The Justice, February 4, 2014 issue

ARTS Page 20

SPORTS Men’s basketball drops UAA games 13 FORUM

VALENTINE’S DAY

Who should be the next GOP nominee? 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 18

www.thejustice.org

Tuesday, February 4, 2014

Waltham, Mass.

STAFF

ON THE SCENE

Workers over 60 offered exit deal ■ About 150 employees received an email offering a “voluntary early retirement program.”

By TATE HERBERT JUSTICE EDITOR

MORGAN BRILL/the Justice

ACCIDENT: The Waltham Police Department examined the scene of the accident in front of the Linsey Sports Center on South Street as part of an ongoing investigation.

Car crash injures three students ■ A 42-year-old Belmont,

Mass. resident struck students walking across South Street on Sunday.

By SARA DEJENE JUSTICE EDITOR

A car accident on South Street Sunday night sent three students to the hospital with serious injuries. The students, an 18-year-old male, an 18-yearold female and a 22-year-old female were crossing the street at 6:24 p.m.

at the crosswalk by the Foster Mods when they were hit by a car headed northbound, according to a Feb. 2 press release from the Waltham Police Department.

The victims, all undergraduate students, were taken to Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center with serious injuries. In an interview with the Justice, Stephanie Guyotte, a spokesperson for the Middlesex District Attorney’s Office, said that two of the victims have since been released from the hospital and the third is in stable condition as of 4:30 p.m. yesterday.

According to the statement, the

driver of the vehicle was a 42-year-old resident of Belmont, Mass. He was not found to be impaired by any substances at the time of the accident. According to Guyotte, the investigation is still ongoing. The press release stated that “charges against the operator will be determined after the investigation is complete.”

Elan Kane ’16 was walking from East Quad to the Foster Mods and was near the Stoneman Building when he heard the collision.

“The crash almost sounded like snow being shoveled,” he said in an interview with the Justice.

Kane said he heard someone yelling “I’m going to die, I’m going to die” and another person reassuring them that they would not. He recalled seeing one person on the ground and another on the sidewalk, but did not know who was yelling. According to Kane, another driver got out of his car to help the person on the ground. Kane said he did not see whether the lights at the crosswalk were blinking.

South Street has a history of accidents involving pedestrians. In 2005, a student crossing the road was struck by a car driven by an elderly woman

See CRASH, 7 ☛

STUDENT LIFE

New weekend Health Center hours implemented ■ The Health Center has

By TATE HERBERT

already adopted some of the policies outlined in the Hodgkins-Beckley Consulting health review of Brandeis Health Services.

For tips or info email editor@thejustice.org

JUSTICE EDITOR

Some of the proposed changes outlined in the review of Brandeis’ health services, a report which was released this past October, are coming to fruition. The Golding Health Center’s regular weekend hours

have already been eliminated, and University administration is now looking into the possible implementation of a third-party insurance billing system.

The review of health services on campus, initially reported in a Nov. 5 article in the Justice, was conducted over the summer by Hodgkins-

Beckley Consulting, LLC. Regarding weekend office hours for the Health Center, Assistant Vice President for Health and Wellness and Director of Athletics Sheryl Sousa ’90 wrote in an email to the Justice that “student traffic was low and we seemed to be one of the few

See HEALTH, 7 ☛

Approximately 150 Brandeis University staff members were left to weigh their options after they received an email last Tuesday, signed by Provost Steven Goldstein ’78 and Chief Operating Officer Steven Manos, offering a “voluntary early retirement incentive program” which would require those who opt in to leave the University by May 30.

The email from Manos and Goldstein stated that “Brandeis is carefully assessing its organizational structure, seeking to meet or exceed the best practices in higher education and address Brandeis’ current budget deficit,” and that the incentive program is intended to “facilitate this goal and provide opportunities for reorganization, streamlined business processes, and more consistent workloads.”

The email promised that individuals who choose to retire would receive “12 months of severance at their regular base pay and a $15,000 transition allowance.” This offer is applicable to staff members on Brandeis’ payroll who are 60 years or older and will have worked here for at least 10 years by April 1 of this calendar year.

The identities of the exact recipients of the email were unclear.

One staff member, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said that she and many others questioned whether or not they would be fired if they did not take the deal offered in the email.

“I really do not want to [leave],” the individual said in an interview with the Justice. “I’m very invested in Brandeis.

See STAFF, 7 ☛

Computer education

Locking blades

Average grades

A new student club hosted the first of three Bitcoin lectures.

 The men’s and women’s fencing teams impressed as hosts of the Eric Sollee Invitational on Saturday

 The fall 2013 mean grade was a 3.4, according to Registrar Mark Hewitt.

FEATURES 9

SPORTS 16

Let your voice be heard!

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

INDEX

ARTS SPORTS

17 16

EDITORIAL FEATURES

10 9

OPINION POLICE LOG

10 2

READER COMMENTARY 11

News 3 COPYRIGHT 2014 FREE AT BRANDEIS. Email managing@thejustice.org for home delivery.

2

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 2014

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THE JUSTICE

NEWS SENATE LOG

Senate welcomes five new members

The Senate swore in the newest members during its meeting on Sunday. Off-campus Senator Michael Kosowsky ’14, Rosenthal Quad Senator Jesse Ruth ’16, Class of 2017 Senator Ben Margolin, Village Quad Senator Jeff Tan ’17 and Midyear Senator Mitchell Beers ’17 were sworn into their respective offices.

During executive officer reports, Executive Senator Annie Chen ’14 announced a proposal she has been working on with Class of 2016 Senator Jonathan Jacob for an email notification system from mail services at Brandeis that would inform students when packages arrive for them. The Senate later voted unanimously to support the initiative.

Student Union Vice President Charlotte Franco ’15 announced that the University is currently in a bidding process for a mail services company as the current company’s contract is up, as is the bookstore’s contract with Barnes & Noble. Franco encouraged Senate members to be involved in the processes.

Chen also informed the Senate that members are able to prevent a club’s recognition if they do not believe that club provides a benefit.

During committee chair reports, committee chairs introduced their current projects to new senators.

Campus Operations Working Group Committee Chair and Class of 2014 Senator Andre Tran announced that the committee is working on a bus shelter at the Admissions stop, which is planned to be built this semester.

Ways and Means Committee Chair and North Quad Senator Brian Hough ’17 reported that the committee is looking to pass at least three new amendments to the Senate’s Constitution this semester.

Sustainability Committee Chair and Class of 2015 Senator Anna Bessendorf said that she will be working to publicize sustainable features already in place at Brandeis. She said that she is planning a town hall event, where Sodexo may discuss their sustainability efforts and future dining plans.

Class of 2017 Senator David Heaton reported that the Dining Committee is working to bring pork and shellfish food to campus via food trucks as well as kosher pizza to The Stein and will send out a survey to students regarding dining options in the Usdan Student Center.

Social Justice and Diversity Committee Chair and Senator-at-Large Naomi DePina ’16 announced that she is arranging for Paulette Brown, the first African-American female president of the American Bar Association, to speak at Brandeis. As DePina noted that the cost of the event would be “expensive,” other senators raised concerns regarding funding. DePina said that she will report back will an estimate and seek out alternative sources of funding.

During senator reports, Bessendorf mentioned plans to add an additional shuttle stop at Chipotle and is looking into the possibility of a trial run.

Franco brought up the recent change to the Golding Health Center’s hours, which are now 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Monday through Friday, and expressed her concern about how the undergraduate fee would fund the Health Center. According to Franco, neither the Student Union nor the student body was consulted and she plans to write a statement regarding the situation.

POLICE LOG Medical Emergency

Jan. 27—A student in Feldberg Communications Center reported that he felt faint in his lecture hall. BEMCo responded and the student was transported to Newton-Wellesley Hospital for further care.

Jan. 27—University Police received a report that a 90-year-old male guest in Hassenfeld Conference Center had felt ill. BEMCo responded, and the patient refused further care.

Jan. 27—University Police received a report that a caller’s sister had been found in Ziv Quad and was not feeling well. BEMCo responded and the patient was transported to Newton-Wellesley Hospital for further care.

Jan. 28—University Police received a report that an employee felt ill in Bernstein-Marcus Administration Building. BEMCo responded, but the ill party refused further care.

Jan. 29—University Police received a report that a staff member in the Rabb School of Continuing Studies felt ill and requested medical treatment.

BEMCo responded, and the staff

member refused further care.

Jan. 29—University Police received a report that a student injured himself on the basketball court in the Shapiro Gym. BEMCo responded, and after treatment, the student refused further care.

Jan. 30—University Police received a report that a woman on Charles River Road had difficulty breathing. BEMCo responded and she was transported to Newton-Wellesley Hospital for further care.

Jan. 30—University Police received a report that a student in Deroy Hall suffered from flu-like symptoms. BEMCo responded, and the student refused further care.

Jan. 31—University Police received a report of an intoxicated student who vomited continuously on the first-floor bathroom of Usen Castle. BEMCo responded, but the student refused further care.

Feb. 1—University Police received a report from a student that her roommate suffered a dislocated shoulder. BEMCo responded and the student was

transported to Brigham and Women’s Hospital for further care.

Feb. 1—University Police received a report that a female student appeared unconscious within the Linsey Sports Center locker room. BEMCo responded, and after treatment, the student was deemed conscious. She refused further care.

Larceny

Jan. 28—University Police received a report that approximately $1,300 had been stolen from a student’s room in Renfield Hall.

University Police then compiled a report of the theft and advised the student to properly secure funds in the future.

Jan. 29—University Police received a report that a student left a MacBook laptop in the bathroom of the Spingold Theater Center, and upon returning to retrieve it, the laptop was no longer there. University Police compiled a report of the theft.

Drugs

Jan. 30—University Police received a report from a student’s

CORRECTIONS AND CLARIFICATIONS n An article in News incorrectly stated the number of community members who signed the executive compensation online petition. The petition had nearly 1,700 signatures as of press time, not 1,600. (Jan. 28, p.

1) n An article in News misspelled Dor Cohen’s ’16 name.

(Jan. 28, p. 3) n An article in News failed to recognize Lori Lowenthal Marcus ’80 as an alumna. (Jan. 28, p. 3)

RAFAELLA SCHOR/the Justice

Amelia Katan ’15 (right) gestures to her partner in the ball pit at the kickoff for the week-long ’Deis Impact social justice festival, which took place in the Carl and Ruth Shapiro Campus Center Atrium last Friday.

n A Forum article should have clarified that Hailey Magee ’15 is currently studying abroad in Washington, D.C . (Jan. 28, p. 12)

ANNOUNCEMENTS

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

Is Brandeis complicit in climate injustice? A panel will discuss Brandeis’ involvement in climate change. Specifically, the panel will discuss the merits of divesting Brandeis’ endowment of fossil fuel companies to challenge the “social justice” of big oil and gas. The panel will discuss essential climate justice questions: What are the current effects of climate change? How is climate change a social justice issue? What is divestment? How can this common sense strategy strengthen Brandeis’ commitment to social justice? This is a ’Deis Impact event.

Tomorrow from 5 to 6:30 p.m. in the Usdan Student Center International Lounge.

Justice

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The Justice is the independent student newspaper of Brandeis University. The Justice is published every Tuesday of the academic year with the exception of examination and vacation periods. Editor in chief office hours are held Mondays from 2 to 3 p.m. in the Justice office.

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

Selling our future?

’Deis Impact keynote

Honoring their grandfather Nelson Mandela’s legacy, Kweku Mandela-Amuah and Ndaba Mandela will speak about creating the Africa Rising Foundation to publicize a positive image of Africa and instill a sense

Jan. 27—University Police received a report of an unidentified male found peering into a women’s bathroom in East Quad.

University Police surveyed the scene, could not locate the perpetrator and compiled a report. A safety bulletin was issued to the entire University community.

Feb. 2—University Police observed a student who had used a bike with a lock that was still attached to the rear wheel. The officer on patrol seized the bike and brought it to Public Safety after the student failed to prove it was his. After compiling a report, the student admitted that he had been intoxicated and seized the bike in the belief that it was his own.

—compiled by Adam Rabinowitz

City fire victim displaced

n A photograph in News incorrectly identified the student featured. Maddie Sullivan ’16 was pictured, not Alyssa Fenenbock ’15. (Jan. 28, p. 1)

n A visual timeline in News should have provided Campus Operations as the source. (Jan. 28, p. 7)

Miscellaneous

BRIEF

HAVING A BALL

—Sara Dejene

n An article in News did not mention Brandon Odze ’16, the other candidate for Rosenthal Senator. His name was not included in the list of candidates provided to the Justice. (Jan. 28, p. 4)

mother regarding a marijuana smell and excessive noise in Ziv Quad. University Police reported to the scene. After failing to localize the source of the smell and requesting that students turn down the music, officers cleared Ziv Quad.

of pride and purpose in young Africans across the globe. The keynote talk is in collaboration with the Ruth First Lecture Series, which is sponsored by the African and Afro-American Studies department.

Tomorrow from 7:30 to 9 p.m. in Levin Ballroom in the Usdan Student Center.

Fueling efficiency, reducing poverty

What does energy have to do with poverty? Globally, over 1.3 billion people are experiencing “energy poverty,” meaning lack of access to energy services such as electricity and heating. Come learn about the intricacies of energy access, public health and the environment along with ways to mitigate fuel poverty in your own community.

Thursday from noon to 2 p.m. in the Carl and Ruth Shapiro Campus Center Multipurpose Room.

The underground railroad out of North Korea

North Korea is the most isolated and least-well-known country in the world. Get

On Jan. 24, a fire broke out in the house of Dan Reedy, a resident of Waltham. According to Waltham Newswatch, the fire started after 11 p.m. in the attic. All residents, including two Brandeis students who were renting there, escaped.

However, firefighters estimated that the damage to the house was at around $140,000 and the damage to its contents at about $20,000. According to an update by the Waltham Patch, the firefighters determined that the fire was electrical.

Reedy is a self-employed bookseller and a volunteer in Waltham nonprofits, such as Waltham Alliance to Create Housing, an organization designed to assist people in Waltham with finding affordable housing, and the Waltham Community Day Center and Refuge, Education, Advocacy, Change, an organization aimed at providing help and support to survivors of abuse.

Martha Creedon, another resident of Waltham, has organized a fundraiser known as the Dan Reedy Fire Relief Fund to which people may donate in order to assist Reedy in covering expenses.

Creedon said of Reedy on the relief fund’s website that he “is rich in spirit and in giving” and, days prior to the fire, Reedy spent hours assisting someone moving belongings into storage after being evicted as well as spending “another day helping to weatherize a home.”

So far the fund has raised almost $8,000 out of their goal of $10,000. On the fundraiser’s GoFundMe page at www.gofundme.com/helpdanreedy, Creedon wrote, “Brought this site up a week ago, and donations are nearing $8,000 today. You guys are amazing.” According to the page, Reedy and his son rented at this home for six years. Reedy also ran his business out of his home, so the books that Reedy sells were also destroyed in the fire.

“Through an act of kindness of a local real estate owner,” Reedy and his son have a furnished apartment to use rent free until the end of February, according to the page.

—Kathryn Brody

a rare look past the guarded walls of North Korea in Seoul Train, a gripping documentary about the secret underground railroad that helps North Korean refugees escape, and hear the testimony of one of the conductors of the underground railroad. This is a ’Deis Impact event.

Thursday from 2 to 4 p.m. in Levin Ballroom in the Usdan Student Center.

Dead men still walking

This lecture by Sister Helen Prejean is part of the 2014 ’Deis Impact! week of special events. It will be Prejean’s second visit to Brandeis.

Prejean is the author of the best selling book Dead Man Walking, which inspired a movie, a play, an opera, and in her own words, “a national debate.”

She has been in the prison ministry as an anti-death penalty activist for more than 30 years.

Thursday from 7 to 9:30 p.m. in Levin Ballroom in the Usdan Student Center.

THE JUSTICE

ACADEMICS

undergraduate students during the fall 2013 semester was an A-, while the mean was a 3.4, according to Registrar Mark Hewitt.

By MARISSA DITKOWSKY JUSTICE EDITOR

According to data provided by University Registrar Mark Hewitt, students registered an average median grade of an A- and an average grade point average of 3.4.

Although Hewitt was unable to provide averages for separate areas of study, he was able to provide a “rough ranking” from past studies done on the subject. The studies showed that the lowest averages were in the sciences.

Averages in the social sciences were higher, although averages in the humanities were higher than in the social sciences. The highest averages were seen in the creative arts. However, the magnitude of the disparity remains unconfirmed.

According to Hewitt, the differences among the disciplines are greatest for first-years and sophomores, while averages in the science and social sciences rise to close the gap with the humanities and creative arts for juniors and seniors in particular.

“One way of looking at that is by the time students have declared majors they have self-selected for success in their chosen fields,” he wrote in an email to the Justice.

Senior Vice President for Communications Ellen de Graffenreid provided a statement in regard to whether or not these grades accurately reflect the average Brandeis student. “In general, it is important to remember that averages are just one measurement, which by its nature is likely to oversimplify the academic experience. Like all statistics, these averages will describe some students well and some students’ experiences will not fit into an average,” she wrote in an email to the Justice.

In early December, Harvard University Dean of Undergraduate Education Jay M. Harris confirmed that the median grade at Harvard is an A- and the most frequently awarded grade is an A, according to a Dec. 3 Harvard Crimson article. The article raised concerns about grade inflation at Harvard.

