The Justice, March 13, 2012 issue

arts page 16

SPORTS Brown earns All-American honor 12

RAGA UNITES US

FORUM “Kony 2012” misrepresents facts 8 The Independent Student Newspaper

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of

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

Justice

Volume LXIV, Number 22

www.thejustice.org

Tuesday, March 13, 2012

ENCOURAGING INVOLVEMENT

campus speaker

Journalist speaks on the red market

■ Scott Carney, author of

a book on the market for body parts, discussed drug testing and organ sales.

By luke hayslip JUSTICE STAFF WRITER

Investigative journalist Scott Carney spoke about the organ and skeleton market, drug testing and the unknown practices behind these businesses followed by a questionand-answer session and book signing last Wednesday. Carney is the author of The Red Market: On The Trail of the World’s Organ Brokers, Bone Thieves, Blood Farmers, and Child Traffickers.

The founder of the Schuster Institute for Investigative Journalism, Florence Graves, introduced Carney, who is a senior fellow of the institute.

Carney opened his lecture by reflecting on his time as a student, when he first went to India in 1998.

He learned Hindi and studied Bollywood music while writing his Ph.D. thesis. When money became sparse,

JON EDELSTEIN/the Justice

UNIVERSITY ACTIVISM: Richard Goldstone stated that college students should be more involved in social justice-related issues.

Panel considers role of colleges in social justice ■ Richard Goldstone,

the former South African justice, was among the panel speakers Monday evening.

By jonathan epstein JUSTICE STAFF WRITER

“Social Justice and the University: Perspectives from the U.S. and Abroad,” a panel discussion that centered on the question of how active American universities should be in advocating social justice, was held yesterday in the Mandel Center for the Humanities Reading Room.

The seven panelists represented an array of international thought, coming from diplomatic, legal, business, activist and academic backgrounds.

The International Center for Ethics, Justice and Public Life sponsored the event, and six of the panelists

For tips or info email editor@thejustice.org

serve on its advisory board.

Daniel Terris, the director of the center, moderated the event and set the agenda by asking, “Where can Brandeis go in relation to its social justice mission?”

Former South African Justice Richard Goldstone answered this question by defining what he viewed as appropriate parameters for universities.

“There is nobody in this room who would not agree that universities should get involved with issues of social justice—that is part of the nature of the university,” he said. He stated that there are two levels of social justice: those that affect one’s own country or university and issues on an international scale.

Goldstone advocated that students focus on issues that affect them and where they have expertise because “their voices will mean more.” He cited the effectiveness of South Afri-

Waltham, Mass.

he “rented [his] body” for $2,500 by enrolling in a clinical trial for the erectile dysfunction medication Levitra. He became interested in the other participants of the trial, some of whom were ex-cons who could find few jobs and others who were “professional guinea pigs,” and made $60,000 a year.

Carney began to research the extent to which the pharmaceutical industry will go to get a drug tested and approved. He commented that the drug industry in the U.S. faces cost constraints. According to Carney, it costs about one billion dollars to research, test and distribute medication in the U.S., but by crossing borders, pharmaceutical companies can save an average of one-third to two-thirds of the total cost. Clinical trials in foreign countries are much less monitored than U.S. agencies, such as the Food and Drug Administration.

The social side effects from drug testing are ever-increasing, said Carney. There have been several human deaths that have simply been swept

See MARKET, 3 ☛

technology

Upgrades to cut energy costs, reduce footprint ■ The Board of Trustees

can students in the 1960s who, instead of protesting apartheid as a whole, focused on preventing apartheid in the university system.

Norbert Weissberg, an international investor, stated that “the university’s place, first and foremost, is to teach students how to think for themselves” in an era of sound-bites, as well as to be empathetic and to understand opposing viewpoints.

Weissberg faulted universities for not taking positions on controversial issues of social justice. Finding that universities rarely “demonstrate publicly [their] state[s] of mind,” he asked why universities “are virtually silent” when their scholarship allows them to form an informed, interesting opinion.“They are cheating the world of their knowledge. … We have a right to rely on the universities to inform the public and to take public stands

approved five million dollars to fund sustainable campus renovations.

By Raquel kallas JUSTICE STAFF WRITER

The Brandeis Sustainable Energy Program aims to create an energy efficient campus that will cut utility costs and mitigate Brandeis’ carbon footprint. According to the Campus Sustainability Initiative’s website, the project will be completed within the next 16 months using five million dollars in funds appropriated by the Brandeis Board of Trustees.

The program involves replacing light fixtures and aging temperature control systems, as well as “performance optimization” of targeted buildings, which involves finding and remedying any

See PANEL, 3 ☛

inefficiency in a building’s energy system. Buildings selected for the renovations include the Volen National Center for Complex Systems, Bernstein-Marcus Administration Building, Kutz Hall, Slosberg Music Center and Sherman Student Center and Hassenfeld Conference Center.

Sustainability Coordinator Janna Cohen-Rosenthal ’03 talked about the Sustainable Energy Program in an email to the Justice. She explained why certain buildings were selected for upgrades: “It gets into the ‘guts’ of a building and is fixing the heating/cooling and other systems. For the best return on [the] investment we have to focus on buildings that use the most energy per square foot.”

The Board of Trustees budgeted five million dollars for the project. In an interview with Brande-

See UPGRADES, 3 ☛

Musical devotion

Road warriors

New dining post

Julia O'Toole leads a selective chorus that performs benefit concerts for Boston organizations.

 Both tennis squads fared well in their first regular-season matches at Middlebury College last weekend.

 The Senate approved a new vegan-vegetarian post during last Sunday’s meeting.

FEATURES 5

SPORTS 12

Let your voice be heard!

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

INDEX

ARTS SPORTS

13 11

EDITORIAL FEATURES

6 4

OPINION POLICE LOG

6 2

News 2 COPYRIGHT 2012 FREE AT BRANDEIS. Email managing@thejustice.org for home delivery.

2

TUESDAY, MARCH 13, 2012

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THE JUSTICE

NEWS BRIEFS

POLICE LOG

Debate and Speech Society excels

Medical Emergency

This past month, the Brandeis Academic Debate and Speech Society raised its rank to third in the country, according to a March 5 press release, and now, according to its website, the team is in second place.

Brandeis’ debate team competes on the American Parliamentary Debate Association circuit, with over 50 of the nation’s elite universities.

The rise in rankings follows the team’s successes at the Providence College Debate Tournament, where Richard Weisbach ’13, Brendan Fradkin ’12, Russell Leibowitz ’14, and Sam Datlof ’12 contributed to the team’s victories. Keith Barry ’13 also took his second consecutive win with his teammate Michael Perloff ’12.

According to the press release, at a previous tournament at the University of Connecticut, Barry, Megan Elsayed ’14, Leibowitz and Datlof all received “Top 10 Speaker Awards.” Barry and Leibowitz are acknowledged as the fourth-highest ranked debate team in the division after their successes at UConn. The two can add this win to their list of previous successes at the Harvard Debating Championship and the Syracuse Invitational, according to the press release.

With these triumphs, Brandeis now has three students ranked among the top 20 speakers in the country; Leibowitz, who ranks 10th, Barry at 15th, and Fradkin at 20th. Five debaters also qualify for Nationals, the thirdhighest number within the APDA circuit. The University also has two of the nation’s top five novice, first-year debaters.

Perloff credited the team’s successes to both the team members’ dedication, and the recruitment of first-year students. “We attracted this crop of students by having a more aggressive campaign than ever, dorm storming to publicize our demo round and putting fliers up all over the campus to build up the event,” wrote Perloff in an email to the Justice.

March 7—A student’s mother called University Police reporting that her daughter was complaining of abdominal pain. BEMCo was sent to Reitman Hall to assess the party; they treated her on-scene with a signed refusal for further care.

March 9—A party in Hassenfeld Residence Hall reported having a possibly infected bug bite. BEMCo was dispatched and treated the party, who refused further medical treatment.

March 10—A reporting party in Ziv Quad stated that a female party ate some brownies and became unresponsive. University Police and BEMCo responded, and BEMCo requested an ambulance. The Ccommunity Development Coordinator on duty was notified, and the party was transported to the NewtonWellesley Hospital for further care.

March 11—A male party in Shapiro Residence Hall ate brownies and reported that he felt ill. University Police and BEMCo responded, and the party was treated on-scene with a signed refusal for further care.

Larceny

March 5—University Police received a report of a theft of an oriental rug and a mess left after a function in the Usdan Student Center. University Police compiled a report on the theft.

March 6—A student in the Shapiro Campus Center reported that a Dell laptop was purchased with club funds without authority to use the funds. University Police compiled a report, and an investigation will follow.

Miscellaneous

March 6—University Police on patrol reported that the exterior of Reitman Hall that faces the roadway had “Free all prisoners” written on it with spray paint. Facilities was notified to remove it; a report was compiled.

March 7—University Police received a report of a suspicious male on the road that runs from the Epstein Building to the cement plant. He is reported to be a white male in his fifties, wearing a hat, blue pants and a green sweater and possibly intoxicated. The police located him on Turner Street, and notified the Waltham Police Department to respond and place the male into protective custody.

March 8—The manager of Einstein Bros.

Bagels reported that there were two intoxicated parties in the lobby of the Shapiro Campus Center. University Police were dispatched to the area. Both parties were coherent and compliant when asked to depart the area. No further action was taken.

March 10—University Police on patrol reported parties walking near the Athletics lot carrying street signs. Two parties were

The Union Senate voted on Sunday to make the ad hoc Dining Services Committee permanent and to create a new Union position to represent vegetarian and vegan students.

The Dining Services Committee amendment calls for regular student dining polls, a senate liaison to each dining location and an open line of communication between the committee and Dining Services representatives.

This year, under Senator for the Class of 2014 Ricky Rosen, the committee successfully extended the hours of the Provisions on Demand Market and is currently working on addressing hours at Einstein Bros. Bagels.

The Senate also created a “Union Representative of vegetarians, vegans, and other similar diets,” which can be appointed by the Union president and must be approved by the Union Senate.

“This Representative is responsible not only for increasing awareness of the Vegan/Vegetarian [students] that are already on campus, but also acting as a liaison between students with special dietary needs and Dining Services,” wrote Rosen in an email to the Justice.

“This is a necessary step for Brandeis to take if it hopes to reach the ranks of many other liberal arts schools. I hope the Union representative reaches out to the vegan and vegetarian community to make dining for us the healthy and joyous choice it is outside of Brandeis,” wrote vegan Kimi Van Wickle ’14 in a message to the Justice, “it’s exciting to imagine a Brandeis that welcomes vegetarians and vegans,” she added.

—Andrew Wingens

CORRECTIONS AND CLARIFICATIONS

n The class year of a source for an article in Features was incorrectly printed as Jessie Beal M.A. ’13. In fact, Beal’s class year is M.A. ’12. (March 6, p. 9) n The staff playlist in arts mispelled the author’s surname. She is Shafaq Hasan, not Shafaq Hassan. (March 6, p. 24) The Justice welcomes submissions for errors that warrant correction or clarification. Email editor@ thejustice.org.

Justice

the

www.thejustice.org

The Justice is the independent student newspaper of Brandeis University. The Justice is published every Tuesday of the academic year with the exception of examination and vacation periods. Editor in chief office hours are held Mondays from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. in the Justice office.

Editor News Forum Features Sports Arts Ads Photos Managing

editor@thejustice.org news@thejustice.org forum@thejustice.org features@thejustice.org sports@thejustice.org arts@thejustice.org ads@thejustice.org photos@thejustice.org managing@thejustice.org

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

March 7—An unoccupied car that was parked at the main entrance rolled backward through the entrance intersection, over the median, across South Street and was stopped by the parking lot fence. The owner was notified and the vehicle was removed.

March 10—University Police reported a van accident involving a University vehicle at the CVS on Main Street. The Waltham Police Department was notified, and the MBTA Police said they did not need to come to the scene because the drivers had exchanged paperwork. University Police compiled a report on incident.

—compiled by Marielle Temkin

New groups chartered

Vegan-vegetarian post approved

n Captions for the photos of ribbon-cutting ceremonies in Features, one from 1963 and one from 1992, should have been assigned to the opposite photos. (March 6, p.

9)

Traffic

SENATE LOG

—Danielle Gross

n An advertisement in News was not distinguished as an advertisement. Its content was not produced by the Justice. (March 6, p. 4)

not Brandeis students but were guests of a Brandeis student. They are requested to leave campus and stay with other parties off campus. The signs were returned, and judicial charges will be sought by University Police.

March 10—A reporting party stated that someone was throwing glass outside the 567 apartments through a window. University Police checked the area and notified the CDC to respond. They requested that the suspect pick up all of the glass. The CDC on duty handled the judicial charges, and University Police compiled a report on the incident.

ANNA YATSKAR/the Justice

Alphabetical Armageddon

Usman Hameedi ’12 performs at Brandeis Open Mic Series Tuesday night in the Shapiro Campus Center Multipurpose Room. The Brandeis team of Hameedi, Jessica Hood ’15, Malika Imhotep ’15, Emily Duggan ’15 and Kat Flaherty ’15 took home first place. See page 17 in Arts for the full story.

The first of five clubs to be chartered at this past Sunday’s Senate meeting was TAMID Israel Investment Group, which will offer seminars and business experience to members interested in business and the Israeli economy.

The Senate also chartered the Special Olympics Club, which aims to fundraise for the duration of this semester in order to hold a “mini meet” at Brandeis, and the Brandeis Immigration Education Initiative, which intends to “advocate for immigrant student education rights” and increase awareness of immigration issues, according to its constitution.

The talent agency Brand New Talent was unanimously recognized.

Lastly, the Senate unanimously chartered Young Americans for Liberty, the Brandeis chapter of a national organization which aims to “identify and fight against threats to liberty in the law, intellectual community, popular culture and the University itself,” according to its constitution, as well as support libertarian political candidates.

The Senate also passed a Senate Money Resolution to raffle items at the University bookstore.

Moving on to proposed constitutional changes, the Senate turned down bylaw amendments which specified that a senator would observe the first meeting of a club seeking charter and “report to the Senate on the merits and viability of the club.” The vote for each of these measures was four to 11 with two abstentions.

However, the Senate did pass an amendment which mandates a minimum active membership of five students for all clubs, unless a club can present a valid explanation for having fewer members. The measure passed by a vote of 11 to four with two abstentions.

The Senate also passed two dining amendments.

—Tate Herbert and Sara Dejene

ANNOUNCEMENTS Market Yourself!

Hiatt Advisor Rachel Fried ’12 will present a workshop on job and internship search resources and networking techniques specifically for students interested in marketing and communications-related careers. Students will learn about marketing events and programs happening on campus, as well as how to use Hiatt’s resources. Refreshments will be served.

Today from 8 to 9 p.m. in the Mandel Center for the Humanities G10.

Feminist Coming Out Day celebration

This is the culminating event of Feminist Coming Out Week. The celebration includes informational booths, feminist merchandise, mural painting, tile decorating, a “feminist photo booth” and free popcorn. Drop by on your way to class and discover why feminism is still relevant today. This event is sponsored by the Feminist Majority Leadership Alliance.

Wednesday from 11:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the Shapiro Campus Center Atrium.

Making Hebrew Work For You!

Come to a paper bag lunch session and find out how to advertise your Hebrew abilities.

Discover how to put your language skills on your résumé, which jobs correlate with the Hebrew language and where to start looking for jobs. Students will also be advised on exploring the option of working in Israel. This session is essential for anybody who has ever taken a Hebrew class. For further information contact Doreen El-Roeiy at elrde08@ brandeis.edu.

Wednesday from noon to 1 p.m. in the Usdan Student Center International Lounge.

The Founding of American Liberty

Guest speaker Catherine White, a Waltham educator on the U.S. Constitution, will break down the core principles of the American Constitution and explain how it is relevant to modern times and crucial to the concept of liberty. This event is sponsored by the Brandeis Tea Party Nation.

Wednesday from 7 to 8:30 p.m. in the Lown auditorium.

Global China Connection info session

The Brandeis GCC chapter is newly founded and is eagerly trying to recruit new talent.

This info session is for students who want to join the chapter. GCC is the world’s largest international student-run organization with a focus on China and the U.S. Its goal is not only to promote cultural awareness and develop culture exchange, but also to provide members with a network of talented people who can help them in their future endeavors.

Thursday from 6 to 7:20 p.m. in the Village C House Seminar Room.

S.E. Cupp speaks

S.E. Cupp, conservative political commentator, writer and analyst, will be speaking at Brandeis. Refreshments will be served.

This event is presented by the Brandeis Libertarian-Conservative Union, along with the Brandeis Tea Party Nation and Young America’s Foundation.

Thursday from 8:45 to 10:45 p.m. in OlinSang 101.

THE JUSTICE

PANEL: Goldstein defends Univ’s role in advocacy CONTINUED FROM 1 on these issues,” he said.

Weissberg blamed universities’ reticence on a fear of alienating donors.

Provost Steve Goldstein ’78 rejected Weissberg’s argument as unfeasible and lacking in nuance. “Our goal is to help each student and each scholar pursue their dreams for impacting the world—not tell them what their dream should be, but give them the skills to pursue that,” he stated. “An institution should not advocate; it should be a source of facts, it should be a source of knowledge, it should be an open place for discussion. And so I do not think we’re silent.”

Goldstein pointed out that individual students and professors are advocates, but the institution as a whole is not.

Goldstein explained that “we do not teach facts at a university when we are teaching liberal arts, because facts become dated very quickly, and what our students need to know is how to think through a problem where the question has not been asked yet.”

Terris supported Goldstein’s argument, stating that “a lot of what has gone wrong in the world … is done by people who are sure that they are absolutely right and know what is best.”

He concluded that the University needed humility in deciding the parameters of its involvement in world issues.

Other issues discussed by the panel included the struggle to admit

students from the bottom income quartile. Multiple panelists cited the European system, where many students attend college tuition-free, as worthy of adoption by America, including Michael Ratner ’66, a humanrights lawyer, who stated that recent law school graduates with $150,000 in debt were forced to work at corporate law firms instead of non-profits in order to repay their debt.

