Washington Square News December 3, 2018

5 CULTURE

9 OPINION

The NYU Student Bringing Vegan Kefir to the Market

A Semester in Review

7 ARTS

Hip-Hop and Rap Stand Behind Kaep

11 SPORTS

The New School and NYU Collide for Haiku VOLUME LI | ISSUE 15

MONDAY, DECEMBER 3, 2018

At Langone, a Doctor Gives a Gunshot Victim a New Face The second full-face transplant performed at NYU was conducted over a 25-hour period.

‘Moonlight’ Director Talks Latest Project Berry Jenkins warns to never adapt your heroes, but finds “If Beale Street Could Talk” to be a pretty fruitful attempt.

By KRISTINA HAYHURST News Editor and MEGHNA MAHARISHI Deputy News Editor Inside the operating room during a 25-hour face transplant surgery, Dr. Eduardo Rodriguez had time to take just one bathroom break and a quick sip of coffee. The rest of his time consisted of working under the microscope to remove the face of a deceased donor and place it onto Cameron Underwood, who lost the majority of his jaw, lips, nose and chin to a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

Rodriguez and his team removed the skin, tissue, fat, muscle, all the nerves that move the face and provide sensation, muscles of facial expression, the jaw, the eye sockets, the teeth, the pallet and all the tissue below the tongue of the donor. This process took about 12 hours, after which Rodriguez began to reconstruct the face onto Underwood until the end of the surgery. He connected all the bones with plates and screws, connected the major blood vessels and every single strand of nerve.

Then he tailored the skin around the eyelids, around the nose, around the lips, around the neck and in front of the ears. Lastly, he repaired the pallet and the floor of the mouth.

“25-hours later, Cameron had a new face,” Rodriguez said.

In November 2005, a team of surgeons in France performed the first successful partial face transplant on Isabelle Dinoire, who lost parts of her cheeks, nose, lips and chin after her dog severely bit her earlier that year.

Five years later, 30 Spanish doctors carried out the first successful full-face transplant on a man who was injured from a shooting accident. Since 2005, there have been over 40 face transplant surgeries done around the world.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 2

RYAN MIKEL | WSN

Barry Jenkins won an Oscar just last year for “Moonlight.” Now, he is gearing up to release his latest project “If Beale Street Could Talk.”

By RYAN MIKEL Arts Editor How does one begin to honor the legacy of James Baldwin but also forge one of their own? This is the question Barry Jenkins, the director of the Academy Award-winning film “Moonlight,” grappled with as he sat down to adapt Baldwin’s 1974 novel “If Beale Street Could Talk.” Jenkins did not have the budget, or the rights, but he had a vision of a pastel-colored Harlem in the summertime and, thus, his writing began.

It was the summer of 2013. “Moonlight” was an unpublished manuscript collecting dust on a shelf and besides a San Francisco Film Critics Circle award, Jenkins was virtually unknown. The 34-year-old had traveled to Europe to adapt “If Beale Street Could Talk” into a feature-length film. Despite enduring poverty in the Liberty City neighborhood of Miami and previously making a film for less than $15,000, Jenkins called adapting the “Beale Street” script the hardest thing he had ever been through in his life.

“They say never meet your heroes,” Jenkins told WSN in an interview. “But I say, never adapt your heroes.”

While “If Beale Street Could Talk” is not the f irst book of Baldwin’s that Jenkins read, and it’s def initely not his favorite either, the Harlem romance had a lasting effect on the Floridian since he first finished the 200-page novel back in 2010.

A 3D image plan for Underwood’s procedure.

COURTESY OF NYU LANGONE HEALTH

CONTINUED ON PAGE 6

Washington Square News

2

NEWS

NEWS@NYUNEWS.COM

MONDAY, DECEMBER 3, 2018

Edited by ALEX DOMB, KRISTINA HAYHURST and SARAH JACKSON

At Langone, a Doctor Gives a Gunshot Victim a New Face CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

At NYU Langone, the f irst face transplant took place in 2016 on f iref ighter Patrick Hardison, who suffered from severe burns while on duty. Underwood’s face transplant is the second transplant done at NYU Langone and Rodriguez’s third in his career.

While NYU Langone receives many requests for face transplants, most cases qualify for reconstructive plastic surgeries rather than face transplants. Candidates that qualify for the latter tend to suffer from severe deformities with missing tissues which inhibit the face from functioning and feeling sensations. Plastic surgeons cannot recreate those facial features from already existing skin tissues.

“For example, [for] lips, we can take tissue from your arms or thighs and we can make or draw some shapes from the tissue, so that it looks like a lip,” Rodriguez said.

“But it won’t move [or] have sensations like a normal lip.”

Rodriguez completed his residency at the Johns Hopkins Department of Plastics and Reconstructive Surgery in Baltimore, where the doctor cited a notable beginning to his long journey into plastic surgery. On Sept. 11, 2001, he had just f inished an operation as the f irst hijacked airplane crashed into the Pentagon in Washington, D.C. “In a very short period of time our institution was put on high alert,” Rodriguez said. “We were all trying to get as many of the people that were not critically ill out of the

COURTESY OF NYU LANGONE HEALTH

Dr. Rodriguez, chair of the Department of Plastic Surgery at NYU, recently preformed his second landmark face transplant while at the university.

hospital to open up beds for potential casualties.”

After his residency at Johns Hopkins, Rodriguez was asked to assist in the treatment of soldiers coming back from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan at the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center to complete specialized training. Rodriguez developed a great relationship with the center and received patients from different military and medical hospitals throughout the country.

“Some of them were Navy SEALs, some of them were Delta Force ...

really high-level operation soldiers,” Rodriguez said. “They were people who basically bleed to protect our freedoms, so it was a great honor to care for them.”

Those coming back from the war had injuries that, despite advanced surgical techniques, still limited their options for recovery. In order to secure funding, Rodriguez transplanted the face of one live monkey onto another. Then, in 2012, Rodriguez performed his f irst human transplant on Richard Norris at the University of Maryland.

Unlike Rodriguez’s previous

patients, Underwood suffered for about 18 months — the other recipients of face transplants lived with their deformities for decades. According to Rodriguez, patients with decades-old deformities experience far more severe emotional suffering than those who get treated relatively quickly.

“In Cameron’s case, the fact that we got to hiwm so soon, we could avoid all that emotional scarring,” Rodriguez said. “He’s going to have some emotional scarring from the injury, but it’s going to be far less than someone who lived with that deformity for years.”

One of the biggest impediments to face transplant surgery is also finding the right donor.

“Finding a donor is diff icult,” Rodriguez said. “It’s like trying to f ind a needle in a haystack,” Rodriguez said. “We have to f ind someone who matches not only blood type, but skin color, skeletal structure, antibody prof ile — we look at everything very carefully.”

Once NYU Langone found a match for Underwood through organ donor organization LiveonNY, contracting pilots flew him out right before a cyclone — when all commercial flights were canceled — to begin the surgery.

Thanks to major technological advances in the f ield, the team completed the transplant in 25 hours.

The LaGuardia Studio provided a 3D printing lab to create a mask of the donor, allowing doctors to respect the post-mortem spiritual rights of the patient’s family. Additionally,

intraoperative navigation — which works almost like a GPS — helps guide surgeons to precisely place the face on the recipient. Intraoperative CT scanning then helps to conf irm the placement of the new face.

The team also meticulously rehearsed on cadavers inside the operating room in order to familiarize themselves with the exact steps of the procedure. By the the time they got to the operating room, they had rehearsed numerous times.

“Everyone knows what they need to do,” Rodriguez said. “We’ve rehearsed it enough and now it’s game time. Let’s do what we do best and get this kid out of the operating room.That’s what we do.”

Despite the length of the surgery, Rodriguez and his team didn’t feel fatigue.

“I don’t feel tired at all,” Rodriguez said. “When someone’s life is dependent on you, I don’t have one iota of rest or concern. There’s so much adrenaline flowing in my bloodstream that until we’re out safely, I cannot be at peace.”

The entire process was an immensely emotional one for everyone involved, but the reward of a successful surgery was worth it.

“There’s nothing more rewarding in my life,” Rodriguez said. “That’s why, irrespective of material possessions, I feel that I am rich because I can care for people like this and give them another chance at hope and life.”

Email Kristina Hayhurst and Meghna Maharishi news@nyunews.com.

Faculty to Discuss Academic Freedom at NYUAD

By VICTOR PORCELLI Deputy News Editor Concerns about maintaining academic freedom at NYU’s Abu Dhabi campus will be discussed at a faculty forum on Monday afternoon.

Individual faculty members, such as Journalism Professor Mohammed Bazzi, have expressed concerns over the Abu Dhabi campus. But on Nov. 24, dissent escalated when over 200 professors signed a letter to NYU President Andrew Hamilton urging him to condemn the UAE’s imprisonment of Durham University postgraduate student Matthew Hedges.

Although Hedges was recently pardoned by the UAE government, the international incident was described as a “tipping point” by Professor of Social and Cultural Analysis Andrew Ross, and led to faculty across multiple departments to come together on Monday. The forum, which will be held at the King Juan Carlos I of Spain Center, serves as an opportunity for faculty to voice their grievances with the NYU administration’s handling of the Abu Dhabi campus.

According to professors, their main criticism is that NYU has not made enough attempts to hold the UAE’s government accountable to the prin-

ciples of academic freedom — principles which were promised, within campus grounds, to professors who agreed to teach at the global site by former president John Sexton at the time NYUAD’s construction was announced in 2010.

Ross told WSN that the university’s unwillingness to hold the UAE accountable since NYUAD’s inception — from the unfair labor practices used during its construction to professors being denied visas, potentially due to their religious beliefs, to the more recent arrest of Hedges — requires others to step forward.

“In the absence of institutional leadership, faculty and students will have to be the voices of conscience at NYU,” Ross said.

Professor of English John Archer, who was part of the team of faculty that drafted the letter to Hamilton, wrote in an email to WSN that the forum would be an opportunity to first discuss the state of academic freedom at NYU’s global sites and, second, propose actions that could be taken moving forward. It is becoming less clear what constitutes acceptable practices by professors in these global sites, according to Archer.

“The ‘red lines’ of what is permissible in research, teaching and

The NYU Abu Dhabi campus, which has sparked debate about the limits of academic freedom.

fieldwork are shifting in the UAE, China and elsewhere,” Archer wrote.

“Nowadays, scholars don’t have to cross lines to get in trouble. Lines cross scholars.”

Professor of History Lauren Minsky, who claims academic freedom was not always guaranteed while a faculty member at NYUAD, told WSN she would be speaking about her own

experiences at the forum.

For her, the goal of the forum is to finally put these issues on the table and to call for attempts to “establish transparent and open ways of beginning to address the concerns of academic freedom in the UAE moving forward.”

Professor Ross said that a handful of professors may have had nega-

COURTESY OF AIZAZ ANSARI/THE GAZELLE

tive experiences while pursuing their scholarship or teaching in the UAE, although he doubted they would feel comfortable speaking about them.

“The fact that they feel that they can’t speak out speaks for itself,” Ross said. “There is a climate of fear.”

Email Victor Porcelli at vporcelli@nyunews.com.

Washington Square News | News

MONDAY, DECEMBER 3, 2018

BDS Resolution Meets Resistance

By VICTOR PORCELLI Deputy News Editor A letter by an unknown number of NYU Tel Aviv students voices dissent against a resolution which would have NYU divest from companies with interests in Israel.

Senators at-Large Rose Asaf and Bayan Abubakr, and Alternate Senator at-Large Leen Dweik presented the resolution on Nov. 2, expressing their view that NYU should no longer be associated with companies like General Electric, Caterpillar Inc. and Lockheed Martin due to their connections to the Israeli military, which the senators perceive as having violated Palestinian human rights.

As the f inal vote — which will be by secret ballot on Dec. 6 — approaches, a letter by some students studying abroad in NYU Tel Aviv asks that members of the Student Government Association vote no.

