March 8, 2018 Issue | Volume 69, Issue 5

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NEWS

March 8, 2018

Students lead gun reform debate post-Florida attack Parkland student and gun activist Cameron Kasky speaks with The Pace Press

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ADRIANA CHIVIL News Intern

Cameron Kasky at the Rally to Support Firearm Safety Legislation in Fort Lauderdale.

“I think that our generation, compared to other generations...are a lot more politically minded and a lot more dedicated to their causes,” said Carter Boyd, a University freshman and candidate for next year’s sophomore class president. He said this in the wake of one of the deadliest school shootings in U.S. history.

On Wednesday, Feb. 14, 19-year-old Nikolas Jacob Cruz walked into Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida with an AR-15-style assault weapon and unleashed over 100 of his 330 rounds of ammunition on unsuspecting minors, leaving 17 dead and 14 injured. Despite many warning signs, Cruz was able to buy his AR-15 legally and with a background check. In response to this firearm-catalyzed devastation, formerly a threat relegated exclusively to war zones, students in high school and college have come forward demanding ‘common sense’ gun reform, including Emma Gonzalez and Cameron Kasky, who both experienced the trauma of the Parkland shooting firsthand.

The Pace Press spoke to Kasky directly in an interview. “Plato said ‘One of the penalties for refusing to participate in politics is that you end up being governed by your inferiors,’ and that speaks for us in so many ways,” he said. Kasky is one of the many Parkland students who have been speaking out for tighter gun control in a movement that was catalyzed by the shooting.

Cruz, the school shooter, reportedly had etched swastikas on his rounds of ammunition, wore a gas mask, and was equipped with smoke grenades. None deny the fact that his actions were not only premeditated, but carefully planned well in advance. He had a well known background of mental illness and being troubled, exacerbated by the death of his mother only months before. Many who went to school with Cruz reported being unsurprised by the shooting occurence. As classmate Dakota Mutchler said, “I think everyone had in their minds, ‘If anybody was going to do it, it was going to be him’.” In fact, Cruz had previously stated in a YouTube comment, “I’m going to

PHOTO CREDIT: Barry Stock

be a professional school shooter.” Cruz had been expelled from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School only months before the shooting, for undisclosed disciplinary reasons. It is for this reason that many feel much could have been done to prevent this.

According to accounts given in the coverage of the shooting, Cruz took an Uber to Marjory Stoneman Douglas

CHRISTIAN HALSTEAD News Editor on the morning of the shooting. He walked into the school from the east stairwell and fired into four classrooms. He continued down the hall and up the west stairwell to the second floor. From there he shot one individual, proceeded to the east, and went up the stairs once more unto the third floor. From the third floor of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School building, Cruz attempted to create a ‘sniper’s nest’ where he would fire rounds from above, as in the Oct. 1, 2017 Las Vegas shooting, which was also perpetrated using an AR-15. The hurricane-proof glass of the school made it impossible to blow through, so Cruz reoriented and attempted to continue firing in other areas, only to be finally stopped when his gun jammed. Of the 330 rounds of ammunition he brought to the school, only 180 were left. From the third floor, Cruz left the school by blending in with other students and was arrested a town over many hours after the shooting.

It took only a few days for the survivors of the shooting to garner the nation’s attention, and not as mere victims to be pitied. Gonzalez made a now-viral speech at the Broward County Courthouse on Feb. 17, where she criticized the lack of legislation and preventative measures being taken to stop the epidemic of school shootings in the United States.

“Every single person up here today, all these people should be home grieving. But instead we are up here standing together because if all our government and President can do is send thoughts and prayers, then it’s time for victims to be the change that we need to see. Since the time of the Founding Fathers and since they added the Second Amendment to the Constitution, our guns have developed at a rate that leaves me dizzy. The guns have changed but our laws have not,” she said.

Her message that day, addressed to a large crowd in attendance, was one not of misery, but of drive and inspiration. Gonzalez addressed the political opposition to her freshly-championed cause as she stated, “To every politician who is taking donations from the NRA, shame

GUN REFORM DEBATE continued on PAGE 3

Emma Gonzalez at the rally to support firearm safety legislation in Fort Lauderdale.

PHOTO CREDIT: Barry Stock4

March 8, 2018

NEWS

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GUN REFORM DEBATE continued from PAGE 2 on you.”

The shooting catalyzed one of the biggest and most divisive policy debates in the U.S. today, namely about gun reform. CNN held a town hall on this hot-button US gun legislation controversy on Feb. 21. In fact, survivors of the shooting were directly given a voice on television, broadcast to million of Americans, where politicians who take donations from the NRA were directly confronted and asked to defend their pro-gun positions.

One such student was Cameron Kasky, who spoke with Marco Rubio, asking “Can you tell me right now that you will not accept a single donation from the NRA?” In an op-ed posted on CNN by Kasky the day before, he explained, “Those politicians—often ‘family values”’conservatives—rile up their base by making them think that ‘liberals’ are going to take their guns away. Not knowing any better, some of these people stockpile guns in advance of a gun ban that never comes, and the gun manufacturers and the NRA make millions.”

Advocates of gun reform legislation such as Gonzalez and Kasky feel the need for restrictions on who can buy guns, expanded background checks, and making illegal high-powered and automatic weapons and accessories such as AR-15’s, which are typically used in shootings, along with bump stocks. Those who hold these views often cite that fact that, “Gun buyers are seldom turned down because of mental illness. From 1998 to 2014, the FBI rejected 16,669 potential gun buyers because a background check found a mental health adjudication, about 1.4% of the roughly 1.2 million background checks that resulted in a denial,” as USA Today reports.

Those who oppose said reform do so on the grounds of justice, freedom, and rights guaranteed by the Second Amendments to the Constitution.

“In an absolutely perfect world, we wouldn’t be having this conversation,” said University freshman Beth Favolise. “I was born and raised in Connecticut, where Sandy Hook took place. So I’ve been there since the beginning and even we had problems getting legislation passed in a very liberal state where all this started.”

Favolise emphasized the fact that during the school shooter scare at the University on Sept. 14, 2017, she was terrified and felt the need to pursue political change to remove firearms as a prevalent threat to college students across the nation. “The argument is never ‘get rid of guns

completely’; the argument is about how many limits [to guns] there should be,” she said. “Legislators are not going to understand. You have to sit there, and realize, and think, ‘I could die at any minute’ before you realize maybe something should be done.”

“We have people doing walk outs, doing sit in, lying on the lawn of the White House, which is great and it shows a lot of solidarity with the people who lost their lives and lost family members in this shooting,” said Boyd. “I think what the people should be doing is writing legislation and sending said legislation to their legislators...What we have is a lot of big businesses writing legislation and giving it to their legislators, saying, ‘This is what I want done. This is what will get me the most profit.’”

In the wake of the shooting, however, many states and the federal government have been considering numerous legislation possibilities. President Donald J. Trump has been consulting advisors and legislators on options for proceeding with gun reform carefully, so as to not upset his pro-gun Republican base. For the time being, banning bump stocks is an option on the table, along with expanding background checks, and arming teachers, but as of yet nothing has been enacted by the

AR-15 are leaglly sold in gun markets.

federal government. New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo has criticized the inaction at the federal level on guns, while Democrats in the State Senate are pursuing action towards a new gun reform bill. The Florida state legislature recently, however, narrowly rejected an assault weapon ban. Instead, it appears to be moving towards arming teachers with firearms, all in response to the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting.

While legislators across the nation waver on the issue of gun reform, activists from the shooting, along with other concerned college students and civilians, are working to organize a march on Washington DC in order to to bring attention to their cause and demand actual, effectuate change.

“The March For Our Lives is an event where people from every walk of life are coming together to stand up against the inferior men and women who are failing to stand for us,” said Kasky.

PHOTO CREDIT: TIMES

Three University professors receive major grants AUSTIN SANDERSON News Intern

In the second quarter of the current fiscal year, the University received $890,599 in new grant funding from three major federal grantmaking institutions: the National Institutes of Health, the National Science Foundation, and the National Security Agency. These grants build upon the $9,370,134 that were awarded to the University during the 2017 fiscal year. According to Sally Dickerson, the Associate Provost for Research, this money is used to help fund research projects that are taking place around the University.

