Spring 2017 Edition IV: Thursday, May 18, 2017 by Pandora's Box

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yorkpbnews.net Spring Edition IV: Thursday, May 18, 2017

Human Resource Club Hosts Award Ceremony By Greis Torres The Human Resource Club and the Student Human Resource Management Chapter at York held their end of the semester dinner award ceremony on May 12. Carla A. Lyons, a York graduate, was the keynote speaker and elections were held for the new HR club and SHRM board officers. Provost Panayiotis Meleties attended the event along with Marcia Moxam Comrie, a communications specialist with the college. The event started with Meleties thanking the students and staff who attended the ceremony. He encouraged students to ask Lyons as many questions as possible. The faculty advisor for the clubs, Dr. Phoebe Massimino, then introduced Linda Ribaudo,

Photo Credit: Anthony Medina the director of the Learning Center, and Janine Scott, the advisor for the Professional and Continuing Education Center. Massimino thanked the pair for

their partnerships and the help these two centers have provided to the clubs. Massimino also introduced Lyons, who graduated from York

in 2004 with a B.S. in Business Administration with a concentration on Human Resource Management. Lyons is an HR professional with 12 years experience. Lyons currently works at NYU Winthrop University Hospital as an executive assistant in the Research Administration. She is a member of Sigma Beta Delta, an honor society for Business Management and also an active member of the SHRM and the York College Alumni Association. “I have to tell you I met Carla about ten years ago, and she has continued to be one of the most conscientious, hard working and dedicated individuals I have ever met,” said Massimino. “She worked really hard and her grades showed it. I’m very proud of her. Lyons started her speech by telling students the HR field will

Q & A with Winner of the CUNY Start Up Smart Pitch Competition From York in Business in 2015.

Q: What other organizations or activities are you a part of?

A: I also minor in Accounting and am currently president of the Entrepreneurship Club. I’ve been so for a full year now.

Q: Recently you won the CUNY Start Ups Award. What were your steps and how did you accomplish them? A: Basically, me and my team pitched an innovative way for businesses to advertise through social media. We wanted to solve to problem of businesses not being able to promote brand awareness and there are many reasons for that. Whether it’s lack of time, lack of knowledge or financial resources, business owners struggle to put their brand out there.

Photo Credit: Brienne Kenlock

By Brienne Kenlock 24-year-old Business major Matthew LeBris won an award for a business pitch for the CUNY Start Ups Smart Pitch Competition for Mobile App Invention. In a one-on-one interview with Pandora’s Box, Lebris spoke about his experience working as a Business major and award winner.

Q: Tell me a little about yourself.

A: I am currently a senior, and about to graduate soon. I study Business Administration and concentrating on entrepreneurship. I studied Liberal Arts at Queensborough Community College and graduated with my Associate’s. I started majoring

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Q: What exactly is the CUNY Start Ups program?

A: It’s geared towards putting on extracurricular programs or things you wouldn’t learn in the classroom. For example, there’s a hack-a-thon which is kind of geared towards people who are into technology and they do IBM Watson as well. Then there’s the Smart pitch which I did, and there’s an extracurricular program where CUNY students can submit a business idea and use an accelerator program to help develop the idea.

John from the show Shark Tank. He was there at the ceremony. My job is business development at The Shark Group. I’ve been interning for him for 10 months.

Reporting Under Trump Panel An Instagram Story

A: That’s a good question. I’ve heard him talk at meetings and he and I just talking about different topics. It’s like ‘wow,’ he’s a man full of knowledge. He graduated high school, didn’t go to college but taught himself the hard-knock way.

Q: Throughout your time in Business, what important lessons have stuck with you?

A: Being dedicated. Whether it’s being dedicated to business or improving your life. If you put in the work, you can achieve anything. That’s the biggest lesson I’ve had to learn. There was a time where I didn’t take college that seriously, but looking back, it was definitely a wake-up call. Don’t take college for granted.

Brienne Kenlock is a staff reporter. She can be reached at brienne.kenlock@yorkmail.cuny.edu

7 OP-ED

Photo and Article by:

Shannon Campbell During a panel discussion about Journalism in the Trump Era, Glenn Thrush from the New York Times had a lot of advice to give prospective journalist. “The most important advice I can give is to develop yourself,” said Thrush. “It is important have good skills but make sure you know who you are.”

Read the rest of the story by following yorkjournalism on instagram

A: As of now, I’m currently an intern for Daymond

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Q: What’s it like at your place of work with Daymon?

Q: Are you working as of now?

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require a lot from them especially in a healthcare environment. Throughout her speech, Lyons repeated that HR professionals will always have something to do. She said HR people have to pay attention to detail to make sure every document is accurate. “There’s no nine to five with HR,” said Lyons. “Excellence shouldn’t have a timeline. The crazy time for an HR person is when you have orientation and at the end of the year when you have to do payroll and all the calculations.” Lyons also talked about what she does at her job. She allocates funds from grants and monitors the expenses, she has made multiple calendars and schedules, manages volunteers and places them according to their needs with a particular researcher and she also does contract and payroll processing.

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York College Hosts First Urban Poets’ “Rock the Mic” Event

Photo Credit: Greis Torres

Daijha Rabalais plays the violin with hip hop music. Photo Credit: Greis Torres

By Greis Torres Urban Poets Movement presented the event “Rock the Mic” for the first time at York College on May 4 in room 3D01 bringing activists, poets, writers, performers and York students to share their talents. The event was sponsored by the National Association for Music Education, an association that covers all aspects of music education at the local, state and national levels. Daijha Rabalais, 20, a Music major at York college who also models and serves as president of NAFME, invited the Urban Poets Movement to come to York. At the event she performed her own untitled violin piece mixed with a hip-hop background.

“People put her in a box since she plays a classical instrument,” said Rabalais. “I want to show that you can mix the violin with rap or rock music not only with classical music.”

“There are people who tell me I should transfer to Queens college because they have a classical music program instead of a jazz program like York,” said Rabalais. The event was hosted by Nile Alexander, the founder of the Urban Poets Movement, and

co-curated by the host, writer and actress Raquella “Rocky Snyda” George. Both hosts also performed at the event. “I want people to laugh while people are performing here,” said Alexander. “You guys have finals coming up so we are going to turn this place up.” Alexander said he used to perform on the trains and it helped him cure his anxiety. “Performing on the trains taught me how to overshadow my fear and to become a better performer,” said Alexander. “People don’t know how hard it is to perform on the train,” said George, the co-curator of the event. “You have to go out of your comfort zone. It’s almost compared to a theater where you

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are performing for the toughest crowd which is New York City.” Messiah “Allmessiah” Ramkissoon, a poet and youth activist, recited three of his poems at the event, Systematic Slavery, Original Woman and GOD MC. “A lot of my poems are about roads to happiness, liberation, finding self, self-love and freedom,” said Ramkissoon. He added that as an artist, it is his responsibility to highlight issues where society doesn’t need to turn a blind eye and a deaf ear. Jerome “Jay Resurrection” Barrett, a senior majoring in History at York College, performed his song Pupils. He explained his song is called pupils for those who say they believe in something. “So the first line, ‘You wanna say you the best but check back,’ means that you have to look at what you have done in the past, to remember where you come from,” said Barrett. “The second line, ‘looking at yourself with a tear in the mirror,’ translates to people who believe in Christianity but they aren’t following the rules of

Christianity,” said Barrett. Barrett added that the song can be interpreted in two ways: you can be talking to yourself or to anybody else. The other performers were, Remy Roy, Byrichcolesoy and Young Wess, a York graduate.

“It was nice to allow the students to rap and speak their thoughts through poetry, spoken word and hip-hop/rap,” said Professor Mark Adams, an adjunct with the Music Program.

Adams said the event was a success and, “We intend to have them back.”

