Washington Square News November 19, 2018

5 CULTURE

9 OPINION

Student Mag Disrupts Fashion World

NYU’s LA Campus: An Attempt to Rise Up the Ranks

6 ARTS

10 SPORTS

Behind the Scenes With the Producers of ‘thank u, next’

Volleyball Team Wins Championship

VOLUME LI | ISSUE 13

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2018

Steinhardt Sets Sights on LA With NYU looking to expand in LA, Steinhardt students now hope to take advantage of new opportunities in the City of Angels.

By VICTOR PORCELLI Deputy News Editor President Andrew Hamilton announced the university will be expanding its presence in Los Angeles on Nov. 6. Though currently dominated by Tisch students the less-talked-about Steinhardt School of Culture, Education and Human Development might make up a significant portion of the 40-student cohort come 2019.

At an Administrative Management Council event, Hamilton said that LA will be a place to watch, with NYU Spokesperson John Beckman conf irming that NYU will be looking for space to house student dormitories, classrooms and an academic hub. Although Tisch has been mentioned by administrators as the catalyst for NYU’s expansion, Steinhardt students in the Music Business program have as much of a stake in a more robust LA presence.

Senior Vice Provost for Global Programs and University Life Linda Mills referenced the large number of Tisch students, who are often involved in LA’s film industry, as being a deciding factor in the expansion.

A panoramic view of Hollywood, Los Angeles. NYU President Andrew Hamilton has announced the university will be expanding its presence in Los Angeles.

ALEX DOMB | WSN

CONTINUED ON PAGE 2

Calling Out Dramatic Writing’s Racist Imagination

By KATHRYN STAFFORD Contributing Writer My name is Kathryn Stafford, and I am a junior at NYU. I began college in Steinhardt majoring in English Education.

This start was a dubious one: my mother encouraged me to study English when I panicked while trying to choose a major —I was just happy to be going to NYU. After my first semester, my background — which revolved so heavily around the dramatic arts — pulled me back, and so I applied to

the Rita & Burton Goldberg Department of Dramatic Writing in Tisch School of the Arts and was accepted my sophomore year. I learned that it is a small department with a racist imagination.

I have been frustrated with the department for as long as I have been here. It should be mentioned Tisch has already been exposed for some racial discrimination in the past, specif ically in its drama department, but I am speaking to my own experiences.

My department consistently and intentionally forgets their gravest responsibili-

ty: that the underpinning of everything it studies and produces is steeped in imagination. A kind of collective imagination may be necessary to teach a group a way to craft stories through television, f ilm and theater within a certain space and time period.

However, to pretend this collective imagination is somehow universal, or preeminent, is to warrant rage from those who dare to imagine outside of it. Do not mistake me: I am calling out the Department of Dramatic Writing’s racist imagination.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 7

SAM KLEIN | WSN

The Long Way Home PAGE 11

Washington Square News

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MONDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2018

NEWS

NEWS@NYUNEWS.COM

Edited by ALEX DOMB, KRISTINA HAYHURST and SARAH JACKSON

Steinhardt Sets Sights on LA CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

“Given NYU Tisch School of the Arts’ existing experience in Los Angeles and the degree of interest in LA among faculty in Tisch and other NYU schools, it became obvious that this is a natural location for NYU to establish a larger presence,” Mills said in a press release.

This isn’t to say that other schools were ignored. In his first mention of the expansion, Hamilton noted the potential for Gallatin School of Individualized Studies, Stern School of Business and Steinhardt students to be involved in the next study-away site.

But with Tisch’s mentor program and previous study away offerings in LA, it is clear the art school is a key focus of the university’s habituation in the City of Angels currently — although after speaking with students, it seems like the site’s appeal extends beyond film and drama majors, with those in Steinhardt’s Music Business program expressing interest in studying at the campus.

The Music Business major is for students pursuing careers in the music industry, from future producers to managers to artists — which encompasses the scouting and development of artists for a record label.

Steinhardt sophomore Isa Bruder hopes to be a singer herself, but took the major over a more performance-focused one because she feels that “succeeding isn’t solely based on talent.” To her, business knowledge is just as

important, and a new program in LA would allow her to not only expand that knowledge but also make connections in a city she expects to live in at some point.

“If we had relevant faculty and professors who are working in the LA music scene giving classes catered to how that specific music business environment works, it would be an incredible resource,” Bruder wrote in a Facebook message to WSN. “As a singer, I will probably be in LA at some point and I do feel like there is somewhat of a gap in what I know in New York [versus] LA.” Steinhardt junior and Music Business major Bebe Howell said she had wanted to go to LA in the past, but found the logistics difficult. With neither an NYU liaison nor the structured program that Tisch has, Howell said most students in her major that do intern in Los Angeles are from the area.

A more structured program would help students decide which major hub for the music industry they’d prefer to explore.

“Everybody knows that if you want to be in this business, you either go to [New York City], LA or Nashville,” Howell wrote in a Facebook message to WSN. “So now that I’ve gotten a good feel for the New York scene, it would be cool to explore elsewhere before making a decision about where I want to end up working after graduation.”

Knowing the different industry hubs is

important, according to students, especially for those who do not know yet where they would like to work after graduation. Partially because of the emphasis on Los Angeles and New York as epicenters of the music industry, the University of Southern California is a rival of NYU’s when it comes to the Music Business program. If NYU were to be able to offer both cities to students, it might edge out the Golden State university, according to Howell.

“A campus in LA would definitely be of help since the other main competitor for music business programs around the country is USC,” Howell wrote. “So all the resources that I could’ve gotten by studying in LA are now being possibly offered to me through NYU.” For students looking to intern at the study-away site, it may easier than at first glance: Steinhardt sophomore and Music Business major Bridgette Kontner said that because of the emphasis on LA and New York City, many companies have sites in both cities.

“What’s interesting is that a lot of music businesses have offices in New York City and LA so it would be super easy to find an internship in basically anything you’d find one in New York City, like a record label, a recording studio, a music publishing house, a booking agency or any-

RACHEL BUIGAS-LOPEZ | WSN

NYU is renting space for both an academic center and student housing in the La Brea area of Los Angeles.

thing,” Kontner said.

Steinhardt first-year and music business major Giulia Delle Femine has interned at music publishing companies as part of their marketing and licensing teams. For her, a campus in LA would bring her one step closer to her goal of working on music supervision for films or TV. The city provides particular opportunities for those whose work crosses over between music

and film and would be an opportunity to meet members of the industry.

“One of the best parts of the music business major is the connections made through it, so an additional campus would just allow more opportunities to expand our networks,” Delle Femine said.

Email Victor Porcelli at vporcelli@nyunews.com.

NYU Recipients React to Making Forbes’ 30 Under 30 List

By VICTOR PORCELLI Deputy News Editor Forbes released its annual 30 Under 30 list on Tuesday, with NYU tied as the sixth-most represented school at a total of 19 NYU community members who made the list.

With lists for over 20 industries, a total of 660 young people were named as making headway and innovating in their respective fields. WSN spoke with a number of the NYU-affiliated listmakers.

Corey Camperchioli, 29 Hollywood and Entertainment Corey Camperchioli graduated from the Tisch School of the Arts in 2012 and went on to write, produce and star in a short film called “FEMME” about being an effeminate man in modern so-

ciety. Rachel Brosnahan, a fellow NYU alumna who was also named to the list and won an Emmy for her role in “The Marvelous Mrs. Maise,” served as executive producer for “FEMME.” When he got a text from his friend congratulating him for making the list, Camperchioli said he immediately starting screaming and texted Brosnahan soon after.

“To be next to her on the list was so special to me, thinking back to our days at NYU,” Camperchioli said. “It was like we had come full circle.”

For Camperchioli, being named means a lot, as it will allow him to better spread his message, which he told WSN is “to love yourself, no matter who you are.” As a member of the LGBTQ community, Camperchioli said making the list has greater significance.

RACHEL BUIGAS-LOPEZ | WSN

“For me, I think it’s a lot about visibility,” Camperchioli said. “It’s special to me to be an openly gay and queer person on that list. A kid might look at the list and think ‘I’m queer too, and someday I can be on that list too.’”

Jon Chang, 29 Marketing and Advertising An Adjunct Marketing Professor at the Stern School of Business, Jon Chang is a global product marketer at IBM Watson, speaker and mentor to entrepreneurs and their start-ups.

Chang found out he was on the list when his phone was bombarded by texts while he was walking his dog. Once he found out he had been named to the list, it took a while to sink in.

“For me, I have a hard time getting past the imposter syndrome, but [being named] is very much a validation,” Chang said.

Chang said that many people on the list see it as an opportunity to network with other high-profile members of their field. However, he believes networking is positive only if it’s about sharing one’s passion with others.

“I’m not super into the traditional definition of networking where you just walk around and hand out business cards, so it ends up being a little obnoxious,” Chang said. “What I like instead are people that truly want to make the world a better place and to help other people out.”

Riley Jones IV, 27 Social Entrepreneurs Riley Jones is an NYU Law School doctoral student. Three years ago, he co-founded a company called Bloc, which seeks to aid people of color in their job searches by using artificial intelligence to optimize their resumes. With

studies showing that minority applicants are offered fewer interviews when they make references to their race in resumes, Bloc is a potentially useful tool for people of color entering the job market.

Jones also said he was surprised when he found out he was named.

“I wasn’t expecting it to be just three years into the company, and it definitely serves as validation of our work,” Jones said.

Being named to the list isn’t just important for Jones, it’s important for his family.

“I have family in Chicago that are dealing with real problems I don’t have to deal with since I’m in New York City,” Jones said. “And when those people, who’ve seen me grow up every step of the way, see that I’m on that list, it gives them hope.”

Michael Dempsey, 28 Venture Capital A partner of the venture capital firm Compound, Michael Dempsey attended the Stern School of Business from 2010 to 2011. As a student, Dempsey said he was never interested in school. He enjoyed that NYU allows students to leverage the industry advantages New York City offers, but he knew from the start that he would have to graduate early if he would graduate at all — he always felt a calling to simply begin working.

After working 30 to 40 hours a week while attending NYU, Dempsey now finds incredible entrepreneurs and invests in them. He focuses on “post-science project emerging technologies,” and always tries to invest in the right people — although he said he won’t know if he’s right until years later, a reason he feels little validation from being named to Forbes’ 30 Under 30 “[My] initial reaction was like, it’s

cool to get recognition, but it’s honestly not really material to my job,” Dempsey said. “In venture, our timeline is seven to 10 years plus.”

Because he will be waiting a few more years until he can know if he is good at his job, Dempsey finds that Forbes fails to provide him with real satisfaction.

“Being on a list like Forbes helps elevate your profile,” Dempsey said. “But it doesn’t make me seem any smarter. It doesn’t show that I’m any more intelligent about a specific topic, it just gives me some recognition.”

Michael D. Ratner, 29 Hollywood and Entertainment Michael D. Ratner, a member of the Tisch Class of 2014, founded OBB Pictures in 2010. The company produces both scripted and unscripted content for various media platforms.

Ratner also served as the executive producer of the web series “Cold as Balls” with Kevin Hart.

Being named to Forbes’ list was not as big for his company as being named to other industry lists, such as Variety’s Hollywood’s New Leaders, to which Ratner was named in 2018. However, he said the ability to meet new people doing great work in other fields was exciting for him.

