The Justice, March 5, 2013 issue

ARTS Page 19

SPORTS Runner qualifies for NCAAs 16

ROSE BLOOMS

FORUM America lacks social mobility 12 The Independent Student Newspaper

the

of

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

Justice

Volume LXV, Number 20

www.thejustice.org

Tuesday, March 5, 2013

admissions

Univ anticipates increasing cost by four percent

COMPARING AFFORDABILITY

Information from the new College Scorecard

How do the net prices of colleges stack up?

Net price per year is average cost of attendance minus average scholarships and grants $26,278 BRANDEIS $26,274 TUFTS $28,238 BENTLEY

WESLEYAN HARVARD $23,965 CLARK $21,854

$18,277

5K 10K 15K Average net price increase 1. BRANDEIS 6.1% 2 2. TUFTS 15.8% 3 4 6 3. BENTLEY 1 8.9% 4. WESLEYAN 7.4% 5. HARVARD -15.5% 6. CLARK 5 9.8%

■ The Board of Trustees will

vote on the finalized budget for fiscal year 2014 at its meeting later this month.

20K 25K 30K Median borrowing per month

By Tate herbert JUSTICE editor

Amid the process of finalizing next year’s budget and the release of a draft of the strategic plan, Senior Vice President for Students and Enrollment Andrew Flagel announced at a briefing Thursday that the University administration is anticipating a financial model that would raise the cost of attending Brandeis by about four percent for the second year in a row and maintain this annual increase for the next several years.

The Board of Trustees will vote on a budget for fiscal year 2014 at its March meeting.

For the average entering firstyear, the four percent increase

15% 10%

BRANDEIS $265 WESLEYAN $263

5% 0

TUFTS $213

HARVARD $89

-5% -10%

BENTLEY $255 = $100

-15%

CLARK $253

By sam mintz

House released an online tool to help college-aged students and their parents compare the affordability of colleges and universities.

JUSTICE editor

Earlier this month, the White House and the Department of Education released an online tool called the College Scorecard, which is designed help high school students and parents com-

Infographics by Nan Pang/the Justice

University Police received several reports of theft in the Goldfarb Library during the week of Feb. 11, including two laptops that were taken within an hour of each other on the same night.

The two formally reported incidents both occurred on the night of Tuesday, Feb. 12, in the Goldfarb library.

Both students had left their possessions unattended; one’s laptop was taken and the other’s backpack, with a laptop inside, was taken.

Director of Public Safety Edward Callahan wrote in an email to the Justice that nothing has been recovered yet and he did not name any suspects. University Police are still investigat-

pare colleges and universities by showing “where you can get the most bang for your educational buck,” according to President Barack Obama in his State of the Union address.

The idea of increasing the

See SCORECARD, 7 ☛

See INCREASE, 7 ☛

ing the thefts, and could not say whether they were related.

In cases of lost or stolen laptops, University Police work with Library and Technology Services to monitor University wireless networks for activity of the laptop in question, wrote Callahan in the email.

While there were only two reports of laptop thefts formally filed that week, both in the library, a student later alerted University Police that “several” other recent incidents of theft in the library had occurred, wrote Callahan.

Library and Technology administrators could not be reached for comment by press time.

—Tate Herbert

Producing the Boss

Head underwater

Lynch reappointed

The alumnus served many roles in the advancement of the career of Bruce Springsteen.

 Max Fabian ’15 took his talents from Connecticut College to Brandeis and made a big impact.

 Heller School Dean Lisa Lynch will stay in her position for five additional years.

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

model would bring the total cost of attendance, including tuition, fees, room and board, to nearly $59,000, up from about $56,500 last year.

While the sticker price is steep, said Flagel, “The reality is, the kind of education we’re providing ... is not possible to run as a less expensive institution unless there was a radical shift in other support.”

Flagel said that financial aid is expected to “rise very robustly along with this, as we did last year.”

However, it could be much higher or even lower, depending on the financial profile of the class that enrolls next year, said Flagel.

Last spring, tuition and fees were raised by 4.1 percent for returning undergraduates and 4.85 percent for new students.

In May of last year, the Boston Business Journal ranked Brandeis as the second most expensive college in Massachusetts. The Business Journal estimated that the

BRIEF Police investigating a string of laptop thefts in Goldfarb Library

Though flawed, Obama’s ‘Scorecard’ a useful tool ■ Last month, the White

Waltham, Mass.

Let your voice be heard!

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

INDEX

SPORTS 14 ARTS SPORTS

17 16

EDITORIAL FEATURES

10 8

OPINION POLICE LOG

10 2

News 3 COPYRIGHT 2013 FREE AT BRANDEIS. Email managing@thejustice.org for home delivery.

2

TUESDAY, mARCH 5, 2013

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THE JUSTICE

NEWS BRIEF

POLICE LOG

Obama appoints three cabinet members

Medical Emergency

WASHINGTON—President Barack Obama turned to experienced political hands Monday to fill his Cabinet, choosing a high-ranking official at the Environmental Protection Agency as the nation’s top clean air and water watchdog, and a veteran of the Clinton administration as his energy secretary.

Gina McCarthy, currently an assistant administrator in charge of air and radiation, would replace Lisa Jackson, the well-liked but controversial EPA leader in Obama’s first term.

Obama tapped Ernest Moniz, a physicist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, to replace Steven Chu at the Department of Energy. Both must be confirmed by the U.S. Senate.

Obama, who held his first Cabinet meeting of his second term Monday, also announced a new budget director: Sylvia Mathews Burwell.

He said his EPA and Energy Department picks will be charged with investing in American energy and creating jobs and economic opportunity, as well as “doing everything that we can to combat the threat of climate change.”

“They are going to be a great team,” Obama said.

“And these are some of my top priorities going forward.”

In his first term, the EPA implemented standards for mercury pollution, tightened rules on soot pollution and established tougher emissions standards for new power plants. It also set higher fuel-economy standards for automobiles, which the administration boasts will do more to reduce global greenhouse-gas emissions than any action taken by other nations.

McCarthy, who played a major role in developing the tougher fuel standards, earned praise from clean air advocates for her work on air pollution. She’s a former state environmental regulator who once worked for Obama’s 2012 opponent, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney.

Environmental groups praised McCarthy’s appointment. They wanted the EPA to be led by someone who would uphold the agency’s authority to regulate greenhouse gases under the Clean Air Act, and they got that with McCarthy, said Frances Beinecke, president of the Natural Resources Defense Council.

She “knows what it means to protect our air, water, land and health, and stand up to the growing threats we’re seeing from climate change,” Beinecke said.

But industry offered fainter praise, as did lawmakers from states where energy dominates the economy.

The president of the American Petroleum Institute, Jack Gerard, said in a statement that he was concerned about pending regulations that could raise the price of gasoline, rules for greenhouse gas emissions from refineries and new ozone standards.

“President Obama says his top priority is creating American jobs, and we will continue working with the EPA and the administration to help avoid jeopardizing that goal,” he said. “The problem is that EPA, in many cases, is not proposing regulations that meet this goal.”

It was no coincidence that Obama announced his top energy and environment picks the same day he announced a new director of the White House Office of Management and Budget.

Congress wasn’t able to pass cap-and-trade legislation in 2010 and is unlikely to take up a sweeping climate bill again.

So the challenging and politically fraught work of curtailing greenhouse gas emissions likely will continue within the executive branch, where the Office of Management and Budget will be a key part of the deliberations.

The administration is finalizing emission rules for new power plants. Its next fight could be writing rules that would target existing power plants, which will pose the political challenges of regional energy interests as well as pressure from big polluters and the influential energy sector.

Feb. 26—A female in the Gosman Sports and Convocation Center fainted while exercising.

University Police and BEMCo responded, and University Police transported the party to the Health Center for further care.

March 1—University Police received a call that a student in Cable cut his hand. BEMCo was notified and treated the party on-scene. University Police transported the party to the hospital for further care.

March 2—University Police in the area of Shapiro Residence Hall observed an intoxicated female and requested BEMCo to treat the party. She was transported to the Newton-Wellesley Hospital for further care.

March 2—A caller reported an intoxicated male party in the lounge in the Hassenfeld Conference Center. University Police and BEMCo responded, and BEMCo treated the party with a signed refusal for further care.

March 2—University Police

received a report of a student in Village C feeling dizzy.

BEMCo was dispatched, and an ambulance was requested to transport the party to the Newton-Wellesley Hospital. The community development coordinator was notified.

Drugs

Feb. 27—University Police received a report of residents in the Foster Mods smoking a class D substance. The community development coordinator was contacted, and University Police seized the contraband. University Judicial charges are to be filed by University Police. A report was compiled.

Disturbance

March 1—A party in the Foster Mods reported loud music coming from an unregistered Mod party.

University Police responded and dispersed the crowd, and University Judicial charges were filed on the disturbance.

Larceny

Feb. 28—A party in the Gosman Sports and Convocation Complex reported that an unknown party purchased items using her University credit card. A report was compiled, and an investigation will follow.

March 1—On Feb. 20, two wireless Internet access points were taken from the ceiling in the hallway near the men’s locker room in the Gosman Sports and Convocation Center. University Police compiled a report, and CCTV footage will be reviewed for possible suspect identification.

Miscellaneous

Feb. 25—University Police received a report of a past indecent assault from Feb. 16 to 17.

The victim is considering various options, and the case will remain open pending further information and investigation.

Feb. 28—A Brandeis housekeeping supervisor states that it appeared someone was using the Village B 130 common area as a

Senate discusses events

CORRECTIONS AND CLARIFICATIONS

n A photo caption in features misidentified Felice Oituski as ’15. Oituski is in the Class of 2016. (Feature, p. 9) n An article in Sports in March 2012 incorrectly stated that Liverpool Footabll Club won the FA Cup against Cardiff City Football Club in 2006. Liverpool actually won the FA Cup against West Ham United at the Millenium Stadium in Cardiff, England.

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

Justice

the

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

Editor News Forum Features Sports Arts Ads Photos Managing

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

—compiled by Marielle Temkin

SENATE LOG

—MCT

n An article in News was incorrect about the name and year of a student. The student is named Asher Preska Steinberg, not Asher Steinberg, and he is ’13 not ’14. (News, p. 5­)

living space. University Police and the community development coordinator responded, and the belongings were confiscated and brought to the police station.

Feb. 28—A community development coordinator received a report that a Brandeis student might have been letting a nonBrandeis affiliated family member live in his assigned room in the Charles River Apartments.

University Police and the CDC responded and spoke to the student.

The report appeared unfounded; no further action was taken.

March 2—A custodian in the Usdan Student Center notified University Police that a male party was sleeping on the couch on the second level of the building.

University Police identified the party as a former student. A trespass notice was issued to the party in hand that states he would be subject to arrest if he returns.

University Police escorted the party off of University property.

JOSH HOROWITZ/the Justice

A unique voice Ta-Nehisi Coates, a senior editor at The Atlantic, spoke on Feb. 12 at an event called “The Civil War and Emancipation in the Age of Obama.” The event was co-sponsored by groups including the Brandeis Black Student Organization and the Schuster Institute for Investigative Research.

The Student Union Senate met last Sunday to discuss individual and committee progress. There were no clubs present to request funding and no University or student communications to address.

Student Union Vice President Gloria Park ’13 discussed the upcoming Take Your Professor to Lunch Program, which will return in April.

The vouchers distributed through the program can be used only for professors and not administrators or staff. Park proposed instituting a separate program that would provide vouchers that could be used for professors, administrators, staff or teaching assistants. The Senate offered suggestions for the program, including distributing the vouchers by raffle and providing vouchers for a smaller amount that can be used at Einstein Bros. Bagels.

Park also said that she will be meeting today with Student Union Chief of Staff Jesse Manning ’13, Dean of Arts and Sciences Susan Birren and Provost Steve Goldstein ’78 to discuss ways to improve and effectively use course evaluations and the possibility of implementing more study days during the finals period in future years. As part of a pilot program, students next year will have two study days instead of one, Park said.

The Senate also discussed the possibility of having administrators help serve food at the Midnight Buffet, which is hosted by the Student Union before each finals period. Senators agreed that it would likely take pressure off of the students running the event but that students might feel less comfortable and less able to relax with administrators present.

North Quad Senator Alexander Burger ’16 said that he was successful in getting a new television installed in Polaris Lounge in North Quad.

The Dining Committee is preparing for an event on March 20 to mark National Nutrition Month. They also discussed the possibility of changing the hours of the Village Provisions on Demand Market to reflect times that are most convenient to students.

—Allyson Cartter

ANNOUNCEMENTS Brazil’s Balancing Act

This symposium on Brazil’s Balanicing Act will provide a forum for dialogue about how Brazil might best fulfill its local, national and international obligations.

Panelists include Fernando Ribeiro Delgado of Harvard Law School; Prof. Cristina Espinosa (Heller); Daniel Luiz Gleizer, vice president of Banco Itau BBA, Sao Paulo; Prof. Moises Lino e Silva (ANTH); and Biorn Maybury-Lewis, executive director of Cambridge Institute for Brazilian Studies, Institute for International Urban Development and University of Massachusetts, Boston. The event will be moderated by Dean Bruce Magid of the Brandeis International Business School.

Today from 2 to 5 p.m. in the International Lounge in Usdan Student Center.

“The Bro Code” Documentary Screening

The Feminist Majority Leadership Alliance will screen 2009 documentary “The Bro Code: How Contemporary Culture Creates Sexist Men,” a film by Thomas Keith

that looks at how sexism is constructed in the media and the culture that conditions boys and men to dehumanize and disrespect women, and offers solutions for how to change and challenge this problematic culture.

Today from 7 to 9 p.m. in Lown Auditorium.

Dreaming in Time and Space

Melanie Johnson-DeBaufre is the Associate Professor of New Testament and Early Christianity at Drew University Theological School in Madison, N.J. Her scholarship centers on the beginnings and growth of the Jesus movement and the Christ communities in the context of the Roman Empire, as well as on the politics and ethics of the interpretation of scriptures. Her current research focuses on using critical space, material culture and utopian studies to think about how ancient religious texts reflect and organize their worlds.

Thursday from 1 to 1:50 p.m. in Lown Center for Judaic Studies 301.

Ruth First Lecture

The Department of African and AfroAmerican Studies will hold its annual Ruth First Lecture. Refreshments will be served and it is free and open to the public.

This year’s speaker, Gloria White-Hammond, is the co-founder and co-pastor of Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Boston and executive director of My Sister’s Keeper, a women-led humanitarian action program, and a retired pediatrician.

Thursday from 5 to 7 p.m. in the International Lounge in Usdan Student Center.

Can the UN Live Up to its High Standards?

Speakers will include Hans Corell, Richard Goldstone, Ahmedou Ould Abdallah and Gillian Sorensen of the Advisory Board of the International Center for Ethics, Justice and Public Life. All will comment on the challenges faced by the UN as it strives to live up to its own rigorous standards on the rule of law.

Monday from 5 to 6:45 p.m. in the Mandel Center for Humanities, Reading Rm. 303.

THE JUSTICE

BRIEF Lisa Lynch reappointed as the Heller School dean Dean of the Heller School for Social Policy and Management Lisa Lynch has been reappointed to serve in her position for another five years, according to University President Frederick Lawrence in an email to the Brandeis community yesterday.

“I was delighted that the provost and the president decided to ask me to consider staying on for another five years at Brandeis,” said Lynch in an interview with the Justice.

“It’s been a wonderful experience to have been dean of the Heller school for the past five years. The features that drew me to the Heller school in the first place remain in place.”

According to Lawrence’s email, the reappointment process involved input from several Heller school members, including research staff, faculty members from

the Heller School and other schools of the University, administrators, the Board of Overseers and “external reviewers.” “[Provost Steve Goldstein] had a lot of different touch points with respect to how folks had viewed my leadership,” said Lynch about the process.

“Dean Lynch earned glowing recommendations from all of these constituencies,” wrote Lawrence.

“Her achievements as Heller School dean have helped strengthen Brandeis as a whole and have raised the profile of the school in the academic, policy and public arena.”

Lynch, who is also a Maurice B. Hexter Professor of Social and Economic Policy, has served as dean since July 2008. She served as the chief economist at the U.S. Department of Labor from 1995 to

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TUESDAY, MARCH 5, 2013

3

EXPERT ON INDIA

1997 and has been a faculty member at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Tufts University, Ohio State University and the University of Bristol.

Lynch said that when she began working at the Heller School, the country and University faced “challenging financial times,” but that the research being completed at the University may help make an impact in government policy.

“You might think, ‘Oh my goodness. Why would someone sign on for another five years as the country still seems to be facing those challenging times?’ which certainly is hard for a school of social policy,” said Lynch. “But I can’t think of a better place to be during this period of crisis for our country as a whole.”

—Sara Dejene and Sam Mintz

alumni

Univ honors three notable alumni ■ Robert Zimmer ’68, Jon

Landau ’68 and Bonnie Berger ’83 will receive the Alumni Achievement Award.

By marissa ditkowsky JUSTICE editorial assistant

The University has announced that this year’s Alumni Achievement Award recipients are University of Chicago President Robert Zimmer ’68, music manager and record producer Jon Landau ’68 and applied mathematics professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Bonnie Berger ’83.

The honor, whose recipients are decided by the Office of Alumni Relations after discussion with University President Frederick Lawrence and members of his senior team, “recognizes alumni who have made distinguished and outstanding contributions to their professions or chosen fields of endeavor. It is the highest form of University recognition bestowed exclusively on alumni,” wrote Lawrence in an email to the Justice.

According to Lawrence, the Alumni Achievement Award was first presented in 1988, with inaugural honorees publicist Terrie Williams ’75; Kenyan politician, economist and businessman George Saitoti ’67; and mathematician Karen Uhlenbeck, MA ’67, PhD ’68. “Every year, there are many more deserving candidates than we are able to honor. No more than three people receive the award in any given year,” Lawrence wrote.

Zimmer, who has been the president of the University of Chicago since 2006 and has been on the university’s staff for about 25 years, was one of the three recipients for this year. Zimmer studied Mathematics at Brandeis, although according to Zimmer, his original intention was to pursue Physics. “I was totally captured by Mathematics at Brandeis,” he said in an interview with the Justice.

Zimmer recalled the most influential professors throughout his years at the University, former professors Michael Spivak (MATH) and Al Vasquez (MATH), who “were both extraordinary teachers and just conveyed a wonderful sense about mathematics that was very infectious,” he

said. “[Brandeis] was a wonderful place for mathematics … and led, of course, to my career as a mathematician. … It left me with a new perspective and an experience that Zimmer has stayed with me,” said Zimmer.

The Mathematics program at Brandeis also influenced Berger, although she started off as a Russian studies major and eventually became a Psychology major Landau prior to concentrating in mathematics. “I had no idea what I wanted to do,” said Berger in an interview with the Justice. “Going to a liberal arts school helped me find my true passion.”

According to Berger, her PsyBerger chology major requirements included basic computer programming and a calculus course and solidified her confidence in her abilities and interest in mathematics and computer science. “Because the psych major made me take all of these science classes, it really showed me where I belong and what I do best,” she said in an interview.

Berger said that she was among the first in the Computer Science major, as it had only recently been established as a major and had previously been under Physics. According to Berger, former faculty members Mitchell Modell (PHYS), Ragnar Buchweitz (MATH) and Ellis Cohen (COSI) “really gave me the confidence in my ability to do math at a higher level. … The teachers were so caring. … I got a lot of individual attention and intellectual stimulation.”

After commencement, Berger took a gap year, during which she acted as a teaching assistant at Harvard University, and proceeded to obtain

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her Ph.D at MIT. “I never even would have thought about graduate school if it weren’t for the professors at Brandeis. They really did change my life,” she said in an interview.

Berger moved on to become the first woman ever to earn tenure in the math department at MIT, according to Lawrence. She currently works in computational biology and applying algorithms to molecular biology and is a professor at MIT. She is also still involved at Brandeis as a member of the University’s Science Advisory Council, for which she helps the University decide on scientific priorities and direction.