Greis Torres is News Editor. She can be reached at greis.torres@ yorkmail.cuny.edu

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Ferry Service From Far Rockaway to Wall St Debuts, More Boats on the Way By Samuel Cruz On Monday May 1st, the NYC Ferry opened its gates to the public. Mayor Bill de Blasio participated in the ceremonial first ride that went from the Rockaways to Manhattan the day before launch, to kick it off. The NYC Ferry is offering two different routes at the moment and for only $2.75 a ticket. Commuters can travel from Manhattan to Brooklyn over the East River in addition to the Rockaways. The NYC Ferry service is planning on adding more routes throughout the summer including the South Brooklyn route in June and the Astoria route in August. In 2018, NYC Ferry plans on adding a Soundview route and a Lower East Side route for the summer. “Citywide ferry service will transform the way New Yorkers experience transportation and our waterfront neighborhoods. Fares matching MTA rates are a good start and free transfers between the new ferries and MTA subways and buses should be our goal,” said NYC Coun-

cil Member Carlos Menchaca. Alex from Brooklyn, 38, says this is a great “sightseeing experience” for her and her son. “It’s great as long as your job is close,” said Alex when asked if it’s a good alternative for taking the train. Some of the similar rules set for subway riders make their way to the waterway system, but bikes are allowed with a fee of one dollar, according to the new york ferry website. Delays will also take effect due to changing weather conditions. Ferry services from and to the east river were slowed because of an Con Ed Oil spill, alerted on the ferry website, on Mother’s Day, May 14.

Samuel Cruz is a contributing photographer. He can be contacted at samuel.cruz@yorkmail.cuny.edu

ate, by challenging the members, coaching problematic members and treating them with respect. “This is just the beginning, but you are getting the tools necessary to succeed outside,” said Lyons. “So take every assignment seriously. Don’t arrive late to a meeting because is not acceptable.” She told students that they need to stay informed with the SHRM website and to take the Senior Certified Professional and the Certified Professional exams which are certifications that are managed through the SHRM. “I’m actually in the process Students read engagement tips for manager jobs. Photo Credit: Anthony Medina of studying for these exams,” she said. “I take my career seriously and I want to stay relevant.” After she concluded her presentation, a Q&A took place. The first question she was asked was, which areas of her job are the hardest. She said the hardest area is to choose the right candidates. She discussed an interview she had previously conducted. During the interview Lyons informed the candidate that there are times of the year where she would not be able to leave at 5 p.m. because there are so many tasks to get done. The candidate responded by saying she would do everyStudents and faculty attending the HR awards dinner listening to their guest speaker. Photo thing she could and then Credit: Anthony Medina leave. Her response made Lyons take the woman’s application and put it on the ‘will not call’ file. “She wasn’t serious, and as an HR professional, there’s no assignment or task beneath you,” said Lyons. “It’s not a joke. There’s like five other people waiting to get that position.” “Another thing, at all these interviews don’t underestimate the young man/woman who is at the front desk. Very often they are key to that position,” said Lyons. “I don’t have an office. I sit at the front with everyone. Of course the first thing my boss always asks me is, how did they approach you? And very often that Photo Credit: Anthony Medina makes a difference whether or not you are in for an interview.” She brought handouts that Continued from pg 1... Lyons remembered being asked had tips for HR managers that by different employers if she focused on how to keep the team “If you are not willing to work were to select a fruit what would motivated by sharing the goals of outside their general job descripit be, and the same for an animal. tion you will not succeed,” Lyons the team, by praising members The audience asked her which individually or when appropriwarned the students. fruit she selected and she replied

One of the NYC ferrys departs from shore. Photo Credit: Samuel Cruz

an apple. “Hard exterior, but a soft interior,” said Lyons. “How you present yourself is very important. You have to give your very best even if you don’t really want the job.” She was also asked how can an HR graduate get support for career progression. She responded that a Bachelor’s degree is not going to give recent graduates an entry level job. According to Lyons, a higher level degree is exceptional for pursuing a career in HR. Lyons received a gift and a certificate on behalf of the HR club and then Dr. Massimino started to give the awards. The Human Resource Club Officer awards were given to the HR club president, Tiffany Singh; HR club vice president, Tesha Deonarine; HR club treasurer, Lindsay DeWalt and HR club secretary, Amanda Baksh. The Society of Human Resource Management Officer awards were given to the SHRM president, Tabitha Bountsebe; the SHRM vice president, Lindsay DeWalt; the SHRM treasurer, Jonathan Diaz and the SHRM secretary, Peony Chan. The Certificate of Appreciation awards were given to people who have worked with the HR club, but they are not members of the club. The awardees were Marcia Moxam Comrie; Student Activities Administration and Staff, Dr. Jean Phelps and Mr. Anthony Andrews; Vice President for Student Development, Dr. Vincent Banrey; Career Services staff, Linda Chesney and Sara Garcia; Assistant for Campus Planning, Sherrian Grant-Fordham; Food Service Director, Henry McCants; and Ismael Perez and Claudette Small Robinson from Administrative Affairs. Partnership awards were given to Dominique Ambroise and Linda Ribaudo from the Learning Center, Oslene Carrington, the Executive Director for Economic and Workforce Development, and Janett Hunter, Teresa Reyes, and Janine Scott from the Adult and Continuing Education Center. The Human Resource Club awards for Membership and Participation were awarded to people who show up, set up meetings and clean afterwards. The awardees were HR club

members: Amanda Baksh, Tiffany Singh, Samuel Williams Jr., Peony Chan, Lindsay DeWalt, Jonathan Diaz, Robin Gurdon, Glaelle Mathurin, Regine Michel, Johnson Oye and Sadat Rahman. The Volunteers for Resume Workshops awards were awarded to faculty and HR club members who volunteered and did not receive extra credit at the resume workshops provided by the HR club. The awardees were: Amanda Baksh, Tesha Deonarine, Peony Chan, Adjunct for the Business and Economics Department Sheridan Abraham, Jonathan Diaz, new SHRM members Brian Lin and Amerita Habib, Denise Uriri-Luke, Tiffany Singh, Adjunct for the Economics and Business Department Minerva Dolezalek, Robin Gurdon, Glaelle Mathurin, Advisor from Academic Affairs Veronica Novy, Johnson Oye and Sherry Shivprasad. At last, the elections for the HR and SHRM positions were held. Amerita Habib became the President of the HR club; Glaelle Mathurin, the Vice President; Sherry Shivprasad, the Secretary and Peony Chan, the Treasurer. For the SHRM, Susan Pride became President of SHRM; Tabitha Bountsebe, the Vice President; Amerita Habib, the Secretary and Brian Lin, the Treasurer. “I have confidence on them. They are wonderful. Most of them are my students,” said the Faculty Advisor Massimino. “I’m going to miss the ones that are graduating and they have to go on with their lives, and I’m happy for them.” The club members then surprised Massimino with a gift signed by all the club members with a message reading, “For the most inspiring Faculty Advisor.”

Greis Torres is News Editor. She can be reached at greis.torres@ yorkmail.cuny.edu

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Efforts to Reduce Long Island Opiod Use Epidemic

Photo Credit: Health.mil

By Stephanie Velazquez Early on Thursday, March 23, a passenger on a Jetblue flight overdosed on heroin and anxiety medication thousands of feet in the air, forcing the plane to return to Kennedy Airport. The 24 year-old man, whose identity was not released, survived for two reasons. The JetBlue staff who made the decision to land, and the Port Authority officers who administered the life saving drug called Narcan. Narcan is a medication which is used to treat narcotic overdoses

in an emergency situations. Opioid related overdoses aren’t a rare occurrence in Long Island. In fact, Fentanyl, an anesthetic commonly used for surgery, surpasses heroin as the deadliest drug on Long Island, according to a recent New York Times article. Fentanyl killed at least 220 people in 2016 and can be 100 times more potent than morphine, according to the NYC Medical Examiner’s office. Although opioids are believed to be an urban problem, opioid drug use and deaths are becoming a problem in suburbs like

