The Justice, February 4, 2020

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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

Tuesday, February 4, 2020

Waltham, Mass.

RESEARCH

‘I AM A STAR’

Univ. researchers release study on child opportunity ■ The report includes an

updated version of the Child Opportunity Index, which can predict child health and development across the U.S. By GILDA GEIST JUSTICE EDITOR

A Jan. 22 report by the Heller School for Social Policy and Management found that neighborhoods affect children’s health and development, including their education, expectations for the future and quality of experiences. The study, titled “The Geography of Child Opportunity: Why Neighborhoods Matter for Equity," was conducted by Heller’s Institute for Child, Youth and Family Policy. The study quantifies opportunity levels for children across the United States and examines how a child’s neighborhood affects his or her future. The report was authored by the institute's and project's director Dolores Acevedo-Garcia, Research Director Clemens Noelke and Senior Research Analyst Nancy McArdle. The Child Opportunity Index

Waltham, Mass.

2.0, which is a crucial part of the report, assigns an opportunity score to neighborhoods based on three domains: education, health and environmental, and social and economic, according to the report. The research team released the first version of the COI in 2014, AcevedoGarcia told the Justice in a Jan. 27 interview. According to the report, the COI 2.0 “focuses on child opportunity in the 100 largest metropolitan areas, which comprise 47,000 neighborhoods where 67% of children live.” It measures child opportunity based on 29 “common conditions,” such as graduation rates, air pollution and homeownership. The data, as well as case studies and other supplemental material, can be found at diversitydatakids. org. By clicking “Child Opportunity Index” and then “Explore metro maps,” users can find an interactive map that includes opportunity levels of all the neighborhoods studied as well as breakdowns of each neighborhood’s opportunity level based on race. According to the website map, Brandeis is located in a moderate-opportunity neighbor-

See COI, 7 ☛

NOAH ZEITLIN/the Justice

'ONLY SPECIAL CHILDREN WEAR A STAR': Inge Auerbacher shared her poetry with the audience, including one she wrote about the cloth yellow star that Jews were forced to wear during the Holocaust. She brought her own to show to the audience.

BRIEF Univ. contractor finds water main break, closing nearby walkway; main fixed Tuesday The water main serving the Usdan Student Center, Pearlman and Goldfarb and Farber Libraries broke on the morning of Jan. 27, damaging the surrounding sidewalk but leaving other Brandeis facilities untouched, according to a Thursday email to the Justice from Vice President of Campus Operations Lois Stanley. On Tuesday, the University’s contractor PW Ryan Co found a crack in the main approximately six feet underground and “put a large clamp over the pipe to seal the crack,” Stanley wrote in the email. Soon after the leak was detected, Facilities Services cordoned off the walkway between Goldfarb and Usdan with orange construction cones and caution tape as water began to pool in the area. The entrance to Usdan nearest to the walkway was also barricaded from the inside by a trash bin and caution tape. These measures were in place “so that the crew and vehicles needed for the repair could work a safe distance from pedestrians,” Stanley wrote. Pedestrian access to the walkway was restored by Wednesday. Stanley alerted the community to the leak in an email on Monday afternoon. In the email, Stanley told community members that Facilities Services was in-

CHRISTINA KIM/ the Justice

vestigating “the extent and cause of the leak” and that work would continue through Tuesday. She also urged community members to “take care to observe signs cordoning off areas that are part of that work” and said that she would provide updates on any potential impact the repairs would have on Brandeis facilities. Although minimal repairs were needed, Stanley wrote in her email that the crew was prepared for “more complex situations that may have required water to be shut off to the four serviced buildings.” She credited Associate Director of Campus Services Joe Realejo, the grounds crew and Facilities Services for their “thorough response” to the leak. The University has previously dealt with the impacts of water main breaks, including a pipe rupture in Weston, MA, which left Brandeis without clean drinking water for several days in May 2010, but this is only the third main break to occur on campus, according past Justice articles. In Jan. 2006, a water main burst and flooded the road near the Rabb steps, and in Jan. 2013, a main break on South Street caused flooding in the basement of the Joseph M. Linsey Sports Center. —Emily Blumenthal

Holocaust survivor shares her experiences with Univ. community ■ Inge Auerbacher was sent to a concentration camp when she was just seven years old. She told the story of her survival. By JEN GELLER JUSTICE EDITOR

Thirty-seven miles west of Krakow near the former German-Polish border, on Jan. 27, 1945, Soviet forces liberated Auschwitz, the largest death camp established by Nazi Germany. Seventy-five years later, people around the globe still remember that day. On Jan. 27, Brandeis’ Center for German and European Studies and the Goethe Institute screened Claude Lanzmann’s nine-and-a-half hour documentary “Shoah.” The next day, Inge Auerbacher, author and Holocaust survivor of the Theresienstadt concentration camp — located in what is now the Czech Republic and liberated on May 8, 1945 — spoke to the Brandeis community in the Shapiro Campus Center Theater about her experiences. The evening opened with an introduction by Miriam Reichman ’21, the event’s planner. Together, students lit six candles to represent six groups that perished during the Holocuast — children, fathers, mothers, grandparents, aunts and uncles, and brothers

and sisters. Reichman reminded attendees that with so many who did not survive, these stories enable the next generations to put names to the faces of those who suffered. After the audience watched a video and listened to students in the Public School 22 chorus from Staten Island, New York, singing a song based on “A World of Peace,” a poem that Auerbacher wrote, Auerbacher started her portion of the evening by saying that part of what made the children who sang that song so special was that they were so diverse. “We are all a part of the same human family,” she said. She said she speaks for the 1.5 million innocent children who lost their lives in the Holocaust and emphasized that Jews are part of a religion, not a race. “There’s Black Jews, there’s Chinese Jews, Korean Jews. I was in India, there was a synagogue with all Indian Jews,” she said. As Auerbacher, a world-traveler, writer, chemist and photographer, began telling her story, one of her poems was displayed on a PowerPoint behind her. It read, “I am a star: only special children wear a star, I am noticed from near and far. They have placed a mark over my heart. I’ll wear it proudly from the start … I stand tall and proud, my voice shouts in silence loud: ‘I am a real person still. No one can break my spirit or will!’ I am a star!” The star referred to in

her poem is the yellow cloth star that Jewish people were forced to wear on their clothes in Nazi-occupied Europe. Auerbacher brought the star that she wore and, at one point in her presentation, showed it to the audience. “I want to take you today on a journey of my first ten years growing up in Nazi Europe,” Auerbacher began. On Dec. 31, 1934, Auerbacher was born in Kippenheim, Germany. She was the last Jewish child born in the village, and the doctor that delivered her was a part of the Nazi party, though “he still treated the Jews in a decent way,” she said. Later on, he became involved in the Nazi euthanasia program that killed people with mental and physical disabilities. He went to prison for many years after the war. Just six months after her birth, Auerbacher lost her German citizenship. Today, Auerbacher explained, she could recover her citizenship, but does not care to. “I am an American citizen — good enough for me,” she said. Until November 1938, the Christians and Jews in Auerbacher’s village coexisted. However, on Kristallnacht, or the Night of Broken Glass, between Nov. 9 and Nov. 10, every window in her home was broken and her synagogue was burned down, memories that remain vivid in Auerbacher’s mind. During Kristallnacht, the police arrested her father and

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TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 2020

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WALTHAM BRIEF

POLICE LOG MEDICAL EMERGENCY Jan. 26 — A party in Sherman Dining Hall not feeling well was treated by BEMCo and transported to Newton-Wellesley Hospital via Cataldo Ambulance. Jan. 29 — BEMCo staff treated a party in Village A with a diabetic emergency, and the party was transported to Newton-Wellesley Hospital via Cataldo Ambulance. Jan. 29 — A community member in Abelson Physics Building complained of chest pain. BEMCo treated the party who was transported to Newton-Wellesley Hospital via Cataldo Ambulance. Jan. 30 — BEMCo responded to a party in the Golding Health Center with chest pain. The party was transported to Newton-Wellesley Hospital via Cataldo Ambulance. Jan. 30 — In Kutz Hall, a party had an allergic reaction. BEMCo treated the party with a signed refusal for further care. Jan. 31 — A party in Spingold Theater reported a leg injury. BEMCo treated the party with a signed refusal for further care. Jan. 31 — BEMCo responded to a party in the Goldfarb Library who was dizzy and slow to respond. The party was transported to Newton-Wellesley Hospital via Cataldo Ambulance. Jan. 31 — In the Charles River Apartments, a party reported feeling nauseous. BEMCo treated the party who was transported to Newton-Wellesley Hospital via Cataldo Ambulance. Feb. 1 — BEMCo treated a party with a laceration who was transported to NewtonWellesley Hospital via Cataldo Ambulance.

MBTA to install commuter rail fair gates in three stations The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority is planning to install commuter rail fare gates in three of its most popular stations — North Station, South Station and Back Bay — according to a Dec. 15 Boston Globe article. The Dec. 15 article noted that North Station will likely be the first of the commuter rail stations to receive the fare gates, which will be in the style of those in the MBTA subways. North Station is the final stop for the Fitchburg Commuter Rail Line, which includes the Brandeis/Roberts and Waltham stops. The same article reported that the North Station fare gates are likely to be installed during the first six months of 2020 and that they will likely be “along the perimeter of the main waiting area, where passengers congregate to learn at which platforms their trains will arrive.” South Station will also experience extra traffic due to the simultaneous construction of a large office building, according to a Feb. 1 Boston Globe article. The article noted that South Station’s large office building will be built “over the open-air section of the tracks,” which will cause most of the doors leading into the station to be closed. This could cause a bottleneck for passengers attempting to use those doors during busy hours. The same article also pointed out that the building construction project is expected to take five years, meaning it will overlap with the planned reconstruction of the Massachusetts Turnpike in Allston. That reconstruction, the article said, will begin in 2022 and “will probably affect service on the fastest-growing line into South Station, from Framingham and Worcester.” —Jason Frank

HARASSMENT AND ASSAULT Jan. 27 — A community member reported harassment via text, and a report was compiled on the incident. Jan. 28 — A staff member reported an assault in Usdan Student Center, and a report was compiled on the incident.

THEA ROSE/the Justice

The Brandeis Chinese Students and Scholars Association hosted a Spring Festival Temple Fair to celebrate the Lunar New Year on Thursday. Temple fairs are a traditional religious Chinese custom. CSSA provided Chinese food, snacks, games and prizes.

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SENATE LOG Senate redefines quorum for meetings, proposes several changes for club bylaws Chief of Staff of the Student Union and Union Representative for the Community Emergency and Enhancement Fund Zach Wilkes ’20 discussed upcoming goals for CEEF and a new student newsletter project at Sunday’s Senate meeting. The Union then voted on a new Amendment to Article V of Student Union bylaws defining quorum, and Senator Joseph Coles ’22 proposed changes to Student Union Club bylaws.

EXECUTIVE OFFICER REPORTS

n An earlier version of a News article included inaccurate information from Patch Waltham about the circumstances surrounding Sergio Paez’s departure from the Holyoke Public School District. The information was removed. (Jan. 28, Page 2). n A News article was updated to clarify that the military group the Phalanges committed the massacre at Sabra and Shatila. (Jan. 28, Page 2). n A Sports article incorrectly reported Noah as the name for Nolan Hagarty ’21. (Jan. 28, Page 15). The Justice welcomes submissions for errors that warrant correction or clarification. Send an email to editor@thejustice.org.

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Wilkes explained that one of the goals for CEEF in the upcoming years is to ensure that all new members meet promptly with administrators and know what to do at all times to ensure that the committee runs smoothly. Wilkes also announced a new student newsletter to broadcast the work of Student Union members to the campus. Although he said he was not sure how the newsletter would be distributed, Wilkes said he expected it to be in the form of an email sent out to students every couple of weeks. Wilkes reinforced that he would like the project to be collaborative. Vice President Kendall Chapman ’22 commended the initiative, saying that administration often takes credit for the work of the Student Union.

ABSENCES

The Senate discussed attendance policies, and Chapman reminded people of the Senate’s policy of allowing two absences.

Chapman explained that this year, excused and unexcused absences both count toward the two allotted absences, and once a member reaches their third absence, its validity will be considered case by case.

AMENDMENT TO ARTICLE V OF STUDENT UNION BYLAWS

The Senate discussed how “quorum” should be defined and voted by acclamation to pass a new amendment deeming that 50% of the voting body must be present for there to be a quorum. If fewer than 18 senators are at the meeting, quorum will be defined as 10 members.

NEW PROPOSAL FOR CLUB BYLAW CHANGES

Senator Coles proposed changes to Student Union Club Bylaws which included a revision to Section 3 saying clubs must request to be chartered. Coles explained that a charter request would help the Club Committee easily know which clubs are chartered when looking through the constitution. The proposal also includes an expansion to Section 3 saying a nonsenator who is part of the Club Support Committee can be present at club meetings, as opposed to only a Student Union Senator. Coles revised Section 4 to delete the term “exclusionary club” to allow for audition-based clubs, like acapella groups, to get funding on campus. A proposed revision to Section 7 includes requiring clubs to submit an antihazing form and update

their Presence Page with the most recent version of their constitution as well as their Presence rosters. Coles also addressed Section 8, proposing to require club officers to attend Bystander Training; Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Training; Budgeting Training; Recruitment Training and Event Planning; and General Student Activity Training. Training should be completed over the course of three days. Additionally, a revision to Section 14 says there must be 10 active members in order for a club to be chartered. Active members are not defined in bylaws but by clubs in their own constitutions. The amendment will be voted on next Senate meeting.

A-BOARD ELECTION RESULTS

After an Executive session, the Senate elected Jazmyn Jean-Remy ’22 as a representative for the A-Board.

VANDALISM Jan. 30 — A student reported vandalism on their private vehicle while parked on the Brandeis campus. DISTURBANCE Feb. 1 — There was a noise complaint of a party in the Foster Mods. University Police spoke to the residents who turned down their music. MISCELLANEOUS Jan. 29 — A party in Ziv 127 reported that someone attempted to unlock the suite door and left. The party did not believe it was one of her roommates, and the University Police walked through the building to see if they could find the person, but all was quiet. —Compiled by Jen Geller

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BOARD OF TRUSTEE

The Chair of the Emergency and Enhancement Fund Committee, Kroupa Sourirajan ’23, announced that she is working on getting a ping pong table for North Quad. Sourirajan also said she will be meeting with the Department of Community Living to discuss complaints regarding the cleanliness of Polaris Lounge. According to Sourirajan, students have been “trashing” Polaris and placing a large burden on Facilities workers. —Leeza Barstein

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STudenT new Spaper

Trustees make long-awaited divestment choice S

of

BrandeIS un IverSITy SInce 1949 r 4,

Tuesday, Decembe

2018

‘BABY STEPS’ TOWA

RD DIVESTMENT

Waltham, Mass.

■ The University will change its investment strategie s to decrease future investme nt in fossil fuel business es.

principal business is the mining coal for use in energy generationof Investments .” that presently ist in “fossil exfuel private partnerships limited (i.e., private partnership limited By JEN GELLER funds ments, the focus that make investJUSTICE EDITOR ing profit from of which is derivthe exploratio After months production of n of deliberatio fossil fuels such and Board of Trustees n, the and natural as oil gas) policies regarding adopted a set of cordance with … will run off in acfossil fuel the funds’ typical vestments at incycles,” Chief their November life Investment ing, updating meetNicholas Warren Officer the 1973 guidelines that previously to the Justice. wrote in an email informed their These funds investment an average have decisions. life cycle of Brandeis students have 10 years. “The overall been pressing administration portfolio is ture, with mato divest from the many funds sil fuels for fosreaching the later stages several years and have of their life continued to Therefore we cycle. do so in response expect it to the recent wind down over slowly policy announcem to In a Nov. 28 ent. Warren wrote. the next 5-7 years,” email to the Brandeis community, private limited This is specific to University President Ron Liebowitz that invest with partnership funds outlined the new pola icies that will focus on gaining profit from guide future exploiting and ment. From investing oil, natural producnow on, the University gas and other endowment ’s sil fuel. As funds will fosof not Oct. vested directly be in30, 2018, “fossil fuel private in “public or limited partnershi companies [market value] or partnershi private ps[’] ps whose [was] $63.3 million,

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STUDENT UNION

Special election call to fill open positionsed

The Brandei s Mountain Club hung a Monday to protest banner in ANDREW the Board of Trustees’ decisionthe Shapiro Campus Center BAXTER/the Justice Atrium on on fossil fuel divestment.

