COVER + PAGE 2
EVERYONE KNOWS AT LEAST ONE PERSON WHO CONSTANTLY DEFIES “THE NORM” JUST FOR THE SAKE OF AVOIDING THE MAIN-STREAM. IN THE CREATIVE WORLD OF INNOVATION AND
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NEVER-SETTLING TRENDS, THOSE WHO REVOLT WITH THE SOLE INTENTION TO TEST BOUNDARIES ARE USUALLY AN IRRITATING, YET HARMLESS ENCOUNTER. BUT LIKE OTHER FORMS OF SOCIAL RESISTANCE, THIS CAN EASILY BE TAKEN TOO FAR. IN ONE OF THE MOST LIBERAL CITIES IN THE WORLD, ITS NO SECRET TRUMP LOST MOST OF NEW YORK’S VOTE. THUS WHEN THE UNITED STATES ANNOUNCED THE WINNER OF THE 2016 ELECTION, NEW YORK LOST IMMENSE BOUTS OF HOPE. IN A WORLD WHERE CRUEL ACTS ARE INCREASINGLY JUSTIFIED IN RESPONSE TO A NEW PRESIDENT’S HATE SPEECH, PRATT STUDENTS ARE FORTUNATE TO BE IN AN ENVIRONMENT WHICH AT THE VERY LEAST PROMOTES EQUALITY AND DISAPPROVES OF DISCRIMINATION. NONETHELESS, WE ARE NOT “HATE-FREE.” RECENTLY A BULLETIN BOARD IN WILLOUGHBY HALL WAS DEFACED WITH SHARPIE. THE
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SHARPIE SCRAWLS OF HATE READ: “GUYS TRUMP IS GOOD. KILL THE JEWS.” THE VANDAL AND THE MOTIVE ARE BOTH UNKNOWN. SPENCER SELIGMAN DISCUSSED THE WILLOUGHBY HALL VANDALISM WITH HALL RESIDENT, KATARINA SILVERMAN: SS: When did you first discover the graffiti? KS: Last Sunday night, but it might have been up longer.
RA’s superiors refused to comment on the graffiti. However, President Schute released the below statement in response to this anti-semitic vandalism and similar circumstances across campus:
SS: What was your initial reaction?
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KS: To be honest my initial reaction was to get very drunk because I was already stressed out and [seeing that] kind of pushed me over the edge. In the moment [I was thinking] ‘someone is going to kill me/wants me dead.’ The morning [after I discovered the vandalism] I thought about it more, and yes it was [hopefully] just a joke. But still, not a good joke. Thinking that someone actually finds that funny or wants to get a rise out of people like that is not the greatest. SS: In general how has Trumps election changed the atmosphere on campus? This is certainly a negative effect. But others have experienced [a sense of] solidarity at Pratt that they lack at home. What has your experience been? KS: There’s definitely solidarity. I can get support here that might not be 100% available at home; especially because everyone here felt it pretty hard. So many of us [at Pratt] are queer/female/have health issues/etc. So [campus] definitely provides a place where we can talk about things on a personal level. So many of my teachers have been incredible and understanding. But this [graffiti] incident has kind of soured everything. There’s only so much solidarity can do in the face of death threats. My RA covered it up and reported it to her supervisor. ALSO [“Guys trump is good. Kill the jews”] was on a board where we were encouraged to write like relaxing things/calming things.
Dear Members of the Pratt Community, Like many of you, I have been following the news coverage reporting on recent episodes of intolerance taking place at colleges across the country. Pratt Institute has not been immune to this climate, and we have experienced a couple of disturbing incidents involving defacement of Pratt property and materials on campus in the last week. Such actions are simply unacceptable. I want to reaffirm Pratt’s mission to educate artists and creative professionals to be responsible contributors to society. Being a responsible citizen and creative person can have many meanings, but Pratt must always welcome and engage each individual with compassion and mutual understanding. Pratt takes its commitment to diversity and inclusion very seriously, and our work in this area is essential to the success of Pratt’s mission. The motive behind the graffiti—whether malicious or resistant—is unknown. Nonetheless, the impact of a seemingly minor act has severe repercussions.
SS: Explain more about your RA’[s response].
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KS: [She] was so supportive and nice about the whole thing and literally papered over [the writing]. She reported it to her supervisor, but from what i can tell they weren’t very helpful. I think she was pretty upset about it and was apologizing to me that she hadn’t noticed it earlier if it had been up earlier but it’s not her fault that people are shit heads.