Long Island. Public awareness over opioid drug usage in Long Island grew in June of 2008 after 18-yearold Natalie Ciappa died from a heroin overdose. The Long Island Press described Ciappa as “a pretty cheerleader from Massapequa with an honor roll GPA and a voice so beautiful that she was asked again and again to perform at her school, Plainedge High School.” Doreen Ciappa, Natalie’s mother, described her child as, “everybody’s kid, not the kid they would have to worry about.” Ciappa developed an addiction to the drug in the summer of 2007. Approximately a month before her death, on Memorial Day, she overdosed on heroin. She was introduced to heroin by her ex-boyfriend, Philip Ordaya, who was involved with selling drugs according to Nassau County Police. Incidents such as these encouraged lawmakers to pass Natalie’s Law, which requires information technology staff with the Nassau and Suffolk County Police Departments to begin mapping heroin possession and sales ar-

rests on the Internet. The law also states that IT staff are required to update the data monthly with the date, time, location and defendant’s age. Natalie’s Law was signed into law nine years ago, but the website has issues regarding the monthly updates of the opioid related arrests back in 2014. The Long Island Press questioned the police department on why the website lacked updates for a three-year gap. The website was then shut down for no explanation and then relaunched two months after the Long Island Press began its investigation. According to the heroin map located on the Nassau County Police Department website, as of January and February 2017, there were over 100 heroin-related arrests in Nassau County. The map shows that suspects’ ages range from 19 to 60-years-old and show the majority of arrests are adults ranging in their upper 20’s to 60’s. Last February Nassau County Executive Edward P. Mangano, Suffolk County Executive Steven Bellone, Nassau’s Acting Police Commissioner Thomas Krumpt-

er, and Suffolk’s Police Commissioner Timothy D. Sini announced the creation of the Long Island Heroin Task Force. A Task Force comprised of county law enforcement officers to combat the heroin epidemic that continues to affect Long Island. The announcement took place at the Nassau County Educational Heroin Summit and Rally. Those in attendance at the summit included government, law enforcement, school, and medical experts who discussed the latest treatments to battle heroin and opiate addictions. “The Long Island Heroin Task Force will leverage the collective resources of both police departments towards the investigation into drug crimes and to apprehend those who contribute to the heroin epidemic,” Mangano wrote in a statement. He later added that they’ll conduct investigations, take down drug dealers through the sharing of intelligence, and slow the flow of narcotics into the neighborhoods. Stephanie Velazquez is a contributing writer. She can be reached at stephanie.velazquez@yorkmail.cuny.edu

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Marketing Scammers Targetting Students, Recent College Graduates Their inventory was seized and operations halted under accusations by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) of running a pyramid scheme. The events echoed a comparable situation in which Amway paid $100 million to settle a similar lawsuit from the FTC. These companies continue to target college students, particularly in colleges where there is bound to be a large population of students from working class families. They know that those students tend to be less career ready and easily impressed by promises of large payouts.

Photo Credit: Geralt from Pixbay.com

By Alejandro Colon A long-lost friend, distant family member, a loose acquaintance contacts you by phone, email, or social network. You haven’t heard from them in a while— maybe you’ve never even met them in person—but they want to share a new and great employment opportunity they’ve been working on. They know you’ll be a great fit for it, but the person refuses to give details upfront. They instead insist on meeting you in person to discuss this once in a lifetime opportunity further. Although this all sounds vague,

too many college students are curious as to what the opportunity might be. It seems nobody wants to miss out on what could be a lucrative job situation and many students and recent grads agree to meet. Multi-Level Marketing (MLM) companies such as Primerica, ACN, Amway, and Vector Marketing—which had advertising around York College during last fall’s semester—have ramped up their recruitment efforts in colleges under the guise of being conventional business or employment opportunities. In 2015 a similar company, Vemma, used college students to push their energy drink “Verve.”

In February, York College’s Career Services sent out an email warning students to be wary of employment scams targeting students. While MLMs are legal and not considered a scam, they are likely to turn out to be a terrible waste of time for students. Scrolling through a list of companies that have been denied access to York College’s student body, Sarah Garcia of York’s Career Services made the following observation: “Students who often get involved with [MLM] companies typically have limited options.” She says, “They tend to be students who either have low GPAs or do not have a career plan.” Students making their first for-

ay into the job market are more likely to be solicited by MLM companies. Their lack of experience in dealing with recruiters and interviewing—coupled with wanting to find employment and make money quickly—makes these students prime targets for MLM companies. For a company looking to take advantage of inexperienced students, it is only a matter of masking their pitch in a way that it sounds easy, cheap, and requires little to no attention. MLMs, however, tend to be just the opposite. They cost students money to buy expensive inventory or to attend training sessions. They also require a large investment of time to market to and recruit people close to them. MLM participants not only risk the loss of money and time but also risk burning bridges with those around them. MLMs encourage participants to market and recruit heavily within their close network of friends and family, which can put some people off. Ruel Quamina, an Accounting senior at York College, recalled personally experiencing just this situation. “I stopped talking to one person because I felt I had become a sales target every time I spoke to them,” said Quamina. “All they talked about was the organization they were part of and constantly tried to get me to join.”

money, MLM companies are far from ideal for college students. The average student’s workload is hefty already without having to push product and make sales calls. Furthermore, there appears to be no real benefits to for participants to get involved with MLMs even though they usually promise some sort of mentorship relationship with senior participants. Garcia said that when it is all said and done, MLM participants tend to lose more than they gain. The reality is that there is no silver lining for students participating in MLMs. If experience is all that is to be expected from participating in a MLM company, Garcia emphasized that, “[MLM participants] did not gain any interpersonal or career development skills after taking part in MLMs. Students where back to where they started.”

Alejandro Colon is a contributing writer,. He can be reached at alejandro.colon@yorkmail.cny.edu

Although marketed as easy

‘Up Till Midnight’ Library Extended Hours Are Back 5/01/2017

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OPINION P Thurs. May 18, 2017

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Trump Golfing: Crisis Averted By Anthony Medina The White House Correspondents dinner would never be the same after Hasan Minhaj took center stage and began knocking down the president, his Staff, and multiple news media. Under Minhaj’s resume, including correspondent on Comedy Central’s The Daily Show, should be lightweight champion of hard-hitting punchlines and master manipulator of political jargon. Minhaj’s true intentions during the correspondents dinner, were not only to attack the inconsistencies of the White House, but emphasize the importance of free speech and the news media’s responsibility to provide accurate reporting. “Free speech is the foundation of an open and liberal democracy, from college campuses to the White House” said Minhaj. “Only in America can a first-generation, Indian American Muslim Kid get on the stage and make fun of the president.” Of course, it took almost 20 minutes into his 25 minute gut-punching monologue to emphasize his support of free speech, but the jokes said about the administration, FOX News, MSNBC, USA Today, CNN, were all necessary to bring anyone in a haze into the reality of many worried Americans. To begin his bombardment on the administration Minhaj said, “You know, a lot of people told me, ‘Hasan, if you go after the administration, it would be petty,

jokes towards FOX News, MSNBC, and CNN were equally impactful and an accurate reflection of the public view on news coverage. When it comes to CNN having too much breaking news or Fox news firing Bill O’Reilly with a hefty severance package, Minhaj broached news coverage as a topic of importance and motivation for journalists to come together and stay true to accurate reporting. “I’m watching the news. But it feels like I’m watching CNN watch the news. Please just take an hour, figure out what you want to say. Then go on the air,” said Minhaj when leaning into CNN. “Now, I know some of you are wondering, “Hasan, how do you know so much about Fox News?” As a Muslim, I like to watch Fox News for the same reason I like to play Political Cartoon drawn by Deo Khushnarayan. He can be reached at deoknaryan@ “Call of Duty.” Sometimes, I gmail.com like to turn my brain off and watch strangers insult my unfair, and childish.’ In other their time within the 100 days family and heritage,” said words, presidential, so here we of Trump mark. The predomiMinhaj when hammering Fox go.” nantly white audience seemed news. Under the comedic hit list of unamused while some were seen Remember, Trumps three main Minhaj included Betsy DeVos, laughing at the impactful jokes enemies are Journalists, ISIS, and Rick Perry, Steve Bannon, Mike on Betsy DeVos “curating a colnormal length ties, according to Pence, Sean Spicer, Jeff Sessions, lection of children’s tears,” Rick Hinhaj. But consider how Minhaj and Ivanka Trump. Trump Perry “waiting in a room of pluconnected journalists, in respect checked into a rally in Penntonium waiting to become spider to Trump’s treatment of the mesylvania instead of attending man,” Jeff Sessions “attending dia, being treated as minorities. the event, further proving the a Pre-Civil War reenactment,” “You can’t make any mistakes. uncanny behavior of the White and Sean Spicer “giving press Because when one of you messes House staff. meetings like someone’s going up, he blames your entire group. Each well thought-out joke through his browser history And now you know what it about Trump’s staff members while he watches.” feels like to be a minority,” said was personal and reflected Although hysterical, Minhaj’s

Minhaj. Even if the room was “super white” according to Minhaj, the idea of Journalists being a consolidated group isn’t far fetched comedic rhetoric. When articles were published comparing audience size at President Trump’s inauguration, Sean Spicer immediately blamed news outlets for creating controversy and not insuring accurate reporting. The outcome of election night 2017 also saw criticism based on news outlets not fairly reporting all candidates, which Minhaj referred to as “everyone’s Steve Harvey moment.” Addressing every issue and controversy with White House Staff, Donald Trump, and News Media could only be achieved by Hasan Minhaj. He received a standing ovation by the crowd and embraces by those sitting center stage with possibly the best answer to why Donald Trump didn’t attend the event. If you weren’t a hard conservative or liberal who could accept facts and take a joke, the 25 minute monologue would be informative and a good belly laugh at our delicate White House structure. Oh! The reason for Trump not attending the correspondent dinner. “Because Donald Trump doesn’t care about free speech.” said Minhaj.

