Washington Square News November 20, 2017

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Former NYUAD Staff Forced to Misidentify Religion TKTK Sessions: Lexi Riese Balances Power With Grace

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NY-Untraditional Thanksgiving

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Tax Plan Harmful for Students

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Women’s Soccer’s Foster-Palmer

PHOTO BY ANNA LETSON

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Israeli Foreign Minister Visits

By SAKSHI VENKATRAMAN Deputy News Editor

On a college campus speaking tour targeting elite institutions in the northeast corridor, hardline conservative Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Hotovely stopped at NYU on Nov. 7 and spoke to a small group of students at the Global Center for Academic and Spiritual Life.

The talk was originally scheduled as a public event to take place at the NYU Bronfman Center for Jewish Student Life, but was later rescheduled, made invitation-only and pushed under the radar by TorchPAC and Bronfman Center organizers.

TorchPAC, a campus group aimed at supporting and promoting American-Israeli relations, was approached by the United Nations Consulate General of Israel to make NYU a stop on the tour, which Hotovely promoted in part as a way to encourage free speech.

Her talk at NYU was held three days after Hillel International, a widespread Jewish campus organization, canceled her scheduled speech at Princeton University following pressure from progressive Jewish groups on campus.

Hotovely, a member of the conservative Israeli Likud party, is known for her right-wing ideology on Palestinian statehood and her case for Israeli settlements, which have been determined to be illegal under international law.

While TorchPAC and the Bronfman Center viewed the talk as an opportunity for students to interact directly with Israeli politics, left-leaning Israeli groups on campus were critical of the Bronfman Center’s decision to host Hotovely and the extremely right-wing message she presented to the small group who attended.

“We are a group that believes in open discussion regarding the Middle East,” Steinhardt junior and TorchPAC co-President Jake Steel said in an email. “We were given the opportunity to engage with an Israeli member of the Foreign Ministry and wanted to have a personal conversation with her.”

While the talk was originally promoted publicly on Facebook,

TorchPAC leaders said a scheduling conflict with the consulate led to a time change. An email was sent out to parties who had RSVP’d on Facebook directing them to a repurposed event at the Bronfman Center. Meanwhile, invitations to Hotovely’s rescheduled talk were only extended to a small group of leaders of campus Israeli organizations.

“We invited active members of our community,” Steel said.

The closing of the event to the public halted protests being organized by NYU’s left-leaning Jewish Voices for Peace, among others.

“We were going to read statements about why we opposed and why she was racist and walk out or have a silent protest,” a representative for JVP said. “Then we received an email saying the event was canceled. But instead of canceling the event, it became a private event.

We only found out a few days later that it happened.”

Along with the small group of students invited, several members of Hillel International attended, including the group’s President Eric Fingerhut, who addressed the cancellation of Hotovely’s Princeton talk.

While Hotovely ended up speaking at Princeton in an event sponsored by the campus chapter of Chabad, Fingerhut apologized for Hillel International’s treatment of the politician, referencing an apologetic Jerusalem Post op-ed he authored. The column explained the reason for the cancellation, as well as Fingerhut’s regrets.

“We did this because it had not been reviewed by the Center for Jewish Life’s Israel Advisory Committee, which is designed to review and facilitate a broad range of Israel programming throughout the year,” the article read. “To be clear: This was not a good enough reason to postpone the event, and for that mistake, we apologize.”

After a warm introduction by Fingerhut, Hotovely began her engagement with students.

She expressed her desire to listen to student ideas. After hearing a few audience questions, she spoke at length about the Israel-Palestine conflict, asserting that the issue at hand was not about territory, but

VIA INSTAGRAM

Controversial conservative Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Hotovely spoke to an invitation-only audience at GCASL on Nov. 7.

about ideology.

Hotovely referenced Palestine’s inability to compromise for Holy Land territory during the Camp David Accords, citing Palestinian stubbornness and ideological difference as the reason peace was not achieved. She brought up Israel’s track record for peace with the Egypt-Israel Peace Treaty of 1978.

She also discussed the grim condition of the Palestinian-settled Gaza Strip, referencing United States funding that, in part, ended up backing terrorist organizations.

Perhaps her most controversial assertion was when she described Palestinian children being raised with the desire to deny the Jewish state.

Hotovely’s words stirred reactions from members of the crowd, and she engaged in some heated backand-forth with audience members.

“The Deputy Foreign Minister shared her thoughts on current foreign affairs and fielded questions from students, some of which were very challenging,” Steel said.

“The event was a huge success as students were able to have a deep dialogue with the Israeli official.

We had a meaningful debrief with our group afterwards to synthesize what the Deputy said and our collective thoughts.”

NYU JVP has taken a clear stance on her message and is critical of the Bronfman Center and Hillel International for allowing Hotovely to speak on campus.

“One of [Hotovely’s] pamphlets is called ‘The Case for the Settlement,’ which is against international law,” a JVP representative said. “She was on campus to promote that, which we think is unacceptable. It shows the hypocrisy of the Bronfman Center and the extent to which they are only serving their donors [Hillel International].”

According to the Bronfman Center, organizing this event was viewed as an educational opportunity for students to engage with the Israeli government.

“The Bronfman mission is to provide transformative experiences to NYU students with an interest in Jewish life,” Bronfman Director Rabbi Yehuda Sarna said in an email. “For students who are politically-minded, meeting with senior political officials can certainly be transformative. Bronfman is driven by an educational mission, not a political one.”

But JVP argues that Hotovely’s demonization of Islam and Palestine is enough to warrant keeping her message away from campus and, moreover, that opposing groups should have been allowed to protest the talk.

“Tzipi is just an outright racist,” a JVP representative said. “Academic freedom should apply to student groups within colleges and universities. It’s jarring to see that many students on campus are willing to tolerate this and not stand up against it.”

Jake Steel has contributed to WSN. Email Sakshi Venkatraman at svenkatraman@nyunews.com.

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By ALEX DOMB Deputy News Editor The NYU Department of Public Safety received eight reports of controlled substance violations, one report of domestic violence, two reports of harassment and four reports of larceny from Nov. 10 to Nov. 16.

Controlled Substance Violation

On Nov. 10 at 1:00 p.m., Public Safety responded to a report of an alleged controlled substance violation in Carlyle Court Residence Hall and recovered a small amount of marijuana from the residence. The case has been referred to the Office of Community Standards.

On Nov. 10 at 10:10 p.m., Public Safety responded to a report of an alleged controlled substance violation in Brittany Residence Hall and recovered a small amount of marijuana from the residence.

The case has been referred to the Office of Community Standards.

On Nov. 12 at 11:53 a.m., Public Safety responded to a report of an alleged controlled substance violation in Third North Residence Hall and recovered a small amount of marijuana from the residence. The case has been referred to the Office of Community Standards.

On Nov. 12 at 1:10 p.m., Public Safety responded to a report of an alleged controlled substance violation in Lafayette Residence Hall and recovered a small amount of marijuana from the residence.

The case has been referred to the Office of Community Standards.

On Nov. 13 at 7:20 p.m., Public Safety responded to a report of an alleged controlled substance violation in Alumni Residence Hall and recovered a small amount of marijuana from the residence.

The case has been referred to the Office of Community Standards.

On Nov. 13 at 8:09 p.m., Public Safety responded to a report of an alleged controlled substance violation in Broome Street Residence Hall and recovered a small amount of marijuana from the residence. The case has been referred to the Office of Community Standards.

On Nov. 13 at 8:40 p.m., Public Safety responded to a report of an alleged controlled substance violation in Third North and recov-

ered a small amount of marijuana from the residence. The case has been referred to the Office of Community Standards.

On Nov. 13 at 9:08 p.m., Public Safety responded to a report of an alleged controlled substance violation in Third North and recovered a small amount of marijuana from the residence. The case has been referred to the Office of Community Standards.

Domestic Violence

On Nov. 10 at 12:15 p.m., an NYU affiliate reported that she is the victim of domestic violence in Washington Square Village. The case is open and under investigation.

Harassment

On Nov. 10 at 4:00 p.m., an NYU staff member reported that another staff member intentionally pushed a cart into her in the Dental Center, hitting her back. The case is open and under investigation.

On Nov. 16 at 3:30 p.m., an NYU staff member reported an incident in which a chef verbally threatened a vendor at D’Agostino Hall. Police notification was declined, and the case is open and under investigation.

Larceny

On Nov. 12 at 5:05 p.m., an NYU student reported that his bicycle was missing from the bike racks outside of 6 Metrotech Center. A police report was filed, and the case is open and under investigation.

On Nov. 15 at 4:22 p.m., an NYU bookstore staff member reported an attempt to remove items from the bookstore without paying for them. The items were recovered, and police notification was declined. The person was escorted out of the building, and no arrests have been made.

On Nov. 16 at 10:00 a.m., an NYU student reported that his shirt and pants were missing from the second floor of Elmer Holmes Bobst Library. Police notification was declined, and the case is open and under investigation.

On Nov. 16 at 6:08 p.m., an NYU student reported that her pencil case was missing from a classroom. Police notification was declined, and the case is open and under investigation.

Email the news team at news@nyunews.com.

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Former NYUAD Staff Forced to Misidentify Religion

VIA NYU.EDU

Prior to 2012, Jewish and atheist NYUAD advisors were forced to misidentify their religion when applying for work visas.

By MACK DEGEURIN Deputy News Editor Six years ago, a number of self-identified Buddhists and Sikhs walked NYU Abu Dhabi’s campus as Academic Fellows. This group of recent NYU graduates went halfway across the world to assist NYUAD’s inaugural class. Part advisors and part mentors, they were deeply involved in the formation of NYU’s budding global network. Then, in a matter of months, many of these socalled Buddhists disappeared from government records.

Several of these Academic Fellows, it turns out, had actually been Jewish or atheist all along. On the advice of NYU’s Human Resources Department, these advisors misidentified their religious affiliations on government documentation,

according to interviews with two 2011 advisors.

Prior to February 2012, prospective Jewish and atheist Academic Fellows were unable to accurately identify their religious affiliations when applying for work visas, according to two former Academic Fellows personally affected. Instead, they were required to choose from a limited list of religious affiliations that included the options of Muslim, Christian, Hindu and Buddhist, among others, according to Associate Vice Chancellor of Global Programs and former faculty member Josh Taylor, who was directly affected by this.

