3 SPORTS
5 ARTS
The newest masters of MMA: Park Slope children
Review: ‘House of Gucci’ is a fashion catastrophe
4 CULTURE
6 OPINION
Ranked: NYU meme pages
NYU should meet 100% demonstrated need for all current students
VOLUME LVII | ISSUE 11
MONDAY, DECEMBER 6, 2021
NYU cuts English program that served int’l students, fires staff The School of Professional Studies at NYU will shut down its Comprehensive English Program at the end of this semester — a move that faculty say will effectively eliminate the entire English Language Institute. By GABRIEL HAWTHORNE Staff Writer
JAKE CAPRIOTTI | WSN
The School of Professional Studies at NYU is shutting down the English Language Institute at the end of the semester. The closure will result in dozens of staff layoffs and the loss of English programs which serve international students.
The Comprehensive English ProThe Comprehensive English Program at NYU’s School of Professional Studies will be shut down at the end of the fall 2021 semester, according to an Oct. 1 statement from SPS dean Angie Kamath. SPS administration has described the closure of the program, which catered to international students learning English as a second language, as part of a “restructuring” of its English Language Institute. While administrators said the decision was due to low enrollment, several faculty members alleged that SPS undermined the program by restricting its availability and implementing budget cuts. As a result of the shutdown, 11 out of 12 full-time faculty will only remain employed until the end of CONTINUED ON PAGE 2
Anime club members should get COVID test, NYU says By ARNAV BINAYKIA News Editor Members of Club Anime, the largest anime-related club on campus, were asked by NYU to immediately obtain a COVID-19 test in an email from the university’s COVID-19 response team on Dec. 5. The directive came days after a man who attended Anime NYC 2021, a large Japanese animation convention, was linked to the second known case of the omicron variant of the virus in the United States. “The NYU COVID-19 Prevention & Response Team (CPRT) is reaching out to all NYU students who are registered members of the NYU Anime Club,” the email, obtained by WSN, read. “Out of an abundance of caution, CPRT recommends that you get a PCR test ASAP (if you have not already tested since Nov. 26) and follow the guidance below to help protect yourself and others.” Club Anime, the student organization that received the email notification, is one of the largest organizations on campus — its official webpage on NYU
Engage lists more than 1,000 members. The club’s president, Rachael Teng, said she knew members of the club who attended the convention. “We are unaware of any positive COVID-19 test results among our club members,” Teng said. “We are aware of the situation and have encouraged the attendees to get tested, as well as general members of Club Anime.” Anime NYC took place at the Javits Center in midtown Manhattan between Nov. 19 and Nov. 21. More than 53,000 people attended, all of whom were required to wear masks and show proof of vaccination for COVID-19. On Nov. 24, three days after the convention ended, a man from Minnesota who attended the event tested positive for the omicron variant. On Dec. 2, Mayor Bill de Blasio advised convention attendees to get tested as soon as possible. CAS sophomore Anthony Portillo, a Club Anime member who attended the convention, said that he was in the process of scheduling a testing appointment. “It was a ton of people gathering, so it’s probably inevitable that one person
might have had it,” Portillo said. “I think basically everyone was wearing masks. The only thing, obviously, was that there was almost no social distancing.” The email sent to the club asked members who visited the convention to get a test, but they will not be required to submit results. It was sent three days after the city’s advisory. Portillo said that he felt that the communication should have been sent earlier. “It should have been sooner,” Portillo said. “The moment it was stated that someone at the convention came up positive, maybe send ‘members of the club, those who went to the convention: make sure you get tested.” University spokesperson John Beckman did not respond to a request for comment.
Contact Arnav Binaykia at abinaykia@nyunews.com.
PHOTO BY MARI BINSTOCK
Anime NYC was held from Nov. 19-21 at the Javits Center in New York City. An attendee from Minnesota tested positive for the omicron variant in one of the first detections of the variant in the United States.
