Washington Square News September 18, 2017

STAFF PHOTOS BY ANNA LETSON AND ECHO CHEN. DESIGNED BY RACHEL BUIGAS-LOPEZ AND LAURA SHKOURATOFF

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WASHINGTON SQUARE NEWS | MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 2017 | NYUNEWS.COM

College Democrats Form Task Forces

By SAKSHI VENKATRAMAN Contributing Writer

By MIRANDA LEVINGSTON Deputy News Editor The NYU Department of Public Safety received 15 reports of larceny, one report of stalking/dating violence, one report of simple assault, three reports of controlled substance, one report of trespass, one report of public lewdness and one report of harassment between Sept. 8 and Sept. 14.

Larceny On Sept. 8 at 5:45 a.m. Public Safety received a report that a student’s bike, which was chained to a street sign in front of 715 Broadway, was missing.

A police report was filed and the report is open and under investigation.

On Sept. 11 at 3:16 p.m. Public Safety received a report from an NYU staff member that her laptop was missing from her desk at 715 Broadway. Police notification was declined and the report is open and under investigation.

On Sept. 11 at 3:45 p.m. Public Safety received a report from an NYU student that his laptop was missing from the seventh floor study room at Bobst Library. Police notification was declined and the report is open and under investigation.

On Sept. 11 at 4:40 p.m. Public Safety received a report from an NYU student that his book bag and laptop were missing from a study room at Bobst Library. A police report was filed and the report is open and under investigation.

On Sept. 11 at 4:45 p.m. Public Safety received a report from an NYU student that his book bag and laptop were missing from a computer lab in Bobst Library. A police report was filed and the report is open and under investigation.

On Sept. 11 at 10:15 p.m.

Public Safety received a report from a staff member that her wallet was missing from her office in Bobst Library. A police report was filed and the report is open and under investigation.

On Sept. 12 at 12:50 p.m.

Public Safety received a report from an NYU staff member that his bike’s seat was missing from his bike after he left it outside of 721 Broadway. Police notification was declined and

the report is open and under investigation.

On Sept. 13 at 3:10 p.m. Public Safety received a report from an NYU student that his Bose headphones, left in his dorm room in Meyer Hall, were missing. Police notification was declined and the report is open and under investigation.

On Sept. 13 at 9:00 p.m. Public Safety received a report from an NYU student that her bike light was missing from her bike which she left on the second floor of 20 Cooper Square. Police notification was declined and the report is open and under investigation.

On Sept. 14 at 12:08 p.m.

Public Safety received a report from an NYU student that his backpack and laptop were missing after he left them on the ground at Gould Plaza.

The report is open and under investigation.

On Sept. 14 at 3:20 p.m. Public Safety received a report from an NYU student that his laptop was missing from the 12th floor of Warren Weaver Hall, where she left it. The report is open and under investigation.

On Sept. 14 at 4:05 p.m. Public Safety received a report from a staff member that her cellphone was missing from her desk in her office in 721 Broadway. The report is open and under investigation.

On Sept. 14 at 6:30 p.m. Public Safety received a report from a staff member who reported that her wallet was missing from her office in 721 Broadway. The report is open and under investigation.

On Sept. 14 at 10:13 p.m. Public Safety received a report from an NYU student that his laptop was missing from the ninth floor in Bobst Library. The report is open and under investigation.

Stalking/Dating Violence On Sept. 8 at 6:54 p.m. Public Safety received a report from a student that she was being followed and threatened by an ex-boyfriend at Bobst Library. The report is open and under investigation.

Simple Assault On Sept. 9 at 12:10 a.m.

Public Safety received a report from a student that he was shoved to the ground by a bouncer at a restaurant on

192 Mercer St. The report is open and under investigation.

Controlled Substance On Sept. 9 at 2:24 a.m. Public Safety responded to a report of an alleged controlled substance violation and recovered a small amount of marijuana from a resident of Third North Residence Hall. The case was closed and the resident was referred to the Office of Community Standards.

On Sept. 11 at 12:20 a.m.

Public Safety responded to a report of an alleged controlled substance violation and recovered a small amount of marijuana from a resident of Greenwich Hall. The case was closed and the resident was referred to the Office of Community Standards.

On Sept. 13 at 12:23 a.m.

Public Safety responded to a report of an alleged controlled substance violation and recovered a small amount of marijuana from a resident at Alumni Hall. The case was closed and the resident was referred to the Office of Community Standards.

Trespass On Sept. 9 at 9:00 a.m. Public Safety responded to a report of an unknown man trespassing at Carlyle Court Residence Hall. Police notification was declined and the report is open and under investigation.

Public Lewdness On Sept. 9 at 3:35 p.m. Public Safety received a report from a NYU student that an unknown man was exposing himself across the street from Second Street Residence Hall.

The report is open and under investigation.

After kicking off the semester with their first meeting of the 2017-2018 school year last Thursday, the NYU College Democrats are aiming big by breaking down.

After a semester of planning led by former club president and 2017 CAS graduate Michael DeLuca, the club has introduced “task forces,” smaller groups made up of members that take on specific issues such as women’s health, affordable housing, voter suppression, criminal justice reform, democracy, gerrymandering and much more. Students will also have the opportunity to create new task forces based on their interests.

According to club leadership, abandoning the concept of an executive board who runs all club affairs makes it easier for the large influx of members to get involved and stay active with topics that suit their passions. Members have the opportunity to organize initiatives within their respective task forces, allowing for more focused action to be taken within the community.

“We decided to make the change because we wanted everyone to realize that NYU Democrats is not an organization that has any sort of hierarchy or structure,” NYUCD political director and Liberal Studies junior Ollie Jones said. “When you decentralize it like this, more ideas get heard, more voices come out and we get a clearer sense of what needs to be done.”

While it is early in the year for the club to have concrete plans, the NYU Democrats are using this semester to contribute to local Democratic campaigns by volunteering time, canvassing neighborhoods, putting up fliers and making calls. While NYUCD does not endorse specific Democrats for office during the primaries, the group has been active in the

mayoral and city council races.

Club members also plan on doing similar work in New Jersey sometime this semester.

“We had a lot of freshmen canvassing for local Democrats [last weekend],” NYUCD secretary and Gallatin junior Jenny Neuman said. “It’s a lot of phone calls, making sure people are registered to vote and know when to vote and where to go. I’m really excited about the grassroots activism.”

The club plans on continuing with annual traditions such as debates against other political organizations on campus, namely Republican, Socialist and Libertarian clubs, as well as the College Democrats of New York Convention, where members get to interact with clubs from schools like Cornell and Columbia.

In light of national politics, NYUCD also hopes to shed light on issues by holding information sessions to educate students and providing support and resources to members whose hometowns have been “hit the hardest by this administration,” according to Neuman.

The club plans to draw on students’ connections from previous volunteer work and internships, inviting speakers from organizations such as Black Lives Matter to club meetings and events.

“Right now, we are really focusing on harnessing the energy we saw from people after the election,” NYUCD events coordinator and CAS junior Kelsey Moore said. “There was the possibility for membership in College Dems to take a hit. Instead we saw the opposite. We want people to feel productive and involved.”

For more information about NYU College Democrats, visit their Facebook page or stop by their meetings at Kimmel Center for Student Life on Thursdays at 7 p.m.

Email Sakshi Venkatraman at news@nyunews.com.

Harassment On Sept. 13 at 8:05 p.m. Public Safety received a report from an NYU student that a non-NYU affiliate followed her from the Starbucks on West 4th Street to Weinstein Hall.

Public Safety identified the man and escorted him outside.

The man left with no further incident. Police notification was declined and the report is open and under investigation.

Email Miranda Levingston at mlevingston@nyunews.com.

NYUNEWS.COM

VIA FACEBOOK.COM

NYUCD is the College Democratic Chapter for NYU. They serve as a liberal voice pushing for change and a voice for the left.

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NYU’s Latin American Clubs Raise Funds in Wake of Irma

By CAROLINE HASKINS Deputy News Editor

One week after Hurricane Irma ravaged the Caribbean, Latin America and the Southeastern United States with Category 5 force, NYU’s fundraising efforts for the hurricane’s victims are well underway.

Students in Latinos Unidos con Honor y Amistad collaborated with Bella Quisqueya, Sigma Iota Alpha, the Haitian Students Association and the Caribbean Students Association with the goal of raising $5,000 for Irma relief in Antigua and Barbuda. Barbuda government officials said 90 percent of Barbuda was destroyed by Irma.

Brittany Baez, a Steinhardt senior and member of Sigma Iota Alpha, said that she has been pleased by the student response to the fundraiser.

“An NYU student came up and said that her grandmother lives in Anti-

gua and that it meant a lot to her that we’re doing this fundraiser,” Baez said. “Another student was in a rush to meet a friend, but stopped to donate $10 because she felt like it was important and wanted to help in any way that she could.”