Taylor said these restrictions were limited to faculty and did not apply to students. By February 2012, Abu Dhabi had officially changed its visa policies to allow applicants to iden-

tify however they wanted, Taylor said in an email to WSN. Applicants must complete a security clearance form reviewed by the Emirati Ministry of the Interior in addition to a work visa form. While the security clearance allows applicants to describe themselves however they please, the 2011 version of the visa form only allowed applicants to choose certain religions.

One former Jewish Academic Fellow who worked at NYUAD from 2011 to 2012 agreed to speak to WSN about their experiences on the condition of anonymity due to their current job. When this advisor filled out the form, they handwrote that they were Jewish rather than one of the listed options on the PDF application, as Judaism was not included. Shortly after submitting this form, the advisor said they received a phone call from NYU Human Resources representative Wasim Liaqat.

Though the call was brief and the instructions were obscure, the advisor remembers Liaqat advising them to misidentify their religious affiliation on the government document. The Academic Fellow said they were then told to pick from a list of eight acceptable religions.

Liaqat left NYUAD in 2016 and now works as the Director of Recruitment at Venaari, according to his LinkedIn profile. Liaqat did not respond to WSN’s requests for comment about the incident.

In an an email to WSN, June Ng,

who also worked as an advisor in 2011 and did not disclose her religious affiliation, confirmed that Jews and atheists were told to choose a religion other than their own.

“This is definitely something that happens,” Ng said. “I was told the same thing upon arrival to Abu Dhabi. We were a little confused, but we did it anyways to avoid any trouble.”

Taylor said he listed himself as Jewish on his security clearance and Christian on his visa form.

Though he confirmed that many of his colleagues did the same, he said that neither he nor those he knew took offense.

With Abu Dhabi’s policy change in 2012, many of those who had temporarily identified themselves as an alternative religion successfully changed their documentation to reflect their correct religious identity.

“Since February 2012, this issue has not come up again, and anyone who wishes to modify their earlier filling has the opportunity to do so when their visas come up for renewal,” Taylor said.

Taylor said he believed the university had been completely transparent about why faculty members were unable to write down their actual religions.

The former advisor who wished to remain anonymous said that in addition to being asked to misidentify their religion, they faced some restrictions of public expression early on.

“We were not allowed to practice our religion in common space, nor could we advertise being Jewish,” the former advisor said.

Upon the end of their time in Abu Dhabi, the former advisor said that, like the visa matter, many of the issues surrounding religious expression in common spaces had been rectified.

“By the end of the year, partly due to advocacy of the Jewish community and the NYUAD administration, it became more acceptable for Jews to declare themselves when applying for a visa, and we had begun to practice openly in common spaces,” they said.

When asked, Taylor said his experience with religious expression differed from that of the former Academic Fellow. Taylor said there were a number of Jewish celebrations and traditions honored at NYUAD’s campus, including events honoring Hanukkah and Passover.

It is unclear exactly why the Abu Dhabi government altered the available religious options on visas in 2012.

When asked if NYU had a direct influence on this policy change, Taylor said he did not wish to speculate but did say that many voices within the university had “expressed [their] desire to see a greater range of options provided on the work visa form.”

Email Mack DeGeurin at mdegeurin@nyunews.com.

Anti-Dreamer Vandalism in Bobst Bathroom, Again

By MIRANDA LEVINGSTON News Editor

A CAS senior found vandalism that said “hasta luego dreamers” in the men’s bathroom in the lower level of Elmer Holmes Bobst Library on Saturday, Nov. 18 around 10 p.m. The student who discovered the graffiti asked to remain anonymous for safety reasons. The message translates to “goodbye dreamers” and appears to be directed toward recipients of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals Program. This program protects people who illegally immigrated to the United States as children from being deported.

This is not the first time this type of graffiti has cropped up.

Last month, the same phrase was scribbled in the same location. The vandalism was reported and removed the day after it was found. That week, the NYU DREAM Team and 16 other clubs held a rally in the Kimmel Center for University Life. The university did not release a statement condemning the crime last month.

This time, the student who found the graffiti reported the vandalism to the Bias Response Line as well as NYU Public Security shortly after finding it.

As of Nov. 19, the university

has yet to remove the vandalism. This article will be updated when it is removed.

Members of The NYU DREAM Team said that they think NYU needs to make it exceedingly clear that hatred and intimidation will not be tolerated on this campus if the university is truly committed to its principles of diversity, equity and inclusion.

“The last time an incident like this occurred, NYU ignored it — sending no statement to the community at large and instead criticizing the rally held in response by NYU [DREAM] Team and a coalition of sixteen other student organizations,” NYU DREAM Team said in a statement to WSN. “We’re calling on NYU to rectify this mistake by publicly addressing and condemning this incident and also announcing an investigation of the incident and updating the community with its results.”

NYU DREAM Team also said that it hopes NYU will specifically address the Latinx community, since the Spanish used in the vandalism specifically targets that group.

“Moreover, the fact that the message was written in Spanish indicates that this was a direct attack to the [Latinx] community, and it should be responded to as the ethnical-

ly-motivated hate speech it is,” NYU DREAM Team said.

The student who found the vandalism hopes that the university will address the problem in its entirety.

“I hope that the university will address the situation and show solidarity with the students who are Dreamers,” the student who found the vandalism said. “It is important to have the administration backing [immigrant students] because it’s important for Dreamers to feel like they have someone on their side for once.”

Though a message has not been sent to the student body, NYU spokesperson John Beckman said in a statement to WSN that this kind of act is at odds with the university’s values and that Public Safety is currently investigating the crime.

“We want undocumented members of the community to know that the university stands behind them, and NYU rejects this sentiment,” Beckman said.

The NYU DREAM Team has organized around the incident to create Contra Cuentos, Spanish for “counter narratives,” an event made to respond to the vandalism with a celebration of undocumented artists’ narratives on Nov. 30.

“During the event, NYU DREAM Team will reiterate

COURTESY OF ANONYMOUS

The words “Hasta Luego Dreamers” were found written in a bathroom in Bobst and translate to “goodbye dreamers” in Spanish. our commitment to fighting on the frontlines for the rights and safety of undocumented students and the undocumented community at large,” the NYU DREAM Team said.

NYU DREAM Team also said that it encourages students who are directly affected by this attack to reach out to the Wellness Center, Latinos Unidos Con Honor y Amistad, NYU DREAM Team, Mexican Student Association and other student

organizations that serve affected communities.

The student who found the vandalism also said the graffiti is unwelcome in campus discourse due to the university’s values.

“This racist behavior does not belong here,” the anonymous student said.

This story will be updated as WSN learns more.

Email Miranda Levingston at mlevingston@nyunews.com.

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NYDM Raises $600,000 for the Kids

By JEMIMA MCEVOY Managing Editor

STAFF PHOTO BY ANNA LETSON

Gallatin junior Lexi Riesenberg turns to artists like Tori Kelly when looking for music and songwriting inspiration.

TKTK Session: Lexi Riese Balances Power With Grace

By CONNOR GATESMAN Music Editor

Gallatin junior Lexi Riesenburg is a budding singer-songwriter with a clear passion for her craft. On Nov. 10 the singer, whose stage name is Lexi Riese, gave a heartfelt performance for the WSN staff. Riese played a mix of original and covered music, hitting notes with

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When you realize that all of these artists are not just putting out music, it’s more than that. They’re putting out a message and what they stand for and what they represent.

LEXI RIESE

”

ease and modulating her tone with deftness and dexterity.

Of particular note was “In or Out,” an original piece featuring her bittersweet vocals balanced harmoniously with the bouncing strum of an acoustic guitar.

Her voice has an organic, natural quality that stood on its own throughout the performance. She exuded a balance of confidence and delicacy that is never easy to achieve.

After the performance, she sat down with WSN to discuss how she navigates the world of music. Riese studies Music and Identity in Gallatin, which she describes as the social and cultural context of music. This unique concentration plays a role in the way she makes her music.

“I think it affects my songwriting the most,” Riese said. “When you realize that all of these artists are not just putting out music, it’s more than that.

They’re putting out a message and what they stand for and what they represent.

When you’re aware of that, and you’re aware of how race plays into that, how gender plays into that and all those kinds of things, it really changes the way you make art.”

Riese went on to explain that she wasn’t afraid of taking influence from other musicians. However, finding originality has never been an issue for her — every musician draws inspiration from his or her favorite artists and she was no exception.

“I love Tori Kelly,” Riese said. “I think she has a great voice. I also really admire that she wrote and produced her first two EPs on her own. I think that’s really cool because a lot of the times we see singers who don’t know what goes into it other than the vocals. I appreciate that she has experience outside of that as well.”

Inspired by people like Kelly, Riese desires to develop a good understanding of the inner workings of song production.

“I don’t necessarily need to produce [a song] on my own, but I would like to understand what’s going on and have input,” Riese said.

Riese is from a suburb of Philadelphia, a place with a very different musical scene than New York. When asked about the transition to New York, she said she was ecstatic about the change in scenery.

“It’s amazing, the best,” Riese said.

“Growing up in the suburbs, I didn’t think I could do music or that that was a possibility, but coming to New York you see so many people … doing it and having a great time. There’s just so much access to concerts. There’s a ton of open mics. There’s just every opportunity you could ever want.”

Riese hopes to record some new music and will continue to play at open mics and whatever gigs she can get. You can find her on Facebook and Youtube.

Watch her full interview and set online at nyunews.com.

Email Connor Gatesman at cgatesman@nyunews.com.

Aubery, Daniela, Edgar, Kaylee, Mahlai and Mikey — NYU Greek Life danced all day yesterday for these children as a part of the annual New York Dance Marathon. These are the names of children who are a part of the Andrew McDonough B+ Foundation, a non-profit that aids pediatric cancer patients and their families.

As a part of NYDM, each NYU sorority and fraternity has been working with a specific child from the B+ Foundation while also raising money for the foundation as a whole. After a year of fundraising for their B+ Heroes, NYU sororities and fraternities spent 12 hours full of energy, dancing and fundraising at Kimmel Center for University Life. This year’s effort raised $600,000 for the B+ Foundation — the highest total since NYDM was founded in 2012.