De Graffenreid, however, denied any presence of grade inflation patterns at Brandeis.

“What we can say about grades at Brandeis is that the averages and the distribution have been remarkably stable over time, which would not indicate a pattern of grade inflation, and that the averages at Brandeis are consistent with those at other elite colleges and universities,” she wrote.

STUDENT UNION

Students elect five new senators to open seats

■ Two positions were left

vacant after abstain won for Finance Board member and associate justice. A special election will be held to fill these positions next week.

By BRITTANY JOYCE JUSTICE EDITOR

Students elected five new representatives to the Student Union during its winter elections on Jan. 29, leaving two positions unfilled due to the number of abstentions.

While the positions of Rosenthal Quad senator, off-campus senator, Village senator, midyear senator and Class of 2017 senator were filled, abstain won in the elections for Finance Board member and associate justice.

There will be a special election next Wednesday, Feb. 12 to fill the vacant positions, Student Union Secretary Sneha Walia ’15 wrote in an email to the Justice.

Due to an error, Brandon Odze ’16 was not included on the ballot for Rosenthal Quad senator. According to Walia, the ballots were fixed and sent again when this was discovered at 9:30 a.m. after elections opened at midnight on Jan. 29. All votes prior to this were invalidated and students were emailed new ballots, according to Walia.

Jesse Ruth ’16 won Rosenthal Quad senator with 63 percent of the vote, or 19 of 30 votes. In an email to the Justice, Ruth wrote that he has several plans he hopes to begin soon, both for his quad and then the larger Brandeis community.

“I plan on coordinating with facilities and [Mac-Gray] to address the recurring issues we’ve been experiencing in the laundry facilities and working to secure funding for new exercise equipment in the cardio room,” he wrote.

Michael Kosowsky ’14 won the election for off-campus senator with 59 percent of the vote, or 36 of the 61 votes. Kosowsky wrote in an email to the Justice that he

has already begun asking off-campus students to submit any ideas they have to him. In particular, he wrote he wishes to join the Senate Dining Committee to help “design new meal plans for off-campus students, so that we have more flexibility for on-campus eating without having to buy a very comprehensive plan.”

Jeff Tan ’17 was elected Village senator with 56 percent of the vote, or 58 of the 104 votes. In an email to the Justice, Tan wrote that his first goal is to improve the laundry facilities in the Village. Additionally, he wrote he hopes to arrange for compost bins to be placed on each floor of the Village.

Mitchell Beers ’17 won midyear senator with 60 percent of the vote, or 48 of the 80 votes. He expressed his gratitude at being elected in an email to the Justice, writing that his first goal is to work to improve the pre-arrival and integration processes for midyears.

“I look forward to providing the viewpoint of my fellow midyears and also representing and upholding the values of the entire student body,” Beers wrote.

Ben Margolin ’17 was elected Class of 2017 senator with 37 percent of the vote, or 111 of the 301 votes. In an email to the Justice, he wrote about his excitement in being elected. Margolin wrote that the first thing he hopes to implement is change to the BranVan service. He wrote he “would like to see an expansion of the routes covered by the BranVan, such that it will include the shops/restaurants surrounding Bentley University,” and to see that [it] will be “more reliable when it comes to return service.”

Abstain won Finance Board member by 28 percent, or 196 of the 710 votes. Judy Nam ’16, meanwhile, came in second with 172 votes, or 24 percent.

For associate justice, abstain won with 37 percent of the vote, or 258 of the 697 votes. Jacob Aronson ’15 and Linda Phiri ’16 then came in second, each receiving 22 percent of the vote, or 151 and 150 votes, respectively.

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 2014

3

SUPER SPECTACLE

Median fall grades released to public ■ The median grade for

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JOSHUA LINTON/the Justice

Students gathered in the Intercultural Center Swig Lounge on Sunday night to watch the Seattle Seahawks secure a 43-8 win over the Denver Broncos during Super Bowl XLVIII.

ADMINISTRATION

Al-Quds violence draws concern from faculty ■ An Al-Quds press release

described Israeli soldiers harming students and damaging buildings.

By PHIL GALLAGHER JUSTICE EDITOR

On Jan. 24, Daniel Terris, director of the International Center for Ethics, Justice, and Public Life, and Profs. Susan Lanser (ENG) and Daniel Kryder (POL) released a joint statement drawing attention to a recent incident of violence involving Israeli soldiers on the campus of AlQuds University, in East Jerusalem.

According to the statement from Terris, Lanser and Kryder, Israeli soldiers deployed tear gas and rubber bullets on the Al-Quds campus on Jan. 22, harming students and damaging buildings. The reason for the intrusion was unclear. A press release on the Al-Quds website confirms these details, explaining that many students required medical attention as a result of being exposed to tear gas or being struck by rubber bullets.

The Al-Quds press release included photos of soldiers on the campus and cracked windows in university

buildings. The incident was reported on the English language website of the Ma’an News Agency.

Brandeis had a formal academic partnership with Al-Quds University that was suspended this past November following a demonstration on the Al-Quds campus that involved students dressed in militia-style clothing, all of whom sported fake automatic weapons.

Terris, Lanser and Kryder visited Al-Quds in November to investigate the origins of the student demonstration. Following their visit, the three issued a report explaining that the student demonstration was not sanctioned by the Al-Quds administration and encouraged Brandeis to resume the academic partnership.

University President Frederick Lawrence has expressed an interest in restarting the partnership. The incident on Jan. 22 was unrelated to Brandeis’ prior suspension of the partnership.

Terris, Lanser and Kryder expressed “concern for our Al-Quds University colleagues and other members of the AQU community whose personal security and pursuit of learning have been disrupted by these violent actions.”

Terris, Lanser and Kryder have all been conducting collaborative

projects with Al-Quds faculty to “research the kinds of curricular and pedagogical frameworks that are most effective at fostering civic engagement in developing democratic societies,” according to an April 29, 2013 BrandeisNOW article.

Senior Vice President of Communications Ellen de Graffenreid wrote in an email to the Justice that Lawrence was aware of the incident and is involved in ongoing communications with Terris, Lanser and Kryder as well as “individuals at Al-Quds University.” However, she declined to comment on Lawrence’s reaction to the incident or offer a timeline for reinstating the academic partnership, writing that Lawrence “believes that, at this point, reacting to events by issuing statements in the public media or setting a timeline for a decision about the relationship would not serve a useful purpose.”

Leon Botstein, the president of Bard College, an institution which has joint degree programs with Al-Quds University, issued a statement posted on the Al-Quds website declaring the incident “unacceptable.” Bard College, unlike Syracuse University and Brandeis, did not suspend its partnership with AlQuds following the demonstration in November.

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THE JUSTICE

RUFFLING FEATHERS

By JAY FEINSTEIN JUSTICE sTAFF writer

PHOTO COURTESY OF KAYLA NEWBY

SURPRISE GUEST: Kayla Newby ’16 was alone in her room in Hassenfeld-Krivof when a turkey flew into her window.

Turkey shatters student window in East Quad

the incident on camera, and his YouTube video has since gone viral.

By MARISSA DITKOWSKY JUSTICE EDITOR

On Thursday afternoon, a turkey flew into Tiffany Mei ’16 and Kayla Newby’s ’16 dormitory window in Hassenfeld-Krivof in East Quad.

According to multiple accounts, after the turkey shattered the window, its leg was stuck in the window. However, the turkey escaped, leaving only a few feathers and blood where it had been injured. A video that was shot of the incident went viral on YouTube.

Newby said she was alone in the room when the turkey flew into the window. “Our shade was down and I couldn’t tell what had caused the glass to shatter; my first thought was that it had been a bomb or something because it was so loud and sudden, but then I heard the yelling from the ground and I figured I wasn’t actually in any further danger,” Newby wrote in an email to the Justice.

According to Newby, she screamed, which startled it “so much it flapped its wings until the glass broke enough to free it from the window and it flew away,” she wrote. The students outside of the dormitory told Newby that the turkey was able to run away after it landed.

According to Mei, she was walking back from class when the incident occurred, and was with her friend who lives across the hall. Mei heard the news from her friend’s roommate. “This sounds bad, but when I first heard, I couldn’t stop laughing, and I was a bit skeptical,” wrote Mei in an email to the Justice.

According to Mei, Facilities Services placed a Plexiglas sheet where the window had been to keep

5

Scholars examine Russian policies Sergey Glebov discussed xenophobia and intolerance in Russia’s current policies.

the room insulated and cleaned up the glass just after the incident occurred, so Mei and Newby were able to sleep in their own room that night. The following day, Facilities replaced the window in its entirety.

“Unfortunately, there’s still lots of shards lying around the room. I vacuumed after the initial shattering of the window after Facilities had already vacuumed some of it up, but my bed is right next to the window so there was some glass on there,” wrote Mei. However, Newby wrote that Facilities immediately cleaned up the larger pieces of glass and vacuumed the floor. “There were still some large glass shards remaining that had fallen inside of our heater, but those were removed the very next day when the glass company replaced our window,” Newby wrote.

“Everything was back to normal in under 24 [hours] of the incident, although I do have a very real fear of turkeys now.”

One of the students waiting outside was Max Zaslove ’16, who filmed the incident. He posted the video, titled “I didn’t know turkeys could FLY?!” to YouTube that day.

The video went viral, and had over 264,000 views as of Monday. According to Zaslove, when he went to bed the night he posted the video, it had about 3,000 views. When he woke up the next morning, the video had about 75,000 views.

Zaslove said that as he and his roommate were walking down the hill to East Quad, he saw several turkeys. “[W]hen one or two started taking off and flying, I figured I should just catch it on video, I’d never seen turkeys fly before!” wrote Zaslove in an email to the Justice.

Zaslove wrote that when the video only had about 300 views, he was contacted by an independent licensing agency and partner of YouTube expressing interest in representing the video. “I was surprised someone had already taken note of the video, and I did extensive research

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 2014

PANEL

■ Masha Gessen and

■ Max Zaslove ’16 caught

●

on the company before having a long phone call with the agent,” Zaslove wrote.

Zaslove made a deal with the agency to represent, protect and market the video to websites and news stations in return for 30 percent of the video’s advertisement revenues. Zaslove wrote that he will receive the rest of the revenues and profits from independent buyers.

“Honestly, I’m always happy to get a laugh. I knew while filming that I’d want to show it to my friends, but had no idea it’d be shown to so many,” wrote Zaslove.

“I’m pleased the video was a hit, and feel like making a viral video is a bucket list sort of event, so I’m glad I can check it off.”

In the video, Zaslove expresses that he wants to help the turkey.

According to Zaslove, after he stopped filming, he called University Police for help.

“I have to admit that this is one of the weirder things I have ever seen happen,” wrote Senior Vice President for Communications Ellen de Graffenreid of the incident in an email to the Justice.

According to Prof. Dan Perlman (BIOL), he only started seeing the turkeys on the University’s campus a few years ago. Perlman wrote in an email to the Justice that turkeys were native and widespread before Europeans got here, but that the last turkey in Massachusetts was killed in 1851. Turkeys were reintroduced to Massachusetts on purpose, according to Perlman, in the early 1970s. “[T]hey have gone forth and multiplied, big time!” Perlman wrote.

Although Perlman wrote that these turkeys “clearly add a lot to our native biodiversity,” he wrote that “[t]hey also cause problems, at times, during their interactions with the many humans across the landscape.”

“That’s ecology: every change has multiple effects,” Perlman wrote.

Last Tuesday, journalist and lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer activist Masha Gessen and professor of history at Smith College Sergey Glebov discussed discrimination in Russia at a panel discussion titled “Exploring Xenophobia and Intolerance: Spotlight on Russia,” an event sponsored by the Brandeis-Genesis Institute for Russian Jewry.

The two panelists discussed recent anti-gay laws in Russia that ban anything considered gay propaganda.

According to Prof. Irina Dubinina (GRALL), who moderated the panel, discussing Russia gives people the opportunity to compare it to other countries as the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi approaches. “Homophobia is part of xenophobia, so it is important to have these discussions,” Dubinina said in an interview with the Justice.

“Russia has been in the news a lot lately, and it’s good to learn about why from different perspectives.”

According to Glebov, there are many questions to ask about the discriminative policies. Glebov suggested that the following questions be assessed: “Is racism and anti-gay propaganda peculiar to Russia? Is it related to policies of the Russian regime or are we dealing with larger social forces and processes to which the regime responds and attempts to right?”

Gessen said there are many misconceptions about the policies. “The misconception that the anti-gay campaign is a popular phenomenon is

easy to debunk,” she said. “The will of the people has [had] no mechanism in Russia for a good number of years.”

She said another misconception is that the Russian government is using the anti-gay campaign to distract the public from “real” issues like the economy. However, according to Gessen, Russia’s xenophobia is the issue.

According to Gessen, the Russian government thought that the gay community was an isolated minority that would be easy to target and did not expect a worldwide response.

Glebov said the Russian government was looking for “the ultimate other” to single out. He said mainstream Russian politics has seen the West as an enemy for a while and that the gay and lesbian population was a part of the West that could be isolated.

“They thought they were the only minority you can beat up on without the world beating up on you,” he said.

Because of the same anti-Western sentiments, Russia has seen a lot of anti-immigration attitudes, as well.

Dubinina asked a question about why flamboyant “gender-bending” performers can still have sold-out concerts in Russia when ordinary gay people are ostracized there.

“We’ve seen this phenomenon throughout history,” said Gessen.

“We’ve seen the gender-bending performer playing a prescribed role as long as they are not able to blend into society. They see it as okay as long as a gender-bending individual is separate and there’s no possibility of integration.”

An audience member asked how today’s Russian homophobia relates to the area’s anti-Semitism in the past.

Glebov said that although it’s hard to make parallels, “the Soviet understanding of different groups makes an impact and continues to make impact on Russian reality.”

STUDENT ACTIVISM

Participants discuss Judaism and charity ■ Students participated

in a service project and discussion of Judaism as a part of ’Deis Impact.

By HANNAH WULKAN JUSTICE CONTRIBUTING WRITER

This past Sunday, a small group of about five students who also helped to organize the event came together to discuss how social justice and Judaism are linked at an event called “Do Justice and Love Kindness: Models of Charity and Social Action in Judaism.” The event was hosted by the Now Project as part of ’Deis Impact.

In an interview with the Justice, Associate Chair of the Executive Committee of the Now Project Sara Fried ’15 said that the goal of the event was to get people talking to and learning from one another. She said she hoped the event would spark questions relating to how social justice is a part of Judaism and how it can span across denominations that might never have been asked otherwise.

The event commenced with a walk to Moody Street in downtown Waltham to a bookstore and at-risk youth group called More Than Words.

On the walk there, participants were prompted to share their own experiences with social justice and discuss how it connected to their faith.

Once at the bookstore, participants were given a tour by two youths in More Than Words. More Than Words empowers youths ages 16 to 21 by giving them up to a year of employment and training, as well as helping them to “craft concrete action plans to move forward with their lives after MTW” according to their brochure.

After the tour, participants sat down to discuss Judaism and its relationship to social justice. They did an exercise in which several quotations about why people might feel compelled to participate in social justice

activities due to their faith were posted around the room, and each participant picked one and spoke about his or her views on social justice. Some answers were deeply spiritual, while others were based in history and current events, and then led to a discussion of the connections between Judaism and social justice.

“I think one of my religious beliefs is that free will is a gift from God that is meant to do good in the world, and that God purposely created human beings’ free will so that we can kind of piece the world back together to its perfect state,” said Jessica Goldberg ’13, cofounder of the Now Project and organizer of this event, during the discussion.

While all branches of Judaism were not represented in the small group that was present, there was discussion of how this profound sense of the necessity of social justice is held in almost every branch and how it is a common factor throughout Judaism.

“I’m hoping that people will be able to articulate why justice fits into their personal Jewish narrative and then the group that is here today can create a larger narrative about why justice is Jewish,” said Goldberg of her hopes for what people gained from the program in an interview with the Justice.

The Now Project began last year in Goldberg’s Ziv Quad suite while discussing Jewish pluralism on campus with cofounder Anna Bessendorf ’15, and they soon recruited Fried to join the executive committee as well, according to Fried.

“The mission of the Now Project is to open up dialogue and action around the issue of Jewish pluralism at Brandeis, and also because we have such great resources in the Jewish community here, to be able to bring that beyond the Brandeis community,” Fried told the Justice. They hosted a conference this past November to address their mission, and hope to continue to expand their efforts.

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CONTINUED FROM 1 “I think it’s unethical, I think it’s shameful,” she added. “We teach courses [at Brandeis] that address this sort of thing. ... We’re approaching [’Deis Impact], which really rings hollow to me.”

This staff member said that she received the email and is eligible for the early retirement program.

Senior Vice President for Communications Ellen de Graffenreid responded to staff concerns in an email to the Justice. “As you know, we have been looking at the administrative operations of Brandeis to make them more efficient, provide better service, and get more for our dollars,” wrote de Graffenreid.

She compared the program to the initiative to streamline procurement services, giving the example of narrowing down the number of printing vendors that the University used from over 600 to about a dozen over the past year.

“Administrative staffing needs change over time, which can lead to some areas that are overstaffed and—frankly—some areas that are understaffed,” she wrote. “The voluntary early retirement program is intended to help balance out staffing and workloads to make our operations both efficient and effective.”

Prof. Gordon Fellman (SOC) speculated that most of the eligible staff

OLIVIA POBIEL/the Justice

Russian journalist and lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer activist Masha Gessen spoke about xenophobia in Russia. See full coverage of the event on page 5.