Steinhardt senior Carmen Marazzi started a GoFundMe page to help raise money. She said she was inspired to help the alliance out of frustration that hurricane Irma coverage was U.S.-centric.

“I’m from Puerto Rico, so watching the news and seeing it was all about Florida was relatively frustrating for me, because I knew they weren’t gonna get hit [for] another week,” Marazzi said. “Irma didn’t hit my home as bad, thank God. It could’ve been a lot worse. But then I saw Barbuda completely destroyed.”

Marazzi’s GoFundMe page has raised $750, in addition to over $600 in cash donations collected

in two-hour daily shifts at Kimmel since Sept. 11. Venmo and Square cash donations, designed to help students passing the Kimmel table in a rush, have raised $86 as of Sept.

14. Venmo donations are directed to @Brittany-Baez. As of Sept. 14, a total of $1,351.75 had been raised.

Proceeds from this fundraising effort will either go to The Ebenezer Pilgrim Holiness Church, whose members intend to visit Antigua and Barbuda and provide labor toward relief efforts, and Project Hope, a nonprofit organization that assists in the wake of natural disasters around the globe.

NYU’s Latino fraternity, Phi Iota Alpha, is heading its own fundraiser in which proceeds will go to UNICEF, which will provide water pumps to vulnerable Latin American and Caribbean communities whose infrastructure was destroyed after Harvey.

The group has raised $48 of its $1,000 goal as of Sunday. But according to Ricardo Canello III, a CAS senior and member of Phi Iota Alpha, the fraternity will continue the fundraiser as long as necessary until the $1,000 goal is met. “[Latin American communities] need that water not just for themselves, but for their economy too,” Canello said. “Without clean water, their crops are not gonna be able to grow. Their economy is gonna suffer as a result of the hurricanes, and it just becomes a bad situation for everybody involved.”

Canello also said that he hopes students who see fundraising links in the NYU class Facebook pages do not just scroll past them.

“Just looking at this and reading it and realizing there’s a problem — it’s not enough,” Canello said. “The money needs to come through. We don’t need likes. We don’t need peo-

PHOTO VIA U.S. NAVY

Satellite image of Hurricane Irma heading to Florida on Thursday, Sept. 7th, 2017. ple to just read it and be like, ‘Oh my God.’ We do not need pity — we need action.”

Email Caroline Haskins at chaskins@nyunews.com.

NYU Professors Bring Hamlet to Virtual Reality

By MACK DEGEURIN Deputy News Editor

Imagine walking down the gray granite steps of a weathered castle.

A few flickering stars just make their way through the dense, smoky fog surrounding you. In the distance, you hear a deep, towering voice speaking with assertion.

You trace the sound, moving about in this surreal world until you see him. A 30-foot-tall giant hovers, clad in steel armor — the ghost of Hamlet’s father.

While this may sound like a theater buff’s fever dream, the above depiction is real. Or, at least, virtually real.

Two years ago, Tandon professor and alumnus Jose Molina and director David Gochfeld set out to merge the worlds of drama and technology. Their idea was a theatrical performance of Shakespeare’s “Hamlet,” viewed entirely through virtual reality.

Utilizing an array of advanced game design technology at NYU’s

Media and Games Network — MAGNET — at Tandon, the team behind “To Be With Hamlet” created a world which would serve as a virtual theater unrestricted by real-world physical limitations.

“Theater has always been a social experiment first and foremost,” Molina said. “But in this space you can build entire worlds around you and build characters around you that you can’t in traditional theater.”

“To Be With Hamlet” had its first test run in April at the Tribeca Film Festival. The project had its own private room as part of a full floor of VR experiences.

Tandon senior Alexis Trevizo experienced the virtual performance firsthand and said he was impressed. “‘To Be With Hamlet’ has inspired me to learn more about the production of VR experiences,” Trevizo said.

While viewers immersed themselves with the technology at Tribeca, the actors were an island away, performing live. Actor Roger

PHOTO BY POLINA BUCHAK

Virtual Reality in NYU’s Media and Games Network.

Casey performed the role of Ghost and compared the act to puppetry.

“It’s sort of like diving into the machine’s head,” Casey said.

Originally versed in theater, film and combat choreography, the live virtual performance of “To Be With Hamlet” proved challenging, both conceptually and physically, for Casey.

“You have to figure out how to split your brain,” Casey said.

Christian Grewell, an adjunct arts professor at NYU Shanghai, has been interested in virtual reality since the technology’s inception.

Grewell, one of the first backers of the original Oculus Rift system was approached early on by Molina to create a social VR technology. This new social software would eventually be called M3diate.

Using M3ditate, viewers from as far away as Abu Dhabi were able to watch the performance and interact with viewers from the Tribeca Film Festival in real time.

While the team behind “To Be With Hamlet,” is working to expand the performance, all involved have a grander vision for the technology’s application. Both Molina and Grewell see the Hamlet project as catalyst for future VR projects involving the arts and educational development.

Despite the multitude of possibilities VR technologies may offer to art, there are some potential roadblocks. One possible barrier is the idea of the uncanny valley — the

theory that states that humans tend to feel uncomfortable or freaked out when a non-human figure appears close to but not quite human.

The second and ultimately greatest barrier for VR performances comes down to costs. For less than 15 minutes of content, Grewell estimates the costs for “To Be With Hamet” to be over $32,000.

Despite these factors, both Molina and Grewell are optimistic for the future integration of virtual reality and art.

Molina went on to say that now, while the technology is still in its infancy, is the prime time for art and education to take full advantage of the potential of virtual reality. Ironically, while NYU’s engineering department has programs catering to the platform, the school’s theater department currently does not offer any classes teaching students how to use motion capture technologies.

Email Mack DeGeurin at mdegeurin@nyunews.com.

Gallatin Climate Conference Encourages Change

By MIRANDA LEVINGSTON Deputy News Editor

In the destructive wake of Hurricanes Harvey and Irma, the Gallatin Climate Change Initiative Conference demystified global warming with an interdisciplinary lens on

VIA WIKIMEDIA.COM

Gallatin School of Individualized Study, an interdisciplinary college within NYU located at 1 Washington Place.

Sept. 14 and Sept.15.

The purpose of the conference was to engage with the panelists — which included a host of professors, academics, activists and others — in their respective fields of expertise so that people could respond to climate change in a way that promotes a broader understanding of our relationship with the environment.

Harvard professor and author of the frequently cited essay “The Scientific Consensus on Climate Change,” Naomi Oreskes gave the keynote address on Thursday evening. Numerous NYU faculties and students participated in the four panels and a series of short environmental plays on Friday, which was attended by approximately 100 people at any given time.

Panelist and associate professor at Gallatin Sara Murphy said that while

scholars of the humanities might seem unlikely to join the climate change conversation, literature is actually valuable to understand the history of the relationship between humans and the environment.

“Every one of [Charles] Dickens’ works operates within a setting that tells us a great deal about the impacts that industrialization and technological innovation had in the late 18th century,” Murphy said. “Fiction plays a big role in helping us think about these things — so that we can start framing these problems in a more effective way.”

The conference was sponsored by Gallatin, the Asian/Pacific/American Institute at NYU, NYU’s Department of Anthropology, the Health and Environmental Reporting Program and The Climate Working Group.

Bella Mirabella, an organizer of

the event and associate professor in Gallatin, said that the conference was meant to inspire the NYU community to incorporate climate change into all classes, studies and initiatives that fall under the university’s umbrella in order to enter into a broader conversation.

“It’s not something that’s just for the scientists,” Mirabella said.

“It really is something that can really benefit from an interdisciplinary perspective. When you have a huge problem like this, you need to approach it from a variety of perspectives.”

Mirabella noted that though the conference was hosted by Gallatin, there were panelists from other colleges within NYU and panelists that were not affiliated with NYU to appeal to a wide audience and extend the reach of the initiative.

Peder Anker, one of the event organizers and associate professor at Gallatin, said the Gallatin Climate Initiative is about mobilizing the faculty within NYU, even though the conference does have panelists from other universities.

“We’re trying to change the way we teach within the school and address climate change the way it happens in the classroom,” Anker said. “It’s similar to the issue of race. In the last couple of years, NYU has really tried to bring this issue to the forefront of academic engagement. Now, I can’t think of a person who doesn’t think that this issue is important.”

“This conference is not the end of our engagement,” Mirabella said.

“This is only the beginning.”

Email Miranda Levingston at mlevingston@nyunews.com.

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WASHINGTON SQUARE NEWS | MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 2017 | NYUNEWS.COM

ARTS

EDITED BY JORDAN REYNOLDS ARTS@NYUNEWS.COM

Family Divisions Exposed in ‘Close Relations’

By JESSICA JI Contributing Writer

Born in Ukraine, but identifying as Russian, documentary director Vitaly Mansky travels back to Ukraine to interview his relatives who live in places like Lviv, Crimea and Donetsk and discovers a wide variety of conflicting viewpoints and political stances. Mansky, known for his award-winning documentary “Under the Sun,” examines the recent Ukraine-Russia conflict through the lens of the divisions seen in his own family in his most recent documentary, “Close Relations.” In a documentary that feels more like an extended home movie, Mansky delves into his family relations at a time when na-

“

Mansky provides a deeply intimate, careful study of both his own family and the conflicts that divide Ukraine and those who live in it.