Many members of NYU Greek Life spent the whole day at the dance marathon, such as Steinhardt sophomore Naomi Kruh. She said NYDM is important because of the impact that it has on families — pointing to an example of one B+ Hero who took to the stage with her family to talk about her positive experience with NYDM. “They were reiterating the fact that the money we raise is beneficial,” Kruh said. “We can help in ways that money can’t. We can be there for the children and the families. It’s a nice way to show your support for people.”

Kruh emphasized that NYDM is more about the relationship with B+ Heroes and their families than the sum of money raised, although that is im-

portant as well. She thinks that in this sense, NYDM is a core part of Greek Life. Kruh also said that it is a great way to unite the NYU community.

“It’s a great event when all of Greek Life gets to come together,” Kruh said.

“You get to be around other organizations, and you’re all coming together for a common cause. You all just really want to help these families and children who are going through a hard time.”

The event wasn’t just open to NYU Greek Life; representatives from Residential Life and the NYU Tennis team were also involved in the event as volunteers and fundraisers.

CAS freshman Katherine Anderson spoke about the dual nature of the event — how it is a fun event for participants, but also a serious time to discuss and raise money for a great cause.

“You come in and you’re dancing and having a really good time because it’s fun, but you’re also crying because you hear these touching, heartwarming stories,” Anderson said. “It’s really powerful; really inspiring.”

At one point of the day, deemed B+ Hour, all of the B+ Heroes took to the stage and gave speeches about their cancer stories, according to Stern freshman Brooke Fuller. She said hearing from the kids and parents who had lost their children was extremely moving.

“We know that we’re here supporting such a good cause and everyone is here supporting each other,” Fuller said. “We raise money for the kids. FTK is what we say, because it is all for them.”

Email Jemima McEvoy at jmcevoy@nyunews.com.

STAFF PHOTO BY JEMIMA MCEVOY

At the Kimmel Center for University life on Nov. 18, students and faculty gathered for the New York Dance Marathon to raise money for the Andrew McDonough B+ Foundation.

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Infinite Possibilities With Kusama

By DEVANSHI KHETARPAL Staff Writer

COURTESY OF CINETIC MEDIA

“Bombshell” is a documentary about Hedy Lamarr, the most beautiful woman of her time, who is also the secret inventor of Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and GPS communications.

The ‘Bombshell’ That Changed the World

By AMELIA REARDON Staff Writer

Hedy Lamarr, born Hedwig Kiesler, was known as the world’s most beautiful woman during her time as a Hollywood actress from the late 1930s to the ‘50s. Her looks led to a lack of substantial roles and a trend of only being cast as a pretty face. Alexandra Dean’s enticing documentary “Bombshell: The Hedy Lamarr Story” portrays a different, and often overlooked, side of Lamarr.

Through intensive research by executive producer Susan Sarandon, “Bombshell: The Hedy Lamarr Story” reveals the truth about the actress, innovator and genius inventor. While Lamarr was acting full time, she developed close ties with inventors such as Howard Hughes and even collaborated with Hughes to change the shape of airplane wings from rectangles to the more aerodynamic ones we use today. Her most notable invention, however, went largely unnoticed. During World War II, Lamarr noticed that Allied radio-controlled torpedoes were almost entirely useless due to their tendency to jam. As a solution, Lamarr, along with musician George Antheil, invented the idea of frequency hopping.

This advancement is now used in everything from the GPS in phones to large-scale military operations, including communications between militaries and their satellites in space.

Although Lamarr was an amazing inventor and successfully created a system that would have improved military endeavors in the war, her patent was not used until the 1960s. Instead of employing her invention, the military told Lamarr that her time could be put to better use in selling war bonds. This frustration over how Lamarr and other women were treated and viewed by society is expressed in the documentary through testimonies from her family, friends and academic experts.

The most important contributor to this narrative is Lamarr her-

self. Although she passed away in 2000, tapes recovered from an interview with journalist Fleming Meeks provide a narration for the story and Lamarr’s personal perspective. Viewers witness Lamarr’s unique personality and drive, as well as her struggles as a woman in an era ruled by men.

This struggle against male domination and Lamarr’s difficult relationship with Hollywood are issues Sarandon touched on in a Q&A following the screening. Sarandon explained the dominance and sexual abuse that Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer execs would push onto young starlets. She told stories ranging from Louis B. Meyer grabbing Lamarr’s butt during their first encounter to the scandals that have surfaced in Hollywood in recent months.

“This film does kind of give you a bit of context for the Weinstein scandal,” Sarandon said. “It comes from this world where these men were so powerful that they control every aspect of your life, could get you on drugs when they wanted to, could decide who you dated.

They became these all-powerful father figures for these women and they had to struggle with them to have their own life.”

According to Sarandon, this issue is not just prevalent in Hollywood, but also exists in the fields of technology and invention, with which Lamarr was also involved. Sarandon attributes an article she wrote on inventors as her inspiration for this piece.

“People have this idea of what they think a woman inventor looks like, and that really stuck with me,” Sarandon said. “That really bothered me.”

In recent years, and with the release of this documentary, Lamarr has finally received the recognition she rightly deserves not just as a beautiful actress, but as an ingenious inventor.

“Bombshell: The Hedy Lamarr Story” opens in theaters on Friday, Nov. 24.

Email Amelia Reardon at film@nyunews.com.

Yayoi Kusama’s solo exhibition “Festival of Life” is currently on display at the David Zwirner Gallery in Chelsea. The Japanese artist, now 88 years old, has a rich and insurmountable body of work and an unmistakable prominence in contemporary and pop culture.

Crowds wait in line for hours in order to catch a glimpse of her favorite and Instagram-trending “Infinity mirrors.”

However, her artwork performs a greater function than simply contributing to selfie culture. Her triptych of infinity rooms, in addition to the 76 pieces on canvas, portrays her enormous genius. Her infinity rooms present the blur between a cosmic largeness and a natural microscopy. Even in the expertise and complexity they showcase, they possess an unassuming simplicity.

Their architecture, consisting of, but not limited to, geometry, design and light is astounding.

Kusama’s artwork has a dreamlike and childlike innocence. Upon entering the gallery for her solo exhibition, one encounters a riot of colors. Her paintings seem like surreal constructs and colorful ru-

minations, but they have a reality which is hard to ignore. Their details are easily veiled and invite observation. The infinity mirrors and rooms, on the other hand, are far more obvious and awe-inspiring. “I pray with all of my love for tulips,” for instance, is a simple but hallucinatory wonderland of sorts. Part of Kusama’s immersive experience is to make the spectator feel special by allowing the spectator’s vision to become part of the infinity she portrays. As one walks into an infinity room, or peeps in to view the infinity mirrors, one sees oneself as part of the art, part of the universe Kusama strives to create.

One is able to view and experience the infinity mirrors and rooms for under two minutes, which gives birth to transience in the seeming permanence of her art projects. But whether one is a tourist, a serious art lover or someone looking for Instagram-worthy material around the city, Kusama’s exhibition is a must-visit and, arguably, a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

The exhibition is open until Dec. 16 at three David Zwirner gallery locations in New York. Two of the exhibitions are on display at 525 and 533 West 19th St. and Infinity

STAFF PHOTO BY ECHO CHEN

The David Zwirner Gallery in Chelsea is currently displaying Yayoi Kusama’s “Festival of Life,” and has become a popular Instagram location for an outstanding selfie.

Nets is now on display at 34 East 69th St. The exhibition is open Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., but is scheduled to be closed on Nov. 23 for Thanksgiving. It is free for all, and no tickets are required.

Email Devanshi Khetarpal at entertainment@nyunews.com.

Tisch Dance ‘Masters’ Elegance

By JULIA FIELDS Staff Writer

NYU Tisch’s Department of Dance held the Master’s Performance Workshop at its home base, Jack Crystal Theater, this past weekend. This showcase included five works from the Tisch Dance Master MFA program’s class of 2018. The original works were created by students and masters. Each piece pinpointed a different emotion from the approving audience that made for a unique and conceptual evening on Second Avenue.

The workshop began with “Nostalgia del Cangrejo,” which

VIA INSTAGRAM

NYU Tisch Dance held a Master Performance Workshop in Jack Crystal Theatre, including five works created collaboratively by undergraduate and graduate students.

was choreographed by Norberto Collazo and Abraham Texidor.

The piece was marked by a notable motif, where 10 or so dancers paused their movements to stick their middle fingers out to the audience. Similarly, each performer would also stop and hold out their hands like guns pointed at one another. It was clear that this dance was trying to convey a political message. Moving from anger and violence to very soft and loving movements, the dancers portrayed the different aspects or feelings associated with movements or notions.

“The Game,” choreographed

by Valeria Y. Gonzalez in collaboration with the dancers, was all about relationships. All but two dancers wore black leotards and knee high socks. This left a solo couple –– one man and one woman, clad in jeans and t-shirts –– who performed scenes of intimacy as well as scenes alluding to domestic violence. The male lead eventually started touching each dancer onstage and was ultimately targeted and defeated in the end.

“Schadenfreude: Dancing in Debt,” choreographed by Aaron Samuel Davis in collaboration with dancers, began with a mass of bodies in a pile. In between the curtain’s rise and fall, the group fought, pushed and pulled one another. At one point, one of the blob’s members emerged and started shouting orders. Despite this divide, the eclectic group still

remained united until their bows.

“Reverie,” choreographed Jasmine Domfort and her dancers, was especially beautiful as it took place in a 1960s-style diner. The dance began nostalgically with a monologue about a desire to travel back to times of grace and class. Dancing to a medley of Leon Bridges songs, three couples enveloped the stage, but soon switched partners so that two same-sex couples and one biracial couple were under the spotlight. “Reverie” offered a new perspective on the nuclear ‘60s.

The workshop’s final piece was the most powerful of them all.

Rodney Hamilton’s “Surrendering Untroubled” was characterized by strong movements set to commanding music. Each dancer walked out individually, but as the dance progressed, became more unified as a group with more cohesive movements. By the piece’s end, the dancers created a formation reminiscent of Alvin Ailey’s “Revelations” and stayed there as the lights and music faded away.

