Washington Square News, November 5, 2018

5 CULTURE

9 OPINION

West Village Diner With a Queer Eye Makeover

On Our Coverage of Milo Yiannopoulos

7 ARTS

12 THE WALLKILL JOURNAL

Boy Erased’ Depicts the Jarring Realities of Gay Conversion Therapy

Behind Bars, Three Men Graduate

VOLUME LI | ISSUE 11

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 2018

NYU Buys Semesters’ Worth of Student Startup’s Straws University backs Seastraws, a student-run company seeking to reduce the amount of plastic in oceans, by providing their straws in select dining halls.

By YASMIN GULEC Under the Arch Editor Antonio DiMeglio was walking back to Founders after a cannoli-f illed trip to Little Italy. As the setting shifted from classic Italian restaurants with checkered tablecloths to hip SoHo cafes, something caught his eye that brought him to a halt on Mulberry Street. Under the red neon sign of popular brunch spot Ruby’s Cafe, he peered in, avoiding the gaze of those staring back at him as they sipped on their drinks. Little did they know that the red-and-white-striped paper straws poking out of their sodas were distributed by Seastraws — the company DiMeglio started just f ive months ago.

“We started before this whole thing blew [up],” DiMeglio said of the recent push toward using sustainable straws. “I don’t want to say we got lucky, but we kind of got lucky. We knew that this was going to be a major issue and decided to build on it from there.”

New York Prepares for Pivotal Elections Ahead of Tuesday’s midterms, a preview of the races most pertinent to the NYU community.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 11 VIA WIKIMEDIA COMMONS AND FACEBOOK.COM

By WSN NEWS TEAM On Nov. 8, 2016, two New Yorkers faced off in one of the most contentious presidential elections in U.S. history, resulting in the election of Queens-native Donald Trump. Tuesday’s election will provide Americans with their biggest opportunity yet to protest the actions of a historically unpopular president as the Democratic Party is projected to retake the House.

Though few local races appear hotly contested, NYU’s size and prestige grant it significant influence in both city and state-wide races. This Tuesday, thousands of NYU students, faculty and staff will take to the polls throughout New York City to exercise their civic duty and hold their leaders accountable.

COURTESY OF SEASTRAWS

Seastraws stainless steel straws.

NYU Community Over the past few months, politically-minded students at NYU have been holding phone banking sessions and hosting keynote speakers in hopes of energizing their peers. On Tuesday, they’ll see if their hard work paid off.

With Republicans currently in control of the White

House, Senate and the House of Representatives, many Democrats, like CAS sophomore and College Democrat Secretary Arman Beacon, are hoping for a blue wave at the polls.

“We are sick and tired of all the pain and suffering this Congress and administration have caused,” Beacon said. “We are confident that a majority of Americans agree with us.”

Research shows that higher voter turnout helps Democrats, while lower turnout gives Republican candidates a boost. If the statistic is consistent, a blue wave is surely on the rise.

Bennett Kauffman, a CAS sophomore and vice president of the College Republicans, recognized the Democrats’ momentum but does not see them taking over the house.

“I’m expecting Republicans to lose seats in the House but not enough to lose the majority,” Kauffman said. “I think we’ve seen a very energized Democratic base, but the early voting numbers show large Republican turnout as well. I’m expecting most of the races to be close, but I think Republicans should hold the house.”

CONTINUED ON PAGE 3

Washington Square News

2

NEWS

NEWS@NYUNEWS.COM

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 2018

Edited by ALEX DOMB, KRISTINA HAYHURST and SARAH JACKSON

The Black Sheep Cuts Editorial to Focus on Video

By NATALIE CHINN and KAITLYN WANG

The Black Sheep NYU is in limbo. The digital satire publication’s writing staff was recently cut by The Black Sheep Online’s national headquarters in an effort to focus content on social media platforms.

Though the publication is no longer producing written articles for its website, its team is moving forward with purpose. The site’s social feeds, especially its Twitter account, remain active, and the Black Sheep’s archives are still available.

“We’re sort of, right now, in a stage where we don’t know what we’re doing,” Video Production Manager and CAS sophomore Paul Kim said.

The team is now putting all of its effort into producing content for The Black Sheep’s YouTube channel, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, primarily memes and satirical headlines. The Black Sheep Online’s national headquarters hopes to be able to generate revenue from monetizing YouTube videos and social media content.

The change won’t just take place at NYU. The Black Sheep NYU is part of a national network of other Black Sheep publications.

Each campus has a team of content creators that reports to the national corporate headquarters in Chicago.

“Take [The Odyssey Online] in terms of

format — not in quality, we’re better than that — and then take The Onion in terms of content, put those together, and make it college-oriented and that’s what you get,” Chief Campus Manager and Steinhardt junior Travis Schmidt said. “It was fantastic because it allowed content to be diversified to each campus.”

The news of the publication’s pivot to video and social media came from national headquarters in mid-October, according to Schmidt. The team at NYU was given one week to cease editorial production. Schmidt hasn’t published a new article since Oct. 15.

The cuts — including Schmidt’s current position, for which he receives a weekly stipend — weren’t out of the blue. When Schmidt joined The Black Sheep as a writer when he was a first- year, the publication was mainly focused on written satirical articles. Over time, corporate began to tell campuses to cut down on the number of writers they brought on, even though the writing staff was unpaid.

This semester, there were only two. The cuts weren’t due to a lack of interest on campus, Schmidt said. Instead, it simply became too expensive to maintain a wide network of writers; website and server maintenance, used to host the writers’ content, was costly.

The structure of The Black Sheep allowed each campus to develop its own voice and content catered to its audience, The Black Sheep’s brand of satire was tied to traditional campus

culture and climate — and NYU is simply a very different kind of campus.

“While most schools could thrive on mocking Greek life, how terrible one quad is, or the latest antics of their horrid sports teams, we could not,” Schmidt said. “It isn’t because we don’t have these things, but because the culture does not exist here.”

According to Schmidt and Kim, corporate has asked they focus on generating memes for their social media platforms and man-on-thestreet videos for YouTube. The latter illustrates the quirky aspects of traditional university life.

However, these types of videos only touch on on superficial characteristics of students, which isn’t what Schmidt and Kim want The Black Sheep to focus on. Instead, they’d like to see satire used as a way to create meaningful discussions about systemic issues at NYU. “Video has gone the way of entertainment instead of satire, and I think that’s another thing that a lot of the staff has beef with — is that we’re not doing satire anymore,” Kim said. “We’re now saying, ‘Hey, what’s the strangest thing you’ve seen someone wear in New York?’ It’s more memes than [satire].”

To avoid this, Kim wants to focus on sketches, which he thinks are a better platform for satire. He thinks NBC’s Saturday Night Live is a good example of how satire, in sketch form, can offer insightful interpretations of current events. But sketches are hard to produce on an SNL level, especially when

you have limited resources — such as a lack of producers, actors and comedy writers. It is also hard for the team to create video content with made-up quotes that are often found in satirical articles.

“You can write Andy Hamilton into an article, but you can’t interview him [for a video] and say things that he didn’t say,” Kim said. “You can do that in a satire piece, but you can’t do that in video. Satire’s easy when you can make it up.”

That’s why Schmidt and Kim value written satirical content so much.

“There was no need to get the facts necessarily straight,” Schmidt said. “But instead offering the interpretation of everything that was going on, which was incredibly helpful for allowing a very genuine, very earnest discussion to transpire.”

Just because the written content is gone doesn’t mean The Black Sheep is gone.

Kim thinks that a new focus on social media content could work really well for NYU’s online community.

“I think people have really taken a liking to our Twitter and to our Instagram and social media — that’s where the NYU community really thrives, is online,” Kim said. “We’re not so much a physical university [community], we’re online.”

And Schmidt thinks that as long as the audience wants satire, the outlet will be there.

Right now, there is talk about forming a new

NATALIE CHINN | WSN

Steinhardt junior Travis Schmidt is the Chief Campus Manager at The Black Sheep NYU ­­­­­­­— which recently cut its writing staff.

independent satire publication at NYU, but nothing is concrete.

“I think [The Black Sheep] will survive, in some form or another,” Schmidt said. “Like the rest of journalism, be it satire or traditional reporting, it’ll find a way to adapt and overcome the circumstance. People clearly have an interest in this kind of content, and because that interest is there, viewership will remain.”

Paul Kim is a copy editor at WSN. Email Kaitlyn Wang and Natalie Chinn at culture@nyunews.com.

Transgender Activists Protest Trump, Prepare to Vote

By VICTOR PORCELLI Deputy News Editor Around 50 protestors chanting “give trans people better lives, now’s the time to organize” joined together on Friday in Union Square in response to a memo issued by the Trump administration.

The memo states that gender should be defined solely based on which genitalia one is born with; those supporting the policy

VICTOR PORCELLI | WSN

A protest regarding transgender rights took place in Union Square Park on Friday.

change may feel repercussions at the ballot box on Tuesday, according to protestors.

During his administration, Barack Oama issued an executive order allowing transgender students to use their bathroom of choice, which was reversed by President Donald Trump last year. This is part of a larger push by the Trump administration to implement a less fluid and more strict definition of gender in federal institutions from prisons to the military. Transgender people and advocates for transgender rights coalesced in Union Square to express their dissatisfaction with the administration’s stance.

“I think it’s really important to show support and send a message to the rest of New York that this is a problem that really matters and there are a lot of people affected by this kind of rhetoric and policies,” said Silver School of Social Work junior Kaela Vecchia-Seitz.

Vecchia-Zeitz is cisgender and came to the protest to be an ally to the transgender community.

Midterm elections are fast approaching, presenting an opportunity for transgender rights activists to express their feelings about recent policy changes.

Hannah Sheinkman, a junior at the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, went to the protest to support her partner, who is transgender.

“I’m really disgusted with this administration trying to erase all of trans identity from literature, from documentation,” Sheinkman said. “Without the representation and the documentation trans people are not safe in the streets.”

Sheinkman, who is registered to vote in her home state of Maryland, said she recently voted against the current governor, Larry Hogan, because of his stance on transgender rights. Hogan is a friend of Vice President

Mike Pence, who has previously opposed legislation that would expand rights of the LGBTQ community. Sheinkman said Hogan’s association with the vice president “was a big swayer in why I voted against him.”

Briana Silberberg, a transgender woman, said she hasn’t missed an election since she first voted in the 2010 midterms. Attending the Transgender Day of Action in June and a transgender rights protest at Madison Square Park on Monday, Silberberg said who she votes for has gradually become more dependent on transgender issues.

However, Silberberg isn’t the only one turning up the pressure — she said she’s noticed an increase in mobilization around the issue since the beginning of this year.

“Right now, there’s this sort of excitement around the political moment not just in reaction to the stuff coming out of the White House, but people are really using

this as a catalyst and opportunity to advocate for the whole spectrum of things that trans people need,” Silberberg said.

Despite increased advocating for transgender rights, Silberberg feels that candidates are still unresponsive to the transgender community. This lack of reaction is what she believes has motivated people to take political action. For Silberberg, it will certainly play a role in how she votes.

“In recent history, we’ve seen Washington turn its back and the Democratic party and the Republican party turn their back on a lot of these really on-the-ground, quality of life, meat and potatoes trans issues and that is absolutely the paramount thing on my mind going into the ballot box,” Silberberg said.

Email Victor Porcelli at vporcelli@nyunews.com.

Rebuking Aramark, Students Pressure NYU Dining Services

By MEGHNA MAHARISHI Deputy News Editor In a nearly unanimous vote, with only one abstention, the Student Government Assembly passed a resolution backed by the Incarceration to Education Coalition to pressure NYU to boycott food service providers that have relationships with prisons in a meeting last Thursday.

The resolution was passed the same day as the deadline for food service providers to submit proposals to NYU’s upcoming bidding process. NYU called for a bidding process in the middle of Aramark’s 10-year contract with the university after Lipton’s C-grade grade health inspection in November 2017.

Current providers that have expressed interest in servicing NYU are Aramark, Compass Group USA and AVI Foodsystems while Sodexo dropped out of the process in September. All providers that have shown

interest in submitting a proposal also serve federal and private prisons.

Other than a boycott, the resolution endorsed the IEC’s campaign to pressure NYU to independently run its dining services. The resolution also asks for the IEC to have a spot on the Dining Advisory Committee.

SGA will no longer use its funds for Aramark’s catering subsidiary, Top of the Square, which normally caters for events in Kimmel Center for University Life. Instead, the SGA will donate those funds to support formerly-incarcerated people and abolitionist activist groups. Before the vote took place, Senator-at-Large Rose Asaf said that it was feasible for SGA to find alternative catering companies.

“As you all know, I’m the director of operations, which means I’m the one who orders the food, and that also means I would be the one who would be putting this into action,” Asaf said. “I feel like Aramark is dealing

with overpriced food and a corporation that supports private prisons. My full support is behind [the resolution]. On a logistical end, we’re clear.”

In a statement to WSN, the IEC was thrilled that its resolution passed.

“IEC applauds [SGA] for passing the resolution and is excited to bring the urgent issue of NYU’s divestment from the carceral state to President Hamilton,” IEC wrote.

“We will be at the University Senate meeting on Nov. 8th [sic] to speak with senators outside the meeting.”

Despite the passing of the resolution, Assistant Vice President for Campus Services Owen Moore still feels that complete divestment from food service providers with ties to prisons is not possible but is open to student input in the bidding process.

