Washington Square News | April 29 2019

4 CULTURE

9 OPINION

From Georgia With Love and a Camera

Allowing for Ronell’s Return Creates Culture of Contradiction

7 ARTS

10 SPORTS

Grey Art Gallery Pays Tribute to the Art That Came From Stonewall

In Appreciation of the NBA’s Middle Class

VOLUME LII | ISSUE 13

MONDAY, APRIL 29, 2019

Student Allegations of Anti-Semitism at NYU Gain National Attention

By VICTOR PORCELLI and MEGHNA MAHARISHI News Editors

VIA YOUTUBE

A fight broke out in Washington Square Park during a rave for Israel’s Independence Day in April 2018. Supporters of Israel clashed with pro-Palestine protestors.

A complaint filed against NYU to the Department of Education alleging that the university has enabled anti-Semitism on campus has received national attention after articles appeared in publications such as The New York Post and Newsweek.

The former president of the Zionist student group NYU Realize Israel, Adela Cojab, filed the compaint on Monday. The Gallatin senior alleges that student activist groups have alienated and harassed students who support Israel. If the Department of Education finds the allegations to be true, NYU would have the opportunity to resolve the complaint by creating a set of remedial steps to address anti-Semitism on campus.

Otherwise, the university could risk losing federal funding.

“The master of campus strife clearly is the [Students for Justice in Palestine]; indeed, the SJP takes pride in fomenting this environment,” the complaint read.

Multiple requests for comment were

made to SJP as an organization, as well as to individual members of the organization. Individual members declined to comment and SJP did not respond to requests for comment by the time of publication.

The complaint goes on to say that SJP is a “terror-affiliated anti-Semitic network” and cites instances at NYU that Cojab sees as examples of anti-Semitism and led her to conclude that the club is a hate group.

In April 2018, NYU Realize Israel and TorchPAC hosted a rave in the park for Israel’s Independence Day. Thirty-two Palestinians were killed by Israeli soldiers in the weeks leading up to the rave while protesting in the Gaza Strip.

SJP held a rally as a protest against the rave. There, members of Jewish Voice for Peace and SJP burned an Israeli flag, and a protestor grabbed the microphone from a student singing the Israeli national anthem. Another protestor grabbed an Israeli flag from a student.

That protestor, as well as one involved in the burning of the Israeli flag, were arrested by the NYPD. CONTINUED ON PAGE 3

Current Wellness Resources Fall Short of Expectations

By MANSEE KHURANA Deputy News Editor *Some of those who spoke to WSN asked to only be identified by their first name for privacy reasons.

Jaelynn Ortiz’s first semester at her dream school did not always feel like a dream.

Feelings of depression that the CAS firstyear had previously sought counseling for had resurfaced. She decided to seek help through NYU’s Counseling and Wellness Services due to her inability to afford outside therapy.

A survivor of sexual assault, Ortiz sought advice from a professional hoping to learn coping strategies to deal with her depression.

Her first appointment was a month af-

ter she spoke to a counselor over the phone.

Throughout the session, Ortiz says her counselor gave her own opinion on Ortiz’s situation but did not offer strategies to help.

Uncomfortable, Ortiz said she canceled her second appointment and has not been back to the center since. Now, instead of speaking to a counselor, she talks to her academic advisor when seeking advice.

“I was looking for someone to listen [to me] and provide me with feedback with what I should be doing,” Ortiz said. “In the end of my meeting, my therapist made me feel like I didn’t have any problems.”

With 54 counselors on the New York City campus and less than 3% of NYU’s $3.378 billion endowment distributed among 12 departments in Student Affairs — which

also includes Athletics and Residential Life and Housing Services — NYU’s Counseling and Wellness Services has fallen short for 14 students who spoke to WSN about their experiences.

Students said that they often experienced three-week to month-long wait times for their first appointments, and sometimes in between appointments, too. Many said the wait times were discouraging, with some giving up on using NYU’s services because of them. Others withstood the wait, but found that when they gained access to counselors, they experienced unprofessional attitudes — such as grinning while asking about suicidal tendencies, advising students to “go smoke” as a solution to their problems or providing no solutions at all.

Presenting the Youngest Director in Tribeca Film Festival History

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Washington Square News

2

MONDAY, APRIL 29, 2019

NEWS

NEWS@NYUNEWS.COM

Edited by VICTOR PORCELLI and MEGHNA MAHARISHI

Current Wellness Resources Fall Short of Expectations CONTINED FROM PAGE 1

Multiple requests for phone or in-person interviews with a representative of the Counseling and Wellness Center were denied. All statements from Zoe Ragouzeos, the director of Counseling and Wellness Services, were given to WSN via email.

Student Health Center counselors are not always licensed — some are graduate students gaining field work experience or training. Trainees present the cases they are working on to supervisors and must get approval from them before continuing to work with a student, according to Ragouzeos.

Grant* decided to go to the SHC for walk-in counseling after experiencing anxiety during his first year of school. He said he never spoke to a licensed professional when he visited the SHC, and his counselor was an individual who was in the process of earning their master’s degree in social work.

Grant decided to seek therapy outside the center from a licensed counselor instead.

In the last 20 years, an increasing number of college students have sought help for mental health issues at their respective university’s counseling center. Being away from home for the first time and the stresses of classes and work can make college a difficult time for many: approximately 60% of college students said they had experienced “overwhelming anxiety” in the past year according to the American College Health Association. Another 40% of students reported feeling so depressed they felt like they couldn’t function. Between 2009 and 2015, the amount of students visiting college counseling centers increased by 30% according to Penn State’s 2015 annual report from its Center for Collegiate Mental Health.

In an effort to provide resources for students who are struggling during stressful times, NYU provides various services through the Counseling and Wellness Center mainly accessed via the SHC. The Manhattan and Brooklyn centers currently offer 10 free weekly group counseling sessions on topics such as substance use, emotion regulation and academic issues. Main features of the center also include 10 free individual counseling sessions per semester and the Wellness Exchange, a 24/7 text and phone hotline.

Peer institutions like Columbia University, Boston University, the University of Southern California and Cornell University operate on similar short-term counseling models for students, offering drop-in counseling and limited individual counseling sessions, referring students to outside therapists. This is why the Counseling and Wellness Center works with therapists in private practices who accept various insurance policies and have a wider range of speciality training.

Despite struggling with anxiety since his junior year of high school, CAS first-year Jonathan Schatzberg’s first and only experience with counseling was last October, when in the midst of his biology homework he decided to text the number he had heard echoed throughout the Presidential Welcome’s Reality Show.

Schatzberg downloaded the Wellness Exchange app and waited 20 minutes before a virtual counselor began to speak to him.

Once Schatzberg confirmed that he was not considering harming himself or others, he was told that he wouldn’t be able to see a counselor until three weeks later. Nationally, the average wait time to see a college counselor is seven days. Feeling like he needed to see a therapist as soon as possible, Jonathan tried to use the NYU SHC’s walk-in

counseling services.

He was told that no one would be available and he should try again the next day.

Frustrated, Schatzberg never returned and decided to reach out to his family instead, who he now relies on for the support he was hoping to receive from a therapist.

“When I was in that terrible, dark cloudy state last semester, I felt like nobody cared,” Schatzberg said. “That was because the university that was supposed care for me just didn’t.”

While the Wellness Exchange does outsource therapists from Morneau Shepell, a human resources company that provides online counseling for over 200 schools in the United States, the services are considered a part of NYU’s Counseling and Wellness Center.

Aastha* has used the SHC for primary care but felt that when it came to her mental health, she was experiencing symptoms that she could not identify. Not wanting to self diagnose, she tried to book an appointment with the SHC. Frustrated with not being able to see a counselor for three weeks, she reached out through the Wellness Exchange app. Aastha said the counselor she spoke to thanked her for reaching out but did not provide any support to help her with her issues surrounding mental health.

“It made me feel like seeking help was pointless altogether,” Aastha said.

Aron* waited a month between his appointments. He said he would spend an hour thinking of things to talk about because his counselor would often only respond with one phrase and not offer advice.

“I ended up not wanting to go to my appointments because I felt that I was making my own counselor upset and dragging down his mood,” Aron wrote in an email to WSN. His first counselor ended up leaving NYU. Aron called the SHC, hoping to set up another appointment with a different counselor. “[When I called] the line went silent after the receptionist’s greeting so I had to hang up,” Aron wrote. “I didn’t call until more than a month after that, but I wasn’t very optimistic about meeting my new counselor/therapist.”

Aron told WSN that his new counselor is much more attentive and professional.

Caleb* was perceived as at risk for harming himself or others after discussing his suicidal ideations with a counselor using the Wellness Exchange app. When a counselor from the app spoke to Caleb, she told him to “go smoke,” misunderstanding when Caleb mentioned he smoked marijuana.

“I wasn’t exactly thrilled with the idea, so I went for a walk instead,” Caleb wrote.

