wednesday, april 29, 2009
WashiNgtoN squarE NEWs New York University’s daily student newspaper | Vol. 36 Issue 115
read us online at www.nyunews.com Cybersecurity
NYU-Poly to offer master’s in online safety
Dental Center
union square rally
Univ. fined for unsafe levels of nitrous oxide gas
Jessica Abramson
Jennifer Maas
E-mail viruses can be frustrating. But are they frustrating enough to major in fighting them? Officials at the Polytechnic Institute of NYU think so. Coming this fall, NYU-Poly will offer a master’s program for a group of students who would take classes on the prevention and treatment of cyber attacks. This new program in cybersecurity will train students on everything from fighting nasty e-mail viruses to dismantling largescale attacks on the nation’s cyber infrastructure. The graduate program was created by NYU-Poly professors Keith Ross, Nasir Memon, Nitesh Saxena and Stuart Steele. Ross, who is the head of NYUPoly’s department of computer science and engineering, said
After internal tests done last year by NYU found high levels of nitrous oxide in the NYU Dental Center’s pediatric unit, a related dispute — involving the center, a union representing a pregnant dental center employee and The Occupational Safety and Health Association — has resulted in $7,000 in fines to the university along with changes to the way the center trains its employees to handle and prevent dangerous material. Sometime last year, complaints were filed by the Union of Clerical, Administrative and Technical Staff, after a pregnant dental assistant said she felt uncomfortable transferring into the Weisman Pediatric Clinic, citing potential exposure to nitrous oxide. According to several dental assistants who worked at the center at that time, it was common knowledge that there were unsafe levels of gas. Her request to not be transferred to that clinic was denied. At that time, the union filed a complaint
Washington Square News
Washington Square News
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TAKE BACK MTA: Hundreds turned out yesterday in Union Square to rally against the delay of the MTA bailout from Albany. The founders of a Facebook group against the fare hike — expected to be around 25 percent — led the protest on subways and buses. Participants signed a large recreation of a Facebook wall. Currently, the W subway line, which runs along Broadway, and the crosstown M8 bus in the Village will both be cut. The state legislature may vote today on the rescue plan. — Andres Gutierrez, city/state editor
cyber CONTINUES ON PG. 4
dental CONTINUES ON PG. 8
New York Law
student profile
Medical marijuana Late night in Bobst, practicing paper plane flight may soon be legal Daniel Levinsohn
Washington Square News
Brigitta Glunk
Washington Square News
Steps to legalize medicinal marijuana took a huge step forward last week. Assemblyman Richard Gottfried and Sen. Thomas Duane spoke about their support of two bills at a press conference held last Tuesday. They were joined by patients fighting for the legalization of the drug, and the lawmakers cited that marijuana could lessen the patients’ painful conditions. “It is cruel to make seriously ill patients criminals for relying on medical marijuana for relief when their doctor recommends it,” said Gottfried, who has been working on the bill for 13 years. He said: “I hope that the Senate and the governor will make this the year we protect patients from arrest for simply treating a serious condition.”
Legislators proposed the bill in the hopes of giving relief to chronically ill patients while strictly enforcing policies that will ensure people do not abuse the availability of marijuana. “There is no reason we can’t establish common sense controls to ensure safe access to this medicine for suffering patients who have their doctors’ recommendations while ensuring it doesn’t wind up in the wrong hands,” Duane said. Some NYU students, such as LSP freshman Gigi Braybrooks, say they doubt marijuana abuse could be prevented if the drug’s use is legalized. “If marijuana was legalized for medicinal purposes, as it is in California, of course people would abuse it,” BrayMARIJUANA CONTINUES ON PG. 4
As the spring semester comes to a close, many students spend late nights at Bobst Library studying for finals. But for the past few weeks, CAS junior Kevin Magham has spent his time at NYU’s library throwing paper airplanes. It’s not that Maghami has grown bored with his studies. Rather, he is preparing to compete in the Paper Wings World Final, an international paper airplane contest held in Austria and sponsored by Red Bull. In early April, Maghami competed against other NYU students at a qualifying event for the tournament held at Coles Sports Center. Although he said he didn’t feel particularly confident about his plane-tossing abilities, Maghami still managed to crush the competition by throwing his plane an astounding 177 yards. “After I threw it, the
CASEY DRAKE/Wsn
SWOOP: NYU student Kevin Maghami will travel to Austria to compete in a worldwide paper airplane competition.
[event’s spokesperson] told me that I had probably won the east coast title,” Maghami said. And it turns out he had. Now, this Friday, Maghami will face off against students from 85 other countries with hopes that his plane will earn the title of “Longest Distance.” In order to prepare for the final rounds of the competi-
TWO-DAY WEATHER TODAY TOMORROW
tion, Maghami has thrown paper planes on the ground floor of Bobst nearly every night between midnight and 8 a.m. Although Bobst may not seem like your typical training ground, the vast library has served Maghami well with its expansive spaces and vertical distances. Several of his creations remain lodged in the most unusual
crevices, waiting for a thorough eye to discover them. “It’s not like this is some hobby of mine,” Maghami said, explaining that he only made paper airplanes in his California high school when he was bored. “It’s never been a big thing.” At first, Bobst officials PAPER CONTINUES ON PG. 3
The Final
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N ew york U n i vers i ty ’ s D A I LY S T U D E N T N E W S PA P E R N ew york U n i vers i ty ’ s D A I L Y editor-in-chief STUDENT NEWSPAPER
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RACHEL holliday smith editor-in-chief Adam Playford managing editor mary jane weedman managing editor THOMAS GARRYeditor assistant managing jane c. timm assistant managing editor LIZ JOHNSTONE creative director stephanie wu creative director stephanie deputy managingwu editors michael mccormack deputy managing editor ariel siegel recruitment & blogs kate thuma administration rachel smith SENIOR STAFF copy sarah gorney university randy kreider
Veteran Pennsylvania Sen. Arlen Specter said Tuesday that he is switching from the Republican to the Democratic Party. He said he has found himself increasingly “at odds with the Republican philosophy.” The switch would give Democrats a filibuster-proof Senate majority of 60 seats if Al Franken holds his current lead in the disputed Minnesota Senate race. — CNN 44 FLU CASES Mayor Michael Bloomberg said yesterday that there are now 44 confirmed cases of swine flu in New York City, and that number is expected to grow, according to officials. But Health Commissioner Thomas Frieden said the flu is relatively mild in the city, and everyone is recovering. Only one person in the U.S. who contracted the flu has been hospitalized. — NY1
Illustration by Kaela Rae Jensen/WSN
Sincerely, me
FINGER PROTEST A Serbian union official chopped off his finger and ate it in a protest over wages that in some cases have not been paid in years. The union leader used a hacksaw to cut off most of the little finger on his left hand on Friday. He said he did it to show how desperate he and other workers were. — Reuters
Life of Alvin started three years ago because I wanted to help people — I wanted to make people think, feel and laugh. This is my last column. I’m sad, but I’m ready. I just have a few more things to say before I give up this weekly space in my beloved WSN — a few profoundly important things to get in order.
