7-Nov 11

November 7, 2012

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Volume 64 | Issue 5

THE PACE PRESS SERVING PACE UNIVERSITY’S MANHATTAN CAMPUS SINCE 1948

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NEWS Lubin School of Business announces New Major PAGE 4

ARTS Justin Townes Earle impresses crowds at Schimmel Theater PAGE 9

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FEATURES University students question Chartwells pricing PAGE 11

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NEWS

November 7, 2012

Race in the presidential race lecture engages students RHIDDI DOSHI Contributor On the evening of the 24th, multiple university groups including the Center for Community Action and Research, Pforzheimer Honors College, Office of Multinational Affairs, communications studies and political science departments came together to sponsor a lecture given by NYU Professor and co-author of the book Race Appeal: How Candidates Invoke Race in U. S. Political Campaigns, Dr. Charlton McIlwain.

Dr. McIlwain gave a presentation entitled “Race in the Presidential Race: The mediated Politics of Race in the 2012 Election.” He is the director of the Project on Race in Political Communication and Associate Professor of Communication studies at NYU. His work is concentrated on the topics of race and media and how they intertwine. His focus, especially during election season, has been to look at political ads for implicit and explicit forms of racist appeal. According to Dr. Mcllwain a persuasive appeal is on that relies on long-standing stereotypes, and a racial appeal, relies on race but not on stereotypes.

In the lecture, Dr. McIlwain explained to students what five factors lead to categorizing a campaign advertisement as racist and deciding what level of racist they are. These factors include the number of stereotypes alluded to, the presence of racial imagery, and racially focused language. For example, he analyzed if the speaker referred to a minorities in the first person or third person, which policies were focused on such as welfare or affirmative action. He also gives thought to the racial composition of the state where certain ads are being aired. He presented several different political cartoons and campaign ads to illustrate his different points.

Some of the most popular stereotypes showed minorities being lazy, simple-minded, and overly dependent on the government.

Lawson, freshman, said, “One of the things Dr. McIlwain said that hit me the hardest was how much racism we can be exposed to if we don’t pay attention. He said that if we let ourselves see images of only black criminals, hear exaggerated

statistics about the number of minorities on welfare, and listen to stories of people without thinking twice we may just subconsciously absorb all of that and let it out at a later time.”

This point was emphasized throughout the lecture. After being asked about how education can possibly help eradicate the problem of racism Dr. McIlwain showed optimism about a future with educated individuals who are less ignorant.

“Education on how to watch, read, analyze these ads and articles will help people identify racism when they see it,” Dr. McIlwain said.

Regarding the current election, points were brought up about the polarization between the parties. Dr. McIlwain talked about how his conservative friends have traveled even further “right wing” political stance and how liberals have become more leftist. The moderates seem to have dwindled and this can affect the election because candidates will run on strong ideas that are either far-right or far-left when these policy ideas may extremely difficult to pass in Congress.

Dr. McIlwain did make note that having a black president has made it easier to bring up issues of race in politics. Prior to Obama’s election, bringing up race in any aspect would cause people to look down on that candidate. Now, candidates can mention it, but still feel pressure to be politically correct. Dr. McIlwain highlighted Obama’s comment during his 2008 campaign about “not looking like the men on the dollar bills” and used specific instance as an example of how race has now made it’s way into American politics.

Dr. Mcllwain‘s lecture was both informative and thought provoking.

Mike Basil, freshman, said, “I liked how it was very sociological and how he looked at the different races and their different issues.” The new perspective gave many students a new way to look at the race for presidency and race in general.

NEWS

November 7, 2012

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Americans show confidence in Obama with “Four More Years” Despite Obama victory the national political landscape remains largely unchanged among citizens NAZARY NEBELUK Editor-in-Chief

Tuesday night NBC was the first network to declare President Obama the winner of the 2012 election and several networks followed suit. Exit poll models showed that Obama had won the electoral college after winning a tight race in Ohio. Governor Romney did not immediately concede instead waiting to hear on an official announcement from the state.

While some political pundits predicted a close race, claiming it may be a repeat of the 2000 election decided by the Florida Supreme Court, Obama was able to win with a large margin by holding onto his power bases in the Northeast and West Coast.

University students seemed largely positive after the win although the usual excitement of the election was overshadowed as the campus returned to post hurricane normalcy. Orkhan Mammadov, a junior psychology student, said Obama “was the better choice out of all the running candidates.” This sentiment was echoed by Michael Olshansky, sophomore bossiness economics major, who said “I rather have Obama win because I think that our nation is really vulnerable and change probably is not the best idea. Plus Romney has been less credible in the debates and never really explains how he’s going to do anything and he has no clue about foreign policy”.

Breanna Romaine Guiliano, senior political science major, agreed saying “It’s empowering to know the person I voted for in my first presidential election was is our 2012 - 2016 President. As an independent I am hesitant to say this is a win, it will be a win when the needs of the American people are met. Everyone needs to work together”.

After the record high turn outs seen in the 2008 vote, a decrease in numbers would have hurt the Obama campaign but those fears may have proven unfounded as swing states reported higher than predicted voter turnouts, the majority of which were Democrat.

This was due in part to the Obama campaigns aggressive “go out and vote” message.

Obama supporters were treated to a deluge of e-mails that encouraged them to vote and to get friends to vote and those that interacted with the campaign on Facebook were sent reminders about friends in key battleground states they could motivate to vote. These efforts paid of as Obama won with both the electoral and popular votes Christopher Malone, chair of the university’s department of political science, said “Winning a second term immediately makes Obama one of the most consequential presidents in the last 50 years. A second term allows him to continue his agenda. If by the end of a second term the economy has recovered, we’re out of Afghanistan, he’s gotten a deal on debt reduction, and Obamacare has kicked in and more people have health insurance, then he will probably go down as a transformational president like Teddy Roosevelt or Franklin Roosevelt. However, he will have to contend with a Republican House which will prove difficult. But winning a second term gives you immediate credibility to continue your policies.”

Mark Weinstock, professor of economics, had a much less positive outlook of the election results saying that “Americans decided to stick with the status quo because

Romney was unable to articulate his vision for the future in greater detail and scope. The tragedy of the Obama victory is that it assures sub-optimal growth, high unemployment, and lack of vision for the next four years - like watching a really shallow, boring movie twice in a row while the theater is on fire. Obama’s second term will just be the lite version of his first term. Forward? Yes! But to where?”

A second term will allow Obama to see his health care reform come into fruition.