Shiranee Tilakawardene, a Justice on the Sri Lankan Supreme Court, set forth a more abstract, poetic vision of the purpose of the student’s time in university. “University life is really a brief sojourn in your long life’s journey,” she said. In addition to formulating one’s own dream, “it should be about also impacting the dreams of others, who do not have an environment to dream.”

Tilakawardene stated that the risk of ignoring the dreams of others is grave: “Where there is inequality, there is always oppression, violence, war and there will be no peace.”

In November 2009, Goldstone debated former Israeli ambassdor to the U.N. Dore Gold at Brandeis in front of over 700 attendees. When asked at yesterday’s event about the current situation in Gaza, he declined to comment.

To read about panelist Hans Correl’s views on the nuclear situation in Iran, visit http://www. thejustice.org.

CONTINUED FROM 1 under the table in the absence of government intervention, he said.

Because of this, Carney argued that there should be more regulation of the drug testing industry. Carney then focused on organ donations, body harvesting and many of its societal implications. He spoke about his investigation of the red market, including the hair market, organ harvesting, surrogacy around the world, illegal adoption, egg harvesting and the skeleton market.

Carney focused greatly on the skeleton market, specifically in India. He noted that India has been the number-one distributer of human skeletons since about the 1860s and has created one of the “best skeleton processes” in the world. The dead body is placed in a river, where the fish eat off most of the flesh; the skeleton is then left in the sun to dry, leaving “nice, light bones.”

Numerous companies like the India-based Young Brothers Anatomical Models sell skeletons around the world, including to medical schools in the US, usually while keeping the sources of the skeletons undisclosed.

However, anonymity is not only limited to skeletons, but also can be observed in organ harvesting and distribution. “People don’t think twice where organs [or skeletons] come from,” said Carney.

Carney discussed organ harvesting practices in Chinese penal systems. Carney said that it is state policy to harvest the organs of executed prisoners in China. All prisoners are blood-typed upon entering the prison

system, with the exception of murderers, rapists and all inmates considered undesirable for organ donation. Political prisoners and undesirables can be executed on demand for individuals who need an organ and are willing to pay for it. Like skeleton acquisitions, all organ extractions are anonymous, said Carney.

Carney also discussed the downfalls of international adoptions, specifically the often illegal practices of those who run the orphanages. Carney said that people want to adopt healthy children, not sickly or developmentally delayed children. Orphanage owners support themselves from international adoption fees and government assistance, but if the owners have no children that people want to adopt, they will go out and kidnap young, healthy and mentally proficient children from families and put them up for adoption, thus ensuring adoptions fees. Just as in the organ market, Carney notes, people who kidnap children to profit from their adoption say that they are doing this for a good reason, in this case to keep the doors open for more orphans.

At the close of the lecture, Carney signed copies of his book with unique witticisms related to the red market.

Scott Carney is a contributing editor of WIRED magazine, and writes stories on a variety of medical, technological and ethical issues for Mother Jones magazine, National Public Radio, and National Geographic TV. He won the 2010 Payne Award for Ethics in Journalism for his story “Meet the Parents”. He currently resides in Long Beach, Calif.

TUESDAY, MARCH 13, 2012

3

AUTHOR AND ACTIVIST

JOSHUA LINTON/the Justice

SPEAKING OUT AGAINST MUTILATION: French journalist Hubert Prolongeau (above) is the author of the book ‘Undoing FGM.’

Reporter and translator discuss FGM practices ■ The speakers examined

MARKET: Carney says there should be more regulation

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implications of female genital mutilation surgeries.

By rachel starr JUSTICE contributing WRITER

Last Wednesday, the Women’s and Gender Studies Program hosted a talk with translator Toby Levin and author Hubert Prolongeau to discuss their book Undoing FGM. Pierre Foldes, the Surgeon Who Restores the Clitoris.

They discussed the horrors of female genital mutilation and a surgeon who risked his life to undo the surgery millions of females went through. Levin is an activist against female genital mutilation who wrote the afterword of the book and translated it from French to English. She is also the head of several campaigns such as Uncut/Voices to support women in African countries.

In her opinion, “[female genital mutilation] is one of the worst plagues humanity has ever known.” Hubert Prolongeau is a French journalist who originally wrote the book in French.

During the lecture, Prolongeau read excerpts of the original book while Levin read the English version.

FGM involves cutting off, accord-

ing to Prolongeau, “the scrap of skin, the clitoris,” of the female and showing it to the mother. This operation is extremely painful and often the doctor makes a mistake and has to cut more than one area, he said. According to Prolongeau, the women do not undergo it by choice. One patient is described in the book as saying, “I didn’t want to go through with it.” The scar and incision prevent pleasure for the female during sexual activities.

Female genital mutilation leads to the “creation of the virgin.” The speakers said that cultures force female genital mutilation upon girls out of a sense of duty. “A culture grows up with an idea of genital beauty and genital ugliness and none of us wishes to be ugly, unattractive, undesirable. This idea is so important emotionally,” said Levin.

“The society has a notion of beauty and ugliness which helps to perpetuate this kind of operation.” Some cultures believe that a child is of no sex before undergoing female genital mutilation and others believe that removing the pleasure point of females will make a child “pure.”

According to the speakers, there is hope for the women who have had this operation. Doctor Pierre Foldes discovered a way to remove the scar caused by the female genital mutila-

tion operation and replace it with healthy tissue. Doctor Foldes performs surgeries on thousands of women and does not accept payment. Before the book was published in 2006, 1,000 women had had the clitoris-restoration operation performed. Now, 3,500 women have had the operation.

Prof. Shulamit Reinharz (SOC), the director of the Women’s Studies Research Center, was contacted by Levin about promoting her book. Levin said, “I have been here before introducing the topic and in a sense I knew there was interest here. … I knew that Brandeis was open to informing itself about those issues so they seem like an audience that would be open to this presentation.” One student who attended the event, Elena Unschuld ’15, said, “I thought it was very interesting. … It was interesting to hear that it has been going on.”

When asked what message the speakers wanted to get across about female genital mutilation, Levin replied, “[The audience] should understand that those that have been subjected to this … grow up to resent having it done. If the audience has the opportunity to influence law makers or policymakers to recognize it as an international crime of human rights … then that should be their political opinion.”

UPGRADES: University partners with Waltham firm to carry out updates CONTINUED FROM 1 isNOW, Cohen-Rosenthal predicts that just in the first year, the renovations will cut utilities costs by $540,000 and reduce carbon emissions by 1,614 metric tons of carbon equivalent. “The idea is to save money and carbon impact,” she wrote to the Justice. The modifications will continue to cut costs and reduce carbon emissions with every year that they are in place.

When asked about the energy efficiency of old buildings like Shapiro Residence Hall and East Quad, Cohen-Rosenthal explained that they do not have carbon impacts as

large as the targeted structures. “All of the sciences buildings and others targeted have mechanical systems that are very, very old and not working well,” she stated.

Brandeis has partnered with GreenerU, a Waltham-based firm, to plan and execute the Sustainable Energy Program. According to the mission statement on its website, “GreenerU partners with colleges and their students to solve the campus sustainability and energy management challenges.” Cohen-Rosenthal wrote, “We like this firm because they don’t just look at the very quick cost savings but at the full picture of our environmental im-

pact and long term goals and make sure we are doing the best quality job possible.”

Cohen-Rosenthal acknowledged that Brandeis has progress to make in order to be as environmentally friendly as other universities. She called the work being done in the Sustainable Energy Program “deferred maintenance,” the point of which is to fix outdated equipment and bring it up to efficiency standards.

“The technology being put in is avant-garde and will be the best for saving energy. It’s not worth doing if we aren’t doing it the best way possible,” she wrote.

4

features

TUESDAY, march 13, 2012

just

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THE JUSTICE

VERBATIM | ELEANOR ROOSEVELT I could not at any age be content to take my place in a corner by the fireside and simply look on.

ON THIS DAY…

FUN FACT

In 1930, the news of Pluto’s discovery was telegraphed to the Harvard College observatory.

Childhood dreams are shorter than adult ones and almost 40 percent are nightmares.

NARROW ROUTES: Prof. Golden excavates and searches tight spaces and caves in Chiapas, Mexico.

Recovering

lost treasures

PHOTOS COURTESY OF CHARLES GOLDEN

ON THE MAP: Golden maps the Maya site of Tecolote in the Sierra del Lacandon National Park in Guatemala.

SEARCHING FOR CLUES: Prof. Golden’s team uses a sieve to separate artifacts from dirt in Tecolote.

Prof. Golden identifies authentic smuggled Guatemalan artifacts

By SELENE CAMPION JUSTICE staff writer

Prof. Charles Golden (ANTH) knew from a young age that archaeology was his calling. “I never wanted to do anything else, really, and it mainly had to do with the fact that I was terrified of mummies as a kid.” He has come a long way from his childhood fear. After completing his Ph.D from the University of Pennsylvania in 2003, he decided to travel to Egypt. His plans were crushed, however, when he realized the exorbitant price of the plane ticket. Instead, he decided on the cheaper destination for young, eager archeologists: Belize. Today, his focus remains on Mesoamerica, and in addition to teaching at Brandeis, he often travels to Central America to conduct archaeological research.

One of his recent projects is concerned with allegedly smuggled Guatemalan artifacts. Golden is part of the process that safely returned Mesoamerican artifacts to their home country. The artifacts, a set of pots, arrived in Houston in 2011.

They reappeared several months later at the Skinner Auctioneers and Appraisers auction house in Boston, where they were put up for auction and added to an online catalogue. A Guatemalan official saw the

pieces online and, after evaluating their history and individual pottery styles, identified them as potentially smuggled. He alerted the United States State Department, which gave Golden’s name to the U.S. which eventually contacted him for assistance with returning the pots to their country of origin.

Golden viewed the four pots and analyzed the shape, texture and design in order to decipher if the objects were indeed ancient artifacts.

Secondly, he had to identify their origins and declare whether they were made in Guatemala. “I looked at four objects and was only able to securely identify two of them as being both authentic and from Guatemala. There was another piece that was maybe real and maybe truly ancient, but I couldn’t say for sure whether it was from Guatemala, and that’s a big part of the puzzle,” Golden said in an interview with the Justice.

Further chemical testing was undergone to prove their Guatemalan origin and confirm the year they were made. “Lots of stuff gets stolen, lots of stuff gets imported into the United States, but you have to prove not only that it is stolen but what country it is from,” he said.

Both the United States and Gua-

temalan governments have taken measures to combat the illegal trade of artifacts. They have agreed to a bilateral treaty that states the intention to return the stolen objects to their respective countries. However, the process involves a great deal of paperwork and extensive court hearings. “Everything’s in place that we need to do to prevent the illegal transportation of these objects, but the actual enforcement of those legal frameworks is pretty complicated,” Golden explained in an interview with the Justice.

The process of returning artifacts to Guatemala is long, complex and tedious. “One of the biggest impediments to getting stuff back from the country it was stolen from is proving it. You have to prove that the materials are here illegally, you have to prove that there is this chain of ownership that is wrong, that is illegal and illicit and that just takes a long time, like any other criminal case,” Golden said. As an expert relied upon for determining the objects’ origin location and dates, Golden was an integral step in the process.

The smuggling of these artifacts is “a huge, multinational business. It is just like drug-trafficking and even moves sometimes through the same people and through the same routes,

but it is very hard to prove. You can look at it, you can say I think that’s here illegally, but you cannot do anything about it,” Golden said. “It requires resources: people resources and money resources. On the part of the country asking for the items back and on the part of the US customs enforcement.”

Some may look at illegal artifact smuggling as insignificant compared to drug trafficking and other dangerous trades. Golden believes otherwise, however, as “the people who are in favor of collecting antiquities tend to look at the pot and say, ‘It’s just one pot’; some of them are no bigger than coffee mugs. But to get the coffee mug, or to get that ancient pot, you might destroy a whole pyramid. We see this all the time.”

According to Golden, the illegal trade has proved detrimental to Guatemalan and other Mesoamerican cultures and monuments. Throughout his extensive travels, Golden has witnessed archaeological sites completely decimated by smugglers.

Not only does the smuggling business impede cultural preservation, the leaders of the smuggling trade often cheat the people employed to unearth artifacts, who are generally paid minimal wages. The smugglers can sell one pot for thousands of dol-

lars, so they are “actually selling money out of the mouths of people in these countries,” according to Golden.

Due to the lucrative nature of the business, there are few archaeological sites in Central America that remain completely intact. Looting is rampant among the ancient pyramids and many times the sites are so destroyed that only the four corners of the pyramid are left unharmed.

While the process of returning artifacts may appear to be futile, it is crucial to the protection of Mesoamerican culture that Golden and other archaeologists work to preserve. Without legal frameworks such as the United States’ bilateral treaties, it would prove nearly impossible to bring artifact smugglers to justice. With Golden’s abilities, the United States repatriated the stolen objects to Guatemala in February 2012. Golden sees his work as important to preserving the ancient cultures of Mesoamerica through archaeological sites.

Golden believes in the importance of recovering artifacts and ancient ruins. “If properly maintained [pyramids] could become a tourist attraction, it could become a piece of national heritage. But if it’s destroyed, it’s nothing,” he said.

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Musical passions NOT SKIPPING A BEAT: O’Toole started holding auditions for singers and conducting the Calliope chorus during summer 2006.

SEA OF SINGERS: Calliope’s concerts benefit many charity organizations in the area.

Musicology student O’Toole conducts choral group in Boston By celine hacobian JUSTICE editor

When Julia O’Toole MA ’12 was 16 years old, she begged her piano teacher to give her just one voice lesson before her audition for her high school musical. As soon as she finished her first song, her teacher said, “Yeah, we’re not doing piano anymore.

You’re a singer,” recounted O’Toole, in her second and final year in the Master’s program for Musicology, in an interview with the Justice. From that point on, she continued taking voice lessons before she started teaching singing and conducting choirs.

O’Toole conducts the Boston-based choral group Calliope, which was founded in the summer of 2006. “Quite honestly, I wanted to get some podium time, and it’s very hard to get an opportunity to conduct people,” O’Toole said. As a voice teacher, she had access to many singers who were available during the summer, as most organizations do not have rehearsals from June to August, according to O’Toole.

“So we had a chorus, and just a couple of instruments, but ... musicians who were doing it were really psyched to be doing something in the off-season, so [I thought,] ‘what could we add that would be different?’” With this in mind, O’Toole created a board of directors and established an organization different than all the other choruses in the Boston area.

“That’s when we decided that we want to give an experience that most musicians [and instrumentalists] ... don’t have: the opportunity to rehearse with the other,” said O’Toole.

“This was an opportunity for musicians from both fields to rehearse together for the entire season, and so we decided that this would be the number

one piece of our mission, that it would be very collaborative.”

Another major factor that sets Calliope apart from other groups is that its members give back to the community through benefit concerts. They choose lesser-known organizations to support and do not pick the same group more than once. O’Toole then coordinates the program based on the organization they are supporting.

“The music that we select for the concert, we try to have reflect the mission of whatever the organization is,” she said.

On Feb. 4, Calliope chose to give a benefit concert for the Armenian Heritage Park that commemorates the Armenian Genocide, still under construction and expected to be revealed in Boston’s North End in a few months. O’Toole learned of the memorial through an Armenian member of Calliope’s board. “We usually plan the benefit a couple of years in advance ... because we like to work with the organization before we actually present their performance,” O’Toole said.

O’Toole stressed that this most recent February concert consisted of a complex program that required singing in several other languages because the song choices represented so many different groups. The choir is accustomed to performing in multiple languages, but they still bring in people who fluently speak the language in which they are performing in order to help the singers with pronunciation, tone and phrasing. “Singers in general at this level, which is serious amateurs to professionals, most of them have done Latin, most of them have done German, French, Italian, as well, so it is a little bit of a struggle, so it just kind of depends on who you have in front of you,” O’Toole said.

And while this program wasn’t solely Armenian music, it was the majority of the program. “One of our members is Armenian and so he made suggestions, and actually the board member made suggestions and when we met with the [Armenian Heritage Foundation], the chair of their board [also] made suggestions ... In general, the way that Calliope comes up with music is all the members are asked for, ‘is there anything you would like to do that you think suggests … what we are looking at as a program structure—in this case, it was music about immigrants.”

O’Toole believes Calliope really focuses on young musicians, especially high school students “who need more of a challenge than their school music program, and a lot of those have even been eliminated, can offer,” she said.

O’Toole chose the name “Calliope” for the group, because she is the eldest of the nine Greek muses, goddesses that represent the arts, and the one that is associated with epic poetry and combines text with music.

The group performs twice a year “because we really want all of our members to belong to other organizations because it makes them better collaborators, so we deliberately meet sort of off-season from everybody else,” she said. Their season begins in June, with auditions held in March and April. Rehearsals start in the beginning of June and continue throughout the summer, concluding with a concert on the second weekend in September. The whole process is 14 weeks, longer than the common 12-week rehearsal period for choirs, according to O’Toole.

The audition process for O’Toole’s group is elaborate. Musicians can be invited to join for one to three sea-

sons, determined by how much potential they have and what they need to work on before they re-audition.

O’Toole says that most people do both annual concerts.

The board looks first for musicianship in potential members. Members “have to be at a certain level in order to learn music on their own, to know how to take care of their instrument well, whether it’s a voice or whether it’s a trumpet,” O’Toole said.

Almost as important is “the ability to collaborate: the ability to communicate about what [members] are doing, about what they hear from other people and to do it in a constructive way.

We had people who have auditioned who I have not accepted because even in the audition, it felt like they were kind of combative, that they wouldn’t be a positive team player,” she said.

“They may have been a fabulous singer, or whatever, but … when you go into a situation with 75 musicians and anyone can say anything about you, and you can say anything about anyone, you know, it has to be a safe environment,” O’Toole said.

Calliope currently has about 90 active members. Only 75 perform at any given concert because some performers are not available for both seasons.