Landau, who has worked for four decades with Bruce Springsteen and serves as executive vice president of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, still contributes to the University community with the Jonathan Landau Scholarship, which fully funds a major in the arts every year, according to Landau in an email to the Justice.

Although Brandeis did not help lead him to a music career, Landau wrote that the University “trained me to be a critical thinker, to use the past to understand the present, and to write well, among many other things.”

As a History major, Landau recalls superb educators, such as former faculty members Norman Cantor in Medieval studies, Ramsay MacMullen in Greek and Roman history, Kenneth Barkin and Heinz Lubasz in European history and current faculty member Prof. David Fischer (HIST), among others. “Leo Bronstein (who taught Early Islamic Art) had a legendary reputation as a classroom teacher, which he surely lived up to during the time I studied with him,” wrote Landau.

“Actually, when I think about it today, the level of teaching at Brandeis in the sixties was just spectacular. Every good teacher influences your journey and all of these and many others have influenced mine,” wrote Landau.

Lawrence will present the awards at a ceremony on June 8 during reunion festivities, according to a Feb. 19 BrandeisNOW article.

A feature on Jon Landau can be found in this issue on page 9.

Contact the editors at

news@justice.org.

No experience necessary.

JOSH SPIRO/the Justice

SIFTING THROUGH MEMOIRS: Grewal spoke about her research on gender in India.

Yale prof delivers Sorabjee lecture ■ Inderpal Grewal’s talk

was about masculinity and patriarchy and how they relate to Indian bureaucracy.

By ilana kruger JUSTICE editorial assistant

On Thursday night, Professor Inderpal Grewal, chair of the women’s, gender and sexuality department at Yale University, gave a lecture titled “Bureaucracy and Masculinity in India after Independence” as part of the Soli Sorabjee Lecture Series in South Asian Studies. Grewal discussed how masculinity and patriarchy are seen in the history of Indian bureaucracy.

She is currently researching the memoirs of Indian bureaucrats who joined the British civil service and continued in the Indian bureaucracy after India gained independence in 1947 and was partitioned into India and Pakistan, including Dharma Vira, H.M. Patel and S. Bhoothalingam.

Grewal said the literary content of the memoirs, the accompanying photographs, the subjects of the memoirs and the people who compiled the memoirs, usually the subjects’ relatives, create a snapshot of Indian history.

“These memoirs have often been read simply as archives of historical information. I’m trying to understand how that moment of national significance is produced through the genre of the memoir,” Grewal said.

The bureaucrats were part of a group of powerful men, the “ruling class,” who were viewed by some as incongruous after India gained a democratic government.

In the Indian Civil Service, as the bureaucracy was called prior to independence from Britain in 1947, these men served as lawyers, doctors, teachers and government officials. They became part of the “powerful patriarchy that governed India after independence,” Grewal said. New opportunities and jobs were available to the bureaucrats after independence, who became “technocrats, management experts, bankers and finance workers and workers in industrial technology,” as Grewal explained.

The characteristics these “national elites” tried to embody were “reason, rationality, and objectivity,” as it said in one of the memoirs. The memoirs are rarely personal accounts and do not usually include information or photo-

graphs of the bureaucrats’ wives and children, instead focusing on their work for the government. The exception to this is the memoir of one bureaucrat that was compiled by his daughter, and therefore includes more family-oriented photographs. The rest of the memoirs, however, focus on “key moments in national history, and include reflections on governance,” Grewal said.

Grewal says the bureaucrats’ memoirs are “narratives of how they learned to govern,” and that they “provide lessons for younger generations of administrators.”

They contain insights into two areas of gender: the legal world and the family, through what they include, as well as what is left out.

The bureaucracy was changing at the time that these memoirs were written, and later this group of elite men was broadened to include women, which connects to Grewal’s feminist research.

This research differs from her studies on women and feminism, but is related as it deals with the theme of gender. “Because I’ve done feminist research for so long, I’m fascinated by thinking about masculinities and patriarchies,” Grewal said. “How is a patriarchy formed by all sorts of masculinities that work together? How does governance become a masculine endeavor?”

Grewal has written and contributed to numerous publications dealing with feminist and gender-related themes, including Home and Harem: Nation, Gender, Empire and the Cultures of Travel, and Transnational America: Feminisms, Diasporas, Neoliberalisms, according to the Yale University website.

The lecture series, sponsored by the South Asian Studies Program and the Brandeis-India Initiative which focuses on themes of justice, began in 2009 and is named after the former attorney general of India. Past lectures have featured authors and professors from institutions including Harvard University, Trinity College and the University of Delhi, as well as Sorabjee himself.

Grewal’s lecture drew undergraduate and graduate students interested in Global and South Asian studies. “India is a really important country in terms of international relations, and the way Indian bureaucracy works is important to the way India works, not just Indian government but also Indian business,” Mitch Mankin ’16 said.

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THE JUSTICE

President for Students and Enrollment Andrew Flagel, Brandeis continues to submit accurate data and keep rank.

By MARISSA DITKOWSKY JUSTICE editorial assistant

JON EDELSTEIN/the Justice

CONSERVATIVE ADVOCATE: Jimmy LaSalvia elicited varying reactions while discussing GOProud and being out as a Republican.

PAC founder talks about being a gay Republican event attendees about being openly gay and a member of the Republican Party.

By scarlett reynoso JUSTICE STAFF WRITER

On Feb. 12, Jimmy LaSalvia spoke on behalf of an organization called GOProud at an event titled “Being Gay in the Republican Party” in the Golding Judaica Center.

The Brandeis Libertarian Conservative Union invited LaSalvia, the founder of GOProud, a U.S. Political Action Committee that represents “conservative gay men, lesbians, and their allies who seek to promote freedom by supporting free markets, limited government, and a respect for individual rights,” according to the organization.

First, LaSalvia spoke about the turbulent transition he went through after coming out and feeling that he had to fit a certain stereotype. He was able to reengage in politics around the time of the Federal Marriage Amendment in 2004.

After being part of a grassroots organization in Kentucky, he helped to found GOProud.

LaSalvia went on to speak about how the gay community benefits from conservative legislation that GOProud promotes, from Second Amendment rights to a fair tax, which he says is needed in place of having the government pick “winners and losers.”

LaSalvia noted many instances during which the gay community has been able to defend itself from hate crimes by using guns, since he said there is no legislation Congress can pass to truly protect the gay community.

He said he would like to redefine the “gay agenda,” which currently stands for liberal values.

LaSalvia commended Israeli

5

Top universities submit incorrect data for US News college rankings ■ According to Senior Vice

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who spoke out against Iran’s maltreatment of homosexuals at the opening of the UN’s general assembly.

LaSalvia said Israel is “where gays go to be free” and thus the U.S. should support Israel accordingly.

LaSalvia also supports asylum for gay people who are persecuted in their countries.

LaSalvia used many creative descriptions to make his points, such as saying that he would not try to “fry up the turd to make it taste good,” referring to what he believes is the sorry state of the Republican Party.

He believes that the way to garner more support for the party is to tone down the reputation of its discrimination, and explained that this will become easier as more and more people come out. LaSalvia added that “the folks who are fighting gay marriage claim to be conservative, but they’re really not,” and called these supposed conservatives “out of touch.”

He emphasized the fact that it is 2013 and with television shows like Modern Family and Downton Abbey featuring gay characters, it is becoming easier for the gay community to be accepted. At this point he pointed out a few students, assuming their fanhood of the latter television show.

“I feel like the event was executed well. He actually came off better than I thought it would, but when I sit down next to the other people of my club and he comes up to us and says, ‘Oh, this is the gay row.’

I think that’s a problem, and most of the event he was making comments about that being our particular row,” said attendee Joe Babeu ’15, who is registered as an independent, in an interview with the Justice.

“That whole comment and a few other comments distracted me from what the point of the event should

TUESDAY, MARCH 5, 2013

academics

PARTY PRIDE

■ Jimmy LaSalvia talked to

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have been, which is LGBT people’s place in the party,” said Babeu.

A question-and-answer session followed LaSalvia’s speech. Among the questions asked was one inquiring into the controversy involving LaSalvia’s tweet using the “f-word.”

It was directed against Rick Perry’s campaign director at the time, who was allegedly sponsoring anti-gay ads. LaSalvia said that he stands by everything but the use of that word.

Another question was regarding GOProud’s stance on the Violence Against Women Act, which is intended to combat domestic abuse against women and specifically protects those populations regardless of “sexual orientation” or “gender identity.”

He said that GOProud does not have a stance on it, but he personally does not support it due to complex workings in the bill.

Addressing a question about his support of conservative, anti-gay candidates, LaSalvia said in an interview with the Justice that due to fiscal policy differences between Democrats and Republicans, he does not have the luxury of crossing off Republicans. He believes that in their “heart of hearts,” Republicans like former presidential candidate Mitt Romney are not “anti-gay bigots.”

“Whenever I go to political events ... I always realize how [messed up] American politics are because … you only have the choice between two parties, and in the end [you have] to choose the better bad thing,” said Tamar Lyssy ’16, an attendee, in an interview with the Justice.

“I thought it was really interesting, but I also think he didn’t cover the point [of] why he decides to support Republicans who seem antigay,” Lyssy said. “He says not all of them are, and I’m sure he’s right, but why can’t they stand up and say it?”

Over the past year, five colleges have admitted to submitting false admissions data to the U.S. News & World Report, but Senior Vice President for Students and Enrollment Andrew Flagel says Brandeis has remained consistent with its reporting practices and data collection.

On Jan. 25, Bucknell University became the most recent undergraduate college to disclose that it had misreported its numbers. The university excluded students from the initially reported SAT and ACT scores from 2006 up until 2011. Tulane University’s Freeman School of Business also admitted to providing inflated GMAT scores and statistics in January.

Although according to a Feb. 4 update on the U.S. News & World Report website the numerical difference in the corrected data for Bucknell was not significant enough to warrant a change in its ranking, a U.S. News & World Report did revoke the Freeman School of Business’ ranking.

According to the update, “U.S. News will continue to handle each instance of data misreporting on a case-by-case basis.”

Last year, Claremont McKenna College admitted to misreporting data in January, while Emory University admitted to misreporting data in August. The George Washington University did not admit to misreporting until November.

The disclosure of this misreporting led to increased controversy regarding the accuracy of US News & World Report college rankings, among others, as these sources unintentionally used falsified information provided by schools in order to rank them.

In an interview with the Justice, Flagel shared an anecdote to illustrate the complexity and confusion involved with the ranking process.

“One of my colleagues, from a very prestigious institution, was

sharing his feelings about schools that report partial applicants as applicants. ‘How dare they count partial applicants! If they ask you how many applicants, you should only count complete applicants!’” said Flagel. “And I said, ‘That seems very reasonable; let me ask you, what’s a complete applicant?’” “[U.S. News & World Report doesn’t] define what a complete applicant is, and we all have different requirements for a completed applicant,” he continued.

Exclusion of certain information, although an offense of several of the schools on the list of those that provided falsified data, is a debated topic due to varying definitions and application requirements.

Therefore, a unified method of ranking might allow for shortcomings regardless. Brandeis, which is currently ranked 33 on the US News & World Report college rankings, has no history of misreporting data to rankings.

“I’m on the educational advisory board for the US News & World Report rankings, so I go a couple of times a year to meet with their editorial team and talk about just these issues,” said Flagel. “Since I’ve been here, I’m very comfortable that everything we’re doing here is consistent with how they ask the questions.”

Superscoring on the SAT and ACT is another un-standardized practice among all universities that provide data for ranking. “There’s schools that also do it on the ACT. The ACT is normed, so you shouldn’t do that, because your composite score on the ACT is already normed to it,” said Flagel. “But there’s still folks who do it, because it makes their numbers look better … So are they being dishonest, are they deceiving?

Although Flagel plans to aim high for the University’s rankings, he acknowledges further limitation with the system. “Bear in mind, the purpose of the US News & World Report is to sell US News & World Report. It’s not to be the best college tool ever: it’s to sell a website,” said Flagel. “If the same schools weren’t at the top all the time in that, it wouldn’t be nearly as successful. So the things that it weights are interesting to breakdown.”

—Sam Mintz contributed reporting

BRIEF Network experiences blackout Those on campus from the Charles River Apartments to Ziv Quad to the Shapiro Campus Center experienced a period of wireless internet blackout Sunday, Feb. 24, and the campus network has been experiencing minor problems since.

Director for Network and Systems John Turner said an issue with a wireless controller caused the network to fail.

“While the [access points] did automatically fail over to another controller without issue, when we moved the AP’s back it took us about an hour to restore service as we debugged the issue,” wrote Turner in an email to the Justice. “Access points are the WiFi routers that users connect to for internet access.”

At least 35 percent of the campus—mostly lower campus— experienced nearly two hours of wireless internet downtime Sunday, including the Shapiro

Campus Center, Ziv Quad, administration buildings, Ridgewood Quad and the Charles River Apartments, according to an email to the technology listserv from a wireless network engineer.

Students said they have also noticed occasional issues connecting to the brandeis_secure network over the past week.

Turner said that Library and Technology Services is aware of the issue, which is related to new software installed over February break.

“We are also experiencing a few other issues related to some new software installed over the break that are causing some users to have intermittent connectivity issues,” said Turner.

“We are currently working with some students specifically to figure out the issue and fix it.”

—Andrew Wingens

TUESDAY, march 5, 2013

student activism

will be used for six different “Hydration Stations” to be placed across campus.

By sara dejene JUSTICE editor

The Brandeis Sustainability Fund has awarded a $25,000 grant to TapBrandeis, a group advocating against the sale of plastic water bottles, to build six “Hydration Stations” across campus.

According to TapBrandeis Cofounder Sara Taylor ’16 in an interview with the Justice, the plan includes four stations in indoor locations and two in outdoor locations.

The exact locations have not yet been confirmed, but Taylor stated that the group had suggested areas such as the Gosman Sports and Convocation Center, Usdan Student Center and Mandel Quad, as well as dormitories where there are currently no water fountains, such as East Quad.

The stations themselves are similar to water fountains but more convenient, according to Taylor. The indoor stations, for example, would be mounted on walls, where bottles could be placed and be automatically refilled.

“Some of [the models] even have a little screen where it says ‘You have filled this many bottles,’” which could be used to make an educational impact, according to Taylor.

According to TapBrandeis Cofounder Jamie Garuti ’15 in an interview with the Justice, the stations also address sanitation concerns, as the stations can be fitted with a filter and the water spout does not make direct contact with water bottles, preventing cross-contamination.

Ultimately, the goal of the stations is to encourage the use of reusable water bottles as an alternative to buying bottled water.

In an interview with the Justice, Sustainability Coordinator Lea Lupkin said that the stations would be a “fantastic tool” to provide students with clean water and to educate them.

“I’m really excited because I absolutely support the students' effort to reduce bottled water but it’s very difficult to ask people to change a behavior when there isn’t an easy, convenient way for them to change that behavior,” said Lupkin.

Similar stations are already in place on several other college campuses, airports, parks and other public spaces, according to a Sept. 15, 2011 USA Today article.

TapBrandeis, which is also composed of Alina Pokhrel ’15, Emma Balmuth-Loris ’14 and Jeremy Goodman ’14, was formed last semester while the students were taking the experiential learning course “Green-

ing the Ivory Tower,” where they were required to come up with a project to promote sustainability on campus. Taylor and Garuti said that they and other classmates were inspired by the documentary Flow, which depicts the negative environmental and ethical consequences of the bottled water industry.

The group decided to advocate against the sale of bottled water at Brandeis. Currently, there is a ban on selling bottled water in Usdan Boulevard and Cafe, instituted under former University President Jehuda Reinharz, although bottled water can still be purchased in convenience stores, such as the P.O.D. market.

The group started a petition against bottled water sales and has hosted events to raise awareness about the bottled water industry. They also met with Marketing and Sustainability Coordinator of Aramark Erin Fletcher and held a survey to gather student opinions about their cause.

“We found that we needed to have a solution before we got rid of the problem,” said Taylor, which prompted the group members to research how other schools have implemented bottled water bans, leading them to the idea of Hydration Stations.

Originally, the group wanted to retrofit existing water fountains with gooseneck spouts to accommodate water bottle refills. However, after more research, they found that Hydration Stations would be safer and more convenient.

This semester, two members— Balmuth-Loris and Goodman—are studying abroad but the group has teamed up with Students for Environmental Action, while continuing to receive survey responses from students and support from administrators.

Many details of the project are yet to be determined, according to Lupkin, Taylor and Garuti, but they will continue to meet with school officials and Facilities Services to work out a final plan and timeline.

“We want to make Brandeis students more aware and get them in a mindset that they act in an environmentally responsible way,” said Garuti.

According to its website, the BSF “provides grants, advice and support” to undergraduate students who wish to create a project that supports sustainability on campus. Created in 2010, the fund originally had $50,000 to provide to student projects and was awarded an additional $25,000 from National Office Furniture in 2011.

According to Lupkin, the Hydration Stations project received the most funding out of all the projects this year.

“It’s one of the biggest BSF projects to date and the biggest one this year,” she said.

THE JUSTICE

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MARCHING FOR DIVESTMENT

TapBrandeis to install stations using BSF grant ■ The grant, for $25,000,

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TALI SMOOKLER/the Justice

Students from the Brandeis Divestment Campaign marched from the Rabb steps to the administration buildings yesterday calling for the University to divest from fossil fuels.

INCREASE: Academic, dining fees may change next year CONTINUED FROM 1 total cost is at $56,550, placing it behind Williams College and ahead of Boston University, Boston College and Babson College.

Flagel rejected concerns of state rankings, saying that the national rankings were more pertinent to Brandeis.

“Because we’re a national, and, one could easily argue ... global institution, the look is really much more where we sit nationally,” said Flagel.

“I’d be delighted if the state would not have a list of the most expensive schools.”

In its 2012-2013 rankings of the nation’s most expensive colleges, the online publication Campus Grotto placed Brandeis at the number 40 spot in tuition and fees. Brandeis

was number 36 for total cost of attendance (tuition, fees and room and board).

The top 100 in total cost ranged from about $53,000 (Case Western Reserve) to $61,236 (Sarah Lawrence College).

Flagel suggested that students may also see a change in their fees for dining and academics next year.

Potentially, this would mean changing the dining model so that more students are on a meal plan.

Students who take more than the normal course load of four classes per semester would also be charged for each additional class.

Currently, just under half of the University’s $320 million annual budget comes from undergraduate tuition, fees and room and board, said Flagel.

Another 14 percent comes from

graduate tuition and fees, 17 percent from research grants and 17 percent from donors, including about 11 to 12 percent drawn from the endowment and five to six percent from annual gifts.

Of this $320 million, about 33 to 38 percent goes toward day-to-day operation of the University.

An estimated 27 percent is allocated to research, salaries and benefits, and 22 percent is used for financial aid.

Flagel also revealed on Thursday that an 80-plus-page draft of the strategic plan is due to be released online tomorrow or later this week.

The plan will highlight broad issues of University identity, Brandeis’ Jewish roots, social justice, the educational experience, sustainability and marketing Brandeis to prospective students.

SCORECARD: Flagel, other critics point out data problems CONTINUED FROM 1 amount of accessible information college affordability was met by enthusiasm by many in higher education, but the actual system itself has been roundly criticized by experts, including Senior Vice President for Students and Enrollment Andrew Flagel, who say that its mechanisms and calculations are limited and need improvement.

“I think this is a way of thinking about affordability, [but] I think it’s far from the only way of thinking about affordability,” said Flagel in an interview with the Justice.

“It has a limited number of data points that it’s examining, and it’s always going to have a need to provide a significant amount of context,

particularly for students who don’t have access to robust counseling, who may not know, for instance, just how complex a calculation it is to understand what net price means to you individually,” he continued.

The Scorecard provides students with information about colleges, including net price, graduation rate, loan default rate and median borrowing rate.

