The Justice, March 7, 2017 by The Justice

ARTS Page 19

FORUM Support access to birth control 12

ROSE OPENING

SPORTS Track teams shine in postseason 16 The Independent Student Newspaper

the

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

Justice

Volume LXIX, Number 19

www.thejustice.org

Tuesday, March 7, 2017

faculty

TEAM TRIVIA

Task Force looks at library’s role in new requirements ■ Faculty and staff

pitched digitial literacy recommendations for life skills curriculum additions. By Abby patkin JUSTICE editor

As the Task Force on General Education finalizes its proposal for new curricular themes, members of the library staff and faculty met in an open forum on Wednesday to discuss how the library might fit into the proposed requirements. During the discussion with Task Force members, a group of faculty and staff members — primarily library employees — considered how the proposed classes and curricular themes would draw upon

library resources. Assistant Director of Research Technology and Innovation Ian Roy ’05 wondered how the MakerLab, which he manages, could be used in proposed changes like the digital literacy requirement. Similarly, Mark Dellelo, the digital media lab manager, asked how the Getz Media Lab might factor into these requirements. Task Force member and Senior Associate Dean for Undergraduate Education Elaine Wong said that the Task Force will further consider how resources like the MakerLab and Getz Media Lab could supplement traditional classroom learning. Wong also noted that online modules, under the proposal, could feature heavily in the Health, Well-

See TF, 7 ☛

administration

Winship reflects on decades of fundraising for the University ■ A longtime University

executive and proud mother of two alumni decided to transition to a new role. By Abby patkin JUSTICE editor

Working 80+ hour weeks and traveling up to 33 weeks of the year never bothered Senior Vice President for Institutional Advancement Nancy Winship. “I guess I’m a competitive person,” she laughed, looking back on over 23 years of fundraising for the University. “It’s been a labor of love; it’s been a joy.” Winship, who joined the University in 1994, will be transitioning to a new role on campus: Chief Philanthropic Advisor to the President, effective June 30.

Winship explained that she decided to take a step back with this new position to spend more time with her family. She recalled the clash in schedules when her husband Winship Christopher, who taught at Harvard, would take sabbaticals, telling him jokingly, “‘Your sabbaticals are getting in the way of my work.’” In the Office of Institutional Advancement, Winship has helped raise more than $1.5 billion, with $1.2 billion of those funds raised together with former University President Jehuda Reinharz, who served from 1994 to 2010, according to a Jan. 18 BrandeisNOW article.

See WINSHIP, 7 ☛

HEATHER SCHILLER/the Justice

Teams of students went head to head and exhibited their wits in Student Activities’ trivia night at The Stein on Thursday night, with gift card prizes up for grabs.

CAMPUS SPEAKER

Scholar narrates the historical refugee crisis ■ Visiting professor Linda

Rabben spoke on history's sanctuary and asylum movements around the world. By Peri Meyers JUSTICE Senior Writer

Today’s traditions of sanctuary and asylum date back millennia, said Linda Rabben on Wednesday, speaking not only on the world’s history of sanctuary and asylum but also on what can be done today amid the current tide of mass migration. An anthropology professor at the University of Maryland, Rabben talked about the contents of her most recent book, “Sanctuary and Asylum: A Social and Political History.” “If I had written this book only about government policies, I wouldn’t have finished it, because I would have found it so depressing to write about,” said Rabben. “But what gives me hope are the many social movements which just explode when there are repressive

measures that governments take.” In the United States, some of the most famous acts of sanctuary have operated outside the legal system, said Rabben, citing the 19th-century Underground Railroad and the 1980s Sanctuary movement. In the latter movement, Rabben explained, over 400 religious congregations sheltered people fleeing violent U.S.-backed regimes in Central America. At the time, Rabben said, it was nearly impossible for those people to apply for, not to mention receive, federal asylum. Religious activists in Arizona, New Mexico, Texas and California did everything out in the open, knowing that they would be prosecuted for violating U.S. immigration law. Given the choice between going to jail or ceasing and desisting, the congregants and clergy chose the former, arguing that they were answering to a higher power. Rabben brought up the current movement to make university campuses into sanctuaries for refugees and undocumented immigrants. Some cities and campuses have declared a

“non-cooperation policy” given the increasing fraughtness of the term “sanctuary city” and any variants. Though certain universities fear being defunded by the current administration, Rabben said, it is “very difficult” to take funds away from them. She then showed a picture of a fence along the southern U.S. border. “All walls and fences do eventually come to an end, including this one,” she said, noting that there is far more to crossing the border than jumping a fence. On the U.S. side, there are sensors in the ground to detect movement, along with frequent border patrols. “Anybody that says that we have open borders and that people can come in without anybody stopping them is not telling you the truth,” said Rabben. Even so, she added, walls and fences are not foolproof: “Desperate people will find ways to get around any barrier.” Rabben recited Emma Lazarus’ poem “The New Colossus,” best known for its place at the base of the

See REFUGEE, 7 ☛

Exploring Acid

Off the Glass

Business Women

 Filmmaker Hamilton Morris looks at the story of one of the most famous psychedelic chemists.

 The men’s basketball team ended their season with a tight win.

 Joann Lublin of the Wall Street Journal interviewed the nation's top women executives.

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

Waltham, Mass.

Let your voice be heard! Submit letters to the editor online at www.thejustice.org

INDEX

SPORTS 16 ARTS SPORTS

17 13

EDITORIAL FEATURES

10 OPINION 8 POLICE LOG

10 2

TUESDAY, March 7, 2017

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the justice

NEWS SENATE LOG: MAR. 5 Senators recognize new club and discuss upcoming pilot programs Students Jenny Ho ’20 and Julianna Scionti ’20, representing the Brandeis Drawing Club, came before the Senate for club recognition. Ho and Scionti particularly highlighted a desire to supply art materials to students who face financial barriers in affording studio art course fees. Their organization is a revival of a previous studio art iteration, the Figure Drawing Club. When asked by Student Union Vice President Paul Sindberg ’18 how the club will avoid a decline like the one seen with the Figure Drawing Club, Ho and Scionti responded that they will focus on well-rounded recruitment of successive class years. In a unanimous vote, the Senate approved to recognize the Brandeis Drawing Club. Regarding the upcoming spring elections, Executive Senator Hannah Brown ’19 announced that the constitutional amendment for the new International Student senator seat had passed. An informational meeting for students interested in running for the first round of spring elections — including for the positions of Executive Board, Representative to the Undergraduate Curriculum Committee, or Representative to the Brandeis Sustainability Fund — will be held on Wednesday evening at 7 p.m. in the Student Union Office. Brown also announced that the Services and Outreach committee is looking into transportation quotes to potentially provide shuttles for April break to and from Boston South Station and New York City. Sindberg additionally announced that thirty clubs remain on probation since Feb. 12 for failure to complete mandatory bystander training facilitated by the Office of Prevention Services. These clubs must complete their training by the end of the semester, or else they face dechartering at the beginning of fall semester. Massell Quad Senator Aaron Finkel ’20, Campus Operations Working Group chair, announced investigations into budgeting the test run of a menstrual product provision program. The potential program, initially proposed by informal club Brandeis Students for Reproductive Justice, would serve to offer menstrual products to individuals who can not acquire them due to financial reasons. Senator at Large Nathan Grees ’19 requested clarification regarding the extent of the Senate’s involvement in the program, asking whether the Student Union or BSRJ would be responsible for planning the administration of the program. He stated concerns that BSRJ, as an unchartered club, does not have the infrastructure in place to monitor such a system. Finkel responded that the implementation is a partnership with BSRJ to help jumpstart the initiative, as BSRJ is an unchartered club that does not have the resources to carry out the project on its own. Class of 2020 Senator Samantha Barrett said that COWG is researching and contacting universities with similar successful models, such as Wellesley College, for insight. Sindberg said the Senate should clearly state the initiative as a “pilot program run by the Student Union in response to and in collaboration with student activists with the goal of getting the administration to take on responsibility of the program.” Club Support Committee member and Racial Minority Group Senator Lian Chen ’19 announced a public relations workshop offered to all club leaders set for March 21. The workshop will feature a speaker from a Boston public relations firm and a panel of successful club leaders to help train student leaders in how to outreach and cultivate a brand for their organizations. Finkel, on behalf of COWG, said that cleaning supplies will be distributed to keep public areas clean, following complaints from constituents that student lounges were unhygienic. Brown said she spoke with constituents regarding concerns that the campus is not disability-friendly, with lack of accessible pedestrian signals for the blind and inaccessible characteristics of locations such as East Quad and lower campus. —Michelle Dang

POLICE LOG Medical Emergency

Feb. 20—A party in Renfield Hall reported that they had a stomachache. University Police transported the party to Newton-Wellesley Hospital for further care. Feb. 23—A party who was participating in a campus tour fell down in Sherman Dining Hall. University Police gave the party an ice pack. Feb. 28—A party in East Quad reported that they were feeling ill. BEMCo staff treated the party, who was transported to Newton-Wellesley Hospital for further care. Mar. 2—A party in Reitman Hall reported that they had been shocked by a power strip. BEMCo staff treated the party with a signed refusal for further care. Mar. 2—A party in Village Quad reported that they were vomiting. BEMCo staff treated the party, who was transported to Newton-Wellesley Hospital for further care. Mar. 2—University Police received a report that an Ein-

stein Bros. Bagels employee accidentally sprayed cleaning chemicals into their eyes. University Police transported the party to Newton-Wellesley Hospital for further care. Mar. 2—Massachusetts State Police reported a 911 call regarding a party having a seizure in Brown Social Science Center. The party was transported to Newton-Wellesley Hospital for further care. Mar. 5—University Police received a report of an intoxicated party in Cable Hall. BEMCo staff evaluated the party with a signed refusal for further care. Mar. 5—University Police received a report of an intoxicated party in Renfield Hall. BEMCo staff evaluated the party with a signed refusal for further care.

Feb. 27—A party reported that they had been harassed. University Police compiled a report, with an investigation to follow. Mar. 1—A party reported that they had been harassed. University Police compiled a report on the incident.

Disturbance

Other

Mar. 2—University Police received a report of a car playing loud music in Theater Lot. The car was gone upon the ar-

rival of University Police. Mar. 2—University Police received a report of loud music in Ridgewood Quad. University Police advised the resident to lower the volume, and the resident complied without incident. Mar. 3—University Police received a noise complaint from the Charles River Apartments. University Police advised the residents to quiet down without incident.

Harassment

Feb. 24—University Police received a report that a posted flyer for the Rape Crisis Center was vandalized in a men’s

HEALTHY HABITS

Senators create new Senate seat and discuss Feb. break dining frustrations

CORRECTIONS AND CLARIFICATIONS

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

Justice

the

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The Justice is the independent student newspaper of Brandeis University. The Justice is published every Tuesday of the academic year with the exception of examination and vacation periods. Editor News Forum Features Sports Arts Ads Photos Managing Copy Layout

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—Compiled by Abby Patkin

SENATE LOG: FEB. 26

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

n An Arts article incorrectly stated that the Brandeis Traditional Music Club’s piece at the Brandeis Chinese Cultural Connection’s Lunar New Year celebration was “mandolin-centered.” The piece did not feature any mandolins, but did include traditional Chinese instruments like the liuqin, guzheng, erhu, yangqin, and dizi. (Feb. 14, pg. 14).

room in the Bernstein-Marcus Administration Center. University Police compiled a report on the incident, and the flyer was removed. Feb. 28—University Police received a report of an alumnus calling Alumni Relations and staff members in an attempt to solicit funds. University Police compiled a report on the matter. Mar. 3—A party in Reitman Hall reported that a clothes dryer on the ground level was smoking. University Police advised the party to pull the fire alarm to evacuate residents, who were told to gather in Cable Hall. University Police on scene reported that there were clothes on fire inside the dryer, and extinguished the flames. The Waltham Fire Department checked the scene as a precaution, and University Police compiled a report on the incident.

YDALIA CDON/the Justice

Community advisors facilitated a fun health and safety informational session on making informed choices regarding alcohol and drugs.

The Senate convened on Feb. 26 to discuss spring elections and a proposed constitutional amendment that would create a seat on the Senate for international students. The senators heard a petition for chartering from the Brandeis E-Sports Club, whose members play Super Smash Bros. Melee and League of Legends competitively. Representatives from the club told the Senate that they sought chartering primarily to offset travel costs for competitions in Boston and surrounding areas, in order to create a more welcoming E-Sports community on campus. The representatives also told the senators that they have hosted events of their own, including one to benefit the ACLU, called “Smashers Mad About Small Hands.” The Senate voted to charter the club. Student Union Vice President Paul Sindberg ’18 asked the senators for input regarding how campus operations went over the February break. Many senators cited complaints from their constituents regarding limited or inadequate dining options, as well as the lack of shuttles in service during the break. In committee chair reports, Club Support Committee Chair Ryan Tracy ’17 reported that he is planning on hosting public relations workshops for clubs. Executive Senator Hannah Brown ’19, the Services and Outreach Committee chair, also reported that her committee is looking to run shuttles to South Station and Logan Airport for the April break. Student Union President David Herbstritt ’17 made a presentation with Brown regarding a proposed constitutional amendment to add an international student representative to the Senate. Herbstritt noted in the presentation that international students make up a large portion of the student body, asserting that the Union must work to guarantee them adequate representation. The new international student representative would take office at the beginning of next semester. —Abby Patkin

ANNOUNCEMENTS Russian Culture Week: Crafts Bazaar

Indulge in Russian arts and crafts activities, including dollmaking, traditional Russian Khokhloma painting, and fortune telling. Russian desserts will be served. Sponsored by the Russian Studies Program and the Brandeis Russian Club, additional events celebrating Russian Culture week are occurring Monday through Friday. Tuesday from 7 to 9 p.m. in Lurias, Hassenfeld Conference Center.

Brazil Week: “Punching Up: Comedy for the Resistance” Standup Comedy with Marga Gomez

In this standup comedy show, comedian Marga Gomez is with us direct from her 2017 Off Broadway show “Latin Standards,” a “Critic’s Choice” of the New York Times, and her guest starring role on Netflix “Sense8.” Gomez is a stand-up comedian with appearances on LOGO’s

“One Night Stand,” Comedy Central’s “Out There” and HBO’s “Comic Relief.” Gomez is also a GLAAD Award and LA Ovation Award winning writer and performer of 12 solo plays. The event is sponsored by Latin American and Latino Studies, Women and Gender Studies, American Studies, Creativity, the Arts and Social Transformation (CAST), Theater Studies, the Dean of Arts and Sciences and the Dean of Student Life. Tuesday from 7:30 to 9 p.m. in Wasserman Cinematheque.

