October 2015

ON THE BLOCK:

ELIE TAHARI AT FIT

FIT SPEAKS:

WHAT IT’S LIKE TO BE AN INTERNATIONAL STUDENT AT FIT

F E AT U R E :

THE EPIDEMIC OF SEXUAL ASSAULT ON COLLEGE CAMPUSES

MASTHEAD

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FIT

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CONTENTS

Dara Kenigsberg Editor–in–Chief Jenny Kim Executive Editor Dana Heyward Managing Editor

W27

A LE T TE R FRO M TH E E D ITO R

ON THE BLOCK

One of my first decisions as Editorin-Chief was to do away with themes.

They used to put every issue in a straightjacket. In doing so, we have been able to give our staff a platform to write about the issues they are impacted by and the subjects they want to learn more about. But we are only a microcosm of the student body as a whole. We want to know what you have to say and welcome any and all ideas or feedback.

Dan Nissim Digital Content Editor Marina Herbst Treasurer Jonathon Lee Copy Editor Hyden Werp Advertising Manager

There was such a wide array of topics to write about this month, we ended up adding eight more articles a few days before they were due. We covered a lot of awesome events, including the New York Film Festival, the Global Citizens Festival, and Elie Tahari and Claudia Rankine speaking at FIT. On a more serious note, we examined the sexual assault epidemic that has taken college campuses nationwide by storm. Internationally, we looked at how social media has become a catalyst for the violence in Israel. “Will the Red Planet Ever Be Green?” took us beyond Earth’s parameters as we presented the most recent discovery about Mars.

In FIT Speaks, one writer shared her experience with (and opinion on) the mandatory senior internship course, while our other writer tried to get a sense of how International students feel here.

EDITORS Kaylee Denmead Jordyn Ferriss Dan Nissim

ART Emma Wood Art Director Senior Designers: Danielle Carcione Kayla Scheidel

CONTRIBUTORS Taylor Sicko Allison Hatch Stephanie Martinez Natalia Pereira Karina Avelar Jessica Blicksilver Caterina Nicolini Sammy Riley Luiza Teixeirabatist Madelyn Adams Lily Wright Meghan Kane Rachel Hinch Lisa Rumbalski Kaitlyn Gorecki Melissa De Oliveira Isabelle Meyers Andrea Navaro Vicky Mathew

As the digital age is upon us, and more and more papers are moving online, W27 is also expanding our web presence. Newspapers across the nation and throughout the world may be changing but the need for publishing news has never been greater, and that is an endeavor that does in fact have a bright future.

In closing, I just want to thank last year’s Editor-in-Chief, Hermina Sobhraj, for being an amazing mentor and a great friend. And I will leave you with a quote to live by:

Professor John Simone Editorial Faculty Advisor

“LIVE AS IF YOU WERE TO DIE TOMORROW. LEARN AS IF YOU WERE TO LIVE FOREVER.”

Professor Albert Romano Advertising Advisor

-MAHATMA GANDHI

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God Is A Feminist: Madame Secretary at FIT

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Claudia Rankine Visits FIT

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Student Spotlight: Karine Josefine Sanfridsson

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Sustainability Awareness Week

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Club Culture: The Death of FIT Words and the Future of FIT’s Clubs

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From Elie, WIth Love

DEAR INDUSTRY 7

3-Dumbensional Printing: The Plastic Claim to Innovation

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From Inside GQ to Outside Men’s Fashion Week: Keino Benz Tells All

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Luke Abby: Rising Photographer

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Snoop Dogg Pot Social Network

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Stella McCartney’s Mastectomy Bra

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Birkin’s Issue With the Birkin, The Croco Causes Controversy

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Beauty Buzz: Pat McGraths Gold 001, The Beginning of the Next Best Thing?

FEATURE 13

Designer, Gabriela Ostolaza, Gives Plastic A New Meaning

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The Epidemic of Sexual Assualt on College Campuses

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Will the Red Planet Ever Be Green?

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Food Executives Charged For Sending Out Contaminated Peanut Butter

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E-Book Sales Down And Why Print Isn’t Dead

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HAUTE CULTURE 18

New York Film Festival Review: A Tale of A Tightrope

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Festival Review: Global Citizens Festival

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Concert Review: Walk The Moon

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Fall TV Shows to Watch

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Restaurant Review: By Chloe

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Book Review: Becoming Cindy Crawford

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“Normal People”

MONTH IN REVIEW 22

Airstrikes in Syria: Russia Enters to War Against Isis

FIT SPEAKS 24

Internships: For Credit Or For Cash?

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An Alien in New York

26 “You Know You’re A True New Yorker When...”

ON THE COVER: Designer Gabriela Ostolaza along with photographer Vicky Mathew.

Model: Alyvia Pilossoph

W27 IS PRINTED ON RECYCLED PAPER. PLEASE RECYCLE AFTER READING. A FIT STUDENT ASSOCIATION PUBLICATION.

OCTOBER 2015

ON THE BLOCK

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FIT

W27

STUDENT

GOD IS A FEMINIST: MADAME SECRETARY AT FIT

SPOTLIGHT

BY MEGHAN KANE

Claudia Rankine, esteemed Jamaican poet and playwright, held a talk on October 6 in the Katie Murphy Amphitheater entitled, “The Creative Imagination and Race.” Open to FIT students and the general public, she

BY: JENNY KIM

PHOTO COURTESY: PARADE.COM

Freeman offered his praise for Leoni and described himself as a “huge fan” of hers. When it came to casting the role of Madam Secretary, Freeman, or as Daly joked, “MOFOTUS” (Morgan Freeman of the United States), recalled his moment of clarity, hitting his forehead in disbelief of not having thought of her sooner. Leoni was quite satisfied with the creative process of developing the show, commenting she “couldn’t not do it” when the prospect of playing Elizabeth McCord, a character fueled by components of all three past female secretaries of state, was presented to her. Madeleine Albright, the first woman to hold the position, will guest star as herself on an upcoming episode of the CBS drama.

followed it with a Q-and-A session and a book signing at the Barnes & Noble bookstore on campus. Rankine is the author of five collections of poetry, two plays and numerous video collaborations. Her topics usually focus on the most significant social themes of the 20th and 21st centuries.

CLAUDIA RANKINE VISITS FIT

BY TAYLOR SICKO

Rankine revealed to the audience that she is far more familiar with 27th Street than we expected. She had once been a student at the Fashion Institute of Technology, taking a patternmaking course while she was still in high school.

“WHEN FREEMAN'S MICROPHONE FAILED TO COOPERATE, [IT] RESULTED IN A COMICAL TESTING OF HIS NEW MIC, IN A VOICE THAT NATURALLY BRANDS ITSELF AS ALMIGHTY.” The group contentedly deliberated the aspect of the show that truly seems to resonate with viewers — the modernly indelible relationship between Leoni’s and Daly’s characters. Cast and crew illustrated a marriage consisting of two equally strong individuals and a story relying on external drama, i.e., swiftly moving up the presidential line of succession or recruiting a Russian nationalist for U.S. intelligence purposes, rather than infidelity and financial feuds. Tim Daly discussed his character’s (Henry) self-assurance and the unwavering mutual support within his relationship with Elizabeth.

Rankine led her discussion by reading excerpts from her fifth, most recent volume of poetry titled, “Citizen: An American Lyric.” Published in October, 2014, it won both the The National Book Critics Circle Award for Poetry and The PEN Open Book Award, and was selected as a finalist for The National Book Critics Award for Criticism as well as The California Book Award.

“Citizen” holds the position of being the only poetry book that has been placed on the New York Times Bestseller list in the nonfiction category. When asked about her routine for producing poetry, Rankine simply stated, “I don’t know what accounts for the drive.”

The environment at the event was relaxed. When Freeman’s microphone failed to cooperate, the crowd had no problem pointing out the issue, which resulted in a comical testing of his new mic by booming, “Do you hear me in the back?” in a voice that naturally brands itself as almighty.

Leoni discussed her trust in Freeman as a producer of the show as well as an actor and director, attributing his invaluable contributions to the show to his being a feminist. He replied, “I am a feminist.”

Rankine also used images from artist Nick Cave to aid in her presentation.

Cave creates whimsical, wearable sculptures that cover every inch of the body. Rankine believes Cave’s work posits the idea of how people would interact with each other, if our skin color was covered.

At the end of each selected portion Rankine read, a faint, nearly imperceptible exhale emanated from the audience. Collectively, we began to sink into a new level of awareness, thanks to Rankine’s powerful words.

Rankine’s work raises the question: When will racism stop affecting the dynamic of our interactions?

This captivating book-length poem draws attention to the realities of everyday racism, judgement and discrimination that continues to plague our society, and delves into what it means to be an American citizen in a “post-racial” society.

“RANKINE’S WORK RAISES THE QUESTION: WHEN WILL RACISM STOP AFFECTING THE DYNAMIC OF OUR INTERACTIONS?”

PHOTO COURTESY:CLAUDIA RANKINE

Born and raised in Sweden, Karin Josefine Sanfridsson is a Fashion Business Management student who has traveled the world to expand the scope of her fashion career.

Although she counts L.A., Paris and London among the places she has lived, nothing compares to New York, where she recently moved to get her bachelor’s degree at FIT. However, Sanfridsson is no ordinary undergrad, having recently created the app “Spots Social Dining,” which is designed to encourage students to go out to eat with each other by offering them a discount at certain restaurants if they come as a group.

Here, Sanfridsson tells W27 about her ambitions, her app and staying motivated.

My goal is to create a successful career within the fashion industry. Hopefully, I will be able to inspire other young talented people with reaching their goals. My dream career is to reach a top position where I can combine my experiences in creativity with my experiences in business-oriented tasks and analyzing skills.

JK: Tell us about the app “Spots” and how you got to be part of the team of developing and launching. How do you think the app will help students in NYC? KJS: Me, along with three friends studying at Harvard and Stanford, simply thought that it would be a great idea if restaurants around campus would have student discounts to make it more affordable for students to eat out. We did a lot of research and spoke with restaurant owners and students to come up with the concept. We created the app “Spots – Social Dining” since we wanted to encourage students to socialize during school breaks. The app works in three simple steps: you create a Spot, invite your friends and enjoy the discount.

As we come to better understand our world, and the dangers we pose to its continued prosperity, sustainability is more important to ever. You may know the “Three R’s” - reuse, reduce, recycle - but there is so much more when it comes to sustainability. Are you aware of the sustainable practices FIT has in place? FIT’s Sustainability Awareness Council has taken responsibility to educate our school about the importance of our attitude towards the environment and the role we can play in protecting in, not only as everyday individuals, but as future professionals as well.

BY CATERINA NICOLINI

The show seems comparable to HBO’s highly successful “Veep,” although “Madam Secretary” is undoubtedly the family-friendly alternative. Barbara Hall elaborated on the premise of the show by contrasting it to the news, which often only conveys results, while “Madam Secretary” dramatizes the backstories. Both Hall and McCreary stressed the importance of humor when it comes to writing the show, saying that too serious of a script is an inaccurate representation of what actually occurs in foreign affairs.

K ARINE JOSEFINE SANFRIDSSON

SUSTAINABILITY AWARENESS WEEK

The day after the fall premiere, Téa Leoni and Tim Daly, stars of the hit CBS television drama “Madam Secretary,” joined series creator and executive producer Barbara Hall along with executive producer Lori McCreary to discuss how the show accurately depicts what transpires in both international and national politics, as well as everyday life. Oscarwinner Morgan Freeman, who is one of the show’s producers, made a surprise appearance at the event, which took place in the Haft Auditorium.

Moderated by New York Times contributor Bruce Fretts, attendees got a sneak peek into what this season has in store for the characters. The passionate panel delved right into some of the defining characteristics of the show: a refreshing depiction of an age-old institution, as well as the harmonization of light-hearted wit and pressing foreign matters.

SEPTEMBER 2015

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The organization held events Sept. 28– Oct. 2 that ranged from art installations to workshops and projects. Among these were the Interactive Community Weaving Project, which took place in the Feldman Center Lobby, where plastic bags were woven into a canvas in the form of a sculpture to demonstrate the unnecessary amounts we use.

The Farmers Market Sale was an opportunity for local farmers to sell their organic and environmentallyfriendly grown produce on campus.

And the Freecycle event gave students a chance to recycle clothing they didn’t want any longer.

JK: How do you stay so motivated?

