Volume 112 Issue 11

The Spectator The Stuyvesant High School Newspaper

Volume 112 No. 11

February 18, 2022 SCIENCE

stuyspec.com ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Why Do We Love Wordle So Much?

In Memoriam: Thelonious Monk

Wordle, a simple puzzle game, has exploded in popularity, taking over countless Facebook feeds. But what exactly makes the game so enticing?

Monk transcended his era with his radical ideas, piano style, phrasing, cadences, and chords, and will continue to inspire many more generations of jazz musicians.

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Looking Into “The Letter” The Instagram account @remove_stuy_of_corruption posted an expose on two members of the Stuyvesant Junior Caucus and issues of mismanagement on Thursday, February 3. The post comprised just one portion of “The Letter,” a collection of testimonials and screenshots organized by 23 Stuyvesant juniors.

It is clear that the situation, which is largely personal, was mishandled. Much of the information provided in “The Letter” seems like a personal attack on a few students because of conflicts within a group of friends that could’ve been handled internally.

The post was spread across social media, gaining hundreds of views in just a few hours, leading to a wave of harassment directed toward the individuals targeted in the letter. Though some of these personal attacks were tied to serious issues like misogyny and homophobia, “The Letter” conflated private conflicts around Student Union (SU) members with broad criticisms of the SU itself, instead of addressing the two issues separately. It did, however, address nepotism and corruption within the SU, issues that

was rarely seen in the past—there were only three dynasties in the SU between 1969 and 2003. Uncontested elections have become increasingly common with the rise of social media, which has turned elections into popularity contests, as well as with the rise in apathy among Stuyvesant students. Given the trend of these uncontested elections, leaders are more likely to simply be less efficient than SU leaders who acquired their positions through more competitive elections. As former Senior Caucus Co-President Katerina Corr (’21) said in a past article, “it promotes a sense of innovation when people are running against you.” The decreasing number of tickets and re-election rates of incumbents breed complacency, and thus, a lack of effective governance.

The most jarring realization that came from “The Letter” was as simple as the age-old adage “things are not always as they seem.” Part of the reason there is a lack of interest in voting in the elections and general involvement in the SU is because many continued on page 9

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STC’s “With Their Eyes”: Commemorating 9/11 20 Years Later

By KAREN ZHANG In honor of the 20th anniversary of 9/11, the Stuyvesant Theater Community (STC) presented

the winter drama “With Their Eyes,” produced by seniors Ava Yap and Samuel Espinal Jr. and sophomores Vanessa Chen and Eliza Oppenheimer. Due to the surge in Omicron COVID-19 cas-

College Board Announces Digitalization of the SAT lege Board is planning to rely on test sites as it has in the past.

Though the digital SAT will be administered on personal or school-issued devices, it will continue to be proctored in schools

In November 2021, the College Board piloted a digital version of the SAT and found that 80 percent of test-takers reported the revamped exam to be less stressful to take. In light of this, the SAT will be administered digitally starting in 2023 for international students and 2024 in the U.S. The digitalization of the SAT reflects a trend of lessening the value of standardized testing in one’s college application as hundreds of universities shift towards test-optional admissions: in 2016, the SAT scoring system was remodeled to remove penalties for wrong answers; in 2021, the College Board permanently discontinued the SAT Subject Tests and SAT Essay to ease the burden of standardized testing during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Similarly, the digital SAT comes with changes, including reduced exam length, shorter passages in reading and writing sections, and permitted calculator use for the entire math section. Test scores will also be released within days rather than the current two to four weeks.

To address possible inequities during test-taking, the Col-

for them. So there shouldn’t be a major equity difference there,” Director of College Counseling Jeffrey Makris said.

The college counseling office at Stuyvesant first learned

Aryana Singh / The Spectator

By KEVIN CHAN and ANDY LAU

and test centers. “Kids would still be able to come to Stuy [on] a school day to take the digital SAT, and if they don’t have a device, then [the] College Board or the school would provide it

of plans to create a digital alternative of the SAT during the early stages of the pandemic.

“We didn’t know that it was imminent, but we had known that [the College Board] had been

es in January, “With Their Eyes” was prerecorded in-person at the Stuyvesant theater and released for free online on January 29.

Based on the works of Anna

Francesca Nemati / The Spectator

have inspired questions regarding the future of student government at Stuyvesant.

One of the most significant allegations made in “The Letter” was that of nepotism within the Student Union. Despite the use of anonymous IDs and attempts to ensure equity in the member application process, the class of 2023 Sophomore and Junior Caucuses allegedly bypassed these obstacles by asking people what extracurriculars they participated in or even allowing members to join without applying. Though nepotism in Stuyvesant extracurriculars is not a new phenomenon, the SU is responsible for setting an example for our school.

Application processes could easily be improved by having more involvement from the administration, including Coordinator of Student Affairs Matt Polazzo, or even by requiring that members of the higher caucuses or other members of the SU approve of the nominations that each caucus makes for its cabinet.

For the past nine SU elections, we’ve seen cases of the incumbent SU Vice President becoming the President in the following year, a situation that can be labeled dynastic. This trend

By THE EDITORIAL BOARD

“The Pulse of the Student Body”

thinking about a digital SAT,” Makris said. “[The College Board] had talked about [the changes to the SAT] in the early season of the pandemic, postponed it, and then here we are.”

However, the new changes will be implemented sooner internationally than in the U.S., so they do not apply to current sophomores, juniors or seniors. “[The changes are] only going to affect our current freshmen, so their timeline. Older students [will] be done with the process before the digital SAT comes to pass,” Makris said. “Honestly, for now, if you’re in 10th or 11th or 12th grade, don’t even think about it because it doesn’t affect you.”

Administrators at Stuyvesant anticipate that both students and staff will benefit from the new exam format. “I believe it’s a change in the right direction. A shorter test and use of [students’] own device[s] make it more accessible,” Director of Family Engagement Dina Ingram said in an e-mail interview. “For larger schools like Stuyvesant, who administer school day SATs, we hope it eases the scheduling issues [that its] administration causes to the continued on page 2

Deavere Smith’s interview-based monologue plays, “With Their continued on page 5

NEWSBEAT School lunch menus transitioned to include Vegan Fridays in replacement of Meatless Fridays to support healthier food alternatives for students and staff.

Report cards for the fall semester were distributed electronically on February 8. CR requests through the Parent Talos account may be made now.

Stuyvesant Fission Robotics Team 310 advanced to city championships and qualified at NYC Qualifiers 5 as the winning alliance and winner of the THINK award.

The Stuyvesant Theater Community (STC)’s winter drama With Their Eyes was pre-recorded and uploaded to Youtube for viewing on January 28.

Stuyvesant celebrates Black History Month this February by sharing various events, activities, and resources.

The Student Union (SU) hosted Valentine’s Day Spirit Week with a special activity each day of the week, including a paperheart-making event, candyheart guessing contest, and Pink Out Day.

The Spectator • February 18, 2022

Page 2

News SU Organizes Event with Business Leader Rishad Tobaccowala

By JAMES LEE On February 9, The Student Union (SU) External Affairs Department organized a talk with Rishad Tobaccowala as part of their Speaker Series Project, which brings in professionals of their field to speak to students about their experiences. Tobaccowala is a bestselling author, teacher, advisor, and businessman with a 40year career in marketing and business strategy.

The event was coordinated by freshman and SU External Affairs member Alexander Panas, who expressed that Toboccowala’s field experience made him a suitable speaker with unique insight to provide to students. “Personally I found [Tobaccowala] and his book, Restoring the Soul of Business: Staying Human in the Age of Data, to be incredibly compelling, ” Panas said. “Considering the wealth of knowledge he has on business, entrepreneurship, and data, as well as his impressive resume, I thought that hav-

ing him share what he knows and [has] experience[d] [was] valuable for Stuyvesant students to hear,” Panas said.

During the 40-minute event, Tobaccowala spoke to Stuyvesant students about leadership, modern advancement of technology, and his strong belief in science and innovation. The event also consisted of a question and answer session, in which participants had the opportunity to ask questions and seek advice from the Tobaccowala live.

Attendees expressed that they found the interactive question and answer session to be especially insightful. “The most important thing I took away is how to ‘find myself.’ When I posed the question of how to stand out in [a] competitive school, Tobaccowala gave me the best piece of advice,” freshman Alexandra Ruinsky said. “He told me to write down nine words: three about my voice, three about my talents, and three describing my story. [...] Together, these nine words help me

see that I was unique and show me options I could pursue.”

Generally, the event received positive feedback. “I loved the talk—it was so inspiring. Mr. Tobaccowala spoke of his own experiences and how he faced many of the same issues that we face today, about overcoming challenges and succeeding in today’s world,” Ruinsky said.

Panas echoes this sentiment, expressing that the event was a worthwhile one to host. “[The] event went very well. Tobaccowala had many interesting things to talk about with the students, and he answered several questions from [them] about how to stand out at Stuyvesant, [managing] one’s time and [motivating] oneself, [becoming] an entrepreneur as a high school student, the best majors [for] student[s] interested in marketing, [etc.],” Panas said.

“From my perspective, it was a worthwhile experience, and I’m very thankful to Mr. Tobaccowala for lending his time to us.

Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons and NASA

WORLDBEAT The North Atlantic Treaty Organization expressed concern over the possibility of imminent invasion as 100,000 Russian troops and Russian military hardware accumulated along Ukraine’s borders.

Several states, including New Jersey, are lifting statewide mask mandates as the number of reported COVID-19 cases declines.

The families of the victims of the 2012 Sandy Hook massacre received a settlement of $73 million in a lawsuit against Remington, the company that produced the guns used in the attack.

Canadian truckers and supporters created blockades in Ottawa, protesting the vaccine mandate for truck drivers in order to cross borders between Canada and the United States.

College Board Announces Digitalization of the SAT continued from page 1

school day.”

The administration also expressed hopes that the new SAT format will be a more accurate assessment of academic performance. “We have an idea that it’s going to be adaptive, [meaning] your performance could influence the questions that you see next. But obviously, we don’t know what that looks like yet, since we’re just getting it from [the] College Board’s announcement,” Makris said.

It is generally expected that the shorter test will help students that would have otherwise struggled with the pacing of the former length of the exam.

“The [current] SAT [is] a bit of an endurance test,” Makris said.

“If kids were getting extended

time, there’s fatigue, so I think a shorter exam is probably a good idea.”

Some students have expressed preference for the paper-based SAT over the proposed digital version, expressing that they have more confidence with paper testing due to their familiarity with exams administered on paper. “If I’m going to take the test at all, I would rather do it on paper,” sophomore Patrick Xu said. “Reading the questions on a screen is a little bit harder to pay attention [to].

I think the in-person experience is something that I can perform a lot better in.”

Others expressed concern over the switch. “My initial thought was ‘my worst fear has come true,’” an anonymous freshman said. “We’ve been spending our whole lives using

paper when it comes to exams [...] It’s what we’re used to, so I feel like I have to change my understanding.”

Many students are still unsure of the impact of the digitalization of the exam due to their lack of experience with taking exams online. “I’m not sure if it’s going to be beneficial or harmful to me. The only tests I’ve ever taken online are like Stuy DeltaMath tests and whatever we had in remote learning, and that was okay, but the SAT is like [two] hours, it’s digital [which] no one’s really done. So I’d say that probably I’m neutral about it,” freshman Reem Khalifa said.

Some students have also expressed unease that the new digital SAT will be easier to perform well on, and that the modified content and method

of administration will decrease the weight of the SAT during the college application process.

“Making [the SAT] easier will definitely increase many people’s scores generally. More people would do better, and then it’ll be more common, and colleges won’t really care about that as much,” Xu said.

In spite of these proposed changes, Makris believes that the Stuyvesant student body will continue to excel on the modified SAT, expressing that students are well-prepared by the rigor of Stuyvesant’s courses. “[The students] have the skill set, and it typically shows up on these exams. A lot of the core academic skills you gain going through Stuy, your computational skills, your writing skills, enhanc[ed] vocabulary, your reading comprehension, all of

those things, they tend to translate onto these exams,” he said.

“Being able to think quickly [and] manage your time, those kinds of skills you develop going through Stuy, tend to translate.”

Moving forward, the administration recommends students and parents to not worry while waiting for more information to be released. “We just need to pay attention, wait for releases from [the] College Board, look for the practice materials that will come out on the College Board website, or Khan Academy, and then see where we are when the time comes,” Makris said. “What we don’t want is ninth grade families to feel stressed about this because the reality is that this is not the first time [standardized] exams have changed.”

Downtown Mathematics Invitational Postponed to April

By PULINDU WEERASEKARA The annual Downtown Mathematics Invitational (DMI) held at Stuyvesant High School was unexpectedly postponed this year. The DOE closed all school buildings on the weekend of January 29, due to the massive snowstorm that took place, leaving the DMI without an event site. Previously scheduled for January 30, the event has been postponed to April 30.

The DMI is an annual math competition hosted by Stuyvesant High School open to all New York City high school students. The event is run by student volunteers from the Stuyvesant Math Team who write, administer, and grade the examinations.

Typically an in-person event open to all students of the Greater New York area, the DMI was held virtually last year due to the pandemic. Due

to loosened COVID restrictions, the event was planned to be in-person with adjustments such as social distancing mea-

advisor Brian Sterr said.

Though there was little choice but to postpone the date due to the blizzard, it was

cob Paltrowitz said.

The extra time, however, has allowed for further preparation for the event. “For the

“While online events are certainly convenient, hosting DMI in-person gives participants a chance to be together and interact with others in a way that Zoom can’t really replicate. That is why we are prioritizing hosting an in-person event this year.” —Jennifer Sun, senior and DMI organizer

sures implemented. “COVID has affected the competition by making it so the 2020 DMI had to be held virtually. This year, the in-person competition was mainly unaffected, since we usually have teams in their own rooms for half of the competition, so social-distancing is enforced,” Math Team faculty

pushed by three months due to difficulty securing an earlier date. “Between SING!, our school vacations, private school vacations, the school’s different spring events, and other commitments, there just wasn’t a good time for the competition until [April],” junior and DMI Scoring Department Leader Ja-

finance department specifically, postponing the event has given us more time to reach out to organizations and obtain sponsorships,” senior and DMI organizer Jennifer Sun said.

Organizers also noted that while the postponement did not directly affect the administration of the exam, it al-

lowed for a greater number of teams to register, as well as for teams to prepare. “It didn’t really change our job much.

We’ll still be scoring the exam as usual once it’s been hosted, we’ve just got to wait a little longer. ” Paltrowitz said. “Our primary interest is that as many NYC students as possible have the opportunity to enjoy their common love of math. This means our primary goal is to make sure that as many as possible can attend, and the best date for that was April 30.”

Though the event was ultimately postponed, the organizers still express excitement to bring back an in-person event.

“While online events are certainly convenient, hosting DMI in-person gives participants a chance to be together and interact with others in a way that Zoom can’t really replicate.

That is why we are prioritizing hosting an in-person event this year,” Sun said.

The Spectator • February 18, 2022

Page 3

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The Spectator • February 18, 2022

Page 4

News Student Union Mid-Year Check-In

By ADITYA ANAND, ALLISON ZHAO, CHRISTINA WANG, MAGGIE SANSONE, NIKKI CHEN, SAKURA YAMANAKA, and ZIYING JIAN

Freshman Caucus planning stages.

The co-presidents have also

pushing for the requests from the freshman body. Along with meet-

to discuss and plan out objectives, some of which we are working on right now include the Valentine’s Day themed poetry contest, Black History Month posts, career newsletters, and the homework reinforcement project,” Xian said in an e-mail interview.

The Freshman Caucus Cabinet consists of the executives, which include the Co-Presidents, Chiefs of Staff, and Secretary, followed by six different departments: Events, Policies, Finance, Outreach Graphics, Outreach Social Media, and IT. Executives and directors were chosen by the Co-Presidents through a written application and an interview. Directors then recruited departmental members through the same process. The Chiefs of Staff manage the rest of the cabinet and the Secretary takes minutes during each cabinet meeting.

Despite the progress the pair has made, they have faced sev-

eral obstacles along the way. “Our flexibility pillar has undergone the most change because after becoming presidents we have realized our limits and tried our best to voice important concerns, but also shift focus onto something that is more achievable,” Ying said.

Even so, the pair remains hopeful in overcoming challenges to serve the Freshman Caucus and carrying out their plans in the Spring semester.

Overall, the co-presidents aim to follow their initial goal, which is to “fix, find, and further” the concerns of the freshman body. They plan to hold an in-person event by the end of the school year and encourage freshmen to be active participants in the Stuyvesant community. While they acknowledge their limitations, Xian and Ying ensure that they will advocate for and continue to support the freshman student body.

pushed for changes in these meetings, such as an updated earbud policy to allow earbud use in school. While this request was not approved, they plan to continue

ings with the SU, Xian and Ying consistently meet with their cabinet to discuss their plans and ideas.

“We host constant meetings with the cabinet departments in order

readily accessible to sophomores and to lessen the stress of upcoming examinations, the Sophomore Caucus made several websites that

students to visit and explore.

They also aim to start their virtual hall study initiative, as well as release more academic packages,

contained links to their elective guide for sophomores, a calendar to help keep track of upcoming events, opportunities in the Dear Incoming Stuyvesant Class of 2024 Facebook group, study guides for finals week, and a student directory with locations near Stuyvesant for

such as the Missing Work Catch Up Plan, and an AP and Regents support package to help students.

There are plans to add onto their collection of study guides, organize in-person practice tests, and start their language project.

For the Spring semester, Cisse

and Mikhalevsky hope to incorporate more in-person events, including an outdoor spring movie night, picnic, field day, group soccer game, or Capture the Flag game. They also plan to release a masterlist of apps and sites to help students with time management and organization. They plan on continuing to be active on social media, along with repainting the Sophomore Bar and the Sophomore “I Was Here” wall.

Cisse and Mikhalevsky’s overarching goal is to help make the Sophomore experience more relaxing, with resources of academic assistance and a greater number of opportunities to connect with other students. They emphasize lessening the stress on final and AP examinations. “One goal that’s especially important to us is to have sophomores feel prepared for their end-of-year finals and AP exams since that’s a major source of stress for many people,” Mikhalevsky said. “Another one of our primary goals is to continue having events regularly to boost student morale and connection, as well as help people make good memories.”

Francesca Nemati / The Spectator

Freshman Caucus Co-Presidents Fin Ying and Andy Xian have strived to incorporate their four pillars of inclusivity, flexibility, communication, and collaboration into their initiatives during the first semester of school.

Ying and Xian built communication with the student body through e-mail, social media, and a suggestion form, where students can anonymously suggest ideas and ask questions. They also helped to host Chat n’ Chill meets, which are virtual gatherings on Instagram Live hosted by different caucus presidents.

As for inclusivity and collaboration, the pair brainstormed possible future events and are looking into partnering with other organizations to better represent the Stuyvesant community. The pair have also attended meetings with the Student Union (SU) to collaborate on several events and policies, which are still in their

Sophomore Caucus tage month series on social media to educate students about influential people of color. They are currently working on the Black History Month series. In the future, they plan to focus on body confidence and include more heritage month celebration series.

The main obstacle that the Co-Presidents faced was having a limited amount of activities due to the pandemic. “Our Gingerbread House Making Competition in collaboration with the SU, for example, was canceled due to COVID safety issues. In lieu of in-person events which we unfortunately can’t have at this time, we’ve been planning virtual ones,” Mikhalevsky said in an e-mail interview.

One of these virtual events included a virtual Jeopardy event, where players competed in teams of three for a prize of candy gift boxes. Information on such events were mostly updated on Instagram, Facebook, and sent to the sophomore class through e-mail.

Cisse and Mikhalevsky believe that adjusting to in-person learning is as important as connecting with peers. To make resources

Eliza Oppenheimer / The Spectator

Sophomore Caucus Co-Presidents Amanda Cisse and Margaret Mikhalevsky ran with three main values: advocacy, collaboration, and growth. Their campaign policies were centered around themed events, academics, and student awareness and representation.

Their cabinet is composed of two Chiefs of Staff and directors for the Events, Finance, Socials, IT, and Internal and External Outreach departments, each with their own respective members, which are chosen based on a written application and interview.

In terms of their community building events, Cisse and Mikhalevsky hosted an ice skating event at Chelsea Piers before winter break with over 120 attendees. Additionally, they collaborated with Stuy Media in January to create a video titled, “Are Stuy Students Smarter Than a Fifth Grader?” in which students signed up to be contestants in a trivia-like gameshow.

In line with their policy of advocacy, the pair implemented a Breast Cancer Awareness cardmaking event along with their heri-

Junior Caucus and events, such as the Snowflake Competition, Stuy Feud, and Electives Bingo. During the

over a span of two hours. Jung and Sokolov also posted an Electives Bingo on their social media

Snowflake Competition, over 150 students made snowflakes and participated in the Giant Candy Cane raffle. In Stuy Feud, more than 80 students worked in teams of five to answer trivia questions

accounts, with about 90 people sharing their bingo cards. “Our Electives Bingo, Snowflake Competition, and Stuy Feud have all been successful events, and we were so glad to hear that people

Sasha Socolow / The Spectator

As Junior Caucus Co-Presidents, Daniel Jung and Andrey Sokolov have focused on three main themes throughout the 2021-2022 school year: aiding the junior class through college applications, course selections, and final exams; hosting various leisure events; and improving the overall quality of life at Stuyvesant.

In helping to provide academic clarity, Jung and Sokolov created various guides for navigating through the school year. “Examples include our SAT FAQ, Spring Electives Guide, Precalc Finals Info, and Condensing Communications Compilation,” Sokolov said in an e-mail interview. The Condensing Communications Compilation is an initiative to provide the junior class with easier access to information released by the administration and other school organizations, such as the college office.

The Junior Caucus also prioritized hosting leisure activities

had fun,” Sokolov said.

In addressing the concerns of the junior class, Jung and Sokolov have been working with the administration to change existing policies to be more lenient, one being the cell phone policy. The cell phone policy is an existing policy that currently only allows students to use their phones in designated areas such as the library. However, this policy has not been strictly enforced this year.

The pair is also working to enact new policies, such as establishing more gender-neutral bathrooms. The Junior Caucus brought this policy directly to the attention of students by sharing a petition on their social media accounts, garnering a large amount of support for the proposal.

There is currently a subcommittee being made to direct implementation of the policy in the near future. The topic has also been discussed in recent Student

Leadership Team meetings.

Additionally, after signing a contract with Yacht Owners of New York Inc., Jung and Sokolov confirmed that Junior Prom will take place on June 1. “We’re most excited to plan for Junior Prom, which will be the most important event of our junior year,” Sokolov said.

However, the pair is most concerned about what COVID restrictions will mean for planning the event. “As of right now, our biggest concern is trying to find the right balance between safety and fun during the event.

Hopefully, there are no new COVID strains by June,” Sokolov said.

Overall, Jung and Sokolov are looking forward to completing their future plans, such as releasing more guides, introducing more social activities to relieve stress, and developing more policies to benefit the student body.

The Spectator • February 18, 2022

Page 5

News STC’s “With Their Eyes”: Commemorating 9/11 20 Years Later continued from page 1

Eyes” is a collection of interviews from the Stuyvesant community on experiences during the attacks on the Twin Towers on September 11, 2001. English teacher Annie Thoms, who was the faculty advisor of STC at the time, worked with 10 cast members to interview and create a monologue-based play that was performed in 2002 as STC’s winter drama. “We envisioned it very much as an ensemble performance—a way to kind of capture the great variety of stories that existed in our community after this really traumatic event of September 11,” Thoms said. “It’s a combination of drama, oral history, and poetry.” Since the original production, STC has performed “With Their Eyes” every 10 years to mark the anniversary of the 9/11 attacks.

In this year’s show, one individual delivers a monologue on stage at a time, with a few background characters. “It creates a very powerful sense because it’s just one person on the stage. Instead of having to focus your energy and your eyes on every bunch of characters talking all at once, you just have to watch this one person exhibit all of their emotions,” Yap said.

When working with cast members, the cast directors emphasized the importance of empathy

in understanding their characters.

“It was a lot of ‘how can you, as a person, change your ideals to fit this other person [whom] you’re playing?’” senior and cast director Michael Borczuk said. “It was very important just because of how his personal monologues could get [...]

Think about how you would feel in this moment and how that helps you understand how your character would feel in this moment.”

Freshman Adeline Sauberli, who played the two characters, Ilya Feldsherov, a Stuyvesant senior, and Haydee Sanabria, a student at P.S. M721, which was located within the Stuyvesant building, found it necessary to make conjectures to portray her characters. “There is a lot of inferring that needed to happen, and a lot of us didn’t necessarily know too much about how our character would react,” Sauberli said. “[So we worked by] making leaps that made sense, educated guesses about how they would act, putting your own spin on it.”

STC built three sets—a bedroom, coffee shop, and school—to mimic the ordinary nature of the day. “A big part for us is making sure that the set was dynamic,” senior and cast director Nicole Itkin said. “What was important was making sure that we emphasize how young a lot of the people were [as] students and how normal their day had been up to the [attacks].”

Due to the surge in Omicron variant cases and school precautions, STC had to work with a shorter timeline in producing the show. “Our [art] crew had to pay the senior bar in one day, which was the result of the tech crew being delayed by five days,” Yap said.

“It was this whole domino effect that led to us not having as much time as we would have wanted to.”

The cast of “With Their Eyes” also met with members of the original cast through a Zoom meeting organized by Thoms weeks before the performance, allowing current students to converse with the people that they were to act as onstage and to hear reflections of alumni. “The best part of the meeting was honestly the questions because any question we had about the people themselves, they very clearly remembered,” senior Katherine Lake said. “We’d read the words, we’d read the front, and we knew what they were, but they actually had met this person. They had lived, studied, worked with this person, and that is something that we could [...] never have captured without their input.”

Some of the original cast members also watched the live performance during the official recording. Watching their reactions to portrayals of themselves on stage helped current cast members instill a more nuanced outlook of the monologues. “When they were

watching the show in-person, what was really notable was that they were laughing a lot,” Chen said.

“But because they’re laughing, it brings a different dynamic to the show. We’re trying to show the personalities of different actors, so [that’s] how a situation can be really funny. Because of that, it brings so many different perspectives into the play, which makes it really special.”

Given that “With Their Eyes” was created by the Stuyvesant community, listening to their monologues has helped current Stuyvesant students grapple with the complexity of 9/11, especially since they belong to the postgeneration. “Especially in hearing stories of 9/11 from other people, it never really let me relate to it because it is typically from an adult point of view,” Espinal said. “But all [of] these monologues were from teenagers or students who were in the same position that we are now [in], and it [...] was very easy to see the point of view from their eyes.”

Lake, who grew up in Australia, initially viewed 9/11 with a distant connection. “I didn’t know about the attacks until I moved here and even then didn’t properly learn about it for a very long time,” she said. “When I was bouncing ideas off with tech, stage, and lights and sound, I was really worried because I was like, ‘I don’t feel connected

enough to this.’ I feel like I’m kind of coming in as an outsider.”

However, participating in “With Their Eyes” provided a newfound insight that allowed Lake to form a deeper connection to the event. “The depth that I really dove into the character, really going into their thoughts, acting it out with other people, seeing their portrayals of these other people and their opinions from different ages, different backgrounds, different experiences in life made me feel less like an outsider,” Lake said.

“It shows that 9/11 isn’t limited to any specific group of people [...] I was [not only] able to learn [what happened] from the perspective of people [...], but also [able to] find my own personal connection through their stories and through their lives.”

Despite the COVID-19-related disruptions, STC remains positive about “With Their Eyes” as a commemoration of the 20th anniversary of 9/11. “This is the first year [...] none of us have that connection [of being] alive at the time,” Yap said. “The reception that we’ve gotten from every member of the STC community has been so positive and so reassuring, and I think it’s been just really nice to be able to indulge yourselves [in] the stories and get to know the characters and get to know the experiences that they went through.”

Student Union Mid-Year Check-In Senior Caucus oration with the Parent Association, this program had parent volunteers interview candidates for their jobs or colleges from which they graduated. “We had a really successful PA partnership and held over 90 student mock interviews with alumni. We wanted seniors to be prepared,” Torres said.

The Senior Caucus hopes to keep senior traditions alive despite the precautions and restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic. For example, Tan and Torres hosted a Senior Sunrise and continued the tradition of Second Term Senior stickers. “It’s important that we reestablish our traditions, which includes going to Cipriani’s for prom, having graduation at a large venue, and running it in similar ways to past years,” Torres said.

Tan agreed, mentioning the importance of celebrating the important milestones of their senior year.

“Whether it’s in the park at five in the morning watching the sunrise together or coming in during second semester and getting that [Second Term Senior] sticker, it’s just a beautiful moment to have together,” Tan said.

