ARTS Page 21
SPORTS Evans leaves coaching position 13
STUDENT ART
FORUM Reflections of a Texan at Brandeis 12 The Independent Student Newspaper
the
of
B r a n d e is U n i v e r sit y S i n c e 1 9 4 9
Justice
Volume LXVI, Number 14
www.thejustice.org
Tuesday, December 10, 2013
ADMINISTRATION
DECODING THE TREND
Report on Al-Quds shared with public
Course enrollment data for “COSI 11A: Programming in Java and C” indicates an upward trend in student interest in the introductory Computer Science course.
68 79
’07 ’08 ’09
88
’10
= 10 STUDENTS
’11 ’12 ’13
■ Prof. Susan Lanser
(ENG), Prof. Daniel Kryder (POL) and Daniel Terris compiled the report.
199%
110
By PHIL GALLAGHER JUSTICE EDITOR
An in-depth account examining the demonstrations that took place at AlQuds University on Nov. 5 and the nature of Al-Quds’ subsequent response, titled “A Report to the Brandeis Community on the Events of 2013 Involving Brandeis University and Al-Quds University,” was made public yesterday afternoon. The report, written by Daniel Terris, the director of the International Center for Ethics, Justice and Public Life, Profs. Susan Lanser (ENG) and Daniel Kryder (POL) concludes that Al-Quds University acted swiftly to condemn the demonstrations and recommends that Brandeis “resume and indeed redouble its commitment” to the partnership with AlQuds. Additionally, a resolution from the advisory board of the International Center for Ethics, Justice, and Public Life encouraged both Brandeis and Al-Quds to take steps to lift the
130 Growth since 2007 157 203
DESIGN BY RACHEL BURKHOFF AND REBECCA LANTNER/the Justice
A GROWING SUBJECT: The introductory computer science class enrollment has more than tripled in size since 2007.
University sees computer science enrollment boom ■ Prof. Antonella DiLillo
(COSI) suggested that some students have career-related motivations for enrolling. By SARA DEJENE JUSTICE EDITOR
The University’s Computer Science department has experienced a boom in undergraduate course enrollment in the past six years. The introductory course for the major, “COSI 11A: Programming in Java and C,” has almost tripled in enrollment since fall 2007. The course, which is only offered in the fall, enrolled 68 students in 2007. This semester, it has split into two sections with a combined enrollment of 203 students, with one course exceeding the enrollment cap of 100 students. Similarly, in spring 2008, “COSI 21A: Data Structures and the Fundamentals of Computing,” a required course for the major, enrolled 26 students.
This fall semester, the course enrolled 104 students, more than a fourfold increase. According to a survey that the Justice administered to students in COSI 11A and COSI 21A in cooperation with Prof. Antonella DiLillo (COSI), 70 percent of students in COSI 11A who responded were firstyears or sophomores. Meanwhile, the number of Computer Science graduates in the past five years has remained largely consistent, ranging from 22 to 26 students. The total number of students majoring in Computer Science, however, has grown during that time, suggesting a large number of students with degrees in computer science slated to graduate in the future. Every March 15, the Registrar collects data on the total number of majors and minors enrolled in every department. On March 15, 2009, only 36 students had declared a major in Computer Science. This past March 15, that number had grown to 61 students, close to doubling in size over four years.
suspension of Al-Quds University President Sari Nusseibeh from the advisory board of the Center. University President Frederick Lawrence and University Provost Steve Goldstein ’78 requested the report and asked the three professors to learn about the demonstration during a previously-scheduled research visit to Al-Quds, according to the report’s introduction. The demonstration in question, according to the report, “featured young men dressed in black military-style outfits, wearing black masks, and sporting fake automatic weapons.” In response to a Nov. 17 letter regarding the demonstration from Al-Quds University President Sari Nusseibeh, Lawrence suspended Brandeis’ partnership with Al-Quds. On the whole, the authors expressed their confidence with the immediate response of Al-Quds to the demonstrations. “Within 24 hours, the University administration had taken steps to address the unacceptable elements of the rally directly with student leaders, it had issued a direct and unambiguous condemnation of the event, and it had set up a formal investigative committee,”
See AL-QUDS, 7 ☛
FACULTY
Professors speak about Reinharz compensation
The trend is not limited to Brandeis. The Brown Daily Herald and the Boston Globe have recently published articles describing similar jumps in computer science enrollment at Brown University and Harvard University, respectively. At Brown, the chair of the computer science department estimated that 12 percent of all undergraduates are enrolled in a computer science course, according to the Herald. Harvard offers the popular CS50 course, which enrolls almost 700 students and commands a staff of 102 teaching assistants, graders and multimedia producers, reported the Globe. According to Dean of Arts and Sciences Susan Birren in an email to the Justice, a similar increase in enrollment was seen “in the early 2000s.” “Apparently the department has seen large swings in undergraduate numbers more than once—it probably has something to do with how computer science has been repre-
■ The faculty convened for
its monthly meeting last Thursday to discuss several current issues. By SHAFAQ HASAN JUSTICE EDITOR
At the Dec. 5 faculty meeting, Prof. Sarah Mead (MUS) revealed that the University Budget Committee during the 2009 economic recession was unaware of the Board of Trustees’ decision to contract President Emeritus Jehuda Reinharz a salary of $1.5 million in 2009, $627,000 in 2011 and $300,000 each year from 2012 and 2014. According to University administrators, Reinharz’s post-presidency salary has declined from its high in 2011. Reinharz’s total compensation is ap-
See COSI, 7 ☛
proximately $300,000 each year from 2012 through 2014. In 2014, Reinharz will be compensated as president emeritus until June at the same rate as 2012 and 2013, with a total compensation that year of about $160,000. After June 2014, Reinharz’s annual salary will be $180,000 as a half-time professor. “I am hurt that I spent all those years on the UBC, which I am still a member of, and didn’t know anything about this. During a time we were in dire financial straits … we didn’t know this was happening,” Mead said. Mead’s comments were made during the question-and-answer section of the meeting during which faculty were encouraged to respond to the issue of executive compensation. Other faculty members responded simi-
See FACULTY, 6 ☛
African music
Rising up
State of the Union
A revived class is bringing Ghanaian music and dance to Mandel.
The men’s basketball team earned a third-place finish at the Big 4 Challenge.
Student Union President Ricky Rosen ’14 delivered the semi-annual address.
FEATURES 8 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 13 ARTS SPORTS
17 16
EDITORIAL FEATURES
10 8
OPINION POLICE LOG
10 2
READER COMMENTARY 11
News 3 COPYRIGHT 2013 FREE AT BRANDEIS. Email managing@thejustice.org for home delivery.
2
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 10, 2013
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THE JUSTICE
NEWS SENATE LOG
Senate debates on libertarian clubs The Senate discussed future plans and voted on clubs in its final meeting of the semester. First, Junior Representative to the Board of Trustees Alex Thomson ’15 gave his executive officer report. Thomson said that the Board of Trustees, faculty, alumni and administration have been meeting in response to the recent publicizing of President Emeritus Jehuda Reinharz’s salary, including conference calls with the entire voting body of the Board of Trustees, in the past few weeks. He hopes to include student input via a committee on this issue next semester as the Board reassesses contracts and the policies involved in creating them. Next, the Senate motioned to add the de-chartering of clubs to the schedule. East Quad Senator Andrew Savage ’16 and his Club Support Committee have been reaching out to several clubs to assess their current activity. He said that via contact information provided online and through Facebook he tried to reach out to see the current activity and membership of these clubs. The Brandeis Billiards Club, Brandeis Swimming Club, the Danzan Ryu Jujitsu Club, Brandeis Ice Hockey Club and Brandeis Magician’s Circle were all up for consideration for de-chartering. The Senate voted to table this after expressing concerns that there was not sufficient evidence that these clubs were defunct; several attendees claimed to be in the Brandeis Ice Hockey Club. The Brandeis chapter of Young Americans for Liberty came to the Senate for a name change to the Brandeis Libertarians. YAL also sought to have the Brandeis Libertarian Conservative Union change its name to the Brandeis Conservative Union, claiming that BLCU does not reflect libertarian values. Though the official BLCU constitution frequently uses the term “Republican” in relation to the club, the club also was formed under the idea of a coalition. After deliberation, the Senate voted unanimously to change the name of YAL to Brandeis Libertarians and agreed that BCLU’s name will remain the same. The Computer Operators Group approached the Senate for a name change to the Brandeis Initiative for Technology, Machines, Applications and Programming, and an update to the purpose to its constitution. The Senate voted unanimously to approve the name change and constitution update. The Senate voted unanimously to both recognize and charter the Men’s Lacrosse Club. Students for Accuracy about Israeli and Palestinian Affairs was the final club to approach the Senate. SAIPA said that their goal as a club is solely to provide facts to campus about Israeli and Palestinian affairs. Some senators expressed reservations about SAIPA members interrupting other clubs’ events. SAIPA maintained that they are against rude behavior and wish to only publish reports on public events. SAIPA was recognized with seven in favor, two against and five abstentions. Student Union President Ricky Rosen ’14 then delivered his executive officer report. Under his transportation initiatives, Rosen said he met with head of the Escort Safety Service Rupert Thomas ’14 to discuss a possible online form for the BranVan to go into effect sometime next semester. He also wants to change the hours for the shuttle to the Riverside MBTA station from Wednesday and Thursday from 2 to 5 p.m. to the same time on Saturday and Sunday. He also discussed the results from the recent parking survey. Eighty percent of the 1600 respondents agreed that steps need to be taken to address the parking shortage. In addition to future meetings with the Board, a team of students from the International Business School are looking at ways to finance a parking project. In its report, the Sustainability Committee proposed a change to the bylaws that would more clearly outline the committee’s role. Additionally, the committee has been meeting with dining staff to look into the types of products used on campus, and reported that starting with the new year a new provider for recycling will start composting and tracking recycling at dining facilities. During executive session, the Senate voted to keep Executive Senator Annie Chen ’14 in her position as executive senator, as Union Vice President Charlotte Franco ’15 confirmed after the meeting.
POLICE LOG Assault
Dec. 7—University Police received a call from a reporting party who heard a loud altercation between a male and female on Charles River Road. The student also noted that the male hit the female. University Police arrived on-scene and arrested the male student for domestic assault and battery. The community development coordinator was also notified and asked to speak with the victim.
Medical Emergency
Dec. 2—University Police received a report that a student at Mailman House requested transport to Newton-Wellesley Hospital for a voluntary pyschological evaluation. University Police and Community Living Staff assisted and the student was transported to Newton-Wellesley Hospital for further care. Dec. 2—University Police assisted Waltham Police in the transport of a community member to a Westborough, Mass. detoxification facility for further care. Dec. 3—A student in the Gold-
man-Schwartz Fine Arts Studios reported burns to the face from rubbing alcohol. BEMCo and the University Police arrived onscene and the student was transported to Newton-Wellesley Hospital for further care. Dec. 4—A student in Shapiro Residence Hall reported to University Police that she fell off her bunk bed and injured her head. BEMCo arrived on-scene to treat the student, who then refused further care. Dec. 6—University Police received a report that a student in Gordon Hall might have had a seizure. BEMCo was immediately notified and rushed to assist the student, who was transported to Newton-Wellesley Hospital for further care. Dec. 6—Staff members at Mailman House notified University Police of a need to locate a student for an involuntary psych transport. University Police then collaborated with the CDC to locate the patient, who was found and transported to the hospital without incident. Dec. 8—University Police received a report that a student in
Renfield Hall had prepared for a voluntary psychological evaluation at Newton-Wellesley Hospital. University Police responded to address the situation on-scene, which had already been dealt with by the CDC on call as well as Mailman House staff. The student was transported to NewtonWellesley Hospital for further care.
Disturbance
Dec. 1—A student on Charles River Road reported an extensive confrontation with a neighbor over excessive noise. University Police noted that they had dealt with such a situation before and referred the parties to the CDC. Dec. 4—A student in the Village reported that there had been a large group of 20 to 25 people who were yelling and screaming. University Police dispersed the group without incident. Dec. 5—A reporting party on Angleside Road noted there had been excessively loud noise in the hallway. University Police arrived on-scene and found that the area was quiet. Dec. 5—The same resident on
CORRECTIONS AND CLARIFICATIONS n A photograph in News should have been credited as a Justice file photo. (Nov. 26, p. 1)
n An article in news incorrectly characterized the development of the fall 2011 HOID core course “PHIL 109b: Ethics and Emotions” as being paid for by the Safier-Jolles fund. (Nov. 26, p. 1) The Justice welcomes submissions for errors that warrant correction or clarification. Email editor@ thejustice.org.
Justice
the
www.thejustice.org
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 in chief office hours are held Mondays from 2 to 3 p.m. in the Justice office. Editor News Forum Features Sports Arts Ads Photos Managing
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The Justice Brandeis University Mailstop 214 P.O. Box 549110 Waltham, MA 02454-9110 Phone: (781) 736-3750
Dec. 3—The manager in the mailroom reported an instance of attempted fraud. University Police compiled a report of the incident to conduct an investigation.
Harassment
Dec. 3—A student off campus reported of continuous harassment. University Police consulted with both parties and compiled a report of the incident. —compiled by Adam Rabinowitz
University remembers, mourns Nelson Mandela
—Brittany Joyce
n An editorial cartoon in Forum should have been credited to Olivia Pobiel, not Olive Pobiel. (Nov. 26, p. 12)
Larceny
BRIEF
HOLIDAY LIGHTS
n An editorial in Forum incorrectly stated that the last student to minor in History of Ideas graduated in 2009. In fact, the student graduated in 2010. (Nov. 26, p. 10)
Angleside Road reported loud shouting in the hallway once more. University Police discovered the source of the noise and told those residents to quiet down. All fully complied. Dec. 6—A bystander on hand for a motor vehicle accident in Admissions Lot caused a notable disturbance, creating hazardous conditions for the people involved. University Police asked the student to disperse and he refused, leading to an arrest for disorderly conduct. University judicial charges will be filed.
OLIVIA POBIEL/the Justice
Senior Vice President for Students and Enrollment Andrew Flagel lights a menorah with his son at a Hannukah celebration in the Shapiro Campus Center on Wednesday. The event included a laser light show.
Former South African President and worldwide icon Nelson Mandela died on Thursday at the age of 95. University President Frederick Lawrence wrote an email to the University community that “the loss of Nelson Mandela ... resonates strongly with the Brandeis Community.” He continued on to write, “In the darkest days of apartheid, at times from a prison cell, and in his vision for a South Africa governed on principles of equality and reconciliation, Nelson Mandela was a beacon of hope, an example and an inspiration to those who would attempt what seems impossible.” Dean of Student Life Jamele Adams also commemorated Mandela’s legacy with a campus-wide email, quoting the marquee of the Apollo Theater in Harlem, N.Y. “It reads simply, ‘He changed the world.’ Brandeis University mourns the loss of one of the world’s greatest freedom fighters and shining examples of the human capacity to never ... quit fighting for that which is right.” There were several events planned to remember Mandela, including a Peace Vigil on Friday and a candlelight vigil hosted by the Brandeis African Student Organization tomorrow at 4 p.m. at the Peace Circle. Mandela spent 27 years in prison before becoming president and leading South Africa out of apartheid. According to his obituary in the New York Times, he was a “capable statesman, comfortable with compromise and impatient with the doctrinaire.” After his presidency, Mandela served “as a peace broker and champion of greater outside investment” across Africa. according to the New York Times. A collection of people from Brandeis students to celebrities such as Neil Patrick Harris and Rihanna took to Facebook and Twitter to share their thoughts on Mandela’s life, along with obituaries and collections of Mandela’s greatest quotations. —Sam Mintz
ANNOUNCEMENTS Parallel Paths
The 2013 Sorensen Fellows will present on their experiences abroad during the summer of 2013. Project destinations spanned the entire globe and included Bulgaria, New York, Kenya, Senegal and Uganda. This is a great opportunity to learn more about the Sorensen Fellowship and volunteering abroad in general. Today from noon to 1:30 p.m. in the Usdan Student Center Alumni Lounge.
Messiah Sing
The Brandeis community will celebrate the holidays with our annual campus sing-along of highlights from George Friedrich Handel’s Messiah. The one-hour concert will be led by students from the Brandeis-Wellesley Orchestra conducted by Prof. Neal Hampton (MUS) and the Brandeis University Chorus under the direction of Prof. James Olesen (MUS). Messiah premiered in Dublin in 1742. German-born and raised in Britain, Handel (16851759) was proclaimed by Beethoven to be “the
greatest composer that ever lived.” The Catholic Student Organization will provide eggnog and kosher Christmas cookies. Students from the Waltham Group will collect donations for Cradles to Crayons to support the education of local children. Please bring notebooks, pens, backpacks or other school supplies to donate. The “Messiah Sing” is a joyful opportunity for the Brandeis community to be united by music in a spirit of peace and goodwill. Grab a Handel and join the celebration. Today from 4 to 5 p.m. in the Carl J. Shapiro Campus Center Atrium.
NOTE TO READERS The Justice is on hiatus for the winter break. Our next issue will be published on Jan. 21.
Nelson Mandela Vigil
Brandeis African Students Organization invites you to join us in commemorating Nelson Mandela’s life. Please join us in showing your respect by wearing the colors of the South African flag: red, blue, yellow, green, white and black. Wednesday from 4 to 5 p.m. at the Peace Circle near Usdan Student Center.
Check our website, www.thejustice.org, for updates.
THE JUSTICE
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TUESDAY, DECEMBER 10, 2013
STATE OF THE UNION
Rosen delivers semi-annual address ■ Student Union President
Ricky Rosen ’14 discussed the Union’s plans for the spring 2014 semester. By ZACHARY REID JUSTICE STAFF WRITER
On Dec. 2, Student Union President Ricky Rosen ’14 delivered the annual State of the Union address in the Shapiro Campus Center Atrium to a crowd of approximately 70 students and administrators. Rosen opened the address by thanking the members of the Union for being so vocal in advocating for their constituents, stating that this has been a “pivotal semester in Brandeis time.” He listed changes and new initiatives such as the implementation of the strategic
plan, efforts to turn Brandeis into a household name, the arrival of new campus partners like Sodexo and Joseph’s Transportation and the changing administration—including Jamele Adams’ promotion to dean of students and Cheryl Sousa’s ’90 new position as assistant vice president of health and wellness, as part of the pivotal semester. Rosen highlighted Union successes this semester, including the addition of hammocks on campus, increasing communication with students through the Student Union bulletin board in the Usdan Student Center, holding more outreach events and making modifications to the Boston shuttle bus schedule to best benefit students. Rosen stated that the Union also hopes to change the time and access for the Wednesday and Thursday Riverside MBTA station shuttles.
MORGAN BRILL/the Justice
STATE OF THE UNION: Student Union President Ricky Rosen ’14 reviewed the Union’s progress this semester, as well as initiatives it will take on next semester.
Rosen also revealed information about a variety of upcoming dining changes. The New York-style delicatessen that will replace Quiznos will be called Louis’ and will be constructed over the winter. The delicatessen will open on Monday, Jan. 13, the first day of classes for the spring 2014 semester. The food truck, which serves food in between the Shapiro Campus Center and the Feldberg Communications Center, will begin accepting WhoCash and points next semester. Plans to install a café in the science quad are also in discussions that will continue next semester. After an analysis of the results of a dining survey sent out recently, Rosen announced that the Student Union and Sodexo are presenting a joint recommendation to the University that The Stein be turned into a sports bar, instead of the Guy Fieri On Campus restaurant which was initially proposed. “We are hoping that The Stein will become the premiere on-campus weekend destination for Brandeis students,” Rosen said. Rosen also stated that the project is in the final stages of planning approval, and a detailed construction timeline will be announced before winter break. The Stein was officially closed on Nov. 19 for the remainder of the semester. Class of 2016 Senator Jon Jacob is also working to have local Waltham restaurants accept WhoCash as a form of payment, in addition to Cappy’s Pizza and Subs, said Rosen. “So far, Carl’s Subs, Sabatino’s and Tree Top Waltham have all expressed interest in joining this program,” said Rosen. He added that their goal is to get Asia Wok and Baan Thai to join in the project, which he hopes will be completed by the end of the year. The Union has also been working on constructing new meal plans with Sodexo. These meal plans, which will likely be implemented
in fall 2014, will include the element of unlimited access, “meaning students will be able to go in and out of all-you-can-eat dining facilities [using meals and points] as many times a week as they would like,” said Rosen. He also stated that more changes would come in the next few weeks. Rosen thanked Class of 2017 Senator David Heaton and Union Vice President Charlotte Franco ’15 for their work with the Dining Committee. Rosen also revealed three longerterm changes to the dining facilities: over the summer, the Usdan Café will become a buffet-style location. To complement this, Usdan Boulevard will feature “retail food locations and potentially fast food franchise restaurants, including Quiznos,” according to Rosen. Sherman Dining Hall will also be renovated the following summer in 2015. One ongoing Union initiative that Rosen highlighted was divestment from fossil fuels. In response to the referendum on divesting Brandeis funds from fossil fuel corporations last semester, a Divestment Working Group was set up over the summer to investigate the possibility of divestment. Rosen stated that this is part of an attempt to “make Brandeis a sustainable institution and reduce our carbon footprint.” The group will continue to examine alternative investment opportunities for the University throughout the academic year. In addition to this, the Senate established a Sustainability Committee, headed by Class of 2015 Senator Anna Bessendorf. The goal of the committee, according to Rosen, is to reduce wasteful resource usage and streamline student efforts to increase campus sustainability. One notable success of the committee was being approved for a Brandeis Sustainability Fund grant in order
to install 60 toilets with dual-flush capabilities on campus. Another Union initiative is to create an email system for the mailroom to notify students when there is a package for them. Rosen hopes the project will be completed by the end of the year; Jacob and Executive Senator Annie Chen ’14 have spearheaded the initiative. Rosen also spoke about ’Deis Impact, the weeklong festival celebrating and focusing on social justice. ’Deis Impact is a collaborative effort between the Union and the International Center for Ethics, Justice and Public Life. The festival will occur from Feb. 1 through Feb. 10 and will feature Ndaba Mandela and Kweku Mandela Amuah, founders of Africa Rising and the grandchildren of the recently deceased Nelson Mandela, as keynote speakers. Rosen also discussed parking on campus, stating that it has been a “serious problem for over a decade.” According to Rosen, the Department of Public Safety has issued 3,126 parking permits for the 2,300 parking spots available on campus this year. In response to student dissatisfaction with available parking, research by the Union found that Brandeis is the only school in its conference—the University Athletic Association—that does not have a parking facility on campus, does not allow sophomores to park on campus and requires faculty and staff to pay for parking. Rosen stated that this was one of the Union’s “chief objectives,” and that the Union wants to “make [parking] a priority for the administration and students in the years to come.” The final initiative that Rosen mentioned was the creation of a bus shelter outside of the Carl and Ruth Shapiro Admissions Center, which he hopes will serve as a memento to the 2013 to 2014 Student Union and its efforts.