The workshop’s choreographers were able to convey a variety of messages of love and empowerment through their movements.

Every move was intentional and contributed to the lasting message of the performance. And every dancer performed beautifully in pieces that truly embodied what is important in our world today.

Email Julia Fields at entertainment@nyunews.com.

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Dorm Room Journalism Emerges

By JENDAYI OMOWALE Staff Writer

In the halls of Brittany Residence Hall on Halloween night, the residents of suite 202 are mulling over the expansion of their newsletter, the ‘02 Tribune, which is delivered weekly every Tuesday to residents of rooms in a handful of NYU dorms that end in “02.”

Steinhardt freshman Benjamin Florence, an ‘02 Tribune staff writer, dressed in a Shaggy Rogers costume as he interviews me about interviewing them for the next week’s edition of the paper. CAS freshman Nicolas Brunstein, another staff writer, is explaining the background behind the unusual student concoction, as we await the rest of the 202 team.

“We take messing around very seriously,” Brunstein said.

The ‘02 Tribune — the brainchild of the residents of Britanny suite 202 — is an elaborate yet authentic attempt by five freshmen to tap into the classic tradition of college irony.

Every Tuesday night, a newsletter filled with articles that cover the frivolities of college life coupled with writing that purposely takes itself too seriously for comedic effect is hand-delivered to almost every other ‘02 room in Brittany.

The newsletter recently expanded to the 202 rooms of other freshman dorms, including Lipton Residence Hall and Goddard Residence Hall. Unfortunately, Weinstein Residence Hall has no 202,

as reported in an article written

by Steinhardt freshman and Editor-in-Chief Gabriel Oldfield. The article states that the ‘02 Tribune’s investigative journalism team is doing a follow-up. The team currently has its sights set on delivering to Founders Residence Hall, University Residence Hall and Third Avenue North Residence Hall.

Articles printed in the newsletter range from “Room 202 Hosts Wrestling Tourney” to “Bops vs.

Bangers: Redux.”

“I would say 90 percent of [the articles] actually happened,” Brunstein said. “We just add our own little jokes into it.”

Brunstein added that the rest of what they choose to write about for each edition is usually complete nonsense.

The origin story of the ‘02 Tribune is as peculiar and absurd as the newsletter itself. A jumbled tale, recounted by the newsletter’s creators, explains that the idea came from a stomping feud between Brittany’s 202 and 302 suites. Oldfield said that after the one-sided battle between the suites, the 202 residents decided they wanted to meet the residents of all the rooms that end with “02.” “[Brunstein] jokingly mentioned, oh yeah, we’re going to send out a newsletter,” Oldfield said.

On Monday, Oct. 2, the ‘02 Tribune was born. According to Oldfield, the team wrote the first newsletter between 11 p.m. and 12:30 a.m. that night.

The team, made up of Oldfield, Brunstein, Florence, Tisch freshman Samuel Slocum and CAS freshman Joshua Ellis-Einhorn, writes weekly news articles, an advice column, a crossword, comics, classifieds, a Home and Garden section and poetry. The Tribune also features fake obituaries and guest writers who occasionally contribute to the newsletter. The first-year students hope to continue writing new editions for the rest of the year.

“It takes up, like, a couple hours Monday night, and that’s it,” Slocum said. “It’s fun. We all get a massive ego boost out of it.”

After increased demand, the newsletter is undergoing expansion. It now has a website, and Facebook, Instagram and Twitter accounts so that residents from non-‘02 rooms can also view the content.

Slocum said that the ‘02 Tribune has helped the 202 suitemates remain close to each other.

“We always say how surprised we are when we talk to other people about how much they don’t even talk to their roommates,” Slocum said. “All of us get along very well, and all of us obviously can work together in a pretty productive way.”

The project also allows the roommates to connect with the NYU community.

“You meet new people, and it’s a funny way to do it,” Slocum said.

Email Jendayi Omowale at features@nyunews.com.

Insta-Worthy Food Problems

By DREW LEDERMAN Staff Writer

A quick scroll through Instagram, Twitter or Facebook reveals a littering of pictures and videos featuring mouth-watering food. We have begun to label these professional photos of rich, delicious food in a surprisingly erotic way. This statement might seem shocking, yet the words “food porn,” “egg porn” and “dessert porn” are thrown around to describe the various food media.

Tisch junior Larissa Crafford-Lazarus was not suprised about the sexualization of food, because it is a common trend.

“Anything that has relation to pleasure is linked to sex,” Crafford-Lazarus said.

This eroticization of food has been turned into a very profitable industry.

After all, sex sells.

Nigel Barber, who has a doctorate in biopsychology, said in Psychology Today that he believes that when nations become wealthy, their citizens’ interest in food declines with the ease of obtaining sustenance.

“All of that has changed in recent years,” Barber said. “As a nation, we have become more and more obsessed with food.”

Barber points to growing hunger as the main culprit of food obsession.

He attributes this to the popularity of various fad diets, inactivity in desk jobs, insufficient fiber and a lack of a community to share meals with.

Literary food scholar Eve Turow theorizes that in our fast-paced digital world, many people use food as a universal, engaging activity for forming relationships. “[Technology is] making us more isolated. We’re craving community,” Turow said in an interview with The Atlantic. “And food is also allowing us to access the globe.”

We can access recipes from every corner of the world from various time periods in our history. In this way, we are engaging with real people globally, across time and space.

Even though your feed is dotted with delicious food that connects its consumers, many people across the globe do not have enough to eat.

With regular food shortages in other countries and the threat of climate change on agriculture, American food obsession is proving a roadblock for aid. Seeing our media covered in excessive high-end food reduces our conception that food is sustenance.

This excuses food wastefulness in America and therefore shoves global food issues to the periphery.

South African-born Crafford-Lazarus believes that Americans take for granted the availability of

STAFF PHOTO BY POLINA BUCHAK

Cinematic spots, like Coney Island, make great unconventional picnic sites.

Top 5 Picnic Spots for You and a Friend

By FERNANDA AMIS Contributing Writer

As November slithers to a close, the leaves are decaying and the light is fading quickly.

Nevertheless, there may still be one last chance to savor the sun.

What better way to salute the warmth than with an amicable picnic or romantic rendezvous somewhere breathtaking? Enclosed is a brief list containing my top five spots to celebrate the last hurrah of the season:

5. Elizabeth Street Garden Elizabeth Street Garden is a charming little spot in the heart of NoLiTa. Adorned with sculptures, flowers and benches, it is the perfect place to sip a soothing holiday beverage and read Jane Austen.

4. Far Rockaway

STAFF PHOTO BY SAM CHENG

Taking photos of our food has become almost a staple on any social media platform, and has become highly sexualized with the use of hashtags associated with food such as #foodporn. food due to the uniquely powerful fast food industry in the U.S. “The fast food culture is not nearly as big in other places,” Crafford-Lazarus said. “The marketable efficiency of food is less big.”

With our food obsession, it is easy to look at the abundant richness of our meals and write off the global issues of food distribution, food equality and food deserts. Yet, with more Americans recognizing the effects of recognizing food as a source of pleasure, community and globalization, it is possible to reduce the negative effects of food in the media.

Email Drew Lederman at dining@nyunews.com.

They don’t call it Far Rockaway for nothing, but the extensive subway journey will give you ample time to ponder life, do homework and/or people watch. Get off at Beach 105 Street Seaside and slink down to the shore — stopping at Stop & Shop for rations, Carvel for ice cream and Dunkin’ Donuts for coffee. Follow the sound of the ocean down main street and you will find a perfect beach with white sand and teal waves.

3. Green-Wood Cemetery Green-Wood Cemetery provides a mystical escape from the city. Green-Wood is the resting place of the likes of Leonard Bernstein and Jean-Michel Basquiat, and it provides miles of greenery and graves to explore. If this spot sounds intriguing to you, this is a fabulous way to test your love and compatibility with another person. Wouldn’t it be incredible if you asked someone out on a date, suggesting the cemetery,

and they were delighted by the venue choice? You would know you’d found true love.

2. Red Hook If you are ever looking to escape the all-consuming whir of Manhattan, then Red Hook is the place for you. It is a quiet, industrial neighborhood on the water’s edge in Brooklyn. Because it is so difficult to get to by public transport, it remains relatively unscathed by tourists. It is beautifully desolate, and it is a lovely place to go for a walk or visit by ferry (Ikea does a free water taxi shuttle to Red Hook from the Financial District). It is the perfect place to gaze at the Statue of Liberty, delight in the fact that New York is your home and dine at Hometown Bar-B-Que followed

by Steve’s Authentic Key Lime Pies — whether it be a first date, a fifth-year anniversary, a get together with friends or a solo bike tour. If the neighborhood and the water aren’t your cup of tea, go for IKEA’s Swedish meatballs.

1. Brooklyn Bridge Park Brooklyn Bridge Park, without a doubt, boasts the greatest vantage point of New York City as we dreamed of it. Grab lunch from nearby Shake Shack or Julianna’s Pizza and choose from one of several scenic pastures.

Then meander through the park, maybe go roller skating at the pier roller rink, play soccer or volleyball at the neighboring pier fields and sandpits or treat yourself to a delicious dessert at Brooklyn Ice Cream Factory and hop on the ferry to Williamsburg for some afternoon shopping.

Read the full version online at nyunews.com.

Email Fernanda Amis at features@nyunews.com.

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NY-Untraditional Thanksgivings

By LAURA RUBIO Staff Writer

Thanksgiving is just around the corner, and for many families, that means making space in the fridge for the 10-pound turkey and the casserole dishes of mashed potatoes and stuffing.

For other NYU students and their families, though, traditional Thanksgiving dishes don’t make the cut. Whether it’s because of dietary restrictions or cultural influences, this American holiday is transformed into something unique in many households.

I remember the Latin flair that influenced the Thanksgiving dinners of my childhood. My family would join my mother’s relatives at a table that still featured the traditional turkey as the centerpiece, but all around it, I could find congri, yuca con mojo and platanitos maduros. These side dishes are all part of the daily diet of my native island, Cuba.