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NEWS
NEWS@NYUNEWS.COM
Edited by ARNAV BINAYKIA
NYU cuts English program that served int’l students, fires staff CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1
their contracts on Aug. 31, 2022. Raul Sanchez, the one full-time faculty member keeping his job, will move to a different unit within SPS. “Even if this one remaining faculty member wasn’t there, I see no reason why they could not reconstitute the ELI in another form,” said Shant Melkonian, an ELI instructor. “This is how decisions should not be made. This is a cautionary tale for other programs.” The restructuring of the ELI has also resulted in the loss of employment for adjunct faculty. Multiple staff members told WSN that, as recently as 2016, more than 50 adjuncts were employed by the institute. Some have received contracts in other departments of the university, while others are out of a job after being terminated in summer 2021. No adjuncts are currently employed by the ELI. In a statement to WSN, SPS assistant dean Paola Curcio-Kleinman attributed the closure of the program to insufficient enrollment and revenue over the past five years. She said revenue decreased by 95%
and enrollment by 82%. ELI faculty members, however, claim that the decline in enrollment was due to a concerted effort by the SPS administration to shut down the institute. Enrollment had previously dropped after a 2017 announcement by thendean Dennis Di Lorenzo that students outside of SPS would no longer be allowed to take ELI courses. Following this change, enrollment dropped from about 1,800 NYU students during the 2016-17 academic year to 166 students at present, a decrease of about 91%. WSN spoke to a number of current and former faculty who attributed the decline in enrollment to this change as well as cuts to the department’s marketing budget. They characterized SPS administration’s decisions as part of a deliberate effort to reduce enrollment and stifle the operations of the ELI. The CEP shutdown comes after 10 ELI adjunct faculty were terminated in summer 2021. Cate Fallon, a Tisch adjunct and the unit chair for ACT-
UAW Local 7902, the union for NYU adjuncts, said that professors were only allowed to teach one course per term and received small severance packages from the university because, due to the pandemic, adjuncts worked fewer hours than normal in the year used to calculate severances. “In May you get a reappointment for your next year,” Fallon said. “But in May, they were told, ‘You’re not coming back.’ Had the university made this choice in the summer of 2020, instead of 2021, these people would have gotten a much larger payout because they were teaching more courses. It’s like they took advantage of the pandemic.” Kleinman encouraged ELI students currently enrolled in CEP to utilize the resources like the SPS International Student Support Center, the University Learning Center and the Office of Global Services after the program closes at the end of the fall 2021 semester. “NYU students, who had previously depended upon the English Language
Institute for English Language learning, have opted to use the wide range of other services offered by their own schools and the university at large,” Kleinman said in a statement. “In addition, an increase in programs across New York City, the U.S. and online have provided students from outside of NYU with other study options to improve their English.” Elisabeth Fay, a clinical associate professor in the CAS expository writing program and an organizer with Contract Faculty United at NYU, a union for contract faculty that has not been recognized by the university, does not believe that other English services are as useful to international students as the ELI. “We are not ESL-trained teachers, we are composition teachers,” Fay, who is also a writing center consultant, said. “You cannot just plug in any writing teacher and expect the same result, especially when you are taking away the support of a class, the support of a program and just sort of telling people, ‘I don’t know, go to the writing center.’”
Many ELI faculty members also worry that other services are insufficient for students learning English as a second language. An ELI faculty member, who asked to remain anonymous due to a legal obligation, said that professors in NYU programs outside of the ELI are not properly trained to teach English to non-native speakers. Steinhardt sophomore Fengze Wang, an international student from Shanghai, said the ELI has benefitted her socially and academically by teaching her to read, write and fluently speak English. She found a sense of community through the institute that she said she would not have been able to find elsewhere. “I don’t know how, in the future, some foreign students who want to study English in the U.S. will be able to,” Wang said. “I don’t know where they will go. If it was not for ELI, I would not have been here.” Contact Gabriel Hawthorne at news@nyunews.com.