Dear Thomas, Four years ago, I walked into the WSN newsroom. No one said anything. No one told me how to pitch stories or how the meetings worked. I was so scared that I almost left. I didn’t want to be at such an unfriendly place. But you were brave enough to say, “Hi! Is it your first time here?” I stayed. Two years later, I was hired as the editor. Now, four years later, I have the privilege of writing a goodbye column here. I tell this story often because it is such a clear
Dear Andrea, It was awkward. I asked you out over Facebook, and then we went out for coffee. You ate salad at Upstein while I watched you attractively spill dressing all over your face. And at the end, I asked you out once more — awkwardly, again. Then I declared my love for you online. I was smooth. You said you didn’t want a relationship. Instead, you wanted to be good friends. I thought you were just trying to let me down easy. But, for perhaps the first time in the history of the universe, a girl actually meant it. Over the next three years, you became the person I called when I had nowhere else to turn. At my lowest moments, you saved me.
Dear Jose, You are my favorite NYU Public Safety guard. But more than that, you are a friend. life of alvin CONTINUES ON PG. 3
ELMER EXPLAINS
U. of New Hampshire
Senior graduation festivities slashed in ailing economy They didn’t know it then, but as the members of the University of New Hampshire’s class of 2008 ate and danced aboard the M/S Mount Washington last May, they were enjoying what would turn out to be the final “Last Hurrah” cruise. The cruise, offered to graduating seniors the Saturday before commencement as part of the kickoff of Senior Week, isn’t being held anymore. In the past, students would take buses to Weirs Beach, where they would embark on a two-to-three-hour cruise around Lake Winnipesaukee aboard the M/S Mount Washington. The cruise included a dinner buffet and cash bar, and one level of the ship was reserved for music and dancing. The Alumni Association previously coordinated the event. “We could not make this affordable for graduates to participate
example of how a few kind words can change the course of someone’s life. Thank you.
ALVIN CHANG life of alvin
BASEMENT MUMMY Police found a mummified corpse Monday night in a Staten Island basement that neighbors said had been sealed off for two years. The cops used sledgehammers to knock down the door of the basement below a two-story apartment building. It was not clear if the body was that of a man or woman. — New York Daily News
WashiNgtoN squarE NEWs washiNgtoN square News
in,” said Lynn Smith, the alumni programs coordinator. She explained that last year’s cruise cost $110 per participant, a steep price that would have been raised this year. Seniors had mixed reaction to the cancellation of the Senior Week tradition. Meaghan Odell said she would probably have gone on the cruise if it were offered. “I had several friends last year who went on the cruise, and they said it was a blast,” Odell said. The Alumni Association is actively looking for an event to replace the cruise, though nothing will be added this year. The association started student focus groups in December to seek input. •
collegenews
— Thomas Gounley, The New Hampshire (University of New Hampshire)
Summer bummer
Dear Elmer, Summer hasn’t even started yet, and I’m already thinking up ways to make it longer. I have considered not sleeping, building a machine to slow Earth’s orbit or moving to Hawaii — but these all seem a little impractical. Got any ways to make the best of the next three months of freedom and bliss? — No Work, No School, No Problems
Dear NWNSNP, Is this some sort of human in-joke that I don’t understand? What sort of person would need advice on how to enjoy summer? It is like needing advice on how to enjoy eating ice cream. But if you really need my help, here is some of the wisdom I have accumulated over the course of 65 million summers: First, you have a dilemma
on your hands. If you want to make your summer last longer, you should sleep as much as possible. After all, who knows how much time passes while you’re dreaming? However, if you are hoping to have a fruitful vacation, sleeping might not be the last choice. In truth, my only advice is this: If you are a freshman or a sophomore, do whatever makes you happiest. If you are a junior, do whatever will make your ... résumé happiest. And if you are a senior? Good luck. Elmer is a dinosaur, so he doesn’t use Blue Books. E-mail him at elmer@nyunews.com. a friend. • Elmer answers readers’ questions every Wednesday. Send questions to elmer@nyunews.com.
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About WSN: megan Washington Square News (ISSN stride 1549-9383) is the student newspaper of New York University. WSN is published Monday-Friday during NYU’s academic year, except for uniAbout WSN: Washington Square News (ISSN 1549versity holidays, vacations, and exam periods. 9383) is the student newspaper of New York University. The WSN offices are located at 7NYU’s E. 12th St., WSN is published Monday-Friday during academic Suiteexcept 800, for New York, holidays, NY 10003. Singleand copies year, university vacations, exam of WSNThe periods. areWSN free, offices multiple arecopies located are at 7$1 E. each. 12th St., Suite 800, New York, NY 10003. Single copies of WSN are free, multiple copies arecommitted $1 each. to accurate reCorrections: WSN is
porting. When we make errors, we do our utmost Corrections: WSNas is quickly committed accurate Ifreportto correct them as topossible. you ing. When we make errors, we do our utmost to correct believe we have erred, contact managing editor them as quickly as possible. If you believe we have erred, Thomas Garry ateditor managing@nyunews.com or at contact managing Mary Jane Weedman at manag212.998.4163.Corrections are published on page ing@nyunews.com or at 212.998.4163. Corrections are 2 of the newspaper published on page 2 of and the newspaper online with and the online associwith the associated story. Corrections to particularly significant ated story. Corrections to particularly significant errors onon thethe frontfront page. ErrorsErrors in the staff editorial errorsappear appear page. in the staff are published with future staff editorials. editorial are published with future staff editorials.
