The Justice, November 24, 2015

ARTS Page 18

FORUM Continue funding science 12

“LITTLE SHOP”

SPORTS Men's basketball improves to 3-0 16 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 LXVIII, Number 11

www.thejustice.org

Tuesday, November 24, 2015

Administration

Student union

SIT-IN

Lynch appoints task force for green efforts

Campus elects two new A-Board reps

■ To further green interests

on campus, Interim President Lynch appointed a task force on sustainability.

By ABBY PATKIN JUSTICE EDITOR

In one of many steps toward campus sustainability, Interim University President Lisa Lynch appointed a Presidential Task Force on Sustainability last month. The task force will deliver a new climate action plan to Lynch sometime in January 2016, according to a Nov. 19 BrandeisNOW article.

The article also stated that the Task Force’s mandates include developing goals and objectives to better serve the University’s social justice mission through sustainability; reducing the University’s carbon footprint; identifying areas of potential environmental impact and developing solutions and both short and long term implementation plans; recommending sustainability policies for the campus; and promoting sustainability in the University community.

The committee, which will be co-chaired by Matt Smetana ’17, Prof. Sabine von Mering (GRALL) and Vice President of Campus Operations Jim Gray, also includes 22 students, professors and staff members.

The graduate and undergraduate students serving on the task force include Philip Wight (Ph.D.), a member of Brandeis Climate Justice, which has staged many divestment rallies in recent months. Additionally, Profs.

Laura Goldin (ENVS), Dan Pearlman (BIOL), Eric Olson (Heller), Cameron Anderson (THA), Paul Miller (NBIO), Judith Herzfeld (CHEM) and Carol Osler (IBS) will serve on the task force.

Sustainability Manager Mary Fischer, Dean of Students Jamele Adams and Senior Advisor to the President Peter Giumette will

See SUSTAINABILITY, 7 ☛

MORGAN BRILL/the Justice

NO JUSTICE, NO PEACE: Christian Nunez '18 leads protestors in a rally outside the Bernstein-Marcus Administration Center.

Students hold sit-in in President's office

■ Interim President Lynch

received a list of 13 demands on Thursday to address systemic racism at Brandeis.

By MAX MORAN JUSTICE EDITOR

Students began occupying the hallways in the Bernstein-Marcus Administration Center leading to the President’s Office in a sit-in on Friday afternoon that has been ongoing since. The students do not plan on leaving the building until Interim President Lisa Lynch and the Board of Trustees develop an action plan for addressing the 13 demands issued by the sit-in’s organizers on Thursday, who call themselves Concerned Students 2015 and are referring to their sit-in as Ford Hall 2015. This title invokes an 11-day occupation held in January 1969 in Ford and Sydeman Halls by black students who presented a list of 10 demands to the administration.

Protest on Rabb Steps The student leaders of Concerned Students 2015 sent the demands to

JUSTICE EDITOR

Lynch’s Response Stating that she appreciated the list of demands and students’ deep concern on the issue, Lynch explained that she was working with her senior administrators and staff to address the demands as soon as

See SIT-IN, 4

■ After passing an amendment to add seats to the Allocations Board, the student body voted on two of the new representatives.

By HANNAH WULKAN

hands with several organizers of the event. Students then came forward delivering impromptu addresses about their personal experiences with racism on campus and throughout their lives. Students across the board praised the African and AfroAmerican Studies department but said that the burden of educating about racial injustice cannot fall on this one department alone and that Lynch’s initial email acknowledging the demands was insufficient.

At 2 p.m., the students marched to Lynch’s office in Bernstein-Marcus.

Lynch went ahead and met them there. In the hallway, students restated their demands to her, and the organizers announced that the event was now a sit-in, which would not end until the demands were met.

Lynch then delivered an unscripted address responding to the concerns.

Lynch and posted them on Facebook on Thursday afternoon, including a demand that Lynch release an action plan for addressing the concerns within 24 hours. Though Lynch sent an email to the University community on Friday morning acknowledging that she had received the letter from Concerned Students 2015, the email did not include an action plan.

Lynch wrote that this was because she planned to attend a rally being held on the Rabb Steps on Friday afternoon to “hear directly from our community on their concerns” and that she would continue working on a more detailed response after.

The email from Concerned Students 2015 read, “As a University we have failed. We have failed our Black students. We have failed our Black professors. We have failed our Black staff members. We have failed our Black community. ... We, as concerned students, need our university to stand with us and to work with us on addressing issues of injustice, as they unfold on our own campus.”

Students rallied on Rabb Steps at 1:30 p.m. on Friday, exactly 24 hours after the initial email was sent to Lynch. Along with Interim Provost Irving Epstein, Lynch met and shook

☛

In a special election on Nov. 16, the student body elected two new members to the Allocations Board: Alex Feldman ’19 for a three-semester seat and Arlynes Reyes ’19 for a one-semester seat. The election ran from 12 a.m. to 11:59 p.m.

According to the voting report sent out to candidates after the elections ended, Reyes won 170 votes out of a total 455 votes cast for that position.

For the three-semester seat, the “abstain” option received 159 votes while Feldman received 152.

In the past, per the Student Union Constitution, if “abstain” received more votes than a candidate, he or she would not be elected. However in an interview with the Justice, Student Union Secretary Shuying Liu ’16 explained that she and other members of the Union had reinterpreted the constitution for this election and all subsequent elections.

“We re-looked at the constitution, and it says that abstain wins only if it wins a majority vote, which means that it is greater than 50 percent,” Liu said.

“We interpreted the constitution differently this time because we think it's more fair to all candidates, and it is more efficient because you have to re-elect, like you have to run [an] election all over again to have new candidates, which is kind of a waste of time,” she added.

The Student Union constitution reads, “Abstain shall be an option on all Union election ballots.

See A-BOARD, 7 ☛

Building a record

Coming up short

#FordHall2015

 Avi Hirshbein '19 (left) forms a record label club to promote musical talent within the community.

 The men's soccer team lost 2-0 in the National Collegiate Athletic Association Division III Tournament to end their championship hopes.

 A group of students has staged a sit-in outside the president's office, to continue until their demands are fulfilled.

FEATURES 8

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Waltham, Mass.

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

INDEX

SPORTS 16

ARTS SPORTS

17 13

EDITORIAL FEATURES

10 9

OPINION POLICE LOG

10 2

News 4-5

COPYRIGHT 2015 FREE AT BRANDEIS.

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TUESDAY, November 24, 2015

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THE JUSTICE

NEWS SENATE LOG Senate votes to establish 40 day deadline for anti-hazing forms The Senate convened for its weekly meeting on Sunday to vote on two new student clubs and to establish a timeframe for clubs to complete anti-hazing forms After voting to recognize Basement Records, a record label club started by Avi Hershbein ’19, the Senate voted to recognize the German Club. Both clubs were approved for recognition without any abstentions. Student representatives from the German Club expressed that their club was not yet ready to be chartered and that the club leaders would like to get their proposal in order first.

The Senate then moved into executive reports and announcements. Student Union Secretary Shuying Liu ’16 discussed card access to the Student Union room for all members and monitoring the Romper Room printer.

The Senators then discussed with Liu a way to directly communicate with their constituents through Facebook or a Listerv. Senator to the Off Campus Community Sam Krystal ’17 spoke about wanting to tell his constituents when they were granted card access to campus buildings but was unable to do so. Krystal recommended that the Senate create a Senatorial Facebook so that Senators don’t have to use their personal ones. It was then discussed that each senator should have his or her own Listserv so that they can reach constituents directly. Executive Senator David Herbstritt ’17 said that there is currently no motion on the table for Senatorial Facebook or Listserv communication and that it will be a larger discussion in the future. Herbstritt returned to the Senate’s agenda and discussed what the role of the E-board should be in supporting student activists in the #FordHall2015 movement. “I’m thinking as a Union we need to keep doing our jobs, keep representing our constituents. … Continue to be who you are as an individual but be cognizant of our positions,” Herbstritt said.

Next, the Senate moved into committee chair reports, which included Senator at Large Lucy Wen’s ’18 efforts to create and incentivize a campus-wide pronoun survey. Wen said that they are going to purchase merchandise from the bookstore to incentivize students to take the survey. Wen also said that the survey will be released during Thanksgiving break to give people more time to take the survey and provide more time for the Senate to analyze the data.

Senator at Large Lorenzo Finamore ’18 discussed his work toward ensuring that every club leader is bystander-trained. Finamore also said that he, Class of 2018 Senator Skye Golann and Herbstritt spoke with a New York Times reporter this week for a compulsory story on campus dining. North Quad Senator Hannah Brown ’19 spoke about Midnight Buffet and said that Friday was the last day to purchase Thanksgiving Turkey Shuttle tickets. Brown said that the Student Union made $8,890.

The Senate then addressed unfinished business for review. They discussed and voted to establish a 40-day deadline for when club anti-hazing forms are due from the start of the fall semester. The amendment passed with one abstention. The Senate then voted to increase the fund by $30 for the pronoun survey. Wen said that they plan to purchase tumblers, t-shirts and mugs as incentives for the survey. The motion passed.

The Senate closed with remarks by Herbstritt regarding the #FordHall2015 movement. “We’re going to stay neutral on this,” Herbstritt said. He added that it would be “worth [the senators’] while to go” outside the capacity of the Student Union to show support for “constituents who are sleeping on the floor.” The Student Union later released a statement of support for the movement.

POLICE LOG Medical Emergency

Nov. 17—A party in the Gosman Sports and Convocation Center injured their ankle playing basketball. University Police transported the party to NewtonWellesley Hospital.

Nov. 19—A party in Ridgewood Quad with a medical history of stomach problems reported suffering from severe pain. The party was treated on the scene

by BEMCo staff and transported

by University Police to NewtonWellesley Hospital.

Nov. 20—A party in Usen Castle suffering from infectious mononucleosis reported coughing up blood. BEMCo staff treated the party, and Cataldo ambulance took them to Newton-Wellesley Hospital.

Nov. 21—A party in Gosman had dislocated their finger in karate practice. BEMCo staff treated the party on the scene and University Police transported the party to Urgent Care.

Nov. 21—A party in Gosman dislocated a finger playing bas-

ketball. BEMCo staff treated the party and University Police transported them to Urgent Care.

Nov. 21—A party in the Usdan Student Center was suffering from shortness of breath. Cataldo ambulance was requested and transported the party to NewtonWellesley Hospital.

Nov. 21—BEMCo crew at the Library Party reported a party with a twisted ankle. BEMCo staff treated the party with a signed refusal for further care.

Nov. 22—Police received a report of a party in Massell Quad who was intoxicated and unconscious. BEMCo staff treated the party, and Cataldo ambulance transported the party to NewtonWellesley Hospital.

Nov. 22—Police received a report of an intoxicated party in Rosenthal Quad. BEMCo staff and University Police responded, but the party refused transport to the hospital.

Drugs

Nov. 20—A resident of 567

South Street reported the smell of marijuana in the halls. Police requested Community Living staff to handle the situation.

had a jacket stolen from an unlocked locker in Gosman. University Police compiled a report on the theft.

Larceny

Other

Nov. 16—University Police received report of a computer missing from a classroom in Spingold Theater. University Police compiled a report and notified Library and Technology Services.

Nov. 17—A party in the OlinSang American Civilization center reported their cell phone went missing while left unattended in a common public area. University Police compiled a report.

Nov. 17—Police received a report of a missing passport left unattended in the Goldfarb Library.

University Police compiled a report on the incident.

Nov. 20—A staff member in Spingold Theater stated a Mac desktop computer had been stolen from a locked area with no signs of forced entry. University Police compiled a report on the theft.

Nov. 20—A party stated they

FESTIVAL OF LIGHTS

University installs portable speed bumps on Loop Road to improve student street safety on campus

CORRECTIONS AND CLARIFICATIONS n A News article misspelled Leslie Kamel’s ’16 name.

(Nov. 17, page 1). n An Arts article misspelled Associate Editor Rebecca Lantner’s ’16 name. (Nov. 17, page 18).

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

Due to the Thanksgiving break, the Justice will not be printing during the week of Dec. 1.

Justice

the

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

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The Justice Brandeis University Mailstop 214 P.O. Box 549110 Waltham, MA 02454-9110 Phone: (781) 736-3750

—compiled by Avi Gold.

BRIEF

—Brianna Majsiak

n An Arts article incorrectly listed Lori Shapiro ’17 instead of Deesha Patel ’16 as one of the choreographers of the Fall Adagio Dance Company show “Evolution of Dance” performance, “Gibberish”(Nov. 17, page 18).

Nov. 19—Police received a report of two parties near Gosman, one possibly holding a handgun.

Police found contractors on the roof of Gosman and the crossover bridge fitting the description. The contractors said they had been around the bridge all day. Police checked the campus and could not locate the parties.

Nov. 20—Security at the main gate reported a party walking toward the campus center with a bow and arrow. University Police checked the area but were unable to locate the party.

Nov. 20—A peaceful demonstration on the Rabb steps moved to the administrative buildings.

University students were granted permission by the administration to remain within the building.

MIHIR KHANNA/the Justice

Students help themselves to a traditional Indian meal at Wednesday’s Diwali celebration, which was hosted by Namaskar and the Dharmic Prayer Space. The annual Indian festivities celebrate light and goodness.

Last week, the University installed portable speed bumps along various parts of Loop Road to improve campus street safety, according to Director of Public Safety Ed Callahan.

Callahan wrote in an email to the Justice that the University made the choice to go with portable speed bumps “so that we can remove them if there are any issues with the snowplows.” He added that they may choose to install additional speed bumps in other locations at a later date.

Callahan also stated in his email that the University has implemented the speed bumps “in response to community concerns about speeding vehicles and pedestrian safety.”

He also included some additional safety tips in his email, advising students and community members to “be mindful whenever and however they are traveling on or across campus.”

Callahan suggested, “When walking to or on campus, be aware of oncoming traffic when you cross a road, and only cross at a designated crosswalk.”

He warned that students should not check their phones or respond to emails or texts while crossing the street, and, “When crossing South Street, use the designated crosswalks by the Epstein Building or the Linsey Pool and engage the crossing lights. When possible, cross using Squire Bridge.”

He added that cyclists should obey the rules of traffic for motor vehicles and keep an eye out for oncoming traffic and pedestrians crossing the street before making turns. He also asked students with cars on campus to obey the 15 miles per hour speed limit on campus roadways.

Callahan concluded his email to the Justice by speaking on the student body, writing: “thank you for making campus safety a priority and for helping us to provide a welcome and safe environment for everyone.”

—Abby Patkin

ANNOUNCEMENTS Yoshua Okón Artist Talk

Yoshua Okón is a Mexican artist whose videos blur the lines between documentary, reality and fiction, creating sociological examinations that ask viewers to contemplate uncomfortable situations and circumstances.

This event is part of the “Art, Race, Activism” integrated Arts project.

Monday, Nov. 30 from 3:30 to 4:50 p.m. in the Goldman-Schwartz Art Studios, room 115.

‘Bigamy in the Hebraic Church’ Doctoral candidate Geraldine Gudefin will deliver her lecture, titled, “Bigamy in the ‘Hebraic Church’: Russian Jewish Encounters with New York State Law at the Turn of the Twentieth Century” This ongoing colloquium provides a critical forum for graduate students and faculty to present and discuss works-inprogress, thereby fostering an interdis-

ciplinary intellectual community in all areas of modern Jewish studies. In each session, participants discuss a paper presented by faculty or graduate students from Brandeis and other institutions. The presenter begins with a brief overview of the work, followed by a question-and-answer session and discussion over a light lunch buffet.

Tuesday, Dec. 1 from 12:20 to 2 p.m. in the Lown Center for Judaica Studies, room 315.

Employer Spotlight: City Year

Stop by the Shapiro Campus Center for a chance to speak with Ms. JoAnne Sylvia and learn more about why City Year is among Brandeis’s top employers.

City Year is recruiting seniors to the AmeriCorps program now. Placements are available regionally, nationally and internationally.

Wednesday, Dec. 2 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Shapiro Campus Center Atrium.

Vendor Fair

Visit the vendor fair and get your holiday shopping for friends and family done early.

Stop by the Shapiro Campus Center Atrium on Dec. 3 to peruse unique jewelry, scarfs, cell phone cases, posters and more.

All products would make unique and thoughtful holiday gifts and are brought to campus by local vendors and artisans.

Thursday, Dec. 3 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the Shapiro Campus Center Atrium.

Light Up Brandeis

Join Chabad at Brandeis for its annual tradition of communal candle lighting.

There will be latkes, jelly donuts, gelt, and many menorahs. Come light candles, eat food and schmooze. The community menorah will be lit by our Modern Maccabi.

Sunday, Dec. 6 from 5 to 5:20 p.m. in the Shapiro Campus Center Atrium.

THE JUSTICE

Matthew Kupfer ’12 returned to campus on Tuesday to discuss Ukrainian identity.

