ARTS Page 19
SPORTS Swimmers rack up golds 16
MIDYEAR EXHIBIT
FORUM Support undocumented students 11 The Independent Student Newspaper
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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 LXIX, Number 15
www.thejustice.org
Tuesday, January 24, 2017
ORIENTATION
STEP INTO FORMATION
Campus welcomes midyears during convocation ■ The convocation
ceremony kicked off midyear orientation, the theme of which was "Light of Reason." By Abby patkin JUSTICE editor
Brandeis students should help define and build their community, University President Ronald Liebowitz told incoming midyears at the convocation ceremony on Jan. 13. The event marked the beginning of midyear orientation. The theme of the orientation was “Light of Reason,” said Midyear Orientation Core Committee member Danielle Frankel ’17, quoting University namesake Louis D. Brandeis. “What you learn during orientation will brighten the days to follow,” she told the midyear class. In his remarks, Liebowitz spoke about how he has gotten a chance to
interact with students on a personal level through his weekly office hours and various events around campus. Student, faculty and alumni loyalty to the University is one of the biggest markers Liebowitz said he has observed since becoming president in July. In particular, he cited an event held in celebration of Prof. Chris Miller’s (BCHM) career, during which the gathering of current and former students highlighted the “human connection one finds in the teaching and mentoring in his classroom and lab.” Liebowitz added that he has observed a special “openness” among community members, especially as it pertains to making Brandeis a more inclusive space. However, he noted, “This passion for inclusion, openness and debate … should not come as a surprise. Brandeis’ remarkable and unique history — a history all of us need to learn and come to appreciate — is rooted in openness and in-
See MIDYEAR, 7 ☛
CAMPUS EVENT
Chronicle data shows compensation in top 91st percentile ■ Recent data showed that
Frederick Lawrence's 2014 presidential salary was in the top tier for private schools. By ABBY PATKIN JUSTICE EDITOr
While the University’s institutional expenses ranked in the 87th percentile of private colleges in 2014, its executive compensation for thenUniversity President Frederick Lawrence ranked in the 91st percentile, according to a recently-released set of data from the Chronicle of Higher Education. Listing total monetary amounts from the calendar year, the data set
includes information on more than 1,200 chief executives at more than 600 private colleges from the years 2008 to 2014, according to the Dec. 6 piece. In 2014, Lawrence received a salary of $937,752, ranking him 47th in a list of 510 college presidents, per the Chronicle data set. This included a base pay of $723,440, as well as $86,409 in nontaxable income and $127,903 “other” income. While Lawrence’s salary ranked in the 91st percentile for private colleges, the average Brandeis salary for what the Chronicle referred to as a “full-professor” for that same time period ranked in the 88th percentile, with an average total of $137,655. However, Lawrence was not the
See COMP, 7 ☛
NATALIA WIATER/the Justice
MAGICAL NIGHT: Majorette dance troupe TOXIC performed onstage at the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial event last Monday.
MLK event celebrates Black Girl Magic ■ The annual Martin Luther
King Jr. Memorial celebrated Black womanhood and identity. By Michelle dang JUSTICE Editorial assistant
Through a series of spoken word, poetry, and dance performances, as well as speeches by student scholars and visiting guest performers, the University’s 12th Annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial celebrated “Black Girl Magic” and brought to attention Black women identity and the historical leadership of Black women revolutionaries last Monday. “This short civil rights history lesson does not begin or end with Martin. For once, I want you to say her name. I want you to recognize her accomplishments,” said student speaker Aja Antoine ’17. Antoine recognized the deeds of local figure Ruth M. Batson, among those of other Black female leaders, whose stories have too often been cast into the shadow of their Black men revolutionary counterparts'.
“She was resilient before Boston was strong,” Antoine said of Batson. “She was to the Boston Busing Crisis of the 1970s as Ida B. Wells is to lynching in the U.S. South and Angela Davis is to prison abolition. As Alicia [Garza], Opal [Tometi], and Patrisse [Cullors] are to Black Lives Matter. … An unapologetically Black female leader, her name is Ruth Batson, and I want you to say it, loudly, proudly and with conviction,” said Antoine. The evening’s keynote speech featured University alumna and former Student Union President Nyah Macklin ’16. In her remarks, Macklin addressed the need to pay respect toward not only Black women leaders but the Black women of local and University communities. “We need to normalize thanking and providing resources to the Black women who thanklessly take the largest burdens,” said Macklin, “And of course we can’t forget the aunties, the cousins, the mamas, the grandmas who have sacrificed as Black women in order to see a better world for their children, their grandchildren, their great-grandchildren and generations to come.” “We will never understand what
work they are doing that is going unmarked — the hours, the years that these women are putting in uplifting every aspect of Black men, other Black women, and girls, and the entire world,” said Macklin. Macklin also addressed the need for a space for discussion about mental health stigmas, especially for the Black community. She spoke about wanting to present the “superhuman” version of Black womanhood in her role as Student Union president last year, a role that often involved “overcoats, heels, purses, running from place to place,” she said. However, she told the audience, “I didn’t have it together. Every day was an attempt not to collapse. … I realized I was becoming inaccessible to other Black women who were trying to follow in my footsteps. … I was out here being hypervisible and only showing the most polished version of myself.” Concluding her remarks, Macklin credited “Black Girl Magic” with helping her heal. “This 'Black Girl Magic' that we have created has made me love my skin again. … These Black
See MLK, 7 ☛
Comic Creator
Having a Ball
Conduct Board
David Pepose '05 created his own comic series.
The men's basketball team fell twice in two well-fought games this past weekend.
The Student Conduct Board launched office hours to educate students about the conduct process.
FEATURES 9 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
INDEX
SPORTS 16 ARTS SPORTS
17 13
EDITORIAL FEATURES
10 OPINION 8 POLICE LOG
10 2
News 3
COPYRIGHT 2017 FREE AT BRANDEIS.
2
TUESDAY, January 24, 2017
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the justice
NEWS SENATE LOG
POLICE LOG
Union pushes transparency and communication in first Senate meeting of the spring semester
Medical Emergency
The Student Union Senate convened on Sunday evening for the first meeting of the semester. No club business was on the docket, making for a short session. Two members of the Executive Board were present at the meeting: Director of Academic Involvement and Communications Jacob Edelman ’18 and Student Union President David Herbstritt ’17. In his remarks to the Senate, Edelman emphasized a Union-wide move toward transparency and better communications with the student body. Other branches of the Union “don’t have quite as open a set-up [as the Senate],” said Edelman in a follow-up interview with the Justice. Though the Executive Board, Judiciary, Treasury and other branches of the Student Union meet regularly, only the Senate meetings are regularly publicized, he said. He highlighted a need to “keep the student body more informed … to keep sort of a back-and-forth line of communication about the events we put on, initiatives that are happening.” Edelman also urged senators to send in their office hours so that public calendars can be made available. The Dining Committee celebrated Dunkin’ Donuts’ move to Upper Usdan and noted plans to talk with Sodexo staff in their weekly meeting. With Dunkin Donuts’ newfound presence in Upper Usdan, there is now an empty space in the Village. Committee Chair Kate Kesselman ’19 said that she will talk with Sodexo about what would be the best way to utilize the open space, adding that she will likely ask students about what they want there. The committee will also discuss gluten-free options at Sub Connection and the inclusion of salad as a meal swipe option, she said. Various senators brought up plans for more shuttles in the vein of the Thanksgiving break Turkey Shuttles, which brought students to Penn Station and Boston Logan Airport. The Senate then shifted into an executive session. During the executive session, the senators re-elected Hannah Brown ’19 to the executive senator position, which she also held last semester. Brown praised the Union for funding extra shuttles to Boston for the Women’s March, given the high demand for the event. Senators also discussed initiatives to make cleaning supplies available to students, in addition to various proposals to renovate community spaces around campus. The Community, Emergency and Enhancement Fund also came up in this discussion. According to the Student Union website, CEEF “serves as a source of emergency funding for student life on campus” and “provides funding for student-led initiatives that enhance the Brandeis community.” The deadline for CEEF grant applications was recently extended to Feb. 17 from the original deadline of Jan. 20. According to the Union website, the CEEF Board, which reviews applications, is made up of Junior Representative to the Board of Trustees Wil Jones ’18, Class of 2019 Senator Kate Kesselman, Allocations Board member Alex Mitchell ’17 and Class of 2020 Senator Tal Richtman. The first round of Student Union spring elections will take place on Feb. 1. Up for election are the senator at-large seat, Ridgewood Quad seat, Ziv Quad seat, Midyear seat, Charles River/567 seat and four seats on the Allocations Board.
Jan. 11—University Police received a report of an injured party in Science Lot. The party was transported to Newton-Wellesley Hospital by University Police for further care. Jan. 16—A party in the Charles River Apartments requested BEMCo assistance. BEMCo staff treated the party, who was then transported to Newton-Wellesley Hospital for further care. Jan. 18—University Police received a report that a party in the Rabb Graduate School had fallen and hurt their ankle. The party was treated by BEMCo staff and was transported to an urgent care center for further care. Jan. 20—A party in the Foster Mods reported that they were having an allergic reaction to lubricant on their thighs and stomach. BEMCo staff treated the party, who was then transported to Newton-Wellesley Hospital for further care. Jan. 21—University Police received a report of an intoxicated party in Cable Hall. The party was treated by BEMCo and was
transported to Newton-Wellesley Hospital for further care. Jan. 21—University Police received a report of two intoxicated parties in the restroom of Sherman Function Hall. Both parties were treated by BEMCo with a signed refusal for further care. Jan. 21—A party in Village Quad reported that they were suffering from a fever. The party was transported to Newton-Wellesley Hospital for further care. Jan. 21—A party in East Quad reported that they had twisted their ankle. BEMCo staff treated the party with a signed refusal for further care. Jan. 22—A party in Usen Hall requested BEMCo assistance for a naked, intoxicated party found lying unconscious and unresponsive on the restroom floor. The party was transported to NewtonWellesley Hospital for further care via Cataldo Ambulance.
Larceny
Jan. 11—A party reported fraudulent use of a credit card in Usdan Student Center. University Police compiled a report on
the incident. Jan. 14—Staff in the University bookstore reported the possible theft of an unknown number of books from the store. University Police compiled a report on the incident and will review closedcircuit television footage from the area. Jan. 19—A party in the Gosman Sports and Convocation Center reported that their belongings were removed from an unlocked locker. University Police compiled a report on the incident.
Disturbance
Jan. 18—University Police received a report of a loud party causing a disturbance in the Foster Mods. The occupants were advised to quiet down without incident. Jan. 21—University Police received a complaint from Waltham residents regarding a large, noisy party in the Foster Mods. The party was unauthorized and denied by the Department of Community Living. The University Police dispersed ap-
Midyear Move-In
MORGAN BRILL/the Justice
Justice
the
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Jan. 18—A party reported that they were missing mail. University Police compiled a report on the incident. Jan. 20—University Police received a report that a party was receiving unwanted text messages from an unidentified male. University Police contacted the individual, who they determined was attempting to promote a music band. University Police gave the individual a verbal notrespass order for University property and escorted him from the premises without incident. The University Police will send the individual the trespass notice through the mail. — Compiled by Abby Patkin.
Univ. ranks high in low- and middle-income students
CORRECTIONS AND CLARIFICATIONS
The Justice welcomes submissions for errors that warrant correction or clarification. Email editor@ thejustice.org.
Other
BRIEF
—Peri Meyers
n The Justice has no corrections or clarifications to report this week.
proximately 100 people without incident and will be filing a Community Standards Report on the incident. Jan. 21—University Police received a report of loud music in the Foster Mods. The occupants turned off the music without incident.
With the help of community advisors and orientation leaders, midyear students moved into their rooms in the Village Quad on Jan. 13. The move-in day marked the beginning of midyear orientation.
Brandeis University ranked ninth in a list of elite colleges that enroll the highest percentage of low- and middleincome students, according to recent data from the Equality of Opportunity Project released in a Jan. 18 New York Times piece. The study, which was based on anonymous tax records, found that the median family income for a Brandeis student is $128,400, according to the Times. The piece also reported that 57 percent of Brandeis students come from the top 20 percent, The University’s median parent income is relatively low, with Brandeis ranking 58th among 65 peer elite universities. Washington University in St. Louis, the highest, pulls a $272,000 median parent income, according to the Times. Likewise, the share of Brandeis students from the top one percent and top 20 percent is low in comparison to peer elite universities, with the University ranking 53rd and 59th in those respective categories, the Times reports. The results also found that 38 American colleges — including five Ivy League schools — had more enrolled students from the top one percent than from the bottom 60 percent. However, the University ranks highly in shares of students from the bottom 20 percent, with its 4.7 percent population earning it number 13 on the list. The prognosis for Brandeis alumni is also relatively fair; according to the data, the median student income at age 34 is $63,100, ranking the University 33rd. Additionally, graduates have a 14 percent chance of moving up an income bracket, with the University coming in 20th among its peers. According to the study, approximately two percent of students came from poor families but became rich adults. —Abby Patkin
ANNOUNCEMENTS Who are the “Evangelicals” in America?
John Jefferson Davis, professor of Systematic Theology at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, a leading evangelical seminary, will address identity, belief and diversity within the largest sector of Protestant Christianity in America and will attempt to clarify common misunderstandings. He will share his own faith journey and personal reflections on current internal discussions about race, gender and politics since the recent presidential election. Davis chairs the Division of Christian Thought at Gordon-Conwell. He currently researches the intersections between Christian theology and world religions and Christian faith and modern science. Tomorrow from 3:30 to 4:50 p.m. in Lown 302.
Hacking Your Potential
The talk will focus on recent, evidencebased insights regarding human perfor-
mance, neuroplastictiy, motivation and the way that deliberately cultivating a “growthmindset” can improve our willingness and ability to face challenges and to innovate despite the risk of failure. This workshop is a must for anyone interested in leading a research group in the future. Thursday from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. in Bassine 251.
