The Statesman 02-10-20 by The Statesman

Volume LXIII, Issue 18

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Monday, February 10, 2020

SBU professor's book tackles prison labor By Matthew Yan Contributing Writer

Power, race, rape and the carceral system are the pillars of Stony Brook Associate Professor Robert Chase’s new book, “We Are Not Slaves: State Violence, Coerced Labor, and Prisoners' Rights in Postwar America.” The 523-page book, which he promoted at a faculty book presentation on Wednesday, provides an eye-opening look into the endemic exploitation, degradation and abuse of the 2.3 million people who make up America’s prison population — the largest in the world. According to Chase, the United States has effectively enslaved incarcerated people for decades. Every day, thousands of prisoners across the nation labor for big companies to produce daily commodities, ranging from Starbucks cups to microchips. They are paid a pittance — 93 cents a day for their efforts. Eightyfive percent is taken by the prison for their room and board. Their work

RABIA GURSOY/ THE STATESMAN

Toni Blackman freestyling at the art of hip-hop meditation event on Tuesday, Feb. 4 for Black History Month. Blackman hosts a night focused on self-exploration and mindfulness. fuels a $2 billion prison-industrial complex that runs largely unnoticed by the American public. This treatment dates back to the 19th century, when prisoners would work in chain gangs 10 hours a day, six days a week, to build roads, dig in mines and pick cotton on plantations. Beatings and lashings from the guards were commonplace. Some prisoners would slice the Achilles

tendons of their heels to cripple themselves just so they wouldn’t be able to work. Unruly prisoners were sent to the “sweatbox,” an isolated, pitch black cell that left them crouched at the mercy of the elements. Many incarcerated in sweatboxes went insane, suffered injuries or even died after being left there for weeks on end.

The nightmare didn’t end when the workday was done. At night, wardens and “trustees,” mostly white prisoners who were given free reign to roam the premises and move prisoners about, would sell the bodies of their often black, latino and gay prisoners to the highest bidder for labor and sex, perpetuating a system of “state-orchestrated prison rape.” “The prisoners were slaves — that is no metaphor,”

Chase said. “Slaves were property, gambled, sold, and traded like common cattle.” These conditions led to rebellions like the Attica Prison uprising in 1971. About 2,200 inmates took over the maximum-security Attica Correctional Facility in New York, taking staff hostage and demandContinued on page 4

Curry Club owners buy the Harbor Grill SBU teams up with NASA By Brianne Ledda News Editor

The Harbor Grill in Port Jefferson, a popular spot for Stony Brook students, saw a change in ownership this past week. Indu Kaur — whose family owns The Curry Club, the Velvet Lounge and The Meadow Club — said that her family signed for the restaurant on Feb. 3. The purchase follows a controversy last spring when a Stony Brook graduate was turned away for wearing a turban, provoking outrage on social media and threats of a potential lawsuit. The previous owners later apologized and claimed that hats and headgear aren’t allowed after 10 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays, but the story still hit national media. “We don’t know what really happened, so we can’t comment,” Kaur said. “We greet anybody — anybody can come,” Kulwant Wadhwa, co-owner of the Harbor Grill and Kaur’s father, cut in. “And that is for the community and it is for the students, for everyone.”

The family started hosting parties at the Harbor Grill during the week after a fire at The Meadow Club. They discovered that the restaurant was “pretty much closed” during the week — currently, the Harbor Grill is only open for limited hours over the winter. A real estate broker eventually approached Wadhwa, and the family decided to buy it. “So we are going to resume what the business has been

doing in here for right now,” Kaur said. “We are planning a couple more exciting events that we are going to be announcing, but we just don't have all the logistics yet because it's just very, very new.” The new owners plan to keep the restaurant open seven days a week with longer hours and inContinued on page 4

BRIANNE LEDDA / THE STATESMAN

Indu Kaur, one of the new owners, in front of the Harbor Grill. Her family signed for the bar on Feb. 3.

News

Arts & Culture

'Gift of Life' brings awareness to child cardiac care.

Lee lectured at the opening of Black History Month.

Non-profit gets new club at SBU.

MORE ON PAGE 8

Women's hoops win 20th straight. MORE ON PAGE 12

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Prisoner history discussed Gift of Life club comes to campus Continued from page 1 ing better living conditions. The riot had a bloody ending, with 29 inmates and 10 hostages killed by police gunfire. The prisoners would later score a small victory with Ruiz v. Estelle, a drawn out court battle in which David Ruiz and 100 other inmates testified against Texas Department of Corrections Director William Estelle for his chronic mistreatment of the facility’s prisoners. About 11,000 prisoners engaged in a systemwide strike for 129 days while the trial proceeded. In 1980, the Texas district court ruled in favor of the plaintiffs, overturning a “hands off doctrine” that prevented inmates from filing complaints against prison conditions. The courts also ordered that no prison go above 95% of its maximum capacity to prevent overcrowding. Although the prison conditions were declared unconstitutional in eight out of 11 southern states implicated in Ruiz v. Estelle, many facilities rallied against the court rulings or simply ignored them. The prisons cited the 10th Amendment, which gives the states every power not given to the federal government in the Constitution, to justify their actions.

