NYU’s Daily Student Newspaper
WASHINGTON SQUARE NEWS Vol. 43, No. 11
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2015
nyunews.com
SPORTS
UNIVERSITY AFFAIRS
Hockey looks to skate into varsity DIII
NYU Divest protests at Sexton’s office
By BOBBY WAGNER Sports Editor
By SCOTT MULLEN Deputy News Editor
Since Head Coach Chris Cosentino took the reigns at NYU, he has publicly stated it’s been his dream to turn Violet hockey into a varsity program. Now, it seems that he is well on his way to achieving that goal, as NYU has piqued the interest of the Eastern College Athletic Conference. The Violets, who currently call the Sky Rink in Chelsea Piers their home, are looking to possibly upgrade to a larger stadium in the Bronx to accompany their promotion from club team to varsity sport. Cosentino, whose professional hockey career was shortened by a string of injuries, has shifted his focus from his own career to the interests of NYU’s program. “It is my goal to bring NCAA hockey to New York City and NYU,” Cosentino said. “We have been contacted multiple times by the ECAC.” Katie Boldvich, the associate vice president for Leagues, Affiliates and
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STAFF PHOTO BY SAM BEARZI
Senior captain Dan Fortunato led the Violets to a 3-2 victory over the University of New Hampsire during Friday’s game.
REVIEW
Anton Dudley’s play captures Paris magic
By WILLA TELLEKSON-FLASH Contributing Writer Henri Rousseau’s painting, “The Dream,” depicts a woman lying naked on a lounge chair in a vibrantly colored jungle. Inspired by Rousseau’s painting, playwright Anton Dudley creates a world balancing the real and surreal in “City Of.” The play follows its four main characters, Claude, Dash, Cammie and Eleanor, as they journey to Paris to fulfill personal goals and desires. Divided into three “stages,” the new comedydrama transports the audience to the enchanting corners of Paris. During the first stage at the Museum of Modern Art, “The Dream”
brings together Claude and Dash, played by Jon Norman Schneider and Devin Norik, respectively. The two are headed to Paris: Claude, allured by the pastries and the socalled Parisian magic, while Dash, an affluent art collector, searches for a painting to honor his deceased mother. When Dash trades his first class ticket to sit next to Claude in economy, a heartwarming love story commences. In a parallel coupling at the airport, Colby Minifie plays Cammie, an aspiring opera singer. She befriends Suzanne Bertish’s character, Eleanor, who is returning to Paris in search of solace after the
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NYU President John Sexton received an early valentine last Friday when members of NYU Divest visited his office with an oversized mock card signed by the fossil fuel industry. The card, presented as a thank you to Sexton for the university’s continued investment in the industry, was intended to encourage university officials to stop investing in fossil fuel companies. GLS senior and event organizer Costanza Maio said the action was intended to send a clear message to university officials. “I think the message of our actions was really that we’re aware of the process of divesting through the school’s bureaucracy, but at the same time we’re building up momentum to go around the system,” Maio said. “And when it comes down to it, we’re not afraid to put NYU’s public issue in
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DINING
Food to accompany Oscar films By KENDALL LEVISON Staff Writer
Appetizer – “The Imitation Game”
Anyone can invite friends over and serve popcorn, but there is one way to make sure your Oscars party stands out this year: serve food inspired by this year’s nominated movies. There are so many great films that creating a menu inspired by some of your favorites is surprisingly easy. All of the suggestions below can be made in a dorm room kitchen. Also, consider making your Oscars party a potluck and have all of your guests bring food. Either way, the result will be so much fun that you might not even need to mock the nominee with the weirdest dress.
Start your Academy Awards meal with a tribute to The Imitation Game, which is about British mathematician Alan Turing, portrayed by Best Actor nominee Benedict Cumberbatch. The characters in “The Imitation Game” are too busy trying to solve the German Enigma code to take time for complicated meals, but everyone has to eat sometime. At one point, the socially challenged Turing unwittingly offends his fellow codebreakers by rejecting their offer to join them for lunch, eating soup at his desk instead. For Oscars night, stick with an old-fashioned variety of soup, like beef and barley or mixed vegetable, which will also help keep off the February chill.
For bonus points, you could serve the soup in WWII-style tin cups, but mugs will do just as well.
Main Course – “Selma” Ava DuVernay’s historical drama, “Selma,” tells the story of the closed-door negotiations that lead up to Martin Luther King Jr.’s famous march from Selma to Montgomery. Since most of the movie is set in Alabama, some of those discussions take place over plates of delicious Southern food. A selection of some of the South’s favorite dishes, including fried chicken, sweet potatoes and cornbread, would make a perfect buffet for an Oscar party. Serve with a pitcher of sweet iced tea, or, if you want to
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WASHINGTON SQUARE NEWS | TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2015 | NYUNEWS.COM
ON THE SIDE
COMPILED BY THE
WSN STAFF
The Curious Case of Henry E. Nass By JOHN AMBROSIO Assistant Managing Editor
I’m going to be honest: working at a student newspaper can be unbearably boring. The first thing you notice when you spend all your time glued to a computer screen is that the days start to melt together, which makes anything unusual stand out. So when a small old man walked into our offices at 838 Broadway on Sunday, Feb 1. asking where to go for the pitch meeting, most of the staff took notice. When the meeting started, the mysterious man with the thinning gray comb-over introduced himself as Henry E. Nass. Beyond that, he didn’t speak much. He didn’t take a pitch and he left without incident. It was certainly weird, but not that weird. The next day, our managing editor Thomas Devlin was passing by the mailboxes when he noticed a postcard sent to Jonathan Tan, a former editor-at-large. On the back of the card, there was a cryptic message:
Below the message, there was a piece of paper taped onto the card with the return address of a “Mr. Henry E. Nass.” OK, I thought, that’s weird. For the next few hours, speculation about Nass and his mysterious message derailed our regular Monday production. Popular theories included that he was an avant-garde artist, genius puzzle master or just a garden-variety kook. No matter what people thought of him, none of us could shake the feeling that something about him was impossibly fascinating. Nass had withheld just enough information to leave a room full of student journalists dying to know more. Through some very deep digging, we managed to piece together some of Nass’ background. He was in his mid-60s, grew up in upstate New York, graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in 1971 and had recently retired. Among the tidbits we found about Nass — his founding of a Sudoku institute, an op-ed he wrote about the mail, a speech he had given at Columbia — what stood out the most was a phrase Nass had copyrighted in 1971: “Cynic’s crypt: round one.” After a few hours of searching the Internet, we learned the phrase was the name Nass had given to a puzzle he made for UPenn’s student newspaper, the Daily Pennsylvanian, in February 1971. It promised “Solutions to follow,” but our search turned up nothing but another cipher from April 1971, marked with the header “Right here, Diogenes!” The first newspaper cipher was easy: “The eagle never lost so much as when he submitted to learn of the crow. —William Blake.” The second one stumped us, and by Wednesday night, we had only worked out a tentative, incomplete solution for the postcard cipher:
“More People Should [Blank].” Joke? Toke? Note? Without a hint or context, it was hard to guess what it meant with any certainty. We spent most of the week spinning huge tales about his plans and the significance of his puzzles. “I can’t help but feel like he’s the crow and we’re the eagle,” Devlin said. “We’ve spent so much time worrying about him and I think that’s what he wants.” He made a good point. “But he’s so nerdy and into puzzles,” our copy chief Maddie Pazzani said. “That’s great.” She made a better point. The biggest question was whether or not Nass would show up at next week’s news pitch meeting. Some people thought there was no way he would make himself known again — it would be tipping his hat too much. Others, like senior editor Francisco Navas, were so certain of his return that they wanted to put the security guard on notice for a small, balding man who may or may not be the Zodiac killer. No matter how certain any of us were, everyone was speechless when, at 4:55 p.m. on Feb. 8, Nass ambled into our newsroom and took a seat. Our editor-in-chief Valentina Bojanini and I gave each other a look of disbelief and then tried to calm our nerves as we went to confront the man we had dubbed our “Staff White Whale.” “My name is Valentina, I’m the editor-inchief,” she said. “What are you here for?” “I was really just trying to get a sense of a university newspaper, because there may be something that comes up later in the year that I might be interested in getting a story about,” Nass said. “About political candidacy.” We talked in circles until Bojanini asked for his name, as if she hadn’t typed it into her search bar a million times, and slyly added, “Did you happen to send one of our editors-atlarge a postcard?” “Yes,” Nass said. “The message was just —” Before he could get another word out, I figured out the solution. “More People Should Vote,” I said.
VIA THE DAILY PENNSYLVANIAN
Nass was awarded the DP’s Cryptogram Award in 1971 for his ciphers.
STAFF PHOTO BY SHAWN PAIK
Henry Nass sitting in on a pitch meeting at the WSN offices on Feb. 8.
I quickly explained that I had a lot of questions and would like to interview him. He agreed, and 15 minutes later Bojanini and I set up in a quiet corner of the office and started asking Nass about his intentions. He got to the point almost immediately. “I am planning to run for Congress, U.S. Congress, from the 10th Congressional District,” Nass said. “My plan is to run under a phrase that nobody could have any doubt as to the meaning of, and that is ‘More People Should Vote.’” Bewildered, Bojanini and I could only manage an “Oh, OK,” between us. Nass continued, expanding on his proposed platform. “[I] support very much a lot more people voting,” Nass said. “I have to tell you for the last election for Congress in 2014, with 720,000 people in this district, there were only 100,000 people who voted.” As Nass, a registered Republican, expressed his concern over the state of voter turnout, he gave the impression that he genuinely cared about the issue. While his soft-spokenness may not have made him the most charism atic politician — and the ciphers certainly did not make the most conventional one — he seemed sincerely passionate about the city he had lived in for most of his adult life. While securing voter participation was a fairly mainstream political objective, his other campaign goal was a bit more indicative of his eccentricity. “The second point is a little bit of a personal interest of mine and has been for a long time,” Nass said. “I think we need a new fundamental transportation mode. Now we have four: air, water, roads and rail. What is left is something that’s already proven itself historically, on one scale, and I think needs to be scaled up — and that is a tube system.” For 10 minutes, Nass gave us his elevator, or rather tube, pitch. The whole idea was impossibly idealistic and almost like something out of science fiction, but Nass had come prepared to convert even the hardest skeptics. He cited supporters of this so-called fifth mode including Elon Musk, who recently proposed Hyperloop, a 500 mph commuter tubetrain between Los Angeles and San Francisco. From his bag, Nass produced a New York Times article on Chinese maglev tubes and told us about the 26-mile mail-tube system New York City used to have, adding that he would scale up these tubes for freight and then move on to
passenger tubes. After explaining his platform, Nass delved into his strategy. He explained that he was “a follower of an ancient book known as ‘The Art of War,’” and has been quietly preparing for his campaign. In the 2014 elections, Nass ran as a write-in candidate as a dry run for his election. “There’s a big space on the ballot for people who want to get in the game without a lot of the hassle,” Nass said. “I can try it this way so that when I open my campaign, I am already on the record with votes — a proven vote-getter. And the fact is I ended up with 10 votes.” He added that he had only spent $20 on fliers to get those votes, and said, “I got the most [votes] — except for the dead guy.” The dead guy he was referring to is Avigdor Miller, a well-respected Brooklyn rabbi who died in 2001 but still managed 41 write-ins.
“I got the most [votes] — except for the dead guy.” — Henry Nass When I asked him how the mysterious postcards he’d sent to us and several other student newspapers fit into his campaign, he looked at me as though the answer was immediately obvious. “It fits in, in a sense, serendipitously,” Nass said. “Because if nothing came of it, it’s 34 cents. If I can at some point leverage off it, then I will.” I had to admit, his unorthodox approach did get most of our office obsessed. Shortly after the interview ended, I reached out to Jill Castellano, the editor-in-chief of the Daily Pennsylvanian, who said their postcard also generated a minor newsroom commotion. And while that might mean Nass appeals only to student journalists and that he might not be able to translate his unusual platform into more than 10 votes, he seems willing to take the risk. “I didn’t say, ‘Did you get my postcard?’” Nass said. “You asked, ‘Did you send me a postcard?’ That’s kind of the role chance plays in all this.” Email John Ambrosio at jambrosio@nyunews.com.