CRASH: Three students transported to hospital and suffered minor injuries. According to Director of Public Safety Ed Callahan in a Nov. 8, 2005 article in the Justice, a pedestrian crossing South Street was also hit in November 2000 and another in November 2002.

In 2006, the city of Waltham installed two button-activated blinking yellow traffic lights at the crosswalk.

The $20,000 project was initially requested by students living in the Foster Mods three years prior. In a Sept. 26, 2006 Justice article, Waltham Transportation Director Franklin Ching expressed concern that the lights would give pedestrians a “false sense of security,” as the law requires drivers to stop for pedestrians in the street, but not necessarily for those waiting to cross. According to Ching, many pedestrians walk into the street

anyway.

In 2007, a first-year student was hit while crossing South Street in front of the main gate, suffering minor injuries.

In 2008, the University stationed a police officer at the crosswalk during random times to ensure that students used the blinking lights when crossing South Street. In a Sept. 23, 2008 Justice article, Waltham Ward 7 Councilor Joseph Giordano, who represents Brandeis in the City Council, said he was concerned that many students were not using the crosswalk lights.

A Nov. 6, 2009 police log entry in the Justice stated that University Police “received several calls about a pedestrian struck by a car in the crosswalk at South Street and the Gosman Sports and Convocation Center.”

In 2010, Waltham police officers were again stationed at the South

Street crosswalk to both make sure students were using the lights and to issue citations for cars that were speeding or not stopping for pedestrians, according to Callahan.

In the article, Callahan said that Waltham police officers have given 20 to 40 citations per day to drivers for speeding on South Street and that the addition of police officers helped to slow down cars.

When asked if any safety measures will be adopted in the near future, Callahan, in an email to the Justice, referred to an email he sent to the student body yesterday urging students to take precautions when crossing and driving along South Street.

—Marissa Ditkowsky and Andrew Wingens contributed reporting.

JOIN the

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STAFF: Univ seeks to address deficit, employees uneasy

DISCUSSING RUSSIA

CONTINUED FROM 1

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Editor’s Note: Elan Kane ’16 is on the Justice Sports staff.

JUSTICE

members “would be women, over 60, so you’re facing possible ageism and sexism both.

“The University is modeling itself more and more after the corporation, which is not an appropriate model,” he added. “We are not a profit-making institution.”

The staff member said that the viability of continuing health insurance in particular was “a huge concern.”

The email stated that staff members would be contacted “in the next ten working days with details specific to their situation, including their options for continuing health care coverage,” but did not specify what those options would be.

De Graffenreid wrote in an email to the Justice that “each individual’s situation is different” and that Human Resources staff would be available for one-on-one counseling.

With the future uncertain, the mood among staff was tense, according to the staff member. “That’s what I hear from everyone on campus, how demoralized people are,” she said.

Fellman agreed. “You tell people who have been working in [a] place for 10 years or more, ‘we might get rid of you.’ What does that do to morale?” he asked.

—Phil Gallagher contributed reporting.

HEALTH: Policy alters insurance and hours CONTINUED FROM 1 schools in the area with weekend hours.”

However, wrote Sousa, “a medical provider is on call for all acute care concerns that can’t wait until the Health Center is open.” Students can call a telephone number, which is posted on the Health Center’s website, for immediate care.

The potential for Brandeis to use a third-party insurance billing system was also addressed in the Hodgkins-Beckley report.

“In the model, which you can find in great detail in the report, there is (sic) NO increased cost for visits passed along to students,” wrote Sousa. “The requirements under [the Affordable Care Act] for copayment are covered by students’ health fees, which are already part of the student fees you pay.”

Sousa wrote that University officials were still in the process of discussing options with “our partner” for implementing such a system, while preserving the privacy of students. “I’m very optimistic that this model may offer some welcome advantages for Brandeis,” she added.

Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center currently operates the Brandeis Health Center.

The Health Center is currently funded by a flat health fee paid each semester by all undergraduates, included in the lump sum “manda-

tory undergraduate fee” charged by the University.

In addition to that fee, the Hodgkins-Beckley report recommends that the Health Center and Psychological Counseling Center begin to bill students’ insurance plans for services. The Health Center fee would work in tandem with students’ insurance to cover charges not reimbursed by an insurance plan.

While Sousa emphasized in her email to the Justice that students’ out-of-pocket costs—or their costs per visit—would not increase, the report suggests that premiums on the Student Health Insurance Program provided by the University could increase by $85, which is about six percent of the $1,389 cost of 2013 to 2014 academic year coverage. Sousa did not respond to requests for the number of students enrolled in SHIP. Dr. Debra Poaster, medical director of the Health Center, did not respond to requests for comment.

Student Union Vice President Charlotte Franco ’15 wrote in an email to the Justice that neither the Student Union nor the student body had been consulted about the changes. “We are concerned with the fact that the Health Center is not open on the weekends anymore,” she wrote.

—Sara Dejene contributed reporting

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THE JUSTICE

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TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 2014

VERBATIM | BOOKER T. WASHINGTON Success is to be measured not so much by the position that one has reached in life as by the obstacles which he has overcome while trying to succeed.

ON THIS DAY…

FUN FACT

In 1939, Radium became the first radioactive element to be made synthetically.

The hit E.T. the ExtraTerrestrial was filmed in chronological order.

Kernels of knowledge JOSH HOROWITZ/the Justice

BITCOIN CRASH COURSE: Along with the Brandeis Technical Trader’s Society, new campus club DEIS.kernel hosted a discussion about Bitcoin, which Sam Ronkin ’15 (right) assisted in facilitating.

DEIS.kernel strives to create a computer savvy student body

By HEE JU KANG JUSTICE STAFF WRITER

The presence of technology is becoming increasingly prominent in our daily lives.

With the growth of the Internet and other technological advances, it may be of interest to those aspiring to any number of professions to learn about computer science.

DEIS.kernel, an academic club founded this past November 2013, aspires “to educate members on topics in computer science and to provide a format for members to present on an area of computer-scientific expertise,” according to its website.

The club aims to provide an environment for members to share their individual areas of computer science expertise to the rest of the club body in the form of presentations, discussions and lectures.

The club was created and is led by five coordinators: Kenneth Foner ’15, David Giliotti ’16, Daniel Kats ’16, Andrew Kouides ’16 and Eden Zik ’16.

DEIS.kernel, as it stands, has a minimalist approach to its functions; the student-directed club activities rely primarily on allocating the time and location to discuss a topic of interest. Then, Foner said, “the members decide what interests them and what they [wish to] bring to the undergraduate body interested in computer science.”

This framework inspired the analogy which became the club’s name, “DEIS.ker-

nel.” The kernel of the computer is the component which allocates memory and tasks to programs, much like the coordinators who “allocate” time and space to its members.

A few of DEIS.kernel’s current and upcoming projects for the semester are Project Euler where they intend to solve computational puzzles in a group and a typography lesson about fonts; user interface and design and one, in particular, is the series of talks about Bitcoins.

DEIS.kernel held the first Bitcoin talk on Jan. 30 in the Benjamin and Mae Volen National Center for Complex Systems.

For this event, Sam Ronkin ’15, president of the Brandeis Technical Trader’s Society, a chartered club that educates members on technical analysis and trading, helped facilitate the “What is Bitcoin?” presentation and discussion. “This Bitcoin series is a collaboration,” Foner said. DEIS.kernel teamed up with BTTS to “run a joint three part series on the what, why, and how of Bitcoins, the crypto-currency that’s taking the world by storm,” according to the club flier.

Bitcoin is the “first decentralized digital currency,” according to the informational video available on weusecoins.com, a website dedicated to increasing accessibility of Bitcoins to beginners. The video was shown during Ronkin’s presentation. According to the video, Bitcoins are sent directly from one individual to another, eliminating the transactional fees one could incur. They are

9

generated by anybody with access to a free application called a Bitcoin miner. For each “block” of coins, worth a certain amount of computational work, one must “mine,” ergo extract, Bitcoins.

After the mining process, the Bitcoins are stored in the user’s digital wallet, which is similar to the format of online banking accounts. When a person transfers Bitcoins, an electronic signature is added to the transaction, which is verified by a miner and permanently stored in the network within the span of a few minutes.

One benefit of Bitcoin that was cited in the talk is that it is secure. Bitcoin “verifies transactions with the same … encryption that is used in military and government applications,” Ronkins said.

The drawbacks of the currency were also addressed. According to Ronkin, many criminals take advantage of Bitcoins as payment. The price of Bitcoin—how many dollars per Bitcoin—is volatile, and moreover, it is seen as a threat to governments and as a speculators’ market to some economists.

It also poses ethical and regulatory issues.

“In December, the People’s Bank of China decreed that merchants may not accept Bitcoin and forbade banks and payment processors from converting Bitcoin into yuan,” Ronkins said.

The second and third Bitcoin talks will follow up with the hardware aspect of mining Bitcoin and the Bitcoin algorithm, which

deals with the actual process of mining.

Naman Patel ’15, a member of BTTS, said “the event was excellent because in addition to the people presenting, there was a lot of discussion being done among the peers, [including] people who already have knowledge and a lot of people who are actually involved. … There was a lot of engagement. So that was nice.”

Attendees ranged from the self-proclaimed tech-illiterates to those with a more advanced knowledge base. Although the nature of each event will vary, DEIS.kernel encourages all students to join and participate in the club events.

“We all have different experiences, even within the club, but that’s kind of the beauty of it,” Kouides said. “[The beauty is] that we’re able to come together to teach what we know, starting at the ground floor … making it accessible for people of all levels.”

One attendee had a very positive reaction to the event. “I was kind of curious about how [Bitcoin is] stored on different computers, et cetera. I definitely learned a lot about that,” Elena Stoeri-D’Arrigo ’16 said. “If I come to the next [talk], I think that will help me better understand [Bitcoin’s] hardware aspect of it. That was really great.”

“Anyone, really, needs to understand how this world is changing and in what ways,” Zik explained. “We want to communicate this to everyone on this campus, regardless of their interests or majors.”

JOSH HOROWITZ/the Justice

COMPUTER COLLABORATION: The club was founded by (from left to right) Andrew Kouides ’16, Kenneth Foner ’15, Eden Zik ’16, Daniel Kats ’16 and David Giliotti ’16.

10 TUESDAY, February 4, 2014 ● 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 Phil Gallagher, Deputy Editor Rachel Burkhoff, Glen Chagi Chesir, Sara Dejene, Shafaq Hasan, Joshua Linton, Jessie Miller and Olivia Pobiel Associate Editors Marissa Ditkowsky, News Editor Jaime Kaiser, Features Editor Max Moran, Acting Forum Editor Avi Gold, Sports Editor Rachel Hughes and Emily Wishingrad, Arts Editors Josh Horowitz and Morgan Brill, Photography Editors Rebecca Lantner, Layout Editor Celine Hacobian, Online Editor Brittany Joyce, Copy Editor Schuyler Brass, Advertising Editor

Incentivizing retirement a poor practice In one of his many signature works, Other People’s Money, Justice Louis Brandeis discussed the pitfalls of the concentration of wealth. Brandeis firmly predicted that a cycle would occur in which the wealth would breed power, and that power would, in turn, foster new wealth. Unfortunately, it appears that this cycle of wealth and power has permeated the operation of his namesake University.

This past week, Provost Steve Goldstein ’78 and Chief Operating Officer Steve Manos announced in an email sent to select members of the Brandeis community that a “voluntary early retirement incentive program” will be offered to approximately 150 staff members who are both over 60 and have worked at Brandeis for 10 or more years.

On the surface, this offer seems generous, encompassing a year of severance pay at their current salary rate and $15,000. But after closer analysis, it becomes clear that these 150 members of our community must now make a tough decision: Accept the offer and risk having no income after this year—the market for 60 year old workers is obviously weak—or decline the offer and risk losing a job with no special package, as the University has now made it clear they are striving for “streamlined business practices.”

On its own, the turnover in workers is unfortunate, but an understandable business decision. Trimming human capital is never easy, but when running at a $6.5 million dollar deficit, tough decisions must be made.

What makes this package disheartening for members of the Brandeis community, however, is juxtaposing it against the ongoing executive compensation conundrum

Executive pay remains high that Brandeis has faced for the past few months.

The ongoing salary of President Emeritus Jehuda Reinharz has been well publicized. Again, on its own, the executive compensation of our past president is in poor taste, but understandable considering his previous achievements. Yet to be paying Reinharz such an extravagant salary, while at the same time pushing out many hardworking, longtime members of our community, is simply deplorable behavior.

As per the email sent to select staff, the goal of this retirement incentive program is to assess “the best practices in higher education and address Brandeis’ current budget deficit.” This editorial board wonders if those who are offering this retirement package—namely Goldstein and Manos, who sent the email—reviewed their own salaries in order to “address Brandeis’ current budget deficit” mentioned in the email.

Those figures are not required to be immediately made public under the executive compensation reporting guidelines.

Salaries of those implementing this policy must be in line with the sentiment of this retirement program: budget-focused.

It is a true shame to see longtime members of our community being forced out as part of budgetary cuts. However, it is even more of an ignominy for us to see our administration seemingly first cut jobs before reviewing their own six-figure salaries. Consistency for the salaries of all members of the Brandeis community must be obtained.

Increase safety on South Street walk This past Sunday night, three Brandeis University students were struck and seriously injured by an oncoming car at the South Street crosswalk by the Foster Mods. In three successive emails to the student body, Director of Public Safety Ed Callahan not only expressed the University’s collective concern for the well-being of the students but implored students crossing South Street to consistently utilize reasonable safety measures, such as using the crosswalk lights or Squire Bridge when possible.

However, although these measures have been put into place in the past, this unfortunate accident reminds us that South Street is a problematic area for pedestrians. While there certainly have been efforts to make the crossing safer such as the addition of a crosswalk, crosswalk lights and even Squire Bridge, we encourage the University to work with the city of Waltham to continue exploring other effective methods to protect the community and help prevent another accident.

In past years, there have been several instances illustrating that this area of South Street adjacent to the University is a point of concern for both drivers and pedestrians. In 2006, the University installed two blinking crosswalk lights on either side of the street, recognizing that the area was a dangerous crossing for pedestrians. Most recently, a student was struck by a car at the same crosswalk in

Consider adding speed bump 2009.

Speeding on South Street has also been an issue. Callahan has said that historically, 20 to 40 citations are given to cars speeding on South Street per day, according to a 2010 article by the Justice.

These incidents are indicative of a recurring problem that has yet to be fully addressed. While we appreciate the University has taken preventative actions in the past, we wonder if there are other measures that have not yet been considered.

As it did in 2010, the University can station police officers at the crosswalk and at various times along South Street when necessary.

While installing additional warning signs for drivers to slow down or even speed bumps would require some substantial coordination with Waltham, the measures currently in place are either not being fully utilized or are simply not enough. Perhaps the color of the flashing lights on the crosswalk can be changed from yellow to red to further alert drivers to slow down and stop for pedestrians.

Although both drivers and pedestrians need to exercise caution, this incident emphasizes the need to re-evaluate what more can be done. We ask the administration as well as all concerned individuals to appeal for more effective measures to ensure the safety of the community.

TZIPORAH THOMSON /the Justice

Views the News on

On Tuesday, President Barack Obama delivered his State of the Union address, focusing heavily on the issue of income inequality and the minimum wage. Obama proposed raising the federal minimum wage to $10.10 per hour, up from the current standard of $7.25 per hour, and to tie the minimum wage to a cost-of-living adjustment, meaning that it will rise with inflation over time. Should Congress prove unproductive on the issue, Obama promised to achieve this goal through an executive order. Do you agree with the president’s plan to raise the minimum wage, even if it means bypassing Congress entirely?

Dean Lisa Lynch As a major employer, the U.S. government helps sets the norms for pay and working conditions across the country. Approximately two million workers are hired through federal contracts. The National Employment Law Project estimates that about 20 percent of these workers have earnings below the poverty line and up to 40 percent earn less than a living wage. One of the myths of minimum wages is that only teenagers receive them. The reality is that the average age of minimum-wage workers is 35, the majority of impacted employees work full time and more than a quarter of minimum wage workers have children. More than two decades of research suggests that modest increases in the minimum wage will have little or no negative impact on jobs. Increasing the wage paid to these workers to $10.10 an hour will have a positive impact on these workers and their families.

Lisa Lynch is the dean and Maurice P. Hexler Professor of Social and Economic Policy at the Heller School for Social Policy and Management.

Prof. Gordon Fellman (SOC) Republicans in Congress decided to undermine Obama completely from his first day in office. The Tea Party has polarized our politics just about to the breaking point. My thought is that the assumption that rich, white, straight, Christian men can run the country forever is undermined by the demographic realities of our society, and that the Tea Party/Republican refusal to recognize a non-white as president (cf all that birth certificate nonsense and the insistence that Obama is a Muslim) elided, once he was elected (and reelected) into a determination to make his presidency fail. This could be seen as a desperate and racist move toward trying to re-establish the hegemony of rich, white, straight, Christian men. If Congress is ideologically determined to do nothing to support anything Obama proposes, using executive orders to bypass Congress seems to me a fitting response. His caving to their intransigence, which he has done more than once, is neither productive nor dignified nor appropriate for leading the country.

Prof. Gordon Fellman (SOC) is the chair of Peace, Conflict and Coexistence Studies, and professor of SOC 112b: “Social Class and Social Change.”