“For the sake of both Israelis and Palestinians who live this conflict on a daily basis, we urge the members of the NYU Student Government Association to vote against the [Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions] Resolution,” the letter reads.

The resolution has been associated with the larger BDS movement, which calls for its members to support Palestinians through nonviolent means, largely by ending any involvement or investment with those associated with Israel.

Members of pro-Israel groups on campus, such as NYU TorchPAC and NYU Realize Israel, have voiced their complaints against the movement and the resolution.

These groups raise criticisms that the BDS movement is ineffective and hurts the Palestinians it is supposed to help, points that pro-Palestine groups such as Students for Justice in Palestine and Jewish Voices for Peace contend.

The letter by Tel Aviv students claims that student government representatives do not fully understand the issue, and says that they should visit Israel and Palestine before weighing in.

“The situation here is far more complex and real than a group of student legislatures at NYU can ever imagine,” the letter says. “Before making such a harsh statement, these legislatures should visit the region and make an honest attempt to hear and analyze the various perspectives surrounding the conflict.”

Asaf said that whether one has

3 CRIME LOG

Faculty Member Stalked in GCASL

By CRIME BOT Robot Reporter From Nov. 21 to Nov. 29 the NYU Department of Public Safety received two reports of criminal mischief, one report of disorderly conduct, two reports of controlled substance violation, one report of harassment, six reports of larceny, one report of stalking and three reports of trespassing.

Criminal Mischief

A market in Tel Aviv, whe

been in the region should not determine the validity of their views regarding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

“Telling someone that they need to visit somewhere is a classist argument and it doesn’t have any standing,” Asaf said.

Member of Students for Justice in Palestine and Alternate Senator at-Large Ben Zinevich also had an issue with the argument mentioned in the letter, noting that the Israeli government currently bans members of SJP and JVP from entering the country.

“Because of my support for BDS as a tool against apartheid, I am not allowed into [the] State of Israel,” Zinevich wrote in a message to WSN. “If Israel is concerned with dialogue, maybe they shouldn’t ban their dissenters.”

NYU updated its Travel Advisories last week to include the Tel Aviv study away site as one of many with policies that could prevent students from attending.

This is in response to an amendment passed by the Israeli government in March of 2017 which bans those who have called for boycotts of Israel or been involved with groups that have.

“The university believes that societies benef it from the free movement of students, scholars, and ideas, and that obstacles to that movement also run contrary to the spirit of our policies regarding inclusion and accessibility,” the site states.

No known NYU students have been affected by the ban. Only one student, from the University of Florida, has been banned so far

DANIELLE JURMAN | WSN

for boycotting Israel, and she was allowed into the country after the ruling was overturned.

President of NYU TorchPAC Rebecca Stern feels that students at Tel Aviv’s study away site should be heard, especially since the letter claims that the students “have worked with leaders from both communities in an attempt to ease the tension.”

“There is no one more appropriate to speak to the nature of this resolution than the students at NYU Tel Aviv,” Stern said in an email to WSN. “These students have spent a semester immersing themselves in the issues and understanding the complexities behind them.”

Asaf, however, does not agree with this point of view.

“Just because they’re staying in Tel Aviv for a semester doesn’t make them more qualif ied than Palestinians on this issue,” Asaf said. “They’ve been in Israel for three, four months. Palestinians have experienced this daily.”

Asaf also mentioned that the resolution does not call for a fullscale implementation of BDS, as it mainly requires the divestment of NYU from certain corporations associated with the movement. Zinevich voiced this concern as well.

“I would urge them to actually read the resolution and explain how developing a socially responsible investment policy in our endowment is not anything but wise,” Zinevich wrote.

Email Victor Porcelli at vporcelli@nyunews.com.

On Nov. 25 at 10:30 p.m., a resident assistant reported seeing vandalism on a stairwell in Seventh Street Residence Hall. Police notification was declined and the case has been referred to the Office of Community Standards.

On Nov. 29 at 2:35 p.m., an NYU staff member reported a damaged door in Dibner Library. Police notification was declined and the case is open and under investigation.

Disorderly Conduct On Nov. 27 at 12:02 a.m., Public Safety reported witnessing disorderly conduct around the lobby of University Residence Hall. The New York Police Department was called, and the person left without further incident. The case is open and under investigation.

Controlled Substance Violation On Nov. 27 at 3:14 a.m., an RA reported witnessing underage alcohol possession in Seventh Street Hall. Police notification was declined and the case has been referred to the Office of Community Standards.

On Nov. 29 at 12:36 a.m., Public Safety reported to a controlled substance allegation and recovered a small amount of marijuana in Othmer Residence Hall. Police notification was declined and the case has been referred to the Office of Community Standards.

Harassment On Nov. 27 at 1:20 p.m., an NYU staff member reported being harassed via phone in Tisch Hall. Police notification was declined and the case is open and under investigation.

Larceny On Nov. 21 at 9:40 a.m., an NYU staff member reported Mac adapters missing in Bobst Library. A police report was

Tel Aviv at dusk.

COURTESTY OF CAROLINE MANELA

filed and the case is open and under investigation.

On Nov. 25 at 7:55 p.m., an NYU student reported two bags of clothes missing in Third North Residence Hall. Police notification was declined and the case has been referred to the Office of Community Standards.

On Nov. 26 at 12 a.m., an NYU staff member reported a coat missing from an event in the Kimmel Center for University Life. Police notification was declined and the case is open and under investigation.

On Nov. 27 at 3:30 p.m., an NYU student reported his bike missing from scaffolding outside Bobst Library. A police report was filed and the case is open and under investigation.

On Nov. 27 at 5:15 p.m., an NYU affiliate reported witnessing a larceny in the NYU Bookstore. Police notification was declined and the case is open and under investigation.

On Nov. 29 at 2:15 p.m., an NYU student reported his laptop missing from a room in the Kimmel Center. A police report was filed and the case is open and under investigation.

Stalking On Nov. 27 at 3:47 p.m., an NYU faculty member reported that he was the victim of stalking in the NYU Global Center. A police report was filed and the case is open and under investigation.

Trespass On Nov. 24 at 2:32 p.m., an NYU Public Safety Officer reported witnessing trespassing in the gym in Palladium Residence Hall.

The person left without further incident. Police notification was declined and the case is open and under investigation.

On Nov. 28 at 9:30 p.m., an NYU Public Safety Officer reported witnessing trespassing in Third North Hall. The individual was found and escorted out without further incident. Police notification was declined and the case has been referred to the Office of Community Standards.

On Nov. 29 at 11:44 a.m., an RA reported witnessing trespassing in Palladium Hall. Police notification was declined and the case has been referred to the Office of Community Standards.

Email Crime Bot at news@nyunews.com.

Washington Square News

4

CULTURE

CULTURE@NYUNEWS.COM

First-Years Reflect on Their Fall Semester

By ANNA DE LA ROSA Staff Writer The first semester of college is a time for learning — and not just in the classroom. For many students, it’s their first time away from home and they have to figure out how to navigate their academics, social life and new beginning in New York City all alone. As winter break grows near, the Class of 2022 reflects on their time so far at NYU. Though we’re all here for school, academics are oftentime not the biggest concern during a student’s first semester. Making new friends and navigating NYU’s somewhat tricky social scene can be the hardest part.

LS first-year Dani Zipkis found it difficult to make friends at NYU. A feeling of isolation exacerbated by NYU’s open campus, on top of school work, were factors in Zipkis’s decision to take her second semester off.

“It’s not like a typical college experience,” Zipkis said. “It was an expectation versus reality wake-up call — ‘I don’t know how to do this. It’s hard to make friends.’”

It’s also hard to know if your potential best friend is going to be someone among the sea of faces in a chemistry lecture. For CAS firstyear Kathy Wang, it’s nearly impossible to make friends in a big class. However, group projects were the secret to making crowded seating feel more intimate.

“Especially if you have work that you need to do with someone, and you guys arrange to meet up and work, I think that really helps,” Wang said.

Others found it easier to start closer to home in their residence halls, such as Tandon first-year Edgar Lei. “After my roommate and I finished unpacking, we went down the hall, knocked on some people’s doors,” Lei said. “We made some friends right away, and after, we played a game of poker to get to know one another.”

Away from the trials of making friends, acclamating to NYU’s academic demands also proved a challenge for many new students.

Nearing the end of her first semester in the Liberal Studies program, Anel Oaxaca said the skill she found most integral from the get-go was time management.

“I got hit with a pretty severe case of procrastination, and I had started writing an essay at 3 a.m. on the day it [was] due,” Rivas said. “I stayed up until 6 a.m. just trying to rush through it, and once I finished, I went straight to bed in order to get an hour or two before class. The problem was that I slept over my alarm clock and didn’t wake up till 2 p.m., missing two of my classes, including the one the essay was due for.”

This pattern of missing deadlines seemed to be fairly common among first-year students.

Wang said she has also struggled with balanc-

MONDAY, DECEMBER 3, 2018

ing her course load and new life in New York.

“Today I was in my recitation, and I realized that I had a paper due for my next class,” Wang said. “I just sat there knowing I wouldn’t be able to finish it. I just learned that you have to check your course syllabus because I just wasn’t paying attention to it.”

So, when professors tell you to read the syllabus, you should probably do it.

LS first-year Isabelle Amegashie said that her best tip for getting through the first semester is meticulous scheduling — that way you can make sure the sneaky syllabi won’t catch you off-guard.

“I use a whiteboard calendar,” Amegashie said. “A lot of people use planners, but I think this helps me visually remember everything that I have to do.”

Though school and friend-making can be stressful, first-years can bond over many aspects of life at NYU. Students connected over their newfound love or hate for certain dining halls. LS first-year Philip Meng has the ultimate compact guide to NYU dining.

“Upstein for convenience, Kimmel for quality and Lipton or Downstein for quantity,” Meng said.

At the Brooklyn campus, Lei dispelled claims that their dining hall, Jasper Kane, is trash.

“Personally, I think that the food is pretty good and that some people are just too picky,” Lei said.

In addition to finding their favorite on-campus places to eat, first-years also discovered everything New York’s vibrant nightlife had to offer. Many NYU students love immersing themselves in the city that never sleeps, but trying to do this can be difficult — especially for non-New Yorkers. However, Oaxaca has advice for those struggling.

“Asking your floormates for any parties during the weekends or any events occurring in [New York City] that they are interested in going [to] opens up more opportunities to be more social,” she said.

There are also nightlife activities that firstyears can partake in outside of the traditional party scene. Oaxaca admitted she’s not the biggest party goer: “I use my dorm’s RA, [who] hosted outings as a way to get out of my dorm and see the city,” Oaxaca, who had the opportunity to go to events like a boba tea exhibit, said. “Most events are free or have extremely low costs.”

Moving into the second half of their first year, these students know a lot more than when they first got to New York — but there’s still so much left to discover about the city and themselves. Here’s to hoping the next stage is one of deeper self-discovery — after all, that’s what this time of their lives is all about.

Edited by NATALIE CHINN

The Best Beauty Products of 2018 According to NYU Kids

By CAROL LEE, Staff Writer NYU students are are notorious for their fashion and beauty consciousness. So who better to ask for the best beauty and skincare products of 2018? Below are five products to carry you into the new year.

Email Carol Lee at bstyle@nyunews.com.

Gloss Bomb Universal Lip Luminizer in Fenty Glow, Fenty Beauty $18 The hype around Rihanna’s makeup line, Fenty Beauty, seemed beyond what any cosmetics company could achieve — and somehow Rihanna managed to exceed all expectations. On Fenty’s website, the Gloss Bomb Universal Lip Luminizer claims to be “THE stop-everything, give-it-to-me gloss that feels as good as it looks.”

And according to NYU students, it truly is. Stern first-year Jhasper Paul said, “I love how it’s subtle but still gives my lips and face a pop. I usually don’t wear lip gloss because it’s either too sticky or too ‘wet’ or slick but this one is the perfect medium.” LS first-year Kaleah Mchawi concurred, saying, “I really like the Fenty lip gloss because it provides a great shine but it’s also extremely moisturizing. Lip glosses tend to just be shiny but also sticky and gross but the Fenty one has a great consistency and also matches all skin tones.”