NYUNEWS.COM | TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2015 | WASHINGTON SQUARE NEWS
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DIVEST continued from PG. 1
Divest holds Valentine’s Day demonstration
the limelight.” Three members of NYU Divest — Maio, alumnus Blake Sugarman, and GLS freshman Olivia Rich — led the event dressed in costumes symbolizing the coal, oil and gas industries. In addition to presenting their card, they recited a poem outside Sexton’s office that satirically praised him for ignoring the will of his students and continuing to invest part of the university’s endowment in fossil fuels. Sexton was not there for the presentation. Sugarman said the goal of the action was to highlight their belief that the university should not be connected to the fossil fuel industry. “We’re trying to show that it’s not acceptable to associate with the fossil fuel industry,” Sugarman said. “I thought it was a clever and provocative way to illustrate our point, but I think it’s a legitimate way.” A group of about 15 students brought the card to Sexton’s office on Friday morning, which
is Global Divestment Day, when the Fossil Free movement promotes demonstrations in favor of divestment. Tisch senior and media coordinator for NYU Divest Charlie Martin said the demonstration successfully reached the administration. “I think it sent a clear message to the administration that we don’t want to wait any longer to divest, and we’re trying to escalate our campaign in line with the Global Day of Divestment,” Martin said. The goals of NYU Divest align with those of the greater Fossil Free movement. The group’s Facebook page calls upon Sexton and the NYU Board of Trustees to freeze any new investment in fossil fuel companies, and divest fossil-fuel related interests within the next five years. According to a presentation the NYU Investment office given to University Senate Working Group on Fossil Fuel Divestment on Nov. 20, 2014, NYU invests about $139 million in companies that are part
COURTESY OF CHARLES MARTIN
NYU Divest staged an action on the 12th floor of Bobst Library on Feb. 13. The group called on the NYU administration to divest from fossil fuels. of the Carbon Underground 200, a list that ranks the world’s top fossil fuel companies. These investments amount to about four percent of the university’s endowment that is directly invested in CU200 companies, but the presentation argues that total divestiture from fossil fuels would require as much as 50 percent of the $3.4 bil-
THE GAZELLE: NYU STUDENTS CONFRONT NEW HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH REPORT Published on TheGazelle.org on Feb. 14, 2015 Human Rights Watch released a new report, Migrant Workers Rights on Saadiyat Island in the United Arab Emirates, on Feb. 10. Amidst escalating international attention to labor conditions in the UAE, NYU students in Abu Dhabi and New York have been seeking change in separate ways. The new HRW report, a product of extensive investigative field work both in Abu Dhabi and in migrant workers’ home countries, came five years after HRW first exposed instances of substandard working conditions of laborers at the construction sites of the three main international institutions building on Abu Dhabi’s Saadiyat Island — NYU, the Louvre and the Guggenheim. Serious violations of standards, including passport withholding, substandard housing conditions, failure to reimburse workers for immigration costs and even physical abuse and arbitrary detainment and deportation, persist at the Abu Dhabi branches of NYU, the Louvre and the Guggenheim, according to the report. NYUAD released a statement of Statement of Labor Values and 14 points operationalizing its labor standard in 2010, recognized by Human Rights Watch as “a significant step toward protecting migrant workers [in the UAE].” However, the standard has been violated on several accounts. NYUAD Student Government President Hamel Al Qubaisi wrote to The Gazelle that “the
issue here is not about the lack of laws or regulations. It is about the efficient monitoring of these laws.” NYU, and any other foreign institution, are bound to the kafala system of sponsorship operating in GCC countries including the UAE. By law, NYU cannot directly oversee and manage construction workers’ contracts. In June 2014, NYU appointed an independent international law firm to investigate labor conditions. For sophomore Muthhukumar Palaniyapan, the report’s attention to specific individuals reveals ruthless and suppressing measures on migrant workers. “Even though we are not directly involved in this construction, at a broader level the question is, what does this say about the country and how do we fit into the country?” asked Palaniyapan. “That’s very worrying at a very gut level.” Palaniyapan expressed doubt that NYU could be sustained in such an environment, but encouraged students to engage with the issue. He warned against the fear of speaking up and criticizing these power structures. “You have the choice of exit or voice — you can just exit, or you can try to voice change,” said Palaniypan. “I think it is better to remain engaged in this region despite all the flaws with its law and human rights enforcements, it’s better to engage through example and through friendly influence.” Costanza Maio, an NYU senior
who studied abroad at NYUAD during the academic year 20132014, believed that it is the responsibility of NYUAD students, more than New York students, to constantly address these issues. “NYUAD students are implicated to the extent that they live and benefit from the exact location in which the human rights were violated,” wrote Maio to The Gazelle. “As such, their responsibility must be to be as informed as possible on the issue and to constantly bring it up in all of types of spaces… And really, to push for answers that aren’t just more excuses.” As far as NYU students are concerned, given their number, Maio felt that it is their responsibility to showcase commitment and understanding in all ways possible. “NYUNY students are a huge, huge body of people, many of whom are unfortunately unaware of the human rights issues happening in Abu Dhabi,” said Maio. “It is absolutely the responsibility of NYUNY students to become informed and once they know what’s happening, they have the responsibility of showing commitment when it’s needed, whether in showing up to a rally, joining a conversation, [or] spreading the news…” Maio added that there is a need for cross-campus collaborative work regarding human rights violations in the UAE. For the rest of the story, go online to TheGazelle.org.
lion endowment be divested because of the way the endowment is managed. However, Martin said he thinks their cause is both economically viable and morally necessary. “I think it’s important that NYU divest from the fossil fuel industry because it’s inconsistent with our principles as a sustain-
able campus that we’re invested in highly destructive industries,” Martin said. “Also, I think it’s imperative that NYU not be late on the game on this, and that we step forward and be one of the pioneers of divestment.” Email Scott Mullen at smullen@nyunews.com.
CRIME LOG feb. 4 to 11
By CHRISTINE PARK Deputy News Editor The NYU Department of Public Safety received reports of nine incidents of larceny, two incidents of controlled substance possession, two incidents of harassment, and one incident of an attempted trespass in the past week.