Christa Caggiano ’17 Our Congress is painfully partisan, and has willfully demonstrated its impotence by being the least productive Congress in the history of our country. So somehow I find myself applauding Obama for promising to use an executive order to remedy the wage gap. Sure, it teeters on the edge of being undemocratic, but in my opinion, having a sort of nebulous democracy that accomplishes something is much better than having a democracy that does not do anything at all. America is facing some serious issues, but as one of the world’s wealthiest countries, the prevalence of families living under the poverty line should not be one of them. Someone needs to at least try to make meaningful change. Obama’s efforts to raise the minimum wage is a good place to start.

Christa Caggiano ’17 is a member of Amnesty International. She intends to be a Biological physics and Art History double major.

Abe Clark ’17 Only through governmental action can we enforce that Wal-Mart and similar corporations pay their workers enough to avoid the humiliation of turning to governmental assistance; besides improving the lives of millions of hardworking Americans, this will save taxpayers billions of dollars in wasteful spending. That being said, attempting to push any type of minimum-wage increase through America’s least productive Congress in history would be futile; after five years of working with Congress, Obama is acutely aware of this fact. Circumventing the needlessly partisan efforts Congress makes to impede progress is both necessary and justifiable for Obama. The president’s decision to use the executive order in this regard is well within the reasonable confines of presidential power: Obama has already made 167 executive orders, and his predecessor President George W. Bush made 291.

Abe Clark ’17 intends to be a Physics and History double major.

THE JUSTICE

READER COMMENTARY Meal plan for Mods is unnecessary In response to your article, “University pushes changes to dining” (Jan. 28): As a Brandeis graduate who lived in the Foster Mods, I can’t believe how ridiculous this is. Already, the fees for apartment-style housing are much higher. For Ridgewood, this is somewhat understandable—it’s the newest, nicest, renovated area. The Mods, though?

They were built 30 years ago to be temporary housing. The only true benefit to paying exorbitant rent for those spaces was to avoid paying the additional $2,000+ for a meal plan. This is completely absurd.

—Jordan Hinahara ’12

Acknowledge entire Times quote In response to your article, “Keep standards toward academic boycotts consistent” (Jan 28): This piece includes a reductive caricature of a quote from Curtis Marez, which depends on ignoring the next two sentences that he said, which appear in the full version of the New York Times story.

This editorial takes the easy way out here, cutting Marez’s quote to five words. Here is the rest of the quote: “He argued that the United States has ‘a particular responsibility to answer the call for boycott because it is the largest supplier of military aid to the state of Israel ... he said that in [other] countries, civil society groups had not asked his association for a boycott, as Palestinian groups have.”

Israel is the number one recipient of U.S. aid and Palestinian society asked the American Studies Association to boycott, as part of an international movement. A little different than what this writer reports. And both are good reasons for a boycott of Israeli academic institutions.

—Shelley Streeby is the Associate Editor of American Quarterly, official Publication of American Studies Association.

Hindu temple a welcome addition In response to your article, “Hindu students seek sanctuary” (Jan. 28): While I haven’t lived on campus for more than 40 years, and am not qualified to comment on the space challenges faced

by Brandeis today, I just thought I would write to express my support for a place on campus that can be dedicated permanently to Hindu Brandeisians’ worship needs.

Just as suggested in the article’s headline, I have always thought of Brandeis as a “sanctuary” for religious freedom, and granting a place for the freer exercise of that is in the University’s finest tradition.

—Paul Trusten ’73

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Look to Scott Walker as G.O.P. nominee By aaron dvorkin justice contributing writer

Last September, unexplainable lane closures leading up to the George Washington Bridge in Fort Lee, N.J. began the scandal which is slowly diminishing Governor Chris Christie’s chances to become the Republican Party’s candidate for president in 2016. Director of Interstate Capital Projects David Wildstein (who oversaw the lane closures at the Port Authority) stated recently that Christie had knowledge that the lane closures were going to occur.

This, coupled with news that the U.S. Attorney’s office in New Jersey is including Christie’s 2012 re-election campaign in its investigation, signals that the embattled Governor will not be granted a reprieve from bad publicity anytime soon.

With Christie’s character coming into question and his presidential hopes fading, the question then becomes: who will be the next front runner for the Republican nomination in 2016? Although candidates have not begun to officially announce their plans to run, there is a group of Republicans who have been attempting to increase their visibility as though they are preparing for a presidential race.

Only one, though, can eventually take the coveted nomination.

I believe Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker will end up being the candidate for the Republican Party in 2016. Like Governor Jeb Bush and Sen. Marco Rubio, he has a more progressive agenda, unlike Mitt Romney who lost appeal due to his contradictory rhetoric.

However, both Bush and Rubio have alienated themselves from members of their party.

Bush, a proud centrist, has angered more conservative Republicans by accusing them of being too negative and supporting immigration reform. Rubio drew the ire of conservative Republicans when he co-authored the immigration bill of 2013 and released his antipoverty agenda which had too much government intervention for Tea Party standards.

Unlike Bush and Rubio, Walker has not alienated himself from his party with his policies or his talking points.

Walker has been praised for being clear and consistent. In this way he differs from Sen. Rand Paul, whose ideology is an amalgam of Libertarian and Republican views. Specifically, Paul’s perspective on foreign policy is derived from a non-interventionist, libertarian point of view, while his perspective on the economy and social issues line up with the mainstream Republican ideology. Walker has garnered the support of Republicans, Independents and some Democrats in his state with his

DREW SHENEMAN/MCT Campus

adherence to his classic conservative views, which he presents in a positive manner.

Walker’s recently published book, Unintimidated: A Governor’s Story and a Nation’s Challenge, is further testament to his consistency.

Rather than avoiding talking about the infamous collective bargaining agreement of 2011 which limited the collective bargaining rights for most of Wisconsin’s public unions, Walker chose to tackle the issue head-on in the book.

In it, he attempts to explain his perspective and why he believes the measure was the right course of action for his debt-ridden state.

His willingness to confront the issue publicly shows voters that he is honest and separates him from other candidates who might choose to change their positions on controversial topics rather than be consistent.

Additionally, Walker seems to be employing a similar strategy to Sen. Ted Cruz. The two men want voters to see them as straighttalking, down-to-earth leaders who represent the people and are capable of galvanizing the Republican Party. However, Walker’s principled, straightforward approach is likely to be more attractive to voters than Cruz’s rather grandiose and hyperbolic manner of speaking.

Both engaged the American left in contentious

battles.

Cruz lost his battle when he embarrassed himself and his party while leading the effort to shut down the federal government in October. Walker won his battle with class and proceeded to win his recall election.

Since the election of President Barack Obama in 2008, the Republican Party has struggled to regain the credibility it lost during the unsuccessful tenure of President George W. Bush.

After failing to win the Presidency again in 2012, the party seems to have realized that to restore the image it acquired under President Ronald Reagan, it will need to drastically change its approach.

Over the past several months, all of the previously mentioned politicians have attempted to introduce themselves as leaders who will shatter the existing stereotype that Republicans are only motivated by money and political gains.

Scott Walker will be chosen as the nominee for the Republican Party in 2016 because his genuine persona and bold, conservative ideology makes him the ideal candidate to revamp the Party and excite the Republican voting base.

Psychology treatment on Yale campus needs immediate reform Max

Moran The Bottom Bunk

A few weeks ago, the Yale Daily News, a Yale University student newspaper which self-identifies as “the oldest college daily,” published one of the most important and terrifying op-ed pieces I’ve read in a long time. Titled, “We Just Can’t Have You Here,” the article is the personal story of a Yale freshman who, after admitting to her counselor that she was experiencing suicidal thoughts and had cut herself, was forced to “formally withdraw” from the school for the rest of the spring term.

Though this suspension period was meant to give her time to heal and enter therapy, Rachel Williams ’16 describes her meeting with a Yale psychological evaluator as anything but generous: when she admits she has cut herself, the man “nods his head and closes his eyes like someone has just given him a bonbon.” When Williams asks why it’s assumed she will be safer at home, the man replies, “The truth is, we don’t necessarily think you’ll be safer at home.

But we just can’t have you here.”

Williams was quietly forced into a leave of absence from the school until Yale psychologists decide she is happy, peppy and perfect enough to be readmitted to their campus.

Williams was told to leave school a week after her initial suicidal thoughts. She spent that intermediate week in Yale-New Haven Hospital,

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where she was forced into an emergency room with nothing but a bed and blank walls.

While Williams is perhaps not an impartial party, if even a few of the allegations she makes are true, it sends a dark message for the state of mental health care at Yale-New Haven Hospital.

She claims she was not permitted to read, as the doctors feared she might cut herself with the paper. She was not permitted to walk outside, stretch her body or take headache medicine. She was threatened with being tied down to the bed, and upon finally entering the hospital’s psychiatric ward, she was, in her words, “forced to take off my underwear, spread my legs, then hop up and down to make sure nothing was hidden ‘up there.’”

Yale-New Haven Hospital is the same hospital where I was born. As a native New Haven-ite, the article struck a particular chord because I’m familiar with all of the locations she discusses. They say the New Haven economy depends on two things, “eds and meds,” to employ the majority of the population. Reading about both of those staples abusing the trust of an innocent young woman left me disgusted with my city. Some of these precautions might have been standard hospital procedure, but forcing them on a young woman who had clearly demonstrated compliance and obedience toward the doctors is disturbing. The old defense that the doctors were “just doing their jobs” is, as ever, no excuse for turning off one’s mind.

While it is horrifying to hear about the injustices committed against Williams, it is even scarier to learn that her story might not be uncommon. For obvious reasons, schools don’t publish the statistics of how many students on average are forced to leave because of their

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mental health. However, just scrolling through the comments on the Yale Daily News piece shows several commenters sharing stories about themselves, their friends, or family being asked to withdraw due to some sort of mental illness.

“

The old defense that the doctors were just “doing their jobs” is, as ever, no excuse for turning off one’s mind.

Not only Yale students, but people from all across the country have gathered on this comment thread to admit being afraid of talking to their schools’ counseling centers. For many of them, college is the stimulation that keeps them going through their day. Friends, classes and activities help fight deep depression, but if they ever admit this ongoing internal struggle, all of these support systems might be taken away.

Last October, Brandeis received an award for its excellent mental health services from the Jed Foundation, a nonprofit organization that researches mental health issues for teenagers.

The first year this award was ever offered was 2013.

To qualify, the University completed a selfassessment test, meaning Brandeis was the

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one hiring and paying the firm which graded the Psychological Counseling Center on how good it was at helping people. One of the other schools honored with the Jed Foundation award was Yale University.

This is not to say that Brandeis is Yale. I don’t have the slightest idea whether Brandeis has a policy of expelling students who experience suicidal thoughts, and I have heard that the psychologists at our center are, in fact, excellent at their jobs.

While the PCC does have notable administrative problems—there is no 24-hour counseling service, and scheduling an appointment can take be frustrating—these do not compare to a school whose student body have been forced to publicly decry the actual treatment. Yale actively ignored learning the specifics of Williams’ situation, instead choosing to send her out of their hair after placing her through a traumatic hospital experience.

This same college received an award for “comprehensive mental health promotion and suicide prevention programming on campus.”

The field of University psychological care needs to re-assess its priorities.

The stigmatization of mental health is a societal problem that will not be solved by one woman’s article. But at least at colleges, institutions whose purpose is to open minds and encourage acceptance of all people, it is absolutely intolerable to have institutionalized fear of those who need help the most. We cannot just view students as an economic asset, as walking, talking tuition dollars whose benefit can be weighed against its cost. We need to start treating patients the way that “Introduction to Psychology” students are told to: as people.

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TUESDAY, february 4, 2014

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THE JUSTICE

FORUM

Smoking zones promote health for all Brandeis students

By Elizabeth allen special to the justice

Did you know that tobacco use is the single largest preventable cause of disease and death in the United States? The Center for Disease Control and Prevention says that tobacco use causes over 440,000 deaths in the United States each year; that’s more deaths than those from HIV, illegal drug use, alcohol use, motor vehicle injuries and firearm-related injuries combined.

Did you also know that secondhand smoke is classified by the Environmental Protection Agency as a Class A Carcinogen, just like asbestos? Or that, according to the CDC, it causes thousands of deaths each year, in healthy non-smokers, from lung cancer and heart disease?

The CDC also says that there is no risk-free exposure to secondhand smoke; even a brief exposure can be harmful to health, and nonsmokers who breathe secondhand smoke are breathing in the same carcinogens that smokers are. At least 250 chemicals in secondhand smoke are known to be toxic or carcinogenic.

Those are some pretty significant statistics, and I think it is critical that Brandeis respond with a change in its current policy regarding smoking on campus. After reading about e-cigarettes in the Justice Forum on Jan. 14, “To Combat New E-Cigarettes, Inform Public About Smoking Facts,” I thought it was important for the Brandeis student body to know what Colleges Against Cancer is working on.

Some of you may have heard about our Smoke(less) Initiative. CAC is pushing forward a policy change that would create designated smoking areas on the Brandeis campus, in place of the current rule allowing smoking anywhere 30 feet from a building.

Last spring, CAC sent out a survey on the current smoking policy, and suggested making a change; 1,006 undergraduates responded, and 73 percent said that they supported prohibiting smoking on campus, with the exception of designated smoking areas. The specifics of these designated smoking areas, including location and structure, will ultimately be up to the administration and feedback from students. CAC hopes that over time, given the data from organizations such as the CDC, Brandeis will transition to a completely smoke-free campus. This is the only way to truly eliminate secondhand smoke.

The 30-feet policy is simply ineffective. It was brought into being by the hard work of a since-graduated CAC member, and while it was definitely a step forward for the campus, we realize now that it needs to be updated. The rule fails to protect non-smokers from secondhand smoke; for example, even if a smoker is standing 30 feet from a doorway, someone who wishes to enter the building often has to pass through a cloud of smoke to do so. One can imagine other problematic situations as well, such a walking behind a smoker on a path to class. In each situation, the concern stems from the fact the secondhand smoke is a public health hazard; we wish to eliminate this harmful exposure.

CAC, as an American Cancer Society organization, strongly supports quitting smoking.

There are multiple resources on campus to

HANNAH KOBER/the Justice

help and we encourage smokers to take advantage of them. The Golding Health Center already has programs in place through Lauren Grover, the alcohol and other drug counselor, and as the Smoke(less) Initiative moves forward, CAC is planning on working closer to help develop even more resources.

For the past two years at the Great American Smoke Out, we worked in conjunction with Diana Denning, nurse practitioner at the Health Center, to provide information and resources for smokers interested in quitting.

Again, we encourage smokers to use these resources, and if this new policy is enacted, CAC will work closely with the Health Center to develop even more programs.

There are currently 1,182 colleges in the United States that are completely smoke-free.

We have researched some of the local colleges, like Northeastern University, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Cape Cod Community College, Westfield State University and Bridgewater State University; all seem to rely on community enforcement of their policy. Essentially, this means that students are

encouraged to enforce the policy themselves, either through words or through reporting offenders via an established email system. The same holds for faculty and staff.

These colleges also have specific committees that oversee compliance and discipline for repeated offenders. Many of them have just enacted their new smoke-free policies, and as such, CAC will be contacting them to monitor their successes and hopefully gain some valuable feedback, insights that will make for a smoother Brandeis transition to a smoke-free campus.

This isn’t just a trend in the United States, either; it is becoming an international one.

With smoking and secondhand smoke clearly linked to disease and poor health, even nations with a large smoking culture, such as China, are seeing this connection and banning smoking indoors. Many countries, including Australia, Canada, Singapore and Thailand, now also have smoke-free outdoor areas.

Brandeis has always prided itself in being on the forefront of new ideas; it is time to join

this global campaign. I believe that, given the clear health concerns demonstrated by secondhand smoke (noted by the CCD, American Cancer Society and other organizations), the overall goal for Brandeis should be to become a completely smoke-free campus: CAC is proposing that we take a step towards this goal by transitioning into designated smoking areas, as the undergraduate population seems to support.

It’s time for us to move forward and create a healthier campus environment, one that reduces (and eventually eliminates) secondhand smoke. CAC has approached the Brandeis Student Union about this issue, but they have failed to vote on it.

Please contact your senators and other campus representatives and tell them how you feel about this new smoke-free trend both in the United States and worldwide, especially how it should apply to Brandeis.

—Editor’s Note: Elizabeth Allen ’14 is the president of Brandeis University’s chapter of Colleges Against Cancer.

Remember Pete Seeger and others by acknowledging their flaws Catherine

Rosch Cynical Idealist

One of the first songs I remember learning was “If I Had A Hammer” by Pete Seeger.

My grandmother would always sing the liberal folk music canon to my sister and me: “If I Had A Hammer,” “Union Maid,” “This Land Is Your Land,” and countless others. At the time, I didn’t fully understand what the songs were about, only that they were easy to sing along to and were somehow important to members of my family. Shortly after my grandmother was diagnosed with cancer, she took my family to see a documentary about Pete Seeger.

I didn’t want to go; the idea of spending time with my grandmother while she was dying terrified me. I didn’t want to acknowledge what was happening. My mother forced me to go of course, but I can’t say I remember enjoying it.

After my grandmother died, I stopped listening to Pete Seeger, Woody Guthrie and other folk musicians, partially out of trying to fit in with my friends’ musical tastes and partially because they reminded me too much of her.

