The Justice, March 20, 2018

ARTS Page 18

FORUM Condemn divisive debates 11 SPORTS Baseball loses week’s only game 16

‘into the woods’ yvette sei/the Justice

The Independent Student Newspaper

the

of

B r a n d e is U n i v e r sit y S i n c e 1 9 4 9

Justice

Volume LXX, Number 20

www.thejustice.org

Tuesday, March 20, 2018

Brandeis walkout

Student union

Students differ in Union debate ■ Students running for

positions on the Student Union executive board debated their policy plans Monday night.

By JEN GELLER Justice editor

YVETTE SEI/the Justice

Remembrance: Students gathered at Chapels Pond to remember the victims of the Parkland high school shooting on Wednesday.

Student leaders organize Brandeis ‘Never Again’ events ■ Students planned and

hosted a range of events for the community in response to the Parkland shooting.

By Liat shapiro Justice staff writer

At noon on Wednesday — exactly one month after the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida — hundreds of students assembled around Chapels Pond, choosing to stand in solidarity with victims and silently call for reforms to gun control policies.

Though the event was initially scheduled to coincide with walkouts occurring across the nation at 10 a.m., organizers of the Brandeis Student Walkout for Solidarity with Parkland decided to delay the event until noon after heavy snowfall caused a delayed opening of campus, in an effort to include all who intended to participate.

Outside of the walkout, some chose to take a stand by joining or supporting the newly-formed group Brandeis Never Again. This group of student leaders has tasked itself

with reaching out to students interested in or already planning events in response to the Parkland shooting. The group first formed when Renee Korgood ’20 and Sagie Tvizer ’19 began contacting students they knew personally and reaching out to various club leaders in an attempt to mobilize an on-campus effort that spanned the walkout and other initiatives.

As part of this campaign, Korgood and Tvizer reached out to Amanda Kahn ’20 and Josh Moll ’19, two students with deeply personal ties to the gun control reform movement.

“I am from Newtown, [Connecticut] and it’s been five years since the shooting has happened, and not much has changed on a national scale,” Kahn said in an interview with the Justice, referencing the 2012 shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School. She continued, “This time, it feels like we’ll actually change something, and that hasn’t happened in a long time.”

Moll is involved for similar reasons. In an email to the Justice, Moll said that his brother, Jake, is a survivor of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas shooting. Moll declared that “knowing he [Jake] could have

been one of the students to not walk out inspired me more than anything to join the Never Again movement.”

Another Brandeis Never Again organizer, Julianna Scionti ’20, spoke with the Justice, saying, “My brother’s school went into lockdown two weeks ago because a student was threatening to open fire. The school was able to manage it, but the only reason they were able to do so was because he’s in Connecticut, ... where people benefited from laws that were passed after Sandy Hook.”

Scionti emphasized the importance of open communication in how her brother’s school managed the situation. “Students were comfortable going to the administration,” she said.

Providing resources and support for students wanting to make a change is the ultimate goal of Brandeis Never Again. Beyond the Brandeis Student Walkout, members of the Brandeis Never Again leadership have organized other events, a setup made possible by the group’s unorthodox leadership system.

While speaking to the Justice, both Kahn and Scionti stressed the

See activism, 7 ☛

In the hours just before the polls opened last night, candidates for the open Student Union Executive Board positions debated one another. In the debate, which was moderated by representatives from The Brandeis Hoot and the Justice, candidates addressed constituents, upholding their respective platforms and vying for students’ votes.

Presidential candidate Hannah Brown ’19 — this year’s Union vice president — drew upon her three years of experience in the Union as she discussed her wish to be more proactive and to seek out diverse student opinions to inform future policy.

“It is important that I made an

effort to be involved in the student body … because it’s very easy to get blindsided and trapped in our own worlds, trapped in our own little Brandeis, sometimes, but I’ve made an effort to join other clubs. I’ve participated in all sorts of clubs, and I’m making an effort to go to all sorts of events as well,” Brown told the audience.

As president, she promised she would focus on accessibility, sustainability and affordability — specifically by easing the burden of excessive fines and re-evaluating need-based aid.

“Let’s get to work,” she urged constituents.

While Brown is running unopposed, the race for the vice presidency is the most contested in this round of elections, with Vidit Dhawan ’19, Aaron Finkel ’20 and Benedikt Reynolds ’19 facing off.

In addressing the audience, Dhawan spoke about his goals of improving inclusion, collaboration with administrators and transpar-

See election, 7 ☛

community

Brandeis Hillel states its political neutrality ■ Brandeis Hillel declined

to speak against its parent organization's endorsement of Kenneth Marcus.

By ABBY PATKIN Justice Editor

Citing a wish to remain apolitical, Brandeis Hillel has decided not to release a statement against Hillel International’s endorsement of Kenneth Marcus, President Donald Trump’s nominee for assistant secretary for Civil Rights in the Department of Education.

Brandeis Hillel Executive Director Rabbi Seth Winberg told the Justice that the campus organization is looking into alternative ways to support students and maintain an inclusive community.

In early February, students circulated a petition calling on Brandeis

Hillel to speak out against its parent organization’s endorsement of Marcus. The nominee has been a vocal opponent of the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions movement, which seeks to cut off international support for Israel. However, Marcus has also voiced criticism of Obama-era Title IX guidelines intended to protect survivors of sexual assault.

The core organizers behind the petition met with Winberg on March 9, at which time he informed them that Brandeis Hillel would not be releasing a statement on Marcus.

In a letter circulated on social media last week in response to that meeting, the petitioners wrote that they “continue to affirm that until Brandeis Hillel explicitly and publicly speaks out against Hillel International’s endorsement of Kenneth Marcus, Hillel cannot claim to be an ally for students who have expe-

See Neutral, 7 ☛

Run for Gold

Swing a Song

Union Candidates

 Emily Bryson ’19 won the NCAA championship title.

 The men’s tennis team fell to No. 3 Middlebury.

Student Union candidates discussed their platforms with the Justice.

Photo Courtesy of Emily Bryson

For tips or info email editor@thejustice.org

Waltham, Mass.

Let your voice be heard!

Submit letters to the editor online at www.thejustice.org

FEATURES 9

INDEX

SPORTS 15

yuran shi/the Justice

ARTS SPORTS

17 13

EDITORIAL FEATURES

10 OPINION 8 POLICE LOG

10 2

News 3 COPYRIGHT 2018 FREE AT BRANDEIS.

2

TUESDAY, MARCH 20, 2018

●

news

●

the justice

NEWS SENATE LOG

POLICE LOG

Senate discusses exclusivity and probationary periods for clubs

Medical Emergency

The Senate convened for its weekly meeting on Sunday to discuss probationary club rules and constitutional amendments.

Mace Lieberman ’20 came to the Senate to discuss the changes made to the Brandeis Basketball Club’s constitution. Last week, the Senate chartered the club.

However, after a discussion about the club’s male-only exclusivity, the Senate de-chartered the club at the same meeting. The club made changes to its constitution, allotting one of its practices each week as open to everyone on campus. With the addition of these practices, East Quad Senator Samantha Barrett ’20 expressed, the club would gauge demand for a women’s team and establish one if desired. The new constitution promises to establish a women’s team if there is sufficient demand.

Barrett stated that with the club’s proposed changes, exclusivity would no longer be an issue because of its weekly open practices.

The Senate voted to charter the Basketball Club and approved its constitutional changes.

On behalf of the Brandeis Swimming Club, Erin Gawronski ’18 asked for a second period as a probationary club. The club only started holding practices a month ago due to difficulties with the Brandeis Athletics Department’s bureaucracy, including reserving the pool, problems with the club’s recognition and low recruitment. Gawronski brought this request forward with a recommendation from the Club Support Committee.

When Club Support Committee Chair and Class of 2020 Senator Tal Richtman asked Gawronski about lessons learned during the club’s first probationary period, Gawronski stated that the club wishes to rely less on club members for lifeguarding.

Class of 2019 Senator Benedikt Reynolds stated that according to its constitution, the club’s long-term goal was to join a league and hire a coach. Highlighting the fact that the club’s goal for the probationary period did not include joining a league, Richtman said that if that goal had changed, the club could come to the Senate with the proposition of a constitutional amendment.

Referencing the club’s difficulties with meeting its goals, Rosenthal Quad Senator Elizabeth Dabanka ’20 stated that the requirements demanded of probationary clubs are unfair because they are much more stringent than those that had been expected of established clubs chartered under the old system. Richtman countered by arguing that the new system’s high expectations force probationary clubs to hold themselves to higher standards, thus driving them to succeed.

Dabanka questioned whether giving the club a second probationary term with no new matriculating students would be fair, as the club would be faced with its same recruitment challenges. Richtman replied that the probationary period (lasting 14 academic weeks) would end midway into next semester, thus giving the club a chance to recruit new students.

The Senate voted to grant the Swimming Club a second period as a probationary club.

Student Union Vice President Hannah Brown ’19 reminded the Senate that the Executive Board candidates debate would take place on Monday night. Today, students can vote in the election.

Brown announced that Foster Mods Senator Casey Lamar ’18 had resigned. Lamar never attended a Senate meeting, and the Executive Board found after discussion that he had not fulfilled his duties.

Services and Outreach Committee Chair and Senator-at-Large Aaron Finkel ’20 reported that the committee has organized Bunny Buses to Logan Airport and South Station for spring break.

Richtman and Class of 2018 Senator Matt Kowalyk announced that the Community Emergency and Enhancement Fund will be allocating $40,000 to a University gun violence prevention and activism workshop for high school students.

March 12—BEMCo staff treated a party on Loop Road who had injured their ankle.

March 13—University Police and BEMCo responded to a report of an intoxicated party in a bathroom in Usen Hall.

The party was transported to Newton-Wellesley Hospital via Cataldo Ambulance.

March 13—BEMCo staff treated a party in Ridgewood Quad who had accidentally cut their hand with a kitchen knife. University Police transported the party to NewtonWellesley Hospital for further care.

March 14—University Police received a report of a party in a Reitman Hall bathroom

who had suffered a head injury. BEMCo staff treated the party, who was transported to Newton-Wellesley Hospital for further care.

March 14—A party in the Charles River Apartments slipped on the stairs and required BEMCo assistance.

BEMCo staff treated the party, who was transported to Newton-Wellesley Hospital via University Police cruiser.

March 15—Brandeis Counseling Center staff requested University Police assistance in transporting a suicidal party to Mount Auburn Hospital for a psychiatric care. The party was transported without incident.

March 15—University Police

received a report of a party who was on the floor in a Usen Hall hallway. BEMCo staff treated the party with a signed refusal for further care.

March 16—Brandeis Counseling Center staff requested University Police assistance in transporting a party to Mount Auburn Hospital for psychiatric care.

March 17—A party in Rosenthal Quad reported that they were not feeling well after consuming alcohol. BEMCo staff treated the party with a signed refusal for further care.

March 17—University Police and BEMCo staff responded to a report of a party who had overdosed on medication.

The party was conscious and

HOOPS FOR HELP

n A Sports photo caption incorrectly spelled Rajan Vohra’s ’21 name. (March 13, Page 16).

The Justice welcomes submissions for errors that warrant correction or clarification. Email editor@ thejustice.org.

Justice

the

www.thejustice.org

The Justice is the independent student newspaper of Brandeis University. The Justice is published every Tuesday of the academic year with the exception of examination and vacation periods.

Editor News Forum Features Sports Arts Ads Photos Managing Copy Layout

editor@thejustice.org news@thejustice.org forum@thejustice.org features@thejustice.org sports@thejustice.org arts@thejustice.org ads@thejustice.org photos@thejustice.org managing@thejustice.org copy@thejustice.org layout@thejustice.org

The Justice Brandeis University Mailstop 214 P.O. Box 549110 Waltham, MA 02454-9110 Phone: (781) 736-3750 The Managing Editor holds office hours on Mondays from 7:30 to 8:30 p.m.

March 16—A party reported that there was loud music playing in Ziv Quad. The area was quiet upon University Police arrival.

Harassment

March 16—A staff member reported that an unknown caller had harassed them by phone. University Police compiled a report on the incident.

—Compiled by Abby Patkin

The fourth nor’easter storm to hit the East Coast may arrive in New England later this week

yvette sei/the Justice

n A Forum cartoon caption incorrectly spelled Julianna Scionti’s ’20 name. (March 13, Page 12).

Disturbance

BRIEF

—Emily Blumenthal

CORRECTIONS AND CLARIFICATIONS

alert, and the area coordinator was at the scene. Cataldo Ambulance staff transported the party to Newton-Wellesley Hospital for further care.

Students challenged faculty to a game of basketball for ‘Hoops for Help,’ an annual fundraiser for the World of Work Fellowship on Thursday.

Today marks the first day of spring, yet Waltham may be hit by the fourth incoming nor’easter tomorrow through Thursday. Whether the storm will bring heavy precipitation, winds or anything at all is yet to be determined.

National Weather Service Boston posted a hazardous weather outlook on Sunday afternoon, noting that “there is the risk of a coastal storm which may bring accumulating snow to the region along with northeasterly wind gusts as high as 50 mph.”

While the mid-Atlantic region will see a mix of snow and rain today, the amount of snow that New England will get will depend on the track of an offshore low-pressure system. After direct impact to the northern Great Plains and mid-Atlantic region, the low-pressure system will move north and may stay far enough off the coast that only residual high winds will be be felt in the Boston area.

In a tweet yesterday, the NWSB confirmed that the storm is trending close to shore with a “potential for significant snowfall.” That said, the NWSB added that “the breadth & magnitude of threats relating to impacts remains uncertain at this time.”

This is the fourth nor’easter New England has faced within three weeks — a response to another jet stream of cold air swinging its way southeast from Canada, through the Plains and up along the Atlantic coast. Last Tuesday’s nor’easter blizzard brought the University a snow day and 20.5 inches of snow but only four power outages to Waltham, according to a March 12 Wicked Local Waltham article.

Nor’easter or not, “bundle up,” advised a NWSB tweet, because the remaining week will stay “several degrees below normal for mid-March.”

— Michelle Dang

ANNOUNCEMENTS Emergency Management Drill

Brandeis will hold an emergency drill in the library to test our ability to work together with local authorities to respond to an emergency.

The scenario that we are using to test our capabilities is one involving a simulated active shooter. Those on campus will see emergency vehicles with flashing lights, and may hear what sounds like gunshots from simulated ammunition in the library. Detailed information about the drill, which will last from 6 a.m. to noon, can be found on the drill website. The library will be closed during the drill.

Tomorrow from 6 a.m. to noon at Goldfarb Library.

Happiness: Being More Fulfilled at Work

Wondering what you’ll need in order for your professional life to be both happy and rewarding? Tune in for our must-haves as well as a DIY craft that will make you feel grounded, steady and happy. Tune in live on the Hiatt Career Center on Facebook tomorrow and join the conversation.

Tomorrow from noon to 1 p.m. online, Hiatt Career Center’s Facebook page.

Complexity of Schemas for Cultural Objects

Omar Lizardo is a professor of sociology at the University of Notre Dame, a fellow at the Kroc Institute for Peace Studies, and a member of the Interdisciplinary Center for Network Science and Applications. His research deals with various topics in sociology, social psychology, cultural sociology, network theory and cognitive science.

Thursday from 2 to 3 p.m. in the Lounge, Pearlman Hall.

Impact Investment Forum

Have you heard about “impact investment” but have no idea what it is? Eager to figure out how to generate social and environmental impact alongside a financial return? Want to explore a new field of finance and network with relevant top professionals for more career opportunities? Our upcoming Impact Investment Forum provides what you want.

Antonia Esposito, associated director at Social Finance, will share her experience and give you ideas about finance and investment under social context. You are welcome

to come and network. Light refreshments will be served.

Friday from 3:50 to 5:00 p.m. at International Hall, Sachar International Center.

Arts as Climate Change Activism

What strategies do artists use to engage with climate change? Beyond appealing to our senses and emotions, how do they invite us to think about our world and the way it works — or doesn’t? How do they get beyond politics and straight-out activism in order to speak to us on a personal level? The online platform Artists & Climate Change has been featuring artists who engage with climate issues for over five years now. What these artists, and plenty of others, have to say, individually and collectively, can help us conceive of what a just and sustainable future may look like.

