Washington Square News February 25, 2019

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4 CULTURE

9 OPINION

Gallatin Senior’s Date-able Startup Sweetens the Deal

Higher Education Needs Intervention From All Sides

7 ARTS

10 UNDER THE ARCH

Gallatin Galleries Show Meditates on Sexuality, Masculinity, Race

When You Hate Your Gallatin Concentration

VOLUME LII | ISSUE 5

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2019

A Look at the Terms That Built NYUAD

A 2007 report offered a look into the initial negotiations between NYU and Abu Dhabi. SAM KLEIN | WSN

Students walking on NYU’s Abu Dhabi campus. The memorandums of understanding that established NYUAD came to light after a professor tweeted out the documents last week.

By VICTOR PORCELLI and MEGHNA MAHARISHI News Editors A 2007 provost’s report offering an overview of the university’s current and potential global sites resurfaced on Twitter last week when English Professor John Archer tweeted about the legal framework of NYU Abu Dhabi. The report had a section on NYUAD from when the university was still looking to establish a campus in the United Arab Emirates. While NYUAD wel-

comed its inaugural class in 2010, this document offers the most in-depth look on the memorandums of understanding between the university and Abu Dhabi, which are still not public. Follow the Money The report touched on various monetary transactions and benefits that would result from the institution of NYUAD. For one, money would transfer from the Abu Dhabi government to NYU in the form of peer-reviewed research grants.

The government would also “fully fund both the capital and operating budgets of NYUAD,” suggesting UAE money would cover any costs incurred by NYU. However, funding was not be limited to the Abu Dhabi campus — Washington Square faculty “deeply engaged in activities at NYUAD,” and departments that have some amount of faculty teach at the global site and so “choose to increase in size” would have funds made available to them. This implies that if additional faculty were added to a department to teach in NYUAD, the UAE government would

pay some amount to the department. In addition, the complete cost of “construction, equipping, maintenance, and facilities’ operation” at NYUAD would be covered by the Executive Authority of Abu Dhabi, which has final say over the budget. If the operation of the NYUAD campus is permanently or even temporarily suspended, the Authority will also pay any costs incurred. The U.S. Department of Education reported that NYU received a $10 million gift from the CONTINUED ON PAGE 2


Washington Square News

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MONDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2019

NEWS

NEWS@NYUNEWS.COM

Edited by VICTOR PORCELLI and MEGHNA MAHARISHI

A Look at the Terms That Built NYUAD 132 UAE activists. In an interview with WSN, Assistant Journalism Professor Mohamad Bazzi noted the difference in political conditions in the UAE before and after the Arab Spring, while NYU was in the process of negotiating a campus in Abu Dhabi. “When [NYUAD] started, Abu Dhabi had this ambition to become a cultural and educational hub in the Middle East, in the region as a whole,” Bazzi said. “It was able to attract major cultural and educational institutions. The political reality shifted and the government has been much more aggressive in its foreign policy.” Along with Saudi Arabia, the UAE has been involved in the conflict in Yemen. According to a United Nations report, Saudi and Emirati airstrikes have led to the most Yemeni civilian casualties, impacting residential areas, weddings, funerals, markets, jails and boats.

SAM KLEIN | WSN

Over a six-year period, the UAE has donated almost $80 million to NYU. CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

Executive Authority of Abu Dhabi, which could be the funding it agreed to provide to NYU. A total of $78 million in primarily contracts and some gifts have been given to NYU by sources in the UAE since 2012. Political Stability When the university was seeking to establish NYUAD, they said in the report that the UAE “stands out as a partner: it has the political stability.” The Arab Spring — a series of revolts in countries such as Libya, Egypt, Yemen, Syria and Bahrain in response

to oppressive regimes and low standards of living — occurred almost four months after NYUAD opened to students. While the UAE did not experience the same level of conflict, the revolts led to more stringent security policies in the region. In light of the Arab Spring protests in Bahrain, the UAE outlawed attempts to organize protests through social media and mockery of the government on social media. Authorities also arrested activist Ahmed Mansour and academic Nasser bin Ghaith, who supported a 2011 petition requesting that citizens have the right to vote. The petition was signed by

Guaranteed Monopoly According to the report, NYU ensured that if they were to enter into an agreement with Abu Dhabi, they would be the only university of their kind in the region. “NYU and the Authority intend for the NYUAD Campus to be the flagship American-style degree-granting academic institution of Abu Dhabi,” the report reads. The two parties agreed to specific exclusivity provisions as well. For 20 years after the initial agreement, NYU would not add graduate programs in an area marked as the “UAE Market Region.” This does not apply to Law and Medicine programs for which there is a 12-year exclusivity period. According to the report, the UAE Market Region includes: Libya, Egypt, Sudan, Saudi Arabia, Oman,

the UAE, Qatar, Jordan, Lebanon, Iraq, Syria, Iran, Bahrain, Kuwait, Yemen, India and Pakistan. Academic Freedom The report cited faculty concerns over the protections of academic freedoms in the UAE if the university were to establish a campus in Abu Dhabi. Among these concerns were faculty control over course content. The university said in the report that they will have “absolute academic authority” at NYUAD. NYUAD Assistant History Professor Lauren Minsky recounted experiences of having books for her course seized at customs during the 2017 to 2018 academic year. She said that the director of NYUAD’s bookstore told her the books had been censored. The books for Minsky’s course were eventually released after administrative intervention. In the report, NYU planned to implement the same policies on academic freedom from the NYU Faculty Handbook established on every other campus. “Teachers are entitled to full freedom in research and in the publication of the results, subject to the adequate performance of their other academic duties, but outside occupations and research for pecuniary gain,” the handbook reads. “Except in the case of sporadic and wholly unrelated engagements should be based upon an understanding with the administration of the University.” Social and Cultural Analysis Professor Andrew Ross was denied entry to the UAE in 2015. He believes that it was because of his research on labor conditions in the country, but a statement from university spokesperson John Beckman suggested that the university was not aware of Ross’ travel plans. Ross said he could not

arrange his trip through university channels because of his research on a sensitive topic. “[UAE authorities] were very much aware of what they were doing in denying entry to an NYU professor,” Ross said. “If you’re doing research that involves sensitive areas, and in the UAE, labor research is one of those, then your duty is to protect your subjects.” Other Freedoms Part of the report lists that one of the concerns brought about by faculty was about access to the campus for all. “Concerns were raised about ensuring nondiscrimination with respect to religion, race, gender or sexual preference,” the report reads. In fall of 2017, the CAS Journalism Department at NYU decided to cut ties with NYUAD after Assistant Journalism Professor Mohammed Bazzi and Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies Professor Arang Keshavarzian’s security clearances were denied when applying to teach at the global site. In an op-ed in the New York Times, Bazzi claimed that this was due to his religion. Bazzi is a Shiite Muslim, the main religion of Iran. Iran and the UAE often conflict in regional politics and Bazzi believes this is why he was denied entry into the country. The UAE also criminalized any sexual activity besides that which occurs within heterosexual marriage. Homosexual activity can make one liable to corporal punishment, with “personal intercourse contrary to nature” punishable by 14 years in prison under Article 80 of the Abu Dhabi Penal Code, and consensual sodomy punishable by 10 years in prison under Article 177 of the Dubai Penal Code. Email Victor Porcelli and Meghna Maharishi at news@nyunews.com.

College of Dentistry Opens Center for Disabled By LACHLAN HYATT Staff Writer People with disabilities that inhibit oral health treatment now have access to a new center — opened by the NYU College of Dentistry — that is uniquely tailored to their needs. The Oral Health Center for People with Disabilities aims to create a safe, welcoming environment to treat some of the nearly one million disabled people in New York City. The facility includes an accessible circular front desk, wide corridors for easy access and large bariatric treatment chairs that can accommodate wheelchairs. One of the most innovative technologies used in the center can be found in the multisensory room designed to help anxious patients relax. Dean of the NYU College of Dentistry Charles N. Bertolami said the dental school has been interested for years in finding a way to provide additional assistance to those with disabilities. Targets for treatment include patients in wheelchairs who cannot get into a dental chair, autistic patients who need special accommodations for scheduling an appointment and those who are negatively affected by noisy and crowded waiting rooms.

“We wanted to design a facility that took all of these things into consideration to expand the quality of service we could offer,” Bertolami said. This new center marks a big step forward in the treatment of disabled people whose oral health often is neglected as a result of inadequate accommodations and a shortage of equipped medical workers. Marco Damiani is the CEO of the Association for the Help of Retarded Children in New York City, the state’s largest developmental disability advocacy organization. The AHRC was a guiding partner in opening the center and Damiani said it was a necessary improvement to current services. “There is a significant lack of access to oral health treatment for people with disabilities,” Damiani said. “There’s been a history of people with disabilities having their entire mouths of teeth pulled because they can’t communicate clearly.” The multisensory room is designed to help anxious patients relax. A projector illuminates the room with lights that change color to hyper-stimulate or hypo-stimulate patients based on their needs. Clinical Director of the Oral Health Center for People with Disabilities Ronald Kosinski said that the room

improves the experience for those who may otherwise be uncomfortable in a dental chair. “We bring patients into [the multisensory room] who may be very hypersensitive, who can’t sit in a dental chair, who never have been to a dental chair and don’t like the dental experience and need decompression,” Kosinski said. The dental school collaborated with students from Tandon School of Engineering and Tisch School of the Arts in developing the new facility, something that Kosinski said was one of the most important elements of the process. Tandon students helped with the development of a new virtual reality app that patients can use to take a tour of the center. “The Tandon students have really been amazing,” Kosinski said. “They’re hitting the ground running. Being able to utilize [another] school at NYU and work with them collaboratively is such a pleasure, and it’s working so well because the level of excitement is leveled by the students.” While the center is now open, the official ribbon-cutting ceremony will take place on April 18. Executive Vice Dean for Finance and Administration at the College of Dentistry Michael O’Connor further emphasized the need for the center and said he hopes that it

is widely used. “This is very much an underserved population, and dentists are not comfortable with dealing with this population,” O’Connor said. “[People with disabilities] get poor — if nonexistent —

dental care and we are going to welcome as many of them as want to come and make this their home.” Email Lachlan Hyatt at news@nyunews.com.