KJS: I stay motivated by other people.

I love reading about career success stories and have been incredibly inspired by such driven personalities.

It’s easy to stay engaged when you focus on what your natural instinct drives you to do, especially when you get to share your ideas and successes with team members as passionate and involved as you. I make sure to work during every school break to maintain a direct contact with the industry. This summer I worked for the Swedish fashion sports brand Björn Borg, where with an amazing group of people, I got to coordinate and host its spring/ summer 2016 fashion show during Stockholm Fashion Week. I believe that if you always do “a little bit more” and be kind to every person you meet then opportunities will arise.

At the Rust Dyeing Workshop held Oct. 1, students created prints with iron oxide on different materials, using various tools such as nails, screws and the like. The Bio Design Challenge gave fashion design students at FIT the chance to envisage the incorporation of biotechnology in the industry. They got to work with scientists and the biofabrication industry to ideate a solution to a problem relating to certain contaminating materials used in the fashion industry. The winning teams from FIT, MIT and Cal State got the opportunity to present their resolutions to biotechnology professionals at the Biodesign Challenge Summit.

Students also had the opportunity to attend a lecture by Jennifer Farley Gordon and Colleen Hill who discussed their book, “Sustainable Fashion: Past, Present and Future,” based on their MFIT Exhibition in 2010. Their book delves into the eco-fashion movement as well as the relationship between fashion and the environment during the 19th century.

PHOTO COURTESY: FITNYC.EDU

JK: How do you balance your time between school, work and extra activities such as developing apps?

KJS: I am a very structured person who highly values time management. I always make to-do lists and spend time prioritizing the most important tasks.

I always try to prioritize my health and the projects I truly believe in. The app Spots is a great example of one of those projects. As long as it’s fun, it’s so much easier to find the time for it.

FIT is also currently involved in the Clinton Global Initiative provided by the Clinton Foundation. This initiative consists of a “project that challenges students and universities to tackle global problems with practical, innovative solutions.” More on this initiative can be found on the FIT website. When the Natural Dye Garden was accepted last year, it was the first time an FIT student’s project had been chosen, and with the acceptance of the Muslin Composting System, we are holding strong. This proposal by students Lydia Baird and Willa Tsokanis, both senior Textile Marketing Development majors, also marks the first composting system ever initiated at FIT. It works by breaking down cotton muslin to avoid clogging landfills, which would normally be caused by its fibrous composition. The composted materials will be used to enrich FIT’s green areas.

Overall, FIT’s concern with the environment has lead to several pronounced accomplishments. The Sustainability Council has managed to engage students into continuously making sensible decisions regarding the environment and therefore, wellbeing of future generations to come.

DEAR INDUSTRY

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FIT

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OCTOBER 2015

C L U B C U LT U R E :

THE DEATH OF FITWORDS AND THE FUTURE OF FIT’S CLUBS

T H E P L A S T I C C L A I M T O I N N O V AT I O N

BY ANDREA NAVARRO

BY MEGHAN KANE FITWords has dissolved after being unable to gather enough members for executive board positions before the club’s registration deadline. Following numerous attempts to reach out to FIT’s writers community by Kait Gorecki, FITWords President, the club officially went defunct for being unable to meet the Student Association’s rules and regulations regarding the quantity of members a club needs in order to stay active (four executive board members and 10 regular ones).

Gorecki, who stated that “It’s been a long, hard battle that has finally come to an end,” sent a massive email to the club’s lasting members on October 4 summarizing the reasons why the club was no longer operational, along with instructions on how to resurrect it in the Fall 2016 semester should there still be “passionate people in the FIT community.”

The club fair, held Sept. 17, allowed clubs and organizations to sign new members and promote themselves; but with it being scheduled only five days before the mandatory training session for presidents and treasurers (when all executive positions like President, Vice President and Secretary should already be filled) smaller clubs that might not previously count with enough members have little to no chance of getting new ones that are qualified and ready to step up to serve as officers.

According to Matt Hudack, Program Coordinator and Advice Director of Student Organizations, groups received communication in May 2015 that their clubs were able to start registering on FITLink for the 2015–2016 year and that September 30th was the date that all that information was due. “Some groups struggle because they have very strong student leaders one year, then the next year, those students graduate or do not have the time to commit to being a student leader,” says Hudack.

“Most groups have transitioned executive boards properly, have recruited new members and leaders and have been proactively communicating with their advisors about what they’ve learned in their trainings so that their organization is set for success.”

Nevertheless, Gorecki is quick to declare that she believes that “there’s a lack of support from the Student Association with the promotion of clubs, and the five days between the Club Fair and the mandatory training session are negligible when it comes to getting people to commit to executive positions before they even know what the club is about or if they like it.”

Gorecki is not the only one who thinks that lack of promotion is an issue regarding the sliding membership of clubs. For the 2015–2016 period, there are 57 clubs registered within

the Student Association. However, most students are not even aware that the majority exist and if questioned, most students don’t have knowledge of the existence of the majority of those clubs, even when every semester they pay $65 in a “student activity fee” and $50 in a “recreation & athletic fee,” whether they are involved in a club or not. And if they are aware, and want to participate in more than one, they then feel pressured to pick favorites because most clubs meet at the same common hours. However, the majority of the students interviewed claim that they simply don’t have the time to be involved in clubs.

The average full-time FIT student juggles between six or eight classes, has a part-time job and/or some kind of required internship that more often than not is unpaid. In FIT’s 2014 enrollment data, it was reported that 78 percent of the student body is enlisted as full-time.

So they prioritize: they have to attend classes and deliver assignments in order to graduate, work to support themselves and internships are required by FIT. After doing that math, clubs seem more supplementary than necessary for many students.

“It is my understanding that clubs are created to allow students with similar interests to spend time together, to network within their areas of interest or profession and to contribute to the colorful and lively community that is FIT,” says Professor Amy Lemmon, FITWords’ advisor. “I strongly believe that clubs, like student government, can be an important part of personal growth and development during a student’s time here. It is unfortunate that so many clubs, despite having active members interested in their activities and programming, find it impossible to fulfill all of the requirements and maintain an active status.”

After FITWords’ closure for the 20152016 year, I can’t help but wonder which club will be next on the chopping block? It’s understandable that there’s a minimum amount of procedures that should be implemented in order to keep a club operational, however, some of the rules seem to add unnecessary stress to its members. Maybe this is done to mirror how “real world” governments and corporations work. But does that mean it’s the way school clubs should be handled?

PHOTO COURTESY:NYMAG.COM

“LIKE ANYTHING ELSE IN

FROM ELIE,

WITH LOVE

BY ISABELLE MEYERS

LIFE, IF YOU WANT TO BE SUCCESSFUL, YOU HAVE TO DO IT WITH LOVE.” HE ALSO PRIDES HIMSELF ON THE FACT THAT HE DOESN’T DESIGN

If there was ever an American rags to riches story, it is the ascent of the famed designer Elie Tahari. His approach to fashion is clean yet always on trend. When he showed up at FIT to participate in the Faces and Places series, dressed in his own brand’s dark navy skinny jeans and a black jacket, the reasons for his massive success were immediately clear.

Originally from Jerusalem, most of Tahari’s childhood was spent in an orphanage. When he was finally able to move to New York, he found himself on an adventure. Tahari saw it as “camping in Central Park.” That’s right; the homeless man on the bench in Central Park could be the next Elie Tahari.

Beginning as an electrician in the garment district, living on $5 a day and selling clothes at night, Tahari was an active observer. He went to discos and began selling clothes that fit the club scene of the ’70s — his claim to fame was the tube top. As he matured, so did his target audience, and the Tahari brand we know today started emerging into one that women could wear to the office while still maintaining their feminine and chic image.

Aside from Tahari’s humility, which FOR SIZE ZERO MODELS, BUT seemed to be a personal motto (“be grateful for everything”), his passion RATHER FOR HIS CUSTOMER.” and knowledge of the industry came across the most. “Like anything else in life, if you want to be successful, you From sleeping in Central Park to have to do it with love.” He also prides waking up with a view of it, Tahari’s himself on the fact that he doesn’t humble beginnings and impeccable design for size zero models, but rather taste have been instrumental in getting for his customer. Aside from a quality him to where he is today. Always one fit, Tahari says that all designs must to listen to both his customers and his be approved by him. He noted that critics, Tahari continues to produce it’s not always about what’s good for elegant and feminine sportswear every business. “I have to like it personally.” season, all while remaining one of the Clearly, his personal taste is good for chicest designers of our time. business, as his company is estimated at $500 million.

Remember when cellphones were first invented and the people who could afford them walked around with colossal hunks of plastic? Me neither.

But it happened, and it wasn’t the first instance where the wealthy sported the cutting edge technology, eventually developing into a diaspora throughout the general population. Then practically every human’s quality of life improved through the possession of said device.

History repeats itself. And as we all know, so does fashion. After having such cliché truths pounded into our heads by professors and high school teachers alike, it is fair to predict that today’s 3D printer is on its way to becoming a household item. But the notion that we must don slabs of plastic in order to accept this technological progression is becoming superf luous.

As pointed out by The New York Times, people who care about clothes seem to view the recent, dual-industry obsession with “wearable technology” as trivial, if not absolutely perverse.

So far the fetish seems to have been focused on accessories — Google Glass, the Apple Watch — that function more like life-hacking tools than genuinely useful, attractive items a person with even a rudimentary sense of aesthetics might be inclined to wear.

Dutch designer Iris Van Herpen rejects the notion that the cross-pollination of fashion and technology must yield utilitarian results. “Game of Thrones” star Gwendoline Christie, best known for playing Brienne of Tarth in the fantasy-drama TV series, lay motionless on a round, concrete table as part of Van Herpen’s SS ’16 Paris Fashion Week show in the web of a woven dress that was being 3D printed upon her.

She was surrounded by three imposing sculptures made by Jólan van der Wiel, who grew them using magnets.

This concept of 3D printed fashion as art is definitely easier to slip on than plastic ready-to-wear.

At SS ’16 New York Fashion Week, 3D printing made its mark on the runway yet again with Chromat’s MOMENTUM line, which is just one of the latest examples of 3D printing technology making the crossover into the fashion industry.

With the help of tech giant Intel, Chromat has created garments that are made with 3D printing and an advanced technology by Intel, which helps to allow the clothing to change shape and adapt according to the sensory experience of the person wearing the garment. The sheer palpability of it is fascinating; but the reality that apparel is made of fabrics for movements and shapes of the body is seemingly diminished in the light of this au courant technological advancement.

Adidas recently released a prototype of shoes featuring a personalized 3D printed midsole and a woven upper.

“Creating a f lexible, fully breathable carbon copy of the athlete’s own footprint, matching exact contours and pressure points, it will set the athlete up for the best running experience,” reads a release. “Linked with existing data sourcing and foot scan technologies, it opens unique opportunities for immediate in-store fittings.” Adidas is a little late to the 3D printed shoes trend, seeing that there are entire companies that have launched to do just that. Nike, inducing gasps and yawns alike, has even discussed the possibility for customers to 3D print shoes in their own homes.

After feeling so inclined to jump on the silkscreened band wagon, Adidas still shows signs of being the first to offer this glamorized experience.

PHOTO COURTESY: INHABIT.COM

With tech companies such as HP marketing printers with 3D printing capabilities, we will have the opportunity to print in our homes.

The potential for democratization within fashion is as liberating as it is alarming. Imagine not only designing your own clothes, but also printing out physical forms of those drawings right then and there and walking out of your home wearing the clothes you had dreamed of the night before. The future holds the achievability of efficiently actualizing our imagination. Who needs next season when you have today?

Like some sort of de trop package deal, the diminishing need for the fashion industry is an accessory to the at-home printing of clothing. Like the menacing prospect of 3D printing guns, the assassination of the fashion industry as we know it, and with it the economy, presents a stormy forecast. Better print yourself an umbrella.

“ TH E P OTE NTI A L F O R D E M O C R AT I Z AT I O N W I T H I N F A S H I O N I S A S L I B E R AT I N G AS IT IS AL ARMING. IMAG INE N O T O N LY D E S I G N I N G Y O U R OW N C LOTH E S , B UT A L SO PRINTING OUT PHYSICAL F O R M S O F TH OS E DR AW I N G S RIGHT THEN AND THERE A N D WA LK I N G OUT O F YO U R H O M E W E A R I N G T H E C LOT H E S YO U H A D D R E A M E D O F T H E N I G H T B E F O R E .”