Sex Work, Feminism and Activism
Sex worker activism has become increasingly visible around the world. This discussion — led by Prof. Gowri Vijayakumar (SOC) — will look at the history, goals and strategies of different groups within the sex workers’ rights movement, drawing on experiences in the U.S., India and Kenya. The discussion will also cover conflicts and alliances between the sex workers’ movement and the feminist movement. Thursday, from 4 to 5 p.m. in the Usdan Alumni Lounge.
Yaki Night
Yaki Night is the first Japanese Students Association event of the spring semester. Yaki means fried in Japanese, and the Japanese Students Association will serve Takoyaki, a traditional street food in Japan. As Jan. 27 is the eve of the new year in the lunar calendar, the JSA will have New Year’s resolution cards for people to write on. Friday from 6 to 9 p.m. in the Intercultural Center Swig Lounge.
Skating on Frog Pond
Experience one of Boston’s signature winter activities by skating on the Boston Common Frog Pond, an ice rink nestled in the heart of America’s oldest public park. There is plenty of time to grab dinner or walk around the Common while in the city. Tickets for admission and skate rentals can be purchased for $5 at the Shapiro Campus Center Box Office. Saturday from 6 to 10:30 p.m. off campus.
the justice
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news
MICHELLE BANAYAN/the Justice
Senior Vice President for Students and Enrollment Andrew Flagel spoke with students on Friday at an event to discuss President Donald Trump’s inauguration.
began office hours to inform students about their options in the conduct process. By ABBY PATKIN JUSTICE editor
FACULTY
Sarna draws link between Boston and Israel with flag (NEJS) used a historic Israeli flag to establish ties between Boston and Israel. By TZLIL LEVY JUSTICE Staff WRITER
Brandeis Prof. Jonathan Sarna (NEJS) ’75 found historic ties between the Boston community and the flag of Israel last month. Sarna’s paper, “American Jews and the Flag of Israel,” traces the flag design back to Rabbi Jacob Baruch Askowith, a member of Boston’s Lithuanian Jewish community in the late 1800s. As Sarna’s paper notes, the design consisted of the Star of David with the word “Maccabee” inscribed in Hebrew in blue on a white background with two horizontal blue stripes. In 1891, the flag hung on Boston’s B’nai Zion synagogue in the North End. In 1892, American Jews paraded in Boston with the “flag of Judah,” as it was known then, in an event
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Conduct Board hosts office hours to inform and educate ■ The Student Conduct Board
celebrating the 400th anniversary of Christopher Columbus’s arrival in America. Instead of the word “Maccabee” in the center, however, the word changed to another Hebrew word: “Zion.” In 1898, the flag of Judah appeared at the Second Congress in Basel, Switzerland, and in 1899, Zionist leader Theodor Herzl’s flag design — featuring a lion and seven stars — appeared at the Congress. Nevertheless, American Jews particularly liked Askowith’s design, and in 1904 the flag was flown at the St. Louis World’s Fair. In a statement to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Sarna said, “That was absolutely a turning point — it was the first time that a Zionist flag was flown along with all the other flags of other countries.” “It was a huge deal that the flag was recognized, and because it was recognized and got so much attention, I think that that became the flag that American Jews knew,” he added. More than half a century later, the Israeli government adopted a
TUESDAY, January 24, 2017
CONDUCT BOARD
MOVING FORWARD
■ Prof. Jonathon Sarna
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similar design for the current flag of Israel, retaining the Star of David and horizontal blue stripes but forgoing any words. “To think that 57 years before the founding of the modern State of Israel, Americans in Boston were proudly parading a flag so closely reminiscent to the present day version is extraordinary, and is further indicative of the impassioned and prominent role that American Jews, even in the 1800s, had in shaping the future State of Israel,” Sarna said in a BrandeisNOW article. Sarna met with University President Ron Liebowitz, Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Consul General of Israel to New England Yehuda Yaakov in Israel on Dec. 13, holding the historic flag for a photograph. Baker also posted a photo on Twitter with the caption, “Thrilled to meet with @IsraeliPM and discuss our ongoing commitment to strengthening the unique relationship between #Israel & MA. #MAIsrael.”
In order to help students better understand the University conduct process, the Student Conduct Board has launched informational office hours. The SCB began the program last semester, offering resources and information to students in need. “The Student Conduct Board is looking to find ways to be a better resource for students who are the subject of Community Standards Reports,” Assistant Director of Student Rights and Community Standards Melissa Woolsey wrote in an email to the Justice. “SCB Members’ roles are not limited to just hearing cases. They are meant to be peer educators and offer resources and information for students going through the student conduct system.” Through the office hours, which took place on Monday mornings and afternoons last semester, the SCB is looking to help students better understand their resolution options before entering the conduct process, according to Woolsey. She wrote that a lot of students go over the three options available — administrative hearing, SCB hearing or administrative agreement — in a meeting with a hearing officer. However, “Students tend to make a resolution decision on the spot, perhaps because they want to move through the process as quickly as possible,” Woolsey wrote. “We think that more students might choose to participate in a hearing if they understood the process better. Our goal is that students will use the SCB Office Hours to better
understand their resolution options before they enter our disciplinary meetings, allowing for more thoughtful and intentional resolutions.” She added that her hope is that the office hours make the student conduct process less anxiety-provoking for students involved by providing information and support. While she noted that the members of the SCB who run the office hours do not counsel students, they can give pros and cons for each resolution option. Additionally, she wrote, any member who aids a student through office hours will not sit on that particular student’s board hearing. Another bonus that the office hours provide is confidentiality, Woolsey said. “For instance, a student ... may be anxious about their potential allegations, but also might not want to share their involvement in the conduct process with peers who are not bound by confidentiality. SCB members can listen and work with students in this position,” she wrote. The SCB is also fairly diverse, made up of students of different backgrounds, academic areas, extracurricular activities and class years, she wrote, adding that this diversity allows students in need to access a more tailored experience. Though the office hours were not widely utilized in the fall semester, Woolsey wrote that she is hopeful that better marketing and additional time slots will encourage more students to utilize the program. “The office hours are new and so students are slowly becoming aware of them,” she wrote. Looking forward, the SCB has plans to work on a website, table around campus, produce informational videos and host open space sessions in order to open up the conduct process — as well as the SCB itself — to the student body, Woolsey wrote.
LET ME TAKE A SELFIE
BRIEF
Rebecca Walker announced as ’DEIS Impact keynote speaker Author and feminist leader Rebecca Walker, daughter of “The Color Purple” author Alice Walker, will serve as ’DEIS Impact’s 2017 keynote speaker on Jan. 31. “Through her coming of age as a biracial Jewish woman and embracing the power of renaming herself,” reads the ’DEIS Impact event booklet, “Walker speaks to the intersections of race, gender, class and religion that shape today’s conversations about power, privilege and identity.” Co-founder of the Third Wave Foundation, Walker has written several books, including her memoir, “Black, White & Jewish: Autobiography of a Shifting Self.” The overlap between different experiences and identities like Blackness, whiteness and Judaism is central to third-wave feminism. On her website, Walker describes this third wave as “comprising people of many gender, ethnic, and class identities, experiences, and interests,” all looking “to question, reclaim, and
redefine the ideas, words, and media that have transmitted ideas about womanhood, gender, beauty, sexuality, femininity, and masculinity.” Born from the efforts of the International Center for Ethics, Justice and Public Life and the Student Union, ’DEIS Impact has engaged the campus and surrounding communities in the pursuit of social justice since 2012. The event highlights the need not just for discussion and thought but also for action. Quoting Holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel, the event booklet notes that “neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim.” This year’s event will run from Jan. 26 to Feb. 5. Topics will include immigration, poverty, gender and sexuality. Additionally, on Feb. 2 and 3, ’DEIS Impact College will hold open sessions of courses whose topics of discussion relate to ’DEIS Impact’s overall social justice theme. —Peri Meyers
NATALIA WIATER/the Justice
Students at the midyear orientation event “Time to Illuminate” played with glow sticks and took photos under blacklights on Saturday, Jan. 14 in the Shapiro Campus Center.
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Teach elementary school or middle/high school biology, chemistry, physics, math, Chinese, English or history in public or Jewish day schools.
Yearlong student teaching internships in a public or Jewish Day School Generous scholarships GREs not required and application fee waived for Brandeis alumni
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THE JUSTICE
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TUESDAY, January 24 , 2017
5
CAFFEINE FIX
BRIEF
IBS prof awarded prestigious honorary doctorate at Swiss University of Basel Prof. Stephen G. Cecchetti (IBS) received an honorary doctorate at the University of Basel’s 556th Dies Academicus on Nov. 25. The Swiss university praised his expertise and contributions to both the theoretical and practical sides of economics. The annual Dies Academicus commemorates the University of Basel’s opening, which took place in 1460, making it the oldest university in Switzerland. After meeting at the Natural History Museum of Basel, academics proceed to St. Martin’s Church. There, the university’s president presents the “Dies speech” and faculty members award honorary doctorates. In traditional beret-andgown attire, Basel Professor Aleksander Berentsen awarded Cecchetti an honorary doctorate from the Faculty of Business and Economics. Seven others received the same honor.
“The faculty decided to honor [Cecchetti] because he has chosen to not just do research but to contribute to improving the global financial system,” said University of Basel former Dean of Economics and Business Yvan Lengwiler in a Jan. 4 IBS article. “We highly value the reflection of problems and the conducting of research — but we also highly value people who take informed action.” An expert in central banking, financial regulation and monetary policy, Cecchetti taught at Brandeis from 2003 to 2008 before assuming a position at the Bank for International Settlements in Basel. There, he worked as Economic Adviser and Head of the Monetary and Economic Department from 2008 to 2014. After finishing up his term, he returned to his teaching position at Brandeis, where he is currently a professor of International Economics. —Peri Meyers
Do you have a nose for news?
NATALIA WIATER/the Justice
Staff members at the recently opened Dunkin’ Donuts in Upper Usdan served coffee and snacks to lines of customers after the location officially opened last Tuesday.
ADMINISTRATION
Several admins set to depart from campus
■ Two University
administrators will resign and retire, while one will take on a new role in fundraising. By ABBY PATKIN JUSTICE EDITOR
Contact Abby Patkin at news@thejustice.org
The University will soon be down three administrators due to retirement, resignation and revised roles, according to a series of emails sent to Brandeis students, faculty and staff. Senior Vice President for Finance and Treasurer Marianne Cwalina, who has been at the University for five years, will be retiring at the end of June, according to a Dec. 15 email to the community from Executive Vice President for Finance and Administration Stew Uretsky. Nancy Winship, the senior vice president for institutional advancement, will take on a new role as chief philanthropic adviser to the president — assisting primarily with donor cultivation and solicitation — effective June 30, according to a Jan. 10 email to faculty and staff from University President Ronald Liebowitz. Deputy Chief Information Officer and Chief Information Security Officer Michael Corn, on the other hand, has resigned from the University to begin a new position as chief information security officer at the University of California, San Diego. His resignation is effective Jan. 31, according to
a Jan. 9 email announcement sent to the University community from Interim Chief Information Officer Jim La Creta. Corn said that his decision to leave the University was a combination of personal and professional reasons. “It was difficult to actually decide to leave,” he wrote in an email to the Justice. However, he wrote, the new position at UCSD is what he has been looking for as the next move in his career. “I spent the early part of my career at a very large State system with a large research computing portfolio. I remain active in the research computing community and UCSD has one of the largest expenditures on research in the country, well over a $1 billion per year for the last 6 years,” he wrote. “As a security professional the combination of academic and research activity at this scale is uniquely attractive. Personally, my wife and I have been thinking about moving to a warmer climate and San Diego certainly checks the ‘great weather’ checkbox. My older pups will appreciate the lack of snow and ice too,” he joked. As he transitions to this new role, Corn wrote that he is most looking forward to re-examining how he approaches challenges. “I once read that the biggest mistake a leader can make is to bring their past experience and vision with them,” he said. “I think this is because we often don’t recognize how deeply our environment
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shapes our thinking. We’re entering a kind of golden age for information security — all you need to do is look at how it played a role in the recent election to see that. So, the opportunity to start fresh and re-envision where we’re going in the world of information security is very exciting.” Still, Corn took care in noting the significance of the advancements he and his colleagues have overseen in the Library and Technology Services and security departments. “Many of the projects we’ve undertaken are largely invisible to most staff and students, and that’s by design,” he said. “We’ve implemented firewalls and intrusion prevention technology that’s stopping hundreds of thousands of attacks on the University every day,” he wrote, citing programs that stop traffic to malicious URLs, encrypted workstations on campus and better managed anti-malware software. Though Corn is excited for this next stage in his career, he wrote that he looks forward to maintaining the relationships he has built over his three years at the University. “While LTS has divided into two parts, Library and IT, which I strongly support, I have to be grateful for the collegiality and patience of the profoundly talented library staff,” he wrote. “I’ve made many lasting friendships at Brandeis, and I am positive they’ll survive the 3000 miles between us.” Winship and Cwalina did not return requests for comment as of press time.
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THE JUSTICE
MLK: Macklin looks back on presidency CONTINUED FROM 1 women were the sisters I’ve never had, and they continue to be, no matter their age, no matter their discipline. Black women have created a community that facilitates a type of loyalty that is imperiled. … So let us make sure that we understand the impact that Black women have had on our lives, whether we know those impacts or not.” Between speeches recalling the historical deeds of great Black women, performances also shared stories of Black female identity. Stacy Finley ’15 performed the spokenword “Natural Hair Girl” and LaQuasia Cherry ’17 and Maggie Ziegel ’18 performed “The Natural Hair Vocabulary.”