O’Toole says her experience at the University has enhanced her musical involvement, especially her involvement with the Brandeis Osher Lifelong Living Institute, which “offers a broad range of noncredit educational activities for retired, semi-retired and other adult participants ... [and] emphasizes peer leadership, individual and group participation and research, and an atmosphere of sociability and mutual encouragement,” according to its website. “It is basically for people … adults, older people … who want to

keep learning and they offer all kinds of programs there, everything from arts to history to religion and all kinds of things; but they’re college courses,” O’Toole explains. She had the chance to teach a class for one day as a graduate student. The class she taught was “Why Sing Plays? – A Second Collection” in collaboration with Arthur M. Finstein. She loved that she could “interact with people from a variety of different backgrounds, people who are retired lawyers, doctors, musicologists, administrators, all kinds of things, ... and their perspective on things is so varied.”

While O’Toole hopes to continue in school and earn her Ph.D. in Musicology, Calliope is not something that she will soon leave behind.

“Long term, we’d like to continue to grow, to a certain level. We don’t want to become so big that the collaborative process is hampered by the number of people. We want to continue to raise the bar on our music, which we have successfully done since the beginning,” she said. Each year, O’Toole increases the musical difficulty. For the first concert of the season in September, the goal is to maintain the level of music, while the second concert in February also entails paying more attention to detail and being more expressive.

O’Toole recognizes what each member has to offer. “Everybody has a voice in what we do, you know, people are asked because everybody has just such a huge variety of experiences, that they all have something to offer, whether it’s a professional, because we have professionals, we have serious amateurs and we have music students and we have scholarship students, so everybody [has] a very different perspective.”

PHOTOS COURTESY OF JULIA O’TOOLE

UNITED SOUNDS: Calliope holds rehearsals with both instrumentalists and singers present as often as possible instead of practicing once before a performance, unlike many other musical groups which meet separately.

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THE JUSTICE

Justice Justice

the the

Established 1949, Brandeis University

Brandeis University

Established 1949

Emily Kraus, Editor in Chief Nashrah Rahman, Managing Editor Brian N. Blumenthal, Production Editor Andrew Wingens, Deputy Editor Alana Abramson, Rebecca Blady, Eitan Cooper, Bryan Flatt, Rebecca Klein, Asher Krell, Fiona Lockyer, Tess Raser, Robyn Spector and Marielle Temkin, Associate Editors Sara Dejene, News Editor Sam Mintz, Acting News Editor Celine Hacobian, Features Editor Shafaq Hasan, Forum Editor Adam Rabinowitz, Sports Editor Ariel Kay and Emily Salloway, Arts Editors Jenny Cheng and Joshua Linton, Photography Editors Nan Pang, Layout Editor Hillel Buechler, Online Editor Maya Riser-Kositsky, Copy Editor David Wolkoff, Advertising Editor

Assessing energy initiatives The University recently announced the implementation of the Brandeis Sustainable Energy Program. For the next 16 months, the initiative will include a campus-wide upgrade to reduce energy costs and improve building infrastructure. To date, the Board of Trustees has invested five million dollars into these projects and intends to continue financing the program. We appreciate the University’s commitment to having an environmentally conscious campus that is sustainable in the long-term, but we encourage the administration to also consider investing in short-term improvements to the campus as well.

As part of the Campus Sustainability Initiative, the program will focus on three projects that will be managed by the University’s Office of Facilities Services, according to the program’s website. These projects include replacing the current lighting with longer lasting fixtures, upgrading the heating and cooling systems and increasing the efficiency of the energy saving systems already in place in select buildings.

While the program intends to expand the initiatives to the entire campus, the projects will first target eight academic and administrative buildings, including Volen Science Complex, Sachar International Center and Sherman Dining Hall and Hassenfeld Conference Center. Considering the various states of disrepair these buildings and their mechanical systems are currently in, we applaud efforts to upgrade the systems, as several are no longer functioning reliably. In addition to creating a more sustainable

Don’t neglect needed repairs campus, the projects will be conducting much needed maintenance repairs and improving the working conditions for students and faculty.

According to the Campus Sustainability Initiative website, these proposals are expected to reduce carbon emissions by 1,614 metric tons and reduce energy costs by $540,000 per year. These initiatives are making the University more environmentally friendly, but they will also save the administration money that it can invest elsewhere.

The University can now use these funds for more pressing repairs on campus, such as improving the condition of paved roads on campus, addressing the failing state of the Usen Castle and making repairs to residence halls across campus.

Though it is important to have a sustainable campus, students’ living conditions and the aesthetic appeal of our campus should also be top priorities.

While we understand the benefits of making the campus more sustainable in the long-term, this board urges the University to also consider the current opportunities to enhance students’ quality of life.

Reducing carbon emissions and upgrading administrative buildings are important goals, but the as administration moves forward with these initiatives, we encourage the University to keep in mind the other important repairs that can be made now to improve students’ living conditions.

Refocus Health Week

Last week was Health Week, hosted by the Student Health Advocacy Committee of the Student Union in collaboration with Brandeis Health Services.

This program offered resources on healthy nutrition, exercise and stress management, as well as lectures on sexual assault and alcohol awareness, all of which are important topics for college students. This editorial board commends the effort to bring healthy habits to the student body. However, we encourage future Health Weeks to be refocused on a different set of student needs. While the topics of sleeping and having a healthy diet are significant, we feel that campus resources for emergency health situations could have also been addressed.

These resources are available through the various student health groups that often promote their services through mailbox advertisements and events.

However, it is unclear which branches of the University administration explicitly handle the challenges of student mental and physical health. This is problematic for students who may not know where to turn to when they or someone they know encounters serious mental or physical health problems.

For students living off-campus, this process is even more opaque, as they are outside of the purview of a Community Development Coordinator or Community Adviser. These students are

Shift attention to resources not as closely connected to University resources as other students are. The student support net is there, but less visible than it should be.

For that reason, this board encourages the creation of a Student Emergency Handbook, a fool-proof guide to University resources which are often touted during Orientation, but soon forgotten as students become upperclassmen.

It would be modeled on the Faculty Emergency Guide, which was recently revised to provide quick information in case of an emergency. In the Student Emergency Handbook, situations, such as what to do if a friend or roommate is engaging in self-harm or has an eating disorder, would be followed by suggested courses of action, whether it relies on telling the CDC, talking to an Academic Adviser or talking to a student group such as STAR or x6TALK. This guide could be fairly short, covering only the major possible issues students could face. Copies of it could be placed in student mailboxes and also posted online as an additional resource for students living off-campus. This board fully supports the idea of a University-wide Health Week, but would like to see a revision of its goals to focus on resources needed to maintain the physical and mental health of students.

SARA WEININGER/the Justice

War-time law violates our basic liberties Naomi

Volk et cetera

OP-BOX Quote of the Week “Everybody has a voice in what we do ... because everybody has just such a huge variety of experiences, that they all have something to offer.”

—Julia O’Toole on her cho-

rus, Calliope (See Features, p.5)

Last Monday, Attorney General Eric Holder Jr. said that it is lawful for the U.S. government to kill American citizens if it believes they are linked to Al Qaeda, and therefore a potential threat to the country. Not only does this theory deny individuals their fundamental rights to due process as citizens of the United States, but it also encourages the government to dispense with these liberties in the name of national security.

The debate over how the government treats our rights during a time of war has emerged once again as a result of the targeted killing last year in Yemen of Anwar al-Awlaki, a radical Muslim cleric born in New Mexico.

The issue at stake here isn’t even if the administration should have killed al-Awlaki–it’s that they did it without first having a trial or some other sort of judicial process.

Although Awlaki wasn’t killed in the United States, we do not lose our citizenship simply because we cross the border. No matter where we currently are in the world, we are U.S. citizens and our government should treat us as such.

According to a recent New York Times article on Holder’s speech to Northwestern University’s law school, “It was notable for the nation’s top law enforcement official to declare that it is constitutional for the government to kill citizens without any judicial review under certain circumstances.”

The importance of adhering to the judicial process is outlined in the Fourteenth Amendment, which clearly states that the government cannot deprive a citizen of “life, liberty, or property, without due process of law.” Killing a suspect without the formalities required in the courtroom threatens our Constitutional liberties by taking away the lives of American citizens without judicial processes.

Holder says, “‘Due process’ and ‘judicial process’ are not one and the same, particularly when it comes to national security.

The Constitution guarantees due process, not judicial process.”

But this doesn’t add up. What is “due process of the law” mean if not the idea of being innocent until proven guilty and right to trial by a jury of one’s peers? He was, after all, an American citizen.

Now, I understand that the people the government is targeting are suspected to have connections to Al Qaeda, but there must be better, constitutionally sound ways to handle suspected terrorists than condemning them preemptively to death.

After all, what are we fighting for if we lose our inherent sense of what America means? How can we condemn totalitarian regimes for arbitrarily killing political dissenters and the like if we, too, kill our own citizens without giving them due process of the law? In the face of terrorism, more than ever, we should strive to keep a hold on what makes us special in the first place.

We should not become the same as the regimes we condemn in the rest of the world.

What is a government’s job if not to protect the lives of its people?

While some may say the government’s actions are doing just that, it’s a slippery slope between killing those we deem domestic terrorists without judicial review and killing those that simply disagree with the government without judicial processes.

The fact of the matter is that these people should be tried for their crimes to determine if they are, indeed, terrorists.

The argument is not whether or not what the suspects are doing is wrong, but if the government’s approach to handling this situation is right.

Domestic terrorism is a real threat, but this does not mean that the fundamental tenets of the Constitution should be left by the wayside so the government can kill citizens without adequately providing for the American legal processes.

Punishment should come through prosecution. Although combating terrorism should be a top priority, it does not mean we should ignore what makes us fundamentally American.

Brandeis Talks Back What do you think about the “Kony 2012” video?

Usman Hameedi ’12 “There are better ways to help a movement than updating your Facebook status.”

Jake Weiner ’13 “It should be the only source you use when learning about Kony.”

Shikchha Srivastava ’12 “I haven’t seen the video yet.”

Kayla Dinces ’12 “I think the sentiment behind the campaign is important, ... [but] their underlying messages are problematic.”

—Compiled by Rebecca Klein Photos by Tess Raser/ the Justice

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Take Wabash and improve University Philip

gallagher back to basics

On March 20, 21 and 28, seniors at Brandeis will have the chance to participate in the third and final part of the Wabash National Study of Liberal Arts. The Wabash study provides the University with a unique opportunity of extensive self-assessment that could help improve education in the coming years.

Given the rarity of this type of opportunity for Brandeis, I encourage all seniors to participate.

According to the University’s Office of Assessment website, the Wabash study is “a large-scale, longitudinal study to investigate critical factors that affect the outcomes of liberal arts education.” Specifically, the study investigates the development of 12 student qualities as a result of a liberal arts education, including attitudes toward diversity, leadership and critical thinking. The results from the study will be used to determine what components of a Brandeis education are working for students, which ones are not and then to make the appropriate changes to the University’s program. Unlike senior surveys, which are administered solely at the end of a class’ senior year, the Wabash study was given twice to current seniors during their first year; once in the fall and once in the spring. Midyears participated in the spring and the following fall.

Brandeis has never before completed a selfevaluation of this magnitude to determine how effective its educational experience really is, according to Associate Provost for Assessment Dan Perlman in an interview with the Justice.

The earlier surveys from the current seniors’ first year will serve as a baseline for the survey being given this year and allow for a true comparison of students’ attitudes toward Brandeis at the beginning and end of their time here. I

TZIPORAH THOMPSON/ the Justice

expect that the results of the survey will focus on student life, faculty-student interactions, classroom experiences and attitudes toward diversity, seeing as those topics were the focus of the first-year data analysis.

The results of the Brandeis survey can also be compared to other universities participating in the Wabash study. Complete data from

the study will give an idea as to how the Brandeis experience stacks up against the competition and what makes the Brandeis student body inherently different from those at other schools. Comparisons can also give new perspective to apparent weaknesses and strengths.

These findings will help the University iden-

tify what qualities of Brandeis are relevant in the context of other institutions. This is especially important given the diversity among the participating institutions, which range from Hampshire College to the University of Michigan.

University administrators have already demonstrated their interest to act on the survey results to improve the Brandeis experience.

Using the data from the results of the first two surveys, conducted when current seniors were first-year students, administrators were able to conclude that first-year students were not connecting with their professors on a personal level as much as they would have liked.

In response, a subcommittee was established by the Committee for the Support of Teaching to improve faculty relations with first-year students, and several programs were subsequently implemented to specifically foster those relations.

These programs, all of which are still ongoing, include vouchers for professors to invite first-year students to lunch or coffee, a series of professor lectures geared toward first-year students and the development of a first-year residence community that will involve faculty interaction, according to Senior Associate Dean of Arts and Sciences Elaine Wong in an interview with the Justice. Given this series of initiatives based on one finding from early study results, I’m interested to see what new programs will be implemented at Brandeis once the senior year data has been fully analyzed.

The Wabash study is a very rare but incredibly valuable method for the University administration to get an in-depth understanding of the undergraduate Brandeis experience. I am hopeful that the administration will not underestimate the value of the survey results and will aggressively employ the data to improve the Brandeis experience in the future.

Seniors have a unique opportunity to positively impact the future of their school for years to come. All they have to do is fill out the survey.

Political agendas obstruct religious rights

By Joshua nass JUSTICE STAFF WRITER

As with all political issues, framing and communication have played a pivotal role in the public’s perception of the recent contraception issue. Specifically, this issue concerns whether or not religious colleges should be forced to include contraception in the health care coverage they provide to their employees.

Unfortunately, the story has allowed for the creation of gross misperceptions about those opposed to the mandate.

Republicans specifically have been accused of of opposing women’s health and being in opposition to the use of birth control altogether.

However, I propose that such fallacies could not be further from the truth.

The reality is, Republicans are not waging a war on women, nor are they opposed to birth control as a matter of policy. They are simply fulfilling their constitutional responsibility to defend rights and freedoms endowed to all Americans equally.

However, those freedoms are not limited to individuals; they are also afforded to institutions.

The fight over the last few weeks pertaining to whether or not the birth control mandate is constitutional is about one of those most basic yet essential freedoms. It is about freedom of religion.

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act is one of the least popular pieces of legislation that has passed under the Obama Administration. While the White House considers the bill one of its signature legislative accomplishments, Republicans have consistently criticized the bill for being unconstitutional.

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The source of this claim, which has become popular even among some independent voters, can be found in the mandate within the bill.

Once implemented, the mandate would force Americans to buy health care coverage, even against their will.

From a constitutional standpoint, such a provision should not be considered legal since it seems to be infringing on the freedoms of citizens.

In light of this, since its passage, several states’ attorneys general have brought the case before appellate judges, in an effort to challenge the bill’s constitutionality.

“

One of the most disappointing parts of this mess ... was the lack of bipartisan support exhibited.

On Jan. 20, Kathleen Sebelius, Secretary of Health and Human Services, clarified that the mandate that forces all employers to include contraceptives in the health care coverage that they provide to their employees does not apply to the different houses of worship.

This clarification is a prime example of what Republicans have been warning about this bill concerning the violation of constitutional freedoms.

The announcement of the federal birth control mandate immediately began generating controversy among Americans when it was

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introduced.

Critics pointed out that the exception shouldn’t only apply to religious houses of worship but also to religiously affiliated institutions like Catholic schools, universities and hospitals.

The important point to stress is that this controversy has nothing to do with opposition to birth control, but everything to do with an attempt to infringe on religious institutions’ ability to exercise their religious freedoms.

It is well known that in some areas a portion of public funding is appropriated toward making birth control accessible to citizens through their local county health department and elsewhere. It is therefore unnecessary to mandate that religious institutions include contraceptives in their health care coverage, since birth control can be accessible from other sources, free of charge.

However, in this case, Sebelius and the White House showed a complete and utter lack of consideration for these religious institutions’ freedom to exercise their religion.

By releasing this announcement concerning the birth control mandate, they proved that they have no sympathy for the principles of religious institutions and will go so far as to force such institutions to act in violation of their religious beliefs.

As the President began realizing the magnitude of the political backlash that this announcement had generated, he presented what he deemed to be a compromise. The compromise was meant to appease such religious institutions that felt the mandate would force them to act in violation of their religious views.

Under the revised birth control mandate, the insurance companies would be the ones providing contraceptives to those employees

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that desired them.

However, the White House didn’t clarify that this compromise would still be reflected in the price of the premiums those religious institutions would be forced to pay. Therefore, under the revised version of the birth control mandate, religious institutions would not be directly paying for the contraceptive coverage; they would be indirectly paying for the coverage.

Such a compromise amounts to nothing more than an accounting trick on the part of the White House and the Department of Human Health and Services.

One of the most disappointing parts of this mess created by the President and his administration, was the lack of bipartisan support exhibited in preserving one of our most basic freedoms; the freedom of religion.

It seems that instead, Democrats have chosen to exploit this controversy for political gain in order to further demonize Republicans.

I don’t believe that any first amendment freedoms are in jeopardy ought to be used as a mechanism for political gain.

Freedom of religion is one of the most important freedoms that has been afforded to American citizens.

It one of the factors that distinguishes us from so many other parts of the world. It is what makes us the great country we are, and whether such an attempt to infringe on freedoms takes place under a Republican or Democratic administration, all public servants should make sure to prevent it from happening.

In this case, the Democratic Party failed the American people in preserving one of our fundamental freedoms, and for that they ought to be held accountable.

