Washington Square News April 24, 2017

DESIGNED BY RACHEL BUIGAS-LOPEZ AND LAURA SHKOURATOFF

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WASHINGTON SQUARE NEWS | MONDAY, APRIL 24, 2017 | NYUNEWS.COM

Broken DREAMS and Deportation

By ARUSHI SAHAY Staff Writer

VIA FACEBOOK.COM

The NYU DREAM Team, which works to provide a safe space for undocumented students at the university, is raising concerns about the deportation of Juan Manuel Montes.

The recent deportation of 23-year-old Juan Manuel Montes, who was protected by former President Barack Obama’s Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, has created concern among NYU DREAM Team members.

Montes came to the United States at the age of nine and was deported to Mexico on Feb. 17 of this year, according to USA Today. Montes’ lawyers have attested that the story is the first known case of a protected DACA person — or DREAMer — being deported.

Prior to his deportation, Montes had four prior convictions: one for shoplifting and three for driving without a license.

However, none of these convictions legally disqualify him from DACA protections.

After being deported to Mexico, Montes says he was beaten and mugged. He saw some people using rope to climb the border wall and attempted to join

NYUAD Annual Hackathon

By HTOO MIN Deputy News Editor

NYU Abu Dhabi coded its way through its sixth annual International Hackathon for Social Good in the Arab World from April 14-16, which encourages student participants to create social change within their local communities.

According to Clinical Professor of Computer Science and Founder and Chair of the NYUAD Hackathons Sana Odeh, each hackathon has several unique themes. She said that this year’s themes were education, valuable communities with an emphasis on accommodating refugees, healthcare and tools for learning Arabic.

Odeh said that hackathons are paramount to success in the engineering field. Odeh said that the amount of exposure to real products created by engineers will help students explore new ideas within their fields.

“A hackathon is very important because it exposes students to computer science theory and practice as students learn about

machine learning, [Artificial Intelligence], software engineering, algorithmic thinking, databases, data science as well as use the latest and the most efficient tools and [Application Program Interfaces],” Odeh said.

She said that at these events, students are encouraged to develop a problem-solving mindset and are taught how to be true entrepreneurs. Odeh said that this hackathon is different in that it aims to directly affect the Arab world.

“They spend an entire weekend together learning from each other as the teams are made up from people from all over the world — very diverse teams [in which] female representation is close to 50 percent,” Odeh said.

“This hackathon is very unique because top students come from all over the world to build applications for social good in the Arab world. It’s an international competition that’s held in the Arab world.”

NYUAD senior Elissa Mkanna was a member of the team that placed third at the hackathon.

The team created a project

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NYU Abu Dhabi’s hackathon theme this year was ‘Social Good in the Arab World,’ which shed light on refugees and education.

called AnNahr, which develops a hardware solution to water wastage at mosques. Mkanna said that she enjoyed meeting and working with a vast array of people on this project.

“You would think that it’s impossible to build something new in less than 48 hours, but the results were surprisingly satisfactory,” Mkanna said.

“Different backgrounds, perspectives and skills were put together to create amazing products. In brief, this hackathon is the definition of combining great innovative minds, passion and enthusiasm.”

Mckanna said it was amazing that their team was able to build something in such a short time period. Mkanna feels lucky to have been a part of the hackathon, and appreciates that NYUAD provided her with this opportunity.

Nizar Habash was a judge at this year’s hackathon, and has mentored the teams for the last two years. He said that the first place project was Hiat — Arabic for ‘life’ — a platform for connecting skilled Syrian refugees in Turkey who are looking to work with Turkish citizens offering opportunities.

“All of the winning projects have well-thought-out core ideas that are guided by the interest of improving society,” Habash said. “The presentations were excellent and the prototypes created and their demos were impressive, given that the participants for the most part only met each other at the hackathon and only had 1.5 days to do everything.”

Email Htoo Min at hmin@nyunews.com.

them. He was caught by federal agents, questioned and deported again. The Department of Homeland Security has no record of arresting and deporting Montes, claiming that they have only a record of his arrest after climbing the wall.

Vice President of NYU’s DREAM Team Ginnila Perez said that Montes’s story forces the nation to seriously face questions about who is actually protected under our new administration.

“I strongly believe that all undocumented people in this country deserve the same dignity and protection as anyone else — regardless of their immigration status,” Perez said.

“However, of course, the deportation of Montes is particularly alarming as it shows that not even those who were supposed to be protected under the law are completely safe in this administration.”

President of DREAM Team and CAS sophomore Husniye Cogur, Student Senator-at-Large for undocumented and DACA stu-

dents, believes that the detainment of Montes breaches the correct legal channels already put in place under DACA. “I am utterly disgusted and angry with the deportation of Juan Manuel,” Cogur said.

“His status as a DACA recipient warrants him legal rights and safeguards against deportation, and I believe his detainment is a gross infringement on his due process.”

Cogur also said she believes that Montes’s deportation should prompt students to continue advocating for immigration rights at NYU. “His deportation is unconstitutional but a scary reminder to us all to keep advocating for undocumented [or] DACA students and to make sure their voices are being heard,” Cogur said. “I hope this will also be a nudge to [NYU President] Andrew Hamilton to reaffirm NYU's legal status as a sanctuary for undocumented individuals.”

Email Arushi Sahay at news@nyunews.com.

CRIME LOG

April 14 to April 18

By JEMIMA MCEVOY News Editor The NYU Department of Public Safety received one report of trespass, three reports of larceny and one report of harassment between April 14 and April 18.

Trespass On April 16 at 2:17 a.m. a report was received by Public Safety of a non-NYU male trespassing in 721 Broadway. A police report was filed and summons issued.

Larceny On April 17 at 4:45 p.m. a student at D’Agostino Hall reported that they were the victim of a telephone scam. A police re-

port was filed.

On April 18 at 5:40 p.m. a student on campus reported that their bicycle, which had been on a bike rack near 721 Broadway, was missing. Police notification was declined.

On April 18 at 9:20 p.m. a student in the Barney Building reported that her wallet was missing from a classroom. Police notification was declined.

Harassment On April 18 at 4:08 p.m. a student group on campus reported that they had received harassing messages on Facebook.

Email Jemima McEvoy at jmcevoy@nyunews.com.

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Bookstore Lease Causes Concern

By NATASHA ROY News Editor

VIA NURSING.NYU.EDU

NYU professor Bei Wu was recently honored with the 2017 International Association for Dental Research Distinguished Scientist Award for Geriatric Oral Research.

Dental Professor Pioneers Reserach

By MIRANDA LEVINGSTON Deputy News Editor

Rory Meyers College of Nursing professor Bei Wu has long been a distinguished member of NYU's faculty. Her work focuses specifically on an unglamorous corner of healthcare — geriatric oral health.

Her work has been so pioneering that her research on oral health, cognitive function and diabetes in global elderly communities earned her the International Association for Dental Research's Distinguished Scientist Award for Research in Geriatric Oral Health earlier this year. Recipients of the award must have conducted original and important investigations into the oral health of older adults.

Wu said that she is not a doctor of dental health, but instead has a P.h.D. in gerontology and focuses primarily on trends, trajectories and disparities of oral health in older adults, and oral health in relation to cognitive impairment and diabetes, giving her published work a unique angle.

Washington Square News sat down with Wu to discuss her research initiatives and aspirations for her career at NYU. Washington Square News: Could you explain the focus of your research?

Bei Wu: I have quite a few areas of research. One area of my research is geriatric dentistry, which focuses on improving and helping a person with cognitive hearing. We looked at natural health disparities in the United States, with a particular focus on older adults and health disparities [among] older adults.

For the past 12 years, our team has published a significant amount of work in this area. We are one of the pioneers to work in this area — in dental health jurisdiction, cognitive function and impairment. That’s why some of our work has national and

international attention including mainstream media.

This relationship between oral health and cognitive impairment — and also the relationship between tooth health and diabetes and the disparities of different ethnic groups in these relationships — is only just beginning to be explored in depth.

WSN: What was your testing and experimenting process like for this research?

BW: I am not a scientist — I am more into this kind of population research. Some of my work is using national data to advance these longitudinal sciences. Actually, we are doing a project that is a clinical trial to develop this intervention protocol and see how we can actually work with family members to improve the health of persons with mild [dementia]. When this happens, we will publish the results for this clinical trial but previously, the first of our published work in the dental field actually is using article data of population research.

WSN: What role did NYU play in all of this?

BW: I just recently moved to NYU. I was at Duke University before. I have actually collaborated with researchers across universities. So [at] NYU, we actually just developed a team as we submitted this large [IADR] grant application that we put together including [NYU College of Dentistry] and NYU’s College of Nursing so most of our findings are from the National Institute of Health, particularly the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research. The research students are vital and they will serve an important role on my team in the future as I continue my work. Without students and without research assistants, this kind of work will be hard to do.

Email Miranda Levingston at mlevingston@nyunews.com.

NYU is in talks with Follett Higher Education Group, a campus textbook retailer, to have the company take over the NYU Bookstore’s operations effective summer 2017, according to Assistant Vice President for Campus Services Owen Moore.

Moore said that the new partnership between the university and Follett Higher Education is part of NYU’s affordability initiative. Moore also said that this specific action would contribute to its goal of reducing the prices of course materials by 50 percent over the course of the next two years.

