Washington Square News | November 25, 2019

4 CULTURE

9 OPINION

NYU London Holds Its Breath as U.K. Approaches Brexit Deadline

How NYU Wellness Sees Itself — and Why That Image Is Wrong

6 ARTS

11 SPORTS

‘A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood’ is a Lesson in Forgiveness

Didn’t See That Coming! Three Shockers in the NBA

VOLUME LIII | ISSUE 14

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 2019

NYU Shanghai Criticized for Unlisted, Pro-Government Course A course not available on Albert included pro-Chinese government propaganda

By MINA MOHAMMADI Deputy News Editor NYU Shanghai offered a course involving various pro-China media and trips to monuments that commemorate communist martyrs last year at the request of the Chinese government, as reported by VICE. The course was first offered over winter break of the 2018-2019 academic year but was not listed on Albert. Instead, students were informed of the course through WeChat, the most widespread messaging app in China.

When NYU Shanghai first opened in 2012, the university and the government agreed that students — both Chinese and international — would be able to satisfy all the requirements of the Chinese diploma through courses that count toward their NYU diploma. However, after the Shanghai government conducted an accreditation review in the summer of 2018, the government notified NYU Shanghai that in order for Chinese citizen students to qualify for the Chinese diploma, they would have to take a version of the civics course offered at all other Chinese citizen colleges. Non-Chinese citizen students would continue to qualify for the Chinese diploma without it.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 CASEY KWON | WSN

NYU Shanghai is facing criticism after VICE reported the campus offered a pro-China course including government propaganda.

Former Langone Employee Claims NYU Discriminated Against Him Due to His Chronic Back Pain

By LISA COCHRAN Deputy News Editor A former employee at NYU Langone Medical Center is suing the institution for alleged discrimination, asserting that his employers fired him for requesting to work in a capacity that did not inflame his chronic back pain.

Laurence Malzberg was fired in April after 18 years of employment at Langone. For the majority of his tenure, he worked in the Interventional Radiology Department, although in 2012 he switched from full to part-time after being transferred to the Outpatient CT Scan unit. Malzberg was happy with the change, as he suffered from significant back pain, ren-

dering certain operations at the IR painful and strenuous. However, in February, he was once again asked to work full-time at the IR. His refusal to do so without accommodations, something afforded to him by the Americans with Disabilities Act, resulted in his firing, Malzberg claims.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 2

MANDIE MONTES | WSN

‘No Two Latinxs Are the Same’: Afro-Latinx Academics Carve Out Their Space at NYU READ ON PAGE 7

Washington Square News

2

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 2019

NEWS

NEWS@NYUNEWS.COM

Edited by VICTOR PORCELLI

NYU Shanghai Criticized for Unlisted, Pro-Government Course CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

The syllabus, acquired by VICE, shows that along with NYU Shanghai’s Chancellor Yu Lizhong, professors from Shanghai universities unaffiliated with NYU were also teaching the course at NYU Shanghai.

Against the backdrop of the Chinese government’s human rights abuses of Uighur Muslims, the crackdowns against protestors in Hong Kong and the overall Communist Party push for greater control over foreign universities within the country, the course has sparked controversy among students about human rights, censorship and what NYU Shanghai’s place should be in the discussion.

NYU Shanghai students that spoke to WSN have had mixed responses to the government-mandated course. NYU Shanghai sophomore Rugby Scruggs was generally apathetic.

“I don’t really have a problem with it.”

Scruggs said. “These are not hidden by the university — these are just things that the Chinese government expects their citizens to complete.”

In contrast, NYU Shanghai junior Oli Chen was concerned by the course.

“I am not surprised of the course’s existence at all,” Chen said. “The government wants to ensure its students’ top priority is to China.”

Chen did note, however, that the situation is not unique to China.

“While I might not agree with the nature of the course I would be remiss to not acknowledge that this is not just a Chinese phenomenon,” Chen said.

“Many countries have requirements for their citizens. The United States has the Pledge of Allegiance and Israel has military requirements.”

NYU Shanghai spokesperson

June Shih said media coverage of the course, which has largely been negative, has been unfair.

“There are a number of misleading characterizations,” Shih said in a statement to WSN. “This is a national requirement for young Chinese citizens not to receive an NYU degree but to receive a Chinese Ministry of Education diploma and certificate. The two Chinese requirements — military service and a civics course, do not have a bearing on the awarding of an NYU degree.”

Both Scruggs and Chen expressed that NYU Shanghai has not encroached on academic freedom overall, and that NYU Shanghai has given students access to VPNs and WiFi that is pre-routed to other places like Hong Kong and Taiwan.

“NYU Shanghai has made efforts on the discussions of censorship and human rights,” Scruggs said. “All students are

required to take a course called Global Perspectives on Society. In my Friday recitation group 10 students, half-international and half-Chinese, watched a video on the internment camps of the Uighur Muslims. There was also a student panel on Hong Kong hosted

by NYU Shanghai.”

NYU Shanghai first-year Maya Doulat said that this course is bringing up important questions about NYU’s operations in China.

“This type of situation necessitates differentiating between the right of academic freedom and the practical capacity to do it,” Doulat wrote in an Instagram direct message to WSN. “I think what’s most crucial to understand would be the discussion of how NYU’s permission to operate in China violates the rights of professors and students from the point of view of American and international law.”

Former Langone Employee Claims NYU Discriminated Against Him Due to His Chronic Back Pain

NINA SCHIFANO | WSN

A former employee of NYU Langone is suing the institution for discrimination.

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

After an initial exchange with human resources — in which Malzberg cited his back pain and the difficulties it would cause him in IR — he claims the HR representative disregarded his complaint.

“She further warned him that not only would he lose his job, NYU would penalize him by not paying out his 24 banked vacation days and warned that he would not be offered any kind of unemployment insurance benefits,” the written complaint reads.

According to the complaint, Malzberg was then unlawfully forced to choose between working full-time in the IR department with severe pain or being released from Langone entirely.

“It then became crystal clear to Mr. Malzberg that NYU had given him an ultimatum: endure physical suffering and health risks working full time in IR at LMC, or lose your job,” the complaint reads.

The ADA mandates all employers to undergo in-depth discussions about a worker’s disability and provide accommodation so they can continue their work.

“NYU had an obligation to engage in

an interactive process with Mr. Malzberg requiring a good-faith effort to come up with an accommodation for him so he could continue his long, successful career at NYU without suffering harm or physical pain,” Malzberg’s personal attorney Scott Simpson told WSN. Malzberg said his pleas for accommodation were either disregarded or not appropriately dealt with by HR officials.

“What’s disturbing about this case is NYU never engaged in an interactive process with Mr. Malzberg, they never asked him specific questions about his medical issues, they never asked for medical records, they never proposed alternatives that would allow him to work in IR,” Simpson said.

Seeking a position in Langone that did not cause him pain, Malzberg underwent an interview process with the Dysautonomia Center. After his interview, he said he received details about his compensation, leading him to believe he had gotten the job.

Soon after, Malzberg received a voicemail from Radiology Department administrator Daniel Alexa.

The voicemail requested Malzberg to appear at the IR department the following day to begin training for the position he had previously declined, without any mention of accommodations. Alexa said he should begin working in the IR in case he hadn’t received the other position, according to the complaint.

Two days later, Malzberg received an email from HR representative Mandy Woodley, stating that he would not be granted the position at the Dysautonomia Center. The complaint claims an ensuing phone call from Woodley left it unclear whether or not Malzberg had initially been offered the job.

“Something happened between the time that he was offered the job by Dr. Kauffmann and the point where NYU told him he would not be permitted to work in that job,” Simpson said. “We don’t know what it is and we plan to find out in the litigation.”

Following this interaction, Malzberg was told that if he did not report to the IR department on March 29 he would be fired. Malzberg did not appear at the IR department because, although an HR representative eventually mentioned accommodations in a letter, they never spoke about what actions would be specifically taken or how accommodations would be implemented.

“Not only was this mention of a reasonable accommodation secreted in the fourth paragraph [of the letter], but it was camouflaged in a letter consisting largely of boilerplate legalese and HR jargon,” the complaint reads.

His failure to appear led to the end of his 18-year career at Langone.

“As a result of NYU’s actions, Mr. Malzberg suffered loss of employment, extreme emotional distress, mental anguish and anxiety,” the complaint stated.

NYU Shanghai senior Kat Van Sligtenhorst questioned how the university decides who is exempted from what requirements. As an international student, Sligtenhorst will not need to take this course but still is qualified for the Chinese diploma.

“NYU Shanghai exempts us [international students] from a lot of things, including this course,” Sligtenhrost said.

“We have access to VPN, internet and free speech but the legislation around the partnership between China and NYU Shanghai remains classified. I would like to know how these agreements are made.

Currently, there are a lot of grey areas when it comes to policy and we are currently pushing for the creation of more clearly defined protocol.”

Email Mina Mohammadi at mmohammadi@nyunews.com

Former Langone Doctor Accused of Soliciting Sex From Minor

By VICTOR PORCELLI News Editor A gynecologist at NYU Langone Medical Center was arrested, and later fired, for allegedly soliciting sex from a minor in October.

Aaron Weinreb, who served as the Director of Gynecology at New York Community Hospital and worked as a gynecologist at Langone, was arrested on Oct. 29 after a six-month long sexual relationship with a teenage boy, according to court documents.

The victim was 14 years old when the relationship began and the two communicated often via text message. On Oct. 9, FBI Special Agent Matthew Daragon — who works in the New York office’s Crimes Against Children squad — took over communications with Weinreb from the victim’s phone.

After multiple conversations in which Weinreb admitted

to having sex with the victim while knowing he was underage, Weinreb unknowingly set up a meeting with Daragon at the Kings Hotel in Brooklyn. It was there, on Oct. 29, that he was confronted by FBI agents and arrested.

Weinreb later admitted to having an “addiction” to young men and having oral sex with another 16-year-old male, according to court documents.

NYU Langone fired Weinreb once they became aware of the situation.

“Based on the information we received, Dr. Weinreb was immediately suspended and has since been terminated,” Langone spokesperson Allison Clair said in a statement to WSN. Weinreb’s attorney did not respond to a request for comment by time of publication.

Email Victor Porcelli at vporcelli@nyunews.com.

NYU Langone declined to comment.

Email Lisa Cochran at lcochran@nyunews.com.

NINA SCHIFANO | WSN

NYU Langone’s main campus. A Langone doctor accused of soliciting sex from a minor was recently fired.

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 2019

Washington Square News | News

Jewish Religious Holidays, Politicization on Campus Discussed at Town Hall

3

NYU Is Sustainable, When It Makes Money

By ROSHNI RAJ Staff Writer

By VICTOR PORCELLI News Editor

Jewish students called for religious holidays off, greater understanding of differing identities within the Jewish community and better kosher food accommodations at a town hall hosted by members of the Student Government Assembly on Friday.

