edits: food stamps article Brianna Lyle

New York City resident Eric, 23, was standing in the line at Whole Foods buying a selection of treats from the deli aisle. Eric often shops at Whole Foods and to everyone else around him, he looks like a normal buyer. He walks to the teller and slips her a paper with the feel of any other dollar bill but with slight coloration; he hands her an EBT dollar. Most college students cannot afford to buy from Whole Foods, yet Eric can, through his Food Stamp and EBT income.

It’s no doubt that Eric is young, but according to him he got the idea to go on food stamps from peers. “I know about 7-10 other kids in the US and Canada that are on some sort of government aid, but that's just a rough estimate (I think I may actually have more friends on Food Stamps than that)” he said via email. With a relatively easy process to apply, according to Eric, he signed up and started receiving aid the next day. “I receive roughly $200 a month[in New York State Food Stamps] , which helps me pay for the majority of my essential groceries and often times meals from the Whole Foods salad bar and deli's that accept EBT,” said Eric.

Eric’s not the only one who has been benefiting. According to calculations released on Monday March 14th by city officials, food stamps and tax aid kept many from slipping under the poverty line during the

recession. The center said that the poverty rate would have been three percentage points higher without this federal aid.

In fact, because the government did not cut food aid, the city expanded their percentage rate, for people on food stamps, by 39 percent. Dr. Levitan, featured in a report done by the New York Times on March 20, said that the reason for such an increase was ‘”to bring in more people who are not the traditional welfare population, but are more the working poor.”’ Eric is not considered the working poor and his age certainly does not fit the norm for food stamps. However, his kind is not as unlikely as one might think.

According to the NYC Food Bank Hunger Safety Net 2007 report, 57 percent of recipients for Emergency Food Programs are working-age adults (18-64). Approximately 4% of EFP participants are ages 18-29. This information is alarming, especially since the NYC Center for Economic Opportunity said that “The likelihood that someone will be poor falls dramatically as his or her level of education rises” in the CEO Poverty Measure 2005-2009 report.

This change in young people going on food stamps has certainly made an impact on their psyche. Dr. Suzzane Feinstein, Ph.D, working in midtown Manhattan in Behavioral Health services, said “tax aid and food stamps may be helping but they [young people using government aid] are still needing services such as therapy. Transitioning into work and leaning off the government can be very taxing.”

Some universities are now opening services up for those students who are ON food stamps or government aid. Claire Davis, Psychologist at NYU Health Center, said “we have support groups and

individual therapy sessions for those using food stamps.” She also said “it’s not as uncommon as you may think. About 3% of our students are using food stamps.”

The number of students on food stamps at NYU may be directly correlated with the extra government help during the recession. According to a New York Times article released March 20th, a number of factors drove the government to provide this extra aid. A 20 percent increase in the cost of rent from 2005 to 2008 was one of the biggest impacts on the poverty rate. Without the benefits increased, the Center for Economic Opportunity calculated that the poverty rate would have been six percentage points higher in 2009.

Experts seem to agree with the report’s outcome. Sociological expert Dr. Dave Haines, graduate of Yale and sociologist working with Hunter College, Yale and Harvard, said “Basically, from my understanding of the recent report on food stamps and tax aid, we have made strides in the correct direction.” It seems as though most people are getting through this recession in ease. Eric is able to buy most of what he needs on his government aid plan, he said “my ‘paycheck’ [New York State Unemployment Insurance] is still pretty small, but it does allow me afford most of the essentials that aren't covered by my food stamps including public transportation, bills, and entertainment.”

The Center for Economic Opportunity reported that in the Current Population Survey, the official U.S. poverty rate now stands at 14.3 percent. This report, titled “Policy Affects Poverty” was brought on by Mayor Bloomberg in his effort to receive more valid, modern information regarding poverty in New York City. This information is crucial because the government’s official criteria regarding poverty dates back to half a century ago.

For the country, this could mean a lower poverty rate in the future. For Eric, this means he can continue to live securely. He never wants return to his old way where he often “lived off of anything that was cheap - so a lot of $1 pizza slices, $2 falafel sandwiches, $1 dumplings, macaroni and cheese; college kid stuff.”

Final Feature

Mazen Hassan

Introduction to Journalism

Final Feature Story

5/2/2011

“The Man in the Mirror”

I had lost 18 pounds in a week. Having a major photo-shoot coming up with a widely-publicized up and coming designer, left me incredibly nervous, as I already had my measurements taken and the clothes were made to fit accordingly. A lot of money was poured into this project; and my agents warned me that I needed to pull this off impeccably in order to secure future gigs - so needless to say, the pressure was on.

I was extremely sick at the time and couldn’t keep anything down, yet was trying to force-feed myself and do pushups to beef up. On the day of the shoot, I walked in trembling, so worried that I would be fired on the spot for being underweight…but the second I put the clothes on, I was struggling to fit into them or even close the buttons. “PERFECT, your body is just perfect!” yelled out the designer who shall go unnamed, due to his decision to decline to comment. “Do you do pilates, diet, or what’s your secret to maintaining that figure?!” I didn’t know whether to be relieved and flattered or disturbed and offended, as I watched the stylist squeeze me into a tight-fitting turtleneck, pulled over my protruding ribs and sunken in chest. I was being celebrated for being emaciated. “This is what they want me to look like; this is what will make me successful?” I thought to myself. Turns out being a male model isn’t as fun or glamorous as it seems.

