November Magazine by Pandora's Box

MAGAZINE November 2014

What’s Wrong With Sandy Recovery? and why can’t we rebuild? p8

What’s PG-13 Really Mean, Anyways? p4

Next-Gen St. John York’s Coach has a legacy by his side p10

PBM A G A Z I N E Students of York, Citizens of the World BY DANAE RUIZ

Take a look at the lives of International students on campus

Coming to a new country can be difficult and overwhelming, but international students have it particularly difficult, having to quickly adapt to customs and cultures within both the education system as well as socially. The biggest problem, though? The language barrier. “Language barriers are the main problem because it prevents the person from getting around here in the United States,” said Midori Hill, a member of the Immigration Center at York. “Students have a hard time with learning and some parents do not know how to enroll their children in the schooling system because the language barrier blocks them from understanding it. They are stuck until they are able to understand the basics of the English language.” In order to be the bridge between international students and the rest of the college population, Pandora’s Box worked with the Immigration Center and Hill to show the Language barriers are the main problem because it lifestyles and hardships of specific international prevents the person from getting around here in the students on campus:

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Pamela Curay

Lima, Peru

Pamela Curay moved to the U.S just two weeks after Sept. 11, 2001 and lived with her aunt until her family was able to raise money to settle down and move out. Curay’s father came to the U.S. three months before she and her mother, working as an undocumented construction worker trying to raise money for a home. Both Curay’s parents are undocumented, while Curay, on the other hand, is temporarily legal thanks to an executive order signed by President Barack Obama in 2012. Curay attended P.S. 14 from kindergarten to the second grade then P.S. 60 from third to fifth grade. The subjects she struggled in were English Language Arts (ELA) and

United States,” said Midori Hill, a member of the Immigration Center at York. “Students have a hard time with learning and some parents do not know how to enroll their children in the schooling system because the language barrie blocks them from understanding it. They are stuck until they a able to understand the basics of the English language.”

Science-- the easiest for her was math. Since her parents did not understand English, they could not help her with the subject. Whereas in Math, they were able to help her. She was dependent on her teachers to help her get by in school when her parents were unable to. Curay was given a summer packet before her fifth grade school year started. This was something she was not used to. “I had never done that before, and I didn’t actually understand what I needed to do. I walked into my fifth grade class with no packet and no idea what to expect,” she said. Once she understood the task, she handed it in the next day. Later on that

year she was placed in an advanced placement class. The teacher did not believe that she was ready for the class. She told Pamela’s mother that she was not at the same level as the rest of the students and she was going to make sure she gets put in a “normal” class. Both Curay and her mother were upset. They felt that she was more than capable of being in a top class and she worked hard to get where she is. Throughout that whole year Curay said the teacher saw her as a person of “lesserntelligence.” Despite the disagreements between the two, Curay admired her teacher for presenting challenges that, intentionally or not, made her a better student.

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Rosanna Singh

Georgetown, Guyana

Curay pointed out that there are clear

er differences between the way Peru and are

the U.S. teaches students. “Penmanship mattered a lot, but in the U.S., the condition of our writing didn’t matter.” Her mother did not understand why. Curay came home with sloppy writing, according to her mother. Curay told her, “That’s how they do it here.” When Curay went to school in Peru, school started in the morning and ended at one in the afternoon so that dinner can be served by one-thirty. Beforehand, grocery shopping was done every day to prepare for that day’s meal. Everyone knew everybody so it was normal to say “hi” to each other outside. Whereas in the U.S., grocery shopping is normally done for the week, and not every person says “hi” to each other. Overtime, Curay has gotten used to the new education system and its school hours, culture, and environment.