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GRAFFITI FOUND IN 8TH FLOOR WILLOUGHBY ON THE COMMUNITY BOARD
~TRUMP~
IT HAS BEEN A WEEK AND A HALF SINCE DONALD TRUMP WAS ELECTED AND I HAVE GONE TO FOUR PROTESTS.SUFFICE IT TO SAY THAT IT HAS BEEN AN
WORDS BY TREVOR WHEELER
PHOTO BY CASANDRA GONZALES
QUEER RESISTANCE IS NOTHING NEW
THE PRATTLER
EXHILARATING TIME: I believe that our willingness, our eagerness to protest lies in the energy that consumed us on election night. In this age, when information is more readily available than ever, the instant updates that we received throughout the entire night kept the entirety of the Pratt campus, and indeed the country at large, glued to their screens. I went to bed at two that night, and that was early by most standards - we as a collective seem to have an inability to look away sometimes. In the morning, the entire atmosphere of the world seemed to be depressive - the sky was overcast and people just didn’t talk. The only thing people spoke about was the protest that evening. A group scream was planned at the cannon, and though I only got one good one in, it was one of the most cathartic experiences of my life - this breaking of the tension that lay like fog over the campus. The first protest that was held took place at Union Square, and it was a raw explosion of anger and contempt and all the rage that can be held in our millennial bodies. I went to the protest with a group of thirty Pratt kids, give or take. One girl had spent the entire day painting a picture of Trump as a pig. Others carried myriad signs. I had nothing but a raw bundle of nerves knotted up in my chest. To go to this protest, to chant the chants and weave my way through the stalled cars on the street, was to truly experience something for one of the first times in my life. I felt active, involved, powerful in a democratic sort of way. We high-fived taxi drivers and hugged strangers. I saw people who refused to stop screaming through their tears. We left at ten-thirty, and I had never felt more fulfilled in my life. The next morning, my classmate came to class telling us about how they were arrested. Their stories of police confusion and peaceful arrest drew laughter and approval from our teacher. Perhaps the moment that has solidified itself as the most important, if not exactly the best one, for myself is when we took the street at the second protest I attended, that Friday of the first week. It was amazing to turn around and see the protesters flooding the street, chanting “Whose streets? Our streets!” The police assigned to watch over us were decidedly less than enthused - first they formed lines, presumably to thin us out, and then they drove us back onto the sidewalk with batons in their hands. But when I passed one, I saw a man recording us and tapping his foot to the rhythm of our chant, and I felt a blossoming in my chest. We retook the street shortly thereafter. When we made it to Trump Tower, the entire crowd was silenced. It was astounding to see so many people, their breath heavy and their hearts pounding, paired with such quiet. We knelt and sung the national anthem, and we listened to people give impassioned speeches over a megaphone. I left the protest that night with a new definition of hope gestating in my mind.
The third protest that I attended took place on Sunday and started at Columbus Circle. For myself, it was memorable just for the sheer amount of people that attended. I ended up having to leave early and we had to ford our way through a veritable sea of protestors. And so we return to today. This protest was smaller, and I only got to Washington Square Park just in time to join the march. We went to the theatre that was showing Hamilton to show our support to the cast for their confrontation with Mike Pence, and then traveled to Trump Tower. I was surprised to see how few people were with us at the end, but this one only seemed louder to my ears. The level of passion that has developed even over the past week was amazing to witness, in the ways it transformed and grew to a more intense level. The energy that has developed on campus over the past week is such a beautiful thing to see, whether it has been funnelled into protesting or another outlet. I feel I have grown so much as a person over this week, and that this campus has grown closer together. This has been a difficult time. But I am able to laugh with others again, and I am reminded of hope.
NINE DAYS AFTER THE PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION THAT SHOOK PRATT’S CAMPUS AND LEFT MANY STUDENTS IN DISBELIEF, Queer Pratt hosted “Genderfu*k” in the No Name Cafe — an event encouraging performances from poetry to karaoke, along with topically apt musical interludes, like Green Day’s “American Idiot”. Although they focused mainly on the hardships and emotions that accompany a queer identity, several pieces of student writing seemed more relevant than ever to our new President-elect and his looming anti-LGBT administration. Alex Juarez, a writing major, performed an original poem. “It’s an act of bravery to still be alive” she recited. “I never thought I would be an angry screaming lesbian, but I am tired of writing eulogies.” Originally about the tragic Orlando shooting, her poem still resonates with current political affairs, which speaks to the violence and death that have unfortunately become something of a routine for queer people. In fact, in 2015, 17.8% of hate crimes in the United States were targeted by sexual orientation, and the FBI is currently investigating a suspected post-election increase. Later on, students sat on couches and participated in an open discussion. When I asked about their feelings regarding the election, nearly everyone had something to say. “Is it better to come out now as much as possible despite the possible danger, or is it better to hide? Is it better to protect yourself, or be loud?” Natalie Krowitz asked the group. “I think it’s better to be loud, because when you’re not it shows complacency,” answered Jasmine Thomas, clarifying that personal safety is, however, always a priority.
As the conversation shifted towards the new trend of wearing a safety pin to mark yourself a safe person to approach, many noted that this is closer to “performative allyship” than actual assistance to those in danger. “I get that there are probably situations where it’s too dangerous to be vocal. There are situations where [the safety pin] could be helpful,” Lauren White-Jackson said, “but at the same time, that’s such a cowardly thing to do, and nobody but white people probably have the privilege of doing that. No, I need you to do something more powerful.” Cade Smith also pointed out that as a visible item, the safety pin is a flawed concept because it has already been easily co-opted by neo-nazi groups in attempts to draw in and attack marginalized people. The future of our country was clearly a concern to every student, and many voiced their fears for their friends, family, and partners, but throughout the night there was an overwhelming aura of solidarity. “I’m ready to fight” Analee Abreu-Rodriguez said at one point, and everyone agreed. If there’s one thing queer people have learned to do, it’s fight back. Personally, it’s been difficult for me to not sink into lethargy, but the students of Queer Pratt reminded me of what we still have: willpower, resistance, and the ability to empower one another. Regardless of what the next four years become, we must be firm in our determination to remember who we are, even in the face of repression and abuse. What will always be stronger than the forces of hatred is the pride we have in ourselves, and there is nothing more worth fighting for.
