The Justice, May 1, 2012 issue

ARTS PAGE 20

SPORTS Tennis squads rally at UAAs 16

FUN IN THE SUN

FORUM Capitalize on Brandeis experience 12 The Independent Student Newspaper

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of

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

Justice

Volume LXIV, Number 27

www.thejustice.org

Tuesday, May 1, 2012

STUDENT UNION

PRESIDENTIAL ACCOMODATIONS

Fourteen elected to fill Union positions ■ Voter turnout was

generally low as senators, F-Board members and justices were elected.

By SAM MINTZ JUSTICE EDITOR

Fourteen students were elected to positions in the Student Union after voting took place from midnight on Thursday to midnight on Friday.

Theodore Choi ’13 and Charlotte Franco ’15, who both served as senators last year, will be the senators at large, with 338 and 194 votes, respectively. This position was voted on by 20.72 percent of the student body.

In an interview with the Justice, Choi said that he was “grateful to those who supported [him]” and that he plans to continue to try to improve the quality of dining on campus as well as to campaign for a “greener” campus.

Franco said in an interview with the Justice that she was “very excited and honored to be elected” and that one of her main goals was to improve the system for club chartering.

David Fisch and Sarah Kim won

JOSHUA LINTON/the Justice

MOVING: President Frederick Lawrence sits in the courtyard of his future Watch Factory apartment, which is newly renovated.

Lawrence plans move to Waltham this summer

■ Students and professors

react to the report of an alleged sexual assault.

By TATE HERBERT

By REBECCA KLEIN AND TESS RASER

JUSTICE EDITOR

JUSTICE EDITORS

A Brandeis Hoot article published on April 27 has prompted widespread discussion on campus about the implementation of the University’s sexual assault policies.

According to the Hoot article, an anonymous undergraduate student who is currently on medical leave alleged she was raped by an anonymous Heller School for Social Policy and Management student in their off-campus apartment nearly a dozen times from October 2010 to January 2011.

The case went before the Student Conduct Board last May, and the alleged assailant was found guilty of nine of 11 code violations in the Rights and Responsibilities Handbook, including section 3.1, which prohibits sexual

PHOTO COURTESY OF OpenStreetMap. Design BY JOSHUA LINTON/The Justice

CAMPUS PROXIMITY: Lawrence's new apartment is located at 183-241 Crescent St.

contact without explicit and clearly communicated consent, according to the Hoot.

The article chronicles the story of the female student who felt the University was inadequately responsive to her grievances and questions the University’s full compliance with Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 policies concerning sexual harassment, stating, “a case file in the office of student rights and community standards contained no evidence of a university police investigation, a Title IX requirement.”

The Justice could not independently verify the facts of the case. University officials declined to comment to the Justice on details of the specific case due to federal privacy laws. The article does not present the male party’s information.

In April of last year, the Obama administration announced a new set

See ASSAULT, 7 ☛

Acting world

Swan Song

Justice Center

Alumna Whitney Avalon ’03 continued her acting passion after graduating from the University with a Theater Arts degree.

Seven seniors on the softball team ended their Brandeis careers on a high note, earning a 3-2 mark in their final five games of play.

 Kate Alexander ’12 has drafted a proposal for a Social Justice Center on campus.

FEATURES 8

For tips or info email editor@thejustice.org

See UNION, 7 ☛

Policies questioned in wake of alleged assault

his wife, Kathy, are moving to the newly renovated Watch Factory.

See APARTMENT, 7 ☛

the race to be senators for the Class of 2013, with 68 and 55 votes respectively and 18.24 percent of the class voting.

Fisch, who ran unsuccessfully for Student Union president last week, said that he “made changes last time [he] was a senator and … want[s] to keep on working.” He said that he plans to work with Senator for the Class of 2014 Ricky Rosen on dining issues as well as to push ideas from his presidential campaign, including an improvement of school unity.

Kim wrote in an email to the Justice that she was “truly inspired and encouraged” by the students she has met who are trying to make changes at Brandeis. She also wrote that she “can’t wait to continue representing [her] class.”

Rosen and Annie Chen won the race for the position of Class of 2014 senator, with 149 and 30 votes respectively; 26.12 percent of the Class of 2014 participated in voting.