All-in-One Snail Repair Cream, Mizon $17 The Korean skincare craze may have died down, but some of the products have stuck around in students’ routines — they’re just that good. Although some may shy away from a product that contains snail extract, true skincare enthusiasts know that you gotta do what you gotta do. NYU students are among those who have that mentality and endorse Mizon’s All-in-One Snail Repair Cream, which claims to have been formulated with 92 percent snail extract. Helen Dong, a CAS first-year, reported, “[It] single-handedly keeps my skin nice and smooth.” And Gallatin first-year Chloe Eoyang claimed that it went beyond just moisturizing her skin. “I think it helps with my acne too! It’s also pretty affordable,” she said.

Glossier Also not a specific product, but what would an NYU student’s top beauty products list be without mention of at least one Glossier product? Stern first-year Christina Lozano mentioned their Stretch Concealer. “It’s very light, and it goes on very smoothly, and it goes on without a brush,” she said. LS first-year Elizabeth Safaryn expressed her affinity for their Boy Brow. “It’s quick and easy for me to use in the morning and it makes my eyebrows full-looking and not overdone.” And Julia Kreisa, a Tisch first-year, mentioned her love for three of their products due to their ease-of-use. “Haloscope, Lash Slick and Boy Brow from Glossier make makeup in the morning so quick and easy,” Kreisa said.

Witch Hazel $9 This ingredient — a staple in serums and toners — was unsurprisingly oft-mentioned by students, and products that contain it, such as the Thayers Witch Hazel Toner with Aloe Vera or the Mario Badescu Witch Hazel + Rosewater Toner, have been long-hailed within the beauty community. It’s known for its soothing and cleansing properties and users are often amazed by its efficacy, even on sensitive skin. Tisch first-year Samantha Garcia claimed, “Witch hazel is a good toner in general. It takes all the excess gunk off your face — lots of [gunk] is left even though you washed your face.” And Cassandra Vega, also a Tisch first-year, said, “Witch hazel is awesome for balancing the pH of your skin while still being gentle on sensitive skin.”

Email Anna de la Rosa at culture@nyunews.com.

RACHEL BUIGAS-LOPEZ | WSN

SOFIA DI IORIO | WSN

Cetaphil Daily Facial Cleanser $6.30 As far as skincare brands go, Cetaphil seems as run-of-the-mill as you can get. A Costco bestseller and resident of many a bathroom cabinet, the brand just seems so ordinary. But sometimes ordinary is what you need, especially for Garcia, who raved about Cetaphil’s Daily Facial Cleanser. “If you have super sensitive and oily skin, Cetaphil is the face wash for you,” Garcia explained. Steffi Alex, LS first-year, chimed in to clarify that individuals who have a normal skin type can also reap the benefits of this gentle yet effective cleanser.

MONDAY, DECEMBER 3, 2018

Washington Square News | Culture

5

The NYU Student Bringing Vegan Kefir to the Market

By ELIF KESIKBAS Staff Writer On Wednesday afternoon, I met with Esin Baskaya at Broken Coconut.

She arrives wearing a white T-shirt with loose black pants and metallic black leather boots. While she orders an antioxidant-rich matcha, I go for my third Americano of the day. We take the corner booth, which directly faces the pink neon “Eat Pretty” sign. It is just the right place to discuss Elliphs — the Steinhardt sophomore’s new vegan milk and kefir startup.

Baskaya, who avoids dairy, first started by making vegan milk for her personal consumption, then for her friends.

“Just the way you would make at home,” she labels the milk that she now makes for public consumption. Her simple, two-ingredient milks, are made only of almonds, macadamia nuts or oats and filtered water. The process requires 24 to 48 hours of soaking before she can start.

She recycles the residues for her oatmeals.

As the products gained popularity

COURTESY OF ESIN BASKYA

Baskya began Elliphs after being disappointed with the lack of options for vegan kefir.

among his peers, the cost and the time constraints made it unsustainable for Baskaya to distribute her milk for free.

“The brand itself grew organically,”

Baskaya said, while sipping her matcha and pulling up a picture of her bottled and stickered milks. “So all of a sudden, I have this prototype of my milk brand.”

Recently, Baskaya has turned her attention to producing vegan kefir since there are currently no vegan kefirs available in the United States market.

“Kefir is such a good healthy drink for gut health,” she added. “Maybe you know, but nowadays research shows that our guts are our second brains. In my opinion, it’s not like the second brain or anything it’s literally the first brain.”

Starting with the NYU community and then expanding to supermarkets, Baskaya is determined to make a change by addressing the needs of vegan and lactose-intolerant consumers with her vegan kefirs, which will be produced by fermenting the non-dairy milks that she produces herself. She is still developing the perfect formula.

Although Baskaya is alone in the kitchen for now, the Nutrition & Dietetics major receives support from her professors. Food Management & Theory Professor Steve Zagor has arranged a meeting with attorney Jack Gordon of Kent, Betty & Gordon LLP, to discuss her business plan.

Meanwhile, she will be active on her

Instagram account @elliphsnutrition, which she started in the summer of 2018. Named after her lesser-known middle name “Elif,” she identifies herself as the “imperfect eater, yet the perfect advisor” and shares the scientific knowledge she learns in class, and now it applies to daily life.

The account has gained over 2,000 followers in the past six months. In the era of blogs, Instagram influencers and YouTubers, she hopes her social media presence will help her establish herself as a figure in the food world — especially in the New York metropolitan area.

When Elliphs officially launches next summer, the NYU community will be able to order online delivery. “[It is probably going to be] through a website on a subscription-based system, I don’t wanna cause anyone pain [while] ordering my products. I really want to make it very, very, very easy.”

Email Elif Kesikbas at dining@nyunews.com.

Giving Back During the Holiday Season

By PRIYA SUBBERWAL Contributing Writer It’s the season of giving in New York City, and more and more students have been seeking opportunities to give back to their community. It can be a daunting task, especially in a city as large and fast-paced as New York, to find opportunities to volunteer and help those in need. However, it’s never been easier to involve oneself in the community, and there are tons of amazing ways to give back this holiday season, even if you’ve never volunteered before.

The SAGE organization focuses on advocacy and support for New York’s LGBTQ seniors. Volunteers can spend time with seniors and offer support and companionship in cases where they don’t have a large support system to rely on. After a quick volunteer orientation, students can jump right in with friendly visits, participating in the organization’s Lend-A-Hand volunteer efforts, and event volunteering.

Though not for the SAGE organization, CAS first-year Ava Rooney fre-

quently volunteers.

“I like to spend my time volunteering to aid people with intellectual and developmental disabilities,” Rooney said. “Here at school I have volunteered for some inclusion programs and I have also tried to volunteer at food pantries when I can.”

Rooney urges students to make the time to get more involved.

“I think that during the holiday season volunteering becomes a whole other experience.

So many people come out to do their part and you feel a very strong sense of community, which is honestly quite comforting.”

If you’re looking for a more long-term commitment to giving back, several organizations around the city offer opportunities to tutor and mentor young people. CAS first-year Renee Reed spends a lot of her time helping lower-income students.

“I’ve been a part of this organization called Let’s Get Ready, which helps low-income high school students with SAT prep and college applications.”

Tisch sophomore Catherine Ryan devotes her time to educating second-graders

about environmental sustainability, which is another option for students looking to give back this winter.

“In the three semesters I’ve been with Sprout Up I’ve learned so much. Obviously, I’ve been reminded of all the things we teach to students, but I’ve also been able to learn about my leadership style, my peers at NYU, the New York City school system and different neighborhoods in the city,” Ryan said.

“It’s expanded my world beyond campus and has helped me truly integrate into the city.”

If you’re a student who may have overestimated their appetite when purchasing a meal plan, there are several ways to donate your meal swipes to those in need. If you buy pre-packaged food — sushi, sandwiches, etc. — you can bring them to the Bowery Mission, where food is redistributed to those in need.

Reed plans to become a volunteer with Rescuing Leftover Cuisine, a non-profit food rescue organization that allows people to volunteer and bring food to homeless shelters.

While programs such as the meal exchange also allow you to offer swipes to students in

need, Reed reminds us that there are many other ways to give to those who struggle with food insecurity “Next semester, I’ve applied to be a food rescuer with Rescuing Leftover Cuisine.

But community service doesn’t have to be a big orchestrated event. It can be something as simple as giving a meal to someone on the street.”

Conveniently, there are many ways to give back right here at NYU. You can become an NYU Violet Volunteer, through which you can help out at events and take part in service projects throughout the year.

Similarly, you can get involved with NYU’s Project Sunshine which aims to provide free educational, recreational, and social programs to children and families facing medical challenges.

Rooney urges students not only to get involved this holiday season, but to keep the giving spirit going after the new year.

“Once the holiday season ends, so does the influx of volunteers, and I find that to be really disappointing,” Rooney said. “So many organizations could use the amount of

GLORIA LEE | WSN

Donating food or volunteering your time at a food pantry are just some of the many ways you can help this holiday season.

help that they get during the holiday season year round. I think that the concept of giving back needs to be prevalent at all times, not just the month of December.”

Email Priya Subberwal at culture@nyunews.com.

‘Queer Eye’ Antoni’s New Restaurant Is Nothing Special

By SARAH GOTFREDSEN Contributing Writer

SARAH GOTFREDSEN | WSN

The “Market Plate TV-Dinner,” which is one of a few core options served at Village Den.

After 36 years of serving cheese omelettes and hamburgers to NYU students and residents of the West Village, the diner Village Den has closed. Keeping the same name, it has been taken over by Antoni Porowski — best known as the food and drink expert on the Netflix show “Queer Eye.” Porowski has replaced the former diner’s mouthwatering hangover food with diet-friendly, gluten-free, low-carb meals.

While the food will definitely make you feel less guilty about that slice (or was it three?) of Joe’s Pizza you ate last Friday, it will also leave a mark on your bank account.

Located across the street from the fitness center Equinox, it’s clear that The Village Den’s target audience is health-conscious, West Village 20-somethings. Outside the cafe, there is a sign with the text “On the Corner of Vegan and Paleo.” Inside, the diner is filled with communal tables, with

a cute cartoon map of the West Village pasted on the wall. Many guests work on their laptops, which gives the restaurant a nonchalant vibe.

The Village Den serves breakfast, lunch and dinner. A sign above the counter displays six different categories to choose from: Coffee, Breakfast, Salads, Bowls, TV Dinners and Smoothies. Symbols next to each dish identify it as vegan, keto-friendly, gluten-free or Whole-30 suitable. Because of close attention to nutritional value, it seems a bit odd that the menu doesn’t display calorie counts.

I ordered the $13.50 Sicilian C-Bomb salad, which includes citrus, avocado, shaved fennel, pomegranate seeds and roasted pistachios. I also ordered a $4 oat-milk latte and one of the restaurant’s TV Dinners called the Market Plate, which comes with three sides for $13. From the 12 available sides, I choose sweet potato fries, mashed peas with mint and cauliflower rice.

After less than five minutes of ordering, a

very hip-looking waiter in a black turtleneck told me that my food was ready to be picked up from the counter.

The food was served in a dull grey to-go container in a way I imagine only prison food is served. The food tasted only decent.

The fries were over-steamed to the point of resembling mashed potatoes, and my salad was so calorie-restricted that it tasted more like an appetizer than a meal. My side of rice was room temperature with an oatmeal-like consistency. For the amount of money I paid for the meal, I expected the food to be higher quality.

Ultimately, I think my view of the restaurant and the quality of its food can be summed up with this: If I had to choose between the Village Den’s salad and Kimmel’s falafel bowl, I would definitely go with Kimmel’s, but then again, Kimmel doesn’t have oat milk.

Email Sarah Gotfredsen at dining@nyunews.com.