Chantal Bilodeau is a playwright and translator whose work focuses on the intersection of science, policy, art, and climate change.

Saturday from 5 to 6 p.m. in Laurie Theater, Spingold Theater Center.

the justice

CAMPUS event

gathered to compete with each other at Brandeis on St. Patrick’s Day. By sam stockbridge Justice editorial assistant

More than 70 archers attended the Brandeis Archery Club’s annual Shamrock Shoot on Saturday, a historic turnout. Boston-area archers of all ages gathered to compete in the tournament, which also served as a fundraiser for the Archery Club.

Some archers were teens still in high school, others were retirees more than 60 years old. Other colleges in the area sent competitors, including Harvard University, Wellesley College and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, according to Archery Club team member Nicole Porter ’19.

The seven-hour shoot, hosted in the Gosman Sports and Convocation Center, began at 10 a.m. The event consisted of a roughly twohour set of qualifying rounds, followed by a lunch break. After the break, archers competed an elimination round, where they faced off against the competitors in their category through a bracket.

Archer Michael Litke ’19, who did not compete in the tournament due to a back injury, helped with the tournament set-up and takedown. Litke told the Justice in an interview that he was pleased with how smoothly this year’s Shamrock Shoot went. At the shoot last year, he said, “We didn’t finish cleaning stuff up until midnight.”

Parents, spouses and friends watched the shoot from behind, facing the targets while sitting on the bleachers and folding chairs. Many spectators brought tripod-mounted scopes to see the arrows hitting the targets, the closest of which were more than 50 meters away. At such a distance, the slender arrows can be difficult to discern, especially for older spectators.

Litke joked that “archery might be the most boring spectator sport in the world,” but the audience was enthusiastic in its support of the athletes.

Archers were judged on their ability to hit stationary targets at 50 meters and 70 meters, depending on what kind of bow they were using. Recurve bows have limbs that curve away from the archer when the bow is unstrung, while compound bows use a system of cables and pulleys to propel the arrow. In addition to the type of bow, archers can also choose whether they shoot with additional bow pieces that improve accuracy, including weights and scopes.

Three Brandeis Archery Club members took home awards at the end of the shoot. Anisa Haque ’18 and Joey Wong ’19 won second and third place, respectively, for female collegiate recurve shooting. Wes Baker ’21 won second place for male collegiate recurve shooting.

The first-place trophies were 3-D printed by Litke and Alex Carter ’18, another Archery Club member.

However, due to technical difficulties, the awards were not ready in time.

Shooters were informed that the trophies for first place would be sent to winners in the mail once they had finished printing.

BRIEF Online housing system crashes as selection numbers are announced Jumpstarting the 2018-2019 housing process, the Department of Community Living released room selection numbers for rising sophomores, juniors and seniors on Wednesday morning. However, shortly after the numbers were announced by email, the system experienced technical difficulties, creating confusion in the initial moments after the numbers were made available.

These technical difficulties involved the website crashing in the first minutes and students being unable to see their housing numbers listed online, despite being emailed that their numbers had been released.

These problems were resolved quickly, and students were able to check their housing numbers later that day. In an email to the Justice, Assistant Dean of Student Affairs Timothy Touchette said DCL “was able to restart the system within minutes” after the crash.

“Anytime [sic] we have nearly 3000 people logging into any system there are bound to be issues,” Touchette wrote.

“This has come up from time to time and we continue to work with our software provider to come up with solutions to the issue.”

Touchette explained that DCL works with Brandeis Library and Technology Services and the software provider Adirondack Solutions to build the Brandeis housing system. These groups “tested and re-tested for weeks so that the functionality of the system was intact,” he wrote, but added there “is no way however to simulate all the users logging in at the same time.”

Simultaneous logins from “multiple devices,” as well as attempts to “rapidly refresh” the system, puts a lot of strain on the system and may have contributed to the crash, he added.

Looking ahead to the actual housing selection process, DCL does not expect further technical difficulties of this nature, he said. This is because “the process itself has log-ins spread across many days and many hours on those days,” Touchette wrote.

As the housing process moves forward, Touchette emphasized DCL’s willingness to “work with every student” and commitment “to making every available effort when accommodating our students.”

He added, “We are always able to come up with creative solutions to complex problems.”

—Jocelyn Gould

news

●

TUESDAY, MARCH 20, 2018

3

STUDENT UNION DEBATE

Archers unite to support Brandeis Archery Club at Shamrock Shoot ■ Boston-area archers

●

andrew baxter/the Justice

OPPOSING VIEWS: Vice presidential candidates Benedikt Reynolds ’19 and Aaron Finkel ’20 debated policies on Monday night.

Candidates compete for Student Union positions ■ Candidates discussed their

platforms with the Justice as they campaigned for Executive Board positions.

By JIYIN CHEN, ELIANA PADWA and Jocelyn Gould Justice STAFF WRITER and editors

In today’s Student Union election, 13 candidates compete for seven open seats on the Student Union Executive Board. This is the first of two rounds of spring elections, with students competing to fill the positions of Union president, vice president, secretary and treasurer, as well as representatives to the Board of Trustees, the Brandeis Sustainability Fund and the Undergraduate Curriculum Committee. The candidates spoke to the Justice about their prior experiences and the goals they would pursue if elected.

Hannah Brown ’19 The current vice president of the Student Union, Brown is running unopposed for the Student Union presidency. “I love being a part of Brandeis and serving our community,” Brown wrote in an email to the Justice. She has served on the Student Union since her first year at Brandeis. Having already participated in many different roles within the Union, Brown now wants to focus on solving issues on the Brandeis campus. “I want to make Brandeis more affordable, build a more connected Brandeis community, advocate for more diversity and inclusion, push for more accessibility, improve campus health and safety, and increase Student Union efficiency and outreach,” she declared in the same email.

Vidit Dhawan ’19 Currently the Class of 2019 Senator as well as undergraduate representative to the Undergraduate Curriculum Committee, Dhawan is running for vice president. “I hope to continue my work with the administration to address student needs in a more effective and efficient way” if elected, he wrote in an email to the Justice.

Specifically, Dhawan wants to help “address the needs of the minority students” within the Student Union “by working closely with the Senate Club Support Committee, Social Justice and Diversity Committee, and the Allocations Board,” he wrote.

Aaron Finkel ’20 Also running for vice president, Finkel has served as a Massell Quad senator, as well as chair of Services and Outreach and chair of the Campus Operations Working Group. Through his two years as a Union member, he has listened to community voices and “developed a comprehensive platform in response,” the Executive Senator explained in an email to the Justice.

This platform includes pushing “for improvements to student life” and “the efficiency of the Union,” as well as advocating for “a more affordable Brandeis” and “community relations and partnerships with administrators.” He wants the entire Brandeis community to feel certain that Brandeis is worth the money, time and

effort, he added in the same email.

Benedikt Reynolds ’19 Reynolds is the final candidate for vice president. He has gained experience in the the Student Union as the Class of 2019 senator and chair of the Sustainability Committee. Reynolds did not respond to a request for a comment from the Justice. According to his candidate bio, his goals include focusing on improving sustainability and on-campus jobs at Brandeis, as well as “bridging the gap between Student Life and [the] Administration.”

Qingtian Mei ’21 Running for secretary of the Student Union, Mei has served in the Union this academic year as Massell Quad senator and participated in the Senate Services and Outreach Committee and the Campus Operations Working Group. Mei told the Justice in an email that he would devote himself to making the work of Student Union “more transparent for the entire student body” if elected. He also hopes “to deliver the student’s voice” to the Union and to shorten the Union’s emails so they are “simpler for people to read,” he wrote.

Rachel McAllister ’21 McAllister, currently Class of 2021 senator, is running for Student Union secretary. McAllister started the Union Snapchat and has worked on various community events, including Hoops for Help and the American Heart Month lollipop event. As secretary, McAllister will “continue social media outreach and communication to students, faculty, and alumni,” she said in an email to the Justice.

Jerry Miller ’19 Having begun his Union career as assistant treasurer and having served as deputy treasurer, Miller hopes to continue as treasurer for the Student Union. If elected, he hopes to revamp the training process for Union and club treasurers and to coordinate communication between A-Board, the Treasury and the administration to “ensure an efficient, stress-free process for club treasurers.”

Yaoyao Gao ’20 A member of A-Board for three semesters, Gao is now running for Treasurer. Gao’s experience over the last three semesters as a member of the A-Board has provided her with the chance to interact with club treasurers, according to her candidate biography released in a Union email.

Gao has helped treasurers during the marathon drop-in sessions and when requesting funds, which sparked her interest in getting more involved with this assistance.

As treasurer, she wants to “serve various club treasurers and assist them with club finance, p-card, and reimbursement processes,” she wrote in an email to the Justice. She added that she wants to make interactions between the A-Board and Treasury smoother.

Zosia Busé ’20 After a year of being involved with the Union, Busé is campaigning to become the representative to the Board of Trustees. She works with the Brandeis National Committee and serves as director of the Office of

Student Rights and Advocacy, which helps students attain personal and academic success. If elected, Busé plans to advocate for the student body in a “clear, productive manner,” according to her candidate bio. In an email to the Justice, she explained that she hopes to address concerns about accessibility, the experience of international students and financial aid, as well as the Brandeis Counseling Center and Greek life.

Tamara Botteri ’21 Botteri is campaigning to become the Brandeis Sustainability Fund representative. As a member of the Senate Sustainability committee, she has worked with professors and student clubs to promote “environmental literacy” on the Brandeis campus, according to an email with the Justice.

As a student representative to the BSF, Botteri hopes to continue working to create innovative sustainability initiatives and improve the University community.

Jack (Junsheng) He ’20 He is a sophomore running for representative to the BSF. He pointed out that 2017 has been an active year for the fund, as it has funded 10 projects, according to his candidate biography.

He explained that he wants BSF to provide consistent support for projects, writing in an email to the Justice, “I hope BSF would not only offer the backup for the new projects, but pay more attention to the existing ones.

They need to be remembered, honored and financially supported as long as they could still sustain our campus.”

Carrie Sheng ’20 Sheng is running for a seat on the Undergraduate Curriculum Committee. In addition to her three majors and two minors, Sheng participates in campus bodies such as the Campus Activity Board and the Vietnamese Student Association. Her diverse experiences have prepared her to represent undergraduate voices and make recommendations to the University, she said. In an interview with the Justice, Sheng said, “I struggled a lot … and I hope my experience will make it easier for other students, if they come approach me and ask how it works.”

Kavita Sundaram ’20 Sundaram is also running for the Undergraduate Curriculum Committee seat. She declined to comment to the Justice. According to Sundaram’s campaign bio, Sundaram seeks to foster a “Brandeis experience rooted both in collective education and individual growth,” and “to ensure that student voice is encouraged, highlighted, and heard.”

Sundaram has past experience working for the Office of Prevention Services and now serves as an advocate for the Queer Resource Center. Sundaram is a member of the Brandeis Asian American Task Force and Brandeis Students Against Sexual Violence.

Election Voting opened at midnight today and will run for 24 hours. Ballots have been sent to students via email, and the Student Union will also have voting stations in the Shapiro Campus Center and Usdan Student Center.

Your backstage pass is waiting.

Email Yvette Sei and Andrew Baxter at photos@thejustice.org

NATALIA WIATER/the Justice

Images Courtesy of CREATIVE COMMONS

Catching grammar mistakes redhanded since 1949. _ , . ; ( ? ) “� / : !

Join Copy.

Contact Eliana Padwa and Lily Swartz at copy@thejustice.org

Want to write crosswords for the Justice?

Contact Hannah Contact Hannah Kressel Kressel at at arts@thejustice.org arts@thejustice.org

THE JUSTICE

CAMPUS speaker

discussed the failure of food banks, pantries and stamps to solve hunger in America.

By Michelle Dang Justice staff writer

While 70 to 100 million Americans donate to food charities every year, the anti-hunger movement has remained stagnant for more than 20 years, said activist and author Andrew Fisher. In his talk on Thursday, Fisher had students consider what happens beyond donating to food charities and discussed how the U.S. emergency food system perpetuates hunger.

With over 25 years of experience working in the anti-hunger field, Fisher published his book “Big Hunger: The Unholy Alliance Between Corporate America and Anti-Hunger Groups” last April on the tangle between food charity and corporate interests.

The emergency food system and fight against hunger has become “a national pastime,” said Fisher, rather than an effective means to end hunger in our community.

“Food banks end hunger for today, … but don’t address the underlying causes that led that family to be hungry in the first place,” he explained.

In a nation that is far from suffering a food shortage, hunger is a symptom of poverty, “and when we don’t link food distribution to addressing the underlying causes, we’re perpetuating the system.”

Food charity became prominent in the 1980s in response to a deep recession and massive unemployment.

Civic associations, churches and unions came together to create food banks and pantries to alleviate families’ suffering. However, these initiatives were only meant to be temporary — hence the term “emergency food system,” explained Fisher.

Instead, the culture of food banks grew, and not only did food charity became institutionalized, it became a “seemingly permanent part of our society linked to every civic association: schools, workplaces and sporting events,” said Fisher.

As of this year, 200 food banks (large storehouse distributors) and 60,000 independent food pantries and kitchens exist in the U.S., and they serve 40 million people 4 billion meals a year, according to Fisher.

The first food insecurity survey by the United States Department of Agriculture, taken in 1995, showed that 12 percent of households faced low food security. In 2018, that percentage remains the same, despite the entrenchment of food charity efforts.

The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, the official name of the U.S. federal food stamps program, costs $66 billion annually, according

to Fisher. SNAP gives an average of $1.40 per meal to support low-wage families and individuals, but Fisher asked the audience to consider where that money goes.

According to Fisher, the money trail shows an incredibly important relationship between the food industry and food poverty. For example, in 2012, one sixth of Kraft Food’s sales came from SNAP benefits, and in 2014 Walmart redeemed 18 percent of SNAP funds, or $13 billion. In 2011, $6 billion of SNAP, or 10 percent, went toward the sugar-sweetened beverage industry, said Fisher.

When the government wants to decrease SNAP dependency, these corporations in the food industry lobby against it, explained Fisher. “Food banking has become big business,” with parties relying on poverty to maintain profits, he said.

Even proposals of SNAP reform, such as the restriction of sugarsweetened beverages and junk food, have been condemned and prevented by the grocery industry, said Fisher.

Some corporations themselves perpetuate food poverty, Fisher said, pointing to Walmart as an example.

From 2010 to 2015, Walmart set up food banks in their stores for their employees, 13.5 percent of whom received aid, to improve their reputation as an employer. Yet while they committed $2 billion into anti-hunger causes, Fisher said, Walmart also profited from SNAP benefits, receiving more SNAP funds than any other company.

Only a handful of food banks advocate for social progress like higher minimum wages, said Fisher; attempts at activism are often blocked by board members. These board members often work for Fortune 1000 companies; Fisher’s investigation found that 22 percent of food bank board members work for those companies.

Fisher also calls for emergency food innovation. He highlighted small organizations that have implemented progress on small scales, such as eliminating junk food from individual food banks and changing groups’ missions from hunger-relief to healthy living. Food groups, such as Foodlink in Rochester, New York, work with local farmers to provide fresh options and support local agriculture and economy, and the Center for Good Food Purchasing is working with 20 cities to commit school and government provisions to food produced by workers who are paid well.

Food banking should be about relationships, Fisher concluded — helping people navigate social services and getting out of poverty.

Most importantly, he argued, “Food needs to be considered a human right.”

The event was organized by Sharon Cai ’18, recipient of the Brenda Meehan Social Justice in Action Grant.

News

●

TUESDAY, march 20, 2018

5

MASS INNOVATION NIGHT

Author explores corporate side of food charity efforts ■ Activist Andrew Fisher

●

Clements Park/the Justice

entrepreneurs: Brandeis community members presented startups they helped create at Wednesday’s showcase event.

Mass Innovation Night presents Univ. startups ■ Brandeis hosted the 108th

Mass Innovation Night, connecting entrepreneurs and hiring managers.