It wasn’t until Pete Seeger was a guest on The Colbert Report that I started listening to old folk music again. I was older, almost out of high school, and trying to determine what sort of person I wanted to be as I grew into an adult. Even a few years after my grandmother died, I rarely talked about her, and would grow uncomfortable whenever my aunt or my mother brought her up. At the same time, though, I knew I also wanted to make her proud of me.

It is a contradiction that still bothers me: I wondered what my grandmother would think of who I was becoming, while still feeling guilty for ignoring her as she died. I am troubled by my own idealization of her.

My grandmother was an amazing woman; she was active in the Civil Rights Movement and the anti-war movement during the Vietnam War. It’s often all too easy for me to brag about her achievements, both as an individual and a part of the bioethics community. It is also all too easy for me to forget that she was by no means the perfect person I make her out to be.

After someone you love dies, it is easy to look back and romanticize them. Certainly people have done this with Pete Seeger. Read obituaries of him, or listen to news broadcasters share his life story and you’ll find they typically don’t mention his often-controversial politics. The New York Times obituary mainly focuses on how Seeger inspired Bob Dylan or sang with civil rights marchers, but

glosses over his relationship with and membership in the Communist Party, or his active involvement in the Occupy movement.

The focus is on the non-controversial things Seeger did, the things that people find nice and safe rather than the aspects of Seeger’s life and personal philosophy that so informed his music.

“

It can be easier to simplify people after they die, to hold them up on a pedestal, but that is doing them a disservice.

I find it troubling to romanticize people, to change the past to fit in with your own perceptions of how someone ought to have been.

I’m not saying I am innocent of it either. It’s easier to only acknowledge the good parts of someone you loved, to brag about what makes you proud and to simply ignore the contradictions and hypocrisy that were equally a part of who that person was. My grandmother was not a perfect woman, but when I think of her, I only remember the good, the parts that I want to relate to. It’s human nature, I suppose, to

ignore the controversial or unpopular, especially just after someone’s death. But it is not necessarily the best way to honor their memory.

People are complicated. Even those who we look up to, men and women like Eleanor Roosevelt, Nelson Mandela or even your late grandmother are not perfect.

Can we really understand and respect Nelson Mandela’s life without acknowledging his advocacy for violence early in his career?

By ignoring Eleanor’s Roosevelt opposition to the Equal Rights Amendment, are we also ignoring the complexities of her character?

Is Pete Seeger’s life and advocacy overly simplified by ignoring the politics that inspired him? If I only focus on the things I admired about my grandmother, am I discrediting who she really was? Everyone has their complexities, and it is important to acknowledge them while understanding someone’s imperfections does not make them any less of a person you admire.

I believe that people are afraid of acknowledging these short-comings, these flaws, especially following the death of a beloved figure.

It can be easier to simplify people after they die, to hold them up on a pedestal, but that is doing them a disservice.

To fully understand those we love and admire after they die, we have to appreciate the full picture, not just the pieces that appeal to us most. After all, it is better to love a real person than a fantasy.

THE JUSTICE

WBBALL: Women climb up to fourth in conference play CONTINUED FROM 16 bounds. Vitale added 11 points while Rodriguez finished with five points and four steals.

On Friday, the Judges again narrowly escaped with another close road victory. Case came out firing, scoring nine of the first 11 points.

Brandeis responded, however, with a 9-0 run highlighted by six points from guard Kasey Dean ’14.

The Spartans still managed to go into halftime with a 24-21 lead despite shooting just four-for-23 from the field in the first half.

The Judges found themselves trailing 51-50 with 3:42 remaining in the second half, but executed consecutive defensive stops to hold Case scoreless for the next 2:59.

Guard Paris Hodges ’17 scored three of her career-high 14 points during the run and collected two of her nine rebounds as well.

Hodges gave her teammates credit for helping her perform late in the second half, especially after struggling in the first half.

“I couldn't have done it without my teammates,” she said. “After missing my shots in the first half I continued

By jacob moskowitz JUSTICE senior WRITER

The men’s basketball team could not quite get over the hump yet again this past weekend, falling 7466 on the road to Case Western Reserve University on Friday and 7775 to Carnegie Mellon University on Sunday. With the pair of losses, the Judges drop to a 9-9 record and just a 1-6 mark in University Athletic Association play.

On Sunday, the first half was an up-and-down affair. Both teams shot the ball well and limited their turnovers. Forward Ishmael Kalilou ’15 and guard Ben Bartoldus ’14 got it going for Brandeis, scoring 10 and nine points, respectively, in the half, while CMU freshman forward Jack Serbin led the way for the Tartans with 17 points in the half.

Solid play on offense for both teams resulted in a 41-41 tie at the midpoint of the game.

While the second half started slowly, the tempo of the game picked up toward the middle. The lead changed numerous times and both teams continued to make formidable offensive runs.

With two minutes and 41 seconds to go, Brandeis found itself down 76-71. Two great plays by guard Robinson Vilmont ’17 resulted in four consecutive points for the Judges, bringing them back into the game.

A minute later, the Judges had a chance to take the lead, but Bartoldus turned it over before center Youri Dascy ’14 committed a foul, sending Tartans senior forward Rob Mohen to the line. He proceeded to convert one of his two free throws.

With 35 seconds left, the Judges were down 77-75 with the ball.

Bartoldus commented on the ensuing play.

“We were trying to run twirl, and get either [guard] Gabe [Moton ’14] a post-up or [guard] Derek [Retos ’14] a three,” he said. “We thought a switch was going to occur hav-

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to shoot. I didn't let it get to me. Staying aggressive was key and fortunately we won.”

With 58 seconds remaining against the Spartans, guard Samantha Mancinelli ’16 hit a layup to put the Judges up 59-51.

Brandeis withstood a late run by Case, hitting free-throws to ice the game. Hodges said the team’s success in the final minutes of the second half came from its defensive intensity throughout the game.

“We continued to do what we do best,” Hodges said.

“We kept our defensive intensity up and our offense came to us. We executed our game plan.”

Brandeis featured three players with double-digit scoring marks.

Dean tallied 13 points to join Hodges and guard Niki Laskaris ’16 who had 15 points.

Dean also collected nine rebounds and two assists while Brandeis outrebounded Case 51-32, including 19 offensive rebounds pulled down by the Judges.

The Judges will look to continue their winning streak in a rematch at home against Case this Friday night at 6 p.m.

Team drops two UAA games in close losses team lost both of their games to Case Western Reserve University and Carnegie Mellon University to fall to 1-6 in UAA play.

February 4, 2014

GAINING AN ADVANTAGE

Men’s basketball

■ The men’s basketball

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ing Gabe in the post with a smaller guard but the big switched and Derek was over-played on the hand off. As a result, the play broke off and we essentially freelanced until we called a timeout with 2.4 seconds to go.”

Unfortunately for the Judges, guard Moton could not convert on two chances at the rim, leading to Brandeis’ third straight loss.

Moton and Bartoldus tied for team-high honors on offense with 15 points apiece. Guard Colby Smith ’16 added 11 off the bench while forward Connor Arnold ’14 had six boards off the bench to lead the team.

Retos has been a big part of the Judges offense this season, but he struggled to find his shot over the course of the weekend.

Retos was held scoreless on zerofor-seven shooting in both games.

Bartoldus pointed to this as a big reason why the Judges came away empty-handed.

“It had a big time effect on the offense,” he said. “Derek is an intricate part of our system and this weekend our opponents were able to defend him very well. As a result the tempo of our offense was altered.”

The outcome of Friday’s game against the Spartans proved to be eerily similar to Sunday’s game. The game started out with a quick pace and had many lead changes. However, unlike Sunday, the Judges took a 31-29 lead into halftime.

The Spartans charged ahead twothirds of the way through the second half, extending the lead to 70-58 with 1:26 remaining. Brandeis made a quick run to bring it to a respectable lead, but the effort proved to be too little, too late.

Moton and Bartoldus again led the charge, contributing 17 points apiece. Forward Alex Stoyle ’14 had a big game for the Judges with 16 points, 10 rebounds and four blocked shots.

Bartoldus commented on the team’s overall play on Friday.

“We came out with a lot of good energy, executed our offense and defense well,” he said. “Down the stretch they were able to convert, while we struggled to put the ball in the basket.”

The Judges return home for a four game home stand, starting with a rematch against Case on Friday night and CMU on Sunday.

XIAOYU YANG/the Justice

ON THE ATTACK: Ari Feingersch ’16 (right) squares off against a competitor from Haverford College during Saturday’s win.

FENCING: Judges record multiple wins as hosts CONTINUED FROM 16 record, with Mandel going an impressive 11-1 and Ochs-Willard going 8-3 on the day.

The foil team, meanwhile, was undefeated on the day, led by the junior tandem of Ethan Levy ’15 and Noah Berman ’15, who accumulated nine and 10 victories respectively as well.

Ari Feingersch ’16 and Tom Hearne ’16 each spearheaded the efforts of the epee squads with nine and seven victories.

The men’s squad only suffered one loss on the day, suffering a defeat in a match against NYU that came right down to the wire.

At 12-12 against the Violets, Cardillo, who had a very strong showing of his own during the meet, was pitted against NYU senior Christian Vastola. Unfortunately, he was unable to pull out the win.

In the decisive bout, saber Ben Loft ’15 could not hold off NYU sophomore Andrew Kelly and the men ultimately fell in the unofficial conference championship.

However, the Judges still maintained a 4-1 record for the tournament with 22-5, 21-6, 21-6 and 20-7 wins against Haverford, Hunter, NJIT and Stevens respectively.

As the last home meet for Nunley and Cardillo, their younger counterparts were more than thrilled to see the seniors recognized for their performances and stalwart dedication to the team.

Hearne was especially proud of Nunley and the effort she put into helping shape the program.

“It made me really happy for Vikki to see her get recognized,” he said.

“It was well-deserved recognition for all the work she's put into the team. She really bounced back after

her year off from the team.”

The fencers were pleased with the support provided by the Brandeis students at this distinctive home meet. Foilist Toby Gray ’16 in particular, who notched four wins on the day, enjoyed the support of some of the other athletes.

“I think it's nice to see other students come out to show support,” Gray commented.

“It was especially nice to see some [members of the] men’s soccer [team] show their support.”

Both the men and women will travel to Durham, N.C. next weekend to participate in the Duke University Invitational.

The meet will include fencers from Duke, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Temple University’s women’s team, Johns Hopkins University and the Massachussetts Institute of Technology.

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15

TRACK AND FIELD

jUDGES BY THE NUMBERS Men’s BASKETBALL UAA STANDINGS

TEAM STATS

Points Per Game

Not including Monday’s games UAA Conference

W L W WashU 7 0 16 Case 4 3 12 Emory 4 3 12 Chicago 4 3 11 NYU 3 4 13 Carnegie 3 4 10 Rochester 2 5 8 JUDGES 1 6 9

Gabe Moton ’14 leads scorers with 18.3 points per game.

Player PPG Gabe Moton 18.3 Ben Bartoldus 13.4 Derek Retos 8.8 Alex Stoyle 8.4

Overall L Pct. 2 .875 6 .667 6 .667 7 .611 5 .722 8 .556 Rebounds Per Game 10 .444 Gabe Moton ’14 leads the team with 5.9 rebounds per game.

9 .500 Player RPG Gabe Moton 5.9 Ben Bartoldus 4.1 Alex Stoyle 4.0 Youri Dascy 3.8

UPCOMING GAMES: Friday vs. Case Sunday vs. Carnegie Friday, Feb. 14 vs. WashU

WOMen’s basketball UAA STANDINGS

TEAM STATS

Not including Monday’s games UAA Conference

W L W WashU 7 0 17 NYU 5 2 16 Emory 4 3 15 JUDGES 4 3 10 Chicago 4 3 10 Carnegie 2 5 11 Case 1 6 7 Rochester 1 6 7

Points Per Game

Overall L Pct. 1 .944 2 .889 3 .833 8 .556 8 .556 7 .611 11 .389 11 .389

UPCOMING GAMES: Friday vs. Case Sunday vs. Carnegie Friday, Feb. 14 vs. WashU

Nicolina Vitale ’14 leads the team with 10.6 points per game.

Player PPG Nicolina Vitale 10.6 Niki Laskaris 10.4 Kasey Dean 9.9 Maria Jackson 8.7

Rebounds Per Game Paris Hodges ’17 leads with 5.2 rebounds per game.

Player RPG Paris Hodges 5.2 Maria Jackson 5.2 Nicolina Vitale 5.1 Angela Miller 4.2

FENCING Results from the Eric Sollee Invitational held this past Saturday

TOP PERFORMERS (Men’s)

TOP PERFORMERS (Women’s)

SABER Adam Mandel

RECORD 11-1

SABER Deborah Abiri

ÉPÉE Ari Feingersch

RECORD 9-3

ÉPÉE RECORD Gwendolyn Mowell 10-2

FOIL Noah Berman

RECORD 10-2

FOIL Caroline Mattos

RECORD 10-1

RECORD 11-0

UPCOMING MEETS: Friday at Duke Invitational at Durham, N.C. Wednesday, Feb. 12 at Beanpot Tournament in Cambridge.

Friday, Feb. 14 at USA Fencing Junior Olympic Championships

TRACK AND FIELD Results from the Tufts University Stampede held on Saturday

TOP FINISHERS (Men’s)

60-Meter Dash RUNNER TIME Adam Berger 7.71 Eddie Tai 7.78 Ben Pomerantz 7.84 Makalani Mack 8.20

UPCOMING MEETS:

TOP FINISHERS (Women’s)

1-Mile Run RUNNER TIME Victoria Sanford 5:03.41 Kelsey Whitaker 5:03.43 Kristi Pisarik 5:30.82

1000-Meter Run RUNNER TIME Ashley Piccirillo-Horan 3:07.71

Friday at the Valentine Invitational at Boston University Feb. 15 at the Tufts Cupid Challenge at Tufts University Feb. 22 at the New England Division III Championships at Springfield, MA

JON EDELSTEIN/Justice File Photo

INSIDE EDGE: Molly Paris ’16, who took 12th place in the 1000-meter run on Saturday, races in a meet in December 2012.

Squads round into form at regional competition ■ The men’s and women’s track and field teams ran against top opponents at the Tufts University Stampede.

By HENRY LOUGHLIN Justice SENIOR WRITER

The track and field teams need to begin entering peak form before this year’s University Athletic Association Championships are held later this month.

After Saturday’s meet at the Tufts University Stampede, the Judges are well on their way.

Up against some of the top Division III programs in New England, the men finished ninth out of 13 competing teams, while the women took ninth of 17 squads.

Vincent Asante ’14 was impressed with the performance of the Judges and how it was indicative of how the team has grown.

“Everyone looks like they’re building on the good form we’ve had all semester long,” he said.

“A lot of people are improving on times and in physical and mental toughness. The meet displayed a good reflection of how our team has been building since day one.”

Mohamed Sidique ’15 led the indi-

vidual charge with his pair of sixthplace finishes, picking up points in the 600-meter run—timing in at one minute, 26.96 seconds—while jumping 6.25 meters in the long jump.

Asante said he was especially impressed with Sidique’s showing in the 600-meter run. “[Sidique] had one of the most surprising performances for the 600-meter run because it was his first time running the event but he posted a really good time,” he said.

Adam Berger ’15, meanwhile, took seventh in the triple jump with a distance of 12.53 meters.

Matthew Becker ’16 also competed in the 600, finishing two spots behind Sidique with a time of 1:27.51. Quinton Hoey ’17 took 10th in the 3000-meter run, stopping the clock at 9:05.52.

Mark Franklin ’17 then placed 10th in the high jump competition with a leap of 1.73 meters.

In addition to the individual top-10 finishes, the men’s 4x200 meter relay team took fifth place, running 1:44.13, while the 4x400 meter squad placed sixth in 3:39.28.

The women’s squad, despite featuring a lack of competitors necessary to place well in the meet, was similarly successful. Although the Judges featured just eight competitors, the team managed to rack up 19 points.

Victoria Sanford ’14 and Kelsey

Whitaker ’16 were separated by just two one-hundredths of a second in the one-mile run, taking second and third with times of 5:03.41 and 5:03.43, respectively. Kristi Pisarik ’15 also competed in the race for the Judges, placing in 14th with a time of 5:30.82.

Their distance compatriot, Ashley Piccirillo-Horan ’17, continued her middle-distance success, placing fourth in the 1000-meter run with a time of 3:07.71 for the five-lap race.

Molly Paris ’16 also broke the 3:30 barrier, timing in at 3:24.90, good for 12th place.

In addition to the middle-distance races, Brandeis had three competitors put forth strong efforts in the shot put. Ashley Klein ’17, Alyssa Fenenbock ’15 and Selena Livas ’16 took 25th, 27th and 28th, respectively, in the event, with throws of 7.57, 6.92 and 5.11 meters, respectively.

Asante commented that the meet leaves the Judges in a good position moving forward.

“We look like we’re in great shape,” he said.

While Brandeis performed well in this weekend’s Division III competition, the Boston University Valentine Invititational on Saturday will give the Judges exposure to top-level Division I programs. However, after their showings at Tufts, the teams will be equipped to give it their all.

BOSTON BRUINS BRIEF Bruins defeat visiting Edmonton Oilers on Saturday to close a week of high-scoring games at TD Garden The Boston Bruins continue to beat up on less physical teams as the season rolls along, reeling off wins over the Edmonton Oilers and Florida Panthers last week. However, they could not take down rival Montreal Canadiens when they visited TD Garden last Thursday.