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wednesday, april 29, 2009 | WASHINGTON SQUARE NEWS |
Maghami’s strategies are Making legalese more simple ‘ basic’ but ‘top secret’ NYU Law
Victor Epstein
paper
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were not too keen about letting Maghami train at the library. Late one night, as Maghami began to train, a Bobst security guard informed him that he was not allowed to throw the paper planes in the building. After Maghami explained his situation, the guard told him to e-mail Bobst’s dean, Carol Mandel, who gave him the permission he needed. “I didn’t even know Bobst had a dean,” Maghami said, explaining how Mandel permitted him to train after midnight. “It turns out she is very generous.” Many of Maghami’s friends and family are puzzled about the contest, but they remain supportive. Maghami has enlisted two friends, Sagar Vachhani and Abraham Lishansky, to help him prepare for the competition. “It’s pretty cool that he can compete in this, go all the way to Austria. He’s been training really hard,” said Vachhani,
Maghami’s “strength and conditioning” coach. Vachhani detailed Maghami’s rigorous exercise routine, which includes folding paper planes with tension bands and weights around his hands, as a way to train against resistance. “He can now fold 10 paper airplanes a minute. It’s quite impressive,” Vachhani said. Maghami remains mum about his strategy for building his far-reaching paper planes: Although he concedes that the process is very “basic” and that the design of the plane and the manner in which it is thrown are “equally important,” Maghami refuses to give specifics. “It’s not like a baseball that you can just throw as hard as possible. It’s more like throwing a dart,” Maghami said. “Unfortunately, that’s all I can tell you.” He said: “This is top secret.” •
Special to WSN
Additional reporting by Jennifer
U.S. Finance
Ching. Daniel Levinsohn is features editor. E-mail him at dlevinsohn@ nyunews.com.
Like learning about the law but not f luent in legalese? No problem. One new website seeks to provide laymen with free access to condensed legal scholarship. “The Legal Workshop,” which launched last week, is a joint venture by the law reviews at NYU, Stanford, Georgetown, Northwestern, Chicago, Cornell and Duke law schools on which authors of law review articles can write a shorter editorial version of their work — minus footnotes and legal speak — for broader public access. “It’s supposed to be a little more immediately graspable by the average public, and it’s also supposed to provide a forum in which authors can debate with each other,” said Benjamin Stoll, the managing director of operations for the website and the managing editor of opera-
Washington Square News
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York Times Company and an adjunct professor of journalism ethics and media law at NYU, said he expects the audience to be, for the most part, those who need to read law reviews for their work. “If you have a case and this is an important article about a point in the case, that’s fine,” Freeman said. “But as a matter of will I take it to the beach with me? Not really.” Still, Matthew Lawrence, a managing editor for the website who graduates from NYU School of Law in three weeks, is hoping for the best. “Hopefully we’ve structured it such that you can get habitual readers,” Lawrence said. “Lawyers spend a lot of time online, and most of it bored, and so hopefully this will draw some of their attention.” • Victor Epstein is a contributing writer. E-mail him at university@nyunews.com.
Education department budget cut Kelly Roberts
FLY: Maghami’s friends say he can fold up to 10 paper airplanes in a minute.
tions at the NYU Law Review. Stoll, who estimated that the average law review article is about 30,000 words, said that articles posted on the legal workshop site average 2,000 words each; the site includes links to the full versions of the articles. “The hope is that eventually there’ll be sort of a one-stopshopping place for legal scholarship,” Stoll said. But Vanessa Durante, a second year law student at NYU, said she does not keep up with legal scholarship being published, so she doesn’t expect to use it regularly. “I just don’t think that law students have time to care about things that aren’t on the exams,” she said. Stoll said the site hopes to expand readership to the general public in the future. But George Freeman, the assistant general counsel of The New
President Barack Obama’s selfdirected challenge to cut $100 million from the federal budget over the next 90 days has many fiscal conservatives doubting the goal. The cuts, which will equal less than 1 percent of his $3.6 trillion budget, will come from across the board, ranging from the education department to homeland security. The Department of Education will close an office in Paris that costs more than $600,000 a year to maintain, the Department of Veteran Affairs will have fewer conferences, and the Department of Homeland Security plans to save $52 million over five years by buying supplies in bulk. The education department will save $8.7 million by requiring most employees to use laptop
computers and asking them to share printers. Conservatives are criticizing these measures for not doing enough to shrink the budget deficit. But according to Patrick Egan, an NYU assistant professor of politics and public policy, the GOP’s move is probably more symbolic than it is of substance. “They provide some sort of appearance to Republicans of being fiscally conservative without actually doing so,” Egan said. At a press conference Obama countered critics, saying that $100 million here and there can eventually add up to real money in Washington. “A lot of economists would tell you that you shouldn’t be increasing taxes or cutting spending during a recession in a Keynesian model,” Egan said. “Generally you want to pump
money into the economy during a recession.” There have been nine recessions during the last 60 years, each of which has increased the deficit. Egan added that measures to increase revenue can actually worsen the situation. “In the past, other administrations have made budget cuts during a recession to deleterious effects,” Egan said. Some NYU students are on the fence when it comes to Obama’s cuts. “Everybody can tell that we’re in a recession,” CAS freshman Katrina Garland said. “It’s affecting a lot of people, and I think we need to focus first on getting out of the recession and then fixing our debt problems.” • Kelly Roberts is a staff writer. E-mail her at cstate@nyunews.com.
Dear friends and readers: goodbye and thanks for the memories life of alvin
CONTINUED FROM PG. 2
The first time I met you was two years ago at 3 a.m. I had just finished work at WSN, and you insisted on waiting with me as Safe Ride came to pick me up. Two hours later, we were still there. When the van finally came, you insisted on walking me down the block to keep me safe. NYU needs more people like you — people who care. Thousands of times, I have walked into 7 E. 12th St., and you shook my hand and said, “Alvin, it is always nice to see you.” I will miss that.
Dear girl on the NYU bus, I sat next to you last year on the E bus, I think, and you were reading WSN. When I looked closer, you were reading my column. You turned to me and asked, “Do you read WSN?” “Yeah, some days.”