By kirby kochanowski JUSTICE editor

Wednesday night was standingroom-only in the Napoli Trophy Room of the Gosman Sports and Convocation Center as entrepreneurs, investors and anyone interested in innovation gathered for the Brandeis-hosted Mass Innovation Night.

Mass Innovation Nights is a Boston organization aimed at promoting local innovation. So far, it has helped launch thousands of products and has connected dozens of job-seekers to hiring managers, according to their website. Using the hashtag #MIN108, attendees were encouraged to share photos on social media throughout the night to promote the 108th night hosted by Mass Innovation Nights.

All startups in attendance were founded by Brandeis students, faculty and alumni. “Universities like Brandeis are hotbeds of innovation and startups,” Bobbie Carlton, founder of Innovation Nights, said in a March 6 interview with Globe News Wire.

Carlton introduced the evening as a “visibility event” aimed at promoting the participating companies. Each company was given a table, where they were encouraged

to network with various attendees for the first hour. A show of hands revealed that almost half of those in attendance had been to a Mass Innovation Night before, though many had never been to the Brandeis campus.

The companies also each had a conversation with the night’s “Expert Corner,” a panel of experienced innovators. Wednesday’s panel included Brandeis’ Prof. Pito Salas (COSI) and Prof. Ben GomesCasseres (BUS), as well as Eva Kaniasty, the founder of Boston consulting firm RedPill UX; Neil McLaughlin of TCF Law Group and Ian Roy, the head of the Brandeis MakerLab. Prior to the start of the night, company profiles were uploaded to the event website, and the public was invited to vote for their favorites. The top four companies were each given five minutes to present their idea and then were encouraged to answer two audience questions.

First to present was GreenChoice, a startup focused on helping consumers evaluate their food products’ “freshness, nutritional value, health safety, animal welfare practices, corporate sustainability and transparency,” according to the company description provided to all event attendees. Next was Thermagenix, a company which makes “easy-to-use reagents that improve product yield and specificity in PCR amplifications.”

Relational Coordination Analytics also presented their business

model, which helps companies improve their organizational performance through “a scientifically rigorous, validated diagnostic … survey.” Last to present was WorkAround, a company focused on helping “companies get more done for less, while giving jobs to refugees.”

Other companies in attendance included Modibrace, ClearField Capital, Sclervey, Vata Verks, Tranquilo Mat and Cyro-cell.

Carlton encouraged audience members to keep their phones out during the night so they could post to social media and support their favorite companies. Each person attending the event was given a “tweet sheet” with QR codes designed to give shout-outs to featured companies. Each attendee was allowed to vote for one of their favorite companies.

The grand prize of the evening went to Articulate Bio, a science company focused on creating “a portfolio of injectable viscoelastic gels for lubricating and cushioning diseased soft tissues.” GreenScore, Thermagenex and WordAround were celebrated as MIN favorites.

The evening was one of networking as well as presentations. Hiring managers looking to fill positions wore red dots on their name tags so they might connect with potential employees; business cards exchanged hands and new connections were formed. In short, the night worked to fulfill MIN’s goal: as its website states, “We want to connect members of the local innovation community.”

Campus events

Printathon brings creators and local non-profits together ■ Brandeis hosted its

fifth annual Printathon, challenging participants to help the Waltham community.

By ECE Esikara Justice CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Brandeis MakerLab held its fifth annual Printathon, a 24-hour innovative event in which students come together and compete to design a 3Dprinted project, last weekend.

This year, MakerLab partnered with the International Business School to co-sponsor the event, aiming to help a part of the Waltham community that faces inequity. Instead of having a single hackathon

challenge as in previous years, MakerLab presented multiple challenges proposed by Waltham non-profits such as providing housing for the homeless community in Waltham.

The event aimed “to fuse digital fabrication and social impact to work on real world solutions,” according to Printhaton website.

“We were experimental this year,” Hazal Uzunkaya, MakerLab staff and Printathon daily operator, said. According to Uzunkaya, Ian Roy, director for Research Technology and Innovation and head of MakerLab at Brandeis University, worked with Prof. Gene Aller Miller (IBS) to give students a chance to put social justice into action with this Printathon.

This year had fewer participants compared to previous years,

Uzunkaya said in an interview with the Justice. She also stated that the participation was lighter than expected, most likely because of St. Patrick’s Day and midterms.

This year’s Printathon event started with the students from the class “Field Projects: Consulting in Social Innovation Impact” pitching challenges to participants. These students developed the challenges from working with Waltham non-profit companies over the summer. Companies varied from the Teen Police Academy to the Waltham Chamber of Commerce.

Participants came from the University of Connecticut and the University of Rhode Island, as well as from Brandeis and from the Greater Boston area. Among the students were those who were participating

for the first time and even some who had never used a 3-D printer before.

On Sunday, a panel of judges, including community activists, technology specialists and educators watched students give presentations of their project pitches. The panel evaluated the projects on “how well they satisfy the needs of the nonprofit, as well as on Complexity, Creativity, Originality, the 3D Printed Component, Adherence to the Challenge, and a Popular Vote,” according to the Printhaton website.

The winner of the $1,000 prize was the project titled “Modern Factory Demo of a 3D Printer.” Danielle Browning, Dave Spafford Corsi, Paul Roach, Justin Schroeder, Tim Henning and Brian DuBois created the project, aiming to add a new exhibition to the Charles River Museum.

This museum, housed in Waltham’s old watch factory, tells the story of the factory’s operations. The factory was the first of its kind in the nation, according to Uzunkaya.

The team proposed the creation of exhibits for the Fourth Industrial Revolution, the fourth major industrial era since the initial Industrial Revolution, according to Uzunkaya.

In their presentation, they explained that they felt this exhibit was necessary because the museum currently lacks exhibits about the Age of Automation and is thus missing part of the modern history of manufacturing. They created a cross-sectional, larger-scale printer so people can understand the current implications of 3D-printing in industry. They presented their project to the museum for exhibition.

Images Courtesy of CREATIVE COMMONS

Have an opinion to share?

Join forum!

Send an email to Nia Lyn at forum@thejustice.org

Have an eye for design?

Images Courtesy of CREATIVE COMMONS

Join layout!

Send an email to Morgan Mayback at layout@thejustice.org

SPORTS PHOTOS COPY FEATURES

JOIN THE JUSTICE! FORUM NEWS ARTS ADS LAYOUT For more information, contact Abby Patkin at editor@thejustice.org.

THE JUSTICE

Election: Union candidates’ views conflict during Monday’s debate CONTINUED FROM 1 ency within the Union.

Finkel used the platform to emphasize his prior Union experience.

He also discussed his initiatives for improving efficiency, community leadership and accountability within the Union.

Reynolds, on the other hand, spoke of his goals for improving sustainability and addressing unpaid student labor on campus. He discussed the possibility of providing stipends to students who work unpaid positions with Brandeis Emergency Medical Corps, for example.

The candidates also touched on opportunities for improvement in the club recognition and chartering process, with Finkel criticizing the existing club support system. Reynolds rebutted that Finkel does not have enough experience with the Senate’s Club Support Committee to address the issue sufficiently.

As the only candidate running for the two-year position of junior representative to the Board of Trustees, Zosia Busé ’20 placed an emphasis on empowering students and listening to their concerns.

Specifically, she touched on maintaining and improving the state of campus resources like the Brandeis Counseling Center.

Busé, the director of the Office of Student Rights and Advocacy, explained that her current position

has helped her gauge student needs and interests. “I have had the incredible experience of hearing from a lot of students, hearing their testimonies, as well as attending a lot of the open forums that have been hosted in collaboration with the Student Union,” she said.

The audience also heard from Jerry Miller ’19, a candidate for Union treasurer, who expressed a desire to make Treasury training sessions more interactive and engaging, reforming the current training process, which is limited to a lengthy PowerPoint presentation.

Secretary candidate Rachel McAllister ’21 spoke about wanting to use social media accounts that students already have, such as Snapchat, to engage with the student body. Her opponent, Qingtian Mei ’21, spoke about wanting to utilize platforms like Instagram to make Union communication more personable.

One of the Undergraduate Curriculum Committee candidates, Kavita Sundaram ’20, spoke about her desire to give students an outlet through which they can embrace their individual identities in their academics.

Her opponent, Carrie Sheng ’20, spoke about her goal of focusing on the new University general education requirements.

The polls opened today at midnight, with voting open online for 24 hours.

Follow

Image Courtesy of CREATIVE COMMONS

Justice!

the

@theJustice

●

NEWS

●

TUESDAY, march 20, 2018

7

BREAKFAST FOR DINNER

andrew baxter/the Justice

Club Cantonese at Brandeis served traditional Chinese breakfast foods and played games to help students relax from midterm stress at the Intercultural Center on Sunday night.

activism: Students call for gun control reform CONTINUED FROM 1 importance of the group’s lack of rigid leadership structure. Scionti explained that “even though Renee and Sagie brought us all together, there’s not a hierarchy of voices.

I think that’s a point of this group — to bring people and resources together.”

Kahn responded to concerns seen on Facebook and heard around campus that Brandeis Never Again organizers should be more inclusive of people of color in their activism. She shared that, in the next few days, the group will reach out to all culture clubs. In doing so, Brandeis Never Again will offer access to their resources and seek ways to support clubs in their events. The group is also working with Student Union President Jacob Edelman ’18 and plans to reach out to all club leaders.

In the coming week, Brandeis Never Again will host events focused on providing students with the resources and support necessary to bring about desired change.

Kahn also explained that the variety of planned events illustrates the group’s dedication to working with those who currently have ideas or events planned as well as those who wish to become more involved.

From Monday, March 19 to Fri-

day, March 23, students will be tabling from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. in the Shapiro Campus Center to distribute resources to help those who wish to call or write their state and federal representatives.

Other events collaborate with various clubs, departments and programs on campus. For instance, there was a discussion about effective activism with Women’s Studies Research Center scholar Ruth Nemzoff yesterday.

Tonight, Scionti and Tvizer are helping to run a workshop for community advisors. This workshop is focused on how, in the wake of traumatic events, to have difficult conversations with residents in a way that is as supportive and nonjudgemental as possible.

Anna Cass ’21, another member of Brandeis Never Again, is helping to organize a “Moment of Loudness: A Cry for Action.”

In an interview with the Justice, Cass explained the motivation behind the Moment of Loudness. “The Parkland shooting didn’t shock me,” she said. “It alarmed me that it didn’t shock me, that this level of violence felt normal to me. I sat in my dorm room talking to my roommate and stewing.”

Cass continued, “At 2 a.m., I got to thinking a moment of silence should be a rest between actions

and not the extent of the action itself. That’s when I started to think about holding a Moment of Loudness.”

The Moment of Loudness will be held on Wednesday at 7 p.m., location to be announecd. Coordinators have reached out to members of the Brandeis community as they put together a list of performances from students, faculty and even local high school students.

The week of protest will culminate in the March for Our Lives on Saturday. The event, held in Boston, will occur simultaneously with other marches happening around the country. Scionti, who is also the co-founder and vice president of the Brandeis Drawing Club, explained that the club will hold an event on Thursday prior to the march in order to make signs for people to bring with them.

In all its combined efforts, Brandeis Never Again is attempting to involve as many of the Brandeis community as possible.

To all who wish to be involved — whether that be students, faculty or even members of the Waltham community — Scionti said, “There’s a space for you in the movement.

Come find it.”

—Editor’s note: Julianna Scionti ’20 is a cartoonist for the Justice.

Neutral: Hillel declines to put out statement on Marcus CONTINUED FROM 1 rienced sexual violence.”

Yet Winberg disagreed with the students’ belief that, in not publicly denouncing Marcus’ endorsement, Brandeis Hillel was failing its community members. Defending the organization’s silence, Winberg questioned the notion that public statements are necessarily the most effective way to show support for sexual assault survivors.

Because Hillel is an educational organization that exists to build community, publicly made political statements detract from its core purpose, he explained in a March 11 email to the organizers, a copy of which he provided to the Justice.

“Monolithic statements do not bring people together. By staying above the fray of politics, we protect an overarching value of inclusion and maintain a maximally welcom-

ing community,” he wrote.

Winberg went on to express his belief that speaking out against Marcus would “compromise [his] professional integrity” as a spiritual and educational leader.

“Anyone should feel comfortable approaching a rabbi for mentorship and spiritual guidance regardless of political views, and I believe that is compromised if a rabbi’s personal views are expressed in a professional context,” Winberg wrote.

In his interview with the Justice, Winberg said that he has recommended that Hillel International follow a similar apolitical policy.

“I’ve spoken to the CEO of Hillel International about it, and I’ve offered to students to speak with Hillel International about it,” he explained. “I have respectfully, just as one of many Hillel directors, suggested that Hillel International adopt Brandeis Hillel’s approach to these issues, which is to not make

public political statements, because I think that it doesn’t help Hillel achieve its mission.”

In his email to the organizers, Winberg suggested several ways that Hillel could foster a safe and welcoming community without taking a political stance. Specifically, he mentioned possible educational programming focusing on sexual assault prevention and response, as well as customized bystander trainings for specific Jewish communities on campus.

Additionally, he noted, Hillel staff are already trained on sexual assault and harassment, including Title IX education, victim support and bystander intervention.

However, Leah Susman ’18, one of the core student organizers, told the Justice in a Feb. 11 interview that “Brandeis students have already started to feel uncomfortable engaging with Hillel at Brandeis.”

“I think it has already affected the

relationship and sense of trust that students feel for Brandeis Hillel, and I really don’t think that students are going to be able to feel as comfortable as they once were going into Brandeis Hillel,” she said.

In their open letter, the student protesters asserted that, in order to effectively raise awareness and support for sexual assault survivors, Brandeis Hillel must first release a statement of support. “Brandeis Hillel must take this first step to regain the trust of student survivors and related campus organizations before they can seriously engage in raising awareness around sexual violence,” they wrote. The core organizers declined to give comment for this article.

As another potential remedy, Winberg also raised the possibility of organizing a forum for students to speak directly to Hillel International about the Kenneth Marcus endorsement, or inviting Hillel Internation-

al representatives to campus to meet with concerned students. He welcomed collaboration from the core student organizers in pursuing this programming.

“It is your prerogative to make a political statement a precondition of collaboration and partnership — though I hope you will reconsider because there is a lot of good work to do together,” Winberg wrote in his email to petitioners.

He added in his interview with the Justice that he hopes to see more collaboration with students in the future.

“I think that there is so much more that Hillel can do in partnership with students and other organizations on campus to raise awareness, to help people look out for each other and make campus safer,” he said. “And we’re absolutely committed to doing that and prepared to do it, and we hope students will see us as a trusted ally and work with us.”

8

features

TUESDAY, march 20, 2018 ● Features ● The Justice

just

VERBATIM | STEPHEN HAWKING Science is not only a discipline of reason, but also one of romance and passion.

ON THIS DAY…

FUN FACT

In 2016, Barack Obama visited Cuba, becoming the first U.S. President to do so since 1928.

If you Google search the word “askew,” the entire search page will tilt slightly to the right.

Photo Courtesy of CREATIVE COMMONS

NOWHERE MAN: When Robert Fuller resigned as the president of Oberlin College, he went from being a public figure to being a “nobody.”

‘Rankism’ in the Workplace A panel of Brandeis faculty discussed the effects of rankism on campus

By LEIGH SALOMON and VICTOR FELDMAN JUSTICE STAFF WRITER AND justice eDITOR

Before he became a “nobody,” Robert Fuller was an accomplished physicist, author and civil rights advocate who was the youngest college president in the United States. After a four-year stint as the president of Oberlin College, Fuller resigned, saying he believed his mission had been accomplished and that it was time to move on. Following his resignation, Fuller found that his status as a public figure had vanished and that his rise, and sudden fall from status was a phenomena as equally deserving of academic exploration as the cosmos. Curious and searching for answers, he embarked on a mission to form a social movement to “advance human dignity.”

One of the consequences of Fuller’s search for answers is his book, “All Rise: Somebodies, Nobodies, and the Politics of Dignity,” which was the focus of discussion at a faculty panel on diversity in the Gerstenzang Science Library on Thursday, March 15. Allyson Livingstone, the director of diversity, equity, inclusion, education, training and development on campus, led the discussion. She passed around an essay on Fuller’s book by David C. Yamad, a law school professor at Suffolk University, who studies bullying in the workplace. In the essay, Yamad criticizes Fuller’s belief that individuals, rather than laws will create workplaces that allow for worker dignity.

