ARTS PAGE 20
FORUM Making parties a priority 11
“PROSPECT I”
SPORTS Eder swims at NCAAs 16 THE INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER
the
OF
BRANDEIS UNIVERSITY SINCE 1949
Justice www.theJusticeOnline.com
Volume LX, Number 24
Waltham, Mass.
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
BUDGET
RESIDENCE LIFE
Reinharz to ask Board for $2M
Students waitlisted in room selection
■ University President
Jehuda Reinharz will request $2M to help fill fiscal 2009’s $5M deficit, which would add $2M to the deficit of fiscal 2010. By NASHRAH RAHMAN JUSTICE EDITOR
University President Jehuda Reinharz will ask the Board of Trustees for an additional $2 million from the University reserves of $85 million to help close the $5 million budget deficit in fiscal 2009, thereby adding $2 million to the projected budget gap in fiscal 2010, he said at last Thursday’s faculty meeting. Reinharz explained at the meeting that applying the additional $2 million to cover the expenses for fiscal 2009 will increase the projected budget deficit for fiscal 2010 from $6.9 million to $8.9 million. “There will only be an impact on [fiscal] 2010 if the Board of Trustees requires a payback provision for the additional $2 million,” Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Peter French confirmed in an e-mail to the Justice. French wrote that the budget deficit of $5 million for fiscal 2009 will be covered in part by $2 million from the University reserves that Reinharz previously requested and a projected $1 million in bequests, which are gifts left behind in a will.
■ Six rising sophomores
could not obtain housing at their scheduled appointment times. Students received housing the next day. By SAM DATLOF JUSTICE STAFF WRITER
the residency requirement, he explained. There are more costs associated with first-year students because they are guaranteed housing and because more students have to be accepted to account for any who might leave in the four years that follow, Hewitt explained. In terms of the JBS, Jaffe explained in a previous interview that under the current model, if students take two JBSs, they would only be on campus for five semesters, which the UCC felt was not academically beneficial. Currently, students must complete 128 credits, equal to 16 credits for eight semesters. Hewitt explained that students can fulfill up to 16 credits with non-numeric credit gained from AP exams or foreign final exams such as the International Baccalaureate and can thereby graduate in seven semesters. The University Bulletin currently states that students must complete at least
Six students were waitlisted for sophomore housing after the completion of the sophomore housing lottery March 17, but they were eventually offered on-campus housing the next day, according to Assistant Director of Residence Life Jeremy Leiferman. First-years and sophomores are guaranteed on-campus housing. However, some students, like Rebecca Eisenrich ‘12 and Ellen Franz 12, were given the choice of whether they wanted to go on the waitlist or live in residence halls that ResLife had selected for them. Others, like Zachary Herman ’12, were not given a choice and were instead automatically placed on the housing waitlist. Associate Dean of Student Life Maggie Balch and Leiferman said that most of the rooms offered to waitlisted students were previously saved for medical purposes, for instance, a carpetless room for students with severe allergies. All students wishing to participate in the housing lottery were required to “check the box” in SAGE by January 31, “signifying their intent to live on campus the following semester,” according to an e-mail sent by Massell Quad Director Brian Koslowski to the Massell residents. The Residence Life staff uses the “box” to make an estimate as to the number of beds required each semester. Leiferman felt that because 769 out of 785 rising sophomores participated in this year’s room selection process it was difficult to accommodate on campus housing for all of them. As sophomores will no longer be housed in Scheffres, North Quad, it was more difficult to allocate housing, Leiferman said. He said that oneand-a-half years ago first-years were originally housed in Scheffres but in order to provide more housing to
See REQUIREMENT, 7 ☛
See HOUSING, 7 ☛
JULIAN AGIN-LIEBES/the Justice
THE DEFICIT EXPLAINED: University President Jehuda Reinharz explained his request for $2M at last week’s faculty meeting. Reinharz initially discussed his plans to ask the Board for an additional $2 million with the Senate Budget Council, the Faculty Budget Committee and eight administrators,
including Provost Marty Krauss and Dean of Arts and Sciences Adam Jaffe, at a meeting on March 17 to address budget gaps for fiscal 2009 and 2010.
At a faculty meeting March 12 French said that the University reserves are projected to run out by the end of the next fiscal year and
See RESERVES, 7☛
ACADEMICS
UCC withdraws new residency requirement ■ The requirement, which
passed in its first reading, was withdrawn last week due to faculty concerns. By MIRANDA NEUBAUER JUSTICE SENIOR WRITER
The Undergraduate Curriculum Committee withdrew its motion to change the number of semesters a student must stay on campus from seven semesters to eight semesters due to faculty concerns about the proposal, Dean of Arts and Sciences Adam Jaffe announced at last Thursday’s faculty meeting. Faculty and students said that they were concerned that the proposal would financially disadvantage students and inconvenience them. The faculty had passed the motion in a first reading at the previous faculty meeting March 12.
University Registrar Mark Hewitt explained that the reasoning behind the residency proposal had to do with the ability of students to accelerate their graduation and the implementation of the Justice Brandeis Semester, which affect University revenue and the academic experiences of students. “I thought that the [withdrawal] was extremely well-handled by [Jaffe],” Prof. Dirck Roosevelt (ED) said after the meeting. “Between the first reading and today, there was a lot of discussion on the faculty listserv … that requiring the eighth semester would discourage students who might really want to come here but for either financial [reasons] or for reasons of personal aspirations would want to come here in the hope that they could complete [their degree] in seven rather than eight semesters.” “We don’t know whether students are [increasingly] going to end up [graduating] early, whether they’ll
take two Justice Brandeis Semesters versus one, we don’t know,” Prof. Malcolm Watson (PSYC) said, suggesting that the faculty could revisit the proposal later when more details were known. “I don’t want to take away degrees of freedom, of self-determination from the students [to take fewer semesters].” With regard to the issue of acceleration, Hewitt said that about 6 percent of the Class of 2009 elected to graduate early. In the current financial climate where the University seeks to increase the number of students to increase revenue and students graduate early, “by not increasing [the residency requirement], then we are looking [at] an additional 40 or 50 [first-years] that we have to admit each year, on top of what has already been proposed for budget reasons,” he said. Original models for bringing 100 more students per class over four years as part of larger academic restructuring assumed a change in
The Pachanga story
Shifting to lifting
’DeisBikes begins
■ Insight into one of the most popular events on campus.
■ Dave Almeida ’09, a former member of the baseball team, competes in national weightlifting competitions.
■ The ’DeisBikes program launched yesterday; bikes are now available for rent.
FEATURES 8 For tips or info call Let your voice be heard! Submit letters to the editor online (781) 736-6397 at www.thejusticeonline.com
INDEX
SPORTS 14 ARTS
17
EDITORIAL FEATURES
10 8
OPINION POLICE LOG
11 2
SPORTS LETTERS
NEWS 5 16 11
COPYRIGHT 2009 FREE AT BRANDEIS. Call for home delivery.
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TUESDAY, MARCH 24, 2009
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THE JUSTICE
NEWS POLICE LOG
BRIEFS Phi Beta Kappa elected the honorees of the Class of 2009 Phi Beta Kappa is the oldest and most prestigious undergraduate honors organization in the United States. Founded at the College of William and Mary in 1776, its high and rigorous standards of excellence have made election to it one of the highest academic honors an undergraduate at an American college can receive. Brandeis University had its first chapter of Phi Beta Kappa in 1962. No other University in the U.S. has been granted the privilege to form a chapter of Phi Beta Kappa more quickly than Brandeis. The Brandeis Chapter of Phi Beta Kappa has elected 80 new members to Phi Beta Kappa from the Class of 2009 and seven new members from the Class of 2010. The Brandeis Chapter of Phi Beta Kappa released the names of new electees this year: Electees from the Class of 2009: Alciere, Leila E.; Antill, Gregory E.; *Apter, Adam B.; Bechtolsheim, Benjamin A.; Becker, Justin R.; Bedell, Sarah L.; Bell-Schlatter, Emrys; Ben Nun, Anat; Berkson, Gary C.; Botnick, Brian D.; Bousany, Yonit C.; Braver, Alexander R.; Broderick, Zachary R.; Buenaventura, Juliana; Cadel, Caroline A.; Campbell, Nathaniel Rosenstein; Chalew, Hannah A.; Chapin, Stephanie L.; Charnoff, Maxine S.; Clark, Hannah E.; Cohen, Sharon S.; *Dai, Stacy Z.; Deslauriers, Lindsay L.; DiSanto, Amanda S.; Emer, David E.; Ersoy, Erkal; Fishman, Akiva N.; Gohen, Ethan D.; Goldberg, Levana B.; Goldstein, Maurice A.; Gormley, Jeremy B.; Gourisaria, Mohit; Grossman, Ana L. C.; *Gupta, Satyajit; Haas-Hooven, Molly; Hickey, James R.; Horwitz, Sima N.; Husain, Kabir B.; Kagen, Sierra N.; Kasumova, Gyulnara G.; Kellenberger, Daniel L.; *Kendler, Ron; Klesert, Amy M.; Knox, Aubrey L.; Kratchman, Rebecca A.; Landauer, Rachel J.; Levy, Ariel; Lewis, Kira J.; Lewis, Max A.; Linderman, Maya; Malkin, Olga; Miller-Patterson, Cameron; Moinester, Margot R.; Molcho, Samuel; *Neiger, Eve C.; Newman, Daniel S.; Perkins, Leora H.; Porteshawver, Nathan A.; Pyle, Zachary A.; Richards, Nathan S.; Richman, Caroline M.; Roller, Katharine A.; Ronish, Bonnie E.; RooksRapport, Yael; Rothman, Anna L.; Schulman, Rebecca K.; Schwartz, Desiree B.; Seitz, Jessica S.; Setty, Nithya G.; Sherman, Amanda B.; Sinclair, Sophie B.; Smith, Sara M.; Stoeth, Emily G.; Stotter, Brian R.; Suh, Yoo Kyung; Sussman, Robin J.; Talukdar, Faiyaz; Tone, Emily K.; Tse, Angela M.; Vanouse, Allison J.; Wangsa, Johan; Wells, Jeremy H.; *Wertman, Gabriella P.; Wright, Matthew B.; Yoon, Jiyoung; Zha, Yunlai.
Medical Emergency Mar. 18—University Police and BEMCo responded to a call from the Foster Mods for a male with a past head injury. BEMCo treated the party onscene with a signed refusal for further care. Mar. 18—A party in the Village called BEMCo for examination of a past leg injury. BEMCo responded. The party was treated onscene with a signed refusal for further care. Mar. 18—University Police and BEMCo responded to a call from Kalman Science Building for a 20-year-old female having a seizure. The party was transported by ambulance to the Newton-Wellesley Hospital. Mar. 19—A 22-year-old male in Kalman was reported having breathing problems. The man was also feeling faint. University Police and BEMCo responded. The man was
transported to the NewtonWellesley Hospital by ambulance. Mar. 19—A 22-year-old female in Ziv Quad called BEMCo complaining of dizziness. The Waltham Fire Department, Weston Fire Department and BEMCo responded. The party was transported by ambulance to the Newton-Wellesley Hospital. Mar. 22—An 18-year-old female in North Quad was reported throwing up and fading in and out of consciousness. The party was transported to the Newton-Wellesley Hospital.
cupants of 2B to quiet down, and the parties complied. Mar. 20—University Police received a report of loiterers throwing rocks. Police checked the area but found nothing. Mar. 21—University Police received a complaint of loud music and yelling from 150 Charles River Road. Five individuals in the room were asked to quiet down and complied. Mar. 22—University Police responded to a report of loud noises coming from the second floor of 110 Charles River Road. Police responded and advised the loud parties to quiet down, and they complied.
Disturbance Mar. 17—A call from 567 South St. was received with a complaint of the residents of apartment 2B jumping up and down, keeping the occupants of apartment 1B awake. University Police told the oc-
Miscellaneous Mar. 18—An unknown party left a piece of paper in the Epstein Women’s Studies Center bathroom stating, “Obama’s policies are wrong for America.”
Spring Shuttle tickets will continue to be sold
Electees from the Class of 2010: Balik, Paul S.; Beller, Daniel A.; Eron, Abby R.; Gewurz, Danielle E.; Goldwasser, Mia R.; Marmor, Lee A.; Shevelyova, Anna.
A group in Waltham says it will offer loans to graduating students WALTHAM—A group founded by graduates of the Harvard Business School says it will offer new loans for students graduating with professional degrees. Graduate Leverage LLC’s announcement bucks the trend of the tightening private credit that has characterized the current economic recession. Waltham-based Graduate Leverage says it will originate and service all loans to cover expenses related to residency programs or preparation for state bar exams. Graduate Leverage president and co-founder Dan Thibeault says that the program is intended to support the graduate as well as professional student communities.
CORRECTIONS AND CLARIFICATIONS
The Justice welcomes submissions for errors that warrant correction or clarification. E-mail jsw5@brandeis.edu.
theJustice 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 every Thursday from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. in the Justice office.
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SENATE LOG
* (also elected as juniors)
An article in Arts last week incorrectly spelled the first name of a student. Her name is Ell Cohen, not Eli Cohen. (Mar. 17, p. 19). An article in Sports last week incorrectly stated the number of Brandeis tennis players who took their single matches into the third set. Three players took their matches to the third set, not two. (Mar. 17, p. 14).
University Police will compile a report. Mar. 20—University Police stopped an individual looking into the windows of 110 Angleside Road. The party was identified as a student and stated that he was waiting for a pizza delivery and accidentally looked into the windows. The party was advised to move on once the delivery had arrived and complied. Mar. 20—An odor in the Volen National Center for Complex Studies was reported. University Police responded and called an electrician, who indicated that the smell has occurred previously and put in a call to the supervisor for the area. No report was compiled.
JULIAN AGIN-LIEBES/the Justice
United for Peace From left Alex Melman ’11, Rivka Maizlish ’10 and Amanda Hoffman ’11 gathered on the Great Lawn last Thursday for a vigil to reflect on the international consequences of the war in Iraq, which began in 2003.
Student Union President Jason Gray ’10 announced in his executive officer report that the residency requirement that would change the requirement from seven to eight semesters was not passed at last Thursday’s faculty meeting. Director of Community Advocacy Andy Hogan ’11 announced that Spring Shuttle ticket sales are ongoing and will continue in the Usdan Student Center throughout next week. Hogan discussed the second edition of the Stall Street Journal, which is a Student Union publication placed in the stalls of Brandeis bathrooms to quickly inform students of projects that the Union is working on. Hogan also The Senate dechartered the Real Estate club, Disc Golf Club, Students Acquiring Social Skills, Up the Bean Stalk and Scuba Diving Club. Students Against the Judge Rotenberg Center, which was previously chartered, was recognized. The Voter Participation Act was passed by the Senate. It obligates the Elections Supervisor to notify constituents of ongoing elections. The Union provisionally recognized the Israel Outdoor Leadership Initiative, a club that will take Brandeis Students already in the Middle East on an on foot tour of Israel. The club plans to get sponsorship from Jewish and Israeli organizations in order to keep the price of this tour low. The Senate tabled a bylaw amendment that would address how the Senate uses its discretionary money; this amendment would address the recent Union Judiciary decision regarding Bill Ayers and what constitutes a “Senate” project. The Senate passed a Senate Money Resolution that grants $250 to the Social Justice Committee to sponsor food for the God Sleeps in Rwanda Charity Dinner. The senate also passed an SMR for $365 to the Brandeis 5K Charity Run. The Brandeis 5K Charity Run will be co-sponsored by the running club. Senator for Class of 2012 Akash J. Vadalia announced that he will be bringing the Senate Money Resolution regarding the Midnight Buffet to the Senate next week. —Destiny Aquino
ANNOUNCEMENTS Iceland and the Financial Crisis
A Talk on Social Justice
The New Republic On Campus
Students can learn how the international financial crisis has affected Iceland’s financial institutions, its domestic politics and government and its relations with its neighbors. Icelandic graduate student Bjorn Gunnarsson will provide his personal perspective on key local issues, and Prof. Kerry Chase (POL) will help shed light on the causes and implications of the crisis. Wednesday from noon to 1:30 p.m. in the Usdan International Lounge.
Kim Bobo, a leading voice for workers rights and the founder of Interfaith Worker Justice will talk about her experiences as a social justice leader. She will also discuss her new book, “Wage Theft in America: Why Millions of Working Americans Are Not Getting Paid—And What We Can Do About it.” Wednesday from 7 to 8:30 p.m. in Rapaporte Treasure Hall. For more information, e-mail dnathan1@brandeis.edu.
Editor- in- Chief of the New Republic Martin Peretz ’59 will discuss his life and career since graduating from Brandeis. Peretz will specifically discuss the current state of American journalism and the intersection between journalism and public intellectualism. This event is sponsored by the Journalism department. Thursday at 4:30 p.m. in Olin-Sang Auditorium. For more information, e-mail farrelly@brandeis.edu.
Judging War Crimes in Bosnia and Herzogovina Superior Court Judge of Massachusetts Elizabeth Fahey will discuss her experience as an international judge and will talk about the international justice system at large. Wednesday from 5 to 6:30 p.m. in the Shapiro Campus Center Atrium. For more information, e-mail alciere@brandeis.edu.
How the Media Reflects Gender Issues in China
The Excavation of Roman Theaters
Cai Yiping, an experienced journalist and advocate on gender-related issues in China, will share her views on the women’s movement in China. Yiping will also discuss how to cope with political constraints and gender bias in the journalism field. Thursday from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. in the Epstein Women’s Studies Center.
Join Frank Sear from The Center for Classics and Archeology at the University of Melbourne to hear him speak as a part of the Martin Weiner Lecture Series. In his talk, Prof. Sear will detail the reasons he chose these particular Roman theaters. Thursday from 5 to 6:30 p.m. in Lown Room 2.
THE JUSTICE
ACADEMICS
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TUESDAY, MARCH 24, 2009
3
STUDENT UNION
CARS drafts a timeline for academic cuts SAF could be uncapped ■ Departments that may be affected by budget cuts will be informed beforehand, according to the timeline. By MIRANDA NEUBAUER JUSTICE SENIOR WRITER
The Curriculum and Academic Restructuring Steering committee plans to inform departments that could be affected by the cuts they recommend before presenting its recommendations and proposals to the Brandeis community, according to a draft timeline Provost Marty Krauss presented at last Thursday’s faculty meeting. According to the timeline, CARS plans to complete its report by April 16. Krauss explained that there will be meetings over a two-work day period, April 17 to April 20, during which departments for which the report recommends cuts will be notified before the report is released online April 20. CARS will then present its recommendations and the rationale for the recommendations at a special faculty meeting April 23. This timeline grew out of discussions in a three-hour meeting last Tuesday that included administrators, representatives of the Faculty Budget Committee, the Faculty Senate Council and members of the University Advisory Councils, Krauss said Thursday. Several directors of graduate
school programs expressed concern about the timeline as it could relate to the reduction of Ph.D. programs, since many prospective doctoral students are expected to accept admissions offers by April 15, before the final decisions about the proposals would be made. After the meeting, Krauss and Dean of Arts and Sciences Adam Jaffe said that they would inform graduate school doctoral programs of possible cuts at the beginning of Passover break, prior to the completion of the report and a final decision, to give them the option of informing prospective students. Krauss emphasized the difference between having a timeline for cutting programs and not adding programs. “When you’re talking about reducing programs ... it was felt that that’s a much more difficult conversation to have; [it’s] very difficult to agree to cut a program publicly,” she said at the meeting. “We needed to create a specific time zone when these discussions would be taking place.” “[According to the Faculty Handbook], establishment of undergrad academic program requires legislative approval of a faculty meeting,” Krauss stated. “But if a program is discontinued, the faculty handbook does not require a faculty vote.” She added that proposals for discontinuing a program have to be submitted to the Undergraduate Curriculum Committee or the Council of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences for
review respectively. Krauss said that she intended to give her report to the Senate May 10 and post it online that same day, before presenting her decisions if a faculty meeting is called May 7. “[The timeline] basically completes the work that CARS was established to do.” Some faculty expressed concerns at the faculty meeting about the timeline process. “How do you draw the line between what’s new and covered by the Faculty Handbook that requires full faculty approval, and how do you distinguish that from changes [which do not]” one faculty member asked. Jaffe, however, explained that the timeline process related only to recommendations for “the discontinuation of a department, diploma or a degree” and not other kinds of proposals. “I’m very struck by the chronology which says that the report will be completed, and only after the report is completed ... those affected will be informed,” Prof. Jacob Cohen (AMST) said at the meeting. Dean Jaffe responded that CARS had been seeking input from departments and consulting with them. “I don’t think 350 people can effectively make difficult decisions about their neighbors,” Prof. Jane Kamensky (HIST) said, supporting the timeline and the role of the administration. Emphasizing accountability, she added that it was important to know “at whose doorstep the changes lie.” Prof. Peter Conrad (SOC), chair of
the faculty budget committee, which participated in the meeting, said those faculty present supported the timeline in light of the financial challenges the University faces. Krauss explained that the benefits of the timeline included capitalizing on existing momentum by linking the already established new options of the Business Major with Justice Brandeis Semester with the restructuring of existing programs, ensuring full faculty participation without summer surprises when faculty are not on campus, providing clarity for incoming students and meeting the Board of Trustees’ expectation for a comprehensive academic plan. However, Krauss noted that the downsides of the timeline would be that it would compress the period of time required to make consequential decisions that could contribute to negative media coverage. Krauss told the Justice Friday that she had submitted the timeline to the Committee on Faculty Rights and Responsibilities for their review. “It’s going to be a very rough period,” Krauss said in an interview regarding the three-and-a-half-week time period after the release of the report. “Part of the reasons we’re talking about the process [is] to let people know that this is coming up, and given the fact that we’re so deep into the semester, we’re going to do our very, very best to be as consultative as possible,” Krauss said.