”

tional identity and Ukrainian politics are constantly in flux.

Mansky relies predominantly on stationary shots of his relatives talking to make up the bulk of his documentary — a directorial choice both beneficial and detrimental to the viewer’s overall experience.

Introducing family members one by one, Mansky lets his relatives ramble on, and through their talking is able to present an intimate portrait of his own family and a meditative, unhurried study on their opinions and complexities. Simultaneously, however, the long interview shots give the documentary a slow, som-

ber pace, only occasionally interrupted with Mansky’s equally somber narration and shots of family photos and television screens. This presents difficulties staying focused, especially because the film does not contain any fast-paced, entertaining moments.

When Mansky’s relatives interact with each other, the documentary produces its most poignant moments. In a scene halfway through the film, three of Mansky’s aunts argue over Skype, each refusing to back down from her opinions even as they insist that they not talk about politics. The argument simmers with concealed aggression. One of his aunts, Mansky notes in his narration, is so stubborn in her beliefs that she does not even acknowledge her own sister in the Skype call. Scenes like these inject tension and life into an otherwise solemn and understated film and emphasize the divide in Mansky’s family.

In his presentation of the Ukraine conflict, Mansky uses a timeline, spanning from 2014 to 2015, to guide in his storytelling. The film can still pose confusion for audience members who are unfamiliar with the conflict: relatives speak casually about events and people without much context from Mansky’s limited narration.

It proves challenging to keep track of all of Mansky’s relatives as he goes back and forth between them. The differences between the opposing sides of the conflict are still palpable, even when operating on limited knowledge.

Though not a film for someone looking for quick entertainment, “Close Relations” is worth watching for those interested in recent politics and hearing personal perspective. Mansky provides a deeply intimate, careful study of both his own family and the conflicts that divide Ukraine and those who live in it.

“Close Relations” opens at the Museum of the Moving Image on Friday, Sept. 22.

Email Jessica Ji at film@nyunews.com.

PHOTO COURTESY OF MOMI

Museum of the Moving Image presents the U.S. theatrical premiere engagement of “Close Relations.”

PHOTO COURTESY OF JULIETA CERVANTES

“1984” on Broadway provides a theatrical experience like nothing else.

The play is shocking and uncomfortable, but also timely and necessary.

Big Brother on Broadway

By EMMA HERNANDO Contributing Writer

Many theatergoers today know the experience of having a play drive them to laughter or tears, but few have attended a play that makes them faint or flat out leave the theater. “1984” on Broadway presents a unique experience for audiences — while it is not uncommon for plays of the highest quality to emotionally move and affect their audiences, 1984 is an anomaly in that it initiates deep inquisitive thought into the nature of our society.

Robert Icke and Duncan Macmillan adapted and directed George Orwell’s novel. The play “1984” begins with a slightly disconcerting atmosphere that becomes incredibly distorted by the rebellious actions of the protagonist, Winston, against “the party.” Because of the level of initial normalcy of the setting — an office — it is easy to sink into what you are watching, but as an audience member you quickly learn that getting comfortable is not the best option. While most productions welcome you to relax and be entertained, “1984” restricts you from doing exactly that. During abrupt scene changes, the use of a blackout accompanied by jarring flashes of blinding light stuns the audience, waking viewers up from whatever sense of comfort they develop.

The play originated in Nottingham Playhouse in England before transferring over to the West End and then making its way across the pond to a limited run in Hudson Theatre on Broadway through Oct. 8. Though its British origins are evident though both the language and the show’s setting in “Eurasia,” the American actors translate the work beautifully. Tom Sturridge’s performance as Winston depicts him as a somewhat twisted in-

dividual — an outcast. Yet as the play goes on, it is clear that his purpose is to appear as a symbol of the most primitive sense of humanity, revealing the truth of how the common man would act while all sense of truth — “two plus two makes four” becoming false — is taken away from him.

When Winston and his love interest, Julia, are discovered to be part of the resistance, sensory overload follows. While the story provides a great deal of shock, the sudden explosion of lights, colors and sound forces the audience into panic mode.

The theater goes dark, leaving audiences dreading whatever is going to emerge from the darkness. Winston is then graphically tortured before the audience’s eyes. While torturing him, O’Brien references eerie similarities between the fictional world and the real one. The lights come on in the theater as O’Brien reveals to Winston that the world will stand by and watch these atrocities happen. As an audience member, you get the urge to run up and say something or to run away, but you can’t — and that might be the most frightening part.

This play has come at exactly the right time — one of fake news and blurred ideologies. Though it may be uncomfortable to watch such horrible events happen onstage, showcasing them is necessary. Every time a politician lies to the masses about what is right in front of them, attempting to convince them that “two plus two equals five,” we get closer to the world of “1984.” Each time the use of cruel and unusual punishment is an acceptable form of upholding the law, we get closer to “1984’s” world. The play embraces a new age of theater that exists to stun and affect its audience in a whole new way.

Email Emma Hernando at theater@nyunews.com.

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‘Stairway to Stardom’ is HERE

By AMELIA REARDON Contributing Writer

Mirroring the struggle of most college students, “Stairway to Stardom,” now showing at the HERE Arts Center, shares a unique experience of self-discovery and the pursuit of one’s dreams in life. The show features an all-female cast dressed in futuristic silver costumes dancing around the stage while delivering lines PHOTO COURTESY OF FACEBOOK.COM

“Victoria & Abdul” is a comedy-drama film based on the real life relationship between Queen Victoria and her Indian servant Abdul Karim.

‘Victoria & Abdul’ Lacks Depth

By GURU RAMANATHAN Contributing Writer

The year is 1887 and the British Empire rules over India.

In England, Queen Victoria (Dame Judi Dench) is hosting a Golden Jubilee to celebrate the 50th anniversary of her ascension to the throne. At this marquee event, two Indian attendees, Abdul Karim (Ali Fazal) and Mohammed (Adeel Akhtar), arrive to bestow the Queen with a special gift. The rules are simple: bow, present, walk back and avoid eye contact. But it is with one look that Stephen Frears’ “Victoria & Abdul” is set into motion, falling into a glossy, sometimes humorous, period drama that explores the platonic friendship of two people coming from disparate cultures and statuses.

Frears does not shy from portraying the poor treatment of Indians, but he makes very broad strokes at doing so.

He pokes fun at the monarchy instead of legitimately tackling the racial tension in its history. Although Mohammed tends to comically point out the discrimination during his and Abdul’s time there, Abdul’s reactions are ridiculously subdued and optimistic. One can only imagine what it would have been like from the perspective of an Indian director where there would likely be more focus shifted to Abdul.

Abdul wins Victoria’s favor in a few days, and the two form an unlikely alliance that lasts years — much to the chagrin of the royal family and other servants. Again, it seems that the director does not care much for Abdul, as he tends to place a heavy focus on Victoria instead of balancing their

friendship on screen. Regardless, Dench is remarkable in the role, embodying Victoria’s dour yet sharp nature. Queen Victoria is bored and unhappy in her twilight years, but her newfound friendship rejuvenates her life and frees her from her rigid monarchical duties. Dench does not miss a beat, her screen presence dominating every scene.

Abdul, however, is surprisingly flat throughout the movie. He is philosophical and kind, and he finds his friendship with Victoria to be a privilege. Although the film opens with him, he eventually becomes an afterthought and virtually has no character arc.

Fazal portrays him well and is able to stretch his range in a few scenes toward the end. It is difficult to find a scene where Abdul conveys his feelings beyond his love for the Queen or what he really thinks about the prejudice he receives from the royal family.

Danny Cohen handled the cinematography, providing many stylish, beautiful shots of castles and British landscapes. At times, Cohen’s shots make the film feel oddly artificial, as if anything substantial is at the surface level, which represents the film as a whole.

“Victoria & Abdul” is sweet, endearing and certainly enjoyable for a one-time watch. Ultimately, “Victoria & Abdul” is entertaining and offers a stunning showcase for Dench’s talents. Beyond that, the film does not seize its opportunity to explore the critical time period of its amazing true story.

“Victoria & Abdul” opens in New York theaters on Friday, Sept. 22.

Email Guru Ramanathan at film@nyunews.com.

PHOTO COURTESY OF MARIA BARANOVA

“Stairway to Stardom” by Amanda Szeglowski on September 14 2017

in monotonous, robotic tones.

This is a theater experience that breaks the mold, in all the best ways, of traditional Broadway plays. Fractions of conversations — that creator Amanda Szeglowski, a former NYU professor, spent hours collecting through interviews with everyday people about the pursuit of their dreams — pair beautifully with dance breaks that pay homage to classic shows about fame.