Livingstone began the discussion by saying, “This is an invitation to reflect, look for learning, be curious and dialogue with empathy. We’re asking questions, we’re connecting and we’re also being conscious of the ways that we interact with one another. Some of these topics ... they don’t seem like they can evoke an emotional response. She explained that the purpose of the discussion was to “ask ourselves to be reminded

to the ‘how’ of how we do this work.”

Faculty members spoke one by one, eventually forming a consensus that “rankism,” the abuses of power associated with rank, was a barrier to ascending the academic and administrative ladders at almost every U.S. institution. The panelists found that Brandeis is no different.

Some faculty saw rankism as an insurmountable problem. Suzie Flug-

but they feel qualitatively different, and it’s like you said. I don’t think solving rankism would necessarily take someone’s racism away.”

Following up on this point, Alyssa Stalsberg Canelli, the assistant director of experiential learning, pointed out that rankism may be the result of racism, sexism and other ‘isms.’

She said, “There’s an empathetic bridge that has to happen.” She won-

spoke again, saying, “I think that tenure creates, at least in terms of workplace environment, really ripe situations for bullying, and there’s no recourse at all in higher ed.” All the faculty members agreed that the roles in academia are so strongly entrenched that a hierarchical system is already in place that makes those faculty at the bottom feel undervalued. Shannon Keens, the

YURAN SHI/the Justice

OTHER “- ISMS”: The panel of Brandeis faculty came to the consensus that other “- isms,” including racism and sexism, contribute to “rankism.”

Silva, a senior leader for the Eli J. and Phyllis N. Segal Citizen Leadership program at the Heller School for Social Policy and Management, expressed her concerns with rankism and Fuller’s book, saying, “I see the relationship and I see how assessing someone a certain way because of their race, because of their class, because of their sex is ranking people,

dered why denial of various “isms” persists in academia and blamed a lack of empathy for the problem, saying, “I just find it odd; it certainly doesn’t occur to me to deny the existence of gravity just simply because I don’t understand the science.”

Soon, the discussion turned toward how rankism affects those who win tenure at Brandeis. Canelli

academic administrator for the Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies Program, added that a lack of accountability fuels this system, noting, “People act out in a faculty meeting, or something like that, their boss isn’t going to say, like, you can’t do that, you do that again, then you’re getting written, you know, and that has been shocking to me.”

Despite the sentiment in the room that rankism is alive and well at Brandeis, a few faculty members saw ways for the University may mitigate its effects. Don Greenstein, an ombud for diversity, inclusion and equity, suggested that experiential learning is necessary. He said, “I know there are plenty of schools, as well as organizations, that take individuals and put them in the role of spending time with someone who has much less experience of what it’s like.” He believes that this method helps those in higherup positions empathize and hear the concerns of faculty below them.

Toward the end of the conversation, Livingstone posited that rankism was even permeating the student body on campus. She expressed concerns that Brandeis students, bowing to peer pressure or feelings of inadequacy, were involving themselves in too many clubs and extracurricular activities simply for the sake of padding their resumes. She admitted that she does not blame students for this trend, saying, “Hey, if the school-based adults are doing it in the system, why wouldn’t the students, right?”

Turning again to the text, the panel examined a passage from Fuller’s book that reads, “But violence is rarely, if ever, senseless. If it seems so, we’ve simply failed to understand it. Like the original nword, nobody uses an epithet that packs a powerful punch. That is why we’re so desperate to pass as somebodies and shield ourselves from rankism’s punishing sting.”

As the panelists began to drift out of the room, Livingstone smiled and posed a question to those remaining: “Y’all are here in part because you want to know more about all kinds of things related to privilege and oppression. Can we think about some of this stuff? What do we do? How do we work with folk who just aren’t there yet? How do we support?” She suggested that while the answers to the problem of rankism are elusive, the conversation must continue.

the justice ● Features ● TUESDAY, march 20, 2018

Photo Courtesy of EMILY BRYSON ’19

DREAMING OF GOLD: Ever since she was a college first-year, Emily Bryson has dreamed of becoming an NCAA champion.

Chasing Her Dreams Emily Bryson ’19 won the 3,000-meter NCAA championship last week By cHRISTINE KIM JUSTICE STAFF WRITER

As Emily Bryson ’19 ran past the finish line in the final event for Brandeis at the 2018 NCAA Division III Indoor Championships on Saturday, March 10, tears began streaming down her face. Finishing first in her 3,000-meter event, Bryson claimed her second All-America honor of the meet after her first in the distance medley relay.

“Yeah, I was crying,” Bryson laughed, “It’s just when I was a freshman in college, that was my goal. I wanted to be a NCAA champion and I wrote it down in my journal as something I always wanted to do. I trained up to this moment for that moment and I put a lot of work in. I just feel like as an athlete you sacrifice so much for these moments, and then to kind of watch it all unfold right before you is surreal. It was watching a lot of hard work pay off and watching a moment I had dreamed of for a really long time.

It was a lot of emotions.”

Running 50 to 60 miles a week, Bryson spends most days at Gosman Sports and Convocation Center, training with her team-

mates. During the peak of her training, Bryson did workouts two times a week specifically to improve her speed or endurance, which would include running repeat intervals or going on long runs between 10 to 12 miles. Then she spent the rest of the week training by going on one or two runs a day. However, her training had not initially been for the 3,000-meter event.

“I’ve been racing the mile all season mostly and before the DMR [distance medley relay] which was the night before, I’d only done two 3Ks. It was kind of weird doing an event for my third time that season in the NCAAs,” said Bryson, “but I was ranked second in the mile and I wanted to go into the DMR fresh … I would’ve had to do prelims for the mile, the DMR three hours later, and then the finals so I decided to forfeit the mile and focus on the DMR because I wanted to see my other teammates do really well, and I knew we had a chance at being All-Americans … I was the last [individual runner] at the 3K and it was last event of the entire meet. I thought I might as well do an individual event while I’m there. It’s so weird, I went

into the race like yeah maybe if I get top eight this will be great, but I wasn’t expecting this at all.”

Bryson, however, was not the only one crying at the finish line, as she described this race as unique from previous ones because of the extra support she had — not only the support from professors and Brandeis Athletics throughout the season, but the presence of people at the race who all knew how much she had dreamed of this moment.

“Last year I was there alone with my coach and for this one I had my sister there because she was there for the DMR, a bunch of other teammates, bunch of coaches and my parents flew out to see me, so it was really special to have that like moment where I realized that all my hard work had paid off but everyone was there to share it with me,” said Bryson. She claimed the best thing about running and being an athlete at Brandeis was the team environment. She described the unique bond of training together and competing together even in 20 degree weather. Having been an athlete since her first year at Brandeis, Bryson expressed her gratitude for the teammates she

could relate to, the coaches who had confidence in her all season and the accommodating professors who reached out. But as a Biology and Health: Science, Society and Policy major, she also discussed the hardships of balancing her training and studies.

“It’s difficult for any major to be an athlete and to balance the tough rigors of being a Brandeis student. It’s definitely manageable, but there are days where I think this would be so much easier if I didn’t have practice for three hours,” Bryson shared.

“But I’ve been running my whole life and it has actually helped me do the balance better. I do other things like volunteer work but running is my main focus, so knowing every day that I have to go running has helped me know I have to get my work done. Like this past week I wasn’t running because I had a couple days off after the season and I was procrastinating on my work so hard because I knew I had the extra time and I was like, oh my gosh, I need to get back to running.”

Bryson started running at the age of 5 with her dad and twin sister, eventually joining her town’s youth track club where

she met the coach who would eventually guide her through middle and high school track as well. She credited her dad with helping start her running career although eventually Bryson and her sister would surpass him in speed. And when she’s not spending all her time at Gosman, Bryson can be found volunteering with the Waltham Group or reading and watching movies like “Up”, as she expressed her love for Disney movies.

Bryson would like to once again qualify for the NCAA, and perhaps winning another national title in the next year and a half at Brandeis. But Bryson shared that she’s taking each season at a time and not getting too ahead of herself. While discussing how she balances her Biology major with continuous training and plans for a Biology path after Brandeis, she gave future Brandeis athletes some advice.

“My advice would be setting goals and, if you put the work in and the dedication in and you really want it, you can go out there and accomplish the things you set yourself up to. It’s important not to underestimate working hard,” said Bryson.

9

10 TUESDAY, march 20, 2018 ● forum ● THE JUSTICE

the

Justice Established 1949

Abby Patkin, Editor in Chief Amber Miles, Managing Editor Carmi Rothberg, Senior Editor Kirby Kochanowski, Avraham Penso and Sabrina Sung,

Brandeis University

Deputy Editors

Michelle Banayan, Abby Grinberg, Lizzie Grossman, Noah Hessdorf, Ben Katcher, Mihir Khanna, Pamela Klahr, Robbie lurie and Natalia Wiater, Associate Editors Jocelyn Gould, Acting News Editor Victor Feldman, Features Editor Nia Lyn, Forum Editor, Zach Kaufman, Sports Editor Hannah Kressel, Arts Editor Yvette Sei and Andrew Baxter, Photography Editors Morgan Mayback, Layout Editor, Liat Fischer and Devo Meyers, Acting Ads Editors Eliana Padwa and Lily Swartz, Copy Editors Jen Geller, Online Editor

EDITORIALS Support Hannah Brown ’19 for Student Union President Though Hannah Brown ’19 is running unopposed in the 2018 Student Union presidential election, her wealth of experience in the Union, comprehensive platform and knowledge of how to bring her visions to reality make her a natural choice. As such, this board chooses to endorse her as the next Union president.

Having served as a quad and class senator, executive senator, Senate committee chair and now Union vice president, Brown has more than proven her leadership skills within the Union. Through her work on the Union’s executive board, she also has the experience necessary to collaborate with administrators in order to achieve her goals. Notably, her work on the executive board under two different Union presidents may help her succeed where past presidents have failed or fallen short.

This board supports Brown’s extensive agenda as she looks to work intimately with students and administrators alike.

Brown has voiced avid support for student clubs across campus and plans to implement new changes to further help them prosper. She has discussed removing certain barriers for new clubs trying to gain Union support, realizing that this year’s changes to the club recognition and chartering process make it more difficult for some clubs to become legitimized through the Senate. Brown recognizes the faults of this blanket policy; not all clubs have the same needs, financially and otherwise. Collaboration between clubs — including the resourcesharing umbrella system seen in groups like the Undergraduate Theater Collective — can help achieve the same cost-cutting benefits without creating undue barriers. This board supports Brown’s emphasis on collaboration and communication.

Furthermore, Brown’s agenda is promising in the area of campus accessibility. This board supports Brown’s plans to work with Director of Student Accessibility Support Beth Rodgers-Kay and to continue Student

Acknowledge student concerns Union President Jacob Edelman’s ’18 collaboration with Joy von Steiger, the director of the Brandeis Counseling Center. These goals highlight Brown’s dedication to improving campus life for students with disabilities and promoting the awareness and effectiveness of Brandeis’ mental health services. This board recommends that she should take her plans a step further by periodically checking in with affected students, as Edelman has begun doing through the March 1 mental health open forum.

Brown has already expressed an openness to working with students of color in order to promote diversity and inclusion within the Union and on campus. Though she recognizes her personal limitations in regards to thinking critically about diversity, Brown wants to work collaboratively to come up with solutions that give everyone a voice. Specifically, Brown would like to look into adding another racial minority senator to the Union Senate.

Another component of Brown’s platform is affordability, specifically reducing “nickeling and diming” in punishment — the cost of a late library book or forgotten room key — laundry and printing fees. Brown also advocates for the use of low-cost academic tools, such as free textbooks and homework software already licensed by the University — as opposed to paid software like Sapling or Top Hat. This board supports Brown’s affordability initiatives — college is already prohibitively expensive for many, and it is crucial to reduce costs wherever possible.

Of course, write-in candidacies and “abstain” are always an alternative when the polls open today. However you vote, this board urges all Brandeis students to choose the option that best suits their values and needs. Ultimately, we feel that Brown’s experience, realistic expectations and personable approach to student needs make her the best choice for Brandeis.

Recognize staff safety efforts during winter storm As a result of the latest snowstorm, facilities and public safety staff members spent countless hours trying to keep our campus safe and accessible to all students and faculty members, something this board applauds.

Facilities workers had been working throughout the day and well into the night of the snowstorm to clear the snow, making the campus accessible to the community. While classes were cancelled and the campus closed, they continued to work diligently in order to pave the way for a delayed opening on March 14.

While most dining areas on campus were closed due to the nor’easter, Sherman dining hall remained open and fully staffed, providing facilities workers, public safety members and students with breakfast, lunch and dinner.

If Sherman did not stay open, some students might not have had easy access to meals, since all first-years and a majority of sophomores live in suite-style or traditional-style housing, not apartments

Commend facilities staff that are fully equipped with kitchens.

In a March 15 email, University President Ron Liebowitz thanked the Brandeis community for all of the hard work during the snowstorm, writing, “I want to commend our hard-working staff for their exemplary work in keeping our campus accessible, safe, and running.”

While some students complained about the loud noises in the early hours of the morning and at night from the snow plows, this board recognizes that this was a necessary cost to clearing the snow, as waiting for it to pile up throughout the night would not have been a feasible approach to maintaining clear paths around campus.

Brandeis facilities and public safety staff members were thanked at a gathering on Monday, March 19 in the International Lounge for being “loyal, capable, and dedicated employees,” as Liebowitz wrote in his email.

CARMI ROTHBERG/the Justice

Views the News on

On March 13, President Donald Trump fired Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and indicated he would nominate current CIA Director Mike Pompeo as his replacement, according to the New York Times. Tillerson’s firing comes at a crucial time, as the United States prepares to enter peace talks with North Korea and investigate Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election. How do you think Tillerson’s firing might affect the current administration, and what does it say for the future of U.S. foreign policy?

Prof. Paul Jankowski (HIST) Rex Tillerson was able to moderate some of President Trump’s more reckless actions, for example over the Iran nuclear deal or the Paris climate accord, but he will be remembered for failing to defend the State Department from presidential bile. Like most nationalists, Trump despises professional diplomats, and Tillerson did nothing to prevent the hollowing out of a highly professional and critical corps of public servants. Many have resigned, many positions have not been filled, many among those remaining are demoralized.

Last week the President suddenly and unilaterally decided to meet with Kim Jong-un of North Korea. Even if there were enough time to prepare for the impulsive summit, the United States has no ambassador in South Korea, the Department’s top North Korea expert has left, and it is unclear whether the Japanese have been consulted at all. Tillerson, alas, was in the end unable to arrest the diplomacy of demagoguery.

Prof. Paul Jankowski is a professor of History, specializing in modern European and French history and the history of modern warfare.

Casey Lamar ’18 Historically speaking, tensions between the State Department and the White House over foreign policy are hardly new. Especially at critical points in foreign policy, it’s not particularly surprising to see turnover in the administration. Over the past 13 months, however, it’s become obvious that the fastest way to get fired in the Trump administration is to get more press than the President, so it will be interesting to see how Mike Pompeo adapts from working in the shadows of the CIA to the much more public role of the State Department. Although it appears that Donald Trump has an ally in Pompeo that he didn’t have with Rex Tillerson, Trump has shown it’s not a question of “if” he will go headto-head with his newest appointment, it’s more a question of “when.”

For the time being though, the thought of a Secretary of State willing to step in line behind a president who thinks he can win a trade war while threatening to start a nuclear war is troublesome at best.

Casey Lamar ’18 is majoring in Neuroscience and Biology and minoring in Chemistry and Near Eastern Judaic Studies.