ADMINISTRATION

Report details cam shortcomings on divpus ersity

■ The report presente da comprehensive picture of how community member s view the Universi ty's diversity, reportin g policies.

problems such as Meehan’s behavior, and what steps athletes may are fear being forced vent such problems being taken to preteam or not off the from arising being allowed future. in the to play, according to Liebowitz. However, over Brandeis’ climate the course of their The University and culture vestigators found interviews, the inwas founded no evidence of principles of By NATALIA WIATER ation and determined retali“anti-discrimination, on there was simclusiveness, JUSTICE EDITOR inply a perception academic freedom, that it was occurring. pendence, and indeTo combat this University President the perception, Liebowof academic quality”highest standards Ron Liebowitz itz explained released the in an interview Campus Climate chief of staff,” gation, discrimina in an era of segrethe Justice and with last Thursday, Report he said, adding, tion and quotas, The Brandeis which detailed don’t bear any investigato “I the Monday that Hoot on rs wrote. ceedingly high the “exill will toward the administra standards” and They’re both them. However, some tion needs to build the er shortcomin very passionate broadcommunity’s community gs very smart. bers brought and trust in the system, which … I’m really well as the steps of the University, as up controvers memwill take time. excited to see where things the rounding the ies surous policies Previtaking to address administration is go.” University’s were unclear, identity, which “I understand Jewish and made it he and final report, them. This second many agreed difficult to report said, given a painted [Chang] has been is important to Brandeis. authored by By CHAIEL SCHAFFEL Liebowitz said issues. pendent investigato indehe and I don’t think target on his back, explained that One faculty member JUSTICE STAFF rs the University sity must ensure believes the Univerhired last spring, WRITER any student identity-based that the community feel that way, should follows up on face additional schools is aware of tial findings the iniespecially as pressure to resources that The Student regarding the man,” he said. a freshmaintain their reputation are available to them Union announced complaints lodged against s, that Vice President which — such as the Reporting discourages former men’s individuals Reynolds said at Brandeis Benedikt ball coach Brian from raising baskethe would help olds ’19 and web issues successor develop Meehan. the institution his Treasurer Jerry Reynalternate channelspage — and create For the second . Others mentioned with ’18 will resign contacts with Miller for reporting, the administra fusion about conat the end of with educating along tion, the Board half of the investigation, as well whether or not mester. Their the sethem on why as them up on of Trustees tasked Brandeis markets itself seats will be reporting is important. projects relevant catch investigators as filled in a special election — Walter Prince, the vice presidency to the and noted that a Jewish institution, to be held on In addition, colm Graham . He will also conversations MalDec. 10. investigators Vice President and Daniel his successor rael have become about show that instead learned Tarlow — Benedikt with examining how to help “charged,” which Isof reporting Reynolds announced Reynolds ’19 groups. student the systems, turn put “fundraise issues, many in the Brandeis in and culture climate rs on the defensive his intent community choose of University to resign during with Jewish Looking back speak about ’s procedure for handling donors,” according to them among complaints related Senate meeting. the Nov. 20 Union Union, Reynolds on his time in the report. to the themselves — an example or discrimina to bias said he thought of what they interview with He said in a Dec. 3 tion work with environme Many students his “small town call a corrective action and to recommend the Justice spoke well mentality.” ntal groups that his personal heath the University accordingly. University’s Administraat tors admitted was the reason academic rigor of the Throughout stood out the to investigato resignation. for the He lationships most. his also and report, expressed concern rethey are “too rs that An incident the investigators stressed they formed quiet” about in Novemabout how ber in which with faculty, the Senate their role as and faculty praised their progress in improving weighs its constituen two “lawyers and investigato the campus culture, criticized Reynoldssenators publicly rs,” not experts opinions. ture” that exists the “niceness cults’ which further educational in the within the adds to the field, writing, ment in a resolution for his involveOthers raised “Senators, and school. climate of poor communic “We will not substitute concerns about any elected ation. purchased pianos that would have our tions, are expected members’ cultural posifaculty administration’s].” judgement for [the Diversity, equity for the first-year to be liaisons sensitivity. residence quads and communic Diversity, Equity and inclusion They pointed One the steps the affected his decision ators Brandeis to and for the administra Inclusion has to step down body,” he said. student historically pert said professors extion is already but taking, and declined sues of race and faced is“Right factor, Reynolds was not the driving as if we’re decision now, it seems segregation, equipped to respect and staff are “illthe specific recommen to give their own said tigators noted, makers for cultural differencciting both the invesReynolds accepted in the interview. student body. es,” according dations, saying the doing so would 1969 Ford Hall These [campus] original to the report. that the apologies Class of 2022 protest, its 2015 be “presumpt papers probably This issue newsof culturally of Senator Alex uous.” part and Meehan’s counterTo understand talk to our constituinsensitive Chang International encies [more] “bullying” the campus was prominent firing. From Student Senator and investigators than we climate, interviews with their in Yang ’20 and interviewed Linfei toward his players.Meehan’s behavior Reynolds stressed do.” the community said he was a number of faculty, staff, investigators that being “thankful” that they apologized found that while , the member of the The investigato dents and alumni administrators, stuwas “deep and Union is a strenuousa . “They rs also described been open to undertaking wide acceptance there to examine concerns “widespread communication have about the way for full-time importance anxiety about of the of diversity, me as well as the University students and suggested complaints” lodging equity, and with the presidentwith complaints. inclusion” among handles among the Brandeis that the Union They then should and munity due complaced their findings in a trators and deans, students, administo concerns larger about retaliSee UNION, 6 ☛ ation, confusion there was “notably Brandeis culture context of how the less consensus” surrounding among the faculty. dures and a has contribute procelack of belief Administrators d to that things will change. tended to focus the “business For example, case” for increasing on student di-

■ The Union's vice and treasurer will president step down and be replaced at the end of this semester.

Student Fashion

 A Brandeis student transforms his love of fashion into a business

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THE JUSTICE

NEWS

Dr. Einat Libel-Hass discussed their research on the interactions between Judaism and feminism. By ARI ALBERTSON JUSTICE PRODUCTION ASSISTANT

NOAH ZEITLIN/the Justice

The Dean of Students Office; the CARE Team; Prevention, Advocacy & Resource Center; and Health and Wellness promotion hosted a Resilience Fair in the SCC on Wednesday. The fair included workshops and tabling with information about how to recover from challenges and failures as a student. Read about it in Features on Page 8.

Researchers discuss women’s suffrage 100 years after women got the vote Research Center held a teach-in on the history women’s suffrage. By JEN CRYSTAL JUSTICE CONTRIBUTING WRITER

One hundred years after the ratification of the 19th Amendment, members of the Brandeis community came together to learn about women’s suffrage: how it was achieved, who it left out and how the fight is still being fought today. This event was held at the Women’s Studies Research Center’s “Womanhood Suffrage TeachIn: 72 Years in 72 Minutes” on Thursday. Ph.D. student Anja Parish, Polly Thayer Starr Fellow in American Art and Culture at the Boston Athenaeum Theo Tyson, Prof. Emerita Joyce Antler (AMST) and Prof. Jill Greenlee (POL) spoke at the event. Students also registered attendees to vote and helped them request absentee ballots. The fight for women’s suffrage began long before 1920. “When we think about the early days of the women’s suffrage movement, we think of Susan B. Anthony, Elizabeth Cady Stanton [and] the Seneca Falls Convention of 1848,” Parish said in her speech. “But the truth is that the women’s suffrage movement’s roots extend much deeper.” The women’s suffrage movement was influenced by the social reform movements of the 1830s, when female activists were heavily involved in the abolitionist and temperance movements. Because women were often barred from certain forms of active participation in these groups, they formed

yond just issues of representation, Greenlee said during her presentation. Some women had access to the ballot before 1920, while some had to wait until years later to receive access. Fifteen states granted women the right to vote prior to the ratification of the 19th Amendment, according to the Rutgers University Eagleton Institute of Politics. Third party alliances could have contributed to this, Parish said. Third parties at this time realized that increasing the voting block would increase their chances of success. Some states also granted partial voting rights to women prior to 1920, usually regarding items that fell in the “domestic sphere,” Greenlee said. After 1920, indigenous women, African American women and Asian American women still faced barriers to voting. This was accomplished through the blocking of state residency and the inclusion of literacy tests. Additionally, immigrant women who sought access to the ballot faced difficulty in obtaining citizenship due to states’ efforts to suppress their votes, Greenlee said. All speakers emphasized that the fight for women’s suffrage and equality is not over, although the conversation surrounding it may look different now. Issues like gerrymandering, the pay gap and the invisibility surrounding domestic workers still affect women today. However, the women’s suffrage movement has made significant progress. Greenlee urged that women take advantage of the voting rights that their predecessors worked so hard to attain. “The right to vote is part of a really long struggle,” Greenlee said. “And we need to enjoy the fruits of our labor.”

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Scholars speak on Israeli, American Jewish feminism ■ Dr. Moria Ran Ben Hai and

their own organizations, Parish said. This was one of the early examples of women advocating for their rights; members in these early groups went on to serve as key figures in the women’s suffrage movement. However, many of the women involved in the women’s suffrage movement were only fighting for white women’s suffrage. “Many suffragists were fighting for the rights of white women to vote,” Parish said. “As we remember the fight for suffrage, it is important that we remember the intersections of race, ethnicity and citizenship within the fight for equality.” Women of color who were suffragists fought for universal suffrage, but as emancipation progressed, emphasis turned from female suffrage to universal male suffrage. “People were kind of forced into this idea that you had to pick a side, and that side, in the interest of political progress in the country, was to focus on the rights of emancipated slaves, so women took the back seat,” Tyson said. One of the main arguments against women’s suffrage was the fear of what was believed to be the “imitation of men.” Since women during this time wanted to hold property, earn wages, vote and exercise many other privileges that historically had only been awarded to men, people in the anti-suffrage movement believed women wanted to imitate men, Tyson said. “The heteronormative patriarchy dictates that the true virtue of womanhood is her femininity,” Tyson said. Since this move signified a loss of femininity, anti-suffragists — both men and women — viewed the suffragist movement as dangerous. The women’s suffrage movement had issues of inequality be-

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 2020

CAMPUS SPEAKER

RESILIENCE FAIR

■ The Women’s Studies

On Thursday night, two Israeli scholars presented their research and two members of the Brandeis community shared their perspectives on American and Israeli Jewish feminism at an event hosted by the Hadassah-Brandeis Institute. The event, “Jewish Women and Religious Change in Israel and the United States: Divergence and Dialogue,” was followed by a panel discussion with the audience. Dr. Moria Ran Ben Hai, the HBI scholar-in-residence, spoke about the role of social media in Jewish feminism in Israel. She focused on two Facebook groups, one intended as a nondenominational safe space for Israeli Jewish feminists and one which focused on feminism within the requirements of halachah, which is Hebrew for religious law. According to a survey conducted in the first Facebook group, Jewish feminists identified the right to divorce and an expansion of women’s roles in religious leadership among the areas where they most sought improvement. Ben Hai quoted Deborah Arushes, the founder of the nondenominational group, who said that one benefit of Facebook is that it can connect women who may not otherwise be able to share their ideas and experiences. “You don’t have to go out, find a babysitter, study, do a Ph.D., travel far to ... influence reality,” Arushes said. Ben Hai also spoke about two Orthodox women who broke gender boundaries in Israel. In 1975, Alice Shalvi became principal of a girls’ religious high school and appointed a woman to teach Talmud, leading some parents to threaten to take their children out of the school. In 1986, Ben Hai continued, Lea Shakdiel was elected to the religious council in her town, a move that the Israeli government opposed but was ultimately upheld by the Israeli Supreme Court. Dr. Einat Libel-Hass, a post-doctoral fellow in Sociology at BarIlan University, spoke about Israeli women in Reform and Conservative groups based on her ethnographic fieldwork conducted primarily at Beit Daniel, a Reform synagogue in Tel Aviv. The Reform movement, which was established in Israel in the 1960s, constitutes a minority of Jewish Israelis. Most are Orthodox, and rituals such as weddings are conducted according to Orthodox tradition. Libel-Hass found that some women, however, who “weren’t satisfied with the female concept of religiosity” as defined by Orthodox Judaism are drawn to Reform synagogues as a space to expand their roles in their congregations and to

focus on the work of tikkun olam, or social justice. Reform congregations are also popular for converts, especially Filipino women who come to Israel as foreign workers, Libel-Hass said. Additionally, reform groups attract what Libel-Hass calls “religious consumers” who are mostly secular Israelis who want to celebrate major rituals like bar and bat mitzvahs with their families and members of their community. According to Libel-Hass, some of these women use the term “Reform” to describe themselves to make the concept of a non-religious Jew more understandable to others. There is also a generational divide among Reform women, Libel-Hass said. The “founding generation,” made up of women between 50 to 70 years old, largely grew up in Orthodox households and turned to Reform in order to be more active in their congregations. Younger women, on the other hand, mostly grew up without religious education and appreciated that being Reform allowed them to be mobile and to move from congregation to congregation, she said. Prof. Jonathan Sarna (NEJS) introduced Rabbi Stephanie SangerMiller of Brandeis Hillel and Lily Schmidt-Swartz ’20, who shared their views on American Jewish feminism. Sanger-Miller noted that religious feminism is sometimes seen as “stepping in” to previously inaccessible spaces and at other times seen as “staking out” new territory. Either way, Sanger-Miller said, the work is “something that is always dynamic and in relationship” to others, even when there are differences of opinion or denomination. Schmidt-Swartz spoke about her experience as an Orthodox feminist at Brandeis seeking to enact change within the bounds of halachah, along with her struggles engaging in secular feminist groups where some priorities, such as sexual liberation, are less relevant to her community. Ben Hai recently received her Ph.D. in The Land of Israel and Archaeology from Bar-Ilan University. She has also studied at the Bar-Ilan women’s seminary, taught at Pelech High School and currently teaches academic writing at the Open University of Israel, according to the HBI website. Libel-Hass is an anthropologist and lecturer in Sociology at Ashkelon Academic College. She received her Ph.D. in Jewish History and Contemporary Jewry from BarIlan University, according to her LinkedIn page. The Hadassah-Brandeis Institute is an academic center focused on the study of Jews and gender, according to their website. HBI offers residencies, internships, assistantships and research prizes to undergraduate, graduate and postdoctoral scholars. —Editor’s note: Lily SchmidtSwartz is an Associate editor for the Justice. She did not contribute to or edit this article.

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Want the scoop? Contact Emily Blumenthal and Gilda Geist at news@thejustice.org


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TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 2020

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THE JUSTICE

FROM CANDIDATE TO SENATOR

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ELECTION RESULTS: Jasmyne Jean-Remy ’22, the recently-elected racial minority senator, spoke to community members at the Union’s “Meet the Candidates” event on Jan. 27. The Union elected its latest cohort of senators, Allocations Board members and an associate justice on Wednesday.

Union elects new senators, A-Board and Judiciary members ■ Twelve new officers joined

the Student Union after Wednesday’s winter 2020 elections.

By ARI ALBERTSON, JEN CRYSTAL and HANNAH O’KOON JUSTICE PRODUCTION ASSISTANT, CONTRIBUTING WRITER AND EDITOR

The Student Union announced the results of the 2020 winter elections on Friday. The student body elected six new senators, along with five new members of the Allocations Board and one new member of the Judiciary, per an email to the community from Union Secretary Taylor Fu ’21. Michelle Kleytman ’23 was one of two candidates running for midyear senator. She was elected to this position with 53.03% of the vote, compared with Danielle Malka’s ’23 31.82% of the vote, according to the Union’s election results report. Alex Park ’22 was elected the senator-at-large with 32.8% of the vote. The runner-up, Denezia Fahie ’22, earned 31.41% of the vote. “My priorities are to first improve the daily life of Brandeis students,” Park wrote in an email to the Justice on Sunday. “I will achieve this by working with my fellow senators on dining, facilities and transportation needs and complaints,” he continued. Erick Comas Hernandez ’23

was elected Myra Kraft Transitional Year Program senator. He ran unopposed and earned 100% of the vote. There were only two votes cast, per the report. Oona Wood was elected class of 2023 senator, receiving 33.49% of votes. Wood beat out fellow candidates Ishaan Khurana ’23 and Madeline Toombs ’23. Other candidates received less than 20% of votes, with Wood earning a total of 71 votes. Joshua Feld ran unopposed for class of 2022 senator, and he was elected with 67.3% of the vote. “With my position on the Dining and Housing committees, I plan on working with fellow students to improve the quality of living on campus,” Feld wrote in an email to the Justice on Monday. Jasmyne Jean-Remy ’22 was elected racial minority senator with 66.85% of the vote. Jean-Remy ran unopposed. “As senator, I plan on providing support to the minority population on campus, whether it’s academic or personal,” Jean-Remy said in a Sunday email to the Justice. Two seats on A-Board were available during this election cycle, with Sonali Anderson ’22 and Ryan Pyatetsky ’22 winning the election for the A-Board members to a three-semester seat. Anderson received 40% of votes, with 210 total votes. Pyatetsky received 32.76% of votes, winning 172 votes in total, according to the Union’s election report.