WORDS BY AARON COHEN
LOCATED IN THE LOWER LEVEL OF THE MAIN BUILDING, PRATT ADDED A NEW BRANCH TO STUDENT AFFAIRS: THE CENTER FOR EQUITY AND INCLUSION. The Center was created in order to develop a plan for diversity and inclusion that will hopefully encourage stakeholders to come together to create a positive and compelling vision for Pratt’s future. They have already reached out to Cambridge Hill Partners, a Higher Education Consulting firm, and are already making positive plans with them in order to execute their vision. In fact, in order to collect data some members of Cambridge Hill are going to be coming to campus to conduct a series of student focus groups in order to better understand the culture on campus. These focus groups are being held next Spring and are giving students the opportunity to have their voices heard regarding the future of Pratt. APRIL 4, 5–6:30 PM, STUDENT LOUNGE “FISH BOWL” (LOCATED IN MAIN BUILDING LL, GRADUATE STUDENTS) APRIL 5, 12:30–2 PM, MAIN BUILDING 212 APRIL 6, 12:30–2 PM, NO NAME CAFÉ LOCATED IN 215 WILLOUGHBY The Center has also been actively promoting love and inclusiveness recently in part of the recent election results through the project Spread Love, Not Hate by encouraging students to write encouraging messages on how they plan to stop hate in the world on post it notes to put up on the walls and windows outside of the fishbowl lounge for everyone to see. The Center was also actively a part of Pratt’s first ever Trans Week which is a week of programs about Trans* Visibility and awareness. Some of the main goals for The Center include creating a welcoming environment for students and faculty, work towards having a more diverse student body, and they are also working towards developing a more diverse faculty and staff that are dedicated to advancing diversity. I HAD THE PLEASURE OF ASKING JAZMIN PERALTA, THE ASSISTANT DIRECTOR OF SPECIAL PROJECTS FOR EQUITY AND INCLUSION, A FEW QUESTIONS ABOUT THE CENTER AND THE GOALS THAT SHE HAS FOR IT: Q: What was the inspiration behind The Center for Equity and Inclusion? A: The Center much like my role were both inspired by Pratt’s diversity and inclusion initiatives in creating a more inclusive and welcoming campus community. For more about the institute initiates visit our website
THE PRATTLER
ILLUSTRATION BY ALI LEE
INTERVIEW BY KELSI PUKAS
~TRUMP~
Q:What inspired the Love Not Hate project and how do you feel seeing so many people participate in it? A: What inspired the Love Not Hate project, was Union Square. The Center wanted to create an opportunity for the community to express their sentiments of love especially in trying times when the world is uncertain and anxious. The idea is to create a wall of love. So anyone can stop by and take a post-it and post their sentiments of love to overcome hate. The response so far has been amazing. So many folks have participated from faculty, staff and students. It truly has spread love across campus. Q: What kind of events do you plan on hosting? A: One of my main goals is for the Center to serve as a safe space for all people in areas of building community, advocacy and organizing. The Center will have several events, among them is hosting bi-weekly Pratt Community Dialogue Series where community based topics such as post-election after thoughts, Trans*, Black Lives Matter, Immigration in America, etc. can be discussed; a signature Social Justice and Advocacy week during the spring semester, to raise social consciousness within our community. The Center also houses Diversity Advocates, a training and advocacy program, offered for all students, faculty and staff. Which hopes to continue to create safe spaces across campus. We currently are seeking students who are interested in participating in the Pratt Student Diversity Council, a social justice and organizing organization which serves as the student activist voice for the Center. Q: What is your advice to students that are wanting to be proactive during these trying times? How can they be good allies? A: As students seeking community during this time is key. Join spaces/ organizations that will provide community and opportunities to come together to actively engage in important dialogues that can lead to organizing opportunities that will have long lasting impact to our communities. Think about the ways you can use your privilege as a tool for allyship. Allyship includes centering the voices of those most impacted, listen and learn from those who live in oppression, leverage your privilege, and don’t take up space, unnecessarily. Most importantly continue to challenge your assumptions and think about ways you support others and what support you need from others. It is clear that The Center for Equity and Inclusion is in good hands and shows a promising, diverse, and inclusive future for Pratt. For more information about The Center stop by their office in the lower level of the Main Building or visit their page on Pratt’s website.