The University faculty members who have been awarded grants during the current fiscal year (which started on July 1, 2017) include: Zafir Buraei, Assistant Professor of Biology in the Dyson College of Arts and Sciences, was awarded a grant from the National Institutes of Health. This award is related to the R15 mechanism which encourages undergraduates to be involved with scientific research. The grant was awarded to Buraei based on his research of calcium channels and their mutations.

These channels of calcium are involved with many functions of the brain, heart, and muscles which when mutated can cause neurological and cardiovascular diseases.

Juan Shan, Assistant Professor of Computer Science in the Seidenberg School of Computer Science and Information Systems, was awarded a grant from the National Science Foundation. Her grant, which is part of the Smart and Connected Health initiative, allows Shan and her fellow colleagues to research 3D imaging that allows doctors to better predict changes in knee cartilage to allow early detection and treatment for osteoarthritis.

Yegin Genc, the Principal Investigator in Information Technology at the Seidenberg School of Computer Science and Information Systems, along with co-investigators Juan Shan and LiChiou Chen, were awarded a grant from the National Security Agency, allowing them to establish a cybersecurity data analytics lab. This allows hands-on experiences regarding cybersecurity data analytics.

These grants are part of a larger push by the University to make use of its financial opportunities. As stated in the Strategic Plan 2015 - 2020, the University has the intention to “enhance the grant and research infrastructure to support faculty and students in innovative applied research.”

The University has listed the creation of an ambitious fundraising campaign in an effort to bring in new donors as a major priority for the 2018 fiscal year. W hile University President Marvin Krislov was president of Oberlin College, he was able to lead a similar fundraising campaign that was able to meet the school’s $250 million target eighteen months ahead of schedule.

For those interested in learning more about research grants at the University, the Office of Research website (www.pace.edu/office-of-research) has more information.

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NEWS

March 8, 2018

Report: NYC housing puts millenials over budget MEGANN MARTINEZ Features Intern A recent report from Street Easy found that millennials are most likely to exceed their budget for housing in New York City. This report also finds that millenials are the most likely to consider purchasing a home in the next calendar year. The report was conducted using a survey of over 1,000 residents across all ages, races, and boroughs.

According to the report, all or most of the income millennials receive will go towards housing, leaving little for investments, basic necessities, and travel costs. In a world where upward mobility is crucial in career stability, local millennials are concerned for their financial security.

The study also found that more than one in three New Yorkers state the high cost of living in the city as the main reason for leaving the big apple.

Ronak Pansara, a first year graduate student and University alumni, discussed his struggle with finding affordable living in New York City. “When I researched apartments, the city’s cost was double my price range.

I had no choice but to choose an apartment outside in Jersey City,” he said. “It ended up working out; I prefer the commute to a rent that swallows my paycheck.”

This seems to be a popular choice for students after graduation, however, students still working towards their undergraduate degree have little wiggle room when it comes to cheap living costs. In fact, Street Easy found that 45 percent of millennials in the study chose a pricier home than they’d planned to. This is shocking compared to the 31 percent of New Yorkers in all age groups exceeded their budget when renting their current home.

Despite the high cost of living in the city, the University was recently ranked as the #1 Private College

for upward mobility by the Chronicle of Higher Education, meaning students will exceed the economic position they held before obtaining a college education. This may matter little, with the expensive living costs required to stay in the city. However many students feel confident about living in the city post-graduation. “I’ve heard from countless

people that New York is one of the most expensive places to live,” says University freshman Issac Wong. “While that might be true, I’m ready to search for apartments in the vast jungle of New York. Budgeting for adulthood will no doubt be tough, but I believe the recourses will be there for me to find the most affordable environment of living”

Camera Obscura: View of the Brooklyn Bridge in Bedroom, 2009

Photo Credit: Abelardo Morell

Acting and Film students reflect on #MeToo THAHABU GORDON Contributor

Recently, Uma Thurman joined the chorus of women demanding justice for the sexual harassment they experience in Hollywood. This came after she gave a detailed account of the abuse she endured while working under director Quentin Tarantino in a New York Times article that first appeared on February 4. Thurman’s accusations and the many women who preceded her and mobilized the #MeToo movement, are inspiring strong opinions at the University, especially among the actors and aspiring filmmakers who are part of the University’s Film and Performing Arts programs.

According to the National Sexual Violence Resource Center, one in five women are sexually assaulted while in college. At the University, this alarming statistic- paired with the sexual harassment claims coming out of Hollywood- is influencing how members of both the Performing Arts and Film programs view the industry they are preparing to work in.

“For me personally, these events educate me. I understand why some actors may be scared of the industry now or even more determined to pursue a social movement tied to their careers,” said Lorian Gish, a junior in the Performing Arts program at the Univeristy.

“I rather understand that these types of people are out there in a career I love and fear so desperately. Hopefully, if I am faced with a similar problem, this mentality that has been brewing with the “me too” movement will support me in the future,” she said.

The University’s Film and Screen studies curriculum requires students to study the history of auteurs who came before them. Whether it’s a simple name drop or watching an entire movie, some students, like junior Film and Screen Studies student Mollie Murtahg, feel that covering the history of filmmakers with allegedly questionable ethics defeats the purpose of trying to combat problematic behavior in Hollywood and in school.

“I don’t think it’s enough to have these talks about predators like Weinstein, but still teach with examples from Woody Allen’s work, which has happened twice this semester alone,” said Murtahg. “But I really do think we are moving forward by having these conversations.”

When asked about the sensitivity of the Film and Screen studies curriculum, Assistant Professor of Film and Screen Studies Colin Williamson said that he tries to incorporate pressing issues, such as the #MeToo movement and the questionable behavior of directors like Tarantino and Allen, into his lessons.

“I teach Quentin Tarantino in the ‘Art of Film’ class. And I incorporate him- and slasher and gender politics- not to celebrate his auteur identity, but to think about how he resists the claim that he’s a misogynist, when he’s actually performing misogyny,” said Williamson. “However I have to carefully craft these lessons, because if I devote too much time to Tarantino, and obscure other filmmakers, that’s irresponsible.”

Williamson also tries to discuss Allen’s work and film theory as a whole with a critical

lens, especially to question auteur theory—the notion that the director’s creative vision is the major factor to consider in understanding a film.

“If you’re studying auteur theory it’s not enough to say ‘Here’s Woody Allen, possibly Woody Allen’s a problem.’ It’s really important to invite students to say auteur theory might be a problem, it’s entirely patriarchal in the way that it’s structured,” said Williamson. “So, if I teach auteur theory I’m also teaching it up against feminist film theory, when they were responding in the 70s to the fact that Woody Allen was being praised as an artist and women directors were being silenced.”

As much as the #MeToo movement has stirred up new ideas about the future of Hollywood and how one should traverse the topic of sexual assault, actor and film studies student, John Giordano is concerned about instances of false accusations and how they take away from the movement’s goals.

“I also think there’s another side to it where it’s like the boy who cried wolf. Where you know now that there’s an opportunity to go after someone in order to benefit yourself,” said Giordano. “I think women are making false accusations as well, which makes it a problem as well because it takes away from the actual instances of women being taken advantage of. ” But his fear of exaggerated accounts eclipsing other womens’ experience with abuse does not deter him from wanting to continue working in the industry. In fact, Giordano thinks these exposés will help open the door for more female-centered narratives and storytellers.

“I love the idea of women becoming empowered in the industry. Women directors, and stories being told solely from a woman’s perspective,” Giordano said. “It opens up endless amounts of new structures in scriptwriting, in acting, in filmmaking and styles. It’s an exciting time for the industry in my opinion, and I don’t think that’s any threat to male filmmakers. If anything it’s another way to approach something new for both sexes. Things have been the way they are now since the beginning of film, and it’s time for something fresh.”

In her article for the New York Times, Thurman took some of the responsibility for the other victims that came after her: “I am one of the reasons that a young girl would walk into his room alone, the way I did. Quentin used Harvey as the executive producer of ‘Kill Bill,’ a movie that symbolizes female empowerment.”