The Scorecard for Brandeis indicated that the average net price for students is $26,278 per year. The website explained that to calculate net price, the Department of Education subtracted grants and scholarships from the institution’s cost of attendance, which this year was $56,716, according to the Brandeis website.

The Scorecard also listed an average

net price increase of 6.1 percent from 2007 to 2009. Many similar schools to Brandeis, such as Tufts University, Bentley College and Clark University, increased their net price by a greater amount in that time period.

The Scorecard additionally listed Brandeis’ graduation rate as 91.2 percent and its median borrowing amount as $23,000, meaning that families of students on average borrow that amount in loans.

Also according to the Scorecard, only 1.9 percent of students who borrow money while attending Brandeis default on their Federal loans after graduation.

Flagel emphasized that each of these figures represent complex calculations that may be vastly different for individual students. For ex-

ample, he said, if someone takes out more loans than they need to pay for college and uses the money for something else, such as a car or apartment, “is that the school’s issue, or is that an individual student issue?”

Other experts felt similarly that the Scorecard was a well-meaning but flawed initiative.

According to an article in the New York Times, the Institute for College Access and Success called it “two steps forward, one step back,” and Terry W. Hartle, a senior vice president of the American Council on Education, said that the Scorecard is “not a game-changer as much as the administration would like to believe.”

Michelle Singletary, a parent who wrote a column about the Scorecard

in the Washington Post, wrote that “the tool ... is too general when it comes to the final price of college” and that it “doesn’t address the most pressing needs” of parents.

“It is useful to have this among the tools, [but] I don’t think it’s particularly brave or ground breaking the way it’s been presented, I think there are some modifications that are really wanted,” said Flagel.

One such modification that he suggested was providing the 25th to 75th percentiles in terms of net price, rather than showing simply one figure, the median, which might not mean much to individual students.

“I think for both that, and for things like borrowing rates, those would be much more useful data points,” Flagel said.

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features

TUESDAY, march 5, 2013

just

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THE JUSTICE

VERBATIM | MARK TWAIN A lie can travel half-way around the world while the truth is still putting on its shoes.

ON THIS DAY…

FUN FACT

In 1979, America’s Voyager 1 spacecraft had its closest approach to Jupiter at 172,000 miles.

The last U.S.president who had a moustache was William Howard Taft 100 years ago.

Rethinking

Lincoln

PHOTO COURTESY OF MIKE LOVETT

INTEREST WITH ENDURANCE: Prof. John Burt (ENG) spent nearly 30 years writing Lincoln’s Tragic Pragmatism, a book he has worked on since 1989.

Professor John Burt (ENG) analyzes an American icon

By JAIME KAISER JUSTICE editor

Abraham Lincoln has evolved into a mythic icon of American history. Versions of Lincoln in popular culture have cast him in various, surprising lights, including the motion picture Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter. Yet even as Lincoln becomes a commercial product, the implications of his life and work remain a complex topic that scholars in various fields are eager to untangle.

Lincoln’s Tragic Pragmatism, a book written by Prof. John Burt (ENG) is the newest addition to a long string of scholarly research that has attempted to unearth new meaning from the deceased president. It is an examination of whether a liberal political system can be used to mediate moral disputes. It looks at the debate over slavery in the Civil War era, specifically the Lincoln-Douglas debates of 1858.

Burt began teaching at Brandeis in 1983. Six years later, in 1989, he started to put together the first pieces of the book, which is now over 800 pages. “It started out around 1,600 pages. … I did cut it down,” said Burt with a chuckle when asked if he ever considered shortening it to make it more readable.

The first kernels of inspiration for Tragic Pragmatism came out of Burt’s research on Robert Penn Warren’s Legacy of the Civil War. “[Warren] treated Lincoln as a figure whose pragmatism and sense of tragedy enabled him to transcend the impact between North and South. That intrigued me,” Burt said.

Burt’s background in English offers a more “intensive” understanding of Lincoln, which differs from a historical method that tends to be “extensive,” involving gathering many pieces of evidence to gain a bigger picture, according to Burt. “I looked very closely at Lincoln’s speeches and letters looking for suggestions, nuances, shades of meaning, variations of tone. I read it closely the way you would read poetry,” said Burt.

Although Burt is a professor in the English department, placing his recent work in a particular genre is complicated. His work is more nearly associated with history rather than American literature. However, even within the realm of history, it was difficult for Burt himself to say whether the book is history or political philosophy, or if either of those is sufficient. “I think the thing that’s most distinctive about this book is that it sees Lincoln not as a political figure or even a historical figure but a figure who is thinking about major issues about the meaning of politics and the meaning of democracy,” he said.

Burt’s book was recently compared in a New York Times review to the other primary scholar who has studied Lin-

coln as a philosopher, Harry Jaffa. Burt learned a lot from Jaffa, “even if my point of view is somewhat different,” Burt said.

One of the main differences between Jaffa and Burt is that while Jaffa used philosophers of natural law like Socrates and Plato to examine Lincoln, Burt brings Lincoln into the modern age using contemporary philosophers of liberal democracy, such as John Rawls and Immanuel Kant. “My view is that the Lincoln-Douglas debates are an episode in the history of liberal democracy, and Plato was not a philosopher of liberal democracy,” Burt said.

The most challenging aspect of the project for Burt was escaping the “Hermeneutic Circles” of the writing process, which refers to the theory that neither the whole nor its parts can be understood without reference to each other. “I think the most challenging part was that many of the ideas are so intricately connected with each other so it was hard to figure out where to begin,” he said.

A shorter version of the book is a possible future project, but Burt does not have immediate plans. “I suppose sometime in the future I might make a shorter, more popular edition but I really did write the book for an academic readership,” he said.

Burt is on sabbatical this semester but has plans to return to teaching in the fall. “You never really quite know what Brandeis kids are going to say in class,” Burt said. “They’re always going to start some rat that you are going to chase—that is always terribly exciting all the time.”

In addition to Burt’s longstanding academic interest in Lincoln and 19th century political oratory, he also teaches a variety of other English courses, including many in American poetry. Burt is a poet himself and has, over the course of his career, released numerous volumes of poetry.

Burt is grateful for the unique degree of intellectual freedom that he is afforded as a professor at Brandeis.

“Many other universities nail their professors down into very specific niches. I imagine many English departments would have taken exception to my spending so long writing a book that is closer to history than to American literature. … Other universities find that as something that makes them nervous.

It has never been an issue at Brandeis,” Burt said.

What fascinates Burt most about Lincoln as a person is his ability to humanely characterize his enemies, even in the midst of a tremendously violent war.

“Oftentimes, particularly if you think you’re really right on an issue, you tend to see your opponent as demonic or stupid or not really morally like you.” Burt said. “Lincoln never did that.”

PHOTO COURTESY OF HARVARD UNIVERSITY PRESS

DEFINING GENRE: Since the release of his new book, Prof. Burt has often been compared to the other major author known for his scholarship on Lincoln as a philosopher, Harry Jaffa, though their views differ considerably.

PHOTO COURTESY OF WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

SLAVERY DEBATE: Prof. Burt’s theory rests on his analysis of the LincolnDouglas debates in 1858.

THE JUSTICE

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TUESDAY, MARCH 5, 2013

Molding a

rockstar Jon Landau ’68 played a key role in pushing rock and roll legend Bruce Springsteen into the spotlight

PHOTO COURTESY OF JON LANDAU

MUSIC INDUSTRY TITAN: Jon Landau ’68 has managed a host of famous artists throughout his career, including Bruce Springsteen, Shania Twain, Natalie Merchant and Train.

By ariel Glickman JUSTICE STAFF WRITER

For the last forty years, Jon Landau ’68 has advanced the career of artist Bruce Springsteen, beginning as his record producer in 1974 and then as his manager in 1978. He has traveled with the rock musician to Germany, India, Ethiopia, Brazil, Argentina and the Ivory Coast, among other countries, not only serving as Springsteen’s advocate, but also his close friend.

From a young age, Landau was exposed to music. When he was about three or four years old and living in Brooklyn, N.Y., his parents took him to folk concerts.

Later, his family moved to Lexington, Mass. where he worked summers at Briggs & Briggs, a Harvard Square music store. It is there that he eagerly awaited the albums of The Rolling Stones and Bob Dylan and befriended Paul Williams, the editor of Crawdaddy!, the first American magazine to showcase rock criticism.

While attending Brandeis in the sixties, he played guitar in a

band called the Jellyroll. Though he performed at Cholmondely’s Coffee House as well as off-campus, he acknowledges his natural talent as a musician was lacking.

Landau transitioned from what he refers to as a “frustrated musician” to a music critic, publishing articles in both the Justice and Crawdaddy!. It was shortly afterward that Jann Wenner, owner, editor and publisher of Rolling Stone, approached Landau to write for its inaugural issue in 1967, something he continued to do until 1977.

After Landau graduated from Brandeis in 1969, music remained a big part of his life as he became a record producer.

“The role of music in my life, the music that I love, is … transformative, you know, at its best.

It’s uplifting, and when it’s great, it’s exhilarating,” Landau said.

Though his liberal arts education did not inspire his career choice, Landau credits his History major with providing him “tremendous resources to better pursue what [he] wanted to do.”

It was at Brandeis that he im-

ad??

proved his writing ability, allowing him, as a record producer, to better comment on the lyrics artists wrote, and, as a critic, to better express himself.

In the spring of 1974, Landau’s perspective of rock and roll music transformed. In an article in The Real Paper, Landau wrote the famous rock review where he stated, “I saw my rock ’n’ roll past flash before my eyes. And I saw something else: I saw rock and roll future and its name is Bruce Springsteen. And on a night when I needed to feel young, he made me feel like I was hearing music for the very first time.”

Thus began Landau’s fascination with the artist.

“The way I felt was if I had the ability, if I had the talent, this is what I would—this is the music I would hope to be making,” Landau said.

Springsteen’s two-hour set at the Harvard Square Theater in 1974, on which Landau’s review was based, evolved into a relationship between Landau and Bruce Springsteen.

Up until 1975, Landau balanced

his two acts: record producer and music reviewer. But after the success of Springsteen’s Born to Run album, he began focusing on producing. “It just overshadowed my journalism, and I needed to concentrate on my role as a record producer,” Landau said.

Three years later, Landau became Springsteen’s manager, adding another job to his resume.

Though Landau lacked a management background, his friendship with Springsteen convinced the artist that he was the right choice.

With his developed business acumen and managerial company, Jon Landau Management, the Brandeis graduate also attracted other talent such as Shania Twain, Train and Natalie Merchant.

In record production, he additionally produced MC5’s Back in the USA, an unsuccessful but influential album in 1970 that debuted punk music, and Jackson Browne’s The Pretender in 1976.

After realizing that he was doing more as a manager than producer, however, he chose to

direct his attention to the former.

After Rolling Stone’s Wenner and Ahmet Ertegun, head of Atlantic Records, established the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Foundation in 1983, Landau became its executive vice-president. With this title comes the responsibility of chairing the nominating committee and supervising the annual induction process.

“It’s my real contribution.

That’s been a great thing to be involved with,” Landau said.

In recognition of his accomplishments in the music industry, University President Frederick Lawrence will present Landau with the Alumni Achievement Award on June 8 during reunion weekend.

“What worked for me was I found my dream,” Landau said, “but, you do have to find your talent. … It’s locating your talent, locating what you’re special at, you know, and then following that. … When you can put those two things together, your special ability and make that your dream, that’s when great things are going to happen.”

9

10 TUESDAY, MARCH 5, 2013 ● THE JUSTICE

Justice Justice

the the

Established 1949, Brandeis University

Brandeis University

Established 1949

Andrew Wingens, Editor in Chief Marielle Temkin, Managing Editor Jeffrey Boxer, Tate Herbert and Robyn Spector, Deputy Editors Celine Hacobian, Joshua Linton, Nan Pang, Adam Rabinowitz, Yosef Schaffel and Tali Smookler, Associate Editors Sam Mintz, News Editor Jaime Kaiser, Acting Features Editor Glen Chagi Chesir, Forum Editor Henry Loughlin, Sports Editor Jessie Miller, Arts Editor Josh Horowitz and Olivia Pobiel, Acting Photography Editors Rachel Burkhoff, Layout Editor Sara Dejene, Online Editor Maya Riser-Kositsky, Copy Editor

FMLA promotes awareness This week, sexual violence awareness and prevention will be highlighted both locally and nationally, with Brandeis’ Feminist Majority Leadership Alliance’s Sexual Violence Awareness Week running through Friday, and the pending renewal of the Violence Against Women Act by President Barack Obama. While Brandeis has sought to address gendered violence in the past, the prevalence of this issue on college campuses demands continued attention from both Brandeis students, faculty and administrators.

FMLA-sponsored events scheduled for this week include a consent and empowerment workshop, a panel on sexual violence in queer communities and the Clothesline Project, an “interactive art display” in which shirts bearing messages against sexual violence will be displayed in the Shapiro Campus Center Atrium. This board commends FMLA for its much-needed work to facilitate discussion of an issue that is important for colleges nationwide.

Dating violence, sexual harassment and stalking are issues that are frequently underreported on college campuses.

Regarding sexual violence, transparency is not simply an issue of reporting it; it is an issue of accurately representing its magnitude so that it can be prevented.

This board is glad to see the continued efforts of student-led groups on campus as well as the further use of University resources to promote gendered violence awareness. In addition to initiatives by groups such as FMLA, leaders of firstyear Orientation alerted Orientation Leaders this past week that issues of “[s] exual education and health will be more prevalent” in the 2013 program.

With the national attention VAWA has garnered recently and its likely renewal,

Continue to advocate

we feel that this is a good opportunity for the University to build upon its efforts of preventing sexual violence and protecting its victims.

Passed in the U.S. House of representatives on Thursday, the Act now has only to be approved by President Obama. Added to the original bill is the Campus Sexual Violence Elimination Act, an amendment to the Higher Education Act of 1965, which aims to dismantle environments on college campuses which tolerate or overlook sexual violence and harassment. “SaVE,” as it has been nicknamed by advocates, would create a national standard for transparency in college reporting of sexual violence and stalking crime statistics and require colleges and universities to provide prevention and awareness programs for students and employees.

VAWA would also provide grant money for sexual violence prevention programs, including a specific allocation for colleges. Currently, a committee headed

by Prof. Bernadette Brooten (NEJS) and Director of Athletics Sheryl Sousa ’90 is working to draft a grant proposal for Brandeis. A town hall forum at which members of the Brandeis community can share their ideas for an awareness and prevention project will be held, as part of Sexual Violence Awareness Week, tonight at 5 p.m. (location TBD).

We hope that the University will invigorate its awareness efforts as an institution, as well as within student groups. We especially look forward to seeing the results of the VAWA grant-writing committee’s efforts, and applaud them for placing Brandeis at the forefront of sexual violence prevention on college campuses.

TZIPORAH THOMPSON/the Justice

Views the News on

Over the past few weeks, President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama have taken steps outside of the traditional role of the First Family by embracing more of a celebrity role. The President played golf with Tiger Woods and the First Lady helped announce the winner of the “Best Picture” category at the Oscars. Do you think there is any significance to these non-political moves by the President and First Lady?

Ruairi Smith-Dewey ’13 I think that the First Family is attempting to be seen more like a regular American family. The Obama’s want to show the nation that they too play golf and watch popular movies. This is a way to show Americans that they really are just like any other family that they see at the weekend barbecue, they just happen to be famous. By presenting themselves in this light it makes them seem more relatable and human, encouraging people to be less critical of their political actions. This also encourages individuals to “be the change.” Obama is implementing change every day as president and he plays golf like a regular man. Mr. Jones could therefore also follow his passions and implement change in the world. Through embracing and perpetuating its celebrity status, the First Family is also inspiring regular people to follow their dreams and be the change that President Obama continuously speaks about so passionately.

Ruairi Smith-Dewey ’13 is the Budget and Steering Member of The Waltham Group.

Danny Reisner ’14 I don’t have any issues with the recent actions of the President and the First Lady. Presidents have always played golf and will always play golf so President Obama is simply continuing that longstanding tradition. Additionally, the President has one of the most difficult and stressful jobs in the world so if playing golf is what he needs to do to relax then he has the right to do so. As for the First Lady, seeing as she doesn’t have a defined role, I see no problem with her acting as a celebrity. Her job is simply to be a representative of the White House and the American people and I think she did that by appearing at the Oscars. If she can turn this into furthering her projects, like ending childhood obesity, then more power to her.

Tuition hikes disappoint In his State of the Union address, President Barack Obama stirred national debate over the price of higher education.

President Obama expressed concern over the inflated prices and worried how accessible those prices are to the average American. He proposed a college scorecard that would help incoming students decipher how cost effective a given University is. In other words it would help potential students see what “bang” they get for their “buck.” Additionally, the President reiterated that universities should be rewarded for lowering their budgets and cost of attendance.

According to Senior Vice President for Students and Enrollment Andrew Flagel, Brandeis is expected to raise the cost of attendance by four percent next year, pending board approval, roughly $2200 per person. In theory, if every undergraduate student paid full tuition and fees, that would amount to roughly 7.5 million dollars total.

Currently the University is the second most expensive university in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and in the top fifty nationwide.

This board is concerned about the rise in cost of attendance. Last year the cost of attendance was raised by five percent.

This is an alarming rate that could put the cost of attendance close to 70,000 a year in just a few years. This exorbitant price could obviously be a deterrent to po-

Hikes are not sustainable tential students.

The University was founded on the ideals that Justice Louis Brandeis preached, equal opportunity and social justice. Both this board and the administration want equal opportunity to remain a focal point of the University. Therefore, assuming the financial aid pool increases at the same rate, this board would like to know how much money is actually expected to be raised by the increase in tuition.

This board would like to know what attempts at reducing the annual budget were made to facilitate a constant cost of attendance. This board understands that operating a University, especially one as both small and prestigious as Brandeis, is expensive. However, like any business, the price must be compared to others within its industry. The fact that Brandeis is the second most expensive in Massachusetts is distressing, and implies that there must be ways to reduce the operating costs of the University.

Moving forward, we hope a better solution to meet the budget is realized. The strategic plan draft mentioned a goal of making the University sustainable both economically and environmentally and a raise of over nine percent over two years simply is not economically sustainable.

Students can only tolerate these tuition hikes for so long.

Danny Reisner ’14 is the president of the Alpha Epsilon Pi fraternity.

Jessie Miller ’15 Think back a few hundred years ago to a simpler time—life was less complicated and the presidency wasn’t just another pop culture figurehead. In my opinion, there are much better things the President and First Lady can be doing with their time rather than meet and greets with the hottest celebs. I see these as mere publicity stunts attempting to garner favor with a politically apathetic population. We all know Michelle has killer arms and holds her own while dancing next to Jimmy Fallon, but does that really fulfill her duties as First Lady? Personally, I would rather see her interacting with starving African children or natural disaster victims than laughing it up with the cast of Argo. As for Mr. President, I don’t think Tiger Woods is an expert on foreign policy or economic reform, so maybe he should rethink his golf buddies.

Jessie Miller ’15 is a Politics and International Global Studies major and an editor for the Justice.

Next Week’s Question Submit an answer by emailing forum@thejustice.org In his recent State of the Union address, President Obama cited the upand-coming project of mapping the human brain as an example of how the government should “invest in the best ideas.” The President compared it to the mapping of the human genome project, which returned $140 return to every one dollar invested. What do you think about the potential of mapping the brain?

THE JUSTICE

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TUESDAY, MARCH 5, 2013

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SAT test needs change to fulfill admissions equality

By JENNIE BROMBERG JUSTICE STAFF WRITER

High school graduation is an important lifetime milestone. One of the many things from which we graduate as high school is concluded is dealing with and pouring money into the College Board.

The College Board is the umbrella organization that administers many of the standardized tests used to compare students across the country and even around the world, including the Advance Placement tests and the SAT. According to its website, the College Board has one goal: “to ensure that every student has the opportunity to prepare for, enroll in and graduate from college.” But, that “goal” is not what comes to mind when we think about the College Board.