ROSE
New committee on the Rose met for the first time ■ The committee, formed by Provost Marty Krauss, met for the first time to make recommendations. By ALANA ABRAMSON JUSTICE STAFF WRITER
The Committee on the Future of the Rose Art Museum that was formed by Provost Marty Krauss last week held its first meeting last Thursday to discuss the charge of the committee, according to Prof. Detlev Suderow (IBS), a member of the committee. The first meeting largely consisted of discussions revolving around the exact charge, or purpose, of the committee, Suderow said. “The task at a very generic level is the future of the Rose, but there is some disagreement over whether the future of the Rose is dependent or independent of the current fiscal realities. We are currently finalizing the ultimate responsibilities of the committee. When it is finalized on paper, it will be published to the larger Brandeis community,” he said. The meeting was not open to the press or the public. While Suderow said in an interview with the Justice that the committee recognized the need for transparency, the committee agreed not to discuss any specifics of their discussions from the first meeting in an effort to prevent any confusion and prevent conflicting messages. “The committee is keenly aware that the Brandeis community needs to be updated on a regular basis. Transparency is very much on our minds. This is not a secret committee, but a committee of dedicated members looking at an extremely controversial issue. The committee agreed not to make any statements until we have agreed on those formal statements,” he said. Suderow hopes that a decision will be published soon but said he did not know when that would be. “When people do not know anything, they begin to speculate about what is going on,” he explained. “The sooner the statement comes out, the better,” he said. While Suderow said the committee had not finalized the technicalities of the communications process, he said he expects the committee to follow the established procedure of publishing minutes for the public, which he said he will suggest at the next meeting. Suderow also said the members of the committee represented a wide
JULIAN AGIN-LIEBES/the Justice
FUTURE OF THE ROSE: Robert Meyer (PHYS) withdrew his proposal to keep the Rose open as a public museum last Thursday. range of opinions about the Rose Art Museum which contributed to the delay of finalizing a decision about the specific task of the committee. “The committee consists of people from the Fine Arts faculty and Roy Dawes, a member of the Rose Staff, as well as people from the business perspective,” Suderow said, adding that “there are a wide range of opinions to sort through, but we will all do what is necessary to come out with a report to present to the Board of Trustees that reflects the considerate opinion of this wide-ranging committee. We will certainly agree to do the right thing for the University,” Suderow said. Prof. Jerry Samet (PHIL), the chair of the committee, wrote in a March 16 e-mail to the Justice that the committee’s objective is to provide recommendations about the Rose Art Museum to the administration who will then make recommen-
dations to the Board of Trustees. “The committee will only make recommendations; it will not make final decisions. The broader Brandeis community will have an opportunity to digest and comment on the report, and the administration will ultimately make a recommendation to the board of trustees,” Samet wrote, adding, “We’ll try to figure out a reasonable timeline for our report at the first meeting.” “In my personal opinion, recommending that the University keep the museum open as a public museum will only be valid if we present other options,” Samet wrote in a March 16 e-mail to the Justice. “Just saying ‘no’ is not a solution,” he said. However, Samet wrote in a March 23 e-mail to the Justice that he would not be able to say “anything of substance” about the committee’s first meeting.
Catherine McConnell ’10, the undergraduate student representative on the committee, could not be reached for comment by press time. Suderow said that while the committee agreed to try to formulate a report by the end of the semester, it will continue working beyond this semester if it does not fulfill that goal: “The committee agreed that we should not rush to form a proposal for the board of trustees, because this problem is too important to form a consensus, but that we should provide the larger community with a status report before the end of the semester.” If the committee is able to compile a proposal for the Board of Trustees by the end of the semester, Suderow said that he is unsure if it will change the University’s decision to close the Rose as a public museum unless it presents alternative options of handling the fiscal crisis.
■ The Union expects that a
decision on uncapping the Student Activities Fee will be made next Wednesday. By HARRY SHIPPS JUSTICE STAFF WRITER
The Student Union has submitted a proposal to University administration to uncap the Student Activities Fee, Student Union President Jason Gray ’10 said in an interview with the Justice. Gray said that he expected the Board of Trustees to vote on the issue at the next meeting Wednesday. He added that the Union had submitted the request last week after clubs and organizations on campus required more funding. Because of a surplus in the Student Activities budget due to the money that rolled over from year to year, the Student Union and University administration reached an agreement to cap the Student Activities Fee for the 2008 to 2009 academic year, according to Gray. Gray explained that the SAF has traditionally been approximately 1 percent of a student’s tuition that has been used to provide funds for University recognized clubs and organizations to the administration. Union Treasurer Max Wallach ’09 elaborated that as the quality of the events that clubs are hosting is improving, expenses are also increasing. “New clubs being chartered by the senate each week are increasing the burden on the finance board and SAF,” Wallach said. Gray believes that the Union’s proposal will pass as the initial agreement between the Union and the University administration to cap the SFA was only temporary for one year. Stephen Costa, a budget analyst for the Union, explained that when he began at Brandeis in January 2006, many clubs that received financial support from the University had offcampus bank accounts. “There was all this money out there … when we started bringing everything back in-house, in [fiscal 2007], under the Student Activities Fee Reform Amendment,” Costa said. He continued that organizations had to cut back on their spending before they were eligible to receive more money. The Student Activities Reform Amendment was passed as a way to give the Finance Board more control over how much money in the SAF was allocated. Under the terms of the amendment, all student organizations must have their requests for money reviewed by the F-Board. According to Costa, the money, which was brought back onto campus in 2007 and constituted the rollover in the student activities budget, totaled several hundred thousand dollars. “We have allocated the entire SAF fee for this fiscal year, over $1.2 million, and there will not be any rollover remaining at the end of the semester,” Wallach said. The rollover at the beginning of this year was approximately $151,000, Costa said. He said that “$116,000 of the money was spent so there’s only about $35,000 of that money that was carried forward … almost all of [$35,000 has] been allocated in the spring semester.” Gray agreed that most of the rollover funds had been exhausted through the weight room renovation of $100,000. Looking ahead, Costa said that the exact amount of how much money will roll over from year to year is hard to come up with because one cannot know exactly how much clubs will spend. The Brandeis University Web site states that basic tuition for the 2008 to 2009 school year was $36,266. For the 2007 to 2008 school year, basic tuition was $34,566, based on the annual bulletin of the Brandeis University Registrar. If the fee for 2007 to 2008 had increased by the same percentage of 4.92 percent as the tuition of the year, the fee would have been almost $382 per student for 2008 to 2009.
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THE JUSTICE
DEISBIKES ROLL IN
By DESTINY AQUINO JUSTICE STAFF WRITER
REBECCA NEY/the Justice
RENT AND RIDE: Students can rent one of 12 bicycles under the ’DeisBikes program.
DeisBikes are now available By NATHAN GLASSMAN
The ’DeisBikes program, which will provide 12 bicycles for rent as a viable means of transportation as well as to help create a culture of sustainability on campus, was officially launched yesterday. The program cost roughly $1,500 in setup costs, tools and bicycles and was entirely organized by students, according to Susan Paykin ’11, a member of the student task force responsible for implementing the ’DeisBikes program. The ’DeisBikes program will be based out of the Shapiro Campus Center, and rentals will be free of charge to undergraduate students. Students will be able to rent a bicycle for a maximum of 24 hours, and those interested in renting a bicycle will be able to sign up at the Info Desk in the campus center. After signing up, a student will be given a bike, a helmet and a lock. ’DeisBikes originated through collaboration between students in Prof. Laura Goldin’s (AMST) “Greening the Ivory Tower” fall semester class and members of the Student Union. During the class, five students discussed the possibility of creating a bike rental program at Brandeis. The students, Paykin, Lea Giddins ’11, Caroline Cappello ’11, Lisa Frank ’09 and Kevin Lowenberg ’11, formed a task force to work with the Student Union to craft and implement the ’DeisBikes program. “The idea of creating a program to make bikes readily available to students on campus had been talked about many times in prior classes, but this year the students really decided to tackle this head-on,” Goldin wrote in an e-mail to the Justice. “The students did great research and planned well, and through hard work and collaboration with the [Student Union] they were able to turn their idea into a reality.” Some Student Union senators had also discussed creating a bicycle
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Gray outlines student efforts Jason Gray ’10 spoke about student involvement in his State of the Union Address.
JUSTICE CONTRIBUTING WRITER
TUESDAY, MARCH 24, 2009
STUDENT UNION
■ Student Union President
■ Students can rent the bicycles for up to 24 hours but will be charged if the bikes are returned late.
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rental program. Student Union senators Chenchao Lu ’09 and Paul Balik ’10 helped the task force purchase the bikes and get them serviced and repaired at the Waltham bike shop Spoke ‘n’ Wheel. The Senate has passed two Senate Money Resolutions to fund the ’DeisBikes program, and under a bylaw change passed March 1, the Union Senate Services Committee will continue to oversee the maintenance of the program. According to the Senate agenda online, the maintenance will include providing student bicycle mechanics. According to Giddins, two students were trained. According to Lu, there are a variety of bikes available, from road bikes to mountain bikes, ranging in size. The bikes will be located in the newly installed bike rack outside of the Shapiro Campus Center, and students will be able to choose from any bike that is still available. The bikes will be available on a first-come, first-served basis. Giddens said that the feedback from students about ’DeisBikes has been positive. “Students seem really excited. I heard one student say, ‘Did you know about the program?’ It’s so exciting,’” Giddens said. “I’ve been looking forward to… renting a bike … ever since I heard about the ’DeisBikes program,” said Charlie Gandleman ’09 yesterday as he wheeled his bike across the Great Lawn at the ’DeisBikes launch event. “I really enjoy biking, so I think this will be a great opportunity,” Geraldine Rothschild ’12 said. Sustainability Coordinator Janna Cohen-Rosenthal ’03 said that the long-term goal of Brandeis is to become a carbon-neutral campus, which includes minimizing the carbon emitted when students commute to and from campus. She added, “’DeisBikes will really help reduce the amount of cars on campus. [First-years] aren’t allowed to have cars on campus, but we would love it if a sophomore saw the variety of transportation options, including ’DeisBikes … and decided that having a car on campus doesn’t make sense,” she said.
Student Union President Jason Gray ’11 praised students for becoming more involved in making University-related decisions in his State of the Union Address last Tuesday. Gray spoke about the effect on the student body of the the University’s attempt to discontinue merit aid portability to study abroad Jan. 16. He said that the lack of student input in the process of reaching the decision prompted the Union to express its disagreement with this policy. “We worked with Academic Services to create a representative committee including faculty, students and staff and an online forum for greater student input. Soon after, the decision to restrict the portability of merit aid was reversed,” Gray said. Gray also addressed the University’s sudden decision to close the Rose Art Museum without the campus community’s involvement. “After the initial statements regarding the Rose and during the ensuing controversy, the Union worked with the administration to hold multiple student forums, giving students an opportunity to directly engage with the administration and to be active members of our democracy.” He reflected that as a result of such open conversation, the Rose committee, composed of students, faculty and administrators, has been created to make recommendations for the Rose Museum’s future.
Gray acknowledged the impact of the financial crisis on club funding and that “clubs want to do more, but they have had to cut back on the number of events, decrease the scale of programming and have had difficulty expanding.” He emphasized that because there is no more rollover from the Student Activities Fund, which is traditionally 1 percent of student tuition, club leaders are still in need of funding. “[The Union has] asked, in no uncertain terms, that the Board of Trustees uncap the [Student Activities Fund] and give clubs the money that they deserve.” A new Student Activities Fund management system has also been implemented, Gray said. The system will “allow club leaders to, in real time, know how much money they have and what have they spent. It will create more responsive and more transparent finances,” according to Gray. Gray listed the creation of the Senate Outreach Committee, a new taskforce on communications, as one of the Union’s accomplishments this year. The committee aims to keep students in the know about Union activities by posting flyers and sending campus-wide e-mails about Union events. He also talked about the Union’s new Web site, which will soon be online and which he hopes will “create as many ways as possible for students to speak and for their government to listen.” He listed some of the accomplishments of on-campus clubs, such as the Brandeis chapter of Colleges Against Cancer raising $90,000 last year in a Relay for Life and the English Language Learning club gathering 100 students to tutor Facilities Services and cafeteria workers. “We have come a long way in a
year, but we can go so much farther. … If we embrace and emphasize outreach, student involvement and student rights, there is no limit to what this Union and this community can accomplish together,” Gray said In an interview following the address, Gray emphasized that the Union has “created a culture in which students need to be involved in the decisions made by the administration in a way that has never existed before, and I think that this idea needs to be taken and run with in the future.” “I think his speech was one of the most outstanding you can imagine from a student leader,” said Rena Olshansky ’56, a member of the Board of Trustees’ Students and Enrollment Committee, who said that it was her first State of the Union address. Commenting on the Union Rena said, “I think the [students] set their agenda, and that’s important.” University Provost Marty Krauss, who attended the speech, said in an interview with the Justice, “[Gray] has a tremendous amount of respect among the members of the administration because he’s a mature person; he’s diplomatic; he thinks about the perspectives of many constituencies; he’s smart; and he makes really good recommendations, and he gets things done.” Senior Vice President of Communications Lorna Miles, who also attended, added that Gray “has been incredibly vital; his legacy is having created a consciousness in the University among the administration and the faculty that students are part of the day-to-day governance of this community.” Nipun Marwaha ’12, senator for Massell Quad, said, “What [Gray] has done for the Union and the student body is outstanding.”
MAX BREITSTEIN MATZA/the Justice
STUDENT IMPACT: Student Union President Jason Gray ’10 described the importance of student involvement in decisions.
STUDENT LIFE
April fire safety event planned ■ The event will feature
varying levels of smoke-like substance to simulate what it’s like to escape a fire. By MICHELLE LIBERMAN JUSTICE STAFF WRITER
A 20-foot fire safety trailer that will recreate a dorm room and simulate different levels of smoke during a fire is coming to campus on April 1 as part of a fire safety effort organized by the Waltham Fire Department, the Office of Student Development and Conduct and the Student Union. From 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on April 1 and 2, students will be able to enter the fire safety trailer, which will be installed between Sherman Dining Hall and Rosenthal Quad, according to Director of Public Safety Ed Callahan. Fire officials from the Waltham Fire Department will also be giving out infor-
mational pamphlets and candy and answering questions at the event, Director of Student Development and Conduct Erika Lamarre said. “[The Waltham Fire Department] brings to us the trailer to demonstrate how difficult it might be to exit or the proper ways to exit in a fire situation. I think it is going to be very interesting and very interactive,” Lamarre said. During fire drills conducted last October, fire officials from the Waltham Fire Department entered the Rosenthal Quad and found 21 covered smoke detectors, according to Lamarre. A Fire Safety Think Tank Committee was formed in the aftermath of the October fire drills to discuss the best way to address the issue of fire safety. Since the think tank implemented a $150 fine in December and January for students who were caught with a covered smoke detector, approximately 12 students were fined, according to Lamarre.
The event will also feature a mechanical robot dog “to attract attention and be an education tool,” said Andrew Hogan ’11, director of community advocacy in the Student Union. In the past, the program has previously been aimed at younger children attending elementary school, but the University and the fire department have worked together to try to cater it to an older crowd of college students, according to Lamarre. “[Finding 21 covered smoke detectors ] really got the attention of the fire department of Waltham, so they have been working with us to make sure that we have been giving this our full attention,” Lamarre said. “[The goal] is to hopefully bring the message home that it’s about more than just being safe in a fire or preventing a fire; it’s knowing about how difficult it might be if there were even just smoke and getting out safely,” Lamarre said.
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THE JUSTICE
HOUSING: Six sophomores were waitlisted for housing CONTINUED FROM 1 sophomores, Scheffres was offered to sophomores. However, thanks to the completion of Ridgewood Quad there is more room to accommodate upperclassmen, and so first-years will be allocated back to Scheffres next year, he said. Dane Isenberg ’12, who was a proxy for his friend Marc Eder ’12, recalled that the housing lottery was “a very slow process.” While he was waiting for Eder’s number to be called, Isenberg counted the number of students waiting and informed the Community Development Coordinator on duty Laura Arroyo that “statistically the number of beds you have left does not match the number of people in the room.” Isenberg felt that he was told to leave by Arroyo because he spoke to her “in a very caustic way.” Eder was assigned accommodation in the Charles River Apartments without consultation and said that Reslife “took over and assigned me to Grad.” Eder believes that “[ResLife]
broke their own rules by kicking out my proxy.” Franz remembered feeling frustrated and “asking the housing people what was happening because [the housing allocation process] was taking three hours.” Franz, who had a housing number of 779, was offered a single in Pomeratz the next day. However, Herman said that he was not upset when he was put on the waitlist because he knew that sophomores are guaranteed housing. Herman felt that he had benefited by going on the waitlist as he received a single in the Castle the following day. Erenrich, who had a housing number of 754 did not choose to live in the Charles River Apartments that was initially offered to her by ResLife because of religious reasons. Erenrich explained that she would not be able to carry on Shabbat, as the Charles River Apartments are not within the required designated area. She said
that she was offered a medical double in Pomerantz the next day. In the past, a $200 deposit was required in order “to guarantee that the students show up” at room selection, making the estimation process extremely accurate, Balch said. However, she elaborated, “because the deposit was not something students were interested in, we decided to release the deposit so we don’t really have any control, and we have to blindly guess based on previous numbers. In regard to the estimation process, Leiferman explained that they cannot predict the number of students tick the participation box but still do not show up for their housing appointments. Both Balch and Leiferman said that the manner in which housing is assigned will not be significantly altered next semester. —Rebecca Blady, Shana D. Lebowitz and Nashrah Rahman contributed reporting.
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TUESDAY, MARCH 24, 2009
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ADMINISTRATORS DELIBERATE
JULIAN AGIN-LIEBES/the Justice
ADDRESSING CONCERNS: Administrators discussed issues with faculty last week.
RESERVES: Pres Reinharz asks Board for $2M CONTINUED FROM 1 that the Board of Trustees thought it would not be “prudent [given] how close we are to exhausting [the reserves]” to take another $2 million from the reserves. However, in an email to the Justice, French wrote that the Board is now open to further discussion since circumstances have changed. In an interview with the Justice, Chair of the University Budget Committee Peter Conrad (SOC) said, “We on the Faculty Budget Committee and others encouraged [Reinharz] to go back and tell [the Board of Trustees] why we should do this.” Conrad explained that although filling the budget gap for fiscal 2009 now would increase the deficit for the next fiscal year, there will be a longer period of time of 12 months to figure out how to close the deficit for fiscal 2010. French wrote that as there are only three months remaining for fiscal 2009, “any substantial budget reductions at this point would be deemed too disruptive.” Conrad said that staff furloughs for fiscal 2009 that would require staff to be out of work without pay for two weeks cannot be implemented this fiscal year “because the furloughs would be way too many days over a short period of time,” according to Conrad. “You don’t have time to increase parking fees because you couldn’t collect enough,” he said. Conrad said that raising parking fees, reducing the
operating budget, selling University assets, staff furloughs and suspending payments into retirement funds for a given period of time were some of the preliminary options discussed at the March 12 faculty meeting that are being considered for closing the increased deficit for fiscal 2010. He said that none of these options are “definitive” at this period of time. “The University is considering and will continue to consider many options to close the [fiscal] 2010 budget gap and will carefully weigh the impact of the potential actions on faculty, students, and staff, while striving to minimize the impact on academic and student programs,” French wrote. He also wrote that options will be analyzed over the next two months and be finalized before the beginning of the next fiscal year on July 1, 2009. “To the best of my knowledge of the situation, that was the most humane resolution because any attempt to cut that amount of money in the final quarter of this year would be tremendously painful, but as [Reinharz] said, that does simply [postpone] the problem a bit,” Prof. Dirck Roosevelt (ED) said. Prof. Sabine von Mering (GRALL) said, “I just want to make sure that someone is working on [the options for closing the increased projected budget deficit for fiscal year 2010] and the working on it is not being postponed.”
REQUIREMENT: Residency requirement withdrawn CONTINUED FROM 1
REBECCA NEY/the Justice
A night for Sudan STAND held a fundraiser last Wednesday for My Sister’s Keeper, a humanitarian activist group promoting health and education in Sudan. The event featured speakers, including Reverend Gloria White-Hammond and Mangok Bol, and performances by the Brandeis Gospel Choir, African Dance (above) and the Berklee Music Group.
seven semesters at Brandeis. Hewitt explained that an exception currently exists for students who study abroad for two semesters but pay full tuition, and are only required to complete an additional six semesters on campus. “[The increase] covers all students, regardless of whether you take a JBS or not, regardless of whether you go on study abroad or not,” he said. The proposal for the JBS assumed a 12-credit course load at a discounted tuition rate that counts for academic residency, which students could likely complete off-campus. “The thinking was that these Justice Brandeis Semesters were also a method for students to accelerate or reduce some of their tuition costs, so to balance out that cost, we felt that we needed [the increase in residency requirement,” Hewitt said. Hewitt explained that if the study abroad model was applied to JBS, the tuition for the JBS semesters could not be discounted, meaning that JBS would count 16 credits or four classes..
He said it that could be a challenge for the University to offer more courses online as part of the JBS since such a program had not existed before. Hewitt added that there had been a “vast increase” in students opting for reduced senior status this year, an option that would require eight completed semesters under the withdrawn proposal. Other options for addressing acceleration, such as taking away nonnumeric credit, would have the drawbacks of affecting all students and the number of classes they would have to take. He added that he also did not think it was a good idea to charge students extra for taking additional classes in a semester. Student Union President Jason Gray ’10 said in his State of the Union address last Tuesday that the Registrar’s Office and Office for Students and Enrollment would be working with the CARS committees to “see that students are attending enough semesters at Brandeis in order to have a Brandeis degree.”
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TUESDAY, MARCH 24 , 2009
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THE JUSTICE
features
VERBATIM | Dorothy Parker I don’t care what is written about me so long as it isn’t true.
ON THIS DAY...
FUN FACT
In 1998, the movie Titanic won 11 Oscars at the Academy Awards.
More people are killed annually by donkeys than die in air crashes.
The legend of Pachanga REBECCA NEY/Justice File Photo
AN INTERNATIONAL AFFAIR: Students dance on stage at Pachanga. Pachanga is a dance that has taken place biannually since 2001 in the Levin Ballroom and is sponsored by the International Club on campus.
