgeous even, without being somehow insensitive to the survivors and victims of the virus itself? I almost wish that “Sorry Angel” was less haunting so that I could at least say it was a tasteless portrait of a serious issue. But, unfortunately, it’s not that simple. Even in its darkest moments, the film can’t help but be beautiful. And, God forgive me, I wouldn’t want it any other way.

Email Claire Fishman at cfishman@nyunews.com.

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 2019

Washington Square News | Arts

7

‘Adam’ Shines a Spotlight on the Trans Experience

By RENÉ BENNETT Staff Writer Where the world stifles, theater liberates. “Adam,” which ran at the Skirball Center of the Performing Arts last weekend, tells the heroic journey of star Adam Kashmiry’s experiences as a transgender man living in Egypt and Glasgow. Beneath the surface, “Adam” is a powerful tale of struggle in a world that is not on the character’s side.

Themes of dissociation and connection, repression and transformation highlight the transgender experience with a varied integration of naturalistic dialogue, moody music and techno-driven spectacle.

Who is Adam Kashmiry? He is one of two actors in the production, where he plays himself: a trans man born in Alexandria, Egypt who immigrated to Glasgow, Scotland in 2010. His life eventually inspired him to share his story with the National Theatre of Scotland, which ran the original U.K. production and the New York run.

Before Kashmiry comes on stage, the audience sees an elevated angular platform surrounded by mauled mannequins, their parts dismembered, broken and arranged like a border of bodies. Within this border, Kashmiry and his brilliant co-star Rehanna MacDonald share his story, opening various tiles as they relay different events and encounters like a board of memories.

A disunion between body and mind is established, where the latter is confined by a border set by the former.

“Screen,” Kashmiry said in his opening monologue about words with opposite meanings. “To show but

also to conceal.”

These ambiguous words — the play tells us they’re called contronyms — punctuate Kashmiry’s storytelling. It becomes clear that they represent the way in which we associate meaning with the body, and how body and mind may in fact convey opposite meanings. This idea is central to an audience reaching an understanding about what it means to be transgender. It is not merely being born into the wrong body, but rather being born into a body that conveys a meaning untrue to the individual.

The play is strongest in its portrayal of Kashmiry’s coming to terms with his gender identity. So rarely is this an experience that makes it to an international stage for audiences to bear witness to.

We see Kashmiry’s dissociation from the female identity he was given, even from six years old, when he notes to his mother, “I wanted to go to the toilet the way Farouk does. Standing up.”

We see his harrowing encounters with abuse and his rejection from home. He is forced to live alone in a run-down apartment and sleep on the floor.

This is only one of many forms of exile Kashmiry faces. In Egypt, his motherland, there are debauchery laws in place that allow for LGBTQ people to be convicted and incriminated, in addition to the general abuse and harassment faced by members of the community. It is no surprise, then, that Kashmiry fled to the U.K. at 19 as an asylum seeker, to a place where he would be protected by law. Even this was not without struggles, as Kashmiry starved himself to save money for testosterone in order to prove his identity as a transgender male and gain asylum.

COURTESY OF THE NATIONAL THEATRE OF SCOTLAND

Adam Kashmiry and Rehanna MacDonald in “Adam,” the story of an Egyptian transgender man’s struggling with his gender identity.

In spite of the many traumas depicted, the play is not without moments of humor and hope. Though the more turbulent and often terrifying experiences Kashmiry underwent certainly leave their impact, the audience is not entirely agonized. Some jokes landed well, such as a humorous conversation between Kashmiry and his mother about chest hair.

There is also a virtual chorus of voices that aims to unify a global community of people who identify as trans through music. They emerge from

Kashmiry’s revelatory findings on the internet, where he first learned the term “transgender.”

Although the music seemed written halfheartedly and came across as not much more than a banal gimmick, the final merging of these voices was memorable and indicated a hopeful vision of unity.

Covering the nuances of growing up transgender in Egypt, relearning how to define language and the body and immigrating to a foreign country in a single 80-minute production sounds

daunting. Nevertheless, “Adam” encompasses and integrates many pivotal moments in this sequence. Perhaps it does not cover all the gradations of such experiences, but it brings them to the stage in a unique way without becoming muddled, and this in itself is a laudable feat.