Renee Korgood ’20 Rex Tillerson’s firing will likely not have any immediate impacts on U.S. foreign policy, given how little influence he appeared to have on it in the first place. While it was Tillerson who proposed diplomacy with North Korea long before Trump was on the same page, many of his other policy positions ran directly against Trump’s, which made Tillerson both threatening and ineffective in the current administration. He had little ability to tamp down the unpredictability of the current administration’s policy. This will likely only get worse as an even less experienced statesman aims to take his place, Mike Pompeo. Given that there will likely be a long (and possible unsuccessful) confirmation battle, the immediate future of U.S. foreign policy will be largely steered by the whims of those at the top, which has been volatile and misinformed and will continue to be so, unless someone garners the courage to meaningfully stand against the President’s vitriolic views.

Renee Korgood ’20 is majoring in Politics and minoring in French and Legal Studies.

Lucy Pugh-Sellers ’20 Tillerson’s firing will probably have little effect on the current administration’s downward path toward self-implosion, although now we will have to worry about a dishonest, staunch Trump-defender as opposed to an unqualified isolationist. However, no choice for Secretary of State would largely change the foreign policy trajectory of the United States, long predicated on the maintenance of an imperialistic “superpower” facade necessarily built on murder and the counterfeit claim to “human rights” protection. Under today’s political terms, what is required to substantially change this hypocritical and harmful foreign policy legacy is major pressure from the American people or a paradigm shift.

Lucy Pugh-Sellers ’20 is majoring in History and Film, Television, and Interactive Media and minoring in Afro and African-American Studies and Legal Studies.

Photos: Paul Jankowski; the Justice

THE JUSTICE ● fORUM ● TUESDAY, march 20, 2018

11

Consider the risks involved in online grocery expansion

By Aiden zhang Special to the Justice

In a Jan. 26 China News Service article, several industry researchers and CEOs expressed their concern about the lack of growth in the e-commerce industry. “The bonus generated by online expanding doesn’t exist anymore,” said Xing Wang, the CEO of Meituan, the biggest tech firm providing group buying and crowd-sourced review services in China.

Even though the giants of e-commerce are still experiencing notable revenue growth, firms can no longer earn a considerable profit by simply moving their retail business online. In the long run, due to the increasing ubiquity of online shopping and growing competition from startups, e-commerce firms will need to find new ways to gain an edge over competitors.

It is not a coincidence that both Alibaba and Amazon are planning new expansions in online groceries. In 2007, Amazon launched its online grocery service, Amazon Fresh.

10 years later, Amazon made the bold move to acquire Whole Foods Market to support its online grocery retail. In China, Alibaba opened 13 innovative grocery stores called “Hema Market,” which covered major metropolises in China, to provide a grocery shopping experience that combines traditional grocery stores with the online shopping experience. Why is grocery retailing so appealing? It seems like all the e-commerce firms are trying to seek their new profits in this subsidiary market.

Most importantly, the grocery retail market makes up a huge part of the retail industry.

The grocery market in the United States is about $675 billion, and over 90 percent of households shop for groceries at least once a week, as reported in a Jan. 17, 2017 Forbes article. At the same time, e-commerce has not yet taken over the grocery retailing market very much like other categories. According to a June 2017 International Institute for Management Development report, online grocery only accounts for 6 percent in the UK, 5 percent in the U.S. and less than 2 percent everywhere else. It seems like online grocery is an opportune market awaiting the giants to take advantage, but can these e-commerce giants disrupt the traditional grocery retail as they did other fields?

The online retailers store their goods in gigantic warehouses far away from cities, and after receiving the orders, they pack the products in boxes and ship them with huge trucks. This standard shipping formula works well with electronics, books and

packaged food, but online retailers cannot simply transfer this formula to sell groceries.

People live off of fresh groceries that perish easily, such as eggs, fruits and vegetables.

It is tempting to cut out the middleman and sell groceries directly from the warehouse to consumers, but the firms would have to invest in a new warehouse and delivery system to ensure the customers receive the groceries at least as fresh as they can buy in brick-andmortar grocery stores. This would require fast shipping to prevent food spoiling. Hence, the extra delivery cost required to build the fast shipping system hinders e-commerce in the first place. The cost comes in different ways.

First, whether the existing delivery system can ensure the freshness of groceries is still questionable. Last November, Amazon shut down the delivery service of Amazon Fresh in nine states because “USPS frequently delivered late or not at all,” according to a Nov. 3, 2017 Recode article.

If online retailers want to sell groceries online, they at least need to ensure the users receive the food before it perishes. This means that they have to upgrade the existing delivery system or build a new system on their own. Second, the e-commerce firms would have to expand their warehouse system to fit the demand of fast shipping. To make sure the groceries are delivered in a timely manner, the warehouses need to be close enough to heavily populated urban areas. Building or acquiring these warehouses will come at a steep cost.

“Grocery is the most alluring and treacherous category. It lures inventors and retailers with shopping volume and frequency, and then sinks them with low margin,” said Nadia Shouraboura, a former Amazon executive, as quoted in a March 20, 2017 Bloomberg report. Had the e-commerce giants solved the problem of delivery, they might not have gained the expected profit due to the razor-thin margin of the whole grocery retail industry. To support the Amazon Fresh warehouse, Amazon purchased Whole Foods Market for $13.7 billion for its high-quality grocery goods and more than 460 stores in the U.S., Canada and U.K, according to a June 23, 2017 USA Today report. But will this turn their current loss into a profit? The SEC report of Whole Foods of Quarter One 2017 shows that Whole Foods had sales of $3.7 billion but only $99 million of operating profit, which means the margin was just 2 percent. These numbers show that it is still hard for online retailers to maintain a competitive price or make a profit. Even if the 460 Whole Foods locations solved the obstacle of warehouses, combining the massive delivery cost of online grocery and the low margins of retail is a hard sell.

MARA KHAYTER/the Justice

Last but not least, do consumers demand online groceries at all? Note that the advantages of online retail in other categories do not necessarily apply to the online grocery sector. The online shopping experience usually provides users with a lower price than brick-and-mortar stores, but considering the high delivery cost and thin margins, it is hard for online retailers to offer a similar competitive price for groceries. What’s more, people enjoy comparing products from different sellers and brands with abundant review data generated by online sales. But in the reality of groceries, consumers tend to have a stable list of vegetables and meat they want and buy them over and over again. No one bothers to read the comments for the potatoes they cook every day. Most importantly, why not take a 20-minute trip to a real grocery store and smell the oranges or flick the watermelons to see if they are really of good quality or not?

In 2012, 4.2 percent of shoppers made frequent purchases in online grocery stores, and after rounds of heavy investments from

companies like Amazon, that percentage rose slightly to around 5 percent, according to the same Bloomberg report. Firms facing this frustrating reality need to reconsider their expansion strategy. The newly opened Amazon Go store may tell where the future of grocery retail is. This brick-and-mortar grocery store molded by the technology titan is armed with cutting-edge techniques in computer vision, artificial intelligence, and data science. Instead of figuring out a way to cut the costs associated with fast delivery, it aims to resolve the problem of long checkout lines found in the traditional grocery store model and focus on the demand of buying groceries on the go. The technology is the most valuable asset and competitive advantage of tech firms.

Instead of following the old online-only business model, discovering the actual pain points of consumers and enhancing shopping experiences in stores would be a more conceivable way for the technology giants to break into the fruitful grocery retailing market.

Caution against ‘walk up, not out’ approach to gun violence Nia

lyn purpose

On Sunday, a package bomb was detonated in On Sunday, a package bomb detonated in Austin, Texas and injured two unnamed men, making it the fourth incident of its kind this month, according to a March 19 Washington Post article. Fortunately, the two men suffered nonlife-threatening injuries, but the same cannot be said for the victims of the first three explosions.

The first three incidents killed 39-year-old Anthony Stephan House, 17-year-old Draylen Mason and an seriously injured an unnamed 75-year-old woman. In these three cases, the packages were placed on the individuals’ doorsteps at night rather than being delivered through a postal service according to a March 19 CNN article. These occurrences, right on the heels of the 48 mass shootings that have occurred in the United States since the beginning of this year, shed light on a bigger nationwide problem.

Be it gun violence or bomb attacks, domestic terrorism is the problem plaguing the country and appropriate action is not being taken.

Merriam-Webster defines terrorism as “the systematic use of terror especially as a means

of coercion.” In the case of Nikolas Cruz, the malefactor behind the Stoneman Douglas High School shooting, Cruz was not labeled as a terrorist or even as a criminal but rather as a “socially awkward teenager lost in the world” in a Feb. 18 Miami Herald article. Brandeis’ campus, along with many other high schools and universities across the nation, is filled with “socially awkward teenagers,” so that isn’t the issue. The issue is that he wanted to inflict pain on others, not that he was somehow misunderstood. Despite knowing that there are people targeting and killing others, the nation is still not taking proper action to prevent future atrocities.

After the Parkland shooting, President Donald Trump turned to Twitter to condemn the FBI for utilizing their time to investigate Russian collusion by Trump’s presidential campaign instead of expressing remorse for the lives lost, evidenced by a Feb. 18 tweet. Later, in a televised conversation with the country’s governors, Trump reminisced about the “old days” when potential criminals could be locked up and promised to ban bump stocks — yet there was no mention of stricter gun restrictions or increasing the legal age to purchase a firearm. Trump is too busy trying to please his pals in the National Rifle Association to acknowledge that there is actually a solution to this problem.

Outside of the government’s jurisdiction, the response on a local level has also been inappropriate and borders on victim-shaming.

According to a March 14 CNN article, some parents have proposed that instead of walking

out of class — like some students have done to show solidarity with those affected by the shooting — their children and other students should “walk up” instead. Ryan Petty, the father of one of the victims, shared a post on Twitter inviting students to “walk up to the kid who sits quietly in the corner of the room and sit next to her, smile and say Hi.”

“

The issue is that he wanted to inflict pain on others, not that he was somehow misunderstood.

While this is admirable and a worthwhile solution to the bullying problem that manifests itself in schools, it does not address gun violence adequately. Going up to hug a student won’t change their mind and cause them to rethink their actions; in fact, this statement makes a sweeping and dangerous generalization that any introverted student is a potential criminal.

An April 20, 2009 CNN article “debunked” the myths surrounding the 1999 Columbine High School shooting and revealed that perpetrators

Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold were not bullied by other students — a popular misconception surrounding the incident. Similarly, this call to action risks placing blame upon the students who lost their lives, making it seem as if it was something that they could have prevented themselves. While Petty’s intentions were good, it was not the most appropriate means of action.

Instead, he should stand with those who are rallying for reform of current gun ownership laws.

In April 1996, gunman Martin Bryant killed 35 people in the Port Arthur prison colony in Tasmania, Australia. As a result of this incident, Australia enacted strict gun laws — considered the most comprehensive in the world according to an Oct. 4, 2017 BBC News article. Shortly after the incident, all six Australian states enacted laws banning semi-automatic rifles and shotguns and made the process of obtaining a gun more difficult. Australia has a 28-day waiting period, along with background checks and a requirement that prospective owners present a justifiable reason to own a gun. Since then, many firearms have been either sold back to the government or destroyed, reducing the number of gun-owning households in Australia by half.

Similarly, the rates of homicide and suicide have decreased since then.

While this might be a difficult issue to tackle in the United States given its Second Amendment protections, it is still worth noting that gun restrictions do work. The solution to the longstanding problem in the United States does not lie within a hug or a conversation with a stranger.

The opinions expressed on this page are those of each article’s respective author and do not reflect the viewpoint of the Justice.

Write to us

The Justice welcomes letters to the editor responding to published material. Please submit letters through our Web site at www.thejustice.org. Anonymous submissions cannot be accepted.

Letters should not exceed 300 words, and may be edited for space, style, grammar, spelling, libel and clarity, and must relate to material published in the Justice. Letters from offcampus sources should include location. The Justice does not print letters to the editor and op-ed submissions that have been submitted to other publications. Op-ed submissions of general interest to the University community­— that do not respond explicitly to articles printed in the Justice — are also welcome and should be limited to 800 words. All submissions are due Friday at noon.

Fine Print

The opinions stated in the editorial(s) under the masthead on the opposing page represent the opinion of a majority of the voting members of the editorial board; all other articles, columns, comics and advertisements do not necessarily. For the Brandeis Talks Back feature on the last page of the newspaper, staff interview four randomly selected students each week and print only those four answers.

The Justice is the independent student newspaper of Brandeis University. Operated, written, produced and published entirely by students, the Justice includes news, features, arts, opinion and sports articles of interest to approximately 3,500 undergraduates, 900 graduate students, 500 faculty and 1,000 administrative staff.

The Justice is published every Tuesday of the academic year with the exception of examination and vacation periods.

Advertising deadlines: All insertion orders and advertising copy must be received by the Justice no later than 5 p.m. on the Thursday preceding the date of publication.

All advertising copy is subject to approval of the editor in chief and the managing and advertising editors.

The Staff

For information on joining the Justice, write to editor@ thejustice.org.

Editorial Assistants

Sports: Lev Brown, Evan Robins, Donnie Weisse

News: Sam Stockbridge

Arts: Kent Dinlenc*, Mariah Manter, Emily See,

Forum: Judah Weinerman

Anna Stern, Isabelle Truong, Mendel Weintraub

Arts: Maya Zanger-Nadis

Photography: Lucy Frenkel, Talya Guenzburger, Chelsea Madera, Adam Pann, Clements Park,

Production Assistants

Heather Schiller*, Yuran Shi

News: Emily Blumenthal

Copy: Sarah Fine, Sara Fulton, Klarissa Hollander, Billy Wilson*

Staff

Layout: Winnie Qin, Shinji Rho

News: Michelle Dang, Will Hodgkinson,

Illustrations: Ben Jarrett, Mara Khayter, Peri Meyers*,

Mack Schoenfeld, Liat Shapiro,Maurice Windley

Aaron Marks, Julianna Scionti

Features: Christine Kim, Leah Leybzon, Leigh Salomon Forum: Ben Feshbach*, Tafara Gava, Somar Hadid, Elias Rosenfeld*, Ravi Simon*

* denotes a senior staff member.

12

TUESDAY, March 20, 2018 ● forum ● THE JUSTICE

FORUM

Condemn racism and divisiveness in political conversation

By ROLAND BLANDING JUSTICE CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Less than two weeks ago, LeBron James and Kevin Durant were in an interview with Cari Champion from ESPN, in which LeBron criticized Donald Trump. According to a Feb. 19 NPR article, Laura Ingraham, a pundit for Fox News, responded to James’ comments by saying, among other things, “shut up and dribble,” and “must they run their mouths?”

The immediate controversy drawn was to the racial context, given that James is an African American professional athlete, and Ingraham is a white woman. This debate, regardless of its propensity to incite indignation, is ultimately tangential to the core issue that is besieging American discourse from all sides. There is an underlying lack of empathy and compassion in any contemporary debate.

Both sides claim to be in pursuit of upholding their own brand of justice or righteousness against the profligate masses. The profligate masses can be racists, homophobes, liberal elites, conservatives or any arbitrary group of people who have been judged by society. There are few fruitful debates about race in America’s public sphere because there is an underlying lack of empathy between each side, the idea of racism being present completely terminates any discourse, and the two of these combine to create a world where people are too focused on how messages make them feel instead of making judgments based on facts.

Racism is a symptom of the social construct called race. Like all social constructs, race, and subsequently racism, are present where people think they are. A statement is ultimately racist because someone thinks it is. Given the superfluous nature of these social constructs, we ought not defer to them for any sort of moral justification or vilification of individuals or their statements. Racist comments are not virulent solely on the grounds of the adverse reaction of the recipient, because sometimes there is no recipient. Often times these discussions are held in private, with people that look like us and walk around the world agreeing with our own conceptions of what’s right and wrong. The issue is that people are only held culpable when these discussions are publicized and consequently think that what is said behind closed doors does not matter. This is a flawed ideology that society passes down.

A better world is one where all people acknowledge both the greatness and the failures within each other, because when the label of “racist” is placed on someone, all fruitful discussion stops. This is also where our discourse as Americans has to evolve. The mention of the word “racist” incites a false ultimatum. Either the defendants vehemently defend themselves from the attack and drag the conversation into the mud, or they simply ignore the accusation altogether. The former

JULIANNA SCIONTI/the Justice

happened in this instance, as Ingraham pointed to a book she wrote 15 years prior entitled “Shut Up & Sing,” according to the same NPR article.