“You read Alvin Chang’s column at all?” Playing it cool, I said, “Oh, I’ve read it before.” You were a cute brunette, and I was a f lattered columnist. I hoped you would tell me how much you loved me and how you thought I was so incredible. But then you said, “You can’t stand him, right? He’s just so, ugh.” Yeah, that was me.
Dear Mr. Wais, Last week, you hosted some of my WSN friends at a dinner. I heard that you said, “Oh, Alvin Chang has become such a cynic.” Well, yes, I suppose that is true. But I hope you understand some of the reasons why. On the topic of your dinners, I’m sorry I never made it to one of those famous events in your apartment — my friends said you always asked about me. They also said you have quite the Beanie Baby collection.
Thanks for the support.
Dear Adam, The first time I met you was August 2006. We had just been hired as editors at WSN. My first thought: You must be 40 years old. But soon, I learned you were my age. Soon, I learned you were supremely talented. And soon, I learned about your quirks, like your habit of starting sentences with, “The fundamental problem is.” You were doing it before Barack Obama. I beat you out for two jobs at WSN — features editor and editor-in-chief — and frankly, you were probably the better qualified candidate for both. But you were still my biggest supporter. You made me a better writer: I still don’t trust anyone else to edit my writing. Also, you are an incredible friend, and I have taken that for granted over the years. Enjoy Florida.
Dear redhead in my class, Three years ago, I was discouraged because I thought my columns had no effect on this world. Then one day, I sat behind you in class as you were reading my column. You were laughing and smiling. When you were done, you snipped out the column, folded it twice and put it in your planner. Thanks.
Dear Kristen, Many times, I wrote that I hoped to meet a “cute brunette” one day. So yeah, I met her: It’s you. P.S. You are wonderful. P.P.S. The Sorting Hat called. He said I am a Gryffindor, and you are a Huff lepuff. He apologizes for the mix-up.
Dear Mom, Life is tough now, but I’m praying for you. Let me know if you need anything. You have always been
there for me. When I told you my jeans ripped, you shipped three new pairs to me within days. When I told you I needed money to pay rent, you put some money in my account, no questions asked. And when I told you I was getting sick, you sent my Gummy Bear Vitamins because you knew I didn’t like vitamin pills. I hope you get a chance to live your dream. I am so thankful that you gave me a chance to live mine. I love you.
Dear readers, I hope I have made you think, feel and laugh. I hope I have helped someone out there. Thanks for inviting me into your life each Wednesday. Sincerely, Me • Alvin Chang is a columnist and former editor-in-chief. From now on, e-mail him at alvinschang@gmail.com.
| WASHINGTON SQUARE NEWS | wednesday, april 29, 2009
SPORTS
EDITOR: ROBERT KARPELES sports@nyunews.com
NYU ATHLETICS
Golf teams perform well in final tournament Christian Wolan and Justin Izzo
Washington Square News
The NYU men’s and women’s golf teams had strong individual performances in their final tournaments of the season. The women’s team placed third out of five teams at the Central New York Spring Shootout, which was held April 26 to 27. Leading the way for the Violets was sophomore and team captain Theresa Apoznanski, who followed a first-round 82 at the Sally Wallace Invitational with a second-round 82 at the Elmira College Spring Invitational. (The invitationals were held as separate, 18-hole tournaments as part of the Shootout.) Apoznanski ended the second day of competition at the top of the leaderboard with a combined score of 164, the lowest at the Shootout. Making it out to the golf course three times a week and the driving range everyday, Apoznanski attributes her success to practice.
“My coaches have been really supportive, and they push me a little bit harder everyday, so when it comes time for tournaments, I can feel as prepared as possible,” she said. Head coach Ed Caesar, who coaches both the women’s and men’s golf teams, was impressed with Apoznanksi’s performance. “She never gets rattled when she makes a bad shot, which is unusual for golfers,” he said. “Most carry it with them for three to four shots, but she is just very consistent.” The men’s team finished their season with a fourthplace finish at the UAA championship game, held Sunday and Monday at the Royal Lake Golf and Country Club in Atlanta. As a team, they shot a 633 over the two days, finishing seven strokes behind champion Carnegie Mellon University. Caesar admired the way his men played. “It was the first UA A for three members of the team,” he said. “They competed well
Need for cyber experts grows cyber
CONTINUED FROM PG. 1
he thinks the program will become very popular. “It will attract some of the best engineering and computer sciences students interested in cybersecurity,” Ross said. The students in the program can learn about computer, network and application security as well as cryptography, biometrics and digital forensics. But apart from the theory, they will also get hands-on experience; NYU-Poly’s Brooklyn location will allow students to work in the nearby Financial District, where internet security is a major concern due to the high volume of private information contained on computers. Memon said the penetration testing and vulnerability analysis class will likely be popular. “In this class, students learn how to analyze systems for vulnerabilities and how to develop exploits that take advantage of these vulnerabilities in order to compromise systems,” Memon said. The demand for cybersecu-
rity experts is growing at a rapid pace, especially considering the government’s current confrontation with internet security issues; this includes the Pentagon’s expenditure of $100 million to treat cyber attacks and President Obama’s call for a 60-day review of the nation’s cybersecurity. Furthermore, legislation from U.S. Sens. John D. Rockefeller IV and Olympia Snow calls for Obama to name a national cybersecurity adviser to take control of removing cyber infrastructure if there are threats of attack. The adviser, aided by a panel of experts in the field, would also be the president’s informant on the state of cybersecurity affairs. “There is a big shortage of professionals in cybersecurity,” Memon said. “I personally get calls from employees looking for hires that I often cannot fulfill. This program will help ease the shortage.” • Jessica Abramson is a staff writer. E-mail
marijuana
brooks said. “But don’t the positives ultimately outweigh the negatives?” Because Democrats hold a majority of the seats in both the New York Assembly and Senate, both Gottfried and Duane are hopeful for the passage of the bill. “[It’s] the best chance we’ve ever had,” Gottfried said.
Christian Wolan is a staff writer. Justin Izzo is deputy sports editor. E-mail them at sports@nyunews.com.
COURTESY OF gonyuathletics.com
SWING: At the final tournament of the year, the women took third place.