d e r C t e e r St IN SPRING 2015, Pratt’s Historic Preservation masters program conducted a report for a Bushwick Preservation Plan titled “Bushwick, You Don’t Stop” which worked directly with the tackling the issue of gentrification. The title “Bushwick, You Don’t Stop” “…represents the heart of what is so special about the large and diverse community known as Bushwick. The neighborhood’s story is one of constant change, strongly influenced by the community’s welcoming embrace of new residents and immigrants.” Afsy Kafei, a former Pratt student who was part of this preservation studio, sheds light on what their project consisted of. Their client was a small non-profit organization based in Bushwick called “Make the Road”. The preservation studio’s goal was to help the residents of Bushwick with landlord harassment and displacement. These are two of the strongest and most prevalent effects of gentrification currently happening to decade-long, primarily hispanic residents. They created a preservation plan with suggested strategies so that the stakeholders who have the ability and opportunity to shape Bushwicks’s future can do so while having this holistic report in mind. The preservation studio studied three things: how the the history of Bushwick, much like the rest of New York City, was molded by immigrant communities, how those historic elements and buildings were represented in the present day, and how the loss of those historic elements affected the already afflicted and vulnerable residents of Bushwick. New immigrant groups moving into neighborhoods is nothing new to NYC. In fact, this city’s history was and is made up of these shifts in resident groups, oftentimes replacing the previous residents of different racial and cultural backgrounds. However, none of those shifts of historic immigrant communities have been so quickly or violently shaken as the recent displacement of the hispanic community from Bushwick. Afsy and her peer’s studio goals were to present historic preservation as a tool to help the community fight for and hold on to what’s theirs— significant things like homes, schools, and business that are so quickly being evaded by higher costs of rent, higher costs of goods, and forcible eviction of many residents which would otherwise be under a protection of rent stabilized housing. In their report, they cite an example of the harsh and abrupt displacement of hispanic families from an article in the New York Times, ‘2 Brooklyn Landlords, Accused of Making Units Unlivable, Are Charged With Fraud’. The article describes a Brooklyn court case involving Silveria Hormiga, a bushwick resident who came home to a destroyed apartment one morning in February 2014. The owners of the building, Joel and Aaron Israel, were arrested and charged with fraud, burglary, grand larceny, unlawful eviction and submitting false documents— to all of which they plead guilty. The article explores another similar example in Bushwick at 98 Linden Street, which was also owned by the Israel brothers. At 98 Linden they tore down the wall that divided two apartments, claiming they were making “repairs”. These repairs lasted over seventeen months. The tenants were forced to use a bathroom on another floor of the building or in laundromats and restaurants in the area. The Times quotes Ms. Hormiga who said she suffered a lot as she was left on the street with her four children. Tenants of the three buildings related to the Israels were paying between $650 to $1,000 a month. Gavin Miles, an assistant district attorney, said the Israels gained between $60,000 and $150,000 by pushing out the tenants illegally and replacing them with tenants willing to pay more than $3,500. This is one case of many that residents in Bushwick are facing during a time of rapid change and forceful eviction. The studio ends their report by saying “As we contemplate change, we think about what must remain and how we can help prepare the community to make decision.” The topic of gentrification is heavy and the displacement of these families are devastating; but as college students, Bushwick is a reasonable neighborhood to want to move to because of the lower rent prices. Afsy’s advice as a former Pratt student is to be educated and aware. She thinks it is unbelievably important for anyone that will be a new resident of these shifting communities to know the history of the neighborhood, and to find out why the previous residents were forced to leave. She suggests that you continue supporting long-lasting local businesses that are now struggling. An even more proactive action to take would be to get involved in pressuring your local government to provide affordable housing. Her most important advice is to realize that no neighborhood is “new” or “cool and edgy”. Brooklyn has and will exist for a long time.
98 LINDON STREET CURRTLY HAS A "FOR SALE" SIGN AND A DUMP TRUCK FULL OF DEBRIS PARKED OUT FRONT, ACCORDING TO THE LATEST GOOGLE STREET VIEW
THE PRATTLER
WORDS BY FARAH KAFEI, PHOTOS FROM GOOGLE STREET VIEW
~COMMUNITY~
BLACK @ PRATT ~GETTING THINGS DONE~
WORDS BY CHRIS CURRANCE, GRAPHIC BY TERESA CHEN
30%
41%
15% 10% 4%
-Hispanic
PRATT STUDENTS ARE UNDER THE IMPRESSION of obligatory guilt of being well off, of moving their lives forward and, in their eyes, pushing others backwards. The process is gentrification, major corporations taking hold of a neighborhood, building more expensive buildings, and upping the market value of a community one Whole Foods at a time. Due to the rapid change in market value most people born and raised in the neighborhood are forced to move because of their inability to now pay for the gradual rise in rent and cost of living. Most importantly, the reason for most gentrifying neighborhoods is the migration of white americans to black concentrated areas. With white comes money. Is that why we are so angry? Guilty? Confused about our place in BedStuy, away from the dogs on leashes and kids in strollers in Clinton Hill? Because believe it or not, the fret surrounding Bed Stuy’s shifting financial status doesn’t breach Franklin Street, not even past Home Depot. “I don’t worry about things like that, because giants, they fall...but it is sad that a lot of people had to leave, it has changed the community in a lot of ways” says Ms. Maize, in between large puffs of smoke. Maize has lived in Bed Stuy for about 50 years and claims to understand the things around her as a part of life, and something she can’t change so does not stress about. She speaks of the racial element to it, as only a slight annoyance “Another problem I found out, at one time, white people didn’t want to be around us. Now it’s hitting their pockets too.” Maize begins to reminisce back to when she lived on Malcolm X Boulevard, how family and friends could be relaxing on a stoop and “you got to roll over, people shooting down the street, out of nowhere.” More predictably, Bed Stuy residents that have not experienced the street violence first hand agree with the Bedford Stuyvesant veteran concerning the positive outlook on the gentrification process. MannryAnn Lawrence on Nostrand Avenue has most recently moved to Bed Stuy, with her spouse that has owned the brownstone off the main avenue for 15 years. “My husband is all for the gentrification around here,” she exclaims, as she latched onto her half full glass of wine, “there’s more to do around here, so many nice places to eat now. I used to visit, but now I’m actually willing to live here”, and then she sips some more. Mrs. Lawrence is unaffected by the current arrival of money but the positivity towards the the gentrifying neighborhood could be due to her lack of long term residency or even the money she brought with her that contributed. Regardless, she can’t be ignored, “I’m not angry. I’m sad some people had to move but I think it’s better for the area.” What exactly does this mean? We go to Pratt everyday and we’re surrounded by the same large quantity of educated liberals. The demonized view of gentrification isn’t a new concept among any art school, especially ours. However, it’s time that we momentarily pause the good natured advocation of Bed Stuy and begin to listen. On October 31st, multiple Bed Stuy residents were interviewed, few recorded, none the less, all of them expressed a faint gratitude towards the gentrifiers; us. Instead of the large wall built between the gentrifiers and the gentrified, a dialogue should be initiated. The loud noise of our own guilt and assumed bad stance in the eyes of the Bed Stuy residents can drown out the voice, of not just gratitude but understanding.