Editorial Assistants News: Tate Herbert Staff Senior Writers: Josh Asen, Aaron Berke, Wei Huan-Chen, Raquel Kallas, Amy Melser, Shelly Shore Senior Illustrator: Sara Weininger Senior Photographer: Alex Margolis News: Shani Abramowitz, Tyler Belanga, Jonathan Epstein, Danielle Gross, Luke Hayslip Features: Claire Gohorel, Rachel Miller, Jessie Miller Forum: Aaron Fried, Philip Gallagher, Diego Medrano, Joshua Nass, Sara Shahanaghi, Naomi Volk Sports: Julian Cardillo, Jacob Elder, Becca Elwin, Henry Loughlin, Jacob Lurie, Jacob Moskowitz, Madeleine Stix

Arts: Alex DeSilva, Olivia Leiter, Amy Melser, Leanne Ortbals, Louis Polisson, Mara Sassoon, Ayan Sanyal, Aziz Sohail, Viet Tran, Dan Willey Photography: Jon Edelstein, Nathaniel Freedman,Josh Josh Horowitz, Josh Spriro, Diana Wang, Michelle Wang, Anne Yatskar Copy: Aliza Braverman, Jennie Bromberg, Kinza Kukhari, Patricia Greene, Andrew Hayes, Max Holzman, Brittany Joyce, Eunice Ko, Megan Paris, Christine Phan, Mailinh Phan-Nguyen, Leah Rogers, Suzy Schatz, Will Schneiderman, Amanda Winn Layout: Rachel Burkhoff, Jassen Lu, Denny Poliferno, Michelle Yi Illustrations: Mara Sassoon, Arielle Shorr, Tziporah Thompson

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FORUM

Fear of terrorism smothers our rights Diego MEDRANO

MISSING LINK

According to a leaked document from the New York Police Department, its Intelligence Unit has been monitoring and collecting information on businesses, explicitly because of the owners’ religion, specifically second and third-generation Muslim Americans. New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg has claimed that the monitoring is strictly based on geography, yet the large Jewish businesses populations in the same neighborhoods have been left unmonitored.

The report went on to show that many people are in the police records despite not having broken any laws, so that in the event of a possible terror plot the police would know every possible connection.

Are you surprised? Really? Does this seem unfathomable?

Maybe the general public is more trusting than I thought, but stories like this don’t surprise me.

Not in the least bit. We all seem to take it as a matter of fact that the government could monitor us if it wanted, but we trust that they won’t.

These sort of stories are the inconvenient truth that we like to blissfully pretend wouldn’t happen in this country. I know why some would argue that the NYPD has done nothing wrong, but we need to be more careful with our freedoms.

We need to be less complacent when dealing with the liberties our country was founded on. We need to fight back against the desire to let fear guide our actions.

I understand the fear. Sept. 11, 2001 changed almost everything.

What it didn’t change was what this country stands for and vows to protect—our freedom. We can’t be willing to give up that freedom for a feeling of security. As long as we continue to listen to politicians stumping like doomsday theorists, we will not stand up to protect our rights.

Instead, we allow for fearmongering to stand in place of public policy and bow to the condescension that the powers that be know what’s best for us.

As tough as it may be, it’s important to look at the Sept. 11 attacks in perspective. Yes, we haven’t had any terror attacks since 9/11, but we also didn’t have this intense security in place before the attacks. That’s not to say that our beefed up security hasn’t prevented any attacks, but we truly don’t know. Sept. 11 took almost a decade of planning, with an exhaustive amount of resources, and we still almost foiled the plan. The way we view the world may have changed, the enemies may have changed, but the fears and dangers remain largely the same.

ARIELLE SHORR/the Justice

Whether we’re talking about Muslims, Russian communists or civil rights leaders, our country has a history of fearing different groups of people and allowing our government to spy on them. But we have always had enemies and will always have enemies. Politicians these days like us to think that because the threat is slightly different, the response needs to be appropriately drastic. Buying into this line of thinking leads to reactionary short-term solutions that weaken our longterm freedom.

What the NYPD and other authorities that employ similar tactics are doing is pitting the government against the people in the name of protecting them.

Instead of seeming to be working in the best interest of the people, they seem like the “Big Brother” we have always been taught to fear.

When authorities flex their ability to spy on

their own people, they aren’t making any of us feel safe. They’re just giving us one more group to fear.

We know that the government has the means to become that “Big Brother,” but we trust that the government would never let that happen and that there is a system in check to protect us.

Yet every time we willingly give up more freedom, we weaken the strength of those checks.

There is a philosophical argument to be had over the issues I have raised, but this is also an argument that is cut and dry, especially in the case of the NYPD. These are Americans.

Most of the business owners aren’t even first-generation Americans, but second and third. Authorities are supposed to be protecting everyone, yet they’re singling out certain groups.

These are people who happen to be Muslim, and while the government should distinguish between the average non-threatening Muslim and the violent extremists who distort their own religion in the name of bloodshed, it is just perpetuating the stereotypes.

The government is perpetuating the fear.

We have not only a right, but an obligation to be mad when we see stories like this. No American should be singled out or fear speaking out because of his or her religion. That’s America 101.

We need to oppose legislation that suppresses our freedoms, let our legislators know that they’re on notice and actively participate in preserving the ideals our country is founded on.

Right now, you may not see this as a threat, but what if it’s your people under the microscope?

Kony video misleads, manipulates its viewers Shafaq

hasan into the fire

Last Thursday, I posted a link on my Facebook wall unaware that I was feeding into the latest, passing Internet fad. It was not a Brandeis meme or the most recent “Sh*t (insert choice demographic) Says” video. No, this fad is far more damaging and dangerous than free Shabbos candles.

“Kony 2012.”

The 30-minute long video became an Internet sensation within four days of being posted by the Invisible Children, a non-profit organization fighting to capture Joseph Kony, the leader of the Lord’s Resistance Army. This promotional documentary for the organization chronicles the atrocities committed by Kony against the children of Uganda. With intermittent clips of the director’s son trying to grasp this complicated issue and a Ugandan boy relaying his own troubled past, the video has precipitated a worldwide movement to stop Kony.

Like with every Internet fad, this too has developed a following of mindless individuals eager to jump on the bandwagon. While other trends like memes, flash mobs and planking

were invented for the purposes of entertainment, the “Kony 2012” video was created as a call to action to incite anger and passion toward Kony and for these children. This video was manufactured to bring people together for a cause and it’s really hard to resist.

The problem with this video is that by compressing a complicated issue into a half hour, viewers leave with few facts but an inebriating urge to join the cause. More than that, with every major news network, print media and social network reblogging, retweeting and reposting this video, the information is reaching everyone. And that’s where the video’s oversimplification of the facts becomes dangerous.

To start with, the video fudges some of the basic facts about the conflict.

The video applauds and celebrates President Barack Obama’s authorization last October to deploy U.S. troops into Uganda to help remove Kony from power. However, the video leaves out the fact that these U.S. troops were dispatched to train the Ugandan military to capture Kony.

But, the Ugandan military itself has a complicated history with human rights abuses.

According to Amnesty International’s annual report last year on Uganda, the “torture and ill-treatment by the police, other law-enforcement officials and the military [remains] widespread.” This entire backstory, of course, is tidied up in the 30-minute video.

The Ugandan government has never initiated any legitimate investigations into their

military’s human rights violations and, in all likelihood, never intends to. While Invisible Children condemn the Ugandan government’s actions, they also acknowledge on their website that “the only feasible and proper way to stop Kony and protect the civilians he targets is to coordinate efforts with regional governments.”

The organization is more concerned with simply returning the children to their homes than finding and assessing one of the roots of the problem; the Ugandan government’s apathy.

Moreover, the video has depicted the conflict as mainly manifesting in Uganda. However, according to Matthew Green, the author of “The Wizard of the Nile—The Hunt for Africa’s Most Wanted,” Kony was pushed out of Uganda in 2006 and fled to Sudan.

For the last six years, the LRA has spread and continues to terrorize remote regions of Sudan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Central African Republic, whereas the threat to Uganda has mostly subsided. While troops have been dispatched to Uganda to support and advise the Ugandan military in capturing Kony, it’s a known fact that Kony has not been back to the country for the last six years. Understandably, there have been no new developments in Uganda since the troop deployment.

The Invisible Children organization itself has undergone intense scrutiny since their video went viral last week. While the organization says on its website that none of the money donated to the cause goes directly to the Ugandan government, the very nature of the organiza-

tion’s programs still ensures that the its money will go toward supporting the regional army and the various militias who are suspected of consistent human rights abuses. Though Invisible Children allows public access to its financial information, one look at the expenditures indicates that only 37 percent of the proceeds go towards its Central African Programs. The rest of the 63 percent is spent on awareness products (clothing, bracelets, DVDs, etc.), fundraising and creating films like “Kony 2012.”

I’m not diminishing the crimes that Kony has committed. Nor am I unnecessarily finding reasons to downplay the magnitude of this problem. Logically, the filmmaker could not include every facet of the issue to show a comprehensive picture of the conflict. But if Invisible Children has “manipulated facts for strategic purposes,” as the Council on Foreign Affairs believes they have, then it’s questionable what millions of misinformed viewers can be expected to do.

The tangible message behind the video and program is truly admirable, but misleading entire populations will garner support for but fail to save these children. However, as an Internet fad, the video has piqued general interest about the LRA and Kony.

The video may even compel some individuals to dig deeper into the conflict and investigate what Invisible Children has omitted. It has also raised awareness about the inherent fallibility of believing everything you read—or watch— on the Internet.

THE JUSTICE

TENNIS: Teams succeed in the season opener CONTINUED FROM 12 three points besides Broderick.

Broderick lost the first set 6-4, but was able to notch the second set with a score of 7-5.

The tiebreaker was close, but Middlebury junior Leah Kepping squeezed out a 10-8 win to defeat Broderick and clinch a 9-0 victory.

The men’s tennis team started off strong on Friday as well, taking two of their three doubles matches against the Violets.

Ezra Bernstein ’11 MA ’12 and Dave Yovanoff ’13 lost 8-6 at No. 1, but No. 2 and No. 3 took full advantage, winning 8-2 and 8-3 in their matchups respectively.

In singles competition, No. 1 Ste-

●

TUESDAY, March 13, 2012

9

LEADER OF THE PACK

ven Milo ’13 cruised to a 6-1, 6-3 victory. The Judges, with victory at their fingertips, lost a key opportunity to clinch the match as Michael Secular ’15 lost 6-3, 6-3 at No. 6.

However, Bernstein clinched the match with a 7-5, 6-2 win at No. 5.

Yovanoff won a marathon match at No. 3 with a 7-6 (7-4), 7-5 victory.

The team did not fare nearly as well against Middlebury. Milo, however, took the match in straight sets.

Alec Siegel '14 lost the tiebreaker in the No. 4 matchup, falling 3-6, 6-1, 7-5. No other singles player managed more than four games.

Both teams next play at home against Bentley College on Wed., March 21.

BRIEF

Manning is forced to look for a new team after being released

As Peyton Manning rose to the podium along with Indianapolis Colts’ owner Jim Irsay to address the press last week, the reporters gathered in Lucas Oil Stadium could hardly believe their eyes.

Since being drafted in 1998, Indianapolis and Peyton have been a match made in heaven.

Instead, the next three sentences came straight out of a scene from the Twilight Zone.

The meeting was held to announce the unexpected. Manning’s voice quivered as he addressed the audience and tears soon began to roll down his cheeks.

“I have been a Colt for almost all of my adult life,” he said. “But I guess in life, and in sports, nothing lasts forever.

Times change, circumstances change and that is the reality of playing in the NFL.” Irsay, in that fateful moment, altered the course of modern-day football. The Indianapolis Colts released their quarterback and long-time franchise icon, rather than pay him a franchise-crippling $28 million bonus. Money speaks volumes.

On Twitter, tennis player Andy Roddick tweeted the following: “The Colts cutting Peyton feels like the North Pole kicking out Santa.”

Yes, it is that shocking of a development.

However, the practice of legends switching teams at the end of their careers is not unheard of. Bobby Orr, the historic Boston Bruins defenseman, played out the remainder of his career with the Chicago Blackhawks.

“Broadway” Joe Namath, who led the New York Jets to a Super Bowl III Championship, ended his legacy with the Los Angeles Rams. Emmitt Smith, a Dallas Cowboys football icon and the all-time NFL rushing leader, earned his last yards on the gridiron, not in Cowboys blue, but in Arizona Cardinals red.

Manning was drafted with the No. 1 selection in 1998, a season after the Colts fielded a 3-13 record. The star soon reversed Indianapolis’ fortunes, starting at quarterback and leading the team to a 13-3 record in his first season. From there, it was seemingly evident that it was Peyton’s destiny to play out his days in Indiana. After placing the city on his shoulders en route to a Super Bowl championship in 2006, Peyton solidified his place

among the Colts’ elite. However, as all stars do, Manning ran into his roadblocks. Countless playoff losses. Disappointment.

It all culminated in the most imposing hurdle of them all.

Manning missed the entire 2011 season after having three neck surgeries in 19 months. Without him, a bedrock of stability, the Colts floundered with a 2-14 record.

Manning has been a Colt for his entire career. The process of free agency, so familiar to many of today’s NFL greats, represents uncharted waters for Manning.

"I have no idea who wants me, what team wants me, how this process works," he commented.

"I do not know if it is like college recruiting where you go take visits. I mean, this is all so new to me."

It was not supposed to be this way for the Indianapolis golden boy. Rather than subjecting himself to the dirty process of free agency, he was supposed to finish his career out with the hometown franchise that jumpstarted his career.

Now that Manning is on the market, there is no question that he represents one of the most coveted free-agents in the game’s history. Forget the injury risk; he is Peyton Manning. That same Manning is a Super Bowl MVP, an 11-time Pro Bowler and has thrown for nearly 55,000 yards. According to ESPN, the four-time NFL MVP was contacted by at least 12 different teams, including the Seattle Seahawks, Arizona Cardinals, New York Jets and Denver Broncos.

Last Friday, Manning flew to Denver to kick off his recruitment tour. The Broncos present an interesting possibility, but in a city consumed by Tebowmania, can Manning deal with the competition for the limelight?

He also flew to Arizona to meet with Cardinal representatives, an intriguing fate that the Cardinals are well-versed in. Arizona made a similar move in 2005, taking a huge gamble on injury-riddled quaterback Kurt Warner.

The risk paid off handsomely.

Can the Cardinals management repeat the magic?

These questions persist and will continue to do so in the days to come. One thing is for certain though: he will be an immense addition to whichever team chooses to sign him.

— Jacob Lurie

NATHANIEL FREEDMAN/Justice File Photo

All-American Chris Brown ’12 (left) became the first Brandeis runner to earn All-American honors since 2005, setting a Grinnell College record in the preliminaries, then notching a thirdplace finish with 4:11.24 in the one-mile run at the Division III Championships, p. 12.

FENCING: Squads perform impressively at Regionals CONTINUED FROM 12 ninth place. However, he squeaked into his spot at NCAAs, finishing in the finals with a 3-7 record.

He finished one place ahead of fellow foilist Noah Berman ’15 who showed great promise after cruising through the first round with a 4-1 mark.

Berman could not clinch the seed for NCAAs, however, falling in the finals with a 2-8 record.

His poor performance in the final round ultimately led to an 11th -place finish, just missing the necessary seed to qualify for NCAAs. In the men’s épée, Michael Zook ’13 performed admirably in place of Alex Powell ’12.

Zook had a performance for the Brandeis history books, jumping from a 33rd seed before Sunday’s competition to an impressive 10th

-place finish after the final rounds.

Zook started out in the first round among the bottom 10 seeds with a 3-1 record, but tied 3-3 in the second and third round, advancing to 11th place before final play.

Zook went 4-7 in the final round but still notched notable wins over three Ivy League competitors, from Harvard University, Yale University and Columbia University, advancing to 10th place overall.

Despite his impressive results at the Northeast Regionals, Zook’s regular season results prevented him from qualifying for the NCAA competition.

Kaufer was especially impressed with Zook’s persistence and level of play in his rise to the 10th seed.

"Michael Zook fenced way above his projected round, making it all the way to the final round," he said.

However, other fencers on both

squads turned in performances not to be overlooked.

Leah Mack ’14 tied for 17th place in the women’s épée competition, while Vikki Nunley also earned a 17th place finish in the women’s foil event. Adam Mandel ’15 finished 18th in the men’s saber division.

Sabreist Ben Schmidt ’14 admired the team’s performance, stating that it was a great season for both squads.

“It was a good season and we came together as a team,” he said.

Messinger and Cardillo will travel to San Antonio to compete in the NCAA Fencing Championships from March 23 to 26. The fields for the NCAA Division III championship will be announced at some point later today.

— Editor's Note: Julian Cardillo '14 is a Justice Sports staff writer.

Follow us: @thejustice

Check out the Justice on Facebook: facebook.com/thejusticeonline

THE JUSTICE

jUDGES BY THE NUMBERS TEAM STATS

Points Per Game

Not including Monday’s games UAA Conference

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

Overall W L Pct. 20 7 .741 21 6 .778 19 6 .760 17 8 .680 14 11 .560 13 12 .520 9 16 .360 10 15 .400

EDITOR’S NOTE: The men’s basketball team ended regular season action with a Feb. 25 loss to NYU.

TUESDAY, MARCH 13, 2012

11

INTRAMURAL SPORTS

Men’s BASKETBALL UAA STANDINGS

●

Vytas Kriskus ’12 leads scorers with 13.0 points per game.

Player PPG Vytas Kriskus 13.0 Youri Dascy 10.7 Ben Bartoldus 10.7 Derek Retos 10.2

Athletes fill up Gosman for IM basketball finals

Rebounds Per Game Youri Dascy ’14 leads the team with 6.8 rebounds per game.

Player RPG Youri Dascy 6.8 Vytas Kriskus 6.0 Alex Schmidt 3.0 Ben Bartoldus 3.0

WOMen’s basketball UAA STANDINGS

TEAM STATS

Not including Monday’s games UAA Conference

W L W Chicago 14 0 27 WashU 10 4 21 Emory 9 5 18 Rochester 8 6 19 Case 8 6 15 Carnegie 3 11 9 NYU 2 12 8 JUDGES 2 12 9

Points Per Game

Overall L Pct. 0 .1000 6 .778 7 .720 6 .760 10 .600 16 .360 12 .400 16 .360

EDITOR’S NOTE: The women’s basketball team concluded the regular season with a win over NYU on Feb. 25.

Morgan Kendrew ’12 leads the team with 12.0 points per game.