“Realistically, there are a limited number of vendors who can [meet NYU’s dining needs]. And virtually all of them will be food

service providers in a wide range of institutional settings,” Moore said in an email to WSN. “All bids will also be subject to review by a review committee that includes student representation, ensuring that student representatives will have an opportunity to ask questions and make recommendations as part of this process.”

The IEC remains optimistic that it will eventually garner support from the administration for the resolution because it already has endorsements from 42 campus clubs and organizations, the SGA and the 832 students who signed its petition for the resolution.

“We hope [the] NYU administration will recognize that the student body has spoken, and we hope that they won’t let down the thousands of students who are anti-Aramark, anti-Compass Group and all other big food corporations that profit off of mass incarceration,” IEC wrote. “Should they fail to be accountable to all of our voices, we have

a powerful coalition of people ready to fight until NYU does what’s right.”

Email Meghna Maharishi at mmaharishi@nyunews.com.

TONY WU | WSN

Student Senators Council passed a resolution that will prohibit NYU from using dining providers invested in the prison industrial system. Aramark, NYU’s current provider, supplies prisons nationwide.

Washington Square News | News

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 2018

New York Prepares for Pivotal Elections

CRIME LOG

Unlawful Surveillance Reported at NYU

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

Meanwhile, some students are looking beyond Democrats and Republicans altogether. College Libertarians Social Media Coordinator Hermi Wang is holding out hope for an end to the system of two major political parties, throwing her support behind New York Libertarian gubernatorial candidate Larry Sharpe instead.

“What I hope to see in the midterms is not necessarily the victory of a certain party,” Wang said. “I want to see voters voting for the candidate who they think is most fit for the job rather than the candidate who has a better chance at winning but isn’t necessarily the best.”

Regardless of the outcomes of Tuesday’s elections, College Democrats President Ethan Arsonge wants people to stay politically engaged on the other 364 days of the year as well.

“While all the attention is on Tuesday, I hope NYU students continue to keep up with the news after the election and make sure that candidates they vote for follow through in the promises they made,” Arsonge said.

State and Local Races Governor/Lieutenant Governor Governor Andrew Cuomo is looking to be re-elected for his third term on Tuesday. With a convincing 13 point lead in a poll done by Siena College on Sunday, it seems likely.

Dutchess County Executive Marc Molinaro is the Republican candidate and is running on a platform of cutting property taxes and reducing county costs through decreasing mandates on localities.

Cuomo has not signaled any plans for a third term besides making comments on preserving abortion rights through legislation and increasing the strictness of gun laws. Rumored to be a potential 2020 presidential candidate, Cuomo has insisted he will serve as governor for all four years if re-elected. Cuomo is running with his current Lieutenant Governor Kathy Hochul, who narrowly beat challenger Jumaane Williams in the primary and faces off against Republican Julie Killian.

Attorney General Cuomo-backed Letitia “Tish” James, the city’s public advocate, faces off against Republican Keith Wofford for attorney general. James initially introduced a platform around criminal justice reform and has been outspoken on her willingness to prosecute President Donald Trump and his policies. Eric Schneiderman, who formerly held the position before stepping down in light of physical abuse accusations, was also vocal about the possibility of prosecuting Trump.

A corporate lawyer, Wofford has promised to go after corruption, making Cuomo a person of interest after his aide, Joseph Perocco, was found guilty in a corruption trial. Wofford says he would put less pressure on Trump than James and decrease prosecution of Wall Street in comparison to previous attorney generals.

James is in the lead, polling at 49 percent compared to Wofford’s 37 percent.

James would be the first black woman to hold the position in New York’s history.

Senate Potential 2020 presidential candidate Kirsten Gillibrand leads Republican Chele Chiavacci Farley in the senate race by a large margin. A Quinnipiac University poll in mid-October had Gillibrand at 58 percent compared to a mere 33 percent for Farley. Despite the

3

By CRIME BOT Robot Reporter From Oct. 23 to Nov. 2, the NYU Department of Public Safety received 14 reports of controlled substance violations, one report of harassment, seven reports of larceny and one report of unlawful surveillance.

Controlled Substance Violation TONY WU | WSN

polls, the Republican candidate still has faith, comparing her campaign to that of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who won an upset victory in the primaries over incumbent Joseph Crowley. Farley is a private-equity executive who is supported by President Trump.

Meanwhile, Gillibrand has largely ignored her opponent, campaigning for other Democrats around the country and spending little money on her own race, suggesting she may be preparing for a run in 2020.

U.S. House of Representatives NY-10 Democratic incumbent Rep. Jerrold Nadler will face Republican Naomi Levin to represent New York’s 10th congressional district, which encompossas most of NYU’s Washington Square Park and Tandon campuses. Nadler was first elected to the House in 2013.

Currently, Nadler is the ranking member of the House Judiciary Committee, and if the Democrats win the House, he will become the chair of the committee.

He has spoken of opening an investigation into Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh over sexual misconduct allegations if he is elected.

So far, the race has not been competitive — with a poll suggesting that Nadler has 99 percent chance of winning.

NY-12 Republican Eliot Rabin and Green Party candidate Scott Hutchins are running against Democratic incumbent Rep. Carolyn Maloney to represent New York’s 12th congressional district, which represents parts of the Washington Square Park and Tandon campuses.

A recent FiveThirtyEight poll shows Maloney with a 99 percent chance of winning reelection.

NY-8 In New York’s 8th congressional district, Democratic incumbent Rep. Hakeem Jeffries will face Conservative Party candidate Ernest Johnson and Reform Party candidate Jessica White. No Republican candidate is running for the seat.

The 8th district represents parts of the Tandon School of Engineering’s campus.

With no other major party nominee, FiveThirtyEight predicts that Jeffries has at least a 99 percent chance of winning this Tuesday.

Jeffries has been eyed as potential House Speaker pick. The Congressional Black Caucus wants one of its members to potentially take the position in the event that Democrats have a majority after the elections. If Jeffries becomes Speaker of the House, he will be the first black speaker.

Ballot Initiatives Outside of elected candidates, New York City voters alone will have the opportunity to weigh in on three ballot

initiatives. A ballot initiative is a question, proposed by a government official or a constituency of voters, seeking to use a popular vote to revise, create or eliminate an existing law.

Following six months of public hearings about possible changes to the New York City Charter, the city has spent more than $1 million on public awareness campaigns about the initiatives, all of which are supported by Mayor Bill de Blasio.

Initiative One: Reducing the amount of money donors can give to political campaigns This initiative aims to increase the city’s matching-funds program, which helps candidates rely on city residents rather than large donors to fund their campaigns. Currently, the program matches small contributions from New York City residents at a $6-to-$1 rate.

If passed, it would match them on an $8-to-$1 rate, increasing the cost of the program by about 47 percent. Additionally, donor contributions would be restricted from $5,100 to $2,000 for the mayor and $3,950 to $1,500 for city council members.

Initiative Two: Instituting a Mayoral Civic Engagement Commission If passed, this initiative would create a “Civic Engagement Commission” comprised of 15 members appointed by the mayor. Its aim would be to increase participation in the democratic process by means of placing translators at voting sites and providing resources to community boards.

Some say this commission is unnecessary because it would duplicate other government systems already in place.

One such system is borough presidents’ offices, which already appoint community board members and provide them with resources.

Initiative Three: Setting Term Limits for Community Board Members The third ballot initiative would set four consecutive two-term limits for New York City community board members.

Mayor de Blasio frames the initiative as a means of creating more turnover between community board members, to diversify voices which have an effect on local issues and to involve more young people on community boards.

Though supported by de Blasio, the initiative remains opposed by each of New York City’s borough presidents with the exception of Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams. Those arguing against the initiative claim it would cede more power to local land developers, because it would force out the board members with the most experience and influence.

Email the WSN news desk at news@nyunews.com.

On Oct. 23 at 9:54 a.m., a resident assistant reported witnessing underage alcohol possession and NYU Public Safety confiscated a small amount of marijuana in Palladium Residence Hall. Police notification was declined, and the case has been referred to the Office of Community Standards.

On Oct. 27 at 12:53 a.m., an RA reported that she witnessed underage alcohol possession in Brittany Residence Hall. Police notification was declined, and the case has been referred to the Office of Community Standards.

On Oct. 27 at 1:39 a.m., an RA reported witnessing underage alcohol possession in Brittany Hall. Police notification was declined, and the case has been referred to the Office of Community Standards.

On Oct. 27 at 2 a.m., an RA reported witnessing underage alcohol possession in University Residence Hall.

Police notification was declined, and the case has been referred to the Office of Community Standards.

On Oct. 27 at 11:09 p.m., an RA reported witnessing underage alcohol possession in UHall. Police notification was declined, and the case has been referred to the Office of Community Standards.

On Oct. 27 at 11:16 p.m., an RA reported witnessing underage alcohol possession in Third Avenue North Residence Hall. Police notification was declined and the case has been referred to the Office of Community Standards.

On Oct. 28 at 12 a.m., an RA reported witnessing underage alcohol possession in Third North. Police notification was declined, and the case has been referred to the Office of Community Standards.

On Oct. 28 at 12:43 a.m., an RA reported witnessing underage alcohol possession in Alumni Residence Hall.

Police notification was declined and the case has been referred to the Office of Community Standards.

On Oct. 28 at 1:22 a.m., an RA reported witnessing underage alcohol possession in Alumni Hall. Police notification was declined, and the case has been referred to the Office of Community Standards.

On Oct. 28 at 1:25 a.m., an RA reported witnessing underage alcohol possession in Rubin Residence Hall.

Police notification was declined, and the case has been referred to the Office of Community Standards.

On Oct. 28 at 1:47 a.m., an RA reported witnessing underage alcohol possession in UHall. Police notification was declined, and the case has been referred to the Office of Community Standards.

On Oct. 29 at 9:45 p.m., Public Safety reported to an alleged drug law violation and recovered a small amount of marijuana in Founders

Residence Hall. Police notification was declined and the case has been referred to the Office of Community Standards.

On Oct. 31 at 10:30 p.m., a Public Safety officer reported to Brittany Hall for an alleged controlled substance violation. A small amount of marijuana was recovered in Brittany Hall. Police notification was declined and the case is open and under investigation.

On Oct. 31 at 11:12 p.m., an RA reported witnessing underage alcohol possession in Founders Hall. Police notification was declined and the case has been referred to the Office of Community Standards.

Harassment On Oct. 30 at 2 p.m., an NYU student reported that she was harassed in line at Starbucks. Police notification was declined, and the case is open and under investigation.

Larceny On Oct. 26 at 6:07 p.m., an NYU alumnus reported his bike missing from a bike rack outside of 238 Thompson St. Police notification was declined, and the case is open and under investigation.

On Oct. 27 at 3:12 p.m., an NYU student reported his medication missing from his residence in Broome Street Residence Hall. Police notification was declined, and the case has been referred to the Office of Community Standards.

On Oct. 29 at 12:25 p.m., an NYU staff member reported her phone missing from a locker room in Schwartz Hall. Police notification was declined, and the case is open and under investigation.

On Oct. 30 at 4:22 p.m., an NYU student reported her cell phone missing from the Weinstein Residence Hall cafeteria. Police notification was declined, and the case is open and under investigation.

On Oct. 30 at 7:15 p.m., an NYU nursing student reported her wallet missing from her jacket in the Basic Science building. Police notification was declined, and the case is open and under investigation.

On Nov. 1 at 4:59 p.m., an NYU student reported her bike missing from a scaffolding outside Furman Hall. A police report was filed, and the case is open and under investigation.

On Nov. 2 at 3:31 a.m., an NYU student reported that his bike missing from a scaffolding outside Elmer Holmes Bobst Library. Police notification was declined, and the case is open and under investigation.

Stalking On Oct. 26 at 10 a.m., an NYU student reported being the victim of stalking in Bobst Library. Police notification was declined, and the case has been referred to the Office of Title IX.

Unlawful Surveillance On Oct. 29 at 1:15 p.m., an NYU student reported witnessing unlawful surveillance in Schwartz Hall. Police notification was declined, and the case is open and under investigation.

Email Crime Bot at news@nyunews.com.

Washington Square News

4

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 2018

CULTURE

CULTURE@NYUNEWS.COM

Edited by NATALIE CHINN

Are Australian Cafes New York’s New Trend?

TONY WU | WSN

Small wooden tables and ceramic plates add to the warmth and coziness of Good Thanks cafe.

By MATIGAN KING Contributing Writer

TONY WU | WSN

The mural inside Ruby’s Cafe.

While New York City sits under snow for most of the winter months, Australia is just heating up for summer.

Though the cold weather has some of us feeling blue, the city’s latest gastronomic trend has helped combat the blues that people may experience with such a drastic weather change. Who better than the Aussies to add some warmth to these upcoming wintry months?

Australian cafes seem to have become the new hotspot for New Yorkers seeking a somewhat healthy but slightly indulgent meal or snack during these cooler days. Two Australian restaurants in particular have been able to fully de-

liver on everything that one might expect: delicious food, incredibly friendly staff and a comforting yet aesthetically pleasing atmosphere.