In the past, Zionist and anti-Zionist Jewish groups on campus have clashed over the latters’ support for a protest of Israel’s treatment of Palestinians — the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement. Zionist groups in particular have expressed they feel antagonized by protests of Israel, calling BDS anti-Semitic.

Gallatin sophomore and Vice President of Hillel at NYU Avital Krifcher, who attended the event, said groups for Jewish students should not be involved in these political discussions.

“Clubs on campus that identify as Jewish have a responsibility to separate politics and religion,” Krifcher said. “It can be very detrimental to people who identify as Jewish or non-Jewish, or Zionist or anti-Zionist, to identify one and define it as the other.”

Krifcher mentioned an April 2018 celebration of Israeli Independence Day held

by Zionist student groups, protested by pro-Palestine groups Students for Justice in Palestine and Jewish Voices for Peace.

She said students may incorrectly perceive Jewish groups there as representative of all Jewish students at NYU. “When it came to the ‘rave in the park’ last year, it is important to both distinguish the clubs organizing them and their affiliation with Jewish students,” Krifcher said.

CAS senior Michael Bearman, Senator at-Large for Marginalized Jewish Students, represents Jewish students who identify as queer, of color and/or non- and anti-Zionist and said he’s felt uncomfortable in Jewish institutional spaces.

“One of the big things I am working on now is making a space for non- and anti-Zionist Jews in the Bronfman Center, to make the center more accessible for marginalized Jews,” Bearman said. “The only [Jewish] club not explicitly Zionist is Jewish Voice for Peace and the club has not really had a close relationship with the Bronfman Center and so I am trying to make those ties a little stronger this year.”

Stern senior and Senator at-Large for Jewish Students Revital Chavel co-hosted the town hall with Bearman. Chavel spoke about her push for NYU not to hold classes on Jewish religious holidays such as Yom Kippur and Rosh Hashanah.

Some holidays involve fasting, restrictions on electricity and writing and attendance of synagogue for prayer for a large portion of the day.

Chavel wrote a letter — backed by SGA — to NYU last semester urging it to do so

NYU’s vegan, bike-riding, meal plan-having Chief Sustainability Officer Cecil Scheib spends his days trying to convince big names in university administration to better NYU’s impact on the environment.

And, largely, he’s successful. How? He’s learned a language administrators can understand — money.

Scheib was first hired in 2007, and since 2009, NYU’s carbon emissions have been reduced by 35%. He said this has saved the university $15 million.

“NYU’s sustainability program, overwhelmingly, has a fantastic business case,” Scheib said.

Every day, he works to sell the concept of a sustainable NYU. He has meeting after meeting with various NYU stakeholders ranging from students to Board of Trustees members. Sometimes, he’s pitching them a sustainability effort; other times, they pitch him.

In an interview with WSN, Scheib outlined three types of sustainability efforts. The first he called “easy wins” — things that immediately reduce costs but also increase sustainability, like buying less of a wasteful product.

Second are instances where you have to “spend money to save money,” or where an initial investment leads to less spending over time.

Then there’s the third category.

“The third thing is things that don’t have any payback, but that are just the right thing to do,” Scheib said. “We don’t do a lot of the third category.”

Scheib’s seven-person team is tasked with making a university with more than 19,000 employees and 60,000 students more sustainable. What they’ve discovered is, often, the “right thing” is not enough for NYU administration.

But when the “right thing” can also save NYU money, they’re more likely to get the go-ahead. Examples are the university banning spending on plastic water bottles and making buildings more energy-efficient.

Perhaps the largest effort by the Office of Sustainability is their Climate Action Plan. Originally released in 2009, it set a course for carbon neutrality by 2040. Buildings make up over 96% of NYU’s emissions, so the plan focuses on reducing reliance on fossil fuels and increasing energy efficiency.

After NYU passed its goal of reducing emissions by 30% by 2017, Scheib said the plan has since been updated to include a 50% reduction goal for 2025.

“In between now and 2040, we are going to touch every space on campus,” Scheib said. “The hard part is, it might only get that once. If we are going to renovate a building in 2025, we are not doing it again before 2040.”

A resolution by student activists from NYU Divest, passed in the University Senate last semester, set three goals for the university: 100% reliance on renewable energy by 2040, to sever ties with gas plants that rely on fracking and to completely divest from fossil fuels.

Although he says the goals are aspirational, Scheib thinks they are reasonable, too.

“Not only do I think it is achievable,” Scheib said. “I think the high level goals in the resolution, I think we must achieve.”

With state law requiring New York to get 70% of its electricity from re-

NYU Bronfman Center for Jewish Student Life.

following a petition in 2017 with the same goal. Currently, NYU’s policy does not allow students to be penalized for missing a class due to a religious holiday, although it does not cancel classes for them either.

“The effect [of the holidays] is that students who observe these laws end up having a lot of days where they can’t be working, they can’t go to class and they can’t take notes,” Chavel said. “[The letter] will allow the professor to know that this is happening and not so they assume off the back of their head, ‘Oh, this student is just taking a vacation day.’”

Regarding religious inclusivity on campus, Jewish students at the town hall expressed that, besides holidays, food can be an area of difficulty for those who keep kosher.

“The Kosher Eatery on campus is one of the few places Jewish people can eat,” said Stern sophomore Eitan Ginsburg, who is also president of a club supporting Orthodox Jewish life on campus, Shalhevet.

“Creating more inclusivity on campus is important, even with regard to food.”

Attendees said having a forum to express complaints left them feeling positive about NYU’s trajectory in addressing

INFORMING YOU FIRST

NYUNEWS.COM

EUAN PRENTIS | WSN

issues facing specific communities at the university. Aside from Friday’s town hall, there has been a Latine Town Hall, Financial Aid Town Hall and one for undocumented, first-generation and low-income students this semester.

“I thought [the Town Hall] was really fantastic,” said Krifcher. “I think more events like this would be really beneficial not only for Jewish students but for all students on campus so that everyone feels more unified.”

Krifcher hopes events like the town halls spur more dialogue among not only Jewish students but those of other faiths as well.

“As a marginalized group we face a lot of the same challenges like many other religious groups on campus,” Krifcher said. “It would be fantastic for religious students to get together on campus and deepen their faiths through conversation and dialogue. We all face a lot of the same challenges when it comes to misconceptions and stereotypes [in regard to] a specific faith, and this is a great way to start bridging those gaps.”

Email Roshni Raj at news@nyunews.com.

newable sources like wind, solar and hydropower by 2030 and shift entirely to carbon-free power a decade later, Scheib said NYU may be able to achieve Divest’s 2040 goal of sole reliance on renewable energy.

Scheib gets excited when he talks about renovating Rubin Residence Hall, where he says AC will be added while reducing carbon emissions, as was done in the 2013 renovation of Brittany Resident Hall.

Scheib said this would not result in increased cost to students, likely because — as with most of his initiatives — it already saves NYU a significant amount of money, albeit over time.

“I can advocate for an investment that will lower costs and in the long run, will actually make it cheaper for students,” Schieb said. He credits his ability to do so with NYU’s long-term vision for the buildings they own, as compared to building owners looking to flip properties.

However, a long-term vision that looks forward 10 or 20 years — Scheib said the university is already planning renovations for the mid to late-2020s — can make it harder for students to see results during their time at NYU. “Not only are students not going to see it in four years,” Schieb said. “The students who are going to see it aren’t even here yet.”

Still, students can get involved in more immediate efforts, like GoGreen Week in the spring, when Scheib said NYU (global campuses that opt in included) will have a series of events focused on sustainability education, all organized by students. Occasionally, the university works with students more closely, like when NYU bought a semester’s worth of sustainable straws from Seastraws, a student-run company.

The office has also recently released a transportation survey meant to help pinpoint issues in students’ commutes.

But trying to incorporate students’ input in other areas can be hard when the focus is profitability. When asked to name something NYU should be doing that it isn’t, Scheib said that’s “a tough thing to get someone who works for the president to say in print.”

But one area he said the university, and others, can improve on is working in student success to cost-benefit analysis.

“Is money the only measure we should be using?” Scheib said. “At NYU, the measure we should be using is academic success and academic excellence. Does that mean money’s not important and making it the most affordable is not important?

No, of course, you can’t do anything without money.”

But, Scheib said, NYU’s priority is its students’ academic success. He said the university might be willing to take a more expensive route should it directly benefit students’ ability to work.

“What is the value to our students of being able to sleep through the night?” Scheib said. “That is something we try to factor into our calculations as well.”

Despite this, the easiest way to communicate is often in dollar signs.

“I’ll be honest, it’s hard,” Scheib said. “At the end of the day, money is the easiest thing to analyze. How do I put a number on student satisfaction?

But, we are trying.”

Email Victor Porcelli at vporcelli@nyunews.com.

Washington Square News

4

CULTURE@NYUNEWS.COM

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 2019

CULTURE

Edited by CAROL LEE

NYU London Holds Its Breath as U.K. Approaches Brexit Deadline

By PAUL KIM NYU London Correspondent As the U.K. government extends its Brexit deadline from Oct. 31 to Jan. 31 of next year, many potential ramifications of the U.K.’s separation from the European Union remain unknown. The ambiguity of the situation has made it hard to plan for the future, a dilemma which extends to the administrative staff at NYU London.

In an interview with WSN, NYUL Assistant Director for Student Life Nigel Freeman said that planning for Brexit has been a moment-to-moment process.

“Literally some days we’re like ‘okay, so what’s happened now?’” he said. “I’m coming out of a meeting, what’s this new scenario? How’s this going to affect us?

How’s this going to affect students?”

Dr. Marie Milofsky, a lecturer at NYUL who hails from France, has lived in the U.K. for 27 years. In that time Milofsky never became a naturalized citizen. Aside from voting in British elections, she didn’t see a reason to apply for citizenship.

“I could vote at the local elections which, to me, is the most important,” she said. “It’s also some financial reason because it costs, I think, 1,800 pounds [$2,300] to have the honor of becoming a subject of Her Majesty. So I found that, given my family size, it would just not be workable.”

Milofsky also works at the London School of Economics, which hired solicitors to provide advice to the staff.

“The problem we have at NYU is the same in most of the English universities or at least the London ones,” she said.

“They have to secure their facility and they organized for some solicitors to advise us.

So the thing that I did was become a U.K. permanent resident, which is an intermediate status.”

In addition to permanent residence, Milofsky also holds a settled status in the U.K., which allows her to stay in the country. Though she doesn’t think her status will be subject to much change, she isn’t entirely sure.

“There’s so much uncertainty around this Brexit. We still don’t know when it’s going to happen, we still don’t know what the conditions are going to be,” she said.

Depending on the conditions of the Brexit deal, European students studying in the U.K. could see tuition fees rise if the U.K. leaves the European single market.