While local legislatures and a relatively conservative congress may make new attempts to challenge the law its clear that overturning the reform is out of the question. During the election Florida rejected a measure that would have made the health care reform illegal in their state.

Challenges to Obama’s presidency will be immediate as the country faces a fiscal cliff at the end of the year as millions of dollars of Bush era tax cuts are left to expire. He also has to face challenges in foreign relations that were put aside to focus on the election including the unrest in Syria and reacting to the Benghazi embassy attacks.

He will face a lot of opposition as the Congress remains in republican control and John Boehner remains the Speaker of the House. Speaking on Wednesday he claimed that a republican congress is a national mandate to enforce republican policies. It will be interesting to see if congressional republicans are more willing to work with the president now that they cannot spoil his chances at a second turn by blocking policy. The Senate remains in the Democrat’s control and will support the president as he tries to make further reforms.

As voters begin to embrace more progressive policies on a variety of issues it’s clear that the whatever shortcomings Obama’s last four years had they weren’t enough to dissuade voters. He will no doubt face a difficult road in his second term but it’s clear that voters still want more of what he promised them long ago – change and progress.

Pace student Elizabeth Hernandez watches Obama’s victory speech Photo by Elizabeth Hernandez

Non-profit Common Cause advocates for voter rights and democracy in NYC University students volunteer to promote voter turnout in fellow student body JESSAMIN CIPPOLINA Contributor Common Cause is a non-profit advocacy organization that works year-round for the better of the public interest in the political world. The organization has about 400,000 supporters and 36 state organizations nationwide, including one in New York. Common Cause is devoted to encouraging involvement of citizens in today’s democracy, as well as strengthening overall faith in the institutions of government. CC also works to promote fair elections and encourage those who are able to exercise their voting rights to do so to their fullest potential.

This Election Day, CC is organizing volunteers to join NY Grassroots Election Protection 2012. The organization believes that each citizen’s right to vote and to have that vote be counted is fundamental in exercising individual American rights. Although there have been improvements over the years, many lawful citizens are still faced with barriers that prevent them from exercising this right. Part of CC’s mission on Election Day is to make sure elections are run for the benefit of voters and that all voters have access to the polls.

CC believes this election is particularly influential and voters everywhere may face issues at the polls with voting technology.

There are several exclusion problems that come with these technologies, and each states’ ability to catch these problems vary. Another issue that voters have face is rise of voter intimidation in polling places. There have also been instances of polling site challenges that are intended to create a lower turnout of voters for opposing candidates.

With election protection, volunteers will work to encourage people to vote despite long lines and confusion. Those volunteers with smartphones will help to arrange long bustling lines of voters, a process known as “Cut the Line”.

There will also be a Voter Helpline which will be answering voters’ questions and recording reports of problems throughout the day at polling destinations. Volunteers will also have access to PollWatchUSA, which is a tool that provides information about the conditions of polling places. This is used for crowd-source poll watching and spreading awareness.

“Common Cause is a respected and effective non-partisan, non-profit organization

that works to keep government open, honest, and accountable to the public,” said Daniel Botting, assistant director of the Center for Community Action and Research, “Just as the Center for Community Action and Research works to encourage student participation in our democracy, Common Cause works to empower all citizens to participate in our democracy.”

Cat Volpe, sophomore, is a student intern at Common Cause NY. She is aware of the issues with voting in New York City that drive people away from the polls. The biggest frustration for New Yorkers is the “super long lines” that you have to wait in order to find out what district you have to go to vote. This “very unintentionally” moves voters away from even voting at all, according to Volpe.

“What people don’t realize is that you can look up your district before going to the polling place,” she says. CC realizes that it is really frustrating if you have to wait and it becomes an issue.

Volpe originally heard about CC at a rally for Occupy Wall Street, and started helping out at the organization about a month ago.

“I feel like at [the university] people really want to get involved, but there needs to be some sort of engine to get people going,” Volpe stated.

She also stated college students have a “passion and interest” that they should not be afraid to express. “We need to be able to harbor and use our beliefs and interests, and it seems like there is no way to use it.”

Volpe is hoping to “create a link between Pace and Common Cause” as a sort of “political outlet” for those interested university students. “The group would be casual,” she explains, “and do things like meet off campus and have discussion groups to see what people are interested in.” One of these casual meet-ups includes “Coffee Breaks”, which are student-led discussion groups that present an open forum to discuss political, social, and civic engagement activism.

Volpe has been reaching out to Pace students to help volunteer this coming Election Day with CCNY. The organization also has a Youth Engagement Program for college students looking to get involved. She is confident in what Common Cause can do for citizens everywhere. “No matter what their beliefs and intentions are, we work to protect people’s rights.”

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November 7, 2012

NEWS

Lubin Business School presents new management major The Arts and Entertainment Management program attracts potential undergrads to the university MICHAEL WILLIAMS Contributor This fall semester, the university launched the Arts and Entertainment concentration within the Management track in the Lubin School of business. As a result of this new program, the university has attracted an array of possible undergraduates students.

This new concentration will help them to acquire the skills and experience that will allow them to thrive in the Arts and Entertainment industry. Some of the skills necessary for a manager in this industry include the skill to analyze and react as a manager to factors such as union activities, cultural issues, changing laws, technological changes, and domestic and international trends.

Additionally, university students will obtain formal and systematic management methods like how to direct and motivate group efforts towards achieving the primary objective of the organization: the optimal allocation of resources.

Lubin School of Business is one of the two business schools accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business in New York that offer this major. It is important for students to attend an AACSB accredited school because they are considered to be among the best business schools in the world. In order to become accredited, the undergraduate, masters, and doctorate degree programs are required to go through arduous standards to prove their quality. Thus, schools accredited by AACSB have superior programs, improved faculty, students with a higher GPA in general, an influx of international students, a greater opportunity in the job market, and their graduates tend to receive increased salaries. For the university to offer this major, highlights its growth as a competitive school.

Kevin Swanson, freshman and Treasurer of the Arts and Entertainment Industry Network states, “The Arts and Entertainment Management major is the primary reason I chose Pace University.”

Not only will students learn about Arts and Entertainment and Management, they will graduate with a strong business core, which will make them stand out to any employer.

Some of the courses included in the new curriculum are Managing Creativity, Entertainment Management Seminar, and Managing Entertainment Projects and in conjunction with this degree, there are numerous career opportunities.