Anthony Medina is Editor in Chief. He can be reached at anthony.medina@yorkmail.cuny. edu

SheaMoisture Left Some of Its Consumers Feeling a Little Dry By Brittany Wright SheaMoisture has issued an apology to its key demographic after getting some serious social media backlash after the release of a new ad. The hair and body company, with strong ties to the Black community, released a one-minute video clip that sparked outrage. The company’s hair products are widely used amongst Black women with “natural hair--” hair that is not chemically straightened. Yet they released an ad under their new campaign #EverybodyGetsLove, that neglected to depict buyers of the product as women of color. One long time consumer of SheaMoisture says she thinks the title for the new campaign is ironic. “As a Black woman, it seems like they wanted to make sure they showed love to everyone except us,” said Iva Pearson, who said she has been using the brands products for over 10 years. “The company is becoming more mainstream and seems to have forgotten who got them there.” The company posted the ad on their Facebook page with the message “Break free of

hair hate.” The ad featured four women sharing their stories of “hair hate” but then later learning to embrace their natural hair. The ad opened with a biracial women, but then focusing on three white women. One of the women expressed being perplexed with having straight hair and another about pressure to dye her hair blonde. Many of its primary customers felt alienated and offended. Actress Yvette Brown voiced her opinion on “The Karen Hunter Show,” which airs on Sirius XM satellite radio, saying that Shea Moisture, as many other companies do, built their brand “on the backs of black people” and then “tossed them aside after they have built success.” She references TV stations like FOX and WB that once played many all Black cast television shows and then later changed its main shows to cast that are all or predominantly white. Given the discrimination that Black women face too often when it comes to standards of beauty, the disproportionate number of white voices speaking out in the ad about a topic as sensitive as “hair hate” was called out on social

Phoro Credit: Shannon Campbell

media as whitewashing, a marketing ploy, and a rejection on Black women, according to NBC. The Sundial, SheaMoisture’s parent brand, eventually released an apology and pulled the ad, but that does not mean all is forgiven. Many people are still planning to boycott the brand. One of the company’s former consumer says she isn’t surprised by SheaMoisture’s new “branding.” Candice VanWye, founder and owner of Brown Girl Blogger, says she saw this coming. She says she’s not upset at the company’s efforts toward “inclusion.” But that the delivery was off. VanWye followed by saying she no longer plans to support the brand. “I speak with my money,” VanWye

added. The founder and CEO of SheaMoisture, Richelieu Dennis told CNN that the company is trying to broaden/ diversify their consumer base but not want their original consumer to feel like the company is “turning their back on them.” “Their sentiment—of wanting to make sure that the brand is no longer focused on them and is leaving them behind—is simply not correct or accurate. We will continue to stand for women of color. We will continue to service them. We are not changing anything. We’re overwhelmingly innovating for them,” Dennis said in an interview with The Washington Post. The brand seems to have stepped on a lot of toes in efforts to “diversify.” But not everyone is in disgruntled by the ad. Kristen Jeffries, Political Science major here at York College, say she understands but feel that she feels, “People need to be wiser in choosing their battles.” The Theater minor says she uses SheaMoisture’s products and does not feel offended by the new brand approach. She says there are too many other things going on and other injustices to be focuses on

something so minor. Some people are even supportive of the brand saying they believe it was a good business move. Michelle Mack, consumer for SheaMoisture’s hair and body products, says trying to broaden the company’s consumer base by adding other ethnic groups is a “smart business move.” She says she is not offended by the ad because she understands what they were trying to do. And wishes the company financial success. Dennis told NBCBLK that as the company grows it will increase its “intensity to serve [women of color]” In efforts to hold on their consumers, SheaMoisture has been personally tweeting people who have spoken out against them, ensuring that the formulas of the their products will not change and admitting to their mistakes with the campaign.

Brittany Wright is a staff reporter. She can be reached at brittany.wright@yorkmail. cuny.edu

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Thurs. May 18, 2017

La Hija de la Isla (The Daughter of the Island) By Keila Ottero I have a question. Have you noticed something different and/ or new on YcRadio this semester? I know many of you have heard some podcasts from our campus station, such as;- “Nerd New York-”, “-The Sit-Down-”, “-No Filter-”, “-Black Seinfeld-” and many others on a weekly basis. But there has been a new program that has switched up the genres and is giving YcRadio some SAZON. The show is called “Para Mi Gente” (which means For My People) in this podcast I, Keila Ottero, speak about my people, my culture, my community. Which is the Latino/Latin-X and Hispanic community. Yet there is a twist...the program is all in Spanish. I know, I know what you might be saying to yourself... “but Keila why do the show in Spanish I won’t be able to understand it?” Well Spanish is my first language and I have always been surrounded by many Latino/ Hispanic people since I moved to New York 10 years ago from

Photo Credit: Keila Ottero

the town of San Juan in the small island with a big heart called Puerto Rico. Coming from such small yet hardworking island to the massive, hardworking and freedom fighting city that is New York, made me realize we as Latinos need to push our pride aside and fight for equality side by side. No matter what Ethnic background we may be. Hence why I titled the program “Para Mi Gente” (For My People.)

In the show, which you can find at ycradio.org under podcast and search Para Mi Gente, I talk about what is going on in our countries (whether it be political or cultural) as well as within the diverse societies each community has to advocate for women, children and even the LGBTQ community. Yes this is a major step not only as a journalism student learning the ropes of the broadcast world, but it has been quite an experi-

ence to be the first NON-English program at our campus station. Which I am beyond honored and humbled to do. Being the daughter of a hardworking single mother who to this day pushes me to never give up and to continue being “the voice of the voiceless” and “the shield of the unheard” She is what truly keeps me going. She has shown me that with lots of hard work and dedication for that you love then there is the limit to what can be done. And that you can take it to the bank! Don’t Forget Para Mi Gente on YCRADIO. ORG Final show of the semester will be May 15th at 1:30, but no worries. I will be back this upcoming Fall. Or you can also listen to past episodes by going to ycradio.org. If you have any question, suggestions or topic ideas you can message me at laborincana90@gmail.com

Pandora’s Box

STAFF & CONTRIBUTING REPORTERS

EDITORIAL BOARD Editor in Chief:

Sports Editor:

Jessica Lau

Jessica.Lau@yorkmail.cuny.edu

Anthony Medina

Tyriece Simon

Tylaisha Davis

Tylaisha.Davis@yorkmail.cuny.edu

Anthony.Medina@yorkmail. cuny.edu

Tyriece.Simon@yorkmail. cuny.edu

Joshua Samuel

Joshua.Samuel@yorkmail.cuny.edu

Marc Torres

Marc.Torres@yorkmail.cuny.edu

Jenelle Taylor

Jenelle.Taylor@yorkmail.cuny.edu

Shannon Campbell

Shannon.Campbell@yorkmail.cuny.edu

Fabio Martinez

Fabio.Martinez@yorkmail.cuny.edu

Brienne Kenlock

Brienne.Kenlock@yorkmail.cuny.edu

Managing Editor:

Assistant Sports Editor:

Annalisa Ramnarain

Tylaisha Davis

Annalisa.Ramnarain@yorkmail.cuny.edu

Tylaisha.Davis@yorkmail. cuny.edu

Stephanie Velazquez Stephanie.Velazquez@yorkmail.cuny.edu News Editor:

Faculty Advisor:

Gries Torres

William Hughes whughes@york.cuny.edu

Greis.Torres@yorkmail.cuny. edu Arts/Ent. Editor :TBD Online Editor: TBD

Paola Amaya

Paola.Amaya@yorkmail.cuny.edu

Marquis Rawls

Marquis.Rawls@yorkmail.cuny.edu

Joeseph Powell

Joeseph.Powell@yorkmail.cuny.edu

Brittany Wright

Brittany.Wright@yorkmail.cuny.edu

Alejandro Colon

Alejandro.Colon@yorkmail.cuny.edu

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Thurs. May 18, 2017

Bronx Music Heritage Center Expanding, Celebrating Borough’s Art Scene

Photo Credit: Joeseph Powell

By Joeseph Powell It’s a quiet spring afternoon and it’s quiet on the block at 1303 Louis Nine Blvd. up in the Bronx. It is here where the Bronx Music Heritage Center is located. But despite it being a holiday week and spring break for many, the BMHC is alive and well with its mission to promote the ever growing musical culture of the Bronx. The center houses an art gallery and a performance space for established and local arts. At a recent jazz event held at the center, the co-artistic, director, Grammy nominated bandleader and drummer, Bobby Sanabria spoke of the glorious past of the Bronx with its many clubs and musicians who have lived and performed in the borough. But Sanabria tells the crowd., “The BMHC is not here to relive it, but to remind you of it.,”

Sanabria told the crowd. “The Bronx is not just about hip-hop, but jazz, salsa and doo-wop to name a few.” The Women’s Housing + Economic Development Corporation founded BMHC in 2010. The organization’s main purpose was to start and fund women’s housing. Along the way, WHEDCO decided to start a cultural arm and that is what led to the creation of the center. Elena Martinez, who along with Sanabria, is a Cco-Aartistic Ddirector at the center. In a recent interview, she spoke of the center’s goal to promote the various music forms like hip-hop, jazz, and salsa along with having dance and guitar classes. “We want people to have a good time.,” said Martinez. “Anyone can put on a concert. But we want people to walk away with some knowledge of

the borough,” says Martinez.” Both Martinez and Sanabria have pointed out that the Bronx has many stereotypesical images attached to it. They have spoken on the eras of the burned out buildings, crime, drugs and arson firestrash-strewn vacant lots. But they want people to fully understand that there is a lot to the Bronx. “The Bronx is a an extension of Harlem.,” said Martinez. “Many African-Americans left Harlem and moved up to the Bronx. Many Latinos from East Harlem moved up to the Bronx. Many first settling in the Mott Haven section. This was happening in the 1950’s. The number 5 and 6 trains made it convenient to live and work here. There were many factory jobs up here in the Bronx,.” says Martinez. The work that the BMHC and WHEDCO does promotes and involves the community. There are many community organizations within the boroughs that serve their neighborhood. Charise Panton is in her forties40’s and lives in Central Harlem. CharisePanton and her boyfriend both work full time and are raising their five year old daughter. While her busy schedule doesn’t allow time for her to seek out culturally based organizations, CharisePanton is grateful for the 123rd Block Association in her area. “They do a great job by serving the block and existing area up here.,” she said. “The best part is that they serve the youth up here,” says Panton. “. They involve the parents by holding fundraisers so that they can buy school supplies and gifts for the

neighborhood children.” The Bronx Museum of the Arts is located at 1040 Grand Concourse and 165th Street. It has been in existence for over twenty years now. It not only has art exhibitions, but programs that serve the community. One particular event is ‘First Fridays,’ whichheld on the first Friday of each month to presents a cultural event. Miriam Tabb works as a public liaison for the museum and in a recent interview said, “We have concerts that feature gospel, jazz, Latin, African, and world music.,” said Tabb. “We also have dance performances, lectures, film screenings and poetry readings. The community comes out for these events.” The events for this program, which are a little over five years old, are not randomly chosen. “We have the Bronx Museum Community Advisory Council which is made up of 25 to 30 people.,” said Tabb. “The members can submit a theme idea and if it is chosen, the member behind the idea will create the program for a chosen date. They create a theme with the community in mind and that adds to it as well,” Tabb explains..” While Elena Martinez realizes that the BMHC is promoting history, she is fully aware that new immigrant groups are moving into the borough bringing their own culture and music. “We know that the Bronx is becoming more and more diverse.,” said Martinez. “We have had West African and Bangladesh events and are working on having Albanian events. There is a large Albanian community in

the Bronx that is growing,” says Martinez..” She points out to a recent jazz concert that was held on Saturdayn April 8th that featured Serbian born singer Alma Micic. Outside on Louis Nine Blvd is Bronx resident Denise Byrd. She is on her way to the city unaware of BMHC, but was impressed. “I always pass by this area and didn’t know about them.,” said Byrd. “I think it’s great for the community to have a place like this. I will go online and check them out,” says Byrd..” The BMHC will be able to reach more people in the future. They recently broke ground on East 162nd Street and Elton Avenue. This street located in the Melrose Section of the Bronx will be WHEDCO’s third housing development site. It will be comprised of 305 new affordable apartments and retail space. This new development will allow BMHC to be in a larger space and will include a 300- seat theater for performances. It will be called, ‘The Bronx Music Hall’ and it will showcase the forgotten music of the Bronx as well as new emerging artists. But whether it’s the current small or the upcoming larger space, Elena Martinez wants people to come to the center and learn something. “Both me and Bobby are from the Bronx and we are passionate about the Bronx.,” she said. “There is so much history about the Bronx,” She says.”

Joesph Powell is a contributing writer. He can be reached at joesph.powell@yorkmail.cuny.edu

Fast & Furious Movie Drifts into #1 By Marc Torres Since its release in April, Fast & Furious 8, has made about $1.5 billion worldwide and is still making money in May. The eighth installment of the Fast franchise focuses on the strange new hacker Cipher (Charlize Theron), who forces Dominick Torretto (Vin Diesel) to commit terrorist acts for her. The franchise tries to take a fresh approach in the new movie by taking Dominick out of the equation and forcing him to fight against his family, going against everything he believes in. This leaves his family virtually helpless, and by the end of the movie, one can see just how crucial he is to their safety. Jason Statham as Deckard and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson as Hobbs, take Dom’s tra-

Photo Credit: Magnus Manske of Wikimedia Commons

ditional place, and become the protectors for the crew, but never do as good a job as Dom. Brian, the character that was played by Paul Walker, has retired with his wife Mia, and has gone off the grid. His absence was handled well, and although he was an important character, the movie lets others shine (like Deckard

and Hobbs). The reason Dom turns on his family is what makes the movie interesting and gives an emotional quality to it. It’s too good to reveal and is the only reason someone should see the movie, along with Roman’s (Tyrese Gibson) jokes throughout the film. The action sequences are

ridiculous and go against all logic. The acting is subpar, but the flying cars and explosions keep you distracted enough not to notice. The franchise brought back Letty Ortiz (Michelle Rodriguez) in the 6th movie, and we were all forced to believe it. This movie is a lot like the other ones, where we are

forced to believe that these ridiculous things can happen, and the crew can continue to live (like Roman being dragged across ice on a car door after almost drowning in ice water). The movie is worth seeing if you’re a fan of the franchise or if you just want some laughs. There are two more movies in the works, and a spin-off film with Statham and The Rock slated to be released before the 9th film in the franchise. The question is, can they continue to keep the series fresh and jam-packed full of ridiculous action, or will they burn out? There is no definite answer right now, but one can only wonder.