NBA
Remember the past games robertkarpeles RAMBLIN’ ROB
Before the NCAA tournament, Memphis Tigers coach John Calipari brushed off the notion that his team’s poor free-throw shooting would come back to haunt them. But in the 2008 championship game, the free-throw ghost appeared; Memphis went 12 for 19 from the line, including a
long. They had fourth quarter breakdowns against inferior teams like the L.A. Clippers, Philadelphia 76ers and New Orleans Hornets during the regular season. Part of the issue is that the Lakers’ self-proclaimed “bench mob” continues to blow the big leads, forcing the starters to come in and pick up the mess. While guys like Luke Walton, Shannon Brown and Sasha Vujacic have produced in starting roles, they are inconsistent as a unit. The benched Lakers scored 12 points in game five.
The message was clear: The Lakers needed to do a better job of closing out games if they wanted to win the championship.
her at university@nyunews.com.
Bill is expected to move to the chamber floor by late May CONTINUED FROM PG. 1
against good teams.” The big star for NYU was sophomore Ben Kleiner, who tied for fifth with a two-day total of 157. Kleiner earned first-team All-UAA honors for his performance. “He was the fifth golfer on our roster coming in to UAAs,” Caesar said. “He really stepped up for us.” The coach said he was happier with the team’s performance during the second half of the season. “We had to bounce back from the fall,” he said. “The competition for roster spots made everyone play better. It should carry over to next season as well.” As for the women’s team next season, five of this year’s six members will return with four new recruits joining the team as well. “Competition to make the travel roster will be tough,” Caesar said. •
While Gottfried claims that there is still plenty of time for the chambers to pull through, there are currently no members of the Republican party signed on to Duane’s bill. Gottfried’s bill currently rests in the Assembly Health Committee but is expected to move to the f loor of the chamber by late May. • Brigitta Glunk is a staff writer. E-mail her at cstate@nyunews.com.
miss by Derrick Rose with 10.8 seconds remaining. Memphis lost the game in overtime. Now, the Los Angeles Lakers have their own Achilles’ heel to fret about: finishing the game. Yes, the Lakers finished off the Utah Jazz on Monday night in five games, but they continually blew 20-point leads in the fourth quarter throughout the series. It seems absurd to criticize a team that scored over 106 points per game and beat a pretty good Jazz in five games, but the Lakers have had trouble sealing the deal all season
The Jazz also slightly outrebounded the Lakers in the series and seemed to get all the hustle boards in the fourth quarter. The Lakers’ injured center, Andrew Bynum, grabbed only 15 rebounds the entire series, and he barely played at the end of games. When Bynum is healthy, he is by far the Lakers’ best rebounder. As the Rockets look to be the team that the Lakers will face next round, rebounding will be key against tenacious guys like Yao Ming, Shane Battier and Ron Artest. When it comes to the bench, coach Phil Jackson might have
to consider taking out the starters with a few minutes left in the third quarter and putting them in to start the fourth, as opposed to letting them sit a few more minutes into the fourth. Sure, the starters may have to play longer, but hey, we are in the playoffs. Bringing Lamar Odom off the bench and starting Bynum will help the Lakers in multiple ways in the next round. The bench will now have a superior player to watch their backs while Odom can provide plenty of rebounding as well. But with Luke Walton now reportedly out indefinitely, and Bynum looking like he may need to borrow Jackson’s cane, the Lakers might not have that flexibility. So while the Lakers starters will continue to play the role of Batman by dominating the rest of the Western Conference, their reserve’s inability to fill the role of Robin may cause them to cough up a few more leads at the end of games. After game one, Jackson wrote on the locker room board, “15? Not like that ... .” The message was clear: The Lakers needed to do a better job of closing out games if they wanted to win the championship. After game five, Jackson wrote “12 more” while leaving out “not like that.” Whether Jackson was happy with the win is unclear, but what is clear is that he needs to keep reminding his team that blowing big leads could end up being costly. • Robert Karpeles is sports editor. E-mail him at rkarpeles@nyunews.com.
wednesday, april 29, 2009 | WASHINGTON SQUARE NEWS |
SEXUALITY
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EDITOR: DANIEL LEVINSOHN etcetera@nyunews.com
How to get tested
Sara Gates
Washington Square News
It’s a phrase you never want to hear: “You have gonorrhea.” Even worse than that would be having gonorrhea and not knowing it. Most doctors recommend that anyone who is sexually active gets tested for sexually transmitted infections at least once a year, similar to an annual physical exam. If there are visible symptoms, however, going in for an earlier check-up may be a good idea. “Just as students are encouraged to have periodic physical, dental and vision exams, one should also engage in periodic STI testing if sexually active,” said Courtney Stein, manager of Health Promotion at NYU. Because of the soaring rates of STIs among young adults, it is even more important for students in college to get tested on a regular basis. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s Sexually Transmitted Disease Surveillance for 2007, 15- to 19year-old women have the highest rates for both gonorrhea and chlamydia among women while men aged 20 to 24 hold the record for the highest rates of gonorrhea and chlamydia among men.
Medical physicians may offer STI testing, but one can get screened at local free clinics, Planned Parenthood or the school Student Health Center. “The NYU Student Health Center promotes safety for students who choose to be sexually active, including using condoms, dental dams and lube; getting tested for STIs/HIV; and discussing safer sex and STI/HIV status with their partners,” Stein said. “It’s very good to have the opportunity to get [tested],” said Phillip Molnar, who is currently pursuing a master’s in journalism in GSAS. Molnar took the chance to get tested in November at a free clinic on Broadway but noted that it would be much more convenient to get tested at the Student Health Center. Unbeknownst to some students, NYU’s Student Health Center offers HIV and STI testing including screenings for syphilis, gonorrhea, chlamydia, hepatitis, human papillomavirus and herpes. “It would be really nice if you could do it right at the health center,” Molnar said. “I would feel comfortable [getting tested] there.” Although some tests may incur fees, the testing for syphilis, gonorrhea and chlamydia are
all either free or low-cost at the health center while HIV testing is always free for students. “It is common for students to feel nervous or unsure about getting tested for STIs,” Stein said, “but it is an important thing to do and become comfortable with in order to ensure one’s health.” She said: “Since many STIs have no symptoms, STI testing is necessary to diagnose an infection.” Gallatin junior Mallory Blair, CAS sophomore Sara Newman and CAS junior Mike Tanser all agreed that STI testing is necessary. “Nobody wants the herp,” they said in unison. According to the American Social Health Association, “each year, one in four teens contracts an STI, and one in two sexually active persons will contract an STI by age 25,” Stein said. According to Stein, all testing takes place at the Student Health Center at 726 Broadway, with the exception of any campus outreach programs which would perform testing on site. Appointments can be made online on NYU Home under the NYU Life tab or over the phone at 212.443.1000. • Sara Gates is deputy features editor. E-mail her at sgates@nyunews.com.
illustration by kaela rae jensen/wsn
ASK ABOUT SEX Alana Horowitz is a staff writer and sexual health advocate. E-mail her at features@nyunews.com.