Larceny At 12:45 p.m. on Feb. 9, a student reported her bicycle missing from the bike rack in front of 25 W. Fourth St. She stated that she left her bicycle at 8:00 a.m. and returned to find it missing at 12:45 p.m. At 12:30 p.m. on Feb. 9, a graduate student reported her laptop missing from her cubicle that she left unattended from 8:00 a.m. to 9:15 a.m. at 19 W. Fourth St. At 9:00 a.m. on Feb. 11, a student reported forty dollars were stolen from a coat she left in the laundry room at Palladium Residence Hall from Feb. 10 at 8:40 p.m. to Feb. 11 at 9:00 a.m. Other incidents of larceny occurred at 3 Washington Square Village, 4 Washington Village, the Kimmel Center, Silver Center and Gramercy Green Hall.
Harassment On Feb. 8 at 3:15 a.m., a student reported an unidentified person tried to coerce them in a
non-consensual sex act at the Third North Residence Hall. This incident is still under investigation. At 9:20 a.m. on Feb. 9, a student reported that she found threatening messages on her supervisor’s desk. The messages were left there between Feb. 6 at 5:15 p.m. and Feb. 9 at 9:10 a.m. The New York Police Department filed a report. This incident is still under investigation.
Controlled Substance At 3:30 p.m. on Feb. 5, Public Safety aided the Residence Life Staff of Founders Residence Hall in confiscating a small amount of marijuana from a dormitory room. This investigation has been closed. At 3:30 p.m. on Feb. 9, Public Safety aided the Residence Life Staff of Coral Towers Residence Hall in confiscating a small amount of marijuana from a dorm room. This investigation has been closed.
Trespass At 12:30 a.m. on Feb. 7, an unidentified person not affiliated to NYU attempted to enter Third North Residence Hall while intoxicated. Public Safety stopped him. The NYPD came to the scene and brought the individual to a hospital. This incident has been closed. Email Christine Park at news@nyunews.com.
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WASHINGTON SQUARE NEWS | TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2015 | NYUNEWS.COM
ARTS
EDITED BY ALEXA SPIELER ARTS@NYUNEWS.COM
REVIEW
REVIEW
Steinhardt revives play of some ‘Importance’
Weiss exhibit showcases rare works
By KATIE COLLINS Contributing Writer
By CARTER GLACE Contributing Writer The Swiss Institute presents a strange and surreal gallery of David Weiss’ works that transport students to another country after only a short walk from Bobst Library. The massive warehouse setting and white walls allow his works to pop with their sharp colors and minimalist designs. Some of the best pieces are placed front and center. Most noticeable is a wavy blue background brought to life with vibrant streaks of color coming toward the viewer. Directly behind it is a scenic telling of a busy day at the beach, which is created with black and white streaks on a yellow background. The first portion of the gallery house is filled with similar works — pieces including city streets, light pollution and surrealist floods, depicted with vivid colors and minimalist designs. The other half of the gallery has an extraordinary variety of incredible pen sketches. Many of these sketches take the form of comic-like creations,
PHOTO BY HARK KANWAL
The David Weiss exhibit is at the Swiss Institute in SoHo. such as anthropomorphic cigarettes hanging around a curb or a comic made up of people who look suspiciously like Disney characters. A detailed sketch of people building a church stood out among the rest of the drawings. Many of these works utilize text, which are in Weiss’ native Swiss German, so it is advisable to grab a packet with translations upon entering. Among these works is a collection of notebook pages with Weiss’ writing. His most impressive pen work is a series of small sketch pages across a wall. Each page contains six drawings, with
each one building off the last. The slow progress from sketch to sketch is an extraordinary display of vision and creativity, making a beautiful spectacle. The meticulous detail in each sketch is incredible, making each page a work of art on its own merits. In a city filled with diverse art galleries, David Weiss’ collection is one of the most diverse, most simple and most utterly beautiful. The Swiss Institute is located on 18 Wooster St. and closes on Feb. 22. Email Carter Glace at entertainment@nyunews.com.
The musical “A Man of No Importance” is anything but conventional. Based on the 1994 film that stars Albert Finney, “A Man of No Importance” was adapted for the stage in 2002. Recently, students in the vocal performance program at the Steinhardt School of Culture, Education and Human Development took it upon themselves to bring new life to a musical that had been buried in obscurity for nearly a dozen years, after it survived only a brief run at Lincoln Center. The musical is centered on the life of Alfie Byrne, an aging, workingclass Irishman living in 1960s Dublin, who is played by Steinhardt student Ross Brown. A ticket taker on a city bus by day, Alfie comes alive after hours when he manages an amateur theater group in the basement of a church. Throughout the musical, Alfie struggles with the realization that he is a homosexual living in a very conservative environment. Further complicating matters are his conflicting feelings of loyalty to his religion and his unrequited love for his coworker Robbie. Acting as a mentor, the ghost of Oscar Wilde appears in dreams several times throughout the play, helping Alfie come to terms with his identity. These difficult topics are handled brilliantly by the talented cast, who bring life to otherwise static characters and to a plot that lacks in substance. Steinhardt graduate
VIA STEINHARDT.NYU.EDU
“A Man of No Importance” played from Feb. 5 to 9. student Alyssa LeClair, who plays Alfie’s sister, gave the most riveting performance. Dynamic and dazzling, LeClair brought empathy to a character who initially seems almost villainous. The musical’s score is largely unmemorable, except for “The Streets of Dublin,” which was sung with exceptional skill by Steinhardt undergraduate senior Donald Coggin, who played Robbie. Despite the individual talent of the show’s leads, however, the true star power lay in the ensemble holding the show together. Ultimately, the performance reminded audience members that the theme of acceptance is not as outdated as it may seem. Email Katie Collins at theater@nyunews.com.