According to its critices, a goal that College Board is more in tune with cries creating an economy revolving around college admissions. Its system gives an unfair advantage to students with the resources and money to perform better on exams that fail to test how well a student can think and learn.

This is especially true when it comes to the SAT exam.

According to the College Board’s website, the SAT’s were created around 1900 to create a universal way of determining if students were ready to take college courses. Today, it is not a way of measuring how prepared students are for college, but rather how prepared students are for the test itself.

The SAT is broken up into three sections: reading, writing and math. Each section supposedly tests your ability to think critically about the subject based on what you have learned in school. In reality, they test how well you know how to take the test, rather than your thinking abilities. The College Board even advertises “test-taking approaches” as one of the perks of buying its SAT study guide.

But high school students around the world may be in luck. Last fall, David Coleman became the new president of the College Board, and, according to The Washington Post, has many of his own issues himself with the SAT. He has criticized the vocabulary section, calling some of the words tested “irrelevant.”

Coleman’s biggest criticism, according to the Post article, is with the essay portion of the writing section.

The article quotes Coleman as describing a conversation he had with a friend of his who tutors students in Hong Kong. Students often ask his friend where to get examples for the essay questions, to which she responds, “you know, it’s the American way, you make them up.” Coleman continued and implied that a better revision for the essay would be to provide evidence which test-takers can draw from. This is a more accurate method to evalu-

HANNAH KOBER/the Justice

ate whether students are prepared for college.

Most, if not all, papers that students write in college synthesize and analyze evidence from outside sources to prove the central thesis.

According to the article, Coleman stated that “the real question is can we make a revision of SAT a victory for everyone—more aligned with what colleges need as well as better work for kids.” Hopefully, this will become a reality.

But, this “everyone” Coleman refers to includes students, teachers and school administrators. It does not refer to the discrepancies between the socioeconomic statuses of the students taking the SAT and how that impacts how well they perform.

In addition to problems with the content of the SAT, there is the issue of how money plays

a role in the success of students taking the SAT. If a student has the money, he or she can opt to take a class, hire a tutor and buy books specifically designed to teach him or her how to take the SAT. Affluent studentscan also take the SAT on multiple occasions to hopefully improve their score with each test. This can all add up to hundreds, and even thousands, of dollars.

Disregarding the extra options that can improve SAT scores, the test and grading are both pretty expensive. The actual SAT costs $50 to take each time. It’s an additional $27 if you register late and an additional $26 if you change the date or location of the test. And, if you are in doubt of the scoring, you can pay $55 to have the multiple-choice section double-checked or the writing section double-

checked. There are waivers for the cost of the SAT, but not for the extras that you can pay for, such as having scores sent to colleges earlier or having the test double-checked.

The cost of the resources and the test itself nullify the original motive of the test to be universal and equal for all college applicants.

The College Board needs to shift the SAT’s focus away from money and change the content of the test, specifically the writing section. It needs to test if students are prepared for college in a context where each student can be equally evaluated regardless of his or her socioeconomic status. A new test should be designed to measure the student’s knowledge and ability to think and analyze, rather than his or her ability to understand the anatomy of the SAT.

Tax hikes and gradual cuts necessary to balance budget Noah M.

HORWITZ CIVIL AFFAIRS

Last Friday, a massive, across-the-board spending cut, known as the “Sequester,” went into effect. The Sequester, a by-product of the ill fated debt ceiling compromise in 2011, will reduce the deficit by over $100 billion every year, by uncompromisingly cutting virtually all government spending programs with the exceptions of Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid. The Sequester was created as a fail-safe in the budget negotiations of 2011, holding that, if Congress could not agree on specific cuts by the end of that year, acrossthe-board cuts would take effect concurrent with tax hikes in what was known as the fiscal cliff.

When Congress debated the fiscal cliff in early January, it kicked the Sequester down the road for two months, during which no actions were taken.

The Sequester, however, is universally panned by both Democratic and Republican

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politicians as ‘dumb’ spending cuts that may hurt more than they help. The sudden, drastic austerity has the chance, according to what Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke said last week in Washington, to plunge the nation back into recession and threaten hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of jobs. Instead, politicians should have sought compromise on deficit reduction through gradually implemented cuts that do not focus too much on eliminating the social safety net. Such cuts should focus on sparing popular institutions, put more emphasis on tax reform, and strive for the compromising “grand bargain” once sought after by the President and the Speaker.

Among the bitterer effects of the Sequester is security. The Washington Post reports that thousands in border control could be furloughed, and transportation, in which the Federal Aviation Administration reports that long delays could occur at major airports as funding for air traffic controllers is slashed indiscriminately. These side-effects of the Sequester are unpopular, as they should be, but they represent a troubling discrepancy in the attitudes of the American public.

In July 2012, The Economist stated that America “taxes itself like a small-government country, but spends like a big-government one.” Simply put, Americans do not want to

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pay anymore taxes, but do not want to give up any benefits. However, some painful spending cuts will be ultimately necessary in an effort to balance the budget. Despite the painfulness of the Sequester, all of the proposed cuts barely amount to solving one ninth of this country’s deficit problem.

Given the current House Republicans’ absolute opposition to any tax hike, much of the closing of that deficit may very well have to come from spending cuts. However, the President and members of Congress should fight hard to make sure that any spending cuts that are enacted do not target bipartisan popular institutions such as National Aeronautics and Space Administration and the National Institutes of Health, and assure that all spending cuts are enacted gradually over a long period of time. Furthermore, spending cuts, which should not spare the defense department, need to be coupled with both further tax hikes, especially on the wealthy, and entitlement reforms, including an unpopular raise in the retirement age for Medicare. Only through such a balanced approach would the nation be able to calmly rein in deficit spending, without going through the pain of austerity being felt in parts of Europe. These cuts should include most government programs, but avoid those deemed absolutely essential

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to the nation’s success, such as those mentioned above.

It is my hope that after the hurtful effects of the Sequester began to be felt, Congress can come together to mitigate the more deleterious effects of the cuts. Perhaps, as well, the American public may finally understand how spending cuts alone will not efficiently solve any of this country’s problems. However, if House Republicans simply double-down on their hostility towards Government and taxation (the more likely option), we may be forced to live with a much leaner, less effective Federal Government.

President Obama would be wise to attempt, once again, to reach a comprehensive “Grand Bargain” on the deficit with Republicans. In exchange for letting some of the Sequester’s cuts stand, loopholes in the tax code benefitting the rich could be axed, or other popular budget policies to Democrats could be enacted. Essentially, only through compromise could a balanced approach to reducing the deficit be found, which does not adversely affect any one group too severely.

Additionally, the spending cuts and other austerity that would remain must be implemented gradually, reducing the sharp pain that will be caused in the next few weeks by the Sequester.

Editorial Assistants Arts: Rachel Hughes News: Marissa Ditkowsky, Ilana Kruger Layout: Rebecca Lantner Ads: Schuyler Brass Copy: Brittany Joyce Staff Senior Writers: Josh Asen, Allyson Cartter, Jacob Moskowitz Senior Photographer: Jon Edelstein, Alex Margolis, Jane Zitomer News: Shani Abramowitz, Ariel Glickman, Danielle Gross, Luke Hayslip, Raquel Kallas, Suzanne Schatz Features: Alexa Ball, Selene Campion, Rachel Miller Forum: Michael Abrams, Jennie Bromberg, Aaron Fried, Noah M. Horwitz, Liz Posner, Leah Smith, Avi Snyder, Naomi Volk Sports: Ben Freudman, Avi Gold, Jonah Price

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TUESDAY, MARCH 5, 2013

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THE JUSTICE

FORUM

Supreme Court should uphold Voting Rights Act

By JASSEN LU JUSTICE STAFF WRITER

“[The] right to vote is the basic right without which all others are meaningless.”

President Lyndon Johnson said these words moments before he signed the landmark Voting Rights Act of 1965 to ensure that the “right” he referred to would be a reality for everyone.

The VRA enforces the Fifteenth Amendment’s guarantee of the right to vote, in response to widespread racial disenfranchisement in the United States. It includes many enforcement mechanisms, ranging from literacy test bans to federal invalidation of disenfranchising state policies.

Now, in 2013, this law has arrived before the United States Supreme Court, and the right that it has protected for decades is at stake.

Last week, the Court heard arguments in Shelby County, Ala. v. Holder. Shelby County questions the constitutionality of the VRA’s powerful fifth section, which mandates that places with a history of racial discrimination receive approval from the Attorney General or the Federal District Court in Washington, D.C. for changes made to their election laws.

It also empowers these authorities to reject laws with intentions or effects of preventing or diluting the minority vote.

Shelby County contends that Section 5 is now unnecessary, and its continued implementation violates the Tenth Amendment state rights. I, however, believe that if voting is to remain a guaranteed right, the VRA needs to be preserved as is.

Many of the jurisdictions covered under Section 5 include states like Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas, which were once infamous for their discriminatory Jim Crow policies. Section 5 continues to ensure that such states do not retrogress and enact laws, such as redistricting orders or voting procedures, that either prevent minorities from voting or weaken their voting power.

Although the Tenth Amendment permits states to run their daily affairs, the Constitution still entrusts the basic protection of voting rights to Congress under the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Amendments, which were ratified to supplement earlier amendments.

Even if Shelby County asserts that it can implement fair election laws by itself, striking Section 5 would almost certainly invalidate it nationwide, which can harm voting rights elsewhere. Furthermore, once states enact discriminatory laws, they can be difficult to repeal, as the victims would be denied the most basic repeal mechanism: voting.

Despite assertions that Section 5 is now unconstitutionally excessive, the voting policies that some states have proposed, such as unforgivably strict identification laws that target minority populations, prove that America is far from the time when we can do without it.

While federal law has outlawed de jure racial discrimination, it did not eliminate the more subtle practices that can still deny voting rights. Several states, under the pre-

MARA SASSOON/the Justice

tense of preventing voter fraud, have passed stricter photo identification laws, barring voters without acceptable identification from casting valid ballots. These laws overwhelmingly affect minority voters. Many states require basic voter identification. However, such identification, which has included utility bills, bank statements and paychecks, are usually more accessible and affordable than the strict identification some states mandate.

The costs of such photo identification, from obtaining the resources to prove citizenship, to paying the application fees, are high for poor minority families. Therefore, such laws have the principal effect of preventing minority votes in large numbers.

Section 5 has helped prevent such problems. Texas, for instance, passed a stricter law in 2011, mandating that voters would need strict photo identification to vote. Under this law, acceptable identification would be restricted to driver licenses, passports and other official government-issued photo documentation. The costs of such documentation are extremely unforgiving on poor voters. A

first-time passport card applicant would have to pay $55 alone in fees. A Texas driver license would cost $25.

Texas’ law provides free “electronic identification certificates” for voters. Even so, the transaction costs can be huge, as applicants must still personally procure citizenship documentation, which can cost at least $22.

For many of Texas’ African American and Latino voters, who overwhelmingly make up the poor population of the state, this price is unaffordable, especially for voters living on minimum-wage and poverty-line incomes.

Texas also rejected an amendment allowing voters to procure those application documents free of charge, so the law truly disenfranchises them.

Thankfully, after Section 5’s pre-clearance, both the Attorney General and the district court rejected this law because it disproportionately disenfranchised minority communities, especially since it did not accommodate their economic status. Texas tried to make the requirement look fair, but its refusal to account for the indirect effects, knowing they

would hit minorities the hardest, still made the law nothing more than a poll tax, as the Attorney General described it.

Alabama has also proposed a similar law to take effect in 2014. It has yet to receive federal pre-clearance, but if it is like Texas’ law, it would just as brutally disenfranchise Alabama’s minority voters. In light of this possibility, Shelby County’s assertion that Section 5 is unnecessary is preposterous and foolhardy.

The problems that Section 5 intended to resolve have yet to fully disappear. With such problems still haunting elections, invalidating Section 5 would be disastrous for minority voters.

During oral argument, Justice Antonin Scalia, a conservative who will likely vote to strike down Section 5, called the VRA a “racial entitlement.” Sadly, he misses the point of the law.

Lyndon Johnson did not sign this law so that minorities could receive a racial right, he signed it so that they could receive an American right.

Government cuts emphasize problems with social mobility Leah

SMITH IN A WORD

Amid the speculative and fearful environment surrounding the federal spending cuts that began as part of the 2013 sequestration this past Friday, it is difficult to know what is actually going to happen. Apart from the fact that the Sequester itself is incredibly complicated and difficult to understand, no one really seems to have any definitive predictions on what the effects will be for average American citizens.

What I have been able to glean from the abundance of articles, analyses and reports, however, is that many of the cuts will have a disproportionate effect on low-income families and individuals. According to a March 3 Huffington Post article, the proposed cuts include the furlough of more than half of the over two million government workers in the United States and significant reductions on education spending including cutting 70,000 pre-kindergarten students from the Head Start program and the elimination of 7,200 special education teachers and aides.

There are a number of other proposed cuts

that will affect middle- and upper-class families and individuals, like the closure of many runways at some of the nation’s busiest airports, and the reduction of visiting hours at national parks, but the impact of these cuts seem trivial when compared with the loss of vital healthcare and education services for people who actually rely on those government programs to survive.

Sadly, I am not surprised that the worst losses will likely disproportionally affect the poor.

After all, with America’s rugged individualist and “pull-yourself-up-by-your-bootstraps” mentality, it’s just not in our nature to emphasize programs that appear to foster dependency and laziness, rather than a strong work ethic and a determination to haul oneself out of poverty.

I am however, incredibly frustrated by the negative impact the Sequester will have.

Our government’s consistent efforts to save money and cut spending, which often end up being harmful to the poor, stem from our overwhelming faith in the “American Dream”—because of America’s freedom and opportunity, you will be able to better yourself as long as you are determined and work hard.

Unfortunately, in today’s day and age, the “American Dream” is a myth. According to Fareed Zakaria’s February 2013 column in Time Magazine, economic mobility in the

U.S. today is low. Our nation’s poorest rarely become rich, or even achieve middle-class status. The moving stories we hear of those who pull themselves out of poverty and attain incredible wealth and success are the exception, and not the rule.

The fact of the matter is that the circumstances of life in America have changed a great deal since the “American Dream” was a realistically attainable goal. Our economy is stagnant, there aren’t enough jobs, higher education is more expensive and competitive than ever and even without significant cuts to federal spending, economists worry that social security will not be able to support future generations that are getting ever bigger.

If we want to make significant strides towards ending poverty, the American mindset needs to change, and the government needs to heave itself out of our glorious past and start making policies that make sense for our current economic situation.

We keep telling ourselves that even with significant cuts to government programs like education and healthcare, the poor will work it out for themselves because they can always pull themselves out of poverty if they really want to and work hard enough.

Here’s a little reality check for all of us: no one can pull themselves up by their bootstraps if they don’t have boots. No one can buy boots if they don’t have a job that generates significant income, and for many low-income labor-

ers, they can’t even get an income-generating job if they don’t have boots.

Poverty is not a simple problem with a quick fix.

We tell ourselves that there’s always an out if you want it badly enough. But the truth is that there isn’t an out because we keep raising the bottom rung on the ladder of economic mobility a little higher every time we make another cut to federal spending on vital government programs. At this point, the bottom rung is so high that no one, not even those extraordinary individuals with incredible talent, can reach it without a very significant external boost.

I am no economist. I know that the United States is in very serious trouble if we can’t find a way to cut down on spending to reduce our national debt, and I don’t pretend to have a better solution than the one the government is currently trying to implement.

On the other hand, I also know that the United States will be in a different kind of very serious trouble if we keep ignoring the needs of the poor, blocking their exit routes and then blaming them for their own poverty because they are lazy and dependent and not working hard enough.

If we pride ourselves on our freedom and opportunity, then it’s time to find a way to make the “American Dream” a reality once more, albeit with a few alterations tailored to our current circumstances.

THE JUSTICE

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TUESDAY, MARCH 5, 2013

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FEBRUARY BREAK RECAP

Judges begin, conclude campaigns ■ The men’s and women’s

the bench.

With the possibility that Freeman and Trapasso will return due to redshirt eligibility, the future looks bright for the team.

basketball teams ended their seasons, while baseball and softball started their seasons.

By JACOB MOSKOWITZ and elan kane JUSTICE Senior and contributing writerS

Several Brandeis sports teams competed over break. Here’s a brief recap of how they performed.

Softball The softball team opened their season in New York over the winter recess, winning all three of their games.

Before defeating Union College 8-7 in extra innings on Feb. 22, the Judges swept the doubleheader Feb. 21 against Castleton State College, shutting out the Spartans first by a score of 8-0 and then 1-0.

The Judges came out swinging in their first game of the season, tallying 12 hits. The game remained scoreless until the fifth inning, where first baseman Melissa Nolan ’14 connected for her first home run of the season.

Nolan’s run was a part of a four run inning for the Judges.

Brandeis did not stop there, however, as the squad got another four runs in the sixth inning, which was highlighted by a RBI double from right fielder Amanda Genovese ’15 and a RBI triple from left fielder Danielle Novotny ’16. Starting pitcher Nikki Cote ’15 went the distance, recording 10 strikeouts to pick up the win.

In the second game against Castleton State College, the Judges scored their lone run just two batters into the game on a RBI double by Novotny. That was the only run Brandeis needed, though, as Cote got the save, finishing Nolan’s scoreless effort over the final two innings.

The third contest of the road trip provided a challenge for the Judges.

Union College got on the scoreboard first with a run in the first inning. The Judges responded by tying things up on a home run by Cote in the game’s second inning.

After trailing by four runs heading into the sixth inning, the Judges scored three runs, including a tworun home run by second baseman Madison Gagnon ’16. Brandeis scored the tying run in the bottom of the seventh inning on a two-out fielding error by Union to force extra innings.

In the eighth, Union intentionally walked the bases loaded and then recorded the second out of the inning, but centerfielder Anya Kamber ’15 the hit a walk-off single to win the game.

The Judges next play in Florida against Salve Regina University and Haverford College on Saturday and Sunday, where they will look to continue their winning streak.

Baseball The baseball squad concluded its first road trip in Florida with a 6-5 victory over the Rochester Institute of Technology on Feb. 24. With the win, the Judges improved to 2-4.

Although the Judges opened their season in Florida with a 12-3 win on Feb. 18 against Warner University, they endured a four-game losing streak throughout the week. The Judges fell to Southeastern University 4-1 on Feb. 19, followed by three losses in as many days to Augustana College, falling by 3-2, 5-4 and 6-0 margins, respectively.

JOSH HOROWITZ/Justice File Photo

GOING UP: Guard Hannah Cain ’15 shoots the ball during the Judges’ 68-50 win against the University of Chicago on Feb. 15.

In Brandeis’ first game of the season, the Judges broke open the game in the fifth inning, scoring six runs on just four hits to take the 6-1 lead against Warner. The Judges never looked back, scoring three runs in the sixth, one in the seventh and two in the ninth to cruise to the opening day victory. Starting pitcher Colin Markel ’14 picked up the win, and he was supported by formidable hitting performances from catcher Chris Ferro ’13 and left fielder Nick Cortese ’13, who each tallied three hits.

Though the Judges gained the early lead in their second game with a run in the first inning, their bats went silent the rest of the way as the Judges lost a close one against Southeastern.

First basemen Dan Gad ’14 had the lone RBI for the Judges.

Brandeis’ third contest of the week featured a notable pitching performance from pitcher Kyle Brenner ’15, who allowed just two earned runs in six innings, while striking out three.

However, Augustana College senior pitcher Jared McIntosh outdueled Brenner, allowing two earned runs in eight innings to pick up the win.

In the Judges’ second game against the Vikings, Brandeis rallied twice from two-run deficits. In the seventh inning, Brenner’s single brought in runs from Ferro and Cortese, and in the ninth inning, RBI singles from third baseman Kevin Barry ’14 and right fielder David Tyre-Vigil ’16 tied the game again.