Yonah Shafner ’22 won one of the two available year-long ABoard seats with 22.34% of the vote. The second seat went to Mariya Teslya ’22, the runnerup, with 16.49% of the vote. Out of 649 total votes, Shafner received 145 and Teslya received 107. The third and fourth place candidates, Maggie Chang ’23 and Parker Thompson ’23, earned 14.02% and 12.17% of the vote respectively. “I [will] make sure to represent the student body in the most honest way possible [because] the students of this campus represent the opinions and functionality of the Brandeis community as a whole,” Shafner said in a Jan. 28 interview with the Justice. Additionally, there were 107 votes to abstain and 37 votes of no confidence. Aria Pradhan ’21 won the uncontested position of A-Board member for racial minority students with 63.54% of the vote. Out of 181 total votes, Pradhan received 115 votes. There were also 36 votes to abstain and 25 votes of no confidence. Sophia Reiss ’23 was elected associate justice to the Judiciary with 23.06% of the vote. Reiss, who was running against five other candidates, received 116 votes out of a total of 503. There were 89 votes to abstain and 24 votes of no confidence.

Contact Gabriel Frank at forum@thejustice.org for more information.

UPROOTED AND RISING

—Emily Blumenthal contributed reporting.

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Brandeis Uprooted and Rising, an organization which advocates for worker retention and an in-house dining program at the University, held an event on Sunday to inform community members about food justice. Attendees made chalk illustrations outside Sherman Dining Hall and sang pro-union songs.


THE JUSTICE

NEWS

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 2020

‘TODDLER-IN-CHIEF’

Do you enjoy museums, music or movies?

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EXPLORING THE PRESIDENCY: Author Daniel Drezner (left) shared his analysis of Donald Trump’s presidency. His book and lecture critiqued Trump’s behavior, which Drezner described as childish.

Write for Arts & Culture!

Author discusses recent book on Trump’s ‘toddler-like’ behavior ■ Daniel Drezner’s book

argues that Donald Trump’s childlike behavior poses a danger to the United States. By LEEZA BARSTEIN JUSTICE EDITORIAL ASSISTANT

Trump’s “toddler-like” behavior poses a threat to society during a time when presidential power is less constrained than ever before, according to author Daniel Drezner. He visited Brandeis on Thursday to discuss his most recent book, “The Toddler in Chief: What Donald Trump Teaches us About the Modern Presidency.” Drezner was later joined by Prof. Daniel Kryder (POL) in a question and answer session. Drezner, a professor at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University, used an analogy of guardrails and a twisted road on the side of a cliff to explain the relationship between presidential behavior and the system of checks and balances. If America is a car driving down this road, two measures protecting it from falling off the edge are guardrails, referring to the system of checks and balances, and the skill of the driver, referring to the capabilities of a leader, he said. “I would argue that the guard rails have been wearing down,” he explained. “And now we have a driver that thinks he’s in a bumper car and that it is impossible to be hurt.” Drezner compared Trump’s behavior to that of a petulant child. “I’m not trying to insult toddlers,” he said. “They have to navigate their way through the world with severe cognitive limitations, but

Donald Trump has no excuse.” Drezner analyzed six key traits he found in both toddlers and President Trump, starting with temper tantrums. Characterizing these fits as “perhaps Trump’s most prominent feature,” he cited former White House Chief of Staff John Kelly, who claimed that his time working with Trump was “the worst he has ever been treated in service.” Drezner then explained that this trait has woven itself into policy decisions, claiming that Trump does not just experience anger, but acts on it. “There is a fair amount of evidence that Trump launched the strike on the Iranian General Soleimani because he got angry,” he noted. As he detailed the next character trait, a short attention span, Drezner said, “There is no evidence that Trump can sit through anything like a normal briefing.” Although he acknowledged the importance of brevity in the fastpaced job of a president, Drezner also noted that there is a difference between brevity and “giving Trump large three-by-five flashcards in big print.” Drezner continued his behavioral analysis, detailing the role of poor impulse control, oppositional behavior and excessive screen time under Trump’s presidency. “The White House is now like a poorly run daycare facility in which poorly-paid workers constantly cycle through,” he said. He also spoke about Trump’s knowledge deficit, referencing an instance when the President did not know the significance of Pearl Harbor in American history. Quoting “The Monkey Cage,” a section of the Washington Post devoted to political discourse written by Senior Editor Elizabeth Saunders,

Drezner said that “presidents who are radically uninformed can’t even discipline their own staffers, which essentially gives cabinet and staff more autonomy because they know they can do things and it won’t be anticipated.” Additionally, Drezner argued that checks and balances do not matter as much as they used to. “Congress has ceded a lot of their constitutional powers to the president,” he said. “As a result, Trump has actually been remarkably empowered, even if he is a relatively weak leader.” When the floor was opened to the audience, one attendee asked whether or not having a “toddler president” has placed the burden of parenthood on the American people. Drezner responded that more Americans are paying attention to politics and are now invested in the upcoming 2020 elections. “If there’s a virtue to Trump being president, it is that it teaches Americans that they should no longer take certain things for granted,” Drezner said. In his follow-up Q&A session, Kryder proposed an alternative explanation. Kryder argued that Trump is actually a high-functioning president, pointing out that rather than being a “doer,” Trump is a “damager.” “There is an extraordinary amount of damage being done to the democratic order, and in that interpretation this is a very high-functioning president,” Kryder said. Drezner ended his presentation by reminding Americans of their responsibility to vote. “Americans can grow the hell up,” he said. “After 2020, if Donald Trump is elected, he won’t be the toddler-in-chief. The toddlers-in-chief will be us.”

Contact Luke Liu at arts@thejustice.org

WELLNESS

Health Center implements screening procedures for coronavirus ■ The Health Center

has begun monitoring the coronavirus and implementing protocols for testing, screening and care. By SAMANTHA GOLDMAN JUSTICE EDITOR

The Golding Health Center is monitoring the coronavirus and communicating with emergency response, public health and other college health networks nearby, according to Administrative Director Diana Denning. In her Jan. 31 email to the Justice, Denning said that the Health Center has implemented “screening protocols, testing protocols, care and transport protocols as well as communication protocols.” In an email sent to the Brandeis

community on Thursday, the Health Center urged students who had “been to Wuhan in the past 14 days OR have had close contact with someone who has contracted this virus in the last 14 days AND are exhibiting symptoms of fever, shortness or breath, or coughing” to take steps listed in the email, including reducing contact with others through self isolation. The Health Center advises students to call (781)-736-3677 for advice on any further steps. Faculty and staff are advised to contact their primary care physician and to make a follow-up call to the Health Center so that the Center is aware. The 2019 novel coronavirus, or 2019-nCoV, was first reported in Wuhan, China in December of 2019. The first case of person-to-person spread of the virus in the United States was on Thursday, the same day that the International Health

Regulations Emergency Committee of the World Health Organization declared the outbreak a “public health emergency of international concern.” The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has stated that “while person-to-person spread among close contacts has been detected with this virus, at this time this virus is NOT currently spreading in the community in the United States.” On Jan. 21, Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar declared a public health emergency for the United States. On Saturday, the first case of the coronavirus was confirmed in Massachusetts. The person is a student at the University of Massachusetts Boston and had recently returned from Wuhan, China. After returning to the United States, the student immediately sought medical attention and is currently in isolation,

according to the Massachusetts Department of Health’s press release. The press release said that “close contacts” of the student “have been identified and are being monitored for any signs of symptoms.” Massachusetts Public Health Commissioner Monica Bharel said that “the risk to the public from the 2019 novel coronavirus remains low in Massachusetts.” The New York Times reported Monday afternoon that three people in New York City are being tested for coronavirus and that the results of the testing may not be confirmed for a few days. Currently, many states have to send their tests to CDC facilities to be tested. However, according to a New York Times article, the CDC plans to release health kits to states so that testing for the coronavirus does not take as long. The Health Center reminded

students in the Thursday email that influenza activity remains elevated in the Boston area. To protect against the illness or to keep it from spreading, the Health Center advised community members to get a flu shot, wash their hands frequently, cover their cough and wear a mask to reduce airborne spread of the illness. If community members plan to travel, the Health Center urged them to review the CDC Travel Health Notice for up-to-date information. The CDC issued a Level 3 travel warning for American citizens to “avoid all nonessential travel to China,” and on Friday the Department of State raised its travel advisory for China to “Level 4: Do Not Travel.” During the Spring 2020 semester, there are no Brandeis undergraduate students studying abroad in mainland China, according to the Health Center.

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Facilities Services closed off a portion of the walkway between Goldfarb Library and Usdan Student Center while they worked on fixing a water main break on Tuesday. University contractor PW Ryan Co found a crack in the main on Tuesday. By Wednesday, the break was fixed and access to the walkway was restored.

COI: Report reveals link between geographic location, child opportunity hood. Of the 866 children that live in the neighborhood, 63.97% are white, 14.43% are Black, 13.40% are Hispanic and 8.20% are Asian/Pacific Islander. “Our goal has always been to provide a complete picture of what is going on with the U.S. population,” Acevedo-Garcia said. She explained that while it is possible to create a more complex index, she was interested in creating one that was applicable to the greatest possible number of neighborhoods. Creating the COI 2.0 involved balancing comprehensive measures and wide coverage, she said. Before she was thinking about data and indices, Acevedo-Garcia was encountering and studying inequities in the United States. Acevedo-Garcia said she came to the United States from Mexico to attend graduate school at Princeton University. Although she at first thought the Civil Rights Movement had addressed many of the United States’ racial issues, she began to “[observe] a huge level of segregation everywhere,” recalling that the students and faculty at Princeton were primarily white, while the din-

ing staff was primarily Black. Acevedo-Garcia’s interest in demography eventually led her to work on this project and look for a way to measure opportunity. “Why have we created a situation in which … the good neighborhoods tend to be inhabited … disproportionately by white children and the lower-opportunity neighborhoods are primarily for Black and Hispanic kids?” she said. Acevedo-Garcia emphasized that she wants students to know they can use the data as a resource, such as for research or action. “I think a lot of students are also very much like social activists, so if they are working with a specific community and want to show the data to a community or things like that,” she said. Although Acevedo-Garcia is passionate about the prospect of Brandeis students taking advantage of the report as a resource, she explained that the majority of engagement the report receives is from outside of the Brandeis community. For example, she said, the Chicago Department of Public Health reached out to them shortly after they released the 2014 COI. The department was able to use the data in their work to improve public health

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 2020

SURVIVOR: Speaker recounts surviving concentration camp

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to target neighborhoods that had higher need. Using the index, the department found that rates of lead poisoning and teenage pregnancy were higher in low-opportunity neighborhoods. Similarly, Acevedo-Garcia said, when their 2014 report revealed that Albany, New York had the highest concentration of Black children in very low-opportunity neighborhoods, the city began working on renovating parks and playgrounds in those neighborhoods. AcevedoGarcia explained that the availability of green space was a factor in the COI, and that this was just one example of the data’s ability to move people to action and show them concrete actions they could take to improve low-opportunity neighborhoods. Acevedo-Garcia said that moving forward with the project, their goal is to update the index regularly to provide the most up-to-date information possible. She added that much of her work has shifted to focusing on users and impact, and she hopes to figure out what brings people to use the data to make change in their communities and what types of actions lead to positive change for children.

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grandfather. Auerbacher, along with her mother and grandmother hid in a shed until all was quiet. She said that the Jewish men were taken to the Dachau concentration camp temporarily. Her father and grandfather returned home, but her grandfather died shortly after. Auerbacher said she returned to their hometown synagogue again in 1966. Today, it has been rebuilt, but she said you can still tell that something bad had happened there. Despite her family's efforts to escape Germany, the world closed its doors to refugees, she said. The Auerbachers sold their home and moved in with her grandparents in a smaller village that was predominantly nonJewish. She said that the people there were nice and at the end of the street there was a bakery that Albert Einstein’s great-grandparents owned, though she never had the opportunity to meet the scientist himself. It was here when she met her best friend Elizabeth, who was not Jewish, with whom Auerbacher kept in touch until her recent passing. Auerbacher said that in her life she has had two heroes. The first she encountered on her way to school: Auerbacher was often bullied by those who were not Jewish, because she stuck out for having to wear a yellow star, but one day a Christian woman, whose name she does not know, gave Auerbacher her lunch and walked away quietly. The second hero was her grandmother’s maid, who saved photo albums so Auerbacher had access to her own childhood photographs. Her grandmother was taken away by Nazis in 1941 and executed in Latvia. In 1942, at the age of seven, Auerbacher was deported with her parents to Theresienstadt in the former Czechoslovakia. Besides their clothing and Auerbacher’s doll, Marlene, the Nazis took everything else from them. Auerbacher said that the Holocaust Museum in Washington, D.C. currently has her doll, but when she dies, “I want her in my casket,” she said. Auerbach noted that she did not have a number tattooed on her arm, explaining that these were only given to prisoners in Auschwitz. However, she remembers her number and said it was “tattooed on my soul and heart.” Auerbacher showed the audience photos of Theresienstadt, whose barracks were large brick structures and were crowded with families. One notable part of her time in the camp was when the International Red Cross came to inspect the camp and was fooled into thinking the conditions of the camp were immaculate. For this inspection, the Nazis “beautified” the camp in order to prevent observers from knowing about its poor conditions. For example, they painted houses and gardens to show the camp in a positive light. It was at this time that a ten-minute documentary was made about the “beautiful” camp conditions for use as propaganda. Auerbacher was in the camp for three years. On May 8, 1945, when Auerbacher was 10 years old, the Soviet Red Army liberated the camp. However, Auerbacher said she does not recall it as a positive day. Despite being free, everyone knew that not all of their relatives had survived, and there was a typhus outbreak in Theresienstadt. Both of Auerbacher’s parents survived, but upon returning home, Auerbacher’s family found out that their grandmother did not, because she never returned home. After spending nine months in Germany, legislation by President Harry Truman allowed her family to come to the United States. Upon arrival, Auerbacher fell ill with tuberculosis that she picked up while in the concentration camp. She spent two years in the hospital before beginning high school at age 15. After graduating in three years while taking summer classes, Auerbacher went to college, where she got sick again and spent another year in the hospital. However, she ultimately finished higher education and became a chemist, continuing her post-graduate work in biochemistry.