University’s highest paid employee at the time. That honor went to former University President Jehuda Reinharz, who was paid $4,361,942 during that period. Much of this amount paid to Reinharz — approximately $4.1 million — came as deferred compensation, while $811,000 was a payout for untaken sabbaticals during his tenure, according to a Jan. 23 BrandeisNOW article. “These amounts had been set aside in previous years’ budgets and will have no impact on the University’s current finances,” the article notes. The size of Reinharz’s compensation brought student outrage when it was disclosed, according to a Nov. 11, 2013 Justice article, prompting the University to announce changes to its executive compensation policies. These changes included new procedures for compensating administrators and publicly disclosing presidential compensation to the faculty before the legally required date, per the “Statement of Compensation Philosophy,” which was adopted in January 2014. “In adopting these changes, the Board simultaneously demonstrates its commitment to act in a fiscally re-
NEWS
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TUESDAY, January 24, 2017
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BRANDEIS BEGINNINGS
Vanessa Alamo ’17 danced original choreography in unison with Dean of Students Jamele Adams’ spokenword “Black Girl Magic.” The evening also featured orations and performances by vocalist Megan Boateng ’17, Marcelo Brociner ’18, Platinum Step, TOXIC, violinist Priya DeBerry ’17, Sean Fielder of Boston Tap Company and world poetry slam champion Porsha Olayiwola. LaShawn Simmons ’18 personified Black activist Assata Shakur, reciting her speech “To My People,” and Kofi Hodge ’15 recited a speech as King himself to end the evening. The memorial is hosted annually on Martin Luther King Jr. Day and was sponsored by the Men of Color Alliance and the Dean of Students Of-
COMP: New data breaks down 2014 executive compensation figures CONTINUED FROM 1
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sponsible way [and] the need to retain qualified leadership and address concerns raised by faculty, students and alumni around past practice,” Prof. Sacha Nelson (BIOL) — then a faculty representative to the Board of Trustees — told BrandeisNOW at the time. The 2014 compensation period also saw former Heller School Dean Lisa Lynch appointed University Provost in October, garnering her a salary of $379,810, according to the Chronicle. Lynch, who went on to serve as interim University President after Lawrence’s departure, also took a smaller salary during her yearlong tenure as president, earning approximately $587,612. This figure ranked her in the 7th percentile of presidential compensation for comparable institutions, according to a Mar. 1 Justice article. Comparatively, the University ranked in the 46th and 59th percentile for presidential compensation in 2014 and 2013, respectively, compared to the peer group of institutions. “That was, in all honesty, a number [Lynch] wanted, and we agreed to pay her,” former Board of Trustees Chair Perry Traquina ’78 said in a presentation at a Feb. 26 faculty meeting, attributing the lower salary to Lynch’s interim status, according to the Justice article.
NATALIA WIATER/the Justice
LIGHT OF REASON: Midyear Orientation Core Committee member Danielle Frankel ’17 addressed midyears on Jan. 13.
MIDYEAR: Speakers offer advice for incoming students CONTINUED FROM 1 clusion, and came at a time when the norm on college campuses was quite the opposite.” He ended his remarks by giving midyears a few suggestions for their time on campus, including “jump in, don’t hold back,” “learn and live the institution’s special history” and “help define and build the community you’re joining.” Senior Vice President for Students and Enrollment Andrew Flagel took the podium next, also doling out some advice to midyears. “You will be tempted, but please know that you don’t have to do everything,” he said. “You don’t have to be perfect.”
There is also a sense of family at Brandeis, Flagel added. “You may only be students here for a few short years, but you will be alumni and members of the Brandeis family for the rest of your lives,” he said. However, with all of the opportunities available on campus comes some responsibility, he cautioned. “You are already leaders. We want you to continue to push us and this institution further,” he said. “Seek to be the change that you want to see in the world.” “One of our University leaders often quotes the scripture passage that says that ‘to whom much is given, much is expected,’ which I thought was from Spider Man,” he joked, adding, “Your
talent is your power, and it gives us tremendous expectations that you will be part of the solution.” Sydney Sahasrabudhe ’17, one of the three midyear orientation core committee members, then closed the ceremony, thanking the speakers and drawing upon her own experiences as a midyear to offer one last piece of advice. “Forget the linear path that we are taught,” Sahasrabudhe said. “Your academic path is your own. Don’t be caught up with your graduation date; do college at your own pace. Be fluid with your hopes, your dreams and your time frame. Remember yesterday, explore today and bring in tomorrow.”
MOBILIZING MEN
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Craig Norberg-Bohm, co-chairperson and co-founder for the North American MenEngage Network, spoke on Tuesday about mobilizing men to end gender-based violence.
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features
TUESDAY, JANUARY 24, 2017 ● Features ● The Justice
just
VERBATIM | JOHN WAYNE Life is tough, but it’s tougher if you’re stupid.
ON THIS DAY…
FUN FACT
In 1900, the world’s first Badminton Club was formed in Newcastle, England.
A castle in the Czech Republic has a moat filled with bears.
The art of aging Mindy Fried ’89 M.A. ’96 Ph.D. discussed her role caring for her father
HEATHER SCHILLER/the Justice
ROLE REVERSAL: Mindy Fried presented her book “Caring for Red,” which describes Fried’s experience as a caretaker. By KIRBY KOCHANOWSKI JUSTICE EDITOR
Though he was called “Red” in affectionate homage to his flaming hair, Mindy Fried’s ’89 M.A. ’96 Ph.D. father’s nickname can also used in reference to his political views. Emanuel “Red” Fried was an active member of the American Communist Party. His political affiliation greatly influenced Mindy Fried’s childhood, as she explained at the discussion of her new book, “Caring for Red,” hosted by the Women’s Studies Research Center on Thursday. As Emanuel Fried aged and became unable to care for himself, Mindy Fried found the roles with her father reversed. “I’ve been deeply immersed as caregiver, case manager and daughter extraordinaire,” Mindy Fried said at the event. After Emanuel Fried fell at home, Mindy Fried and her sister chose to institutionalize him in an assisted living home. Mindy Fried works as a sociologist, is the co-principal of Arbor Consulting Partners and the author of four books and teaches at Boston College. Mindy Fried also taught as a visiting professor at Brandeis from 2004 to 2007, during the time of her father’s institutionalization. She offered the class “The Sociology of Aging,” and there were many lectures in which she drew on experiences with her father. Aging is a topic rarely discussed on college campuses, yet it represents the inevitable. Mindy Fried noticed a gap in research conducted specifically regarding the sociology of assisted living homes. As she cared for her father, Mindy Fried began to write about her reality on her blog “Mindy’s Muses.” From there, the seed was planted to write a book about her experiences.
She looked at several key questions when framing her book. “How can we help our parents get the most out of their lives until the end and ensure that they are treated with dignity and respect by friends, family and professionals? How do we handle this right of passage, this chapter in our lives as adults? How can we juggle their care with our other obligations ... being present and available for our friends and, perhaps last on our list, taking care of ourselves?” Mindy Fried asked. In her book, Mindy Fried looks at the day to day of lives of residents, the power hierarchy amoung workers and her own emotional transformation. The institution itself became her father’s all-encompassing reality. Mindy Fried recalled an experience where she had fallen asleep in her father’s bed only to be woken up by a worker conducting room checks. This complete lack of privacy was nothing new for Emanuel Fried. As a Communist in McCarthy Era America, the Fried family faced hyper scrutiny from friends and the outside world. Emanuel Fried was subpoenaed twice by the House Un-American Activities Committee, where he faced intense questioning. In a journal she found written by her 13-year-old self, Mindy Fried read, “I’m frightened to find out how my friends will react and to find out who are my real friends.” She also recalled details from her father’s subpoena, describing her mother’s and sister’s roles in supporting her father. Mindy Fried also wrote, “One 15 year old got locked in a cage for screaming and yelling while her father was on the stand.” She later learned that it wasn’t a real cage but was described to her as such. Emanuel Fried had always been paranoid that he was being followed, and for good reason. Later, using the Freedom of
Information Act, Emanuel Fried was able to get all of the files the FBI had collected on him. He learned that he had been followed starting in the 1940s through 1972, and over 5,000 pages had been collected on the family. Mindy Fried used this point in her presentation to discuss continuity theory, an idea which claims that people’s internal structures remain with them throughout their lives so that who they are in their younger years carry with them throughout their lives. Emanuel Fried’s paranoia also
lasted. He called Mindy Fried late one night in a panic, claiming the workers at the institution were trying to get him. “You’ve got to get me out of here,” he told her frantically. Mindy Fried calmly spoke to her father and was able to quell his anxieties. Yet there is also a struggle to hold onto identity over time. As people’s ability to care for themselves fades, it also often feels like part of their identity does, as well. This was also true for Emanuel Fried. Mindy Fried described an instance where an article written about her father in
the Buffalo News was posted to the bulletin board in the institution’s hallway. Other residents approached Red to congratulate him on this achievement, and he lit up with this praise. Emanuel Fried finally felt like “You see me for who I am,” Mindy Fried explained. Though many people claim that it is in this bare-bones state that people are able to find true meaning in their lives, Mindy Fried reflected on her experience and respectfully disagreed. “But actually, we’re always trying to [find meaning] throughout our lives. Making meaning is a lifelong endeavor.”
VIVID FIGURE: Fried spoke about the influence her father’s communist ties had on her childhood.
HEATHER SCHILLER/the Justice
the justice ● Features ● TUESDAY, JANUARY 24, 2017
Adapting A Classic David Pepose ’05 adds a dark twist to a childhood classic in his own comic series By KIRBY KOCHANOWSKI JUSTICE EDITOR
ALL PHOTOS COURTESY OF DAVID PEPOSE
“I’m a big fan of mashups and remix culture,” David Pepose ’05 said in an interview with the Justice. Combined with a lifelong passion for comics, it’s no surprise that Pepose would one day publish his own comic series, “Spencer and Locke,” which he describes as what would have happened if Calvin and Hobbes lived in Sin City. At Brandeis, Pepose majored in American Studies and doubleminored in Creative Writing and Theatre. He also worked as the news editor of the Hoot for several years and directed and acted in plays for the Undergraduate Theatre Collective. “And I was the president of the Brandeis Comic Book Club — perhaps no big surprise there,” Pepose laughed. “I was and continue to be a huge comic nerd. I still read comics every week.” As president of the Comic Book Club, Pepose made sure that the club ordered books to add to their extensive comic collection every semester. “[My time at Brandeis] was great. I really enjoyed my experience, I made a lot of great friends, and I took a lot of great classes.” Of the classes Pepose took at Brandeis, Pepose noted those of Prof. Cohen (AMST), Prof. Whitfield (AMST), Prof. Doherty (AMST), and Prof. Weinberg (ENG). Pepose specifically credits Weinberg for helping to refine his screenwriting skills. “Every time I sit down to write, I can hear Marc [Weinberg] in my head, and it was him who really helped me find my voice as a writer,” Pepose said. Following his graduation, Pepose wanted to work in comics but wasn’t sure if it was feasible. “It was sort of a pie-in-the-sky dream,” he said. Yet after applying to an internship with DC Comics his sophomore, junior and senior years and getting rejected, Pepose was able to secure the coveted position for the year after his graduation. “I kept knocking on the door until they finally let me in,” he explained. Following this internship, he completed a graduate publishing program at Columbia University and worked at CBS for several years in New York. “It was very much a zig-zag career but comics were always in the back of my head,” he said.
He eventually started working as for Newsarama.com, industry news sites. “I feel like the more you read, the more you know, and having written at Newsarama, that also forced me to learn what I do like about comics [and] what I do not like about comics ... it kind of helped me find my voice.” But Pepose wanted to do more than write reviews. “A few years ago, I finally said to myself, ‘I love comics as an industry, and I’d really love to contribute in a different sort of way.’ So I just sat down one day, sort of had an idea for a script, and decided, I’m gonna turn this thing out and see it through to the end and hopefully we’ll find a publisher that sees the value in it, and thankfully we did.” To begin the process of creating the comic series, Pepose wrote a panel-to-panel script. Comics usually range from 20-22 pages. “Once you can do that, the part of the process is trying to find an artist. And that is the hardest part of the entire process, in my opinion, because you want to find the right partner. It’s like any good partnership or any good marriage: you want to find the right person to work with,” Pepose said. In his case, this perfect partner was Jorge Santiago, Jr. Also on the “Spencer and Locke” team were colorist Jasen Smith and Letterer Colin Bell. Together they created a six-page spread and cover to pitch to publishers. Though they faced rejection — “I think just by virtue of the subject matter,” Pepose explained — Action Lab Entertainment responded to the team’s pitch an hour after they sent it in. “And that’s sort of when the fun begins. That’s when you really hunker down with the rest of your team … and I did for about the better part of a year until we got the book finished,” Pepose said. As they wrote the rest of their comic, Pepose had one requirement: “I told myself that if this is the only comic I’d ever get to write that I’d want to fit in as much cool stuff in it as I could. So we have fist fights, car chases, gun fights, aliens, dinosaurs — this concept has proved to be nimble in terms of what we could do with it.” “Spencer and Locke” will be available for pre-order starting Wednesday and will be in stores April 2017. “I’m very much looking forward to seeing what readers think,” Pepose said.
CHILDHOOD DREAMS: David Pepose ’05 always hoped his love of comics could one day be turned into a career.