“NYU chose Follett because of the firm’s demonstrated ability to provide essential course materials and products at the best price for students,” Moore said in an email to WSN. “Follett also has at its disposal a robust technological platform with a wide variety of user-friendly online software and IT resources for faculty and instructors.”

Moore said that the partnership will allow the university bookstore to offer books for prices that are 15 percent lower than standard industry prices. It will also offer alternative options to textbooks, like rentals and ebooks, so that students can save an additional 25 to 70 percent off the price of a new textbook. Additionally, the partnership with Follett will provide a price match program that allows for more buyback opportunities.

Moore also said that under Follett, NYU’s pay rate for student employees and preference for student employment over outside employment will still be honored.

“Follett Higher Education Group’s commitment to continuity of employment for current NYU employees — honoring salary [and] years of service [is important],” Moore said.

“We are still in the early stages of this process, and terms have not yet been finalized.”

A bookstore employee who works in the general merchan-

dise department of the bookstore and wished to remain anonymous said that bookstore employees received an email from Moore in early April informing them of Follett’s potential takeover and that their jobs would still remain intact.

However, even with this assurance of employment, some bookstore employees are concerned about Follet’s takeover of its operations. The anonymous source said that she and her union, UCATS Local 3882, don't believe that Follett would actually provide better prices on textbooks.

“We would like to remain in our jobs, and we would actually like to remain in our union [as] employees of NYU,” the source said. “NYU, as far as I know, is claiming that Follett would be beneficial to the students in terms of student customers [in] getting them better prices on textbooks, but I’m not necessarily sure that’s true.”

The union researched Follett and found that the company runs primarily on part-time and temporary employees, has had massive layoffs and has overcharged students in the past, according to an email sent to union members by its organizer. Additionally, the group found that some universities have taken their bookstores back after Follett promises did not hold true.

In a meeting on Friday between NYU personnel and members of UCATS Local 3882, the union presented its findings to the university. According to an email to union members, the university personnel said that there was no information to be shared and that no contract has been signed with Follett yet.

The university personnel did not answer questions regarding which options were being considered and the logistics of the decision-making process, but said that they would listen to the union’s concerns.

The anonymous source was especially concerned over a recent lawsuit involving Follett Higher Education. The group settled a $3.5 million class-ac-

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tion suit over its misuse of phone numbers that customers gave them. The group illegally started contacting these customers using automatic dialers.

“I think what’s important is that this whole move is based on what’s better for students, when again, these people settled the $3.5 million class action,” the source said. “I don’t know that that’s better for students, that they would have had to admit to that — the fact that they’re settling for the whole lot — about misusing students’ information [and] customers’ information.”

It is unknown whether or not this issue was brought up during the meeting between NYU representatives and the union. However, the source is still concerned over the truth of the university’s claims about Follett, especially in terms of its promise of continued employment.

“That’s premature, as opposed to another email that would have said not much is known period — because we are in talks, not much is known,” the source said. “I think that to go ahead and say, well, employees generally get to keep their benefits and their salaries — I know that I wouldn’t say something like that if I didn’t know [if ] that would hold true.”

The source believes that the school’s vagueness is not fair to its employees and that the university should keep in mind that the bookstore employees are essential to the school’s operations.

“This move [is] full of hubris because they’re doing this, and meanwhile we’re the same group of workers they’re going to be counting on to handle graduation,” the source said.

“Along with the beginning of the year, the end of the year is the busiest time of the the year.

So this same group of workers whose jobs they're jeporadizing [by] keeping us in the dark are the same group of people they're going to be counting on come graduation."

Email Natasha Roy at nroy@nyunews.com.

STAFF PHOTO BY VERONICA LIOW

The NYU Bookstore might be leased to Follett Higher Education as a part of NYU’s affordability efforts. However, the bookstore's union, UCATS Local 3882, is concerned about the takeover.

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‘One Week and a Day’ Is an Uneven Portrait of Grief

By TYLER STEVES Contributing Writer What happens when the religiously allocated grieving process is over — and you’re not done grieving? That’s the unasked question at the very heart of writer-director Asaph Polonsky’s intimate, funny and quietly heartbreaking Israeli drama “One Week and a Day.” The film tells the story of a middle-aged married couple — Eyal and Vicky Spivak (Shai Avivi and Evgenia Dodina) — trying to continue on with their lives after the death of their son Ronnie and the conclusion of their week-long shiva — the traditional Jewish mourning period that typically begins just after the funeral.

Faced with the terrifying prospect of simply moving on with their

lives, the Spivak couple spirals out of control. Vicky grows angry and forgetful and Eyal turns to the companionship of his neighbors’ goofball son Zooler (Tomer Kapon) and the numbing effect of his deceased son’s leftover medical marijuana to help his pain.

The plot may be sad, but Polonsky ingeniously starts the story after the most obviously tragic moments.

The audience doesn’t see everything the Spivaks have experienced, from the death of their son to his funeral to their shiva which has left them both emotionally and physically exhausted. Rather, they see the lingering effects of those events through the parents’ eyes.

Although the tragedy predates the film’s narrative, it reverberates throughout every frame, music choice and character decision. Most

of the focus is on Eyal, whose antics with Zooler are charming and funny, but begin to swerve the plot into a repetitive, episodic rhythm.

The audience moves from moment to moment, comedic bit to comedic bit, as if the next sketch is the destination and not the slow crumbling of Eyal’s emotional state. This robs the film of feeling, making it as shapeless and meandering as the grieving process itself.

It’s between these bits and sketches where “One Week and a Day” shines, where Eyal and Vicky exude wandering uncertainty that is at the root of the film’s emotion.

It’s a shame the audience doesn’t get to see more of Dodina’s quiet, reserved Vicky, whose story sacrifices plenty of screen time to the narrative of her much louder, active husband. It’s in the moments where

Vicky has a tense encounter with her neighbor or an even tenser encounter at her dentist’s office that the audience realizes if only Polonsky hadn't been so enamored with the idea of a grieving father turned raving mad, he could have granted Vicky’s narrative the attention and nuance it deserves.

It’s hard to complain too much about a film this earnest and this focused on a specific moment in the grieving process. The performances are top-notch and Polonsky shows a particularly admirable ability to step back and let his script speak for itself, only indulging in directorial flair at perfect and precise moments.

In the end, “One Week and a Day” is a bit messy and unsure of what direction it is going to take next, but ultimately ends up rising above its faults to become some-

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Shai Avivi and Evgenia Dodina portray mourning parents Eyal and Vicky following the death of their 25-year old son in “One Week and a Day" by Israeli director Asaph Polonsky. thing intimate, charming and emotionally true.

“One Week and a Day” will be released in theaters Friday, April 28.

Email Tyler Steves at film@nyunews.com.

MCC Showcase Celebrates Maker Communities

By ELIOT CHOI Contributing Writer

Last Wednesday, the MCC Media Lab, a media-making organization within Steinhardt’s Media, Culture and Communica-

PHOTO BY ELIOT CHOI

MCC student projects took on a range of social topics during the Media Lab's latest showcase.

tions Department, hosted its second annual showcase of projects.

These projects explored themes of social commentary, cultural critique and protests, many of which related to the personal experiences of their creators.

Of the people present, many were MCC students and professors. The eighth floor of the East Building was filled with student creators giving observers insight into the inspiration for their creations. Every project held a great deal of social relevance, relating to issues such as racial profiling, Donald Trump’s presidency and traditional beauty standards.

Steinhardt junior Emily Tang’s work “Obscurus” explored the nature of surveillance and its relation to protest. Her project used images, sound bites and video taken during the protests around Trump Tower after the

presidential election to demonstrate the ubiquity of surveillance systems in New York City during protests.

Also working off themes of surveillance, Steinhardt freshman Jigna Kotecha’s project “Surveillance and Racial Profiling of Muslims in New York” felt very personal. The work, aimed at exposing the harassment of New York City’s Muslim community at the hands of the New York Police Department, created risk for the artist while she was working on it. Kotecha said that she was questioned by police officers while recording, and was told not to come back with recording equipment due to the dangerous nature of the area.

Steinhardt senior Shuang Bright decided to showcase his photography as a means of social commentary. His work, “Denatu-

ralizing the Natural,” called conventional beauty standards into question, focusing on makeup and the covering up of blemishes.

Bright created a beautiful, flawed body in his photos through covering a fruit in paint to represent human skin with makeup. These images were incredibly provocative and striking.

Steinhardt senior Shirley Ogolla’s work told the stories of residents of South Williamsburg, using quotes from locals. Not only did she interview residents who have lived there for decades, she also spoke with newer residents who have helped proliferate gentrification. Ogolla brought the viewers’ attention to her role in the gentrification of Williamsburg, acknowledging that millennials like herself are part of the problem.

One impressive piece, “The In-

ternet Is” by Steinhardt seniors Anna Bialas and Shira Feldman, utilized the computer application Python and its interface to provide an all-encompassing description of the internet. The work was a collection of tweets which all include the phrase “the internet is,” which were projected successively onto a wall. The work questioned the definition of the internet and encouraged discovery.

The showcase allowed creators to use different types of media to communicate strong messages.

It was inspiring to see students outside of Tisch or art-related majors using programs like Audacity, Photoshop, Wordpress, Python and more to create moving and significant works of art.

Email Eliot Choi at entertainment@nyunews.com.