By Matthew Schattner JUSTICE editorial assistant

TOMMY GAO/the Justice

REASONING FROM THE HEART: Prof. Deborah Stone (Heller) cited the war on Iraq as an example of emotional reasoning.

Professor speaks on adding emotion to law and policy (Heller) drew upon Justices Brandeis and Sotomayor in her Guberman lecture.

By Rachel Moore JUSTICE STAFF WRITER

“This is really a coming home for me,” Prof. Deborah Stone (Heller) remarked on Thursday, opening her second time delivering the Legal Studies Program’s annual Joshua A. Guberman Lecture. For this lecture, Stone spoke on how emotion should be considered when developing social policy and whether and how judicial systems consider emotion.

The questions, “What does it mean to be guided by the Light of Reason?

What did it mean for Louis Brandeis?

What does it mean now?” were, according to Stone, the framing questions for her discourse.

Stone pointed to “the Light of Reason” sculpture that stands in front of the Rose Art Museum as a symbol of a combination of structure and order with whimsical beauty, and she referenced Justice Louis Brandeis’s success in the maximum labor law case Muller v. Oregon (1908), in which he used an emotional argument to win his case. In Muller v. Oregon, the owner of a laundry business, Curt Muller, was charged a fine for making female employees work shifts longer than ten hours. His appeal went all the way to the Supreme Court, where it was determined that it was in the best interest of women, for physiological and societal reasons, to have a work day limited by law. In his argument, Stone noted, Brandeis was not “an equal opportunity man;” the emotional argument he used was based on gender stereotypes, in particular the ideas that women are too fragile and need a certain amount of time to take care of their families.

Nevertheless, the case was a landmark for the integration of emotion into the decision of the court.

Stone then transitioned the discussion to current Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor and cited the ways in which Sotomayor represents the importance of emotion in a way that Brandeis did not. Stone referenced Sotomayor’s memoir, “My Beloved World,” in which she says that one must convince a jury that “they have a moral responsibility to do what you believe is right. … The difference between winning and losing [comes] down to the appeal by emotion, rather than fact alone.” To use emotional appeal, according to Sotomayor, is to use the “innate skills of the heart.”

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Alum discusses life in Ukraine ■ Carnegie junior fellow

A major difference between Brandeis’s era and the present day — Sotomayor’s era — is “the explosion of brain research in the past 25 years or so that has blurred the line between rationality and emotion and legitimated the idea of emotional intelligence,” Stone said, adding that new knowledge about how the brain functions has changed the way scholars think.

Brandeis and Sotomayor have more in common than their treatment of emotion in the court, Stone declared, as “both Brandeis and Sotomayor were the first member of a stigmatized minority group to be appointed to the Supreme Court.

One common element of the negative stereotype of every minority group is the charge that they are less intelligent, less disciplined and more given to unruly emotions and passions than the dominant group.” Individuals trying to break free of these stereotypes “must go out of their way to disconfirm the stereotype.”

Though “since the Enlightenment, emotions have been viewed as distortions of reality,” it cannot be denied that “we need emotions to evaluate and interpret facts and to motivate us to act,” Stone remarked.

As an example of the first of Stone’s three themes within the lecture, how “emotions can contribute to better explanations of social and political phenomena,” she cited that “knowing what to do requires a causal explanation for the problem.”

Stone used studies of malnourished communities, including those done in China, Brazil and the Philippines, to prove her point. The study she referenced that had been done in China found that malnourished poor people who were offered rice and wheat at lower prices chose to use their extra money to buy shrimp and meat, instead of more rice and wheat, which would have been the economically efficient choice. “Even the best policy analysis can be oblivious to how emotion shapes other people’s choices,” Stone commented, because in fact “we … derive emotional nourishment from the [food] we eat that is far more important to us than the nutritional value or even the taste.”

Moving onto the second theme of her research — how “emotions serve as evidence” — Stone noted that “once [people] know something to be true, the facts cause them to have feelings about the situation. Emotions … come after facts.” She suggested that this quality is apparent in the U.S.’s decision to declare war on Iraq. Stone says decisions made by politicians normally come about by asking questions such as, “Do they find our threats credible? Do we find

TUESDAY, November 24, 2015

campus speaker

GUIDED BY THE LIGHT

■ Prof. Deborah Stone

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their representations of how they are behaving credible?” Despite data from weapons inspectors, the U.S. declared war on Iraq because they “disliked, disrespected and didn’t trust Saddam Hussein,” according to Stone. Donald Rumsfeld, Secretary of Defense at the start of the war in Iraq, unknowingly supported Stone’s statement when he said “the absence of evidence is not the evidence of absence” in reference to the purported weapons of mass destruction being stashed in Iraq. In short, she argued, the politicians who declared war allowed their own emotion to serve as evidence.

Transitioning to recent world events, Stone brought up the relationship between emotion and refugees who seek asylum, using a study

by Cecile Rousseau and Patricia Foxen of individual cases of refugee asylum through the judicial process in Canada. According to the Geneva Convention, Stone noted, the definition of a refugee is “contingent on a well-founded fear for being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group or political opinion.”

However, “judges rely on their own emotions to assess the credibility of the individual claimant,” and the claimant must “transmit … [their] experience of trauma … [to prove their] emotion is authentic,” which again forces emotions to determine evidence. The subjectivity of the matter can make the outcome feel unfair.

“Emotions serve as tests of legitimacy,” Stone noted as her third and final theme. Still working off of the Canadian refugee study, Stone said that the “refugees often experience negative emotions just from the way judges look at them … [one woman] portrays her emotional experience of the hearing, apart from the results, as upsetting, demeaning and disrespectful — all emotional elements that go into her judgment of ‘unfair.’” If refugees are made uncomfortable by the asylum process, Stone said, there has been “a violation of Canada’s expressed ideals, making the Canadian government hardly more legitimate than the regime these refugees have fled. … When officials don’t look from the heart, they lose legitimacy.”

Stone has held the David R. Pokross Chair in Law and Social Policy at the Heller School, and has been employed by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Duke University, Yale University, Tulane University, Radcliffe College and the University of Bremen, Germany.

Stone’s lecture was titled “Reasoning from the Heart in Law and Policy.” Stone was first a Guberman lecturer in 2003.

Ukrainian national identity is a complex notion, containing relationships with Russia, ethnicity and civic duty, according to Carnegie junior fellow Matthew Kupfer ’12, who returned to Brandeis on Tuesday night to share his research findings on what it means to be Ukrainian in the modern era.

“Is bigotry ever acceptable? …

What about if bigotry is against a group of people you believe oppresses you? … What if it is against a diaspora in your country whose homeland oppresses you?” Kupfer began, introducing a series of questions and asking the audience to raise their hands if they agreed with the statement. Almost none volunteered their support. The point of these questions, Kupfer shared, was to pose uncomfortable questions that would highlight the fact that these issues in Ukraine are not straightforward, black-andwhite scenarios.

Kupfer’s current research studies national identity in Ukraine, especially among volunteers in the eastern part of the country in the cities of Kharkiv and Odessa, the sites of explosions and clashes in the Ukraine-Russia conflict. He presented his findings and conclusions at the event titled “Ukraine 2015 – National Identity and Civilian Volunteers During War,” as part of the I Am Global Week series.

“I’m a nationalist, but I like it when a Jew or an Armenian supports our country,” Kupfer said, sharing a statement told to him by a wounded Ukrainian soldier recovering in a hospital in Odessa. He explained that this statement was noteworthy because “Ukrainian identity has often been thought of as an ethnic identity, and Ukrainian nationalism has often been thought of as ethnocentric,” but here was a Ukrainian man eager to receive the support of other groups of people.

This paradoxical expression of Ukrainian national identity laid the foundation for Kupfer’s presentation. He then shared his methodology of conducting one-on-one or one-on-two interviews with Ukrainian volunteers in the places where they work, as well as eight-person group interviews with “ordinary ethnic Ukrainians and Russians in both cities.”

Kupfer then explained the vital role of volunteers in the current conflict, where they have taken on tasks that would normally have been fulfilled by the state. The list of their duties and efforts includes gathering supplies, buying train tickets for the soldiers, advocating for them, helping them navigate government bureaucracy, aiding those with post-traumatic stress disorder, providing food and shelter, socializing with them at the train stations, and aiding internally displaced persons.

Quoting sociologist Viktoriya Sereda, Kupfer shared that 54 percent of Ukrainian citizens took part in civic activism in the last year.

He added that there were 75,000 volunteers for civic causes, based on reports from the Ukrainian press.

Kharkiv and Odessa, however, are considered to be more passive areas, with Sereda’s findings showing 20 to 40 percent of civic participation. Kupfer declared that there is a “clear political aspect to this volunteerism.”

Kupfer then discussed the present state of research on Ukrainian national identity. Many of these findings are pessimistic, he found, with political scientist Stephen Shulman stating, “Ukrainians perceive Ukrainians from different regions of their own country to be more different from each other than Ukrainians and Russians in Russia,” as well as social psycholo-

gist Karina Korostelina offering, “Ukraine has no national identity, an absence of any kind of thing that unites the country.”

“The reality doesn’t seem to bare out, at least what you see in Ukraine,” Kupfer countered, posing that his research with civic volunteers disputes some of these other findings on Ukrainian national identity.

He added that one volunteer told him on one occasion, “For me, being Ukrainian is ethnic — I love my country, but I hate the government.

I think the Ukrainian people are good, but the government brings out the worst in us or destroys our positive qualities.”

The volunteer then explained her personal identification, stating, “By ancestry, I am Russian; my roots are extremely Russian, but I always thought of myself as Ukrainian. I am proud to be part of this nation, even if not by blood.”

Kupfer explained that he questioned the volunteer, wondering how Ukrainian identity for her could be ethnic if she was actually of Russian descent. The volunteer, he said, quickly responded, “Well, because I intentionally relate to the Ukrainian ethnicity, it means I am an ethnic Ukrainian.”

Other volunteers seemed to echo this sentiment. Another stated, “If we didn’t include non-ethnic Ukrainians, there would be no nation. It’s not possible.”

“My kids are half Chinese, but they’re also Ukrainian,” affirmed another volunteer, sharing her personal view that despite Ukrainian identity being an ethnic identity, non-ethnic Ukraine can essentially become Ukrainian.

Kupfer then moved on to his findings on the relationship between Russia and Ukrainian identity. One volunteer stated, “Russians and Ukrainian may be connected economically, linguistically and genetically, but they’re very different in terms of freedom of thought.” This was a common belief among the volunteers, Kupfer added. Another Ukrainian volunteer offered that he initially “didn’t see it [Russia] as a foreign country,” but after supporting Ukraine in the recent conflict, it had become hard to talk with his Russian citizen father, despite the fact that his father had lived in Ukraine for ten years.

Kupfer also discussed the differences he had found between the volunteers and the “ordinary” ethnic Ukrainians, whom he defined as “middle or lower class people who are not involved in volunteerism.”

The volunteers viewed Ukraine as the only acceptable national identity; they supported full linguistic Ukrainianization, were in favor of anti-communist laws, held a negative view of the Soviet Union, possessed a disgust with the current government and maintained a strong sense of duty to the country.

Although the ordinary ethnic Ukrainians were not uniformly progovernment, they contrastingly did not support anti-communist laws, were more supportive of bilingualism, displayed nostalgia for the stability of the Soviet ’70s and viewed Russia as more fundamentally similar to Ukraine than different. One individual expressed, “Russia and Ukraine should be the same thing with different names.”

Kupfer then concluded his presentation by posing one more thought for the audience’s consideration. “Maybe the biggest divide in Ukraine now is not between east and west, or between Russianspeaking and Ukrainian-speaking, or between Russian and Ukrainian, but it’s between the active part of the population and the passive part of the population.”

The event was held by the Brandeis-Genesis Institute for Russian Jewry and co-sponsored by the Tauber Institute for the Study of European Jewry, the Department of Near Eastern and Judaic Studies, the Department of German, Russian and Asian Languages and Literature, and the Brandeis Russian Club.

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TUESDAY, November 24, 2015

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THE JUSTICE

#FORDHA

SIT-IN: Lynch email updates no major policy CONTINUED FROM 1

MIHIR KHANNA/the Justice

SETTLING IN: Student protestors bring donated food and sit on borrowed inflatable mattresses during the third night of the sit-in.

Community lends support during ongoing sit-in ■ Professors and

adminstrators have visited the sit-in to show support and stand in solidarity.

By Max moran JUSTICE editor

Over the weekend, the Ford Hall 2015 sit-in was open to all students, faculty and administrators who wished to enter. Students came and went from the protest, and clubs, faculty and administrators provided resources and encouragement.

The protestors had a few tables with their food supply set up in the connecting hall between Bernstein-Marcus and the Gryzmish Center. Most students over the weekend sat down in the hall leading to Interim President Lisa Lynch’s office, sharing food and power adapters to charge laptops, cell phones and other electronics.

Though around 150 students marched from the Rabb steps, about 50 remained at the sit-in by Friday night. Early into the sit-in, Christian Perry MBA/MPP ’16 encouraged students to get to know each other and introduce themselves, adding that — at least initially — the space was going to be for students of color to speak up and share their stories. “If you’re seeing a number of people who have power in this school in different communities talking consecutively, you need to tell them to sit down,” Perry said.

On Friday, shortly after Interim President Lisa Lynch returned to her office, Perry encouraged students who were leaving and coming back to the sit-in to bring food and water for those who would not be leaving the building. Executive Administrator in the Provost’s Office Judy Salvucci provided bottled water to the demonstrators and helped set up several electric fans to keep students cool, according to an interview with the Justice. Around 4:20 p.m., an anonymous donor provided pizza for the sit-in demonstrators.

About half of the donated food over the weekend was provided by students — Amnesty International and Project Plus One, for example, provided leftover Thai food from an earlier event on Saturday afternoon — and about half

has been provided by administrators, many of whom have voiced support for the movement, according to Student Union President Nyah Macklin ’16 in a Saturday afternoon interview. Students frequently circulated the hallway to provide water bottles and check in on fellow demonstrators.

Macklin said that Lynch left her office around 9 p.m. on Friday night. Macklin, who is part of the core group of students negotiating with Lynch, said that the group was waiting on Saturday to receive a final summary of the negotiations by both student leaders and Lynch. She also said that the environment within the protest area shows “a sense of community that is unparalleled.”

To keep energy up, Macklin told the Justice that students were practicing yoga and “doing the electric slide and getting into black dance” on Saturday morning. Students came and went throughout the protest, often contacting friends to take their place when they left so as to keep bodies in the building.

Among other faculty members, chair of the African and AfroAmerican Studies Department Prof. Chad Williams (AAAS), Prof.

Laurie Nsiah-Jefferson (AAAS) and Prof. Anita Hill (Heller) came by the demonstration on Saturday afternoon and voiced their support for the students. Before they left, Williams and Nsiah-Jefferson addressed the group, voicing their — and the AAAS department’s — support for the movement.

The African and Afro-American Studies Department released a statement of solidarity on Saturday morning on Facebook, saying that they feel it is their “intellectual and moral duty” to stand in support of the students, given the department’s own founding after the original Ford Hall takeover. The AAAS statement also adds that “the work of educating Brandeis students about black people cannot fall on the shoulders of one department.” It decries the University’s lack of significant action to address racial injustices despite its supposed commitment to diversity.

The English Department has also issued a statement of solidarity and announced a no penalty policy for students missing classes or falling behind on work due

to protesting in Ford Hall 2015. In a Facebook post, the department announced that the W.E.B. DuBois room in the Rabb Building would be used for drop-in discussions and teach-ins about issues raised by and related to the protest.

The Theater Arts Department and the Anthropology Department — two of the departments called out in student demands as needing to prioritize black faculty hires — have also issued similar statements of solidarity, as has the Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies Department.

Around 4:20 p.m. on Saturday, Rima Chaudry M.A. ’16 announced that a documentary film crew was coming to film and document the sit-in. Later that night, documentarians Chuck Grand and Cimron Charles filmed students talking and working in the hallway and interviewed both Hill and event organizers. According to Grand, the pair is producing a documentary about peaceful student movements on campuses in Boston that relate to similar issues, such as hate crimes and the low numbers of faculty of color in colleges. Grand elaborated that he’d heard from colleagues about the demonstration at Brandeis, which surprised him, since he’d never heard of student actions at Brandeis during his time in the Boston area. He was impressed by the protest’s strategic nature and the sophisticated organization of the group.

The Rev. Miniard Culpepper ’76 stopped by the protest on Sunday afternoon. Culpepper was a leader of the Pearlman Hall takeover in 1975, when students of color and their allies occupied Pearlman Hall and issued a list of demands — some of which were met — including continued funding to the Myra Kraft Transitional Year Program. Culpepper urged the students not to be intimidated or shaken by administrative actions or community doubt in the coming days and to maintain faith in the justness of their cause. He then led the gathered students in a nondenominational prayer for strength and justice.

