Washington Square News | November 22, 2021 by Washington Square News

3 SPORTS

5 UNDER THE ARCH

New season, new rules, new era for the NBA?

Taking a ‘Risk’: Piper Page breaks into the music scene

4 ARTS

6 OPINION

An interview with sad-pop artist Alexander 23

NYU’s mask policy is just for show

VOLUME LVII | ISSUE 10

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 22, 2021

Palladium dining hall food caused food poisoning, 3 students say Edward is one of three students who say they got food poisoning at Palladium this semester. The students ate different food from the dining hall on separate days but experienced similar symptoms. All three students said they did not make formal reports of their cases to the university. NYU spokesperson Shonna Keogan said the university has received three reports of food poisoning at different dining halls this semester. All three cases were deemed to likely be caused by other stomach illnesses, and no instances of food poisoning were found. “NYU Eats has many processes and safeguards in place to maintain sanitary standards and practices in our dining facilities, where we serve more than 100,000 meals per week,” Keogan wrote in a statement to WSN. “Our records show no confirmed cases of food poisoning at NYU dining facilities in the last two years since we began our engagement with our dining partner, Chartwells.”

JAKE CAPRIOTTI | WSN

NYU serves over 100,000 meals a week and has denied reported cases of food poisoning.

JAKE CAPRIOTTI | WSN

Three separate incidents of food poisoning have been reported at the Palladium dining hall. The dining hall failed a health inspection in fall 2019.

Three students have claimed that eating at the Palladium Hall NYU Eats location in unrelated incidents on separate days caused them to become ill.

Shortly after NYU switched its dining contractor from Aramark Corporation to Chartwells in 2019, Palladium failed a New York City health inspection, receiving a “C” grade. WSN previously reported that the violations — three of which were deemed critical — were issued due to “filth flies” and improperly refrigerated food. Edward said that before the incident, she was not concerned about eating at an NYU dining hall. The salad bar at Palladium was her go-to for dinner every night, but now she is hesitant and tells other students to avoid the food.

“Knowing their history in the past is even scarier,” she said. “For me, I now really only use my meal plan for coffee. Dunkin’ and Peet’s are the two places I pretty much go to to get stuff from.” Days after her emergency room visit, Edward said she experienced fatigue and soreness and is struggling to catch up on missed work and rescheduled meetings. She said she might report her case at the end of the year. “If I do get a bill from the doctor, then I’m definitely going to be like, ‘You guys have to pay for this, because this wasn’t my fault,’” she said. CAS sophomore Nia Watson also said she got food poisoning at Palladium earlier this semester after eating a burrito bowl, but she did not want to go through the process of reporting the case. Watson added that she had heard stories of students getting ill from dining hall food during her first year, but she had never become sick herself. “I started having stomach pains later that night,” Watson said. “That night into the next morning, I literally went back and forth to the bathroom every hour. My roommate can confirm for me — throwing up my guts to the point where I thought I had thrown up my entire internal organ system.” CAS first-year Ahla Khan said she got food poisoning from Palladium in mid-October after eating scrambled eggs, Belgian waffles and tater tots for dinner. Shortly after eating, Khan began having stomach pains and nausea that lasted for around 24 hours. “Because we were attending NYU, and because it’s such a costly school, I didn’t think that food poisoning would be one of the things I would have to worry about,” Khan said. “But after the experience, I’ve become a lot more cautious about eating food from NYU.” Edward, Watson and Khan said they hope NYU will strengthen their food safety protocols, including preventing cross-contamination between foods and more carefully accommodating dietary restrictions. Contact Nicole Chiarella at news@nyunews.com.

By NICOLE CHIARELLA Contributing Writer Cindy Edward, a CAS senior, said she felt ill and had to check herself into the emergency room after eating at the Palladium dining hall. She had eaten a salmon salad for lunch on Oct. 27, started vomiting at 2 p.m. and decided to go to the hospital at 9 p.m. “They gave me water — puked it,” Edward said. “They hydrated me through an IV and my body was out of it until the following Monday. I had never felt so weak, and I could not eat or drink because I was just so tired.”