“Hollywood crosses over with other industries, and so meeting new people is both valuable and intriguing,” Ratner said.

Ratner said his appearance on Forbes’ list has only served to fuel him toward greater future success.

“It’s motivation to keep doing good work,” Ratner said. “You don’t want the first 30 years of your life to be your best.”

Email Victor Porcelli at vporcelli@nyunews.com.

Washington Square News | News

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2018

The ‘Holodeck’ Propels NYU to the Future

By SHANTI ESCALANTE Contributing Writer What once only existed inside Star Trek’s fantasy world is now becoming a reality thanks to NYU researchers; the development of the Holodeck — a staging environment in which participants can engage with various virtual reality environments — has received a multi-million dollar grant from the National Science Foundation and NYU. Agnieszka Roginska, who studies Music Technology at the Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development, will be able to experience the Holodeck’s various environments f irst hand. While she currently has a lab that can recreate a range of sounds through 20 loudspeakers and two subwoofers, once the main Holodeck is built, she’ll have access to four times that amount of equipment.

“You want to be in the jungle, we’ll make it into a jungle,” Roginska said.

“You want to be in a concert hall, where [there are] musicians with you and musicians somewhere else, we’re going to make it a concert hall. We can make it sound like any other environment, we can make it look like any other environment.”

This is an intensely interdisciplinary pursuit; researchers from the Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences, the Rory Meyers College of Nursing, Steinhardt and the Tandon School of Engineering are all participating. Jeremy Rowe, a senior research scientist at the NYU-X Lab with STEM Nursing, explained the different technologies that will be used to gather data.

“We’re in the process of putting together the various components that can be used to study the way that people behave and interact in a virtual environment,” Rowe said. “There’s a visual component, augmented reality, virtual reality, mixed reality projection and spatial audio. There will be thermal and haptic feedback, individual ability to look at physiological measures, things like galvanic skin response, eye-tracking, and a variety of things of that sort.”

The measures Rowe mentioned will let scientists know how a subject’s body is responding and processing their simulated environments.

Components like thermal and haptic feedback are what will allow subjects to receive responses to the heat of their bodies and force of their touch.

For example, Rowe has done research concerning VR surgery games that use the kind of haptic responses one gets from a game controller to mimic performing surgery. The result would be faster and more eff icient training for surgeons.

Professor of Computer Science at NYU Ken Perlin says the NSF was mostly interested in this question of potential uses and reactions to VR by humans. To explore this, the Holodeck will also be equipped with a large range of technologies that will allow research teams to collaborate and create a wide set of data to probe the question of how humans will react to and use virtual reality technology.

“What will the future of people being together in person, in the same room, be like, as technology allows us to enhance our sensory experience?”

Perlin asked. “We’re looking at the time when cyberspace will be right here between us.”

Email Shanti Escalante at news@nyunews.com.

ILLUSTRATIONS BY JUN CHEN; VIA NYU.EDU

3 CRIME LOG

Langone Employee Punched

By CRIME BOT Robot Reporter From Nov. 12 to Nov. 15, the NYU Department of Public Safety received one report of burglary, three reports of criminal mischief, 21 reports of controlled substance violations, two reports of fire, one report of harassment, 10 reports of larceny and two reports of simple assault.

Burglary

On Nov. 12 at 3:11 p.m., an NYU faculty member reported a burglary of his office at 19 W. fourth St. Police notification was declined and the case is open and under investigation.

Criminal Mischief

On Nov. 10 at 8:11 p.m., a nonNYU affiliate reported witnessing vandalism on the exterior wall of University Hall. Police notification was declined and the case is open and under investigation.

On Nov. 11 at 1:20 p.m., a resident assistant reported witnessing graffiti on the exterior wall of Alumni Residence Hall. Police notification was declined and the case is open and under investigation.

On Nov. 12 at 2:01 p.m., an RA reported witnessing vandalism on the exterior wall outside Alumni Hall.

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

Controlled Substance Violation

On Nov. 9 at 4:14 p.m., an RA reported witnessing underage alcohol possession in Coral Tower Residence Hall. Police notification was declined and the case has been referred to the Office of Community Standards.

On Nov. 10 at 11 a.m., an RA reported witnessing underage alcohol possession in Palladium Residence Hall. Police notification was declined and the case has been referred to the Office of Community Standards.

On Nov. 11 at 1:05 a.m., an RA reported witnessing underage alcohol possession in Lipton Residence Hall.

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

On Nov. 11 at 1:20 a.m., an RA reported witnessing underage alcohol possession in U-Hall. Police notification was declined and the case has been referred to the Office of Community Standards.

On Nov. 11 at 2:22 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 Nov. 11 at 7:45 p.m., an RA reported witnessing underage alcohol possession in Gramercy Green Residence Hall. Police notification was declined and the case has been referred to the Office of Community Standards.

On Nov. 11 at 9:54 p.m., an RA reported witnessing underage alcohol possession in Founders Residence Hall. Police notification was declined and the case has been referred to the Office of Community Standards.

On Nov. 12 at 8 p.m., an RA reported witnessing underage alcohol possession in U-Hall. Police notification was declined and the case has been referred to the Office of Community Standards.

On Nov. 13 at 5 p.m., an RA reported witnessing underage alcohol

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

On Nov. 13 at 5:40 p.m., an RA reported witnessing underage alcohol possession in Greenwich Hall. Police notification was declined and the case has been referred to the Office of Community Standards.

On Nov. 13 at 7:20 p.m., an RA reported witnessing underage alcohol possession in Greenwich Residence Hall. Police notification was declined and the case has been referred to the Office of Community Standards.

On Nov. 13 at 8:15 p.m., an RA reported witnessing underage alcohol possession in Carlyle Court Residence Hall. Police notification was declined and the case has been referred to the Office of Community Standards.

On Nov. 13 at 8:15 p.m., an RA reported witnessing underage alcohol possession in Seventh Street Residence Hall. Police notification was declined and the case has been referred to the Office of Community Standards.

On Nov. 14 at 5:10 p.m., an RA reported witnessing underage alcohol possession in Othmer Residence Hall. Police notification was declined and the case is open and under investigation.

On Nov. 14 at 7:20 p.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 Nov. 14 at 8 p.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 Nov. 14 at 9:11 p.m., an RA reported witnessing underage alcohol possession in Alumni Hall. Police notification was declined and the case is open and under investigation.

On Nov. 14 at 11:12 p.m., an NYU Public Safety officer responded to a report of an alleged controlled substance violation at Lipton Hall. A small amount of marijuana was recovered. Police notification was declined and the case has been referred to the Office of Community Standards.

On Nov. 15 at 10:55 p.m., an RA reported witnessing underage alcohol possession in Othmer Hall.

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

On Nov. 15 at 11:13 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 Nov. 15 at 11:18 p.m., an RA reported witnessing underage alcohol possession in Othmer Hall. Police notification was declined and the case has been referred to the Office of Community Standards.

Fire On Nov. 9 at 3:39 p.m., an NYU student reported a small cooking fire in his kitchen in Coral. The fire was extinguished. No injuries or damages were reported. No further action was required and the case was closed.

On Nov. 9 at 5:50 p.m., an NYU

student reported a small accidental cooking fire in Lafayette Residence Hall. No injuries or damages were reported. No further action was required and the case was closed.

Harassment

On Nov. 13 at 7 p.m., an NYU student reported that she was being harassed at Clark Street Residence Hall. Police notification was declined and the case has been referred to the Office of Community Standards.

Larceny

On Nov. 10 at 7:06 p.m., an NYU student reported that clothing was missing from a locker in the Education Building. A police report was filed and the case is open and under investigation.

On Nov. 11 at 2:30 p.m., an NYU affiliate reported that her laptop and backpack were missing from Elmer Holmes Bobst Library. Police notification was declined and the case is open and under investigation.

On Nov. 12 at 11:35 a.m., an NYU student reported several items missing from a classroom in Tisch Hall. A police report was filed and the case is open and under investigation.

On Nov. 12 at 4:40 p.m., an NYU student reported her phone and ID missing from an event space in the Kimmel Center for University Life. A police report was filed and the case is open and under investigation.

On Nov. 12 at 9:57 p.m., an NYU student reported that lights from his bike were missing outside of Tisch Hall. Police notification was declined and the case is open and under investigation.

On Nov. 13 at 9:15 a.m., an NYU affiliate reported witnessing an attempted larceny of two laptops at 196 Mercer Street. A police report was filed. The items were returned and the case is open and under investigation.

On Nov. 13 at 1:49 p.m., an NYU staff member reported a laptop missing from his office in 2 MetroTech Center. A police report was filed and the case is open and under investigation.

On Nov. 13 at 9:25 p.m., an NYU student reported his laundry missing from a laundry room in Coral. Police notification was declined and the case is open and under investigation.

On Nov. 14 at 1:10 p.m., an NYU student reported that her camera and microphone were missing from the sixth floor in Bobst Library. A police report was not filed at the time and the case is open and under investigation.

On Nov. 15 at 12:10 p.m., an NYU staff member reported an NYU flag missing from the external post at the Silver Center. A police report was filed and the case is open and under investigation.

Simple Assault

On Nov. 2 at 03:40 p.m., an NYU Langone staff member reported that she was punched by an unidentified man outside of the Basic Science Building. A police report was filed and the case is open and under investigation.

On Nov. 13, an NYU student reported that she was assaulted outside of UHall. A police report was not filed at the time and the case is open and under investigation.

Email Crime Bot at news@nyunews.com.

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CULTURE@NYUNEWS.COM

CULTURE

Hand-Crafted Armor

By HANNA MCNEILA Staff Writer

COURTESY OF MARGARET MUI

The chainmail headpiece Bermanova is wearing has became a part of their identity.

Bermanova learned to make chainmail pieces through an alumni of their high school, Sky Cubacub, a designer and artist based in Chicago. Cubacub became more than their mentor, Bermanova calls them a close friend and queer parent.

“The chainmail was amazing for me because it allowed me to share a vulnerable part of myself with the world while giving me a sense of control with how people perceived it and me,” they said.

Bermanova said that people tend to

be enthralled by the piece. They gets stopped on the street by random people almost every day with compliments and questions on where they got it.

“It still serves as emotional armor,” they said. “Even though I no longer need it to go out without a wig (I never wear wigs unless I’m in drag), wearing it gives me a boost of confidence and sense that I can tackle the world.”

Email Theodore Simon Ravago at bstyle@nyunews.com.

Healthy Food to Battle the Munchies

TINA ZHOU | WSN

By CALAIS WATKINS Staff Writer It’s 11:45 p.m. on Friday night. You’ve finally made it through the past week of classes and you set aside tonight for relaxation before the weekend homework grind begins. You’re too tired to make the effort to get ready and go out. No shame — we’ve all been there. So, you head up to the roof with your friend Mary Jane and prepare for a night in.

Things were going great until the dry mouth and the thirst set in. But hey, that can be fixed with a nice glass of ice water. Actually, make that five glasses of ice water. Now, onto the bigger problem: you’re starving.

