The Justice, November 5, 2019

the

Justice www.thejustice.org

The Independent Student Newspaper Volume LXXII, Number 9

of

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

Tuesday, November 5, 2019

‘HOW A PEACEBUILDER UNLEARNED HIS TRADE’

Waltham, Mass.

DINING

Univ. to develop dining Request for Proposals ■ Brandeis and Sedexo

ended their contract early and Brandeis is working on finding a new vendor.

By EMILY BLUMENTHAL JUSTICE EDITOR

IVY DALL/the Justice

A NEW APPROACH TO PEACEBUILDING: 2019 Gittler Prize winner Dr. John-Paul Lederach gave a lecture about how he "unlearned" older, more traditional approaches to peacebuilding through his experiences and work around the world.

University awards 2019 Gittler Prize to notable peacebuilder ■ The Gittler Prize is awarded

to a scholar whose work has contributed to improving cross-cultural relations.

By HANNAH TAYLOR JUSTICE STAFF WRITER

Dr. John-Paul Lederach received the 2019 Joseph B. and Toby Gittler Prize on Oct. 30 and gave a lecture entitled “Dispatches from Nowhere Near the Promised Land: How a Peacebuilder Unlearned his Trade.”

Provost Lisa Lynch said during the award ceremony that the selection committee chose Lederach for being “a powerful and insightful scholar whose theoretical construction of such concepts as the moral imagination and peacebuilding work … has influenced a generation of men and women who have brought his thinking to work in some of the world’s most instrumental conflicts.”

The Gittler Prize, Lynch said, “Recognizes an individual who has made an outstanding and lasting scholarly contribution to contributions to racial, ethinic, and/or religious relations.” Lynch explained that the prize was established in 2008 and is funded by contributions from Professor Joseph B. Gittler, honoring both him and his mother, Toby Gittler. It includes a $25,000 prize and is administered by the International Center for Ethics, Justice, and Public Life.

During the lecture, Lederach

Image Courtesy of CREATIVE COMMONS

discussed how he “unlearned” the old approaches to peacebuilding, which, he explained, were damaging to the communities he was helping. Lederach told stories of three trips to Guatemala, Nepal and Nicaragua. In each of these places, he said that he learned more about the “habits of harm” that often come with outside aid, and in that way learned how he needed to reshape the peacebuilding approach.

In Guatemala, Lederach said that he had unintentionally “fallen into the long repeated patterns of imperialism” by using the old approaches to peacebuilding he had been taught. He said this included setting up demonstrations of mediation scenarios, which did not go over well with the local people. He and his colleagues were also there with the notion that they were intervening — they were not there with the goal of forming a meaningful relationship with the community.

In Nepal, he said his experiences taught him more about what it meant to “show up differently,” especially as a philanthropist who ultimately contributes to the conflict by not solving the underlying issues and by treating the local people in a dehumanizing manner.

In Nicaragua, Lederach listened to a colleague recite a poem, helping him realize that “peacebuilding is not primarily a labor of social engineering. It is an artistic process that must, over and again, open up what is known, but not seen, and bring into life that which does not exist.”

Lederach conducted a three-day residence from Oct. 29 until Oct. 31, where he delivered presentations on his work as a peacemaker. The panelists for the discussion included COEX faculty Prof. Isabella Jean, Prof. Pamina Firchow, Prof. Ted Johnson, Prof. Sandra Jones and moderator Prof. Alain Lempereur.

The Heller School for Social Policy and Management’s Conflict Resolution and Coexistence graduate department held a panel discussion earlier in the day with Lederach entitled “The Evolution of Conflict Transformation.”

Firchow began the panel by introducing Lederach, who is professor emeritus at the Kroc Institute of International Peace Studies at the University of Notre Dame, and was formerly a professor and founding director of the Center for Justice and Peacebuilding at Eastern Mennonite University. She said he “embodies the concept of a pracademic” in his peacebuilding work because he both studies and actively participates in his field.

Firchow also mentioned the most well-known of the 24 books Lederach has written: The Moral Imagination, The Art and Soul of Building Peace, The Little Book of Conflict Transformation, and Building Peace: Sustainable Reconciliation in Divided Societies.

She explained that Lederach’s most recent work has been in Colombia, where he is currently serving as a member on the advisory council of the Colombian Truth Commission

See GITTLER PRIZE, 7 ☛

The University is in the beginning stages of developing its Request for Proposals for a new food services vendor and is seeking community feedback about its dining program.

The RFP steering committee and the TMC Group, a consulting group retained by the University for the duration of the RFP process, co-hosted two open forums on Oct. 28 and 29 with the goal of eliciting feedback about the University’s dining program. Using community input and discussions with various key stakeholders and administrators, consultants from the TMC Group will write the RFP within the next few weeks.

After the RFP is released in midNovember, five or six food service companies will be invited to submit proposals, including the “Big Three” food service companies

— Compass, Aramark and Sodexo — along with two or three smaller vendors, TMC Group consultant Ted Mayer said during the Oct. 29 forum. Although a number of outside vendors will be invited to present plans, Sodexo will also be participating in the RFP process and could end up with the new contract, Director of Dining Services Jeff Hershberger told the Justice in an Oct. 2 interview.

The University and Sodexo mutually agreed in September to end Sodexo’s current contract three years early to facilitate the University’s planned reexamination of its dining program and negotiation of a new dining contract, Hershberger said during the Oct. 2 interview. The contract, a 10-year deal which was supposed to last through June 2023, is now slated to expire at the end of the fiscal year on June 30, 2020.

Going into the negotiations, both parties were resolved to bring the contract to an end in a mutually beneficial way, and there were no tensions or disputes throughout the negotiation process, Hershberger said.

“It was clear to both parties that in order to make the necessary

See DINING PROPOSALS, 7 ☛

DEPARTMENT OF COMMUNITY LIVING

Changes to DCL room inspections implemented ■ DCL room inspections

took place last week and follow-up inspections will begin this week .

By GILDA GEIST and HANNAH TAYLOR JUSTICE EDITOR AND STAFF WRITER

The Department of Community Living is currently working to improve its Health and Safety Inspections process and has assembled a working group for input on the subject, according to a Sept. 18 email to the Brandeis community from DCL requesting volunteers for the group.

Initial inspections are taking place from Oct. 23 to Nov. 6, according to an Oct. 15 campus-wide email from DCL. Follow-up inspections for those with violations will be conducted by a Community Advisor from Nov. 6 to Nov. 13.

The working group met for its first discussion on Sept. 27. During this meeting, the working group reviewed the Health and Safety Inspection Process, which included an evaluation of CA training and of DCL’s communication with students about the inspection process, according to a Nov. 1 email to the

Justice from DCL Assistant Director Melody Smith.

“The group gave us great suggestions for improvements including the reformatting of our email (which we updated for this semester) as well as the option to schedule a time for the inspection (which we are also piloting in East and Skyline),” she wrote.

In her email, Smith further explained that DCL wants to hear feedback from residents and answer their questions with the goals of improving the inspection process and helping residents to understand its importance.

“We have heard that residents felt they were not given informed consent about the inspections, so we hope with better communication and messaging, this will give residents more awareness of the process and the timeline in which these inspections occur,” Smith wrote.

According to Smith’s email and the Sept. 18 email from DCL, DCL hopes these discussions will improve the Health and Safety Inspection process and better inform students about the inspection process.

“The goal DCL has for this evaluation is to gain [residents’] feedback, answer any questions they

See DCL INSPECTIONS, 7 ☛

The Issue Is...?

Women in World Jazz

Holocaust survivor recalls his family’s migration

 The Justice spoke with Brandeis Democrats, Swing Left and Young Americans for Liberty.

 The Women in World Jazz performed at the Cholmondeley's Coffee house.

University should recognize Greek life

By HAVEN DAI

By RACHEL STERLING

Soccer struggles through recent matches

ARTS AND CULTURE 19

By JEN GELLER

FEATURES 9 For tips or info email editor@thejustice.org

NOAH ZEITLIN/the Justice

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Submit letters to the editor to letters@thejustice.org

NEWS 5

By LEEZA BARSTEIN

By LEAH TIMPSON

COPYRIGHT 2019 FREE AT BRANDEIS.

FORUM 11 SPORTS 16

2

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 2019

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NEWS

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THE JUSTICE

NEWS THERE’S WALDO

WALTHAM BRIEF

POLICE LOG MEDICAL EMERGENCY Oct. 28 — BEMCo treated a party in the Gosman Sports and Convocation Center for a finger injury with a signed refusal for further care.

Oct. 28 — A party in the Charles River Apartments was treated by BEMCo for dizziness and a fast heartbeat. The party was transported to Newton-Wellesley Hospital via Cataldo Ambulance for further care, and the Area Coordinator on call was notified.

Oct. 29 — Outside of the Goldfarb Library a party fell off of a bicycle. The party was treated with a signed refusal for further care.

Oct. 30 — BEMCo treated a fall victim in Usen Hall who was transported to NewtonWellesley Hospital via Cataldo Ambulance for further care. The Area Coordinator on call was notified.

Oct. 31 — DCL staff requested a wellbeing check on a student in immediate crisis. University Police assisted Cataldo Ambulance, and the party was transported to Newton-Wellesley Hospital without incident for further care.

Oct. 31 — BEMCo treated a party in the Administration Complex for a hand laceration from glass with a signed refusal for further care.

Nov. 1 — A party rolled his ankle in the Gosman Sports and Convocation Center.

BEMCo responded and University Police transported the party to Urgent Care for further care.

Nov. 2 — A well being check was requested for an intoxicated party in the Shapiro Residence Hall. BEMCo and University Police responded. The party was transported to Newton-Wellesley Hospital via Cataldo Ambulance for further care, and the Area Coordinator on call was notified. A Community Standards Report was filed.

Candidates face off in contested Waltham elections Waltham elections will be held today, according to an Oct. 31 Patch Waltham article.

There are several contested seats in this election cycle, including two candidates for mayor. Incumbent Mayor Jeanette McCarthy and City Councilor Diane LeBlanc are both running, according to the Patch article.

Another city-wide vote is for councilorsat-large. There are six councilor-at-large positions open and eight candidates. An Oct. 1 Patch Waltham article reported that there are five incumbents running for the positions and three new candidates. The only current councilor-at-large not running is LeBlanc.

The candidates running for councilor-atlarge include Steve Lydon, Tom Stanley, Colleen Bradley-MacArthur, Kathleen McMenimen, Randy LeBlanc, Paul Brasco, Patrick O’Brien and Carlos Vidal, according to the Oct. 31 Patch Waltham article.

Contested races for ward councilors include Ward One, Ward Two, Ward Three, Ward Six, Ward Seven and Ward Nine, according to the Waltham News Tribune’s Questions of the Week for potential ward councilors. Wards One and Two are contested with no incumbent running, while the other contested races are due to a challenger to the ward’s incumbent.

The University is in Ward Seven, according to the City of Waltham Massachusetts Ward & Precinct Map. The candidates for Ward Seven are incumbent Kristine Mackin and challenger Gregory DeMeo. If a University student is registered in Waltham and wishes to vote in this election, the polling place for Ward 7-2 is at the Banks School Basement on 948 Main Street at the corner of Main & South Street, according to the city of Waltham.

—Jason Frank

NOAH ZEITLIN/the Justice

In the spirit of Halloween, many students donned their costumes on the way to class on Thursday. Several campus organizations held Halloween-themed events last week to celebrate the spookiest time of the year.

SENATE LOG CORRECTIONS AND CLARIFICATIONS n An Arts&Culture article inaccurately described who organized the event. It was modified to accurately descibe it. (Nov 5, Page 19) n An Arts&Culture article incorrectly stated the end date of the Yayoi Kusama. It was corrected to Feb. 7. (Nov 5, Page 18) n The name and position was incorrectly stated in the TOP 10. It was corrected to the right to Hannah O’Koon and Editorial Assistant. (Nov 5, Page 20) n The Credit on the Arts&Culture cover did not print. It was supposed to say Images: Haven Dai/ the Justice, Creative Commons. Design: Noah Zeitlin/the Justice. (Nov 5, Page 17) n A News article inaccurately stated Senator-atLarge Nancy Zhai’s ’22 class year. (Nov 5, Page 1) n An Editor’s Note on a News article was corrected to accurately state Chief Justice of the Judiciary Rachel Sterling’s position. (Nov 5, Page 2) n A photo credit misspelled Jen Geller’s name.

(Nov 5, Page 1) n A News article was amended to clarify that former Vice President Guillermo Caballero was not formally censured. Rather, a censure was read out for the public record. (Nov 5, Page 1) n A Forum article’s title mispelled the name of the presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg. It was corrected to spell his name properly. (Oct 29, Page 11) n A Features article incorrectly credited photos to Linzy Rosen. They were corrected to credit Josh Aldwinckle-Povey. (Oct. 29, Page 8) The Justice welcomes submissions for errors that warrant correction or clarification.

Send an email to editor@thejustice.org.

Justice

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

Senate discusses special election, Union President’s apology following Judiciary case The Student Union Senate held a short meeting on Sunday, where they discussed the upcoming special election, talked about Student Union President Simran Tatuskar’s ’21 public apology for the recent Judiciary case and voted on a new amendment about Senate committee requirements.

Triskelion Changes

Triskelion, a group that seeks to foster and support Brandeis’ lesbian, gay, queer and allied community, has decided to eliminate inactive groups from its constitution, with the exception of Trans Deis, and to replace them with an intersectionality board. The Senate voted by acclamation to approve the changes to the club’s constitution.

Public Apology

Following the Senate’s recent resolution mandating that Tatuskar issue a public apology regarding the Judiciary case, Chief Justice of the Judiciary Rachel Sterling ’21 reported that Tatuskar has drafted her apology and that the judiciary is actively reviewing and discussing it. Sterling said the apology should be finalized by the end of the week.

Special Election

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

Constitution

Interim Union Vice President Jake Rong ’21 reported that the process for filling the position of vice president is underway, just a week after former Vice President Guillermo Caballero’s ’20 sudden resignation at the Oct. 27 Senate meeting.

According to Rong, an information session for prospective candidates will be held on Tuesday.

A “Meet the Candidates” session will follow on Thursday, along with a candidates’ debate on Nov. 12. The election will be held on Nov. 14, and the new vice president will be announced on Nov. 15.

The Senate voted by roll call not to formally condemn Caballero for his actions during the Judiciary case.

Rong also reported that the election for the second racial minority senator seat will be held separately from the upcoming special election to ensure the vice presidential race is the primary focus. In response, Class of 2022 Senator Joseph Coles suggested that the racial minority senator seat be voted upon at this special election. One senator pointed out that the seat was established “because of the lack of racial representation,” and that waiting to fill the seat would impede that goal.

Committee Chair Reports

Racial Minority Senator Joyce Huang ’22 reported that over 30 students signed up to join the Student Advisory Council, a paid group where students meet bi-monthly to discuss topics regarding race, xenophobia and Islamophobia.