Washington Square News

6

MONDAY, DECEMBER 3, 2018

ARTS

ARTS@NYUNEWS.COM

Edited by RYAN MIKEL and DANIELLA NICHINSON

Barry Jenkins Talks ‘Beale Street,’ Baldwin and #MeToo CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

For him, it combined these two distinct spheres of the gay and outspoken civil rights activist: Baldwin’s passion for love and for social justice.

Set in early 1970s Harlem, the story follows the relationship between Fonny Hunt (Stephan James) and Tish Rivers (Kiki Layne). Friends since birth, Tish soon becomes pregnant with Fonny’s child and the young couple dreams of a future together in white-picket-fence America. Their plan is derailed when a racist cop arrests Fonny on false rape accusations.

Tish, with the unwavering support of her mom Sharon (Regina King) and dad Joe (Colman Domingo), must race against the clock to prove Fonny’s innocence before the birth of her child and the sentencing of its father.

The story is complex, juggling themes of agency, race and the lengths to which a family will go to protect its kin. Bearing in mind the social and cultural zeitgeist of Time’s Up and #MeToo today, directing “Beale Street” was a slippery slope for Jenkins. In a moment when female empowerment and rape culture are so important to mainstream discourse, it didn’t seem appropriate to tell a story about a man who is wrongfully accused of rape. Jenkins had to go straight to the book for answers and in doing so, found a way for audiences to empathize with Fonny without demonizing another victim, Victoria (Emily Rios).

“It would be easy to make Victoria the antagonist,” Jenkins said, “but

“If Beale Street Could Talk” Dec. 15 Berry Jenkins CAST Stephan James, Dave Franco, Pedro Pascal, Regina King and Ed Skrein OPENS

DIRECTOR

what’s really happening is that every character is being manipulated in a way.

Fonny is not falsely accused of anything.

He was chosen out of a police lineup by a woman who was indeed raped. He was unfairly placed in that lineup because of a racist cop… but it is too damn difficult for Victoria to go back to that place and change her mind.”

Steadfast in his decision to not dehumanize Victoria’s experience to benefit another’s, Jenkins crafted a harrowing scene at the film’s climax where Sharon travels to Puerto Rico — where Victoria has fled — to convince her to change her mind. In the exchange, Sharon pleads with her to clear her future son-in-law’s name, to which Victoria responds, “Let me ask you something. Have you ever been raped?” While Sharon’s attempt to save Fonny proves unfruitful, the audience is given a painful look into Victoria’s trauma post-assault as she breaks down in front of the grieving mother.

It is choices like these that elevate the source material from the perspective of a male outsider to the perspective of two women in limbo. To do that, Jenkins had to check his directorial ego and allow the women of “Beale Street”

VIA TWITTER.COM

Barry Jenkins on the set of “If Beale Street Could Talk” with Kiki Layne and Diego Luna.

to choose their own actions and motivations for their characters in the film.

“This was a really interesting experience for me because I am not a woman,” Jenkins said. “I had to allow the women to explain to me how they felt and how the characters felt. I trusted them and let them show me what to do. Just about every damn time, they were correct.”

With “Moonlight,” Jenkins found the male-centric, semi-autobiographical

narrative to be much easier to write and direct. With “Beale Street,” he had the pressure of two women’s testimonies and Baldwin’s legacy and estate weighing down on him, but he found a way to prevail. In the film, set to be released in theaters in late December, Jenkins takes ownership of the heartbreaking story and creates another distinctive entry in his personal repertoire of films about black life, black love and the

American dream.

“It was tough,” Jenkins said, “but once I could feel myself step out of the shadow of Mr. Baldwin, all these ideas that had been latent were activated to make a film that is, for me, fluid, organic and fruitful and I could not be more proud.”

Email Ryan Mikel at rmikel@nyunews.com.

‘Roma’ Is Human — Simultaneously Moving and Frustrating

By GURU RAMANATHAN Film & TV Editor “I like being dead,” utters housekeeper Cleo (Yalitza Aparicio) in one of her few lines, while laying on the roof next to Pepe (Marco Graf), a child of the family she works for.

The camera rises and a sweeping pan reveals the roofs of surrounding houses, all of them with housekeepers like Cleo washing and drying clothes, just as she was before Pepe came.

Cleo works for Sofia (Marina de Tavira), who is forced to inhabit a two-faced life, putting on the performance of a happy, stable mother for her four children while quietly deteriorating due to the neglect from her workaholic husband, Antonio (Fernando Grediaga). Tavira gives the most heart wrenching performance in the entire film, far surpassing Cleo as the most

interesting character.

Antonio leaves on a work trip in the beginning — shortly after returning from another — and Sofia goes to hug him goodbye while they stand next to his car.

They smile as they embrace but when Antonio tries to pull away Sofia suddenly tightens her grasp, quietly begging him not to leave. Antonio pays no attention to her or their strained marriage. Sofia returns to the house and snaps at Cleo for not cleaning up after the dog, and later profusely apologizes. She failed in her act.

Sofia is often on the verge of a breakdown, occasionally letting out her grievances at her family in short bursts — once even hitting her children — but it only takes a split second for her to get back into her faithful mother role. After all, she can only count on her family and Cleo to save her from completely losing her mind.

Director Alfonso Cuarón conveys how Cleo’s daily frustrations are shared by

Yalitza Aparicio and Marco Graf in a scene from “Roma.”

COURTESY OF NETFLIX

many, and yet all these hard working women have no choice but to keep pushing forth with their lives despite everything that’s thrown at them. This is an enduring image, one that makes Cleo’s words all the more heartbreaking: if dead, she would be at peace rather than having to face the endless burdens on her shoulders.

“Roma,” the latest film from streaming giant Netflix, is a black-and-white, semi-autobiographical Mexican drama based on Cuarón’s upbringing — vastly different from his most recent Oscar winning film, the sci-fi blockbuster “Gravity.”

In the vein of “The 400 Blows,” Cuarón has made a film so personal and specific that the work inversely becomes a universal story on family and the hardships of being a mother. Alongside directing, he also wrote, shot, produced and co-edited the film.

While the film’s themes are relatable to any viewer, the way in which Cuarón tells the story may not be. “Roma” is a film that has to grow on its audience. It opens with credits playing over a tight shot of soapy water washing over a diamond pattern in a garage. After a few minutes, the camera pans up to reveal the mostly silent Cleo. This singular shot prepares the viewer for the patience they will need to have throughout the rest of the film. It takes a while before arriving at an incident — Cleo getting pregnant — and the filmmaker uses several long takes to showcase mundane things like Cleo cleaning up the house, her home life or the bustling streets of Mexico. His deliberation is initially frustrating and seemingly aimless. The last hour was definitely the most engaging

of the entire film, but that is only because Cuarón had patiently dived into each of the characters and the world of the film at its start, making the viewer as familiar with them as possible for when the real drama kicks in.

“

But beneath this gloomy period piece exterior is a personal narrative that provides a message on how family members can save one another in times of strife.

”

Humanity’s resiliance against adversity persists in all of his films. “Roma” is no different, but the way it tackles this theme feels more depressing because of how unrealistic it is. A scene of Cleo in a hospital during an earthquake shows debris falling in the baby room, which she treats with striking normalcy as if to accept that this is the way the world is: unbearable and

ripping apart. This feeling is reinforced later when Cuarón recreates the 1971 Corpus Christi massacre in a scene where Cleo and Teresa (Verónica García), Sofia’s mother, are in a furniture store. During the frenzy, Cleo’s water breaks and her rush to give birth is juxtaposed — and nearly hindered — with the chaotic loss of life around her. Despite all these harsh circumstances, Cuarón still builds towards an ending that proclaims that life can improve, mainly through the support that the family and Cleo are constantly providing one another to survive each day.

The Netflix film is having a short theatrical run, but it is likely many people will later watch it on their laptop — that would be a grave mistake. “Roma” stands as one of the most visually beautiful films of the year, surpassing even the grand visuals of a colorful blockbuster like “Avengers: Infinity War.” It needs to be seen in the theater. Cuarón achieves an interesting memory-like effect with several sweeping pans and epic landscape shots that look like they came straight out of a dream, but the film’s black-and-white aesthetic is really used to signify an unbiased reflection of his past.

“Roma” is a challenging watch but ultimately a necessary one. Cuarón explores the daily sociopolitics of early 1970s Mexico, breathing energy into a past era of the country. But beneath this gloomy period piece exterior is a personal narrative that provides a message on how family members can save one another in times of strife.

Email Guru Ramanathan at gramanathan@nyunews.com.

Washington Square News | Arts

MONDAY, DECEMBER 3, 2018

7

New School and NYU Collide for Haiku

By MEGAN O’BRIEN Staff Writer Today, fans may recognize musical outfit Haiku by their cohesive, syrupy sound — yet the alternative rhythm and blues collective originally sprouted from very different seeds.

Haiku was formed in 2017 by Gallatin juniors Kat Aman and Connor Sandstorm. From there, the band continued to grow adding pianist CAS junior Derin Calgar, bassist Morgan Guerin and drummer Jacob Patrone, both from the New School. The fabric of the band is held together by its unique marriage between NYU and The New School students, who recently released their latest single “Strawberry Honey.”

Frontwoman Aman began taking voice lessons at age eight, focusing on classical music.

This led her to attend the Manhattan School of Music for her first year of college, until she realized a professional career in classical music would not fulfill her.

“I love art and poetry and the way that

classical music takes you to a different place and makes you feel a certain way, but it wasn’t hard to realize that that was not necessarily the world that I want to be in,” Aman said, whose transfer to NYU prompted her to begin making her own music.

She finds the process of writing and producing music incredibly satisfying.

“To be able to actually create a world for people to step into sonically is a gift that I will always be blessed to have,” she reflected.

Finding her sound, however, was not easy, muddying the otherwise smooth transition away from classical music.

Through the help of her guitarist and friend Connor Sandstorm, producer and boyfriend, Leke Ode and friend Josiah Valerius, Aman was guided through her musical journey — and her sound came naturally. While she credits the support of her friends, a two-month stint without music also proved invaluable to the evolution of her career. Aman confessed that unhealthy comparison definitely held her back in the past.

‘Network’ Is a Genius Adaptation of the Film

COURTESY OF THE NATIONAL THEATRE

Bryan Cranston in “Network,” a Broadway adaptation of the 1976 film.

By KAYLEE DEFREITAS Contributing Writer Based on the 1976 movie of the same name, “Network” is just as relevant now as it was back then. This new production is a brash, gut-punching satire on network news as well as the blurred lines of reality that come with troubling times.

“Network” follows the TV station UBS as its lead anchor, Howard Beale, is laid off. In his last appearances on his show, he delves into rants about the state of the world that are obscene yet profoundly true. This ends up boosting ratings, and as a result, UBS keeps Beale on the staff. What ensues is a chaotic representation of what happens when the news becomes uncensored and opinions are free to fly.

Director Ivo Van Hove is known for his unique and experimental takes on the works of Arthur Miller and many other classic playwrights. His adaptation of “Network” deserves every praise possible.

The task of adapting a film that is hailed by many as a classic is always tricky, but Lee Hall and Van Hove do it with grace and confidence. The reimagining of the legendary “mad as hell” scene is immensely captivating and seems almost more tailored for this contemporary audience than that of the film.

The stage of the Belasco Theater has been completely transformed for this production. Screens have been put up all around and the stage is set exactly like that of a real newsroom. This set is as integral to the show as the actors and the audience.

The constant camera lenses pointing at the actors and projecting them onto every single screen fuels the feeling of constant invasion and the blurring of what is real and what is fake. Few moments on stage are not

‘Network’ Belasco Theatre 111 W. 44th St. OPENS Dec. 6 DIRECTOR Ivo Van Hove STARRING Bryan Cranston

blasted onto these screens, even seemingly private moments, showing that in this world, no one is safe from prying eyes.

Bryan Cranston, who many know as the star of “Breaking Bad,” is a tour de force as Howard Beale. He takes command of every scene he is in and demands that you hear him and pay attention to his every move. His dual portrayal of a man on the verge of madness and a screen personality is larger than life and is perfectly performed.