By now, it’s past midnight and walking to a late night spot is just too overwhelming to think about. And your small intestine can definitely not handle more cheese fries and doritos. Worry not my fellow green enthusiasts. Often, random food items in the

Edited by NATALIE CHINN

The Underlying Threads of Warhol’s Work

By THEODORE SIMON RAVAGO Contributing Writer At 11 years old, Gallatin first-year Milenka Bermanova was diagnosed with alopecia, an autoimmune disease that caused their hair to fall out. Fashion has helped restore their confidence, with one piece in particular serving as their own personal armor: a handmade chainmail headpiece.

“The medium of chainmail was originally used for armor, but my chainmail serves as emotional armor,” Bermanova said.

Losing their hair at such a young age was extremely difficult, they explained. “It wasn’t just hair, it was part of my identity.”

The headpiece was inspired by a short undercut hairstyle that they liked and wanted to replicate, but chainmail creation turned out to be a long process. They had to use two sets of pliers to open and close each and every metal ring that comprises the headpiece, making sure that all the rings were in the correct position. Bermanova tried to teach me, and I struggled trying to maintain the correct pattern. It took them over 40 hours over the course of two months to make the headpiece that they use almost daily.

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2018

kitchen can be made into a scrumptious and nutritional snack that won’t make you feel like a human slug tomorrow.

You started the semester off strong by grocery shopping every week, but now all you have left are some condiments and a half empty jar of artisan pickles. Think about it. The sour crunch that’s almost like eating and drinking at the same time.

It’s not like anything more advanced than your primordial lizard brain is functioning right now, so don’t think you’re going to actually cook.

Snacks can only hold you over for so long, which is why I’m going to give you a sneak peek into my Munchies Cookbook.

First things first — hummus. If you’re like me, you run out of pita chips and baby carrots long before you finish the tub of Trader Joe’s hummus. If only every ratio was as perfect as the peanut butter and chocolate. I’m here to tell you that hummus can be used in many different ways. My fa-

vorite: hummus on toast. I realize how this sounds, but just trust me. Throw a little salt and pepper on top and you’ve got yourself a protein-packed meal. Following the toast trend, try a peanut butter, honey and banana sandwich if you have the supplies.

The honey and banana keep the peanut butter from aggressively sticking to the roof of your mouth. It’s also pretty filling so you won’t be tempted to binge ice cream and chips from a 24-hour bodega afterwards.

If you’re looking to match the salty satisfaction of a can of pringles, try making some gourmet popcorn. After popping the popcorn in the microwave, add whatever seasonings you would like and toss.

A personal favorite is garlic salt, a little bit of olive oil and nutritional yeast. This sounds crazy, but it genuinely tastes like truffle popcorn.

However, I’ve found that the most versatile food is eggs. You can throw almost anything into a pan with some whipped-up eggs and end up with a delicious scramble. Even better? Putting this scramble on some toast or a bagel, adding some ketchup on top and voila!

My favorite munchie meal ever consists of a bagel, cream cheese, spinach, eggs and some salsa. I’ll admit, I’ve even started to make it at regular mealtimes.

I have a gut feeling your friend Mary Jane enjoys eating anything and everything. You really can’t go wrong.

Use her encouragement to find the confidence to throw things together you might not have tried before. She is simply stroking the embers of a budding Gordon Ramsay. But if you’re not ready for these next-level snacks, try keeping a tub of pre-made cake frosting in the back of the pantry. When it’s past midnight on a friday, just grab a spoon, lay in bed with all the covers and just go to town as “New Girl” plays in the background.

Email Calais Watkins at dining@nyunews.com.

We know him for the culture he invented with the Pop-Art movement, but also for his signature white hair and black ensembles. The circle fashion that came from Warhol can be seen in the artist’s most famous pieces at the Whitney Museum in his first major New York retrospective, “From A to B and Back Again.”

“Fashion wasn’t what you wore someplace anymore; it was the whole reason for going,” Warhol once said.

The three floors exhibition, provides evidence of Warhol’s influence on fashion tracing all the way back to his work as a commercial illustrator.

Warhol’s piece, “The Golden Shoes” hangs on the fifth floor. He gained inspiration for this series by his work as an advertiser for the shoe company I. Miller and Sons. Each shoe is named after a celebrity personality, including Elvis Presley, James Dean and Julie Andrews. All of the shoes are the same color and are all blotted line drawings of golden shoes over newspaper. The shoes differ in design, showing the variety of celebrity personalities. These pieces are an early example of how Warhol fused art and fashion.

Warhol was truly obsessed with fame, and, through his influence, invented his own crowd of celebrities — the superstars. Superstars were the edgy actresses, models and artists who he worked and partied with. He moved his work to the silver screen with his superstars Edie Sedgwick, Ingrid Superstar, Ultra Violet and Candy Darling. The films were generally hours long and filled with pure nonsense: what made them worth watching were the stars and their style. The third floor consists of four small TVs which preview Warhol’s films, the TVs each have headphones and a stool to sit and watch the films of varying length.

One of Warhol’s films displayed in the exhibit is “Andy Warhol and Fashion,” where Warhol executes a number of interviews with male models discussing the fashion industry and the stigma around the profession. Warhol’s fascination with beauty and aesthetics and criticism of that obsession is a irony that still exists in the industry today.

Warhol’s silk screens of celebrities make up a large majority of the exhibition, including his first screenprint of Marilyn Monroe which was created soon after her suicide. The portrait

is a split screen of half a collage of 25 repeated images brightly colored in orange, yellow, pink and blue and the other half consists of 25 black and white images. The famous piece hung by itself and spanned the majority of a white wall. The other celebrity silk screens of stars like Jacqueline Kennedy, hung on the fifth floor. Not only have these prints and color patterns been reused in the fashion industry, but Warhol’s affinity for public figures has led many designers to draw inspiration from celebrities themselves.

Complementing these screenprints are illustrations for companies and magazines, pieces that predate Warhol’s rise to fame. As well as more of his most famous pieces, there is an entire room dedicated to his flower series.

In 1962, Warhol came out with his paper dress, on which he printed 32 Campbell’s soup cans. He made these dresses for socialites to wear to parties, a style that has been replicated many times since then. Arguably his most famous piece depicts Campbell’s soup cans printed on a separate canvas each about a centimetre apart, which all together, gives the illusion of a large canvas of 32 Campbell’s soup cans.

Much of Warhol’s work is emulated in fashion today. While moving through the galleries, the work shown may catch your eye for more than one reason. Jeremy Scott, the designer for Moschino, has used Warhol as inspiration in many of his lines, including Warhol’s famous Coca-Cola print and Budweiser print which can be seen adorning his jackets and dresses.

Calvin Klein made a deal with the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts allowing their creative director, Raf Simons, access to the Warhol archives for three years.

You can now f ind Warhol Flowers on Calvin Klein denim and his silk screens on towels, skirts and tank tops (some of which were on sale at the Whitney gift shop).

Warhol’s influence resounds decades after his life and only grows more relevant as we continue to think critically about the fashion industry and celebrity culture. Warhol acknowledged the irony of loving and critiquing beautiful things. A tension that lovers of fashion still feel.

Email Hanna McNelia at bstyle@nyunews.com.

HANNA MCNEILA | WSN

Variations of Warhol’s “Golden Shoe,” inspired by the elegance of womenswear advertising.

Washington Square News | Culture

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2018

Nutella Cafe Opens Doors Near NYU

By JOYCE SHIN Contributing Writer Have you ever wondered how Charlie felt when he entered Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory? It’s probably the same feeling you’ll have when you enter the new Nutella Cafe near Union Square. Inside, every wall and cup is emblazoned with the Nutella logo and counters are filled with chocolatey treats.

At the bakery, which officially opened its doors on Nov. 14, customers can grab a flaky croissant, a yogurt blueberry muffin and other seasonal baked goods, all of which are infused with Nutella in some form. After admiring the interior, I ordered a few items and took a seat, awaiting my Nutella-filled delights.

My first item of choice was the Nutella cocoa with almond milk for $5.45, which I hoped would warm me up from the freezing weather outside. The cocoa scored aesthetically with a frothy foam heart on top and did not lose any points in flavor either with its rich, hazelnut aftertaste. In need of my essential

JU SHIN | WSN

Left to right: Nutella cocoa with almond milk, creme brulee, pound cake “panzanella” and a Nutella mocha latte.

morning cup of coffee, I also ordered a hot mocha latte for $5.25. Though piled with a mountain of Nutella whipped cream, the drink was not overpoweringly sweet; the sugary cream neutralized the bitterness of the coffee.

For a hearty breakfast, I opted for the pound cake panzanella with yogurt and berries for $10.95. It was a bowl of Greek yogurt topped with artisanal pound cake cubes and fresh raspberries, blueberries, strawberries, blackberries and basil, drizzled with Nutella. It was refreshing to have a dish with Nutella as a complimentary flavor. Then, for dessert, I chose the $8.95 creme brulee — a soft custard cream enveloping a spoonful of Nutella, topped with toasted hazelnuts. The creme brulee did not have the most satisfying layer of torched sugar to crack, but the delicious Nutella hiding inside the custard more than made up for it.

The menu also includes a “Create Your Own” option for you to build the decadent dessert of your dreams. Customers can choose from a variety of bases such as crepes, Liege-style waffle or croissant French toast. The base is Nutella, of course, and then you get your choice of fruits and toppings like mixed berries, bananas, whipped cream, gelato and more.

And while, sadly, not every single item at the Nutella Cafe expressly contains Nutella, don’t fret.

If you need more Nutella, you can add more to any dish for just $1.

Be sure to check out Nutella Cafe and treat yourself with a Nutella infused dish — ‘tis this season after all.

Email Joyce Shin at dining@nyunews.com.

5

Student Mag Disrupts Fashion World

By ALINA PATRICK Contributing Writer Frustrated by years of flipping through Vogue, Glamour and other major magazines and not seeing people of color represented, several NYU sophomores have started Disruptive.

The student-run magazine was founded last year and is run by Hermela Hailemariam, a Gallatin sophomore concentrating in African Development through Technology and Media, and Elizabeth Wang, a Gallatin sophomore concentrating in Digital Media Production in Fashion.

Both students want the magazine to exist as a space for minority students to see themselves in print in a way they don’t in mainstream media. Hailemariam noted that, although a few of them are minoring in Digital Design and have taken courses in graphic design, they aren’t exactly working to replicate the current fashion industry.

“We’re people who aren’t in fashion or in the magazine industry,” Hailemariam said.

“We’re literally just trying to make images and produce content that we want to see out there.”

The staff come from diverse backgrounds in terms of both ethnicity and course of study. Although there are no Photography and Imaging majors on staff, the team has rented out studios from Steinhardt, learning how to shoot and create content with professional equipment.

While setting up a shoot for their next issue, The Future, they spread tin foil, broken CDs and laptops on the floor and told each other to give face, while posing in ‘80s-esque outfits. Head Photographer, Everett Spink, a CAS sophomore, commented on the collaborative nature of the magazine.

“We all share a lot of the responsibilities. If we’re doing a shoot and someone’s like ‘I want to take a picture,’ obviously they’re going to be able to get to take the picture,” he said. “Or if they have comments about what is going on, we’re going to take that and everybody can

ALINA PATRICK | WSN

Everett Spink photographs Elizabeth Wang, editor in chief, as she poses for the upcoming Disruptive Mag issue, the Future.

write, everybody can do photos, everybody can direct a shoot.”

In a past issue called Intimacy, the magazine focused on topics such as female orgasms, the changing concepts of patriotism and gentrification in Chinatown. Wang commented on what the team hoped for their audience as they created the issue.