An Arts and Entertainment major can find employment managing a theatre company, dance company, television firm, talent representation and management company, art gallery, and museums.

Emily Jordan, freshman, stated she chose the Arts and Entertainment major in order to “become an event planner for weddings and elaborate parties”.

The university also gives students the opportunities to learn more about the field and to jumpstart their careers. The university has already scheduled some guest lecturers such as Doug Herzog,President of Viacom Entertainment Group, Rachel Moore, Executive Director of the American Ballet Theater, and Katie Couric, ABC News special correspondent and syndicated talk show host.

U.S. News and World Report’s Short named the university among the top ten schools for internship placement in the United States; offering a multitude of internships available to students. There are over 15,000 media and entertainment headquarters in New York City, offering students the opportunity to be employed by companies such as NBC, Sirius XM Radio, and The Weinstein Company.

“I am very excited to obtain an internship because I want to start working in the field before I graduate, that way I have the experience and an advantage over others when looking for employment. I knew [the university] was known for their internships and this helped contribute to my decision of coming here,” Jordan said.

Students, Staff and Faculty gather for new courtyard opening Ribbon cutting ceremony celebrates new long awaited renovated courtyard that opened on October 18 SARAH AIRES News Editor Dozens of students gathered in the newly renovated courtyard at One Pace Plaza on October 18 to celebrate its grand opening. President Stephen J. Friedman, Dean for Students, Marijo Russel O’Grady, and the newly appoint provost, Uday Sukhatme were all in attendance with President Friedman and Russel O’Grady participating in the official rubbon cutting. The renovations are a result of a generous donation by an anonymous donor to overhaul the courtyard and include such ammenities as outdoor seating with tables and low lying fountains. The renovations also included a plan for the courtyard to be converted into a non-smoking area after students and faculty alike voiced their dissatisfaction with the inundation of cigarette smoke in the courtyard.

Although construction set backs have made it difficult for students to enjoy the courtyard as winter has set in, University students are looking forward to warmer months to enjoy renovations with their peers.

University officals celebrate the ceremonial opening of the new courtyard located at 1 Pace Plaza All photos by Rob Kline | University Special Events

November 7, 2012

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OPINION AND EDITORIALS

THE PACE PRESS

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.

Nazary Nebeluk Editor-in-Chief

What about Staten Island?

FOTINI SACHPATZIDIS Associate Editor

When my cousin on Staten Island called me to say she was evacuating her house Saturday night, I called her a drama queen. I reassured her the meteorologists over exaggerated and that it’ll be a repeat of last year’s Hurricane Irene, which was more mild than powerful. Fast forward to Monday evening and the scenes of destruction on every channel—I was gravely mistaken. “I lost my house,” was the first of a series of text messages I received from her, each one bleaker than the next.

Her messages began to describe cars floating down streets, washing machines turned over on lawns, and houses submerged in water. As I watched local newscasts cover Hurricane Sandy’s havoc in the New York area, they all failed to mention Staten Island. Attention was instead given to the other boroughs, with reporters on the scene in Brooklyn, Queens, and the Bronx.

I coupled my cousin’s words with local broadcasts and became upset about the lack of focus on the thousands of people living right across the Verrazano. Were they unaware that Staten Island is more than just the location of a landfill and filled with families, hospitals and businesses? Besides the lack of media attention, Staten Island was last to get any kind of aid from the Red Cross or FEMA even though it suf-

fered the most from Sandy. It’s hard to believe that it took aide relief four days to arrive.

The question of who is to blame arises with city officials pointing fingers at each other and journalists who got amnesia and forgot how to cross bridges. A selfish Mayor Bloomberg requestws that the New York City Marathon still occur, in spite of dead victims and dispersed families without heat, water, and electricity. This was a failed attempt at restoring normalcy. Ironically enough, the marathon begins each year in Staten Island, another fact the Mayor chose to ignore.

The lack of media coverage, public awareness and government aide only underlines the fact that a better system of response needs to be created in times of emergency and natural disasters. I’m being informed of looting at local supermarkets, search parties for the missing and dead not from my local news station, but from my cousin who’s witnessing it firsthand. “It’s scary out here. Everything reeks of death and nobody hears us,” she tells me during our first phone conversation from a friend’s house. She’s right. As death tolls and damage costs continue to rise, nobody heard the pleas of Staten Island residents and the consequences are unable to be measured.

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EDITORIAL BOARD

Fotini Sachpatzidis Associate Editor Katrina Abreu Ads Manager Nicole Morales Managing Editor Damien Morgan Creative Director Sarah Aires News Editor Olivia Beteta Arts Editor Erick Mancebo Features Editor Brian Rentas Web Editor Kathryn Bosch Circulation Manager Michael Oricchio Faculty Adviser

STAFF Julia Yeung Shannon McMahon

Shyam Nooredeen

What can you do for victims of Sandy?

If you’re interested in helping out the victims of Hurricane Sandy here are a few things you can do: • -Reach out to the university’s Center for Community Action and Research by e-mailing ccarny@pace.edu. They’re hoping to organize outreach events with student volunteers • -Contact Pace Hilel at board@pacehilel.org. They’ve begun organizing outreach events with the Bowery Mission • -Text REDCROSS to 90999 to give $10 to the American Red Cross and assist their relief efforts throughout the city • -Visit www.nybc.org to find local blood donation centers. Due to a loss of power a lot of stored blood was ruined during the storm and it will be needed for any injured people • Visit newyorkcares.org, the largest volunteering organization in New York, to learn about their daily Hurricane Sandy projects • Visit yougivegoods.com to find out how you can donate to a supply drive or start your own to benefit the victims of Hurrican Sandy through the United Way

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.

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. 902 New York, NY 10038 www.pacepress.org editor@pacepress.org Copyright 2012

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November 7, 2012

HOMECOMING 2012

Students reeling from homecoming surprise performance Dev, Melanie Fiona, 2 Chainz and special guest Kanye West among performers AMANDA PENA Contributor This homecoming, university exceeded expectations and with musical guests, DJ Enferno, Dev, Melanie Fiona, 2 Chainz and Kanye West performing. A concert that has done exceptionally well in the past, luring in current musical artists, certainly went above and beyond when they had chosen this year’s lineup. An array of university students and non-university students gathered in what seemed to be the best homecoming concert the school has had to date.

The doors opened for entrance at 8pm, however, people who had already purchased their tickets had been lining up an hour earlier to assure a good standing spot by the stage floor. Although it was supposed to be a cohesive and smooth entry process, students were way too eager to get into the concert. The groans and complaints grew heavier as the line wrapped around the outer banks of the school.