In the heart of SoHo, Ruby’s Café offers a bright and airy sanctuary for a leisurely breakfast or lunch amid a much-needed break from one’s shopping endeavors. The menu is diverse, making it the perfect spot for a group with varying tastes. Complete with a vast selection of burgers, sandwiches, salads, pastas and “brekkie” items, Ruby’s Café can satisfy the pickiest eater while also pleasing that family member or friend who couldn’t care less about the food’s nutritional value.

The kale salad was delicious but heavy. The crispy quinoa added a satisfying crunch. It was even more delicious with a side of avocado — it made the dish more substantial and also provided a dose of healthy fats. As a sharable side, the roasted brussels sprouts were good and slightly sweet, but they could have been much better had they been crispier. This dish had a funky acidic and sweet element which rendered it unique in comparison to traditional roasted brussels sprouts. The pasta dishes looked heavenly. Though I did not order any pasta, several tables around me did. Each dish was colorful and satisfying to look at, especially with the extremely generous pile of grated parmesan cheese that crowned some of the customers’ gluttonous meals.

A more homey and genuine Australian cafe, Good Thanks is located in the

Lower East Side, just a few doors down from Russ & Daughters Cafe. The staff here was refreshingly genuine, kind and attentive. There were some Aussies at Ruby’s, but it seemed that everyone working here was an Aussie. The stereotypical Australian friendliness definitely showed more so than at Ruby’s.

The food at Good Thanks is absolutely delicious. It is not fussy, but everything is made with the utmost care and is presented in a way that resembles an unpretentious piece of art. The micro greens that adorn the seasonal fruit bowl — which comes in a beautiful shallow wooden bowl — as well as the perfectly poached eggs on the avocado toast, are but one example of the thought put into each dish.

The small wooden tables, ceramic plates and quaint carafes of lemon water all add to the warmth and coziness one feels upon entering. But, Good Thanks is not just another trendy cafe that mindlessly grasps onto fleeting crazes hoping to stay afloat in New York City’s culinary battlefield; the cafe is authentic and genuine. It takes no shortcuts and ensures that everything — from the flavor to the atmosphere to the presentation — is executed mindfully and purposefully. The staff treats customers like old friends, but a strong familial-like bond is evident among the staff members themselves.

The congenial atmosphere is reason enough to visit this Lower East Side gem, but the food is also truly impeccable. All the egg dishes were delicious.

Ruby’s Cafe 219 Mulberry St., New York, NY 10012 PRICE RANGE $11-30 HOURS 9 a.m. - 10:30 p.m.

Good Thanks Cafe 131 Orchard St., New York, NY 10002 PRICE RANGE Under $10 HOURS 8 a.m. - 4 p.m.

I ordered two poached eggs with avocado and smoked salmon. The salmon was not overpowered by salt while the avocado was perfectly ripe and the eggs deliciously jammy.

My sister ordered the homemade, gluten-free banana bread, which came with a side of spiced butter. The bread, appearing gloriously dense and moist, was bejeweled with banana chunks and was, according to her, sinfully delicious. Though I don’t drink coffee, my dad does and is rather particular about what constitutes a good cappuccino.

He certainly expressed high approval of Good Thanks’ version of the classic cafe essential.

These two Aussie cafes are worth a visit — especially Good Thanks. In an age defined by ruthless culinary competition and stuffy restaurants lacking any character, Ruby’s Café and Good Thanks proved to be the perfect breaths of fresh air.

Email Matigan King at dining@nyunews.com.

Fall Fragrances That Are More Than Just Pumpkin Spice

By LAUREN GRUBER, Contributing Writer It’s hard to get excited for fall while a frigid gust whips your face as you turn onto Broadway. Instead of facing the change of season with force, why not face it with fragrance? As you tighten your coat and scarf, let the smell of crisp air, wood fires and seasonal spices help you forget the cold New York City concrete and warm you from the inside out. No matter how specific your preferences are, these fall scents have you covered.

Commodity - Book Old souls who are repulsed by the thought of digital reading will love this nostalgic fragrance.

Sandalwood and cypress are livened up by citrusy bergamot, creating a refreshing and wearable twist on the old-book smell. If your idea of a perfect autumn afternoon is tucking into a good read in a quiet cafe corner, look no further than Commodity’s Book.

Fresh - Cannabis Santal This fragrance is as luxurious and soft as cashmere. Despite the name, it will not leave you smelling like a distribution operation. It’s a woodsy blend of black plum, patchouli, vanilla musk and cocoa. At first, the patchouli smell is quite strong, but it quickly mellows down into an intoxicating, soft musk. It is a scent that lingers and stays close to the heart, warming the senses instead of overpowering them.

Jo Malone White Moss and Snowdrop With notes of earthy white moss, cardamom and floral snowdrop, this selection will ignite your inner nature lover, even as you stand, surrounded by concrete, waiting for the subway.

While we may not actually want to go hiking in search of that signiniture fall aroma, this perfume brings that smell indoors.

Byredo - Eleventh Hour Eleventh Hour is said to be inspired by the smell of the world ending. And although that may sound far from comforting, the blend of bergamot, rum, figs and cashmere woods begs to differ. While its Instagramworthy packaging may be reason enough to purchase it, the elegant aroma will quickly become your go-to for the colder months.

Maison Margiela - By the Fireplace Maison Margiela’s “Replica” collection is known for creating scents that evoke a specific ambiance, and this is no exception.

With smokey notes of chestnut, dry wood, spicy clove and sweet vanilla, this fragrance smells exactly like a fire-roasted marshmallow. A perfect balance of sweetness and smokiness, this cologne gives us another reason to love sweater weather.

RACHEL BUIGAS-LOPEZ | WSN

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 2018

Washington Square News | Culture

5

Meet The New NYU Secrets Admins

By ELIF KESIKBAS Staff Writer In May, Carly Tennes didn’t just bid farewell to her university. Graduation marked her last day as the administrator of the popular Facebook page NYU Secrets, which accepts anonymous submissions — secrets — from students and posts the messages publicly. Tennes ran the page which has amassed over 40,000 followers for two years before passing on the torch.

For the first time since its creation in 2012, NYU Secrets will have multiple admins — three, to be exact. And like the past two admins, their identities will remain anonymous. In the past, there has been buzz — as well as controversy — over who the mysterious people running NYU Secrets were.

In the spring, Tennes recruited the first admin, a junior, who we will refer to as Admin 3. When Tennes first reached out to Admin 3, who has had previous Facebook admin experience, he did not know who she was — but he was interested in the role.

“Without any hesitation, I applied with one condition: I get to have a team of admins rather than working myself,” Admin 3 said.

Tennes agreed, and so the team was born.

The new Secrets team works very close with each other; they all have the same tasks: sorting, marking and scheduling secrets. In order to stay on the same page, they keep a group chat, constantly updating each other on the secrets they want to post and any

challenges that come up with submissions.

“We discuss with each other various edge cases, anything which we can’t definitively understand,” Admin 1, a CAS junior, said.

“But for the most part we trust each other’s’ judgements strongly enough that we are able to work rather independently.”

If you scroll through their feed, you will find a variety of posts ranging from personal struggles to crushes and political comments.

However, not every secret makes the cut.

“We’ve gotten a lot of phantom sh-tter posts,” Admin 1 said. “To me, personally it’s something that’s not worth posting about because what does it say?”

One of the many challenges that the admins have faced this semester is sifting through the trolls, many of whom choose to speak on touchy political topics.

“We try to filter out secrets that read as people trolling the submissions box, but personally I struggle with the political content, because a lot of it sounds like it’s written specifically to piss people off in the comments section,” Admin 2, a sophomore student, said.

The admins’ main goal is to provide a place for students to express themselves without directly being judged for their opinions.

They want to create discourse in addition to safe spaces.

According to the admins, the power of running NYU Secrets comes at a price. In this case, the toll is the emotional labor. Getting online hate and controversial messages comes with the job description, but then there is also

the difficulty of dealing with darker posts.

“I’ve struggled with a lot of mental health issues, and I find myself empathizing with the people submitting those kinds of secrets to a point where it can be emotionally taxing,” Admin 2 said.

NYU Secrets may act as an anonymous safe space, but it is not a permanent solution for those struggling with their mental health.

The team stresses that they are not experts, but they do try to help anybody that reaches out to the page.

“Tennes has been working on getting the new admin team educated on crisis response, so that if a student reaches out saying they need help and we are able to contact them back, we can respond them appropriately,” Admin 2 said.

After a student died in early October, the number of submissions about mental health skyrocketed. Tennes stepped in to help the new admins navigate the situation by posting a message acknowledging the death and reminding students that they are not alone. Inspired by the Facebook group NYU Memes for Bankrupt Teens, she encouraged NYU Secrets followers to share “wholesome-memes” under her post.

Tennes’ post, like many of the recent posts on NYU Secrets, received a low amount of follower interaction. The low engagement-to-follower ratio is a point of discussion for the admins, too. The team places part of the blame on the new Facebook algorithm, which prioritizes private content over public content. Of course pages can pay for ex-

Immersed in Spanish Culture

By PAOLA NAGOVITCH Abroad Editor Like many students who are studying abroad for the first time, I had high expectations as to where I would get to travel. Never having been to Europe before, I compiled an extensive list of cities I wanted to visit all over the continent throughout the semester, not taking into consideration academic responsibilities or the importance of actually spending time at my study abroad site. Since I only have classes Monday through Wednesday, I had planned to jet off every Thursday through Sunday to make sure I hit every city. However, in the midst of planning my weekend trips, I remembered why I chose NYU Madrid as my study away site, and I reconsidered my priorities.

Being Puerto Rican, I recognize that I have a very mixed heritage mainly consisting of Spanish, African and indigenous ancestry. Yet, my physical appearance and upbringing have inevitably influenced me to disassociate myself from my whiteness and Spanish roots. I am so proud to be Puerto Rican that I believed I owed it to myself to

A carousel in Spain.

thoroughly appreciate and understand the three types of people who, through turmoil and devastation, came together to encompass my most precious identity.

I knew that studying at NYU Madrid would enable me to, for the first time in my life, explore an unknown third of my identity and learn more about the country that once colonized my own.

For this reason, I revised my list of travels and prioritized traveling within Spain while also spending as much time in Madrid as possible.

Traveling within the country of your study-away site is an enriching experience. We choose our study abroad sites because we’re interested in the city or country it resides — or because our academics dictate that we choose certain sites. Either way, NYU has strategically chosen its study abroad sites in dynamic countries, so we owe it to ourselves and our sites to immerse ourselves in the new countries and cultures to get a true sense of what it is to live like a Madrileña or a Parisienne. Personally, both through my classes and by actively living in Madrid, I have gotten to learn about things like the Franco dictatorship in Spain, the lack of collective memory — and ignorance

JEMIMA MCEVOY | WSN

— regarding the colonization of the Americas and subsequent dictatorship, the migratory patterns of Spaniards and foreigners into and out of Spain and the evolution of tattoo culture in Madrid to name a few.

Beyond Madrid, I have traveled to Segovia, Seville, Valencia, Mallorca and San Sebastián. This means I have traveled to six out of the 17 autonomous communities of Spain thus far — the Community of Madrid, Castile and León, Andalusia, the Valencian Community, the Balearic Islands and the Basque Country. Before the semester is over, I also plan to travel to Toledo and Barcelona, which will add Castilla-La Mancha and Catalonia to the list of autonomous communities I have visited. During these travels, I experienced the different dialects spoken in Spain, the distinct architecture of each region ranging from the Islamic styles of Andalusia to the Gothic styles of the Basque Country and the unique gastronomy of each community. Every region had something new to offer. I was able to do everything from swim in the Balearic Sea in Mallorca to hiking on Mount Urgull in San Sebastián.

Learning about Spain’s history, politics and culture has allowed me to better understand the country’s flaws and its strengths, both past and present.

While being Puerto Rican in Spain has enabled me to educate people about Spain’s genocidal past in Puerto Rico, I have also learned about the struggles the country faced after the fall of the Spanish Empire and in the last century. I recommend that other students consider exploring their study-away sites before jumping to other places. Exploring your site further will allow you to better connect with and understand the local culture. Despite the conflicting histories, I’m glad I’ve been able to cherish Spain and its people.

Email Paola Nagovitch at pnagovitch@nyunews.com.

GRAPHIC BY KATIE PEURRUNG, IMAGES VIA FACEBOOK.COM

posure. However, Admin 3 explained that NYU Secrets does not make any profit.

NYU Secrets also generally doesn’t succeed with memes because of the nature of the page. “[NYU Memes] generates more engagement because the community is the one posting, whereas [NYU Secrets] is only us three,” Admin 3 said. “To add to that, the Group also posts pictures and videos, and we unfortunately are not ready to start doing that.”

The team’s long-term goal is to raise user engagement with posts on the page. Admin 1 says they hope to incorporate some of the administrative strategies of the admins of the UC Berkeley Confessions Page, a page they talk with frequently.

In addition to this, the team hopes to further discuss the pros and cons of their anonymity as admins. “I’m personally conflicted on the merits of anonymity versus our identities being known, and we are still trying to weigh such an option,” Admin 1 said.

Despite all the challenges they’ve faced so far this semester, the admins are just grateful to be able to carry on NYU Secrets and give students a place to be honest.

“For many people, they don’t care how their secrets are received by the public, they just want a means by which to express it,” Admin 1 said.

Email Elif Kesikbas at culture@nyunews.com.

West Village Diner With a Queer Eye Makeover

TONY WU | WSN

The new mural in The Village Den. Lisle Richards says “the new one is a nod to the old Village Den.”