Dining Committee Chair Nancy Zhai ’22 reported that the committee is addressing discrepancies between the online versions of menus available to students and the food served in both University dining halls. Zhai

reported that the committee is also organizing a cooking event where students can prepare food using their own recipes.

The event will take place on Nov. 19 and 20.

Zhai reported that the committee will ensure that students remaining on campus during Thanksgiving break will have access to meals. She said that from 9 a.m. until 11 a.m. there will be a continental breakfast served at The Stein between Nov. 28 and Nov. 30.

Facilities and Housing Committee Chair Trevor Filseth ’20 reported that there was an overwhelming response to feedback forms regarding the University’s punishment for damage to residence halls. Filseth said the committee has compiled a list of students willing to follow up on their complaints through interviews. Once the interviews are complete, Filseth reported there will be subsequent meetings with administrators.

DISTURBANCE Oct. 29 — University Police responded to the Usdan Student Center for a party causing a verbal scene disturbance about financial aid issues. The party departed prior to police arrival and a report was compiled on the incident.

Nov. 2 — A party in Hassenfeld-Krivoff Residence Hall reported the room next door was being loud. University Police spoke to the residents and advised them to quiet down without incident.

Nov. 2 — In the Charles River Apartments, a party stated she heard a man screaming.

University Police checked the area and all was quiet upon arrival.

HARASSMENT Oct. 30 — A former Brandeis student has sent numerous emails to departments and staff on campus since late September.

University Police compiled a report on the incident.

LARCENY Nov. 1 — A party reported cash stolen from a cash register in Cholmondeley’s Coffee Shop. University Police compiled a report on the incident.

—Compiled by Jen Geller

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Committee Service Requirement Amendment

The Senate discussed an amendment that would allow senators serving on the Allocations Board and the Community Emergency and Enhancement Fund to be exempt from the constitutional requirement to serve on two committees because those meetings are two hours weekly. The Senate voted by roll call to pass the amendment, with nine senators in favor and two opposed.

—Leeza Barstein

Contact Emily Blumenthal and Gilda Geist at news@thejustice.org

THE JUSTICE

STUDENT UNION

Senator working on amendment to pay certain secured club members ■ Senator Oliver Price ’20

says he plans to bring his amendment, still a work in progress, to a vote in February.

By GILDA GEIST JUSTICE EDITOR

Charles River Senator Oliver Price ’20 is working on an amendment to the Union Constitution to pay certain members of secured clubs. Price said he hopes the Senate will vote on the amendment in February so that secured clubs would have the rest of the spring semester to become wageeligible.

Price told the Justice on Wednesday that if his amendment passed, secured clubs would have the option to request to be promoted to a new tier of wage-eligible clubs. The Union’s Constitution defines a secured club as “an organization recognized by students as sufficiently important to necessitate annual funding and secured status through the Constitution.” This includes WBRS 100.1 FM, Brandeis Emergency Medical Corps, Waltham Group, Brandeis Television, Student Events, Archon Yearbook, Student Sexuality Information Service, the Justice and the Brandeis Sustainability Fund, per the constitution.

Under Price’s amendment, if the Senate voted with a two-thirds majority to make a particular secured club wage-eligible, the club would be able to petition the Allocations Board. ABoard would then decide whether, which and how much certain club members would be paid.

Price said that he thought club members who go “above and beyond” deserve to be paid for their time. “If you’re working 10, 20, 30 hours a week, you should be paid for one or two of those hours,” he said. He pointed out that other colleges and universities — such as Boston University, the University of Maryland and more — pay members of radio stations, paramedic teams, publications and other groups similar to Brandeis’ secured clubs.

According to Price, secured club members who were approved to be paid would not be paid for every hour of their work. He explained that they would be paid for only a few hours per week depending on how much work they typically did. A-board would set a cap of about $500 total per semester, he said. Price said that University Chief Financial Officer Samuel Solomon told him that paying members a stipend would not be possible, so offering wages for only a few hours a week would generate about the same

amount of money.

Price said he is still working on the specifics of the amendment, but he currently wants secured clubs to be able to pay members who are not necessarily club leaders, but whose tasks resemble professional positions and take up a lot of time. He mentioned audio technicians in WBRS as an example of secured club members who could be wage-eligible despite not being club leaders.

He also explained that not all secured clubs could become wage-eligible. Price predicted that Brandeis TV would likely not become wage-eligible. “There’s a lot of clubs … but some are clearly way more work than others,” he said. Price emphasized that he does not plan on setting specific criteria for what would make secured clubs wage-eligible. Rather, he said he wants to leave that to the Senate’s discretion.

In an Oct. 14 email to secured club leaders, Price wrote that his amendment would make “these positions more competitive and accountable” and that it would “[open] up these positions to students who otherwise must find work study jobs on campus.”

Price explained in his interview with the Justice that he wants some of the provisions of this amendment to be in the Bylaws rather than the constitution to make them easier to change. According to the Union’s constitution and Bylaws, the student body votes on constitutional amendments, while only the Senate votes on proposed changes to the Bylaws.

Price said, for example, that he wants a provision in the Bylaws saying that up to four secured club members could be paid in case a club wants to be able to pay five members. He said that if a secured club has good reason to pay five members rather than four, they should be able to.

According to Price, he has received mixed reactions to his proposal. Solomon said the proposal was feasible, Price said, and he also had support from Class of 2022 Senator Joseph Coles. Student Union President Simran Tatuskar ’21 seemed receptive as well, Price said.

Other than at WBRS, Price said, secured club leaders have not been as open to the idea. After sending out an email to leaders of all the secured clubs on Oct. 14, he got very little feedback, he said.

Waltham Group President Theresa Weis ’20 told the Justice on Friday that while she was not opposed to the amendment, she wants to talk to other members of Waltham Group and better understand how the amendment would work before making a

decision.

Weis explained that because her position in Waltham Group takes 20 to 30 hours per week, she no longer has time to do work study. “People are giving up their jobs to do this kind of work,” she said. She emphasized that she thought the Waltham Group executive board and coordinators deserved to be paid for their time, but expressed concern that A-board would not be able to pay all 90 of them.

Weis also said she was concerned that wages would “change the culture” of Waltham Group, which is a community service club. “On the one hand, of course we should be paying [members]. … However, if you look at it from another stance, community service is about community service, and so by paying members of Waltham Group, it might change the incentive of people joining,” she said.

Weis said she would discuss the amendment with the Waltham Group executive board and coordinators at an upcoming meeting.

In an Oct. 17 email to Price, Justice Managing Editor Jen Geller ’20 wrote that the Justice does not want to receive wages under the amendment.

“By entering into this amendment by being paid, our club is further accountable to the Allocations Board,” she wrote.

Geller continued that she could not give the Justice’s opinion on the amendment as a whole until she spoke with the editorial board about it. “They may have thoughts on the amendment and weigh in as a board, but this does not detract from the fact that maintaining our journalistic independence relies on us not taking part in this for our own club leaders,” she concluded.

BEMCo Director Michele Etzbach ’20 declined to comment on the amendment for liability reasons.

Although Price expressed some disappointment at the lack of interest from secured club leaders, he said that he still wants the amendment to pass “to make it easier for future generations to get paid if they ever wanted to.” He explained, “This amendment could pass and no clubs could opt to become wage-eligible.

That would be fine. If 10 years from now, a club wanted to get paid wages, language would be there.”

—Editor’s Note: Justice editor Emily Blumenthal and staff writer Joshua Aldwinckle-Povey are members of WBRS 100.1 FM. —Editor’s Note: Justice editor Jocelyn Gould did not contribute to this article. Justice editor Jen Geller did not contribute to or edit this article.

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NEWS

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TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 2019

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PANEL WITH A PEACEMAKER

LAUREN BERK/the Justice

2019 Gittler Prize winner Dr. John Paul Lederach (second from left) discussed his work in the field of conflict resolution during a panel event on Wednesday. Read more about the 2019 Gittler Prize winner on Page 1.

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BRANDEIS PROF. IN WASHINGTON

Heller School dean testifies at House labor subcommittees ■ Dean David Weil testified

before House subcommitees about impacts of subcontracting on the workplace.

By SAMANTHA GOLDMAN JUSTICE EDITORIAL ASSISTANT

Prof. David Weil, dean of the Heller School for Social Policy and Management, testified on Oct. 23 before the United States House of Representatives in a joint subcommittee hearing on “The Future of Work: Preserving Worker Protections in the Modern Economy.”

Weil led the Wage and Hour Division of the U.S. Department of Labor from 2014 until 2017 under former President Barack Obama. According to Weil’s faculty profile, his areas of expertise include employment and labor market policy and “the impacts of industry restructuring on employment and work outcomes and business performance.”

The Subcommittee on Health, Labor, Employment and Pensions and the Subcommittee on Workforce Protections heard the testimonies.

Chairwoman Frederica S. Wilson

(D-FL) said during her opening statement that the Oct. 23 hearing would be the first of three hearings exploring “the ‘future of work,’” and that the hearings would allow experts and stakeholders to discuss how “evolving business models and rapidly changing employment arrangements, coupled with increased use of technology and automation, are impacting workers and employers.” The Oct. 23 hearing focused on how Congress could “ensure that workers have fair wages, hours and benefits; safe workplaces; and an opportunity to bargain for better working conditions at a time when American workplaces are rapidly shifting,” Chairwoman Wilson said.

During his testimony, which can be found on the House Education and Labor Committee’s website, Weil said that there have been many conferences, workshops and meetings over the years to discuss the “future of work,” but those meetings primarily focused on issues such as “robotics, artificial intelligence, and platform business models like Uber and Lyft.” Those topics concerning the future of work affect a small portion of the workforce, and predictions on the impacts of technology have largely been incor-

rect, Weil said.

Focusing on changes impacting the present workforce would be more useful, especially for employers moving away from the “traditional employment model and outsourcing and subcontracting much of their work,” Weil explained. He described this change in the current and future structures of work as a “fissured workplace.” The term encompasses “increased outsourcing, contracting and subcontracting, franchising in its many forms, and most recently platform business models,” he said.

Weil said that the “increase of fissured work arrangements and increasing misclassification of workers as independent contractors” will lead to an increase in people working “without the protections of our fundamental labor and employment laws and without the ability to access important social safety net benefits.” Workplace fissuring can also negatively impact worker health and safety because “having multiple parties with unclear responsibilities for health and safety can create a work environment where the likelihood of injuries or fatalities increases,” Weil explained.

The effects of subcontracting

were seen in the mid-2000s with the increased usage of cell phones that led to the rapid expansion of cell tower networks. To keep up with the demand, companies like Verizon and AT&T relied on “a highly subcontracted system to undertake that work,” Weil said. During this period, the fatality rate among cell tower workers was “three times that facing underground coal miners,” he continued.

According to Weil, a fissured workplace and the misclassification of workers can also “significantly impact low-wage workers, people of color, immigrants and undocumented workers.” This will “compound the historic and systemic inequities that prevented many women and people of color from being protected by standard labor protections under the Fair Labor Standard Act and the National Labor Relations Act,” Weil explained.

The Fair Labor Standards Act is a federal law that “establishes minimum wage, overtime pay, recordkeeping, and youth employment standards affecting employees in the private sector and in Federal, State, and local governments,” according to the U.S. Department of Labor.

The National Labor Relations Act

is a federal law that protects “the rights of employees and employers, … encourage[s] collective bargaining, and … curtail[s] certain private sector labor and management practices, which can harm the general welfare of workers, businesses and the U.S. economy,” according to the National Labor Relations Board website.

Weil estimates that 19% of the private sector workforce, or 23 million people, are in industries where fissured arrangements dominate.

However, this estimate is conservative, and if the number of workers in occupations and industries with “mixed partial presence of fissured practices,” were added to the 23 million workers previously noted, that number could double, Weil said.

Weil concluded his testimony by saying that the consequences of fissured workplaces are not a result of forces beyond control, but that “they arise from deliberate choices made by businesses and organizations.” Weil said that new technologies will also change the dynamics of business as they have in the past, but that workplace policies should still balance financial goals with protections and considerations of fairness.

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THE JUSTICE

REMEMBERING FAMILY HISTORY

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NEWS

By ARI ALBERTSON JUSTICE STAFF WRITER

VERA SHANG/the Justice

A FIRST-HAND PERSPECTIVE: Dr. Hans Fisher shared his family’s story as passengers on the SS St. Louis during World War II. Fisher and his family were forced to travel and relocate multiple times after initially leaving their home in Germany.

Holocaust survivor remembers his family’s migration to Cuba and German Studies hosted the speaker for the 70th anniversary of Kristallnacht.

By LEEZA BARSTEIN JUSTICE STAFF WRITER

In commemoration of Kristallnacht, a Nazi pogrom that devastated and drastically threatened the autonomy, security and freedom of German Jews on the night of Nov. 9, 1939, the Center for German and European Studies hosted a conversation on Nov. 4 with Dr. Hans Fisher, who at the age of 11 was a passenger and survivor of the SS St. Louis.

According to the Jewish Virtual Library, amidst raging fear directed towards Jews after Kristallnacht, the SS St. Louis was an opportunity to escape the ensuing danger and persecution from the Nazi regime. Jewish refugees boarded the ship heading towards Havana, Cuba in hopes of finding safety while waiting to receive quota numbers to enter the United States.

The conversation with Fisher began with a preview of Robert M. Krakow’s documentary, “Complicit” (2013), a blend of footage and survivor interviews that tells the story of the Roosevelt administration’s WWII refugee policy. Many of the interviews detailed the predicament refugees faced while boarding the SS St. Louis. One survivor quoted his father’s tearful reaction to leaving his home behind, remembering his words as, “I am very happy to be leaving Germany, but I am thinking about all our relatives in Europe …

God only knows when we will see them again.”

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Expert discusses Mizrahi feminist photography at the Hadassah-Brandeis Institute, explained how oppression of Mizrahi women is conveyed through art.

Fisher speaks in the documentary, describing the passenger’s reactions after their rejection from Cuba: “Everyone [was] shouting and crying … it was really pandemonium.” Later in the conversation, Fisher elaborated on the main reason for Cuba’s rejection of the ship, crediting the “not uncommon incident of corruption.” According to Fisher, Manuel Benitez Gonzalez, the Cuban Minister of Immigration at the time, collected between $300,000 and $500,000 from permits Jews bought to travel to Cuba. Fisher noted Benitez kept this money, money that also enticed Cuban President Federico Laredo Bru, who asked for a share. Benitez fled, leaving Bru bitter and unwilling to accept the refugees, Fisher said.

Wrapping up his segment in the documentary, Fisher further pointed out the youthful naïveté of his friend and fellow passenger who trusted that “President Roosevelt is gonna take care of us.”

After the short screening, Fisher shared his own story, detailing his family’s journey before boarding the ship, beginning with the acquisition of a permit to go to Cuba all the way to sponsorship to leave Germany through an affidavit. Once on the ship, Fisher described the passage as “really wonderful until we found out we would not be permitted to get off.” He said that once passengers were informed of the bad news, the mood completely shifted. There was a shortage of food and many passengers had lost the hope they had when fleeing Europe. Fisher recalled that the only words of encouragement were from the ship’s captain, “who publicly vowed he would not take the boat back to Germany.”