Q: How common are STDs and STIs among college students? As if today’s students didn’t have enough to worry about, sexually transmitted diseases and infections have a growing prevalence on college campuses nationwide. Around one quarter of all college students have or have had an STD or STI. Moreover, the American Social Health Association recently reported that more than 50 percent of all people will experience an STD or STI in their lifetime. Chlamydia and HPV are the two most common STIs, particularly because they can be asymptomatic; if you don’t know you have an STI, you have no idea you’re spreading it.
But don’t be too worried — if you’re careful, you’re likely to never experience an STI at all. Use protection during sexual activity, and make sure to get tested for STIs at least once a year. Unless you are in a monogamous relationship in which both partners have tested negative for all STIs, condoms and dental dams should be used for all forms of sex. Q: If my hymen breaks, does that mean I’m not a virgin? Will it ever grow back? For centuries, an array of theories have surrounded the hymen, the thin tissue at the entrance of the vagina. Colloquially called
the “cherry,” an intact hymen was once considered an indicator of virginity. Because the hymen blocks the vaginal opening, its absence was said to imply sexual activity. Today we know that there are many ways to break your hymen other than vaginal intercourse. Horseback riding, cycling and other crotchintensive sports can lead to a torn hymen. It can also be split during masturbation, by using a tampon or for no reason at all — some women are even born without one. Once it is stretched open, however, it does not grow back. • — Alana Horowitz
the new york times crossword & daily sudoku The New York Times Syndication Sales Corporation 500 Seventh Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10018 For Information Call: 1-800-972-3550 For Release Wednesday, April 29, 2009
sponsored by INSURENT
Edited by Will Shortz Across 1 Tree trunk 5 Some HDTVs 9 Heartbreaker who’s “back in town” in a 1980 Carly Simon hit 14 Feature of mesh fabrics 16 The Carolinas, e.g., to the French 17 Debugs computer programs, e.g. 19 Two of racing’s Unsers 20 Neighbor of B.C. 21 San ___, Marin County 22 La ___ Tar Pits 23 Bird feeder fill 24 Responds to rashes 31 Like Papa Bear’s porridge 32 Collect splinters, so to speak
33 Tuskegee’s locale: Abbr. 34 Nutmeg State sch. 35 Ore suffix 36 “What ___” (“Hohum”) 38 Rap sheet entries, for short 39 Messenger ___ 40 Record label owned by Sony 41 Does some mending 45 Cellular construction 46 Overlook 47 One of the Leeward Islands 50 Hesitant sounds 51 Mexicali Mrs. 54 Lines up the sewing 57 Coral creation 58 Blood type historically considered the universal donor
ANSWER TO PREVIOUS PUZZLE L E A P T A P S O C A P P
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Puzzle by Jerry E. Rosman
30 Long tales
40 Set a lofty goal 35 What oysters “R” 42 Raw material for Wrigley’s, once during “R” months 43 To a great degree 36 Da Vinci or Michelangelo, to 44 MapQuest Romans offerings 37 Wordsmith’s ref. 47 Make ___ dash 39 Florenz Ziegfeld 48 Brussels-based offering alliance
49 ’Vette roof option 51 Islamic sect 52 Amps up 53 On the main 55 ___-Cat (winter vehicle) 56 Doz. eggs, commonly
For answers, call 1-900-285-5656, $1.49 a minute; or, with a credit card, 1-800-814-5554. Annual subscriptions are available for the best of Sunday crosswords from the last 50 years: 1-888-7-ACROSS. AT&T users: Text NYTX to 386 to download puzzles, or visit nytimes.com/mobilexword for more information. Online subscriptions: Today’s puzzle and more than 2,000 past puzzles, nytimes.com/crosswords ($39.95 a year). Share tips: nytimes.com/wordplay. Crosswords for young solvers: nytimes.com/learning/xwords.
solution, tips and computer program at www.sudoku.com
wednesday, april 29, 2009 | WASHINGTON SQUARE NEWS |
OPINION STAFF EDITORIAL
nyu: do not delay employee protection Beginning in early 2008, the NYU Dental Center was aware of a high level of nitrous oxide in its pediatric unit and was seemingly slow to clear the air. Nitrous oxide is a poisonous gas that may be a particular threat to pregnant women; some evidence suggests that it can result in miscarriage when a woman is exposed to it in high doses. The Dental Center’s denial of a pregnant employee’s request to switch units during that time seems to suggest that the center was unwilling to admit the problem. That being said, the center’s response has since improved. Though the clinic claims that it was aware of the problem and took steps to fix it even before the Occupational Safety and Health Administration arrived, a lack of action allowed the problem to persist for the better part of a year. Levels of nitrous oxide in the unit remained high when the OSHA inspected the building between August and November of 2008. The fines set by OSHA were illustrative of the problem: In addition to endangering employees, the clinic failed to adequately inform its staff of the harmful level of gas in the immediate environment. We feel that adequate notice should have been given in a thorough and immediate manner. Printed notices of the fines given to NYU should have been placed on visible bulletin board space rather than in a storage closet. Alternatively, perhaps employees could have been contacted directly; an e-mail would seemingly have been an appropriate method of ensuring that every employee was aware of the situation. Not only were employees and patients subjected to dangerous conditions, but also leaking gas is a wasteful cost incurred by the university. The initial response, simply opening the windows into the common area, was therefore disappointing. If ventilation is a problem in the clinic, the structure must be revamped. All dental offices are required to run a scavenger system that filters excess nitrous oxide from the rooms. Though this should generally be enough to maintain the clinic’s clean air, more monitoring must be enacted as soon as possible. We are glad that new extractor arms have been installed but await a new inspection of the unit which will hopefully state that levels of nitrous oxide in the air are back to normal. It is also commendable that the clinic has taken action to train employees to handle dangerous and emergency situations like this one. There should never be a delay in protecting our employees. • E-mail the editorial board at editboard@nyunews.com. EDITORIAL BOARD MEMBERS: Dana Laventure (Chair), Corinne Bagish, Damon Beres, Jason Blevins, Ava Feuer, Aaron Lyle Gelbman, Olivia Johnson, Pratik Mehta, Elina Mishuris, Skye Nickalls, Whitney Petrie, Eugene Rusyn
SUBMIssions Washington Square News welcomes letters to the editor, opinion pieces and articles relevant to the NYU community, or in response to articles. Letters should be less than 150 words. All submissions must be typed or e-mailed 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.