By BROOKE LAMANTIA Contributing Writer The joy from within the The Village Den overflowed onto the street and through the nearby park, which was dotted with baby blue bags containing meals from the newest addition to New York’s fleet fast-casual restaurants.

By its two-week birthday, The Village Den had gained an enormous amount of attention. Not only is the Village Den owned by “Queer Eye” member Antoni Porowski, but co-owners include experienced restaurateurs Lisle Richards and Eric Marx. Despite initial impressions, the restaurant is more than just another trend spot backed by a famous name.

“It’s a business that’s grown out of friendships,” Richards said. “And there’s a lot of heritage in the brand.”

The Village Den may be Antoni’s debut, but it rose from the remains of an old diner that was located at the same place and had the same name. According to Eater, The Village Den diner closed its doors after 36 years to the dismay of many longtime customers.

“There was a lot of people that really loved what The Village Den was, so we tried to speak to that,” Richards said. “We replaced the mural and the new one is a nod to the old Village Den; I don’t think people will readily realize that but it’s important to stay true to what it was.”

Like a typical episode of “Queer Eye,”

The Village Den 25 West 12th St., New York, NY 10011 PRICE RANGE $10-25 HOURS 11a.m. - 10 p.m.

while the heart remains the same, everything else is reinvented and made in a fresher, modern image. Greenery lines every corner of the restaurant, standing out against the white tiles and light wooden cabinets. Blue cushions line the booths, while sleek black chairs slide under tables.

However, the new Village Den’s heart — the food — maintains the traditions of its predecessor alive with its menu.

“We serve familiar favorites that you had growing up as a kid, done in a healthier and clean way,” Marx said. “Like our fish sticks that are macadamia nut-crusted, baked and not fried.”

In a way that mixes the past and the present through healthy comfort foods in a fast-casual setting, The Village Den plans to serve the community that lost its old favorite.

“Our sophisticated but easy menu has Antoni’s own signature style to it,” Richards said. “It enables groups of people that have different lifestyle choices, specifically to food, to meet in one place.”

Email Brooke Lamantia at dining@nyunews.com.

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MONDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 2018

ARTS

ARTS@NYUNEWS.COM

Edited by RYAN MIKEL and DANIELLA NICHINSON

Paris Michael Plans to Win a Grammy He Invents

By AVANI JURAKHAN Staff Writer Paris Michael — known by his stage name Paris — was thrown into theater at a young age. The artist, who hails from Chicago’s South Side, felt obligated to pursue it and spent his first year in NYU’s Tisch School of Performing Arts. But Michael, despite his history, quickly had the revelation that what he really loved was music.

Absorbed in passion, his next move was applying to the Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music. He was rejected.

“When I applied, my music wasn’t where it should’ve been,” Paris said. “I was kind of just mirroring my favorite artists and putting them in a big melting pot and then pushing it as if I was doing something original, which would be fine if I had less integrity than I do. So shout out [to] Clive for rejecting me because it really showed me that I should [have found] a sound.”

Unfazed by his rejection from Clive, Paris, a junior a Tisch, plans to show the Grammys the need for a category for his kind of music while winning both Best Rock Album and Best Rap Album at the same time. Heavily influenced by the likes of Playboi Carti, Kanye West and Lil Uzi Vert, his energetic sound excites listeners.

With a fully realized vision in mind, the versatile singer and rapper now plans to transfer to the Gallatin School of Individualized Study to study the Business of Iconism. The concentration integrates fashion, music and film business with design and recording to define what consti-

tutes an icon in art.

“That’s the energy that I want to give with all my music. Put my f-king music in the MoMA,” Paris said. “My music will be high art. I want them to teach my music in school 20 years from now. Why strive to be anything less than that?”

Today, Paris considers hip-hop to be in its Golden Age, making his favorite contemporaries an inspiration for the art he makes. To enter the correct headspace that conjures up the raw and endearing vulnerability Michael seeks to convey in his music, he listens to alternative rock.

His creative process involves meeting with his producer, drafting a schedule and then not sticking to it at all.

You can find him writing while watching anime or Joaquin Phoenix’s 2013 film “Her” on mute. The beat is always birthed from the question: what energy do you want? Paris’ artistic focus has its sights on an emotionality that connects with all people. Something that can effortlessly trigger a beautiful reaction from the consumer — whether it be sobbing or raging.

“When I tell people that music saved my life, I don’t mean it figuratively or metaphorically or hyperbolically,” Paris said. “I mean it quite literally … I think music is the purest art form that we have in this world. My mom once told me when I was a kid that music is like the holy spirit because it literally is in everybody.”

Growing up struggling with depression made it difficult for Paris to make friends, so he found protection, love and acceptance through music. Artists

Kid Cudi, Marvin Gaye, Prince and Michael Jackson are some of the many who brought him safety and solace when he needed it.

“That’s what art was to me,” he said.

“It’s just beautiful. It reminds me why I’m here every day. I think my biggest fear in life is not making a masterpiece because I feel like that’s my sole purpose here: to give art back to those who need something.”

Forming an analogy of music to the night, Paris continues to be flabbergasted by the way music can stand alone or with any other element of art.

“I’ve never felt anything more emotionally healing and deprecating than music,” said Paris. “I feel like music is the only art form that combines all other art forms in perfect harmony. Music is the only thing where you can remove certain aspects, and it’ll still be music: it’s like night time. Nothing will ever make night not night. Like a tornado could f-cking swoop through Washington Square Park, and you’d be like, ‘damn. It’s still 8 p.m.’”

Creative individuality is what Paris considers to be the most essential feature of his music. The foundation to his world of reckless candor and full pressure passion is solid. He wants to stay true to his art by letting go of control and allowing chaos to take the throne.

“That’s the point of music: it transcends everything,” Paris said. “Why not transcend it yourself?”

Email Avani Jurakhan at music@nyunews.com.

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Tisch rapper and singer Paris Michael — known by his stage name Paris.

From ‘Front Runner’ to Political Pariah

By DANIELLA NICHINSON Arts Editor In 1987, “Fatal Attraction” was the second-highest grossing film. “Miami Vice,” the show that popularized cocaine cowboys and pastel-colored suits, was rounding out its third season. Sex, glamour and crime saturated the culture of the ’80s, and the political stage was no exception.

“The Front Runner,” based on Matt Bai’s book “All the Truth Is Out,” chronicles the meteoric downfall of Senator Gary Hart’s 1988 presidential campaign following rumors of an extramarital affair with then-model-andactress Donna Rice. As Bai’s book suggests, the media traded legitimacy for

fleeting entertainment. This wasn’t a reflection of what politicians and journalists were willing to do but a reflection of the public and what it had allowed to happen. “The Front Runner” successfully shows how three pivotal weeks in 1987 reshaped both political media and journalism forever.

With the opening scene, director Jason Reitman catapults the audience into the chaos of 1980s political campaigns. The year is 1984, and Hart’s hopes of cinching the Democratic nomination have been uprooted by Walter Mondale. Outside his hotel, the streets are flooded with reporters, news anchors and cameras flashing.

Reitman sets this landscape of a media jungle that “The Front Runner” uses

Hugh Jackman as Gary Hart in “The Front Runner.”

to expound Hart’s inevitable downfall.

At the core of the film is Hugh Jackman’s impeccably nuanced portrayal of Hart. Hart is a complex man whose private tendencies could prevent an actor from sinking his teeth into the nucleus of the character. But Jackman deftly balances the integrity of a man who remained steadfast in his beliefs, even as his world collapsed around him. J.K. Simmons plays Bill Dixon, Hart’s campaign manager, delivering an exceptional performance as the voice of reason to Hart’s unrealistic expectations of privacy. Among a heavily male-driven cast, Vera Farmiga shines as Lee, Hart’s wife, who is unfairly dragged into the frenzied whirlwind.

Political films can easily tread into

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propaganda, but “The Front Runner” tells a story that urges viewers to think for themselves. It’s as if the film presents the concrete facts of the Hart scandal, refraining from commending or vilifying anyone, and the audience is the jury, tasked to come to their own conclusion. The film does not devote all of its attention to Hart; instead, it moves between perspectives of journalists and political aides to understand the pandemonium that erupted in the wake of scandal. There are no heroes that emerge, only different people trying to find their stance on a transformative event in politics of which no one could make sense.

The film depicts a battle of conflicting morals among journalists. Tom Fiedler, a reporter for the Miami Herald, was the one who broke the story of Hart’s affair and who famously confronted Hart in an alleyway behind his Washington, D.C. townhouse. A.J. Parker, a young, timid reporter for the Washington Post, serves as a character who grapples with a sudden penchant for salacious reporting by the most respected media outlets. “The Front Runner” relates Fiedler and Parker as opposing sides of a moral quandary: should politicians’ private lives be shielded from the public and exempt from pageantry, or is the responsibility of reporters to call into question a leader’s character, even if it means succumbing to sensationalism?

In his speech withdrawing from the 1988 presidential race, Hart paraphrased former president Thomas

Jefferson: “I tremble for my country when I think we may, in fact, get the kind of leaders we deserve.” That’s the final thought “The Front Runner” leaves us to consider. The unraveling of

“

There are no heroes that emerge, only different people trying to find their stance on a transformative event in politics of which no one could make sense.

”

Hart’s campaign in three short weeks paints a striking portrait of what politics would become: a gossip and celebrity-driven platform where the deceitful who know how to play the game succeed and the honest wither away.

“The Front Runner” opens in New York theaters on Nov. 6.

Email Daniella Nichinson at dnichinson@nyunews.com.

Washington Square News | Arts

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 2018

Clive Senior On Being ‘Reckless’

Clive Davis Senior and musician Claire Hawkins.

By NICOLE ROSENTHAL Music Editor Poised and controlled yet exuberant and daring, Clive Davis senior Claire Hawkins illustrates the message of her single “Reckless” through modern dance in its music video. Contorting her body in calculated yet wild positions, Hawkins tells us that being reckless doesn’t necessarily mean being careless — it is daring to take a chance.

“I was playing with the idea of what it means to be reckless,” Hawkins said about the inspiration for her new track.

“As someone who overthinks nearly everything, I don’t really fit the classic definition of the word. For me, being reckless

COURTESY OF CHARLOTTE FREITAG

is doing things you love without letting the possible consequences stop you. The hook ‘I don’t want to know’ is about ignoring those consequences and moving ahead anyway.”

However, despite the bold approach she yields today, the folk-pop songstress, pursuing a double major in Recorded Music and French, was surprisingly hesitant to start her undergraduate career in music.

“I really thought for a long time that I wasn’t going to study music or even go to school in New York City, since I grew up here,” Hawkins said.

She admitted that she always pictured herself at a small liberal arts school studying foreign language like her parents.

“I applied to the Clive Davis Institute thinking of it as more of a dream than a reality, but when the time came to make my college decision, I realized there was no other place I wanted to be,” she said.

As for Hawkins’ musical inspiration, she deemed it endless. Inspired by retro female showstoppers such as Patsy Cline, Lori McKenna and Brandi Carlile, as well as modern-day divas, Christine and the Queens, and Janelle Monáe, it is no wonder Hawkins takes on a strong female presence with her captivating vocals.

“I think one of the things that makes a songwriter great is the ability to find inspiration anywhere,” Hawkins said. “I journal a lot, so some of my songs come from that. I also love writing right after seeing a show. Good music makes me want to make more good music.”

The New York native is no stranger to live performances of her own, having played at Mercury Lounge, Rockwood Music Hall and The Bitter End, as well as venues in Berlin and Paris while studying abroad. However, live gigging is currently on hold as the singer has immersed herself in the studio to work on her next project.

“I’ve been in the studio a lot this semester,” Hawkins said. “I don’t have any upcoming shows on the calendar at the moment because I’ve been focusing on writing and recording ... It’s still very early in the process, but I’m really excited to be back in the producer mindset.”

Email Nicole Rosenthal at nrosenthal@nyunews.com.

‘Boy Erased’ Depicts the Jarring Realities of Gay Conversion Therapy

By KAYLEE DEFREITAS Contributing Writer While on the phone with his father, Marshall (Russell Crowe), Jared (Lucas Hedges) says, “You didn’t tell me how long I would be here.” Jared is talking about his first day at a gay conversion therapy program that he was sent to by his religiously devout parents. The sense of timelessness and days melting one into the other adds to a feeling of hopeless isolation. This is one of many scenes that build on the intensity of Joel Edgerton’s “Boy Erased,” which can at times be so emotionally taxing, that it’s difficult to watch.

Directed by and starring Edgerton, “Boy Erased” is based on the memoir of the same name by Garrard Conley. The film follows Jared’s time in a gay conversion program called Love in Action.

At first, Jared accepts the therapy.But as the veil slips, he begins to realize the program for what it is, and the harsh realities come to light.

“Boy Erased” is a stylized and slowburn film that for some may drag, yet it’s the pacing that makes Jared’s ordeal so explicitly miserable. The flashbacks Edgerton uses are not just exposition. But are rather well thought-out and positioned to further the story and heighten emotions in scenes that require more context.

The film employs a muted color palette, giving it a feeling of lifelessness and angst. It aids Edgerton’s goal to create a world that seems devoid of brightness in order to underscore the gravity of Jared’s situation. The colors are as dull as his life feels.