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 2019

CAMPUS SPEAKER

■ Sivan Shtang, a researcher

■ The Center for European

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Fisher explained that passengers were randomly assigned to be dropped off in different countries, the luckiest of whom ended up in England, while the unluckiest ended up in Holland, where Nazis eventually rounded up passengers who settled in a vacant village to be sent to Auschwitz.

Fisher said he, his mother and his sister ended up moving to the small town of La Valle in France. “When we arrived there, I thought I was being transported back into the Middle Ages,” he said. “I don’t think I ever saw a car [and] cobblestone streets were everywhere.”

Fisher shared an anecdote in which a French man approached his mother to invite her to a party. He revealed the French man’s intentions behind the invitation were “because the local priest had been preaching for years that Jews had horns … and he had never seen a Jewish person before.”

Fisher explained that his family eventually had the opportunity to travel to Cuba again — this time with visas — on a ship carrying refugees fleeing Spain after its civil war. He and his family were the “only non-Spaniards on the ship,” he recalled. According to Fisher, the boat went to England in the beginning of December in 1939 and then to Ellis Island in New York. Because his family did not have the proper documentation to stay in the United States, they took another boat to Havana, where Fisher was reunited with his father, who had already been living in Cuba for some time. Fisher noted that the family eventually made it to the United States, settling in Vineland, New Jersey, once they acquired the proper documentation.

Sivan Shtang (Ph.D.) presented a lecture on the use of cleaning and cleanliness as a symbol of oppression in Mizrahi contemporary art on Tuesday as part of the University’s Hebrew Language and Arts Week.

The presentation, called “Gender and Ethnicity in Mizrahi Feminist Contemporary Photography,” was conducted in Hebrew and English and analyzed artwork by Leor Grady and photography and film by Vered Nissim.

“The history of cleanliness is the history of racism in Israel,” Shtang said. Mizrahi, or Middle Eastern Jewish, women frequently worked as maids for Ashkenazi, or Eastern European Jewish, households in Israel, where ethnicity and class were often conflated, according to Shtang. In the 1950s, many Ashkenazi Israelis saw Mizrahi Israelis as socially inferior, and propaganda films depicted Mizrahi communities as dirty, uncivilized and in need of Ashkenazi “education.”

Grady is an Israeli artist whose collection, “Natural Worker,” focuses on the plight of Mizrahi Jews in the early 20th century Kinneret settlement in Israel and how “their story was overshadowed and obscured in the Zionist narrative,” according to Grady’s website. One particularly symbolic piece from this collection features rags that resemble Israeli flags stained with gold paint, accompanied by the embroidered Hebrew phrase, “maybe these things never happened.” The gold, according to Shtang, represents the “fantasy of the east,” the perception of Mizrahi people’s Middle Eastern heritage, and the rags are symbolic of their stereotypical labor role. Shtang said that this quote, from Israeli poet Rachel Bluwstein, takes on a new meaning in Grady’s work, representing the history of the marginalized that is often ignored. “The poetics of Rachel was accepted and celebrated, and the poetics of the Mizrahi people is ignored,” Shtang said.

Nissim is an Israeli multimedia artist based in Tel Aviv whose work uses humor to address oppression, according to Shtang. A short film shown at the event, entitled “If I Tell You the Story of My Life Tears Are Com-

ing Out of My Eyes,” shows Nissim’s mother dressed in a wedding-style gown made from rags, scrubbing the sidewalk and kneeling on a dais of yellow rubber gloves while Nissim pours water on her from above. Another piece, a photograph entitled “Venus Gaze self portrait,” depicts Nissim lounging in a fancy dress made of towels, wearing yellow rubber gloves.

Nissim’s focus on objects associated with cleaning serves to emphasize the intersections between gender and ethnic stereotypes in Israel, Shtang said.

Shtang noted that gendered and ethnic aspects of the housekeeper role have been ignored even among feminists. In the past, Israeli feminists discussed the fact that women were not paid for the work they did in the home, but once more women began working outside the home, housework usually fell to lower-class Mizrahi women and the issue became less widely discussed. Shtang shared a poem that described the Mizrahi poet’s mother cleaning the toilet of a feminist gender scholar, highlighting the economic and ethnic differences in the progress of gender equity.

Discrimination against Mizrahi people has a long history in Israel, Shtang said. In Moshava Kinneret, an Israeli settlement near the Sea of Galilee, for example, Mizrahi settlers were segregated from their Ashkenazi counterparts and were expelled from the settlement in 1930. Propaganda from the 1950s warned of the danger posed by Mizrahi immigrants, showing them fighting and eating with their hands in contrast with Ashkenazi Israelis shown playing sports and wearing clean, Western-style clothes. In order to mitigate this perceived threat, the propaganda encouraged the “salvation” of the Mizrahi immigrants by benevolent Ashkenazi teachers through assimilation. Today, Mizrahi people “still experience racism in Israel very strongly,” Shtang said. Mizrahi history is often ignored, but according to Shtang, young artists and activists such as Grady and Nissim work to centralize Mizrahi narratives through art.

Shtang is a research associate with the Hadassah-Brandeis Institute. She holds a B.F.A. from Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design, and an M.A. and a Ph.D. in Hermeneutics and Culture from Bar Ilan University. Her work focuses on racial and gendered aspects of visual culture and art, taking particular interest in feminism, queer theory and multiculturalism, and she has pioneered research on Mizrahi feminist fine art and queer feminist fine art in Israel, according to the Hadassah-Brandeis Institute website.

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THE JUSTICE

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS

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NEWS

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TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 2019

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DINING PROPOSALS: University working on new dining contract CONTINUED FROM 1

ASKING THE COMMUNITY: TMC Group consultant Ted Mayer led the dining forums on Monday and Tuesday. The purpose of these forums was to get feedback from the Brandeis community about the current dining program. The Univ. is ending their contract with Sedexo three years early and is looking to update the dining program.

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changes to enhance student satisfaction, address the mandatory meal plan challenges for students with apartments, and reinvent what food on campus will look like through the lens of President Liebowitz’s Framework for our Future, all parties must start anew,” wrote General Manager of Brandeis Dining Services Andy Allen wrote in an email to the Justice on Friday.

“A fair process to determine the cost of the new dining program should include opportunities for other dining vendors to compete to provide … the best program for the community. I can speak for my entire team by saying that we are excited to see what the community comes up with for priorities for dining so we have the opportunity to enhance the experience for the campus,” Allen wrote.

There will be a mandatory bidders meeting in December to go through the RFP and to gauge interest, Mayer said. Bidders will then be invited one at a time to visit campus so they can meet with students and better understand the University’s culture. Proposals will be due in February, and the steering committee will whittle down the number of eligible vendors to two or three contenders. Negotiations will take place in March and the final contract will be awarded in April. The transition period will commence in June and the new contract will come into effect on July 1, per Mayer’s presentation at the Oct. 29 forum.

Throughout the RFP process, the University will consider both financial and operational aspects of the individual proposals, Mayer said. Because some accounts held by these companies operate more effectively than others, the University will need to evaluate any disparities between accounts and determine whether the problems are the fault

of the companies or the universities.

Part of the companies’ proposals will involve how they will handle the transition period between Sodexo and the new vendor. For new vendors, this process can come with the challenge of how quickly to implement change in the dining halls and make lasting progress so students notice an improvement in quality. If Sodexo is awarded a new contract, however, its challenge will be reinventing itself, Mayer said.

“If the selection process is done thoughtfully, then [the] transition should go smoothly with a marked improvement in food and service,” Mayer wrote in an email to the Justice on Monday.

One point of discussion was whether the University should subcontract with a corporate vendor or establish its own in-house dining program. The University used to have in-house dining services, but discontinued the program and switched to using outside contractor companies after contracting with Aramark in 2000, per a Sept.

23, 2003 Justice article.

Returning to an in-house dining program from an outsourced contract would be very difficult because the infrastructure to undertake it would need to be put in place over a long period of time, Mayer said.

Food service companies purchase food, handle labor disputes and provide security and a guarantee of a continuation of service if a problem arises with the management team.

Based on Brandeis’ future plans and present needs, switching back to an in-house dining program “would not be a prudent undertaking at this point,” Mayer said during the Oct. 29 forum.

Brandeis Labor Coalition President Alina Sipp-Alpers ’21 said in an interview with the Justice on Sunday that she believes that reverting to an in-house dining program

would benefit workers, students and the Waltham community.

“That looks like doing some cooking on campus but also partnering with local farms and restaurants in Waltham to have higher-quality food at lower cost, to be more connected to our community, to be more connected to our roots in Waltham, to help mitigate some of the gentrification that Brandeis causes in the Waltham community and to stop feeding into these big corporate companies,” Sipp-Alpers said.

Although Sipp-Alpers said she sees in-house dining as beneficial to the community, she said the BLC’s main focus is on worker retention.

During the transition period to a new dining program, the workers’ union, UNITE HERE Local 26, would have to negotiate a new contract with the vendor — less than a year after the union signed its latest agreement with Sodexo. UNITE HERE Local 26 representative Lior Appel-Kraut did not respond to a request for comment.

“Although historically there’s no reason for us to think that they’re going to lose their jobs, the University has made it very clear that that’s not a priority of theirs, so the workers and BLC recognize that there’s a lot of work to be done in the advocacy for worker retention,” Sipp-Alpers said.

Food service companies tend to adopt the terms of old union agreements, and many employees have been with Brandeis Dining Services from the in-house era through Aramark and now with Sodexo, Mayer said. “I have never known a situation where the food service provider did not pick up the current employees,” he said. Additionally, part of the RFP will ask how companies will retain and train current employees.

—Noah Zeitlin contributed reporting.

GITTLER PRIZE: 2019 DCL INSPECTIONS: New room winner recognized inspection policies begin CONTINUED FROM 1

and as an advisor to the Peace Accords Matrix.

Lederach followed Firchow’s introduction by explaining his role in “the conceptual evolution of conflict transformation.” Lederach spoke about his first visit to Central America in the early 1980s ,where there was much conflict due to three civil wars. He said he was working with community leaders on a proposal for a “conflict resolution commission” or a “multi-leader commission around developing the capacity to understand and respond to conflict.”

Lederach’s proposal, however, was initially met with skepticism because the group was worried that it would not actually change anything, he said. Lederach said the response was, “What exactly do you mean by resolution? … Because if by resolution you mean that you will come here and solve our problems without changing anything, we’re not interested.”

This line of questioning, he explained, arose from the fear that the problem would only be resolved on the surface without paying attention to the deeply-rooted issues or to the country’s relationship with aid relief, as had been the case in the past.

Lederach said that in terms of conflict resolution, he is always asking a version of the question “What’s changing here?” He said he focuses on the deeper level of conflicts that others in his field generally do not, looking for solutions and historical patterns that will help him get closer to the root of the conflict. Lederach added that the “evolution [of conflict transformation] was in part a reconfiguration that began to open up the categories … in the 1970s, there was not a category called ‘peacebuilding.’”

Lederach explained that it was hard for people in his generation to see conflict resolution as anything but “delivering aid to people that were suffering,” and there was no consideration of the consequences of aid and underlying conflict on the country’s future. He said he wanted to “open up the notion that your aid might, in fact, be a part of a bigger pattern that’s actually reproducing the things that you’re trying to reduce,” and the idea that peacebuilding is a “relationshipcentered venture.”

Lempereur posed the final faculty question, asking Lederach about what he learned in the field. Lederach explained that for a peacebuilder, “in the field” means you are working in someone’s home.

He said that he found a “generosity of spirit” on his trips, realizing that “the settings of greatest challenge were also settings that often offered the greatest compassion.”

Lederach said he found people who were willing to mobilize due to compassion, despite being in extreme and inadequate living circumstances.

Lederach said he is currently working with Humanity United.

As a philanthropist, he said he wants to avoid “abusive patterns” that have emerged in the past under the guise of philanthropy work, such as colonial control.

Lederach added, “We don’t have a masters degree in being a human being,” and posed the question, “What are the tools for being human?” He concluded on a point about “intervening” in conflict, and further emphasized the dehumanizing nature aid can have if no one takes proper caution. He said that this term disembodies and externalizes the conflict and can therefore be damaging. This, Lederach said, is “the challenge of becoming human beings with each other.”

CONTINUED FROM 1 have and see if we can improve our overall process so that all residents understand why Health and Safety Inspections are important,” Smith wrote. The Sept. 18 email from DCL said that it also intends to hold similar discussions in the future.

Changes to the room inspection process were in response to the #StillConcernedStudents group’s protest and demands last semester, Provost Lisa Lynch explained in an Aug. 29 email to the Brandeis community. “We have been working this summer to respond to issues raised last spring by the #StillConcernedStudents group. We appreciate the group members’ collaborative spirit and the productive dialogue that has led to changes that will benefit our entire community,” she wrote.

At last semester’s protest, the #StillConcernedStudents group

asked that DCL mandate informed consent for room inspections and that the University compile a public, third-party report investigating racial bias in DCL code violation reports. #StillConcernedStudents did not comment publicly on Lynch’s statement or DCL’s policy changes.

DCL performs Health and Safety Inspections of students’ dorm rooms every semester in order to ensure that they are not in violation of any of the rules and regulations outlined in the Housing Rights and Responsibilities. During these check-ins, DCL staff “evaluate the safety, security, and health conditions of the rooms and … check for illegal possession of Universityowned property,” according to the Rights and Responsibilities Handbook. They are also supposed to alert students of their estimated inspection time at least 24 hours in

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DCL will be re-evaluating and improving these current procedures through this newly-assembled working group of students, CAs and DCL staff. According to the Sept. 18 email from DCL, the goal of the Health and Safety Inspection Working Group is to discuss improvements to the scheduling and communications process of the inspections.

In an Oct. 31 email to the Justice, East and Skyline Quad Area Coordinator Kate Mandel explained that initial room inspections are almost always conducted by one CA and one DCL professional, with a few exceptions; initial room inspections are always conducted with at least one professional, she said. Followup inspections are conducted by CAs, according to a series of campus-wide emails from DCL prior to the inspections.

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8

features

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 2019 ● FEATURES ● THE JUSTICE

just

VERBATIM | MICHELLE FRANKLIN There are very few things in the world I hate more than Daylight Savings Time. It is the grand lie of time, the scourage of science.

ON THIS DAY…

FUN FACT

In 1979, Ayatollah Khomeini called the United States “The Great Satan,” criticizing its foreign policy.

Topaz is November’s birthstone, and chrysanthemums are the month’s flower.

NOAH ZEITLIN/the Justice

QUICK TRANSITION: Before moving, Wang tried to learn as much as possible about life in the United States.

Fish’s Life in a Suitcase

“Life in a Suitcase” is a series focused on sharing the stories of immigrant students, staff and faculty members at Brandeis, with the hope that it will encourage people to adopt a different perspective on a controversial issue.