Tribeca 2017: ‘Handmaid’s Tale’ Promises Frightening TV By SOPHIE BENNETT Staff Writer

Based on Margaret Atwood’s 1985 novel of the same name, “The Handmaid's Tale” — Hulu’s newest television series — screened its first episode at the Tribeca Film Festival last Friday. Created by Bruce Miller and starring Elisabeth Moss, Samira Wiley, Joseph Fiennes and Yvonne Strahovski, the series is set in a dystopian America, where Offred (Moss) lives against her will as a handmaid. A servant for the wealthy elite who is meant to produce children for the family. She spends her days as a servant for the wealthy elite with the sole purpose of bearing children in a world where few women are fertile.

The societal change in this world has come about relatively recently, and prior to this, Offred had a dif-

ferent name, a husband, a daughter and a career. After the shift, women and the LGBT community were oppressed by the government in ways stricter than nearly any other time in history. The pilot begins with an enticing opening sequence of Offred attempting to escape to Canada with her husband and youngest daughter, only to be captured before reaching the border.

One of the episode's major

themes is fertility, in relation to the autonomy that women have over their bodies. It is implied that lower birth rates have led to a governmental takeover by a group of Christian fundamentalists known as Gilead.

There isn’t much information about how the United States has changed so drastically, though the brief flashbacks offer glimpses of Offred’s previous life of normalcy.

The writers give audiences just

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“The Handmaid’s Tale,” directed by Bruce Miller and based on Margaret Atwood’s 1985 novel, will debut on Hulu beginning April 26.

enough information to keep them intrigued, but not quite satisfied.

Not only are the cinematography, editing and art direction of the episode incredibly well done, but the actors also give wonderful performances. Moss is a sight to see as the petrified but resilient Offred. Wiley — coming off her breakthrough role in “Orange Is the New Black” — has superb moments in the first episode as Moira, Offred’s college friend, and seems destined for a great success.

Alexis Bledel, who hasn’t appeared in much since “Gilmore Girls,” makes a terrific comeback as Ofglen, another handmaid who is designated as Offred’s companion.

The series is a sure success for Hulu, whose original content has been lacking in comparison to its rival Netflix. Considering America’s current sociopolitical climate — which has popularized dystopian novels — “The Handmaid’s Tale”

offers a startling look at a United States that before this year may have only seemed like a wild fantasy. The series couldn’t have had a better time for release.

President Donald Trump has struck fear into the hearts of American citizens everywhere, particularly with regard to women's rights, which the current government seems poised to curtail. Miller spoke after the episode’s screening about how Trump was present in his mind throughout his work on the show, while also discussing the similarities between Trump’s ideals and those of the Gilead. It’s anyone’s guess whether “The Handmaid’s Tale” is just a work of frightening TV — or a sign of what’s to come.

“The Handmaid’s Tale” will debut on Hulu April 26.

Email Sophie Bennett at film@nyunews.com.

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‘Sweetbitter' : Sex From a Female Perspective

By NICOLETTE NATALE Contributing Writer

PHOTO BY EMILIA YU

Four bands and artists from NYU performed at The Bowery Electric this past Thursday for a “Joint Jams” showcase on April 20. The show was organized by recent graduate of NYU’s Songwriting Master’s program Brett Miller.

The Hits Kept Coming at 'Joint Jams'

By EMILIA YU Contributing Writer The lights were low but the energy was high at the Bowery Electric this past Thursday as four bands and artists with NYU roots took the stage for a “Joint Jams” showcase in honor of 4/20. The show was organized by recent graduate of NYU’s Songwriting Master’s program Brett Miller, who headlined the evening. Steinhardt senior Karina Noel opened the night, followed by With Snack and Tiger + Man. The room was full of love for each artist’s distinctive style and personality.

Karina Noel

presence could only be described as pure, effervescent fun. Trumpet player and Steinhardt alum Evan Lane jumped off the stage halfway through the set to dance with the audience, but they went wild when he revisited the stage to pick up his horn again. Scales’ personality and voice filled the room, but she was flawlessly tuned in with the band, never stealing the spotlight. Steinhardt alum Aviv Goldgeier’s hands flew across the keys while bassist and New School junior Nick Dunston stepped out of the shadows to blow the audience away with his solos. Drummer and Steinhardt alum Matti Dunietz kept the whole set moving, changing time signatures with precision and ease.

“

It’s fresh young talent, and it’s a strong lineup. I’m grateful for everyone being a part of it.

BRETT MILLER

”

Noel’s vocals during the show were remarkably similar to her polished studio vocals, demonstrating her talent as an artist and performer both in the studio and in front of a crowd. The Steinhardt senior was extremely comfortable on stage, and her positivity was infectious. When Noel performed her EP’s title track “Blue Collar Love,” she got the audience to get up and sing along. She played a few tracks off the EP, released in 2014, as well as a few new tracks, leaving the audience looking forward to her next release. Towards the end of her set she threw in a cover of Rihanna’s “Love on the Brain,” once again wowing the crowd with her vocal ability that ranges from delicate to soulful powerhouse.

With Snack

Vocalist and NYU Songwriting Master’s student Lauren Scales grabbed the mic and warned the audience to “get ready to shake your booty” before launching into the band’s first song. Their stage

The band gave a rich and energetic performance, drawing the crowd in with jazzy solo-packed breakdowns and interludes.

Tiger + Man

This electro-acoustic duo went on stage with a plethora of pedals and effects to translate their unique sound to live performance.

The band’s fans were probably curious — perhaps even apprehensive — about how Steinhardt alums Tiger Darrow and Andrew Orkin would represent their music outside of the studio. But the evening proved that Tiger + Man is entirely capable of putting on a great show without losing any of their music’s spacey, other-worldly character. The fact that Darrow sang through the entire set while on the verge of losing her voice from illness made the performance even more impressive.

“Tonight what you’re gonna get is Tiger + Man, Tom Waits style,” Darrow joked.

The duo was at ease on stage and brought a subtly humorous

rapport with them, trading jokes and jabs in between songs. They finished up the set with an almost unrecognizable cover of Britney Spears’ “Toxic,” full of distorted guitar mastery and a full vocal spectrum performance by Darrow that could not have been healthy for her condition. While grasping her throat, she announced the physical effect of her enthusiasm.

“I taste blood,” she said.

Brett Miller

As the organizer of the show, Tisch alum Brett Miller stood in the crowd during each performance, cheering and applauding. When it came time for him to take the stage, he didn’t lose an inch of the energy he showed for his fellow musicians. Miller went on with his new band, all together on stage for the first time that night, but sounding tight enough to have played together for years. Miller’s history as a performer playing piano in restaurants and bars since the age of 16 shone through as he approached the keyboard like it was as natural as breathing. But his performance was elevated even more when he moved out from behind the keys.

“I’m gonna lose this guy and get a little freer with this,” Miller said.

The band’s energy was contagious and many members of the audience got up and danced.

Following “Something Beautiful,” his sunny debut single released last month, Miller plowed on with a cover of Panic! At the Disco’s “LA Devotee.” He brought his friend and co-writer rapper Donatello up on stage to perform their original track “Bad Lord.”

CAS senior Donatello brought some serious flow and rhyme to the stage. Their camaraderie on stage was inspiring.

Miller’s sentiments about the show during a preemptive interview with WSN ring even truer now.

“It’s fresh young talent, and it’s a strong lineup,” Miller said.

“I’m grateful for everyone being a part of it.”

Email Emilia Yu at music@nyunews.com.

At the Brooklyn stop of her book tour, on April 13 at Greenlight Bookstore, author Stephanie Danler explained the namesake of her new book, “Sweetbitter.”

In translating Sappho’s poetry Anne Carson, a poet and Classics scholar, discovered that previous translators had been inaccurately translating the word we know as “bittersweet” — the order of the word in the original Greek is actually “sweetbitter.” Previous scholars had been translating the word backwards, focusing on the “bitter,” the post-relationship heartache, and leaving the “sweet," the nostalgia for love’s pleasurable moments, as an afterthought. They were not looking at the sentiment in its chronological order of how love unfolds.

Despite several classmates in the MFA program at The New School urging her to change the title of her book to something stronger, Danler refused. After all, her book is all about negotiating between the sweet and the bitter — and developing a taste for both.

“Sweetbitter” follows 22-yearold Tess as she adjusts to post-college life in New York City while working in a renowned Union Square restaurant. As she emerges into adult life, she has several awakenings — most notably her sexual awakening.

Danler, who studied English at Kenyon College, said that it was important to write in opposition to works like “A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man”

by James Joyce and “Portrait of a Lady” by Henry James. In

these texts, readers are supposed to believe that women enjoy the sex they are having with the male protagonist — even in unlikely scenarios. Instead of assuming a woman was experiencing pleasure from a male perspective, Danler was interested in writing about sex from a female perspective and from within the character’s own body.

But Tess’ awakening is not sweet from start to finish — rather, it is “sweetbitter.” Right when she thinks she has sex figured out her relationship with it changes. Despite wanting to believe sex will not lead her astray because it feels good, this assumed gratification contributes to Tess’ downward spiral.

After having passionate and tender sex, Tess’ increasingly sad hookups make her realize that she has hit rock bottom. However, Danler argues that hitting rock bottom can be a form of empowerment, since that low point is the place from where Tess is able to rebuild herself.

Tess’s story does not end with a marriage, a boyfriend or even a job promotion. It ends with a simple triumph — an ownership of pleasure in her sexuality. This may seem small, but even in the canon of women’s literature, many female protagonists’ stories end in marriage.