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10 TUESDAY, JANUARY 24, 2017 ● forum ● THE JUSTICE
the
Justice Established 1949
Brandeis University
Carmi Rothberg, Editor in Chief Mihir Khanna, Managing Editor Morgan Brill, Deputy Editor Michelle Banayan, Jessica Goldstein, Noah Hessdorf and Sabrina Sung, Associate Editors Abby Patkin, News Editor, Kirby Kochanowski, Features Editor Amber Miles, Forum Editor, Jerry Miller, Sports Editor Hannah Kressel, Acting Arts Editor Natalia Wiater, Photography Editor Mira Mellman, Layout Editor, Pamela Klahr and Robbie Lurie, Ads Editors Rachel Sharer, Online Editor, Jen Geller and Avraham Penso, Acting Copy Editors
EDITORIALS Appreciate Brandeis’ commitment to economic diversity On Jan. 18, the New York Times published a piece charting data demonstrating where students from different economic backgrounds attend college. This data, initially collected by the Equality of Opportunity Project and based on millions of anonymous tuition records and tax earnings, shares statistics regarding discrepancies in access to higher education across various economic strata and profiles economic diversity of universities nationwide. According to the Times’ compilation of this research, Brandeis ranks No. 9 out of “elite colleges that enroll the highest percentage of low- and middle-income students.” The University, as of 2013, stands out as an exception to the general trend of elite universities across the country, enrolling 12.9 percent of its students from the bottom 40 percent of the income scale. This board commends Brandeis for embracing economic diversity in its admissions, staying true to the University’s core values and working toward providing all its students — regardless of economic background — with an accessible, highquality education. Brandeis “seeks to build an academic community whose members have diverse cultures, backgrounds and life experiences” — an intention expressed in the Brandeis Diversity Statement. The University’s demonstration of economic diversity is a testament to its compliance with our core values. Currently, approximately one-fourth of the country’s richest students attend an “elite college,” as stated in the Times
Support economic mobility piece, whereas “less than one-half of one percent of children from the bottom fifth of American families” are enrolled in an elite college. But it’s not just the the students with lower incomes who benefit from an economically diverse campus. As written in its Diversity Statement, the University “believes that diverse backgrounds and ideas are crucial to academic excellence.” According to a University of Marylandled study published in the June 2013 issue of the American Educational Research Journal, students who interact more with those from different socio-economic backgrounds also tend to have more contact with students from other races and diverse backgrounds. Such findings “indicate that both socioeconomic and racial diversity are essential to promoting a positive campus racial climate,” the researchers write. A campus with students from a variety of economic backgrounds helps to create a stronger and more tolerant campus as a whole. If college campuses aim to be microcosms of society at large, committed to preparing their students for life beyond the confines of dormitories and dining halls, their student bodies should reflect the type of diversity that exists in this nation today. We encourage colleges across the country, including Brandeis, to continue embracing diversity on their campuses, in all respects, in order to provide students with the skills necessary to tackle the multifaceted society we live in today.
On the Issues Planned Parenthood Jacob Edelman: Planned Parenthood is one of the most widely known, recognized and available health providers in our country for the public. … It is illegal for them to receive funding from the government that goes toward their three percent of services which are abortions, but, yes, that funding goes toward making sure that people don’t have sexually transmitted illnesses. It goes toward making sure people understand the nature of their bodies, of their sexuality. It goes toward saving lives in terms of providing people with cancer screenings … They are a public service to our country. Mark Gimelstein: … It’s been documented that [Planned Parenthood has] committed numerous federal crimes, including the selling of baby parts. I don’t think that a criminal enterprise should be funded federally because of that. … I also believe that money is fungible … and because Planned Parenthood does do abortions, because we have … Americans who are against abortions … Planned Parenthood should not be funded. … I’m totally in support of all the other things that Planned Parenthood provides for women, but there are other means to do it. You can fund local pregnancy centers; you can fund institutions other than Planned Parenthood to provide those services. …
wanted to be produced onto T.V., but nobody ever addressed the simple fact that the entire interactions were taking place in which different doctors were laughing about selling baby parts, while also sipping wine. …. In terms of your other point about not funding all the other services that Planned Parenthood provides … you can have a scenario where you fund all the good things you’re talking about while keeping money away from the aspect that should just never be touched by public money. … JE: ... Mark and I can both agree that the comments that the doctors made, yes, were absolutely despicable; however, … there has been no judgment passed that has made Planned Parenthood into a criminal organization. … Planned Parenthood should receive funding for the millions and millions of people who receive STD and STI testing, who receive cancer screenings, who receive health information — they depend on this organization because of its high level of accessibility. … Funding organizations on an individual basis … is oftentimes not possible. Planned Parenthood can do things that many other organizations cannot, and overall, they’re an extreme public good.
JE: … The tapes that were taken at the Planned Parenthood clinics were totally twisted and misrepresented … In terms of talking about the fungibility of money, there are plenty of times … when money is fungible in other areas of the government, too, and when you’re talking about not funding Planned Parenthood, you’re also talking about not funding numerous other services which exist.
MG: … I’ve seen the evidence. I think that it’s pretty obvious that there are laws where you cannot profiteer and sell baby parts … And I also believe ... there is no contradiction with being in support of the 97 percent of things that Jacob says Planned Parenthood does, and we can reallocate that money to centers across the country that provide those things without the abortion. There’s no contradiction there. You can have both.
MG: In terms of those videos being distorted … they were truncated for time because they
—Mark Gimelstein’17 is a columnist for the Justice.
JULIANNA SCIONTI/the Justice
Views the News on
Army intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning will serve four more months in prison after President Obama commuted her 35-year sentence on Tuesday, according to a Jan. 17 New York Times article. Manning, a transgender woman incarcerated at a men’s military prison, has already served seven years for her involvement in a 2010 WikiLeaks incident that disclosed American activities all over the world, and, last year, she attempted suicide twice. Obama’s decision to reduce Manning’s sentence, as well as his same-day pardon of Gen. James E. Cartwright, contrasts with the president’s otherwise tough stance on leaks of government information throughout his presidency. What do you think of Obama’s recent actions regarding Manning and Cartwright?
Prof. Daniel Breen (LGLS) Nearly 100 years ago, the political scientist Harold W. Stokes praised the Pardoning Power as the last opportunity for “sanity and conscience” to govern the fates of criminal defendants. By that standard, it is difficult to argue with President Obama’s decisions in the cases of Chelsea Manning and General James Cartwright. Manning’s 35-year sentence was wildly out of proportion to the gravity of her offense, an exercise in bloodyminded vengeance rather than justice. In the case of General Cartwright, who pled guilty to charges of lying to federal investigators looking into the source of White House leaks, the crucial importance of a free and vigilant press militates against criminal penalties. In each case, Obama’s pardons were indeed supported by “sanity and conscience,” two commodities likely to be in short supply in the present Oval Office. Prof. Daniel Breen (LGLS) is a lecturer in Legal Studies.
Prof. Carina Ray (AAAS) Among the prisoners granted some form of executive clemency during Obama’s last days in power are a number of high profile and controversial cases. Top among them are Chelsea Manning, James Cartwright and Oscar Lopez Rivera, the Puerto Rican anticolonial leader of the Fuerzas Armadas de Liberacion Nacional (Armed Forces of National Liberation), who is also one of the longest serving political prisoners in the United States. While I applaud Obama’s judiciousness in these cases, I can’t help but lament the fact that he did not also grant clemency to Native American activist and American Indian Movement member Leonard Peltier and to Mumia Abu-Jamal, former Black Panther member, journalist, writer and advocate of the prison reform movement. If these two political prisoners were ever to have a chance at clemency — and hence freedom — it was under President Obama. I shudder to think of their fate under President Trump and the judiciary he puts in place. Carina Ray (AAAS) is an Associate Professor of African and Afro-American Studies.
Michael Musto ’17 Barack Obama should be commended for commuting Chelsea (formerly Bradley) Manning’s prison sentence. One of the main criticisms of this last-minute action of the former president is that Manning had allegedly put American lives, and specifically U.S. service members’ lives, at risk. However, Brigadier General Robert Carr, the man who headed the Information Review Task Force that investigated the impact of the Wikileaks disclosures, ultimately admitted that they had found no instance of anyone who had lost his or her life in reprisals as a result of Manning’s leaks to Wikileaks. Government transparency should be valued, and Manning provided a public service in highlighting the excesses of U.S. foreign policy. At the same time, a commutation is not the same thing as a pardon. And Manning has already experienced significant hardship during her imprisonment, as well as attempted to commit suicide. It’s great that Manning’s sentence was commuted, but the ideal outcome would have been a pardon. And sadly, there has been no change in Obama’s attitude towards whistle-blower Edward Snowdenwho remains a fugitive from his own government, after also providing a public service and showing the American people how the government tramples on their privacy and various constitutional protections on a daily basis. Michael Musto ’17 is the vice president of Brandeis Conservatives.
Noah Seligman ’18 Obama commuting Manning’s sentence left me scratching my head. From a legal standpoint, I believe this sets a bad precedent, and I disagree with the decision. However, I have some theories as to why Obama did what he did. Firstly, in the grand scheme of things, I believe this action really won’t change how the U.S prosecutes individuals who leak classified information, much to the chagrin of the intelligence community. Secondly, I believe Obama may have come to the realization that maybe it isn’t a good idea to dissuade potential whistleblowers, especially given the fact that many expose real injustices and corruption. While the scale and context differ from Manning’s case, I believe the similar logic is at play with Cartwright’s pardoning. In my opinion, these actions from the president are a de facto admission that the administration believes it has been too hard on leakers. Noah Seligman ’18 is president of the Brandeis Pre-Law Society.
THE JUSTICE ● fORUM ● TUESDAY, january 24, 2017
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Evaluate the historical parallels to Trump’s populism By Maddox kay JUSTICE staff writer
Friday’s inauguration of Donald J. Trump as the 45th president of the United States capped a populist movement that confused and enthralled nearly equal numbers of Americans. As the crowds cleared after the inaugural address, many wondered how a billionaire with strong ties to Russia convinced working people that he represented them. Trump owes much of his success to the populist rhetoric, unfiltered conviction and celebrity recognition that he effused during the campaign. These defining elements of Trump’s candidacy have been seen before in American presidential politics. However, Trump used these tactics disingenuously, running not as a man of the people who wanted to “drain the swamp” but rather as a businessman who wanted to fill the swamp with his own brand of alligators. As the 45th president proclaimed that “from this moment on, it’s going to be America First,” echoes of populist and seventh president Andrew Jackson emanated through the crowd. However, until we break the illusion that he creates, it will be Donald Trump first and America second. In 1828, Andrew Jackson defeated incumbent President John Quincy Adams, who, for many, was a symbol of corruption and big government, just as the Clinton family is today. In “A People and a Nation,” Mary Beth Norton explains that “Jacksonians believed the people’s will had finally prevailed. Through a lavishly financed coalition of state parties, political leaders, and newspaper editors, a popular movement had elected the president.” Similarly, many of Trump’s supporters referred to themselves as “the silent majority” and viewed his election as a win for the average American. Throughout the campaign, Trump crusaded against big government and “Crooked Hillary Clinton.” He painted himself as a man of the people and garnered support for not being part of the Washington elite. In Friday’s inauguration address, Trump preached that “we are not merely transferring power from one administration to another or from one
party to another, but we are transferring power from Washington, DC, and giving it back to you, the people.” This rhetoric effuses populism, but it is disingenuous because Trump is cut from a different cloth than his supporters. While Jackson came from modest means and believed in the limiting the role of government, Trump inherited great wealth and is a corporate magnate who manufactures products in foreign countries and bloviates on making America “great again.” The fact that Donald Trump was able to successfully misrepresent his identity and convince the American people that he represents them illustrates the power of populist rhetoric and blurs the line between perception and reality.
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However, until we break the illusion that he creates, it will be Donald Trump first and America second. Parallels to past presidents do not end with Jackson. President Lyndon B. Johnson was known as a strategic manipulator from his days as the Senate Majority Whip. Johnson once commented, “give [the lowest white man] somebody to look down on, and he’ll empty his pockets for you.” Donald Trump did just this in the 2016 campaign, casting Muslims and Hispanic immigrants as scapegoats in order to fuel a white support base. Employing a mix of rudeness and charm that echoes Johnson, Trump proved his statement true with his victory. By redirecting anger in a turbulent time, he strategically ignited factions of the American population. Prior to entering the political arena, President Ronald Reagan’s acting career defined his public identity. Similarly, before announcing his bid for president, Donald Trump was known as a real-estate mogul with a reality television show. Reagan surprised
AARON MARKS/the Justice
many when he won the 1966 California governor’s race by over one million votes, and his celebrity recognition and actor’s eloquence helped propel his political career. As a Hollywood celebrity, Reagan convinced new audiences of the merits of conservatism. Donald Trump put his celebrity status to work for him in a similar way, packaging his ideas not as traditional conservatism, but as a Trump-branded plan for making the country great. This branding worked especially well with economic issues, because Trump is, to millions of Americans, the financially successful boss on “The Apprentice.” The line between perception and reality blurs once
again as Trump takes his television role to the Oval Office. As a smaller-than-usual crowd gathered to watch Donald Trump sworn in as president, a new reality set in. While his lack of experience and concrete policies makes it hard to know what Trump will do in office, a look at American history shows that our country has bought this book before, if not with an orange cover. Populism, off-color remarks and celebrity status are not new to the White House, but the combination of the three in a mass deception of the American people is. It is up to us to decide how long this illusion lasts.