Cartoon by SOFIA GONZALEZ/the Justice

Meet Fish Wang, who is new to Brandeis — and the U.S. ­

This week’s story: Name: Fish Wang Current position: Member of the Class of 2023 Year of move: 2019 Country of origin: China Languages spoken: Mandarin and English

By SOFIA GONZALEZ JUSTICE EDITORIAL ASSISTANT

Fish Wang ’23, who moved to the United States from China this past June, had been encouraged to study abroad at some point in his academic career. Wang grew up in what he describes as an “atypical Asian family” that gave him a lot of freedom in choosing what to do with his life. Wang’s parents first asked him whether he wanted to study abroad in grade nine, and they decided as a family that he would be completing his higher education outside of China. Wang spoke English and Mandarin, so he looked at universities in English-speaking countries.

After much consideration, he decided to attend a school in the United States, a country he perceived to be vibrant, diverse and vivid.

Wang explained that he tried to learn “as much as possible” about life in the United States before arriving at Brandeis. Wang researched different aspects of American culture, telling the Justice that he became more knowledgeable about American politics and its “liberal ideals” by reading news articles and other internet resources. He realized that America is very different, particularly regarding issues of sexuality, from what he was used to in China. Such differences in ideology and culture eventually made him more excited to move here, he said.

Discovering more about what would become his home for a significant portion of his life also eased Wang transition into college. “There wasn’t a huge gap between what I expected and what I experienced,” Wang explained. The one element that has made Wang’s adjustment somewhat difficult is the language. He began learning English in elementary school, as part of the school’s curriculum, but he never found the lessons very helpful. In fact, he attributes 50% of his English skills to his own commitment to learning the language. While his English has improved significantly, he still struggles with “listening, understanding, reading and writing,” which sometimes hinders his academic performance. Wang stated that it’s also been difficult to find a balance between the amount of time he spends practicing his English and the time he spends speaking Mandarin. He realizes that it’s impossible to stay away from Mandarin, given that he has many peers that prefer to use Mandarin. However, Wang said, “If I stick to my Chinese friends for a week, my English will become worse.” Speaking

Design: Yael Hanadari-Levy/the Justice

his native language has helped Wang — like many other international students — feel at home by allowing him to connect with individuals that share a similar cultural background. Wang spoke highly of his Chinese friends, saying that they “support [him] when [he’s] feeling overwhelmed, when there are things that [he] can’t understand and when there are things that [he’s] not happy with.” By connecting with them, he has managed to create an extensive support network that has helped him “face difficulties [he] cannot face alone” as he continues to settle into his new life.

Apart from the issues he’s faced with language, Wang’s transition has been smooth.

He joked about having some issues under-

standing the memes his American friends reference during their conversations, but quickly added, “This makes sense because if they go to China and I talk to my friends using a lot of Chinese memes, they won’t understand either.” Wang was also partially surprised at the difficulty of his courses. While he expected college-level courses to be harder than most of the classes he took during high school, the actual workload and difficulty he has encountered this far have surpassed his expectations. Nevertheless, he finds the material challenging in a way that stimulates his interest in a variety of subjects.

As for his plans for the future, Wang intends to stay in the United States for a year after graduation to work or intern in his cho-

sen field of study. After that, he will decide if he wants to go back to China or to graduate school. If he chooses to attend graduate school, he might remain in the U.S. for more time or choose to study abroad in a different country. For now, he will continue to explore different fields of study while keeping in mind his parents’ advice: “Success shouldn’t be the only thing a person should pursue in life.”

When asked about advice he would have given himself a year ago, Wang said: “If you decide you want to go to the U.S. for college, try to read more before you come. The more knowledge you have, the better you can adjust to college life. Remember to do the things you want to do.”

NOAH ZEITLIN/the Justice

SUPPORT NETWORK: Wang balances speaking English with spending time with his Mandarinspeaking friends, who help him feel at home.

THE JUSTICE ● FEATURES ● TUESDAY,NOVEMBER 5, 2019

9

The Issue Is...

In part two of a series about politics at Brandeis, the Justice spoke with three clubs about their ideological leanings and policy priorities.

By HAVEN DAI JUSTICE STAFF WRITER

In the second part of a series exploring political activism on campus, the Justice spoke with the leaders of Young Americans for Liberty and Brandeis Democrats, both of which are oriented around a political ideology, and Swing Left, a group that seeks to secure more votes for the Democratic party.

While Brandeis Dems and YAL haven’t officially made any endorsements, Eliza Welty ’22, the vice president of Brandeis Dems, and Brandon Musto ’20, the president of YAL, shared their thoughts regarding the 2020 presidential election and the ideologies of their clubs.

Both clubs value curating an environment that allows different ideas to coexist. For example, Musto mentioned that YAL members do not share a unanimous view about reproductive rights, but YAL does not prevent them from exchanging ideas and supporting their political stances with reasons. In terms of members’ preferences for candidates, Musto said, “Many of our members aren’t too keen about either [party]. … When I say libertarian, I’d imagine a lot of people say ‘Oh, conservative child!’ But most libertarians don’t vote for either party, and that is true for most of our club members.”

He feels that “both parties are presented poorly” so that when it comes to voting in the 2020 election, it is a situation “where you can only choose from two bad sides.”

When asked about the most pressing issues that they feel the next president should work on, Musto said they should reduce the amount of government spending. According to Musto, high deficits and national debts mean the stock market is not on safe ground, despite the open market policies carried out by the Federal Reserve. He suggests that there is a “fiscal responsibility” for the government to make cuts and keep the economy sustainable. However, he is not convinced that any candidate who is running for office will make substantial change, because he does not see anyone advocating for reducing government spending from either party.

“

The truth is, as residents of this country, we are all affected by political decisions every day, whether we are paying attention to them or not.

tion of President Trump. According to Holly Newman ’22, a college fellow on campus, her volunteers work to call voters to make sure that they know there is an election taking place and to reiterate basic voting information. For instance, her team sent over 200 letters to Virginian voters reminding them to vote for the Democratic party in the upcoming local election. By doing so, she believes it shows them a “human touch and personal side of politics.”

Aside from that, they also helped with voter registration in some marginalized communities.

Newman said that it was with the election of President Trump that she started to get involved with political movements, something that “she would

ELIZA WELTY

Welty, on the other hand, spoke about an array of issues that she believes need to be changed. She said, “Climate change is obviously incredibly important and time-sensitive, but this country has to make progress in the affordability of healthcare, fixing the broken and racist criminal justice system, reducing gun violence, ending corruption in politics, increasing the minimum wage, dealing with the student debt crisis, securing rights for LGBTQ+ people, protecting the right to vote and rebuilding relationships with allies around the world.”

Furthermore, Musto thinks that Brandeis should not be affected by the next presidency unless there is a drastic policy change as he believes that there must be a limit to the executive power. Welty said, however, “The truth is, as residents of this country, we are all affected by political decisions every day, whether we are paying attention to them or not. As we graduate and find our ways in the workforce and in this society, the next president will have the power to enact legislation and set the tone for this country.”

Not yet an officially chartered Brandeis organization, Swing Left is part of a national progressive group advocating for the Democratic party that arose after the elec-

not evision herself doing” but she saw a need to. Newman emphasized that there has been “a fight for democracy” which calls for a victory of the Democratic party. When asked about the most pressing issue for the next president to solve, Newman discussed gun violence and climate change. She concedes that “special interest buying votes is a big problem for both parties,” but she believes issues like the National Rifle Association are more serious. She said, “Democrats talking about the problems are more in line with the general public view.”

On the other hand, she criticizes the Republican party for misinformation about gun culture. She also points out that the Republicans have been using fear tactics to mischaracterize the Democratic party, saying, “They are going to take all guns away.” Overall, she doubts the Republicans would take these issues seriously and believes that the Democratic Party would do a better job in taking actions to solve them.

Cartoon by SOFIA GONZALEZ/the Justice

Cartoon by SOFIA GONZALEZ/the Justice

Graphics Courtesy of Creative Commons. Design: Grace Sun/the Justice, Yael Hanadari-Levy/the Justice

10 TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 2019 ● FORUM ● THE JUSTICE

Justice

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Established 1949

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Jocelyn Gould, Editor in Chief Jen Geller, Managing Editor Avraham Penso and Natalia Wiater, Senior Editors Andrew Baxter, Hannah Kressel, Yvette Sei, Judah Weinerman and Maya Zanger-Nadis, Associate Editors Emily Blumenthal and Gilda Geist, News Editors Eliana Padwa, Interim Features Editor Gabriel Frank, Forum Editor, Megan Geller, Sports Editor Luke Liu, Arts & Culture Editor, Noah Zeitlin, Photography Editor, Sarah Katz, Acting Photography Editor Yael Hanadari-Levy, Layout Editor River Hayes, Copy Editor, Lily Schmidt-Swartz, Interim Copy Editor Frances Hoffen and Yona Splaver, Acting Ads Editors

EDITORIALS

Springboard funding should prioritize effectively On Oct. 24, University President Ron Liebowitz announced the formal implementation of his Springboard funding proposal, designed to achieve numerous goals of the President’s Framework for Our Future. The entire funding package itself is valued at $84.7 million, and is intended, according a University-wide email sent by the President, to “address gaps in University operations that must be filled before pursuing a major capital campaign.”

This board commends this aspirational funding plan and the many aspects of University life it addresses.

According to an interview with Liebowitz and Executive Vice President for Finance and Administration Stewart Uretsky, a majority of the funds are being allocated towards the hiring of a minimum of 15 new staff members, with the goal of eventually recruiting 35 to 40. Additionally, this program seeks to address numerous quality-of-life aspects of the day-to-day operations of the University, including but not limited to hiring more therapists for the Brandeis Counseling Center. As an attempt to improve the Brandeis experience for everyone, the program seeks to invest more in terms of accessibility for students with disabilities and devote more resources to Public Safety and security programs.

Furthermore, the University plans to use a portion of these funds to add an additional academic advisor, increase the number of staff in the International Students and Scholars Office and invest in new academic software to register for classes and check grades. Finally, the funding devotes more resources to support diversity, equity and inclusion on campus.

This board welcomes these developments,

and praises the Office of the President for what appears to be a comprehensive, detailed and highly-focused funding plan devoted to addressing the needs of a vast majority of members of the Brandeis community. However, this board urges the administration to be cautious regarding how the funds are actually used, and to act with the utmost scrupulousness in prioritizing and completing projects. If implemented effectively, this program could alter the face of the University for years to come and improve many aspects of University life that students, faculty, staff and other community members perceive to be lacking.

That being said, experience has proved that simply throwing money at departments in need of improvement does not alone lead to meaningful change.

This board hopes that the administration can effectively evaluate how exactly the increased funding for the abovementioned programs will contribute to their improvement on a large scale, so that the vast resources dedicated to this funding proposal are not wasted or misused. The spending program should and will demonstrate the University’s values and priorities. If managed correctly, the University can fix many longstanding issues of accessibility and overcrowded introductory classes, and ensure safer day-to-day operations. This board hopes that this ambitious proposal is managed in good faith and that the large amount of funding it has received goes towards the President’s vision for the University.

— Editor’s Note: Jen Geller wrote the Oct. 29 News article about the Springboard funding plan and did not edit or contribute to this editorial.

Despite the existence of precise policies on paper, many University residents are still unclear about the Department of Community Living’s room inspections process in practice. This board calls on DCL to clearly convey their policies and to ensure that every DCL staff member understands and follows them. Without a uniform process, students are left in the dark about the current room check process and about any future changes.

Per an Oct. 16 DCL email, room inspections are conducted by a team of two, usually consisting of a professional staff member and a Community Advisor.

They will leave a slip of paper if students pass, and a Health and Safety Inspection form if they don’t. However, DCL staff have not been following all of those procedures, leading to confusion and mixed messages among residents.

In one suite-style residence building, some residents did not receive notices that they had passed room inspections. An email from their CA told students, “If you did not receive a note saying that there was a violation, then you are all set.” This contradicts both the Oct. 16 DCL email and a Nov. 1 email from East & Skyline Area Coordinator Kate Mandel to the Justice in which she stipulated staff members will leave a pass slip after inspecting a room if residents pass.

If a student does not receive any documentation about passing an inspection, they cannot prove they did so,

which is a problem.

A CA of another suite-style building told residents in an Oct. 25 email that their building had “passed with flying colors,” but noted that some residents had received “a white form noting a violation” and requested that they follow up with them. In the Nov. 1 email, Mandel stated that some of the ACs “will leave a note on the pass slip for minor concerns or violations that do not require follow-up.” This contradicts the Oct. 16 email, which states that a Health and Safety Inspection Form will be left when there are violations. Clearly, different procedures are followed between buildings — though Mandel stipulated that the inspections procedures are the same in every residence area.

These communication areas are the fault of DCL, not any one of its individual staff.

This board calls on DCL to stop sending students mixed messages and follow all protocols to the letter. Standardized pass/ fail slips should be placed somewhere residents can clearly see them and should identify who conducted the inspection.

Moreover, CAs should be given form emails to send out to residents, ensuring clear communication of and adherence to the listed protocols across residence areas.

— Editor’s Note: The Justice did not identify the CAs mentioned in this editorial to protect their identities and ensure that they do not face punishment for a wider, systemic issue with DCL.

DCL room inspections need standardization

HARRISON PAEK/ the Justice

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For the past month, strong winds, dry weather patterns and, according to many scientists, a warming climate have prompted red flag warnings across California. Since Oct. 23, the Kincade Fire has burned over 76,000 acres of land, destroying over 200 homes. In an effort to prevent the spread of current wildfires and prevent new ones from starting, Pacific Gas and Electric cut power to hundreds of thousands of homes, surprising many residents who felt they had not received sufficient warning. Should PG&E’s power shutoffs be seen as an appropriate method of preventing future wildfires, or should the company take other steps to ensure their equipment does not pose a danger to the state? What other measures can California, or the federal government, take to prevent and contain wildfires in the future?

Vandita Malviya Wilson ’20

There’s a list of fires burning in my current home state of California.

And PG&E has decided to cut power to prevent further damage since the Santa Ana winds are in full force. This hasn’t done much good.

And each time there is a new excuse of some mismanaged chain of communications. Those I know with means have been able to buy generators to keep the lights on; the less fortunate are SOL. Many residents said they didn’t know this was coming. How could anyone live in California and *not* see the Climate Change Apocalypse coming? While cutting power is a great idea, it only works for me if PG&E provides those residents with generators, or with hotel vouchers. But they’re not reimbursing those affected for food, lost productivity, medications, valuables, or anything. They’re in bankruptcy for fires from previous years, and yet they continue to raise my rates, blame climate change, poor management, sprawling suburbia, and any other excuse they can think of. We get it: it’s climate change. PG&E and the State of California should have been working together to get their lines and equipment upgraded, not finger pointing. This has been known for years, if not decades. I’m just wondering what exactly they’re going to do about it and when.

Vandita Malviya Wilson is an MBA candidate at the Brandeis International Business School and is a staff writer for the Justice.