EDITORIAL PAGE EDITOR: EUGENE RUSYN OPINION EDITOR: DAMON BERES opinion@nyunews.com
God may not be dead, so don’t sell your soul on eBay just yet BEN RADDING contributing columnist
When Paul Grayhek, 52, looked into his backyard in northern Idaho after a rock slide and found a formation that looked like a giant hand, he may or may not have known it was bank time. Either way, it was. He dubbed the nine-foot formation “The Hand of God” and put it on eBay to, according to CNN, “spread the story about God.” On a similar note, Friday morning I found in my dorm room a crushed beer can that had the sympathetic, understanding face of Jesus Christ on it. I promptly put it into a Ziploc bag, squeezed out the air and sealed it to ensure maximum preservation. Then, after a short pause where I reflected on what I was doing, I smacked myself repeatedly in the face, snuck out of my room with the offending article and disposed of it in the trash chute, where I hoped a possibly zealous garbage man wouldn’t notice the lovely face staring up at him as he threw the bag into the back of his truck. In 2004 a 10-year-old cheese sandwich with the image of the Virgin Mary on the toast sold for $28,000 on eBay. A casino bought it, saying it had “become a part of pop culture.” So far, as of late Sunday, Mr. Grayhek’s “Hand of God” is only fetching just over $1,000, a meager price to pay for having, according to Grayhek, “the exclu-
sive rights” to the rock, including literary and movie rights. So get bidding. He won’t part with it, no. It will still be sitting in his back yard, but if Miramax or Jonathan Franzen feel the need to include this rock in their latest blockbuster film or best-selling novel, they will have to pay you. The band Jethro Tull had a song about this. On their album “Aqualung,” Ian Anderson, the brilliant and heavily bearded minstrel, proclaims in “Hymn 43” that “If Jesus saves / Well he better save himself.” Before the Reformation, the Catholic Church used to sell indulgences that would save souls from Hell. Through money. Is it appropriate to sell religion in the way that Mr. Grayhek is doing? Is it appropriate to auction off holy images — the face of Jesus, the outline of Mary, the hand of God? Is it pretty much the same as what the Church used to do? No. Not really. And yes. Friedrich Nietzsche proclaimed in the late nineteenth century that “God is dead” — no, not literally, but in a metaphorical sense. And you know who he says killed Him? You and me, baby. You don’t have to necessarily agree with Nietzsche’s assessment. It’s easy to find where God is thriving these days: in charities, in families, even in academic institutions. But sometimes it seems even easier to see where he is visibly absent or perverted: such as, oh, for example, when
a piece of toast with the image of His Son is sold to a casino for $28,000. Or when a rock formation that looks like a giant hand sells for thousands for its “movie rights.” The kicker was that the money would help pay for Grayhek’s education. He is recently unemployed and struggling with money issues, like many of us. So the bidders seem noble — nay, downright righteous — for their Christian pity. But to put positive spins on selling religious iconography is to enter a dangerous zone; that is, I don’t feel that noble excuses for selling holy images nullifies Nietzsche’s “God is dead” assessment, but rather denotes it. We don’t have a problem putting God on the market, so how long off are we from selling each other’s souls for cash? Recall a Simpsons episode in which Bart sells his soul to Milhouse and is thereafter unable to take joy out of anything in life. Times are tough, yes, but that does not mean we need the cash at the cost of our ideals and ourselves. If Jesus saves, he had better save himself first. The situation seems to be right out of a Vonnegut novel. But since he is dead and I came up with the idea, if you plan to write about this absurd situation, please send WSN a check of $1000 payable to Ben Radding. Thank you. • Ben Radding is a contributing columnist. E-mail responses to opinion@nyunews.com.
Bad faith: New grad worker proposal misleads DANIEL COHEN contributing columnist After weeks of protesting by graduate students, the NYU administration has released an interim report on Financial Aid Reform 4 that acknowledges widespread criticism of the plan but promises to plough ahead anyway. This latest document does not shelve the proposed restructuring. “Our hope,” the report states, “is still to implement FAR 4 for all departments as of fall 2009.” The only thing it delays is the final decision. The administration is promising to make a decision as soon as the semester is over and graduate employees and faculty have left campus. A broad coalition of graduate employees, undergraduates and faculty has expressed serious reservations about this plan. That the administration has been forced to rethink its proposal speaks to how successful we have been at challenging them. But the struggle is far from over. We now need to work even harder on preventing this deeply flawed plan from being implemented in a frenzy. As we do so, it is worth looking at how this report on FAR 4 is a perfect expression of the entire restructuring process as it has occurred so far: misleading, convoluted and in bad faith.