A look into one of the most talked about events on campus By HARRY SHIPPS JUSTICE STAFF WRITER
The sight of hundreds of bodies crowded together pulsating to the same intense beat. The smell of sweat combined with alcohol and perfume. The sound of teenagers and twenty-somethings arguing with security guards about makeshift tickets and blood alcohol content levels. It’s that time of year again: Pachanga. Since its start in 2001, Pachanga, which means party in Portuguese, has become one of the biggest student-run social events at Brandeis. The biannual dance, sponsored by the International Club, is a celebration of world culture, embracing both international and American music. The Pachanga venue takes on the distinct flavor of a nightclub as revelers wave glow sticks to the beat of music from all over the globe. International Club President Leon Markovitz ’10 said that he believes the goal of Pachanga seven years ago when it began was to expose students to a European-style club. Pachanga has now taken on a more international approach, though, with a more diverse music selection. “At the beginning, Pachanga was mostly just techno music … to show people how it was like a club in European countries,” Markovitz said. “We [now] try to play what you would usually hear in a club in Boston, or in Caracas, Venezuela or in Turkey.” Markovitz added that the focus of the dance has always been electronic music, a hallmark of foreign dance clubs, but that this year, the International Club tried to balance electronic with other kinds of popular music, including reggaeton and hip hop. “This year I tried to make it more balanced, but we always have that emphasis [on electronica], because that is how Pachanga started, and that is how it came to be what it is today,” said Markovitz. Yuki Hesegawa ’09, who was the Pachanga coordinator two years ago, said that he believes Pachanga has grown in popularity due to the better quality of the DJ in recent years. “"Compared to my freshman year I think there [used to be] the whole idea of [Pachanga being] a little sketchy and the DJ wasn’t that good, she was a DJ from Waltham. Whereas now, ... it’s a DJ from a famous club in Boston.”
REBECCA NEY/Justice File Photo
ONSTAGE SPIRIT: Students at Pachanga dance to a repertoire of international and American music, including electronica, reggaeton and hip hop. Pachanga is meant to resemble an international nightclub. Markovitz also explained why, he thinks, Pachanga has become so popular on campus. “Pachanga has become almost like a brand name, it’s where everything happens. … People know that [the International Club] really put effort into it. … People hear ‘Pachanga’ and they expect so much. I think that that is also a big part: If you go somewhere and everyone is thinking, ‘This is going to be amazing,’ then that makes it amazing,” Markovitz said. The ideas of students also reflect the popularity of Pachanga and show what a strong reputation it has developed. “A lot of [the dance’s popularity is due to] word of mouth. The reason I knew Pachanga is a big deal is because I [was] told by upperclassmen,” said Margaret Goldberg ’12. Yuli Almozlino ’11 explained that she thinks the popularity of Pachanga is due in part to the influence of the International Club on campus.
“I personally like Pachanga because it’s a good change of pace—dancing and music,” Almozlino said. “I think it’s so popular because international kids run it, and everyone thinks international kids are cool and wants to be like them.” However, this popularity has led, increasingly, to problems of overcrowding, unruliness and intoxication at the dance. At the September 2008 edition of the dance, four students were placed in protective custody, and one student was arrested for assault and battery of a police officer. Ed Callahan, who has been a Brandeis employee for almost 31 years and has been director of public safety for the past 10 years, said that in his time here, “The level of security has gone up each Pachanga … due to behavioral concerns.” He added that reasons for the security concerns include the number of people who attend the dance, the high rate of intoxication and the frenetic environment created by the dance.
Callahan also said that the amount of money spent on the most recent Pachanga’s security is “in the thousands, … but it’s worth every penny if we don’t get anyone who’s hurt.” Markovitz explained that he thinks the International Club should not be held accountable for the violence and drunkenness that is often associated with Pachanga. “That’s beyond our control. People don’t know how to drink, sadly, and they just drink too much,” Markovitz said. Markovitz also said that he thinks Pachanga has become synonymous with violence “first, because people get very drunk, and then, in the past, because we also sold tickets at the entrance. … People get anxious waiting outside.” At the most recent Pachanga, tickets were sold presale only, a practice that helped lead to the decrease in problems associated with violence and drunkenness. “[At the most recent Pachanga] there was pretty much nothing, and it’s because the line was smooth, and they just came in and had fun inside,” Markovitz said. Additionally, the security concerns of the past did not seem to dissuade students from attending the most recent Pachanga, as it remained popular and tickets sold out quickly. “I didn’t even notice there were security concerns,” said Zachary Rubenstein ’11. To some students, attending the biannual dance has become a part of their college experience. “I love Pachanga because I love to dance,” said James Liu ’10. “I go every year because everyone else goes ... because it’s the thing to do.” However, not all students feel as favorably about the event. “I’'ve been once. ... It was a little too aggressive,” said Lauren Gindi ’11. "I think it holds a stigma to it—it’s like a show.” “I went last year, and I didn’t have that much fun so I didn’t go this year,” said Nick Howard ’11. “It was really hot, smelled funky, and most importantly—I like dancing, but I just didn’t have that much fun dancing there. It reminded me of high school and middle school dances. People seemed kind of stand-offish.” —Rebecca Klein and Shana D. Lebowitz contributed reporting.
THE JUSTICE
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TUESDAY, MARCH 24, 2009
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history of the unique Brandeis structure
Creating the
By JORDANA GLUCK
JUSTICE CONTRIBUTING WRITER
castle
MAX BREITSTEIN MATZA/the Justice
THE CURRENT CASTLE: A picture of the current Usen Castle, which is home to approximately 120 sophomores each year.
I see paintings, portraits, subtle passageways, and arched windows. A medieval ambience fills the air as the walls have engraved borders and secret rooms are all around. As I walk through the Usen Castle I feel as though I have entered a timeless palace. That is, until I catch a wift of the scent of dirty laundry and see caffeine driven students cramming for an exam. Usen Castle has the feel of a residence hall mixed with the aura and mystique of a fortress. The Castle is home to approximately 120 sophomores each year and comes complete with single, double and triple rooms, as well as suites, lounges, courtyards, balconies, fireplaces and its own coffeehouse and pottery studio. No two rooms are identical in this unique structure, as they differ in shape, size and structure. “The castle is beautiful. I think its the prettiest piece of architecture at this school,” said Shellie Burgman ’11, who lives in the castle. The land on which the castle was built is known as Boston Rock or Boston Rock Hill, deriving its name from being the “high rock promontory” of the Boston area. It is the point from which the area was first surveyed by John Winthrop, governor and leader of the Massachusetts Bay Company, a group of English Puritans Winthrop led to the New World in 1632. It is the highest point west of the city on the perimeter of the metropolitan area, meaning that entire Boston skyline is visible upon peering out the highest east-facing windows, claims An Architectural Celebration of Brandeis University’s 50th Anniversary, edited by Gerald S. Bernstein. Construction on the castle began in 1928 on the campus of Middlesex University, which stood on the ground of what is today part of Brandeis’ campus. Middlesex University of Medicine and Surgery was founded by John Hall Smith in 1914. Smith’s goal was to help design a unique campus for the university that mimicked the gothic styles of European universities in order to create an aura of mystique, according to Amy Debra Feinstein’s senior thesis, Unlocking the Doors to the Past and Future; an Architectural and Social Exploration of the Irving and Edyth Usen Castle from the Robert D. Farber University Archives and Special Collections. Construction of the castle began Oct. 22, 1928 when a permit was issued for a new $20,000 “anatomical building.” The new facility was intended to be 40 feet tall and 60 feet around, but the Castle has expanded far beyond those measurements. The Castle is constantly evolving—for instance,the current laundry room and pottery studio were originally used for refrigeration fa-
cilities. The common area in what is now known as Schwartz Hall originally was intended to be a trophy room for the students of Middlesex University. Elana Rothenberg ’11, who currently lives in a Castle suite, elaborated on the evolutionary nature of the Castle. “Our walls are really thin because where we live they put up fake walls because our suite used to be an office. Our kitchen sink is literally a bathroom sink, because [the kitchen] used to be a bathroom,” Rothenberg said. Furthermore, the blueprints of the original Castle reveal that visitors could reach any part of the Castle from any other part without setting foot outside. But now, that advantage has been removed, as certain areas of the Castle have been blocked off in order to give residents more privacy and security. Still, although the Castle is in a constant state of reconstruction, the exterior of the building has barely been touched in its 70 years of existence. The Castle does not only evoke the general style of medieval dwellings; it also replicates precise details of European castles, such as the Windsor Castle of London. Usen Castle’s A Tower mimics Windsor Castle’s east terrace. And just like Windsor Castle’s, Brandeis’ tower is rectilinear in form and rises four stories high, joining the rest of the complex at its two lowest levels. The two towers also share features like rhythmic corbels and tall battlements. Smith emulated many European characteristics inside the Castle as well. There is a series of more than 10 porcelain plates and plaques in concrete of the Castle’s walls. Although the most popular of the plates are portraits of George and Martha Washington, most plates depict European historical figures, coats of arms or major historical European events, such as the plate with the portrait of King Edward VII, as mentioned in An Architectural Celebration of Brandeis University’s 50th Anniversary. Throughout the building, Smith included subtle hints of himself or his interests in order to ensure he would be remembered through the Castle. One of the plates is dedicated to his native land of Canada, and one more specifically to his childhood home of Nova Scotia. In one of the Castle courtyard’s mosiac tiles he included an inlaid color cement portrait of himself, in which he sports a distinguished goatee and his graduation cap and gown. Still, the castle is often the subject of legends and myths. “Supposedly, the Castle is haunted by the souls of 1,000 dead virgins. … They obviously didn’t enjoy college,” said Amanda Gilbert ’11, who lives in the castle.
—Rebecca Klein contributed reporting.
PHOTO COURTESY OF ROBERT D. FARBER UNIVERSITY ARCHIVES & SPECIAL COLLECTIONS DEPARTMENT, BRANDEIS UNIVERSITY
MIDDLESEX CRITTERS: Students of Middlesex University stand outside of the Usen Castle with several cages of animals.
PHOTO COURTESY OF ROBERT D. FARBER UNIVERSITY ARCHIVES & SPECIAL COLLECTIONS DEPARTMENT, BRANDEIS UNIVERSITY
CHATTING AT CHUMS: Two Brandeis students chat outside of what is now Cholmondeley’s Coffeehouse.
PHOTO COURTESY OF ROBERT D. FARBER UNIVERSITY ARCHIVES & SPECIAL COLLECTIONS DEPARTMENT, BRANDEIS UNIVERSITY
CASTLE CHEMISTRY: Students of Middlesex University work on a science lab in the Castle Commons of the Usen Castle.
PHOTO COURTESY OF ROBERT D. FARBER UNIVERSITY ARCHIVES & SPECIAL COLLECTIONS DEPARTMENT, BRANDEIS UNIVERSITY
DECADES OF DANCING: Early Brandeis students dance in the Castle at a social.
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TUESDAY, MARCH 24, 2009
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THE JUSTICE
the Justice Established 1949
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MIKE PRADA, Editor-in-Chief ANDREA FINEMAN, Managing Editor HANNAH KIRSCH, Deputy Editor J OEL HERZFELD, SHANA D. LEBOWITZ, DAVID SHEPPARD -B RICK and DANIEL D. SNYDER, Associate Editors JILLIAN WAGNER, News Editor NASHRAH RAHMAN, Acting News Editor REBECCA KLEIN, Features Editor REBECCA B LADY, Forum Editor IAN CUTLER, Sports Editor JUSTINE ROOT, Arts Editor JULIAN AGIN -LIEBES and MAX B REITSTEIN MATZA, Photography Editors B RIAN B LUMENTHAL, Layout Editor B RIAN FROMM, Copy Editor C OURTNEY B REEN and SARA ROBINSON, Advertising Editors
Prioritize rising sophomores Residence Life finished distributing rooms to rising sophomores last Tuesday. However, the staff finished a bit too soon, as several first-years were waitlisted at the end of the night. This should not have been the case. Rising sophomores should be ResLife’s first priority. ResLife exacerbated the stress of these students, who were already concerned about their slim prospects for sophomore housing. The University guarantees students who check the box housing for the duration of their freshman and sophomore years. This means that the number of available beds must, of course, match the number of rising sophomores who intend to live on campus. Staff members should have realized far in advance of room selection that they needed to designate more sophomore rooms. There should not have been a discrepancy between the numbers of sophomores and available rooms. But there was, and several sophomores were wrongly waitlisted last Tuesday. Following this, ResLife successfully offered a room to every junior and senior intending to live on campus next year on Wednesday and Thursday. According to Rebecca Erenrich ’12, one of the waitlisted firstyears, ResLife staff told her at the time of room selection that they would inform her of her final housing arrangements “within a week.” There should have been no reason for such a
Their housing is guaranteed long wait. Rising sophomores are entitled to housing before upperclassmen. A waitlist for rising sophomores should not exist. That ResLife failed to alleviate the tension first-years felt at room selection was not only an easily remediable blunder but also a display of poor customer service tactics. Rising sophomores at room selection expect to leave at the end of the night with a place to live the following academic year. However, students did not receive this reassurance last Tuesday. The final group of first-years waiting to select rooms at the end of the night had to be made to understand that there had been an error in the housing process that clearly should not have occurred. Students should never perceive that they are being slighted or misguided as they did this year. The ramifications of ResLife’s miscount should not be taken lightly. A student’s living situation bears heavily on him, and the process involved is not simple—especially for first-years choosing housing for the first time. Students are at the mercy of the system. As the authority on the matter, ResLife should understand the magnitude of the impact this process can have on students, and ResLife staff should have taken a greater initiative in ensuring a comfortable room selection experience for rising sophomores.
Residency motion was faulty Dean of Arts and Sciences Adam Jaffe and Senior Vice President for Students and Enrollment Jean Eddy withdrew an Undergraduate Curriculum Committee proposal passed in the March 12 faculty meeting to change the residency requirement— the number of semesters a student must spend enrolled at Brandeis to graduate—from seven to eight semesters earlier this week in response to faculty resistance to the measure. Changing the residency requirement would have lowered the hefty tuition loss that occurs when seniors graduate early. However, we approve of the administrators’ decision to withdraw the proposal, as the new residency requirement would have hindered too many students’ abilities to finance their Brandeis career. Without changing the residency requirement or increasing enrollment, the University loses $750,000 in tuition money annually due to seniors graduating one semester early, according to Union President Jason Gray ’10. Although increasing the residency requirement to eight semesters would have reduced the University’s losses, the decision would have hurt students who count on being able to graduate in seven semesters to save money. As a result of the economic recession, many students’ families have been forced to reconsider their abilities to finance a college education. Obliging students in these circumstances to remain on campus for an additional semester would have compromised their ability to pay for their education. The administration demon-
Admins used good judgment strated that it understands that making decisions to benefit the University financially at the expense of individual students’ finances is generally not a good idea. Increasing the residency requirement would also have been especially detrimental to the University’s recruitment efforts. Prospective applicants to Brandeis might lose interest in a school that no longer demonstrates an understanding of students’ financial concerns. Removing the option of graduating in seven semesters would have also made it virtually impossible for students who encounter unexpected personal problems to take time off and still graduate with the rest of their class. The administration’s decision leaves room for students with health issues or financial difficulties, for example, to arrange their academic schedules so they graduate on time. While the administrators decided to withdraw the proposal to help close the University’s budget gap by changing the residency requirement, Brandeis’ financial problems have hardly disappeared. We still lose a substantial amount of money when students graduate early, and admitting more first-years may increase tuition revenue, but it only worsens overcrowding in the fall semester. Nevertheless the administration will have to do better in looking to other solutions, such as admitting more midyears, that do not make a Brandeis education a financial impossibility for many students.
ELI TUKACHINSKY/the Justice
Midnight Buffet is a celebrated tradition that serves all students By HILLARY MISHAN, REBECCA SCHULMAN and JESSICA BLUMBERG SPECIAL TO THE JUSTICE
Over this past semester, the University has gone through a financial and institutional overhaul. At this very moment, decisions are being made that will change the Brandeis experience as we know it. Because of this, it is more important than ever to preserve those traditions that make Brandeis unique and wonderful. We are of the opinion that the Midnight Buffet is one of those experiences and a good use of the Student Union’s money. The name Midnight Buffet does imply an emphasis on food, but what the Midnight Buffet has come to mean is so much more than that. It is a time for students to come together to relax and put off the stresses and worries that build before finals. With Brandeis’ short reading period before final exams and our heavy workloads, students have always appreciated this opportunity to come together, gather with friends, get free shirts and prizes and enjoy themselves. The Midnight Buffet is perhaps the only campus event that can appeal to the whole student body. It brings together a diverse group of students—typically 800 to 1000 per semester—allowing for a large percentage of the campus to benefit from the spending of this money. As we plan this semester’s Midnight Buffet, we have thought of innovative and fun ways to get more for less. We will have unique food and entertainment options that use resources already on campus. Appeals have been made to the Student Union government to give its funds to support professors’ salaries, other club programming or even Facilities Services in lieu of holding the Midnight Buffet. We would like to clarify that this is not feasible due to the bylaw outlining the Midnight Buffet and the funding structure of the Student Union. The Student Union bylaws stipulate that every semester the Services Committee must organize and hold the Midnight Buffet. It is a service that the Student Union does for the student body, much like the very popular Turkey and Spring Shuttles. All clubs are funded through the Student Activities Fee, which is 1 percent of tuition. As per the Student Union Constitution, the Student Union Government Fund is allocated $52,000 per academic year to be distributed throughout the Student Union Government. At the end of the academic year, any unspent monies from this fund will be given back to the Finance Board for allocation the following year. Because of this, the Student Union cannot transfer its fund mid semester back to the Finance Board to be distributed to other clubs. Also, money from the Student Union Senate, which funds the Midnight Buffet, cannot be spent on any project or operation that is not organized by members of the Student Union Government. In the past, not all of the funds distributed by SAF have been spent, leading to a large buildup of rollover funds. It is because of this mismanagement of money that the SAF was capped this year, and clubs have significantly less money to fund their programming. The administration views money that is unspent as money that is not needed by clubs, furthering their argument that the money in SAF does not need to be increased. Any club leader on campus can tell you that this is untrue. We understand that even after these explanations there may still be people that do not agree with the Midnight Buffet. We hope that they will take the time to reconsider their position and understand that this is the best way to maximize the Student Union money in a way that is in line with the constitution and bylaws. We are confident that this semester’s Midnight Buffet will be the great event that everyone has always looked forward to and come to love.
Editor’s Note: Rebecca Schulman and Hillary Mishan are co-non-Senate Chairs of the Services Committee. Jessica Blumberg is the Director of Executive Affairs. All authors are members of the Class of 2009.
OP-BOX Quote of the Week “When I improvise, I like to think, ‘Okay, it’s my turn now; time to cause some trouble.” —Cellist Brent Arnold at an improvisation workshop hosted by Nettle: Music for a Nu World as part of their threeday residency at Brandeis. (See Arts, page 21)
Brandeis Talks Back How do you plan to use Brandeis’ new DeisBikes program?
JASON H. SIMON-BIERENBAUM ’11 “It would be really cool to take a day bike trip to Walden Pond.”
RACHEL ROSMAN ’11 “DeisBikes program?”
JAMIE FLEISHMAN ’11 “I’m still not sure, depending on how the program is set up.”
EMILY LAPWORTH ’12 “I was thinking ... I’d probably use it to ride down into Waltham.”
THE JUSTICE
In response to your editorial “Reconsider Midnight Buffet” (March 17 issue): I would like to point out a couple of inaccuracies in the article. First, to quote: “This past week, the Union Senate voted to cut the budget for the annual Midnight Buffet from $5,000 to $3,000.” This is actually incorrect. The Senate budget for Midnight Buffet can only be allocated through a Senate Money Resolution, and none have been presented nor voted upon by the Senate. At last week’s meeting, the Senate discussed a provisional number of $3,300, but it was never voted upon and thus made official. Second, to quote: “While this editorial board supports this prudent action, we believe that the event could have been cut entirely.” This isn’t valid because the Senate cannot choose to stop funding a bylaw-mandated program like the Midnight Buffet. Otherwise the Senate would be acting unconstitutionally. It would require a two-week process to amend the bylaws to completely abolish the event, along with a two-thirds Senate vote supporting such a bylaw. Thus, it isn’t fair to say the Senate could just cut the program entirely by refusing funds—it would require amending a bylaw that has been there for many years with a twothirds Senate majority (which is a big threshold). —Andrew Brooks ’09 The writer is the executive senator of the Student Union.