This defiance, along with the effects of Nixon and Reagan’s War on Drugs, tripled the prison population in the United States between 1994 and 2000. Activists who rallied against the system, which disproportionately targets minorities, have been assassinated by members of the Aryan Brotherhood and the Ku Klux Klan. Dr. Zebulon Miletsky, an assistant professor of Africana studies and history who attended the lecture, said he was fascinated by the book. “Professor Chase has written a powerful new book,” he said. “It’s going to change the way we think about mass incarceration in America.” Herman Lebovics, an emeritus history professor, was also among the attendees. “It was very shocking,” he said. “It was information that we all knew on some level, but his book shed a light on it.” Chase lamented that these state-run prisons will never change without the intervention of state governments and urged his audience to find out who their representatives are. “I will argue that there are 50 carceral states,” he said. “To disentangle the thicket of incarceration, we need to look to the states.”

By Jocelyn Cruz Contributing Writer

Stony Brook University students have started a club to help bring Gift of Life, a non-profit organization, to campus. The club is affiliated with Gift of Life International, which works to bring awareness to and provide care for children with cardiac-related illnesses living in countries where they are unable to receive treatment. The organization has a global network of 84 affiliates in rotarian districts, such as Long Island. Michael Maresco, Gift of Life club president and senior business management and biology double major, said that in the future they’d like to become an official chapter, but right now the Stony Brook club is “just an organization that’s affiliated with and endorsed by the Gift of Life International.” “We want to come up with different fundraising techniques in the United States to make these surgeries possible for [children,]” Maresco said, explaining that the club hopes to raise more awareness around children who come from developing countrie-

sand might not have the funding for surgeries. Maresco, who’s on the pre-med track and does a lot of cardiac-related research, said that his work, along with his grandparents — who were heavily involved with Gift of Life International — inspired him to start the club. “With all the research, I have been able to see that there is a growing concern for children who develop cardiac abnormalities,” he said. Sonal Swain, a freshman psychology and health science double major, is the head of Public Relations for the Gift of Life club on campus. Swain says she was approached by Maresco and asked if she would be interested in being apart of the e-board. She proceeded to look into the organization and loved its philosophy and mission. “I'm excited to use social media as a platform to reach out to students, faculty and staff across the campus to introduce the organization and bring awareness to its stories and the incredible work it does around the world,” Swain said. She said the club plans to host professional panels

with leaders of the organization and invite researchers and doctors to help make the mission of Gift of Life come to reality. “Although it may draw prehealth students because of the medical and public health focus of the organization, we want all members of our community to feel welcome, have a voice and show them that they can make an impact regardless of their major, career aspirations, backgrounds, etc.,” Swain said. Dayanna Zuluaga, a sophomore biology major, is the secretary of activities for the Gift of Life club. Zuluaga came across Gift of Life when her friend, Maresco, told her how special the Gift of Life organization was to him, and that he wanted to provide opportunities to children on a greater scale. “I believe that by sticking to bringing awareness to the Gift of Life International organization that provides lifesaving cardiac treatment to children in developing countries regardless of gender, creed, or national origin- this club will start off on an excellent note,” Zuluaga wrote in an email.

Harbor Grill offers venue to SBU musican Presidential search update Continued from page 1 troduce a host of other changes, including a cocktail menu and “finger foods” at the bar. Kaur said that they’re also considering holding ladies’ nights, paint nights, couples nights for middle-aged adults and Sunday morning brunch parties. She hopes to eventually hold a Bollywood night and added that they’re very open to hosting fundraisers and parties for Stony Brook clubs and organizations. Wadhwa also emphasized that the upstairs portion of the restaurant will consistently offer live music and that they hope to find student musicians from Stony Brook willing to perform there. “Stony Brook has some nice bands that they would like to

come and have a place to play and have their own followers, that we are open to opening up live music every day, afternoon and dinner,” Kaur added. Rebecca Proscia, a junior health science major and singer-songwriter at Stony Brook, said that she’s “so glad” to hear that more venues are opening up for student musicians. “I already planned to perform this week at the Velvet Lounge, and would definitely consider performing at the Harbor Grill as well,” she said. “Student musicians bring such a vibrant and inspiring take on music to gigs and open mics, and I encourage even more opportunities for us to show our passion for sound.” Students interested in performing at the Harbor Grill should call

Kaur and send her videos or recordings of past performances. “We can promote them on our Facebook, on all our social media, give them exposure,” she said. “So they can bring more clout to us and we can open up the cash bar, have some affordable food, give them the exposure. They bring the people, we bring the people; it will be a good relationship.” Sarah Cudia, a senior business management major, normally goes to the Harbor Grill on Saturdays during the semester. She said that she’s excited about the idea of a ladies’ night and that offering a venue for student musicians is “awesome.” “I hope the owners still keep it as a bar because I know everyone loves it there,” she said.