Trevor Filseth ’20

Pacific Gas and Electric was right to cut power off in the name of safety. With that said, the direct cause of the Kincade Fire is almost certainly PG&E itself; the fire started moments after a nearby tower experienced an outage, likely from a fallen power line. This is not surprising. Everyone in California understands that PG&E has put the profits of shareholders before the public interest for decades, and its utilities are astonishingly unsafe. The company’s failing infrastructure has been found responsible for hundreds of fires in recent years, including 2018’s Camp Fire, which claimed 85 lives and destroyed 18,000 buildings. While important problems like climate change and water management must be addressed to keep the fires under control, PG&E needs fundamental change in how it operates; it must either be broken down into smaller, more accountable firms, or taken over by the state.

Trevor Filseth is a History major, a senior staff writer for the Justice and is a resident of Northern California.

Yvette Sei ’20

Electrical equipment has started six of the ten worst fires in California history, so yes in the short term PG&E cutting power in at risk areas is a responsible choice, but it can only be temporary solution. The outages have already caused problems in themselves, putting people at risk in new ways by making communication more difficult, thus complicating evacuations.

PG&E need to invest in improving their infrastructure immediately because this is not a feasible long term solution. Nor is the current California resistance to using controlled burns to mitigate the effects of wildfires. The current policy of allowing brush to build up does nothing but provide kindling for wild blazes. The southeastern U.S. has seen a great deal of success with fire management using the technique and it’s about time California started adapting it as well. The federal government should be helping California with the manpower and funds to implement these solutions and protect residents. This is currently a California problem but as climate change worsens fires will become an increasingly present problem for America as a whole and the federal government should see California as a valuable test case to learn about fire management and be prepared for when more of the US starts to burn.

Yvette Sei is a Politics and French and Francophone studies double major and is an associate editor for the Justice.

Lily Schmidt-Swartz ’20

Given that fires have already broken out, I fear that other steps PG&E might take to ensure their equipment does not pose a danger would not prove timely enough to prevent the spread of the current fires. PG&E would first have to investigate why their equipment commonly causes and spreads fires and would only then be able to implement change.

An investigation that PG&E undertakes could be a months-long process and the implementation of changes following an investigation could also be a months-long process. Moreover, the current fires might impair PG&E’s ability to safely conduct a thorough investigation or to implement all required changes. Unfortunately, the safest option seems to be power shutoffs. Assuming that PG&E is to remain the electricity provider for the state, the Newsom administration should implement regulatory reforms that force PG&E to undertake an investigation and to implement needed improvements. To the degree that such regulatory reforms prove costly — on PG&E and, by effect, on utility customers — California should seek resources from the federal government to somehow offset the costs.

Lily Schmidt-Swartz is a Politics and Near-Eastern and Judaic Studies double major and is the Interim Copy Editor for the Justice.

Photos: Yvette Sei, Noah Neitlin, Vandita Malviya Wilson; the Justice

THE JUSTICE ● FORUM ● TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 2019

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Recognizing Greek life would solve a lot of its problems LEAH TIMPSON JUSTICE CONTRIBUTING WRITER

This past week, several Brandeis Greek life organizations participated in an event aimed at raising awareness of sexual assault on campus, titled These Letters Believe Survivors. Each day of the week, two organizations ⁠— a fraternity and a sorority ⁠— set up a table in Upper Usdan with petitions to support legislation that would ensure that resources, like the Prevention, Advocacy & Resource Center at Brandeis, are present in all Massachusetts universities. There was also an option for passersby to write a direct letter to Massachusetts representatives stating their support for this bill. Sexual assault is an epidemic, especially on college campuses, and it would be absolutely nescient to think that Brandeis is excluded from this conversation. This effort, which was organized entirely by members of Greek life themselves, was an effective way to raise awareness and to get people directly involved in the fight for prevention. However, efforts by members of Greek life to actively prevent sexual assault leave much to be desired.

Full disclosure: I am a member of a sorority on campus, and I am not here to shame any person or organization. Brandeis Greek organizations have a strong “we’re all in this together” mentality, and I do not intend to break that. I am writing to share my experiences and thoughts as someone whose Brandeis experience is closely tied to a Greek life organization. I love my sorority and each and every member in it, and I could go on and on about why being a part of it has been beneficial to me.

I’m here to make the greater Brandeis community aware of Greek life on campus, as many people who are not a part of an organization do not have as much information about them.

Greek life is not recognized by the University administration. However, the Greek Awareness Council often acts as a liaison between organizations and the administration when it comes to booking rooms for meetings and other activities. GAC acts more as a Greek life UN than that of a panhellenic council at a larger school.

Besides common sense, there are no overarching rules for organizations that are enforced outside of the recruitment, or “rush” period. This often means that numerous incidents get swept under the rug and are ignored. If Brandeis were to recognize Greek life, it is likely that some regulations would exist, and there would be repercussions for breaking them. As it stands right now, it is up to independant organizations to instill punishment if a member violates that organization’s policies.

As one could imagine, since there are no baseline rules, each organization can punish misdemeanors at their own discretion.

Hypothetical situation: someone in an organization goes to a party and their drink is spiked by someone who is part of a different

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organization. It is entirely plausible that nothing would happen to the perpetrator even if the victim spoke out. GAC can’t really do anything, and the risk management team/executive board of the perpetrator’s organization could easily just shut down the accusation. Now, of course, we’d all like to think that this would never happen, but as it stands right now, it is likely that it could.

These organizations could continue to maintain their relationship, and nothing would change. In reality, the only thing that stops organizations from fraternizing with each other is reputation, which is a large aspect of Greek life. Every organization has a reputation, whether it be positive, negative or neutral, which controls the majority of interactions between organizations.

Some organizations have long-held relationships, and some don’t because of reputations. Frankly, I find it abhorrent that social life and reputation are among the few things controlling how Greek life functions.

When I got to college, I thought my days of high school drama were over. Yet, when I arrived at

Brandeis, I found out this would not be the case.

Brandeis is a very small school, and the effect of the dilemma of reputations in Greek life just exacerbates the situation. Relationships between organizations are very delicate, often to the point where one side can terminate it based off of pettiness. It is not infrequent for organizations to not even respond to other organizations’ requests for joint events due to the fact that they have some vendetta (usually trivial in nature) against the other organization, or one of its members. Relationships between the fraternities and sororities are especially fragile, since events involving both of them are the framework for social life within Greek life at Brandeis. As someone who also oversees social events, it is extremely frustrating when other organizations simply do not respond to messages because of whatever minor feud they imagine is going on.

Communication is key for any environment, but for a community such as Greek life, where everyone is relying on each other heavily, being exclusive does nothing but harm. I strongly

feel that if Greek life was recognized by the administration, there would be more control over the organizations’ relationships and these petty issues would not be happening.

The controversy of whether or not Greek life should be recognized by the administration is widely debated among many members of the Brandeis community; I firmly believe that it should be.

What Brandeis sororities and fraternities need is control, to ensure that the hypothetical I explained earlier does not happen. While efforts like These Letters Believe Survivors are definitely helpful, it is like putting a small band-aid on a large cracked window ⁠— it doesn’t really fix the greater problem. I think that if the Brandeis administration recognized Greek life, many problems within and between organizations would be solved, and the greater Brandeis community would benefit significantly.

If not, events and members will continue to go unregulated, and there is no telling what could potentially happen. Your move, Brandeis.

Kashmir: A demonstration of India’s failing democracy My hometown has been referred to as the ‘Gaza Strip of Kashmir.’ On the fateful night of Aug. 4, 2019, I was shaken from my sleep by the sound of an explosion. When I ran to check if my mother was alright, I found that she had already locked the main doors to our house. She asked me to hide in the attic. “The police have cordoned the area off,” she said.

I was already distressed by the news that had reached me earlier in the day that more than 4,000 people, mostly young men and boys as young as 13 years old, had been arrested by the Indian authorities on the fabricated pretense of “preventing public disturbance.” I question the moral compass of a government that disguises child imprisonment as a necessary precaution in protecting civic peace and prosperity.

A few days later, a fact-finding team of eminent activists and journalists estimated that more than 13,000 youth were missing from the valley of Kashmir and transferred to different prisons across India. Imagine the agony experienced by their parents who had no information on their children’s whereabouts or condition. Many of them have been slapped with the notorious Public Safety Act, a law that permits the holding of people in jail without trial for up to two years.

There have been a number of cases of torture by the army which is made audible through loudspeakers so that other people can hear the victim’s screams.

I had gone home to Kashmir for my summer vacation after having been away from my mother and grandparents while studying abroad. All I

wanted to do was spend some quality time with my family before returning to the demands of graduate school. Only in retrospect did I realize that I, along with 8 million fellow Kashmiris, had been completely unaware of what was about to happen.

Kashmir has endured almost seven decades of territorial and geopolitical conflict between the two nuclear-armed states of India and Pakistan.

In exchange for the prospects, peace, and selfdetermination, our people have always been willing to compromise and negotiate in good faith.

In the days following the clampdown, everyone in my uncle’s house — especially my younger male cousins — were under strict orders not to venture outside, no matter what.

My grandmother’s eyes were trained on the gate to make sure no one left the house. This was her way of reassuring us that we would all be safe.

But deep down she and the entire family knew that anything could happen to anyone at any moment. Going into hiding was our only fragile defense.

This past summer in Kashmir, I spent countless hours lying awake at night worrying about our safety and future as a people. Now that I am back in the US, I am still spending countless hours awake at night, deeply concerned for the safety and wellbeing of my family.

In my dreams, I see incessantly haunting images. I am catapulted back to images of little boys, some as young as 9 years old, who were snatched from their mothers’ arms and severely

injured during clashes with the police. I can still hear the wailing cries of these mothers. I felt humiliated for them as they begged the police for mercy and to release their sons. I felt sick watching these desperate mothers surrender their headscarves — and their honor — in the name of submission and humility at the feet of these so-called ‘protectors of peace.’

But mercy was not granted, and their children were taken away. To this day these mothers — and thousands more like them — have no information about their children.

The conflict in Kashmir has devastated millions of lives in economic, social, religious and even psychological ways. Almost half the Kashmiri population is demonstrating signs of emotional distress and trauma. A new epidemic of mental illness is ravaging the valley. Dubbed the ‘Midnight Syndrome,’ sleeplessness and despair chronicle the distress and anxiety that plague those who fear loved ones being taken away.

Their fears are well-founded. Since the 1990s, Young Kashmiris, even non-violent protesters, have “vanished” while in the custody of the Indian Army at a rate four times greater than those who were ‘disappeared’ in Chile under the Pinochet regime, and more than 6,000 unmarked graves have been discovered in Kashmir. These are lives that will never be fulfilled or traced.

And yet, amid an unrelenting international crisis, the issue of Kashmir has receded from the news. It truly feels as if the entire world has turned a blind eye to the concerns and well-being

of ordinary Kashmiris.

But the world should know: This same type of silence and passivism in the face of human atrocities has led to genocide time and again.

The holocausts in Europe and Rwanda have irrevocably scarred vulnerable populations irreparably. The Kashmiri people are at the doorstep of this same devastation unless the global community steps in.

The world of my Kashmir has been turned upside down in the name of placating rightwing ultra-nationalism in India. The question remains: Where do we go from here? My parent’s generation was destroyed as a result of electoral betrayals that incited a protracted conflict 30 years ago. Will this new constitutional assault on the marginalized people of Kashmir devastate yet another generation?

Some say this may be India’s Vietnam. If the fallout is not proactively stemmed, India may be looking at decades of distrust and political conflict with a population it calls “citizens.”

The government of India has once again chosen conflict over peace, acrimony over resolution. Peace in South Asia is hanging by a thread. The vulnerable community in Kashmir is facing an existential threat, and the world is a mute spectator. The Kashmir issue is an acid test for democracy in India, which is largely failing.

—Editor’s Note: The Justice published this piece anonymously due to concerns for the safety of the author.

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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TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 2019● FORUM ● THE JUSTICE

FORUM

Cancel culture: a truly toxic phenomenon in modern politics Harrison PAEK

INKTANK

President Obama recently gave remarks about the phenomena of cancel culture and callout culture during an interview about youth activism with the Obama Foundation.

“People who do really good stuff have flaws,” said the former president, who went on to express his discontent for the watered down and lazy activism that “wokeness” is creating.

An angry tweet calling someone out about something they have done wrong is “not bringing about change,” according to Obama.

President Obama’s comments get to the heart of a major problem causing division and rancor in America. Social activism and social change have been replaced by anger, expressed in unconstructive ways.

For those unfamiliar with callout culture, a brief overview is in order. Callout culture is the tendency for people to shame each other for actions or words deemed politically incorrect.

This criticism can be either in person or on social media. Cancel culture is the unhappy younger sibling of callout culture. Any words or deeds too egregious to forgive, criminal or not, now warrant cancellation. Canceling a celebrity or a public figure takes the form of a boycott of their products or services. The idea is to rob them of their power and influence by cutting them out of everyday life. Canceling people in real life can manifest itself as the silent treatment, shame messages and complete social ostracizing. Teens who have made poorly informed decisions are canceled in a way reminiscent of the ancient world: convicted without trial, exiled and left to languish. A ‘canceled’ 15-year-old interviewed by The New York Times said of her experience, “All the friends I had previously had through middle school completely cut me off. ... Ignored me, blocked me on everything, would not look at me.” It took a while for her to realize she had been canceled, but eventually the signs became abundantly clear. The Times did not specify what she had done in order to protect her identity. As soon as she questioned why she had been canceled, she began to receive a tsunami of hate messages. It seems that the ideal of woke perfection has been distributed to the masses as a pocket volume of a book called “take no prisoners; eat your young.”

Humorist Stephen Fry condensed his similar discontent in a Munk Debate, “one of the greatest human failings is to prefer to be right than to be effective.” Nine times out of ten, call-outs are correct in their content. Be that as it may, people can do more to express their

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qualms in a constructive manner. There are a lot of smart people with all kinds of political beliefs that have fallen from grace due to the appeal of a one-size-fits-all approach to outrage at anything one is “woke” enough to recognize as wrong. It’s reassuring to know better than somebody else and to prove that. While this is not my segue into plugging Joe Biden for president again — I can admit that I was wrong about that much — there is room for more varied approaches in the pursuit of change rather than personal catharsis.

Hostility met with hostility is the new style in Washington. Resistance is power, and no doubt an important piece of the puzzle in affecting social change. Some measure of compassion into the world of cancel culture is necessary if division is not to conquer America. Consider, for a moment, a dinner party. An episode of the podcast “Invisibilia” from NPR details the real life story of a warm summer’s night where a group of people are seated around wine and cheese celebrating the opening of a friend’s restaurant. Suddenly, an armed robber appears and the situation escalates so the guests fear

for their lives. They have no money to give the man, and there are children in their company.

Desperate for a solution, one of the guests offers the robber a glass of wine, and taken aback, the man accepts it. He sits down to wine and cheese, and eventually asks for a hug. All the guests embrace the strange man and the strange situation, and the man goes home with a glass of wine.

The guests laugh and cry at the ridiculousness of the events that just transpired. A truly one of a kind event, but it illustrates the documented psychological phenomenon of non-complementary behavior.