Player PPG Morgan Kendrew 12.0 Diana Cincotta 8.2 Hannah Cain 6.4 Shannon Hassan 5.0

Rebounds Per Game Samantha Anderson ’13 leads with 5.8 rebounds per game.

Player RPG Samantha Anderson 5.8 Hannah Cain 5.4 Erika Higginbottom 4.0 Kelly Ethier 3.6

FENCING Overall Results from the fencing squads this season.

TOP PERFORMERS (Men’s)

TOP PERFORMERS (Women’s)

SABER Adam Mandel

RECORD 52-14

SABER Zoe Messinger

RECORD 52-36

ÉPÉE Alex Powell

RECORD 46-29

ÉPÉE Leah Mack

RECORD 52-39

RECORD 52-20

FOIL Vikki Nunley

RECORD 43-16

FOIL Julian Cardillo

JENNY CHENG/the Justice

UPCOMING MEET: Julian Cardillo ’14 and Zoe Messinger ’13 travel to the NCAA Championships in San Antonio on March 27, 2012.

PRESSURE SHOT: A Brandeis student on Team Madness gets ready for the free throw in last Tuesday’s intramural final.

■ No. 5 Team Madness and

No. 1 Shot Callers notched the intramural basketball championships last week.

By BECCA ELWIN

TRACK AND FIELD

JUSTICE STAFF WRITER

Results from the ECAC Championships at NYU last Saturday.

NOTABLE FINISHES (Men’s)

NOTABLE FINISHES (Women’s)

60-METER DASH TIME Vincent Asante 7.01 3000-METER RUN TIME Edward Colvin 8:36.39 HIGH JUMP DISTANCE Jeffrey Maser 1.87 meters

1000-METER DASH TIME Victoria Sanford 3:4.53 3000-METER RUN TIME Kate Warwick 9:57.86 HIGH JUMP DISTANCE Lily Parenteau 1.54 meters

EDITOR’S NOTE: The indoor track and field season concluded with the performances of Chris Brown ’12 and Kate Warwick ’12 at the NCAA Championship.

As the intramural basketball championship games came to a close, shouts of “T-shirt time!” erupted from the stands on the basketball courts of the Red Auerbach Arena. Taking a cue from MTV’s “Jersey Shore,” these Brandeis athletes showed their pride in not only the intramural championship, but the coveted T-shirts that come with it.

The first match of the evening took place in the men’s division, as two underdogs battled each other for the championship. No. 5-ranked Team Madness routed No. 6 ranked Noontime Basketball (NBA) by a score of 42-26, largely through great team chemistry and persistence

throughout the championship.

Aided by 13 points from Dave Aquilino ’12 and 10 points from captain Warren Hazel ’13, Team Madness dominated the game, coasting to victory over NBA. Tobi Taniguchi ’12 led the defense for Team Madness, notching three steals in the win. Edward Carmona ’15 scored 12 points for NBA, which was not enough to best well-rounded performances. This marked the squad’s third title in four years.

Bruce Baptista ’12 took great pride in his team’s effort and emphasized that the squad is here to stay in intramural basketball.

“Team Madness is a dynasty,” he said. “We knew we were going to win this, and Team Madness will keep winning.”

Amid the elation and screams that echoed off the walls of the gym, that passion was evident enough.

The top-ranked Shot Callers gave the men’s league a run for their money though, winning the women’s championship in the next

hour. Dominique Chen ’12 led the undefeated Shot Callers to victory with 16 points, while Amber Strodthoff ’11 MA’12 contributed 10 points in a 49-26 victory over No.2 ranked Fresh Killaz.

While Fresh Killaz’ Emily Belowich ’15 put up 10 points, the Shot Callers nullifed her effort with determination on the boards and efficient shooting. The Shot Callers took an early lead in the game and never looked back on their way to the win.

Hannah Kirsch ’12 was very nostalgic about the win, stating it was a great experience.

“I’m really going to miss playing,” she said. “I wish we played as many games as the boys, and I’m just sad that it’s over.”

After the end of the basketball season, intertube water polo and indoor soccer are both already underway. Brandeis students will next have a chance to compete in intramural softball at the end of March.

boston bruins beat Bruins continue their offensive struggles at TD Garden, splitting their matches to cause concern The Boston Bruins finally had the momentum. After notching their first two-game winning streak since Jan. 12 last Thursday, Boston hoped to finally get its season back on track. Instead, their problems continued, falling 4-3 to the Washington Capitals last Saturday.

The Capitals looked right at home early in the game, scoring twice in the first 10 minutes. Left wing Alexander Semin notched the Capitals’ first goal, while fellow winger Matt Hendricks netted another just 25 seconds later.

However, the Bruins did not leave the period empty-handed. With just six seconds left, left wing Milan Lucic grabbed the puck from the face-off and snuck a goal through the five-hole of Washington goalie Tomas Vokoun.

The Bruins roared right out of the gates in the second period, attacking the Capitals’ defense. The effort paid

off, as left wing Brad Marchand passed the Capitals’ defense to tie the game.

Just as Boston looked like it was back in the driver’s seat, Washington center Jay Beagle broke the tie, banging a shot past goalie Tim Thomas.

Washington then scored on a power play goal from center Brooks Laich.

Once again, Boston was lost after coughing up the lead. During the third period, the Bruins lost their rhythm.

“When we were down a few goals, we were flat for a little bit,” said Thomas.

The crowd grew increasingly impatient with the Bruins’ lack of effort in this game. Defenseman Johnny Boychuk, however, gave the fans something to cheer about. After receiving a deflected puck, he slapped it by Vokoun to cut the Capitals’ lead to one with just over three minutes remaining.

“We played really well at the end of

the game,” said Marchand, who contributed a goal and an assist to Saturday’s contest.

The energized Bruins could not repeat the magic, however, as they could not tie the game.

“We did some good things out there and we got to keep it going tomorrow,” said Boychuk.

Last Thursday, it was a very different story in Boston, even though it did not seem that way in the beginning of the match.

Despite having little possession to open the game, the Sabres struck first at three minutes, 21 seconds through right wing Jason Pominville. With the strike, Pominville notched his 25th goal of the season.

While Thomas poorly handled the first shot, he salvaged his miscue with a point-blank save to slam the door on

what could have been a 2-0 deficit.

Right wing Tyler Seguin then bolted down to the other end, firing a shot directly at Sabres goalie Jhonas Enroth.

Defenseman Dennis Seidenberg then beat the Buffalo goalie with a laser from the blue line, only to see his powerful effort carom off of the post.

The Bruins would eventually find the equalizer with just 1:51 left in the period. Right wing Shawn Thornton fired a blast from across the rink. Even though it looked like an easy save for Enroth, center Greg Campbell tipped the puck at the vital moment, directing it past Enroth to light the lamp and tie the game.

The Bruins had many excellent scoring opportunities before they finally broke down the wall with 7:04 to go in the game. After a few initial shots were blocked, Boychuk slammed

a “Johnny Rocket” from the right side that blew right by Enroth.

Sabres center Cody Hodgson almost notched the equalizer just one minute later, but the Bruins eventually were able to clear a puck that hung around the crease for quite some time.

With 4:06 left, Seguin made a nice break down the left side. Drawing the attention of the Buffalo defenders, the 20-year-old fed center David Krejcí on the opposing flank, who slotted the puck past Enroth. The Bruins then held on to win the game.

After a 5-2 defeat against the Pittsburgh Penguins last Sunday, the Bruins will look to right the ship on their Florida road trip, starting with a game against the Tampa Bay Lightning tonight at 7:30 p.m.

— Louis Berger and Henry Loughlin

just

Sports

INTRAMURAL ACTION Gossman heats up as men’s and women’s teams compete in this year's intramural basketball finals, p. 11.

Page 12

Tuesday, March 13, 2012

FENCING

SMASH HIT

Judges send 3 fencers to final rounds

Waltham, Mass.

BRIEF Runners excel at the national championship for Division III

■ Julian Cardillo ’14 and Zoe Messinger ’13 are headed to the NCAA Championships in San Antonio after impressive performances at BC.

By MADELEINE STIX JUSTICE STAFF WRITER

As the fencing teams prepared for their regional championship last Sunday against Boston College, they encountered some unexpected news: Senior captain Alex Powell ’12 would not be able to compete due to illness.

While the setback may have derailed most other squads, the Judges pushed through the Northeast Regionals at BC, carrying two of their players to the 2012 NCAA National Collegiate Fencing Championships.

Julian Cardillo ’14 will be making his second trip to compete in men’s foil, while Zoe Messinger ’13 will duel in the women’s saber division for the first time in the championships. Épéeist Harry Kaufer ’13 was very impressed with the squad's performance in spite of Powell’s absence.

“The team very much missed Alex [Powell], who was hospitalized with pneumonia,” he said.

“So the day did not start off on a good note, but we powered through."

Heading into the tournament as the 20th seed, Messinger advanced significantly in this weekend’s regional competition, improving to an 11th place ranking, indicating great progress from her 17th place finish at Regionals last year.

Messinger went 4-2 in her first round at the championships, advancing to the 16th spot. In the second round, she tied 3-3, which pushed out two other competitors who went .500, placing her in the 12th spot in the final pool.

Displaying the perseverance and consistency that has been evident all season, Messinger defeated two competitors from St. John's College and BC to advance to 11th overall, one of two at-large considerations from the Northeast region.

At Nationals last year, Cardillo finished 17th in foil. This weekend, he finished 10th at the NCAA Regionals.

Ranked at 17th going into the competition, he closed out 3-3 in the first round, managing to qualify for the last available spot of the second round.

With a 4-2 record, Cardillo moved onto the final round in

See FENCING, 9 ☛

JOSHUA LINTON/the Justice

ACES HIGH: Nina Levine '12 smacks a ball toward the net for the point in a home match against Simmons College last fall.

Squads pass their road tests in conference play ■ The women’s and men’s

tennis teams each split their matches at their season openers at the Middlebury Invitational last weekend.

By JACOB MOSKOWITZ JUSTICE STAFF WRITER

The No. 26-ranked women’s tennis team started right where it left off after an undefeated road trip in California during the week of Feb. 25, routing New York University in an 8-1 victory last Friday at the Middlebury Invitational. However, the women’s magic came to a halt against No. 10 Middlebury College last Saturday, falling 9-0 to end their six-match winning streak.

The men’s team, trying to rebound from a disappointing 1-3 mark in California, tested its luck on NYU. The squad rediscovered its chemistry, defeating the Violets 6-3 last Friday. However, the men fell to No. 7 ranked Middlebury 8-1.

The women continued to roll upon

their arrival in Vermont. The Judges had an easy time in their first two doubles matches against NYU, winning 8-3 and 8-1, respectively. Alexa Katz ’14 and Nina Levine ’12 pulled out a tight 9-7 victory.

In singles matches, Faith Broderick ’13 won at No. 2 without losing a game. Allyson Bernstein ’14 clinched the match at No. 3 with a 6-0, 6-3 victory. Jill Martin ’15 picked up a 6-0, 6-1 win at No. 6 in her first college game.

No. 1 Carley Cooke ’15 won her sixth match in a row, this time against NYU 6-3, 6-4. No. 4 Simone Vandroff ’15 rounded out the victories against the Violets with a 6-2, 6-4 win. Marissa Lazar ’14 performed admirably, but handed NYU their only point with a 6-3, 6-1 loss.

Bernstein stated that the victory was a great confidence-builder for the squad and puts them in great shape for seeding in future events.

“Hopefully we will continue to have wins more like that of the NYU match,” she said.

“The Wellesley Invitational and [University Athletic Association tournament] put us against some

highly ranked teams. We’re excited to work hard in the coming weeks in order to prepare for some tough matches.”

The match against Middlebury, however, proved to be a different story. In doubles competition, the Judges got off to a rough start, 8-5, 8-2. They almost managed to notch the No. 3 match but could not close it out, falling 8-6 in a tight affair.

Bernstein also mentioned that Middlebury is an excellent team, but the loss should affirm that the team needs to improve in capitalizing on opportunities.

“Middlebury is a really strong team and played well on Saturday,” she said. “We had some opportunities in both doubles and singles but were not quite able to execute them.”

“Until Middlebury, the women’s team was undefeated and the Middlebury match showed each of us something we need to work on,” Bernstein said.

The Judges fared even worse in singles play. Cooke’s winning streak screeched to a halt at six games, while no player managed more than

See TENNIS, 9 ☛

Kate Warwick ’12 and Chris Brown ’12 have earned their fair share of accomplishments in their four years on the indoor track and field squad. Their performances at last weekend’s National Collegiate Athletic Association Division III Indoor Track and Field Championships at Grinnell College may have marked their greatest achievements of all.

Brown earned his first career All-American honor, finishing third in the one-mile run. On the women’s side, Warwick finished 12th in the 5,000-meter run. Brown’s performance was the endproduct of a rigorous indoor season, in which he held the second-fastest one-mile time in Division III for much of the season. This top time resulted in a No. 3 seeding.

Last Friday, he notched the record in the preliminary event, finishing in four minutes, 12 seconds, a Grinnell facility record. In the finals last Saturday, Brown was caught in the middle of the pack for much of the race.

In the final quarter-mile, he surged ahead and bolted toward the finish line. However, he placed in third with 4:11.24.

Coach John Evans was very impressed with Brown’s finish, citing his notable improvement.

"I'm really proud of [Brown's] performance," said Evans. "He tooka big step this season by finish[ing] third in his first national track championship is a great achievement."

With his third-place finish, Brown notched the first All-America performance by a Brandeis runner at the NCAA championships since 2005. His time also earned the team six points, placing Brandeis in a six-way tie for 27th place out of a total of 60 schools. The Judges placed eighth among New England schools and second in the field of University Athletic Association teams, only behind Washington University in St. Louis.

Heading into her event, Warwick was also seeded third after a string of notable regular-season performances. For the first 2,000 meters of the race, she disappeared in a large herd of runners.

Soon after that moment, a few runners broke out of the pack, ultimately emerging as the top set of runners in the race. Warwick laid at the front of the second group of runners on the track. Eventually, the leaders broke away from the second pack, and Warwick ultimately finished with a time of 17:53.35, about 35 seconds away from placing in the top eight. She was also only mere seconds away from notching AllAmerican status.

The indoor track and field season concluded with this week’s national tournament, but both track teams will return to competition during the spring outdoor season.

— Jacob Elder

just

March 13th, 2012

ARTS ‘Bash’ actors liven up a no-frills stage p. 16

Photos: Asher Krell/the Justice. Design: Asher Krell and Josh Horowitz/the Justice.

14

TUESDAY, march 13, 2012 ● THE JUSTICE

POP CULTURE

INSIDE ON CAMPUS

15-17

■ Poet Kimiko Hahn

15

■ Shimon Attie talk

15

Award-winning writer Hahn impressed JustArts with her use of unique subject matter and her way with words.

Film installation artist Shimon Attie came to Brandeis last Tuesday and spoke about some of his latest pieces.

■ FreePlay’s ‘Bash’

16

A small cast performed the dark three-act play ‘Bash: Latter-Day Plays’ last weekend.

■ MusicUnitesUs Raga concert 16 Three performers brought the South Asian musical tradition to the Slosberg Recital Hall.

■ Brandeis vs. Berklee vs. Harvard poetry slam

17

■ Gabe Goodman profile

17

OFF CAMPUS

19

■ ‘Kevin’ review

19

■ ‘Casa de mi Padre’

19

VOCAL competed against two local colleges in a battle of words and wit.

JustArts interviewed first year student Gabe Goodman ’15, a professional actor who also writes and performs his own music.

‘We Need to Talk About Kevin” examines the nature vs. nurture debate from the perspective of a mother forced to deal with her destructive son.

Will Ferrell stars in this Spanish language telenovela-style comedy.

CALENDAR

Interview

Brandeis Cares returns for 2012 performance

by Shelly Shore

This week, Star Magazine boasted an exclusive about controversial maybe-couple Rihanna and Chris Brown. Apparently, they’re getting married. “They will get married very soon,” said an insider. “He proposed in November, but she said she wasn’t ready,” another source adds. “But she finally accepted his proposal in late February. She’s not wearing a ring until they can announce it at an engagement party, but Rihanna’s already telling her family she’s engaged.”

No official reps from Brown or Rihanna have confirmed the story—in fact, there has been no confirmation that the two are even together (by all reports, Brown is still dating his girlfriend of several months, model Karrueche Tran). Rumors about the two have been swirling since they collaborated on a song together less than three years after Brown violently attacked Rihanna the night of the Grammy Awards, where both artists were scheduled to perform.

Rihanna’s apparent reconciliation with her abuser has raised some major concerns about the “responsibilities” of a celebrity role model and the glorification of domestic abusers. Following the Grammy Award ceremony in February, where Brown performed and won an award, the Huffington Post rounded up a series of Tweets featuring young girls reporting that Chris Brown could “beat me any time.” The article expressed concern about what kind of message those tweets—and The Recording Academy itself—sent to young girls, asking, “Where have we gone wrong as a society when girls think it’s OK to be hit if the guy is hot?”

The Grammys aren’t the only target of concern: Rihanna herself has come under fire for letting Brown back into her life. Several blogs have criticized Rihanna for setting a “bad example” for other people in abusive relationships by going back to her abuser, as well as for sending the wrong message to abusers that violence will be forgiven and therefore does not need to stop.

Fans of Brown have argued that he has been

 JustArts sat down with Ellyn Getz ’13, the organizer of this year’s Brandeis Cares, Broadway revue and gala function that raises money for AIDS patients and research.

EVA RINALDI/Flickr Creative Commons

HOLY MATRIMONY?!: Rihanna and Brown may be getting back together, or even tying the knot.

rehabilitated and that he should not be punished forever, but those arguments have been countered by those who cite Brown’s tantrum on “Good Morning America” last year. Brown’s critics also point out that there are a great number of talented artists without domestic abuse records who could have been tapped to perform at the award show.

It might be unfair to say that celebrities have a responsibility to set good examples for the people who look up to them—especially considering that I would be out of a job if they made good decisions all the time. That being said, Rihanna does have a responsibility to herself to keep her body safe from harm. Maybe Chris Brown really has changed, but if he has not, I hope Rihanna realizes it before the events of 2009 happen again.