DEAR INDUSTRY

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FA S H I O N W E E K : K E I N O B E NZ TE LL S A LL

PHOTO COURTESY: ARTICLESOFSTYLE.COM

BY LISA RUMBALSKI

Lisa Rumbalski: How were first introduced to the fashion industry?

Keino Benjamin: My first introduction to the fashion industry was when a famous photographer/fashion blogger of The Sartorialist, Scott Schuman, photographed me during every New York Fashion Week and captured my street style. This was before social media platforms like Instagram, Twitter and Snapchat. He would post my images on his blog, which gave me great exposure to the fashion industry. Attending high-end fashion events, fashion shows and being in the right place at the right time are what truly got me connected to the world of fashion.

It was a dreary day outside, but seated across from me in a wooden booth at Cafe Grumpy on West 20th street, Keino Benjamin was all smiles. As GQ’s fashion director and industry insider, he has a lot to be happy about. Wearing ripped jeans, black layers, chelsea boots, a motorcycle jacket and an olive green fedora, he was dressed in what he would soon describe as his signature pieces. A pretty standard look in the fashion world, yet somehow Benjamin manages to make it his own. One of today’s most inf luential tastemakers, I had the pleasure of spending the afternoon getting a glimpse into his world. Here is what he said:

LR: Do you still consider GQ the “go-to” magazine for men?

KB: Absolutely. As a fashion expert, I refer to GQ to keep on top of new trends, designers and grooming guidelines. It keeps me up-to-date on the fashion industry.

LR: How would you say your personal style has evolved over the years?

KB: It’s evolved from preppy suit looks to more casual street-wear with a rugged feel. It’s crucial to switch up your style and be relevant as a trendsetter.

LR: What are some of your signature pieces?

KB: Black fedora hat, leather jacket, Chelsea boots and black oversized top.

LR: What’s your favorite part of being a GQ Insider?

LR: Where does your inspiration come from?

KB: My favorite part is collaborating with brands and being able to inspire others to work above and beyond in whatever it is they are doing. It’s also exciting to see other GQ insiders at events and speak with them about fashion, upcoming designers and future projects we’re working on.

KB: Art galleries, street-style and traveling.

LR: What makes a particular style stand out to you?

KB: Black layers with details, a custom suit with the right tie…a shirt and shoe combo distinguishes a look.

LR: Describe your style in 3 words.

KB: Rugged. Classy. Preppy.

LR: What piece of advice would you give to those pursuing fashion-related careers in regards to branding themselves?

KB: Finish your education in whatever it is that you are studying, but don’t wait until after school to start branding and marketing yourself in a way that creates traffic and attracts followers. Use social media to your benefit. Work above and beyond, and be a leader not a follower.

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OCTOBER 2015

T H E O N LY A P P I T U N E S R E F U S E S T O H O S T

BY JENNY KIM

“THERE ARE SO MANY PEOPLE IN THE CLOSET, AND WE ARE GIVING THEM AN OPPORTUNITY TO COME OUT OF THE CLOSET AND

LR: You’ve been all over the media for your street style at the first Men’s Fashion Week back in September. Would you say MFW was a success?

SMOKE. I’M A SMOKER, MY

KB: Yes. It brought life to men’s fashion.

NAME IS SNOOP DOGG, AND

LR: Where do you see the future of menswear going?

SNOOP DOGG POT SOCIAL NETWORK

PHOTO COURTESY: WUSA9.COM

FRO M I N S I D E G Q TO O UTS I D E M E N ’ S

W27

JUST ADMIT THEY LIKE TO

Snoop Dogg, who has always been known as a hard-core advocate of weed, is launching a marijuana media company called Merry Jane with his business partner, Ted Chung. This platform will serve everyone from experienced stoners and lifelong pot smokers, to first timers. Snoop Dogg stated that Merry Jane will provide all the information that weed smokers need to know and be “the encyclopedia of the cannabis world.”

I’M A STONER.”

KB: Men are becoming more comfortable with expressing themselves through their personal style, which has always been impactful to the industry. New and upcoming menswear designers are out there — being super creative — to get on the same level as top designers. It’s a competitive market, but it’s never dull.

Always remember this: “Good clothes open all doors,” Thomas Fuller said.

The site will also feature a variety of shows, including cooking shows that educate weed smokers on how to make unique edibles as well as showing viewers foods that pair well with marijuana. Another show called ‘Def lowered,’ will focus on highprofile people discussing the first time they smoked pot. There will also be exclusive interviews with celebrity weed enthusiasts, such as Miley Cyrus and Seth Rogan. In the first interview, retired U.S. Marine Capt. Mike Owens and Sgt. Matt Zeimys will address their post-military lives and how marijuana has helped them cope with PostTraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).

Additionally, the site will have editorials and articles about the business and political sides of cannabis, including news about legalization and information about the growth of the industry. Created by the site’s editorial team, Merry Jane will connect its users to a special system database that contains information on the various strains of marijuana, educating users on which would be most suitable for them. The user will then be directed to a local dispensary so that they have

the option to purchase that strain. This feature is unique to Merry Jane and is what helps set it apart from so many other weed platforms.

When asked about the business goals for the site, Chung said that “advertising is definitely part of the plan,” but that the most important thing is providing the weed industry with a reliable platform for brands to establish a stable, sturdy presence. As for the need of the site, Chung said that the demand already exists—he expects Merry Jane to exceed its competitor sites within 6 months of launching.

The first 420 people to sign up for the site will be given early access to it.

Snoop Dogg’s ultimate goal for Merry Jane is to provide a place for pot smokers to feel as though they won’t be judged. He stated, “There are so many people in the closet, and we are giving them an opportunity to come out of the closet and just admit they like to smoke.

I’m a smoker, my name is Snoop Dogg, and I’m a stoner.”

Merry Jane is not Snoop Dogg’s first bite at the business side of the marijuana industry. In 2012, he released his own book “Rolling Words: A Smokeable Songbook” which was printed in its entirety on hemp seed paper. The book even had rolling papers attached on the inside that readers could use at their discretion.

In the early months of 2015, he became an investor for Eaze, a company that guarantees medical marijuana delivery in less than ten minutes.

M ERRY JA N E WILL OFFICIALLY L AU N CH TO TH E G E N ER AL P U B LIC IN OCTO B ER.

75278

L U K E A B B Y; R I S I N G P H O T O G R A P H E R

BY SAMMY RILEY An hour past adjusting lights and arranging props the set was prepared with a glisten of perfection. In the corner is a ladder which hangs an array of clothing that’s sorted into a specific look, Wake Up and Smell the Coffee, the theme for that day’s shoot. A mood board of cozy cappuccinos and lukewarm greens, the snapshots are taken with an energy for excitement, and with a coffee in hand. Luke Abby, photographer and rising artist is the one who did it all. Combining artistic mediums of sculpture, set design and photography, he’s indulged in his creativity of the photography business for the past three years, taking portraits for Harper’s Bazaar, and photographing for publications like Wonderland and Rebel Magazine.

In the exploration for immaculate compositions and lighting, Abby continuously tests the waters for new and exotic ways to portray emotion and creativity. Luckily, Abby gave an insight on his personal and occupational lifestyle in an interview for W27. Here’s what he said;

Sammy Riley: What led you into photography?

Luke Abby: I’ve always enjoyed taking pictures; I guess it’s sort of like documenting my life in a way. I’m a little crazy where I like to look back at pictures and I keep them all under my bed in a big suitcase. I just have so many in there (laughs). I started out doing a lot of self-portraits. I don’t know, that was a way to learn about light and composition. I would usually shoot it in a mirror or something. And then I used to make a lot of costume pieces and I incorporated that in the self-portraits that I did and then portraits of my friends and things.

I like taking pictures of people who are slightly uncomfortable in front of the camera sometimes, that lack

self-confidence, because they sort of see themselves in a different way and are really happy with the outcome.

SR: What’s a day in the life of a photographer?

LA: Let’s see, I wake up and go and get my coffee from around the corner and then I also manage a photo studio, which is called Eclectic Studios in Long Island City. So, some days I go there if there’s a shoot happening, or if I’m doing a photoshoot of my own I’m probably waking up at 7am, so tired, and [then I] go and shoot.

SR: What are some current projects that you’re working on?

LA: My biggest focus right now is getting into filming and shooting some short films, but most importantly I’m starting to do a zine. I plan on doing a zine of the images that I’ve taken mostly throughout America.

It is going to be called Fishy Misty, which is named after my friend Scott who recently passed away. It’s going to be kind of a big experiment with art direction, layouts and pictures that have sort of taken me out of the box, but I’m excited though!

SR: What was one of your best shoots?

Your worst?

LA: I did a really good shoot the other day. It was a shoot for my friend’s company and I was sort of experimenting with different lighting.

I bought my first set of lights and I experimented with gels to really make the skin look sort of soft. I wanted to do less of a glossy sort of feel and a bit more of a romantic one. My worst shoot was a few months back; my boyfriend and our two great friends went to barley. We stayed in this bamboo treehouse in the middle of nowhere and there’s a crazy stream running through the back of the grass are, and we got really excited and ran down there. I was taking all these amazing pictures of my two friends on this rock kissing and

it was so pretty and it was really misty with morning light and I slipped on this rock and fell. There was this crazy strong current and I lost the camera and lost all the images. Now they’re just sitting in the bottom of a lake.

SR: Where do you see yourself in 10 years?

LA: Oh my God, in 10 years. I just want to have my zine finally done and have a few issues going on and develop a really nice style from that. Basically what I want to get done is to organize all of my work. I love traveling, I want to travel more. I want to be a bit more comfortable. But most likely in five years from now I’m going to be looking back at my pictures and everything, just everything in general, and feel different from that and hopefully learn from that.

SR: How do you think photography has changed?

LA: Obviously things have gone much more digital now and magazines seem to be posting a lot more online digital content and it's happening a lot faster.

But you know, I love shooting on film and basically I think is going to come back a lot more.

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“WE WANTED WOMEN TO KNOW

10

STELLA MCCARTNEY’S MASTECTOMY BRA

BY KAYLEE DENMEAD

THAT YOU CAN STILL BE FEMININE, HAVE YOUR SENSUALITY, HAVE ALL THE THINGS THAT ARE ATTACHED TO BEING A WOMAN AND THAT PART OF YOUR BODY CAN STILL FEEL BEAUTIFUL ON THE OUTSIDE, AS WELL AS THE INSIDE,” PHOTO COURTESY: VOGUE.COM

BIRKIN’S ISSUE WITH THE BIRKIN THE CROCO CAUSES CONTROVE RSY

BY MARINA HERBST

PHOTO COURTESY:ONLINEONLY.CHRISTIES.COM

Actress and singer Jane Birkin confronted the French house Hermès about one of their best selling bags that also bears her name, the Birkin Croco. Due to controversial production practices that didn’t sit well with Birkin, she asked Hermès to remove her name from the famous bag.

The controversy began last July, when Birkin found out that Hermès Inc. had been allegedly using crocodile farming and extreme slaughtering practices in production. Unsettled by this information, she decided to take action and released a statement saying, “I have asked Hermès to rename the Birkin Croco until they adopt better practices that meet international standards for the production of this bag. I have signed actor Joaquin Phoenix’s Mercy For Animals petition to shed exotic skins from your wardrobe in protest against the millions of reptiles slaughtered each year and turned into shoes, handbags, belts and other accessories.”

It wasn’t until mid-August that Hermès announced they were in communication with the actress in order to alleviate her concerns about crocodile skin usage. The brand’s CEO, Axel Dumas, expressed surprise on behalf of the company after seeing a video that PETA uploaded, showing numerous reptiles still moving after having been shot at a farm in Texas.

This video led Birkin to complain again, which in turn pushed Dumas to quickly release a statement saying, “We agree that the best international rules should be applied in our crocodile farms.”

While investigating the farm in the video, Hermès, who doesn’t own the lands, stated that the crocodile skins they were receiving from that supplier were not being used to produce Birkin bags. For both Birkin and PETA, that statement was not enough and Birkin continued her crusade to get her name removed from the bag.

During the first days of September 2015, Hermès held a meeting with the actress that resulted in her allowing the luxury-goods brand to continue selling the Birkin Croco. Hermès released a statement saying that the actress and PETA were satisfied with how the company ensured the ethical treatment of crocodiles reared for their skins. Hermès also pledged to cease using the farm shown in the video and has required new suppliers to sign an agreement to uphold the highest standards in crocodile treatment.