In short, according to a study published by the American Psychological Association, the idea of complementarity states that people tend to mirror each other’s behavioral patterns.

Hostility begets hostility, kindness begets kindness. Meeting either circumstance with a markedly different response can have effects that sound exaggerated.

It feels so often that giving up ground in making room to be compassionate weakens the cause for which you fight. NPR says in a

salient article, “It could feel like giving up too much and setting yourself up for being taken advantage of.”

How do I project strength in the face of all the evil in the world? I take heart knowing that wise people like Elijah Cummings believed both that America had the potential to be the greatest country in the world through civil discourse and compassion, and worked until the end in to achieve that goal. At Cummings’ funeral, President Obama spoke to resounding applause: “There is nothing weak about kindness and compassion … you’re not a sucker to have integrity.”

In this sense, cancel culture and the liberal left are not the last bastion of pure thought in America, even though sometimes it seems that way. I’m guilty of mistaking judgment for activism. Often I think that I know a lot about people, have them figured out and that I can diagnose the most right and most effective solution. I, too, think that compassion is cliche, but in recognizing all the things I don’t know, I think I’ll make more room for it this week.

Impeachment does more good than harm for democracy

By ANGELA SELF JUSTICE STAFF WRITER

Chances are that you have heard talk of impeaching President Trump. On Thursday, the House of Representatives voted in favor of an impeachment inquiry, the fourth time that our nation has voted in favor of an impeachment inquiry for a sitting president.

This impeachment case is primarily based on the accusation that Trump demanded information from the president of Ukraine about his political opponent Joe Biden in exchange for military aid. Whether or not Trump did in fact make these demands, I am most concerned with what will happen after he is out of office, whether that be through impeachment or the end of his term. I think that what would be most beneficial to the country as a whole would be to remove the President from office.

Is the above even an impeachable action?

The Constitution is pretty broad in its definition of an impeachable offense, stating that “The President, Vice President and all Civil Officers of the United States, shall be removed from Office on Impeachment for, and Conviction of, Treason, Bribery, or other high Crimes and Misdemeanors.” This means that there are many forms of wrongdoings that are grounds for impeachment. Given what the public is aware of so far in this investigation, I would say that the President has abused his power for private gain. This is no small misdemeanor; the aid withheld was 400 million. That is $400 million of taxpayer money that he used as a bargaining chip solely for his own political gain.

I have said that I believe that Trump has abused his power for private gain. The difficulty in proving this as part of the impeachment inquiry is that there has to be evidence that what he did was for his own personal interest and not for the good of the country. President Trump has claimed that Joe Biden used his position as Vice President in the Obama administration in order to help his son Hunter in his business dealings in the Ukraine. Right now the claim by President Trump appears to be a baseless accusation, and no hard evidence has yet been presented to the public.

What did President Trump have to gain from this quid pro quo exchange? Joe Biden is currently the frontrunner of the Democratic party and, as of now, is likely to be his opponent in the 2020 general election. The dealings that Biden had with the Ukraine occurred in 2016. Trump demanded that the president of Ukraine investigate him, without any legitimate purpose on behalf of the United States, in exchange for military aid.

The only motive that makes sense given what information has been made public, along with the whistleblowers willing to commit political suicide if discovered, leads me to believe that this call was made by President Trump to help his reelection campaign in 2020.

A common misconception surrounding impeachment is that the president has to have committed a crime that is punishable in criminal courts. This is actually not the case; a president can be impeached, as well as other government officials, for actions that are not statutory crimes. For example,

Judges Mark Delahay and John Pickering were impeached for drunkenness during the time of our founding fathers. The reason that impeachment can be grounded on “high crimes and misdemeanors” is because the founders knew that they would be unable to predict the future actions of presidents and therefore wanted to leave flexibility for the generations of Americans to come. The founders wanted to ensure that our democracy was protected outside of the formalities of the law. The law can change over time, but the threat that our highest political office could be used for the advancement of personal interests has been with us since the formation of this country.

Impeachment was designed to protect us from exactly the type of behavior that the president has displayed on the Ukraine call. Even if in the end it is found that no statutory crime has been committed, the president should still be impeached because he has used his political office for political gain and that, according to our founders, is an impeachable offense.

I’ve spent a long time considering whether pursuing impeachment would be in the best interest of the American people. The country is already so divided, and I expect as the impeachment inquiry moves further along, we will see more rhetoric bashing the other side. While this may be detrimental to the country in the short run, setting a precedent that the president of the United States can use the power of their office for their own personal gain is downright catastrophic for the future of this nation. As of right now the president is not supposed to be above the law. If we allow President Trump to get away with this blatant

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

abuse of power, we are opening Pandora’s Box. Once we allow one president to use the office for their own personal agenda, more will follow.

As of November 2019, 48% of Americans support impeaching President Trump.

When you break this number down across the parties you find that those in favor of impeachment are 83.4% of Democrats, 45% of Independents and 11.4% of Republicans. This issue is already being divided down among party lines before the case for impeachment has been presented to the public.

The damage this inquiry poses to bipartisanship is not to be taken lightly.

There is a chance that politicians will take a stance on the impeachment inquiry solely on the basis of their party affiliations. If this hyperpartisanship stands in the way of justice for the American people, I fear that this divide will only widen and make bipartisanship next to impossible.

This is not just another political fight.

Trump’s actions are an attack on the American people as a whole. We need to band together no matter our political affiliations in order to protect this country. President Trump has abused his political office, and if we do not hold him accountable we leave the possibility for any president to do the same.

The Constitution has checks and balances for a reason: to protect our freedom. Our freedom is infringed upon when the president can go outside the bounds of their power. We, the people, need to hold our highest office accountable to the same standard that we hold our fellow citizens.

THE JUSTICE ● SPORTS ● TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 2019

JUST KEEP SWIMMING

SOCCER: Both teams struggle CONTINUED FROM 16 giving Emory their third point, and 13 minutes later, Emory’s LJ Kolodge was assisted by Kylie Hall to close out the fourth goal of the game. This game was devastating for the Judges as they could not manage to score a single point while the Eagles scored.

After their defeat by Emory, the Judges had to brush themselves off if they wanted to gain the momentum needed to beat Rochester. Unfortunately, their game against the Yellowjackets would result in another loss, this time in overtime.

The teams were actually wellmatched for each other. At the end of the game, the teams were tied at two points each. The first point of the game was scored by the Judges’ Daria Bakhtiari ‘21 in the 21st minute. 24:04 into

13

the game, Rochester’s Madison Drenowatz scored Rochester’s first goal assisted by Giuliana Vasile and Carolyn Richards. The Judges responded with a point at 30:51 by Emma Spector ’20, who was assisted

by Ruby Siegal ’22. The final point of the half was by the Yellowjackets’ Drenowatz and assisted by Emily Tompkins.

With that, the teams entered the second half tied at two points each. The game could go in either direction. However, no one was able to score during the second half of play, though the Yellowjackets led the Judges in attempted shots 3–2. The final game point came in overtime when Richards scored the winning point for Rochester.

Both squads will face the New York University Violets on Saturday. They both need to win against NYU to escape the slump they are in and prevent a threegame losing streak.

Meeting: Wednesdays at 6 p.m.

Want to be more than just a spectator?

Write for Sports!

Contact Megan Geller at sports@thejustice.org

JEN GELLER/Justice File Photo

KICKIN’ IT: Women’s swim team outpaces opponents in a meet against Massachusetts Maritime Academy on Jan 13.

SWIM: Teams split successes and failures CONTINUED FROM 16 Men’s Squad While the men faced only two teams, WPI and Babson, they too split their wins and losses. Their victory against WPI ended with a score of 141–131 and their loss to Babson ended with a score of 119.5– 142.5.

The Judges raced in relay events, but the team was unable to place first in any of them. In the 400-yard medley, Brendon Lu ’22, Tamir Zitney ’20, Matthew Arcemont ’20 and Marcelo Ohno-Machado ’21 placed second with a time of 3:36.54.

In a separate relay, the 400-yard

freestyle, Wohl, Arcemont, Zitelny and Ohno-Machado placed second with a time of 3:13.69.

In individual competition, Brendon Lu ’22 proved to be a force to be reckoned with during two separate breaststroke events, the 50-yard and the 100-yard, and during the 400-yard individual medley. His times for each of these events was 28.24, 1:01.55 and 4:23.83, respectively. Lu was the most successful Brandeis swimmer from both the men’s and women's teams and was a large contributor to the wins that the men's team earned that day. In the 400-yard freestyle, Lu won in a close race, just barely beating teammate Joshua Liu ’23.

Daniel Wohl ’21 was also able to place first in a race, but it was a tie with a swimmer from Babson in the 200-yard freestyle, both finishing with a time of 1:43.35. Although these were the Judges’ only wins for the day, there were several Brandeis swimmers who placed second in their events. Richard Selnick ’21 placed second in two different races.

His times were 4:58.93 in the 500-yard freestyle and 10:20.18 in the 1000-yard freestyle. Zitelny placed second in the 100-yard butterfly with a time of 51.42.

Next, the Judges will take on Bentley University at their campus on Friday, Nov. 15.

XC: Teams succeed at University Athletic Association meets, placing seventh and eighth CONTINUED FROM 16 Valdez ’21 completed the Judge’s top seven finishers.

Men’s Squad The men Judges finished with 232 points — 43 points behind eighth place New York University.

Lombardo cut 55 seconds off his previous best performance at the meet, but the competition was so fierce that he dropped four spots in the ranking to 44th. Lombardo finished the eight-kilometer course in 26:06.7 and was less than two seconds out of repeating his previous career best at UAAs, last year’s

40th place finish. Matthew Driben ’22 came in 50th overall with a time of 26:19.81. Driben improved by a minute and 45 seconds and 15 places in the standings over his rookie season. Driben also edged out Mark Murdy ’21 who placed 51st and was 0.65 of a second behind in 26:20.46.

Murdy dropped seven places from

his rookie season, after missing last year to injury, but improved his UAA time by 1:23 over his inaugural run.

Dan Curley ’20 ran 27:22.25 in his final UAA cross country race, breaking 28 minutes for the first time and placing 65th, three spots better than a year ago. Casey Brackett ’23 rounded out the top five runners for the Judges,

placing 69th with a time of 27:40.28. A trio of seniors completed the field for the Judges in their final UAA cross country races, Alec Rogers ’20, Brian Gao ’20 and Jacob Judd ’20.

The Judges will continue their season on Nov. 16 at the 2019 National Collegiate Athletic Association Division III New England Regionals

Meeting: Sundays at 3:30 p.m.

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THE JUSTICE

JUDGES BY THE NUMBERS

● SPORTS ●

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 5 , 2019

15

VOLLEYBALL

MEN’S SOCCER UAA STANDINGS

Chicago NYU Rochester WashU Emory JUDGES Carnegie Case

TEAM STATS Goals

UAA Conf.

W L D 6 0 0 3 2 1 3 3 0 3 3 0 2 2 2 2 3 1 2 4 0 0 4 2

Overall W L D 10 1 5 7 6 2 11 4 1 8 6 1 9 5 3 9 5 4 6 8 1 6 7 4

UPCOMING GAMES: Saturday vs. New York University

Will DeNight ’23 and Max Breiter ’20 lead with six goals.

Player Goals Pct. 6 .781 Will DeNight 6 .533 Max Breiter 3 .688 Noah Gans 2 .567 Dylan Hennessy .618 Assists .611 Dylan Hennesy ’20 leads the .433 team with 5 assists. .471 Player Assists Dylan Hennesy 5 Noah Gans 4 Jared Panson 2

WOMEN’S SOCCER UAA STANDINGS

TEAM STATS Goals

Chicago NYU Carnegie Rochester WashU Case JUDGES Emory

UAA Conf. Overall W L D W L D 6 0 0 15 1 1 4 1 1 12 2 2 4 2 0 12 4 0 3 3 0 10 5 1 2 4 0 13 4 0 2 4 0 11 6 0 1 4 1 9 5 2 1 5 0 10 7 0

Pct. .912 .813 .750 .656 .765 .647 .625 .588

UPCOMING GAMES: Saturday vs. New York University

Juliette Carreiro ’22 leads the team with 8 goals.

Player Goals Juliette Carreiro 8 Makenna Hunt 7 Daria Bakhtiarti 5 Jessica Herman 3

Assists Juliette Carreiro ’22 leads the team with 5 assists.

Player Assists Juliette Carreiro 5 Makenna Hunt 4 Caroline Swan 4

VOLLEYBALL UAA STANDINGS

TEAM STATS Kills

Chicago Emory Carnegie WashU NYU Case JUDGES Rochester

UAA Conf.

W L 7 0 6 1 5 2 4 3 3 4 2 5 1 6 0 7

Overall W L 24 1 26 1 21 2 21 5 24 3 11 9 4 9 11 11

Pct. .923 .929 .750 .808 .800 .423 .167 .379

UPCOMING GAMES: Friday vs. Emory University

Emma Bartlett ’20 leads the team with 253 kills.

Player Kills Emma Bartlett 253 Belle Scott 223 Amelia Oppenheimer 166

Digs Kaitlyn Oh ’22 leads the team with 294 digs.

Player Digs Kaitlyn Oh 294 Amelia Oppenheimer 208 Belle Scott 207

CROSS COUNTRY Results from the Keene State lnvitational on Oct. 3.

TOP FINISHERS (Men’s)

TOP FINISHERS (Women’s)

5-Mile Run RUNNER TIME Mark Murdy 26:04.4 Mathew Dribben 26:08.3 Dan Curley 26:52.1

5-Kilometer Run RUNNER TIME Danielle Bertaux 18:38.0 Erin Magill 18:44.4 Andrea Bolduc 19:09.6

Nov. 16 at NCAA New England Regional Championships Data Courtesy of THE OFFICIAL SITE OF THE UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS ASSOCIATION and the BRANDEIS ATHLETICS WEBSITE Images Courtesy of CREATIVE COMMONS

MEGAN GELLER/Justice File Photo

HIGH FIVES: Brandeis volleyball’s Belle Scott ’21 highfives a teammate in a match against Emory University on Sept. 21.

Volleyball suffers two more match losses ■ The Brandeis volleyball team continues to grow their losing streak after falling to Wellesley College and University of Massachusetts Boston College.

By MEGAN GELLER JUSTICE EDITOR

This week, the Brandeis Judges’ volleyball team suffered two match losses. Their opponent on Oct. 31 was the Wellesley College Blue, and they handed the Judges three set losses in a row with scores of 11–25, 16–25 and 19–25. However, on Nov. 2, the Judges put up a great fight against the University of Massachusetts Boston Beacons before losing in the fifth and deciding match. Existing Judges injuries to several players on the team left the Judges with little depth, and the team began to tire in the last two sets. The Beacons won with set scores of 25–20, 18–25, 21–25, 25–15 and 15–8.

At the volleyball team’s Senior Night at Red Auerbach Arena, an injured Judges squad gave the visiting Blue their best before ultimately losing the match 3–0. The Judges’ injuries going into the game combined with in-match injuries only furthered tired the remaining players. With this match loss, the Judges fell to 4–19 for the season, while the Blue improved to 21–4 on the year.