“Be intimate with yourself and explore topics that are difficult to talk about,” said Wang.

Disruptive even snagged comedian Nathan Zed as their cover star through connections with his college roommate at Virginia Tech. If the magazine were to pick up, the staff said ideal cover stars would be Rihanna or Beyoncé.

The name Disruptive came from the team’s first shoot.

“We were all dressed like crazy and we were at Union Square and our friend was like ‘Oh my God guys, we’re so disruptive!’” Wang said.

Many members of the Disruptive staff expressed how the title fits their purpose to challenge the way mainstream media presents people of color in publications. When

ALINA PATRICK | WSN

Omar Altimany’s shoes on set at the shoot.

asked what exactly was wrong with the magazine industry, Hailemariam was blunt.

“They’re white,” she said. “That’s it.

Most publications, even when they’re diverse or open up to multiple types of perspectives, at the root it’s always run to fit the mainstream media which is usually white and fit for a white audience.”

Email Alina Patrick at culture@nyunews.com.

A Step-by-Step Guide to Getting Organized for Internship Season

By LAUREN ONG Staff Writer In the sea of overachieving, proactive students with a bottomless pit of contacts, it can feel hard to keep up — especially in the internship game.

With the semester coming to an end and the plans of the next year looming over you sneakily in the form of casual catch-up dinners and incidental tete-a-tetes, applying for internships has never seemed so necessary yet so out of reach to the unwitting procrastinator. Whether you are a graduating senior or a rising sophomore, the tribulations of getting an internship do not discriminate, haunting the same minds that are also preoccupied with school and friends.

A little short of becoming a dummies’ guide, here are some organizational tips to get you through this invigorating period, where Linkedin becomes a priority and Facebook and Instagram are relegated to second-fiddle status.

Getting Started Before you start on anything, clear out the tabs of queued-up YouTube videos and shopping pages on your Internet browser. The golden rule for any organization intervention is to declutter the junk that thwarts you from getting work done.

A good way to start your internship search is to keep a single window dedicated to internship-related tabs.

As always, Linkedin and NYU’s CareerNet are great starting points for your

internship search. While you can always Google internships in your field of interest, try narrowing down your search by using websites like Indeed and Internships.com.

Also, make sure to keep an eye out for internship opportunities through emails from your major department — there may even be an email list you can subscribe to.

Open anything that sparks your interest in new tabs. Once you have opened a significant amount, sift through them and determine which ones you want to apply to. Then, you can start shortlisting.

Shortlisting Internships Compile the list of internships you’re interested in on a Word or Excel document, linking the job listing, application deadline and any important email addresses or materials needed.

While it can feel a little like you are applying for college all over again, something to keep in mind when compiling this list is not to rank them in terms of preference.

With many equally competent students vying for the same position, it is important to keep an open mind and avoid setting your sights on something to the point that it prevents you from considering other opportunities. After all, the internship experience is what you make it to be. If there is any ranking system that you should implement, it should be the urgency of the deadline.

plication are your resume and cover letter. While you want to avoid sending out a generic, uninteresting resume from an online template, templates can be really helpful for creating your first resume.

Wasserman’s resume templates are great because they explain what content to include in your resumes and why. However, if you’re looking for a stylish resume to stand out, don’t settle for the standard Microsoft Word ones — try looking on Canva for cool, designed templates. As for what to include, Allison Green of Ask a Manager has excellent tips. Just a word of advice: make sure the design of your resume doesn’t distract from the content.

For writing cover letters, check out Wasserman’s cover letter guidelines.

Check back with these guidelines to make sure you don’t overlook any important information. To make your cover letter stands out, have an interesting first paragraph that avoids the generic “I am interested in this position because…” If you

can, reach out to friends or advisors to get feedback on your cover letter before you send it out.

Applying For Internships Time for the fun part. Sectioning your subfolders for your internship file is a life-saving move. A good way to divide your folders is to categorize them by internship type. For instance, if you are looking to apply for journalism, marketing and business jobs, make a folder for each. Having these big folders help you organize and clearly delineate your area of interests, which makes finding the file that you want much easier as well.

In these big folders are where your internship-specific subsections are. To keep you on track with all those deadlines, label the folders with the deadline in front of the company or organization you are applying to. For instance, if the internship for ABC is due on Dec. 31,

Getting Your Materials Together

the folder would be labeled 12/31 ABC. Inside the internship folder is where you would have files for your required materials laid out. Remember that list you made from the previous section?

Make sure everything you noted in your first list of documents has a folder. For example, the ABC internship requires your resume, cover letter and writing samples. Create folders accordingly for better organization. You will never have to worry about sending the wrong cover letter ever again.

Preparing For The Wait Whether you are an inherent optimist waiting for acceptance letters or a pessimist waiting for rejection notices, you would definitely want to receive the news and know that you were organized throughout the whole application process. The months of waiting can be excruciating. Hopefully you can find something to ease your nerves during this period of waiting — focusing on schoolwork, friends or even more applications can be good distractions.

Lastly, before you get too excited about your next internship, it is important to keep deadlines as well. Keep a table like this printed on your desk wall and hopefully you will never miss an important date again.

Email Lauren Ong at culture@nyunews.com.

The most important parts of your apRACHEL BUIGAS-LOPEZ | WSN

Washington Square News

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MONDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2018

ARTS

ARTS@NYUNEWS.COM

Edited by RYAN MIKEL and DANIELLA NICHINSON

‘Fantastic Beasts’ Sequel Loses Magic

VIA FACEBOOK.COM

Eddie Redmayne (right) plays Newt Scamander in a new, underwhelming addition to the Harry Potter Franchise.

By ETHAN ZACK Staff Writer From the opening credits of “Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald,” the film tries to make its fans think it’s just another special chapter in a shared universe of movies — the magic of “Harry Potter” living on and thriving. Unfortunately, “The Crimes of Grindelwald,” a visually stunning film with very little substance beneath its flashy exterior, does absolutely nothing to prove that the series universe is worthy of becoming a powerhouse on the level of the Marvel

Cinematic Universe.

For director David Yates and the studio, it would seem the most important goal of this new series is to deliver in visuals, and stunning special effects ensure that the world of magic has never looked more beautiful. Multiple featured locales offer a welcome sense of scale and adventure that is bolstered by competent cinematography. Yet, it’s also strange that the movie has a muted color palette of primarily grays, blacks and greens. It establishes a more serious tone for the movie and allows for the effects to pop on the screen, but that darkness feels at odds

with the concept of the franchise. “Fantastic Beasts” is inherently whimsical — especially compared to the latter half of the “Harry Potter” franchise — yet “The Crimes of Grindelwald” borders on taking itself too seriously.

The plot of “The Crimes of Grindelwald” is riddled with cracks. At its core, the film finds Newt Scamander (Eddie Redmayne) and his friends helping a young Albus Dumbledore (Jude Law) thwart the villainous Grindelwald (Johnny Depp) from raising pureblood wizards to rule over non-magical beings.

But the film flippantly disregards all of the lasting consequences from the previous entry, such as the death of Credence Barebone (Ezra Miller) and Jacob Kowalski’s (Dan Fogler) amnesia. Within the span of a few throwaway lines to explain these backward steps, “The Crimes of Grindelwald” robs the previous film of its emotional punch.

The film suffers from a plodding narrative structure and weak character construction. It is stuffed to the brim with characters that seem fairly interesting on the surface, and yet many of them fail to serve any concrete purpose.

The most egregious examples are those of Claudia Kim’s Nagini, a dangerous woman cursed to switch between hu-

man and snake form (Nagini later becomes Lord Voldemort’s pet snake) and Callum Turner’s Theseus Scamander, the law-abiding brother of Newt. Both

“

‘The Crimes of Grindelwald’ is something of a beast unto itself, at once attempting far too much while somehow only accomplishing very little.

”

of these characters are woefully underdeveloped and contribute virtually nothing to the plot besides being involved with other characters — or in Nagini’s case, just being an extension of the “Harry Potter” franchise.

The characters which the film does

spend time on — Newt, Tina, Jacob and Queenie — don’t fare much better. Each of their arcs almost entirely focuses on their romantic entanglements with one another, something that feels incredibly dissonant when partnered with a storyline about a political extremist rallying supporters and committing criminal acts.

Fogler steals the show once again with his comedic performance, a necessary breath of energy into a film that often feels like it’s just going through the motions. The oddest part of the handling of the central characters is the depiction of Newt, who suffers from a lack of depth and screen presence. For being the technical protagonist of the “Fantastic Beasts” franchise, Newt feels extremely inconsequential to the greater narrative at hand.

The film just barely manages to justify its existence or that of the series as a whole. To say the least, it’s alarming that a franchise planned to span five films is already running out of substance. The film isn’t outright terrible, but it clearly lacks the ambition to capitalize on its own potential. “The Crimes of Grindelwald” is something of a beast unto itself, at once attempting far too much while somehow accomplishing very little.

Email Ethan Zack at film@nyunews.com.

Behind the Scenes With the Producers of ‘thank u, next’

By ANKITA BHANOT Staff Writer The past month has been a big one for Michael “Mikey” Foster and Charles “Scootie” Anderson. Their Los Angeles-based production collective, Social House, has had a hand in chart-dominating hits like Ariana Grande’s “thank u, next” and “Dinero” with Jennifer Lopez and Cardi B. The duo follow the typical narrative of ambitious 20-somethings moving across the country in the hopes of stirring a career from their musical talents. Though Foster and Anderson didn’t know each other before relocating to sunny Los Angeles, both moved from their home-

towns of Pittsburgh after feeling creatively restricted.

Despite hailing from the same city, however, they only met each other after signing to the same production house.

From there, the chemistry was instant.

Both Foster and Anderson could see that their musical tastes overlapped, so they began making music together and Social House was born.

WSN got a chance to sit down with the busy pair earlier this month, where they discussed their beginnings, proudest projects and plans for the future.

After producing for pop stars like Jennifer Lopez and Cardi B, Social House released its breakthrough single, “Magic in the Hamptons” featuring Lil Yachty,

early June of this year. The track — which has accumulated over three million views on YouTube — sets the stage for the duo’s upbeat, rhythmic-pop sound.

“We just wanted to make something we really liked, so we decided to write a song about a love that makes you feel young again,” Foster told WSN. “It makes you feel like you can dance in the rain. It’s a reflection of a good, honest love.”

Social House works out of a collective home in LA, which serves as a hub for fostering creativity among musicians. Ariana Grande, Meghan Trainor and numerous Hollywood actors are just a few examples of the house’s former esteemed co-residents.

And if you’re wondering about the name: Social House, uniquely enough, was the

name of the WiFi in the production house.

“The house that we were in at the time was the epicenter for creativity,” Anderson said. “We had influencers coming through and actors doing art.”

Foster and Anderson’s excitement for the future is tangible. In addition to the Sweetener tour, Social House will be heading to Phoenix to work on its upcoming record.

But above all, the two are focused on keeping themselves happy and healthy, in the hopes that it will translate to their music.

The three things at the top of their to-do list: “Smile, breathe and be kind,” Anderson said.

VIA INSTAGRAM.COM

Email Ankita Bhanot at music@nyunews.com.

Charles “Scootie” Anderson and Michael “Mikey” Foster of producing duo Social House.