JAKE CAPRIOTTI | WSN

Multiple cases of food poisoning have been linked to different meal options at the Palladium dining hall.

JAKE CAPRIOTTI | WSN

Following a vendor switch to Chartwells in 2019, Palladium failed a health inspection.

Washington Square News

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 22, 2021

NEWS

NEWS@NYUNEWS.COM

Edited by ARNAV BINAYKIA

NYU sees slight rise in COVID cases as winter approaches By GABRIEL HAWTHORNE Staff Writer NYU reported a slim increase in the number of COVID-19 cases on campus as positivity rates increased in New York City over the past four weeks. In the most recent testing cycle from Nov. 8-14, the university reported a positivity rate of 0.76% — lower than the 2.06% rate reported for the entire city over the past 28 days. NYU’s positivity rate has increased by 0.60 percentage points since Oct. 18. There were 18 confirmed cases found from a sample of 2,369 tests. Off-campus testing brought the total number to 59 cases. Throughout New York City, hospitalizations and deaths are decreasing, but the total number of cases is increasing. The borough of Manhattan saw more than 112 positive cases per 100,000 people this past week — an increase of nearly 50 weekly average cases per 100,000 cases since Nov. 1. “Although hospitalizations remain low right now, we are seeing an uptick in cases in recent days,” New York City health commissioner Dave Chokshi said at a recent press conference. “We have anticipated that this might occur as the weather gets cooler and people spend more time indoors. But compared to this time last year, we have many more tools

to fight COVID-19 and work to keep a winter wave at bay.” Among those tools are COVID-19 vaccine booster shots. As of Nov. 14, adults in the city who have been vaccinated with the Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna vaccine at least six months ago or with the Johnson & Johnson vaccine at least two months ago can receive a booster shot. Students are choosing to approach indoor gatherings with more caution as the weather gets colder. Tisch first-year Elena McGuigan plans to follow guidelines as cases increase. Meanwhile, LS sophomore Renee Ruiz said she is concerned about the spread of COVID-19 during Thanksgiving break. As the holiday season approaches, the New York City Health Department recommends that only fully vaccinated people travel outside of the city. “I’m a little bit scared, and it makes me want to follow safe practices like wearing my mask and not eating in areas where I’m surrounded by other people,” Ruiz said. Contact Gabriel Hawthorne at news@nyunews.com.

MANASA GUDAVALLI | WSN

The CVS on Astor Place is one of many pharmacies offering COVID-19 booster shots to increase the efficacy of the vaccine.

Student govt. seeks changes to NYU academic calendar Tzivia Appleman, the alternate senator at-large representing Jewish students and women of faith, asked if the task force would consider scheduling graduation events around religious holidays. In 2021, the Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development and the College of Arts and Sciences rescheduled their commencements to avoid conflicting with the Jewish holiday of Shavuot. “The schools didn’t put it in the context of religious holidays, at least based on what I could gather,” Lopez-Irizarry said. “They want to focus on NYU being a secular institution.” Minimizing food container waste

MANASA GUDAVALLI | WSN

The Student Government Assembly held its third meeting of the semester. One of the issues discussed was sustainability in dining halls.

By MARIA FREYRE Staff Writer NYU’s student government discussed revisions to the academic calendar and promoting sustainability measures at dining halls at its third meeting of the fall 2021 semester on Nov. 18.

Secularizing the academic calendar Robert Lopez-Irizarry, the student representative of the task force reviewing the calendar, detailed revisions the committee hopes to make to NYU’s existing calendar guidelines. The task force is looking to prioritize student wellness days and breaks.

While potential changes to the calendar will only come into full effect between fall 2024 and summer 2027, the task force’s suggestions will be presented to the University Senate’s Academic Affairs Committee by March next year. The task force is aiming to make Election Day a university holiday, add more breaks and study days, schedule a consistent start to the semester

after Labor Day, and ensure that commencement and graduation events do not occur during the week of final exams. “A lot of times, departments will schedule commencement-specific department events during finals week,” Lopez-Irizarry said. “That causes a huge issue, obviously, for so many students that are going to be graduating.”