Protect undocumented students through grassroots advocacy By elias rosenfeld JUSTICE STAFF WRITER
With the inauguration of President Donald Trump, his administration is entering the first 100 days with a priority to dismantle many of his predecessor’s achievements, with only the Senate filibuster to serve as a check to the Republican majority on a state and national level. With little ability to stop President Trump’s policies at a legislative level, grassroots efforts by organizations will become a significant tool in the fight to prevent many harmful policies from coming to fruition. Since students under Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals and other undocumented students are among the most vulnerable constituencies under the new administration, student-run national coalitions must form to protect, inform and engage DACA and undocumented students throughout the nation and protect these students from deportation. To achieve these goals, organizations must seek to enact sustainable goals aimed to secure the ability for these students to succeed as students. Institutions must universally declare support for DACA students. To begin with, nonprofits, state representatives and senators, state Democratic parties and national U.S Representatives must multilaterally and in a bipartisan manner support the protection of DACA and undocumented students on campuses in the United States. This is a priority in cities with a high density of immigrant students such as Boston, Miami, New York or Los Angeles to combat the rising fear associated with deportation many of these students face. This declaration can be shown by lobbying in support of current bipartisan legislation such as The Bridge Act, which was introduced by both Republican and Democratic members of the Senate to grant President Obama’s DACA protections on a legislative level. Bipartisan government
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groups, organizations and representatives such as Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.), Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-Fla.), Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), and organizations such as the Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy Coalition and FWD.us are willing to support efforts aimed at the protection of such students. According to my personal experience of speaking with over 200 undocumented high school students with the organization I founded, United Student Immigrants (USI), many DACA students and DREAMers expressed a sense of isolation stemming from a lack of knowledge on the many individuals working to protect them. Understanding and knowing there are individual leaders working to prevent this is extremely comforting. Additionally, DACA students and local police units must engage in effective dialogue. Police officers in several cities — such as LA, Miami and NYC — are not allowed to legally act as immigration officers and, therefore, cannot deport students for any reason. It must be ensured that we keep these protections through community- and student-led conversations in partnership with law enforcement units. Local university or college chapters of Young Democrats and immigrant supportive clubs are excellent leaders to spark these discussions. Police departments should be eager for these mutually beneficial relations because they can free police to focus on behavior that is truly harming communities. These dialogues aid in humanizing the issue by putting a face to a story and helping the public realize that there are actual people being influenced. The aim of police departments is to protect communities, and in holding forums for these types of conversations, it will show local law enforcement that these individuals belong to a community in which they seek to contribute, not harm. Only a few days ago, the Fraternal Order of the Police, who claims to be “the voice of our nation’s law enforcement,”
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released a 100-day plan under Trump that supports dismantling DACA, racial profiling of undocumented students and an end to sanctuary campuses. To be effective, we must understand that our message toward law enforcement is failing. These conversations have proven to be effected as outlined by Obama’s Task Force on 21st Century Policing to advance these conservations and innovative solutions. Universities must also provide legal and financial support to DACA students. Currently, DACA students are eligible for work study grants, as they have a right to obtain work permits under the DACA program. However, with the potential cancellation of DACA under a new administration, these students will become ineligible for the little financial aid that currently exists for them. Universities must commit to supporting these students with additional financial resources and opportunities as has been done by some leading institutions across the nation, such as Tufts University. The best way to lead this effort is through a unified student-run, campus-wide project across the nation. This effort must not only target selective schools but also state and community colleges where far more undocumented students study. This is now extremely crucial because, according to a Jan. 21 Miami Herald article, there is a high likelihood that DACA will be terminated, and many students will be indirectly deported through economic and unfair criminal standards. These unique issues further contribute to the unfair stress brought about by the fear of losing financial aid and wondering if tomorrow is the day one will be deported. While universities are unable to use federal financial aid to assist DACA students, many give them work aid to supplement the already hefty cost of attendance. In addition, universities should expand their private scholarship funds to protect DACA students; they provide a valuable perspective in the form of diversity, independence and unique
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experiences that will aid the success of any university or academic institution. Since this is a group where only 5 to 10 percent matriculate to a university setting, according to OnlineCollege.org, efforts must be made to improve their matriculation rates. There is a misconception within the undocumented community, as in many other minority groups, that in order to achieve a college education, one must be the valedictorian of his or her class. This narrative is false and damaging; it deters many DACA students from accessing a secondary education, weakening a community academically as higher education becomes a necessity in the 21st century. Most students are willing to work for their education, but without access to work opportunities, they have no way to fund their education. Furthermore, we must support initiatives that seek to increase civic engagement opportunities among DACA students regarding the political process. Undocumented students are a constituency bloc who may not be able to vote, but they possess the abilities to organize and register thousands to vote for progressive causes. Their daily lives are dependent on political progress; thus, these students should all be engaged in this fight. For many, politics and personal life often merge, but for us as DACA students it is different; the future of our lives depend on the outcomes of these processes. We cannot claim to be apolitical, when our mere ability to remain in this country is a political issue of the highest priority. Progressive immigration reform cannot succeed if those affected by immigration legislation lack the ability to organize and mobilize. Organizations such as FWD.us are crucial in resolving this challenge by assisting immigrant and DACA students with the resources necessary to carry out operations in colleges and universities. We will only be able to persuade others to defend us when we are doing everything within our power to advocate on our own behalf.
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12
TUESDAY, January 24, 2017 ● forum ● THE JUSTICE
FORUM
Recognize effects of previous Republican obstructionism Aaron
Dvorkin The Plight of Reason Various Democratic senators took time out of their questioning of Betsy DeVos during her hearing as nominee for the Secretary of Education on Jan. 17 to argue with the chairman of the committee, Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.), about whether they should be allowed to have a second round of questions. Senator Al Franken (D-Minn.), who was stunned at DeVos’ lack of knowledge about basic concepts and laws related to education, felt that her poor performance warranted additional time slots for senators on the committee to ask questions. The chairman responded that limiting senators to one round of questions was in keeping with the precedence of the committee, but as Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) pointed out later in the hearing, multiple rounds had been allowed for President Obama’s nominees who appeared before that committee. This back-and-forth was a microcosm of the battle over Senate rules and procedures which resulted from the relentless obstruction of President Obama’s nominees by congressional Republicans over the past eight years. Unfortunately, the effects of this battle will be felt for many years, and, as a result, unqualified nominees such as DeVos and Alabama senator and nominee for attorney general Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.) will have an unusually easy path to confirmation. As a Nov. 18, 2016 Washington Post article noted, Trump’s nominees will face fewer obstacles to their confirmation than previous candidates due to the 2013 implementation of new rules by Senate Democrats ― who held the majority at the time,―precluding the Senate from using the filibuster against presidential appointments to the executive and the judiciary. Termed the “nuclear option,” the measure allows nominees to be confirmed with a simple majority, rather than the 60 votes needed to avoid a filibuster. It was a Democratic response to the obstruction of President Obama’s nominees but will now have more wide-ranging consequences, given the historic unpreparedness of many of Trump’s appointments. Betsy DeVos is a Republican donor and charter school advocate whose political experience outside of her advocacy is limited to being the chairwoman of the Michigan Republican Party, according to a Nov. 23, 2016 Atlantic article. Her lack of substantive policy experience became
evident during her hearing in front of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions. When Senator Franken questioned DeVos about her stance on the debate over proficiency versus growth, he was shocked at her total lack of familiarity with the topic, one which continues to be among the most widely discussed topics in the realm of education policy. Advocates of proficiency want to focus policies on ensuring that students meet certain baseline standards, while proponents of growth make student improvement the key goal of their programs. Senator Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.) was similarly taken aback when it became clear after a series of questions on DeVos’ willingness to enforce federal laws protecting the right of disabled students to educational opportunities that she did not know that the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) was a federal law. There were a number of other embarrassing moments for DeVos during the hearing, including her disproven claim that gun-free zones in schools should not be federally enforced because certain schools in rural areas may need guns to protect students from “grizzlies.” However, the greatest concern remains that the nominee for a position which is supposed to advise the President on education has only, for lack of a better word, an elementary understanding of the most basic matters relating to the topic. While DeVos is rendered unfit for her assigned position by her lack of qualifications, Senator Jeff Sessions — the nominee for attorney general — has significant experience as a former attorney general of Alabama and U.S. attorney, but he has a troublesome record on race-related issues. Accusations that Sessions used the N-word to refer to a black county commissioner, gave underhanded praise to the Ku Klux Klan and referred to the NAACP as being “anti-American” prevented him from fulfilling his nomination to be a federal judge in 1986, according to a July 18, 2016 Washington Post article. Sessions’ prosecution of black civil rights activists for helping black voters fill out absentee ballots was also the subject of controversy, as white candidates in Alabama were known to have used the same tactics but were never accused of voter fraud. The jury acquitted the activists of all charges in 1985, according to a Jan. 10 piece in Rolling Stone Magazine. Among those who testified at Sessions’ hearing in 1986 were Senator Ted Kennedy and Coretta Scott King, who said that Sessions’ confirmation would “irreparably damage the work of my husband,” according to a Jan. 19 article in The Nation. The same committee that rejected him 30 years ago will now have a much harder time reprising this outcome for the same nominee due to the inability to filibuster. Republican obstruction during the Obama administration has caused a domino effect of changes to Congressional rules and procedures which will render ineffective an important check
BEN JARRETT/the Justice
on the power of the executive. It is important to note that many judicial vacancies can lead to large caseloads for federal judges, which can lead to administrative issues in the court system. Thus, holding Democrats accountable for implementing the nuclear option to fill said vacancies is suspect. While the refusal to confirm Obama’s most recent Supreme Court nominee, Merrick Garland, has been the most famous case of Republican obstruction, the nuclear option actually does not apply to Supreme Court nominees. However, lower court judicial appointments and all other executive nominees saw historically low levels of confirmation under Obama. According to a study by the Congressional Research Center, cited in a May 16, 2016 Daily Beast article, Obama had 198 presidential nominees confirmed while Presidents George W. Bush and Bill Clinton had 345 and 268, respectively. The report states that Obama had the lowest number of confirmed appointments in 30 years. Comparing the rates of confirmations by the Senate under Obama to Democratically controlled Congresses makes it clear that these low numbers are not the result of innocent attempts at vetting nominees more thoroughly. According to a May 5, 2016 Washington Post article, the GOP Senate under Obama confirmed 38 percent as many judges as the 2008 Senate and 21 percent as many as the 1992 Senate, both of which were under Democratic control.
For the Senate to function to the best of its ability regarding appointments, there must be a combination of adherence to traditional rules along with proper discretion on the part of Senators to conduct themselves with fairness. There will always be ideological differences between nominees and the opposing party of the president, but in order to function properly, Senators should reserve votes against nominees for those whose disqualifications extend beyond purely intellectual differences, much like DeVos and Sessions. Republican obstructionism has laid the groundwork for how Washington will operate in the upcoming administration. Their efforts to block Obama’s nominees have had even more far-reaching effects than they likely imagined, as the nuclear option invoked by Democrats in response to them has led to easier paths to confirmation for President Trump’s nominees. Given the president’s incredibly low approval ratings and the historical trend of presidents losing in their first midterm election, there could very well be a situation when the Democrats find themselves back in charge of Congress very soon. Their willingness to use good judgment in areas such as confirming presidential nominees will be significant to restoring respect and proper conduct to a body which has sacrificed those virtues in the blind pursuit of power in recent years.
Resist Trump’s attacks on American freedom of the press Amber
MILES ANONYMOUS KRAKEN
In his most recent press-related tantrum, President Donald Trump called journalists “among the most dishonest human beings on earth” in response to their inauguration crowd estimates, according to a Jan. 21 New York Times article. While White House press secretary Sean Spicer’s insistence that Friday saw “the largest audience to witness an inauguration, period,” despite evidence otherwise, seems almost laughable, the president’s continued attacks on press credibility and his ever-growing vendetta should be more cause for concern than laughter. This behavior is beyond petty or immature — it is alarming. Since the beginning of his presidential campaign, Trump has attempted to discredit and devalue the press in the eyes of the American people. Likely a campaign strategy to manipulate voters at first, this tactic now becomes especially lethal in the hands of a leader with actual power — and journalists are not the only people at risk. Criticism of the press has existed as long as the institution itself, and, in most cases, such criticism is natural and even productive. However, the current level of hostility toward journalists in America is shocking. In an Oct. 13, 2016 statement, the chairman of the board of the Committee to Protect Journalists, Sandra Mims Rowe, called Trump an “unprecedented threat to the rights of journalists” who has “consistently betrayed First Amendment values,” according to the organization’s website. Trump’s aggression toward the press began early in his presidential campaign. On Oct. 31, 2015, he threatened the Wall Street Journal in a
tweet: “The @WSJ Wall Street Journal loves to write badly about me. They better be careful or I will unleash big time on them. Look forward to it!” This continued all over the campaign trail. At rallies, Trump proclaimed the dishonesty and disrepute of the press to the point of inciting angry mobs directed at reporters covering the events. The hostility and aggression reached such a height that news organizations sought methods to protect their people. According to an Oct. 14, 2016 New York Times article, NBC and CNN hired private security to protect their staff at Trump rallies, and NPR gave its rally reporters special training sessions designed to help them work in hostile environments, according to a March 23, 2016 Washington Post article. On Aug. 13, 2016, Trump went as far as telling a crowd in Fairfield, Connecticut that he was actually “running against the crooked media” rather than against “Crooked Hillary,” according to an August 14, 2016 article in the Guardian. Beyond that, Trump banned about a dozen news outlets — including the Washington Post — from his rallies, according to a Sept. 7, 2016 Washington Post article, threatened to sue the New York Times in October and vowed to “open up” libel laws as president. More recently, just over a week before his inauguration, Trump refused to answer the questions of CNN reporter Jim Acosta and called CNN “fake news.” And that all happened before Trump even had any actual power — but it seems Trump’s animosity toward the press will follow him into the Oval Office. Since Trump took the oath on Friday, his administration has lied about inauguration attendance and condemned news organizations that published the truth. Beyond considering Trump’s offhand threats that may or may not come to fruition, all anyone can do is speculate how Trump’s feud with the press could escalate in the future, but a look at other leaders’ treatment of their media may give that speculation some direction. Take Russian president Vladimir Putin — whose leadership Trump has publicly exalted — for example.
Shortly after Putin rose to power in 2000, news outlets increasingly lost their independence either through direct intimidation or a sneakier brand of obstruction, such as denying broadcast licenses to independent outlets, according to a Jan. 4 Politifact piece. Reporters also risked jail time or the demise of their news outlet if they criticized the administration, according to a May 24, 2007 New York Times opinion piece. Even more sinister, since 2000, 34 journalists in Russia — 17 times the number in the United States during the same time — have been murdered for their work, and though no evidence ties to Putin directly, many of the suspects are connected to the military, the government or political groups, according to the same Jan. 4 Politifact piece. “Their killers are emboldened to act by an administration that marginalizes [journalists], isolates them, and downplays their role in society,” the coordinator for CPJ’s Europe and Central Asia program, Nina Ognianova, said about the murders. The scenario described by Ognianova seems eerily familiar. While acts of violence against journalists in the United States are not comparable to those in Russia, the attitude toward the American press is. Trump’s administration and supporters — as well as a considerable portion of the general public — meet journalists with increasing hostility and disregard for the importance of their work. With that said, America has a history and political system distinct from Russia, so a direct comparison could be misleading. However, throughout history, American leaders have also exerted questionable restrictions of the press, including John Adams’ Alien and Sedition Acts as well as Abraham Lincoln’s wartime censorship of newspapers. Admittedly, the U.S. Supreme Court has afforded the press greater freedom since those instances, and judging by its decision to rule in favor of the New York Times on the matter of the Pentagon Papers during the Vietnam War, Adams’ and Lincoln’s actions likely would not hold today. However, as Trump will appoint at least one justice to the Supreme Court, his ill will
toward the press may seep into the foundation of the judiciary — and the country — because he may select appointees who interpret the First Amendment more restrictively. Even without the judiciary on his side, though, Trump could still manipulate the press through limiting their access to important information, as author and University of Chicago law professor Geoffrey Stone told Slate last March. This could produce two primary outcomes: an uninformed press or a press so desperate to gain access to the coveted information that they become beholden to the government. Either of these scenarios could be devastating to the public due to the press’ vital role as informer of the people and watchdog of the government. While social media and new technology have immeasurably increased the average citizen’s ability to inform themselves, monitor their government’s actions and hold their leaders accountable, professional news media simply has more resources and therefore must still be protected — even despite its current imperfections and occasional mistakes. This is the crux of the problem: As more and more people become disenchanted with news outlets, Trump’s threats and assault on the truth seem less and less dire, and the public is less and less likely to stand up for the press and their own right to the information the press provides. Trump’s anti-media messaging found a receptive audience in the American people. According to an Oct. 14, 2016 New York Times article, only 32 percent of Americans trust the press, and the number among Republicans is even lower: 14 percent. To an extent, this distrust is warranted. The media can and must make improvements, but they must be given the chance to improve because the alternative — devaluing the press to the point of crippling it — will have far greater consequences than any mistake made today. The hostility that Trump breeds is not productive, and if it prevails, news organizations will not have the opportunity to right the people’s grievances regarding its conduct. Criticism of the press is vital; lies and suppression are destructive.