The Senior Caucus had to remain

adaptable and organize events based on the circumstances of the pandemic. When after school activities were canceled due to the Omicron variant, Tan and Torres adjusted and planned events during the school day. For ex-

role of morning announcers, informing the student body each day about upcoming events, opportunities, and clubs.

The Senior Caucus is looking forward to upcoming events planned for

ample, they held Senior Spirit days like Twin Day, Pixar Day, Anything But a Backpack Day, and Country versus Country Club Day. Additionally, the co-presidents took on the

the second semester such as Senior Crush List, Senior Sunset, College Rejection Wall, and Commitment Day. They hope these events will help seniors celebrate and process their fi-

Sasha Socolow / The Spectator

Senior Caucus Co-Presidents Cynthia Tan and Elio Torres ran uncontested this year. They created a platform focused on supporting seniors with their college applications while still maintaining senior traditions and building school spirit through events and festivities. “As it is our senior year, we have been especially focused on building school spirit and planning major events such as prom and graduation [and] college preparedness and readiness, like through our alumni interviews and college workshops,” Tan said.

Tan and Torres focused on assisting their fellow seniors through the college process by hosting information panels and offering college essay editing through collaboration with the Writing Center to coordinate live Zoom sessions with alumni and peer editors. Additionally, they hosted a Q&A panel with Stuyvesant alumni involved in admissions at various prestigious colleges to give seniors an insider’s look as to what they could expect in college.

Another initiative Tan and Torres tackled was preparing students for college and job interviews. In collab-

nal moments at Stuyvesant, while fostering a sense of community within the grade.

One setback the co-presidents have faced is trying to plan in-person senior events with a lack of precedent over the past three years. “The last Senior Caucus to have regular in-person events was three years ago. When we’re looking to plan prom right now, we don’t have the perfect guideline and the framework. We end up having to reach out to people that have been in college for three years already to ask them for instructions on how prom usually goes,” Torres said.

Though this is Tan and Torres’s fourth year working together in Caucus, they noted that the Senior Caucus has been an unique experience for them and led them to reflect on their previous years working together.

“Senior year is very momentous in that it’s our final year of high school and there’s just so many milestones to celebrate,” Tan said. “But having [Senior Sunrise] to celebrate with people that we’ve been with for the last four years and actually getting to have it in-person meant a lot to both of us.”

Student Union Student Union (SU) President and Vice President Shivali Korgaonkar and Ryan Lee have focused primarily on maintaining traditions and events from previous years. They have also taken into consideration the mental health of the students this year, especially when creating and advocating for new policies.

In accordance with their goal to maintain past traditions, one example is the continuation of the Clubs and Pubs Fair hosted in September. As one of the first and largest SU events of the school year, the Clubs and Pubs Fair set a precedent for future SU events in terms of safety regulations.

Additionally, ensuring this

event was successful was important to both Korgaonkar and Lee in showcasing their leadership capabilities to the rest of the student body. “[The Clubs and Pubs Fair] really put Ryan and I to the test in terms of leadership, as it was our first event as president and vice president,” Korgaonkar said.

Korgaonkar and Lee have also paid great attention to students’ mental health and community building. The SU has been actively working with the Student Leadership Team, composed of parents, teachers, students and the administration, to consider students’ mental health when creating school-wide policies. Some examples include the addition of

two new social workers and an on-site therapist. They have also released a school-wide survey regarding counseling in school for mental health.

The pair have also worked on advocating for more expanded headphone and phone policies.

“We’ve done a lot of clarification on [the policy]. We’ve gone through a lot to discover a sense of leniency compared to different years,” Lee said.

However, Korgaonkar and Lee also faced challenges caused by the pandemic. Due to concerns surrounding safety restrictions, administration imposed a ban on after-school activities. Korgaonkar and Lee recognized how difficult it

is for clubs to be held virtually and still maintained the recreational aspect for students. “We want to make sure that club meetings are still engaging and fun despite having to be virtual,” Korgaonkar said.

The SU is currently working to include more gender neutral bathrooms and revitalizing homeroom days. They have been communicating with non-binary and nongender conforming students to gain a wider sense of their experiences. As for homeroom revitalization, Korgaonkar and Lee hope to change the purpose of homeroom for students. “We want to change that to make it more useful to under and upperclassmen, in

terms of length and more things you can actually do, such as guidance push-ins,” Lee said.

Korgaonkar and Lee have been working on making the SU more approachable. The recent opening of the SU room by the Senior Bar to non-SU members has been one such case, along with setting up a printing station within the SU room accessible to all students.

Given the circumstances, Korgaonkar and Lee believe they have worked well to address the concerns of the student body so far, and look forward to unveiling more of their policies and events in the Spring semester.

Page 6

The Spectator • February 18, 2022

News Presenting StuySquad 2021-2022

By RAVEN (RUIWEN) TANG, KAI CAOTHIEN, and JAMES KANG

ever and just let it pass,” anonymous junior A said.

However, the current Presidents-in-Training hope to work on reducing the level of miscommunication and dedicating more time to planning for next year’s performance. “Our vision for next year would be trying to make this a little bit less [messy] and just a little bit more planned out,” junior and StuySquad President-in-Training Caleb Song said.

In particular, StuySquad leadership is optimistic about increasing crewmember engagement next year. “We’re definitely going to push for more interaction. I feel like there was a lack of participation throughout so many extracurriculars this year. In SING!, StuySquad, [and] clubs in general, there’s not as [many] people really wanting to do it, so I hope next year, we can really promote [StuySquad],” Ferguson said.

Another virtual aspect of this year’s performance is the prerecorded format, which requires less editing than last year’s video and not as many modifications to choreography. The StuySquad Board hopes that the showcase’s medium can help it reach a wider audience. “I actually feel like there’s an opportunity for more people to see the show, [since] we’re not restricted to just the capacity of the auditorium,” Ferguson said.

However, some dancers were disappointed with the lack of a live audience. “The confidence that you get on the stage is from the audience, so I

think that without the people being able to cheer you on or watching kind of makes it hard for you to realize that it’s a real performance,” Au said.

Despite the lack of spectators, cheers from crew members helped to lighten the atmosphere. “This was my first time performing with StuySquad on stage. The performance had so much excitement throughout. Since students weren’t allowed to watch, the only cheers we heard were from other crews,” junior and Girls Hip-Hop crewmember Cynthia Chang said.

Aside from some issues that arose during the performance, the recording of the showcase went smoothly. “Of course, there were slight issues within the show, including slight delays and technical issues, but overall I would say it was a huge success,” junior and Boys Hip-Hop and Co-ed K-Pop crew member Roy Park said.

Though this year’s crews faced the unanticipated cancellation of in-person after school practices and a prerecorded format, the StuySquad Board is proud of the community the dancers have built to support each other. “Being able to do the show is an accomplishment in and of itself, especially after last year,” Ferguson said.

“Transitioning back to in-person was very difficult for a lot of people, but we were able to find directors, a crew, a bunch of people who still want to dance and still want to put on a really good show.”

Anthony Sun / The Spectator

on Hsu said said.

Because StuySquad directors and crew members held both practices and the final showcase virtually last year, there was a generally smooth transition into virtual practices. “The transition wasn’t that big, since I had experienced something similar last year, when StuySquad was entirely online,” sophomore and Bollywood crewmember Lorraine Li said in an e-mail interview. “Practicing online freed up the time I spent [toward] StuySquad, since I no longer had to take in mind the time I would get home, and there were less practices. I was also able to catch up on [choreography] I missed through individual Zoom calls.”

For those who contracted COVID-19, virtual practices were essential, yet they made it difficult to communicate within teams. “I had so much pressure from school for missing so many weeks, but I’d still take one or two hours every day to practice the choreo by myself,” junior and Bollywood crew member Elahi said. “Every other day, I’m hearing I’m not part of something which I originally was, and instead, I’m getting added to something else.”

Some crew members also noted some instances of miscommunication within the StuySquad community. “No one knows what’s happening sometimes. Everyone hears it through rumors and I don’t know if it’s through the board or the school in general. I feel like they’re kind of like what-

Anthony Sun / The Spectator

Anthony Sun / The Spectator

Stuyvesant’s largest annual dance showcase, StuySquad, was shifted to a prerecorded format and broadcasted on February 18. The showcase consists of dancers from all grades who join crews specializing in specific dance styles: Contemporary, Boys Hip-Hop, Girls Hip-Hop, Girls K-Pop, Co-ed K-Pop, Flow, Latin, Step, Tap, C-Pop, and Bollywood. COVID-19 guidelines and additional restrictions caused by the Omicron variant affected StuySquad’s timeline and practices, but the show was successfully prerecorded on February 11.

In pre-pandemic years, practices were typically held in-person immediately after school from October up to the showcase, which was usually a week before winter break.

“Our freshman year, there were practices after school. We were able to use school spaces, [and] they were usually [from] 3:45 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.,” junior and StuySquad President-inTraining Suki Ferguson said.

However, the cancellation of after school activities in December due to Omicron case surges forced StuySquad to find new methods to conduct practices and postpone the showcase date by a month.

“Practice spaces were limited this year because they restricted us to certain areas only,” senior and StuySquad Co-Director of Logistics Flora Au said.

StuySquad struggled with

a consistent practice schedule given the after school restrictions enforced by the administration. “We didn’t get [as] much help with the administration as we wanted. We really tried to work things out with them, really tried to schedule meetings, schedule the show, schedule practices, but we were really restricted, given that we’re in a pandemic,” Ferguson said.

Using school spaces was convenient and ensured reasonable costs for StuySquad preparation. To accommodate for the changes, directors moved practices to various places such as at a park or under the bridge. Some directors had to pay out of pocket for studio practices. “We only had our studio practices to work on our sets, which was a problem, since there were limited studios to begin with. We had to pay for these [six] studios ourselves, which could amount to $50 to $60 [for] each studio,” junior and director of co-ed K-pop Kaylie Huang said in an e-mail interview. Studio practices were also sometimes challenged by a lack of attendance.

The effects of COVID-19 were more disruptive in some crews than others, such as Flow, due to the rise of positive cases.“Speaking of Flow, our practices have been kind of weird because people had COVID or people were uncomfortable coming to practices because of COVID, so we had some issues making people come to practices this year,” senior and StuySquad Co-Director of Logistics Aar-

Hepzibah Srithas / The Spectator

The Spectator • February 18, 2022

Page 7

Features Cardiac Arrests From the Nether “Your hand looks heavy. Can I hold it for you?”

—Nour Kastoun, senior

“Are you from Tennessee? ‘Cause you’re the only 10 I see.”

—Bella Rosen, sophomore

“Are you an orphanage? Because I want to give you kids.”

—Kai Mandelbaum, senior

“I heard you are good at algebra. Can you replace my ex without asking why?” —Megan Yan, junior

“You’re proof that aliens are real, because I think you just abducted my heart.” —Nicole Chen, junior

“We have a class together, right? I think we should take chemistry.”

—Nada Hameed, junior

“Are we in physics together? Because we don’t have chemistry.” —Krista Proteasa, senior

“Are you a structure that impedes water movement? Because, like, damn.” —Lucien Clough, sophomore

“I’m not a photographer, but I can picture us together.” —Perry Huang, junior

“Hey, can I take a picture of you? I just wanna show Santa what I want for Christmas.” —Celina Huynh, senior

“Is your name Google? Because you’re everything I’m searching for.” —Sarah Diaz, sophomore

“I’m not currently an organ donor, but I’d be happy to give you my heart.” —Maggie Sansone, junior

“If you were a vegetable, you would be a cute-cumber.” —Aharnish Dev, sophomore

“I believe in following my dreams. Can I have your Instagram?” —Evelyn Chen, junior

“If you were a booger, I’d pick you.”

—Nordel W. Delma, freshman

“Are you the police? Because you put my heart under cardiac arrest.”

—Kalani Ho, junior

“Are you from the Nether? ‘Cause you’re hot ;).”—Edwin He, junior

“You’re hotter than the Bunsen burner I burned my hand with during lab.” —Erica Liu, sophomore

“Are you a cat? ‘Cause I’m feline this connection.”

—Vicky Liu, senior

“Are you an exception? Let me catch you.”

—Charles Hua, sophomore

“I would rate you a nine out of 10, because I’m “Are you a bucket of wet cement? ‘Cause woah.” the one you need.” —Cindy Ye, freshman —Lily Serry, sophomore

“Are you a drum? Because I’m “I would invite you to a movie, but they don’t let you bring your own hitting on you.” —Yarza Aung, snacks.” —Ellen Wright, freshman sophomore

Teachers’ Perspective on the Calm After the Omicron Storm

By JUDY CHEN, CALISTA LEE, TIFFANY LIANG Over these past two years, teachers, experiencing a loss of connection with their students and struggling to adapt to working at home, have undoubtedly been impacted by COVID-19.

Accordingly, when in-person school rolled around in September and vaccines became more accessible, most teachers, along with their students, were excited to return to the building. When the Omicron surge hit the school in January, however, many people didn’t return after winter break due to a rise in positive cases in both students and staff.

“I think one of the most stressful things about this January was not knowing how quickly the wave would pass or how many of my students would get sick,” English teacher Victoria Crutchfield noted in an e-mail interview. Now, as attendance rates are returning to normal and the surge is dying down, some teachers feel that they are relatively safe at school. “I feel safe going to school,” Crutchfield explained. “I myself am triplevaxxed and have had COVID, so I think I’m about as protected as a person can be.”

English teacher Eric Grossman expressed similar sentiments, explaining that COVID-19 rates are not as high as they were in Jan-

By JULIA CHERNOBELSKY What do you want to do with your life? What are you doing to get there? The feeling of dread that these questions bring to teens drives them to assume that they should have their entire lives planned from a young age and must always be participating in activities that directly benefit their future job. Especially at Stuyvesant, many students feel as though they are behind others if they aren’t sure of their career paths and that their uncertainty is bad, feeling pressured to start getting internships in the fields they are interested in as early as possible.

The reality, however, is not this case. Instead, some students have

uary and that most students and the entire staff are vaccinated.

“I hope that, if rates continue to plummet, New York will eventually decide that it is safe to follow Delaware, New Jersey, Connecticut, and other states in setting a target date for doing away with the mask mandate,” he added. He also pointed out, however, that it is unclear when such a transition will occur due to the various perspectives on the situation. “A lot of the city and DOE regulations surrounding COVID feel inconsistent or contradictory. That said, there’s no perfect way to manage a public health crisis of this magnitude, especially given the range of attitudes and views of students, parents, and educators,” he said.

Science teacher Dr. Maria Nedwidek-Moore agreed, revealing that COVID testing for teachers isn’t flexible or reliable.

“The city testers do not visit us when I’m free, and they also test very few staff,” she said. As a result, she gets PCR and rapid tests weekly. With the number of Omicron cases dropping both in schools and the city, some states are planning on removing mask mandates in schools, and Dr. Nedwidek-Moore strongly believes that if this change happens, there should be a COVID-19 vaccine mandate for all students.

Though the influx of reported positive cases has decreased,

many teachers have been taking extra precautions. For example, Crutchfield has switched from using a cloth mask to wearing an N95 mask, especially after getting Omicron herself. Similarly, Dr. Nedwidek-Moore opts for a N95, which she has been using since the start of September. “Closed public spaces are intrinsically high risk, so no, not terribly safe,” she responded when asked about how safe she feels at school. “I don’t take my mask off indoors ever, unless I’m sure I’m alone in the room and it hasn’t been recently populated.”

On the bright side, numerous teachers reported that they do not currently have any students absent with the virus. “The main difference is [that] I’m glad to have no more students in quarantine as of February 8,” Dr. Nedwidek-Moore emphasized.

Despite this shift, most teachers are continuing to incorporate virtual resources into their teaching. Dr. Nedwidek-Moore, for example, administers all tests online. “All work and resources are accessible through my [Google Classroom] from anywhere,” she said. “Any student can participate from anywhere, because I’ve been streaming lessons over Google Meet every day since September.”

Google Classroom, a platform that was crucial during remote learning, is also commonly used

by teachers to communicate with quarantined students. They consistently update the stream with classwork, resources, and assignments so that students can easily catch up with lessons and submit asynchronous work.

For subjects more difficult to teach with masks on, such as music classes, teachers must find other and more digitized ways of helping students. Chorus teacher Liliya Shamazov described the arduous process she has learned over remote learning: “Over the last two years, I started creating vocal practice tracks for students to help them review and learn music more independently. A vocal practice track is when I make a recording of each vocal part of every piece we are studying by singing and playing the part on the piano.” Students can listen to the vocal track and sing alongside it, helping them learn the music more quickly and practice outside of class. “While creating these tracks is very time-consuming, I still make these tracks available to my singers by posting them to our Google Classroom,” she said.

On top of being able to access digital resources, quarantining students are able to attend office hours held once a week.

“I know it’s been one more extra responsibility for most teachers during an already difficult time,” Grossman recognized. “Thank-

Not Just a Random Job

jobs that introduce them to the real world and provide them with valuable life experience. These non-academic-based jobs can be useful to a person’s future in a multitude of ways.

Sophomore Lucien Clough is not looking to work in the hotel industry. However, he worked as a host at his godfather’s hotel last summer. “Overall, it was fun, but one negative is that it’s sometimes difficult to always bring a good attitude. It’s important to fake it till you make it,” Clough said. In addition to learning all the different aspects and jobs involved in running a hotel, he learned how to talk to people and stay patient.

The experience allowed him to interact with many different types

of people and learn several tricks on how to speak with and help others. “My godfather showed me how many people it takes for everything to run smoothly,” Clough said. To Clough, seeing all of the intricacies of how an operation as large as a hotel is held together was something that a summer internship may not have taught him.

Similarly, senior Diya Rao worked as a cashier at Panera Bread this past summer. “I really like the job and felt that it gave me the opportunity to try something new and see how a business operates from the inside, which is really cool,” Rao said. Although this job may not necessarily be directly connected to a career Rao

would like to pursue, it gave her a glimpse of her future, when she will need to be dependent on herself.

Some students do not have the time to commit to a strict working schedule, so they prefer to seek other jobs, like babysitting or tutoring. Both jobs involve mostly younger kids, which can train students to be more patient and understanding, as well as adapt to different personalities. Sophomore Simone Raleigh babysits for various families in her neighborhood. “I enjoy being with kids in general, so this is a nice way to enjoy my time while still getting paid,” Raleigh said.

Through working for individual families, Raleigh is able to have

fully, every English teacher maintains a Google Classroom, and it has made it much easier to ensure that students who miss school can stay up to date with classwork and assignments.”

Crutchfield remarked, however, that most of her students do not attend her Zoom office hours.

“I think that’s partly because I adjusted my curriculum significantly so that people who had to be home wouldn’t fall behind,” she said. To accommodate both inperson and remote students, she allowed those at home to record their performance projects via Zoom, and made the units asynchronous and self-paced. While the removal of the mask mandate is something many look forward to, some teachers believe it would be wise to keep it because Omicron may not be the last strain. “I would be thrilled to stop wearing a mask and to see my students’ whole faces,” Crutchfield shared, putting her trust in health officials. “If and when health officials say it’s okay, I’m all for it. And I’ll be ready to put it back on if a new variant makes that necessary.”

After the alarming number of cases in January and with attendance rates rising again, most teachers have returned to a new normal, putting in the additional effort to look after their students’ and their own wellbeing, mentally and academically.

control over her own schedule while still learning to communicate respectfully with many families. “One of the main benefits of this job is that I can still balance my extracurricular activities, like soccer,” Raleigh said. Outside of this side job, Raleigh has time to focus on other career-advancing activities, as well as enjoy her teen years with friends and family.

Though there are many ways to find jobs in your community, most students start through connections with people they know. From family and friends to old teachers, anyone who you communicate with can be a recontinued on page 8

The Spectator • February 18, 2022

Page 8

Features Fleeting Leisure

By ARIANA DEVITO, ELIZA OPPENHEIMER There is a stigma around leisure created by the notion of capitalistic productivity. “Getting no sleep,” “working 24/7,” and “having no life” are all phrases we wear with pride to signify our dedication to our work. The lack of free time almost gives us the validation that we are using our time valuably. The work hard, play hard philosophy has become ingrained into our society with our merit being determined by how hard we work. Whether through making checklists or planning our day to the minute, we structure our day with productive goals in mind.

However, when we are not able to check all those boxes, we become filled with productivity guilt, which eventually evolves into a vicious cycle, in which we raise our expectations to make up for lost time, only to fall short of those goals and feel defeated.

For Stuyvesant students, the lack of sleep and free time is endemic. The constant stream of assignments, tests, and extracurricular activities makes relaxing a near-impossible feat. With such little time to themselves, many Stuyvesant students have come to view free time as a precious commodity. However, there exists a distinction between how students spend their time and how students judge what activities are worth their time.

Senior Rubayia Shahrin is fortunate to have two hours of free time a day. During this time, she reads webtoons, manga, and books, or watches television.

Occasionally, she enjoys dancing, exercising, and singing kara-

oke. However, this “free time” is carved out of her sleep time, leaving her with six to seven hours of sleep a night, which is considered decent for a Stuyvesant student.

“Wasting time into the night instead of sleeping provides a nice sort of instant gratification for me that I can’t explain. It makes me feel like I’m wasting less time by not sleeping,” Shahrin wrote in an e-mail interview.

Sleep is often labeled as a “waste of time,” not just for Shahrin, but also for many others who think that waking hours are when our time is best spent. Sophomore Brandon Phillips has a different outlook. “I prefer having free time, but I don’t sacrifice sleeping for it,” he said. Even though the amount of free time he has every day can vary from nothing to three hours, he prioritizes a healthy sleep schedule.

The passive nature of sleep leads people to undermine its value. Many tend to believe that time spent sleeping could be used for conscious endeavors, whether those be working or socializing.

Succumbing to the irresistible temptation of sleep or relaxing has become a sign of weakness and lack of willpower, but when did this condemnation of leisure take root?

What’s to blame is capitalistic productivity. Schools, workplaces, and practically all establishments operate within a capitalistic framework, emphasizing that our worth is measured by achievement. This structure is often disguised by rewarding those who are able to make it to the top and shaming those who are not able to do so without accounting for variables that may put some at a disadvan-

tage, like low socioeconomic status and less availability to quality education. What this system creates is the expectation that we should sacrifice our needs and invest all our resources into work,

it,” he said. He suggested that people be in tune with their needs but cautions that constantly relaxing can become problematic. He also recommended that the quality of free time should not be measured

Nada Hameed / The Spectator

translating into burnout and dissatisfaction.

Junior Sequoia Rabinovich is a proponent of a balanced lifestyle, which helps him prevent burnout.

“At the end of the day, you do need a break once in a while, and you need to know how to balance

by productivity, but rather by how meaningful that time is. “A way to maximize your free time is to just value free time [...] Do something with it, be productive, be productive in the sense like just go hang out with your friends. Don’t just sit alone on your phone […] Go

Not Just a Random Job

of the easiest ways to find a job is to reach out to old camps, after school centers, or extracurricular source. “One of the administra- activities, as people tend to enjoy tors from my old K-12 school being in places they are used to. reached out to my parents and Likewise, you may get a leg-up asked if I wanted to work at the when applying since those places school and help with after school already know who you are. activities,” sophomore Chloe Tom Sometimes, however, one’s said. She wasn’t actively looking network may not be useful in for jobs, yet an opportunity for finding the part-time job one is her to learn and work appeared, looking for. Fortunately, we live so she immediately took it. One continued from page 7

in a technological era, and there are many opportunities online and on social media platforms. Junior Alexandra Tsarenkov, who tutors eight hours a week, found all her students through Facebook. “I found all my students by joining multiple Facebook groups with mothers posting about various levels and types of tutoring they need for their kids,” she said. Due to the wide variety of positions

available, there is a higher chance that you will get to choose something that fits your schedule.

Out of the minority of Stuyvesant students who work, most of their jobs are temporary and part-time. And yet these experiences from simply working can be more beneficial than the internship or costly program that most students chase after. Though the majority of students are not

and do something meaningful,” he elaborated.

In line with his words, Rabinovich enjoys spending his time with those close to him. He finds a sense of community in the fencing team, noting that the team has weekly dinners and its members spend some of their free periods together. Nonetheless, Rabinovich utilizes his other free periods to work on homework and study for tests so that he is able to complete his assignments on time while also having time to relax and socialize with peers.

In true Stuyvesant fashion, procrastination can also be a major factor in determining the amount of free time per night. To ward off procrastination, freshman Adeline Sauberli usually starts working on assignments as soon as possible. “Work on an assignment as soon as possible after learning that it exists, and that way, it won’t be boiling around in your brain for as long until the due date,” Sauberli explained. She emphasized that the payoff of getting work done early is worth the sacrifice. However, like many of her peers, instead of working on finding a good balance, she would rather eat chocolate, play Just Dance, and collect odd rocks.

Who can blame her for doing what she loves instead of devoting her life to school?

For every student at Stuyvesant, the work to life ratio is different, and everyone requires different ways to manage the stress the school induces. With tight schedules and busy lives, students can and should find some sanctuary in the fleeting hours of the day when they are free to spend their time however they choose to.

entirely certain of their future career paths, some are taking just the general steps to educate themselves in life skills relevant to all positions. Working in any role, from a minimum wage job to an educational internship, can provide valuable experience and help develop a good work ethic, both of which will allow you to make progress in whatever future job you may take.

Awaiting the Final Verdict: Spring Semester Schedules

By NICOLE ITKIN, DALIA LEVANON, SOFIA ALLOUCHE, ISABELLA JIA

Schedules form the backbone of the Stuyvesant experience, providing challenging Advanced Placement courses, sought-after electives, and precious free periods for completing homework assignments and catching up with friends. Due to the sheer number of program changes requested, each student was limited to one program change per semester this year. Furthermore, the demand for classes that are necessary to graduate is as high as ever, causing many students with legitimate reasons for requesting a course to be denied.

Sophomore Eshaal Ubaid described her dismay regarding a change in her electives. “I was shocked because the beloved math team I’ve been on since the start of my Stuy career was gone,” she wrote in an e-mail interview.

“After the panic, I figured it was a fixable error, especially since I’m a sophomore assistant.” However, the Program Office denied Ubaid’s request. “I was surprised by [the rejection], because for re-

turning members, it’s more of a technicality to reapply. It didn’t occur to me that annualized classes could get in the way,” she said.

Despite the difficulty with program changes, Ubaid described her interactions with the Program Office as positive. “I personally got a swift, concise response. Both APs and the Talos system went smoothly for me, and [though] I was disappointed by the news that there was no way I could switch annualized classes to get my elective back, it was more of a ‘this is unlucky’ moment than a ‘wow, programming sucks’ moment,” she said.

Another major change that students faced was the shifting of lunch periods. “My lunch is fourth period, which starts at around 10:15 a.m., and it’s an absurdly early time to be eating lunch,” freshman Eva Lam said.

It can be difficult to have such an early lunch period, especially when after school activities and other commitments are involved.

“I have third and 10th period free and fourth period lunch, which isn’t ideal, since I tend to stay after school for extracurriculars, but I’m sure I’ll be able to adjust and eat plenty of snacks during 10th

period,” an anonymous senior added.

While early (as well as late) lunches can be problematic, religious lunch is perhaps even more significant. “I would have liked to have eighth period religious lunch, [but I don’t, so] I just pray by myself during seventh period,” freshman Ibtida Khurshed said.

This adjustment can be difficult and isolating, as having a place to pray collectively is important to many Stuyvesant students.

The denial was especially surprising, because one would expect a topic as serious as religion to be prioritized while making program changes. As Khurshed said, “I think there should have been more of an effort to help me get religious lunch.”

Many students didn’t even receive classes that are considered graduation requirements. Lam initially found that Music Appreciation wasn’t listed on her schedule.

She requested the class to avoid taking it as a sophomore. “My program change was successful.

But I know others whose requests were denied, so I guess I was just lucky,” Lam said.

There is often an air of uncertainty about required classes and

when students should take them.

“I think improving transparency around how programming and scheduling works would help.

Clarity about graduation requirements, DOE requirements, and things like why people are placed into classes they didn’t select would help a lot,” an anonymous senior said.

The rule that students consider most significant is the one allowing only one program request per semester. “I think just one program request can be limiting, and the scheduling program on Talos can be wrong,” Khurshed said. As Khurshed pointed out, Talos makes mistakes at times.

Thus, allowing only one program change request can create a significant barrier to fulfilling graduation requirements and giving qualified students the chance to take classes that interest them.

When issues cannot be resolved through Talos, students are left to search for faculty members to speak to. “My experience communicating with the Program Office was a bit difficult. Since my guidance counselor is currently on leave, I wasn’t exactly sure who to e-mail for my multiple requests.

I e-mailed Ms. Ingram, who di-

rected me to Mr. Goldsman,” Khurshed described, commenting on the less-than-clear path to receiving a program change.