Her words left a profound impression on Gish, who wants to alter the current state of the industry, but still thinks change is uncertain. “For now, all I can do is recognize similar situations and try to remove myself from them. My hope is for the future of the American industry to respect all actors of every gender race and social minority. But this is America.

So who knows what will happen?”

March 8, 2018

NEWS

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BSU on the newfound ubiquity of protest LAURIANNE GUITERREZ News Intern Although the efficacy of protest is widely debated, contemporary media coverage has shown that large and smallscale events are often followed by some act of demonstration or a general public response. The Pace Press interviewed Wesley Goodrich, President of The University’s Black Student Union, about protest as a form of activism in the 21st century, specifically in the context of the United States.

Pointing to the mass arrests that took place during the inauguration of President Donald Trump on Jan. 20, 2017, the Pace Press asked Goodrich about what he thinks this says the way that our country responds to activism. He responded, “Our country has historically been two-faced concerning issues of activism and by extension: freedom of speech, especially when it has to do with an opposition of the kind of white supremacy that Donald Trump represents. The Constitution says that American citizens have the right to peaceably protest, but that is hardly something that is conjured up when the protest makes people uncomfortable (which is the point of protest). A football player kneels in protest of police brutality and is told: ‘This isn’t the time and place – stand up or lose your livelihood’; citizens of New York, Baltimore and Ferguson protest the loss of fathers, mothers and children, and in response they are shot with tear gas. And that’s just the last few years– not including Stonewall, the Civil Rights movement, among other acts of protest by particularly people of color. I think these recent examples solidify that

the country violently resists the dissenting voices of the oppressed.”

Harkening back to the handful of acquittals that have come about following the inaugural protest arrests, the Pace Press inquired about what Goodrich foresees the future has in store for protest and its role in our society. “I think it will

to effect change in whatever way you can, even if it isn’t marching per se.”

This led the Pace Press to further question whether or not protest is generally an effective form of activism capable of acomplishing political goals. “I believe so. I think there’s a misconception that protesting is just screaming or

Protesters at the rally against President Donald Trump at United Nations Plaza in San Francisco.

PHOTO CREDIT: Pax Ahimsa Gethen

only galvanize more protesters. I believe it was John Lewis that said – that one of the greatest things about the Civil Rights movement was that it made civil disobedience attractive. If you see people being arrested for a righteous cause, it lights a fire in you. It makes you hungry

misbehaving. It’s viewed as a kid throwing his food back at his parents. This is not the case, we can see even recently, that protesting, be it in the form of: marching, kneeling, the refusal to particulate in or purchase a certain product, are all effective ways of making one’s voice

be heard. What protesting really does (if well planned) is two-fold: hitting the offending parties in the wallet and getting people talking. I don’t know if we would be having the conversations concerning institutionalized racial violence and violence against women (outside of academia) without the voices of protest that have risen in the past few years. Of course, protest is one tool to be used in a movement, and historically successful movements require complimentary action and support, even still this I do see protests as effective, in and of themselves.”

Goodrich said that there are many ways in students can engage in activism.

“I always say that art is revolutionary.

If you have something to say, but you don’t necessarily have a platform to say it – make one. Create a piece of art, write a play or an essay, start a blog.

Presenting your experience, which is yours and only yours contributes to the ongoing conversation. I also think that as a student, you can shift the culture of your environment. If you witness an instance of racism, sexism or homophobia even in a microaggressive manner, speak up even if it’s scary (which it very often is). I’d also encourage students to get plugged into a student organization of which they find solidarity with. The LGBTQ Center, Sabor Latino, Caribbean Student Association, and the Black Student Union (if I may plug, the one I’m involved with) are just a few of the many powerful organizations raising their voices on campus.”

Commuting a greater challenge as subways decline CARLY BIVONA Staff Writer With the worst delays in its own recent history, the MTA is posing new challenges for members of the University community as they commute to and from campus from all over the city. From unsafe conditions for riders to continuous failures of the subway system, New Yorkers are eager for an improvement to their transportation. With so many University students commuting downtown every day, the subway conditions are affecting a large portion of the student body on a daily basis.

In the past year alone, there has been a fire on the subway tracks, at least two train derailments, and a crowded train left suspended in a tunnel, leaving passengers in the dark without air conditioning for about an hour. According to a recent New York Times article, the New York City subway system now has the worst on-time performance of any major transit system in the world, as of November 2017.

More than thirty percent of University students live off-campus, according to the University website. In addition, a vast majority of University staff commute from all five boroughs and beyond.

As dependence on the New York subway system has increased in recent decades, maintenance has lagged more and more. According to the New York Times, the budget for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s subway maintenance has barely changed for 25 years. Even though the budget for subway maintenance has barely increased, salary for subway managers has reached over $200,000 a year. In those 25 years, the population of New York City has grown significantly, and daily subway ridership has reached about 5.7 million.

“It’s always packed no matter what. I usually have to wait for a few trains to pass before I can even get on, because the mornings are so crowded,” said University sophomore and Brooklyn commuter Sarah Baker. “It frequently makes me late. I usually don’t get enough sleep because I have to wake up extra early because of how unreliable it is.”

In June of 2017, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo declared a state of emergency for the MTA, as a result of unsafe conditions to riders and continuous failures of the New

York subway system. The action by Cuomo followed a long string of budget cuts by both Cuomo and Mayor Bill de Blasio. In addition, the government pressured the New York transit system to spend billions of dollars on wiedley-considered unnecessary projects such as train station remodeling. These projects did not fix the delays, crumbling tracks, or dangerous trains. Eight months later, the conditions of the transit system seem to have remained the same, if not worse.

Delay of MTA causes many inconvience for the New Yorkers.

Photo Credit: Robert Dass

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THE PACE PRESS

March 8, 2018

OPINION AND EDITORIALS

EDITORIAL BOARD Chase Ballas Editor in Chief Katrina Alonso Executive Editor Christian Halstead News Editor Madelyn Dilley Arts Editor Kelsey Nicholson Features Editor Justin Knoepfel Graphic Design Duke Huang Photo Editor Nathan Siegel Social Media Editor Dr. Kelley Kreitz Faculty Consultant

To the Pace community, Welcome to the fifth issue of the 69th volume of The Pace Press. Two years ago, we released a full-spread issue on the impact of gun violence in response to the San Bernardino attack (Vol. 67: Is. 6). In response to the Parklands attack, we are doing the same, since nothing has changed in the past two years. Please refer to pages 2, 5, 7, and 13 for this special coverage Chase Ballas Editor in Chief

The Pace Press is the student newspaper of Pace University’s New York City Campus. It is managed and operated entirely by members of the student body as it appears above.

Please have a safe and enjoyable spring break, and good luck on miderms!

The Pace Press welcomes guest editorials and letters from students, faculty, administration and staff.

The Pace Press reserves the right to not publish any submitted material, both solicited and unsolicited.

All submissions must include the author’s full name and contact information.

The Pace Press 41 Park Row, Rm. 906 New York, NY 10038 www.thepacepress.org editor@thepacepress.org Copyright 2018

CARTOON CREDIT: Dylan Share

DISCLAIMER: These opinions are expressed by contributors (students, faculty, administration and staff) to The Pace Press. These opinions are solely those of the individual writers and do not reflect the opinions of The Pace Press, the members of The Pace Press staff or Pace University. The Pace Press is not responsible and expressly disclaims all liability for damages of any kind of arising out of use or relevance to any information contained in this section.

March 8, 2018

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ARTS

The protest art of gun control

Chinese contemporary artist and activist Ai Wei Wei’s Instagram starts a ‘leg gun’ craze.

Photo Credit: Ai WeiWei’s Instagram

MADELYN DILLEY Arts Editor

Weather it is performed, like the Russian punk band Pussy Riot outside of the kremlin in an anti-Putin performance, or photographic, like Ai Weiwei’s “The Study of Perspective,” a photo series where he stuck his middle finger up to monuments around the world, protest art is rooted in the sheer act of defiance. The attitude of protest art is to provoke the minds of people, as well as the authority abusing its power.