Cranston demonstrates an in-depth knowledge of what his character wants to say and how he wants to say it. This understanding of the role makes his performance the most noteworthy of all those in the powerhouse cast.

“Network” was a film that tapped into the anger of a generation and gave them something to latch onto and relate to. The same emotions that ran high when the film was made exist today on an even higher level. This production realizes this and uses it to its advantage by changing very little .

“Network” is definitely a show to keep an eye on at the Tony Awards this year.

From the performances to the genius adaptation of the source material, it is a significant piece of theatre that offers so much to those who are still “mad as hell, and not going to take it anymore.”

Email Kaylee Defreitas at arts@nyunews.com.

“Comparing yourself to other people is great in maturing your musical process, but over-comparison can ruin you,” Aman said. That’s why she decided to nix music from her life temporarily until her personal sound was locked in, instead listening only to podcasts.

However, this has not been her only challenge since joining the music industry.

“Artists have a lot of trouble getting respect until you’re really popular and you’re making lots of money, and even then you have a lot of trouble,” she said.

“Being a young black woman definitely does not help, although the music industry is a far more progressive workplace.”

To combat this, Aman deems “thick skin, strong mindset and knowledge,” imperative weapons against the obstacles she may face down the road. Haiku’s newest single “Strawberry Honey,” released Nov. 16, has lent her more knowledge and strengthened her repertoire in the industry.

The track is sourced from a journal entry: A wave rushed over Aman, settling her in a deep mood of appreciation for women.

COURTESY OF HAIKU

Kat Aman and Connor Sandstorm formed Haiku in 2017.

The song chronicles how “f-cking dope and sweet and awesome” women are and, specifically, “the feelings of love for a beautiful lady.” The song combines Aman’s slick rap verses with sets of belting, heartfelt riffs.

Layered with jazzy instruments, the song demands to be blared from any speaker.

‘‘Strawberry Honey” is available for streaming on all platforms. Catch Haiku at Rockwood Music Hall on Dec. 6.

Email Megan O’Brien at music@nyunews.com.

3OH!3 Commands Irving Plaza

By NICOLE ROSENTHAL Music Editor Ten years ago was a much simpler time. Teens faced an epidemic of texter’s thumb, watched iTunes-bought Jersey Shore episodes from their iTouch devices and uploaded their latest revelations to MySpace.

It might feel like millenia ago, but electronic rock duo 3OH!3 brought the nostalgia to the forefront Tuesday night for their Want House Party tour in conjunction with Los Angeles-based DJs Emo Nite. To celebrate the tenth anniversary of their Billboard-charting release “Want,” the pair took to the stage to perform the LP in all its nostalgic glory.

Preceded by an equally nostalgic DJ set by Emo Nite featuring throwback hits such as Paramore’s “Misery Business” and Fall Out Boy’s “Dance, Dance,” the main set began with the sound of a doorbell ringing that echoed around the venue. “Someone’s at the door!” announced the DJs of Emo Nite, further employing the house party gimmick as 3OH!3 members Sean Foreman and Nathaniel Motte took to the stage and were met with massive

applause from the audience.

On a stage decorated with two laserbeam-eyed wolves and assorted living room furniture, the duo began with “PUNKB-TCH,” which provoked a large mosh pit in the center of the room where audience members thrashed, jumped and collided with each other to the beat of the duo’s jarring synths.

Chronologically hitting every song on the album (save for “DONTTRUSTME,” the band’s claim to fame and its highest chart-topping single to date), the Denver-based band grooved with the audience to “CHOKECHAIN” and “I’M NOT YOUR BOYFRIEND BABY” until the energy in the room shifted completely with “STARSTRUKK.” When the top-10 single and Katy Perry collaboration came on, the audience were undeniably excited — singing along with the electronic group.

As the pair finished the final song on the album and bowed offstage, the DJs from Emo Nite returned, dishing out several more nostalgia-tinged tracks until their closer, My Chemical Romance’s “Welcome to the Black Parade,” sparked explosive energy back into the audience, prompting

crowd-surfing and a whole lot of moshing. As the house lights rose, the entire room erupted into the dramatic musical number.

“That won’t be hard to top,” said Motte sarcastically as 3OH!3 returned to the stage for an encore. The duo immediately broke into their 2010 single “My First Kiss,” which originally featured Kesha. As the band expressed gratitude to their fans, Foreman couldn’t help but thank the audience for listening to “this next song when they were, like, eight years old.”

As soon as first lines of “DONTTRUSTME” were sung, the crowd went wild. Buzzing synths filled the room as the floor shook with the crowd jumping up and down to the hard-hitting beats. The combined nostalgia and lighthearted atmosphere made for the perfect audience energy.

For a night, Irving Plaza served as a time machine, transporting scores of fans a decade into the past — and Denver’s 3OH!3 proved to be the perfect capsule.

Email Nicole Rosenthal at nrosenthal@nyunews.com.

NICOLE ROSENTHAL | WSN

3OH!3 members Sean Foreman and Nathaniel Motte played their chart-topping 2008 album “Want” on Tuesday at Irving Plaza.

Washington Square News

8

OPINION@NYUNEWS.COM

MONDAY, DECEMBER 3, 2018

OPINION

Edited by JANICE LEE

ART IN COLOR

Asian Artists Should Be Free to Tell Their Stories

By ASH RYOO Columnist As an Asian musical theater performer and writer, I have always have felt the pressure to constantly be accepted by the mostly white, upper-class demographic of theatergoers. I have sometimes felt fear that my experiences are too different or abstract from those of my audience.

I know I’m not the only one who feels this way — there is the constant fear that our stories will not be understood or appreciated by those who need to hear them.

And when I recently spoke to Cheeyang Ng — a student who, like me, is also in the

Tisch musical theater writing program — I began to feel a bit of relief.

Born and raised in Singapore, Ng is a musical theater composer, earning his undergraduate degree from the Berklee College of Music before he joined the Tisch program. Hearing his experiences as a storyteller, I found the value in creating stories the audience will respond to, and that there is importance in tapping into our own personal reservoirs of experiences and inspiration. As artists and storytellers of color, we should not allow ourselves to be discouraged by our fear that we will be misunderstood or judged.

All of our stories are relevant — all of our stories matter.

Ng, like me, cherishes his heritage for shaping who he is. Drawing from his own cultural background, he co-created “Eastbound,” a musical based on the fate of two Chinese brothers born in the time of the one-child policy, leading to the adoption of one of the brothers by an American family. Depicting the intertwining

of two somewhat divergent cultures, the musical combines the rich textures of the Mandarin dialect and heavily Asian influenced music with American-English dialogue and more conventional American musical theater scores.

“The more I dug into the writing, I found I have perspectives underrepresented in the world right now,” Ng said, “and people responded to what I had to say.”

Receiving recognition and critical acclaim for “Eastbound,” Ng and his collaborator won the NAMT Writer’s Grant and the NYTB IMPACT award.

Listening to Ng, I was encouraged to find that audiences had related emotionally to a story about two men of Asian ethnicity struggling to find their identity. The landscape that the musical depicted was one very different from the experiences of the general American audience; yet something in the musical resonated with its viewers and moved them. For Ng, the key was being truthful and unabashed about the story he wanted to tell.

“You’ve got to write your own sh-t,” Ng said. “You have to be yourself. If you’re trying to be someone else you are not, your words will never come through.”

Because of how self-conscious I have felt about how the audience might view me as an outsider and as an Asian artist, I had forgotten my core ambition as a musical theater artist, which was simply to tell an intriguing story worth listening to, regardless of race, culture or creed. The story would doubtlessly be connected to the experiences which formed me as an artist — namely my Asian background — but the audience will pay heed to it only if I am willing to face my task as a storyteller with integrity and honesty.

Of course, Ng did not deny that there were certain setbacks which came from being a non-white artist in the musical theater industry. These inconveniences, which he described as “systematic,” are flaws of an institution that has greatly lacked representation in the past. But his mission to “challenge people’s perspectives” never served to

deter or discourage him as a creative artist.

In fact, it gave him, and should give all artists of color, a sense of purpose.

The job of a storyteller is to make other people see their own truths reflected within a fictional narrative. And regardless of our unique situations and dispositions, we, as artists can be capable of telling our stories as long as we are truthful to ourselves. And, though I will continue to protest unequally distributed privileges, remembering who I am and where I come from will always be my priority as an artist, and as an artist of color.

Art in Color is a column that strives to answer the question of how artists of color — who set themselves apart from other artists with their ethnicity and the exotic quality their works possess — meet the challenges posed by the beloved visionary of creation.

Email Ash Ryoo at opinion@nyunews.com.

UNIVERSITY LIFE

Breaking Down the Core Experience

By VIRAL SHANKER Copy Chief You tear your eyes away from the computer screen as something pokes you. The girl next to you is handing you the attendance sheet. You take it — it’s the whole reason you even bother to show up. Still,

as you take the sheet, you try to catch what the professor is saying. Something about Rousseau and the property? Who cares.

You sign the sheet and turn to the guy next to you. He’s dozing with his head on a laptop. A couple of prods and he blinks blearily at you, takes the sheet, signs in four names and goes back to sleep.

Welcome to a Core class.

The College Core Curriculum aims to “give students in the College the skills and breadth of intellectual perspective to flourish in their major programs.” This seems, at first glance, a noble enough goal — a student in a field like, say, computer science, can pick up writing skills which could be vital for her future and would not be cov-

ered by major classes. In practice however, Core classes are a chore and a waste of students’ time and NYU’s resources.

For many, Core classes are not enriching. When it comes time to pick classes, questions like “what’s the easiest Texts and Ideas class?” fly around — and these are testament to the fact that they’re a chore, not something students legitimately want to take. Students enroll in them to tick off a box off of their graduation requirements and hopefully not tank their GPA. The primary issue is the sheer number of classes the Core Curriculum requires for CAS students – 13 at most. That’s more than three full semesters of the eight semesters most students stay in college. For

reference, a major takes around 10 classes and a minor takes four. Now, it is important to note that a major will typically fulfill at least some Core requirements, so a CAS student will have to take fewer than 13.

The truth of the matter is, to many students, college is a means to an end. A whopping 85 percent of first—years go to college to get a good job. If the Core program was cut down from 13 classes to say, four or five, students would suddenly have eight free slots for classes. Classes that would otherwise would be spent moaning, complaining and basically doing the least amount of work to get the requirement complete. A minor or even another major could give students an edge in the job

market that Core classes simply don’t. Or, a student could simply graduate a year early, saving herself tens of thousands at NYU and still have a degree.

Again, at its core, the Core Curriculum is solid — there are some skills that every budding adult, regardless of major, should know. NYU needs to trim the fat, only keeping vital classes like Writing the Essay and Quantitative Reasoning. Not only will these relaxed requirements give students more room to explore, but it will lead students to take classes they might actually stay awake in.

Email Viral Shanker at vshanker@nyunews.com.

CULTURE

You Can Stop Pretending You Don’t Like Romantic Comedies

By SARAH JOHN Contributing Writer I’m just going to come out and say it because I know someone needs to hear this right now. You don’t actually hate romantic comedies. You’re just listening too much to that pretentious voice in your head, and if you’re not careful, that voice will probably drown you in Wes Anderson films, LaCroix and regret.

Romantic comedies, often known as rom-coms, are very diverse. Some are incredibly complex and use humor to craft commentary on relationships. Some are god-awful and exist solely to give viewers a chance to gawk at Ryan Gosling. But like all films, both types have a valid, noble goal — to act as a brief reprieve from everyday life.

Yet fans of romantic comedies face unique criticism. Personally, when I go to find my favorite romantic comedy on streaming platforms, I never understand why the category reads “Guilty Pleasures.”

Why would I want a dose of shame along with my movie, Netflix? While guilty pleasure is merely an expression, there is some truth to the idea that liking romantic comedies is often associated with embarrassment.

Some people label the entire genre and those who like it as “shallow,” and I cannot for the

life of me understand why.

I personally love romantic comedies.