The next day, Caleb received a call from the SHC asking him to come in so they could help him work through his issues.

He says he visited with a counselor and a psychiatrist at the center who started to ask him questions about how he would take his own life.

“Some of the questions felt like they were designed to push me further and further down, as I hadn’t thought of a plan, or considered why I wanted to die before being asked,” Caleb wrote.

While it is common for mental health professionals to ask these kinds of questions to assess risk level, Caleb said the demeanor of the psychiatrist made him feel uneasy — he said that the questions that she asked, combined with the constant grin on her face, made him feel uncomfortable.

Based on the answers he gave, Caleb was perceived to be at risk of harming himself and was placed in a hospital, which cost

him $2,000. Afterward, he had to go to mandatory follow-up appointments at the SHC. Caleb said he felt the need to answer questions in a certain way to avoid being placed back into a hospital.

“I gave answers conducive to what they wanted to hear, and got away from those people as fast as I could,” Caleb said.

After his visit, Caleb did not feel like the SHC helped him and still has nightmares about the grinning psychiatrist he saw.

Based on this experience, Caleb said he doesn’t feel safe going back to the SHC. Ragouzeos mentioned that all Counseling and Wellness Center staff members go through extensive training for at least two weeks before they can see students. Additionally, in order for counselors to maintain their licenses, they must participate in professional development training individually and together every year.

One student, Olivia*, was told that she would have to wait three weeks to see a therapist and decided to cancel her initial appointment after finding an outside therapist she could see on a weekly basis.

Another student, Danielle*, said she felt the SHC didn’t care about her well-being — they were more concerned about if she was a liability. After waiting 15 minutes to speak to a counselor, once Danielle confirmed that she wasn’t a risk, she waited another 30 minutes to speak to another counselor. The second counselor asked her to confirm that she was not a risk. When she explained that she had been losing sleep, struggling with depression and anxiety and felt trapped, the counselor only responded with one word phrases such as “true” or “right.”

“I needed someone to ask me more about my mental health, about my depression, about what my anxiety felt like at that time,” Danielle wrote.“I needed her to ask more questions. I felt like I wasn’t being cared about.”

Ava* initially went to the SHC for help with frequent panic attacks. Unable to afford private therapy, Ava began to see a counselor every three weeks. Ava said that in addition to constantly having to repeat crucial details of her trauma, she would be told at every session that she wouldn’t be able to access these resources once her 10 free sessions were up.

“Each session, instead of talking about how I was feeling or suffering from, turned into a game planning session of what I was going to do when I ran out of sessions, even though I stressed that I had no money to pay for help outside of NYU,“ Ava wrote.

Jason*, who was looking into receiving medication for his mental health issues, debated whether or not to go to the center for months; when he did, he had to wait a month after his initial walk-in appointment to see a psychiatrist. After waiting, Jason did not feel like it was worth going back because they were overbooked.

The SHC does prioritize students who are the most at risk for harming themselves or others, which is why Ragouzeos believes that some students experience longer wait times and have less frequent visits.

“Our system for serving students is designed to prioritize students who are most at risk, resulting in some students being placed ahead of others when scheduling appointments based on the severity of their need,” Ragouzeos wrote.

Ragouzeos also noted that in line with what is common in the healthcare field, students’ need for assistance is evaluated based on a process called the triage. Students who show safety issues at the time of triage are scheduled to meet with a counselor with-

JORENE HE | WSN

Students read Anonymous Affirmations, an initiative in Lipton Residence Hall that sends messages of positivity to NYU students.

in one week. Students who don’t present safety issues may wait two to three weeks during busy times of the year, as many of the students who spoke to WSN have.

Alli, whose name has been changed for privacy reasons, was referred to an outside counselor after her first walk-in session on the New York City campuses because she wouldn’t be able to see a counselor at the SHC for three weeks. The counselor she saw at her walk-in session believed that she would need to see someone sooner because of the way Alli described her fears of harming herself.

Ragouzeos considers counseling sessions on the New York City campuses a shortterm option, especially for students who require specialist expertise.

Less than one-fifth of NYU’s total student population use these health services.

Ragouzeos said she believes most students tend to neglect their mental health until problems begin to feel insurmountable.

“I’ve repeatedly observed that many people — particularly high achieving ones like our students — can tend to neglect their mental health until their problems swell into something that can feel insurmountable,” Rogouzes wrote.

In mid-March, Counseling and Wellness Services sent out a voluntary and anonymous Patient Satisfaction Survey to the 9,000 students across the Manhattan and Brooklyn campuses who have used the Counseling and Wellness Services. The survey received about 500 responses and feedback was generally positive. According to Ragouzeos, 78% of students said that they believe their original appointment was scheduled promptly and 93% agreed with the statement, “I feel that my clinician respects me as a person.”

Counseling and Wellness Services recommends students speak directly with their counselor about concerns they might have regarding their treatment. If this proves challenging, the CWS recommends emailing the SHC. Maria Zambos, the SHC Patient Advocate, responds to all feedback, according to Ragouzeos.

The Patient Satisfaction Survey, which is administered once a semester, is one of the only ways for a student to anonymously provide feedback on a specific counselor, unless the email address used when email-

ing the center is non-identifiable.

When Anton* reached out to the Wellness Exchange, he had to wait 30 minutes before being paired up with a counselor.

Anton told the counselor that he had been diagnosed with anxiety in the past, but the counselor attested that he didn’t believe Anton had anxiety. Anton filed a complaint with the CWS, but it was never followed up on.

Nadia* was required to go to the SHC after being on medical leave for severe anxiety. Both her and her therapist felt she was ready to return this spring and her advisor allowed her to register for classes. However, she did not have a Certificate for Readiness Return, which is required for students returning from a voluntary leave due to psychological reasons. However, Nadia could no longer afford to see her therapist, so she could not obtain a certificate to bring to her mandatory assessment interview with the SHC. According to Nadia, her assessment lasted five minutes; her counselor refused to talk to her after realizing she didn’t have the certificate. Nadia says she left the building and immediately started crying. She felt that her work towards anxiety management was going unnoticed and her counselor only wanted to check boxes off for her return.

While Counseling and Wellness Services meets standards set by the International Association of Counseling Services — an organization that reviews university counseling centers — and provides similar services to those offered by peer institutions, the students mentioned in this article and four others WSN spoke to feel like the care they have been provided is inadequate.

“I left feeling completely unseen and unheard in a place that is supposed to be about my wellbeing,” Nadia said.

If you or someone you know is experiencing thoughts of suicide, please contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255) or the Suicide Crisis Line at 1-800-783-2433.

The number for the Wellness Exchange is 212-443-9999.

Email Mansee Khurana at mkhurana@nyunews.com.

MONDAY, APRIL 29, 2019

Washington Square News | News

Student Allegations of Anti-Semitism at NYU Gain National Attention CONTINED FROM PAGE 1

On Twitter, CAS senior Rose Asaf — the president of JVP and a member of SJP — said that the complaint filed by Cojab puts a focus on those advocating for Palestine, rather than those who present what she sees as a more legitimate danger to Jewish people. Asaf referenced the shooting that occurred at a synagogue in Poway, California which killed one person and left three people injured on Saturday.

While police have not stated a motive for the shooting, someone claiming to be the perpetrator posted an anti-Semitic letter online to 8chan.

“The Jewish community is under attack by white nationalism [and] fools like [Cojab] are making the conversation about students advocating for Palestinian rights,” Asaf said in a tweet. “All of them should be ashamed.”

Cojab said in an interview with WSN that it is unfair to say her complaint is exaggerating the issue.

“If I would’ve burned a Palestinian flag, and Palestinian students said ‘I feel threatened, I feel scared,’ I would say that makes sense,” Cojab said. “I would not call that into question. It’s a little bit disrespectful to tell students that feel unsafe that they’re overreacting.”

A couple of weeks before the rave, 50 clubs signed a pledge to boycott Israel and academic institutions and conferences supported by it. The pledge included a boycott of pro-Israel clubs Realize Israel and TorchPAC. In October, another pledge urged non-cooperation with NYU Tel

Aviv for being “complicit in the state of Israel’s targeted discrimination against activists and Palestinian and Muslim students.”

Both SJP and JVP supported the pledges.

The following semester, a resolution in student government proposed by members of SJP was introduced as part of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement, which protests Israel for its aggression toward Palestine. The complaint lists this resolution and the two pledges as examples of anti-Semitism on campus.

The complaint also mentioned the Bronfman Center shutting down in December over tweets by a student, who is not part of SJP or JVP, that it perceived as threatening to Jewish students.

When SJP received the President’s Service Award earlier this month, Cojab saw it as the university legitimizing anti-Semitism on campus in the complaint.

In a statement to WSN, NYU spokesperson John Beckman said that the university gives the President’s Service Award to over 150 groups on campus and that the charges of anti-Semitism made against the university were baseless, especially considering that Hamilton has previously denounced the BDS movement and the resolution proposed as part of it.