Rosanna Singh is an international student who was born in Guyana and moved to the U.S. when she was 18. In Guyana, she went to Marian Academy, a private catholic school. She was done with high school by the age of sixteen. In Guyana, students start high school at 11 years old and are done by 16. One of the struggles she encountered was the tedious and time consuming foreign application process she had to go through, “It was wearying for me and my family.” She came to New York once she was accepted to CUNY’s College of Staten Island. She then transferred to York after she moved to Queens a year later. As an international student, Singh had to sacrifice a lot to get through school. Challenges with

money, a social life, and her family made it more of a burden once she moved. Singh said that international students cannot work outside of school. Though there is work study, if an international student worked outside of school, it has to be related to their field of study and only for a maximum of 20 hours per week. Singh said that international students do not have it easy. “International students are denied many basic privileges, grants, entitlement and rights as compared to the other students who can enjoy the benefits of the government and the country. I feel as though international students are treated at the lowest base when it comes to fairness and equality.” Singh, who is in her senior year, said that moving to New York has changed her life. “I became stronger and more independent. Living in a new country has been tough, financially especially,” she said. Adapting to a different education system has been a struggle for most international and immigrant students. Learning a new language and culture in a different education system is even harder. Ultimately, the transition and process is never easy. York’s International Student Services and immigrant center helps these students through the process. The Immigrant Center offers permanent residency, deferred action, protection from deportation, and even the papers to get your family to move to the U.S as well. In terms of education, York does have tutors for any subject a student may not understand and advisors to guide you through the schooling system.

PB M A G A Z I N E PG- 13 EXTREME

BY GRACIANO CLAUSE ART BY ALEX CORRADO

movie earns it’s rating through the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) which has a set of following standards for films in order to help parents determine if the content is acceptable for viewing. Supposedly PG-13 ratings are there to indicate that material in the film may not be suitable for children under the age of 13. In that case PG-13 movie could go beyond the PG rating in subject, language, violence, nudity, adult activities, or other elements but should not reach the restricted R rating. Kyana Knight, 19, a psychology major here at York College spoke about the issue. “I do think the violence in PG-13 movies have increased over the years with the aspects of nudity and other intense elements,” Knight said. She added more saying “movie ratings usually do not match itself, but because producers want a movie to sell they rate it PG-13 instead of rated R so there’s more people going to watch the movie,” she said. The World War Z film that came out in 2013 got away with a PG-13 rating. A movie about a United Nations employee in crossways in a world during a zombie pandemic featured extended scenes of soldiers violently mowing down crowds of people with machine guns. Taken which came out in 2008, a story based on creating drug-dependent sex slaves with actor Liam Neeson’s chest stabbing and epic threatening phone call still managed

to avoid an R-Rating. Even the American horror remake like The Grudge which had dead bodies, jawless faces and nightmare-inducing specters that all appeared in the movie found it’s way into the PG-13 radar. According to a research study by researchers from the Kids Risk Project at the Harvard School of Public Health, it appears that they found that violence, sex, and profanity increased in movies between 1992 and 2003. In a 2004 press release Kimberly Thompson, Associate Professor in the Department of Health Policy and Management lead the study finds “Ratings Creep”. In her findings results showed the overall increase in explicit content in films rated PG and PG-13.

“Given the possibility of long-term fear and anxieties from children’s exposure to media, physicians should discuss media consumption with presents of young children and the fact that animation does not guarantee appropriate content of children,” Thompson said. The fact is that PG-13 ratings are too broad now. Katiana Bazile, 19, an English major at Brooklyn College gave her take. “I do believe pg-13 movies are violent but they are rated pg-13 because they have no intense sexual content,” she said. She also mentioned that the content in each film is what separates each movie rating. “I believe that movie ratings are accurate, just think about it would you rather your child see violence or sex screens?”

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Building Bridges Between Classmates: How one club’s mentorship is helping build a community

BY JOSEPH DARIUS JAAFARI

t’s never easy being the new person on campus in a new major. It’s especially hard with York College’s Occupational Therapy (OT) program, one of the more demanding majors on campus, where incoming students have traditionally been left to their own devices and fend for themselves. The OT program, also, has historically been fairly segregated, with first, second and third-year students keeping within their own graduating classes and not intercommunicating. That’s why Janina Saint-Ilus, vice president of the York Student Occupational Therapy Association (YSOTA), came up with the idea to create a mentorship program to bridge the gap between upper and lower classmen. Normally when you’re starting a new semester you don’t know what the teachers are like, you don’t

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know what the tests are like. So it’s the most anxiety-provoking time,” said Saint-Ilus. “By getting advice from the people who have already done it, it eases the stress a little bit.” The mentorship program, though novel, has been successful in part because the OT program is so small on campus, only taking a handful of students each year.