In the first set, Wellesley jumped

out to a quick 11–4 lead and never looked back. The Judges tried to come back thanks to back-to-back aces by Kaitlyn Oh ’22, but the Blue scored six straight points under the service of Nicole Doerges to retake the momentum and win the set. Set two was much the same, as Wellesley took an early 11–2 lead, but the Judges rallied to cut the lead by one at 15–14 on a combination block

by Avery Donovan ’22 and Amelia Oppenheimer ’23 to revitalize the team. However, the Blue answered the Judges’ surge by scoring 10 of the last 12 points to take the set. In the third set, the Judges changed things up and battled to a 6–2 lead early on.

Even though the Blue kept inching their way back, eventually tying the game at 17, the Judges would not give up their attempts to pull ahead.

However, Wellesley held onto the momentum and finished the set 25– 19.

Emma Bartlett ’20 led the Judges with eight kills in her final home match, ending her home season with a total of 947 kills and 297 blocks.

Bartlett is on pace for a sixth 1000kill season and second ever 300 block season in Brandeis history. Oh had a game-high 18 digs for the Judges, and Donovan had five blocks.

On Nov. 2, the Judges faced UMass Boston, and having regrouped from their loss a few days earlier, the teamcame out strong. Though the Judges lost the first set, they remained persistent and won the next two sets for a 2–1 lead. However, the Judges were short players due

to injuries and began to tire. They were not able to hold onto the lead and lost the next two sets, 15–25 and 8–15. Playing without their regular setter and libero, the Judges were still able to take an initial 2–1 set lead.

The Brandeis offense was on fire in the third set, picking up 16 of their 25 points on kills as they won, 25–21. The Beacons responded in the fourth and fifth sets, as they made just two errors and had 20 kills on 46 total attacks, while Brandeis was held even with as many kills as errors. Without much depth in the team though the Judges began to tire in the fourth set and lost the final two sets and the match 2–3.

The Beacons took the final two sets by scores of 25–15 and 15–8 to take the match win.

Despite being down two regulars, the Judges managed to put together three double-double performances.

Belle Scott ’21 tied for match high honors with 16 kills and had seven errors for a .205 hitting percentage, 15 digs, tied for team-high honors.

This was her sixth double-double of the season. Oppenheimer added her third double-double with 11 kills and 15 digs and Bartlett completed the double-double contingent with 11 kills and 12 digs. It was Bartlett’s eighth of the season. Talia Freud ’23 had 20 assists, while Emily Morrison ’23 had 15 assists.

Brandeis, the seventh seed in next weekend’s University Athletic Association tournament in Chicago, meets Emory University, the second seed and second-ranked in Division III, in the quarterfinals.

PRO SPORTS BRIEF

Midyear NFL Status Report: the pleasant and not-so pleasant surprises An adage in sports, attributed to legendary basketball coach, Adolph Rupp of the University of Kentucky says, “That’s why we play the game: to see who’ll win,” according to an article from grammarphobia. com reminds us that in sports, we should not be surprised by results contrary to our expectations. With that in mind, at the midpoint of the 2019 National Football League season, I present the teams that have surprised us, based on the preseason predictions by John Breech, according to a September 2019 article by CBS Sports.

Buffalo Bills The Bills were expected to be a .500 team. However, they exploded out of the starting gate. With a 5–2 record, they are positioned to make the playoffs as a wild card and have an outside chance of challenging the red-hot New England Patriots for the American Football Conference East. The Bills are winning with a

stout defense, ranked fifth in overall scoring and third in passing defense.

Houston Texans A losing season was predicted for the Texans who have earned a respectable 5–3 record and are positioned to ultimately win the AFC South Division, as they are neck and neck with the Indianapolis Colts, following recent victories over the powerhouse Kansas City Chiefs and the improved Oakland Raiders.

Their resurgence is believed to be largely due to the emergence of the great scoring combination of the third year rising star quarterback Deshaun Watson and his fellow Clemson Tiger, receiver DeAndre Hopkins.

According to battleredblog.com, this tandem has been a highly effective scoring weapon.

Pittsburgh Steelers Both teams from the AFC North are early disappointments despite

winning seasons predicted for both. The Steelers, perennial winners and considered one of the flagship franchises in the National Football League, are languishing with a 3–4 record with preseason playoff expectations. With their great starting quarterback, Ben Roethlisberger, out due to injury, and a fall-off in talent among the receivers, the offense has been impaired, especially now that opposing defenses can concentrate more on their running game, rendering it less effective as well, according to NBC Sports.

Cleveland Browns As for the Browns, the expectations were high after a resurgent 2018 season and the addition of star receiver Odell Beckham Junior to an already very talented team.

However, the Brown’s losing record of 2–5 has been attributed to the underachieving but talented receivers, the inconsistent play of

quarterback Baker Mayfield and the loss of the great left tackle, Joe Thomas, according to sbnation.com.

Los Angeles Chargers The Chargers, a 2018 playoff team, are enduring a 3–5 season although they were expected to compete with the Chiefs for the AFC West title.

The team’s disappointing season has been largely attributed to a poor offense, as evidenced by their inability to score more than 20 points in the past four games and the dismal running game, with the team rushing for an alarming 40 or fewer yards in each of those games. This offensive ineptitude cost Offensive Coordinator Ken Whisenhunt his job; he was fired this week.

Atlanta Falcons The Falcons were expected to compete with the New Orleans Saints for the National Football Conference South Division title.

They are currently mired in the

midst of a 1–7 record. The record has led to questions regarding the performance of the head coach, Dan Quinn, and has led the owner of the team, Arthur Blank, to say that he was “extraordinarily disappointed” with the Falcons’ season.

San Francisco Forty-Niners The Niners were expected to have a rebuilding year and are currently undefeated with a 7-0 record. Their rise is summed up well by Pete Prisco of CBS Sports, who put it succinctly, saying, “They are the real deal. The defense is special and they run the heck out of the ball.

That’s a good combination.”

If the first half of the 2019 NFL season is a good indicator, we are likely to be in for more surprises and excitement in the second half of the season. Stay tuned.

⁠— Megan Geller

just Sports Page 16

MIDYEAR NFL UPDATE NFL Status Report: The pleasant and not-so pleasant surprises, p. 15.

Waltham, Mass.

Tuesday, November 5, 2019

SWIMMING AND DIVING

CHEST BUMP

Team dives headfirst into the 2019 season ■ The Brandeis swimming and diving teams faced Worchester Polytechnic Institute, Babson, Smith and Simmons Colleges on Nov. 1.

By JEN GELLER JUSTICE EDITOR

The Brandeis men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams competed at Worcester Polytechnic Institute on Nov. 1. The women’s team faced WPI, Babson College, Smith College and Simmons College, while the men faced only WPI and Babson. Though none of the teams were Brandeis’ University Athletic Association rivals, these recent meets have still been important, as both squads are gearing up for the UAA championships that will take place in February.

Women’s Squad During the meet hosted at WPI, the Judges defeated two teams and lost to two teams. Their worst loss was against host team WPI with a score of 74.5–218.5. Their loss against Babson ended with a score of 99–160.

The Judges’ victories were against Smith, with a score of 168–125, and

Simmons, with a score of 148–141.

With these results, the women’s team has a record of 2–4 for the season so far.

None of the Judges were able to make first-place finishes in either the relays or the individual races.

Bailey Gold ’23 had an impressive showing, finishing two races as the first runner-up. In the 100-yard backstroke, she placed second with a time of 1:02.52. In the 100-yard butterfly, she placed second as well, with a time of 1:01.07. In her third race, Gold was not as successful, but persisted as she placed fourth with a time of 2:04.20 in the 200-yard freestyle.

Many other women’s swimmers made relatively strong showings placing across the board. Although newer to the squad, Christina McPhillips ’23 placed second in the 50-yard butterfly with a time of 28.36. In the 100-yard freestyle, Uajda Musaku '21 placed second with a time of 56.46.

In the relays, the women proved slightly less successful than the men’s squad. McPhillips, Musaku, Ema Rennie ’23 and Audrey Kim ’23 placed third in the 400-yard freestyle relay with a time of 3:49.81.

See SWIM, 13

☛

CROSS COUNTRY

Judges place seventh and eighth at two UAA championships ■ Brandeis cross country teams are seventh and eighth place for the women’s and men’s teams respectively.

By MEGAN GELLER JUSTICE EDITOR

On Nov. 2, the Brandeis men’s and women’s cross country teams participated in the University Athletic Association championships hosted by Carnegie Mellon University at Schenley Park in Pittsburgh, PA. Niamh Kenney ’21 led the women’s team to a seventhplace overall finish, and for a second year in a row, Josh Lombardo ’21 led the men’s team as they finished ninth overall in the meet.

Women’s Squad The women Judges finished with 161 points, just one point behind Case Western Reserve University in sixth place and 13 points ahead of eighth place New York University. Kenney had her best ever performance at the UAA Championships, finishing 17th overall with a time of 22:40.39.

This was a 17-second improvement

over her UAA time last year, when she came in 19th overall. Kenney just missed a top 14 finish and first career All-Association honor in cross country by about four seconds.

Danielle Bertaux ’20 was the team's second best runner, coming in 22nd with a time of 22:50.49. Bertaux was three seconds and five places off her 2018 career best. Running third best for the Judges was Erin Magill ’22, who placed 33rd overall with a time of 23:09.17. Magill cut 1:19 off her rookie performance at UAAs to improve by 30 places. Last year, she was the team's eighth finisher as a rookie compared to this year’s third place finisher. Andrea Bolduc ’21 also had her best career UAA performance, finishing 47th with a time of 23:33.80. Bolduc improved by one full minute, moving up 17 places in the standings from last year. Hannah Walsh ’22 made her UAA debut and placed 64th overall with a time of 24:35.67 to round out the Brandeis scorers. Magill, Bolduc and Walsh all ran collegiate-best performances for six kilometers.

Bridget Pickard ’23 and Leinni

See XC, 13 ☛

IVY DALI/Justice File Photo

AIR BALL: Brandeis’ Makenna Hunt ’22 controls the ball in a game against the University of Chicago on Oct. 18.

Soccer team struggles through difficult matches ■ Two losses each for the men and the women resulted from games against the Emory Eagles and Rochester University Yellowjackets.

By JEN GELLER JUSTICE EDITOR

The men’s and women’s soccer teams both dropped the ball during their games against the Emory University Eagles and the University of Rochester Yellowjackets. Both teams faced the Eagles on Friday and the Yellowjackets on Sunday.

The men’s record for the season is now 9–5–4 overall and 2–3–1 in the University Athletic Association.

The women are 10–7 overall and 1–5 in the UAA. Men’s Squad The men’s team suffered two losses this week, with their first being a matchup against the Eagles.

The first half did not result in points for either team, but the number of attempts at a goal was much higher for Emory than for Brandeis; the Judges attempted six shots while the Eagles attempted 11. Three shots on

goal against the Judges were saved

by Greg Irwin ’20.

It was in the second half of the game against Emory when the action took place. First, two yellow cards were given to Brandeis players within the first five minutes of play for various fouls. One was to Forrest Shimazu ’23 and the other to Dylan Hennessy ’20. In the 58th minute of play, the first point of the game was scored when the Eagles’ Alejandro Gomez shot his second goal of the season.

Within four minutes, the Judges responded with Hennessy scoring his own second goal of the season.

With the game tied at one goal each, either team could have taken the win, but the Eagles did not waste time putting themselves ahead. The Eagles’ Corey Levine scored just 18 seconds after Hennessy, giving the Eagles the lead they needed to capture the game.

The men lost to the Yellowjackets by one point, just as they had against the Eagles. The scoring action began sooner than it had in their previous game, though, as the Judges’ Alex Walter ’20 scored the game’s first point with an assist from Hennessy.

At the end of the first half, this was the game’s only point, which put the Judges in a good spot heading into

the second half. However, Rochester responded with two points just 40 seconds apart from one another, putting the Yellowjackets ahead 2–1.

The Judges were unable to recover throughout the rest of the game and despite a strong first half, lost their second consecutive game.

Women’s Squad The Judges’ loss to Emory was a big blow to the team as Emory scored four points over the Judges’ zero.

Just a minute into the game, Juliet Carreiro ’22 tried to put the Judges on the scoreboard, but, the Eagles’ Haley Pratt blocked the point. The Eagles responded very quickly, and at 3:17 into the game, as Aubrey Blanchard was assisted by Jordan Fitzgerald in scoring Emory’s first point. The rest of the first half was quiet from a scoring perspective as both teams failed in their attempted goals. It was not until the second half that the Eagles formed a lead that the Judges could not recover from.

In the 55th minute of play, Emory’s Shivani Beall scored her fifth goal of the season to put the Eagles ahead 2–0. Less than ten minutes later, Brandeis shot into their own goal,

See SOCCER, 13

☛

November 5, 2019

Vol. LXXII #9 Vol. LXX #2

September 12, 2017

Women In World Jazz

just just

Arts & Culture

Waltham, Mass.

Waltham, Mass.

Images: Haven Dai/the Justice, Creative Commons, OpenSource Vectors. Design: Noah Zeitlin/the Justice.

Images: Noah Zeitlin/the Justice, Creative Commons. Design: Sarah Katz/the Justice.

18

TUESDAY, THE JUSTICE NOVEMBER | ARTS 5, 2019 | TUESDAY, I ARTSJANUARY & CULTURE 31, I2017 THE JUSTICE

FILM REVIEW

‘Parasite’ is chaotic, beautiful, elegant and glorious

By MENDEL WEINTRAUB JUSTICE STAFF WRITER

South Korean director Bong Joon Ho’s Palme d’Or winning, Cannes Film Festival title “Parasite,” is as difficult to review as it is a pleasure to watch.

The film, which blends family drama, satire and psychological thriller, is so chock-full of surprises that it almost feels like a disservice to rob unwitting readers of the opportunity to view the film unspoiled. But nevertheless, I must digress and shower praise on Bong’s latest offering, which combines its performances, score, cinematography and script to miraculous effect. I promise not to give too many details of this film away.

“Parasite” centers on the lowerclass Kim family, who are introduced in their cramped lower-level apartment, scavenging for WiFi connection in their bathroom. Visually, they are immediately established as sociallyrelegated bottom feeders, as they look out from the gutter window of their home at the world above. Even in their physicality, as they scurry around searching for wireless reception, Bong makes the Kims out to look like insects who are buried underground. When KiWoo is given the opportunity to tutor the daughter of a wealthy family, the Parks, he jumps at the opportunity, but not without trying to take the

rest of his family along for the ride.

From the moment Ki-Woo walks into the Parks’ home for the first time, “Parasite” transforms from a rags-toriches story into something completely weird, original and wonderful, turning the standard conventions of upstairsdownstairs storytelling on their head, and then some.