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

ON-CAMPUS EVENTS

Grimms’ fairy tales 200th anniversary

In an entire day celebration dedicated to the 200th anniversary of the publication of the Brothers Grimm’s fairy tale collection, guest speakers Maria Tatar of Harvard University and Donald Haase of Wayne State University will be speaking on the ways in which new adaptations of the collection deal with gender, sexuality and power. Prof. Olga Broumas (ENG) will also be speaking on the panel.

Today from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. in the Rapaporte Treasure Hall.

‘Fuddy Meers’

Brandeis Ensemble Theatre presents the comedy Fuddy Meers, a show in which an amnesiac wakes up every day without a memory of the day before. Her husband and son must remind her of the facts of her life each morning. When Claire is abducted by a mysterious man, the truth and Claire’s interprations of it are blurred.

Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m. in the Shapiro Campus Center theater.

Brandeis Cares

Tympanium Euphorium has put together another Broadway revue for the enjoyment of the community in order to raise money for Broadway Cares, which supports AIDS research. See interview column at right for our conversation with organizer Ellyn Getz ’13.

Thursday at 7 p.m. in the Sherman Function Hall. Tickets are $3 in advance and $5 at the door.

SKIN Fashion Show

One of the biggest events of Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, SKIN shows off sartorial designs by Asian and AsianAmerican designers. The show features both traditional and cutting-edge pieces, many of which are available for purchase online or from local retailers.

Friday from 7 to 9 p.m. in the Levin Ballroom.

Ariella Stein ’13 junior recital

Junior soprano Ariella Stein will be giving a voice recital. Stein will perform 19 songs by a variety of classical composers, including Han, Beethoven, Schubert, and Glinka.

Friday at 8 p.m. in the Slosberg Recital Hall.

Relay for Life

The American Cancer Society Relay For Life at Brandeis is back this year after the success of last year’s event.

The fundraiser is an all-night camp out in the Gosman Sports and Convocation Center, where teams will walk the track in order to raise money and bring awareness to the horrible effects of cancer on our community and the world.

Saturday at 5 p.m. until Sunday at 5 a.m. at the Gosman Sports and Convocation Center.

Visit www.relayforlife.com/brandeisuniversity to register.

JANEY ZITOMER/Justice File Photo

FASHION FORWARD: Last year’s SKIN fashion show emcee and official coordinator Nancy Nguyen ’13 introduced the three visiting Asian designers whose clothing graced the runway.

Talujon Percussion Ensemble

The Brandeis Arts Council and the Music department present a performance by the Talujon Percussion Ensemble in which the group will play works by Brandeis graduate composers.

Saturday at 8 p.m. in the Slosberg Recital Hall.

is most famous for the lyrics “Figaro, Figaro, Figaro,” referring to the barber himself. It was one of the first operas to be performed in America, and first premiered in New York City in 1825. The opera is sung in Italian with projected English translations.

Running through March 18 at the Boston Lyric Opera, 265 Tremont St., Boston.

Ben Gold ’13 junior recital

Kathy Griffin standup comedy

The recital will include pieces by Leonard Bernstein, Mel Brooks, Noël Coward, George and Ira Gershwin, and Cole Porter.

Sunday at 7 p.m. in the Slosberg Recital Hall.

OFF-CAMPUS EVENTS Chieftains concert

Lead singer Paddy Moloney and his band, the Chieftains, are credited with popularizing traditional Irish music.

Tomorrow at 8 p.m. at Symphony Hall, 301 Massachusetts Ave., Boston. Ticket prices vary.

‘Bakersfield Mist’

This new play premiering in Watertown, Mass. follows the tale of Maude Gutman, a trailer park resident who buys an ugly thrift store painting as a gag gift, only to discover it may be a long-lost work by Jackson Pollock.

Based on a true story, the play centers around the conflict between Maude and a shifty art dealer, Lionel Percy.

Running through March 18 at the New Repertory Theatre, 321 Arsenal St., Watertown, Mass. Tickets start at $35.

‘The Barber of Seville’

This comedic opera by Gioachino Rossini

Notable celebrity comedian and actress Kathy Griffin is famous for her witty attacks on pop culture news-makers. Griffin, whose new talk show, Kathy, premiers in April, has also guest starred on multiple popular television shows including Glee and Law and Order.

March 22 through 24 at the Wilbur Theatre, located at 246 Tremont St., Boston. Tickets cost $50 to $75.

‘Next to Normal’

This three-time Tony-winning rock musical takes a dark look at bipolar disorder, depression and mental illness. Next to Normal is also one of only eight plays to win a Pulitzer Prize for drama, which it received in 2009.

Running through April 9 at the SpeakEasy Stage Company, located at 527 Tremont Street, Boston.

WGBH studio tours

WGBH, one of Boston’s premier radio stations, is giving free tours of its facilities.

Learn about digital media broadcasting and see where some of your favorite disc jockeys and television personalities spend their time.

Every Wednesday and first and third Saturday of the month at 2 p.m. at WGBH Studios, 1 Guest St., Boston.

Ellyn Getz ’13, vice president of musical theater club Tympanium Euphorium, is the organizer for Brandeis Cares, a charitable event that is being co-sponsored this year by the Brandeis Pluralism Alliance. The evening will consist of musical numbers, improvisational acts, a raffle and a silent auction. Held in Sherman Function Hall, threequarter seating will allow for an intimate experience. Read on to find out more about the cause and the exciting acts to come.

JustArts: How did Brandeis Cares get started?

Ellyn Getz: I know it’s a very new program. … It’s only been around for four or five years at Brandeis. Broadway Cares, however, has been around for a long time and they have an educational outreach initiative to try to get college campuses, middle schools [and] high schools involved with holding these benefit concerts or gala functions at the schools and Brandeis has taken it under its wing and feels that in true form with the idea of social justice and with the idea of how important it is to have a community-building event, this is definitely one of those uniting events.

JA: Why are you so passionate about this event?

EG: I’m obsessed with Broadway and I would love to go into the Broadway world, whether it’s having the honor of performing, whether it’s working for a theater company within Broadway.

I’ve always been obsessed by Broadway. So when I found out about this Broadway revue, it was very similar to cabarets that I helped put together in high school, and so my freshman year ... I did “Cell Block Tango,” and seeing my friend Julie Stein ’11 who put it together two years ago do it, I was thinking, “Oh my gosh, this is something I really want to do, too.” ... [Later] we did Rent here and I played Mimi. And I’m a method actress, which means that when I pick up a role I really research different things that they go through. …

And Mimi dealt with AIDS. So don’t worry, I did not pick up any virus, but I did a lot of research and spoke with people who have personally been affected by it and I learned that there are people in our community whose parents passed away from AIDS and who have had to deal with it and so … the more research I did, the more passionate I became about the cause.

JA: Can you talk a bit more about Broadway Cares?

EG: The organization itself really helps to spread awareness, obviously …. and to raise money to find medications, but what’s interesting about it too is that a lot of money that’s raised also goes to specific people that are dealing with AIDS to help with the hospital bills, … and a lot of actors on Broadway are affected by the virus so it’s definitely very … involved with the Broadway world.

JA: How does Brandeis Cares raise money?

EG: It is through ticket sales. Our admission is $3 in advance and $5 at the door. But we also have a silent auction and a raffle so all that money goes directly to Broadway Cares. We have a lot of really fun silent auction items, Broadway items; …

Culinary Arts club, Relay for Life … they’re all providing baskets to support the cause. We have Alumni Relations that’s putting together a basket of some fun Brandeis paraphernalia. We also have for the raffle … four Fresh City [restaurant] gift certificates … and we have a bunch of other fun gift certificates, signed posters. … You can buy raffle tickets when we’re tabling in Usdan 11 to 2 Monday through Thursday, but you can also buy them [the night of the show]. I do plan to continue raising money and speaking to clubs who are putting on shows in the Undergraduate Theater Collective.

JA: What are some of the acts that people can look forward to?

EG: As a whole, all of the acts are really cool especially because we didn’t want to do just singing acts. We have a bunch of different improvisational actors performing, we have Top Score performing. ... We have a cappella groups performing. I wanted to switch it up and include people that might not be as experienced in theater here at Brandeis and give people an opportunity to perform, so I think one of those numbers … is In the Heights and that’s a medley … I know Usman [Hameedi ’12] from [the Brandeis Open Mic Series] slam poetry has one of the roles and Kaos Kids are performing as the back-up dancers. Just seeing it as a collaboration and seeing it come together has been so exciting. And [to see] people who are in totally different circles bond over this act in particular has been really inspirational. I know that I personally have made so many new friends just by working on this number because I’m also involved. “Time Warp” [from Rocky Horror Picture Show] is going to be performed. We have the many of the Rent cast coming back to perform “Seasons of Love” and Top Score is playing some awesome medleys.

—Emily Salloway

THE JUSTICE

●

TUESDAY, MARCH 13, 2012

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ON CAMPUS POETRY IN BLOOM

ART

Installations move viewers ■ Israeli-American

installation artist Shimon Attie came to campus to discuss his work in a talk titled “Art and Memory: Moving Images.”

By MARA SASSOON JUSTICE STAFF WRITER

JENNY CHENG/the Justice

BIOLOGY MAJOR: Hahn found inspiration in The New York Times’ science section.

Poet explores Earth’s oddities

■ Kimiko Hahn’s latest poetry

compilation, ‘Toxic Flora,’ combines her interests in nature and human behavior.

By VIET TRAN JUSTICE STAFF WRITER

Thursday evening, the Pearlman Lounge held an intimate gathering of poetry lovers, both young and old, waiting to hear Kimiko Hahn.

Hahn is a lauded poet who is a winner of, among many other awards, the American Book Award, the Guggenheim Fellowship and two fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts. Throughout the evening, she alternated between reading from her latest poetry volume, Toxic Flora, and digressing on her inspirations, experiences and love for words.

Most of the poems in Toxic Flora were inspired by the science section of The New York Times. Hahn told the audience, “I have always loved research material, or what I like to call ‘outside material.’ … I love feeling inspired by things outside my immediate surroundings.

I love how language can trigger personal stuff and also light up the imagination.”

Taking her over 10 years to complete, the collection contained a mix of lyric poems and her version of a Japanese form called the zuihitsu. “I like to compare [the zuihitsu] to a fungus,” Hahn explained, “because a fungus is not plant or animal, it’s a species unto itself, and the zuihitsu is not poetry or prose. It’s zuihitsu.” She went on to describe that it sometimes takes the form of a list or a diary, but always has “a very strong subjective voice and a feeling of spontaneity.”

Throughout her poems, Hahn shows a keen yet observational distance in an attempt to see the whole picture. She does not use flowery language or romanticize a scene to create an effect; her concision speaks louder than any effect could. The free verse poems often explain a scientific phenomenon and proceed to reveal a human depth by insightfully connecting science to growing up, family or life in general.

Toxic Flora is divided into several themes: plants, insects, birds, astronomy, marine, sexual canni-

balism and dreams. Whether the subject is about the division of species due to plate tectonics, the deception of living things in order to survive or even sexual cannibalism, she brings a fresh perspective.

The ends of each poem during the reading inspired a diverse array of audience reactions. Sometimes the audience was silent, just digesting a thought or an insight into something. Other times they laughed in delight at Hahn’s wit, which was the case with “The dream of knife, fork and spoon,” in which a humiliating nightmare causes the speaker to forget how to properly arrange a table for a party. Sometimes her poems exhibited a more sinister humor. In “On Butterflies,” an entomologist on Maui studies a rare butterfly that eats other animals, such as snails. Hahn compares the rare behavior to an escalating series of belligerent acts, such as “a mother who rips open her own infant/to release the demon inside./This hunger is less rare/than a butterfly with sharp teeth./My mother is from Maui.”

Regardless of her approach, Hahn’s reading clearly displayed her love for words, which drives her curiosity. “So this is what happens, I’ll be reading an article, and I think, ‘That’s my way in,’” Hahn said. “I look for words that kind of are a portal … into the material personally. … That’s where I try and enter in.”

For example, “frequency” to Hahn is a word portal. In “Ode to 52 Hz,” she describes a lonely whale, of an unknown species, that moans at a deep 52 hertz frequency.

Its only listener, a scientist named Mary Ann Daher, has died. “So who will listen to 52 hertz?” Hahn asks in her poem.

She depicts the whale as having our own desires and longings, and ties together the scientific “frequency” of a pitch and our own projections that we “frequently” long for.

Such mastery with words requires a standard that Hahn upholds for herself. She said, “For me, whatever the person is writing about, if they don’t hit a nerve, then I’m not interested, no matter how wonderful the idea is, … because at the end of the day, if it doesn’t hit a nerve for me, then why should I expect you to be interested either?”

Internationally renowned artist Shimon Attie visited campus on Tuesday and spoke to the Brandeis community about his multimedia and installation work as part of his talk “Art and Memory: Moving Images.” The Fine Arts department presented the talk, which was held at The Edie and Lew Wasserman Cinematheque, with the support of both the Film, Television, and Interactive Media program and the Schusterman Center for Israel Studies.

Attie, who was born in California, described himself as having “a very strong Jewish cultural identity.” He lived in Israel while in his teens, an experience he describes as a “very formative” time in his life. This connection to his Jewish cultural roots has influenced some of his art, although it is certainly not the only thematic interest present. Attie said that he is naturally very interested in memory as well as the concept of in-between spaces, a category he believes memory falls into. In college, Attie studied photography and installation art, or site-specific three-dimensional works, and has often combined the two disciplines in the pieces he has created over the years.

The work that Attie showed that evening strongly highlighted the convergence of art and modern technology. The ways Attie addressed the subjects of his installations are as varied as the cities in which he made them—Copenhagen, Rome, Oslo and New York, in addition to others. “I am an installation artist,” Attie explained to the audience. “What I mean is that I’m very physical—that drives a lot of my work.”

Attie first showed photographs of a site-specific installation he did in Berlin around 1992. For this work, titled “The Writing on the Wall,” he projected pre-Holocaust images of buildings in Berlin’s former Jewish quarter onto their original locations.

Attie gave each slide projection a detached, clinical-sounding name, such as “Slide Projection of Former Jewish Café with Patrons,” underscoring the sense of melancholy the picture evokes.

He said that he pored through archives and old city maps to try to pinpoint where these photographs

ISAAC STEINBERG/the Justice

MELANCHOLY: Attie described his photographs, which aim to capture raw emotion. were taken, adding that otherwise it was “a very low-level production,” and that it was “fast, nimble guerilla art.”

Along with showing the photographs, he told stories of the reactions of the people who lived in the buildings. He recalled an especially poignant moment when an elderly woman poked her head out of a window of the building he was projecting upon and told him in German that he needed to move the image more to the right, uttering the words “I remember.” There were others, however, who responded more defensively to his actions.

One man who felt Attie was placing blame on the residents told him, “My father bought this building fair and square.”

The prolific Attie showed a great range of works at the talk. One of the most moving pieces he presented that evening was 2006’s “The Attraction of Onlookers: Aberfan—An Anatomy of a Welsh Village.” Attie traveled to the small mining village of Aberfan in Wales, where in 1966 tragedy struck when a man-made mound of coal avalanched and buried the village’s school. Many lost their lives in the disaster.

Representatives from the BBC had asked him to create a piece for the 40th anniversary of the catastrophe, and Attie was admittedly hesitant to accept this request, wondering why he was chosen and not a Welsh artist. Yet he soon realized that he was selected precisely because he wasn’t Welsh, saying that his “healthy distance” from the incident was actually a necessary factor in creating the work.

“The Attraction of Onlookers,” as he has been doing in many of his

recent pieces, “focus[es] more on the moving image.” Attie, though, promised the villagers that he would not use any archival footage of that day in the five-channel video installation he ended up creating.

He showed the audience portions of the work, which involved actual residents of the village in frozen poses, rotating and filmed from various angles, all against a stark black background. He had various reasons for creating this format— at once, he wanted to show how part of the trauma of this incident involves the village being “forever fixed in the world’s gaze,” as well as the effect this trauma has on each citizen.

The piece shows the responses of people, “freezing in reaction but never completely freezing.” Attie ran with the idea that the village has its iconic members, filming the villagers acting out their respective roles but stressing that “these are not actors, these are villagers.” Examples of some of the “characters” Attie included in the work were the mayor, the immigrant shopkeeper, the hardcore singer, the boxer and the dancer.

Attie emphasized that these “Welsh tropes are not contaminated by the disaster.” The piece ended with an entire family frozen in their positions, an emphasis put on the young daughter when the camera she’s holding suddenly flashes, creating a play on the idea of who is looking at whom.

Attie told the audience at the conclusion of the talk that, as for the sentiment that has often influenced his art, “The chasm between what I felt and what I could not see was what [has] inspired it.”

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TUESDAY, MARCH 13, 2012

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THE JUSTICE

MUSIC

Raga links Indian and Afghan traditions ■ With its sequence of songs,

the trio of raga musicians entertained and moved the audience at Slosberg.

By AZIZ SOHAIL JUSTICE CONTRIBUTING WRITER

On Saturday, MusicUnitesUS brought together “three distinguished artists whose repertoire, instruments and individual musical journeys reflect the global reach of raga music in the 21st century,” according to the evening’s program. Eminent ethnomusicologist and Dartmouth University professor Theodore Levin, who gave the pre-concert talk, said it was a particularly special concert because raga, one of the melodic modes in Indian classical music, usually features a single soloist. However, Saturday’s program was based on a duo—internationally renowned Humayun Sakhi on the rubab (a lute-like musical instrument) and Switzerland-based Ken Zuckerman on the sarod (a stringed musical instrument)—in a tradition that is called jugalbandi (intertwined twins). Both soloists were accompanied by the equally apt Salar Nader on the tabla (a pair of drums). Sakhi’s performance style, according to the concert program, “has been shaped not only by traditional Afghan and Indian music, but by his lively interest in contemporary music from around the world.”