Tess defies this trope by simply admitting she likes sex. By confronting the boys’ club of writers like James Joyce and Henry James, Danler redefines the great American coming-of-age novel. Despite Tess’ disillusionment with sex, her story ends with her developing a palate for the sweet and the bitter.

Email Nicolette Natale at books@nyunews.com.

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Stephanie Danler, author of “Sweetbitter,” explained the history of the word on April 13 at Greenlight Bookstore.

6

WASHINGTON SQUARE NEWS | MONDAY, APRIL 24, 2017 | NYUNEWS.COM

FEATURES

EDITED BY TAYLOR NICOLE ROGERS FEATURES@NYUNEWS.COM

Stern Senior Opens Restaurant

By TIFFANIE HWANG Staff Writer Not many can say they are on the verge of opening their own restaurant while being a full-time student.

Stern senior Alexander Yip, however, is doing just that. Clay Pot will open in late April and will be located on St. Marks Place between First and Second Avenues. He created the restaurant while balancing his classes, working as a resident assistant and being in a fraternity.

Clay Pot features a unique twist on a beloved and popular street food called claypot, a Hong Kong-style Cantonese dish.

The restaurant will boast an interactive food experience where visitors will be able to build their own claypot. There will be a wide variety of sauces and toppings such as chicken, beef, eel and pork sausage, as well as many vegetarian options including asparagus, broccoli and scallions.

There will also be delicious additions that add twists on the traditional recipe, such as the option of pork belly.

“It’s not your typical rice because it is cooked in this claypot, which has pores that allow it to breathe so that all the flavor of the aged rice and ingredients stay and marinate, instead of the flavor getting killed and evaporated, which usually happens when rice is prepared, say, in a rice cooker,” Yip said.

Clay Pot ages their rice so that it

readily absorbs all the flavor of the ingredients added to the dish. Yip also said the kitchen's design will facilitate the cooking process.

“It’ll be an open-style kitchen where the dishes will sit over specialized stoves that will cook the pots at just the right temperature to get this crispiness as well,” Yip said. “You also get this great smokey flavor because of the ingredients and sauces being cooked in these porous clay pots."

Unsuspecting banter between Yip and his older brother, Chris, who is Yip’s business partner and one of Clay Pot's major investors, actually inspired Yip to open this restaurant.

“It started when my brother and I were on a hike in Canada," Yip said.

"We were just having a heart-toheart when we joked about opening up a restaurant. Later in September, when I saw a spot open up on

St. Marks — a street which I think of as home — I told my brother about it and we both said, ‘Let’s do this.’ It was a shotgun idea. It all happened really fast.”

Yip said creating and opening a restaurant in just a few months has been exciting, but he has also faced unexpected hiccups.

“One thing I learned is that not everything opens on time," Yip said.

"There’s always these rocks on the road, such as dealing with the New York Fire Department. It’s tough, but that’s why I think you really have to love the concept of what you’re doing or these challenges in the road will kill you. You have to be super crazy about the idea, and I guess I really am.”

Email Tiffanie Hwang at dining@nyunews.com.

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Clay Pot was founded by Stern senior Alexander Yip and specializes in the popular Hong Kong-style Cantonese dish of the same name.

Students Say No to Styling Apps

STAFF PHOTO BY JULIA MOSES

Closet, Cloth and StyleBook, all outfit planning apps, give styling tips digitally.

By THOMAS CHOU Staff Writer Cher Horowitz’s outfit machine from “Clueless” is enviable. With the touch of a button, outfit options appear on the screen, giving Cher a visual of what she looks like in it, until she finds the perfect outfit. While not everyone can afford to have a revolving machine and digital interface installed in their tiny NYU dorm room closets, new closet-organizing and outfit-planning apps might be the next best thing.

With the creation of apps like Closet, Cloth and StyleBook, closets can now be catalogued digitally. All three of these apps require the user to take pictures of the pieces in their closet and

file them under the appropriate category, like jackets, dresses or shirts. Some of the apps even have calendar features, so users can put together looks ahead of time and assign them to future dates. These apps also come with a digital stylist feature, where the app puts together outfits in the user’s closet matched by color or whatever the user chooses to set the criteria as.

While these apps seem convenient, do people really want to take the time to take photos of all of the items in their closets just to plan ahead? Is there really any difference in planning outfits ahead of time mentally, rather than cataloguing them in an app? SPS freshman Isabelle Robinson doesn’t believe the apps are useful.

“It seems practical in design, but

I don’t think I’d actually use them that often,” Robinson said. “I trust myself to be able to style myself everyday — I don’t really see the need for an app to do it for me.”

LS freshman Brenda Leal agreed.

She said that app users would have to be the sort of very organized, disciplined people who don’t spontaneously experiment with their wardrobes.

“These apps seem like the apps I would download once to play around with, and then never use again,” Leal said. “I’m too lazy to actually plan my outfits out so far in advance, and remember to check the app everyday. What if something comes up, and I can’t wear the outfit I planned?”

While these apps might be interesting or intriguing to try out, they are unlikely to catch on. Planning outfits ahead of time takes self-discipline and self-restraint, and being able to stick to those outfit plans requires discipline and focus. It would be too easy to just give up, click away and ignore the fashion calendar. Although personal stylists are a tempting luxury, it doesn’t seem like these apps will truly be able to fulfill that role. People will just have to plan their outfits the old-fashioned way and wait for the next app to be developed.

Email Thomas Chou at bstyle@nyunews.com

Dumpster Diving for Makeup

By SHERAH NDJONGO Staff Writer

One person’s discarded makeup is another person’s new favorite product. Dumpster diving has been around for a couple decades now, but because of the Internet, it’s more popular than ever. Beauty vloggers are taking to the trash to find next-to-new makeup and cosmetic products.

Shelbi, a popular YouTuber known by her username Shelbizleee, is arguably the most well-known vlogger who constantly posts hauls of the beauty items she scores while dumpster diving in the trash cans of Sephora and Ulta. Her hauls have garnered millions of views, so clearly, there are many who are fascinated by her hobby. Shelbi always stresses that her practice helps save money. After all, if you could pick up a palette for free that usually costs around $40, why wouldn’t you?

However, for Shelbi and her fellow dumpster divers, the justification goes beyond just the matter of price. In her Twitter bio, Shelbi describes herself as an environmentalist — a primary reason why recycling makeup is important to her. Tested products and products that have been returned or barely used are often thrown away. As a result, some see dumpster diving as a beneficial way to combat the large amount of waste that is

disposed of everyday.

On the other hand, dumpster diving for makeup doesn't come without risks. When pocketing used makeup, the chances of contracting a skin condition such as a bacterial contamination, infection or general skin damage like inflamed skin, rashes or acne should be considered before applying the product. Shelbi encourages her followers to take precautions by teaching them how to spray alcohol on items they find — mostly powder-based products — to get rid of potential dirt and germs. She also mentions the importance of wearing gloves during the actual process of dumpster diving to keep safe.

Dumpster diving remains a controversial practice. It helps people save a couple of bucks and it’s undoubtedly environmentally friendly, but it can be argued that the major health risks that come with it are not worth the money it saves. Still, the dumpster diving makeup haul movement is continuing its upward trajectory for those with that acquired taste, while those more hesitant of the trend will stay within the confines of a store to buy their products. In the end, whether you support dumpster diving for cosmetics or not, we can all agree that it’s a hot topic worth debating.

Email Sherah Ndjongo at bstyle@nyunews.com.

STAFF PHOTO BY JULIA MOSES

Save some money and be more environmentally friendly by finding drugstore and high-end makeup while dumpster diving.

NYUNEWS.COM | MONDAY, NOVEMBER 28, 2017 | WASHINGTON SQUARE NEWS

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FEATURES

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Record-breaking Gallatin Alum Plans to Visit Every Country

By TAYLOR NICOLE ROGERS Features Editor

When Gallatin Class of 2012 graduate Sal Lavallo left the United States for the first time at 12 years old, he could not have imagined that just over a decade later he would be racing the clock across the globe to earn the title of "Youngest American to Visit Every Country." With only 18 of 195 nations officially recognized by the U.S. State Department left to visit, Lavallo has returned to New York City to prepare for an epic trip that will include stops on every continent to break the record before his 27th birthday in September.

Washington Square News: Have you always been interested in learning about different cultures?

Sal Lavallo: Yes, I got that from my dad. My mother is Italian and my father is Ger-

man, but I grew up in Indiana, where is it pretty homogeneous. We would always sit with my grandparents and they would tell us stories of coming over [to the United States]. They grew up in Germany during World War II, and obviously with that history there is a long story of people being treated differently for reasons that are silly.

I never had to address that in my own life. There was no one who was really different so I craved that. I was interested in studying that academically and seeing how I could make that into a profession.

WSN: At what point did travel become a part of that curiosity?

SL: We traveled a lot when I was a kid, but only roadtrips within the States. We would just get in the car and drive.

One time we looked at the states that we hadn’t been to

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Gallatin alum Sal Lavallo hopes to earn the title of "Youngest American to Visit Every Country."

By SHERAH NDJONGO Staff Writer Bubble tea, or “boba,” is giving coffee a run for its money for the title of America’s trendiest drink. This delectable combination of milk and tea contains soft tapioca pearls that can be chewed like candy. NYU students have been following this trend for a while, but the warm weather has been multiplying cravings for the refreshing beverage.