The script for “Parasite” is somehow as elegant as it is chaotic, beautifully paced with nuanced dialogue and married with well-thought out character arcs. Brought to life by Hong Kyung-pyo’s thoughtfully composed cinematography and all-around great performances from a committed cast, the dynamic between the poor Kims and wealthy Parks that develops throughout the film is expertly executed. In particular, Song Kang-ho’s portrayal of the Kim’s patriarch shines in the subtlety and sympathy with which he plays the role; Cho Yeo-jeong is brilliant in her portrayal of Mrs. Park, who in the wrong hands could have been played off as another ignorant socialite. Cho injects the character with a forgivable obliviousness that, against all odds, makes the character likeable.

Jung Jaeil’s score, which sounds almost as if it was pulled straight from a cocktail party for rich socialites, perfectly plays over Bong’s take-down of that very class. The music that plays over “Parasite’s” diegesis only serves to enhance the social commentary that

informs every moment of the film’s story. The film’s shocking plot beats are never the product of gratuity, done simply for the sake of shocking the audience. Bong never pulls the carpet out from under his audience unless it justifies his message.

When it comes to reviewing “Parasite,” it almost feels as if the only options are to give nothing away or to

give everything away. I hope this review was partial to the former. However, if I may indulge one incentive to see the film — without giving too much away — it is this: in the same vein that Luca Guadagnino appropriated the peach as a vehicle for pleasure in “Call Me By Your Name,” Bong uses the peach as an agent of chaos in “Parasite.”

And it is glorious.

Photo Courtesy of CREATIVE COMMONS

MAKING HISTORY: “Parasite” is the first Korean film that has ever won the highest honor of the Cannes Film Festivel.

THEATER PREVIEW

Creating a modern fairy tale: A conversation with Olivia Ellson ’21

By CAYLIE JERUCHIMOWITZ JUSTICE STAFF WRITER

Brandeis offers many opportunities for individuals who are interested in theatrical production. Whether you want to pursue performing, directing or working backstage, there is an opportunity for you to shine. Last week, I had the chance to speak to Olivia Ellson ’21, who wrote the play “Of a Mirror and Its Fragments” which will be performed next weekend, Nov. 8 through 10. Through our conversation, I was able to get a behind-the-scenes look at the creative process for this production and get some of Ellson’s, the creator’s, insight about it.

According to Ellson, the story of “Of a Mirror and Its Fragments” is based on Danish fairytale author Hans Christian Anderson’s “The Snow Queen.” Ellson’s adaptation is set in modern times and focuses on themes of grief, mental health and losing someone to suicide.

When describing why she decided to write this play, Ellson explained that the role of female characters in Anderson’s original work was particularly striking.

In “The Snow Queen,” the male and female roles are shifted from the usual fairy tale structure, with this story only including one male character who plays, as Ellson said, “the damsel in distress,” which is a stereotypically female role in fairy tales.“I just thought that that was a really interesting look at female stories and female perspectives,” she explained.

Ellson’s play will be performed in a slightly different format than a traditional theatrical production. This play has actually been developed in a workshop process, meaning the script

was edited throughout the rehearsal period. Many of the early rehearsals were table reads where the cast, the director and Ellson sat around a table and read the script, and then gave her feedback on it so she could make some edits before the next rehearsal.

“It’s been a very collaborative process between me and the director, and the cast all working together to turn this from a bunch of words on a page into an actual production,” said Ellson.

Because of the unique way the play was produced, the show is going to be presented as a staged reading, meaning the actors will have the scripts on stage.

This also means that the performance will have very few set pieces and props.

One of the actors will actually read the stage directions so the audiences can be aware of some of the components that are not actually seen on stage in this production. When asked about this creative choice, Ellson explained that for the audience, a staged reading shifts the focus from the performance and focuses on the actual words of the play. When actors are holding scripts, “you’re constantly aware that their holding the words on the page in their hands so you as an audience member have to recognize the fact that this a play, these are actors, this isn’t real.”

She explains that this is different than a full production because of the difference in production value. “I think a staged reading showcases the script more than say a full production that has a lot more tech elements,” she said.

After spending two years writing this play, Ellson is very excited for an audience to see her work on stage.“It is kind of something that I have been thinking intermittently for so long that

Image Courtesy of Creative Commons. Design: Yael Hanadari-Levy/the Justice

Photo Courtesy of OLIVIA ELLSON

TWO YEARS OF WORK: After working on the project for two years, Olivia cannot wait to share it with an audience.

I think it will be really interesting to see the responses [from the audience] and get the perspective of people who are approaching this work for the first time.”

“Of a Mirror and Its Fragments” will be in the Merrick Theater from Nov. 8 to 10, 8 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, 2 p.m on Sunday. Tickets are available at the SCC Box Office.

THE JUSTICE I ARTS & CULTURE I TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 2019

19

MUSIC PERFORMANCE REVIEW

Around the globe in two hours with Women in World Jazz

By RACHEL STERLING JUSTICE STAFF WRITER

On Oct. 29, the Women in World Jazz troupe held an event at Cholmondeley’s Coffee House in collaboration with Brandeis’ Hebrew Program. The ensemble consists of five female musicians who travel around the New England area to celebrate and educate the public about different cultures and styles of music from around the world. The group specializies in world jazz, and during the performance, they paid tribute to female composers and vocalists from different eras and countries. The act was broken up into seven stops at some of those countries: Israel, Chile, Japan, South Africa, Cape Verde, Germany and Brazil. Throughout the performances, the members of the group often interacted with the audience by handing out instruments to play, as well as relics from the countries. This interactive and exciting event captivated both students and faculty members and, more importantly, helped showcase respective cultures and diversity on campus.

The first stop: South Africa. Candida Rose, the lead vocalist of the group, introduced this first section of their performance. The first song she sang was “Pata Pata” by Miriam Makeba, which was accompanied with a video of a traditional and popular South African dance. Rose’s compelling and beautiful voice captivated the audience members, and the song featured notes of jazz, Afropop and rhythm and blues. In addition, it was important for us to learn about the history of both the song and its composer, Miriam Makeba, who is credited with bringing the African music to Western audiences.

The second stop: Israel. The leader of the group, Tal Shalom Kobi, a native of Israel, was the one who presented this next segment. Tal serves as the director of the group and plays the bass and accordion. She also provides vocals for the group. The song she covered, “Bashana Haba’a” by Nurit Hirsh, is a popular Hebrew song that has also been translated into seven different languages because of its reputation. The song is classified as gospel and pop and is also popular around the Jewish holidays. Kobi brought out her accordion in the middle of her song to perform a solo, which ended in roaring applause from the audience.

The third stop: Japan. Ririka Tokushige, a native of Japan, explained the history behind the next song: “Otemoyan” by Ine Nagata. This Japanese folk song is usually accompanied by Japanese instruments, such as the shamisen and taiko drums. Tokushige explained to the audience that these instruments are highly valued in music and in a more holistic sense with regard to Japanese history. Later on, Tokushige taught some Japanese words to the audience so that they could sing along to the song as well. The experience was both engaging and educational for the audience.

The fourth stop: Chile. Featuring “Gracias

A La Vida” by Violeta Parra, Rose explained that the song was historically important to Chilean natives because it became a foundation for the social movement and musical genre Nueva Canción. The movement was often associated with revolutionary ideas: it called out human rights violations in Latin America and advocated for the progressive political movement of the New Left. Parra and her song demonstrated the influence that impacts the public in a sociopolitical way.

The fifth stop: Cape Verde. Kobi introduced the song from this country, “Dia C’Tchuva Bem” by Teté Alhinho. Cape Verde is a country off the west coast of Africa, which is famous for its scenic beaches and Creole Portugese-African culture. The style of music popular in Cape Verde is Morna, which incorporates the accordion, guitar and many other instruments. The music video playing in the background showed the people of Cape Verde who are seen smiling and dancing around the beaches and grassy fields of the island. It was a light, fun song that encouraged the audience members to get up on their feet and dance along to the beat.

The sixth stop: Germany. Christine Reif helped to introduce the next song, which was “Alles Was Ich Wuensche” by Loreena McKennit and Betinna Wegner. Christine is originally from Germany and explained that when this song first came out in 2001, it was a huge hit in her hometown. The song features rock and funk styles, and talks about a past love in a romantic and melancholic way.

Christine was also accompanied by violinist and Brandeis student Joanna Marcus ’22.

The pair executed the song perfectly and the message was well-communicated to the crowd, which felt moved by the performance.

At the end of the night, Kobi played her own piece, “Calypso of Hope,” which was cowritten with her colleague, Deborah Rocha.

The piece featured her skills as a bass player and was joined by her fellow colleagues who helped to end the event in high spirits.

The crowd was seen dancing and shaking instruments that the members of the group had passed around. The show was a success, agreed by all. In an interview with The Justice, Morris Nadjar ’18 explained that the creation of this event, as well as his collaboration with Naomi Kielar (the coordinator for the Hebrew Program) occured because the “Hebrew Department has a lot of arts and culture that they want to share with the university, and so the event tonight can help to show a little bit of music, storytime and some good vibes.”

The collaboration between Women in World Jazz and Brandeis was a success in an effort to bring Brandeis students to experience and indulge in different styles of music, spearheaded by women from around the world. The ensemble brought a sense of community and togetherness to our campus that was well-received by all. I highly recommend that students should look out for the group’s upcoming events, listed on their Facebook page, and check them out for themselves.

Photos by NOAH ZEITLIN/the Justice

TRAVEL AROUND THE WORLD: The show was structured around “stops” in different countries, taking the audience on a tour around the world.

VOICES AROUND THE WORLD: Candida Rose, the lead vocalist of the group, performed songs from different parts of the world and discussed the meaning behind them.

INSTRUMENTS AROUND THE WORLD: Ririka Tokushige has mastered a variety of instruments, both western and traditional Japanese.

MUSICIANS AROUND THE WORLD: The Women in World Jazz troupe interacted a lot with the audience.

Design: Yael Hanadari-Levy/the Justice

20

THE JUSTICE I ARTS & CULTURE I TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 2019

INTERVIEW

JUSTARTS SPOTLIGHT ON THE FACULTY/STAFF ART EXHIBITION 2019

By Hulin Li JUSTICE STAFF WRITER

Your professors might be some of the best in their academic field, but do you know that they are also experts in painting, knitting and graphic design? “JustArts Brandeis Faculty/Staff Exhibition” is a biannual show that is dedicated to showcasing the talents of our non-student community members.

Stepping into the exhibition this week, I was surprised by its variety: photographs, paintings, jewelry, videos, sculptures and more. You can find almost any kind of artistic medium there. Though all of the work was creative, the piece that stood out to me was the costume, Polarbearing For the Climate, a piece made

by German and Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies Departments Professor Sabine von Mering.

Polarbearing For the Climate is a costume standing in the corner of the room.

You might find it familiar because it was used by von Mering during the climate strike in Boston on Sept. 20.

In addition to the costume itself, the exhibition also comes with a printed booklet called “Shame Cover,” which describes how the costume was made from scratch. One might not be able to tell at first, but the head of the polar bear is actually made of cardboard.

As one of many at Brandeis, Sabine von Mering is concerned about global warming and climate change.

As she mentioned in the introduction of her artwork, “I discovered my activist self in conjunction with becoming a climate activist over the past seven years.”

She has combined the fun of creating art and the concern for climate change. I believe the meaning of this exhibit is extraordinary and the idea behind this artwork can influence more and more people throughout the exhibition.

This exhibition will be held from Oct. 24 to Nov. 17.

Please drop by and enjoy the extraordinary masterpieces by our Brandeis faculty and staff.

STAFF’S Top Ten

Adam Fleishaker ’21 Photo Courtesy of NOAH ZEITLIN

Sabine Von Mering, Polarbearing for the Climate/Polar bear costume and posters SARAH KATZ/the Justice

JustArts&Culture: What was your role in putting together this event?

Adam Fleishaker: I am a tenor and publicist of Proscenium. I make our social media posts, posters and graphics, having fun making puns and ways to engage with our audience such as interactive Snapchat filters. I love the role as it combines humor and professionalism, being able to spread the word about the group while making people smile is an awesome experience.

JAC: The Halloween concert is a traditional event for Proscenium. What makes it different from other a cappella concerts? Did you guys do anything different compared to the past years?

To be continued...

EMILY RIORDAN/the Justice

SUDOKU

AF: ProSCREAMium is a tradition and one that typically caps off our first semester as a teaser for our semester show while acting as a nice spooky event to take away from midterms and midsemester stress. It is different in that we perform Halloween-themed, broodier/ spookier songs; being around Halloween, it’s always fun to see a turnout of a variety of the Brandeis community in costume. In comparison to previous years, last year we had Too Cheap for Instruments open the show for us as a featuring act, and we continued that into this year’s event as well. We also introduced a new song, The Ballad of Sara Berry, originating from a “musical exhibition” called 35MM, beautifully arranged (and partially soloed) by one of our members Kat Lawrence, which was really exciting to work with.

JAC: How was the turnout this year?

AF: The turnout this year was very encouraging; although we didn’t get one of the chapels which have in the past added to the atmosphere of the event, we practically filled our venue of Pollack! It was nice to see a bunch of new faces in the audience as well, being in the group my fifth semester now.

JAC: This is the second year Proscenium and Too Cheap For Instructments worked together for the Halloween concert.

Tell me a bit about doing a concert with another a cappella group.

AF: Working with other a cappella groups is a great opportunity. Brandeis has such a strong a cappella community and being able to provide a variety of sound and genre to our audience and bringing together a bunch of talented musicians greatly adds to events we’ve held. In having Too Cheap for Instruments for ProSCREAMium last year, and subsequently holding a newbie show Proscenium’s Cheap Giraffes with Too Cheap for Instruments as well as Rather Be Giraffes, we’ve been able to provide a bunch of great a cappella performers all in one place.

With regards to ProSCREAMium, Too Cheap for Instruments has always been a pleasure to work with; they bring such a uniquely different and strong sound to any collaboration.

NOAH ZEITLIN/the Justice

Top 10 Coldstone flavors

By Ana Hatfield

JUSTICE EDITORIAL ASSISSTANT

Cotton candy and cake batter ice cream with rainbow sprinkles at Coldstone is a life changer.

This week, justArts&Culture spoke with Adam Fleishaker ’21, a tenor and publicist of Proscenium, about the a cappella club’s ProSCREAMium 2019 event held on Nov. 1.

JAC: Who had the best costume this year?

Sudoku Courtesy of OPENSKY SUDOKU GENERATOR

1. Cotton candy 2. Cake batter

AF: The best costume for me is split between Jacob Krah, who went as a Minion, and our member Rosie Sentman’s Beetlejuice costume which she made.

JAC: Anything else you want to add or tell the readers?

3. Half baked 4. Mint chip

AF: I’d tell readers to be sure to check out our social media, Proscenium A Cappella on Facebook and Instagram, to hear about future events such as our semester show, with information coming soon!

5. Cookie dough 6. Strawberry 7. Bubblegum 8. Brownie batter

— Luke Liu

9. Rainbow Sherbert 10. Sherm chocolate chip Solution Courtesy of OPENSKY SUDOKU GENERATOR

— Editor’s Note: Editor Noah Zeitlin is a member of Proscenium.