The Judges did not close the game well, however, as Augustana College

TENNIS: Men pick up home victory CONTINUED FROM 16

Mudd-Scripps and Redlands, ranked nationally 8th and 24th respectively.

The women had the day off from matches this past Saturday.

According to Zuckerman, the Judges are focusing on typical early-season things: conditioning, efficiency and consistency.

“We’ve been practicing at 7 a.m. in addition to our normal practices while focusing on the task at hand,”

he said. “We’re looking to reach our potential. If we can maximize each of our own individual levels of performance, then we have a strong possibility of being a nationally-ranked team.

Both men’s and women’s tennis return to action this upcoming Saturday. The men face Oneonta State before travelling to Middlebury College, while the women join them for an away match at Middlebury.

scored the winning run in the bottom of the inning to record their second straight victory against the Judges.

In their next game, the Judges were shutout for the first time this season, but still accumulated seven hits. However, they bounced back and recorded their second win of the season, as pitcher Craig Rothenberg ’16 secured his first collegiate win.

The baseball squad will now have some time off to prepare for their University Athletic Association tournament, set to begin this Saturday against Washington University.

Men’s Basketball On Feb. 23, the men’s basketball team had a chance to knock off rival New York University at the Coles Sports Center and put itself in a position to make the NCAA tournament.

However, the Judges lost 59-57 in a game that came down to the last few possessions. They finished the season at 17-8 (8-6 UAA) and failed to make the tournament for the third season in a row.

On Feb. 17, the Judges fell to Washington University, 76-60. Guards Jay Freeman ’13 and Anthony Trapasso ’13 and center Wouter Van der eng ’13 were all honored for senior day. On Feb. 15, the Judges defeated the visiting University of Chicago 75-56.

Against NYU, the Judges failed to make shots down the stretch. Although they led by eight with a little more than 10 minutes left in the first half, NYU made a run to end the half.

The game was close the rest of the

way.

NYU held a 57-56 lead with nine seconds left in the game. Brandeis ran a play for center Youri Dascy ’14, who was fouled on his shot attempt. However, he missed both free throws and NYU secured the rebound, forcing the Judges to foul with just five seconds to play.

NYU senior forward Max Wein knocked down both free throws.

Brandeis called a timeout. They then got the ball up the court, but NYU intentionally fouled forward Alex Stoyle ’14 with one second on the clock.

Stoyle made the first free throw.

Coach Brian Meehan called his final timeout and set up a play for Stoyle to miss and hope, somehow, that a Brandeis player would tip it in.

The shot went up, and an NYU player batted the ball out of bounds, causing a frenzy.

“We got all our best athletes, best jumpers in there,” forward Connor Arnold ’14 said. “We tried to get a miss off the rim so we could get a tip in. Unfortunately, they blocked us out well and we didn’t get a chance.”

Guard Gabriel Moton ’14 led the team with 14 points. Dascy had 11 points and eight rebounds.

Against WashU, the Judges trailed for almost the entire game. Dascy led the team with 17 points.

On Feb. 15, the Judges led the entire way, opening up a 25 point lead at halftime. Stoyle led the all scorers with 28 points on 10-12 shooting and 4-5 from three. Freeman added 15 points, 5-5 from beyond the arc, in 16 minutes off

Women’s Basketball The women’s basketball team came from behind to defeat New York University on Saturday in front of a boisterous crowd in the packed Coles Sports Center in New York City. A big second half run sparked the 72-61 victory, giving the Judges an overall record of 10-15 and,4-10 in the University Athletic Association.

On Feb. 15, Brandeis dominated the University of Chicago 68-50, and on, February 17, the Judges put up a fight against No. 13 Washington University but ultimately fell, 62-57. Both games were at home.

“The three seniors (forwards Erika Higginbottom ’13, Courtney Ness ’13 and Samantha Anderson ’13 ) showed great leadership and determination throughout the entire game,” said coach Carol Simon.

“I thought all three seniors ended their careers not only with a great win but all contributing significantly in the win,” she added.

The Judges started the game quickly by taking a 6-0 lead just one minute, 30 seconds into the game. The game’s pace picked up from there, and NYU made a late run to take a 36-28 lead into halftime.

At the end of an eventful second half, guard Kasey Dean ’14 nailed a jumper with 3:48 to go, extending the Judges’ lead to 58-50 and all but put the game out of reach. Higginbottom led all scorers with 16. Guard Janelle Rodriguez ’14 and Samantha Anderson ’13 both contributed 12 points.

On Feb. 17, the Judges’ game against the highly-touted WashU team came down to the wire. The biggest lead of the game came at the 4:55 mark of the second half with the Bears leading 5344. The Judges still had a fight left in them to rally.

The Judges cut the lead to two, 5452, after Cain’s jumper with 2:33 to go.

After a block by Higginbottom, guard Hannah Cain ’15 drove down the lane and laid the ball in to tie the game at 54. On the next possession, however, Bears sophomore guard Maddy Scheppers nailed a three-pointer and gave the Bears a three-point lead. A late basket by senior guard Nishi Tavernier sealed the deal for the Bears.

Cain scored a career-high 17 points to lead the Judges. Dean and Higginbottom both scored 10 points.

On Feb. 15, the Judges dominated the University of Chicago from the outset. Just 3:30 into the game, the Judges held a 9-2 lead. They took a 33-21 lead into halftime, which they bolstered in the second half. Rodriguez led the way with a career-high 22 points. Higginbottom added 10 while Ness had eight points.

Simon said she was proud of the way the Judges played during the last month of the season.

“This was a group that really improved throughout the year,” she said. “It’s almost like you wish there was another month. I could see the maturation of the team, and the way we all matured as players was great.”

The Judges finished the season sixth in the University Athletic Association but the coaches hope that the improvement over the last month will carry into next season.

FENCING: Judges defeat regional foes in big win for both squads CONTINUED FROM 16

The women’s battle was much closer. Given that Boston College was on its tail the entire way, each match was more important.

The foil team was the cornerstone to Saturday’s victory, winning 40 matches and losing only three. Just like their male counterparts, the women foilers are also young and exciting to watch.

But while the men are sophomores, these women are just first-

years: Caroline Mattos ’16, Emilia Dwyer ’16, and Annie Kim ’16 all performed exceptionally last Saturday. While Dwyer and Kim suffered just one and two losses respectively, Mattos went undefeated and came in second overall. Dwyer and Kim came in eighth and ninth respectively.

The women’s saber and women’s epee teams did just enough to help edge their opponents. While the saberists won 32 matches and lost 10,

the epee women won 35 matches and lost eight. Zoe Messinger ’13, who came in sixth place overall, was the anchor of the saber squad, helping out teammates Emmily Smith ’13 and Deborarh Abiri ’16.

Similarly, Gwen Mowell ’16 went undefeated to help guide the women’s epee to an impressive 35 wins.

This victory will pay dividends in preparation for the NCAA East Regional Collegiate Championships at St. John’s University.

14

THE JUSTICE

●

TUESDAY, MARCH 5, 2013

GOING THE DISTANCE

Fabian shines immediately for Judges Max Fabian ’15 recorded many wins for a redeveloping squad

By ADAM RABINOWITZ JUSTICE EDITOR

Max Fabian ’15 left quite the first impression for the Judges this season, shattering the record for the 1,000-yard freestyle in the Oct. 20 home opener against Wheaton College.

From there, he swept countless distance events and made his biggest splash at the University Athletic Association Championships on Feb. 16, shaving 22 seconds off of the school record in the 1,650-yard freestyle. He came within four seconds of earning the first All-Association honor for Brandeis since 2009.

Swimming is more than a school sport, though, for Fabian; it is a family affair.

“Swimming runs in the family,” he said.

“My dad [Dr. Jack Fabian] has always been a very skilled coach and my sister [Eva Fabian] has always been a rewarding presence in my path to success.”

Dr. Jack Fabian, head coach of the Keene State University Owls, has transformed the swimming program into a perennial powerhouse, with his swimmers accruing five AllAmerican honors and two consecutive New England Championships in 2009 and 2010. He also serves as an assistant coach on the USA Swimming National Team, leading a crop of premier international swimmers..

Eva Fabian, currently a freshman distance swimmer at Yale University, has plunged into the world record books as a member of the USA National Team. She won the 10,000-meter race at the 2011 Open Water National Championships held in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., and has accumulated top three finishes in numerous international competitions, all while she was in high school.

Needless to say, Fabian has made his own mark in the swimming lanes. He excelled in his first season at Connecticut College and competed at the USA Swimming National Open Water Select Camp last summer, a launching pad for elite distance swimmers to enter the international scene.

Yet, after transferring to Brandeis last fall, Fabian found what he was looking for; a second swimming “family”—the Judges.

“My experience at Brandeis has been really enjoyable, especially working with such a great mix of teammates,” he said. “We—both the seniors and the underclassmen—are all in this together, looking to help each other out and put the Judges back on track.”

Fabian knew the road to success would be an

ABOVE THE COMPETITION: Swimming for a rebounding program allowed Max Fabian ’15 to set an example for his teammates, both younger and older.

JAN VOLK/Sportspix

uphill battle.

The turning point for the Judges, though, came after a mid season training venture to Puerto Rico.

“Puerto Rico was really the first time where we could just focus solely on swimming,” he said. “We entered as a group of swimmers, but came out as a team. We finally built what we started to put together in the preseason.”

The tide finally turned in the Judges’ favor when Brandeis earned its first victory since 2010 in a Jan. 11 meet against Bridgewater State University and accumulated 27 victories versus Regis College the following month.

Fabian noted that the UAA Championships, rounding out the Judges’ inaugural campaign, marked the most memorable moment of the season for the swimmers.

“After a successful three-day tournament, we became close as a team and really got to know each other,” he said.

The Brandeis swimming and diving “family” was established.

One figure, particularly, stood out in this journey—not only as a leader of the squad, but as a mentor for Fabian: coach Mike Kotch.

Fabian referred to Kotch as a coach who, through his intimate knowledge of individual swimmers and leadership, has been instrumental to the team’s success.

“Coach really brought home what it meant to swim for this team,” he said. “I’m glad to have had the privilege to work with such a great coach. He is very resourceful and really gets to know each member of the team.”

However, the program’s rebuilding process is far from over.

As Brandeis looks toward its second season in the water, Kotch and Fabian will continue to increase recruitment and build off of a successful campaign.

“In terms of next season, we just have to work with what we established,” he said.

“Now that we know what to expect, we need to expand our numbers. The goal is just to pack more of a punch.”

Fabian plans to maintain his rigorous regimen of distance workouts and train with his father over the summer.

Ever since his first swimming lesson with Eva as a young child, the pool has been one of his favorite places.

“I’m just looking to stay in the water,” he said. “I love swimming.”

It shouldn’t be a surprise—a passion for the sport runs in the family.

SWIMMING AND DIVING

Teams conclude season at UAA Championships ■ Despite finishing eighth out of

eight teams, the Judges capped their seasons over break in style at the season’s final races.

By ADAM RABINOWITZ JUSTICE EDITOR

The men’s and women’s swimming and diving squads reached the end of their seasons at the University Athletic Association Championships on Feb. 13, hosted by the University of Chicago. After a memorable campaign in which Brandeis

fielded a swim team for the first time since the 2009-2010 season, the Judges looked to conclude their monumental season with a wave of unique successes.

While the squads’ lack of depth resulted in an eighth-place finish at the championship meet, each team proved that, with an expanded program, it has the potential to excel on a bigger stage. The men registered 339 points, while the women’s side accumulated 212 points.

Holly Spicer ’13 noted that while it may take a few seasons to gain the necessary depth to succeed, the Judges are on the right track.

“There is a lot of talent on our team,” she said. “We are just too small to be competitive right now.

Every year, the team will slowly increase and get stronger.”

Max Fabian ’15 led the charge for the men, securing a fourth-place result in the one-mile event, finishing in 16 minutes, 13.83 seconds, a school record. The sophomore transfer from Connecticut College fell just short of securing the Judges’ first All-Association honor since 2009.

Yet, he ended his 2012-13 season on a high note, meeting the NCAA Division III Championship ‘B’ Standard.

Padraig Murphy ’14 and Manu

Wendum ’15 finished 20th and 24th, respectively, in the 200-yard backstroke. Murphy surged to the finish line in 2:00.94, closely followed by Wendum, who finished in 2:28.94.

Spicer ended her collegiate swimming career with a triumphant performance in the 200-yard breaststroke, placing 17th with a time of 2:31.41. While she ultimately fell short of qualifying for the ‘B’ finals, the result launched Spicer to a victory in the ‘C’ finals.

The women’s squad made a splash in several other key events. Eliza Kopelman ’15 dove to a 14th-place finish in the one-meter event, secur-

ing a score of 254.70. Theresa Gaffney ’16 and Lauren Cruz ’16 represented a dynamic duo for the first-years on the squads, placing in the top 25 in their respective events. Gaffney finished 21st in the 1,650-yard freestyle meet, securing a time of 19:08.73, while Cruz raced to a 23rd place finish in the 200-yard backstroke with a time of 2:14.79.

While the season may be over, Spicer acknowledged the work for the Judges has just begun.

“They definitely have a bright future ahead of them, and the program is moving in the right direction,” she said.

THE JUSTICE

●

TUESDAY, MARCH 5, 2013

15

MAKING AN IMPACT

jUDGES BY THE NUMBERS Men’s BASKETBALL UAA STANDINGS

TEAM STATS

Points Per Game

Not including Monday’s games UAA Conference Overall

W L D W L D Pct. Rochester 10 4 0 22 4 0 .846 WashU 10 4 0 18 4 0 .808 Emory 10 4 0 16 6 0 .769 JUDGES 8 6 0 17 8 0 .680 Case 5 9 0 11 11 0 .577 Chicago 5 9 0 10 12 0 .480 NYU 5 9 0 13 9 0 .440 Carnegie 3 11 0 6 19 0 .240

EDITOR’S NOTE: The Judges ended their season with a 59-57 loss at NYU on Feb. 23.

Gabriel Moton ’14 led the team with 14.5 points per game.

Player PPG Gabriel Moton 14.5 Ben Bartoldus 10.1 Youri Dascy 9.8 Alex Stoyle 9.7

Rebonds Per Game Gabriel Moton ’14 led the team with 5.7 per game.

Player RPG Gabriel Moton 5.7 Alex Stoyle 5.2 Youri Dascy 4.4 Ben Bartoldus 3.0

WOMen’s basketball UAA STANDINGS

TEAM STATS

Not including Monday’s games

Points Per Game

UAA Conference Overall

W L D W L D Pct. Emory 12 2 0 24 3 0 .889 Rochester 11 3 0 20 7 0 .741 WashU 10 4 0 22 5 0 .815 Case 8 6 0 16 9 0 .640 Carnegie 5 9 0 13 13 0 .500 JUDGES 4 10 0 10 15 0 .400 NYU 3 11 0 10 15 0 .400 Chicago 3 11 0 7 18 0 .280

Kasey Dean ’14 leads the team with 8.6 points per game.

Player PPG Kasey Dean 8.6 Hannah Cain 8.3 Erika Higginbottom 6.8 Janelle Rodriguez 6.0

EDITOR’S NOTE: The Judges ended their season with a 72-61 win at NYU on Feb. 23.

Rebounds Per Game Hannah Cain ’15 leads with 5.6 rebounds per game.

Player RPG Hannah Cain 5.6 Samantha Anderson 4.6 Erika Higginbottom 4.3 Kasey Dean 3.8

SWIMMING AND DIVING Results from the University Athletic Association Championships held at the University of Chicago on Feb. 13-17.

TOP FINISHERS (Men’s)

TOP FINISHERS (Women’s)

1650-YARD FREE TIME Max Fabian 16:13.83

200-YARD BREAST TIME Holly Spicer 2:31.41

200-YARD BACK Padraig Murphy Manu Wendum

50-YARD FREE Fallon Bushee Esther Tandetnik

TIME 2:00.94 2:28.94

TIME 26.01 27.89

EDITOR’S NOTE: The Judges ended their season with eighth-place finishes at the UAA Champsionships held at UChicago on Feb. 13-17.

TRACK AND FIELD Results from the Tufts Last Chance Meet on Saturday, March 2.

NOTABLE FINISHES (Men’s)

NOTABLE FINISHES (Women’s)

1-MILE RUN Alex Kramer Mik Kern

TIME 4:12.99 4:18.41

3000-METER RUN Ed Colvin

TIME 8:43.73

DISTANCE MEDLEY TIME Brandeis ‘A’ 12:15.57 Amelia Lundkvist Casey McGown Kelsey Whitaker Victoria Sanford

UPCOMING MEET: Alex Kramer will compete in the one-mile run at the NCAA Division III Championships in Naperville, Ill. on March 8-9.

Photo Courtesy of Adam Schlitt/Brandeis Athletics

ALL SMILES: Ruben Kanya ’14, Zach Malis ’12 MA ’13 and Connor Arnold ’14 pose after an enriching experience.

Players reach out to local youth in clinic

■ Three Brandeis basketball players held a skills clinic for fifth and sixth graders last month in Dedham, Mass.

By ADAM SCHLITT SPECIAL TO THE JUSTICE

On a bright, cool February afternoon, fifth and sixth graders at the Rashi School gym prepared for a basketball lesson to remember. Excitement was in the air as three men’s basketball players from the Judges held a clinic for the students on defense, shooting, and dribbling. Graduate student Zach Malis ’12 MA ’13 and juniors Ruben Kanya ’14 and Connor Arnold ’14 had made the trip to Dedham, Mass. to help out the young players at Rashi. Yet, there was a greater cause behind the trip.

“We were sitting at dinner one night and Yuli [a student at the Rashi School] said, ‘we should do a fundraiser for kids affected by Hurricane Sandy,’” said Yuli’s mother, Joni. “I said what do you have in mind and he said a basketball thing at school.”

That conversation launched this unforgettable event on Feb. 12. After correspondence between Malis and Joni over a few months, a date was made and the charities were chosen.

Additionally, the event planners proposed to sponsor donations of toys to kids affected by Hurricane Sandy as well as to the SibsPlace organization, a program in alliance with South Nassau hospital that supports and aids children living with a parent or sibling that has been diagnosed with cancer or other terminal illnesses.

Ari Marcovski, a Hebrew teacher and sixth grade basketball coach at Rashi identified with the Judges’ goal to carry out social justice.

“Since social justice is so central to us at Rashi, it is heartwarming to see students take on social justice initiatives on their own,” said Marcarski.

“This fortifies our hope for our collective future.”

Arnold, Kanya and Malis greatly enjoyed the opportunity to give back to a community in need.

“Being able to help kids out and teach them something about basketball for a good cause was a great expe-

rience,” Arnold said.

Kanya also felt greatly rewarded by the opportunity to provide a memorable experience for these children, in addition to contributing to two fantastic causes.

“Anytime you can take just two hours out of your day towards a good cause it’s worth it,” he said. “It’s nostalgic to come back [to a grade school] and remember where you were. It feels good for me to help the community and send a message about academics and how dedication will help you be successful.”

Malis explained how being a student-athlete at Brandeis for five years influenced his desire to make an event to help benefit the community.

“I have been given an incredible opportunity to pursue excellence in the classroom as well as excellence in athletics,” he said. “Any opportunity that I am given to give back to the community is an equally, if not more, worthy pursuit.”

Many would agree.

Editor’s note: Adam Schlitt works for Brandeis Athletics.

BOSTON BRUINS BEAT Bruins continue red-hot start to the season with successive home victories in important games The Bruins eked out one-goal victories against the Tampa Bay Lightning and the Ottawa Senators on Saturday and Thursday, respectively, by margins of 3-2 and 2-1.

Saturday’s game proved to be a back-and-forth affair with lots of offense. After Boston left wing Milan Lucic was called for interference five minutes, 11 seconds into the first period, Tampa Bay center Steven Stamkos took advantage of the man advantage and sniped a one-timer top shelf. The goal continued Stamkos’ point streak of nine games, in which he has 15 points (seven goals and eight assists).