Laura Piraino, NYU Eats’ sustainability director, said the Third North and Downstein dining halls are piloting a new take-out system called Ozzi that aims to combat single-use food container waste. After paying a $5 deposit, students are given a reusable Ozzi container that they can use to carry their food out of dining halls. Dirty containers can be swapped out for clean ones at participating dining halls. NYU Eats will clean dirty containers and return them to circulation. NYU Eats is considering expanding the Ozzi program to other dining halls and NYU’s Brooklyn campus. The next SGA meeting of the semester will take place on Dec. 2 to vote on internal student government policies. Contact Maria Freyre at news@nyunews.com.

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 22, 2021

SPORTS@NYUNEWS.COM

Washington Square News

SPORTS

Edited by MITESH SHRESTHA

New season, new rules, new era for the NBA?

ILLUSTRATION BY RYAN KAWAHARA, IMAGES VIA WIKIMEDIA COMMONS | WSN

The 2021-22 season has not only been full of drama, but it also brought a rule change on fouls. The new rule makes it harder for an offensive player to deliberately draw a foul.

By DANIEL HAAS Contributing Writer Before the start of the 2021-22 NBA season, the league announced a signif icant rule change amending the off iciating guidelines on “ … overt, abrupt or abnormal non-basketball moves by offensive players with the ball in an effort to draw fouls.” This change was in response to a trend of players on offense who initiated contact against defenders in an attempt to draw cheap fouls with no intention of scoring. While this was a well-received update, many fans remained skeptical about its implementation. It became clear through the f irst few weeks of the season that this was a great change for the league. Basketball in the ’80s and ’90s conjures scenes of the “Bad Boys” Detroit Pistons’ aggressiveness in the paint, the hard-nosed battles between the Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA Finals, and the resilient nature of Patrick Ewing’s New York Knicks. Physicality has always been an essential element of basketball, but its prominence has diminished over the past decade because off icials became quicker to blow the whistle. Players took advantage of this shift in off iciating. Flopping — the exaggeration of contact with the intention of drawing a foul call — became the new normal. With the new rule change, the NBA could see a return to its past physicality. The expectation isn’t to replicate the NBA of decades before. But fans should expect to see defenders put a hand on their

opponents without getting called for it. To better demonstrate how this league charge affects play, we can look at how superstar James Harden has been so successful at getting calls throughout his career. Harden frequently initiates contact on the perimeter, only to then quickly chuck up a shot to draw a foul and a trip to the free throw line. When Harden drives to the hoop, he often deliberately tangles his defender’s arm with his own to draw a shooting foul. Getting in front of the defender, he stops abruptly, forcing them to run into him. From the 2014-15 season to the 2019-20 season, Harden averaged over 10 free-throw attempts per game, in large part through these moves. They shouldn’t be considered a “basketball move” — Harden isn’t making real attempts to score. Therefore, it has been refreshing to see that referees haven’t been rewarding Harden’s playstyle this season. The biggest reason this ruling has been successful is because it changes the role of the NBA’s referees. Before the change, referees were viewed by players as parts of the game they could manipulate to their advantage. The capacity to draw a foul was as important to Harden as his shooting ability. After the change, off icials are viewed as outside forces that only interfere when necessary. Off icials no longer exist to bail players out. Now, they’re just there to let the players play. Contact Daniel Haas at sports@nyunews.com.

We are telling big stories — the Bling Ring, Venmo fraud, drug donkeys — ones that expanded past our printstandard 500 words, ones that paint pictures with words. This magazine aims to be a platform where undergraduate and graduate students alike can mutter on about their love of the blue-seated MTA trains or put into words the flavor of their love of grandma’s dumplings.

nyunews.com/underthearch underthearch@nyunews.com

Washington Square News

ARTS

ARTS@NYUNEWS.COM

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 22, 2021

Edited by SASHA COHEN and ANA CUBAS

An interview with sad-pop artist Alexander 23

MANASA GUDAVALLI | WSN

Alexander 23 performs for a sold-out crowd at Terminal 5 in Manhattan in early March 2020. The former New Yorker is performing songs he wrote during the pandemic on tour.