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We have our own little section and see each other in the halls, so we’re all a little tight-knit family,” said Timothy

Dunne, a second-year OT major. But what really stands out with the program is its ability to welcome new classmen with open arms, something that wasn’t achievable without the mentorship program, according to Firmause Payen, a second-year OT major. “When we first started, the upperclass were there for orientation, but then we’d never get to see them again,” she said.

“Just having this platform has given the first-years, and us, a chance to ask more questions and kind of have an open forum,” Dunne said. “It is intimidating to say ‘I’m doing a major change and I’m going in at 27, and I’m going to do this by myself ’,” said Christina Pashayan, a first-year OT student. “But if you have someone older, friendly with a smile on their face and they want to offer you tips and tricks, as simple as ‘buy this book, it could be helpful,’ that one little sentence could save you five hours of time.” The mentorship program is in its infancy, only having been started at the beginning of the semester, but Saint-Ilus hoped that the program’s current success will give future students incentive to continue. “As a first year, I felt that segregation and I felt that gap,” she said. “This provides that outlet to communicate to each other and just help each other.”

PB M A G A Z I N E Seven cool factoids about Horrible Bosses 2 with Charlie Day, Jason Bateman and Jason Sudeikis BY TRONE DOWD

Pandora’s Box had a chance to talk to the three leading men of Horrible Bosses 2, in theaters now. The cast had much to say about the making of the film and their thoughts of what fans should expect. If the comedy button ain’t broke...

he original Horrible Bosses was loved by fans and critics alike for its ensemble cast, it’s wacky plot and the genuinely cool action set pieces. It’s sequel seems to offer everything the first did and more. “I’m hopeful that they’re really going to like it. I expect people to be skeptical and I hope that they’re pleasantly surprised!” said Charlie Day. “It’s every bit as funny. The pace and the action and the way it looks, the plot twists and all of that stuff, it’s a lot more than it needs to be” joked Bateman.

New Director, same old antics.

eth Gordon, director of the first film unfortunately didn’t get to return to the second film due to his work on the ABC show The Goldbergs

according to the Hollywood Reporter. In comes Sean Anders, director of a few recent comedies including Hot Tub Time Machine and the more recent We’re the Millers, which also starred both Jason Sudeikis and Jennifer Aniston. Anders seemed to bring a certain aspect of style and cinematic flair to the sequel. The three actors really enjoyed working him. “[Anders] and his writing partner John Morris are like two of the best comedy writers in Hollywood I think,” said Sudeikis. “They did a good job of rewriting We’re the Millers. It was like having

two more writers on set with us.” He praised his skills a visual director. “There’s a whole chunk in the middle [of the movie] that almost looks like a gosh darn Steven Spielberg film.” “He walks a really good line of not completely reinventing so that you don’t know what movie you’re watching and yet,” said Day, who has some experience in directing. “When it makes sense for the film to get a little more stylized, he put a little more style in the second one and it fits the story.” said Charlie Day.

yorkpbnews.com Being back the second time around made for a fun vibe on set the three actors said.

s expected, the three funny men had plenty of laughs with their fellow actors and director. “There was a lot of goofing around and making each other laugh on camera and off camera” said Bateman. But of course, being back the second time around built up some expectations. “We certainly felt some pressure amongst ourselves then on behalf of fans of the movie,” said Sudekis “But that pressure gets released the second you start working. The harder you work the luckier you get and we just have a good time.” “Not a lot of whoopee cushions on that set. I mean we wanna make sure everyone gets home to their kids. But you know, we had fun making it,” said Day.

Long Distance Relations…

id you know that in the first film, the actors weren’t always in touch off set? The first film was a very different experience for the three actors. Very few scenes actually involved the three leading men interacting with each other. This time around, it’s a different story. “Being in every scene together […] I couldn’t have [it] enjoyed more,” said Sudeikis. “In the first

movie, we spent the first thirty minutes each in our own little movie with our own horrible boss.” This means the witty banter between the characters, arguably one of the better aspects of the first, is at an all time high it the comedy’s sequel. “In this one, it’s just right off the bat, we’re all three just sitting next to each other on a couch,” said Sudeikis.