SBU leads ground team in snowstorm study Continued from page 1 Andrew Janiszeski, a graduate student from UIUC, deploys weather balloons for the project in the Northeast. Last weekend, IMPACTS dispatched him to Rutland, Vermont to track storms. This week, he’s in Binghamton, New York. Janiszeski said the snow bands tell “the story of the storm.” “So we're trying to benefit the science community to have just a greater understanding of how these features [of the snow bands] come to be and how they evolve,” he said. Mariko Oue, a postdoctoral fellow at SoMAS, operates the Stony Brook University team’s weath-

er radar. Her goal is to understand the role of microphysics in cloud systems. “This is a very big project involving many institutions and universities,” Oue said. She said the “coolest” part of her role is remote sensing, which transmits information about a phenomenon — such as the composition of snow bands to researchers — without them having to be there. Researchers have deployed the mobile weather truck twice so far. According to Colle, the first time was at Cedar Beach on Jan. 18. It was last deployed in the South P lot on Jan. 25, where it also stays in between missions. The most recent major east coast snowstorm study was Project Eri-

ca in 1988. Project Erica examined winter cyclones that formed over the Atlantic Ocean. Now in 2020, significant advancement in weather technology lets atmospheric scientists research what’s occurring inside the storms. “We’ve been waiting for the technology to advance,” Colle said. “Now we have the latest radar technology that can get down to tenths of a meter resolutions in terms of probing into a storm.” Although Long Island has not seen a major storm yet this winter, researchers said they can gather data with rain, sleet or snow. “The atmosphere can do a lot with a little,” Janiszeski said.

By Maya Brown

Assistant News Editor

Stony Brook University held its first interviews for the incoming president last week. Isaacson, Miller — the firm hired to oversee the university’s presidential search — selected a number of candidates for the presidential search committee to hold “airport interviews” with. “I can say that I think that we had a really excellent list of candidates,” Judith Greiman, the chief deputy to the president, said at a university senate meeting on Feb. 3. “I think that the interest in Stony Brook is significant,” she said. According to the SUNY Presidential Search Summary and Timeline, the next step is to discuss and choose the top five candidates, and two alternates, to move on to on-campus interviews. Those names would then be submitted to the chancellor for approval. After reference and background checks are run on the top five candidates, on-campus interviews will then be conducted, in which the name of the candidates and general information about their background and qualifications are released to the public. In terms of the presidential search, Greiman said that candidates so far have been impressed with “where [the university has] come in the time period that we've done that,” and by the school’s social mobility numbers.

According to Mobility Report Cards: The Role of Colleges in Intergenerational Mobility, Stony Brook is ranked among the top 10 colleges and universities in the nation whose students begin college at the bottom fifth of income distribution and then rise to the top three-fifths. Greiman added that candidates also find the diverse campus and aspects of Stony Brook’s research portfolio very impressive. This update follows the Interim President Bernstein’s withdrawal of candidacy from the presidential search.

“It's a lively and active search ... and I think the committee has come together in a good way.” -Judith Greiman

Chief Deputy to the President

According to Greiman, the chancellor’s goal is to vote on the final presidential candidate during the first or second week of May. “It’s a lively and active search … and I think the committee has come together in a good way,” she said. A permanent president is expected to take over this summer.

The Statesman

Monday, February 10, 2020

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ARTS & CULTURE

Spike Lee delivers authentic lecture at Black History Month opening By Maya Brown

Assistant News Editor

On Wednesday, Feb. 5, acclaimed filmmaker Spike Lee joined a packed room of students, faculty and staff as part of the Presidential Lecture Series at the Staller Center for the Arts. Lee owned his own narrative, was as authentic as can be and said what he wanted to say with no filter. Black History Month at Stony Brook University opened up with an explosion of discussion regarding current issues and the reason for storytelling. The theme of the celebratory month is “sankofa,” which means owning your own narrative. In his opening remarks, Marvin Paul, a co-chair of the BHM committee and a junior biology major said, “It should be quite obvious to anyone as to why Spike Lee made an ideal choice as this year’s speaker. His career, more than any other, has demonstrated this ideal.” Beginning with the questioning of why Black History Month falls under the shortest month of the year, Lee spoke about all of the lies that he feels have been taught to children since they were little. “The United States of America, which is considered the greatest country on this Earth, was built by stealing the land, the native people, genocide and slavery. That’s the foundation of the United States of America,” he said. After high school, Lee attended Morehouse College. It’s a historical-