Tennis Plays Stripped Down Hits at (Le) Poisson Rouge

By PENINA WARREN Contributing Writer Denver-based indie pop outfit Tennis dazzled (Le) Poisson Rouge on Tuesday night with an ethereal headlining set. Departing from the comfort of a full band, husbandand-wife duo Alaina Moore and Patrick Riley embarked alongside each other to play demo arrangements of their most beloved tracks.

Dressed in a glimmering disco ball style gown and proudly donning her signature blonde hairdo, Moore took to the stage alongside Riley, looking equally as retro in a tan suit with black lapels layered over a floral button-down shirt. With baby blue chaise stools, velvet drapery, a vintage wooden piano and a multitude of plants adorning the stage, one could have mistaken the intimate LPR for a serene and romantic Studio 54.

Opening with “10 Minutes 10 Years,” a track off of their most recent album “Yours Conditionally,” the two gave new life to their

discography, playing songs new and old in a softer, reimagined light. With the intensity turned down a notch and tenderness multiplied by 10, they powered through a curated setlist that lent itself perfectly to the more intimate setting. Straying from

a solely acoustic show, as Moore explained on stage that she is a maximalist, the two utilised drum loops and effects pedals throughout the set, with Moore singing and alternating between a keyboard, piano and acoustic guitar, and Riley playing

Alaina Moore sings to her husband during the final song.

PENINA WARREN | WSN

a gold Fender Strat.

The gentle sensitivity in Tennis’ lyrics paired with their sweet simple melodies gave the stripped back performance a dreamy, romantic feel. Like sung poetry, Tennis took the crowd on a journey of friendship, marriage and frustration, all underscored by the pure, apparent love Moore and Riley share. The enamored pair seemed to play for only each other while performing, the crowd simply onlookers into a tender exchange of love shared by the husband and wife.

Roughly halfway through the set, Moore paused and opened up the floor for a mini Q&A session, a tradition the band has embraced during this tour cycle. The crowd was eager to interact with the couple as hands raised with gusto throughout the audience, and Moore answered questions about her personal style icon Patti LuPone, favorite Skittles flavor — Alaina doesn’t like candy — and the

go-to meal on a sailboat: anything canned.

As the set tapered, Moore introduced “Timothy,” a heartfelt open letter to a critic whose negative review of an early album left a profound impact, remarking that “revenge is best served in the key of D.” The pair concluded their performance with “Please Don’t Ruin This For Me” and returned to the stage for their encore “Island Music,” which featured Moore singing while rotating on a spinning seat, Riley broodingly playing guitar alongside her.

The “Solo in Stereo” tour was truly an ode to the tried and true Tennis fans out there, a dedicated hour to celebrate the best of Moore and Riley where the relaxed interpretation of their lovingly tender verse and full-bodied, blissfully sunny melodies seemed to take you on a journey back in time to a warm ’70s summer.

Email Penina Warren at music@nyunews.com.

Washington Square News | Arts

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2018

‘Widows’ Ranks Among the Best Heist Films

By GURU RAMANATHAN Film & TV Editor Steve McQueen has quickly become one of the top arthouse directors working today, following independent hits such as “Shame” and “12 Years A Slave,” the latter of which also won the Academy Award for Best Picture. But his latest film “Widows” is supposed to be the filmmaker’s foray into commercial cinema, an arthouse director’s attempt at making a smart genre film. It was going to be interesting just to see how it would even begin: a tight two shot of husband and wife Harry and Veronica Rawlings (Liam Neeson and Viola Davis) tenderly kissing each other, intercut with a chaotic car chase. Within seconds, McQueen establishes his film as emotionally stirring, action-packed and structurally ambitious, and continued to succeed in these pursuits right up to the very end.

Following the death of a group of robbers, their widows (Davis, Michelle Rodriguez, Elizabeth Debicki) are forced to complete another heist to pay off a debt to politician and former crime boss Jamal Manning (Brian Tyree Henry) and his brother Jatemme (Daniel Kaluuya).

Meanwhile, Manning competes against Jack Mulligan (Colin Farrell) for control of a district that has been in control of the Mulligan dynasty for decades.

The film is co-written by “Gone Girl” author Gillian Flynn, whose novelistic abilities definitely helped in balancing out the multiple storylines. The ensemble is massive but not one performer is slighted in the intricate plot. McQueen’s sharp direction further elevates the film and makes the story as intellectually engaging as it is commercially entertaining. “Widows” is one of the few artistic blockbusters since “Inception” that is actually able to excel in both areas of thought.

As opposed to glossy heist films like “Ocean’s Eleven,” McQueen distills each of the characters’ motivations down to the raw need for survival instead of pure greed. But it

is through this animalistic drive that the characters grow more intense by the minute, every scene propulsing the film toward a boiling point and culminating in a heist sequence.

The camaraderie between the estranged widows is incredible, led by the powerhouse, Davis. The Academy Award winner is a force of nature, dominating every scene she is in, including the action sequences. Davis is worthy of a franchise all of her own. Another standout in the cast is Debicki, who simultaneously comes with one of the most heartbreaking backstories but also provides much of the levity to balance out the film’s heavy themes.

The film explores the constant struggle between old traditions dying and new talents overtaking society to forge a better path despite all odds.

The women pulling off the heist are abused and undermined — in the process, not only are they showing they can do a traditionally male job, but the success of their mission also embodies their escape from the patriarchal underpinnings that are holding them back in society. Meanwhile, the Mulligans are a white dynasty controlling an impoverished area, but the Mannings present a viable threat to take authority of the district and signal a new future for the community. McQueen throws away the confines of the stylish thriller to weave gender and racial politics into the pulpy storyline.

While the buildup to the heist and the heist itself are gripping, the aftermath feels rushed. The film is only a little over two hours but could have benefitted from an extended epilogue to allow viewers to have some moments to breathe after the climax.

But this is a minor note amid an emotionally hefty and thrilling film that is worth every dollar. McQueen has elevated himself to a new level of filmmaking, and is able to provoke both intense cinephiles and casual viewers who are looking for more intelligence in their blockbusters.

Email Guru Ramanathan at gramanathan@nyunews.com.

COURTESY OF 20TH CENTURY FOX

Viola Davis as the grieving Veronica Rawlings in heist thriller “Widows.”

7

Calling Out Tisch Dramatic Writing’s Racist Imagination

KATIE PEURRUNG | WSN

Kathryn Stafford in the Tisch Dramatic Writing department. Stafford reflects on her experiences of racism in the program.

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

A departmental town hall meeting was held recently to give undergraduate and graduate students an informal chance to speak to DDW administration and staff. I surprised myself by attending, and I debated internally with myself over what to say or whether to speak at all, but I did. I have been quiet for a long time, perhaps because I knew that once I spoke out, I could no longer hide or suppress the issue from my daily life.

I left the town hall feeling calm only because it was disappointing, as expected. I was told we students need to be more vocal about our frustrations with the professors. This is laughable. An otherwise giggly, messy, ridiculous and silly person, I am clearly dissatisfied while in the department, my face steely and vacant. And people react to it. There are audible and visual cues that make the discontents on the seventh floor utterly obvious. For example, my friend Sejahari Saulter-Villegas and I loudly, and intentionally, spoke of a racist incident that occurred in the classroom in front of a professor. I won’t relay the specif ics of what happened — or other incidents — for many reasons. I do not see the point in replaying this type of violence here, nor can I see who it would truly serve. I don’t have to give gruesome details, and I’m not going to. Sejahari left the department and joined Playwright Horizons.

I, along with other black students of the department, feel disillusioned. The professors look me in the eyes and express to me they can only imagine how awful it is.

They gesture out into the street and assure me they are well aware of “the craziness” going on. I can only imagine they are referring to the black bodies slain by the police, which are now the fodder for headlines as police brutality has become sensationalized enough by U.S. news media that white people are encouraged to know about it. But all I can think is, “What are my professors talking

about?” I’m afraid they don’t know, and more afraid that they do know, that in addition to a question of structural violence on the matter of black struggle are fundamental questions on the imagination.

To quote Claudia Rankine, “because white men can’t police their imagination, Black men [sic] are dying.” Why would they think my frustration in their classroom has more to do with anonymous police officers somewhere than the problems that exist inside of the classroom?

Do they know that imagination connects these two in every possible

“

Do not mistake me: I am calling out the Department of Dramatic Writing’s racist imagination.

”

way? Do they know that structural violence, and how we cope with it, is through the imagination?

But I’m being generous. Most professors do not stop me. Most, after the f irst altercation, decide to ignore me from that day on. I’ve had a couple of professors whose eyes cannot meet mine and instead plummet to the ground when they walk by me. It’s a shame.

I recently saw Sejahari when Angela Davis spoke at Skirball, on Nov. 5, and he looked the happiest I’d seen him in a long time. The beautiful smile on his black face reminded me of his true essence, one I had almost forgotten about. He seemed to be doing better, which brings me to my biggest problem.

When I attempted to bring up my grievances at the town hall meeting, I was told that this is an issue the depart-

ment has been dealing with for many years. Whatever “this” was referenced to in the meeting is not what we can call a problem. To call it a problem would be to incorrectly individualize. “This” is our imagined reality that reproduces problems. For the sake of this letter, we can name one of those problems: D.W. Griffith’s “The Birth of a Nation,” a movie credited with the revival of the Ku Klux Klan in the early 20th century.

It didn’t expose problems, but embodies what it means to be a problem itself.

This is our imagined reality which was constructed by people deeply disfigured by severe prejudices.

I can think of two professors who have reached out to me, concerned for my wellbeing and safety. I am grateful for them, and I enjoy seeing this community work together in any meaningful way when it does. It is true that black and brown students deserve much better, but all I can think to emphasize now is a need for visibility.

I want the department to see its students. And I cannot ask anything more of it at this time, sheerly because much of what I know of it now has been garnered from observation rather than interaction. If I am not seen, I am certainly not interacted with.

That’s a problem.

Observation which takes place in both imagination and reality informs much of what you read here. But I observe diligently, and for survival.

I’m not convinced that imagination is separate from knowledge. I think imagination is the most important type of knowledge we have. And I am willing to cooperate with those who will in turn ask questions about this knowledge. But it must be said that not I, nor any other black, queer, nonwhite, disabled or otherwise isolated student, can possibly offer anything to those who choose to play lost inside of their imaginations.

And we cannot and will not ask to exist on the fringes of those imaginations when we ourselves are treated as imaginary.

Email Kathryn Stafford at arts@nyunews.com.

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OPINION@NYUNEWS.COM

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2018

OPINION

Edited by JANICE LEE

CULTURE

Queer Bars Should Be More Inclusive

By NATASHA JOKIC Staff Writer I love LGBTQ bars. The music, the cocktails, the drag queens: there are few places I’d rather be on a Friday night. Aside from being fun, they’re also supposed to be places where I feel the support and safety of the community.

I’ve been to one such club in the village twice, where both times I’ve had comments that presumed my sexuality. From the subtle “my

male friend is straight” to the brash “you don’t look like you’re queer,” people have already made judgments about my identity without so much as a hello. One person even went as far as to comment on my bleached long hair and my full face of makeup in response to my protestations. Although I was in a place that claimed to be welcoming to all LGBTQ people, I felt anything but welcomed. We need to stop making so many assumptions based on people’s appearances, especially in places that are intended to be safe for us.