“Adam” ran at the Skirball Center for the Performing Arts from Feb. 14 to 16.

Email René Bennett at theater@nyunews.com.

The Golden Age of Music, Defined in an NYU Psych Lab

VIA NYU

Facade of the NYU Department of Psychology.

By NICOLE ROSENTHAL Music Editor To many in Generation X, the ’60s, ’70s and ’80s are idealized as the golden age of music. According to a new psychological study at NYU, younger generations might feel the same way.

In this study, NYU Clinical Assistant Professor of Psychology Pascal Wallisch and a team of undergraduates found that music from the ’60s to the ’90s is signif icantly more

recognizable to younger generations, in a collective memory bank more stable than the years before or after the time period. Titled “Who remembers the Beatles? The collective memory for popular music,” the study surveyed approximately 650 millennials in the greater New York area over the course of a year. Undergraduates had the rare opportunity to co-author the paper.

In fall 2014, then-undergraduate and study co-author of the study

Stephen Spivack approached Wallisch, and expressed his interest in studying music in the context of psychology. It was not until summer 2015 that the study became concrete, when the team selected the music and created 5-, 10- and 15-second audio clips. Wallisch and colleagues began recording data in late 2016, ending in spring 2017.

“The question was ‘are you aware of things before you are born?’” Wallisch said. “The idea that millenni-

als are oblivious [to] anything that happened before they were born, it’s just not true.”

The team’s study found three distinct phases in the public’s memory of popular music from the ’60s to the ’90s: The f irst phase demonstrated a steep decrease in participants’ abilities to recognize music from this millennium, which declined annually from 2015 to 2000. The second phase was a “stable plateau from the 1960s to the 1990s,” with participants maintaining stable recognition of songs released during this 40-year period. The third phase highlighted a gradual drop in the ability to recognize songs from the ’40s and ’50s.

Some songs easily recognized by the younger generation were “When a Man Loves a Woman” by Percy Sledge, “Baby Come Back” by Player and “The Tide Is High” by Blondie. Whereas, other tunes such as “Knock Three Times” by Dawn, “I’m Sorry” by John Denver and “Truly”

by Lionel Richie went largely unrecognized by the sample.

“The music from the ’60s was much different than music from the ’50s,” Wallisch said of why the music of the later decade may be more present in collective memory. “[It is] much more political, much more culturally charged. When I conceived this, I thought there would be some time in which the music recognition would fall to zero because if you play music from the ’40s, I’d be like, ‘I have no idea.’”

One possible explanation for a surge in the younger generations’ knowledge of their parents’ music is the accessibility millennials have to songs from past decades. There are over 200 million worldwide users on Spotify alone, according to the company’s off icial Q3 2018 report.

In fact, there was a signif icant relationship between the likelihood of recognizing a given song and its corresponding play count on Spotify.

“Spotify was launched in 2008, well after nearly 90 percent of the songs we studied were released,” Wallisch said in a statement. “[This] indicates millennials are aware of the music that, in general, preceded their lives and are nonetheless choosing to listen to it.”

The f indings showed no statistical differences between the NYU and non-NYU groups. The sample surveyed largely consisted of young participants, with an average age of 21.3 years. Eighty-eight percent of participants surveyed were between the ages of 18 and 25. Each participant in the study was presented with a random selection of seven out of 152 songs, listened to an excerpt of the track and reported whether they recognized it or not.

“The bigger question is ‘how can we learn from history?’” Wallisch said. “And of course, to learn from history, we have to know it f irst.”

Email Nicole Rosenthal at nrosenthal@nyunews.com.

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OPINION@NYUNEWS.COM

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 2019

OPINION

Edited by HANNA KHOSRAVI and MELANIE PINEDA

RACE

When Your NYU Community Doesn’t Respect You

By SARAH JOHN Deputy Opinion Editor NYU is the f irst community I have truly chosen to be a part of. I love this community, and the people in it. I smile at people in my dorm’s elevator. When I share a table with someone in Kimmel, I strike up conversation. In every NYU student, I see someone who I share an identity with, someone I want to know.

And that is, I think, the reason why I felt like I’d been punched in the gut when I read the racist email sent to a Silver student this week.

The email was sent to Shahem Mclaurin, a f irst-year graduate student in the Silver School for Social Work.