“I’m more happy to see our team play the way we did than I was to keep my own streak,” commented Stamkos when asked by reporters about his point streak. “It doesn’t matter who scores or how we score. What matters is that we outplay the other team.”

The Lightning took advantage on the power play minutes later when forward Alexander Killorn found the twine from a precision pass from

veteran right wing Martin St. Louis. The goal put Tampa at two-for-two on the power play and gave the high-octane offense a commanding lead going into the second period.

The Bruins were able to take back control of the momentum when they were given their first power play moments after they killed their own penalty. The Bruins came out firing and it was only a matter of time before right-wing Tyler Seguin ripped a one-timer of a rebound from Lightning goalie Mathieu Garon.

Several minutes later the Bruins equalized when Boston forward Adam McQuaid found Rich Peverley, who returned the favor by scoring a goal when he sniped a shot from a similar spot that Stamkos had in the previous period.

The game quickly turned into a defensive battle, with both goalies making save after save.

Boston was forced to kill seven penalties including a controversial double minor, but the outstanding play of the Bruins penalty kill unit held the visitors off.

Late in the game, Lucic’s face got cut from to a high stick in the face, giving the Bruins a fourminute power play late in the third. Garon was able to kill the first of the two penalties but came out too early on forward Patrice Bergeron who found left wing Brad Marchand, who then shot it into an open net. “I was in the right place at the right time I guess, and with the way we were shooting it was only a matter of time before the puck found the net,” said Marchand of his goal.

Thursday night’s game started a bit slower than Saturday’s encounter. With 9:14 left in the first period, right wing Nathan Horton was set up perfectly by Seguin to slam home a shot from 10 feet. However, Horton mishit the shot, and the puck skidded wide. Forward Chris Kelly was then denied by goalkeeper Robin Lehner. The Bruins were largely restricted to long-range efforts in a scoreless period filled with stoppages, where they outshot the Senators 11-5.

Marchand then had a great chance to put the Bruins on top, cutting in from the left and ram-

ming a shot. With 16:19 left in the period, Seguin had a great chance to finish.

For all their efforts, though, the Bruins had nothing to show for it. That is, until 14:12 left in the period, when they drew first blood. Horton hit a shot that trickeld between Lehner’s legs.

After some sustained Ottawa pressure, the equalizer arrived with 5:16 left in the second.

Ottawa center Jim O’Brien fired home after the puck caromed around in front of the net.

The third period featured no scoring, sending the game to overtime, where Bergeron grabbed the winner with 1:22 left. Defenseman Dennis Seidenberg hit a hard shot from the blue line, which the former tipped by Lehner and into the net to send the home fans wild.

The Bruins, who lost 4-3 to the Montreal Canadiens on Sunday night, will look to bounce back when they visit the Washington Capitals tonight at 7 p.m.

— Jonah Price and Henry Loughlin

just

Sports

Page 16

GOING BEYOND THE COURT Basketball players Connor Arnold ’14, Ruben Kanya ’14 and Zach Malis ’12 MA ’13 gave pointers to fifth and sixth graders, p. 15.

Tuesday, March 5, 2013

Tennis

Waltham, Mass.

FENCING

HEADED FOR THE BIG STAGE

Teams endure mixed start to season

Fencers emerge victorious at New Englands ■ Both squads took home

titles against major rivals over break at a regional competition UMass.

By BEN FREUDMAN JUSTICE STAFF WRITER

■ After both teams had

matches in California, the men’s squad beat Vassar at home last weekend.

By AVI GOLD JUSTICE STAFF WRITER

In their first home match of the season, the Brandeis University Men’s Tennis team found themselves in a 3-3 tie against Vassar College this past Saturday in Gosman Athletic Center. It was then that the squad’s depth shone through to pull out a 5-4 victory.

The day got off to a good start for the Judges, as they won two of three doubles matches behind strong play from captains Josh Jordan ’13 and Steven Milo ’13 who won their match 8-6. They were followed by an 8-4 loss by Michael Secular ’15 and Alec Siegel ’15 before David Yovanoff ’13 and Mitch Krems ’16 won their match 9-7 to give the Judges a 2-1 advantage in the match.

The good play in doubles matches spilled over into the beginning of singles play when Jordan rolled over Vassar senior Dan Freeman 6-1, 6-2 for the easiest win of the day.

From there, the men dropped two straight matches when both Milo and Yovanoff were defeated, in the tiebreaker and straight sets respectively. Milo fell 4-6, 7-5, 7-6 (7-1) while Yovanoff lost 7-6 (7-3), 6-3. The two losses tied the match at 3-3, and it was then that the squad displayed its ability to win close matches.

Krems dropped the first set tiebreaker 7-5, but rebounded with determination to take his match 6-7 (5-7), 6-4, 6-2 to give the Judges a 4-3 lead.

According to Matthew Zuckerman ’14, Krems has been the Judges’ “biggest clutch performer.”

“Mitch has been really delivering big for our team. He’s a hard worker and he steps it up big when we need him.”

He was followed by Secular who was defeated 6-4, 2-6, 6-2 to tie the match at 4-4, leaving the match in the hands of Siegel. Siegel dropped the first set 7-5 before rallying to take the second set 6-4 and cruising to victory in the third set 6-2. Siegel’s comeback victory clinched the overall 5-4 victory for the Judges.

Earlier over mid-winter break, the men defeated Cal Lutherean University 8-1 in their California trip before falling to ClaremontMudd-Scripps 9-0 and the University of Redlands 8-1, nationally ranked 5th and 16th respectively.

The women’s tennis team had a similar fate in California, defeating 23rd ranked Chapman University 7-2 before falling to Claremont-

See TENNIS, 13 ☛

JAN VOLK/Sportspix

OUT IN FRONT: Alex Kramer ’13 competes in the 3000-meter run at the Reggie Poyau Invitational held on Dec. 7.

Kramer highlights Judges’ performances at Tufts meet ■ Alex Kramer ’13 qualified

for the NCAA Division III Championships in the men’s mile run Saturday.

By HENRY LOUGHLIN JUSTICE EDITOR

Held this past Saturday, the Tufts Last Chance Meet gave some athletes one more chance to potentially qualify for the NCAA Division III National Championships to be held this weekend in Naperville, Ill. And while several Judges competed simply to have one more opportunity to race before spring rolls around, there was one Brandeis athlete who punched his ticket to the biggest race of the season.

Alex Kramer ’13, who is currently ranked No. 14 in Division III in the one-mile run, qualified for the championship to be held on Friday and Saturday after his second-place finish in that event at the Tufts Last Chance Meet. He finished second out of 16 runners in that event, running the distance in four minutes, 12.66 seconds. Kramer finished less than one second behind the event winner, senior Pat Grimes of Amherst College, who clocked 4:11.72. His time, a new personal best, ranks him fourth out of New England milers in Division III. “After running the time I did this weekend at Tufts, I really thought I had a good chance to qualify,” said Kramer on Monday in an interview

with the Justice. “I’m looking forward to it and hope to enjoy it.”

Though Kramer rightly stole the plaudits with his performance, he was not the only Judge to shine. Mik Kern ’13 also was impressive in the race, finishing eighth with a time of 4:18.41.

Kramer was quick to praise the presence of Kern and Chris Brown ’12, who finished third in the same event at the 2012 NCAA Division III Indoor Championships, the reaching his goal.

“Mik got second to me in the mile at the (University Athletic Association) Championships,” he said. “He has been the perfect training partner.

We’ve done pretty much all of our workouts together, all of our training together, this year. He’s been a huge help to me.

“Chris has been one of my best friends. He ran 3:43 in the 1500-meter race outdoors, which is equal to about a 4:01 mile. He did very similar workouts last year as I did this year, so when you start to do the same things and follow the same training, you start to get confidence in yourself and your ability.”

Having competed in the one-mile race most of the season, Ed Colvin ’14 recorded a new season-best time in the men’s 3,000-meter run. The junior took second in the 15-lap race, clocking 8:43.73, less than three seconds behind race winner Bill Way. The women’s distance medley relay team, fresh off a win at the University Athletic Association Championships on Feb. 22, put forth a strong

effort over the 4,000-meter distance, taking eighth out of nine competing squads. Kelsey Whitaker ’16, Casey McGown ’13, Amelia Lundkvist ’14 and Victoria Sanford ’14 ran the 800-meter leg, 400-meter leg, 1,200-meter leg and 1,600-meter leg, respectively, coming in at 12:15.57 seconds.

In addition to Kramer and the aforementioned Distance Medley Relay, Brandeis featured another UAA Championship winner in Vincent Asante ’14, who took first in the 55-meter dash in 6.55 seconds.

After a few weeks of recovery, the rest of the Judges will compete in their first outdoor meet on March 30, when they will again travel to Tufts for the Snowflake Classic.

However, for Kramer, all of his focus turns to this weekend and putting forth a strong effort at the season’s biggest occasion for Division III collegiate athletes.

“I really think I have a good shot to be All-American,” he said. “There’s a preliminary race on Friday where a few of the competitors (there are 13 competitors in the preliminary race) are knocked out. However, the seed time gap from me (he is the ninth seed) to the third seed is around one second. I know that anything can happen in a big race like that and that the guys that I am competing against are very tough, but I think I have a good shot (at earning All-American) if everything goes well.”

With good preparation, lots of rest, intense focus and maybe even a little bit of luck, Kramer could return from the Midwest with that distinction.

They came, they saw, and they conquered.

The Brandeis University men’s and women’s fencing teams emerged victorious at the New England Collegiate Championships, a meet between non-Ivy league schools in Massachusetts, Connecticut and New York. They competed against rivals such as Sacred Heart University, Boston College, Massachusetts Institute of Technology and other challenging teams such as Vassar College, Tufts University and University of Massachusetts, Amherst.

In the meet, each fencer competes in a round robin pool. The top fencers go onto another round of a six-person pool. The wins and losses in this pool determine each fencer’s seed in yet another round robin pool. An athlete’s performance in the final round determines who wins the tournament individually, while the team performance is based on the amount of wins gathered by each athlete representing their school.

Overall, the men totaled 89 wins between the three weapons, which was 10 more than second-place Sacred Heart’s total. Meanwhile, the women compiled 107 points, which was just good enough to edge Boston College’s 105 points for the title.

The men’s saber squad put on a show to write home about. A trio of sophomores, the saber specialists won 33 matches and only lost once combined. Individually, Ben Loft ’15 and Adam Mandel ’15 went undefeated. Even though Jess Ochs-Willard ’15 was the only Judge to suffer a loss, he still finished second overall.

Mandel finished first while Loft took sixth.

The men’s foil team also had an impressive showing, combining for 31 wins and just three losses between them. Just like their saber teammates, the foilers are also comprised of exciting fencers: Ethan Levy ’15, Julian Cardillo ’14 and Noah Berman ’15. Cardillo and Berman made it to the final pool, finishing in first and second, respectively.

The men’s saber and men’s foil teams were the keys to Brandeis’s success, but the men’s epee still needed to chime in in order to ensure the victory. The men’s epee came in third overall, and nobody made it to the final round despite putting together a solid amount of wins: 25.

“Our youth is a huge benefit— younger fencers don't get caught up in preconceptions,” said OchsWillard. They fight as hard as they can, no matter if their opponent is from a club team or from a team that sends fencers to NCAA Championships every year.”

See FENCING, 13 ☛

v

JustArts

Volume LXV, Number 20

Tuesday, March 5, 2013

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

Waltham, Mass.

Down the ‘Rabbit Hole’ Brandeis Players’ production of the emotionally charged family drama starts 2013 season strong P.21

In this issue:

Arab Lands Concert

‘Romeo Loves Juliet’ Shakespeare adaptation performed on Valentines Day P. 23

K-NITE Star Compilation of performances showcases Korean culture P. 21

P. 23

False Advertising Comedy Show P. 19 Louisiana Prison Documentary Screening P. 20 This week’s PHOTO CONTEST:

“Instagram”

18

justARTS

TUESDAY, march 5, 2013 | THE JUSTICE

CALENDAR

INTERVIEW

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

ON-CAMPUS EVENTS

Opening Reception: “Dimensions 3”

The “Dimensions 3” exhibit features work from classes in sculpture, 3D design and digital photography. Work featured is created by current firsts years, sophomores and juniors. The Fine Arts Department will host an Opening Reception for the exhibit.

Today at 5 p.m. in the Dreitzer Gallery of Spingold Theater Center. Exhibition on view through Friday, March 22 .

International Women’s Day Show

As a part of Russian Culture Week, Brandeis’ Russian Club will be hosting a talent show with traditional Russian refreshments, and flowers will be given out to all the ladies present.

This event of appreciation is open to both the Brandeis Community and the greater Boston area.

Thursday from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. in Rapaporte Treasure Hall. This event is free and sponsored by Brandeis’ Russian Club. Doors open at 6:45 p.m.

Cameron Wolff

Symposium: Seth Coluzzi

Student musician introduces new song OLIVIA POBIEL/The Justice

After the release of his new single, JustArts sat down with Cameron Wolff ’15 to discuss his passion for music and electronic band RapidFflow.

JustArts: Would you tell me about the history of RapidFflow and how the group got started?

Cameron Wolff: So, in the summer of 2008, I went to a music place in San Francisco and started messing around with online music making programs and then I showed Chris Atanasian, my best friend and the other half of RapidFflow, and we started making music.

JA: How would you describe the style of music that RapidFflow makes?

CW: We make electronic music, but there are a lot of subgenres, like techno, trans-house, so we cross a lot of different styles. I also put in classical flare , like Mozart.

JA: How did you come up with the name RapidFflow?

CW: To get the ‘rapid’ Chris used part of his computer username and mine is my last name backwards, so then we smushed them together to create RapidFflow.

JA: How many songs has RapidFflow come out with?

CW: We’ve come out with two albums, the first one entitled RapidFflow and our second Handful of Ownage, and we’ve had two singles since then, “Digital Mist” and “Mystery”.

JA: Tell me more about your new single “Mystery” that just came out.

CW: “Mystery” just came out as the single for our new album that is coming out hopefully at the end of summer. I’m probably going to dedicate one of the songs to my Grandma who passed away recently called Nama, which is what I called her. For “Mystery,” my friend Michael Leung ’15 made the artwork and worked on other stuff as well.

JA: What types of songs will your new album feature?

CW: It has songs like “Mystery” and previous songs, but it also has songs that are completely different than anything we have ever done before; it still has our melodic style that listeners recognize and keeps our fans coming back. We also evolved our production of the music to make everything sound better and we really worked on trying to make it sound comparable to other top artists’ music.

JA: How have you seen your music evolve over time?

CW: The first album was really raw, not much mixing and more simple beats. The second album we got a little better making chord progressions, and our most recent singles are a huge step for us putting in a lot more sounds, mixing and mastering it and really going for the professional sound of other artists.

JA: What is your biggest musical influence?

CW: I have to say the Beatles, but Chris’ influences range from System of a Down to Daft Punk to the Crystal Method.

JA: What other notable experiences have you had with music production?

CW: This summer I interned at Hans Zimmer’s studio, the guy who’s made the music for Lion King and Inception. I got to sit in with composers and watch them work on the music for Assassin’s Creed and all their different techniques which helped me learn different styles of music. I had previously just worked on music, but I got to see how they produced the music for movies and video games too.

JA: Are you majoring in anything music related?

CW: I am minoring in Music and last semester I took an electronic music class which helped RapidFflow because I learned how to mix and master tracks to sound more professional.

Now, we have over 200,000 views on our page so we are doing pretty well.

JA: Where do you see RapidFflow going in the future and your own work in music?

CW: I would like to continue doing this for 10, 15 years, but realistically I’m not sure that can happen because it’s hard to make it in the music industry.

JA: Tell me more about your fan base.

CW: Most of our fans are based on watching our videos on YouTube, but we’ve sold a lot of music in Australia, Canada, all over the United States and we’ve even had some random sales in Austria, Germany and the U.K. I would love to spread more into Europe because they love this type of music there.

JA: What do you think makes RapidFflow unique?

CW: I think the fact that Chris and my writing style is based off of rock and classical music, not just electronic, shows that we are making electronic music out of other sounds that people have never heard before.

—Jessie Miller

Prof. Seth Coluzzi (MUS) discusses “Torn from the Page: Musical Settings of Guarini’s II pastor fido, 1587-1627.”

This event is sponsored by the Mandel Center for Humanities.

Friday at 1 p.m. in the Mandel Center for the Humanities Seminar Room (first floor, room 128).

BAASA’S APAHM opening ceremony

The Brandeis Asian American Student Association is hosting the show to celebrate Asian Pacific American Heritage Month. This year, the show’s theme is “Breaking the Bamboo Ceiling” and will feature artistic and cultural performances that showcase what it means to be Asian American.

This event is co-sponsored by the Brandeis Pluralism Alliance.

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

Gordon and Hodgkinson Duo

Joshua Gordon, cellist, and Randall Hodgkinson, pianist, perform pieces from composers Frank Bridge, Paul

Hindemith and Sergei Rachmaninoff.

Pieces express the powerful and uplifting response of the composers as they faced similar conditions at the beginning of the 20th century.

Saturday at 8 p.m. in Slosberg Music Center. Tickets: $20 for the general public, $15 for seniors and Brandeis community and $5 for students, available through Brandeis Tickets.

Movement Project: Heaven and Hell/ Light and Dark

This collection of original theater and dance performances connects the symbolism and composition of paintings ranging from the medeival to contemporary periods. Choreographed by graduate and undergraduate students and directed by Prof. Susan Dibble (THA), and produced by the Brandeis Theater Company.

Saturday at 7 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m. in the Spingold Theater Center.

Bob Nieske 4

The Bob Nieske 4 performs improvisations and compositions from their new CD, One, Two, Free, Four! The group includes: Dave Tronzo, guitar; Phil Grenadier, trumpet; Jon Hazilla, drums; and Bob Nieske, bass.

Sunday at 3 p.m. in the Slosberg Music Center. Tickets: $20 for the general public, $15 for seniors and Brandeis community and $5 for students, available through Brandeis Tickets.

Much Ado About Nothing

This modern performance of the classic Shakespeare play will be performed by Brandeis’ Shakespearean performance troupe, Hold Thy Peace.

Performances on Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday at 2 p.m. All performances in the Carl J. Shapiro Theater.

Celebrate: Tibetan New Year 2140

Join the Students For Tibet group to celebrate the Tibetan New Year with food and learn more about its history.

Sunday from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. in the Intercultural Center Lounge.

Pop Culture The film opens with a husband and wife peering over the edge of a crib at their infant son. They hold hands, and suddenly the calm scene of a nursery is replaced with a white hospital room. The parents kiss their son, and doctors wheel the infant away. The next scene bears the caption “6 Years Later,” and the audience watches as the same adults bicker and argue and one storms out of the house. The infant is now a child, spying on the fight—but he has prosthetic legs. Fast forward again to “Age 15,” and the setting is a cemetery. The boy with the prosthetic legs, who is now a teenager, is weeping beside a picture of the woman previously seen storming out of the house.

You won’t find this film in theaters or on DVD; rather, this faux-script depicts the real life of Oscar Pistorius, the first amputee athlete to compete in the Olympics. Or, as some may now know him, Oscar Pistorius, the alleged murderer.

Let’s backtrack a little bit. Leading up to the London 2012 Summer Olympics, Pistorius was an immediate fan favorite. Adopting the role of underdog, Pistorius garnered worldwide attention with his unbelievable skills on the track despite his lack of authentic legs. The South African has been nicknamed “Blade Runner” and “the fastest man on no legs,” and even though he didn’t leave the Olympic Games with a medal, he made quite the impact.

So when Pistorius made headlines this month for possibly committing murder, it was almost unbelievable.