JOHN GRIFFN / THE STATESMAN

Filmmaker Spike Lee took the stage at the Staller Center for the Arts on Wednesday Feb. 5 in honor of black History Month at Stony Brook University. ly black college, in which he felt was a place where he was able to learn about the true history of both his culture and the impact black people had on the creation of the U.S. “It’s hard to call black people unpatriotic,” he said. Lee then explained where the inspiration for one of his movies, “Miracle at St. Anna”, came from, as the first person to die for the U.S. was a black man named Crispus Attucks. Attucks, born into slavery, later escaped and

was killed at the Boston Massacre. Lee realized a long time ago that many of the founding ideals we are taught growing up, are either false or not told correctly. “I wanted to tell the stories that might not be told,” he said. The importance of black culture became his inspiration for over 49 movies. Lee is known for various powerful films that perfectly fit in with our current socio-political climate, as they

tend to have a provocative approach to controversial subject matter. Black culture has always been a theme in his art of filmmaking. Going back to his master’s thesis he created while at New York University’s Graduate Film School, “Joe’s Bed-Stuy Barbershop: We Cut Heads,” reflected what barber shops meant to the Black community. His debut film, “She’s Gotta Have It,” follows the story and love life of a

black woman. In 2018, Lee directed “BlacKkKlansman,” a true story based on an African-American detective’s dangerous mission of infiltrating and exposing the Ku Klux Klan. During the lecture, Lee explained how his award-winning film, “Malcolm X,” was made with struggle. Lee had envisioned for the biopic to be around three hours, but the studio at the time had told him to shorten it. Lee, however, didn’t budge, which resulted in his funding being cut. Going forward on his mission to make the movie he had dreamed of, Lee immediately called all of the black people he knew asking for donations in order to continue with the film. Lee ended up retrieving his post-production crew he was recently forced to get rid of and completed telling the journey of life that “Malcom X” had lived. “We got us. We come together and got us. We don't go for okey doke, we have us,” Lee said. As Lee was featured on the 2019’s TIME 100 Most Influential People list, his influence surrounds his perfection of timing. “When you do what you love, you’re gonna win,” he said. From the recent passing of NBA All-Star Kobe Bryant to the delay of results from the Iowa Democratic Caucus, Lee gave the perfect amount of motivation for everyone in the audience.

Toni Blackman brings hip-hop meditation to Stony Brook Students By Claudia Motley

As the exercise went on, those who went up got more comfortable with self-expression and eventually touched upon topics such as independence, support and respect.

Contributing Writer

Toni Blackman, entrepreneur and the first elected HipHop Cultural Ambassador to the U.S. Department of State, taught Stony Brook students the art of hip-hop mediation at the Charles B. Wang Center on Tuesday, Feb. 4. Blackman’s journey as an artist and mindfulness instructor kicked off in 2018 following her brother’s suicide. Although she admits always having an interest in rap, her brother’s death acted as inspiration to use her artistic skills as a means of helping others. “I was dealing with hip-hop since middle school,” she said during the event. “I was rapping as a cheerleader in high school. When my brother passed, I started my journey… it’s important if you have an idea, you have the courage to share it, and remember who you’re doing it for.” Combining rhythmic beats, freestyle verse and meditative techniques, Blackman hosted a fun-filled night of self-exploration and mindfulness. By incorporating music, Blackman encouraged the audience to feel more comfortable in expressing themselves, a technique that certainly did not go underappreciated. Anne Klein, a 60-year-old home companion — similar to a

“Blackman hosted a fun-filled night of selfexploration and mindfulness.” RABIA GURSOY / THE STATESMAN

In the Wang Center, entrepreneur and Hip-Hop Cultural Ambassador, Toni Blackman hosted a guided meditation that incooperated hip-hop on Tuesday, Feb. 4. home health aid — heard of the event and convinced her friend, 62-year-old Linda Dunckley, to join her. “I love hip-hop,” said Klein. “My daughter listens to it in the car, and I love all of it. [Blackman] does a really good job making it fun for everyone, especially younger people.” Dunckley, who works as a teacher’s aide in Rocky Point, added, “I’ve done guided meditation before, but never with hip-hop. It’s definitely great for younger audiences.”

Both Dunckley and Klein noted their favorite component of the show was the end, where Blackman used a mantra to freestyle a song while the audience sang the chorus. The words “so what” were sung while Blackman came up with lyrics that used positive affirmations to communicate ideas of self-respect and assurance. Evan Kim, a junior mathematics major, notes that the most memorable part of the show was during the first exercise, during

which Blackman asked the audience about what words they associate with relationships. “It took too long for people to get to love,” said Kim. “You heard things like complicated, toxic, but it took a lot more people to finally have someone say love. It’s sad, but it makes you think.” For the rest of the exercise, Blackman had members of the audience come to the front and participate in a spoken word piece.