Similarly, U.K. students would also have a harder time studying in the EU. That being said, NYUL isn’t expecting Brexit to significantly impact its students.

“Unless they’re an EU citizen and they want to end up living here, it isn’t definitely going to affect the students that are here at the moment,” said Assistant Director of Finance and Operations Ruth Tucker.

“I wouldn’t say we’re worried, but we’re monitoring it closely and we’re talking to colleagues in key departments like Public Safety and risk management and global programs about how things might change,” Tucker said. “It’s very hard to plan very cohesively in the moment because it’s so uncertain.”

This uncertainty seems to extend to incoming students studying abroad during the spring 2020 semester. SPS sophomore Isabelle Ross wrote in an email to WSN that when she was applying to study abroad in London for the spring semester, Brexit played a minimal role in her decision.

“I knew it would be going on and would probably have an effect on me while I was there but other than that, I didn’t think much about it,” she said.

Freeman said that Brexit hasn’t affected the volume of applicants to NYUL.

Tucker agrees that, from an academic point of view, Brexit might even be a reason to study in London. “If I were as a politics or journalism major then this is an interesting time to be here studying, right?

I mean certainly it is for me as a kind of politics enthusiast in my spare time. It’s an interesting time to be here,” she said.

Though staff at NYUL don’t think Brexit will have a significant effect on its students, they are less confident about staff. According to Tucker, approximately 10% of the lecturers and full-time staff are EU citizens.

Dr. Eiko Thielemann, another lecturer at NYUL, has a different problem. Thielemann came to the U.K. from Germany in the ‘90s to study and decided to stay under the free movement rules of the EU, spending the next 20 years here without the need to apply for British citizenship.

It wasn’t until he learned the outcome of the Brexit vote that Thielemann decided to naturalize, getting his dual citizenship in December 2017.

However, in the wake of Brexit, Thielemann’s citizenship status is in question.

Germany only allows dual citizenship within the EU, which the U.K. will no longer be a part of in January.

“What I’m uncertain about, and nobody can give me a legally clear-cut answer, is to the question of what happens if and when the U.K. leaves,” Thielemann said.

“So the concern is that I might be asked to choose then, after Brexit, which nationality I want to continue to hold.”

If faced with that decision, Thielemann already has his mind made up.

“It’s not going to be a very difficult decision for me because in the end, I value my EU citizenship higher than the British one under those circumstances.” he said.

“What that would mean then for my resident status here in the U.K. is obviously

VIA NYU

NYU London is doing its its best to prepare for the UK leaving the EU. NYUL Assistant Director for Student Life Nigel Freeman talks about the plans for Brexit.

not completely clear yet.”

However, with a permanent residence in the U.K. or proof of long-term residency, Thielemann isn’t really concerned for himself. “I think my main concern, in this context, it’s not for someone like myself, but it’s for the other 3.8 million EU nationals,” he said.

While employees from the EU like Thielemann and Milofsky are relatively secure in their residency, there are others whose residency statuses are still unclear.

Thielemann says that many EU nationals have not gone through the processes that would allow them to stay in the U.K. after Brexit largely because they feel that the decision was not of their own making.

They do not have the ability or paperwork to prove they have lived in the U.K. long enough to qualify for settlement.

“I hear it quite often,” he said. “They say, ‘Well, I’ve been living here for 20 years legally and now because of the situation

that is completely beyond my control, beyond my choosing, I’m now basically being asked to do things that I should have as an intrinsic right because I came here under a particular legal context that the U.K. government signed up to at the time.’”

Undergoing these changes and uncertainties without a vote in the matter, it seems hard for an EU national to not feel helpless. Thielemann thinks that, given all the new information that has surfaced since the initial Brexit vote, the U.K. needs a second referendum. He took part in a march in October calling for exactly that — a second chance.

“I think it’s only right to ask people to confirm that that’s what they want,” he said. “And ultimately, I think it’s also an opportunity, a second referendum, to try to heal some of the wounds that the Brexit process has created.”

Email Paul Kim at pkim@nyunews.com

Student Influencers React to Instagram’s New Like-Hiding Policy

By YAPRAK UGURSES Staff Writer Instagram was changed forever on Nov. 14 when the company decided to hide the amount of likes a user gets on

their post. Now, likes can only be viewed by the owner of the account that made the post, an attempt to reduce stress culture around like counts. This could have effects on both casual Instagram users and influencers who depend on fol-

JULIA MCNEILL | WSN

Instagram recently began hiding the number of likes on users’ posts, preventing audiences from seeing how much clout an influencer’s post has recieved.

lower engagement — both of whom are abundant at NYU. Ballet, fashion and interior design influencer and Tisch senior Matthew Krull has over 54,000 followers, and was initially skeptical about Instagram’s changes.

“At first I was biased against Instagram’s decision to take away likes, but now I stand by their decision,” Krull said. “Hopefully this will let people care less about online validation through likes and have people focus more on the beauty of the content rather than the numbers.”

Krull appreciated Instagram’s acknowledgement of the pressure that like counts can put on its users, and wonders if Instagram will take any more steps to improve social media’s effects on mental health.

“I think this opens a great conversation for what more needs to be done, and removing likes is definitely a step in the right direction,” Krull said. “I will be interested to see if Instagram will eventually remove the follower count.”

Influencers are not the only demographic affected by the app’s new policy.

CAS first-year Anahi Sanchez, a casual Instagram enthusiast, wasn’t certain that the change would have an especially profound impact on users.

“I care about likes but not to the point that I would go crazy if they took them

away,” Sanchez said. “I don’t see how Instagram taking away likes will change anything; other apps will still promote likes.”

Gallatin first-year Lucy McFadin, a rising Instagram influencer with 13,000 followers, had a positive attitude toward the decision.

“I think it is great if it seems to be affecting others’ use on the app and definitely will decrease the unnecessary significance of likes,” McFadin said.

“It won’t affect any influencers’ jobs on the app as their engagement levels and insights will still be available to their own eyes,” said McFadin, who is less concerned about the implication of this move and more curious about what further steps Instagram will take in this direction.

As a regular user of the app, Steinhardt junior Maverick Li appreciated the alteration from an aesthetic point of view.

“I think it can be productive to small businesses and smaller content developers,” Li said. “And personally, I don’t like to see numbers distracting the aesthetics of an Instagram post.”

Tisch first-year Tony Wang, an Instagram influencer and rising photographer with 3,000 followers, believes that this update could improve the authenticity of engagement.

“I think likes are not a measure of self-

worth or how good a photo is. It is an exercise of ego and could be harmful at times,” Wang said. “Instagram’s action is justifiable as long as the likes are authentic. Of course, more likes are better but wouldn’t one want true likes by people who resonate with their content?”

Stern graduate student Sike Li, or @ rriscolee to his nearly 25,000 Instagram followers, is a fashion, lifestyle and travel influencer. Visibility of likes is not a major concern amongst influencers, and Li does not believe it will drastically affect his account’s engagement.

“For me, as an influencer, I’m focusing more on the creative content and people’s comments from my post,” Li said.

“It doesn’t affect my influence because from the beginning, I know engagement in the form of comments is the core way to be an influencer.”

He is intrigued to see the effects of this change, and thinks it will have a positive impact.

“From my perspective, taking away likes is an interesting experiment,” Li said. “Nowadays, so many people are living in the likes, they may lose themselves in the social media. I think it sets people free.”

Email Yaprak Ugurses at culture@nyunews.com.

Washington Square News | Culture

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 2019

Fashion Business Association President Reflects on Her Style Evolution

Written in the Stars: Student-Run Shop Curates Whimsical Pieces

By TATIANA VELASCO Staff Writer

By TESSA KILCLINE Staff Writer

We’ve all been there: first-years carrying over their high school wardrobe into college. But could your wardrobe at 18 still reflect your style by the time you graduate? Throughout college, students are constantly growing, not just academically, but also personally.

They are discovering who they are and what they want. These discoveries are often reflected in the most palpable form of self-expression: fashion.

Autumn Samuels, Steinhardt senior and president of the Fashion Business Association will soon leave her position behind. When she was a first-year, she now notices that the way she dressed was solely to fit in with the new environment she was in. As fashion guided her college experience, she now dresses to define herself and the person she has become. Samuels took a moment to reminisce about how her personal style has evolved throughout her time at NYU.

A quick scroll through CAS junior Annalise Dragonetti’s Instagram is an inside look into her personal aesthetic as well as her business’ — moody, earthy tones with touches of cosmology and astrology. She manages to implement her environmental interests into her brand’s aesthetic.

Terra Soleil, which roughly translates from Latin as “earth and sun,” is Dragonetti’s online website where she sells jewelry, home decor, art prints and tarot cards. Dragonetti started her store on Etsy in the fall of 2018 when she took a semester off school.

In the spring, she moved her Etsy store to its own website and the business grew.

“It was kind of unexpected,” Dragonetti said. “It wasn’t something that I was actively pursuing until it just happened.”

Despite never having expected to turn her art into a business, Dragonetti designs all of the art she sells. She also set up the layout of the website, takes all the product photos and designs the online art work.

“I’ve done everything myself,” Dragonetti said, “although I did have help along the way from people who supported me. But the work itself I was doing myself.”

The products Dragonetti sells are curated to fit a very specific aesthetic, easily observable on Terra Soleil’s Instagram, which currently has 23,500 followers.

“I try to get a lot of things in a niche market,” Dragonetti said. “Instead of having lots of random items, I try to focus on a very specific aesthetic. I try to make it presentable and nice because I think people are attracted to branding.”

The aesthetic is earthy and a bit mystical with plants, crystals and astrological artwork dominating her Instagram feed.

Standout pieces include dainty gold jewelry embedded with stars and stones, palmistry hand models that emit healing energy painted with astrological symbols and various size clusters of crystals such as amethyst and quartz.

“It’s very much my personal style,” Dragonetti said. “Which is why I think it’s so enjoyable for me to sell the things that are on my store. It’s stuff that I would buy.”

Although she caters to a niche market of spiritually-curated pieces, she has customers all over the world. Around half of Terra

First Year Samuels spent her first year abroad at NYU London, and she admitted that living in the fashion capital heavily influenced her style. She dressed more sophisticated, with blouses, oxfords, boots, sweaters, chunky necklaces and sparkly cocktail dresses.

“I think when you’re traveling and you’re abroad as a freshman, it’s a super exciting moment, so you kind of want to look good,” she said. “So stylistically, I would say I was going for the more fashion-forward European kind of vibe — more refined, more polished.”

She also said she used to hang out in Camden, England and embraced its punk scene. She incorporated punk plaids and pieces — such as a skull patterned scarf — into many of her outfits.

“I definitely love that kind of style,” Samuels said. “I’m a die-hard [Alexander] McQueen fan, so I like skulls and things in my vibe.”