Jared’s parents, played by Nicole Kid-

man and Crowe, could have easily been conservative caricatures but instead bring emotional depth that reveals them as flawed humans, not monsters. Kidman’s journey in the film as a mother struggling to find her footing and make her own decisions to protect her son is moving. Many of the mother-son scenes are touching, offering an antidotal and necessary tenderness to the film’s political undertones.

Hedges has been a rising star in Hollywood for the past few years, receiving an Academy Award nomination for “Manchester by the Sea.” His performance in “Boy Erased” is yet another dramatic feat under his belt. There is an internal struggle that the audience constantly sees through the subtle choices Hedges makes.

We are drawn into his head, seeing how he is cornered emotionally and spiritually, and conflicted by the expectations put before him by his upbringing and his desire to live honestly. Hedges’ portrayal is hon-

est, and in his moments of intense, severe emotion, he shines and proves why he is such a sought-after actor.

Sometimes Edgerton seems hesitant to dig deeper into the characters’ lives, wanting to protect the image of the film’s real-life counterparts. While religion plays an important role, it is never profoundly explored what exactly faith means to the parents or to Jared himself.

They obviously delve into it, but not enough — doing so would’ve definitely benefited the film.

“Boy Erased” features truly outstanding performances and is exceptionally honest in the way it portrays the harrowing realities of gay conversion therapy.

However, the lack of depth in the more personal aspects of its characters prevents the film from reaching its full potential.

Email Kaylee DeFreitas at film@nyunews.com.

Theodore Pellerin and Lucas Hedges in “Boy Erased.”

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7

Modern Sequels and the Death of Continuity

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Harrison Ford in a still from “Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope,” which has since produced numerous sequels.

By ETHAN ZACK Contributing Writer In an era filled with nostalgia-driven sequels to older movies and TV shows, there is inevitable curiosity regarding how these new works will address the films that precede them. Recently, many were wondering how Blumhouse’s new “Halloween” movie would explain Laurie Strode’s death at the hands of Michael Meyers in a previous film 16 years ago. Turns out, it didn’t care to. In fact, the new film picks up after the 1978 original, essentially erasing the events of the long-winded franchise.

This isn’t the only recent case. Following its acquisition of the “Star Wars” franchise, Disney announced that all subsequent “Star Wars” films would have no connection to their predecessors. The “Cobra Kai” web series continues from the original “Karate Kid” but doesn’t include any plot lines from either of the sequels. There is a spirit in Hollywood of starting fresh while retaining connections to the original source material; the upcoming “Terminator” film will supposedly only pick up directly after the first two movies.

The new trend marks a shift in the way franchises treat canon and continuity. To some extent, major studios are saying it doesn’t matter anymore if the newest entry connects neatly to the rest of the franchise. This is perhaps a radical sentiment considering we are also in the era of popular interconnected universes like the Marvel Cinematic Universe and the CW’s Arrowverse.

But what about those forgotten sequels? What are the consequences of selectively erasing parts of a film franchise’s history?

It is important to acknowledge that some of these erased sequels aren’t very good and often amount to a inconspicuous direct-to-video release. Creatively speaking, sticking to the stories introduced by these films can pose a headache to new filmmakers. It is hard to make a “Friday the 13th” movie grounded when Jason Voorhees took his murder spree to outer space in the tenth film, “Jason X.” It’s not even uncommon for the filmmakers of these old sequels to deride them just as much as the consumer.

The director of “The Karate Kid Part III,” John G. Avildsen, notably went on record to blast his own film, claiming it was a “poor imitation of the first one.”

Perhaps erasing these sequels from canon is a necessary evil for the franchise to continue.

The more concerning problem lies within the subtext of these new sequels.

Many of them appear to be efforts to

recapture the magic of the originals and bring their respective franchise back to its roots. This devotion to the original work seems fine in theory, but it breeds a culture of reluctance to actively try new ideas.

Say what you want about the former “Halloween” sequels: they were cheesy, over-the-top and poorly written. But they were not afraid to take the franchise in strange, original directions. In contrast, one of the latest “Star Wars” films, “The Force Awakens,” was overly concerned with reminding the audience that it was a return to the original concept, and some critics noted how closely the basic plot resembled

“

This devotion to the original work seems fine in theory, but it breeds a culture of reluctance toward actively trying new ideas.

”

“A New Hope.” There’s nothing inherently wrong with wanting to return to the roots of what once made a franchise great, but it is disappointing to see these sequels putting nostalgia above originality.

Sequels today are in a battle between needing to build out larger worlds and throwing out concerns of constructing an ongoing narrative. Instead, they focus on being a vehicle for whatever new ideas the filmmaker prefers. For diehard fans that care about continuity and a logical timeline of events, this change is something of a nightmare. For the casual viewer who cannot keep up, it opens up a huge expanse of accessibility. If you’re somewhat familiar with the main tenets of a franchise, you can now jump in and out just about anywhere.

Sequels may make efforts to continue the narratives of their predecessors, but there’s no mistaking that the connective tissue of these franchises continues to break down — for better or for worse.

Email Ethan Zack at film@nyunews.com.

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OPINION

OPINION@NYUNEWS.COM

Edited by JANICE LEE

POLITICS

5 Common Misconceptions About BDS

By NYU STUDENTS FOR JUSTICE IN PALESTINE

The Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement for Palestinian human rights, otherwise known as BDS, refers to a movement launched by Palestinian civil society in 2005.

Modeled after the anti-apartheid struggle in South Africa, BDS represents a nonviolent and lawful set of tactics that include implementing boycotts, divestments and sanctions on Israel to put pressure on the state to respect the human rights and dignity of Palestinians. The BDS movement is wildly popular all over the world and is gaining traction in the United States. It has been endorsed by the Black Lives Matter movement, the Democratic Socialists of America and the Green Party, along with countless student councils from universities across the nation.

Despite the fact that BDS represents a nonviolent human rights movement, the opposition tries to smear the campaign by ques-

tioning the morality and efficacy of BDS. As an interfaith and diverse coalition of activists in support of Palestinian autonomy, we want to address and dispel some of the most widespread misunderstandings about BDS. 1. BDS is anti-Semitic.

Our Response: BDS targets the nation-state of Israel, not any religious or ethnic group. Additionally, the assumption that all Jewish people support Israel is itself anti-Semitic. The Jewish people are not a monolithic group and, like all other groups of people, do not have unified policy positions based on their identity. There is a long history of Jewish anti-Zionist movements that were popular before the State of Israel even came into being, such as the Jewish Labor Bund. Furthermore, there is a growing movement of young Jewish people across the world who are rejecting the conflation between Zionism and Judaism. The claim that BDS is anti-Semitic is not only offensive but is also unfounded and ahistorical. BDS is committed to ending

all forms of bigotry, including anti-Semitism.

2. BDS is too extreme.

Our Response: BDS is often categorized as an extremist movement because it actively works against the hegemonic support for Israel that prevails in the United States.

We know too well that any movement that questions the oppressive status quo will be brushed off as fringe and extremist. The truth is that BDS is a nonviolent and lawful response to Israeli human rights abuses. Calling a nonviolent movement extremist is just a convenient way to shut down all avenues of resistance.

3. The way forward is through dialogue, not boycotts.

Our Response: This is not an issue of communication but of violent occupation.

Ending the human rights abuses requires us to take action now. The opposition has used dialogue as a tool to normalize the situation in Palestine and present it as a conflict between two equals in order to obscure the

violent settler colonialism and military occupation that is actively taking place.

4. The United States has its own issues which we should be focusing our energy on.

Our Response: As people living in the United States, we have a direct responsibility to support the Palestinian people given the fact that our government provided $3.8 billion in aid in 2017. The oppressive institutions in the U.S. actively work with the oppressive institutions in Israel. For example, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, U.S. police forces and border patrol agents regularly meet with the Israeli army and police in a close partnership. What we learn from this is that systems of oppression are global and that no one will be free until everyone is free. And it’s pressing — the United Nations states that Gaza, home to 1.8 million Palestinians, could be uninhabitable as early as 2020 due to isolation from resources in the region as a result of the Is-

raeli occupation.

5. As an NYU student, there is nothing I can do about the Israeli occupation.

Our Response: But you can. For example, before you buy certain goods, check to make sure they are BDS-friendly. Here’s a tip to get started: download the “Buycott” app on your phone that scans barcodes to make sure they are BDS compliant, and instead of buying Sabra hummus, purchase other, more delicious brands that are also BDS-friendly.

You can also join Students for Justice in Palestine and Jewish Voice for Peace, which are two on-campus groups fighting for Palestinian rights.

It is our job as people in solidarity with Palestinians to listen to their demands and answer their call for BDS. Read the full article online at nyunews.com.

Email NYU Students for Justice in Palestine at opinion@nyunews.com.

CAMPUS COMMENTARY

NYU Needs to Acknowledge Its Anti-Semitic Problem

By ABBY HOFSTETTER Contributing Writer I was surprised that LS Professor Michael Rectenwald did not think to cancel white supremacist Milo Yiannopoulos’s speech to his class, slated to take place barely two weeks after the deadliest recorded attack on Jews on U.S. soil. I was surprised when NYU, an institution that prides itself on its diversity, did not tell Rectenwald that placing students of varying races, religions and sexual orientations in the direct line of a professional troll’s fire is not only inhumane, but a gross abuse of

power. I was also surprised at how many students I heard excusing Yiannopoulos’ racism, anti-Semitism and pedophilia in the name of the First Amendment.

Rectenwald was entirely aware that Yiannopoulos visit would be cancelled, and that’s the very reason why he invited him. He wanted to show that the left, which prides itself on safe spaces and free speech, isn’t able to handle a self-proclaimed provocateur who simply shares a different worldview.

What so many thought was in the past was made painfully present when Rectenwald decided to further his political agenda with Yiannopoulos’s visit. Not only is anti-Semitism alive and thriving, but by refusing to condemn Yiannopoulos and his hate speech, NYU’s administration is condoning all of the ideas that come with him.

In the tumultuous two years since Donald Trump’s election, a simple pattern has become evident: when hate speech is perpetually propagated with little to no condemna-

tion, imitation inevitably ensues.

Said hate speech being allowed to grow is what propelled a neo-Nazi to murder e11 Jews in Pittsburgh. This, along with President Donald Trump refusing to condemn white supremacy and Kellyanne Conway saying that these people were killed because of an anti-religious sentiment rather than because they were Jewish, is undeniably vile.

But this behavior is what I have come to expect of these people.

However, Milo Yiannopoulos is not just part of a political party that NYU’s majority-liberal student body does not share. The speech he delivered in a Facebook livestream in response to his talk being postponed is riddled with jokes about Anne Frank, pedophilia and suicide. Yiannopoulos’ offensive and immediate reaction to the talk’s postponing speaks for itself.

If Rectenwald had invited an actual conservative — maybe someone who has the actual credentials to speak about what he’s

slated to, or is famous for something other than bullying his audiences and feeding off liberal fear — perhaps the backlash from NYU students would not have been as strong. But he didn’t. He invited Milo Yiannopoulos: the embodiment of the deep underbelly of the “alt-right” and its apologists.

A man who waves his “blind for love” black Muslim husband and Jewish grandmother around like they signed his permission slip to be heiled by Richard Spencer. A performance artist whose specialty is being so deliberately offensive that he can call himself “the most censored man in America.”

I understand that there was not much to be done by President Andrew Hamilton in this situation. NYU’s official policy on speakers and other campus visitors clearly states that the university supports “the presence of speakers and other campus visitors without subjecting them to political, social, and moral tests.” However, Hamilton had absolutely no reason not to

condemn white supremacy. Instead, NYU made broad, vague statements about unity and equality — statements that were interpreted as a go-ahead by bigots and anti-Semitics on campus silently observing the university’s actions.

But anti-Semitism is alive and well at NYU. I saw others in NYU Facebooksgroups — who have since had their comments reported and deleted — calling Jews both Nazis and kikes in the same sentence.

These statements were not only disturbing but terrifying. They were spurred by inviting someone like Yiannopoulos to NYU — before he had even made it to campus. The longer we allow for NYU to not acknowledge what it means to condone Yiannopoulos and other figures like him, the further we are pushing this toxic agenda of anti-Semitism.

Email Abby Hofsetter at opinion@nyunews.com.

UNIVERSITY LIFE

Being Out at NYU Is an Unacknowledged Privilege

By NATASHA JOKIC Staff Writer Being LGBTQ isn’t often thought of as a privilege. It is in fact, quite the opposite: there’s a reason that the straight white man trope begins with the word straight. However, I’d like to propose a nuance to the discussion on sexuality and privilege. Namely, that being able to be out and proud to everyone in your life is in and of itself a kind of privilege. Before you roll your eyes at yet another article on the topic of privilege, consider that

discussing these issues might help us to be more compassionate to our fellow students at NYU; whether they’re wearing the rainbow flag or so deep in the closet that they found that winter jacket you lost last year.

Even now, with New York about to host a global pride celebration, World Pride, there are several reasons why someone might not want to be out. It might be financial: say, a student relying on their parents for tuition payments who fears that backlash from their coming out might jeopardize their ability to attend NYU. Take Eric Shin, an NYU Shanghai student who started an Indiegogo page after his parents cut him off after discovering his online presence in the LGBTQ community. When your options are being in the closet or racking up thousands of dollars of debt, it is understandable as to why some choose the former.