Several students have suggestions to fix some of the programming problems. “Admin could probably share the reasoning behind some changes (like the one program change rule). I feel like a lot of the tension between Stuyvesant students and the Program Office/the administration is due to confusion and a lack of information surrounding the process, and improving communication would be immensely helpful in reducing that tension,” one anonymous senior added.

However, many students empathize with the Program Office.

“I do know how hard it is to generate over 3,000 schedules, and Talos is still pretty good at it, so I’m not criticizing it too harshly,” Khurshed said.

Ubaid echoed this outlook on the situation by accepting her new schedule. “I’m still kind of disappointed but accepting of it. I’ve worked some stuff out and can be involved with [math team], though it isn’t the same as being in it,” she concluded.

The Spectator • February 18, 2022

Page 9

Editorials The Spectator

Looking Into “The Letter” continued from page 1

students do not understand the role or importance of the SU. While the SU is such a significant part of the Stuyvesant community, it remains opaque, and the powers they hold have never been clear to many. For much of the student body, their only connection to the SU is through weekly schedule e-mails. More efforts need to be taken by the SU to increase transparency and communication with students.

This way, more students will understand the importance of voting and SU involvement, which would foster more competitive elections that force leaders to keep true to the promises they make during their campaigns.

To ensure that elections are not simply popularity contests, Stuyvesant should create a more organized formal campaigning

system. Regulations on the role of social media in campaigns could be developed, and rules that force each set of candidates to expand its outreach could also be enforced. Formal debates between each set of candidates would allow students to develop a better sense of each candidate’s platform rather than relying on a candidate’s popularity. These changes would help facilitate a more fair election process.

However, even when considering the responsibility and esteem the leaders of the SU hold, we are all still high school students. Because our social and academic lives are so intermixed, it is pertinent for students in positions of power to distinguish their personal and work lives as best they can to avoid interpersonal conflicts.

Most of the screenshots found in “The Letter” were taken from

social media communication platforms like Discord and Instagram. When informal social media platforms are used as a central means of communication, personal conversations will naturally be mixed with professional conversations. The SU should consider mandating that all SU-related conversations be made in work-centric platforms, like Slack, to avoid blurring this line.

It is the responsibility of an institution to establish policies that encourage transparency, prevent favoritism, and draw the line between personal and professional conflicts. While many of the criticisms mentioned in “The Letter” were targeted toward individuals, they brought to light the lack of transparency surrounding the role of the SU and its election process, an issue that must be addressed immediately.

In Response to “Remote Learning Led to Rampant Cheating” by the New York Post The New York Post published an article titled “Remote Learning Led to Rampant Cheating at NYC’s Stuyvesant High School”, by Selim Algar, on Tuesday, February 1.

The article repurposed four quotes (as seen above) from “Is Stuyvesant’s Cheating Culture Untreatable?” in Volume CXII, Issue 9, of The Spectator, by Olivia Woo and Millie Bell, and included three anonymous interviews from a 2021 graduate, a teacher, and a current junior at Stuyvesant.

The title of the Post’s article indicates its intention to scandalize Stuyvesant with no clear provocation. The article published in The Spectator investigated the psychological underpinnings of Stuyvesant’s culture during remote learning and

how these could be addressed.

The Post’s article, however, attempted to construe a narrative of just another “Stuyvesant” name-brand cheating scandal.

We find the Post’s accusations of rampant academic dishonesty especially ironic given that their article is essentially a net of exaggerations taken from The Spectator’s article. Remote learning did not cause “routine cheating.” Students quoted in The Spectator’s article did not state that “distance learning made cutting corners a breeze” or utilize the phrases “scholastic skullduggery” or “academic chicanery.” These accusations are misled and convoluted.

As a high school paper, we identify issues endemic to our school and write about them in order to unearth deeper com-

plexities that may not be immediately apparent. The Post twisted this article in order to sensationalize cheating as a Stuyvesant-specific problem and to smear the name of our school. Remote learning did make cheating more common, but this was the case across several schools. If The Post had written about the rise in cheating across various New York schools and used a quote or two from The Spectator, the article would have been more appropriate. However, the targeting of Stuyvesant was uncalled for and disrespectful toward our school.

Additionally, the article itself demonstrates poor journalism. The Post used four of The Spectator’s quotes and then conducted three addition-

H U M O R

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I N

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al interviews, all of which were anonymous. The Post’s article is also plagued with typos, with phrases like “others students” and “ranks as of the country’s premier public high schools.”

Although The Post does cite The Spectator, the reference is only included indirectly with the phrase “according to a report.”

The other links consist of tangentially related articles that do not support the article’s already minimal original content.

The Spectator will not idly

A DV I S E R

Kerry Garfinkel We reserve the right to edit letters for clarity and length. © 2022 The Spectator All rights reserved by the creators.

sit by and tolerate our articles being stolen and misconstrued for catchy headlines used to target our school. There are constructive ways to cover cheating; the Post’s track record continuously frames cheating as a Stuyvesant-exclusive issue.

We would like to extend this advice to The Post and other news publications: stop fixating on our school and start covering issues that fall outside of the range of a student publication.

Side-by-Side Comparison of The Spectator and The New York Post THE SPECTATOR Is Stuyvesant’s Cheating Culture Untreatable?

THE NEW YORK POST Remote learning led to rampant cheating at NYC’s Stuyvesant High School

“In remote [learning], there’s less of an excuse for academic dishonesty because, for me, remote was a lot easier academically. I didn’t have to commute, and I could wake up later, and I had more time to do everything. Now, I think that I take and give homework answers more and have a less grave outlook on [cheating],” anonymous sophomore A said.

“In remote [learning], there’s less of an excuse for academic dishonesty because, for me, remote was a lot easier academically. I didn’t have to commute, and I could wake up later, and I had more time to do everything,” the student said. “Now, I think that I take and give homework answers more and have a less grave outlook on [cheating].”

“Remote learning changed the playing field,” anonymous senior A wrote in an e-mail interview. “It was closer to [an] honor system, so I felt that most people were more likely to push the rules a bit.”

“Remote learning changed the playing field,” the student said. “It was closer to [an] honor system, so I felt that most people were more likely to push the rules a bit.”

Anonymous sophomore B noted the effects of this mindset. “A lot of people didn’t actually learn as much last year because of how easy it was to cheat on things, which is sort of sad,” they said in an e-mail interview.

“A lot of people didn’t actually learn as much last year because of how easy it was to cheat on things, which is sort of sad,” a sophomore told the paper.

“Stuy[vesant] encourages original work, as there’s a feeling of being proud of being at Stuy, that you’ve worked so hard to get to where you are, so that [is a motivator] to continue doing your own work as best as you can,” they explained.

“Stuy encourages original work, as there’s a feeling of being proud of being at Stuy, that you’ve worked so hard to get to where you are, so that [is a motivator] to continue doing your own work as best as you can,” a student told The Spectator.

The Spectator: 986 words

The New York Post: 495 words

The Spectator • February 18, 2022

Page 10

Opinions Spend More for Less You go to the grocery store and see a scrumptious looking box of Honey Nut Cheerios, and you know for sure it’s going to be your breakfast for the next week. But then, you look to your right and see an equally nice looking box of Honey Nut O’s. Not Cheerios, but virtually the same thing. What’s more, these off-brand Honey Nut O’s are only $1.99, while the name brand cereal sits at a hefty $4.99.

So which one do you buy? The store brand’s or the one with everyone’s favorite bee?

Name brand products are often associated with widely known, trademarked goods. On the other hand, generic brands are not marketed as heavily to the public.

Name brands are everywhere. We see them on television and billboards to the point where we’ve begun to associate the brands with the products. Whenever we think of cola, we immediately filter our brains to Coca Cola. Similarly, when we think of peanut butter, we think of Skippy or Jif. But in terms of quality and taste, name brands are virtually identical to typical store brands. The only real difference between Cinnamon Toast Crunch and Cinnamon Squares is the extra money you spend for a sense of familiarity associated with the brand.

The common idea is that name brands taste better than

generic brands simply because they are more popular. However,

spondents thought store brand was better than name brand, 78

in a 2011 survey by Consumer Reports, three percent of re-

percent believed they tasted the same, and only 18 percent said

Stefanie Chen / The Spectator

By STEFANIE CHEN

that it was worse. Consumer Reports also tested 19 different generic products on consumers, and name brand tied with store brand in 10 cases. People could hardly taste the difference between name and generic brands, so taste is a less influential factor than most would think.

Another reason people prefer purchasing name brand items as opposed to generic brands is because they think name brands have better quality. Since consumers are more familiar with name brands, they provide a sense of reassurance that the product will provide a high quality experience.

For example, when buying flour or sugar, many people purchase a name brand version instead of a store brand one. However, flour and sugar are processed and manufactured very similarly for most brands, making the only difference the familiarity of the packaging. Some store brands even have lower sugar and sodium content and higher nutritional value than name brands. Generic chocolate sandwich cookies from Walmart have roughly 12 grams of sugar per three cookies, while Oreos have 14 grams for the same serving.

Furthermore, name brand products are typically more expensive than generic brands, despite their similar tastes and manufacturing methods. On average,

generic products are 29 percent cheaper than name brand products. Brand names cost more than store brands because of the large amounts of money necessary to promote and advertise their brand. As a result, the production quality of name brands can often decrease in order to lessen the gap created by aggressive advertising.

According to e-commerce expert Ben Hallman, larger companies generally use at least 20 percent of their revenue toward advertisements. For some companies, this percentage can go up to 50 percent. Generic brands are typically made by more than one company, while name brands are produced from a single company, causing prices to go up. The FDA found that when name brand drug producers had only one competing generic brand, the generic brand would be priced 39 percent lower.

However, when the number of competitors went up to six, generic brands could have prices lower by 95 percent.

People have to be pushed away from this bias toward name brands, because in reality, they’re hardly differentiable from generic store brands. So next time you step into a Whole Foods or Walmart, check out their in-store brands. Chances are, you’ll find 365 Cola to be more satisfactory than your everyday can of Coca Cola.

What’s the Equivalent to “Jerking Off ?”

By ERICA LI Masturbation—the new hewho-shall-not-be-named.

According to the 2019 Tenga SelfPleasure Report, 91 percent of American men and 78 percent of American women have masturbated in their lives. Yet the act of masturbation is still incredibly taboo, especially for women.

When young boys begin to masturbate, it is often seen as a natural rite of passage. It is openly discussed and even taught by older relatives, parents, and siblings.

On the other hand, masturbation among women is very rarely spoken about or portrayed in a positive light. Female masturbation is seen as unnatural, immoral, and even sinful. In fact, in certain African, Middle Eastern, and Asian countries, women’s genitals are still mutilated to prevent clitoral stimulation, a large part of female sexuality.

The stigma around female masturbation has caused people to develop harmful misconcep-

tions about it. Some even believe that masturbation can lead to sexual dysfunction and relationship problems. In many communities, masturbation is seen as “impure,” further fueling the false belief that it is harmful and unhealthy.

For women specifically, the stigma surrounding masturbation stems from the long-standing stereotype that women are not inherently sexual and are simply objects for men to have sex with. Women are taught that they should have sex for their husbands’ pleasure, rather than their own. This treatment of female sexuality has served as a way to exert control over women, causing them to feel ashamed of their own bodies. One particular research paper even suggested that one of the reasons why female sexuality is so suppressed is because men view women as “possessions” and thus want to keep them from falling into the hands of other men.

These stereotypes and misconceptions about female sexual-

ity are further perpetuated by the lack of discussion on the subject.

The notion that masturbation is only for boys is clearly demonstrated across social media, television, and daily conversations among friends. The caricature of a typical teenage boy is someone who’s constantly aroused and obsessed with porn. The caricature of a typical teenage girl, in relation to her sexuality, does not exist. Both stereotypes need to be lifted. This divide is further seen in the presence of a popularized term for male masturbation, “jerking off,” while there exists no such equivalent for women. Additionally, the dirty connotation of female masturbation for male pleasure has been popularized in pornography and pop culture.

Mainstream pornography is extremely catered toward men and plays a fundamental role in masturbation. Much of heterosexual porn is solely focused on male pleasure and nearly ignores that of females. This portrayal pushes

the belief that women exist simply for male gratification and further stigmatizes female pleasure, causing teenage girls and adult women to feel shameful about exploring their own bodies.

Despite what many people may think, masturbation actually provides various physical, mental, and sexual benefits. It helps immunity by increasing cortisol levels, improves mood by increasing dopamine and epinephrine hormones, encourages greater selfawareness, and can even strengthen muscle tone in the pelvic and anal areas. Additionally, masturbation is safer than any other type of sex and can help one learn what they like and dislike sexually.

In order for young teenagers to be properly educated and shielded from misinformation, the sex education curriculum in the United States needs to be improved. Abstinence-only programs solely instill fear of any type of sexual encounter, including masturbation. Abstinence is

still taught as the main way to prevent unplanned pregnancies and unwanted sexually transmitted infections. Sex education can teach young teenagers that masturbation is a normal part of human development and that it is a way to learn more about their bodies and how they communicate. Selfpleasure for all genders, including women, should be taught in classes.

Masturbation is a private thing, but it is very natural. Women have been deprived of sexual freedom for decades, and to shun the subject of female masturbation further plays into the stereotype that women exist solely for male pleasure. It is not a sin for female teenagers to learn more about their bodies. There needs to be more open dialogue encouraging women’s sexual liberation, breaking down the stigma surrounding female masturbation, and allowing women to stop feeling selfish, guilty, or shameful for exploring their own bodies.

A Case Study in Attentiveness

By ELICIA CHAU

It is around May 2020 when I receive my diagnosis for ADHD, though I’d never be able to tell you the exact day—like many people with ADHD, I’m terrible with dates. I’m 14, sitting in the living room of my house with my laptop balanced on several Amazon deliveries stacked on my father’s weightlifting bench. It’s about two weeks after I received the form of ADHD symptoms that I was expected to fill out, except I could barely sit myself down to complete the nine-page document in one sitting, so it took me a week longer than I expected. I placed it in the kitchen

to remember to mail it out and somehow lost it for a few days before I tore the main floor apart just to find it tucked behind the empty envelopes and magazines by the fruit rack. The psychiatrist kindly informs me over a Zoom call, while I distractedly fiddle with my necklace, that I have ADHD and have been struggling with it for a long, long time. This counsel is an overdue, highly expected diagnosis, but it is nonetheless a new revelation that the many “negative character traits” I exhibit are not inherent, but symptoms of neurodivergence.

The fish lens that I saw the world through was far from typical: being unable to remember

deadlines or focus on details was something I struggled with throughout childhood, and it wasn’t uncommon for me to be dubbed “spacey” or “forgetful.”

My room was constantly a mess despite frequent cleaning, and I often lost important things.

But these symptoms were never labeled as signs of neurodivergence, and I never received the same help from teachers that I witnessed my male counterparts receiving. I’d later discover that the arbitrary signs of ADHD— fidgetiness, disruptiveness, and mood swings, for example—were tailored to boys and that the myth of males being more susceptible to neurodivergence was due to

girls being regularly underdiagnosed rather than a difference in vulnerability.

An estimated 6.1 million children have ever been diagnosed with ADHD. Frequently, it becomes apparent in childhood, and early referral due to instructional or outside intervention is common. Yet I wasn’t aware of my own neurodivergence until I was a freshman in high school.

Though the lateness of my diagnosis could be partially due to factors such as my environment, it is also due to the typical lack of visible symptoms in girls, which causes a diagnosis gap.

Women typically present inattentive symptoms—difficulty focus-

ing, listening, or remembering things—rather than hyperactive ones. Though women and men with ADHD are equally likely to experience feelings of exhaustion or overwhelmedness, external presentation of these feelings is less likely to be visible in women as a result of both societal pressure to remain competent and low clinical suspicion. As a result, women are often underdiagnosed and are less likely to receive proper help.

There is an outdated belief that boys are more likely to have continued on page 12

The Spectator • February 18, 2022

Page 11

Opinions Can You See Me Now?

By GULAM MONAWARAH

There are many methods by which companies use technology to ensure who you are: passcodes, fingerprints, security questions, and voice recognition are some of the most common examples.

Among these, facial recognition is one of the leading technologies for security and identification. It relies on algorithms and large databases of human images to create patterns that are used to identify unique features. The methods computers use are “black boxes,” meaning that programmers cannot predict how computers identify certain patterns, but that mechanism doesn’t mean that they are unbiased.

The earliest form of facial recognition was developed in the 1960s by Woody Bledsoe, Helen Chan Wolf, and Charles Bisson.

The program involved marking certain landmarks that most human faces should have, such as eyes, mouths, and noses. However, it is hard to express these uniquely varying body parts using binary ones and zeroes, meaning that we cannot just tell a computer, “If you see (blank), that is a nose. Now color it.” In order for the computer to recognize these features, programmers use a different strategy: machine learning, which involves giving a computer a set of data—in this case, it is a bunch of photos of your normal, average Joe—in the hopes that the computer will pick up

on the patterns you want them to. Programmers will not always know how and why a computer picks up on the patterns it does. The computer might notice things that a r e overlooked by hum a n eyes, or it m a y never notice a pattern that we do. But despite the seeming lack of control, there are ways to trick the computer into ignoring certain patterns by eliminati n g entire sets of data completely.

By controlling the data sets that computers receive, programmers can, per-

haps unconsciously, imbue their biases into facial recognition.

This influence was uncovered in a 2018 study conducted by MIT and Stanford University. After testing three different facial recognition algorithms, programmers Joy Buolamwini and Timnit Gebru f o u n d that the most popular facial recognition algorithms r e c o g nized lightskinned males more accurately than darkskinned males, and were worst at recognizing darkr

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such as Amazon’s, were incredibly skewed. Most pictures presented were of white men, and few pictures were of women of color.

In an era of technological advancement, this algorithmic bias is incredibly problematic, as facial recognition is being implemented in more than just phone lock screens. In the UK, government security organizations are placing cameras on the streets to identify criminals. People of color can be inaccurately identified as criminals and falsely accused of breaking the law. In China, facial recognition is used everywhere in public to identify those who protest the government and to identify Uyghur Muslims. While facial recognition is sometimes helpful for the police, it is a pervasive use of surveillance that is often used to target certain demographics.

Coded bias is a problem beyond just facial recognition. In the US, facial recognition and other machine learning algorithms are used to test applicants for mortgages, loans, jobs, and food stamps. Microsoft created an AI called Tay, a chatbot that learned from what it saw online, in 2016. Tay was coded to learn from its online interactions with social media users. Within 16 hours, Tay learned an entire slew of racist, mysoginistic, and xenophobic language that it then posted on Twitter. Because Tay and facial recognition are both machine learning programs, they

use similar code and data sets. If we do not take the initiative to diversify facial recognition and prevent organizations from using them on unknowing consumers, countless minorities will be hurt financially and socially simply because they were not accurately represented in the datasets of a white male-dominated industry.

Action must be taken. Local governments must regulate the use of machine learning algorithms and forms of commercial facial recognition. One solution is to set up standardized data sets for facial recognition that companies must either use or mimic closely. These standards must represent people of different races, genders, and ages so that facial recognition algorithms know how to deal with different kinds of faces. However, we cannot ignore that biases will always be present because that skewing of data is simply the nature of all machine learning algorithms.

Most people have a hard time understanding that a computer can be biased, because we have constructed a narrative that machines are more reliable and safer than humans. In many cases, that comparison holds true. Facial recognition has made security more reliable and legal processes much faster. But as long as facial recognition is unchecked by the federal government, problematic biases will persist.

Describing Light

By ANISHA SINGHAL My family has always been big on spirituality and meditation. It was their dedication that drove me away from the practice at first. My mom would force us all to chant in the living room together, and I despised it because I had so many better things to do. Why would I waste my time chanting when I had math problems to solve, sports to play, notes to take, and shows to watch? I would meditate out of obligation and irritation— of course, I hated it.

My grandpa would tell me that his father had reached enlightenment, and I’d roll my eyes, saying, “What does that even mean?”

He’d question back, “If a blind person asks you what light looks like, would you be able to explain it?” I’d respond, “No, but light is real. Enlightenment is just in your head. It’s different. Plus, I’m trying to get through high school, not become a monk. It’s all great in theory, but who has the time to be enlightened?”

A few days after that conversation, I found myself sitting in

an empty stairwell, not wanting to do anything. I just wanted to be. I hadn’t planned on meditating, but I decided to try it quietly and independently, without my family telling me how important it was or lecturing me on the perfect technique. I folded my palms across my lap, closed my eyes, and hummed one long note with my lips sealed and ears puffed out, as though I were popping them in an airplane landing. The vibration echoed through me, filling me with a surge of energy. For the first time, I had approached meditation with an open mind, not because a new study came out about how effective it was or because my family forced me to, but because I wanted to. And it worked! It helped me feel more present and invigorated. I can’t quite explain it… just like I can’t explain light.

After that experience, I wanted to learn more about meditation, but I was still suspicious about the time commitment. I was sure that my motivation to practice would tumble down my list of priorities.

Everyone says to start with just five minutes a day, but even that schedule requires consistency that would likely fizzle out.

Figuring out that I could make existing parts of my routine meditative instead of adding meditation to my daily routine was a game changer for me. My friend introduced me to “Peace Is Every Step” by Thich Nhat Hanh, which discusses how we can assimilate meditation into our daily Western lives. Since meditation is about being fully present in the moment, our daily activities can be done in a state of mindfulness.

Simple mindfulness has the power to turn everyday, monotonous activities into blissful memories. When I walked to school during snowfall one morning, I sipped on a cup of pomegranate tea as I stayed fully aware of my steps, breath, and five senses.

As my mind wandered, I set each worrisome thought on an imaginary paper boat and let it drift away from my consciousness.

That walk could have been unremarkable, but my attention to it

made it special.

Another accessible form of meditation is eating meditation.

My grandma would always tell me to pay attention to my food, but I used to always let my mind wander away. Eventually, I realized that she was right. When I pay attention to all five senses as I eat an orange, I feel connected to my food and make the simple experience vividly flavorful. At a restaurant, my friend and I decided to sit in silence, focusing on every aspect of the moment: the cauliflower we scooped into our mouths, the clank of dishes in the kitchen, and the warmth of each other’s presence. I forget most of the good food I eat, but when I meditate while eating, I form a memory of bliss. My mind is always whirling, stressing, and picking apart my life. Meditation is a refuge from all the worldly problems that normally occupy my mind.

Even dreaded activities such as washing dishes can be meditative. Chores are only drudgery because we perceive them

as such. If you circle the plates with a certain rhythm, soak your hands in the warm water, and immerse yourself in doing the dishes well, it will take longer, but it will be a pleasurable experience. Of course, that change is much easier described than made—I still hate doing dishes, but it’s a mindset I’m working on changing.

I’ve felt so much more at peace and in control of my life since I started meditating. It helps me establish what psychologists call an internal locus of control—believing that I, rather than external forces such as school, teachers, parents, friends, chores, or circumstances, have control over my life. While the ultimate goal of meditation is to reach a state of “enlightenment” or “selftranscendence,” the purpose of my practice is to be able to enjoy the present moment more and drench my daily life with simple joy. There’s so much power in knowing that I can choose the moments that I want to make special and memorable, merely by focusing on them.

Too White to Be Chinese, Too Chinese to Be White

By LAUREN LEE As a Chinese American living in America, I have never felt particularly welcomed in the country I was born and raised in. History has taught me time and time again that I do not belong to this country. From the Chinese Exclusion Acts to recent Asian hate crimes, America has made it known that I, and many other Asian Americans living in this country, am not truly American. However, I have never felt welcomed in China either.

The way I dress, talk, and act is considered far too different from native-born Chinese people for me to be Chinese. This struggle to feel welcomed and comfortable in our identities is the hallmark of immigrant life. Three Olympians, Zhu Yi, Eileen Gu, and Nathan Chen, have all had their struggles with identity placed at the forefront of the 2022 Olympic conversation. The reaction of both Chinese and American citizens to these Olympians’ decisions to represent their respective coun-

tries reflects our trial in finding a place to be accepted.

Zhu, an American-born Chinese figure skater, was chosen to represent China over a nativeborn Chinese skater. This decision angered many Chinese natives who felt that a native skater would better represent their country. Her lack of Chinese speaking skills seemed to exemplify why many Chinese natives did not want her to affect the reputation of their country.

When Zhu fell during her

short program in the team event, Chinese netizens erupted on Weibo, a popular Chinese social media platform, sending the figure skater thousands of hate messages.

In contrast to Zhu, Gu, another American-born Chinese athlete, has faced polar opposite reactions from the Chinese public. In China, Gu is known for her conventional beauty, and her biracial features are praised. In addition, she is academically and professionally successful, hav-

ing been admitted to Stanford University and having made a name for herself in the Chinese modeling industry. Winning the gold medal for the big air skiing event only solidified her position as China’s pride, though not without criticism. The American public exploded when Gu was announced to represent China. She continued on page 13

Page 12

The Spectator • February 18, 2022

Opinions More Than a Subreddit In recent weeks, the online subreddit r/antiwork’s meteoric growth to 1.7 million members has attracted considerable attention from mainstream media. Jesse Watters of Fox News hosted an interview with Doreen Ford, one of the subreddit’s moderators, on January 25.

The interview was an absolute disaster and went about as terribly as is conceivable, partly because 30-year-old Ford, who informed no one of the interview before it aired, was unskilled at public speaking, shifting constantly in her chair and failing to look into the camera. Far worse was her inability to explain the subreddit’s purpose or the genuine grievances of its members. She attempted to clarify that, despite the name, it is not about “being home not working but still getting paid by corporate America,” as Watters posited, but about workers not wanting to feel “trapped in their job[s].” She then referred to laziness as a “virtue” and struggled to define the ideal workday before concluding the interview on an absurd note by saying that she aspires to teach philosophy and critical thinking.

Watters’s frequent eyebrow raises and smirks indicated from the start that he had no interest in taking Ford seriously. One could easily forgive a person watching

the interview with no previous knowledge of the subreddit for switching off the TV and thinking that the community is composed of 1.7 million indolent children looking to justify their few prospects in life.

This position is already the prevailing view of young people in the workforce today, to the extent that a viral greeting card reads, “How many millennials does it take to change a lightbulb?

How much does it pay? Are there benefits? Oh, and I’ll need every Friday off.” The interview’s portrayal of Ford, a dog-walker working 20 hours a week, fits this narrative, but she does not represent the majority of the r/antiwork community. A quick browse of the front page of the subreddit will show post after post of full-time wage laborers justifiably disillusioned with the idea at the center of American capitalism that hard work guarantees stability.

The edicts behind the economy feel more and more like platitudes. Workers who are dissatisfied with their job prospects are told to go to college, and yet average college costs have skyrocketed to 169 percent of what they were in 1980, while the average earnings of workers aged 22 to 27 have only grown by 19 percent. Intelligence does not have nearly as much bearing on whether a person will be able to

attend college as does economic status. A 2019 Georgetown University research study found that poor kindergarten students with high test scores were less likely to graduate from high school and attain a degree than their rich coun-

riencing an ongoing affordable housing crisis, with more than 11 million Americans spending over one-half of their monthly incomes on rent. This value has undergone a record increase of 30 percent over the last five years.

terparts with lower test scores.

This result disproves the false notion of American meritocracy and the supposedly level playing field upon which workers are set.

The United States is expe-

There are only about 220 counties out of the 3,006 across the country in which full-time minimum wage workers are able to afford the rent of a one-bedroom apartment, and no county in which

Angela Zeng / The Spectator

By AYA ALRYYES

they can afford a two-bedroom rental exists. Home ownership, once considered an accessible goal among those entering the workforce, now seems more and more like an unachievable dream.

According to a 2019 report, 69 percent of millennials who are choosing to rent do so because they cannot afford to buy. In addition, the cost of student debt is prohibitive to home ownership, with debt-free millennials saving about $100 more per month than those paying off debt.

Clearly, the job market’s systemic failings are not new, but the pandemic has made them even starker, leading to the “Great Resignation.” Termed by Texas professor Anthony Klotz, it’s a phenomenon in which large numbers of people leave their jobs without immediately looking for new ones. What hides behind this buzzword is a simple fact that the members of r/antiwork understand—one can work hard for years and still never achieve stability. Intelligence, savviness, and work ethic have no bearing anymore. The state of the economy means that workers increasingly feel that their work is purposeless and are questioning the idea that the bulk of one’s life should be spent laboring. This sentiment is at the heart of the r/antiwork subreddit—real distress, genuine suffering, and justifiable despondency.