Think positive about Midnight Buffet To the Editor: In response to your editorial “Reconsider Midnight Buffet” (March 17 issue): The Justice argues that the Midnight Buffet is less important than other event mainstays like Culture X and Liquid Latex because it does not serve a cultural or artistic purpose. But why must every event be “about” something larger? Why can’t there be an event that is a celebration of Brandeis students? The Midnight Buffet’s purpose is to reward a semester’s worth of hard work and allow the student body to come together and have fun. The Student Union is cutting the budget because it must be sensitive to the times. But it must also be sensitive to the needs to students, and sometimes the needs are simple—escape the increased stress of finals time (which will be exacerbated this year by the general stress of the economy—especially for seniors who are entering the job market at the worst time) by eating free food, getting a souvenir T-shirt and hanging out with their friends. —Cindy Kaplan ’08
Event funding is already set in stone In response to your editorial “Reconsider Midnight Buffet” (March 17 issue): This editorial overlooks the fact that Union cannot simply take the money that would go to the Midnight Buffet and give it to the Finance Board. Under the Student Union Constitution, the Student Union Government Operations Fund and the F-Board Allocations Fund are separate. Only after the semester ends can unspent funds from the Union Government Fund go to F-Board. While that may give the F-Board $3,000 in the fall, it is probably better for the Union to spend the funds this semester on an event that students have enjoyed for a number of years now (especially since it is being funded at an already reduced rate). —Adam Gartner ’07
Reconsider your criticisms of STAND To the Editor: I sympathize with Jackie Saffir’s March 17 op-ed “To promote real change, social justice groups need to strategize better.” However, I encourage Saffir to attend a STAND meeting to see what we actually do. Then perhaps she might re-evaluate her criticism. STAND does not content itself with education and fundraising alone. The bulk of our campaigns involve advocacy. Brandeis students have been extensively involved in state and college divestment movements, which have diverted funds from companies supporting the genocidal Sudanese government (specifically those companies that do not benefit everyday people). We have led innumerable call-in days and letter-writing campaigns to achieve legislative and diplomatic goals. We have been flooding the White House with letters and calls requesting that President Barack Obama appoint a Special
Write to us
TUESDAY, MARCH 24, 2009
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PRIORITIZING PARTIES
READER COMMENTARY Facts on Midnight Buffet overlooked
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Envoy to Sudan, which he did on March 18. We have recently sent letters to Massachusetts state representatives asking them to support mandatory genocide education in high schools. Earlier this week, we encouraged members of Congress to send a joint letter to nations that might put a hold on the International Criminal Court’s indictment of Sudanese President Umar Hassan Ahmad al-Bashir. Also, one of our Night for Sudan speakers, Rev. Dr. Gloria White-Hammond, discussed our next possible actions, ranging from sanctions to possible implementation of a no-fly zone over Darfur. So no, we do not only tell people that genocide is occurring. We also use all our leverage to stop it. With regard to the numerous other human rights violations that occur every day, there are no simple answers. Much as we might like to, we cannot do everything. We focus on genocide specifically and yes, we strongly believe that the atrocities in Darfur fit the U.N. definition. We have the leverage to effect change in Darfur, and we have been achieving results. We recognize that other possible genocides deserve attention, and we have been making efforts. We regularly invite guest speakers to brief us on other areas of conflict, and we have been collaborating with the Congo Working Group in particular. We have pushed for congressional bills relating to Burma/Myanmar, and we are currently working to improve our knowledge of the international justice system. It is difficult to be effective everywhere, but STAND does try to take action when possible. I encourage Saffir and other interested Justice readers to attend our STAND meetings and bring issues to our attention. We meet Thursdays at 7 p.m. in the Shapiro Campus Center Multipurpose Room. —Leila Alciere ’09
Rose family can’t keep museum open In response to your article “Rose family condemns University” (March 17 issue): I sympathize with the Rose family on the Brandeis decision to close the Rose Art Museum; however, I believe the Rose family is beating a dead horse in its attempt to prevent the museum from closing. The fact is that the Brandeis Board of Trustees voted unanimously and unequivocally to dissolve the museum, so that the quality of a Brandeis education would not be diminished during America’s current economic slump—the worst since the Great Depression. Moreover, there was no legal attachment to the Rose family donation, which would have forbidden the University from closing the museum in the event of a fiscal crisis; therefore, Brandeis is the sole owner of the museum and has the right to close it for financial reasons. The Rose family needs to be realistic and view the Board of Trustees’ unanimous decision to close the Rose Art Museum as water over the dam; that is, a decision that will not be reversed. —George Patsourakos Billerica, Mass.
Less Greek life is a virtue of Brandeis In response to your op-ed “It’s time to accept Brandeis Greek life” (March 17 issue): When I went to college, I specifically looked for schools without fraternities. Makes for a much better campus atmosphere with everyone on equal footing. I hope Brandeis sticks to its policy. —Jon Knight
Greek Life should be an option here Your op-ed “It’s time to accept Brandeis Greek life” (March 17 issue) makes some good points. It is interesting that when Brandeis chooses to prohibit “selective” organizations, it limits options for students. Brandeis commercializes the idea that we have “all the options” available to us here while we are denied something common to all other colleges and universities. If students did not want fraternities and actively participate in them, then the Greek life around Brandeis would clearly fail. However, the thriving and growing Greek life is a testament to what direction the school should head if it is out for its students’ interests. —John Orr ’12 The writer is a refounding father of the Gammi Chi chapter of Sigma Alpha Mu.
The Justice welcomes letters to the editor responding to published material. Please submit letters through our Web site at www.thejustice online.com. Anonymous submissions cannot be accepted. Letters should not exceed 300 words, and may be edited for space, style, grammar, spelling, libel and clarity, and must relate to material published in the Justice. Letters from off-campus sources should include location. The Justice does not print letters to the editor and op-ed submissions that have been submitted to other publications. Op-ed submissions of general interest to the University community—that do not respond explicitly to articles printed in the Justice—are also welcome and should be limited to 800 words. All submissions are due Friday at 5 p.m.
The opinions stated in the editorial(s) under the masthead on the opposing page represent the opinion of a majority of the voting members of the editorial board; all other articles, columns, comics and advertisements do not necessarily. For the Brandeis Talks Back feature on the opposite page, staff interview four randomly selected students each week and print only those four answers. The Justice is the independent student newspaper of Brandeis University. Operated, written, produced and published entirely by students, the Justice includes news, features, arts, opinion and sports articles of interest to approximately 3,000 undergraduates, 800 graduate students, 500 faculty and 1,000 administrative staff. In addition, the Justice is mailed weekly to paid subscribers and distributed throughout Waltham, Mass. The Justice is published every Tuesday of the academic year with the exception of examination and vacation periods. Advertising deadlines: All insertion orders and advertising copy must be received by the Justice no later than 5 p.m. on the Thursday preceding the date of publication. All advertising copy is subject to approval of the editor in chief and the managing and advertising editors. A publication schedule and rate card is available upon request. Subscription rate: $35 per semester, $50 per year.
Fine Print
REBECCA NEY/Justice File Photo
PARTY CENTRAL: Many students attended Pachanga, the International Club’s semesterly dance party on March 14. Pachanga seems to be the only on-campus party that students tend to get excited for.
Aside from Pachanga, Brandeis needs more “moderated madness” By ETHAN MERMELSTEIN JUSTICE STAFF WRITER
OK, fine. I’ll admit it. I am a recent victim of Asher Roth’s higher education-inspired ballad “I Love College.” Yes, Roth’s rhyming skills are irresistible (it’s a rare treat to hear “taped it” rhymed with “naked,” “life” with “Miller Lite,” “wasted” with “wasted”) but the greatest reason I—and a sizable portion of the collegeaged demographic—are fascinated with this fratboy sonnet is it so accurately depicts the epicurean party scene found on many of America’s college campuses. With the exception of a small handful of events such as Pachanga, Brandeis’ campus is often absent of the type of carefree indulgence about which Roth raps. While the scenes described in this anthem and depicted in its music video are of borderline-dangerous overconsumption, I believe that the student body, as well as the school’s public image, could greatly benefit from finding a middle path between its current party-limited state of affairs and the “I Love College” music video. The merits of moderate, mindless indulgence seem to be too often overlooked at Brandeis. If you consider the habits of our preindustrial past, it is clear that evolution did not intend for us to reach a point when we are seated and studying for most of our waking hours. Going into a dark, hot, sweaty room like Levin Ballroom the night of Pachanga, the room filled with hordes of scantily clad young people whose inhibitions are at comparably low levels, may be a modern means to safely respond to our more primitive urges. Ritual music and dance is almost ubiquitous in African tribes that have had minimal interaction with modern technologies. Perhaps the dance floor is the most organic place to find solace after a hard week’s work. Now, it is no secret that Brandeis University isn’t a school whose reputation is founded upon the Animal House-esque parties that the “I Love College” music video depicts. I actually was somewhat surprised to find that College Prowler’s Web site gave our school a generous B+ in its “nightlife” section. But one has to read further to find that they took our proximity to Boston into account for the rating. Brandeis students’ latent desire for mindless fun, however, can be seen through the grade-A partying that takes place at the International Club’s biannual dance, Pachanga. There was an enormous amount of hype leading up to the evening—the 850 tickets offered at presale were sold out within two days. Interestingly, because Pachanga is one of the school’s bestattended events of the year, it seemed that a significant portion of students there tried to pack in all of the fun they hadn’t been having on other weekends into this one night. According to Brandeis Emergency Medical Corps Director of Operations Daniel Litwok
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’10, there were five BEMCo calls at Pachanga, four of which were alcohol-related. This number doesn’t take into account the long line outside of the women’s restrooms as stalls were occupied by lightweight girls fervently praying to porcelain gods. Perhaps if those students had more opportunities to get excited about similarly well-attended craziness, they would have done a better job of pacing themselves. Unlike the majority of partying that goes on at Brandeis, Pachanga is a school-sponsored event. This means that there were security professionals and medical staff standing at attention throughout the evening. Unlike underground parties where students who aren’t interested in staying in and studying on weekends generally find themselves (offcampus fraternity or sports houses for example), any fights at Pachanga were immediately broken up, and students in need of medical attention immediately received it. Thankfully, those students who attempted to consolidate a year’s worth of fun into a few hours were immediately attended to by BEMCo. It is unfair to say that Pachanga is the only on-campus, school-sponsored event of the year. This past Saturday night alone, there were two opportunities for students to tap into their preindustrial selves both at Cholmondeley’s and at the transformed Schwartz Auditorium. That said, however, the combined attendance at both of these events paled in comparison to that of Pachanga. This begs the question of what makes Pachanga different from most other parties. Outside of Schwartz Auditorium, where the Brandeis Zionists Associationsponsored Club Combeena was held, a drunk and frustrated student embodies the vicious cycle that plagues the party scene here: “People complain that there is nothing fun to do here. When there actually is a party going on [Pachanga excluded], people say that it will suck, so nobody goes. The few people who do end up going will see that nobody is there and will leave, thinking that there is never anything fun to do here.” Perhaps it is this self-fulfilling prophecy that frequently causes the non-big-name parties here to be so pathetic. Maybe publicity should be better. Right now, Brandeis is working hard to find new ways to attract prospective students. Many high school seniors cross Brandeis off their list of schools to consider because of its reputation as a “Scattegories-Saturday night” kind of place. If we’re so inclined to think toward what kind of student body Brandeis will attract in the future, then we should recognize the importance of moderated madness and share the responsibility of making party planning and party promoting more of a priority here. Only then can Brandeis start to build its reputation for what can perhaps be slightly less extreme “Asher Roth-like Affairs.”
Naomi Spector Arts: Daniel Baron, Wei-Huan Chen, Sean Fabery, Laura Gamble, Caroline Hughes, Rachel Klein, Emily Leifer, Wei Sum Li, Daniel Orkin, Alex Pagan, Shelley Shore, Ben Strassfeld, Brad Stern Photography: Rachel Corke, Rebecca Ney, Adina Paretzky, STAFF Michelle Strulovic Senior Writers: Miranda Neubauer, Jeffrey Sports: Eli Harrington, Andrew Ng, Sean Petterson, Adam Rosen Pickette, Melissa Siegel Copy: Ariel Adams, Emily Kraus, Marissa Linzi, Danielle Myers Senior Photographers: Sara Brandenburg, Illustrations: Lisa Frank, Gail Goldspiel, Eli Tukachinsky David Brown, Hsiao Chi Pang Layout: Kathryn Marable, Lee Marmor News/Features Staff: Alana Abramson, Destiny Aquino, Sam Datlof, Reina Guerrero, Michelle Liberman, Ruth Orbach, Greta Moran, Michael Newborn, Harry Shipps Forum: Richard Alterbaum, Hillel Buechler, David Litvak, Zachary Matusheski, Ethan Mermelstein, Doug Nevins, Eileen Smolyar,
EDITORIAL ASSISTANT ARTS: Sarah Bayer
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TUESDAY, MARCH 24, 2009
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THE JUSTICE
FORUM
Talk is vital for Jews and gays
HOUSING DISTRESS
By TZIPORA HAIT SPECIAL TO THE JUSTICE
LISA FRANK/the Justice
ResLife acted inappropriately By JEREMY SIEGEL SPECIAL TO THE JUSTICE
The way Brandeis administrators have handled the housing situation this year shows that they are not doing enough to consider the student experience. Housing changes had to be made because of the negative effects of the flagging economy, and most students at Brandeis, myself included, understand that. However, that does not excuse the University from making an effort to demonstrate that it still cares about its students. As with other changes, the University needs to show more appreciation for its students’ willingness to help and reach out further to work with us in order to create the best experience currently possible. I was in the last group of around 50 students to pick a room during sophomore housing selection Tuesday night. It was clear to everyone sitting in the room that something went wrong in the plans. We could easily deduce from the number of students left and the information posted on the Web site what should have been known before room selection began: There were not enough spots available for all of the sophomores who wanted housing. It seemed that the
Residence Life staff realized this at some point too from the way they scrambled to try to solve the issue. At any rate, housing ran out for both males and females by the end of the night. While there were certain staff members who acted professionally, many did not give us the respect we deserve as members of the Brandeis community. Never mind the two-hour delay. Throughout the process, no explanation was given for what was happening, and no acknowledgment of any error on the part of ResLife was offered. This made the reality of only being able to live in first-year dorms or not knowing our future housing situation more stressful. What occurred last Tuesday night has blackened my perception of a situation already cast in a negative light. It says to me that Brandeis does not care about the quality of its students’ experience or think them intelligent enough to deserve an explanation of an already stressful situation in their lives. It does not care about the unity and quality of life of next year’s sophomore class. Until now, sophomore housing has been set up to further solidify the first-year experience. Now, with 77 sophomores scattered among the first-years, sophomores are being deprived of a chance to extend first-year year
relationships and continue to unite as a class. Brandeis also did not consider the experience of next year’s midyears, an already-segregated group that will now be further removed from the rest of the class by being housed in the Village next spring. As with next year’s sophomores, part of the Brandeis experience will be lost for first-years. With all of these changes, Brandeis risks one of its greatest strengths—the unity of our campus community—without pursuing effective countermeasures. Residence Life has since realized its error and admitted to problems with sophomore housing. Half a dozen people were put on the waitlist, but at least some have been given housing in East and the Castle. However, I believe that if Residence Life had taken more time to take an accurate count beforehand, the housing situation would be better for all sophomores. Maybe even if they had done this correctly from the beginning, with every option considered and selection planned correctly, no students’ living situation would not be any different next year. But the manner in which it was done wronged us as members of this University.
The writer is a member of the Class of 2012.
Ayers’ view is radical, but legitimate Richard
ALTERBAUM THE SCOOP
Bill Ayers, a former member of the Weather Underground who remains controversial to this day, was originally scheduled to come to campus on March 30. This development has been met with skepticism by faculty members and students alike. These critics of Bill Ayers’ character argue that Brandeis should not welcome a formerly unrepentant bomber of the Pentagon, the U.S Capitol, and other federal buildings—an individual who seems to appeal only to the most radical of students. Although these criticisms are legitimate, the school should welcome Mr. Ayers to speak and express his views. Brandeis ought to serve as a forum for all different kinds of perspectives. Even if individuals offer points of view that are deemed radical and unpopular, they should nonetheless feel comfortable expressing them at our academic institution. We celebrate diversity in our student body and faculty; we should also celebrate heterogeneity in what people think. Preventing Mr. Ayers from coming here
would discredit a view held by many members of Brandeis students and faculty. Among those who work at Brandeis and call it their home are individuals whose beliefs represent an entire spectrum of thoughts and philosophies. This vast array of ideas, radical ones included, is what gives our school an intellectual atmosphere. Also, it is one of the most important factors that draws bright students to this corner of the world. Are we to deny someone whose ideas and association with us can only add to this diversity? Another reason to grant Mr. Ayers this opportunity is that he has many positive virtues that override his seemingly dubious past. Currently, he is a professor of education at the University of Illinois and a leading advocate for education reform. He has also served on the board of directors for the Annenberg Challenge, which raised millions of dollars to improve the quality of Chicago public schools, as well as the Woods Fund, a philanthropic organization devoted to fighting poverty. The city of Chicago bestowed its Citizen of the Year award upon Ayers in 1997 for these admirable efforts. In addition, the Weather Underground was in actuality not as horrifying as the caricature its harshest critics continue to paint it as: a destructive and violent group of communist radicals. True, its members bombed several important governmental buildings. However,
these acts were not meant to hurt anyone, and they didn’t. Rather, they were primarily symbolic and a form of protest against the Vietnam War. Were they a little extreme? Perhaps. But ultimately, the organization had understandable intentions. It was born out of the chaos of the late 1960s and early ’70s and not out of some malicious desire to hurt people. In fact, one can consider Mr. Ayers’ past admirable in the sense that it can inspire our own activism and desire to engage in political affairs. Although we shouldn’t necessarily emulate the tactics that were exercised by the Weather Underground, we ought to view their spirit and fervent desire for change in a positive fashion. That is, we can take from them the fact that, with enough motivation, people can ultimately incite their government to act in ways that better represent their values. Lastly, by rejecting Mr. Ayers, one of the only things we gain is a reputation for being parochial and narrow-minded—a kind of worldview that typified the Republicans in their attempts to demonize Barack Obama by linking him to Mr. Ayers. And personally, I would rather not be associated with the likes of the Alaskan governor who claimed that President Obama is someone who “sees America, it seems, as being so imperfect, imperfect enough, that he’s palling around with terrorists who would target their own country.”
Homosexuality has long been a taboo topic ignored, denied and pathologized in the Jewish Orthodox community. It has only recently begun to be recognized and addressed, and there is still a long way to go. But the first step in creating a safe space for gays in the Orthodox community is simply conversing about the possibility of sensitive, inclusive communities in which traditional Jewish gays can feel comfortable. Without this essential conversation, the community risks ostracizing homosexuals. Last weekend, the Brandeis Jewish community took this vital step. Rabbi Steven Greenberg, the first person with Orthodox rabbinic ordination to announce his homosexuality, was a scholar-in-residence here at Brandeis last weekend. His visit was planned jointly by two unlikely allies, Hillel and Triskelion. Rabbi Greenberg’s visit brought to light this long ignored truth: There are gay Orthodox Jews who want to be gay and Orthodox; they will not disappear and they cannot be ignored. Rabbi Greenberg first spoke Friday night after Hillel dinner, addressing over 150 students and sharing his story of how he came to have this seemingly incongruous identity: the gay Orthodox rabbi. Rabbi Greenberg spoke to a full audience in Hassenfeld Conference Center the night of Friday March 13. Standing at a podium marked with the Brandeis motto, “Truth even unto its innermost parts,” Rabbi Greenberg created a strikingly appropriate image: Here was a room of students beginning a conversation about a truth that had long been denied. After 30 minutes of speaking, Rabbi Greenberg opened up the floor for what was scheduled to be 30 minutes of Q&A, and students could not get enough. They sat, they listened, they struggled, they applauded, and they challenged. The event ended close to midnight, although the conversation was far from over. The following Saturday afternoon, Rabbi Greenberg appeared on a panel with Father Walter Cuenin and Professor James Mandrell (ROMS). Students who attended were able to see the similarities and differences in the way that different faith communities deal with these challenges. Saturday night, Rabbi Greenberg further engaged with students by facilitating a discussion of the film Trembling Before God, a documentary about gay and lesbian Orthodox Jews. Rabbi Greenberg shared his unique perspective on difficult questions: What is the Jewish take on homosexuality in light of our modern sensibilities and our understanding that sexual orientation is not a choice? Should a gay person be a rabbi, considering the fact that the Bible appears to condemn anal sex and declare it an abomination? Is there a place for homosexuals in the Jewish community? Why would a gay person even want to be Orthodox? Many of the Orthodox students had never before been confronted with these types of issues. Katie Schlussel ’10, former president of the Brandeis Orthodox Organization, said, “The fact that it was even a conversation ... is huge. The fact that people were talking about it and it wasn’t taboo ... was a big step for our community.” Aviva Zadoff ’10 agreed, saying, “It was good to have the topic brought to our faces—it’s very hard to think that Judaism would deny a person the ability to be happy … especially if you know people who are gay and Jewish. To have someone come talk about it and try to bridge those gaps in a direct and honest way was helpful.” Benny Gronich ’12 explained that Rabbi Greenberg has had a profound impact on his life. “Hearing his story was such an inspiration to me. ... It gave me hope. I come from a religious background and he made me realize that I don’t need all the answers and that I can still be Jewish and be gay; I don’t have to choose. He is really a role model for the Jewish gay community. I’m happy he talked about his identity crisis and I hope that it helped other people the way that it has helped me.” Rabbi Greenberg’s visit was unquestionably met with a diversity of responses: Some felt they simply could not agree with his views while others were utterly convinced by them. Many students were merely happy to see their too-often marginalized group given a voice within the religious community. Still, for many, the most important thing was simply that the conversation happened and that it happened in a dignified, respectful and honest manner. Last weekend’s events demonstrated that personal growth and greater respect and understanding can come from events that bring different communities together for open, honest and respectful dialogue. Sitting in a room in upper Sherman Friday night that was packed with students who identified as Jewish, queer students “just curious,” all of whom were willingly and honestly grappling with basic questions of identity and religion, I was proud to be a Brandeis student.
The writer, a member of the Brandeis Orthodox Organization and a member of the Class of 2009, organized Rabbi Greenberg’s visit.
THE JUSTICE
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TUESDAY, MARCH 24, 2009
13
SPORTS
PROFILE: Olson’s mark was his shot
GETTING SERVED
CONTINUED FROM 16
from 19 feet 6 inches to 20 feet 6 inches prior to the start of the season. Olson said moving the three-point line back a foot helped to “spread the court out.” However, Meehan believes Olson’s performance from three-point range this season was the result of improved shot selection. “I think the game slowed down a little bit for him, so it just seemed like he had a little more time,” Meehan said. “He knew he had to step up [this season] and be the guy who was a main player for us, and I think he really embraced that.” Olson’s triumphs came at a price. After dealing with knee pain throughout his first three years at Brandeis, he had off-season knee surgery to repair a torn patellar tendon last May. “It just didn’t respond as well as I hoped, so it was just as painful all this year,” Olson said. His off-season was limited to rehabilitating his knee. He also had to sit out the occasional practice throughout the season and suffered from “sharp pains” when he made sudden, quick movements on the court. But none of that kept Olson off the court: Despite the pain, he led the team in minutes per game with 33.6, starting all 27 games this season.