“Anti-Semitism is real; it should be fought,” Beckman said. “But tarring NYU as tolerant of anti-Semitism is wrong and unfair. NYU has a long record of being welcoming and supportive of its Jewish community, and that is not ever going to change.”

Some students believed the universi-

ty’s statement on the President’s Service Award — as well as NYU President Andrew Hamilton’s absence from the awards ceremony — portrayed the award and their activism as insignificant.

“The university is really downplaying the significance of an award they bestow,” CAS junior Kosar Kosar, who was recently elected to vice chairperson of the Student Senators Council, said in a tweet. “This is a slap to the face to the many student leaders [mostly people of color] who have put the hours into making this place a little more bearable.”

Cojab said she agrees that the university acted unfairly by what she sees as downplaying the awards, but thinks that instead it should have acknowledged that it made a mistake by honoring SJP. Cojab maintains that the complaint is in response to SJP’s actions, not its ideals.

“My complaint is not about politics or ideology: it’s not about silencing students,” Cojab said. “It’s about the actions that have been taken by students on the ground. Everyone has a right to advocate and I have always supported the right to advocate. But there’s a difference between activism and continuous harassment, and there’s a difference between protest and physical aggression.”

The Department of Education did not respond to a request for comment by the time of publication.

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

3

NYUAD Appoints New Vice Chancellor

By MEGHNA MAHARISHI News Editor NYU Abu Dhabi announced that Mariet Westermann will serve as Vice Chancellor of the school following a 10-month global search.

As Vice Chancellor, Westermann will serve as the highest-ranking administrator at NYUAD and oversee all academic, administrative and operational affairs on campus. Westermann will also work closely with students, faculty and staff. Vice Chancellor is also one of the highest compensated positions at NYUAD. In 2017, the Vice Chancellor had a reported salary of $1,102,880, which also included benefits.

Al Bloom, who previously served as NYUAD Vice Chancellor, was appointed in 2008. In March 2018, Bloom announced he would step down the following year in August. Once Bloom announced he would step down, the university formed a committee to choose his successor. The committee was led by Philosophy Professor Dick Foley and English Professor Una Chaudhuri.

In a press release, Westermann said she was honored to be appointed Vice Chancellor.

“In a brief nine years, NYU Abu Dhabi has become a unique, flourishing institution of higher education [w]ith a truly diverse and engaged student community, an outstanding and dedicated faculty, an innovative undergraduate curriculum and an ambitious research agenda,” Westermann said. “At a time when international engagement is vital to the future of our planet,

NYU Abu Dhabi is a beacon situated in a dynamic city and a historic crossroads.”

Before joining NYUAD, Westermann was an executive vice president for programs and research from 2010 to 2016 at The Andrew M. Mellon Foundation, which is the organization led by 2019 commencement speaker Elizabeth Alexander. Westermann also served on NYU’s faculty as director of the Institute of Fine Arts and was the first provost of NYUAD in 2008. In this role, Westermann hired the school’s initial faculty, developed the curriculum and launched the NYUAD Institute, which hosts talks, conferences, workshops, lectures and films.

Westermann also received her masters and doctorate degrees from NYU’s Institute of Fine Arts.

NYU President Andrew Hamilton said Westermann met all the requirements the university was looking for in a Vice Chancellor. “[In] choosing a new Vice Chancellor, we sought someone who [would] also contribute to NYU’s leadership globally and be a real presence in the cultural and intellectual life of Abu Dhabi,” Hamilton said.

“With her proven leadership qualities, her experience and involvement in the founding of NYUAD, her superb academic qualifications, her skill as an institution-builder, in Mariet Westermann we found just such a person.”

Westermann’s term as Vice Chancellor will begin in August.

Email Meghna Maharishi at mmaharishi@nyunews.com.

Washington Square News

4

MONDAY, APRIL 29, 2019

CULTURE

CULTURE@NYUNEWS.COM

Edited by FAITH MARNECHECK

From Georgia With Love and a Camera

By ANNA DE LA ROSA Deputy Culture Editor Standing in front of the camera against a white brick wall, Eric Hart erupts into giggles when he is forced to stand as the camera’s subject. His hands shield his face.

Back safely behind the lens, however, the Tisch first-year stands a little taller. He moves his hands in a graceful dance, the camera an extension of his arms. He is self-assured when he shoots and directs his visual brand, LOVE HART, a compilation of his photography, film work and clothing line. This confidence looks natural, but it’s learned.

His hometown of Macon, Georgia is filled with foliage, “Make America Great Again” hats and a strong “can’t-do attitude,” as Hart puts it. The town’s history is fraught with segregation in its school systems, and there is a clear racial divide in the town that persists today.

Hart attended Rutland High School, which had a population of primarily white and African American students. With the school’s college readiness index score of a 19.4 out of 100, teachers were cautious in their expectations — or lack thereof.

“It’s the mindset that [Macon] is in — this is where we are, this is how school works, this is how society works,” Hart said. “In high school, my teachers didn’t teach me to strive for the best.”

Hart didn’t want what most of his classmates wanted, or rather, settled for. While teenagers elsewhere were applauded for striving toward a prestigious school like NYU, he was met with shaking heads when he talked about his dream of studying photography in New York City. Teachers encouraged him to play it safe, focus on his core classes and attend a university closer to home — something many of his classmates did, according to Hart.

Fear clouded the support Hart got from

his family. His mom works as a nurse in a nursing home and his dad is a landscaper.

While receptive to his dream, they asked a lot of “how” questions and left Hart to answer them by himself.

“I had to prove myself,” Hart said. “I can get in, I can work hard in high school, get the right grades and get a scholarship. Once they saw that I was actually really motivated to obtain this dream, they believed in it more.”

Besides his aunt, Tina Jones, Hart is the only one in his family to attend college. As a freelance film and television production supervisor in Atlanta, Jones was his mentor when it came to applying for college and cultivating his artistic career. Not having a son of her own, she wanted Hart to maximize his potential.

“I’ve always encouraged him to have a grand vision for his life,” Jones told WSN over email. “Understanding that exposure and access were key, I decided early on that I would support him by exposing him to as many experiences and opportunities as possible.”

Jones helped Hart tour colleges sophomore year. When she saw that his heart was set on NYU, she helped her nephew apply to Tisch’s Summer High School Program and later to the arts school as a high school senior. Hart had one goal — he only applied to NYU Early Decision I. Now majoring in Photography and Imaging in Tisch, he lives out his dream daily.

But Hart still fondly reflects on his first memories of photography in Macon. He was limited in his artwork to begin with. He remembers first shooting at the age of 11 with what he had — an iPod as his camera and a bunch of trees as subjects. It was more about technique than experimentation. When he was 16, he received his first actual camera, a Canon EOS Rebel T3i that he still uses today.

The summer after his senior year of high school, Hart began shooting with friends until he collected enough photos to create multiple series. He recognized patterns within

Celebrate the Heat at Rooftop Restaurants

By CELINA KHORMA Staff Writer

nanas Foster Waffles ($15) or the Truffle Grilled Cheese ($16).

What better place to get a view of New York City than the rooftop of a 30-story building? May is just around the corner, so rather than being trapped in a concrete complex, step out and enjoy some fresh air and a breathtaking view of the skyline. Here are four rooftop restaurants for a special day or night on the town.

SkyLawn 60 W. 37th St. SkyLawn’s rooftop comes with a host of activities that other restaurants traditionally lack, like board games, Jenga and Connect Four. It offers a few light meals like flatbreads ($17) and a green salad with heirloom tomatoes, onions and poppy seed vinaigrette ($10). The best part of Skylawn, though, is its summer series of ultra-cozy movie nights every day at 6:30 p.m. Take in astonishing city views and munch on movie snacks like popcorn shrimp ($12) and corn dogs ($12).

SERRA FIORITA by Birreria 200 Fifth Ave. Serra Fiorita, on the top floor of Eataly in Flatiron, might be the closest you can get to Naples in New York City. The offerings, from potato gnocchi ($18) to heartier dishes like the Hudson Valley Steelhead Trout ($26), are delicious, and the experience is elevated by the greenery of the outdoor space.

Hotel Chantelle 92 Ludlow St. This Lower East Side spot is just as trendy as it is delicious, and the upbeat vibes on its rooftop, especially during brunch, make it perfect for ushering in the spring. Be sure to make a reservation ahead of time in order to avoid waiting for a table. Once you’re seated, enjoy the outdoor patio while nibbling on their Ba-

Restoration Hardware Rooftop Restaurant 9 Ninth Ave. Furniture store, restaurant and rooftop.

This iconic interior design concept, new to the Meatpacking District, occupies the space where the bistro Pastis stood before it closed. It certainly does the lot justice. Try not to sink into the cloud-like couches you come across on your way to the top floor, where a beautiful rooftop restaurant awaits you. Order the kale caesar salad ($18) or the RH Burger ($24). Trust me.