The social media landscape has changed the way media is consumed, and protest art messages and movements are moving faster than before. Yet, this also means that the messages can be interpreted incorrectly, or not at all. An early example of protest art taking over the Internet would be Weiwei’s 2014 photo posted to Instagram captioned “Leg gun”. The photo showed the artist pulling his knee into his stomach, and pointing his leg and foot out with his back hunched. It appeared as if he was holding a gun and ready to fire. The photo was not met with a somber realization, but was given the classic Internet treatment of becoming a meme. Despite the satirical following, the photo’s Internet stardom led to a much larger conversation on gun control.

The recent shooting in Parkland has sparked a fire for gun reform after 17 people were killed. The students of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School have been at the forefront of the recent debates on gun control. Critics downplay the serious nature of this call for action because of the students’ age, but what critics are forgetting to understand is that the students of Marjory Stoneman Douglas have been raised on the Internet, and

they are not afraid to use it. By chanting terms like “Never Again” and more famously “BS” uttered by one of the leaders, Emma Gonzalez, these messages are short and impactful. The words can fit easily on a neon poster board, and with the 140 word count on Twitter. The accessibility this movement has has led to a more informed and inclusive conversation on gun control than ever before. By taking control of the narrative around gun control, the students have provoked the minds of their peers and are working to create change.

The students of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School have not created an intentional piece of protest art, but they have inspired others. A group called Teens for Gun Control led by two high school juniors staged a “Lie-in” on President’s Day. In this chilling act of defiance, 17 teenagers lied down on the ground in front of the White House for three minutes. Each teenager represented a person that was killed during the MSDHS shooting on Feb. 14. The time held was also significance: three minutes was how long the shooting lasted. The event drew in a crowd of hundreds, and received widespread media coverage. It is a haunting piece of performance art, and even more powerful considering the performers were all still in high school.

Can protest art lead to change? Change takes time but it can feel instant. Perhaps this is the start to real gun reform change. If we are lucky it will feel instantaneous.

ARTS

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March 8, 2018

More than swimming pools

A review of David Hockney’s recent MET exhibit SAM UNGER Arts Intern

(A)

(B)

( C) From top to bottom: (A) A bigger Splash, (B) Cleaning Teeth, Early Evening, (C) Portrait of an Artist( pool with two figures)

Picture Credit: David Hockney

A multifaceted creator, and leading contributor to the 1960s British Pop Art movement, David Hockney has curated decades of artistic testaments to the fluid nature of creativity and curiosity. His defiant attitude seeps through his eclectic paintings that question the limits of artistic expression and demonstrate his desire to expand his knowledge of art history and its meaning.

From Nov. 27 to Feb. 28, in honor of Hockney’s eightieth birthday, his most iconic works that span six decades were given their own exhibit at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, in what was his only North American venue. An array of vibrant acrylic paintings, photo collages, and artistic adaptations adorned the walls, proving that Hockney’s myriad of talent transcends simple paintings of pools. His work with depth and perception in those very paintings has long captivated audiences, as his unique voice has come to mean a great deal for viewers on a global scale.

Many of his paintings remain influential in Pop Art, as his vibrant images of California, depictions of his relatives, romantic partners, and friends challenged traditional art styles at the time. While living in studios between England and France, Hockney became fascinated with Los Angeles. He imagined the city to resemble a dreamlike, fantasy world, somewhere more accepting and bright. Upon arrival in the late ‘60s, inspired by the abundance of swimming pools and developing freeways, he chose to capture the dynamic city through paintings.

Hockney’s captivation with swimming pools stemmed from his belief that they were emblematic of freedom and liberation, ideas that were difficult to envision growing up in gray post-war Britain.

Hockney’s name has become, in some sense, synonymous with those swimming pools. “A Bigger Splash” (A) is one of his most well known-paintings, attempts to capture a moment as simple as a splash and make it permanent. Rather than photograph a moment as fleeting as a splash, Hockney embraced the challenge of a contradiction, using small strokes to painstakingly prolong the recreation of an image that takes a simple click of a shutter to reproduce.

Being a young gay man during a time where male homosexuality was considered illegal, Hockney often included depictions of queer love. In a work he regards as “propaganda”, “Cleaning Teeth, Early Evening” (B), he replaces genitalia with Colgate toothpaste tubes. By doing so, Hockney was able to present his sexual and

emotional development in a clever manner, giving him the power to express his thoughts and identity to a widely unaccepting world at that time.

The painting “Portrait of an Artist (Pool With Two Figures)” (C) depicts his partner at the time, Peter Schlesinger, overlooking a man swimming in a pool. The foliage behind them is inspired by the south of France. Hockney’s usage of shadows and the recreation of light refraction in the pool has been praised, as his technical abilities captivated audiences beyond the focal points of his work. “Portrait of an Artist” was created around the time his relationship was deteriorating, the distance between the two men portraying inevitable separation.

As impact at the University is notable, his style has found its way into the Art curriculum, serving as inspiration for professors and students alike. Professor Roger Sayre found interest in Hockney’s work as an undergrad, and continues to use his joiners (a memorable collection of polaroid photo) as inspiration for his photography class. “His work stands out to me,” Sayre recalled. “His interest in bright colors and domestic subject matter was not something most ‘serious’ artists were engaging in at the time. His adaptations of other media, such as through his joiners and his use of the iPad as a drawing device, distinguished him from other artists. I am inspired by his questioning, seeking nature.”

Hockney’s work has also made a lasting impression on Art majors on campus.

Art major Lauren Serino described his work as “Vibrant and saturated. The depth and spatial perception in his paintings are eye drawing.”

Likewise, Visual Arts student Adam Alhatlani said that “Hockney is more than a painter and photographer, he is a visual narrator.”

While life is comprised of fleeting moments, Hockney’s life will remain immortalized through his vivid, brilliant creations. He has interwoven empathy, curiosity, sexuality, defiance, and unpredictability through each piece, delicately capturing the often confusing and chaotic human experience. For those fortunate to have seen his creations up close, whether that be in galleries across the globe or in the Metropolitan Museum a couple of subway stops away, it is clear that his work speaks a language understood by all. It portrays the erratic and profoundly incomprehensible nature of the world that art is able to eternalize.

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The Obamas: history through art MADELYN DILLEY Arts Editor

Michelle is not your savior Through the public eye, a newly appointed icon loses the status of human being. Ssoon after losing said status, the icon is a punch line, a bullseye or any sort of a tangible item upon which a brute force of power can make impact. Becoming a public figure certainly comes with its own strife, but to become the standard, the pinnacle of how black women should act and carry themselves - especially when held through the glaring eyes of bigots and allies alike - is its own unique class of challenge. Amy Sherald’s modernist portrait of Michelle Obama is very much about the former first lady of the United States, but also paints the picture of a strong woman who is done being a blank canvas.

Michelle is seated, but her gown fans out and covers the chair to make it seem as if she is floating, a nod to her other worldly status. The dress is a white halter neck gown with mostly black and gray geometric. Despite the soft folds of the fabric, the geometric shapes create structurs, smaller triangles make whole triangles, two halves of a circle form a union. Although the shapes on the dress are spread throughout, there is a cohesive assemblage, a pattern that showcases Sherald’s modernist technique of playing with space and lines.

Ms. Obama isn’t posing for an audience. A smile isn’t plastered on her face, nor is she confined to the back of a fabric bound arm chair, which is a common practice in first lady portraitures. She looks at the viewer with an all-knowing acknowledgment. She is aware that she is perceived as important, and she knows what is wanted from her, but she would like to go back to what she was doing earlier.

This is a portrait of the former first lady Michelle Obama, but this is also a portrait of Michelle Obama, a graduate of Princeton and Harvard raised in the south side of Chicago. She is the former first lady, but she is not the standards placed upon her. She is not an idle thing that outdated ideas can be placed upon, at least not her portrait.

PAINTING CREDIT: Amy Sherald

A seat at the table Former President Barack Obama’s presidential portrait painted by Kehinde Wiley uses Baroque painting techniques that the artist is wellknown for adopting. He sits in a lacquered chestnut chair behind a sea of shrubbery; some of the leaves rest on his legs and the chair. A handful of flowers are scatted in the background, but do not take over from the subject.

The flowers in the portrait have a greater connection to the work of Baroque art and the to the former president.