Abiah Hosdevlt 21, model and artist, couldn’t agree more. “I grew up loving fashion and photography, and when I was scouted I thought I had stepped into a fantasy land…not a land of smoke and mirrors where nothing is quite what it seems” said Hosdevlt. Originally hailing from Jamaica, he was discovered by a photographer at Washington Square Park while skating with his friends at 15, a mere two years after first moving to New York. “I thought the guy was some sleazy perv, but he gave me his card, and when I looked him up online with my mother, we saw that he shot some really huge campaigns with a lot of top models. So I decided to pursue it, but I had no idea what I was going into really. I was young, naïve and hungry for success, and at any cost I thought.”

Though he started working rather steadily, not much money was being made, and a lot had to be sacrificed to do so. Hosdevlt, like many other young struggling male models, found out rather quickly that underneath the glamorous exterior of the cutthroat fashion and modeling industry, laid webs of deceit, and extremely unhealthy environments and living conditions he wasn’t sure he was ready to handle.

After six months working with different photographers and building his portfolio, he was told by his agent in NYC that he had been requested by a booker at Ford Europe – one of the, if not the, biggest and most-well known agencies in the world. “It was unbelievable. I had these hotshot agents telling me they were flying me to Paris first class, giving me a driver and limo, putting me into a luxury agency apartment right near the Eiffel Tower on their tab, and that I already was booked for jobs,” Hosdvelt said, lost in thought at the beginning of it all. “It seemed too good to be true, but I pushed aside my reservations and went for it. I should have listened to my gut, but instead I chased my dream.”

That dream illusion was shattered shortly after arriving in France, and being shown to his “luxury” apartment. He was escorted into an old cramped, dingy, unfurnished, cob-webbed apartment, to meet his fellow model roommates – all eight of them, who were stuffed into a tiny open living space like fashion sardines. “It was a mess. There were roaches and mice crawling over us while we’d try to sleep, which we couldn’t even do as there was no air conditioning or even a fan in the sweltering heat,” Hosdevlt spewed out angrily recalling those early days. “There was no space for any of us to be comfortable, even being forced to share what was essentially one room and one broken bathroom amongst nine stinky young guys…it was uninhabitable. I mean there were days we didn’t even have anything to eat.”

Being in such close quarters all the time with the same guys you are competing against for work, doesn’t exactly create the smoothest living situation either. “I mean even though I was only 16, I knew how to take care of myself to an extent. A lot of the other guys were kids – 14 years old left to vie for themselves, homesick lonely and depressed. So getting booked and making money, to show that this would all be worth it was a priority for all of us,” Abiah explained as to why he kept going even though the experience had not been what he thought it would be.

Eventually the situation went from uncomfortable to unbearable, as the internal envy and jealously began to boil over with the boys in the apartment. “Nobody trusted each other, everyone tried to sabotage each other, destroying personal belongings, taunting the younger kids to drive them out and have less competition. And the agents never intervened or took care of us like they promised our parents they would. We were like young malnourished painted up beasts vying for ourselves in a crazy fashion jungle.”

Having completed a slew of high profile jobs after two months in Paris, Hosdvelt had been eagerly anticipating his first big check from the agency so he could finally move out of the model’s apartment, send some money back home, and just be able to afford to eat without having to go and beg his agency for an advance or stipend. When he finally did get that first check though, something wasn’t right. “I looked at the gross amount of the check and saw $21,500 and was floored. I couldn’t believe I had made so much money in eight weeks! I then took a closer look at how much was actually made out to me, and saw $964 as the actual amount. I felt like I had been cheated, tricked and scammed.”

When first being signed to an agency it is made to seem that all costs are being offset and covered by them, which is not the case. Once the model starts working and making money, they first need to reimburse the agency for travel and living expenses, test shoots with photographers, the cost of their portfolio and actual pictures, any stipends handed out, placement and promotion of the model on their website, and any other miscellaneous cost they see fit. So in the end, the model has to essentially work just to pay back their bookers, and they are lucky if they break even to make any profit whatsoever. Though female models endure the same thing in the beginning of their careers, they are way more in demand, bring in higher salaries, and are generally more taken care of by their agencies and the designers they work with. Male models are often overlooked, and are seen as “props” in photo-shoots, rather than the focus. They are judged and constantly scrutinized about their weight and general appearance, and are forced to be on a daily work-out regiment, and strict diet; drastically different than some people’s perception of the life of a male model.

“When I first got into this business in the early 90s, male models had Adonis-type built muscular bodies, were getting paid six-figure salaries, and had private jets and drivers. They could compete with the top female models. The industry has changed radically, and that is the result of the designer’s vision, and ultimately what the consumer looks for – and fashion just responded” says Nathan Morales, head of the men’s division at Orb Models. “The eye has changed; clothes now are tighter and tighter. Guys are younger and younger,” Morales continued, “designers like the skinny guy, it looks good in the clothes and that’s the main thing. At this point you might as well save money and just go over to the little boy’s department,” he says deadpanning, “that’s just the way it is now.”

Other industry insiders can agree that the issues surrounding male models from body types, to finances, to disposability are prevalent and not made a priority as it sometimes is for female models. A well-known and prominent casting director, who asked to not be named in order to retain close connection with his clients and protect his brand’s anonymity, said that “if a guy comes into a casting and is over 150 pounds, I won’t even look at his portfolio. If a guy comes in and looks like he’s over 23, I won’t consider him for a second – but if he’s 26 and looks 18 then he’s set,” he said without a hint of cynicism or malice. “I know it sounds harsh, but honestly these days no one wants a beautiful women or a beautiful man anymore. People are afraid to look over 21 or make any statement of what it means to be adult, or a masculine adult at that – it’s all about androgyny. Frankly it’s all child’s play.”