By YAS AKDAG Music Editor Alexander 23 is notorious for writing sad music. His song “IDK You Yet” — written about a difficult period in his life — is certified gold and recently went viral on TikTok. In a TikTok video, Alexander 23 joked, “y’all really took my sad and slow song and made it sadder and slower” — fans created a slowed-down version of it, which is currently popular on the app. The artist is currently in the middle of his North American tour, having just performed in New York on Friday. Phoning in from Philadelphia, we talked about his music and tour. The following interview

has been edited for length and clarity. Yas Akdag: What’s your creative process like? Do you consider yourself more of a songwriter, producer or a mix of the two? Did you learn one first? Alexander 23: I think definitely a mix of the two. But I try to wear specific hats whenever I can — it makes the process easier. For me, it usually starts with songwriting. I’ve learned through a bunch of trial and error that I’ve had the most success when I just start with a lyric that I really love. Obviously there are exceptions, but I usually start with a lyric and then pick up the guitar and workshop it a little bit until I have enough where I’m like, ‘OK, this feels like I’m going to start putting

it down into the computer.’ Then I’ll go into producer mode a bit. Yas: You worked on “good 4 u” with Olivia Rodrigo, right? How was that experience, and do you enjoy producing for other people? Alexander: It was an incredible experience. Olivia is one of the most brilliant artists I’ve ever worked with. It was an honor to help her vision come to fruition. For me, working with other artists is kind of imperative. It’s a nice way to feel creative and useful without the comprehensive pressure I put on myself when it’s for my music. Not only do I enjoy it in a vacuum, but it’s also become an important part of my own process as far as making my own music.

Yas: Is there somebody you’d love to collaborate with that you haven’t yet? Alexander: I’d love to collaborate with Kacey Musgraves. That would be a dream come true, even if it was just songwriting. I’m a superfan so that would be great. Yas: You use Ableton to produce, right? I have kind of an impossible question for you — if Ableton suddenly ceased to exist, which digital audio workstation would you spring for? Alexander: I love this question — I’ve never gotten asked this and I love any technical questions. I came to Ableton from Logic, so it’s tempting to say Logic — but I’m going to go with a dark horse here. I’m going to go with Studio One because I think it’s the most similar to Ableton. I’ve seen people use it and it looks really fun. I think the right answer is obviously ProTools, but I’m going to not pick ProTools to try and piss off anyone who does like ProTools. Yas: You were at the University of Pennsylvania before you dropped out to pursue music. How did you find the experience of making music in college? Do you have any advice for people who might be in a similar situation — who are focusing on their music career while juggling being a college student? Alexander: The most important thing is there’s no one path. If you talk to everyone, everyone kind of does it differently. The biggest piece of advice that I can say is to stop waiting. I feel like, myself included, people get caught in this trap of waiting until they have enough money to do what they’re passionate about or until they have enough experience. You don’t choose those things, they choose you, so just start. Whatever that means for you, just start. Yas: Who would you consider your major musical influences? Is there anyone unexpected? Alexander: I think Usher. He’s a

songwriting inspiration of mine. I think the storytelling in his music is extremely underrated, super visual and well done. I don’t know if people would expect that. Yas: What’s your favorite song that you have out? Or is it something that’s yet to be released? Alexander: It’s definitely something that’s yet to be released. I’m very, very excited about this new music. It’s starting to come together — I have some fully finished songs now that I’m really excited for people to hear. Yas: This is the first major tour you’ve been able to do since COVID-19. Are there any songs you’ve been dying to perform on tour, like songs that came out in 2020, such as “IDK You Yet”? Alexander: It’s extremely strange putting out music and then having to wait months and months or years, even, to play it live to people. It’s usually such an integral part of the process, both professionally and creatively, as far as just getting some comments on your career and shows. It’s really nice to be able to play these songs live. It’s amazing to play “IDK You Yet” live — it’s so cool to hear people sing all those words back at me. Another one from the new EP that’s been so fun to play live is my song “Brainstorm.” It will forever be one of my favorites of my own songs. It’s nice to get to do a different live rendition of it. Yas: Though you live in Los Angeles now, you previously lived in New York. Do you have a favorite spot in New York? Alexander: I mean, Tompkins Square Bagels. My brain just goes straight to food. Ippudo for a bowl of ramen. Where else? You can’t really go wrong walking from the West Village to the East Village on Bleecker Street. I just like being outside downtown. Contact Yas Akdag at yakdag@nyunews.com.