Email Celina Khorma at dining@nyunews.com.

what he captured and created LOVE HART as a brand to take with him up north.

“Now that I’m here, I’m free to express myself through my artwork,” Hart said. “My content deals with identity, masculinity and the overlap with femininity — that’s something that I didn’t really try back home.”

In his predominantly black hometown, Hart states that the general closed-mindedness was less of a matter about race than one of comfort. His skills in photography, film, writing and fashion design encompass themes of representation, social change and awareness — all aspects that were not part of the everyday talk of his hometown.

“The conversations [in New York], the mindsets that a lot of people have — people in Macon just do not have or even begin to think in that mindset,” he said.

Hart’s photo series, DIMINISH and WINDOWS, and his newspaper publication, THE BLACK MAIL, deal primarily with society’s perception of queer and colored individuals. In his clothing line, he chooses an eclectic group to model the words “LOVE HART” and “SOLDIER OF LOVE” across their bodies in simple print and stark colors, no trees or Georgia peaches in sight. A mix of vibrant hues and darker subject matters, his work turns one’s senses and thoughts on their preconceived heads.

As a visual brand, all boundaries are fluid and ever-changing.

While Hart worked throughout high school to save money and produce LOVE HART solely on his own, he feels blessed to work with other creative minds in his next endeavor, hart.fm, a visual compilation album that will premiere on May 3. Hart, along with fellow Tisch first-years Anthony Rivera and RJ Anderson, gathered songs from various NYU artists about love that later inspired the creation of the short film. He explains that the name is reminiscent of a radio show — callers calling in about love and requesting

ALINA PATRICK | WSN

Eric Hart, founder of the visual brand, LOVE HART, is more comfortable behind than in front of the camera.

songs form the basis of the film.

Hart’s love for photography drives his constant desire to create. Anderson, a friend and collaborator on hart.fm, enjoys working with someone who has huge aspirations and inspirations.

“If you do not know Beyoncé is his idol, then you do not know Eric,” Anderson said.

“Admiring such a hardworking woman like her is what I believe has inspired Eric to be the best at his creative field.”

It’s no title of “Queen B,” but Hart’s name plays a crucial role beyond defining his brand. His middle name, “Love” describes him both figuratively and literally. He shows love for art and for others in the gentle way he speaks. Although his work of posed and

made-up bodies reflects hard truths about race, politics and identities, he still manages to portray vulnerability by capturing the one emotion that connects all humans.

Hart dreams big and boldly. However, he doesn’t claim to know all the answers — instead, he wants to start asking the questions.

While LOVE HART has gained traction within Tisch, he hopes that his work can speak to anyone outside the school as well.

With a mouthful of a name, Eric Nasir Love Hart Jr. was not meant to stay in his small, southern town. He has finally broken free of Macon’s mold.

Email Anna de la Rosa at adelarosa@nyunews.com.

The Fat Radish Freshens up Food

JORENE HE | WSN

The Fat Radish is a British-inspired farm-to-table trendy eatery located on the Lower East Side.

THE FAT RADISH 17 Orchard St. CALL (212) 300-4053 HOURS

Sun. 11 a.m. - 3:30 p.m., 5:30 - 10 p.m., Mon. - Tue. 5:30 p.m. - 10 p.m., Wed. - Fri. 5:30 p.m. - 11 p.m., Sat. 11 a.m. - 3:30 p.m., 5:30 - 11 p.m.

VISIT thefatradishnyc.com

By MATIGAN KING Contributing Writer When my waiter first introduced himself at The Fat Radish — a veggie-centric restaurant on the Lower East Side — he empha-

sized that it was a great night for business, as everyone was ordering wine and tequila.

His optimistic demeanor reflected that of the restaurant, which buzzed with lively conversations.

The mood was upbeat, one of care-free enjoyment. Friend groups, couples and families sat at intimate wooden tables in the dimly lit space, exchanging gossip and life updates.

It is no secret that a restaurant’s atmosphere can either completely enrich or ruin a dining experience, regardless of the quality of the food. Luckily, The Fat Radish excels in both departments. Its menu offers plenty of variety without being overwhelmingly long.

Dishes such as grilled asparagus with pecorino cream and olive oil ($15) or grat-

ed sunchoke with celery and fennel ($16) welcomed spring’s bounty, highlighting the kitchen’s focus on seasonality. Simply reading the menu is enough to understand The Fat Radish’s focus on celebrating vegetables.

The simple green salad ($12), for instance, though a bit too salty, was indeed simple and refreshing. The greens did not require any adornments or accompaniments because the crispness and freshness spoke for themselves. Equally memorable were the ingredients of the grilled broccoli rabe ($16), which came dressed in a spicy and earthy ‘nduja vinaigrette.

Grilled trout ($24) paired with delightfully tender sauteed greens and buttery avocado and The Fat Radish Plate ($20), a daily plant-based selection of rice, beans and assorted vegetables, was nourishing and incredibly delicious.

It is easy to forget the art of simple food and that simplicity does not necessarily denote banality at The Fat Radish. Simple, unpretentious dishes remind guests that truly good cooking is about quality ingredients.

The restaurant masters simplicity in a city where many of its counterparts are obsessed with fleeting culinary trends. While its rivals just end up distancing themselves from the idea that cooking is a celebration of the harvest, The Fat Radish roots itself in its appreciation for the fundamentals. It’s exactly what New York City needs.

Email Matigan King at dining@nyunews.com.

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MONDAY, APRIL 29, 2019

NYU Trend Report: Colors and Textiles Edition

Students Talk Seasonal Style

By MEHHMA MALHI Contributing Writer No longer bundled in huge jackets or swaddled in scarves, students are beginning to pack their winter wear away and debut their warm-weather wardrobes. However, as we enter spring, a few pieces are harder to let go of than others. We can often feel as though one of our coats or flamboyant pairs of boots has come to represent everything we stand for and marks us out among the bleak and quilted flock.

Often recognized during the winter by the click of my boots or the pattern of my coat, I myself have experienced this phenomenon. As the weather becomes warmer and I can no longer wear these beloved items, I worry that I will not only miss my clothes but also part of my identity.

CAS sophomore Clyde Freeman also feels that he expresses himself more clearly during the colder months.

“I think personally I wear clothes during fall and winter that are much truer to who I am and how I see myself, so I feel much more comfortable during those seasons,” he said.

“Often I’ll always have some kind of jacket on and a lot of black. However, as we get into spring and summer I kind of wear whatever I can find even though I think it’s not an accurate representation of myself as in the colder seasons.”

CAS sophomore Nadia Koritareva has shared this feeling. However, for her, it is during the warmer months that she feels her clothes accurately represent her.

“I feel truly free to express myself through my outf its during spring and summer; that’s when my authentic style is demonstrated without constraint,” Koritareva said. “But fall and winter challenge me to be creative and make the most out of

fashion trends I am not necessarily most comfortable with, and that, in a sense, shows who I am more than anything else.”

There are also students whose style isn’t drastically affected by the seasons. CAS sophomore Maren Altman appreciates seasonal changes, as they help guide her through building her outf it in the morning. Rain or shine, Altman uses the weather to her advantage.

“In the winter, I love layering a faux leather jacket over distressed black jeans,” she said. “Summer, I still enjoy mixing different textures, like plaid and patchwork, but I’ll choose a more minimal skirt and crop top. Faux leather boots are my go-to, no matter the weather because they pull any outf it together.

Ultimately, as the seasons change I don’t feel like I lose freedom or a part of myself as much as I gain helpful change and variety.”

SPS sophomore Aggie Dent uses the seasonal transition to her advantage in another way. While the winter allows her to stay in her comfort zone and cover up in shades of white, grey and black, she hopes that the spring and summer will serve as a style-altering catalyst.

“I like my style, but as the seasons change, I would want to wear bolder colors just to put myself out there because I think I wear darker colors to just blend in with the masses,” Dent said.

While I might miss those wonderful boots this summer, I f ind solace in seeing how these other students adapted to the weather without compromising their individual styles.

Those boots were made for walking, but I can walk — and be myself — without them.

By CAROL LEE Beauty & Style Editor NYU students are notorious for their refusal to ascribe to the stereotypical college uniform of sweats and a Jansport. Here are some color and textile trends students are either loving or leaving behind.

IN Neon Nice and obnoxious.

Neon reared its flashy head in the form of turtlenecks last fall. And just when the barely-resurrected trend seemed to be dying, designers brought it back with glee during New York Fashion Week S/S 2019. NYU students have already begun incorporating these loud shades into their ensembles and achieving that oh-so-coveted just-drenched-myself-in-highlighter-ink look. After all, what better city to be noisy in than the city that’s never quiet?

Stick of butter Delish does (kinda) rhyme with stylish.