CITY continued from PG. 1
‘City Of ’ Paris shines in new play death of her father. “City Of” relies heavily on interdependence. Stories intersect in surprising ways, as each experience strays from the expected. Claude comes to understand his unanticipated ties to Paris. After Dash and Claude spend a night together in bed, the former starts to physically fall apart, demonstrated by his arm falling off. While aspiring to perform at the Paris Opera, Cammie drunkenly explores the sewers of Paris in order to find her voice. Eleanor, the most dramatic of the bunch, battles nagging memories of her past and of her father. It seems that there is something magical about Paris that transforms these characters. Despite trying, none of the characters can find the appropriate word to complete the phrase: Paris is the “City Of.” The three stages, “Ordinary Dream-
ing,” “Monstrous and Cruel Things” and “Wonderful, Curious Things” provide for a thorough tale. From a love story between a pigeon and a Notre Dame gargoyle to absinthe’s haunting green fairy, “City Of” fills its 90-minute runtime to the brim. Though at times this play feels chaotic and perplexing, it also leaves the audience with a collection of both passionate and whimsical moments. Director Stephen Brackett creates mystical moments with this ambitious show. The seemingly simple set, created by Cameron Anderson, grounds the audience in Paris without any of the city’s stereotypes. Rousseau’s “The Dream,” a bed that pops out of the wall, and part of Notre Dame’s façade create convincing scenery for the cast’s eerie adventures. The acting is the strongest element of “City Of.” The busy and complicated plot are grounded in
STAFF PHOTO BY MATHILDE VAN TULDER
Paris provides the setting of Anton Dudley’s “City Of.” its convincing characters. Cammie embodies the naive dreamer, traveling to Paris with only shoes in her pockets and underwear in her purse. Eleanor’s struggle with her past is heartbreaking and powerful. The raw quest for lasting love between Claude and Dash is at the
heart of the show. Steven Rattazzi and Cheryl Stern deserve a special mention, as the two play an array of characters who add humor to the show through a hungry pigeon, water-spewing gargoyles and a nervous gallery owner, among other characters.
“City Of” brings to life that unidentifiable Parisian magic that exists between the cobblestones. “City Of” plays at the Peter Jay Sharp Theater, 416 W. 42nd St., through Feb. 21. Email Willa Tellekson-Flash at theater@nyunews.com.
NYUNEWS.COM | TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2015 | WASHINGTON SQUARE NEWS
DINING
EDITED BY REBECCA RIDDLE DINING@NYUNEWS.COM
Pretend pasta tricks tasebuds By AMANDA MORRIS Staff Writer
Cauliflower Mac ‘n’ Cheese Classic mac ‘n’ cheese is a favorite among college kids. One way to enjoy this cheesy, warm meal while still eating healthily is to substitute cauliflower for noodles. Cauliflower is rich in vitamins and minerals; it contains roughly 70 percent of an average person’s recommended daily Vitamin C. Substituting is easy — simply boil the cauliflower until it is tender, then prepare a traditional macaroni and cheese sauce to go with it. You get the cheesy taste you crave with the added bonus of getting your vegetables.
Spiralized Squash or Zucchini This swap is surprisingly easy and delicious. Using a spiralizer tool, such as the Zoodle or the Veggiti, one can turn vegetables into noodle-like strands. The spiralizer can be used on zucchini, squash, potatoes, cucumbers, carrots and other hearty vegetables. This device allows you to easily incorporate healthy vegetables into your diet. Though many vegetables can be spiralized, using zucchini
or squash will give you the most pasta-like result. Once the vegetables have been made into noodle form, they simply have to be fried or boiled and then served with any type of topping or sauce.
By AVIA HAWKINS Contributing Writer
Quinoa Though often thought of as a grain, quinoa is a type of seed. It is high in protein, magnesium, fiber and iron, and has a delightful nutty taste too. There are three main types of quinoa seeds: black, white and red. It is best to try white quinoa when you want a pasta-like dish because it has the most neutral flavor. Before cooking quinoa, be sure to rinse it thoroughly. Add the quinoa to a pot of water with a little bit of salt and bring it to a boil. Once it is boiling, turn the heat to the lowest setting and cook the quinoa for 15 minutes. Then cover the pot and remove it from the heat for five additional minutes. The quinoa should turn out fluffy and ready to eat, or it can be topped with your favorite pasta sauce.
Eggplant Lasagna
Lasagna, traditionally a hearty pasta dish, can be made even better by trans-
Authentic treats to ring in Chinese New Year
PHOTO BY AMANDA MORRIS
The spiralizer tool can turn ingredients into fake pasta.
forming it into a healthier, noodle-less dish. Eggplant contains a lot of fiber, which is good for regulating your digestive system. To use it in place of lasagna noodles, thinly slice the eggplant, coat the slices with cooking oil spray and put them in the oven for about 10 minutes at 400 degrees. Flip the slices over and cook for an additional 10 minutes. Then the slices will be ready to be put in the lasagna. Email Amanda Morris at dining@nyunews.com.
Chinese New Year, the Spring Festival that celebrates the New Year — according to the lunisolar calendar — takes place this Thursday. You can enjoy the holiday by witnessing traditional lion dances, fireworks and awe-inspiring lantern displays. Eating some of the holiday’s staple foods will only make your celebration more delicious. Here are some dishes that are sure to make your mouth water and possibly bring you good luck in the New Year.
The soda fountain is a classic and nostalgic dining experience, and although only a handful of New York City soda fountains still remain on the map, their presence comforts the old-fashioned soul in all of us. Here are some of the best soda shops the city has to offer. At each one of these throwback locations, it’s easy to notice that their patrons aren’t just enjoying the grub — they’re soaking in 1950s culture like it was their own, giving each establishment a glamorous, nostalgic glow.
The Diner (Hudson and 14th streets) The Diner still sports a simple, laid back attitude in the West Village, one of the most gentrified neighborhoods in Manhattan. With their Meatpacking Meatloaf ($15) designed to test limits of stomach-expansion, The Diner offers fine American comfort food. The ambience is unique, with Ke$ha’s music
A popular and authentic soda fountain option exists across the river in a Brooklyn building that
Spring rolls are another famous favorite that hold great importance in the Chinese New Year. It is said that the fried, crispy rolls, which are filled with veggies or meat, lead to prosperity and wealth in the New Year. Eating them is supposed to result in a ton of gold, a belief thought to come from the fact that the rolls resemble gold bars.