Floral paintings became very popular in Northern baroque art as the Netherlands flower market was beginning to flourish. Because of the growing markets in the Netherlands, there was a growing merchant class that had the money to afford paintings, like that of a still life of flowers. The Dutch began traveling around the world picking up different flowers, spices, and other objects to bring back to the Netherlands. In many other examples of still life painting from this period the importance of travel was emphasized by the placement of globes, maps and smaller antiquities like Chinese vases or bowls.

The Dutch brought all sorts of things back home after exploring other countries. Unlike the objects from different countries that were so greatly featured in still life, finding an African subject in baroque painting is difficult.

If an African individual was found in a painting, their physical features were so grossly emphasized, since they were not common in the Anglo-Saxon society, that product became a racist caricature. In the rare cases that an African subject is found in baroque art and is not heavily characterized, it is either because the subject is in the background and requires little effort, or is there to emphasis the “pure” and “good” nature of whiteness.

It is easy to fixate on the aspects of chiaroscuro, the treatment of light and shadows in a piece of art. The large size of Former President Obama’s hands, which was a popular trend in baroque painting. All the power of this portrait comes from the history behind its style. A black man is being painted like a powerful white men. Former President Obama is painted like the white men that created the capitalist system of deep-rooted, painful oppression off of the slave trade. This portrait shows the power of Barack Obama and tells the story of a black man who found a seat the table.

PAINTING CREDIT: Kehinde Wiley

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March 8, 2018

Through the lens of a photographer MADELYN DILLEY Arts Editor

& DUKE HAUNG Photo Editor

Robert Dass is a junior at the Unviersity and specializes in street photography. He lives off campus, and with his commute to and from campus he captures moments of solitude in an ever-changing landscape that requires one to reflect on thier own journeys. Dass has granted The Pace Press some of his images during his commute with bits of commetary.

1.I shot this photo on my way from work in Union Square to the University. Its a single exposure of a window display. I was late for class, but it was worth it!

2. This photo is near the World Trade Center. The busy frame shows the often chaotic streets of New York in the morning.

3. The repetition of these signs caught my eye: How many signs is too many signs?

4. This was shot in Bed Stuy on my way to the train.

5. I was leaving my photography class in 41 Park Row when I came upon this family waiting for the bus.

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Editors’ Picks: Books A guide to what to read in your spare time, other than The Pace Press of course MAE MARTINEZ Features Intern

Katrina Alsonso, Executive Editor and University junior, has been reading her fill in emotional literature. Her recent favorites include Paris for One and Other Short Stories, by Jojo Moyes, and I Wrote This for You, by Ian Thomas.

“Paris for One” is a collection of short stories that explores the growth and development of women and their passions.

Each story is a short snapshot of someone’s life, altogether creating a moving collection of female experience.

Alonso praises “I Wrote This for You”, “This collection of poetry is earnest and poignant and affecting and it’s absolutely remarkable.” With such a glowing recommendation, fans of Rupi Kaur and Lang Leav have no choice but to read this book, it is bound to tug on the heartstrings of its readers.

Madelyn Dilley, Arts Editor and University senior, is currently reading “Sour Heart”, by Jenny Zhang.

The novel is a collection of short stories told from the perspective of young girls who are the children of Chinese immigrants.

Each narrator has a different story to tell, but the narrators’ experiences are all connected by their parents, who knew each other at one point while immigrating to America. Dilley praises the novel for its inclusion of the Chinese language and the honesty of each immigrants’ experiences, “It’s a really beautiful book.”

Duke Huang, Photo Editor and University sophomore, takes interest in a unique type of books, those showcasing the artistry of fellow photographers.

He strongly suggests “The Silence,” a photographic expose by Gilles Peress, showcasing the horror after the genocide in Rwanda.

Huang, who interns at Peress’ studio, praises the piece as a “piece of history.” As a photographer, Huang understands the desire to document the truth no matter how terrible the subject is, “I love his work.”

Christian Halstead, News Editor and University sophomore, expresses his passion for philosophical literature in academic reading, as well as in reading for leisure. Due to influence from his major in Philosophy, Religious Studies, and Economics, Halstead finds himself reading the basics of 20th century French continental philosophy.

He suggests that readers explore the relationship between political behavior and the existential circumstances in which they occur.

Readers can find this philosophy in the book “Anti-Oedipus: Capitalism & Schizophrenia”, written by Gilles Deleuze and Felix Guattari.

“This has arguably become my favorite book. We are left with a universal 'schizophrenia,’ which denies stable identities at all levels, such as at the level of matter itself, but also thought, relationships, societies.”

Chase Ballas, Editor in Chief and University senior, prefers the Lost Generation, a group of American writers who came of age and established their writing careers in the 1920s.

“Nothing can really compare to their complexity or beauty.”

His favorite novel is Earnest Hemmingway’s “The Sun Also Rises”, a novel exploring the life of Jake Barnes, topsy-turvy as it might be in the world post-World War I. Ballas praises the novel for its female protagonist, Lady Bret, who according to Ballas is, “one of the greatest literary characters of all time. The novel itself is eccentric, larger than life, yet deeply unhappy and vulnerable.”

Kelsey Nicholson, Features Editor and University sophomore, Kelsey Nicholson, suggests reading Carrie Fisher’s “The Princess Diarist”.

The book contains various diary entries from the late Carrie Fisher. She speaks from age 19, giving insight from her experiences as a teenager and working on the Star Wars set.

Nicholson strongly recommends the book, “Even at 19, she was brilliant and poignant in all the right ways. A wonderful read if you’re feeling nostalgic.” Any Star Wars enthusiast would be a fan of this epistolary structured memoir.

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March 8, 2018

An update on Pace’s newspaper subscriptions BROOKE SUFRIN Arts Intern

The Pace Press published an article in its last issue investigating the disappearance of popular news papers, The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal around campus.

The Press incorrectly reported that the removal of the papers was the result of a budgeting decision from SDACA. However, after further investigation it has been brought to our attention that the budgeting decision for the newspapers and all student organizations are overseen by the student-led Budget Allocation Council.

The Press sat down with Lina Huang, finance major and executive treasurer for the Council. Huang informed us of the roles of the Council and how their decisions are met.

BAC is a group of six appointed and elected full-time undergraduate University students, a part of the Student Government Association. They receive the budget proposals from all student organizations and then determine how to allocate the funds. The budget for the student organizations comes from the Student Activities Fee, which all full-time undergraduate students pay $76 as a part of their tuition per semester. From this fund, the BAC can allocate the money accordingly to student organizations based on the needs of the individual organizations.

The money that had funded the newspapers came from the Excess Fund, which is the money left over after it had been allocated to student organizations. The Excess Fund is typically is used for Student Opportunity Grants. These grants can be proposed by students in what they wish to use the Excess Fund for. For example, the last year’s Student Opportunity Grant was used to fund the 2017 Queer Gala, hosted by the LGBTQ+ community.

The newspapers were previously proposed by a student who was a former member of the SGA. The Wall Street Journal was completely funded by the Excess Fund and The New York Times was funded partially by the Excess Fund and also by another department, in which Huang was not sure of.

The recent article published about the disappearance of these news sources exposed the disappointment of students and faculty on campus regarding the removal of this resource.

“It is unfortunate to see these publications removed from the campus,” said Communications Studies Professor Seong Jae Min, “Having the hard copies on campus was a good incentive to encourage

newspaper reading, which is in decline for the younger generation. I sometimes took the hard copies myself to the classroom and shared news stories with students. I think I will be missing them.”

When asked if the newspapers will ever be seen on campus again, Huang was unsure but hopeful.

“Yes, but I don’t know how soon it would be. I can’t tell you when, but if we build up the Excess Fund, I have hope for newspapers in the future,” said Huang.

Huang explained that BAC makes tough decisions regarding student-funded organizations. This past year, student organizations increased their budget proposals and there was no Excess Fund left over.

Huang and BAC sent around an email survey when contemplating letting the newspapers go. They received little response and felt that the survey didn’t reflect the student body’s opinion. After much debate, the decision came to ultimately stop funding for the newspapers. In the email survey, the BAC proposed raising the Student Activities Fee in order to expand the budget and increase funding. With little response, mainly negative, it concluded that there would be no more Excess Fund.