Marc Torres is a staff reporter. He can be reached at marc. torres@yorkmail.cuny.edu

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Thurs. May 18, 2017

TUPAC Inspired Pop-Up Restaurant Appears, Vanishes on Lower East Side

Photo Credit: Paola Amaya

By Paola Amaya Powamekka Cafe is what rapper Tupac Shakur considered a, “down-home Southern” restaurant, in the notes that he made in his journal before dying more than 20 years ago in 1996. “The perfect hideout 4 those who wish 2 escape the worldz cold reality,” are what he wrote in his notes next to the sketches of the restaurant he believed would one day become a place of refuge for his friends. Sweet Chick, a New York City based Southern-style restaurant known primarily for their famous chicken and waffles, embodied Powamekka Cafe and based it on the culinary ideas of the deceased rapper for only one weekend. “The food was good,” said 31 year-old Sarah Anderson from

Harlem, as she finished the chicken and waffles she ordered for dinner. “I’ve been to Sweet Chick before and it had that Sweet Chick vibe but just with a Tupac-style. It’s very dope to see the menu written in his style of writing and to see what ideas he had before his passing. It’s nice to see someone took the time and bought his idea to life.” “The motif of changing the whole space, employees wearing, “Powamekka” labeled t-shirts, guests wearing braids, du-rags and dressed in really old 90’s, “Cali” fashion, makes you feel just really connected,” said Byron Young, 33, a Brooklyn resident originally from New Orleans. The pop-up restaurant was here for the weekend of April 7th to April 9th, 2017 and was open from 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. at Sweet

Chick’s Lower East Side location on 178 Ludlow St. The Tupac-inspired menu featured gumbo, meatloaf, his cousin Jamala’s famous chicken wings, and 16 other items in total including dessert which showcased his love for Southern Cuisine. “They don’t normally have peach cobbler here so it was cool to be able to get that being from the South originally,” said Young. “It makes me think about how connected Tupac was to the South because the food choices were really Southern and the food here was really good, I enjoyed it.” A collection of Tupac’s childhood photos, memorabilia, and personal poetry were on display and placed in a way to make you feel as if you were in Tupac’s

Music Choir Class Performs Gospel Program By Mariam Ojesanmi The Music Choir class performed their annual event in which they sang gospel songs for the public to hear and enjoy on May 11. In this particular performance, Professor Jonathan Quash combined all his Music Choir classes together to perform as one. The class has been doing performances like this every semester for the past 13 years. For the students the performance also doubled as their final project for the class. Quash is also the music director and helped his students come together for the performance by preparing the songs that the students sang. The students sang a variety of songs, including We Sons and Daughters, Elijah Rock, Ride the Chariot and many others. “The students join of strength through gospel contemporary and the history of the music,” said Quash. Virginia Moss, a supporter of the Performing Arts program, was in the audience and said she enjoyed the show.

“It is important that young people get involved in activities,” said Moss. “The neighborhood should see how important it is. If you don’t use it you will lose it.”

Moss, whose daughter attended York several years ago, helped promote the concert by handing out fliers at other campus events. Martha Cedem, who also attended the performance, said she found out about it by receiving a flier from Moss. “Love Gospel,” said who added she was attending her first event at York.

“I’m a church woman and if they have other events like this I would come.”

The students in the choir sang as Quash accompanied them on piano. One student, Rayvon Johnson, said he enjoyed combining his love for singing with the choir with his other passion for acting. In addition to the May 11 performance, Johnson also appeared in the play 5 Guys Named Moe, which ran until May 14. (editor’s note: see review on page 12). Once the performance ended, the audience applauded the students for their great effort and strength of harmonizing their voices together.

Mariam Ojesanmi is a contributing writer. She can be reached as mariam.ojesanmi@ yorkmail.cuny.edu

home yourself. Fresh sunflowers were placed on each dining table at the request of the rapper, too. “A lot of effort went into designing this restaurant,” said Cam Valdez, 30, who was serving tables at the Powamekka Cafe that Friday afternoon. “I can’t imagine what it’d been like had he only been alive,” said Valdez. “We realized there were so many factors and components we had to consider in putting this together, one could just imagine how passionate Pac truly was when he put together this vision.” Pictures of Tupac’s favorite albums by some of his favorite artists such as Michael Jackson, Marvin Gaye, Jimi Hendrix, New Edition and Run-D.M.C., were on display all throughout the restaurant and photos of Social

Activists and Ministers Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X, were also on display. “I thought the restaurant was dope,” said Tiara Burke, 23, a Psychology student at LaGuardia Community College, from Manhattan. “They covered up the, “Sweet Chick” sign outside and put, “Powamekka,” the music was straight Tupac which you don’t really get to hear nowadays, and the food was so good. I’m glad I was able to attend and be a witness of this.” The legendary rapper’s restaurant was run by the estate of the artist, in collaboration with Sweet Chick and merchandising company Bravado, a Universal Music Groups brand. “It’s our duty to create opportunities for our artists to fulfill their creative vision and give their fans new ways to engage with them and their music,” the CEO at Bravado said in a statement. A tribute cafe similar to this one in New York City also popped up in Fresno, California last September in honor of the 20th anniversary of Tupac’s death. Hundreds of people waited in line to check it out, some as long as three hours, and food even ran out. This time however waiting time for seating at Tupac’s Powamekka Cafe was an average of about 10 minutes and reservation options were also available online so no one would miss the event.

Paola Amaya is a staff reporter. She can be reached at paola. amaya@yorkmail.cuny.edu

ARTS PB Thurs. May 18, 2017

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York Performing Arts Center Presents Five Guys Named Moe out into a Caribbean beat-infused song and started a conga line throughout the audience.

“I think it really stands out when they bring in audience participation because it works,” said Cano. “It gets people more excited. I don’t like a disconnect between audience and performers so this definitely helps.”

Five guys named Moe take center stage in bright red suit jackets. Photo Credit: Danielle Cruz

By Danielle Cruz As the curtain began to rise at the Performing Arts Center’s main theater, a live band playing jazzy blues music captured the attention of audience members viewing Five Guys Named Moe on May 9. The band was set up on one side of the stage on a raised platform, while approximately 10 audience members were seated on the other side of the stage to simulate clubgoers at tables.

The show centers around the main characters Nomax, Eat Moe, Four Eyed Moe, Little Moe, No Moe and Big Moe. The plot involves fixing a broken relationship between Nomax, played by Erick Carter, and his girlfriend (who never appears), and the play had no shortage of jokes. Often times the cast had the audience laughing at their ad libs and jokes. Audience members were encouraged to “throw money” instead of clapping, garnering

Photo Credit: Danielle Cruz

laughs from the crowd, and participating in the comedic portions of the play. At one point in the play, the audience burst into laughter as one cast member sang a song with the lines “safe sane and single thats how im going to be” as they talked about how relationships make people crazy. “It’s a lot more lighthearted than people expect it to be,” said Vanessa Cano, a Music Education major at York College. They even had a bit where

the cast told the audience jokes, including the old gag, “I must be butter because I am on a roll,” punctuated by a rim shot from the drummer. With audience participation as a key part of the play, the cast set out to break the fourth wall and engage the audience. Often times the cast would stop their monologue and ask the audience questions about whether or not they were listening and teach them sing-along songs. At one point they even broke

While the comedy was good, the musical numbers stole the show. Mostly filled with jazz/ blues influenced music, it had most of the audience talking about the vocals of the cast after the show. “The boys’ harmony was amazing,” said a woman named Tonya, who came to support one of the cast members. “I really loved the throwback to the doowop era. It really reminded me of the songs I grew up listening to.”

Danielle Cruz is a staff reporter. She can be reached at danielle. cruz@yorkmail.cuny.edu

Fidget Spinners: Latest Trend Intrigues and Irks Teachers and Parents

Photo credit: Florian Schaffer of wikimedia commons

By Brittany Wright There’s a new toy that has grabbed the attention of kids everywhere. It’s called the Fidget Spinner. If you’ve been around children in the last few weeks you’ve definitely seen one of these things. It’s a two or three pronged toy, usually made out of plastic or metal. In order to use it, you hold your fingers together over

the middle and use your other fingers to spin-- simple instructions. Jazmyne Eggleston, a public school teacher, said surprisingly she hasn’t seen any of her student using them yet. Eggleston, who teaches 6th grade English and Social Studies, said she is interested in giving some out as class prizes and seeing if they would be, “helpful or a hinderance.”

While at work the other day, speaking to a customer, her son stood next to her mesmerized by the Fidget Spinner in his hand. He kept spinning it and watching it over and over. “I’m not sure if that’s a good thing or bad, but I’m not the only one,” according to Eggleston. Kids can be easily distracted from important things but it can also be used to keep children calm when becoming impatient. “Some students get distracted by just having a hat on their desk,” Eggeleston said. Nine-year-old Myshawn Givens, said “I have three” while pulling the other two toys out of his pockets to show me after noticing me looking at the one already spinning in his hand. He says they’re “cool” and that he doesn’t play with them at school because his mom doesn’t allow him to bring them with him. Kids love them, but some teachers, not so much. In fact some schools have already banned the toy. According to Department of Education data, 32 per-

cent of the top 200 American high schools (the 100 largest private and 100 largest public schools) have banned spinners from the premises, or plan to ban the toy in the near future. It may seem that Fidget Spinners have just recently come out, but the toy was invented in 1997. It was originally marketed as a stress-relief device for people suffering from anxiety, ADHD or autism spectrum disorder. Dr. Steven Shapiro, chairman of Pediatrics at Abington Hospital Jefferson Health in Philadelphia, told CBS that objects have been used for years to help hyperactive children focus. But fidget spinners can also be helpful for autistic and other differentlyabled kids.