Everyone’s favorite dish at Chinese restaurants carries great significance during the New Year. Dumplings contain meat, fish or vegetables and are surrounded by a doughy skin that can be baked, boiled, fried or steamed. For the holiday, it is traditional to eat them with cabbage and radishes, and eating plenty of them is said to bring about wealth and treasure in the New Year.
These sweet, boiled balls of rice. flour and water — often filled with sesame paste, beans or peanuts — are eaten to promote reunions and togetherness. Their round shape signifies harmony and unity, two values essential to celebrating with your family or friends.
Noodles Noodles are a must-have dish on your New Year’s table this February. The long noodles can be fried or boiled, and they are said to bring
If you want to experience any of these delicious dishes, you can take a trip to Buddha Bodai in Chinatown, Cafe Evergreen on the Upper East Side, or Red Farm or Grand Sichuan in the West Village. Email Avia Hawkins at dining@nyunews.com.
OSCARS continued from PG. 1
Watch your film and eat it, too
include the movie’s antagonist Lyndon Johnson, root beer — the president’s favorite soda.
Hamilton’s (West 11th and Bank streets)
Brooklyn Farmacy & Soda Fountain (Henry and Sackett streets)
Spring Rolls
Sweet Rice Balls
occasionally striking a strange juxtaposition against the 1950s décor, which is complete with Chevy-leather booths and neon signs. At certain times of the day, you could even call The Diner a sports bar, with its five TVs offering every angle of whatever game is on.
Hamilton’s Soda Fountain is a more traditional take on the classic American soda fountain, with its emphasis on bar-style seating and a large variety of sodas and floats. Hamilton’s also is a reminder that the soda counter’s origins lie in the town apothecary, serving sodas with lactic or phosphate acids to remedy headaches, stomach aches and grumpy attitudes.
about long, plentiful lives. There is a catch, however — the noodles can’t be cut, as bad luck is sure to arise when they are shortened.
Dumplings
Soda fountains give taste of the past By DONALD PIERCE Contributing Writer
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STAFF PHOTO BY CALVIN FALK
Hamilton’s Soda Fountain was restored to its original 1940s look, with syrup and carbonated water on tap.
was built as an apothecary in the 1920s. Brooklyn Farmacy & Soda Fountain presents original, handcrafted American desserts that change with the seasons. On Father’s Day, Brooklyn Farmacy celebrated by creating the Mr. Potato Head Sundae ($12), and it soon became a permanent menu staple. The sundae includes vanilla ice cream, peanut butter, caramel sauce, whipped cream and potato chips. The restaurant has been featured on television and foodies have frequently written about it.
Dessert – “The Grand Budapest Hotel”
If you want to feel like you are going way back, then grab some friends and head to Chelsea for a visit to Empire Diner. Built in 1946, Empire Diner still has Buttermilk Pancakes ($11) on its dinner menu and a jukebox with no shortage of Elvis or The Cascades. It’s home, sweet American home and is not too far away from campus.
The Grand Budapest Hotel could hardly be a better inspiration for the finale of an Oscar’s dinner. Not only does Agatha, played by Saoirse Ronan, work at a pastry shop, but also the titular hotel even looks like a tiered cake. True Wes Anderson devotees can attempt to make Mendl’s Bakery’s famous “Courtesan au Chocolat” as shown in the film. You can also pick up treats like cream puffs, cupcakes and small tarts from your favorite bakery. They will be perfect to munch on as you wait to see which movie will be Best Picture.
Email Donald Pierce at dining@nyunews.com.
Email Kendall Levison at dining@nyunews.com.
Empire Diner (22nd Street and 10th Avenue)
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NYUNEWS.COM | TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2015 | WASHINGTON SQUARE NEWS
OPINION
EDITED BY TESS WOOSLEY OPINION@NYUNEWS.COM
POLICY
FCC chairman takes steps to fight net neutrality By OLIVIA MARTIN Staff Writer
Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission Tom Wheeler took a strong stance in support of net neutrality in a statement released by Wired magazine on Feb. 4. This is a move that activists and Internet users have been awaiting for over a decade, using that time to submit over 4 million comments directly to the FCC, urging the agency to pass strong regulations to protect the free nature of the Internet. One of the most dangerous parts of the debate on net neutrality is out generation’s potential lack of appreciation for protecting net neutrality. We — students, entrepreneurs and artists — are the benefactors of an Internet experience that is dramatically shaped by the policies of governmental bodies like the FCC. When we access data on the Internet, it is sent to our computer in packets of information. The concept of net neutrality seems difficult, but is simply the principle that Internet service providers like Comcast and Verizon should not
discriminate against certain types of traffic as it passes from the Internet to our computers. Under the principle of net neutrality, all data packages are processed and sent out at the same rate, in the order that they are received. This process ensures that every website, from Netflix to your dog’s blog, has the ability to serve Internet users on an even playing field by sending and receiving data at an equal rate. In the absence of net neutrality, the Internet could become a space of unequal development, where websites would have to “pay-toplay.” Essentially, without strong regulations, ISPs could exploit their power to charge existing or entrenched websites higher rates to send data packages faster. This outcome could have disastrous effects on the development
of new technologies, business ventures and the output of dissident opinions because websites that want to reach users quickly could be shut out if they lack the funding to pay powerful ISPs. Wheeler’s proposed rules will do away with the possibility of this Internet dystopia, banning “paid prioritization and the blocking and throttling of lawful content and services.” As NYU students who experience all the benefits of a free and neutral Internet, it is in our best interest to do all we can to preserve it, so that we can continue to use the Internet for what it was originally intended — a universally accessible forum for commerce, news, opinions and culture. While we should applaud Wheeler’s efforts to support net neutrality ahead of the Feb. 26 vote on the FCC floor, we must also continue to write to the FCC to show an outpouring of public support for net neutrality and ensure that these proposals are signed into law. Email Olivia Martin at omartin@nyunews.com.
