WSN120314

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NYU’s Daily Student Newspaper

WASHINGTON SQUARE NEWS Vol. 42, No. 103

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 3, 2014

nyunews.com

UNIVERSITY POLITICS

GSOC protests over contracts, benefits By LARSON BINZER Deputy News Editor

Members of NYU’s Graduate Student Organizing Committee protested against NYU and their ongoing contract negotiations with the university by holding a

rally in Washington Square Park on Dec. 2. The group smashed a pig-shaped piñata filled with glitter, candy, dental floss, fake money and GSOC buttons. The union has held multiple protests throughout the past month while negociating with

the university. A press release from the union highlighted the fact that NYU has had $50, $112 and $399 million in profits from students in 2011, 2012 and 2013 respectively, and stated that NYU can afford to increase the wages offered to work-

ing graduate students. The rally began with groups gathering and holding a moment of silence for Michael Brown, after which students and organizers shared their grievances with

GSOC continued on PG. 3

UNIVERSITY POLICY

Concerns over labor at NYU Shanghai By JOHN AMBROSIO News Editor

NYU has begun investigating the labor conditions at NYU Shanghai after its independent monitor did not follow procedures set by the university to ensure safe working conditions. NYU spokesman John Beckman said Jones Lang LaSalle, the real estate consulting firm NYU hired in March 2012 to monitor working conditions at NYU Shanghai, failed to properly provide reports on the labor conditions on campus. “We had asked our construction consultant on the Shanghai project to monitor compliance and produce reports, which it agreed to do,” Beckman said in an email. “However, there were some miscommunications and delays for which we share responsibility.” The news, which was first reported in The New York Times, comes less than a year after an article in The Times alleged labor violations at another of NYU’s portal campuses, NYU Abu Dhabi. In response to that article, NYU announced in July that it had hired Nardello & STAFF PHOTO BY HARK KANWAL

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NYU GSOC waved a piñata pig on Tuesday representing NYU’s 2013 profits off of students.

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

BEAUTY & STYLE

FIT explores fraudulent fashion

STAFF ILLUSTRATION

VIA FACEBOOK.COM

STAFF PHOTO BY NICOLE BROWN

By SANG BAE Contributing Writer

Gift designer steals this season Instead of shopping at busy department stores, check out sample sales for chic deals. STORY on PG. 4

Notable flicks to watch online Relax this winter break and stream acclaimed films on Netflix and Amazon Prime. STORY on PG. 5

Labor conditions must improve In light of poor working condition accusations in Shanghai, NYU must improve foreign campuses. STORY on PG. 7

The Museum at FIT opened its exhibition “Faking it: Originals, Copies, and Counterfeits,”on Dec. 2, reminding the world that a $10 Louis Vuitton handbag is an oxymoron worth buying on a tight budget. The exhibit retells the legal — and illegal — history of fashion counterfeiting throughout a compilation of a hundred items collected over the last 150 years. It blurs the lines of copyright theft in a debate that has lasted for decades, proving that if a multimillion-dollar brand like Zara can steal a Cèline dress and make one or two changes to sell it on the market, counterfeiting is not going to go away any time soon. Just past the entrance of the exhibit are two three-piece Chanel suits on display. At first glance, they seem almost

identical. The dimensions of the suits are perfect, the classic tweed designs are the same colors and buttons emblazoned with the Chanel emblem are sewn across the front of the suits. But the differences are quickly pointed out in a slideshow in the exhibit. Whereas the real Chanel suit was hand-sewn with fell stitches and crafted with the highest quality materials, the fake was machinestitched and clumsily made with cheap materials. Even the metal from the buttons wore off its color on the fake suit over time. But those pieces pale in comparison to what else is on display. Steps away from the exhibit’s centerpiece is an entire corridor of dresses and accessories with fakes to match. The entire exhibit presents itself in chronological order. Dating back to the 19th century, diamond-

encrusted shoes and tortoise shell combs eventually leads to modern pieces, such as a jewel-emblazoned facsimile of René Magritte’s “Son of Man” stitched onto a sweater. A white dress printed with cans of Campbell soup precedes the leather remains of a few dozen designer handbags. The dangerous line between parody and blatant counterfeit is crossed with Brian Lichtenberg’s “Homies” ensemble and the near trademark infringement lawsuit of Yohji Yamamoto’s “YY” logo. Visitors are shown a world where labels are not afraid to steal and copy successful designs for financial gain, which drives the appeal of many dresses on exhibit. The world of fashion is also a world that counterfeits or copies the designs of expensive clothes to

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