MIN JI KIM | WSN

NYU College of Dentistry opened the Oral Health Center for People with Disabilities.


Washington Square News | News

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2019

Sustainability Initiatives Focus on Engagement and Reduction

3 CRIME LOG

Caller Impersonates Federal Authorities By CRIME BOT Robot Reporter From Feb. 13 to Feb. 22, the NYU Department of Public Safety received one report of criminal impersonation, two reports of criminal mischief, one report of criminal trespassing, nine reports of controlled substance violations, six reports of harassment, seven reports of larceny, one report of larceny/ criminal mischief and one report of liquor law violation/harassment. Criminal Impersonation On Feb. 13 at 1:20 p.m., a student reported that a person tried to get personal information over the phone from him by impersonating federal authorities in Warren Weaver Hall. Police notification was declined and the case is open and under investigation.

Criminal Mischief

MIN JI KIM | WSN

NYU Assistant Vice President for Sustainability Cecil Scheib discussed the sustainability of NYU buildings at UN Initiative’s Climate Change Panel during the fall 2018 semester.

By MANSEE KHURANA Deputy News Editor In an effort to increase university-wide sustainability, NYU’s Sustainability Working Group announced 35 new initiatives at last week’s University Senate meeting. These initiatives, which include the promise to eliminate the purchase of plastic water bottles by 2020, are in various stages of implementation; four are completed or underway, 16 are near-term actions and 15 require further study. NYU students think these new initiatives may have an impact on how global communities perceive the university. Liberal Studies first-year Alfonso Tan spoke about the impact that these initiatives may have in an interview with WSN. “NYU’s responsibility to be sustainable is greatly increased by its global presence,” Tan said. “It has the ability to influence the various countries it interacts with.” Completed Initiatives Along with the elimination of single-use water bottles, the Working Group has committed to providing reusable dishware at the Kimmel Center for University Life, with no change in dining fees. One of the main sources of disposable waste is single use K-Cup products, so any NYU office that purchases K-Cups will now be enrolled in a program which composts and recycles the materials. Two other prominent initiatives are focused on education and engagement by creating an online portal that provides students with information on the hundreds of courses and events that NYU has to offer. The Working Group also hopes to educate incoming students, and the group has partnered with Welcome Week administrators to add programs that focus on sustainability.

The focus on student engagement serves as a way to highlight the many ways students can get involved with sustainability efforts on campus. “Students who care about sustainability at NYU generally have many options to engage,” Environmental Studies professor Christopher Schlottmann said. “This includes through the Office of Sustainability as well as the many environmental academic programs available at NYU.” Finally, in order to achieve carbon neutrality by 2040, NYU is planning to transition to all-electric Public Safety vehicles. “The Working Group list is not the sum total of everything NYU is doing,” Vice President of Sustainability Cecil Scheib wrote. “There are already many programs and initiatives going full speed ahead. Our carbon commitments, for example, are a 50 percent cut from the 2006 baseline year by 2025 and carbon neutrality by 2040.” Near-Term Actions Near-term actions are initiatives that individual offices hope to implement in the coming year. These include initiatives from NYU IT, which intend to introduce new software that will power down office IT equipment when not in use. This will be paired with choosing eco-friendly common office supplies when affordable starting in spring 2019. The Office of Sustainability will start organizing a cross-school sustainability committee this year led by Deans of Faculty. In 2020, Human Resources will incorporate sustainability topics into staff professional development. NYU is also announcing a new category in the Making a Difference Award, which specifically highlights sustainability. Scheib spoke about how the addition of the sustainability cat-

egory to the Making a Difference Award gives an incentive for departments to comply with the goals of the Working Group. “The [sustainable] difference award is a great incentive,” Scheib wrote. “The goal of many of the initiatives is to make doing the right thing just as easy, or easier, than doing the less sustainable thing. That is the best incentive and makes penalties unnecessary.” Require Further Study Among the initiatives that require further study are plans to encourage stairwell use in the NYU community and transitioning desk phones to energy saving phones. Another initiative that the Working Group is currently looking into is adding sustainability performance indicators or questions in an effort to motivate key leaders in communities, along with building positive connections with environmental justice groups. NYU is considering ways to reduce waste generated by NYU Marketing by providing an electronic alternative to traditional paper marketing. In terms of transportation, NYU is looking to make on-campus biking easier and educating faculty on telecommunication strategies as an alternative to airplane travel. Despite a majority of initiatives still in progress, Scheib seems confident that student engagement will be essential in helping these initiatives have a wide-scale impact within the NYU community. “Students’ passion for sustainability is why I am confident that in the end we will prevail,” Scheib wrote. “Like other social change movements, this one will take decades. Remember to pace yourselves and get ready for the long haul.” Email Mansee Khurana at mkhurana@nyunews.com.

On Feb. 16 at 10:21 p.m., Public Safety reported a fire alarm being pulled and various items being damaged in the Education Building. A police report was filed and the case is open and under investigation. On Feb. 22 at 12:55 a.m., a Public Safety investigation revealed an unknown person breaking a window in the Barney Building. The case is open and under investigation.

Criminal Trespassing On Feb. 15 at 12:30 p.m., a Public Safety officer reported witnessing an unauthorized person enter Goddard Residence Hall. Police notification was declined and the case is open and under investigation.

Controlled Substance Violation On Feb. 14 at 8 p.m., Public Safety reported to a report of an alleged drug law violation and a small amount of marijuana was recovered in Third Avenue North Residence Hall. Police notification was declined and the case has been referred to the Office of Community Standards. On Feb. 14 at 11:45 p.m., Public Safety reported to a report of an alleged drug law violation and a small amount of marijuana was recovered in Brittany Residence Hall. Police notification was declined and the case has been referred to the Office of Community Standards. On Feb. 14 at 10:20 p.m., a resident assistant witnessed underage alcohol possession in Third North. Police notification was declined and the case has been referred to the Office of Community Standards. On Feb. 16 at 1:11 a.m., an RA reported witnessing underage alcohol possession in Palladium Residence Hall. Police notification was declined and the case has been referred to the Office of Community Standards. On Feb. 17 at 1:02 a.m., an RA reported witnessing underage alcohol possession in Founders Residence Hall. Police notification was declined and the case is open and under investigation. On Feb. 17 at 11:10 p.m., an RA reported witnessing underage alcohol possession in Lafayette Street Residence Hall. Police notification was declined and the case has been referred to the Office of Community Standards. On Feb. 17 at 11:15 p.m., an RA reported underage alcohol possession in Founders Hall. Police notification was declined and the case has been referred to the Office of Community Standards. On Feb. 22 at 12:58 a.m., an RA reported witnessing underage alcohol possession in Lipton Residence Hall. Police notification was declined and the case has been referred to the Office of Community Standards. On Feb. 19 at 12:53 a.m., an RA reported

witnessing underage alcohol possession in Othmer Residence Hall. Police notification was declined and the case has been referred to the Office of Community Standards.

Harassment On Feb. 13 at 5:45 p.m., an NYU staff member reported receiving a harassing voicemail by an unknown person at 383 Lafayette St. A police report was filed and the case is open and under investigation. On Feb. 14 at 1:09 a.m., a group of NYU students reported being harassed outside of Lipton Hall by unknown persons on Washington Square West. Police report notification was declined and the case is open and under investigation. On Feb. 14 at 7:27 p.m., a student reported being harassed in the Dental Center. Police notification was declined and the case is open and under investigation. On Feb. 17 at 9:02 p.m., a student reported being harassed by an unknown person. NYPD was contacted but no report was taken at University Residence Hall. The case is open and under investigation. On Feb. 19 at 7 p.m., a student reported being harassed via text while at 721 Broadway. Police notification was declined and the case is open and under investigation. On Feb. 20 at 6:41 p.m., a student reported being harassed in a practice room in Third North. Police notification was declined and the case is open and under investigation.

Larceny On Feb. 18 at 8:43 p.m., a student reported a missing necklace in Alumni Residence Hall. Police notification was declined and the case is open and under investigation. On Feb. 13 at 9:13 p.m., a student reported that several items of his clothing were missing from the laundry room in Brittany Hall. The case is open and under investigation. On Feb. 15 at 5:40 p.m., a student reported that his skateboard was stolen in Washington Square Park. Police notification was declined and the case has been referred to the Office of Community Standards. On Feb. 18, a student reported that her laundry basket was missing from a laundry room in Second Street Residence Hall. Police notification was declined and the case is open and under investigation. On Feb. 19 at 11:05 a.m., an NYU contractor reported that his Fest tool router was missing in Bobst Library. Police notification was declined and the case is open and under investigation. On Feb. 19 at 7:06 p.m., a student reported a missing laptop from her cubicle in Rogers Hall. Police notification was declined and the case is open and under investigation. On Feb. 21 at 4:26 p.m., an NYU staff member reported a missing laptop in 721 Broadway. Police notification was declined at the time and the case is open and under investigation.

Larceny/Criminal Mischief On Feb. 21 at 6:44 a.m., an NYU contractor reported witnessing the breaking of a vending machine and theft of items and money from the machine in Brittany Hall. Police notification was declined and the case has been referred to the Office of Community Standards.