When asked if the funding for the newspapers could be moved from the Excess Fund to the Student Activities Fund, Huang said that this would take away funding from the student organizations, but that possibility is something that can be debated at their next meeting. The BAC has biweekly meetings and has forums for students to attend and voice their opinions or concerns regarding the budget. Any full time undergraduate student can be appointed or run to be elected to the Council.

“I think its good if students are more aware in what the BAC is and does. It would help them to make proposals and be more involved on campus. Most of our funding goes toward students orgs.”

Note: a version of this story was printed in our previous print issue (Vol. 69:Is. 4) and can be found on our website.

Are long-distance relationships for the long run?

BROOK SALAMONE Contributor We all know the classic long-distance love stories that are portrayed on the big screen in cinemas all over the country. 2010 movie blockbuster “Going the Distance” paints a perfect picture of the classic long distance love story: boy meets girl in New York City, and it is love at first sight. The first kiss becomes instantaneous love. Everything is seemingly perfect for new couple Erin and Garrett until Erin moves to San Francisco to finish her journalism degree.

What does this mean for the new love birds? The film, in a comedic way, follows the journey of Erin and Garrett who decided to keep their love alive despite the challenges of distance, ending in a successful love story.

Long distance relationships are more challenging and complex than typically portrayed on the big screen. Now add college on the top of the list of challenges. College long distance relationships are an amusing phenomenon on many college campuses. Many high school lovers embark on a long distance journey as they part to attend different colleges.

In a survey conducted of 50 students by The Pace Press, 46 percent entered into a long distance relationship at some point in their college careers, indictating that college long-distance relationships are more common that often thought to be. But what is the common consensus about long-distance relationships in college? Are they successful or are they too challenging?

“So definitely at times there are challenges because obviously it’s hard like when you guys don’t get to see each other, but in the end when you do get to see each other that moment when you do see the other person is really rewarding” said Kameron Kamel, a freshman at the University. Kamel and his girlfriend Jennifer Piekarz started dating in high school and are currently in a successful-long

distance relationship.

“You have to plan it out. You have to plan out when you’re going to see them in advance” said Piekarz, who happened to be visiting Kamel in the city. “Plan out when your going to talk to them. Plan out when you’re going to fit them in your schedule, and it’s definitely more technical than some people think relationships should be, but that’s how you have to make it work.”

60 percent of college students surveyed by The Pace Press typically think long-distance relationships are successful in college. There was a common trend in survey results regarding long distance relationships and their challenges. Students feel that trust, jealously, and the space apart are all prodigious challenges in long-distance love.

The connotation of the “wild college student” typically portrayed in film and culture sometimes plays into the fear associated with long-distance relationships. Movies like “Spring Breakers” Selena Gomez, help to paint this image further. The film constructs the image of a typical “wild college student” who partakes in a rebellious lifestyle full of crime, drugs, and partying. This stigma definitely seems to tie into the surveyed fears on trust issues in long-distance relationships. But trust is not the only issue that college students find in these relationships.

“My biggest challenge in a long distance relationship is not being able to physically be with my boyfriend. As a freshman at a school in Boston while my boyfriend is in Arizona, it is definitely a challenge being so far from him,” Nina Mojares, a freshman at Boston College, shared. “But that only makes our communication and trust a lot stronger, which is most important in any relationship.”

College long-distance relationships are not always successful. For some, the distance is too much to handle between college and finding themselves as individuals.

“For me, it was more of that I had a lot on my plate,

and I didn’t feel like I had the mental capacity to support both her and myself without bringing myself down,” said an anonymous University student who fell out of a longdistance relationship. “We were living different lives, and I feel like we are going in separate directions right now, and I just felt like it wasn’t the best time.”

“Communication is key. And being on the same page.

Facetime has obviously been a big part. We sometimes write weekly letters to each other,” Kamel added, while smiling at Piekarz who nodded in agreement. “It’s like living separate lives together,” Piekarz added.

Out of the 46 percent of students surveyed who were in long-distances relationships, 80.1 percent believed the challenges were worth the distance. So what are the benefits? More than half the students surveyed agree that seeing each other after being apart is so much more rewarding. Also distance makes the heart grow fonder.

“The biggest perk is being able to have so much more time to do other things,” said University freshman Emma Note. “You get to have your own friends and be more of your own person without worrying that you are neglecting your significant other.”

But long distance-relationships are not for everyone.

Sometimes the challenges become too overbearing, and therefore impact the overall college experience for some students.

“In college, I feel like I found who I am and I discovered a lot about myself, and I feel like I missed out on a lot of what could’ve shaped me because I spent a lot of time living the same life I did in high school,” shared a University student. “I’m not saying that long distance is unhealthy for you. It’s just about where you put your commitments and your priorities that will drive you positively or negatively for what it is you want.”

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University groups join the gun control movement RUMIYA MALIK Features Intern According to Gunviolencearchieve.org, in the year 2018 alone, there have been 2,406 country, young teenagers can go to a gun show and just buy one, no ID or background deaths because of gun violence, and 36 reported mass shootings this year so far. After checks necessary. You can own a gun, and not even be able to drive a car or drink. the incident in Parkland, Florida, many people feel that enough is enough. According to Comparatively, in Australia, they had a mass shooting in 1996, and then their government Everytownresearch.org, there have been 142 school shootings in the United States since made it almost impossible for anyone to get a gun, and there hasn’t been a mass shooting 2013 and each time, all the media and government had to say was “our thoughts and since. prayers are with them”, which many feel is not taking appropriate action. For the first “The government blames the individual [for the shooting incidents] but what they time, survivors are speaking out. don’t realize is that it is their issue,” said University freshman Vidhi Maisuria. “If you let More people than ever before believe that gun control laws are too lenient and kids run around a playground without any supervision, they will fall and get hurt, but if think something needs to be done. However, it took a lot of deaths to start a gun control you set rules they will be okay. Just like if you set rules and have tighter restrictions on movement, as some would call it. gun control, then automatically there will be less issues.”

When asked about the topic, University freshman Sarah Perniciaro said, “Of course, “The reality of it is, to understand America as we exist, [it is that] we have a love it was heartbreaking to hear about yet another tragedy as a result of a gun getting into the affair with guns,” said Dr. Joseph Ryan, director of the University’s Department of wrong hands. I’m still hopeful that this instance will not be accepted as normal and we, Criminal Justice and Security. “I think it comes from our birth as a country.” as students will no longer tolerate our government being complicit toward gun violence”.

Dr. Ryan discribed his department’s position on gun control. “The major goal of The students that survived the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School this department is to educate the next generation of people who are entering the criminal have begun to demand that something be done to prevent another mass shooting from justice fields to understand better that it is the community that is the focus… we need to happening again. Not only have videos of speeches and town halls featuring these be there to protect them.” survivors gone viral, but more and more young people are speaking out against gun He continued, “When I was young, 1960s, 1970s, the youth was concerned with the control on their own social media platforms.

Civil Rights movement and the Vietnam War, and then after that the youth of America Someone had angrily tweeted, “The strongest act of gun control we’ve had is Apple became quiet. I think now a youth movement will come out of this. I think it is the young changing the gun emoji to a water gun”. people who need to recognize we need to change this culture and the only way we’re “There aren’t words to accurately depict how horrified I am [because] the Florida going to change it is by getting people out there to vote.” According to DoSomething. shooting was preventable,” said University senior Hana Malik. “Why would a judicial org, even though young people are disproportionately affected by gun violence, 85% of branch that wouldn’t change their gun laws after innocent six year olds died care about young people say they feel silenced in the debate over finding solutions. It wasn’t until teens or adults?” the survivors from MSD took the platform that the youth of America indicated that they As the movement for gun control reform continues to grow, students here at the decided to not stay silent anymore.

University and the rest of the New York community are joining in as well. University “It should not be controversial to state an obvious and scientifically-verified freshman Marisa Guillet is organizing a group of students who are willing to travel to tendency: when technologies designed for killing are more widely distributed in a society, Washington D.C. for the “March for Our Lives” on March 24. it increases the risk and severity of violence, ” said Dr. Matthew Bolton, Director of the “I have always been particularly interested in our generation of activists, but I think International Disarmament Institute at the University America is finally beginning to take us seriously because of teens like Emma Gonzalez, “Our country needs gun reform so that children going to school in the morning Delaney Tarr, Sarah Chadwick, Cameron Kasky, David Hogg, etc.,” said Guillet. “They don’t have to question if they’ll come home. Schools should be a safe place for all, not a have barely eaten or slept since surviving the shooting in Parkland, yet have created this potential bloodbath,” said Oberlander. massive movement that the world is eager to engage in.”