A reporter from the Boston Globe also visited the protest on Sunday and wrote an article appearing in Monday’s paper. Additionally, a follow-up article appears in today’s Boston Globe.

possible. She said that many of the demands “quite rightly” focus on representation within the student body, faculty and staff, but said that she would add administrators of color as another area of personal focus. “We can’t assume or presume to be a university of excellence if we’re not a university that reflects our society as a whole,” Lynch said.

She also talked about meeting Roy DeBerry ’70 MA ’78 PhD ’79, one of the leaders of the 1969 Ford Hall Takeover, when he received an alumni achievement award last month.

Lynch said that she “loved listening” to the support for AAAS on the steps, but that “we can’t have this problem [be addressed by] one department on campus. That’s not addressing systematic racial injustice. To put it in a — and I’ll use this word purposely — in a ‘ghetto’ on the campus, not to denigrate the quality of that department, but to tick a box and say it’s solved because we have a fabulous AAAS department is not enough.”

Lynch said that she worries about the burden her faculty of color face, which prompted students to ask her what she planned to do about it. Lynch said that she was looking into ways of accelerating hiring faculty of color across the University, but that there are currently only ten faculty positions to fill. Even if all ten of those positions were filled by black faculty, she said, it would not meet the 10 percent goal established by the student demands. Lynch said that she has launched a search for the Vice President of Diversity and Inclusion position, which the administration has been developing since last semester and whose filling is one of the student demands.

When students asked when they could expect a full response to their demands, Lynch said that she had been planning to send out a note later that afternoon, but first wanted to hear students at the Rabb steps. At this point, several students interrupted Lynch, with a chant of “Hey hey! Ho ho! White supremacy has got to go!” This chant continued for about 45 seconds.

A student then said that she did not plan to leave until a clear action plan was developed to meet the demands, saying, “I’ve lived my whole life as a woman of color hearing great things from great people and having those things be undelivered. ... I know that some of y’all want to hear President Lynch speak, but at the same time, what does she have to say that we haven’t already heard before?”

Lynch said that she would begin drafting a response, which would be a recommendation to the Board of Trustees that she would send to both the student body and the trustees. When students demanded that the Trustees speak to Lynch immediately, Lynch noted that there are 40 members of the Board who live across the country.

Email on Sunday Over the weekend Lynch was not in her office, but the sit-in continued. In a Saturday interview with the Justice, Student Union President Nyah Macklin ’16 said that the initial negotiations with Lynch on Friday afternoon and evening had ended with establishing that Lynch would send students a draft of a proposal to senior administrators and the Board of Trustees for addressing the demands. Ford Hall 2015 leaders would then approve the proposal, which would be sent out to the trustees and administrators.

However, at 11:26 on Sunday night, Lynch sent an email to students, faculty and staff, which had not been sent to the Ford Hall 2015 leaders beforehand, according to a press release from the students on Medium.com. The email stated that the sit-in was the subject of a weekend meeting of the Board of Trustees, which “fully supports this letter.”

Lynch did not announce any major new initiatives or policies in response to the demands and the protest, but did propose using town halls, teach-ins and existing University structures “to identify additional ways to accelerate our current efforts to increase diversity and inclusion on our campus.”

“Brandeis has a long history of taking action to support diversity and inclusion and it continues in earnest to this day,” Lynch wrote.

“But we recognize that we must go further to fulfill our founding ideals. However, reacting to immediate timetables and ultimata is not something that is productive or does justice to the work that needs to be done.”

At a town hall address to the Heller School, Interim Dean of the Heller School Marty Krauss told faculty and students in attendance on Monday that the Board had met via a conference call, and that several academic deans and administrators were part of the call.

However, the final draft of Lynch’s email was composed by Lynch and the Board.

“The board made it clear that they wanted to approve whatever Lisa said,” Krauss explained. “The point is that the board is fully behind Lisa and fully supportive of the kinds of commitments and the kinds of processes that she’s trying to put into place, which is a terrific statement because … the board of trustees is a cantankerous group. … They are solidly behind her and I think that she’s able now to do her job.”

At 8 a.m. on Monday morning, about 30 students stood outside of Bernstein-Marcus chanting loudly enough to be heard from outside the Carl and Ruth Shapiro Admissions Building across Loop Road.

They then formed a cluster on the concrete bridge leading into Bernstein-Marcus to prevent administrators from entering. Locks and chains had been placed on the adjoining Gryzmish Center doors.

Stating that Lynch’s email did not address student demands and was not sent to them beforehand, as per their agreement on Monday, Alex Montgomery HS ’17 said that students planned to peacefully protest. The student cluster eventually went back inside the building.

Around noon on Monday, several demonstrators marched across campus to the Heller School and interrupted the aforementioned town hall at Heller that Krauss had called about Ford Hall 2015. The students called on Heller faculty and staff in attendance to demonstrate their support by standing with them, prompting several faculty to join the group. Students shared their experiences: Christian Nunez ’18 said “people don’t sit — people don’t sleep — on hard floors because they want [to]. I am not frustrated of nature. I had to tell my little brother that he cannot be a cop when he grows up. I had to teach him at six years old how to defend [himself].”

Executive Director for Integrated Media Bill Schaller did not respond to requests for comment by press time.

— Abby Patkin, Morgan Brill and Hannah Wulkan contributed reporting.

THE JUSTICE

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TUESDAY, November 24, 2015

ALL2015

Protest organizers pose list of 13 demands to Lynch ■ Leaders of Ford Hall 2015

issued 13 demands, evoking the 1969 protest for which it is named.

By max moran JUSTICE editor

The Ford Hall 2015 sit-in has centered around a list of 13 demands sent to Interim President Lisa Lynch last Thursday. Protest leaders say that they will only end the sit-in when their demands are met. The sit-in began on Friday.

In an interview with the Justice, Christian Perry M.B.A./M.P.P. ’16 said that both undergraduate and graduate students contributed to brainstorming the list.

The email demands that the University “increase the percentage of full-time Black faculty and staff to 10% across ALL departments and schools,” prioritizing the Anthropology, History, Fine Arts, Near Eastern and Judaic Studies, Health: Science, Society and Policy, Sociology and Theatre departments, as well as the “Sciences,” the International Business School and the Heller School.

As of fall 2013, only one percent of University faculty were “Black/African American,” according to the University website. Perry noted that the group’s intention in calling on specific departments and schools is to say, “This is where the greatest demand is needed. ... It just says that we want you to know that you are not delivering on this inclusive space. You are not delivering on valuing black bodies. That is a call-out to them.”

In an email to the University community on Sunday night, Lynch wrote that all faculty search committees currently include a diversity representative and a chair who is trained to call out any implicit biases of the committee members.

The Concerned Students 2015 email also demands that the University both increase tenure track positions for black faculty across all

departments and schools as well as develop educational pedagogies and curricula that teach racial awareness and inclusion in all departments and schools. In her email, Lynch pointed to the Provost Office’s teaching innovation awards as an example of how the University is incentivizing teaching about race and inequality: faculty who propose teaching methods or courses on these issues receive priority for the awards.

The students also demanded that all faculty and staff undergo yearly diversity and inclusion workshops, with optional workshops through the academic year, and that the Psychological Counseling Center employ more clinical staff of color “to provide culturally relevant support to students of all backgrounds.” Lynch wrote in her email that the Center for Teaching and Learning at Brandeis has a faculty study group called “Discussing Race and Inequality in our Classrooms.” That group will meet on Dec. 1, though faculty members are not required to attend the CTL study group.

Next, the demands include increased funding for black student organizations and programs and the appointment of a Vice President of Diversity and Inclusion. Due to reduced rollover funds, funding for clubs across the board has been slashed this year, according to an Oct. 27 Justice article. One out of seven total funding requests by the Brandeis African Student Organization was denied this semester, and two out of 11 total requests from the Brandeis Black Students Organization were denied. A-Board wrote in a spreadsheet from then-Chair Alex Mitchell ’17 that they denied funding to BBSO’s proposed “Black is Educated” event because “You [BBSO] already have a lot of events this year, in fairness we have to reduce the amount we’re giving.” BASO’s study break event was also denied funding due to budget constraints.

Out of seven total funding requests, six were denied to the Women

of Color Alliance. These were mostly requests related to a proposed Do It Yourself Beauty Convention, including asking funds for makeup artists, makeup and Sodexo catering.

A-Board explained their decision by writing “Event appears superfluous.

Given financial limitations, we cannot approve this in good conscience.”

The University has been developing the Vice President of Diversity and Inclusion since last semester while researching how other universities and colleges have implemented similar positions, according to an August interview with the Justice from Lynch. On Friday, Lynch told demonstrators that the search process for the position has begun.

Next, the letter demands that the University “increase the admittance of Black students via the general admission process to 15% within both undergraduate and graduate schools.” Last year, only five percent of undergraduates and four percent of graduate students were AfricanAmerican, according to a fact sheet released by the Office of Planning and Institutional Research. Of the 859 students in the Class of 2018, 42 first-time, first-year students selfidentify as Black or African-American, according to data from OPIR. This is the lowest number of students of any ethnicity, besides students of two or more races (20), American Indian or Alaska Native students (1) or those who did not disclose their race (19). The Supreme Court ruled that quota systems in higher education — rules requiring universities to admit certain amounts or percentages of students from given ethnicities under affirmative action — was illegal in 1978’s Regents of the University of California v. Bakke.

In a phone interview with the Justice, Senior Vice President for Students and Enrollment Andrew Flagel stated that many case precedents regarding quotas were about public colleges and universities, yet private institutions receive some public funding, and the Brandeis ad-

missions department does not want to institute a quota.

He said he, along with Vice President for Enrollment Carolina Figueroa, met with members of the Concerned Students 2015 negotiations team to discuss challenges to meeting the 15 percent goal after he left MELA during intermission Saturday night. According to Flagel, the administrators and negotiation team spoke briefly, but Flagel was told that the meeting would have to end shortly, as students were organizing a town hall. Student representatives did not respond to requests for comment on the meeting with Flagel by press time.

The letter also demands that the University establish an Office of Ombuds within Academic Services, which would be an intermediary between students and administrators who investigates accusations of abuses of power by faculty, staff and administration. Many universities and colleges have an office of ombuds, including Wellesley College, Hampshire College, the University of Washington and Boston University.

The letter to Lynch asks for the University to “increase minimum wage for all hourly paid university employees by 15%.” This is the demand that was read to Lynch on Sunday. However, the copy of the demands on the Ford Hall 2015 Facebook event instead lists the demand as increasing the hourly wage to $15 for all hourly-paid university employees. Then-University President Frederick Lawrence approved a $15.05 minimum wage for University staff as one of his last acts in office, according to a May 19 Justice article.

However, this policy does not apply to student workers and does not apply to workers employed by outside contractors acting on the University’s campus.

The group also demands that the University “increase the number of professional development workshops specifically tailored for Black students” and that Flagel issue a pub-

MORGAN BRILL/the Justice

STANDING GROUND: Leaders of Concerned Students 2015 stand in front of one of the many hand-made posters hanging near the buildings.

lic apology to Khadijah Lynch ’16. In January, Lynch tweeted that she had “no sympathy” for two New York Police Department officers who were killed. Daniel Mael ’15, who wrote for the conservative news website Truth Revolt, published the tweets, and Lynch received rape and death threats online.

At a rally of support for student demonstrators at the University of Missouri last week, Lynch said that Flagel did not meet with her during the controversy and said that “now when I come to school, every single day is agony.” Flagel had no official comment on the demand for an apology during his phone interview with the Justice.

Lastly, Concerned Students 2015 demanded that Interim President Lynch call “an emergency meeting” of the Board of Trustees within 24 hours of receiving the email, that the trustees meet all of the demands and write them into the contract for the next University President, and that all demands be met by the start of the Fall 2016 semester.

At a Heller School Town Hall on Monday, Interim Dean of the Heller School Marty Krauss stated that the Board of Trustees held a phone conference call with Interim President Lynch where they united in support of her choices for how to handle the student movement. The Board will hold its next regularly scheduled meeting in January.

The students who occupied Ford Hall for 11 days in January 1969, leading to this sit-in being called Ford Hall 2015, themselves issued a list of ten demands. The group in 1969 stated that their demands to the University were non-negotiable — though they did end their occupation before all demands were met. First on that list was the formation of an African Studies department, which was founded in April 1969.

—Hannah Wulkan and Emily Wishingrad contributed reporting.

MORGAN BRILL/the Justice

LOCKDOWN: The doors to the Berstein-Marcus Administration Building were chained on Monday morning.

MICHELLE BANAYAN/the Justice

INITIAL ADDRESS: Interim President Lisa Lynch addresses the protestors immediately after the rally on Friday afternoon.

5

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Author Cynthia Kaplan Shamash signs books on Thursday during a lecture event where she spoke about her experiences living in exile as one of Iraq's last Jews.

A-BOARD: SU alters its definition of “majority” If there is a tie between a candidate and abstain, then the candidate will be declared the winner of the seat. If abstain receives the majority of votes, than there will be a vacancy in the office until the next election.”

Traditionally, in Student Union elections, “majority” has meant whichever candidate receives the most votes out of all the options.

Liu further clarified in an email to the Justice that, “What we believe is that ‘abstain’ option means that ‘I vote against ALL candidates’. And it wins the position only if there is more than 50％ vote for it, because it shows that students have no confidence in ANY candidate.”

In an email to the Justice, Feldman also commented on this discrepancy, explaining that he was looped into an email discussion of this policy and that, “The conclusion was that ... Ab-

stain won a plurality of the votes, and not a majority as specified in the constitution.”

He added, “I was the winner of the election. This was a great relief to me.

Not only had I won, but I wouldn't have to run another campaign in a few months time when the position would have been up for election again.

I am uncomfortable with a judiciary decision overturning the results of an election outright, but because of the ambiguity in the constitution's wording I was less bothered by it.”

Feldman also explained why he initially wanted to get involved in A-Board, writing, “Because student clubs are a vital part of the Brandeis culture, A-Board members have such a big say in how the campus feels and runs. Since I started here this semester (I’m a first-year) I wanted to get involved in a way that I find meaningful, and working in such an important position is what does that

TUESDAY, November 24, 2015

7

SUSTAINABILITY: North Quad wins in month-long conservation competition

DISSECTING DIASPORA

CONTINUED FROM 1

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best for me.”

Reyes wrote in an email to the Justice that she wanted to get involved with A-Board because she is “genuinely interested in participating in a group that adapts fairness and logic into their decision making since I believe in these aspects are important in any decision.”

Both Feldman and Reyes have already begun training, according to Liu. Feldman will begin his position immediately, and Reyes will officially begin her term at the beginning of next semester.

These elections came on the heels of a vote to amend the A-Board constitution to expand its size from seven to 11 people. This election brings the number of A-Board members back up to seven, as several stepped down earlier in the semester. Liu said that elections to fill the remaining four positions will be held at the beginning of next semester.

JOIN

also consult the task force.

Lynch’s dedication to promoting sustainability on campus has been developing for months; in a July 1 interview with the Justice, she stated that during her tenure as Interim President, the University would be focusing on sustainability as a priority. “The 350.org movement has certainly changed how universities in particular, but more broadly how we as a society are addressing issues of climate change,” she added. “Brandeis has a relatively small endowment. We don’t have Harvard [University's] endowment.”

As an initial step in this direction, the University hired Fischer over the summer to oversee sustainability efforts on campus. The most recent of these efforts took place over October and November, pitting first-years in North and Massell Quads against each other to see which could recycle more and conserve the most energy.

The competition began on Oct. 15 and ran for exactly one month.

It was the first competition at the University to measure recycling rates and energy consumption.

Fischer was quoted in an Oct. 27 Justice article as saying, “Our campus recycling rate is one-half of the national average. The national average is 35 to 40 percent, whereas our current rate is less than 20 percent.” At the beginning of the competition she also stated “I’ve challenged Massell and North to strive for a 50 percent recycling rate during the competition. Why?

Because we are not ‘just average’ in any way as a university, and everything we do should reflect that, especially our sustainability efforts.”

The challenge, which was cosponsored by the Department of Community Living and Fischer’s sustainability program, ended in a victory for North Quad.

At the end of the month, North Quad’s baseline recycling rate had increased to 29 percent from its original 14 percent at the outset of the competition. Massell Quad, on the other hand, ended with a 27 percent recycling rate, which was 15 percent above its original 12 percent rate. The competition also measured the energy consumption of both quads, though both quads reduced their communal energy consumption by a smaller percentage than their recycling rate increases. Massell Quad reduced its energy consumption by just two percent, from its baseline of 1324 kilowatt-hours per day to an average of 1311 kWh per day.

In contrast, North Quad reduced its energy consumption by seven percent, though it started out at a higher baseline of 1612 kWh per day and finished with an average of 1494 kWh per day.

The end results of both recycling and energy reduction reflect the average for the entire month, not just the last week of the competition. Gordon Hall was also noted for reducing its energy consumption by the most compared to the other seven residence halls.

—Rachel Moore contributed reporting.