Bopping to the Bells

By SAVIDYA (MINADEE) KULAWANSA Many of my middle school memories were made during the four minutes we had to switch between our classes. Unlike many other schools, my school’s passing time was filled with music— theme songs from our principal’s favorite movies. I remember that fourth period was marked by the “Superman” theme song and that the period after gym was marked by the “Ghostbusters” theme song. Not only were these creative bells more effective at telling you how much time you had left to get to your next class (you would just listen to what point of the melody the loudspeakers were playing), but the four minutes of music also provided a mental break. My classmates and I would sometimes bop to the beat of a song if we got to class early or use the music to clear our heads before a test. It would be beneficial if Stuyvesant incorporated a similar system in which music is used as a substitute for bells. Mu-

sic has been scientifically proven to decrease anxiety and improve focus, and it would also alleviate the problem of teachers and students being unable to differentiate between the five-minute bell, the end bell, and the start bell.

In many of my classes, the sound of the bell is muffled by the voices of teachers and students. Sometimes, the intense focus of the class causes students not to hear the bell. Furthermore, teachers are often unsure of whether the class has started and if the students walking in are late.

Some of the most frantic circumstances occur during lunch, when I am unsure whether the period has ended or not. In these situations, I have to rifle through my backpack to locate my planner and find the bell schedule. While this inconvenience seems like a negligible problem, the solution to it is rather simple.

Having music for the duration of passing time in place of the bells would eliminate this problem, since the music would

indicate to listeners that they are currently in passing and give them an idea of how much time they have left to get to their next class.

It would take away the ambiguity created by the identical-sounding bells and thus decrease the number of mistakes made by teachers and students alike. It would further help facilitate hallway traffic, key to helping students remain some-

Julia Shen/ The Spectator

what socially distanced.

Additionally, using music as

a substitute for the bells could act as a strategy of showcasing student work. The music for the bells could be pieces performed

by Stuyvesant’s choral, orchestral, and band groups, allowing us to celebrate the talents of the students in our school. The school could exhibit the hard work of the SING! departments by using their music. These pieces could be changed every marking period to showcase different groups of students.

Overall, this method would help bring the Stuyvesant community even closer together.

While there is a possibility that some students may be annoyed by the music, it is also arguable that many people are annoyed by the current bells. Looking back, I didn’t know anyone in my middle school who particularly detested the instrumental music of classic movies. To ensure maximum satisfaction, the school or the Student Union could host a poll every time the bell system is changed so that students can vote on what songs they would like to

listen to. Likewise, the volume of the music could be altered accordingly to make sure that it does not disturb conversations but can still be heard.

Furthermore, having music as our bell system would bring joy into what is usually a sluggish school day. By using music that students have memories attached to, we can provide a source of happiness. The University of Maryland Medical Center supports the notion that listening to music acts as an effective stress and anxiety reducer, and a Stanford study found that music helps the brain focus better. All of this research backs up why we should consider incorporating music into our school day.

Music has the potential to bring joy to our school community and help us make memories.

Changing our bells to music is a relatively straightforward plan that would improve their intended purpose and give students fun mental breaks in between difficult classes.

A Case Study in Attentiveness continued from page 10

ADHD. This idea is inaccurate, as it is derived from a lack of proper diagnosis due to girls exhibiting less disruptive behavior. One adult study found that there was actually a higher prevalence of ADHD in women than men within a psychiatric outpatient system. In particular, women with ADHD often also have anxiety or depression, and their ADHD is missed or misdiagnosed. Girls additionally tend to exhibit internalizing symptoms over externalizing ones. ADHD in girls is often characterized by personality traits rather than

symptoms of a condition; as a result, women are often coaxed into simply learning to cope with their neurodivergence rather than receiving beneficial help. This learned coping often masks or mitigates their ADHD and further delays diagnosis. They’re often expected to learn not to make seemingly careless mistakes, or to develop methods to better focus, when in reality, these are neurological issues that cannot easily be resolved by masking.

The severity of my ADHD was enough for a recommendation of stimulant medication like Adderall or Ritalin, with a consistent dosage that would allow for

me to gain a better hold on my inattention. But despite this recommendation, my doctor refused to handle it—stating that “everyone has a bit of ADHD” and because I had good grades and evident adequacy without it, “I didn’t need to be medicated.” My doctor was a man who had graduated from Stuyvesant and didn’t quite understand that neurodivergence was not just a checklist of symptoms I happened to meet and that it affected my life as a whole.

From his perspective, since I didn’t seem to be having any difficulties with my education and didn’t visibly exhibit the recklessness and hyperactivity that would

disrupt my environment in a way that required medication, my request was unnecessary.

ADHD has an unfair stigma that dramatizes those who have it as inadequate or slow learners. Since it causes students to struggle with organization, paying attention, and retention, there is a stereotype that people with ADHD tend to be poor students.

This stigmatization needs to be eradicated because it not only causes students with ADHD to develop feelings of inadequacy or low self-esteem, but also stunts the motivation and ability of people who may suffer from ADHD but present symptoms

in other ways to be diagnosed.

In many cases, such as mine, it prevents one from receiving the medication one needs in order to function in a relatively “normal” way.

There is a need for a prominent change in how people, especially the medical community, regard ADHD and other neurodiversity. There are too many inaccurate ideas about neurodivergence that often lead to misdiagnosis or failure to help people.

Even if I can learn to live without proper medication, there is no doubt that receiving it and an earlier diagnosis would have saved me from many years of struggle.

The Spectator • February 18, 2022

Page 13

Opinions Chopping Away the Tomahawk Chop be extremely insulting because it is essentially a cartoon stereotype version of what a Native American is,” Akwesasne Mohawk journalist and editor Vincent Schilling said in an e-mail interview.

The issue is that organizations are not acting on these calls for action and are instead deflecting the heat. The Chiefs have banned face paints and headgear that disrespect Native American culture, but they still haven’t done anything about the main issue, the chop. It is shown during every Chiefs home game, racking up millions of views across America and implanting racial stereotypes in the minds of many.

The embedding of racial stereotypes in media is not exclusive to national issues. It is pervasive in local news as well. A study published in the International Journal of Communication showed that the amount of local news watched correlates to one’s racial bias toward African Americans.

During the study, 316 participants filled out a questionnaire regarding the amount of local news they consumed and took the Implicit

As millions of avid American football fans turn on their televisions to watch playoff football, they’re likely to witness a crowd of Kansas City Chiefs fans dressed in red and white, striking their arms forward and backward with open palms. This movement is called the tomahawk chop, a cheer that represents using a tomahawk, a type of ax used by many Native American tribes to chop something down, in this case, the other team. The tomahawk chop is not exclusive to football. The Atlanta Braves, an MLB team, and other teams in sports such as rugby perform the tomahawk chop before each game. This tradition plants a racist stereotype of Native Americans in people’s minds and can be stopped with a change in how companies pick what sports and shows to air.

There has been a fight for change, specifically with the Chiefs, but it has gone unnoticed.

Native American activists have spoken out against the Chiefs’ actions. “I find a tomahawk chop to

Association Test (IAT), in which participants associate images of people with their races and words with their connotations. The study revealed that most people were able to sort faces faster when the same key was pressed to indicate positive word/ white person (and the other key negative word/ black person) than when the same key was pressed to indicate positive word/black person (and the other key negative word/white person). The test showed heavy correlation between IAT results and amount of local news consumed. These results are caused by the traditional media’s portrayal of African Americans as criminals and other negative stereotypes.

This issue isn’t limited to African Americans or Native Americans. It has also affected

Asian Americans. In many shows, such as “Emily in Paris” and “Arrow,” Asian Americans are portrayed with stereotypical qualities, including poor child-parent relationships, inability to speak English well, “tiger” parenting, and kung fu mastery. In “Emily in Paris,” Mindy Chen, a woman

Sabrina Chen / The Spectator

By DUNCAN PARK

from mainland China, doesn’t get along with her dad and speaks disparagingly about Chinese people being mean to others. In “Arrow,” the group of martial arts experts is all Asian, reinforcing the stereotype of Asians as kung fu masters. This depiction of ste-

reotypes on television affects how minorities are perceived in the real world. People have assumed that my mom is a stereotypical tiger mom without having met her and have also asked me questions like, “where are you from?” and “what language do you speak?”

In order to prevent these biases from continuing to dominate media, companies need to hire more people of color in executive and decision-making roles. This change will allow people who better understand the importance of the situation to take control and have some say about messages broadcasted to the American audience.

The media that we present to the public is crucial if we want to change how we perceive the topic of race. It all starts with who receives power, not just pestering organizations such as the Chiefs to change their racist ways.

If big television companies lead the way by hiring more people of color into important positions, it will pave the way for an America that is not poisoned by stereotypes.

Taking STOCK of Insider Trading in Congress “Appreciate today’s briefing from the President’s top health officials on the novel coronavirus outbreak,” former Senator Kelly Loeffler tweeted on January 24, 2020. There is no doubt as to why she appreciated it. Within days of this private briefing and being warned of the havoc the coronavirus was predicted to wreak on the economy, and shortly before markets tanked, she sold off millions in stock. She also bought between $100 thousand and $250 thousand in stock in a remote work software company. Loeffler is not an exception among Congress members—her actions in this situation are often the norm.

Amidst all of the uncertainty in the early days of the pandemic, Congress members sat in closeddoor briefings on the emerging threat of the virus before the public knew of its severity. They were in a unique position to act decisively, yet the impulse of many was not to prepare to combat the virus. Instead, both Democrats and Republicans profited from the private information and rushed to buy and sell stocks.

The issue exists on both sides of the political aisle. Representative Tom Malinowski, a Democrat from New Jersey, failed to disclose dozens of stock trades made during 2020 and early 2021, and only did so after Business Insider questioned him. Representative Michael Guest, a Republican from Mississippi, was more than eight months late in disclosing stock trades of two oil companies held by a family trust that benefited his wife. Republicans

bought $100 million in stocks this year while Democrats bought $75 million.

Congress passed the Stop Trading on Congressional Knowledge (STOCK) Act of 2012, which prohibits Congress members from using private information for personal reasons

STOCK Act was later amended to modify the online disclosure portion, no longer requiring some government officials to file their stock exchanges online and making their records less easily accessible to the public.

Not much has changed, even with this bill. Time and time

and requires them to disclose stock trades made by them and their immediate families. However, members who violate the STOCK Act only have to pay a penalty fee of $200.

Despite the transparency this bill provided to the public, the

again, politicians have violated this act and not been held accountable. At least 54 Congress members failed to comply with the STOCK Act in 2021, and 182 of the highest paid Capitol Hill staffers were late in filing their stock trades. Politicians and their

Phoebe He / The Spectator

By ASHLEY LIN

immediate families bought $267 million and sold $364 million in assets in 2021. Additionally, Congress has an inconsistent method for collecting fines from members who violate the act. Though the STOCK Act was passed in 2012, these countless violations have brought fresh momentum to the issue of congressional stock trading.

Insider trading enables Congress members to unfairly profit from their positions, since they receive information that cannot be accessed by the general public. This advantage gives them the power to make stock exchanges personally benefiting them and shape policy in a direction that is advantageous to them and not the constituents they represent.

Lawmakers should not use confidential information to profit off of the very same companies that they should be regulating. If Congress members would like to maintain public trust, they must stop trading stocks.

In a country where politics are incredibly polarizing, a stance against congressional insider trading might be one of the few things uniting it. Voters of all parties agree that Congress members should not be enriching themselves by using insider information while serving: 70 percent of Democrats, 78 percent of Republicans, and 80 percent of independents say Congress members should not be allowed to trade stocks. They are right. The practice must be banned.

It is clear that the STOCK Act, intended to defend against insider trading, promote transparency, and prevent conflicts of inter-

est, has been rendered toothless.

This sentiment is shared among many Americans, and Congress must respond accordingly. It is time to pass legislation officially banning congressional insider trading. However, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is not on board. She recently openly defended congressional stock trading at a press conference in December. “This is a free market,” Pelosi asserted.

“We are a free market economy.”

This country depends on a free market economy, but this country is also a democracy. Corruption at any level of government actively infringes upon it and must not be defended. Transparency and accountability in our political institutions must be prioritized. Congress must champion these values and ban insider stock trading.

Congress has the opportunity to do so right now. Senator Jon Ossoff, a Democrat from Georgia, and Senator Mark Kelly, a Democrat from Arizona, recently introduced the “Ban Congressional Stock Trading Act,” which would require Congress members, their spouses, and their dependent children to place stock portfolios into blind trusts. Members who violate the rules will be fined their entire congressional salary. All members of Congress must raise their standards for how Congress should act and vote to pass this piece of legislation.

Officials are elected by the public to serve the public. They must prioritize the public’s interests, not personal profits. It is now up to the public to make their voices heard and legislators to listen and put their constituents first.

Too White to Be Chinese, Too Chinese to Be White the Chinese public for his “betrayal,” as he chose to represent America despite his Chinese heri tage. His success at the Olympics was slandered by Fox News, with has garnered attention on Weibo, news anchor Will Cain branding with users telling him to “get out her actions as “ungrateful” and of China.” In America, however, Chen has been praised as a na“shameful.”

As another Chinese Ameri- tional pride, being the seventh can athlete, Chen has also been male American on the podium for heavily criticized—this time by figure skating. continued from page 11

Athletes like Chen and Gu have been relentlessly criticized despite their incredible victories in the Olympics. The past few weeks have made it clear that immigrants can never escape the scrutiny of those who watch us grapple with our identities. We are constantly pushed and pulled as we desperately try to give our identities labels. Despite what

others say, the problem is not that we are “not Chinese enough” or “not white enough.” We are just not successful enough. We are only valued if we are successful, and that is the position the media has held with these Olympians.

Standing in the middle ground between Chinese and American, it’s easy to throw us around when we aren’t advantageous to either side.

And when we are successful, we are put under fire anyway as countries fight to claim our success as their own. Therefore, we can’t assume one identity, like Chinese or American. We are uniquely Chinese American. Because we don’t fit into these neat categories, we must not rely on the world to accept us. We have to accept our identities within ourselves.

The Spectator ● February 4, 2022

Page 14

Science Parallel Worlds: A Journey Through Our Multiverse

By DONGNI (HELLEN) LUO

with tiny vibrating strings whose varying motions may indicate the occurrence of different natural phenomena. For instance,

Emily Young-Squire / The Spectator

Our universe is unimaginably large. It contains a countless number of moons, planets, stars, galaxies, galaxy clusters, and superclusters. But is that all there is? Imagine this: you wake up in the morning, brush your teeth, and get ready for school.

In other dimensions that we can’t see, thousands or perhaps even millions of your exact replicas go through the same routine in universes parallel to but mirroring our own. The idea of “parallel universes” has always been a common topic in science fiction novels and films, but some recent scientific theories may support the presence of this so-called self-contained realm of existence.

Recent discoveries in physics and astronomy have pointed out that the origin of multiverses may likely be traced back to the very beginning of time.

The theory of eternal inflation, founded by MIT theoretical physicist and cosmologist Alan Guth, solves certain mysteries surrounding the possibility of multiple expanding universes— a multiverse. Around 13.7 billion years ago, everything we know of was condensed into an infinitesimal hot, dense point known as the gravitational singularity, at which all forces were unified. Then, according to the broadly accepted Big Bang theory, this singularity burst into an exponential expansion via a process called cosmic inflation.

Soon after this expansion, the temperature cooled sufficiently to allow for the formation of subatomic particles, atoms, and later the matter that now inhabit our present-day universe.

Both the mysterious process of inflation and the Big Bang itself have convinced some researchers that the existence of parallel universes is possible, and perhaps very likely. This is because inflation didn’t necessarily end everywhere at the

same time. When inflation ceases in a particular place, a bubble universe forms. Some bubbles stopped inflating or fell onto

trajectories that would cause inflation to stop, creating a fractal portion of static space. In other places, the bubble universes can continue to expand indefinitely without intersecting with one another as a result of quantum effects, producing these bubble universes in a never-ending procession.

String theory, on the other hand, has been regarded as the “theory of everything,” which represents a single framework unifying two theories that provide the most fundamental backbone to almost all aspects of modern physics: general relativity, which demonstrates how gravity can affect the fabric of spacetime, and quantum mechanics, which is the mathematical description of subatomic particles.

According to this theory, the universe is made up of extremely small strings that vibrate in 10 or 11 dimensions—dimensions we can’t see. In this case, all matter and force particles are replaced

one particular frequency that a string strikes can represent the properties of a proton, while a different frequency can symbolize the behaviors of a quark.

String theory recognizes the possibility that multiple states of existence are possible at the same time, in which a “wave function” accounts for all those possibilities, yet we are only able to observe one of them.

Some physicists believe in a flatter version of parallel worlds.

If the universe that we currently live in continues forever, there is only a finite number of ways that matter and the building blocks of matter can arrange themselves and they will eventually have to repeat a particular arrangement. Pretend that you are shuffling a deck of cards with an overhand shuffle. For the first several times, after you release the portion of the lifted deck into the front of the deck, the front deck will almost always be a different card; but, eventually, you will end up with the

card that you started with. Hypothetically, the same concept may also be applied to arrangements as large as solar systems, galaxies, and the entire universe.

If the universe were to begin with a singularity that underwent a sudden cosmic inflation, however, this theory would likely not be held true as the number of possible outcomes from the interaction between particles will approach infinity at a rate faster than the increase in the number of possible universes due to cosmological inflation, as concluded by the theoretical astrophysicist and science writer Ethan Siegel.

Additionally, another relatively new theory proposes that the universe not only began with the Big Bang but also on the opposite side of the Big Bang timeline, stretching backward in time. In some sense, if this universe before the Big Bang were to actually exist, this means that everything would be reversed: atoms would now consist of antiprotons and positively charged electrons, and this universe would then begin to collapse back on itself until it becomes the infinitely hot and dense point of singularity, before expanding into our own universe. Some scientists have even brought up the possibility that black holes could be wormholes to another universe.

Despite these various theories that could potentially indicate the existence of a multiverse, there is no way for us to test them. Each theory essentially depends on how scientists define time in the first place. Guth and other scientists initially attempted to create mathematical models of eternal inflation and calculate the distribution of bubble universes based on how many of each type are found present in a given time interval.

But because infinity prevents us from deriving statistical analysis, an eternally inflating multiverse is fundamentally incalculable in a uniform and quantitative

SCIENCEBEAT A recent study suggests that even a mild case of COVID-19 can take a serious toll on heart health.

The risk of various cardiovascular diseases, including heart failure and stroke, was substantially higher in those previously infected.

The Joint European Torus (JET) laboratory crushed their own fusion energy output record of 21.7 megajoules of energy by generating 59 megajoules in a recent fusion reaction. The breakthrough achievement may have significant implications for unlocking the potential of fusion energy and combating climate change.

NASA’s Parker Solar Probe captured the first visiblelight images of Venus’s hellishly hot surface, revealing its highlands, plateaus, plains, and continents. manner. This falsifiability in calculating and testing is, in fact, the most significant unsolved bug that leads to countless arguments against the multiverse theory.

Our current understanding of this universe is still very limited. With recent scientific discoveries and technological advancements, however, we are now able to take this research a step further and uncover mysteries that the conventional Big Bang theory is not able to solve.

In the future, measurements for multiverses can perhaps be made possible by observing gravitational waves that could have been generated by eternal inflation. That is, the universe may seem like an unimaginable quantity of dark, mysterious space, but humankind should never cease its attempts to uncover more of its secrets as time goes on.

Making Things Stick

By KARINA GUPTA With an upcoming exam on the rise and fall of the Roman Empire, next week will be loaded with a flurry of flashcards, study guides, and textbook readings—and yet you will still be unable to remember the content. However, you can effortlessly quote countless lines from your favorite TV show.

Why do some things just “stick” while others fade even when we actively try to remember them?

Thinking back to details that you remembered more effortlessly, you may realize that they were associated with some sort of emotional experience.

Any reaction, from laughter to sadness, is shown to heighten recollection of what you witnessed. Emotions stimulate the amygdala, the region of the brain which manages emotional processes, triggering the release of adrenaline.

This affects the hippocampus, the brain’s center of memory function, consequently sharpening the details in memories.

This is also why recollection of near-death experiences seem to be in slow motion. Because of the intensity of emotions the individual experiences, the brain processes highly dense and vivid details by causing the recollections to appear much slower than in reality. Though this is an extreme example of emotions affecting recollection detail, the bottom line is: there is a clear correlation between emotion and memory, which can be used to your advantage on a daily basis—especially in school.

Right before tests, many stress that if anyone gives them more information, they’ll forget everything they studied. This is most likely a result of them using rote memorization, where information is quickly obtained, but also quickly forgotten. Rote

memorization uses repetition spatial memory, the recollecto help the brain retain infor- tion of locations and specific mation, often via flashcards, routes. However, it is impormnemonic devices, and out- tant to note that this method, as lines. The Method of Loci, or with rote learning as a whole, is the “memory palace,” is a rote full-fledged memorization and memorization technique com- mostly disregards comprehenmonly used for memorizing sion. sequences. The method inIn reality, most of the mavolves envisioning each term terial students learn barely on different obcause any stimulation jects around because you, going they are around the simply room and notes imagining taken in the sensclass. es that This is would why it’s be inimporvoked. tant to D a t re-teach ing back to ancient yourself Greek and Roman material in Jessica Mui / The Spectator times and implemented a way that is interesting by memory athletes today, this before jumping to memorizatechnique is immensely effec- tion. Meaningful learning, built tive in the short-term because off of learning through conit combines visualization with nections with previous knowl-

edge, leads to genuine understanding of the topic, positive feelings of satisfaction, and ultimately, better recollection.

Intentional or not, the details that “stick” to your mind are generally a result of meaningful learning. If you have memorized lines from your favorite show, it’s likely that you have watched the episode more than once, which is analogous to looking over your notes repeatedly. Connections are also made when you quote a line from the show when relevant— further instilling them into your mind.

So before you pick up the flashcards, actually think about the Romans. How were the politics and conflicts similar to those today, or even to a movie?

Whether you are studying for a test or just trying to remember something, connection—both emotional and not—is key in making things “stick.”

The Spectator ● February 4, 2022

Page 15

Science

Wordle, a simple puzzle game, has quickly become a defining trend of 2022. Its popularity extends around the globe and the game has been adapted into over 20 languages. Its creator, a Brooklyn software developer named Josh Wardle, made the game as a gift to his partner, a word game enthusiast. He never realized that Wordle would gain over three million users, or that the New York Times would want to purchase it for seven figures.

The concept is simple: you have six chances to guess the five-letter word of the day. Correct letters in the correct spot show up green, correct letters in the wrong spot show up yellow, and incorrect letters show up gray. After playing, users can share their results through an emoji grid, which lets others know how they did without giving any spoilers. The website is elegant and simple. The directions are so clearly laid out that both my 10-year-old cousin and 76-year-old grandmother play it.

The popularity of Wordle is linked to how our brains work. According to the shared reality theory, we seek validation through people that share our subjective opinions and experiences. We are also hardwired to mirror the beliefs of those around us. When everyone around us talks about how much they love Wordle,

we are more inclined to enjoy it as well. Playing Wordle is a unique shared experience: everyone will have the same word and the same rules. Participating in the Wordle craze creates a sense of community that we rely on as a social species.

Wordle is also appealing because it lets us know how we

is more active when beating peers. The social aspect of Wordle makes doing well more fun, but the game is still lowstakes enough to not discourage the players who do poorly.

One of Wordle’s most frustrating features may be the key to its enjoyability. It was built to be played once a day, pre-

feel less enjoyable. One word a day preserves the fun of the game.

Our brains crave a game like Wordle, partly due to the “aha” moment that we get. This “aha” moment, also known as a Eureka moment, can activate regions of the brain linked to the dopamine circuit. Dopa-

venting boredom and building a sense of anticipation for the next word. The University of Melbourne led a study on how binge watching impacts how well people enjoy and remember TV shows. Study participants were split into three groups that would watch a sixepisode series at different frequencies. One group watched all of the episodes in one sitting while another watched one episode per day. The third watched one per week. Members of the binge-watching group reported significantly lower enjoyment of the show, and recalled less details about it. A similar concept may apply to Wordle. If you could play Wordle an unlimited amount of times per day, it would likely

mine, a neurotransmitter, is largely responsible for creating feelings of satisfaction. When an action induces pleasure, dopamine reinforces that behavior, driving us to repeat it.

When we come up with a good guess for Wordle, even if it’s wrong, we have a Eureka moment, which stimulates the release of dopamine. This in turn makes us feel good, and creates an absorption that causes us to keep playing the next day. A Wordle victory, like any challenge that you solve, brings a surge of oxytocin and dopamine. Both are associated with stress relief, which explains the calm feelings we get from playing Wordle.

Playing Wordle can bring a sense of satisfaction because,

Ying Chen / The Spectator

By SOPHIA WAN-BRODSKY

Why Do We Love Wordle So Much?

stack up against others. From an evolutionary standpoint, comparison is useful because it helps us form cohesive communities, and serves as a motivator for self-improvement.

Because Wordle is so shareable, it gives us the opportunity to see how we’re doing in relation to others. This can make the game especially enjoyable when we do well. A study by the University of Southern California found that the human brain considers winning in a social setting more valuable than winning alone. A team of researchers observed brain activity of people who won the lottery while alone versus those who won against a peer. They found that the striatum, which controls the feeling of reward,

while it is a game, it feels intellectually stimulating. Many word game apps will claim to “sharpen your mind” or “improve your mental age.”

However, it has been disproven that such games reverse or slow brain aging. Studies have shown a link between word puzzles and improved short-term memory, but when compared to brain-boosting practices such as exercise, the effects of playing word games are minimal. Playing Wordle probably won’t translate to increased brain power. The social, rather than intellectual, stimulation that you get from being a part of the Wordle craze is likely more beneficial to your brain health.

It is clear that what makes Wordle so enticing from a psychological standpoint is that it can provide a feeling of accomplishment while fulfilling the social connections that we crave. Unlike previous viral games such as Pokemon Go, Wordle does not require a great investment on your end, requiring only a few minutes of your time each day. That’s one of the best parts about the game: it’s easy to play. No app required, no pop-up ads, no time commitment. The challenge it provides is well within our ability to overcome, but it’s just difficult enough that finding the solution will make us feel good. We love Wordle because it’s simple, social, and rewarding.

Flu Comeback Season

By ANDY CHEN Last year, the dreaded “twindemic” of both COVID-19 and the flu never became a reality. The worst was avoided thanks to COVID-19 safety measures, such as social distancing, remote learning, restricted traveling, and masking.

However, with the recent lifting of many pandemic practices, we may see the flu bounce back stronger than ever this winter Every year, new flu vaccines are created to provide resistance to the ever-evolving influenza viruses. These vaccines are designed to combat the four viral strains that the World Health Organization and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration predict will appear this winter season. Throughout the year, 142 national influenza centers analyze thousands of influenza samples from all over the world. The data is then organized into potential influenza candidates depending on each strain’s infection rates and severity. The final candidates are included in the yearly vaccines. Nevertheless, these are purely educated guesses made by experts and don’t necessarily match the circulating viral strains, and because every flu season varies, it can be difficult to predict the severity of the current season. In fact, the vaccine effectiveness for the past

16 seasons has been very erratic, with the highest being 60 percent and the lowest being 10 percent.

A typical flu season is led by influenza A subtypes and then later dominated by influenza B subtypes. The current season follows this pattern, but the influenza A subtype that is currently present is the H3N2 virus. Based on past seasons, the dominance of the H3N2 subtype usually indicates that a severe season is coming.

A December study already found that the circulating H3N2 strain has mutated enough to dodge the current flu vaccine.

This could mean that the vaccine will be less effective than expected. However, this is no surprise. Since the H3N2 strain is one of the fastest evolving influenza strains, the yearly flu

vaccines have a history of combating it less effectively.

Experts are more worried about the effects the flu will have on hospitals and clinics rather than ind iv i d u a l s.

This is

Fareha Islam / The Spectator

a reasonable concern because in previous winters, the flu has compromised hospitals and emergency sectors. With the addition of COVID-19 cases, the hospitals may once again become over-

whelmed. A milder flu season could still be dangerous because hospitals would need to expend resources to keep both critically ill COVID-19 and flu patients alive. Not to mention, patients that require normal care will be competing with the increased number of patients for hospital resources during the winter.

Furthermore, today’s particularly low flu vaccinations may jeopardize our chances of a mild flu season.

Experts are largely c o n cerned about the vulnerable group of pregnant women and young children whose vaccination progress is lower than last year’s. Additionally, the vaccination progress for older adults by the end of October was significantly less than the 2019 and 2020 rates. Many people are focusing more on COVID-19 vaccines and, as a result, forgetting

that the flu situation is just as important.

Another factor of the possibility of a harsher flu season is the inaccuracies in creating the vaccine due to the fact that last year was a no-show flu season.

As a result, experts have a nearly two-year gap in their influenza data, making it much more difficult to identify the circulating strains in the next seasons.

The missing 2020 to 2021 flu season introduces yet another problem: a less prepared immune system. Normally, people develop antibodies that can combat the flu strains after each flu season. However, the absence of the flu last year prevented this from happening and might mean that we will be less prepared for this winter.