Congri is the Cuban version of rice and beans, where the two main ingredients are cooked in

7

the same kettle or pot to give the rice its distinct black color.

Yuca, or cassava in English, is what the tapioca balls in your bubble tea are made from, and mojo is the sauce that accompanies the yuca, usually made with olive oil, onions, parsley and garlic. Last but certainly not least, platanitos maduros are fried sweet plantains.

While side dishes are the stars of my Thanksgiving, Tisch senior David Scherker talks about how turkey fits into the special way his family celebrates Thanksgiving.

“I have a vegetarian household so we don’t have too much meat during our Thanksgiving meal,” Scherker said. “We have some vegetarian substitutes for meat such as Tofurky, which is a tofu-based turkey.”

Tisch sophomore Ana Grace Fangayen puts a Filipino twist on her Thanksgiving. Originally from Baguio City, Philippines, Fangayen and her family came to America when she was 10 years old.

“We didn’t have turkey or mashed potatoes because that wasn’t something that we would normally eat,”

VIA FLICKR

Dinuguan is a traditional Filipino pork dish that is typically served with rice cakes.

Fangayen said. “During the holidays we would either cook a lot of Filipino food like spring rolls, noodles, rice, barbeque, stuff like that, or we would go to a Filipino restaurant and do catering.”

Last year, Fangayen suggested that her family do a traditional Thanksgiving meal side by side with their Filipino one.

“My family enjoyed it a lot because they’re also fans of that type of food, so it was kind of a nice change to what we’ve normally been doing,” she said.

One of Fangayen’s favorite Filipino dishes is Dinuguan, which she remembers eating during special occasions growing up.

“It’s pretty much chopped up pork with cooked pig blood,” Fangayen said. “The texture is kind of like mud, but the way that we season it and dress it, it doesn’t taste like what it actually is.”

Dinuguan is typically served with puto, or steamed rice cakes.

“When I was younger and when I would have the dish during my birthday, I would dip the puto in the pig blood dish, and it was so good,” Fangayen said.

For Fangayen, getting to celebrate Thanksgiving in both the traditional and the Filipino style has a lot of personal meaning.

“It was definitely representative of the struggle of trying to assimilate ourselves in American culture because on one hand, we want to be part of the tradition here in America, but we also want to include our own identity into that tradition,” she said. “I’m celebrating an American tradition but I’m also enjoying my culture at the same time.”

Email Laura Rubio at dining@nyunews.com.

Tomi Lahren’s Star-Spangled Fashion VIA WIKIMEDIA

The U.S. flag has appeared on clothing as an icon or a print for decades, but is now being banned from appearing on apparel.

By KATE HOLLAND Staff Writer

Ultra-conservative political commentator and Fox News contributor Tomi Lahren recently caught flak on social media for sporting a star-spangled cape alongside a “Make America Great Again” bodysuit this Halloween. People claimed the outfit violated the United States Flag Code disallowing use of the U.S. flag as apparel.

The U.S. flag is an enduring symbol of patriotism, especially among U.S. conservatives. It seems that with the recent kindling of U.S. nationalism and the development of the American so called “alt-right,” the U.S. flag is beginning to represent nationalist or even populist values for some Americans.

Some students around campus aren’t bothered by Lahren’s use of the flag since, in recent events, it hasn’t stood for the U.S. as a whole.

“The flag creates a national identity, but for some people it represents a partisan identity and excludes immigrants or the LGBTQ [community],” Steinhardt senior Amanda Morris said. “To me, the flag is for everyone, which is why I think there shouldn’t be one dicta-

tion on how you can use it.”

U.S. conservatives often take flag culture seriously, going so far as to defend the Confederate flag, but since the rise of President Donald Trump, the nationalism associated with the symbol has only become more intense.

NYU students don’t seem to mind so much the use of the flag as a fashion statement, more so the sentiment that the flag represents ideals which go beyond the basic principles of democracy.

“I guess it depends on who’s wearing it,” Tisch sophomore Bre Kelly said. “If I were to see an American flag at a Trump rally, I would find it really intimidating.”

Kelly also brought up the camouflage trend as an instance of utilizing military style in a trendy way, but she said she thinks some retailers like Brandy Melville and Urban Outfitters take the military style too far with mock patches and pins.

Students have a problem with the flag as apparel specifically in the context of Lahren’s hateful nationalist rhetoric. It seems that the flag at one point may have been acceptable as apparel, but with the divisiveness of the current political climate, it can operate as a tool to isolate people of different affiliations even further.

Tisch sophomore Maddie Williams said that the appropriateness of wearing the flag depends on who is wearing it.

“My dad is a veteran,” Williams said. “So when people like Tomi Lahren wear the flag to be obnoxious, it’s not OK with me.”

Email Kate Holland at bstyle@nyunews.com.

Greenwich Village Encourages Residents to #ShopBleecker

By ALYSSA KELLY Staff Writer

Brick-and-mortar stores have faced difficulty claiming their space in the retail world in recent years.

With the increase in online shopping and the uptick in rent, New York City small business owners are feeling the brunt of this issue, specifically on the renowned Greenwich Village shopping staple: Bleecker Street. A street once known for its celebration of art and music is now facing a loss in revenue, causing a high business turnover rate.

Today, 30 percent of the storefronts on Bleecker Street are vacant. To revitalize the area, the Greenwich Village Chelsea Chamber of Commerce partnered with Google to create the #ShopBleecker initiative. The project aims to bring awareness to the lack of business in the area, and, in turn, to garner support for these small businesses. Maria Diaz, executive di-

rector of the GVCCC, spearheaded the project, cultivating a sense of community among the Bleecker Street businesses.

“I want to create a coalition of merchants that know each other and can come together and share each other’s woes and successes so that when it comes time to advocate for policies that help the businesses, they are going to be my go-to people to talk to about what their experiences are,” Diaz said. #ShopBleecker Day on Nov. 18 included a number of deals, raffles and prizes for participating shoppers, in addition to a rally held in Father Demo Square, where Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer and New York State Senator Brad Hoylman came to speak to attendees.

At the event, Brewer spoke about proposed legislation to create a database of vacant stores throughout the city.

All of the business owners in the city want to not have a vacant

store next door,” Brewer said. “We complain about it as consumers, but what they end up with is sanitation issues and homeless [people] and other challenges right next to the business that they’re trying to build.”

Brewer and other business owners in attendance spoke about how online shopping is a major factor in the decrease in revenue throughout independent businesses. Hoylman called upon consumers to act.

“Let’s make Bleecker Street the best in class example of how small businesses can survive in this very difficult climate,” Hoylman said.

One of the biggest supporters of this project has been Kryolan Professional Makeup, a global brand. Kelly Thompson, director of Kryolan, saw this event as a way to promote her business while also showcasing the essence of the city.

“I was so happy when they suddenly leased down here,” Thompson said. “Bleecker Street is what I con-

sider what New York needs to be.”

Craig Hounsell, vice president of operations at Fly London, another top participant in the initiative, believes in the benefits of maintaining a small, brick-and-mortar business.

“The advantage we have is the close-knit environment,” Hounsell said. “So we’re able to participate in the experience that the shoppers have. We get to know them on a personal level. We see a lot of repeat business from other areas and other countries that come back continuously.”

The boutique shoe shop is having a sale of 20 percent off throughout the month of November. Other top participating businesses include LiLac Chocolates and NARS Cosmetics.

Although #ShopBleecker Day has passed, the sales and promotions will continue until the end of November, during which participating stores will hold raffles and give away prizes. Bring your receipts to #ShopBleecker Headquarters

at 359 Bleecker St. to enter for a chance to win.

Email Alyssa Kelly at bstyle@nyunews.com.

COURTESY OF WIKIMEDIA

Bleecker St, is now 30% vacant due to the drastic increase in online shopping. The #ShopBleecker movement is being advertised in the area to save the street’s vacancies.

1500s

1615

Persia, Syria, Egypt and Turkey all obtain coffee.

Pre 1400s Coffee is grown in Arabia’s Yemeni district.

Venice gets coffee, but it is rejected by the clergy.

Pope Clement VIII tries the drink, enjoys it and approves it.

1600s

Coffee arrives in Europe and begins gaining popularity.

The Dutch fail to begin a coffee plant in India, but their endeavors in Batavia — located in modern-day Indonesia — succeed. They are then able to grow the plant in Sumatra and Celebes.

Mid-160

The British bring coffee to New Am New York City — but tea is still th drink throughout the colo

City of Saints in the Big City

By MICHAEL MUTH Contributing Writer On a gray yet comforting fall morning, I sit outside of City of Saints Coffee in anticipation of the interview I have set up with the store manager, Danielle Pittner. As an individual who used to work in a coffee shop and an overall connoisseur of the versatile beverages that make up the world of specialty coffee, I was over the moon to go to this local cafe.

Upon the first couple of steps into the shop, customers enter a sort of serenity that balances the sounds of light traffic outside with the clean aesthetic of the shop. I find Pittner behind the counter in a perfectly con-

structed barista outfit complete with a red beanie and a clean black ensemble. We sit down at a bench in the cafe that allows us to take in the energy of the people and tasty creations that are being produced while our lovely chat begins.

The world of specialty coffee puts great emphasis on all aspects of the coffee-making process, from the climate the beans come from to the delicate latte art, and Pittner’s introductions to this world start from the root of it all — literally. When Pittner served in the Peace Corps, the people in her host family in Jamaica were coffee farmers.

There she learned everything about growing and harvesting the beans, thus inspiring her to

enter the vast world of coffee.

Upon coming back to the United States, she looked for barista jobs and wound up as store manager at City of Saints Coffee.

the corner of Fourth Avenue and 10th Street, the shop prides itself on making well-crafted coffee. While Pittner’s beverage of choice is a classic drip

The world of specialty coffee puts great emphasis on all aspects of the coffee-making process, from the climate the beans come from to the delicate latte art.

The shop gets its adorable name from the country that is credited as the birthplace of coffee: Ethiopia. City of Saints is the nickname of the Ethiopian city Harar. Located near

coffee, the shop has become well known for its lavender agave latte. What started as a seasonal iced latte has become a new staple due to popular demand, so try one out any time

of the year, hot or iced. For all of the autumn enthusiasts out there, if you crave a beverage that tastes like fall in a cup, try the seasonal and adorably named jack-o-latte.