Even within the LGBTQ community, far too much is determined by appearances. The woman with short hair and a plaid shirt is a lesbian, the guy with the eyeliner is gay and so on. I once had a woman tell me that she had just come out as queer but didn’t want to cut off her hair. To me, this was absolutely ludicrous; look however you want, your identity

shouldn’t be shaped by something as trivial as your hairstyle. However, I understand some of her anxieties. We have a prescribed idea of what it looks like to be LGBTQ, so what does it mean if you don’t fit into this mold? What it means is that people often make incorrect assumptions about your sexuality because of stereotypical, preconceived notions of appearance. It grows exhausting to come out time and time again, and these assumptions can potentially hinder your dating life.

Moreover, I can’t shake the feeling that too many spaces that call themselves LGBTQ are only truly targeted for gay men. I’m reminded of a time when a lesbian friend of mine went to a famous queer club with her girlfriend and was brazenly told they “don’t let in straight girls,” assuming that the couple were just friends. Even though my experiences have been far less shocking, I can’t help but wonder

how many people have thought the same of me. My male counterparts have never had the same assumptions made of them, because gay men are the norm at many of these places. Yes, women-focused queer spaces do exist, but we shouldn’t be driven to them because we feel unwelcome at LGBTQ bars. We belong to the queer community and should feel accepted, regardless of our appearance.

Some of this hostility toward straight-looking women may also be caused by the presence of groups of straight women in LGBTQ spaces. I personally don’t have too much of a problem with straight women in queer spaces in principle, but I have witnessed some immensely problematic behavior. Take one woman, who thought it was appropriate to grope my male friend’s ass while bragging to me about the ring that her husband bought her. I get the frustration and anger he must have felt — gay

men can be made to feel objectified, like the straight girls’ new accessory, which is extra irritating in spaces that are supposed to be yours.

In part, I think this frustration is part of what drives some to make superficial judgements.

I don’t have a helpful solution for this, but I know that taking this frustration out on all women who look like what is considered straight isn’t the solution.

I’ll still go to LGBTQ bars, but I’d like to think that next time someone makes an assumption based on my appearance, I’ll call them out. The problem isn’t with me — I’m actually pretty happy with the way I look. The problem is with a culture that still prescribes what queerness looks like, even within the LGBTQ community itself.

Email Natasha Jokic at opinion@nyunews.com.

UNIVERSITY LIFE

Thinking of Decarbonization Like a Well-Funded Research Project

By SHANTI ESCALANTE Contributing Writer NYU recently released its action plan for achieving carbon neutrality by 2040. That is the year the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has said the globe will start experiencing the dire side consequences of climate change — at least more so than now. The way these dates offset each other is troubling.

Although these events are no longer making headlines in recent news cycles, the threat of climate change is a constant that we must pay attention to. While I commend NYU for its plans to take action and decarbonize, I fear it

may not be enough to mitigate the impending consequences of climate change.

I am particularly concerned about how NYU will handle the infrastructure component of this plan, as I do not think energy efficiency should be the end goal. Instead, NYU should be exploring cutting-edge, environmentally inclusive design — and we have everything we need to do this. Why doesn’t NYU treat sustainable infrastructure like a bold research project? After all, there is no lack of brain power here.

My worries with the current infrastructure-related plans are two-fold. NYU is relying on improving energy efficiency in its buildings as a primary method of cutting down on energy emissions using the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design system.

The LEED certification is a widely used rating system for green buildings. While LEED is a step in the right direction, I don’t believe its effects are going to protect us from the rise of climate change. LEED certifications are concerned with energy efficiency, water us-

age and building materials — again, we’d be living in a different world if LEED standards were the norm, but right now, they represent the pinnacle of green design certification. But a LEED certification shouldn’t represent our highest standards.

There needs to be a mechanism in place that will transparently track the changes made and the efficacy of those changes. We need to see and understand that the investments NYU is making are actually effective, as opposed to just appearing green.

My school, Gallatin, received a Gold LEED certification for several small actions, such as recycling, and for the fact that its students use public transportation. Gallatin also got points for including water fountains which could replace water coolers, but since we don’t have water bottle filling stations, we still utilize a water cooler. The scale of the actions taken aren’t the kinds of standards we should aspire to; I don’t think this is even bare minimum. We need an adaptive infrastructure plan that is going to make this campus resilient against the effects of

climate change.

If NYU were to treat this larger plan as one of the research projects it often funds, such as Holodeck, or even one of its many planned real estate purchases — hello, NYU LA — we would be able to hit two birds with one stone.

There are many professors who are currently involved in green design, such as Mitchell Joachim, who heads Terreform-One, a cutting-edge architectural design firm. I would hope that NYU draws from its own green design faculty at NYU to realize their infrastructure vision to mitigate climate change.

And I would be interested to see what results from these potential collaborations and the $30 million NYU has budgeted to spend on carbon neutrality. Meanwhile, if an infrastructure design and implementation plan were to manifest, by virtue of being research-based, methods to measure progress would be in place; after all, research is only research if you consistently record the data and track the changes.

Through engaging the professors on our

very campus, we could begin considering how NYU can cope with climate change as well: such as how our current concrete campus will handle major flooding. In due time, we must consider how we can simultaneously be a part of a counteractive project and brace ourselves for the incoming effects of climate change.

Unfortunately, this grand plan is unlikely to come to fruition. What I think is reasonable to demand, however, is a transparency plan. Currently, we have access to a list of goals, which is quite detailed, but students need something much more comprehensive; what buildings are going to be renovated, when and how?

When can we expect to see solar panels going up? When will NYU make a decision on where it will be purchasing its sustainably created power? Without having a comprehensive timeline and implementation document, students and faculty will not be able to keep the university accountable for its promises.

Email Shanti Escalante at opinion@nyunews.com.

CULTURE

The Death of the Hobby Is Sadder Than We Think

By SARAH JOHN Contributing Writer One of my favorite things to do is longboarding. More specifically, one of my favorite things to do is longboarding, even though I am very, very bad at it. It’s a hobby I picked up recently, somewhat impulsively, knowing it would realistically have no practical use. My friends thought it was a stupid decision, and in a pragmatic sense, they’re probably right. Others ask why I even started, and when I respond with a simple, “Well,

it looked cool,” I often receive two disparate responses — shock or admiration. To me, it’s simple. I’ve always thought that anything can be worth learning, even if it seems useless. But I can tell just from the reactions I receive that having hobbies — not for professional gain but just for the sake of having something to enjoy — is more readily questioned and even seen as a waste of time. And so I began to ask myself an important question: Why is it now considered so abnormal to do things for the sole purpose of, well, just doing them?

Longboarding is my experiment. It keeps me on my toes. It is not going to become a life-changing passion or career, but I wanted to try something different. This is true even if the skill is simple, like learning how to recover gracefully after falling in public. You’d be surprised how valuable doing things just for the sake of doing them can be. I know that for me, carrying a longboard has initi-

ated countless conversations that otherwise never would have happened. Getting a smile or a compliment on my longboard always adds to my day, and I love when people in the park notice that I’m trying to learn and offer words of encouragement. We are happier, more well-rounded people when we stop limiting ourselves to interests that “make practical sense,” and remember the carefree joy that a good hobby can bring.

This can be difficult to do though.

There is a pressure — one that pervades both young and old alike — to figure out what field you want to specialize in and then exclusively pursue activities relevant to that area. Today, nobody adopts hobbies just because they seem interesting. Today, people try things to become talented at them, to get the immediate reward of stress relief or distraction, but not just to learn something new. Our everyday routines don’t encourage us to try new things at all,

instead they tell us to narrow our interests down to our life’s calling and focus on that — especially at NYU, where ambition runs high and the pressure to intern and match the busy city atmosphere makes most hobbies seem frivolous at best.

But there are visible negatives to that.

Studies show that without hobbies, people are more likely to feel burnt out and stressed. The lack of hobbies could also affect your health — having hobbies are correlated with health benefits, such as lower blood pressure and cortisol levels. Author Terri Trespicio, in her TedTalk “Stop Searching For Your Passions,” describes the harms of our focus on only learning the skills already widely labeled as useful. She states that after being fired from her job at Martha Stewart, she felt pressure to find the right career, her “one true passion.” But that pressure was so great, it caused an anxiety that kept her from doing anything at

all. Eventually she tried a variety of shortterm jobs, none of which became lifelong interests or had very obvious benefits to her life plan. But, as she explains in her talk, these jobs gave her a “reason to get up in the morning, get showered [and] leave the house.” All of these jobs were a chance to learn something new, even if some were not glamorous at first look.

That is something worth reflecting on.

Our obsession with finding the right opportunities may be causing us to dismiss activities that have a wealth of benefits for us.

Hobbies and experimentation are dying art forms, but they are part of what goes into making us interesting human beings. It’s worth making the time to try new things.

Life is truly just one big balancing act, after all — much like wobbling on a longboard through Washington Square Park.

Email Sarah John at opinion@nyunews.com.

Washington Square News | Opinion

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2018

9

ENVIRONMENT

My Hometown Is One of the Lucky Ones

By HANNA KHOSRAVI Deputy Opinion Editor When I landed in California over the weekend, the entire flight cabin felt slightly overcast with an ominous daze of uneasiness regarding what we would be arriving to when we reached San Francisco International Airport. The passengers were abuzz with conversations regarding their proximities to the wildf ires, the safety of their families and, of course, the quality of the air. In San Francisco, at least, that was what was awaiting us.

It is startling to see my home subsumed by smoke and mist. It is disconcerting not to be able to go on the morning hiking trail I’ve been used to walking on since I was a child, and it is eerie to see both drivers and pedestrians moving through their daily routines with face masks on to protect themselves from the “Very Unhealthy Air Quality.” But what’s scarier is going through the motions within this smoggy haze and knowing that what we are experiencing is all but a residual aftercurrent of California’s natural disaster — because in this area of California, we are, in fact, the lucky ones.

The f ires in Northern California have destroyed more than 12,200 homes and buildings, over 1,200 people are reported missing and at least 76 are conf irmed dead. Over 75,000 homes have been evacuated in Malibu, and 200,000 residents evacuated their homes in and around Thousand Oaks in Southern California. The two-pronged catastrophe has left little of California untouched. The state is reeling, and no one knows when it is going to stop.

We may not have determined the exact reason behind what initiated these twin wildf ires. But it should come as no surprise to anyone that the horrif ic scale of these f ires — which are occurring annually with an increasing frequency and intensity — is inextricably linked to a rapidly warming world. There is a distinct irony in observing the current administration’s acknowledgment of what they have called the “total devastation” of Californian lands while their rhetoric and policy have only ever stood to discourage any potential work toward climate change reform. It is somewhat disheartening to watch a president disregard the calamitous f indings of the 2018 United Nations Climate Report while literally walking through the evidence

Submitting to

with his own two feet.

This last year, California experienced its hottest summer in recorded history, and authorities have been quick to note that the ferocity and duration of this catastrophe can be attributed to, as the Los Angeles Times reported, “winds so strong they knocked down power lines, extremely dry conditions and an abundant supply of combustible material from a years long drought that killed millions of the state’s trees.” The effects of global climate change are turning our woodlands into arid kindling. And it was just last year when the Tubbs Fire in Northern California became the most destructive wildf ire in the state’s history, burning 36,000 acres of homes and consuming parts of California’s eminent wine country and vineyard-strewn terrain — until now.