Contact Max Moran at editor@thejustice.org

the Justice

8

features

TUESDAY, November 24, 2015 ● THE JUSTICE

just

VERBATIM | WILLIE NELSON When I started counting my blessings, my whole life turned around.

ON THIS DAY…

FUN FACT

In 1947, the “Hollywood 10” were cited for contempt of Congress.

Each Thanksgiving the president grants a pardon to a turkey.

Building records, not breaking them Avi Hirshbein ’19 creates Basement Records to showcase talent on and off campus PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY BRIANNA MAJSIAK/the Justice

STUDENT DRIVE: Avi Hirshbein ’19 hopes Basement Records will encourage the University to create a music business curriculum.

By AMBER MILES JUSTICE STAFF WRITER

Brandeis students exhibit talent in all areas — including music.

With a trek to Slosberg Music Center, a night at Chomondeley’s Coffee House or a walk by the chapels, that becomes clear. Students sing, play instruments or rap, but until now, nothing has connected these young musicians to each other or to the outside musical community.

Avi Hirshbein ’19 seeks to change that with the establishment of Brandeis’s own record label: Basement Records.

Hirshbein, a first-year who hopes to pursue an independent interdisciplinary major in Music Business, has loved music since childhood.

As a musician himself, he sings a little, but he primarily writes songs and plays the piano, the ukulele and the guitar — all of which he says he mostly “taught [himself] to play by ear.”

Hirshbein’s passion eventually shifted from performing music to producing it. In an interview with the Justice, Hirshbein explained, “At one point in my life, I realized that I’m not going to be a famous musician, [so] I might as well be the one behind them.”

Hirshbein decided that working for a record label would be the ideal way for him to merge his passion for music with his proclivity for business. “When I came to Brandeis, I saw that there wasn’t really a big music business scene, so I was like, ‘I’m going to create it. I’m going to bring it.’ … Since there’s no big music business scene, it’s actually a great opportunity for me to create this environment of a record label.”

The record label, Basement Records, will function “as a real record label does in the outside world,” according to Hirshbein.

“They sign artists, they make sure what they’re recording is what they want to portray and they just market that — promote it to everywhere [and] make sure they do concerts [and] commercials.” Hirshbein describes Basement Records as “a pedestal for aspiring musicians … who want to be famous in this microcosm of Brandeis” and as “a springboard for anyone who wants to potentially make a career out of their music.”

Though Brandeis lacks a prominent music business presence at this time, campus record labels

aren’t unprecedented at other universities or even at Brandeis.

Schools like New York University and Syracuse University have notable music business programs and student-run record labels, and since 2003, Brandeis has had B-Deis Records. According to Hirshbein, however, B-Deis Records focuses primarily on “getting artists to perform at Chum’s,” while his own Basement Records will focus on helping artists “in producing new music [and helping] them with the songwriting stage [and] with the recording stage.”

In its official club description, BDeis Records says it “serves to use Chums as a practice space and provide musicians on campus with the tools needed to practice live music.” Basement Records, on the other hand, serves two slightly different functions: one is to get Brandeis artists exposure in the Brandeis community and the other, to advocate on behalf of career musicians to larger record companies.

Since arriving this past fall, Hirshbein has worked to realize his vision. “It’s actually been a long process,” Hirshbein explained.

“I’m a freshman, so I didn’t really know what went into creating a club.” In the past months, Hirshbein has created a constitution, executive positions and a year-long plan. Last Tuesday, he had a meeting to request official recognition of Basement Records as a Brandeis club, and on Sunday, the Brandeis Senate approved his request by unanimous vote. Hirshbein has yet to request funding, however, because chartering requires more widespread support, and at this time, his priority is “to get it recognized [and] get the engine running,” he said.

According to Hirshbein, “the next step is starting — gathering a team, having a meeting [and] discussing the year-long plan.”

Hirshbein’s core team consists of a marketing director, a business executive, an events leader, a head of artists and repertoire and himself, the head of operations. Hirshbein has already filled all positions but events leader.

Regarding artists, Basement Records will work with “anyone who’s talented,” according to Hirshbein. “I’m a fan of music,” he went on to say, “not just rap, not just pop. Any music — but obviously it’s not only my ears listening to the music. We have a whole team of

ears. Any genre, whether it’s singer-songwriter, country — we’re not specifying a genre. We’re just exposing their talents to the school,” he explained. Initially, members of Basement Records will seek out artists, but Hirshbein hopes to eventually receive a large influx of demos and recordings.

Although Hirshbein knows that he and his team have a long way to go, he retains faith in his dream: “Little by little, I have a feeling it can — I know it can — become big. I know it can become something that Brandeis can be proud of.”

In addition to the benefits Basement Records can bring to aspiring Brandeis musicians, Hirshbein believes the label also has the potential to help Brandeis on a larger scale. “It’s going to represent Brandeis in the music business world,” he explained. “And even after I’m gone, it can create a legacy towards music business.”

Right now, Brandeis has only one class for music business: Introduction to Music Business (MUS 61A).

Hirshbein hopes that Basement Records will — in addition to everything else — reveal a market for music business and encourage the University to create more classes on the subject.

Hirshbein has the support of

his growing team, and in an interview with the Justice, Head of A&R Tommy Michel ’19 explained his hopes for the impact of Basement Records: “It’s the best way to bring opportunity to the aspiring musicians here on campus … if people felt like the record label was established and they believed in it, then we could recruit all across campus.” Going on to explain how Basement Records will differ from existing labels, Michel adds, “We’re trying to take a stance that’s not like the other main record labels, which usually give incentive to the label itself and the producers.” Basement Records, on the other hand, will shift the incentive to artists and advocate more on their behalf than the average record label would. According to Michel, “that allows artists to more freely show their music … [and] in that way, the label will change the record industry.”

At the Senate meeting on Sunday, Hirshbein presented his club for official recognition to the Stu-

dent Union. Assuaging concerns of exclusivity, Hirshbein explained that he had no intent of making Basement Records audition-based; rather, the label will work with any aspiring musician. Hirshbein also shared that his ultimate goal would be to have an annual music festival at the end of each year to showcase all of the label’s artists. Before leaving the room for the vote, Hirshbein played a demo recording of Ethan Brown ’19, a student who had already expressed interest in working with Basement Records.

Afterward, all members of the Senate voted to officially recognize Basement Records.

With this official recognition, a team that continues to grow and a list of artists to contact, Hirshbein told the Justice, “[Basement Records] is taking shape. Everything’s taking shape. It’s going to be up soon.”

IMAGE COURTESY OF AVI HIRSCHBEIN

PUT A LABEL ON IT: Hirshben created this logo as a subtle symbol of a basement to represent the record label, Basement Records.

PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY BRIANNA MAJSIAK/the Justice

PART OF THE TEAM: Head of operations Avi Hirshbein ’19 (left), sits with head of artists and repertoire Tommy Michel ’19 (right).

THE JUSTICE

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TUESDAY, november 24, 2015

MENTORING MINDS: Vivekanand Pandey Vimal PhD ’16 (far left, back) talks to students with Brandeis scientist Dr. Ranjith Anand about using yeast to study human reaction to UV light and sunscreen use.

BRIANNA MAJSIAK/the Justice

Classroom cultivation Vivekanand Pandey Vimal PhD ’16 creates an after-school science club in collaboration with Waltham High School

By DAISY CHEN JUSTICE STAFF WRITER

On a warm fall afternoon inside a classroom in Waltham High School (WHS), six high school students talk about their own petri-dish experiments using sunscreen and yeast. These students are members of the school’s newly recognized after-school science club, which strives to bring a unique approach to high school science curriculums.

Brandeis neuroscience student Vivekanand Pandey Vimal PhD ’16 founded the after-school club this November. Though Vimal is still in the process of working with the University’s science division to enlist more professors who might be interested in teaching the students, the program is off to a strong start.

Vimal has wanted to cultivate an after-school science program with Waltham High School for several years. “The idea has been growing ever since I have been in Brandeis,” Vimal explained in an interview with the Justice, “So it’s been growing for five years.”

Yet Vimal struggled to find a research topic that was accessible to high school students and manageable in a high school classroom without access to extensive equipment and resources.

Before attending Brandeis as a post-doctorate student, Vimal taught at Waltham High School as a physics teacher for six years.

“When I was a high school [teacher], you have a classroom filled with 25 students, maybe more. And because these classrooms, especially these days, are very focused on teaching the kids to perform well on a test … most of what the students experience is just learning a bunch of facts.

But what’s unique about the after-school program is that we don’t give them a huge amount of knowledge. We tell them, ‘Here is a problem, using the knowledge that you have, and the tools that we just gave you, solve it.’ And so they have to sit down and figure out and design their own experiments. And this is what graduate

students do, and this is what scientists do … Solve this problem, figure it out, and there is no right answer,” Vimal said.

Vimal has worked in collaboration with Waltham High School since 2012, when he established a summer internship program for students interested in science and research. Since its launch, the program has paired more than 20 students with post-doctorate and graduate students to conduct real research projects.

The continued success of the research program inspired Vimal to expand his work with high school students and led him to found the after-school program. To map out the details, Vimal first spoke with Marisa Maddox, a biology teacher at Waltham High.

Maddox explained in an interview with the Justice that it’s hard to do this kind of research because there’s not enough time in the curriculum. “There are standards that we have to meet.

So, this is a great opportunity for them to be able to work on their own and answer questions or problems on their own.”

Vimal then turned to Dr. Anique Olivier-Mason, the director of outreach at the University. To attract more students to the program, Olivier-Mason will hold supplementary monthly pizza talks in which he will invite scientists to share their life journeys and research projects.

“You know sometimes it’s hard to see that … science is something more than just a textbook — that science is all about exploration and discovery. That’s what I want to bring to the students — that you guys can be creative; you can explore; you can discover, and that’s actually in reality what science is,” Vimal said.

Every three weeks, a new Brandeis scientist will guide the after school club and their project topics. The scientist will spend the first week going over background knowledge of the research topic. On the second and third weeks, students will determine their individual projects based off the research topic, and then the

BRIANNA MAJSIAK/the Justice

CLOSE UP: Students in the after school science program at WHS are using these petri dishes of yeast exposed to UV light to develop a new way to test sunscreen.

scientist will return to oversee their work.

Dr. Ranjith Anand, a research specialist in the Haber Lab, is the current Brandeis scientist guiding the club and has designed a yeast related research project for the students to work on. The students are being asked to use this research topic to form their own ways of testing sunscreen that doesn’t involve burning the skin of test subjects. According to Anand, yeast reacts very similarly to human skin when exposed to UV light.

Anand joined the program so that he could share information that he’s learning as a research specialist with high school students. “It is extremely satisfying not to just do the research but to spread what you have learnt to others,” Anand said in an interview with the Justice.

This aligns with Vimal’s core goal in founding this program.

Vimal looks forward to seeing participants not only gain lab and practical skills but also gain a curiosity through involvement. “[I want to see that] they can look at a problem and not take it for granted, and say, ‘You know what? I’m going to conquer this problem by generating ideas, by problem solving, using these techniques — this curiosity that I developed from the project,” Vimal said.

The club differs from traditional tutoring programs that focus on re-teaching information, because Vimal hopes to teach new information. “We will get together with undergraduates and say, ‘Okay, here are different tools and techniques we have, that why don’t you help us figure out a very interesting project that has never been done before. ... On top of that, they [undergraduates] will gain experiences of teaching. We are not just teaching facts; we are teaching methods, we are teach-

ing skills; we are teaching how to think, which is something that’s difficult to do,” Vimal said.

Vimal strongly believes Brandeis’s theme of social justice is mirrored in the after-school science club. “Social justice or injustice, for example, are focused around the fact that here are passionate students and they don’t have opportunities,” Vimal said.

“This is what’s so beautiful about Brandeis — that it allows us to create this program and bring the two communities together and give opportunities to students so that they can ... learn as much as they possibly want.”

For Vimal, the after-school science club is more than just a way for students to learn new concepts and practical skills. “I feel even for any human to be happy, they need to always be curious and examining ... So that’s for the larger philosophy that I hope the kids will get,” he said.

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EDITORIALS

Continue campus dialogue on race issues In 1969, approximately 70 students gathered in Ford Hall to demand greater representation for black students campus-wide, according to the Department of African and Afro-American Studies.

On Friday, students gathered in the Bernstein-Marcus Administration Building as part of the Ford Hall 2015 movement, demanding a swift University response to institutionalized racism on campus, invoking the same imagery and sentiment as those who occupied Ford Hall in 1969. This Editorial Board empathizes with the efforts and concerns of black students on Brandeis’s campus. The need for equality on campus is as great as ever, and the actions of these students are critical to enacting meaningful change.

The movement’s organizers sent a list of 13 demands to Interim President Lisa Lynch on Thursday, later publicizing those demands on Facebook. The organizers called on Lynch and the Board of Trustees to respond to the demands within 24 hours.

According to the protesters, the deadline was not adequately addressed, and the students have been occupying Bernstein-Marcus to pressure the University to meet these demands. In an email sent to the University community, Lynch explained efforts that the University is already undertaking to address these issues and expressed intent to take further substantive action in the future, though she did not lay out any new significant actions that the administration plans to take at this time.

Black students only comprise five percent of the student body, and only one percent of the Brandeis faculty is black. These numbers are telling and underscore the importance of this movement, and it is the president’s responsibility to understand and try to fix these disparities. However, this responsibility does not rest solely on Lynch’s shoulders.

Within the administration, multiple departments and individuals have the responsibility to meet the demands and should develop a clear timetable for meeting them. The Office of the Provost is responsible for academia and teaching at the University — it is up to the provost to help meet the demand for curricula that include topics of racism and inequality.

Admissions and Enrollment must address why black students choose not to attend Brandeis and look at what other schools do to recruit and retain black students. The Center for Teaching and Learning could implement more diversity and cultural sensitivity programs and could help professors design courses about racial inequality for almost any department.

We understand that these demands highlight issues of critical importance within the University community. This Board believes that hiring more black and other racial minority therapists at the Psychological Counseling Center and requiring that faculty attend diversity or sensitivity training should be accomplished by the beginning of the next academic year. Additionally, the Provost should commit to working with individual departments to integrate courses that touch upon issues of race and inequality into the curriculum taken by each student.

While most demands are achievable in a long term capacity, it is still important to recognize that realistically,

Applaud student efforts many may not be complete by Fall 2016.

Though increasing student diversity on campus is a necessary and central goal, the fact remains that it will take more than one semester to accomplish.

As Lynch points out in her email, it is not only admittance numbers that need to change; enrollment statistics need to change as well.

This Board believes that in order to accomplish this, there needs to be holistic change throughout the University community. Increased black student interest in Brandeis will only come from a fundamental shift in the campus culture, the type of shift which would come from the completion of other student demands.

In order to encourage more diverse enrollment, the culture of the campus must change. This Board hopes that this shift becomes the end goal after the sit-in is completed — not a demand, but an ideal to strive for.

At the same time, increasing the percentage of black faculty from one percent to 10 percent in less than 12 months is unrealistic. The University should present a timeline in which this might be possible and publish regular updates available to the community in order to hold the administration accountable.

In an address to students on Friday night outside of her office, Lynch said that the University is currently hiring for 10 available faculty positions and that even if the University were to hire only black faculty, it would not come close to hitting the 10 percent mark. The University cannot hire solely based on race, and while this Board understands the cognitive diversity that comes from increasing the racial diversity of the faculty, this demand has to be treated as a long-term goal as well.

Lynch’s email is indicative of a larger problem: the student demonstrators and the administration are talking past each other without engaging in a productive and open dialogue. Her email failed to address the students’ concerns head-on. Similarly, when Senior Vice President for Students and Enrollment Andrew Flagel went to discuss enrollment issues with students, they cut the meeting short, according to Flagel.

The responsibility to address these concerns and implement meaningful change goes beyond President Lynch.

We commend the University departments that have issued statements addressing the student protests. Many faculty members are acutely aware of and clearly receptive to the student demands focused on altering curricula to address issues of racial inequality and injustice. As Prof. Chad Williams (AAAS) pointed out in speaking to the protesters, the onus to lead these discussions should not rest on the Department of African and Afro-American Studies alone.

This sort of change that works toward addressing problems that are woven into the fabric of our society cannot happen overnight.

But what makes this protest effective is the leverage acted on the University by the student activism, forcing the issue not to be delayed and denied. We commend the protesters, who are working towards an ideal that continues to be one of the major civil rights issues of our time. We can only hope that administrators are willing and able to rise to this challenge.

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On Monday, French President Francois Hollande declared that “France is at war.”

The concurrent attacks on Friday killed 129 people and wounded 352 more. They were conducted by eight gunmen and suicide bombers, with the Islamic State claiming responsibility. On Sunday, the French defense ministry targeted an Islamic State munitions camp in Raqqa with 20 bombs destroying all targets. Hollande also called on Parliament to extend the state of emergency by three months and rally for laws that would strip the rights of those suspected of terrorism. Since the attacks, 115,000 security personnel have been deployed to hunt down suspected militants.