I think they’re a window into so much more than just romantic love. The genre is about what happens when people find a connection, and the lengths they will go to keep or recover it. It is about vulnerability and intimacy. Yes, many of them are full of cliches and can be over-sentimental. But you know what?

Love — platonic or romantic — is the most cliche, sentimental thing out there.

We might as well embrace it now. So while “27 Dresses” and “Crazy, Stupid Love” will probably not be remembered as some of history’s most groundbreaking films, it is worth noting that romantic comedies have real value.

We often underestimate how remarkably good the romantic comedy is at

humanizing people. At their best, these films can have a uniquely powerful impact; they make us laugh, cry and reflect on our own relationships. But most importantly, the rom-com’s talent for encouraging vulnerability has the potential to make our world a better place. Romantic comedies paint people as worthy of being valued and desired while asking viewers to open themselves up to each character’s experiences in love.

For groups of people who do not typically fit society’s golden standard of beauty — whether because of race, body type or other factors — representation in a romantic comedy is deeply reaffirming. Just look at the success of films like “Love, Simon” and “To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before.” People like to know that love is something that belongs to them

too. I personally can say that after all my years of hearing people casually mention they just “aren’t into black girls,” romantic comedies with black female leads have become touching signs of acceptance.

There is nothing cliche or tacky about watching a romantic comedy. If anything, it is a sign of embracing vulnerability, optimism and human connection.

The romantic comedy says to the world, “hey, everybody is struggling with relationships,” but it also insists we all crack a joke or two while we’re at it.

Personally, I refuse to have any guilt for liking that idea — no matter how many times any streaming platform calls my film choices a guilty pleasure.

Email Sarah John at opinion@nyunews.com.

Washington Square News | Opinion

MONDAY, DECEMBER 3, 2018

9

JUST TECH-ING IN

NYU Isn’t Representing Women in STEM

By SERENA VANCHIRO Columnist “Congratulations! You’ve been accepted into our 2018-2019 Fellowship!” I was confused by the words I read on my friend’s screen. “You got in?” I asked. I refreshed my email one more time, hoping to be greeted by the same, exciting words.

And yet, there was nothing.

A few weeks ago, my friend and I both applied for the same winter computer science fellowship, outside of NYU. As a junior studying Mechanical Engineering, my application was punctuated with technical training and leadership experiences: internships, hackathons and relevant coursework that made me a qualified candidate. Meanwhile, my friend, a first-year mechanical engineering student, who is an incredible individual and will no doubt make a brilliant engineer one day, lacked these experiences. Yet, weeks later, I sat staring at an empty inbox while he looked at an acceptance letter.

In that moment, like many other women in STEM, I couldn’t help but feel the sting of my gender.

When I decided to go into engineering, many warned me of the prejudices and disadvantages I would face as a woman in the field. I was told that I would lose job opportunities to less qualified men, make less money than men and feel voiceless in the workplace. Getting rejected from the fellowship was the first time I personally experienced institutional sexism; at least that’s what I thought. However, upon further inspection I realized to my dismay that these same prejudices exist within our own university. With clubs like the Association for Computing Machinery Women’s Chapter, the Society of Women Engineers and Women of Excellent Strength and Tenacity, NYU gives the illusion that it prioritizes the female STEM community’s concerns. The unfortunate truth, however, is that our university still has a lot of work to do before we can feel that our needs are being met and that the disparities between genders in STEM programs at NYU are addressed.

The problem begins with our enrollment rates. With an enrollment of over 2,500 undergraduate students in fall 2017, only 900 were women. There are nearly twice as many men as women, and students at Tandon will tell you that the disproportionate ratio is noticeable. My roommate, a Computer Science major, recounts experiences of being one of five women in a lecture of over 50 students.

This experience is universal to women in STEM here at NYU and it leaves students feeling alone and isolated on campus.

Furthermore, this gender gap is not unique to the student body; it extends to the faculty as well. Within Mechanical En-

Submitting to

gineering — a department comprised of over 50 core, affiliated and adjunct faculty members — five members are women.

This issue plagues every major at Tandon, with an average of six female faculty members per major. Most of my female peers have only had the opportunity to take a class with a female professor twice in their college career.

Representation matters. At NYU, a university that values diversity above all else, this huge gender gap is a clear indication that the diversity here is lacking, leaving female students feeling isolated on campus.

The Student Government Assembly, a group which should advocate for the needs of underrepresented groups on campus, completely excludes women in STEM in its representation. Of the 93 school senators, Senators-at-Large, Alternate Senators-at-Large and presidents, only one represents women in STEM; not a single one represent women in STEM as a constituency. The closest we come to having a voice on campus is with Zainab Babikir, the alternate Senator-at-Large for Muslim Women in STEM. That’s not to invalidate the work that Babikir is doing for this community, since there is a need for representation at the intersections of ethnic and religious minorities in STEM; but it must be acknowledged that this leaves other women from minority groups — like myself, a person of Latin and Jewish descent, from a low-income and immigrant background — completely voiceless. As a group that already experiences prejudice and misogyny from students, professors and institutions at large, we are further divided and silenced in the spaces where we are supposed to be heard.

NYU and its student body need to recognize that far more work needs to be done before women in STEM feel represented.

Tandon must not only continue working toward closing the gender gap in terms of the composition of the school, but also ensure that these women are equipped to later succeed in the field. Those with greater executive power should implement a shift in the state of representation on campus. As it stands now, we are unable to build the networks and relationships imperative to our success in the field because of the limitations of women in STEM represented within our university. The student body also has a responsibility to advocate for the representation for women in STEM at NYU. Spaces that are meant to advocate for marginalized groups, like the SGA, should be doing their jobs. Instead, they not only fail to represent us, but also serve only to further divide and silence us.

What do SpaceX, a commercial leader in the aerospace world, and LELO, a European sextoy company, have in common? They’re both pioneers in the tech world and simultaneously changing our lives in more ways than one. Just Tech-ing In will discuss socially and technologically relevant topics like forthcoming innovations, tech controversies, women in STEM and university updates on Tandon projects and startups.

Email Serena Vanchiro at opinion@nyunews.com.

STAFF EDITORIAL

A Semester in Review As our semester comes to a close, the WSN Editorial Board would like to take the time to reflect on some of the most pivotal issues that have influenced campus life and encouraged student activism during the past few months, whether campus-wide, national or international. Though this certainly isn’t a round-up of every issue that has shaken the NYU community this semester, from the perspective of the Opinion Desk, these are important topics we feel a certain duty to continue a public conversation around.

Dr. Christine Blasey Ford and Justice Brett Kavanaugh The Supreme Court nomination of Brett Kavanaugh and its impact on the NYU community was covered extensively by this publication. WSN felt compelled to not only give a platform to the voices inspired by Blasey Ford, but also to acknowledge the complexity of the issue of sexual harassment. Graduate student Monica Luna wrote a powerful open letter to Blasey Ford based on her personal experiences enduring backlash for coming forward with sexual assault allegations. Contributing writer Max Gordon wrote on his concerns with the #MeToo movement as a result of these allegations coming forward. Deputy Opinion Editor Hanna Khosravi also wrote a thank-you letter to Blasey Ford from our Editorial Board recognizing her bravery in testifying before the entire country despite a circus of malicious criticism.

Milo Yiannopoulos The NYU campus became embroiled in the controversy regarding Milo Yiannopoulos when LS Professor Michael Rectenwald invited the hate-enticing conservative commentator to one of his classes. Groups on campus immediately rallied against the announcement of Yiannopoulos’ visit to NYU, and the postponing of the event due to public safety concerns raised by New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio. WSN’s coverage of the firestorm surrounding Yiannopoulos ranged from student perspectives on campus free speech to our Editorial Board’s own reflections on how to responsibly inform our student body about Yiannopoulos without further amplifying his hateful rhetoric.

Israel-Palestine Conflict on Campus Student senators announced the proposal of a resolution last month directing NYU to cut all ties with companies affiliated with Israel as called for by the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement. Tensions between pro-Israel and pro-Palestine groups on campus seemed to manifest in the intentional placement of an Israeli flag over a Palestinian flag in a Kimmel Center for Student Life window while Meor was tabling outside at the same time, and the flag was placed behind their table. Students representing both support and opposition to the BDS movement vocalized their stances in WSN. Board of Trustees and Student Advocacy Earlier this year, the NYU Board of Trustees rejected

three University Senate-approved resolutions calling for student and faculty representation on the board, instead responding with concessions promising to facilitate communication through regular meetings with the Senate.

The NYU Student Labor Action Movement has adamantly advocated and organized for increased representation in the university administration, and despite the vocal student response to the rejection of the solutions, the board declined WSN’s request to speak with any board members about the controversy.

Jamal Khashoggi and NYU’s Abu Dhabi Problem Jamal Khashoggi’s death at the hands of the Saudi government increased international scrutiny of Saudi Arabia and its allies, including the United Arab Emirates.

As human rights violations and media censorship in the region come more clearly into focus for the larger public, we should consider NYU’s stake in the UAE through the form of a degree-granting campus in Abu Dhabi. We must be wary of NYU’s precarious positioning and hesitation in responding to recent events. Following British academic Matthew Hedges’s arrest and life sentence on account of espionage in the UAE, we must also be wary of the safety of our students. Since the trajectory implies that the tensions will only rise, we have to consider how to hold NYU leadership accountable.

Being@NYU, Food Insecurity and Mental Health With the release of the Being@NYU survey results this semester, issues of belonging, mental health and food insecurity emerged as areas requiring immediate attention.

In fact, while 80.6 percent of survey respondents reported feeling either “comfortable” or “very comfortable” with the campus climate, 33 percent of undergraduate students responded that they had considered leaving NYU in the past year. 63.2 percent of those students reported to have felt this way because of a lack of belonging. Also this semester, with WSN’s reporting on the courtesy meal plan and a recent town hall, food insecurity has finally become a topic of public discourse. It is clear that a significant number of NYU students struggle financially, and the university should continue doing its part to help.

At the WSN Editorial Board, we thoroughly believe that these issues are not confined by academic terms, and that our goal to provide the student body with the utmost transparency on these issues should not be tethered to the timeline of a news cycle. We carefully choose our editorials based on the issues which we believe are the most crucial to our campus, and we have been encouraged to see the strength of student voices both on a campus-wide and on a national scale. We have continuously been emboldened by our active student body, and we stand by our choice and our responsibility to hold those in power accountable.

Email the Editorial Board at editboard@nyunews.com.

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

SEND MAIL TO: 75 THIRD AVE. #SB07, NEW YORK, N.Y. 10003 OR EMAIL: OPINION@NYUNEWS.COM WSN welcomes letters to the editor, opinion pieces and articles relevant to the NYU community, or in response to articles. Letters should be less than 450 words. All submissions must be typed or emailed and must include the author’s name, address and phone number. Members of the NYU community must include a year and school or job title. WSN does not print unsigned letters or editorials. WSN reserves the right to reject any submission and edit accepted submissions in any and all ways. With the exception of the staff editorial, opinions expressed on the editorial pages are not necessarily those of WSN, and our publication of opinions is not an endorsement of them.

Washington Square News

10

SPORTS

SPORTS@NYUNEWS.COM

WEEKLY UPDATE

Swimming and Diving Finish First Half of Season on a Strong Note

By BRENDAN DUGGAN and ZACH HAN Sports Editors Women’s Basketball Following an 11-point win over Smith College on Nov. 25, the NYU women’s basketball team faced off against Stevens Institute of Technology for their fourth game of the season. Nursing sophomore Katie Foos led the Violets with 15 points, shooting 5-for-10 from behind the arc. SPS senior Olivia Linebarger finished with six points and a team-high nine rebounds, but the Violets fell 13 points short, losing 60-47 to the Ducks.

Three days later, the Violets looked to bounce back and hosted Westfield State in their home opener at the Sportsplex in Manhattan. The Violets entered halftime up ten points, 43-33, and went on to win 79-74 to improve to 3-2 for the season. Foos led the Violets with a career-high 23 points and also added nine rebounds. SPS senior Olivia Linebarger finished with a double-double, tallying 12 points and 10 rebounds, while CAS first-year Bianca Notarainni contributed 11 points and nine rebounds.