SEXUAL ABUSE
‘50 Shades’ movie glorifies, excuses abuse By TOMMY COLLISON Deputy Opinion Editor
The release of the “50 Shades of Grey” film has renewed controversy over the bestseller erotic novel’s subject matter, which includes bondage, domination and sado-masochism. While some have described the book as merely the actions of consenting adults, the film normalizes abusive relationships. There are clear elements of rape, stalking and abuse in Christian and Ana’s relationship. During a sexual encounter, Ana protests and tries to kick Christian off. He ignores her obvious resistance and threatens to restrain her if she does not cooperate. He controls what foods she eats and tracks her cellphone usage — both classic signs of abusive behavior. Since almost one in five women in the United States say they have been sexually assaulted — a number which increases to one in four women on a college campus — “50 Shades” does not exist in a vacuum. Even though some have pointed to ways the movie is less harmful than the book, movie-goers are still exposed to unhealthy and downright
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dangerous relationship dynamics played out as acceptable on-screen. Some think that “50 Shades” is harmless because it is fiction. This is not true. We have been imitating other humans since infanthood — it is how we learn basic skills. We look to stories in books, TV shows and movies to learn social cues, so it is harmful when those stories frame abusive actions as romantic. This is particularly concerning in light of the MPAA giving the film an R rating rather than the more stringent NC-17 rating, which would have prevented children under the age of 17 from seeing the movie. While erotic literature is not a new genre, “50 Shades of Grey” is an uncommon mainstream success. Defenders of the series say the book is unfairly criticized because it is a positive representation of female sexuality. This is
not the case. While it is possible to display a healthy, consensual relationship that contains elements of BDSM, “50 Shades” goes far beyond this into the realm of abuse. There is a line between consenting dominating relationships and intimate partner violence. “50 Shades” is on the wrong side of it. Some have called for a boycott of the film, telling people instead to donate the cost of a movie ticket to a woman’s shelter, a real-life refuge for those abused by their intimate partners. The campaign, under the slogan “50 Dollars, not 50 Shades,” points out that humiliation, cellphone-tracking and isolation are not just the stuff of novels, but common experiences shared by victims of abuse. We must realize that moviegoers may internalize the behavior in “50 Shades” as being normal or acceptable in a relationship — anything else is willful ignorance. It is past time to admit that “50 Shades of Grey” perpetuates intimate partner violence, rape and stalking. Email Tommy Collison at tcollison@nyunews.com.
STAFF EDITORIAL
Presidential policies deserve more discussion
In an effort to promote signing up for health care under the Affordable Care Act, BuzzFeed released a lighthearted video called “Things Everybody Does But Doesn’t Talk About, Featuring President Obama” on Feb. 12, three days before the signup deadline. The video compares Obama’s use of free time to a Buzzfeed reporter’s, showing both taking selfies, doodling and examining their reflections — a clear effort to appeal to millennials. Obama has used a similar approach in the past to discuss looming ACA Marketplace deadlines — he appeared on “Between Two Ferns with Zach Galifianakis” in March 2014 before the previous sign-up cut off. While this is a refreshing change from previous presidencies, Obama’s informal and youthful approach on select issues may create a generation who falsely feels they are adequately informed by these new media platforms. Obama deserves praise for his contemporary, inventive approaches to promoting his initiatives. Traffic to healthcare.gov jumped last year after Obama’s video with Galifinakis. But as Obama drums up support using online media and personalities familiar to young people, critical eyes toward policy are lost amid selfie sticks and “The Hangover” jokes. It is easier to star in funny BuzzFeed videos than to clearly address the fact that there is widespread international condemnation of his continued use of drone strikes. These videos are an important advertising tool for Obama, while also allowing him to clarify the ACA with young voters. In contrast, he is far less talkative about policies, like drone strikes, that do not require citizen participation. By using new media to explain how to sign up for health insurance, Obama is validating sites like BuzzFeed as part of the political conversation. He should also use it to clarify other complicated policy issues and increase transparency. Short interviews and videos do not leave room for nuance, so it is especially important that young voters remain aware of U.S. foreign policy. In a Feb. 13 interview about cybersecurity with Re/code’s Kara Swisher, Obama said, “We just don’t do industrial espionage the way many other countries do,” which is simply not true. Snowden leaks revealed electronic eavesdropping and email interception of Brazilian oil giant Petrobas, an example of economic espionage that has nothing to do with the NSA’s stated aim of counterterrorism. Given that 19-25-year-olds have historically made up the largest demographic of the uninsured, Obama’s use of new media to advertise the ACA Marketplace plans is an effective choice, even if he should expand his use of new media to cover other issues. Appealing to millennials is a critical move for any politician, but this generation must be cautious that important issues are not reduced to gifs and soundbites, or entirely lost from the conversation.
Email the WSN Editorial Board at editboard@nyunews.com. EDITORIAL BOARD: Tess Woosley (Chair), Annie Cohen (Co-chair), Tommy Collison (Co-chair), Matthew Tessler (Co-chair) ILLUSTRATION BY JOURDAN ENRIQUEZ
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NYUNEWS.COM | TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2015 | WASHINGTON SQUARE NEWS
SPORTS
EDITED BY BOBBY WAGNER SPORTS@NYUNEWS.COM
HOCKEY continued from PG. 1
Hockey team pushes for varsity
Championships for the ECAC, confirmed the conference’s interest in NYU hockey. “If NYU were to decide to elevate hockey to a varsity sport the ECAC would have further discussions with the athletic department in regards to their plans for a conference affiliation,” Boldvich said. “With NYU’s location and the current geographic footprint of the league they would potentially be a great fit in the ECAC Men’s West hockey league.” She also spoke of the benefits the conference and NYU could gain by joining. “The conference would potentially gain a strong and well-respected institution with a renowned athletic department,” Boldvich said. “NYU’s benefits of conference affiliation would include a strong conference schedule, recognition for studentathletes on a weekly and postseason basis and opportunity to compete in a league postseason tournament.”
Outside groups are interested in the Violets becoming a varsity team as well. Mike Snee, the executive director of the college hockey nonprofit organization College Hockey Incorporated, has been in contact with Cosentino about the possible benefits of NYU making the jump to a varsity program. “We thought that given the number of high quality players coming from the NYC area, that it was important for us to pursue schools there,” Snee said. “So with Chris [Cosentino], I was excited to know that he was interested to pursue it.” Going varsity could lead to more than just a stronger schedule and a postseason tournament. The Violets, whose current home rink has just one set of bleachers, may also use their jump to the NCAA as the impetus to move to the massive hockey stadium being built in the Bronx at the Kingsbridge Armory. Ryan Hughes, an NYU alumnus, is among those building the rink.