What do you think of France’s response to the attacks, and how do you think countries should respond to attacks of this nature?

Prof. Jytte Klausen (POL) The European Union has failed to create an internal security structure matching the region’s open borders. The attacks on November 13 are a shocking indictment of the region’s security cooperation problems. It is a crisis that has been years in the making. Bombing Raqqa and the Islamic State will take down their homeland and release them from duty as lowlevel enforces for the Islamic State. It has to be expected that they will seek to go home and perpetrate terrorist attacks. Thousands of European men and several hundred women have gone back and forth between the insurgency in Europe and their homes in Western Europe since early 2012, long before the Syrian refugee crisis. They have the capability to unleash a wave of terrorism on a scale we have not seen previously.

Prof. Jytte Klausen (POL) is the Lawrence A. Wien Professor of International Cooperation.

Harith Hasan Al-Qarawee France’s response is now understandably focusing on the security aspects, but in the long-term, there is need for a sustainable approach that tackles the causes that motivate radicalization, and those are usually social and economic. It is important also to dismantle the ideological networks of indoctrination used by Islamist fundamentalists, not only by focusing on sites and institutions that exist physically, but also on the internet-based outlets that are playing an increasing role in the indoctrination and recruitment of radical organizations.There is need for a coordinated global strategy in order to face the transnational nature of groups such as ISIS. So far, a group like ISIS managed to survive and expand its global network because of the failure of the international community to deal with the threat it imposes as a priority. A strategy must bring together international powers such as the USA, EU and Russia, and regional powers in the Middle East, behind the goal of defeating ISIS. The defeat of ISIS by itself might generate the needed dynamics to deal with those problems afterwards.

Harith Hasan Al-Qarawee is a junior research fellow at the Crown Center. He is a political scientist with research that focuses on state-society relations, political transitions and identity politics in Iraq and the Middle East.

Brandon Sousa ’16 It appears “Monsieur Normal” has transform into a Gaullesque commanderin-chief with his bellicose speech at Versailles. France undoubtedly needs this in the short term. Terrorists have attacked Paris twice in the past year, so President François Hollande’s response is entirely justified. His speech and the nation’s actions in the past week have made it clear that France is determined to defend its citizens and to fight terrorism both domestically and abroad. This approach, as the United States has discovered in its own War on Terrorism, is fraught with long term risks, however. Domestically, expanding emergency powers and introducing new laws could violate civil liberties in what President Hollande rightly called the Nation of the Rights of Man. Militarily, France risks getting embroiled in a conflict without end in the Middle East. Ultimately it is up to the French to weigh both the benefits and risks of their new war.

Brandon Sousa ’16 is the president the of French and Francophone Club.

David Siddhartha Patel The response to the attacks has two parts: 1) defeating ISIS, and 2) preventing further attacks. France already was part of the U.S.-led coalition that has been bombing ISIS and supporting local partners since August 2014. A debate is now underway about the feasibility and wisdom of an expanded war and cooperation with Russia, Iran and the Syrian government. That strategy will develop slowly and hopefully consider not just what to do, but how an expanded war might end. France is responding more quickly on the second part. Fearful French citizens, as Americans did after 9/11, acquiesced to their government taking “tougher measures.” But greater police powers, such as wiretapping and warrantless searches, are difficult to roll back. The French should be wary of surrendering theirs’ and others’ civil liberties in pursuit of security. Attacks

by ISIS or al-Qaeda will not and cannot destroy France or the U.S. What can destroy France and the U.S., however, is how citizens respond — and allow their governments to respond — to such attacks. Security can be improved without surrendering freedom and tolerance, which must remain core values in dangerous times.

David Siddhartha Patel is a junior research fellow at the Crown Center.

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TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2015

Commend restaurant’s democratic policy on tipping

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By kat semerau JUSTICE staff writer

Last week, a representative of Joe’s Crab Shack announced that tipping is banned in its restaurants. It is the first major restaurant chain to do so, having implemented the ban since August. The decision made by restaurant CEO Raymond Blanchette could revolutionize the industry. In an interview with NPR, Blanchette called the practice of tipping “antiquated” and said that it fosters a hostile work environment. What he did not detail is the systemic racism, sexism and classism that accompany the restaurant business in the form of pay inequities, owed in no small part to tipping.

Since its conception, the practice of tipping service workers has been based on racial prejudice. The idea was borrowed from aristocratic families in Europe at the turn of the 20th century. Many Americans opposed. They thought not paying employees a wage was undemocratic.

To pacify feelings of disdain toward tipping, restaurant owners and railroad tycoons fervently petitioned that tipping was a fair substitute to wages. According to an Oct. 16 New York Times article, these restaurant owners actually could not stand the idea of paying a salary to African Americans, many of whom were recently freed from slavery. They used tipping as a means to pay certain employees less based merely on race. Not until Prohibition took away from restaurants’ profit in the 1920s did the general public accept the practice, albeit as a means to counteract the loss.

Today, over 120 years later, this grisly racialized history still affects African American servers. According to a 2014 study by Michael Lynn, a Cornell Professor and expert on tipping, “Consumers of both races discriminated against black service providers by tipping them less than white service providers.” Though the study was conducted in the South, it is not a far — reaching claim to say that racism is endemic to tipping in some form everywhere. Even if not motivated by explicitly racist beliefs, the practice of unequal pay is unjust. Last year, the U.S. Department of Labor and Statistics found that servers are over three times as likely to experience poverty than other workers. This is because customers are not responsible tippers.

When they are a little tight on cash or just do not feel like tipping, for whatever reason, servers’ livelihoods ends up being sacrificed.

And the inequality does not end there. In 1991, restaurant lobbyists pushed through a bill that set the minimum wage at $2.13 an hour for restaurant servers, claiming the low earnings would be offset by tips. If they are not, federal laws mandate that a servers’ combined hourly wage and tips equals the federal minimum wage of $7.25 an hour. However, this is still highly dis-

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criminatory toward those in the food service industry seeing as the minimum wage has climbed to $15 an hour in some cities. As a result, the average hourly wage for servers, including tips, may be significantly less than that of others, including fast-food restaurant workers, according to a Oct. 2014 Huffington Post article.

Below minimum wage is also a women’s rights issue, as restaurant servers — who survive off of tips — are predominantly female.

However, according to the latest income evaluations by the U.S. Census Bureau, women only make 78 cents per dollar earned by men. In this way, tipping perpetuates income inequality between males and females. For female minorities, the combination of racism and income inequality in tipping creates an even more disproportionate pay gap.

Worse still, women in the restaurant industry represent the largest group of plaintiffs of sexual harassment in the country. According to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, female restaurant servers file 37 percent of all sexual harassment claims.

There is a simple reason why. The system of tip-earning subordinates basic rules of interaction, whereby favors are exchanged by friends in gratitude or by business partners for pay. Instead, the slogan “The customer is always right” governs service, even to the point of jeopardizing servers’ basic rights. Their pay is dependent (and not required). On the mood of the customer, forcing servers to obey every whim and demand and endure every rude comment made.

If this involves sexual harassment, women are then forced to choose between a loss of dignity

or a loss of income.

I have experienced this harassment myself.

While working as a host in a Southern California diner, my butt was slapped by a heavily intoxicated customer. After harassing another host, he was dragged out of the restaurant by our strongest busboy and two managers. Hoping to avoid such embarrassing altercations in the future, I asked my manager if I could exchange my company owned skirt for a larger one. He laughed at me and said, “They’re called miniskirts for a reason. How do you think we attract customers?” Ashamed, I did not bring up the topic again.

No one should have to experience such degradation and abuse, especially women who are underpaid. Sadly, their experience of harassment in the workplace is not an uncommon narrative. The National Journal documented the chilling reality of sexual harassment through an interview with Nataki Rhodes, who currently works at a high end restaurant in Chicago.

For her, sexual harassment has become just another part of the job. Defending her malaise, she explained that her employers are all but ambivalent towards harassment and would not help her. She further added,“Yah I’m gonna let someone feel on my butt so I can get $50, how else am I gonna get my son through school?”

Eliminating tipping could empower women like Nataki to stand up to this inappropriate behavior rather than endure it in the hopes of getting tipped. Women’s rights will remain seriously compromised until servers are paid a stable base wage. If more restaurants did ban tipping, they may not have to sacrifice profit either.

First off, servers would earn more money. According to a 2013 University of California Berkely study, earnings of tipped servers increased 10 percent when the minimum wage was raised to the state level. Then, to offset the cost of paying their employees more, restaurants could simply raise menu prices, as did many restaurants that implemented the ban so far. But this will be met with pleasure by the customer, who no longer has to pay an additional tip. The good service incentivized by tips will not be lost either. When tips are replaced by high hourly wages, better servers will be hired. In fact, according to a 2014 report by the Restaurant Opportunities Center, restaurants that offer a higher hourly wage make more profit per capita than restaurants that pay low wages. They conclude that servers that make more work harder and end up attracting more customers. It seems the ban is in the best interest of everyone.

So far, this strategy has been successfully implemented in small restaurants such as Atera, Brand 158 and nearly two-dozen others.

The upscale Pittsburg bistro Bar Marco tripled its profits just two months after implementing the ban. This development, along with the ban

by Joe’s, will surely build momentum for the no-tipping movement. The door is now open for the rest of the country to follow. Joe’s should be commended for its forward-thinking no tip policy. Tipping involves a narrative of race and gender-based violence that degrades thousands of Americans and undermines the tenet of equal opportunity. It is of utmost importance that this narrative is changed, on behalf of the right to earn a living salary and on behalf of equality.

Reevaluate flawed US response in wake of Islamic State attacks

By NICOLE MAZUROVA JUSTICE STAFF WRITER

Were the Nov. 13 bombings in Paris a gamechanger for the U.S.’s position on the Islamic State? The terrorist attack was highlighted by the U.S. media, and there has been an outpouring of public support for the victims — #prayforparis hashtags, French flags over profile pictures and peace vigils. Many were quick to note the, as Boston Globe columnist Farah Stockman termed it, “terrorist favoritism.” The attacks in Paris considerably overshadowed the suicide bombings in Beirut and Baghdad among others, as well as the downing of a Russian plane over Egypt. There is an explanation for this beyond the fact that the Paris attacks resulted in more casualties. It is one of basic human nature. As trauma specialist Charles Figley said, “The first question we ask ourselves when we hear about a terrorist attack is: Am I in danger?” We live in a world where humanitarian crises are still prioritized according to in-groups, which stems not only from shared commonalities, but from the basic instinct of self-preservation. The Islamic State has demonstrated its willingness and ability to raise the stakes against the West which carries more implications for the U.S. One could interpret French President Hollande’s declaration, “France is at war,” in several ways. This establishes the Islamic State as a proto-state against which it is possible to wage war. Hollande has welcomed Russian President Vladimir Putin’s offer of help to fight against the Islamic State; a stronger allegiance would bring Russia in from the The Justice welcomes letters to the editor responding to published material. Please submit letters through our Web site at www.thejustice.org. Anonymous submissions cannot be accepted.

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cold and likely require some alleviation of the European sanctions targeting the Kremlin.

France has also become the first country to invoke the European Union’s mutual defense clause on Monday, which states that “if a Member State is the victim of armed aggression on its territory, the other Member States shall have towards it an obligation of aid and assistance by all the means in their power.”

Finally, France could be calling on the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, putting pressure on the U.S. to get more involved in a conflict against the Islamic State.

“

The Islamic State has demonstrated its willingness and ability to raise stakes against the West...

France itself has responded to the attacks by dropping 20 bombs on the Islamic State-held city of Raqqa, a purely reflexive revenge tactic. However, for now, there has been more of an inward systemic approach to the problem.

France has declared a state of emergency, and the state is amping up its national security, polls by Le Figaro showing that 84 percent reported an acceptance for “controls and a certain limitation of liberty in order to guarThe opinions stated in the editorial(s) under the masthead on the opposing page represent the opinion of a majority of the voting members of the editorial board; all other articles, columns, comics and advertisements do not necessarily. For the Brandeis Talks Back feature on the last page of the newspaper, staff interview four randomly selected students each week and print only those four answers.

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antee better security.” Police presence has risen considerably — the night of the attacks, French police raided more than 150 locations, and the pursuit of Salah Abdeslam, the alleged leader of the attacks, and several others continues. There has been a call for more recruitment into law enforcement and security service. A statute, only in effect during states of emergency, will grant the government the power to dissolve extremist gatherings, block media that glorifies terrorism and extend use of electronic bracelets and house arrest. There has been a revival of the debate over government access to encrypted data, according to a Nov. 16 New York Times article which reported on European officials’ suspicions that the Paris attackers had been able to communicate in this way and linking the attacks to Syria.

Finally, French Prime Minister Manuel Valls has announced intentions to implement measures that will facilitate the capture and processing of suspects.

In short, France is on high alert. Many Western states have mirrored France. The U.S., for one, has tightened security in some of its major cities. Thus, even with Hollande’s declaration of war, the Islamic State is being handled more like an organized crime group, not a proto-state. This disregards the more complicated sectarian struggle in the Middle East and the civil unrest manifested during the Arab Spring. In the wake of the fresh attacks, is there finally enough geostrategic and political interests to compel intervention? In the case of Syria, will the U.S. and EU revisit the concern over Bashar al-Assad to gain more leverage in activity in the Middle East?

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In any case, one thing is certain: air strikes are proving to do more harm than good and are responsible for increased refugee flows.

Another reaction of the Paris attacks has been Islamophobia and growing anti-refugee hysteria, but where are these people supposed to go with the U.S., Russia and now France dropping bombs on them from the sky? Western politicians’ anti-refugee rhetoric is especially disgusting. Not only is it doing nothing to abate fear, it is a cheap bid at domestic popularity, conveniently ignoring that much of the strife in the Middle East is in the western world. Border security should be increased and vetting processes re-examined to quell domestic concern, but going back on the promise of accepting refugees or making the screening process so overly extensive that it effectively deters entry (H.R.4038) is retroactive. This increases the threat of homegrown terrorism and hate crimes, as well as causes civil divides. Hollande has reaffirmed France’s commitment to receiving 30,000 refugees from Syria. It will be interesting to see the decision the U.S. makes.

Paris has been a game-changer, reflecting most on the Western psyche. The Islamic State is proving successful in its goal of spreading terror and provoking aggression. Bombing them legitimizes their power, and scapegoating refugees distracts from the problem. Maybe “the first question we ask ourselves when we hear about a terrorist attack is: Am I in danger?” However, should we not live above primal instinct and recognize its effect on our judgement? It is time to rise above fear and think rationally.

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Encourage funding for greater scientific exploration By mihir khanna JUSTICE editor

As a budding experimental physicist, a question I am often posed is, “Why would one spend so much money studying subatomic realms when one could spend the money …” The suggestions for where the money could or should be directed are endless; starving populations, warstricken nations, charity, or even Wall Street.

Now, before I go any further, I’d like to make it clear that while I am defending the spending of billions on esoteric physics research, I am not condoning the diversion of money from the more humanitarian causes across the planet.

There are two institutes that come to mind when considering this matter: CERN (Organisation Européenne pour la Recherche Nucléaire) and NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration). CERN is at the forefront of high energy physics research, and NASA is the American space program. At the heart of CERN is the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), the 17-milelong supercollider responsible for the recent discovery of the Higgs Boson (a fundamental particle crucial to our understanding of the universe) in 2012. Accounting for the building and operating costs of the LHC over the years, Forbes estimated the cost of the discovery of the Higgs to be 13.25 billion US dollars. Their annual budget (2012) was approximately 1.2 billion USD, fueling a multitude of projects in addition to the LHC. Since NASA’s conception in 1958, it has spent a staggering 900 billion USD (accounting for inflation), with an annual budget (2015) of 17.5 billion USD. A monumental scientific endeavor and achievement in itself, putting man on the moon, cost upwards of 100 billion USD, albeit with the positive political externalities.

So why do we spend so much researching either realms that are so minuscule we could never even imagine or perceive them , or realms so vast we could never hope to traverse them? There is the age old answer that it is all in the quest of knowledge to enrich the human race and better comprehend our apparent existence. And while it is true that this thirst for knowledge (combined with an innate scientific curiosity) is enough to drive most researchers, this response often does not cut it for one not bitten by the curiosity bug.

Consequently, the matter of the limitless potential of research and discovery is broached.

Discovery or invention is often the result of research targeted toward solving a specific problem or meeting a particular demand. Some of the best examples of this include the discoveries made in the field of pharmaceuticals, in response to the necessity for cure or prevention of illnesses. However, a surprising number of modern applications stem from discoveries that were the result of research with no apparent practical purposes at the time. To clarify, I am not referring to chance discoveries that prompted further research, such as the discovery of penicillin or the ability to use microwaves to heat food. I am referring to the research that was done merely

BEN JARRETT/the Justice

to better understand certain phenomena and that later shed light on uses not even previously imagined or envisioned. One of the best examples of this is electricity, which was merely an intellectual curiosity in the early 17th century, investigated by the likes of Benjamin Franklin.