Day continued. “We enjoy each other’s company and we had such a great time doing the first one. But as characters, it’s a terrible thing for these people to get back together again because they keep getting themselves into some serious trouble.”

The actors were right at home and loved returning to these characters.

he three leading men are some of the best in comedy today. Fans of Always Sunny in Philadelphia will of course recognize the lovable dimwitted, bar cleaning, ghoul hating Charlie Kelly portrayed by Day. Jason Bateman of course came back into the comedy scene after the critically acclaimed and recently revived Arrested Development. And last but not least Jason Sudeikis from his appearances on the the beloved 30 Rock his hilarious stint as an SNL cast member in the early 2000’s. These guys love doing what they do best: making people laugh. “You’re lucky to get to do it [acting],” said Day. “In terms of exploring other things, I think yeah, you always try new things too.”

Working with the A list. ust like the first film, Horrible Bosses 2 gave the funny ensemble cast the opportunity to work with some of the greatest names in Hollywood today. Oscar worthy names the likes of Jamie Foxx, Kevin Spacey, Christoph Waltz and Jennifer Aniston. “It’s pretty cool, you know? This is kind of silly, commercial studio comedy,” said Bateman. “When you can class it up with some Oscar winners it becomes a really nice balanced cocktail. And everyone likes a properly mixed cocktail!” The addition of some of the newer actors was a pleasure for them to work with too. “We got to have a fourth musketeer,” Day said. “It was with Chris Pine for a bunch of the movie. He brought a lot to it.”

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He brought the Hotness” Sudeikis joked.

They were also happy to be on set again. “As actors it was fun for the three of us to get back together again!”

Be sure to check out Horrible Bosses 2, in theaters now.

PB M A G A Z I N E

Still Trying to Rebuild... But With Little Help By Chris Kumar Singh It’s been just under a month since the two-year anniversary of Superstorm Sandy, and although some have received the help they need when it comes to rebuilding their homes and finding new places to live, a number of residents have found it impossible to get their homes rebuilt. Through the city’s “Build It Back” program, initiated by former Mayor Michael Bloomberg, homes were supposed to be inspected by independent claims adjusters who would decide if the home needed to be rebuilt or if a check could simply be cut for repairs. By the beginning of this year, although more than 25,000 applications had been accepted, no homes had been rebuilt, no checks had been sent out. The program has been seen by many residents as a failure and a joke. “We are really wondering why we pay taxes,” said Far Rockaway resident Olivia Jackson who is one of the many people who lost everything in the storm. “We actually are fighting with all the politicians for them to do their job.” Since Mayor Bill de Blasio took office and pledged to make Build

It Back a priority, more than 200 homes have been rebuilt and 1,449 checks have been cut, according to the program’s most recent numbers released in a report on Nov. 17. But the recent improvements have come too late for residents who complain that the city has intentionally been dragging their feet on helping residents in Sandy-battered communities. “It seems to trickle down almost, people haven’t learned from our past,” said Conrad Narain, a former York student, current volunteer and resident in Far Rockaway. “When politicians focus on their greed, it seems that the mentality is passed on instead of being washed away.” Some neighborhood officials say that the process is more burdensome than expected. “We’re doing as much as we can, a lot of people think it simple to repair all the damage that was done by the storm, but it’s easier said than done,” said Councilman I. Daneek Miller. “We have done a lot considering we’re on a budget.” “I really see him putting forth effort, but it comes more from the big guys,” said Sondra H. Peeden, Miller’s receptionist. “The real efforts come from the people that have the

power to emphasize the importance of it. Miller has done what he can,” Though Build It Back’s progress has been slow, de Blasio recently has said that more resources will be directed to the program. “When we took office, Build it Back wasn’t delivering for families who needed it,” de Blasio said in a press release on the second anniversary of Sandy. “Now, New Yorkers across the city have finally gotten the support they deserve, and we’ll continue to speed up relief until every homeowner is served.” Some, though, are increasingly skeptical about the promises coming from City Hall. “If we saw progress moving faster we wouldn’t be fighting as much, but when they put up the frame (to the house) they don’t do anything else for maybe a month,” said Narain. Jackson agreed that rebuilding has been disjointed. “Yeah, they have been doing work but they do it as if we are not a first priority,” said Jackson. “They do some repairs and then disappear, it’s like some of us don’t have a place to go and you’re treating us like a side chick. There have been nights I slept in bars.”