To those of us who serve as bystanders, these natural disasters are haunting indications of not only of what is occurring, but what is to come. But for the citizens of the rapidly increasing number of towns, neighborhoods and communities that have been reduced to rubble, the effects of the climate change that the irresponsible members of our government called a “hoax” and continue to belittle are immediate.

The fear we associate with a planet compromised by climate change is no longer a dystopian apprehension for the future. It is happening right now as the earth’s temperatures continue to rise and those in power continue to disregard their duty to protect their environment and their citizens.

Many have mentioned how lucky California is to have a governor like Jerry Brown, who has publicly attributed these tragedies to the effects of a “warming climate, dry weather and reducing moisture.” We are in need of individuals in off ice who not only acknowledge that our citizens and our planet are hurting but also that this loss is the result of an epidemic that we, as human beings, have the power to help control.

For now, those of us in California grab air masks and wait for rain. We make plans to stay indoors and observe the looming clouds outside, and we understand that as harrowing as it might seem to see our hometown engulfed by a yellow-gray haze, we are only experiencing a reverberation of the environmental calamities of these wildf ires. The real nightmare is no longer a f igment that might be on its way — it is here and it is now, as our lands burn, and as we are reminded yet again that tragedies like these will only continue and amplify should we neglect our duty to safeguard our citizens and safeguard our planet.

STAFF EDITORIAL

NYU’s LA Campus: An Attempt to Rise up the Ranks Two weeks ago, President Andrew Hamilton discussed the possibility of Los Angeles being NYU’s latest study-away site with a group of administrators. The expansion was then confirmed by spokesperson John Beckman who said that NYU is currently looking into real estate in the area for housing, classes and other student activities. But another addition to NYU’s seemingly endless expansion of away sites also speaks to a bigger trend: NYU’s race to swiftly scale the ranks of the nation’s top universities.

The addition of a Los Angeles campus is not a surprising move. The university’s study abroad programs are crucial to both its experience and its admissions appeal. With 3,000 students choosing to study abroad each year, the university is unique for its array of options, which, unlike most other universities, are actually based in NYU satellite campuses rather than exchanges with other universities. An LA campus provides a tangible throughline between the west coast and the east coast, and the logistic practicality of LA as a satellite location in terms of business opportunities and experiences for students is obvious.

But the history of how NYU came to be known as a global campus is linked to its desire to increase its prestige. NYU’s president before Hamilton, John Sexton, was behind several global pushes for the university.

During Sexton’s time as president, both NYU Shanghai and NYU Abu Dhabi were opened, making NYU present on six continents. In his first speech as president in 2002, Sexton explained that he intended to oversee what he called a “category change” in terms of NYU’s ranking and prestige, in order to establish NYU as “one of the first exemplars of what universities will be in this new century.” And this plan seemed to be successful, considering that under Sexton, NYU’s “Global Network” became a part of its brand.

As NYU cements its reputation as a global university, the undergraduate acceptance rate is also dramatically shifting, indicating a potential push toward heightening its prestige and becoming an extremely selective university. NYU’s acceptance rate dropped from 28 percent last year to 19 percent this year, after falling from 33 percent in 2013 — cutting the acceptance rate by almost half in just five years. It’s also worth mentioning that having a

large applicant pool benefits universities in terms of capital. In 2016, NYU made about $2.9 million through application fees alone. Not only does a university that offers desirable resources and unmatched opportunities attract the best-performing students, but there is also much to gain by appealing to a vast applicant pool.

The announcement of an LA campus follows another drastic, unconventional step that NYU took this past summer — tuition-free medical school. The NYU School of Medicine announced that it will be the first top-ranked institution in the United States to pay tuition for all current and incoming medical students. The implementation of free tuition was part of an effort to encourage more students to pursue medicine in order to combat a growing shortage of physicians — but it is predicted that the increased number of applicants will cause NYU’s acceptance rate to drop to just six percent, which is significant considering that U.S. News and World Report currently ranks the NYU School of Medicine as the third best medical school for research in the country. And naturally, a distinctive characteristic like free tuition is an aspect that could help in outshining other top-ranked universities in the eyes of prospective students.

Solidifying a high ranking could be another reason for creating an LA campus: to beat out NYU’s competition. In the field of film, one of NYU’s top competitors is the University of Southern California — located in the heart of LA. The Hollywood Reporter lists USC as the number one film school in the U.S., with NYU as a close second. The unique chance for a film student to establish their roots in the two film capitals of the U.S. in one fell swoop during their undergraduate years could tip the scales in NYU’s favor, allowing it to potentially surpass USC. Expanding upon a program that is already considered one of the nation’s best and situating itself right next to its competition sends a clear message about what NYU is seeking to accomplish.

We, as NYU students, can enhance our education through the investments that NYU chooses to make, including this LA study-away site. And with each announcement, it is interesting to track NYU’s development and witness its progress. In the midst of so many other top ranking schools, it seems that NYU is finding its own innovative way to be a worthy competitor.

Email the Editorial Board at editboard@nyunews.com.

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

Email Hanna Khosravi at hkhosravi@nyunews.com.

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

10

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2018

SPORTS

SPORTS@NYUNEWS.COM WEEKLY UPDATE

NYU Men’s and Women’s Basketball Capture Wins

By BRENDAN DUGGAN Sports Editor Men’s Soccer After defeating Haverford College in the first round of the NCAA tournament, the men’s soccer team faced off against host team Montclair State University on Sunday, Nov. 11. After Montclair State scored on a penalty kick 12 minutes into the game, the Violets responded as Stern senior Ricardo Mitrano connected with Stern sophomore Matteo Russo, who tied the game at one with 34 seconds left in the half. After a scoreless second half, the game headed into overtime. With neither team able to score in overtime, NYU found themselves heading to penalty kicks for their second straight game. Unfortunately, the Violets fell 5-4 in penalty kicks, which ended their season.

In the last game of his NYU career, CAS senior Grant Engel finished with a season-high 10 saves. After making the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2010, the men’s soccer team concluded a successful season.

Men’s Basketball

This past weekend, the NYU men’s basketball team hosted the NYU Tip-Off Tournament at the Sportsplex in Manhattan. Squaring off again Sarah Lawrence College, the Violets aimed to start their season 2-0. Up 10 points at halftime, the Violets went on to win 82-66 behind SPS junior Jimmy Martinelli’s 18 points, CAS junior Dom Cristiano’s 14 points and 16 rebounds, as well as CAS junior Ted Georgiadis’ 13 points and nine rebounds.

In the championship game of the Tip-Off Tournament, NYU matched up against Baruch College on Sunday, Nov. 18th. Taking a 41-38 lead into halftime, NYU committed 15 second-half turnovers and lost to Baruch by 13 points, 83-70. CAS first-year Alex Casieri led the Violets with 13 points, shooting a perfect 5-of-5 from the field and making all three three-pointers he attempted. Stern first-year Cade Hoppe finished with a team-high nine rebounds and 13 points.

The men’s basketball team returns to action on Tuesday, Nov. 20 as it travels to John Jay College for an 8 p.m. tip-off.

Women’s Basketball

After suffering a 10-point loss in its opening game, the NYU women’s basketball team bounced back against College of Mount Saint Vincent and won 78-40, giving Meg Barber her first career win as a head coach. Taking a 37-19 lead into halftime, the Violets continued to dominate, holding Mt. St. Vincent to just six points in the second and fourth quarter. CAS sophomore Lauren Koyama led the Violets with 18 points, as CAS first-year Bianca Notarainni finished with 16 points.

The women’s basketball team has the week off before resuming action Sunday, Nov. 25, when it will travel to Smith College for a 3 p.m. game.

Wrestling

The NYU wrestling team traveled upstate on Sunday to compete at the New York State Championships hosted by Cornell Universi-

Edited by BRENDAN DUGGAN and ZACH HAN

Volleyball Team Wins Championship

ty in Ithaca, New York. Tandon sophomore James Murdoch led the way for the Violets, winning the 157-pound title and becoming the second NYU wrestler to win a title for his weight class in school history. CAS first-year Cole Karam finished second place in the 157-pound weight class, as CAS junior Jack La Corte placed in third within the 197-pound weight class.

Despite bringing just 10 wrestlers, NYU put up 85 points and finished in fourth place out of 24 teams. NYU wrestling returns to the mat on Sunday, Nov. 25, when it hosts Stevens Institute of Technology at the New York Athletic Club in Manhattan.

Women’s Volleyball

The NYU women’s volleyball team competed in the ECAC tournament last weekend, playing in a semifinal and final match on Nov. 11 at Cabrini University. After dropping the first set to Cabrini, the Violets came back to win the next three sets, and captured the match 3-1; 23-25, 25-21, 25-20, 25-23. Playing against the host team, Gallatin first-year Maddie DeJong led the Violets with 16 kills, as Tisch first-year Abby Ausmus tallied seven blocks and CAS junior Jacqueline Kupeli ended with 29 digs.

In the ECAC championship game versus McDaniel College, the Violets dominated their opponent and won 3-0 (25-18, 2517, 25-15). Ticsh first-year Abby Ausmus led the volleyball squad with 12 kills and nine blocks, while Tandon first-year Stella Alverson recorded six aces and 17 assists, and CAS junior Jacqueline Kupeli racked up 17 digs.

The Violets concluded their season on a high note, with a final record of 22-16.

The team won their last four games, including an ECAC Championship.

Men’s and Women’s Swimming and Diving

The women’s swimming team returned to the pool on Saturday, Nov. 17, and lost to Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, MD. The Violets, who are currently ranked sixth in the country, were led by Stern first-year Terra Matsushima, who won both the 100-yard freestyle (53.39) and the 100-yard butterfly (57.67).

Stern junior Honore Collins finished second place in the 200-yard breastroke, the 100-yard breastroke, and the 200-yard IM. The women’s swim team will resume action on Thursday, Nov. 29 at the Kenyon College Invitational.

The men’s swim team also fell to Johns Hopkins on Saturday, by a final score of 158104. Currently ranked seventh in the country, the NYU men’s swim team suffered its first loss of the season. Stern sophomore Elan Oumarov won the 200-yard butterfly (1:55:05) and the 100-yard fly (51.74). CAS first-year Graham Chatoor won the 1,000-yard freestyle (9:41.19) and CAS first-year Justin Lum came in first place for the 200-yard breaststroke (2:08.87). The men’s swim team will also resume action on Thursday, Nov. 29 in Gambier, OH. Email Brendan Duggan at bduggan@nyunews.

SAM KLEIN | WSN

Senior Ben Haderle competes at the NCAA National Championships in Oshkosh, W.I., on Saturday, where he finished 126th.

Nazzarine Waldon spikes the ball in a home win over Hunter College on the team’s Senior Day.

By ZACH HAN Sports Editor The whistle blew when the ball fell between McDaniel College defenders in the third set of the ECAC Championship, signaling that NYU had taken the final set and match of the tournament. After a season of highs and lows, members of NYU’s women’s volleyball team held their heads high as the ECAC Tournament trophy was finally theirs.

For CAS senior Nazzerine Waldon and SPS senior Katie Goyette, this end to their collegiate careers couldn’t have been scripted better.

