On Campus - Friday, November 21, 2008 19:01 - 4 Comments
NYU Bus Strike Maybe Not So Imminent
Those of you who checked your NYU email this morning probably found a not-so-pleasant email from Jules Martin, NYU’s VP for Public Safety and Transportation. In the email entitled, “Possible Disruptions to the NYU Transportation System,” Mr. Martin notified students of the possibility of a union strike this weekend, one that would leave us without our regular and much depended on NYU bus transportation.
According to the email, CoachUSA, the company that operates all of NYU’s buses/trolleys, has been negotiating with its union drivers since their contract expired last week.
Should a strike occur, students will be left without bus transportation, but Mr. Martin tells us that NYU has set up a “reimbursement process,” through which students could receive compensation for their transportation costs. This compensation is quite measly though; it covers a daily Metrocard of $4 and is only available to students living in the following dorms: University Court, 26th Street, Gramercy Green, Greenwich Hotel, Broome Street, Lafayette Street, and Water Street. Continue…
On Campus - Monday, November 17, 2008 10:25 - 0 Comments
Activism at NYU Shouldn’t End With Obama’s Win
In the weeks and days leading up to November 4th, a lot of my friends and acquaintances went missing. They weren’t standing on the endless line at Starbucks, ordering tall skinny vanilla lattes like they usually did between classes. They weren’t sitting in Washington Square Park, brooding about the fact that we still couldn’t sit at a fountain or walk through the arch. They weren’t even cramming for exams at Bobst, which is the NYU home away from home.
So where were they? They were on street corners, handing out pamphlets in support of candidates to undecided voters. They were in offices, participating in phonathons and calling people to persuade them to vote. School and social life were set aside to focus on the election and help influence people.
In those days, I saw an incredible amount of student activism and felt energy on campus that I had never felt before. Continue…
Featured, On Campus - Sunday, November 16, 2008 23:37 - 6 Comments
James Franco Drops Out of NYU?
Fan girls beware, you’re about to shed a few tears. Looks like our favorite Spiderman hottie and James Dean look-alike, James Franco, is no longer taking classes at Tisch School of the Arts. The tip was passed along to me by an NYU faculty member, but has yet to be confirmed. In the meantime, I guess all the girls who stalk the Tisch building waiting for Franco to exit are going to have to find a new object of their affection. Haley Joel Osment, perhaps?
Photo: flickr courtesy of David Shankbone.
On Campus - Wednesday, November 5, 2008 15:52 - 5 Comments
NYU Non-Voters Not Apathetic
“Vote,” said countless celebrities, from Sarah Silverman to Leonardo DiCaprio, in a variety of commercials. “Vote,” said my Expressive Culture professor, even if it involves missing class. In a history-making election, “vote” was the word on everyone’s tongue and everyone’s Tuesday schedule.
Perhaps because this was the first presidential election in which we were eligible to vote, college kids seemed particularly excited about it. Even many who weren’t close enough to home to vote at the polls sent in absentee ballots rather than chalking it up to distance and skipping the vote altogether.
It may be surprising then, and perhaps upsetting, to find out that there are students among us who chose to sit this election out. Though it wasn’t easy to find them when I set out to write this article, there are students who didn’t vote, and apathy was not among their reasons. Continue…
City - Wednesday, October 29, 2008 14:48 - 1 Comment
PETA Protests the “Trollsens” at Barnes and Noble
If you’re like me, and you decided to take your once-in-a-lifetime chance to breathe the same air as the Olsen twins, you probably trekked out in yesterday’s terrible weather to meet them at the Union Square Barnes and Noble. The twins were signing copies of their new coffee-table book, “Influence,” which features interviews with their favorite fashion icons and artists.
The Barnes and Noble crowd was more than an under-nourished group of huge sungless-wearing Olsen acolytes though. A handful of PETA protestors gathered outside donning “Trollsen” masks and carrying signs that read “Trollsen Twins: Fur Hags from Hell” and “Hairy-Kate and Trashley Olsen: Fur Tramps.” Not only were the Olsen twins shown as hairy hags with moustaches, but Mary Kate was unlucky enough to be depicted wearing a fur hat that dripped blood down her face. Total fashion faux-pas.
Photo by Karina Grudnikov
On Campus - Monday, October 27, 2008 11:31 - 12 Comments
NYU Professor Performs In-Class Demonstration on Why Students Should Lube
Forget what you thought you knew about sex-ed. Try to suppress the images of an old lady demonstrating the good ‘ol condom-on-banana routine. If you want a fresh take on sex education, then Ronald J. Moglia’s class, “Psychosexual Analysis of Human Behavior,” is the place for you.
Student Evan C. Wattles called it “the most interesting course I have ever taken here at NYU” and last Wednesday’s contraception-related class certainly provided some “interesting” material. Wattles and a female student were asked to come up for a demonstration with condoms; the girl was given the role of the “penis,” which she created by putting up two fingers. Evan was then instructed to create a “vagina” by forming an “O” shape with his fingers, which he then ran up and down the “penises” to simulate sex. Continue…