How to gush about books when everyone else has moved on By ZOE DE LEON Contributing Writer As a self-aware slow reader, I always find myself in one of two situations: I’m either catching up on an outdated bestseller list or I’m picking up a book I left to collect dust for several months. Many of my closest friends are avid readers constantly jumping from the newest non-fiction about climate change to five-part fantasies. They go through these books faster than I can even add them to my ever growing To Be Read list. By the time I’ve closed a book’s cover and proudly typed its title into my slow-growing reading log, I’m left alone with an eager need to talk about it. But since it’s already been months — or even years — since my friends gave their copies away, they’re no longer as enthusiastic as I am to dissect an incredible scene or gush over a quote on page 230. Left to my own devices, I discovered the wondrous worlds of Spotify podcasts and BookTube (book YouTube, get it?). Spotify’s Episodes have a mix of sit-down interviews with authors, spoiler-free insights and spoiler-filled chats. Meanwhile, BookTube provides chirpy read-alongs and entertaining lists as well as strong, thorough opinions.

Don’t get me wrong — nothing beats watching my friends frantically gesticulate as they rant about cliffhangers and poor character development. But when my friends have moved on to fresh releases, there are cozy corners of the internet where I can relish the joy of being late to the party, but invited nonetheless. Not everything online is of equal quality, however, so here are a few of my personal favorites. “Bookclub” — BBC Radio 4 While soaking up Manila’s warmth and basking in joyous boredom during the 2020 lockdown, I picked up YA cult favorite “The Song of Achilles” by Madeline Miller after a friend recommended it. Having finished the novel in bed at 2 a.m., I found an episode of “Bookclub” by BBC Radio 4, in which Miller discusses her experience giving life to mythical characters, writing against the backdrop of Homer’s epic, and exploring themes of love, friendship and grief. “Bookclub” includes episodes hosted by James Naughtie and other readers as they talk to authors about their most-acclaimed novels. It almost feels like you’re one of those readers, getting to prompt

your favorite authors with the questions bugging your own mind. “The Book Review” — The New York Times Jia Tolentino’s “Trick Mirror: Reflections on Self-Delusion” was, embarrassingly enough, my sole reading accomplishment last spring. The essay collection is filled with Tolentino’s insights into the society her generation of millennials grew up in, from the rise of the blogosphere to contemporary feminism. She writes with such personal interiority that it made me want to hear her expound on her ideas even more. She does so in a 50-minute sit-down chat on The New York Times’ podcast “The Book Review,” where host Pamela Paul and New York Times editors sit down with authors and critics alike to discuss their writing and newest novels as well as happenings in the literary world.

ymous channel provides analytical reviews through unique video concepts, like judging celebrity book recommendations and attempting themed challenges. I came across Edwards’ channel while searching for perspectives on the two camps that divide bestselling author Sally Rooney’s readership, the avid fans and the detractors — the latter of whom insists that the nov-

el-turned-Hulu-series “Normal People” is simply a successful marketing product. I became an instant fan of Edwards’ content, thanks to his honest and blunt comments when fleshing out his thoughts on Rooney, as well as other authors and novels. Contact Zoe de Leon at arts@nyunews.com.

Jack Edwards — YouTube For viewers seeking sincere laughs, YouTuber Jack Edwards creates book-related content that is both lighthearted and surprisingly insightful. His epon-

PHOTO BY SASHA COHEN, ILLUSTRATION BY RYAN KAWAHARA | WSN

Spotify podcasts and book-centric YouTube channels are a great way to take a deeper dive into your favorite books.