The inspiration for this piece is a long-running television show, also called “Stairway to Stardom,” that followed everyday people pursuing fame, much like “America’s Got Talent.” The script consisted of fragments of personal life stories that have a similar tone to those of the performers on the show. These were told to Szeglowski through interviews she conducted with people ages 16 to 100. The fragments are told in sections that portray the journey through life in an abstract take on a traditional plot.

Szeglowski described the show as having dark undertones as it explores the arduous

road to fame and the bumps and failures along the way.

This undertone is portrayed through hilarious storylines that are amplified by the lack of emotion on the faces and in the voices of the cast as the script delves into the turmoils of pursuing one’s dream.

“That specificity can only come through trust and joy,” choreographer Deborah Lohse said in a post-show Q&A session.

She was referring to the relationship among the performers and their unison throughout their performance.

NYU was represented apart from Szeglowski, as well. Performer Ali Castro graduated from NYU with a B.F.A. in dance, a B.A. in journalism and a minor in entertainment law. The show exhibits some serious Violet talent with the performance from Castro in addition to the directing, writing and choreographing done by Szeglowski.

“Stairway to Stardom” is showing at HERE Arts center from now until Sept. 23.

Email Amelia Reardon at entertainment@nyunews.com.

Experimental Dance at Skirball

By DEVANSHI KHETARPAL Contributing Writer

Last Friday evening, AUNTS and its many acts took over NYU Skirball Center for the Performing Arts for an immersive underground dance happening, transforming Skirball’s lobby, dressing rooms, hallways and backstage area into performance spaces for several downtown artists. Audiences were seen wandering all over the venue, encountering one act after another.

Although this event was a new and bewildering experience for many, AUNTS has been organizing such dance events since 2005, when it was founded by James Kidd and Rebecca Brooks.

It aims to enliven the most atypical spaces through experimental and offbeat forms of dance. However, that is only part of what it accomplishes.

While each performance at Skirball was distinctive in its own way, all of them managed to exhibit the surprising in the mundane and the reflective in the indifferent. In an otherwise common dressing room, an audience intently watched Alexandra Tatarsky as she walked back and forth hurriedly, panting, before clinging to the wall and inventing a conversation between the vent and the cupboard. In that moment, her body, movement

and voice created an intriguing dialogue between the real and the imaginary.

In another performance, Nia Love moved artfully between two laptops kept on either side of her. On each one, she had her friends on webcam. While they sat at home, lying in bed or eating a snack, she would move her body tactfully and continue talking to them. At one point, she asked them to keep moving their hands in circles until she could feel it. In no time, the audience became participants, some even coming to lie down on the floor with her as they moved their hands.

Jahmal B. Golden’s performance, however, was slightly different from the other two.

Sitting on the floor, in a flood of sugar and spices, Golden moved cautiously, with a peculiar kind of silence. Taking off their clothes and dipping their necklace into their mouth, Golden ended their piece by lying on the floor with a slow, almost practiced caution. Their body spoke of a different movement — unconscious, yet startlingly controlled.

In another dressing room, a dancer, with his face painted black, lay down, gagged, with his body wrapped tightly in a black cloth as he stared blankly at a laptop screen playing YouTube videos on loop. The room felt eerie, with everyone’s eyes

PHOTO VIA VIA FACEBOOK.COM

On Friday evening, AUNTS took over the entirety Skirball for an immersive underground dance experience. fixated on the seeming quietness of his body.

Walking out of Skirball after the event felt strange. AUNTS not only managed to pull off a showcase of surprising dance performances, but also managed to communicate how one can be a better witness to one’s environment. By taking audiences on a journey, one grounded equally in stillness and movement, the event fused the language of the body with the language of the scene. It managed to showcase one’s possession of the body alongside one’s dispossession of another.

Email Devanshi Khetarpal at entertainment@nyunews.com.

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FEATURES

EDITED BY KAITLYN WANG FEATURES@NYUNEWS.COM

Welcome to the Gay-borhood

By AMELIA MCBAIN Contributing Writer

Greenwich Village, the core of life at NYU, houses a vibrant queer community and the historical center of the LGBTQ rights movement. Often overlapping with NYU, this “gayborhood” is filled with places of celebration, mourning, protest and, most of all, community. Here are some of the most important queer sites around the Village to visit.

Washington Square Park A favorite place for students to spend their downtime between classes, Washington Square Park doubles as a natural center for student life as well as a hub of LGBTQ pride and protest. Both the third-ever Pride Parade in 1973 and the first-ever Dyke March in 1993 ended in Washington Square Park. This pattern continues today. Some recent examples of protests here include the rallies for same-sex marriage in March 2013 and the 12th Annual Trans Day of Action march just last year.

AIDS Memorial New York City’s AIDS Memorial,

dedicated on World AIDS Day in December of last year, honors the more than 100,000 New Yorkers who have died of AIDS. Striking against a background of concrete sidewalks and glass buildings, the massive white triangular sculpture shelters a reflective fountain.

Engraved in the concrete circling around the fountain are words from Walt Whitman’s “Song of Myself,” a poem of hope, dignity and togetherness. It is fitting that the memorial is in Greenwich, a historically queer neighborhood, because gay men were and are disproportionately affected by HIV/AIDS. The memorial is built on the site of the former St. Vincent Hospital’s campus because it housed the first AIDS ward in New York, the second in the nation. Though terribly sad, this memorial and the park adjacent to it are good for a moment of thought or reflection.

Stonewall The Stonewall Inn on Christopher Street is, definitively, the birthplace of the gay rights movement. It started when the NYPD raided the beloved bar and dance club on June 28, 1969. Instead of complying, the patrons of the bar

By TYLER CREWS Contributing Writer

PHOTO BY KATIE PERRUNG

A statue of same sex couples sign in the Greenwich Historic District. resisted the police. Thirteen people were arrested and the riots that followed lasted six days and garnered thousands of protesters.

The riots at Stonewall inspired LGBTQ people from around the country to organize and fight for their rights. The bar is now a National Historic Landmark, but it is still open for business. There is also a park and art installation across from it for those under 21 that would like to visit.

Email Amelia McBain at features@nyunews.com.

Limited Edition Bagel: Little Tong

PHOTO BY JULIA SALIBA

Black Seed collaborated with Tong Noodle House to create a new limited edition item, a Szechuan peppercorn bagel with Tong’s chicken salad.

By NATALIE CHINN Contributing Writer Black Seed Bagels’ latest limited edition item is not your average chicken salad sandwich.

Simone Tong, chef of Little Tong Noodle House, collaborated with Black Seed to create a fiery bite that will surely be missed after it disappears come October.

Over the past few years, Black Seed has combined its talents with chefs from around the city, incorporating the unique flavors of their different cultural and culinary backgrounds. Past partners include Alex Guarnaschelli,

Billy Durney and Danny Bowien, the last being the genius behind a squid-ink bagel with white poppy seeds. These collaborations have been incredibly popular among bagel lovers, and now Black Seed is back with a fresh new list of chefs. Simone Tong kicked it all off with her September bagel invention.

Her establishment, a cozy Chinese restaurant, focuses on the Yunnan region’s rich and savory flavors, with an emphasis on rice noodles. Little Tong was Tong’s first restaurant. Born in Chengdu, China, Tong travelled to the United States for culinary school. She worked under several chefs, such as Masato Shimizu and Wylie Dufresne, before opening up her own restaurant. One of Tong’s specialty dishes is Ghost Chicken, a spicy dish garnished with peppers and herbs. This fan-favorite was converted into chicken salad form for Black Seed’s featured bagel of the month.

The chicken salad was paired with a Szechuan peppercorn bagel, a new Black Seed original made to complement Little Tong’s creation. Sprinkled with chili flakes, the bagel not only had a kick, but also a delightful crispiness. Its texture had many qualities similar to a dense baguette.

The rich orange color of Tong’s chicken salad reflected

Wang Brings Elite Fashion to the Streets

its spice level. It was refreshingly creamy and smooth to the taste. The heat was not too intense and lightly lingered after the first bite, making the sandwich easy to devour. Its consistency was spot on. Although the ingredients of the chicken salad were finely minced, it did not fall apart or drip out of the sandwich. The only other component was fresh cucumbers, which nicely contrasted its spiciness and brought out the sweetness and tanginess of the mix.

Tong nailed the simplicity of her creation. The acidic notes from the ginger and onion in the chicken salad are perfectly balanced by its creaminess. Any additional toppings, aside from the cucumbers, would have been a distraction to the sweet and savory notes of the meat.

Although Black Seed is on the more expensive side for bagels, these creations are worth a try.

A delicious interpretation of a cult favorite dish, the Little Tong bagel cannot be missed. It can be found at both the NoLita and East Village Black Seed locations. However, if you want to experience Little Tong Noodle Shop and Black Seed’s Little Tong bagel back to back, go to the East Village, where the two face each other from either side of First Street.