A few months ago, esteemed fashion blog Man Repeller debuted the concept of dressing like “a stick of butter.” It’s quite simple — all you have to do is build your outfit from any clothing you have in a shade that resembles yellow, ivory, white and sometimes beige. Effortlessly chic

Email Mehhma Malhi at bstyle@nyunews.com.

COURTESY OF TATIANA PEREZ

Students talk about how their fashion changes with the seasons and how it affects their identity.

nyunews.com nyunews.com nyunews.com nyunews.com nyunews.com nyunews.

NYUNEWS.COM nyunews.com nyunews.com nyunews.com nyunews.com nyunews.com nyunews. nyunews.com nyunews.com nyunews.com

ALANA BEYER | WSN

Wearing loud shades of green and pink, students showcase the new popularity of neon.

and a little whimsical, this color scheme is sure to extend from the winter far into spring and summer. A little butter makes everything better.

Corduroy Bored with cords.

the denim in our pants, skirts and jackets in nice fall and winter shades like burnt umber and eggplant purple. Paired with plenty of buttons, the tender textile seemed invincible. But alas, as with most overdone trends, NYU students soon seemed to tire of cords. It’s been a bumpy ride.

Corduroy really had us going there for a while. Corduroy replaced

Email Carol Lee at clee@nyunews.com.

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Washington Square News

6

MONDAY, APRIL 29, 2019

ARTS

ARTS@NYUNEWS.COM

Edited by GURU RAMANATHAN

Presenting the Youngest Director in Tribeca Film Festival History

Wendell Pierce as a preacher “Burning Cane.”

By KAYLEE DEFREITAS Staff Writer For most people, junior year of high school consists of hustling to maintain their GPA, gearing up for college applications, hanging out with friends and dreaming about prom. Phillip Youmans was instead writing a draft of what would end up being his first feature film. Little did he know how far this early ambition would take him.

“By the time we premiere, it will be

VIA SUSAN NORGET FILM PROMOTION

a complete two-year cycle from when I went down to write the first draft of the feature,” the Tisch first-year said.

Youmans’ film, “Burning Cane,” is one of the ten features chosen for the Tribeca Film Festival’s U.S. Narrative Competition this year. He is the youngest director and writer to have a feature at the festival.

“It’s so lucky. I worked as hard as I could on it, but you never know. You never know who it is going to resonate with,” Youmans said. “I think a lot of my

career, in the long run, has opened up and Tribeca has opened up so many doors.”

Youmans grew up with an innate passion for storytelling. He says he was very introverted as a child, and would often dress up in costumes and escape into his own worlds to deal with his shyness. After first showing an interest in acting, he began dabbling in film at 13 years old when he shot his first short film.

He decided to pursue filmmaking as a career and eventually went to an artistic high school, the New Orleans Center for Creative Arts — NOCCA — to further his artistic education.

When talking about NOCCA, Youmans noted the impact of his mentor, director and Media Arts Department Chair Isaac Webb and the resources the school offered to nurture his growth as a filmmaker. The top-of-the-line gear NOCCA provides to students gave him an opportunity most aspiring high school filmmakers don’t have access to.

Youmans said he continually put this gear to use, renting it out whether or not he had an idea to shoot. The second half of principal photography for “Burning Cane” was actually shot using NOCCA’s gear.

“Burning Cane” is a look into life in rural Louisiana and explores how religion and family affect the relationships and experiences of the people in this world. The film predominately follows one woman,

Helen (Karen Kaia Livers), as she struggles to help both her son, Daniel (Dominique McClellan) and her church pastor, Tillman (Wendell Pierce), overcome their vices and the troubles these bring.

The film’s team is filled with NOCCA alumni, including lead actors Karen Kaia Livers and Wendell Pierce and production designer Ojo Akinlana.

“NOCCA is a sort of family, and we as a community look out for each other,” Youmans said.

The narrative is a reflection of Youmans’ desire as a filmmaker to tell honest, nuanced stories about black people, from a Southern perspective. After a short film he made before conceptualizing “Burning Cane,” he decided to exclusively tell stories from a black perspective, and he states that this film is an example of that.

This film takes a subdued narrative approach, focusing more on emotion, experience and character rather than being plot-driven. Rather than having tons of action fill the screen, Youmans takes a slow burn approach, incorporating scenes of hollow silence that allow the audience to wade in the characters’ moods and immerse themselves in the film’s world.

“I wanted it to feel like a moment in time, like we were living with these characters for a little,” Youmans said.

“There is something that comes from the natural beats of life that provides its

own escalation.”

Once Youmans finished shooting, he jumped into post-production, which he admits was difficult because of his perfectionist tendencies. He found himself sitting with the film for hours and neurotically editing even the tiniest mistakes.

Eventually, he realized he had to let go and began sending the completed film out to festivals as a means to finally release control of his work.

He first applied to the Tribeca Film Festival last summer and found out he had been accepted while in his first months at NYU. “I was in a psych recitation, and I checked my phone and froze up,” Youmans said. “And then I called my mother. It is wild. I don’t know. I feel super fortunate for it.”

“Burning Cane” premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival on April 25. Youmans’ achievement was the culmination of two years of hustle, dedication and passion.

“Stay true to the story that you want to tell,” Youmans said. “There is nobody who is you, so there is nobody who can tell that story like you. And that’s how you stand out.”

“Burning Cane” had its World Premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival on April 25 at 5:30 pm.

Email Kaylee De Freitas at film@nyunews.com.

‘Scheme Birds’ Is a Scottish Story Long Overdue

By FAREID EL GAFY Staff Writer

“Maggie Thatcher took the steel industry from Scotland and Ireland, [and] gave it to England.”

Twenty-one-year-old Gemma sums up the history of her sleepy Scottish hometown as documentary “Scheme Birds” gets its bearings. She is the main subject of the film, and was born over a decade after Westminster sucker-punched this Glasgow satellite, but Motherwell’s residents are still reeling.

Swedish documentarians Ellen Fiske and Ellinor Hallin crossed the sea to chronicle Gemma’s life. Her grandfather, whom she calls Papa, raised her in lieu of her parents. Her mother was a drug addict and her father is in jail.

In the film, Gemma says that she never wants to leave Motherwell and seems exceedingly comfortable, despite the apparent decay of the stagnant town. She spends her free time drinking and committing petty crimes around her scheme, a government housing complex, with her boyfriend Pat and their coupled neighbors, Amy and JP. Papa doesn’t like Pat very much, but Gemma’s impending motherhood drastically re-contextualizes her life.

“Scheme Birds” presents Motherwell exactly as it is. Hallin as cinematographer discovers an appealing quality to its muted tones. The damp green of the Scottish countryside melts into the somber gray of the predictably gloomy British sky. But the danger of unbridled youth is apparent and promises to rear its ugly head.

Aside from spending time with her friends and boxing at Papa’s gym, Gemma doesn’t have much else to do. Under-utilized potential permeates the town itself, devoid of its once-lucrative steel mills.

Papa breeds pigeons, and their erratic

VIA FALCO INK

The main subject of the documentary, Gemma, a troublemaking teenager who comes of age in a declining Scottish steel town.

flight highlights a sense of urgency underscoring the film. Motherwell is exactly what it is, and nothing more.

Gemma’s story is one that is all too often accepted without thought. She lives in one of the world’s wealthiest countries, by any measure, but her circumstances do not reflect it. To an American audience, Motherwell’s decay evokes images of the “Rust Belt” that spans the tri-state area of Michigan, Ohio and Indiana.

Cities such as Gary, Toledo and Detroit continue to hobble along in the wake of the auto crash.

Today, in the U.K., the government is scrambling to deliver on the faulty promise of Brexit — a promise in which Scottish voters were wholly uninterested.

The pro-independence Scottish National Party has overwhelming support and holds the highest office in the country’s devolved government. Fiske and Hallin

bring to light an unpleasant reality.

All is not equal among the Home Nations. In the 1960s, my Scottish grandparents left Barrhead — a suburb of Glasgow not far from Motherwell — for England.

That’s where the opportunities, money and everything else were. Gemma faces the very same reality half a century later.

Her story is heartbreaking, but not without hope. She still has a chance to change — and so does Motherwell.

“Scheme Birds” is a deeply personal film with national implications. Like Danny Boyle’s brilliant “Trainspotting,” which explores the heroin scene in Edinburgh, it unflinchingly presents the struggle of Scotland’s least fortunate.

Fiske and Hallin gave them a voice. They deserve to be heard.

Email Fareid El Gafy at film@nyunews.com.

7

MONDAY, APRIL 29, 2019

Student-Run Label Produces Alternative Duo’s New Single

COURTESY OF THE BLUE

India Shore (left) and Claire Altendahl (right), the duo behind the pop-rock band The Blue, which is gearing up for a performance on April 28 in Brooklyn.

By NICOLE ROSENTHAL Music Editor Berklee College of Music graduates India Shore and Claire Altendahl became friends over an unexpected string of events. While auditioning for a vocal performance show as a solo musician, Shore put out a request for a backing band member, and Altendahl responded. Just a few years later, the two would become pop-rock band The Blue, an Independent Music Award-nominated duo.