Misleading. The document begins by declaring that deans had been consulting with chairs and directors of graduate studies since February. This portrait of widespread consultation is an egregious exaggeration. For instance, faculty in the sociology department only received word of a restructuring plan two days before the plan’s public release. Administration rhetoric aside, this is just another example of NYU’s same old top-down decision-making process. Convoluted. The interim report is as stubbornly confusing as the initial FAR 4 proposal. Both are filled with empty vagaries, assuring us that everyone will benefit, that concrete details will be worked out “in the coming days” and that “discussions” will continue. Meanwhile, it is obvious to anyone who spends 15 minutes with the original FAR 4 proposal that it is riddled with problems; the section on international students clearly ref lects little time spent looking at the details of F- and J-class visas. And the deans responsible are only now realizing that their plan was f lawed from the start? There is a clear link between how poorly thought out this proposal is and its drafting behind closed doors. Restructuring graduate teaching and funding at the country’s largest private
university isn’t something five people can do on the back of a napkin, no matter what their rank is. Undergraduates paying one of the highest tuition rates in the country deserve better. As it stands, they are the invisible casualties of the university’s cavalier restructuring of graduate employees’ work. If FAR 4 is pushed through, it will mean less teaching support across the board. Other consequences are hard to predict since the plans to date remain extremely convoluted, and the administration continues to treat the undergraduate question as an afterthought. Bad faith. At root, the problem with FAR 4 is not that the deans forgot to conduct adequate consultations and negotiations. It is that FAR 4 is premised on preventing democratic engagement. FAR 4 is designed — however poorly and mistakenly — to pull the rug out from under the Graduate Student Organizing Committee, the union representing graduate employees at NYU. Its attempt to rename and recategorize the work of graduate employees while making it plain that there will be only minimal changes of substance is a classic example of how employers are trying to monopolize power in the American workplace. cohen CONTINUES ON PG. 8
| WASHINGTON SQUARE NEWS | wednesday, april 29, 2009
Gas levels were particularly high in the poorly ventilated ‘quiet room’ dental
CONTINUED FROM PG. 1
with OSHA, which resulted in an inspection of the dental center in January 2009. From that inspection, NYU was fined the $7,000 by OSHA for allegedly breaking federal laws; among other citations, OSHA claimed that the university did not notify employees where they can find reports on levels of the hazardous gas every year and did not provide adequate training for addressing hazards in the clinic. Representatives from the center have admitted there are higher than normal nitrous oxide levels at the center but said they were already in the process of fixing the problem when they received the citations. “Monitoring we conducted in early 2008 found levels well above the exposure limit,” NYU spokesman Christopher James said in an e-mail. “We took all these proactive steps to correct the issue before OSHA even showed up.” James would not comment on the specific incident involving the pregnant employee except to say, “NYU takes seriously its obligation to provide a safe work environment. NYU also values and respects the privacy of its employees and their confidential medical information.” In another incident in 2003, an employee at the dental center was unknowingly exposed to formaldehyde, leaving her permanently disabled. At that time, OSHA fined the university $79,500. One union member who is familiar with the dental assistant’s story had a similar situation; she worked at the center while pregnant, as well.
“When I was pregnant, I stopped doing nitrous completely,” she said, “because when we worked with nitrous, we found that we had headaches and nausea.” The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health lists breathing difficulty, drowsiness, headache, asphyxia and reproductive effects among potential symptoms of overexposure to nitrous oxide. “She was pregnant, so she had concerns,” the union member said, speaking of her co-worker. “She wrote to HR, and they told her it was okay, and we told her it wasn’t.” The center contested the alleged lawbreaking behind the fines, and a settlement was reached but “has yet to be” approved by a judge. Under the agreement, a joint committee of administrators and employees will meet semi-annually to discuss health and safety issues with oversight from OSHA, and the agency agreed to lessen the charges from “serious” to “other than serious.” However, the fines stuck, and OSHA warned NYU it would be closely monitored since there was “evidence that a likelihood of employee overexposure could exist in the future,” unless appropriate action was taken, according to the citations filed against NYU. In May, the university plans to send OSHA a formal response on how they have addressed each of the issues brought up in the citations. A spokesman for OSHA declined to comment, saying he was unable to discuss an open investigation. Nitrous oxide levels were particularly high in a room known as the “quiet room”. While most
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patients are seen in a large room with small sections for each patient, the “quiet room” is a separate room where very young children and those with special needs are brought because it is similar to a private dental practice office and is considered to be less stressful on those patients. UCATS organizer Gregory Succop said poor ventilation in that room contributed to the increased levels of the gas. “There was no ventilation before, so they used the window in the room, which made gas come out into the waiting area,” he said. “They realized the gas was going out into the common area, which is why they had to close the windows.” Succop said: “I was f labbergasted that was their solution to the ventilation problem. ‘Yeah, we just crack the window more.’ ” A new extractor arm, a piece of equipment that filters the gas, has since been installed in the “quiet room”; two others were put in the main clinic room. While the union said the new extractors weren’t put in until after the OSHA fines, James maintained the center had begun installation during months prior, in addition to revamping how safety lessons were taught to new and current employees. “Training is now performed within the first two weeks of
KRISTOF GOESER/wsn
LAUGH GAS?: Above, the ‘quiet room’ at the NYU Dental Center, the alleged source of the unsafe levels of nitrous oxide found inside the building pictured in the lower photograph.
hire and then will be conducted annually thereafter for all employees involved in the administration of nitrous,” James said. After NYU received the OSHA citations, employees and members of UCATS said they were unaware where they were posted, despite a law stating that they were to be placed “in a prominent place at or near the location of the violation(s) … where it will be readily observable by all affected employees.” Instead, the citations had been posted in the Pediatric Dentistry unit’s supply storage room. Only after OSHA and the union complained were they moved
to the union’s bulletin board, which dental assistants say is a more visible location. James said the reports were intentionally posted there because it was believed that all employees would see them in the closet, which houses the nitrous gas. He said: “All the dental assistants visit the storage area everyday as part of their normal routine, so we felt this was a logical place to post the notice because it was likely to be seen by them there.” • Jennifer Maas is on the investigative team. E-mail her at jmaas@nyunews.com.
Grad workers must bargain collectively cohen
CONTINUED FROM PG. 7
Why do administrators refuse to recognize NYU graduate employees’ collective bargaining rights? Because they don’t want to bargain with anyone. NYU’s administrators think all the decisions about how graduate work happens on this campus should be up to them. And they’ve shown the entire NYU community how incapable they are of playing this role.
For years, GSOC has argued that the NYU administration needs to recognize graduate employees’ collective bargaining rights, and it needs to negotiate a contract with the resulting union. One reason is because graduate employees will be able to negotiate a fairer deal when they act collectively. The other reason is that only a contract is legally binding, can compel the administration to negotiate with its employees and fix the outcome of the negotia-
tion in legal terms. The FAR 4 debacle has demonstrated the strength of these arguments better than any hypothetical argument ever could. Reforming the structure of graduate work at NYU is a worthy goal. It must be negotiated between partners: between the university and a graduate employee union. • Daniel Cohen is a contributing columnist and a graduate student at NYU. E-mail responses to opinion@ nyunews.com.