“Your relationship with yourself is the most important,” Blackman summarized after the spoken word performance. “And one should have the capacity to do the same thing for others as you do for yourself.” Blackman’s event was part of Stony Brook’s Black History Month Program, coordinated annually by the Office of Multicultural Affairs and the Black History Month Committee. It was co-sponsored by the Paul W. Zuccaire Gallery and the Humanities Institute of Stony Brook. Additional support was given by the Art and Music Departments.

Arts & Culture

The Statesman

Monday, February 10, 2020

NBC original show “The Good Place” is over and that's sad By Alexander Bakirdan

Assistant Arts and Culture Editor

I’ve watched a lot of TV shows over the course of my 22-yearold life. Some were good, some bad, some I loved all the way up until the end when all they had to do was stick the landing and instead they tripped and fell on their face (looking at you “Game of Thrones”). But out of all those shows, there are very few that are truly special. Those shows that when all is said and done and the credits finally roll you’re left with a sort of sad, empty feeling inside. You can’t believe a show that made you happy and sad, made you laugh and maybe even made you cry, is over. No more new episodes, no more new laughs. To me, “The Good Place” is one of those special shows. Right from the jump all the way back in season one, the show hooked me with its brilliant premise. Eleanor, played by the brilliant and hilarious Kristen Bell, was dead. She was in the afterlife and was being welcomed to the newest stage of her existence by none other than Ted Danson, who played the character of Michael, the architect of Eleanor’s afterlife. We were quickly introduced to three more wonderful characters, Chidi Anagonye, Eleanor’s supposed soulmate, along with the Buddhist monk, Jianyu, A.K.A. Jason Mendoza and fabulous socialite Tahani Al-Jamil. The characters, played by William Jackson Harper, Manny Jacinto and Jameela Jamil respectively, each

PUBLIC DOMAIN

“The Good Place” premiered on NBC 2016 and ended on Jan. 30, 2020. The show has won a Peabody award,two Hugo awards and is a seven time Emmy Award nominee. came to life with their own unique quirks, and before long, this group of lovable misfits was embroiled in one adventure after another. The show does an excellent job of interspersing questions of philosophy, existentialism and commentary on what it means to be a “good person” without ever feeling too serious or overbearing. This continues into season four which explores some of the show’s most complicated questions yet. The second season took an unexpected but delightful turn as the character of Janet, brought to life by the charming D’Arcy Carden, began to get some deeper character development. Up until this point, Janet had been pretty much relegated to the role of interdi-

mensional assistant, as she was an all-knowing being that could create pretty much anything. Carden finally got a chance to show off her talents when Janet’s emotions and personality began to develop, and complete chaos ensued. It’s difficult to say who my favorite character is, as the show did such a good job of getting me to care about all of them, but Chidi, in particular, is one of the most creative characters I’ve ever seen in a TV show. A professor of ethics and moral philosophy who is so wrapped up in making the right choices that he can’t make any, Chidi struggles the most out of almost any character. Jackson Harper does such a good job with the character that you can almost feel

a kind of secondary anxiety every time Chidi is forced into making a decision. And since Chidi seems to struggle the most, he’s also the character who seems to have gone through the most growth and change by the end of the series. Jacinto and Jamil also give incredible performances as Jason and Tahani. Jason is the Jacksonville delinquent whose subpar educational opportunities have left him a little less intelligent than the others but might be the character with the biggest heart. Tahani, a less than genuine philanthropic socialite with a penchant for name-dropping, has her own emotional struggles to deal with as she never received the love and approval she so desperately wanted from her parents.

Season four took our main characters on all-new adventures running into all sorts of crazy problems that forced them to grow and develop as characters, finally giving them the chance to become the best versions of themselves. Of course, in classic Good Place fashion, just when I thought I had everything figured out, it all went sideways once again. The Judge, played by Maya Rudolph, made several reappearances throughout the season, and the drama reached an all-time high just before the midseason break, forcing me to wait seven painful weeks for the show’s return. The final season gave me everything I could’ve wanted from this show and so much more. Eleanor, Chidi, Jason, Tahani, Michael and Janet all got satisfying conclusions to their individual journeys, and each of them got to have one final great individual moment before the show ended for good. These incredible characters are what made “The Good Place” a truly special show. While it’s wit and storytelling are certainly great, watching these people grow and change so much over the course of four seasons is what made the show such a joy to watch. It’s also what made the ending of the show both perfect and bittersweet at the same time. As much as I wanted more, it was clear by the end that this series was a complete story. There is simply nothing more to say.