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 22, 2021

UNDERTHEARCH@NYUNEWS.COM

Washington Square News

UNDER THE ARCH

Edited by CAITLIN HSU and SYDNEY BARRAGAN

Taking a ‘Risk’: Piper Page breaks into the music scene By SYDNEY BARRAGAN UTA Managing Editor

CARISSA GOULD

As only a college student in her penultimate year of studies in Steinhardt’s music business program, Piper Page has already released four albums and a music video.

ANNA E. HENDERSON

Page described moving to New York as a milestone in her career.

ANNA E. HENDERSON

Page waited until about two years after it was written to release “Risk.”

Piper Page emerges onscreen in a floorlength red dress that looks like it was plucked from a 1920s movie premiere. Her lips are painted a coordinated shade, her hair styled in finger waves and her forearms clad in stark white gloves. The look is complete with vintage-style pearls around her neck and an old-fashioned microphone in her hand. Only the song’s upbeat rhythm and the intermittent shots of Page in more modern attire remind us that it is, in fact, the 21st century. Although she might look it, Page is not a Hollywood starlet — yet. Currently in her third year at Steinhardt’s music business program, Page has released four songs and a music video. The music video, which echoes 1920s allure, was directed by Tisch student Irina Lazouski and made for Page’s most recent song, “Risk,” released May 21. As the title suggests, the song is about taking chances. Page sings about opening up to someone in a new relationship, the excitement of falling for a person and the fear of vulnerability: “It’s too new to catch feelings / and if I take / that step towards you / will my heart break?” But the soulful R&B song isn’t just about budding relationships and baring your soul to someone. “‘Risk’ can pertain to anybody,” Page said. “I want my audience to take what they need from my songs and run with it.” About a year after writing the song — and shelving it — she started living the lyrics of “Risk,” entering a new relationship and feeling hesitant about the vulnerability that comes with trusting another person. But even after the lyrics had seemed to jump off the paper into Page’s life, the song spent almost another year untouched. Then, as these lyrics rang true, they started to demand her attention. “I sit down at my piano, and there’s typically one song that sticks out to me and that’s what I start playing to get inspired to write other songs,” Page said. “And so for a couple months, ‘Risk’ became that song that I would sit down and play.” Though she felt that releasing the song was a risk in and of itself, it proved to be a turning point for her career, ultimately marking her decision to pursue music professionally. Despite looking like a red carpet fixture in her glamorous music video appearance, Page has not always envisioned herself in the spotlight. “I was so, so dead-set on being the person behind the scenes because I didn’t think I was what people wanted to see at the forefront,” Page said. “It’s only recently that we actually appreciate Black women and value their bodies and who they are and their musical talents.” Page grew up in the arts: dancing, acting, performing in musical theater and, of course, singing. By 12, she had written her first song and began vocal lessons. As a high school student, Page interned at a nearby recording studio, Darkroom Records. It was here that the idea of being a performer first caught her interest. “I saw all these other kids my age doing this and putting out their own music,” Page said. “I was like, ‘It’s literally my job to help them do this. Why am I not helping myself?’” In 2019, Page released an eponymous EP comprising three songs she had written between the ages of 15 and 16. Looking back, Page acknowledges that her work was good for a teenager with little life experience, but knows now that it was just skimming the sur-