Liquor Law Violation/Harassment On Feb. 20 at 10:15 p.m., a student reported a liquor law violation and harassment in his dormitory in Lipton Hall. Police notification was declined and the case is open and under investigation. Email Crime Bot at news@nyunews.com.


Washington Square News

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MONDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2019

CULTURE

CULTURE@NYUNEWS.COM

Edited by FAITH MARNECHECK

Gallatin Senior’s Date-able Startup Sweetens the Deal By ARIN GARLAND Dining Editor Sweet, creamy and delicious: dates are nature’s candy. Gallatin senior Melissa Bartow had her first date — the fruit — when she moved to New York City for college, and it was love at first bite. Using her concentration in the “Art of Entrepreneurship,” she decided to share her love of dates with the world by marketing her own spread, called Wanna Date? As an artist and photographer, Bartow has always had a creative eye. However, becoming the CEO of her own company came as a surprise. “When I got to Gallatin, I thought I wanted to do something in photography or creative direction and branding for an agency or company,” Bartow said. “After a few internships, one at a PR agency, one at Seventeen Maga-

zine, I liked all the creative stuff I was doing but not the big company stuff. So I went to a food startup the summer leading into my junior year and caught the entrepreneur bug and also the food industry bug.” Her relevation for Wanna Date? came at her part-time job at a smoothie and acai bowl shop her junior year. “All the acai was pre-sweetened with a ton of sugar,” Bartow said. “Fifteen grams is just as much as a serving of ice cream. The granola was sweetened, then we’re putting nutella on the bowls. And meanwhile, I was eating dates and I’m like, ‘why don’t we just blend in dates if we want to sweeten it?’” Inspired by her experiences working for other food entrepreneurs and her dedication to healthy living, she decided to transform her dorm into a laboratory in search of a healthy but delicious alternative to artificially

sweetened spreads. Many dates later, Bartow concocted the perfect mix of five simple ingredients: dates, water, two grams of organic cane sugar, citric acid and natural flavoring of either cinnamon, chocolate, vanilla or pumpkin spice. With its simple elements, Wanna Date? satisfies a long list of dietary restrictions; the spread is gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free, fat-free, soy-free and vegan. It also contains no GMOs, sodium or cholesterol. With a delicious product down, the next step was to gather interest. Luckily, Bartow also happened to be taking a Tisch School of the Arts elective called Crowdfunding Video Production. There, she created and launched her campaign for Wanna Date?, raising over $2,000 on Indiegogo. “You had to draft a Kickstarter campaign,” Bartow said, describing

the course. “So I was like, all right, I’ll launch this date butter company, and then I had to come up with a name and film it, so I needed labels and stuff. And after that class I decided to keep going.” Though her classes helped get her project off the ground, it was still only a start. Before she could start selling jars of Wanna Date?, she had to do her research on marketing, food science and FDA regulations. Fortunately, she had a secret tool to help her go from knowing nothing about a company to running one. “Googling,” Bartow said. “If there was something I didn’t know how to do, I would google it. How to start a food company was the first thing I probably googled.” She googled co-packers — companies that package food for their clients — and now she runs one. She officially launched her compa-

ny in August and now has a storage space in Industry City, her own food manufacturer and a booth at Smorgasburg in Brooklyn. For her fellow aspiring entrepreneurs, these are Bartow’s words of advice: “Work. Work. Work. Get experience,” Bartow said. “You don’t know what you want to be when you grow up by sitting in a classroom. You find it out in the field, so internships and jobs that tell you what you like and don’t like are so important.” Bartow’s experiences, both in and out of the classroom, helped develop her passion for innovation, health and entrepreneurship to create her own company. And with wholesale partnerships with 22 stores across New York City, it was a sweet success. Email Arin Garland at agarland@nyunews.com.

Goodwill Takes Chelsea With New Pop-up By HANNA MCNEILA Staff Writer

HANNA MCNEILA | WSN

Goodwill and Google opened a new pop-up store in Chelsea that is promoting sustainable fashion.

Goodwill ordinarily conjures images of a sterile, warehouse-like space with minimal attention to current trends. But influencer Kia Marie, who has over 90,000 followers on Instagram, recently collaborated with Goodwill to create a pop-up at Chelsea Market that continues to promote the store’s message of sustainability while also serving as an auspicious antithesis to their typical stores. Despite NYU students’ affinity for thrift and consignment stores, Goodwill isn’t exactly the go-to, due to its more eclectic and chaotic nature. But where there’s an influencer collaboration, there’s a rebranding. Marie and her trusted stylists have searched on behalf of the shoppers and personally selected all of the pieces on display. As a result, the store consists of a few carefully curated racks of trendy clothing ready to

be re-worn and re-loved. Unlike traditional Goodwills, the store’s aesthetic resembled an upscale, designer pop-up. The radical change is not reflected in the prices, however, as the pieces are all still affordable. Floral displays — the first thing that visitors see — capture the essence of spring. Three mannequins occupy the center of the room, dressed in floral patterns on a rug surrounded by vases of flowers. The large space consisted of a few racks spread around the room, making it easy to walk around without the pushing and squeezing that is characteristic of the most popular vintage stores. In classic Goodwill style, all of the racks were organized by color, adding to the convenient and aesthetically dynamic shopping experience. The store seemed to take a more sophisticated approach to young fashion that might also appeal to older fash-

ion-forward consumers. The racks were adorned with blazers and corduroy. A few of the more notable pieces included a faux-fur-lined patent winter jacket, beige trench coats and pants galore, including True Religion jeans and silk black trouser pants. Red plaid played a big role in the selection and appeared in the form of miniskirts and spring jackets, as well as Chanel-inspired tweed blazers. Shoppers praised the store and begged the shopkeepers to reveal the site of their next pop-up location as they spilled their pile of clothes onto the counter, reveling in the success of Goodwill’s latest initiative. With the help of social media and style experts, Goodwill has conquered Chelsea, helping young people fill closets instead of landfills. The “Curated by Goodwill” pop-up shop is open until Feb. 27. Email Hanna McNeila at bstyle@nyunews.

Work for Instagram — In Class By MARIE-LOUISE ONGA NANA Contributing Writer A course called Instagram Real World might be one of the most NYU things ever written into the course guide. But there may be more than meets the eye about the class that uses the app as a teaching tool. Last semester, NYU’s School of Professional Studies offered the Instagram Real World course as a new addition to its Real World classes. Through these courses, students get first-hand experiences working with A-list companies and clients to create projects and solve business problems. In class, students come together to create content that lives outside of the traditional classroom setting. SPS senior Brody Elkins described the course as an immersion into the workforce where students have the opportunity to do meaningful work with top companies, gain important new skills and apply what they have learned to create projects that leave a

lasting impact. “It was clear to me that this is the type of experience I want to have in the classroom,” Elkins said. “Total immersion. No power points. No memorization. No shallow work. We’re given a challenge and told to run with it.” The Instagram course was brought together by the Assistant Dean of SPS David Hollander, giving students the opportunity to interact with company executives and determine how to improve IGTV, a new vertical video platform that was introduced by the social media platform in June. According to Hollander, this class is ideal for students who may not thrive in typical educational settings. Like the other Real World courses, the Instagram class seeks to help students develop skills that are not only personal but practical for the future. “It’s no longer the professor in front of the class lecturing and students asking questions taking notes,” Hollander said. “It’s the opposite.

The professor meets with [each group of students] individually and they run the class. They drive the discovery process, and the professor is just there as a guide to give feedback.” Elkins agrees that the class is much more focused on learning by doing, giving students greater responsibilities than they are used to. “There’s no textbook to hold your hand as you stumble through the semester,” Elkins said. “We have to think. We have to fail. Then we have to fail better. It is actual, meaningful work.” Professor Jonathan Yi, the Tisch School of the Arts professor who was brought on to conduct this class, described the course as creative problem solving, in which students learned how to collectively find solutions. Yi guided students with their projects and gave them insight into the production side of digital content creation, storyboarding and pitching ideas to company executives. Last semester, the students completed

projects on Philadelphia Union — the winning video — as well as ones on an Olympic hopeful, an athlete who doubles as a gamer and the life of a graphic designer after college. These students got to reach out to the subjects of their videos, interview them and organize shoots throughout the semester. In groups of four, the students competed to create a project that would be evaluated by Instagram and Facebook executives, with the winning video showcased in Facebook’s New York City office. Many of the students said that the class was an opportunity for personal growth. SPS senior Andrew Mayz mentioned how the course influenced him to venture further into the production side of film, despite having little interest in the topic beforehand, and it even helped him land something to jumpstart his new passion. “The Instagram Real World course was really my first opportunity to develop a project from start to finish

through the medium of film or video,” Mayz said. “The course helped me realize how much I enjoyed the storytelling aspect of film. After the course, I accepted a position working on a documentary for a production company.” This direct connection to organizations and companies makes the Instagram Real World course and similar classes appealing to many students. There are nearly a dozen Real World classes offered each semester and they are open to both graduate and undergraduate students. “I am a strong proponent of this type of experiential education because it puts students in an environment where they can fail safely and then learn from it, and not by looking up a theory in a textbook, but by thinking their way through adversity,” Elkins said. “That is real education because that is real life.” Email Marie-Louise Onga Nana at culture@nyunews.com.