“They’ve been used for kids in the spectrum of autism, basic developmental disorders, in the spectrum of severe ADHD, where there’s a severe distractible component,” he said.

Ironically a toy that’s supposed to appease the easilydistracted is causing distractions in the classroom. Michael Jamison, a tutor at an after-school program, said the toy keeps his students from concentrating on their work. “Even if they’re not the one playing with it, the spinning distracts the kids next to them.” But whether you believe the toy help or distracts, whether you like them or think they are a waste of time, Fidget Spinners may be a passing trend that won’t stay long. Just like Slinky and Etch- ASketch, Fidget Spinners will likely soon be out of trend of the past-- just a memory from 2017.

Brittany Wright is a staff reporter. She can be reached at brittany.wright@yorkmail. cuny.edu

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Thurs. May 18, 2017

Bob Marley’s Words and Music Anchor Fine Arts Indy Research Project

Ashlee and her preformers playing a final song. Photo Credit: Anthony Medina

By Anthony Medina The detailed tattoo of Bob Marley on the arm of Theater Arts major Ashlee Alexander is just a hint at how deeply she feels about the legendary performer. While the pressure of choosing an independent research topic lingers over many Speech Communications and Theater Arts majors at York, for Alexander the choice was obvious: use Marley’s work as a window into all the current racial turmoil in the U.S. and around the world. All majors need to participate in a play, recital or some form of performance in order to graduate. Alexander, a 24-year-old graduating senior, presented her

work on Thursday, May 10 at 7 p.m. to a small but enthusiastic audience. Alexander’s show was titled We Struggle in This Nation, and combined her skills in acting, singing and production in an hourlong multi-media presentation at the Little Theater. The over-arching theme of this project combined musical performances and interviews with Marley and the relation to the current struggle with civil rights in America. “I’m enthusiastic about Bob Marley,” said Alexander before revealing. “I listened to one of his songs recently and it connected to what’s been going on recently.” Marley the world-renowned Ja-

Kevin Cauvin, the acting preformer for the night, holding a Black Lives Matter sign. Photo Credit: Anthony Medina

maican reggae singer, writer, and producer, sold 20 million records and became a symbol for free rights for all cultures. Alexander made sure Marley started the event by playing an interview of him on Like it Is in 1980. In the interview, he discussed his childhood, philosophy, and the foundation of his lifelong passion for reggae music. Accompanying the video segments was live music performed by a mix of York students, faculty and alumni on backup vocals, drums, bass, electric piano, and guitar. A few of the band members held their own senior recitals and helped other students in their performances.

Although Alexander’s small stature may fool some, her powerful voice engulfed the room and captured the attention of audience members. Some of the infamous Bob Marley hits played live were I Shot The Sheriff, No Woman No Cry, Exodus, Redemption Song and Get Up Stand Up. The performance also included video clips of iconic civil rights figures and live-acting performances by TK portraying Nat Turner, Martin Luther King Jr. and former President Barack Obama. The video clips featured history vignettes about the characters represented. One depicted Nat

Turner’s Rebellion, one of the largest revolts against slave owners in Virginia. Another portrayed King’s march from Selma, Ala. to Washington, D.C. in 1965. Former President Obama’s inauguration also made its way in the event as reminder of the changes made over the years and efforts to continue fighting for civil rights among the black community. “I loved it,” said Eunique Doran, a Communications Technology major at York. “She talked about black lives and expressed it through the Bob Marley. It goes to show that history repeats.” Among those in the crowd were Alexander’s father Neil, who began his daughter’s exposure to Marley and showed his support throughout the event. “Everything was good,” said her father. “She made me proud. Even with all of the obstacles, she was able to do this. Yes, I’m very proud.” Ashlee won’t know of her grade until the end of the semester, but she’s confident her grade is an A.

Anthony Medina is Editor in Chief He can be reached at anthony.medina@yorkmai.cuny. edu

SPORTS PB Thurs. May 18, 2017

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Boston Celtics Guard Isaiah Thomas Keeps Fighting

Photo Credit: Keith Allison of flickr.com

By Tylaisha Davis NBA basketball team Boston Celtics is one of the seven teams left in the NBA playoffs. Key player on Boston Celtics guard, Isaiah Thomas, has been going through a lot lately. Thomas has been mourning the loss of his

younger sister, Chyna Thomas, who was killed in a car accident in Washington on April 15, just one day before the Celtics first-round playoff series against the Chicago Bulls began. Chyna Thomas’ car reportedly drifted onto the left shoulder of the highway and traveled about 50 feet before hitting a large pole. Accord-

ing to ESPN, Isaiah Thomas received the news of his sister accident after he participated in his team’s practice Saturday afternoon. “Being here is what makes me, I guess, sane. It makes me feel somewhat normal through these tough times,” Thomas told reporters. Before the first game against the Chicago Bulls Thomas had a moment and cried. Celtics ended up losing the first two games against the Chicago Bulls but ended the series with Celtics winning the last four games straight. Celtics defeated The Chicago Bulls and advanced in the NBA playoffs now facing NBA team Washington Wizards. April 30 was the first game against Washington Wizards, even though Celtics won and Thomas scored 33 points, he lost his front tooth during the game. First quarter of the game scored 20 to 5, Wizards up by 15 points, with 6:33 left at the clock Thomas runs into small forward on Washington Wizards Otto Porter elbow. Thomas picked up his tooth, took it to the bench and returned to playing. “It just bothers me to talk.

My tongue goes right through my tooth. I’ve never had dental problems. I’ve always had teammates that I’ve clowned them about their tooth being out and now I’m one of them. Hopefully, we can replace it as soon as possible,” Thomas said in an interview after the game. Porter had no idea what happened until he saw the replay of it. “I saw the replay and I came off a tight curl and I kind of reached back for the ball and I guess he was right there,” Porter said. “I kind of got him. The crazy thing, I didn’t feel it until after it happened. I Didn’t even know it was him. I didn’t see him pick up the tooth or nothing. I saw him smile one time, I was like yooooooo when did that happen, then I saw the replay,” Porter also said. Second game Boston Celtics won again, score 129 - 119. Isaiah Thomas had 53 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists, and 3 steals. On this day his sister Chyna Thomas would have turned 23. “Everything I do is for her. She’s watching over me. My family and my friends they tell me to keep going. My sister wouldn’t want me

to stop. Only thing about it’s that once I leave this gym I’m hit with reality that she’s not here. That’s the tough part,” Thomas said in an interview after the game. Game 3 and 4 Boston Celtics lost. Thomas only scored 13 points in game 3, and 19 points in game 4. Game 5 Boston Celtics won leaving the score 123 to 101. The series was now 3-2, Celtics needed one more game to win to advance in the finals.On Friday at 8 pm at Washington Wizards home court, Wizards tied the series winning by one point. On Monday, May 15 game 7 will be played to determine which team will advance in the finals and play against NBA team Cleveland Cavaliers. Isaiah Thomas still manages to keep fighting and playing hard. Being an important factor in the team especially during fourth quarter. People still wonder how he does it and continues to keep fighting all that he has been going through but he still does. Tylaisha Davis is Assistant Editor for Sports. She can be reached at tylaisha.davis@ yorkmail.cuny.edu