Email Natalie Chinn at dining@nyunews.com.

Last Saturday, many NYU students happened to be at the right place at the right time, receiving an experience that some can only dream of — sitting front row for a New York Fashion Week event. Wangfest was a citywide runway show, where Alexander Wang turned our ordinary streets into his catwalk.

With a tour bus full of models — including Bella Hadid, Kendall Jenner, Candice Swanepoel and Kaia Gerber — Wangfest hit three New York locations: Broome Street, Astor Place and outside of the Bushwick warehouses in Brooklyn.

Wangfest has received major

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As a society we have come to view popularity as what can gain the largest and most diverse audience, rather than what is most exclusive and out of reach.

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attention due to its accessibility, as the audience was composed of both fashion followers and curious passersby. One of those who stumbled upon the Astor Place show was LS sophomore, Anastasia MacEwen, who was accompanied by her friend.

“I had never been to a fashion show and barely knew who Alexander Wang was, but we decided to stay because it was a once in a lifetime opportunity,” MacEwen said.

While there were many in the crowd who were new to fashion, MacEwen described those around her as people with an in-

terest in the industry. Some Alexander Wang fans waited hours outside his SoHo store earlier in the morning to get wristbands that would give them access to what they thought would be an exclusive show.

“I think the audience it did attract was still people with their foot in the door of the fashion world,” MacEwen said. “The girls to my left were fashion designers from Parsons, the girl behind me had an Alexander Wang purse on her, the kid to my right was telling me how fashion shows usually go and across the runway were people with wrist tags.”

Which brings us to an important question — what does it mean for the fashion industry when the shows are growing less and less exclusive? Wang’s typical show attendees, including editors and buyers, received invites to the Brooklyn location, only to spend an hour standing in the chill air, waiting for a glimpse at what others had already seen. Wang seemed to cater more to the streets than to the elite, which says something about fashion’s current direction. With the rapid growth of social media and technology, consumers seem to have everything they need at their fingertips, especially since Wang livestreamed the event as well. As a society we have come to view popularity as what can gain the largest and most diverse audience, rather than what is most exclusive and out of reach.

While this may be to the dismay of those who have grown accustomed to being on the inside, it is important to remember that fashion is more than an industry — it is an art.

Whether it be the music in the park, a SoHo gallery or a fashion show in the middle of the street, art can leave an impact on any and all who come across it — you just have to be lucky enough to be there.

Email Tyler Crews at bstyle@nyunews.com.

PHOTO VIA FACEBOOK.COM

Kendall Jenner walked for Alexander Wang’s Spring 2018 which took place Lafayette and Center Streets.

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FEATURES

EDITED BY KAITLYN WANG FEATURES@NYUNEWS.COM

Noah Hyams: Behind SwipeMe

By SPURTHI KONTHAM Contributing Writer

Steinhardt alumnus Noah Hyams may have graduated last spring, but his dedication to the NYU student community is still as strong as ever. Having previously gained recognition for his innovation Studor — an app that matches students with potential tutors within the student community on demand

PHOTO BY YASMIN GULEC

Recent graduate Noah Hyams created SwipeMe, a mobile app that matches students who have extra meal swipes with hungry students.

to circumvent the hassle of office-hours and busy academic centers — Hyams has now invented yet another app to aid the lives of busy and broke college students: SwipeMe. SwipeMe is a web-based application — meaning no download necessary — that connects hungry students with students willing to barter off their extra meal swipes. The app is a genius solution to many problems: the all-too-familiar dilemma of dozens of meal swipes going to waste at the end of every semester and the very real food insecurity of students across the NYU campus and the city alike. But Hyams has a vision that speaks to more than that — he dreams of using his applications and his new platform, Studango, for mobile and online apps to enhance college experiences, to strengthen the NYU student community and college communities everywhere, from within.

Hyams personally believes that the dining halls are a crucial hub of NYU culture — he finds it to be one of the only social places on campus where NYU students from all across campus can be found in one setting. He wanted to take advantage of the setting and create a way for students to casually meet one another, find others who share their interests or even have a conversation with someone they would not otherwise encounter in their own busy schedules. SwipeMe is also an initiative to give back — not only does it save wasted meal

swipes but Hyam’s insight from working on sustainability initiatives showed him that this could reduce food costs and wastage.

SwipeMe connects to your

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He wanted to take advantage of the setting and create a way for students to casually meet one another.

” Facebook account and prompts you to answer a few questions such as why you are using SwipeMe, your major and minor (if any) and a description of yourself. It then matches you with two other users a day, who are offering what you are seeking. There is also a chat feature on SwipeMe, as well as a Marketplace where meals can be traded for anything from haircuts to a hug or a chance for friendship.

Hyams truly wishes that SwipeMe, Studor and Studango are helpful to NYU students and become an integrated part of the community. Check out his apps and give them a try yourself. You can check the free web service Swipe Me: swipemeapp.com Email Spurthi Kontham at dining@nyunews.com.

PHOTO VIA VIA INSTAGRAM.COM

Carolina Herrera’s stunning collection evokes budding parks and picnics.

One Sentence Fashion Week Reviews

By CAROLINE TO Contributing Writer

Marchesa Enter a world of pure imagination as the delectably delicate embellishments and whimsical skirts from designers Georgina Chapman and Keren Craig give a taste of what Willy Wonka’s world would look like in couture.

tightly-fastened belts and geometric prints evoke thoughts of budding parks and picnics, shining Mustangs, youth and clear blue skies.

Michael Kors Collection Michael Kors mixed business and pleasure with Hawaiian shirts, leis and summery maxi dresses along with stark black and white professional pieces.

Kimora Lee Simmons

The Row

It may just be the perfectly paired pink stiletto, but with classic shapes, clean lines and a bubbly blue, feathered cocktail dress, Simmons’ collection could dress the CEO of Barbie.

Perfectly-structured trenches, neutrals, cape dresses, springtoned solids and hooded cardigans from Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen prove that sweater weather can extend to spring.

Carolina Herrera Canary yellow, polka dots,

Email Caroline To at bstyle@nyunews.com.

International Houses Provide Small Slices of the World

By LINDSEY ALPAUGH Contributing Writer

Just north of Washington Square Park, there is a quiet row of mews — stables-turned-houses — tucked away from the rush of the city. While the street might seem more peaceful than the surrounding area, this collection of houses is one of the busiest and often overlooked parts of the NYU campus.

The Washington Mews is home to many of NYU’s international houses, which span continents: the Africa House, Casa Italiana Zerilli-Marimo, China House, Deutsche Haus, Glucksman Ireland House, Jordan Russian Center, Kevorkian Center, King Juan Carlos I of Spain Center and La Maison Francaise each has a home on campus.

Preparations are underway for the Deutsche Haus’ 40th anniversary celebration. In addition to the party, the Deutsche Haus hosts events like “Art and Friends: Measuring Time,” a col-

laborative exhibition with the Chelsea Film Festival. According to Juliana Camfield, the Director of Deutsche Haus, it also has language classes available to the general public as well as other cultural programming.

“Deutsche Haus at NYU serves as a platform for encounters between artists, writers, scientists, thinkers and academics engaged with the German-speaking world and the general public,” Camfield said.

LS sophomore Ava Vecellio, who plans to study German, is new to the city and hopes that the Deutsche Haus will provide both education and community.

“I’m so excited to get to visit Deutsche Haus and learn more about the culture of Germany while also having fun and meeting new people,” Vecellio said.

Deutsche Haus offers the community the ability to learn German, Swiss and Austrian a mere block away from Washington Square Park.

Most international houses are

accessible not only to students, but also to anyone in the city who wishes to engage with a certain culture. They also collaborate with NYU departments beyond the respective deparments, different cultural institutions and NYU abroad sites.

According to Kingsley Essegbey, the Research Scientist and Assistant Director of Africa House, the house is a center of diplomacy

and research that connects scholars who work in fields from music to economics.

“We are able to collaborate with a wide pool of Africanist faculty and students who do research in a variety of disciplines,” Essegbey said. “We also benefit from access to the NYU campus in Accra and through our NYU Center for Technology and Economic Development Research

PHOTO BY VIOLA MAI

Washington Mews, located between Fifth Avenue and University Place, is home to many of NYU’s international houses.

Center in Kumawu.”

Africa House also operates as a gathering place for different voices within the diverse community at large, extending beyond the idea of culture but also touching on the political side of African identity. The house organizes events like the June 9 Presidential Town Hall with H.E. Nana Addo Dankwa Afuko-Addo, the president of Ghana.

Over 450 attendees listened to his keynote address and participated in a Q&A session with the president. The Africa House has brought in other heads of state in the past for special town hall meetings and presidential forums.

With a huge array of programs and resources readily available, NYU’s international houses serve not only as a welcoming space to students of different cultures but also as bastions of knowledge and discussion for a greater community outside of the university.

Email Lindsey Alpaugh at features@nyunews.com.