Flagel holds town hall-style discussion ■ Senior Vice President for
Students and Enrollment Andrew Flagel addressed attendees’ concerns. By ZACHARY REID JUSTICE STAFF WRITER
Following Student Union President Ricky Rosen’s ’14 State of the Union address in the Shapiro Campus Center Atrium on Monday, Senior Vice President for Students and Enrollment Andrew Flagel led a town hall meeting about the University’s fiscal year budget. Flagel was joined by Senior Vice President for Communications Ellen de Graffenreid and Senior Vice President for Finance and Chief Financial Officer Marianne Cwalina. During the presentation, Flagel explained the University budget to the audience, including the University’s revenues and expenses. According to Flagel, the revenues were composed of 40 percent undergraduate tuition and fees, 13 percent graduate tuition and fees, two percent continuing programs tuition, eight percent room and board, 10 percent endowment support, four percent annual giving, four percent restricted gifts use, 13 percent sponsored programs direct revenue, three percent sponsored programs indirect revenue and three percent other income. The expenses budget totaled $394.6 million—a four million dollar deficit—and was comprised of 18 percent staff salaries, 11 percent faculty salaries, three percent student wages and support, seven percent benefits, 19 percent operational expenses, six percent depreciation of buildings, three percent interest on the total debt, 12 percent sponsored research, 14 percent undergraduate financial aid, seven percent graduate financial aid and 0.2 percent continuing programs financial aid. A significant point of the presen-
tation was the inclusion of financial aid in the charts. “Normally, when Universities present the expense and revenue budgets, they don’t include financial aid,” said Flagel. He explained that this occurs because aid is generally considered a discount as opposed to an expense. This method was “more intuitive,” according to Flagel, and showed the true revenue and expenditures. Flagel later said that the budget is “not wildly dissimilar to other institutions.” Aid and salaries make up the largest portion of University expenses, said Flagel, and the University is “really tied up in [that] portion of the budget;” thus, it would be difficult to reduce spending in these areas Following the presentation, Flagel opened the floor to questions from anyone present. When asked how the budget compared chronologically to past University budgets, he said that the “percentages are fairly similar from year to year,” and “you don’t see much of a shift.” Flagel did note that the University has exceeded its revenues for many years, and thus been required to pull funds off of the endowment in approximately a five percent yearly rate. One attendee raised a question regarding tuition and possible increases. Flagel responded that he “[did] not have a specific number, but the [fiscal] model tries to keep tuition increase below four percent [each year]. … How much we spend on dining, on housing, et cetera … all are components of trying to make sure that we’re keeping Brandeis accessible.” Flagel further clarified that the fiscal model’s goal is not a price point, but to make sure that the University is not excluding talented students from attending Brandeis. “That’s a tremendous challenge in a fiscal model to provide, so [the administration] want[s] to find the best ways possible to preserve the Brandeis experience but make it accessible,” he said. After receiving a question about why Brandeis charges regular tuition
to students studying abroad, even though their programs may have cheaper costs, Flagel responded that Brandeis’ model for study abroad is to either mark a student as on sabbatical, which Flagel said is popular among other institutions, or “pay our fee, [full Brandeis tuition] and stay enrolled at the University and still have access to all the things you would have access to as a student.” When asked how the University is planning to respond to the recent Boston Globe article that criticized the compensation package for President Emeritus Jehuda Reinharz, in light of the budget deficit, Flagel responded that there “isn’t much we can do about an article.” He noted that the main issue was one of fairness to the administration, and stated that Board of Trustees is “very concerned” and will “continue to look into this matter.” He also said that two undergraduate and graduate representatives to the Board would carry the voices of the student body to the Board. The History of Ideas program, which was the center of a scandal accusing the University of mishandling a donor’s money for the program, was also brought up at the meeting. After being asked about the situation and what was being done, Flagel told the audience that “all the funds that come in from donors are maintained with extraordinary ethical standards.” He later added that “not everyone who was engaged agrees with the decisions that were made,” but that “in terms of maintaining the integrity of the donor’s wishes, all of that has been taken care of.” In an email to the Justice, Rosen stated that “having a forum such as the town hall meeting last week … is a tremendous first step towards more budget transparency.” Rosen further stated that the student body “[has] the right to know why our tuition is increasing ... and whether Brandeis as an institution is responsibly managing its funds.”
COURTESY OF BRANDEIS UNIVERSITY
CRUNCHING NUMBERS: The above charts display the University’s fiscal year 2013 revenues and expenses, as explained at the town hall meeting last Monday.
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TUESDAY, DECEMBER 10, 2013
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THE JUSTICE
dining
TOUCHING THE FUTURE
Sodexo aims to improve Stein
■ The new dining location,
the result of a remodeled Stein, is expected to be open by next semester. By samantha topper JUSTICE STAFF WRITER
Over winter break, the University plans to begin remodeling The Stein restaurant. Though plans have not yet left the early stages, with blueprints unfinished and timelines unclear, the University expects the Stein to reopen for students during the spring semester. Jay DeGioia, Sodexo’s resident district manager for Brandeis, wrote in an email to the Justice that The Stein closed just before Thanksgiving in anticipation of remodeling and construction, which Sodexo hopes to begin in early January and which DeGioia estimated could take three to six weeks. When it reopens its doors in the spring, The Stein may surprise students. The Student Union sent out a survey by email on Nov. 9 to collect student feedback regarding the fate of The Stein. Though results from the survey showed that participating students preferred that the University put a franchise in the current location of The Stein, Sodexo and the Student Union decided to take a different direction, according to Class of 2017 Senator and Senate Chair of the Dining Committee David Heaton. The survey sent out to the student population asked students to rate their preference as to what they would like to see from The Stein’s upcoming renovations. The Student Union took these ratings and turned them into points that add up to a total score, according to Heaton, who said that most students gave the highest rating to the option of bringing a franchise onto campus in place of The Stein, while “keeping The Stein the same” and “turning it into a sports bar” came in second and third places, respectively. However, Heaton said in an interview with the Justice that all three options ended up with very close scores, negating the presence of an overwhelmingly popular opinion pervading the student body in regard to what should become of The Stein. Analyzing the data, the Student Union and Sodexo decided to take the options that received the second two highest scores—“keeping The Stein the same” and “turning it into a sports bar”—and work on “revamping” the eatery to fit both criteria, according to Heaton. Since The Stein currently presents itself as a quasi-sports bar, Sodexo’s goal of “establish[ing] a Brandeis signature pub that is rich in history and would become a landmark in the Brandeis community,” according to DeGoia, would involve remodeling the dining room as well as culinary changes. Plans currently in discussion for the new Stein restaurant, according to Heaton, include a brand-new
menu, which would include pizzas baked in a “hearth” oven, or openflame pizza oven. Though students expressed dissatisfaction with the idea of opening a pizzeria on campus, Heaton said that the proposed menu would offer a large option of additional items. The bonus of the pizza oven, according to Heaton, would be the reintroduction of delivery from The Stein. According to Heaton, putting a franchise in that particular location would disadvantage students, as both students and the University would lose much of the control over one of the dining locations controlled by the University. Even in the scenario that a franchise would comply with requests to shut down for events taking place in the nearby Sherman Function Hall, opening the location to a franchise would cause students to lose some influence over food options, and the University would only have power to urge the franchise to listen to student demands, according to Heaton, without any guarantee of compliance. “If we brought in a franchise we’d have absolutely no say,” said Heaton. Though Sodexo has brought several franchises to Brandeis since the beginning of the semester, the Stein has a particularly unique characteristic which causes complications when considering whether or not a franchise should replace it. After The Stein stops serving dinner, the location becomes Ollie’s Eatery, a late-night eatery which serves breakfast to night-owls. According to DeGioia, one of “the most important identifiers in the survey conducted,” aside from students’ “desire to control the menu,” concerned the fate of Ollie’s. According to Heaton, bringing in a franchise would eliminate Ollie’s, a dining option that is popular among students, according to the results from the survey. Thus the University rejects not the option of a franchise, but the eradication of Ollie’s, among other losses of control, which would automatically follow the introduction of a franchise into the location of The Stein. The decision not to find a franchise to replace The Stein considered student opinions taken from the survey results, but ultimately the Student Union’s analysis of the results led to a compromise that would preserve the option of maintaining Ollie’s while still appealing to a majority opinion. However, plans to bring in a franchise have not been dropped completely, but instead are being reevaluated. “A chain restaurant isn’t out of the question at this point,” said DeGioia, “but I think the question is ‘Where is the best location for a national brand on campus?’” That question has already undergone discussion, according to Heaton, who said that the Student Union and Sodexo discussed bringing a franchise to the Usdan Student Center, since the survey showed the desire of students to have another franchise as a dining option. No decisions have been made regarding a new franchise in Usdan Student Center as of yet, said Heaton.
JOSH HOROWITZ/the Justice
FOSTERING CREATIVITY: The new touchscreen table was funded by the University along with other efforts to revamp Farber Mezzanine.
LTS installs 55-inch touch table for Farber Mezzanine
■ On Wednesday, the Ideum
Pro Lab Touchscreen Table, which cost over $20,000 in University funds, was installed. By MARISSA DITKOWSKY JUSTICE EDITOR
Last Wednesday, Library and Technology Services finished installing an Ideum Pro Lab Touchscreen Table in the Farber Library Mezzanine. The “Big Brandeis Table,” as it is called on the touch table’s home screen, is a 55-inch touch-controlled surface running on a Windows 8 operating system. According to Director for Academic Support and User Services Joshua Wilson, Chief Information Officer and Vice Provost John Unsworth came up with the initial idea of installing the table, and it was ordered over the summer. The table arrived in October. “We’ve spent a significant amount of time just getting it ready,” Wilson said in an interview with the Justice. “It’s unlike anything else on campus, so we had to spend some time really understanding what it could do. We spent some time really thinking about what kind of content we wanted to put on there initially.” According to Wilson, the table cost over $20,000, and was paid for using LTS capital funds from the University that were intended for the renovation of the Farber Mezzanine. “This is one of the higher-end ones. We wanted the most robust table we could get because we wanted
the community to be able to use it without any fear of breaking it. It’s meant to really stand up to all of our creativity,” he said. Wilson said that such tables begin at as little as $5,000 and can be as expensive as $30,000. “It really depends upon the size, the quality, the display, the power of the computer inside,” he said. According to Wilson, LTS will take care of the tablet in the same way that they take are of other equipment around campus. This includes necessary updates and replacements. “I think that part of doing something exciting is accepting some risk, so, as we all work with it and play with it and bang on it, there may be things that break,” said Wilson. However, Wilson said that the table and all of its components are currently covered under a comprehensive two-year replacement warranty. Wilson said that the computer can recognize and accept multiple hands of touch input; therefore, more than one user can take advantage of the table at once. In addition, the table can run more than one application at a time, although the table is subject to the limits of Windows 8, according to Wilson. The table can also enter a split-screen mode, during which one application is open one side of the table and another application is open on the other. The current focus is geared toward data visualization, so there are several different data sets and different data visualization applications with which students can interact. In addition, Wilson said that the table can be used to navigate
other applications, such as Twitter. Specifically, the table can be used for such purposes as playing multiplayer games, navigating through star maps, examining the interactions of molecules, playing simulations of several instruments—such as the piano, drum kit and guitar— and recording and sending those performances, viewing interactive statistics and more. Similar touchscreen tables are used in museums, according to Wilson. “We don’t pretend in LTS that we have a great idea for what this is going to be. In some ways we wanted to put this out and let the community build it together with us, so we’re hoping to partner with faculty and students to develop content and really all learn together about what this neat piece of cutting-edge technology can really do,” Wilson said. According to Wilson, an early partnership was established with Prof. Tim Hickey (COSI). Hickey and some of his students will be developing academic games for the touch table. However, Wilson added that LTS is open to all ideas and potential collaborations with students and other members of the Brandeis community. When asked about the primary focus of the table, Wilson said that the purpose should be an academic tool that also allows for fun and creativity. “John Unsworth … envisions Farber [Mezzanine] as the campus living room, so, the campus living room should have some fun stuff in it. On the other hand, there should be an academic purpose as well, so hopefully it can be some sort of a fun academic purpose that it’s used for over time,” Wilson said.
FACULTY
History department faculty members named to endowed chairs ■ Dean of Arts and Sciences
Susan Birren named Profs. Michael Willrich (HIST) and David Engerman (HIST) to endowed chairs in history on Nov. 26. By ILANA KRUGER JUSTICE staff writer
The University announced on Wednesday that two professors from the History department have been appointed to endowed chairs. On Nov. 26, Dean of Arts and Sciences Susan Birren named Prof. Michael Willrich (HIST) the Leff Families Professor of History and Prof. David Engerman (HIST) the Ottilie Springer Professor of History. “I was utterly surprised and delighted by the news,” Willrich wrote in an email to the Justice. “An endowed chair is a special honor for a
professor, and I’m particularly honored to be taking on the chair previously occupied by my much-missed colleague Rudy Binion, a brilliant historian who died in 2011.” Engerman had a similar reacWillrich tion. “I was very excited and proud. Academia is a funny world in which one doesn’t get many promotions … so to find out about the University bestowing an honor like that was great,” he said in an inEngerman terview with the Justice. Carl and Phillip Leff established the Leff Chair in 1965 with their
wives, all of whom contributed financially to Brandeis’ early years. “The chair is an honor, with no particular strings attached, other than continuing to strive to meet Brandeis’ high standards for research, teaching and service,” Willrich said. Axel Springer, German journalist and media mogul, named the Ottilie Springer Chair after his mother in 1968. “There’s a story about the chair in the memoir called A Host at Last by the president [of Brandeis] under whose auspices it was created, Abram Sachar,” Engerman explained. “Axel Springer had given a lot of money to Israel and various Jewish causes, and Abram Sachar solicited a gift on behalf of American Jews.” Engerman is currently working on a book entitled Planning for Prosperity: The Economic Cold War in India. “It’s about American and Soviet competition … to provide development aid to India,” Engerman said.
“It’s an unusual facet of the Cold War, since we usually think about the Cold War as military competition and this is about economics.” Willrich’s most recent book is Pox: An American History, about the smallpox epidemic in 20th Century United States. He is “at the early stages of two separate projects, a political history of sports in the United States, and a post-frontier history of Americans who have chosen—and often have struggled—to live ‘off the grid,’” Willrich wrote. Willrich, who began his career as a journalist, said that he likes teaching history because “history offers important insights into our contemporary challenges, and I am particularly drawn to the historian’s craft of making meaningful arguments through narrative.” Engerman is also enthusiastic about his job. “I like teaching because every time I do it I look at the material differently. Even pieces I’ve taught on and off since I was
in graduate school sound different now. Communism sounds more remote to current students than when I was a student or even students in the 1990s,” Engerman said. Both professors say they learn a lot from their students. “We’re pretty spoiled at Brandeis, because the students here are very smart and engaged—always ready for a good debate,” Willrich wrote. “My legal history class this fall is a case in point. Today the students launched into a nuanced debate about President [Abraham] Lincoln’s purposes in issuing the Emancipation Proclamation.” “Brandeis students in particular are good teachers,” Engerman added. “Trying to see it through their eyes gives me new ways to think about things that I thought I knew something about.” Engerman and Willrich both started their Brandeis careers in 1999, and their “careers have evolved together as colleagues and beyond,” Engerman said.
THE JUSTICE
hours for all subways and 15 buses will be extended to 3 a.m. by March or April. By RACHEL UEMOTO JUSTICE STAFF WRITER
BRI MUSSMAN/the Justice
Historian Philipp Stelzel and other panelists combined historical and artistic perspectives to discuss the portrayal of war at an event titled “Germany in Europe 1913” last Tuesday.
OBITUARY
Professor Emeritus Gaehde passes away at age of 92 Gaehde (FA), who served on the faculty for 25 years, passed away on Nov. 24. By SAM MINTZ JUSTICE EDITOR
Prof. Emeritus Joachim Gaehde (FA), who died on Nov. 24 at the age of 92, was a man of many facets. He was a leading scholar in his field, who once presented a project to the pope, but he also made an effort to involve and engage students, by bringing “wonderful facsimile reproductions” to class with him rather than presenting slides. He was a Holocaust survivor who, later in life, drove a blue convertible to work every day with the top down any time the weather would allow. According to Prof. Nancy Scott (FA), who worked closely with Gaehde for 10 years, he was “shy and sensitive,” but at the same time, proud, dignified and self-confident. Gaehde was born in Dresden, Germany in 1921 to a Jewish mother, according to a BrandeisNOW press
tor, supporter, senior colleague, and once-co-chair” was down-to-earth. “There was just something about him, a bearing, that was very proud, self-confident, but he had a great sense of humor about himself and didn’t take him too seriously for all that,” Scott said. “And he really would laugh about crazy things that people would say, or mistakes that he had made,” Scott continued. Scott also said that Gaehde was someone who clearly enjoyed life. He loved his Rhodesian Ridgeback dogs and had a love for fine food, so much so that when Scott once missed a departmental meeting for a French cooking class while Gaehde was chair, “he did not hold it against me,” said Scott with a laugh. Gaehde was married to Christa Maria Schelcher for more than 50 years until she passed away in 2002, according to the BrandeisNOW release. She was well known in the field of art conservation and restoration. Gaehde is survived by two sons and five grandchildren. Scott said that there will likely be a memorial service, but details have not yet been announced.
BRIEF Registrar to introduce electronic student transcripts By the end of January, the University Registrar will make a new official electronic transcript available to students and alumni and introduce a slightly changed official paper transcript. Assistant Registrar Shohreh Harris said the change is in response to students who have requested official electronic transcripts and an increase in other institutions that prefer electronic transcripts to paper ones. “Also there are instances when students and alumni urgently need a transcript,” wrote Harris in an email to the Justice. “With the ability to provide electronic transcripts, students and alumni will be able to obtain ... transcripts within one hour of making the request.” As a result of the move to electronic transcripts, the technology used to produce the paper transcript also had to be updated. The paper transcript will change from landscape
to portrait and it will feature longer course descriptions than currently available. The transcript will also now be able to combine Brandeis careers, both undergraduate and graduate, in a single transcript, and it will include graduate student grade point averages. “The change towards one standard official transcript which consolidates all careers puts us in line with standard practices at other universities,” said Harris. While the new paper version will continue to be free to students and alumni, the electronic transcript will cost four dollars in most instances, and $2.25 for transcripts being sent to institutions such as the Law School Admissions Council and the American Medical College Application Service. The University’s third-party electronic transcript provider, the National Student Clearinghouse, will provide the
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MBTA plans to extend weekend service hours ■ Saturday and Sunday
release. Scott said that he was in, and ultimately escaped from, a concentration camp, after which he immigrated to the United States in 1950. He earned a graduate degree Gaehde from New York University’s Institute of Fine Arts, where he was “very much beloved by his colleagues,” according to Scott. In 1962, he came to Brandeis and became an associate professor. In the 25-year career that followed, he served as a full professor, chair of the Fine Arts department and dean of faculty. Gaehde specialized in medieval illuminated manuscripts, specifically Carolingian art, according to Scott. He was a leading expert in the field and was recognized for his scholarship with the 1960 Rome Prize, a distinguished award that includes a fellowship at the American Academy in Rome. Despite his academic success, Scott said that Gaehde, her “men-
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 10, 2013
TRANSPORTATION
ON WAR
■ Prof. Emeritus Joachim
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electronic transcripts. According to the Registrar’s office, Brandeis does not receive any revenue from the charge. “Brandeis will continue to remain one of the few universities that do not charge students and alumni for official paper transcripts,” wrote Harris. “The cost for official e-transcripts is the base fee as assessed by The National Student Clearinghouse. While most schools add additional fees on top of the NSC fee, Brandeis has chosen not to do so.” Harris said that the Registrar and Library and Technology Services have been working to develop this project for about two years. The Registrar expects to release the new paper transcript by the end of this semester, while the electronic version will be available in mid to late January. —Andrew Wingens
The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority recently announced that it will extend Saturday and Sunday service hours for all subways and 15 buses including the 1, 15, 28, 39 and 111 from 1 to 3 a.m. beginning in March or April of next year. The trial plan will be in place for a year unless the city’s government finds it profitable to make the change permanent. According to a Dec. 3 Boston Globe article, the increased hours are the result of requests from college students and commuters who work late nights. “On behalf of the Student Union, we are thrilled with the MBTA hours extensions,” wrote Student Union President Ricky Rosen ’14 in an email to the Justice. “This has been an initiative that Boston student organizations have been working on for years [. . .] Several universities had even begun plans to establish a petition in favor of MBTA hours extensions, so we are pleased that this decision was made,” he continued. The MBTA also hopes to appeal to young people, according to another article from the Boston Globe. Currently Boston struggles to attract young people from other areas and retain students who have recently graduated from Boston-area colleges. A June 4 Boston Globe article addressed a Federal Reserve Bank of Boston report, which found that students who attend college in New England are the most likely to relocate after graduation. The study found that only 63.6 percent of recent college graduates remain in the Northeast; others leave the region for better jobs, weather, to return home and for lower living costs. According to the study, only 52 percent of students who graduated from Massachusetts colleges in 2008 remained in the area. The MBTA hopes to attract young workers and recent graduates by providing accessibility to late night recreation. “There’s a big talent war going on, and New York and Silicon Valley are more appealing to young people,” said Tom Hopcroft, chief executive of the Massachusetts
Technology Leadership Council, to the Boston Globe. “There’s not a ton that’s holding them here, and oftentimes, it may be how fun and appealing the area is,” he continued. The Boston Globe also noted that mass transportation in other cities, including New York and Chicago, operates at all hours, providing convenience and entertainment for young people looking for an interesting city in which to live and work. Boston’s lack of late-night accessibility could hinder competitiveness. In 2001, the MBTA tested out a similar “Night Owl” system, which extended bus service to 2:30 a.m. on Saturday and Sunday mornings, but did not generate enough ridership and revenue to justify the costs of extra operating hours. However, Massachusetts Transportation Secretary Richard Davey informed the Boston Globe that weekend ridership is presently at significant levels with about 2,200 more people using the T on Saturday night between midnight and 1 a.m. than on a weeknight within the same time frame. The Boston Globe article revealed that the state is funneling $20 million toward the extended hours and seeks between two million to five million dollars more funding from private organizations. In order to alleviate costs in the future, in the event that the increased hours become permanent, ridership costs could increase from either two dollars with a Charlie Card or $2.50 without to three dollars with a Charlie Card or $3.50 without. Although college students recently petitioned to extend T hours, some in the Brandeis community feel unaffected by the trial plan because the commuter rail service ends around 1 a.m. “[The increased hours] are helpful for students at other Boston-area colleges with access to the T,” said Mei Ming Cornue-Hollander ’17 in an interview with the Justice. “But, I don’t believe that the change affects me because I depend on the commuter rail.” The Student Union, however, sees the increased hours as an opportunity for Brandeis students to take advantage of extended shuttle hours. “Brandeis shuttle service runs until 2 [to] 3 a.m. on Friday and Saturday nights; previously, the T would have been inaccessible after then,” wrote Rosen. “Now, students will be able to navigate Boston until 2 [to] 3 a.m. when the shuttle arrives.”