Sophomore Year

VIA INSTAGRAM @ITSAUTSAMS

Steinhardt senior Autumn Samuels, the president of Fashion Business, reflects on her style evolution from first year to senior year.

Samuels describes her sophomore year style as “edgy.” Coming to New York was like starting “freshman year all over again.” As she got to know the city, she recognized many differences in fashion culture and preferences which again altered her style.

“I came to New York being like, ‘Okay, I’m going to do seven fashion internships and go crazy,’” she said. “I had that New York ‘go, go, go’ thing.”

Samuels said she knew what she wanted when she came to New York, and her ambition seized her fashion choices. She went for a cool, mature, NYC look, yet maintained edgy punk vibes with some skull patterns, leather jackets and black blazers, all of which she had never really worn before.

Heels were also a staple of her style that year, her favorite being a pair of sparkly Michael Kors stilettos.

“I never went outside not in heels sophomore year – major damage to the feet, don’t recommend,” she said.

Junior Year Her junior year strayed, Samuels strayed from being edgy and started to dress “more serious.” It was also her first year as president of FBA. “I feel like you’re forced again to grow up in a way like in high school,” she said. “Like, you know, next year is big, and you need to get a job and

start doing things.”

Taking on several fashion internships really imposed uniformity on Samuels’ style. She had to wear more corporate pieces, like suits and blouses, which she felt restricted her expression.

“There was a little bit of fun lacking in my closet,” she said. “Not that I wasn’t dressing well — I kind of just lost that sense of personality last year.”

Senior Year This year, she is making an effort to be more authentic and let the edginess back in.

“I would describe my personal style moving forward as ambitious, self-assured, definitely confident,” she said.

Samuels said she often wears gold jewelry, tight boots, dark denim or snakeskin pants, leather jackets, racecar and motorcycle T-shirts, band emblems, black cocktail dresses and a lot of black satin.

“I think fashion pushed me in the best way to make sure that I’m being authentic and always reflecting on who I am,” she said. “I’m hoping whatever job I’m in in the future embraces that and allows me to work but also continue to be myself.”

Email Tatiana Velasco at culture@nyunews.com.

5

Soleil sales are international orders.

Dragonetti spends two to three hours a day packaging products. She does all of this in her dorm room keeping inventory in drawers and picking up large packages of supplies from the Resource Center.

Dragonetti, who is from near Philadelphia, is majoring in environmental studies with a double minor in animal studies and environmental biology. Her areas of study have an impact on her business choices.

“I think it’s very important that businesses are at least aware of the impact they’re having on the environment because I think that a lot of businesses aren’t,” Dragonetti said. “I try my best to be as aware of where I’m sourcing my products as possible, although it can be difficult and I’m by no means perfect.”

She uses linen reusable bags instead of packaging her tarot cards in cardboard boxes or paper. Dragonetti also tries to make all of her products either reusable or recyclable.

“It costs a little more in terms of sourcing the linen bags, but I think it’s worth it because in the end, people keep them and they don’t throw them out,” Dragonetti said.

Dragonetti recognizes that her area of study is not what one would expect of a business owner. She sees her business as a creative outlet that is just one aspect of her life.

“In my mind, I have a bigger purpose than just myself and my own business,” Dragonetti said. “I want to have a bigger impact on the world that’s not just my store. Although my store is a part of my life, I want a lot of different things to define me as a person.”

Dragonetti would like to see Terra Soleil grow, but she wants to keep it small enough that she can continue to run it on her own.

Instead of running the business full-time after graduation, she hopes to go to graduate school for ecology and conservation biology.

“I don’t want to be a megacorporation,” Dragonetti said. “That’s not the end goal.

For me, it’s more like just connecting with my customers, selling them products that they would love, and that they’ll keep, and they’re not going to just throw away. That’s the philosophy of my store: to sell things to people that make them happy.”

Email Tessa Kilcline at bstyle@nyunews.com.

Lions & Tigers & Squares Brings Detroit-Style Pizza to the East Village

By NICHOLAS PABON Contributing Writer Considering the countless pizzerias in downtown Manhattan, I wouldn’t blame you for rolling your eyes after hearing another pizza place has taken root, especially once you learn it strays from tradition.

No, it isn’t New York-style pizza. And yes, it’s still good.

Lions & Tigers & Squares exclusively serves Detroit-style pan pizzas. Depending on your choice of toppings, a whole pie consisting of four slices goes for between $9 and $14. Alternatively, ordering a “slice” gets you half a pie which is served in a whole pie box that appears to just be sawed in half.

Detroit-style, for those unfamiliar, is somewhere between Sicilian and Chicago-style pizza. It has a thick crust and is baked in a pan like Sicilian pizza but the sauce goes on top of the cheese, as Chica-

go deep-dish pizza does. Cheese is placed right up to where the crust meets the pan so that the edge crust gets caramelized by butterfat as it bakes. The pie’s shape ensures that every piece is a corner.

The slices at Lions & Tigers & Squares certainly give you plenty of bang for your buck. The crust is wonderfully caramelized and crispy on the edges, yet soft and fluffy on the inside. The cheese is gooey and the sauce is punchy enough to stand out. It’s one of the more economical non-dollar-slice options in the area as well, as a whole pie could easily feed two to four people.

Beyond the pizza itself, the interior of Lions & Tigers & Squares feels thoroughly like a Midwestern pizza place. There’s lots of exposed brick with Detroit memorabilia adorning every wall and, unlike most New York slice shops, there’s plenty of room to sit down and eat. This pizza is far too thick to fold and eat on the go, which

might be why Lions & Tigers & Squares provides ample seating in the front of the restaurant.

While the plain cheese is delicious on its own, they don’t hold back as far as toppings go. Adding pepperoni costs about half of the base price of a pie, and while this might seem like a rip-off, they definitely do give you $5 worth. It’s so much that you’ll most likely end up pulling half of it off because you can’t taste anything else.

Lions & Tigers & Squares is a welcome addition to the East Village pizza scene; the pizza is good, the prices are fair and the atmosphere is inviting. Whether you’re interested because you’ve never heard of Detroit-style pizza before, or you’re just looking to switch things up from the foldable New York slices you normally eat, Lions & Tigers & Squares is worth a try.

Email Nicholas Pabon at dining@nyunews.com.

VIA WIKIMEDIA FILMGOD

Detroit-style pizza is typically served in rectangular slices with a thick crust. Now, students can enjoy slices of Detroit-style pizza in the city at Lions & Tigers & Squares.

Washington Square News

6

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 2019

ARTS

ARTS@NYUNEWS.COM

Edited by CLAIRE FISHMAN

‘A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood’ is a Lesson in Forgiveness and Healing

VIA FACEBOOK

“A Beautiful Day in the Neighbourhood,” directed by Marielle Heller, is a story based on the real-life friendship between journalist Tom Junod and television star Fred Rogers.

By KAYLEE DEFREITAS Deputy Arts Editor How should we deal with anger?

Why do we hold onto it instead of attempting forgiveness, hard as forgiveness may be? How can we begin to constructively deal with feelings holding us back? “A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood” attempts to answer these questions by way of Mr. Rogers’ story.

“Beautiful Day” is inspired by the true story of how Fred Rogers (Tom Hanks) helped cynical journalist, Lloyd Vogel (Matthew Rhys) learn to deal with his feelings and build a better life for himself. It is a f ilm full of hope, healing and lessons for a world in pain. The events are set in

1998, but its story feels more important now than ever. It offers essential opportunities for a conversation on constructive ways to deal with toxic emotions that can cause hurt, not just to yourself but to others as well.

“Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood” was a public television show conceived by host Rogers; it ran for 31 seasons from 1968-2001. It dealt with diff icult topics from war to divorce to death, all with a warmth that made both children and adults feel at ease.

It taught children that their feelings were valid and could be dealt with in a healthy way.

The f ilm itself mimics the format of an episode of “Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood,” incorporating the same starting and ending sequences as the

show. It isn’t so much about Mr. Rogers as it is about how his message of kindness shaped someone’s life.

Just like the show, the f ilm also features functional dioramas which are stunning, nostalgic and help bring in a little bit of the “Neighborhood” to the reality of the f ilm. They are used to show traveling sequences similar to how the mini diorama trolley would travel to the land of make-believe on the show. It helps to connect the reality of the f ilm to the elements of imagination that accompany Mr. Rogers’ aura.

Director Marielle Heller once again proves her power to emotionally connect with an audience and allow understated moments to say big things. Her previous f ilm “Can

You Ever Forgive Me?” did an excellent job of f inding moments where there is a common thread between the viewer’s life and the moment.

This f ilm is no different. Heller is not afraid to let the movie stray from the typical biopic formula and gives actors time to work the silences. The weight in the simple words, such as a question Rogers asks Lloyd about a childhood toy, shows her precise, emotion-driven directing and gives these scenes much more power than if they were in the stylings of another director.

All that being said, it never feels like the f ilm is pandering to its audience and trying to pound a specif ic message into them. It offers its messages up with subtle care and consideration. Just like Mr. Rogers, the f ilm doesn’t talk at the audience; it allows the viewer to feel seen and take whatever they need from the story.

Instead of imitating Mr. Rogers, Hanks chooses to emulate him.

Instead of putting on a potentially contrived accent, Hanks puts Mr. Rogers’s heart and soul on display.

Though the actor’s icon status makes it initially hard to look at the character and not just see Hanks, he ultimately does a great job of making the audience suspend their disbelief for two hours. Hanks is a Mr. Rogers who is not so much a pious, inaccessible hero as a humble man whose desire is to make each person he meets feel special and heard.

Rhys gives an equally moving performance as Esquire journalist Vogel, based on journalist Tom Junod. His character could have eas-

ily been played as cynical through and through, but even in moments of dark emotion, Rhys hints at the underlying fear and need for understanding that Rogers eventually shines a light on. His ability to turn an easy-to-despise role into a character the audience is sure to want to root for and see change for the better is a testament to his talent.

“Beautiful Day” shines in its moments of silence. There is an astonishing amount of complete silence in the f ilm, but these moments never feel tedious or awkward; they feel full of life and help to push the story forward. One of the f inest examples is from a conversation Vogel and Rogers have in the latter’s New York apartment. Just from slight glances and facial movements, a scene builds and the silence is suddenly f illed with a conversation. These silent moments also allow the audience to see the characters in one of their most telling states — reflection, wondering how to respond to whatever has just occurred.

At a time of such turmoil and anger in the world, it is good to take a minute to reflect on those who have, as Mr. Rogers said, “loved us into being.” After this f ilm, it will be hard not to run off to call all the special people in your life to tell them how much you love and appreciate them.

“Beautiful Day” is a healing experience and offers a chance to remember the greatest neighbor we were ever lucky enough to have.

Email Kaylee DeFreitas at kdefreitas@nyunews.com.