Washington Square News | Culture

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2019

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Authentic Indian Cuisine Near NYU By TAYLOR JEFFRIES Staff Writer Experience flavorful and authentic Indian cuisine at these five restaurants. Kati Roll Company $ 99 Macdougal St. Kati Roll Company is great for a quick bite to eat between classes. This affordable restaurant specializes in kati rolls: a popular Indian street food consisting of a spicy mixture of meat and vegetables rolled into Indian flatbread. The rolls offer a blend of up to 30 spices, along with ingredients like lime juice, yogurt and fresh cilantro chutney to awaken your taste buds. The kati rolls can be customized to your personal spice levels, making it an enjoyable experience for all. A must-try combo is the vegetarian Achari Paneer Roll ($7.15) with the Kesar Pista Lassi ($6.20), or the classic Chicken Tikka Roll ($6.70), whose marinated grilled chicken cubes will warm you up on a cold day. CAS sophomore Sehejneet Sethi considers the Kati Roll Company one of her favorite Indian restaurants because the rolls remind her of her home in Jaipur, India. “I feel like I am back in India eating my mom’s chicken paratha roll whenever I order from here,” Sethi said. “My favourite dish there is the chicken roll with a bottle of mango lassi.” Mint Masala $$ 95 Macdougal St. The relaxed setting and prime location of Mint Masala makes it

a great restaurant for a gathering with friends or a family visit. Every dish offers fresh ingredients and roasted spices; the mint leaves that garnish every dish contain benef icial digestive properties. Make sure to try the picturesque crispy golden brown samosa ($2.95) and the tender mince chicken reshmi kabab ($15.95). Mughlai $$ 329 Third Ave. Mughlai is a great place to have a large group dinner with various curries, rice dishes and other classic Indian items. The sharp and vibrant colors on the plates show the blend of spices and unique flavors that make up authentic Indian cuisine. Dishes to try: Mughlai Chicken Curry ($13.95), samosas ($6.95) and onion pakoras ($6.95). Masala Times $ 194 Bleecker St. If you f ind yourself staring at a bright wall full of Hollywood and Bollywood art, you’ve come to the right place. With a funky interior, Masala Times is a great place to enjoy a meal with friends. The food is on the spicier side, but as long as you have a cup of water or some Limca ($3.51), you’ll f inish your meal before you know it. What to try: Chicken Biryani ($13.95) and Samosa Chaat ($8.97). CAS sophomore Aishwarya Manojkumar, a frequent customer at Masala Times, favors this Indian restaurant because of the late hours and the fond memories she associates with it. “Masala Times was a place I frequented freshman year,” Manoj-

JORENE HE | WSN

A chicken tikka roll from the Kati Roll Company on MacDougal Street.

kumar said. “During f inals season, after studying all day in Bobst, my friends and I would go there, since it’s open really late, [to drink] chai and eat something. Now, the staff at Masala Times know our faces.” NYDosas Cart $ Washington Square Park Washington Square Park would look substantially different without the South Indian, cash-only,

Reformation Pairs Shopping With Climate Action By SARA MIRANDA Contributing Writer With the launch of its Climate Credits Program, Los Angeles-based sustainable fashion retailer Reformation has redef ined what it means to be fashion-forward. As a part of Reformation’s “Carbon is canceled” campaign, Climate Credits allow customers worldwide to contribute additional money to various carbon offset programs. Customers can choose to purchase credits ranging from $60 to $400. At the lowest level, Reformation advertises that a customer is able to offset six months of their own carbon emissions. Meanwhile, a purchase of $200 covers a family of four for the same time. Reformation even offers choices like the “Average Wedding” for $160, which claims to offset the carbon emissions from a nuptial ceremony. Although Reformation is popular with NYU students, GLS f irst-year Matthew Kang thinks the cost will prevent Climate Credits from achieving similar success. “Personally, I don’t think this program will be popular amongst Reformation consumers [since] you need to pay money to offset your own carbon emissions,” he said. CAS junior Samantha Coulter, however, has nothing but high hopes

for the program. “I think Reformation customers would def initely be willing to buy these because [they] are people who care about issues like these,” she said. “If you can afford to shop at Ref, you can most likely afford to spend your money on something that will serve the greater good.” Yet some are skeptical as to whether Climate Credits will serve the greater good. Steinhardt sophomore Evonne Lao expressed trepidation about exactly where the money is going. “It is a nice program, but the fact is customers can’t directly see where their $60 goes unless Reformation does regular updates on the donated projects,” Lao said. Still, if executed properly, the Climate Credits Program could be highly impactful. A 2018 United Nations Emissions Gap Report found that carbon dioxide emissions have risen since 2017 after a three-year plateau. This sudden rise in emissions levels has led the UN to urge its member nations to improve their environmental policies. Perhaps by appealing to a growing concern for sustainability within their existing consumer base, Reformation has hit a burgeoning market that will work to reduce the clothing industry’s carbon footprint rather than augment it. Email Sara Miranda at bstyle@nyunews.com.

vegetarian NYDosas cart. Run by Thiru Kumar, the cart is a staple and favorite for many NYU students. The friendliness of the owner and his dosas — lentil crepes f illed with spices, potatoes and other vegetables — warm both the stomach and heart. What to try: Masala Dosa ($6) and Mixed Vegetable Uthappam ($7). If you ever need to know when he’s open, check his Twitter, @nydosas.

Although the cart does not have a wide selection of dosas, CAS sophomore Sonam Tailor is still a regular. “I literally go there all the time especially in class gaps since it’s quick and convenient,” Tailor said. “The food is def initely authentic and the dosas are a quick bite.” Email Taylor Jeffries at dining@nyunews.com.

To Shave or Not to Shave: Students Weigh In By KYLIE MARSH Contributing Writer Let’s talk about body hair. For some, it can symbolize a stand against traditional gender norms. For others, it means adherence to cultural values. Some don’t spend too much time thinking about it at all. While #NoShaveNovember and #JanuHairy have passed, the normalization of body hair is becoming much more than a month-long practice. Steinhardt f irst-year Sarah Cohen explains that while pubic hair is often attacked with razors and scissors, other areas of the body are seen as more socially acceptable to be left naturally hairy. “It’s the area that people are more conscious of when talking about [body hair],” Cohen said. “Arm hair or hair on your back, you’re not really managing. It’s not an active choice you’re making.” Oftentimes, the cultural implications of age and sexual maturity encoded in body hair correspond to binary gender roles. “Shaven individuals are depicted as younger, more innocent, more immature in some ways,” CAS senior Han Lu said. “Women are sexualized for being younger and more prepubescent, which is [kind of] crazy. As a result of that, if you wanted to pursue a more effeminate route, you’re probably more likely to shave, as well as vice versa.” Lu also explained how cultural attitudes toward race factor into the choices people make

about their grooming habits. “I know for a fact that I am stereotyped — my race can be indistinguishable from prepubescent men, when you’re comparing Asian males to any other race,” Lu said. “You can see signif icantly less body hair in general. I know that I’m looked at as sort of nubile.” Gallatin sophomore Sophie Altman said her ethnic background has shaped her views on body hair. “I never really thought of it except for in regards to being Jewish,” Altman said. “Jews just tend to have more body hair, and I joke about it a lot with my Jewish friends.” Decisions about body hair can also stem from conceptions about hygiene. It is commonly misconstrued that more body hair means being less sanitary. Steinhardt sophomore Yawen Lu disagrees with the idea that body hair directly relates to hygiene. “I think it doesn’t really have any correlation,” Lu said. “If you clean yourself well, then you’re clean. Even if you do shave, if you don’t clean, then you’re still messy.” Whether based on physical appearance, cultural background or ideas about hygiene, the decision to shave or not to shave is ultimately up to the one holding the razor. “I just do what’s good for me,” Cohen said. “Just do what makes you happy when you look in the mirror.” Email Kylie Marsh at culture@nyunews.com.


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ARTS

ARTS@NYUNEWS.COM

Pete Holmes Talks ‘Crashing’ and Comedic Identity By GURU RAMANATHAN Arts Editor For Pete Holmes, the essence of comedy is truth. This is perhaps why he incorporated several real-life events, like how his ex-wife’s infidelity led him to pursue comedy, into his semi-autobiographical TV show “Crashing.” The writer, producer and star of the show continues to reflect on his rise in the entertainment industry as well as how he gradually grew to discover his comedic identity in the new third season. “I think comedy is one of the weird art forms, I’ll say, that people are sort of encouraged to speak the truth,” Holmes said. “The line that most people would stop at is sort of where the comedians [start] working.” The third season revolves around Peter (Holmes) continuing his college tour and discovering his comedic identity, all the while handling the unpredictable nature of his job, which includes joining a Christian comedy tour in an effort to monetize his faith. Holmes actually did perform at many colleges when he started in comedy and found those audiences more challenging than he expected. “When I did a lot of colleges, I would sometimes do broader material because you’d end up doing colleges that had the parents’ weekend or something,” Holmes said. “As the comedian, you’re like, ‘How do I write a joke that the mom and the dad and the student are gonna like?’ And that’s where you start getting jokes like my joke about peeing in the pool where anybody can laugh at that. It’s not great, but anybody can laugh at it. In fact, I did that joke for 10 years. I’ve probably done that joke a thousand times.” Holmes refers to a set that he performs in the first episode of the new season, in which he talks about how kids in his neighborhood would pee in pools as practical jokes because the chemicals in the pool would make the water turn red. He presents these jokes during a short spot at the legendary Comedy Cellar and gets a fair amount of laughs, thinking he’s killed it. Peter is ultimately rejected by Estee (Estee Adoram), the Comedy Cellar booker, for a lack of a clear, diverse