College Hoops Player Hawking Sneakers Costing $500 to $1200 per pair By Tyriece Simon The sneaker business has always been pricey, but former UCLA Point Guard and NBA draft prospect Lonzo Ball raised the bar. The newly revealed The ZO2 Prime, is the first signature sneaker under the self-made Big Baller Brand created by the Ball Family. Already the Ball family has been charging 50 dollars for just their signature shirts on their website BigBallerBrand. com. Now the Ball family are charging almost 500 dollars for a pair of the ZO2 Prime. Lonzo Ball’s father, Lavar Ball has been outspoken about how talented his son is and has been responsible for the mainstream attention Lonzo has had off the basketball court. Lavar has been on record in interviews saying comments like “He’s(Lonzo) is better than Steph Curry to me, put Steph Curry on UCLA and put my son on Golden State and see what happens.” As NBA fans and athletes remain critical about

the price for the ZO2 Prime, Lavar would respond on Twitter saying quote “If you can’t afford the ZO2’s you’re not a Big Baller!” Lavar would also go on ESPN radio show The Dan Le Batard Show and say “When you are your own owner you can come up with any price that you want.” NBA Hall of Famer Shaquille O’ Neal critical of the expensive price for the ZO2 Prime, would recently respond by tweeting Lavar saying “Real big baller brands don’t overcharge kids for shoes.” Being independent wasn’t a first option for Lonzo and Lavar Ball. ESPN reporter Darren Rovell would report that Lavar tried meeting with the three top sneaker companies Adidas, Nike and Under Armour, to “license his upstart Big Baller Brand from him” and was unsuccessful. All three companies would back away from negotiates with Lonzo Ball for a sneaker deal. Rovell would say “Never in the history of modern-day shoe endorsements have the

Photo Credit: Antonio Veron of Wikimedia commons

big companies all stepped away from a potential top pick nearly two months before the NBA draft.” Many sports fans would critic Lavar for costing Lonzo a

potential big money contract with 3 of the top sneaker companies. Now with no backing by the 3 top sneaker companies, Lavar would use the Big Baller Brand and endorse

Lonzo sneaker. The ZO2 Prime standard price for 8 to 13.5 is $495, but for sizes 14 to 15 the price increases to $695. With the reveal of the ZO2 Prime, there is also a limited edition version of the sneaker with an autograph from Lonzo and in a clear case with LED lights for the retail price of $995. Like the regular ZO2 Prime, the price increase for the 14 to 15 sizes for $1,195. Lavar on the Fox Sports 1 show Undisputed with Skip Bayless and Shannon Sharpe, would say that over 495 sneakers have been sold. The sneakers have yet to be released and the purchases are preorders. Reports from Kicksonfire. com says that the sneakers are expected to begin shipping by November 24, 2017. As of now, Lonzo is projected to be a top five draft pick for the 2017 NBA Draft.

Tyriece Simon is Sports Editor. He can be reached a tyriece.simon@yorkmail.cuny. edu

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Thurs. May 18, 2017

SPORTS P4 Thurs. May 18, 2017

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“The Undertaker,” Retired Pro-Wrestler, Still Inspires Fans

Photo Credit: Vishal Somaiya from flickr.com

By Fabio Martinez Mark Calaway, better known as The Undertaker, was born on March 24th, 1965. He is a retired professional wrestler and is best known for his work in the World Wrestling Entertainment when Calaway debuted for the company back in 1990. “The Undertaker” is known for his mystique and intimidating look. His nickname,

The Dead Man, has a unique look which is complimented by his offensive moveset such as the deadly signature maneuvers the Tombstone piledriver and Last Ride. The Undertaker is also known for his spine chilling promos prior to his matches. These are some of the many things that wrestling fans love about The Undertaker and will remember since he retired. Anthony Negron, 31, and a

wrestling fan since he was ten years old, says that The Undertaker is his favorite wrestler. When asked about what he thought The Undertaker meant to professional wrestling he said “He represents the entire WWE, he represents what the business should be. It is a huge loss but the impact that he has had on wrestling will be everlasting” Many consider The Undertaker to be a timeless leader within the WWE locker room. “There may be leaders or people who represent the WWE but he has been there for generations, I am sure that there will be more leaders as time goes on but there will never be someone exactly like him,” says Negron. One of the most memorable things that The Undertaker was able to do was to be undefeated for 21 straight Wrestlemania victories. Wrestlemania is the super bowl of the WWE. One of his most memorable Wrestlemania victories was in Wrestlemania 26 against another WWE hall of famer Shawn Michaels. Many

fans believe that this match is the greatest match in Wrestlemania history. The Undertaker’s wrestlemania winning streak was defeated however by former UFC fighter and current WWE universal champion Brock Lesnar. As much as this defeat was shocking to the fans, it did not have much of an impact as when rising star Roman Reigns defeated The Undertaker at this years past Wrestlemania. Lucas Cucuccyo, 38, and wrestling fan for 25 years, believes that The Undertaker putting over Roman Reigns was the best choice for the future. “I am not the world’s biggest Roman Reigns fan, but in a business sense it was the best choice,” says Cucuccyo. Even though The Undertaker was already beaten at Wrestlemania, for him to put over Roman Reigns on a big stage says a lot about Roman Reigns and how much potential he brings as a WWE talent. “ Roman Reigns is the future, for many years The Undertaker claimed that the ring was his yard, as much as I don’t like to say it, it is quite

possibly now Roman’s,” says Cuccuyo. The Undertaker retiring is one of the most memorable and saddest moments for wrestling fans. “He has left a legacy behind for us fans to remember, he deserves all the best,” said Negron when asked about what The Undertaker leaves behind as a mark. “It was the single most grueling and saddest moment I have seen on television,” says Cuccuyo on how he felt the exact moment he saw The Undertaker retire. In this years Wrestlemania The Undertaker took off his gloves, hat and signature trench coat as a sign that he was going to retire. Just like his theme song once said, the dead man is now walking.

liers being up 3-0, I wait with anticipation to witness if the Raptors can win a game and see how the Cavs will hold up in the Eastern Conference finals. In the west, the almighty Golden State Warriors whose roster would make any team in NBA history shake in the jersey are also destroying their opposition. They took out their brooms and swept up the Trailblazers like they were little dust bunnies. The Trailblazers fought a good fight with Damian Lillard averaging 27 ppg and his partner in crime CJ averaging 22 ppg. All their efforts just weren’t enough to challenge the Warriors even though they (the Warriors) lost KD due to a minor injury. With Steph draining threes with ease, Klay acting like mid-range shots is a lay-up, and Draymond shutting down almost all who attempts to challenge his defense, the Trailblazers had no answer for anything. Now let’s get to round 2 against Gordon Hayward and the Utah Jazz, who can’t seem

to find their groove. The Jazz is a team filled with young talent with only a couple players on the roster having playoff experience such as Joe Johnson, who played a big part in the clutch getting past the Clippers in round one. But against the warriors they aren’t able to match up. Their defense isn’t stopping anyone on the Warriors allowing even the bench players to put up good points, their rebounding has decreased with their center (Rudy Gobert) playing with a minor injury, and their offense is diminished with Draymond and JaVale McGee protecting the paint from all shots. Warriors are up 2-0 and wonder if the Jazz will find their rhythm and win a game. As the playoffs continue, we’ll see if the Warriors can maintain all the juiciness that they have now.

Fabio Martinez is a contributing writer. He can be reached at fabio.martinez@yorkmail. cuny.edu

NBA Playoffs Round-Up, Predictions

Photo Credit: Shaheen Korolia of flickr.com

By Marquis Rawls When the NBA playoffs began, it seemed like the matchups where going to make for an interesting first round. I even predicted that no team would get the broom (not win a single game). Boy was I wrong. Round one was filled with a lot of questions about teams and players in the eastern and western conference. Starting with the Pacers and Cavaliers

match up, the Pacers were swept by LeBron, who most consider one of the greatest players to touch a basketball, and the Cavaliers, in what most will say, is a one sided series. On the contrary, Pacers were leading in every game until the fourth quarter came around. That left NBA fans wondering why PG (Paul George) and the Pacers were not good in the fourth quarter. In the first 3 quarters of ev-

ery game, the Pacers shot over 50% from the field and over 40% from the arc but, when fourth quarter arrived, the numbers significantly dropped. They shoot less than 40% from the field and less than 35% from the field in fourth quarter. On the other hand the Cavaliers amped up their offense and defense in the fourth quarter having better efficiency than the first 3 quarters. Now in round 2, LeBron and his squad of players faced the Raptors, who barely got past the Bucks in round one, and seem to be doing worse than the Pacers. The Raptors star players, Demar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry, seemed not be able to combat the powerful force of the Cavs. Demar is averaging 22 ppg while Kyle Lowry is only averaging 15 ppg; which is seven points less than his season average. The team’s defensive has severely slacked off allowing the majority of the Cavs players to do whatever they want offensively. With the Cava-

Marquis Rawls is a contributing writer. He can be reached at marquis.rawls@yorkmail. cuny.edu