However, this just proved how excited everyone was to just finally secure their place. Upon entry into the gymnasium, one was gifted with an inflatable glow stick. Among the crowds was a sea of green or blue lights that moved with the floor shaking music. The room was full of energy as the students danced to the current songs DJ Enferno was spinning. A mash-up of songs from L.M.F.A.O. and Pitbull were played, along with some nineties hip-hop singles that brought about John Legend, Melanie Fiona, Two Chains, and Kanye West a sense of nostalgia for the crowd. It wasn’t until 10pm that the first main act, Dev, was scheduled to perform. Although slim and tiny in comparison to how musically big she seems on the radio, Dev did not disappoint her fans with her cool stage presence and infamous trance voice. Although known for her appearances in songs with the Cataracs such as “Bass Down Low”, and “Like A G6”, she also has an album out called The Night the Sun Came up, that she performed a few tracks from. She had a good mixture of songs that were unbeknownst to the crowd such as “Me” and “In my Trunk” and then finished with “In the Dark.”

Rita Ora, although scheduled to perform next, had to cancel on the university last minute due to an unforeseen illness. However, that did not stop the flow of the concert. The university’s own DJ Spynfo, provided some great music to dance to during the intermission phase after Dev and before the next musical guest that was to take Ora’s place, Melanie Fiona. About a half hour later, Fiona came upon the stage and was a surprise to many. That did not stop her from making her performance worthwhile. Fiona belted out her soul to the audience when performing “Fool For You” a song which won her a Grammy in collaboration with Cee Lo Green. Her strong essence on stage resonated with the rest of the crowd, women especially, and she put everyone in a “slow jams” type of mood. Song after song, Fiona showcased her musical talent and brilliant voice and there was never a moment when one thought her voice may just crack.

To finish off her act, Fiona sang “4AM”, one of her most popular singles. Impressed with her flawless performance, everyone went wild.

Next, was the act everyone was waiting for; 2 Chainz and surprise musical guest, Kanye West, whom no one was expecting.

DJ Spynfo tried his best to entertain this crowd during this long intermission with a twerking contest that had everyone cheering on their Two Chains and Kanye West Performing on stage fellow classmates. However, he couldn’t handle them for long as they become to chant “2 Chainz.” Around 1 am, rap artist, 2 Chainz finally graced the school with his presence by singing his verse on popular hip-hip song, “Mercy”. The crowd was screaming in delight as the main act entered the stage with his most popular musical feature to date.

Although a fairly new performer, 2 Chainz was quite comfortable on stage as he engaged the crowd and encouraged them to sing along.

At 2 am, the concert’s expected end time, was approaching, the audience was quite satisfied with 2 Chainz’ performance. It wasn’t until his last song, “Birthday Song”, when Kanye West ran up on the stage and performed alongside with him. The crowd erupted.

A performance from West was certainly unexpected. Although only performing for about two minutes with 2 Chainz, that was enough to make the ticket completely worth the $10 or $20 that the crowd paid.

Jakob Audino, junior, seemed to agree with the rest of the crowd in that saying, “it was well worth the small amount of money that I paid. I had a great time.”

Although most were unable to see them, John Legend and Mos Def were backstage supporting the performances that had gone out there and rocked the concert. It was a show to remember, all thanks to the university and P.A.C.E. Board.

Dev getting the crowd going Top Photo by Miss More | Middle and bottom photos by Amanda Pena

November 7, 2012

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HURRICANE SANDY

Storm brings destruction and disruption to city and campus

A faceless apartment on 8th avenue FOTINI SACHPATZIDIS Associate Editor Hurricane Sandy was the worst storm to hit the East coast in decades, claiming more than 110 lives and resulting in an estimated $20 billion in damages. On Oct.28, Mayor Bloomberg urged residents dwelling in Zone A of the city, which encompases coastal areas such as Coney Island, to evacuate and Governor Cuomor ordered the city to shut down subway service in preparation for the upcoming storm. The following day, areas in Lower Manhattan, Far Rockaway, Staten Island, and New Jersey were plagued by dangerous conditions that caused thousands to be without power.

Amidst the hurricane, President Obama signed eight federal emergency declarations that allowed state officials to make requests for assistance. Scheduled campaign events from both the president and Governor Mitt Romney were also cancelled to focus on disaster relief for victims, according to The Washington Post. As conditions continued to grow, including strong winds, flooding, and heavy downfall, President Stephen J. Friedman closed the university until further notice. With city schools, transit service and even the New York Stock Exchange shut down, the city was at a standstill.

University students were affected my Sandy’s wrath. Douglas Kandl, junior computer science major, who lives at the Fulton Street dorm, said he was “evacuated to One Pace Plaza…the staff was well prepared and I felt very safe.” President Friedman, resident advisors and campus security all worked diligently to ensure the safety of students living at campus dorm in Manhattan and in Brooklyn. Since much of Lower Manhattan was without power, students living in the Fulton Street dorms were evacuated to the John Street

Workers at Whole Foods handing out meals

A deli on 14th street after 70mph winds residence hall and into the One Pace Plaza building since the Fulton generator could not last long enough to provide the students with electricity . The St. George hall in Brooklyn was not forced to evacuate since it had power.

Throughout the storm, the school supplied students with food, water and batteries alongside the security guards that ensured their safety. Sarah Batchelor, junior and resident advisor at Fulton Street, said, “I think Pace overall did a fantastic job providing a place to stay and food for the students and residents who could not leave the city and truly had nowhere else to go. Everyone was in it together Pace felt like more of a community during the hurricane than ever before.” Post Sandy, many university students were eager to volunteer and donate to relief efforts for victims of the storm. They delivered food to the elderly that were now homebound through the Meals on Wheels program and brought supplies to seniors at South Bridge Towers.

The road to recovery after Hurricane Sandy will be a long one. President Obama along with Governor Chis Christie, visited damaged areas of New Jersey and discussed plans for recovery. City officials have restored subway lines excluding, the B, G, and Z lines. PATH trains will run bypassing Christopher Street and 9th street according to the Port Authority of New York, while the LIRR is following a weekend schedule. Gas shortages in New York and New Jersey have led to long hours for car owners in need of gasoline. In the meantime, donations are coming in everyday and many non-profit organizations are lending their support as citizens move forward.