According to it’s website, the mission of MusicUnitesUS—a Brandeisbased Boston-wide program—is to “further the understanding and appreciation of diverse cultures through music, a common medium that can help to unite diverse cultures in our own neighborhoods and transcend boundaries in the global community.”

This mission is achieved through a three-tiered approach consisting of an intercultural residency series, a public school education program and a world music concert series. The weeklong residency and programming, which take place once a semester, culminates in a concert at the Slosberg Music Center.

At the pre-concert talk, Levin spoke at length about the roots of raga in the North Indian Mughal court from the dynasty that ruled India from the

early 16th to the middle of the 19th century, before British colonization. The vast cultural outreach and patronage of the Mughal court brought together musicians of different traditions. Artists from Persian, Afghani, Indian and Central Asian traditions converged to make North India a cultural hub. According to Levin, unfortunately, there are no recordings of such collaborations, so it is only through events, such as last night’s concert, that an individual can experience what might have been the magic of such patronage.

The first raga, called “Chandranandan,” featured Zuckerman on the sarod and Nader on the tabla. The beginning was slow, as Zuckerman tuned the sarod. The instrument, it seemed, navigated itself through the new space, creating a musical connection with the listener.

I sat in the front, on the floor, expecting to be bored. However, the rhythm of the sarod suddenly picked up to a more upbeat tempo which increased the anticipation in the room.

The tabla then entered the raga, keeping time and responding to the sarod.

Happiness, sadness, melancholy; the sarod evoked all these emotions, as if searching for its long-lost partner back from the days of the Mughal court. The beats picked up, then slowed and then picked up again. The tak, tak, dum, dum of the tabla, kept in sync with the sarod’s 16 beats, and the musicians connected eyes as the melody went faster and faster until they abruptly came to a finish. The audience drew in a collective breath and cheered with thunderous applause.

The second raga, called “Bayag,” featuring Sakhi on the rubab and Nader on the tabla, went through a similar journey. While Sakhi is internationally renowned for his musical prowess, Nader was also exceptional.

He expertly connected the beats of the tabla to the stringed instruments, keeping time and responding to each beat in perfect sync and harmony. At many points, the speed of the music caused his hands to become a blur, but impressively, there were no mistakes and the musical journey was perfect.

The final raga of the evening, “ ,” featuring both soloists on stage, was undoubtedly the climax of the evening. According to Levin, this was the second time that these two

ANNA YATSKAR/the Justice

SOULFUL SAROD: Sakhi played on the sarod in the final ‘raga’ of last weekend’s performance in the Slosberg Recital Hall. musicians, connected through their instruments and traditions, had performed together. Previously, they had recently performed at the Asia Society in New York and had just met each other in California not long ago. However, he indicated that due to the nature of the two instruments and their musical prowess, it seemed that it was an instant connection. He stated that that they would engage in what is called a “highly constrained improvisation,” something rooted in the classical Indian music tradition. According to the program, “This challenges musicians to extemporize and melodic lines constrained by the choice, sequence and relative emphasis of pitches and intervals.” Before the third raga even started, I heard an attendee, Hyder Kazmi ’12, say, “I don’t think I can take this, this is too good.”

Then, suddenly, we heard the tuning of the instruments and began our final journey. The sarod started, with melancholic tones, and the rubab responded. Quickly, the beats picked up and it seemed as if the two traditions were teasing each other playfully, happy to find each other. The tabla kept time and responded expertly to both instruments at once. The musical conversation seemed to span centuries of times, bringing back collective memories of mischief, sadness, separation and union. The beats went faster and faster and the audience seemed to wait with baited breath, keeping time. Then, suddenly, it was over.

As the sold-out house erupted in applause and called for an encore, the musicians bowed, their faces showcasing their delight and honor at bringing their artistic traditions to Waltham. So great was the reaction of

the audience, that the musicians entertained us with an additional song.

I left the hall, feeling as if in one night Pakistan, India and Afghanistan had come together, as if we were back in the Mughal Court, as if Brandeis was that cultural hub. One of the concert’s organizers, Prof. Judith Eissenberg (MUS), remarked that, “it seemed the musicians were received like rock stars. … It was thrilling, a new happening, and the melding of classical tradition with roots in ancient times with contemporary cutting-edge music.’’

The organizers truly achieved the mission of MusicUnitesUS, not only bringing together the diverse Brandeis and Boston communities, but also combining the now separated peoples of many lands and taking us all on a journey through time back into the Mughal court.

theater

Actors’ skills overcome show’s physical flaws ■ ‘Bash: Latter-Day Plays’

was well cast, but the choice of venue proved to be an obstacle for the performance.

By emily salloway JUSTICE editor

FreePlay Theater Cooperative understands the way space can impact a performance. In past years, they have put on shows in all kinds of atypical theater venues, from an auditorium in Schwartz to the black box Merrick Theater in the Spingold Theater Center. Their choices have always been successful, adding a new dimension to the way the audience experiences the show. This is why it was surprising that director Amanda Stern ’15 chose the Reading Room in the Mandel Center for the Humanities as the location for her production of Bash: Latter-Day Plays this past weekend.

Nestled on the third floor of the building, the almost wedge-shaped room held an audience of about thirty people. However, the seating, arranged in neat rows of five, was not conducive to viewing. During the course of the play, people were leaning left and right to try to see over the tops of heads in vain. Fortunately for those in the back, there wasn’t much to see.

Lighting for the play consisted only of a lamp that was turned on and off at the click of a switch. Actors entered and exited the room through the main door, just missing collisions with the nearest audience members before and after each of the three scenes.

Despite logistical issues, however, the reading room created an appropriately intimate backdrop for Free-

Play’s rendition of the three one-act plays written by Neil LaBute that make up Bash. Citing LaBute as one of her favorite playwrights in the program notes, Stern explained that the play “caused LaBute to be disfellowshipped from the Church [of Latter-Day Saints]” for the views it expresses about Mormonism. As a result, he wrote a second edit of his play. Although she chose the original, more controversial version of the play for the FreePlay performance, Stern noted that, in her opinion, “the characters and their stories … in the play are not defined by their Mormonism.”

The first act, loosely based on the post-Homeric Greek myth of Iphigenia, is so titled, “iphigenia in orem.”

Julian Seltzer ’15 played a young man in a Vegas hotel room who killed his baby daughter years earlier in order to gain sympathy from his employer after a co-worker implied he was going to be fired. Seltzer’s performance had moments of believability, but his style overall might have held stronger on a real stage where it would be less important to maintain a sense of secrecy between audience and performer. His character was the definition of an unreliable narrator, and a scattering of unnatural pauses in his lengthy monologue made it somewhat difficult to follow the already confusing story line.

Corrie Legge ’14 and Ben Gold ’13 played two Boston College students reflecting on a weekend trip to New York in the second act, “a gaggle of saints.”

Because of the production’s lack of changeable lighting, it was hard to determine whether the characters were supposed to be telling their versions of the story in the same room or not.

Each actor sat basically frozen while

the other spoke, but Legge seemed out of character when it was not her turn to say a line. Luckily, Gold drew all eyes to him with his outstanding portrayal of the homophobic John who, unbeknownst to his girlfriend, spent a portion of their trip brutally beating a gay man whom he tricked into a sexual encounter in a men’s bathroom. Gold’s conversational manner contrasted poignantly with his boisterous re-enactment of the restroom violence, illustrating a powerful and horrifying scene with just his speech.

Legge, while she played John’s girlfriend Sue with a sense of confidence, was overshadowed by Gold’s full commitment to his role.

Throughout the third act, “medea redux,” Nicole Carlson ’14 sat alone at a table, smoking a cigarette, talking into a tape recorder while answering a questionnaire of some sort. Although performed in the same bare-bones setting as the other two scenes, this act was the least confusing. It was also the most engaging, thanks to Carlson’s total transformation into her character, a woman who after being involved in a sexual relationship with her junior high school teacher at age 13 became pregnant with his child and later murdered her son to hurt the father. The monologue demonstrated Carlson’s range as an actress; even her eyes did not betray her established character.

Although FreePlay Theater Cooperative is known for its use of space on campus, Bash presages that a stronger reputation for the club is about to emerge. With the high level of skill of its actors and strong choice of subject matter, FreePlay should focus on those strengths rather than trying to pick a non-stage location that might unhinge their efforts.

ASHER KRELL/the Justice

BEST FOR LAST: Nicole Carlson’s ’14 portrayal of Woman ended ‘Bash’ on a high note.

THE JUSTICE

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TUESDAY, march 13, 2012

17

poetry

VOCAL weaponizes words in contest ■ Brandeis’ slam team won

against Berklee College of Music and Harvard University at a competition last week.

By ariel kay JUSTICE editor

Hoots, stomps and applause fill the air, causing the poet to smirk slightly before continuing with his piece. He fills the room with his words, emotiondrenched and powerful. His volume dips from barely above a whisper to a booming echo.

This is Brandeis Open Mic’s most recent slam, Brandeis vs. Berklee vs.

Harvard. The event took place on Tuesday night in the Shapiro Student Center Multipurpose Room. Teams of four poets from each university showed off their slam writing and performance skills, competing in four rounds. It was the Brandeis team, VOCAL, that claimed the top spot, beating out Berklee by just six-tenths of a point. Though the competition was fierce, the poets were immensely appreciative of each other, cheering loudly when a verse hit home regardless of which team the speaker was on.

Before the slam began, Brandeis team member Rawda Aljawhary ’13 led a brief workshop for performers and audience members. She asked participants to imagine a moment that they wished to write about and to examine it “from every possible angle,” so that they could find a more creative way to incorporate the memory into a poem.

Aljawhary said that she uses this technique herself when writing. After several minutes, many poets shared the short pieces or snippets of verse they had come up with.

As the workshop ended, more and more audience members filed into the space, until the Multipurpose Room held close to 50 people. Audience members and competitors were invited to perform at the open mic that drew in the audience before the official competition. This is when the atmosphere of the slam poetry competition really began to wash over the room.

The poems performed at the open mic, as well as those performed in the actual competition, covered a whole range of topics, from the irreverent—

ANNA YATSKAR/the Justice

SPEAK OUT: Malika Imhotep’s ’15 spoken word piece about black men’s efforts to make an impression on their peers was a hit. afternoon sexual escapades, poetry itself—to the disturbing—domestic violence and racism. No matter the subject, however, the audience always had something to say. Although I’ve watched plenty of slam poetry online or as part of a larger performance, I wasn’t prepared for the audience response.

Grunts of approval, foot stomping, cries of “aww, yeah” and “go, poet” provided a backdrop to the poem itself, connecting the audience to the performer in a way I had never experienced before. I even heard a girl shout, “That was so motherf---ing good” after one poem left the crowd almost speechless. Cheers of approval quickly followed.

After the open mic, three judges were chosen from the audience. Attempts were made to find unbiased viewers, though it was difficult considering nearly all of the audience members were from Brandeis. The host of the slam and former VOCAL cap-

tain, Brandeis alumnus Jason Henry Simon-Bierenbaum ’11 explained the slam rules, which are standard for all competitions, both on the collegiate and professional levels. Judges give a score from zero to 10 based on how well the poet did, both in writing and performing their work. There are four rounds, during which one poet from each school performs, for a total of 12 performances. Each poet is given no more than three minutes for each poem. No props, costumes or music can be used, though dance, body movement and beat boxing are allowed.

As an introduction to the official competition, Brandeis poet Kat Flaherty ’15, the “sacrificial poet” of the night, performed her poem, “Breasts” about when she had thought she might have breast cancer, to give the judges an example on which to base their scores. Then the poets got down to business.

Poets Jessica Hood ’15, Malika Imhotep ’15, Emily Duggan ’15, and Usman

Hameedi ’12 were the four Brandeis poets. In the first round, Hood gave a personal account of her relationship with food, considering what she termed her “inheritance”: the diabetes that plagues many members of her family. Hood’s descriptions of Southern home cooking were mouth-watering, but quickly turned sour when the audience realized that these foods were poison to a diabetic.

Imhotep had a different style than Hood, speaking faster and pronouncing her words less clearly for effect, more akin to a rap than a poem. She spoke about how black men had to change the way they acted to fit into broader society, acting tough and disrespectfully to impress their peers and to make an impression. Imhotep is a small person, standing only a few inches over five feet. Her voice, however, was loud and sure, expressing the anger she clearly felt. Imhotep performed wearing a tight beanie over her head, as though to contain the thoughts that

instead exploded from her mouth.

Duggan, who opened the third round of poetry, also had a style uniquely her own. She did not employ the traditional slam techniques of spacing her words to give emphasis to certain phrases. She did not alter her tempo or volume to highlight different verses.

Instead, she performed her poem about death and separation much more like a traditional poetry reading, showcasing the many stylistic variations poets use when performing their work.

These changing techniques are what makes slam poetry a great art form, according to slam poet and author of Words In Your Face: A Guided Tour Through Twenty Years of the New York City Poetry Slam, Cristin O'Keefe Aptowicz. In an interview with the Best American Poet blog, Aptowicz commented, “Poets … always worry that something—a style, a project, a poet— will become so dominant that it will kill the scene, but it never does. Ranting hipsters, freestyle rappers, bohemian drifters, proto-comedians, mystical shamans and gothy punks have all had their time at the top of the slam food chain, but in the end, something different always comes along and challenges the poets to try something new.”

Aptowicz’ words were proven true at the Brandeis vs. Berklee vs. Harvard event. Hameedi, the VOCAL captain and the last Brandeis performer, is known on campus for his mastery of fast-paced word-play and his politically charged pieces, and Tuesday night’s poem was no exception. Hameedi performed “To Every TSA Agent That Gets A Little Antsy When Someone Obviously Muslim Tries to Board an Airplane,” a poem in which he lambasted Transportation Security Administration agents, the American government and regular citizens for discriminating against Muslims and people presumed to be of Middle Eastern descent. Hameedi referred to himself as a “proud Pakistani-American.” The poem itself went through all 26 letters of the alphabet, making 26 alliterative verses before Hameedi wrapped it all up with righteous indignation.

As Brandeis claimed victory at the end of the evening, the audience buzzed with energy as they left the room. The cadences of slam poems echoed in my mind for the rest of the night.

MUSIC

Gabe Goodman makes his mark on music scene ■ JustArts interviewed Gabe

Goodman ’15 about his life as a professional actor and an up-and-coming musician.

By LYDIA EMMANOUILIDOU JUSTICE CONTRIBUTING WRITER

When he was a baby, Gabe Goodman’s crying could only be silenced by the sound of his father playing the guitar. When his father would stop playing, Goodman—who is now a mid-year in the Class of 2015—would resume crying and screaming. “The legend goes that, when I was four, my parents got me my own guitar to shut me up permanently,” joked Goodman. But buying him a guitar encouraged just the opposite. Immediately after receiving the gift, Gabe started playing constantly, and by the age of five had already started writing his own music.

Goodman has also had the opportunity to share his music outside his circle of family and friends. In 1998, he played the music he wrote on Kids Say the Darndest Things, a ’90s CBS comedy series hosted by Bill Cosby. According to Goodman, the songs he performed on the show were “Not very good ... obviously.”

Throughout his life, Goodman’s parents were more than supportive of his artistic endeavors. Aside from encouraging him to pursue music, they recognized his talent in acting and took him to auditions as frequently as they could. By the time he was seven, Goodman—who was living in Canton, Mass. at the time— had been involved in numerous plays in Boston and Providence, R.I. Goodman continued acting through middle school and high school and

did not limit himself to school productions. During his sophomore year of high school, he performed in the play Spring Awakening by Frank Wedekind on Boston’s Zeitgeist stage. For this performance, Goodman was nominated for a “Best Performance by Child Actor” award by the Independent Reviewers of New England.

During his junior year of high school, Goodman performed in the exotic thriller The Overwhelming at the Boston Center for the Arts. Written by J.T. Rogers, this play centers around a white, American family who moves to Rwanda during the Rwandan genocide. Performing in this play was a particularly unique experience for Goodman: Although he anticipated that his parents would be part of the audience during his performances, Goodman was not accustomed to his parents seeing him in more mature-content productions. “On stage, I had to receive fellatio from a Rwandan prostitute.

She didn’t actually do anything to me. It was simulated, but it was still pretty awkward when my mom came to see me,” Goodman recalls.

Spring Awakening and The Overwhelming are the latest theatrical productions Goodman has been involved in as an actor. Although he has been acting for most of his life, Goodman has decided to take a break during college. He comments that he has not felt the urge to become involved in theater at Brandeis because he is “a little tired of theater.” Goodman still continues to explore his talent in music.

Goodman is only 18 years old but has already produced two fulllength albums—Conundrummer (January 2010) and Friendly Fires (May 2011)—and one EP, Midnight

PHOTO COURTESY OF GABE GOODMAN

A RISING STAR: First-year Gabe Goodman writes music, sings and plays the guitar.

Sour (January 2012). He is hoping to release another album by the end of 2012. When I asked him how involved he is in creating each album, he responded, “I write. I produce. I play guitar. I play bass, and keyboard a little bit. I sing.” In fact, all of Goodman’s releases have been original pieces, written and produced almost entirely by Goodman himself. Goodman’s progress over the years is astounding. He embarked upon his musical excursion with a small acoustic guitar, composing simple, amateur tunes for his friends and family; Today he writes, engineers and produces his releases almost entirely by himself, using advanced music-production computer

programs like Logic Pro. Attempting to reduce Goodman’s music to one genre would be unfeasible, considering the wide assortment of artists who inspire him and influence his music. He cited influences as diverse as Bon Iver, Dirty Projectors, Flying Lotus, Jess Buckley, Elliot Smith and The Pixies.

Goodman draws inspiration from these artists and tries to produce something unique for each release.

“Whatever I’m into at the time, I will attack in my own way.” His debut album Conundrummer was almost entirely acoustic; Goodman commented that he tried to keep the editing to a minimum. He categorized his second release, Friendly

Fires, as pop-rock, and his latest EP release as all electronic.

Goodman’s music is available online. Although most fans choose to download his music for free, he has received money from generous fans who chose to buy his albums. He’s used that money to pay for costs involved in producing his music.