The Center for Community Action and Research also sent out an email that detailed how right here at the University, students will fight against gun violence. The email stated: “On March 24, the CCAR, Vote Everywhere at Pace, the Peace & Justice Studies Student Organization, and others from Pace University will take to the streets with March for Our Lives in NYC to demand that our lives and safety become a priority and that we end gun violence and mass shootings in our schools today.”

Additionally, Pace Peace Action is also speaking out against gun violence. “I think it has been obvious for decades that this country needs stronger gun control. In my opinion, the second amendment is completely outdated and truly unnecessary in today’s climate. Guns are extremely dangerous,” said Pace Peace Action manager Emily Oberlander, “This past school shooting [in Parkland], while heartbreaking like the countless others… [it] was different in the sense that the students at Parkland are not allowing for the government to stand by and watch without taking action. This shooting specifically is sparking rage.”

The United States is the leading country in gun related incidents. According to Dosomething.org, Americans own approximately 270 million guns, giving the United States the highest rate of gun ownership with 89 guns for every 100 people.

Dosomething.org also reported that gunrelated deaths are now the third leading cause of death of American children. When gun control laws of the United States are compared to those of other countries, they don’t match up. Gun homicide rates are 25.2 times higher in the United States than they are in other high- Rachael, Rachael wears a tattoo of her aunt - murdered by a distant family member who, despite struggling with mental illness income countries. It is much more difficult to obtain a gun in other countries than it is to PHOTO CREDIT:Joe Quint/@ittakesus obtain a gun here in the United States. In this

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The update that Snapped the nation in half RUMIYA MALIK Features Intern Snapchatters are absolutely outraged by the lastest update to the instant photo sending app. The new update entails an entirely new design to the setup that we all know and love. It is a drastic new look that combines the story viewing section into one with the individual conversations that can be accessed when you swipe right on the camera screen. A public or professional stories have been compiled into a single feed on the other side when you swipe left on the camera screen. Snapchat uses machine learning to sort the order of your contacts, with Stories from those you interact with most frequently presented at the top of the feed. The loyal fanbase cannot stand these changes, and it is causing hysteria amongst social media.

According to data supplied to TechCrunch, 83 percent of App Store reviews (1,941) for the new update are negative with one or two stars. And now, more than 1,055,900 irate Snapchatters have gone to Change.org to demand the removal of the recent update. Users feel that it is way too much altogether.

“I used to use Snapchat a lot because it was easy and it was solely for taking and sending temporary pics. I hate the update and really want it to just go back to the way it was,” said University senior Hana Mailk. “There truly isn’t anything I like about the update. It’s an extremely confusing layout and I dislike the explore page. I’m not on Snapchat to find new people to follow. That’s what Instagram and just about every other social media platform is for. Snapchat was supposed to be different.”

On Change.org, a petition was launched by Australian user Nic Rumsey. “This petition aims to help convince Snap Inc. to change the app back to the basics, before the new 2018 update,” Rumsey wrote. Snapchat’s official support account on Twitter has had an incredibly busy month, furiously replying to enraged users with complaints about the new update.

“The bitmoji being there is making everything look a lot smaller, the Snapchat stories keep coming in between the people I Snapchat causing me to lose streaks,” said University sophomore Kajal Bajaj. There is absolutely nothing I like about the new update”. In fact Bajaj said that she and her sister hated the update so much that they “even went on Snapchat’s support website and wrote a good two to three paragraphs about all the flaws with the new update.”

Another University sophomore, Kapardi Patel, had to say that “he was infuriated by the update” and that he wishes that it would go back.

However, even with all of the backlash, Snap Inc. is still sticking to its guns.

Speaking to BBC, a Snapchat representative reiterated that it hoped users would get used to the chat app’s new look Snapchat said updates “can take a little getting used to” and added, “We hope the community will enjoy it once they settle in.”

“It was so much more organized and easier to just go to the stories page to watch stories and then send snaps on the chat page,” said University freshman Kayl Pascual.

“Putting them together causes confusion and makes me not want to watch people’s stories”.

A lot of people are trying to use hacks to have their app revert back to the original format, but that can be potentially dangerous. McAfee Chief Scientist Raj Samani said to The Independent, “While the changes to Snapchat’s user interface haven’t gone down too well, users need to be aware that any app updates are also likely to contain vital security updates in addition to changes to the look and feel.” Samani said that his opinions are in line with advice from the National Cyber Security Centre, and recommend people enable automatic updates. “This helps to protect devices from criminals looking to use weaknesses in software and apps to attack your devices and steal your identity.”

New York English Department

Willis, Owens, Gill, Cannon, and Rose

Writing Awards

and the Academy of American Poets Prize Spring 2018

Application Deadline Monday, April 9, 2018 by 11:59 pm Electronic Submission (only) nyenglishawards@gmail.com

Application Guidelines Visit Rm. 1512, 41 Park Row or http://www.pace.edu/dyson/departments/ english-nyc/writing-awards Eligibility

You must be a NYC undergraduate English Dept. or Film and Screen Studies (FSS) Dept. major or minor, or an undergraduate in any major who has taken (or is taking) a Pace NYC ENG 205, ENG 212, ENG 214, ENG 223, ENG 223C, ENG 223E; a 300-level ENG or LIT course; LIT 205; any LIT 211 or 212; or any FSS course. Also, you must be enrolled as a Pace student during the current academic year, either in Fall 2017 or Spring 2018, or both.

Award Categories

$12,000 in awards from the Sarah Willis, Billie and Curtis Owens, Richard Gill, Gerard Cannon, and James Rose funds will be given in Fiction, Poetry, Nonfiction, Screenwriting, Playwriting, Journalism, Writing on Film, Literary Criticism, and Linguistic and Rhetorical Analysis. The Academy of American Poets Prize, founded by John Ashbery and David Kermani, is also awarded in the Poetry category.

Writing Awards Director: Eugene Richie (erichie@pace.edu)

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OccuPACEtion: Tour Guides

University tour guide Shep Ashchepkova.

Photo Credit: Shep Ashchepkova

KELSEY NICHOLSON Features Editor

There are many opportunities for jobs on the University campus. In this new features column, we will look at all of the different job opportunities for students offered at the New York City campus. For our inaugural installment, The Pace Press met with Shep Ashchepkova, a tour guide at the University, to talk to her about what it means to become a tour guide and how to handle the job after getting hired.

Kelsey Nicholson: What was the interview process like for being a tour guide?

Shep Ashchepkova: First, tour guide hopefuls had to submit an application and then after that if they enjoyed your application or they thought that you were qualified enough, they invited you to a group interview, and then after that group interview they narrowed down the pool some more. Then there was a second group interview where the head of the welcome center, Kristin Mulyk, was present and she evaluated us.

KN: Were there individual interviews?

SA: The first group interview was much larger than the second; the second was more like the individual interview. You were still sitting with a group of five people, but they asked us separate questions. So, it was individual and tailored to you, and you had to give your own responses, but it was still a group setting. There were no one-on-one interviews.

KN: So, what does being a tour guide at the University entail?

SA: We are the first face that prospective students see at the school, so we highlight the positive aspects of the school. We show classrooms. We show them the fourth floor Lubin lounge and the Global Portfolio Analysis Center room next to it, the science wing, the cafeteria, and the library. We show them Bloomberg, which is a technology we have access to at the University. It’s a stock trading software that really helps out our economics and business students.

KN: Is being a tour guide a demanding job? What is your weekly schedule like?

SA: For the first semester that you’re a tour guide, you are assigned one shift a week, in order to get acclimated to the job. You also start off shadowing experienced tour guides in order to learn the ropes and general flow of a campus tour. After that, you’re assigned two shifts a week, and you’re always able to cover other peoples’ shifts if needed. A few times a semester, there are “Pacebound Events,” where a huge amount of prospective students come to see the campus, and sometimes these events are followed by an overnight.