THE JUSTICE
MBBALL: Judges look ahead to even season record CONTINUED FROM 16 had himself a day to remember for the Judges off the bench with a team-high 19 points, including five 3-pointers made and a pair of steals on the other end. Cooper was dominant once again with 17 points of his own, and was a monster on defense with three steals and a block. Guard Tim Reale ’17 also had a very nice game, adding 11 points, four rebounds and two steals. Vilmont was all over the court for the hard-working squad, tallying seven points and seven rebounds on the day. The Judges are showing drastic improvements this season after posting a 9-16 overall record last year. They ended the 2015-2016 season on a seven-game losing streak and have not fallen into any similar skids since. The squad can easily top a .500 record in the near future as they continue to grow as a team.
Brandeis will look to earn their third conference win of the season and even their conference record to .500 on Friday at Emory University. The Judges have gone 2-3 over the winter break, losing in close games to Bates College and Carnegie Mellon University. The two wins came against conference rivals New York University and Dean College on the road. The team had a rough December, winning only one game during the stretch, but have come back with three wins already during the month of January. With the nine full games against conference opponents, the Judges will need to improve their offense and shut down on defense to move up the conference rankings. The Judges will need to erase their losses against Carnegie Mellon University, Washington University and the University of Chicago to make a lasting impact.
●
Sports ● JANUARY 24, 2017
13
CALLING THE PLAY
JOYCE YU/Justice File Photo
LEADING THE CHARGE: Guard Noel Hodges ’18 drives in from the top of the arc against Emmanuel College on Nov. 22.
WBBALL: Women aim to
SWIM: defend court versus Emory Squads seek to build on strong results CONTINUED FROM 16
CONTINUED FROM 16 Judges to a second-place finish in the 200-yard freestyle. The teams will make the trek next Saturday to compete against Clark University before the UAA championships begin on Feb. 8. The UAA championships will take place at the University of Chicago and will span the four-day
period of events. The Judges will continue on to the New England Intercollegiate Swimming and Diving Association competition on Feb. 17. The men and women will look to avenge their seven losses on the season. The Judges started out the year in some choppy waters but have been able to gain momentum in recent meets.
were unable to maintain the lead, as Chicago increased their intensity to come back and take a 17-14 lead. The second period was a challenge for Brandeis, as they were held to just 2-13 shooting while Chicago shot a ridiculous 10-18 from the field. The score at halftime was 37-19, with Chicago leading. The Judges were trailing by 17 points with 6 minutes left in the game when they mounted a 10-3 run, cutting the lead to 10. With under a minute left, the Judges knocked down a couple of threes to cut what was an 11-point deficit to just five
points. Unfortunately for the Judges, successful free throws by Chicago made a comeback impossible.
Judges 54, WashU 70 The Judges struggled coming out of the box, scoring only six points in the first quarter of play. The team trailed in each of the subsequent quarters, only to score a game-high of 20 in the fourth. The team’s starters had a rough go on the day, posting single digit points in the game. Guard Kate Gonacalo ’20 posted the only doubledigits on the team, managing to pour in eight points in the last quarter and another two in the second. The Judges’ 38.9 field-goal
percentage proved to be one of the deciding factors in the game, with WashU shooting over 50 percent. The stat box was fairly even the rest of the way, with the Judges only lagging in the assists category. The team managed eight assists versus Washington’s impressive total of 17. Overall, it was a hard outing for the team, as Brandeis fell to sixth place in the conference and a 2-3 conference record. The Judges will battle it out against Emory University this coming Friday as the team prepares to face the fifth-place Eagles. Carnegie Mellon University currently holds the first-place title with only one overall loss.
BASKETBALL SWIMMING TRACK FENCING
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THE JUSTICE
● Sports ●
Tuesday, JANUARY 24, 2017
15
TRACK AND FIELD
jUDGES BY THE NUMBERS Men’s BASKETBALL TEAM STATS
UAA STANDINGS
Points Per Game
UAA Conference W L WashU 5 0 Rochester 4 1 Emory 3 2 Carnegie 3 2 Chicago 2 3 JUDGES 2 3 NYU 1 4 Case 0 5
W 13 15 12 9 10 6 6 5
Overall L Pct. 3 .813 1 .938 4 .750 7 .563 6 .625 9 .400 9 .400 11 .313
UPCOMING GAMES: Friday at Emory College Sunday at University of Rochester Feb. 3 vs. Emory College
Jordan Cooper ’18 leads the squad with 16.5 points per game. Player PPG Jordan Cooper 16.5 Tim Reale 11.4 Robinson Vilmont 9.7 Nate Meehan 8.2
Rebounds Per Game Jordan Cooper ’18 leads the team with 5.9 rebounds per game. Player RPG Jordan Cooper 5.9 Robinson Vilmont 5.7 Tim Reale 3.8 Latye Workman 3.7
WOMen’s basketball UAA STANDINGS
TEAM STATS Points Per Game
UAA Conference W L W Carnegie 4 1 15 Chicago 4 1 11 WashU 3 2 14 Rochester 3 2 12 Emory 2 3 11 JUDGES 2 3 10 Case 2 3 10 NYU 0 5 10
Overall L Pct. 1 .938 5 .688 2 .875 4 .750 5 .688 6 .625 6 .625 6 .625
UPCOMING GAMES: Friday at Emory College Sunday at University of Rochester Feb. 3 vs. Emory College
Maria Jackson ’17 leads the team with 12.3 points per game. Player PPG Maria Jackson 12.3 Paris Hodges 11.8 Frankie Pinto 8.3 Sydney Sodine 7.3
Rebounds Per Game Maria Jackson ’17 leads with 7.9 rebounds per game. Player RPG Maria Jackson 7.9 Paris Hodges 6.5 Sydney Sodine 5.8 Hannah Nicholson 4.6
SWIMMING AND DIVING Results from a meet at home against Keene State College and Bridgewater State University on Jan. 21.
TOP FINISHERS (Men’s)
TOP FINISHERS (Women’s)
200-yard freestyle
SWIMMER Cam Braz Taku Harada Justin Weissberg Andrew Baker
TIME 1:50.30 1:50.56 2:00.76 2:13.37
200-yard IM
SWIMMER TIME Natalya Wozab 2:22.28 Sabrina Greer 2:31.22 Fallon Katz 2:40.05
NATALIA WIATER/Justice File Photo
LOOK OUT BELOW: Jumper Aaron Corin ’20 hoists himself high over the bar at the Reggie Poyau Invitational on Jan. 14.
Judges show off skills at home meet ■ Emily Bryson ’19 paced the Judges for a title in the 3000-meter run and a time of 10:14.16. By NOAH HESSDORF JUSTICE EDITOR
UPCOMING MEETS: Saturday at Clark University Feb. 8 at UAA Championship Feb. 17 at NEISDA Championship
TRACK AND FIELD Results from the Reggie Poyau Invitational on Jan. 14.
TOP FINISHERS (Men’s) 55 meter dash RUNNER TIME Regan Charie 25:00.91 Lorenzo Maddox 25:17.12 Jack Allan 25:42.24
TOP FINISHERS (Women’s) 3000 meter run RUNNER TIME Emily Bryson 10:14.16 Maddie Dolins 10:28.95 Julia Bryson 10:36.81
UPCOMING MEETS: Friday at Terrier Classic Saturday at Tufts Stampede Invitational
In the first track and field home meet of the season, both the men’s and women’s teams finished in third place. It was the 14th straight year that the meet, the Reggie Poyau Memorial Invitational, was hosted at the Gosman Convocation Center. The squads are off to a hot start as the 2016 to 2017 campaign has the potential to be one of the best in recent memory. The women’s side was particularly dominant on the day, with an overall finish that left them behind the University of Southern Maine and Merrimack College, which in fact is a Division II program. USM came away with a clean victory and almost triple the number of the Judges’ points, while Merrimack only edged the home team by a measly 5.5 points. As she has continued to do over the course of her two years in a Brandeis uniform, Emily Bryson ’19 paced the Judges during the meet. The twotime All-American took home the
title in the 3000-meter run with an exceptional time of 10 minutes and 14.16 seconds. In fact, the feat was the fifth-fastest time in all of Division III this season. Her sister, Julia Bryson ’19, impressed in her own right with a third-place finish in the race off of a time of 10:36.81. Second place in the 3000-meter run was also earned by a Judge, as Maddie Dollins ’17 seized the silver with a finish in 10:28.95. The team also performed admirably in the shorter distance competitions. Taking another firstplace finish was Doyin Ogundiran ’19, who completed the 800-meter run in a time of 2:24.97. Her time, which was 2.5 seconds quicker than the nearest competitor, is the 19th best in Division III. Ogundiran was at it again in the 4x400-meter relay race, leading a squad that earned second place. She was joined by Arial Nieberding ’20, Lydia Harris ’20 and Kayla Fahey ’20, who together finished the run in a time of 4:16.66, which was just a tenth of a second behind the winners from Merrimack. First-years continued to excel for the Judges as Willa Moen ’20 won a first-place finish in the high jump with a score of 1.5 meters. In the weight throwing event, Jordin Carter ’18 placed fourth with a throw of 11.84 meters. Carter also participated in the shot put, earning a solid fifth-
place finish off of a clean shot put of 10.52 meters. The men’s side also ran extremely well, especially the versatile Irie Gourde ’17. Gourde earned three second-place finishes in three different events. The silver medals came in the 200-meter run, the 400-meter run and the 4x400-meter relay. Also in the second-place relay team were Jeremy Wilson ’17, Erez Needleman ’20 and Jacob Judd ’20. Mitchell Hutton ’18 also earned a second-place finish of his own in the 3000-meter run, which he completed with a time of 8:47.46. The time was good enough for the 15th-fastest in Division III so far this season. Continuing in this trend, Aaron Corin ’20 was second in the pole vault. Corin cleared the pole with a height of 3.8 meters, which is his collegiate best. In the short-distance runs, Regan Charie ’19 earned third place in the 200-meter run with a time of 23.75 seconds, while Churchill Perry’s ’20 run of 52.14 seconds in the 400-meter race was also good enough for a solid third. In the mile run, classmates Brian Sheppard ’18 and Roger LaCroix ’18 earned fourth and sixth place, respectively. The Judges will next be running the Terrier Classic, hosted by Boston University on Friday and Saturday.
PRO SPORTS BRIEF Russell Westbrook performs at rate unseen in many decades to carry Thunder at All-Star break As the NBA season nears the halfway mark, Oklahoma City Thunder point guard Russell Westbrook stands on the brink of one of the most unprecedented seasons in league history. With the heart-wrenching departure of Golden State Warrior forward Kevin Durant, Westbrook has taken control of the team and flourished in his newfound leadership role. As it stands, Westbrook has put up an incredible stat line of 30.7 points per game, 10.5 rebounds per game and 10.3 assists per game. Those stats are no typo. Westbrook is averaging an insane triple-double over the first 44 games of the season. Of those 44, Westbrook has 20 triple-doubles which places him tied for fifth all-
time in a single season. Westbrook has already passed Cleveland Cavaliers power forward LeBron James in the all-time list, taking 58 triple-doubles in only nine years. Westbrook is on pace to pass Larry Bird and could overcome the great Wilt Chamberlain if he ratchets up his pace. At his current pace, Westbrook is geared to throw down 37 triple-doubles, a feat which would fall just short of the all-time single-season record of 41 set by Oscar Robertson in 1962. Westbrook is grabbing boards at a ferocious pace, placing him in 11th place in the league. The next guard to hit the list is Houston Rockets shooting guard James Harden in the 22nd slot, while the next point guard is Chicago Bulls point guard Rajon Rondo, who is
tied for 59th. With his aggressive play, Westbrook is able to beat even the tallest players down low. His attack-mode style with rebounds flows over to his scoring tactics, directly enhancing his points average. In terms of points per game, Westbrook is leading the league and outmatching the scoring machines Durant, Harden and Golden State Warrior point guard Stephen Curry. Since the turn of the decade, only two scoring champions have averaged more than 30 points per game, and only one, Durant, has scored more than Westbrook’s current 30.7. With Durant no longer holding him back, Westbrook has been able to control the tempo of the game and take a career-high 23.6 shots per game, including 6.3 three-point shots per
game. His trigger-happy strategy has paid off big time, though some look to his meager .423 shooting percentage and say otherwise. Despite such criticism, Westbrook has surely been the league’s most prolific scorer in an era of diminished scoring. Westbrook’s numbers seem not to have impressed the NBA fanbase, as Westbrook was snubbed this past weekend in the All-Star voting. Westbrook was outvoted by the fans, who voted for Curry and Harden as the two top guard spots. Curry and Harden lag Westbrook in each of the major statistical categories besides assists, in which Harden leads Westbrook by one per game. Fan voting has been a major issue in the past, a problem which the NBA has addressed this year
with a weighted voting system. Current players and media make up the other 50 percent of votes; however, even this system seems not to have solved the problem. Despite his performance, Westbrook’s team is lagging in the standings. In seventh place in the conference, the Thunder are beginning to miss the presence of Durant. Durant gave up scoring for a title and his risky move seems to be paying off in real terms, leaving Westbrook and the Thunder to battle it out in the depths of the standings. With another half to come, Westbrook still has time to prove Durant wrong and show that statistics and titles are not mutually exclusive. —Jerry Miller
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Page 16
LONG STRIDES The track and field team stole the show as they tacked on multiple medals in the Gosman Center, p. 15.