Or, the reasons could be more sociocultural; like a student who is concerned that

their friends in their home country won’t be able to understand. Being gay is still criminalized in 72 countries, many of which students call home. Almost 3,000 NYU students come from India, which only very recently decriminalized gay sex. Even within the United States, aspects like race and class intersect with the LGBTQ experience. There’s evidence that suggests African American LGBTQ youths are less likely to come out than their white counterparts, due to fear of further ostracisation within an already marginalized community.

There are a whole host of different reasons that can leave an individual feeling like coming out just isn’t an option for them. This can be a source of immense pain and turmoil, which those who have had a relatively easy coming out period do not have to deal with in quite the same way.

At NYU, it’s easy to forget that this can be the case for many students. After all, we have

a fantastic LGBTQ student center and great student support services. Moreover, we’re in New York City, which is quite frankly the gayest place I’ve ever been to; it’s the home of the Stonewall Inn Riots and has a vibrant LGBTQ community that I haven’t seen anywhere else. We’ve created a kind of bubble of inclusivity and pride around campus, which, while fabulous, is by no means representative of all our students’ stories. It’s easy to forget that this isn’t necessarily the case everywhere or to pressure students into coming out without taking their experiences into account. There are plenty of visibly out students at NYU, and the mentality in being out is thankfully a far cry from the small English university where I did my undergrad. However, the downside of this is that it can lead students, particularly straight students, to believe that being visibly out is an option for all. We can’t invalidate people’s reasons to stay in the closet just because it doesn’t fit in with our optimistic narrative.

Unfortunately, from toxic environments to homophobic family members, coming out can risk harm for many people. LGBTQ youth comprises 40 percent of homeless youth in New York City, often as a direct result of being cut off by homophobic family.

The decision to come out should be left up to the individual, if and when they choose to do so. Visibility of queer identities is incredibly important and essential to progress.

We would have few rights at all if it weren’t for the work of brave, fiercely out advocates throughout the years; particularly those who incited the Stonewall riots. But, it’s still far from easy. We need to steer the conversation around coming out to remind people that it’s okay. Even if you don’t want to or can’t be out right now, that’s okay. NYU needs to recognize that and support you.

Email Natasha Jokic at opinion@nyunews.com.

Washington Square News | Opinion

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 2018

9

CULTURE

Don’t Be a TERF

By CHEYENNE PORCHER Columnist Rest in power to Vicki Lee Jones, Maurice Stallard, Irving Younger, Melvin Wax, Rose Mallinger, Sylvan Simon, Bernice Simon, Jerry Rabinowitz, Joyce Fienberg, Richard Gottfried, Daniel Stein, Cecil Rosenthal, David Rosenthal and other victims of hate both in and by the United States.

On Oct. 21, 2018, numerous people throughout the country woke up to an attack on their humanity. Each and every day we witness inhumane acts doled out by the Trump administration, either directly or indirectly. This one in particular, however, had no half-hearted reasoning. There was no guise of safety or financial prosperity — just hatred. According to The New York Times, the Trump administration has plans to legally define sex under Title IX as “either male or female, unchangeable, and determined by the genitals that a person is born with.” Not only is this potential declaration factually incorrect, as it conflates sex and gender, but it’s also a blatant attempt to erase an entire segment of our country. Simply put, it’s disgusting and something we cannot and should not accept.

Now, as we approach Trans Week of Awareness, I knew that this was something I wanted to highlight. As a cisgender woman, navigating how to spotlight these issues without contributing to the erasure of trans people has been tricky. Given my platform, a column, and therefore a place for opinion pieces, I don’t think it is my place to have opinions on, say, the love lives of trans women, especially when the whole point is to allow people to share their own stories. At the same time, I understand my privilege in having a spot in a major university newspaper, and I want to leverage this privilege to elevate the narratives of the oppressed. It’s a dilemma I still don’t feel like I have the solution to. But I know that silence isn’t the answer.

Rather than try to give advice or guidance to a group that probably doesn’t need my two cents and has experienced things I’ve never even had to consider, I think it would be most productive to turn my attention to cis women of color, and assess how we need to do better.

While the decisions in Congress are being made by a bunch of soggy white men, cis women of color are often complicit in transphobia because our dual-compounded marginalized-identities can give us a sort of tunnel vision when it comes to oppression.

Facing hardship on the basis of both race and gender is overwhelming, and it can feel like we are being marginalized in every scenario.

But we need to understand that there is a difference between being attacked for being a woman and having your womanhood attacked. Both can have awful ramifications, but the latter literally puts one’s identity up for debate. Here a few steps we can take to stand in solidarity: 1) Don’t be a TERF, or trans-exclusionary radical feminist. The term in and of itself

Submitting to

is low-key a paradox, as one could argue that a TERF is a feminist that doesn’t believe in the rights of all women, and is therefore not a feminist at all. This could, unfortunately, be applied to some of the most well-known gender “equality” scholars. While there are plenty of specific missteps we need to avoid, the overarching message is to not be stupid.

Maybe that was blunt, but I say this because it is genuinely easy to avoid dehumanizing other human beings.

2) Along with the previous point, take transphobic phrases and imagery out of your activism. No, drawing chalk vulvas in Washington Square Park is not revolutionary, and your intentions are unclear, considering that there aren’t many misogynists claiming that vaginas don’t exist (and I don’t think someone not being able to find your clitoris is the most looming threat to women). What you did just do, however, is reduce womanhood to a single physical trait, which is harmful for a number of reasons. This goes for you, too, pink pu$$y hat wearers.

3) Don’t act like someone wanting to take a piss in peace is an infringement upon your civil liberties, or your safety. Those of us with cis privilege probably can’t imagine how difficult it is to have our identity questioned or safety put at risk when doing something as simple and necessary as going to the bathroom. I feel like this one is self-explanatory.

4) If you have the means, support businesses run by trans people (and the reverse, stop supporting businesses that contribute to their erasure). In a country in which the majority of states make it legal to fire people for being transgender, it’s not a surprise that trans people are twice as likely to be unemployed than cis people. As a black woman, I’ve seen how hard our community can rally to support black-owned businesses, and it’s a beautiful thing. We need to do the same for trans-owned businesses.

5) Educate the people in your life. As we brace ourselves for the post-Thanksgiving “you will not believe the racist things my Trump-supporting Uncle Fred said at the dinner table but I still love him because he’s my uncle” conversations, we have to be willing to dedicate the time and effort to defend the rights of people that could really use our support. It’s uncomfortable, and you might piss off Cousin Joe and Aunty Dionne, but it’s important.

6) Do the work. Yourself. In planning to write this piece, I had an early idea to reach out and interview trans women about what cis women need to do better. Then I realized, especially considering the recent events, no one needs me in their face asking them things that have been written 10 times over and I can access on my own. You could even argue that a lot of this is common sense, anyway.

In the same way I wouldn’t appreciate some white dude coming up to me and asking how not to fetishize the black women he dates (it happened), I shouldn’t be coming up to trans people and asking them how I can not belittle their existence.

This is not an exhaustive list, and there are so many other steps we can and must take, and the conversation doesn’t end here. To all of my trans readers, you are loved, you are supported and I stand in solidarity with you.

Email Cheyenne Porcher at opinion@nyunews.com

STAFF EDITORIAL

On Our Coverage of Milo Yiannopoulos Since it was announced that Milo Yiannopoulos was invited by Liberal Studies Professor Michael Rectenwald to speak for his class on Halloween, WSN has published content about the proposed event and its subsequent backlash. By reporting on Yiannopoulos though, we have found ourselves at a crossroads — do we continue to cover and provide updates on his appearance at the university, or do we refrain from giving him a platform that ultimately fuels his divisiveness?

The dilemma of sensationalism is one that we, as a journalistic publication, consistently grapple with. With a figure as polarizing and disturbing as Yiannopoulos, giving his appearances and speeches even the most minimal coverage plays into his hand of public manipulation — a large part of what Yiannopoulos intends to do is stir publicity and incite reactions from the media. He wants to be talked about. He makes horrifying statements in order to gain attention, such as when he endorsed the pedophilia within the Catholic church and made racist, dehumanizing comments toward Leslie Jones.

And we, as a news publication, are faced with a quandary: to refuse covering him at all, or to provide NYU students with information about what is happening on campus — even if doing so further legitimizes his rhetoric. By covering Yiannopoulos, we operate exactly in a way that empowers him. His relevance requires news outlets like WSN to acknowledge him and even to depict him as a threat. He constantly has the public questioning where the line is when it comes to free speech, and by continually bringing up that issue through Yiannopoulos, we’re adding to the scope of his influence and impact.

Perhaps the only way to acknowledge Yiannopoulos without furthering his platform is to follow New York Senator Brad Hoylman’s example. His official statement was a page “intentionally left blank as to deny [Yiannopoulos] the controversy and attention he craves.”

However, we do feel that as a college newspaper, it is our primary responsibility to keep our student community informed.

Yiannopoulos’s proposed arrival on our campus caused a firestorm of outrage, and the timing was in particularly poor taste considering the tragedy that occurred in Pittsburgh the week prior. And perhaps preventing coverage would have actually detracted from the NYU community’s rapid, laudable mobilization. A swift and effective reaction may not have been possible if the community didn’t have the necessary information concerning the planned event.

We are first and foremost dedicated to providing the NYU community with information on what is happening in our community, and by refusing to publish any stories on Yiannopoulos, we would be making a moral declaration. And in a situation like this one, in which Yiannopoulos represents such vitriolic, discriminatory behavior that we find distinctly contradictory to NYU’s fundamentally ethical values, the lines of journalistic bias and editorialization can feel blurred. Consider-

ing this, we’ve been self-reflective on our coverage up until this point with the aim of approaching this subject with a strong sense of responsibility Our reporters were at the ready to provide all the details of Yiannopoulos’s planned talk — but in our initial story that laid out information on his planned visit, we did not emphasize the fact that he was only going to be speaking in front of less than 20 students in a first-year writing class. This might have given the illusion that he was to be speaking in front of the entire student body rather than only in Professor Rectenwald’s classroom. By falling short of placing emphasis on and clarifying the conditions of Yiannopoulos’s invitation, it’s possible that we created more buzz and controversy about the situation than was warranted.

We also did not adequately reiterate that Professor Rectenwald has been known for attempting to stir up controversy on campus — in September 2016, he created the Twitter handle “@antipcnyuprof” and under the veil of anonymity, criticized his liberal students’ political views. In some ways, WSN was reacting exactly how Professor Rectenwald expected and would have wanted. We provided a platform for Rectenwald and Yiannopoulos, which then prompted a lot of conversation both within campus and online. And after we broke the news that Yiannopoulos’s visit would be postponed to uphold Mayor Bill de Blasio’s request, the situation was further scrutinized. Rectenwald’s reaction can be seen in his official statement to WSN after the cancelation of the talk. “While Milo Yiannopoulos is blamed for the threat to public safety, leftist protesters are the ones who pose the actual danger, with their proclivity for violence,” he wrote.

We are aware of — and troubled by the fact that — our coverage of Yiannopoulos has the potential to publicize his infamous hate speech, legitimizing him as a public figure when he should have no power. We acknowledge that sensationalism is an important issue to consider as a news publication. The dilemma of media sensationalism has never felt more pertinent than it does in today’s divisive political environment. Our government is led by a president who has repeatedly manipulated media coverage to his advantage by embracing inflammatory discourse of hate and fear; Yiannopoulos is just a part of this trend of stoking conflict.

What our role as journalists is in this harmful pattern is difficult to define. And it’s important to acknowledge the balancing act between coverage and sensationalizing that publications like ours must keep in mind while choosing what content to publish. While we chose to cover Yiannopoulos to fulfill our duty of providing our community with the necessary information for making informed decisions, we are in no way finished wrestling with how to best be a responsible, effective source of news that doesn’t exacerbate this disturbing trend.

Email the Editorial Board at editboard@nyunews.com.

JANICE LEE Chair HANNA KHOSRAVI Co-chair MELANIE PINEDA Co-chair

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.

Washington Square News

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WEEKLY UPDATE

Soccer Completes Regular Season on High Note

By BRENDAN DUGGAN Sports Editor Women’s Soccer With a place in the NCAA tournament on the line, the women’s soccer team defeated Brandeis University in dramatic fashion on Saturday. On a day where NYU’s seniors were honored before the game, the Violets entered halftime tied at zero. After Brandeis scored in the 60th minute, the Violets looked to answer late in the second half with Tisch sophomore Nalani Ogawa scoring a free kick to tie the game at 1-1 in the 80th minute. Seconds before the 90th minute, CAS junior Ashlyn Krygowski scored her fifth goal of the season to give the Violets a 2-1, come-from-behind win. Stern sophomore Meghan Marhan finished with four saves in net, as NYU completed its season standing at 5-1-1 within the UAA conference.

The Violets completed their regular season at 10-5-3 and will find out Monday whether or not they clinched a spot in the NCAA tournament.

Men’s Soccer Playing in the final game of its regular season, NYU men’s soccer faced off against Brandeis University at Gaelic Park this past Saturday. Also honoring their six seniors, the Violets looked to end their season on a high note. After a 0-0 tie led to overtime, Stern first-year Oliver Kleban netted his eighth goal of the year in double overtime to secure the win for NYU. CAS senior Grant Engel finished with eight saves, stopping every shot he faced and earning a shutout in net.