A coated dachshund preparing for the aftermath All photos by Amanda Fimbers

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ARTS

November 7, 2012

Taylor Swift gives pop a diiferent sound with “Red” JEFF WHITNEY Contributor

Taylor Swift’s American fairy tale has been well documented, from her teenage startup in Nashville through her rise to super-stardom. Since her 2008 album Fearless, Swift has been selling out stadiums across the world, and in 2010 she outdid herself, with Speak Now having sold one million copies in less than a week.

The style of music that Swift offers on Red is as safe as can be, mixing the chartfriendly pop formulas with modern hook-heavy country. Speak Now was another step away from the country sound she adhered to on her debut album, and the songs that did carry that label were just pop songs with banjo. It seemed like the lead single, “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together” had made her transition to pop as obvious as ever, but she includes just enough Swift-style country songs on Red to keep the critics from crying about her selling out. The problem with Red is that alongside these pop anthems and emotionally distressed ballads, the old school songs simply come across as watered down and forgettable.

An easy trap that Taylor Swift falls into often is getting too caught up on a particular idea in a song and repeating it endlessly. It really isn’t a problem if this occurs on an addictively catchy song just ask any chart-topping artist of this century. It is; however, a problem if it occurs on the songs where she makes her claim for country authenticity.

“Treacherous” could very well have fit on 2008’s Fearless and would not have been terribly out of place on her self-titled album, but while Swift’s diehard fans may be pleased with this simple fact; the song is downright mundane and repetitive. Swift gets swept up echoing a metaphor she is too proud of, and fails to compensate with an interesting musical arrangement.

This pattern is repeated on “Sad Beautiful Tragic,” and “The Lucky One”. The songs lack both music stimulating enough to tie in a listener and the expressive melodrama that Swift has employed in the past to spice up songs, leaving us with nothing aside from her reflective but boring thoughts.

While there may be a pattern of mundanity within the quieter country songs, it is not like there is a stark boring or exciting duality that categorizes each song on Red, nor is the album unequivocally dull. There are actually several standout tracks on the album.

Two songs that are particularly exciting to hear are “22,” and “Stay Stay Stay.” If there is any song from Red that is destined for the top of the charts, it’s “22”. The song is an inevitable hit, especially given its attitude. Songs that are all in favor of going out and having fun simply to celebrate your youth have been immediate hits as of late, and even they are not as thrilling as “22”. A finely tuned pop anthem, “22” has sing-along qualities and a theme that radio never rejects. If Taylor Swift were to actually step away from the proven success of her country-pop lovesick ballads, “22” is a safe bet.

In different ways, “Stay Stay Stay” is a track that likely will not be disappointing for anyone. With a cute, carefree tone and country girl novelty, “Stay Stay Stay” is the most addictive song on Red. The song’s does not quite match Lady Gaga, nor Miranda Lambert, falling in somewhere safely around Sugarland as an enjoyable catchy song with country roots.

Other songs that stand out are “Holy Ground,” and “Starlight,” the latter of which is one of the few songs on the album that employs the same ambitious love song formula that brought Swift success with “Love Story,” and “Mine.” With a fast-paced beat and a more mature love narrative, “Holy Ground” is probably the most commendable song on the album. Swift offers a similar love story as usual, but does so without resorting to fairy tales or publicly denouncing a former lover. Not to mention its irresistible rhythm.

So while Swift has her clear achievements and losses on Red, the album truly just balances out as a pretty good effort from an artist who will be the biggest star in the world regardless of critical analysis. The “good” and “bad” songs balance each other out, and the rest are simply adequate.

“I Knew You Were Trouble” is one song that is certainly good enough for radio –

top40.pop.com especially with Taylor Swift’s name on it – but will leave much to be desired for some listeners. After hearing the verse and intro, it seems like just another Taylor Swift “we dated and it ended poorly” jam, but the thumping electronic tone in the chorus seems questionable it first. It will grow on some people, but never stop sounding weird to others.

Granted, it was a calculated risk taken by an artist who would have sold a million records by coping and pasting her last album, so that alone is commendable.

Further examples of Red being good, but not great, are the two duets. Ed Sheeran cowrote and sang on “Everything Has Changed,” and the addition of a new voice has a lot to offer an artist like Swift. “Everything Has Changed,” is one of the better country songs that does not fall victim to simplicity or repetition. “The Last Time,” features Snow Patrol lead singer Gary Lightbody, and in essence it’s a Taylor Swift song with some Snow Patrol mixed in. The song incites the right emotion, but clocks in at five minutes, which is at least one too many for a song so uninteresting.

The added songwriters and singers, not to mention a male counterpart, would seemingly add a whole new dimension to Taylor Swift songs. The songs are solid efforts, but less than noteworthy, and nothing more than obvious duets. Similar to Red as a whole, “Everything Has Changed,” and “The Last Time” are neither incredibly disappointing nor appallingly good.

Ultimately, Red has everything a listener could ask for. There are sad and happy love songs, country and pop songs, and good, forgettable, and mediocre songs. The album itself rounds out to a decent effort from one of the biggest pop starts in the world. Red is not an album to keep in your car stereo at all times, but one to download just certain songs off of. Taylor Swift has done nothing jaw-dropping or amazing, but she still did not offer something as overproduced, plastic, and disingenuous as most modern pop music. Here’s to Taylor Swift’s new slogan: She’s not perfect, but she’s also not Ke$ha.

NYPD couldn’t stop boarders from skating the Broadway Bowl DANIEL DEPASQUALE Contributor

A Supreme Court decision to cancel the 10th annual Broadway Bomb skateboard race severely backfired this weekend. Instead of putting an end to the event, hundreds of rebellious skateboarders alike, gathered together to skate through the streets of Manhattan. Longboards are usually most effective for cruising or “bombing” into and out of traffic but because of the official ruling against the event, boarders of all kind gathered together to race through the wind and against the law. “This chance to be part of such a monumental rebellion was a once in a lifetime event” says Jay Schot, a skater originally from Australia who was apart of the event.

The race that took place on Saturday, October 20th was ordered to be cancelled by New York State only two days prior on October 18th. However the Official Broadway Bomb 2012 Facebook page displayed the following message ““Attention all Skaters! Ian has received a

summons from the City of New York. In order to avoid being prosecuted, Ian Nichols must officially cancel the Broadway Bomb and relinquish all responsibility.