“It was almost a necessity this year; I needed to play a lot of minutes and I wasn’t going to say ‘no’, that’s for sure,” Olson said. “I’m very, very competitive, so if I’m out there, I wanted to play, and I wanted to win. The trainers haven’t liked that at times.” Olson helped lead the Judges to their third consecutive trip to the NCAA Tournament, where the team fell to Franklin and Marshall College 65-63 in the second round. Olson’s 12.6 points were second on the team this season, and his 86 three-pointers were the second-highest single-season total in the program’s history. He will graduate with the highest career three-point percentage and free-throw percentage in Brandeis history. His 187 three-pointers are third all-time. “I think his leadership ability stood out this year more than ever,” Meehan said. “Late this season, when it appeared to a lot of people that maybe our NCAA Tournament hopes were done, Kevin was the guy saying ‘We’re not out of this.’” “I give him a lot of credit for keeping the guys believing that they were still playing for a bid,” Meehan continued. “And as it turned out, he was right.”
—Ian Cutler contributed reporting.
JULIAN AGIN-LIEBES/the Justice
STARTING UP: Men’s tennis player Mayur Kasetty ’11 serves during the Judges’ 8-0 home loss to Bates College last Saturday.
Women’s squad handles Bates, but men lose twice ■ The women’s tennis team
beat Bates College at home last Saturday while the men’s team fell to Bates and Tufts University last Sunday. By ADAM ROSEN JUSTICE STAFF WRITER
The women’s tennis team entered its annual match against New England No. 14 Bates College, coach Ben Lamanna’s alma mater, ranked one seed behind them at No. 15 in New England. The final tally was much more lopsided than the team’s rankings indicated. In a matchup between two of the topranked teams in the region, the Judges knocked off Bates by an 8-1 count last Saturday and improved the team’s record to 8-3. The men’s team also hosted Bates last Saturday but lost 8-0. They followed that up with another defeat at Tufts University last Sunday, falling 8-1 to drop to 5-7 on the season. On the women’s side, the Judges jumped out to a quick 2-0 lead after an 8-5 victory by No. 1 doubles pair Rachel Rosman ’11 and Mackenzie Gallegos ’11 and an 8-1 win by No. 3 doubles pair Ariana Sanai ’10 and Emily Weisberger ’10. However, the tone of the match was set at No. 2 doubles, where captain Gabrielle Helfgott ’09 and Nina Levine ’12 were in a tight match against rookies Erika Blauth and Brooke Morse-Karzen. With every member of both teams watching, the No. 2 doubles match went into a second set tiebreaker after
the two sides split the first 16 games. “We were really pumped because a lot of people were watching, so we just tried to be really aggressive at the net and in a lot of the points, and we didn’t really have anything to lose,” Levine said. “And knowing that the other doubles teams won really helped us. We played like there was nothing to lose.” With a 4-3 lead in the first-to-seven third-set supertiebreaker, Helfgott came up with two consecutive service winners to put the Judges up 6-3. The first one forced a return by Bates that hit straight back into the net, and the second one was an ace. In the match point when the Judges’ pair led 6-4, Levine hit winner at the net that went straight up the middle to give the lefty partners the victory and put the Judges up 3-0 in the overall competition. “They played well in the big points, which is how you win tennis matches,” Lamanna said. Levine, a rookie, said being able to win a close match at a high level of competition helped her confidence. “I had a lot of trouble in the beginning of the year confidence-wise because it’s just different from playing in high school,” she said. “Playing with [Helfgott], she’s a really confident player, so it made me feel a lot more confident knowing that she had confidence in winning the match.” “[Levine] did a good job rising to the occasion and realizing that we just have to focus on each point, and she stayed positive,” Helfgott added. The Judges continued their strong singles play this season, winning five of their six matches. No. 1 Rosman, whom one spectator referred to as
“Ross the Boss” during her match, took complete control over senior Caryn Benisch, winning 6-1, 6-1. No. 3 Sanai defeated rookie Meg Anderson 62, 6-1; No. 4 Gallegos beat MorseKarzen 6-2, 6-4; No. 5 Weisberger edged Blauth 6-3, 6-4 and No. 6 Levine knocked off fellow rookie Elizabeth Stege 6-3, 6-3. The men’s squad’s struggles continued with the two losses at Tufts last Sunday and at home against Bates last Saturday. The team has now lost its last five matches. Against Tufts, the Judges were swept in doubles for the fifth consecutive match. The men’s team has not won a doubles match since Feb. 23, the last game of its Florida trip. The Judges’ lone point against Tufts came courtesy of captain Scott Schulman ’09, who defeated sophomore Jake Fountain 7-6 (5), 6-2 at No. 2 singles. “The guys [have to] toughen up and realize that we’re not a team that needs to lose this many matches,” Lamanna said. “The schedule is there for a reason; I thought we could have a good season with this schedule, so the guys just [have to] believe it and trust themselves more. That’s the bottom line.” The Judges were without No. 1 singles player Steven Nieman ’11, who was sick with the flu in both matches. In last Saturday’s match against Bates, with the match outcome already determined and Brandeis trailing 8-0, the No. 6 singles match was canceled Craig Elman ’12 was supposed to take on junior Zach Fenno. Both the men’s and women’s squads will next compete Sunday at Trinity College. The women’s team will play at 10 a.m., followed by the men at 2 p.m.
DAVID SHEPPARD-BRICK/Justice File Photo
PERFECTING HIS FORM: Kevin Olson ’09 shoots at practice before the season.
SWIM: Eder fares well failed, and since then the team has been practicing at nearby schools, including Regis College. The program will be suspended after next season. Zotz said he thought the team came together over the difficulties it faced throughout the season. “I just think that any time a team has adversity and you have to overcome it, it forces people to be less self-centered and more teamfocused, and that’s clearly what happened,” he said. “We turned what was a negative into a positive.” The men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams will only graduate a combined four swimmers next season. Besides Eder, the men’s team will see the return of James Liu ’10, a member of the record-setting 400- and 800-yard freestyle relay teams, and Aaron
Bennett ’11, who holds the school record for the 200-yard butterfly. The women’s team next year will bring back rookie Angela Chui ’12, who barely missed qualifying for NCAAs this year. During the regular season, she helped set school records in 11 events, including five relays and all three individual backstroke events. Hollis Viray ’10, a member of those five record-setting relay teams who also set the school record for the 200-yard breaststroke in March, will also come back. “I think we can all expect [more] records to fall next season, some of them by larger margins than others,” Eder said. “The fact is that all the upperclassmen next year will be much closer because of practicing off campus this season, and that is going to allow us to start the season in a more heated fashion than we were in the beginning of this year.”
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TUESDAY, MARCH 24, 2009
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THE JUSTICE
SPORTS BASEBALL
Raising the bar
Team sweeps RIT in home openers ■ The baseball team went
3-1 last week to open its New England schedule and improved to 7-8 this year. By ELI HARRINGTON JUSTICE STAFF WRITER
JULIAN AGIN-LIEBES/the Justice
BIG LIFT: Dave Almeida ’09 has trained hard for national weightlifting competitions. Here, he shows what goes into a lift.
A former baseball player holds his own and more in a different sport By ELI HARRINGTON JUSTICE STAFF WRITER
As 26 members of the Brandeis baseball team and staff were arriving in the Orlando International Airport March 7, Dave Almeida ’09 was taking a far less glamorous trip—a 15-hour drive from Waltham to a convention center in Columbus, Ohio. Having made the trip to Florida three times as a former member of the baseball team, Almeida knows what he was missing: pristine fields, warm sunny weather, pearl-white baseballs for batting practice and a solid base tan. But this year, he decided to pass up all of that to make the drive to Columbus alone to compete in the sport that now drives him: Olympic weightlifting. Olympic weightlifting, also known as competitive weightlifting or Olympic lifting, is an individual sport that divides competitors into weight classes and combines their highest weight total of three attempts in two types of lifts, the snatch and the clean and jerk. Almeida says the level of dedication needed to succeed in the sport is unique. “I’d say that you have to enjoy beating yourself up if you really want to excel in competitive weightlifting,” Almeida says with a smirk on his face. Since giving up baseball to train and compete full-time as a weightlifter, Almeida has had success, finishing second in New England at regional championships in his weight class last December, but the event he was driving to Columbus for, the Arnold Sports Festival in Columbus, was his first national meet. “The Arnold,” which has a Web site that includes several photos of the California governor himself, features not only weightlifting but everything from martial arts to arm wrestling to race-walking, with well over 150,000 attendees annually. Even though it was his first national meet, Almeida managed a
third-place finish out of 15 competitors in the Open Men’s session and notched a new personal record in the snatch, managing to throw 93 kilograms (205 pounds) over his head in one fluid motion before finishing with a total of 211 kilograms on the day, also a personal best. Almeida’s path to the lifting platform was hardly straightforward. The first time he stepped into a weight room as a freshman in high school was when he had no ride home and meandered into the claustrophobic weight room at Fairfield College Preparatory School, near his house in Bridgeport, Conn., as an accident. Almeida started with basic weight training as a way to get stronger and more explosive for baseball. “Most really good elite athletes are going to do Olympic weightlifting in their training,” Almeida’s current lifting coach, Ben Fuller, says. Almeida expanded his training while at Brandeis but changed his course when he met Mike Shoretz ’09 while in the weight room at Brandeis during his sophomore year. Both shared a passion for lifting and decided to make the 25minute walk to the Excel Sports and Fitness Center, a new gym in Waltham, where Almeida would meet Fuller. Those literal first steps brought Almeida into the new world of competitive Olympic weightlifting. He says after his first few training sessions, he was hooked, and in just over two years he transformed from an amateur athlete in Waltham to meeting German Olympic gold medalist Matthias Steiner at “The Arnold.” Almeida still played baseball for three years while at Brandeis, and says the two sports are similar in some respects. “The focus on the mental preparation is very similar to baseball, just like the attention to technique,” he says. “You have to be mentally prepared; you only get six total lifts, and when you train for months for
those few moments, you have to be focused.” Almeida says training for the sport requires hours in the gym not only to increase strength, but also to practice and perfect the difficult technique that goes into each successful lift. “You have someone watching every lift, even in training, and coaching you on every movement you make,” Almeida says. “While you aren’t typically doing many repetitions, it’s all about mental focus.” “You’re going to be lifting 2.5 times your body weight over head if you’re really good, and nobody likes to have 400-500 pounds over your head,” Fuller says, explaining the training further. “It doesn’t feel natural to have that sitting up over there. You’ve got to be able to attack the weights and be able to fail and try again and try again, which is something that is hard for a lot of people, but in the end it’s something that’s hard but rewarding.” Almeida competed at “The Arnold” in the kilogram weight class as one of the lightest competitors in his class, but he will be moving down to the kilogram weight class for his next competition in August. At 5 feet 6 inches and roughly 160 pounds, Almeida is not as large as many of his larger peers, but with the different weight classes, strength is measured in weightlifting relative to the athlete’s size, giving athletes like Almeida vindication. “There are no limitations on what you can do,” Almeida says. “There aren’t scouts there to measure you; the numbers speak for themselves.” After competing at “The Arnold,” Almeida is training again in preparation for the American Open in August in Mobile, Ala., the secondbiggest weightlifting competition in the country. Down the road, he says he plans on testing himself at the Olympic trials for the 2016 and potentially 2012 Olympic games. When asked about his preparation in the meantime, he said, “training, training and more training.”
After a last-place finish at last week’s University Athletic Association Championships, the baseball team was trailing 5-4 in the top of the ninth inning against Bridgewater State last Wednesday. With catcher Zach Wooley ’11 on second base and shortstop Sean O’Hare ’12 on first base, leadoff hitter and centerfielder Tony Deshler ’10 stepped to the plate, hoping to prolong the game, as the Judges were down to their final out. Deshler came through, delivering an RBI single to tie the game as part of a 3-for-5 day at the plate. After designated hitter Nick Gallagher ’09 was hit by a pitch to load the bases, third baseman Jon Chu ’12 played the hero, driving in three runs with a deep double to left field. The Judges tacked on one more run to eventually bring the final score to 95. The ninth-inning comeback sparked a 3-1 week for the Judges, which improved their record to 7-8 on the season after they were beaten in a pitchers’ duel last Friday at Rhode Island College 2-1 and sweeping a home-opening doubleheader against Rochester Institute of Technology last Saturday, winning the first game 7-5 and the second game 5-1. “We’re definitely progressing offensively with guys being more aggressive and figuring out and actually understanding that our philosophy is we’re going to swing the bat,” assistant coach Brian Lambert ’97 said. Last Saturday, pitching and errors were the difference in both games against RIT. The Judges picked up two wins led by the core of their starting staff, Kyle Ritchie ’10 and Drew Brzozowski ’10. The Judges also capitalized on eight Tigers errors in the two games. In the first game, the Judges jumped out to an early 3-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning with twoout RBI singles from first baseman Pat Nicholson ’11 and Wooley. Brandeis continued to take advantage of RIT’s mistakes, putting up two more unearned runs in the second inning to extend its lead to 5-0. Those runs would be plenty for Ritchie as he gave up four runs in five innings to get the win. Nick
Pollack ’11 and Alex Tynan ’12 maintained the lead in relief. Pollack gave up no runs in the sixth inning, and Tynan gave up one run to get his first collegiate save. “It was big to get the run support early,” Ritchie said. “We’ve got an important stretch coming up, so to get these first two was big.” In the second game, Brzozowski surrendered one run in the first inning, but the offense responded in the bottom half of the frame, capitalizing on Tiger miscues for three runs despite only two hits in the inning. The Tigers never again threatened as Brandeis cruised through the rest of the game with Brzozowski spreading eight hits over the complete game, seveninning effort. “[Ritchie and Brzozowski] definitely pitched their best games of the year so far,” Lambert said. “I felt pretty good; my slider felt like it was working, and I had good command,” Brzozowski said. “It puts us on the right track and gives us some momentum heading into next week.” Last Friday, Brandeis starter Justin Duncombe ’11 took the defeat, despite his ERA improving to 1.89 on the season after turning in six innings of two-hit ball and surrendering only one unearned run. Rhode Island College sophomore pitcher Gary Levesque proved to be even better, however, as he scattered eight hits in eight innings and struck out seven Judges. Captain John O’Brion ’10 was the only player able to crack Levesque, as he went 3-for-3 with two doubles, driving in the team’s only run in the top of the seventh inning. For a team that, according to Lambert, has struggled with mental miscues, last Friday’s loss stood out as an example for the team’s consistant struggles. The Judges had a chance to win in the ninth inning with the tying run on second base and no outs after DH Drake Livada ’10 led off the inning with a single and moved to second on an error. But the Judges failed to execute a sacrifice bunt on the next play, and Livada was picked off at second base. Wooley hit a single two batters later that would have scored Livada if he had not been picked off. The Judges’ scheduled home game yesterday against Salem State College was postponed to April 17 at 3 p.m. because of the cold weather. Brandeis will next play today at 3 p.m. against rival Wheaton College, which has dominated the Judges as of late, winning seven of the last nine games between the two teams in the last four years.
FENCING: Friedman, Hanley and Austin fence at NCAAs CONTINUED FROM 16 or very far,” Austin said. “He has always seemed to be able to outwait me, but I was able to turn that against him today.” Austin said he was particularly disappointed with his loss to University of Pennsylvania junior Andrew Bielen. After leading throughout the bout, Austin allowed Bielen to tie the score at four and proceeded to lose the final touch to Bielen. “On the last point, I rushed forward and hoped I could surprise him, but it was a poor decision at this level of competition,” he said. Like Austin, Hanley admitted nerves consumed her at the beginning of the tournament. “I started off very nervous and didn’t perform well on the first day. On the second day, I was more confident on the strip, and I beat a few people I needed to beat to place higher,” Hanley said.
One of Hanley’s first-day losses came to Penn State junior Caitlin Thompson. Hanley jumped out to an early 3-1 lead and pushed Thompson to a 4-2 deficit; however, Hanley lost the bout 5-4 with a series of mental lapses. “Sometimes I get into a habit of wanting things to work, and I get frustrated that they don’t, so I try to get them to work over and over again,” Hanley said. “You can’t do that in a five-touch bout. One touch means everything.” One of Hanley’s wins was a 5-1 victory against University of Pennsylvania sophomore Danielle Kamis. The fencing teams will see many of their commonly used fencers graduate, with Friedman, women’s team captains foil Jess Davis-Heim ’09 and saber Jenny Press ’09, foil Jessica Newhall ’09 and épée Caitlin Kozel ’09 highlighting the significant departures.
THE JUSTICE
■ The saber fencer went to the NCAA Championships for the first time in his career last week at Pennsylvania State University.
8
combined runs scored in the last three innings of the baseball game between Bridgewater State College and Brandeis last Wednesday. Bridgewater State scored three runs in the seventh, but the Judges answered with five in the ninth to win 9-5 on the road.
0
earned runs allowed by softball pitchers Emily Vaillette ’10 and Caroline Miller ’12 in a doubleheader sweep of Wellesley College last Wednesday. The Judges won 4-2 and 4-0 in the two games, allowing just two unearned runs in the first game.
3
wins for foil Will Friedman ’09 against opponents from top-10 schools at the NCAA National Collegiate Championships at Pennsylvania State University last Thursday. Friedman topped fencers from No. 1 University of Notre Dame, No. 5 Columbia University and No. 9 Stanford University.
1
Brandeis swimmer that competed at the NCAA Division III National Championships at the University of Minnesota last week. Marc Eder ’12 was the first Brandeis swimmer to compete at the meet since Matt Christian ’05 did in 2005.
5
times this season in which the women’s tennis team has swept its doubles matches in a team match. They are 5-0 when they do and 3-3 when they do not.
10
consecutive games in which baseball catcher Zach Wooley ’11 has gotten a hit. It is the longest such streak on the team this season.
15
Softball team takes two at Wellesley in doubleheader sweep
Adam Austin ’11
Judging numbers
TUESDAY, MARCH 24, 2009
VARSITY BRIEF
ATHLETE OF THE WEEK
In the past, Adam Austin ’11 had difficulty controlling his temper and keeping his emotions in check on the strip, but his growth over the past year as a fencer and competitor enabled him to secure a bid to last weekend’s NCAA Championships. “Last year, [Austin] tended to blame other people, particularly the referee, for his problems. Now he’s mature enough to solve his own problems on the strip without looking to assign blame to things he can’t control,” coach Bill Shipman said. While his maturity has contributed to his growth as a fencer, Austin said his work outside of practice has also helped. “It has been helpful to get more practice on the outside. During the season, I would always try to fence at a fencing club at least two or three times a week,” Austin said. All of Austin’s growth culminated in a fifth-place finish at the NCAA Regional Championships, which helped him secure the final bid at the NCAA National Championships, where he finished 22nd. “At Regionals, he fenced almost as well as he could expect. ... He was reacting well and moving properly,” Shipman said. At the NCAA Championships, Austin experienced some initial nerves and won just six of his 23 bouts, but he said he enjoyed the opportunity to compete. “Being at Nationals felt like being rewarded for the effort. … I felt like I
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MAX MATZA/theJustice
reached a new level skill-wise by the end of the season, and securing a bid at NCAAs was proof that I’ve improved since last year,” Austin said. Austin also said he enjoyed the environment. “Fencing is not a sport that’s really
covered by any sort of media, but there were cameras everywhere, and everyone was getting interviewed. Everywhere you turned, it reminded you that it was the top of college fencing,” he said.
—Andrew Ng
UAA STANDINGS Baseball
Softball
Not including Monday’s games Overall W L 10 2 11 5 14 7 5 11 7 8 0 0
UAA W L Rochester 4 2 Washington Univ. 3 3 Emory 3 3 Case Western 3 3 JUDGES 2 4 Chicago 0 0
Not including Monday’s games Overall UAA W L W L Washington Univ. 7 1 12 3 Emory 5 3 22 4 Rochester 5 3 10 5 JUDGES 3 5 5 7 Chicago 0 0 0 0 Case Western 0 8 5 9
TEAM LEADERS Baseball (on-base percentage)
Baseball (runs batted in)
Infielder Nick Gallagher ’09 leads Brandeis with a .512 on-base percentage.
Utility player Tony Deshler ’11 leads the Judges with 11 RBIs
Player Nick Gallagher Mike Alfego Drake Livada Tony Deshler Zach Wooley
Player Tony Deshler Drake Livada Sean O’hare John Chu Kenny Destremps
OBP .512 .431 .400 .397 .351
RBI 11 10 10 8 6
Softball (on-base percentage)
Softball (runs batted in)
Utility player Marianne Specker ’12 leads Brandeis with a .483 on-base percentage.
Catcher Erin Ross ’10 leads the Judges with eight RBIs.
Player Marianne Specker Brittany Grimm Melissa Cagar Danielle Lavellee Erin Ross
Player Erin Ross Brittany Grimm Melissa Cagar Four tied with Carly Schmand
OBP .483 .400 .381 .375 .324
RBI 8 4 4 3 2
UPCOMING GAME OF THE WEEK Women’s Tennis at Trinity College (Conn.) Brandeis will travel to Trinity College Sunday to play the Bantams at 10 a.m. After already facing some tough competition in New York University and Middlebury College earlier this season, the women’s tennis team will face another test when they travel to Hartford, Conn. to take on Trinity College this Sunday at 10 a.m. The Judges are 8-3 this season and are coming off an 8-1 victory over Bates College at home last Saturday, while the Bantams are 5-2. In the win over Bates, Brandeis was led by its strong doubles teams, sweep-
ing Bates 3-0. In No. 1 singles, Rachel Rosman ’11 took her match 6-1, 6-1. Last season, Brandeis beat Trinity at home 7-2, winning five of six singles matches and two of three doubles matches. This year, Brandeis has not been tested much on the road, taking five of its six matches played on neutral courts and three of its four matches played at home. The Judges’ only road match this season came at Middlebury, where they were swept 9-0.