Rosen, who failed in his bid for election to the position of Vice President in the last round of elections, wrote in an email to the Justice that, “It’s incredibly humbling to know that the Class of 2014 would like me

CRIME

■ President Lawrence and

Brandeis University President Frederick Lawrence and his wife, Kathy, will be living within a mile of campus beginning this summer.

The Lawrences plan to move from their current Cambridge lodgings to an apartment in the newly renovated Watch Factory on Crescent Street in Waltham.

The move will take place in late June or early July, when the first residential sections of the Watch Factory building are due to be completed.

The Lawrences, who have rented housing in Cambridge for the past year, will move to Waltham instead of relocating to the Presi-

Waltham, Mass.

Let your voice be heard!

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

INDEX

SPORTS 13

ARTS SPORTS

17 16

EDITORIAL FEATURES

10 8

OPINION POLICE LOG

10 2

COMMENTARY

NEWS 3 11

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

2

TUESDAY, MAY 1, 2012

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THE JUSTICE

NEWS INTERVIEW

POLICE LOG

Chem Prof started out with arts

Medical Emergency

Prof. Claudia Novack (CHEM) can teach you more than balancing redox equations, finding oxidation states and using valence shell electron pair repulsion theory. In her multi-disciplinary educational trajectory, she has learned something more important than holding the perfect pitch and calculating Gibbs free energy. “Don’t fight your niche” is perhaps the best way to put it.

JustNews: Can you tell me of a story that you would like your students to know? For instance, what brought you to Brandeis?

Claudia Novack: When I was young, I had many loves.

I could not choose between horses and music. I loved riding horses, playing the flute and singing. I grew up wanting to be an equine veterinarian, but at the same time, music was calling pretty hard. In high school, I was torn between practicing music and riding my horse.

I would ride my horse and then run to practice music.

When I went to prep school, I sold my horse because music was such a passion. I was brought up with the idea that music wasn’t the way to get ahead in life—my father was a surgeon and was very unsupportive of a performing arts career.

There is no question, it is hard to make a living with performing arts. For higher education pursuits, I chose the New England Conservatory/Tufts University dual degree program where I pursued my academic schizophrenia, in that I had the rigorous musical training that a conservatory would provide and the liberal arts degree one would expect from Tufts. I didn’t want to choose, but there was no room for pre-medicine. After that, I pursued academics at Brown [University] where I got my Ph.D for Slavic Linguistics, but after completion, there were just no jobs. The demand for Western Slavic Language Semanticists was low, and I turned to teaching private voice lessons at Brandeis University as I was married to a Brandeis theater professor at the time.

I realized I loved teaching but when the recession hit, I didn’t want to give up my dream of being a veterinarian and entered the post-bachelor program here at Brandeis.

At the time, I also began practicing yoga for personal reasons and then became a yoga instructor. Shortly after, I was invited to teach general chemistry lab sections and there was no room for pre-medicine once more.

JN: Clearly, teaching has come up several times in your story so far. Why teaching?

CN: I told myself: “Maybe I am finding my passion for teaching.” There’s a reason I’ve ended up teaching everything I love. And I always wanted to be a part of an academic department. As a Slavic Linguist, I wasn’t able to do that, but here, even with my lack of science Ph.D, the chemistry department has welcomed me. Teaching for me was a form of a social set with students.

JN: So are you still riding horses and singing?

CN: When I get the opportunity, I try to ride horses and hope that in the future I will have a small horse farm. I only sing to my son.

April 24—University Police received a call that a female party had passed out in the Hassenfeld Conference Center; BEMCo treated her on the scene with a signed refusal for further care.

April 28—University Police received a call from the Waltham Police Department regarding a 21-year-old female party intoxicated and semi-conscious. The Waltham Fire Department and an ambulance were already on the way to her location, and University Police officers were sent to the area.

The party was transported to the NewtonWellesley Hospital for further care.

April 28—A custodian reported a man sitting in one of the vestibules of the Usdan Student Center. BEMCo and University Police were sent to check on the man who was treated on-scene by BEMCo with a signed refusal for further care.

April 29—A party in the Foster Mods reported an intoxicated 20-year-old male.

University Police and BEMCo were dispatched; the police requested an ambulance. The ambulance transported the intoxicated party to the Newton-Wellesley Hospital while University Police dispersed the party.