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2019

voice. “Who are you, why are you and why now? I have plenty of white guys talking about nothing,” Estee says. Peter leaves speechless, confused and insecure about his career and his comedy. Holmes related how he felt the same for years before finally having a performance in which he became more comfortable with his place as a stand-up comedian. “I think I was just doing 15 minutes or something, and I was just loose,” Holmes said. “There’s something that clicks in a comedian when he realizes, or she realizes, that it’s not really about the words. It’s about sharing your presence and sharing your variedness with the audience. Not like trying to trick them but actually being with them and being a funny person.” But as far as “Crashing” goes, this version of Holmes still has a long way to go before getting to that point. Peter’s journey over the course of this season is a combination of hilarity and emotion, instead of absurd or raunchy humor that would have soured the experience. Holmes spoke about the benefit of being able to make a comedy show about comedians themselves which, to him, actually helps add to the realistic tone. “I think ‘Crashing’ is sort of about following your dream and when you make that dream comedy, all the characters have an excuse to be really funny,” Holmes said. “Other shows that are funny and make their characters funny, even though they might, say, be psychologists, they always feel a little bit less real. We enjoy the luxury of feeling real and also having everybody be funny.” The show does not pull any punches in showing Peter’s slow crawl to success — when Estee rejects him, she also hires young Jaboukie (Jaboukie YoungWhite) despite Pete’s having worked twice as long. But with the new season, Holmes and executive producer Judd Apatow took a look at the toxicity in the comedic landscape as well. In the new season’s fourth episode, fellow comedian Jason (Dov Davidoff) teaches Pete the ropes, which apparently involve hitting on waitresses and having a set comprised entirely of dick jokes just for the sake of dick jokes. Estee’s earlier comments are making a lot more sense, right?

Holmes commented on the episode and how there have been some positive developments in the comedy scene that allow for more representation and the progressive evolution of comedy itself. “We were all doing observational stuff, or just very similar, interchangeable stuff,” Holmes said. “And now when you look at the comedy climate you see a diversity that reflects the country better and also the world better.” But Holmes also acknowledged that change is far from over. A major part of the reason he and Apatow wanted to focus on the misogyny and egotism seen in comedy clubs was essentially to put a lens on the microaggressions that are not talked about nearly enough. Through a character like Jason, and to a certain extent Pete himself, who is struggling to find his distinct voice, “Crashing” is able to comment on the benefit and need of unique paradigms in contemporary comedy. “You’re seeing so much more diversity, not just in people’s bodies, but in the way that people are thinking. You’re seeing a lot more perspective represented,” Holmes said. “Obviously it’s wonderful to have different genders and different races and different backgrounds, and all these wonderful things. That’s important and the way that they approach comedy because of their different experiences.” A development in stand-up comedy that Holmes is more critical of is the integration of social media and the instant gratification that comedians seek with their material. “So what we’re sort of lacking, a little bit now, is that really boring book-nerdstyle comedy approach that [Jerry Seinfeld] has and that a lot of those earlier guys have, which is like, they didn’t just upload something instantly,” Holmes said. “They went into their rooms and sort of sweated over it for weeks and didn’t show anybody and there was a lot more craftsmanship to stand up in the ’80s. And we’ve been losing it every year more and more. But it’s hard to resist that call to get the feedback instantly.” Holmes described how he undergoes a combination of processes, from being inspired on the spot through conversation with someone to writing on his own to writing from the stage — he, and many other comedians who got their start alongside him, directly test out material on stage and gradually refine the jokes. As Holmes tries to tackle his own comedy from all angles, he uses the same approach for “Crashing,” making a show that is as heartfelt as it is funny, and is ultimately a self-reflection of how he discovered his own artistic voice. “At a certain point, maybe five or six years in, you start to realize that it’s not really about jokes. It’s about using jokes to communicate your natural humor,” Holmes said. “And it’s the lesson you can only learn by doing it over and over and over. So, I remember where I was when that happened to me, and hopefully that will start happening more for my character as well. I’m rooting for him.” ‘‘Crashing” airs on HBO every Sunday at 10 p.m. EST.

A still of Pete Holmes from the HBO show Crashing.

COURTESY OF CRAIG BLANKENHORN

Email Guru Ramanathan at gramanathan@nyunews.com.

Edited by GURU RAMANATHAN

Steinhardt Student’s Music Targets More Than Just the Ear

COURTESY OF CONNOR RILEY

Connor Riley, an NYU student who produces music under the stage name “Noams.”

By AASHNA AGARWAL Staff Writer Propelled by his mission to create sound spaces for people to dwell in while listening to his music, Steinhardt junior Connor Riley is as endearing and versatile as his stage name Noams, which translates to pleasantness in Hebrew. His aff inity for music began when he was young, dancing with his mother in the living room and drumming on pots and pans in the kitchen. At age 8, he started experimenting with piano and started rapping at age 12. But Noams f inally found his calling in music production and engineering during his f irst year of high school. Before hockey games, BMX races and cross-country meets, Noams immersed himself in hype music, which helped him get into his head and out of a physical space, an experience he wants to give to others. “When I’m creating music, I want to create a different dimension for that person,” Noams said. “I want to create a sound space and a place for that person to reside while they’re listening and affect them emotionally in some way, because music has always affected me.” Having grown up in Morgantown, West Virginia — which Noams describes as an eclectic city inside of a small state — he encountered a wide range of artistic styles to pull from; the variety remains prevalent in his music today. “I really like to bring in contrasting styles into pieces,” Noams said. “Maybe starting with an orchestral sound and then [moving] into trap. I like to move from one style to another in songs.” Married to no particular style, Noams’ artistic process is all about feeling. He begins by sitting in front of a computer, pulling up a synth and some drums. By playing around, he’s able to f ind one thing he likes — then the magic begins. As sounds begin to pile on and

tracks build up, he arranges them to his liking, feeling everything out as he goes along. By starting in chaos, he is able to watch his sounds and vision fall into place. When working on his latest release, “I Love the Day,” the nostalgic vibe he created reminded him of something his grandfather had said that was captured on a VHS tape three years earlier. “We were just sitting around and my mom pans the camera over to him and says ‘Grandpa Jim, what do you have to say?’ and he says ‘You know, I love the day, and I would just say it doesn’t get any better than this,’” Noams said. “I wanted to move forward with that and put his legacy into a song.” Noams is no stranger to using his songs to convey a story or feeling. His song “Colors” is about a past breakup, but rather than instrumentals conveying the song’s emotion, Noams concludes the track with a poem. Affectionately referred to as the “cute boy of EDM” by his friends, Noams has recently been dabbling in more accessible, mainstream electronic music. While he is known for his enigmatic compositions, he wants his image and sound to be approachable for the masses. Working with DJ Kali, with whom he will create original music and perform more DJ-oriented sets, Noams will expand upon his already extensive experience with trap and experimental music. He is also producing and engineering for NYU band Human Girlfriend and doing off icial remixes for two artists, Trafton and Durow. The off icial remixes are expected to be released in early March, with his own tentative EPs also on the way. With so much on the horizon and his ever busy schedule growing busier, Noams is certainly an artist to keep an eye on. Email Aashna Agarwal at music@nyunews.com.


Washington Square News | Arts

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2019

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Gallatin Galleries Show Meditates on Sexuality, Masculinity, Race By ALEX CULLINA Theater & Books Editor Steve Locke isn’t just angry. The artist’s work, spanning painting, sculpture, prints and other media, foregrounds the connections between anger, power, shame, desire and love. He is also unapologetic in emphasizing his own human complexities as a queer black man in a time and place where they are constantly denied. “Steve Locke: in the name of love,” a survey of works by the 56-year-old Boston-based artist, is currently showing in the Gallatin Galleries on the first floor of the Gallatin building. After seeing one of Locke’s shows last year at Lower East Side gallery yours mine & ours, Keith Miller, the curator of the Gallatin Galleries, invited Locke to show his work in the space. Locke, a professor at the Massachusetts College of Art and Design, also came to NYU in mid-February for a reception, speaking about the show and his artistic practice in conversation with Miller. Locke’s work is bracingly frank in its examination of queer sex and desire. The piece called “rapture” partially comprises 12 lithographs of men engaged in sex with invisible, partially clothed men — as if they had been carried away by a sort of Biblical rapture, leaving their clothes behind. “when you’re a boy…” is a wall of pencil sketches, watercolors, polaroids and other images, almost all depicting men and their bodies, clothed and unclothed. Some of the men were lovers of Locke’s who died during the AIDS epidemic of the 1980s. The piece reaches from floor to ceiling, filling the viewer’s field of vision with an archive of longing and queer desires.

“It was really important it felt like it went on forever,” Locke said. While Locke’s mere existence as a black queer person is already politicized in a country still reckoning with racism and homophobia, he isn’t

While Locke’s mere existence as a black queer person is already politicized in a country still reckoning with racism and homophobia, he isn’t afraid to lean into the overtly political.

afraid to lean into the overtly political. He still emphasizes his inescapable personal connection to these structures of oppression. “rapture” also includes a tapestry printed twice with a photograph of Locke as a child. In each image, the boy’s eyes are obscured by a black bar, printed with white text — “God is love,” reads the first; “you little f-ggot,” reads the other. The final element of the piece is a video loop of a man preaching about the sinfulness of

JULIA MCNEILL | WSN

A view from the street of Steve Locke’s “A Partial List of Unarmed African-Americans who were Killed By Police...” Locke’s work examines the intersection of the personal and the political, addressing his own inescapable connection to oppressive power structures like racism and homophobia.

homosexuality; Locke encountered the footage running when he was a child on Boston public access television. “A Partial List of Unarmed African-Americans who were Killed By Police or Who Died in Police Custody During My Sabbatical from Massachusetts College of Art and Design, 20142015” is a clinical catalog of the names, dates and manners of death of black

Americans killed by police. The sheer scale of the list is shocking, but its presentation — as a window decal, facing the street — implicates not only the gallery-goers but anyone who passes by. “People don’t have any mercy,” wrote James Baldwin in his novel “Another Country.” “They tear you limb from limb, in the name of love.” “in the name of love” — it’s an

apt choice for this empathetic body of work, one that doesn’t shy away from the complexities of suffering, or of love. “Steve Locke: in the name of love” is showing at the Gallatin Galleries, 1 Washington Place, through March 1. Email Alex Cullina at acullina@nyunews.com.