Book Club Welcomes East Village Bibliophiles, Coffee-Lovers and Wine-Enthusiasts

By DANI HERRERA Staff Writer This time of year calls for soft sweaters, warm drinks and good books. Imagine sitting at a cozy bookshop, in a soft leather chair, beside a fireplace mantel that flickers with the lights of a set of burnt orange candles.

At Book Club Bookstore and Wine Bar, just off East Third Street, this can be a reality. On Nov. 9, Erin Neary and Nat Esten opened the doors of Book Club Bookstore after two years of planning.

Book Club is an independent bookstore offering both caffeinated and alcoholic beverages alongside its shelves of titles.

Esten said he and Neary met at a book club in the East Village.

“When we first met, she came into our book club as a new member, and there was a book that I hated and she loved, and we fought about it all night,” he told WSN. Esten explained that though neither of them had experience in retail, they merged their individual skill sets and sought help from local bookstores and publishers. They even had to learn how to make coffee and apply for a liquor license.

“I run my own business, but that’s in music,” Esten said. “Erin has a lot of background with marketing, working for startups […] as far as retail business, as far as opening a bar […] that was all new to us, and it took us a fair amount of training and catching up.”

The pair has lived in the city for about 10 years and noticed a lack of public places for people to unplug. Esten and Neary have cultivated a cozy, old-school atmosphere in the store, complete with dim lighting, vintage lampshades, velvet armchairs and soothing music.

The literary theme extends to the bathrooms, with walls lined with pages of Esten and Neary’s favorite books.

These include “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone” by J.K. Rowling, “The Secret History” by Donna Tatt, “Rules of Civility” by Amor Towles and “Little Women” by Louisa May Alcott.

“I think that we’re unique because of those stylistic elements, and then it’s also just kind of rare that you find a bookstore that also has beer and wine and coffee,” Pim said.

Book Club’s literary selections cater to a wide range of audiences. Though Neary and Esten personally prefer fiction, the shop carries titles from a variety

of genres, including biography, memoir and travel — they have a little something for everyone.

Esten and Neary are actively reaching out to the community through event programming as well. They held their first poetry reading Nov. 19 and are also planning trivia nights, game nights and author readings.

Fully executing Neary and Esten’s vision for the store is still a work in progress. As of now, the store is only offering coffee, but wine and beer will soon be added to the menu. They will also be extending opening hours and debuting an outdoor patio in the Spring.

“We all spend too much time staring at screens,” Esten said. Though the store has free WiFi and people are welcome to use their electronic devices, he hopes that Book Club will encourage people to unplug for a few hours by sitting back with a good book and a cup of coffee, or even a glass of wine.

Book Club is located at 197 E. Third St. and is open every day from 8:30 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Email Dani Herrera at books@nyunews.com.

VIA INSTAGRAM @BOOKCLUBBAR

Book Club Bookstore and Wine Bar is a new bookstore offering a cozy place for readers to relax and enjoy drinks.

Washington Square News

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 2019

UNDERTHEARCH@NYUNEWS.COM

7

UNDER THE ARCH

Edited by GURU RAMANATHAN

‘No Two Latinxs Are the Same’ Afro-Latinx Academics Carve Out Their Space at NYU Story and photos by

MANDIE MONTES

Deputy Copy Chief

“I was constantly told that I was too dark to be Latina,” Kim DePass said.

DePass’ complexion makes others perceive her to be African-American. That isn’t a bad thing; it’s just that she isn’t African-American. The College of Global Public Health first-year wrote in an email that she identifies as Afro-Latina and has always been proud of her family’s Latinx heritage and African ancestry. But her Afro-Latinidad has always been something she’s had to prove to others.

When she says that her mom is from Jamaica, her identity as a Black woman becomes clear, but DePass is often then told she is lying about her Latina identity when she says her dad is from the Dominican Republic. She is pigeonholed as someone who can’t be Latina because she doesn’t have a Spanish-sounding last name or Black because of her ability to understand Spanish.

In the eyes of the people she interacts with, she can never be both.

While Afro-Latinx is a relatively new term, it is an identity that has been largely erased within the Latinx community.

Though there is much debate surrounding the ‘x’ in Latinx, the letter itself is used to be inclusive of gender-nonconforming identities in the Latinx communities while also challenging the gender binary in language and society. Latinx is the latest iteration of earlier versions such as Latin@ and Latine.

In a world inundated by labels, assuming a person’s identity or putting them in a box can be harmful. While a label can denote a sense of community, it can also isolate those who feel it fails to emphasize intersectionality, especially if one’s identity has both ethnic and racial dimensions.

But for Afro-Latinxs, it is this racial and ethnic double marginalization in the U.S. that can make some question their identity or even feel alienated from certain parts of their identity. Though conversations

surrounding Afro-Latinidad may be difficult to have, community members say persistence in having them is a step toward recognizing and ending the erasure of black narratives in the Latinx community.

DePass decided to do this by writing about her Afro-Latina identity in her college application to NYU. In her personal statement, she wrote about what it means to be Afro-Latina, how it felt to not know her place in the world and her eagerness to do what she can through academics to ensure that other Afro-Latinxs don’t experience the same difficulties.

“Academia has always been a safe-haven for me, especially when it comes to writing, because in these spaces I [can] share how I feel with little construction,” DePass wrote. “My identity [as an Afro-Latina] and my education is who I am as a person and that shows up in my school work.”

But DePass’ journey to accepting her Afro-Latina identity involved traumatic experiences that occurred when she was younger, most of which stemmed from being told that she did not belong in the Dominican or Jamaican or Haitian or Black communities. This led to self-esteem issues and affected her mental health throughout her childhood. She recalls that, as a child, she suppressed her insecurities because she wanted to be accepted by the aforementioned communities. But DePass is slowly moving past that now, in part because academics has given her the ability to stand up against her oppression.

“I am very lucky to be living in this time where the Afro-Latinx community is really coming to the forefront of mainstream society and declaring their existence,” DePass wrote. “I say who I am loudly and proudly for all to hear and if people don’t believe me or don’t accept me, the issue is on them and their lack of knowledge rather than my own burden.”

In recent years, Afro-Latinxs have utilized social media as a platform to demand that their identity be acknowledged. This influx of online presence gives people the

ability to learn about Afro-Latinidad in ways that are more accessible.

Some social media accounts like @afrolatinas highlight “the diversity & beauty among young Black women of LatAm descent” while others like @hashtagiamenough are “instilling self-assurance, selfworth and self-love” on their platform.

These accounts are sharing the nuanced experience of Afro-Latinidad, building community among other Afro-Latinx folks while also discussing their narratives in their own ways.

Many are denied access to Black history through systemic erasure in education, which leaves gaps in the history of marginalized communities — like members of the Latinx community who are of African descent.

Though providing university courses that preserve and acknowledge Black history isn’t the entire answer, it is a start. Visiting assistant professor Amarilys Estrella says one of her goals is for her “Afro-Latinx Culture and History” class to be a space where conversations about Afro-Latinidad can be had, educating students about the history of slavery in the Americas and the implications it has on society today, especially within the Latinx community.

“Creating these spaces and having this course was really an opportunity to start looking at ‘What is the history that has not been told?’” Estrella said. “It’s not just me, the professor who is teaching, it’s the students who also have their stories, and they need to be told, and I can bring those into the classroom.”

While Estrella believes that the course is a good introduction to the history of Afro-Latinidad, she also maintains that one course cannot cover the extent of the erasure of Afro-Latinx identities within the Latinx community. But she believes that it can inspire students to include this topic in their research beyond the classroom.

“I’ve always been interested in colorism and discrimination within one race, so this class is helping me see that [colorism and discrimination] is very real and happens in many cultures,” CAS junior Mickayla Coutinho Brandao said. “This class is allowing me to relate to Afro-Latinx people even though I’m not Afro-Latinx.”

As someone who identifies as a Cape Verdean woman, (Cape Verde is an island country and former Portuguese colony off the west coast of Africa), Coutinho Brandao has experienced colorism in her culture and isolation from African-Americans in the U.S. She recalls not feeling black enough for her black friends because of her lighter skin tone and looser hair. On the other hand, she had family members constantly telling her not to stay in the sun for too long so she could maintain her lighter complexion. These dismissive and discriminatory comments often made her question her identity.

“I would think to myself, ‘Do black people look just like one CAS senior Jailene thing?’ But no, we Peralta stands in come in a variety of front of zines postidentities,” Coutined on walls in the ho Brandao said. social and cultural “So I’m minoring in analysis department at 20 Cooper Africana studies to Square on Monday. get a better under“My hair tells the standing of who I am world my history,” as an African womPeralta said.

First-year Kim DePass, bundled up on a cold day, enjoys the final days of fall in Washington Square Park on Saturday. “In any aspect of academics, I want to continue to learn history about my identity,” DePass said.

Visiting assistant professor Amarilys Estrella reads announcements to her class in the social and cultural analysis department at 20 Cooper Square on Wednesday. Her ‘Afro-Latinx Culture and History’ class this semester seeks to educate students on black history in the Latinx community.

an in America, my roots better and how Africa varies.”

Estrella’s class has shown Coutinho Brandao that Black people have a place in a multiplicity of cultures, but she says society has a long way to go in recognizing this.

CAS senior Jailene Peralta believes that it is important to acknowledge Afro-Latinidad in order to end Black Latinx marginalization within Latinx communities.

“No two Latinxs are the same,” Peralta said. “I think in a lot of Latinx spaces, there aren’t a lot of Black people so I feel the need to emphasize that, ‘Yes, we share a common history, we might speak the same language, but I’m Black.’”

Peralta always emphasizes her Afro-Latinidad because she wants people to acknowledge that there are layers to her identity and that she can choose how to identify based on who is in the room with her and how space is divided. Sometimes she identifies herself as Dominican, while other times she identifies as Latina — but that doesn’t mean that she is denying her Blackness.

“A lot of the times when people question the fact that I want to identify as a Black Latina, it’s always like, ‘Well why not just Latina? Aren’t you Latina? Aren’t we all Latinos?’” Peralta said. “It’s important to [distinguish] that I’m collectively part of the [Black] diaspora but there are specific subsets that I experience that others might not.”

Peralta is currently double majoring in history and Social and Cultural Analysis with concentrations in Latino studies, Africana studies and gender and sexuality studies.

“I have this ability to work a lot of Black Latina womanhood through my major,” Peralta said. “I’m able to, on my own, use

the resources and the access of NYU to learn more about myself which I feel that people that look like me are not able to do so in these elite university spaces.”

Taking Estrella’s class enables Peralta to continue preserving her culture as well as learning from other Afro-Latinxs that have critiqued the ignorance of some members of the Latinx community on Blackness.

“It’s really good to be seen, in terms of seeing others academic work that explains what I’m feeling or what I’m experiencing,” Perlata said. “This class also helps me sort of find ways to deliver my identity better and my lived experience better.”