April 29—University Police received a report of a 21-year-old intoxicated male in

Rosenthal South with a possible chipped tooth. BEMCo responded and requested an ambulance to transport the party to the Newton-Wellesley Hospital.

Larceny

April 24—There was a report of property stolen from the men’s locker room in the Gosman Sports and Convocation Center.

The incident occurred the night of April 23.

University Police compiled a report.

April 25—University Police received a report of a past larceny of animals from the Foster Biomedical Labs. A report was compiled on the theft.

April 27—A laptop and wallet were stolen from an unlocked room in East Quad.

University Police compiled a report on the theft.

April 28—A party in the Shapiro Campus Center reported that items were stolen from an unattended coat while attending an event. University Police compiled a report on the theft.

Harassment

April 28—University Police compiled a report on an email sent to the staff of the Rosbash lab. The sender of the email was unknown.

Check our website, www.thejustice.org, periodically for updates.

CORRECTIONS AND CLARIFICATIONS n A caption in News incorrectly stated what page an article about Hoops for Haiti was on. The article was on page 14, not on page 13. (April 24, pg. 1) n An article in Forum should have stated that the transcript of a speech given by Tarek Mahenna went “viral,” not a video of the same speech. (April 24, p. 12)

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 1:00 to 3:00 p.m. in the Justice office.

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April 23—A party in the Lown Center for Judaic Studies reported smelling smoke.

University Police officers were sent to check the area. They reported seeing no smoke, but facilities was advised to check the area for a possible problem with a light.

April 28—BEMCo reported that a male party was sleeping in a running vehicle in Hassenfeld Lot. Upon University Police’s arrival at the scene, the party would not open the window or door. The party finally responded and was placed in protective custody for alcohol intoxication and transported to the Waltham Police Department.

UC police chief resigns

The Justice is on hiatus for finals period.

Our next issue will be published May 22, following Commencement.

n In the Festival of the Arts preview, Arts stated that Top Score is a six-piece student band. The band actually has over 25 members. (April 24, pg. 27)

Miscellaneous

WIRE BRIEF

NOTE TO READERS:

n An article in Arts last week incorrectly stated that Rachel Klein’s ’12 dance performance “Rivers are Lost in the Sea” would take place on Saturday, April 28. It actually occurred on Friday, April 27. (April 24, p. 18)

April 26—University Police received several calls regarding parties in Massell Quad screaming threats and obscenities outside. The area was checked, and nothing was found.

April 29—A party in the Charles River Apartments reported that someone banged on his or her window and was talking loudly outside. The caller did not wish to speak to the police but asked University Police to check the area. There was no one in the area upon the police’s arrival.

—Compiled by Marielle Temkin

—Damiana Andonova

n A photo caption in Arts incorrectly stated that six seniors were performing a piece called “Blast to the Past.”

In fact, the photo is of the Brandeis bhangra team Chak De Deis performing another piece. (April 24, p. 20)

Disturbance

JOSHUA LINTON/the Justice

Take back the night Students participated in a march through campus and candlelight vigil on Wednesday as part of Take Back the Night, an internationally held event to promote awareness of domestic violence and sexual assault.

Students Talking About Relationships hosted the event.

LOS ANGELES—A week after a scathing investigative report criticized her leadership in the pepper spraying of student demonstrators last year, the University of California Davis campus police chief has resigned, a university spokesman said Thursday.

Annette M. Spicuzza, who has headed the UC Davis force since 2005, had been on paid administrative leave since soon after the Nov. 18 incident in which campus police pepper-sprayed student protesters at close range.

She sent her resignation letter to the university Wednesday, said campus spokesman Barry Shiller.

Last week, a UC task force probing the controversial actions in the handling of the demonstrators blasted Spicuzza for running a “dysfunctional” department, and declared that her officers’ actions were wrong.

A separate internal investigation by the campus police department is reviewing possible disciplinary actions against the chief and several officers, including Lt. John Pike, who is seen spraying the students in a muchviewed video online. Shiller said that an internal probe was nearing completion but that he did not know whether Spicuzza had been told of any proposed disciplinary action against her. Pike and another officer remain on paid administrative leave, Shiller said.