It had been about nine months since Abiah’s whirlwind descent into Europe, and he was growing restless and weary. He was always traveling, alone of course; if not accompanied by other models guzzling champagne or doing rails of coke on any surface that presented itself, just to deal with grueling schedule of having to be up and “on” all the time. Though Abiah said he didn’t ever get a chance to experiment like most normal teenagers his age before modeling, he found himself partaking in the late night partying, excessive drinking and habitual drug usage of his fellow models. He had come that far and wanted to “make it”, and felt pressured into doing it to save face and fit in. But like everything else, it began to take its toll physically and mentally.

His already thin frame was shedding even more pounds by the day due to lack of sleep, rare consumption of any food, and severe depression and homesickness. His angular face becoming gaunt to the point that he couldn’t even recognize the grim skeleton staring back at him in the mirror anymore…yet he continued to get booked for more and more photo shoots.

Every photographer was bizarre, pretentious and rude he claimed; and every shoot became the same dull repeated sequence of pout, pose, and flash. “Here I was working all over Europe with famous creative people, but I was doing things and being put in positions that went against all the morals and values I had been raised with…I felt empty inside,” Hosdvelt expressed about his success and confusion to accept it. As it came with a price, and he began to really lose sight of himself and his goals. Though he did his best with the cards he was dealt, and tried to remain grounded amongst the glittering prospects, vapid adulation and alluring temptations that came with the territory.

Early one morning, after having worked 14 hours straight with a seal on an ocean-themed Japanese Vogue Hommes shoot (apparently aquatics were “totally in” that season and all the rage), he decided that it gotten to be all too much, and that he needed a fresh direction; so he packed up all his things, called his agent to tell him to cancel all his bookings, and went back home to New York City.

After having taken some time off and being home, Abiah is still modeling, and trying to go back to college. “I don’t regret my decision to get into modeling, but I do wish I had been older, had more support, and more educated about the business aspects of it, because people forget - it is a business after all. And I’m just one small piece of what makes up million dollar corporations, so it is a lot of pressure,” Hosdevlt says still wrestling with whether or not this is a good or healthy career choice.

He sums up his experiences and thoughts about being a male model as a whole when asked why he’s still in a business that he claims is unhealthy and treated him harshly. “Look, at the end of the day I’m getting paid very good money to travel and take pictures – it’s not rocket science. Though my mentality is different now than it was at 16 – I understand my role. I know that I’m a product, and I have a shelf life, so I will continue to do it and save money before the next new young guy comes along and people don’t care about me anymore. Fashion is all about change; like Heidi Klum says ‘one day you’re in, the next you’re out’. My time will come. Until then…I’m just trying to enjoy the ride.”

In a world where getting sick is the ideal way to lose weight, where a size zero is the definition of beauty, and where a seal gets hair and makeup done for the cover of a magazine – that’s all you can do. Buckle up and watch what happens.

final article

Brianna Lyle

May 2, 2011

Intro Journalism

Rough Draft: Final Profile Piece

I

The girl moved swiftly across the floor, spinning so many times it seemed as though if she suddenly stopped twirling, her momentum would launch her across the room. Her black skirt made a beautiful design as it hung to her body tightly and then was released as she pulled away from herself, launching her body another foot forward. Her Russian teacher was clapping on a two-four beat screaming “no, no, no!” The girl stopped, caught her balance, and looked into the large mirror hanging on the wall opposite of her. She couldn’t be more than 110 pounds, but in the mirror, her disappointment covered the giant mirror, reflecting back to her the pain that was so evidently clear: she wasn’t doing well enough.

She wiped her head of sweat and walked over to her gym bag where she pulled out a bottle of Evian, she took a long swig, “I can do it. I got it. Give me one more try and I’ll get it, I always do.” Jacques Offenbach was suddenly playing again in the background and sure enough she finished with a smile on her face. “Good, great, Alexandra!” her teacher said in her thick, Russian voice, “I’ll see you tomorrow again.”

Perhaps she had a severe case of only-child-syndrome but this girl loved being in the spotlight. She craved it. She had made it clear that musical theater is what she wanted to do for the rest of her life. She refused to settle for anything less than her one true passion, even knowing that she’ll probably never make any money out of it, especially in this job market.

“There is plenty of time to make money in my life, but only so much time to follow my dreams and passions. Once those doors are closed, they may not reopen, and to me, it’s not worth the risk of never giving this a chance” explained Alexandra Schwartz, 19, a musical theater major at Marymount Manhattan, in an interview conducted a year ago.

It seems as though now, Schwartz has nothing to worry about. The job market is actually getting better; according to a report done by USA today on February 22, 2011, employers plan to hire almost 20% more recent graduates this year. However, the job market is showing some signs of getting better, but it's not even close to being healthy. While a big improvement year-over-year for those looking for work, the job market is still significantly small compared to the spring of 2008 when in some areas in the country there was only a three percent vacancy rate. Because the job market still isn’t fit, even high school students are starting to pay closer attention to their future majors in college.

II

The increase in open positions means employers have half as many applicants per job now than at this time last year: 21.1 applicants this year vs. 40.5 in 2010. Students are confirming the trend, says Janice Castro, director of career services at Northwestern University. “What we’re seeing this year is that some of our students are getting multiple offers, which we’re thrilled about.”