Becoming an NYU trustee: a conversation with David Ko By ABBY WILSON Staff Writer This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Tech entrepreneur David Ko, one of NYU’s three newest trustees, recently spoke with WSN from his home in San Francisco about his involvement with NYU since graduating in 1993. He expressed gratitude for the university’s help in launching the Stern Venture Fellows program and fondly recalled his time as an undergraduate at NYU. Ko was announced as a member of NYU’s board of trustees earlier this semester, along with Terri Burns and Traci Lerner.
WSN: What is one major change that you’ve seen at NYU since you graduated? Ko: I loved that I was able to do a program where we went to different parts of the world with different schools and learned about different businesses. And now, the fact that the university has schools, not only in Beijing, but in Abu Dhabi, in London, in Los Angeles — it’s just amazing to see how global it’s become. While at NYU, Ko took part in a monthlong study away program in Japan. NYU now has 15 study away locations, and NYU Sydney recently announced a new partnership with the University of Sydney that allows students to take courses at either institution.
WSN: What brought you back to NYU after you graduated? You’ve worked closely with administrators at the Leonard N. Stern School of Business and elsewhere at the university — what led you to remain so involved? David Ko: My involvement with NYU mostly stemmed from the fact that I came from my undergraduate experience there. I graduated in ’93. I really felt that university life helped shape the rest of my life. And so I learned a lot of key lessons that I’ve kept and that has stayed with me for many years after. So giving back to the university was just very natural.
WSN: Now that you have a voice on the board of trustees, what are your top priorities going to be? Ko: My goal in the beginning was to come in and listen and get to know the various individuals on the board of trustees. I’ve spent a lot of time with many NYU students, but mostly on the tech side of the house. And that’s the perspective I’ll bring. That’s the lane I’ll swim in. I think that’s where I can add the most value.
Along with being co-founder and CEO of Ripple Health Group, a health tech startup, Ko has remained heavily involved with NYU since his initial departure. In 2016, he founded the Stern Venture Fellows program, a 10-week immersive entrepreneurship program that began hosting MBA students in the summer of 2017. He also serves as a member of the Stern Tech MBA Advisory Board and the Stern Executive Board.
WSN: Do you have any advice for current NYU students? Ko: Just because somebody’s the CEO of a company doesn’t mean you can’t reach out to them and ask them for advice or ask them for a referral. I’ve been very proud of the fact that I’ve been able to touch many students who have wanted to get into entrepreneurship and give them advice along the way. Ko did not directly address questions
Ko credits the mentorship he received throughout his career as a major factor that led to the success of his career.
about the specific process of his appointment, but told WSN that the opportunity gradually became available to him after many years of involvement — he began donating small amounts of money to NYU and increased his donations over time. He said this opened discourse with members of the administration and other trustees. NYU’s trustee selection process is not public. Students and faculty are not represented on the board despite multiple calls for increased representation and transparency; in 2018, the board of trustees rejected proposals from the student government and two faculty councils that would have placed students and faculty on the board. WSN: What is the process of becoming a trustee like? Ko: I only know what I went through, which was super professional — very thorough, in my opinion. The board wanted to make sure that it worked for all parties, which was great. You have to be committed and you want to show that commitment. And if you can show that commitment through your time and are willing to participate, eventually it may work for both of you. WSN: Do you think the process of appointing new trustees is transparent and fair from a student’s perspective? Ko: I know the members of the board take it very seriously because they have a responsibility to the broader university. You know, it’s really hard sometimes to make sure it’s discussed with everybody. You have to trust that they’re making the right decisions for you as a university as a whole. WSN: Is there anything else you want to tell the NYU community? Ko: I’m very grateful and honored to continue to give back to the university in any form. They don’t ask for it. When you’ve had some of the success that I’ve
been able to have, the reality is that it doesn’t happen overnight, and it has to start with a foundation. And that foun-
dation, for me, happened at NYU. Contact Abby WIlson at news@nyunews.com.