Spicuzza reportedly sent an email to The Sacramento Bee in which she said the spraying and investigation led to her departure. “As the university does not want this incident to be its defining moment, nor do I wish for it to be mine. I believe in order to start the healing process, this chapter of my life must be closed,” she wrote.

Spicuzza has had a 27-year career in law enforcement. She came to UC Davis after serving as assistant police chief at the University of Washington.

Before that, she worked in municipal departments in Washington state and Illinois.

—Los Angeles Times (MCT)

ANNOUNCEMENTS Shaking the Shackles

As part of the Common Cause Community, a suite has been raising awareness about the worldwide issue of human trafficking throughout the year.

For the final event of the semester they are showing clips from several movies pertaining to the issue and offering food in order to fundraise money. Today from 4:30 to 7 p.m. in the Village C TV Lounge.

Senior honors thesis information session

An information session for juniors interested in pursuing a senior thesis in 2012-2013. Hosted by Undergraduate Advising Head Prof. Elizabeth Ferry (ANTH).

Tomorrow from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. in Brown 225.

Preventing Electoral Violence

Hosted by the Justice, Peace and Conflict Working Group of the Heller School for Social Policy and Management in conjunction with the Master’s Program in Coexistence and Conflict, the symposium

will focus on the roles of different stakeholders at the local, national and international levels in achieving non-violent elections.

Discussion of recent cases, including Kenya, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Senegal, and Myanmar, among others, will evaluate new developments, success stories and failures in the prevention of electoral violence.

The overall objective of the symposium is to define and establish electoral practices conducive to the promotion of peaceful coexistence, justice and democracy.

Tomorrow from noon to 2:30 p.m. in the Rapaporte Treasure Hall of the Goldfarb Library.

ISSO Ice Cream Social

Join the International Students and Scholars Office for their annual end-ofthe-year event and make your own ice cream sundaes. Ice cream and toppings will be provided by Lizzy’s Ice Cream.

Tomorrow from 2 to 4 p.m. in Kutz 215.

Sorensen Fellowship information session

“We Give You $4000, You Change the World.” Rising sophomores and juniors are eligible to apply.

The application (coming soon) is due October 29, 2012.

This event is sponsored by the International Center for Ethics, Justice, and Public Life. Refreshments will be served.

Contact the Center with any questions at ethics@brandeis.edu.

Tomorrow from 3 to 4 p.m. in the Abraham Shapiro Academic Complex Atrium.]

Midnight Buffet

Come celebrate the end of classes at the semi-anual Midnight Buffet. Enjoy free food, free giveaways, free drinks and free shirts.

Featured restaurants include Waltham Pizza and Baan Thai. This year’s party is Luau themed. Sponsored by the Student Union.

Tomorrow from midnight to 2 a.m. in Levin Ballroom.

THE JUSTICE

ADVOCATING FOR HUMAN RIGHTS

By SARA DEJENE JUSTICE editor

JOSH HOROWITZ/the Justice

STRATEGIES FOR CHANGE: O’Brien discussed his experience with activism and relief efforts in developing countries.

Oxfam America VP speaks on global social justice projects provided insight on his work with the international human rights organization.

By SHANI ABRAMOWITZ JUSTICE STAFF WRITER

Amnesty International at Brandeis University welcomed Paul O’Brien, the Vice President of Policy and Campaigns for Oxfam America, to speak on Thursday afternoon in the Levine-Ross conference room about the challenges he has dealt with in his line of social justice work.

According to its website, as one of the 17 affiliates in the international confederation of Oxfam, Oxfam America is “an international relief and development organization” working to create lasting solutions to global issues, including poverty, hunger and injustice.

Together with individuals and local groups in almost 100 countries, Oxfam America saves lives, helps people overcome poverty and fights for social justice.

3

Panel of judges convicts former prime minister guilty of failing in certain duties, but was also cleared of several other charges.

O’Brien, a graduate of Harvard University Law School, opened his address by discussing his encounters with various social justice groups at Harvard and his career path since law school.

O’Brien then outlined his time in Nairobi, Kenya and Afghanistan.

“If you want to get into social justice work, be confident as to whether you want to teach or you want to do. Experience and learning is key.”

Immediately after graduating from law school, O’Brien went to Kenya to begin work with the Legal Resources Foundation, where he did research and work on the role of domestic violence in the various communities in the region.