The relationship between Birkin and Hermès started back in the 1980s when she agreed to lend her name to the bag after sharing a f light with the late head of the house, Jean-Louis Dumas.

Birkin bags are the brand’s most coveted product, bringing in around 15 percent of sales, according to an analyst at Exane BNP Paribas in London. The bag retails for more than $22,000 dollars and is usually worn by celebrities. The only way clients can even get one is by putting their names on a waiting list, and some have had to wait years to actually get their bag.

W27

FIT

October always brings a sea of pink in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Stella McCartney is the latest designer to take part in a charitable way. The Listening Louise Bra, was created for post-mastectomy patients and is named in honor of McCartney’s mother, Linda Louise McCartney.

Wife of Paul McCartney, she was a well-known musician, photographer and animal rights activist who died of breast cancer in 1998.

McCartney’s goal of developing this bra has been to make women feel beautiful, proud and comfortable in their post-mastectomy bodies,” said the designer. “There are so many different emotions attached to the tragic realities of having had a double mastectomy.”

McCartney’s understanding of these many emotions led her to create the piece.

“We wanted women to know that you can still be feminine, have your sensuality, have all the things that are attached to being a woman and that part of your body can still feel beautiful on the outside, as well as the inside,”she explained. The bra is a light pink and has an overlay of off-white lace. It checks functionality, comfort and looks off of the list in terms of what all women want when bra shopping, not just post-mastectomy patients.

Its wide band below the breasts, deep sides, compression feature and front zipper are helpful qualities for the postmastectomy consumer, while also being visually appealing.

PHOTO COURTESY OF: VOGUE.COM

DEAR INDUSTRY

11

OCTOBER 2015

PAT MCGRATH’S GOLD 001, THE BEGINNING OF THE NEXT BEST THING?

Ask any makeup artist you meet who their biggest inspirations are and there is a good chance their first reply will be, “Pat McGrath.” For beauty lovers worldwide, Pat McGrath is ^the makeup artist and with a career spanning over 20 years, it doesn’t seem like she is slowing down anytime soon. While leading the makeup department of various runway shows this fashion week season, McGrath dazzled critics with her creativity. But something was different this time around when, at Milan Fashion Week, McGrath went bold with gold lips on the Prada runway. The product she used? A mysterious pigment of her own creation.

BY JORDYN FERRISS

For those unfamiliar with McGrath, she got her start in the 90’s working with Edward Enninful, the then fashion editor of i-D magazine. Since then, she has worked with numerous high-profile designers, photographers and cosmetics brands. Currently serving as the global creative design director of household products power player Procter and Gamble, she oversees drugstore makeup brands Covergirl and Max Factor. She also aided luxury brands Armani and Gucci in developing their own cosmetics lines.

With all this experience under her belt, it only makes sense that McGrath would eventually create her own line. It’s something that has been speculated and talked about in the beauty industry for years. Shortly after a slew of Instagram posts of her golden Prada pouts, McGrath teased her followers with a video of gold pigment being mixed in an erlenmeyer f lask.

She posted the video three times, each with the caption “COMING SOON.” Appropriately, people freaked out.

Soon after, McGrath posted another Instagram inviting her followers to the Jardin des Tuileries in Paris, France. There she would “adorn” those who came with her previouslyteased pigment which she is now calling Gold 001. Vogue magazine covered the event, which was attended by top models Bella Hadid, Stella Maxwell and Imaan Hammam as well as Instagram’s fashion director, Eva Chen. The models and lucky attendees were given a signature golden lid.

Following the event, PatMcGrath.com was launched. Though there is not much to see on the page now, your email is the key to gain access to the Gold 001 launch countdown. Above the countdown reads “Stay tuned for Gold 001 release notifications,” which, according to the countdown, should be arriving towards the end of the month on Oct. 21.

NARS, Make Up For Ever, LORAC, Surratt Beauty and Charlotte Tilbury are just a few of the various successful beauty companies launched by the artists themselves. The impact that makeup artists have on not only the industry but consumers has skyrocketed in the past ten years – a big part of which they owe to social media. By making themselves and their work more accessible, makeup artists are gaining notability and hefty fan bases. See Mario Dedivanovic, Kim Kardashian-West’s makeup artist, who has over one million followers on Instagram and was recently named the global ambassador for Anastasia Beverly Hills.

McGrath isn’t the first famous makeup artist to launch, or at least hint at launching their own makeup line.

Retailing for $125, 100 percent of the proceeds of the Listening Louise Bra will be donated to the Hello Beautiful Foundation. On their Facebook page, the Hello Beautiful Foundation is described as a non-profit that aims to strip out the negative energy associated with cancer. Specifically, the proceeds will help fund their new London center for women suffering from breast cancer and their families.

A second design from McCartney in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month is the Alina bra and brief set. A percentage of this $165 hot pink, lace set will be donated to the Linda McCartney Centre in the UK, the National Breast Cancer Foundation in the US and the National Breast Cancer Foundation in Australia. The money will support their work in providing the most advanced treatments and technologies for patients with breast cancer.

The impact these artists have and the expertise they possess make them the perfect candidates for their own brands. With the launch of Gold 001, many are wondering if this is McGrath’s pseudo-announcement that she is finally ready to launch her brand. Her website is entitled “Pat McGrath Labs” leading one to believe that there is much more to come from this matriarch of makeup. Until then, Pat fans and beauty lovers alike will have to longingly scroll through McGrath’s Instagram, patiently waiting for the next teaser to grace their feed.

“BUT SOMETHING WAS DIFFERENT THIS TIME AROUND WITH GOLD LIPS ON THE PRADA RUNWAY. THE PRODUCT SHE USED? A MYSTERIOUS PIGMENT OF HER OWN CREATION.”

Though this isn’t the first brand to make a product that donates and supports breast cancer awareness and research, the Listening Louise Bra is one of the first of its kind to provide for women who have undergone mastectomy.

PHOTO COURTESY OF: VOGUE.COM

FEATURE

12

FIT

W27

13

OCTOBER 2015 RH: What motivated you to choose plastic as one of your main fabrics?

“ALL OF THE COLLECTIONS I CREATE ARE VERY PERSONAL TO ME , EVEN IF ON THE OUTSIDE IT MAY SEEM SUPER KITSCH. A LOT OF TIME MY FABRIC DRIVES THE

BY RACHEL HINCH

COLLECTION. I NEVER REALLY USE

GABRIELA OSTOLAZA, A SENIOR IN FASHION DESIGN, IS MAKING HEADWAY IN THE FASHION INDUSTRY. HER

A STORE BOUGHT FABRIC. I ALWAYS

AVANT-GARDE DESIGNS CHALLENGE EVERY THOUGHT

CHALLENGE HOW I CAN DISTORT

ABOUT MODERN FASHION. EXPERIMENTING WITH FABRICS AND CREATING CONCEPTS THAT BRING FINE ARTS TO

AND TRANSFORM SOMETHING THAT

CLOTHING, SHE DEBUTED HER FIRST SHOW AT THE AGE

ALREADY EXISTS.”

OF 20, WON THE AMY KROTZER AWARD FOR DRAPING HER SOPHOMORE YEAR AT FIT AND HAS EVEN DRESSED CELEBRITIES ALONG THE WAY. MS. OSTOLAZA SAT DOWN WITH W27 TO DISCUSS PLASTIC, LADY GAGA AND THE MERITS OF GOING TO FIT.

Rachel Hinch: What made you choose FIT? Gabriela Ostolaza: I chose FIT because it had been a dream of mine to go here since I was little. I got accepted to other design schools in the city but there’s such a sense of community and non-pretentiousness here that I love. I always feel safe and at home on campus. I also love that FIT is really about the technicality of fashion. I came here not knowing how to sew or what it meant to drape, and one year later I was showing my first runway collection at Fusion.

RH: How has the school influenced your career thus far?

GO: FIT exposed me to so many exciting opportunities like the Fusion Fashion Show. That really helped me get the ball rolling on what is now my brand. FIT has also helped me travel to places I never thought I would. In 2014, I was lucky enough to spend my summer in Tokyo, taking Japanese Conversation at Bunka Fashion College. That whole trip inspired my SS16 collection GAIJIN.

RH: Where do you draw your inspiration from?

GO: All of the collections I create are very personal to me, even if on the outside it may seem super kitsch.

So [my] personal experiences and I always reference art. A lot of time my fabric drives the collection. I never really use a store bought fabric. I always challenge how I can distort and transform something that already exists.

RH: What is it about fine arts that you wanted to include in your fashion designs?

GO: I guess a lot of times people kind of view my clothes as campy and like novelty pieces. So in that way it almost becomes like an art piece, not something that be can easily reproduced. My best friend works at a few galleries in Chelsea and my boyfriend is a visual artist, so it’s something I’m always exposed to.

GO: I love plastic! I use it in almost everything I do. It is such a versatile medium to work with. I love experimenting what I can do with it next. I don't know when the obsession began, but I don't see an end near.

RH: On your website Lady Gaga is showcased wearing your designs, what was it like to work with her?

GO: Really exciting! I was honored when her stylist, Brandon Maxwell, pulled my GENERATION 3000 collection after I participated in Fusion 2014. After that I was offered to collaborate on some of her ARTRAVE tour costumes. It was humbling to be recognized by such a major fashion icon.

RH: You won the Amy Krotzer award in draping, what kind of obstacles or challenges were you up against?

GO: Our theme was Mad Max meets the French Court. In the beginning I was really nervous about my decision to make a more modern punky outfit because a lot of my classmates were taking a very evening/costume-like approach. I wasn't sure how mine would be received. I poured my heart into that garment, and it was super detail oriented. It was incredibly rewarding when I won, and the perfect way to end my sophomore year.

FEATURE

14

THE EPIDEMIC OF SEXUAL ASSAULT ON COLLEGE CAMPUSES BY: KAYLEE DENMEAD

As students everywhere settled into their first month of yet another school year, colleges across the country were rocked by the results of a survey conducted on campus sexual assault and sexual misconduct. The survey, commissioned by the Association of American Universities, revealed staggering numbers of sexual assault reports from college-age women.

According to the survey, 27.2 percent of all female college students were victims of nonconsensual sexual contact of any kind since beginning their college careers. Whether carried out by force or while incapacitated, the unwanted sexual contact ranges from touching to rape of many female students. The survey also found that 13.5 percent of the 27.2 percent had experienced unwanted, attempted penetration or oral sex.

In the fall of 2014, the AAU and Westat, a research firm, banded together to design and implement the survey. Last spring, 150,000 students from 27 various colleges and universities took part in what was the biggest survey to date on sexual assault on college campuses. The sheer number of students that partook is not the only aspect that makes this survey widely accepted: All of the country’s Ivy League schools, except for Princeton University, were involved, as well as major universities such as Iowa State University, the University of Florida and the California Institute of Technology, to name a few.

FIT

W27

15

OCTOBER 2015

FOOD

At some of the country’s most wellknown colleges, sexual assault happened at an even higher rate: 34 percent of female seniors at University of Michigan, 32 percent at Yale and 29 percent at Harvard experienced some type of unwanted sexual advance during their time on campus.

Although this survey is monumental, the AAU does its best not to mislead the reader. Of the nearly 780,000 people who were emailed the survey, only 150,000 completed the responses -- a mere 19 percent. Critics attribute this to what could be a biased result.

Another issue found was that with only 27 universities, although the broadest survey sample of it’s kind, it was not broad enough and failed to reach students who were not at some of the country’s most privileged schools.

Despite the supposed errors behind the survey, the results are still credible enough to cause major concern. It has been clear before that college campus sexual assault is a very real problem, and these results push the issue into the forefront. Picked up by major news outlets everywhere, the results of this survey have been heard nationwide.

This isn’t the first time that sexual assault has hit the news in the last year. Rolling Stone released a nowretracted article about the gang rape of a freshman at the University of Virginia and the mishandling of the event. Although the facts didn’t hold up in the piece, it sparked a major debate across America, questioning if and how often these events happen. “Missoula,”

by Jon Krakauer, was released in April. The well-known author of “Into the Wild” and “Under the Banner of Heaven” delved into the series of sexual assault cases at the University of Montana, which were so complicated that the Department of Justice became involved. In May, Columbia University student Emma Sulkowicz carried her mattress across the stage at graduation in an ongoing protest against the way the university handled her own rape claim from 2012. Lady Gaga released a powerful, yet horrifying video for her song, “Til It Happens to You” on Sept.