OPINIONS Editor-in-Chief..................Gary Ghayrat Managing Editor..............Karina Gerry Managing Editor..........Chris Parkinson News Editor..............................................................Brianne Ledda Arts & Culture Editor..............................................Melissa Azofeifa Multimedia Editor........................................................Sara Ruberg Opinions Editor...........................................................Cindy Mizaku Sports Editor.................................................................Ryan Pavich Copy Chief..........................................................Alexa Anderwkavich Assistant News Editor..................................................Maya Brown Assistant News Editor....................................................Alek Lewis Assistant News Editor......................................Samantha Robinson Assistant Arts & Culture Editor..........................Alexander Bakirdan Assistant Arts & Culture Editor.................................Lajiere Blake Assistant Multimedia Editor.....................................Rabia Gursoy Assistant Multimedia Editor.....................................Emma Harris Assistant Opinions Editor.............................................Fanni Frankl Assistant Opinions Editor.............................................Sam Lauria Assistant Sports Editor................................................Ross O’Keefe Assistant Sports Editor..................................................Ethan Tam Assistant Copy Editor..............................................Donovan Alexis Assistant Copy Editor.....................................................Karla Rios Business Manager ............................................. Kaylee McAllister Marketing Manager .............................................. Chris Parkinson Accounting Intern ....................................................... Francis Saw Marketing Intern ....................................................... Austin Leong Marketing Intern ................................................... Borshack Shithil

Contact us: Phone: 631-632-6480 Fax: 631-632-9128 Web: www.sbstatesman.com To contact the Editor-in-Chief and Managing Editors about organizational comments, questions, suggestions, corrections or photo permission, email editors@sbstatesman.com. To reach a specific section editor: News Editor.....................................news@sbstatesman.com Arts & Entertainment Editor.............arts@sbstatesman.com Multimedia Editor..................multimedia@sbstatesman.com Opinions Editor..........................opinions@sbstatesman.com Sports Editor..................................sports@sbstatesman.com Copy Chief.......................................copy@sbstatesman.com Business Office...........................advertise@sbstatesman.com The Statesman is a student-run, student-written incorporated publication at Stony Brook University in New York. The paper was founded as The Sucolian in 1957 at Oyster Bay, the original site of Stony Brook University. In 1975, The Statesman was incorporated as a not-for-profit, student-run organization. Its editorial board, writers and multimedia staff are all student volunteers. New stories are published online every day Monday through Thursday. A print issue is published every Monday during the academic year and is distributed to many on-campus locations, the Stony Brook University Hospital and over 70 off-campus locations. The Statesman and its editors have won several awards for student journalism and several past editors have gone on to enjoy distinguished careers in the field of journalism. Follow us on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook @sbstatesman. Disclaimer: Views expressed in columns or in the Letters and Opinions section are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Statesman. The Statesman promptly corrects all errors of substance published in the paper. If you have a question or comment about the accuracy or fairness of an article please send an email to editors@sbstatesman.com. Support our journalism at sbstatesman.com/donate.

PUBLIC DOMAIN

Buttigieg (Right), Sanders (Middle) and Warren (Left) are the top three candidates of the Iowa Caucus. The results were delayed due to the use of new technology.

Iowa Caucus plagued by new technology By Anya Marquardt Staff Writer

Anya Marquardt is a freshman English major and journalism minor. The Iowa caucuses took place last Monday — the first caucuses to take place in the 2020 election season. The former mayor of South Bend, Indiana, Pete Buttigieg, won by a slim margin. Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders finished in a close second, followed by Sen. Elizabeth Warren and former vice president, Joe Biden. However, due to inconsistencies in data results because of a new technology-based application, the caucuses’ numbers were released much later than usual. The precinct reports were not released until Thursday afternoon, and the Associated Press is refusing to call a winner. Democratic candidates had until Friday, Feb. 7, to call for a recount, yet one has not been called. Now, campaign representatives aren’t sure if the Iowa caucuses will be holding as much prominence as it has in the past. The Iowa caucuses help determine the frontrunners in the polls. The Democratic winner of the Iowa caucuses has frequently gone on to become the Democratic nominee. Since 1972, nine primary seasons without a Democratic incumbent president running have occurred; out of those nine seasons, the winner of six went on to become the Democratic nominee. These facts clearly indicate how important these caucuses are, and I believe that these caucuses shouldn’t be meddled with or changed at all due to their obvious significance. The Iowa Democratic Party (IDP) stated at 11:30 p.m. Eastern Time on Monday night that inconsistencies were found in the caucuses' result data. According to the IDP, this was a simple reporting issue caused by a small coding error in the new applica-

Corrections

tion called Shadow for the caucuses. Later on, however, reports made by cybersecurity analysts stated that the application had a lot of errors since it was rushed, which could have been prevented if the application was tested more. Because of the required paper documentation of the caucuses results, the data was able to be verified, although it took days to release all of the data. However, just the mere fact that inconsistencies, of any sort, were found in the caucuses can hurt the reliability and credibility of the results. What if paper documentation was omitted and not used for verification, who knows how much worse the aftermath could have been? We don’t know, but we can infer for sure that it would have taken more than 16 hours for results to start coming out. The IDP should have never made the call to use the new technology application on one of the most important voting days of the year for Democratic candidates.