Daniel Zuccari, a journalism major who graduated with Northwestern’s class of 2011, hunted for a year before landing a job this month,“It felt great to get that offer, although it wasn;t exactly what I was looking for” he says of the communications position at a global professional consulting firm in Pennsylvania. Zuccari says his friends who graduated in 2009 had an even more difficult job search. “Some of them are just starting to jet jobs” he said.

It seems clear to me hiring is picking up, and we're going to add more jobs in 2011” than in 2010, says Forbes economist Mark Wagner.

III

“You still can’t just walk out on the street, hit up a couple of employers and get a job opportunity lined up” said Castro, whose daughter graduated a semester early from Berkley California, as a biology major, and is still looking for employment. “She graduated at the top of her class, it shouldn’t be this difficult for her to find something. She’s clearly intelligent and qualified for many positions.”

Jennifer Castro sat looking at the newly budded trees in central park. She crossed her legs in her light blue jeans and scuffled with her light pink tank top. She pulled her fingers through her blonde hair and looked over at me with freckled cheeks and green eyes. She wasn’t from New York, that much was clear. “I came here in order to find work” she said, “but nothing is available. I’m becoming really frustrated with the situation. I didn’t bust my ass in college to be here, jobless and withering away my graduation money in lattes”

Sadly, Castro isn’t the only one having troubles finding jobs in this seemingly better market. In her home region of Chicago, while there is a large improvement year-over-year for those looking for work, it's still significantly less compared to the spring of 2008, when her region had 3,950 vacancies and a 3 percent vacancy rate, according to a CNN Money report. In fact, after cashier positions, the job positions with the most vacancies in this region last fall were retail salespeople (96 vacant positions), food cooks (66), landscaping (65) and orderlies (60). A registered nurse, typically a job in high demand, was way down on the list, with 28 vacant positions.

“I looked for jobs in the Chicago area with no luck,” Castro said “When I see this data, it infuriates me. Not even nurse’s are in demand anymore?” It's discouraging looking at that list of vacant positions for this region, particularly with many of them being part-time, temporary cashier jobs. These numbers show just how difficult it is for local residents to find full-time work.

According to a report called the Vacancy Survey Report, Washington State Employment Security Department said of the 2,137 vacant positions in the US, only 21.1 percent were newly created, and more than half of those new positions were in the part-time cashier category as retailers geared up for the holiday shopping season. It's also an indication that the jobs left vacant, for the most part, aren't because it's a specialized position requiring a unique skill set.

IV

“We can see high school students even making more cautious decisions about college majors now” said Betty Amatangelo, Human Resources Director at Mercyhurst College in Erie, Pennsylvania. She explained that students are choosing more practical majors like business and education while dropping majors such as English, visual arts, dance and theater. Double majors have also become popular among students too. “Double majors allow students to mix practicality with passion” Amantangelo explained.

Some students will never budge, though. “Art is my life. I’ve been told to pursue something you enjoy, therefore I will stick with it [fine art]. I’m an artist not a practical person” said Jamey Hart an ingoing freshman at the Cleveland Institute of Art. This is exactly what Schwartz thought while entering college, but it turns out her plans drastically changed.

Schwartz comes to her interview in jean shorts and a long-sleeved shirt, baggy enough to cover up her still-small frame. Her hair is down and her makeup is done with precision. She looks drastically different than our first meeting, where she sported her dance clothes and tight bun. She also looks a bit darker, like she hasn’t slept in days. “Oh, I guess I’m still just a little sad over my decision” she said.

Schwartz switched her major at the beginning of her sophomore year to Business. “All my teachers begged me not to do it but I need a job. I can’t graduate and not get a job.” Although it pains Schwartz, she’s sure she made the decision. She excused herself and left the interview early, in hopes of catching up with a study group to help with her economics final.

Vending New York's Future

By Harrison Golden

Like clockwork, the sun rises each morning through the waters of the Hudson and above Manhattan’s West Side. From the rotation of bus and car wheels along the streets to the shooting star-like pace of the subways, each level of the city pulsates in the heat of the morning commute. But even with the crowds, the towering buildings, and the constant motion, there is still room for people like Grant DiMille and Samira Mahboubian.

Before sunrise, the New York street vending duo behind Sweetery NYC loads their trademark blue van with coffee, freshly baked muffins and scones, and sets up camp along Hudson Street, where even the most stressed of workers can stop by and explore. Large windows on each of the vehicle’s sides allow passersby to join together in pausing, glancing, and diving into the aromas of the mobile bakery, a modern twist on the centuries-old sweet shop tradition.

“We had no experience with trucks, nor did we know anything about starting up a small business anywhere, let alone a place like Manhattan,” said Mahboubian, co-founder of the bakery. “All we knew were our passions and how we wanted to give that to people. Everything else seemed to follow. Providing that pick me up has really brought people together.”

Like many street vendors, DiMille and Mahboubian have witnessed the gradual growth of their industry’s prominence. As sites where humbly sized carts once stood become social hotspots, the city known for its street-centric culture, from art to business to cooking, is mixing the old with the new and building strong urban communities among the chaos.

In addition to honoring the city’s most popular and acclaimed mobile merchants, this year’s Vendy Awards, scheduled to be held September 24^th on Governor’s Island, will include a new category entitled “Most Heroic Vendor” in an attempt to better acknowledge the civic roles of these community leaders.