International Women’s Day Breakfast Panel

International Women’s day is widely celebrated across the world. The theme of this year is #BeBoldForChange, so we invited bold individuals who have made changes to be the panelists. Join us and be inspired to make a difference to the

world. The event is sponsored by the International Students and Scholars Office, the English Language Programs, the Graduate Student Affairs, the Brandeis Pluralism Alliance and the Intercultural Center. Register online on the university events page. Wednesday from 8:30 to 10 a.m. in International Longe, Usdan.

K-Nite

K-Nite is the Brandeis Korean Student Association’s biggest event of the year, showcasing exciting traditional and modern performances along with a catered Korean dinner. Past performances include traditional Korean musicians/dancers, Tae Kwon Do, Acapella, KPOP dances, Korean fan dance and a modern band. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. Tickets are available at the Shapiro Campus Center box office. Saturday from 7 to 9 p.m. in Levin Ballroom, Usdan.

the justice

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news

an essential role in the establishment over indigienous populations. By ABBY PATKIN AARON BIRNBAUM/the Justice

STORIES FROM THE TOP: Lublin shared stories from her report at a book signing on Thursday evening at Rapaporte Treasure Hall.

Joann Lublin examines the top leading businesswomen Editor of the Wall Street Journal interviewed women executives for her new book. By Michelle Dang JUSTICE editorial assistant

While women have made their way to the top of the business world, there is still work to be done before workplace gender gaps are closed, according to Joann S. Lublin. Lublin, the Management News editor of the Wall Street Journal and mother of a Heller School alumna, came to the University to report her discoveries from her 2016 book “Earning It: Hard-Won Lessons from Trailblazing Women at the Top of the Business World.”Her book reports the leadership lessons of 52 female high-corporate executives, recounting the challenges they faced inside and outside of the workplace to earn their way to the top of the corporate ladder. Lublin’s drive to report the subject stemmed from a Wall Street Journal blog post she wrote for her daugher in 2008, titled “Remember the Barriers.” “She had sort of what I felt [was] a rose-eyed view as to what the life was going to be for working women, and I wanted her to understand that not everything had been fixed — that there were a lot of women who had worked very hard to make things better for women in the workplace that she should understand,” said Lublin. Working in an office of seven men as the first woman reporter hired at the Wall Street Journal’s San Francisco Bureau in 1971, “some of the things I experienced early on were shocking,” Lublin said. Having had her own early career obstacles in

Scholar looks at influence of Catholicism on New World ■ Missionaries played

proving her credibility and spending 20 years covering management issues in the workplace, Lublin took it upon herself to record the achievement stories of the nation’s best corporate executives. Lublin said she noticed three major themes in her interviews, two thirds of which had to do with public company chief executives. These women had to learn “how you can earn the pay you truly deserve, how to earn credibility from skeptical colleagues [and] how you can earn greater power from accepting a risky role.” Even today, challenges persist for the average working woman. Citing a 2016 report from the Institute for Women’s Policy Research, Lublin explained that women will not achieve pay equality until 2059, per recent trends. Additionally, the typical working woman loses more than $530,000 over her lifetime due to the gender wage gap, with a higher education level correlating with greater losses. Another report from the New York Times, said Lublin, shows that college-educated women earn 97 cents on the dollar compared to their male colleagues up and through their twenties. However, by the age of 25, women begin to make 15 percent less, on average. The peak of women’s earnings begins to plateau in the mid forties, while earnings steadily increase for men until the end of their career. The lesson here, said Lublin, is that women must be “good pay negotiators when they can recognize the value they have and they make it visible.” Often, Lublin said, women have subconscious tendencies to give themselves reasons that they cannot do a job, while men with the

TUESDAY, march 7, 2017

CAmpus SPEAKER

REPORTING BARRIERS

■ The Management News

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same ability have “no sweat” attitudes. “If you get out of your comfort zone, you’re going to develop those leadership muscles,” Lublin said, adding, “It’s equally important to only accept a risky role after you look at the downsides and upsides and make sure you know about how your boss defines success.” In her book, Lublin also explicates on the “glass cliff phenomenon,” when a corporate project goes wrong and the woman gets blamed solely because she is a woman, rather than management properly assessing the quality of communication she was given to do her job. Parallel to this, Lublin said chief executive women operate in a much larger “glass house” of performance expectancies than male CEOs do. “A male CEO of a public company is operating 24/7. You’re always on, you’re always being subject to scrutiny, but it’s probably a two story glass house. If you’re a female CEO of a public company, it’s probably a skyscraper,” she said. However, Lublin remains optimistic, as the women she interviewed were able to demonstrate that “if you prove you have the right stuff again and again, … we’re going to see a day when that glass ceiling is going to disappear. Men and women alike are going to smash that ceiling. … And when that ceiling is smashed, we’re going to see an amazing transformation.” Lublin also acknowledged the fact that these 52 powerful women took time out of their busy lives to share their stories. This, she said, shows the intention to uplift the next generation of working women. “We have an obligation to return it so that other women who want to earn it can earn it too, and that’s what I’m doing with this book,” she said.

JUSTICE editor

Acting as de facto imperial representatives, colonial Catholic missionaries in the Americas drastically changed and continue to affect native populations today, professor of religious studies Robert Green said in a lecture on Feb. 15. In his lecture, Green, a scholar from the Department of Religious Studies at the College of the Holy Cross, spoke about the Spanish National Church’s role in the New World in the 1500s on — “Patronato Real” — and the Church’s assumptions about different races, “limpieza de sangre,” or purity of the blood. Missionaries in the Americas acted as de facto imperial representatives, forcing natives in the Americas to interact with the Spanish empire, Green asserted. “If they came into your village, … you would have to deal with them,” he said. He explained that the Church also believed that blood purity was linked to morality, and to have pure, Catholic blood was to be a good Spaniard. Per these notions of blood purity, there was a racial hierarchy, with pure-blooded Spanish Catholics considered “rational and brave,” and those with Jewish or Muslim blood considered “rational but devious” or “irrational and violent,” respectively, Green said. Because this caste system was based in assumptions about blood purity, rather than wealth or achievement, “there was really no notion of social mobility,” he said. In the Americas, Green added, missionaries split the populations into further hierarchies, with Spanishborn Catholics at the top and a special distinction for “Indios of reason” and “barbarian Indians” — those who had converted to Catholicism versus those who had not. According to Green, the demographic breakdown of Spanish America showed an 80 percent indigenous population, with 10 percent African, 5 percent Spaniard and the remaining 5 percent mixed race and other. Upon arrival in the Americas, the Franciscans and Dominicans em-

ployed similar strategies for converting and subverting the indigenous populations, Green said. Namely, both religious orders destroyed temples and icons, put the daughters of indigenous leaders into domestic service and forced religious indoctrination. “Again, not winning friends here,” Green said. Notably, Green said, the indigenous communities did not have a concept of what the devil was, so missionaries would evoke images of traditional native “boogeymen” to put fear of the devil in natives’ hearts. However, because these boogeymen were primarily used to scare children, the attempt did not have as great an effect on the adult population, Green said. When the Jesuits arrived in the Americas, they attempted to discern between idolatry and non-idolatry in indigenous culture, destroying native icons much like their predecessors, Green said. However, since many religious sites were naturally occurring, like rivers and rock formations, the Jesuits chose to mass relocate the native populations, rather than attempt to destroy the sites. Additionally, the Jesuits differed from the Franciscans and Dominicans because they chose not the image of a boogeyman for their devil but the image of an enslaved African, Green said. This was to convey the message, “‘This is the power we have. We are in charge of the devil,’” he explained. Ultimately, missionaries played as significant a role in the Spanish colonization of the Americas as true dignitaries and state officials did, Green asserted. “The empire couldn’t have done it without them,” Green said, calling missionaries “colleagues of the state.” In a question-and-answer session that followed his lecture, Green spoke briefly about how the history of Catholic theology in the Americas has continued to affect indigenous populations today. Namely, he said, some forms of anthropology research have been traditionally invasive in indigenous communities, involving little consent on the natives’ behalf. “It would be like me following you home, … going into your apartment, going through your medicine cabinet,” he said. “It would get annoying after awhile.” “Indigenous people, even today, are a colonized people,” he concluded.

BRIEF

Riverside shuttles back in service by high demand After its cancellation in December 2016, the Riverside Shuttle has been reinstated for the spring semester, according to a campuswide email from the Student Union on Friday. Citing low ridership and the overall cost of the program, Senior Department Coordinator for the Graduate Student Center Steven Weglinski announced the shuttle’s cancellation in a Dec. 16, 2016 email to the campus community. The shuttle was reinstated through the conjoined efforts of Student Union Communications

Director Jacob Edelman ’18, Executive Senator Hannah Brown ’19, Allocations Board Chair Emma Russell ’19, Board of Trustees Representative Emily Conrad ’17 and members of the Graduate Student Association, according to a Feb. 27 Union press release emailed to the Justice. During the Student Union Senate meeting on Sunday, Brown told senators that lack of publicity also contributed to the initial cancellation of the shuttle in the fall. She added that the Senate’s Services and Outreach committee

will continue to advertise the free service to the student body. “The Student Union received lots of feedback from students who were affected by the cancellation. We heard you … and will always keep listening,” Friday’s email from the Union read. The shuttle began running again last week, with service offered Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 10 a.m. and from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. —Abby Patkin. Michelle Dang contributed reporting.

NATALIA WIATER/the Justice

On Feb. 15, Robert Green examined how three different branches of Catholicism colonized the Americas.

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

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Campus Event

changing landscape for gender distribution for urban industries. By Emily Blumenthal

JUSTICE Contributing writer

For years, men have dominated India’s working world. Recently, however, women have joined the workforce in droves, and men have taken on more technical professions, said Raka Ray, a professor of sociology and South and Southeast Asian studies at the University of California, Berkeley. Women, who formerly faced a life consisting only of marriage and taking care of the home, have become much more ambitious and have a greater desire to become part of India’s workforce, choosing a career over marriage, Ray said. “So here’s the capacity to aspire. … It’s considered an essential element in this culture of entrepreneurship. ... Most people talk about aspiration as if it’s an individual possession — either you have it or you don’t,” said Ray. As Ray quoted from a 2007 Times of India article, “there are two Indias in this country. One India is straining at the leash. The other India is the leash. Upper-middle-class men and all women seemed to be the ones straining at the leash and working class and lower class men were considered the leash.” Ray said that this aspirational gap between the lower and upper classes is causing great tensions in India’s economy. These young female ambitious workers come from all over India and move to cities in order to find work, such as Allahabad, known for its excellent vocational schools. One of these schools is TexDesign, a fashion design school primarily for young women, which was founded by a woman who wanted other women to have options and skills beyond housewifery. Ray stated that “an earlier generation of women had to learn to adjust. These women have learned that they not only have to adjust but that their life is going to be a series of negotiations. … They expect to negotiate home and work.” Ray also gave anecdotal evidence, changing the name of each subject to protect their identity. Richa, 21, an upper-class woman from an area outside Allahabad, wanted to go to college, but her father and brothers were traditionalists and did not allow her, Ray recounted. Though Richa had never considered a career in fashion design, this was her only way to further her education, and her father allowed her to go. Another school, CompuDesign,

is a school for young men to learn computer skills and take English classes so they can be employed in the service sector. After completing the courses, the men are guaranteed employment. Rajesh, 19, came to Allahabad from a farming town because it was no longer lucrative to work in agriculture. He continued taking classes at the school because his English was too weak to land him a job. Ray also noted that many young people move to Mumbai with dreams of becoming big stars in Bollywood films. The women who move to Mumbai, when asked about their motives for moving, say things like, “I was always a winner,” Ray said. Gauri, another subject, was a badminton champion when she was a teenager, but her parents forbade her from playing anymore. She worked odd jobs and took acting and film editing classes so that she could support herself while she tried to become a star. Like Gauri, many women who moved to Mumbai were “discriminated against by their families and wanted to make something of themselves,” Ray said. These women present a kind of ambition and confidence that is relatively new to India, as they take control of their lives and leverage their self-worth in order to embark on career paths, Ray asserted. The men who move to Mumbai are more rural and lower-class and are less ambitious than the women, Ray said. When asked why they moved to Mumbai, they said things like, “all the boys in my house were good in studying except me.” Jagdish failed his exams in 10th grade, bribed someone to take them for him, started dancing in religious festivals, worked backstage in a theater and then discovered acting. After going to a theater academy and failing to pass the tests for entering the police force, he moved to Mumbai. While women worry about marriage, Ray explained, men worry much more about their financial struggles and their shame in asking their parents for money to aid their pursuits of fledgling careers. Even though the women have become more ambitious, there are fewer opportunities for them in the male-dominated film industry, and most jobs offers go to male acting stars, Ray said. Though the gender revolution has changed the workforce, “the hegemonic masculine ideal in India is still the wage-earner whose wife does not have to work outside the home,” Ray said. The young people who move to the cities, she concluded, want to make something of themselves in order to alleviate their anxiety and to make others proud of them.

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TUESDAY, march 7, 2017

DISCOVERING ORIGINS

Scholar discusses changes in India’s urban workforce

■ A scholar spoke on India’s

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AARON BIRNBAUM /the Justice

LEARNING THE TRUTH: Dr. Mei-Mei Akwai Ellerman had initially been told that her biological mother had died in childbirth.

Adoptee locates her mother after 27 years ■ Dr. Ellerman had been told

that her biological mother died in child birth, but years of research led her to the truth. By Junsheng He JUSTICE contributing writer

“‘I would have kept you.’ ... My biological mother said many things which are not true, but anyhow I totally understand,’’ recalled Dr. MeiMei Akwai Ellerman in her speech “From Darkness to Light” on Tuesday afternoon. Ellerman, a scholar at the Women’s Studies Research Center, was adopted by a half-Chinese woman from New York City at 7-monthsold. Since then, she lived with her ‘maman’ — adoptive mother — and her four adoptive siblings. Together they moved from country to country, from Denmark to Mexico, France and Italy. Though Ellerman has spent most of her family history efforts researching her adoptive mother’s family, this time, she decided to focus on her biological family, particularly her mother. Though she received “rock solid love from her maman” and learned that her biological mother died in childbirth, Ellerman still found it possible and

necessary to find out about her own origin. “I was fated to discover [it],” she said. Failing to get access to her birth certificate, which was under the protection of New York State law, she reached out to the adoption agency for any clues that might relay her to her biological mother or father. After years of effort, she came to know her mother’s maiden name and marriage record. With clues accumulating and with help from friends in high places, she finally managed to get the phone number of the woman she was told had died decades ago. Since her biological mother was guaranteed by the adoption agency that not a single document or clue could be accessible to Ellerman, it took Ellerman some time to convince the woman that she was her biological daughter. After hearing Ellerman’s condensed life story, the 84-year-old mother replied, “I think I have been waiting for this call most of my adult life. I prayed for you as I prayed for my children … And [hearing] that you have [had] a happy upbringing, I can now die in peace.” Three months after the first call, Ellerman visited her mother for the first time. It had been twenty-seven years since she started to look for her biological family. “I was fated to discover [my

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origin],” she said. Ellerman further explained that her conception was premarital, which was strictly forbidden in traditional China, especially in as wealthy a family as the one her biological mother belonged to. Thus, the family sent her mother to New York City to give birth. Later on, Ellerman’s biological father became a highly-regarded diplomat and married several wives, which was acceptable in 1940s China. Meanwhile, her mother married a Belgian man three years later to get a fresh start. Both parents started a new life and still kept in contact by letter. According to Ellerman, neither parent kept any such correspondence with her, their daughter. Contrary to the long, depressing story about her origin, the moving details of her adoptive family left a rather deep impression on Ellerman. Akwai Yang, Ellerman’s adoptive grandmother, raised seven adopted daughters along with her own five surviving biological kids, many of whom in turn adopted children of their own. As for Ellerman, the third generation of adoptive family, she reveled in speaking of her eight grandchildren, among whom only two are biological. “But to me, they are all the same,” Ellerman said, proudly stating that “adoption has run throughout all the generations.”