It has become increasingly apparent throughout the past few years that getting vaccinated is instrumental in overcoming COVID-19 and the flu. A season with both the flu and COVID-19 may seem daunting, but we have ways to combat the spread of the viruses. If you develop symptoms for the flu, COVID-19, or both, a simple trip to a clinic can diagnose you in no time. By continuing to practice safety measures and staying cautious, there is a good chance that the flu season won’t be something we haven’t already seen.

The Spectator ● February 4, 2022

Page 16

Science Limb Regeneration

By SUBAAH SYED While losing a limb appears to be far-fetched, it is the harsh reality of around 185,000 people who have lost their limbs due to reasons ranging from diabetes to trauma in America alone. It may make one envious of the supernatural creatures in books and movies that can regrow their body parts in the blink of an eye. However, once an otherworldly notion, human limb regeneration is becoming more of a reality with recent laboratory triumphs. Last month, scientists from Tuft University and Harvard University successfully triggered the regeneration of the left leg of an adult African clawed frog, a specimen that does not naturally regrow lost limbs on its own.

This feat is a significant step toward achieving limb regeneration in humans and potentially improving the lives of millions of amputees.

To regrow the lost limb of the African clawed frog, re-

searchers enclosed the wound of the amputated left leg in a BioDome, a silk protein gel containing a five-drug cocktail.

Each drug served a different purpose inspired by the regenerative conditions of a salamander: reducing inflammation, inhibiting collagen production, and encouraging the growth of new nerve fibers, blood vessels, and muscles. The result was a fully functional regrown leglike structure.

Though humans regrowing whole limbs is a figment of science fiction, we are actually capable of regeneration to some extent. For example, our epidermis, the outermost layer of our skin, effectively regenerates skin cells. In fact, our skin regenerates approximately every month while maintaining the same vital defensive functions of our epidermis.

Our gut lining, also known as the epithelial, is considered the most regenerative organ in the body, regenerating every five to seven days in order to sustain

the processes of the digestive system such as absorbing nutrients and eliminating waste.

Stem cells are yet another form of our body’s natural regenerative processes that generate different types of new cells, such as growing nerves and blood vessels. However, as these examples may suggest, our body is only capable of regenerating bits and pieces.

On the other hand, salamanders and other creatures harness the biological potential to regrow tissues, organs, and even entire limbs. Less complex organisms, such as unicellular organisms and invertebrates, are most known to be able to regenerate completely new limbs.

Starfish and flatworms can regrow whole bodies from amputated parts. While less complex organisms also have this ability, salamanders are usually used as models for regeneration in labs because of their impressive regenerative abilities as well as a closer evolutionary relationship to humans compared to other

organisms, as both humans and salamanders have vertebrae and similar genes for growth and repair.

The difference between a salamander and a human’s regenerative abilities starts with their different immune reactions to injuries. In humans, the immune system is quick to respond, initiating blood clots with the release of platelets and fibrin, which serves as a binding agent for the wound. Then, injured blood vessels near the wound cause localized swelling and signal inflammation, increasing the number of white blood cells. Finally, the wound is healed with the construction of new scar tissue from the protein collagen. It is important to note that this scar tissue does not perform the same functions as the undamaged skin.

Rather than scarring, salamanders send stem cells to the injured area after the blood clots. A blastema, which contains stem cells that are assigned the cell types of the nearby cells

of the wound, forms beneath the surface of the wound. Over time, the blastema differentiates and eventually regrows into a functional limb. This process is similar to how we started off in the womb as a blastema. Similar to a salamander’s missing limb, the blastema differentiates into an embryo and the stem cells become assigned to different cell types, eventually creating organs and nervous systems.

By comparing these two bodily functions, the scientists at Tufts and Harvard managed to incorporate the marked characteristics of a salamander’s immune system to the BioDome fluid. As the years go by, technology continues to progress rapidly, and scientists are further revolutionizing mechanisms that are significant to major rehabilitation purposes.

With the help of animal models and the refinement of scientific knowledge, we have been able to make discoveries that break the boundaries between science fiction and reality.

The Unacknowledgement Of Women In STEM

By ELMA KHAN Women have too often been overlooked in their scientific accomplishments throughout history due to severely ingrained patriarchal norms. Women have been making innovative contributions to the STEM area for centuries—however, there have been many famous cases where men took credit for female scientists’ discoveries. Here are four women who made amazing breakthroughs in the field, but have been hidden in the shadows until now: 1. Alice Ball Alice Ball was a pioneering African American chemist who revolutionized the treatment of leprosy. Leprosy, caused by the bacteria Mycobacterium leprae, is a contagious, airborne disease that affects the eyes, skin, upper respiratory tract, and peripheral nerves. In the past, an Indian and Chinese method of applying oil from nuts from the chaulmoogra tree was used to reduce the symptoms of leprosy. However, this was very difficult to do because this oil couldn't be injected into the bloodstream.

Since oil and blood can’t mix because they have different densities, the treatment was so difficult that patients were often not treated and were simply taken into isolated rooms to die.

Fortunately, Ball found a solution in 1915. As a chemistry professor at the University of Hawaii, she figured out how to separate the oil into fatty acids and ethyl esters so that the medicine would be more soluble in water and therefore injectable.

Chaulmoogra oil was much more effective inside the body rather than outside, so Ball’s discovery was used to treat leprosy patients from then. Sadly, a year later, at the age of 24, Ball died unexpectedly from chlorine gas exposure in a lab accident. The head of her department, Authur Dean, took credit for her work and named the separation method the “Dean's Method.” It has only been a few

decades since Alice Ball was ac- was a major contributor to the knowledged as the true scientist discovery of nuclear fusion. Afresponsible for this discovery, ter getting her doctorate from and the method is now right- the University of Vienna, she fully known as “Ball's Method.” joined the nuclear fusion re2. Eunice Foote search team with scientists Otto Eunice Foote was an ama- Hahn and Fritz Strassmann. teur scientist and one of the She suggested they blast urafirst to experiment with the ef- nium atoms with neutrons to fects of different atmospheric learn more about uranium degasses on solar heat. She was cay. However, before getting the a pioneer in hypothesizing and chance to observe the results of demonstrating the greenhouse her research, she had to flee her effect, which is a key part of home and seek refuge in Stockclimate science and is especial- holm to avoid persecution by ly relevant to today’s issue of the Nazis. Back in Berlin, afglobal warming. In her experi- ter following Meitner's advice, ment, Foote put different gas- Hahn and Strassman succeeded ses in separate glass cylinders, in finding the evidence for nueach with a mercury thermom- clear fusion, but only Meitner eter, and left them in the Sun's was able to successfully derays to see which gas caused scribe the actual concept of the greatest increase in nuclear fusion. Neversurrounding air thetemperature.

She discovered that the Sun’s rays were warmer in moist air and warmest in the carbon dioxide cylinder. She published her discovery in the American Journal Of Science in 1857, but it was largely ignored despite having Stacey Chen / The Spectator requested less, Hahn per mission from a won the Nobel Prize group of male scientists in or- for “his” discovery of nuclear der to be able to even publish fusion and never acknowledged her findings in the first place. Meitner’s contribution. Meitner Three years later, British scien- was so intelligent that Albert tist John Tyndall did some fur- Einstein, one of the few to recther research on this topic and ognize her input, is said to have published his findings. How- called her the “German Marie ever, only he was recognized Curie.” Meitner was even ofas the discoverer of the green- fered a job doing research for house effect and Eunice Foote the Manhattan Project (a projwas never mentioned. Only ect where Americans were tryrecently have scientists tried to ing to create an atomic bomb), give Foote the credit she de- but Meitner turned down the serves for initially discovering offer, stating, “I will have noththis key phenomenon. ing to do with a bomb!” She was 3. Lise Meitner rewarded for her key contribuLise Meitner, a Jewish wom- tions to nuclear fusion years latan living in Berlin in the 1940s, er with the Enrico Fermi Award

alongside Hahn and Strassman, but she never received the Nobel Prize.

4. Rosalind Franklin Rosalind Franklin was an English chemist and researcher in the 1950s. She was the initial discoverer of the double-helix structure of DNA, which completely changed scientists' understanding of DNA and still has implications in the field to this day. Franklin worked with her student Raymond Gosling and fellow scientist Maurice Wilkins as they studied crystallography (observing the atomic and molecular structure) to discover the structure of DNA. However, Wilkins and Franklin did not have a good partner relationship. Wilkins viewed Franklin as an assistant rather than a member of his team, and complained t h a t Franklin was “too independent,” demonstrating yet again the injustice female scientists face in the w o r k p l a c e .

When Franklin and Gosling were finally able to take the crystallography picture that showed the double helix form of DNA, most historians claim that Wilkins shared the photograph and their data with two other scientists, James Watson and Francis Crick, without even consulting Franklin. This led to the credit for the discovery of DNA structure to go to Wilkins, Watson, and Crick, all of whom received the Nobel Prize instead of Franklin. Sadly, Franklin soon died from cancer before the majority of the scientific community realized that it was her who had taken this trailblazing picture.

While the sexist mindset in the realm of STEM research has decreased over time, it is still present today. To illustrate this, though women make up nearly half of the U.S. workforce (48 percent in 2019), they only make up 27 percent of STEM workers, including computer scientists, biologists, astronauts, civil engineers, industrial engineers, and chemists. The current situation is certainly a step up from the 1900s, but the statistics remain low. Moreover, women in STEM fields are often paid less than men with the same jobs.

The median earning of women in STEM careers, which is around $66,200 is $23,800 less than men’s median earning in STEM, which is $90,000. Women are paid 74 percent of what men are paid in the same occupations. The gender pay gap in STEM jobs decreased minorly from 72 percent in 2016, but it’s still an active problem.

However, actions are being taken to resolve gender discrimination. For instance, Madsen, Prestley & Parenteau LLC, a firm that advocates for the rights of employees, has helped numerous people who were underpaid just because of their gender. Additionally, many feminist organizations fight against gender discrimination, such as the Association for Women’s Rights in Development, Global Grassroots, and UN Women.

Some current innovative female scientists are Cori Bargmann, who researches the causes behind neurological orders such as Alzheimer’s and autism, and Jennifer Doudna, whose newly discovered methods of genetic engineering make curing genetic diseases much easier. There are still many unacknowledged women lost in the depths of history. Hopefully one day, after enough in-depth research, we will be able to give credit to these deserving women for their groundbreaking work in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.

The Spectator ● February 18, 2022

Page 17

Arts and Entertainment Music

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Spotify has established itself as the leading global music streaming service and has used its success to build a catalog of podcasts. Most popular among these podcasts is “The Joe Rogan Experience,” which garners nearly 11 million monthly listeners. The podcast features the comedian interviewing prominent figures in society, ranging from Bernie Sanders to Kanye West to Elon Musk. Rogan’s podcast, which is exclusively accessible on Spotify, has helped the streaming service establish a presence in the podcast industry on top of its dominance in the music streaming industry.

Rogan’s podcast is Spotify’s crown jewel, which is why the streaming giant purchased exclusive rights to the podcast for $100 million.

Many, however, are criticizing the podcast’s streamlining of misinformation during the pandemic. Rogan, who has amassed controversy from previous transphobic and racist comments, has repeatedly given COVID-19 skepticists a platform to spread false facts, promoted the overuse of Ivermectin to treat the virus, and discouraged healthy people from getting the vaccine. The podcaster’s misinformation has led artists and users alike to boycott

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personality, and “one of jazz’s great eccentrics,” as The New York Post described. He wore strange hats, Chinese skullcaps, and bambooframed sunglasses, and made many mysterious remarks, such as, “It’s always night, or we wouldn’t need light!” He also had an idiosyncratic habit of stopping, standing up, and dancing in circles before returning to the piano while other musicians continued playing during performances. However, Monk also had an unusually tense and spiky piano technique, which involved flattening his fingers. Many critics viewed Monk as primitive and incompetent, and the debate over his talent and skill continued over the years. Jazz critic Philip Larkin even dismissed Monk as an “elephant on the piano.”

Monk’s m u s i c was beyond the grasp of most listeners of the time, a n d thou gh Li

While on the first floor of Stuyvesant, you may see a plaque in memory of Thelonious Monk (’35). Forty years ago, on February 17, 1982, jazz visionary Thelonious Monk died from a stroke after battling a serious illness for several years. Though Monk spent his final years living quietly in seclusion, his artistry and originality as a composer and jazz pianist will live on forever.

Information about Monk’s childhood is conflicting and ambiguous. Monk never spoke to audience members or granted interviews. What is known is that Monk taught himself to read music by looking over his sister’s shoulder as she took piano lessons. When he was 11 years old, Monk’s mother was finally able to gather enough money to buy a baby grand Steinway and pay for his weekly lessons.

From there, Monk learned to play classical pieces by Chopin, Rachmaninoff, Bach, Mozart, and many more, but lessons were discontinued once Monk turned his focus to jazz. He delved into the world of jazz by listening to musicians such as James P. Johnson, Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, Fats Waller, and Earl Hines on the radio.

By the time Monk was a teenager, he began entertaining at Harlem rent parties, during which he would raise money to pay for his family’s rent. He also received rigorous gospel training because his mother would bring him to church services. Monk became so skilled and won the Apollo Theater’s famous weekly amateur music contest so many times that he was eventually banned. He was also known to be a gifted math and physics student, but he dropped out of Stuyvesant High School around the age of 17 to pursue a career in music. Some say that Monk also studied at the Juilliard School of Music, but he was actually unable to attend after failing to obtain a scholarship by placing second instead of first in a contest. “I’m glad I didn’t go to the conservatory.

[It] probably would’ve ruined me,” Monk is known to have said over a decade later. Monk was right. Being mostly self-taught helped him keep and develop an unjaundiced eye for music.

As an adult, Monk was quite the

In Memoriam: Thelonious Monk

he actually possessed an impressive knowledge of Western classical music, gospel music, and more, his unique performances were often puzzling to critical ears.

Monk’s odd habits seemed to have stemmed from his mental dysfunction. There are many contradictory assertions that Monk was autistic, was schizophrenic, or had Tourette’s syndrome (he was actually diagnosed with bipolar disorder), but his pharmacological history was far more direct in its influence. Later on in his life,

Monk’s manic-depressive episodes became more problematic. Two or three days of excitement and restless walking would end with a period of withdrawal and mutism. His medical problems were triggered by a prior celebrity doctor who treated many socialites and artists, including Monk, with amphetamines under the guise of “vitamin” injections.

Monk was also prescribed lithium as a mood stabilizer, which contributed to his unwillingness and lack of desire to play around the 1970s.

When the subject of Monk comes up, many are simply reminded of his personal eccentricities, but his piano style was even more unique. Though Monk’s compositions and improvisations offer melodic twists, dissonance, jarring harmonies, and rhythmic displacement, his approach was deliberate and thought-out. Instead of mindlessly playing notes, he would play sparse, two-note chords by taking the third and fifth out of a major seventh chord. This combination made a seemingly right chord sound completely out of the box.

“All you’re supposed to do is lay down the sounds and let the people pick up on them. If you ain’t doing that, you just ain’t a musician,”

Monk said. The bridge of “Coming on the Hudson” and the tune of “Brilliant Corners” (1957) are a testament to this idea, with Monk’s daring but careful use of dissonance. Furthermore, Monk’s rhythmic displacement and creativity gave him a distinct sound, as shown in “Rhythming Tune,” “Straight No Chaser,” “Rhythm-ANing,” and “Evidence.” Though some may believe that Monk’s radical and innovative vision went hand in hand with his mental dysfunction, he was in fact a very methodical and careful composer. Most of Monk’s

famous tunes, such as “Round Midnight,” “Ruby, My Dear,” “Straight, No Chaser,” “Well, You Needn’t,” and “Blue Monk,” which are all now standard jazz repertoire, were written early on in his musical career before his mental health declined.

In fact, as Monk became sicker, his performances became more musically conservative and less avantgarde.

Monk is famously known to have established the bebop movement along with Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie, yet his music had few ties to any movement. Rather, he made his own movement. Monk is simply recognized to be a crucial part of bebop’s emergence because he played with many of its musicians. However, his improvisations deviated from bebop’s usual fast and smooth eighth-note lines, characteristic scales, and frequent enclosures. Instead, Monk used an unconventional sentence structure, through which he added strange accents, a minor second double stop, or tritones in the middle of a phrase.

For example, in the album “Bird & Diz” (1952), Monk’s improvisation in the tune “Bloomdido” showcases his deviation from the other bebop solos. Compared to Parker’s and Gillespie’s composed bebop solos, Monk’s solo sounded unchained.

The bebop movement was radical in that it was meant to emphasize improvisation and individuality of sound compared to previous big band jazz, but Monk was able to take this individuality a step further and make his original sound.

Monk’s albums have been in the marketplace since the 1940s, but it was not until the 1960s that the general jazz audience recognized his name. He even received a cover portrait for Time magazine in 1964 and is one out of five jazz musicians to ever be featured on the cover.

From there, Monk slowly but surely conquered the world and inspired many new generations of jazz musicians. He truly transcended his era.

“Monk’s contribution hasn’t really reached full fruition. People haven’t given him the credit he deserves—it probably will take a little more time to show his true influence on the music scene in America. But I’m sure that when all is said and done, he will stand up as tall as any composer or instrumentalist America has produced,” Gillespie stated.

Spotify’s Dilemma Spotify, citing the refusal to remove Rogan’s podcast as just the latest in a series of ill practices. Spotify has a problematic history, as seen through its low payout per stream, which has been criticized by prominent musicians like Taylor Swift and Thom Yorke. Artists Neil Young and Joni Mitchell are spearheading the new boycott by removing their entire music catalogs from the site and encouraging users to switch platforms.

Unfortunately, the Young and Mitchell-led boycott seems unlikely to succeed. For one, switching platforms is inconvenient. Many Spotify users recognize the company’s immoral practices but don’t want to deal with the hassle of swapping streaming services, which involves transferring playlists and losing exclusive features. It is irrelevant how bad the practices of the company are: to consumers, convenience trumps conscience. Those who do want to switch, however, don’t have any options that are more moral, which leads to the second reason for the boycott’s likely failure: other streaming services don’t solve Spotify’s issues. Apple Music, Spotify’s main competitor, still pays less than a cent per stream. Though Apple Music outperforms Spotify, its rates are still not enough for most artists to make a livable profit off of their

music. Amazon Music is no better.

The streaming service is run by one of the world’s largest companies, known for leaving behind a trail of scandals for every action. Smaller platforms like Bandcamp or Soundcloud aren’t viable alternatives for many due to their limited catalogs, and even streaming services that pay artists well like Napster and Tidal are owned by large, problematic shell corporations. In the streaming era, there is no convenient and morally correct decision, leaving users stuck with Spotify.

Despite the unlikely long-term success of the boycott, Spotify is suffering in the short-term, with a poll from Forrester Research finding that an estimated 19 percent of users plan to delete the app, or already have. Spotify has tried to win users back by pledging to place content advisories on podcasts that discuss the pandemic, but the company has still not removed or penalized Rogan’s podcast for spreading misinformation. The content advisories that they boast seem unpromising, however, as studies from institutions like Dartmouth have proven that misinformation advisories are less effective than they make themselves out to be and, in some cases, can even promote misinformation. Additionally, standing

policies from Spotify to remove all content deemed dangerous, including podcasts or music promoting abuse, self-harm, or violence, have failed to date. Content promoting topics like white supremacy or Nazism remains accessible, leading many to question the measure of success of future misinformation advisories: even if new measures work, can they be applied to all misinformation? Since the content that lives on Spotify’s platform is broad and varied in opinion and subject matter, any attempt to regulate the information they contain may only be a cosmetic solution.

Despite the ineffectiveness of these content advisories, it’s difficult to imagine what a harsher reaction would look like. If Spotify was to remove Rogan’s podcast, where would that place other controversial podcasts or music? For example, genres like rap or punk often promote extreme misogyny, the glorification of drug usage, or a slew of other problematic topics. There are certainly more extreme ideas communicated by these genres than speculation about the effectiveness of COVID vaccines. If Rogan is penalized on that basis, artists may continued on page 18

Playlist Protagonist Jams

By THE ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT DEPARTMENT In a bustling environment like New York City, one may feel overwhelmed or lost. The cure, as always, is with music. Here are our department’s picks for the songs that center us as the main characters of our own stories.

Drive In Madlib, Blu, MED ft. Aloe Blacc Abstract Hip-hop This Is the Day The The New Wave Force of Habit Paris Texas Alternative Hip-hop Come Down Anderson .Paak Pop Soul P.L.U.C.K. System Of A Down Alternative Metal Don’t Take The Money Bleachers Pop crasher Astrobrite Shoegaze Even the Nights Are Better Air Supply Soft Rock Police & Thieves The Clash Punk Rock Heat Wave Snail Mail Indie Rock Stupid Girl Garbage Alternative Rock Stressed Octavian Grime

Page 18

The Spectator ● February 18, 2022

Arts and Entertainment

By ELEANOR LEUNG and AMRISHA ROY The remnants of last night are strewn across the floor—beer bottles, pills, glitter, and people, bathed in the light of the spinning disco ball. A girl is passed out in the tub, powder still crusted on her nose. Those still sober enough to be conscious see everything in echoes of their original forms; hallucinations cast an ethereal glow on everything in the room. The people spin or maybe the wall spins. The world goes in and out of focus, but you bask in the sparkle of the moment—of your own breath going in and out.

A scene like this is characteristic of the HBO show “Euphoria” (2019). Though the series is a cinematic masterpiece to watch, “Euphoria” has been deemed problematic on several fronts.

First is the romanticization of drugs and alcohol. Writer Sam Levinson has admitted that much of the main character Rue (Zendaya)’s destructive relationship with drugs is a reconstruction of his own addiction, compelling him to create scenes humanizing addiction and

Television

By NICOLE LIU You’re in a cafeteria, sitting near the window and chatting with your friends about the math test you took the period before. Suddenly, you hear screaming in the distance.

The doors whip open, and students stampede in, scrambling over one another. You look at the scene in confusion until you see a bloody student with pale skin and a bite mark on her neck amid the chaos.

This incident is one of the opening sequences of “All of Us Are Dead,” Netflix’s newest Korean drama, following compatriot series such as “Squid Game” (2021- ) and “Hellbound” (2021- ). The show features a group of students fighting to escape their high school after it becomes ground zero for a zombie outbreak. The virus that starts the ordeal is called the Jonas Virus and was created by Hyosan High teacher Byeong-san (Kim Byung-chul) in an attempt to help his son stand up to bullies by converting fear into rage.

Unsurprisingly, this plan backfires, and the virus spreads throughout Hyosan High, turning students into flesh-eating zombies and leaving few besides the main cast unscathed. The show follows these characters as they travel through the school in the hopes of finding access to the Internet so they can call for help that never arrives.

Though zombies are mainstays of the horror genre, “All of Us Are Dead” stands out because of its unique setting. Students are cooped up in classrooms and forced to walk precariously from window to window on the ledges of their high school in an attempt to avoid the zombie-infested hallways. When they do have to confront the monsters outside, the school’s enclosed

The Twisted Truths in “Euphoria” drug use. Unfortunately, in doing so, Levinson has built a narrative glamorizing drug and alcohol use.

A major contributor is the enticing cinematography, which has a glittery aesthetic, lurid lighting, and engaging close-ups, ultimately resulting in “emotional and visual tones” created by cinematographer Marcell Rév.

Paired with the show’s hallucinatory, dream-like soundtrack, these elements make substance abuse seem alluring, promoting it to the show’s impressionable teenage viewers.

The show’s portrayal of relationships also contains several problematic facets. Throughout season one, the audience follows Rue’s blossoming relationship with Jules (Hunter Schafer). Viewers witness many affectionate moments between the two: Rue and Jules lying side by side, biking around town together, and gliding around a roller rink. They are genuinely mesmerized by each other, compelling the audience to root for this delicate, young romance. Unfortunately, Rue’s emotional dependence on Jules becomes unhealthy when their relationship turns into Rue’s sole source of happiness and the only thing steering her away from her addiction. Everything unravels when a road bump

be forced to blunt their edginess.

Once the ripple effects of canceling Rogan’s podcast are understood, it becomes difficult to risk entire subgenres of music in favor of political correctness.

Fortunately or not, it seems that Spotify won’t do much more than slap on an ineffective warning

Maddy does everything to protect him: spending hours covering up her wounds, throwing a tantrum while police remove her turtleneck, and consistently snapping at anyone who accuses Nate. The ordeal ends with Maddy secretly meeting him in a motel room, continuing the cycle of abuse.

Even after all this happens, Cassie, Maddy’s best friend, hooks up with Nate behind Maddy’s back, bringing a new level of complexity to the storyline and a trope that’s perhaps the hardest to watch from the entire show: the love triangle.

What makes the situation so upsetting is that these girls are throwing their lives away to be with Nate, who is clearly toxic and abusive. Cassie throws herself at Nate, and in her desperation to appeal to him, even dresses like Maddy. Her infatuation reaches a point where even a glance from Nate is enough to evoke tears of joy. All of Cassie’s actions are clearly dramatized to add interest to the plot, but at some point, even the comedic value of these moments wears off, and it’s just frustrating to witness someone be so blinded by their need for validation. Not only does the dynamic between the three feel unrealistic, but it also pits two

victims of an abusive relationship against each other.

So, why do audiences continue to eat all this up? The media’s obsession with teenage sexuality isn’t exactly new, but “Euphoria” takes this to the next level. The pulse of the show is its rampant and unabashed portrayal of substance abuse and teenage sex, but unlike teen shows like “Riverdale (2017-21)” and “Sex Education (2019-21),” “Euphoria” frames this toxicity in a sensual light.

Getting high is a hobby, the best and most reliable way to be happy.

Fights and drama are irresistibly entertaining—the more scandalous, the better. Nude scenes only further the point: in “Euphoria,” depravity is celebrated.

As viewers, there’s something to be said about the massive popular interest in a show like this. The plotlines are as outlandish as they come, yet their continual hardhitting themes of identity struggle and self-destruction allow “Euphoria” to strike a careful balance between fantasy and reality. Despite the show’s obvious flaws, people see themselves reflected in these characters, which is something teen shows rarely succeed in achieving.

“All of Us Are Dead” Breathes New Life Into the Zombie Genre space raises the stakes, making every skirmish a fight for survival.

Since most of the show takes place in the narrow hallways and cluttered classrooms of Hyosan High, the audience experiences a claustrophobic feeling, further amplified through disorienting camera work. At one point in the show, the protagonists attempt to leave their classroom and travel to the lab room using a zombie-infested hallway.

They use doors to push away the zombies and create a small opening to move around. The compact space and surrounding zombies grasping for the students’ arms and legs create the illusion that the students are being mobbed, further enhancing the claustrophobia and tension in the scene. The students’ ever-present hysteria and fear maintain a suffocating, suspenseful atmosphere.

Additionally, the show’s high school setting means that its protagonists are on the cusp of adulthood, a demographic that is not typically the focus of apocalyptic ​​ media.

Before the outbreak, the audience sees the stressful effects of school and the upcoming CSAT on the students. Some students, like Nam-ra (Choi Yi-hyun), withdraw from their peers and focus on studying, while others, like school bully Gwi-nam (Yoo In-soo), take their frustration out on their classmates. This realism appeals to younger audiences, who can relate to the struggles portrayed in the show. The high school’s lack of weapons also forces the students to rely on their wits to survive, making for a more entertaining and engaging show.

Despite the age of its characters, “All of Us Are Dead” does not shy away from revealing the ugly, selfish nature of humans in times of crisis, tackling topics such as bullying, suicide, and class hierarchy.

Thinkpiece continued from page 17

in their relationship drives them apart, pushing Rue into depression and eventually a relapse. Season two continues to build on their toxic relationship—Jules cheats on Rue with newcomer Elliot (Dominic Fike), who is secretly fueling Rue’s addiction, and Rue neglects spending time with Jules to conceal her addiction. Despite all these issues, “Euphoria” continues to glamorize the dynamic between the two, especially by showcasing cute moments of love, causing the audience to overlook the toxicity and root of this unsustainable relationship.

Surprisingly, Jules and Rue are the least toxic “Euphoria” relationship. Enter Maddy (Alexis Demie) and Nate (Jacob Elordi). For two years, Maddy and Nate had been in an on-and-off relationship, with the pair never being able to sort out their deeply rooted issues with one another. Nate’s traumatic past manifests itself in anger issues, while Maddy’s upbringing in a loveless household makes her cling blindly to her relationship with Nate. Viewers see the volatility of their relationship shine through in the carnival episode where Nate lashes out at Maddy, leaving severe bruising on her entire neck. Still,

Those with higher statuses look down upon others and often do nothing to remedy the crisis, despite their power and influence. Students hide their bites, accuse their peers, and betray one another. The brutal nature of their decisions juxtaposes their youthfulness, amplifying the show’s grim message about humankind, particularly prescient in today’s tumultuous times, which parallel the events in the show. Just as the Jonas Virus causes people to resort to hurting others for their own survival, COVID-19 has caused vaccine

cue the stranded students, they only have each other to rely on, resulting in devastating sacrifices in hopes that at least one of them will make it out of their high school alive.