In it, another student stated that they felt more comfortable without a “black presence” in class and “the threat it posed.”

There was something deeply isolating about reading this email. It was from an NYU student — a member of this wonderful community I so desperately want to be mine. Immediately after reading it, I found myself wondering how many other people at NYU feel the same way. For days after, I found myself smiling less at people in elevators. When I sat in

Kimmel, I didn’t strike up conversation with anyone. Instead, I began to wonder just how many people would be more comfortable if my “black presence” was not here.

I love this NYU community.

But the shine of being a new, f irstyear student has dimmed since I’ve learned that there are parts of it that don’t love me back.

Not only that, but the allure of being an optimistic young adult can no longer cover up the fact that I live in a world that does not love or even respect me, and that it probably never will. It was just this month — this Black History Month, no less — that the governor and attorney general of Virginia both admitted to wearing blackface. It was not too long ago that Trump called Nigeria, where my

family is from, a “sh-thole country.”

The unrelenting pattern has left me feeling remarkably isolated. There is, it seems, no community that fully accepts me — a very painful thought.

I may have to navigate racism at NYU and in many other spaces for the rest of my life. But it is not up to the community to decide if I belong to it or not. I belong to it simply because I am here, and I intend to stay here.

My grandmother never learned to read or write. My mother never graduated from college, and she works incessantly to advance our lives. My siblings and I are the f irst generation in my family to receive college degrees.

I understand that the world is a very dark place. I understand that I may never see a world that fully welcomes

people who look like me — people who look like my family, my friends and even my future children. But I also understand that through forces of sheer willpower, generations of black people have been molding communities to offer them a space.

I am here at NYU, and my presence makes some of my peers uncomfortable. They will say or do things that make me feel like I don’t belong. But I am here. And after I graduate, I will go on to better the world, and make every community a little bit more accepting for the generation after me — the same way my mother did for me, and her mother did for her.

That is more than enough.

Email Sarah John at sjohn@nyunews.com.

GOVERNMENT

The Problem With NYU’s Letter to Betsy DeVos

By MERT ERENEL Staff Writer

TW: This article discusses sexual assault and sexual harassment.

The physical and psychological effects of sexual assault are inarguably damaging. Approximately 60 percent of sexual assault victims report either short-term or long-term impacts such as depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety or drug abuse. No one in their right mind would dismiss this problem in our society. Even if they don’t address it morally, they must address it pragmatically. I favor both.

Therefore, I would like to address some of the issues I have with NYU Public Relations Senior Vice President Lynne P. Brown’s letter to Secretary

of Education Betsy DeVos about proposed changes to Title IX. This is not to say that I agree with DeVos’ proposals — such as narrowing the definition of sexual harassment — which I expect will be problematic for victims presenting their cases in the future due to legal semantics. However, I’m confining my discussion to a critique of Brown’s letter and the arguments made — even though I consider the critique of DeVos’ proposals highly important as well.

My primary concern is NYU’s opposition to cross-examination and the given arguments to justify it: “[Cross-examinations] would favor those with access to the highest-priced, most aggressive legal talent; make the proceedings far more legalistic and adversarial, and less conducive to complainants coming forward; make proceedings longer; and yet not produce fair or better outcomes,” Brown wrote in her letter.

To say that cross-examination does not produce fair outcomes is worrying.

Yes, cross-examination would not be in the favor of the complainants — as they are designated in the letter — com-

ing forward, but the proceeding itself would be fair. It would allow both sides to make their statements and challenge the credibility of those statements. The letter to Betsy Devos says that the university is committed to “ … handling sexual misconduct incidents [by] giving respondents and complainants substantial opportunity to review and challenge the evidence gathered.”

But this policy statement cannot be seriously applicable when considering NYU’s Title IX Procedures, which state that “the Complainant and Respondent will not be permitted to directly question one another.” They are also not allowed to seek legal counsel, and even if they did in the form of an advisor, “the advisor may not speak or otherwise participate in the meetings.”

These clauses alone indicate many problems in the context of these sexual misconduct proceedings.