This aside is irrelevant, a red herring to escape the label of “racist.” It is a fallacy to think that one can disprove the way that someone else feels based on evidence. Furthermore, it is impossible to delegitimize anyone’s perceptions of the world around them because every person sees the world through their unique lens, and that is the beauty of a democratic society.

Ingraham’s veil of poise and intelligence belies the same supremacist ideals that continue to fracture civil discourse across this entire country. What she said was wrong not because James is black and she is white. The fact of the matter is that it is antithetical to the idea of democracy to opt to silence one’s opposition as opposed to entering into a formal debate. The underlying problem is that anyone in America feels that any opinion ought be discounted or discredited based on an arbitrary matrix of superiority. There is no hierarchy in logic, there are no gradients in factual evidence. All that it takes to prove someone wrong is to lay the factual evidence before them. Had James brought up the 1500 factory workers in Carrier plants in Indiana that were laid off during the

Trump Presidency, or the additional 1.3 percent of Americans left uninsured in the wake of the abolition of the Affordable Care Act, this would have been a different debate. Regardless of James’ given reasons for making his statement, any legitimate critique ought to defer to factual evidence to either support or deny his claims.

James faces a different set of obligations, all of which are derived from himself. The pervasive issue in American history, in all places, at all times is that some narratives can be ignored. Without leadership, coherence, and public figures to voice these narratives, injustices continue in an endless cycle. When we as Americans look back at Jim Crow laws, at America’s tentativeness in ending the Holocaust, at laws prohibiting Chinese immigrants from buying homes, we question why these injustices pervaded. The answer is because the wronged had no voices. That is where James, for better or for worse, has taken a stance. His refusal to stay silent and his conviction in his opinions in the face of derogation is an inspiration. In an age where so few African-Americans have attained fame to such a degree outside of athletics or entertainment, it is nonetheless paramount that this narrative be brought to the attention of the public. His struggle echoes that of so many

African-Americans striving for excellence in their fields despite lower expectations of them and the knowledge that even when they are successful, their excellence may still be discredited. James has made the choice to stop predicating the validity of his sentiments on their reception and to voice his mind about what he believes, because his responsibility is not to speak for himself, but rather for all the people whose voices would not ever have been heard.

The solution here is for America as a country and Americans as individuals to take a step back.

We need to understand that we are not so far removed from the struggles of our compatriots, and the best way to do this is by opening up the discussion. Entering into earnest, awkward, and contentious debates with one another allows us to relate to each other. Regardless of how much disrespect a person may have for an argument, democratic institutions like this great country hold axiomatic the value of the individual. In the end, that is all that society is. We all live in our own worlds, and the burden laid on each of us is to recognize that we are not unique in our selfishness, and that we must strive to be more compassionate for others. In the end, acceptance, empathy and compassion are mutual ventures that hold us all together.

Promote questioning of repressive traditions and establishments

By Prof. Alain Lempereur (HELLER) Special to the Justice

When we question ourselves, the world and one another, sometimes, we turn things around.

As a result of this questioning, there have been bold revolutions and major breakthroughs in fields such as philosophy, science, politics or the law.

For one, philosophical revolutions boosted the rise of questioning and reason. Philosophers took on the people, who had lived for thousands of years in fear of varying enemies: famines, diseases, earthquakes, wild animals, etc. There were not many explanations about anything, except that life was an ongoing fight. It was also fabulous – full of unquestioned myths.

In Ancient Greece, doubters emerged and encouraged others to seek more robust answers.

In the streets of Athens, Socrates asked people their opinions about a variety of topics. He discovered that, under the surface, they did not know much about anything and started a revolution of one, with the message to go on questioning, whatever obstacle is on the way — one that lives on today.

Questioning returned after the Renaissance to initiate a second revolution. René Descartes started, with radical doubt, in his “Discourse on the Method of Rightly Conducting One’s Reason and of Seeking Truth in the Sciences.”

He put aside the medieval authority-based sciences, and in his footsteps, rationalists and empiricists used, instead, evidence-based reason, mathematics and experimentation.

Henceforth, science and philosophy inexorably worked hand-in-hand. Questioning has been reinforced in its status for leading reason in both philosophy and science.

Scientific revolutions also turned around astronomy and biology. Current scientific and technical discoveries would amaze our ancestors; they would have helped to overcome many of their unfounded fears, but here again, revolutions were essential for this.

First, there was the Copernican Revolution in astronomy. Copernicus questioned the common belief that the earth was the center of the universe. He formulated a heliocentric model that the earth spun on its axis once daily and orbited around the sun, which was later confirmed by Galileo. Literally, it was a major turnaround in science, which became the prime provider of knowledge.

Second, Charles Darwin revolutionized biology. Before, human beings were the center of God’s creation, with everything else — animal, vegetable or mineral — below them. Darwin boldly questioned creationism and proved that we, human beings, are the products of the evolution of species through natural selection.

The power of questioning and reason that everyone could use percolated in all the philosophical and scientific revolutions, as well as in their discoveries. Similarly, it irrigated the next two fields: politics and the law.

Political revolutions invented democracy, self-rule and non-violence. They questioned the violence of rulers and emboldened the people who had lived in fear and never dared to say a word. Once the people started to freely reason for themselves and openly question their leaders, things changed.

Top rulers — kings, dictatorss — or a few — aristocrats, oligarchs — often abused their subjects, who felt powerless. In Athens again, citizens upset this order of things and developed democracy. Even if this revolutionary form of government perished with the Roman Republic, it was reasserted and refined in its current form through the rise of the Parliament during the English Civil War and the Glorious Revolution of the 17th century.

Colonialism, between or within nations, is another form of tyranny that people could not stand. Defeating it and granting full citizenship to all often meant armed struggles. The American Revolution was won through the War of Independence, and the abolition of slavery stemmed from the American Civil War.

Conversely, Mohandas K. Gandhi, better known as Mahatma Gandhi, and Martin Luther King revolutionized self-rule itself through the use of nonviolence, direct action and mass mobilization. As evidence of the success of their methods, India became independent and the civil rights movement prevailed. They proved that the ends and means of politics could be reconciled in shared societies, that being oneself fully can work with recognizing fully the other.

The nonviolent revolution for inclusivity, which empowers the people, makes them the center of politics and keeps political authorities as their true representatives, has not won yet. However, liberal democracies and global citizenry are still undermined by nationalism, populism, fanaticism, terrorism and rogue capitalism. The rule of law must keep them under check, and thus the law must evolve too.

Legal revolutions created the human rights and the law of the people. Citizens once revered the law as a place of eternal truths that just had to be recalled. However, questioning again helped them revolutionize it.

The first major revolution was the shift from legal prohibitions to rights. The law was previously understood as a set of rules or obligations that political or religious leaders imposed on their subjects. Once citizens took over politics, they became the center of legal creation, and consolidated several generations of rights. The first set of liberal rights prevents the state from impeding on their individual realm and dignity: the equality before the law, the freedom of conscience, of speech, of peaceful demonstration, the right to vote, to property, the due process of law, etc.

For this first set of rights not to only be formal, it was complemented by a second generation of social rights to free education, healthcare, housing, work, pension, etc. Here the welfare state regulated the economy and empowered the most disadvantaged. The third group of rights is collective and includes the right to peace, development and a healthy environment. The

The opinions expressed on this page are those of each article’s respective author and do not reflect the viewpoint of the Justice.

overall recognition of each subset of rights to every citizen, from all genders, races or creeds, is still incomplete, and thus the first legal revolution is far from accomplished.

A second quiet revolution is underway.

The law was often conceived as the realm of lawgivers, whether the legislative assemblies or the judges, as if the law always comes from above. For United States Supreme Court Justice John Marshall, the “judicial department” says “what the law is,” as written in the Marbury v. Madison decision. But what if we turned around this conception and made the law orbit around private citizens? Most legal interactions take place daily between citizens, at their own volition, without any legal supervisor.

The people agree on millions of contracts and implement them properly. Besides, even during conflicts, with the development of negotiation and mediation techniques, citizens can remain still the center of decision making. “We, the people” has an extended truer meaning. We should remember Justice Louis D. Brandeis’ revolutionary vision of the law that “the most important institution is that of the private citizen.”

Let us conclude with some hopes and fears.

Some revolutions have staying power. For example, in the line of philosophical revolutions, questioning and the use of reason are pervasive and remain quite successful at producing scientific progresses every day.

Unfortunately, the picture in politics and the law is far more uncertain. In revolution after revolution, the people have questioned leaders, reached the center of the political and legal arenas, built democracies and conquered extensive rights. Yet their victories still look fragile; they could be marginalized again.

Authoritarian tendencies, which prohibit questioning, continue to dominate many parts of the world and even tempt a huge fraction of the populace in democracies. Questioning without the use of reason might well bury both reason and questioning.

THE JUSTICE ● Sports ● Tuesday, March 20, 2018

BASEBALL: Team loses its only game of the week

13

THE RED(S) SCARE

CONTINUED FROM 16 won’t have to worry about postponements any longer. The doubleheader against Wentworth Institute of Technology that was origonally scheduled for this past Sunday was rescheduled as a single game for Monday, April 2nd. The team has had five games postponed due to the snow which has put them at a disadvantage.

The Judges have not entered University Athletic Association

conference play, which is the most critical part of the season.

With less game experience than their eventual opponents as well as limited outdoor practice opportunities, the Judges’ UAA opponents are seemingly in a much better position. Only time will tell however, as the Judges have the talent to overcome their 1-6 start and make a statement in their remaining games.

PRO SPORTS: Ohtani looks to break the mold of two-way players CONTINUED FROM 16 industry were skeptical of the plan to use Ohtani as a two-way player, and so far they seem to be right.

Two-way players are a rarity in the modern game, especially with the culture of specialization in professional baseball. Not since John Olerud was a consensus AllAmerican at first base and pitcher has a two-way player truly enticed Major League Baseball, yet the past year has introduced three such players: Ohtani, Hunter Greene, and Brendan McKay. Greene was the 2nd overall pick in last year’s draft, and while his future likely lies on the mound, his athleticism and power from the plate provide

salivating potential. Just two picks later, another two-way player was picked, Brendan McKay out of the University of Louisville. McKay’s hallmark left-handed power makes me likely to stick with the bat, but he also was the ace on a pitching staff that took Louisville to the College World Series.

While two-way players seem to be the trend, traditional wisdom reigns supreme, as per usual with America’s pastime, that one can not successfully pitch and hit at the Major League level. No one since Babe Ruth has managed that feat, and with an increased emphasis on specialization, it seems that club will remain a one member club for the foreseeable future.

Photo Courtesy of CREATIVE COMMONS

(LIVER)POOL PARTY: Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah stares into the camera with the fans cheering behind him.

PRO SPORTS: Liverpool and

Manchester City set to face off CONTINUED FROM 16

problem for Manchester City. In the past, Guardiola’s teams have been unplayable in possession but vulnerable when forced to absorb pressure. The unbelievable success of Guardiola’s main tactic has allowed him to get away without developing a reliable alternative — but this has led to defeats against strong, organized teams accustomed to playing on the counter attack: Chelsea in 2012, Real Madrid in 2014 and Barcelona in 2016.

No manager has capitalized on this weakness more successfully than Jürgen Klopp. In the 12 meetings between the two managers, Klopp has emerged victorious in six of them,

despite the greater talent available to Guardiola’s sides.

The secret to Klopp’s success is the coaching style he developed while managing Borussia Dortmund.

Rather than building attacks slowly and maintaining possession for the entire game, Klopp’s team aggressively closes down the opposition throughout the pitch, forcing them to give away the ball and allowing the forwards to score before the defense has a chance to reorganize. At Dortmund, this technique worked perfectly against Guardiola’s Bayern Munich — the central midfielders were never given enough time or space to spread the ball out wide, stalling the offense.

Now, with Klopp at Liverpool and Guardiola at City, the dynamic has continued, exemplified most recently by the the exciting clash between the two sides in mid-January in which Liverpool repeatedly dispossessed City’s midfield and poured forward to outnumber the unprotected defense.

Liverpool won the game 4-3, but in truth, it should have been 6-1.

Admittedly, Liverpool might implode and permit a repeat performance of their 5-0 thrashing by City last fall. But Guardiola cannot rely on Liverpool’s inconsistency.

He must come up with a counterattacking strategy to exploit Liverpool’s defensive weaknesses — and he must do it soon.

TENNIS BASKETBALL SWIMMING TRACK

Write for Sports!

Contact Zach Kaufman at sports@thejustice.org

TENNIS BASKETBALL SWIMMING TRACK

Everyone has a story.

Help us find it.

Write for the features section of

the

Justice

Contact Victor Feldman at features@thejustice.org for more information.

Want to become red carpet famous?

Write for Arts Contact Hannah Kressel at arts@thejustice.org IMAGE COURTESY OF CREATIVE COMMONS

THE JUSTICE

● Sports ●

Tuesday, MARCH 20, 2018

15

TENNIS

jUDGES BY THE NUMBERS BASEBALL TEAM STATS

UAA STANDINGS

Runs Batted In

UAA Conference

W L W NYU

0 0 12 Case 0 0 10 WashU 0 0 9 Emory 0 0 8 JUDGES 0 0 1

Overall L Pct. 0 1.000 1 .909 6 .600 9 .471 6 .143

Isaac Fossas ’21 leads the team with six runs batted in.

Player RBI Issac Fossas 6 Victor Oppenheimer 5 Dan Frey 5 Mike Khoury 5

Strikeouts Greg Tobin ’20 leads all pitchers with 15 strikeouts.

Player Ks Greg Tobin 15 Kyle Shedden 8 Bradley Bousquet 7 Mason Newman 7

UPCOMING GAMES: Wednesday vs. Rhode Island College Thursday at Trinity College (Conn) Saturday at Eastern Conn St. (DH)

SOFTBALL UAA STANDINGS

TEAM STATS Runs Batted In

UAA Conference

W L W Case

0 0 11 JUDGES 0 0 3 Emory 0 0 7 NYU 0 0 5 WashU 0 0 5

Keri Lehtonen ’19 has a teamhigh 10 runs batted in.

Player RBI Keri Lehtonen 10 Jolie Fujita 7 Marissa DeLaurentis 5 Melissa Rothenberg 5

Overall L Pct. 1 .917 3 .500 7 .500 5 .500 5 .500

Strikeouts Scottie Todd ’20 has a teamhigh nine strikeouts on the hill.

Player Ks UPCOMING GAMES: Scottie Todd 9 Friday vs. Clark University (double-header) Callie MacDonald 6 Tuesday vs Gordon College (double-header) Sadie-Rose Apfel 4 April 3rd vs. Suffolk College (double-header)

TRACK AND FIELD Results from the NCAA championships on March 9.

TOP FINISHERS (Women’s)

TOP FINISHERS (Men’s) 200-meter dash

RUNNER Irie Gourde

TIME 22.09

3000-meter run

RUNNER TIME Emily Bryson 9:39.99

YURAN SHI/Justice File Photo

GAME, SET, MATCH: David Aizenberg ’20 has his eye on the ball during a match against Rensselaer College on March 9.

Men’s tennis falls to Middlebury College ■ The Panthers dominated the Judges in both singles and doubles action, winning all nine matches.

By Zach Kaufman JUSTICE EDITOR

UPCOMING MEETS: March 24 at Bridgewater State Invitational March 31 at Tufts Snowflake Invitational

TENNIS Updated season results.

TOP PERFORMERS (Men’s)

TOP PERFORMERS (Women’s)

MEN’S SINGLES David Aizenberg

RECORD 7-6

WOMEN’S SINGLES RECORD Haley Cohen 4-2

MEN’S DOUBLES Coramutla/Kogan

RECORD 3-2

WOMEN’S DOUBLES RECORD Bertsch/Neergaard 3-0

UPCOMING MEETS:

Men: Friday vs. Colby Sawyer College Both: Saturday at Trinity College

The Brandeis men’s tennis team entered Friday’s matchup as the number 20 Division III school in the nation. They had a 5-1 record and their only loss came at the hands of a Pamona-Pitzer squad that was ranked at 14. They had also defeated ranked opponent Bates College.

Their season looked incredibly promising, but they were about to face their biggest task yet.