Tuesday, January 24, 2017
WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
DRIVE AND THRIVE
Women falter in crucial games ■ Center Maria Jackson ’17 threw down a whopping 22 points in a sweeping victory against Case. By LEV BROWN JUSTICE Staff writer
In the past three games, the women's basketball team beat the Case Western Reserve University Spartans at home 81-69, barely lost to the University of Chicago Marooners 55-62 in their first UAA road game of the season and fell to Washington University 70-54. The squad fell to 10-6 overall on the season after this week and 2-3 in the UAA. Brandeis was led by center Maria Jackson ’17, who scored a whopping 22 points against Case and 12 points along with a dominant nine rebounds against a tough Chicago team. Judges 81, Case 69 Brandeis hosted Case in an impressive display of offense by both squads. The game began with a hot first quarter on both sides, in which the Spartans went 9-16 from the field, and Brandeis 6-12. Due to the
Waltham, Mass.
Spartans’ tremendously strong start, the Judges trailed 26-17 after the first quarter. In the second quarter, the Judges were trailing 21-29 when guard Frankie Pinto ’17 drained two triples to tie the game at 29. Case took off once more, and the half ended with Brandeis trailing 41-36. The Judges shot lights-out in the third quarter, knocking down 11 shots in a row for a dominant run. Brandeis gave up five of the last seven points of the quarter to Case, to finish the third winning 66-57. At the start of the fourth, the Spartans went on an 8-3 run to cut the lead to three, and the game began to feel like a nail-biter. The fourth quarter was a hard-fought battle, but in the end, the Judges fought with grit and edged out a slight lead. This paid off as they managed to secure the grueling final minutes of play by knocking down a few important freethrow shots. Judges 55, Chicago 62 Later in the week, the Judges flew to Chicago to play against a strong Marooners team. The Judges started the game strong, scoring eight of the first 10 points, but unfortunately
See WBBALL, 13 ☛
SWIMMING AND DIVING
Swimmers impress at the final home meet ■ Natalya Wozab ’20 stood
out for the Judges as she picked up three gold medals for the squad. By JERRY MILLER JUSTICE EDITOR
The men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams took their final stand at home on Saturday against Keene State College and Bridgewater State University. The teams honored their graduating seniors Edan Zitelny ’17, Eb Webber ’17 and Cameron Braz ’17 as they competed in their penultimate meet of the regular season. The first gold of the day came at the hands of Noah Ayers ’20 in the 1000-yard freestyle event. Ayers finished with a cool time of 10:43.09, while teammate Sam Scudere-Weiss ’18 followed in fourth with a time of 11:32.19. Tamir Zitelny ’20 was next in line to grab a gold medal in the 200-yard butterfly, impressing the crowd and clocking in at 1:57.45, a full three seconds ahead of the secondplace finisher. Tamir Zitelny did not stop there, squeezing his way through for a gold in the 200-yard backstroke event. Tamir hit the finish line a mere one second ahead of his brother, who took third with a time of 2:02.56. Tamir Zitelny’s ferocious approach proved the decisive factor for the Judges as he took home a hat trick of golds, finishing off the day with the top spot in the 100-yard butterfly. Webber was dominant and eased into third place, finishing a full four seconds in front of the next competitor. The seniors cleaned up nicely, sporting a plethora of medals on the day. Braz stole the show in the
50-yard freestyle with a time of 23.05 and a gold medal to show for it. He also managed a silver in each of the 200- and 100-yard freestyle competitions. Edan Zitelny added to the Judges’ treasure trove, blitzing the competition for a shiny silver in the 100-yard backstroke and a bronze in the 200-yard individual medley. To cap off the day, the Judges went all out to win the 200-yard freestyle relay. Led by Edan Zitelny and closed out by Braz, the A team came together and was able to pull off a terrific win and go out with an emphatic bang. The women’s squad fared equally well, swimming to multiple medals and making a positive mark on their season. With no seniors on the women’s team, first-year Natalya Wozab ’20 showed her grit in the 100-yard breaststroke. Wozab knocked the competition with a 1:12.73 time and won her first of three gold medals on the day. Wozab continued her stellar performance in the 200-yard breaststroke, touching the finish line nearly three seconds before the second place swimmer. With a time of 2:37.89, Wozab stood steady with a second gold on her neck. Wozab sealed her day with another gold in the 200-yard individual medley, coming in hot with a time of 2:22.28. The first years continued to make their mark with Hwanhee Park ’20 and Yvette Smith ’20 snatching up silvers in their respective events. Park nabbed a 2:09.19 time in the 200-yard freestyle, while Smith finished the 100-yard freestyle with a time of 58.16. Kylie Herman ’19 also went the length in the 500- and 1000-yard freestyle, racking up a silver medal in each. Herman also led the
See SWIM, 13 ☛
MIIHIR KHANNA/Justice File Photo
FINGER ROLL: Guard Jack Fay ’17 heads for the rim and leaps up high for the lay up against Tufts University on Dec. 2.
Squad falls in two of three games after break ■ Forward Jordan Cooper
’18 led the charge with a game-high 23 points against Washington University this Sunday. By BEN KATCHER
JUSTICE EDITORIAL ASSISTANT
The men’s basketball team pushed their overall season record to 6-9 this past week after winning one of their three games. The Judges dominated against Case Western Reserve University after a close loss against Carnegie Mellon University the previous game. However, they were unable to carry that momentum with them as they dropped their next two games against the University of Chicago and Washington University in St. Louis, respectively. Judges 61, WashU 88 Despite some shining performances, Brandeis ended the week with their second consecutive loss against Washington, 88-61. The Judges were out-rebounded by the Washington squad 41 to 29 and had four more turnovers. In addition,
Brandeis was far less accurate from the field (36.2 percent to Washington’s 55.2 percent) and from behind the arc (26.9 percent to 41.2 percent). As a result, the Judges were outscored by 11 in the first half and by 16 in the second half of the hard-fought game. Forward Jordan Cooper ’18 led the charge for the Brandeis squad with a game-high 23 points. Cooper also put in work on the other side of the floor, leading the team with seven rebounds and adding a block and a steal. The Judges’ bench was also outstanding, led by guards Carlin Haymon ’18, Jack Fay ’17 and Latye Workman ’18. The three guards combined for 23 points for the game and dominated the boards with 10 rebounds. Judges 65, Chicago 75 Two days prior, Brandeis lost a very close battle against the University of Chicago 75-65. The Judges were down by eight at the end of the first half, but were only outscored by two in the second half of the competitive game. Chicago had better ball movement, tallying seven more assists and out-rebounding the Judges by eight
boards to eventually come away with the victory. Cooper once again was a stud for the Judges, leading the game with 21 points. He shot 60 percent from behind the arc and also added seven rebounds on the day. Guard Robinson Vilmont ’17 made his presence known with nine points, five assists and two steals, while forward Samuel Dowden ’17 asserted himself down low with seven rebounds. Judges 83, Case 66 Brandeis began their week last Sunday with an impressive 83-66 win over Case Western Reserve University. The Judges were down by three after the first half but found new life going into the second half. They came back with new intensity and outscored Case Western by 20 points in the half, 51-31. The Judges had nine more assists as a team than Case Western. They also committed 12 fewer turnovers and took advantage of Case Western’s mistakes: The Judges scored 24 points more off turnovers than their opponent. First year Eric D’Aguanno ’20
See MBBALL, 13 ☛
Vol. LXIX #15
January 24, 2017
on i t i b i h x E ear
Senior Studio
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ARTS
Waltham, MA.
Art: Weini Chen, Lilah Kleban and Yimi Wang. Images and Design: Natalia Wiater/the Justice.
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THE JUSTICE | Arts | TUESDAY, January 24, 2017
Art show
Pat Oleszko comments with creativity By Aaron Birnbaum justice contributing writer
The first sign that something is afoot at the Women’s Studies Research Center is the giant bra hanging outside the entrance. Once inside, the unsuspecting visitor to the Kniznick Gallery within the Center will find it taken over by a host of unexpected characters. Among others, an odious oil rig, a cardboard crocodile and a sad succulent have taken up residence here as part of “Fool for Thought,” an exhibition by performance artist Pat Oleszko. The gallery showcases a number of costumes from a variety of performances and events. Her body of work includes many outdoor installations and performances, featuring many of the elaborate costumes now on display. Oleszko makes the world her stage, creating and donning costumes that bring a humorous light to the topics and issues they address. Susan Metrican, the Rosalie and Jim Shane Curator and Director of the Arts, reveals in her description that Pat Oleszko is the “Fool” for which the exhibit is named. Oleszko’s art has been featured in such varied venues as the Museum of Modern Art and the Sesame Street Magazine. She has received many grants and awards from her work, most recently being named a 2016 grantee of Tree of Life, a foundation benefiting talented and late-career artists. She has held talks and exhibitions in many colleges and communities, as well. One of the more prominent pieces in this showcase is “Hello Folly: The Floes & Cons
AARON BIRNBAUM/the Justice
PLANTING PLEAS: Despite their comical appearance, Oleszko urges awareness with her kooky costumes.
AARON BIRNBAUM/the Justice
CARDBOARD CREATURES: Oleszko’s cardboard alligator costume promotes environmental awareness.
of Arctic Drilling.” Featuring costumes from a performance piece targeting the practice of oil drilling in the Arctic, this work centered on an angry oil platform labeled “Polar Wrecks-Plorer,” which was worn by Oleszko during the performance. Scattered around the gallery are dismayed polar bears, whose habitat is endangered by this practice. Nearby lay pipelines with oil leaking from their ends, one labeled “Hell No!” preceded by the logo of the Shell oil company, and another labeled “Keystone XL Not!” in reference to the controversial pipeline. Also part of this piece was a sailboat manned by fishing rats and a white beacon mounted aboard a small red boat. A common theme in “Hello Folly” was the use of blue plastic bags to represent water. According to Founding Director, Shulamit Reinharz ’77 Ph.D., the bags have a second meaning of the pollution of the seas with garbage. Another piece that stood out (and was much more lighthearted) was “Stalking Walking Topiary.” Displayed here are a few of the characters that made up the topiary, a group of plants that are brought to life by a gardener at CarnegieMellon and go on a mission “to liberate their relatives, those far-flung flora held captive under glass” at the Botanical Gardens. A master of disguise and puns, Oleszko is at once the puppet and the puppet master, concocting performances that bring humor and whimsy to a wide range of topics. Fool for Thought is on display until Mar. 3 and an artist lecture and reception will take place tomorrow, Jan. 25, beginning at 4 p.m.
concert
GrooveBoston grapples with attendance at rave By ISABELLE TRUONG justice Staff writer
Soulja Boy, Lil Yachty, Usher — what better way to spend your Saturday night than raging to these icons? From 10 p.m. to 1 a.m., around 40 to 50 people danced their nights away in Levin Ballroom at GrooveBoston: Proximity, a rave hosted by Brandeis Student Events. For a $5 entrance fee, students could enjoy EDM music DJed by real DJs. The rave started on a rather slow note, with only around 40 people at the 11 p.m. mark — small cliques huddled in various corners scattered throughout the ballroom, making the room itself seem larger than usual. Despite the stiff middle-school-
dance vibe, in the very middle, a larger group hyped up the general crowd by dancing more vigorously while others stood around awkwardly, occasionally swaying nonchalantly to the music. Although there was a lack of energy from students in the beginning, the first DJ to perform — Chris Hanover, clad in sunglasses and a white hoodie — seemed excited and determined to amp up the crowd with his little dance moves and head bobbing. He played mostly original remixes to pop and rap hits such as Drake’s “Fake Love,” Aminé’s “Caroline,” and also electronic dance music hits: Flume’s, “Say It” and the Chainsmokers’ “Only We Know.” DJ Chris’ set was lively; however, it seemed less like a rave — the theatrics and lights were not as strong during the first half of
the event compared to those of the act following. Also during this first hour, GrooveBoston set up on the side of the ballroom a small photo opportunity with lights and cameras along a backdrop with the “Proximity” logo in bright colors repeatedly splayed across. A few students took group photos with their friends, but snapchatting seemed to be the most popular method of preserving memories of the night; rave-goers jumping up and down enthusiastically sang into the front cameras of their phones frequently with their friends. The first half of Proximity remained slow and rather empty, with only handfuls of people slowly trickling in, and some leaving (probably due to the multitude of parties that night for fraternity
and sorority rush week). Toward the last hour, the ambience changed drastically. The increased amount of dancing translated into a preference for the second DJ over the previous one. Not only did the ballroom become more crowded, there was also more dancing and better energy. His style definitely differed from the previous one’s; the lights were more intense and the music more bass heavy. During strong bass drops, smoke intensely blew out of canisters from the sides of the stage. This DJ interacted with the crowd; every so often, he would shout, “Everybody get those hands up!” or “If you know this song, sing along!” His set also included interesting graphics and visuals to accompany the songs: the screen behind
him featured images ranging from otherworldly robots to photoshopped cut-outs of Bob Ross with googly eyes and fire blasting out of his mouth. He played throwback music, as well, such as Backstreet Boys, Gwen Stefani’s “Hollaback Girl,” Smash Mouth’s “All Star” and more. A notable feat was transitioning “Hotline Bling” to Soulja Boy’s “Crank That,” a crowd pleaser for sure. Toward the end of the night, it became apparent that people were, in fact, having fun and letting loose, regardless of the small crowd. The DJs provided enjoyable music, and with the combination of good friends, gave the students in attendance at the GrooveBoston Proximity event a fun Saturday night, even with somewhat small turnout.