On Saturday, the Bruins took on the Edmonton Oilers for their 10th matinee game of the season and won by a 4-0 margin.

The tone of the game was set three minutes and 20 seconds in, as the Bruins right wing Shawn Thornton broke out into a fight with the Oilers left wing Luke Gazdic.

Both players received fighting penalties, leaving their respective teams with four competitors each on the ice, a prime opportunity for one of the two teams to grab a lead.

Though the next two minutes were four-on-four hockey, the period ended in a scoreless tie.

At 2:06 into the second period, center David Krejci put the Bruins on the scoreboard with a slap shot that got past Oilers goalie Ben Scrivens.

The Bruins would erupt in the third period, scoring three times on goals from defenseman Dougie Hamilton, left wing Carl Soderberg and defenseman Torey Krug.

Hamilton pointed to quick puck movement as a reason for the offensive outburst.

“I think when we move the puck and we move our feet I think we’re better as a team and get the puck out of our end a lot better,” he said.

Though the Bruins scored four times on Saturday, it was the visiting Canadiens who, this time

around, put up four goals on Thursday night.

After goals from defensemen Alexei Emelin—at 2:16 into the game— and left wing Max Pacioretty put the Canadiens up 2-1, the Bruins clawed back with a goal of their own.

Left wing Loui Eriksson pushed the puck up along the boards into the offensive zone, setting up a onetime shot from Hamilton. The shot ripped past Montreal goaltender Peter Budaj to bring the score to 2-1 in favor of the Canadiens with just under five minutes remaining in the first period.

That was the closest Boston would come. The Canadiens tacked on two goals in the second to push their lead to 4-1 and closed out the win by stopping 10 third-period shots.

Bruins coach Claude Julien stated

three reasons for his team’s loss to their division rival.

“We didn’t skate well tonight, we didn’t make good decisions and we didn’t execute well,” he said. “When you’ve got none of those three things, you’re not going to win too many hockey games.”

In Tuesday’s 6-2 win against the Panthers, against former Bruin goalkeeper Tim Thomas, Boston jumped out to a lead with a goal from left wing Milan Lucic just under 10 minutes into the first period.

Before the first period was done, the Bruins had added to their lead as defenseman Zdeno Chara sent a slapshot from the right circle that hit a mass of players in front of Thomas’ goal. With the Florida goalkeeper out of his net, the puck squirted into the empty net.

The Bruins added to their lead with 1:46 on the clock in the second period. Lucic bagged his second goal of the night for a 3-0 advantage. With 5:06 left, right wing Reilly Smith got in on the act, slotting past Thomas to send the crowd wild.

“You just wanted to kind of keep this good feeling going,” Lucic said of the performance.

“It seems like our game is definitely moving in the right direction.”

After the Panthers responded with two goals of their own, the Bruins secured scores from Thornton and Krejci to seal the win.

The Bruins welcome the Vancouver Canucks to town tonight and will then head to St. Louis on Thursday.

—Marissa Ditkowsky, Avi Gold and Henry Loughlin

just

Sports

Page 16

BEST FOOT FORWARD The men’s and women’s track and field teams took on Division III opponents at the Tufts University Stampede, p. 15.

Tuesday, February 4, 2014

Waltham, Mass.

Fencing

RECORD BREAKER

Squads triumph in last home meeting ■ The men’s and women’s

fencing teams combined for a 9-1 overall record in the Eric Sollee Invitational held in the Gosman Sports and Convocation Center.

By dan rozel JUSTICE STAFF WRITER

MORGAN BRILL/the Justice

MAKING WAVES: Joanna Murphy ’17 set a school record in the 1,000-yard freestyle against Clark University on Saturday.

Judges defeat Clark for first victory of the year ■ The men’s swimming and

diving team earned their first win in five years while Joanna Murphy ’17 improved upon a 15-year old school record in the 1,000-yard freestyle.

By abigail rothstein JUSTICE contributing WRITER

The men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams celebrated their final home meet in exciting fashion against Clark University at the Linsey Sports Center on Saturday.

The men’s swimming team picked up a remarkable win, triumphing over the Cougars by only one point, 131.5-130.5. Although the women fell to Clark 170-107, the squad had a successful day on an individual level.

Joanna Murphy ’17 headlined the day for the women, demolishing a 1,000-yard freestyle record that has stood since 1999.

With the one-point win, the men’s team enjoyed their first home-triumph since February 2009.

The victory proved to be a fitting symbol for a revamped swimming program at the renovated pool in the Linsey Sports Center. “[The victory] did not signify a change in our program, but rather a sign that we are reestablishing ourselves,” coach Michael Kotch said about the win.

However, it was unclear if the men would be able to pull off an overall victory over the Cougars, as the outcome of the competition was determined by the day’s final event: the 200-yard freestyle relay.

With only a third-place finish needed to defeat Clark, the men’s squad—composed of Allan Chuang ’17, Max Fabian ’15, Danny Icaza ’17 and Joe Jacobowitz ’14—swam the race in a time of one minute and 39.12 seconds, enough to propel the

Judges in a narrow win against the visiting Cougars.

Jacobowitz, who anchored the relay, raced in his last home meet before graduation. He finished his leg of the race in 24.01 seconds—giving the Judges ample time to secure third place and defeat Clark.

“It was a fun race and we were all pretty excited because we knew we only needed to come in third to win the meet,” Jacobowitz reflected. “I'm glad to see us win one at home before I graduate.”

The men’s side was victorious in other aspects of the competition as well, touching the wall first in all races except for two.

These victories included an unusual tie between Brian Luk ’16 and senior Clark swimmer Clive Green in the 50-yard freestyle, in which both swimmers finished with a time of 22.30.

Luk, a consistently strong swimmer for the Judges, showed that this competition was no different, winning in both the 100-yard and 200yard freestyle competitions.

Fabian continued his streak of success by surging once again past the long-distance competition. He won the 1,000-yard freestyle by a margin of 1.23 seconds, coming in with a time of 10:03.94.

Fabian also won the 500-yard freestyle in 5:00.17 and the 200-yard butterfly in 2:03.90.

The men continued to reel off impressive efforts this past weekend with several more winners, proving that a lack in numbers would prove to not be a major hindrance.

Jacobowitz was proud to state the outcome of the day reflected the hard work and good times the squad has recently posted.

“People have been swimming great times all season, but we usually don't win because of our small size,” he commented.

David Lazarovich ’16 took first in three competitions.

Lazarovich beat Clark competitors in both breaststroke events, winning the 100 in a time of 1:04.56 and the 200 in 2:21.09.

Lazarovich also won the 200 individual medley in 2:07.30.

Although the women’s team could not defeat Clark, the individual swimmers had a successful day posting wins in nine out of 16 events on the afternoon.

Murphy seized the competition by not only winning the 1,000 freestyle in a time of 10:37.65, but in the process, lowering the school record by 10 seconds.

The record, previously set by Kelsa Teeters ’99, has remained untouched since 1999.

Murphy had an extremely admirable performance on Saturday, cruising ahead to win the 200-yard freestyle by 17 seconds and, from there, taking the 500-yard freestyle competition in a time of 5.16:88.

Fallon Bushee ’16 also won multiple events. Bushee displayed variety in the meet, clinching the victory in both the 100-yard freestyle and the 100-yard breaststroke with times of 57.44 and 1:15.70, respectively, in the two races.

Bushee was especially fundamental when it came to the Judges’ victory in the 200-freestyle relay, anchoring the race with a 26.83 split en route to a Brandeis victory in a time of 1:50.42.

Meanwhile, the women’s squad swept the freestyle competition, a commendable feat for such a young team like the Judges.

Margot Farnet ’17 won the 50-yard freestyle in 27.53 seconds, coming in with a time less than a second ahead of the next competitor.

Looking forward, the squads will next travel to Atlanta for the University Athletic Association Championships. The Judges will take a two week break before heading south to Emory University for the conference meet on Feb. 12.

The Brandeis fencing squads hosted the Eric Sollee Invitational on Saturday, an annual opportunity for the Judges to showcase their talents throughout their lineup.

As the hosts, the Judges strung together an impressive 9-1 combined record, suffering just one slim 15-12 loss at the hands of the New York University men’s team.

The women, meanwhile, blazed through the combined competition of New Jersey Institute of Technology, Stevens Institute of Technology, Haverford College, Hunter College and NYU. The Judges earned their closest victory, a margin of seven points, against Haverford College.

Except for the loss to NYU, the men were dominant throughout the day as well, scoring over 20 points in every single match.

Additionally, the invitational marked the last home meet for captains Julian Cardillo ’14 and Vikki Nunley ’14, who each turned in strong days for the Judges.

At the lunch break of the meet, University President Frederick Lawrence made a surprise appearance, honoring the squad’s seniors for their work and commitment to

the team.

Meanwhile, for the women’s squad, foilist Caroline Mattos ’16 led the charge, posting an undefeated 11-0 record on the day. Fellow foilist Nunley followed suit, dropping just one single bout of the 11 in which she participated.

Deborah Abiri ’16 posted a 10-1 record to lead the saberists while team rookies Ashley Jean ’17 and Nina Sayles ’17 contributed eight wins apiece.

Epeeists Gwendolyn Mowell ’16 and Sonya Glickman ’16 had 10 and nine victories respectively, significantly bolstering the squad’s overall efforts on the day.

The toughest match of the day for the women, though, was against Haverford, following a third round bye. However, the women managed to escape with a 17-10 victory.

The Judges went 22-5 against NJIT and Hunter and 21-6 against Stevens, proceeding to cap off the day with a 20-7 victory in the unofficial University Athletic Association championship against rival NYU. Eva Ahmad ’16, who added three wins of her own as a substitute, weighed in on the toughest matchup of the day against Haverford.

“Haverford, after our lunch and bye, was a pretty close meet but that was also when the team had friends coming in for support, filling the bleachers,” she said.

“All I can say is that for the Haverford meet, we were giving in our all to ease into the NYU meet, which we knew was going to be just as tough, if not tougher.”

On the men’s side, saberists Adam Mandel ’15 and Jess OchsWillard ’15 posted a combined 19-4

See FENCING, 13 ☛

Women’s basketball

Team adds to winning streak on Midwest trip ■ The women’s basketball

team pushed their winning streak to four games with wins over Carnegie Mellon University and Case Western Reserve University.

By elan kane JUSTICE STAFF WRITER

The women’s basketball squad went on the road this past weekend, looking to continue a recent winning streak against Midwest opponents.

The Judges did so, winning both of their games this past weekend against University Athletic Association opponents, defeating Carnegie Mellon University 58-55 on Sunday and Case Western Reserve University 63-58 on Friday.

With the victories, the Judges improve to 10-8 overall and 4-3 in UAA play, climbing into a tie for fourthplace in the conference.

The Judges extended their win streak on Sunday to four victories in a row, cobbling together their longest streak since the 2009 to 2010 season and matching their win total from last year.

The game featured 20 lead changes and, additionally, the largest lead by either team was seven points.

Brandeis went into halftime down 30-27, and at the outset of the sec-

ond half, Carnegie Mellon increased their lead to six points following a traditional three-point play made by Carnegie Mellon sophomore forward Liza Otto.

The Judges responded on a sixpoint scoring run to tie the game with 16 minutes, 44 seconds remaining. After swapping leads with Carnegie Mellon for about 10 minutes, the Judges found themselves trailing 4944 with 6:15 left.

Brandeis then went on another scoring run, scoring 10 of the next 12 points. While trailing 51-49, center Nicolina Vitale ’14 scored on a oneand-one play, proceeding to make one of her two ensuing free throws to give the Judges the lead for good. Forward Maria Jackson ’17 then blocked a shot and collected the rebound on CMU’s next possession, leading to a jump shot from guard Janelle Rodriguez ’14. After two Tartans free throws made it a one-point game, Vitale responded with a jumper on the next Brandeis possession to increase the lead back to three points.

Carnegie Mellon didn’t let up, though, scoring on their next possession to get back to within one at 56-55 with 1:51 remaining. Yet the Judges came away with two big defensive stops and hit their free throws to end the game.

Jackson finished the game with a double-double, tallying a team-high 16 points to go along with 13 re-

See WBBALL, 13 ☛

JustArts Volume LXVI, Number 18

Your weekly guide to arts, movies, music and everything cultural at Brandeis and beyond

Tuesday, February 4, 2014

Waltham, Mass.

TS S O H N O I UN T N E D U T S

T H G I N Y R T E O P M SLA

‘LABOR DAY’ - Unconventional plot drives endearing film » 23

INSIDE

VALENTINE’S DAY IN THE ARTS Creative destinations for you and your loved ones » 20

‘SIX MILLION AND ONE’ Film documents family’s journey to concentration camps » 21

AFRO-BRAZILIAN ARTISTS The Museum of Fine Arts engages in cultural exhibit » 23

18

justARTS

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 2014 | THE JUSTICE

CALENDAR

INTERVIEW

$

What’s happening in Arts on and off campus this week

ON-CAMPUS EVENTS Beats of Peace

In a journey for peacemaking and beat-making, Cynthia Cohen, director of the Brandeis Peacebuilding and the Arts program will discuss her research on African drumming as a tool to bridge ethnic gaps between warring tribes in Burundi. Participants will be able to apply Cohen’s insights to a community drum circle led by Toussaint Liberator, music educator on the African-American experience. Liberator is also the lead singer of Soulie and has shared the stage with The Rolling Stones, The Dave Matthews Band, John Mayer and others. People from all rhythmic backgrounds are encouraged to attend.

Today from 7 to 9 p.m. in the Alumni Lounge, Usdan Student Center. This event is free and open to the public.

Mira Kessler ’16 and Makalani Mack ’16

Spirituality and the Quest for Justice in the African-American Musical Tradition

Brandeis Bridges Fellows direct upcoming play

Jane Sapp will offer a performance and presentation that identifies the roots of the African-American musical tradition in West African cultures, in the period of slavery and in the black church, illustrating how music became a platform in which the voices, lives and struggles of her community could be expressed and heard. Songs combining the community’s spiritual impulses with its commitment to social justice prepared the ground for the nonviolent movement for civil rights. Sapp’s stories, singing and piano playing will captivate us, and leave us unable to sing along.

Wednesday from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. in Slosberg Music Center. This event is sponsored by Peacebuilding and the Arts students and the Social Justice and Social Policy program.

RACHEL HUGHES/the Justice

JustArts spoke with Mira Kessler ’16 and Makalani Mack ’16, two Brandeis Bridges Fellows who are directing an upcoming production of Fires in the Mirror.

JustArts: As Brandeis Bridges Fellows, how did the idea to share your experiences through a play come up?

Mira Kessler: Actually, in our application process, we had to write about an event that we would plan when we got back to campus, after Israel. I’m really into theater so I thought I could direct a play, and I had this specific play in mind, Fires in the Mirror. … I think it was Ryan [Yuffe ’14], one of the founders of the group, who was like, “Hey, we want you to do the play, and you should talk to [Mackalani], he would want to get involved.” So then, before we even knew each other really, the week before winter break, we met and talked about directing it together.

One to One—Lending a Hand to Women in Afghanistan

JA: For those who are unfamiliar with Fires in the Mirror, could you tell us a bit about the production?

Makalani Mack: It’s about the 1991 riots between Jews and blacks in Crown Heights, in New York. It started out when an African-American young boy was hit by a Jewish-American in a car, and riots spilled out continuously after that. The play is pretty much ... a collection of monologues from both blacks and Jewish characters in that time.

MK: It was originally a one-woman show, and she does all the characters—but we’re not going to do it as a oneperson show... because it’s a play of monologues, it’s really flexible on the number of people in the cast. I guess the idea was really to bring the two communities together, though. And it was pretty contemporary—1991 was not that long ago.

JA: What elements of your experience as Bridges Fellows do you hope to share with your audience, and what do you hope they’ll take away from the production?

MK: What I’ve learned most in the Bridges experience is that, I think, everyone going into it was a little apprehensive, like “can members of these two communities actually become really close friends, and work together, and learn to really respect each other?” And I think we found that, yes, we definitely can, because now members of the group are some of my closest friends on campus.

I think what we hope to achieve through the play is to give the cast the same opportunity to form these bonds…

The play is kind of alienating, in a way, because you see how much conflict and how little willingness there is for both sides to meet in the middle or admit that they were wrong, so I think we hope that, by being able to look back at the conflict that people see in front of them, that they’ll be able to realize how ridiculous it is that our differences keep us apart.

MM: One thing I learned while in Israel is that, as an African-American, we have been through our share of traumatizing experiences. This play has one traumatizing experience that involves both parties against each other. ... I hope it can bring everybody together in that setting, seeing what we’ve gone through, but at the same time, seeing that we’re both here on this campus, sharing this space. I think that, hopefully, even just with blacks and whites, we can find a way to get over this hump, and find a way to get over stereotypes, and find a way to get over the fears of sparking a conversation with somebody that you’ve never met before. Hopefully that will happen there, and that didn’t happen in 1991 because there was so much tension. It’s not really, I guess, an “announced” tension on campus, but you can feel it, just because— there’s just so much misconception, and a lot of times people hold that in their minds and that just builds up.

JA: What are you most looking forward to about the production and the performance?

MM: I can’t wait for the first night we show, especially because everything’s falling into place successfully.

MK: Same. I’m just excited for it all to come together, and for relationships to form... We’re just really optimistic because we saw how well we can interact and how close the two communities can become, so I think we’re in this state of wanting to share it with everyone.