happenings in the world. Yet, along with representation in the student body, Blacks are also underrepresented in the course catalogs. Many students at Pratt believe they could truly express themselves in class if they weren’t being fed the typical “white art history,” which we have normalized in the United States. Angelica Mercedez, an Art and Design Education major and leader in the Black Student Union responded to these statistics. “As a black student at Pratt I feel like I am constantly having to prove my worth, like I have to be the best at what I do because I wwas already condemned to socially marginalized box. The black student population is a disappointing 4.9%. That percentage has to change if this institution is to be a truly culturally diverse place of knowledge.” Seeing that Pratt is a very accepting environment, we need more students, teachers, and classes that-not only support the black students--but also educate students regarding various backgrounds of Black history. The center for cultural diversity at Pratt works to give students of all backgrounds outlet for their frustrations as well as working toward making Pratt a home for students of all cultures. Black Lives Matter at Pratt is an organization that helps support black students at Pratt. Their initiative is to create a outlets for black students to have open dialogues about issues on National, Global, and Campus wide scale. There are people working diligently to make Pratt an environment rich in diversity and knowledge, yet the space for growth and improvement at Pratt Institute is neverending.
Bedford
THE PRATTLER
PRATT IS ONE OF THE MOST PRESTIGIOUS ART schools in the world. With its rich history in the Brooklyn area, one would assume black students would comprise a greater portion of the student body. Brooklyn’s racial demographics Brooklyn is 35.7% white, 31.9 Black, 10.4% Asian, and the remaining .04% of the population is of miscellaneous ethnic background. Ratios at Pratt do not correlate with the versatile demographic of Brooklyn. Pratt has become a transplant oasis for predominantly white and asian students. In the 2015-2016 year at Pratt there was in 4.9 percent enrollment of black students. This lack of black representation, in turn creates an environment that is not fully supportive or representative of black students. Bare in mind that this minute 4.9 percent is dispersed campus-wide, meaning black representation is even fewer and farther between in a classroom setting. This creates situations where black students may feel as though they are alone. As I film major it irritates me that there are no Black Film studies classes. I am a black filmmaker shaped by my community and culture. I am very aware of the influence our culture has on the Film industry and the world at large. Black Film and culture seem like obvious elements to Pratt’s general curriculum, considering our location in Brooklyn and other
BedStuy
WORDS BY SYDNEY HILDRETH, PHOTOS BY AARON COHEN
OPERATION ~COLLEGATE~
WORDS BY JACOB WOLF, ILLUSTRATION BY JARED ORIEL
HOURS OF
WORDS BY YESONG KIM
WHAT'S IN A NAME ?
THE PRATTLER
IT’S A SUNDAY, you’re a Com D Major, and you have a liberal arts group project due the next day. Where in the world does one go to do their work in a place of tranquility, and solitude? There are supposed designated public studios. However, often enough some students are unpleasantly surprised by these areas being locked on the weekends. Well that wouldn’t be the end of the world if the library was easily more accessible. Alas, that is not always the case and on a sunday the library’s hours start from 2 pm and end by 9pm. So for anyone else who
likes to spend their sunday night watching netflix and ordering crown fried chicken cheese fries and milkshakes, it becomes pretty inconvenient to find a place to get this work done during the day. One student faced a similar situation and this is what they had to say: “Recently I had intended to work on a group project for a class the following day when things just kept going wrong. we had to meet up to do the work together because it was partially research based and we had to create a presentation for it. we figured we would just meet up at the Pratt library on that sunday Since it’s a nice and relaxing place to work. We agreed upon 12pm and we were all pretty on point to get there on time. But, the thing is when we got there we realized the library was closed until 2 pm on sunday! so we went to look for other places where we could work. We first tried the fishbowl lounge but that was locked. Then the pie shop which was also locked. And the idea of working at the cafeteria was bar beyond us. It’s always so loud in there in addition to having essentially no outlets to charge a laptop with. we eventually ended up working in a dorm room instead but it’s really honestly frustrating. I mean, I don’t have a given studio that I can seclude to or designate to work in. So when all my other public on campus options are no longer viable it can be really stifling and time consuming. We eventually got the project done but only
MOST OF THE ART SCHOOLS in America with studio intensive degrees are not referred to as “universities”, or “colleges”, but rather as “center”, “school” and “institutes”. While the prestige of Pratt is well known across the world, those who hear the name for the first time, are turned off by its designation as an “institute” as apposed to “university.” However, Pratt’s BFA and MFA degrees are more intense than the most other Universities program in America. Students need to take not only studio classes but also liberal arts courses in humanities, math, and philosophy to earn their degrees. Why are most of art schools in America -particularly Pratt- not called “university” but “institute”? Has Pratt considered most people’s negative impressions, or is the school just keeping its the old name? What qualifies it school call “university”? “The main reason is that Pratt Institute has its name is because its founder gave it, so it has historical meaning,” says Paul Schlotthauer, the Pratt library archivist. “The school started as a technical school until it began Bachelors and Masters curriculums on early 1900s, and that’s the time when Pratt became college.” Charles