The team will find out if its season continues this Monday when NCAA tournament bids are assigned.

Women’s Volleyball The women’s volleyball team traveled to Rochester to compete in three UAA games this past weekend. First, the Violets faced off against Washington University in St. Louis. Despite seven kills from CAS senior Nazzerine Waldon, 13 assists by SPS senior Katie Goyette and three blocks by Tisch first-year Abby Ausmus, the Violets fell 3-0 to Wash U (19-25, 21-25, 18-25).

Next up, the Violets looked to bounce back against the University of Rochester in the second game of their double-header. Led by CAS junior Caroline Rapp’s 13 kills, the Violets captured their 18 win of the season, outlasting Rochester 3-2 (25-16, 25-20, 24-26, 24-26, 15-11). Tandon first-year Stella Alverson dished out 25 assists and finished with three aces, while CAS junior Jacqueline Kupeli ended with 22 digs. Tisch firstyear Abby Ausmus controlled the net, tallying 12 kills and seven blocks.

In its final game of the season, the women’s volleyball team played Brandeis University, looking to end the season with a win. After leading the first two sets, Brandeis stole the momentum and won the next three sets to secure victory (25-17, 25-18, 22-25, 21-25, 8-15). CAS senior Nazzerine Waldon finished with 13 kills, CAS first-year Lauren Robinson tallied three aces and SPS senior Katie Goyette connected for 22 assists. Tisch first-year Abby Ausmus and CAS first-year Gretchen Kincade each added nine blocks, and CAS junior Jacqueline Kupeli racked up 23 digs.

The Violets end their regular season at 18-16, and 2-5 within the UAA. The team will now wait to see if it qualified for the Eastern College Athletic Conference tournament.

Men’s and Women’s Cross Country The NYU men’s cross country team competed in the ECAC Championship this past

weekend, hosted in Milton, New York. Out of the 11 teams participating, NYU came in second place with a score of 93 points. The Violets were led by Steinhardt sophomore Pat Xu, who finished in 10th out of 81 runners with a time of 31:20:3. Stern first-year Brandon Mayo finished next, placing 19th with a time of 31:54:3. The next three finishers for the Violets were CAS sophomore Oliver Jacob, Tandon first-year Toni Macabantad and Stern first-year Chris Shirazi, who finished 22nd (32:19.8), 23rd (32:22.5) and 24th (32:25.7), respectively.

The men’s cross country team returns to action next Saturday when it travels to Rowan University in Glassboro, New Jersey to compete in the NCAA Atlantic Regional Championship.

The NYU women’s cross country team also competed in the ECAC championship this past Saturday in Milton. Out of the eight teams, the Violets came in third place and totaled 92 points. Leading the Violets through the 6k course was CAS first-year Anna Cusiurean-Zapan, who finished in 16th place out of 61 runners with a time of 29:09.7. The next three finishers for NYU were CAS first-year Gabrielle Stankosh, Stern first-year Ashley Storino and CAS sophomore Noela Franco who placed 19th (29:21.5), 25th (29:56.0) and 29th (30:13.4), respectively.

The women’s cross country team will be joining the men as they travel to Rowan University to participate in the NCAA Atlantic Regional Championship in Glassboro.

Men’s and Women’s Swimming and Diving The NYU men’s swim team defeated Stevens Institute of Technology 532-344 as part of the NYU Fall Invitational this past weekend. Leading the way for the Violets was Stern first-year Jacob Haines (400-yard individual medley), CAS firstyear Graham Chatoor (200-yard freestyle), Tandon sophomore Josh Rine (200-yard backstroke) and Stern first-year Alec Reimon (100-yard freestyle), who all placed first in their respective events.

The Violets will race again on Saturday, Nov. 17 as they travel to Baltimore to face off against Johns Hopkins University.

The women’s swim team also dominated against Stevens Institute of Technology, defeating the Ducks by a score of 542-331. The Violets were led by Stern junior Honore Collins, who won the 400-yard individual medley and the 200-yard butterfly, Stern first-year Terra Matsushima, who won the 100-yard butterfly and the 100-yard freestyle and CAS sophomore Sydney Catron who won the 200-yard freestyle and the 200-yard backstroke.

The swim team returns to action on Saturday, Nov. 17 when it will travel to Baltimore to compete against Johns Hopkins University.

NYU Wrestling The NYU wrestling team opened its 2018-2019 season by placing sixth out of 19 teams this past Saturday. Traveling to King’s College in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania , the Violets were led by Stern senior Will Crisco and CAS junior Jackson Kilgerman, who each finished second place in their weight classes. Also helping the Violets was Tandon sophomore James Murdoch, who finished third, and Stern junior Sean Lyons who finished fourth place in his weight class.

NYU wrestling resumes action next Saturday when the team travels to Providence, Rhode Island to compete in the Roger Williams Invitational.

Email Brendan Duggan at bduggan@nyunews.com.

Edited by BRENDAN DUGGAN and ZACH HAN

NYU Swimming and Diving Hires Former Violet as Coach

SAM KLEIN | WSN

NYU swimmers during a meet on Oct. 6. The swimming and diving team hired a new assistant coach, Sam Petersen, this year.

By ZACH HAN Sports Editor NYU Swimming and Diving stayed close to home when it added 2016 NYU graduate Krista Traub to its coaching staff in early October. Traub, who spent four years on the swimming and diving team from 2012 to 2016, was hired to be the new assistant coach under Head Coach Trevor Miele.

Traub has a rich history in competitive swimming, f irst participating at her local YMCA during elementary school and then later in high school and college. Swimming runs in her family, so this was only natural.

“My parents met when they were on the swim team in college,” Traub said. “They went to the University of Maine. And both my brothers swam as well, so we’re just one big swimming family.”

A big reason why Traub decided to come back to NYU to coach the team was because of his experience as a student athlete. “[My time swimming at NYU] was def initely challenging but extremely rewarding,” Traub said. “I think I gained a lot, not just from swimming and the structure of swimming and how it challenges you, but also just from the team itself and the friendships and relationships I made on the team.

I think the people made it worth it, and I obviously love the sport.”

Traub was a decorated swimmer while on the team, earning NCAA All-American Honors twice and NCAA All-American Honorable Mention twice. Traub also held various records, one of which still stands today — the 4x100 freestyle relay.

Traub was a big part of the culture that the swimming and diving team cultivated, as she served as team captain in the last two years of her collegiate career.

“I think being captain for two years was the most rewarding [accolade] out of all of it,” Traub said. “Just being a part of a team that was growing and developing and being able to lead that and help [Head Coach] Trevor Miele bring out the team he wants.”

Traub also served as an athletics transition coach and on the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee during her tenure at NYU. As an athletics transition coach, she was paired with new student athletes to help them adjust to life as a student athlete at NYU. While serving on the SAAC, she worked on events such as promoting sports events and volunteering with athletes from other sports.

She had a noticeable presence on the team

as a swimmer, on-campus as a student athlete and a strong relationship with Head Coach Miele. It comes as no surprise that Miele reached out to her inquiring about the assistant coach position, considering she even hinted at the possibility while she was on the team.

“I had a good relationship with Trevor since day one that I got to NYU, and we stayed in contact since I graduated,” Traub said. “It was something I used to joke about with him when I was a swimmer on the team, but when the opportunity arose, he reached out to me and I accepted.”

The opportunity to return to familiar grounds as a coach, especially at the request of her former head coach, is something that she f inds diff icult to express through words.

Needless to say, she is excited for the season.

“I’m really excited about it and really proud that he asked me to come back,” Traub said.

“I guess it just means a lot and to be able to contribute again to the team but in a different way. I’m excited to see how it works out.”

Since joining the coaching staff, she has set goals for herself to leave her mark on this team as a coach, like she did when she was a student.

“For myself, I want to see if I can at least help one person,” Traub said. “I think that would be considered a success in and of itself.”

She hopes to emphasize team relationships and an enjoyable experience first because a good foundation in those aspects will result in a successful season.

“Trevor doesn’t make it easy,” Traub said.

“The practices are def initely hard, and the practice schedule is really rigorous and it can beat you up. If the majority of them can enjoy swimming and enjoy going to practice and look forward to it and competing, then I think that is a success.”

Outside of the pool, Traub graduated from the College of Nursing and is currently working as a fertility nurse at the Reproductive Medicine Associates of New York LLC. It seems like helping others is just second nature to her.

The swimming and diving team has been off to strong start to its season. The men are currently undefeated at 3-0, while the women bounced back from a loss in their opener to a record of 2-1. Traub and the team look to continue this momentum through the rest of the season.

Email Zach Han at zhan@nyunews.com.

Washington Square News | Under the Arch

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 2018

11

Student-Run Seastraws Sold NYU a Semester’s Worth of Straws Seastraws is a bootstrap company.

Other than a Social Impact Stipend from Stern, all efforts in growing the company and producing straws have come from personal investments.

However, as they start shipping out larger orders, they started their seed investment funding round. They are currently working with large distributors that they did not want to disclose and recently made a deal with NYU to have their straws in dining halls, because NYU went plasticstraw-free this past October. The team contacted the Office of Student Affairs to start communications with Dining Services. Less than one month after their first meeting, Seastraws got their first order confirmation.

“I feel like a collaboration between NYU’s many offices was essential for our success,” DiMeglio said. “It required us to engage multiple key stakeholders with our mission, and we are thankful for their support.”

DiMeglio — along with nine other students — started Seastraws in May with the goal of cutting the amount of plastic going into oceans by distributing compostable paper, reusable stainless steel and silicone straws. Hundreds of millions plastic straws are used in the United States every day. Plastic pollution in oceans, especially caused by straws, has become an issue that needs to be addressed, and Stern junior DiMeglio decided to give the oceans the attention they need.

“We are trying to eradicate every single straw,” he said. “The thing about the straw is that it does not result in the majority of plastic getting away from the ocean, but it allows people with an opportunity of awareness.”

Growing up in New Jersey, DiMeglio experienced first-hand the effects of plastic pollution in the oceans during his weekend visits to the Jersey Shore during the summer. Last year, when he visited home, the idea of Seastraws randomly popped up in his head while sitting on a couch in his basement. When he came to NYU, he decided to study sustainable business, computing and data science at the Stern School of Business. Over the past two-plus years at the university, his passion for sustainability became stronger and more active, especially since he started Seastraws.

“I knew that 2018 would be the year that corporations, governments and nonprofits would band together to stop plastic pollution,” he said, as he noted the Seastraws’ rapid progress in distributing to larger companies, such as Ruby’s, WeWork and the United Nations.

One of the main goals of Seastraws is to

PHOTO BY LIANNA RADA | PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY RACHEL BUIGAS-LOPEZ

From left: Nisarg Patel, Nick Ceccoli, Antonio DiMeglio, Echo Chen and Sophie Kennedy smile with their stainless steel straws.

“

The goal is to take ourselves outside of what it is as a college startup and kind of turn it into something that can actually change the world on a national, and furthermore, global scale.

”

ANTONIO DIMEGLIO Stern junior and Seastraws Founder and CEO

focus on the environmental mission rather than making a profit, so much so that it is in its formation documents. The products are certified B-Corp Pending meaning that if it comes to picking between purpose or profit they have to choose purpose. The straws are also FSC-100 certified — meaning that 100 percent of the paper used in making their straws is from renewable forests and as soon as a tree gets cut, another one is planted. Seastraws also a member of the American Sustainable Business Council.

“We are getting sustainable paper sources rather than causing huge deforestation issues,” CAS senior and Chief Sustainability Officer Sophie Kennedy said. “We are able to push the movement forward rather than halt it.”

The journey of Seastraws started in New York and developed in Florence, the study abroad site where the startup’s team members originally met each other in the

Seastraws paper straws are compostable, and the stainless steel straws are reusable.

fall of 2017. Before leaving to study abroad in Florence, Dimeglio worked at Luxbeverage, a New York-based coffee startup, as the chief revenue officer. He jetted off to Italy and still worked remotely for the startup.

When DiMeglio came back to the states, he continued working at Luxbeverage and met Gallatin junior Echo Chen, who is now the Seastraws creative director and was the social media director at Luxbeverage. Taking his knowledge of startup building, DiMeglio left Luxbeverage and brought Chen with him. Together they got their first set of sample straws and built the company with fellow students DiMeglio met during his time in Florence and that he knows outside of Florence.

“We wanted to build a brand where being sustainable and being environmentally friendly was cool and [a] beautiful lifestyle that people would want to buy into,” Chen said. ‘‘Straws are straws you can’t really sell them by being like ‘here take this;’ you have

to have people see what their lives could be like with the straws.”

After setting up the Instagram and posting three photos of its sample straws sourced by its manufacturers in Florida, Seastraws got their first inquiry from Surfrider foundation’s Australia, chapter which became one of their non-profit partners — the first in a long line of partnerships with other nonprofits. DiMeglio began selling the straws by going door to door, visiting local coffee shops and stores.

“Going to coffee shops is great. It builds up local community but overall there’s a time limit that we face right now,” Stern junior and chief technology officer Nisarg Patel said. “We don’t want to lose the word of mouth going on and distributors are really our long-term game because if we don’t get it at the scale we are not going to be able to make the impact that we actually want to.”