Don’t know where to find the best boba? Don’t fret. These fantastic bubble tea shops all around campus are ready for you to stop by.

Boba Guys

Whenever you pass by 11 Waverly Pl., you’re bound to spy a super long line, leading to the latest boba hot spot, Boba Guys. Originally established in San Francisco, Boba Guys recently opened New York location came after the success of a pop-up store last September. Each beverage is made with the natural ingredients of real loose tea leaves from Tea Peo-

yet and tried to go to all of them, so the counting sort of started then. We hadn’t been to Louisiana, so we basically took a three-day weekend trip to Louisiana just to go. But before high school, I had only been on two international trips. My parents said that everyone could pick one international trip to go on, so I went with my father to Japan and China. Then I went to Germany with my grandmother to see all of the family. And then when I got to boarding school all of my friends were from so many different places, so I started to realize that if I just paid for the flight, then I would have a place to stay and food to eat.

WSN: Tell me more about that first trip that you took with your father to Japan.

SL: I saw the opening ceremony of the Nagano Olympics and decided that I wanted to go there and learn. It was a three week trip, and it was probably the easiest one because I didn’t have to figure out logistics. I was [12 or 13 years old], so it was perfect timing to see all that and to get time with my father. [ Japan is] also just an amazing place. It’s different from anything that we really know as Americans.

WSN: As you get closer to having visited every country in the world, there have got to have been places you were a bit scared to go to. How did you handle that?

SL: I’m not an adventurer and I wouldn’t go somewhere that is unsafe. If that means that I don’t get the record, then that will be fine. But there are safe

ways to go to most places. One situation that I will talk about where I did feel unsafe was while I was traveling by bus.

There was one route that was known to be unsafe. There was

SL: When people meet me, they often don’t know about the record until they look at my Instagram. I don’t care to measure up with anybody.

When you’re doing hostel

“

Everybody dances. To me, that is the most essential beauty of humanity.

SAL LAVALLO

”

a terrorist organization that hadn’t done anything yet, but was still there. It just ended up that everything went wrong and I had to hire an individual bus and pay for all of the seats.

And then at one point, they said that they weren’t going to do this route unless I hired a militia of a least five armed men to come because they thought it was dangerous, too.

I was stressed and scared the whole time, but I got there.

I realized that if my mindset would have been different and if I had realized that the chance of something happening was low, then I would have been fine. There are two lessons from that. One, don’t do things that aren’t safe.

Second, if you are in a situation where something could happen, be safe, but don’t let yourself get worried and turn it into a negative experience.

WSN: When you officially get the title of "Youngest American to Visit to Every Country," how do you expect it to change your life?

traveling, oftentimes people will sit around and talk about how they’ve been travelling for three months and have been to 10 countries. I don’t say anything, but maybe they’ll see the record on my Instagram and be embarrassed later. I think going to 10 countries is insane. I think the fact that so many students get to live abroad for multiple semesters is insane. I’m still amazed by that. I would never think that having been to only 10 countries is an only statement. That’s amazing.

WSN: Why do you think traveling is amazing?

SL: I think traveling is the best education you can have.

I was once asked by a man at my job what I learned from all of my traveling. I think he was expecting some business lesson about the economy, but I said ‘everybody dances.' To me, that is the most essential beauty of humanity.

Email Taylor Nicole Rogers at trogers@nyunews.com.

The Best Boba Spots Near NYU

ple instead of powder, milk without non-dairy creamers from Battenkill Valley Creamery and fructose-free homemade syrups. Of course, tapioca is a popular addition. Some of Boba Guys’ signature drinks include the Iced Matcha Latte, Jasmine Milk Tea and Hong Kong Style Tea.

Kung Fu Tea

Next door to Boba Guys is a classic bubble tea hub at 31 Waverly Pl. with other branches throughout the boroughs. Kung Fu Tea offers a customizable menu, giving customers complete control over the amount of ice that goes into their tea as well as their preferred sweetness levels. Not to mention, all milk powder used to make the tea is dairy-free. A few of Kung Fu Tea’s bestsellers include the KF Milk Tea, Coconut Milk Tea and Winter Melon Milk Green Tea.

Vivi Bubble Tea

Vivi Bubble Tea, originally from Taiwan, can be found throughout the city but locally at 65 W. Eighth St. According to Vivi's website, its bubble tea is made "strictly only

using ingredients shipped directly from Taiwan.” Highlights include Taro Milk Tea, Cappuccino Milk Tea and Coconut Milk Tea.

Gong Cha

Situated near Union Square on 209 E. 14th St., Gong Cha is bound to live up to your boba expectations. Similar to Vivi Bubble Tea, Gong Cha was founded in 2006 in Kaohsiung, Taiwan. It separates its menu into different series, which include the Coffee Series, Milk Tea Series, Slushes and even a Panda Series. A few creative drinks to try include Pearl Milk Tea, Panda Milk Foam Green Tea and Earl Grey Milk Tea with 3Js — standing for 3 type sof jellies : Pudding, Herbal and Pearl. In Taiwanese, the name Gong Cha in Taiwanese means “tribute tea for the emperor,” and once you’ve had a sip of this delicious bubble tea, there’s no doubt you’ll feel like royalty.

Email Sherah Ndjongo at dining@nyunews.com.

STAFF PHOTO BY VERONICA LIOW

Boba Guys at 11 Waverly Pl. is a popular bubble tea spot founded in San Francisco.

alternative breaks: substitute lounging for social outreach

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By JEMIMA MCEVOY News Editor NYU Alternative Breaks offers a service-oriented option for students who want to cast aside their sweatpants and Netflix subscriptions for service work during their spring or winter breaks.

According to CAS senior and president of NYU Alternative Breaks Anne-Marcelle Ngabirano, the program was started at the university in 2004 as a reaction to the damage caused

by Hurricane Katrina. Today, approximately 300 to 400 students are involved with the outreach efforts that take place over spring and winter breaks, according to Ngabirano.

“It is a year-long program that is really focused on educating students on a social issue,” Ngabirano said. “Our AB chapter runs a little bit differently from other chapters around the country. We have people apply in the first semester, and they apply to a social issue and they say why they want to work on [it].”

In addition to the service trips that take place during

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By SAYER DEVLIN Deputy News Editor CAS junior Jose Diaz was hoping to be transferred to Attica Correctional Facility, a prison with TVs. Instead he was transferred to Auburn Correctional Facility. Though Auburn didn’t have TVs, it did offer college classes through Cornell University’s Prison Education Program.

“I thought, ‘I might as well do college cause I don't have s—t else to do,’” Diaz said. "That’s what it boiled down to. You end up living for it because you’re putting all your energy into something instead of the yard, instead of nothing. And you can feel the difference.”

Diaz is a student ambassador for NYU’s Prison Education Program, which is based in Wallkill Correctional Facility, located in Ulster County in New York, and provides educational opportunities for inmates to work toward an associate's degree while also helping alumni integrate into society upon their release. Diaz took classes through the program while doing time at Wallkill.

“The first day I was literally intimidated because of the vocabulary,” Diaz

said. “When I left the class after being submerged in that world, I felt a difference. There was a cloud over that prison yard — it was grungy, it was dirty, it was pure melancholy. [Education], that’s a better option.”

Classes are held in large sunlit rooms where students have access to computers and a fully stocked college library. Each semester, four NYU professors teach semester-long classes at Wallkill.

“We try to create a space that’s outside of the prisons, somewhere where they can be real students and have access to things that other college students have and learn unimpeded,” Kingsley Rowe, the Re-entry Program Administrator, said.

Rowe does the nitty-gritty work of helping alumni of the program reintegrate into society. He is tasked with helping 23 former students with the problems they face, such as paying bills, navigating the city and seeing their children.

“My goal is to provide as many avenues [as possible] for guys to get into college, but on another level, my mission is about the development of the individual,” Rowe said.

Stern Professor Dolly Chugh has chosen to spend part of her sabbatical teach-

ing a class on leadership skills at Wallkill.

What surprised Chugh most over the course of the semester is how normal her students are.

“They’re ordinary, three-dimensional, real people,” said Chugh. “They talk a lot about their kids. They miss their kids a lot. They worry about their parents. They worry about our country. They think about ordinary things that we do, despite being in extreme circumstances.”

Like her students, Chugh has learned a lot from experience.

“All of these things have forced me to retool my teaching and one of the best things I’ve gotten out of this is the realization that I can,” Chugh said.

Diaz served 11 years, 21 days and three hours in prison. When he was 19, he was charged with second-degree murder. He ended up taking a plea bargain, as what happens in more than 90 percent of criminal cases, and pleaded guilty to first-degree manslaughter.

“I got caught up in a gang beef, and I killed a guy, stabbed someone,” Diaz said.

Diaz was released from prison last September and started as an undergraduate at NYU for the spring semester.

Diaz, who is 30 years old, is now a Latino

Studies major. He has a sharp jawline and is often mistaken for a 21- or 22-year-old undergraduate. His favorite class is Spanish and he hopes to get a Ph.D. — and one day, teach inmates in prison.

Rowe has a story not unlike Diaz’s. He served 10 years in prison after pleading guilty to third-degree murder after he accidentally shot a close friend in the head. He wrote about the incident in the Huffington Post. While in prison, he obtained an associate’s degree from Saint Francis University and enrolled at NYU six months after being released.

He received a bachelor’s degree in information systems and a master’s in social work, both from NYU. Both Rowe and Diaz serve as living proof that education can change lives.