“We’re building the world’s largest ice complex in the Kingsbridge Armory building. We’ll be building nine sheets under one roof,” Hughes said. “It’s a game changer for the whole northeast.” Talks are still in the preliminary stages between NYU and the Kingsbridge Armory rink, but with a rink that is even drawing attention from professional hockey teams, it is certainly a possibility that NYU might be interested in moving into the rink should they decide to upgrade to a varsity program. The possibility of varsity hockey at NYU has sparked interest from the rest of the city as well. John Sanful, the executive director of Ice Hockey in Harlem, an organization devoted to educating economically disadvantaged youth in New York City about hockey and educational paths, has been working with NYU hockey for years now. “If they’re a varsity program, what’s going to happen is that
Wrestling wins fourth UAA title
Chris Cosentino has hoped to bring NYU hockey into the varsity league throughout his six years as head coach. they’re going to receive more recognition for what they do both on and off the ice,” Sanful said. Cosentino, now nearing the end of the 2014-2015 season, said he is excited to continue to have the opportunity to further the program, both athletically and academically.
“From the beginning, my mindset in building this program was that winning is an important part of it, but not as important as doing well academically and community outreach,” Cosentino said. Email Bobby Wagner at bwagner@nyunews.com.
Slow open for baseball season
By BRAD WALDSTREICHER Contributing Writer
By KYLE LUTHER Deputy Sports Editor
The NYU men’s wrestling team earned its fourth straight University Athletic Association Championship in Cleveland on Saturday defeating both University of Chicago and Case Western Reserve University in an impressive fashion. The Grapplers improved their record to 20-3 in dual meets and extended their winning streak to 13. They dispatched University of Chicago 26-12 and then dominated host Case Western Reserve 47-6 to win the championship. Compared to last year’s 10-9 record at the end of the season, NYU has greatly improved to the point where they could easily defeat Chicago, who the Grapplers only narrowly defeated 21-18 last year. With four straight UAA championships, they appear to compete at their very best when the stakes are high. Going into the championship, the Grapplers had plenty of confidence, coming into the match on a 13 match winning streak that began in early January. During the course of the championship, they achieved the highest one-season win
STAFF PHOTO BY SAM BEARZI
VIA GONYUATHLETICS.COM
The wrestling team poses alongside head coach Bruce Haberli after winning the UAA Championship.
total in team history. Senior Patrick Sheehan earned a 9-0 major victory by shutting out Chicago’s Nick Dinapoli. For his stellar performance, Sheehan was named UAA Most Outstanding Wrestler. Along with Sheehan, five other NYU wrestlers competed and won their second matches, including senior cocaptain Brandon Jones and junior Nathan Pike. Jones was able to record a fall only 1:34 seconds into the match and had a major decision of 15-6. Pike won both his matches with a major decision 15-6 and a technical fall awarding him a 15-0 outcome. Sophomore John Messinger also won both his matches and recorded a 5-2 victory over Chicago’s Paul Papoutsis, who he lost to the previous year. The Grapplers were also helped by the efforts of sophomore Matthew Coppola
and senior Matt DiGiovanni. Coppola earned a technical default 19-4 and a regular decision 9-7 while DiGiovanni’s wins came by major decision 9-0 and a forfeit. “Going into each match I always just focus on wrestling my match and continue to push trying to outscore my opponent each period,” said DiGiovanni. “As the match continued I could feel my opponent breaking and knew it would be valuable if I could earn the major decision for our team. I think the one of the keys to our team’s win streak has been our confidence in ourselves.” The Grapplers will compete again in the last meet of the regular season against Daniel Webster College in Nashua, New Hampshire, on Feb. 21. Email Kyle Luther at kluther@nyunews.com.
When freshman Chase Dension took the mound for the NYU baseball team in a spring training game in Georgia against Oglethorpe University on Friday, it was the first time in over 40 years that NYU was officially represented on a baseball diamond. The last time an NYU varsity baseball team played was against Princeton in 1974. This year’s Violets are confident they are going to enjoy more success than the 1974 team, which finished their season 0-14. Led by coach Doug Kimbler, the young team, which sports 23 freshman and no seniors, started their spring training over the weekend. In their first game on Friday, NYU had three scoreless innings from Denison. The Violets encountered problems with errors in the bottom of the fourth inning, however, giving Oglethorpe the chance to jump out to a five-run lead. They were determined to get on the scoreboard and succeeded in the top of the seventh when errors allowed freshman Jake Smith to cross the plate. The next batter, freshman Christian Pellegrino, blasted a single that plated freshman David Wagner for the program’s first RBI in four decades. The final score was 9-3, in favor of Oglethorpe. NYU fared worse in the first game of Saturday’s double-header, when they let up eight unearned runs through three innings for a final score of 18-3. Freshman Michael Vokulich delivered a spectacular perfor-
mance to spark NYU in the final game of the series. “I knew we couldn’t lose all three games and someone had to stop the other team’s momentum,” Vokulich said. The freshman pitched 6.2 innings without letting up a run, while striking out two batters. NYU played an errorless game in the field. With the bases loaded in the bottom of the seventh, coach Kimbler brought in freshman pitcher Matthew Millus to get the final out. He did just that in one pitch to secure a much needed 2-0 victory. Sam Raskin, the Violets’ freshman first baseman, talked about the importance of fundamentals. “In the third game, we started throwing early strikes consistently and making the routine plays that need to be made in order to have success at the college level,” Raskin said. Coach Kimbler said the team’s philosophy will be going forward. “We follow a pretty simple philosophy,” Kimbler said. “Pay attention to details and play like it’s Game 7. On the top of our practice plan every single day is this statement: ‘Throw strikes, catch the ball, and a timely hit and we win.’” The Violets won’t play again until early March, but said they are thrilled to have the pressure of playing their first games out of the way. From March 8 to 15, the Violets will travel to Florida to play in a UAA tournament. Email Brad Waldstreicher at sports@nyunews.com.