Netflix’s Post-Marvel, Pre-Apocalypse Family Drama

VIA FACEBOOK

From left to right: Aidan Gallagher, Ellen Page, Emmy Raver-Lampman, Robert Sheehan, Tom Hopper and David Castañeda.

By YAROSLAVA BONDAR Contriuting Writer At a funeral eight days before the impending apocalypse, screenwriter Jeremy Slater introduces us to “The Umbrella Academy,” a gaggle of superheroes who have the chance to save the world before it’s too late. The series, a blend of Tim Burton-es-

que quirks and David Fincher-style color schemes, is based on the Eisner Award-winning comic book of the same name by Gerard Way — frontman of the band My Chemical Romance — and artist Gabriel Bá. Thirty years before the story begins, 43 infants were born at the same time to 43 mothers around the world who, minutes before going

into labor, showed no signs of pregnancy. Seven of these children are acquired by the eccentric and reclusive billionaire, Sir Reginald Hargreaves. He doesn’t assign them real names, leaving that to their robot mom instead, and trains the children — Nos. 1 through 6 — to control their distinct, innate abilities. Giftless No. 7 (Ellen Page), or Vanya, is the outli-

er. Her only specialty is being a decent violinist. The series veers sharply away from past comic book adaptations come episode two, in which the two eerily childlike antagonists (Mary J. Blige and Cameron Britton) are f irst shown wearing inflatable animal masks. (They are shooting up a bluelit department store in pursuit of No. 5 (Aidan Gallagher), a time-traveling, now 55-year-old man stuck in his teenage body who is trying to save his one true love, store mannequin Dolores, while still in hiding. All thw while, Queen’s “Don’t Stop Me Now” plays in the background.) If that seems like a lot, it is — but that’s one of the show’s strengths. For a ten-episode series, “The Umbrella Academy” explores an impossible amount of plotlines and elements; there’s a donut shop romance, a man living on the moon for four years and time-traveling, animal-mask-wearing super assassins. The multitude of moving elements can feel overwhelming, but the show never loses the viewer’s interest. This does, however, highlight the show’s biggest defect — its fear of being bold. While the source material was unmistakably different, the series leans too much on conventions. The writing is f illed with expository cliches and a reluctance to make any revelatory statements. This results in every mystery being dragged out

to almost unwatchable lengths. On top of this, the series feels tonally lost: violence and torture scenes feel almost misplaced amidst the comical absurdity that is the rest of the story. Though this worked in the comics, it doesn’t translate well to the screen, partly because the series does not fully embrace the story’s innate weirdness. These misses are especially frustrating because the story features interesting characters that are worth getting to know better. “The Umbrella Academy” is f illed with weird, angst-driven, post-idealized, emo heroes that are portrayed gorgeously by actors not afraid to lean into the absurdity of the source material. The strongest part of the show does not just lie in the ridiculousness of the story but in the fullness of the characters’ humanity. At the center, it’s a story about a dysfunctional family that, after losing its main parental f igure, is forced to remember, forget and forgive. The characters did not quite grow up to be the saviors of the broken, beaten and damned that their father trained them to be. But as they dance to Tiffany’s classic 1987 remake of “I Think We’re Alone Now,” “The Umbrella Academy” shows us that even with the apocalypse a week away, they will f ind a way to carry on. Email Yaroslava Bondar at film@nyunews.com.


Washington Square News

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OPINION@NYUNEWS.COM

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2019

OPINION

Edited by HANNA KHOSRAVI and MELANIE PINEDA

EDUCATION

Confessions of a Prelaw Student

By MELANIE PINEDA Opinion Editor As a junior in NYU’s prelaw program, I have never faced anything quite as terrifying as the idea of law school. I’ve known I wanted to be a lawyer since I first interned in an immigration lawyer’s office after my first year of college. Every immigration lawyer I’ve met since then has given me the same spiel — law school is hard, the work is worse and the pay is

crap. You have to really love what you do in order to make it all worthwhile. No pressure or anything. The idea that I could be working toward the goal of law school for nothing is more frightening than the thought of law school itself. What am I going to tell my family if I can’t make a living for myself doing what I love? How am I going to explain to my parents, who have sacrificed everything to give me the amazing opportunity of going to school, that I may not be able to support myself after paying for more than seven years of higher education? With senior year coming up soon, the anxiety surrounding law school applications has become increasingly daunting. The feeling of not being accepted anywhere or not getting through the first year — let alone not being able to afford

the wickedly high tuition — is one that I’m all too familiar with. These were all the thoughts that ran through my head when I was a senior in high school. At the time, NYU seemed so far away, an unrealistic prospect that I considered to be completely out of my reach. Somehow, I’m here now. I’ve been here since my first year of college, and I love the work that I’m doing. I was able to jump past the hurdle of fear of actually going to college and having to find a way to afford it without causing me stress for the rest of my life, though to be honest, I’m still trying to figure out that last part. I’m proud of my accomplishments and I’m proud of the person I’m becoming. It’s difficult to put into words why law school is even more frightening. I know that absolutely nothing can truly prepare me for what is to come. I don’t

know what it’s like to pore over countless briefs night after night, though I do have experience spending long nights cooped up in the library. I don’t know every single Supreme Court case by heart, and I definitely don’t know how to argue in front of a court with dozens of eyes watching my every move, hanging on every word. What I do know is the feeling I would get after every case my boss and I would win that summer in his law office. The tears that would well up in his client’s eyes when they were granted asylum. The embraces they would give me, thanking me for this new opportunity of a life here in the United States. The hope that would be drip off everything they said. The smiles their children would give me, who look and sound like I did when I was a little girl and my own mother was

applying for citizenship in this country. The journey ahead is going to be difficult and exhausting, and it will probably cause more stress than anything I experience as an undergraduate. But I know it is nothing compared to the hardships immigrants face right now — hardships which my own parents had to face at ages much younger than myself. As a child of two immigrants, who knows the stories of my people firsthand, I know that this is the path I have to take. I have been given the privilege of higher education, found work that I am profusely passionate about and I refuse to take it for granted. If I am able to help at least one family find their way in this complicated country, then it will all be worth it. Email Melanie Pineda at mpineda@nyunews.com.

POLITICS

Howard Schultz Should Join the Democratic Party

By NATHAN MAUE Contributing Writer A lot of people don’t trust the U.S. two-party political system, and for valid reasons; some people even feel compelled to try to force change from the outside. One of the recent attempts at actualizing presidential ambitions outside the established system is Howard Schultz, the ex-Starbucks CEO who is exploring an independent run for president. Unfortunately, for a variety of reasons, an independent presidential

candidate has little chance of winning — even one with billions of dollars at his disposal. If Schultz seriously wants to win the presidency, he should join the Democratic primary and make his case to the millions of voters he expects to win over in a general election. Schultz says his ultimate goal is to deny Donald Trump re-election, but he seems to have ulterior motives. In one detailed analysis, even with the most generous map for Schultz, he only helps reelect Trump, since battleground states would likely be split between Schultz and the Democratic candidate. One would think that with this information, and the f indings of his own internal polling, Schultz would reevaluate the stakes of entering the race as an independent candidate. But he has yet to back down. Schultz said earlier this month that he would abandon his

presidential aspirations if the Democratic Party nominates a centrist. There are some clear problems with that approach. I doubt that highly energized progressive voters will capitulate to Schultz’s threats. It is unlikely that party leaders will select a particular nominee in order to prevent Howard Schultz from running. Voters will be drawn to the candidate who they feel best identif ies with their values. Maybe this is a centrist candidate — it could even be Schultz. But if Schultz genuinely believes he can f ind a constituency, he should throw his hat into the primary and explain to voters why he is the best option, since he’s going to have to convince the nation eventually anyway. Perhaps one barrier to participating in the primary is that Schultz has not yet released any specif ic policies that he would endorse as president,

but has a lot to say about the Democratic candidates’ proposed policies. He has attacked medicare for all, saying it was “not American,” but has not given his solution to healthcare costs. He called the Green New Deal “immoral,” but has yet to present a proposal for tackling climate change. He dismissed Elizabeth Warren’s wealth tax as “ridiculous,” but has no answer to combat income inequality. So where are his policies? What does he want the U.S. to look like? I am curious to see a positive vision of what a Schultz presidency could look like. During his time as CEO of Starbucks, I liked what Schultz did. In a world where corporate responsibility is rare, Schultz made it a mission to hire veterans and refugees. He provided employees with sick time, college f inancial assistance and even healthcare plans. Perhaps Schultz

could create a meaningful platform and add an interesting voice to the 2020 election. However, if Schultz wants a shot at the presidency, it is imperative that he run in the Democratic primary. I don’t have personal disdain for Schultz or independent candidates in general, but I am frustrated that they give people hope they can tear down the system. The political reality is that under our current system, independent presidential candidates can only split the vote, helping one party win. Some independents, like Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), understand this unfortunate reality, which is why he is running as a Democrat. So I urge Schultz: if you actually do not want to see Trump win, do not run as an independent. Email Nathan Maue at opinion@nyunews.com.