PHOTO BY RALEIGH SWICK
Tech entrepreneur David Ko was recently introduced as a member of the NYU board of trustees. WSN sat down with Ko to talk about his plans for the university.
Washington Square News
MONDAY, DECEMBER 6, 2021
SPORTS
SPORTS@NYUNEWS.COM
3
Edited by MITESH SHRESTHA
The newest masters of MMA: Park Slope children By RYAN WALKER Social Media Editor Like clockwork, everyday at 5:15 p.m., the corners of Park Slope flood with children dressed in pristine white uniforms adorned with colorful belts. “Do you want to do this now that you are f ive?” a man asks his son as they weave through the crowd. At f ive years old, the boy can now participate in mixed martial arts, one of the Brooklyn neighborhood’s favored after-school activities. There are an abundance of different training centers condensed into a f ive-block-wide area. “It’s a kid-centric area,” Steven Crocilla Jr., an instructor at Park Slope Academy of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, said. “There are a lot of activities that cater to kids. There’s fencing next door and coding down the street and two YMCAs all for them.”
According to Elite Training Center in Los Angeles, MMA dates back to Ancient Greece when hand-to-hand combat became part of the Olympic Games. Legend says that the teachings were then picked up by a Buddhist monk and brought back to China, leading to the creation of kung fu, judo and karate. As people began to travel more, the idea of MMA spread, contributing to more variations within the discipline. The establishment of the Ultimate Fighting Championship in the 1990s allowed MMA to increase in popularity. The organization reshaped combat f ighting by pitting athletes of different disciplines against each other, ultimately creating like-minded and well-rounded f ighters. For the young families of Park Slope, MMA are about more than a well-rounded f ighter. At
RYAN WALKER | WSN
The Park Slope Academy is located in an area dense with businesses offering programs designed for kids.
Amerikick Martial Arts, a karate-focused school, students come for reasons ranging from self-defense to anger management. “We are one specif ic type of MMA, but there’s an option that appeals to everyone … it’s about what works,” the front desk receptionist said. In Park Slope Academy of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, students focus on long-term goal setting. “It gives them something to work toward. They know a black belt exists, but at least in our discipline, it takes 10 years to earn,” Crocilla Jr. — who began his training in 2008 — said. Despite the various motives, students ultimately enroll because “it’s Park Slope,” the receptionist said. “You get hoity-toity parents around here who have the best things and the best schools and who want the best activities for their kids.” RYAN WALKER | WSN
The Park Slope Academy of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is one of many martial arts training centers that offer lessons for children. Martial arts is becoming a popular after-school activity for kids.
Contact Ryan Walker at rwalker@nyunews.com.
INFORMING YOU FIRST
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CULTURE@NYUNEWS.COM
MONDAY, DECEMBER 6, 2021
CULTURE
Edited by SABRINA CHOUDHARY
Ranked: NYU meme pages By JOEY HUNG AND SABRINA CHOUDHARY
Beauty & Style Editor and Culture Editor We have to admit, the NYU meme page offerings are lackluster. Maybe NYU students are too self-conscious about their image to say the out-ofpocket things that make less cringeworthy memes. Or maybe our school culture is strong enough to have relatable memes beyond NYU’s Daily Screener and hating Stern. Us judgy Ranked writers like to think we’re pretty funny, and we obviously enjoy critiquing stuff, so ranking NYU meme pages is the perfect use of our talents. A lot of the meme content we read felt like pre-pandemic TikToks, back when TikTokkers were trying to be Viners and were afraid of being weird. If there’s one thing to take away from this article, it’s that it doesn’t have to be this way! YOU have the power to make quality memes!!! #7 — Barstool NYU Sabrina: I think we all know that Barstool is problematic — as it is directly aff iliated with Barstool Sports — but some of the posts are kinda funny. I did laugh pretty hard at the Among Us person showing their ID and Daily Screener in Bobst. Still, it ranks last for me because it’s just … meh Sabrina’s pick:
Joey: The NYU Barstool page fails to meet even the lowly standards for content typical of the Barstool college brand. In that sense, it does manage to achieve one thing — being the perfect microcosm for NYU’s inferiority complex and fulfilling every stereotype about its lack of party culture. Joey’s pick:
#6 — NYU Chicks S: This page just isn’t that funny to me. It’s like Barstool’s notso-evil twin. A lot of the memes go for low-hanging fruit, like generic self-deprecating jokes about the college experience and cheap shots at Stern boys or high tuition. We all know these things, so there’s not much to see here. Sabrina’s pick:
J: Anything for the charcoochie board, amiright? This account is the closest thing I’ve gotten to human connection at NYU in the midst of our pandemic and antisocial masked-up classes. Joey’s pick:
#4 — NYU Memes for Slightly Bankrupt Teens S: This is THE NYU meme account, but to be honest, I didn’t think they were that funny until I took matters into my own hands and started posting. The page has so many views that I felt like a celebrity every time someone recognized one of my homemade memes. Our photo editor Jake Capriotti is lowkey carrying it now. If you’re funny, the clout you can get here is unmatched. Sabrina’s pick: This was my masterpiece. It got 1000 likes and I felt like an influencer.
J: The posts showed me that the internet still has the same sense of humor; they’re just repurposed to f it our current stage of life. They are the @bitch of NYU accounts — they aren’t really funny, but they’re nostalgic and reliable. I always know she’s going to be there — a dependable humor queen, if you will. Joey’s pick:
#5 — Overheard at NYU S: This page reminds me of the quotes list I keep for my friends, but I f ind it less funny because the people quoted are not my friends, so I don’t really care about their conversations. I almost wish there was a little more context for some of the quotes so I could feel more included, but I guess the mystery is part of the charm. Also, it would be funnier if more than a handful of people contributed to it, but such is the way with crowdsourced meme pages. Sabrina’s pick:
for Admissions.
#1 — NYU Affirmations S: This is hysterical. It’s a simple, consistent brand, whereas other meme pages are messy collections of other peoples’ submissions. It’s universally relatable while staying positive and it’s original! Sabrina’s pick:
J: SABRINA JUST TOLD ME THAT OUR VERY OWN COPY CHIEF MAX TIEFER RUNS THIS ACCOUNT. I HAVE TO SIT WITH THIS FOR A SECOND. [intermission] Joey’s pick: Throwback to the days of elevating the twin XL bed, hanging up fairy lights and polaroid pics, and hooking up with the person that lives a few floors down from you. Walking home was taking the stairs back up at 4 a.m. and tip-toeing back into the room in hopes of not disturbing your roommates. This is a solid account, Max Tiefer. All hail the king.
J: Affirmations is the person who doesn’t try to be funny — they just are. Unlike the other accounts, Affirmations gets super specific with their posts but remains relatable. I have had so many of these thoughts but have never said them out loud. Thank you for being my voice. Joey’s pick:
J: They’re like the Haikyuu!! or BTS of meme pages. (I love BTS and Jungkook looked FANTASTIC at the L.A. concert). It’s mainstream but has solid content, and is truly a staple for the NYU community. Thank you for your service. Joey’s pick:
#2 — Gallatin Concentration Generator S: Okay, this Twitter account hasn’t been active since Jan. 18, but it’s still vastly underappreciated — it only has 212 followers! Someone made a bot that automatically generates Gallatin concentration titles. You can submit words to their database here. Since it’s automatic, not all of the jokes land, but I did read the tweets with another Gallatin student and she kept saying, “I swear I know someone who does this.” Joey laughed at me when I told her my concentration title. I’m self-aware. Sabrina’s pick: #3 — Washington Square Local S: This Onion-style page is proudly aff iliated with our very own copy chief, Max Tiefer!!! And it shows. It’s hilarious because it’s more creative and clever than most of these meme pages, and it has a consistent voice — Max Tiefer’s voice. And I’m here for it. Sabrina’s pick: See, it’s funny because I work
J: I dunno, is this not a Stern course? “The philosophy of Kantian communities as a reason for traditions,” “The cultural impacts of toxic actions and the anthrozoology of AI.” Do we not talk like this? Joey’s pick:
Honorable mention: WSN Slack meme channel Trust us, it’s pretty good — but you’ll only get the jokes if you join us! That’s it for Ranked for this semester, folks. Good luck with finals, have a great break and see y’all next semester. Contact Joey Hung at jhung@nyunews.com and Sabrina Choudhary at schoudhary@nyunews.com.