“It’s all about asking questions.

Find out where change is taking place,” O’Brien said, remarking on his work in Africa.

“Start a conversation that changes the power dynamics of the community or the region,” continued O’Brien.

O’Brien then spoke about his work in Afghanistan in 2001 and the challenges he faced with having started his work shortly after Sep-

TUESDAY, MAY 1, 2012

ALUMNI

■ Geir Haarde ’73 was found

■ Paul O’Brien’s lecture

●

tember 11.

O’Brien stressed the importance of recognizing the specific characteristics of the environment in which you are working in order for your actions to affect any change within it.

“If you’re going to be useful and relevant in a political context around rights issues, you’ve got to know the context and you’ve got to be relevant in that context,” O’Brien emphasized.

“You have to respect that people need to decide to change themselves. It’s their institutions and their citizens, and that relationship between them is going to decide the future.”

After a continued discussion on the work of the entire organization of Oxfam and the more specific role O’Brien himself plays, the audience was invited to ask some questions on his work and on his overall experience.

Questions addressed the role of women in terms of development and aid and how students can translate a law school education into a successful career in social justice and development.

Former Prime Minister of Iceland Geir Haarde ’73 was found guilty of failing to adequately inform other Icelandic officials of events that led up to the 2008 financial crisis, according to an April 23 New York Times article.

In an email to the Justice, Haarde called the outcome a “95-percent victory.”

Haarde, who majored in Economics at Brandeis, is the first world leader to be criminally charged in relation to the 2008 global economic crisis. Out of the six original charges he faced, two were dropped in October and three were cleared as a part of his final verdict.

Haarde’s charges of “gross neglect of duty” and failure to “conduct an in-depth analysis of the risks posed to financial institutions” were dropped, according to an Oct. 6, 2011 IceNews article. According to the judges of Iceland’s Landsdómur High Court, “gross neglect of duty” was too vague of a charge and the latter charge was deemed as not an actual crime.

Haarde was then cleared of “failing to move Landsbanki’s UK Icesave accounts into a subsidiary, not reducing the size of the banking system, and failing to heed the warning of a 2006 government report” according to an April 23 Financial Times article.

According to the Financial Times article, conviction of those three “more serious” charges could have resulted in up to two years in prison. Instead, Haarde will not face any punishment and all of his legal costs will be paid for by the Icelandic government, leading him to call the result a “gigantic slap in the face” for those who voted for his indictment.

According to Haarde, nine judges out of a 15 judge court voted him guilty on the one count but six judges voted to acquit Haarde of all counts. In his email, Haarde defended his actions during his time in office, writing that he followed a “time-honored practise” of discussing the economic problems with “smaller groups of cabinet members.”

Haarde called the charge a “formal” one, as opposed to the five other “substantive” charges of which he was cleared.

Witnesses who testified in support of Haarde during the trial argued that “no one person” should be held responsible for the economic collapse.

“I feel that I have taken a hit Haarde on behalf of almost all my pre- decessors in the post of prime min- ister,” wrote Haarde in his email.

Haarde also wrote that he is “a bit frustrated that [the outcome] was not a 100-percent victory.” He and his lawyers are considering bringing the case to the European Court of Human Rights for “a review of the conclusion and the procedures involved.”

In addition to Haarde, former heads of one of Iceland’s banks have pleaded not guilty to charges of “fraud and market manipulation” and will appear in court later this year, according to The New York Times article. As many as 90 people may be charged in relation to the economic collapse.

Haarde served as prime minister of Iceland from June 2006 to his resignation in February 2009. During his term, Iceland suffered from the global financial crisis which caused large banks to default, the unemployment rate and house prices to rise and the currency to “plung[e],” according to The New York Times article.

Since the collapse, Iceland has shown signs of recovery, in part due to “its traditional tourism and fishing industries,” according to The New York Times. An April 30 Reuters article said that this year’s Iceland’s gross domestic product growth is estimated at 2.6 percent.

According to The New York Times, some economists say that the collapse of the banks have aided Iceland’s recovery.

“Iceland also did what other parts of Europe haven’t dared to do—let its banks go under,” according to Reuters. “It took some of the cost itself but forced foreign creditors to take the biggest hit.”

The article also noted Iceland’s growth compared to that of many other countries, which “seem headed for stagnation.”