“This is a culture that the government has spent decades suppressing instead of recognizing,” said Sean Basinski, Director of the Street Vendor Project, sponsors of the awards. “As far back as seventy years ago, city officials tried to chase vendors off the street, calling them distractions and disruptions. Although there is still a ways to go, these awards allow people to become more aware of the ways that street vendors keep New York moving.”

Inspiration for the Vendys’ new heroism award partially stems from last May’s attempted Times Square car bombing, when street vendor Duane Jackson spotted a suspiciously smoky Nissan Pathfinder from the corner of his eye and immediately described his observation to nearby authorities on 7^th Avenue. After spending time working with police, the Vietnam War veteran was able to not only identify the presence of the bomb, but to also divert passersby from the scene of the threat. Eventually, police were able to effectively isolate the area and disarm the vehicle following his tip.

“I heard a pop, pop, pop,” Jackson told reporters at a press conference following the scare. “Initially, I thought the car was on fire. I never thought there was propane and gasoline inside.”

Jackson’s mixture of curiosity and calmness provided leadership to those in and around the traffic-heavy tourist attraction. In addition, it exposed the city’s pedestrians to the street savvy roles of vendors.

Even in more local ways, street cart operators have gradually gained notoriety in communities all around the city. In the Astoria section of Queens, Farez Zeideia has transformed his childhood love for falafel into an award-winning royal tradition. The Falafel King, as his business is called, won two Vendy Awards last year, including “People’s Choice” and the “Vendy Cup.” In addition, it has helped rejuvenate an area struggling with population loss. Due to large amounts of people flocking out of Astoria, threats continue to exist that could potentially affect federal funding, but also congressional representation.

“I grew up here,” said Zeideia, who considers himself the Sam Malone of falafel. By simply watching over a line of his regular customers, ranging from children to great-grandparents, he can point to a familiar face and recollect their usual orders to a near-exact science, from shawarma to chicken and rice.

“My people are here, ones I’ve known for years,” he continued. “And I like to think that this is a way to keep it all together. There’s a lot going on, but the idea of neighbors, of people who can stop by and tell you about the things they enjoy can’t be lost right now.”

Aside from providing his community with acclaimed Middle Eastern cuisine, Zeideia has reinstated a feeling, within the people, of faith and unity, not only in an economic sense, but also in a social and civic manner.

“I pass by him everyday, and I know that among everything else that goes on, I can always rely on his truck, the delicious smells it provides and the personalities on both sides of its windows,” said Momed Rawajan, a twenty-year resident of Astoria. “He gives great moments to this community and we can always count on him.”

However, despite the rise of these bonds, city vendors are still amidst a battle of their own. Since last year, the New York City Department of Parks & Recreation have been working towards a plan that would reduce the amount of vendors in city parks by 75 percent.

“Vendors serve as the lifeblood of business and culture in New York,” said Arthur Eisenberg, Legal Director for the New York Civil Liberties Union. “To build walls around what they do will only create a negative cycle for the streets of this city. We have gained so much unity and strength over time, and we must not lose sight of these visions.”

Through experience and knowledge about the grueling capabilities of the corporate grind, the streets lay down the groundwork for the days. Passing through the artistry, the leadership, and the charisma, many New Yorkers are beginning to feel able to take a bite out of urban interaction in a way more colorful than ever before.

“It keeps me going,” said Ryan Harkin, an investment banker at a bank near Sweetery NYC, in the process of purchasing his morning muffin and cup of coffee. “Lately, I see myself actually smiling in the morning. It’s so strange. But then I think about the feeling of friendliness and security I get while holding my breakfast, and suddenly it all makes sense.”