“With every passing minute that there is a delay, we worry that the process will lose credibility.” -Elizabeth Warren

Sen. of Massachusetts

In a statement given to CNN, a top Warren aide stated, “With every passing minute that there is a delay, we worry that the process will lose credibility.” These caucuses are extremely important for Democrats to see where they are standing in the race, and it also can have a great

influence on voters in November’s general election. I believe that the errors in the Iowa caucuses will be enough for the public to throw away the results entirely, and mark them as uncredible. The validity of the Democratic candidates are at risk if the caucus results aren’t credible. The IDP would be quite reckless to use what was proved to be a poorly tested application at such important caucuses. Because of the long delay, the results of the caucuses were released on the same night as President Donald Trump’s State of the Union Address. Since the early 20th century, this speech has been used mainly to rally support for the president’s agenda. The address always receives a lot of attention from the media, and the results from the Iowa caucuses will now most definitely be overshadowed by the reports about the address. While I agree that the Iowa caucuses issue was handled very poorly, I do not think that this should ruin the Democratic Party’s credibility. The application was created specifically for the IDP to use so it should not reflect on other state parties. While it was not right for a poorly tested application to be used, other state parties shouldn’t suffer as a result, especially since this application won’t be used for their upcoming caucuses. Announcing results immediately after the primaries helps to maintain interest in the polls, and the 3-day delay of these results is only hurting the significance of the Iowa caucuses. Unfortunately for Buttigieg, his win in Iowa may not carry the same significance that other Iowa caucuses have given in the past, now that the State of the Union took place on the same night. On Tuesday, Feb. 11, heads will turn towards New Hampshire, where a primary will take place. Hopefully, we can expect a quicker set of results that aren’t plagued by inconsistencies in the following caucuses, as the entire Democratic party was not responsible for this incident, and the technology that caused this problem will not be used in any other states.

No corrections were made to the last issue (Volume LXIII, Issue 17) of the paper. Readers can send an email to editors@sbstatesman.com regarding any errors made in articles.

Opinions

The Statesman

Monday, February 10, 2020

Charities can help the homeless more than government-funded shelters By Sam Lauria

Assistant Opinions Editor

Sam Lauria is a freshman journalism major. On Thanksgiving weekend, for the first time, I volunteered to help the homeless living in Manhattan for the St. Dominic’s Outreach Program — a church that does a variety of charity work, including providing aid to the homeless. While handing out winter coats and home cooked meals, I heard several firsthand accounts of the atrocious conditions the homeless withstand. People in New York City, or other densely populated areas, have probably passed by, handed a dollar to or conversed with someone living on the streets. No matter which of these situations someone has been in, they probably did not pay much attention to them after they exited their line of sight. There are approximately 70,000 homeless people living in New York City yet the general population never takes into account that they are still human beings since they give them almost no help. Of the people I met who are homeless, I asked if they believed enough was being done to alleviate the horrible conditions of the shelter system. Based on multiple firsthand accounts of the people I talked to, the New York Department for the Homeless seems to have created a shelter system in which most people would rather turn to the streets. A 2014 investigation conducted by The New York Times regarding the conditions of homeless shelters exposed a number of safety violations. After speaking to some people who are homeless, it became clear to me that this still holds to be true.

The article stated, “A dead rat was found in an apartment, garbage was strewn across the hallways, and a puddle of urine was in the only working elevator in the building.” Of the 25 shelters that were examined, 621 violations were found, deeming the shelters unsafe for children and families. Mayor Bill de Blasio has reviewed these violations and plans to create 90 more shelters this year. The treatment of the people who reside in homeless shelters are almost as sinister as the conditions of the buildings themselves. Rafael Mercado Jr., a veteran who has been in the shelter system for six years, said that the shelters are not being properly maintained. “Some people don’t want to go to these places because they’re afraid of what could happen to them,” Mercado said. “There are fights, arguments, sometimes stabbing or something worse.” On top of the violence, the shelters themselves are poorly kept, which can be dangerous to the residents. Mercado is currently living in a single occupancy shelter and is a few steps away from being able to afford his own apartment. Peter Malvan, another man living on the streets who I met while participating in the Outreach Program, said that there is not enough political action taken to alleviate the miserable conditions of the homeless shelters. He spoke about the lack of concern for the conditions of the people who were being admitted into the shelters. “There’s a system set up to provide housing and services to people,” Malvan said. “They kind of know how to move people around when it’s necessary, but they’re not good at it, and they don’t communicate with each other enough.” Malvan said. Malvan says that people who are suffering from serious mental illness or people struggling with addiction