Surely the 26-year-old track star could not be associated with the death of Reeva Steenkamp, his 29-year-old model girlfriend. I mean, look at pictures of them! They’re the epitome of beauty, success and love. And yet, on Feb. 14, Steenkamp was shot and killed at Pistorius’ home, sparking a flurry of rumors and questions, ultimately leading to Pistorius’ arrest.

The prosecution claims that the ath-

OFF-CAMPUS EVENTS

Art Exhibit: “New Blue and White”

This selection of works from international designers and artists has been brought together to forge a collection based on the simplest theme: blue and white. The pieces selected tackle diverse issues, ranging from public to personal to aesthetic problems.

On view through July 14 in the Foster Gallery of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. Tickets range from free up to $25. Museum admission is free with a student ID.

Sculpture Exhibit: “Paint Things: Beyond The Stretcher”

Newly opened at the deCordova Sculpture Park and Museum, the exhibit navigates the recent direction of contemporary artists to expand painting beyond the stretcher and into sculptural forms. The exhibit merges painting with installation and sculpture pieces.

On view until May 12 at the deCordova Sculpture Park and Museum in Lincoln, MA. Park admission ranges from free to $14.

The Dropkick Murphys at TD Garden

Come see one of Boston’s most successful musical hometown gems, Celtic Punk band The Dropkick Murphys.

The band is bringing their U.S. tour back home to Boston as they promote their latest record, Signed and Sealed in Blood.

Playing at TD Garden in Boston on Friday, March 15 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets range from $59 to $229, and are available at tdgarden.com.

Music Festival: Boston Calling

Come to Boston’s star spring music festival to see music groups such as fun., The Shins, Of Monsters and Men, Marina and the Diamonds, MS MR and others perform.

Performances throughout the weekend of May 25 and 26. Tickets on sale now, ranging from $75 to $350, available at bostoncalling.com.

By Erica Cooperberg

Minneapolis Star Tribune/MCT

SPEED OF LIGHT: Olympic runner Oscar Pistorius is accused of murdering his girlfriend. lete fired shots through a locked bathroom door, thinking he was shooting at an intruder when, in fact, it was actually his girlfriend.

Possible…but believable? There are so many questions to consider, like how Pistorius failed to notice his girlfriend’s absence when he got out of bed to check on the “intruder” or why he decided not to question the identity of the individual in the bathroom before blindly shooting.

Another question, most popular among Americans in the wake of the Sandy Hook shooting, is why Pistorius even had a gun on hand to begin

with. Turns out Pistorius’ gated community in Pretoria isn’t terribly safe; the runner claims his guns (that’s right, plural) are kept around to protect himself. He’s referenced his nervousness of burglars in interviews and even took to Twitter in November to discuss a false alarm that prompted him to go into “full combat” mode.

About a week and a half ago, Pistorius was granted bail (though granted limited access to his home and the inability to leave the country), and the case was adjourned to June 4. Until then, it looks like we’ll have to wait to see how this movie ends.

ARTS COVER PHOTO: Bri Mussman/the Justice, From left: Josh Horowtiz/the Justice, Joshua Linton/the Justice, Abby Knecht/the Justice DESIGN: Leslie Kamel

ON CAMPUS

THE JUSTICE | TUESDAY, march 5, 2013

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rose art museum

Exhibits at the Rose challenge viewers By emily wishingrad justice Staff writer

The three exhibits now showing at the Rose Art Museum are some of the most mentally taxing art exhibits I have been to in a long time, showing pieces that range from creepy to weird to just blatantly confusing.

Chris Bedford and his associates brought the work of Walead Beshty, Ed Ruscha and Same Jury to campus.

As Catherine Rosch ’16 said in an interview with the Justice after exiting the exhibit, “I understand Renaissance art but I feel stupid for not understanding this [exhibit].”

As with most modern art, “understanding” is the act of interpreting the bizarre and seemingly unexplainable into something more meaningful. The exhibits, each with their own message and personality, seemed to be saying something—many of the pieces were elusive and mysterious— although it was, as with all art, completely subjective as to what exactly they were trying to depict.

Perhaps the most intriguing artwork displayed was actually on the floor of the museum. Walead Beshty’s, “Untitled,” was a mirrored glass floor, which, at the opening night, was smooth and unmarked but by the time I visited, was cracked and shattered in places. On a side note, I would not recommend wearing a skirt to this exhibit; everything from the stairwell to the paintings to the people visiting the exhibit was visible. The floor seemed to suggest that everything reflected, even the most mundane ceiling lights, was part of the artwork and should be included in the exhibit.

The first exhibit, “On the Matter of Abstraction,” featuring the work of Beshty and complimented by other previously-owned works, spanned two floors in the front wing of the museum. The pieces on each floor seemed to go together but the pieces on the two floors were not cohesive. Most of the art pieces on the first floor had bright, neon colors and geometric shapes. “Yellow Curves” by Ellsworth Kelly, embodied the personality of the first floor.

Even the title suggests the themes of bright colors and geometric shapes that, as mentioned earlier, seemed to prevail on the first floor. The piece was simple: two yellow curved semicircles, almost touching, on a white background. “Yellow Curves” was a very peaceful and soothing painting to look at but was overshadowed by

COMEDY

OLIVIA POBIEL/the Justice

SEEING RED: A student looks on at the simplistic painting “Body Tracks” by innovative artist Ana Mendieta while attending the spring opening of the Rose Museum. the two much larger pieces framing it on either side: “Desert Fan” by Judy Chicago, a neat, rainbow checkered painting with a shiny façade and “Relational Painting” by Fritz Glarner, a painting with more disorganized and scattered colored rectangles.

I did not realize that one of the pieces of art was actually part of the exhibit until I saw it on the map.

Untitled (#9) by Calvin Brown was a neon, long, rectangular sign set above an elevator that I had assumed was an “exit” sign. Upon closer investigation, however, I saw that it was in fact bordered by two bright green crosses, one on either end, and covered with lines and boxes in the middle. To me, this piece made the comment that something that seems ordinary can, in fact, be extraordinary. The idea behind this piece is similar to that of the glass floor—the idea that things that are not usually seen as art can be made to be art by being put in the context of artwork.

The second floor of “On the Matter of Abstraction” was a bit more violent and disturbing. The pieces possessed grotesque titles such as “Bleed” by Tina Feingold and “Father You Have Murdered Me” by Mark Bradford, as well as Ana Mendieta’s “Body Tracks,” a piece that was infa-

mously painted in blood. The colors on this floor were more subdued than the neon top floor. This arrangement was no doubt unintentional and the question remains why the pieces were separated as such. Maybe this arrangement was commenting on human nature—how on the surface humanity appears to be bright, happy and simplistic but underneath it is really dismal, dark and actually quite frightening.

The Sam Jury exhibit, “Coerced Nature,” on the bottom floor of the museum consisted of strange, very disconcerting, and very unconventional pieces, possibly creepier than the gory pieces in “On the Matter of Abstraction.” These pieces were not violent and graphic, but they were disturbing in a more subtle way.

“A Thousand Pities,” depicted a face of ambiguous gender, age and ethnicity on a gray background. The pamphlet said that to create this piece, Jury compiled faces in mass media and superimposed them into, as the pamphlet describes an “uncanny visage.” The figure depicts “no one and everyone simultaneously.”

The person represented real people but took them out of their context in order to make a distorted version of reality. Simultaneously representing

and distorting images seemed to be a theme threaded throughout the exhibits. It represented reality but put it in a different context so that the mundane images could be seen as art.

“The Approach” was a video that moved through blades of grass and dying flowers until it focused on a figure, sitting hunched on the ground.

The amplified rustling of the grass and the creeping way that the camera moved made the film feel like, according to Rosch, a “horror movie.” It was disconcerting moving through the tall grass and it was as if at any moment something was going to jump out at you.

Ed Ruscha’s exhibit “Standard,” took mundane words and images and turned them into art. As the bio said, Ruscha is interested in the question of whether we can capture the essence of objects in words. Ruscha says that “The words have temperatures … when they reach a certain point and they become hot, they appeal to me.” This quote is an intriguing one because words are not usually personified in this way. What is even more intriguing is that Ruscha uses his love for words in order to create art—something usually thought of as pictorial. The whole exhibit was spotted with words. In fact, some of the

Improv roars with laughs

By ALEX DESILVA justice Staff writer

JOSH HOROWITZ/the Justice

LAUGHING MATTER: Zane Relethford ’13 stirs up the crowd with his experienced comedic flair.

pieces were just words in a particular font on colored backgrounds: words such as “Drops,” “Angel,” “Raw,” “OK,” “Mint” and “Air.” The title of the exhibit “Standard” was reflected in about five or six paintings of Standard gas stations in different color schemes. There was one such painting called “Ghost Station” which was a paper cutout, barely visible. Another Standard station called “Cheese Mold Standard with Olive” was a moldy green and yellow color. As the blurb next to it said, it was as if the piece was “documenting the aftermath of a cocktail party.”

The current three exhibits at the Rose are an interesting bunch. Ranging from confusing to outrageous to creepy, “On the Matter of Abstraction,” “Untitled,” “Coerced Nature” and “Standard” were all definitely food for thought. In the end, most everything, from the art piece that looked like an exit sign to the person who represents both nobody and everybody to Roscha’s Standard gas stations, seemed to relate somehow to the glass floor. Everyday reality can be made art—it might not be beautiful, but it is the act of making something ordinary into something extraordinary that is at the heart of what it means to create art.

False Advertising, Brandeis’ oldest improv group, held its first show of the semester this past Saturday, packing Cholmondeley’s with a show that featured current students as well as three alumni from the class of 2012: Jesse Appell, Louis Polisson and Hannah Wellish. The show was divided into two halves, beginning with a long form piece, which, for the uninitiated, is a skit based around a topic suggested by the audience. In this instance, the topic was “cheesy dills” (“dill” as in the pickle, among…other possibilities), a subject that the group gamely ran with, setting the stage for a night of comedy and music.

Soon after the cheesy dills setup, the group took the long form in some very interesting directions, starting with a piece on the cosmetic benefits of microwaving one’s significant other, a process that apparently can lead to some very aesthetically pleasing boils. They stuck with the subject of looks for the next bit, this time on the subject of the unibrow. The long form followed the unibrow’s journey as it is first optioned for a work of erotic eyebrow fiction, adapted into a feature length film and finally inspires a cult obsessed with warning the world of the coming “Browpocalypse.” This first half was a very solid piece of comedy; the group was able to nimbly jump from subject to subject while keeping a surprising amount of continuity between the sketches.

The first long form over, the group took something of a “half-time” break, with alumnus Appell doing a piece of Chinese standup. Appell, who studied abroad in Beijing last year and even earned a spot on a Chinese variety show

for “Laowai Style,” a “Gangnam Style” parody based around Chinese cultural tropes, performed a style of comedy known as xiangsheng, a form based around dialogues or monologues that’s notable for its rapid speech and use of wordplay.

Appell’s skit was only a taste of the form, where he quickly listed out the names of 80 countries in Mandarin.

This break was followed by what makes False Advertising unique: musical improv, which is basically the same as their long forms with the added challenge of integrating music with the dialogue. Starting from the topic “grandma’s napkin,” the troupe regaled the audience with the tragic tale of a nameless man who was born with a napkin for a left hand. Ostracized by a society that can never understand him, he finds companionship with fellow appliance people. Together, they form the Appliance Alliance, a group dedicated to helping their fellow household appliances break out of their assigned roles and choose their own path in life. All in all, this half was even stronger than the first. For one thing, the addition of music gave it a unique twist that the previous section lacked and made following the half-hour sketch a little easier. That said, one of the best parts of the show was the simple fact that it was obvious that the performers were having a good time. The audience could tell that they loved what they were doing, and their energy was infectious, which is probably the best thing that can be said of any live performance.

Overall, the night was a success. The troupe got a lot of laughs; the alumni were able to be on stage one more time and the audience, of course, got an entertaining hour of comedy. If this Saturday’s show was any indication, the group’s spring semester show, scheduled for later in the semester, is sure to be a hit.

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TUESDAY, MARCH 5, 2013 | THE JUSTICE

theater

OPEN ARMED: Brandeis Ensemble Theater and Brandeis Black Student Organization partnered together for the performance.

OLIVIA POBIEL/the Justice

Play mindfully presents themes of race By cecilie gromada justice contributing writer

The Colored Museum, a play written by George C. Wolfe, was a breathtaking performance presented by the Brandeis Ensemble Theater and the Brandeis Black Student Organization this past weekend. Directed by Iyvon Edebiri ’13, the show was truly moving and boundary pushing. According to Edebiri, the play concerned itself with “the black experience in America” and with “[challenging] the stereotypes, lies, beauties and ugly truths about being a black or African-American in America.”

Even for a non-Black or -African American viewer, such as the playwright, who cannot personally relate to some of the ideas and sentiments explored in the performance, the show still managed to have considerable impact.

Composed of 11 independent exhibits, the performance did not shy away from potentially making the viewer feel uncomfortable, since Edebiri hopes that if the “play, a character or an exhibit has raised questions, concerns or hopes” in the viewer that they then might go on to explore these after the show.

Another way in which the director attempted to achieve maximum impact was to have the experience be an interactive one.

It was announced at the beginning of the show that the audience was expected to ask questions, sing along and snap when encouraged.

This aspect meant that the audience was fully engaged and that its

complete attention was demanded for the entire of the performance.

The Colored Museum began with music and a short slideshow of pictures of slaves on slave ships, immediately followed by the first vignette “Git on Board,” a solo performance by Maya Grant ’13. Grant played the part of Miss Pat, a perky flight attendant on board the Celebrity Slave Ship, a plane transporting soon-to-be slaves to the U.S. With her forced sweet voice and unnatural giggle, Miss Pat instructed the audience to put on their shackles, to refrain from singing and to tune out the drums since their beat might inspire rebellion.

Suddenly there was a time warp, and Miss Git started talking about the American Revolution, the Civil War, the Great Depression, the two World Wars and more, describing what these events meant to the lives of the African American and black populations. Finally Miss Git and her passengers arrived safely in Savannah, GA. In the next section, titled “Cookin’ with Aunt Ethel,” Ethel, played by Jemesh Hunter ’15, describes the “magic and mystery of colored cuisine,” adding “a little humility, humor, attitude, sadness,” and lets it simmer, lets it cook, beats it, until her concoction yields a specimen of the typical African American citizen in these time periods.

Then followed “The Photo Session,” and subsequently a powerful vignette titled “Soldier with a Secret” about a man in the army who “knows the secret to pain” and se-

cretly kills his fellow black soldiers in the army hospital by inserting air into their veins. The play continues with “The Gospel According to Miss Roj,” “The Hairpiece” and “Last-Momma-on-the-Couch Play.”

In the eighth vignette, “Symbiosis,” a white male, played by Dennis Hermida ’16, throws away a pair of converse shoes, his first Afro comb, a dashiki and more, while the whole time an African-American male, Shaquan Perkins ’13, paces in the background, mourning the items rejected as they symbolized the relationship between the two characters.

The white male claimed this process was necessary for his survival, that the climate was changing and he must adapt to it in order to become something. He felt that “being black is too emotionally taxing” and went on to stab his black friend, who nevertheless rose and hugged him as the vignette came to a close. Next was “Lala’s Opening”, “Permutations” and finally, “The Party.”

On top of the considerable talent that was clearly behind the creation of The Colored Museum, the Brandeis student performers were truly outstanding, with visible passion that only added to the genius of the performance.

Altogether, the Brandeis Ensemble Theater and the Brandeis Black Student Organization managed to stage a wonderfully thought-provoking event, exploring the tough questions of race and identity in the United States—both in the past and today.

OLIVIA POBIEL/the Justice

BALL AND CHAIN: Maya Grant ’13 plays a flight attendant on a celebrity slave ship.

documentary

Ethnomusicologist finds value in prison culture By adelina simpson justice Staff writer

Louisiana does two things very well: music and prison. Georgetown University professor ethnomusicologist Benjamin Harbert explores their intersection in his documentary, Follow Me Down: Portraits of Louisiana Prison Musicians, which played in the Wasserman Cinematheque on Tuesday.

Unlike the other 49 American states, Louisiana’s legal system is based on French law rather than English common law. The law states that defendants are presumed guilty until proven innocent. Right now, one out of 86 Louisiana adults is serving time in prison.

Harbert traveled to Lousiana’s infamous Louisiana State Penitentiary, known as the “Alcatraz of the South,” or just “Angola” (the name of its post office). The prison has a rich musical history: It has held many musicians behind its bars, and many musicians have sung about it. There was folk singer Lead Belly who served four years on a murder sentence, and Tex-Mex artist Freddy Fender who was eventually pardoned.

Music is taken seriously at Angola.

It’s the saving grace for criminal musicians, and songwriting and practicing harmonies are treated sacredly.

There’s the Jazzmen group, Angola’s Most Wanted, the Pure Heart Messengers and the Family Choir.

Angola also has a radio station,

known as the Incarceration Station.

Band practice is only allowed as a reward for prisoners who have been on good behavior.

Harbert brought the camera into each of the band’s practice rooms, places the bleakness of prison life didn’t seem to touch. At jazz practice, a man crooned about a woman, “Put on your red dress, and some of your high-heels, some of that sweet perfume.” Was he singing about an old girlfriend? Maybe about somebody who he would never see again?

It was the memory of a free man.

Harbert captured the earthly claustrophobia of prison that is impossible for anybody to imagine unless incarcerated. Angola, which is situated on 18,000 acres of lush plantations, requires vocational

work of the prisoners: it’s a disturbing still-frame watching the men march out to the okra fields, a huge blue Southern sky over their heads, and then seeing the prison-guard on horseback with a rifle, ready to shoot anyone who dares wander.

Harbert’s film wasn’t intended to be activist, but it was definitely provocative. When he introduced a prisoner, he only asked three simple questions: name, sentence and conviction.

And the convictions were jaw dropping. One man was sentenced to 20 years for possession of cocaine.

Another had been sentenced to life since he was 17. There were wrinkly men in wheelchairs whom had spent their entire lives there, just waiting to die.

But there was never a sense of desperation. Most of the songs were Jesus-heavy, and geared toward the next life. Harbert traveled to the Louisiana Correctional Institute for Women, and Elayn Hunt Correctional Center, another male prison, as well. The lyrics weren’t much different from those at Angola, especially at the women’s prison, where the gospel choir remains the most popular club.

Although the prison songs are inspiring and many of the prisoners give off a death-like peacefulness about their sentence, New Orleans rapper Juvenile’s “Dirty World” best articulates the feeling the film elicits: “They’ll plant dope on ya, go to court on ya/Give ya 99 years and slam the door on ya.”

THE JUSTICE | TUESDAY, march 5, 2013

culture

theater ALL IN THE FAMILY: In the Pulitzer Prize winner Rabbit Hole, the Corbett family struggles with the death of their young son.

K-Nite Star joins new and old for an exciting show By arielle gordon justice contributing writer

Last Friday evening, Levin Ballroom looked nothing like it has ever looked before. Bright lights adorned the ceiling, the walls and the stage, and the audience’s excitement filled the room. The audience was itching for the much-anticipated show, K-Nite Star. Sponsored by the Brandeis Korean Student Association, K-Nite featured various performing acts, and the audience voted for a winner at the end of the show. K-Nite mixed traditional Korean culture with a modern twist—a spin-off of Korea’s televised nationwide talent show, the popular K-POP Star, Korea’s televised nationwide talent show.

For the most part, the show did a great job in showcasing modern Korean pop culture, grounded in traditional performance, blending the contemporary with deep history. They served traditional Korean cuisine—rice, Kimchi, Bulgogi and Japchae—while blaring popular K-Pop music from the speakers.

The BKSA girl group FanNarra gracefully glided through a traditional fan dance, creating vivid fan-shaped illusions as their pink skirts paralleled the flowing movement of the fans.

Halfway through their performance, they slyly transformed into little-black-dress clad dancing vixens, evolving from traditional garb into modern and fashionable Korean style. They continued to perform the Korean fan dance, but with an edgy and innovative twist. The juxtaposition of the old and new intrigued, compressing centuries of Korean culture into one exciting night.