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REFUGEE: ‘The doors are slamming shut’ CONTINUED FROM 1 Statue of Liberty. “‘Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, the wretched refuse of your teeming shore,’” she read. “‘Send these, the homeless, tempesttossed to me. I lift my lamp beside the golden door!’” At times, she said, that golden door has “slammed shut.” From 1924 to 1965, for example, restrictive immigration laws were in place, implemented again in the 1980s. “It’s hard for me to predict what’s going to happen because so many doors are slamming shut right now,” said Rabben. In Europe, she explained, countries like Sweden and Greece have been overwhelmed by the ongoing wave of migrants. Rabben said that some countries have a rule that if you enter a Eurozone country, you can only apply for asylum in the first country you arrive in. “Let’s say you’re coming from Syria, you go to Turkey, then you go to Greece,” said Rabben. “You’re trying to make your way to Germany where you have family. You’re supposed to apply for asylum in Greece. Greece is completely and totally overwhelmed and unable to take care of all the people who are coming into Greece, so Greece has essentially allowed people to just keep going.”

Even when people make it to Germany, France or Sweden, integration remains a serious concern. “The integration of refugees and asylum seekers and immigrants in general is a multigenerational process,” Rabben explained. “It doesn’t happen quickly. It’s not easy.” When asked how people can help out at the local level, Rabben explained that apart from the sanctuary option, there are many simple, legal, good-Samaritan things to do. The U.S. refugee program, for example, has not been funded enough to keep up with the number of people coming in. Americans can donate to families, help with childcare and tutor Englishlanguage learners. Moreover, Rabben said, there must be “political will on the international level” to “do justice in those countries” from which people have fled. “How do you [do that] in a situation like Syria?” she asked. That “various governments” are currently taking advantage of the civil war for political gains complicates the matter further, she said. Through “sustained public pressure,” though, people can change governments’ minds. “People keep saying to me now, ‘this is a marathon, not a sprint’ — this is something we’ll be dealing with for a long time to come,” she said, later adding, “We have an obligation to try and defend not only our own human rights but the human rights of others, in whatever way we can.”

TF: Faculty and staff question new curriculum roles CONTINUED FROM 1

ness, and Life Skills curricular theme or in the Digital Literacy component, which she explained would be subject to interpretation from instructors. She suggested that faculty and library staff members pitch additional module ideas under this guideline. Manager of Library Instruction Laura Hibbler told members of the Task Force that she is interested in helping students become more critical consumers of information, especially from the internet. “In the last few months, there’s been concern about misleading information online, … and it happens that students and the rest of us aren’t always as critical consumers of that information as we should be,” she said. The attendees also dedicated some discussion time to the 21st Century Changes and Challenges requirement, which “will use the exploration of a complex problem of contemporary society to introduce students to the core features of the Brandeis general education curriculum,” according to a flyer from the Task Force. Prof. Jennifer Cleary (THA) asked whether the course would be devised between departments or within individual programs. The University should advocate for a more interdisciplinary approach, she argued, urging her fellow faculty members to consider “who’s graduating, [and] with what skills.” Task Force member Prof. Bulbul Chakraborty (PHYS) replied that the primary objective of the 21st Century course is to giver firstyears an experience that is different from existing offerings, in ad-

dition to bringing faculty together from across different departments in order to offer different perspectives on the same topic. Chakraborty added that the Task Force is considering whether to hold these 21st Century classes in large groups or to break them up into smaller discussion sections. She also cautioned that this type of interdisciplinary approach could not succeed without teamwork and cooperation from faculty and staff. “From my perspective, … unless [course ideas and implementation] come from two or three faculty who want to do this, it’s not going to work,” she said. She also noted that one of the options available is to pilot the courses for a couple years to get a better sense of how they would work within the University structure. Some attendees expressed concern that the options for the 21st Century course were too limited compared to those of competitor schools, both in terms of curricular themes and scheduling opportunities. Wong replied that the Task Force researched similar requirements at other schools and proposed a method that meshes with the University’s style. However, Wong also acknowledged that the creation of online modules or practicum courses could raise some questions regarding faculty and staff members’ roles and responsibilities. “For those of you who want to create … digital literacy practicum courses, one of the things we’re talking about is, ‘OK, what’s going to happen if staff actually start teaching one of these courses? Can it be written into your job description?’” she said. “We’re still playing with that.”

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TUESDAY, March 7, 2017

CONTEMPORARY CHALLENGES

TALYA GUENZBURGER/the Justice

Boston area community leaders Rabbi William Hamilton and Rabbi Elaine Zecher discuss leadership challenges with moderator Rabbi Joy Levitt on Sunday night.

WINSHIP : Winship optimistic about new role and University transitions CONTINUED FROM 1 Though her career has not been without interesting moments — on some trips, women would ask her incredulously, “‘Your husband lets you travel? But who makes his coffee in the morning?’” — Winship said she has enjoyed the opportunity to meet and work with a diverse group of people. In particular, she spoke fondly of time spent fundraising with the late Myra Kraft ’64, for whom the University’s Transitional Year Program is named. “Myra could call anyone, and they would pick up the phone,” Winship said. “I loved Myra’s values,” she added. “Myra had a tremendous effect on our students because she believed in them.” Additional highlights of her career have included various run-ins with some of the University’s honorary degree recipients and honorees. She spoke about meeting Barbra Streisand H’95, who received her first honorary degree from the University, laughing as she recalled the long velvet train Streisand wore to the commencement ceremony. Winship also reflected on the Dalai Lama’s visit to campus in 1998, during which he and several community members held Shabbat dinner at Reinharz’s home. “[The Dalai

Lama] wanted to do Shabbat,” she said. “He wanted to see what kept the Jewish people together.” “Just the fact that so many of these people come [to Brandeis],” she said, is honor enough. With so many fond memories, taking a step back from the University has been hard, Winship admitted. “I live and breathe Brandeis,” she said, joking that she would rather amputate a limb than leave campus. She added that she was not allowed on college tours with her two sons, as she would just remind them about how much better she thought Brandeis was in comparison to other schools. Fortunately for her, her sons David ’10 and Michael Winship ’13 joined her at the University. Still, she said, the upcoming transition was a necessary one, made easier with the July arrival of University President Ronald Liebowitz. “I have 100 percent confidence in [Liebowitz],” she said. “He loves the students, he’s so honored to work with this faculty and he has a vision.” From her time spent traveling and fundraising with Liebowitz, Winship said she has noticed one important thing: “People talk to him. Why? Because he’s open; he’s honest; he’s transparent,” she said. Winship would know what good leadership looks like: She’s worked

under seven chairmen of the University’s Board of Trustees. “Each one led this University through good times and challenging times,” she said. As the University ages, Winship has also watched the Board of Trustees transfer from a predominantly Friends of Brandeis — members of the community who did not attend the University — makeup to a more alumni-based leadership. “It really is all about alumni,” she said. And despite the crucial role fundraising plays in a university the size of Brandeis, where the programs and infrastructure needed often do not align with the resources at hand, Winship said she maintains a positive outlook on the University’s future. She remembered one instance where a faculty member told her, “‘You know, I don’t know what this place would be like if it really had a lot of money, … because maybe we wouldn’t be so interdisciplinary and cooperative.’” “In some ways, I hope Brandeis raises a lot of money in the future, … but I do understand that part of the magic of Brandeis is [that we are] always striving,” Winship said. “We need to have many more resources, but I also understand the kind of community that comes out of us working together. … We are the Little Engine that Could.”

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TUESDAY, MarCH 7, 2017 ● Features ● The Justice

just

VERBATIM | MOLIERE I prefer a pleasant vice to an annoying virtue.

ON THIS DAY…

FUN FACT

In 1933, the board game Monopoly was invented.

Andrew Carnegie was the son of a Scottish weaver.

ALL PHOTOS COURTESY OF CANDICE JIANG

A Helping Hand

ROOM OF THEIR OWN: Candice Jiang ’19 helped to install fences in the new library for kindergartners.

Candice Jiang ’19 participated in a medical service trip

By LEAH LEYBZON JUSTICE CONTRIBUTING WRITER

“I have never learned Spanish in my entire life, and Peru is a Spanishspeaking country,” Candice Jiang ’19 said in an interview with the Justice. Spanish is one of the many things that Jiang, a biology and anthropology major from China, learned while on the service trip to Peru that she embarked on over the most recent break. Students, some of whom also came from Brandeis, traveled to La Merced, a small town in the jungle near the Andes Mountains. Jiang chose to participate in this trip because she had never been on a medical service trip and is passionate about further developing the health care field. One of her goals was to “expand outside her bubble and see how healthcare works in other cultures and countries” and subsequently gain a better picture of global healthcare. Jiang encountered several surprises in her quest to better understand global

healthcare. When she arrived at the hospital in La Merced at which she volunteered, she noticed that the roads near the hospital were poorly paved. Such an obstacle, she concluded, made it difficult for individuals to travel to the hospital from distant places. The hospital itself was large and new, which was unexpected, considering its rural location. Naturally, Jiang picked up on several differences between Peruvian and American medical operations and infrastructure. In the United States, according to Jiang, medical operations are well-structured and healthcare quality is high. Peru, on the other hand, is still a developing country that is trying to implement new operations and infrastructures that have been working in American society for years, but which are not necessarily as suitable for Peru. Jiang found out that several patients had been, and many others continue to be, diagnosed with Hepatitis B, as well as other diseases for which most individuals within the United States receive vaccination. She found this major gap

in medical development between the two countries highly surprising, especially given how common vaccines are within American society and culture. Jiang believes that “We need to make changes that are specific to communities and cultures” based on their needs and wants. Not all of the medical operations and infrastructures found in Western society will benefit Peruvians due to their vastly different societal structure. This forward-thinking notion ties into one of the many ideals that Jiang learned while on this trip, which is the importance of “exploring different cultures and understanding how society works from [their] perspectives.” At the end of the day, Jiang believes that “We need to stop seeing [Peruvian people] as being left behind and needing help. We need to see the system from their perspective and make it better for them.” And while this statement does not solve the medical dilemmas within Peruvian society and culture, it does give us all a place from which to start thinking.

PREVENTING DISEASE: Jiang reflected on the low prominence of vaccinations in Peru.

TRAVELING FAR: Jiang (far right) traveled to the small town of La Merced, located near the Andes Mountains.

the justice ● Features ● TUESDAY, MARCH 7, 2017

What’s so bad about LSD? Filmmaker Hamilton Morris explores psychedelic chemistry

By ViCTOR FELDMAN JUSTICE CONTRIBUTING WRITER

“Those who consume their medicines rarely understand the risks that were taken to create them. In a society that has made their work a crime, the psychedelic chemist is an outlaw.” The smooth, focused narrating voice of Hamilton Morris carried through the crowded auditorium at the International Business School. On Feb. 13, the latest episode in filmmaker Hamilton Morris’ documentary series on psychedelic drugs for Viceland, titled “Hamilton’s Pharmacopeia,” was screened at the Sachar International Center. On screen, Hamilton Morris approaches his research with an almost childlike curiosity. As both an accomplished chemist and filmmaker at age 29, he spends his time traveling the world investigating the effects of psychedelic substances, often testing these chemicals himself. This isn’t only a passion for him — it also pays. He is science editor for Vice Magazine and the director of “Hamilton’s Pharmacopeia,” which airs on Viceland. He is also the son of esteemed filmmaker Errol Morris, who is best known for directing “The Thin Blue Line.” Unlike his father, Hamilton Morris is a constant on-camera presence in his documentaries. The episode that screened

was titled “The Lazy Lizard School of Hedonism” and was the finale of the season. The 40-minute video focuses on the creation of MDMA (ecstacy) and LSD (acid). Hamilton Morris explores the creation of these drugs through the story of Darrell “The Lizard” Lemaire, a psychedelic chemist who, for good reason, had never been introduced to the public before. Hamilton Morris explains that in 1966, Lemaire used dynamite to blast a chamber inside a volcano in Nevada to build a secret laboratory for synthesizing psychedelic drugs. In the early 1980s, Lemaire — with the help of his of his partner in crime, renowned chemist Alexander Shulgin — synthesized MDA to create MDMA, which became known on the street as Ecstasy. Over the next five years, they produced hundreds of kilos of MDMA from their volcano laboratory. When the demand for psychedelic drugs soared in the 80s, it would have been easy for the two to charge a premium on their product, as they were its largest producers. However, Hamilton Morris was quick to point out that Shulgin and Lamaire were “not in it for the money; they truly believed in what they were doing.” In 1985, the FDA placed MDMA on an emergency schedule drug list, meaning the government had determined that the drug was unsafe and had no acceptable

medical use. This effectively made Lemaire’s work a crime. He decided that it was time to pass the torch on to someone younger who could continue his work creating the drug. That’s when Lemaire discovered a drug survey published in a magazine written by Casey Hardison, a budding chemistry student at the University of Nevada, that interested him. Lemaire contacted Hardison, and within the year the two were working together in the underground lab. Lemaire mentored Hardison and provided him with lab equipment. The two started a club called “The Lazy Lizard School of Hedonism” for their friends to drop acid and, as Hardison put it, “experience their trips together.” The users of psychedelic drugs in America have often found themselves outcasts in society. Morris explains that “traditionally, people who use drugs have been demonized, but drug manufacturers and suppliers are considered the absolute worst.” He believes that “the government should not be involved in people’s drug use. Historically, it’s been a terrible strategy that has caused a lot of suffering and put people in cages for life unnecessarily.” Hardison spent nine years in jail for working to supply MDMA, and he claims that our common understanding of psychedelics is completely backwards,

saying, “There became a thirst for some meaning in this postmodern, meaningless world that many of us find ourselves in. There is a search for answers, like, what are we doing here? I think psychedelics can answer some of those questions.” Today Hardison continues the work of his mentor Lemaire, who eventually sold his volcano and retired upon turning 90. The ending scene of the episode shows Lemaire and his wife Jean Millay sitting on a couch with Hamilton Morris and Casey Hardison, watching a film made in the 1960s titled “The Psychedelic Experience.” As the screen flashes with bright neon rays of color, Hardison proclaims, “I can’t run around making acid anymore. It’s a very beautiful and wondrous molecule that allows us to be part of nature again. If one perecent of the planet can experience that, maybe we will transform, maybe we will have less war.” Hamilton Morris admits that he told the story of Lemaire not just because he was interested in the subject, but because he wanted people to walk away from the show “with an appreciation of psychedelic and psychoactive drugs in general, and not to marginalize these drugs or the people who make them.” He concluded, “The world needs healing and the medicines are known. The question is: Who is going to make them?”