“We didn’t get the audition. [The judges] at the audition did say, ‘you guys should work together,’” Altendahl, 22, said. “We played an original for this audition, so once I heard what India was working on, it aligned with what I was doing. We were really just always on the same page.”

NYU Steinhardt’s student-run record label Village Records — which requires Music Business majors to take a one-semester course — decided to pursue The Blue during the spring.

Coincidentally, the Boston-based duo plans to return to Brooklyn in September after having lived there last summer, citing New York’s thriving independent music scene and community of queer artists.

Their latest single, recorded and produced by Steinhardt Adjunct Professor J.C. Losada of Village Records, is in part a reflection on Brooklyn. The track — titled “Brooklyn Red” — is the story of a toxic relationship that plays out in Brooklyn.

“We had [the single] almost fully completed when Village Records reached out to us, so it was an interesting opportunity to rework some things and get some different opinions,” said Shore, a Brooklyn native. “Working with a producer was also something we hadn’t done before, so we had to open up our minds too.”

During the first three weeks of the spring semester, students at Village Records each suggested small-scale artists that the label could potentially work with. After considering criteria such as “clear artistic direction,” “musical quality” and “has already established a following,” the class finally chose The Blue.

“I thought it was really amazing working with people our age who were also good at what they do and so driven,” Shore said. “It’s really nice having a team of people working with you as opposed to just you. It makes every-

thing so much easier. Everyone there is so great at every aspect of the music industry, whether it be A&R or marketing or recording.”

The final product of Village Records’ work this semester was “Brooklyn Red,” a performance booking and a music video to accompany the single. With simple yet elegant choreography and striking visuals, the video for “Brooklyn Red” has several hundred views and counting since its release on April 18.

“The music video was a fun process because it all came together in one week,” Altendahl said. “We had to shoot it in a day, with a big time crush.

It was really funny because we had to come to [New York City] from Boston the Friday night before and leave Saturday night. I had to catch a flight the next morning so it was just a crazy 24 hours. Within one week we set the date, figured out the concept and the director, we found the space and then recorded in 10 hours.”

The Blue will headline Brooklyn Bazaar on April 28, their first performance since releasing “Brooklyn Red.” Since the band is currently in the process of recording their second album, The Blue’s collaboration with Village Records came at an opportune time.

“We were shocked when they picked us,” Altendahl said. “I think it’s always a little nerve-wracking to be in front of your peers […] I was really excited to hear what they had to say because they are some of the best minds in the music industry up-and-coming and I think they have a lot of fresh perspectives.”

Members of Village Records who worked with the band found the experience to be valuable. Steinhardt junior Mingsi Ma, this semester’s Marketing Manager for Village Records, said she feels like the Village Records experience has truly allowed her to see all sides of the industry over the course of three months.

“It’s impossible to learn about the music industry solely from the textbook,” Ma said. “Now I can think about all the creative processes as a whole. An internship would provide you a relatively comprehensive understanding of how a specific position [or] department looks like, but probably not a big picture.” ‘‘Brooklyn Red” is available on all major streaming services.

Email Nicole Rosenthal at nrosenthal@nyunews.com.

Grey Art Gallery Pays Tribute to the Art That Came From Stonewall

By AASHNA AGARWAL Staff Writer Commemorating 50 years since the Stonewall riots that helped ignite the modern gay rights movement, NYU’s Grey Art Gallery is now showing “Art After Stonewall: 19691989,” which opened with a public reception on April 23.

Curated by Jonathan Weinberg, Tyler Cann and Drew Sawyer, the show is organized by the Columbus Museum of Art. The exhibit is being shown in two halves, the first of which opened to the public on April 24 at the Leslie-Lohman Museum of Gay and Lesbian Art in SoHo. The show includes works from high-profile queer artists like Keith Haring, Robert Mapplethorpe and Andy Warhol, as well as less well-known but still influential artists like Catherine Opie and Greer Lankton.

“It’s really great to see the variety of works they have here,” 24-year-old Kelso Kennedy, a staff member at the Leslie-Lohman Museum, said. “Seeing the difference between the two exhibits is so refreshing as well as how much color this exhibit has and how much life there is in a community that has experienced so much loss and death. It’s really inspiring, especially for somebody my age.”

Comprised of media as varied as video, painting, photography, screen prints and photocopies, the versatility of “Art After Stonewall: 1969-1989” embodies the contrasting times the pieces originate from. The exhibit includes over 200 works of art, many of which address the AIDS crisis and confront the Reagan Administration

for failing to acknowledge it.

Highly political in nature, many of the pieces are provocative and foreshadow the era of sexual liberation in the arts that took off in the mid-’90s.

“Today I was wondering how it would be placed among the other artists and I think I’m in really good company,” artist Lenore Chinn said.

Her painting “Deja Vu,” a 1986 work based on a photo her friend took of the two of them, is featured in the exhibit.

“It was done in a Hollywood apartment [of] a friend of mine who passed away from AIDS many years ago,” Chinn said. “And the guy who is behind the camera, he also passed away from AIDS. He took a picture of this image of us in a mirror, and I thought it was so strong that I decided to create this acrylic on canvas from the photo.”

In attendance at the reception were also some of the subjects of the pieces themselves.

“Hi, I’m Tabboo! T-A-B-B-O-O exclamation point,” said the subject of “George in the Water,” a black and white semi-nude portrait photographed by David Armstrong. “I am thrilled beyond words to be included in this historic show. [...] It’s beautiful. I have a beautiful portrait and a photograph of me from when I was 20. I’m 60 now. I’m one of the survivors, and I’m still here.”

The reception concluded with performances of excerpts from “The Stonewall Operas,” four 30-minute operas inspired by the Stonewall riots that were written and composed by alumni of the Tisch Graduate Musical Theatre Writing program. The

pieces will be performed in full at the Tisch Shubert Theatre on May 18 and at the Stonewall Inn on May 19.

A highly collaborative effort, the performances were designed by students of the Tisch Department of Dance, performed by singers from American Opera Projects and directed by students of The New School.

“Outside” and “Nightlife” are based on the day of the raid of The Stonewall Inn and “Pomada Club” follows two different stories that play out in present-day Kiev and New York City, while “The Community” takes place 400 years in the future.

As with the operas, the pieces that make up the exhibit as a whole are very different in form and content, but still come together to further the legacy of Stonewall through their confrontation of gender and sexual norms. The exhibit provides a platform to many unsung artists who furthered the gay rights movement through their art, allowing viewers to pay tribute to the many creators and activists who came before them. ‘‘Art After Stonewall: 1969-1989” is on view at the Grey Art Gallery, 100 Washington Square South, until July 20 and at the Leslie-Lohman Museum of Gay and Lesbian Art, 26 Wooster St., until July 21. ‘‘The Stonewall Operas” will be performed at the Tisch Shubert Theatre, 721 Broadway, on May 18 and at The Stonewall Inn, 53 Christopher St., on May 19.

Email Aashna Agarwal at arts@nyunews.com.

ALANA BEYER | WSN

Piece on the Grey Art Gallery’s show “Art After Stonewall: 1969-1989,” a part of Stonewall 50.

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Washington Square News | Opinion

OPINION@NYUNEWS.COM

OPINION

MONDAY, APRIL 29, 2019

Edited by HANNA KHOSRAVI and MELANIE PINEDA

INTERNATIONAL

Reflecting on Notre Dame and the Rightful Return of Africa’s Soul

By SARAH JOHN Deputy Opinion Editor One quote in particular in the New York Times article “What the Notre-Dame Fire Reveals About the Soul of France,” stood out to me. A Parisian stated, “it’s our roots, our history, our civilization. I think of the generations of artists who spent all their lives working on this monument to God, to belief.”

When Notre Dame caught fire, Parisians stood together and commented on how this building and its artifacts were more than just wood and stone.

These relics were an enduring reminder of the Parisian people and their communities — or as the article’s headline so beautifully put it, their soul.

The idea that a people’s very essence can be found by studying their art made me reflect on my own home country, Nigeria. Today, in 2019, generations after colonization, there are still several thousand precious stolen African artifacts in France and the rest of Europe. The years of colonial looting have made it so that much of our art is not even in our country, and that our soul is fractured in pieces throughout Europe. What does that say about how we should try to understand our roots, our history, our civilization? How do we mourn our monuments when they’ve been gone for generations?

Maybe you’ve heard about these lost artifacts. They made the news last year when French president Emmanuel Macron agreed to return thousands of artifacts back to the continent — a decision met with much controversy, as some French citizens lashed out

against what they saw as an emptying of their museums. Or maybe you noticed it during Killmonger’s entrance in “Black Panther,” pre-museum heist, when he criticized a worker in a British museum for her lack of knowledge on a stolen artifact from Benin.