K2: A Synthetic Compound Threatening Our Teens

Paul Smith, a 19–year-old student from Greenwich, Connecticut, came downstairs on Christmas morning to open presents with his family. Right away, his mother sensed that something was wrong with her son, and steered Paul into the kitchen. Paul’s speech was slurred, and he seemed very disoriented. In a state of panic, his mother offered him a glass of water and hoped that it would snap her son back into reality. As she passed him the cup and noticed he could not grip it, however, she knew something was wrong.
“What did you take? Weed, coke, heroin?” she demanded, knowing her son’s history and recent probation sentence since he was caught with possession of Marijuana. As Paul became more disoriented, not even recognizing his own laptop, his mother insisted he give her whatever drug he was on.
“My mother tried to help my drink a class of water and it spilled out of my mouth, like I was paralyzed,” Paul recalls, “My family was terrified, but I was too wrapped up in the drug and my mind to really be scared.”
However, Paul had not taken any hard drugs, or even an illegal drug. Instead of Marijuana, Paul had started using a new synthetic form of cannabis known as Spice, or K2. A psychoactive herbal and chemical product, Spice is a designer drug created to affect the body in a similar way to cannabinoids – the natural chemical found in cannabis, such as THC. Large and complex combinations of these cannabinoids are used in an attempt to avoid laws, which make cannabis illegal. Sold under various brand names, Spice can be found online, in head shops, and in the occasional gas station. With multiple outlets for purchasing this fake form of Marijuana, how are people supposed to learn of its dangers?
“It’s like playing Russian Roulette,” said John W. Huffman a Professor of organic chemistry and the first to synthesize many of the cannabinoids used in synthetic cannabis. “You really don’t know what it’s going to do to you.”
Huffman created the K2 compound in the mid-1990s while studying cannabinoid receptors. Unsure of how his research spread, Huffman recalls learning that in China and Korea people were selling the compound as a plant growth stimulant. Later Huffman’s book was published and had a chapter on the JWH-018 compound he had created.
However, the story of where it was first smoked and used as a recreational drug began in Europe, or so Huffman believes.
“Somebody picked it up, I think in Europe, on the idea of doping this incense mixture with the compound and smoking it. You can get very high on it. It’s about 10 times more active than THC,” Huffman explained.
This compound works in the same way THC, or tetrahydrocannabinol, effects the brain. Both compounds attach themselves to the CB1 receptors in the brain, which primarily affect the central nervous system. JWH-018 also binds itself to the peripheral brain receptors, affecting the immune system as well, Huffman said.
Since people started using Spice, or K2, as a recreational drug, there have been many cases of disorientation, hallucinations, vomiting and agitation among users. However, because users expect the same effects as Marijuana, (i.e. sleepiness, reduced blood pressure, hunger, and at high doses, delusions) they are unaware of the danger they are putting their body in.
In a study done shown on Fox News, patients between the ages of 14 and 21 had the opposite effects. Suffering with symptoms such as hallucinations, agitation, and elevated heart rates and blood pressure, symptoms that do not match up with Marijuana affects.
Dr. Anthony Scalzo, a professor of toxicology at Saint Louis University who ran the study, reported seeing 30 cases of teenagers experiencing these effects after smoking the synthetic cannabis. “K2 may be a mixture of herbal and spice plant products, but it is sprayed with a potent psychotropic drug and likely contaminated with an unknown toxic substance that is causing many adverse effects,” Scalzo explains.
States are beginning to crack down on this substance however, and on April 22 the Department of State Health and Substances outlawed all Marijuana-like substances in the state of Texas. Though Kansas was the first state to ban the drug, in March 2010, Texas has some of the strictest rules in enforcing it. Placed in Schedule 1 of the Texas Schedules of Controlled Substances, K2 has been put in the most restrictive category, making it illegal to distribute, manufacture, possess or sell the synthetic compound. The penalties for any one of these crimes are a class A or B misdemeanor and, according the CBS news, 11 other states are in the process of banning the substance as well.
In an effort to spread knowledge about the harmful effects of K2, a family from Iowa shared their story with anyone willing to listen. At www.k2drugfacts.com, the family wrote about their son, David, a recent high school graduate. A few nights after David graduated, however, him and his friends smoked K2 to celebrate starting the next chapter in their lives. After smoking with his friends, David committed suicide an hour and a half later. Although his parents did not know about his smoking habits at the time, they found out he had smoked the substance 2 days after his death and believe they understand what drove a happy child to such a horrible fate. “David was mentally and physically attacked by the K2, causing hallucinations, unimaginable anxiety, and loss of his ability to reason,” his family writes, “If he and his friends had known then what we know now, they never would have smoked the stuff. We are firmly convinced that David would still be alive today had he not smoked K2.”
David parents continue to warn the readers of their story to talk to their families about the effects of K2. “We had all the conversations families are supposed to have… sex, drugs, drinking, texting while drive, you name it. But we didn’t talk about what we didn’t know. It is so important that parents talk to their kids about the danger of ingesting anything that isn’t fully know and regulated… legal or not.”

Draft 1- Feature

Returning to the dorms for my second semester at Eugene Lang College, I found that out of less than sixty students, mostly at Lang, who had lived on my floor in the Fall, at least five, one of them my suitemate, had left the New School, either transferring or taking a leave of absence. More were gone by the Fall. Meanwhile, the number of students I met who had transferred in seemed high as well. 

As time went on, it started to seem that Lang is truly an untraditional school and that the odds of finding a student that started and finished at Lang within a standard four years of college.

In March, I made the decision to join the ranks of others before me and I too chose to leave Lang College. This prompted me to wonder if I just happened to be around people apt to leave or if Lang actually does have an unusually high rate of transfers (in and out), leaves of absence and drop-outs than a typical college. But that of course presumes that Lang is a typical college, a notion that would probably not hold up under much scrutiny.

Statistics are not widely released concerning leaves of absence, but freshman retention rates and graduation rates are available.

According to 1990’s Student Right-To-Know and Campus Security Act, all colleges and Universities that receive the benefits of Federal Student Aid Programs must make available the statistics about freshman retention rates and graduation rates. These statistics are seen as helpful to prospective students in evaluating their college decision.

The information required by Student Right-To-Know is available via the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), which has a database on their website.

By the Fall of 2009, Eugene Lang College lost 21% of the full-time, Bachelor degree-seeking students who entered in Fall 2008. That statistic is high compared to most other local private universities.

In the same year, NYU lost only nine percent of their first time freshman. Sarah Lawrence College, often sited as a less urban version of Lang, lost 18%. Uptown, Ivy League Columbia University’s undergraduate division boasts a loss of only two percent, while downtown, Pace University lost 23%, the only local secular private college with a higher acceptance rate than Lang, at 78% as compared to 63% measured in 2010.

According to the National Center for Education Management Systems (NCHEMS) Information Center for Higher Education Policymaking and Analysis, a non-profit educational policy research organization, the national average for retention rates for first time students, as measured in 2008 was 74.7%, slightly lower than Lang. New York State on the other hand, measured 80.8%, a bit higher than Lang’s statistic.

However, students do not necessarily chose to leave school immediately after their freshman year.

Allyn Morse came to Lang in the Fall of 2009 as a first time, full time freshman, and she did return in Fall 2010, but not without incident. Last year, Morse did not return to Lang for the Spring semester.

“At the time, I decided to leave and never return to school,” Morse said. However, the months she spent at home were not what she hoped. Most of her friends were off at school and she got tired of hanging out with the same three people.