However, We are going to flash mob 116th Street and Broadway at 11:50AM and Start the Race at 12:00PM exactly. Get the exact time from your cell phone. Please don’t show up until 11:50AM because there may be a police presence. Please share this post with everyone in order to keep us all safe. See you there” that got skateboarders motivated to come out and skate. Relaying the message to over 2,000 skateboarders in such short time was virtually impossible but word did spread. Contrarily it spread for the better and brought people and friends together in ways unimaginable. More skaters than ever found their way to the starting line at 116th and Broadway in Manhattan.

Police and New York City Officials gathered to stop the event but this union of high flying, fast moving skaters was too overwhelming. What usually is viewed as a race was seen as much more this time around. Skaters skated

for their rights and some even kicked up their boards and walked directly in front of the cops, who were out in full force. While walking they all chanted “Broadway Bomb” to show that they meant business and deserved to be there for a 10th consecutive year. Not a single arrest was reported on Saturday. Riders set a good example in their rebellion of skating smart and rolled through town with precision. Young and old alike were warned of the danger they pose to citizens and oncoming drivers while skating, but nothing drastic was reported and that proves this was a success.

On Sunday, the day after the race had occurred; a charity fundraiser was held and it raised money for Cystic Fibrosis. Usually a three day event the Broadway Bomb of 2012 was had an impact on governmental and worldwide levels and also raised awareness for charity. The event was able to showcase the positive impact an activity could have, even if city officials did disapprove of it.

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November 7, 2012

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Justin Earle rocks Schimmel Theater with his banjo CHRISTIAN GOMEZ Arts Contributor

Justin Earle’s two shows at the Schimmel Theater both saw a large turn out and offered a personal look at the rising star in the folk music world and his inspiration Woody Guthrie. Between playing tracks from past albums and covers of Woody Guthrie Earle shared personal little stories about Woody and how he “was a simple country kind of guy who talked like me and was like me” who had given Justin hope that his kind of folk and more traditional country music could be accepted. Earle describes country music differently than what is the stereotype of ultra-patriotic and plays and is drawn to country music that tells stories of suffering and overcoming troubles. The show included multiple acts and all offer different looks at folk type music that mix blue grass styles with folk themes and lyrics.

The show was dedicated to the late Woody Guthrie who most famously is known for his song “This Land Is Your Land”. Many of Woody’s songs centered around his time during the dust bowl and his travels as a migrant worker from Oklahoma to California seeking employment and a life outside of poverty. Woody is famously known for his slogan written on his guitar “This Machine kills Fascists” reflecting his idea that through music that fascism could be defeated an idea that was shown during World War II in which he wrote prolifically both songs and poems supporting troops. Woody brought forth a new idea of what folk music could be and shaped other genres as he offered is skills during his life by mentoring greats such as Bob Dylan. Earle derives a great deal of his own inspiration from Woody and his work.

Earle is a singer songwriter hailing from Nashville Tennessee who from has released five studio albums from 2007-2012. Justin’s most recent album Nothing’s Gonna Change The Way You Feel About Me Now reached 4th out of the top 100 in the US folk music charts. The most recent album was written on a retreat to the Western mountains of North Carolina, creatively shifting the sounds and direction of his music from his previous album Harlem River Blues. Justin received a Song of the Year award from the 2011 Americana Music Awards for the Song “Harlem River Blues” from the same album. With Justin’s newest album a new sort of sounds begins to appear in the form of a Memphissoul direction returning to his roots compared to Harlem River Blues which was more of a departure from what he typically played and focused more on telling the story of poverty and struggling to stay afloat in Brooklyn. Justin has offered his critically acclaimed talent

Barneys reimagines Disney classics NNEKA MAGINLEY Contributor Beloved Disney characters are receiving a makeover for this holiday season with the help of Barneys. They are turning these characters into supermodels since the two companies teamed up. They’ve set out to produce a three dimensional short film featuring our favorite characters like Mickey and Minnie Mouse, Donald and Daisy Duck, Cruella De Ville, Goofy and Snow White, in designer attire like Balenciaga, Lanvin, Balmain, Dolce and Gabanna and more.

To meet these supermodel requirements, the characters had to be slimmed down to “fit the look”. They are going to appear as runway models standing 5-foot-11.

There are many brawls going about against these changes to our childhood characters. Minnie Mouse’s rail thin appearance is an issue that coincides with eating disorders and how the public reacts to this.

Girls look up to what they see on television or in magazines such as Vogue and Bazaar. They want to look exactly like their favorite Disney or Nickelodeon stars or random, stunning models in articles. Anorexia Nervosa is a serious eating disorder teenage girls and young adults consider when they realize their body isn’t “the body”.

They stop eating and work out excessively until they are nothing but skin and bones. This is a major issue girls may contemplate when they see their favorite Disney stars undergo dramatic changes to their body. When they notice Minnie Mouse no longer stands at 2 feet and isn’t a chipper little mouse, and is decked out in high fashion, they want to follow her role in order to fit into the top brand of clothing. That is what the company is afraid of; girls following the lead of the reformed Disney stars.

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to the Schimmel Theater and the crowd offered a large round of applause and demand for an encore that Earle very willing gave playing his personal favorite song solo on acoustic guitar before finally retreating to back stage.

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November 7, 2012

Nicky Silver’s “The Altruists” does a lot with a little IRENE SCHULTZ Contributor

This past week, the university presented two plays in the Schaeberle Studio Theater, both written by Nicky Silver. The quirky “Fat Men in Skirts” and “The Altruists” were both equally interesting productions.

Directed by Cosmin Chivu, “The Altruists” script was brought to life in a modern-day New York City setting.

The plot focus on Ronald, a gay social worker, and his group of political activist friends. The characters, include Cybil, a revolutionary self-proclaimed lesbian, and Ethan, an altruistic humanitarian, protest the one percent and fight for gay rights, black rights, and women rights among other things. However, irony ensues when Ronald’s sister Sydney, a non-altruist soap opera actress, commits a murder. Along with the altruists Cybil and Ethan, Sydney convinces Ronald to blame his innocent new love Lance, a male prostitute, for the crime and send him to jail. The dramatic concept of misplaced morality is the underlying theme of the play. The satire of the script tells the story of these characters supposedly committed to “do-good” causes questioning their morality.

The tone of the play was serious and ironic, however comedic at times, even if not planned to be so in the script. The occasional bursts of cynical humor added to the strangeness of Silver’s script.

The major conflict of the play was the murder that occurred at the beginning. The main question and underlying theme was the irony of the so called “political activist” characters knowingly sending an innocent person to jail for a crime that he did not commit, just to save their guilty friend Sydney. The unifying metaphor in the play was the questioning of morality. This is relevant in the university’s theme of the year; Justice: Equality, Freedom, and Virtue.