The lack of respect and mistreatment of African artifacts has been on my radar for much longer. It is present in the way that I always internally wince when my friends skip over the African art section at the Met, and the way that I grew up in an educational system that told me my culture had never created anything worth remembering. For example, the popular historian Hugh Trevor-Roper said in 1963 that “Africans have no history,” since Africans had never created anything of “significance,” and were peoples still “in darkness.”

Why has Britain been able to keep bronze statues of the ancient Benin Kingdom, and why has France been able to keep looted textiles from the shores of West Africa? Why is it that 180,000 looted African pieces are kept in Belgium’s Royal Museum for Central Africa? African artifacts are spread throughout Europe in private collections and museums, as African people grow up constantly told they are from a continent with no history. That is why the gesture of returning these artifacts back to their rightful countries is so urgently needed — it would be a remarkably rare recognition of African dignity from Europe. This kind of bold step would be an acknowledgement that African countries also have art, and have souls as valuable as their European counterparts — something many people still don’t believe.

A few months ago, I started crying at the African Art section in the Met. My friends had asked me something about a piece, and my answer winded down different roads until it became a discussion about Nigeria as a whole, and the stories of hope and loss and resilience that I know about my country, as well as those of the injustices it has faced. These were stories of how

SOPHIA DI IORIO | WSN

millions of would-be artists, poets and painters spent their lives picking cotton instead of creating cultural items that I would one day get to pick up and experience, before handing them down to my kids and they to theirs.

These were stories of the thousands of artifacts that had been lost or destroyed during colonization. Often, I think about how the scale of these injustices is indescribable. I wonder how we should even begin to try and fix the

losses, when the losses can’t even be put into words.

I hope France will take this time post-Notre Dame fire to reflect on the importance of heritage, and follow through on its promise to return African artifacts. I want people to take the sense of loss they felt at Notre Dame’s destruction as a reminder that culture and heritage are important. That perhaps one of the most overlooked, but still deeply crushing, aspects of coloni-

zation was how it spread the belief that certain types of art and culture were more valuable than others.

I want France, Britain and the rest of Europe to return my continent’s artifacts. I want them to put the souls of African countries back where they belong. I have been mourning the fracture of their souls — they, too, should mourn the fragmentation of mine.

Email Sarah John at sjohn@nyunews.com.

CULTURE

K-pop’s Corporate Greed

By JUN SUNG Contributing Writer In the last couple of years, K-pop has expanded into the global cultural sphere, with groups like BTS, BLACKPINK and TWICE gaining massive followings and embarking on tours stretching across China, the United States and Europe. The popularity of K-pop has been so immense that the South Korean government has even utilized it for soft power diplomacy, including K-pop

stars in a performance for North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.

There’s no doubt that K-pop has been an international success, but the reality is that these achievements were the results of the exploitation of artists. Due to the strong influence of entertainment companies, artists have virtually no say in dayto-day processes. Using top-down corporate strategies, companies have been able to cultivate some of the most well-known entertainers in the world. However, the process that companies make groups endure to become successful is problematic.

When entering the K-pop scene, artists go through a strict training regimen for three to f ive years which can involve body-shaping procedures like plastic surgery. Additionally, K-pop faces the problem of forced extreme dieting. Entertainment companies, especially SM

and YG, have guidelines for how their artists can act and present themselves, and artists are required to abide by them. As a result, some individuals are forced to resort to starvation diets. Soyou, a member of the girl group Sistar, said she only ate four quail egg whites and a cup of milk every day as part of an unhealthy diet. By forcing group members to adhere to an unhealthy diet regimen and strive for an almost impossible body image, these guidelines go too far. They not only create a dangerous environment for artists, but also promote the starvation diet to fans and the general public.

Up until 2009, group members were often forced to sign “slave contracts,” wherein they agreed to deals lasting up to 13 years. Oftentimes, these contracts were signed before the training period, so they did not even guarantee a spot in a group in

the future. These contracts prioritized the prof its of the corporation over the basic welfare of the workers.

Though the South Korean Fair Trade Commission has since limited the term of such contracts to seven years, there are still major issues with these agreements. One is the fact that if an individual decides to quit, they are “required to pay their agencies a sum calculated from the average prof its made from performances and music sales.” Clearly, the problem of the lopsided contracts has still not been resolved.

However, the top-down control of companies is not just limited to physical appearance. Their strict hold on artists even stretches to artistic endeavors. Kris Wu, former member of boy band EXO, explained in a radio interview how he had no freedom to make the type of music he wanted.

Because of this, he left the group to

focus on his solo work.

This restriction of artistic expression is an unnatural way of making music. By artif icially crafting and controlling an individual’s creative process, corporations fail to recognize the inherent freedom and fluidity of music. As a result, K-pop loses some of its artistic potential as it’s choked out by corporate greed.

Riddled with unhealthy beauty standards, unfair contracts and restriction of creativity, it’s clear that the K-pop industry is solely focused on prof it rather than protecting its artists or supporting their vision and dreams. What we need to recognize and f ight, f irst and foremost, is the root problem of corporate greed.

Only then can we begin to create a healthier environment for artists in an industry loved worldwide.

Email Jun Sung at opinion@nyunews.com.

9

Washington Square News | Opinion

MONDAY, APRIL 29, 2019

PUNDIT IN TRAINING

Impeachment?

Yes, Please

By NATHAN MAUE Columnist Robert Mueller’s report on Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election and possible obstruction of justice by the Trump administration was released in redacted form on April 18.

The report concluded that there was insufficient evidence to prosecute anyone involved with the campaign on federal conspiracy or campaign finance violation charges. On obstruction of justice, the report laid out a spectacular account of the attempts by President Trump to end the investigation. Mueller was unable to reach a conclusion to indict the president because, under Justice Department guidelines, a sitting president cannot be indicted.

The report did state, however, “If we had confidence after a thorough investigation of the facts that the president clearly did not commit obstruction of justice, we would so state. Based on the facts and the applicable legal standards, we are unable to reach that judgment.”

Now, Democrats are arguing over whether or not to impeach the president.

Though it is a difficult and likely losing battle, Democrats may as well try.

Most Democrats understand it is highly unlikely that a supermajority of the Senate would vote to remove the president since it would require support from at least 20 Republicans, but that doesn’t mean there shouldn’t be impeachment proceedings. As the party that decries the undermining of institutional norms and disregard for the rule of law, the Democrats would be remiss to pass on impeaching the president. If the Democrats insist on waiting for the American people to decide Trump’s fate in the 2020 election, as House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-M.D., suggested, they will have abdicated their duty as much as Mitch McConnell abdicated the “advice and consent” duties of the Senate on Supreme Court nominee Merrick Garland.

Some Democrats are providing valid arguments for impeachment. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-C.A., is arguing that any impeachment must be bipartisan. Like-minded Democrats seem to be afraid of electoral fallout in the 2020 election, and history might support their argument. After all, the GOP lost seats in the 1998 midterms after impeaching Bill Clinton in a very partisan vote. But the impeachment of Clinton was drastically different than the situation we currently find ourselves in.

While Clinton faced impeachment for obstruction of justice in trying to conceal an extramarital affair, Trump has covered up inappropriate contacts with Russians, felony campaign finance violations and

Submitting to

potential crimes surrounding his foundation, his inauguration and his businesses.

These two circumstances are clearly not the same and should not be treated that way. I would not be very quick to draw comparisons between the relatively wellliked, moderate politician Bill Clinton and the widely disliked, offensive and extremist ideologue President Trump.

Democratic politicians may be hesitant to begin impeachment proceedings, but they certainly aren’t defending the president. Rather, the discussion is about the political consequences of impeachment — but those are unpredictable. An impeachment investigation would plaster Trump’s misdeeds across the media 24/7 while 2020 Democrats are traveling the country talking about healthcare and the economy. We have seen that the drops in Trump’s approval ratings align with blockbuster news coverage of his corruption and inhumane policies.

If coverage of the president is only focused on his impeachment, while the Democrats continue to talk about healthcare and economic inequality, it would make for a good split screen.

“Trump impeachment proceeding while 2020 Dems vow to expand healthcare” seems like a good headline to me.

Most importantly, though, is that impeaching the president is the morally and ethically right thing to do. The integrity of the office of the presidency and the power balance between the branches of government depend on Congress being brave enough to remove a President who doesn’t preserve, protect and defend the Constitution. The future of our country’s institutions is in the hands of Congress at this moment. If it refuses to act, young people will be left to deal with corrupt institutions and evil policies long after the current Congress is over. Though they may be unsuccessful, Democrats can signal to the history books and future generations that this type of leadership is not acceptable.

If raw politics are placed above the ethical duty to safeguard our institutions from the corruption of a lawless leader, then Democrats stoop down to the level of the GOP and will no longer have a moral high ground to advocate for critical policy. The outcome of the impeachment trial is not more important than showing the country, the history books and the world that even in a tough position, the Democratic Party was able to do what was best for democracy, putting country above party and enforcing the rule of law.