Beyond the portrayal of despair and crisis, “All of Us Are Dead” uses realistic CGI and visual aids to create an unsettling atmosphere.

The different textures incorporated in the zombies’ make-up allow the mutilated bodies, missing limbs, and rotting flesh to look incredibly realistic. Though the special effects do a lot of heavy lifting to create

refusal and irresponsible exposure of peers.

Despite their hopeless situation, the teenagers still engage in playful banter and burgeoning romances, bringing a light-heartedness that cuts through the otherwise somber atmosphere. Ultimately, it is their loyalty and love for each other that save some of them in the end. Because the adults never come to res-

these terrifying creatures, the actors’ jerky movements and gaits bring the zombies to life. Many of the actors who played the zombies are experienced dancers or contortionists, and this professional background enhances the show’s scare factor.

In one particular scene, Hyeon-ju (Jung Yi-seo), the first person to turn into a zombie at Hyoson High, is brought to a hospital. While being

Reya Miller / The Spectator

Thinkpiece

sticker to fight misinformation. Spotify CEO Daniel Ek has said that he does not want Spotify to become “content censors,” and will continue to promote free speech and artistic freedom on the platform. Whether or not that free speech promotes dangerous misinformation may be irrelevant, because it’s ultimately for the user to judge themself. This response makes sense for Spotify: if it puts in more effort, it risks falling

Spotify’s Dilemma

down a slope of overfiltration and censorship, and with less effort, it risks accusations that it is looking the other way.

This isn’t to say that boycotting efforts are a waste of time. As artists, Neil Young and Joni Mitchell can decide whether they want their work represented on a platform that hosts content with which they disagree. The consumer is also free to choose which platform represents

the ideas with which they feel closely aligned, or if that matters to them at all. The problem comes down to two factors: Spotify attempting to distance themselves from the misinformation on Rogan’s podcast while actively promoting and profiting from it, and users’ inability to escape the corpocratic grip that tech giants have over streaming. By censoring Rogan’s podcast, Spotify also opens a large can of worms: it commits

tested, she suddenly wakes from her induced sleep and bends backwards until her head meets her feet. This extreme flexibility brings an extra component of horror to an already frightening show.

Despite the show’s engaging storyline, its weakness lies in the multiple subplots that it tries to take on. “All of Us Are Dead” focuses not only on the students but also on the events that occur outside of the school. The show jarringly switches gears when developing these subplots, thus detaching the audience from the characters. One portion of the show follows the government and its reaction to the outbreak, an unoriginal and overdone trope in the zombie genre. Time spent on these insignificant scenes could instead have been used to develop the intricacies of the virus and the intriguing premise behind it, which are left unaddressed and raise many unanswered questions. The virus’s origin could also have been an opportunity for the show to add something unique to its plot rather than its prototypical outbreak scenario.

Disregarding its occasional reliance on overrated tropes, “All of Us Are Dead” is a refreshing zombie show that breathes new life into a genre that has been done to death. It manages to blend elements of horror, action, and coming-of-age to create a show that is both relatable and entertaining to viewers. Like previous popular Netflix K-dramas, “All of Us Are Dead” clearly illustrates how Korean media has developed, and diversified, the zombiehorror genre. The popularity of “All of Us Are Dead” and similar series on Netflix exemplifies the extent to which K-dramas have taken over the popular streaming site and broken into the Western world, thanks to their innovation and creativity.

to filtering through content deemed unacceptable by society, a process that would contradict their belief in freedom of speech and be the detriment to music that consumers love.

Overall, this particular boycott will fizzle out without prompting much change, but it sets the precedent that the people have the power to scare mini-monopolies. At its next mishap, Spotify might not be so lucky to only lose 19 percent of their users.

The Spectator ● February 18, 2022

Page 19

Arts and Entertainment Cheap *ss Lunch #11: The Best Thing You’ll Eat (for $10) All Year

Food

By MATTHEW WAGMAN

varied chunks of tuna, lending a crunch and sharpness as the fish slides effortlessly through copious amounts of well-calibrated mayo.

An aroma of pesto heralds the butcher-run restaurant’s only vegetarian option for a main course, a Caprese which can only truly be described by the phrase “Bussin.” The pesto, which produces so pleasant a smell, is smeared on both halves of the bread, bookending the refreshing slices of crisp tomato, lettuce, and a creamy mozzarella with a rich umami fla-

people (and the staff will eagerly provide doubles of all the utensils and other eating implements) results in an adequate weekday lunch for about $10 each. Alternatively, sandwiches can be purchased for around $13 apiece, and sides for around $7, but isolating either one can result in an imbalance of food or price.

For the side dish, the first option is the polenta fries—steaming and cheesy sticks of slightly undercooked cornmeal with grainy interiors and a healthy dusting of salt,

Zoe Buff / The Spectator

It isn’t often that a new student-friendly restaurant opens in the Stuyvesant neighborhood. The general trend has consistently been in the opposite direction, with the pandemic putting the final nail in the coffin for a sizable number of already struggling businesses. Perhaps the only notable exception is 16 Handles, whose BOGO Sundae Wednesdays regularly attract hordes of sugar-starved teenagers.

Yet even that victory was tainted, emerging from the ashes of the only bubble tea joint within a ten-minute walk from Stuyvesant.

But now, just three blocks from the school building is a restaurant standing against the seemingly overwhelming tide of inaccessibility and gentrification, one which offers high-quality lunch at perfectly reasonable prices: Cicci Di Carne.

This unicorn of an establishment can be found at the edge of Brookfield Place, with a great view of the Hudson and only a short jaunt up to the well-kept seating area on the second floor above the complex’s main plaza. The menu chiefly comprises a concise, but more than sufficient, list of sandwiches, split by the preparation of their fillings into cold “Panini Freddi” and hot “Panini Caldi” sections. No matter which of these delectable offerings you choose, each will invariably come on a flat, expertly toasted Italian bread.

These starchy wrappers are light and springy, holding everything in with grace while also striking a delicate balance between a good solid chew and an unnecessarily overworked jaw.

The staff is warm and friendly, ready to passionately describe the various menu items and offer their well-calculated recommendations along with complimentary pieces of dark chocolate. One thing they will undoubtedly suggest is the roast beef sandwich. A meat lover’s

instant favorite, it is a high stack of warm and succulent slices of beef tucked between their house bread, accompanied by a salty beef broth for your dipping pleasure. In the same vein is the Porchetta, with a heavenly scent and a configuration reminiscent of a Banh Mi. Layers of flaky pork almost like more substantial bonito flakes, a bright orange chili-flecked mustard that leaves a peppery haze on the tongue, and a crunchy topping of arugula for a multi-dimensional texture all serve to arouse, but not

Music

By ZOE BUFF “Play this tune as if you’ve never heard it before.” Those are the words of Britain’s, and perhaps the world’s, greatest classical romantic composer, Edward Elgar, who intended to bring out the best in those who performed his music. Germans had referred to Britain as “Das Land Ohne Musik” (the Land Without Music) until Elgar came along. Down-toearth, yet emotional, open, and secretive at the same time, this tradesman’s son-turned-knight of the realm proved to be an enigma.

His ambivalent character was captured in his music, which lives on 88 years after his death on February 23, 1934.

Elgar was born in 1857 in a small English village to a provincial businessman and his wife. Despite his humble origins, he had great ambitions, deciding early on that he wanted to be more than a talented local musician. He took up any music-related job he could find, starting off as a conductor, bassoon player, and teacher. Having had no solid musical education, he was instead inspired by classical music bigshots Antonín Dvořák, Richard Wagner, and Robert Schumann. His music, a publication of violin pieces, was seen in print for the first time in 1885, but it wasn’t until years later

overwhelm, your tastebuds, leaving an electric hum of flavor throughout the mouth.

Another “Panini Caldi,” the tuna is sublime, its mayo-moistened shreds packed alongside lettuce, sweet-and-sour pickled pepperoncini, and tomato that could trick you into thinking it’s summer. The bright tang of those peppers effectively plays off the

vor. While the beef is of excellent quality, the Porchetta delicious, and the tuna a wonder of richness and acidity, it is the Caprese which is truly outstanding: a beautiful taste experience with top-notch ingredients that creates a symphony of reassuring taste, unable to be beaten.

The best strategy is to show up with at least one friend since a sandwich and side split for two

sharp pepper, and warm spices on top. The real hit of this order is the container of Truffle Ketchup that arrives alongside, which would turn the world into a utopia if it replaced all the Heinzes and Red Golds. If you would prefer a more vegetable-based counterpoint to the meat and carbs of the sandwiches, both the Artichoke Arugula and Burrata Caprese salads

rely heavily on a bed of unadorned fronds of arugula to extend their slightly skimpy toppings. The Artichoke is roasted and then chilled, cold and silky with an almost briny edge to its melt-in-your-mouth layers, including chewy breadcrumbs, parmesan, and a reasonable— though certainly not unique— balsamic dressing threatening to deaden the complex European flavors of the rest of the dish. The Burrata Caprese has perhaps less of a clash of the subtle and ostentatious, sticking to a classic triedand-true formula. Notable for a subtle shift from a mozzarella-like exterior to rich inner cream, the “Caprese” label resulted from the addition of sliced grape tomatoes.

The service at Cicci Di Carne is excellent, with plenty of to-go packaging, a sturdy bag bearing their spot-on graphic design, free chocolates, and if you’re lucky, free cappuccinos if they’re testing the machine. Beware, however, of their no cash policy: you’d best have at least one debit or credit card handy in your entourage. Cicci Di Carne is being hosted by Brookfield’s Test Kitchen so they won’t be here forever, though you can expect them to linger for at least a few months. You’d better head on over as soon as you can—catching this exquisite food before it ships off to Italy again may be the best decision you make all semester.

Directions: When exiting past the scanners, take the stairs immediately to the right of the school doors and head over to the main entrance.

Walk four blocks from there down North End Avenue, and hang a quick left once you get to the water. The address is 250 Vesey Street, Suite 107B, but navigating to the corner of North End and the Battery Park Esplanade will skip the confusion of stumbling through the warren that is the Brookfield Place/Oculus complex.

Britain’s Mysterious Trademan’s Son that Elgar rose to historical fame with the 1899 premiere of the musical mystery “Enigma Variations,” a collection of brooding, melancholic, and sometimes humorous movements based on a theme that fluctuates between G major and G minor. His immediate success with the lively, cheerful “Cockaigne Overture,” a musical portrait of Edwardian London, and the upbeat, triumphant “Pomp and Circumstance Marches” at the turn of the century further cemented his status as a renowned artist, and the public took to his patriotic tunes with such fervor that his work almost became the second national anthem.

Following his big break, Elgar rapidly gained acclaim and new friends, including fellow composers Gabriel Fauré and Richard Strauss, who had considerable influence on the classical music world as well.

Elgar became Sir Edward Elgar, moved to a larger house, accepted invitations to dine with nobility,

and traveled to the United States to receive a doctorate from Yale University. Upon his return to England with much fanfare, he did not neglect to bare his head in greeting to his father, who, in his frail state of health, could only observe the celebration from his bedroom window.

Elgar’s formidable mustache gave him a macho image, but

an English country gentleman no matter which social circle he was in. Given his exceptionally British appearance, it is easy to assume that his music exhibits British character as well, but when listening closer, there is far more emotion than in the standard British music of the same time: the drama is equally as intense as Italian Puccini, and the harmonies are just as striking and unconventional as German Strauss.

In fact, irony could be considered the greatest characteristic of Elgar’s music. There is always Ch loe an inside and an outside world, H ua when the chords move with ng / T such rhythmic vigor that they he Sp should be triumphant, but ec tat they are instead omior nous and menacing.

His music does a fantastic job of covering up the melancholy and disquiet with loud swagger.

Elgar is most famous for his 1908 “First Symphony,” which was played at least 100 times all over the world within a year of its premiere, and under the his Cello Concerto in E minor, surface, he was a tre- Op. 85, which was essentially his mendously humble character. He swan song, since he lost his mawas never quite able to shake off jor inspiration after the death of his rural origins and dressed like his wife and did not compose any

more major works. It is unfortunate that lack of rehearsal time made the first performance of the concerto a lamentable disaster.

Now, the masterpiece is a staple of any young cellist’s repertoire and has continued to be performed by acclaimed virtuosos, such as British cellist Jacqueline du Pré, who produced the most well-known recording of the piece in 1982.

Nowadays, teenagers top the charts, but Elgar was 42 years old when he became a household name. It is fitting that he emerged from the shadows with an orchestral work titled “Enigma Variations,” as he was a greater puzzle than his music. From the moment he was born, he was never able to completely fit in with the musical world he composed for. His music reflects the ambiguity of his identity and a sense of separation and isolation. By expressing more emotions than was common in British music at the time, he broke countless barriers. He brought “Das Land Ohne Musik” to life, and his unique style can be heard in the works of acclaimed composers Benjamin Britten, John Williams, and Malcolm Arnold, who have all contributed to the modern-day classical music scene.

His melodies continue to resonate in classical music halls around the world, and they will continue to mystify anyone who listens.

The Spectator ● February 18, 2022

Page 20

Humor These articles are works of fiction. All quotes are libel and slander.

Drug Lab Discovered at Stuyvesant High School

By ALEXANDER CHU and VINCENT D’ANGELO Yesterday, three students were found in one of Stuyvesant’s very own gender neutral bathroom, lightly dusted with a strange white substance. Through a very thorough sniff test performed by Mr. Simon, it was determined to be a new substance on the market, locally known as OwOchide (not cocaine, to the dismay of a number of troubled freshmen around Stuyvesant).

The investigation began due to reports of several students spontaneously fainting while traversing the hallways. Chemistry teacher Michael Orlando noticed that on the last AP Chemistry exam he gave, the class average went up three points to a new high of 77 percent: a phenomenon his elated students had never experienced before.

Another noted effect of increased OwOchide usage was found in gym classes. Students would typically bemoan doing any semblance of physical activity, but in recent weeks students were either passed out or extremely hyper, trying to climb and dismantle anything in sight.

Though students spoke out about this, gym teachers reported no change in class behavior.

Yet the third effect of this drug was by far the most bizarre: the sophomore bar was completely silent, with most of the students there doing homework or talking in “indoor voices.”

This extreme deviation from normality was what led School Safety and the administration to investigate the cause of these odd behaviors.

Following the events of the Stuyvesant “Gender Neutral Bathroom discovery,” the administration assembled an elite team consisting of Brian Moran, Dr. Markova, and the two ID card ladies to crack down on the operation. After three periods, the team had pulled in five students, all of them suspiciously wearing

black hoodies, gray sweatpants, and black sunglasses. All lines of questioning proved fruitless, until the threat of removing their five-star Genshin waifus was brought to the table. Simultaneously, all the students crumpled to the ground, sobbing vehemently, revealing to the interrogators that the operation was being run in lab room 927. These individuals, desperate to protect their Genshin waifus, then began to share information completely inapplicable to the investigation, including their poor first semester grades and each of their parents’ ongoing divorces. Unsure how to respond, the interrogators left the room.

Soon after, the investigators rushed to the specified lab room and kicked down the door with the might of 30 Atlases. Facing them were 10 students in hazmat suits, each of them standing over their own set of equipment.

After taking the lab workers in for questioning, a more thorough investigation of the lab was conducted.

“It was a complex operation organized by the students, an elaborate clockwork of bunsen burners, Erlenmeyer flasks, and five pineapple pizzas. It was totes cray-cray,” said Dr. Markova.

Unfortunately, the mastermind of this operation has yet to be

vestigation.

In a campaign for more information on the drug’s effects, students were asked to talk about their relevant experiences. Sophomore Imphun Atparteez was very eager for us to publish his experience with OwOchide.

“Yeah, so the other day, I had a few of my acquaintances come up to me in the hallway and ask if I was tryna obtain something strange in exchange for some change. They pulled out this white substance and I was just about to take it when I thought back to my fifth grade health teacher—I think her name was Ms. Reibestein. She told me to not give in to peer pressure. She was the only positive female role model in my life, and I could not let her down.” Atparteez, visibly excited by his recounting, took a moment to adjust his suspenders and check the time with the pocket watch he had placed in his back pocket, before violently repositioning the chair on which he sat. He continued his story, now in a more aggressive and assertive tone.

“So, I said NO to drugs. I told my friends, ‘Do you know what Ms. Reibestein told me? She told me to NEVER do drugs and to NEVER give in to scum like you.’ I proceeded to swipe the funny white substance from their devious little palms and I threw it, proudly and defiantly, into the correctly-colored garbage bin.

I found. turned “I hope m y Tina Siu / The Spectator we aren’t head and looking for this kid forever like stormed away, smirking as I Hank looked for Heisenberg— knew that I had put them in their he couldn’t tell who the impos- place.” Parteez, breathing heavily, tor among them was, and I’m not fondled the collar of his plaid, trying to be like that,” said Mr. button-down shirt for 20 secSimon on the progress of the in- onds before leaving the room.

He was seen clicking his heels down the hallway while simultaneously performing an acapella version of the Teen Titans Go! theme song.

Recently, sophomore Dewnaught Deaud-Rugs was admitted to Bellevue Hospital for entering an “either hallucinogenic or catatonic state,” which is believed to be caused by OwOchide. We were able to get a hold of one of his friends, Pierre Pressure.

“Y’know, I just thought he was playing League of Legends all night over the weekend again.

But when I stared into his eyes, I noticed that they were blank.

He wasn’t looking at anything, y’know? He’s not normally like this. He was a good kid, always read his Wattpad fanfictions about Pegleg Pete and played Among Us on the weekends. I even went to this kid’s birthday party a week ago. It really is sad to see him in such a sussy condition.” Pressure paused for a considerable period of time.

“He would’ve appreciated the sus joke.” The interviewer then quickly left the room.

The long-term effects that OwOchide will have on our school community remains unknown, as it is too soon to detail the impacts. Some proposals created by the Student Union have suggested randomly testing students for OwOchide, in a similar manner to the random COVID tests. Conspiracy theorists have gone as far as to claim that the administration is already testing for OwOchide, but under the disguise of standard COVID tests. The administration has suggested beginning mid-exam rapid tests for the drug, specifically during calculus and chemistry exams, as well as creating a center to treat OwOchide addiction within the Nurse’s office. In fact, school officials have already made antiOwOchide flyers, which you can find near the bridge. A tagline for these ads reads “How would PegLeg Pete feel? Let the ONLY drug in your body be caffeine!”

NEWSBEET Stuyvesant Cuddle Puddle increases by 200 percent due to Valentine’s Day, critical mass imminent.

Physical Education absence rates rise sharply as all gym teachers suddenly fix their attendance rosters and name pronunciation.

Principal Yu suspected of buying rose bouquets from the Indicator Flower Sale for various BTS members.

The Spectator Humor Department would like to clarify: we don’t write the jokes in morning announcements.

Stuyvesant to change name to Styevesant to avoid negative association with Dutch settlers.

Brian Moran donned a cupid outfit to greet students at the bridge entrance.

As this case involved narcotics, it had to be reported to the NYPD, who closely collaborated with Stuyvesant’s administration to find the mastermind. NYPD officer Walt Erwhight spoke to us about the progress on the case. “Well, I hope whoever is behind this comes forward soon enough. Maybe they’ll record themselves, in a ‘to all law enforcement entities, this is not an admission of guilt’ kind of thing, you feel me? The sad thing about the drug trade nowadays is that it can be done from anywhere. We don’t know if this kid is operating from within the school or Albuquerque, New Mexico!”

Stuyvesant was optimistic in the return to full service but also dismayed by the level of corruption and nepotism within the MTA that was interfering with their daily lives.

ARISTA V.S. The Writing Center

By ANIKET ROY It finally happened, folks.

Fasten your seatbelts, because the Stuyvesant Writing Center and ARISTA have officially declared war on each other.

It all began when the two departments were having a debate over which department was more relevant and helpful to students in need. ARISTA brought up astounding points such as how their headquarters has two state-of-the-art cappuccino machines and how they sell their secret stash of Adderall to Stuyvesant students, while the Writing Center rebutted with the statistic that all members of the Writing Center are far better looking and more genetically blessed than the members of ARISTA. However, the friendly debate quickly got out of hand when the two departments couldn’t settle their petty argument. The peak was met when head of the Writing Center Mark Schultz declared in a fit of rage, “This day marks the official declaration of war on ARISTA! Supremacy

shall be wrought by a fateful match of Capture the Flag!” The head of ARISTA, Kent Clark, hastily agreed to these terms, and a date was set. The epic battle was soon to come.

The battle lines were drawn on January 27, 2022: ARISTA took control of the sixth floor all the way to the 10th floor, while the Writing Center took control of the first floor through the fifth floor. The prominent bases for ARISTA were Mount Soph Bar and Fort Hudson Staircase.

For the Writing Center, it was Mount Senior Bar and Fort Junior Atrium.

An interviewed soldier fighting for ARISTA clarified, “I’m only doing this to get out of my Pre-Calc final. I’m not even sure what’s going on—I just don’t want to take that final. Also, the guys who started this entire thing really need to get a life.”

The goal was to conquer the two bases in enemy territory, which soon proved to be an impossible task. The battle went on for months, as neither side was able to conquer both opposing

bases. The Writing Center tried to invade Fort Hudson Staircase through a stealth operation, which quickly failed when two of the Writing Center members were caught being influenced by the lustrous aura of the Hudson Staircase. They were taken back to the ARISTA base camp, where they were put to public shame for not only a failed operation but also for being complete weirdos.

ARISTA also failed in their attempts to conquer the base camps of the Writing Center: they fought back by asking Mr. Moran to fight their battle for them in a plan to drop the Moran Bomb. ARISTA dropped the fateful bomb on February 5, 2022. The Moran bomb is now considered to be one of the biggest tragedies in Stuyvesant history, resulting in 25 detentions, 10 suspensions, and 12 expulsions. However, dropping the Moran Bomb was also a miscalculation for ARISTA, as it caused casualties for their members as well.

A few days later, ARISTA’s

Secretary of War programmed every bluetooth speaker in the school to play “Baby” by Justin Bieber as a strategy to annoy members of the Writing Center. While the strategy did make the ears of many Writing Center members bleed, Moran expelled the perpetrator. With the loss of their war strategist, ARISTA was forced into a bind they could not escape. The Writing Center had also been dealing with their own internal crises as they were short on soldiers because of both college apps and people realizing that the whole thing was incredibly stupid.

In the official Stuyvesant constitution, it is stated that for a conflict to be resolved between Stuyvesant organizations, there needs to be a duel between the heads of said organizations.

Both parties eventually agreed to decide the victor of the war through a battle between the heads of both departments.

It had all led up to this. Mark Schultz and Kent Clark faced each other on the cold, windy day of February 11, 2022. Unbe-

knownst to the two, their battle would go down in history as both the greatest and stupidest conflict ever. Upon the sounding of the war horn, Mark took out a book written by Shakespeare and Kent brandished a freshman he had been tutoring. Mark tried to go for a quick jab and bash Kent’s head, but ultimately failed as Kent dodged and countered with a side hook, which landed.

Mark charged toward Kent and tried to disfigure his nose. He was successful, and on top of that, it resulted in Kent having a nose bleed, which left Kent dazed.

Mark went for the finisher, but tripped on his shoelaces and fell face-first onto the ground. This left Kent with the high ground, which allowed him to garner the victory over Mark and finally end the feud. But be that as it may, the battle cost Kent his weapon, as the freshie sustained a permanent brain injury. I guess the lessons to be learned are that you should tie your shoelaces before battle and that you shouldn’t choose a human as your choice of weapon.

The Spectator ● February 18, 2022

Page 21

Humor The Stuyvesant Scandal That Escalated Too Quickly

By FINN CHAREST and ANIKET ROY [Diane Walters]: Good evening everyone! This is Diane Walters from Channel 4 News. We bring you this broadcast in light of new information—it has recently been reported that alarmed officials have temporarily closed off Stuyvesant High School’s basement. Shocking reports detail the discovery of a series of “giant, human-sized hamster wheels” connected to the school’s escalators by an elaborate system of pulleys and duct tape.

Apparently, said hamster wheels were responsible for powering the school’s escalators for days on end.

Now to our field reporter, Alicia Edwards.

[Alicia Edwards]: Thank you, Diane. I am standing outside the premises of Stuyvesant High School as we speak. I’ve learned that suspicions were first raised

when Principal Yu penalized the entire JV cross-country track team with daily after-school detentions following a second place finish in a recent tournament. Members of the administration also mentioned how unwilling Principal Yu was to comment on his bizarre decision.

Standing here is the head of the JV cross-country team, Oscar Lewis, who will provide more information about his experience.

“I didn’t know what we were going into on the first day of detention. When we got there, Principal Yu gave us a speech about how maintaining the school’s escalators was the students’ duty. He went on to explain all the things he would do if we were to refuse to help with powering the escalators… and how great a recommendation letter from the principal would look.”

It’s terrible, Diane. Numerous members of the JV team have suffered from debilitating chronic

fibrosis trying to ensure that the oritized schedule changes for their escalators continue running, and hard work. However, Lewis comadditional reports show that their plained that immediately after his parents are worried about notice- second floor Global Studies class able behavioral changes: cravwas tenth floor Drafting deings for wheat and extremely spite his repeated requests frequent pooping are some for a change. My heart of the most common. These goes out to the victims are all signs that the students of this dreadful tragedy. were slowly Back to you, Diane. turning into h a m s t e r s, [Diane Walters]: but PrinThank you, Alicia. We cipal Yu now bring to you this audio repeatedly clip that’s been unearthed insisted by our media team. I’ve that wheat been told it’s a rewas healthy cording of the NYC and the stuschool chancellor, dents were David C. Banks, becomtalking to his ing more administrafit. Other tion about the Sophia Li / The Spectator members scandal. shared that Principal Yu had alleg“It’s an embarrassment that edly promised that everyone on the they got caught. Principal Yu’s idea team would be awarded with pri- of using kids to run the escalators

was genius. When I got the cost savings report from the school, I was amazed by how much they had saved on electricity. Yu is a hero.”

As we bring you this broadcast, it’s been reported that the Department of Education is in the process of releasing an official statement showing their support of Principal Yu, praising his conduct and pushing for other schools to adopt this new method of saving money and abusing students.

Personally Alicia, I think that the DOE has gone too far this time. They were toeing the line earlier with the online-learning snow days and the in-school regents week, but this obliterates it. Additionally, what were they thinking using recreational “Bumper Balls” rather than the highly cost-efficient “Zorb” balls? Rookie mistake.

This is Diane Walters, from Channel 4 News. See you next week, New York.

Counselors Resign En Masse

By MUHIB MUHIB The new Stuyvesant semester has begun! Along with that, the Great Resignation has arrived: guidance counselors have resigned en masse after being frustrated with the barrage of students complaining about program changes! Emailing them returns error messages, and the ability to contact counselors has been completely removed from Talos. Stuyvesant systems have

been paralyzed and program changes are automatically rejected!

Michael Mulgrew, the president of the United Federation of Teachers (UFT) provided a statement when contacted by The Spectator on January 28, stating that, “As members of the United Federation of Teachers (UFT), our guidance counselors at Stuyvesant have opted to resign after being faced with the unusual circumstances presented

by their respective students. I ordered all of them to do so as the elected president of this union.

Since New York does not have a right-to-work law, the guidance counselors are required to resign or be transferred to another post.

I can say with complete certainty that the creatures known as Stuyvesant students are brats, idiots, welfare kings and queens, and crybabies. We cannot serve them when they complain about silly things such as program

changes, smelly bathrooms, lack of locker rooms, and other absurdities. Program changes were really the last straw. Our Stuyvesant guidance counselors will be withdrawing immediately from this facility.”

Many students were frustrated by the Great Resignation.

Freshman Kronos Olga was extremely angered, commenting, “For my first semester, I have had Josué Baker for Specialized Eastern European History.

For my second semester, they replaced it with normal Global History taught by Rain Sanjay.

I went to guidance to ask for a program change but my guidance counselor blew her head off and went to Principal Yu to resign. We were just learning about the upcoming liberation of Ukraine by our savior, Vladimir Putin! Now, I’m going to be continued on page 23

Secrets of the Writing Center (How to Get Your Piece Edited)

By ANJALI KARUNADASA

and contemplate its past. The antique murals on the wall—including renderings of pencils, paperclips and a cyclops—are bathed

up to a week of lunch suspension and a fine of one phone for the day. To avoid this punishment, we recommend purchasing an invisibility cloak so you can sneak out during lunch.