TECHNOLOGY

Netflix’s Raised Prices Will Drive Students Away

By WAYNE CHEN Staff Writer It wasn’t too long ago that Netflix was a shoddy DVD-rental service that relied on USPS. Back then, Netflix was like Blockbuster, but with long shipping times and the unavoidable blank periods between returned and incoming DVDs. How times have changed. Now, Blockbuster is nowhere to be found, and, with 139 million paid users worldwide, Netflix has bolstered its influence in the streaming market so much that f ilms debuted exclusively on the platform are dominating the award circuit. For students like me,

Netflix’s signif icance is no excuse to routinely increase prices, and with its recent price hike, I have been weighing my options — and realized that Netflix is not indisposable. In January, Netflix announced a $1 monthly price hike for its basic plan, and $2 per month for its other plans — meaning that the price for the most popular Netflix subscription plan ($10.99 a month for two HD streams) will now cost $12.99. Netflix’s spokesperson justif ied its action by stating that the extra cash will be used to “continue investing in great entertainment and improving the overall Netflix experience for the benef it of our members.” Immediately, the stock market rejoiced and Netflix’s market value rose nearly seven percent in one day, as it took the price hike as the equivalence of increased revenue. But what about everyday users? The situation is somewhat confusing for the rest of us. This is the f irst time Netflix raised its price

for the lower tier basic plan. Online backlash has been minimal. There were no signs of people calling for protests or boycotts against Netflix, but price hikes, when not done strategically enough, have dire consequences. For example, as a result of Apple’s price hikes with their latest iPhones for two consecutive years, the once invincible technological giant has suffered from substantial losses in market value and market share. They could easily have avoided the situation by not charging their cell phones a premium of $999 and beyond; likewise, Netflix’s venture into higher subscription fees will risk turning watchers away. Students like me consider budgeting a priority, and that involves not subscribing to too many streaming services at once. Interestingly, with Netflix included, there are four popular streaming services operating in the U.S., the other three being Amazon Prime, HBO Now and Hulu — all of which possess some

very strong content that I’m willing to watch. Granted, Netflix is the service that introduces most brandnew exclusive titles, but I am still not convinced to prioritize Netflix over the other services, especially if the pricing strategy continues on and the price gaps widen. Both Amazon Prime and Hulu offers discounted rates for students at about $4.08 and $4.99 per month respectively, while Netflix does not offer any discounts. Another extra dollar per month for Netflix is honestly enough to turn me away. Furthermore, for casual audiences who are not keen on watching Netflix exclusives, it’s not necessarily the most alluring service. Amazon Prime is arguably more appealing than Netflix in terms of overall benef its, as it comes equipped with perks such as two-day shipping for purchases on Amazon.com, access to Audible audiobooks and even savings at Whole Foods Market — features widely appreciated by students. And students

can access Hulu’s combined plan with Spotify at a discounted rate. As I have mentioned, dropping Netflix is not a dealbreaker for me. I am willing to enjoy many of the content I would usually turn to Netflix for elsewhere. And if price hikes become the norm, Netflix will have to debut even more exclusive content, or it might face a mass exodus of paid users sooner than later. Apple’s losses with regard to the iPhone XS Max can teach Netflix one thing: just because people put up with (or don’t notice) little price hikes at f irst does not mean they will be milked forever. Netflix might have had a pass by raising monthly fees by $2, but from now on the streaming service has to tread the path carefully, or competing services, like Amazon Prime and Hulu, will be lurking in the corners waiting to see its demise. Email Wayne Chen at opinion@nyunews.com.


9

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2019

CULTURE

The Hoax of Trump’s National Emergency

By MADISON SAN MIGUEL Contributing Writer I am extremely proud to say that I am Mexican. I love my culture. I love the diversity of people, the food, the marvelous celebrations and the language. It is highly disappointing that the person running this country is our biggest critic. I have never once felt afraid in my hometown in a small region near the border of Texas, also known as the Rio Grande Valley. The wrongful depictions of my people and the border bring me an immense amount of disappointment. If anything, I have encountered more threats in New York City than at home. When I moved to the city, I encountered many new obstacles that affected me both physically and mentally. It was the first time that I got cat-called, the first time I had to worry if my dress was too short and the first time I had to fear being touched inappropriately in public. I do not feel as safe here as I do at home; how am I more terrified of being in New York City than living near the border? Growing up so close to Mexico, I was intimately connected with my culture. I am extremely privileged to have constantly received glimpses of the beauty that radiates from it every day. I recall memories of singing Selena Quintanilla’s “Como la Flor” at the top of my lungs, or eating more than a dozen of my grandmother’s tamales, never mind the extreme messiness from the masa. The short drive to the Mexican border allowed me to see how exactly I should proudly embody my culture. It was much more than what I could see at home — it represented how I identified myself in this world. As I was visiting home during winter break, my region received a visit from the president, during which he inspected border security in the city of McAllen, Texas. The RGV has a significant Hispanic population in part due to its close proximity to Mexico. Thus, I ironically applaud him for daring to travel to a region full of Mexicans but also scoff at his negative output from his time spent there. Trump claimed that the border was in deplorable conditions. Yet, it is clear that he did not educate himself prior to those comments. He did not take into account that McAllen, an area by the

border and consisting of immigrants, was named as the 20th safest city in the United States — the nation’s capital didn’t even make the list. The border was never as appalling as he claimed. In fact, the majority of illegal immigration in the U.S. is a result of visa overstay and not a border crossing. It’s a disgrace that we are being lied to by a television-star-turned-politician, who hides his narcissistic, egotistical persona behind a desk made for a true leader. Trump calling for a national emergency is a bogus declaration when the only wrongdoings were being made by government officials who separated multiple innocent families. We are not all rapists. We are not all criminals. We are not all gang members. The actions of a small number of people do not define those of an entire group of individuals. There is no need to label us all as something we are not. Why worry about a group of people who cause you no harm? The truth is being concealed by his xenophobia. Apart from my frustration with our nation’s leader, let’s remind ourselves of true crises that our country is facing: Flint, Michigan still does not have clean water, we are experiencing the drastic consequences of immense climate change, teachers are still underpaid, homelessness is ever-present on our city streets, the opioid epidemic is growing, student debt is increasing, Puerto Rico is still reeling from disaster and gun violence has permeated our national culture. Instead of the president fabricating the truth with his bias, he should seek to solve these issues as he learns to show solidarity to both immigrants and their communities. So tell me, is there really a national emergency, or is this the president’s method of feeding his own ego? There is no need for a wall. There is no need for more division. A concrete wall will only be a symbol of hatred and ignorance, not a step towards immigration reform. This fear that Trump has created only developed a contagion of hate. History will only be repeated if we allow hostility to be the new foundation on which our country builds itself. As a student in New York City, being so far from home makes me feel powerless and disconnected from my identity. Nevertheless, I am looking for ways to stay involved and in touch with my culture. I am still learning how to use my voice in such an egocentric world, even though I am knowledgeable of the power we all have to make a change. Thus, in order to receive a resolution, we must stand together and begin a revolution. Email Madison San Miguel at opinion@nyunews.com.

STAFF EDITORIAL

Higher Education Needs Intervention From All Sides Last week, WSN reported on NYU’s intentions to lobby for increased state funding for tuition. Considering the university’s infamously high tuition, the change would be a welcome one. This new initiative from NYU would support a 20 percent increase in funding for scholarships for low-income students. In addition, the Tuition Assistance Program’s maximum award would increase to $6,000 and TAP’s maximum income eligibility would rise to $95,000. When it comes to affordability, higher education is in crisis. Nearly 44 million graduates have debt, with the average greater than $30,000 per person. With a total greater than $1.5 trillion nationally, student debt has the potential to have a major impact on the U.S. economy. Students aren’t the only ones impacted by the failings of higher education. The decline of tenured positions and the rise in adjunct faculty positions have negatively affected the professional trajectory of the next generation of scholars. Furthermore, the academic job market isn’t the only one that’s troubling; reports show that the prevalence of bachelor’s degree holders is adversely affecting its value. With all of this said, the future of the American student isn’t looking bright. NYU has taken steps to prioritize affordability, but the issue is too big to expect the university to tackle it on its own. It’s an ongoing trend — Brown University plans to replace student loans with scholarships through fundraising, and why “even” NYU Langone will provide tuition-free medical degrees to students. The methods of providing this increase in scholarship funding vary — they might depend primarily on university endowments, fundraising or alumni networks. But NYU’s state-oriented approach to increase accessibility is a positive step towards institutional and systemic change. New York’s decision to lobby public institutions is a start in addressing the epidemic of rising costs in higher education. Colleges within the City University of New York will soon provide a tuition-free education for eligible students, essentially erasing the f inancial burden of college for those who suffer from it the most. But NYU’s intention to

lobby for state funding indicates how the debate on whether or not tuitions should be funded by the government is no longer relevant to only public universities. As tuition and fees for universities continue to rise faster than the f inancial aid available for students, state intervention is inevitable in both the public and private sectors of education. That’s not to say that some elite private universities aren’t already trying to ease the cost of education by offering more f inancial aid. Both Princeton and Yale are considered some of the best schools in the nation regarding f inancial awards for students. But these same schools also have some of the lowest number of low-income students, suggesting that education is still far from an equal f ield in various ways. Student loan debt only serves to exacerbate this issue. This is a problem that cannot be ignored any longer. As the costs of higher education increase and student loan debt follows suit, it becomes clearer that we are allowing debt to crush the potential of our youth. Student loan debt destroys much more than just a sense of f inancial security; studies show that debt is fundamentally restructuring the way young people today approach some of life’s most important decisions. A review from the Center for Global Higher Education concluded that debt decreases entrepreneurship and leads to lower job satisfaction. There is also evidence that those with high debt put off a variety of milestones in their personal lives; research suggests that couples delay marriage because of embarrassment from debt, feeling they cannot truly start adult life without f inancial stability. Student loan debt is a lock on the door for so many young Americans, one that prevents them from embracing the next stages of their lives. Instead, students often view their futures with uncertainty and fear. Given its position as one of the United States’ most expensive universities, NYU initiating efforts to lobby for tuition funds is a step in the right direction. However, this is just one single step on a very long path — one that can only begin once the U.S. takes an honest look at its vision for supporting future generations.