It was only in the early 19th century that its applicative potential was realized and in the late 19th century that began to manifest itself in the inventions that we cannot imagine life without today, a life that physicist William Gilbert probably never even envisaged in 1600 when trying to suss out why amber displayed attractive properties. It is this past of scientific investigation of the esoteric leading to mankind’s development and betterment that drives us to study things like the Higgs Boson or the surface of Mars, in the hope that they provide the pieces to the puzzle that is the next revolutionary development of our species.

In spite of this, the realist in me knows that there are still people who fail to see the justification behind the dedication of resources of this magnitude towards such branches of research.

Which is why it’s a good thing that I haven’t even touched upon one of the greatest, and more immediate benefits of CERN and NASA’s research endeavors — collateral discovery. Discovering the Higgs or putting man on the Moon were no simple accomplishments, feats that could have

only been achieved with the support of technology. The only problem was that a lot of the necessary technology did not even exist at the time.

Naturally, the only rational way for researchers to face such a hurdle is to invent anything they need that didn’t already exist. Multitudes of such inventions have directly translated into modern day essentials, or have at the very least inspired spin-off applications.

The miniaturization of computer technology was inspired and bolstered by the space race.

Faced with the constraint of weight when sending objects into space, NASA took contemporary computers tipping the scales at several tons and occupying entire rooms and shrunk their technology into something that could be squeezed into the Apollo capsules, effectively creating the predecessor of the microprocessors that power all of our electronics. On their way to the moon and beyond, NASA has pioneered a lot more than computing, with the invention of (or significant improvement on) 1,800 products including flame and heat retardant materials, water filters, memory foam, long distance communication, baby formula and even artificial limbs. Almost every form of medical imaging has been developed or refined by NASA, CERN and other places alike in their endeavor to conduct their research.

Tim Berners-Lee, while working at CERN in 1980, proposed and spearheaded a project which

over the next decade, became the World Wide Web. His initial inspiration an “act of desperation” to ease and enhance communication with researchers within CERN. Little did he know that his creation would be adopted the world over and nourished to the magnitude at which it exists today. CERN’s contributions don’t end there. They are currently working on refining a miniaturized particle accelerator which will treat cancer in a manner significantly less detrimental than chemotherapy. Tired of all the buttons and knobs in their control rooms, CERN created the capacitive touch screen, later adopted into numerous electronics like those smartphones we all know and love. In doing all of the research that they do, CERN generates about 15 petabytes (15 million gigabytes) of data annually, which is stored and processed by the LHC Computing Grid (LCG).

The LCG provides researchers with the computing power of around 20,000 computers, which is exploited globally for a multitude of purposes, including drug discovery formulation for fatal diseases. The list of CERN’s contributions goes on and on.

Ergo, in a very direct way, the money directed toward seemingly bottomless pits has yielded outcomes that have significantly improved healthcare and the overall quality of life while furthering the human race today and for years to come.

Student demands limit intellectual discourse on campus Dor

Cohen Elephant in the Room On Thursday, a Facebook group called “Brandeis Students of Color Demands 2015” posted a list of demands that they require Interim President Lisa Lynch and the Board of Trustees to implement by the next academic year. These demands have already been shared far and wide and hailed as necessary to fix an apparently intolerable campus climate. There’s just one problem: the demands are mostly ridiculous and impractical.

Take, for example, their demand that the University “implement educational pedagogies and curriculums that increase racial awareness and inclusion within ALL departments and schools.”

In essence, this demand requires that the University promote the group’s point of view to every student that will attend Brandeis. Racial awareness is necessary, but not everyone agrees with all this group espouses. To force everyone to take classes that will evince their viewpoint — thereby inciting a stigma against students who do not agree with them — is extreme. Dissenting opinions should not make you feel unsafe; when intellectual diversity is discouraged, the entire foundation of the academic comes crumbling down. Moreover, how are administrators expected to implement such a system in every classroom?

Another demand is that Brandeis “increase funding of Black student organizations and programs.” According to the group, black organizations on campus should receive more funding than — and at the expense of — other groups on campus simply because they are black or want to

spread greater awareness of their cause.

According to information put out by the Allocations Board, the Brandeis Black Student Organization received approximately 47 percent of the over 9,000 dollars they requested for this semester. During a semester in which only 60 percent of all student organizations’ funding requests were fulfilled, this constitutes a significant amount. Although the allocations process may be reexamined, black organizations on campus, while important, should be considered equally in the funding process.

The next demand on the list is that the University “increase the admittance of Black students via the general admission process to 15% within both undergraduate and graduate schools.” Affirmative action is a complicated issue, but students should be admitted to this university based on how well they match up with Brandeis’s admissions requirements, not race. Moreover, racial preferences in admissions decisions hurt poor white students who also do not have the means to pay for superior education or SAT preparation and otherwise deserving non-black minority groups. As David Sacks and Peter Thiel wrote in the current issue of Stanford Magazine, “If preferences were truly meant to remedy disadvantage, they would be given on the basis of disadvantage, not on the basis of race.”

Similarly, the group called for the University to “increase the number of tenure tracks for black faculty” — again, this seems impossible to ensure by next year — “across ALL departments and schools.” Affirmative action for black students was originally conceived as a means to redress discrimination against and a lack of educational resources in black communities. Can the members of this group prove that Brandeis has participated in purposeful attempts to prevent the attainment of tenure by black professors? If so, steps should be taken to remedy such actions.

Otherwise, they simply believe certain professors should be given tenure over others because of the color of their skin. I would prefer that the

most qualified educators, regardless of race, receive tenure so that future students will enjoy the highest level of education possible.

Brandeis Students of Color Demands 2015 also requires that the University “increase minimum wage for all hourly paid university employees by 15%.” This demand has nothing to do with the environment black students face on campus. These students are merely attempting to include an unrelated desire in a list of demands to which they know the University will have to respond.

Finally, the group demands the asinine condition that Senior Vice President for Students and Enrollment Andrew Flagel, “issue a public apology to Khadijah Lynch [’16].” An apology for what? For the actions of another student for whom Flagel was not responsible? For not expelling Daniel Mael ’15 for exercising his right to free speech? For the fact that Lynch expressed “no sympathy” for two minority police officers who were murdered, and stated her support for a violent, deadly uprising? If she felt unsafe because people discussed and were irate with what she posted online, she should not have posted it in the first place. In no way does Lynch deserve an apology for her actions.

As a Jew — who immigrated to this country in 1999 — I have experienced racism and discrimination as well. While walking out of my synagogue, I have had people yell “heil Hitler” in my direction. I have been told hundreds of times that the Nazis should have finished the job and that Jews are murderers who control the world, responsible for everything from the Paris attacks to 9/11. On other campuses across the country, my friends and other Jewish students have had pennies thrown at their feet and their houses and dorms defaced with hateful imagery, and have been rejected from leadership positions and participating in student government votes due to their religion. On Nov. 12, protests at Hunter College in New York devolved into a framing of Jews and Israel as responsible for the school’s high tuition. At the University of Missouri, pro-

tests started in part because of a swastika drawn in feces; swastikas usually target the Jews.

These experiences are widespread. A study conducted in the spring of 2014 by Trinity College revealed that over half of Jewish college students have experienced anti-Semitism on campus. In the University of California school system alone, more than 70 percent of Jewish students who participated in an online survey by AMCHA Initiative in October reported witnessing or experiencing anti-Semitism on campus. According to the FBI’s 2014 hate crime statistics, 58.2 percent of all hate crimes last year were against Jews. Even though many Jews have white skin, we, too, are attacked and harassed on a daily basis. We are not a part of “white” culture. In fact, as late as 1987, the United States legally defined Jews as non-white.

All this is not meant to “compare oppression” but to evince that it is fair to say that Jewish students understand how it feels to be unsafe on campus. It might not exist in as systematic a fashion as anti-black discrimination — we might be at a lesser risk for being pulled over, for example — but it exists and it is pervasive. Yet while we too pressure administrations and governments to take action, I do not demand, and do not wish for others to demand, that universities be turned into echo chambers of a singular ideology that I espouse. I do not request special treatment — more funding for Jewish clubs or an increase in tenured Jewish professors — because of the discrimination we experience. Feeling safe is one thing, preferential treatment is another.

So I implore Interim President Lisa Lynch and the Board of Trustees: do not cave in to these demands. Do not change Brandeis’s already waning culture of intellectual diversity into one of forced unanimity. Do not cease to treat all student organizations and faculty fairly. Black Americans have legitimate grievances, but a significant portion of Brandeis Students of Color Demands 2015’s list of “demands” is misguided — please treat it as such.

THE JUSTICE

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TUESDAY, november 24, 2015

13

MSOC: Judges

BALL CONTROL

blown out in final game of season CONTINUED FROM 16 vantage in shots on net. The Judges were stayed step-for-step with Trinity, catching the Tigers offside four times and earning four corners of their own.

Woodhouse managed seven saves in the clash, a career high.

Flahive and Ocel finish the year tied for the team lead with four goals each, while Ocel outpaced the competition with 10 assists on the year, number one in the University Athletic Association.

This season, the Judges captured the University Athletic Association conference crown outright for the first time in team history.

The most crucial victories for the season included a 1-0 victory over

MIHIR KHANNA/the Justice

HIGH HOPS: Guard Carlin Haymon ’18 takes an uncontested layup against Rhode Island College at home this past Saturday.

MBBALL: Men come away unscathed during nail-biter CONTINUED FROM 16 half. UMass-Dartmouth led 19-15 after 10 minutes, but Brandeis outscored the Corsairs 27-16 in the 10 minutes that followed as the Judges held a 3631 lead at halftime.

Vilmont had 11 first-half points as well as four rebounds, and Reale finished the half with eight points.

The Judges scored the first eight points of the second half as a shot from Cooper gave Brandeis a 44-31 lead, but UMass-Dartmouth responded with a seven point run of their own. Brandeis led 46-45 with 10 minutes remaining.

After two free-throws from Cooper increased the Judges lead to 62-55 with 4:24 remaining, UMass-Dartmouth cut

the deficit to 63-61 with 2:26 left.

Corsairs junior guard Jordan Rezendes, who scored a game-high 26 points, grabbed six rebounds and tallied three assists, capitalized on a Brandeis turnover and hit a threepointer to give his team a 64-63 lead.

Powell drew a foul in the Judges’ next possession, hitting both freethrows to give Brandeis a 65-64 lead with just over one minute remaining. Both teams then went a combined 2-of-10 from the free-throw line, and Brandeis held onto the win as Rezendes missed a last second shot.

Brandeis shot 38.9 percent from the field, while UMass-Dartmouth shot 36.1 percent.

Brandeis held the advantage in re-

bounding as they grabbed 44 rebounds compared to 39 for the Corsairs.

Vilmont said that though the team has depth, it needs to work harder defensively. “We have a well-balanced team; our only problem is staying focused on the defensive end of the court,” Vilmont said. “When we pressure the ball, it creates easy opportunities for fast-break points.”

The Judges play next on Tuesday as they host Lasell College at 6 p.m.

Last season, the squad fell to Lasell in a closely contested game that ended up in a 64-60 defeat. Cooper led the team in that game with 18 points and will look to have similar success if the Judges are to be victorious against their regional rival.

regional rival Tufts University and a crucial 2-1 overtime win against Hardin-Simmons College in San Antonio, Tex. The squad also dominated the UAA conference competition after defeating top teams in the University of Chicago and Emory University during the 2015 campaign.

One of the lowest points for the season for the squad came on Oct. 18 against Washington University in St. Louis.

At the Judges' homecoming game, the team fell 2-0 to WashU in its only conference loss on the strong 2015 season.

Next season, Brandeis will look to defend their UAA championship and get back to the NCAA tournament and compete for a title.

WBBALL: Squad pulls out victory with strong play in extra period CONTINUED FROM 16 pointing loss.

Judges 78, Roger Williams 71 (OT) Roger Williams proved to be a formidable opponent for the Judges, creating a small scare for the women’s team in their first game this week. Yet the Judges were able to come back from an eightpoint deficit in the fourth to win by seven in overtime and improve to 3-0 on the season.

The team came through down the stretch, outscoring Roger Williams by 17 points in the fourth quarter and in overtime. When the team needed her most, Laskaris came in clutch with 14 of her 19 points in the fourth quarter and overtime.

Adding to the team’s late success and incredible 61 overall rebounds, forward Maria Jackson ’17 hogged the rim with a whopping 18 rebounds, 8 of which came in the

fourth quarter and on. With just six seconds left in regulation, Jackson hit two enormous free throws to tie the game at 62 apiece.

Just as overtime began, Laskaris hit a three-pointer to seal the deal, as the Judges took the lead and never looked back.

The Hawks desperately tried to foul the Judges in overtime but were no match for forward Sydney Sodine ’17 and Paris Hodges, both of whom were perfect from the line on the night.

Of the team’s five starters, all but guard Noel Hodges, who had limited playing time, scored double-digits. Although this stat certainly bodes well for the team, no other player, aside from Cain, who filled in for Hodges, had more than one point.

This crucial point will have to be something the coaching staff addresses going forward, in order to propel Brandeis to a winning regular season.

BASEBALL SOFTBALL TENNIS TRACK Write for Sports!

Contact Noah Hessdorf at sports@thejustice.org

BASEBALLSOFTBALL TENNIS TRACK

14

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2015

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THE JUSTICE

CROSS COUNTRY BRIEF Bryson earns All-American honors at NCAA Division III Cross Country Championship

FENCING BRIEF Teams both record impressive undefeated records during Northeast Fencing Conference meet

Emily Bryson ’19 earned All-American honors as she recorded a 31st place finish at the National Collegiate Athletic Association Division III Women’s Cross Country Championships.

Bryson was Brandeis’s sole competitor at the meet on both the men and women’s sides. The meet was hosted by the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh at Lake Breeze Golf Club in Winnicone, Wisc.

Bryson was able to finish the six-kilometer course in 21 minutes and 44.5 seconds. The time was her best of the season, a six-second improvement upon her second-best finish.

After the five-kilometer mark, Bryson stood with a time of 16:29 and used the final kilometer to go on a torrid pace of 5:15.5 to finish the competition.

Bryson was the third runner from the University Athletic Association and the seventh from the New England region to finish the race. She also recorded the second-best time from a freshman runner at the meet.

Overall, she is the third first-year since 2000 to be named an All-American at Brandeis.

She is the very first runner in the women’s cross country program’s entire history to be named an All-American in her rookie season.

Abrah Masterson of Cornell (Iowa) College was the individual champion of the race, while regional competitor Williams College was the team winner. Johns Hopkins University had won the meet the previous three seasons.

The Judges continued their strong start to the fencing season at their first Northeast Fencing Conference meet of the season in Providence, RI as the men posted a 5-0 record and the women went 6-0.

The women defeated several teams that they had lost to last year, sweeping all three weapons from Sacred Heart University for a final score of 18-9. The Judges edged out the Massachusetts Institute of Technology by a score of 15-12 and powered past Wellesley College on the strength of a 9-0 mark by the Sabres.

There were three club teams there as well, and Brandeis demolished them by marks of 25-2 (University of Massachusetts Amherst), 24-3 (Boston University) and 27-0 (New Hampshire College). Saberists Ashley Jean ’17 and Nina Sayles ’17 posted 14-2 records to pace the women’s team, alongside epeeist Gwen Mowell ’16 who posted a 10-2 mark of her own. The men had a few close calls but escaped with two narrow varsity victories over Sacred Heart and MIT. Sacred eart featured a onebout swing in all three weapons, yielding a 14-13 victory for the Judges, while the foil squad posted a 9-0 record to counteract 4-5 epee and 2-7 sabre defeats against MIT. They fared much better against club sides, matching the women’s results while coasting to 25-2 (UMass), 24-3 (BU) and 27-0 (New Hampshire) victories. The foils had particularly strong days on the men’s side as Elishua Litle ’18 went 10-1, Toby Gray ’16 went 8-0 off the bench, and Kyle Berney ’18 collected 11 wins of his own.

The men’s foil squad went 5-0 in the meet.

Brandeis is back in action on Dec. 9 at home, when they host Yale University, St. John’s University, Johns Hopkins University and Cornell University at the Brandeis Invitational.

—Noah Hessdorf

—Dan Rozel

BASKETBALL TENNIS FENCING TRACK

WRITE FOR SPORTS BASKETBALL TENNIS FENCING TRACK For more information, contact Noah Hessdorf at sports@thejustice.org

THE JUSTICE

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Tuesday, November 24, 2015

15

WOMEN’S SOCCER

jUDGES BY THE NUMBERS Men’s BASKETBALL UAA STANDINGS

TEAM STATS

Points Per Game

Not including Monday’s games UAA Conference

W L JUDGES 0 0 WashU 0 0 Carnegie 0 0 NYU 0 0 Case 0 0 Emory 0 0 Rochester 0 0 Chicago 0 0

Overall W L Pct. 3 0 1.000 3 0 1.000 2 0 1.000 2 0 1.000 4 1 .800 4 1 .800 2 1 .667 1 2 .333

UPCOMING GAMES: Today vs Lasell Dec. 1 vs Becker Dec. 5 at Babson

Robinson Vilmont ’17 leads the squad with 17.3 points per game.