—Rachel Hughes

Join in this collaborative project to bring attention to the importance of educating women around the world,

especially those affected by war—one of the most important social justice issues of our time. Working with women and girls, as well as with local groups in Afghanistan, help create a large installation of handmade “hand portraits” for exhibition. Installed collectively, the hands will signify power, strength, blessing, protection and justice. All proceeds from exhibitions and workshops will support the education of women and girls in Afghanistan and Pakistan through schools established by Barakat Inc. No art experience necessary.

Thursday from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Kniznick Gallery in the Women’s Studies Research Center. This event is free and open to the public.

‘A View from the Bridge’

In this compelling drama, Arthur Miller raises questions about the bonds of family in 1950s Brooklyn, N.Y. Eddie Carbone is a simple, hardworking man who has inherited the duty of raising his niece, Catherine, after his sister’s death.

Life is smooth and predictable until his wife’s two cousins, illegal immigrants from Italy, move in with the family.

When Catherine and one of the cousins, Rodolpho, begin a relationship and want to marry, Eddie suspects Rodolpho is using Catherine to obtain American citizenship. In Eddie’s attempt to protect his niece, he sets into motion a series of events, and what Eddie doesn’t know about his true motivations and about life will lead to devastating consequences. This production is sponsored

by Brandeis Theater Company.

Showing at 8 p.m. from Thursday through Saturday, as well as at 2 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. Showings will be in the Laurie Theater, Spingold Theater Center. Tickets range from $5 to $20 and are available at the Brandeis Ticket Office in the Shapiro Campus Center.

Hooked on Tap

Hooked on Tap’s annual show includes a variety of performances from

hot and possibly one to two guest performers—tap groups from other schools.

Sunday in the Shapiro Campus Center Theater from 2 to 4 p.m. This event is free and open to the public.

OFF-CAMPUS EVENTS ‘Think Pink’

Think Pink explores the history and changing meanings of the color as its popularity ebbed and flowed in fashion and visual culture from the 18th century to the present day. An interdisciplinary show drawing from across the Museum of Fine Arts collections, Think Pink juxtaposes clothing, accessories, graphic illustrations, jewelry and paintings to shed light on changes in style; the evolution of pink for girls, blue for boys; and advances in color technology.

Think Pink includes a selection of dresses and accessories from the collection of the late Evelyn Lauder, who was instrumental in creating an awareness of breast cancer by choosing the color as a visual reference.

The exhibition will be on view through Oct. 19 at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. Admission ranges up to $25, and is free with a Brandeis ID.

BSO: Stucky, Schumann and Brahms with Bernard Haitink and Murray Perahia

Boston Sympohony Orchestra Conductor Emeritus Bernard Haitink is joined by revered American pianist Murray Perahia for the powerful and lyrical Piano Concerto of Robert Schumann. In characteristic understatement, Brahms downplayed the intense, minor-mode Fourth.

Opening the program is a wind ensemble re-composition, created by the American, Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Steven Stucky of the 17th-century Englishman Henry Purcell’s funeral music for Queen Mary.

Friday at 1:30 p.m. at the Boston Symphony Hall. Tickets are available online at http://bso.org/ and range from $31 to $97.

POP CULTURE n

ww On Sunday Jan. 26, former star of The Bachelor, Sean Lowe, married his fiancée Catherine Giudici in a live, televised ceremony. Lowe, 30, proposed to Giudici, 27, at the end of the 17th season of the popular ABC reality series. The nuptials took place at the Four Seasons Biltmore Resort in Santa Barbara, California, and multiple former Bachelor and Bachelorette contestants were in attendance, including Desiree Hartsock, who became the next Bachelorette after being sent home on Lowe’s season.

Lowe, a “born-again virgin,” and Giudici garnered attention up until the wedding ceremony due to their public decision to wait until marriage to have sex.

The two have cited their religious beliefs for having come to that choice. A day after the ceremony, the couple appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live, and the host jokingly subjected them to a lie detector test, which was administered by Dennis Blackstock, a polygraph expert. The test confirmed that the couple did stick to their convictions and waited. After their Tahitian honeymoon, Giudici will reportedly move into Lowe’s Dallas home.

In other news, actor Owen Wilson, 45, welcomed a son on Thursday with his former personal trainer Caroline Lindqvist, with whom he is no longer in a relationship with. Wilson also has a three-year-old son, Robert Ford, with his ex-girlfriend Jade Duell. Back in October, when Wilson’s representative confirmed that he was expecting another child, Lindqvist was in the process of divorcing her husband. Though that sure sounds like a bit of a complicated scenario, congratulations to the parents nonetheless.

Breaking news out of Tinseltown this week also included reports that actor Jesse Eisenberg has been cast to play Lex Luthor in the upcoming Man of Steel sequel—a natural leap for someone who starred as Mark Zuckerberg in The Social Network, for sure. Warner Brothers broke the casting decision on Friday.

This sure-to-be-a-blockbuster sequel is already full of star power. The film will feature Ben Affleck (Batman), Jeremy Irons (Alfred, Batman’s butler), as well as

By Mara Sassoon

CREATIVE COMMONS

IN REMEMBRANCE: On Sunday morning, actor Philip Seymour Hoffman, 46, passed away. returning stars like Henry Cavill (Superman) and Amy Adams (Lois Lane).

The choice of Eisenberg has already attracted mixed reactions—whatever the final product, the film has already effectively captured people’s attention with its casting. The still untitled sequel is set to premiere in theaters in May 2016. We will have to wait and see if it can break Man of Steel’s gross of over $600 million.

Last of all, the tragic news of Academy Award-winning actor Philip Seymour Hoffman’s death hit media outlets on Sunday. Hoffman’s friend, screenwriter David Bar Katz, found him in his Greenwich Village apartment around 11:30 a.m. that day. Hoffman was 46. Police confirmed the death, which was reportedly

caused by a drug overdose. They found Hoffman with a syringe in his arm as well as envelopes containing what was believed to be heroin at the scene. Last May, Hoffman entered rehab for snorting heroin. He had apparently relapsed after being clean for 23 years.

In 2005, Hoffman won a Best Actor Oscar for the titular role in Capote. He was nominated for Best Supporting Actor three times as well, for his roles in The Master, Charlie Wilson’s War and Doubt.

His work on Broadway also earned him three Tony Award nominations. The versatile actor is survived by his partner of 15 years, costume designer Mimi O’Donnell, and their three young children. Hollywood has lost a bright talent.

ARTS COVER PHOTOS: MORGAN BRILL and ABIGAIL ROTHSTIEN/the Justice, Creative Commons and courtesy of the Museum of Fine Arts. DESIGN: OLIVIA POBIEL/the Justice.

ON CAMPUS

THE JUSTICE | TUESDAY, february 4, 2014

19

POETRY

Slam poetry night takes on social justice

MORGAN BRILL/the Justice

LAUGHING MATTER: Student improv group Crowd Control was one of the first performers at the Student Union’s slam poetry night. Clockwise from bottom far left, Johnny Shakerchi ’16, Cassidy Swartz ’16, David Getz ’15 and Andre Bourne ’16.

By rachel hughes justice editor

MORGAN BRILL/the Justice

STANDING PROUD: Dean of Students Jamele Adams begun the event with an original slam poem that had the packed audience clapping.

“When I say ‘open,’ you say ‘your mind,’” Dean of Students Jamele Adams yelled to a crowd of students packed like sardines into Cholmondeley’s on Friday night.

“Open!” he yelled. “Your mind!” everyone yelled back. “Let’s pray,” Adams continued, opening up the event, a slam poetry night sponsored by Student Union’s Social Justice and Diversity Committee. Adams’ prayer turned into a slam poem that borrowed words from many of our community’s role models, including the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Adams set a cathartic mood, yelling lines such as, “Silence is violence and screaming is proverb.”

Prior to the show, the Social Justice and Diversity Committee, led by Naomi DePina ’16, Dana Levin ’16, Kira Levin ’17 and Jennifer Almodovar (TYP ’18) prepared a lineup of over a dozen performers and groups— all students—who each presented original pieces, from songs to slam poems, from comedy routines to spoken word works. The performances chronicled their personal experiences with social justice and diversity. Some of the most powerful pieces, though, were rooted in the students’ yearning to change the world around them as they recounted first-hand experiences of gross injustice.

Coming off the heels of Adams’ resonant opening, the student improvisation group, Crowd Control, provided a lighter dose of entertainment as they cracked the audience up with a series of crowdsourced sketches.

Samantha Gordon ’14 introduced the group, and they started in on a series of jokes about sex.

Some of the highlights included individual plays on starter phrases “I make love like I sing…” and “I make love like I cook…”—but one of the funniest came from David Getz ’15, who proudly said “I make love like I cry… into a Kleenex.”

By the end of Crowd Control’s routine, the audience had loosened up a bit, and attentively snapped their fingers, clapped and screamed for the slew of poets who performed next. Students Sequan Spigner (TYP ’18), Asisa Isack ’17, LaQuasia Cherry (TYP ’18), Risa Dunbar ’17 and Shannon Simpson ’17 delivered original poems that cycled through an intense round of emotions and experiences.

Their poetry touched on diversity and cultural stereotypes and redefined terms, like what it means to be an “angry black woman,” or to wear your hair “relaxed or natural.” Each of these poems lasted a few minutes, and was riddled with beautiful, resonant lines, such as “my mind is talking to your mind and I cannot believe that somehow we got stuck in between.”

During a brief intermission, Osaze Akerejah ’14 performed raps that he had written, and the audience became especially quiet as he was delivering lines. He was followed by Joel Burt-Miller ’16 and Erica Barnett ’17, who performed a song, yelling out to the audience, who quickly started yelling back, “How can color stop me from being me?” and “I’m black and I’m proud, say it loud!”

One of the most powerful poems of the night, titled “Love song to self when I forget the struggle is long and messy,” was written and read by Alia Abdulahi ’17. Her writing was both deeply personal and also widely culturally compelling, and lines like “holding onto another culture in a nation that hates the other,” and “we are more than the shame we inherited,” illustrated her grappling with assimilating her family’s heritage with the largely heterogeneous cultural norms in America.

Another poem, written and read by Jessie Shinberg ’17, included the line “only nothing is too little for someone who needs everything”—a thought that effectively summed up the artistic and emotional content of the night.

The event was staged to remind students that every little action and thought makes a difference in the world around us and the way that we interact with others now paves the way for the next generation.

CONCERT

Student Events unveils winter concert performers By rachel hughes justice editor

This weekend, the names of the performers who will be bringing this year’s winter concert to life were released on a Facebook event for the concert.

The performers who will be coming are hip-hop artist Danny Brown and disc jockey opener RJD2. Sponsored by Student Events and WBRS, this year, the concert takes on mild inspiration from rave culture with a warehouse party theme, and is scheduled for the evening of Thursday, Feb. 13 in Usdan Student Center’s Levin Ballroom.

Danny Brown is an up-and-coming artist who has been lauded by major media outlets like MTV, which has called Brown “one of

rap’s most unique figures in recent memory.”

Brown uses music and social media to share his hopeful story as a recovering drug addict. His 2011 album XXX was rated Spin’s number-one hip-hop album of the year.

RJD2 is a famous producer, whose work has been featured on television shows and in several advertisements.

Hopefully, the winter concert will be an enjoyable and safe experience for all in attendance.

A Brandeis ticket is required for entrance, and tickets will be on sale this week for $5 and available for $10 at the door.

The concert will be a wonderful opportunity to bring friends to campus, too, as up to five tickets can be purchased with a single Brandeis ID.

Left, PHOTO COURTESY OF FLICKR USER ELI WATSON/CREATIVE COMMONS; Right CREATIVE COMMONS

SURPRISE, SURPRISE: Hip-hop artist Danny Brown (left) and disc jockey RJD2 (right) will perform at the upcoming winter concert.

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TUESDAY, february 4, 2014 | THE JUSTICE

valentine’s day events

Venture into Boston this Valentine’s Day

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By RACHEL HUGHES and EMILY WISHINGRAD justice EDITORS

With a history that extends back to one of its first mentions in Geoffrey Chaucer’s Parlement of Foules, written in 1382, Valentine’s Day holds a sentimental place in our hearts every year on Feb. 14. This week, JustArts previews four events that are perfect for a Valentine’s Day excursion for you and your sweetheart. With events and activities at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, Brandeis’s own Rose Art Museum and the Boston Public Library, there is no limit to arts events to attend on this special day and the weekend following.

BUILDING BRIDGES: French artist Claude Monet’s impressionist paintings will be on display at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.

The exact paintings will be revealed on Valentine’s Day. CREATIVE COMMONS

Museum of Fine Arts: ‘Boston Loves Impressionism’ On Valentine’s Day, Boston Loves Impressionism opens at the Torf Gallery at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. The exhibit is composed of 30 impressionist works chosen by people who voted online for their favorite pieces. In the spirit of Valentine’s Day surprises, the exhibit will not be unveiling the top pieces until Feb. 14. As part of the opening weekend festivities, the exhibit will hold three gallery talks on the 14th. At 1 p.m., cura-

tor of the exhibit Emily Beeny will give a talk entitled “Impressionism Comes to Boston.” Henry Augustine Tate, a professor of art history at the Berklee College of Music, will speak on works that focus on the themes of love and romance in poetry and painting in his talk “Love and Lovers at the MFA” from 6 to 7 p.m. Finally, from 7 to 8 p.m. Christopher Gilbert will hold a talk called “Broken Hearts” that will discuss broken-hearted themes in works

from Greek coins to medieval panels to Cubist masterpieces.

Valentine’s Day events will continue for three days at the museum and the exhibit Boston Loves Impressionism will be open through May 26. General admission to the museum is $25 and for seniors and for students it is $23. University students will get in free with a Brandeis ID. All events taking place for the opening weekend are free with admission.

COLOR PALETTE: The Rose’s new collection of works will include visually dynamic works like this one, by Wols.

Wols, Untitled, ca.1946/47. Courtesy of Karin and Uwe Hollweg Siftung, Bremen

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CREATIVE COMMONS

MUSIC OF LOVE: The musical compositions of composer Antonio Vivaldi will be performed.

Handel and Haydn Society

On Feb. 15, join the Handel and Haydn Society for a romantic night of classical music at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. Their website notes that although Vivaldi’s violin concerti are very wellknown in the music community, his cello concertos are a little more obscure. The website states that “[t]he [cello] was just on the cusp of gaining recognition as a worthy solo vehicle when Vivaldi pushed the limits of cellists’ technique with some of his 27 cello concerti.” The performance will feature four works by Vivaldi as well as works by Purcell and Durante for strings, lute and harpsichord. Cellist Concertmaster Aisslinn Nosky and keyboardist Ian Watson will lead Guy Fishman and the principal players from the Handel and Haydn Society in concert. The concert will take place in Remis Auditorium, from 2 to 3 p.m. Admission is $16 for members of the museum, students and seniors, and $20 for general admission.

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Rose Art Museum’s spring opening On the eve of Valentine’s Day, stop by the Rose Art Museum between 5 and 8 p.m. for a special reception for the museum’s spring opening. In addition to the opportunity to view select pieces from the museum’s permanent collection, visitors will be able to see five new exhibitions for the first time, presenting a range of mediums and created by artists from all over the world.

These new exhibitions include Chris Burden’s The Master Builder, Mika Rottenberg’s Bowls Balls Souls Holes, Collection in Focus: The Threshold

CREATIVE COMMONS

Annual Storytelling Festival at the Boston Public Library For those who prefer the emotionally and culturally interactive format of storytelling, the Third Annual Boston Storytelling Festival is the perfect event to kick off Valentine’s Day weekend. At the Rabb Lecture Hall at the central branch of the Boston Public Library, the festival will offer programming from morning until late afternoon on Saturday, Feb. 15—and all with free admission. In the morning, until lunchtime, there will be a lineup of traditional storytellers performing, followed by personal storytellers for the 21st century in the after-

of Recognition and Rose Projects 01A, Wols and Charline von Heyl’s The Matter that Surrounds Us, as well as the second installment of the Rose Video projects, Rose Video 02: Mark Boulos and Josephine Meckseper. Some of the themes explored in these new collections of works include bodies and viscerality, architecture and structure, as well as visual and conceptual design.

The museum’s spring opening will certainly make for the perfect outing for those who enjoy intellectual and emotional engagement with art.

noon, and the day will finish off with storytelling workshops. The workshops offered include “From Page to Stage” and “Personal Narrative.” In addition to the workshops, there will also be folk and fairy tale-telling during the day, and a themed poetry slam.

The day will be sponsored by the Boston Public Library and massmouth, Inc., a nonprofit organization that seeks to promote the art of storytelling. On a holiday that celebrates love stories, this festival is an ideal excursion for those who wish to commemorate their own personal stories.

BOOK WORMS: Traditional as well as modern storytellers will perform on Feb. 15 at the Boston Public Library.

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Design by REBECCA LANTNER/the Justice

THE JUSTICE | TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 2014

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FILM REVIEW

Fisher seeks out stories of the Holocaust

TRACING HISTORY: After reading his father’s diary, the director, David Fisher, felt that he knew his father better and needed to make the journey to the camps to retrace his footsteps.

SPEAKING OUT: Fisher interviewed American vetarans involved in liberating the concentration camps. Some say they will never be able to forget.