It is true that direct cross-examination between complainant and respondent has the potential to re-traumatize victims of assault. Nevertheless, if a complainant is not required to be present at these hearings, as written in

NYU Title IX procedures, then the critical opportunity for parties and decision makers to observe real-time responses and assess inconsistencies in testimony are tossed out. The complication in this process is that when victims are cross-examined, their psychological state may hinder their ability to give an accurate testimony, especially when challenged by a skilled cross-examiner. Despite this difficult possibility, cross-examination is necessary if one wishes to seek justice.

According to Brown’s letter, abiding

by Title IX legislation “would favor those with access to the highest-priced, most aggressive legal talent,” making it seem as though the accredited multi-billion dollar educational institution would be incapable or unwilling to designate a decent lawyer for its students in such serious matters if that were the case. Such a statement is inexcusable.

Another section of the letter says that NYU opposes the proposed regulation to “clear and convincing evidence standard.” But Brown has not provided a single reason why this is

wrong, apart from acknowledging that NYU would “have two separate evidentiary standards — one for Title IX cases and one for all other matters,” and that its alternative, preponderance of evidence, “is widely used in our society.”

There is no argument from Brown as to why we shouldn’t support the new proposal’s “clear and convincing evidence” standard. To say that we use the same standard for other matters is not a sufficient answer.

With #MeToo, the election of an anti-feminist President and the appointment of a Supreme Court Justice accused of sexual assault, expecting any private university to stay neutral would be naive. But NYU’s insistence on conducting investigations in private, with no in-person cross-examination between the parties involved, is not sufficient for justice.

A reasonable standard of evidence and presumption of innocence are aspects that should be considered seriously in Title IX proceedings.

Email Mert Erenel at opinion@nyunews.com.

POLITICS

Worried but Not Surprised at Trump’s Emergency

By NATHAN MAUE Contributing Writer President Donald Trump has been toying with declaring a national emergency for weeks, and on Friday he finally did so. This is a horrific subversion of the U.S. Constitution’s separation of powers and should worry citizens

and politicians of both parties. Unfortunately, the unconstitutional consolidation of executive power is not very surprising coming from a president who has expressed admiration for authoritarian regimes.

In a true emergency, Congress does not have time to act and in these situations, many presidents have taken such unilateral action to reallocate money.

These responses were authorized under laws passed by Congress that gave the president latitude in times of crisis.

This time, however, the only emergency is the political emergency circling Donald Trump. After shutting down the government for 35 days in a temper tantrum over a failure to achieve his

primary campaign promise despite his party controlling all three branches of government for the first two years of his presidency, Trump was forced to compromise. The emergency declaration is purely political, and in the president’s own words, he “didn’t need to do this.”

I applaud the swift and appropriate condemnation of this declaration

by Congressional Democrats. Even though the precedent set by Trump’s emergency declaration might make it easier for a potential President Kamala Harris to declare gun violence an emergency, a President Pete Buttigieg to declare climate change an emergency or a President Elizabeth Warren to declare wealth inequality an emergency,

this accumulation of executive power is another dangerous step down the road to authoritarianism. We have seen the President continuously assault the free press, demonize the independent judiciary and controversially politicize public service: all early warning signs associated with authoritarian regimes.

There are two ways that we can attempt to stop this gross abuse of power: a legal option and a legislative option.

Since the laws give the President sweeping powers in emergencies — without explicitly defining the term — and this is one of the first emergency declarations to be contentious, the courts will inevitably be in uncharted waters.

The best hope for Americans is for

Congress to pass a joint resolution of termination with a veto-proof majority, which would require strong Republican support. It would send a clear and united message to the president that the American people will not stand for the undermining of the legislative process.

Congressional Republicans revealed their total cowardice in the shutdown fight, so this may be a longshot, but it has a much more certain outcome than throwing up our hands and banking on the courts. It seems that the only way to hold this administration accountable is for citizens to take action themselves.

Email Nathan Maue at opinion@nyunews.com.

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TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 2019

EDUCATION

STEM Students Need Seminars, Too

By VIVIAN HOLLAND Contributing Writer Every semester, thousands of aspiring doctors, engineers, surgeons and researchers square up against a common foe, one they must tackle before their days of hypothesizing and diagnosing can commence: the exam. In preparation for this struggle, they spend many hours being talked at by a professor amid a sea of blank-faced peers. While the majority of undergraduates run into large exam-focused lectures at some point, for STEM and pre-medical students, it’s the backbone of their educational experience. We know that general chemistry isn’t typically taught seminar-style. But can that be reimagined?