You will know you have reached the Writing Center when you walk into a small, musty room and the incense suddenly (and dramatically) goes out. Take a look around this strange place

in the cold daylight streaming in from the windows on the far side of the room. Empty, off-white chairs are scattered around tearstained tables, upon which sit huge mugs full of stickers. The sounds of cars and buses from the West Side highway and the screams of tortured students from the class next door can be faintly heard through the walls.

The room seems devoid of life,

Anjali Karunadasa / The Spectator

The Writing Center: a room so hidden that an article done specifically on the sixth floor (its place of residence) hardly mentions the name twice. Well, the center shall no longer be unknown! The days of confused students wandering around the sixth floor trying to find this elusive area and perplexed sophomores searching the dark web for editors’ emails are over. Today, I will explain how you can get your piece edited at the Writing Center without all the hassle.

The simplest way to reach said center requires the essay you want to be edited, a copy of your lowest graded essay, a bowl, matches, incense, and a few cookies (preferably nut and allergen free). You should also send an email asking for an appointment at the center beforehand as this often yields the best results—editors have been known to send people who haven’t emailed beforehand to the Realm of Words and Grammar, a mind-boggling pocket universe that is nearly impossible to escape from. Our sources say the correct email to send notice to is SaveMyEssayPLS@gmail.com.

Once you’ve sent your R.S.V.P. to the center, here’s how to get there.

As you ride up the 4-6 escalator, you must crumple up the copy of your lowest-graded essay and place it into the bowl, setting it on fire with the matches. Next, while chanting “the deans will not see me, the deans will not see me, the deans will not see me,” light the incense with the flames of your burning failure. The smoke from the incense will waft in the direction of the Writing Center, and all you must do now is follow

it without getting caught holding a lit fire. Make sure to put it out when you are done. Safety first! If you do get caught, you may face

except for the few stray students (and sometimes teachers) typing away.

You will probably look around, confused—where are the actual editors? Know that they are hiding from you; they probably doubt that you truly need their help, so they are content to stay out of sight. You can get their attention by going to the single computer near the window and playing a Rick Roll. An editor robed in Stuyvesant merch and Doc Martens shall appear hovering in front of you in a T-pose and ask you for the password in a serious, monotone voice. It is crucial that you perform the next few steps carefully, and without laughing, or you shall be cast out of the Writing Center for all of eternity and will never ever be able to find it again. There is no actual password—it is a trick question. Instead, hand the editor the cookies (you didn’t forget about the cookies, did you?) with a wink and pull out your essay to be edited. The editor will take the cookies and your essay and disappear back to the Realm of Words and Grammar from whence they have come, reappearing a few seconds later with your edited essay in hand and thousands of comments on it.

As you’ve obviously noticed, the Writing Center doesn’t exactly have the easiest-to-access system.

If you screw up even one of the previous instructions, you are very likely to get a different result from your efforts. Because of this, the Writing Center has faced much criticism from confused students over the years, especially after the pandemic. “Why is it so hard to get to the Writing Center? I just want my essay edited, man,” said Richard Roll, a sopho-

more who had a particularly hard time navigating the center's system. "I did something wrong and somehow ended up in the Realm of Words and Grammar. I'm really more of a math person, so it was super hard to get out. Plus, I think I'm also banned for life and somehow owe them 35 mechanical pencils?" Roll’s story is an example of one of the worst case scenarios.

However, long-time users of the center praise it for its speedy editing and kind editors. One senior, Veronica Funnie, said, “I love how fast the work is done!

I blink and suddenly the editor is back with a fully edited piece!

I do wonder how they do it, but I guess I should just be glad that I have this resource.” As a plus to getting your work edited well, the editors are also known to give out cute (and totally not cursed) stickers (which totally won’t send the stuff you stick them on to the Realm of Words and Grammar).

Unfortunately, we have no useful information to share if you were wondering how the center’s somewhat unbelievable system works. Reporters from The Spectator Humor Department have repeatedly tried to get an interview with the Grandmaster editor, but their efforts were in vain. Currently, there is an ongoing mission to get an undercover reporter to work as an editor and infiltrate the Writing Center, but none of our reporters have been accepted as of now. Apparently, editing should not include adding jokes to the essay.

So, though the Writing Center is certainly strange, this piece must be ended by saying it is a very useful resource, at least for those of us who know how to use it correctly.

Page 22

The Spectator ● February 18, 2022

Humor Lovers in a Dangerous Masked-Time

By AARON WANG and KELLY YIP

pressed state, my intelligent lover proposed we move our celebration to Whole Foods during finals week. A meal? TOGETHER?! Oh joyous day, how the stars aligned to culminate in this one perfect moment! How romantic it would be to share an overpriced lunch together! I was still giddy with excitement when finals week rolled around, perhaps also due to the copious amounts of coffee I had consumed while cramming for my

ding, obviously). We decided to reserve the Hudson Stairwell due to its dim lighting and private atmosphere, making it perfect for this celebration. However, upon finalizing our arrangements on StuyActivities, we received a most horrible email from the cursed Student Union: “ONLY clubs who have a faculty advisor present for the entirety of the meeting can make reservations. Also, please do not use stairwells for activities.”

Frankly, it horrifies me that the Student Union would even suggest that a teacher needed to be present to witness our intimate acts when they weren’t even invited to the wedding. Haven’t they considered that the faculty member might get jealous by our youthful vigor and fecundity? And why must our affections be confined to the claustrophobic interiors of a room, when in reality, our love has no limit? Why must the world be against our love?

Upon seeing me in my de-

exams. But when the fateful day arrived at last, tragedy struck.

It was a fantastic day with clear azure skies, and the frigid weather made it a perfect day for sharing a nice, warm bowl of soup. With a large bowl of lobster bisque to share, we made our way upstairs to the Whole Foods seating area, hand-in-hand because we were no longer bound by school policy.

And as if by fate, there was but a single table that was conveniently unoccupied.

We sat down across from one another, and I looked away for only a second to fetch my bottle of hand sanitizer. However, when I looked back, my fiancée was gone! Instead, in her seat was a maskless wench—her chapped lips and flushed cheeks were so appalling that I immediately lost my appetite before I had even tried the soup. Who was this individual and where did my lover go? And why was this stranger smiling at me? Surely, an impostor had taken her place. I must admit though,

Julia Shen / The Spectator

It has almost been a year since my partner and I first met over Zoom. Ever since I heard the sweet, luxurious voice emanating from her Shinji Ikari profile picture, I knew we were meant to be, even with our cameras off. The echoes and static noise that characterized Zoom audio made her voice sound ethereal. And after seeing the top half of her face in person, I strongly believed that we were ready for the next step in our relationship.

Since returning from remote learning, our love has only continued to flourish, even in these masked, uncertain times. Her beautiful hazel eyes were adorned by speckles of eye boogers that shined like little flecks of gold dust. Though the pandemic has prevented me from witnessing her beauty in its fullest glory, I can already visualize the absolute goddess she must look like beneath her mask from her immense forehead alone. Perhaps the veiling of her visage is for the better, for I am certain that my eyes would otherwise be blinded by her radiance. However, sometimes, if she is feeling a little wild, she’ll pull down her mask just below her nose bridge and bless me with the sight of that bulbous masterpiece.

Whenever we kiss through our masks, I like to stare into and get lost in the folds of her mask. As my glasses fog up from my quickened breaths of excitement, my nose searches longingly for any bit of her breath that may have escaped her mask. Mmmm… bacon-avocado-chipotle… our favorite. I can almost imagine the tender touch and sweet taste of her succulent lips, which are unfortunately sealed behind a wall of cloth. Alas, how terrible to have our love gatekept by the pandemic! We cannot even hold hands, as the school safety regulations only permit the hovering of our hands within several inches of one another. But I must confess… sometimes, when I am feeling more adventurous, I “accidentally” let my fingers graze hers, and I find

it so endearing when she yelps in surprise and immediately takes out her hand sanitizer. Oh, how she follows sanitation protocol!

Anyway, I proposed to her three weeks ago (I would have proposed sooner had I not had to quarantine for two whole weeks… those were the worst two weeks of my life), and thankfully, she said yes. Since then, we have begun researching potential venues for our “intimate ritual” (our wed-

this person did a commendable job matching my fiancée’s hazel eyes and expansive forehead, but that lower-face did not match the divinity of her aura. If anything, it ruined it. The stranger should have done more research before attempting to fool me, the most loyal and faithful of lovers.

I watched as the woman dipped her spoon into the lobster bisque, the lobster bisque that was meant for my fiancée. I felt a part of me die on the inside. I wanted to tell her that her seat was already occupied and that the soup was not hers. I politely excused myself, stating that I had to use the restroom, and used the opportunity to make a swift escape. I had to find my lover!

That’s when I recalled that I could use the Life360 app (a tracking app my lover and I had both downloaded on our phones so that we could track each other at any time, like all healthy couples do). However, the app must have been bugging because it led me back upstairs to the stranger.

That’s when she confronted me, asking me where I went. “Honey Buns, I’m right here,” she called.

“I heard you shouting my name downstairs from all the way up here in the café.” Though she was an obvious impostor by appearance alone, I must admit, her voice mimicry was insanely accurate. And how did she know that “Honey Buns” was MY pet name?

Everything she did reminded me of HER. But it couldn’t have been my fair maiden; I refused to believe it.

I began to wail uncontrollably until the staff threatened to report me to the authorities for being a “public disturbance.” I still had to get into college (we had plans of going to the same school and sharing an apartment to cut dorm costs), and this incident would probably not help my cause. I slumped down in my seat, trying to conceal my cries with the deep breathing techniques I had learned from yoga class. The stranger was really clingy and kept trying to hold my hand without my permission. Could she not? My hand is reserved for my partner only.

However, I decided that I might as well stay with this person out of the kindness of my heart because she seemed to like me to an almost pitiful degree, calling me her “future husband” as she fantasized about our alleged future marriage. It would be extremely unchivalrous of me to leave her all alone. As she droned on and on about how the Student Union were gatekeepers of romance, all I could think about was my missing fiancée. Frankly, I was surprised upon hearing her woes. It must have been a coincidence that her concerns were the same as ours, but this only agonized me further.

What about our marriage? How could I live my dreams of having a small family in the suburbs with five children (a full Valorant roster) without her?

To make myself less of an embarrassment, I bent over in my chair, resting my head on my clasped hands, elbows propped on my thighs. This position effectively hid my puffy red eyes, and it also prevented the woman from attempting to hold my hands without my permission. I almost fell asleep when suddenly I felt a hand stroke my head. I looked up, prepared to berate the stranger for being so intimate when I was already engaged, but instead I saw an angel.

It was my lover fixing her mask on her nose bridge—one that I recognized in an instant.

“C’mon, I finished my soup. Stop embarrassing me and let’s go.”

That was MY angel in front of me, mask and all! My love had returned to me, and I started crying tears of joy as I jumped out of my seat and embraced her.

She flinched in confusion from my sudden outburst as I inhaled deeply to confirm her identity, something I couldn’t have done at a distance without drawing attention. Ah, yes, it was her with her signature chipotle sauce fragrance!

The other woman was gone, but my fiancée had returned.

To this day, I still wonder what happened to that woman. I hope she finds her significant other some day.

Valentine’s Day Isn’t Over Yet!

By KRISTA PROTEASA and RYAN PENG

of a pristine bag of butter chip cookies? Time for plan B! After getting another stare-down from the security guards on your way out, head to your nearest Target store. You know, the one you always walk out of empty-handed because this is Tribeca, and a bar of soap costs more than a mortgage in Texas. When you enter, you will see large displays of heartshaped chocolate boxes left over f r o m Va l e n tine's Day, which have somehow endured the trauma of little kids trampling them and trying to pry open the lids. If you look closely (not recommended), you can see feral-looking bite marks around a few of the boxes. How abominable.

These are not the chocolates you’re looking for. Contrary to popular belief, you should not take the first thing that catches your eye, especially if it has bite te

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Valentine’s Day just passed, and you’re sad. Either get over it, or get used to it; it happens.

However, if, in your moping, you decide to supply your brain with extra dopamine, look no further than the clearance aisle of practically any store. Take yourself out on a nice date and get some heartshaped chocolate boxes for practically half the price! Supply and demand is a beautiful thing.

Four days ago, you were probably wallowing in sadness and saltiness as you observed the endless relationships around you form and flourish. Watching various lovebirds get each other flowers and teddy bears really stung when not even your mom expressed her love for you in the form of a warm-toned rose.

Homeroom was likely the worst offender—the emptiness in your heart mirrored by the emptiness on your desk—for you received no roses! Regardless, today is your day, dear reader! Today is the day you will decide to treat yourself the way you wish a partner would; you shall manifest your dreams!

Get yourself the chocolate first

and others shall follow. Let the looting begin!

Your best bet for finding quality foodstuffs is in the Peoples’ Pantry, located in the Stuyvesant cafeteria. It will be quite difficult to explain what you’re doing to the security guards, but you are practically guaranteed to find something of significant value, including, but not limited to, a murky carton of milk, a terribly bruised orange, or a priceless tooth someone lost biting into an apple! Once you manage to explain your way into the building, try to ignore the security guard staring at you as you walk up the inevitably broken two-tofour escalator. It may seem like an impossible task to break through the endlessly guarded cafeteria doors, but good news—you don’t need to! Simply take the indubitably crowded (my apologies in advance) Hudson staircase up to the fifth floor, and you’ll emerge amidst the overwhelming screams of the youth. Oh dang, they were just eating lunch in the cafeteria—my bad. Just be careful not to slip on the oranges that people intentionally drop on the floor.

Piles of apples not your thing?

Didn’t find the PowerBall jackpot

marks around it. While the bargain of 99 percent off may be very tempting, you’re only setting yourself up for disappointment if you buy the boring and traditional Valentine’s Day boxes.

Now, to find the best Valentine’s Day items, you’re going to want to go to the cleaning supplies aisle, which is commonly littered with bags of candy, patriotically colored orange, white, and blue!

These items are the real deal, and just your luck— they’re 110 percent off!

Perfect for a thrifty Stuy student!

If you’re still feeling a tad angry about receiving no roses and feel like beating up some Stuyvesant couples, don't worry! The Humor Department has devised a brilliant tactic that will satisfy your craving for revenge and get you some bonus goodies, all in one fell swoop!

Head back to Stuyvesant, and boldly interrupt that couple sit-

ting on the bench right in front of the scanners. Their matching “Stuyvesant Football” hoodies may be intimidating, but seriously, is the football team actually that strong?

After getting your free ride to Ferry’s via a 200-yard-long pass, look inside and make sure there are at least three couples in the deli. Found them? Good. These will be your targets! From here, it’s very simple: just walk in, snap, and all of them will go bye-bye.

Now you can put all the food that they were holding into your inventory, and boom! You’ve taken out your anger AND gotten free food for it! What’s not to love?

Oh, there’s a police car outside the deli? Pfft, come on, what’s the worst thing they could do?

If you’re still insistent on partaking in the consumer-perpetuated trends of Valentine’s Day chocolate, why don’t you skedaddle over to Target or something and go live your life? I know you don't have anything to do during lunch besides cry in the Junior atrium. Oh, you’re waiting for your crush to save you? Wake up, sheeple! The end is now, and it has a praline center. Be gone, before the chocolate beats you to it.

The Spectator ● February 18, 2022

Page 23

Humor How to Stop Dozing Off In Class

By ABIGAIL JIN Chances are, you’ve had the urge at least once to close your eyes during your teachers’ lectures. Not because your teachers are boring—it would be SCANDALOUS of you to even think that—but because of your sleep deprivation. It’s a real problem, and it’s no secret that many Stuyvesant students sleep at ungodly hours. Naturally, this leads to a tendency for students to doze off, especially in hot, stuffy classrooms.

Luckily for you, I have compiled a list of very useful tips to prevent falling asleep during class.

peers.

Eat something. The twominute breakfast you forced down this morning will give you enough energy to survive your commute to school, but that’s about it. Unfortunately,

ing them away for you to fall asleep.

Fear the teacher. You want to avoid that disapproving look from your teacher, the “pick your head up,” or the classic “I’ve been stand-

the cafeteria never provides enough edible food. You can buy something from the vending machines if you don’t mind the pain of knowing you got ripped off. Having food is like having a magical people magnet. Your friends in class will see you eating and endlessly pester you for some food, making you too busy shoo-

To the Department that Deserves it all: Lunch

By CHRISTIAN KIM Shall I compare you to a summer’s break?

No, for it changes so and leaves an ache…

You’re more pleasing than the yearly summer.

Unlike you, summer ends in a bummer.

The crushing work… How to make sense of it?

And the lack of sleep makes me want to quit…

Your homeworks are my favorite: nothing.

And the truth is: nothing is everything.

You’re the only class I can How you always succeed to pass with ease, And for others: a restful, joylift my mood!

I’ll vow on this consistency: ous breeze. your food.

You give a rest to my Stuy Sitting through classes I don’t endeavors.

You have and will, forever understand, And scores of failing grades and ever. that went unplanned.

Natalie Soler / The Spectator

Go to the bathroom (or at least pretend to). Under the premise of going to the bathroom, you can breathe the stale air of the hallways—one whiff of that deliciousness will be sufficient to wake you up. You may feel a twinge of hatred toward those who have a free during that period. You could also actually go to the bathroom, and if you’re tired and desperate enough, splash some cold sink water on your face.

The suspicious water will give you red rashes and itchy skin; you’ll be too busy scratching your face all day to fall asleep.

Gabriel Gutierrez / The Spectator

Buy an iced coffee from Starbucks. Bring it to class.

It’ll draw the eyes of jealous neighbors to you and your drink, and that will give you enough self-righteous energy to last the period. Also, if you happen to spill it in a strict teacher’s class, you will die of shame—but hey, at least that means you won’t have to worry about staying awake anymore.

Dramatically guilt trip yourself. Tell yourself, “I will stay awake. Because if I don’t, I won’t hear the teacher; if I don’t hear the teacher, I’ll fail my test; if I fail my test, I’ll fail the class; if I fail the class, I will fail school; if I fail school, I’ll become a hobo,” repeatedly in your head. Or out loud, if you’re willing to ignore the judgmental stares from your

Sitting up straight will save you some back pain in your future.

And one day when you’re old and gray, you’ll be able to flex your unbroken spine to your friends at the nursing home.

ing since 6 a.m., so if anyone should be tired, it’s me.” It’s annoying to hear, so stop giving teachers the chance to complain. Let them suffer in silence with us!

Fix that hunched posture.

Sleeping on a desk isn’t exactly good for your posture, which wasn’t that great to begin with.

Hire a friend to poke you during class. Simple—once you start drifting off, your friend will persistently poke your arm. Kind of like Facebook pokes, except they’re very real and very annoying.

You can pay them to do it, though it’s probably not necessary because it’s a win-win situation—you’ll be able to stay awake and your friend will have a lot of fun irritating you free of charge!

People are watching you.

Okay, maybe you’re not that popular, so people aren’t actually watching you. However, there’s always a possibility that

you could have your own personal stalker in the very same classroom. Do you really want them to watch you sleep?

Creepy, right? Or maybe you have friends that are more like paparazzi, trying to get embarrassing photos of you. If you don’t stay awake and alert, you’ll be the next victim of the @stuysleep accounts.

Sleep during your free periods. Fair warning: this barely works. Usually, once it’s your free period, every hint of fatigue vanishes, your phone becomes absolutely irresistible, and if you have any friends, they become colossal distractions. Anything can happen—one minute you’re set on taking a power nap, the next minute you’re swimming drowning in the Hudson River after accepting a dare. But still, it’s an idea!

Wear your PE uniform to class. You’ll feel the prickly judgmental eyes of your classmates on you—it’ll be an attack on your self-consciousness that’ll keep you, well, conscious. Also, your sweat on that uniform will stink up the place, keeping everyone, not just you, awake.

Next time you get three or less hours of sleep, use these tips and do anything you can to stay awake. Help Stuyvesant maintain the status quo that school is more important than sleep!

Counselors Resign En Masse continued from page 21

indoctrinated by American propaganda.”

Senior Wulfnoð Gabriela was furious at his lack of admission to electives, remarking that, “I wanted to join the new Current Events in New York City elective, which will be taught by former mayor Bill de Blasio. They say that there’s no room left, but I think that de Blasio rejected me for some of my criticisms of his transportation policies. I could have forced my way into the class if Guidance existed, but then Mulgrew had to come in and fire everyone! Now how will I learn about the city I live in?”

Junior Alfreda Lawrie was frustrated with her new AP United States History teacher, asserting that, “APUSH is completely ruined. I used to have Tin Burt as my APUSH teacher. He is just the best and is amazing.

But some stupid idiot within the program office decided to switch my teacher to Blagorodna Elvio, who is just the worst. Guidance can’t help me; they’ve left me for dead. What will colleges think?”

In protest, the Student Union (SU) organized a walkout on January 28. Students (except for the leaders of the Junior Caucus) stormed the exits and forced their way out of the building, overwhelming the security guards and faculty patrolling the exits. They walked half a mile across Chambers Street to

New York City Hall, where they occupied City Hall Park and surrounded City Hall, demanding the City Council and Mayor intervene. Five thousand National Guard troops were deployed to the scene by Governor Kathy Hochul in case of a potential standoff.

Richmond County District Attorney Michael McMahon soon charged Mulgrew with violating the Taylor Law, which governs public employee unions.

Mulgrew later released a written statement: “I am stepping down as President of the United Federation of Teachers, effective immediately. I am also pleading guilty to the charge brought against me by District Attorney Michael McMahon. I will never have any regrets for the position I held and what I did.

Those little brats deserved the trauma and all of the malarkey they invented. I mean, what even is mental health? Sounds fake to me. I cannot bear to restore the guidance counselors to Stupidvesant. My successor will be entrusted with that responsibility.” Mayor Adams, Governor Hochul, and New York City Schools Chancellor David Banks also announced that as a part of simplifying operations and making life easier for the planned return of the guidance counselors, Stuyvesant and Brooklyn Tech will merge into one school, connected by a subway shaped like a tentacle, called Stuyvesant Tech.

Adams made note that “the

Stuyvesant Transit and Urbanism Club will particularly enjoy the new subway line.”

The reaction has been, for the most part, positive. Senior and SU President Shivali Korgaonkar proclaimed that, “This is a day to celebrate. Stuyvesant is back, and better than before!”

Brooklyn Tech sophomore Rukiye Karen, however, was infuriated by the change, stating, “Today, Jerry Nadler’s machine has swallowed our school whole.

He only cares about three things: the Upper West Side, Borough Park, and Stuyvesant. He has no respect for our culture and our opinions. We don’t even get a decent subway station, while Stuyvesant gets five. And only Stuyvesant can use the new subway. We are second-class citizens!”

The new UFT President, however, did not immediately restore the guidance counselors.

Its leadership, being unrepresentative of the union as a whole, continued to blatantly violate the Taylor Act, and whispered in the ears of New York politicians that if they wanted an endorsement they were to keep quiet about the blatant violation. But when the guidance counselors made their triumphant return after a parade in the Canyon of Heroes, they would return to a pile of work that would give a fiery headache. With their now minimal salaries and little overtime pay, no guidance counselor actually ever returned.

The Spectator ● February 18, 2022

Page 24

Humor Fun Column Across

Down

1. R _ _ t on _ t 4. Animals leave them in snow 10. _ o _ _t - toy 13. Possess 14. One might use to prove sobriety 15. Probable characteristic of used items 16. Wrong!

17. Addictive substance in cigarettes, abbr.

18. SING! related acronym 19. Owl’s call 20. One would use this to check the market 23. “Me too!”

24. Common exclamation of The Three Stooges 26. Vietnamese father 28. Type of tuna 29. Handheld console 31. NASDAQ item, similar to 27 down 33 Final 37. Retort to “Is so!”

39. Pomp and Circumstance, or Gaudeamus Igitur 42. Archaic term for a group’s customs 43. Hand in spanish 44. Up and ____ 45. “Gross!”

46. Late supreme court justice 48. Snake sound 49. One who puts in much effort 55. Day, from SNL 57. Indispensable mobile application, in other words 60. Opera solo 61. Common Japanese, Chinese, and Korean surname 62. Can be Boston Creme and Lemon Custard 63. Military designation of an unfound body 64. Dino’s descendant 65. Inward flow 67. Hebrew son 68. They check your luggage 69. Acronym for multicolored lights 70. Soundtrack

Issue 11 Crossword 1

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58 62 66

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63 67 70

Please address all concerns, misgivings, fears, and/or love confessions to Oliver Hollmann.

Stuy Moment #1: Fourth Lunch

1. Many years 2. Organizational method 3. Following closely 4. Lots of HP 5. “Train from Los Angeles,” put shortly 6. Retrieval spell 7. You push your tongue against the roof of your mouth to make this sound 8. Would you li_e th _ _ _o _o?

9. UV protection 10. Hunting Cry 11. Opposite of “cons” 12. Opposite of “out of ” 15. Jeopardy answer to “One who hates” 21. Common insult of The Three Stooges 22. Funds our clubs 23. Made its mark 25. Laughs?

26. “Toss me that sack!”

27. In a quiver 29. The Taj Mahal has many 30. Above roots 32. Paddling device 34. Pay it to get cash 35. Swings from the chandelier 36. 907.18 kilograms 38. Fish’s bane 40. Bus in pig latin 41. A detective movie’s genre, probably.

47. A grumble 49. 80s Sci-fi anime flick 50. Video game ape, briefly 51. Milwaukee’s state, abbr.

52. A good friend 53. _ _ _ n ey _ _ - has good sight 54. First Blood franchise 55. _ _ del _ rot set 56. Surrounds a pupil 58. A few of 62 across 59. Breathe quickly 61. Knight’s prefix 66. Tuberculosis abbr.

Time Capsule Themed Questions 1) Where is the 2023 glass capsule located?

2) When was the first glass capsule instated at the school?

Answers 1) 10th floor, across from Ms. Leo’s room 2) 1908

Follow Us On Instagram @stuyspectator

Ying Chen / The Spectator

The Spectator ● February 18, 2022

Page 25

Sports NBA

The Rise of Ja Morant Every player entering the NBA dreams of becoming a star. Memphis Grizzlies guard Ja Morant has taken that superstar jump in the 2021-2022 NBA season. Ja Morant is averaging career highs across the board with amazing shooting efficiency. His 26.4 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 6.8 assists per game have earned him his first All-Star team selection, and he is even in the conversation to win the league’s Most Valuable Player Award. Despite his seemingly sudden rise to stardom, Ja Morant’s journey to the NBA was anything but easy.

When fans watch Ja Morant play, most see his elaborate dribbles and explosive dunks.

Behind his gameplay, though, is years of fighting his way onto the court. Ja Morant grew up in the small town of Dalzell, South Carolina, where he was coached by his father, Tee Morant. Tee Morant is a former collegiate basketball player himself and used his experience to push Ja Morant to his limits.

They would run drills together everyday, practicing dribbling through cones and finishing

Rookie of the Year over basketball phenom Zion Williamson.

Ja Morant is now a 2022 WestNelli Rojas-Cessa / The Spectator

around the rim.

Ja Morant averaged 27 points, 8 rebounds, and 8 assists per game in junior and senior year of high school. Even with these impressive numbers, he did not receive much attention from any prestigious basketball colleges. In fact, Ja Morant was not ranked by any recruiting service. Whether it was because of his obscurity or lack of height, he was constantly underrated despite his talent and work ethic. Ja Morant was eventually recruited by and enrolled in the small university of Murray State in a stroke of luck. Murray State assistant coach James Kane was at a small combine to scout Tevin Brown and recruit him. When Kane went to a concessionary to buy some chips, he accidentally stumbled upon Ja Morant playing at another gym. Kane was immediately enthralled by his performance and convinced him to attend the university.

At Murray State, Ja Morant had a very successful two years, earning All-American Honors and OVC Player of the Year. He was soon drafted into the NBA by the Memphis Grizzlies, where he would win

By JUSTIN HUANG

ern All-Star starter, among the ranks of reigning MVP Nikola Jokic and legends like LeBron James and Stephen Curry. More important than the accolades,

though, is the reputation that Ja Morant has garnered throughout the league. He embraced his underdog persona, making it a personal mission to humiliate the opposing team every night and prove his doubters wrong.

Ja Morant led the small market Grizzlies past all-time great Curry and the talented Golden State Warriors to secure a playoff spot in only his second season.

Now in his third season, Ja Morant is once again showing off his seemingly limitless talent and showmanship. His style of play is spectacular and fearless. He uses his silky smooth handles to glide past defenders and finish with explosive leaps toward the basket, no matter who is in the way. In fact, Ja

Morant has become notorious for attempting to dunk over opposing big men, some of whom are nearly a foot taller than him. This coterie includes the league’s premiere defenders, such as Jarrett Allen and Mitchell Robinson.