face of her potential. Even after dipping her toes into the music industry, she was still unsure about her place in it. Heading to NYU as a music business major, she resigned herself to sticking to the sidelines and creating music for other performers rather than for herself. Her uncertainty in pursuing music was compounded by a lack of life experience that put a damper on her creativity. It wasn’t until her first semester of college that she felt she had ground to stand on and something to say. She had moved north, from her Southern suburb to the city, and had met and learned from so many new people. Two years of college have now granted her the necessary life experiences to fuel her songwriting. She has learned to better maneuver writing slumps and doesn’t believe that she always needs to have something to say or an experience to draw from in order to write music. “‘Risk’ was not based on an experience the first time I wrote it,” Page said. “It became real for me later, and I think that that is completely valid to do as a songwriter.” Risk has been a prevalent theme in Page’s journey, beginning with her move from a small college town in Missouri to New York City. In her hometown of Columbia, people often attend Missouri State University, live in the same neighborhoods after graduation and marry a high school or college sweetheart. “People don’t do what I’m doing where I’m from,” Page said. “They do the same things. It’s just so repetitive, and I always knew I didn’t want to do that.” Hometown ties can be difficult to sever, though — she did not promote the release of her EP back in 2019, afraid that people back home would think she was trying too hard or question her desire to be a musician. “I was so scared people were going to make fun of me — I still cared about stuff like that,” Page said. “But as I’m growing up, my confidence is growing.” She attributes this boost in confidence to the city she now lives in. Moving to New York City was a drastic change, but Page knows it was the right decision for her. It was in the music business program at NYU that she met Will Campisano and Jesse Bluu, who produced her single, as well as Gabi Grella, the Clive Davis student who mastered the song. Without her enrollment at Steinhardt and the resulting relationships, Page doubts that “Risk” would have ever happened. Page has moved past her previous hesitation in promoting her music. Unlike with her first EP, she now unabashedly shares her music, frequently promoting her songs on Instagram and TikTok. “Yeah, it may be annoying to people back home that I post every single day about my song, but you know what? I don’t care,” Page said. “I’m proud of my work and I should’ve been proud of my work back then.” Though studying abroad in Florence, Italy, this semester, Page has no intention of slowing down now. Just last month, Page was featured on hip-hop artist C4. Bernard’s latest album, “Daydreaming.” She hopes to have three more songs out by the end of the year, and another EP come summer. “There’s a lot of stuff coming up,” Page said. “I’m just so stoked for the next six months.” Contact Sydney Barragan at sbarragan@nyunews.com.

Washington Square News

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 22, 2021

OPINION

OPINION@NYUNEWS.COM

Edited by KEVIN KURIAN and ASHA RAMACHANDRAN

COVID-19

NYU’s mask policy is just for show

By JULES ROSCOE Staff Writer Last year, the medical community rejoiced as Sandra Lindsay, a New York nurse, became the first American to receive a COVID-19 vaccine. Both Pfizer and Moderna developed vaccines against the virus. Vaccination clinics opened across the country. First-dose rates skyrocketed as availability increased. We were finally getting back to normal. The reason the vaccine worked so well without an official mandate was because people were excited to get back to normal life — namely, to not wearing masks. “You can take off your mask in more settings” if you’re fully vaccinated,” reads NYC Health’s vaccine information site. “You do not need to wear a mask outdoors or when gathering with friends and family at home or in other private settings.” This seemed to help motivate people to get vaccinated — in fact, NYC has an 80.7% adult vaccination rate as of Nov. 21. NYU’s mask policy is far stricter than New York City’s guidelines, even though our vaccination rate is 99% for both students and faculty. The university’s policy states that students may only remove their masks when eating, in their rooms, or “working alone in single occupancy spaces with their doors closed.” What’s ironic is that students may only eat in designated areas, so they end up crammed in a room with more unmasked students, the very situation NYU wants to avoid. All students interviewed in this article asked to remain anonymous due to the polarizing nature of the mask debate. One student I talked to brought up another issue: NYU has no official mask standard. Although they have seen most students on campus wearing cloth or surgical masks, KN95 and N95 masks offer more protection from germ particles. NYU’s mask policy isn’t thoroughly enforced, and when picked apart, it doesn’t make sense. Some students, including myself, are questioning whether it’s necessary to mandate mask-wearing so strictly in university buildings. Understandably, students