In “Pundit in Training,” Nathan takes a look at the fact that while young people are most likely going to constitute the largest voting block in the United States, we seem to lack a proper grasp of their perspectives and opinions. With this column, Nathan aims to weild his many opinions to try and understand the world of American politics through a student lense.

Email Nathan Maue at opinion@nyunews.com.

STAFF EDITORIAL

Allowing for Ronell’s Return Creates Culture of Contradiction This past week, WSN reported on a professor returning to teach at NYU this coming fall after she was accused of sexual harassment by former graduate student Nimrod Reitman. Avital Ronell, a Professor of German and Comparative Literature in the College of Arts and Science, was suspended during the 2018-2019 school year after an 11-month Title IX Investigation found evidence that she initiated inappropriate verbal contact with Reitman. In his subsequent lawsuit against NYU and Ronell, Reitman also accused her of non-consensual physical contact.

NYU has yet to comment — beyond its no-comment comment that the university does not discuss individual personnel matters — on placing Ronell back on their staff. But as representatives of an institution that prides itself on progressive values, the NYU administration and faculty should be blatantly aware of the irony in not only reinstating, but also defending someone who would inevitably create an unsafe environment for students. Knowingly placing anyone found guilty of misconduct within an institution sends a message of complacency regarding the greater issue of sexual harassment on college campuses.

After the investigation ended, prominent feminist scholars came to the defense of Ronell, writing a letter of support that goes directly against how we should respond to sexual assault allegations — by discrediting the victim and citing the abuser’s credentials as reason for her innocence.

The most blatant defense of Ronell manifested last summer following the publicization of Reitman’s case, when more than 50 NYU scholars signed a letter arguing that terminating Ronell would be an “injustice.” Renowned feminist scholar Judith Butler — also a signatory of the letter — has since apologized for potentially implying that the accolades of Ronell’s career should warrant her protection from termination.

The university issued a statement to the New York Times last year that recognized Ronell’s harassment of Reitman and reiterated its choice to suspend her for a year. But believing that a year would be enough time to allow the situation to pass by, and be forgotten by the student population, would be a drastic underestimation.

Unfortunately, this is not the f irst time NYU has had an insuff icient response to sexual harassment. Earlier this semester, allegations surfaced against Michael Steinhardt — an NYU trustee and the namesake of the Steinhardt School of Culture, Education and Human Development.

In response, the Board of Trustees opened an investigation, yet no time frame or concrete steps have been specif ied. Similarly, the university was criticized in November for hosting a performance piece by Jan Fabre, who has been accused of multiple allegations of sexual harassment.

Despite those incidents, NYU has previously taken stances to protect victims of sexual harassment. In February, NYU’s Senior Vice President of University Relations and Public Affairs Lynne Brown argued for NYU’s opposition to Betsy DeVos’s proposed Title IX changes, which would mandate procedures for cross-examinations that NYU thought would be potentially harmful to victims. The university’s hard stance was embraced as a way to avoid a system that could create damaging experiences for victims caught within the Title IX process. To take such an extensive, clear stance on this issue, only to later allow and keep relatively silent regarding Ronell’s return is hypocritical.

As we have stated before, NYU’s policy toward sexual misconduct specif ically outlines that NYU seeks to maintain a “safe learning, living, and working environment” and to “foster a community in which such conduct is not tolerated.”

If NYU is, in fact, dedicated to creating an atmosphere that not only allows students to feel comfortable, but also stands against those who threaten such an atmosphere, then how can it allow Ronell to resume her career here?

We could call for the administration to make an overt statement against Ronell’s return, but there is no foreseeable scenario in which Ronell would receive public condemnation from the university but continue to teach. It is not enough for the university to apologize or make a statement and suspend her. Failing to terminate Ronell’s position as a professor is an act of direct contradiction against the safe environment NYU claims to cultivate.

Email the Editorial Board at editboard@nyunews.com.

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

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Washington Square News

MONDAY, APRIL 29, 2019

SPORTS

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In Appreciation of the NBA’s Middle Class

Edited by BRENDAN DUGGAN and ZACH HAN

Washington Square News Staff Editor-in-Chief

Sakshi Venkatraman Managing Editor

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Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors have dominated the league in recent years, following the team’s unparalleled success in the NBA draft.

By DANTE SACCO Deputy Arts Editor One looming, immutable fact weighs on the mind of every NBA fan at the beginning, middle and end of every season. There are 30 teams, and only one of them can end the season with a champagne shower and the Larry O’Brien trophy in hand.

Even this reductive view overstates the median team’s odds. Most teams play the 82 regular season games as a matter of procedure, never sniffing championship contention. In six of the past seven seasons, championship rings have been the exclusive property of teams led by LeBron James or Stephen Curry, which dispatched hopeful usurpers with relative ease. Every U.S. professional sports league hinges upon a similar reality — one champion, many contenders — but in no other league is this truth on display every week.

By the time the last star free agents sign, generally only five or six teams have a real chance at the title. At the beginning of the 2018-2019 season, only Houston, Toronto, Golden State, Philadelphia, Boston, delusional Lakers fans and Dion Waiters could honestly believe they had a shot.

The six or so teams and fan bases at the bottom of the league standings subsist off the fumes of hope suffused by highlight videos of college phenoms like Zion Williamson and Ja Morant. That leaves over 15 teams in the middle — the liminal space between championship and lottery aspirations. From the frustratingly mediocre teams’ fan bases come the shouts of fans to blow up the team and tank.

Before this season, before game five against the Oklahoma City Thunder and before Damian Lillard’s coup de grace from distance, the Portland Trail Blazers had been subject to calls to trade either CJ McCollum or Lillard as some believed the team lacked a path to a championship.

In the eyes of the restive, last year’s sweep by the Pelicans validated that perspective, forwarded by a subset of fans that prefer

their team operate with the up-or-out impatience of corporate America.

Lillard’s shot and the quick dismantling of the Thunder hasn’t changed the ceiling for this team. It would take a sustained Lillard supernova performance over the next few months to both reach the conference finals and unseat either the Rockets or Warriors, two teams with near-insurmountable talent gaps. But the shot — and the win — brought an emotional payoff for the Trail Blazers franchise after years of patience. Not only did it stay the course and bring back the same core roster that was swept by the Pelicans in the first round last year, but it now has a puncher’s chance at the Western Conference finals, a vaunted accomplishment that would forever pin a historical note on these players and the franchise.

Teams that return year after year with a similar roster, for the meager reward of early playoff exits, and in the hope of a few lucky breaks, are often lambasted. The malaise, discontent and frustration surrounding the Chris Paul-era Los Angeles Clippers or the Joe Johnson-era Atlanta Hawks were contributing factors to those long and prematurely ended epochs. We chronically fail to recognize these consistent achievers. Lillard’s shot epitomizes the virtue of sticking by a core roster in the face of change for change’s sake. He has carved out a singular place as the face of Portland basketball. His shot meant more precisely because, as tanking and roster shakeup have become the norm for teams out of championship contention, Portland remained faithful to its goodnot-great roster.

All of the most successful teams in the Western Conference playoffs got to this point without a sustained period of tanking. The Denver Nuggets traded franchise player Carmelo Anthony in 2011 and, with the supposed flotsam they received in return, pocketed two consecutive playoff appearances and have never finished with fewer than 30 wins. Their current roster is a motley collection of well-drafted mid-

first-round picks in Jamal Murray, Gary Harris and Malik Beasley, and two of their best players, Monte Morris and Nikola Jokic, were both second-rounders.

A franchise with less gumption and esteem than the Spurs might have traded Kawhi Leonard for a package of firstround picks and young players and dived into a full rebuild. Instead the Spurs welcomed Demar DeRozan and lesser picks to revamp and find themselves back in the playoffs this year, taking the two-seed Nuggets to a game seven.

The Rockets haven’t finished with a record below .500 since 2006 and the Warriors are the result of an inimitable run of draft success and a once-in-a-generation strike of cap space and free agent timing.

When calls to trade away players and rebuild seep into the discourse surrounding a team, it can be easy to succumb to the policy of strategic losing. General managers and owners can peddle hope and buy time as they play the lottery odds each year, but there is an often-overlooked caveat to this that, as with the championship, only one team will hit the jackpot and draft Williamson this year.

Many of this year’s playoff success stories have benefitted from the patience and loyalty of their front office to the players and process. They accrued small talent advantages over time and fielded successful teams without having to suffer the indignity of tanking. In an age when losing has become a strategy, not enough attention has been paid to the organizations finding creative ways to win without enduring the fallow years that some organizations struggle to escape.

Teams like the Suns and Knicks are reminders of the perils of tanking, particularly when a team misses out on high lottery picks year after year. Remaining stuck in the middle is far preferable to remaining stuck at the bottom.

Email Dante Sacco at dsacco@nyunews.com.

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