TAKING A TRIP: The episode screened looked at the creation of MDMA and LSD. MICHELLE BANAYAN/the Justice

VICELAND CREATOR: Hamilton Morris’ docuseries “Hamilton’s Pharmacopeia” explores the social history, chemistry and culture of the world’s drugs. MICHELLE BANAYAN/the Justice

PHOTO COURTESY OF CREATIVE COMMONS

10 TUESDAY, march 7, 2017 ● forum ● THE JUSTICE

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Brandeis University

Carmi Rothberg, Editor in Chief Mihir Khanna, Managing Editor Morgan Brill, Deputy Editor Michelle Banayan, Jessica Goldstein, Noah Hessdorf, Jerry Miller and Sabrina Sung, Associate Editors Abby Patkin, News Editor, Kirby Kochanowski, Features Editor Amber Miles, Forum Editor, Ben Katcher, Acting Sports Editor Hannah Kressel, Acting Arts Editor Natalia Wiater, Photography Editor Mira Mellman, Layout Editor, Pamela Klahr and Robbie Lurie, Ads Editors Rachel Sharer, Online Editor, Jen Geller and Avraham Penso, Copy Editors

EDITORIALS

Recognize importance of diversity in faculty This past week, the University began its search for a tenure-track professor in Astrophysics. The University has emphasized its efforts to recruit and hire faculty of historically underrepresented groups, a practice which we strongly commend. Often, the discussion about diversity tends to revolve around the student body population; however, it is important not to forget those on the other side of the classroom. Based on data provided by the University, historically underrepresented groups made up 4.6 percent of faculty in the 2014 to 2015 academic year, up from 3.1 percent in 2010. However, this number seems to drop significantly among STEM faculty, with only 0.9 percent of STEM faculty consisting of historically underrepresented groups. Historically underrepresented groups are defined by the University as those faculty who report as Hispanic or Latino, American Indian or Alaska Native, Black or African-American, or Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander. STEM is a crucial area of study in which the University struggles in terms of diversity and should consider hiring more faculty of such groups. Diversity of faculty tends to foster a sense of inclusion on campus, something that is important for students of all

Jacob Edelman

Support new hiring efforts backgrounds. Faculty from a diverse set of backgrounds may be more relatable to a wider set of students and encourage more interest and excitement for such courses. Furthermore, these faculty serve as role models for individuals from such groups, showing that such positions of authority are possible for those of any background. Ford Hall 2015 proved such a point, with students of color protesting the lack of professors of color and general diversity among faculty. Since Ford Hall, the University has hired a Chief Diversity Officer who has begun the process of creating a more diverse campus. The University also announced Brandeis Counseling Center’s new staff-of-color hires during September 2016 and created a new provision in the hiring process, requiring a diversity representative trained in implicit bias for each search committee in the School of Arts and Sciences. This may prove to be the most important change, addressing the issue at its core and fixing the problem from within. While this board applauds the CDO and the University for their work, we urge the University to continue its efforts for social justice on campus and diversity among the student body and faculty.

On the Issues National Security

Mark Gimelstein

Prior to the 2016 presidential election, the Justice asked the president of Brandeis Democrats, Jacob Edelman ’18, and the president of Brandeis Conservatives, Mark Gimelstein ’17, about several political issues. Their back-and-forth dialogue regarding national security is included below.

Mark Gimelstein: My general perspective on national security is that we should only be getting into conflicts in which our national security is under direct assault. … I also believe that a very important part of our national security should be upholding our allies, especially Israel. … We need to uphold our allies, we need to uphold their fight against terrorism and against aggression, because as NATO says, … “An attack against one is an attack against all.” … Jacob Edelman: I don’t think that Mark and I take too dissimilar a view on this. I think that in order to best protect ourselves, we need to be good members of the international community. … We need to work as a country to shake off the rhetoric that Donald Trump has been spewing about how we’re going to abandon our defense pacts, and we need to let our team members on the international stage know that we will stand with them, just as they will stand with us. … We need to help people who are at-risk populations around the world. … That is how we create a safer country for ourselves and a safer world for our neighbors. MG: I agree that Donald Trump is wrong about NATO and other pacts. I think that we should be upholding those pacts; those have worked for decades in helping preserve national security. … I think that we should be looking at what is best for our national defense. Are we threatened? If so, let’s attack and get out quickly and completely defeat the aggressor. If not, it’s not in our best interest to send our troops overseas. In response to you saying that we should be trying to help out at-risk populations, … listen, I want to live in a society without

any war, total peace, but there’s always a cost to doing these kinds of things. … if we were to full-fledged intervene in the conflict [in Syria], we would just create more power vacuums. … So we have to be very prudent about where we pick our battles, and we have to be very, very tactful in understanding what’s at risk, and whether it benefits our security at the end of the day. … JE: I think that Mark misinterpreted what I was saying about helping at-risk populations. I wasn’t speaking in terms of “liberating” populations through the use of weapons. I was talking about coming to humanitarian aid of people who are under the grip of brutal regimes, who are being held in cities under siege by fighting armies. … We’ve seen time and again that intervening on the other side of the world in conflicts that aren’t directly ours has not been a recipe for peace. MG: So, if that’s the case, then I agree. … At the end of the day, we live in a very dangerous world, and we should be doing things and intervening in conflicts internationally only when we are threatened ourselves. … JE: … To create a safer country for ourselves and a safer international community, the best thing that we can do is work to spread prosperity around the world, work to create a positive image of the United States and not solely an image of the country which is dropping a bomb on a town near you. … —Mark Gimelstein’17 is a columnist for the Justice.

JULIANNA SCIONTI/the Justice

Views the News on

On Feb. 27, the scientific journal “Nature” published a paper describing seven Earthsized terrestrial planets orbiting a dwarf star 40 light-years away. Of these planets, three are within the star’s habitable zone and could possibly have water. With the right atmospheres and greenhouse gases, these planets may mimic habitable conditions. Some scientists feel that this finding may be an indication of life on other planets. Do you believe that there is a possibility for humans to survive on other planets, and what are the implications of this discovery?

Michael Perlow ’18 With enough technology, humans could absolutely survive on the surface of Earth-like worlds. We may not be able to step outside without proper gear, though. As long as the gravity is not too high, and the atmosphere not too thick (like Venus), we could land and build colonies on the surface (or underground), and take off back into orbit. Of course, it may take a very long time to ever get there, being about 40 light years away. We should start with colonizing the Moon and Mars, but keep our eyes on those exoplanets for the distant future. Once you find a single example, you know something can exist. For Earth-like planets, the more we find, the more certain some may harbor life, and if we’re lucky, maybe even intelligent life! Within our lifetimes, I’m confident we’re on the precipice of answering the question “Are we alone?” Michael Perlow ’18 is treasurer of the astronomy club and a researcher in the Roger Biophysics Lab.

Jeremy Koob ’17 Scientists agree that it was only a matter of time before finding an Earth-like exoplanet. This discovery is exciting because the string of planets resembles our solar system, and several planets discovered could contain liquid water (life isn’t so happy in gaseous water). The paper supports their conclusion with telescope observations determining planetary mass, density, temperature and orbit (among other astrophysical parameters). Unfortunately, further statistical and chemical improbabilities decrease the chance of extra-terrestrial biology. Yet we are terribly limited by our closeted vision of life as we know it on Earth: alien ‘life’ may be based on entirely different chemical and physical principles than Earth-life. Indeed, astrophysics is not the only science studying this issue: there are research groups at MIT and other universities exploring different chemical combinations for life. This research is critical, because while we look only for Earth-like biology, we might miss true alien life. Jeremy Koob ’17 is a Chemistry Undergraduate Departmental Representative.

Maurice Windley ’19 In complete honesty, and from a scientific perspective, I do believe that there is a possibility for humans to survive on other planets. This perspective comes from the years of scientists using our planet as a model for prospective others. However, this also comes with saying that, in terraforming other planets, what then becomes of our own? With this prime question in mind, I believe this discovery holds a myriad of positive implications to a moderate extent because, on one hand, new habitable planets offer the possibility to learn more about our species and the solar system, while on the other hand, it beckons discussions of who will be able to travel. Additionally, as the habitable conditions are fundamentally different from ours on Earth, what adaptations will those who travel have to make? How will systems of government and order be present on other planets? With these questions, I personally believe that we should be solving the problems on Earth, first, before potentially impacting another planet in the same way. Maurice Windley ’19 works in the Li Deng Organic Chemistry Lab. He is also a STEM Posse scholar.

Sarah Khimjee ’19 Should the conditions on the newly discovered planets allow for human life to exist comfortably, I think that there may be a possibility for humans to survive on said planets. The question isn’t simply about survival, however. We also need to take into consideration the time (and resources) it would take to get humans to said planets, and need to understand how (or even whether) it is possible to do so. Should the smallest possibility of all of the above working out become a reality, it would lead to us creating an entire civilization from scratch. As interesting as I think this could be, I believe it will take a lot more time and much more developed technology for science to be able to define (correctly) whether and how life could possibly exist outside the Earth! Sarah Khimjee ’19 is a STEM Posse scholar.

THE JUSTICE ● fORUM ● TUESDAY, MARCH 7, 2017

Criticize the Republican party’s regressing ideologies By judah weinerman JUSTICE contributing writer

Thirty years ago, President Ronald Reagan stood in front of the physical incarnation of Cold War division and reaffirmed his view of a global world led by the United States — a shining city on a hill. At the risk of throwing away years of progress made with the Soviet Union, Reagan stood tall and issued a direct demand: “Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!” Today, his self-anointed successor is planning a wall of his own and cozying up to an increasingly authoritarian Kremlin. How did the party that never saw a foreign government it wouldn’t overthrow become the poster boys for isolationism once more? The neoconservative establishment, kings of the Republican Party, was borne out of foreign policy hawks who came to detest the “make love, not war” attitude that Democrats took on military intervention during the Vietnam War. In short time, they abandoned the party in order to take their “shoot first, ask questions later” policy of military intervention at the slightest hint of trouble to the White House. Together, with Southern whites disgusted with the left’s embrace of civil rights, this new conservative coalition propelled Richard Nixon to victory in 1968 and later Ronald Reagan in 1980. Reagan, himself a former Democrat, codified the muscular foreign policy agenda that became the new conservative orthodoxy. At the center of neoconservative thought was a rabid hatred of Communism and a belief that sustained military action was the one and only way to ensure the security and prosperity of the United States. In Reagan’s eyes, the Soviet Union was not just a hostile state; it was the “Evil Empire,” a terrifying colossus that could only be defeated by scrubbing the earth of any influence or power it had. If that meant overthrowing legitimately elected leftist regimes or supporting brutal authoritarian dictators like Manuel Noriega in Panama or Augusto Pinochet in Chile, so be it. Billions of dollars were poured into the defense of America’s allies abroad; America was going to free the world from the Communist menace, no matter the cost. When the Soviet Union fell and the Communist Menace was officially no more, the neoconservatives did not give up their mission of peace through superior firepower; they instead set their sights at the Middle East, with disastrous consequences. The more things change, the more they stay the same. Today, we still have a belligerent and manipulative Russia and a Republican

JESSICA GOLDSTEIN/the Justice

Party still waging Reagan’s crusade against the government offering any assistance to the public. Yet in every other way, it seems that the house that Saint Ronnie built is nothing but a pile of splinters. If the Cold War conservative establishment saw a sitting president openly declare NATO to be “obsolete,” as Donald Trump did, according to a Jan. 16 Reuters article, they would have his head within minutes. Our modern-day Grand Old Party, however, barely bothered to notice. Instead of a president who gave amnesty to millions of undocumented immigrants in order to fulfill America’s role as a beacon of democracy, we have one who cannot go five feet without seeing “bad hombres” in his country, and one who sold his candidacy to a skeptical conservative base with three simple words: “Build the wall.” In place of an administration made up of Capitol Hill’s best and brightest, we have a Cabinet staffed by Trump’s network of supporters and sycophants seemingly appointed to destroy the departments they swore to steward from the inside. The surface-level sweeping rhetoric of American exceptionalism and greater hopes that conservatism attempted to

wrap itself in have been completely scrubbed away, leaving only the ugly foundation that always lays beneath. When Bill O’Reilly asked Trump how he could attempt to buddy up to Vladmir Putin — considering the Russian leader’s crackdown on civil liberties and his reputation as a “killer” — Trump discarded any notion of American greatness. He retorted that “there are a lot of killers. We have a lot of killers,” responding to O’Reilly’s stunned silence by saying, “Well, you think our country is so innocent?” according to a Feb. 4 Washington Post article. For all of his hopefulness and true adoration of the narrow slice he considered America, Reagan dealt in the same ugly racist and wealth-obsessed tactics that have now come to define his party. In the past, dogwhistles like “welfare queen” and “inner-city thugs” served to keep a bigoted voter base riled up and active. Those winking nods have long since given way to outright hatred, with unapologetic racist and Islamophobe Steve Bannon sitting in the nation’s driver’s seat, a man whose tenure at Breitbart gave white nationalists a mainstream media outlet. The only Reagan-era initiatives that Trump seems

keen on bringing back are those regarded as his greatest failures — massive tax cuts for the super-wealthy, slashes in funding for infrastructure and the arts as the defense budget balloons to unimaginable size, and the drug war that locked up hundreds of thousands of young Black and Latino men simply to keep the prison system humming. Optimism and compromise aren’t on the menu. What was once the dark underbelly of the Republican Party is now its public face. Even after the decade of non-stop societal dissolution and eroded trust that was the 1970s, Reagan saw his election as “Morning In America” — a new dawn for a country that had seemingly lost its groove, according to a May 7, 2016 New York Times article. Trump looks at an America largely recovered from the wounds of Iraq War and 2008 recession and declares it to be “American carnage,” according to a Jan. 20 article in the Atlantic. Republicans still cloak themselves in the legacy of Lincoln decades after they inherited the Confederate legacy. Unfortunately for Reagan, the party will carry on his legacy of reactionary politics well after it gave up his hope for a better future.