Given the blink-and-you’ll-miss-it scope of most science lectures, most students need to digest material in the most time-eff icient way possible in order to stay afloat, rarely getting the chance to pick apart the abstract ideas thrown at them. The textbook-to-exam coursework doesn’t take into account the soft skills that modern medical and research careers demand. There are other means of evaluating students beyond their coursework, but a solid GPA is crucial to being competitive in STEM — not only for medical and graduate school applications, but for the more hands-on research and internship opportunities where original ideas and team players really shine.

While grasping complex material and working well under pressure are crucial, true success and innovation require more than just standard scientif ic chops; scientists need the abstract thinking skills of philosophers, the persuasiveness of law students and the creativity of artists. Being a scientist means stabbing at problems in a dark box with a long stick; one seldom sees exactly what they’re dealing with, and alleged facts are constantly being rewritten when new discoveries are made. Thinking as quickly as possible in a straight line is counterproductive in the f ield. And given the constant need for communication and collaboration — whether with fellow researchers, physicians, nurses or patients — as well as the myriad of presentations physicians and researchers must give at talks and conferences, exams alone cannot accurately reflect a scien-

Submitting to

tist’s competence.

Admittedly, not all science classes are taught entirely via lectures. NYU offers several science courses in seminar-style discussion and problem-based learning. Even so, these classes are few and far between, and most still base grades on nothing more than a few quizzes and exams, with lab counting for a small additional portion. Furthermore, the majority of these classes are offered only to juniors and seniors who have already made it past the grind of infamous, lower-level weed-out classes like Principles of Biology and Physics I. Though conceptually challenging, much of the strain of these classes comes from their format.

Thus, many creative and passionate aspiring science majors may f ind their initial courses unfulf illing and drop out for a more interactive degree path, despite their strong ability to grasp the material. By turning students into information-grinding machines, the current system alienates the philosophically-minded future researcher and the group-oriented future doctor, depriving the world of their potential.

Naturally, many practical constraints prevent an ideal undergraduate science education system, the most obvious being the large number of students pursuing STEM subjects and the lack of resources for individualized learning. Furthermore, given the wealth of topics at hand, there doesn’t seem to be time to explore concepts from another angle.

The idea is not to completely change the traditional lecture or exam (or to ask students to write philosophical essays on benzene). But small steps can be taken toward a more dynamic approach that will bring life to studying science and produce a more holistic transcript.

NYU could rethink weekly recitation sections — normally spent rehashing lecture material in a smaller setting — as seminar-style supplementary classes. Textbook readings could be supplemented by excerpts from peer-reviewed articles depicting real-life studies relating to class material. Group discussions can invite students to pinpoint potential flaws in the research taught in class, or solutions to questions that are still up in the air. Students can design their own studies in groups or present related studies of their choice. Regardless of the method for change, one thing is certain: being a neurosurgeon depends on more than one’s ability to write open response questions on genetics or f ill in a physical chemistry multiple choice quiz.

Email Vivian Holland at opinion@nyunews.com.

STAFF EDITORIAL

What NYU Gets Wrong About Confronting Racism Last week, graduate student Shahem Mclaurin posted a tweet — which has since gone viral — about racial discrimination he experienced in one of his classes at the Silver School of Social Work. In the tweet, Mclaurin said that he attempted to coordinate with his peers to Facetime into one of his classes’ lectures due to him being in Paris during the first week of the semester. One of his classmates responded that the class felt more comfortable without a “black presence” in the room.

Perhaps one of the most jarring, ironic facts about this situation is its timing. This incident comes during this year’s MLK Week, the theme of which was “What’s Left Of The Dream?” It’s a question NYU has posed to students, but now it is also one the university needs to ask itself.

Silver’s response to Tuesday’s incident was thorough and thoughtful — it recognized the ongoing problem of racism at Silver and took some ownership over the incident. Their message indicates their intention to “push harder,” and states that the school has begun engagement with an external consultant to help them find a more proactive approach to combating this epidemic.