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She went to Germany with the goal of becoming a physician. However, in 1968, people were still acting upon Nazi beliefs, she said, and therefore did not stay to pursue that path. A theme that defined Auerbacher’s time in the camp is the importance of hope. She ended her talk by reading her poem “Hold me Tight.” Auerbacher had a best friend who, along with her mother and father, was sent to Auschwitz and died in the gas chambers. In her poem, Auerbacher interprets how her friend’s mother tried to maintain hope as they walked toward the chambers. It starts off full of promise before her friend’s mother realizes they were not going to survive. The last three words were “hold … me … tight …,” and with each of these final words, Auerbacher’s voice quieted to a whisper. A theme that Auerbacher emphasized throughout the presentation was that a bystander who does not help is just as guilty as those who performed the act. Auerbacher also touched on the idea of forgiveness. Although she is never going to forgive the Nazis who performed executions in the Holocaust, she does not necessarily hold their actions against their grandchildren, she said. For example, the grandson of the commandant of Auschwitz has reached out to her, she said, and they will be meeting up in Europe. According to her website, Auerbacher travels to share her story. She has won several awards, such as the Doctor of Humane Letters in 2005 from Long Island University, and the Ellis Island Medal of Honor in 1999. She has written best-selling books, including “I Am a Star,” telling the audience that each and every one of them was a star. Reichman admired Auerbacher’s work, which led Reichman to invite the survivor to Brandeis as part of her efforts to increase Holocaust education on campus. “I got involved with Holocaust remembrance initiatives at the end of my freshman [year] during Yom HaShoah — Holocaust Memorial Day,” Reichman in a Feb. 2 email to the Justice. She said she was disappointed that there were only a few events that were organized to remember the atrocities of the Holocaust and the six million Jewish people who lost their lives. In order to bring more Holocaust education to campus, she “created a visual display that went up outside the library in honor of the victims of the Łódź ghetto.” She said that there were many students on campus who did not know about the ghettos that the Nazis created. After seeing low attendance at another event on campus where the granddaughter of a Holocaust survivor spoke, she found a group of students motivated to build more extensive Holocaust remembrance education. Reichman got in touch with Auerbacher, and the ensuing “12 minute conversation left me with a huge smile on my face because Ms. Auerbacher is just so full of life,” Reichman said. Originally, Auerbacher was supposed to come to campus during Yom HaShoah in April, around the time of another planned display to honor the children of Theresienstadt and artwork and poems created in the camp. However, Auerbacher had already booked another talk at that time, so she came to honor International Holocaust Remembrance Day instead. “It was rewarding that I was able to pull together such a successful event with a large turnout in approximately the span of a month, proving all those wrong who doubted me,” Reichman said. She added that she did not expect that 157 people would register to attend the event, 142 of whom were undergraduates. “It is our duty, as the last generation that will get the chance to listen to those who survived hell, to seize every opportunity we have to hear their stories. It is upon us to preserve their memories and share their stories,” she said. The event was co-sponsored by Together Restoring Their Names, the Center for German and European Studies, Chabad at Brandeis and Brandeis Hillel.


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features

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 2020

just

● FEATURES ● THE

JUSTICE

VERBATIM | DOROTHY DAY Don’t call me a saint. I don’t want to be dismissed so easily.

ON THIS DAY…

FUN FACT

In 2004, Facebook was founded by Mark Zuckerberg in Cambridge, Massachussetts.

Canada’s 151,600-mile coastline is the longest of any country in the world.

Remembering our Resilience

At the Resilience Fair, Brandeis groups showcased strategies to build resilience in difficult circumstances. By NOAH ZEITLIN JUSTICE EDITOR

At Wednesday’s Resilience Fair, Brandeis organizations came together to discuss methods of resilience. Resilience, the skills to navigate difficult situations and bounce back, is an important component of wellness and self-care. Last week, the Justice spoke with Resilience Fair organizers about their work organizing the fair. On Feb. 29, their work paid off in a Shapiro Campus Center Atrium takeover.

Photos by NOAH ZEITLIN/the Justice

COOKIE WEDNESDAYS: The Department of

Community Living provided cookies as a reward to students who completed the fair’s scavenger hunt.

HEALTH AND WELLNESS: Diana Denning, administrative director of the Brandeis Health Center, was available to speak with students at the fair.

BRANDEIS CARES: Wendy Gordon-Hewick of the Dean of Students’ Office is the Care Team case manager. At the fair, she spoke about her team, a group of Brandeis administrators who work to support students and manage concerning behavior.

ARTISTIC INTERLUDE: Guitar music added cheer to the event.

SPIRITUAL SUPPORT: Reverend Matt Carriker represented the Center for Spiritual Life.

Design: Yael Hanadari-Levy/the Justice

CAMPUS EATS: Students spread awareness about the food pantry at the Graduate Student Center, located in Kutz Hall. It can be accessed by anyone from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. weekdays.


THE JUSTICE ● FEATURES ● TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 2020

9

PARC’s new perks The Preventation, Advocacy & Resource Center unveiled new features on its website this semester. Image Courtesy of CREATIVE COMMONS

By ELIANA PADWA JUSTICE EDITOR

The Prevention, Advocacy & Research Center’s website unveiled two new features over winter break: online appointment scheduling and online chatting with peer advocates. The features were added because PARC “are always looking for more ways to help people reach [them] if they need [them],” according to PARC director Sarah Berg. Per PARC Peer Advocate and Office Coordinator Rachel Snyderman ’20, Berg raised the idea of the new features to student staffers, who helped tailor it to the needs of Brandeis students. In an email, Berg told the Justice that PARC had been thinking about implementing a chat option for over a year, but that it took them a while to find a program which was userfriendly and affordable. At the end of the fall semester, PARC began a free trial with a software they were introduced to by Brandeis librarians, who used it to answer research questions. Berg said she likes that this software works in many languages and can be set to not store chat transcripts — a key feature for protecting student privacy. Now, chat is available from noon to 5 p.m. Monday-Friday whenever classes are in session. Cost was also a question in PARC’s search for an online scheduling tool. It ended up using YouCanBook.me, an affordable option which allows visitors to add appointments to their calendars directly.

PARC tested this feature over winter break. It is now live; peer advocate appointments can be booked from

agree that the new features will be beneficial to students. Snyderman said the features will give “more

to come to the PARC office or call the hotline. To Snyderman, this furthers the PARC advocates’ goal of en-

noon to 5 p.m. MondayFriday when classes are in session. There is a separate

agency” to people using PARC’s services. Online scheduling allows students to book appointments at

suring that the people they help “are in the driver’s seat.” Additionally, Berg

booking website for Berg and Vilma Uribe, PARC’s assistant director of advocacy; they are available from 9 a.m. - 3 p.m on weekdays. Berg and Snyderman

times and with advocates that they are most comfortable with, and, Snyderman said, online chatting allows access to their services for those who may not want

pointed out that online chatting instead of calling PARC on the phone adds “an extra layer of privacy,” and that online booking alleviates the anxiety of

“com[ing] in unsure of who will be available to meet with you.” Berg hopes that the new features will help more community members benefit from PARC’s services. Berg said she has already noticed students using the new features, and hopes that more will use them as awareness spreads. To promote the features, PARC has highlighted them in bystander trainings and in the PARC monthly e-newsletter. Moreover, PARC staff are discussing them with faculty in the hope that faculty members can spread the word. Snyderman also noted that she has seen PARC grow tremendously over her three-year tenure on the team. She originally joined PARC because it “seemed like the best way for [her] to use [her] voice to speak out against violence through the empowerment of people impacted by violence.” In the future, Snyderman said she would love for PARC to form more relationships with campus groups so that the office can “form relationships with parts of our community that might not feel comfortable accessing support from PARC as it is right now.” Snyderman said she feels that learning about the needs of everyone on campus is vital for providing effective support to all members of the Brandeis community. PARC is located in suite G-108 of the Usdan Student Center. For emergencies, call their hotline at 781-7363370. — Justice editor Sofia Gonzalez contributed reporting.

Design: Yael Hanadari-Levy/the Justice; Images: PARC Website


10 TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 2020 ● FORUM ● THE JUSTICE

Justice

the

Established 1949

Brandeis University

Jocelyn Gould, Editor in Chief Jen Geller, Managing Editor Avraham Penso and Natalia Wiater, Senior Editors River Hayes, Deputy Editor Andrew Baxter, Hannah Kressel, Eliana Padwa Yvette Sei, Lily Schmidt-Swartz, Judah Weinerman and Maya Zanger-Nadis, Associate Editors Emily Blumenthal and Gilda Geist, News Editors Sofia Gonzalez, Acting Features Editor Gabriel Frank, Forum Editor, Megan Geller, Sports Editor Luke Liu, Arts & Culture Editor Noah Zeitlin, Photography Editor Yael Hanadari-Levy, Graphic Design Editor Cameron Cushing Acting Copy Editor, Hannah O’Koon, Copy Editor Frances Hoffen and Yona Splaver, Ads Editors Samantha Goldman, Online Editor

on

Views the News On Dec. 31 2019, the World Health Organization was alerted by the Chinese government of several cases of the coronavirus, a series of viruses that lead to respiratory illnesses, in Wuhan, a port city of 11 million individuals. Several of the initially infected individuals worked at the city’s Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market, which was shut down on Jan. 1. As of Jan. 27, the death toll from the virus has risen to 106 people, with 4,515 people in China infected. Initially WHO was reluctant to identify the coronavirus as a public emergency of international concern. However as of Jan. 30, WHO has declared the coronavirus outbreak a global emergency as the death toll rises to 170 in China. Do you think WHO’s delay to declare this a public emergency of international concern was a reasonable effort to limit unnecessary public panic and learn more about the virus, or an unnecessary risk? Additionally, beyond WHO’s actions, how should Beijing and other world governments be responding to this health concern?

Prof. Sarah Curi (HSSP) This declaration alone will not stop this virus, nor will reactionary quarantines. Concerted, coordinated interdisciplinary efforts will. To most effectively tailor our preventative efforts, we must invest in research into the unique characteristics of 2019-nCoV, including how it spreads and the severity of resulting illness, as well as affordable vaccines. Let us not repeat the mistakes of the past. Accurate and timely information is essential. The CDC explains that “this is a very serious public health threat.” Yet, right now, the seasonal flu is a greater threat in the U.S. and worldwide. History informs us that panic serves no one and that the vitriol that fuels xenophobia is deadly. I will listen to those most affected by the social, political, and economic disruptions and continue to wash many hands, seek to learn and share facts, and stand strong against racism, as many are in France: #JeNeSuisPasUnVirus (“I am not a virus”).

EDITORIALS

On Behalf of The Hoot and the Justice: Journalistic Rights on Campus As the editorial boards of The Brandeis Hoot and the Justice, we have decided to write a joint editorial explaining the rights and responsibilities of student journalists, a topic we feel has been often misunderstood. By outlining our goals and ethics, we want to share what it means to be a journalist and to open communication between us and our community. We believe that informing the public is a service to the community and is necessary for us to understand each other and the world. Journalism follows a code of ethics, created by the Society of Professional Journalists. It is a widely respected and essential part of reporting, which our newspapers adhere to along with our own constitutions and codes of ethics. Our codes of ethics are not a choice, but a necessity. The four tenets of journalism listed in the code are: to seek the truth and report it, minimize harm, act independently, and be accountable. Our job is to inform the public and to do so truthfully and objectively. We volunteer our time, we attend public events, we take photos, we interview the public and include quotes in our articles because we care about this community. One of our fundamental rights is to cover public events. Section 2.9 of the 2019-2020 Brandeis University Rights and Responsibilities handbook defines a public event as “an event held either in a public and open space on campus or to which a general announcement has been made or a general invitation has been extended,” and clarifies that the University’s privacy policy “is not intended to restrict the work of student journalists to cover open, public events on campus.” If an event is advertised to the public — on the Brandeis events page, with fliers on campus or on social media, for instance — it is considered a public event, as well as if it takes place in a public space on campus. It is important to note that protests, as they occur in public campus spaces, are considered public events. When covering public events, reporters may record the event and quote anyone who spoke. Recording helps ensure accuracy and thoroughness. Our reporters identify themselves with press passes whenever they cover public events; we never hide that an event is being covered. If anyone from the Brandeis community or the general public could have attended the event, everyone should be able to read about the event in the campus newspapers. However, we recognize that there are some public events held on campus that may result in harm if certain details were reported, especially events that include sensitive or personal topics. If event organizers, such as student club leaders, department staff or administrators, believe that their event will include the sharing of information that would cause harm if reported, they should reach out before the event to the editors in chief of both papers. It is then up to the editors’ discretion to decide how to proceed with covering the event. In making that decision, editors strive to balance two pillars of the SPJ Code of Ethics: “seek truth and report it” and “minimize harm.”

Photojournalists are a vital part of any news organization and are afforded the same rights and responsibilities as all other journalists. Just as reporters record public events, so too photographers have the right to document them through their own medium. They are also identified with press passes and do not seek to target any specific person, but to provide a record of the event in question. If you have any concerns about being photographed, or having a photographer at your event, reach out to the editors in question and talk to the journalist present. There is no guarantee that the photojournalist will refrain from documenting any individual in a public space, but our editors will adhere to the code of ethics upon making the decision to publish said photos. Journalists have the right to ask you for comment at public events or to reach out for an interview. If you are uncomfortable with speaking about a topic, you have every right to refuse to comment. We will always ask at the beginning of any interview if we have permission to record to ensure that we are not misquoting anyone. Anything said while we are recording is considered “on the record.” Before conveying information you don’t want published, preface it with a request that it be “off the record.” This allows us to stop the recording before you speak; otherwise, it is not off the record. We cannot redact or alter any photographs, accurate quotes or information by request because we cannot allow the perspective of any party to affect coverage. We do publish corrections and clarifications; if there are any misquotes or inaccuracies, please reach out. It is also against the ethics of both papers for individuals being interviewed to read the full article before it is published. If an interviewee has legitimate concerns about the article, contact the reporter. If you are being interviewed and do not want your name associated with the information, you have the right to ask for anonymity. Reporters cannot offer anonymity; you must request it. Anonymity is only granted to individuals whose lives or livelihoods may be endangered if their name is linked with information included in our reporting. Requests for anonymity are reviewed on a case-by-case basis by editors and, if granted, will be explained in the article. We are journalists passionate about serving our community by keeping the public informed. We strive to abide by the same standards to which we hold others. We are continuously learning, so please hold us accountable for our coverage. We will always listen to comments, complaints and concerns regarding coverage and we are happy to discuss any issues to best resolve them. This editorial is a testament to our dedication to this community and our desire to do right by all of its members. If you have any remaining questions about journalistic rights or the way our papers interact with the campus community, please reach out to our editors in chief: eic@thebrandeishoot.com and editor@thejustice.org. These emails are listed in each issue and online, and are always open for community members’ questions and concerns.

Sarah Curi is a lecturer in Health: Science, Society and Policy, and in Legal Studies.

Prof. Thuy Lam (HSSP) The W.H.O delayed their decision on whether to declare the recent coronavirus outbreak as a global public health emergency because they needed additional information and did not want to create unwarranted panic, especially given the timing around the Lunar New Year in which many travel to visit family and friends. At this point, worry will not accomplish anything and does not help. This W.H.O declaration provides only recommendations for how countries should respond, not necessarily how they will respond. Nonetheless, it provides the opportunity for countries to have a united front and in fact, I think that Beijing, Vietnam, Australia and other world governments are responding in an appropriate manner by placing a travel ban for flights in and out of China, and placing a quarantine and monitoring those who have been traveling to or from Wuhan as well. There remains a lot of uncertainty at the moment, and it is likely that we will see more cases in the U.S., but what that means in terms of numbers, single or double digits, remains to be seen. The fact that we have seen such a rapid increase in the number of cases and deaths is not simply because it is more infectious but likely a mix of things, including the fact that coronavirus presents with similar symptoms such as a cold, increasing the potential for missed cases; the lack of appropriate laboratory equipment to test and confirm cases; as well as irregular and irresponsible reporting. The best thing we can do right now is to practice basic hygiene (e.g., handwashing, cough and sneeze etiquette — that is, cough and sneeze into your elbow to reduce aerosolizing the virus), practice kindness, and stay vigilant of the news. Thuy Lam is a lecturer in Health: Science, Society and Policy, and in Biology.

Prof. Elanah Uretsky (IGS) Hesitation on the part of the W.H.O to declare 2019-nCoV a Public Health Emergency of International Concern was a nod to the Chinese government. Declaring this virus a PHEIC, raises international concern and reflects on the country where the virus originated. It can also affect their economy. I think the W.H.O only decided to declare 2019-nCoV a PHEIC when they realized the virus may start to spread to countries with weak health systems. When and if that happens, it will pose a serious public health threat to those countries and the countries they are connected to through travel. Transmission of the virus to Africa is certainly possible, given the large amount of travel and trade between China and Africa. Most of the countries involved in that flow of trade have weak health systems and will benefit from the funds released as a Photos: Donnie Weisse, Noah Zeitlin/the Justice/Justice File Photo/ result of a declaration of a PHEIC. Elanah Uretsky is an assistant professor in the International and Global Studies Program.