The dramatic question of the play is whether or not it is just to sacrifice the life of an innocent in order to save the life of another?

David Shocket, freshman and member of the technical staff of the Shaeberle Theater, says, “I think that the

struggle in the show is really interesting. I found the ending somewhat surprising. The struggle to decide what is right and what is most important to you is a challenge that people should think about.”

Chivu took a unique interpretational directing approach to express Silver’s concept in the script. The identifiable production concept present was the location of the same apartment complex, which included three different apartment rooms where each different scene took place.

All of the elements in the production were compatible and coordinated. Each light and sound cue were timed in a perfect manner and allowed for the show to run smoothly and appear believable. The only thing that seemed out of place and inadequately integrated with the rest of the play was the use of a removable screen on which a pre-recorded video was projected. Strange as it was, it did add to the chaos of the play.

The acting roles were appropriately cast. No actors were inadequate in their roles and if one had the opportunity to see both casts perform, this would still be true. One especially effective actress was Kiran Rhe, who played the role of Sydney. She was fully committed to her character and never broke out of it. She invested everything into each line and delivered a truly convincing performance because of it. Rhe’s acting had an effect on the audience because she utilized her vocal range throughout each scene, never remaining in one voice level for too long.

Not to mention, Rhe performed completely comfortably onstage in front of an audience wearing only underwear.

The actors in general were audible and understandable, without the use of microphones, and delivered dedicated performances.

The characteristics that the scenery embodied were simple, however each piece was unique and portrayed a different environment. The scenery conveyed what the characters’ financial statuses were by the way each apartment was set up. The props included on each set piece also added to the characterization of each different character and their back-story. Overall, the scenery didn’t affect the total production. However, a clear understanding of

the setting would have been lost if the scenery had been eliminated.

The costume design was very organic and raw as well.

Each actor pretty much wore his or her own clothes. The only special costume needs were that of the character of Sydney who required an expensive looking suit in order to enhance her characterization. The only special makeup need was also required by the actress playing Sydney who began the play with dark running mascara and who quickly fixed her makeup backstage before entering again. The prostitute, drug-addict character of Lance also has special makeup needs in order to make him appear beat-up and disheveled. Overall, costumes and makeup contributed to, not hindered, the total production.

There were several special lighting design and sound needs throughout the play. The sound cues were executed in a timely manner. For example, the music seized as the actor hit the button on the radio, and likewise began to play when he pressed the button again. The lighting helped direct the audience’s attention to which apartment room they should observe at each given time. The use of the spotlight helped focus an individual actor for a period of time even though other actors were onstage in different apartment rooms at the same time. Overall, lighting and sound contributed to the overall production concept.

Although this particular performance contained several errors and mistakes, including a misplaced banana, a spilt coffee mug, a broken teacup, a visible uninvited fake body part, and an iPad technical malfunction, the actors did an amazing job pulling through the scenes and carrying the audience’s attention with them.

Shocket adds, “The show is really funny and both casts are doing an incredible job interpreting the script.”

The overall impression received from the performance of “The Altruists” was that magnificent acting helped portray a rather twisted bit of literature to an enthusiastic and eager audience. The element of mystery in Nicky Silver’s play “The Altruists,” along with Chivu’s intricate directing and the talented cast, created an overall experience that was interesting yet enjoyable and exciting.

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November 7, 2012

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University dining services’ pricing policy under question Students accuse Chartwells of unfairly marking up products, draining meal plans GRACE TEXTER Contributor From the very embarrassing shutdown and subsequent boycott after a NYC Health Department inspection yielded over 70 “critical” health violations, to a minor bed bug infestation, dining services at the university have had their fair share of drama the past few years.

While the university’s dining service history has certainly been sordid, the university’s new dining services provider Chartwells seems to be keeping up its pledge to maintain an “A” grade from the NYC Department of Health.

Putting the issue of food cleanliness and safety aside, however, university meal plans are still at the forefront of resident student aggravation.

Technically, a meal plan is a “payment for a room [in this case, dorm] that includes one or more meals per day in the price,” according to most dictionaries. At most other colleges, a meal plan provides a specified number of swipes per student each day.

Clearly, then, we do not have real meal plans. Our food “arrangement” is basically a restaurant; everything is individually priced and we pay for it that way.

Tyrone M. Ellen, senior director of dining services, said Chartwells’ prices are based on the terms and agreements within their contract with the university.

They investigate eateries around the university to evaluate fair pricing.

Additionally, Ellen mentioned that they “compare the data collected from other universities in Lower Manhattan and benchmark against NACUFS (National Association of College and University Food Service)” in order to provide fair prices.

When compared to local restaurants and stores, however, there are some slight

differences in Chartwells prices. For instance, a Chartwells burrito is $7.59, while Chipotle’s offering ranges from $7.81 to $8.27. Finally, a muffin from Dante’s Gourmet Foods goes for $1.75 and at Cafe 101 the same sells for $2.99.

The slight increase doesn’t seem to make much of a difference from day to day, but tracked throughout the semester could really add up for students.

The university “Gold” dining plan costs $1850 per semester. According to Chartwells, that should provide students with $123 per week, or $17 per day. But if a student decides to get food from the hot or cold food bars, a bag of chips, and a Bloomberg-approved bottle of soda, their total can easily exceed $9.50. On the “Gold” meal plan, that is over half of the designated daily budget. Spending that much of the daily allowance in just one meal is highly suspect. Clearly something is wrong.

Shanice Racketts, sophomore, started off this semester with the Blue meal plan, which allots $1050 per semester at $70 per week and $10 per day. Being about 2 months into the semester, she has already had to add more money to her dining account.

“It sucks,” said Racketts. “We should have a plan that gives each student a certain number of meals per week instead of what we have.”

While we’re at least no longer forced to eat food that can’t pass a health inspection, it’s obvious that there is something amiss with regard to pricing.

Most of the markup is slight and goes unnoticed, but regardless, it’s unfair that the university doesn’t keep dining costs under control, especially when it’s clear that students like Racketts are being provided with substandard service.