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THE JUSTICE
COMPLEX SYSTEMS
BRIEF Catalytic converter thefts occur on campus
RAFAELLA SCHOR/the Justice
SCIENCE ANALYSIS: Professor and founding president of the New England Center for Complex Systems Institute Yaneer Bar-Yam discussed several factors in financial crises.
Analyst speaks on economic crisis ■ Professor at the New
England Center for Complex Systems Institute Yaneer BarYam spoke on Wednesday. By BRITTANY JOYCE JUSTICE EDITOR
The patterns in the economic market that can indicate future global crises are just some of the issues that Yaneer Bar-Yam, professor and founding president of the New England Center for Complex Systems, talked about during the final Integrative Graduate Education and Research Traineeship in Geometry and Dynamics seminar of the semester last Wednesday. The event, titled “The Global and Food Crisis: A Complex Systems Science Analysis,” took a multidisciplinary approach on the relation of complex systems to the greater world. Host Prof. Blake Lebaron (IBS) said that he had been hoping to have BarYam speak since the beginning of the IGERT seminars. IGERT, which is an interdisciplinary training program for Brandeis Ph.D. students, holds a partnership with NECSI. According to Lebaron, Bar-Yam is “truly interdisciplinary” because of his background in physics, his founding of NECSI and his research on market stability. “He is the most truly in-
terdisciplinary person. … [Bar-Yam] really stands out because he has made contributions to many fields’ evolutions: economic development, ethnic violence, health care, even sports … spanning physical, biological and social systems,” said Lebaron. The interdisciplinary nature of the event was reflected in the audience; Bar-Yam asked members of the small, just over 20-person group to introduce themselves and their fields. The audience held a range of students and professors from the fields of economics, neuroscience, physics and computer science. Bar-Yam emphasized that being able to find patterns across data through statistics is the foundation of his work and is what makes it interdisciplinary. “We find tools in finding patterns; they can be useful across domains,” he said. NECSI even uses analysis of patterns in systems for social media; Bar-Yam showed one NECSI work that clustered people based on the type of New York Times articles they tweeted as an example of the type of work that NECSI does. In his discussion on complex systems, Bar-Yam gave an overview on different types of complex systems. A complex system can be anything ranging from a computer matrix to the world economy, and there are different ways to view them. According to Bar-Yam, the most important of these was interdependence, which has to do
with what happens when you take one element out of a system, both in what happens to the system and to that particular element. For example, BarYam used plants and animals to illustrate this idea; he explained that if one took a piece away from a tree, the tree will likely live, but if one did the same to an animal, the same cannot be said. Interdependence in systems can be looked at in this way as a means to analyze both pieces in a system and the system as a whole. He said assessing interdependence was important for figuring out how different aspects function within a greater system. In his discussion of observing complex systems, Bar-Yam emphasized that predicting what is going to happen is not the goal. Rather, he said that if you know which systems create different economic outcomes, it is better to try and enact the policy that will create this system. According to Bar-Yam, this type of analysis is particularly relevant in trying to create policy to change practices that led to the recent financial crisis. After giving an overview of the financial meltdown, Bar-Yam pointed to the removal of the uptick rule, a rule which disallowed the short selling of stock unless during an increase in sales, as a key factor in the financial crisis. This rule was removed in 2007, and so, according to Bar-Yam, it is not surprising that a financial crisis occurred two years later.
Crises like the crash in the housing market create problems in other markets. Bar-Yam explained that during the financial crisis, the markets for wheat, corn, silver and oil actually went up as the housing market crashed, showing activity outside the usual system of supply and demand. As items that are high in demand, like food, show price increases at a time when many cannot afford to pay increased prices like during this recession, there is often going to be unrest. “Food riots and an increase in prices … cause political and social unrest,” he said. This reaction was evident in the Arab Spring uprisings, which Bar-Yam said he predicted a few months prior to its outbreak because he saw data on the increased prices of food in these regions. Additionally, the price of wheat has been increasing in the past few years, which Bar-Yam’s data links to the increase in corn being used for ethanol production. “The Arab Spring happened around this, policy is affected by this … What do you decide about ethanol now?” Bar-Yam emphasized that policies can have an immediate impact on the markets and political situations of the world, and that understanding these outcomes is imperative to making policy. “Real world, real time policies are having a global impact,” he concluded.
A series of catalytic converter thefts from vehicles in Waltham, Weston and Wellesley, Mass. have occurred over the past two months. According to a Dec. 5 email from Director of Public Safety Ed Callahan to the Brandeis community, three of these thefts occurred in University parking lots. On Nov. 26, a converter was reported stolen from a car parked at Charles River Road. On Nov. 14, a faculty member reported that one was stolen from a University van in the East Quad Lot. On Nov. 18, a student reported his or her converter stolen. Reports were filed on all of these incidents. Catalytic converters, which are vehicle emissions-control devices that convert toxic gases—such as carbon monoxide and hydrocarbons—into less harmful emissions, are made of precious metals that act as catalysts. “Most vehicles have catalytic converters due to [Environmental Protection Agency] emission control standards. Much older vehicles may not have this emission device,” wrote Callahan in an email to the Justice. According to Callahan, the price of a catalytic converter varies between vehicles, but that they can be costly. “Thieves may be able to obtain between $75 and $200 for a converter for the metals inside the device,” he wrote. “Sometimes this is a quick way to make money for thieves.” Callahan wrote that the individuals involved in these thefts are using portable saws to cut off converters from the under carriages of vehicles, and that the time involved to remove the converters is usually no longer than two minutes. An investigation is currently underway, according to Callahan. “Several suspects have been gleaned by city police departments who are investigating similar occurrences,” he wrote. Callahan suggested that anyone who parks on campus lock and park his or her vehicle in a well-lit area, and to report any suspicious activity. —Marissa Ditkowsky
FACULTY: Compensation discussed at meeting CONTINUED FROM 1 larly to the article in the Boston Globe that focused on the salary packages of outgoing university presidents, concentrating on Reinharz’s compensation. “I’m mortified, as I was in the fall of 2008,” said Prof. Jane Kamensky (HIST). “If I were [Senior Vice President of Institutional Advancement] Nancy Winship, I would be waking up in a cold sweat every two hours all night long. I don’t want to move backwards, but this is Groundhog’s Day.” In response to the information about Reinharz’s salary, which went viral after its publication in the Globe, Faculty Senate Chair Prof. Eric Chasalow (MUS) revealed the contents of a letter drafted by the Senate that was presented to
the Board of Trustees on Monday. The letter details the Senate’s three principal concerns about how executive compensation packages are created and determined: transparency, equity and oversight. According to Chasalow, transparency refers to the timeliness and completeness of the information used to create the packages for executives and when that information should be made public. Equity relates to the processes that determine the fairness, structure and proportion of the packages in relation to the pay of the other employees of the University. Lastly, the letter includes a section asking for more oversight of the Board of Trustees and specifically the Personnel, Compensation and Ethics Committee that is in charge of executive compensation.
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Chasalow said in the past this committee has made decisions without a vote or providing information to the entire Board. Chasalow went on to say that the Chair of the Board of Trustees Perry Traquina ’78 believes this is an issue that should be addressed. Moreover, in a related matter, Chasalow revealed the Senate has been discussing the possibility of recommending that faculty representatives to the Board of Trustees become voting members. Board members have a fiduciary responsibility to the University and also have the final authority in nearly all matters relating to the functioning of University. Director of the International Center for Ethics, Justice and Public Life Daniel Terris also spoke at the meeting and gave a brief synopsis of
his recent trip to Al-Quds University along with Profs. Susan Lanser (ENG) and Daniel Kryder (POL). Terris also briefly mentioned the report that he, Lanser and Kryder had been commissioned to compile by Provost Steve Goldstein ’78 and University President Frederick Lawrence. Although Terris was hesitant to comment until the community had a chance to read the report on Monday, Dec. 9, he abstractly outlined the contents of the report, which he said would address Al-Quds University President Sari Nusseibeh’s background, information about the rally and Al-Quds University response to the rally. Further, the report will speak to the suspension of the University’s relationship with Al-Quds University’s and Nusseibeh’s suspension from the advisory board of the Interna-
tional Center for Ethics, Justice and Public life. The report will end with conclusions and recommendations as the University continues to evaluate its relationship with Al-Quds. The meeting also included a memorial tribute to Professor Emeritus Harold Shapero (MUS), who recently passed away at the age of 95. Shapero was among the original faculty in the Music department and was a renowned neo-classical composer whose work was played by the Boston Symphony Orchestra in 1947. In addition, Goldstein also announced that two History professors have been named endowed chairs: Prof. David Engerman has been appointed as the Ottilie Springer Professor of History and Prof. Michael Willrich the Leff Families Professor of History.
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TUESDAY, DECEMBER 10, 2013
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IN THE CLASSROOM: Over 100 students are currently enrolled in COSI 21a. The class pictured above convened Monday.
COSI: Students flock to take Java intro courses sented in the media and then group dynamics. … [T]he more friends you know studying something, the more aware you are,” wrote Brian Slepian ’14, a teaching assistant for COSI 190A and former teaching assistant for COSI 30A, in an email to the Justice.
Reasons for the rise
DiLillo, the instructor for both sections of COSI 11A and this semester’s section of COSI 21A, expressed in an interview with the Justice her belief that some students are looking to gain programming skills for their résumés while others are interested exploring computer science as a potential major. “Nowadays, there are a lot of data out there in every field. Economics, biology, neuroscience, so on and so forth. So I also think that a lot of people are starting to see that pairing computer science with something else, like economics and this kind of stuff, is the way to go right now,” said DiLillo. “Now I see a very diverse group,” said Avishek Neupane ’14, a former teaching assistant for COSI 12B, in an interview with the Justice. “I see people who are doing creative arts and doing computer science. I see people doing biology and computer science. I see a more diverse group of people than what it originally used to be.” Prof. Harry Mairson (COSI), the undergraduate advising head for the department, expressed a similar sentiment in an email to the Justice. “First, the economy is rebounding in this area: entrepreneurship, startups, venture capital funding. Facebook, Twitter, and spinoffs provide examples, and this social media technology also amplifies discussion and interest. Second, a lot of what we mean by ‘understanding’ is now computational. Understanding processes—whether they take place inside computers, in the economy, in biological organisms, or even in artistic creation—is described more and more often using computational and algorithmic metaphors,” wrote Mairson. According to a Justice survey, 66 percent of respondents enrolled in the course due to their interest in the subject matter. One student responded that “[t]he creativity in logical problem solving and my love of games and puzzles,” drew him or her to computer science. “The amazing artistic possibilities” drew another student. This student wanted “[t]o create and to imagine new worlds, all directly accessible at my fingertips.” Other students pointed to job prospects in the future in their answers. Twenty-three percent of respondents indicated that they enrolled in COSI 11A for that reason. “I got my [Bachelor of Arts] in English, and I tried to get a job for years with very little success. I decided to do a science instead of liberal arts because the sciences seem to have
much better career prospects,” wrote one student. “Computer Science was the most interesting technical degree to me, and something I thought might be a good fit for me.” “I was drawn to computer science because a friend told me it would help me get jobs,” wrote another. “I think having a computer science degree is very marketable,” said Kelsey Lafer ’14, an undergraduate department representative for the Computer Science department who has been a teaching assistant for COSI 2A, 11A, 12B and 21A, in an interview with the Justice. “It’s probably one of the easiest majors to get a job from, coming out of college.” According to Lafer, part of the rise in interest in computer science comes from its representation in media and over the past few years. “Movies like [The Social Network] definitely sparked interest in [computer science]. … I think it inspired a bunch of people to think, ‘Maybe I can do that’ or ‘Wouldn’t it be cool if I could do that?’” she said. Other students explained that they wanted to learn important programming and coding skills, while a few stated that the instructor, DiLillo, drew them to the course. The results from a similar survey given to students enrolled in COSI 21a showed that 52 percent of students enrolled in the course primarily in order to fulfill their major or minor requirements—90 percent of respondents said that they were planning on majoring or minoring in computer science—while the primary reason for 32 percent of students enrolled due to interest in subject matter. The percentage of students taking the course for job prospects was six percent. Many students wrote about their interest in the subjects drawing them to the field. The remaining 10 percent enrolled in the course mainly to fulfill University requirements or “other” reasons. “Came for the 0s, stayed for the 1s,” wrote one respondent. “Actually, I just find coding incredibly fun and interesting, so I feel I should channel that interest into something potentially utile to other human beings.” Thirty-five percent of respondents said that they had considered dropping the course—compared to 15 percent of students enrolled in 11A. Out of those students, 76 percent said that they wanted to drop the course due to unsatisfactory performance. When asked why they stayed enrolled, students explained that they either needed the course for a requirement, the professor had encouraged them to stay or that they felt they could improve their performance. Sixty-four percent of respondents to the COSI 11A survey said that they would go on to take COSI 12B and 59 percent said that they were planning on majoring or minoring in computer science. That number rose to 90 percent among students in COSI 21A. According to the DiLillo, typically
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about 50 percent of students who enroll in COSI 11A decide to take COSI 12B.
The response
In order to accommodate the growth in enrollment, DiLillo explained that she has widened the criteria for serving as a teaching fellow and has decided to start offering recitations in her classes. “The first thing that I have decided to do for next semester is having recitation going along with the lecture. ... That’s one change that I’m planning on for [COSI11A]. I actually already decided to have that for [COSI12B] next semester,” said DiLillo. With regard to hiring teaching fellows, DiLillo explained that she likes to keep the ratio of students to teaching fellows low in her classes. “I like to keep the ratio one-to-10. [One] TA to 10 students.” DiLillo reported having 300 students total in her classes, thus overseeing 30 teaching fellows. “The TAs have a 15-minute one-on-one with students where they can go over assignments and help them to restructure the [computer] program. ... It’s critical for me to have that kind of support.” In order to find 30 teaching fellows for her classes, she has had to begin hiring undergraduate sophomores. “Usually my TAs were between seniors and juniors, but nowadays I also had to take someone like a sophomore,” DiLillo said. “[M]ore faculty and resources would benefit the students in the form of more classes and elective choices,” wrote Eden Zik ’16, a teaching assistant for COSI 11A, in an email the Justice. Recently, the department has increased the number of teaching faculty. DiLillo formerly held the title of lecturer and is now listed as an assistant professor on the Faculty Guide. This semester, Prof. Praveen Chaturvedi (COSI) was brought in as a lecturer to teach a course on mobile application development and will be teaching a course on MATLAB in the spring. Additionally, several other lecturers have been brought in to teach upper-level courses in computational linguistics. “As Dean of Arts and Sciences I work with departments to make sure that they have the resources they need to successfully mount their course offerings,” wrote Birren. “If needed, this can include adding an additional section to a course, adding new courses to the curriculum, or increasing the number of TAs as course size increases. We have done all of these things in Computer Science over the past few years and will continue to work with the department to help them adjust to changes in enrollments. “I think it’s important that the department changes according to the increased interest in Computer Science. I think they should,” said Lafer. “Computer science isn’t going away,” she added. —Phil Gallagher contributed reporting
read the report. In reference to the Nov. 17 letter from Nusseibeh to his students that Lawrence referred to as “unacceptable and inflammatory,” Terris, Lanser and Kryder acknowledged that many members of the Brandeis community felt that there was an “indifference or hostility towards the Jewish people and towards the state of Israel” in the letter. However, they put forth their own belief that the letter was a meaningful effort by Nusseibeh to communicate to his students values of peace and respect. “The four lengthy paragraphs of the letter that condemn violence and hatred ... have received too little attention,” they wrote.
Details of the demonstration
The report provided many new, previously-unknown details about the nature of the demonstrations at Al-Quds. First and foremost, the report explained that the demonstration was sponsored by a student organization at Al-Quds whose name “translates loosely as ‘Islamic Bloc.’” The organization is described as “an affiliate of the Islamic Jihad political party” that was trying to “exaggerate its own local strength” through the demonstration to another political student group. The report explains that many political student organizations at Al-Quds are “direct affiliates of national parties, which may also provide external funding and advisement.” The demonstrators’ application to Al-Quds for permission to stage the rally “proposed four activities: a ceremony honoring the three best students in each school with awards; speeches; a dramatization that as to relate in some way to student life on campus; and Islamic music,” according to the report. The rally evidently did not follow this plan. Agreements between Al-Quds and student groups prohibit military-style events and the disrespect for any nation or its symbols, including the Israeli flag, according to the report. On Nov. 5, however, a “highly charged political atmosphere” led Al-Quds security officials to conclude that “any intervention or confrontation carried serious risks” and might lead to violence between two opposing student factions—one associated with Islamic Jihad and one associated with Hamas. To avoid any violence, Al-Quds allowed the rally to proceed despite its inappropriate nature. Regarding the link to Nazism, the student group holding the demonstration denied any connection between Nazism and its gesture, according to the report. Instead, the gesture was meant to be related to a pledge supporting Al-Quds. The report also mentions that while scholars on both campuses indicate that the salute is used by other Middle Eastern political groups, “those who perform it can be expected to know that it will be seen as ... a symbol of hatred towards the Jewish people.”
Al-Quds’ response
The report explained that the student affairs staff of Al-Quds University gathered all of the student groups “immediately after the rally” to emphasize that the rally had violated Al-Quds’ policies. The day following the rally, Nov. 6, Nusseibeh and Executive Vice President Imad Abu Kishek established a committee to “investigate the circumstances of the event and to recommend sanctions for individual participants as well as revisions to University policy.” The report indicated that the committee’s work was still in process on Nov. 20, when the Brandeis delegation left AlQuds. In an email to the Justice, Terris wrote that he, Lanser and Kryder “have not had an update about this since before Thanksgiving. As far as we know, the committee is still continuing its work.” When asked whether the committee had also considered sanctioning the “Islamic Bloc” student organization who organized the event, Terris responded that he, Lanser and Kryder “do not know exactly what sanctions the committee is considering at this time.” On Nov. 17, Nusseibeh wrote a let-
ter to Al-Quds students that was intended to address several different events that had impacted the school. The Nov. 5 rally had served as one of them, according to the report. Lawrence, in a Nov. 18 press release on BrandeisNOW, called this letter, which was translated to English from the Arabic, “unacceptable and inflammatory.” Lawrence suspended the partnership between Brandeis and Al-Quds shortly following receipt of the letter on Nov. 18. The authors acknowledge that Nusseibeh’s use of the term “Jewish extremists” in the letter is “jarring” but emphasize that there is a distinction between “Jews” and “Jewish extremists,” similarly to the way that people have learned the distinction between Muslims and Islamic extremists. “Presumably the same distinction [between Muslim people in general and Islamic extremists] applies when speaking about other groups,” they wrote.