The Violets look to continue their winning streak when they resume action on today against Rutgers University in Newark.

Men’s Basketball

The NYU men’s basketball team looked to avenge its Nov. 24 loss to the College of Staten Island as it squared off against Rosemont College on Nov. 27 in Brooklyn. Going into halftime tied at 36, the Violets fell three points short to Rosemont 69-66. Leading the Violets was CAS junior Dom Cristiano, who finished with a team-high 23 points and also added six rebounds. CAS junior Cameron Moore added 11 points and seven rebounds, and CAS sophomore Bobby Hawkinson contributed 10 points and six rebounds.

The men’s team played again this past Saturday, facing off against Alfred State at the Sportsplex in Manhattan.

Trailing by three points at the half, the Violets were outscored 42-34 in the second half and lost the match 78-67, moving to 3-4 for the season. CAS junior Dom Cristiano led the Violets again, putting up a double-double with 25 points and 10 rebounds. SPS junior Jimmy Martinelli added 19 points, and CAS sophomore Bobby Hawkinson finished with 11 points, four rebounds and four assists.

The Violets return to action on Thursday when they take on Albertus Magnus College in New Haven, Connecticut.

Swimming and Diving

Both the men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams competed at the Total Performance Invitational at Kenyon College from Nov. 29 to Dec. 1.

The men finished third out of five teams with 1,963.5 points, behind Kenyon College and Carnegie Mellon University. NYU maintained third place throughout the weekend, failing to

MONDAY, DECEMBER 3, 2018

edge either Kenyon or CMU. Highlight performers for the weekend were Nursing first-year Cole Vertin with third place finishes in the one-meter and three-meter dive as well as Stern sophomore Elan Oumarov with a first place finish in the 200-yard butterfly and a fourth place finish in the 100-yard butterfly.

The women had a bit more success, finishing second out of five teams with 2,180 points only behind Kenyon College. The Violets earned second place on day one and never let go of it. Highlight performers from the weekend include Stern junior Honore Collins (first in the 400-yard IM, first in the 200-yard butterfly and second in the 200-yard IM), CAS first-year Rachel Reistroffer (third in the 500-yard freestyle), Stern first-year Terra Matsushima (second in the 100-yard butterfly), CAS first-year Nina Fink (second in the three-meter dive and third in the one-meter dive) and CAS senior Kelly Ryser (second in the one-meter dive).

NYU dominated the 1,650 yard-freestyle taking the top four spots. The Violets also performed well in multiple relays, taking third place in the 400yard medley relay and second in the 800-yard freestyle.

This invitational marked the first half of the swimming and diving season. Both teams return to the pool on Jan. 11 with the men taking on the United States Merchant Marine Academy and the women taking on LIU Post.

The NFL Fails to Punish Violence

By BELA KIRPALANI Editor-at-Large On Friday, news broke that Kansas City Chiefs star running back Kareem Hunt was cut from the team, following his paid suspension from the NFL. The league’s decision came in response to a released video from February showing Hunt “knocking down” and kicking a woman in a Cleveland hotel. However, according to a statement from the Chief’s organization, the team’s decision to release Hunt was not due to video evidence of assault, and instead because “Kareem was not truthful” with management in internal discussions earlier this year regarding his altercation.

Putting aside the implausible fact that TMZ was able to obtain a copy of the video while NFL officials were not, the fact remains that the league and the Chiefs failed to take disciplinary action after the incident involving Hunt, 23, first came to light in February. This is also not the first time Hunt has been involved in a violent incident. In June, he reportedly punched a man in the face at a resort in Ohio, but no charges were filed.

Hunt’s case has joined a long list of questionable, often violent, incidents involving NFL players. Just a week ago, NFL linebacker Reuben Foster was arrested on a domestic violence charge in Tampa, Florida. The San Francisco 49ers released Foster from the team hours after the incident, but that didn’t stop the Washington Redskins from picking him up a mere three days after

Women’s Soccer

NYU had three athletes named to the All-East Region Teams, announced on Nov. 27.

CAS senior Maddie Peña was named to the First Team All-Region, while Tandon first-year Rachel O’Keefe and Stern junior Isabelle Turner were named to the Second Team All-Region.

Peña set an NYU record with assists in a single season with 10, which also led the UAA. She also led NYU in points with 24. O’Keefe posted shutouts in about half of the games she started this season. Turner led NYU in goals for the season with eight.

The women’s team went 10-6-3 for the season with a 5-1-1 record in UAA play which was good enough for a second-place finish.

Email Brandan Duggan and Zach Han at sports@nyunews.com.

the news broke. The league has since placed Foster on paid administrative leave, meaning he will not be able to practice with the Redskins or participate in their games until the NFL makes a final disciplinary decision.

Since being drafted into the NFL last year, Foster was charged with felony domestic violence in April and was suspended without pay by the league for two games in relation to a weapons offense and a misdemeanor drug offense that were resolved earlier this year.

In recent years the NFL has faced backlash over the ways it has handled, or rather mishandled, domestic violence cases. In 2014, the league suspended Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice for two games for punching his then-fiancee Janay Palmer.

Following intense criticism from the public, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell revised the league’s policy and increased Rice’s suspension to six games. A week later, TMZ released a video showing Rice physically assaulting Palmer, but Goodell said the NFL had not seen the new video. The parallels between the case of Ray Rice in 2014 and Kareem Hunt in 2018 are evident.

After the Ray Rice controversy, the league promised to change. Goodell introduced several new policies that included stiffer penalties, less reliance on law enforcement for guidance and a more capable investigative team at the NFL that includes former sex crimes prosecutor, Lisa Friel. But has anything really changed? The league’s punishments have not been sufficient nor consistent enough and as a result, the vio-

KEITH ALLISON VIA FLICKR.COM

Former Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice who was suspended for six games after punching his-then fiancée Janay Palmer.

lence does not seem to be stopping. Since Ray Rice, there’s been Adrian Peterson, Greg Hardy, Ray McDonald, Josh Brown, Tyreek Hill, Ezekiel Elliot and LeSean McCoy, to name a few.

The litany of examples since at least 2014 demonstrate the NFL’s pattern of failing to take meaningful action, unless there is damning video footage and enough public outrage to go with it. By failing to properly investigate cases of assault involving their players and by allowing Commissioner Goodell to singlehandedly determine punishments, it seems that to the league officials and team owners, as long television ratings are up and their teams are winning, it is acceptable to excuse players’ actions off the field.

Email Bela Kirpalani at bkirpalani@nyunews.com.

How the NET Ranking System Works

Wrestling

NYU scored 104 points en route to a fourth place finish among 15 teams at the Ted Reese Invitational on Dec. 1.

CAS junior Jack La Corte was the star for the Violets, winning four matches (two by fall and two by decision) and taking the 197-pound title. Stern junior Sean Lyons (157 pounds) and CAS junior Jackson Kligerman (184 pounds) both finished with second place honors while CAS junior Dylan Dwyer and CAS first-year Izaake Zuckerman took third place honors.

The Violets will return to the mat when they take on the United States Merchant Marine Academy on Dec. 9.

Edited by BRENDAN DUGGAN and ZACH HAN

VIA OSAN.AF.MIL

Jay Williams and Kevin Connors, ESPN college basketball commentators, wait to go live.

By ZACH HAN Sports Editor The NCAA decided to make a drastic change to its Division I men’s basketball ranking system when it introduced the NCAA Evaluation Tool prior to the start of the 2018 to 2019 season.

After much deliberation over the past few months by the Division I NCAA men’s basketball committee, basketball analysts, statisticians and coaches, the NET was set to replace the previous ranking system, the Ratings Performance Index. RPI has been the ranking system for all NCAA men’s basketball divisions since 1981 and has been the ranking system for NCAA women’s basketball since 1984.

This is the second straight year the NCAA has attempted to make the ranking system more accurate. Before the 2017 to 2018 season, the NCAA introduced a quadrant system that gave more weight to wins away than wins at home, no matter the opponent’s ranking.

RPI was based on a simple equation

that determined the rating of teams relative to other teams. Essentially, it was only composed of three factors: a team’s Division I winning percentage (25 percent), a team’s opponents’ Division I winning percentage (50 percent) and a team’s opponents’ opponents’ Division I winning percentage (25 percent). The RPI ranked teams purely on their play against teams that are harder to beat.

The NET brings more variables into the equation, to attempt to make the system more accurate. These factors could impact your favorite Division I teams’ rankings.

Strength of Schedule

The strength of schedule that a team has throughout its season will now play a factor in its ranking. The change will give teams that play higher ranked opponents in a season a better chance at a high ranking because of the above-average level of competition that they will face. It will also be more lenient on the losses teams may accumulate over the season.

Team Value Index

Team Value Index is a new statistic that evaluates the quality of a team’s wins and losses. The algorithm is based on the outcome of the game, the quality of the opponent, the game’s location and the winner of the contest. Wins against higher ranked opponents will have a greater impact on a team’s ranking than wins against lower ranked opponents.

Wins on the road will have a greater impact on this index, as will losses at home.

Net Efficiency

Net Efficiency is a team’s offensive efficiency minus its defensive efficiency. Offensive efficiency is influenced by a team’s shot attempts, offensive rebounds, turnovers, free

throw percentage and average points per possession. Defensive efficiency is influenced by all the same factors but of the team’s opponent. Playing well offensively as well as defensively will generate a high net efficiency.

Winning Percentage and Adjusted Winning Percentage

A team’s Division I winning percentage, like in the RPI, will still play a factor in a team’s ranking. The NET introduces the new adjusted winning percentage which weighs the outcomes of games based on its location. The adjusted winning percentage awards teams for road wins and penalizes teams for home losses. A road win is worth 1.4 of a neutral zone win (a game played at neither team’s home stadiums) while a home win is only worth 0.6 of a neutral zone win. Similarly, a home loss is worth 1.4 of a neutral zone loss while a road loss is worth 0.6 of a neutral zone loss.

Margin of Victory

Defeating teams by a comfortable margin of victory will now net a team a better chance at a higher rank, encouraging teams to play their hardest all 40 minutes on a court. The margin of victory is capped at 10 to discourage a team from running up the score in an already decided game with time left on the clock. Overtime games, regardless of end score, will end in a margin of victory of plus one for the victors and minus one for the defeated.

The NCAA hopes that this new rating system will result in more exciting matchups in the March Madness tournament with the playing field more leveled than it has been before when RPI was in place.

Email Zach Han at zhan@nyunews.com.

MONDAY, DECEMBER 3, 2018

Washington Square News | Sports

11

Hip-Hop and Rap Stand Behind Kaep Raekwon ft. G-Eazy - “Purple Brick Road”

By BRENDAN DUGGAN Sports Editor Three years ago, during the 2016 NFL season, San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick decided to take a knee during the playing of the national anthem, sparking controversy across the league. His decision was in response to a series of police brutality cases, as he aimed to raise awareness around instances of racial inequality and law enforcement officials who were able to keep their jobs after being accused of killing unarmed people of color.

Since 2016, Kaepernick has not played in a single NFL game — and remains an unsigned free agent — but has continued to help oppressed communities and has won several accolades in the process.

While some athletes, celebrities and sports fans have supported Kaepernick since the start of his protests, other viewers have been quick to criticize Kaepernick’s efforts. The hip-hop and rap community has stood out as some of Kaepernick’s most influential advocates, as several well-known artists have openly sided with his message.

On the track “Trauma” off of his new album “Championships,” hip-hop artist Meek Mill rhymes, “They told Kaep’ stand up if you wanna play for a team / And all his teammates ain’t saying a thing (stay woke) / If you don’t stand for nothing, you gon’ fall for something / And in the ’60s, if you kneeled, you’d prolly be killed.”

Meek Mill, along with artists like Drake and Jay-Z, have used their platform to influence both the sports and music worlds.

On his second track on “Championships,” Meek Mill uses his voice to offer support to Colin Kaepernick, who has been blackballed by the NFL since he chose to kneel during the national anthem.