Peralta isn’t afraid to reclaim her space at NYU. She said she has no choice when it comes to being as assertive as possible, as her identity has never been treated as deserving of equal space with others.

Peralta is aware of the racist “angry black woman” trope — one that is often weaponized against black women who speak out against the injustices that they face. But partly thanks to what she has studied, she isn’t afraid to tackle that bias head-on.

“I think a lot of classes that I take empower me in a way to be more audacious and be less afraid and just [reclaim my space],” Peralta said. “I just do it.”

For Afro-Latinx students at NYU, spaces like Estrella’s Afro-Latinx class are a place to begin informing themselves of their identity or continue to work toward understanding who they are. “I have the privilege as someone who goes to NYU, to take these classes and share it with people who many not be afforded these experiences,” DePass said. “I will advocate for people to know about this kind of education.”

Email Mandie Montes at mmontes@nyunews.com.

Washington Square News

8

OPINION@NYUNEWS.COM

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 2019

OPINION

Edited by COLE STALLONE and ABBY HOFSTETTER

HEALTHCARE

Medical Professionals Need to Be Educated on Eating Disorders

By HELEN WAJDA Contributing Writer When I went to urgent care at the Student Health Center and then the emergency room after passing out, I told every professional who helped me that I was currently in treatment for an eating disorder, thinking that my battle with anorexia was important for them to know as they tried to f igure out what was going on.

Instead of using this information to guide their assessment of me, almost every professional I talked to questioned my diagnosis and whether my eating disorder was still a problem for me. When I asked not to see my

weight, the nurse who weighed me read my weight out loud and then, at the end of my visit, handed it to me on a piece of paper. These incredibly invalidating interactions are just a few glaring examples of a much bigger problem: the lack of education that medical professionals receive on eating disorders.

After sharing my frustrating experience with friends who also struggle with eating disorders, I found many of them had similar stories to share: doctors telling them they don’t f it the “criteria” for having an eating disorder because of their weight; doctors who already know they struggle with an eating disorder telling them to lose weight; doctors telling them that they don’t understand why they think that they have a problem because it “sounds like they eat a lot.” Moreover, when I brought up these experiences to my primary care physician — who specializes in treating eating disorders — she said that many medical professionals re-

main woefully ignorant about the warning signs of eating disorders as well as the medical complications that often result from them.

The latest statistics indicate that more than 30 million people in the U.S. will suffer from an eating disorder in their lifetimes and eating disorders have the highest mortality rate of any mental illness, with approximately one person dying every 62 minutes as a direct result. With this in mind, not to mention the taxing mental struggles that accompany eating disorders, it is extremely important for doctors to know how to treat the symptoms and medical consequences. They must also to be sensitive to patients who struggle with them. In my own experience, it was only when I f inally met with a doctor who specializes in eating disorders, after years of medical professionals telling me that I was f ine, that I realized I had a real problem.

When eating disorders are invalidated and overlooked, especially

by professionals, it makes seeking treatment and coming to terms with the illness much more diff icult. Especially on college campuses, where eating disorder prevalence has increased from 23% to 32% for females and 7.9% to 25% for males in the last 13 years, doctors must know accurate information on eating disorders so that they can recognize and help students who struggle with them.

What these examples demonstrate is that many medical professionals still look to the depiction of anorexia most often portrayed in the media — emaciated teenage girls who simply don’t eat — as the primary example of what an eating disorder looks like. In the ER this weekend, it was only after seeing my healthy weight and hearing that I actually eat that doctors began questioning whether my eating disorder was still a problem. The common thread in my friends’ stories is doctors not understanding that you do not have to be underweight or restrict your food

intake in order to have an eating disorder. In fact, binge eating disorder is more than three times more common than anorexia and bulimia combined. It is inexcusable that many doctors continue to look to restriction and weight loss — symptoms of anorexia — as hallmarks of an eating disorder.

Eating disorders are extremely complicated and individualized; each disorder manifests and impacts people in different ways. However, it is estimated that more than 70% of people with eating disorders will not seek treatment due to stigma, lack of education, diagnosis or lack of access to care. There are already too many obstacles preventing people from receiving help. Medical professionals have a responsibility to educate themselves on eating disorders and how to be sensitive to patients struggling.

Email Helen Wajda at opinion@nyunews.com.

POLITICS

Immigrants Don’t Need to Earn Human Decency

By ASHA RAMACHANDRAN Contributing Writer The U.S. Supreme Court’s conservative majority indicated on Nov. 12 that the body is leaning toward shutting down the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program.

DACA, an Obama-era program, allows for undocumented people who came to the U.S. as children to become eligible for a work permit instead of immediate deportation. The Supreme Court’s decision puts the lives of nearly 700,000 active DACA recipients in jeopardy.

This news provoked a series of tweets from President Donald Trump and his supporters attempting to demonize DACA recipients.

Trump asserted, “Many of the people in DACA, no longer very young, are far from ‘angels.’ Some are very tough, hardened criminals.” The immediate response from liberal politicians and the media was, of course, outrage. Trump’s claim is racist and false: a prerequisite to participate in DACA is no felony or serious misdemeanor convictions.

The token reaction was to defend immigrants from accusations that they are criminals and instead, assert that they are actually benef icial to the U.S. because they are good, hard-working people. Articles were written featuring DACA recipients

and their life stories — how they persevered through adverse circumstances and ended up with successful and prestigious jobs. “DACA recipients are nurses and doctors. Innovators at major businesses. Teachers educating our children” California Attorney General Xavier Becerra said on Twitter. “They are indispensable to our communities.”

Idealizing these types of narratives perpetuates the narrative of the “good immigrant,” which posits that immigrants are really just like any other U.S. citizen and are making a signif icant contribution to society. But what exactly is a good immigrant, and why must they be the standard? This narrative suggests that the validity of immigrants’ presence in this country is dependent on them meeting a certain standard of productivity and success — a standard the average U.S.-born citizen is not held to. It creates a social hierarchy — as if in order to gain the right to live, immigrants must prove themselves worthy of it.

Instead of calling out the bigotry behind Trump’s demonization of migrants, liberals often play into this narrative by responding that DACA recipients are not actually criminals and therefore deserve to gain U.S. citizenship. These moderate Democrat responses to Trump’s racist assertion are only reinforcing this contrived dichotomy between good and bad, as though the value of a person’s life and whether they deserve safety and security is an open question.

The whole immigrant success story in itself exploits immigrants’ suffering and hardship and holds them to an arbitrary standard of being

“one of the good ones.” Politicians reference how immigrants embody the American Dream and enrich our society. This model of thinking is problematic and often plays into racist stereotypes.

The myth of the model minority, for example — generally attributed to Asian Americans — characterizes the whole demographic as being relatively socioeconomically successful and thus as occupying a nebulous position of superiority. Democratic presidential candidate Andrew Yang, arguably the most visible Asian American in the U.S. political sphere

right now, has reinforced this narrative by making jokes about being Asian and good at math.

While peddling the model minority myth, Yang also spreads the idea of the good immigrant. He tweeted during the second Democratic debate, “My father immigrated here as a graduate student and generated over 65 US patents for GE and IBM … That’s the immigration story we should be telling.” He mentions his father being “a pretty good deal” for the country, as though immigrants must have some transactional value to stay or be treated with humanity.

Yang is not the only politician to commodify immigrants in this way, but the practice itself is toxic, especially when peddled by influential f igures. This mindset presents immigrants as bad from the outset and demands they prove they are deserving and assimilate or risk everything.

Immigrants should not have to prove themselves worthy of being in this country. They are human beings who are just as entitled to a good life as everyone else.

Email Asha Ramachandran at opinion@nyunews.com.

SOPHIA DI IORIO | WSN

Washington Square News | Opinion

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 2019

9

RACE

Protect Black Girls Before It’s Too Late

By CHINENYE ONYEIKE Staff Writer Samaya Dillard was a seven-year-old black girl from Sacramento. In December of 2013, Dillard’s second grade teacher dragged her by her chair outside into the cold and made her stay there as punishment after an argument with another classmate.

Dillard remained outside for several hours and eventually went missing, crossing an interstate and straying nearly two miles from her school. She was missing for more than an hour before the school notif ied the proper authorities. A teacher’s primary responsibility is to create a safe learning environment for her students and punishments should be included in these parameters. This teacher’s version of a timeout was clearly out of line and put the safety of a child at risk. Anything could have happened to Dillard as she sat outside, alone in the cold.

Teachers are some of the f irst influences on how children feel they should be treated outside the home. Sadly, for Dillard and other young girls, teachers have failed to provide a safe space for learning and have instead opened the doors to mistreatment.

Dillard’s story took place six years ago, but the root issue behind her treatment is only now being talked about.

There is a problem that no one is addressing: black girls and women are not protected.

After her emergency C-section in September 2017, Serena Williams suffered serious complications. She felt that she had symptoms of a blood clot and pleaded with her doctors for more medical attention; instead, her doctors ignored her complaints and blamed her symptoms on her post-op medications.

Eventually, her screams for help caught her doctors’ attention and she underwent not one, but two emergency surgeries. Williams survived and recovered gracefully, but

Submitting to

had the doctors waited any longer, who knows what the outcome would have been.

And this was the case for one of the greatest athletes of all time; someone with money and power.

The media portrays black women as angry and crazy, a reflection of how the world views us and our issues. When a black woman cries for help, she’s looked at through the lens of that stereotype. When we cry for help, the world thinks we’re crying wolf and ignores our needs until it’s too late. Statistics speak clearly on the consequences of this: black women are three to four times more likely to die after childbirth than white women.

From a young age, adults hypersexualize and adultify black girls; they’re seen as more mature than their white counterparts and, because of this, adults fail to protect them. The lack of protection allows us to become an ignored demographic; this leads to a world of danger for growing black girls.

Alexis Crawford’s mother reported her missing on Nov. 1, five days after Crawford filed a police report against Barron Brantley for sexual assault. On Nov. 8, police found Crawford’s body remains at Exchange Park in Decatur County, GA, the same day Brantley confessed to her murder.

There’s a clear trend: society takes a black girl’s cry for help as an over-exaggeration and fails to take the time to listen. Society puts us in a position where our only secure protection is ourselves.

We’re excluded from the concern of those outside of our close family and friends; not enough is being done to remedy the issue.

Through acknowledgement, listening and conversations, society can come to terms with the way it treats black girls. Only we know our bodies, our minds and when we’re in danger, but we live in a society that calls us dramatic and confused for simply stating our needs. Each day, we lose a part of our community due to the lack of attention we get for problems we face.

Black girls need protection — it’s time for a change.

Email Chinenye Onyeike at opinion@nyunews.com.