Community responses
Lawrence was traveling in India at the time of the report’s release and could not be reached for comment. Senior Vice President for Communications Ellen de Graffenreid wrote in an email to the Justice that Lawrence “will review [the report] carefully and he continues to keep the lines of communication open with Al Quds University.” “These are sensitive issues and I know that President Lawrence is committed to gathering all of the data that is available and considering a broad range of input from the community,” de Graffenreid continued. Terris wrote in an email to the Justice that he had not yet received feedback from the University administration. “The report was just released this afternoon. We haven’t received any feedback from those groups that I know about,” he wrote. Prof. Mari Fitzduff (Heller), the founding director of the master’s program in Coexistence and Conflict, expressed her appreciation in an email to the Justice that the report “paid great attention to the context, the language and the cultural and community nuances that were a necessary part of understanding the Al-Quds incident.” She further expressed her support for the partnership. “I do hope the partnership will be actively continued, along with the reinstatement of President Nusseibeh to the Board of the Ethics center,” she wrote. Prof. Jonathan Sarna (NEJS) expressed concern with the partnership in an email to the Justice. “Reading the report of the committee, I could not help but wonder how our university would respond if a Ku Klux Klan rally complete with robes, hoods, and the burning of crosses took place at one of our partner institutions,” wrote Sarna. “I fear that what we are witnessing here is what George W. Bush once termed 'the soft bigotry of low expectations.’” “I find it deeply regrettable, especially when displayed by colleagues whom I otherwise so deeply respect,” Sarna continued. Eve Herman ’15, the president of the Brandeis Zionist Alliance, conveyed her distress with the events at Al-Quds in an email to the Justice. “Organizations that support or host anti-Israel or anti-Jewish events (such as the Nazi-style rally) should have no place on our Brandeis campus. All the more so, any similar behavior is not to be tolerated by partnership institutions, and Al-Quds’ students’ actions were simply unacceptable,” she wrote. Representatives from the student organization Brandeis Students for Justice in Palestine did not respond to an email requesting comment. Eli Philip ’15, the co-president of J Street U Brandeis, expressed agreement with the report in an email to the Justice. “J Street U Brandeis joins professors Terris, Lanser and Kryder in their call to resume a vibrant partnership with Al-Quds University. Engaging with narratives different than our own is often difficult, but ultimately a partnership will help both universities empower productive voices who are interested in peace and understanding,” he wrote. —Tate Herbert contributed reporting
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VERBATIM | NELSON MANDELA For to be free is not merely to cast off one’s chains, but to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others.
ON THIS DAY…
FUN FACT
In 1906, U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt became the first American to win the Nobel Peace Prize.
Taco Bell’s slogan in the mid 1990s was “make a run for the border.”
BEGINNING BEAT: Issac Vesery ’14 along with other music students learned how to play a variety of native drums during the course. JOSHUA LINTON/the Justice
Finding new rhythms Experiential music and dance class students showcase their semester work By BRIANNA MAJSIAK JUSTICE CONTRIBUTING WRITER
JOSHUA LINTON/the Justice
PERFORMANCE PIECE: A dancer holding what is called a sosi horsetail at a class performance held at the Mandel Center for the Humanities.
If you happened to be anywhere near the Mandel Center for the Humanities on Wednesday afternoon, you most likely heard the music of the gounkogui bells and the Ewe drums emitting from the atrium. These sounds came from the first performances of the course titled “Music and Dance from Ghana.” The course focuses on the traditional music and dance from Ghana, as well as Togo and Benin. The “Music and Dance of Ghana” course is offered every semester under the Music Department. It puts on two performances each semester and has no prerequisites. It is Prof. Faith Conant’s (MUS) first time teaching this course. Conant received her master’s degree in ethnomusicology from Tufts University. Ethnomusicology is the study of the music of non-Western cultures. “I guess I’ve always been interested in music. I was always confused by rhythm in particular and I thought that West African music would be good for an understanding of that,” Conant said in an interview with the Justice. Conant was asked to come to Brandeis by Prof. Judith Eissenberg (MUS) to restart the “Music and Dance of Ghana” course after a few years of it being dormant. “I got invited to do a demonstration of this music by professor Judy Eissenberg and I guess she really liked what she saw me do with the students,” Conant said. Conant spoke to the teaching potential of this genre of music. “This kind of southern Ghanaian music has been taught since the 1960s in the U.S. and I think with good reason because it lends itself to being taught to groups of beginners through very experienced musicians,” she said. Some of the music is old, with some pieces dating to the 1700s. “You can live an entire life and not explore all that there is in this mu-
sic to explore. It’s a very deep tradition,” Conant said. The music from these regions of western Africa represents the tones of the languages of the Gbe-speaking people. The Gbe languages consist of 20 related languages in the western regions of Ghana, Togo, Benin and Nigeria. The most commonly spoken Gbe-language is Ewe. Each tone and drum has a distinctive meaning. “African music really fascinates me because of the complex and beautiful relationship between language and the music. Because the drums are actually playing language, they’re playing poems, they’re playing phrases and in their tonal languages,” Conant said. At their performance in the Mandel Center for Humanities on Dec. 4, the class performed a variety of traditional pieces. They performed a war piece called “Agbekor.” The dance they performed is a war song traditionally performed to predict battle and is also done after war to recount battle. Conant explained to the audience that each drum says something about war. One says “on the battlefield” and another says, “look back at home.” Conant led the piece with her master drum while several students played the Ewe drums and others played the axatse and gounkogui bells. Two students danced fervidly in front of the drums with sosi-horsetails, which looked like large feather-like whips. The performers were dressed in cloth wraps that were from Conant’s personal trip to Togo. For the Gahu dance, students wore cloth wraps and for the war piece they wore pants called shankar. Conant noted in an email to the Justice, “some of the wraps have Ghanaian symbols on them, others were commercially produced in Holland but are given names like ‘my rival’s eye’ and can be used to taunt or inform people about the wearer’s state of mind.” The class performed several other pieces that included a diverse ensemble of dancers and drummers. Laili Amighi ’14 danced one poem from the piece “Adzogbo” that dem-
onstrated the relationship between language and drumming. During her dance the audience clapped in polyrhythm—when a rhythm makes use of two or more different rhythms simultaneously. Amighi noted in an email to the Justice, “I really appreciated this course because it was truly experiential in nature. What we learned as a class from actively participating is much different than what we would have learned from any reading or lecture.” Amighi’s choice of instruments this semester were the rattle, the agan drum and the kloboto drum. Guest dancers and musicians from western Africa often teach and perform with the students. In class on Dec. 5, Conant had Saeed Abbas of a Ghanaian music ensemble and Rebecca Abbas perform with the class in a piece called “Kpanlogo.” The ensemble was created after Ghana’s independence from England to share the many different traditions from all the different ethnic groups with one another. Conant expressed that she feels the music has the ability to connect people cross-culturally. “I’ve actually enjoyed introducing this music to different types of people … The courses and places that I’ve been involved with have proved that West African music is very inclusive.” Conant doesn’t follow a strict structure of the course. Instead, she tailors the class to her students’ interests. “It’s more some dancing, some drumming and some singing throughout the semester and depending on how it’s going we work more on one or the other toward a performance, but also so that people get enough time on what they need and what they want to. Enjoyment being a chief goal,” Conant said. The various instruments played by students all came together and formed cross-rhythmic structures. “It didn’t come as easily to me as it does to my students. I’m really amazed by how fast they pick it up. They’re all new to it. It’s so incredible,” Conant said.
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Multi-faceted
memorial ARTISTIC REMEMBERING: Dr. Karen Frostig is a resident scholar and artistic director of “The Vienna Project” a conceptually innovative Holocaust memorial.
PHOTOS COURTESY OF KAREN FROSTIG
MEMORIAL MESSAGE: Collaborator Christina Romirer’s stair installation, pictured above, utilizes a portion of The Vienna Project axiom “What Happens When?”
Frostig directs multi-dimensional Holocaust memorial in Austria By ELIOR MOSKOWITZ JUSTICE CONTRIBUTING WRITER
In 2004, Dr. Karen Frostig, a Women’s Studies Research Center Scholar, discovered a box of letters written from her grandparents to her father during the Holocaust. The letters inspired her journey to memorialize the names of others, who, like her family members, had been forgotten as victims, casualties and as Austrian citizens. This mission would be realized four years later, in what Frostig calls “The Vienna Project.” As a resident scholar at Brandeis, Frostig has been a part of a Holocaust study group on campus. She has been a guest speaker for many courses on campus and is a member of various committees at the Women’s Study Research Center. In addition to being an art therapist for many years, she has worked on many activist art projects, confronting social issues by creating public rituals and performance art. Her work has dealt with traumatic experiences and ideas of silence and resistance. The Vienna Project, which has been the subject of her focus for the past seven years, serves as a de-centralized memorial that has no one base or site, but rather spans over 38 sites in Austria. Frostig serves as the artistic director of the memorial. The project includes a six-month-long series of displays such as video projections and live performance artists. There is also an education program, which includes oral history interviews, site interviews, student audio interviews, thematic guided tours and a blog. Prior to the conception of The Vienna
Project, there was never a memorial in Europe that represented multiple victimized groups. “Even though camps have the list of names that represents different populations and different countries, they don’t necessarily identify the victims by group, so that it’s often just a name,” Frostig said in an interview with the Justice. At the time of inheriting the letters, Frostig had only been to Austria once before in 1969 with her father. She wasn’t quite enamored by what she saw. “I thought it was a very scary, racist place,” she said. “I don’t feel that now, but when I went back in 2006, I had those memories and I was quite frightened about going there.” Frostig’s project aims to confront uncomfortable issues in a way that respects and integrates Austrian citizens. “My project really is about calling Austrians to the carpet,” Frostig said, suggesting that there needs to be more accountability on their part. Though there have been three public apologies made formally for the crimes committed by Austria during the Holocaust, Frostig explains that there is a feeling that “[Austrian citizens] are hedging the past of it and that it’s not a fully transparent acknowledgment of crimes committed.” The project kicked off with an opening night on Oct. 23, three days before Austria’s National Day. The event featured a series of video projections, aimed at opening a dialogue about the “psychological health of memory and how memory integrates the past and present” and the “consequences to not remembering,” said Frostig. The next day, Frostig and her crew began a series of sidewalk sprays across thirty-
eight sites in Vienna, with the words “What happens when we forget to remember?” in 12 different languages. The different sites were chosen based on intensive research and usually shared a common tragic history of murder and persecution during the Holocaust under the regime of National Socialism. Many of the sites have been reclaimed and transformed for the good of Austrian citizens. One of Frostig’s main tasks has been to collect the names of the different Austrian citizens that were murdered during the Holocaust using databases for people of many different groups including homosexuals, Jews and Slovenians. Silent witness vigils and artistic performance will take place at the sites as well, followed by pedestrian interviews at the sites next spring. The project also features a virtual map of these sites on a Smartphone app that ties in her research of the different sites of oppression and transgression across Vienna. The app mimics the actual tours taking place across the sites, so that people can stand at the site and see how it has transformed since the Holocaust and engage in an interactive conversation in response to what they learn. The project is taking place at a very critical time, as it is the 75th anniversary of “the last significant date of when survivors are still alive… and it also marks a time, coincidentally, of when many databases have been compiled,” said Frostig. In other words, the stars are aligned for Frostig’s work with memory; this may be the last opportunity we have to speak with survivors
of the Holocaust, and we now have the developed technology to access more information that was not formerly available. Frostig has developed a board of American and Austrian historians to help her with this project, including many influential individuals, such as Elie Wiesel, Stuart Eizenstat and Walter Kohn. Despite the positive turnout of the opening event, she has been met with much resistance from Austrian historians and the gatekeepers of these databases. Another challenge for Frostig has been trying to include all Austrian citizens in the project, without completely extracting the Jewish narrative. “I think people have felt oppressed by the exclusive historic record of just Jews talking about Jews,” she said “[but] to take the Jewish narrative out of the Holocaust, which is also what’s happening in Europe is very worrisome to me … so the design of this project is to include multiple groups, but to not erase identities.” A crucial point that separates this project from other memorials is its focus on engagement and participation. The wide geographic span of the project naturally lends itself to this direct engagement. Frostig points out that many past attempts to revitalize Holocaust memory have failed because they’ve been designed as “a project that’s a static, fixed site of memory and that doesn’t engage the public. ... This is a project in which education is a part of the design of the project and part of the conceptual underpinnings,” she said. The project will conclude May 8, which marks Victory Day in Europe, and thus the conclusion of World War II.
MULTILINGUAL REFLECTIONS: One of multiple stencil street sprays in various sites in Vienna of the phrase “What happens when we forget to remember?”
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10 TUESDAY, december 10, 2013 ● THE JUSTICE
Justice Justice
the the
Established 1949, Brandeis University
Brandeis University
Established 1949
Tate Herbert, Editor in Chief Andrew Wingens, Senior Editor Adam Rabinowitz, Managing Editor Sam Mintz, Production Editor Phil Gallagher, Deputy Editor Rachel Burkhoff, Sara Dejene, Shafaq Hasan, Joshua Linton and Jessie Miller Associate Editors Marissa Ditkowsky, News Editor Jaime Kaiser, Features Editor Glen Chagi Chesir, Forum Editor Avi Gold, Acting Sports Editor Rachel Hughes and Emily Wishingrad, Arts Editors Josh Horowitz and Olivia Pobiel, Photography Editors Morgan Brill, Acting Photography Editor Rebecca Lantner, Layout Editor Celine Hacobian, Online Editor Brittany Joyce, Copy Editor Schuyler Brass, Advertising Editor
Re-evaluate Al-Quds partnership On Monday, Dec. 9, Director of the International Center for Ethics, Justice and Public life Daniel Terris along with Profs. Susan Lanser (ENG) and Daniel Kryder (POL) released a report detailing the facts and findings of their recent trip to Al-Quds University and the suspension of the University’s relationship with the school. The report chronicles the series of events leading to the suspension, beginning with the Nov. 5 rally at which members of a student group dressed in black military garb and toting fake weapons trampled the Israeli flag and raised their arms in a fashion reminiscent of the Nazi salute. The report ends with the conclusion that the relationship with Al-Quds should be reinstated. Given the information that has come to light via this report, this board believes University President Frederick Lawrence did not fully consider the various perspectives that would have been available from this report to make an informed decision when he halted our relationship with Al-Quds. In a statement released on Nov. 18, Mr. Lawrence announced that the relationship had been suspended. This decision was based on the highly offensive nature of the rally, the utilization of the Nazi salute and the “inflammatory” reaction of Al-Quds President Sari Nusseibeh in his response statement posted on the school’s website the previous day. On the surface, Mr. Nusseibeh’s statement and the rally appear to be blatantly offensive and hateful. They appear to be contradictory to Brandeis’ values of inclusion and robust intellectual discussion. Upon closer inspection, there is evidence that suggests the Nazi salute used by the participants was a similar gesture used by other Middle Eastern political groups, according to the report. Moreover, the report indicates there are different interpretations of Mr. Nusseibeh’s statement, perhaps given the absence of some readers’ understanding of the political history of Al-Quds University. While the offensive sentiment of the rally should still be condemned, we question whether these various other factors made available from this report were contemplated prior to the suspension. Despite the
Consider new perspectives
nuanced nature of this new information, we assert that the doubt surrounding the rally and Al-Quds’ response is significant enough to have warranted more careful study before Mr. Lawrence’s suspension of the partnership. Moreover, at the time the decision was made to suspend the relationship, according to the report as well as in a statement given to the Justice on Nov. 18, Dr. Terris, Dr. Lanser and Dr. Kryder were “still in the middle of the process of honoring President Lawrence’s request to find out what [they could] about the Nov. 5 rally and Al-Quds University’s response to it.” It is clear from the detail provided in the report there is a significant amount of information that was deemed necessary to be collected and was not requested by Mr. Lawrence before his decision. Among this information is Al-Quds’ history in refereeing contentious political opinions on the same campus in a volatile region. Given Dr. Terris, Dr. Lanser and Dr. Kryder’s position as the closest members of the community to the partnership as well as their relationship with Mr. Nusseibeh that precedes Mr. Lawrence’s presidency, it would have behooved Mr. Lawrence to consider their perspectives and insight. Given the limited information available at the time, we understand the rationale behind Mr. Lawrence’s decision at the time to suspend the relationship. However, Lawrence should have waited until he received the information from Dr. Terris, Dr. Lanser and Dr. Kryder from their trip to Al-Quds before making this decision. The purpose of our relationship with Al-Quds was to find an appropriate method for navigating sensitive topics while promoting “mutual understanding,” according to the report. As a University that claims to value discourse, there should have been a greater effort to probe for the truth without reactionary decision-making. As we move forward, we hope the University carefully considers the suspension of the relationship in a manner consistent with the principles that originally inspired us to pursue this partnership.
Honor Mandela’s legacy of change Last Thursday, the Brandeis community joined the global community in mourning the death of Nelson Mandela, the former president of South Africa who led the movement to free his country from its racist, unjust system of apartheid laws. As a University dedicated to social justice, the loss of Mandela affects Brandeis deeply. This board encourages professors, students, and staff to look to Mandela’s legacy as an inspiration. While inviting students to a peace vigil and candlelight event, Dean of Students Jamele Adams wrote of Mandela as “a hero and legend who stood for justice for all,” adding that “we commemorate and celebrate him.” Mandela’s story of peaceful struggle in the face of hatred has inspired Brandeis for years. In February 1986, at the height of the anti-apartheid movement, students built and lived in a shanty town across from Goldfarb Library, vowing to occupy the quadrangle of land until the University cut all relations with companies tied to the South African government. The protesters staged forums and marches, which
Deep connection to Brandeis
even led to a group of students being arrested on campus. Then-President Evelyn Handler ended the school’s financial ties to the regime after these protests. Kweku Mandela Amuah and Ndaba Mandela, founders of the Africa Rising Foundation and Nelson Mandela’s grandchildren, will be the keynote speakers at Deis Impact, a festival of social justice, this February. This shows the University’s continued focus on the issues of freedom, equality and above all, the global awareness for which Mandela stood. We applaud this decision as a positive memorial and discourse to have on campus. Students must continue to share and draw inspiration from the life of Nelson Mandela and never forget his unique ability to work alongside and love the people who represented the system he fought against. We ask the Brandeis community not to forget its commitment to social justice, and aspire to teach students the principles necessary to become the next great leaders of our time.
TZIPORAH THOMSON /the Justice
Views the News on
Over the upcoming winter break, scores of Brandeisians will return home from a semester abroad, while still more are preparing to depart for all corners of the world in the spring semester. As the costs of education, travel and living expenses continue to rise, more and more college students nationwide are questioning whether spending a year, semester or summer abroad is worth the price tag. On one hand, the globalized economy makes it ever more important for students to understand and interact with foreign cultures. On the other, college degrees are already costly, and many STEM subjects vary little when learned in a different setting. Do you believe study abroad is an investment worth pursuing?
Prof. Richard Gaskins (AMST)
The lure of adventure will draw another cohort of Brandeis students to study abroad next semester in wildly diverse settings. Why go? Brandeis contains its own intriguing world, with outreach to the community and a stream of incoming visitors. By contrast, study abroad is highly unpredictable. No longer a fleeting tourist, you test yourself daily with new customs, language patterns and cuisine. Academically, the break with routine opens your imagination, inviting you to ask entirely new questions. I’ve seen these changes close-up in The Hague, where I have taken nearly 100 students to interact with international courts, human rights advocates and peace-builders coming from all corners of the world. Studying abroad is like entering a laboratory, only you too are part of the experiment. Why go? In preparing for life after Brandeis, you learn important lessons about yourself, and can point yourself in new and exciting directions. Prof. Richard Gaskins (AMST) is the academic program director of Brandeis in The Hague. He is Proskauer Chair in Law and Social Welfare.
Patricia Amselem ’14
Studying abroad is a unique opportunity that should not be influenced by its cost, as there are numerous options to help you fund your study abroad, such as grants and scholarships. Moreover, there is a wide range of approved programs that vary in costs, fitting different students’ preferences and needs. I believe every student should consider making this investment as part of their college experience. I studied abroad in Russia, and gained a lot through my experience. I learned about the culture, and its history. I improved my language skills and I met interesting people. To me, studying abroad is an exciting adventure that takes you to unforgettable journeys through which you get to know yourself better, and which enable you to expand your horizons by learning about new cultures and traditions, and gain independence by adjusting to new environments. In short, go abroad! Patricia Amselem ’14 is a Study Abroad ambassador and the president of the International Club. She is from Madrid, Spain.
Nicholas Medina ’14
As a study abroad returnee, I firmly believe that everyone should take advantage of any chance to study abroad for at least one semester anywhere in the world. College is about intensively studying academia, but it is also a chunk of life during which we are sensitive and very quickly personally molding and growing in critical ways. It is a unique period because it is temporally flexible, unlike the far-too-common adult life as a slave to recurring financial indebtedness. We really shouldn’t be letting money control the freedom we always have to individually value and do that which we know lavishes our lives with meaning—we must make fortune happen for ourselves where and when our beautiful spirits need and deserve it. Really, the saddest part about rising study abroad costs is the inevitable degradation of the pool of students who will get to even just consider that single, vital, ever-meaningful academic study abroad opportunity.
Nicholas Medina ’14 is a Study Abroad ambassador.
Nina Sayles ’17 While there are many benefits to spending a year, or a portion of a year, in another country, there are also many reasons why the classic college experience is meant to be eight semesters. Often, study abroad programs don’t provide as many course options or the opportunity to take as many credits as Brandeis and other universities do. This means that when studying abroad, one does not have the opportunity to pursue the goal of a liberal arts college, even though they are often spending much more money for the abroad experience. While clearly another country can provide a wonderful learning experience through culture and sights, many programs do not require a student to know the language of the host country, and this can prohibit one from truly taking advantage of his or her stay. In this case, the cost of the trip may not be worth it. Once one graduates from college, however, it may be extremely worthwhile and educational to secure a job overseas. Even for only a year, this would provide a source of income and offset the cost of living abroad, as well as provide a cultural education. Nina Sayles ’17 is studying Health; Science Society and Policy, and Music.