It also acknowledges the letter and call to action that student leaders wrote Silver last year in regard to their initial complaint in 2010. In the letter, students appealed regarding a “lack of focus on diversity and social justice issues,” and course content that focused solely on educating the white majority of students and on working with white populations. But even as Silver acknowledged these issues in their address on Thursday, it began to feel as if they were ensnared in a somewhat circuitous pattern. For Silver to concede to a letter written in 2018 — which was referencing a letter in 2010 — is a perfect indication of this lack of resolution. If they truly want to enact progress, Silver and all similar academic institutions must prioritize improvement and the institutional growth they vow to work toward.

Time and time again, students have attempted to hold NYU accountable for incidents of racism — even though they continue to occur. One would think it would be the other way around — NYU working to hold itself accountable for these actions instead of students having to do so. If NYU wants to continue proclaiming itself as a powerhouse for diversity, then it needs to acknowledge the underlying problems of racism as an institution and offer realistic solutions.

It is worth noting that this is far from the first instance of racial discrimination at NYU — last year, Tisch School of the Arts students reported

encountering racial insensitivity in the drama program. After a series of complaints, an investigation into the school’s departments took place. Yet it was Tisch students who had to call for more resources for students of color as a result of these incidents rather than being offered a solution to the problem from the administration. Around the same time, instances of Islamophobia and racism at the Stern School of Business came to light. Although Stern’s administration outlined a plan of action to help resolve the issue of racial discrimination, it was only after several student groups came together to directly ask Stern to take action. This eerie pattern seems to be speaking volumes about an issue at NYU that has long been shrouded in silence.

Racism is prevalent in both our classrooms and our societies. Although NYU has responded to some racial discrimination on campus, more can be done to adopt the proactive stance necessary for cultural change.

It would be unrealistic to expect a complete end to instances of racism; microaggressions and discriminatory comments are a sad part of today’s reality. But the university can strengthen its responses by seeking out the experiences of minority students, effectively train staff and take other preventative measures.

NYU’s goal should not just be to effectively respond after racism happens, but to actively work to root out racism before it becomes an epidemic.

We can acknowledge that NYU has made genuine efforts to be more inclusive. There are, undeniably, countless clubs and programs for people of color at our university. But no number of clubs will remedy the deep-seated issues of discrimination that come with running a private university. Similarly, no matter how many resources exist for people of color to report discrimination, none of these will fix the underlying issues that stem from factors like a lack of diversity in professors. For example, an anonymous non-white Tisch professor said that they often find themselves trying to encourage colleagues to be more open-minded. Another student was nearly driven to tears by a classmate putting their hand in her hair.

The aforementioned 2010 letter noted that white students complained that the course curricula within Silver did not properly prepare them for careers in social work due to a lack of course focus on diversity, social justice issues and minority populations.

Changes like these start from the ground up, and must be continuously developed. We should not only be reminded of the necessity for reform when situations like these arise — we should instead treat progress as ongoing.

Email the Editorial Board at editboard@nyunews.com.

HANNA KHOSRAVI Chair MELANIE PINEDA Chair COLE STALLONE Co-chair SARAH JOHN 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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SPORTS@NYUNEWS.COM

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 2019

SPORTS

Edited by BRENDAN DUGGAN and ZACH HAN

Yes, NYU Has Cheerleaders

By BELA KIRPALANI Deputy Managing Editor If you’ve never been to an NYU basketball game, you may be surprised to know that our school does indeed have a cheerleading team. Decked out in purple and white uniforms, the cheerleaders smile wide and kick high, bringing passion and joy to every game, no matter how many — or few — people fill the stands.

For some, like Steinhardt junior and cheer team captain Jason Le, exposure to cheerleading began in high school before blossoming into an undeniable love for the sport.

“I started cheering in my freshman year of high school, and from then on I’ve always loved it,” Le said. “When I graduated from high school, I didn’t know NYU had a cheer team until I saw them at club fest.”

Being a part of NYU’s cheerleading team is no light work. Team members practice three days a week year-round, spending days and nights trying to perfect the routine they perform at men’s and women’s basketball home games, rugby games, wrestling matches and select volleyball matches. It can be dangerous, involving moves such as tumbling, stunting, flipping, cartwheeling and more.

ALINA PATRICK | WSN

The cheerleading team practices three days a week year-round, and performs at sports games, from basketball to rugby.

“Cheerleading is a big mental game because all of the things we do are very dangerous and there’s a lot of mental blocks for everyone, which makes a lot of people scared,” Le said. “Cheerleading is literally 90 percent mental and 10 percent physical.”