18. The video highlights the very real pain of sexual assault, forcing many viewers to confront its ugly reality.

Sexual assault is no longer an abstract term, or something that could never happen to you or anyone you know. It is now something most of us have been forced to deal with and can now no longer turn away from.

These reoccurring news stories about campus sexual assault aren’t the only ones, and they aren’t just coincidences, as we can see from the AAU survey. President Barack Obama has made efforts to raise awareness and combat rape at colleges. His “It’s On Us” initiative is an awareness campaign to aid in ending assault on college campuses. The initiative urges men and women to make a personal commitment to be part of the solution.

Frontrunner for the Democratic Party, Hillary Clinton, is taking his lead. She stated in mid-September, “As president, I’ll fight to make sure every campus offers every survivor the support she needs.”

Campuses across the country are also working to edit their policies and take control of the epidemic that is sexual assault, but it is a reform effort that has taken a long time to get started and is years away from being corrected. Many students, mainly female, have had their attackers get away, but there have also been male students who have had their civil rights seemingly revoked as they fight to prove their sexual encounters were consensual. The balance between right and wrong is a fine line and in most cases it relies on he-said, she-said accusations. The AAU survey will not be the first of its kind, but it has been a major start in the effort to get the ball rolling for safer campuses across the U.S. More than 27 percent is a major number of females affected. That’s a major number of lives changed.

That’s a major statistic that needs to be resolved.

“ S E X U A L A S S A U LT I S N O LO N G E R A N ABSTR ACT TERM , OR S O M E T H I N G T H AT COULD NEVER HAPPEN TO YO U O R A N YO N E YO U K N O W. I T I S N O W SOMETHING MOST O F U S H AV E B E E N F O RC E D TO D E A L WITH AND CAN NOW N O LO N G E R T U R N A W AY F R O M .”

EXECUTIVES

WILL THE RED PLANET EVER BE GREEN?

CHARGED FOR SENDING OUT C O N TA M I N AT E D PEANUT BUTTER BY:LILY WRIGHT

BY:MADELYN ADAMS After years of speculation and INISTRATOR FOR THE SCIENCE endless research, on Sept. 28, NASA scientists confirmed MISSION DIRECTORATE AT NASA, in the Natural Geoscience Journal, what we have been JOHN GRUNSFELD, TOLD THE wondering for years: Evidence of liquid water has been TELEGRAPH.CO.UK, “THESE discovered on the surface of Mars. Although ice caps have OBSERVATIONS ARE GIVING US A been previously discovered on Mars, indicating that MUCH BETTER VIEW THAT MARS HAS water had once existed on the planet, this is the first time we RESOURCES THAT ARE USEFUL TO are learning of water on the surface of Mars that remains liquid for extended periods of FUTURE TRAVELLERS... I THINK WE time.

WILL SEND HUMANS IN THE NEAR Since 2006, the Mars FUTURE TO MARS... TO BE ABLE Reconnaissance Orbiter spacecraft has been orbiting TO LIVE ON THE SURFACE, THE Mars, searching for signs of water and water-related RESOURCES ARE THERE.” minerals. The Orbiter discovered dark streaks on “The short answer for habitability is it the surface of Mars that seem means nothing.” to f low during warmer seasons and fade away come cooler seasons. It has Since this announcement, the public been discovered that these mysterious has pressured NASA to answer streaks were created through a questions about the future of Mars: process of hydration, including traces What is the next step? Will we colonize of hydrated salts, indicating strong Mars? Is it even a good idea to send evidence that water had a critical part people to Mars? In response, NASA has in forming the streaks. Nevertheless, been open and cordial in answering there aren’t bodies of water f lowing these intense questions. The agency on Mars, but merely small patches of has stated it plans to launch the InSight damp soil. lander to Mars in 2016 in addition to a rover in the works that will be What is the significance of this recent sent sometime in the 2020s. NASA is discovery? Basically, it shows hope also seriously considering the idea of that life could potentially exist beyond sending humans to the foreign planet Earth. Liquid water is one of the most sometime in the early 2030s, expecting basic yet critical keys to life, and now them to land by the late 2030s. we know that one of our neighboring planets is more similar to Earth than Space exploration, and its previously believed. Former astronaut accompanying technology, have made and Associate Administrator for the great strides. Fifty years ago, this Science Mission Directorate at NASA, would have been unthought of, and John Grunsfeld, told the telegraph. yet we’re only in the beginning of co.uk, “These observations are giving human space exploration. History is us a much better view that Mars has being made on a universal scale. On resources that are useful to future its current path, NASA is sure to make travellers... I think we will send a life-changing discovery within the humans in the near future to Mars... next century and the colonization of to be able to live on the surface, the Mars is just the beginning. resources are there.” Christopher Webster and Mary Beth Wilhelm, both scientists at NASA, agree that there could be a possibility of sustaining life on Mars. Others, however, are not so sure given the various factors (other than water) required to do so. For example, Mars’ surface is significantly colder than Earth’s, and the planet also has great amounts of radiation.

Astrobiologist Christopher P. McKay is also critical of NASA’s recent discovery despite the hype. He said he believes that in order for the water found in the streaks to be liquid, they would have to be so salty that life simply couldn’t exist there. He told the New York Times,

From September 2008 to March 2009, 714 people in the U.S. were infected with a strain of salmonella.

The culprit: peanut butter produced by The Peanut Corporation of America, run by Stewart Parnell. The company knowingly shipped out contaminated peanut butter. The peanut butter was manufactured in Blakely, Ga., and the conditions in the plant were far less than satisfactory. Last year Parnell was convicted on 72 counts of conspiracy and other federal charges.

When investigators went to the Georgia plant, they found that it was entirely in shambles. There was a leaky roof, roaches and evidence of rodents all around the product – all of which are major players in salmonella contamination. Salmonella is often correlated with meat, eggs and milk and can be found on animals that carry the disease, such as rodents, as well as in the intestines of birds and in fruits and vegetable and in products made from them. Experts also say salmonella incubates in water, like in the PCA factory.

Along with the 714 people infected with the life-threatening illness, “ALONG WITH THE 714 PEOPLE nine others died, making this INFECTED WITH THE LIFE-THREATENING incident the deadliest food ILLNESS, NINE OTHERS DIED, MAKING poisoning event in recent THIS INCIDENT THE DEADLIEST FOOD years. This is the first time a POISONING EVENT IN RECENT YEARS. food administrator has been THIS IS THE FIRST TIME A FOOD convicted of a felony involving ADMINISTRATOR HAS BEEN CONVICTED a food poisoning outbreak. All OF A FELONY INVOLVING A FOOD others have only been charged POISONING OUTBREAK.” with misdemeanors. While Parnell did not receive a life sentence, at age 61, his 28-year sentence U.S. Attorney Michael Moore, whose is just as severe. office prosecuted that case, said, “Corporate officials are now on During the trial, 45 witnesses took notice that they’ll be held to account the stand for the prosecution and they for their conduct and claims of exhibited over 1,000 documents. The ignorance of arguments that ‘I was evidence, which included emails, lab too busy’ or maybe that ‘I delegated results and information about the the responsibility to someone else’ or company’s finances, proved that Parnell even just finger-pointing in general knew what was in the peanut butter will not a be a shield from basic that he was distributing. In the opening responsibility.” It is clear now that statement of the trial, prosecutors read more and more companies and farms three words from an email Parnell are being punished for their actions in wrote that shaped the rest of the trial: sending out contaminated food, even “Just ship it.” if it is just misdemeanor charges. For example, in 2013 owners of a Colorado Along with Stewart Parnell, his brother, cantaloupe farm who killed 33 people food broker, Michael Parnell, could face from a listeria outbreak were charged up to 20 years in prison for the actions with up to six years in prison. Also, in he took to help. The plant’s quality 2003, two school officials were charged control manager, Mary Wilkerson, for allowing ammonia stained lunches may also face five years behind bars to be served in an Illinois school, for withholding information from affecting 44 people. investigators.

It is hard for the federal government Prosecutors have found that the Parnell to charge food poisoning outbreaks brothers faked lab results in an effort because they cannot be entirely clear to stick to their shipping schedules to that the consumer’s death is the result companies such as Kellogg’s, which of the consumption of the product. produce peanut-butter-filled crackers, Also, many are only charged with dog food companies, food service misdemeanors because in order to be providers and institutions. The peanut charged with a felony there must be butter made by the PCA was not sold evidence that the distribution or selling directly to consumers in jars; however, was intentional. Because of the emails it was sold to other companies who found in the PCA case, officers were manufactured it in their own products. able to charge the Parnell brothers More than 2,833 products were with felonies. Overall, it is clear contaminated with salmonella. that companies must become more responsible for their actions if they do not want to share a similar fate.

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E-BOOK SALES DOWN AND WHY PRINT ISN’T DEAD

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SEPTEMBER 2015

SOCIAL MEDIA AND THE VIOLENCE IN ISRAEL

BY DARA KENIGSBERG

BY DANIEL NISSIM

Once upon a time, books were for the ultra-wealthy. They had to be handwritten and were often beautifully illustrated by artists. Then came the advent of the printing press and information was available to the masses. Print dominated for hundreds of years, supporting movements and disseminating wondrous ideas. Enter the 21st century. The tech sector has celebrated steady growth since the inception of the computer in the mid20th century. We’ve got phones in our pockets and computers so small we can carry them anywhere. Utilizing E Ink technology – a low powered, easy-toread display -- companies like Amazon, with its Kindle, were able to develop portable devices capable of storing thousands of books, magazines and various other publications – so why are we still reading books on paper? Since the introduction of the eReader, eBook sales have enjoyed steady growth – 1,260 percent between 2008 and 2010.

Many exclaimed, “Print is dead,” and yet, print lives on. In a turn of events, the Association of American Publishers announced that eBook sales were down by 10 percent in the first five months of 2015. What can this mean?

PHOTO COURTESY: IDS.ORG

First, let’s examine this issue further.

While print may still be breathing, it has taken quite a beating. Borders, once a mighty chain of book and media stores, collapsed in 2011. One of its stores near my home in Chappaqua, N.Y., stands barren – a monument to a time gone by. Barnes & Noble, the other large book-selling chain, continues to close stores. While this may be due to the general economic climate, one cannot refute the effect digital sales have had on print. Women’s Wear Daily, once a daily print journal, has moved to only one print issue a week, instead focusing on its digital presence. The digital route is cheaper, and in an age when we’re all constantly connected through computers, tablets and phones, online newspaper content seems like the logical progression of the industry.

This news that eBook sales are down can mean several things. First, the AAP only collects sales data from 1,200 publishers. This does not include the growing sector of independent authors, whose low-priced books have enjoyed a steady growth through Amazon. Also, declining sales could be due to a new deal signed between Amazon and three of the largest publishers – Hachette Book Group, HarperCollins Publishers and Simon & Schuster. The deal allows the publishers to control the pricing of their eBooks. Amazon has traditionally undercut the price of print editions, often at a loss, to position consumers to purchase their Kindle eReaders. The likeliest case for the decline of sales: the market has finally peaked. eBook growth has stagnated over the last few years and the book market isn’t looking at any sort of expansion. Various other media such as movies and video games have seen wild technological advances, craving more attention.

“WHICH IS THE SUPERIOR F O R M AT ? H O N E S T LY, I T I S D I F F I C U LT T O D E N Y T H E J OY O F R E A D I N G A P H YS I C A L B O O K – T H E TO U C H O F T H E P A P E R , I T S H E F T A N D O H , T H AT F R E S H B O O K S M E L L . T H E R E ’ S A C E R TA I N J E N E S A I S Q U O I A BO UT IT A LL . TH E E BO O K , O N TH E OTH E R H A N D, I S T H E P I N N AC L E O F C O N V E N I E N C E . YO U C A N C A R RY T H O U S A N D S O F B O O K S W I T H Y O U I N Y O U R P O C K E T.”

All of this leads to an interesting discussion: Which is the superior format? Honestly, it is difficult to deny the joy of reading a physical book – the touch of the paper, its heft and oh, that fresh book smell. There’s a certain je ne sais quoi about it all. The eBook, on the other hand, is the pinnacle of convenience. You can carry thousands of books with you in your pocket.