Player PPG Robinson Vilmont 17.3 Jordan Coooper 14.3 John Powell 12.3 Tim Reale 10.0

Rebounds Per Game John Powell ’17 leads the team with 6.3 rebounds per game.

Player RPG John Powell 6.3 Jordan Cooper 5.7 Colby Smith 5.0 Robinson Vilmont 3.7

WOMen’s basketball UAA STANDINGS

TEAM STATS

Not including Monday’s games UAA Conference

W L W Carnegie 0 0 3 Chicago 0 0 3 NYU 0 0 3 Rochester 0 0 3 JUDGES 0 0 3 WashU 0 0 2 Emory 0 0 1 Case 0 0 1

Points Per Game

Overall L Pct. 0 1.000 0 1.000 0 1.000 0 1.000 1 .750 1 .667 1 .500 3 .250

UPCOMING GAMES: Today at Emmanuel Dec. 1 vs Simmons Dec. 5 at Johnson and Whales

Paris Hodges ’16 leads the team with 12.8 points per game.

Player PPG Paris Hodges 12.8 Niki Laskaris 11.3 Heather Cain 10.3 Sydney Sodline 10.3

Rebounds Per Game Maria Jackson ’17 leads with 9.8 rebounds per game.

Player RPG Maria Jackson 9.8 Sydney Sodline 6.8 Paris Hodges 6.0 Kyla Gabriel 4.5

Cross country Results from the NCAA New England Regionals on Nov. 15.

TOP FINISHERS (Men’s) 8-Kilometer Run

TOP FINISHERS (Women’s) 6-Kilometer Run

RUNNER TIME Mitchel Hutton 5:10.8 Liam Garvey 5:15.7 5:18.4 Roger LaCroix Brian Sheppard 5:21.8

RUNNER TIME Emily Bryson 5:54.9 Madie Dolins 5:58.3 Julia Bryson 6:11.0 Ashley Piccirillo-Horan 6:11.3

MIHIR KHANNA/Justice File Photo

QUICK FEET: Forward Lea McDaniel ’17 takes control of the ball in a win at University of Massachusetts Boston on Sep. 12.

Squad ends season in tough overtime defeat ■ Goalkeeper Alexis Grossman ’18 recorded a team-record 11 shutouts on the season.

By noah hessdorf Justice editor

EDITOR’S NOTE: The Judges will conclude their outdoor season at the NCAA Division III Championships on Saturday.

SWIMMING AND DIVING Results from a meet against Bentley University this past Friday.

TOP FINISHERS (Men’s) 100-yard backstroke

SWIMMER Eb Weber Matt Cohen Andrew Baker

TOP FINISHERS (Women’s) TIME 59.65 1:04.37 1:14.79

200-yard freestyle

SWIMMER Fallon Bushee Kylie Herman Maya Saar

TIME 2:07.29 2:08.68 2:15.81

UPCOMING MEETS:

Dec. 4 at WPI Invitational Dec. 5 at WPI Invitational Dec. 6 at WPI Invitational

The women’s soccer team ended its season on Saturday after a 1-0 loss to No. 3 William Smith College in overtime. The Judges made it to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Division III Tournament and closed their season with an overall record of 15-3-4.

No. 3 William Smith 1, No. 11 Judges 0 The game, hosted by William Smith, was a nail-biter that featured great defense from both sides.

The squad’s best opportunity came early in the contest when forward Lea McDaniel ’17 had a breakaway with only the goalkeeper between her and the goal.

Freshman goalie Veronica Romines was able to stop McDaniel’s shot and keep the game deadlocked at zero for the contest.

Other chances for the team included a rocket off the foot of forward Samantha Schwartz ’18 that was blocked by a defender and a rebound

attempt that narrowly passed out of McDaniel’s reach.

William Smith had more opportunities to convert than the Judges had, as they had eight corners to Brandeis’s two. The Herons had 18 shot attempts versus the Judges’ 11.

Defender Hannah Maatallah ’19 commented on the team’s performance and season on Saturday, saying, “The team feels that we had an awesome season that we are very proud of. Although it ended sooner than we would have liked, we worked really hard all season, played a great final game against a very good team and left it all on the field. Now, I think we are looking forward to improving upon this amazing season with an even better one next year.”

Goalkeeper Alexis Grossman ’18 was able to fend off William Smith’s attack during regulation to add to her impressive season.

Grossman recorded 11 shutouts, which is a team record, and a 0.39 goals-against average for the 2015 campaign for the Judges.

The one shot that Grossman was not able to block came two minutes and 26 seconds into the opening overtime period.

Junior midfielder Ella McMackin put the ball upfield off of a throw-in that was able to be controlled by senior midfielder Krista Longo.

Longo pushed the ball to junior forward Kara Shue who then hit the back of the net with her eighth goal of the season.

The Judges finished off a strong season, in which they made the NCAA tournament for the second consecutive season.

The graduating seniors finish their careers with three NCAA tournament appearances and a record of 54-19-11.

The team will lose key players to graduation this spring in midfielder Holly Szafran ’16 and midfielder Alec Spivack ’16.

Maatallah noted, “We are going to miss the graduating seniors greatly next year both on and off the field.

They are a great group who have had amazing careers over the last four years. They are definitely going to be very hard to replace, but next year will be an opportunity for new people who didn’t get as many minutes this season and incoming freshman to step up and fill those roles.”

Next season should be a bright one for the squad, as they return most of the core that netted them an impressive Sweet 16 appearance.

The season was a marked success in which the squad improved upon its 2014 record of 13-5-2.

The 2015 season was head coach Denise Dallamora’s 36th at the helm.

swimming and diving Teams fall by large point differential in tough meet against crosstown rival Bentley University ■ Fallon Bushee ’16 captured two individual victories in the meet against Bentley University by close margins.

By gabriel goldstein Justice staff writer

The men and women’s swimming and diving team met an unfortunate fate this past week, dropping their meets in blowout fashion.

Both squads dropped their respective meets against their tough cross-town rival, the Bentley University Falcons.

The meet results give little reason for excitement or celebration, as the Falcons had no trouble dispatching both the women’s and men’s squad.

The men lost, falling in a 191-97 decision, while the women suffered a big 191-91 defeat.

While neither team was able to pull out a victory by night’s end, there were two individual bright spots on the evening: men’s double winner Zach Diamond ’18 and women’s double winner Fallon Bushee ’16. Diamond, who is in the middle of a stellar season, fresh off earning four top-10 finishes for the men’s squad at the Rochester Invitational, won the 1000-yard free by over an 11-second margin of victory, leaving no doubts about his swimming prowess on the year.

His time was 10:19.36. Diamond also claimed victory in the 400-yard individual medley, notching an impressive time of 4:28.36.

In addition to his two victories,

Diamond placed second in the 500 free, finishing with a time of 5:03.96.

After being named CollegeSwimming.com’s National D3 Swimmer of the Week in October, Diamond continues to build momentum heading into the season’s stretch run for the next few weeks.

For the women, Bushee swam her way to a pair of victories on the evening as well.

In a meet of relatively little excitement, Bushee’s two narrow victories provided some fun for the fans and a much needed dose of excitement for the Judges.

First, Bushee captured the 50yard freestyle by just 0.29 seconds, a slight margin by all considerations.

Her final time was 26.17 seconds.

Bushee then claimed another narrow victory, winning the 100-yard

butterfly by just 0.19 seconds.

Her final time in the butterfly was 57.10 seconds.

Bushee’s strong showing came as little surprise, as the senior has made a career of claiming individual victories.

While Diamond and Bushee were the focal points of the meet, other Brandeis swimmers had strong showings against the Falcons. Joanna Murphy ’17 gave Brandeis a sweep in the 1000, finishing with a time of 11:22.54, winning by almost a full minute over teammate Theresa Gaffney ’18, who herself placed second. Further, Edan Zitelny ’17 claimed victory in the 200-butterfly with a time of 2:04.82. Finally, Cameron Braz ’17 claimed the most thrilling victory of the day, outtouching his opponent by a mere

0.03 seconds, finishing with a time of 49.85.

The women’s loss drops the team to 2-4 on the season. As for the men, the loss drops the squad to 1-4 on the year.

That said, the few bright spots that came away from the day should not be overlooked.

For Diamond and Bushee, as well as the other individual winners, the momentum they are building should be fostered now and used to turn each team’s season around in the later portions of the year.

Coming up next, each squad will have an opportunity to start their turnaround, as the men and women’s teams will participate in the Worcester Polytechnical Institute Invitational on Dec. 4 to 6 in the coming weeks.

just

Sports

Page 16

COMING TO A CLOSE The women’s soccer team lost in the National Collegiate Athletic Association Division III Tournament, p. 15.

Tuesday, November 24, 2015

Waltham, Mass.

mEN’S BASKETBALL

TEAM EFFORT

Judges keep alive perfect season on backs of two wins ■ Forward Jordan Cooper

’18 scored seven points in the first half of a victory over Rhode Island College.

By elan kane JUSTICE staff writer

The men’s basketball team improved to 3-0 this week, defeating Rhode Island College 85-58 on Saturday and University of MassachusettsDartmouth 66-65 on Wednesday.

Brandeis 85, Rhode Island College 58 The Judges lost to the Anchormen 66-60 early last season without guard Robinson Vilmont ’17 or guard Latye Workman ’18.

This season, with both players in the lineup, Brandeis came away with a victory as Vilmont scored a careerhigh 22 points and Workman grabbed six rebounds in a game in which the Judges never trailed.

Brandeis began the game on a scoring run, as a free-throw from guard Tim Reale ’17 roughly five minutes into the game put the Judges up 9-2.

Reale went on to score 14 points on 5-of-6 shooting, grabbing three rebounds and tallying two assists and two steals.

Brandeis kept applying pressure on Rhode Island throughout the first

half. Forward Jordan Cooper ’18 scored seven of his nine points in the first half and Brandeis ended the half on a 16-6 run to lead 40-26.

The second half was a similar story for the Judges.

Vilmont and Reale led the Judges with eight second-half points each.

For the game, Vilmont shot 9-of-14 from the field including 3-of-4 on three-pointers.

He was quick to credit the team for his high-scoring performance.

“I played with the flow; I give credit to my teammates and coaching staff for calling the right plays that got me open. I still think I need to be more aggressive on the court,” Vilmont said.

As a team, the Judges had 10 players score at least one point.

They shot 53.6 percent from the field, and limited Rhode Island to 36.4 percent. Brandeis outrebounded Rhode Island 39-27 and shot 25 freethrows compared to 18 for the visiting Rhode Island team.

Rhode Island freshman forward Justin Campbell had 21 points and seven rebounds, but it was not enough, as Rhode Island fell to 1-2.

Brandeis 66, UMass-Dartmouth 65 The Judges had three players score in double figures in the game, including Cooper, who scored 17 of his game-high 20 points in the second

See MBBALL, 13 ☛

woMEN’S Basketball

JOYCE YU/Justice File Photo

TOUGH MENTALITY: Midfielder Patrick Flahive ’18 looks to strike the back of the net against New York University on Nov. 7.

Men lose in shutout to end tournament run ■ The Judges once again

allowed an early goal that proved their undoing against Trinity College.

By avi gold JUSTICE editor

The No. 3 men’s soccer team was given an opportunity for revenge in the Sweet 16 round of the National Collegiate Athletic Association Division III Tournament.

Matched up with No. 2 Trinity University — a team the Judges lost to in early September — Brandeis had a chance to edge past the Tigers and earn their second consecutive berth to the Elite Eight.

Saturday’s contest was a near copy of September’s matchup, as the Judges dropped a 2-0 decision and crashed out of the tournament.

The Judges end their season with an 18-3-1 record, the third time in the last four years that the Sweet 16 has spelled the end of the season for the Brandeis Judges.

No. 2 Trinity 2, No. 3 Judges 0 Much like the September contest, Trinity got an early goal that put them in the driver’s seat for the majority of the clash.

Just 10 minutes into the matchup, Trinity turned a failed clearance into the eventual game-winning goal when Tigers freshman forward Christian Sakshaug drilled a shot past goalkeeper Ben Woodhouse ’18.

The Tigers nearly doubled their lead a minute later, but a shot off a corner was sent just over the net to keep the Judges’ deficit at one goal.

Brandeis had a number of opportunities to equalize after Sakshaug’s goal, including a 14th-minute shot from forward Patrick Flahive ’18 that forced the Trinity goalkeeper into a tough save.

Two minutes later, midfielder Jake Picard ’16 pushed a shot wide following a corner kick, while forward Evan Jastremski ’17 had a 19th-minute shot blocked by the Trinity defense.

Trinity stayed with the Judges in the back-and-forth contest, attempting nine first-half shots of their own and forcing Woodhouse to make a trio of saves.

In the 44th minute, Trinity would add an insurance goal to put the game effectively out of reach. Trinity sophomore midfielder Brent Mandelkorn sent freshmen forward Austin Michaelis in on goal, and Michaelis put a shot past Woodhouse for the 2-0 lead.

With a two-goal lead at the half, Trinity came out firing in the second half, taking three of the first four shots in the half and forcing Woodhouse into his fourth save of the contest.

After the hour mark, the Judges applied a wave of pressure on the Trinity defense but were unable to grab a goal to get back in the difficult contest.

Jastremski had a 71st-minute shot that was saved by the Trinity goalkeeper and pushed a 79th-minute effort high above the crossbar. Center back Conor Lanahan ’16 lined up a free kick in the 84th minute, but Trinity’s goalkeeper was able to get to the powerful shot.

Trinity ended the contest with a 1715 shot advantage, including a 10-5 ad-

See MSOC, 13 ☛

Women lose bid for undefeated season ■ Guard Heather Cain ’16

contributed 10 total points off the bench to lead the team’s reserves.

By JERRY MILLER JUSTICE Editorial Assistant

The women’s basketball team was defeated by Tufts University 69-52 on Saturday after beating Roger William University 78-71 (OT) earlier in the week.

Last year, the Judges began their season in similar fashion, beating Roger Williams to improve to 3-0.

Yet the Judges could not hold on in their next game against Tufts University, losing in a blowout game by over 20 points.

This year proved to be no different, as the Judges took a crushing loss, 69-52, against the numberthree ranked Tufts.

No. 3 Tufts 69, Judges 52 The Judges came out strong against the Jumbos with a 6-0 run to start the game but were outmatched for the rest of the half, losing 31-24 after the first 24 minutes of play.

The Judges were able to cut the lead to just six points in the third quarter but could not hold on to secure a win.

Although the Judges stayed even in almost every statistical category, they failed to convert on their shooting Saturday afternoon,

shooting a mere 32 percent from the field.

The game was ultimately decided by shooting, something Brandeis has struggled with during the course of the season.

Guard Niki Laskaris ’16, who lit it up in the previous game, scored just three points on one-for-nine shooting. Despite a poor shooting night, Laskaris still able to rack up a team-high four assists.

The Judges’ defense also added to the carnage, conceding 69 points on 54.2 percent shooting. With four double digit scorers, the Jumbos were able to control the pace and outplay Brandeis. As guard Paris Hodges ’17 aptly put it, “In order for the team to be successful, we need to continue to communicate and dig in on defense. I believe our success rides on how effectively we can communicate.”

However, the Judges’ bench markedly improved since last game, adding 21 points to the starters’ total of 52. Guard Heather Cain ’16 dominated the bench, contributing 10 points in her substitution role for guard Noel Hodges ’18.

The Judges go into today’s game hungry against Emmanuel College. The Judges handily beat the Saints 66-54 after their first loss of the season against Tufts last season. So far, the Judges have mimicked their 2014 to 2015 campaign and look to do so tonight against the Saints and avenge their disap-

See WBBALL, 13 ☛

Vol. LXVIII #11

Mela

November 24, 2015

just ARTS

ÂťP.19

Waltham, MA.

Images: Joyce Yu/the Justice. Design: Mihir Khanna/the Justice.

18

THE JUSTICE | TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2015

THEATER

SUDDENLY SEYMOUR: While dating her boyfriend, Audrey (Scarlett Huck ’18, second from R) discusses her feelings towards Seymour with friends in the alley next to his shop.

DAISY CHEN/the Justice

Audience eats up ‘Little Shop of Horrors’

By LINDA MALEH JUSTICE STAFF WRITER

I think it’s safe to say that no one at Brandeis has ever laughed so hard at a giant, fake, peopleeating plant.

This past weekend in the Shapiro Campus Center Theater, Tympanium Euphorium put on “Little Shop of Horrors,” a tragicomedy about a Venus flytrap hungry for human blood.