STAFF EDITORIAL

How NYU Wellness Sees Itself — and Why That Image Is Wrong On Thursday, NPR tweeted out an article by WGBH News, a Boston-based radio station, calling NYU’s wellness services “a national model.” The article, the final part of a four-part series, discussed NYU’s response to the problem of mental health on campus. At best, WGBH’s coverage overlooked most of the critical reporting done by WSN and NYU Local. At worst, it painted a misleading picture of the services that NYU does provide and how effective these services are. The article received backlash from NYU alumni and current students, who emphasized how long the Student Health Center has had issues.

Regardless of its failure to note the SHC’s shortfalls, the article is poorly sourced. The Mary Christie Foundation was referenced multiple times throughout, specifically in relation to a quote from its executive director and a survey on mental health services. Nowhere in the article, though, was it mentioned that Zoe Ragouzeos, the executive director of NYU’s Counseling and Wellness Services, sits on the foundation’s board of directors. The article itself has only five sources: Ragouzeos, the Mary Christie Foundation, WGBH’s own legal analyst, a Boston-area psychologist and an NYU senior, who was only quoted on “The Reality Show.” Only one of these sources — the psychologist — can be considered entirely objective. At minimum, it’s concerning that the article has nothing resembling a counterargument; at maximum, it’s irresponsible to only show one side of the SHC’s story.

The original article quotes Ragouzeos to say that NYU has increased the Wellness Center’s budget by 18% over the past three years. However, this statistic can’t be confirmed — NYU has not made this information public. In fact, the university has not given specific information for its budgets at all in recent years. Even the fiscal 2020 budget — which was supposed to be available in June — has still not been released, leaving students with nothing but speculation to figure out how NYU prioritizes and allocates its funding.

It is important to note that the actual

number of counselors at the SHC falls below the standard of the International Accreditation of Counseling Services.

The organization says that in order to maintain a healthy campus, universities should employ one full-time professional staff member for every 1,000-1,500 students. Currently, NYU only has 34 staff members accessible to all 51,847 New York-based students — which means that if the SHC’s numbers are accurate, they still fall below the national standard. Ragouzeos once told WSN that in order to be doing a good job, NYU only needs to meet the IACS’ bare minimum, but the university isn’t even able to accomplish this.

One recent example of the ineffectiveness of NYU’s services is the Wellness Exchange app. It was reported that many students find the online therapy to be impersonal and poorly executed.

However, WGBH has only good things to say about the hotline, using the fact that the Wellness Exchange received 27,000 calls during 2018 to prove this.

But the article does not question why students felt the need to call the hotline 27,000 times over the course of one year or why students called the hotline instead of utilizing the university’s counseling services — possibly because of the month-long wait for an appointment with an SHC counselor.

In addition, SHC counselors are often unlicensed; Ragouzeos told WSN last semester that many of the counselors are in training or are currently earning a degree in social work, and that they present cases to supervisors before continuing to provide care. But because these counselors are unqualified, students might be discouraged from returning after an initial meeting — something that the article takes at face value as indication that the SHC is doing a good job.

The SHC was also recently found to have inflated its staff numbers by 20% for at least three years by neglecting to remove old staff members from its website. Through this, the SHC was misleading students to believe that the center was better prepared than it really was.

When WSN inquired about the inaccu-

racies on the website, the SHC did not respond, and within 24 hours, updated the website to be accurate. One student even claimed that this was a deliberate attempt to cover up the university’s inefficiencies regarding students’ mental health. This stands in stark contrast to WGBH’s reporting, which paints a picture of an overwhelmed staff doing its best to help students.

In possibly the most egregious of its mistakes, the article characterizes the SHC’s critics as both rare and incorrect. “While some students still express discontent that they wait days or weeks for an appointment,” the article reads, “NYU reports the average wait time is 15 minutes for a drop-in session and two weeks for a scheduled appointment.” However, an investigation done

by WSN last semester showed this to be far from the case — the wait time a scheduled appointment at the SHC ranges from three weeks to one month, which is above the week-long national university average.

The SHC’s shortcomings used to be a contained problem — it was up to student journalists and activists to shed light on mistakes and advocate for change. But NPR has not only thrown its hat in the ring, but it’s also declared itself an authority on an issue much bigger than itself. By calling NYU’s counseling services a “national model” and promoting this article, NPR has validated every action taken by the SHC — even those that have harmed students. Aside from the irresponsible reporting done by the writer, the selective information provided by Ragouzeos does not only inaccurately portray the SHC, but ignores all reporting and cries for help by students throughout the past few years. The fight for adequate mental health facilities may need national attention, but NPR and WGBH have decided that they — rather than the students who have been harmed by the SHC’s actions — are able to provide an accurate account of what NYU students face. Ultimately, the answer is still the same: if NYU wants to meaningfully change its wellness resources, they need to start listening to students, not its own self-affirmations.

Email the Editorial Board at editboard@nyunews.com.

COLE STALLONE Chair ABBY HOFSTETTER Chair JUN SUNG Co-Chair

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

Washington Square News

10

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 2019

SPORTS

SPORTS@NYUNEWS.COM

Edited by BELA KIRPALANI

Women’s Volleyball Crowned ECAC Champs Again

By REBECCA CHOI Staff Writer For the second year in a row, women’s volleyball captured the ECAC Division III Championship. The tournament took place in Scranton, PA at Marywood University from Nov. 16 to 17.

“It was important for us to win ECACs because we won last year,” Stern first-year Haley Holz said. “And it was our seniors’ last tournament, so we wanted their last game to be a win.”

The Violets enjoyed unprecedented success this season. The team finished the year with an impressive 28-8 overall record and were ranked No. 1 in blocks per set in the country. CAS senior Kelsey Kraetz finished in No. 3 for blocks per set while Tisch sophomore — and Honorable Mention All-American — Abby Ausmus ranked No. 10.

Head Coach Andrew Brown emphasized the importance of setting lofty goals in his program.

“We set a goal to be the top blocking team last year, and we adjusted our style and technique,” Brown said. “Now, we are able to say we’re the top blocking team in the country.”

According to Ausmus, the coaching staff made many new adjustments on and off the court this year, including adding yoga and more team drills.

She points out that these adjustments made a notable impact on their opponents.

“In conference, a lot of teams were taken aback by [how] good we’ve gotten,” Ausmus said. “In the past, NYU wasn’t a huge force in the UAA, and now we’re competing against schools like [the Univer-

sity of Chicago].”

A moment when the team really felt that it had finally hit that next level came in October. The Violets ended up losing to Emory University, but the team managed to steal a set, resulting in a 3-1 loss. Emory is ranked No. 1 in the Southern region, NYU took away some positives from that loss.

“We knew then that with our training and core values that it is totally possible not to just beat them in a set, but also beat any team in the country,” Brown said. “The fact that we can consistently beat these teams shows we are able to beat any team on any given day.”

That small one-set victory meant a lot to the players, as it showed the progress they’ve made over the years.

“If you asked our seniors if they thought [the set win against Emory] was possible four years ago, they would’ve said, ‘no,’” Ausmus said.

Looking forward, the team is excited to continue this upward streak with hopes for an NCAA appearance next year. There is a level of companionship that is unparalleled in the chemistry that the players share.

“We’re a very focused team,” Holz said.

“We have the same goals and are always on the same page, so we’re always working together for something.”

“Coach Brown coming in and bringing the team together [was important in] making sure we play for each other [and] be here for each other,” Ausmus added. “We have that cohesiveness, there’s no friction and we have the same goals. There’s nothing that is blocking us from that.”

Email Rebecca Choi at sports@nyunews.com.

VIA NYU ATHLETICS

Stern first-year bumps the ball at the ECAC Championship in Scranton, PA on Nov. 16.

Senior Captains Set Impressive Tone for Wrestling Team

By ARVIND SRIRAM Staff Writer CAS senior Evan Drill and Stern senior Sean Lyons are off to a strong start this season, each going undefeated and winning their respective divisions in the Roger Williams Invitational on Nov. 16, leading the Violets to a fourth-place finish.

Lyons displayed determination and

perseverance in the championship round of the Invitational. Down 6-0 and on his back for almost a minute, he came back to win 8-6. Although it wasn’t the start he expected, Lyons believes this was his best performance this season.

“I made a mistake early on and had to battle back from it,” Lyons said.

“It wasn’t my cleanest performance, but I won the tournament, so that

might be my best.”

With a combined record of 59-10 in their junior year, the wrestling captains are entering their final season with a dream of winning a National Championship — something that only CAS alumnus Nathan Pike has achieved, back in the 2016-17 season.

As senior captains on a 38-person team that includes 16 first-years, Drill and Lyons are responsible for making

Stern senior Sean Lyon pins down an opponent during a match at the Roger Williams Invitational.

VIA NYU ATHLETICS

sure the team is in sync both on and off the mat. Drill, instead of fearing the responsibility, has accepted the role as a leader.

“Yeah, I love [being captain],” Drill said. “I love the sport and I love my team, so I would do anything to help out.”

CAS senior Jack La Cote and junior Will Ortman are also captains of the squad, bringing veteran experience.

“We have great leadership, and we also have very hungry freshmen who are looking to break through the lineup, kids that are coming from good pedigree high school programs, and want to be All-Americans right from the start,” Assistant Coach Corey Luce said.

“That’s why we recruited them.”

Among the strong first-year class, SPS first-year Conrado Lopez has seen firsthand the benefits from Drill and Lyons’ leadership.

“They win and lead by example,” Lopez said. “I like winning, not only in life, but in wrestling, so it goes hand in hand. If you win in the sport, you win in life.”

Although Drill and Lyons just won the Roger Williams Invitational and are wrapping up successful careers as wrestlers, they both see room for improvement for the rest of the season. The team has three more wrestling meets left in the fall season.

“I didn’t wrestle the best I could have in the last weekend,” Drill said. “But I’m going to keep working hard, getting stronger and faster, [working] on my

technique, just [listening] to my coaches and [wrestling] hard every day.”

The two captains also lead successful academic lives. Last season, both Drill and Lyons were named to the UAA Winter Sports All-Academic Team. For the pair, time management difficulties exist, but they embrace the grind and the challenges that come with being student-athletes.

“I think it’s doable, but the better you get at organizational skills, the easier it is, so I make a lot of lists, I try to plan out school stuff weeks in advance,” Lyons said. “Sometimes it doesn’t always work out that well, since I do feel like I’m rushing around most of the time, but you take it as it comes.”

With plenty of talent and strong leadership from the senior captains, the Violets have lofty expectations for the rest of the season. The team will compete at the Citrus Invitational in Fort Lauderdale next month.

“We are looking forward to those matchups and peaking at the right time, when it comes to February, for the NCAA Division III national qualifying tournament,” Lyons said.

Barring any obstacles, Drill expects the team to make a deep playoff run in February.

“If we stay away from injuries and have a full team, I don’t see why we wouldn’t win a national title,” Drill said.