Dhwani Hariharan Declaring a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) is W.H.O’s way of heightening a global leadership response against the disease, reducing transmission, informing the public and assisting affected states. Declaring a PHEIC provides W.H.O additional powers to enforce recommendations. However, as such declarations can severely hurt travel, trade and employment in affected countries, they should be applied only after obtaining compelling scientific evidence that mandates temporary restrictions. Hence, W.H.O’s brief delay was reasonable and justifiable. Conforming to W.H.O and CDC recommendations, governments globally must focus on restricting nonessential travel, increasing screening and quarantining of suspected cases, and developing a vaccine against the novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV). Furthermore, it is important to battle 2019-nCoV in solidarity. In this time of crisis, we must remember to lend support to the individuals and countries most affected, as opposed to extreme travel bans, racist comments and other xenophobic responses. Dhwani Hariharan is a Ph.D. student at the Heller School for Social Policy and Management studying Health Policy. Noah Zeitlin/ the Justice/Sarah Curi/ Thuy Lam/ Elanah Uretsky


THE JUSTICE ● FORUM ● TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 2020

The Trump-Netanyahu peace plan is fatally flawed

11

Trevor FILSETH

SANITY

One of the largest dilemmas of the IsraeliPalestinian peace process is that American administrations expect to be treated as the neutral arbiters in the conflict, but American policy is clearly not neutral. The United States and Israel have long had a “special relationship” that, intentionally or not, taints our ability to negotiate on the Palestinians’ behalf. All of our previous presidents have realized this, and made some nominal attempt to guarantee American neutrality towards the outcome. President Trump has not. He has thrown the weight of the United States fully behind Israel, granting it concession after concession without extracting anything in return. Trump has recognized an undivided Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, moved the U.S. Embassy there, recognized Israel’s sovereignty over the Golan Heights and declared that his administration no longer viewed Israeli settlements within the West Bank as illegal — a view contrary to longestablished international law. I took the time this weekend to read through the 180-page plan, loftily titled “Peace to Prosperity,” which was announced to great fanfare by Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu last week. As I was reading, a recurring thought kept popping into my head: this is nonsense. Why is anyone pretending this will work? What’s the purpose of this charade? Indeed, anyone with more than three functional brain cells must realize that the Trump-Netanyahu peace plan is a non-starter. The largest warning sign was that it was negotiated only between Americans and Israelis, leaving the Palestinians out entirely. To be fair, this is because the Palestinians have been extremely hostile to negotiations from early on in Trump’s administration, but the final proposal still dramatically favors Israel at the Palestinians’ expense. It gives Israel control over an undivided Jerusalem, granting the Palestinians only a handful of neighborhoods on the outskirts. It annexes almost all Israeli settlements within the West Bank, transforming it from a single territorial unit to a patchwork of tiny islands within the larger Jewish state. Most important is the Israeli annexation of the settlement-saturated Jordan Valley, which, save for two crossing points, effectively eliminates Palestine’s border with Jordan and turns it into an enclave within Israel. All of this is completely unacceptable to the

ZIHAN QIU/ the Justice

Palestinians, and it should come as no surprise to anyone that Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’ reply was “No, no, and no.” Over the weekend, the Palestinian Authority cut all ties with Israel and the United States, with further retaliation promised. No one denies that the plan would be very good for Israel. As Eylon Levy notes in the Washington Post, “[Israel] has learned from history that it cannot afford to pull out of the West Bank . But it can’t afford to fully absorb the land, either, because that would endanger its status as a Jewish and democratic state. If Israel actively accepts that large sections of the West Bank are earmarked for a Palestinian state, it can begin to remove the Palestinians’ doomsday weapon: the threat to drop their demand for sovereignty and instead demand the vote in Israel when they become or approach a majority.” Levy is right. But think about it. This situation — effectively cherry-picking the desirable parts of the West Bank, giving the unwanted bits to the Palestinians to protect Israel’s demographics — isn’t something that any rational Palestinian would agree to. In fact, it is eerily similar to a strategy practiced by apartheid South Africa during the 1970s and 1980s, when the white minority government assigned the native

inhabitants small homelands, or “Bantustans,” on the worst land and kept the best for themselves. In this way, no one could complain that the Africans did not have their own land, because they did — even if it was only a sliver for the vast majority of South Africa’s population. I want to be absolutely, positively, one hundred percent crystal clear: Israel in not similar in any way, shape or form to apartheid South Africa. It is a democratic oasis in a sea of dictatorship, in which citizens of all faiths and racial backgrounds enjoy equal rights. Ironically, by any objective measure, Israeli Arabs are far better off in the Jewish state than in any of the surrounding Arabmajority ones long set on its destruction. I’m also extremely loath to agree on anything with the Palestinian Authority, which continues to pay pensions to the families of suicide bombers. Yet the peace proposal unveiled by Trump and Netanyahu undeniably invites the comparison. Given these issues, a cynical person might argue that the “Peace to Prosperity” deal is more of a political ploy than a genuine attempt to move the peace process forward. Trump is fighting a contentious re-election battle, while Netanyahu’s recent indictment on charges of bribery and corruption have given him an uncertain future as prime minister. What better way for both men

to be seen as statesmen, rather than aspiring autocrats, than to take a crack at solving one of the modern world’s oldest and most intractable conflicts? It also makes them look productive by comparison; Abbas and the powers that be within Palestine refuse to accept the offer, showing the world that the Palestinians must be opposed to peace. Ultimately, there is very little structural incentive for anyone to try to bring about real change. While the peace process is stalled, the status quo, which increasingly favors Israel, remains. The current Palestinian leadership also gains from the impasse. Abbas was elected in 2005; his term officially ended in 2009, over a decade ago, but he remains in office because instability precludes new elections. With the status quo, Abbas and the deeply corrupt Fatah wing of the Palestinian Authority retain their control over the shrinking West Bank. The real losers in this situation are the Palestinian people, who will remain mired in poverty as long as the charade continues. To bring it to an end and restart the peace process, the United States needs to return to some semblance of neutrality. Somehow, I don’t see that happening during Trump’s presidency.

In a year that’s off to a terrible start, don’t forget to laugh Gabriel FRANK

IN RETROSPECT

We have been thrown into a brand new decade, complete with its fair share of disasters. Two days after celebrating the New Year, the hashtag #ww3, or World War 3, was trending on Twitter. This trend was in response to the abrupt killing of a high-ranking Iranian general, Qassem Soleimani, an action that the United States promptly took responsibility for. Understandably, this enraged both the Iranian government and its people, with the Supreme Leader and numerous parliamentary figures promising “harsh revenge” for the United States and its allies. On Jan.8, the Iranian military launched a barrage of missiles at an Iraqi military base housing American troops. Thankfully, no casualties were reported, and for now, the wirethin line separating both countries from all-out war has thickened. However, this didn’t stop millions of people from fearing another long, bloody conflict in the Middle East that could see involvement from other world powers and devolve into a third world war. Such fears are understandable yet far-fetched. What is most unsettling is perhaps that this war scare occurred only two days into the new year. It is

this dismay at the state of affairs at this particular time that fueled the spread of talk of #ww3, with people sharing and making memes regarding the realistic prospect of war and dire turn of events Happening at roughly the same time as this potential international crisis, a series of intense brush fires ravaged numerous landscapes of southeastern Australia, killing over a billion animals and threatening numerous species with extinction. A cursory Google search reveals widespread devastation of once-pristine landscapes, with koalas and kangaroos clinging to the arms of firemen and rescue personnel for dear life. While Australia has a bad fire season every year, the size and intensity of these blazes caused the issue to receive international recognition, with many citing climate change as the reason for the sheer devastation the fires have caused. Keep in mind that all this is at the same time as a heated dispute between two powerful military countries, furthering the satirical, albeit a bit paranoid, belief and social media trend that 2020 would mark the end of the world as we know it. While the fires were confined to a specific time, place and region, their effects and the idea that such cataclysms will only worsen with time did not fall on deaf ears. While there were no memes concerning the spread of these fires, it further validated the above beliefs. On top of all this, there has been a widespread outbreak of a particular strain of coronavirus that has infected thousands of people in China’s Wuhan province, killing over 300 and sparking fears of a global pandemic. Real-

istically, this is unlikely to happen. Influenza, which has claimed over 8,000 lives this season, is significantly deadlier and more threatening than a unique strain of a virus the World Health Organization is closely monitoring. Nonetheless, many have flocked to Twitter and other outlets for those with incredibly short attention spans, proceeding to both make memes about the outbreak and the disastrous course of events headlining the new year. Some of the memes have compared seeing combat in Iran or elsewhere to playing “Call of Duty,” where one’s experience playing a video game correlates directly with their ability to fight effectively in battle. Others have taken to mocking the transitory nature of war, treating risking one’s life as a commonplace occurrence. In a similar vein, those fixated on the coronavirus have drawn a parallel between the spread of the virus and the popular pandemic real time strategy game “Plague Inc.,” in which the player controls a particular disease with the goal of extinguishing all life on earth. Some have included the idea of playing the game on a computer in Area 51 following the fictitious raid of the military complex that occurred over the summer, and triggering a real-life pandemic. Others have taken to xenophobic and racist condemnation of Chinese dietary practices, as the diesease is reported to have been transferred from animals to humans. These memes reflect a general apathy towards potential disaster. The public treated a devastating war as a Double XP weekend in “Call of Duty: Modern Warfare,” fires of un-

speakable destruction nothing more than a larger trend in a year already off to a bad start and a virus that has paralyzed a city of over 10 million people an attack on a particular nation. In many ways, I am ambivalent about the precise nature of these memes. While many concerns regarding Wuhan coronavirus outbreak are unwarranted and worthy of the highest degree of condemnation, I find others to be in the order of a sort of dry humor, helping many cope with these troubling times. Furthermore, they have instilled within me a hitherto unexperienced feeling. Will every future disaster result in the same response? Is this how my generation handles potential calamities, by simply treating them as another hashtag to post about? This is both terrifying and uplifting. On one hand, joking about something that can put millions of lives at risk from a prejudiced perspective is destructive towards both mitigating the effects of the disaster and helping its victims. On the other hand, other humor fulfills the necessary role of society’s satirists, those who see the humor in what is otherwise a terrible situation and making the most of it in a benevolent matter; any society that has forgotten how to laugh, even for a fleeting moment, in the worst possible scenario is at risk of collapsing due to its lack of heart. We must find a way to collectively view a given situation and deal with it in a way that is productive, yet self-aware, and not entirely devoid of some degree of humor while not demeaning the sufferers in the process. 2020 may not be off to a great start, but we can certainly do our best to make it better.

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

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12

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 2020● FORUM ● THE JUSTICE

FORUM

Journalists play an ever-important role in the Trump era By REENA ZUCKERMAN JUSTICE CONTRIBUTING WRITER

On Jan. 28, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo boarded a plane to Ukraine, where he met with members of both the United States and Ukrainian governments. One notable person was barred from traveling with him, National Public Radio’s State Department reporter Michele Kelemen. Keleman has been reporting for NPR for almost two decades, first as its Moscow bureau chief, though she currently writes about Washington’s diplomatic corporations. Pompeo’s actions were likely in retaliation for an interview that he agreed to with a different journalist from NPR, “All Things Considered” hosted by Mary Louise Kelly. During the interview, among other things, the Secretary of State used the F-word and claimed that the American people do not care about Ukraine. After “All Things Considered” aired Kelly’s retelling as well as some sound clips, the office of the Secretary of State released a statement: “NPR reporter Mary Louise Kelly lied to me, twice. ... It is shameful that this reporter chose to violate the basic rules of journalism and decency. This is another example of how unhinged the media has become in its quest to hurt President Trump and this Administration. It is no wonder that the American people distrust many in the media when they so consistently demonstrate their agenda and their absence of integrity.” The statement, which was posted on Jan. 25, ended with, “It is worth noting that Bangladesh is NOT Ukraine.” The State Department also published a different version of the interview on its website. Not included in the website’s publication of the interview were the sections where the Secretary of State swore or when he questioned whether Americans could even identify Ukraine on a map, as well as other parts that Kelly claimed occurred. This is not the first (nor will it be the last) time that one of Trump’s officials disrespected a reporter or the press. Given that Pompeo, Trump himself and many others have distorted accurate reporting, a question arises of whether it is effective and important for these interviews to occur at all. From the very beginning of Mr. Trump’s campaign, he has waged a war against the media as a whole, and specifically called out The New York Times, CNN and NPR. Trump’s presidency has provoked the question of the role a journalist plays in society and how they should do their work. There have been a number of times throughout this presidency that Trump has participated in an interview on the record and then either tweeted or commented that the news report using his own words from just hours before were

incorrect. In one instance from last February, white house correspondents for The New York Times, Maggie Haberman and Peter Baker, along with the paper’s publisher A. G. Sulzberger, interviewed the president in the oval office. The interview was conducted on a range of topics including threats to the safety of journalists around the world. After the report was published, Trump claimed that it was false, even though the interview was on the record. This was part of a long line of similar stories, not just from the president but also from administration officials and cabinet members. Journalism is one of the most important institutions in a democracy, and it’s no coincidence that its freedom was consecrated in the first amendment of the constitution: “Congress shall make no law ... abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press.” Journalists, through hard work and over the course of many years, have broken stories crucial to the integrity of the country such as torture after 9/11, the realities of the Vietnam War and, more recently, Harvey Weinstein’s sexual assaults. However, it is perhaps the time, given the current occupant of the White House and the election coming up in November, to rethink how journalists conduct their jobs. Is it worth it to directly question the country’s leaders when they are just going to turn around and lie about their interactions? Each year a journalist’s work is celebrated with the Pulitzer Prize. During the Trump administration, every story that won the “National Reporting Prize” has come from investigative reporting rather than interviews. They include the staff on The Washington Post for their work uncovering President Trump’s secret payoffs to two women during his campaign who claimed to have had affairs with him in 2019, the Presidentelect’s transition team and his eventual administration in 2018, to David Fahrenthold of The Washington Post for reporting on Trump’s corrupt charities and his handling of money more generally in 2017, and finally the staff of the New York Times and The Washington Post for “Deeply sourced, relentlessly reported coverage in the public interest that dramatically furthered the nation’s understanding of Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election and its connections to the Trump campaign, and finally. These important articles were rightly recognized, and to me show the continuing necessity for this kind of reporting over others. When writing an investigative piece, a journalist has to confirm and reconfirm their stories with many different sources. Some may be anonymous, and some

NOAH ZEITLIN /the Justice

may have talked on deep background. Many times, investigative stories are asking and answering questions that the people in power do not want to get out. This is drastically different from an article that describes an interview, where, if the person being interviewed does not answer, then the story does not get reported. While questions about the role of journalists and how they should conduct their work may have been magnified over the past several years, there has been talk surrounding the best ways to perform the job for many years. In his 2006 White House Correspondents Dinner speech, Stephen Colbert, portraying the character that he played on the Colbert Report, ended it by criticizing journalists for being soft on President Bush towards the end of his eight-year term: “But, listen, let’s review the rules. Here’s how it works. The President makes decisions. He’s the decider. The press

secretary announces those decisions, and you people of the press type those decisions down. Make, announce, type. Just put ‘em through a spell check and go home.” He ended the section by suggesting that someone in the White House press corps should write a book about an “intrepid Washington reporter with the courage to stand up to the administration? You know, fiction!” Journalists must be able to effectively complete their work in order for a democracy to continue to function. When the powerful start to question their integrity, it is extremely problematic. Reporters have tools without needing to interview those officials, including investigative reporting. As this current administration hopefully comes to an end, journalists should continue to pursue the truth, without giving a voice to those who don’t deserve to have their voices heard by the media or by the American people.