Middlebury College was at the time the third ranked men’s team in the country and was showing no signs of slowing down. Had the Judges beaten the vaunted Panthers, it would have changed the course of their season and elevated the team to the company of those considered the nation’s top teams.

However, that win did not come to fruition and Middlebury blanked the Judges 9-0. Even with the loss, the Judges did gain a spot in the national rankings, as they have the tiebreaker with Bates College.

Brandeis fell to 5-2 on the season, while the Panthers continued their perfect season and improved to 5-0.

In doubles action, David Aizenberg ’20 and Anupreeth Coramutla ’21 faced a daunting task for the first match of the day. Their opponents were Kyle Schlanger and Lubomir Cuba. Cuba is the reigning Division III champion for both singles and doubles. They were quickly defeated 8-2. In the second doubles match, Jackson Kogan ’19 and Tyler Ng ’19 faced Peter Martin and Timo van der Geest of Middlebury. Their luck was not any better than their teammates; as they were similarly defeated 8-3. In the third and final doubles match of the day, a pair of first-years, Nikhil Das ’21 and Rajan Vohra ’21, came the closest to defeating Bates. The duo lost to Weston Brach and Nate Eazor of Middlebury by a score of 8-5.

In singles action, the Judges’ luck did not improve. Even though the 9-0 score seems like utter domination, some of the individual singles games were competitive.

In the first game, Kogan drew the short straw and matched up against defending champion Cuba of Middlebury. He was defeated in two sets by a combined score of 126. In the second match, Coramutla

faced off against Kyle Schlanger of Middlebury. Schlanger made short work of Coramutla, winning both sets by a combined score of 12-1. The third singles match of the day was the closest Brandeis got to winning a game. In the first set, Vohra fell to Middlebury’s van der Geest 6-3.

But he did not give up and was able to battle back, flipping the score by winning the second set 6-3. The match went to a third superset and both athletes battled back and forth.

While Vohra gave his best effort, it was simply not enough and he lost the superset 10-8. The fourth singles game was also interesting, as it also came down to a super tiebreaker.

Ng took the first set from Alex Vanezis of Middlebury 6-3.

However, he would go on to lose the next set 6-4 and would eventually fall in the superset 10-1. In game five, Das squared off against Eazor and fell by a combined score of 12-4.

In the sixth and final singles match of the day, Benjamin Wolfe ’20 was matched up against Andre Xiao of Middlebury. He was unable to string points together and fell by a combined score of 12-5.

The men’s team will be back in action on Friday when they take on Colby Sawyer College. The women’s team will join the men on Saturday as they both face Trinity College.

PRO SPORTS BRIEF March Madness: UMBC defeated UVA last Friday night in one of the greatest upsets in all of sports This past Friday night the University of Maryland, Baltimore County pulled off the biggest upset in the long history of the National Collegiate Athletic Association men’s basketball tournament. The Golden Retrievers did so by defeating the No. 1 team in the country, the University of Virginia, 74-54.

UMBC became the first No. 16 seed ever to win a game over a No. 1 seed. No. 16 seeds were 0-135 in the previous decades-long attempt to topple over the best teams in the nation. There had been a few close calls before, most notably in 1989, when Georgetown University narrowly defeated Princeton University by a point and the University of Oklahoma defeated East Tennessee State 72-71. In the past couple of decades, however,

a No. 16 seed had not even put much of a scare into a No. 1 seed.

That all changed when UMBC came out of the gates firing on Friday. Led by a stellar defense, it was able to hold UVA’s offense as the teams went into the halftime break tied up at 21. Before the tournament set off, Virginia had lost one its better players in freshman guard De’Andre Hunter, who was the Atlantic Coast Conference’s Sixth Man of the Year. The Cavaliers were unable to make up for his absence.

While the game was close in the first half, the second half was anything but. UVA came into the game as the No. 1 ranked defense in the nation. Led by head coach Tony Bennett, Virginia plays a slowed-down type of game flow that makes it very difficult to get

an offense into a rhythm. Their system fell apart as UMBC ripped them for over 50 points in the half.

Senior guard Jairus Lyles lit up the Cavaliers as he scored a gamehigh 28 points while playing almost the entire game. Lyles was an efficient 9-11 from the field, going nearly perfect in the second half.

He hit three three-pointers during the contest, as well as seven free throws. Lyles has been the leader for UMBC throughout the season, most importantly in the final game before the NCAA Tournament. In the championship game of the American East Conference Tournament, Lyles made a buzzer-beating shot that stunned the University of Vermont and sent the Golden Retrievers into the NCAA Tournament.

Lyles had averaged over 20

points this season, but his best performance came this weekend.

Overall, the guard play for UMBC was the strength of the team. While he stands at a relatively diminutive five feet eight inches, senior point guard K.J. Maura stood tall against constant full-court pressure from Virginia. Time and time again Maura escaped from double teams and traps and brought the ball up court. Maura was especially key during the brief time that Lyles came out of the game due to cramping. He played all 40 minutes of the contest, knocking down big shots and timely passes.

Virginia never seemed to escape the mindset that it had the chance to be on the wrong side of history.

As UMBC jumped out to the lead as second half play began, players on UVA’s bench could be seen in visible

shock. Even coach Bennett seemed to lose some of his established poise. In the arena and on Twitter feeds across the country, noise began to grow as time ticked down on the game. Even Jim Nantz, announcing the game on television, could barely contain his excitement as the realization sank in. A feat that many believed might never happen had actually occurred.

March Madness is always full of chaos, and this year has not been any different. With the No. 1 overall seed knocked out of the tournament, the field has been blown open. Other No. 1 seeds — Villanova University, the University of Kansas and Xavier University — will now look to take advantage of the opportunity while also trying to avoid Virginia’s fate.

—Noah Hessdorf

just

Sports

Page 16

TENNIS LOSES TO MIDDLEBURY The No. 19 Brandeis men’s tennis team lost its only match of the week, p. 15.

Tuesday, March 20, 2018

Pro Sports Column

CONTACT

EPL teams meet in Champions League ■ Liverpool and

Manchester City are slated to face each other in the quarterfinal round.

By Avraham Penso Justice Editor

For the first time in four years, two English teams have progressed to the quarter-finals of the UEFA Champions League — and they’ve been drawn against each other.

Liverpool and Manchester City, the Premier League’s two offensive titans, will face off in what promises to be the most exciting matchup of the round.

Manchester City, driven by the creative genius of Kevin De Bruyne and David Silva along with the attacking talents of Sergio Aguero, Raheem Sterling and Leroy Sané, are the favorites to win this fixture.

They’ve had a tremendous season, sweeping aside all domestic and foreign competition with apparent ease and scoring for fun along the way.

Pep Guardiola’s signature possessionoriented style seems to have finally clicked with the team this season; most of their opponents are lucky to manage two clear chances in a game.

Waltham, Mass.

Meanwhile, Liverpool continues to struggle for consistency, crushing strong teams one week only to pathetically roll over against relegation candidates the next.

Defensively, they remain weak. Virgil van Dijk is only beginning to settle into the back line, and while Karius has finally replaced Mignolet as the first-choice goalkeeper, he’s still not good enough for a team with title ambitions. Yet two key Liverpool figures can propel the side to success against City: forward Mohamed Salah and manager Jürgen Klopp.

Salah has been a revelation since joining from Roma last summer, scoring an incredible 28 goals in 30 league games. Blessed with astonishing dribbling ability and packing a surprising amount of strength, “The Pharaoh” frequently resembles Messi as he dances around four or five defenders before unfailingly hitting the back of the net. Playing on the right of a threeman offense, he has developed an instinctive attacking partnership with Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mané. Even Manchester City have not found a way to keep him out.

Klopp poses an even deeper

See PRO SPORTS, 13 ☛

Pro Sports Column

Shohei Ohtani could take the MLB by storm ■ Dubbed the Japanese

Babe Ruth by age 23, he is one of the most promising two-way players in history.

By CAHLER FRUCHTMAN JUSTICE STAFF WRITER

In 2009, when a 16-year-old Bryce Harper graced the cover of Sports Illustrated, baseball gained its next great prodigy, following in the footsteps of Alex Rodriguez and Ken Griffey Jr before him. While other players garnered immense hype, the next great prodigy was overseas, tearing up opponents left and right at the same time as Harper was starting to show just how justified his hype was.

If you haven’t heard Shohei Ohtani’s name then that rock you are living under is quite thick.

Labeled the Japanese Babe Ruth, the hype surrounding Ohtani has even surpassed that of his fellow compatriots Yu Darvish, Masahiro Tanaka, and the vaunted hype of Daisuke Matsuzaka. To show just how dominant Ohtani was on the Japanese circuit, here is a taste of his accolades: Pacific League MVP, two-time Pacific League Top Pitcher, three-time Pacific League All-Star, and Pacific League Top Designated Hitter. Yes, you read that right: he was the best pitcher, and designated hitter in Japan, in the same season to boot. Did I mention he is only 23? For years Major League Baseball has known about the precocious talent and eagerly sought him out, but in a stunning move Ohtani decided to come over this season, forfeiting massive sums of money in order to spend his prime playing in the Bigs.

Due to International Signing restrictions, the money Ohtani could receive and that teams could offer was extremely limited.

The relative cheapness of Ohtani only enhanced his hype, as each team submitted massive recruiting pitches to entice him as no economic barriers existed for any team, no matter how big the payroll, to sign Ohtani. After a nationwide tour, Ohtani signed a contract with the Los Angeles Angels, instantly giving the Angels arguably two of the most talented players on the planet in Ohtani and Mike Trout. Entering spring training, all eyes were fixated on the Japanese phenom, yet through two games that hype seems to be fools gold.

Spring training is a time for players to shake the rust off and adjust, so take any conclusions from Spring training with a grain of salt, but some performances or lack thereof can be startling. So far, Ohtani is 0-1 with a 27.00 in 2.2 innings, a very slim trial. While the ERA may be a bit alarming, the game reports from his outings aren’t as bad. Ohtani still shows off his devastating stuff and has wowed with some spectacular pitches, despite poor control on his breaking balls. Contrastingly, fellow hyped Japanese exports Yu Darvish, Masahiro Tanaka, and Daisuke Matsuzaka all had quite impressive efforts during their respective first Spring Trainings.

Still, the alarm shouldn’t be sounded quite yet. As for Ohtani’s ability on the mound, he is still just 23 years old and a few poor innings does not mean that Ohtani is a poor pitcher. Where the alarm could be sounded is Ohtani’s ability at the plate. So far Ohtani is hitting a paltry .083, with only 2 hits in 24 at-bats. The peripheral stats are not any better with a K/BB ratio of 3, and not a single extra base hit. Despite his massive success at the plate in Japan, many in the

See PRO SPORTS, 13 ☛

ABBY GRINBERG/Justice File Photo

BOMBS AWAY: Max Hart ‘16 swings through an NYU pitch and puts the ball in play during a game on April 17th, 2016.

Slow start continues for the Baseball team ■ The Brandeis Baseball team had multiple games postponed due to the heavy snow.

By JEN GELLER JUSTICE Editor

After the rescheduling of games against Bridgewater State University, Clark University and Wentworth Institute of Technology, respectively, the Brandeis baseball team has only played in one game in the past week, a game in which the Judges were defeated by the Worcester Polytechnic Institute Engineers.

The loss to the Engineers marks the sixth loss for the Judges this season, giving them a record of 1-6. The game was well fought, however, as the score was 9-12 and the loss came in the later innings of the game.

The Judges started off the game strong with a 1-0 lead over the engineers. Infielder Mike Khoury ’21 hit a home run in the first pitch that he faced. As his second home run of the season, Khoury

is shaping out to be a very strong rookie for the Judges, and with more practice will hopefully steer the Judges to many future victories.

Additionally, lefthanded pitcher Greg Tobin ’20 saw a career-high of eight strikeouts in the first three innings. Even more impressive was that Tobin accounted for five hits and four walks that took place during the course of this game.

At the top of the sixth inning, the Judges had a pretty stable lead at 5-3 over the Engineers. Right fielder Dan O’Leary ’20 drove an RBI single to center with a pair of outs in the seventh. However, WPI junior Steven Gallagher responded with a hit that led to a home run for the home team.

The game was very back and forth in nature. The Judges played well, and the Engineers responded with even more talented play.

Other impressive aspects to this game were the fact that Isaac Fossas ‘21 went 3 out of 4 in hits and that four players, Mason Newman ’21, Bradley Bousquet ’18, Kyle Shedden ’20 and Daniel Schupper ’19, played and were on the mound during the game.

With all of these great plays and all of the talent shown, the Judges failed to pull off a victory. At the bottom of the ninth, the Judges did have a 9-8 advantage over the Engineers; however, they were not able to maintain this lead. Later on in the game, the Engineers pulled ahead as WPI sophomore Tyrone Patterson delivered a walk-off three-run home run to put them ahead of the Judges.

With all of the games that have been postponed, this is an important time for the Judges.

They need to regroup and reflect on the start to their season before going into the rest of the season to correct a rough start.

Looking ahead, with all of the delays and postponements, the Judges are next up to play on Wednesday at Rhode Island College. Last year, the Judges lost to Rhode Island College with a score of 2-1, but hopefully, the Judges will be able to band together to gain their second victory of the season.

As March comes to a close, the relatively mild winter will come to an end and the team hopefully

See BASEBALL, 13 ☛

Vol. LXX #20

March 20, 2018

Vol. LXX #2

September 12, 2017

FrankIE Cosmos New York-Based Musician is Out of This World!

just just

Arts

Waltham, Mass.

Images: Natalia Wiater/the Justice. Design: Andrew Baxter/the Justice.

18

TUESDAY, THE JUSTICE March | Arts 20, |2018 TUESDAY, i Arts January i THE JUSTICE 31, 2017

Theater Review

Sondheim show shines at Spingold

By Sabrina Sung justice editor

It is difficult to take an established, award-winning musical and present it with fresh vision. As such, on Friday evening, I took my seat with a fair amount of doubt. However, within the first 10 minutes of the opening, I found myself pleasantly surprised by the Brandeis Theater Company’s production of Stephen Sondheim’s “Into the Woods.”

The show was staged in the Mainstage Theater of Spingold Theater Center, running from March 16 to 18.

It was directed by Maurice Emmanuel Parent, an accomplished performer and educator, and Kelli Edwards, who choreographed the Brandeis Theater Company’s production of “Cabaret” in 2013. Edwards also served as choreographer for this production.

“Into the Woods” is, famously, a musical about fairytales, but Parent and Edwards present it as a musical about storytelling — a small but meaningful distinction. Rather than thrusting the audience into the setting of fairytales, the Brandeis Theater Company whisked the audience away into a realm of a reader’s imagination, opening the whole show with a cluttered attic and a large, dusty book.

The set, designed by Alexa Gilbert ’18 and Qingyi (Brenda) Shen ’18, made use of items commonly found in attics — shoes, coat racks, lamps and trunks — to create the titular forest of the show, both fantastical and a reminder that the whole musical is elaborate make-believe. The use of a bicycle as the cow, MilkyWhite, was truly inspired. One of the most novel moments of the show was when the Narrator (Rodrigo Alfaro Garcia Granados ’18) cycled across the stage, mooing furiously, to depict the cow running away in the woods.

Narrator intervention recurred throughout the show, in a tastefully meta way and Granados played his role well, blending into the background when necessary to let his castmates take centerstage. Casey Schryer ’21 made a charming Brandeis theater debut as Cinderella, and Kaitlin Cavallo ’21 demonstrated great comedic timing in her role as Jack’s Mother.

Tova Weinberger ’18 made a delightful Little Red Riding Hood, suitably annoying as the role requires. I worried in some of her songs that the strain to reach the character’s notoriously high pitch was impeding her ability for emotional inflection, but she still managed to get each of her songs stuck in my head for hours.

Seth Wulf ’21 played a convincingly

YVETTE SEI/the Justice

A BOY AND HIS COW: Jack (Seth Wulf ’21) prepares to part with his beloved cow, whom he has sold to the baker (Justin Chimoff ’20).

foolish Jack, whose love for his cow managed to somehow be touching as

YVETTE SEI/the Justice

HAPPY EVER AFTER: The fairytale characters, particularly the Witch (Rebecca Myers ’18), celebrate the realization of their wishes.

well as humorous. Though I wish he could have brought just a little more childish enthusiasm into his gianthunting adventures, he was always a welcome presence on the stage.