Trailing 2-1 in the top of the fifth inning with the bases loaded against local rival Wellesley College, ranked 29th in Division III, it was catcher Erin Ross’ ’10 responsibility as the cleanup hitter to drive her teammates home. She fulfilled that responsibility. Ross hit a single to left field, driving in right fielder Lara Hirschler ’12 and left fielder Chelsea Korp ’10 to give the Judges a 3-2 lead that led to their 4-2 victory and doubleheader sweep last Wednesday at Wellesley. The Judges took the second game 4-0 to close out play for the week, improving their record to 5-7 overall. “[Ross’ hit] was definitely a turning point in the game,” second baseman Melissa Cagar ’11 said. “For her to come up with a big hit in a crucial situation with runners in scoring position is a big boost because it put us back on top.” The Judges faced an early deficit against No. 29 Wellesley when rookie Elora Daniele hit a two-run home run in her first college at bat against pitcher Emily Vaillette ’10. Vaillette, however, was able to reverse her early season struggles, pitching a complete game victory to improve her record to 1-5. “[Vaillette] pitched awesome,” third baseman Danielle Lavallee ’11 said. “After she gave up the home run she maintained her calm and continued to pitch a great game and keep us in it until the offense came around.” Lavallee contributed to the Judges’ final run of the first game with an RBI groundout in the three-run fifth inning. Cagar continued to set the tone for the Judges out of the leadoff spot. She stole her seventh and eighth bases of the season in the top of the third inning before scoring on shortstop Brittany Grimm’s ’12 RBI groundout. “As the leadoff hitter I always try and put pressure on the defense,” Cagar said. “When I do get on base I try and utilize my speed [by] getting into scoring position and making the defense throw me out.” In the second game of the doubleheader, Judges’ pitcher Caroline Miller ’12 and Wellesley senior pitcher Barabarajean Grundlock battled in a scoreless pitching duel for the first five innings of the game. Both Miller and Grundlock confounded hitters until the sixth inning, when Brandeis was finally able to break through. After loading the bases on two singles and a walk, Korp broke the scoreless tie with an infield hit to the shortstop, scoring Megan DeNubila ’12 who had come in to pinch-run for designated hitter Marianne Specker ’12. Cagar produced one more run in the sixth with an RBI groundout, scoring center fielder Carly Schmand ’11. The Judges added two more runs in the top of the seventh, winning 4-0 and completing their sweep. Miller improved her record to 3-1 on the season, allowing only three runners to reach base while striking out two. Specker finished the second game 3-for-3, after picking up one hit in three at bats in the first game, to increase her team-leading batting average to .375. “Wellesley is a ranked team, and it always looks good beating ranked teams,” captain and outfielder Victoria Roomet ’10 said. “Playing against teams like Wellesley really helps us because it shows that we are a competitive team.” “Sweeping Wellesley sets the tone for our New England schedule,” head coach Jessica Johnson wrote in an e-mail. “We’ve done a good job of focusing on the task at hand as well as the ones ahead so we don’t waste time looking back.” The Judges hit the road this week for three doubleheaders starting at Lasell College today at 3 p.m., at Clark University tomorrow at 3 p.m and at Bates College Sunday at noon.
—Sean Petterson
AP BRIEF WashU repeats as Division III men’s basketball champions SALEM, Va.—Senior Sean Wallis watched last year as Washington University in St. Louis won its first NCAA Division III men’s national championship, a broken leg relegating the point guard to scouting duties as the Bears rolled to a 22-point victory. He made the most of his chance to experience it as a player last Saturday, scoring 16 points and recording 10 assists as the Bears beat Richard Stockton College 61-52 to repeat. “It’s unbelievable,” Wallis said. “In the big picture, I guess, it worked out.” Senior Tyler Nading had 20 points and eight rebounds for WashU (29-2), the fourth team to repeat as champions and the first since University of WisconsinSteven’s Point did so in 2005. WashU also won the University Athletic Association championship. Nading repeatedly got open under the basket, and Wallis consistently found him. “I think Sean had probably 10 assists right to me,” Nading said. “All I’m thinking is this is the best way to go out as a senior.” Wallis was named the most outstanding player of the tournament. He can return to Washington next season on a medical redshirt while pursuing a master’s degree but said he’ll enjoy the championship a bit before making a decision. Coach Mark Edwards said the first title took time to sink in, but it finally hit him the next day as the team was on a bus headed to Greensboro, N.C., to board an airplane for home in St. Louis. Even then, he said, “You find yourself always saying, ‘I can’t believe it happened.’” Richard Stockton went 6 1/2 minutes without a point at one stretch early in the game. Richard Stockton got as close as eight with 7 minutes, 37 seconds to play, but Nading scored on three consecutive possessions as the Bears extended their margin back to 55-41 and were home free.
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HEAVY LIFTER Former baseball player Dave Almeida ’09 now competes in weightlifting on a national stage, p. 14
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Waltham, Mass.
SWIMMING & DIVING
Eder posts career bests at NCAAs ■ Marc Eder ’12 became the
first Brandeis men’s swimmer to swim at NCAA Championships since 2005 last week. By MELISSA SIEGEL JUSTICE SENIOR WRITER
After a long day trying to secure housing for next year, Brandeis rookie swimmer Marc Eder ’12 came back to his room at 1 a.m. last Tuesday hoping to get some rest before leaving for the NCAA Division III Men’s Swimming and Diving Championships at the University of Minnesota in a few hours. When he came back to his room, he was happily surprised to find a goodie bag full of Diet Dr. Pepper and chocolate, courtesy of his teammates Ellen Abramowitz ’11 and Dana Simms ’11, waiting for him on his pillow. This and other similar gestures helped him feel the support of his team as he made the solo trip to NCAAs, the first Brandeis men’s swimmer to do so since Matt Christian ’05 in 2005. “[Abramowitz and Simms] went to the effort to go find my room and leave [the goodie bag] on my pillow, and it was really sweet of them,” Eder said. “The constant stream of communication from the team while I was [at NCAAs] was great. It made me feel like they were following, they wee watching. It made me feel good.”
The support helped Eder set careerbest times in two of his three events, the 200-yard individual medley and the 100-yard breaststroke. Eder finished the 200-yard individual medley in 1 minute, 58.46 seconds, the third-best time in school history and 47th best at the meet out of 49 competitors. In the 100-yard breaststroke, Eder beat Christian’s school record with a time of 57.41 seconds, which tied him for 26th out of 42 competitors. He also improved upon his previous career-best time, 58.79 seconds. In the 200-yard breaststroke, in which he was ranked 20th in the nation coming in, he placed 27th out of 36 with a time of 2:05.74. Coach Jim Zotz thought Eder’s nerves may have played a factor. “I think he just got nervous. I think he had really high expectations for himself, and I think he just put a lot of pressure on himself to do well,” Zotz said. Eder believed that he was hurt by not being aggressive enough in the first 100 yards of the race. “I took it out too slow,” Eder said. “I just wasn’t aggressive enough in the first [100 yards]. I didn’t try hard enough in the first [100 yards]. If you take it out too slow, it’s hard to come back faster.” Eder’s performance was a positive end to a tumultuous season for the swimming team. The Linsey pool was closed in October after the two heaters failed, and since then the team has been practicing at nearby schools, including Regis College. The program
See SWIM, 13 ☛
FENCING
Three fence at NCAAs ■ Foil Will Friedman ’09 and
sabers Anna Hanley ’11 and Adam Austin ’11 led Brandeis to an 18th-place finish at the NCAA Fencing Championships last week. By ANDREW NG JUSTICE STAFF WRITER
Foil Will Friedman ’09 appeared in his fourth consecutive NCAA Fencing Championship last weekend looking to match or improve upon his seventhplace finish from a year ago. That improvement did not happen as Friedman dipped to 14th place out of 24 foils, winning just 10 of his 22 bouts during the two-day tournament. Still, he said was satisfied with the way he finished. “This experience has been a lot more laid-back for me,” Friedman said. “My goal was to not completely mess up, and I think I succeeded in that respect. Repeating my [seventhplace] success last year would have been nice, though I came into it thinking that it was unrealistic without a tremendous stroke of luck and a strong outing.” Sabers Adam Austin ’11 and Anna Hanley ’11 joined Friedman in representing the men’s and women’s fencing teams at the NCAA Championships. Together, they scored 24 points and led Brandeis to an 18thplace finish. Austin finished 22nd among sabers, going 6-17, while Hanley finished in 17th place, ending the tournament 8-15. Pennsylvania State University won the title with 195 points, 13 points better than the University of Notre Dame. A total of 24 collegiate fencers per weapon qualified for the NCAA Championships, including members
of Division I and III teams. During the initial pool play, each fencer competed in one five-point bout against each of the 23 other fencers. The four fencers with the most victories qualified for the final bracket in a single-elimination tournament, with fencers competing in 15-point bouts to determine the winners. Friedman’s performance included a 5-4 victory against two-time NCAA Champion Ohio State University junior Andras Horanyi and a 5-1 win against Columbia University senior Sherif Farrag. “I had never beaten Horanyi before, and I have only beaten Farrag once. Fortunately, [Horanyi] was fencing badly, so that was different and it helped me out. Against Sherif, I waited for him to make a wrong attack, and I would change my tactic before he could change his,” Friedman said. Coach Bill Shipman said he thought inexperience played a role in Austin’s first appearance at the NCAA Championships. “Austin fenced well, but it’s always a little intimidating the first time you come to this tournament. He started off slowly but fared better in the middle of the tournament,” Shipman said. Austin said he did not begin to settle down until several bouts into the tournament when he defeated Princeton University sophomore John Stogin 5-1. “I began to feel more comfortable after my first win against [Stogin]. Fortunately, it was early enough that I was able to pull off a few more wins after that,” he said. One of Austin’s victories was a 5-2 win against Norte Dame sophomore Barron Nydam. “I’ve never fenced well against [Nydam]. In the past, I’ve always been surprised by his patience because he never seems to be moving very quickly or very far,” Austin said. “He has
See FENCING, 14 ☛
Smooth Stroke DAVID SHEPPARD-BRICK/Justice File Photo
GLIDING INSIDE: Guard Kevin Olson ’09 scores against UMass-Dartmouth in this season’s home opener Nov. 25.
Kevin Olson ’09 was a pure shooter By JEFFREY PICKETTE JUSTICE SENIOR WRITER
Starting at age five, Kevin Olson ’09 would make it an after-school ritual to take the short trip across the street from his Rockport, Mass. home to the high school to watch the Rockport boys’ basketball team practice. His father, Rick, coached there, and growing up, Olson served as the team’s water boy or ball boy before donning a Rockport uniform as a member of the team in high school. “[The Rockport players] were my idols when I was growing up,” Olson said. It was during these days that Olson developed his lights-out shooting stroke, his signature at Brandeis. While he was too young and too short to shoot with the high school players at first, by the time he was “10 or 12,” Olson was participating in shooting drills with the players—and beating them. “[The players] wouldn’t be happy if I would win,” Olson joked. Olson’s shooting was on full display during the final season of his college career. He led all NCAA divisions in three-point percentage this season, hitting 58.9 percent including 65 percent in 14 University Athletic Association
games. The 58.9 percent is the sixth-best mark in Division III history. Brandeis coach Brian Meehan describes Olson’s shooting technique as “perfect.” “His elbow is high, his hands are high, the rotation of the ball is the same every single time,” Meehan said. “It’s a perfect shot to watch. You watch all the great shooters and a lot of them look just like [Olson].” Olson’s youth basketball instruction came mostly from his father. Rick Olson coached the Rockport High School team for 27 years, teaching Olson’s older brother, Jason, and Kevin along the way. “He’s always been tough on me,” Olson said about his father. “But, I couldn’t ask for anyone else. He was great.” Rick Olson retired after Kevin’s senior year, but in a way he remained one of his son’s coaches, even at the collegiate level. “He always [talked] to me after games; he always [would] call me the next day. He’s so into it,” Olson said of his father. “The coach in him never died, for sure. He talked to me all the time about things I’ve done and what I can do better and what I see out there [on the court].” Kevin Olson believes his basketball pedigree gave him an edge
while playing at Brandeis. “I think it definitely helped me over the years,” he said. “I can see things and pick up things in a different light than a lot of players, I think.” In high school, Olson, despite drawing “double or triple teams” from opposing defenses, was named his athletic conference’s player of the year in 2005, his senior season. Meehan did not view Rockport as one of the premier high school basketball programs in Massachusetts, but that did not stop him from recruiting Olson. Meehan immediately recognized that he had found someone special—a player that was “mature” and “levelheaded,” who “handle[d] adversity really well.” “Kevin was one of those guys who right when I saw him play— and who he was playing with—to see him stay positive and still play well and not let it affect him, that was a kid we knew we really wanted,” Meehan said. Olson shot a respectable 39 percent from three-point range in his first three years before upping that percentage to 58.9 percent this season. Olson’s historic three-point performance came after the NCAA moved the three-point line back
See PROFILE, 13 ☛
March 24, 2009
Hold Thy Peace visits Japan in ‘Midsummer’ p. 21 Photos and Design: David Sheppard-Brick/the Justice
18
TUESDAY, MARCH 24, 2009
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THE JUSTICE
POP CULTURE
INSIDE ON CAMPUS
18-21
■ SunDeis Film Festival 19 The festival screened a variety of entries, and students discussed their creative processes. ■ ‘Prospect I’ 20 The group show featured original works by post-baccalaureate studio art students. ■ ‘Midsummer Night’s Dream’ 21 Hold Thy Peace reimagined the play with a Japanese setting in its confusing production. ■ Nettle The group finished its residency with a provocative concert of world music.
21
21 ■ Rather Be Giraffes An a capella field trip back to kindergarten delighted audience members.
OFF CAMPUS
22-24
22 ■ ‘Adventureland’ The somewhat likeable theme-park comedy suffered from an inconsistent tone. 22 ■ ‘Duplicity’ Julia Roberts and Clive Owen starred in a thriller that doubled as a timely satire. 23 ■ Made of Metal Environmentalist band lacked musical chops. 23 ■ ‘Rusalka’ Dvorak’s tragic opera was given a thrilling production by Boston Lyric Opera. ■ Album review 23 ‘Kicks’ by the 1990s was fun but not original.
CALENDAR
U-WIRE by Shelly Shore
On Thursday, March 19 at about 8 p.m., the marquees of Broadway theaters in New York were dimmed. It was a silent tribute to actress Natasha Richardson, who passed away Wednesday evening after a skiing accident on March 16 that left her in a coma. Her husband, actor Liam Neeson, rushed to her side from Toronto, where he was filming his new movie, Chloe, before she was transported to a New York hospital. On Tuesday, TMZ learned that Richardson had been classified as “brain dead.” Her family made the decision to remove her from life support on Wednesday afternoon, and a representative made the following statement Wednesday night: “Liam Neeson, his sons and the entire family are shocked and devastated by the tragic death of their beloved Natasha. They are profoundly grateful for the support, love and prayers of everyone and ask for privacy during this very difficult time.” Richardson’s career credits spanned both film and stage, including a Tony award-winning performance in Cabaret and a role in the much-loved family film The Parent Trap. Stars of both Hollywood and Broadway expressed their grief and condolences to her family, recalling fond memories of the actress. “She was a brilliant actress. I will never forget her Blanche Dubois [in A Streetcar Named Desire]. It was almost too much, too real and raw. Liam and the boys and her whole family have lost an amazing woman. We all have. Goodbye, darling,” wrote Alan Cumming, Richardson’s Cabaret co-star. A loving wife, devoted mother, active humanitarian and talented actress, Richardson was what some would call the “perfect celebrity,” contributing to numerous charities and relief efforts. She was actively involved in the
Student’s ruse leads to book ■ ‘The Unlikely Disciple’ was the
result of Kevin Roose’s foray at the world’s largest evangelical college. By HANNAH MOSER BROWN DAILY HERALD (BROWN U.)
PETER KRAMER/The Associated Press
TRAGIC LOSS: Natasha Richardson’s death at the age of 45 saddened the theater community. American Foundation for AIDS Research, becoming a board of trustees member in 2006 and participated in many other AIDS charities including Bailey House, God’s Love We Deliver, Mothers’ Voices, AIDS Crisis Trust and National AIDS Trust. Richardson received amfAR’s Award of Courage in November 2000. Richardson leaves behind her husband, Liam Neeson, and two children, Michael, 13, and Daniel, 12, as well as hundreds of friends and millions of fans. As an actress, a humanitarian and a mother, she will be missed.
What’s happening in Arts on and off campus
‘Symphonies By Women: Four Composers from the 19th Century’ When Amy Beach composed her Gaelic Symphony in 1894, she believed she had completed a landmark first in women’s history. However, by that point in time, the orchestral “glass ceiling” had already been broken by several European composers. This event aided by recorded samples will explore the work of Beach and her fellow female composers, including Fanny Mendelssohn Hensel, Louise Farrenc and Augusta Holmès. Tuesday from 12:30 to 2 p.m. in the Women’s Studies Research Center Lecture Hall in Epstein.
Music at Noon: MUS 116B Students from the class “Inside the Piece: Chamber Music from the Player’s Perspective” will perform several chamber music selections during an event that is free and open to the public. Wednesday from noon to 1 p.m. in the Slosberg Music Center. HSIAO-CHI PANG/Justice File Photo
Art in Context: Irving Sandler The scholar and critic, who contributed to the catalogue for the current Rose Art Museum exhibit “Hans Hofmann: Circa 1950,” will speak about the renowned painter at this happening. Sandler has also written a four-volume history of postwar American art. His recent memoir, A Sweeper-up After Artists, intertwines his personal and critical experiences. Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. in the Slosberg Music Center.
‘Waiting for Armageddon’ This documentary—the opening night movie for Jewishfilm.2009—explores the growing clout of Christian Evangelicals, their impact on American foreign policy in the Middle East and the central role of Israel and Israeli Jews in their theology and public policy. Wednesday from 7 to 10:30 p.m. in the Wasserman Cinematheque in the Sachar International Center.
‘7 Up’ The Up Series consists of a series of documentary films that follow the lives of 14 British children beginning in 1964, when
WHAT’S ON?
CO-ED CROONERS: Manginah, Brandeis’ co-ed a cappella group, will per form their entire reper toire from the past year Saturday in the Golding Auditorium from 8:30 to 10:30 p.m. they were seven years old. The children were selected to represent the range of socioeconomic backgrounds in Britain at that time, with the explicit assumption that each child’s social class predetermines their future. Every seven years, the director, Michael Apted, films new material from as many of the 14 as he can get to participate. 7 Up is the first in the series. For more information on the documentary, visit www.pbs. org/pov/pov2007/49up/about.html. Thursday from 7 to 9 p.m. in Kutz 132.
‘Jewish Musicians at the Christian Court’ Under the direction of Prof. Sarah Mead (MUS), the Brandeis Early Music Ensemble and Chamber Choir will play the music of Rossi, Lupo, Bassano and other great 16thand 17th-century Jewish musicians. Tickets are $10 for students and may be purchased online at https://www.choicesecure01.net/m ainapp/eventschedule.aspx?Clientid=Brand eisUniv or by calling (781)736-3400. Saturday at 8 p.m. in the Slosberg Music Center.
Manginah Spring Show Brandeis’ co-ed a cappella group, Manginah, will perform their entire repertoire from the past year in addition to several new songs. Saturday from 8:30 to 10:30 p.m. in the Golding Auditorium.
‘Music By Women of the Americas from Three Centuries’ The Lydian String Quartet will perform pieces by Teresa Carreño (Venezuelan, late 19th century), Florence Price (AfricanAmerican, mid-20th century), Ruth Lomon and Beth Denisch (late 20th century) as well as a new piece by Cuban composer Magaly Ruiz Lastres during a concert organized by WSRC Resident Scholar Liane Curtis. Tickets are required for admission but are available at no cost to the Brandeis community. Those interested can call (617) 776-1809 or e-mail Liane Curtis at lcurtis@brandeis. edu. Sunday from 3 to 5 p.m. in the Women’s Studies Research Center.
Study for midterm. Check. Finish paper. Check. Publish book. Check. Three years into his time at Brown University, Kevin Roose has already written for national publications such as Esquire Magazine and SPIN Magazine. But Roose is heading into uncharted territory, even for him, with the release of his first book next Thursday. Uncharted territory seems to be what Roose does best. The Unlikely Disciple: A Sinner’s Semester at America’s Holiest University chronicles the spring semester of 2007 that Roose, a Brown Daily Herald opinions columnist, spent attending Liberty University, a school he calls “the polar opposite of Brown.” At the largest evangelical university in the world, which Roose calls “Bible boot camp,” he “operated at hyperspeed,” trying to do everything at once in an attempt to get a complete picture of the kinds of lives that its 10,000 students live every day. Roose described a typical day at the Lynchburg, Va. university, beginning with convocation—chapel—three times a week before students go to class. In his classes, Roose studied subjects including the Old and New Testaments, creationist biology and introduction to evangelism. After classes, he sang in the choir, played intramural sports and attended Wednesday night church. “I was technically undercover,” Roose said. Though he made it his goal to be honest and to not lie any more than he had to, students didn’t know or suspect that he was anything more than another transfer student. “Mostly they just assumed I was fleeing Brown,” he said. The idea for the project came when Roose was interning for A.J. Jacobs, Brown class of 1990, and the two visited Liberty founder Jerry Falwell’s famous church as part of Jacobs’ book, The Year of Living Biblically. There, Roose met Liberty students and, having heard about the university and its deeply restrictive rules, he wanted to see “whether it lived up to the hype.” “I had never been exposed to Christian culture,” he said. Coming from the “ultimate secular family,” making the adjustment from Brown to Liberty, where drinking, smoking and Rrated movies are all forbidden, was not easy. Many differences were obvious, like the way students spent Friday nights and the way they felt about gay marriage. Roose said there were similarities to be found too, though those were maybe not as obvious. He found that students at both Brown and Liberty are socially active and passionately follow their beliefs. “My Brown friends and my Liberty friends would have a lot in common, even though they would disagree about just about everything,” Roose said. Roose, who had the opportunity to interview Jerry Falwell before Falwell’s death in May 2007, said he was nervous to interview the man who was often seen as “a villain” in the secular world. They talked about what Falwell anticipated seeing in politics, but otherwise tried to keep the interview light. “We know him for his outlandish public statements,” but Roose said he got to see Falwell as a pastor, grandfather and spiritual leader. Though it was not Roose’s goal to change himself, such an immersion experience rarely leaves a person unchanged. Roose said he tries to pray everyday and identifies as a Christian. He still maintains friendships from Liberty and said his friends have been “really gracious” seeing their school as the subject for a book. The Unlikely Disciple is the result of 500 pages of notes, about a year and a half of writing and countless revisions. “I know humility is a Christian virtue, but I’m proud of the way it turned out,” Roose said. The book, published by Grand Central Publishing, will arrive in bookstores March 26.
