NYU’s Daily Student Newspaper
WASHINGTON SQUARE NEWS Vol. 43, No. 4
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 2015
nyunews.com STATE POLITICS
Cuomo calls for honest legislators BY ALANNA BAYARIN News Editor
STAFF PHOTO BY SHAWN PAIK
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo speaks at NYU Law about his plans not to approve the 2015 New York State budget. Cuomo addressed the public’s distrust in the government and emphasized transparency.
Jody Lee Lipes’ newest film “Ballet 422” is hypnotizing and inclusive as it guides its viewer behind the scenes of the revered New York City Ballet. The film is elegant and majestic like the subject it portrays, giving a more distinguished quality to the art of ballet. Shot in cinema vérité style, which means it was captured without the use of interviews or voice-over, but as a constant flow of process, this documentary shadows the 25-year-old New York City Ballet performer Justin Peck as he faces the challenge of creating the illustrious company’s 422nd ballet. Lipes graduated from Tisch
INSIDE THIS ISSUE
School of the Arts in 2004, and he credits his education there for the production of “Ballet 422.” “I would not have been able to make this film without going to NYU,” he said. “Many people who worked on this film, I met at NYU. Nick Bentgen, Anna Rose Holmer, Mark Phillips, Joe Anderson and I all met while attending Tisch.” Lipes first conceived the documentary, after he and his wife went to see Peck’s second ballet, “Year of the Rabbit.” “After that, we began talking about documenting his next piece, because I knew one day he would become an important choreographer,”
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DINING
Press Tea serves up coffee deal BY VANESSA HAUGHTON Contributing Writer
It is time to start getting your coffee fix at the West Village cafe Press Tea. The charming shop, located at Seventh Avenue and Perry Street, launched a program this week in order to fuel New Yorkers’ coffee obsession. For $25 a week, customers can purchase a pass for unlimited lattes and other coffee drinks. Co-founder and co-owner George Kuan said he created the program in response to the astronomical cost of a cup of coffee in New York City. He hopes that Press Tea will help people more easily afford their daily cup of joe. Kuan claims that the program is designed to be af-
fordable, citing the high cost of a single latte. “One latte on average costs around $4 to $4.50, so with this program, you get an unlimited amount of lattes and other coffee drinks and the price savings are very significant, especially for students on a budget,” Kaun said. NYU students have varying opinions about Press Tea’s program. LS freshman Lana Rodriguez noted that the program might be a good deal, but only for regular coffee drinkers. “At first $25 a week sounds like a lot,” Rodriguez said. “I don’t drink more than two cups in a week. But I have friends who have at least two cups a day. With coffee prices around $2.50 per cup, in a week, the pass would probably save mon-
Best pizza for your budget?
NYU Law’s new venture
Looking for great deals on pizza? Check out our ranking of New York City’s dollar pizza options.
The NYU Law School has created a new hights institute.
STORY on PG. 5
STAFF PHOTO BY SHAWN PAIK
BY SIDNEY BUTLER Staff Writer
CUOMO continued on PG. 3
STORY on PG. 3
ey for those who are more frequent drinkers. It is definitely a solid idea if you buy espresso or latte drinks.” Gallatin senior Shannon Coulson said she thinks monthly program might attract more customers, especially for people who don’t visit the shop every day. “I think the idea of unlimited coffee is awesome, but $25 seems really steep,” Coulson said. “Also, I think the program might be more successful if they did it on a monthly basis rather than weekly.” CAS senior Jack Sterne said he believes the program has potential for saving money, but added that the cafe’s single location is a drawback.
UNLIMITED continued on PG. 5
STAFF PHOTO BY SHAWN PAIK
Alum pulls back curtain on ballet
STAFF PHOTO BY CALVIN FALK
FILM
In the midst of the Sheldon Silver corruption case, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo visited NYU Law on Feb. 2 to address corruption and policy ethics in government. Cuomo started his speech by addressing recent headlines about corrupt Assembly speaker Sheldon Silver. He said corruption cases have lead to distrust from the public. “This has been a difficult month for the state of New York, the headlines have been ugly,” Cuomo said. “Only seeing is believing when it comes to trusting government.” Zakiyah Ansari, advocacy director for the Alliance for Quality Education, stood outside of NYU Law during Cuomo’s speech to protest Cuomo’s af-
Are pre-med students ready to be doctors? Zarif’s thoughts on the pre-med curriculum. STORY on PG. 7