Pratt, the founder of the Pratt in late 1800s, wanted to provide affordable education opportunity -which he never had - to the working class. Although it is ironic that Pratt is now one of the most expensive art schools in the world, initially the school was meant to be technical school teaching and training engineering and partially design. It makes sense that Pratt was initially an “institute” and has kept its name since it is very meaningful to the opportunities of working men and women regardless of age, gender and race. However, this initial purpose of the name does not match to Pratt in 2016. The school has already transformed from technical school to a rigid art college with a large liberal arts curriculum, which is reflected in the strict New York State requirements. Also in the 1800s, Pratt offered an affordable tuition of $4 per class per term (approximately equivalent to $105.5 in 2015. In 2016 however, Pratt is now one of the expensive art colleges, with a current tuition of $44,804. The name no longer reflects Pratt’s identity. The second reason is that “a school only devoted to one discipline or specified field such as art or law can’t be called a university.” says Mr. Schlotthauer. “For example, MIT - Massachusetts Institute of Technology - largely focuses on science and technology therefore it is not called a university. Though they have excellent reputation in the world.” According to collegetimes.co, definition of the term university is, “a title widely considered to be reserved for the largest and most established of institutions; universities often encompass multiple “colleges” underneath them.” This explains why most law schools in America are not called law universities or law colleges. That is why Pratt is not eligible to be called a “university” or “college,” but rather an “Institute”. Andrew
after wasting much of our sunday afternoon.” Now, before we can even begin to delve into potential solution and pipe line dreams in regards to all of this we have to ask ourselves, Why is this happening? I mean we are an arts institution with a real campus comparatively to other city schools. Now why can’t we seem to find accommodation for our students or at least a 24 hour public studio? The studios that are there have decent furnishings but they still dont feel like a space where one can really work. I mean sure you could bring your laptop in there and type up an essay somewhat comfortably. However, where do you go when you want to work on something a little messier? Are you supposed to set up shop in your living room amongst all other things? Is that what our tuition is getting us? Either way whether or not this is what we deserve is somewhat beyond the point especially when you have work to get done. So here is a small list of places on campus where you could hopefully work:
Myrtle hall 4th floor has some open studios. The basement workspace left of the pie shop Basement of the Pantas Dorm (if you manage to steal a freshman ID) Work rooms of Stabile (Potential roof access if you drop in from above) Common areas of Willoughby (if you are sly enough to walk in with a crowd of people) 3rd floor Foundation studios of stueban (which occasionally is a host to secret raves) East hall 5th floor occasionally has open rooms on the weekends (Where sometimes you can find a sleeping nude models)
Carnegie visited Pratt for inspiration and used the school as a model in developing Carnegie Technical Schools, now known as Carnegie Mellon University. Though Carnegie Technical Schools started from the same background with Pratt, because it was incorporated with Mellon Institute of Industrial Research and offers different field of curriculums, it is can now be called Carnegie Mellon University. Collegetimes.co also notes that a college “usually represents an independent institution focused primarily on undergraduate studies with a strong focus on liberal arts (award Bachelor degrees to their successful program graduates)” Because, by offering mostly BFA and MFA degrees, Pratt focuses more on studio arts as opposed to liberal arts, is not suitable to be called “college”. Another reason why Pratt is called an institute, is because universities and colleges typically employ full-time lecturers/professors, who are required to have a PhD degree. According to the collegetimes. co , it is one of the main reason a school is called a university. “Yes, that might be,” says Mr. Schlotthauer, “but what is the point of having studio classes taught by professors/instructors who have PhDs, if they are no longer working in their field and lack fresh, young ideas. Also, liberal arts professors and art history professors all have PhDs.” At this point, it seems biased that in art school, young design professors should have certain degrees to prove the school is college not the institute. It feels like art schools might need to have different regulations since it embracing different types of knowledges and skills. It seems Pratt will keep the school name for now. “Pratt is already credited school. So it doesn’t mean the title downgrades the value.” says Mr. Schloothauer. Pratt is prestigious art school with great professors and passionate students. However, a lot of students still wonder why the school is called an “institute” since students maintain a lot of humanity studies and students have to pay tons of tuitions. Some student feel it is not fair and unsatisfied with the name. Amy Jung, the junior painting major says, “The fine arts major students have to take a lot more humanity classes than the other majors but our school called by institute not a college. I feel worried if people are not aware of my studies. I would rather called my school just “Pratt” not “Pratt Institute.” The school logo only mentions its mononym so why not? Though Pratt is not eligible to be called “university” since it is only focusing on art field, it has the potential to be called “college” because our school dedicates more courses to liberal arts curriculums than most other art school in America. Concerning the difference between 1800s and 2016, it is now time to rethink about the purpose and value of the school and assign proper name so the students and people from outside won’t have any confusion and dissatisfaction.