Assistant Coach Autumn Kovach is proud of the supportive environment the team of nearly 20 cheerleaders has cultivated during her time at NYU. “Our squad is really, really close,” Kovach said. “We have such great energy this year. Everyone is rooting for each other; they want to see everyone succeed.”

CAS senior Teniesea Russell began her foray into cheerleading here at NYU, where she found the community and support she craved.

“One of my favorite things about being on the NYU cheer team is how diverse it is,” she said. “I like to be surrounded by people who look like me and don’t. It feels like a more accepting atmosphere. The majority of people on the team are really sweet, easy to talk to and easy to work with.”

In addition to performing at games, the cheer team also competes at the National Cheerleaders Association College Nationals in Florida, which will take place April 3 to 7 this year. Performing in front of large crowds of people at a national competition can be very daunting, but the NYU cheerleading coaches help guide the team through it all, Le said.

“They’re our biggest motivators who lead us through what we need to do,” he said. “It gets pretty chaotic and stressful

ALINA PATRICK | WSN

Members of the cheerleading team performing at an NYU basketball game versus Carnegie Mellon University at Hunter College Sportsplex on Feb. 10.

at times, but they’re there to help us look at the goal, look at what we need to do to get us where we need to be.”

The cheerleading team at NYU has also performed on MTV’s Total Request Live, highlighting the unique opportunities New York City provides.

Some students consider NYU to not be a sports-centric school, which can make it hard to increase the visibility of the cheerleading team. The problem is worsened by the fact that it is also considered a club sport, rather than a varsity one here.

“I wear a lot of NYU Cheer apparel and for the majority of the time, everyone who sees it always says, ‘Wow! I did not know NYU had a cheer team! Who do you cheer for?’” Russell said.

Kovach appreciates the fact that despite the lack of a football team, NYU allows the cheerleading team to perform at various sporting events throughout the academic year.

“What I do like at NYU [is that], because we don’t have a football team, we’ve been able to cheer for volleyball games, rugby and wrestling matches,” Kovach said. “We have plenty of sports at NYU — we’ve actually had to deny cheering at some events just because there’s not enough time in a week.”

In addition to getting students involved in university life and keeping them fit and healthy, cheerleading teaches many important life skills.

“You learn really good discipline, how to trust other people, how to have a smile on your face at any given time,” Kovach said. “As a cheerleader, you’re the face of something. And in terms of real life, it’s important to be able to stay composed in any given situation.

You kind of learn how to have composure about you.”

Email Bela Kirpalani at bkirpalani@nyunews.com.

Swimming and Diving Make Waves at UAA Championships

By ZACH HAN Sports Editor Men’s Basketball The men’s basketball team fell to UAA rival Carnegie Mellon on Feb. 10 after relinquishing a 10-point lead in the first half and failing to fight back, losing 70-66. CAS junior Dom Cristiano led NYU with 23 points and eight rebounds.

On Feb. 15, the Violets lost to UAA rival Washington University in St. Louis, losing 73-54. CAS sophomore Bobby Hawkinson lead NYU with 17 points and eight rebounds.

In the final game of their week, the men were defeated by UAA rival University of Chicago, 76-66. SPS junior Jimmy Martinelli led the team with 14 points.

The Violets have now dropped to an overall record of 7-17 and 1-12 in conference play.

The men look to bounce back against another UAA opponent, Brandeis University, on Feb. 23.

Women’s Basketball The women took care of business at home on Feb. 10 against UAA rival Carnegie Mellon University, winning 61-52.

CAS sophomore Lauren Koyama led NYU with a career-high 26 points off the bench. NYU controlled the game, leading by as many as 11 points and never trailing in the second half.

The momentum failed to carry on to the next game, as the women fell to

UAA rival Washington University in St. Louis 71-58. Steinhardt sophomore Janean Cuffee led the team with 19 points while playing all 40 minutes.

NYU was handed another conference loss at the hands of the University of Chicago two days later on Feb. 17 by the score of 68-48. NYU found themselves outmatched again by another ranked opponent as UChicago is currently ranked 20th in the Division III WBCA poll.

After giving up a 22-point lead in the first half, the Violets could not recover.