Before coming to Brandeis, Goodman spent at least an hour a day writing or producing music. He strives to remain devoted to his music here at Brandeis. He tries to play, write and record daily, but finds it difficult considering his other commitments and the lack of privacy that accompanies having a roommate.

Goodman does not have a manager; he is self-promoted and plays live shows “as often as I can get them.”

To book his shows, he typically emails venue managers or coordinates with friends who attend other colleges, who in turn help him book spaces at their respective schools.

This past Saturday he played at Yes Oui Si, “Boston’s multi-sensory exhibition space.” During April break he is hoping to go on a tour, playing at Princeton and the University of Vermont, as well as venues in New York and Boston. He is also hoping to book a show at Brandeis before the end of the semester.

Upon arriving, Goodman was unpleasantly surprised at how small the Brandeis music scene is and how “the taste of music seems to be geared towards something I’m not really into.” He hopes to become more involved in the music program and leave his mark.

Although he understands that it is difficult to “make it” in the music industry, Goodman is hoping to pursue music as a career in the future.

ATTENTION SENIORS: The 2012 Wabash National Study is here!

We need your help in shaping Brandeis’ future!

Seniors: sign up for surveys on your Brandeis experience. In exchange for your time, we are offering some amazing prizes.

Sign up for an early evening session at http://tinyurl.com/wabashsignup

More info can be found at

http://tinyurl.com/wabash2012

Everyone will receive a Lizzy’s gift card. Plus you have 40 chances to win a Premier Prize-from having coffee with President Lawrence to a $400 ‘Night on the Town’ gift card.

Jewish Egg Donor Needed: $8,000 compensation We are a Jewish couple who is trying to have a baby.

If you are a Jewish woman (with both parents Jewish) between 20-32 who is smart, college educated, healthy, please email A Jewish Blessing at Jewishbaby36@yahoo.com.

Your egg donation will remain anonymous.

We thank you from the bottom of our hearts.

THE JUSTICE

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TUESDAY, march 13, 2012

19

OFF CAMPUS FILM

CABALLERO

Experimental-style film pits mother against son ■ Tilda Swinton is fabulous in

‘We Need to Talk About Kevin,’ which questions who is to blame for a child’s actions.

By ARIEL KAY JUSTICE EDITOR

The characters in We Need to Talk About Kevin should have followed just that advice. Maybe then Kevin Khatchadourian (Ezra Miller) wouldn’t have gone and done … well, whatever terrible thing he did.

The film doesn’t exactly let the audience know until the very end. The question of whether Kevin could have been stopped illustrates the larger nature vs. nurture argument that is at the core of the film.

Director and screenwriter Lynne Ramsay, along with screenwriter Rory Kinnear, adapted We Need to Talk About Kevin from Lionel Shriver’s 2003 novel of the same name.

Ramsay is an experimental filmmaker. She has only directed two feature films previously—2002’s Morvern Callar and 1999’s Ratcatcher, both of which received some critical acclaim but didn’t make much of a stir, probably due to their odd subject material and unorthodox style.

We Need to Talk About Kevin follows a similar pattern but boasts one major difference: Tilda Swinton. Swinton is a beloved Scottish character actor who, despite her lack of name recognition and androgynous, alien-like features, continues to pop up in some of the most captivating films of the past two decades.

Swinton plays Eva Khatchadourian, Kevin’s beleaguered mother.

From infancy, she and her child never really bonded. As a baby, Kevin would cry constantly, and despite Eva’s efforts, only his father, Franklin (John C. Reilly), could soothe him. Kevin is filmed out of

sequence, showing three different times in the Khatchadourians’ lives. First is Eva and Franklin’s courtship up through Kevin’s childhood. The second takes place when Kevin is in high school. The third time frame is P.D., or Post-Disaster, of which Kevin was apparently the cause.

When I think back over the film, I mostly remember red. Kevin opens with a shot of Swinton and others bathing, dancing and convulsing in a thick red liquid. Is it blood?

Not literally. The liquid is tomato juice, and Swinton is at some sort of European tomato-flinging festival. Other red-tinted shots crop up continuously: rain beating against red stained glass; Eva standing in front of a display of red soup cans; both Eva and Kevin in red clothing (though neither Franklin nor the Khatchadourian’s younger child Celia (Ashley Gerasimovich) wear red); and in a pivotal scene in the high school’s gym, red floor and wall mats border the room like foreboding sentries.

All of this symbolism can get a bit heavy-handed. But it certainly gives the film a tone, which is necessary, as it doesn’t have a whole lot of plot.

Mostly we see scenes of depicting Eva and Kevin’s subtle struggle for dominance. In the beginning, Eva tried desperately to form a relationship with baby Kevin, who is uninterested. By the time Kevin turns six, Eva has begun to resent him, and when her son is a high school student, mother and son silently detest each other. Franklin is infuriatingly blind to the civil war going on in his family, though what little he does understand he blames on Eva. After all, Kevin is just a child. How could a child harbor malice toward his own mother, especially when Franklin and Kevin get on as well as any normal father and son?

The audience, however, sees Kevin acting out. Not in normal innocent ways, but in deeds meant to hurt his mother. He destroys her

artwork and intentionally refuses to use the toilet long after it’s become inappropriate to wear diapers, forcing Eva and Franklin to change his diapers through elementary school.

His character is irritating and a little scary. I just wanted to grab hold of Kevin and shake him. I wanted him to tell me why he was behaving this way. Of course, that’s exactly how I was supposed to feel. Because that’s how Eva feels all the time.

As Kevin edges toward adulthood, his actions get more sinister.

Franklin and Eva’s relationship also begins to fall apart as a rift named Kevin grows between them.

At one point, they discuss divorce, and Kevin overhears. Trying to reassure his son, Franklin explains, “It’s easy to misunderstand something when you hear it out of context.” Kevin icily responds, “Why would I not understand the context?

I am the context.”

Miller does a good job as Kevin, though ultimately this character is meant to remain enigmatic, and Miller’s dead eyes and sneering expression is as much as we’re ever going to know about what’s going on inside Kevin’s head. It is Swinton, on the other hand, who lets the viewers in on what it’s like to be Eva. The aggressive stares and overt whispers of her neighbors, her own mind’s betrayal, the grief at how her life has turned out: all of it plays across Swinton’s thin, pale face like a slap ricocheting across her fine features.

We’ve all heard about the early signs of psychosis: bed wetting, harming animals, anti-social behavior. Kevin has some, but not all of the symptoms. Could Eva and Franklin have known how far Kevin’s anger would take him? More importantly, did they create it? Kevin never gives a definitive answer, instead forcing the audience to question who really is the cause of Kevin’s behavior. Was he born that way? Or is Eva the real monster hiding in the closet?

PHOTO COURTESY OF OSCILLOSCOPE PICTURES

NATURE VS. NURTURE: Tilda Swinton plays a mother dealing with her son’s budding psychosis and increasingly violent actions.

PHOTO COURTESY OF LIONSGATE PICTURES

SAME JOKES, NEW LANGUAGE: Will Ferrell plays a beleaguered Mexican rancher.

Ferrell’s Spanish film is typical fare ■ Will Ferrell learned all of

his lines in Spanish for ‘Casa de mi Padre,’ which features brilliant Mexican actors.

By DIEGO MEDRANO JUSTICE STAFF WRITER

I wouldn’t blame anyone for being a bit wary of Casa de mi Padre, a movie entirely in Spanish that features Will Ferrell in a Mexican telenovelastyle comedy. Frankly, before viewing the film, the premise seems like a pretty decent idea for a Saturday Night Live sketch stretched too thin for a full-length film. In some ways, that’s a completely fair assessment, and in other ways, it doesn’t give the film enough credit.

Ferrell stars as Armando Alvarez, a rancher who has spent his life living and working on his father’s land. His father (the late Pedro Armendáriz, Jr.) has always considered Armando the black sheep of the family, and when the farm falls on hard times, Armando’s financially successful brother Raul (Diego Luna of Y Tu Mamá También) comes to help save the family farm. With him comes Sonia (Génesis Rodríguez), his fiancé who almost instantly develops a romantic interest in Armando.

As Armando finds that his brother’s success may not result from business savvy but instead from the drug trade, the family becomes wrapped up in a war with Mexico’s most feared drug-lord, Onza (Gael García Bernal).

Honestly, of all aspects of the film, the story is the most irrelevant. Just look at the rest of Ferrell’s classic roles: In Anchorman the story was a convenient way to let Ferrell act like he was in the 1970s and get other comedians around him. l pretty much ripped off Animal House in an attempt to let Ferrell act like a frat boy. Talladega Nights let him do his best racecar driver impersonation. Elf and Step Brothers, and even Semi-Pro and Blades of Glory (forgot about those, didn’t you?) follow a similar pattern. My point? If you like Will Ferrell, you don’t really care about what’s happening in the movie, you just love seeing him act goofy and having a good time in different situations. Following in those footsteps, Casa de mi Padre is a welcome addition to the Ferrell catalogue.

Casa de mi Padre may seem like a risky venture because the whole film is in Spanish, subtitles can be distracting, and many of the jokes revolve around a style of television

that people from the U.S. typically aren’t used to. However, the real risk is in limiting Ferrell. He clearly still drives the film, but you can almost see the deep concentration in his face as he delivers his lines, and I can’t imagine that he was able to ad-lib very well in Spanish. In an interview, Ferrell said that upon first readthrough of the script he wondered what he had gotten himself into.

Luckily, the supporting cast of mostly Mexican actors gets the joke and delivers absurdly dramatic overacting with ease. Farrell even applauded his fellow cast members, saying that their authenticity and background in Mexican television and movies allowed for him to easily immerse himself and feel more comfortable in the role. Just about every supporting cast member has a memorably funny moment, and this keeps the movie from getting too stale. Thanks to the efforts of a strong supporting cast, Ferrell isn’t forced to do too much and the way he plays off actors who are clearly fluent in Spanish becomes a joke in and of itself.

The cast isn’t the only source of humor. In Matt Piedmont’s directorial debut, he seems to be on the same page as Ferrell. The sets are hilariously fake and would fit right in with the corniest Mexican telenovelas.

The film randomly cuts and jumps at inopportune moments, furthering the low-production-quality aesthetic.

Just about every one of Ferrell’s costumes is laugh-out-loud funny. And the few musical numbers are good for a couple laughs before overstaying their welcome.

Admittedly, after 84 minutes the audience is ready for the movie to end. The schtick gets old at times and it’s not until other actors shoulder some of the comedic load that the same jokes and aesthetics become funny again. Ferrell delivering lines in Spanish with strained outlandishness and a mock-intense look is funny, but it works best when we’re least expecting it.

Grading a movie like Casa de mi Padre seems unfair. The jokes are easy, the characters are onedimensional parodies, and absurd sets aren’t enough to make a movie watchable. Yet the film doesn’t seem to have goals that are too lofty and as such, pleasantly surprises. By Ferrell’s own admission, he’d be happy with this film becoming a small cult hit. This is a comedic movie that is as fun to watch as it must have been to make. If you go into the movie not expecting too much, you might find yourself having a good time.

20

TUESday, March 13, 2012 ● THE JUSTICE

TOP of the

ARTS ON VIEW

TRIVIA TIME

CHARTS

1. In what year did the RMS Titanic sink, killing 1,517 people?

2. What is the largest country in South America?

3. In what year was the festival of Kwanzaa established?

4. Nellie Tayloe Ross was the first woman governor of what state?

5. Which Disney movie’s soundtrack features five Elvis Presley songs?

6. What was the name of the Green Hornet’s car?

7. What substance speeds the rate of a chemical reaction?

8. What is the meaning of the Latin word contra?

9. What is the name of Tom Petty’s backup band?

10. Which actress was briefly married to boxer Mike Tyson?

ANSWERS 1. 1912 2. Brazil 3. 1966 4. Wyoming 5. Lilo & Stitch 6. Black Beauty 7. A catalyst 8. Against 9. The Heartbreakers 10. Robin Givens

STRANGE BUT TRUE  It was noted American science fiction author Philip K. Dick who made the following sage observation: “Reality is that which, when you stop believing in it, doesn’t go away.”  The first chocolate factory in the United States was established before the states were even united. Back in 1765, two enterprising men named John Hanan and James Baker chose Dorchester, Mass. as the site for their factory, which they mechanized by using waterpower.  If you’re like the average American, you eat 23 quarts of ice cream every year.  You might be surprised to learn that the given name of iconic Apache leader Geronimo, Goyathlay, translates as “one who yawns.” And the very name Apache isn’t what the tribe originally called itself; it’s word from the Zuni Indian language, and it means “enemy.”  In a scant 100 years, from 1500 to 1600, the population of the city of London quadrupled.  Singer and songwriter Roger Miller, best known for his hit song “King of the Road,” developed an early passion for music, even though his family was poor.

When he was in grade school, he spent his weekends picking cotton so he could save up enough money to buy a guitar. After eighth grade, he quit school and went to work herding cattle and riding in rodeos.  The word “pudding” came into the English language from the German word puddek, which means “sausage.”

Top 10s for the week ending March 11 BOX OFFICE

1. Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax 2. Project X 3. Act of Valor 4. Safe House 5. Tyler Perry’s Good Deeds 6. Journey 2: The Mysterious Island 7. The Vow 8. This Means War 9. Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance 10. Wanderlust

NYT BESTSELLERS

Fiction 1. Lone Wolf — ­ Jodi Picoult 2. Victims — Jonathan Kellerman 3. Kill Shot — Vince Flynn 4. Celebrity in Death — J.D. Robb 5. Private Games — James Patterson and Mark Sullivan ASHER KRELL/The Justice

MIRROR, MIRROR: Several Brandeis graduates re-enacted their favorite backstage moments during a photo shoot for Associate Editor Asher Krell ’13 in the Spingold Theater Center dressing rooms.

ACROSS 1. Feds’ org.

4. Cheese in a mousetrap 8.­— mater 12. Romaine 13. Loosen 14. Shakespearean king 15. Kitchen strainer 17. Movie pal of Stitch 18. Charlie Brown is to “Good grief” as Cathy is to — 19. Defendant 21. Cold spell 24. Scuttle 25. Conclude 26. Carpet 28. Crystal-lined rock 32. ­— out (supplemented) 34. Do lawn work 36. Phony coin 37. Heat-resistant glass 39. Father 41. Ike’s command 42. Round Table address 44. Settles a debt 46. Genus sub-group 50. Chignon 51. Broad 52. Waste 56. Related 57. Rock band’s gear 58. Comic Philips 59. Require 60. Sommelier’s suggestion 61. Massage DOWN 1. Radio watchdog grp.

2. Greet the villain 3. Crusoe, e.g.

4. Sand trap 5. Moreover 6. Concept 7. Liberty’s prop 8. Refers (to) 9. Luau wreaths 10. Guy 11. Yankee nickname from 2004 16. Performance 20. Gear tooth 21. Cry

CROSSWORD

iTUNES

1. fun. feat. Janelle Monáe — “We are Young” 2. The Wanted — “Glad You Came” 3. Kelly Clarkson — “Stronger (What Doesn’t Kill You)” 4. Adele — “Set Fire to the Rain” 5. Gotye — “Somebody that I Used To Know” 6. Katy Perry — “Part of Me” 7. Flo Rida feat. Sia —“Wild Ones” 8. Carly Rae Jepsen — “Call Me Maybe” 9. Carrie Underwood — “Good Girl” 10. LMFAO — “Sexy and I Know It”

BILLBOARD

22. Black 23. Pirates’ potation 27. Deity 29. Ornamental dogbane 30. Responsibility 31. Hollywood clashers 33. Drop 35. Sherman called it “hell” 38. Noon, in a way 40. Adulterate 43. Cut smaller boards 45. Piece of wordplay 46. Graceful bird 47. Toll road, for short 48. Adams or Falco 49. 640 acres (Abbr.)

53. Bygone TV channel 54. Flightless bird 55. Plagiarize

1. Adele — 21 2. Whitney Houston — Whitney: the Greatest Hits 3. WZRD — WZRD 4. Various Artists — Now 41 5. Whitney Houston — The Bodyguard 6. Tyga — Careless World: Rise of the Last King 7. Adele — 19 8. Drake — Take Care 9. Rihanna — Talk That Talk 10. Whitney Houston — Whitney Houston Top of the Charts information provided by Fandango, the New York Times, Billboard. com and Apple.com.

Solution to last week’s crossword

King Crossword Copyright 2012 King Features Synd, Inc.

— John F. Kennedy

STAFF PLAYLIST

“Stressbuster”

By ADAM RABINOWITZ Justice sports EDITOR

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

STourists visiting Iceland should know that tipping at a restaurant is considered an insult.

Thought for the Day: “We are not afraid to entrust the American people with unpleasant facts, foreign ideas, alien philosophies and competitive values. For a nation that is afraid to let its people judge the truth and falsehood in an open market is a nation that is afraid of its people.”

Nonfiction 1. American Sniper: The Autobiography of the Most Lethal Sniper in U.S. Military History — Chris Kyle with Scott McEwen and Jim DeFelice 2. Killing Lincoln: The Shocking Assassination that Changed America Forever — Bill O’Reilly and Martin Dugard 3. Steve Jobs — ­ Walter Isaacson 4. The Power of Habit — ­ Charles Duhigg 5. Becoming China’s Bitch — Peter D. Kiernan

Solution to last week’s sudoku

Sudoku Copyright 2012 King Features Synd, Inc.

As midterms slowly consume my daily routine, it is always great to close the books, kick back for those elusive few minutes of free time and listen to some of my favorite songs.

THE LIST 1. “Echo” — Vertical Horizon Band 2. “Leave Out All The Rest” — Linkin Park 3. “Half of My Heart” — John Mayer 4. “This is Home” — Switchfoot 5. “You’re a God” — Vertical Horizon Band 6. “Not Meant to Be” — Theory of a Deadman 7. “Good Life” — Kanye West 8. “Sharp Knife” — Third Eye Blind 9. “Slide” — Goo Goo Dolls 10. “Lord Knows” — Drake