At the end of the interview, I discovered that I went for the coffee but wanted to stay for the people. Whether you’re in there for five minutes or five hours, City of Saints Coffee successfully turns its little cafe into a temporary community. With the cold months and long school days ahead, stop in City of Saints to warm your stomach and spirit, and, like their mantra says, drink what you like.

Email Michael Muth at dining@nyunews.com

Coffee For Dogs

By DREW LEDERMAN Staff Writer According to National Geographic, “52 percent [of people] prefer dogs,” compared to 21 percent for cats and 27 percent undecided. And according to USA Today, “About 83 percent of adults drink coffee in the U.S.” It is clear that Americans love dogs and coffee. Thanks to former model Agota Jakutyte, a product has recently become available to let you share your love of the caffeinated drink with your pup. It’s called Rooffee.

The Lithuanian-born business owner told Buzzfeed that the

company name came from a far more innocent source than the mistaken connection to “roofies” — simply the combination of the words “roots” and” coffee.”

You would expect that coffee, or caffeine of any kind, would be toxic for man’s best friend — and you would be correct. According to the Pet Poison Hotline, if ingested, coffee is “generally moderate to severe/life-threatening” for dogs. So what is inside this product?

Rooffee, a drink for both animals and humans, is made from Nordic wild roots through holistic methods without agricultural chemicals, pesticides or caffeine.

CAS senior Katrina Goldowsky-Dill questioned the drink.

“It’s kind of ridiculous that it would be called coffee,” Goldowsky-Dill said. “It’s not coffee.”

It is toted in the press release as a natural source of “minerals, vitamins, carbohydrates, fats and proteins which help to boost the immune system, detoxify the body and nourish it.” These ingredients can also help dogs lose weight through its appetite suppressing qualities.

Despite backlash for both its upsetting name and the known toxicity of coffee for dogs, the company is currently searching for funding through

a Kickstarter campaign, under the umbrella of Jakutyte’s petcare company, SHOO. In the last few years, there has been a craze in the commercial market over health drinks such as kombucha, chia water and herbal teas. So, it is no wonder the buyers of these drinks would want to give their pets the same benefits that the health drinks bring them.

The popularity of health food and drink has surpassed the necessity of health, moving closer to trendiness. Root-based, holistic products like Rooffee profit off of this health trend through their ability to commoditize health.

This commodification is a form a

food gentrification, which is rarely seen in the pet food industry.

On the positive side of the argument, exploring different forms of pet food opens an opportunity to find the best sustenance for them.

“If we do gentrify [food], it means we’re thinking about more ways to feed [animals] well,” Goldowsky-Dill said.

Whether Rooffee gets past its beginning stages as a product, Jakutyte decides to change the name or gentrified pet care falls out of fashion, Rooffee is sure an interesting idea.

Email Drew Lederman at dining@nyunews.com.

1714

1773

France’s King Louis XIV receives a coffee plant as a gift from the mayor of Amsterdam.

American colonists revolt against the British by dumping gallons of tea into the Boston Harbor in what is now known as the Boston Tea Party.

Coffee then becomes the colonies’ drink of choice.

TIMELINE COMPILED BY NATASHA ROY INFORMATION VIA NATIONAL COFFEE ASSOCIATION

00s

msterdam — now he most popular onies.

1723

A naval officer, Gabriel de Clieu, gets a seedling from Louis XIV’s plant, and he brings it with him to Martinique, an island in the Caribbean. This is the plant that helps spread the growth of coffee throughout the Caribbean islands and Central and South America.

How much caffeine is in your favorite drink?

Places to Study and Sip

By MIRANDA LEVINGSTON, News Editor

Starbucks and other coffee chains rapidly lose their charm as the academic year progresses. The drinks are too hot, the atmosphere is stale and the playlists are tacky. Research shows that people learn best when they study the same thing in different environments, and since NYU students work around the clock, it’s important to switch up the working environment. Read below for WSN’s list of favorite coffee shops for studying.

Spreadhouse Cafe 116 SUFFOLK ST. I could wax poetic about Spreadhouse Cafe. The decor gives off a lush bohemian vibe — an assortment of succulents displayed on a statement installation on the main wall brings an outdoorsy glow to the low-lit, magenta-tinted room.

Low desks with colorful woven pillows on the floor complement the more standard tables. It’s quiet enough to do work, and each customer gets an hour of complimentary wifi for each food or drink item they order. Order the avocado toast and the espresso — you won’t be disappointed.

Caffe Reggio

Black Cat LES

119 MACDOUGAL ST. Caffe Reggio is the near-ancient Italian literary salon you never knew you needed. Not only is it open until 2 a.m., but it has a delightfully classic menu. The tiramisu and the hot apple cider are the stars of the menu. The art on the walls looks like it was hung at least a century ago and is a refreshing change of pace. The wifi is free, and the eclectic atmosphere is priceless.

172 RIVINGTON ST. Black Cat is set up like a nostalgic living room with a not over-stated assortment of retro couches, coffee tables and arm chairs. The inviting, slightly underground cafe offers a variety of sandwiches and salads, in addition to the cafe menu regulars.

It hosts a variety of events and performances, announced on the cafe’s chalkboard. The cafe also features a pile of board games in the window for when a study break is needed.

Pause Cafe

Joe and the Juice

3 CLINTON ST. Ever wanted to go to Morocco? This small, airy, fun and friendly Moroccan cafe is the crown gem of the Lower East Side. Beautiful acai bowls, extensive pastries, fresh sandwiches and warm drinks are complemented by brightly tiled tables. The green acai bowl is especially sublime — there are lavender and almond slivers in it. This locals-only spot is bustling with the happy sounds of families and groups of friends, both young and old. Wifi is free.

161 PRINCE ST. This SoHo staple is the epitome of suave. The candlelit coffee shop is dim and sultry, and there is always some drowsy, soulful and heavy-hitting hip hop playing in the background. The cafe offers great coffee, good sandwiches and a refreshingly varied smoothie selection. Joe and the Juice creates the perfect vibe to feel like a boss and get things done. WiFi is free.

Email Miranda Levingston at mlevingston@nyunews.com

200 mg

120 mg

80 mg

40 mg

Red Eye

Drip Coffee

Americano, cappuccino, mocha, latte

Espresso

INFORMATION VIA KICKING HORSE COFFEE

10

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OPINION

EDITED BY ANDREW HEYING OPINION@NYUNEWS.COM

TECHNOLOGY

By HENRY COHEN Staff Writer Clustered Regularly-Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats/CRISPR associated protein 9 has been in the news quite a bit recently and has gotten many researchers excited about the prospect of precision gene editing. With this technology, it has become exponentially faster and cheaper to edit the genomes of individual organisms, with far greater accuracy and certainty than any other time in history. CRISPR may very well be the gateway to genetic engineering, the likes of which have previously been confined to the realm of science fiction — designer babies, cures for otherwise incurable diseases and fantastic superhuman abilities all seem fea-

Gene Editing is the Way of the Future sible if this technology continues to develop and expand. In the face of such awesome potential, there have understandably been several ethical and practical concerns over CRISPR’s application, and while some are more valid than others, none outweigh the world of good that can be achieved by embracing this technology.

One of the more ethically-geared arguments against using CRISPR to edit away traits like cerebral palsy, muscle-eye-brain disease, blindness or Down syndrome spectrum disorders is that it is fundamentally ableist and dismissive of those born with such disabilities. Proponents of this view argue that “mankind is still unable to distinguish between positive, world-creating forms of disability and negative, world-destroying forms — be-

tween Deafness, short stature or certain types of neurodiversity and chronic pain, Tay-Sachs or Alzheimer’s.” While on the surface this argument could come off as accepting and egalitarian, it is in fact one that rationalizes unnecessary suffering and causes real harm. Imagine being born blind or with cerebral palsy, and being told that this disability could’ve been avoided but intentionally wasn’t because diversity of ability is important. It is absurd to let people go on being

afflicted by these often debilitating impairments, just as it would be absurd to intentionally avoid prescription glasses, wheelchairs or the use of sign language. No one is suggesting that CRISPR be used to forcibly modify individuals already living with these conditions, but for those who wish to live with all the faculties of the average person, and for those yet unborn who don’t have a say in the matter, it is a moral imperative that we use this technology to relieve the potential for suffering where possible.

Another more practical argument against CRISPR is the potential for misuse by bioterrorists or incompetent researchers. CRISPR can be used to build gene drives in certain species. For example, one mosquito can be modified to not transmit malaria, in such a way that the

mosquito will eventually spread this modification to many other members of its species. Through this method, entire populations can be modified very quickly, allowing for ecological engineering on a level that was once unthinkable.

However, this technique could also be used poorly: gene drives could spiral out of control, either intentionally or by accident, and wreak environmental havoc for generations. While this prospect is intimidating, it is only more reason to invest resources into CRISPR research so that such mistakes are less likely to happen. CRISPR is happening no matter what, and only by embracing it and all its potential can we hope to use it for good.

Email Henry Cohen at opinion@nyunews.com.

POLITICS

Bush, Trump and America’s Short Attention Span

By THEO WAYT Staff Writer Last month, former president George W. Bush, who has largely remained quiet during the Trump presidency, gave a speech in New York to “support democracy.”

He provided a token defense of the value of free markets and decried “the return of isolationist sentiments, forgetting American security is directly threatened by the chaos and despair of distant places.” However, despite Bush’s professed love for democracy and free markets, he predictably failed to address how he treated people in those chaotic so-called “distant places” — he didn’t mention his administration’s restrictions on

Iraqis’ free speech, the cancellation of their democratic free elections or the immense profits made by members of his administration during the occupation.

After Bush’s speech, much of the U.S. media showed incredible shortsightedness by lavishing praise upon a man they so loathed during his time in office less than 10 years ago. In the words of CNN editor-at-large Chris Cillizza, “George W. Bush just laid a major smackdown on Trumpism,” even though Bush did not mention Trump’s name. “Bush Bashes Bigotry, Bullying and Lies,” New York Magazine celebrated, saying he “tore apart President Trump and everything he represents without ever saying the man’s name.”