STAFF PHOTO BY ECHO CHEN

through

students’ eyes

By SOPHIE SHAW | Beauty & Style Editor Fashion photographer Bill Cunningham once said, “Fashion is the armor to survive everyday life.” During New York Fashion Week, reality embraces fantasy and the armor becomes the focal point, presented, worn and celebrated by the most fashionable following. Each season, WSN enlists the help of student writers and photographers to cover these events.

This semester, WSN had its most extensive coverage to date with over 80 shows. The Spring/Summer 2018 season featured an inclusive group of lines, such as the socially responsible and sustainable Livari, body positive Chromat and The Blonds’ gender-inclusive cast of models. The variety set a positive precedent of acceptance and once again established that fashion can make a social impact.

For many of the fashion week contributors, it is their first time attending presentations and runways. Even for returning writers and photographers, it is a whirlwind to experience a designer’s spectacle of clothing, art, industry insiders, models and beauty.

Reflecting on that experience, we asked the fashion week contributors to share various highlights, shed light on lessons learned and debunk stereotypes.

This season was my sixth covering New York Fashion Week, and one thing I witness every year is that confidence is key in fashion. It is a principle that applies to the designers, models and attendees, and is achieved when we take Cunningham’s words to heart — dressing in our best armor and facing life.

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On networking

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On waiting STAFF PHOTO BY ECHO CHEN

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I went to a show where someone was directing children how to walk down the aisle, and when the show finally started after two hours he said, ‘Well, there goes my hard work down the drain.’

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LIV CHAI, LS SOPHOMORE

I met a bunch of photographers who were incredibly nice, and [I] exchanged Instagrams with them as well as contacts. I kept seeing them in shows, and now that I know them, they went as far as lending me their crates to sit on or even saving me a spot in the riser, which was insane.

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ERICKA BARROSO, LS SOPHOMORE

On the attendees

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The people who attended the shows definitely lived up to the hype of being the most fashionable bunch, and clout goggles were everywhere.

ALEX BOLLINGTON, CAS JUNIOR

On stereotypes

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When someone said ‘fashion week,’ I thought of long, dark runways with intense atmospheres. However, the shows I went to were nothing like that. I loved the smaller, more intimate shows I saw because it gave me a chance to see how much hard work was put in by the designers.

STAFF PHOTO BY KAMILA DAURENOVA

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NATALIE CHINN, LS SOPHOMORE

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STAFF PHOTO BY ANNA LETSON

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WASHINGTON SQUARE NEWS | MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 2017 | NYUNEWS.COM

OPINION

EDITED BY ANDREW HEYING OPINION@NYUNEWS.COM

EDUCATION

The Merits and Shortcomings of Higher Education Rankings

By ALEX DOMB Contributing Writer

Last week, annual installations of university rankings were released

by U.S. News and World Report and Times Higher Education. U.S. News’ list focuses on national colleges and universities, while Times’ list ranks the top 1,000 universities worldwide. In both of these lists, NYU’s ranking improved from last year’s installation in U.S. News’ list, NYU jumped from a tie for 36th national research university last year to a tie with University of North Carolina — Chapel Hill for 30th this year, while on Times’ list, NYU jumped from 32nd international university last year to 27th this year.

These rankings always generate a

lot of attention. College applicants and their families rely on these lists to guide their university searches, while the universities themselves proudly and publicly advertise their status in these rankings each year. NYU is no exception. On Sept. 13, NYU’s Twitter account released a video announcing NYU’s improved standings in these rankings, along with the caption, “It’s a banner year for #NYU! We’re rising in higher education rankings and becoming more selective.”

So how, exactly, do these rankings determine which school is better than others? Factors considered within the Times’ and U.S. News’ rankings differ significantly, but both groups include reputation-driven surveys and a university’s financial resources in their cal-

culations. Times heavily considers amount of research citations in its rankings, while U.S. News includes graduation rates, retention rates and student selectivity in its rankings.

There are certainly useful insights in these numbers. A university’s financial resources are a valuable indicator of the facilities and opportunities it can provide to students.

Noting exactly what factors go into these calculations is important

when critically evaluating these rankings. But what is more important is what the rankings fail to consider. The most glaring problem is relativism: every university applicant has different needs, different goals and different desires for what he or she wants out of a college education. Moreover, universities themselves have differing missions for what they want to provide to their students and what they want their students to take with them into the professional world. Due to this overall variability, rankings can never serve as a full indicator of a school’s quality or of an individual’s experience at that school. The ranking systems are additionally flawed in that the degree to which they weigh each factor is completely arbitrary.

For example, there is no rational consensus on why U.S. News decides to weigh selectivity at 12.5 percent, as opposed to 14 percent, 20 percent or 10 percent. Clearly, the numerical degree to which each list decides to weigh each factor favors some schools over others.

To reflect this, universities need to stop advertising their statuses in these rankings, as doing so simply propagates the undeserved sense of perceived importance that these lists enjoy. NYU, it is on you — stop legitimizing higher education rankings, and lead the way for peer schools by ignoring systems that are and always will be massively flawed.

Email Alex Domb at opinion@nyunews.com.

ENVIRONMENT

American Media Fails to Contextualize Climate-Intensified Disasters

By THEO WAYT Contributing Writer

Most American news outlets, no matter their political leanings, seem to emulate our president’s erratic, unfocused, 140-characters-or-less style.

Breaking news flows like a Twitter feed — an uninterrupted stream of unfocused, questionably-relevant information — leaving little room for informed discussions of systematic forces behind sensational headlines.

This limited journalistic attention-span acutely shows itself through coverage of hurricanes Harvey and Irma. News outlets focus on attention-grabbing tidbits: dramatic survivors’ stories, kaleidoscopic weather maps, breathtaking images of waterless beaches and palms flailing in the wind. Drawing attention to these storms as immediate, tragic events is undeniably important, but news out-

lets that feature only these stories fail to fully contextualize weather events because they omit an existentially important ingredient: climate change.

Because it is impossible to precisely quantify climate change’s storm-specific impact in extra inches of floodwater or additional mph of wind, one must look to broader trends. In the words of writer Naomi Klein, “record-breaking weather events are happening with such regularity that ‘record-breaking’ has become a meteorological cliche.” She’s right: Harvey has been widely reported as a 1,000year flood — that is, a flood that the insurance industry says has a 1/1,000 chance of occurring in a given area each year. Based on this information alone, Harvey appears to be a dreadful but nonetheless inevitable tragedy.

However, Houston experienced 500year floods in both 2015 and 2016.

Do the residents of Houston simply

suffer from odds-defying bad luck? Or are these standards outdated in our rapidly-warming world? Is it insensitive to ask these questions so soon?

Just as people who questioned American military policy post 9/11 were labeled anti-American or told they don’t support our troops, individuals who protest climate-degrading governmental and corporate behavior in the wake of these storms may be accused of politicizing a disaster. But with the increasing frequency and intensity of natural disasters — Harvey and Irma hit a week apart,

after all — it seems the present may always be considered too soon. If the media continues to cover these storms in an allegedly neutral and depoliticized manner, filling space with trivial stories about Ted Cruz’s alleged porn habit instead of conversations about climate science or our withdrawal from the Paris Accords, they are doing the American public a catastrophic disservice. Klein writes that this incomplete coverage “leaves the public with the false impression that these are disasters without root causes, which also means that nothing could have been done to prevent them (and that nothing can be done now to prevent them from getting much worse in the future).”

Whether we deny it or not, the terrifying, world-altering effects of climate change will dominate the 21st century. And if we ignore humanity’s role, treating these ever-in-

tensifying hurricanes as exclusively acts of God, then we will soon reach the tipping point when the never-ending escalation of quasi-natural catastrophe truly becomes inescapable. We cannot follow the leadership — or lack thereof — provided

by President Trump, who dodges climate-related questions and points out that “we’ve had bigger storms” as he continues to gut the EPA following withdrawal from the Paris Climate Accords. Instead, the American media must take a science-based approach and raise public awareness of our obscene greenhouse gas emissions and their catastrophic effects, including the intensification of Harvey and Irma. Only then will we Americans take substantive steps toward saving ourselves.

Email Theo Wayt at opinion@nyunews.com.

INTERNATIONAL

NYUSJP’s New Policy Falls Short of Mission Statement

By DANIELLE LIGHTFOOT Guest Writer As a member of NYU Students for Justice in Palestine, I have consistently recommended that the group adhere to its mission statement and advocate for Palestinian rights according to international law. I believe however, that the new NYUSJP campaign, which aims to shut down NYU’s Tel Aviv campus, fails to adhere to the club’s mission statement.

Members of NYUSJP have explained that the Tel Aviv campus itself — as well as NYU’s partner university in Israel, Tel Aviv University — were discriminatory toward Palestinians. NYUSJP’s new campaign cites an “academic boycott”

of the state of Israel as a pretext for shutting down NYU Tel Aviv. The boycott is supposed to be based on Israeli violations of Palestinian rights under international law, including the illegal occupation of Palestine.