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MONDAY, DECEMBER 6, 2021
ARTS
ARTS@NYUNEWS.COM
5
Edited by SASHA COHEN and ANA CUBAS
Review: ‘House of Gucci’ is a fashion catastrophe
IMAGE COURTESY OF UNIVERSAL PICTURES
Ridley’s Scott’s new film “House of Gucci” stars Lady Gaga as Patrizia Reggiani and Adam Driver as Maurizio Gucci. The film follows the rise and fall of the Gucci family in the 1980s.
By ISABELLA ARMUS Deputy Arts Editor There was a palpable electricity in the air when I sat down to watch Ridley Scott’s directorial take on the infamous Gucci family murders. Maybe it was just the overpriced movie theater wine, but “House of Gucci” seemed like a film determined to become a sensation.
At least, that’s what was promised in the barrage of advertising. The trailers depicted a punchy tale of glamour, sex, fashion, pasta and, most importantly, murder. The lore of the Gucci dynasty became a buoyant trove, so easy to sell that it seemed predestined for success on the silver screen. Paired with a toupee-ed Adam Driver and the famously Italian Lady Gaga as the devious
protagonists, “House of Gucci” had the perfect recipe for something diabolically magical. Regretfully, premise and star power are the only achievements that “House of Gucci” can flex, as the film fails to follow through on the splashy camp potential that the project so ardently promised. The narrative begins with a spark. We meet Gaga’s Patrizia Reggiani, a woman so enchanting that her mere strut can cause the local car garage to break out in mass hysteria. Sick of forging checks in her father’s office, Patrizia decides to paint the town red, and under the light of a disco ball, she meets the 6-foot ticket out of her ordinary life. His name? Gucci. As soon as Reggiani recognizes the financial potential in Driver’s coy Maurizio Gucci at a swinging nightclub, she begins pursuing him with the same dedication as a middle school crush. She’s seductive, bubbly and persistent, cornering Gucci at every turn. He becomes a trust-funded stone slab who eventually falls, and Reggiani becomes the vixen who’s ready to mold him. The beginning stages of this relationship provide the most kinetic sequences in the film. Those firey first months of rushed nuptials and over-the-top sex scenes operate as the perfect introduction to a duo whose fate is already tragically sealed. Driver provides the subtle Italian set dressing as Gaga scorches each scene with the raise of a charcoal eyebrow and a frivolous intensity that
feels too specific to be fabricated. It’s Gaga’s stiletto-clad stomp that curdles the couple’s epic romance as Patrizia, now Patrizia Gucci, pressures Maurizio to rejoin his family’s legendary fashion house, which also, of course, brings her into the fold. Maurizio eventually picks up on the chilly business practices of his relatives and turns Patrizia’s woozy infatuation with his family’s fortune back onto her. With his newfound power, Maurizio neglects Patrizia and eventually has an affair, instigating their violent downfall. Though these protagonists are rife with intrigue, “House of Gucci” asphyxiates these exciting qualities at every turn. It’s rare to witness a film that seems so disinterested in itself. The Gucci couture that drives these characters to murder is only referred to with flippant mentions and sketchbooks coated in gray. The fashion is reduced to a vague concept, obscuring the motivations of both Patrizia and the Gucci family. This haziness continues as the narrative abstains from delving into any character interiority, trudging from scene to scene as if they’re required readings. We see the Gucci couple’s vacations, children and luxury apartments, but never the actual characters. The performances are reduced to mere pantomimes of interview clips and Wikipedia summaries as personal histories are almost intentionally underserved, making the dramatic crescendos falter in their believability. The film doesn’t identify character traits for Patrizia’s tantrums to hinge