THE JUSTICE
READER COMMENTARY Refocus History of Ideas program To the Editor: The Trustees of the Safier-Jolles Fund for the Program History of Ideas would like to express their gratitude to the editors of The Justice for their Nov. 26 article on the program. It is an admirable model of thorough, balanced, carefully researched investigative journalism. Should any members of the Brandeis community like to see the full texts of the documents supporting our charges, they may contact Amelie Rorty at: Amelie_Rorty@hms.Harvard.edu. The Trustees are gratified that Dean of Arts and Sciences Susan Birren seems to have adopted our proposals for the future of the program with such enthusiasm. It is encouraging that she now appears to have undertaken to ensure that the University will abide by the conditions of the Safier-Jolles gift as solely focused on maintaining the integrity of the history of ideas as an academic discipline. The donation is explicitly intended to supplement rather than to substitute for the University’s own original commitment to the program. In accepting the gift, Brandeis agreed to continue to support the program from its own endowment without using the S-J funds to cover or to substitute for the University’s original support. In view of the Dean’s expression of enthusiasm for the program in the History of Ideas, we nevertheless remain troubled by the program’s most recent activities in sponsoring the Nov. 4 lecture, “The Female and Her Body in Pakistani Contemporary Art” and the Nov. 12 lectureperformance, “The Great LOL of China: What’s Funny in the Middle Kingdom.” Whatever the merits of those lectures may have been, neither of them appears to have any substantive connection to the history of ideas. As friends of Brandeis, we hope that the University will retain the respect of the academic community and attract the interest of potential donors, by maintaining its integrity. —The trustees of the Safier-Jolles Fund for the History of Ideas: Steven Gerrard (philosophy, Williams College) David Lyons (law and philosophy, Boston University), David Oksenberg (CEO, BioCern) and Amelie Rorty (Harvard Medical School and Tufts University philosophy)
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TUESDAY, december 10, 2013
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Care for patients, not just mental illness By Kahlil Oppenheimer JUSTICE STAFF WRITER
A man from Tanzania once told me that he hated radios. I was sitting in my 12th grade English class, startled by the opening phrase of this foreign visitor. Before they had radios, everyone in his village would gather weekly to sing and dance. This was so normal that the weird people were those who refused to sing, not those who belted off-pitch notes. But then radios were introduced to the village by a Western philanthropist. Initially, the excitement was unparalleled—hearing Frank Sinatra and Tony Bennett’s voices without having to travel to see them was surreal—bigger than life even. But that was exactly the problem. People upheld the studio-produced perfections on the radio as the new “normal,” and anything that fell short became somehow unworthy or wrong. Within two months of getting radios, more than two-thirds of the people had stopped singing in the weekly events because of how self-conscious they had grown. We constantly compare our actions against what’s expected of us by society. When we fall short of those expectations, we feel outcast and try to curb our behaviors to feel like we belong. But what exactly is this norm, and who decides it? According to an article written in The New York Times last March, one in five high school age boys in the United States and 11 percent of school-aged children overall have received a medical diagnosis of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). That’s a 40 percent increase in diagnoses in just 10 years. The National Institute of Mental Health notes that “scientists are not sure what causes ADHD, although many studies suggest that genes play a large role.” ADHD is defined as a “mental disorder” by the NIMH and even as a “mental illness” by the National Alliance on Mental Illness. But
what exactly is a mental disorder? People often say it’s an “imbalance of chemicals in the brain.” But what exactly would a proper balance of chemicals be? The Oxford English Dictionary defines “mental disorder” as “relating to the mind in an unhealthy or abnormal state.” The OED also defines “abnormal” as “deviating from the ordinary type.” But it is insane to assert that one in five school age boys aren’t ordinary in terms of mental health. That reflects a deeply rooted societal misunderstanding of normalcy, not a mental-health epidemic among our youth. No two people have the same two set of genes, or by association, brain chemistries. Think about how dangerous it would be if we had the technology to perfectly change and restructure people’s mental states.
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Our perceptions of normalcy can be dangerous because they do not accomodate what we do not understand. The American Psychiatric Foundation listed homosexuality as a mental illness until 1974, so to uphold normalcy then, we probably would have restructured everyone’s brains to be heterosexual. Our perceptions of normalcy can be dangerous because they do not accommodate what we do not understand. When we see a man paralyzed from the waist down, we don’t judge him not being able to move his legs. But when we see a woman talking to herself in the train station, we judge her “strange” behavior. We move ourselves away from her and
deem her dangerous. Unlike a physical handicap, we cannot see what’s wrong with her, so we don’t register that her behavior is just as out of her control as the legs of the paralyzed man. While ADHD exists as a crippling mental illness, its over-diagnosis and over-treatment reflect our misunderstandings of normalcy and abnormality. Schizophrenia, on the other hand, is not over diagnosed at all; it’s underdiagnosed. Schizophrenia is a damaging brain disease that often causes the individual inflicted to see and hear hallucinations, often leading to extreme paranoia. It’s not that schizophrenia disables people from functioning “normally;” it disables people from being able to function at all. According to the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, 2.4 million Americans are affected by schizophrenia. That ends up being about eight per-thousand people, meaning statistically about 28 people at Brandeis have schizophrenia. Interestingly, schizophrenia.com claims that, according to data from the Department of Health and Human Services, approximately 200,000 people with schizophrenia or manic-depressive disorder are homeless, constituting about one third of America’s homeless population. At any given point, more people with untreated psychological illnesses are on the street than in hospital beds. Mental illness is scary because it’s unknown to us. We know that it can exist, and we often overcompensate by putting everything—lack of focus, lack of energy, lack of social skills—under this umbrella. People with schizophrenia indisputably need medical attention, but does every eightyear old boy who has trouble focusing in class? We need to be compassionate and understanding toward mental illnesses, but not overeager to diagnose every social variant as one. We are humans. And humans, after all, are normally pretty weird.
Investigate drug costs to further reform American health care By Andrew wingens JUSTICE editor
After a botched rollout of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, the federal exchanges, where many will sign up for health insurance, are showing signs of improvement. Through these exchanges, millions of Americans will qualify for subsidized health insurance. Millions more of the lowest income Americans will benefit from the expansion of Medicaid in those states that choose to expand their programs. While President Barack Obama’s signature legislation is a monumental first step in addressing the problem of the uninsured and unaffordable health care in the United States, the effort to reform the health system cannot stop at the ACA. A recent series in the New York Times, “Paying Till it Hurts,” highlights the untenable cost of health care in the U.S. from prescription drugs to hospital stitches. While the ACA will help Americans afford care, the high costs may be passed on to insurers. It may also still be paid by individuals through out-of-pocket costs such as co-payments, coinsurance and deductibles. The price of drugs used to treat cancer patients in the U.S., for example, has risen by about 21 percent in 2012 for Medicare patients, according to the 2013 Drug Trend Report published by Express Scripts. Some patients’ outof-pocket costs can be so high that patients are discouraged from continuing life-saving treatment because they are forced to choose between the most effective treatment and putting food on the table. Patients with cancer are two-and-a-half times more likely than the general population to declare bankruptcy, according to a study by Scott Ramsey of the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center. Compared to the rest of the world, U.S. drug prices are exorbitant, in part because the U.S. largely foots the bill for innovation and research into new products. Given the costs of prescription medications, and particularly the rise in the cost of cancer medications, the ACA alone is not enough to fix our health
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care system. We must look to controlling costs, while maintaining incentives for innovation, as the next big reform of health care in the United States. Recent decisions by the private sector indicate a shift toward rejecting the high cost of drugs that do not prove to be relatively more effective than other comparable drugs already on the market. Last year, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center decided not to include Zaltrap, a new treatment for patients with advanced colon cancer, on its list of medications offered to patients. The decision was heralded in New York Magazine as “the first physician-initiated revolt in anyone’s memory against the skyrocketing cost of cancer drugs.” The cost of Zaltrap ($11,000 a month) is more than double that of Avastin ($5,000 a month), another FDA-approved cancer drug with comparable effectiveness already on the market, according to New York Magazine. As a result of its price, Sloan-Kettering’s Pharmacy and Therapeutics Committee decided not to offer Zaltrap to its patients. In an op-ed in the New York Times, Peter Bach, the director of the Center for Health Policy and Outcomes at Sloan-Kettering, and his colleagues explained their decision: “Ignoring the cost of care, though, is no longer tenable. Soaring spending has presented the medical community with a new obligation. When choosing treatments for a patient, we have to consider the financial strains they may cause alongside the benefits they might deliver.” Following Sloan-Kettering’s decision, Sanofi, the drug company that manufactures Zaltrap, effectively cut the drug’s price in half by offering discounts to hospitals and providers. In another private sector move against the rising cost of cancer care, two major insurers recently decided to stop coverage for a new proton-beam therapy for prostate cancer, which did not prove comparably more effective than other treatments on the market. One way to help control costs with minimal impact on research incentives would be to use comparative effectiveness research,
Fine Print
The opinions stated in the editorial(s) under the masthead on the opposing page represent the opinion of a majority of the voting members of the editorial board; all other articles, columns, comics and advertisements do not necessarily. For the Brandeis Talks Back feature on the last page of the newspaper, staff interview four randomly selected students each week and print only those four answers. The Justice is the independent student newspaper of Brandeis University. Operated, written, produced and published entirely by students, the Justice includes news, features, arts, opinion and sports articles of interest to approximately 3,500 undergraduates, 800 graduate students, 500 faculty and 1,000 administrative staff. In addition, the Justice is mailed weekly to paid subscribers and distributed throughout Waltham, Mass. The Justice is published every Tuesday of the academic year with the exception of examination and vacation periods. Advertising deadlines: All insertion orders and advertising copy must be received by the Justice no later than 5 p.m. on the Thursday preceding the date of publication. All advertising copy is subject to approval of the editor in chief and the managing and advertising editors. A publication schedule and rate card is available upon request. Subscription rate: $35 per semester, $55 per year.
OLIVIA POBIEL/the Justice
which evaluates the relative efficacy of two or more drugs, in a holistic approach to decisions about pricing and reimbursement. In the 2009 Recovery Act and in the 2010 ACA, Congress allocated substantial funds to comparative effectiveness research. The ACA, for example, established the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute, a nonprofit corporation that is tasked with developing national research priorities and a research project agenda. The Institute is supported by a government trust fund, and it will contract with private companies and government agencies to promote comparative effectiveness research. However, the Institute has substantial limitations on its application to cost-effectiveness decisions made by the federal government. The private sector will thus have to take the lead on making cost-effectiveness decisions,
The Staff
For information on joining the Justice, write to editor@ thejustice.org.
albeit based on research conducted through the Research Institute. A major issue with any change to the prices of treatment in the U.S. is a fear of disincentivizing expensive research and development of new drugs. The outcomes-based approach to reimbursement could be used in such a way that it promotes investments in the most innovative new products by reimbursing more for better effectiveness and less for those drugs that are as effective as others on the market. However, safeguards would have to be built into the system to allow for incremental innovation. Moreover, comparative effectiveness research should be only one step toward a more cost-effective system. Other payment reforms such as episode-based payments, which move away from the fee-for-service model, are also crucial.
Editorial Assistant Forum: Max Moran Staff Senior Writers: Jacob Moskowitz, Henry Loughlin News: Jay Feinstein, Danielle Gross, Luke Hayslip, Ilana Kruger, Zachary Reid, Sarah Rontal, Samantha Topper, Rachel Uemoto Features: Rebecca Heller, Hee Ju Kang, Casey Pearlman, Aditi Shah Forum: Jennie Bromberg, Daniel Koas, Aaron Fried, Noah M. Horwitz, Kahlil Oppenheimer, Catherine Rosch Sports: Elan Kane, Daniel Kanovich, Dan Rozel Arts: Aliza Gans, Kiran Gill, Arielle Gordon, Zachary Marlin, Alexandra Zelle Rettman, Mara Sassoon, Nate Shaffer, Aliza Vigderman
Photography: Zach Anziska, Jenny Cheng, Annie Fortnow, Wit Gan, Annie Kim, Abby Knecht, Bri Mussman, Leah Newman, Chelsea Polaniecki, Rafaella Schor, Adam Stern, Olivia Wang, Xiaoyu Yang Copy: Aliza Braverman, Kathryn Brody, Melanie Cytron, Eliza Kopelman, Mara Nussbaum Layout: Ashley Hebard, Elana Horowitz, Jassen Lu, Maya RiserKositsky, Lilah Zohar Illustrations: Hannah Kober, Marisa Rubel, Tziporah Thompson
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TUESDAY, december 10, 2013
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THE JUSTICE
FORUM
Texan columnist says goodbye to Boston’s strength Noah M.
Horwitz Civil affairs
I first came to Brandeis University as a brash and capricious 18-year-old, ready to take on all the challenges that college would throw at me. I looked forward to meeting new people, understanding diverse world-views and forming an overall better rounded opinion of life. Now, as I write my last op-ed as a student at Brandeis, other than now being 19, I cannot think of anything that has really changed in that regard. What has changed, however, is that I believe I have learned a great deal about both myself and others, not only from Brandeis, but from Boston. As I have previously written in the Justice, issues such as a competent public transportation system that connects both transit depots and suburban universities to a sprawling city are important for the rest of the country to take note of. Similarly, eschewing the death penalty with a criminal justice system based on justice would be especially helpful for my home state of Texas. However, more than any divisive, partisan issue, the people of Boston have taught me a valuable lesson in resilience. Whether that is the unyielding loyalty to their sports teams that any fan of the Houston Texans football team, like myself, could learn from, or a determination to continue on with business as usual no matter the how cold it gets or how extreme the conditions, the people here do not give up. In my native Houston, temperatures often become extreme on the opposite end of the thermostat, with summer months regularly boasting highs above 100 degrees. The only response to the scalding heat is to turn up the air conditioning and eschew any and all outside activity that does not feature an icecold swimming pool. Boston does not resort to comparably drastic measures when the cold comes. Massachusetts winters bring snow, often by the foot, but we—for I now consider myself a Bostonian in part—continue walking to class or our place of employment. We spend hours on end shoveling the snow and salting the roads so that we can keep going no matter which nor’easter or blizzard may try to stop us. People who grew up here may think this is a silly or superficial point, but I cannot stress enough how different a culture this presents. Regularly battling against the forces of nature is no small point in explaining a unique determination. This determination was shown to the world last April, when Boston was rocked by a terrorist attack that ultimately took four people’s lives and wounded hundreds more. When a citywide manhunt ensued to capture the suspects and bring them to justice, we gladly worked together to catch those respon-
Boston Herald/MCT
sible for the heinous acts. Nationwide, the general public dubbed the reaction “Boston Strong,” an honorific given to the great resilience of this city. I believe it is this resilience that helps foster so many excellent universities in this city, with Brandeis being, in my opinion, the most excellent among them. This resilience, this strength, gives us the courage to become truer to the person we really are deep down. I believe this is how Brandeis helped me to learn about myself. For me, I define myself a lot by my political views. As someone who was considered very liberal in Texas, I felt like my opinions would be considered quite popular at Brandeis and looked forward to that experience. But in many cases, they were
not popular. Ironically enough, my views are probably more conservative than that of the average Brandeis student, and that has been just as rewarding a learning experience. I would not have it any other way. Brandeis has given me the strength and resilience to understand exactly where I am on the political spectrum, and to come to grips with all of my own views. What use would political opinions be if they were only clearly defined on one side of the spectrum? Since I have now had interactions with many people both more conservative and more liberal than I, I have been able to mark out my own space. Simply put, Brandeis has allowed me to acquire the knowledge to better define myself and the pliancy to put that person to good
use. Certainly, I have become a much more rounded person, but most importantly, a better defined one. And I do plan on putting it to good use. Beginning next semester, I will transfer to the University of Texas at Austin, where I will seek new professional opportunities. Accordingly, this will be my last column for the Justice. While my brief sojourn in Boston was tough, between Hurricane Sandy, the blizzard Nemo and the marathon bombings, it has been an experience that will help shape me for the rest of my life. For no matter which Big 12 conference team I will be rooting for next year, I will always be a “Judge.” And no matter where I hang my hat, I will always be “Boston Strong.”
Choose leaders who follow their principles, not what’s popular Glen
Chesir Chagi’s chop
“What makes a good leader?” This question is asked a lot in today’s competitive world. Each of us college students entering the job market has thought extensively about leadership and has a different perception of what it is relative to our strengths. But what truly is an objectively good leader, and how do we, as Brandeis students looking to leave the world a better place than when we entered it, become one? When looking around the world we see all different types of leaders, each with his or her strengths and weaknesses. President Barack Obama has a once in a generation ability to orate and motivate through words. Yet, his approval rating is at the lowest it’s ever been according to polls by Gallup, Business Week and others. Does his low approval rating therefore categorize him as a poor leader? To judge a leader by their approval ratings, though, would be nearsighted. For the indefinite future, we will be hearing stories about one of the greatest leaders the world has ever seen: Nelson Mandela. Vigils, memorials, speeches and press releases will be made to honor the man who dedicated his life to fighting for the causes that he deemed more valu-
able than life itself. But what discernible quality made Mandela into what he was? How was he able to achieve the immense success and respect that he carried to his grave? One of Mandela’s shining moments was the decision to negotiate with the National Party government that controlled South Africa through the apartheid, the same white government that held him in jail for 27 years. Moreover, Mandela made the decision to negotiate in secrecy, behind the backs of his own African National Congress, the entity that led the revolutionary charge against the apartheid regime, for he knew they would not approve of such a maneuver. Without that monumental decision, Mandela would not have brought an end to the apartheid state. Yet, we can only imagine what his ‘approval rating’ would have been among the African National Congress had the negotiations been publicized early on. Mandela had a firm understanding of what he was fighting for, and how he was going to achieve that goal. He did not bend under the pressure of his enemies nor his allies. He knew the best chance he had to end apartheid was to progress with these secret negotiations—and so he did. Mandela once said, “When a man has done what he considers to be his duty to his people and his country, he can rest in peace.” Mandela knew his duty, and would not let anyone deter his path. And that is what made him the leader he was—his perseverance to-
ward his goals. His subsequent global recognition came only as a response to his success; no respect was handed to him.
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We as citizens...choose our leaders to be able to make these decisions, and outline courses of action... Ultimately, we trust the people we choose as our leaders to make the right decisions, not necessarily the popular ones. Francesca Gino, a professor of psychology at Harvard University and author of the book, Sidetracked: Why Our Decisions Get Derailed and How We Can Stick to the Plan, studies how people make decisions. She wonders why so often we decide to proceed a certain way, and end up acting on seemingly the exact opposite motivation. External desires, outside pressure and irrelevant motivations all cloud our judgment of fundamental right or wrong, good or bad, yes or no. Leadership, then, is the ability to persevere through the external factors and make decisions on strictly the relevant motivations. We live in a world where releasing convicted murderers is a means toward peace in the
Middle East, where known terrorist regimes are rewarded for pausing a nuclear program, where the single most powerful government in the world is shut down in opposition to a bill that has passed Congress over 50 times, and where a traditional family holiday becomes a free-for-all celebration of pure materialism and consumerism. Yet, all of these things have a stated greater purpose: the release of Palestinian prisoners will bring the Palestinian Authority to the negotiating table, a six-month window of nonprogress will lead toward a true halt of Iran’s nuclear program, a government shutdown will lead toward bipartisanship, and at a most basic level, we sacrifice Thanksgiving for a happier Christmas, Hanukkah, or Kwanzaa. True leadership is the ability to obtain the universally accepted goals through the most appropriate means, from the leader’s perspective. We as citizens, stakeholders and shareholders choose our leaders to be able to make these decisions, and outline courses of action—not simply to listen to what we think should occur. Approval ratings and public outcry are part of any leader’s life; no leader has ever been universally popular while still in office. Courses of action can therefore only be judged after the fact, with the advantage of hindsight. Until then we must trust the leaders in place to make the correct decisions. I only hope those same leaders don’t abuse that power of leadership and have their judgment clouded by us.
THE JUSTICE
MBBALL: Judges pull away in second half to defeat Jumbos CONTINUED FROM 1 of halftime firing, it was ultimately undone by the Beavers, who, leading 55-39 with 11:52 left in the game, went on a 17-1 run that spanned six minutes, seven seconds. The run left them with a commanding 30-point advantage. Though the Judges were able to control the damage from there, it was too little, too late as the team fell—who had only previously lost this season to Rhode Island College on a buzzer-beater—in demoralizing fashion. Flannery carried Babson, scoring 31 points, identical to his team’s margin of victory. His dominance was shown by the fact that the next two scorers—Ross and junior forward John Wickey—only had 13 and 12 points, respectively. Moton led the Judges with 12 points and six rebounds, but com-
mitted four turnovers—part of 13 turnovers committed by the Judges. Babson cashed in on the miscues, recording 21 points off turnovers. The Judges managed just eight points off of 11 Beavers turnovers. Vilmont also scored in doublefigures, registering 10 points on 4-9 shooting from the field and added three rebounds to the Judges’ 33 team rebounds on the day. Brandeis struggled to get its offense—ranked second in the University Athletic Association in points per game—rolling when the game began, and it showed by the time the final whistle had blown. Two of five Bradeis starters— Stoyle and guard Derek Retos ’14— were held scoreless, although both players were on the court for 24 minutes, more than three-quarters of the game. The Judges shot just 33.3 percent from the field, on 17 for 51 shooting,
and shot a season-low 21.4 perecent from beyond the three-point line. Babson outrebounded the Judges and converted 10 more points in the pain than Brandeis did, although the Judges did manage to score more bench points—a 17 to 14 advantage in favor of Brandeis. While every member of the Judges entered the game, only three recorded more than five points, and six players were held scoreless. The Judges never led during the contest, and at one point found themselves staring at a 33 point deficit to the Beavers. Meehan avoided using his bench during the contest, as each one of his starters saw more than 20 minutes of game action, and only three players came off the bench for more than 10 minutes. With the starting five struggling, the Judges were never able to establish momentum and found them-
selves out of the contest before it even began. Even the halftime break could not reenergize the Judges, as they were held to just 17 points in the second half, easily their lowest total in any half this season. No player scored more than three points for the Judges in the second half, and the team could never recover from the slow start. Brandeis hosts top-ranked Amherst College tonight at 7 p.m., a challenge Stoyle knows the Judges can handle. “[We have to] stay focused and start executing our stuff better,” he explained. “We are really good when we play the way we want to play. We just need everyone on the same page.” — Jacob Moskowitz and Avi Gold contributed reporting
STARING DOWN THE COMPETITION
JOSHUA LINTON/the Justice
FIRST TO THE DRAW: Jullian Cardillo ’14 squares off against an opponent during the Brandeis Invitational held this past Saturday, during which Cardillo posted seven wins.