The appeal to international law is in accordance with NYUSJP’s mission statement. However, international law does not call for a total boycott of Israel in response to its violations.

International law specifically calls for countries to distinguish between Israel proper and illegal Israeli-occupied Palestine in their relevant dealings with Israeli institutions.

If SJP reprises the goals and strategies of groups like GSOC and the ASA, then it is reasonable to assume that the Palestinian solidarity

movement at NYU can expect more of the same: a public discourse of “academic freedom” rather than one of Israeli international law violations, and limited practical gains in the lives of Palestinian people, at TAU, NYUTA, or elsewhere. This is extremely concerning. Under these circumstances, it seems appropriate to consider some alternatives to the current NYUSJP campaign.

I think a more principled goal for SJP toward TAU or NYUTA would entail a demand that they comply with NYU’s non-discrimination policy, rather than shut down altogether.

Whereas there is no real international legal basis for simply closing the campus, and no obvious benefit, there are still legitimate human rights concerns about how accessible TAU and NYU’s program are to Palestinian citizens of Israel and Palestinian nationals.

In addition to now supporting the academic boycott, NYUSJP has in the past said that Israel’s existence is a violation of international law. It has also compared Israel to Apartheid South Africa. It has shared images which claim all of Israel proper

is part of Palestine. None of these claims have any standing under international law. Israel’s legitimate violations are bad enough — why invent reasons to oppose them? It is not unreasonable to suggest that we in NYUSJP and the NYU community need to put these questions to bed, along with the academic boycott and to pursue consistent, principled positions so that we are not accused of hypocrisy. We should be drawing attention to legitimate Israeli violations of Palestinian rights and leverage our influence to achieve practical improvements in the lives of Palestinians.

Email Danielle Lightfoot opinion@nyunews.com.

NYUNEWS.COM | MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 2017 | WASHINGTON SQUARE NEWS

OPINION

EDITED BY ANDREW HEYING OPINION@NYUNEWS.COM

POLITICS

STAFF EDITORIAL

Locked in the Path of Danger

By AMELIA REARDON Contributing Writer

When in the path of a natural disaster, such as the recent hurricanes in Texas and Florida, most people know exactly what they need to do. Trips to the grocery store and other preparations run relatively smooth — the keyword being relatively. However, there is a large group of people that is unable to do anything to prepare for natural disasters. In fact, they are largely ignored and disregarded in the face of these devastating forces of nature: the inmates in the U.S. prison system.

For many cases, if they occur, evacuations for inmates entail intense shortages in supplies and resources that enable them to have their basic necessities met. This last aspect usually leads to guards becoming too hostile to maintain control over panicking inmates. In 2005, during Hurricane Katrina, 6,800 general population prisoners, minor offenders, mentally ill prisoners and people awaiting trial at Orleans Parish Prison were joined by 300 inmates from St. Bernard the night before

the hurricane hit, according to VICE. The prison was also in an evacuation zone, but Sheriff Martin Gusman announced, “The prisoners will stay where they belong.”

In the following days, the toxic-sewage-filled water had risen to chest level, generators were down, several inmates had not been given food or water and guards were ordered to shoot, on site, any prisoner attempting to escape the rising waters. In one instance, a youth correctional center resident, 13-year-old Ashley George, was held in an adult male holding area for days in neck-high water.

While there were no official deaths, several prisoners went “missing” during the disaster, and many guards and inmates have made statements to the contrary.

The corrupted attitude toward in-

carceration has not improved since the horrific events of Katrina. In August 2011, as Hurricane Irene barreled toward New York, city officials chose not to evacuate Rikers, the largest mental health facility in the United States that also houses juveniles and people awaiting trial. And although Irene weakened before reaching the city, what would have happened if it struck with a force similar to Katrina?

In the wake of hurricanes Irma and Harvey, it appears as though America still ignores inmates, inhumanely disregarding them in evacuations.

Even though together the two states are home to a quarter of a million inmates, many Americans in Texas and Florida prisons were not allowed to evacuate. Many inmates lost access to medication and food. Some were even forced to stay in cells as they flooded. What does this say about the U.S. prison system? If the current rate of natural disasters continues, will this ever change? This practice needs to be reexamined for the future.

Email Amelia Reardon at opinion@nyunews.com.

POLITICS

Humanizing the DACA Issue

By MARTINE DUFFY Contributing Writer

On the elimination of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA, President Donald Trump commented, “I do not favor punishing children, most of whom are now adults, for the actions of their parents, but we must also recognize that we are a nation of opportunity because we are a nation of laws.”

The first thing Trump said is in acknowledgement of the fact that rescinding DACA would be punishing children for the actions of their parents. This is a critical concession to pay attention to. The legal justice system is only just and meaningful if there is a stringent relationship between crime and perpetrator, between punishment and guilty party.

To be held responsible for breaking the law, one must have personally broken the law. Those who arrived in this country before they knew what a country or a law was are not beholden to the contract of either.

Let us contest the idea that the actions of illegal immigrant parents are even deserving of punitive retribution in the first place. Legal and

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moral accountability only exist in circumstances in which a person meaningfully chose to break the law, however decisions made under extreme or exceptional circumstances are not considered meaningful engagements with disregard for upholding the law.

People do not immigrate illegally for fun. It is dangerous, terrifying and traumatically disruptive to a person’s life. People immigrate illegally when their government has broken its half of the social contract — when the people are submitting to a government that is not representing them. Immigrants have the moral right to leave when they are looking at a life that is void of opportunity for improvement, that is void of human rights, that is void of physical safety. When you are looking at a child who you have

brought into this world and see a world that is becoming uninhabitable around you, you leave. In literal and practical terms, if the United States refuses to make a safe home for these people, it imposes a draining immigration process in order for these immigrants to live elsewhere.

I refuse to stop believing that every person deserves to have a safe home on this earth.

Immigrants are not harmful to American society. On the contrary, DACA Dreamers are an economic and societal windfall. Dreamers are not eligible for federal welfare.

They do not qualify under DACA if they are criminals. Most Dreamers are employed. A libertarian think tank, the Cato Institute, estimates that ending DACA could cause the federal government to lose nearly $280 billion dollars in tax revenue over the next 10 years. The elimination of DACA is not being done for the economy. It is not being done for any conceivable, defensible, legal or moral reason. So let us ask ourselves — why is DACA being eliminated?

Email Martine Duffy at opinion@nyunews.com.

In Support of Michelle Jones

Last week, NYU made headlines after The New York Times revealed that a first year Ph.D. student was newly released from prison after being sentenced to jail time for murder. In fact, according to the Times piece, the ex-inmate — Michelle Jones — arrived at NYU the day after she was released, following more than two decades in prison. While the presence of someone who was convicted of such a gruesome crime may make some students feel uneasy, Jones served her time and undoubtedly deserves to be at NYU. NYU, among many colleges, uses the Common Application to review students’ applications. One controversial section of the Common Application asks whether or not the applicant has ever been committed of a crime. This has led to an effort known as the “Ban the Box” movement.

In May 2015, in response to backlash, NYU changed its policy regarding applications from previously convicted offenders. For the class of 2019, applicants were first looked at without any knowledge of criminal history.

This factor was only taken into account during the final stages of the application process. NYU went one step further for the class of 2021, as now the applicants only have to disclose criminal history if they were convicted of a violent offense. These changes are in keeping with the idea that everyone deserves a quality education and a second chance, no matter their background.

It is easy to define an ex-inmate by his or her previous criminal sentence, and perhaps this is rightfully so. In the case of Michelle Jones, burying one’s own child is by any measure an outrageous offense. Yet, many accounts have ignored Jones’ upbringing. She was pregnant with her son at the age of 14 as a result of rape, and rather than support her, her mother further physically abused her. She eventually developed a psychological disorder attached with all of her unfortunate circumstances and projected that pain onto her own son. Of course, murder is objectively immoral, horrible and inexcusable. But for such a sad case, a 20-year jail sentence is more than enough.

Furthermore, while Jones was in prison, she made something of her life, publishing renowned historical plays, research projects and dance compositions.

NYU is known for claiming to be an institution of diversity, equity and inclusion. While sometimes this feels like fancy words thrown around to make NYU look progressive, Jones’ admittance to the university is an excellent example of NYU living up to its promises. Jones was found guilty of a heinous crime, but she served her time and made something out of her life. She deserves to be here just as much as every other student.

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

EDITORIAL BOARD: Andrew Heying (Chair), Adryan Barlia (Co-chair), Carine Zambrano (Co-chair) STAFF PHOTO BY POLINA BUCHAK

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12

WASHINGTON SQUARE NEWS | MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 2017 | NYUNEWS.COM

SPORTS

By ALEX DOMB Contributing Writer

EDITED BY MADDIE HOWARD SPORTS@NYUNEWS.COM

Women’s Soccer Earns Third Shutout

On Saturday evening, NYU women’s soccer uprooted a two-game losing skid with a 2-0 home victory against the College of Mount St. Mary’s Knights. The Violets scored one goal in each half to shut out the Knights and improve their season record to 3-2.