“I was incarcerated for 10 years and going to Saint Francis and being able to obtain my college degree provided a platform for other things, but it also made me a complete human being,” Rowe said. “It enabled me to take part in society as an active member. Education changes lives. Not [just] because it makes you successful, [but also] it changes your mindset. It changes your mindset, it changes the way you think

about thi you make. have abou prove you in the wor Data sup Over 75 pe leased from a new crim released fr year recidi cent. One s education by 29 perc even large vism rates had partici grams wer than the who had n When Di perience h left with a was now ab trends that that were p “It’s a be something Diaz said. who can’t f

er and spring breaks, the ram hosts weekly meetwhich Ngabirano said are t preparing for the trips ugh reading, research engagement with comity members. he misconception about alative breaks is that you’re g to spend a week abroad ave the world,” Ngabirano “From when you start, e doing a lot of learning a lot of reading. You’re ng with activists or comity organizers in the area ew York. There is a lot of nking your own biases.” abirano said that most he year is spent learnabout how the selected l issue impacts the stuthe community and the d. She said that this level eparation is necessary so when students travel to sites during winter and g break, they are pred to work with the orgaion in the area that Alteres Breaks will be aiding. e organizations are often established within the munity, and the program s to supplement and facil-

itate their work.

CAS senior Ratu Gustiantri, who has been a part of Alternative Breaks for three years, said that her experience has been educational. Gustiantri traveled to the Dominican Republic twice to work with Service for Peace on Community Development in El Cidral.

More recently, she worked in Birmingham, Ala. on literacy interventions in an elementary school.

“I really appreciate the chance to orient myself with social issues that I don’t typically face on an everyday basis,” Gustiantri said. “It’s one thing to learn about an issue through text, but it’s another to learn about it hands-on.”

Gustriantri said that she originally joined Alternative Breaks because she wanted to be more involved in service while in college. Although she is graduating and will no longer participate in this program, she hopes to continue service work in the future.

“Alternative Breaks has really taught me to be mindful of the communities I serve in and to pay attention to the positive

and negative aspects that may be present in service — I plan on keeping those things in mind wherever I end up,” Gustiantri said. “Ideally, someday I’ll end up working with Doctors Without Borders, but we’ll see about that.”

In response to criticisms regarding the sometimes detrimental impacts of outreach work — Ngabirano said that some people perceive Alternative Breaks as simply a means to travel as opposed to making meaningful changes to communities — Ngabirano said that the group has been adapting its practices to focus more on the learning aspect than the traveling component of the program.

“When I first joined Alternative Breaks our motto was ‘learn, travel, serve’ — that is not our motto any more,” Ngabirano said. “[It is] ‘learn, serve, engage’ because [travel] is such a small component of it. A week is miniscule compared to the year you are spending with the group.”

Email Jemima McEvoy at jmcevoy@nyunews.com.

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Started in Prison'

ings, the connections that . It evolves the thoughts you ut yourself, about how to imurself, about what your place rld is.” pports Rowe and Diaz’s stories. ercent of prisoners who are rem state prisons are arrested for me within five years. For those rom federal prisons, the fiveivism rate is roughly 45 perstudy showed that correctional lowered long-term recidivism cent. A 2005 report showed an er effect, reporting that recidis for incarcerated people who ipated in prison education prore on average 46 percent lower rates of incarcerated people not taken college classes. iaz got out of prison — an exhe described as “surreal” —he taste of college education. He ble to name and define societal t he had seen his entire life and part of the world he lived in. eautiful thing to go through g scathed but still functioning,” “Cause I know a lot of guys function.”

Diaz compared getting out of prison to returning to civilian life after serving in the military because of its acute loneliness. A family member might die, a former love interest might have a child with someone else and new technologies are invented. When you’re cut off from the world for 10 years, it can feel like life has passed you by.

“When you come out the world is different,” Diaz said. “You are faced with this emotional trauma that you have to deal with, and for me coming into [NYU], no one is dealing with these things. ” While he was in prison, Diaz’s best friend stopped talking to him after seven years. Upon his release, Diaz saw that she had a child and a boyfriend.

He realized he had to start from square one when he was released from prison.

He had to learn how to use Google. He had to brush up on office etiquette.

Some of his classmates were frustrated with him when he didn’t know how to use Google Slides.

“How do you deal with it? You just had to,” Diaz said. “What is the other option?”

Email Sayer Devlin at sdevlin@nyunews.com.

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WASHINGTON SQUARE NEWS | MONDAY, APRIL 24, 2017 | NYUNEWS.COM

OPINION

EDITED BY THOMAS PRICE OPINION@NYUNEWS.COM

POLITICS

Strike on Syria Was Good Move for United States

By GRAZIELLA PASTOR Contributing Writer While President Donald Trump has been dropping word bombs on the nation since he announced his presidential campaign in 2015, he has most recently been dropping physical ones elsewhere. Recently, President Trump fired 59 tomahawk missiles at a Syrian military base. While his actions have received international praise, the political left is still apprehensive. Many Democrats find the strike hypocritical, in light of the visa ban for Syrian refugees.

Others see it as wasteful, useless spending. However, the political and economic repercussions of the Syrian military strike prove

that the move was very advantageous for the United States.

Those unhappy with the military mission’s cost can rest assured it was as insignificant to the American defense budget as the drop of an eyelash.

According to prices listed in the Department of Defense Fiscal Year 2015 report, the total cost of the mission was around $93.8 million. Meanwhile, the current U.S. military budget is around $584 billion. While the strike definitely did not dent America’s military resources, was it worth the $93.8 million?

What has the United States gained from this attack? With a few bombs, the United States has re-established its authority in the world.

With the Syrian bombing, Trump demonstrated a willingness to use military force, sending a very strong message to the world. China was the first to respond. In less than a week, China ceased all coal trade with North Korea. China buys 40 percent of all of North Korea’s coal exports, so this move should destabilize North Korea’s economy. Now, a prominent Chinese newspaper is

encouraging the president to cut off North Korea’s oil supply to avoid a “head-on collision” with Trump. Trump’s actions in Syria have reminded the world of U.S. military strength, thus gaining leverage over North Korea and China.

The United States’ re-established power in the world has already had economic benefits.

When President Xi Jinping visited Trump, the two agreed to immediately decrease the gigantic trade surplus China has with the United States. The latest information on the trade deal displays that China is increasing its quota for American products. By flexing our military muscle, Trump has given the United States eco-

nomic leverage it has not had in over a decade.

It is important to acknowledge that Trump is capable of making sound decisions.

Trump’s actions in Syria were commendable for their positive impact on the Syrian people as well as the United States.

Americans should not stand in opposition to this move simply out of bitterness. Unlike the current Democrats in Congress, the American people should be productive and responsive to each political issue. Otherwise, we become roadblocks to positive change for the nation and the world.

Email Graziella Pastor at opinion@nyunews.com

POLITICS

Trump, China and North Korea: A Raw Deal

By ANAND BALAJI Staff Writer Last Sunday, President Donald Trump made the groundbreaking announcement that he had offered Chinese President Xi Jinping more favorable terms on trade in exchange for assistance in dealing with North Korea, according to the Wall Street Journal. This was followed by a bold declaration that a naval armada was racing toward the Korean peninsula in response to recent ballistic missile tests by North Korea, according to The Washington Post. It was later reported that the ship was more than 3,000 miles away heading to Australia. These actions were both in retaliation against an increasingly aggressive North

Korea that has conducted several missile launches and a public assassination in Malaysia since Trump took office. However, Trump’s response has done nothing to improve the safety of the region and instead seriously undermines one of his core campaign promises — holding China accountable on free trade.

Trump spoke with Xi twice in early April. In the course of these meetings, he agreed to soften on two of his main campaign promises in exchange for assistance against North Korea — reducing the trade deficit and naming China a currency manipulator, or a nation that buys or sells foreign currency in exchange for its own to influence the excahnge rate. The latter proposal had been ridiculed by economists for

months prior to the decision, according to CNBC. China may have artificially deflated its currency in the past but is now working to strengthen its value, leaving several puzzled by Trump’s repeated insistence that the Treasury Department label them a currency manipulator. However, Trump’s decision to exert less pressure on China to restore the trade balance is an extremely significant deviation from his campaign platform.

China has done significant harm to

domestic production in the United States with tactics such as barriers to imports, high tariffs and dumping — a form of predatory pricing.

Trump has an obligation to those that elected him to honor this fundamental part of his platform and backtracking after just four months in office is absurd.

Trump campaigned on his deal-making abilities, but perhaps his complete reversal on his trade policy could be justified if there was some sign that China would in fact be an ally against North Korea. However, all the evidence points against it — after Trump’s overture, China condemned the implementation of a defensive missile system in South Korea meant to protect Seoul against an unexpected attack, as reported by

the Wall Street Journal. Trump pointed to China’s statement in March that it would be cutting off imports of North Korean coal as evidence of a tougher stance towards Pyongyang. However, trade between China and North Korea has grown tenfold in the past 15 years — in direct violation of U.N. directives — and China still offers support in the form of access to oil, banks and naval ports. Trump has seemingly traded in his most significant promise to the American people for a shaky commitment from a historically deceptive government. One can only hope that the “Art of the Deal” improves during the next four years.