The war in Syria hasn’t improved; Americans have just forgotten about it By LEON KRAIEM JUSTICE CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Over the last week, the Russian and Syrian government forces have committed the same sort of war crimes that they’ve been committing daily since 2015 at an exceptional rate in and around the Syrian city of Idlib. More than a hundred airstrikes were launched over the course of a three-day period. Warplanes have targeted hospitals and open markets, just as they have on a daily basis for the last many years. According to the Syria Campaign — an organization that I will return to in a moment — at least 1,648 civilians, including 392 children, have been killed since this escalation began in April. The left-wing, anti-intervention reporter Max Blumenthal wrote an exposé about the Syria Campaign in Alternet a few years ago. He wrote that “behind the lofty rhetoric about solidarity and images of heroic rescuers rushing in to save lives is an agenda that aligns closely with the forces from Riyadh to Washington clamoring for regime change.” This was in September 2016, at a time when warplanes were targeting Aleppo, “destroying hospitals and schools, choking off basic supplies and killing aid workers and hundreds of civilians over just days,” according to a New York Times report. That report also cited a view by many analysts that “Russia and its Syrian government allies ... could be massacring Aleppo’s civilians as part of a calculated strategy” to force rebel forces to ally with jihadists, thus defeating the spirit of any civilians who would otherwise be sympathetic to them and further complicating any western desire to intervene. One wonders whether, when a state is intentionally butchering civilians, ‘regime change’ is such a bad thing to clamor for, or whether Blumenthal’s correct observation

that opposition forces in Aleppo were connected to jihadist groups might, in light of the analysis I just quoted in the Times, be inconveniently if not inevitably aligned with the interests of the butchers. But I don’t have any better answer. This is not a column to suggest that there is or has been in the past an obvious solution to this conflict, or to suggest that the inevitable costs of intervention are worth it. I, a comfortable college student peaceably living out my armable years, am not in a position to suggest that we send other Americans my age off to die. And at this point, the best approach may be the one suggested by Max Boot in the Washington Post almost two years ago: “To save Syrians, let Assad win.” There are no easy answers here. However, since I do keep receiving updates from the Syria Campaign about the siege in Idlib, daily numbers of children killed, and regular in-memoriams of White Helmet volunteers — those genuinely heroic rescuers who swoop in after bombings to rescue survivors under the rubble — it seems worth reminding people that there was a time, not so long ago, when Syria was something we cared about. Hillary Clinton, who knew a thing or two about this conflict, endorsed a no-fly zone in Syria, and there’s no reason to think that she wouldn’t have executed one had she been elected president. There are a lot of what-ifs bound up in that election, but it seems that this is one we don’t recall often enough. Not just Clinton, but most of the competent Republican candidates as well would have shot down Russian warplanes in Syria: Lindsay Graham, Marco Rubio, Jeb Bush, John Kasich, and others. Had our political system not derailed the way it did, the United States and our allies might have done something to prevent these open-air war crimes.

But because things happened the way they did, the crimes continue. There have been new sanctions on Russia, Syria and Iran for crimes in that war. President Donald Trump has signed those sanctions into law. But he has, at the same time, worked to relieve sanctions on Russia, just as he has endorsed Russia’s interference in American politics and by extension, the politics of Europe. This is a connection that is not made explicit often enough: Russia, it is well documented, has been supporting nationalist movements across the West, including a rising Neo-Nazi movement in the United States, as reported on Feb. 2 by the Israeli newspaper Ha’aretz. This is Putin’s preferred means of destabilizing Europe and weakening the liberal world order. His preferred wedge issue is refugees. It is not hard to imagine that Putin has been intentionally forcing Syrian civilians to flee their homes for the last half-decade, not only for the purpose of assuring Assad’s grip on power, but also in order to ensure a flow of desperate people on whom the slightly-less desperate can turn. One wonders as well whether Putin had something to do with President Trump’s decision last October to withdraw American troops from the ‘safe zone’ that Kurdishled troops and their American allies had established in Northern Syria. For months prior to our withdrawal, the United States had been negotiating between the parties of the conflict in that region, and the Syrian Democratic Forces that protected it had been dismantling their fortifications at our behest, assured repeatedly that we would protect them from the Turkish threat to the north. All of a sudden, inexplicably, we didn’t. And this too is a story about the exploitation of Syrian refugees for expansionist goals: Erdogan hopes not only to annex this part of Syrian Kurdistan, but also to flood it with

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

repatriated, non-Kurdish Syrians from the South who have for years been seeking refuge in Turkey, thus cancelling out its autonomy twice-over. And, of course, the United States, under the administration of a president who is friendly with both Putin and Erdogan, has slammed its doors to those being butchered in Syria, even though, as complicated as it might be to solve the problem militarily, there is little the United States has more experience with or owes more to as a national practice than absorbing immigrants and refugees. There is no hope on this front as long as Trump is president. But it’s something that we shouldn’t forget about as we go through the process over the next ten months of choosing and attempting to elect a successor. Every day that Russian bombers have targeted Syrian children without intervention has been, and remains, a failure of the liberal world order and a threat to its continued viability. Just as the fascist powers of the 20th century used Spain as a training ground, destroying promising experiments in democracy as a prelude to threatening the entire free world, we ought to expect the authoritarian powers that have used Syria as a laboratory to be stronger and more practiced when confrontation with them is no longer avoidable. But on a human level alone, the Syrian war is one we will be reading about for the rest of our lives. The trauma of an entire nation will have consequences. And though there may not be much that the U.S. can do until we sort out our own problems, we should remember as we sort them out that sooner or later we will have to look a generation of Syrians in the eye. If we want to live with ourselves as a country, it’s worth coming up with something useful to say, or, better, to do, even if it’s something that, inevitably, falls far short of any sort of redemption.


THE JUSTICE ● SPORTS ● TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 2020

WBBALL: Judges start losing streak CONTINUED FROM 16 pointers from Jillian Petrie ’21 and Francesca Marchese ’23 tied the game at 12–12 with 1:53 to go in the first half. However, a pair of threepointers from the Tartans and a last-second shot gave the Tartans an 18-12 lead at the end of the first period. The Tartans led throughout the second period, getting ahead by as many as nine points on several occasions. Casanueva answered with a three-pointer and two free throws to get the Judges back to within one point, 33–32, but the Tartans again beat the buzzer at the end of the period to take a 35–32 lead. The Tartans maintained a steady lead in the second half with a 9–2 run, and the Judges never regained the lead. The Judges'

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closest margin in the fourth quarter was 56–52, but the Tartans took over and finished with a 10-point lead. Brandeis's leading scorer was Casanueva, who finished with 12 points on 3-of-9 from the field, including 2-of-5 from deep and 4-of5 from the line. Nicholson added nine points and six boards, while Emma Reavis ’23 had seven points, eight assists, seven rebounds, three steals and a blocked shot; her assist and rebound totals were both career-highs. The Judges shot just 34.5 percent from the field (19–55), their third-lowest shooting percentage of the season. Next week, the Judges will travel to Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland for a Friday evening game at 6 p.m. Then on Sunday, the Judges will travel to Pittsburgh to play Carnegie Mellon at 2 p.m.

PUT YOUR GAVELS UP NATALIA WIATER/the Justice

PUSH FORWARD: Brandeis’ Chandler Jones ’21 shoots the ball in a game against Case Western Reserve University on Jan . 31

MBBALL: Team’s ranking improves after victories CONTINUED FROM 16

Jones sealed the game at 11 seconds and the Judges escaped with a hard fought victory. Sawyer led all scorers with 22 points, also contributing five rebounds and two steals. Chandler Jones had 13 points while Matan Zucker ’23 impressively led the Judges with eight rebounds in only 13 minutes off the bench. As a team, the Judges shot just 42.9% from the field but had the same percentage from three point territory, going a combined 9–21. Case Western Reserve dropped to 8–9 (1–5 in the University Athletic Association) with the loss.

NOAH ZEITLIN/the Justice

CELEBRATIONS: On Nov. 16, Brandeis hosted Colby College in a swim meet, in which Brandeis won 135–104.

Judges 87, Carnegie Mellon 68 On Sunday, the Judges rode a strong second-half performance to a convincing victory over the Carnegie Mellon University Tartans. The Judges took the lead 18

seconds in via a Sawyer three and eventually extended the advantage to 22–15 on another triple from the senior. The Tartans responded with a 7–0 run to tie the game at 22 with 9:25 left to go in the first half. Brandeis scored the next five but could not shake the visitors for the remainder of the first half, as Joey Krempa knocked down a three to make it 36–35 Judges at 2 minutes and 34 seconds. A layup by Zucker provided the only points of the final 150 seconds before Brandeis took a three point lead into the break. The Judges came out firing in the second half. A layup by Sawyer and three pointer by Jones opened the period while the Judges held their opponents scoreless on defense. After a Jones jumpshot, Dylan Lien ’23 connected on two threes in a span of 29 seconds to turn a close game into a 51–35 blowout. Carnegie Mellon scored the next seven, and wound up pulling within six on

a three by Krempa with 9 minutes and 23 seconds to go in the game. D’Aguanno earned a second chance bucket, and then Lien provided the dagger with another three to make it 66-55. The Tartans would not get closer than nine the rest of the way, with the Judges finishing the game on an 8–0 run. Nolan Hagerty ’22 led Brandeis with 16 points, and D’Aguanno, Jones, Lien and Sawyer all scored at least 13 points. Jones added 11 rebounds for a double-double while Hagerty fell a rebound and four assists short of a triple-double. The Judges shot 12–24 from three in the win, sinking the Tartans to 9–9 (2–5 in the UAA) on the season. Brandeis is now 14–4 (6–1 in the UAA) and tied with #8 Emory University and #11 Washington University in St. Louis for the UAA lead. The team faces the Spartans and Tartans again on Friday and Sunday next weekend, looking to continue a thus-far excellent campaign.

SWIM: Swimming and diving outpace opponents at the Eric Sollee Invitational CONTINUED FROM 16 48.83 seconds. Danial Whol ’21 also dominated as the winner of the 200m freestyle with a time of 1:47.98 and the 100m freestyle with a time of 48.83, finishing runner-up to Ohno-Machado in the 50m freestyle. The women also dominated in

single events with winners Abbie Etzweiler ’22 in the 1000m freestyle (11:50.35), Audrey Kim ’21 in the 100m backstroke (1:03.21), Adrienne Aponte ’20 in the 200m butterfly (2:25.11) and Becky Goodfellow ’23 in the 200m back (2:21.38). In addition, the men dominated with Rafi Rubenstein ’22 winning the 1m

dive with 147.10 points, Benjamin Francis ’22 in the 200m backstroke with a time of 2:09.24 and Joshua Liu ’23 in the 100m breaststroke with a time of 1:04.69. The Judges also came home with four relay wins. They won the women’s 200m medley (1:55.19) with swimmers Gold, Olivia Stebbins ’22,

Ema Rennie ’23 and Musaku. The women also won the 200m freestyle (1:51.33) with swimmers Aponte, Elizabeth Brown ’22, Etzweiler and Goodfellow. The men won the 200m medley (1:43.90) with swimmers Zitenly, Junhan Lee ’20, Sean Riordan ’22 and Marcelo OhnoMachado. They also took home a

win in the men’s 200m freestyle (1:33.51) with swimmers Benton Ferebee ’22, Francis, Lee and OhnoMachado. On Feb. 12, the Judges will wrap up the 2020 regular season with the University Athletic Association Championships at the University of Chicago in Chicago, IL.


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JUDGES BY THE NUMBERS

● SPORTS ●

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 4 , 2020

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FENCING

MEN’S BASKETBALL TEAM STATS

UAA STANDINGS

Points Per Game

Collin Sawyer ’20 leads the team with 15.4 points per game. UAA Conf. Overall W L D W L D Pct. Player PPG Emory 6 1 0 16 2 0 .889 Collin Sawyer 15.4 WashU 6 1 0 15 3 0 .833 Chandler Jones 14.1 JUDGES 6 1 0 14 4 0 .778 Eric D’Aguanno 11.1 Rochester 4 3 0 13 5 0 .722 Nolan Hagerty 8.8 Carnegie 2 5 0 9 9 0 .500 Rebounds Per Game Case 2 5 0 9 9 0 .500 Nolan Hagerty ’21 leads the team Chicago 2 5 0 711 0 .389 with 7.9 rebounds per game. NYU 0 7 0 711 0 .389 Player REB/G UPCOMING GAMES: Nolan Hagerty 7.9 7.3 Feb. 7 vs. Case Western Reserve University Chandler Jones Lawrence Sabir 3.8 Feb. 9 at Carnegie Mellon University Matan Zucker 3.7

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL TEAM STATS

UAA STANDINGS UAA Conf. W L D Chicago 6 1 0 Emory 5 2 0 Case 5 2 0 NYU 4 3 0 WashU 3 4 0 JUDGES 2 5 0 Carnegie 2 5 0 Rochester 1 6 0

Points Per Game

Overall W L D Pct. 15 3 0 .833 14 4 0 .778 10 8 0 .556 14 4 0 .778 10 8 0 .556 12 6 0 .667 9 9 0 .500 9 11 0 .389

UPCOMING GAMES: Feb. 7 vs. Case Western Reserve University Feb. 9 at Carnegie Mellon University

Camila Casaneuva ’21 leads the team with 15.6 points per game. Player PPG Camila Casaneuva 15.6 Hannah Nicholson 12.0 Jillian Petrie 9.4

Rebounds Per Game Hannah Nicholson ’20 leads with 9.3 rebounds per game. Player REB/G Hannah Nicholson 9.3 Camila Casaneuva 6.1 Courtney Thrun 6.0

SWIMMING AND DIVING Results from Keene State Invitational on Jan. 18.

TOP FINISHERS (Men’s)

TOP FINISHERS (Women’s)

100-yard Freestyle

200-yard Freestyle

SWIMMER TIME Tamir Zitelny 49.17 Marcelo Ohno-Machado 49.52 Thomas Alger 51.38

SWIMMER TIME Audrey Kim 2:04.50 Natalya Wozab 2:07.64 Sofia Chevez 2:09.89

UPCOMING MEETS: Feb. 1 at Clark College Feb. 12 at UAA Championships

TRACK AND FIELD Results from the Terrier Classic at Boston University on Jan. 25.

TOP FINISHERS (Men’s)

TOP FINISHERS (Women’s)

RUNNER TIME Reese Farquhar 7.39 Armin Alirezael 7.61 Domenick Raphael 7.97

RUNNER TIME Tessa Holleran 28.88 Somali Anderson 28.92 Gabby Tercatin 31.79

200 Meter Dash

60 Meter Dash

UPCOMING MEETS: Feb. 8 at Tufts Cupid Invitational Feb. 14 at Valentines Invitational

Data Courtesy of THE OFFICIAL SITE OF THE UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS ASSOCIATION and the BRANDEIS ATHLETICS WEBSITE; Images Courtesy of CREATIVE COMMONS.

TEAM IS ON POINT: Brandeis fencing hosted the Eric Sollee Invitational on Feb. 1.

JEN GELLER/the Justice

Fencing had seven wins at Eric Sollee Invitational ■ Brandeis fencing faced stiff competition at their home meet this past weekend. By MEGAN GELLER JUSTICE EDITOR

On Feb. 1, the Brandeis Judges hosted the Eric Sollee Invitational at the Gosman Sports and Convocation Center. The women’s and men’s teams posted a 7–5 combined record with the women going 4–2 with and the men 3–3. The women’s team defeated the Hunter College Hawks 27–0 with scores of sabre nine, foil nine and epee nine; the Stevens Institute of Technology Ducks 16–11 with scores of sabre nine, foil four and epee three; the New Jersey Institute of Technology Highlanders with scores of sabre five, foil six and epee of three; and the Haverford College Squirrels 17–10 with scores of sabre seven, foil six and epee of four. However, the women Judges lost to the University of Pennsylvania Quakers 4–23 with scores of sabre three, foil zero and epee one, and to the New York University Violets 12–15 with scores of sabre seven, foil three and epee

two. Overall for the women, the sabre was their most successful weapon. Highlights included the women’s quick win over the short-handed Hawks with all three weapons. Against the Violets, the women had a convincing 7–2 win in sabre but then suffered losses in both the foil and epee. Again, the women swept their second opponent in the sabre, beating the Ducks 9–0, which helped them in their 16–11 win. Brandeis was successful against the Highlanders, but the score was close. It was Maggie Shealy ’23 who posted a 5–0 win to help the Judges post a 14–13 win. Individually, the sabre squad was the standout, with top performers including Shealy leading the team with 13 wins and four losses and going 3–0 against the Hawks and the Ducks. Also, a standout in sabre was Jessica Morales ’23 going 11–2 and posting a 3–0 record against the Violets and the Highlanders. Jessica Gets ’20 had nine wins in foil while both Samantha Shortall ’23 and Ivanna Zavalla ’23 each had eight. Jess Spear ’21 was a standout on epee, leading the squad with five epee wins. The male Judges defeated the Hawks 22–5 with scores of sabre nine, foil eight and epee five; the Highlanders 16–11 with scores of

sabre five, foil four and epee seven; and the Squirrels with scores of sabre four, foil four and epee seven. However, the male Judges lost to the Quakers 9–18 with scores of sabre four, foil four and epee one; the Violets 11–16 with scores of sabre three, foils six and epee two; and the Ducks 12–15 with scores of sabre five, foil four and epee three. The men, like the women, had a quick win against the short-handed Hawks with a score of 22–5. In their match against the Violets, the men’s foil had a 6-0 lead, but the Violets came back and won the last three bouts, then the Violets epee squad won in overtime to propel them to a 16–11 win over the Judges. The Judges came back from their defeat by the Violets to beat the Highlanders after being down in the sabre 4–2 by winning the final four bouts including a clinching win by Lucas Lin ’22. Individually, Lin led the team with eight wins, including 2–1 against the Violets. Ian Quin ’20 posted a squad-high seven wins including 3–0 against the Quakers and 2–1 against both the Violets and the Ducks. Both Ben Rogak ’23 and Braden Vaccari ’23 had six wins in sabre and epee. Next weekend Brandeis travels to Durham, NC for the Duke Invitational.