Email Arvind Sriram at sports@nyunews.com.

Washington Square News | Sports

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 2019

11

Didn’t See That Coming!

Three Shockers in the NBA to plague him this year.

Instead, Ingram is leading the Pelicans with 26 points per game, he’s second in rebounds with seven and dishing out a career-best four assists. And he’s only 22 years old.

With star rookie Zion Williamson out injured, Ingram has given Pelicans fans something to look forward to each night.

3.

SOPHIA DI IORIO | WSN

By BELA KIRPALANI Sports Editor 1.

Ja Morant is the real deal. The Memphis Grizzlies No. 2 pick is currently leading all rookies in points per game and assists per game with 19 and six, respectively.

On Saturday night against LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers, Morant held his own with 26 points, six assists and five steals. He became the first rookie since John Wall in 2010 to tally at least 25 points, five assists and five steals in a game.

While he can still improve on defense, Morant is the leading candidate for Rookie of the Year by a long shot.

This season, he has proven his critics wrong, at times looking like a veteran with his ability to attack the rim with speed and his shooting from deep. Not to mention how fire the Grizzlies’ throwback jerseys are!

2.

Who knew Brandon Ingram would be this good for the New Orleans Pelicans?

Maybe a handful of diehard Lakers fans who were sad to see him go along with the rest of the LA team’s youth.

But for everyone else, his success this season has been a pleasant surprise. After he had to sit out the second half of last season due to injury and a serious health concern over multiple blood clots, it seemed Ingram’s health might continue

The Charlotte Hornets are actually not a joke. Who woulda thunk it?

Not I, for one.

Sure, they are currently on a fourgame losing streak, but they currently sit in 10th place in the Eastern Conference with a 6-11 record on the season. After Kemba Walker went one way and Terry Rozier went the other, the expectation around the league was for the Hornets to solely focus on the future.

After all, the team did lose their top two scorers in Walker and Jeremy Lamb and replaced them with Rozier who only averaged seven points in four seasons in Boston. In losing Walker, the Hornets also lost a fan favorite and the longtime face of the franchise. Needless to say, some growing pains were expected.

This season, however, the team has started strong — even looking electric at times. Rozier seems to be enjoying the opportunity to finally run his team, averaging 17 points per game. Not to mention that Devonte’ Graham, only in his second year in the league, is leading the team in points and assists per game with 18 and seven, respectively.

He also ranks second in the league in three-pointers made — trailing only James Harden. And he recently became only the fourth player in NBA history to record 50+ three-pointers and 100+ assists in his team’s first 15 games. Remember his name.

While the Hornets aren’t blowing anybody away, they are putting up a fight and giving us some fun highlights along the way.

Email Bela Kirpalani at bkirpalani@nyunews.com.

Washington Square News

@nyunews

@nyunews

VIA NYU ATHLETICS

Dillan Spector, CAS junior, is one of the three runners from NYU. They competed at the NCAA Division III Cross Country Championships on Saturday, November 23.

Three Cross Country Runners Compete in NCAA Division III Championships

By BENJAMIN MICHAEL DAVIS Deputy Sports Editor Cross Country Three of NYU’s runners participated in the NCAA Division III Championships on Saturday. Steinhardt firstyear Siena Moran and CAS first-year Leah Haley ran in the women’s 6K race, and CAS junior Dillan Spector competed in the men’s 8K course. Of the 277 women in the race, Moran placed 53rd, with a time of 22:22.9, and Haley finished in 233rd place, with a time of 24:00.3. On the men’s side, Spector finished in 26:53.8, which put him in 261st place of 279 runners.

The cross country season is now over, but many runners will see the track again when the indoor track and field season starts on Jan. 11 at the College of New Jersey Indoor Invitational.

Men’s Swimming Men’s and women’s swimming competed in the same meets on Saturday. The divers went to the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy Memorial Invitational and the swimmers stayed home to face Johns Hopkins University. Two men’s divers won their events.

Steinhardt senior Nick Lemieux won the one-meter with a score of 285 and placed third in the three-meter with 289.25, and CAS first-year Hunter Whitbeck won the three-meter with 314.85 and placed third in the one-meter with 277.85. Whitbeck, Lemieux, Rory Meyers sophomore Cole Vertin and Liberal Studies first-year Jack Callaghan have now qualified for regionals in February.

The swimmers were less successful on the day. The seventh-ranked Violets fell to the third-ranked Johns Hopkins University 141-121. NYU managed to place second in the 400-yard freestyle relay with a time of 3:07.72.

Five Violets won individual events.

CAS sophomore Graham Chatoor completed the 1,000-yard freestyle in 9:34.61, Tandon junior Josh Rine swam the 100-yard backstroke in 52.34 seconds, CAS sophomore Justin Lum finished the 100-yard breaststroke in

58.43 seconds, SPS first-year Thomas Pritchard won the 500-yard freestyle in 4:38.05 and Stern junior Elan Oumarov finished the 100-yard butterfly in 50.55 seconds.

The Violets will next take the pool on Dec. 6, when they compete in the Bomber Invitational.

Women’s Swimming Similarly, the women’s divers saw more success than the swimmers. CAS senior Carmen White won the one-meter dive with a score of 274.60 and placed second in the three-meter with a score of 265.0. CAS junior Ashlyn Winship won the three-meter with a score of 270.95. White, Winship and CAS first-year Katherine Nardone have now qualified for regionals in February.

While the divers swept their events, the swimmers fell to Hopkins 17686. The seventh-ranked Violets beat third-ranked Hopkins in two individual events and placed second in the 400-yard freestyle relay with a time of 3:32.86. Stern senior Honore Collins won the 100-yard breaststroke in 1:05.63, and Liberal Studies first-year Mari Yasumi took home the 200-yard backstroke with a time of 2:26.93.

NYU’s next meet will be the Bomber Invitational, which takes place from Dec. 6 to Dec. 8.

Tournament this weekend, beating Wells College on Saturday and Western New England University on Sunday.

In game one of the tournament, NYU beat Wells 74-59. The Violets responded to an eight-point Wells lead in the first half with a 15-3 run at the end of the half, to go up 33-29 at the break.

NYU came out of the half strong as well with a 13-3 run. At one point in the half, they were up by as much as 19, and the closest Wells was able to get to the Violets was to cut that lead to 10.

NYU dominated on the glass as well, out-rebounding Wells 47-26.

On Sunday, the Violets took down Western New England University in overtime 86-82. NYU was down 10 with just over eight minutes left in the second half, but a 14-0 run helped turn the tide in the Violet’s favor until another run by Western New England with minutes left in the game put them up by one point. A clutch free throw from SPS first-year Miles Somerville tied the game at 74, a score that held through regulation. After falling four points behind at the beginning of overtime, the Violets rattled off another run, and never gave up the lead.

NYU’s next game is on Dec. 1 against Rosemont College in Rosemont, PA.

Women’s Basketball The Violets picked up their first loss of the year on Saturday, falling to 4-1 against Cabrini University 74-65.

NYU battled back from an early deficit to finish the first quarter up 21-16, but a 12-0 Cabrini run led to a halftime score of 36-24. The Violets were able to get Cabrini’s lead down to five with 1:20 left in the game, but never got any closer. Team leaders included Steinhardt junior Janean Cuffe with 24 points and CAS senior Annie Barrett with eight rebounds and four assists.

The Violets next take the court on Wednesday when they will face Baruch College at home.

Wrestling The wrestlers competed in the New York State Championships on Sunday. The Violets placed ninth of 13 teams with 32 points. Top performances on the day in the 141-pound, 174-pound and 184-pound brackets.

In the 141-pound bracket, CAS sophomore Zach Alexander placed sixth.

CAS senior Maykel Dolorit and Stern first-year Kainalu Huddy lost in the quarterfinals of the 174-pound bracket, and SPS first year Miguel Ruiz and SPS sophomore Scott DuPont took home fourth and fifth in the 184-pound bracket.

The Violets return to the mat on Dec. 6 when they face off against Centenary University in Hackettstown, NJ.

Men’s Basketball The Violets won the NYU Tip-Off

Email Benjamin Michael Davis at bdavis@nyunews.com.

Washington Square News Staff Editor-in-Chief Sakshi Venkatraman Managing Editor Sam Klein DEPUTY Kate Lowe Creative Director Sophia Di Iorio, Deborah Alalade Copy Chiefs Sam Brinton DEPUTY Dana Sun, Daija Dewberry, Mandie Montes Multimedia Julia McNeill DEPUTY Marva Shi PHOTO Jorene He VIDEO Min Ji Kim DEPUTY PHOTO Elaine Chen DEPUTY VIDEO Chelsea Li Social Media Akiva Thalheim VISUALS Vanessa Handy Opinion Page EDITOR Cole Stallone, Abby Hofstetter DEPUTY Jun Sung Senior Staff NEWS Victor Porcelli CULTURE Carol Lee ARTS Claire Fishman SPORTS Bela Kirpalani

Deputy Staff NEWS Alexandria Johnson, Ronni Husmann, Lisa Cochran, Ishaan Parmar Mina Mohammadi ARTS Kaylee DeFreitas FILM Fareid El Gafy THEATER & BOOKS Julie Goldberg MUSIC Ethan Zack CULTURE Lauren Gruber DINING Calais Watkins BEAUTY & STYLE Bella Gil SPORTS Benjamin Michael Davis Under the Arch MANAGING EDITOR Guru Ramanathan SENIOR EDITOR Anna de la Rosa, Arin Garland, Mansee Khurana SENIOR REPORTER Anna Muratova MULTIMEDIA Ellie Ballou Sara Miranda CREATIVE WRITING Maxine Flasher-Duzgunes, Andrew Ankersen EXPOSURES Celia Tewey EXECUTIVE VIDEO PRODUCER Lu Limanowski ADVERTISING Business Manager Lukas Villarin

Director of Sales Mel Bautista Director of Marketing and Logistics Yejin Chang Account Associates Mira Silveira Catherine Chen ADVISING Director of Operations Nanci Healy Editorial Adviser Rachel Holliday Smith Editors-at-Large Sayer Devlin, Hanna Khosravi, Melanie Pineda, Pamela Jew, Natalie Chinn, Alex Cullina, Nicole Rosenthal ABOUT WSN: Washington Square News (ISSN 15499389) is the student newspaper of New York University. WSN is published in print on Mondays and throughout the week online during NYU’s academic year, except for university holidays, vacations and exam periods.

CORRECTIONS: WSN is committed to accurate reporting.

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

Interested in working for us?

Come to our Sunday pitch meetings.

1 p.m.: News, Opinion 1:30 p.m.: Culture 2 p.m.: Arts 2:30 p.m.: Sports, Under the Arch 3:30 p.m.: Multimedia, Design

THIRD NORTH 75 3rd Ave, North Tower, #SB07