However, as with many iterations of “Into the Woods,” the Witch was a standout performance. Rebecca Myers ’18 gave a truly impressive performance, catching the nuances of the Witch’s character arc. In the start of the show, she was a caricature — as she should be — showy and threatening. But as the story began to go off the rails, Myers drew out real emotional depth, particularly in her interactions with Rapunzel, played by Halley Geringer ’19.

There was a mishap in Friday’s performance in which Geringer’s wig got caught under the cage she stood in, preventing her smooth exit from the stage. Geringer’s calm reaction and Myers’ swift improvisation was met with well-deserved applause. Another, more intentionally memorable scene was when the Witch stood silent, a juxtaposition to the rest of the chattering cast following Rapunzel’s sudden death.

As a whole, everyone brought their

best performances in the second act of the show. Though I had wished the Princes (Ben Astrachan ’19 and Zain Walker ’18) had been more impassioned in their key song “Agony” in Act I, they brought double the drama and double the laughs in “Agony Reprise.” Adina Jacobson ’20 took advantage of her solo as the Baker’s Wife in “Moment in the Woods,” showcasing her comedic and emotional range.

There was, however, one major detriment to the production: Several times throughout the musical, characters entered the scene with their mics too quiet. As a result, their first lines were swallowed up by the music, and the sound mixing often left the brass instruments too loud or too tinny.

As a whole, however, the Brandeis Theater Company’s production of “Into the Woods” presented fresh vision and lively direction, and the cast tied it all together into a performance to be proud of.

—Editor’s note: Maya Zanger-Nadis ’21, a Justice Arts editorial assistant, was on the crew for this production.

She did not take part in editing this article.

Comedy Review

False Advertising with a side of fries

By lizzie grossman justice editor

On Saturday night, amid several other art events occurring on campus this past weekend, a small but enthusiastic group of students gathered in Pollack Fine Arts Teaching Center for a midsemester performance by False Advertising, Brandeis’ only musical improvisation group.

The Facebook page for this event described it as “a pub crawl through the ages,” which was fitting — not only because this performance took place on St. Patrick’s Day, but also because five of the troupe’s alumni joined in and acted along with the current members, representing a variety of ages and generations performing.

The show was certainly entertaining and kept everyone in the audience laughing all night. However, I found it a little bit hard to follow along, although it might’ve been because I was not prepared for this specific style of improvisation. While many other improv shows I have seen at Brandeis do several small skits or play several games in which they may ask for audience volunteers, False Advertising only performed two pieces throughout the night — a longform skit and a musical skit.

For the long-form skit, the troupe asked the audience to give them a location, to which a member of the audience responded with “McDonald’s,” so the troupe

performed a long skit about fast food right on the spot. Of course, since this was improvisational comedy, there were no cues as to when certain performers came in or what the skit would be about.

There were extremely funny moments throughout the piece. At

meat, to which the cashier consistently responded, “How about some fries?”

The troupe also incorporated some funny skits about Happy Meal toys into the longer piece, with one performer acting as a whiny child who begged for a very

ing that Happy Meal toys are made for children.

This whole piece was fun and energetic, but I think False Advertising could have incorporated more than one location or theme; the fast food place lost some of its luster after being used for such a long time.

LUCY FRENKEL/the Justice

MUSICAL IMPROVISATION: False Advertising had fun being themselves in the company of a small audience.

one point, a student portraying a customer went to “McDonald’s” and explained that they were a vegetarian but did not want fries.

They consistently asked the cashier if they had anything without

specific Happy Meal toy. At one point, a few performers acted as if they were Barbie and Ken Happy Meal toys, but with the sexual humor clearly suited to the college audience; this was ironic consider-

For the next and final performance, which was a musical skit, the troupe asked two audience members for the last title they encountered. Their responses were “fish” and “Avengers: Infin-

ity War,” so the troupe announced that they would be performing a musical entitled “Infinity Fish.”

So much was happening at once during this piece that it is hard for me to remember any storyline.

However, the musical portion was extremely impressive. Aaron Newitt ’21 played the piano, and at points during this skit students would break into songs about the ocean or fish that they made up on the spot. These songs were not only funny but displayed that many members of the troupe had musical talent in addition to their improvisational talent. I am in awe of their ability to come up with songs so suddenly and perform them so well.

This was definitely a new type of improvisation for me to watch.

However, it is important to remember that this was improvisation, and these students did not rehearse at all. Everything they performed was created in the moment, themes were thrown at them and they were not intending to look professional or appeal to a large audience. They had fun being themselves in the company of a small audience to enjoy a night of laughter, which is what matters. In addition, former students got the opportunity to come back and perform with the troupe, which they must have enjoyed. False Advertising will be holding one more show toward the end of the semester in which they will honor their graduating seniors, so stay tuned!

19

THE JUSTICE i TUESDAY, January 31, 2017 THE JUSTICE i artsi arts i Tuesday, March 20, 2018

Culture

BAASA’s ‘One World, One Community’ Photos by ANDREW BAXTER/the Justice

Emcees Alvin Liu ’18 and Jennifer Taufan ’20 provided commentary for the Asian Pacific American Heritage Month variety show. Liu introduced the theme for this year, “One World, One Community,” by asking the audience to look at the community seated around them.

By ANDREW BAXTER justice EDITOR

The evening began with three “BAASA modern dances” which were led by Vivian Li ’18, Kelyn Zhang ’19 and Amanda Cheung ’20 and featured members of the Brandeis Asian American Student Association.

As BAASA’s APAHM Coordinator, Laura Wei ’20, wrote in the program, the goal of the event was to “try to bring a global audience together to recognize everyone’s similarities and differences, and how that connects us as one community.”

The audience was wowed by performances from Brandeis and off-campus groups who showed off their dance routines, spoken word pieces, musical performances and comedy sets.

Brandeis Bhangra put on a lively performance, combining Bhangra, an energetic folk dance that originated in the Northern Indian state of Punjab, with contemporary musical influences.

Stop Motion Dance Crew kept the audience enthralled with their video game-themed dance depicting the journey of the protagonist through the different levels, ultimately defeating the evil boss and winning the game.

Film review

Kiss of the Amazing ‘Spider Woman’

By Kent dinlenc justice Staff writer

On March 12, the American Studies program hosted a film screening of the 1985 Hector Babenco film “Kiss of the Spider Woman.” The program borrowed the 35-mm film from the Library of Congress and was brought to us by its Academy Award-nominated producer, David Weisman, and his brother, Sam Weisman. It was screened for Planet Hollywood: American Cinema in Global Perspective, taught by Prof. Thomas Doherty (AMST), but was open to all students.

The film centers around two prisoners in a cell in Latin America. One, Molina, is a gay man, and the other, Valentin, is a political prisoner. They are played by William Hurt and Raul Julia, respectively.

The former is caring and hopeful, while the latter is gruff and cynical. One might think of it as a dark “Odd Couple.” Hurt’s

Molina regales Julia’s Valentin with two fake movies to pass the time while surviving their prison sentences and discussing their lives on the outside.

“Spider Woman” is a uniquely directed film. Babenco chose to adapt the novel of the same name using long, carefully detailed shots. The film opens with a tracking shot of the cell made to look like home, narrated by Hurt. The cell is draped in large blankets, pictures hang on the wall, and a small kettle on the side boils water for tea. We can hear Hurt’s narration before the camera pans to him. Despite the film taking place mostly in the small room, Babenco does a great job of showing rather than telling.

This is, in part, a credit to the outstanding performances

by Julia and Hurt (who won the Best Actor Oscar for his role). Their portrayals of the two completely different men coming to understand each other show that unselfish love

and care can transcend sexual preference. Their story is one of dependence, deception and the sacrifices made for love. Julia and Hurt have some of the best on-screen chemistry ever portrayed on film. Though unconventional, especially for its time, their bond is one neither would ever trade away.

As I left, I realized that it was probably one of the better iterations of a gay relationship in film — up there with “Brokeback Mountain” and “Moonlight.” The two leads had a presence and believable bond that I wish Elio and Oliver had had in “Call Me by Your Name.” The recent Oscar winner, though a beautifully made movie from a filmmaking perspective, featured a relationship that came off as nothing more than lustful, seductive rather than magnetic. The two were not drawn together by pure interest for each other’s well-being, unlike Molina and Valentin in “Spider Woman.” Compared to them,

Elio and Oliver barely had substance in their relationship.

All of these great aspects are reasons why “Kiss of a Spider Woman” was a nominee for best picture, best director and best adapted screenplay and won Best Actor in the 1986 Academy Awards. It’s an underrated drama that deserves some time in the spotlight for supporting homosexuality, transcending gender stereotypes, and portraying what it really means to feel free and happy.

One gripe I have with the film, however, is the editing.

There are some moments that drag and some that don’t quite fit with the story. Molina’s discussion of the fake films he saw incorporates important thematic parallels, but ultimately feels unevenly presented throughout “Spider Woman.” Due to their thematic significance, Babenco cut back to them as naturally as he could, but the transitions often feel forced. The production quality of the flashbacks to said

films was not very good, though it may have been an intentional choice to distinguish the two – either way, it was distracting.

I’d go into detail as to what specifically bothered me about the films within the film, but that would give away certain plot points.

My least favorite part of “Spider Woman” was the ending.

There were a few poignant instances here and there that were split apart by last-minute scenes that seemed to be from a political thriller film. I wish we could have stayed more in the moment, allowing the emotional heft to resonate. Yet the ending felt both rushed and 15 minutes too long. There’s a clear point that the film crosses that could have naturally ended the story, but unfortunately the film continued. I would give “Kiss of a Spider Woman” a B+. Some dialogue may feel dated, but there are timeless and important messages found within the lines that deserve some recognition.

20

TUESDAY, march 20, 2018 | Arts | THE JUSTIce

INTERVIEW

Brandeis TALKS

wf

Are Pop-Tarts ravioli?

Adina Jacobson ’20 YVETTE SEI/Justice File Photo

Anna Badalament ’21

This week, justArts interviewed Adina Jacobson ’20, who starred as the baker’s wife in “Into the Woods”.

“No, I think it’s too hard, the exterior isn’t like pasta. Its a pastry, not a pasta.”

justArts: How did you react when you found out you got this huge role?

Adina Jacobson: I was so excited, I started crying. ... [My] boyfriend called me and told me I got the role and I just freaked out.

JA: Have you done this show before?

PERI MEYERS/the Justice

Evan Moloney ’20 “To put a product inside of an enclosed bready space makes it inherently a ravioli.”

Lena Burdick ’21 “I think that Pop-Tarts are ravioli because I want people to be mad about it.”

Seneca Scott ’20 “No because there’s no cheese inside . . . key to ravioli is the fact that it’s cheese! That is core to the ravioli’s being.”

— Compiled by Eliana Padwa/the Justice photographed by Yvette Sei/the Justice.

STAFF’S Top Ten

Justice File Photo

Top 10 SpongeBob Memes

By ABBY PATKIN justice EDITOR

Abby, adults don’t drop casual SpongeBob memes.

ABbY, adULts DoN’T dRoP CASual sPOngebOB MeMES.

AJ: I actually have, when I was in fifth grade. We did “Into the Woods Junior,” so not the second act, because it is a little raunchy. I was the Baker and my best friend was my wife.

CROSSWORD ACROSS 1 Skippy competitor 4 Recurring fast food menu item 9 Bit of parsley 14 _____ pro nobis 15 Silk fabric 16 Justice Kagan 17 You can’t make fun of one 19 Saguaros, e.g.

20 Chart-toppers 21 Coast Guard equipment 23 Starbucks size 24 Those, in Tijuana 25 Home of a noted Shakespeare Festival 27 ____ Spiegel 28 Things about “climate change”?

33 It’s a real drag?

34 Like Homer Simpson as a Safety Inspector 35 Continent south of Eur. 38 Black _____ 39 Buddy 41 Cease to be 42 “_____ remind you...”

44 Amazon.com button 45 TBS dark comedy that premiered in 2016 48 Diana Ross musical, with “The” 51 Like some Fridays in the office 52 A little blue?

53 Fast planes 55 “Bones” 58 Like much of what’s sold on Ebay 59 Birthplace of Toussaint L’Ouverture 61 Term that first appeared on the census in 2000...or a hint to the shaded squares 63 How fries are often fried 64 Bikini atoll experiment 65 What a Breathalyzer measures, for short 66 Whom Stephen Colbert described as “a man who thinks seltzer water is too spicy” 67 Digs made of twigs 68 9-Down concern DOWN 1 Teased 2 Declaration that might cause some to fold 3 Fear _____ (game show) 4 French Mrs. 5 Atlantic food fishes 6 “Mother of mercy, is this the end of _____?”

7 Mining target 8 “Watch out!”

9 Wall st. watchdog 10 1986 Oliver Stone war film 11 Took back 12 Like J.F.K.

JA: Was any of this nostalgic for you, being that you acted in this when you were so young? Did any of the songs carry over into your memory?

AJ: ... You know, the first one was so long ago, and I was so young, and it wasn’t the full show. ... and I felt that this was my chance to really do the full show, and definitely the songs carried over. I’ve loved the show ever since I was 10 years old.

JA: What is your favorite song from the show? It doesn’t have to be one that you sing.

AJ: That’s so hard. I’d say the finale of the show. It is like “No One is Alone” and it starts with the Baker’s Wife singing “No One is Alone” and goes into “The Children will Listen” and then goes into “Into the Woods.”

CROSSWORD COURTESY OF EVAN MAHNKEN

13 ____ the Snail (“It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” character) 18 Blog feed letters 22 Not optional, for short 26 Culpable 28 Zeno and Epictetus, for two 29 Confess (to) 30 Certain assault rifles, for short 31 _____Pen 32 Sault ____ Marie 35 Brief reply?

36 Lawyer’s charge 37 Chem lab event 39 _____ for the course 40 Museum showing 43 Like some measures 44 What stalagmites are often made of 46 Run smoothly, as an engine 47 Ghost eater 48 Spicy sushi go-with 49 Glacial mass 50 Louisianian music genre 52 Capek sci-fi play 53 Send, as a package 54 Not crazy 56 Big, dumb fellows 57 24 hrs. ago 60 59-Across, e.g.

62 Rehab hurdle, for short

JA: Isn’t this your second time playing Justin’s [Chimoff ’20] wife in a show?

AJ: Yeah! Last time we were boyfriend and girlfriend, yeah.

JA: How was it working with him?

Do you feel like your chemistry has developed, because you worked with him as his significant other before?

AJ: Yeah, and this was funny because it is almost like Ariel and Ren (Footloose) almost 10 years in the future, which I think was really fun! And, yeah, it was just really great to work with with him again.

JA: How does this show compare to others you have been in at Brandeis?

SOLUTION COURTESY OF EVAN MAHNKEN

AJ: Honestly, I have had a really great experience in all of my shows at Brandeis. This one was a huge time commitment, beyond anything I have ever done, so I have gotten so close with the cast, which is amazing. But I have had a really great experience in all of my shows; I can’t complain.

JA: What, overall, was your favorite part of the whole experience?

SUDOKU INSTRUCTIONS: Place a number in the empty boxes in such a way that each row across, each column down and each small 9-box square contains all of the numbers from one to nine.

1. DoodleBob 2. Evil Patrick 3. No, This is Patrick 4. Is Mayonnaise an Instrument?

5. Soiled It 6. Handsome Squidward 7. Confused Mr. Krabs 8. Caveman SpongeBob 9. Spongemock 10.Chocolate

AJ: There are so many. I think the cast was just unbelievable; bonding with people in the cast, getting to know them and getting to work with them, with such a great group of people, was great and I am so lucky to have been a part of that.

JA: Is there anything else you wanted to add?

AJ: I just wanted to say thank you to everyone who helped make this show possible, to everyone who came out and supported us, and it was just a really great run!

—Lizzie Grossman

Solution to last issue’s sudoku

Puzzle courtesy of www.sudokuoftheday.com