PRO SPORTS BRIEF

Chiefs versus 49ers in Super Bowl LIV: A tale of two coaches Super Bowl LIV was a contest between two powerful teams: the Kansas City Chiefs and superstar quarterback Patrick Mahomes versus the San Francisco 49ers with their devastating defense, led by Rookie of the Year defensive end Nick Bosa. However, the contrast between the respective head coaches is also striking and, for many fans, seeing Andy Reid, the veteran and highly regarded head coach of the Chiefs, win his first Super Bowl was very gratifying. Here is a history of these two successful head coaches. As chronicled in a Pro-football History biography, Andy Reid has been coaching professional football for 28 years, and despite consistent success, he has never won a Super Bowl. Reid began his football career as a lineman and kicker at Glendale Community College. After one season, he transferred to Brigham Young University where he played offensive tackle. After graduating in 1981, Reid stayed on at Brigham

Young University as a graduate assistant where he met is future mentor, Mike Holmgren, who was hired to serve as the quarterback coach. From this start, Reid kept progressing and gaining experience in coaching at San Francisco State, Northern Arizona, Texas-El Paso and Missouri, comprising the roles of offensive coordinator, offensive line coach and ultimately head coach. In 1991, Reid was reunited with Green Bay Packers head coach Mike Holmgren as tight end coach and assistant offensive line coach. In 1996, he became the quarterback coach for the legendary Packer quarterback Brett Favre and was part of the Superbowl XXXII team. In 1999, Reid took over a dismal Philadelphia Eagles team as head coach. After an initial losing season, Reid rapidly built a perennially successful team, with winning records in nine of thirteen subsequent seasons and two with .500

records. Reid’s 2004 Eagles team lost to the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XXXIX in a close 24–21 game. In 2013, Reid took over as the head coach of the Kansas City Chiefs and again demonstrated his talent for turning around bad teams, as the Chiefs earned an 11–5 record in his first year after finishing 2–14 the season before he arrived. Under Reid’s leadership, the Chiefs have had seven straight winning seasons. Reid had achieved everything a head coach can, except winning a Super Bowl. He demonstrates a quiet and dignified sideline demeanor. He has endured a real-world tragedy, having lost his son in 2012 from an overdose, according to an NFL article. All of these characteristics make Reid the sentimental choice for many fans who rooted for the Chiefs. Kyle Shanahan, age 40, was born into football royalty. As the son of two-time Super Bowl winning head coach Mike Shanahan, Kyle Shanahan was raised in a football

milieu. As reported in a Pro Football History biography, Shanahan played college football at the University of Texas. After graduation, he began as a graduate assistant at UCLA. Following one season in college coaching, Shanahan moved permanently to the NFL ,where he assisted Coach Jon Gruden for two seasons with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Following his initial NFL exposure, he earned coaching positions with the Houston Texans, Washington Redskins, Cleveland Browns and Atlanta Falcons, with experiences comprising wide receiver coach, quarterback coach and offensive coordinator. Shanahan was mentored by head coaches such as Gary Kubiak, his father Mike Shanahan, Mike Pettine and Dan Quinn. Shanahan took over as head coach of the San Francisco 49ers for the 2017 season. After two losing seasons, the 49ers have become a dominant team in 2019, earning a 13–3 record.

The universal affection that Andy Reid feels may not be as universally felt for Kyle Shanahan outside of San Francisco. On Twitter, Michael David Smith, a freelance writer, managing editor of ProFootballTalk and AOL.com sports blogger , wrote “Kyle Shanahan did, in fact, get a head start in coaching because of nepotism. That he has done well with his opportunities doesn’t change the fact that his last name helped him get those opportunities.” It appears that based on sentiment, Andy Reid would have had more people rooting for his Chiefs during the Super Bowl. However, professional football is not a sentimental sport and is played on the gridiron, so perhaps the best fans could hope for is an exciting game. The Chiefs won the Super Bowl 31– 20, and we can all be happy for Andy Reid while we wish the younger Kyle Shanahan a long and successful career. —Megan Geller


just Sports Page 16

SUPERBOWL LIV: CHIEFS VS. 49ERS Superbowl LIV demonstrated the contrasting coaching styles of head coaches of the Chiefs and 49ers, p. 15.

MEN'S BASKETBALL

HARDWORKING HUSTLE

Men’s basketball starts a new winning streak ■ Men’s brandeis’ basketball pressed on and has improved to 14–4 this week. By JONAH WHITE JUSTICE STAFF WRITER

The 25th ranked Brandeis men’s basketball team finished the first half of their conference schedule with a pair of wins against Case Western Reserve University and Carnegie Mellon University. Judges 71, Case Western Reserve 64 On Friday, the Judges defeated the Case Western Reserve University Spartans in a near wireto-wire victory. After Sam Nassar ’22 opened the game with a three pointer, Cole Frilling gave Case Western Reserve a 6–5 lead with a triple of his own. Collin Sawyer ’20 answered with a pair of jump shots to give the Judges a 9–6 lead. A three pointer by Eric D’Aguanno ’20 gave the home team a 16–8 advantage at 13:05 of the first half. After the Spartans followed with a deuce, Chandler Jones ’21 connected from behind the arc to put Brandeis up by nine. After their lead dwindled to 22–17, Jones hit another triple as part of a 10–0 run that gave the Judges a 15-point advantage. The team went into half-

Waltham, Mass.

Tuesday, February 4, 2020

time ahead 36–23, sealing an impressive defensive performance by allowing two points over the final 3:19 of the period. The second half started identically to the first, with Sawyer nailing a three exactly fifteen seconds in. A few minutes into the frame, Case Western Reserve worked their way back into the game by holding the Judges scoreless for over four minutes and scoring eight of their own for a score of 4538. Aided by an excited crowd and some creative heckling from the Brandeis baseball team, Brandeis stretched the lead back out to 57–44 on another three by Sawyer. The senior has connected on a remarkable nearly 50 percent of his attempts from deep this season. The Judges gave up another seven straight points to make it a two possession game before the Spartans came within five at 5:25 left in regulation. Brandeis continued to hold their opponents, leading 66–58 before the visitors pulled back within six points. A timely steal by Sawyer led to one out of two free throws from Nassar to make it 69–61 in the final minute. Brandeis did just enough defensively and held Case Western Reserve at 61 points until they hit a three with 14 seconds on the clock. Two more free throws by

See MBBALL, 13

SWIMMING AND DIVING

Judges swim into 2020 UAA Women’s basketball Championships struggles in recent games

NATALIA WIATER/the Justice

MOVE IT: Brandeis’ Emma Reavis ’23 dribbles the ball in a Jan. 31 game against Case Western Reserve University.

■ The Judges swimming and diving teams won their last dual meet of the season at Clark College 142–110. By EMMA GHALILI JUSTICE STAFF WRITER

On Saturday, the Brandeis men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams beat Clark University in their final dual meet of the 20192020 season. The meet was held at Clark University in Worcester, MA. The men won 142–110 over the Clark University Cougars and the women won 135–105. Overall, the Judges won 24 of the 32 events, dominating the Clark University Cougars. Some of the top performances of the meet were from Brandeis' Uajda Musaku ’21 who led in the 200m freestyle at 2:05.33, the 50m at

28.85 and the 100m freestyle sprints at 56.22. In addition to Musaku, Emily McGovern ’21 won the 100m with a time of 1:11.69 and the 200m breaststroke at a time of 2:34.90 and first-year Bailey Gold ’23 won the 100m butterfly with a time of 1:00.40 and the 400m IM with a time of 4:51.53. IM is the individual medley, which consists of butterfly, backstroke, breaststroke and freestyle in one consecutive swim. Gold was also second to Musaku in the 100m free. The men also had some top performances with junior Richard Selznick ’21 winning the 400m with a time of 4:23.33 and senior Tamir Zitenly ’20 winning the 100m backstroke and the 100m butterfly with a time of 55.5 seconds and 52.88 seconds, respectively. Brandeis’ Marcelo Ohno-Machado ’21 won the 500m freestyle with a time of 5:06.74 and the 50m freestyle with the time of

See SWIM, 13 ☛

■ Brandeis’ women’s basketball team lost their past two games, bringing them to 12–6 overall. By JEN GELLER JUSTICE EDITOR

The Brandeis women's basketball team lost both their home games this weekend in the Red Auerbach Arena. After dropping both games, the team is 12–6 overall and 2-5 in the University Athletic Association. Spartans 80, Judges 68 On Jan. 31, the Judges had their first loss where they fell 80–68 to the Case Western Reserve University Spartans. This game brought their record to 12–5 overall and 2–4 in the UAA. The game featured two evenly-matched teams with

five ties and nine lead changes. Neither team was able to establish dominance in the first quarter, and after 10 minutes of play, the score was tied at 15–15. The lead went back and forth until early in the second quarter when the Spartans went on an 8–0 run, taking a 27–20 lead over the Judges. Their lead continued into the half when the score was 33–27. Hannah Nicholson ’20 led the Judges in the first half with eight points, six of them scored in just the first period. The Spartans came out on fire in the second half, scoring the first five points of the half and taking a double-digit lead. Brandeis stormed back with 11 unanswered points in a row, initiated by Courtney Thrun ’21 with four points, two steals and an assist on a three-pointer. This pushed the Judges to their first lead since the first period, 42–41. Though the teams stayed close for the rest of the third quarter,

the Spartans went into the fourth quarter on top again and outplayed the Judges 28-20. Thrun was Brandeis's leading scorer, scoring 16 points in 15 minutes off the bench. She also had a career-high 16 points on eightof-ten shooting, two rebounds, two steals and an assist. Nicholson finished with 11 points and 14 rebounds for her University Athletic Association-leading eighth double-double of the campaign. Camila Casanueva ’21 had 13 points and a career-high 10 assists. Tartans 73, Judges 63 The Judges lost their second game of the weekend 73–63 to the Carnegie Mellon University Tartans. From the start of the game, the Judges struggled shooting the ball, hitting just one of their first 10 shots as the Tartans built a 12–6 lead. The back-to-back three-

See WBBALL, 13


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TUESDAY, THE JUSTICE FEBRUARY | ARTS 4, 2020 | TUESDAY, I ARTS JANUARY & CULTURE 31,I THE 2017JUSTICE

ART SHOW

Krautsourcing: socially engaged art

By ELISABETH FREEMAN

fermentation process and his work with fermentation, as well as the intersectional and metaphorical aspects of fermentation, feminism in particular. The theme of the workshop, Nash explained, “highlights the experience of fermentation as an embodied practice, thinking about the kinds of metaphors that we can derive from fermentation as a transformative practice, and linking those to feminist practices of embodiment and self-care, and queer and trans practices.” An important aspect of Nash’s experiences have to do with his transgender identity, which adds a gender element to his work. He added, “For me, as a transgender person, I think about fermentation as a parallel path to my experience with gender and having revelations about my gender experience in concert with working with fermented foods.” To him, “Krautsourcing” presents gender as a dynamic and living entity instead of being static and non-living.

JUSTICE EDITORIAL ASSISTANT

Art can be found in anything and everything. S.E. (Sean) Nash, a Kansas City-based artist, created an exhibition at the Women’s Studies Research Center called “Krautsourcing” to investigate the transcendental art of fermentation: a metabolic process during which enzymes produce chemical changes in organic substances. For “Krautsourcing,” Nash uses sauerkraut, or fermented cabbage, as the premier material of the artworks. Last Friday, I had the opportunity to speak over the phone with Nash to discuss the exhibition as well as the upcoming Lacto-Fermentation Workshop, which will be held at the Kniznick Gallery at the WSRC on Feb. 8. Nash started working with food as a medium in 2014 and was inspired by the process of making a sourdough starter: “I found in making a sourdough starter this incredible process of watching fairly simple material — flour and water — start to come alive with bubbles and yeast all on its own, seemingly knowing, of course, that microbes involved were making that happen.” When asked about what inspired him to work with food, Nash continued, “I just really wanted to bring a lot of interest I have in science and the fermentation process into what I do in my art.” Nash has created many shows dedicated to fermentation. For “Krautsourcing,” Nash received a dozen sauerkraut submissions for the opening night of the exhibit. Some were from local kraut producers, while other recipes were homemade or from friends. By crowdsourcing the kraut, the exhibit functions as a collective experience. “Krautsourcing” is a continuation

Fermentation also serves as an exploration of the past and embodies the relationship of both food ancestry and family history. The ability of those microbes to transform food are wonderful in Nash’s eyes: “How did the species Brassica oleracea come to create all these different foods?” he wondered. He researched the types of food that came from Brassica oleracea over time, and thought about the plant’s transformation in terms of his own body and ancestry: “How do I know my family and my history through food?” Nash revealed that when his father’s mother escaped Nazi Germany, she rejected all German food, including sauerkraut. To Nash, an aspect of the show is learning family history through food: fermentation serves “as a way of recalling ancestry.” “Krautsourcing” is an ontological, artistic, and scientific experience. The Lacto-Fermentation Workshop will be held at the WSRC on Feb. 8 at 1 p.m., and “Krautsourcing” will be available for viewing until Feb. 26.

Photo Courtesy of KNIZNICK GALLERY

TRANSFORMATIVE ART: Because “Krautsourcing” is organic, the appearance of the artwork changes over time. of Nash’s exploration of the dynamic relationship between people and microbes. Because the art is made with sauerkraut, “Krautsourcing” differs from traditional art exhibitions in many ways. The artwork evolves in the gallery, so Nash must tend to its needs. “But,” Nash added, “I think it gives people the chance to experience that change over time. So part of the purpose of it is to have people go back and see something as it’s bubbling and changing color and

undergoing the process of fermentation.” As a result, Nash uses clear vessels to display the sauerkraut as it ferments, giving the sculptures the quality of being alive and enriching the experience of the show. At the upcoming Lacto-Fermentation workshop, aside from viewing the “Krautsourcing” exhibition, attendees can also expect a hands-on experience, led by Nash, making sauerkraut in groups. Furthermore, Nash will explain the lacto-

Photo Courtesy of KNIZNICK GALLERY

EMBODIED PRACTICE: Fermentation is a transformative practice that links to feminist practices of embodiment, self-care and queer practices.

CULTURE EVENT

A night in Hoi An with VSA Photos by CAMERON CUSHING/the Justice

To decorate Skyline Commons, the VSA created this beautiful display of lanterns against a black background, reminiscent of the lanterns released into the night sky during Hoi An’s Lantern Full Moon Festival. Last weekend, the Brandeis Vietnamese Student Association hosted its semester show Hoi An Night, named after the famous tourist city in Vietnam.

By CAMERON CUSHING JUSTICE EDITOR

Students enjoyed a buffet with spring rolls, chicken and tea.

Students were able to choose from a variety of colored construction paper to make their own lanterns with wishes for the new year. These were then taped to the windows around Skyline Commons, giving the illusion that they were floating through the night sky.

Event attendees’ wishes for the new year are attached to their lanterns, including this one, reading, “We wish everyone a great year.”

Two event organizers gave a short presentation about the history of Hoi An and the Lantern Full Moon Festival. Design: Jen Crystal/the Justice


THE JUSTICE I ARTS & CULTURE I TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 2020

FILM REVIEW

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Critic’s Academy Award predictions By MENDEL WEINTRAUB JUSTICE STAFF WRITER

In just under a week, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will crown its winners of the coveted Oscar statuette. “Joker” leads the pack this year with 11 nominations, but will the film’s popularity as a nominee propel it all the way to a Best Picture win? Or will the Academy’s over-9,000-member voting body cast their preferential ballots in favor of the technical feat “1917,” or be bold enough on Feb. 9 to crown “Parasite” as the first foreign language Best Picture winner? My predictions for eight of the 24 Oscar categories explain the odds behind the likely winners.