around, so her eventual breakdown relies on the flat trope of a woman scorned by her lover — a trope so stale, you can nearly see the dust being brushed off it. The film doesn’t even have an argument for so-bad-it’s-good appeal. Case in point: Jared Leto’s Italian accent. Where to begin? While his sad-sack demeanor is actually what makes Paolo Gucci one of the film’s more sympathetic characters, Leto’s severely under-rehearsed performance causes friction in most of his scenes. Leto’s commitment here is so misdirected that he creates a whiny affectation evoking the Mario Brothers at best and Borat at worst. The attempted accent takes over every scene and remains just as heinous throughout the entire film, a feat so spectacular it is difficult to even laugh about. This film mishandles its flamboyant potential in innumerable ways — far too many to catalog here. The directing is comatose throughout the two-hour-and-38minute runtime and drags on without an ounce of charm. As the murder is conducted; the theater doesn’t react. Cold silence reverberates and the impact never lands. Despite possessing every conceivable path to success, “House of Gucci” offers neither style nor substance. Its passionless devotion to the routine beats of the historical murder leave the rest of the film hollow in its premise and shallow in its hype. Sorry, Gaga, but “House of Gucci” is the Olive Garden of cinema. Contact Isabella Armus at iarmus@nyunews.com.
Review: ‘Procession’ is a meta masterwork on trauma By SEBASTIAN ZUFELT Staff Writer Content warning: This article contains descriptions of sexual assault.
Meta and hybrid documentary filmmaking has grown in popularity in recent years. Last year’s “Dick Johnson is Dead” (dir. Kirsten Johnson) and “Still Processing” (dir. Sophy Romvari) both focused on filmmakers processing their own grief, using the documentary genre as a means of commenting on the filmmaking process. With his latest documentary, Robert Greene innovates on their formula, this time looking beyond just a single filmmaker, and the results are deeply moving. “Procession” was conceived at a press conference in Kansas City, Missouri, where Greene witnessed a series of case dismissals pertaining to sexual assault by priests. After hearing a group of survivors express their frustration at being denied justice, Greene sought the men out for a documentary project. Stemming from theories of drama therapy, Greene offered six men the resources to write and direct scenes connected to their trauma. Each man’s process is shown before their final cuts are presented as part of the film, resulting in sections that provide powerful insights into working through trauma and the storytelling process. Greene uses the documentary genre
to portray the survivors’ stories with a powerful sense of transparency. After repressing their stories for years, these men lay bare the worst moments in their lives. Their scenes recreate their experiences in excruciating detail, including filming at the churches where the events took place. Dealing with resurfaced trauma is as hard for the person reliving the experience as it is for their fellow survivors. When not acting in each other’s scenes, they stand together behind the camera, quick to provide emotional support at a moment’s notice. Greene separates himself from other abuse story documentaries by not portraying these men as victims. In one early scene, a man preparing for his scene calls on the rest of the group to indulge in collective grief: If he’s going to go through with this, he can’t be another guy crying in the corner for people to pity. He says wants the group to look and feel “like the Avengers,” a goal that fills them with courage as they tackle their pasts head-on in scene after scene. The film is emotionally challenging in that way for the viewer, let alone for the men on screen. I’m hesitant to get into the details of the scenes for any of the men because that would undermine the point of the film. “Procession” is about six men taking ownership and power over the pain that was inflicted on them and has haunted them their whole lives. The way each of them find their
IMAGE COURTESY OF NETFLIX
“Procession” is a 2021 documentary film directed by Robert Greene. It comprises six short films made by men who were sexually abused by priests.