She moved into an East Village apartment in the summer and resumed taking classes in a variety of departments including writing, psychology and the arts. It wasn’t until February that Morse recognized how dissatisfied she still was.

“Realizing that I never wanted to go to college in the first place, that I hate New York and a lot of parts of living on the East coast, feeling like I wasn’t getting much of an education for the amount of money my family was spending [is what made me want to leave Lang],” Morse explained. “Looking back at last year I know I felt the same way I do now, only I was better at masking it, to myself, and convincing myself that I was happy even though I was barely satisfied.”

Morse is moving home to Los Angeles where she wants to find her own place once she gets a job and makes enough money to pay rent. She plans to pursue an acting career and has her parents behind her.

Morse doesn’t plan to return to school at any point but figures that it’s a possibility later in life.

This time, she has more friends that she knows will be in California, some of them are even graduating from Lang in May. What is more, Morse is not the only one of her friends to change course midway through their education.

“A large portion of my friends have either taken leave or left permanently the place where they originally decided to attend in twelfth grade,” Morse said. “The number surprises me because I was pretty sure that everyone had found a place where they were happy and settled, but enough people have left or reconsidered their plans to make me feel otherwise.”

At the same time, Morse only knows one other student at Lang that’s transferred out.

Morse’s case illustrates why graduation rates, which are measured within a six-year span, are a another important measure of a University’s overall success at keeping students in addition to freshman retention rates.

According to IPEDS, at Lang, the overall graduation rate for students who entered college in 2003 is at 66%, again lower than all other schools exempting Pace University.

NYU’s overall graduation rate, as calculated from students entering in 2003, is 86%. Sarah Lawrence College and has an overall graduation rate of 75%. Columbia is again the most successful with a 93% graduation rate and Pace University the least with an overall graduation rate of 58%. In this case, the more accolades a University has, the better their graduation and retention rates are.

In 2008, using data collected by IPEDS, NCHEMS determined that the national average graduation rate for students seeking Bachelor’s Degrees within a six year period was 55.9%, which Lang is above. For New York State, the average graduation rate was 58.2%. That means that 63791 out of 109530 who entered in Fall 2002 graduated by Spring 2008.

 In the United States, the lowest graduation rate in 2008 occurred in Alaska where only 22.1% of students completed their degree within six years. The highest graduation rate was Massachusetts where 69.1% of students received their degree.

New School students come in with a greater tendency than many schools to be nontraditional in some way. At NYU, 76% of students who came to the university in 2009 were “full-time, first-time” students according to IPEDS. At Lang, on the other hand, only 49%, less than half of the students that came to the school met this qualification.

Lang’s “transfer out” rate is calculated to be at 16%, not all schools are required to give this statistic, but in the case of the New School, it seems to bode more favorably than the 66% graduation rate.

Compared to most other undergraduate institutions in the area, at 19% Lang has a higher percentage of students over 25. Columbia is not far behind at 16% but NYU has eight percent and Sarah Lawrence has only four percent.

It is important here to consider that IPEDS’s data is inclusive of a variety of calibers of academic institution. 

Grace Vineberg spent two years at Lang, and is now a junior at NYU.

When she first came to the New School, Vineberg took advantage of the opportunity to take a variety of courses.

“I really wanted a liberal arts education that would allow me to try all sorts of different subjects,” she said. “I was interested in the freedom that Lang gave its students and the professors I had met.”

Along the way, Vineberg developed an interest in the discipline known as Food Studies, an academic approach to learning about cuisine through scientific, anthropological, historical and sociological lenses, with a little cooking in the mix.

“Cooking has always been a really big part of my life and after taking the writing the essay class about food writing with Scott Korb at Lang, I realized that I wanted to know more about food in an academic setting,” she said. “I took a great food studies class in general studies at the New School but wasn't satisfied with the limited number of food studies classes that they offer each semester.”

She had heard about NYU’s Food Studies program, and transferred to follow her interests.

Lang is limited in the programs that it can offer. Compared to the TK undergrads at NYU, Lang has TK. Because of this, the school’s capacity to offer programs that satisfy a variety of students’ niche interests are limited. Not counting the design your own major program, Lang offers a mere thirteen majors. NYU offers TKTK.

The issue with Lang may not be the actual school, but the genuinely unique make-up of its student body. It is not every High School senior that’s going to be attracted to what Lang has to offer, and it may be possible that the students it attracts are more likely to be nontraditional. TK BACK THIS UP.

In spite of many factors that compel students to leave, Lang can be in important step for even the students who choose to leave.

“I'm really glad that I spent my first two years of college at Lang so that I could figure out what I wanted to focus on on my own terms,” said Vineberg. 

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Features Piece (Draft 1)--Emily Katz

College Cafeterias Held to Restaurants’ Sparkling Clean Standards

Emily Katz

May 2, 2011

The phone rang around nine in the morning on November 19^th, 2010, as Wilfredo Granell and his colleagues who work at The New School’s Café 55 were serving breakfast. On the other end of the phone was his supervisor, calling to inform the staff that the inspectors were here—two female inspectors from the New York City Department of Health had arrived unexpectedly to give the facility a sanitation inspection grade.

The inspectors checked that thermometers were installed in all the devices and “took temperatures for everything,” including the oven, refrigerator, and the freezer. Wilfredo recounted that he wasn’t particularly nervous about the surprise inspection. He had received food safety training at orientation and has worked for Chartwells Higher Education Dining Services for three years.