“It was a really happy moment,” Waldon said. “It really showed us how much [we seniors] progressed, for our class, from what we started at NYU volleyball with to what we ended with. We just got to see the program get better and better and to be a part of that progression in such a statement kind of way, winning a championship, was huge.”

Goyette detailed the mix of emotions she felt as a senior in that moment of success. “You’re extremely proud. You’re relieved. It was just everything…that moment was just pure joy, it was the best.”

Finishing the regular season with an 18-16 record and a sixth-place finish in the UAA, the Violets received a bid to return to the ECAC Tournament after falling short last season. Behind stellar play by every player, the Violets only gave up a single set in the four matches en route to the championship title. The women’s team functioned harmoniously with synergy during its toughest and most important matches. It didn’t play like the underdog, despite its record indicating otherwise.

“We were very focused on the present moment,” Gayotte said.

“So all things, including the team we were going to play, their record, [etcetera], was really not in the picture. It was more about what we were going to do on our side of the court and what we were going to do

as a team to be good teammates to each other. It was more about being focused on us.”

Waldon attributed this focus and maturity to the guidance from new Head Coach Andrew Brown “I think [Coach Brown’s guidance and leadership] played a huge factor [in our successful season],” Waldon said. “The coaching staff, all three of them, were really well connected with each other so their trust in each other allowed us to trust more in the system that they were implementing.”

At the start of the season, Brown already had a championship on his mind. Hired back in January, he caught a glimpse of the players he would be coaching during training camp and knew he had something special in his hands. His belief in his players only grew when he saw just how invested in the game the new first-year student athletes were.

He wanted to do everything in his power to not only elevate the skill of each and every player, but to make the season like no other.

“I [saw] how dedicated [the players] were to both their academics and volleyball and I wanted to make sure to give them an equal experience on the court,” Brown said. “That facilitated a lot of the hard work and time, but it gave myself and my assistants purpose as to what we wanted to achieve for these players and give them the ability to walk away saying this was an amazing experience.”

A huge factor in their championship win was endurance through a tough schedule. Not only were they playing some of the top Division III competition as a part of the UAA, but they were also scheduled to play this level of competition in a round robin format. Essentially, NYU would occasionally play back-toback games in the same day and up to three matches in a two-day span, all against UAA opponents. To top it all off, as the thick of their season began approaching, so did the thick

SAM KLEIN | WSN

of the academic semester.

“As volleyball begins to amp up, so does school,” Waldon said. “So the moment we started getting into UAA play and [the] postseason, midterms were also happening.

So a big part of [our success] was mental endurance and the mental side of the game.”

Come postseason, Coach Brown knew the Violets were the team to beat.

“We knew some of these teams [we were up against] had really strong records, but didn’t have the toughness of schedule that we’re used to, so we faced the tournament like we were the top team in this tournament even though we didn’t have that seed,” Brown said. “We set the bar and the expectation that this is our tournament to win.”

This is the Violets’ first championship since 2013. But as the team celebrates its victory, team members must also bid farewell to four pivotal seniors. Yet, the seniors and Coach Brown aren’t worried about next season at all. Roughly half of the team this season was comprised of first-year students and seeing the success they achieved, it’s fair to say these young players are already experienced. Brown believes his team is fully equipped to defend its title next season and attributes his faith in his young players to the culture and leadership the seniors cultivated in the team. “[The first-year players] wouldn’t have gained this type of experience if there wasn’t the instillment of this leadership that KG, Nazz and the other two seniors put into place, from the weight room to the commitment in the gym to the court,” Coach Brown said. “I’d like to see them really continue to learn the characteristics that the seniors had showcased in everything from their full commitment to their academics to their experience on the court and really building off of it.”

Email Zach Han at zhan@nyunews.com.

Washington Square News | Under the Arch

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2018

11

A Long Way Home

By SAM KLEIN, Deputy Multimedia Editor

9:30 a.m.

9:50 a.m.

Morning Coffee John Denver’s “Rocky Mountain High” plays at the 9W Market, a roadside cafe in Palisades, N.Y., and a man with gray hair sings along as he pours Nina Lehrecke her Monday morning coffee. This market, previously a gas station, bears a remarkable resemblance to the painting “Gas” by Edward Hopper, a former local resident.

Nina thanks him and steps into her old, run-down Ford, a dark blue stick shift with a Bernie Sanders bumper sticker.

Four methods of transit and three hours later, Nina will walk through Washington Square Park, arriving early for her 2 p.m. class.

Walk in the Woods Depending on the day, Nina will change her mode of transportation into the city.

Sometimes, she drives across the Tappan Zee to the Metro-North and takes the train. Other times, her parents will give her a ride to the George Washington Bridge before she walks across the 4,760-foot bridge to catch the subway. On this particular day, Nina walks through the woods, takes a bus to 175th Street and then rides the A train downtown.

SAM KLEIN | WSN

Nina moved upstate as a senior in high school, after living in Manhattan for her entire life.

It’s late autumn, and the leaves crunch beneath Nina’s feet as she walks to the bus. Her 15-minute trek takes her on a path through the woods. This is her favorite way to get to class because of the nature-immersed respite from her commute.

“Since I was three years old, we would go to Lake George, we would rent an island for two weeks, and we would camp there,” Nina said. “Since I was three, still up to now. We would rent a boat, and just be there without electricity, without water, for two whole

10:55 a.m.

The bus shows up late most days, but Nina doesn’t mind.

11:45 a.m.

Back in the City The bus crosses the George Washington Bridge, and the day’s clear sky means that Manhattan is visible all the way to the Battery.

Unsurprisingly, Nina always spent plenty of time outside, even in high school. After class, she and her friends would often play soccer in Central Park. Nina smiles as she recalls a time she crossed the Brooklyn Bridge with her friends while in high school.

“We had this blizzard junior year, I think it was called the arctic vortex, and we literally walked that bridge at night during the blizzard,” Nina said. “There was just us and cross-country skiers on the bridge. We were all bundled up, just walking and rolling down the hill.”

But those outdoorsy moments occur less frequently in the city than in Rockland County.

“There’s something about leaving the city that I love,” Nina said. “The minute you get there, the minute you step off the bus, it’s like, ahhh. It’s worth it.”

SAM KLEIN | WSN

weeks every year.”

Nina also rides horses bareback at her friend’s ranch in Alberta every summer. She loves to ski and to ride her motorcycle around Harriman State Park, a short distance from her house.

So why NYU, of all places?

“I have this weird contradiction within myself,” Nina said. “I both dismiss the city completely, I’m like ‘I don’t need that, its ruined anyway, it’s dead.’ And then when I’m here, I’m like ‘yeah, I’m from the city, downtown’s my home.’”

On the Bus As always, the bus shows up late — 17 minutes late today. The fare is $9.70 to the George Washington Bridge.

About 15 passengers ride the bus, which Nina says is more than usual. As the bus winds through New Jersey, the scenery changes from quaint hamlets to industry, and the New York City skyline appears.

Underground When the conductor on today’s A train announces that it will make local stops, Nina shrugs it off, finding it more funny than inconvenient.

“I like the fact that in the span of one day, so much can happen,” Nina said. “At the end of the day, you remember that you were upstate.”

Nina isn’t sure whether she will stay in the city for college or beyond. In general, she’s leaving her future up in the air, characterizing herself as someone who enjoys making impulsive decisions.

She called New York “the greatest city in the world,” despite electing not to live there. Unlike

Ready to Go Nina grabs two bags from her house, one small and one the size of an airplane carry-on. She is a full-time junior at NYU, but, unlike many of her classmates, she doesn’t dorm on campus or split rent with eight people shoe-boxed in a two-room Brooklyn apartment.

Rather, she lives upstate in Rockland County. Nina sees the Tappan Zee bridge spanning across the Hudson River from her window, not the buildings of Jersey City.

The catch, though, is that Nina was living in Manhattan her whole life — up until she was a senior in high school, when she and her family decided to move.

“I feel like everyone came to NYU, and that was their new experience,” Nina said.

“They’re like, ‘Oh my god, the city that never sleeps!’ And I’m like, ‘I’m out of here.’”

Nina studies Sustainable Design and Architecture at the Gallatin School of In-

10:15 a.m.

SAM KLEIN | WSN

Nina walks through the woods to the bus as part of her commute. For her entire life, she has loved the outdoors.

Typically, Nina listens to music during the bus ride. (Nina hopes to ease herself into techno to prepare for her spring semester at NYU Berlin.)

Despite riding the bus at least once a week each way, she still hates it.

“Recently, I’ve felt like it’s an office job, like I go in and go out,” Nina said.

“There’s not that much that doesn’t have to do with school.”

other commuters, her commute doesn’t burden her social life rather it lets her be more selective with her time in the city.

“I’m looking for life and new movements and new things happening, and I know that there’s a lot happening in the city,” Nina said. “But I also feel like the city, there’s so many layers to it.”

Some possibilities for the future include moving to Switzerland — where she holds citizenship — moving to a farm, on her own; or staying in New York. Or something else entirely.

“Whatever happens, happens,” Nina said.

“The things that have been most impactful in my life have been totally random. I’m not too worried.”

12:35 p.m.

SAM KLEIN | WSN

After she comes back from Berlin, though, that feeling might change — although she rarely plans that far ahead.

One thing she knows is that she will spend more time in the city.

“For me, I hate half-assing things,” Nina acknowledged. “Even though I have good grades and I’m learning a lot, I feel like I’m half-assing the experience. Because I’m not mentally there.”

11:55 a.m.

SAM KLEIN | WSN

During her subway ride, Nina said she misses being outside. “I already wish I was back. I need air.”

On Campus

After three hours, Nina arrives on campus. During the week, she stays with friends or catsits. Come Saturday, though, she will be back in Rockland County, working at a pie shop.

dividualized Study, but she commutes at least twice a week between the city and her house, where she lives with her mom and dad. The rest of the time, she either crashes with three of her high school friends who still live in Manhattan or catsits for family friends.

She originally moved up to Rockland County after three years at Fiorello H. Laguardia High School, a public arts school in Lincoln Center. Nina spent her final year of high school at Rockland Country Day School, a high school with fewer than 20 students that her dad also attended. After graduating, she enrolled at NYU, where her mom teaches in the French department. She lived in Lipton Residence Hall as a first-year, but the dearth of nature and proximity to family convinced her to move back upstate.

“My whole family, we kind of revolve around being outside,” Nina said. “Me wanting to be here [in Rockland], I feel like it’s a learned thing from my parents.”

Nina cuts through Washington Square Park, equally comfortable here as on a path through the woods.

Tonight, she’ll be staying in the cramped apartment with her friends, who play drums and skateboard indoors. This Saturday, she’ll be back in Rockland County, working at a local pie shop. Sunday, she’ll be riding horses on Long Island with the NYU Equestrian team.

It’s a crazy, one-of-a-kind schedule — and Nina wouldn’t have it any other way.

She doesn’t feel held back by commuting; it gives her the freedom to forge

her own path into the woods or down to campus. No two days are the same.

“I’m proud of commuting,” Nina said. “I think it’s a really interesting experience, having both.”

These two polarized places define her.

“I love the city. I love it; It’s my home,” Nina said. “I just think I’m at this new stage of my life; I’ve been having such a good time here. Just waking up, having coffee on the bench there. This will always be here, and I have to know that.”

Email Sam Klein at sklein@nyunews.com.

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