The team kicked off its scoring in the 37th minute, when freshman defender Nalani Ogawa scored her first career goal from the top left of the box off an NYU corner kick.

Sophomore Alex Benedict scored the Violets’ second and final goal in the 61st minute on a free kick.

Both goalkeepers, junior Michaela Brickley and freshman Meghan Marhan, shared the shutout victory, playing one half each. The Violets outshot the Knights 15-4 overall and allowed no shots in the first half. The team has not allowed a single goal in its three victories this season.

Benedict said that this win puts the team back where it wanted to be at the

start of the season.

“It was great to get another win and to get back on track,” Benedict said. “Yesterday’s game was definitely physical, but we capitalized on a couple major chances to put the game away.”

Benedict has started in every game and leads the team in goals scored.

Junior defender Maddy Schier echoed Benedict’s sentiments.

“I’m really excited to see how we keep building this season,” Schier said. “We have a lot of new players that are making a big impact, and yesterday just showed how much depth we have when it comes to attacking offensively.”

Schier has seen action in all five games for the Violets thus far.

The Violets have gotten off to an up-and-down start to the season. After shutting out its first two opponents, St. Joseph’s and Vassar, the team dropped its next two matches against Swarthmore and Stevens Institute of Technology.

The victory against Mount St. Mary’s gets the Violets back on a winning momentum, which

the team hopes to maintain.

“We have a couple difficult out-of-conference games coming up,” Benedict said. “This confidence boost will be re-

ally beneficial in ensuring that we’re playing as well as we can.”

The Violets hope to continue their winning streak Tuesday when they face off

at home against the University of Scranton.

Email Alex Domb at sports@nyunews.com.

PHOTO BY MADDIE HOWARD

Nalani Ogawa (left) and Alex Benedict (right) both scored goals in the Saturday night women’s soccer match.

Freshman Jake Velvel Makes His Mark

PHOTO BY MADDIE HOWARD

CAS freshman Jake Velvel has been a standout among the new players on the men’s soccer team.

By MADDIE HOWARD Sports Editor NYU men’s soccer, currently undefeated, will be riding this positive momentum into its final weekend of games before conference matches begin. Part of the team’s success is attributed to significant roster changes from last season. Earning a spot on

the team became increasingly competitive as the coaching staff made a number of cuts in order to make room for the freshman recruits. After preseason tryouts, a total of 12 freshman players and one transfer junior player was added to the team.

One freshman, Jake Velvel, has been a standout among the new team members. The defender,

studying economics in CAS, has played and started in each of the five games for the Violets thus far. Along with fielding a total of 355 minutes on the pitch, Velvel has also netted two goals for his team in its third and fifth games versus Hunter College and SUNY Maritime respectively.

Velvel began his soccer career at age eight when he lived in Germany. Coming from a military family, he has inhabited a number of different homes. He eventually ended up at a high school in Washington D.C. before choosing to continue his academic and soccer career at NYU. “I just had a gut feeling that NYU was the right place for me,” Velvel said. “Not just as a student-athlete, but as an individual — and so far it has proven to be right.”

Velvel appreciates the environment that NYU Athletics fosters among its players — participants are not only dedicated to their respective sports but also have a deep commitment to schoolwork and studies. Velvel also commented on the positive team environment the coaches and older players have fostered since he has been a member of the roster.

“In addition to the coaches having done a superb job creating a very competitive atmosphere, I have to give credit to all the returning players — especially to the upperclassmen,” Velvel said.

“Since day one, they’ve stimulated an environment of real team culture. No one wants to leave each other’s side both on and off the field. Because of this, we’ve already become a fairly close-knit team thus far, which has translated onto the field in a very positive way.”

Before being immersed in the NYU team environment, Velvel played on a 23-and-under team this summer and focused on

some practices. But nervousness is, in my opinion, a good thing.

I’ve never played well when I wasn’t nervous.”

Ultimately, despite his strong presence on the field, Velvel believes that his contributions to the team are only made possible because of new teammates both on and off the bench. Furthermore, while the team has been experiencing some success, Velvel knows the group is

“

I just had a gut feeling that NYU was the right place for me. Not just as a studentathlete, but as an individual — and so far it has proven to be right.

JAKE VELVEL

”

keeping up with his team-provided fitness packet in order to prepare for the upcoming season. However, despite preparation, nothing could have prepared him for the experience of stepping on the pitch as a freshman player.

“Coming into preseason I was extremely nervous,” Velvel said.

“But honestly, the nerves don’t go away. Just like every other freshman and probably every other player, I get nervous before each game and even before

in development.

“We have an extremely deep roster, and I’m not sure I can think of anyone who hasn’t had an impact,” he said. “Also, it’s only four games into the season — it’s very early. As a team, we have a long way to go before we can feel satisfied with our season. And in order to do this, we need everyone on our roster to continue to be an impact player.”

Email Maddie Howard at mhoward@nyunews.com.

NYUNEWS.COM | MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 2017 | WASHINGTON SQUARE NEWS

13

SPORTS

EDITED BY MADDIE HOWARD SPORTS@NYUNEWS.COM

Men’s Soccer Dominates SUNY Maritime

By TYLER CREWS Contributing Writer

PHOTO COURTESY OF GONYUATHLETICS.COM

The NYU men’s soccer team scored a 6-0 victory over SUNY Maritime on Sept. 16. Drew Enyedi [pictured] scored a goal just eight minutes into the match.

Continuing with its recent trend, men’s soccer dominated the field in last night’s game against the SUNY Maritime Privateers, a team that was previously undefeated. The Violets rounded out the game at 6-0. This was the team’s first shutout win, which had been one of the team’s goals earlier in the season. The game moved the Violets up to a 4-0-1 record, which is the best start of a season they have had since 2014.

The Violets’ first goal of the match came from Stern sophomore Drew Enyedi, within the eighth minute of the first half bringing the team to an early lead. This was followed by CAS freshman Pedro Goldberg’s first collegiate goal, which was scored off a corner kick. Goldberg also assisted the next goal, with CAS junior Inder Sharma scoring, following a well executed give-and-go.

Stern freshman Richie Rambarran scored the final goal of the half in the last five minutes, pulling the Violets to a 4-0 lead. The Violets far outshot the Privateers, only allowing one shot on goal in the first half, which was defended by the crossbar.

In the second half, the Violets

continued to control the match, keeping the ball in the Privateers’ end for majority of the rest of the game. CAS freshman Jake Velvel scored his first collegiate goal as well in the 52nd minute, assisted

by CAS junior Robert Shellow.

The Violets continued to shut down the Privateers in the mid-

“

It is an exciting season for us and the fans have been great so far. It’d be great to see some more and keep the support going.

OWEN SMITH

”

field, making sure that goalkeepers LS sophomore Grant Engel and CAS freshman Angello Lazar didn’t see any action, with no shots on goal in the second half. The final goal of the match came from Steinhardt sophomore Marc Waldeck,

who scored off a crowd-pleasing header, assisted by Stern freshman Carter Atman.

LS sophomore Owen Smith commented on the team’s win.

“Feels great to get the shutout and win,” Smith said. “We’ve taken care of teams but let in some easy goals, so it’s nice to be solid all around.” He specifically gave shoutouts to teammates Daly Tucknott and Jake Velvel, who he said played phenomenally.

CAS junior Tucknott led the defense this game, while Velvel worked in the midfield to help generate opportunity for shots. Young talent and upperclassman mentorship can be pinpointed as the reason for the Violets’ success this year — half of the goals were scored by freshmen, as well as three-fifths of the assists.

With this upward trend, there is hope for a greater fan turnout in the future.

“It is an exciting season for us and the fans have been great so far,” Smith said. “It’d be great to see some more and keep the support going.”

The Violets play at home again next Saturday against Manhattanville College. The match will take place at Gaelic Park at 7:30 p.m.

Email Tyler Crews at sports@nyunews.com.

Men. Part One.

Washington Square News

By J. CARTWRIGHT Men like to leave me: My brother, and father.

I fill the hole with boys, and they leave me too.

My first boyfriend in two weeks, second in three, third in three days, fourth in a month.

Bang Crash Boom Sting, one after another.

@nyunews

So sometimes I thank God my brother wasn’t shot— Bang, but stabbed instead.

I hope it hurt less.

I once watched my muse trip and fall face first to the ground— Crash.

Like the sound of shattering concrete.

@nyunews

Sometimes I envision the way my father fell from the ladder— Boom, onto his back.

Is concrete better than a bullet, too?

I should ask my muse.

My biggest fear is that a man will never hug me. my brother and father had this way; they would wrap their arms around me so tight when they let go my whole body would— Sting.

Men like to leave me.

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