~CAMPUS AND SLIGHTY BEYOND~
BREAK FASTER WORDS BY ZHIYING HU, PHOTOS BY AARON COHEN
their customers to feel that they are at home eating breakfast, with friends and families. The intimacy is one of the key elements that constantly attracts customers to return and enjoy meals. Some customers come once a week, some twice a week, and some even come everyday. This cafe has really blended into people’s daily life and became part of their family. Though the owners had a hard time picking out one best selling dish on the menu, because all of the dishes were popular, waffles have proved to be their top dish. The waffles were actually added after the three owners bought the cafe. It was not in previous Mike’s menu. The addition was extremely successful. They have also added fried chicken into their menu, which is not common in other brunch places. Some workers like Roberto has been working here for 30 years. They started working since Mike was the owner, and they decided to stay for the passion of what they were doing. Therefore, the taste of food here is undoubtable, because chiefs are all well trained with abundant working experience. There are 14 employees working in the cafe including the three owners. When the cafe get busy like weekends, there will usually be more employees walking around helping. When the cafe is not as busy, there might be only 8 people working simultaneously. Each of them has one or two days off for each week. All fourteen employees at Mike’s are like a big family. There is no real hierarchy between employer and employees. They all treat each other equally. It is probably one of the reasons why Mike’s has been successful for 70 years. In the past 23 years, a lot has changed about Mike’s. The menu is larger now, containing more dishes. The neighborhood is safer now with less crime. The price of coffee is higher now (from 65 cents to $1.25 a cup). However, some things never change, such as the ambience of affinity, the profound friendship between three elders, and the delicious taste of the food.
THE PRATTLER
Green Gossip WORDS BYVALENTINA VERGARA PHOTOS BY AARON COHEN , ILLUSTRATION BY TERESA CHEN
WAFFLES, SAUSAGE AND BACON compose the traditional American breakfast. Mike’s coffee shop has been providing the most important meal of the day for 70 years right next to Pratt campus. It is arguably the closest cafe to Pratt, located on 328 Dekalb Ave. Mike’s is not as designed like many recently-opened cafes. It is casual and quaint, and the menu is straightforward. Nonetheless, there is an endless stream of incoming customers. The longevity of this dinner and the taste of the food has not only attracted residents around the cafe, but also people from other neighborhood come for a delicious meal. The owner of Mike’s has changed three times since its founding in 1946. Ownership was first transferred to its second owner, and name sake, Mike in 1963. After 30 years, Mike left and transferred Mike’s Coffee Shop to the third and current owner. The coffee shop now has three owners, named Jimmy, Chris and Lyle. Jimmy is 78 years old and from Greece. When he first moved to America, he worked at a flower shop, and soon opened his own flower store. Jimmy was in the New York flower business for 40 years, but it was not running well. Around the same time, Chris and Lyle faced a dilemma while they were operating their own restaurant near Brooklyn Bridge. It was then that they decided to close that restaurant met together and decided to do business together. The opportunity to operate Mike’s coffee shop was a new starting point for all of their lives. It was not easy to manage a business with others. They had been through arguments, disagreements and conflicts between each other. However, these problems could never really hurt their friendships. The interior was renovated right after they got the cafe, and since then the interior has not changed. The cafe’s appearance was unique in a way that it does not look like other brunch spots that pop up in the neighborhoods. It is rather inconspicuous and very casual. According to the owners, the cafe was intended to give an intimate ambience to incoming customers. They want
RECYCLING, WHERE YOU AT? Pratt is an institution that positions themselves as concerned with sustainability, but as students, we can attest that its aims to be sustainable are not exactly clear to us. Recycling should be the most clear example of sustainability at Pratt, but the placement of bins around campus and the lack of systemic design is confusing and makes some of us students feel guilty for throwing a glass bottle into a bin that might possibly be for plastic.This confusion has the student body thinking Pratt fails to recycle on all accounts. According to the Department of Facilities Management, this is a misconception. Pratt actually ‘outsources’ the sorting part of recycling through the company Five Star Carting, which then takes all of the waste produced at Pratt and individually sorts plastics, paper and organic waste. We can’t say there still isn’t a problem at hand. Why aren’t we more aware of this? With the growing concern of climate change — especially with the most recent political events — most students are already concerned with sustainability, but we are misinformed and/or left in the dark with how our school recycles. It is ironic that a school with such a renowned design program fails to develop a systemic design for the trash bins around campus. For example walking across the main lawn, we can find green trash cans that heavily resemble recycling bins, but are not. It doesn’t help that recycling isn’t promoted nor enforced at school, so that many students who live in the dorms don’t recycle. But how could recycling be enforced, if we feel no system is made to specify where to put our bottles? Although recycling plastics, paper and organic waste at Pratt might still be cloudy and confusing to students, the school has opened a store where you can go and pick-up used supplies and materials for free. The new givetake art supply recycling initiative at Pratt is an effort to try and be more sustainable. The idea took form when the Department of Facilities Management kept noticing how many art supplies were being wasted at the end of the semester. With the help of students, they set up a designated area for “drop offs” within many departments around Pratt as well as a “pick-up” area in the basement of Steuben Hall, open Monday through Thursday from 5:00pm to 10:00pm and Sunday from 2:00pm to 10:00pm. Givetake even has their own website, which provides a database of art school materials providing health and sustainability information. Check it out at commons.pratt.edu/givetake and like them on facebook @prattgivetake.