Email the Editorial Board at editboard@nyunews.com. HANNA KHOSRAVI Chair MELANIE PINEDA Chair COLE STALLONE Co-chair SARAH JOHN Co-chair

SOPHIA DI IORIO | WSN

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Washington Square News

10

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2019

UNDER THE ARCH

UTA@NYUNEWS.COM

Edited by PAMELA JEW

“Dad, I promise the $70,000 a year is worth it.” By PAMELA JEW Under the Arch Managing Editor

Chapter One have a lot of jokes about going to

I

Gallatin. I’m in my third year, and I have plenty of material for sustaining insignif icant conversations at NYU parties, bantering with uptown Columbia folk and calming aporetic adults. For baby boomers, I wisecrack, “Yeah, so, I’m making my own major — I know, a parent’s nightmare!” And for non-Gallatin kids, I brag that I can change my major any given day of the week and never declare it. They roll their eyes with indifference. I usually felt conf ident in my concentration elevator pitch, but there was always this underlying uneasiness about my course of study. Was it the costly tuition going toward a major I made up? Was it Gallatin’s copious advertising of its “How to Market Your Concentration” events in the claustrophobia-inducing elevators? Or was it that I came up with the name of my concentration on a whim during a meeting with my advisor and was somehow keeping up that gig outside her off ice? It was all of that — and more. I had just declared my concentration on Nov. 1, 2018 — the last possible day. My concentration, “Community Through Commodity,” seemed like a creative excuse to double major in Sociology and Economics. I catered my conversations when I talked about my concentration, thinking I knew what people wanted to hear. Some conversational rules went as follows: If they wore their parents’ clothes from the ’80s, leave out the fashion aspect. If

they studied Journalism, I’d do a quick rewrite and say, “I’m studying ‘Community Through Commodity’ and Journalism.” The anxiety of asking “could I make a real career out of this?” was setting in and visible, considering my f irst career option, journalism, was rapidly dwindling in number of jobs. In my head, all my classes added up. I swore to my roommates that I could connect my Practical Utopias practicum to my Calculus I lecture. My f ive-page essay about Ralph Waldo Emerson’s “Nature” transcended any other piece of literature out there, even Emerson’s own. I pulled countless projects out of my a-- hours before class. Each one earned at least a solid ‘B’ with a side of “could be proofread better.” But this isn’t my moment to boast any success — I’m not some stacked LinkedIn premium member. This is rather a tale of my self-professed downfall. The Olsen twins did it, the Sprouse twins did it, probably other not-so-Alist sets of twins did it, too. But could I, a B-list celebrity in my own narrative, really convince a future employer that my f irst-year writing seminar, Frankenstein & Revisions, set me up to be a beacon of success at their prestigious company? I couldn’t justify it. My only saving graces were rumors I heard: Gallatin graduates are the most successful across NYU’s schools, Karlie Kloss — when she attended class — cried in the Gallatin stairwell too and someone graduated with a degree in Underwater Basket Weaving. You can’t live your life through rumors. (Well, you shouldn’t.)

Chapter Two ’m never one to set goals — well,

I

never ones with f inite details. Loosely, I had two goals: Make it out of this semester alive, and publish some articles for this new, dinky magazine. I also continued my internship from the summer at a dehumanizing startup. I won’t get into it for your sake and out of fear of another email from my former boss that reads, “are you OK??” No, I was not “OK.” That’s why I quit by October. With less on my plate, it was time to concentrate on my goals. I had my Fridays back from my internship, so I could counter the lost Sundays I spent in the basement of Third North making the magazine. We were running stories about Stern students starting their own sustainable straw company, a cam girl stripping for her tuition dollars and students standing up for their basic human rights. I had a magazine partner-in-crime, but our main source of communication boiled down to Facebook Messenger. I talked to her more like a therapist than an editor. Other editors had dropped like flies — one, her location unknown, and the other to the grippings of Greek life. We were determined to stay afloat. Everyone was on my side, telling me that the magazine was such a great idea and we were producing such “cool stuff.” I was deaf to their praise. The magazine was public — everyone saw what we did and didn’t do, but missing deadlines in my classes could be private. No one but me and my disappointed professors had to know. As Gallatin students, we can tend to emphasize our career hustles rather than our IDSEMs out of obvious, aforementioned anxieties. I put what was left of my heart into the

magazine and let my classes sit on the backburner, because who cares about a GPA when you’re destined to be an artist? But without an “in” to the industries that interested me, who was I to be this nonchalant? I couldn’t be — not with this tuition. The semester started to wind down, but my anxieties didn’t. Naturally, I sunk into hibernation mode, preparing myself for the semester ahead and thinking my mental state would follow suit. Some of my friends were leaving the newspaper, jetting off to Paris or Shanghai or escaping the off ice they’d been cooped up in for the past f ive semesters. Others who I had seen walk into the off ice as staff writers were now becoming my superiors. I was manic — not out of disrespect to them, but just out of my own confusion for what my place would be, what it even was now. All the pieces were falling apart and I was coping with grilled cheeses from Heavenly Market and Deli. I've always been a complainer but seeking help was admitting defeat. I became an unempathetic shell of a person, crying about everything that frustrated me. There was a week — the week before f inals. My head f illed with so many thoughts and everyone closed in around me. Yet, I was still alone. I had moments like this throughout the semester, but those lasted a few hours. This was a full-blown, L train-level shutdown. After a day-long bout of anxiety, paranoia and deja vu, I texted my friend that I was considering taking a semester off. They had already heard the better half of the sinusoidal curve of my emotions. “What are you going to do?” “Maybe move to a farm in Brazil.”


11

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2019

Washington Square News Staff Editor-in-Chief

Sakshi Venkatraman Managing Editor

Sam Klein DEPUTY Akshay Prabhushankar, Bela Kirpalani Creative Director

Priya Tharwala, Sophia Di Iorio Copy Chiefs

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

I

Chapter Three realize I can't remember much of last

semester. But in hindsight, as I try to recall those feelings while writing this, this past fall was f illed with signif icance — cementing both the magazine and my concentration. I made it to the end of the semester alive — but hey, I never promised my grades would be stellar. (In hindsight, I should have tacked it on as the third goal, but I wouldn’t have met it, or would I have? I don’t know because, again, I don’t set f inite goals.) And this magazine is still afloat, but not enough for me to escape this window-less dungeon. I didn’t run off to some Brazilian village, and I didn’t take a leave of absence to go f ind myself and do “real” work. Gallatin jades us all. She doesn’t mean to; rather we allow her can-do attitude to intimidate us. We question why we have the power to just go onto Albert, pick out one of everything and throw it in the classes shopping cart. It’s like going grocery shopping for the f irst time and only buying chips and candy. A pure gluttonous disaster. I fell into that camp where I wanted

my Gallatin concentration to speak for itself without cushioned justif ications. It would end world hunger without me doing a damn thing. To all my friends, thanks for bearing with me. I know you saw me on the verge of tears, but let me keep up my persona of ‘tough girl who hides her true feelings with belittling sarcasm.’ To my professors, sorry I lied to get all those extensions. I def initely didn’t deserve them, but you gave them to me anyway. You always know when something’s up. To my fellow Gallatin strugglers, I can’t tell you that the future is certain and that you’re going to be at J.P. Morgan with the big kids from Stern — hell, you’ll start your own investment f irm before you go to that uptight company — but I can tell you we’re all in the same boat. If you’re that Gallatin kid that’s had it f igured out since you hit submit, well, congrats to you. Laugh at the rest of us who are scatterbrained, or just hold our hand as we type the f inal sentences of our IAPC. For those of you who transferred out of Gallatin, I’m not calling you a coward because I get it. Tisch is well worth the money. And to Gallatin, of course, I’d never transfer to CAS. That’d be downright sinful.

Multimedia

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

Akiva Thalheim

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

Deputy Staff NEWS Jared Peraglia, Mansee Khurana FILM Claire Fishman THEATER & BOOKS Alex Cullina MUSIC Nicole Rosenthal ARTS Dante Sacco CULTURE Anna de la Rosa DINING Arin Garland BEAUTY & STYLE Carol Lee Opinion Page EDITOR Hanna Khosravi, Melanie Pineda DEPUTY Sarah John, Cole Stallone

Email Pamela Jew at pjew@nyunews.com. Illustrations by Sophia Di Iorio

Under the Arch

MANAGING EDITOR Pamela EDITOR Yasmin Gulec,

Jew

Natalie Chinn

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

Justin Park

CREATIVE WRITING

George Hajjar, Maxine Duzgunes ADVERTISING Business Manager

Brian Christensen Zapiecki Director of Sales

Allison Lambdin Director of Marketing and Logistics

Lukas Villarin

Creative Director, Blacklight

Syanne Rios

Account Associates

Mel Bautista Ian Michael Clements ADVISING

Director of Operations

Nanci Healy

Editorial Adviser

Rachel Holliday Smith Editors-at-Large

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. CORRECTIONS: WSN is committed to accurate reporting. When we make errors, we do our best to correct them as quickly as possible. If you believe we have erred, contact the managing editors at managing@nyunews.com.



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