Email Anand Balaji at opinion@nyunews.com

TECHNOLOGY

Snapchat Leads the Social Media Game

By ADRYAN BARLIA Staff Writer With a steady 158 million daily users, Snapchat is nothing short of a social media mogul. Since going public earlier this month, Snap Inc. has become ever more popular and more attractive to the investor eye. While Snapchat constantly keeps its features fresh and new, other social media giants such as Instagram, Facebook Messenger and WhatsApp have added features on their platforms that mimic those of Snapchat stories and instantly disappearing pictures. However, despite other

social media apps jumping on the bandwagon of what it originally created, Snapchat is well on its way to becoming a leader of social media due to its consumer-captivating features.

One of the many things Snapchat does — and does well — is regularly refresh its features, like its famous filters. According to a recent New York Times article, Snapchat is debuting a new feature this week which will allow for three-dimensional objects to be put in the surroundings of a photo. This makes the picture-capturing experience more interactive and attractive for its users — and

moves like these will keep it ahead of competitors such as Messenger and Instagram.

Although Facebook and Instagram have managed to copy the same picture features as Snapchat, the platforms of these two media giants have already been well explored, since they have been public longer. Snapchat

continues to offer new and innovative features that will not only maintain the platform’s current fan base, but will also attract more users. This is not to say that Snapchat is in any way better than Facebook or other social media outlets, but it is simple to see that Snapchat is better designed for common use. With Snapchat, a user can simply whip open the app, take a pic, type a message and be done. Instagram and Facebook functions are more time-consuming, as users have to scroll through their photos, crop and filter them, select one, caption it, post it and then wait

for likes throughout the day.

Snapchat makes social media communication more fun and interesting by allowing people to send personalized picture messages to one another, moreso than any other app.

Since its creation in 2011, Snapchat has amazed users with its fresh take on social interactions. As a consumer-driven company, Snapchat adapts to whatever consumers desire — from politically-based filters to holiday filters — and will always find ways to keep itself fresh and new.

Email Adryan Barlia at opinion@nyunews.com.

NYUNEWS.COM | MONDAY, NOVEMBER 28, 2017 | WASHINGTON SQUARE NEWS

OPINION

EDITED BY THOMAS PRICE OPINION@NYUNEWS.COM

UNIVERSITY LIFE

STAFF EDITORIAL

Thanks NYU. No, Seriously.

By KATRINA FADRILAN Guest Writer

“Ugh, thanks NYU” should be our school’s motto. Every day someone mutters it to me or I grumble it myself. But what makes us so irritated and bitter toward our school?

Perhaps it’s the line at the Washington Square Starbucks that snakes out the door, not moving an inch as we impatiently wait for our coffee, already late for class. Maybe it’s never finding a seat at Bobst Library during finals, forcing us to settle for a pathetic corner on the eighth floor just so we can cram in some studying.

Or maybe it’s the lingering feeling that we are alone at NYU, that lacking a physical wall encircling campus also means we lack a community. But if we think about it, it’s this very exasperation toward our unconventional school that helps identify an NYU student. It is as if our shared unwillingness to settle, to remain complacent and our insistence to work for more are what define us as a community.

This past summer, I had to leave NYU due to the soaring tuition costs we are all too familiar with. Although I was devastated to leave the home I had made for myself, I was ready. The irony is that NYU itself prepared me to face this obstacle.

NYU refuses to coddle us, pushing us out into the real world where we quickly learn to fend for ourselves. From the times we had to scrape by on a sad budget to live in this ridiculously expensive city, to suffering through the depressing New York City dating life, to a merciless professor not giving an extension on an essay, we become equipped to withstand unexpected hurdles every day. It’s this quality of

scrappiness and industriousness that unites us and that has driven me forward through this year of heartbreak and disappointment.

It’s easy to see that this common thread of endurance and determination achieve something that solidifies our community. I came to this conclusion when I studied abroad in Madrid last spring. While I was abroad I expected that homesickness would weigh me down as I got lost in a foreign place and the language barrier prevented me from adequately expressing myself.

Yet, my classmates in Madrid pushed themselves to speak the native language, tried new cultural norms, refused to slack off despite being on a “just-play-around” semester. All of this reminded me I wasn’t alone in this experience. As I traveled to other countries across Europe, discovering NYU’s presence in London, Florence and Paris, connecting with ambitious, worldly students, I realized our community does exist. I connected with this diverse group of people, despite our differing cultures, languages, upbringings, religions and beliefs, for the one thing we shared — our NYU identity.

The NYU community is not as tangible nor as easy to find as those at most colleges, but it’s there and spans across the globe. To find it, however, we have to work for it.

We may be constantly annoyed with NYU and tired

of living an unconventional college life, but here we are, swapping frat parties for bar hopping, choosing Washington Square Park over rolling campus lawns and replacing football games with Broadway shows and Tisch student theater. Here we are, embracing the unorthodox undergraduate life, keeping up as we hop on the crowded subways, bustle through the throngs of people walking in the streets to make it on time to class and surviving the challenges in the world’s fiercest and most indifferent city. Here we are, secretly loving this unique university that has bestowed us with more struggles than any other college but that has also propelled us further.

I always imagined writing this piece for my own graduation from NYU. But, even though I left, it feels as though the school never left me. As cliche as that sounds, the university's beauty is in how it prepares it students for the world. Perhaps that’s what the absence of iron-wrought gates and college town borders does for us.

I have left NYU, and in a few weeks many of you will also leave. Yet this community that often felt nonexistent lingers with us. Whenever an NYU alum wins an Oscar, becomes the chair of the Federal Reserve or leads a cause to end world hunger, I am reminded that we come from the same place.

I won’t feel closure because the pieces of NYU left in me are not gone — never will be gone, and they won’t leave you either, even after you walk out of commencement in Yankee Stadium. Whether we like it or not, we’ll always be defined by NYU. So NYU, thanks for that.

Email Katrina Fadrilan at opinion@nyunews.com.

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Protests Show a More Accurate NYU

During NYU’s Weekend on the Square — the university’s event for admitted students — multiple student-led protests by SLAM, IEC and NYU Divest disrupted some of the events planned for the incoming Class of 2021. While these protests may have led to some discomfort and awkwardness for future students and the university, they helped to show a more accurate representation of what attending NYU is like.

Weekend on the Square gives incoming freshmen a look into what they can expect of their next four years at NYU. While admitted students days are traditionally informational, giving incoming classes a look at what attending the university will be like, NYU has made sure that the picture it paints of itself is a glowing one. WOTS is filled with endless balloons, photo opportunities and free food. In addition, guests often use the weekend to tour residence halls and other school facilities. At times, this weekend can create an overly idealized portrayal of life at NYU. WOTS makes it easy to think that an NYU student’s typical day consists of a carefree life in the middle of beautiful Greenwich Village. However, the protesters at this year’s event gave some insight into the more realistic aspects of life at NYU including its lack of sanctuary campus status and student representation on the board of trustees.

Protests and social activism are a well-known part of both New York City and NYU's reputations. In the past academic year, NYU has been the site of numerous protests covering a range of topics from university life to national news. The university is home to many protest groups and activist organizations, including Student Labor Action Movement, NYU Sanctuary Campus and NYU Divest. These groups have organized dozens of protests, including the recent efforts to make NYU an official sanctuary campus and nationwide protests like the proPlanned Parenthood rallies. In contrast to the sanitized, conflict-free image that WOTS propagates, the protests this weekend provided an accurate representation of an important piece of NYU life. These protests are essential to making sure that NYU is held accountable for its entire reputation — not just the shining one of state-of-the-art facilities and an exclusive downtown campus.

The protests from groups such as SLAM and NYU Divest are a part of the large activist community so present at NYU, and their appearance at Weekend on the Square gave every prospective student a look at the passion of the students and the reality of being at this university.

While it may not line up with the picture-perfect image that is presented to them during the weekend, their place at NYU should be celebrated and not condemned.

Email the WSN Editorial Board at opinion@nyunews.com.

EDITORIAL BOARD: Thomas Price (Chair), Emma Rudd (Co-chair), Andrew Heying (Co-chair) STAFF PHOTO BY POLINA BUCHAK

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.

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SPORTS

EDITED BY RACHEL RUECKER SPORTS@NYUNEWS.COM

WEEKLY SPORTS UPDATE NYU Reacts: Rangers vs. Canadiens

By NIKA WOODFILL Deputy Sports Editor

Baseball (16-12) The baseball team started off the week strong with a 4-3 win over the United States Merchant Marine Academy last Friday, but the early success lacked momentum and the team fell 1-9 and 6-12 in the sets of their doubleheader against Emory University Saturday.

In Friday’s game, the victorious offensive effort was led by freshman infielder Coltrane Tait who hit three runs throughout the game.

In Saturday’s first game, the Violets fell quickly, unable to gain an offensive surge. In the second game, the team took an early 4-0 lead, but were unable to secure the advantage, and Emory captured its second victory of the day.

The Violets will face off against Yeshiva University Tuesday.

Softball (17-15)

The softball team had a week of mixed results, defeating Hunter College 17-4 and 6-3 in both sets of their doubleheader last Tuesday and falling to Farmingdale State College 0-1 and 6-7 in two close doubleheader losses on Wednesday.

Tuesday’s wins came as a result of high hitting rates, with multiple runs coming from sophomore pitcher Diana King and sophomore outfielder Ashley Mains.

On Wednesday, the Violets were able to hold off Farmingdale in the first half of both games — however, their advantages were jilted by Farmingdale’s strong offensive forces.