~FOCUS~ IF YOU HAVE EVER TALKED TO SOMEONE OVER THE AGE OF 50 IT’S LIKELY THAT YOU’VE HEARD SOME FORM OF COMPLAINT REGARDING THE WANING WORK ETHIC OF THE YOUNGER GENERATIONS. AT ONE POINT IN MY LIFE I FELT LIKE THIS WAS SOMETHING EVERY GENERATION TELLS ITS SUCCESSORS, AND EVERY NEW GENERATION HEARS FROM ITS ELDERS, BUT AS IT TURNS OUT, THERE MAY ACTUALLY BE SOME TRUTH TO THEIR FRUSTRATION THAT IS UNIQUE TO THE DIGITAL GENERATIONS.
WORDS BY PAIGE HAVENER
ART BY TERESA CHEN
THE ART OF READING We all hear complaints of teenagers these days not being able to separate themselves from their cellphones. there is an ever increasing need to use cell phones and they are indeed becoming permanent attachments in our lives. If you want to navigate the subway, order anything online, get in contact with friends in an instant, you have to have not only a cell phone but a smart phone. This generation is being spoon fed content. Being given media to consume, and creating it for oneself are very different and can have not only a neurological effect on the structures of our brains, but a profound psychological effect on society as a whole. I was the last of the generations that had flip phones and did not grow up with computers in our pockets. As a child I was given blocks to play with, not a simulated game with flashing lights and moving images meant to entertain me. I had to entertain myself. Boredom breeds creativity, and creates an attitude that is less expectant and more willing to actively seek out entertainment. The younger generations may not be as enthusiastic when faced with the prospects of creating their own forms of entertainment, and will instead turn to a computer. If you are raised expecting to be provided with entertainment, this will extend into your adult life as well. Not only are younger generations not willing to entertain themselves, there is also a decline in the ability to focus on things for long periods of time. An important example of this would be in reading. Reports from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) show that people are reading less print, and their reading skills are declining. This decrease in print reading is a big factor in the loss the ability to read. There are several types of reading, the most important of which are close or deep reading, and surface or hyper reading. Deep reading is what happens when you indulge yourself in a text, generally in print, and exert a high level of focus and produces a fuller and deeper understanding of a passage of text. Hyper reading, which is becoming more and more prevalent, is faster and involves the text for important words or phrases, discerning summaries without reading a full passage, and navigating links within a body of text.
ART DIRECTION: ALISON LEE & SPENCER SELIGMAN (ASSISTANT A.D. TERESA CHEN) EDITOR IN CHIEF: EMILY OLDENQUIST ADVISORS: MICHAEL KELLY & SEAN KELLY
ALL CONTENT GENERATED BY THE PRATTLER CLASS AND CLUB STUDENTS!
Hyper reading is a type of reading that was born partly by fault of the internet. The internet provides a vast array of information, so much so that it would not be efficient to fully analyze each article available. Hyper reading definitely has its place in allowing us to consume large amounts of media quickly and efficiently, but this is also accompanied by the consequential drop in the ability to deep read. Actually, studies show that the brain wires itself differently for deep reading versus hyper reading. Katherine Hales, author of How We Think, tells us that hypr reading stimulates different brain functions than print reading. The brain learns to process information differently based on how you read, and changes the neural pathways in your brain accordingly. If a student does not learn and retain the ability to deep read, their brain will be physically different from someone who only practices hyper reading. According to Nicholas Carr, author of The Shallows: What the Internet Is Doing to Our Brains, hyper reading can lead to changes in brain function that make sustained concentration more difficult. Not only will we lose the ability to deep read, but we may also lose the ability to focus on anything for long amount of time. We can argue that this is not a bad thing, as the brain is plastic and is merely conforming to what is being demanded of it. But when you don’t exercise a certain part of your brain, the neural pathways in that part dissolve and one actually loses the ability to perform that task. If the ability to deep read is not practiced, those pathways in the brain will grow weaker or disappear entirely. The brain is constantly changing to build the most efficient set of pathways based on what we need. Think about it. When was the last time you sat down to read a full book? Even for class assigned reading, many students skim the book and look for deeper analysis online. Deep reading is an important skill that many from younger generations lack. It is important to be able to retain focus on one body of text for a long stretch of time, and to be able to understand and analyze it. If all future generations lose the ability to deep read, what will become of society? How will we interpret important influential documents of the past without the ability to read them? Perhaps this is the natural order of things. Out with books and in with shorter internet articles and click bait, right? but I like to think that the art of reading will stick around for generations to come and that our generation’s children will still be able read--and benefit from reading--the classics. Our children will be bilingual, able to interpret dense texts and navigate the internet efficiently. There is a constantly increasing pace to modern life. Everything happens so much faster that it is hard to find time to pick up a book and read it. We constantly strive to be more efficient, but this may come at a cost. Our brains are plastic, constantly reshaping to provide us with the most help.
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