might feel more comfortable wearing a mask in classroom situations — and there’s nothing wrong with that. But in a young, healthy, fully-vaccinated population, such as that at NYU, masks don’t do much. “Everyone is vaccinated, and the point of this would be such that restrictions could be lifted.” said the same student, “Masking serves as theater and social signaling, when the more important preventative measure of vaccination is ensured.” According to this student, masks help NYU maintain the appearance of strict and effective COVID-19 policies without actually aiding in the fight against the virus. Another student said, “Here [studying at Bobst Library], sitting at a distance from people, keeping your mask on at all times is kind of uncalled for.” A third commented, “I guess if everyone is vaccinated and at least getting tested regularly, then I don’t see why it’s so necessary.” Now, many health officials do agree on one thing: Vaccines are more effective. Dr. Anthony Fauci, in particular, is concerned about booster shots because nobody is getting them. In a recent interview with “The Daily,” a podcast by The New York Times, Dr. Fauci expressed his concern about the low rates of booster shots. “Boosting is going to be an absolutely essential component of our response — not a bonus, not a luxury, but an absolute essential part of the program,” he said. NYU should follow expert advice and prioritize encouraging booster shots instead of focusing exclusively on mandatory masking in every building. Indeed, it does not seem like NYU cares much for the outcome of its mask policy as much as it does for legal liability. At the beginning of the fall term, a professor of mine requested that we keep our masks on the whole time, not specifically for our safety, but as a liability issue, claiming that NYU doesn’t want to get sued. NYU encourages students to enforce the policy themselves; walls in university buildings are plastered with posters reading, “Report Safety Violations: email covidcompliance@nyu. edu.” The university has yet to communicate the importance of booster shots, having only sent emails thus far about booster availability and eligibility requirements. After the false hope of a maskless university once students received the first two vaccine doses, many students might not get boosters of their own accord. NYU leadership needs to get the message across promoting booster shots clearly and effectively and take responsibility for the safety of their students. Contact Jules Roscoe at opinion@nyunews.com.

STAFF EDITORIAL

Hochul should continue funding rent assistance

IMAGE VIA WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

Gov. Hochul’s administration ended the Emergency Rental Assistance Program. The state needs to resume this program with state funding until federal funding can be secured.

For the past several months, New York has provided rental assistance to state residents struggling during the pandemic. With the Emergency Rental Assistance Program, the state government has used federal and state funding to provide much-needed assistance to those who have had trouble paying rent. Although ERAP was supposed to launch much earlier, the portal only began accepting applicants on June 1 of this year. Gov. Kathy Hochul’s administration decided earlier this month to close the portal to new applicants due to a lack of federal funding — despite other states continuing to accept applications while requesting further assistance. In fact, there is a $250 million pot of state funds that many landlords within the state are eligible for, proving that there is additional funding that could be allocated to residents in need. Hochul made the wrong decision and should continue ERAP as long as state funding lasts. Hochul and New York state’s congressional delegation have both requested funds from the Department of the Treasury for continuing ERAP; the latter even penned a letter to Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen in an attempt to expedite the request. This is an explicit acknowledgement of the importance of this program. But it’s essential to note that requesting federal assistance and maintaining state-level funding are not mutually exclusive. In fact, California continued to accept rental aid applications from state residents while simultaneously requesting aid from the federal government. This allowed California to continue to provide for residents who are struggling with housing costs while also taking steps to secure funding from the federal government. If it shuts down now, this program will have only operated for half a year. It’s also concerning how slow New York state was in distributing

housing relief funds after they were allotted. Now, after a slow start, the Hochul administration is shuttering the program indefinitely. They should use up the remaining funds — especially in smaller counties with funds still available — on struggling New Yorkers who have already waited so long for rental assistance. Because of the inflation crisis, the White House projects that housing costs will continue to rise over the next several months. The answer to rising housing costs is not cutting off a vital program that New Yorkers desperately need, but rather continuing it as long as state funds allow while simultaneously requesting another cash infusion. Closing the ERAP portal will also hurt small property owners. Ann Korchak, a member of the Small Property Owners of New York, told The New York Times that prematurely closing the ERAP application portal would be an unnecessary setback for landlords. Hochul’s decision comes at the expense of people who sell housing as well as those who seek it. More than 830,000 households in New York state are behind on rent. Working households are depending on this government program, and although funds are running out, there’s no reason why New York state and Gov. Hochul cannot continue ERAP and simultaneously request federal funds from the Biden administration. Though an end to the pandemic is in sight, the burdens incurred during the pandemic will negatively impact families for years to come. As long as the financial scars of the pandemic remain, the state government must continue providing assistance to New Yorkers in need. Contact the Editorial Board at opinion@nyunews.com.

CHARLIE DODGE | WSN

NYU has a stricter mask policy than that of New York state. The school’s policy does nothing more than give the illusion of health and safety.

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