FENCING: Squads host annual meeting CONTINUED FROM 16 lian Cardillo, did a really good job in helping us focus on fencing rather than thinking about the results.” “I think his message got through to a lot of the team and was directly reflected in our results today.” Even though the team could not defeat Yale—a match they targeted beforehand as one they wanted to win—Mandel was still impressed with the effort turned out by the Judges—including wins over teams that sit just outside the top-10 national rankings.
“I saw a lot of great wins from the Brandeis team today, like the foil squad against St. John’s and the saber squad against Yale,” he said. “No one gave up any easy touches and there were many amazing wins which came from it.” The women’s team managed a 2-4 record on the day, posting a 16-11 victory over Johns Hopkins and a 14-13 victory over Yale. However, the Judges could not overcome St. John's (13-14), Air Force (12-15), Cornell (9-18) and Columbia (4-23). As they did for the men, the saberists led the way for the Judges,
securing an impressive 5-1 record on the day. The team only fell to Columbia, and throughout the day, was led by Annabel Sharahy ’17 who secured eight individual victories. Foilist Caroline Mattos ’16 once again led Brandeis with nine victories, matched by épéeist Sonya Glickman ’16, who also took home nine wins. In epée, Glickman was joined by Gwendolyn Mowell ’16, who managed seven victories on the day, including a perfect 3-0 record against Air Force.
Even though the teams did not preform as well as they would have liked, Mandel saw plenty of positives in the Invitational. “I think that this team shows more promise than any of the previous years I've fenced on and I'm optimistic about what the rest of the season holds,” he said. “We are definitely a force to be reckoned with and I think the Judges will be knocking on some serious doors in years to come.” Both Brandeis teams return to the mat with the USA Fencing North American Cup on Jan. 17.
Track and Field
Track and Field opens season against regional foe ■ The men began their
campaign versus local opponents in a meet hosted by Boston University. By henry loughlin JUSTICE senior WRITER
The men’s track and field team surged to a strong start in its first meet of the season on Saturday at the Boston University Season Opener, held in Boston, MA. The competition was a non-scoring event and team totals were not tabulated. Yet, the meet proved to be a critical indicator of success for
the Judges. Brandeis squared off against a host of competitors from NCAA Division I schools, including host BU, Boston College, Bryant University, Central Connecticut State University, Northeastern University and the University of Massachusetts Lowell. The Judges, however, were not deterred by the competition. As he has done often throughout his Brandeis career, Vincent Asante ’14 put forth a strong performance in the 200-meter dash, placing 11th in 22.92 seconds against a tough field that included competitors from BU, BC and UMass-Lowell. Tai Che ’15 and Mackalani Mack ’16 also put forth solid showings in the event,
taking 31st and 33rd, respectively. Nick Wactor ’17 and Jeremy Wilson ’17 meanwhile, shined in their collegiate debuts in the 400-meter dash. Wactor placed 21st in 54.42 seconds while Wilson fell just behind at the finish line, taking 24th in 54.59. Trevor Tuplin ’16 placed 17th in the 500-meter dash, running the distance in one minute, 12.87 seconds. Brandon Odze ’16 and Joshua Romanowicz ’17 took the next two places in the race, earning 18th and 19th with times of 1:15.48 and 1:15.92. Yet, Omar Scruggs ’17 made an impressive debut in the 800-meter run. The first-year completed the four-lap middle distance race in 1:57.38, taking fourth place and best-
ing competitors from Northeastern, Bryant and Central Connecticut. Additionally for the Judges, Matthew Becker ’16 took second in his heat and 14th overall, timing in at 2:08.03 overall. The Judges will next lace up their spikes on Jan. 12, 2014 at the prestigious Dartmouth Relays hosted by Dartmouth College. While the competition at the meet promises to be stiff, the Judges—who will also host the University Athletic Association Championships from Feb. 28-Mar. 1, 2014—have reason to be optimistic following the first race of this season. The team could not be reached for comment at press time.
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December 10, 2013
BRIEF Evans leaves Brandeis for position at New Balance John Evans has guided the Brandeis track and field and cross-country programs to a plethora of success since taking charge as head coach in 2004. In just 10 years he amassed many accolades. Evans led four teams to the NCAA Division III cross-country chamEvans pionships, saw 12 individuals earn AllAmerica honors and 10 firstyear athletes to University Athletic Association Rookie of the Year honors. After a decade at the helm, Evans announced last Wednesday that he would resign at the conclusion of this semester. His wife Sinead Evans—an assistant coach with the program for the past four years—will step in as interim head coach for the remainder of the indoor season, as well as the 2014 outdoor track season. Evans, who is also a consultant at New Balance, noted that while it proved to be an incredibly difficult decision, he felt it was best to now focus on a more workintensive role. “With my role at New Balance expanding, I felt that this was the time to focus my efforts there,” Evans said. “This was a difficult decision, as I have loved every minute coaching at a great institution like Brandeis. I’ve worked with tremendous student-athletes over the years, hard workers and bright students.” Under Evans, the men’s cross-country team experienced an unparalleled run of success, earning three straight trips to the NCAA championships between 2008 and 2010. The women, meanwhile, punched their ticket this fall to Nationals for the first time since 2001. Evans also brought his own collegiate and professional success to the role. Evans was a three-time Big East and IC4A champion at Providence College in 1989— eventually earning the coveted All-American honor in the 1500-meter run—and has coached professional runners at New Balance since 1994. Now, as Evans departs, Sinead Evans will prepare for her first head coaching role since a short stint at Regis College in 2002. Since joining the Brandeis staff in 2009, she has led the squads’ distance and middledistance runners to several strong finishes. Eight runners under her supervision qualified for the NCAA Division III track and field championships, two of whom included All-Americans Grayce Selig ’11 and Chris Brown ’12. In a Dec. 4 press release, Senior Associate Director of Athletics Lynne Dempsey cited that while John Evans’ indispensable contributions will be sorely missed, the Judges consider it an asset to give control of the program to Sinead. “He has brought quality student-athletes to the Judges’ program over the years, both on the track and off,” Dempsey said. “We will miss him and wish him well, but we are glad that we can keep the program in the family.”
—Adam Rabinowitz
13
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Tuesday, DECEMBER 10, 2013
15
SWIMMING AND DIVING
jUDGES BY THE NUMBERS Men’s BASKETBALL UAA STANDINGS
TEAM STATS
Points Per Game
Not including Monday’s games
Gabe Moton ’14 leads scorers UAA Conference Overall with 19.8 points per game. W L W L Pct. Player PPG NYU 0 0 6 0 .1000 Gabe Moton 19.8 Carnegie 0 0 5 1 .833 Ben Bartoldus 14.2 Case 0 0 5 1 .833 Alex Stoyle 9.4 JUDGES 0 0 6 2 .750 Robinson Vilmont 9.1 WashU 0 0 5 2 .714 Rebounds Per Game Emory 0 0 6 3 .667 Chicago 0 0 5 3 .500 Gabe Moton ’14 leads the team Rochester 0 0 4 5 .444 with 7.6 rebounds per game. Player RPG Gabe Moton 7.6 UPCOMING GAMES: Robinson Vilmont 5.1 Tonight vs. Amherst College Ben Bartoldus 4.9 Jan. 2 vs. Roger Williams Alex Stoyle 4.6 Jan. 7 vs. Bates College
WOMen’s basketball UAA STANDINGS
TEAM STATS
Not including Monday’s games UAA Conference W L W Emory 0 0 7 NYU 0 0 7 WashU 0 0 6 Carnegie 0 0 5 Chicago 0 0 4 Case 0 0 5 JUDGES 0 0 4 Rochester 0 0 4
Points Per Game
Overall L Pct. 0 .1000 0 .1000 1 .857 2 .714 3 .571 4 .556 4 .500 4 .500
UPCOMING GAMES: Dec. 31 vs. Husson University Jan. 4 vs. Trinity (Conn.) Jan. 6 vs. UMass-Boston
Niki Laskaris ’16 leads the team with 19.5 points per game. Player PPG Niki Laskaris 19.5 Nicolina Vitale 11.5 Kasey Dean 10.6 Janelle Rodriguez 6.8
Rebounds Per Game Nicolina Vitale ’14 leads with 6.2 rebounds per game. Player RPG Nicolina Vitale 6.2 Maria Jackson 6.0 Paris Hodges 5.1 Kasey Dean 4.0
FENCING Results from the Brandeis Invitational held this past Sunday.
TOP PERFORMERS (Men’s)
TOP PERFORMERS (Women’s)
SABER Adam Mandel
RECORD 13 wins
SABER RECORD Annabel Sharahy 8 wins
ÉPÉE Tom Hearne
RECORD 7 wins
ÉPÉE Sonya Glickman
RECORD 9 wins
FOIL Julian Cardillo
RECORD 7 wins
FOIL Caroline Mattos
RECORD 9 wins
UPCOMING MEET: The men’s and women’s teams will take part in the USA Fencing North American Cup from Jan. 17-20.
Cross Country Results from the UAA Cross Country Championships held on Nov. 2.
TOP FINISHERS (Men’s) RUNNER TIME Jarret Harrigan 26:53.5 Quinton Hoey 26:58.9 Grady Ward 27:19.1 Michael Rosenbach 27:30.0
TOP FINISHERS (Women’s) RUNNER TIME 22:02.5 Amelia Lundkvist Maddie Dolins 22:35.4 Victoria Sanford 22:43.0 Kelsey Whitaker 23:18.9
EDITOR’S NOTE: The women’s cross-country team competed at the NCAA Division III Championships and Amelia Lundkvist ’14 earned All-American Honors
BRI MUSSMAN/Justice File Photo
FOCUSED FORM: Max Fabian ’15 swims in a race during a non-scoring meet against the Regis College Pride last February.
Squads face off against strong foes in meeting ■ The teams swam against tough opponents in a twoday competition over the weekend hosted by WPI. By Avi Gold Justice editor
In a season of just 10 meets, it is rare for the men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams to compete against the same team multiple times. At the Worcester Polytechnic Institute Gompei Invitational, held this past Saturday and Sunday, the Judges had a chance to strike back against WPI after a defeat earlier this season. Brandeis made large strides in their second meeting featuring the Engineers. The men placed fifth in the tournament with 994 points while the women took home an eighth-place finish, scoring 394 points. David Lazarovich ’16 credited the Judges’ knowledge of the pool as a reason for their success. “We were one of the first teams to swim in that pool [on Nov. 9] and we felt confident swimming in the pool because we’ve been there already,” he said.
Max Fabian ’15 once again led the way for the Judges with two top-10 finishes. Fabian began the second day of the tournament with a pool recordbreaking time of 16 minutes, 33.50 seconds in the 1650-yard freestyle, just 20 seconds off his personal record and a mere 17 behind the NCAA Championship “B” cut. The Judges also got a strong performance from Edan Zitelny ’17 who recorded four top-10 finishes over the course of the tournament, including a fourth-place finish in the 400-yard individual medley. Zitelny’s time of 4:20.63 in the event left him just one-tenth of a second outside of the top three finishers. Brian Luk ’16 notched a fifth place finish in the 100-yard freestyle, swimming the race in 48.02 seconds. His time proved to be 53 tenths of a second off the pace of his personal best and just 13 tenths of a second behind the fourth place finisher from WPI. Although he could not best his personal record, Luk is aiming higher than that. “My goal is to break the Brandeis school record by the end of this season,” he explained. Lazarovich took eighth in the A finals of the 200-yard backstroke in 2:20.28 seconds and won the B
finals—11th-place—of the 100-yard breastroke in 1:03.69 seconds. Luk was impressed with the effort turned in by the Judges. “The team overall did fantastic I think,” he said. We went against some really good schools, especially the host WPI. The two-day meet is physically challenging but we were able to turn the page.” The women’s team, meanwhile, was led by Joanna Murphy ’17, who took home third place in the 1650yard freestyle in 18:07.48 seconds, a time just 3.3 seconds behind the second place finisher. Murphy also recorded a top-10 finish in the 200-yard freestyle, concluding the event in 2:06.18 seconds, good for sixth place. Gabby Drillich ’15 also performed well for the Judges, securing an 11th place finish in the 400yard individual medley with a time of 5:06.05 seconds, and 14th place in the 200-yard butterfly, finishing at 2:29.84 seconds. Fallon Bushee ’16 recorded two trips to the B finals of the meet, earning a 14th place finish in the 200-yard freestyle at 2:05.85 seconds and 18th place in the 100-yard freestyle at 58.82 seconds. Both teams return to the pool in a home meet against Trinity College on Jan. 18 at 1 p.m.
PRo Sports BRIEF Patriots use late-game heroics to overcome multiple double-digit deficits in victory over Browns The New England Patriots have made a habit this season of earning victories when teams least expect it. For the fifth consecutive game, New England stared at a deficit—this one being 6-0—at halftime on Sunday against the Cleveland Browns. The Patriots managed to secure wins in three of their past four contests, but after falling behind 26-14 their chances at a fourth win seemed incredibly unlikely. New England coach Bill Belichick even conceded that fate seemed to be on the Browns’ side. “We had to make just about every play that we made at the end today,” he said. “Fortunately, we did.’’ Fortune was certainly in play as New England—trailing 26-21—set up an onside kick sequence, a play they had not converted since Jan. 1, 1995
in an American Football Conference playoff game against the Browns. History repeated itself as Browns running back Fozzy Whittaker fumbled and lost control of the ball. Patriots cornerback Kyle Arrington then swooped in from behind, picking up the ball and regaining possession. New England quarterback Tom Brady—as he has done time and time again this season—took care of business in the fourth quarter. Brady began the drive with a 10yard laser to wide receiver Danny Amendola, and then fate intervened once more. The Patriots earned a controversial pass interference call, moving the ball to the Cleveland one-yard line. Brady fired off a quick touchdown pass to Amendola, which gave New England to a tight 27-26 lead.
After a failed two-point conversion, Cleveland had a chance to counter with some late-game heroics. Browns quarterback Jason Campbell—after 18-yard and 13-yard passes, respectively, to tight end Jordan Cameron— brought his squad to New England’s 40-yard line with one second remaining in the game. Kicker Billy Cundiff, staring at a 58yard field goal attempt, had his work cut out for him. The kick sailed far from the goalposts, sealing yet another improbable Patriots victory. In the first half, it looked like a battle of the defenses. Cleveland’s defense shut down a Patriots offense that had put up 68 points in its past two games. The Browns were only able to break through on two field goals from Cundiff. At the half, the Browns had the 6-0
edge, and by the third quarter, the visitors had things under control. With 10:15 remaining in the third quarter, Campbell launched a 40-yard pass on the left side of the field to wide receiver Gary Barnidge to stretch the lead to 12-0. New England countered with a field goal with 1:37 remaining, but just 12 seconds later, Campbell fired off a pass to wide receiver Josh Gordon near the sideline. The rookie would not be deterred, taking the ball down the field for an 80-yard touchdown to stretch the Browns lead to 19-3. However, Patriots running back Shane Vereen kept things close, scoring with just six seconds left in the third quarter. After a successful twopoint conversion and a 19-11 deficit, New England still had life. The Patriots inched closer, ben-
efiting from a 50-yard field goal from kicker Stephen Gostkowski to cut the lead to 19-14 with 5:43 remaining. Campbell then re-captured the momentum, for a four-yard touchdown with 2:39 remaining, but the lead would not last. Though the team emerged with a big win, New England was not all smiles after the victory. Tight end Rob Gronkowski tore his A.C.L.—a significant injury for the Patriots that looks to end Gronkowski’s season. The Patriots improve to 10-3 on the season and remain in second place in the AFC, while the Browns fall to 4-9. New England takes on the Miami Dolphins on Sunday at 1:00 p.m. — Adam Rabinowitz
just
Sports
Page 16
TRACK AND FIELD OPENS SEASON The men’s track and field team raced at the Boston University Season Opener this past Saturday, p. 13.
Tuesday, December 10, 2013
Waltham, Mass.
MEN’s basketball
OPEN OPPORTUNITY
Judges take third at Big 4 Challenge ■ The men dropped Friday’s
game versus Babson College before taking the third-place game over Tufts University. By henry loughlin JUSTICE senior WRITER
MORGAN BRILL/the Justice
JUMP SHOT: Frankie Pinto ’17 takes a shot over a University of Massachusetts Dartmouth defender during the team’s 71-60 loss.
Squad nets big win after rally falls short at home ■ The women fell to the
Corsairs before blowing out the Wildcats on the road in Sunday’s game. By ELAN KANE JUSTICE STAFF WRITER
The women’s basketball team endured mixed results this past week, defeating Johnson & Wales University Saturday 74-31 after a close defeat to the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth 71-60 last Tuesday. With Saturday’s win, the Judges improve to 3-4 on the year with Saturday’s win. Every player on the active roster, during Saturday’s game, received playing time, as 13 of the 15 players put up points. The Judges outscored the Wildcats 43-18 in the first half, led by guard Janelle Rodriguez ’14 who scored a game high 10 points—all in the first half. Fellow guard Paris Hodges ’17 chipped in with eight points of her own to go along with six rebounds.
Brandeis outrebounded Johnson & Wales 20-11 in the first half and shot 43.1 percent from the field, compared to just 23.1 percent from the Wildcats. Brandeis continued its solid play in the second half, shooting 50 percent from the field while allowing Johnson & Wales to shoot just 12.1 percent. The Judges also pulled down 29 rebounds in the second half compared to 14 from Johnson & Wales. The Wildcats were led by junior guard D’Ana Rolle, who tallied five points to go along with three rebounds. The win improved the Judges’ away record—an area in which they struggled last season—to 2-0. Tuesday’s game proved to be a different story for Brandeis, a first half deficit to UMass Dartmouth that could not be overcome. The Corsairs started on a roll, breaking out on a 15-2 run to open the game. However, down 27-10, the Judges rallied back on a 15-4 run of their own to come to within six points. UMass Dartmouth responded in turn, scoring five of the next six points to close the first half with a 36-26 advantage.
Center Nicolina Vitale ’14 scored eight of her 11 points in the first half, pulling down four of her team-high 10 boards to complete the double-double. Junior guard Kelsey Garrity led the Corsairs, scoring 16 of her game-high 21 points in the first half. Although the Judges out-rebounded the Corsairs 23-13 in the second half, they were unable to put together a comeback. UMass Dartmouth took advantage of a double-technical foul called on guard Kasey Dean ’14 and the Brandeis bench, knocking down all four free throws to pull ahead 66-48. Brandeis pieced together a final 12-4 run but the effort was not enough and the Corsairs held on for the victory. Rodriguez scored a game-high 13 points on the day, collecting four rebounds and one steal. Dean added seven points as well as nine rebounds and three assists. The Judges defeated Simmons College 65-36 on Monday night. Brandeis next hosts Husson University on Dec. 31 at 1 p.m. The team could not be reached for comment at press time.