“Rags cannot be on top of anything but the sanitizer bucket,” said Wilfredo, as he describes the many sanitary precautions he takes. He carries a deli meat thermometer in the pocket of his white chef shirt. The dining services staff go through lots of pairs of plastic gloves, because they have to wear a new pair every time they make a new sandwich or salad to avoid cross-contamination. As students work on their art projects in Café 55, the cleaning crew regularly stops by to sweep the floor and take out the trash.

As of July 2010, the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene has mandated sanitary inspection of restaurants for their letter grade results to be posted.

“College cafeterias are food service establishments as per the NYC Health Code and are permitted and regulated by the Department of Health and Metal Hygiene,” said John Santalesa, a spokesman from the Bureau of Food Safety and Community Sanitation, in an email correspondence. Therefore, college dining facilities are subject to the same inspection procedures and grade posting regulations as the restaurants of New York City.

The grading rubric is based on a points system for sanitary violations. Failing to store food at the right temperature is considered a “public health hazard” and will attribute at least 7 points, while the presence of rats or mice in the facility’s food or non-food areas, considered a “critical violation,” triggers at least 5 points. A “general violation,” such as handling food with bare hands, adds at least 2 points.

The lower the total score the better. An inspection score of 0-13 points merits an A grade, 14-27 points for a B, and 28 or more points for a score of C. The Letter Grade or Grade Pending card needs to be “conspicuously posted and visible to passerby.”

According to Mr. Santalesa, the inspection of The New School dining facilities located at 55 West 13^th street resulted in 7 points of sanitary violations and the issuance of an A Grade card.

On a Friday afternoon, Jack Grinbilas, a freshman at Parsons studying Fashion, was enjoying a turkey sandwich with lettuce at Café 55. He eats there often because it is close to his 2D class.

“They run out of things quickly, like they had no croutons the other day,” he said, “this happens around once a week.” Nonetheless, he thinks that Café 55 deserves a grade A because it is “pretty clean” compared to the residence hall cafeteria that are “a little less sanitary.”

***

Austin Delaney, a sophomore and Information Technology major at Pace University, and his friends were in for a shock when they arrived at the campus cafeteria, Café 101. On the door was a note stating that the establishment had been shut down by the New York City Department of Health. Among the students was the university President, who “turned red in the face” and stormed off to his office. As the President of the University got on the phone with Lackmann Culinary Serivces, Austin and his friends created the Facebook group “Boycott of Pace/Lackmann Food Services.”

Café 101 had received 79 points, far exceeding the 28 points that merits a C grade. According to the Department of Health, food establishments that receive a B or C grade have the option of posting a “Grade Pending” card and appeal to the Health Department’s Administrative Tribunal. However, the condition of Café 101 merited an immediate shut down.

With no cafeteria to eat at, the students could not use their meal plan money to purchase food; rather, they had to eat at local eateries and were then reimbursed by the university.

This was not the first time Pace University’s dining services have failed its customers. It had received 51 points a couple years ago, but the incident did not receive as much attention as this time because of the dining service and administration’s lack of transparency.

Student groups met with the university president. “We wanted accountability,” said Austin, “the dining services and administration were blaming each other.”

In period of time that the cafeteria was closed, Lackmann was fired and Chartwells, the same company that caters The New School, took over as the new campus dining service. According to Peter Taback, Senior Director of at the Office of Communications and External Affairs at The New School, the university has had a contract with Chartwells since 2002. Mr. Taback referred to Chartwells as a company of “experts who know how to serve, prepare and keep food sanitary.”

“There were hugely noticeable changes. The food looked much fresher, much more appealing,” said Austin.

College cafeterias and restaurants have their obvious differences, but they both serve large amounts of people throughout the day. Austin feels that college dining facilities should be held to the same standards as restaurants, for they both affect the “health and safety of those eating their food.”

***

Nathan Wong, a freshman at New York University, eats at his college’s dining halls about twice a day. He feels that the dining services “gets the job done, are conveniently located, are well-stocked, and are efficient.” He read about the C grade that NYU’s Hayden Dining Hall in the New York Times and feels that the sanitation inspection grade is “unacceptable.”

Nathan has only eaten at Hayden Hall a couple of times but didn’t really notice anything suspicious. The cafeteria serves “just normal college stuff,” like pizza, chicken and noodles. “But there’s a lot that goes behind the scenes,” Nathan said.

“I won’t eat there until they have improved,” he said, “then again, the food wasn’t that great there to begin with.”

According to Owen Moore, the Director of Operations and Business Development for Campus Services at New York University, all dining locations on campus are inspected within the first 30 days they open. When asked if college cafeterias should be held to the same standards as restaurants, Mr. Moore said, “The Department of Health should inspect all locations in New York City that serves food, including trucks, carts, and kiosks.”

***

The New School’s Library Café, which “proudly brews Starbucks coffee, was also inspected on November 19th and received an A grade. Dariana Cepeda, 22, was serving customers when the inspectors came. She trained to wear gloves at all times and to always sanitize. She has to change the coffee every two hours and check temperatures frequently. The milk has to be kept at 35 degrees Fahrenheit, and the measuring cups are labeled “nonfat,” “soy,” and “whole” to avoid cross-contamination. The inspectors tasted some of the “Outtakes” sandwiches and salads, which are made fresh daily in the kitchen on the second floor.

Dariana was very proud of the sanitation inspection grade her station received. “I was so excited! In the two years I’ve worked here, I’ve never seen roaches, no mice, no bugs,” she said, with a bright smile.

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