SAM LAURIA / THE STATESMAN

Richard P. Shea (Left) on FDR Drive, Robert Dowd (Right) at Union Square Park. These men are homeless and fed up with the quality of homeless shelters. are admitted into the same buildings as those who are well. Those people with unstable mindsets or conditions can be considered a threat to others in the homeless shelters. The homeless population is on the rise, and most people who are homeless are opposed to taking refuge in shelters. Richard P. Shea, whom I spoke to while in Murray Hill, has refused to live in a shelter, said that the homelessness problem in Manhattan is very serious because of the dramatic increase in the homeless population. “The problem out here right now with homelessness, and poor people in general, is that there’s more. Every week you see more,” he said. “It is becoming increasingly difficult for proper care to be administered — which is a terrible thing. “It would-

benefit everyone if people who need it get the proper care and services they deserve.” After volunteering with St. Dominic’s, I can confidently say that the work that they, and many other charities are doing is proving to be much more meaningful to the homeless communities than government funded programs. St. Dominic’s Outreach Program is a volunteer organization dedicated to providing the homeless with homecooked meals, clothing and other necessities so they can have a little more security during the winter. If you wish to donate or volunteer, the information can be found on St. Dominic’s website. Vincent Nerone, co-runner of St. Dominic’s, said that peo-

ple should not only volunteer during the holidays. “I think people should help them all year long. Come out in August when nobody else is out there.” I can confidently say that after volunteering for St. Dominic’s, my perspective on life regarding the privileges I have been granted has immensely changed. I was introduced to some of the kindest and genuine people I have ever met. As human beings, we should take into account that there are people out there who are suffering. Instead of ignoring their problems, we should make them known and do everything we can to get them the proper care and support they deserve by volunteering and donating to charities that dedicate their time to help the homeless.

Babies will become our entertainment overlords very soon By Alek Lewis

Assistant News Editor

Alek Lewis is a junior journalism major. The Onion Bagel is a satirical column for The Statesman. As I stare into the endless void that is my Instagram feed, the millionth Baby Yoda meme enters my view and catches my attention. I can’t stop my face muscles, as they mold into a big fat grin. This one, which shows a picture of the icon holding a cup of soup, reads “When you wake up feeling a bit cranky-crank, then you put some coffee in your cuppy-cup and take the first sippy-sip,” gets instantly sent to my girlfriend. That meme is me, every morning. Baby Yoda is funny and relatable, or should I say, the internet has made him that way. Even though he is a 50-year-old baby, he exudes personality and warmth without uttering more than a high-pitch baby noise. Social media has molded Baby Yoda' into a meme machine, one that never stops production and gives me the constant desire to rewatch the Disney Plus show “The Mandalorian,” the Star Wars show that he is the catalyst of. So, when I watched the Super Bowl last Sunday (for the commer-

cials, of course) I found my mind dwelling on one commercial in particular. That commercial showed the funeral of the Planters Peanut man, as he had sacrificed himself to save two of his friends in a previous commercial a week earlier. The Kool-Aid Man tears in combination with the lights of the heavens, as the sky opened up to give birth into Baby Nut, a cute version of Mr. Peanut aka another Baby Yoda. It became clear, after this commercial, that babies will become our new entertainment overlords. So as I lay awake that night analyzing this new development, the question became: Will other companies start creating baby versions of their beloved characters? My mind shifted to a piece I read back when “The Mandalorian” was released by James Poniewozik, The New York Times chief television critic, entitled “Baby Yoda is Your God Now.” In the article, he discusses the possibility of entertainment media’s future being consumed by the baby forms of beloved characters, as set into motion by Baby Yoda’s extreme cultural presence. Poniewozik points out that “[Baby Yoda] is vulnerable — we are biologically wired to protect that tiny form and those big eyes — but also, from all we know of the Force and his look-alike who wielded it, almost unimaginably powerful.”

Baby Nut shares all those distinct features with Baby Yoda. In fact, Baby Nut, at first glance, seems to be a parody of the idea that Poniewozik discussed in his article. It’s more than that. It will only help to propel the media revolution. If we are seeing the novel form of a growing trend, the questions now shift to: Will the trend keep working? Will the people of the world forev-

er be ctonsumed by the cuteness of these characters? What other characters, or people, will be morphed into the next big sensation? Homer Simson? Kanye West? President Donald Trump? And will the trend be so popular that these characters will become billion-dollar commercial icons? Yes. Maybe not with Baby Nut, but if this trend sees other beloved cultural icons recreated into adorable ver-

sions of themselves, then we will certainly know we are in the middle of a media transformation. As Ian Fleming wrote in his 1995 James Bond novel “Goldfinger”: “Once is happenstance. Twice is coincidence. The third time it’s enemy action.” Or to say, from the third time on, it’s no coincidence. When the babies take over, it will be no coincidence.

PUBLIC DOMAIN

Baby Yoda from the series "Star Wars." The baby Yoda meme originated from the character in the Disney Plus show, "The Mandalorian."

The Statesman

Comics & Crosswords

Monday, February 10, 2020