Cuffee again led the way with 13 points.

The women return to the court on Feb. 23 against UAA rival Brandeis University.

Fencing The men’s and women’s fencing competed in their final dual meets of the season, both winning two of three matches at the Columbia University-hosted meet. Both teams ended up defeating Sacred Heart University and Vassar College, but losing to host Columbia University.

Against Columbia, the men won the saber competition behind Stern senior Mikolaj Bak’s 3-0 record but came up short in the foil and epee competitions. The women were edged in all three competitions.

The men won in all three weapons against Sacred Heart and Vassar, with Gallatin sophomore Zachary (Milo) Schindler posting a perfect 6-0 against

both opponents. The women defeated Sacred Heart and Vassar behind GLS first-year Allison Dunlap’s perfect 6-0 record against both opponents.

With the dual season over, the Violets will compete at the NCAA Regional Championship on Mar. 10.

Men’s Volleyball The men lost their only game this week against the second-ranked team in the nation, Stevens Institute of Technology, in four sets. This snapped NYU’s four-game winning streak.

The match was close from the get-go, with Stevens taking the first set 25-19 and NYU rebounding back to take the second set 25-16. The next two sets both went into overtime, with Stevens edging out NYU in both sets and claiming the victory. CAS junior Evan Lindley led the Violets with 16 kills and CAS junior Matin Bikdeli, the United Volleyball Conference’s reigning Player of the Week, finished with 49 assists.

The men will hit the court again on Feb. 20 against Rutgers University.

Swimming and Diving The men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams competed in the UAA Championships on Feb. 13-16. The men finished with 1,121 total points for a fifth place finish out of eight teams and the women finished with 1370.5 points for a third-place finish.

Highlights for the men during the

three-day meet mostly came from CAS first-year Graham Chatoor, who took first in the 500-yard freestyle and first in the 1,650-yard freestyle with an NYU and UAA record time of 15:25.13. Chatoor was named UAA Rookie of the Year for his impressive performances.

Stern sophomore Elan Oumarov took second in the 100-yard butterfly while both CAS first-year Justin Lum and Stern first-year Jacob Haines took second and third, respectively in the 200yard breaststroke.

Highlights for the women came from All-American and Stern junior Honore Collins, who took first in the 200-yard IM with an NYU and UAA record of 2:00.91, third in the 400-yard IM with an NYU record time and first in the 200yard butterfly with an NYU record time.

The Violets took second through fourth in the 500-yard freestyle, led by CAS first-year Rachel Reistroffer. Reistroffer also led the pack of NYU swimmers who finished second through seventh in the 1,650-yard freestyle. In both the 200and 400-yard medley relays, NYU placed second. CAS sophomore Sydney Catron took third in the 200-yard backstroke.

Both teams will take the pool for the final time this season at the NYU Last Chance Meet on Feb. 23.

Track and Field Both the men’s and women’s teams competed at the Princeton Invitational on Feb. 16. There was no team scoring.

The men had many impressive performances. Tisch junior Benjamin Heintz took first in the mile, three NYU runners finished in the top seven in the 800m, NYU took second in the 4x800m relay race and CAS junior Carter Beardsley took third in the weight throw.

The women also had many great showings. All-American and CAS junior Evelyn Nkanga took third in the triple jump while posting a season-best mark, only trailing two Division I athletes. The Violets had great runs in the 800m as well, with four runners finishing in the top 10.

Both teams return to action for the UAA Championships on Feb. 23 and 24.

Wrestling A contingent of wrestlers represented NYU at the Northeast/Mideast Futures Tournament on Feb. 17. There was no team scoring.

The highlights for NYU were CAS first-year Liam Drury (157 pounds) and SPS first-year Kade Stecker-Loughney (165 pounds), who both won their respective weight classes in four matches. Drury was named the Tournament’s Most Outstanding Wrestler for his performance.

The Violets return to the mat when they compete at the NCAA Northeast Regional on Feb. 23 and 24.

Email Zach Han at zhan@nyunews.com.

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Rachel Buigas-Lopez, Amanda Burkett, Sayer Devlin, Sarah Jackson, Tianne Johnson, Janice Lee, Jemima McEvoy, Laura Shkouratoff 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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MANAGING EDITOR Pamela EDITOR Yasmin Gulec,