Painting Bush as some sort of conservative conscience during his or former President Barack Obama’s terms would have been completely laughable, but these days, any politician who doesn’t seem to have emerged directly from Steve Bannon’s cave is treated as a hero.

Trump’s financial greed and racist sentiments come in populist proportions on his childish Twitter account and in his brash

Queens timbre, making him more hateable to some than former president Bush, who veiled his Wall Street deregulation and profitable war crimes with a down-home Texas accent and an ideological veil of Reagan-esque compassionate conservatism.

But both men support or have supported dangerous myths of climate change denial, privatization of everything from the military to health care and highly destructive interventionism.

However, Trump has so far done less damage than Bush — he has not started any wars or caused any financial crises, though he has blundered a hurricane relief effort.

The press and the American

people must remember that Trump is not an outlier — he and Bush both come from a party with a long, shameful tradition of espousing thinly veiled racism in return for electoral clout and plausible deniability. In many ways, Trump is no different from his political ancestors; like the white supremacists who marched in Charlottesville — “some very fine people” — Trump says out loud what Bush-era Republicans used to only whisper. George Bush led directly to the current Republican party, and no oblique pseudo-condemnation of Trump can change that.

Email Theo Wayt at opinion@nyunews.com.

CULTURE

By PAOLA NAGOVITCH Deputy Opinion Editor This Thanksgiving, I am particularly thankful to be Puerto Rican.

As a Puerto Rican living in mainland United States, I have experienced outsider’s guilt watching my home and my people struggle through the aftermath of back-toback hurricanes. My privilege to live in New York City, away from my family in San German, became a source of remorse as I watched the suffering people on the island because I couldn’t be there to help.

Struggling with my own sense of culpability, I watched in awe as my home struggled to rise. The solidarity of the Puerto Rican community, both in the mainland U.S. and in

Being Puerto Rican on Thanksgiving

Puerto Rico, helped it endure the near-destruction of our island.

Following Hurricanes Irma and Maria, Puerto Ricans living in mainland U.S. struggled to communicate with their families and loved ones. However, as we worried and waited weeks for cell phone towers to be somewhat restored, our families and friends had already established community efforts to restore towns.

Neighborhoods took on the collective responsibility to clear streets, retrieve drinking water from rivers and canals, clean up the rubble from destroyed house and share any resources available. A cultural movement flared up around the island driven by the phrase “Puerto Rico Se Levanta” — Puerto

Rico Rises — as a symbol of hope and solidarity. The resilience of the Puerto Rican community lies in its refusal to be diminished by an ignorant government on the island and a negligent, inadequate leader in the U.S. Not only am I thankful for the reaction on the island, but I am also proud to have been part of relief efforts at NYU. There were multiple bake sales from several clubs and sororities around NYU, including CAS Student Council

and Pi Beta Phi. Moreover, President Andrew Hamilton’s decision to accept 50 students from Puerto Rico with full scholarships for the spring semester is an honorable effort to offer some relief to Puerto Rican students. Thousands of Puerto Rican college students have had their studies disrupted over the past years due to protests, financial and political conflicts and hurricanes. We are very privileged to attend NYU, and while someone like John Paulson — who has exploited Puerto Rico — sits on NYU’s Board of Trustees, it is up to the students to organize relief efforts and refuse to contribute to the erasure of Puerto Rico.

While still a colony, Puerto Rico continually challenges the im-

perialistic narrative the U.S. has constructed. The exploitative relationship between the U.S. and Puerto Rico insists the island cannot survive on its own. Yet, the past few months have once again shown that Puerto Rico can thrive with minimal to no substantial federal help. Although I wake up every morning proud to be Puerto Rican, when I sit with my family on Thanksgiving, I will feel even more grateful. Amid all the despair and fully acknowledging the long road to recovery that awaits, I feel honored and thankful to be a part of the inspiring Puerto Rican community.

Email Paola Nagovitch at opinion@nyunews.com.

NYUNEWS.COM | MONDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2017 | WASHINGTON SQUARE NEWS

OPINION

EDITED BY ANDREW HEYING OPINION@NYUNEWS.COM

CULTURE

STAFF EDITORIAL

Listen to the Women Warriors

By TYLER CREWS Deputy Sports Editor

The Steinhardt Faculty and Community Engagement Series recently hosted an event at NYU that provided a stage for women veterans to share their narratives of trauma through theater and storytelling. These women — members of the nonprofit Bedlam Theater Company’s Women Veterans Only Acting Class — came to NYU on Nov. 13 to provide a window into their experiences of mistreatment and sexual assault during their time serving the United States military, as well as the traumatic state they still live in years later.

I attended this event on a whim, but am exceedingly grateful I did so.

While I will not disclose the names and branches of the storytellers out of respect for their privacy and the trust they built with the audience, I feel that it is important to share my experience as a listener.

Going into the event, my knowledge of veterans and the trauma they held in their transition back into society came entirely from the male perspective. Many of my relatives were military men, and their stories, combined with those I read in books like “The Things They Car-

ried,” fully shaped my understanding of the military experience. I never once considered the stories of the few female counterparts that joined them in war. I never once considered that there were thousands of women who brought home the trauma of sexual assault and abuse, on top of the post-traumatic stress disorders that many veterans suffer from. So when the first woman to perform spoke of her rape, with tears in her eyes, I was nauseated. Her words struck me: “When the military police is the one who raped you, who are you supposed to report it to?” After the word of her assault reached her superiors, she was the one who was discharged and labeled with a personality disorder.

She was not alone. Another woman in the group was hazed and ridiculed after being seen kissing another woman, while three oth-

ers were also sexually assaulted.

Each of them was kicked out of the military and then given inadequate treatment regarding her trauma following release. The wounds were still fresh for each woman, regardless of how long ago she served, and their choice to tell their stories was extremely difficult and brave. I could feel the pain in the words they spoke and the tears they shed, and I was moved by their vulnerability.

When the event ended, I lingered behind and talked to two of the women who had performed. I first thanked them for sharing, and then I asked a question that had been burning in my mind for the majority of the event: “What can we do to help?” Their response was simple: they need people to outwardly recognize their cause and listen to their stories, rather than sweepthem under the rug. I have found that more often than not, especially with gender based issues, we are quick to come up with solutions of our own rather than ask victims what they might need. These women are calling upon us to care. It is now up to us to hear them.

Email Tyler Crews at tcrews@nyunews.com.

UNIVERSITY LIFE

NYU Needs to Rename Bobst

By ALISON ZIMMERMAN Contributing Writer

Every day, thousands of NYU students and faculty head to the Elmer Holmes Bobst Library to write papers, study for exams and browse the book selection. Bobst first opened its doors on Sept. 12, 1973. It was named after the longtime NYU trustee who donated a hefty $11 million toward the completion of the library. Yet for all his monetary contribution to support NYU and its academic vision, Bobst, a known anti-Semite, failed in modeling the type of tolerance and social acceptance that define the NYU experience. With bigotry so rampant throughout the United States and around the world, it is time for NYU to rename Bobst in exchange for something more reflective of the university’s stance on inclusion and diversity.

Throughout the 1960s and ‘70s, Bobst was a friend of former president Richard Nixon, and the two kept up correspondence through

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letters. In his letters, Bobst often revealed his anti-Semitic sentiments and in one letter wrote, “Jews in our country are tolerated, but on the whole are not liked … Israelis are a nasty, lousy group, acting like uncivilized people.” In addition to such remarks, Bobst has also been accused of incest. Following the opening of the library, Bobst’s granddaughter came forth and filed a lawsuit against him, accusing him of incest beginning when she was four years old. The case was ultimately dropped when Bobst settled with his granddaughter out of court for $700,000, so there was no further investigation into the accusation.

In my experience here at NYU, there is little tolerance for

closed-mindedness and hatred toward a group of individuals. Both the student body and the school administration share a commitment to accepting people of all religious, racial and ethnic backgrounds. It seems unethical to me that the library, a central NYU building, would tout the name of an individual with such heinous anti-Semitic beliefs and who has committed such atrocious actions such as those Bobst allegedly committed against his granddaughter.

Bigotry seems to be enjoying a new heyday in the United States, with groups like the Neo-Nazis and white supremacists growing in popularity — emboldened by Trump’s election. Now, in the face of such horrors across the nation, NYU must be deliberate and thorough in its message of tolerance. It is time to rename Bobst Library to better fit the vision and values of this university.

Tax Plan Harmful for Students

This week, the Republican-controlled House passed the much-anticipated tax reform bill. President Donald Trump is hoping to pass the bill — which proposes the most significant tax reform in three decades — before Christmas as his first major legislative accomplishment. However, the bill has faced immense criticism for cutting taxes for corporations while doing virtually nothing for the middle class.

And as NYU President Andrew Hamilton pointed out this week via email, this plan will be a disaster for higher-education students.

Although most of the press coverage regarding this tax plan has focused on the tax cuts for corporations, this proposal will take money away from millions of higher-education students — both Republicans and Democrats. For example, private universities with endowments of more than $50 million could face a new $35,000 tax. This will likely lead universities to raise already historically high tuitions. In addition, Americans with student loans will no longer be able to reduce their tax burdens up to $2,500. Most devastatingly, the tax plan forces graduate students to include financial aid that they receive from universities while calculating income. As one graduate student pointed out in The Washington Post, this could cost some graduate students more than $10,000 a year. This is just the beginning of the horror this tax plan will impose on college and graduate students.

Despite all of this, Republicans continue to advertise this bill as a tax break for the middle class. Furthermore, Trump ran on a platform of promising to help middle class Americans, specifically students struggling with debt. However, this bill does just the opposite. Once again, Trump has proven himself to be a fraud. Even though raising taxes on higher-education students sounds like something no one would be in favor of, 227 Republicans voted in favor of doing just that. This leaves the bill just a short Senate vote away from passing. Students everywhere, conservatives and liberals alike, must fight to make sure this does not happen.

In the United States, there are already 44 million people who owe $1.3 trillion in student loan debt. In other words, college is already very expensive. We should be doing everything we can to make college more affordable, yet this Republican bill does just the opposite. In a country where we encourage people to work hard and to go on to pursue higher education, this seems objectively backwards.