Top 10s for the week ending March 24
Box Office
College Radio
Billboard
WBRS
1. Knowing 2. I Love You, Man 3. Duplicity 4. Race to Witch Mountain 5. Watchmen 6. The Last House on the Left 7. Taken 8. Slumdog Millionaire 9. Tyler Perry’s Madea Goes to Jail 10. Coraline
1. Animal Collective – Merriweather Post Pavilion 2. M. Ward – Hold Time 3. Andrew Bird – Noble Beast 4. Dan Auerbach – Keep It Hid 5. Vetiver – Tight Knit 6. Neko Case – Middle Cyclone 7. Matt and Kim – Grand 8. Asobi Seksu – Hush 9. Morrissey – Years Of Refusal 10. Lily Allen – It’s Not Me, It’s You
1. Kelly Clarkson – All I Ever Wanted 2. The-Dream – Love VS Money 3. U2 – No Line On The Horizon 4. J. Holiday – Round 2 5. Taylor Swift – Fearless 6. Lady GaGa – The Fame 7. Nickelback – Dark Horse 8. Beyonce – I Am ... Sasha Fierce 9. Jamie Foxx – Intuition 10. Chris Cornell – Scream
1. M. Ward – “Rave On” 2. The Thoughts – “Bells and Gunfire” 3. Billy Flynn – “Blues Drive” 4. Yoome – “Blueberry Breath” 5. The Vines – “Hey” 6. Zion I – “Antenna” 7. The Futureheads – “This Is Not The World” 8. Shawn Pittman – “Edge of the World” 9. Anathello – “Italo” 10. Lukestar – “White Shade”
Album information provided by Billboard Magazine. Box office information provided by Yahoo!Movies. Radio charts provided by CMJ.
THE JUSTICE
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TUESDAY, MARCH 24, 2009
ON CAMPUS SUNDEIS FILM FESTIVAL
Student filmmakers educate peers ■ SunDeis participants discussed the inspiration for their films and the hurdles they encountered while creating their submissions. By SHELLY SHORE JUSTICE STAFF WRITER
This year’s SunDeis Film Festival hosted a vast variety of student films that ranged from comedies to documentaries. On Saturday, filmgoers had a chance to meet with a group of directors, editors and actors to get an inside look into the filmmaking process, from conception to screen. Films were inspired by a variety of sources including personal experiences and humanitarian causes. Brian Fromm ’11 (“Matt and Brian’s Excellent Adventure”) talked about getting involved with a film festival at his high school and making a movie with his high school classmate Matt Kriegsman ’11 after being galvanized by seeing a stop-motion YouTube clip. The festival was canceled, but they showed their film anyway at an impromptu replacement event held at Senior Dinner, an event held the night before graduation, and decided to continue experimenting with stop-motion, as evidenced by the film the duo created for SunDeis. Vlad Sillam ’09, who worked on “Reveries and Chimeras,” said he was inspired by the Brandeis campus and worked the story around his film locations. One of the most obvious challenges facing the filmmakers was where to obtain money. Investors are hard to come by, even in the professional film industry—for students, it’s even harder. Ilan Amouya ’11, who helped edit “La Sombra de Una Historia,” was able to get an investment from a contact at MGM and shot the film in Colombia, where he was able to negotiate just about everything. His best deal? “Free actors,” he said. “We got them all from one agency and didn’t have to pay them anything.” Some of the other filmmakers weren’t so lucky. “Matt and Brian’s Excellent Adventure” had no budget and no equipment and was shot almost completely on either Fromm’s digital camera or his friend’s camcorder. “We actually bought a door from Home Depot and then returned it when we were done filming,” he admitted sheepishly. Fromm wasn’t the only one “stealing” space. Anthony Scibelli ’09, who directed several films, including “Snacktastrophe” and “Triple Word Score,” recounted shooting a scene for “Untitled Anthony Scibelli Project”:
HSIAO-CHI PANG/the Justice
STUDENTS SPEAK: Stephen Robinson ’11, second from right, discusses his documentary “Innocents Abroad in Istanbul” while his fellow SunDeis filmmakers look on. “We shot one scene in the Levin Ballroom for about two hours. We didn’t check to see if it was being used; we basically just went in and hoped for the best. There was some kind of event there the night before. In a few frames, you can still see the decorations.” Other challenges? “Cops,” said Illona Yuhaev ’11 of “Naptime” and “AIA Untitled.” “Apparently you’re not allowed to film in the middle of the street during rush hour.” The crew of “La Sombra de Una Historia” had to deal with a near-rebellion on set (solved with sandwiches), and weather seemed to be a problem for everyone. The biggest problem for “Snacktastrophe”, according to Scibelli, was the repeated spreading of peanut butter on bread. Amy Thompson ’11, who acted in the movie, cheerfully replied, “It wasn’t a challenge to eat it.” One curious audience member asked the filmmakers if they believed the old saying that “you have to make 10 bad movies before you make a good one” was true. There was a moment of silence before Sillam—whose “Reveries and Chimeras” was nominated for
five SunDeis awards, including Best Film—said, “This is my first movie.” The filmmakers seemed to agree that what matters is the quality of movies, not quantity, and what you learn from the movies you make. Despite the challenges and the hard work, though, all of the filmmakers said they enjoyed the process. When asked what advice they had for future filmmakers, there seemed to be one consensus: “Just make movies!” said Yuhaev. “Keep going, keep practicing, keep learning,” Fromm said. “What ends up on screen isn’t what actually happened on set. Don’t be afraid to improvise.” Coming from the director who wasn’t afraid to ask a traffic cop to leave the road so that they could shoot a scene, “Don’t be afraid to improvise” seemed like sound advice. And considering “Matt and Brian’s Excellent Adventure” was nominated for the Best Animation award, it seems to have served him well. HSIAO-CHI PANG/the Justice
Editor’s Note: Brian Fromm is the Copy editor for the Justice.
PONDERING PEERS: From left,Vanessa Kerr ’11, Liz Baessler ’11 and Ben Wiener ’11 participate in a filmmakers’ panel sponsored by the SunDeis Film Festival.
Supernatural and stop-motion prevalent at SunDeis ■ Films from many genres were shown at SunDeis’ screening of student works in the Shapiro Campus Center Atrium. By SARAH BAYER JUSTICE EDITORIAL ASSISSTANT
At Thursday night’s screening of submissions to the SunDeis Film Festival, audience members often had to strain to hear the movies over the background chatter of the Shapiro Campus Center: The SunDeis committee screened festival submissions in the Atrium this year, presumably in an attempt to open the event up to more casual observers. The change encouraged time-pressed passersby —many on their way to or from room selection appointments—to linger and watch just one or two movies before moving on. However, it made the movies difficult to enjoy over the
noise coming from Einstein Bros. Bagels and the music filtering from the WBRS loudspeakers. Outside sounds posed a particular threat to the films that relied on voiceovers to establish narrative structures. “First of May,” by DeAnna Marie Johnson of the Massachusetts College of Art and Design, was a totally unintelligible stream of images because its voice-over could not be heard. This was unfortunate considering the film was awarded Best Animation by the SunDeis Committee. On the other hand, Best of Brandeis and Best Editing winner, “Triple Word Score,” starring Sam Zelitch ’09 and Talya Davidoff ’12, had a simpler structure that was easy to follow even when the narration was not audible. Based on Charlie Fish’s short story “Death by Scrabble,” the film depicted a couple playing an eerie version of the titular board game in which they could manipulate real-life events through the words they laid on the board. The films that best withstood the
loud environment were those with no narration, many of which also contained magical elements. One of these was “Reveries and Chimeras, “by students of Film Studies Profs. Marc Weinberg and Mark Dellelo. Katie Nadworny ’09, Vlad Sillam ’09 and Mohammad Kundas ’10 received Best Director awards for their dark segment about a painter (Emilio Mendoza ’09) who molests his subject (Allison Vanouse ’09) by painting her. Another movie with sexual themes, “Bind,” won Best Film (Grad) and Best Director (Grad) for University of Southern California director Jonathan Zimmerman’s depiction of an Orthodox Jewish housewife launched into the world of sadomasochism after a chance encounter on a bus. On a lighter note, Fan Favorite winner “Matt and Brian’s Excellent Adventure,” by Matt Kriegsman ’11 and Brian Fromm ’11, used stop-motion photography to lead viewers on a farcical quest through a mysterious door. Like “Reveries,” “Adventure”
benefited from a fantastical storyline expressed soley through images. A fourth supernaturally focused film, “The Girls of Alden,” submitted by Dalila Droege of Columbia College, drew heavily on such commercial successes as The Others and Pan’s Labyrinth. Sydney Kirkegaard picked up a Best Performance award, but last Thursday night her lines were obscured by the noise of Shapiro. Several films had a documentary focus. “Innocents Abroad in Istanbul” covered a Brandeis-sponsored trip to Al-Quds University, where several students met with Middle Eastern students to discuss the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Filmmaker Stephen Robinson ’11 captured late-night debates around a hookah, allowing viewers to appreciate the value of the summit as much as its participants did. A team from Tufts won Best Documentary for “Honk: No Noise is Illegal,” about a group of activist street musicians who took to the streets in Cambridge last summer in a jubilant
attempt to “reclaim public thoroughfares and streets” in protest of America’s ownership culture. “I Want To Fly” by New York University’s Misha Sundokovskiy had a documentary feel but was in fact a fictional account of a young man’s relationship with his father as developed through the sport of basketball. The film won Best Film and Best Cinematography. Anthony Scibelli ’09, a SunDeis organizer, contributed four entries to Thursday night’s screening, including “Triple Word Score,” “The Number,” “Snacktastrophe” and “Untitled Anthony Scibelli Project.” These last two closed Thursday’s screening, drawing laughs from an audience grateful to finally be able to hear what was going on. Perhaps next year the committee will consider a different venue to better exhibit the work of Brandeis’ prolific budding filmmakers.
Editor’s Note: Brian Fromm is the Copy editor for the Justice.
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TUESDAY, MARCH 24, 2009
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THE JUSTICE
JULIAN AGIN-LIEBES/the Justice
A DYSTOPIC SCENE: ‘Drill,’ above, is a work by Marc Schepens (GRAD). Said Schepens, “I am very interested in imagery related to the gasmask, as I wrote my honors thesis in history at Georgetown on the memoirs of Junior English officers in World War I. I was fascinated by the brutal encounter of the Victorian aesthetic with industrialized warfare. ... The mask helps me to address issues of identity in my paintings.”
‘Prospect I’ Opens A group of post-bacs shows off the fruits of a year’s labor By ANDREA FINEMAN JUSTICE EDITOR
Some Brandeis undergraduates may be surprised to hear that Brandeis is home to a collection of art graduate students. The Post-Baccalaureate program in Studio Art is unique among graduate programs here at Brandeis—students apply to the post-bac program to help develop their portfolios before moving on to MFA programs or to develop their skills as an artist while exploring the career options ahead of them. Said Marc Schepens (GRAD), “This is a special program, because it helps
young artists develop a studio practice and body of work to hopefully gain acceptance to the very competitive MFA programs.” Post-bacs also often work as TAs; post-bac Laila Mazer (GRAD) called being a TA “my favorite experience at Brandeis.” “Prospect I” features the works of seven artists. The show is titled after the art studios on Prospect Street where post-bacs and senior studio art majors work. The exhibition is currently on view in the Dreitzer Gallery in Spingold Theater Center. It runs until March 28. On April 1, ‘Prospect II,’ a second installment of post-bac art, will go on view through April 24.
JULIAN AGIN-LIEBES/the Justice
VISIONS OF EVERYDAY LIFE: ‘Studio Scene 1’ is a work created by Faith Baum (GRAD).
JULIAN AGIN-LIEBES/the Justice REBECCA NEY/the Justice
FRUITFUL ENDEAVOR: Schepens continued, “I am ... constantly in awe of the beautifully fragile innocence of the young.”
THE HEART WITHIN: Says artist Laila Mazer (GRAD), who came to Brandeis after leaving an art-therapy masters program, “I want to give people hope through my images.”
THE JUSTICE
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TUESDAY, MARCH 24, 2009
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THEATER
‘Dream’ dragged down by details ■ A Meiji-era version of the Shakespeare comedy by Hold Thy Peace featured quality performances but lacked coherent staging. By HANNAH KIRSCH JUSTICE EDITOR
Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream is a delightful romp in a forest where sprites dwell and lovers wander; Hold Thy Peace had a wonderful opportunity in performing it, directed by Taylor Shiells ’09. Unfortunately, this production of the play was set at the beginning of the Meiji Restoration, a period of revolution and modernization in Japan, in a conceit that wasn’t so much fresh and interesting as it was clunky and affected, and though the cast was solid, the setting distracted from the actors’ better attributes. The costumes and makeup dictated by the period were lovely and often striking, but the contrived, stylized movements of Edo-period theater were ill-chosen and mediocrely executed. The actresses did not have the requisite practice with the kimono to elegantly rise from a kneeling position and consequently stumbled slightly as they stood. And even though the choice to require such motions on the actors may not have been a good one, it should have at least been consistently carried out, as it was almost annoying that elements such as the mincing walk of the upper-class Japanese woman and the bow to one’s superior only occurred sporadically. Particularly cumbersome was the scene in which Titania is sung to sleep by her coterie of fairies—while Stephanie Grinley ’12 was satisfactory as the fairy queen; sliding one’s arms through the air to Shakespearean lullaby set to vaguely Eastern melody does not Japanese dance make. And the choice to have Titania sleep on the stage throughout intermission was
DAVID SHEPPARD-BRICK/the Justice
‘DREAM’-SCAPE: From left, Thomas Arnott ’11 and Stephanie Grinley ’12 appear in Hold Thy Peace’s ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream.’ positively confounding: many members of the audience could be heard puzzling as the house lights came up whether this was actually intermission and what her inexplicable pres-
ence contributed to the experience. Similarly, the production clearly suffered from lack of a lighting designer. Though at first the lighting came off as pleasantly minimalist—
going along with the spare bamboo set—by the second act the slight color shifts that were the only change in lighting were simply overly subtle; with nothing to differentiate forest
from palace or night from day, the magic of the midsummer night faded into blandness. The pairing of Jared Hite ’10 and Phoebe Roberts ’09 as Oberon and Puck, respectively, proved the most interesting aspect of the play. The two demonstrated their chemistry as Lear and Cordelia/the Fool in HTP’s King Lear, and in this reprise, Hite’s penchant for royal command and Roberts’ predilection for the uncanny wisdom of the underling succeeded once again. Roberts did particularly well, delivering Puck’s final missive with originality and an appropriate level of creepiness. Perhaps the acting talents of the pair were heightened by the fact that they, out of the entire cast, dealt the best with the movement style required of them. Nevertheless, the odd choice to have Roberts rapidly crawl offstage awkwardly offset her otherwise sinuous and effective movements. As far as the play’s four lovers go, Stephanie Karol ’12 as Helena and Zanna Nevins ’12 as Hermia were clear standouts. Their romantic, rather sappy Hermia and more pragmatic, if no less lovelorn Helena mooned and scorned alternately to great effect; the battle of words between the two was one of the most enjoyable moments of the play. Jon Plesser ’12 and Walter Simons-Rose ’12 as Lysander and Demetrius were unfortunately not as effective, marring the ensemble of the quartet somewhat, but another shining moment occurred in Hermia’s coy rebuke of Lysander for his overly physical attentions. Similarly, some of the rude mechanicals played better than others. Here, Jonathan Kindness ’09 and Frances Kimpel ’10 drew the most giggles with their slapstick and equally goofy wordplay as Bottom and Flute—or, alternately, Pyramus and Thisbe. All in all, Hold Thy Peace’s production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream would have been better with for less interference. The Meiji setting was not overwhelming enough to thoroughly throttle Shakespeare’s wit and melodrama, but it was present enough to distract from its cast’s talent.
LIVE MUSIC
A CAPPELLA
Nettle chafes at traditions
RBG revisits the world of crayons and nap time
■ The international group of musicians brought their unique sound to Slosberg. By WEI-HUAN CHEN JUSTICE STAFF WRITER
Last Saturday, an enigmatic combination of cultural and artistic diversity graced Slosberg Recital Hall. Barcelona-based Arabic/African folkelectronic fusion group Nettle entranced more than 100 listeners with music unlike anything heard before. It was the group’s first official performance in the United States. Nettle: Music for a Nu World featured DJ/rupture, interviewed last week in JustArts, along with Moroccan violinist Abdelhak Rahal, singer and guembri player Khalid Bennaji, cellist Brent Arnold, percussionist Grey Filastine and visual artist Daniel Perlin. The concert, part of the MusicUnitesUS World Music series, was the final event of Nettle’s three-day residency that included lectures and workshops prior to Saturday’s performance. The type of music Nettle plays is not easily described. As far as words go, they blend acoustic traditional Arab and African folk songs with electronic hip-hip/trance style drum loops. Rahal and Arnold play a lyrical, somber melody while Bennaji accompanies with traditional Moroccan guembri and Filastine fills in the space with sparse, thoughtful beats. DJ/rupture suddenly enters with a drastic and unnatural sound effect that perhaps causes listeners to wince. Eventually, the audience realizes the distortion and hard bass beats are no longer just an opposing force to the violin solo, but they are in some wild way, a complement. And even if there is no moment of
“Oh, this makes sense,” Nettle keeps the listener wondering. Why is this dissonance so compelling? What is the effect of expressing two completely different sounds as one song? Nettle began the concert with “El Lebrijano,” a melancholy Arabian duet between Rahal and Arnold. Perlin, who projected images on a screen behind the musicians, complemented the tune with animated doves flying in sunlight. DJ/rupture made his entrance with an electric loop, which the instrumentalists embraced by entering into improvisation. Arnold’s cello lines were distinct and matched the energy of the beats. The concert continued with a variety of traditional Arab songs juxtaposed with Rupture’s robotic sound effects and Perlin’s trippy visuals. In one song, “Baladi Mehboub,” Perlin presented a vague black and white picture. The screen consisted of a variety of blots and shapes that formed fleetingly larger pictures before disappearing. Meanwhile, a house/trance style beat merged the acoustic melodies and gave the visuals a subtle context. In “Dead Western,” images of several countries flashed on screen and quickly morphed into other countries. The combination of aural and visual dissonance showed that Nettle not only crossed boundaries of culture and identity but also of sensation. Everything that the audience heard or saw was a single experience. Another piece with a distinct message was “Mahomi,” a ’70s Moroccan song sung by Bennaji and Rahal. “The song’s message,” explains Rupture, “is that although buildings will fall and wealth will fade, the one irreplaceable thing that we must cherish is children.” Nettle played an extra song, “Mama Mia Que Suerte,” after the audience’s applause signaled to Nettle that they wanted more. Another mix of the natural and unnatural-sounding, the song
evoked both tribal and robotic imagery. After the group left, the audience didn’t simply leave the auditorium. Some stayed and discussed what they had experienced. One group argued over what the music represented, if anything. The performance, rather than relaxing listeners, provoked them to speak to the people next to them, trying to figure everything out. In the end, there is no single definition that can be applied to the music that Nettle plays. As Arnold said at Friday’s improvisation workshop, Nettle’s goal was to “make something happen.” The New York resident explains that improvisation arises not from specific melodies but from ideas. “When I improvise, I like to think, ‘OK, it’s my turn now, time to cause some trouble.’ It could be anything, any goal, like making someone cry by just playing one note for the entire solo.” Yet there is a moment, he describes, that the musician transcends objectives. “When the process becomes natural, you base your music more on emotions and shapes and images rather than notes.” Arnold demonstrated this at the concert during the song “Tabla,” where he screeched wildly with his mic’ed cello, utilizing the distortion to wail his emotions through the amplifiers. This type of communication of emotions and ideas through music is central to Nettle. The musicians speak with each other in broken Spanish, a second or third language for most members. They usually only speak a few words, indicating which song to play. Yet once the music begins, a newfound synergy arises. Each member of Nettle connects seamlessly with the others through their most fluent common language of musical expression. What audiences saw last Saturday was merely a glimpse of a type of art that simultaneously provoked and connected with the audience.
■ Rather Be Giraffes fondly
recalled kindergarten during its semester concert. By SHELLY SHORE JUSTICE STAFF WRITER
This Saturday, Brandeis students got the chance to go back to a more innocent time in their lives with the kindergarten-themed Rather Be Giraffes semester concert. Dressed in pigtails and jumpers and carrying stuffed animals, the group was the perfect picture of oversized kids, and their playful mood and role-playing put the audience in a cheerful mindset as the show started. Set up like a show-and-tell, the show started off with “Mr. Ben” (Ben Oehlkers ’12) introducing the kindergarten class of “Rather Be Elementary School.” First up for show-and-tell was Jeremy Weinberg ’12, who presented his favorite stuffed giraffe, Lisa, only to suddenly realize she was missing! To help him express his grief, the group stood up to sing “Losing Lisa” by Ben Folds. David Frederick ’11 followed Weinberg, singing about why he was always sleepy in class with “River of Dreams” by Billy Joel. After that, student teacher Daniel Newman ’09 took the stage to teach the students some life lessons about girls and love with “What’s My Age Again?” by Blink 182. The choreography for that number was quite advanced for kindergarten-aged kids, but they pulled it off pretty well. Carrie Richman ’09 followed Newman with a show-and-tell presentation about the days of the week (“Ordinary Day” by Vanessa Carlton), and Jordan Talan ’12 segued into intermission with “Zoot Suit Riot” by the Cherry Poppin
Daddies. Intermission, by the way, came complete with animal crackers and finger painting. Finger painting. You don’t know fun until you’ve seen a bunch of college students freaking out over the opportunity to finger paint at an a cappella concert. After intermission, Mr. Ben slowed things down with story time, singing “Return to Pooh Corner” by Kenny Loggins. Moving out of nostalgia and back into show-and-tell, Debra Fricano ’10 tried to remember some “advice” Mommy had given Daddy the night before with “Like a Prayer” by Madonna. Michele Dumoulin ’12, Colleen Troy ’12 and Maya Koenig ’11 brought us back to the age of kindergarten romances when they talked about the boy they shared a crush on, trying to decide what color his eyes are (blue, green or magenta?) and coming to a conclusion with “Crayola Doesn’t Make a Color for Your Eyes” by Kristin Andreasson, complete with patty-cake-style vocal percussion. Marti Dembowitz ’10 wrapped up show-and-tell by presenting her backpack, her only companion on the walk home from school, and asked the rest of the class to help her find “Somebody to Love” (by Queen). Momentarily breaking their kindergarten-age characters, Dembowitz and Fricano presented graduating seniors Newman and Richman with loving parting gifts from the rest of the group before calling any “Giraffes in the audience” up for a final song. The audience clamored for an encore, and the Giraffes granted it, ending the night with “Snakes on a Plane! (Bring It!).” Those in attendance were grinning and applauding as they left the theater, heading home for a bit more finger painting and maybe a trip down memory lane.