After being humbled by rival Babson College 78-47 in the first round of the Big 4 Challenge at Tufts University, the men’s basketball squad could have chosen to hang its head for the tournament’s consolation game. Instead, the team made a statement, defeating host Tufts 90-82 on its own court. Forward Alex Stoyle ’14 credited the victory over the Jumbos to a change in the starting lineup. “I think it worked in our favor,” he said. “The lineup we put out there matched up well and we were able to grind out the win. At the end of the day that's what matters.” The Judges opened Sunday’s contest in strong fashion. Guard Robinson Vilmont ’17 continued his impressive start to the season, scoring a jump shot and sinking a free throw in quick succession to give the Judges a 26-21 advantage with 12 minutes, seven seconds left in the first half. However, Tufts went on a 13-5 run over the next four minutes to take a 34-31 lead. Stoyle made two of two from the free throw line to cut the hosts’ advantage to one and hopefully swing the momentum back in the visitors’ favor. However, Tufts sophomore Tom Folliard took the wind out of the Judges’ sails with a jump shot to restore the Jumbos’ three-point advantage. The first half stayed relatively even from that point on and the hosts had a 46-43 edge. The second half looked to be tough for the Judges, especially as Folliard made a jump shot to extend Tufts’ lead to five just 34 seconds in. However, a three-pointer from guard Gabriel Moton ’14 fueled the Judges’ surge to victory. The teams traded baskets until Moton and guard Ben Bartoldus ’14 made back-to-back three-pointers to give the Judges a 60-55 advantage over Tufts. After Folliard pulled the Jumbos to within three with a jump shot, Bartoldus sank another threepointer to stretch Brandeis’ advantage. From there, the Judges led by as many as 10 points before two free throws from Moton put the finishing touches on the 90-82 victory. Moton led all scorers with 29 points and was a perfect eight-for-
eight from the free throw line. Bartoldus chipped in with 16 of his own. Folliard had 20 points for Tufts, while senior guard Kwame Firempong added 18 points. The Judges also received strong games from center Youri Dascy ’14, Bartoldus and Stoyle to put away the Jumbos. Dascy responded well to his first start of the season, recording season highs in minutes and points, while shooting 57.1 percent from the field. He recorded 13 points in 19 minutes, while pulling down five rebounds and recorded three blocks during the contest. Bartoldus added four of his 16 points from the free thow line, and added five rebounds and a steal to his game statistics. Stoyle marked the fourth member of the Judges to record more than 10 points in the vicotry, recording a season-high 14 points in 27 minutes on the court. The win over the Jumbos was the first time all season Stoyle came off the bench for coach Brian Meehan. Saturday’s game against Babson, though, was entirely a different story for Brandeis. The Judges failed to put pressure of the Beavers from the opening tip-off, ceding a 12-2 lead to the Beavers in the opening four minutes. Though a three-pointer by Moton was enough to get the Judges within four points, senior guard Kenny Ross buried his own effort from outside the arc to give Babson a six-point advantage. Stoyle lamented the Judges’ inability to put a run together, as the slow start ultimately doomed the team to a loss. “We just couldn't get anything going and slowly things got out of control,” he said. With 12:11 remaining in the half, Brandeis forward Kevin Trotman ’17 made a layup and a free throw to pull the Judges back within four points of the Beavers. However, Babson freshman forward Joey Flannery made a layup of his own on the next possession. Flannery then went to the line, where he sunk two foul shots to stretch his team’s advantage to a 21-13 margin. From that point, the Judges stayed in the game, holding on after a layup from Bartoldus pulled the Judges to within seven points with 3:10 in the half. Yet, free throws from Flannery and a layup from junior center David Mack gave the Beavers a 41-30 lead at the halftime break. While Brandeis would have hoped to stay close and come out
See MBBALL, 13 ☛
Fencing
Teams host top-ranked opponents in weekend invitational ■ The Judges hosted the
annual event and both teams scored wins over Johns Hopkins University. By Avi gold JUSTICE editor
The men’s and women’s fencing teams both hosted nationally ranked teams on Sunday at the Brandeis Invitational held in Gosman Sports and Convocation Center. Though the teams did not walk
away with winning records, they put forth impressive efforts. The men’s team secured a 2-3 record on the afternoon, picking up wins over Johns Hopkins University and the Air Force Academy while falling to No. 5 St. John’s University, No. 7 Columbia University and Yale University. The women also defeated Johns Hopkins on the way to a 2-4 record. While they also defeated Yale in addition to their win over Johns Hopkins, but lost to No. 5 St. John’s, No. 3 Columbia, Air Force and Cornell University. Saberist Adam Mandel ’15, who
posted a 13-2 individual record on the day, noted that the team had the right mindset even though their results were less than desirable. “We went out there with the right attitude and the drive to win, but we fell short of beating Yale and St. John’s like we wanted to,” he said. “We ended up coming close to beating both, but in the end came down to a few 5-4 losses.” Although the men’s team fell to their two ranked opponents—12-15 to St. John’s and 7-20 to Columbia— the Judges managed a close contest before falling to Yale 10-17. They
then managed to gain some momentum in their 15-12 defeat over Air Force and 18-9 triumph over Johns Hopkins in the first two bouts. In the win over Hopkins, both Mandel and foilist Julian Cardillo ’14 led the way for the Judges with respective 3-0 victories over their Blue Jays opponents. The saberists managed to secure three wins in their five events on the day, followed closely by the épéeists and foilists, who both respectively secured two victories on the day. Foilist Noah Berman ’15 had a
strong day for the Judges, taking seven victories on the afternoon, while épéeist Tom Hearne ’16 matched Berman’s win count with seven of his own. Mandel credited the results to the strong leadership of Cardillo, the Judges’ captain, who kept his teammates focused on their strengths. “The team was both very excited and nervous about coming into this meet today,” he explained. “A lot of us were nervous about potentially not getting the results that we wanted, but our captain Ju-
See FENCING, 13 ☛
JustArts Volume LXVI, Number 14
Tuesday, December 10, 2013
Your weekly guide to arts, movies, music and everything cultural at Brandeis and beyond
Waltham, Mass.
FIRED UP Senior art exhibition heats up Dreitzer Gallery, P. 19 In this issue:
Interview Column
Student discusses surrealist film project, P. 18
Pop Culture
‘365 Days/365 Plays’ Emerson faculty member directs show, P. 20
Self Portrait
Professors discuss Al Loving’s art, P. 19
With the Band
2013’s biggest women in Indie music, P. 23
Hollywood’s year ends in romantic scandal, P. 18
Film Studies at Brandeis
Aspiring filmmakers find a home at the University, P. 21
18
justARTS
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 10, 2013 | THE JUSTICE
CALENDAR
INTERVIEW
$
What’s happening in Arts on and off campus this week
ON-CAMPUS EVENTS False Ad High School
False Advertising is going back to high school for their winter semester show. Relive all of your favorite high school memories with a spooky twist. Take a break from finals stress and watch some free longform and musical improv. Today from 9 to 10 p.m. at Cholmondeley’s Coffee House. This event is free and open to the public.
Alumnus creates film to debut this season
Take a break from studying and come sing with the graduate students of the Theater Arts department. Tomorrow from 5 to 7 p.m. in Laurie Theater in Spingold Theater Center. This event is part of the Department of Theater Arts Studio Series. Seating is limited and this event is free and open to the public.
A Taste of Timor Food Night
PHANTASMAGORIA
Project Plus One and the Brandeis Asian American Student Association are partnering to bring you a spectacular evening of southeast Asian cuisine. Stop by to chow down on some chicken, seafood, rice, vegetarian and beef dishes, and also learn a little about southeast Asian culture and heritage.Project Plus One is an initiative to support a health clinic in East Timor. Every day about 300 members of a poor community in the country of East Timor come to the Bairo Pite Clinic for medical attention. Many patients look to the clinic as their only source of treatment and hope for survival. Project Plus One would love to not only generate awareness for the clinic with the event. Wednesday from 3:30 to 5 p.m in the International Lounge in the Usdan Student Center.
PHOTO COURTESY OF DAVID FRENCH
JustArts had a conversation over email with David French ’13, who has been working on an original surrealist short film since the spring. JustArts: Would you tell us briefly about your film, Wild Ruse, and how the project got started? Where did the idea come from, and with whom did you collaborate to make it? David French: In the summer of 2011, I was a part of Brandeis’ [Justice Brandeis Semester] summer film program. It was a really good experience, combining the three production classes into one unified whole, which I think is the ideal way to learn that kind of stuff. Brandeis has some really excellent hardware and software for making film, and a good pool of knowledge to draw on for it. I made a promise to myself that before I left I would make my own film. I was already planning on doing film once I graduated, but once you enter into the professional world you have many greater obstacles to deal with. As a student you are the most free and capable to do some of these things, and I knew I had to take that chance while I had it. A lot of the people who were on crew for Wild Ruse were people I had met in JBS. My assistant director, Jennifer Recinos, for instance, or my production manager [Alexandra] Zelle Rettman ’14. That’s the other thing that’s important to take from college, is people you know you can count on to work with. JA: Where did you find inspiration from while creating and producing the film? DF: A lot of things. My official field of study is Fine Art, and I’ve been told by fellow filmmakers that I approach film like painting. ... I actually came to the school to major in Creative Writing, so a large part of my influences were literary. I have an interest in magical realism and the way that text can play on abstract or non-linear themes. I also have favorite filmmakers of course. The color treatment of Panos Cosmatos, the character heart in Rian Johnson (Brothers Bloom is my all time favorite film), the intricate plotting of Christopher Nolan. Throw in some texture from David Lynch, too. JA: Were there any resources at Brandeis that you used to help bring the film to life? What have you been able to take away from your studies at Brandeis that has helped you to continue working with film after college? DF: The Getz Media Lab and Brandeis Television were absolutely invaluable. They really helped support the film and make it possible. The Getz Media Lab provides amazing equipment and software and I think it’s sort of the “hidden” gem of the campus. I’m surprised by how many people don’t even know what kind of stuff they have free access to. ... BTV is also amazing. The current [president] and leading board is really dedicated to getting students making things, which I think is important. The advantage of a student-led organization is that it has a lot of freedom, but also sometimes people can fall asleep at the wheel. This isn’t the case at all with BTV now, and I’m very proud of what people are doing. JA: As Wild Ruse starts to make its way around the festival circuit, what sorts of festivals will you be pursuing, and where do you see the film going in the future? DF: We’ve targeted a couple of big festivals but we’re unlikely to get in due to length. I want to be realistic about that. I’m really looking at smaller festivals, or free ones, hopefully a couple in the Boston area. Honestly there are so many festivals it’s a little hard to choose! ... I chose to go back to Austin, [Texas], rather than head to the more expensive and crowded job markets of Los Angeles or New York. There are some alumni working in film from Brandeis but the industry is really cutthroat and I don’t think we have as strong of alumni relationships in that field as we could. Brandeis does advertise its creative side, but there isn’t as much of a professional creative focus as I personally would like. That said, there really is nothing stopping people from making their work. The tech is cheap and the information free. I’m currently doing freelance music video work in Austin and hopefully we’ll see stuff getting more pumped up as I settle back in and make connections. —Rachel Hughes *Editor’s note: Alexandra Zelle Rettman is a staff writer for JustArts.
ART BREAK
The Rose Art Museum and the Office of the Arts invite Brandeis staff and faculty to take an ART BREAK. The arts are a vital part of the Brandeis community and this event is a wonderful opportunity to join your colleagues in experiencing innovative and striking examples of modern and contemporary art that are currently on view at the Rose. ART BREAK includes an exclusive tour of the fall exhibitions lead by Rose Director Christopher Bedford and Curatorial Assistant Caitlin Rubin. Friday from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. at the Rose Art Museum. This event is free and open to the public.
Department of Theater Arts: Graduate Singing Party
David French ’13
ard Bernstein Fellows. These undergraduates were selected to be a part of the fellowship based on musical merit. Wednesday from 7 to 8 p.m. in Slosberg Music Center. This event is free and open to the public.
Leonard Bernstein Fellowship Recital
Join us for a performance of Debussy, Mozart and more by the talented Leon-
Brandeis’ Women’s Studies Research Center, presents music for String Quartet by musicians Beth Denisch, Toni Lester and Rebecca Clarke. Join us for the world premiere of Denisch’s powerful “Five on Five” for clarinet and strings, Lester’s nature-inspired poetry and music, and newly-published works from the 1940s by Clarke (1886-1979). At the 1990 Boston premiere of Denisch’s quartet, Phantasmagoria, the Boston Globe’s Anthony Tommasini declared it “brimmed with personality and drive.” Sunday from 3 to 4:40 p.m. in the Kniznick Gallery of the Women’s Studies Research Center. This event is open to the public, and there is a suggested donation of $15 and $5 for students.
‘Fired Up’
Get fired up for the Brandeis studio artists who exhibit the semester’s accomplishments in painting, sculpture and printmaking. The exhibition fea-
tures work by Brandeis students and is sponsored by the Fine Arts department. Currently on view in the Dreitzer Gallery in Spingold Theater Center. This exhibition is free and open to the public.
OFF-CAMPUS EVENTS KISS 108 FM Jingle Ball
Presented by Market Basket, this holiday bash at Boston’s TD Garden features performances from some of the biggest stars of the top-40 charts, including Miley Cyrus, Selena Gomez, Fall Out Boy, Enrique Iglesias, Robin Thicke, Fifth Harmony and Flo Rida. Saturday, Dec. 14 at 7 p.m. at TD Garden in Boston. Tickets range from $45 to $270 and are available online at http://ticketmaster.com/.
‘Sarah Braman: Alive’
Sarah Braman: Alive debuts new sculpture, painting, and video by the Museum of Fine Art Boston’s 2013 Maud Morgan Prize recipient. Established in 1993 in recognition of artist Maud Morgan (1903–99), the prize honors a Massachusetts woman artist whose creativity and vision has made significant contributions to the contemporary arts in the Commonwealth and beyond. On view at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston through Mar. 30. Admission is free for members, $25 for general admission and $23 for students.
‘The Nutcracker’
The timeless story of Clara, who bravely saves her Nutcracker Prince and is swept away on a magical journey through the Nutcracker Prince’s kingdom in the clouds, is an engaging tale for the whole family and a holiday tradition for many years to come. Playing through Dec. 29 at the Boston Opera House. Tickets range from $35 to $169 and are available for purchase online at http://bostonoperahouse.com/.
POP CULTURE n
ww Brandeis, as the semester winds Well down, the pop culture news picks up: a reality television star just announced she is pregnant, a big celebrity divorce was finalized and two celebrity chefs made headlines . Before anything else, however, a piece of tragic news out of Hollywood: on Nov. 30, Paul Walker was killed in a car accident. The 40-year-old actor, well-known for his role as Brian O’Connor in the Fast and the Furious film franchise, was attending a charity car show for his organization Reach Out Worldwide, and left the event as a passenger in his friend Roger Rodas’ Porsche. The car reportedly crashed into two trees and a light pole and then became engulfed in flames, killing both men. The Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner-Coroner ruled that both deaths were accidents after conducting the autopsies. Walker is survived by his 15-year-old daughter and was in the midst of filming the seventh Fast and Furious installment. On a much lighter note, Basketball Wives star Evelyn Lozada revealed to People Magazine that she is pregnant. Lozada, 37, had previously been in a 10-year relationship with former Boston Celtics star Antoine Walker. In July 2012, she married former NFL wide-receiver Chad Johnson, but they divorced in September 2012 after Johnson allegedly head-butted her during an argument. Though Lozada has not publicly confirmed the identity of the baby’s father, many speculate that the father is Los Angeles Dodgers player Carl Crawford. Lozada also has a 20-year-old daughter from a previous relationship—quite the age difference! Reportedly, the reality television star is six months pregnant. And, it’s official—Demi Moore and Ashton Kutcher are divorced. On Nov. 26, the Los Angeles Superior Court filed the necessary papers to finalize the divorce. Moore, 51, and Kutcher, 35, married in 2005 and separated in November 2011. Their divorce process is best described as a saga, marred by monetary disputes and a rehab stint for Moore in early 2012.
By Mara Sassoon
CREATIVE COMMONS
LOVE LIKE THIS: Actors Ashton Kutcher and Demi Moore have recently divorced. Kutcher, meanwhile, is now in another high-profile relationship with his former That ’70s Show co-star Mila Kunis, 30 . The lovebirds have been the subject of many rumors these past few weeks, especially now with Kutcher’s divorce finalized. Of course, the anticipated flurry of engagement rumors swiftly followed, as have reports that Kunis may be pregnant. Last of all, two celebrity chefs were in the news this past week. On Nov. 28, the former assistants of Nigella Lawson, 53, a judge on the ABC series The Taste, accused the British chef of abusing cannabis, cocaine and prescription pills during a court hearing. While testifying in the fraud trial last Wednesday, Lawson did admit to using
cocaine on a few occasions in the past but maintained that she does not have a drug problem. Lawson’s The Taste co-star, Anthony Bourdain, took to social media to support the food star. ABC is also still going ahead with production of the second season of the show, which will start airing in early January. Onto a more lighthearted headline: chef Mario Batali drew attention for ordering 200 pairs of orange Crocs a couple weeks ago. Why did the 53-year-old The Chew cohost order so many of the goofy-looking shoes? Well, Batali’s signature outfit consists of shorts and orange Crocs, and the plastic shoe company has discontinued its production of that color.
ARTS COVER PHOTOS: MORGAN BRILL/the Justice, Creative Commons and David Costa. DESIGN: OLIVIA POBIEL/the Justice.
THE JUSTICE | TUESDAY, DECEMBER 10, 2013
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PHOTOS BY MORGAN BRILL/the Justice
ART TALK
CLOSE LOOKING: Profs. Faith Smith (AAAS), left and Susan Lichtman (FA), right, spoke this Wednesday at the Rose about the new Loving acquisition, a wall hanging made of dyed cloth.
Professors create lenses for Loving’s work By EMILY WISHINGRAD JUSTICE EDITOR
On Wednesday afternoon, Profs. Faith Smith (AAAS) and Susan Lichtman (FA) spoke in the Rose Art Museum’s Mildred S. Lee Gallery about the Rose’s newly acquired installation piece, “Self Portrait #23,” by artist Al Loving. The professors spoke for a little more than half an hour each about the installation, an extremely colorful work made out of strips of cloth that were sewn together to create a geometrical wall hanging that measured about 10 feet tall. The room was packed with students, faculty and Rose administration including Director Chris Bedford. The two professors spoke about “Self Portrait #23” in the context of their own academic fields, giving the audience the opportunity to view the piece through two different lenses. Lichtman spoke first about the piece’s aesthetics through a more technical
lens of Fine Arts. Smith then spoke about the historical resonance and significance of the piece: about black and African identity and art through her lens of African and Afro-American studies. In her talk, Lichtman described the piece with a slew of adjectives including “overwhelming,” “monumental” and “authoritarian,” all descriptors which, she suggested, were indicative of masculinity. However, Lichtman also mentioned that femininity was interwoven in the piece through its quality of being sewn and the softness of the cloth. Lichtman described the work as more of a painting than a textile piece even though the piece was made up entirely of dyed cloth. She noted how the dye was nuanced—rich and complicated—with variations of color, mimicking the appearance of a painting. Lichtman explained, “It doesn’t really feel like a decorative quilt. It feels like a painting.”
Providing a creative consideration of the piece, Lichtman took the room through the process by which she imagined Loving physically putting together the work, a process that Smith also meditated on during her part of the talk. Lichtman said that she tried to picture the artist at his sewing machine putting this together, the floor draped with fold after fold of bright, vibrant cloth. The physical process of the sewing, she suggested, must have been a feat within itself. Smith spoke next, giving the audience a glimpse through a more historical and sociological lens. She began her talk with a query alluding to the installation’s title, pondering “what it might mean to represent the self in 1973,” and then spoke about the place of “Self Portrait #23” and its artist within the movement of abstract art. The question of black identity as it is presented through art was a thread running throughout Smith’s talk. Smith discussed the idea that there
was a “true black self” that all black people share when the “whiteness” is stripped away. She suggested that African and African-American art takes on the problem of portraying this true black self, but that Loving’s piece had an extra task to deal with— showing the true black self using abstraction rather than representational techniques. Smith also talked about the history of black art in museums and how black advocacy groups have historically put museums under pressure to acquire black art in order to diversify their collections. She mentioned that Loving was the first African American artist to have a solo exhibition at New York’s Whitney Museum in 1971. In separate group exhibition, the Whitney displayed an exhibit of contemporary black artists. However the artists, unhappy about the curating of the exhibit, withdrew their art. The museums were not able to adequately represent the black art in
the context of the museum. However these artists present a contrast to Al Loving who kept his pieces in the Whitney. As Smith says, “Museum culture may also have required programmatic, legible and therefore restrictive forms of blackness.” After the professors spoke, the room was opened up to questions. The discussions that came out of the questions were incredibly enlightening and intellectual. For example, Prof. John Plotz (ENG) noticed that a portion of the work that had not been addressed during the talks looked like a pair of overalls, an aspect, which he suggested, added to the human quality of the self-portrait. The lectures were a great way to introduce and publicize the new Loving acquisition and the interdisciplinary nature of the talk made it that much more enriching. I hope to see more of these academic discussions within the context of the Rose as we head into next semester.
ART EXHIBIT
‘Fired Up’ exhibit boasts senior class’ art talent By RACHEL HUGHES JUSTICE EDITOR
MORGAN BRILL/the Justice
GETTING SITUATED: Staged in Dreitzer Gallery, sculptures filled up spaces in the hallway and alcoves, confronting viewers.
MORGAN BRILL/the Justice
THREE’S COMPANY: The paintings hang in groups, each organized by the artist who created them, along the walls of the gallery.
As the semester comes to an end and this year’s senior class begins to move into their last semester at Brandeis, students in the Fine Arts program are looking at some of their final chances to display their work on campus. To celebrate the work of seniors finishing up their Fine Arts degrees, the department has put together the exhibition Fired Up. After its opening reception on Wednesday evening, the exhibition is currently on view in Spingold Theater Center’s Dreitzer Gallery and features student works of painting, sculpture and printmaking. Having seen many exhibitions staged in Dreitzer, Fired Up without a doubt houses the greatest volume of works of any previous exhibition—and as the usage of vibrant, arresting colors seems to be a theme connecting the selection of works, this space has taken on a new mood. The slew of paintings on display are hung on the curving inner wall of the white-walled, airy gallery, grouped by artist. Along the greater curve of the outer wall hang more three-dimensional pieces—paintings that incorporate textured or sculptural elements, as well as some prints, that are interspersed within the space. Breaking up the middle aisle space of the gallery are several sculptures. Some of the first works that caught my eye was a collection of paintings staged at the far corner of the exhibition, near one of the entrances. The three paintings, by Natasha Frye ’14, are works on canvas that have a distinctively smooth finish, both in dimension and in the blending of colors used. In “No Evil,” “Tribal Patterns” and an untitled third painting, Frye creates three individualized images that connect into a stylized original portrayal of one popular representation of “tribal” life. Frye uses bold, largely primary colors and colorblocking elements to add depth and shade
to the human figures in the paintings, including tribe members in beautiful ceremonial clothing in the untitled painting. This punch of bold colors to communicate an analogously bold cultural narrative provided a dazzling first glimpse within the gallery. Moving on past the first alcove in the gallery, I came across a sculpture that was relatively stark in comparison to the rest of the sculpted works in the exhibition. Mark Borreliz’s ’14 work of foam and plaster, titled “Growth,” appropriates a modernized narrative onto an ancient sculpture form, the portrait bust. The sculpture is a slightly larger-than-life bust—but Borreliz’s work is quite unlike ancient bust forms that served to commemorate individuals. The bright white work doesn’t exhibit individualized facial features, but rather presents a generalized form, and the viewer’s eye is drawn to a carefully constructed cityscape that is literally coming out of the top of the figure’s head, miniature skyscrapers and all. As I walked past several more fantastic paintings, prints and sculptures, and toward the opposite end of the exhibition, my eye settled on a grouping of four beautiful works by Alexa Katz ’14. Her paintings, “Lucia,” “Becky,” “City of Brotherly Love” and “Zoology” take a look at subjects that aren’t as niche as Borreliz’s philosophical sculpture. The gaze within Katz’s paintings focuses more on everyday elements— her pieces focus on people and their faces, a two-dimensional cityscape and even several animals. But the smooth, fluid brushstrokes with which her subjects are portrayed and the impressive range of her color palette give life to the faces and scenes in her work. Fired Up provides a stimulating look into the artistic minds of some of this year’s senior class. Their works explored themes of culture, differing gazes and bodies, personhood, home and emotions, and did so with a great understanding of their own artistic styles and varied usage of techniques.