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

EDITORIAL BOARD: Andrew Heying (Chair), Adryan Barlia (Co-chair), Carine Zambrano (Co-chair)

Email Alison Zimmerman at opinion@nyunews.com.

STAFF PHOTO BY ANNA LETSON

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.

WSN does not print unsigned letters or editorials. WSN reserves the right to reject any submission and edit accepted submissions in any and all ways. With the exception of the staff editorial, opinions expressed on the editorial pages are not necessarily those of WSN, and our publication of opinions is not an endorsement of them.

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SPORTS

EDITED BY MADDIE HOWARD SPORTS@NYUNEWS.COM

Women’s Soccer’s Foster-Palmer

VIA FACEBOOK

CAS freshman Sophie Foster-Palmer on the women’s soccer team and plays midfield and defense positions.

By HELEN XIE Staff Writer

CAS freshman Sophie Foster-Palmer is a high performer — not just on the field in her position as defender, but in her daily life as well. She expresses this even in the small things that showcase her strong work ethic. We agreed to interview at a small coffee shop, and while I was a few minutes late, she was on time. When I approached her, she greeted me with a warm hello and a laugh. She exuded a

relaxed and friendly demeanor while still maintaining an air of strength. Her modesty is one that distinguishes her, as she could very easily have been arrogant and disagreeable, being one of the standout stars on the team.

As we begin discussing the role of soccer in her life, she mentions that the main impetus for her pursuing collegiate soccer was an injury. Not playing for so long, she stated, sparked in her a realization that she was miserable not being on the field, and she wanted to play for as long as she could.

Despite the time commitments required by college athletics, her love for soccer will forever surpass the burden of extra work. She follows a rigorous schedule, with one of her busiest days requiring her to attend an 8 a.m. class, train to work on her flexibility, practice, lift and finally attend class again.

She is not afraid of getting into hard tackles when she needs to.

Foster-Palmer is focused, as her pre-game rituals often involve remaining quiet with her headphones always in, which has now become a running joke between her and her teammates. After her games, she watches film of previous games to improve and better

analyze her playing technique.

This tenacity and diligence on and off the field stems from an important quote her father has always told her and her brother: “The only thing you can control is how hard you work.”

Excelling in any field — whether that be a sport or in school or in a job takes effort and determination — Foster-Palmer’s perseverance becomes evident just by talking to her.

While soccer plays an important role in her life and she hopes to continue to be involved in it past the collegiate stage, she also holds a deep passion for the arts and social justice. She has taken art classes at her local museum during her off hours while in high school, and her intellectual curiosity has led her to pursue sociology in college. During high school, Foster Palmer took classes at the Center for Social Justice in a small learning community learning about different aspects of social justice. A well-rounded individual, she echoes the work ethic she displays on the field into the rest of her life.

Email Helen Xie at sports@nyunews.com.

Commentary: Buffon’s Last Game

By BELA KIRPALANI Contributing Writer

The final whistle blows. The Swedes go sprinting around the field, screaming shouts of joy, for they have miraculously qualified for the World Cup for the first time since 2006. On the other side of the field, the Italy players collapse on the ground, some stumble around dazed and others find comfort in each other. Then there’s Gianluigi Buffon — the man who has spent the last 20 years playing his heart out for the Italian national team and who has just completed his final match for the Azzurri. Stoic and as sportsmanlike as ever, it doesn’t appear to have hit him yet. He shakes hands with the Sweden players and tightly embraces his friend and compatriot, Giorgio Chiellini, who likely also just put on the blue Italian jersey for the last time. Later, during a postmatch interview, Buffon becomes overwhelmed with emotion, and he breaks down in tears on camera.

Whether you are a supporter of the Italian national team, a fan of a different team or neutral, a piece of all our hearts break watching Buffon.

The words legend and “GOAT” (Greatest of All Time) get thrown around a lot these days, but some may argue strongly that Buffon certainly deserves a statue of himself somewhere in Italy. Born in Carrara, Tuscany, Buffon spent his youth playing for Parma before joining Juventus in 2001. He stayed with Juventus, even during its relegation, contributing to the club’s Serie B ti-

tle and promotion back to Serie A in 2007. Later, Buffon played a key role in Juventus’ historic run, which saw the club win an Italian record of six consecutive league titles between 2011 and 2017. In total, he won a record eight Serie A titles, three Coppa Italia titles and five Supercoppa Italiana titles with Juventus.

When describing Gianluigi Buffon, the words dedicated, passionate and fearless are just a few that come to mind. He has inspired and continues to inspire millions of football fans all over the world, with his love for the game and his utter class making him unforgettable in the minds of many and beloved in the hearts of all.

Italy failed to qualify for the World Cup for the first time since 1958. The 39-year-old Buffon fought hard, just as he has in every game he played for Gli Azzurri, making incredible saves and putting his body on the line for his country. It is truly the end of an era for Italian football and for Buffon. Where Italy will go from here, nobody knows. They must not forget this failure, how painful it feels to miss out on the world’s greatest football competition, but they must look forward and work hard to put together a stronger squad in the next World Cup cycle. For Buffon, his time with the national team has come to a premature end. He won’t get the hero’s goodbye he deserves in Russia this summer, but he can have no regrets. Now, he will go back to Turin and play out the rest of his professional career for Juventus, where perhaps he can lead them to their 28th Serie A title.

Buffon has broken multiple records in his career. With the Italy national team, he has been called up for an international record of five FIFA World Cup tournaments (1998, 2002, 2006, 2010 and 2014), he holds the record for the most clean sheets in Series A and with the Italy national team, and he is the most capped player in the history of Italian football, having just played his 175th international cap.

Whether he is the greatest Italian player or the best goalkeeper in the world is a debate that can be argued forever, but no one can say that Gigi Buffon isn’t one of the greatest men in football. As a fan of Azzurri for many years, thank you Gigi for your service, and I will dearly miss watching you between the sticks, defending the Italian goal with all your might.

Email Bela Kirpalani at sports@nyunews.com.

VIA WIKIMEDIA

Gianluigi Buffon at the Euro 2012 finals in Kiev, Ukraine.

WEEKLY SPORTS UPDATE Nov. 13 to Nov. 18

By TYLER CREWS Deputy Sports Editor

Women’s Soccer The women’s soccer team defeated Grove City College 1-0 in the semifinals of the Eastern College Athletic Conference Division III Championship on Saturday, Nov. 18 in Springfield, Massachusetts.

This advances the Violets into the final game of the championship on Sunday, Nov. 19 against Springfield College for the second year in a row.

Men’s Soccer The men’s soccer team fell in the Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference Division III semifinals on Saturday, Nov. 18 against Rutgers University-Camden in Annville, Pennsylvania.

The game was stopped in the 71st minute due to severe weather and unplayable field conditions, but the Violets were trailing by one, losing when the game was called at 3-2.

This concludes the men’s season with a record of 9-8-3.

Women’s Basketball NYU women’s basketball kicked off its season on Wednesday, Nov. 15 when the Violets hosted Stevens Institute of Technology at the Manhattan Sportsplex. The game was close, but the Violets were able to pull out a 68-65 win.

Then on Saturday, Nov. 18, the team hosted the NYU Tipoff Tournament at the Sportsplex, winning in the first game against Mount Aloysius College 59-57.

The team plays against William Smith College on Sunday, Nov. 19 for the championship.

Men’s Basketball NYU men’s basketball opened its season with a victory on Saturday, Nov. 18. The team hosted the NYU Tip-off Tournament at the Sportsplex in Manhattan, where the Violets played their first game against the College of Mount Saint Vincent. The Violets got off to a rocky start, trailing by as many as 12 points in the first half, but came back to trail by four points at halftime, when the score was 4036. The team then ended the game with a score of 80-77.

The team goes on to play Haverford College in the championship game on Sunday, Nov. 19.

Cross Country On Saturday, Nov. 18, members of both the men’s and

women’s cross country teams competed in the National Collegiate Athletic Association Division III Championship in Elsah, Illinois. While the women were not eligible to compete as a team, the men’s team came in 28th place out of 32 teams for the 8K course.

Individually, CAS senior Neil Saddler improved immensely from when he competed last year, coming in 53rd overall with a time of 25:08.38, in comparison to 195th place finish last season.

There were 279 individuals competing in both the men’s and women’s races.

For the women’s team, CAS senior Hannah Haley and SPS junior Sabrina Herrmann qualified to compete individually in the 6K race. Herrmann finished in 121st place with a time of 22:23.70 and Haley came in at 23:10.20, earning 224th place.

This was the end of the cross country season.

Fencing The men’s fencing team dominated in its meet against Stevens Institute of Technology on Monday, Nov. 13, winning with a score of 21-6. The Violets showed mastery in both foil and sabre, winning with both weapons by 8-1. The teams were closer in epee, and the Violets just barely managed a 5-4 win.

The women struggled, losing 15-12 in the meet, which was their season opener.

The team is competing next in the Sacred Heart Duals in Fairfield, Connecticut on Sunday, Dec. 3.

Swimming and Diving Both the men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams competed against Johns Hopkins University and the College of New Jersey in a tri-meet on Saturday, Nov. 18 at NYU’s Palladium Athletic Facility.

The men dominated in the pool and defeated both opposing teams, taking first place in nine of the 14 events.

In diving, SPS junior Connor Brisson took first place in both the one-meter and three-meter dives.

The women were less fortunate, winning against New Jersey but falling short to Johns Hopkins. The team won six out of 14 events. On the diving boards, CAS sophomore Carmen White won both the three-meter and one-meter dives.

Email Tyler Crews at tcrews@nyunews.com.

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Exposure: The Cat Cafes of New York

By JEMIMA MCEVOY, Managing Editor

Last Friday, I decided to do something completely out of the ordinary. Some would even call it out of the paw-dinary. I visited every cat café in New York City and Brooklyn, despite my raging allergy to all things furry. At the start of the day, I was a strong dog person. By the end, I still preferred dogs, but I’m willing to admit that cats aren’t quite as bad as I thought. Even though I couldn’t actually touch any of these cats and I essentially risked my life for the paper, I hope you enjoy these painfully average cat photos.