The show features a lowly young man named Seymour (Nathan Schneider ’18) who works in a flower shop in a poor neighborhood. Seymour’s life dramatically changes when he discovers a rare plant that drinks blood.

The plant — which he names Audrey II after the girl he likes — grows bigger and bigger, and as time goes on, it requires more and more blood, forcing Seymour to make decisions about how he’s go-

ing to feed it. Meanwhile, Audrey II gains fame across the country and brings Seymour and the flower shop big success. As much as the musical is about a fantastical plant, it is also about the mundane wants and needs of life: to get out of a poor neighborhood, become successful and fall in love. These things are what fuel each character’s decisions, especially those of Seymour.

In an interview with the Justice, director Tres Fimmano ’18 said he very much wanted the set to have the look of “a bad sci-fi movie.”

The set consisted of Seymour’s flower shop with the musical band visible through a cutout window.

The prop that dominated the stage was Audrey II. Though the plant started out small, by Act II it was an enormous green and fluffy felt mass, which a puppeteer controlled from inside.

“Each character’s costume has its own background story to it.

That’s not something you will see in the show but was something we thought about when designing,” Fimmano said about the costumes. Seymour, always dressed in a nerdy concoction of sweaters, button-ups, polos and khakis, never was without his glasses. Meanwhile, Audrey, his love interest, always wore some frivolous dress.

The best costumes, however, belonged to the characters that composed the chorus: Chiffon (Rachael Schindler ’19), Crystal (Yael Matlow ’18) and Ronnette (Sarah Dublin ’18). Their costumes were biker chic and included converse, crop tops and leather jackets. Fimmano said he and the costumers chose to focus on the 1960’s for inspiration.

The tone of the play was light and comedic despite the gravity of some of the situations the

characters found themselves in.

One such moment is when Seymour goes to the office of Audrey’s abusive boyfriend, Orin Scrivello (Zain Walker ’18), intending to shoot him. However, Orin is a dentist, and convinces Seymour that he should instead worry about his teeth and let Scrivello examine and fix them.

As the characters found themselves in exceedingly dire circumstances throughout the musical, the tone became more serious. The majority of the characters end up getting eaten by Audrey II, and each character left behind mourns their loss.

Fimmano said, “This is very much a show about decisions.

What makes a good decision and what makes a bad decision … there are no good or bad decisions, just choosing which consequences you want to live with. None of the characters in this show made good

or bad decisions but did what they thought was best in the moment.”

The problems with Audrey II never even get resolved in the end.

The plant breeds and starts taking over the world, and the musical ends with all of the characters — dead or otherwise — coming out to beg the audience not to feed the plant.

Fimmano said that it is very possible to tell that Alan Menken — the same man who wrote the music for “Beauty and the Beast” and “The Little Mermaid” — wrote the music for “Little Shop.” He said the music for this play does not just comment on what is happening but rather intentionally moves the plot forward. In fact, most of the big moments of the play occur through song.

The play had everything: comedy, beautiful singing and music, fantastic acting, stylistic costumes and a giant puppet plant.

MUSIC

Soprano Arnold receives Creative Arts Award at Rose

By LIZZIE GROSSMAN JUSTICE STAFF WRITER

“You stupid kite, come down out of that tree!” The large crowd huddled in the top floor of the Rose Art Museum was completely silent as Tony Arnold echoed these words from the bottom of the stairs. As she continued to sing a variety of sounds — including animal sounds and quotes from comic strips — the audience remained speechless.

Arnold, the soprano of the International Contemporary Ensemble, is the recipient of the 2015 Brandeis Creative Arts Award. On Wednesday, Arnold received the award at the Rose and performed a series of musical pieces.

According to Eric Chasalow, the dean of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, the Brandeis Creative Arts Award honors excellence in the arts in the realm of active American artists.

The award was founded in 1956, shortly after the University was founded. In 1995, the award evolved into the Poses Institute of the Arts, which celebrated artistic achievements by awarding annual residencies to artists. This year, the Creative Arts Award was revived.

“To mark the University’s distinctive role in the art world — and its renewed commitment to the arts

— we are bringing back the award, which has been on hiatus,” Chaslaow explained. “As the first recipient in the 21st century, Tony represents the core goals of the University, which are to pioneer new models of expression and generate connections, not just across the arts, but the entire university.”

After Arnold’s opening piece, “Stripsody” by Cathy Berberian, she continued with “Sequenza III” by Luciano Berio, a piece that incorporated vocal sounds such as laughter and chattering teeth. The audience then migrated downstairs to the Lois Foster Gallery, preparing to hear a third piece: “Récitations” by Georges Aperghis.

The gallery filled with the sounds of Arnold’s voice, but Arnold was nowhere to be seen. As the volume of the singing increased, the audience was drawn toward the ceiling — only to see Arnold performing her solo while walking on the roof of the gallery.

Interim President Lisa Lynch officially presented the award to Arnold. “Tony is a pioneer who expands musical boundaries like no other,” Lynch said. “[With] her unsurpassable vocal artistry … she sets the gold standard today in contemporary musical performance.”

After receiving the award, Arnold

participated in a conversation with Department Chair Prof. Yu-Hui Chang (MUS). Chang asked Arnold why she picked the pieces to perform that she did that day and how they

Berberian’s piece, which Berberian based upon comic strips of the 1960’s.

According to Arnold, Luciano Berio was Berberian’s husband and wrote his pieces — including “Sequenza

JACOB KLEINBERG/the Justice

TONY THE SOPRANO: Soprano Tony Arnold (second from right) received the revived 2015 Brandeis Creative Arts award and gave a performance in the Rose Art Museum. related to the topic of voice and identity. Arnold said that after seeing the artwork on display in the Rose this semester, she saw immediate connections with the pop art exhibit to

III” — for her.

“It brought up all kinds of questions for me, [and for] everybody, about identity, the identity of the composer, the identity of the creator, what voice

is being spoken through what vessel, what message [and whose] message is being given through that vessel,” Arnold explained.

Arnold concluded the program with a performance of “Life Story”

by Thomas Adés, asssisted by double bass player Randall Ziegler and bass clarinet player Michael Norsworthy.

This piece interpreted a 1955 poem of the same name by Tennessee Williams. The poem humorously ended with Arnold saying “[A]nd that’s how people burn to death in hotel rooms!”

“It’s an overwhelming honor [to receive this award],” Arnold exclaimed.

“What I knew is that there’s an opportunity here to engage process in a way that I don’t often get to do. … But what you don’t realize is that over time, you have embodied and taken in inspiration from so many avenues of life.”

Arnold is very excited for her yearlong residency here at Brandeis, where she will lead an ongoing conversation about voice and identity.

In addition, she will be singing and teaching as the Kunkemueller Artistin-Residence at the Boston Conservatory. “The opportunity for me to engage the process and to help students become the architects of their own process is rare,” she said. “I’m so grateful, and really looking forward to exploring this.”

19

THE JUSTICE | TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2015

PERFORMANCE CLASS DANCE: Sophomores perform in the Sophomore Dance, choreographed by Mrudula Gadgil ’18 and Vineet Vishwanath ’18, during MELA 2015: Nazrana.

PHOTOS BY JOYCE YU/the Justice

MELA celebrates South Asian culture

By JAIME GROPPER JUSTICE EDITOR

A crowd packed into Levin ballroom on Saturday night to see “MELA 2015: Nazrana.” Presented by the South Asian Students’ Association, MELA is an annual celebration of South Asian culture and heritage. The show featured a varied line-up of acts including several dance performances, singing acts and even a fashion show, exhibiting richlydecorated Indian apparel.

This year’s theme, “Nazrana,” according to the program, is a word of Arabic origin that means “a gift given to a stranger.” In an email to the Justice, co-president Nikhil Pallikonda ’16 explained that each year, the Executive Board decides on the theme for the show by choosing a word that incorporates what “MELA” means to them. From “Nazrana” came the show’s slogan: “cel-

ebrate the gift.” The program further explained, “To us [the EBoard] this gift is each student’s unique culture, heritage and backstory, and the experience of being on a campus that encourages us to share those things with one another.”

Cultural sharing and festivity filled the night. Brandeis’s Bollywood-fusion dance team Chak De! gave one of the more memorable performances by incorporating other mediums into the dance piece. Choreographed

by Pooja Gupta ’16 and Urann Chan ’16, the piece began with a video of Chak De! members dancing around campus — particularly by Chris Burden’s “Light of Reason” installation — and telling the story of two lovers. The dance onstage picked up right where the video left off and continued telling an emotional and moving love story, complete with pre-recorded dialogue interject-

SOULFUL SINGING: Radhika Jangi ’18 (R) and Shobhik Chakraborty ’17 perform a duet of a classic love song called “Khuda Jaane.”

ed into the dance.

In a powerful performance addressing social issues, Dean of Students Jamele Adams performed a slam poem while Student Union President Nyah Macklin ’16 interjected with pieces of Adele’s “Hello.” In one of the singing performances of the evening, Radhika Jangi ’18 and Shobhik Chakraborty ’17 beautifully performed a duet of a classic love song called “Khuda Jaane.”

Brandeis Bhangra had a vibrant performance that fused traditional music, such as eastern Dhol rhythms, with more modern music, such as songs by rapper Drake. Members of each class year were able to showcase their year’s talents and pride in dances dedicated to each class year. Some of the most notable performances of the night came from groups from other schools in the greater Boston area. Bos-

ton College’s goup Masti presented a dance that incorporated acrobatic elements, the Bently University Bizraas masterfully twirled sticks, and Boston University Khatarnak incorporated traditional and modern music and dance moves into their performance in one of the most notable dance routines of the night.

Pallikonda commented that “collaborating with them this year was a phenomenal idea and we hope the [South Asian Student Association] continues to involve teams from off campus in our show, as there is an abundance of talent in the Boston area that we feel deserves to be seen!”

MELA serves not only as a celebration of culture filled with song and dance but also as a night dedicated to charity. This year’s sponsored charity was the Aarti Home, a foundation that fights female abandonment, mistreatment and infanticide in

LOVE STORY: Brandeis’ Bollywood-fusion dance team

Chak De! performed a piece choreographed by Pooja Gupta ’16 and Urann Chan ’16 that told a love story.

India. A representative from the Aarti Home, Jenny Chen, gave a presentation on the charity’s efforts to provide shelter and education to mistreated women and girls, and she urged the audience to donate. Pallikonda commented that the E-Board chooses the charity for MELA by researching causes that they believe are especially important.

Overall, MELA was a vibrantly colorful display of dance and cultural celebration. “Our goal for MELA was not only to showcase the amazing acts but also [to] help the audience take a little bit of our culture home with them,” Pallikonda explained.

“From the diverse performances, charity presentations, MC skits and the dinner afterward, we wanted to celebrate our heritage in style, and hope we inspired those who didn’t participate in MELA this year to take part next year.”

20

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2015 | THE JUSTICE

Brandeis TALKS

INTERVIEW

What question are you least looking forward to answering when you head home for the holidays?

Tres Fimmano ’18

Fimmano directs ‘Little Shop’ MORGAN BRILL/the Justice

This week, justArts spoke with Tres Fimmano ’18, who directed Tympanium Euphorium’s production of “Little Shop of Horrors” that went up in the Shapiro Campus Center Theater this past weekend.

Will Jones ’18

“How’s school?”

justArts: How did you decide to direct “Little Shop of Horrors”?

BEN JARETT/the Justice

Hin Hon Wong ’17

“Are you still a social justice warrior?”

CROSSWORD ACROSS

Isabelle Rosenblatt ’17

“Have you found your Jewish husband yet?”

Carly Rosenbaum ’16

“Do you have a job?”

—Compiled and photographed by Michelle Banayan /the Justice.

STAFF’S Top Ten

Literary Heroines

By KIRBY KOCHANOWSKI

JUSTICE EDITORIAL ASSISTANT Growing up, I was always the girl with a book in my hand. I was often inspired by the strength and complexity of the women in my favorite novels. Here are some of my favorite literary heroines: 1. Anne Shirley - “Anne of Green Gables” by L.M. Montgomery 2. Elizabeth Bennett - “Pride and Prejudice” by Jane Austen 3. Janie Crawford - “Their Eyes Were Watching God” by Zora Neale Hurston 4. Hermione Granger - “Harry Potter”

by J.K. Rowling 5. Josephine March - “Little Women”

by Louisa May Alcott 6. Scout Finch - “To Kill a Mockingbird” by Harper Lee 7. Nancy Drew - “Nancy Drew” Series

by Carolyn Keene 8. Margaret Hale - “North and South”

by Elizabeth Gaskell 9. Matilda - “Matilda” by Roald Dahl 10. Jane Eyre - “Jane Eyre” by Charlotte Brontë

1 “Scott Pilgrim vs. the World” star 5 1969 Philip K. Dick novel 9 Egret relative 14 Native of 40-Down, for example 15 Light element?

16 Handy 17 Bitter emotion 18 On one’s own 20 Nighttime malady 21 Musician’s goal 22 Old person who’s no fun 23 A factory’s production, say 25 Wife of Zeus 26 OSS successor 29 Teach boxing or martial arts 30 Definitive book?

31 Remove from a game 33 Places gingerly, with “down” 34 Period 35 Seward’s Folly 36 Enemy of the IRS 39 Fictional school in “I Am Charlotte Simmons” 42 Facebook had one in 2012 (abbr.)

43 Something to be peddled 47 Jump over 48 Rent out, as a room 49 Vice President Joe 50 Graycoat 51 Character actually named “Fritz” in the 1931 Frankenstein movie 53 Great Dane, for example 54 Islamic religious leader 55 Disallow 56 One found at Ground Zero (abbr.)

57 Butter with recursive packaging 61 Kiosk offering 62 Roswell visitor, according to some 63 Egypt’s river 64 Praising poems 65 Paralysis 66 With 67-Across, much anticipated December release 67 ...or a clue to 18-, 36-, and 57-Across DOWN

1 In ______ (working together) 2 Complete annihilation 3 Firing range sound 4 Honest Prez 5 Not able to perform, as a duty 6 Word after asteroid or Bible 7 I’ll pay you back, in text-speak (abbr.)

8 Stabbed 9 Quality of a teddy bear 10 Arts and crafts website 11 Carnivale locale 12 Rubik’s cube technique (abbr.)

13 Matrix protagonist 19 Neither’s partner 21 Attila, for one

Tres Fimmano: I always wanted to direct something at some point. ‘Little Shop’ is one of my favorite shows. It was actually a weird process because I actually applied to direct “Chicago,” and when the club didn’t get the rights, they called together the E-board and had us pick a show that we could get the rights for that we all would want to work on. When I found out ‘Little Shop’ was an option, I was like, ‘I really want to do that one!’

JA: What was the most challenging thing about directing?

TF: Well, I had never done it before.

Having creative confidence was definitely something for me. I think outwardly communicating my ideas is just something in general that I know I could work on, so that was a bit of a struggle for me.

JA: What was your favorite part of directing?

TF: That’s really hard to say. In the end, just seeing the final product and just seeing my ideas come to life and actually just look so much better than I ever could have imagined them being on stage is just rewarding.

JA: Did you consciously try and put a spin on the show?

24 Glock 25 Harder to lift 26 Brain locale (abbr.)

27 “Gross!”

28 Discoverer’s cry 30 Mining extract 32 Parasitic insect 34 Operator’s wd.

35 Hubbub 37 Sb 38 Fitting 39 Recording device (abbr.)

40 Dubai locale (abbr.)

41 Place to quaff some ale 44 Further readings 45 Try to sell again 46 Hold undivided attention 48 Willy and Biff 49 Trashcan, to a Brit 52 Guy’s partner 53 Of a lower status 54 A bad day to be Caesar 55 Lugosi of Dracula fame 57 Race unit 58 Emulating 59 Zilch, nada 60 Kaboodle partner 61 “To say it another way” (abbr.)

CROSSWORD COURTESY OF EVAN MAHNKEN

TF: Nothing too big. Something I did try to emphasize with the show that I don’t think is done so much is how relationships can ground people. I think usually with the show, people try to show the way something like the deal with the devil can affect you. I tried to show that the characters had grounding by the people around them and how that helped them stay themselves as much as they could, despite how bad things got.

JA: What’s your favorite part of the story?

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.

Solution to last issue’s sudoku

Sudoku Copyright 2014 Tribune News Service, Inc.

TF: Personally, I think my favorite part is when Seymour feeds Audrey to the plant because I think that everything up to that point wasn’t predictable but maybe expected — [it] doesn’t completely throw off the audience.

Right when that happens, that’s when the audience realizes, ‘Wow, nothing that’s going to happen in this show is something we ever would have guessed.’

JA: Is there one thing you hope the audience took away from the show?

TF: I kind of wrote about this in my director’s note. If I could sum it up that there’s something I want them to take away, it’s that there is nothing that they could take away. There aren’t really any guidelines on how to live your life because every situation is so unique and every decision you make, good and bad decisions, aren’t going to be clear at any point, and you just have to think about consequences and what you’re willing to live with.

—Jaime Gropper