own unique cinematic way to present their scene is inspiring. The last scene in particular, which cuts together every man’s experience, heart-wrenchingly ties the film together in a way that simultaneously expresses the lack of closure these men have from the
justice system while also showing how they’ve grown as a result of the film. Though these men didn’t get the justice they deserved from the legal system, their scenes offer a catharsis that demonstrates the power of storytelling. Reliving trauma is not easy, for
these men more so than most, but it serves the necessary function of connecting people — not just these men, but this viewer as well. Contact Sebastian Zufelt at arts@nyunews.com.
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MONDAY, DECEMBER 6, 2021
OPINION
OPINION@NYUNEWS.COM
Edited by KEVIN KURIAN and ASHA RAMACHANDRAN
STAFF EDITORIAL
NYU should meet 100% demonstrated need for all current students
CAMILA CEBALLOS | WSN
NYU has announced that all need-based financial aid will be fulfilled for the class of 2025. This new policy needs to be extended to all current students.
NYU recently implemented a new f inancial aid policy for the class of 2025 that intends to meet the full demonstrated f inancial need of every student — including international students. University spokesperson John Beckman told WSN in November that the university expects to continue this policy and meet the f inancial needs of every student accepted in the future. The university has yet to make a formal announcement of this change — in fact, the policy was f irst discovered in the comments of a TikTok posted by @MeetNYU, the university’s student-run admissions account. This hesitancy in off icially announcing the change allows the university to avoid questioning, especially given that this new policy only extends to the class of 2025 and beyond — ignoring the classes of 2022, 2023 and 2024. NYU should formally announce this change in policy and extend it to meet the full demonstrated f inancial need of all current students. Tuition has continued to rise during the pandemic despite the increasing f inancial burden on NYU students and families during an economic downturn. NYU did distribute COVID-19 relief grants with money it obtained from the federal government, but this did little to resolve the drastic economic consequences of the pandemic for American families, such as high un-
Submitting to
employment, increasing medical expenses and higher poverty rates. It is clear that more permanent solutions addressing the needs of the entire student body are warranted. NYU has long been an outlier among the many prestigious institutions that meet the full demonstrated need of all their students. Harvard, Columbia and Princeton meet 100% of their students’ f inancial needs without loans, regardless of family income. Duke and Cornell have met 100% of student need without loans for those under certain family income levels. University of California, Los Angeles and Georgetown have met 100% of student need with loans. If NYU wants to keep up with these institutions, they must do more than raise their selectivity in admissions — they must compete by offering more appealing f inancial aid packages. As it stands, over half of NYU students receive financial aid directly from the university. For many, these grants and scholarships are the only way that they would be able to afford NYU’s exorbitant sticker price. Thirty percent of students take on federal student loans to afford to attend the university. However, international students often face strict residency requirements and many other obstacles just to qualify for limited federal assistance. The lack of federal aid available to international students
is a particularly pressing problem for NYU considering that 31% of the class of 2024 is international — the highest number among all accredited universities in America. While NYU’s new policy will ensure that incoming international students of any income level will have the necessary resources to attend, currently enrolled international students need financial assistance, too. Current NYU financial aid policy limits attendance to only the wealthiest international students. NYU is one of the most expensive colleges in the world located in one of the most expensive cities in the world. Society teaches students that an undergraduate degree is their ticket to a well-paying job and a happy life. Universities should make good on this promise by assisting students in affording a quality education. NYU boasts an impressive endowment of $5.8 billion, of which only 4% is used for the annual operating budget — surely NYU administration has the capacity to make the university more affordable for all of its students. Though NYU has begun to acknowledge this reality with its new financial aid policy, it should not forget current students as it seeks to create a more affordable university. Contact the Editorial Board at opinion@nyunews.com.
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