Denounce recent attacks on the American Jewish community Ben

feshbach

present a challenge to the safety, livelihood and comfort of American Jewish congregations that cannot go on. Rather, it is to highlight that the desecration of a cemetery is not only an act of disruption but also one of erasure.

“

Extended deadlines

“How can this be happening in America? How can people like these be in charge of our country? If I didn’t see it with my own eyes, I’d think I was having a hallucination.” Again and again, Philip Roth’s 2004 novel, “The Plot Against America,” has provided a depressingly prescient insight into what is to come over the next four years. It has been awful to see Jewish community centers in state after state suffer through wave after wave of bomb threats, totaling over one hundred since January. It has been awful to not only see this trend affect my hometown of Rockville, Maryland but also to hear my grandparents over break mention — nonchalantly — that they cannot go to the gym regularly because they need to work around the bomb threats. As awful as all of this has been, the desecration of Jewish cemeteries as of late represents an even greater evil, while simultaneously highlighting the necessity of solidarity between Muslim and Jewish communities. To focus on cemeteries specifically is not in any way to attempt to minimize or dismiss the active and ongoing threat to Jewish communities across the United States; JCC bomb scares

Rather, it is to highlight that the desecration of a cemetery is not just an act of disruption but instead one of erasure. It is a denial of centuries of Jewish contribution to the fabric of American society — a uniquely despicable act, for its victims have no way to respond. In a March 2 Haaretz article biblical scholar Beth Kissileff acknowledges that “the familiarity and comfort of being in a Jewish cemetery feels contaminated and broken, along with the shattered stones toppled on the ground,” and that the efforts by past generations of American Jews to make a better and safer life for American Jewry today have been undermined. But it is still unclear exactly how to move forward. Jay Michaelson of the Forward notes in a March 1 article, “We don’t yet know who is committing these crimes … whether these

threats and attacks represent a return of mass anti-semitism … or simply the emboldening of a tiny group.” Therefore, the impetus on our community is to maintain vigilance as we learn more about who and what is behind these attacks. And in the meantime, the best thing that the American Jewish community can do in light of these attacks is embrace our common cause with American Muslims. In a Feb. 27 Atlantic article, Tarek El Messidi, a Muslim activist, reflects that “the silver lining in … this kind of eco-system of hate is that both communities are reaching out.” The benefits of this approach ought be obvious, but are worth explicating nonetheless. The solace and solidarity of this relationship helps prevent feelings of isolation, feelings which are all too common when minority communities become the victim of hate crimes. Therefore, Jewish-Muslim solidarity — an embrace of American multiculturalism — functions as the perfect response to these horrific acts of erasure. Beyond the symbolism, this relationship carries enormous tangible benefits, some of which have already begun to materialize. On Feb. 22, Tara Golshan of Vox reported that following the desecration of Jewish headstones in a suburb of St. Louis, Messidi and other activists put together a fundraising campaign that raised over $50,000. Moreover, according to a March 2 BBC article, many Muslims, including military servicemen, lawyers and award-winning television broadcasters, have begun to offer protection services for Jewish sites in light of the recent wave of bomb threats. Such support is phenomenal, and the American

Jewish community ought to actively work with Muslims across the country to ensure that their own places of worship are also safe and secure. Furthermore, partnership between Jewish and Muslim communities in America provides a new and powerful interface for political activism. As stated in the same Atlantic article, the solidarity between Jews and Muslims suggests that there is currently a willingness among the most progressive leaders to set their differences aside and unite to support one another. This alliance is particularly important given that a variety of figures on the right, including Donald Trump, have taken to dismissing the spate of anti-Semitic hate crimes as self-victimization, with Trump having himself claimed that “someone’s doing it to make others look bad,” according to a Feb. 28 Haaretz article. This is enormously harmful, as David Schraub of Haaretz, writes: “when Donald suggests that … Jews cry anti-Semitism … to discredit him … the effect is to render Jews a little more suspicious, a little more alien, a little less trustworthy, and a little less worthy of our solidarity and support.” Such statements by Trump thus contribute to the sentiment, which is sadly already so politically potent, that Jews cannot be trusted because they don’t have America’s interests at heart. The way to combat this dismissiveness and delegitimization is to stand with the American Muslim community, and with other marginalized groups as well: patriotism is at its best when it is intersectional. Demonstrating that Jews and Muslims today are Americans, and see each other as such, does not just provide beautiful imagery — it is a powerful organizing tool.

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TUESDAY, march 7, 2017 ● forum ● THE JUSTICE

FORUM

Encourage Democratic Party to address opioid crisis Aaron

Dvorkin The Plight of Reason It is generally thought that being a judge requires the propensity to be neutral, even in cases where one may have an implicit bias for one of the parties. However, a 2015 Harvard University study challenged this assumption with its finding that having a daughter makes a judge more likely to rule on the side of women’s rights. The study looked at 2,500 votes by 224 federal appeals court judges and determined that there was a causal relationship between having a daughter and ruling “in a feminist direction.” A possible explanation for this phenomenon is that these parents experience the unique hardships faced by their daughters, such as wage inequality. On a more visceral level, seeing someone who resembles or reminds one of their child could cause judges to be more sympathetic. Whatever the reason, the study’s findings underscore the idea that people care most about issues that affect them personally. The Democratic party could use this lesson as they regroup for the 2018 midterm elections after a disappointing presidential election. Many believe that the poor result had a lot to do with the popular Middle America perception that progressives are out of touch with the issues that matter to them and their way of thinking. In a Jan. 24 article, Rich Lowry, the editor of the National Review, recently gave a synopsis of the “culture war” that has been taking place between liberals and conservatives. He describes how President Donald Trump has exacerbated those divides by making the election into not only a battle over pertinent political issues, but also one that pits rural, disenfranchised groups against a liberal elite portrayed as being allied with a corrupt establishment. Middle America’s frustration with the lack of economic growth in the middle class, the loss of jobs in the coal industry and the perceived cultural elitism of the left has allowed this dichotomy to take hold in their minds. If the Democrats are to win over some of these voters, they would be wise to formulate a strategy that focuses on issues that affect the aforementioned group of disenfranchised people on a uniquely personal level. One such issue could be the opioid crisis, which has been ravaging communities across the country for the past several years. According

to a Jan. 1, 2016 report from the Center for Disease Control, overdose deaths from this category of drugs, which is headlined by prescription narcotics and heroin, have increased by 200 percent since 2000. Much of this increase has been seen in the past few years, with the most recent data showing an increase of 14 percent from 2013 to 2014 and 33,000 deaths in 2015. According to the CDC, the two states with the highest death rates of that year from drug overdoses were New Hampshire and Ohio, both of which are key swing states in presidential elections. As startling as these numbers are, there is a distinct contrast between the significance of the problem and the attention that it has gotten in the media and from politicians; other, more sensational themes from the previous election overshadowed one of the worst public health crises in our nation’s history. Then-candidate Trump’s alleged ties to Russia and his continuous disparagement of underprivileged and/or disenfranchised citizens, along with Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s proclivity for using a private email server stole the headlines. Meanwhile, deficiencies in government took their toll on everyday Americans without gaining widespread media attraction. While the aforementioned issues are very serious and should be taken into account by voters — especially President Trump’s possible collusion with Russia to interfere with the election — the focus on these issues had the side effect of tabling issues that hit more close to home for many Americans.

“

This way, Democrats can appeal to voters by focusing on an issue that is very personal to them. In a more recent example of tabloids overshadowing real political issues, Oscarwinning actress Viola Davis riled the alt-right when she proclaimed in her victory speech that being an actress is the only occupation that “celebrates what it means to live a life.” To many conservatives, the statement was a backhanded insult to those who work normal jobs and underscored the smugness of the liberal elite. Noted right-wing agitator Ben Shapiro stated in a Feb. 27 Daily Wire piece that Davis’ speech underscored the self-centered and out-of-touch nature of the liberal, Hollywood milieu. On Feb. 24, the

MARA KHAYTER/the Justice

Republican plan to replace Obamacare was leaked by Politico and received relatively little fanfare. As detailed in a Feb. 28 article in the Atlantic, the plan could have disastrous consequences for rural areas in the Midwest. For example, the plan will reduce states’ abilities to increase healthcare spending when flexibility in this area is necessary to face a public health crises like the opioid epidemic. In addition, the author notes that rural areas — including many that went for Trump in the election — already have especially high healthcare costs due to poor health and a lack of access to coverage. The Republican plan could exacerbate these issues by removing the clause in Obamacare that ties tax credits to healthcare prices in local markets. This would mean that people in markets with high healthcare costs, many of whom are in poor health, will not receive additional help in getting covered. An analysis of national health and mortality statistics by the Washington Post from April of last year found that the widening gap between health of rural and urban areas in the U.S. was largely due to opioid use, drinking and smoking. While the culture war between the right and the left seems to be the pertinent issue concerning many Americans, Democrats can still bridge the ever-widening gap between progressives and the blue-collar middle

class by focusing their campaign efforts on finding a plan to solve the health issues of rural, middle- and lower- class communities who largely voted for Trump in the previous election. This way, Democrats can appeal to voters by focusing on an issue that is very personal to them. Though both candidates in the recent presidential election commented on the opioid crisis, neither made it a prominent aspect of their respective platforms. Thus far, Trump has not made any proposals to help solve the issue. In fact, according to a March 2 PBS article, he has proposed to eliminate the Office of National Drug Control Policy, which oversees the government’s efforts to curb the drug epidemic. The Democratic Party has a unique opportunity to recover from a disastrous defeat in 2016 in light of Trump’s low poll numbers. However, they will need a campaign strategy that revives the party’s progressive character and helps solve issues affecting the most underprivileged and vulnerable Americans. Judges have the propensity to overcome their neutrality to support that which is intensely personal to them. In the same way, rural areas of Middle America can see past intensifying tensions caused by the culture war to support a party that appeals to an issue like the opioid epidemic, one that is affecting them and their communities.

Condemn restrictions on birth control access by Republicans By Catherine Rosch Special to the justice

If the Republican Party is able to get its act together after eight years of whining about a health care law that brought health insurance to millions of Americans, the Affordable Care Act will be no more. It, supposedly, will be replaced by some sort of top secret plan that, depending on who you ask, will end Medicaid expansions and shift health insurance coverage to health savings accounts — which, despite what Speaker of the House Paul Ryan thinks, are not the same as having health insurance — to promote “financial responsibility.” Or maybe the new law will keep some of the popular parts of the ACA, such as preserving coverage for people with pre-existing conditions or allowing young adults to stay on their parents’ insurance, without keeping the individual mandate. And, if you ask President Donald Trump, his replacement magically creates some sort of system where everyone has high-quality coverage without high premiums or deductibles, all without raising taxes. And yes, the plan is truly top secret. When Senator Rand Paul, a Republican from Kentucky, tried to read the draft bill that House Republicans are working on, he was turned away by Capitol security, according to a March 2 Vox article. Regardless of what happens to the ACA, there is one provision that the Trump administration and the Republican-led Congress either do not care about or, in the case of Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price, are openly hostile to: the birth control mandate. The ACA requires all insurances to cover Food and Drug Administration-approved birth-control methods, including the hormonal pill, patch and ring; the Depo shot; long-acting reversible contraceptives like the implant or intrauterine devices; and permanent sterilization, without cost-sharing. There are, of course, some exceptions; certain groups with sincerely-held religious beliefs, like houses of worship, closely-

held private companies and certain religious hospitals and schools, can opt out of covering birth control — although in most cases, through waivers and work-arounds, employees can get birth control without cost-sharing, as outlined by numerous HHS agreements and the 2014 Hobby Lobby case. Even with this law, birth control without cost-sharing was hardly a guarantee for the Americans who need it. An Aug. 16, 2015 study by the Kaiser Family Foundation, a health policy research group of 20 insurance providers in five states, found that five companies required copays on the Nuva ring and one did not cover it at all. Two companies did not cover the implant, even with cost-sharing. Three only covered the patch with cost-sharing. Only half of the providers covered all FDA-approved IUDs, and one did not cover the copper ParaGard IUD at all. And even with the ACA protections in place, an insurance company could still decline to cover a specific brand or formulation of the hormonal pill, even if it is the only brand that works for someone, because the requirements only guarantee access to the generic version. Here are the facts: According to a September 2016 Guttmacher Institute study, there are 61 million women of childbearing age, defined as between the ages of 15 and 44 years old, in the United States. Of these women, 43 million are sexually active and do not want to become pregnant, but are at risk of unplanned pregnancy without reliable contraceptives. A Feb. 14, 2013 report from the CDC found that 99 percent of American women of childbearing age have used some form of birth control at least once in their life. According to an Oct. 18, 2012 CDC report, just under two-thirds of women between 15 and 44 are currently using at least one form of contraceptive on a regular and reliable basis. Teenagers were the least likely to report using any form of contraception during sex, but more than 80 percent of those in the 1519 age bracket reported using at least one form

of protection during sex. Among women whose incomes are above 300 percent of the federal poverty line, 92 percent reported using birth control, compared to the 89 percent of women who earn less than 150 percent of the poverty line. While white and Asian women are more likely to use contraceptives than their black counterparts, more than 80 percent of women in all three groups report using birth control, according to the same study. A 2011 study from the Guttmacher Institute found that Catholic and Evangelical Protestant women are as likely as their Mainline Protestant and Jewish peers to use birth control regularly. Overall, the vast majority of American women — regardless of age, race, income or religion — use some form of birth control regularly. The birth control mandate, according to a Jan. 17 Forbes article, saved Americans 1.4 billion dollars on copays and out-of-pocket spending in 2013 alone. In fact, research shows that fully covering birth control is the financially wise thing to do; a 2014 article from the Milbank Quarterly, a peer-reviewed healthcare journal that focuses on healthcare policy, found that in 2010, every dollar spent on helping women access birth control and prevent unplanned pregnancy led to seven dollars in federal savings that otherwise would have gone to pre-natal care, childbirth and early childhood care. If I sound like I am overly outraged about this, it is because I am. After graduating Brandeis in 2016, I started working at Planned Parenthood League of Massachusetts as a patient administrator. Every day that I am at work, I have to explain the nuances of the law to patients — no, insurance companies are not legally required to cover routine STI testing; yes, you do have to pay a copay for an office visit, even if it is just to get a birth control prescription written; sorry, I don’t know if you will get a bill for the medically necessary pregnancy test we need to run for you to get an implant, IUD or the Depo shot. And every day I am at work, grateful

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

patients thank me for helping them access affordable and effective birth control methods. No matter their stories, all of their reasons for wanting affordable birth control are valid. There is the trans man who already has to pay out of pocket for his hormone therapy and just needs a form of birth control that will end his periods and not make him go bankrupt. There is the 20-something with endometriosis who has found the one pill with the right hormone combination to prevent her crippling cramps, but it is not generic, and she needs to fight to make sure her insurance company will cover it. There is the mother of three who does not want any more children but cannot afford to spend thousands of dollars on a hysterectomy. There is the teenager who is ready to become sexually active with their partner but does not want to worry about an unplanned pregnancy derailing their future. All of them got the birth control that was right for them, and none of them had to worry about cost-sharing making it unaffordable. Providing cost-free birth control does not encourage teenagers to have sex. It is not subsidizing women for “high-risk” sexual behavior — it does take two to tango, and nobody ever seems to worry about how most insurance companies fully cover the cost of Viagra. And beyond preventing pregnancy, non-barrier methods of birth control can help with heavy periods, menstrual cramps and PMS symptoms and acne, among other health concerns. In fact, nine percent of women have never had sex and still use birth control for non-contraceptive purposes, according to a November 2011 Guttmacher Institute study. These women are not more deserving of affordable birth control than women who happen to want to have sex but do not want to get pregnant. Rather, providing birth control without cost-sharing simply encourages all Americans to make safe, responsible choices that are right for them. This should be celebrated, not slashed.