Best Picture Should Win: “Parasite” Could Win: “Parasite” Will Win: “1917”

Best Director Should Win: Bong Joon Ho, “Parasite” Could Win: Bong Joon Ho, “Parasite” Will Win: Sam Mendes, “1917”

Best Actor Should Win: Adam Driver, “Marriage Story” Could Win: Adam Driver, “Marriage Story” Will Win: Joaquin Phoenix, “Joker”

Best Actress Should Win: Akwafina, “The Farewell” (not nominated) Could Win: N/A Will Win: Renée Zellweger, “Judy”

Best Supporting Actor Should Win: Brad Pitt, “Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood” or Joe Pesci, “The Irishman” Could Win: N/A Will Win: Brad Pitt, “Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood”

Best Supporting Actress Should Win: Billie Lourd, “Booksmart” (not nominated) Could Win: Florence Pugh, “Little Women” Will Win: Laura Dern, “Marriage Story”

Best Original Screenplay Should Win: Bong Joon Ho and Han Jin Won, “Parasite” Could Win: Quentin Tarantino, “Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood” Will Win: Bong Joon Ho and Han Jin Won, “Parasite”

Best Adapted Screenplay Should Win: Greta Gerwig, “Little Women” Could Win: Greta Gerwig, “Little Women” Will Win: Taika Waititi, “Jojo Rabbit”

The past few years have seen Best Picture and Best Director split between two movies. This year will be the one to reunite the estranged couple, when Sam Mendes takes the stage to accept his second win in this category, which he first won for “American Beauty,” over 20 years ago. This award tends to go to the director who has made the biggest technical achievement. This decade has seen two directors win twice, with Alfonso Cuaron for “Gravity” and “Roma,” and Alejandro Gonzalez Innaritu for “Birdman” and “The Revenant.” One glaring thread tying Mendes to their wins is that his film, like those of Cuaron and Inarritu, has drawn much of its acclaim for being composed of long, intricate tracking shots. Put simply, when it comes to Best Director, size matters, which makes perfect sense when considering the fact that it is a category unjustly dominated by men (#justiceforGretaGerwig). Despite not being composed of long takes, Bong Joon Ho’s “Parasite” is no less intricate in its configuration than “1917,” but it will have to settle for a Best International Feature win instead. This may kill any faith you have in my prophetic abilities, but I must confess that for the past three years, I have gotten this category wrong and it was always because I went for the statistically-favored winner: I chose “La La Land” over “Moonlight;” “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri” over “The Shape of Water;” “Roma” over “Green Book.” This year, I worry that I am repeating the same mistake in choosing the late-breaking “1917” over the brilliant, “Parasite.” On the one hand, the past three years had instances in which the Academy chose originality over popularity (see “Moonlight” and “Shape”). On the other hand, the victory of “Green Book” over the more critically lauded “Roma” indicates to me that the Academy has lapsed back into its old ways. Not only that, but last year showed us that the voting body for the Oscars may not yet be ready to hand the night’s highest honor to a foreign language film, which does not bode well for the South Korean film. “Parasite,” although more commercially accessible than “Roma,” still may not overcome the barrier of its subtitles. I am going with “1917,” which has won top honors at the Golden Globes and British Academy of Film and Television Arts. It is without a doubt a tremendous cinematic achievement, but I’d gladly be wrong in this category for a fourth year in a row to see “Parasite” take its crown. To put a spin on a classic Lady Gaga zinger from yesteryear’s awards season: you could have 100 people in a room, and 99 of them will say that Joaquin Phoenix gave the best performance of the year as Arthur Fleck, and you just need one person to call the B.S. and say that the performance, while certainly the most acting, is not the best acting; that one person in the room is me. I get it: Mr. Phoenix spent a lot of time perfecting his laugh and lost 53 lbs. However, by the time the credits roll on “Joker,” his performance is so exhausting to watch that its final impression feels like nothing more than a gimmick. While Phoenix’s commitment to bring Fleck to life is evident, it pervades the film so ubiquitously to the point that he takes you out of the experience, instead of drawing you in. You are in effect watching Joaquin Phoenix as the Joker, instead of just watching the Joker in action. On the other hand, consider Adam Driver’s performance in “Marriage Story.” As Charlie, one half of the divorcing couple at the center of the film, Driver gives yet another textured performance, and even shows new sides of his capability as a performer. He disappears into the role with humor and heartbreak, never once making you question your love for Charlie, even in his darkest moments. But more than that, unlike with Phoenix’s performance, you forget you are watching Driver perform as Charlie, as his body simply becomes a vessel for the character he is playing. Not only is his performance the best in his category, but also the best performance by any actor, of any gender, this year. As far as the odds are concerned, they are inevitably tipped in Phoenix’s favor. This year we have seen the same performers in all four acting categories practically sweep every awards show they show their face at. Phoenix is one of them. Not only that, but he gives one hell of an acceptance speech. However, last year’s Oscars offer a ray of hope in the realm of an Adam Driver upset, however. Let us not forget when Olivia Colman, who spent every ceremony before the Oscars watching Glenn Close winning Best Actress for “The Wife,” was shocked to hear her name called over Close at the Academy Awards. Driver may just be this year’s Olivia. When Oscar nominations were announced on Jan. 13, I was royally bummed out to see that Lulu Wang’s “The Farewell” failed to score a single nod. Or, better put, the Academy failed to recognize “The Farewell.” That ignorance led to a slew of snubs, most notably for Akwafina’s performance as Billie, an Asian American who has to cope with the impending death of her terminally ill grandmother. Her performance is astounding to behold, as she portrays Billie’s growth from the movie’s start to its perfect finish. It would have been nice to see her get recognized. Meanwhile, there is no question that Best Actress is Renée Zellweger’s to lose. And to be honest, if I weren’t so fired up about Akwafina’s omission from this year’s list of nominees, I probably would have written up Zellweger as my “should win.” She completely disappears into her performance of Judy Garland in a way that few actors truly achieve in biopic performances: she adopts her subject’s soul without burying it underneath a cheap impression. Zellweger’s performance is something of a hybrid between her own persona and Ms. Garland’s. One need only listen to the film’s soundtrack to get a taste of the truly brilliant work that Zellweger brings to this role. In fact, Zellweger is just about the only reason “Judy” is watchable, as her acting transcends the film’s muddled plotting and melodramatic tone. Brad Pitt’s and Joe Pesci’s performances in their respective films have one thing in common for me: they were both the only thing keeping me watching the self-indulgently directed movies in which they appeared. You got that right — I did not remotely enjoy “The Irishman” or “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.” I even saw the latter at an advanced screening introduced by none other than Quentin Tarantino himself, and even the high of that couldn’t sustain me through its nearly 3-hour runtime. But even I will admit that Pitt’s performance as Cliff Booth is something to behold. They should just give him the Oscar for that shirtless scene on the roof alone. Pesci’s performance as mobster Russell Buffalino is a welcome return for the actor, who came out of retirement to play the role, and is without a doubt the strongest link in the 3.5 hourlong chain of “The Irishman.” All five nominees in this category are Oscar winners, however, Pitt sets himself apart as the only one of the nominees who has never won for acting (he previously won for producing “12 Years a Slave”). This, combined with his unparalleled star power, gives Pitt the edge. You might have noticed that my “should win” selection for this category is a) not even nominated, and b) has been completely absent from the awards conversation. Regardless, Billie Lourd’s performance as Gigi, the wildest character in 2019’s criminally underrated “Booksmart,” reaches instances of hilarity that measure up to beloved comedic turns by the likes of Melissa McCarthy in “Bridesmaids” and Tiffany Haddish in “Girls Trip.” When her character inexplicably enters scenes in manners that defy temporal logic, Lourd’s line deliveries elevate the script of “Booksmart” to unexpected levels of absurdity. And in the “could/will win” categories, we have two more scene-stealers in Florence Pugh and Laura Dern. Pugh’s performance as Amy in “Little Women” was ignored by Oscar precursors such as the Golden Globes and SAG, but nevertheless made it onto Academy voter’s ballots, who fell for her fresh take on the historically-maligned March sister. Her presence on the nominees list — favored over expected nominee Jennifer Lopez (“Hustlers”) — is enough to make one consider her a dark horse this coming Oscar night. Nevertheless, Dern has been dominating awards season for her performance as a sharp divorce attorney in “Marriage Story,” and is likely to make her streak a clean sweep on Feb. 9. This could have been a much stronger category with the omission of “1917”and “Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood,” and the inclusion of stronger original screenplays like “Booksmart,” “Pain and Glory” or “Uncut Gems.” At the end of the day though, it is Saturday night’s Writer’s Guild of America winner versus Quentin Tarantino’s bloated love letter to the Golden Age of Hollywood. “Parasite” would be the obvious choice after being victorious at the WGAs in this very category. However, Tarantino was not eligible, as he is not a member of the Writers Guild. As a screenwriter, Tarantino is the perennial Academy favorite, and he may handily win his third award in this category. However, after a big upset in this category at Sunday night’s BAFTA awards, whose voting body has aligned with Tarantino’s past victories at the Oscars, “Parasite” won over “Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood.” Further, Bong Joon Ho and his writing partner Han Jon Won have never won, and the Academy loves rewarding new blood. With all that in mind, I believe the scales are ever so slightly tipped in the former’s favor. A “Parasite” upset here could be indicative of bigger success later in the night. If Bong Joon Ho can dethrone the original screenplay king, and rob him of a triple crown, there is every possibility that he can go on to win Best Picture. This is a tough category to call. Even after “Jojo Rabbit”’s win at the WGA awards, it faces stiff competition from “Little Women,” which offers an opportunity to the Academy to reward Greta Gerwig after failing to nominate her for Best Director. Her take on Louisa May Alcott’s classic novel is sharp and also manages the impossible task of making the story feel new. The film is also widely embraced by audiences…but so is “Jojo Rabbit.” Like the audience of “Little Women,” people who love “Jojo Rabbit” love it. If either of these films win, it will likely be their only honor that night. I’d give the edge to “Little Women,” since last year’s winner, “BlackKklansman,” also managed to take gold after losing at the WGAs. However, keep in mind that while Greta Gerwig was snubbed by the director’s branch, so was Taika Waititi. Gerwig has been snubbed once before, when her film “Lady Bird” failed to win any trophies the year it was nominated. Not only is Gerwig more established with the Academy voters than Waititi is, but they may also feel like they owe her more at this point in her career. While this is Waititi’s first Oscar rodeo, he also won BAFTA’s Adapted Screenplay honor, so he seems to have the edge here.

Graphics Courtesy of Creative Commons. Design: Sara Fulton/the Justice


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THE JUSTICE I ARTS & CULTURE I TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 2020

INTERVIEW

JUSTARTS SPOTLIGHT ON THE KNIZNICK GALLERY By HUILIN LI JUSTICE STAFF WRITER When I stepped into the Women’s Studies Research Center last Wednesday, I was amazed by how stylish this exhibition was. My first impression of the decoration of this exhibition was the perfect blend of green with rustic and urban style. The name of this exhibition is “Krautsourcing.” As a solo exhibition of Kansas City-based artist S.E. Nash, “Krautsourcing” continues Nash’s investigation into the collective and creative inventions of people and microbes, the tiny living things that are found all around us, but too small to be seen by the naked eye. Most of the artwork in this exhibition are sculptures and wall-based works drawing on the territories of the kitchen and the science lab as extensions of the studio and sites of knowledge production. As an art exhibition, “Krautsourcing” is also very socially engaged. In the opening of this exhibition, Nash invited people to make and share their own sauerkraut. By displaying the sauerkraut, Nash asks the viewers to consider their bodily entanglements, particularly with the bacteria that engendered life nearly 4 billion years ago. In this exhibition, the artwork that I appreciated the most is “Brassica Oleracea Cultivars: Selection of Heads, Florets, and Leaves.” I first noticed this artwork because of its bright colors. Brassica Oleracea Cultivars is composed of four wooden frames. The frames present different vegetables: broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage and red cabbage. Each frame has a picture of one vegetable and a dehydrated assemblage of that vegetable. At first, I didn’t realize that the parts in the center of each frame were dried cultivars. As I realized the existence of those dried vegetables, I also understood the motivations of Nash’s and his artwork. I think Nash intends to display four common vegetables in an unconventional way. By creating this seemingly unrelated contrast between biological specimens and fine art, Nash raises ontological problems and explores the gap between lab and kitchen, science and nature, activity and stasis, life and non-life, individuals and the universe. The “Krautsourcing” exhibition is open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the WSRC, Epstein Building, and will be open until Feb. 26. Please stop by and sense the power of S.E. Nash and his art.

Eliana Weiss ’21 Emma Johnston ’22 NOAH ZEITLIN/the Justice

This week, justArts&Culture spoke with Eliana Weiss ’21 (left) and Emma Johnston ’22 (right), the co-producers of the Quickies. JustArts&Culture: Quickies? Brassica Oleracea Cultivars_ Selection for Heads, Florets, and Leaves,_ 2019, Fabric, acrylic paint, burlap, dehydrated cabbage cultivars, resin, glue, wood panel, 40 x 71.25 Photo Courtesy of KNIZNICK GALLERY

EMILY RIORDAN/the Justice

NATALIA WIATER/ the Justice

Top 10 Sodexo foods By ELISABETH FREEMAN JUSTICE EDITORIAL ASSISTANT

A rite of passage for all Brandeis students is navigating the University’s culinary scene, which can be (and often is) a daunting task. Below is a list of ten (relatively) healthy and delicious food options that are generally available on campus. 1. Salad bar (dining halls) 2. Grilled chicken with olive oil (when properly cooked) (dining halls) 3. Packaged nuts (Hoot Market) 4. Grilled vegetables with pasta sauce or olive oil (dining halls) 5. Kale salad without beans or rice (Currito) 6. Yogurt parfait (Starbucks) 7. Meal swipe salad (Louis’ Deli, Sub Connection) 8. Caesar salad (The Stein) 9. Fresh produce (Hoot Market) 10. (Properly cooked) poultry or fish with mayonnaise and cajun seasoning (dining halls)

are

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Emma Johnston: We are coproducing Quickies, so essentially we have been working since last semester. We run the email. Students would send in their scripts and we read all the submissions, did a lot of deliberating and picked nine that we felt had a really good range. Then from that, we look at the director applications and we match up directors with scripts. Then from there, essentially we facilitate the rest of the process, so we are a resource to the directors. We’re present during auditions, helping cast and helping them find spaces. We schedule tech. EW: We’re there on the day of the shows overseeing everything. EJ: We get to see it all happen. JAC: Had either of you been involved with Quickies before in previous years?

SUDOKU

STAFF’S Top Ten

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Eliana Weiss: Quickies is a short play festival that the UTC [Undergraduate Theater Collective] puts on in the spring. And students submit short plays, usually about 10 minutes long. And we have about 10, that’s the average in the show. Students apply to direct and we hold auditions and it’s open cast. We rehearse over two weeks. There is a rule that there are three hours of rehearsal [per play]. The idea is that we get to put on these short pieces of theater without a lot of rehearsal so it’s low commitment, high fun and low stress. It’s a great way for people to get involved in theater who might not have time to do a full show in their schedule or who don’t know a lot about theater and want a nice entry point. It’s also a great way for people to try directing or try writing. Then two weeks after auditions we have the show. ... We do tech during the day and then all 10 of the shows [perform] one right after the other. JAC: What Quickies?

MEGAN LIAO/the Justice

What

EJ: So last year, my first year, I auditioned and I was in two Quickies, very different Quickies. One was a devised piece and one was comedy, but it was so much fun. I got to work with some students that I had never worked with before or that I had worked with before and really wanted to work with again. The whole day of tech I got to see the work that everyone else had been doing and I think what really excited me my first time being in Quickies was how collaborative it was. As an actor you don’t always get that chance to collaborate, but Quickies is definitely the environment where you’re only rehearsing three hours, you’re all working together to put up a script, and it was nice to see how many of my ideas and the other actors’ ideas got into the final product. EW: I definitely agree with that. I had a similar story. When I was a first year, I auditioned and I was in a Quickie. Similarly, it was really fun, I worked with new people and I really enjoyed just working on something for two weeks and seeing what could happen. JAC: What are you most excited about for the performance? EJ: I feel like this year in particular we have a lot of people that haven’t been as involved in UTC theater and a lot of directors that are trying directing for the first time. I’m very proud of them all and I’m very excited to see the work that they do and hopefully encourage them to continue directing and acting and being involved. JAC: When is Quickies?

Sudoku Courtesy of OPENSKY SUDOKU GENERATOR

EW: It’s on Sunday, February 9 at 8 p.m. in the SCC theater. Come check it out!

— Caylie Jeruchimowitz Solution Courtesy of OPENSKY SUDOKU GENERATOR


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