As for Haarde, he wrote that while he has not yet decided what to do now that his trial has concluded, his “background and different experiences qualify” him for various positions both in and out of Iceland. He plans to write and lecture until he decides on more permanent plans.

STUDENT ACTIVISM

University reviewing plans for Social Justice Center ■ Kate Alexander’s ’12

proposal calls for a Social Justice Center office in the Shapiro Campus Center.

By NASHRAH RAHMAN JUSTICE editor

The University’s senior administration is reviewing a proposal to create a Social Justice Center, a physical office space for Brandeis students involved with social justice activism.

“The center is really about making a visible community of Brandeis social justice activists on and off campus,” Kate Alexander ’12, who drafted the proposal with the help

of Associate Dean of Student Life Jamele Adams, said in an interview with the Justice.

The proposal outlines four key ways in which the center will serve the University: increasing collaboration between on-campus club initiatives, connecting current Brandeis students with alumni, remembering Brandeis’ history of social justice activism and recognizing past and ongoing contributions that have furthered social justice activism.

The proposal recommends that the Social Justice Center be located in the Carl J. Ruth Shapiro Campus Center. “If we are going to say social justice is a founding principle of our University, that alone merits it a space in the center of campus and it won’t be as effective if it is anywhere

else,” Alexander said.

Alexander said that she anticipates seeing some pushback to the proposal because it suggests converting conference rooms located on the third floor to office space. These conference rooms are currently utilized by clubs for meeting and by students as study spaces. “The great thing about Brandeis is that we have this really great social justice history that should be accessible to all students and it shouldn’t be that you can get out of this University without asking questions about it or at least being vaguely aware. But right now that’s very much a possibility,” Alexander said.

Alexander defined social justice as “recognizing the need of a community beyond yourself and giving back to

it without the expectation that you’re going to receive anything from your actions.”

According to the University’s student organizations website, some student clubs affiliated with activism include Students for Environmental Action, STAND: A Student Anti-Genocide Coalition and Student Global AIDS Campaign.

The University already has an Activist Resource Center, which “seeks to promote positive social, cultural, political, and economic change by providing resources to student activists,” according to its website. In an interview with the Justice, Adams said that the Social Justice Center is “a little further developed concept than [the ARC] was” because the ARC was a “floating office” that did

not have an official location.

A physical center is “really key,” according to Alexander. She added that “online communications are really difficult to tap into when you’re just starting.”

Student Union President Herbie Rosen ’12 said in an interview with the Justice that he supported the proposal. He said that the Social Justice Center has the potential to serve as “a great resource” for student activist groups to coordinate.

Adams added, “It’s a really good proposal, has a strong package to it, there is no resistance toward it from any angle at this point, meaning from students and administrators. …

It’s a really good beginning so I can only anticipate that it’ll have a good founding.”

COLUMBIA SUMMER 2012

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CHOOSE FROM 52 DIFFERENT PROGRAM AREAS TO ADVANCE YOUR ACADEMIC PATH.

AMERICAN STUDIES ANTHROPOLOGY ARABIC SUMMER PROGRAM ART HISTORY AND ARCHAEOLOGY ASTRONOMY BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES BUSINESS CHEMISTRY CLASSICS COMPOSITION AND RHETORIC COMPUTER SCIENCE CREATIVE WRITING DRAMA AND THEATRE ARTS EARTH AND ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES ECOLOGY, EVOLUTION AND ENVIRONMENTAL BIOLOGY ECONOMICS ENGLISH AND COMPARATIVE LITERATURE GERMANIC LANGUAGES AND LITERATURES FILM STUDIES FRENCH AND ROMANCE PHILOLOGY FUNDRAISING GREEK HINDI-URDU HISTORY HUMAN RIGHTS INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS ITALIAN JOURNALISM LATIN LATIN AMERICAN AND CARIBBEAN STUDIES MATHEMATICS MIDDLE EASTERN, SOUTH ASIAN AND AFRICAN STUDIES MUSIC PHILOSOPHY PHYSICS POLITICAL SCIENCE PRELAW PREMED PSYCHOLOGY RELIGION RUSSIAN PRACTICUM SLAVIC LANGUAGES AND LITERATURE SOCIOLOGY SPANISH AND PORTUGUESE STATISTICS VISUAL ARTS WOMEN’S AND GENDER STUDIES

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THE JUSTICE

Students occupy SCC for a day Lawrence was one of the speakers at the day-long teach-in last Tuesday.