You can read it on a crowded subway, walking down the street, if you’re careful, or wherever your travels may take you. Amazon and other companies have invested countless dollars in developing E Ink displays that are easy on the eyes and typefaces that are visually pleasing.

I believe it is important to find a balance between both print and digital.

There are just some books that you want to read in print. I remember growing up with the excitement surrounding each release of the latest “Harry Potter” novel. Getting that book in your hands, your eyes scouring the pages through the newest stories; it was truly special. Of late, I’ve enjoyed eBooks and audiobooks through the New York Public Library’s online system. It’s easy to browse and place holds on a wide range of titles.

When it’s your turn to read, the titles are instantly placed in your virtual “bookshelf.” When your book is due, it can be easily returned through the touch of a button. No more schlepping to the library and no more late fees. I’ve never read so much in my entire life.

The beauty: everything is free. I can’t believe I never heard of this “library” institution before.

Ultimately, print will live on. There will always be those interested in the experience of physical media – print books, vinyl records, etc. These days, I feel as though people are less interested in reading and more interested in the eUniverse – browsing Instagram, catching up with people on Facebook and spending countless hours watching cat videos on YouTube. This is more a conversation of the evolution of our society than a battle between books and eBooks. For now, I will continue to enjoy both. I do love those cat videos though – hilarious.

The recent spate of violence that has erupted in Israel this past month has left at least 36 Palestinians and seven Israelis dead. Unfortunately, this level of brutality is a grim reality for most of the Middle East. But in this ancient city, what is happening in the streets is being amplified on social media, from Palestinians posting instructional videos explaining how to stab Israelis to death, to an increase in anti-Arab rhetoric on Israeli social media. In a time where everyone has a cameraphone, leaders on both sides have lost control of the narrative.

These leaderless assailants live in communities that applaud those who have died, often without any mention of their own violent deeds. They are motivated by social media campaigns — some by Hamas and other militant Islamist movements, many by enraged individuals — replete with glistening blades and how-to guides.

Further fanning the f lames are viral videos — also broadcast by official Palestinian networks — of Israelis fatally shooting attackers, whose names are immediately added to the Facebook scroll of so-called martyrs.

-The New York Times When Israel took control of Jerusalem in 1967, an unwritten agreement went into effect regarding the Temple Mount (known to Muslims as Haram Al-Sharif ), where the Dome of the Rock and the Al-Aqsa Mosque are located. A holy site for both Jews and Muslims, Jews are not allowed to pray there, but are allowed to visit the site.

According to CNN.com, “Hardline Jewish activists have demanded greater access to the Temple Mount and right-wing politicians have called for rights of Jews to pray there. This has sparked widespread concerns among Palestinians that the status quo is being violated, and will end division of the Temple Mount.” The violence that has erupted over the last few weeks supposedly began when Palestinian access to the Al-Aqsa Mosque was restricted for what the Israelis called ‘security reasons’. This incited fear amongst the Palestinians that Israel was going to alter their decadesold agreement, though the Israeli government has denied these claims.

Though bloodshed and insurgency is nothing new for this area of the world, there is something terribly unfamiliar about this cycle of violence. According to the New York Times, “What is new is the method, the knives used by young Palestinians instead of the stones or suicide bombs of the major uprisings of the past, and the role of social media in driving lone-wolf attackers to violence and often to their death.” Much unlike the last Palestinian intifada, which broke out in 2000, these attacks are not coordinated and there doesn’t seem to be any organization. The suicide bombings that took place 15 years ago required a lot of planning. There was an infrastructure – “sourcing bombers, making and providing them with explosives and getting them into place to carry out the attacks. Israeli forces were able to break up much of this infrastructure by the end of that uprising,” according to CNN.com. “It seems that many of the attackers are motivated by what they see on Facebook and Twitter where photos and video of attacks are posted.”

Most of the attacks are being carried out by boys, not men, 20 or younger, the youngest being just 13-years old.

They are not overly religious, are not affiliated with any organization and have never been arrested. They haven’t spent weeks or months planning these attacks, but rather made the decision “to act the morning of the stabbing or maximum a day or two before, giving security forces zero chance to prevent it,” an anonymous Israeli official told the New York Times.

Following the first few attacks, Hamas, the anti-Israeli organization dominating Gaza, put a video on their YouTube channel, which, according to BBC.com, encouraged “Arabs to knife Jews and launch a new intifada (uprising). The staged scene, set to dramatic music, depicted two "Jews" bullying Arab children, before an Arab bystander stabs them both.” Israel’s foreign ministry had this clip taken down from the site for glorifying violence and inciting more attacks, but Palestinian social media is rife with posts that do just that. On Twitter, ‘Jerusalem Intifada’ and ‘Intifada of the Knives’ are becoming popular hashtags.

But this has not just been one-sided.

Israeli newspaper Haaretz noted that there had been a considerable increase in the amount of anti-Arab language used on Israeli social media sites after the first attacks.

Unfortunately, violent imagery and racist language are only part of the equation. According to BBC.com, “Many of the attacks and aftermath have been filmed on mobile phones and CCTV, getting quickly uploaded and shared. Israeli officials have expressed fear that images of assailants being shot could fuel anger and inspire further attacks.” In the case of Subhe Abu Khalifa, that is exactly what happened. The 19-year old spent the evening of October 12 viewing footage of a Palestinian woman being harassed and then shot for supposedly stabbing a Jewish man in the back. He watched this video over and over again, each time becoming filled with more vitriol, which made it that much easier for him to carry out his own attack the next day. When he woke the morning of the 13th, he told his mom his feet hurt and that he was too tired to go work.

According to the New York Times, “Instead of going to his job as an apprentice electrician, [he] sharpened a knife he had bought the day before, according to an account friends later gave his brother, then plunged it into an Israeli near Police Headquarters.”

Before heading out, he posted what he thought was going to be his last post on Facebook, and said that he planned on following the footsteps of all martyrs.

Instead, he was arrested. As he was whisked away in handcuffs, he made sure to smile for all the camera phones, because he knew in that moment he would be immortalized in social media.

The violence continues as Secretary of State, John Kerry prepares to meet with Israeli and Palestinian officials this week in an attempt to defuse what many believe will soon be the third intifada. Given the breakdown of the peace talks and the growing despair or Palestinian youth, the prospects of an effective solution look grim.

“THESE LEADERLESS ASSAILANTS LIVE IN COMMUNITIES THAT APPLAUD THOSE WHO HAVE DIED, OFTEN WITHOUT ANY MENTION OF THEIR OWN VIOLENT DEEDS. THEY ARE MOTIVATED BY SOCIAL MEDIA CAMPAIGNS.”

FESTIVAL REVIEW: A TALE OF A TIGHTROPE

BY JESSICA BLICKSILVER Robert Zemeckis’s “The Walk” is a cinematic feat of digital painting and faux French accents that tells the epic tale of Philippe Petit’s infamous jaunt across the north and south twin towers on August 7, 1974.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt put on a convincing act as a tightrope walker to the viewer, but upon prior reading of the Lincoln Center publication, Film Comment, one would know that the majority of the special effects, as well as the scenery, were digitally painted.

Furthermore, while Gordon-Levitt did train with Petit, he was never more than 10 feet off the ground at any time during shooting. To an unknowing viewer, I think the effects are very hard to detect for the most part, other than the pivotal scene where GordonLevitt walks between the twin towers, which aside from being an insane act of courage for any stunt double, couldn’t occur in the present day. Considering a majority of the landscape of 1970s New York was recreated digitally, you could barely notice it wasn’t real.

The small cast acted out a strategic plot.

A young, wildly creative man seeks out adventure and, through a desire to push himself constantly, decides to pull off a great coup of hanging his beloved rope between the two towers. Through his self-endurance-filled quest, he encounters a small love interest played

by Charlotte Le Bon as well as a host of accomplices throughout his planning of the event. Though at times the film is a little too digitized — see the giant mythical seagull — primarily, it is a tale of self-worth and fulfilling one’s dreams that I would recommend.

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HAUTE CULTURE

F E S T I VA L R E V I E W :

GLOBAL CITIZENS FESTIVAL

BY LUIZA TEIXEIRA BATISTA DO REGO

There was a frenzy building over the past few months to get tickets for the Global Citizen Festival. The chance to get them free to a concert showcasing superstars such as Coldplay, Pearl Jam, Ed Sheeran and Beyoncé in Central Park attracted people of all ages all over the world. The festival, which took place Sept. 26, hosted by Stephen Colbert and Hugh Jackman, focused on raising money and awareness about the 17 Global Goals for sustainable development such as gender equality, quality of education and ending poverty via the United Nations. But just because tickets were free doesn’t mean that just anyone could attend. Petitions had to be signed, world peace letters had to be sent and “no global warming” hashtags had to be posted on Twitter by the participants who wished to complete all the steps to finally get the chance to be chosen by the organizers of the event.

British rock band Coldplay opened the festival, seizing the entire audience with “Every Teardrop is a Waterfall,” and introduced their new, neverperformed-before song, “Amazing Day.” They were followed by English singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran, who constructed full-scale rock arrangements in real time, thrilling the crowd of 60,000. Beyoncé took over by busily dancing and singing “Crazy In Love.” The “Queen B” made sure to inspire the public by reinforcing gender equality and feminism during all of her performances. There were duets such as Chris Martin and Ariana Grande, Ed Sheeran and Chris Martin, and Beyoncé and Sheeran, all of whom were aweinspiring. Pearl Jam closed the event with new renditions of their classics, such as “Mind your Manners,” which thrilled the crowd.

Those superstar artists put on quite a show, but it was a showcase for the talented lesser-known singers and bands from other countries, such as Sunidhi Chauhan from India, who also promoted the themes of unity and equality. Government officials from countries such as Luxembourg and Sweden, and celebrities such as Salma Hayek and Leonardo DiCaprio spoke out about the importance of being an active citizen in the fight for the Global Goals.

Throughout the event, guest speakers asked for the audience’s cooperation and help to spread the word and make a difference. Photos for social media campaigns were taken and petitions were signed. The Festival also had stands with shirts and personalized objects that were sold to raise money to aid in achieving the goals. An amazing lineup and a great cause, the Global Citizen Festival was a night to remember.

WALK THE MOON PHOTO COURTESY: PASSPORTMAGAZINE.COM

BY NATALIA PEREIRA As the sun began to set in the beautiful open skies of Central Park on the evening of Sept. 24, eager fans f locked to the SummerStage. I waited anxiously for the music to start blasting out of the speakers, and I couldn’t help but notice a rainbow of painted faces spread across the crowd.

Having gone to over 100 concerts and counting, ranging in various genres of music and sizes of venues, I am accustomed to the complications of a general admission audience. Problems can ragne from fellow concert-goers doing anything in their power to squeeze into the front row, to standing for hours on end to hold on to their spot. But I was surprised to find myself in completely different circumstances this time around. Instead of people pushing and shoving, I was surrounded by happy, friendly fans. They were distributing neon-colored face paint and f luorescent glow sticks to go along with Walk the Moon’s well-known message of embracing everyone’s gender, race or sexuality in their hit, “Different Colors,” whether they knew them or not.

Saint Motel, who opened the show, livened up the crowd by playing a combination of the saxophone, trumpet and tambourine. But it was lead singer AJ Jackson who left the biggest impression when he jumped into the crowd and continued singing without ever missing a beat. They may not have been well-known before the show began, but you can be sure this indie band won’t be soon forgotten.

As the bright neon lights began to glow from each corner of the stage and night fell upon us, the crowd roared with excitement. Just as the lights dimmed to signal that the main act was about to perform, the speakers started blasting the theme song from “The Lion King,” and each of the four bandmates came running out to outrageous applause.

OCTOBER 2015

“HE ASKED THAT EVERYONE CLOSE THEIR EYES AND THINK ABOUT THE BATTLES THAT BRING THEM DOWN AND SET THEM ALL ASIDE TO BE SIMPLY HAPPY. OPENING MY EYES, I TURNED TO SEE AUDIENCE MEMBERS OF ALL AGES RELEASING THEIR PERSONAL DEMONS WITH HANDS RAISED TO THE SKY.” Jamming out to a lineup of crowd pleasers such as “Different Colors,” which expresses equality, and “Tightrope”, which encourages freedom of speech, it was evident that this band’s live show was nowhere near ordinary. Watching the passionate fans belt out every last lyric, celebrating life and love, and learning to value yourself, was quite a moment.