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TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2013 | THE JUSTICE
THEATER
Cast performs with skilled technique in experimental play, ‘365 Days/365 Plays’ PHOTOS COURTESY OF DAVID COSTA
DAILY DEVOTIONAL: In 2002 the playwright Suzan-Lori Parks embarked on her project of writing a play a day for a year. To the left, Jennifer Lengaespada acts in Parks’ ‘365 Days/365 Plays.
By RACHEL LIFF
JUSTICE CONTRIBUTING WRITER
The floor is splattered red. Purple brushes the walls. A green and gold log cabin is projected onto either side of the audience as ushers urge them to sit close to their neighbors. Spectators are placed facing each other, leaving a large space in the middle of Spingold Theater Center’s Merrick Theater and smaller paths behind the rows of chairs. A green and orange log cabin is projected on the wall, welcoming everyone in. Most notably, Zada Amata Eshun ’14 lies sleeping with one eye open, staying strikingly still for nearly 20 minutes. The lights go down, and projectors flash words across the wall of the theater. The show begins. In November 2002, playwright Suzan-Lori Parks was inspired to begin a project that would take her on a yearlong journey. For the sake of refining her artistic process and the challenge of being mentally and emotionally present while creating, Parks wrote a play a day from Nov. 13, 2002 until Nov. 12, 2003. Her endeavor was then published in the book 365 Days/365 Plays, a portion of which was presented by the Brandeis Theater Company this weekend. In her program note, visiting director Akiba Abaka, who is the audience development manager at Emerson College, said she chose to perform 24 of Park’s plays centered around the themes of love, war and Abraham Lincoln, which “are representational of the internal and external struggles that color our world … Each play is meant to be
experienced on its own as a separate and complete story and they are arranged to be experienced as one narrative image.” Drawing from Operation Iraqi Freedom, a conflict that occurred during the writing of the plays, Abaka molds her compilation of Park’s work using the experiences of war veterans. The play featured 13 actors from both the graduate and undergraduate programs. It was almost entirely an ensemble production, with the exception of actors Nicole Dalton M.F.A. ’14 and Brandon Green M.F.A. ’14, both of whom excelled in their respective portrayals of the Mother and Father in the plays’ “Father Comes Home from the Wars (Parts 1-6).” They faced the task of portraying a family torn apart by war with compassion, understanding and professionalism. What was most remarkable about the performing in this production was the physicality of the actors. In some scenes, the players had little to no dialogue to rely on but had to use their bodies to communicate. Even when a scene was heavy with dialogue, the actors were crisp and meaningful in their movements. Whether it was digging a hole, climbing back home through the wind, a progression of kisses, rolling across the room into a pile of bodies, dancing or even standing in solemn stillness, the cast perfected their actions. Due to its experimental quality and the constantly changing characters in 365, it was important for the actors to be physically grounded in the material, strengthening their connection with the audience.
PANNED: Nicole Dalton M.F.A. ’14 attempts to hit Brandon Green M.F.A. ‘14 with a pan in “Father Comes Home from the Wars (Parts 1-6).”
Every corner of the theater was used in the production. The audience was brilliantly placed to look at each other, strengthening the collectivity experienced throughout the play. Even the walls were used, portraying words, pictures and backdrops to express the setting of the changing locations. Each began with the name of the scene and the date it was written scrolled across the room. Afterward, they were filled with whatever the scene called for: candles, letters, wallpaper-like patterns, faces, text, etc. Besides the clever use of projections, characters were often seen using other technology, such as cell phones. At one point, the company paraded on stage while texting— Shaquan Perkins ’14 even shouted “selfie!” as he twisted and turned his phone. Later on in the scene, a family faced the task of killing their son due to what they perceived to be God’s plan. As they argued over the right thing to do, hashtags reading phrases like “#Godisneverwrong” and “#killhim” appeared on the wall. Tension arose because of the seriousness of the situation juxtaposed with the casual modernity the hashtags represented, making the stakes of the actors’ interaction even higher. Although the material became muddled at times due to its abstractedness and experimental nature, the creative team portrayed moving topics in a brilliant and heartfelt matter. 365 Days/365 Plays stood out as a unique and masterfully produced production, and was surely one of Brandeis’ best productions of the semester.
FAMILY PHOTO: “Father Comes Home from the Wars (Parts 1-6)” tells the story of a family torn apart by war in a technologically sound performance that used projections of hashtags and other images in order to illustrate themes and ideas portrayed.
ON CAMPUS
THE JUSTICE | TUESDAY, DECEMBER 10, 2013
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FILM
Film Studies is an academic hidden gem By RACHEL HUGHES JUSTICE EDITOR
PHOTO COURTESY OF DAVID FRENCH
BEHIND THE MASK: In David French’s ’13 original short film, Wild Ruse, Andrew Prentice ’13 plays a lead role as Brennan, a young kid who gets caught up in a robbery.
As Brandeis looks to capitalize upon its history as a liberal arts university, and keep on par with what a liberal arts education means to students in today’s academic climate, the humanities and arts programs have never been more important. One concentration by which the University turns out students well-versed in artistic and multimedia culture is the study of film. While Brandeis currently offers a Bachelor of the Arts degree in Film, Television and Interactive Media, and a minor degree in the program as well, the classroom marks just the beginning of the education of a film student at the University. Prof. Alice Kelikian (HIST), chair of the Film, Television and Interactive Media program, explained the program’s mission in an email to the Justice: “Our program is uniquely positioned to spearhead the education of students in film and interactive media from a collaborative perspective,” she wrote. Kelikian credits the collaborative, interdisciplinary nature of a Brandeis education with inspiring the climate of the FTIM program. “Brandeis already enjoys a long history of breaking down the walls between traditional disciplines, and of what we call ‘study-studio,’ combining deep inquiry and critical study with experiential learning gained through engagement in the creative process,” she continued. While courses in film production and directing are offered through the FTIM program, the interdisciplinary aspect comes from film-concentrated courses offered through other departments, like English and Theater Arts. Prof. Caren Irr (ENG), who has taught many of these courses in recent years, told the Justice about her approach to studying film. “Students in film classes have great opportunities to flex their interpretive skills, deepen their appreciation for artistic technique, and advance their knowledge of an active node of contemporary cultural activity,” she wrote in an email to the Justice. Several courses consistently offered by the English faculty, for example, train students in critical viewing and close reading tactics while studying film—from viewing and analyzing films in English courses to writing original screenplays in Creative Writing courses. Irr, for instance, has “taught courses on Disney animation, American independent film, the new American cinema of the 1960s and 1970s, and documentary,” she wrote. Irr described the ambition of the students who she has taught, explaining how “impressed” she has been “with the insight into narrative and visual culture more generally that film students so quickly acquire.” The FTIM program stands out from other humanities departments, especially in the efforts of its faculty to bring well-known filmmakers to campus and connect its students with big names in the industry. An Undergraduate Departmental Representative for the program, Roman Bulgakov ’14, wrote in an email to the Justice about some of the events made available to students by the department this fall. He wrote, “This year only, actor Oscar Isaac was at Brandeis’ pre-theatrical screening of his movie, Inside Llewyn Davis. Director Errol Morris came to present his new documentary, The Unknown
Known.” In the Check out our past, he wrote, interview with “the program David French ’13 brought in a few current HollySee Arts, p. 18 ☛ wood producers and executives to teach a class. From the student perspective, these are all unique opportunities to meet the industry professionals and get real-world exposure.” Kelikian discussed how these networking and viewing experiences are possible for students because of the program’s relationships with other groups on campus. “Thanks to FTIM’s partnership with [Library and Technology Services], our students have access to professional editing software, and they can borrow top-drawer high-definition digital cameras and other equipment,” she wrote. Irr confirmed how invaluable resources on campus are to these future filmmakers, adding that “The Getz Media Lab makes it easy for students to borrow equipment to make their own films, too, and as a judge for student film festivals, I have seen how funny and creative that work can be.” Using these resources to their full potential gives students a great advantage as they begin to establish themselves as professionals in the industry and seek to enter this artistically and technologically competitive job market. Kelikian wrote, “Concentrators have received course credit for internships at the top studios including Sony Entertainment, The Mark Gordon Company, and The Weinstein Company.” A former student of the program in Film, Television and Interactive Media, and a very exciting example of what an education from the program can translate into after graduation is found in David French ’13. French has spent the last several months creating and producing an original short film with a heist plot and surrealist influences, titled Wild Ruse. As the film has just finished the post-production process, French plans to enter it into several film festivals, like Texas’ famous SXSW. When asked in an email interview with the Justice if there is anything he would like to share with current Brandeis students who are hoping to work in the film industry, French wrote: “Start making stuff now. Don’t wait for someone else to give you permission. Do it yourself. Employers value outside work highly, it shows drive an initiative. But also you’ve got to fail a lot before you can figure a lot of this stuff out. Jump.” Bulgakov echoed the sentiment of respect and gratitude that he and his peers feel for the FTIM faculty and the resources that are made available to students. “Both faculty and staff are working hard to attract high-profile guests and lecturers to share their stories with the Brandeis community,” he wrote. “They put an immense amount of effort to make it the best program on campus, in the Northeast, in the country and possibly in the world.” Though one of Brandeis’ newer concentrations, the Film, Television and Interactive Media program is certainly a point of academic and artistic pride for the University. The program keeps Brandeis anchored strongly in the roots of its liberal arts heritage by constantly turning out students with professional resourcefulness and driving sense of achievement.
CREATIVE COMMONS
REEL TALK: The Program in Film, Television and Interactive Media is responsible for bringing films like Inside Llewyn Davis and their directors to campus for exclusive screenings for students.
PHOTO COURTESY OF DAVID FRENCH
STREET WALKERS: In Wild Ruse, Boston natives Kevin Peterson and Rhet Kidd, play the lead roles of Damien and Red.
Do you enjoy museums, music, theater or movies?
Write for Arts! Contact Rachel Hughes and Emily Wishingrad at arts@thejustice.org
THE JUSTICE | TUESDAY, DECEMBER 10, 2013
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MUSIC
Women drive alternative music scene Niche musicians have found success this fall By ILANA KRUGER JUSTICE STAFF WRITER
New alternative female acts have burst out this season, and even if they aren’t blowing up the radio charts, the independent, or “indie,” music sphere has noticed. Move over, Katy Perry, Lady Gaga and Britney Spears. From folksy sister act HAIM to dark pop princess Sky Ferreira and the jazzy
prodigy Lorde, unique, female-led acts are becoming a dominant part of the music industry. The alternative charts are still mostly dominated by male acts, and of the current top-10 alternative albums on iTunes, only four of them feature a female vocalist, including HAIM and Lorde. Hopefully more female acts will come onto the scene, but for now these acts are carrying the torch successfully.
STRING THEORY: Zara’ai, who goes by “Yuna” onstage, is carving out a place for herself in the folkpop music scene lately. CREATIVE COMMONS
CREATIVE COMMONS
SISTER, SISTER: From left to right, sisters Danielle, Alana and Este Haim comprise the band HAIM, whose 1970s-inspired harmonic sound hit listeners earlier this year on their debut album Days Are Gone.
Family ties translate into vintage-inspired tunes Solo act has signature whimsy Born and raised in Malaysia, Yunalis Mat Zara’ai, known as Yona, recorded the follow-up to her 2012 self-titled debut in California. That album won critical acclaim, especially her single “Live Your Life,” which was produced by Pharrell Williams, but Nocturnal was recorded with Verve Records and is reaching a wider audience. Yuna’s soulful, folk-tinged pop has a fuller sound on the new album, fully showcasing her unique voice and whimsical lyrics. Ma-
laysian instruments kick off the album in “Falling,” which finds the songstress wondering why she comes back to the same guy, a trite subject but here reinvented in a light, airy pop gem. Most of the songs continue in the same breezy vein, but she keeps it interesting with the thoughtful “Mountains,” whimsical “I Wanna Go,” and vulnerable “Colors.” Yuna gets to show off the full range of her voice, and the album is a neatly packaged, more mature Yuna than her first album.
HAIM is an indie-pop trio consisting of sisters Este, Alana and Danielle Haim from Los Angeles. Their debut album, Days Are Gone, gives their sunny, upbeat pop a twist that makes it hard to confine the music to one genre. They sound like a female, harmonizing version of Michael Jackson. Whether singing about
failed love in singles “The Wire” and “Falling” or internet hit “Forever,” or about successful relationships in “Honey and I” and “Running if You Call My Name,” the sisters’ layered vocals create catchy numbers. Without using a heavy amount of Auto-Tune, HAIM relies on their voices to create natural harmonies, and stay
away from computer synthesizer beats, producing a more organic sound with acoustic guitars, harmonicas and handclaps. “Hey, you / Remember me?” the group sings on “Forever.” Since the album is currently number five on the iTunes alternative album list, these girls won’t be forgotten anytime soon.
YOU CAN CALL ME QUEEN BEE: Though still a teenager, Lorde defies the industry’s expectations with her original music and strong-minded interviews. CREATIVE COMMONS
Young singer sets the bar high Ella Maria Lani YellichO’Conner, better known as Lorde, is the odd one out here, since her music has broken into mainstream circulation. She is also the youngest: at only 17 years old, Lorde has already had a smash-hit single on the U.S. charts. Her debut album, Pure Heroine, is currently the number one alternative album on iTunes. Hailing from New Zealand, the teen writes her own music, which blends elements of pop, light rock and jazz, and deals with more than the typical teen breakup anthem. In “Buzzcut Season,” she sings about “the explosions on TV” and “the men up on the news/they tell us all that we will lose,” and how people ignore the real issues going on in the world
but at the same time there is too much of a focus on negativity. On her hit single, “Royals,” she sings about the lifestyles of music stars today and how she “craves a different kind of buzz.” This is reassuring, given the trend of pop starlets succumbing to the substance abuse or starting scandals like the recent Miley Cyrus performance at the Video Music Awards. With alternative music this tough and powerful, that has even garnered comparisons to Nirvana in terms of originality in an era of bland sameness, Lorde is more than a one-hit-wonder. Each song on her debut bursts with spunk, sarcasm and insight into society and the very industry that she has so quickly taken by storm.
CREATIVE COMMONS
SHE WILL ROCK YOU: This year, Sky Ferreira has transitioned from a precocious young songwriter into a stylistically innovative, incredibly honest performer.
Singer-songwriter stays true to personal sound Also hailing from Los Angeles, Sky Ferreira has been alternative pop’s underground princess since her first singles “Seventeen” and “One” hit the Internet blogosphere in 2010. Word-of-mouth helped her popularity grow and she had accumulated a following long before she finally released her first fulllength album, Night Time, My Time, this past month. Some of
Ferreira’s music sounds sugarysweet on the surface, but often has darker undertones, such as in “Heavy Metal Heart,” where she sings about “talking to herself in the dark.” Lead single “You’re Not the One” stands out, with it’s ’80s-inspired vibe and catchy kiss-off chorus. The young singer has been compared to Miley Cyrus since they are similar in age, but Fer-
reira’s music is very different from radio queen Cyrus. And while Ferreria’s album cover, in which she appears presumably topless in a shower, has sparked some controversy, she has yet to make a spectacle of herself. Ferreira’s focus is on her music, and that comes through on the album. She makes sparkling electric-tinged pop her own, and more people should take notice.
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TUESDAY, DECEMBER 10, 2013 | THE JUSTICE
TOPof the
ARTS ON VIEW
Brandeis TALKS
CHARTS
Quote of the week
Top 10s for the week ending December 8
“I’m mortified, as I was in the fall of 2008. If I were [Senior Vice President of Institutional Advancement] Nancy Winship, I would be waking up in a cold sweat every two hours all night long. I don’t want to move backwards, but this is Groundhog’s Day.”
BOX OFFICE
1. Frozen (2013) 2. The Hunger Games: Catching Fire 3. Out of the Furnace 4. Thor: The Dark World 3D 5. Delivery Man 6. Homefront 7. The Book Theif 8. The Best Man Holiday 9. Philomena 10. Dallas Buyers Club
—Prof. Jane Kamensky (HIST) at the faculty meeting speaking about how the University handled President Emeritus Jehuda Reinharz (News, p. 1)
NYT BESTSELLERS
What is something you learned this semester?
ZACH ANZISKA/the Justice
BACK TO YOUR ROOTS: Justice photographer Zach Anziska ’16 constructed this piece for his 3-D design class, taught by Prof. Tory Fair (FA), out of plaster and rods of metal which he welded together.
THE JUSTICE WANTS TO SEE YOUR ORIGINAL ARTWORK! Jane Taschman ’14 “I learned a lot about the Rose [Art Museum], since I got a job there. Now I know how a museum runs from the inside.
Jordana Yahr ’14 “Pregnancy is actually 10 months, not nine months. Lies.”
Darrell Hosford ’15 “That I like health care.”
Jonny Bywater ’15 “How to drive on the other side of the road.”
Submit your photography or a photo of your original drawings, sculptures, paintings or works in other mediums to photos@thejustice.org to be featured in the next issue!
CROSSWORD ACROSS 1 First network to show “The Wizard of Oz” 6 Wee, like Abner 9 Jeweler’s fitting tool 14 “Easy __!”: “Piece of cake!” 15 Altar consent 16 Ridiculous 17 Longtime employer of 44-/49-Down 20 Sci-fi pilot Solo 21 Novelist Deighton 22 Geese formation 23 ASCAP rival 24 Ending for smack 26 Big name in skin care 28 Chow __: noodle dish 29 Award won by 44-/49-Down 32 MPAAcriteria, e.g. 33 George Strait’s “All My __ Live in Texas” 34 Both Bushes, college-wise 35 Sound of lament 37 __ alai 38 Like perennial rivals, constantly 40 Hypotenuse, e.g. 41 Signature 44-/49- Down gesture represented by the clusters of black squares bordering this answer 44 Cox’s command 46 Continue despite adversity 47 Lament 50 More than portly 52 Hoosier St. 53 Dental care brand 55 Mother of the Titans 56 Half-mast fliers, at times 58 Berlin article 59 Ambulance team, briefly 60 Santa’s helpers 61 Ivan the Terrible, e.g. 62 Hasty 63 Bruce better known as Batman 64 Bug-bugging compound DOWN 1 Treasure trove 2 Equivalents of C’s 3 Daytona 500 mishap 4 Muscle spasm 5 Wiener schnitzel meat 6 Treat like a king 7 They may be checked for R-rated movies 8 Blinds with angled slats 9 imdb.com, e.g. 10 Pasta suffix 11 River along the ZambiaZimbabwe border 12 Foes 13 Piny ooze
Nonfiction 1. Things that Matter—Charles Krauthammer 2. David and Goliath—Malcolm Gladwell 3. Killing Jesus—Bill O’Reilly and Martin Dugard 4. George Washington’s Secret Six—Brian Kilmeade and Don Yaeger 5. Miracles and Massacres— Glen Beck with Kevin Balfe and Hannah Beck
iTUNES
1. Pitbull (feat. Ke$ha)—“Timber” 2. Justin Bieber—“Confident (feat. Chance the Rapper)” 3. A Great Big World and Christina Aguilera—“Say Something” 4. One Republic—“Counting Stars” 5. One Direction—“Story of My Life”
BILLBOARD
18 Mannerly fellow 19 Tide type 25 “A picture is worth ...,” e.g. 27 Really irritate 28 Social sphere 30 Elemental variant 31 Entertains, as a tot at bedtime 36 Mark from Dracula 37 Triangular sails 39 Manila fight nickname 40 Tiny bit 41 “The movies won’t be the same without 44- Down” and others 42 SEALs’ gp. 43 Eulogize 44 With 49-Down, late film critic born 6/18/42 45 President who wrote the 41Down quote 48 Radii-paralleling bones 49 See 44-Down 51 Beauty contest accessory 54 Collecting a pension: Abbr. 56 Handful 57 Opposite of NNW
1. One Direction—Midnight Memories 2. Eminem— The Marshall Mathers LP2 3. Garth Brooks— Blame It All on My Roots: Five Decades Of Influence 4. The Robertsons— Duck the Halls: A Robertson Family Christmas 5. Katy Perry—Prism 6. Kelly Clarkson—Wrapped in Red 7. Lady Gaga—ARTPOP 8. Luke Bryan—Crash My Party 9. Miley Cyrus—Bangerz 10. Various Artists—Now 48 Top of the Charts information provided by Fandango, the New York Times, Billboard. com and Apple.com.
STAFF’S Top Ten
Solution to last issue’s crossword Crossword Copyright 2012 MCT Campus, Inc.
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.
Olivia Gunther ’16 “Vodka and vinegar make Ethyl acetate.”
—Compiled by Lilah Zohar and Josh Horowitz/the Justice
Fiction 1. Cross My Heart—James Patterson 2. Sycamore Row—John Grisham 3. Takedown Twenty— Janet Evanovich 4. First Phone Call From Heaven— Mitch Albom 5. King and Maxwell—David Baldacci
Solution to last issue’s sudoku
Sudoku Copyright 2012 MCT Campus, Inc.
Birthday Meal By JASSEN LU
JUSTICE STAFF WRITER
There are a lot of things we want on our birthdays. For me, a delicious meal with the following is one of them. While some of the items are traditional, the others are unusual and quirky, just like me. 1.Vanilla-chocolate marble cake 2. Pork and leek dumplings 3. Hot and sour soup 4. Beef noodles 5. Chinese hot pot 6. Mom’s egg and spinach soup 7. Olive Garden Bread Sticks 8. Spicy hot V8 veggie juice 9. Sprite 10. Candy, candy and more candy