However, the performances were far from perfect, and some did prove awkward and uncoordinated. The lackluster emcees did little to excite the audience, staring nervously at their notecards the entire night. Guest performer LK, a New Jersey Korean-American rapper, floundered with technical difficulties (the electrical cord disconnected from his microphone within the first minute of his performance), and struggled through minutes of performance while pounding background tracks drowned out his verses. His odd pelvis thrusts seemed to excite the audience, but frankly looked like a overly sexualized Elvis impersonation.

FAN DANCE: BKSA’s performance group Fan-Narra performed a traditional fan dance, followed by a modern Korean dance.

JOSHUA LINTON/the Justice

21

While he laboriously gave his performance his full energy, there was something sadly missing to bring it all together.

BKSA’s a cappella group Rhythm, Blues and Seoul also began equally as worrisomely.

They disappointed with flat background harmonies and lessthan-coordinated dance moves, but as their performance continued, they kicked up the energy with their humorous rendition of PSY’s “Gangnam Style.”

Though their amateurish quality made it evident that they were a relatively new group, they shone with soulful high notes and fresh musical choices.

The guest group Massachusetts Institute of Technology Oori, a traditional percussion music troupe, proved very impressive and stood out among previous groups. Their resonantly vibrant and intricate beats fluctuated in volume and in tempo. Throwing their bodies into Poongmool and Samulnori styled music, they mesmerized and entranced the entire room.

Their electricity flowed through years of history, keeping the show grounded in the roots of Korean performance culture.

Yet, the group who truly stole the show was the Brandeis rock band IndiGo6, causing the ladies in the audience to swoon and scream. With their JustinBieber-styled hair cuts and their boy band feeling, they ran the risk of entering territory that can only be categorized as “utterly corny,” but their funky rhythms and punching percussions succeeded in submerging the room with a musical frenzy.

They struck a high note with the audience, who voted them best performing act of the night, proving that the language of music speaks just as forcefully across all cultures.

BKSA’s K-Nite Star proved to be a night of duality. It mixed deeply traditional Korean performance with exciting contemporary K-Pop production. It shone with electric highs, but, in the same manner, sometimes flopped with disappointing lows.

Yet, the audience seemed to enjoy every minute of it, and the jam-packed room was filled with continual screams and applause.

Everybody left energized and delighted—and regardless of the caliber of each performance, KNite Star turned out to be a huge success.

JOSH HOROWITZ/the Justice

Emotionally charged play deals with death By peri novick

justice contributing writer

Rabbit Hole, written by David Lindsay–Abaire, was presented this past weekend by the Brandeis Players in the Carl. J Shapiro Theater. The play was the recipient of the 2007 Pulitzer Prize for Drama and also became a major motion picture starring Nicole Kidman, Aaron Eckhart and Dianne West in 2010. This production was directed by Jessie Field ’13 and produced by Yoni Bronstein ’13, telling the story of a family stretched thin by tragedy.

Accidents happen every day.

There is not always someone to blame, or a reasonable explanation. Sometimes things, for no reason and without warning, happen. It can take only moments for one’s entire life to crumble, and for everything to change. This play centers on a grieving couple, Becca and Howie Corbett, eight months after the tragic death of their fouryear-old son Danny.

As Field so aptly put it, “Rabbit Hole is not a tidy play. It is not a play about overcoming or recovering. It is no more and no less than the story of a couple trying to navigate the everyday, eight months after a terrible and random accident has changed their lives forever.” All in an instant, their lives would never be the same.

The set consisted of two levels—the living room and kitchen with stairs leading up to the deceased child’s bedroom—and re-

mained consistent with no major set changes throughout the play.

Corwin Amyx ’15, the master carpenter, and Jessica Pizzuti ’15, the set designer, eloquently put together a simple and fitting set. With this set, the actors were able to skillfully convey the story and, through their thoughtful and passionate acting, describe events that happened outside of those three rooms as well.

The play starts with a scene of Becca Corbett (Jamie Perutz ’13) and her sister Izzy (Julia Davidovitz ’15), speaking in the kitchen. Izzy reveals to her sister that she is pregnant and it is not until Becca offers her Danny’s old clothes that she was planning on giving to Goodwill that the death of Danny, her son, is referred to.

It is not until later on that someone actually makes a direct mention of Danny’s death and the accident.

Eight months prior to the time where the play takes place, Becca and Howie (Zachary Marlin ’16) Corbett’s son, Danny, was hit by a car and passed away.

It is more often referred to implicitly, as if actually saying it would make everything they have left crumble completely into dust.

Having seen the movie and entered the theater with a certain level of expectations I was not disappointed. The actors delivered a passionate performance that one would expect for this highly emotional play. Nat (Emily Duggan ’15), Becca and Izzy’s mother, and Davidovitz, were able to supply the performance

with the appropriate amount of humor while Marlin and Perutz set the consistent tone of seriousness necessary throughout the play.

Most often people turn to God for comfort in times of devastation and tragedy, yet in Rabbit Hole the idea of God only seems to bring conflict and discomfort.

Becca talks about how during a group session for parents who have lost children a grieving parent said, “God had to take her, he needed another angel.” Becca’s feelings towards that statement were, “Why didn’t he just make one? Another angel? I mean, he’s God, after all. Why didn’t he just make another angel?”

This presentation of Rabbit Hole was dedicated to the children lost in the Newtown shooting and the families affected by this tragedy. These families so abruptly and unexpectedly lost their children and as shown in Rabbit Hole, this is not something one simply overcomes, yet we can hope that, like the Corbetts, they are able to find the strength each day to carry on.

“Dogs chase squirrels and boys chase dogs,” and sometimes, so unfortunately, cars hit boys.

Not a day goes by where they are not reminded of their horrible loss. However, there are bad days but then there are also good days, days where the love and strength of their family are able to make things a little less harder, make breathing just a little bit easier and make living without their child a little less unbearable.

THE JUSTICE | TUESDAY, march 5, 2013

23

music

Arab tunes entrance listeners By aliza gans justice Staff writer

I am drifting on a dhow, an Arab sailing vessel, down some exotic Middle Eastern river; it could be the Tigris or the Euphrates or the Nile, but what I do know is the wind guiding me: “New Sounds from the Arab Lands,” a musical performance that enchanted a crowd ranging from students to curious off-campus patrons on Thursday night in the Slosberg Recital Hall.

The Music Unites Us series presented five musicians from Syria, Lebanon and Tunisia in collaboration with the Aga Khan Music Initiative, a program of the Aga Khan Trust for Culture. Theodore Levin, the Arthur R. Virgin professor of Music at Dartmouth College and senior consultant to the Aga Khan Music Initiative, delivered a pre-concert lecture about how these groundbreaking artists blend modern, improvisational and ancient Arab music styles.

This performance marked the finale of the musicians’ tour, which included France, Washington D.C. and New York. In addition to a lecture and concert, Levin arranged a residency at Brandeis from Feb. 27 to March 1, during which classes in the Fine Arts, Islamic and Middle Eastern studies and other departments took part in special workshops with the musicians.

During the first piece, called “Sammai,” I immediately recognized how adroit the musicians were at incorporating traditional and contemporary elements into their collective sound.

In Brandeis’s Middle Eastern Music

Ensemble, I play tarbukah, a gobletshaped hand drum with a distinctly crisp sound. Therefore, I was very familiar with the sammai rhythm structure, but as a student of this musical tradition, it was inspiring to see a group of young artists experiment masterfully with the traditional musical forms that are unique to their birth place.

The variety of percussion instruments that percussionist Khaled Yassine brought with him on stage attests to the range of regional influences highlighted in the performance. Throughout the concert, Yassine switched between a rich-toned bass African Djembe, a Latino Cajon, sizzling and snare-like, and the more traditional, hollow echoing Arab frame drums and the playful “teking” ceramic-bodied tarbukah. His dancing fingers on the drumheads was an exciting sight.

The second song of the program, “Friggiya,” highlighted violinist Jasser Haj Youssef. I could tell Youssef was engaged in a deep spiritual relationship with his music as he sat cross-legged cradling his viola d’ amore in his chin, supporting the neck with his resting foot.

He swooned as he bowed the medieval six-stringed instrument, heavy breaths punctuating each musical phrase. Youssef’s composition swelled with ancient sounds reminiscent of a journey through the Ottoman Empire.

I will proudly admit that I was lulled to sleep during master clarinetist, Kinan Azmeh’s piece appropriately called “Dream.” My relapse in consciousness may have been brought on by jetlag from a recent

trip abroad this February break, but I would like to think the tranquil composition thoroughly relaxed me.

As I closed my eyes, I felt the undulating melody of the clarinet hypnotizing me and practically melting me into my seat.

The song is, in fact, the main theme of an original sound track for the Filipino-American film Rigodon, though throughout this piece, I was more concentrated on the traditional Arab lyre, the qanun, played expertly by Feras Charestan, than the American and Filipino influences that it boasts.

In the fifth song, “My Gypsy Home,” composed by saxophonist Basel Rajoub, Charestan plucked the strings of the qanun with a technique similar to playing a Western harp. I was also blown away by the speed in which he adjusted the small levers of his instrument during his playing, producing nuanced quartertones characteristic of Arab music. The nasal cry and whimper of Rajoub’s alto saxophone communicated the romantic longing for a past in a distant homeland.

The performance was surprisingly short, as there was no intermission, and many songs on the program went un-played. However, what I did hear was an adventure for my ears. In an age where the media’s portrayal of the Middle East is not always favorable, this concert was a very welcome musical refreshment.

“REMIX: New Sounds from the Arab Lands,” seamlessly brought together musical tradition and innovation; five artists from various backgrounds; and an American audience that praised the music with a unified uproarious applause.

ABBY KNECHT/the Justice

JUST BEAT IT: The instruments expressed the fusion of classical Arab and modern music.

Theater

Shakespearean adaptation has experimental feel By rachel hughes justice EDITORIAL ASSISTANT

As a fitting tribute to Valentine’s Day, Masters of Fine Arts acting students Sarah Elizabeth Bedard and Eddie Shields were hard at work performing one of the most popular love stories in the western canon: Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. The play premiered on the evening of Feb. 14 and ran through Sunday, Feb. 16 in Spingold Theater Center’s coziest venue, Merrick Theater.

The play was not what traditional viewers of Shakespearean performances would expect of Romeo and Juliet; Bedard and Shields adapted the classic story to create their very own original performance, Romeo Loves Juliet.

Bedard and Shields’ adaptation lasted just over an hour, vastly shorter than the original play. Romeo Loves Juliet was substantial enough to tell the story of the young star-crossed lovers, but not so long that audiences were pawing at their programs to find out when intermission would be. The duo took much liberty with the visual presentation of the play, leading to a dramatically stripped-down version as the final product, similar to the feeling of a spontaneous production.

The theater, a small, stark white space, was staged so that the actors were really the most lively part of the production: the neatly-seated, packed audience faced a construction-themed set. Three tall ladders were positioned on the stage and draped with ropes and fabric, staged to represent the appearance of tents. Indeed, the ladders did, in certain scenes, represent the homes of the Capulets and Montagues.

After a soothing riff of a singer-songwriter style ballad played to usher the audience in, Bedard and Shields began their performance from the first scenes of the original play. Since Romeo Loves Juliet is an adapted and also truncated version of the original production, Bedard and Shields selected certain scenes to perform so that the plot would not be compromised and the audience could still understand and be intrigued by the quickly-moving storyline.

Additionally, because Bedard and Shields were the only two actors in the performance, when either one of

them was playing a character other than Romeo or Juliet, they would take turns wearing a masquerade-style eye mask. This limitation meant that either Romeo or Juliet had to be present in every scene, restricting the types of scenes that could be included.

However, this also caused the audience to pay more critical attention to the performance as they tried to ascertain the changing identity of the masked character. Though the actors did their best, this bold move did make it difficult for me to keep up during some of the shorter, more rapidly-transitioned scenes.

Bedard and Shields’ interpretation of the famous balcony scene between Romeo and Juliet was one of the highlights of the production. A spotlight shone upon Bedard, who sat on the balcony of Merrick Theater, strumming a guitar and singing of her love for Romeo, while Shields scaled one of the quite haphazard-looking ladders, that was connected to the balcony by a “rope” made of sheets tied together.

I found that this scene was performed in a lively fashion, genuinely enhancing my understanding of how the original script was intended to be performed. Romeo and Juliet here were really a couple of love-blinded teenagers, and in turn, Bedard and Shields portrayed them with a wonderful hilarity.

Shields scaled up and down the ladder in contemplation before he boldly called out to Bedard, and as the two characters shared their first precious conversation as their true identities, Shields played Romeo with an emotional engagement that caused him to almost fall off of the ladder more than once. As an audience member, I was engaged, laughing and even worried for Shields’ safety for those split-seconds as Romeo lost his balance out of sheer excitement.

While undertaking an adaptation of any production as popular as Romeo and Juliet always comes with due risk, the dramatic changes that Bedard and Shields made in their performance were supported by their delightful emotional engagement with their characters. The audience left the theater, sharing heart-warming laughs following the success of this production.

JOSH HOROWITZ/the Justice

FAMILY TIES: Juliet (Bedard) frets over her future with the young Montague while a masked Shields plays her beloved nurse.

JOSH HOROWITZ/the Justice

LOVE POTION: Bedard and Shields act out the star-crossed lovers’ final desparate attempt to stay together—if not in life, in death.

24

TUESDAY, march 5, 2013 | THE JUSTICE

Brandeis TALKS

TOPof the

ARTS ON VIEW: VACATION

CHARTS

Quote of the week

Top 10s for the week ending March 4

“I’d be delighted if the state would not have a list of the most expensive schools.”

—Senior Vice President for Students and Enrollment Andrew Flagel said, referring to Brandeis’ status as the second most expensive school in Massachusetts (News, p. 7).

BOX OFFICE

1. Identity Thief 2. Snitch 3. Escape from Planet Earth 4. Safe Haven 5. A Good Day to Die Hard 6. Dark Skies 7. Silver Linings Playbook 8. Warm Bodies 9. Beautiful Creatures 10. Side Effects

A package arrives at your doorstep. When you open it, you know you will have the best day of your life. What is in the package and what will you do with your day?

NYT BESTSELLERS

BRI MUSSMAN/The Justice

LAND OF THE FREE: Justice Photographer Bri Mussman ’16 took this photograph of a historic lighthouse and a flag blowing in the wind while she was admiring the sunset during a vacation in Cape Cod this year.

NEXT Issue’s PHOTO CONTEST THEME: INSTAGRAM Sydney Shuster ’14 “The package is a crate full of puppies. We will play in the park and fall asleep in a dog pile.”

David Fisch ’13 “Inside there are tickets to the Jets in the Super Bowl.

I’m going to the game to cheer for the Jets.”

Shane Levi ’14

“A boom box would be pretty sweet. I would play ‘Dystopia’

by YACHT everywhere.”

Katie Lefton ’16 “Starbucks gift card and concert tickets to see Alt-J and Caravan Palace. I would spend the day wandering around coffee shops and then go to the concert.”

Submit your creative photo to photos@thejustice.org to be featured in the Justice!

CROSSWORD ACROSS 1 Capt. Kirk’s Asian lieutenant 7 Big name in elevators 11 Eng. majors’ degrees 14 Aid from a road travel org.

15 Calamine mineral 16 Make a decision 17 Versatile, as clothes outfits 19 N.Y. engineering sch.

20 Stein filler 21 Hawkeye State 22 Tom of “The Seven Year Itch” 24 Auto title data 27 Represent as identical 30 Wine: Pref.

31 Actress Rene 32 Wayinorout 35 Iraq War concern: Abbr.

38 Toon mouse couple 42 __ dye: chemical colorant 43 High-pitched woodwind 44 Breakfast corners 45 Old OTC watchdog 48 Borneo sultanate 49 All one’s strength 54 Skylit rooms 55 Wedding cake layer 56 Dean’s list no.

59 Highland refusal 60 Gentle 64 Chicago transports 65 End of a threat 66 Like many rumors 67 Baseball’s Cobb et al.

68 Small complaints that are “picked” 69 Colorful candy purchase, or what 17-, 24-, 38-, 49- and 60-Across all are DOWN 1 Papa’s mate 2 Skateboard park fixture 3 __-Coburg: former German duchy 4 Actress Thurman 5 PC-to-PC system 6 “Rabbit at Rest” author 7 Conductor Seiji 8 Giant 9 Business name abbr.

10 Connive 11 Approached rapidly 12 iLife producer 13 Not moving a muscle 18 “The Simpsons” bartender 23 Came out ahead 24 Face hider 25 Stub __ 26 College housing 27 Humorist Bombeck 28 Quick classroom test 29 Amer. lawmaking group

iTUNES

BILLBOARD

32 Gently applied amount 33 Yoko from Tokyo 34 Dedicatory poem 36 Voice amplifier 37 Arnaz who played Ricky 39 Luke Skywalker’s mentor 40 Cross inscription 41 Subject of a sentence, typically 46 Yellowfin tuna 47 Pollen-producing flower part 48 Showman who teamed with Bailey 49 Painter Édouard 50 Peninsular Mediterranean country 51 H-bomb trial, e.g.

52 Flood stoppers 53 __ culpa 56 Encircle 57 Prune, before drying 58 Fruity beverages 61 New Haven Ivy Leaguer 62 Genetic material 63 Rainier, e.g.: Abbr.

1. Mumford & Sons — Babel 2. Bruno Mars — Unorthodox Jukebox 3. Josh Groban — All That Echoes 4. Various Artists — NOW 45 5. The Lumineers — The Lumineers 6. Alabama Shakes — Boys & Girls 7. Various Artists — 2013 Grammy Nominees 8. fun. — Some Nights 9. Rihanna — Unapologetic 10. Taylor Swift — Red Top of the Charts information provided

by Fandango, the New York Times, Billboard.com and Apple.com.

STAFF’S TOP TEN

“For The Crowd”

By GLEN CHESIR Justice editor

Solution to last issue’s crossword Crossword Copyright 2012 MCT Campus, Inc.

SUDOKU

Christopher Elliot Jo ’15

—Compiled by Olivia Pobiel/the Justice

Nonfiction 1. American Sniper — Chris Kyle, Scott McEwen and Jim DeFelice 2. The Soundtrack of My Life — Clive Davis with Anthony DeCurtis 3. My Beloved World — Sonia Sotomayor 4. Killing Kennedy — Bill O’Reilly and Martin Dugard 5. Killing Lincoln — Bill O’Reilly and Martin Dugard

1. Baauer — “Harlem Shake” 2. Bruno Mars — “When I Was Your Man” 3. Justin Timberlake — “Suit & Tie (feat. JAY Z)” 4. Demi Lovato — “Heart Attack” 5. Pitbull — “Feel This Moment (feat. Christina Aguilera)”

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.

“Two plane tickets to London and Vienna. I want the Europe experience. Hopefully I’ll meet the doctor.”

Fiction 1. Alex Cross, Run — James Patterson 2. A Week in Winter — Maeve Binchy 3. Gone Girl — Gillian Flynn 4. A Memory Of Light — Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson 5. Guilt — Jonathan Kellerman

Solution to last issue’s sudoku

Sudoku Copyright 2012 MCT Campus, Inc.

I like to play music to an audience. Play one of these songs and you will get at least one “nice” from someone in the room.

Guaranteed or your money back.

THE LIST 1. “Superstition”—Stevie Wonder 2. “I Want You Back”—Jackson 5 3. “She Ain’t You”—Chris Brown 4. “Let It Be”—Carol Woods and Timothy T. Mitchum 5. “Stereo Hands”—White Panda 6. “Only The Good Die Young”— Billy Joel 7.“Knocking on Heaven’s Door”— Bob Dylan 8. “Ignition (remix)”—R Kelly 9. “What Did That To You”—John Legend 10. “No Diggety (Fare Soldi Remix)”—Blackstreet