Pace University: Cafe 101 Receipt 20 oz bottle of soda: Cafe 101 - $1.99 Vending Machine - $1.50 Downtown Pharmacy - $1.00 Bagel with Cream Cheese Cafe 101 - $1.78 Panini and Co - $1.66 (after student discount) Cafe Tomato - $1.50 1.5oz bag of chips: Cafe 101 - $1.50 Vending Machine - $1 CVS - $1.09

Tip AMT: ___________________

This graphic compares several goods available at Cafe 101 to local stores.

Graphic by Daniel Morgan and Erick Mancebo | The Pace Press

University students flock to MTV’s MADE college casting call RIDDHI DOSHI Contributor MTV is known for a variety of things: 16 and Pregnant, Jersey Shore, and occasionally music. One of the most popular shows on this channel is MADE. MADE is described to be a self-improvement reality show which “focuses on college students, college graduates, and young adults trying to make it in the real world” according to MTV.com.

MADE characters, young adults who want to be transformed into personas such as dancers, girly girls, and bikers, are given a MADE Coach, an expert in the field who will guide them to successfully transform them.

This year the Emmy Award winning series has given out a casting call for all university students.

“My acting teacher in the BFA-Acting program is the one who told all of us about this opportunity,” said freshman Christopher Harral. This is the first time the MADE crew has targeted their makeovers to college students. In the past they’ve focused more on high school students. On MTV’s website, their casting call asks for college students who want to “own their own business,” are “about to graduate and need some real work experience,” or want to “score their dream summer internship.” These goals are clearly different than some of the dreams they have made true in the past. It definitely is not going to be the same as transforming a shy girl with horrible style into the homecoming queen.

The casting call online asks for students to send in a video of themselves with basic information such as their name, age, phone number, school, and grade. They provide a set of 13 requirements for the video. The video must include information such as the person’s MADE goal, why the person needs MTV’s help to attain this goal, how people at their school view them, and their home/family life.

“My MADE goal is to be an actor. For a coach, they would obviously choose someone who knows acting and I would get really cool training in that way, they would help [me] overcome some of my obstacles of inexperience by my not having an agent or an audition in the industry,” said Harral. This is among the biggest obstacles students at the university hope MTV will help them with. As most people know, connections in any industry are incredibly helpful and in the entertainment industry, MTV is an empire all on its own. Many students also mentioned that having a student from the university go on MADE, a national show, will get the school’s name out there and help all students in the long run.

The casting crew of the show have held three auditions to date, and there are still more students, like Harral, who are still waiting to audition. Their application questions for face-to-face auditions/interviews are the same as the ones online. The students will have an interview with the casting to talk about the same issues on their application.

“My instinct is that they want someone who would make good TV; someone who has struggled and is under-qualified. I do believe that MTV truly want to help someone succeed and make their dreams come true, but in the end they do need the viewership too,” said Harral. This does stand in the way for a lot of average students who simply want to achieve their goal and have not had a dramatic set-back so far in their efforts to achieve the goal.

Students have also expressed concern about having their struggles out there for everyone to see. The question of whether being on a show which broadcasts their struggles on national television will help students achieve their goals or not will be answered at the end of the season, and further into the careers of the university’s numerous acting and dancing hopefuls. But even so, Harral said, “They don’t make you what you want, they give you the skills and resources you need in order to succeed. In the end it’s what you make of it.”

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November 7, 2012

FEATURES

Marketing major moonlights as hair, makeup artist Fulton St. resident puts cosmetology license to use, provides services to students

ELINOR COHEN Contributor

Looks are a very important part of an NYC college student’s life. While people at other schools may be content with walking around in messy buns and ponytails, it’s fair to say university students take more pride in their appearances and want to look as best as possible.

With the limited budgets that most college students live on, “cheap-and-chic” is the motto that the majority tries to live by.­­—that’s where Elise Del Rio comes in.

Originally from Flemington, New Jersey, Del Rio is more than just your typical beautyobsessed girl. A licensed cosmetologist, certified in hair, skin and nail services, Del Rio is also a marketing major. She has been providing her services to clients since 2010 and already has a strong client-base.

“Hair is my thing,” said Del Rio. “It’s my niche. I can do other things; I love makeup as well. But hair is where I really thrive.”

It all started at Hunterdon County Polytech, where Del Rio was enrolled in an intensive cosmetology program for ten long months. Every day, from nine o’clock until three o’clock, Del Rio learned everything from basic hair cutting to how to provide Keratin treatments to giving aesthetic facials.

After her schooling, Del Rio then had to pass a written test as well as a practical exam.

Although Del Rio passed the exam with flying colors, she admits that it was no walk in the park.

“We were timed on everything, and watched like hawks; you have to know everything from facial shaving strokes to finger dexterity,” she recounted. Still, Del Rio was determined to launch her career. As soon as she passed, she jumped right into the work scene.

After working as an assistant at Signature Salon and Spa in Whitehouse, New Jersey, Del Rio was promoted to an apprentice. In this position, she was able to build clientele who trusted her. She also developed her own techniques and unique styles of hair cutting and coloring. I t was there that she realized

just how passionate she was about this craft.

When asked about her initial inspiration, Del Rio credited her grandmother as a factor. “She was also a beautician,” Del Rio remembered.

“She had a salon in her basement, and I remember the smell of hair spray from when she would set her clients’ hair in their perms and rollers… I love that smell of hair spray.”

“Most of all,” said Del Rio, “I love that when you give someone a haircut, you listen to them and you learn about their lives. You share stories and you give someone the chance to be transformed. [The client] leaves feeling renewed and refreshed and that’s the best return for my job.”

Giving back is a main focus of Del Rio’s.

She hopes to one day be an educator for a major company in the beauty industry. For now, however, Del Rio simply wants to offer her services to anyone who seeks them. She currently has a makeshift studio set up where she offers every hair service imaginable: blowouts, styling, trims, basic cuts, curly cuts, hair dyeing, highlights, Keratin treatments, and all other chemical and transformation processes.

Del Rio understands the financial stress that most college students are under, and wants to make others feel good about how they look without depleting their bank accounts. “It’s good for college kids because we’re all broke and haircuts in NYC are certainly not cheap. They’re also not always reliable,” said Del Rio. “NYC is wonderful, but with hair you really don’t know what you’re going to get. A lot of people want to be edgy and eclectic, but some people just want to look natural and pretty; I can do that for them.”

Del Rio’s passion for her clients is obvious.

“I want to please my client first and foremost. I will always be honest with them if I don’t think it will look good, but I won’t do something that they’re not comfortable with.”

Still, for Del Rio, the process is worth it.

“Cosmetology is my art,” she explained. “I get to create masterpieces and I love that.”