2017

10 THE JUSTICE ● Sports ● Tuesday, MARCH 7, 2017

MBBALL: Squad looks to grow from hard season CONTINUED FROM 16 career 3-pointers. Fay set a career-high points total with 23 points, two shy of Cooper. The Judges finished the day with 60.4 percent shooting, a feat propelled by Fay’s and Cooper’s sharpshooting skills. Judges 74, Chicago 82 The Judges fell in a tough loss, extending their losing streak to four games for the month of February. The team shot well from the field, with 52 percent shooting, but was unable to match the University of Chicago’s pace of

LAYING IT IN

play in the second half. The Judges were neck and neck with Chicago in the first half, closing it out down only one point. The Judges were hot, connecting on their first 7 of 8 shots and knocking down 64 percent of their first-half shots. Cooper paved the way with 13 points on 5-of-5 shooting, followed by Vilmont’s six points on 3-of-5 shooting from the field. The Judges could not keep up the pace, shooting 42 percent from the field and only 33.3 percent from long range. D’Aguanno put the team on his back, posting 14 points on 5-of-5 shooting.

TRACK: Both teams aim to keep up WBBALL: Judges hope to stellar postseason build on ultimate success performances

MIHIR KHANNA/the Justice

SOFT TOUCH: Forward Sydney Sodine ’17 goes up for the finger roll at home against the University of Chicago on Feb. 17.

CONTINUED FROM 16

CONTINUED FROM 16 third-best time nationally for the mile this season, should make the championship. Other appearances by Judges may be dependent upon the remaining performances of other teams around the National Collegiate Athletic Association. Gourde, for example, is right on the border of making nationals. He has had a truly remarkable season, and has put his talent on display all year long. He has been a leader for his Judges squad, and

the value that he brings to his team has never been in question. Whether or not he will move on to nationals, however, will all depend on how his fellow competitors run during their next meets. He has performed admirably and has done all that he can to secure his spot among the other elite athletes in the nation. The Championship will be exciting to watch for fans, and will take place on Mar. 10 and 11 of this week in Naperville, Illinois.

points, with an additional stat line of eight rebounds, three blocks and a noteworthy three steals. Forward Sydney Sodine ’17 also was big on the day, collecting nine rebounds, as well as seven points and two steals. Guard Noel Hodges ’18 acted as the facilitator of the afternoon, dropping a gamehigh seven dimes. Her sister Paris contributed six points, two steals, four assists and three rebounds. While the team ultimately fell to WashU by double digits, it was only down by one point with about five minutes remaining. The Judges’

defense then collapsed, allowing WashU to score seven straight points as they rolled to the victory.

Judges 66, Chicago 69 In what became a back and forth game played at the Red Auerbach Arena on Feb. 17, the Judges were unable to come away with the victory. The team entered the fourth quarter down 49-47, and consequently tied up the game four separate times in the first four minutes without taking the lead. Paris Hodges gave the team their first lead of the fourth quarter with a crucial bucket. Chicago took back the lead with under five minutes to play, a lead

they would not relinquish. The squad had a chance to tie it up again with 34 seconds remaining, as they were down by only three points. Paris Hodges had the look from behind the threepoint arc that would have evened the game, but the shot ultimately did not drop in. At the buzzer Brandeis again missed another chance to tie up the game, this time as Jackson missed on a chuck from 30 feet. The Judges will look to regroup this off-season as they will need to replace five crucial senior players. In rebuilding their core group of players, they will look to improve upon the 2016 to 2017 campaign with a winning record.

BASKETBALL SWIMMING TRACK FENCING

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Tuesday, MARCH 7, 2017

TENNIS

jUDGES BY THE NUMBERS Men’s BASKETBALL TEAM STATS

UAA STANDINGS

Points Per Game

UAA Conference W L WashU 12 2 Rochester 10 4 Emory 9 5 Chicago 8 6 Carnegie 8 6 JUDGES 4 10 Case 3 11 NYU 2 12

W 21 23 19 16 14 8 8 7

Overall L Pct. 6 .778 4 .852 8 .704 9 .640 12 .538 16 .333 17 .320 18 .280

UPCOMING GAMES: The men’s basketball team concluded its season against New York University on Feb. 25

Jordan Cooper ’18 leads the squad with 16.3 points per game. Player PPG Jordan Cooper 16.3 Robinson Vilmont 11.4 Tim Reale 10.4 Nate Meehan 7.5

Rebounds Per Game Robinson Vilmont ’17 leads the team with 6.2 rebounds per game. Player RPG Robinson Vilmont 6.2 Jordan Cooper 5.6 Tim Reale 4.1 Latye Workman 3.6

WOMen’s basketball UAA STANDINGS

TEAM STATS Points Per Game

UAA Conference W L W WashU 12 2 25 Chicago 11 3 19 Rochester 8 6 18 Carnegie 7 7 21 Emory 6 8 15 Case 5 9 13 JUDGES 4 10 12 NYU 3 11 14

Overall L Pct. 2 .926 8 .704 9 .667 7 .750 10 .600 12 .520 13 .480 13 .519

UPCOMING GAMES: The women’s basketball team concluded its season against New York University on Feb. 25

Maria Jackson ’17 leads the team with 13.6 points per game. Player PPG Maria Jackson 13.6 Paris Hodges 11.1 Sydney Sodine 8.0 Frankie Pinto 7.6

Rebounds Per Game Maria Jackson ’17 leads with 8.0 rebounds per game. Player RPG Maria Jackson 8.0 Paris Hodges 6.2 Sydney Sodine 5.8 Hannah Nicholson 4.0

SWIMMING AND DIVING Results from the NEISDA Championship on Feb. 19.

TOP FINISHERS (Men’s)

TOP FINISHERS (Women’s)

500-yard freestyle

SWIMMER Sam Scudere-Weiss Justin Weissberg Andrew Baker

TIME 5:19.96 5:29.51 5:48.47

200-yard backstroke

SWIMMER TIME Philippa Zheku 2:15.88 Sabrina Greer 2:17.05 Abby Damsky 2:22.17

MORGAN BRILL/the Justice

FORCEFUL FOREHAND: Brian Granoff ’17 loads back for the hit against the Stevens Institute of Technology on Saturday.

Squads begin month with dominant wins ■ The men’s team started March off strong with an 8-1 victory over the Stevens Institute of Technology. By EVAN ROBINS JUSTICE STAFF WRITER

UPCOMING MEETS: The men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams concluded their seasons on Feb. 19.

TRACK AND FIELD Results from the Tufts Last Chance Meet on Saturday.

TOP FINISHERS (Men’s) 200-meter dash RUNNER TIME Irie Gourde 22.80

TOP FINISHERS (Women’s) 800-meter run RUNNER TIME Doyin Ogundiran 2:16.03

UPCOMING MEETS: Friday at NCAA Championships at North Central College Saturday at NCAA Championships at North Central College

Both Brandeis University tennis teams took the court this week, coming away with major upset victories over ranked competition. Each team has had a phenomenal start to the season, with the women entering the weekend ranked 21st and the men ranked 32nd in Division III. Their significant victories this weekend add to the momentum they have generated so far this spring and recall some of the program’s best seasons in recent memory. The women’s tennis team added two victories to its spring season start this week. On the road, the Judges first defeated Bates College 6-3 on Friday and then made their way back to the Bay State for another 6-3 win over the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Friday’s effort was led by singles dominance, with the team winning five of six singles matches. This winning percentage in singles was their second best of the season, surpassed only by their

9-0 shutout over California Lutheran University. These singles victories were highlighted by the commanding performances of Sabrina Ross Neergaard ’20, captain Haley Cohen ’18, Keren Khromchenko ’19 and Olivia Leavitt ’19, all of whom took their matches in straight sets. The team continued its winning ways the next morning, taking on No. 17 MIT. With their 6-3 win, the Judges came away with the upset over their fellow top-25 opponent. The team took two of three in doubles and four of six in singles for its fourth consecutive road win. Neergaard again led the way, picking up wins in doubles with partner Leavitt and then securing a singles victory against her fellow number one position opponent. This was the team’s first win against MIT since 2012, and leaves them with a 6-1 record. Not since the 2011-2012 season has the team started off this well, when they began the season 7-0 on their way to a tremendous 15-5 record. Their current No. 21 ranking is the program’s highest since that incredible season. The Brandeis men’s tennis team dominated Saturday afternoon, defeating 30th-ranked Stevens Institute of Technology by a score of 8-1. This margin of victory matches its wins at the California Institute of Technology and Whittier College

earlier this spring. However, neither of those opponents was a top-30 Division III team, making this the Judges’ most impressive win of the young season. The Brandeis men won two of the three doubles matches and then swept Stevens in singles. Remarkably, this was the first time that each doubles tandem has played together in competition this spring season. On the singles front, the team’s overall success was the result of a number of close matches. The competition between Brandeis’ Michael Arguello ’17 and junior Danny Polk of Stevens Tech was extremely hard-fought, with both players at the number one position on their respective teams. Ultimately, Arguello was able to pull out the win, taking the first and third sets by means of the tiebreaker. This year the team competed in four tournaments during the fall semester, compared to only two in the 2013-2014 season. According to David Reinharz ’19, this extra experience has mattered. “We were able to see many of the teams who we would later on play, and it helped to set the bar for the upcoming competition,” said Reinharz. Both teams are likely to enter next week with well deserved jumps in the Division III rankings as they begin conference play.

FENCING The men’s and women’s fencing teams put their talent on display with a plethora of top-place finishes ■ The Judges came home with the gold this past weekend as they placed first overall in their highly competitive meet.

By BEN KATCHER JUSTICE EDITOR

On Saturday morning, at the New England Intercollegiate Fencing Conference Championships at the University of Vermont, the men’s and women’s fencing teams absolutely dominated against fierce competition. Brandeis lined up against more than a dozen elite opponents, including the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Sacred Heart University and Boston

College. MIT defeated the men’s team back in the Beanpot Tournament on February 15, 1314, while the MIT women’s team defeated the Judges at the first Northeast Fencing Conference Meet on November 19, 10-17. At that same meet, the women were unable to defeat Sacred Heart, dropping the match by a score of 1314. Furthermore, for the month of February, the men’s team was only able to break even at the Eric Sollee Invitational in Cambridge with a 3-3 record, and both the men’s and women’s teams came away from the Beanpot Tournament with overall losing records of 1-2 against BC, MIT and Harvard University. Both teams came out with a noticeable vengeance to start the month of March with incredible all-

around performances at the NEIFC Championships. The women’s and men’s teams individually took home first and fourth place, respectively, while together they earned a joint first place finish for narrowly beating out both MIT and BC. They bested previous opponents and new competitors alike en route to these impressive showings. For the women’s team, their greatest contributions came from their foil and epee squads. The Judges brought home gold and silver hardware with a first-place overall finish for their foil squad and a second-place overall finish for their epee squad. Recent UAA Athlete of the Week, foilist Jessica Gets ’20, continued her excellent season as she came in third place individually in her section. As

a first-year, Gets will be exciting to watch throughout her already impressive college-fencing career. Foilists Joanne Carminucci ’19 and Chaya Schapiro ’17 were key contributors, as well, with first- and second-place individual finishes in their sections, respectively. For the epee squad, epeeists Liz Feller ’18 and Dakota Levy ’20 led the way with second-place finishes in their individual sections, displaying their astounding talent and terrific value to the team. The men’s team likewise impressed with their foil squad but also blew away the competition with their saber team. The Judges’ saber squad came in first place overall for the tournament, while their foil squad was able to bring home the silver with a second-place

finish. Saberist Leon Rotenstein ’20 had a standout performance as he came in second place in his individual section. Saberists Kyle Berney ’18 and Curtis Wilson ’18 helped to carry the squad as well, with third- and first-place finishes in their individual sections, respectively. For the foil squad, foilists Ian Quin ’20 and Elishua Litle ’18 both came away with gold medals in their individual sections to lead the charge. Both Brandeis teams will look to build on their outstanding performances at the NCAA Northeast Regional at Yale University this Sunday. For spectators, it will be interesting to see if the Judges can keep up the same level of success from this past weekend.

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Sports

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FENCING PHENOMS The Brandeis fencing teams put on very impressive performances this past weekend, earning several gold and silver medals, p. 15.