KN: Have you ever given a tour where the crowd was unresponsive?

SA: So my first tour ever, the tour group was very unresponsive. There were two significant others, and they were not about Pace University at all. Honestly, if you start there you can’t go anywhere but up. I thought it was very beneficial because you learn how to deal with the negative first, which makes the positive tours more rewarding.

KN: Do you have tricks or special facts that you use to grab the tour groups’ attention during the tour if they’re unresponsive?

SA: Dad jokes—a lot of dad humor. Because it’s awkward enough so people pay attention to it, but they’re easy enough to make that everyone gets the jokes. It makes you more personable, I think. It becomes this in-joke that the tour group can take part of.

KN: Do you have to study facts about the University? Is there a script to follow, or is there another way you get the information for the tours?

SA: There’s a general manual that we are given when we get hired that contains facts and other tidbits about the University before our training. We have to familiarize ourselves with its contents before we start giving tours. There are a few points that we have to hit, but a lot of the tour is personal to the tour guide. So we’ll give some facts about the location we’re at, but then talk about our own experience interacting with the space. This makes our tour unique because other universities have scripts that their tour guides follow, but we make our tours interactive and different every time.

KN: What do you do at orientation?

SA: It is general training. They go over a bit of the manual, tell us the facts that we have to mention when giving our tours, and emphasize the fact that we are now the first face that prospective students see and that we represent the University, whether or not we are wearing our paw prints (the uniform). We also do a lot of team building and ice breakers; the Welcome Center loves ice breakers.

KN: What’s your favorite place to show people on campus?

SA: I love showing people Schimmel Theater, and thus far I haven’t been able to go in, so I just have to paint a really nice verbal picture for them. Which is fun, because they laugh at all my jokes.

KN: What part of the University do prospective students usually react the best to?

SA: Students react best to the classroom portion of the tour. Students and parents are the most engaged, because you come to school to learn. They want to comprehend the variations in curriculum between the schools, like Dyson and Lubin, especially AOKs, which are unique to Pace. In the classrooms, we also talk about study abroad, and most students are interested in eventually going abroad to expand their horizons and apply their knowledge across the globe. Tour groups always ask questions, and it’s very interactive.

KN: How do prospective students usually react to the Master Plan construction that’s happening all around the University, much of which you can see during tours?

SA: The Master Plan is actually one of my favorite things to talk about (other than Schimmel) because the students that we’re giving tours to will be the first class to reap the benefits of Phase One for all four of their years here, and it’s vital for them to understand what the construction is and how it is altering the campus. There is usually some concern at first, but once the prospective students understand what will come of the construction, and once they see the photos posted around the school that depict what our campus will look like next year, they share my excitement about the Master Plan.

KN: What is your favorite part of being a tour guide?

SA: My favorite part is the fact that I’ve found a second family in the Welcome Center. Everyone there cares about each other and supports everyone else’s endeavors, which is incredibly comforting. In addition, we all have an unmatched dedication to this school that we share with students who are looking to find their second home at Pace.

16 www.thepacepress.org

FEATURES

March 8, 2018

The Master Plan: one year later BROOKE SUFRIN Arts Intern

Phase one of the newly designed “master plan” is set to finish at the onset of the fall 2018 semester. As the school has been under construction for nearly a year, the University community has adapted to crowded elevators, makeshift walkways and learning spaces, and loud construction noises. Students seem ready for the exciting unveiling of the new student spaces, which are likely to meet some, but not all, of their expectations.

One Pace Plaza is the central building in the New York City campus. It is home to the Schimmel Center, Café 101, Birnbaum Library, Maria’s Tower, Lubin School of Business, and a variety of classrooms. In this portion of phase one, the University website promises a multitude of improvements and renovations in and around the building.

“The One Pace Plaza renovations will focus on transforming our front door and first floor into a vibrant student landscape,” According to a University-sanctioned website that provides photos and captions of its plan. “The creation of new collaboration, convening, and event space will showcase our University mission of Opportunitas from the moment you enter.”

According to the website, One Pace Plaza is set to have a “modern, inviting entrance” with a new student commons and a new student center that holds large and small events. The Welcome Center and the Pace Spirit Shop will be relocated with city views. A grand staircase will be implemented on the lower level and a redesigned courtyard entrance will be included as students and faculty currently use the makeshift walkway leading into the courtyard for access to the east side of the building.

A new learning lab and tech bar are The Master Plan including creates a new expected as well to be used as spaces for entrance through the Courtyard. graduate students. A new lounge in the Photo Credit: Pace University Master Lubin School of Business is promised for Plan the undergraduate business students.

As One Pace Plaza is such a heavily frequented building, students seem to have high expectations for the renovations and many different thoughts about what they would like to see improved upon in the school.

After conducting a survey of 25 students on what parts of the school students would like to see renovated (they could select as many or as little as they like), 48 percent of those 25 students chose the gym, 80 percent of those 25 students chose cafeteria, 32 percent of those 25 students chose walkways, 20 percent of those 25 students chose the library, 60 percent of those 25 students chose the student spaces, 44 percent of those 25 students chose the Pace Spirit Shop and Welcome Center, 12 percent of those 25 students chose graduate student spaces, 28 percent of those 25 students chose staircases, 44 percent of those 25 students chose the front design of school, and 56 percent of those 25 students residence halls.

The survey allowed a space where students could comment on their specific thoughts regarding renovations.

Some responses included: “What the heck is going on? Maria’s Tower wants their kitchens!!!,” “NEED MORE ELEVATORS,” “I hope the construction will help the increasing student body population,” “It feels like we are left out of the loop as to what’s going on,” “I can’t wait for it to be done,” and “Construction is loud during class!!”

In addition to the survey, students were eager to express their concerns in person.

“I’m expecting Pace to be looked at as a more modern school with more high tech features,” said Aaron Burt, a freshman in the Performing Arts program. “I’m expecting it to be a more attractive and personable environment.”

Performing Arts students rent out the Schimmel Theatre once a year for their productions as the University does not solely own the theatre. As a performer and student who is always seeking opportunities, Burt hopes the University will eventually expand its theatre or create more rehearsal and practice spaces for performing arts students.

“More rehearsal spaces for our large student body would be a great renovation,” said Burt.

The University gym is a popular place for students to break a sweat and it always somehow seems more crowded than it actually is.

“Larger weight room in the gym would be great because there’s not enough equipment for the student body,” said Leonardo Rosas, a University freshman. “I would like to see more of a variety of machines.”

“I expect Pace to also renovate the lift room and the gym because it’s extremely outdated,” said Burt.

“The gym doesn’t seem very friendly for newcomers; there is equipment everywhere without any order,” said Jason Llaguno, a University freshman. “As a freshman who will be here for the next couple of years, I hope the renovations will make it so that the atmosphere seems somehow less intimidating.”

Graduating seniors, who will not get to experience the affects of the master plan as students, also have hopes that the renovations will eventually benefit The construction at the Courtyard so far. the students and faculty and help shed Photo Credit: Finnley Joseph Magers a positive light on the University Baraoidan community for generations to come.

“I hope for more spaces for students to gather and collaborate,” said Gabriel Navarro. “More space in the library specifically. An open environment to study would be a great addition for the campus and student body,” The Cafeteria and overall constant hustle bustle of One Pace Plaza seems to be a continuous concern for students.

“I would like to see another food service option in One Pace Plaza, other than the caf or Starbucks,” said Rosas. “Maybe a McDonald’s or an on-the-go food would be convenient.”

“More entrances and exits closer to subway stations would be helpful, specifically City Hall since its right there.” said Llaguno.

The University is focusing its renovation on the modernization of its campus and the front design of the school. With new student spaces and high-tech materials, like active learning classrooms where students can interact with the learning material, the school hopes to reach a new standard of learning. Students, however, seem to gear their focus more on the school’s amenities like the gym, cafeteria, and student and theatre spaces.

“I love Pace and since I’m a freshman I hope that in the future the school can comprise its renovations to incorporate the needs of the students in a practical and fun sense,” said Colleen McGovern, a University freshman. “Currently, I hate the elevators!”

CARTOON CREDIT: Dylan Share