In the middle of the set, frontman Nicholas Petricca silenced the audience of thousands to almost utter silence.

He asked that everyone close their eyes and think about the battles that bring them down and set them all aside to be simply happy. Opening my eyes, I turned to see audience members of all ages releasing their personal demons with hands raised to the sky.

As the night progressed, so did everyone’s energy, as the audience jumped in unison with hands waving, singing along to the summer hit, “Shut Up and Dance.” That moment, I never felt more alive and free, and I wished the concert would never end. When “Anna Sun” came to a close, Petricca and the rest of the band took in every last breath, every last second, with the crowd, sharing the same lively energy up until the lights shut down, leaving the audience in awe of the night they just had.

FALL TV SHOWS TO WATCH

BY KARINA AVELAR

“Scream Queens,” “Blindspot,” “Blood & Oil” -- these are just a few of the most anticipated and talked about TV shows of the promising season so far.

“Scream Queens,” created by Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk and Ian Brennan, is a combination of the trio’s previous “Glee” and MurphyFalchuk’s “American Horror Story.” It is a 15-episode anthology of American horror crime stories with a comedy turn. This season focuses on a series of murders in the Kappa Kappa Tau sorority led by Chanel Oberlin (Emma Roberts) at Wallace University. All of this seems related to a mysterious murder that happened in the sorority house 20 years ago. Grace Gardner (Skyler Samuels), a sorority pledge, and Pete Diller (Diego Boneta), the newspaper editor, take it upon themselves to unmask the killer, who happens to wear a red devil costume just like that of the school mascot.

The producers promised to kill one character per episode, so the cast is quite large. Ariana Grande, Nick Jonas, Jamie Lee Curtis, Keke Palmer, Niece Nash and Lea Michele are some of the famous faces in this show. The New York Times said they might be trying too hard “chasing laughs that aren’t always there,” and I honestly could not agree more. I was very excited for this show, but it failed to deliver.

If you are someone who likes mystery/ suspense shows then “Blindspot” will keep you at the edge of your seat. It is an attention-grabber right from the start. Jaimie Alexander plays Jane Doe, a woman who was tattooed from head to toe and left in a duffel bag in the middle of Times Square. Her memory was chemically erased; therefore, she has no idea who she is, where she came from or why she was left there in that condition. Kurt Weller, played

by Sullivan Stapleton, is the FBI agent in charge of her case. Soon he and his team find out that her tattoos are clues that may help them figure out what is going on and why this happened to her.

A success right out of the gate, it has gotten very good reviews so far. But with a story so implausible, only time will tell if they can maintain such high ratings.

Chace Crawford, North Dakota and the oil business are the stars of “Blood & Oil.” The show is centered around Billy LeFever (Crawford) and his wife Cody (Rebecca Rittenhouse), who have a dream of starting their own laundry business in North Dakota. The hopeful couple loses everything when they are on their way there and a truck hits them, destroying the laundry machines along with their dream of starting a business. But instead of going back home, the LeFevers stay the course and make it to town. Of course, you can’t have a drama about oil without the requisite wealthy family, or as The New York Times calls them, the “biggest player in the oil game.” Hap Briggs, played by Don Johnson, doesn’t think his son, Wick (Scott Michael Foster), is good enough to be his successor, which starts a feud between the two.

In a desperate attempt to get money, Billy manages to make an investment in order to get into business with Hap, earning his respect. The first episode ends with a cliff hanger that will leave you screaming at your television and pining for the next episode. This is definitely a promising show to follow, especially with Crawford as the lead. If that doesn’t make you want to watch it, I don’t know what will.

With just a few episodes on air so far, are they going to be good enough to be renewed next season? We will just have to wait and see, but in the meantime, be sure to check them out and draw your own conclusions.

HAUTE CULTURE

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RESTAURANT REVIEW:

BY CHLOE

PHOTO COURTESY:LIVETALKSLA.ORG

BY DANA HEYWARD

PHOTO COURTESY:WSJ.COM

At the corner of Bleecker and MacDougal Street you’ll find the latest New York foodie phenomenon, by Chloe. Marked by a black-and-white striped awning, this relatively small and communal space is reminiscent of a trendy home kitchen you’d find in a CB2 catalog, except it’s real and there are typically queues that go right out the door. On these lines you’ll find a mixed bag of people all anxiously waiting for their food buzzer to start vibrating while snapping as many photos as possible for Instagram. But what exactly has people lining up at nearly all hours of the day? Vegan fast food. Yes, I repeat: vegan fast food.

By Chloe is the brainchild of vegan chef extraordinaire, Chloe Coscarelli, and since it’s opening in mid-September the new restaurant has been met with a lot of curiosity. “Vegan burgers and fries?” one would likely ponder upon entering the Greenwich Village spot. But by Chloe asks you to bypass skepticism at its stylish white-frame door and fully embrace the vegan gospel. “ THE ALL-DAY MENU OFFERS ITEMS SUCH AS QUINOA TACOS, AVOCADO TOAST, DAIRYFREE ICE CREAM, AND MAC N’ CHEESE MADE WITH SWEET POTATO CHEESE SAUCE AND SHIITAKE “BACON.”

The restaurant runs similar to any fast-casual restaurant where you order your food in one section and then proceed to fight for seating once you’ve acquired said food. It’s like Shake Shack in a strange alternate universe.

The all-day menu offers items such as quinoa tacos, avocado toast, dairy-free ice cream, and mac n’ cheese made with sweet potato cheese sauce and shiitake “bacon.” They also offer a grab & go station where you can pick up Stumptown coffee, cold pressed juices and even matcha noodles. While the menu variety is certainly tempting, if you’re going to a place that’s earning all its hype for its vegan burgers- you gotta have the vegan burgers.

Currently, by Chloe offers three different burgers; the Classic Burger made with a tempeh, lentil and chia patty, the Guac Burger made with black bean-quinoa and sweet potato patty and the Whiskey BBQ made with smoky portobello mushrooms and seitan.

While the Classic Burger seems like the way to go, instead opt for the Whiskey BBQ. It’s layered with crunchy kale, grilled pineapples and dressed with a rich BBQ sauce giving you the perfect amount of f lavor that leaves you with nothing but satisfaction. Pair this with any one of their cold-pressed juices (or a kale-matcha mojito) and air-baked fries and voila- you have now experienced the latest foodie phenomenon.

But be warned: the air-baked fries are on the underwhelming side. While they’re certainly not bad they also taste no better than the frozen fries you could buy at your local supermarket.

With it’s fast success, it seems inevitable that this vegan spot could turn into a vegan empire with more of them popping up around the city in the near future. But part of by Chloe’s success is probably due to the fact that they’re not shoving veganism down people’s throats or trying to make its customers vegan converts. It’s just simply throwing out the fact that “Hey, vegan food can be good too.”

BY CHLOE, 185 BLEECKER – STREET, NEW YORK, NY

NORMAL PEOPLE TAKE NOTICE OF THEIR SURROUNDINGS, APPRECIATING THE SCANT TREES AND PEG-LEGGED PIGEONS, BUT NOT ME.

BOOK REVIEW:

CAR HORN SCREAMS, COFFEE-CHLOROFORM DREAMS, AND

BY CINDY CRAWFORD

STUNNING STROLLERS

BY STEPHANIE MARTINEZ

PAVING BROADWAY

Cindy Crawford is amongst an elite group of beautiful women who not only helped to define the term supermodel, but the era it belonged to. However, unlike most models, Crawford’s has managed to have a career outside of modeling, and a successful one at that.

To celebrate turning 50 (this coming February), she decided to publish a book that ref lects on her life and the lessons she learned throughout modeling as well as other personal experiences. Part memoir, part photography, “Becoming” gives the reader full access to Crawford’s world, both through the stories she shares and the never-before-seen images she includes.

“Sometimes only through the lens of time can we see the things that truly matter – the choices that have helped shape us into who we are today.” “Becoming” gives us a glimpse into Crawford’s Cinderella story of a small town girl who entered into a modeling competition after getting positive feedback about a photo in a local newspaper. Her journey to the top was far from smooth, facing many hardships along the way from criticisms of her role as a model as well as the jobs she decided to take. Her autobiography details her first marriage to Richard Gere, the subsequent divorce – a period in which she was able to be her own woman – and her eventual marriage to her current husband, Rande Gerber.

Crawford discusses what it feels like to become a wife and a mother of two.

Crawford also takes the time to ref lect on what she would tell her younger self if she was able to go back and meet her.

Based on the title, I thought that the book was going to be superficial, discussing how glamorous her career was since she became a supermodel.

However, “Becoming” focused on the difficulties she had to overcome at a young age in such a hard industry.

Crawford never let modeling define who she is. She took many risks in her modeling career as she posed for Playboy, not once, but twice! She learned how to become more confident in front of a camera and within her own skin. She decided to use a platform that would create a voice for herself in the industry by hosting MTV’s House of Style.

“Becoming” also details her prolific career. Working with various photographers such as Richard Avedon, Patrick Demarchelier and Peter Lindbergh, just to name a few, helped Crawford learn how to adapt to any situation and how to model whatever the shoot called for.

INTEREST ME.

ELEGANT NUCES DRIP FROM AFFLUENT NECKS: GUCCI, VERSACE, FENDI, DIOR, THEY'RE THE DEFINITION OF THE HUMAN CONDITION, THOSE LIVES STRIDING BY, UNKNOWINGLY, HAVE BECOME PART OF MY RECORD.

A beautiful story of an empowering woman – “Becoming” exemplifies how Crawford tackled the fashion industry and was still able to represent a positive body image for all ages.

I enjoyed reading the book because I truly believed she revealed all of herself, including her insecurities at a young age. I think so many people, not just girls, can relate to this feeling of insecurity. By the end of the book, I was inspired. Crawford had both highs and lows in her career, but it was her perseverance through it all that makes her such a powerful role model. It’s refreshing to see, in an age of superficiality, someone as authentic and down to earth as Cindy Crawford.

BY KAITLYN GORECKI

MONTH IN REVIEW

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B I Z S H E R B E R T,

PHOTO COURTESY:VOSIZNEIAS.COM

A DV ERTISI NG A N D M A RKE TI NG M A JOR WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO A GROUP OF PEOPLE? “IT’S A REALLY BAD IDEA TO TAKE PICTURES OF PEOPLE LOOKING ALL GROSS IN THE RAIN. I HATE THE TYPE OF PEOPLE THAT LOOK REALLY GOOD IN THE RAIN.”

AIRSTRIKES IN SYRIA: RUSSIA ENTERS TO WAR AGAINST ISIS

“DON’T SLEEP WITH

MONET MICHAEL,

YOUR CONTACTS

FILM AND MEDIA MAJOR

IN AND DON’T KISS BOYS YOU DON’T LIKE. EVEN IF

BY ALLISON HATCH The Russian airstrikes have exposed a political divide between global leaders over how to deal with the Syrian civil war and address the growing inf luence of ISIS. Assad has lauded Putin’s actions as the most effective way to deal with what the Syrian government deems “terrorists” encompassing all opposition forces to the Assad regime. Since launching the airstrikes, Russia has begun a naval mission in conjunction with a ground mission launched by Syria. Russia’s increasing presence in Syria has been welcomed

by Assad, as the forced continue to weaken the political holdings of rebel groups. While Russia has said that the attacks are the best way to decimate ISIS’s power, U.S. government officials have spoken with disapproval of direct militaristic actions in Syria.

YOU DON’T WEAR CONTACTS AND

“IT’S OKAY TO TAKE BREAKS.”

BY MELISSA DEOLIVEIRA

ISIS rose to power with the onset of the Syrian civil war in 2011, which began as an outcry against Assad’s authoritarian leadership and has further developed into a clash for power. Territory is divided among Assad’s government, ISIS, rebel groups and Kurdish fighters, each of which exert their own rule throughout Syria. Since 2011, the civil war has resulted in over 250,000 deaths and millions of refugees. The refugee crisis has brought greater attention worldwide to the war, with governments scrambling to find temporary relief for the displaced Syrians. Meanwhile, the civil war has created a divide between countries whom are allies to Assad, such as Russia and Iran, and those who believe that he must relinquish his power in order to once again find stability in the region. The countries that oppose Assad’s regime, including the U.S., Turkey, France, Saudi Arabia and Great Britain, have denounced Russia’s decision to lead an airstrike in Syria. The Russian command has announced that it will intensify its airstrikes on ISIS’s posts, and that the Russian air force has already seen success through its offensive campaign that has resulted in the bombing of at least 10 ISIS posts. When speaking with the BBC, British Prime Minister David Cameron condemned the attacks, claiming that, “What is happening is that they are backing the butcher Assad, which is a terrible mistake for them and for the world.”