April 17 to April 23

By RACHEL RUECKER Senior Editor

The team is set to play against Washington University in St. Louis for their next UAA matchup Friday, April 28.

Last Saturday night, the city was alive with the sound of the New York Rangers downing the Montreal Canadiens in game six of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, moving on to the second round. The Empire State Building switched from its green Earth Day best to the Rangers’ red, white and blue to celebrate the Blue Shirts’ move to the Conference Semifinals. The Rangers will now face the Ottawa Senators, who knocked out the Boston Bruins. Here’s what NYU students thought of the triumph.

Men’s Volleyball (18-10)

The men’s volleyball team ended their strong season with a 2-3 loss to Juniata College (19-25, 31-33, 25-23, 25-22, 15-10) in the first round of the NCAA Division III Championships on Saturday.

Despite the defeat, the Violets delivered a strong performance led by freshman Alex Li, who delivered 20 kills over the course of the game.

Email Rachel Ruecker at rruecker@nyunews.com

“I love baseball! Go Rangers!”

KELSEY STEVENSON, TISCH FRESHMAN

Track and Field

Both the men’s and women’s track and field teams competed in the UAA Outdoor Championships at the University of Chicago where they both finished sixth of seven.

The runners and company will be back in action Thursday, competing in the Penn Relays in Philadelphia.

"I mean the Canadiens were a strong team, and I’m kind of shocked, not gonna lie. I am not a fan of the Rangers and there was a lack of reaction from this portion of New York, which was disappointing."

SISI TURCOTTE, TISCH FRESHMAN

Tennis

The men’s and women’s tennis teams were in the Sunshine State over the weekend competing in their final tournament of the season in the UAA Championships.

Both teams went 1-2 over the weekend. The women competed against the University of Chicago, Brandeis University and the University of Rochester, going 2-7, 1-8 and 7-2, respectively.

The men faced off against the same triad of teams, almost matching the women’s scores, only flipping the first two, going 1-8, 2-7 and 7-2, respectively.

“Montreal’s had their time to shine. The Rangers haven't won since ‘94 so I'm rooting for them since the Hawks are out. I'll take anyone at this point over the Pens."

WILL HERRIN, STEINHARDT SOPHOMORE

Email Nika Woodfill at nwoodfill@nyunews.com

“I don't really care about either of those teams. It's not like either of them were going to win the cup. They were both gonna lose eventually. I guess my only reaction is disappointment. Montreal didn't help my bracket and I need as much as I can get after the Chicago debacle. I heard that [the New York Rangers] organization wasn't too optimistic about the series because of all of their injuries — they were already gearing up for off-season protocols before the series started, so I thought they'd be too banged up to compete.”

ERIC BOYDA, GALLATIN SOPHOMORE AND NYU HOCKEY DEFENSEMAN

“It was a great series and it’s especially impressive that the Rangers won three in a row after [being] down 2-1 in the series. They also won their last two home games after having some serious playoff struggles at home, so hopefully that's a good sign going forward.”

VIA GONYUATHLETICS.COM

GLS sophomore Eli Edwards pitches for the NYU baseball team against Emory University on Saturday. NYU lost both games.

CONNOR FINOCCHIO, SPS SOPHOMORE AND NYU HOCKEY DEFENSEMAN

NYUNEWS.COM | MONDAY, NOVEMBER 28, 2017 | WASHINGTON SQUARE NEWS

13

SPORTS

EDITED BY RACHEL RUECKER SPORTS@NYUNEWS.COM

Weather Makes for Stormy Softball

By MADDIE HOWARD Staff Writer

ferent school's facility, NYU's games were shifted. “[The games] were initially supposed to be Saturday, but we play at Fordham [University], and it is a DI facility,” Mains said.

“Their games on Saturday were cancelled due to field conditions so they bumped us because they scheduled to make up their Saturday games [on Sunday].”

Playing a college sport in a major city comes with its challenges.

For some NYU athletic teams, not having a main game field or facility located near the campus has proven to be a major problem.

This past weekend, the weather forced the NYU softball team to

“

This unfairly jeopardizes the current UAA softball rankings in a tight race for the top spot in our conference, since neither Emory nor us gets the chance to have two more wins under our belt.

MARY TINDALL

cancel two of its games against Emory University, causing a disruption in the University Athletic Association conference standings.

Sophomore softball player Ashley Mains explained that due to the team's use of a dif-

”

Conflict due to field sharing with other universities is not uncommon among NYU teams.

However, freshman softball player Mary Tindall said the cancellation of these UAA conference games is particularly severe, as it

may hinder the chances of Emory or NYU making the NCAA Division III softball tournament.

“Basically, since NYU softball doesn’t have a field under our own control, we were stuck with no options to make up the games,” Tindall said. “This unfairly jeopardizes the current UAA softball rankings in a tight race for the top spot in our conference, since neither Emory nor us gets the chance to have two more wins under our belt.”

Tindall explained that if NYU were to have its own homefield similar to the baseball team’s residency at MCU Park in Brooklyn, scenarios such as this could be prevented.

The softball team still has a set of four games against Washington University in St. Louis that will determine their fate for the tournament. While the game cancellations this weekend may have been a setback, the team’s chances of being seeded are not yet over. Their first game against WashU will be Friday, April 28 at Bahoshy Softball Complex at the Fordham campus in the Bronx.

Email Maddie Howard at sports@nyunews.com.

VIA WIKIPEDIA.ORG

The Turner Field in Atlanta faces a rain delay. Weather can deter a game from effectively playing out; in addition, it can affect how players play the game.

COURTESY OF MADI PEREZ

For those who do not have the time to play varsity sports, the women’s club lacrosse team is an excellent alternative.

Lacrosse Is Committed but Lax

By NIKA WOODFILL Deputy Sports Editor

With the lack of readily-available athletic facilities and open playing fields surrounding NYU’s campus, it can be difficult to play sports here at a competitive level without engaging in varsity sports. Yet the women’s club lacrosse team has found the perfect balance of competitive play and relaxed time commitment.

The team practices in both the spring and fall and meets twice a week, with games usually taking place during the weekend.

Freshman Madi Perez finds the practice schedule very manageable, and says it leaves ample time for academics and other activities.

“We have one mandatory practice a week, but it's preferred if you go to both practices,” Perez said. “We normally do one to two games on Saturdays, and the time we play really depends on who we play. It's very manageable to play NYU lax and still have time for academics and extracurriculars.”

The games are played throughout the tri-state area, which makes transportation fairly

convenient, according to freshman Hannah Cai. “Games are played on either a Saturday or Sunday throughout the season,” Cai said. “We play other schools in the league like Hofstra, Stony Brook, etc. and take a bus to get to their fields.”

This season, the team had an extremely successful season with a 6-1 record, as well as qualifying for the national playoffs.

According to Perez, the team welcomes all skill levels — however, some knowledge of lacrosse is recommended.

“It is preferred if you have previous experience playing lacrosse, but everyone is welcome to play,” Perez said. “It's such a welcoming community in that sense.”

Perez also noted that the team has been an important and valuable community for her.

“Joining lacrosse was the best decision I made here,” Perez said. “I made amazing friends, the coaches are so kind and knowledgeable, and the team as a whole works really well together.”

Email Nika Woodfill at nwoodfill@nyunews.com.

Why NYU Students Don’t Care About Sports

By THOMAS PRICE Opinion Editor

Let’s face it, NYU students by and large do not care about sports. Despite the thousands of students walking around the Village, it is still extraordinarily hard to find enough of them to fill an arena. There is a plethora of NYU sports events that take place around New York City that anyone could come to and support, but, with the exception of hockey games, few students do.

So why exactly does this happen?

Perhaps the largest issue is one that cannot be changed.

NYU students have a reputation for not caring about university sports or school spirit, and it seems like this perception isn't too far off the mark. This school was never advertised as one with an abundance of spirit or a fervor for our overzealously named Violet Nation, and

for some students who came here, that was part of their decision to attend. But there are always ways to get the student body involved. The first and most obvious step is for all of our teams to start winning — more than our UAA champions for men's volleyball, Liberty League champions and Jack Leaman title-holders for women's golf and ACHA Division II champions for men's hockey.

Once this hard and strenuous obstacle is hurdled, everything else follows suit.

Those at NYU who do enjoy sports — yes, they do exist — will start coming in larger and larger numbers. From there, the task of making sporting events high-priority affairs becomes the next priority. There cannot be a hardcore fan and student section if there first isn’t the casual fan. To create the casual fan, students must

know about the many successful NYU programs playing around the city. But building beyond that is harder.

Once you have a larger contingent of more successful teams

and excited fans comes the extraordinarily difficult task of creating a culture of supporters that you can count on during the down years. That comes with things like creat-

PHOTO BY JESSICA FRANCIS

NYU suffers from a lack of spirit with regard to its sports teams.

ing a pep band to help keep the crowd engaged, writing cheers and the all-important student sections. These things must be fostered by the students and some of the administration like one would foster a baby child — or, in a more likely metaphor, a new class or department on campus. It takes support from everyone to build a school that cares about sports. NYU isn’t a sports school, and maybe it will stay that way. However, that does not mean that there isn’t a place on this massive campus of ours for a small and passionate group of Violets fans to start thriving.

Opinions expressed here are not necessarily those of WSN, and our publication of opinions is not an endorsement of them.

Email Thomas Price at tprice@nyunews.com.

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