Tuesday, March 7, 2017

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

SLAMMING IT HOME

Team finishes season with win ■ Forward Maria Jackson

’17 recorded three blocks and three steals against Washington University. By NOAH HESSDORF JUSTICE EDITOR

The women’s basketball team wrapped up its season on Feb. 25 with a victory over New York University, snapping a five game losing streak. The previous weekend, the Judges fell to Washington University in St. Louis 61-49 and to the University of Chicago 69-66. Judges 50, NYU 47 In her final collegiate game, guard Paris Hodges ’17 set a career high in points and steals with an impressive stat line of 25 points, seven rebounds and five steals. In a game in which she played all 40 minutes, Hodges shot 11-15 from the field, including two three-pointers. Other seniors contributed significantly in their last game in a Judges uniform. Guard Frankie Pinto ’17 added eight points off of two three-pointers of her own, and forward Maria Jackson ’17 scored

Waltham, Mass.

seven points and grabbed seven rebounds. As Jackson concludes her Brandeis career, she leaves the program with the fifth most rebounds in history. When Jackson converted on a bucket in the fourth quarter, the Judges were able to put away the Violets for good. NYU cut the lead to only three points with just under three minutes remaining. With the squad in danger of blowing the lead, Hodges came up in clutch as she hit a shot from behind the three-point arc. NYU remained scoreless from the field for the rest of the contest, as Brandeis ended its season on a high note. The squad swept NYU for the first time in four seasons, and it ends the season with a University Athletic Association record of 4-10 and an overall record of 12-13. Judges 49, WashU 61 In the team’s last home game of the season on Feb. 19, it was not able to pull out the victory against the No. 7 team in the country. The Judges got off to a quick start, though, grabbing an 11-2 lead. Jackson did all she could to keep the squad in the game, scoring a game-high of 18

See WBBALL, 13 ☛

TRACK AND FIELD

Runners come away with impressive results ■ Irie Gourde ’17 finished in

third place in the 400-meter run this past weekend with a time of 49.70. By LEV BROWN JUSTICE staff writer

This past weekend, the Brandeis Track and Field teams concluded their first rounds of the indoor postseason. Several individuals competed at two important qualifiers for nationals, the Eastern Conference Athletic Conference in Ithaca, New York, and the Tufts University Last Chance Meet in Medford, Massachusetts. The short distance sprinters went to New York to race, while the longer distance runners took the shorter trip to Tufts. Despite the team being separated by such a significant distance, the Judges seemed to run with the same unity and teamwork they usually have when together. At the ECAC, Jack Allan '20 earned All-ECAC honors for his stellar performance. Other runners performed well in both meets, showing off the Judges’ athletic abilities. At the ECAC, the women had multiple top performers, particularly on the 4x200. Kanya Brown ’19, Maya Sands Bliss ’20, Kayla Kurland-Davis ’20, and Jessie Moore ’18 outraced several teams the 4x200 relay, placing 16th in their new personal record (1:49.43). Each member of the relay was able to run with a very similar time, all within 0.3 seconds of each other, each helping secure their dominant finish. For the men, Allan competed in a two day heptathlon, finishing his first day, and first four events, in fifth place. In the 60-meter dash, he finished in 7.50 seconds, the first

of four personal records that day. He had superb outings in two other events. In the shot put event, he threw 10.66 meters and managed a long jump distance of 6.49 meters. He finished off the day with yet another personal record for the most points he's ever scored in a single day. Before finishing off the meet with a 6th-place 4329 point total, he performed well in a few other events. Most notable was the 60-meter hurdle in which he finished second, this time tying his personal record of 8.77 seconds. Other men runners also performed well at this meet, including Churchill Perry ’20, who competed in the triple jump, placing 11th with 13.53 meters. Additionally, Regan Charie ’19 ran a 7.27 second race in the 60-meter dash, finishing in 25th place. At the Tufts meet, the squad ran with a fantastic level of intensity. Several of the team finished very well in their respective events, giving many runners the chance to potentially qualify for nationals. Liam Garvey ’18 came in third place in the 5000-meter race with a very quick time of 15:10.79. Irie Gourde ’17 also raced well, taking third in the 400-meter in 49.70 seconds, and 5th in the 200-meter in 22.8 seconds. For the women’s 800-meter, Doyin Ogundiran ’19 came in third with a time of 2:16.03, and Julia Bryson ’19 finished 9th (5:10.79) in the mile race. Maddie Dolins ’17 snagged 7th in the 3000-meter race in 10:25.90. It was a solid outing for the Judges at both the ECAC, and the LCM at Tufts, as the team managed to potentially secure multiple spots at nationals. Brandeis’ top runner from the women’s team, Emily Bryson ’19, who currently holds the

See TRACK, 13 ☛

MIHIR KHANNA/the Justice

DUNKS FOR DAYS: Guard Latye Workman ’18 finishes a ferocious dunk at home against the University of Chicago on Feb. 17.

Men conclude year with exciting victory ■ Forward Jordan Cooper

’18 led the charge with 21 points in a close win over New York University. By JERRY MILLER JUSTICE EDITOR

The men’s basketball team posted a 1-2 record over break, winning their final game of the season. Closing out the month with a win against New York University, the team bookended the tough month of February with victories and punched in their final overall record at 8-16. Judges 86, NYU 80 The Judges opened up the game with a fresh lead to go up 45-32 at the half. Forward Jordan Cooper ’18 poured in 12 points and six rebounds, only to be outmatched by guard Robinson Vilmont ’17 who nabbed 12 points and seven rebounds for the first half. The Judges shot a hot 47 percent from the field and knocked down a bevy of 3s, going a remarkable 66.7 percent from long range.

The Judges cooled down in the second half, taking their foot off the pedal and allowing NYU to outscore them 48-41. Cooper and Vilmont added nine and seven points, respectively, but the true hero was guard Eric D’Aguanno ’20 who went 3-for-6 from the 3-point range and tacked on two free throws for 11 second-half points. D’Aguanno finished with an impressive 19 points, tied with Vilmont and just shy of Cooper’s 21. The Judges crashed the boards for 48 total rebounds, with Vilmont leading the way with 12, marking a double-double for the talented graduating senior. Graduating guard Jack Fay ’17 posted 11 points on 3-of-5 shooting from beyond the arc, while guard Tim Reale ’17 posted a near doubledouble with 10 points and an impressive nine boards. The Judges swept NYU for the first time since the 2008 season, defeating them 80-69 in early January as well. Judges 91, WashU 95 The Judges loss against Washington University in St. Louis won’t be remembered for the final

score, but rather for the squad's prolific offensive play and recordsetting performance. The Judges shot out of the the gate, knocking down 59.3 percent of their shots and connecting on 10 first-half 3-pointers. Fay led the pack, knocking down an unheard-of 100 percent of his 3-pointers to post 17 points in the first-half alone. Cooper followed behind Fay with 12 points and a duo of 3s. Despite their shooting the Judges were down by two going into the second half. The team managed to eclipse its first-half totals, shooting 61.3 percent from the field and 63.6 percent from beyond the arc. Cooper tacked on another 13 points and Vilmont added 16 on 6-for-7 shooting. The Judges could not grab onto a lead though, falling 49-47 in the second half and 95-91 at the final whistle. The Judges’ red-hot shooting from the 3-point line earned them a University-record 17 3-pointers for a single game. With Vilmont’s first 3-point shot, he became the 13th player in school history to hit 100

See MBBALL, 13 ☛

Vol. LXIX #19

March 7, 2017

g n i a n t e t p h O e g R n i o r s p e S >> p g. 19

just Waltham, Mass.

ARTS

Art: Ana Mendieta, Fred Eversley, and Joseph Kosuth. Images: Aaron Birnbaum/the Justice and Natalia Wiater/the Justice. Design: Natalia Wiater/the Justice.

THE TUESDAY, JUSTICEmarch | Arts7,| TUESDAY, 2017 | Arts January i THE JUSTICE 31, 2017

A cappella

POP CULTURE

Oscars Recap and AcaPalooza invites Review: Features musical variety and Fumbles By EMILY RAE FOREMAN justice Staff writer

Most students associate Schwartz Auditorium with the mind-numbing sound of their teacher’s voice as they approach the 80th minute of a crowded lecture. But on Saturday night, from 7 p.m. to 9:30 p.m., all of that changed as the room was filled with dancing, laughing and, most importantly, singing. Company B member Julia Brown ’19 started things off by introducing the event as the first annual AcaPalooza with Company B and friends. She then went on to list the a cappella groups that would be performing: Company B, Voices of Soul, Rather Be Giraffes, Wellesley College’s Blue Notes, Starving Artists, Voicemale, Olin College’s Powerchords and Vassar’s College Homebrewed. People hurried to try and find one of the few remaining vacant seats as the first group, Company B, began the show with a powerful rendition of “You’re So Vain” by Carly Simon. It was a perfect fit to start off the show, energizing the audience, which was more than happy to join in dancing along with the group as they sang classic hits such as “September” by Earth, Wind & Fire. Each group brought new variety and tempo. Voices of Soul, true to their name, followed Company B with a medley of soulful R&B, including “Mercy.” Rather Be Giraffes enthralled the audience with popular hits such as “Russian Roulette” and “I Wanna Get Better.” They also allowed the audience to witness a particularly heartwarming tradition as they presented their newest member, Eli Wasserman ’20, with a tie symbolizing his entrance into the group, completing the outfit worn by full members.

AARON BIRNBAUM/the Justice

VOICEMALE VIGNETTE: All-male a cappella group VoiceMale guestperforms in Company B’s a capella show.

AARON BIRNBAUM/the Justice

COMPANY B CROONERS: Company B peforms a classic at the a cappella variety show they coordinated.

The first half of the acts finished with Brandeis’ own Starving Artists, easily one of the highest-energy groups of the evening. The group stands out in memory as having not only amazing soloists but also impossibly strong background vocals. More than a few audience members were brought to the brink of tears with one of the most emotional songs, “Say You Love Me,” striking a contrast to the more playful and upbeat songs of the night. The intermission was preceded by the group’s stunning version of “Chandelier.” After intermission, VoiceMale picked things back up with a Green Day medley arranged by the incredibly talented Abraham Foster ’19. One unique aspect of the show was the inclusion of three a cappella groups from different universities: Wellesley College, Vassar College and Olin College. Not only did this mean seeing new faces on campus, but each group added something different to the performance as a whole. The women of the Wellesley Blue Notes featured jaw-dropping soloists singing “Green Like American Money” and “You Don’t Own Me.” The Olin Powerchords demonstrated some impressive beat boxing background vocals during the song “Land of Hopes and Dreams.” Vassar’s Homebrewed was an audience favorite ,as their intoxicating energy had people wanting to sing along to songs such as “No Air” and “Call Your Girlfriend.” The show finished just as strong as it began, with Company B soloing co-president Saadiah McIntosh ’17 bringing the energy level to new heights with “I Believe in You and Me.” With a cappella, the turnout for next year’s Acapalooza is expected to be even bigger, more exciting, and just as filled with song.

By aNNA sTERN justice Staff writer

The opening vamp of Justin Timberlake’s song of the summer “Can’t Stop the Feeling” started to play. Dancers dressed like average Oscar-goers began to dance in flashmob fashion. Timberlake appeared and began to sing. Thus began the 2017 Oscars, or, as I like to call it, Justin Timberlake’s opening for a taping of “Jimmy Kimmel Live.” The show opened on a high note that had everyone — from the loneliest sound mixer’s assistant in the balcony all the way to Meryl Streep front and center — dancing in the aisles. Jimmy Kimmel fed off the energy of the audience as he started his brilliantly funny monologue, complete with topical jabs at President Trump and the current political climate that has become so common this awards season. Kimmel included many of the gags from his show in between the typical awards-show banter. Kimmel provided an Oscars edition of his viral video “Mean Tweets,” where past and current nominees and winners read mean tweets about themselves. As another gag, Kimmel used his signature style of playing jokes on the general public by tricking a Hollywood tour bus into thinking that they were going into the Dolby Theater into an exhibit; however, they were really walking into the Academy Awards. Despite taking a little too long, the regular people had fun taking selfies, hugging, and rubbing shoulders with the fabulous people in the front row. One couple was even “married” by Denzel Washington. Kimmel also repeated his gag from the 2016 Emmys, giving peanut butter and jelly sandwiches made by his mother, which took after Ellen deGeneres’ pizza delivery at the Oscars 2014 by providing food for the crowd. This time, however, he released candy and cookies down from the sky in parachutes on command. Despite at times feeling like an advertisement for Jimmy Kimmel Live, the Oscars had captivating musical acts. In a highly anticipated performance, Lin-Manuel Miranda opened the “Moana” performance for Best Original Song with a rap that he added on to his original song, “How Far I’ll Go.” The star-turning moment came from Auli’i Cravalho, the 16-year-old voice behind Moana, as she passionately belted the song. Even when one of the dancers struck her in the head with a flag, Cravalho didn’t flinch and carried on with the song. Despite not completing his EGOT (Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony) this year, it is clear that Miranda will no doubt be a familiar face at the Oscars in the future. The song that did win was written by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul from the film “La La Land.” The two songs nominated, “City of Stars” (which won) and “Audition (The Fools Who Dream)” were performed in a captivating arrangement by “La La Land” actor John Legend. Filled with warmth and passion, Legend brought those songs to life, complete with beautiful dancers in a gorgeous tribute to Old Hollywood that the movie so beautifully provided. Obviously the most anticipated awards of the night were for acting, directing and best picture. In a tight race, Best Actor Casey Affleck was recognized, to the surprise of some due to sexual assault accusations against him, for his role in “Manchester by the Sea.” Emma Stone won her first Best Actress Oscar for her work as a struggling actress in “La La Land,” causing millennials to reminisce about one of her first apperance’s in the teenclassic from 2010, “Easy A.” In my opinion, the winner of Best Acceptance Speech of the night went to Viola Davis,

Best Supporting Actress, who won for her captivating role in “Fences.” Davis has now added her award for this powerful role to her collection of Tonys, Golden Globes and Emmys. She is one of the first African-Americans to have all of these awards. The award for Best Supporting Actor went to Mahershala Ali for his wonderful work in “Moonlight,” an incredible work of art. Despite all of the little moments that occur in Oscar telecasts, the most memorable and confusing was when “Bonnie and Clyde” stars Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway mis-announced the final award of the evening, the award for Best Picture. The pair announced “La La Land” instead of the actual Best Picture winner, “Moonlight.” The mishap occurred because the accountant from PriceWaterhouse Cooper, the firm that counts the Oscar votes and brings out the envelopes, was too busy tweeting a star-struck selfie of him and Emma Stone to give Beatty and Dunaway the correct envelope for Best Picture. Instead he gave them

COURTESY OF CREATIVE COMMONS

GOLDEN GIFTS: Oscar winners this year included Viola Davis and Emma Stone. the envelope for the award for Best Actress, which Stone won for “La La Land.” The selfie was quickly deleted, but not before others had screenshotted it, thus solving the mystery of how this mistake occurred. However, the producers of “La La Land” proved that Hollywood isn’t all filled with selfish, money-obsessed individuals when they graciously and humbly gave the award to its rightful recipients. “Moonlight” was the first film to win an Academy Award with a plot centered on a homosexual character, as well as the first with a full Black ensemble. The Oscars this year were filled with surprises, and the world expects next year to be no exception.