His production this season has drawn comparisons to those of former MVPs Derrick Rose and Russell Westbrook.

The three stars are all confident, high-flying point guards who broke out during their junior season, leading their teams to high seeds. The Grizzlies currently rank third in Western Conference and ahead of superstar-filled teams such as the Lakers. This performance far surpasses the expectations of most NBA analysts, who thought the Grizzlies would place near the eighth seed.

Many fans believe that the Grizzlies are dark horse contenders for the championship but have little chance of beating behemoths such as the Brooklyn Nets or the Milwaukee Bucks.

However, if Ja Morant has proven anything during his basketball career, it’s that you can never count him out, no matter the odds.

JV Basketball

Late Game Heroics Win Dramatic Game for Runnin’ Rebels In mid-January, two teams stood out in PSAL’s JV Basketball Manhattan III League: the East Side Community (ESC) Tigers had held first place all season with a commanding 5-0 record, and Stuyvesant’s own Runnin’ Rebels were one win away, standing at 4-0. The Rebels had just rattled off backto-back wins against Bayard and Baruch, the two other topranked teams, in addition to 45-point wins over School of the Future on December 15 and Norman Thomas on December 16. Only the top team in the league can make the playoffs, so a win against the Tigers was crucial for the Rebels’ hopes to make a playoff run. These two titans of JV basketball clashed on Thursday, January 27, in one of the most dramatic and emotional basketball games to grace the sixth floor gym.

A week before the ESC game, the Rebels faced an unexpected challenge against the School of the Future Bulldogs.

In the Rebels’ first blowout win against Future, two Bulldogs players had been restricted from play. This was not the case on the January 20, and the outcome was drastically different.

The added sophomore Bulldogs, Daniel Chauvin and Kamari Frederick, impacted the game by combining for 28 points and 15 rebounds through just three quarters of play, leading the Bulldogs to a 53-50 victory. The Rebels particularly identified Chauvin’s energy as the reason they lost the game.

“He talked a little too much, but he was able to back it up. He’s really the reason they won,” freshman and forward Samay Kothari said.

Chauvin was able to energize his bench, made easier by the no-spectators policy active at the time, which weakened Stuyvesant’s home advantage.

“We really need to get more re-

els made just two field goals and shot 50 percent on their free throws in the first quarter against the Tigers. Meanwhile, East Side was snagging every rebound and capitalizing on its

just sloppy,” sophomore and captain David Glick said.

If there were any bright sides to the first quarter, they were guards freshman Yongjoon Lee and sophomore Asher

second chance points.The quarter ended 21-7 in favor of the guests. This score was shocking, as the Rebels had not been down by more than 10 at any previous point in the season. “We really suffered in the first quarter because we weren’t coming out of the gate with the same desire to win as we normally would.

Guys weren’t doing what they were supposed to, crashing the boards or finishing shots. It was

Jiang. This game was Lee’s first official one, as he had missed the first five due to an injury. He showed high potential and an ability to penetrate the offense early in the game, but it was seemingly his lack of experience that held him to two points. Jiang is the starting point guard for the Rebels and one of their highest-scoring players. Toward the end of the first quarter, he was subbed back in for Lee, and

Zoe Buff / The Spectator

By TY ANANT

bounds in those situations. We shouldn’t have lost that game, but he was good individually, no doubt,” sophomore and captain Ichiro Goodrow said. Coming off that disappointing loss, the Rebels were determined not to lose to East Side.

However, when the day finally came and the ball was in play, they looked like the exact opposite of a team that was second in the league. The Reb-

the energy of the Rebels was immediately rejuvenated. “With [Jiang] on the floor, we play a lot more organized. He’s a really good floor general. He can pull up and make his own shots but always makes sure to get everyone involved and find the best looks,” Glick said. However, Jiang’s high-level playmaking wasn’t enough to dig the Rebels out of their hole, especially since the recipients of his passes weren’t hitting their shots.

The Rebels’ situation didn’t improve in the second period.

At the opening of the quarter, sophomore and starter Jared Virasami, one of the team’s premier shooters, left the game with a severe ankle sprain. It was at this point that the Rebels’ offense began to revolve entirely around Jiang. In the second quarter, he assisted or scored on all but one of the Rebels’ baskets, and the team began to come alive.

Freshman and guard Terrence Liao hit a deep three, and Jiang made an impressive finish, plus a foul off of a steal. Things took a turn for the worse, however, when Jiang didn’t get up after a hard foul driving into the paint a few minutes into the third quarter. He had run into the Tigers’ center and hit his head on the hardwood. When he sat down, he began to cough up blood and had trouble breathing. The game was stopped for almost 20 minutes while school officials were alerted, and an ambulance was called for Jiang, who was diagnosed with multiple bruised organs. “Losing [Jiang] was actually a really scary and emotional moment. I heard his head hit the floor, and I didn’t know if he was going to be alright. [It was] continued on page 26

Page 26

The Spectator ● February 18, 2022

Sports Winter Olympics 2022 Recap

Medal Count (2/13/22):

Highlights:

1. Norway: 9 gold, 5 silver, 7 bronze

Snowboarder Linsey Jacobellis won Team USA their first medal, becoming the oldest woman to win a gold medal in the Winter Olympics.

Figure skater Nathan Chen won a gold medal for the U.S. four years after his Olympic debut.

Team USA’s Chloe Kim scored a 94 in the Snowboard Halfpipe final, securing first place.

2. Germany: 8 gold, 5 silver, 2 bronze 3. United States: 7 gold, 6 silver, 3 bronze

Winter Olympics 2022

The Economic Game of the Olympic Games

By KAEDEN RUPAREL

Millions of people from all over the world tune in to the ongoing Olympics in Beijing to see what medals their countries will take home and watch hundreds of phenomenal athletes excel. Beijing’s opening ceremony drew more than 16 million viewers from NBC’s stream alone. Between the ongoing pandemic, the controversy surrounding Peng Shuai, and the NHL pulling out, this number saw an expected decrease. However, 16 million is no small number, speaking to the volume of people interested in the games. But behind the facade of grandeur put on by the opening ceremony and the games’ proceeding events, there is a significant accumulation of debt taken on by the host country. This debt has caused the Olympics to lose some of its allure and begs the question of whether or not this drawback is big enough to scare off future hosts.

While the games are a massive revenue generator, especially compared to the negligible amount countries make from national sporting leagues, they still barely begin to compare to the costs of hosting. Albeit a long time ago, the debt incurred by Quebecois taxpayers surpassed $1.5 billion (equivalent to just over $7 billion today) following their hosting of the 1976 Summer Games, which took over three decades to pay off. While this instance is an extreme example, numerous other host countries have incurred substantial amounts of debt, stemming from the costs of new infrastructure and

bidding to host the games. Russia spent over $50 billion on infrastructure alone for the 2014 Winter Games in Sochi, and much of the arenas went into disuse following the games. The costs to host the games are often considerably higher than expected, and many countries fall into seemingly insurmountable amounts of debt.

However, hosting the Olympics is not without its benefits. For one, the games bring in a substantial amount of revenue for the host country. The Olympic Games are an international spectacle, and their relatively low frequency (in comparison to major sporting leagues that have championships once or even twice in a given calendar year) give way to much more profit for hosts.

Hosting countries can generate exponentially larger sums of revenue from the Olympics, specifically from ticket sales for the hundreds of thousands of viewers flying in from all over the globe. Host countries also receive an adequate amount of broadcast revenue, which, again, is not an insignificant amount.

For example, the broadcast revenue from Rio’s 2016 Summer Games approached $3 billion.

The Olympics is an amateur competition, so competing athletes don’t receive any money for their participation. Their only incentive is recognition and display of skill. As a result, the revenue generated from the games is a considerable amount and is one of the major motivations for countries to host, before accounting for the cost.

The only host city to ever make a net profit from the Olympics Games was Los

Angeles in the 1984 Summer fade as the games do. Brazil Olympics. The historically has experienced record highs low cost for bidding following in tourism (with the peak bethe release of the news about ing in 2016) over the last six Montreal’s debt, Los Angeles’s years, likely stemming from the Olympic-level sporting infra- Olympics. Countries experistructure, and a stark Rin Fukuoka / Tence immediate losses he S from hosting the increase in broadcastpec tat games, ing revenue led to but or a net profit of just their over $200 million. appeal This instance was the r e only time any profit was made from the games, and relative to some of the debts incurred

b y host countries, it was shockingly low, especially when considering just how much played in Los Angeles’s favor that year.

Why, then, do countries continue to bid on the Olympics? It seems like a dismal business model, one that could even lead to political unrest when considering the raise in taxes required to pay off the cost of the games. While a country may benefit from the short-term increase in tourism, there is no clear incentive for its citizens to pay off the costs of the Olympics with substantially higher taxes when there is no profit for those involved.

However, tourism doesn’t

mains for a longer period of time. The Olympics bring an international spotlight to host cities, a motivating factor for a lot of countries. Barcelona, for example, began to end their recession by going further into debt.

By hosting the 1992 games, a strategy that enraged many at the time, Barcelona brandished their municipal improvements and reestablished its interna-

tional lure. Following the 1992 Olympics, Barcelona grew to be ranked as the sixth best city in Europe and rapidly climbed out of what proved to be a brief recession.

This pattern has continued for many other hosts, with the exception of Beijing this year and Tokyo last year, because of the absence of fans. The Olympics is certainly a short-term loss, but if countries can find ways to turn the legacy into a long-term profit, it may be well worth the risk.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) is also responsible for incurring a lot of this debt. The bidding process includes not only a financial incentive for the IOC but also infrastructure plans that encourage “wasteful spending,” making it far more difficult for smaller countries to host the Olympics. Reforms have been put in place by the IOC, but many are calling for larger scale plans to be enacted. They believe that richer countries should pitch in to help cover the cost for developing countries to host the games, increasing their global reputation and national profit.

Currently, hosting the Olympics is equated to insurmountable debt, wasted infrastructure, and high taxes. However, a combination of smart economics, IOC reforms, and aid from other countries could see more countries able to share the honor and pride that comes with hosting the Olympics.

JV Basketball

Late Game Heroics Win Dramatic Game for Runnin’ Rebels continued from page 25

definitely a rough few minutes.

But in the end, it became a really powerful thing for us to rally around, and we played perfectly in the second half,” Glick said.

And indeed, they did play perfectly. After a few rousing cheers of “For Asher!” from the huddle, the Runnin’ Rebels returned to play for the rest of the half with a new hunger. The desire to win that Glick mentioned seemed to return to the Rebels. Through the last two

quarters, scoring numbers from Goodrow and Glick tripled, and rebounding numbers vastly improved. Glick and Kothari combined for 24 rebounds, which were crucial to their comeback.

Much of the Rebels’ success in the latter half can be attributed to contributions from beyond the lines of the court.

The atmosphere of the gym was electric. The boys’ varsity basketball team watched from the doorway, and their combined cheering with the Rebels’ bench left many throats sore.

During every defensive posses-

sion, the deafening percussion of the “DE–FENSE” chant thundered throughout the gym.

On offense, the crowd erupted at any foul, clean pass, dribble move, or basket.

Almost the entire roster got the opportunity to play in the last half of the game, and most played spectacularly. Liao hit a pair of shots from deep, which caused a bench reaction that almost blew the windows out of the gym. Goodrow connected on a high difficulty and one attempt that elicited a similar response, flexing his arms in a

show of bravado after the layup.

“Our bench is different from other teams’ because ours has an ability to show up in the clutch almost as well as some of our starters. They pulled through big time,” Goodrow said.

Kothari finished the game with a pair of free throws that expanded the lead to eight, and Stuyvesant finally toppled the last remaining undefeated team in their division to take first place with a 6-1 record. “The win over East Side was important because after that, we’d basically beaten all the really good

teams in the league, so we knew where we were relatively, and we knew what damage we could do,” Glick said.

Apart from being a statement win for the Rebels, their victory over the East Side Tigers spoke to the camaraderie and loyalty within the team. “[It was] kind of an all-for-one type of mentality, how we all rallied around [Jiang]. When he fell, we all got hurt, and then we pulled it together and won. Our team spirit is unmatched. It was beautiful,” Goodrow said.

The Spectator ● February 18, 2022

Page 27

Sports Sports Editorial

A Breakdown of the Mason Greenwood Allegations

By SHAFIUL HAQUE

Manchester United forward Mason Greenwood was arrested on the night of Sunday, January 30 by the Greater Manchester Police on allegations of physical assault and rape. Earlier that day, Greenwood’s alleged girlfriend, Harriet Robson, accused the United player of domestic abuse and physical violence, posting disturbing videos and images on social media as proof. She deleted them hours later, but the evidence had already spread like wildfire. One audio clip in particular, in which Greenwood could be heard forcing an unconsenting woman to engage in sexual acts with him, went viral. Manchester United was quickly made aware of the situation, and later that day, the team issued a statement that Greenwood would not return to club training or matches awaiting further notice. He was arrested on February 1 for making murder threats, but was released a day later on bail pending further investigation. This unfortunate predicament has brought about tensions in the Manchester United dressing room, caused devastation among the victim’s family, and called into question Greenwood’s future as a professional soccer player.

Greenwood joined the Manchester United youth team at the age of six. He progressed through the academy ranks, eventually breaking into United’s first team during the 2019-2020 season. Ole Gunnar Solskjær, the manager at the time, was im-

pressed with Greenwood, and the budding star began to make frequent appearances in the starting lineup. Greenwood proved to be a reliable forward with his exceptional dribbling, ability to use both feet equally well, and versatility, which allowed him to play in every attacking role. Though the departure of Solskjær, poor form from star players, and lack of chemistry on the pitch have led to a slow start for United in the 2021-2022 season, Greenwood has been a regular starter and has played to his best ability for the team. Current Manchester

for this club.”

Considering Greenwood’s presence and exceptional attitude for United, it is no surprise that the news of his arrest has made a tremendous impact on the soccer community. Many big name sponsors and brands, including sportswear company Nike and video game developer EA Sports, have cut ties with the United player. In addition, Greenwood is no longer available to play in active squads of the mobile game FIFA 22, and his merchandise has been removed from United’s store. His actions horrified his followers,

wood have also caused a rift between the players in United’s dressing room. Rangnick confirmed that there have been conversations about Greenwood’s arrest: “We have had internal discussions, but I’m pretty sure everyone will understand those internal discussions should stay internal.” Several United players have looked to distance themselves from Greenwood, with a handful of players unfollowing him on Instagram and refraining from speaking publicly about the circumstances. However, a few players believe that they should

their recent form, and this state of affairs only exemplifies the disparate views that the players have.

Greenwood’s accuser, Robson, issued a statement a few days after Greenwood’s arrest, thanking the public for their support and stating that she will take a break from social media until the police investigations are complete.

Robson’s father also spoke out about the situation, explaining the details as to how the claims and footage spread so quickly across the internet. “She has told us her phone has been hacked. We told her to take it down, which she has done, but it’s out there now, so it is too late,” he said. “Their relationship has not been good for the last few months. She is completely devastated by it all.”

Greenwood has not only ruined his career, but his actions have also had a detrimental impact on Robson, her family, and Manchester United supporters.

More must be done to educate professional soccer players on how devastating of an impact their actions can have on the lives of others. We have to remind players that their acclaimed status as athletes does not give them any right to commit these disgraceful acts. Clubs must do more to communicate with all of their players and ensure that they are always acting in a professional manner.

With club veterans and coaches taking a larger step toward educating the younger generation of players, we will hopefully see less players committing sexual assault in the future.

This unfortunate predicament has brought about tensions in the Manchester United dressing room, caused devastation among the victim’s family, and called into question Greenwood’s future as a professional soccer player.

United manager Ralf Rangnick praised Greenwood following his outstanding performances in December: “He’s a massive talent […] Technically, for his age, he is a great player. My job is to develop him, to make an athlete out of him, and if he manages to do that, [he] can be a regular player

many of whom spoke out on social media expressing their disappointment in him. A substantial number of fans requested to exchange their Greenwood jerseys, some even going as far as to burn the shirts bearing his name in a bonfire.

The allegations against Green-

wait for all the details of the investigation before choosing sides, citing that Greenwood is “innocent until proven guilty.” A player explained that this situation has highlighted the poor chemistry between players. It is no secret that United’s dressing room has not been the best as a result of

Athlete of the Issue

Sophomore Gymnast Climbs the Rankings

By YASHNA PATEL

Name: Margaux Scandura Grade: Sophomore Height: 4’ 11” Hair Color: Light Brown Eye Color: Green Date of Birth: August 17, 2006 1. When and how did you get into gymnastics? How long have you been on the ​​Felines, the Stuyvesant gymnastics team?

I started doing gymnastics when I was around five or six years old. I went to my friend’s gymnastics birthday party at Chelsea Piers, and I really enjoyed it, so I decided to join the team there. However, I have only been on the Stuyvesant team for a few months, since November.

the gymnastics team here at Stuyvesant?

I knew a senior who does club gymnastics and was on the Stuyvesant team as well, and she actually encouraged me to join.

She told me that the team was a lot more collaborative than club gymnastics, which sounded really nice.

6. What is your strategy for constantly improving yourself (specific routines, exercises, etc.)?

I visualize a lot, meaning I go over my routines and any skills I am scared of in my head. I also go to a sports psychologist, and he definitely helps me find ways to help me calm down when

teammates, so I am always being compared to other people. This type of competition has always been the hardest part and has affected me both inside and outside of gymnastics.

8. How do you think the Stuyvesant gymnastics team has changed you as a gymnast/person?

Honora Muratori / The Spectator

4. What inspired you to join

9. What do you see yourself accomplishing in your next few years as a part of the Stuyvesant gymnastics team?

I want to up my difficulty of my skills on the Stuyvesant team, as they are not the same level of difficulty as my club routines.

The equipment is very different, and I want to further adapt and, by my senior year, be able to win city championships. My friend on my club team has won in previous years, and it will be really fun to aim to win too.

10. Are there any short-term goals you’d like to accomplish in the next months going into the last few competitions of the season?

Yes, definitely. The team finals and the individual finals are coming up, and as a team, I really want Stuyvesant to score in the top four. As an individualist, I also want to place in the top four.

2. Do you participate on an outside team, and how does your experience on the Stuyvesant team differ?

Yes, I am still at Chelsea Piers and am now a level eight.

The Stuyvesant team is definitely more relaxed than my club team, and I have more of my own freedom with my routines and skills I do on the Felines.

3. What events do you specialize in?

I do all the events, so I don’t really specialize in a specific one.

But my best and favorite event is definitely bars. Bars has just always felt most natural to me in comparison to the other events.

Being on the team has reminded me why I really love this sport.

5. Do you have a most memorable/proud moment with the Stuyvesant gymnastics team?

Actually, it was just last Wednesday. We broke the all time record high scoring for Stuyvesant in gymnastics. It was really exciting to be a part of that.

competing or doing certain skills.

7. What’s one of the biggest obstacles you’ve faced while doing gymnastics?

Honestly, I am very insecure about my gymnastics. I am constantly competing against my

The Stuyvesant team has definitely made gymnastics more fun for me. I forgot how it feels to unconditionally support your teammates and do what you want to do and do it because you love it, as opposed to doing it because you need to get to the next level.

Funniest Teammate?

Agatha Nyarko Favorite Food: Ice Cream Favorite Drink: Lemonade Favorite Class: Foundations of Literature Hobbies Beside Sports: Reading Favorite Movie(s) or Show(s): “Criminal Minds”

Page 28

The Spectator ● February 18, 2022

Australian Open

THE SPECTATOR SPORTS The Return of Rafael Nadal

By JOHN JAY WANG Is Rafael Nadal’s career over?

After Nadal was eliminated in the semifinals of the French Open, tennis fans, unaware that the match could have been the last of Nadal’s career, watched the “King of Clay” walk off the Philippe Chatrier tennis court in disappointment. However, fans later found out that the 21-time Grand Slam winner had been playing with an injury and that he would be forced to miss Wimbledon, the upcoming Grand Slam tournament. The situation worsened, as a few months later, Nadal would miss not only the US Open, but also the entirety of the 2021 season. At 35 years old, suffering from a foot injury that has held him back since 2005, Nadal found himself facing a predicament. Would he compete at the upcoming 2022 Australian Open? Would he withdraw? Would he retire? Nobody, not even Nadal himself, knew the answer.

Widely considered one of the GOATs of tennis, Nadal rose to success at the age of 19 with his victory at the 2005 French Open.

Since then, he has won 21 Grand Slam titles and two Olympic gold medals. His aggressive and consistent playstyle gives most, if not all, his opponents a tough time.

However, there has been one adversary that has always challenged Nadal: his own body.

Though widely successful, Nadal’s career has been riddled with injuries to his ankles, feet, knees, and wrists, particularly during the major stretch from 2004 to 2016. Nadal’s back forced him to withdraw from both the Wimbledon and the Olympics in June 2021, and a few months later, in August, a foot injury that had reappeared from early on in Nadal’s career forced him to withdraw

from the US Open as well. theless, the sixth seeded Spaniard Nadal was previously diag- still had considerable opposition nosed with Müller-Weiss syn- and was projected to face players drome, a rare condition in the such as Hubert Hurkacz, Alexanfoot that cannot be cured and has der Zverev, and Daniil Medvedev. held him back ever since 2005. Fortunately for Nadal, Hurkacz The injury kept the Spanish player and Zverev were upsetted in the on crutches, unsure of when his second and r return would be. “I don’t know fourth Spectato he when I will play again,” Nadal /T o said in October of last year. Fans lin H started to speculate whether Kait Nadal would even return at all. In December, Nadal recovered and started to practice again. A return by the tennis legend seemed likelier by the day, until his hopes of

competing in the Australian Open were halted again when he contracted COVID. The 35-year-old had a serious case of the virus.

The illness kept him bedridden for four days.

At this point, many did not expect Nadal to be able to compete at the tournament.

However, he had other plans. He remained eager to return, and sure enough, he physically recovered from COVID within weeks and was ready to play in the Australian Open, shocking fans.

Nadal had been tied with Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer for most Grand Slam titles of all time, at 20 apiece. There was no competition between the longtime rivals at the tournament, however, as Federer was dealing with injuries of his own, while Djokovic, battling immigration issues, was denied entry to Australia. None-

round, respectively. Instead of Djokovic, Nadal faced 14th seeded Denis Shapovalov, who took Nadal to a fifth set and lost 3-6, in the quarterfinal. In the semifinals, Nadal faced seventh seeded Matteo Berrettini, whom he beat in four sets with final scores of 6-3, 6-2, 3-6, and 6-3.

In the finals, Nadal was matched up against second seeded Medvedev, who had just made

headlines last September in the US Open by defeating Djokovic.

Djokovic, who was a US Open away from a calendar Grand Slam (in which a player wins the Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon, and US Open in the same calendar year), also sought to pass Nadal and Federer for the lead in most Grand Slam titles in men’s h i s t o r y.

N o w Medve-

d e v, with his uno r t h o d ox playstyle, was tasked with keeping another player at 20 Grand Slam titles. It wasn’t the first time Nadal and Medvedev had faced each other.

In the 2019 US Open finals, Nadal defeated Medvedev in five sets.

Nadal similarly defeated Medvedev in the Australian Open with another five-set thriller.

Medvedev took the first two sets 6-2 and 7-6, and he perfectly executed a down-the-line winner that put Nadal down 2-3. Nadal did not give up, rallying to save

the next three break points. He managed to turn the tide of the game, increasing his first serve percentage to a whopping 82 percent in the third set, while Medvedev’s fell to 72 percent. A passing backhand from Nadal made the score 5-4, and an aggressive forehand secured the third set victory for Nadal. With the momentum on his side after winning his first set of the match, Nadal would go on to defeat Medvedev 6-4 in the fourth set. In the fifth set, tied at 2-2, 40-40, an aggressive shot, just barely in play, would win the second break point of the game, giving Nadal his first lead of the set. Nadal also kept his first serve percentage at 70 percent in the final set. Nadal, with his continued consistency, won the deciding set 7-5, ultimately claiming the match.

“Being honest, one month and a half ago, I didn’t know if I would be able to [get] back on the tour playing tennis again,” Nadal said after his victory against Medvedev. Due to his foot injury and contraction of COVID, participation in the Australian Open had seemed extremely unlikely, let alone likely to result in a victory. After being down two sets to zero, his endurance was put to the test, but as usual, Nadal found a way through, rallying heroically to take the final three sets and win the match. The victory marked Nadal’s second Australian Open win and 21st Grand Slam win, putting him ahead of both Djokovic and Federer. As long as the Australian Open champion stays healthy, there are no plans of slowing down. Now with the most Grand Slams in men’s history, Nadal will look to build onto this lead at the French Open in the summer. Watch out, tennis fans. The GOAT has returned.

NFL

End of the G.O.A.T. Era

By EFE KILIC

Twenty-two seasons. Ten Super Bowls. Seven Championship Rings. Three League MVP Awards.

NFL fans all across the country were shocked when Tom Brady announced he would hang up his cleats. Earlier this month, Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers suffered a heartbreaking loss to the Los Angeles Rams in the NFC Divisional Round of the playoffs. Brady’s 2021-2022 season with the Buccaneers was truly one to admire. The 44-yearold quarterback led the league in passing yards (5,316) and passing touchdowns (43), and shattered the all-time completion league record with 485 completions.

Brady’s career began in 2000, when he was selected by the New England Patriots in the sixth round as the 199th overall pick of the NFL draft. Initially an overlooked backup behind Pro Bowl quarterback Drew Bledsoe, Brady got his chance to appear for the team when Bledsoe went down from a hit in week two of the 2001 NFL season. The rest is history, as Brady took his place in the starting lineup, pushing Bledsoe out of New England. In his second year as a starter, Brady led the Patriots to an 11-5 record and a 20-17 Super Bowl victory over the “Greatest Show on Turf ” St.

Louis Rams.

In his 20 seasons with the New England Patriots, Brady reached nine Super Bowls, winning six, and was awarded four Super Bowl MVPs. The Patriots successfully dominated the AFC East throughout the decade, thanks to the help of Brady and the brilliant head coach Bill Belicheck. However, with Brady’s contract nearing expiration in 2020, the question of what was next for the NFL superstar arose.

The relationship between Brady and Belicheck deteriorated, with the latter unwilling to cooperate with Brady during the resignation process. As a result, Brady took his talents into the free agent market, eventually signing for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. With Bucs head coach Bruce Arians and the skilled receiver core of Mike Evans and Chris Godwin, Brady led his new team to their first Super Bowl title in 18 years, defeating the Kansas City Chiefs.

During the NFL playoffs of the 2021-2022 season, Brady and the second seeded Tampa Bay Buccaneers marched into the Wild Card against the seventh seeded Philadelphia Eagles. Though they were missing their superstar wideout Godwin, Brady and the Bucs blew out the Philadelphia Eagles 31-15. As the Bucs entered the Divisional Round against the talented, healthy, and hopeful Los An-

geles Rams, they knew they would have to give it their all to come out on top. However, shortly after halftime, the Bucs were down 27-3. Despite trailing by 24, Brady led the Bucs back into the game, and a late touchdown by Leonard Fournette tied the game at 27-27.

With less than a minute left, Rams breakout receiver Cooper Kupp made two big receptions, setting the opposition up for a walk-off field goal and shattering the hearts of Bucs fans everywhere.

The public, stumped by the excellence of Kupp, acknowledged Brady’s comeback. Considering his career season, his performance in the playoffs, the 600 yards he threw, and the three touchdowns to one interception, many fans expected one more Super Bowl run

by Brady. Upon the declaration of his retirement, Brady discussed how the young Buccaneer team deserves someone with the energy and will to make a commitment to winning: “I am not going to make that competitive commitment anymore. I have loved my NFL career, and now it is time to focus my time and energy on other things that require my attention.”

In 22 seasons and 318 regular season games, Brady holds virtually every important record in the quarterback position: 84,520 regular season yards, 581 regular season passing touchdowns, and 485 regular season completions. Brady

holds a career record of 243-73-0, making him the most successful quarterback of all time. Brady’s legacy carries on past the regular season, as he has played in 47 playoff games (more than 22 NFL franchises) and has won 35.

Brady plans to focus his attention on his family and his multimillion TB12 brand, leaving his status as the Greatest Of All Time on the field. However, a return to football has not been ruled out for Brady yet. On the Let’s Go podcast, Brady spoke about his

decision: “I’m just gonna take things as they come. I think that’s the best way to put it, and I don’t think anything, you know, you never say never.” Many other athletes have come out of retirement, such as Hall of Fame quarterback Brett Favre and Brady’s former teammate Rob Gronkowski. Regardless of Brady’s status on returning to football, we as NFL fans must take some time to cherish the 22 years of greatness that Brady demonstrated in the sport of football.

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