THE JUSTICE i arts i TUESDAY, January 24, 2017
Art Show
NATALIA WIATER/the Justice
NATALIA WIATER/the Justice
CONTRASTING CANVASES: Jessica Jorge’s ’17 wooden sculpture and Jason Lipow’s ’17 abstract paintings show the variety of the exhibit.
PAINTINGS APLENTY: Olivia Joy’s ’18 painting “Not Yours to Grab” depicts her feelings in reaction to the presidential election.
Senior exhibtion is a study in contrasts By Hannah Kressel justice editor
A sculpture of glass and neon orange contrasted starkly with a canvas of muted, rolling hills. In the next alcove of Spingold Theater’s Dreitzer Gallery, family trees overlaid in thick cotton invited closer investigation while pop art word pieces forced the viewer’s eye into clarity from a distance. This was the beauty of Brandeis’ annual Senior Midyear Exhibition — it was a conglomerate of ideas and artistic endeavors by Brandeis’ senior studio students. While the exhibit allowed the students showing work to gain experience and criticism halfway through their class, it also allowed the Brandeis community to come together and witness the vast variety of ideas that would otherwise be cloistered away in each student’s studio space in the Epstein Building. This gallery is perfect for those who cannot focus in single artist shows. Because
the gallery is fairly small and there are quite a few students represented, each student had no more than three works. This not only allowed viewers to explore many different artistic goals but also gave the exhibiting artists experience showcasing their work. This gallery allowed the unique chance to experience and view all of what comes out of Brandeis’ studio art program. The program, which gives its students a fair amount of autonomy, ensured a wide range of work— from found objects to more traditional painted landscapes. While the gallery lacked the depth allowed by a single artist show, each piece was emotive and provided an interesting contrast for the pieces near it. One standout artist was Lilah Kleban ’17. Her work — a grouping of self-portraits — evoked a fierceness through her vibrant colors, her strong lines and the concrete she rested against the top of her canvas. The rolling lines in the hills behind the figure lent themselves to the lines in the figure itself, suggesting an equal strength
in both land and woman. In an interesting counter to the canvas, Liz Washington’s ’17 experiential sculpture — a wooden hovel — used shards of mirrors and offensively bright orange paint to envelop the viewer, forcing the viewer into a distorted reality much less soothing than Kleban’s portraits. The exhibition was expertly organized, as each piece seemed to counter and react to the ones around it, highlighting each artist’s strength. Continuing through the exhibit, Casey Kim’s ’17 vibrantly hued works invited sensuality, while Margot Field’s ’17 stark white canvas, inlaid with family portraits, provided a more clinical perspective on human interaction. Each piece gave a unique perspective on the way each artist in the senior studio program grew personally, as well as the way the class as a whole promoted this growth in all forms. From Jason Lipow’s ’17 nonrepresentative, thickly painted colorful canvases to Jessica Jorge’s ’17 more pictorial wooden “Wow” sculpture, it is clear the studio art program
invites all forms of artistic expression and evaluation. This exhibition also gave a keen sense of the differences in work — even in the same medium. While Olivia Joy’s ’18 and Weini Chen’s ’17 large-scale canvases both present women, the coloration and themes either artist presents are vastly different. While Joy’s paintings spoke more politically on femininity and sexuality, Chen uses the female figure as a vehicle to express fine points of emotion. In some ways, because the gallery only showed a few pieces from each artist, it invited clarity on the variety within fine art. While it is easy to think of fine art as limited to a flat, oil-painted canvas, this show proved that such a singular idea of fine art is a weak, ambiguous umbrella term. Overall, the Senior Midyear Exhibition highlighted the strong variety in the fine arts at Brandeis University, welcoming people with all calibers of art knowledge to reflect on the work of Brandeis’ premier studio art students.
Movie review
COURTESY OF CREATIVE COMMONS
LA LA LAND: “La La Land” exhibits beautiful cinematography and an aura of positivity in a dance scene.
Indie movies decidedly triumphant in 2016 By kent dinlenc justice Staff writer
The year the indies triumphed. Not one blockbuster, enjoyable as some exceptions were (“Captain America: Civil War,” “Deadpool,” “Rogue One”), managed to reach my top ten favorite movies of 2016. The year’s movies averaged out a B- grade, but the following films were all at minimum an A-. They outweighed the duds that were “Suicide Squad,” “War Dogs” and “Magnificent 7.” At number ten, “Hacksaw Ridge” delivered an inspirational true story within the horrors of battle in World War II along America’s pacific front. The film’s only flaw amid the impeccable performances by its ensemble lay in the sluggish-paced first act. While it was crucial to defining the main character’s motivation, its lengthy scenes could have easily been trimmed down. Number nine covers two films: “Deepwater Horizon” and “Patriot’s Day.” The two are directed by Peter Berg, starring Mark Wahlberg in the lead, and
dutifully recount the horrors of the BP oil rig explosion and the Boston Marathon bombing, respectively. The action in both could have easily been exploited, but the connections made with victims in the films prevailed and were tastefully given priority. If you are a fan of the director Edgar Wright, I could not recommend my number eight “Hunt for the Wilderpeople” enough. The film’s director, Taika Waititi, brings a very similar quality to Wright’s in his dark humor and engaging storytelling. Waititi’s creativity and success with this film is the only reason why I have any remote excitement for his helming of “Thor: Ragnarok,” the third installment of Marvel’s least successful franchise. If you want a relaxing comedy, this is the one to watch. Coming in at number seven is “Weiner,” a documentary that closely follows the unraveling of Anthony Weiner’s infamous scandals. It left me with a different outlook on his political career, twisting my attitude toward him
from positive to negative, back and forth. Scenes of his admirable and resolute representation on behalf of the middle class are followed by shameful actions and repeated public apologies. This deserves a viewing if you were at all amused or interested by his failings. My number six would have to be the dark comedy “The Lobster.” Frequently hard to watch due to its disturbing content, the film is a symbolic perspective on what society deems are the parameters of a relationship. Purposefully repetitive and monotonous, the movie offers a look at a genuine, flowering love within a bleak and deceitful world. “The Nice Guys,” my number five, is perhaps the most underrated film of the year. Buried in between the blockbusters in May, this Shane Black film delivers an action-packed buddycop comedy that delivers on every level. The compelling acting and writing alone were worth the price of admission and warrant a strong recommendation after a
beating in this year’s box office. My number four is a film that audiences will either love or hate. I chose the former for “Swiss Army Man.” The unconventional use of various filmmaking elements made it a dark horse. The excellent writing allows for multiple valid, insightful and heart-warming interpretations that will repeatedly hit you on an emotional level, brought to life by Paul Dano and Daniel Radcliffe. If you read anything about movies this month, you may be surprised that the following film is so low on my list: “La La Land” comes at number three. Performed impeccably, filmed with stunning imagery and elevated by a refreshing aura of positivity in our tumultuous time, the only flaw I could identify was the occasional problem with the plot. However, the low points were few and far between, wrapped in a beautiful score that has remained an ear worm since I heard it in December. “Hell or High Water” was flawless, yet only to a lesser extent compared to my favorite,
leaving it at number two. Realistic down to every detailed scene, the film remained compelling and unexpected throughout. My one wish for this movie is that Ben Foster get his deserved supporting actor acclaim come in the form of an Oscar nomination, compared to the usurped Golden Globe nomination for Jeff Bridges. At number one, my favorite movie of 2016 has to be “Manchester by the Sea.” The film had the best acting of the year in Casey Affleck and the rest of the ensemble, the unsurpassed script written by director Kenneth Lonergan and the most poignant arc of any film in 2016. It follows a broken man whose life the audience can do nothing but empathize with. The impeccable writing prompted a feeling as though I was intruding on a real man’s life. Throughout I kept quiet, as if any interruption would interrupt the characters. So if you haven’t seen any of these films yet, enjoy them amid the film wasteland that is January.
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TUESDAY, January 24, 2017 | Arts | THE JUSTIce
Brandeis TALKS
INTERVIEW
wf
What class are you most looking forward to this semester?
Julie Joseph ’18
Sarah Steiker ’17
“I’m really excited for Econ 2A because I’m not an economics person...I’m excited to learn about things that are applicable in the real world.”
Photo Courtesy of Sarah Steiker
This week, justArts spoke with Sarah Steiker ’17, a senior Theater Major who is writing a Senior Thesis with Sarah Ackerman ’17. justArts: What is a Senior Thesis?
ELYSE HAHN/the Justice
Phoebe Dolan ’20 “I would have to say my World Music class, which has basically so far been debunking the ‘world music is a Western ideal,’ so it’s really interesting.”
Rosemarie Archer ’20 “I’m most looking forward to Writing on the Wall with Professor Childs because I feel this is something I haven’t learned before, something not usually taught. I feel especially the vibe I get from the class that it’s going to be enriching and will open me up to newer things.”
Matt Hoisch ’19 “Opinion Writing with Eileen McNamara.” —Compiled and photographed by Natalia Wiater/the Justice.
STAFF’S Top Ten
Coolest Animal Mashups By MICHELLE DANG
justice EDITORial assistant
You may have heard of heard of ligers and tigons, but have you heard of these? Here are the top ten real hybrid animal portmanteaus. 1. zeedonk (zebra and donkey) 2. wholphin (whale and dolphin) 3. jaglion (jaguar and lion) 4. cama (camel and llama) 5. pizzly (grizzly bear and polar bear) 6. yakalo (yak and bison) 7. geep (sheep and goat) 8. wallaroo (kangaroo and wallaby) 9. coywolf (coyote and wolf) 10. pumapard (puma and leopard)
CROSSWORD
ACROSS 1 Word repeated after “que” 5 Dress down 11 Marsh 14 Lightbulb, in cartoons 15 Political deportees 16 Letters with an angle? 17 Pitch 19 Long stretch of time 20 _____ Jima 21 Show featuring Alec Baldwin as Donald Trump 22 Highest male voice 23 Like posters at science fairs 27 Things beneath a microscope lens 29 Bond author Fleming 30 Stops up 33 Vow at the altar 34 Gov’t Bureau concerned with gun trafficking 35 Continue, as a subscription 36 Accord signed by Bill Clinton, for short 39 _____ Speedwagon 40 Pitch 42 _____ Wonderful (juice company) 43 One in a 25-down 45 Sitcom whose eponymous character worked at “Buy the Book” 46 Police officer in “The Simpsons” 47 The first letter in 10-Down 48 Chowderhead 49 Ice Bucket Challenge cause 50 “______ Me” (Katy Perry song) 53 One who receives a monthly check from the Gov’t, perhaps 56 Fairytale starter 57 Legal org. 60 Front of a truck 61 Suffix with brew62 Pitch 67 Grp. that kidnapped Patty Hearst 68 Not getting any circulation, colloquially 69 Have something to eat 70 Snakelike sea creature 71 Henna or eosin, e.g. 72 Frozen character DOWN 1 Pet owner’s command 2 Japanese period 3 In medias _____ 4 Former “Daily Show” correspondent Mandvi 5 Indebted (to) 6 Application suffix 7 Meal at a barbecue joint 8 Rickman who played Severus Snape 9 What poker pros look for
Sarah Steiker: The Theater department has an application to do a thesis, and then it’s approved by the faculty. Any theater major can apply to do a thesis. The last weekend of March (which goes into the first weekend of April) is when the thesis festival happens. This year, there will be three theses in the festival: Sarah and me, a devised environmental piece and a sketch comedy piece about history. Students are welcome to pursue theses in whatever area they may be interested in pursuing. So there are some people who are not doing performance based theses in the festival but rather in stage management or set design. JA: What is your thesis about? SS: Our thesis is about addiction and how it’s portrayed in musical theater. We are exploring different facets of the disease and seeing how they play out on stage. Sarah and I decided that we wanted to focus on mental illness in our thesis, and, ultimately, we came to the conclusion that addiction was what we were most interested in researching. JA: What are your roles in the thesis?
10 Subj. for those taking the U.S. Citizenship Test 11 Pitch 12 Ham it up 13 Taboos 18 Number of U.S. Presidents who signed the Constitution 22 Android in “Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.” 23 Wear for Queen Elizabeth 24 Word before G or R 25 Pitch 26 Did the Samba, say 28 Sheets and pillowcases, e.g. 31 ______ Yello 32 Big gulps 35 Starr of the movie “Help!” 37 Author of “A Confederacy of Dunces” 38 ______-bouche 41 Former Internet Explorer competitor 44 Contribute to the pot 50 Group that may be deputized 51 Place for a bracelet 52 A multiple-choice option, sometimes 54 Partner of “ne”, in French 55 Multiple-choice options, sometimes 58 “Night on _____ Mountain” 59 Did well on, as a multiplechoice test 62 The second letter in 57-Across 63 Essential 64 Word after crude or canola 65 Any of 55-down, for short 66 Bit of grassland
CROSSWORD COURTESY OF EVAN MAHNKEN
SS: Sarah and I are working as coauthors and actors. So, essentially we’re both performing in the piece and also arranging the songs and dialogue that happens throughout the show (along with our director, Gabe Walker ’19). JA: Why do you feel like your thesis is relevant? SS: Addiction is a huge problem in our society, and we think that there is a lot of art that is related to this topic. So many people are addicted to substances or people or situations, and we want to explore what causes that. JA: How did the Sara Schoch master class this past weekend help you with your thesis?
SOLUTION COURTESY OF EVAN MAHNKEN
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.
SS: Sara Schoch is a brilliant MFA alum [Schoch is a graduate of Brandeis’ Masters of Fine Arts program which no longer runs] who was able to bring an outsider’s perspective to our project. She met with us privately and offered us guidance that helped us get going in the right direction. Her master class was also so helpful because she was able to help a group of actors act through song, which is going to be a pertinent part of our thesis. JA: Who else is working on your thesis? SS: The piece is directed by Gabe Walker. We have cast two actors to work with us as well. JA: What has proved challenging in your thesis thus far?
Solution to last issue’s sudoku
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SS: Finding direction in convolution. When you have a ton of research and information, it’s hard to find a story that will be compelling and interesting on stage. We are still working on finding the best possible line to connect the different aspects of this piece. —Hannah Kressel