Meanwhile, Putin’s decision to pursue the airstrikes in Syria has offered a temporary distraction from the criticism he has received as a result of the faltering Russian economy and involvement in Ukraine. The government-controlled television station Channel One, according to the New York Times, has shown Russian jets hitting ISIS targets with unprecedented accuracy. The program, however, neglected to mention all of the civilians who were also hit and Syrian activists claim the airstrikes have caused dozens of fatalities. According to The Guardian, John Kirby, a spokesman for the U.S. State Department, stated that, “Greater than 90 percent of the strikes that we’ve seen them take to date have not been against Isil [ISIS] or al-Qaida-affiliated terrorists.” While the television program does not report on the civilian casualties resulting from misguided missile projections, Putin has been supported by a majority of the Russian citizens for his involvement in Syria. The RT reported that a recent poll conducted by the Levada Center found that “72 percent of Russians are positive about the airstrikes on Islamic State positions.” Putin’s firm stance and support for involvement in Syria is seen by the Russian citizens as a welcoming act of defiance against the global power of the U.S. and its coalition-allies.

HUMANS OF FIT

On Sept. 30, under the direction of Russian President Vladimir Putin, Russia began launching a series of airstrikes in central and northwest Syria against the terrorist group, ISIS. Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has welcomed Russia’s new campaign while condemning efforts made by the United States to thwart the spread of ISIS’s inf luence and control. According to the BBC, Assad has proclaimed that, rather than diminishing ISIS, the U.S.-led coalition targeting the terrorist group in Iraq and Syria has further spread terrorism throughout the region.

DON’T KISS BOYS. THAT’S MY ADVICE, THAT’S IT.”

V I V I A N E H A M I LT O N , A D V E R T I S I N G A N D M A R K E T I N G C O M M U N I C AT I O N S M A J O R “OK, SO I PLAYED SOCCER AND SOME GREAT ADVICE A COACH TAUGHT ME, BUT IT MAY NOT BE APPROPRIATE FOR A NEWSPAPER. HE TOLD ME IF YOU’RE NOT CHEATING YOU’RE NOT WINNING. HONESTLY I USE THAT PHILOSOPHY EVERYDAY [LAUGHS]. IT’S LIKE BILL GATES, THE LAZY ONES ARE THE GOOD WORKERS BECAUSE THEY CAN GET THE WORK DONE FASTER, AND IT’S JUST AS GOOD. YOU HAVE TO HELP YOURSELF OUT A LITTLE BIT SOMETIMES. LIKE SPARKNOTES, THEY HELP! IF YOU’RE NOT CHEATING YOU’RE NOT WINNING, THAT’S MY MOTTO.”

FIT SPEAKS

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FIT

INTERNSHIPS: FOR CREDIT OR FOR CASH?

PHOTO COURTESY:MIC.COM

Senior year has started and yet, I still think back to the bitter cold February day when I toured FIT. The tour leaders had preached loudly about the benefits of the Career and Internship Center and the ways in which it would push me towards the position of my dreams if I chose this school. My focus was getting into college, rather than graduating from it, but for my dad, it was a huge selling point. The long awaited and often stressed-about required senior internship at FIT may have seemed far away, but suddenly it is now upon me.

“MY BANK ACCOUNT IS DWINDLING AND M Y PAT I E N C E I S GOING WITH IT WHEN IT COMES T O M Y U N PA I D I N T E R N S H I P.”

I was abroad in Florence when I attended a video chat version of the internship orientation and was prompted to register on Symplicity and begin the meetings, searching and interviewing that would finally give me my amazing resume booster and senior internship. All the happy nerves and excitement of finally signing off on an internship has come and much to my disappointment, it has gone.

Credited internships come across as a great opportunity, a foot in the door and a connection for the future. In reality, they are ways for companies to hire talented college students and cop out of paying them even the lowest wage. The hours put into a credited internship are hours being taken away from a job, a class or a social life and through credited internships, you’re giving away these hours for free.

The subtraction happening in my bank account has me doing math, but for you guys, I’ll skip to the results. Like all of you, I pay FIT for my education. They tell me what classes to take to get a degree that will make me hirable in the fashion industry (woo!). One of those classes is the required senior internship course, forcing students to participate in a two, three or four credited internship. For full-time baccalaureatelevel instate tuition, I am paying about $140 for each of my sixteen credits. For you out-of-staters, your rate rests near $612 per credit if you are carrying the same sixteen-credit course load (the in-state vs. out-of-state tuition costs is an argument for another article). FIT gets about $560 from me to put me in an internship class. This internship class, and the internship that goes with it, rewards me with four credits not only based on the money I pay, but also based on the work I’m doing for the company lucky enough to have me.

Wait, that’s not right. As an intern, it’s me who is considered lucky. I get to put this incredible, awesome company on my resume and work for them for an entire semester. I basically owe them when all is said and done… Right?

No. Not right. For four credits, I am contracted to giving my internship company 168 hours on site and FIT 12 hours in the classroom. If my work is supposed to make up for 4 credits, valued at $560, then at $10 an hour, a pretty average student wage, I owe my internship just 56 hours. That leaves 112 hours of work in which I’m going unpaid, assuming I don’t work any extra hours (and let’s be honest, we all work extra hours at internships).

This system, which was preached so strongly to me as a potential student, is f lawed. It is f lawed not only at our school, but also at hundreds of schools across the country that require credited internships to graduate. It’s a system that needs to be fixed, because if you ask me, with over three years of college education under my belt, I am worth more than credits.

At this point, a great argument comes into play – one that I am certainly not blind to. If this company hires me post-grad I will be ripping this article into pieces and kissing the creditedinternship Gods, because ya girl will have gotten a job (praise). While this argument is put forth with good intent and one that calmed my angst for awhile, it just doesn’t hold up. A job in the future received from my internship is not enough, because if I were a good enough intern to get hired, then I should be a good enough person/ employee/student to get paid. All of us should.

Senior internships are, to put it simply, great. They get our feet in the doors of companies that we dream of working at. As Susan Presby from the internship office mentioned to me via email, without senior internships, “students would be graduating without any experience in their field. Even bad experience is valuable.” Ms. Presby and I are in agreement. I don’t doubt the benefit of senior internships, but I doubt the way they measure our worth.

When schools allow companies to hire us for credit, they agree that we aren’t worth even minimum wage. And we are.

Whether I am doing a coffee run, cleaning a closet, making sales, editing articles or any other task at my internship, I deserve pay. Whether I love it or hate it, I deserve pay. Whether I give them ten hours a week or 40, I deserve pay. I am not ungrateful.

Believe me, I need internships and experience. But I can make one promise: Credits are not full enough compensation for my skill-set. There are companies that know this, and I will seek them out and apply to intern at these places in the future. They are the companies that I will proudly put on my resume.

They are the companies that I hope will hire me one day. When I have a job at one of these companies, I can sit back and rest happily looking at my interns, because they will know what their work is worth. That’s what matters.

Language can be something that brings people together, yet it drastically highlights differences at the same time. Back in Peru, I used to think that my knowledge of English would be enough for me to effortlessly adapt to this new environment, but I was wrong. The frustration I feel when I can’t speak the words that stick in my mouth takes me by surprise because some days I feel like I can’t express my thoughts in a nonchalant way (like I do with Spanish), while other times it doesn’t seem like a problem at all.

The variation in my comfort with the English language varies widely and it makes me feel both unstable and insecure at times, which is why I felt compelled to find out how other international students felt regarding this matter.

How often do you feel like you can’t express your thoughts or ideas effectively?

Camila de Madalengoitia, Peru, First semester FBM: Always.

Back at home I thought I was a good English speaker. Now I know that no matter how many English papers I write, having long casual conversations with people isn’t the same.

Jenny Li, China, First semester, FD: Just sometimes, but having studied in California helped me adapt to the language.

Andrea Navarro, Venezuela, second semester, AMC: Constantly, although it happens to me with Spanish too. My Public Speaking professor once told me that the only way she could tell that English isn’t my first language when I got nervous, (and I would say I get a little self-conscious talking in public regardless the language).

Marina Herbst, Argentina, second semester, AMC: I don’t feel like I can’t express my thoughts or ideas. Even though English is not my mother tongue, I can always find a way to express myself and get the message through. I also find FIT professors and classmates to be very accommodating.

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I am a part of the 997 international students here at FIT. We come from 69 different countries, and make up 12% of FIT’s student population. I was born and raised in Lima, Peru, and have received a Westernized education in an American school throughout my entire life, much like several of the other international students I have met so far. Although I’m confident enough to say that I dominate the formal English language, I wouldn’t say the same about being able to freely express myself in an everyday conversational manner.

BY KAYLEE DENMEAD

By giving hours to my credited internship I gave up an income. As someone who has held a job since she was sixteen, it was an income I depended on and one that I miss dearly.

My bank account is dwindling and my patience is going with it when it comes to my unpaid internship. It has nothing to do with where I am interning or what I am learning, but rather with the concept at a distance.

W27

Do you ever feel frustrated when you’re misunderstood?

CDM: I constantly feel like I express myself in the wrong way.

I’m used to joking around and messing with people when I speak in Spanish, but now I feel like I can’t do it because it doesn’t feel natural in English.

JL: Not really, because I’m not that social so it’s never been a concern to me.

AN: Not really. There’s obviously a cultural difference gap, but I don’t feel like I can’t express myself in a way that can be understood since the culture and interests that youth share (mainly online) originates here in the United States. I don’t actually care about those topics, so it’s not a matter of me being misunderstood but as of me being uninterested.

MH: No. As I said in the question before, when I feel I don’t know or I’m not able to come up with the specific/technical word of what I’m trying to say, I use other words that will make the receiver understand my message.

OCTOBER 2015

AN ALIEN IN NEW YORK

BY CATERINA NICOLINI

“ I U S E D T O T H I N K T H AT M Y KNOWLEDGE OF ENGLISH WOULD BE E N O U G H F O R M E T O E F F O R T L E S S LY A D A P T T O T H I S N E W E N V I R O N M E N T, B U T I W A S W R O N G .”

Have you ever felt or been frowned upon due to a lack of well-formulated language?

CDM: Yes but it could’ve been my idea only.

JL: Yeah, a couple of times. I feel like people in New York get frustrated way more than people in California. The environment really affects people’s patience. Back there everyone used to be more open-minded.

AN: No, I think most people at FIT are aware that New York is an international city and therefore have a sympathetic outlook towards people that at least make the effort to communicate correctly. Some compliment my English if I’m speaking without an accent, and others believe I shouldn’t try to “blend” it.

MH: No

Have you ever felt or been deprived from opportunities?

(These could be social, economical, academic, amongst others) CDM: I know I am not the best English speaker but I do my best and get around with it.

JL: Probably no, because I’ve never tried. I’m not too confident of myself… I guess that’s because of my language.

AN: The fact that international students cannot get scholarships or financial aid from FIT is one of the biggest ones, yet I understand that FIT is a New York State college, and that it gives a priority to the people that are from New York. A friend from New Jersey pays the same tuition I do, so it doesn’t feel like a personal thing “against” international students.

MH: The only thing that I’ve felt deprived of is scholarships because there aren’t that many for international students. Apart from that, I feel like I have the same opportunities as any other student at FIT.

Overall I’ve come to understand that many international students struggle with the English language to a certain extent, but that some don’t believe it’s a barrier while others do. Therefore, I think it’s a matter of having a positive outlook on the situation one is living in rather than stressing over something that can’t be changed, such as cultural background. If self- acceptance is achieved, the degrading sensation of frustration won’t feel like so strong anymore. Acceptance is truly the only way to avoid feeling minimized by something as abstract as a language.

HAUTE CULTURE

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FIT

W27

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OCTOBER 2015

STYLE ON 27 B Y: V I C K Y M AT H E W W H AT W O U L D Y O U D E S C R I B E Y O U R S T Y L E A S - I N O N E W O R D ? ”

YOU KNOW YOU'RE A TRUE NEW YORKER WHEN...

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HAUTE CULTURE

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FIT