JUSTICE i arts i TUESDAY, January 31, 2017 THE THE JUSTICE i arts i TUESDAY, March 7, 2017

Art show

The Rose reveals spring exhibitions

By Isabelle Truong justice Staff writer

To celebrate its reopening for the 2017 spring season, Brandeis’ Rose Art Museum invited the community to peruse its latest exhibits. The museums also provided delicious treats such as complimentary hot chocolate — apt for the harsh weather — and trendy food truck waffles. Both art and waffles proved to be aesthetically pleasing works. These brand new exhibits featured innovative, beautiful and chilling pieces. Opened on Feb. 17, they will publicly be on display until June 11. Entering the large glass building with a clean, modern aesthetic reminiscent of the Museum of Modern Art conjured an instant sense of creative inspiration. The museum, which features about four or five new exhibits displayed on both the first and second floors, immediately allows the observer to get a taste of the type of contemporary art housed within. Right when one walks in, on the right and left are minimalistically and widely spread apart circular sculptures, seemingly made of shiny materials like marble or glass. This exhibit, titled “Black, White, Gray” and created by artist Fred Eversley, is only temporarily on view and is the first showcase visible on the second floor. Toward the back of the second floor, past Eversley’s sculptures, is a smaller exhibit in the Lois Foster Wing. This exhibit, much different from the sculptures, is a small room with vintage-looking decor. Titled “The Undisciplined Collector” by Mark Dion, this permanent installation features vintage liquor

cabinets, book-lined shelves, an old radio and more 60s memorabilia. Throughout the hour, museum goers trickled in slowly. They included not only Brandeis students and photographers but also families with young children, couples and people who seemed to be a part of the intellectual art community. They stood intently analyzing the pieces and discussing in small groups. Downstairs on the first floor is where the majority of the other exhibits are displayed. On all four walls hang polaroids picturing various subjects, from houses to people to indecipherable yet colorful images. This collection is called “King Solomon’s Mines,” by Tommy Hartung. It consisted of not only the photographs but also an intriguing video projected onto a white wall. Almost disturbing in an artistic way, the video showed distorted, heavily saturated images to a background narration that was distorted as well. Clips show ancient ruins throughout Saharan Africa’s desert. Also new to the Rose Art Museum, the virtual reality interactive, seemed to be one of the more popular exhibits. This project, which apparently took months of planning and creating, allows people to participate in the much-hyped virtual reality experience, with goggles and all. However, due to the long wait to try the experience, I was unfortunately unable to partake. In the same room, past the virtual reality exhibit is another spooky projected video of a woman’s head with her eyes closed and a dark red substance pooling down the edges of her face from the top of her head: an on-view peice named

“Sweating Blood” (1973) by artist Ana Mendieta. What really stood out to me about this year’s collection was curators Kim Conaty and Caitlin Rubin’s choice to feature art not only from white artists but from people of color as well. For example, Ana Mendieta is a Cuban artist whose pieces reflect her passion for challenging “gender norms and the female body,” according to the wall’s printed description. And prominently displayed is Black artist Fred Eversley, icon of the 1970s bohemian art movement in Los Angeles. The choice to show art related to rich culture and history aside from white European was inspiring. The subject matter in “King Solomon’s Mines” supposedly aims to portray themes of “surveillance, wealth and politics” and the lives of the “impoverished migrants” of the Tibesti Mountains in Libya, according to the description. Perhaps my favorite exhibit, it shared jarring yet beautiful images of the people and landscapes. The Rose Art Museum did not falter in its ability to impress with the many interesting pieces chosen this year. The exhibits span various different types of aesthetics and subject matters, making for an overall diverse experience. For a first-timer, I was unexpectedly impressed and moved by the art. A perusal through the museum is highly recommended. —Editor’s Note: The Arts Editor, Hannah Kressel ’19, volunteers as a guide at the Rose Art Museum but was not involved in the editing process of this article.

AARON BIRNBAUM/the Justice

VIRTUAL REALITY: An exhibit featuring artist Louise Nevillson uses virtual reality to feature a previous Rose Art Museum exhibit.

AARON BIRNBAUM/the Justice

REFLECTIVE ROUNDS: Fred Eversley’s sculptures invite viewers to look at themselves in each work’s reflective surface.

theater

‘Brandeis Cares’: cabaret for charity

JOYCE YU/the Justice

FEATURING ‘FOOTLOOSE’: Some of the cast of ‘Footloose’ performs one of the large dance scenes to be featured in the upcoming musical.

By Brooke Granovsky justice Staff writer

Fifteen minutes before the show, “Brandeis Cares” cast members flooded the Shapiro Campus Center atrium. Lastminute texts went out: “does anyone want to perform tonight?’” Theater students sat on the red couches, mulling over song choices as they considered signing up. At one point, the cast of Hillel Theater Group’s upcoming show “Footloose” exited the Green Room en masse, ran their song and dance for two minutes, then dissolved into the mass of theater students and friends waiting around the Shapiro Campus Center Theater before the show. This atmosphere exemplified the show’s purpose and audience: a group of theater insiders performing mostly for each other, with outsiders and friends rounding out the crowd. Far from an industry secret, Tympanium Euphorium’s “Brandeis Cares” show has been around for years. The show is based on the Broadway Cares/ Equity Fights AIDS series, which holds performances and donates the shows’ proceeds to AIDS research. In the vein of performances like the Theater

Department’s “After Orlando,” “Brandeis Cares” is the University theater community’s response to the AIDS crisis. The show’s tickets and raffle money will go to Broadway Cares, which has raised $285 million dollars for AIDS and HIV-related services since 2016. The raffle offered attendees a chance to win a self-care basket, voice lessons, a signed poster from the show “Rent,” and a gift card to Tempo, the local cocktail and dinner restaurant. Jessie Eichinger ’17, Tympanium Euphorium’s president and the show’s organizer, took to the stage to kick off the show with some facts about Broadway Cares, the raffles, and upcoming Undergraduate Theatre Collective shows. As an emcee, Eichinger’s bit was referencing her height — she adjusted the microphone lower almost every time she took to the stage, making jokes about how the microphone was too tall for her, despite her high-heeled shoes. TopScore kicked off the show with a performance of the “Dr. Who” theme song, followed by Caitlin Crane-Moscowitz ’20 singing “Even Though” from the show “I Love You Because.” CraneMoscowitz sang about falling in love with someone despite their

flaws, smiling even as she listed the ways in which her lover failed to meet her expectations (by being more traditional than her dad, by being pretentious, etc.). As CraneMoscowitz exited the stage and Eichinger entered to introduce the next performer, Eichinger

Bore Me.” Both performances synthesized singing with sign language in a nod to Deaf West’s production of “Spring Awakening,” which used both ways of singing to tell the show’s story. The audience appeared to know

JOYCE YU/the Justice

SOLO SONGSTRESS: Rachel Geller ’18 performs the song “Nothing” from “A Chorus Line.” jokingly noted that she had just received a Snapchat of CraneMoscowitz’s performance. Next were two songs from “Spring Awakening.” Hannah McCowan ’19 and Melanie Charwat ’19 sang “Whispering,” and Leah Chanen ’19 and Ryan DelVastro ’20 sang “Mama Who

the lyrics to most of the songs, and this came through in the way the audience members clapped. Whereas most audiences would wait until the music ended to verify that a song was over, this audience started clapping the second the last lyric was sung. This happened during McCowan

and Sarah Salinger-Mullen’s ’19 performance of “Some Things Are Meant To Be” from “Little Women,” as well as during Sarah Steiker’s ’18 performance of “When He Sees Me” from “Waitress.” Other performances included Rachel Geller ’18 singing “Nothing” from “A Chorus Line” and Proscenium, an a capellla group on campus, singing “Pulled” from “The Addams Family Musical.” At the end of the show, Eichinger reclaimed the stage and re-adjusted the microphone yet again, at which point one audience member yelled “get taller!” Eichinger announced that Proscenium members had won most of the raffle prizes, at which some audience members yelled “rigged!” In a way, the relaxed environment that allowed these shouts to be playful and not aggressive exemplified the tone of the show. Following in the footsteps of “Broadway Cares,” “Brandeis Cares” was an exciting way to see performers sing songs outside of their usual repertoire. Of course, the person who gets the most out of such an experience is the person who knows what that kind of repertoire is.

TUESDAY, March 7, 2017 | Arts | THE JUSTIce

Brandeis TALKS

INTERVIEW

What is the last thing you read?

Jessica Star ’17

“‘The Stand,’ by Stephen King.”

Jessie Eichinger ’17 NATALIA WIATER/the Justice

This week, justArts spoke with Jessie Eichinger ’17, president of Tympanium Euphorium, and the emcee for charity show “Brandeis Cares.” justArts: Can you give me some background on “Brandeis Cares”?

Samantha Shepherd ’18 “I have a book for art class I’m taking that’s a whole big book of contemporary art sources and artist writings ... and their work, obviously. It’s really interesting as someone who paints to ... read about artists talking about their own work.”

Visruthi Ramu Sharma ’18 “I had a book that’s called “When Breath Becomes Air.” It’s by a doctor of Indian origin, ... and he gets lung cancer, ... and there’s nothing they can do to save him. And he’s always been fascinated by the idea of ... finding the purpose in life, and now he’s forced to. There’s the irony of him being a doctor and having a terminal illness.”

Lord Danielson ’18 “The last things we read in one of my classes, we had to say we wouldn’t talk about it, that’s why it’s hard to think of anything, since that’s all I’ve read.” —Compiled and photographed by Natalia Wiater/the Justice.

STAFF’S Top Ten

Top 10 Worst Fish By Kirby Kochanowski justice editor

As most of my close friends know, I really don’t like fish in any capacity. I’m also not a fan of birds, but I’ll save that for another issue. Here are, in my opinion, the top 10 worst offenders. 1. Snapper (Nasty lil red one with the eyes) 2. Barracuda (Will probably kill you) 3. Bass (Big ol’ mouth) 4. Sunfish (Size of whale with a fish mouth) 5. Viperfish (Like angler but worse ’cause he’s rotting) 6. Tuna (Dark and slick) 7. Salmon (Long ugly one with the mouth) 8. Trout (Spots and that mouth) 9. Carp (Scaly with a mustache) 10. Herring (Lil but got eyes)

PERRY LETOURNEAU/the Justice

CROSSWORD ACROSS 1 18-wheeler 5 Offensive, in a way 9 Word after heat or lava 13 She was played by Julia 14 Toni Morrison novel 15 Famous words in the Senate not spoken by a senator 16 Ones who failed to save a nursery rhyme character* 19 Hand-to-hand combat 20 She was succeeded by George I 21 25 percent is a large one 23 Something to surf 25 “It’s Not Unusual” singer* 28 Bright source of illumination* 32 Illusory museum pieces 33 “Thick ____ Brick” (Jethro Tull album) 34 There are 1,000,000 of them in a km 35 It replaces “you” in formal writing 36 Massive* 39 Home of the Magnificent Mile* 43 Spearheaded 12 More exiguous 44 Large flightless bird 17 Face’s opposite in pro 45 Back muscle, to a bodybuilder wrestling 46 One sarcastically given 18 One may be hidden thanks 22 Seattle runs on it, for short 49 Dim source of illumination*... 24 Reluctant to make an advance? which shares an award with the 26 Singer Mitchell other starred clues 27 UAE is part of it 52 River that spans New Mexico, 28 Fear of many a sr. Oklahoma, Colorado and 29 Trident-like Greek letter Kansas* 30 Bit of chow for Mr. Ed 54 Rhone feeder 31 Yukon XL manufacturer 55 In days of yore 35 “______ means family.” (Lilo & 56 Inclination Stitch quote) 58 Stay (at), informally* 37 _____ Mater 62 Average Joes* 38 Close to 66 Mountain lake 39 Dove sound 67 Word repeated after “Que” 40 N. African country 68 “Can you give me an 41 Cry of frustration example?” 42 Baseballer Mel 69 Rosebud, e.g. 44 Dog with no pedigree 70 Killed, as a dragon 46 South American tuber 71 Lefties, for short 47 Ones who might call a person a 44-Down, which would be very DOWN 5-Across 1 Sign of stitching 48 Machiavellian 2 ______ Stanley Gardner 49 Place to get bogged down 3 Hang (around) 50 Schools check for them 4 Factor in determining the 51 Headway degree of a murder 53 Bolt 5 Employ 57 She married Rochester 6 ______-Cola (“Fallout” 59 Church recess beverage) 60 Actor Pickens 7 Bases for vases 61 Animals that live in a house 8 “A house divided against 63 Dr. ____ itself _______ stand.” 64 One who doesn’t identify with 9 “_____ Misérables” 71-Across 10 Right now, in a text 65 Manhandle 11 It erupted on Feb. 27, 2017

Jessie Eichinger: “Broadway Cares” and Equity Fights AIDS were two separate charities that merged in 1988, I believe. They provide grants for families of people living with AIDS so they can get treatment. They also provide grants for research, and they’re just a really wonderful organization overall. They do scholarships, as well. They run a lot through Broadway, so Broadway does a lot of collections through the year. So we did a cabaret fundraiser. TopScore played, which is a band orchestra which is not what has been in the past [at Brandeis]. JA: How long has Brandeis been hosting “Brandeis Cares”? JE: I have no idea, it has been happening for a while! They haven’t had it every year; some years it fell through. Because Tympanium Euphorium is no longer doing spring shows, it was able to put its focus on Brandeis Cares this year. JA: Why do you think this is important to do?

CROSSWORD COURTESY OF EVAN MAHNKEN

JE: I mean, why is funding any charity important? It was one of the first charities to recognize helping people to fund their treatment of AIDS. It was one of the first in its field. It was the theater community, and [AIDS] did at that time predominantly affect gay men, and a lot of those gay men were involved in the theater community. It was spreading throughout the theater community and had a big part to do with how the theater community was functioning. They were on the forefront of helping people like that. So as the theater community we want to be on the forefront of helping people with AIDS, as well. JA: Can you give me some background on Tympanium Euphorium?

SOLUTION COURTESY OF EVAN MAHNKEN

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

Solution to last issue’s sudoku

Puzzle courtesy of www.sudokuoftheday.com

JE: I don’t know when it started or how it started. I know ‘Tympanium Euphorium’ means ‘happy year.’ It’s not really going to matter next year because we are forming what we like to call the “newTC.” So all the theater club fall under the UTC [Undergraduate Theater Company] but we are starting to make that the club; all of the groups are joining together under one club. Tympanium Euphorium essentially won’t exist next year, so I am the last president of Tympanium Euphorium, which is super strange to say! It’s going to be really great for the theater community. Brandeis Cares and Tympanium Euphorium have always been linked, as far as I know. JA: How long does it take to put everything together? JE: Well, if we had started earlier — as gung ho as we were once we started — it could’ve been a lot bigger than it was. I will always be honest and admit those faults; however, it can be really hard to anticipate. It took the whole of this semester and half of last semester to put together, from reaching out to theater companies, to getting donations, to booking the space and getting people to audition. Mainly auditions and setting that up has been in the last month. —Hannah Kressel