Seastraws’ partnered with To Rise —

the local distributor Seastraws is working with to get its straws out into the city — which signed on to sell during its founder’s visit to the Uncommons, a board game cafe in the West Village. For DiMeglio, it was important to work with a distributor that understood the company’s social mission.

To Rise became one of Seastraws’s most important allies.

“I found out that the best thing I can do as a CEO is to do the work in terms of extending this company outside [our group],” DiMeglio said. “I am in constant contact with our customers and our distributors making sure that everything is right operationally as well as technically.”

The newest addition to their collection is the silicone straw. Kennedy and DiMeglio were at a straw ban hearing in City Hall this past July where they learned more about the problems of accessibility concerning straws. DiMeglio and Kennedy spent three hours at the Disability Pride Parade, tabling alongside Lonely Whale, a non-governmental organization that is pushing to make the straw movement for everyone, testing out various silicone and metal straws to find the best option. The silicone straw is the most accessible for people with disabilities because it is bendable and biteable.

“We wanted to have an accessible option and not leave anyone out from this movement knowing its importance,” DiMeglio said.

After fundraising, Seastraws hopes to move production in-house to New York from Florida. Already starting to work with manufacturers in the Bronx, they want the community to be invested in their company not only monetarily but emotionally.

“We will purchase our own straw-making machine, and we will do it ourselves — that way we can control the quality and be in control of the process,” Stern Junior and Chief Financial Officer Nick Ceccoli said.

“We can make adjustments to the straws and hopefully secure some intellectual property rights.”

With two major distributors in California and New York and straws being shipped anywhere in the U.S., the main goal right now is to acquire more customers.

“The goal is to take ourselves outside of what it is as a college startup and kind of turn it into something that can actually change the world on a national, and furthermore, global stage,” DiMeglio said.

Note: Echo Chen was WSN’s Multimedia editor in spring 2018.

Email Yasmin Gulec at ygulec@nyunews.com.

COURTESY OF SEASTRAWS

Washington Square News

12

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 2018

The Wallkill Journal was created and published by individuals incarcerated at the Wallkill Correctional Facility, in collaboration with the NYU Prison Education Program and the WSN staff.

Behind Bars, Three Men Graduate

By SAM KLEIN Deputy Multimedia Editor Jermaine Haywood, wearing a violet graduation gown over his state-issued dark green uniform, held back tears as he worked through his commencement speech.

“Never stop learning,” Haywood told the auditorium. “No matter how old you are. Always continue to learn.”

It’s a speech that many graduates give, but this wasn’t an average graduation.

Haywood, part of the class of 2018, is an inmate at Wallkill Correctional Facility in upstate New York, and part of the second graduating class of NYU’s Prison Education Program.

After two years in the program, Haywood received his associate’s in Liberal Studies alongside two other classmates, Rakeem Golson and Isaac Ray, in a ceremony at the prison’s gymnasium on Monday.

Attendees included current PEP students at Wallkill, professors involved in the program and school administrators, including NYU President Andrew Hamilton. About 150 people sat on chairs in the gym-turned-auditorium. A basketball hoop just above the stage made it clear that this type of ceremony is rare at Wallkill.

“This day for me, it’s a blessing,” Haywood said. “Because I get to see my family and friends, and also achieve something that can never be taken away from me.”

Before being convicted, Haywood tried to go to college but could not afford to finish his degree. Despite a 3.6 GPA, Haywood is concerned that pursuing more education will be difficult upon his release – once again for financial reasons. He said he is applying for Pell Grants to fund higher education.

Though proud of his accomplishment, Haywood also made sure to thank many people who helped him along the way, particularly his teachers at Wallkill.

“They encouraged me, inspired me, even when there were times I felt like giving up, they pushed me to keep going,” Haywood said. “They saw something in me that I hadn’t seen in myself, and now I’ve started to see.”

Golson, like Haywood, was excited to be graduating. After spending a decade in prison, Golson has a number of aspirations.

He hopes to further his education, start a company as an optician and support children’s education.

He has also written for the Wallkill Journal.

Golson’s wife, Christina Vann-Golson and their son came to the ceremony to see him.

“I’m really proud of him,” Vann-Golson said. “I feel like the world gets to see how smart he is, how intellectual he is, and it’s a new beginning for him. Because the past was dark, and it was rough, and now society gets to see a different side of him.”

Credit for that new beginning, Golson said, belongs to the persistence of the teachers that he had along the way.

“They’re actually genuinely great people,” Golson said. “They love their job, they have patience with us. I learned so much, I loved the experience, I love my teachers. It was amazing. They were all amazing. Every single one of them.”

Zhandarka Kurti is an NYU postdoctoral fellow who teaches a weekly PEP class called Sociology of New York City. Though this is Kurti’s first semester with PEP and she taught none of the graduates, she attended the graduation to see her current students.

While Kurti has taught at multiple other schools, she said teaching at Wallkill is more meaningful to her.

“Prisons are really individualizing institutions where you’re made to feel like you’re the problem and you’re on your own,” Kurti said. “But I think being in a classroom, it helps you understand that while your strug-

gles may be unique to you, they’re connected to all these other people — and they’re connected to society.”

Hamilton told WSN that the graduation is important to him, and he applauded the faculty who are involved in PEP. “I just come once a year to preside at the graduation ceremony,” Hamilton said.

“But NYU faculty and staff come up twice a week; it’s a long journey, and they do it because they’re dedicated to this program.

They’re dedicated to making sure that the incarcerated individuals will be able to keep moving once they are released, to continue their education and to take a productive place in society.”

The other PEP students in attendance were eager to applaud every time that a speaker praised the graduates — and they were never louder than when Hamilton personally handed each of the three their diplomas.

Kurti said that moments like those during the graduation reminded her why she loves teaching.

“That’s what I enjoy the most, seeing students support each other,” Kurti said.

“It was so nice to see everyone making a speech, and teachers watching them and other students cheering them on, and really to have the support.”

As the reception after the graduation wound down, Haywood said that he was trying to enjoy the day with his family.

“Who knows what the world holds when I get out?” Haywood said. “Right now, I’m just basking in the moment.”

A version of this article appeared online on Monday, Oct. 29.

Email Sam Klein at sklein@nyunews.com.

SAM KLEIN | WSN

SAM KLEIN | WSN

Rakeem Golson, Jermaine Hayward and Isaac Ray receive their diplomas.

Rakeem Golson’s wife and son look on as Golson graduates.

Jermaine’s Journey

SAM KLEIN | WSN

Jermaine Haywood with his son, Jermaine Jr., after receiving his diploma through NYU’s Prison Education Program.

By JOSEPH BEER Contributing Writer It is a cool, crisp autumn day; the kind that reminds you winter is right around the corner, that change is on the horizon.

Behind the barbed-wire fences of Wallkill Correctional Facility a change has already occurred. Jermaine Haywood, a 39-yearold former drug dealer, has transformed his life. After doing his time, he will be leaving prison with an associate’s degree in Liberal Arts from NYU’s Prison Education Program. With graduation only days away, he recalls his journey.

“As a teenager, things were hard at home,” Haywood said during an interview in PEP’s computer lab. “I quit high school to focus on my responsibilities. The bills were adding up and my family needed me.”

Street life eventually caught up with him. “By age 17,” he continues, “I was on Riker’s Island awaiting sentencing for some drug sales I made in order to put food on the table.”

He pauses, and a smile slowly worms its way onto his face. “This is where I met this 24-year-old kid who was serving a life sentence. His name escapes me now, but his advice stuck with me forever. He instilled in me the importance of education, how I needed it to work my way out of the chains imposed on me. His words inspired me to get my GED while locked up. Out of 24 people who were in the class, only two passed. I was one of them.”

Despite his success, Haywood found that escaping the cycle of incarceration

was harder than he’d thought. Returning to the streets, he fell back into his old habits. In 2013, he was arrested for possession of drugs with the intent to sell and subsequently sentenced to five years in prison with five years post-supervision. After being ping-ponged across the state, he finally ended up at Wallkill. Upon his arrival, he learned of PEP and was extremely enthusiastic. It was a win-win situation: the opportunity to finally further his education, and if he earned 24 credits he would become eligible for his Limited Credit Time Allowance, which would give him six months off his sentence.

“Joining NYU was one of the best decisions of my life,” Haywood said when asked about the impact PEP had on him.

“In ‘Values of Life,’ taught by Professor Michael Ralph, my eyes were opened to the oppression we face on a daily basis.

In ‘Leadership Skills,’ taught by professor Dolly Chugh, I became an active listener and my communication skills greatly improved.”

Haywood’s thinking process has drastically changed. He no longer wants to go back to the block and “chase the bag.”

“Upon my release I plan on furthering my education by pursuing a bachelor’s degree in Computer Science Engineering through NYU’s Tandon School of Engineering,” Haywood said. “After my tutelage at NYU I realized education is the key to success. That realization and earning my associate degree [sic] are my greatest rewards from the program — it is something no one can ever take away from me.”

To all current and future students at NYU, especially those in PEP, Haywood has a message.

“In order to succeed you have to commit. You have to apply yourself and embrace your weaknesses instead of letting them control you.” He went on to praise PEP’s staff.

“These people dedicate parts of their lives to give us the opportunity to succeed. The teachers empower us to think.

It is only fair that we reciprocate with enthusiasm. That we hold education in the highest esteem.”

This story has been approved for publication by an official with Wallkill Correctional Facility. A version of this article appeared online on Monday, Oct. 29.Joseph Beer is a student in NYU’s Prison Education Program. Email him at prison.education@nyu.edu.

Meet NYU PEP Grad Rakeem Golson

By AUNRAY STANFORD Contributing Writer Rakeem Golson, 28, recently earned his associate’s degree from NYU’s Prison Education Program in a ceremony at Wallkill Correctional Facility, graduating with a 3.92 GPA. He was also an active member of the student committee, and representative for the Inmate Liaison Committee.

Aunray Stanford: What prompted you to apply to NYU’s PEP? Rakeem Golson: Initially, when I heard about it, I couldn’t believe I had an opportunity to apply. The name NYU carries so much prestige. Then I began to think how useful it could be for my future — and the person I

aspire to become by opening my mind to different things. That was September, 2016.

AS: What class did you favorite in the program?

RG: I don’t know, bruh. I had a lot of great classes. But the class I think I wanted the most was public speaking, to overcome my shutting down. That class endowed me with tools that now give me comfort in group discussions and addressing audiences.

AS: What challenges did you face while in the program?

RG: Navigating the prison environment, the distractions, tension, oppression, just remaining focused throughout it all, and still putting forth my best effort in the program.

AS: What are your plans post-release?

RG: First, I plan to continue furthering

my education. NYU’s School of Professional Studies offers programs in Applied Science in Business, and Applied Science in Information Systems Management; I’m eager to start. I’m also now a certified optician, so I have business endeavors in that area I’d like to pursue — maybe open an optical store. Then there’s my non-profit organization. I’m just eager to use my education to create greater economic and social opportunities for myself.

AS: Now that you’ve successfully obtained your associates degree, how do you feel?

RG: It’s inexpressible. This is my greatest accomplishment in prison: to learn that the only limitations I have to deal with are the ones I set for myself. It’s validation. I know what I could’ve been had I chosen this route

earlier, what I can be and who I am.

AS: What advice do you have for future applicants and new members of PEP? RG: This program is what you make of it. If you’re open minded and motivated to learn about the world and your place in it you’ll receive the optimal experience.

There’re great teachers, faculty, that genuinely believe in you and put a lot into this program. Reciprocate their efforts and it’ll definitely be worth it.

This story has been approved for publication by an official with Wallkill Correctional Facility.

A version of this article appeared online on Monday, Oct. 29. Aunray Stanford is a student in NYU’s Prison Education Program.

Email him at prison.education@nyu.edu.

SAM KLEIN | WSN

Rakeem Golson speaks at his graduation.

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 2018

MULTIMEDIA@NYUNEWS.COM

Washington Square News | Multimedia

EXPOSURE As the political atmosphere in America becomes more and more defined by identity, whether from race, gender or political party, the people who exist between those identity groups become less and less visible.

13

Edited by KATIE PEURRUNG

Winter is very confident in her black identity.

She feels more comfortable and accepted in black communities.

“It was hard to be an Irish person...because they don’t see you as Irish, they see you as black.”

In Between

By ALINA PATRICK “I feel comfortable beyond the binary of gender. I use she/her, they/them pronouns most of the time but I also don’t mind he/him.

I feel more masculine on some days ­— more feminine on others” said Marley Jean Fernandez.

In Between is a photo essay by Tisch sophomore Alina Patrick that portrays people who fall between different identity groups. It focuses on three individuals: Ellie Winter, a woman living in Brooklyn who is half black and half white, Steinhardt alumnus Marley Jean Fernandes, who does not identify as transgender but presents themself androgynously and Emily Patrick, a half Mexican and half-white woman who recently moved to East Harlem.

Winter has found that if “you know what it means to be black, people will accept you no matter how you look.

You’re a part of the community mentally and emotionally.”

View the full essay on nyunews.com.

“It seems like an imposter situation. I am part Latina but I don’t feel like I am enough that I can confidently outright identify as a minority, especially since I have this whole added privilege of passing for white” said Emily Patrick.

When Fernandes began to present herself in a masculine way she noticed she was treated differently by strangers. She said they were more rough with her, more likely to yell at her or push her in public.

INFORMING YOU FIRST

NYUNEWS.COM

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