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The St. John Legacy Continues BY CHRIS SINGH The athletic building of York College has trophies and plaques that validate the hard work of the coaches and players. One of the people that almost never sits still is Coach Ronald St. John. The basketball season here and there are many reasons for the constant motion. Whether it is practice, games or the clashing of many egos that comes with basketball. One of the most interesting egos is Ryan St John, who is the coach’s youngest son and back-up two guard. Ryan St. John is an ordinary looking player. A six-foot guard doesn’t seem to have any advantages to excel in the game, however he is much more than meets the eye. St. John’s office is overwhelmed by the walls and cases flooded with articles and accolades from his 27-plus years of coaching and playing basketball for York. One of the most interesting pieces in his office is the small picture right above his seat. The picture is St. John standing next to a tall basketball player in a uniform. When asked about the picture St. John said, “He was one of my best defenders and hardest players.” The tall lean player from the small photo is St. John’s oldest son Brandon, a former two guard for York that had a game based on defense and hustle plays. They had an undefeated team but lost in the championship game and coach St. John didn’t win his first title until the year after Brandon graduated. Years later, St. John never forgets that game especially because they were up by 10 at half time. “We had such a good team, we ended up going undefeated in the conference and thought we had a chance to win it all, and we simply blew it.” said St. John. Almost 14 years and four titles later, St. John has that nasty taste in his mouth. Regardless of how many titles he wins. He will always have that in the back of his mind. “I was mad because we had the best seven-footer in the conference and the New York Times was there and didn’t try to cover us throughout the entire season,” said St. John. “I wanted to interview throwing that in their face. When we lost I had to suck it up and be quiet about everything.” With the season underway, St. John is excited for a lot of reasons. With the new additions, the team looks stronger than ever. “I think that we are going to be a little bit better than last year, long term though,” said St. John. “With the addition of Ryan, I think we have that outside threat that can sink the daggers. You leave him out there he probably gotcha.” When it comes to Ryan his confidence is everything. He is trying to go as far as he can with basketball under his father. Growing up in a generation of two guards that took the NBA to another level it seems that Ryan plans to do the same. “I know I can shoot and I have the ability to put the ball on the floor, I just need to prove myself that’s all.” said Ryan. Ryan was also a former track star who could have been better if he chose that path, but he is more determined than ever to make it with that orange rock in his hand.

“Not being cocky or anything but I was nasty when it came to track, I didn’t take it seriously and was one of the top runners in the nation,”said Ryan. “I use to go to the track meets and look around like I am bout to murder all of y’all.” When coach was asked about Ryan, he also believes that track was the better route for his son. “He would have been better off if he chose to do track rather than play basketball. However if he wants to play ball we gonna make sure he gives it his all,” said coach. This is the common ground based on the foundation of a father-son relationship on and off the court. Both coach and Ryan want to leave it all on the court if it gives them the successful ending that they both envision. The relationship over time is complex and coach has a higher standard for Ryan. He expects Ryan to lead by example on the court and improve on his mistakes. “Its not really a higher standard it’s just a lot of the mistakes he makes in practice I expect him to know better” said coach. Even the other coaches know Ryan to not lead but not to follow. Assistant Coach Jessica Cherry agrees with Coach St. John on his son playing basketball. “He should know his father and know what he doesn’t like, this is his first time being coached by his father so there is gonna be an adjustment period but I think he got this,” said Cherry. All players have instincts that are heightened when they learn whom they’re playing for and the system that is preferred. Coach St. John’s former and most successful player Neil Edwards, a seven-foot center that was drafted by the Los Angeles Clippers, is part of that example. Before becoming a defensive staple for coach St. John, Edwards played at San Jacinto a junior college in Texas and Stony Brook a university in Long Island. “Coach St. John was the best coach I ever had, regardless where I played,” said Edwards. “He worked with me got me ready for anything that came my way. He taught me so much about working hard and doing the right thing. “He values character more than anything, you have to remember you’re dealing with a program that doesn’t have Scholarships so you must be able to recruit quality people as well as talented student athletes,” Edwards said.