ABIGAIL ROTHSTIEN/the Justice

CREATIVE COMMONS

By EMILY WISHINGRAD JUSTICE EDITOR

IMAGE STILL FROM ‘SIX MILLION AND ONE,’ COURTESY OF NANCY FISHMAN FILM RELEASING

THE PATH LESS TRAVELED BY: In a meditative walk through the woods in which their father was released from a concentration camp, the four Fisher siblings share moments of meditation and recollections.

IMAGE STILL FROM ‘SIX MILLION AND ONE,’ COURTESY OF NANCY FISHMAN FILM RELEASING

DOCUMENTING A JOURNEY: David Fisher and three of his siblings took the trip of a lifetime when they went to visit the concentration camp in Austria in which their father was improsioned during World War II, embarking on a journey which changed their lives forever.

Walking through the forest where their father, Joseph Fisher, was liberated from the concentration camp Gusen II, four siblings sit on a bench as they try to piece together and comprehend their father’s life in the camps and after his liberation. Gideon Fisher reflects that the beautiful and horrible scenery of the forest, where hundreds of prisoners once flocked to freedom, is an experience “meant to crush your soul completely.”

Chronicling a journey for understanding, the documentary Six Million and One follows four Israeli siblings as they travel to and tour the concentration camp in which their father was imprisoned during World War II. On Thursday evening, the Wasserman Cinematheque held a screening of the documentary, directed

by David Fisher. The film, sponsored by the Lew and Edie Wasserman Fund and the Schusterman Center for Israel Studies, was followed by a question-and-answer session with Fisher.

In the film, the Fishers take a physical and emotional journey as they walk down the street that once was the main road between the bunkers, tour the tunnels where the prisoners worked creating airplane parts, walk down into the quarries where they mined for granite and finally end up outside the home where their father went directly after liberation.

The film uses very intimate camera work in order to make the viewer feel as if he or she is there seeing the camps and experiencing the awe and horror. For example, the film uses close-up shots of the family’s dynamic in their private discussions and zooms in on certain shots, such as images of Fisher’s feet as he walks through the camps. This front-row seat provides a devastating but enlightening view for the audience.

Although the images and memories presented in the film are heartbreaking, the film skillfully links together tragedy and comedy in the siblings’ shared discussions, laughter, quarrels and tears. At one extremely intense point while the siblings are touring the dismal tunnel where the airplanes were created, one of David’s siblings, Estee Fisher, breaks down and says that she doesn’t want to see it, blaming David for bringing his siblings to see the camps on a vacation, of all things.

At the end of the scene, however, the discussion turns lighthearted as the siblings start to laugh and tease each other as they try to decide who got the most attention as a child.

Periodically, the film would cut to scenes of a woman reading a numbered list of “Causes for Death” in a somber voice, staring straight at the camera. “Hanged,” “Accident (casualty),” “Shot” and “Suicide” were just some of the horrible examples that she read of what must have been written down on a log, recording how people died in the camps. These moments were some of the most intense and devastating as prisoners’ deaths were put into plain sight for the audience, anonymously and numbered.

As a unique facet to the film, Fisher actually interviewed American soldiers who were involved in liberating the camps. In the question-and-answer session, Fisher noted that the American soldiers were able to tell him “what [his] father couldn’t have told [him].” It would have been too hard to tell. Even for the American soldiers, it seemed excruciatingly difficult to recall and recount what happened on that day. Many said that they would never be able to forget the what they saw.

Six Million and One is an incredibly enlightening film as it shares individual stories of the prisoners in concentration camps. But uniquely, the film also depicts the toll taken on the second-generation survivors, people whose parents were victims of the Holocaust.

In the question-and-answer session, Fisher described Six Million and One as a “film about normality”—a film about mourning and remembering the past while moving forward and living life afterward.

Do you enjoy museums, music, theater or movies?

Write for Arts!

Contact Rachel Hughes and Emily Wishingrad at arts@thejustice.org

THE JUSTICE | TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 2014

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FILM REVIEW

CREATIVE COMMONS

FAMILY MATTERS: Adele (Kate Winslet) struggles to cope until she meets Frank (Josh Brolin), who changes her life forever.

Film challenges traditional love stories

By JESSIE MILLER JUSTICE EDITOR

Losing love and the subsequent fear of spending life alone are devastating. The new film Labor Day, based on the 2009 novel of the same name by Joyce Maynard, brilliantly captures the downfalls and joys of love through the lens of grieving mother Adele (Kate Winslet) and her 13-year-old son Henry (Gattlin Griffith), who encounter escaped convict Frank (Josh Brolin). The film was originally released at the Telluride Film Festival last August in the noteworthy first feature slot, following in the footsteps of other successful films such as last year’s Argo. Directed by Jason Reitman, Labor Day marks an interesting progression of Reitman’s work after his hit films Thank You for Smoking, Up in the Air and Juno.

Labor Day, set in the summer of 1987, opens with a detailed portrait into the lives of Adele and Henry, who live a quiet life after her divorce from Henry’s father Gerald (Clark Gregg). Adele suffers from depression, struggling to leave the house to run errands, and her hands consistently shake in moments of anxiety. Henry, who retrospectively narrates the film, is incredibly

attentive and caring toward his mother. He explains that he sees how much she’s suffered from losing love itself and attempts to fill that void; for example, he makes her breakfast in bed and gives her a book of handmade coupons for assorted chores and favors. Their relationship is one of the most remarkable aspects of the film, both in the emotional connection and also as the actors develop a different type of parent-child relationship.

In a rare trip to the store, Henry meets Frank, who just escaped from prison while having minor surgery. Bleeding through his stark white T-shirt, Frank forces Adele to take him back to their house, but the film doesn’t follow the typical hostage situation—Frank and Adele develop a dynamic and tender relationship that manages to overshadow any negativity in the film.

Though the premise of falling in love with your captor is a bit unusual, Reitman creates a love story that transforms two broken individuals. The film revolves around the progression of Adele and Frank’s relationship, as well as their relationship with Henry. Over the course of the long Labor Day weekend, the film uses flashbacks, details and powerful emotional ties to progress the

plot.

The beauty of Labor Day is in its many silent moments that truly encapsulate the theme and events of the film. In one scene, Frank silently ties Adele to a chair (in case she is forced to testify to the police) and then feeds her dinner that he made. The moving silence perfectly contrasts with the underlying tension in the scene. Another memorable silent moment was one of the first tender scnes between Adele and Frank—sitting on the steps while Henry plays a few feet away.

The film proves that family is not a rigid entity, but a fluid self-created structure. The flashbacks to Frank’s past, including the crime he committed, also occur in silence with the emphasis entirely on his story.

Griffith, who has appeared in several television shows and films, conveyed a deep sense of maturity and depth as the young boy. His wide, expressive eyes captivated each scene he was in and he developed an excellent rapport with his costars. Toward the middle of the film, Henry meets Eleanor (Brighid Fleming), a girl his age who just moved to town after dealing with her own family issues. The two display an innocent yet intense relationship, both wise beyond their years after dealing with many chal-

lenges in life. The two young actors have a lot of potential for their future years and are perfectly cast in Labor Day. Winslet is also an ideal choice for the melancholic role of Adele—both her body language and eyes convey her deep pain in her performance. Winslet also does an excellent job transforming her character from forlorn to engulfed by love. Brolin expertly mixes a rugged exterior with complex inner emotions and a challenging past.

Aside from the acting, the cinematography and musical score are also outstanding.

Set in New Hampshire, the scenery is exquisite and is accompanied by sharp eye for detail, from items around their house to the local grocery store. The film feels immensely real and tangible because of this. As for the score, the music plays a critical element in the key moments of the film and I found myself hypnotized.

Though Labor Day has received negative reviews from many critics and the plot is a bit far-fetched, Reitman—who also wrote the screenplay—directed a dynamic and engaging film that I thoroughly enjoyed. Plus, Clark Gregg—the amazing Phil Coulson from The Avengers movies—makes a great appearance as Gerald, Adele’s ex-husband.

MUSEUM EXHIBIT

Works depict Afro-Brazilian history and culture

By KIRAN GILL JUSTICE STAFF WRITER

Vibrant tropical hues and textured prints are unleashed in the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston’s current exhibition, Samba Spirit: Modern Afro Brazilian Art. The show, curated by Karen Quinn, author and Art of the Americas curator, is composed of 15 paintings, a drawing and two sculptures, this exhibit introduces the Boston public to 20th century Brazilian artists of African descent, many of whom where selftaught.

Every painting in the exhibition is defined by the superb use of bright colors to depict a rich range of shades and hues, yet Maria Auxiliadora de Silva’s pieces, in particular, “Plantation” and “Rain over São Paulo,” immediately draw one’s eye. Her paintings have an animated quality not just because of the bright colors, but also because of her unusual technique of mixing paste with pigment—a technique that creates a 3-D effect as the paint protrudes from the canvas. The composition of “Plantation” reflects a tapestry-like quality, depicting figures bending- over crops to pluck and preen the vegetation. The sky is blue, the earth a rich brown and the figures are haphazardly scattered in the midst of the field, clothed in pinks and blues, wearing summertime hats whose oranges and reds jut out of the landscape into the realm of the viewer.

While de Silva’s “Plantation” is an idyllic, languid image of the land, her “Rain over São Paulo,” depicts bustling, busy city life just as the sky opens and releases a torrent of rain.

This is not your normal city of glass skyscrapers and cold, hard concrete. Though an asphalt road whizzes through the center off the canvas, it is cocooned by houses and buildings that are various shades of pink, from hot bubblegum to magenta and even orange buildings.

The raindrops are hitting the pavement hard. Girls run for shelter. People are opening umbrellas and along the curving road, a blue car whizzes past an individual hoping to hail a cab. In contrast to this unkind act, a woman from the second floor of her building is handing out umbrellas to those who are without one. By not finding a cab to acts of generosity, the piece combines the best and the worst of city life.

Sergio Vidal da Rocha also reveals an exquisite ability to manipulate color through his painting, “The Inconsolable Widow”. An open casket lies diagonally through the center of the painting and the room is overflowing with guests in attendance of the wake. The widow can be found in the bottom right hand corner of the painting. The widow’s hand cups her face; her eyes are downcast as her friends console her. Faces are large and expressive. The brushstrokes pronouncing the upside down frowns and the swells and curves in the faces are duplicated in the pleats of the fabric covering the

guests’ bodies. The image of this wake is peculiar in an American context because the wake attendees are not adorned in somber clothing.

They are dressed in beautifully pale pastels.

Rather than their clothes defining their emotions, the grief and sorrow is uncontrollably expressed through the tears and the expressions of the guests.

In contrast to de Silva’s colorful, relaxed plantation scene, José Antonio da Silva’s painting, “Rice Field,” depicts much more sobering, somber work. Drawing on his personal experience as an itinerant farm worker, da Silva’s painting depicts figures toiling at the bottom of the canvas. The dark figures stretch their limbs and bend their backs as they harvest rice. The depiction of a rice field may allude to an AfroBrazilian legend in which the grain was first brought to the land hidden in the hair of a soonto-be slave. As such, the painting is not a joyful depiction of agriculture life. Instead, fallen and dead trees are scattered throughout the painting, reflective of the negative, destructive effects that clearing the land for agriculture and progress can have.

This small, intimate exhibition at the MFA depicts the best and worst of humanity. The legacy of slavery coupled with the beautiful Afro-Brazilian history has created works of art that engage the viewer with their ability to depict both the light and the dark. The show is on view until Oct. 19.

PHOTO COURTESY OF THE MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS

HAVE A SMOKE: “Homem com Cachimbo e Chapéu,” translated as “Man with Pipe and Hat,” is on view at the Museum of Fine Arts.

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TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 2014 | THE JUSTICE

TOPof the

ARTS ON VIEW

Brandeis TALKS

CHARTS

Quote of the week

Top 10s for the week ending February 2

“Honestly, I’m always happy to get a laugh. I knew while filming that I’d want to show it to my friends, but had no idea it’d be shown to so many.”

BOX OFFICE

1. Ride Along 2. Frozen (2013) 3. That Awkward Moment 4. The Nut Job (3-D) 5. Lone Survivor 6. Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit 7. Labor Day 8. American Hustle 9. The Wolf of Wall Street (2013) 10. I, Frankenstein 3-D (2014)

—Max Zaslove ’16 (News, p. 5)

What would you have done if the turkey flew into your window?

NYT BESTSELLERS

MARISSA DITKOWSKYthe Justice

MONKEYING AROUND: Justice editor Marissa Ditkowsky ’16 saw this gorilla at the Bronx Zoo in New York. The adorable creature was lounging and playing with the trees in his luscious pasture.

Brendan Weintraub ’16 “I would’ve screamed like a little girl, then called BEMCo.”

THE JUSTICE WANTS TO SEE YOUR ORIGINAL ARTWORK! 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

Ethan Fougner ’15 “A lot of profanities would have been yelled.”

Abby Brooks ’16 “Probably would’ve freaked out and called my mom.”

David Getz ’15 “I would’ve called Facilities, but I know it would have taken at least a month to get the turkey out of the window.”

ACROSS 1 Player with a record 14 100-RBI seasons 5 Dancer’s rail 10 Fake 14 Numbskull 15 “Love Story” co-star 16 Hookah, e.g.

17 *Flashy theatricality 19 Soccer shower 20 Parting that’s bid 21 Childlike sci-fi race 22 Abbr. before a date 23 Remitted 25 Good to go 27 Medicinal shrubs 29 Hoists with difficulty 32 Can opener 35 Prepare for a bout 36 Cereal usually served hot 37 Hardly first-class fare 39 Fans’ disapproval, and a hint to the starts of the answers to starred clues 41 Bowl over 42 Snorkeling spots 44 Boozehounds 46 Fr. religious figure 47 Dressed for choir 48 Do like Vassar did in 1969 50 Co-Nobelist Arafat 52 GI’s work detail 55 They may be saturated 57 Takes for a ride 59 Unsteady on one’s feet 61 Piece of farmland 62 *Folk music shindig 64 Landlocked African country 65 Like cardinals 66 Belg.-based alliance 67 Copy editor’s find 68 Pomme de __: French potato 69 Tax cheat chaser, briefly DOWN 1 Incantation opener 2 Places to find forks 3 David and Ricky’s dad 4 By the __: in quantity 5 Scary squeezer 6 Insect’s pair 7 Not fake 8 Maugham’s “The __ Edge” 9 Popeye creator Segar 10 Ones ignoring limits 11 *Tantrums 12 Date with a Dr. 13 Heal 18 Makes an unsound decision about?

Fiction 1. The Goldfinch—Donna Tartt 2. The Invention Of Wings—Sue Monk Kidd 3. First Love— James Patterson and Emily Raymond 4. Sycamore Row—John Grisham 5. Lost Lake—Sarah Addison Allen

Nonfiction 1. Duty—Robert M. Gates 2. The Things That Matter—Charles Krauthammer 3. David and Goliath—Malcolm Gladwell 4. Killing Jesus—Bill O’Reilly and Martin Dugard 5. Lean In— Sheryl Sandberg with Nell Scovell

iTUNES

1. Katy Perry—“Dark Horse (feat.

Juicy J)” 2. Passenger—“Let Her Go” 3. Pharell Williams—“Happy” (from Despicable Me 2) 4. Aloe Blacc—“The Man” 5. Pitbull—“Timber (feat. Ke$sha)”

BILLBOARD

1. Soundtrack—Frozen 2. Various Artists—2014 Grammy Nominees 3. A Great Big World— Is There Anybody Out There?

4. Beyonce— Beyonce 5. Lorde—Pure Heroine 6. Kidz Bop Kids—Kidz Bop 25 7. The Young Giant—Mind Over Matter 8. Bruce Springsteen—High Hopes 9. Katy Perry—PRISM 10. Eminem—Marshall Mathers LP 2 24 Dressed for dreamland, briefly 26 “Bingo!”

28 “You __ Beautiful”: Joe Cocker hit 30 Threaded fastener 31 Right upstairs?

32 Abdicator of 1917 33 Violist’s clef 34 *Hidden hazard 36 Camera setting 38 “Sure, go ahead!”

40 Fan club focus 43 Brigham Young’s gp.

45 Auto leasing choice 48 Furrow 49 Three-time NBA scoring champ Kevin 51 Mac messaging program 53 Early brunch hr.

54 Busybody 55 Trivia champ’s tidbit 56 In need of liniment 58 Roulette bet 60 City on the Rhône 63 Pittsburgh-to- Boston dir.

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 2013 MCT Campus, Inc.

Seeger Hits

By NATE SHAFFER JUSTICE STAFF WRITER

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.

Carly Chernomorets ’16 “I would have kept it as a pet and renamed my room Plymouth Rock.”

—Compiled by Lilah Zohar and photograhed by Josh Horowitz and Rachel Burkhoff/the Justice

Solution to last issue’s sudoku

Sudoku Copyright 2013 MCT Campus, Inc.

Last week America lost one of our most beloved icons, folk musician and activist Pete Seeger.

In addition to polarizing songs of folk musicians before him, he penned poignant songs that everyone, especially us Brandesians, ought to know.

1. “What Did You Learn in School” 2. “Last Train to Nuremberg” 3. “Bring Them Home” 4. “Joe Hill” 5. “Waist Deep in the Big Muddy” 6. “Turn! Turn! Turn! (To Everything There is a Season)” 7. “Noble Indian Chief” 8. “If I Had a Hammer” 9. “Where Have all the Flowers Gone” 10. “My Name Is Lisa Kalvelage”