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TUESDAY, MARCH 24, 2009
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THE JUSTICE
OFF CAMPUS TAKING AUDIENCES ON A RIDE
PHOTO COURTESY OF MIRAMAX FILMS
PARK PROTAGONISTS: Bill Hader and Kristen Wiig appear in ‘Adventureland,’ a movie that follows James Brennan (played by Jesse Eisenberg) during his time as an employee at a local amusement park.
‘Adventure’ has many highs and lows ■ The erratic film, which stars Jesse Eisenberg as a young man working at an amusement park, failed to strike a consistent tone. By DANIEL BARON JUSTICE STAFF WRITER
Adventureland could have been a good, fluid movie. Instead, it was an odd mixture of “eh” and “awwww,” “yawn” and “haha” moments, leaving me in a love-hate relationship with the film. At times the film was reminiscent of an Adam Sandler movie, while other parts made me
think of the Independent Film Channel. This is a fine combination, but only if the two moods are consistently balanced and if each scene is really crafted to its fullest potential. It seemed like the writers were afraid that if one scene was too serious it would take away from the humor and that if one scene was too funny, it would take away from the depth. However, every 20 or 30 minutes, an excellent sequence took place. I couldn’t decide whether I liked or disliked this disjointed quality, which was more inconsistent than anything I’ve seen before. Adventureland is about a college graduate, James Brennan (Jesse Eisenberg) who is ready to trek across Europe with money that he
has saved for years and a little financial help from his parents, only to have his plans blocked due to the harsh economic realities of the 1980s (read: Reagan). After learning that his father has been demoted, Brennan also finds that he must cancel his trip to Europe and get a job. The introduction to James’ unfortunate situation was boring and included a few unsuccessful attempts at comedy. I know of a few people who would walk out after such a weak beginning, which is too bad because the movie only gets stronger as it progresses. What follows, as those of you who’ve seen the commercials already know, is that James lands a job at a local amusement park. While there, a series of unpre-
dictable events unfolds, most of which involve the relationship that, out of nowhere, forms between fellow games attendant Em Lewin (played by Twilight’s Kristen Stewart) and our nerdy protagonist. I’ll disclose right now that I’ve had a crush on Stewart from the instant I saw her portray Bella Swan (hey, I’ll watch anything with a vampire in it, from Blade to Buffy), so the positive aspect of my mixed reaction to the movie is, admittedly, biased: I give Adventureland a solid B, but if it weren’t for the presence of my wanna-be-girlfriend, I’d lower that grade to a B- or even a C+. It’s the kind of movie that I don’t regret seeing, but at the same time, it’s nothing to go out of your way to catch. It’s fair, good and even great
at points, dull at others, decent in general. The subject matter is definitely relevant, as the film takes place during an economic mess in which college students are frantically looking for work. And I like that it is set in another era similar to ours, as opposed to being set today; it allowed for a great soundtrack and some goofy outfits. After writing this review, I’ll continue my own job search, asking around, making phone calls, emailing my résumé and (knock on wood) eventually filling an opening for a respectable position. Until then, I’ll keep moseying through life, maybe get a crappy summer job, hoping to one day randomly stumble into Kristen Stewart.
FILM
‘Duplicity’ keeps true nature hidden from audience ■ Julia Roberts and Clive Owen’s latest offering possesses a plot with a generous share of legitimate twists and turns. By RACHEL KLEIN JUSTICE STAFF WRITER
It is not often that the end of a movie, especially one about spies, cannot be easily predicted. James Bond always sleeps with the wrong girl, then the right girl, then saves the day. Jason Bourne always gets away. However, Duplicity, a new movie
directed and written by Tony Gilroy, remains surprisingly sly until the very end. The movie, which was released last Friday, tells a tale of espionage, love, greed and corporate America. Claire Stenwick (played by the beautiful Julia Roberts) and Ray Koval (the dashing Clive Owen) are retired spies from the CIA and MI-6, respectively, who become entrenched in counterespionage for two warring multinational corporations. On top of all that, they must decide if they truly love each other or if they are simply playing one another to get ahead. To describe any more of the plot would be to give something away, and in a movie where each twist and turn is surprising and exciting, that
would be a shame. Never before has espionage looked so sexy while remaining so fully clothed. Roberts and Owen—who could not comprehend the meaning of “chemistry” in their previous film, Closer—more than make up for their previous foibles in this film. And if the viewer ever needs a break from the starring couple, Duplicity provides an entertaining cast of equally important supporting actors. Paul Giamatti and Tom Wilkinson expertly play the CEOs of rival companies that constantly try to outperform each other, and Carrie Preston almost steals the show in a minor role as an extremely gullible travel agent working for one of the competing companies.
To praise the rest of the talented actors and actresses who make up Duplicity’s cast would take up the entire page, so you will just have to trust me when I say that the actors are a skilled bunch. The movie is not only a modern romance but also a tale of two spies; it is also a satire of American corporate culture. At a time when Americans are beyond fed up with the corporations that give their higherranking employees enormous bonuses while the economy is slowing dying, Duplicity couldn’t have picked a better time to open. The two CEOs portrayed in this film will do anything to stay on top, even if it means conducting counter intelligence operations and hiring secret units of spies. Clandestine meetings
are held to discuss the future of shampoo and frozen pizza, and there is a great deal of importance placed on the difference between creams and lotions. Alas, if only all corporate Americans looked as good in a grey suit as Clive Owen. Duplicity is not a film for those who do not like to think during movies. If you are looking for a tale with fast cars, girls in extremely tiny bikinis, large explosions and cool gadgets, perhaps you should rewatch a James Bond movie. However, if you want a movie with witty banter and several plot twists that keep you wondering (and sometimes a little confused) and on the edge of your seat, then Duplicity is the movie for you.
THE JUSTICE
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TUESDAY, MARCH 24, 2009
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THEATER
ALBUM REVIEW
‘Rusalka’ triumphs at BLO
The 1990s get their ‘Kicks’ on new record
■ Boston Lyric Opera staged Dvořák’s work about a spurned mermaid. By HANNAH KIRSCH JUSTICE EDITOR
Mention of composer Antonín Dvořák hardly brings opera to mind. The Czech nationalist is primarily known for his Slavonic Dances, symphonies and gorgeous cello concerto. But Dvořák actually wrote more operas than he did symphonies, and Rusalka, currently in production by the Boston Lyric Opera at the Shubert Theatre, is the least obscure of the 10 he composed. Rusalka is a sort of Czech “Little Mermaid,” sans the chirpy Disney ending. The titular water nymph falls in love with a prince and convinces the witch Jezibaba to turn her into a human so she can pursue him. But she cannot convey the warmth and passion of the fully human Foreign Princess, and the prince betrays her. Rusalka is thus cursed to wander forever, neither fully nymph nor fully human, luring men to their watery graves. At the Shubert Theatre Sunday, the audience was immersed in Dvořák’s rich music and the BLO’s ethereal staging for a performance that was, in a word, breathtaking. The production merged the beautiful, evocative composition with its stars’ talents to yield one of the best opera performances I have ever seen. “Because [ Rusalka] is sung in Czech, it means a different commitment has to be made to learn the structure of the language,” said soprano Marquita Lister, who played Rusalka, in an interview with the Justice. The fact that this was her first time with a Slavic language, especially a difficult, consonantheavy language like Czech, did not show at all in her performance. Lister, a graduate of the New England Conservatory, created an emotionally captivating character in a role that she described as “challenging, but beautiful.” Her voice was alternately dusky and soaring, and her dramatic talents drove the role even when Rusalka becomes mute for most of one act. She alternately flitted happily through the water and trudged hopelessly across the bleak stage, altering her motions as adeptly as she manipulated her voice. Not that Lister was the sole star of the opera. All the artists deserve mention, from John Cheek as the Water Gnome, Rusalka’s father, to the Boston Ballet dancers, from the singing trio of lovely wood nymphs to Nancy Maultsby’s role as the ambiguously wicked witch Jezibaba. Though the orchestra’s playing had a few rough moments, overall it gloriously captured Dvořák’s depic-
■ The unusual indie band combined catchy hooks with an oldies sensibility on their latest album, a predictable but crowd-pleasing release. By SAM LEWIA JUSTICE CONTRIBUTING WRITER
PHOTO COURTESY OF THE BOSTON LYRIC OPERA
UNDER THE SEA: Marquita Lister as Rusalka and John Cheek as the Water Gnome in Boston Lyric Opera’s staging of ‘Rusalka.’ tions of the fairy and human worlds in which the opera takes place. And tenor Bryan Hymel was engrossing as the feckless prince. In the final act, the prince begs Rusalka to kiss him, knowing that her embrace will bring him death, and at that moment, Hymel’s soaring, tortured voice literally brought tears to my eyes. Tragedy in opera is often intentionally overwrought, but something in Hymel’s voice and Lister’s eyes made the scene more poignant than cloying. The lighting, costumes and sets, though, were what made the performance the engrossing experi-
ence it was. In the first act, the shifting lights, gauzy hangings and projected background created an almost unbelievably believable forest lake. The set was cunningly designed, to the point where I gasped, thinking that Rusalka’s costume would get wet when she stepped into the “stream” onstage. In the second act, the stark, stained concrete of the castle and cold, rich ball gowns of the corps lent credence to Rusalka’s discomfort in her newly human setting; slight manipulations of the lighting in the third act changed the wood-
land paradise to reflect Rusalka’s alienation. The projected full moon and stealthy movement used to reflect the prince’s flight through the forest took my breath away. But somehow, none of this overshadowed the music; rather, all elements of the production complemented each other perfectly. The opera runs through March 31, and Brandeis students—who can purchase half-price tickets—and faculty members, whether opera newcomers or aficionados, should treat themselves to immersion in the watery world of magic, love and tragedy that is Rusalka.
EXTREME METAL
Nine Leaves is dangerously lame Daniel D.
SNYDER MADE OF METAL
Sound the horn! I bid ye welcome to my land of brutality! It dawned on me recently whilst sitting atop my golden throne that on the whole, I have been far too benevolent a ruler. In my time here I’ve dished out too many kind words, too much praise for my metallic idols. In other words, I found myself wondering if I’d gone soft, perhaps vanilla. There is a balance to maintain, after all, and there are those that must be made an example of. So, in the spirit of fairness and the cosmic equilibrium of good and evil, I grant you Made of Metal’s first merciless sack beating (the burlap kind, not that kind) and exe-
cution by rusty, dull axe. Limbs will be served after the main event. But before we start the beating, perhaps you’d like to know a little bit about this poor soul and how they wandered into this land. The musical “collective” known as Nine Leaves made several grave errors that led them to these gates. First, they named their new album Peace in Death. Reasonably metal, no? Second, they plastered on the front of this new album apocalyptic artwork strikingly reminiscent of the great metal cover artist Ed Repka. Third, they sent this deceptive package into the hands of an aspiring scribe of brutality eager to review his first press materials: me. So, imagine my surprise when, upon looking to welcome this new subject into my kingdom, I discovered that Nine Leaves is in fact a social/eco-conscious hip-hop project, and a really lame one at that. Shocked, hurt and betrayed, I called out my minions to drag Nine Leaves
away to the dungeon to await punishment. The executioner’s blade grows hungry. The time is now. Nine Leaves is the brainchild of Zack Hemsey, a composer, according to his own Web site, “known for awakening the emotions of his listeners” (the site is smothered in similarly stock, trite descriptions). Strike one for humility. The site also reveals his affinity for wearing brown and gray. Strike two for being blind. Peace in Death, the group’s second album, is a kind of mish-mash of hip hop and obnoxious female warbling set over beats so weak they make Will Smith’s albums sound downright dangerous. And therein lies the problem with this whole pathetic production; for an album and promotional package that claims to break the rules and push the envelope, Peace in Death is about as tame a work of art as I’ve ever experienced. The beats are thin and simple, sounding not unlike something I might tap out on the
desk while I’m bored in class. Hemsey tries to spice the record up with a choir of incessant my-first-CasioKeyboards, but fails to play anything I haven’t heard in a depressing insurance commercial. Likewise, the look-how-deep-we-are lyrics are rapped out with zero enthusiasm. I have no problem with hip hop, environmentalism or social consciousness. I don’t really even have that big a problem with dudes who wear brown and gray, but history’s greatest fanatics and dictators taught us that if you want your message to be heard, you have to put a little more zing in your brew than Hemsey and co. saw fit to on this release. The Care Bears are more militant than these guys. Give me rage. Give me give me calls for the bombing of oil rigs. Give me Malcolm X on meth set to blast beats and triphop. Give me something dangerous. Then we’ll talk. Or not. Off with their heads!
The indie music movement is our culture’s natural reaction to the superstars of modern rock; with the hipster genre, you trade in your angry shouts, electric guitar shredding and stadium performances for inexplicable lyrics, acoustic guitars and trendy little hole-in-the-wall joints. But the band known as the 1990s rejects both approaches, instead choosing to showcase their unique style of music with the new album Kicks. With songwriting that is infectiously catchy, curiously inventive and filled with unforgettable oneliners like “Leave a picture for the vampires to remember you by,” this wonderfully creative album demands your attention, forcing you to listen to the lyrics or at least keep one finger on the rewind button so you don’t miss too much. The songwriting, as quirky and engaging as it is, does not begin to compare to the instrumentation on this album, though. The only possible explanation for this sort of genre-blending excellence would be a classic rock/oldies baby raised on Pavement and ’80s Britpop sensibilities. The song “59” sounds like a new cut of a song that could have been written in that year, featuring backup singers humming nonsense syllables and catchy hooks while the guitar on “The Box” is straight from a Pink Floyd concert. This album, as fantastic as it is, combines the strengths and weaknesses of the genres in question into a musically confused microcosm. The lyrics, while fascinating, at times seem to be about nothing at all or nothing of any consequence. The song “Balthazar” is about a guy who “Just can’t seem to get in touch with you,” and the line sticks with you because it is repeated roughly a million times over the course of the not-quite-four-minute song while the backup singers go “Oh oh oh oh” in the background. “Kickstrasse” suffers from the same sort of fate; with minimal musical accompaniment, not much of it is good either, and there is very little in the way of worthwhile lyrics. It is easily the weakest song on the album. Those songs are certainly in the minority though, as most of the album, while predictable after a while of study, is highly entertaining. “59” is simple in the way that a 1950s soda parlor is simple; “I Don’t Even Know What That Is” will have you singing along by the end of the song through its sheer force of personality, and “Sparks” and “Vondelpark” will make you seriously rethink what your favorite song of 2009 is. Kicks is by no means the greatest album you have ever heard. You will not rethink your life and decide to become a groupie after listening to it, and you may never again want to hear high-pitched backup singing and humming, but there is still a lot here to like. At best, Kicks is a delightfully unique album filled with personality, great ideas and catchy songs that would seem to fit into every genre, from oldies to modern indie rock and everything in between. At worst, it reminds you why you love The Beatles, Pink Floyd, The Barenaked Ladies, The Fratellis and Pavement. But, is that really such a bad thing?
24
TUESDAY, MARCH 24, 2009
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THE JUSTICE
ARIES (March 21 to April 19) You’ll want to discourage well-meaning but potentially illadvised interference in what you intend to accomplish. Your work has a better chance to succeed if it reflects you. TAURUS (April 20 to May 20) The Bovine’s well-deserved reputation for loyalty could be tested if you learn that it might be misplaced. But don’t rely on rumors. Check the stories out before you decide to act. GEMINI (May 21 to June 20) You’ve been going on adrenaline for a long time, and this unexpected lull in a recent spate of excitement could be just what you need to restore your energy levels. Enjoy it. CANCER (June 21 to July 22) Friends can be counted on to help you deal with a perplexing personal situation. But remember to keep your circle of advisers limited only to those you’re sure you can trust. LEO (July 23 to August 22) Security-loving Lions do not appreciate uncertainty in any form. But sometimes changing situations can reveal hidden stresses in time to repair a relationship before it's too late. VIRGO (August 23 to September 22) This is a good time for single Virgos to make a love connection. Be careful not to be too judgmental about your new “prospect”—at least until you know more about her or him. LIBRA (September 23 to October 22) Your sense of justice helps you resolve a problem that might have been unfairly attributed to the wrong person. Spend the weekend doing some long-neglected chores. SCORPIO (October 23 to November 21) You might feel justified in your anger toward someone you suspect betrayed your trust. But it ACROSS 1. Mischief-maker 4. Bird that lays green eggs 7. Rhino’s cousin 12. Atl. state 13. PC-sharing setup 14. Unaccompanied 15. Greek vowel 16. Tour de France activity 18. Hindu title 19. Apportion 20. Bustle 22. “A mouse!” 23. Rams fans? 27. Frenzied 29. Cassandra Peterson’s stage name 31. Bellybutton 34. Arts supporter 35. Slow passage 37. Announcer Pardo 38. Poet Pound 39. Air-pressure meas. 41. Hearty drink 45. Hot spot at a spa 47. Chromosome component 48. Eco-friendly activity 52. Hill dweller 53. Old market place 54. Afternoon social 55. Ball-bearing item 56. The Planets composer 57. Blunder 58. Storefront sign abbr. DOWN 1. That is (Lat.) 2. Paris subway 3. Tartan pattern 4. Exile isle 5. Sent via the USPS 6. Quitter’s cry
could help if you take the time to check if your suspicions have substance. SAGITTARIUS (November 22 to December 21) Ignore distractions if you hope to accomplish your goal by the deadline you agreed to. Keep the finish line in sight, and you should be able to cross it with time to spare. CAPRICORN (December 22 to January 19) Your creative self continues to dominate through much of the week. Also, despite a few problems that have cropped up, that recent romantic connection seems to be thriving. AQUARIUS (January 20 to February 18) As curious as you might be, it’s best to avoid trying to learn a colleague's secret. That sort of knowledge could drag you into a difficult workplace situation at some point down the line. PISCES (February 19 to March 20) Instead of spending too much time floundering around wondering if you can meet your deadline, you need to spend more time actually working toward reaching it. BORN THIS WEEK: You have a natural gift for attracting new friends, who are drawn to your unabashed love of what life should be all about.
BRANDEIS
Through the Lens
Solution to last issue’s crossword.
REBECCA NEY/the Justice
Sudanese Saltation A performer demonstrates a style of Sudanese dance at a recent lecture on the current situation in Sudan. Later on in the evening,
Sudoku
7. Diplomacy 8. The whole enchilada 9. Luau bowlful 10. B&B 11. — U.S. Pat. Off. 17. Oxen’s burden 21. The end 23. Cowgirl Dale 24. Minn. neighbor 25. Before 26. Frivolous one, in song 28. Will Smith biopic 30. Author Buscaglia 31. Dundee denial
32. Wood-shaping tool 33. Kin of: alt sp. 36. Milky gemstone 37. Main meal 40. Hotel accommodation 42. Ire 43. Central 44. Microsoft founder 45. “Begone!” 46. Culture medium 48. “Hurray!” 49. Id counterpart 50. Army rank (Abbr.) 51. Decade parts (Abbr.)
King Crossword Copyright 2007 King Features Synd., Inc.
■ It was American cartoonist, humorist and journalist Kin Hubbard who made the following sage observation: “It seems like the less a statesman amounts to, the more he adores the flag.” ■ It requires 30 tons of ore from a gold mine to produce a single new gold ring. ■ You are almost certainly aware of the fact that the Impressionist painter Claude Monet is famous for his paintings of water lilies. However, you may not be aware of the fact that he painted more than 300 pictures of water lilies. The same water lilies, in fact—and they can still be seen today in a pond behind his house.
frostbite, avalanches and other such hazards than have been killed by the opposing forces. ■ Chicago gangster Bugsy Moran got an early start in crime; he committed 26 robberies while he was still a teenager. ■ Inexplicably, in Florence, Italy, in the 15th century, it was illegal for women to wear buttons. ■ The first telephone book ever issued was published by the New Haven District Telephone Company and was distributed in New Haven, Conn., in February 1878. It contained a grand total of 50 names.
■ Medical experts say that men are twice as likely to get leprosy as women are.
■ In the Scandinavian country of Norway, you can find 1,800 lakes that contain no fish whatsoever.
■ At 17,700 feet, the world’s highest battlefield is in the disputed region of Kashmir, between India and Pakistan. It seems the altitude is more dangerous than the actual fighting, though; more soldiers have died from
Thought for the Day: “Home computers are being called upon to perform many new functions, including the consumption of homework formerly eaten by the dog.” —Doug Larson
Enter digits from 1 to 9 into each blank space so that every row, column and 3x3 square contains one of each digit.
Sudoku Copyright 2007 King Features Synd., Inc.
Brandeis students were invited to try their hands at this distinctive form of dance and to participate in a cultural exchange.