Meek Mill and Kaepernick both advocate for justice in today’s world, as Kaepernick sacrificed his professional sports career to raise awareness about issues of racial inequality in the United States, like mass incarceration and police brutality.

However, Meek Mill isn’t the only artist to publicly support Kaepernick, as several artists have released songs in recent years to demonstrate their loyalty to the former football star.

In 2017, Sports Illustrated awarded Kaepernick the “Muhammad Ali Legacy Award,” presented by Beyoncé, for his personal sacrifice to not play and use his platform to raise money and awareness for America’s most vulnerable communities.

In April, Amnesty International honored Kaepernick with the 2018 Ambassador of Conscience Award, an award that observes individuals who have worked to improve human rights using their talents to inspire others.

Most recently, Harvard University awarded Kaepernick with the 2018 W.E.B. Du Bois Medal, an honor that celebrates individuals who have made contributions to African-American history and culture through their efforts to improve human rights for all humans. Additionally, Kaepernick starred in Nike’s “Just Do It” campaign, narrating the “Dream Crazy” commercial, which aims to challenge their audience to imagine past their comfort zone in order to achieve their goals.

However, this public embracement of Kaepernick’s work has also come with controversy, as the video game Madden 19 featured “Big Bank,” a song by YG featuring Big Sean, 2 Chainz and Nicki Minaj, but decided to censor the words of Big Sean, as he included Kaepernick’s name in one of his lines.

Let’s take a closer look into the artists who have supported Kaepernick’s message by shouting him out in their songs: Email Brendan Duggan at bduggan@nyunews.com.

“And this is not by accident Anything can happen if you simply imagine it My OG put a torch to the blunt then he’s passin’ it Believe in something, stand for it, or take a knee and stand like Kaepernick Anything to get the point across makin’ a statement You’ll only go as far as you take it”

Travis Scott & Quavo - “Huncho Jack”

VIA FLICKR.COM

“Closet filled in designer (designer) Take a knee like the ‘Niners (Kaepernick) Join the team, don’t divide us ( join them) Then watch your money go higher”

Big Sean & Metro Boomin - “Savage Time” “So understand we gon’ see success, that’s inevitable (whoa) You couldn’t hold me down even if I was in federal (whoa) You couldn’t stop these plays even if I was ineligible Kneeling like Colin Kaepernick if that sh-t unethical (Kap)”

VIA FLICKR.COM

YG ft. 2 Chainz, Big Sean & Nick Minaj - “Big Bank”

VIA COMMONS.WIKIMEDIA.ORG

“I broke the curse in my family not having sh-t I’m passionate like girls that’s after more than just cash and d-ck Feed me to the wolves, now I lead the pack and sh-t You boys all cap, I’m more Colin Kaepernick”

Eminem - “The Storm” “F-ck that, this is for Colin, ball up a fist!

And keep that shit balled like Donald the b-tch!”

VIA FLICKR.COM

Miguel ft. J. Cole - “Come Through and Chill”

VIA FLICKR.COM

“In case my lack of reply had you catchin’ them feelings Know you’ve been on my mind like Kaepernick kneelin’ Or police killings, or Trump sayin’ slick sh-t Manipulatin’ poor white folks because they’re ignant”

Lil Wayne ft. Drake - “Family Feud (Remix)” “Super Bowl goals I’m at the crib with Puff, he got Kaepernick on the phone He in a whole different mode” VIA COMMONS.WIKIMEDIA.ORG

Mary J. Blige ft. Kendrick Lamar “American Skin (41 Shots)”

VIA COMMONS.WIKIMEDIA.ORG

“These days murders keep ‘em busy Sweet blood flowed on the gurney Yellow tape tied around the street Colin Kaepernick was more worthy”

Miguel ft. Rick Ross - “Criminal” “Every day she had to find a way to find a way Self esteem is what emotions feed Dry land and get the travel to seven seas Kaepernick of my city lil homie take a knee”

VIA FLICKR.COM

VIA COMMONS.WIKIMEDIA.ORG

Washington Square News

12

MONDAY, DECEMBER 3, 2018

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

The Rise and Fall and Rise of Defy

By RAYVON GORDON and DARION ALLS Contributing Writers One early afternoon in May, a crowd of inmates at the Wallkill Correctional Facility in upstate New York took their seats on the bleachers in the prison’s gymnasium for a surprise meeting.

The prison superintendent, Catherine Jacobsen, paced center court silently for a few minutes, waiting for the chatter to quiet down. Eventually, she told the men she had some bad news to report about one of the prison’s most popular programs.

“I’m sure you’re aware of the news about Defy Ventures,” she began.

They were. The news was not good. The popular program designed to tutor incarcerated men and women in entrepreneurship had recently been subject to negative media attention. The nonprofit’s highly celebrated founder, Catherine Hoke, author of the well-reviewed memoir “A Second Chance,” was accused of misconduct in March. Accusations had also surfaced that the group had exaggerated its success helping participants launch businesses.

“Defy as an organization is being disbanded,” Jacobsen said, as the inmates struggled to process the news.

Both of us were there when she said it.

We looked at one another with disbelief.

We had benefited from the program, and put our hearts into it, first as entrepre-

neurs-in-training and later as facilitators, helping our fellow inmates navigate the program and learn to turn our ideas into viable businesses.

Defy is a reentry program that works with inmates to establish job readiness, character development and communication skills. In addition to plotting business launches of their own, the students share an overarching goal to become, as the program puts it, “CEO of Your New Life.”

The key to doing so is taking ownership of the here and now, and understanding that what is done is done and that the future is what you make it.

The six-month course prepares students to be entrepreneurs by offering courses in business management, technology and developing goals, among other things. Finally, participants outline their ideas in a Shark Tank-style competition known as a rocket pitch. The winners acquire funding to help them launch their companies, as well as additional practical advice on how to present their proposals to banks and investors.

Among the projects in development by inmates at Wallkill were a trucking company, a greeting card business and the Back 2 Life Sneaker & Accessory Cleaning company.

For participants, the news was devastating.

“I felt the door was shut in my face,” entrepreneur-in-training Andy Lopez said.

“Defy made me feel like I could be part of something that my environment told me I

could not be part of.” *** As disappointing as this news was, we and the other Defy facilitators were not ready to give up. We had already been through the CEO Your New Life course.

“

It was a testament to the value of the program. That people at Wallkill were willing to step up and say, ‘This is too valuable to lose, and we’re going to keep it going as long as we can.’

”

In addition, if the experience had taught us anything, it is that setbacks are common in business: if you want to succeed, you need to overcome them.

Two weeks later, we were among 10 Defy facilitators who decided to continue the program. The organization may not

Managing Editor Sayer Devlin DEPUTY Sakshi Venkatraman, Alejandro Villa Vásquez Creative Director Rachel Buigas-Lopez, Laura Shkouratoff DEPUTY Arvind Sindhwani Copy Chiefs Tarra Chen, Viral Shanker DEPUTY Akshay Prabhushankar, Faith Marnecheck Multimedia Katie Peurrung DEPUTY Sam Klein PHOTO Tony Wu VIDEO Alana Beyer DEPUTY VIDEO Justin S.E. Park EXPOSURE Sage Lally SENIOR Anna Letson, Veronica Liow Audio Engineer Tom Miritello Social Media Akiva Thalheim Senior Staff NEWS Alex Domb, Kristina Hayhurst, Sarah Jackson CULTURE Natalie Chinn ARTS Ryan Mikel, Daniella Nichinson SPORTS Brendan Duggan, Zach Han Deputy Staff NEWS Meghna Maharishi, Jared Peraglia, Victor Porcelli ARTS Ali Zimmerman FILM Guru Ramanathan THEATER & BOOKS Alex Cullina MUSIC Nicole Rosenthal CULTURE Tianne Johnson DINING Scott Hogan BEAUTY & STYLE Amanda Burkett ABROAD Marisa Lopez, Paola Nagovitch ILLUSTRATION Sophia Di Iorio

Opinion Page EDITOR Janice Lee DEPUTY Hanna Khosravi, Melanie Pineda

Under the Arch Pamela Jew EDITOR Yasmin Gulec VOICES George Hajjar, Danielle Matta

ADVERTISING Business Manager Brian Christensen Zapiecki Director of Sales Allison Lambdin Director of Marketing and Logistics Lukas Villarin

• Work alongside NYU students as an assistant to the CEO of 900+ person firm • Engage in complex & interesting research; potential for financial projects • Arrange travel & social itineraries • Manage & run personal & business errands • Plan events, coordinate agendas, run social media accounts • Complete various clerical duties, e.g. manage filing & receipt systems

Account Associates Mel Bautista, Ian Michael Clements, Cecilia Lopez-Jordan

• Weekly fashion coordination, e.g. organize & audit wardrobe

Editorial Adviser Rachel Holliday Smith Editors-at-Large Thomas Chou, Connor Gatesman, Andrew Heying, Bela Kirpalani, Jordan Reynolds, Taylor Nicole Rogers

ABOUT WSN: Washington Square News (ISSN 15499389) is the student newspaper of New York University. WSN is published in print on Mondays and throughout the week online during NYU’s academic year, except for university holidays, vacations and exam periods.

CORRECTIONS: WSN is committed to accurate reporting. When we make errors, we do our best to correct them as quickly as possible. If you believe we have erred, contact the managing editors at managing@nyunews.com.

This story has been approved for publication by an official with Wallkill Correctional Facility. Note: Ravon Gordon and Darrion Alls are Defy peer facilitators and students in NYU’s Prison Education Program. Email them at prison.education@nyu.edu.

Job Description/Requirements :

Creative Director, Blacklight Syanne Rios

ADVISING Director of Operations Nanci Healy

gest “business brag.”

The one that stood out most to entrepreneurs-in-training was probably the story told by an ice cream executive. He started out as a worker cleaning Haagen-Dazs freezers in the cold winters of New York, one of his first jobs after receiving clemency following 10 years of incarceration. He managed to work his way up the ladder and became a top salesman. Then he invested his salary in buying into the brand. The mid-level manager he once worked for, he said, is now an employee of his.

At the event, Jason Wang, a Defy staffer, praised the participants for keeping the program alive during its transition.

“You guys are the proof in the pudding,” he said. “The strongest steel goes through the hottest fire, which is the true test of character.”

Defy’s new CEO and president, Andrew Glazier, agreed.

“It was a testament to the value of the program,” he said. “That people at Wallkill were willing to step up and say, ‘This is too valuable to lose, and we’re going to keep it going as long as we can.’”

HIRING: PART TIME ASSISTANT TO CEO OF TRADING FIRM

Washington Square News Staff Editor-in-Chief Jemima McEvoy

have been perfect, but we were not looking for perfect and the facilitators agreed. Defy was one of the few opportunities to come along in prison. It had helped us. We were not going to give up.

As Defy facilitator Michael Pagan put it, this was a chance to “not only prove that Catherine Hoke’s vision for the program was not in vain, but to keep the mission alive.”

For a month, we continued to hold Defy courses on our own. The facilitators taught what we learned to the new cohort of entrepreneurs-in-training — smaller in number, but still dedicated. Among their business ideas: a food truck, a dog-walking venture, a landscaping business and a company offering care packages for inmates and others via catalog.

When the organization eventually returned to Wallkill under new leadership, we were ready to pick up where we’d left off. *** In late July, the new cohort assembled in the gym for a coaching event with a group of executive volunteers, including a venture capitalist, the CEO of a marketing company and a transition logistics specialist. As usual, it began with “the welcoming tunnel,” which is like what you see on college bowl game day, with participants busting through a banner as Run DMC’s “It’s Tricky” played in the background. Then the volunteers were invited to give their big-

• Coordinate seasonal boat maintenance • Availability to work 15 or more hours per week • Student friendly hours • Potential for full-time position upon graduation • Unique skills and attributes appreciated

$30/hour opportun plus ity for an bonus. nual Located in Tribec NYU. a, close t o Please e m cover let ail your resume ter to & assistant @ h considere old.com to be d.