By tate herbert JUSTICE editor

Students, faculty and other members of the Brandeis community gathered in the Shapiro Campus Center Atrium last Tuesday to attend a daylong teach-in on the Occupy movement. Prof. Gordon Fellman (SOC), Collections Manager and Registrar of the Rose Art Museum Kristin Parker and a team of student volunteers organized the events, bringing in a variety of Brandeis professors, administrators and Occupy activists to speak.

The speakers, including University President Frederick Lawrence and Provost Steve Goldstein ’78 as well as organizers from Occupy Boston and Occupy Harvard, covered various Occupy-related topics throughout the day. The events culminated in a general assembly, or a loosely moderated open forum in which members of the group participated directly with hand signals.

While Fellman said in an interview with the Justice that the teach-in had not been organized with the Board of Trustees’ recent announcement of a tuition increase in mind, it nevertheless became a popular topic of discussion throughout the day.

The Board of Trustees voted last month to increase the cost of attending Brandeis for current students by 4.1 percent and 4.85 percent for incoming first-years. The issue was also prevalent in the recent campaign for Student Union president and was addressed before Passover recess in an open forum with Senior Vice President for Students and Enrollment Andrew Flagel.

Fellman said he began putting the events together with Parker and student organizers Shea Riester ’12, Anna Bessendorf ’15, Derek Komar ’15, Naveh Halperin ’12, Scott Oglesby ’12 and Dorian Williams ’13 about three months ago after the idea came out of a discussion he had with Goldstein.

Goldstein made an appearance at the opening of the day’s events.

“Brandeis seems like a good place, an optimal place to be having an Occupy teach-in,” said Goldstein in his welcome.

Asked by the Justice whether Brandeis endorses the Occupy movement, Goldstein responded that, “The job of the University is to foster understanding and advancing society, not to support one or another political movement. So we’re an open forum.”

Later in the program, Lawrence spoke on “Occupy as National Teaching Moment.” Lawrence said that the opportunity to learn from the Occupy movement requires different parties to engage each other in discussion and challenge each other’s preconceived notions. He encouraged people to “challenge power and challenge

authority” in a cooperative way.

Lawrence took several questions from students, focusing on the recent tuition increase and student involvement on the Board of Trustees.

Lawrence said that the Board’s votes are generally unanimous and therefore it is most important to involve students, faculty and staff in the discussion prior to the actual vote. He asserted that student and faculty representatives elected by their respective constituents are a crucial element to the dialogue between the University community and the Board.

Lawrence, noted, however, that this does not mean that the results always make everyone happy.

Lawrence also responded to a question about the increase in tuition by saying that he thinks about “affordability every single day.” He noted that the main sources of income for the University—tuition, gifts (including the endowment) and research grants—are all “under stress,” and that the University must still maintain essential functions such as research opportunities, small language classes and the pool.

Lawrence told students and faculty that he would help organize a lunch meeting between about 10 students and Board of Trustees Member Stephen B. Kay, a senior director at Goldman Sachs and former chair of the Brandeis board.

The tuition increases, especially the perceived lack of transparency on the Board and administration’s part, dominated early discussion in the general assembly later in the evening.

Student Union President Herbie Rosen ’12 stopped by the assembly briefly and encouraged students to respond with more involvement, both in terms of activism and student government. He said that “it was almost too late by the time we saw [the tuition hikes] coming,” but added that he and President-elect Todd Kirkland ’13 are working on contingency plans so that that would not be the case in the future.

Students also raised concerns that Brandeis’ social justice philosophy does not manifest itself in practice as much as they would like. “In my time at Brandeis, I have learned a lot about what’s wrong with the world, but I haven’t learned how to change it,” said Sahar Massachi ’11 MA ’12.

Fellman, who has participated in Occupy Boston, agreed. “Brandeis has this … genuine but thin overlay of liberalism and social justice. I say thin because many people don’t act on it, they just talk about it,” he said.

Fellman added that “the last three presidents [including Lawrence] have really pushed [social justice].”

When asked by the Justice to respond to students who were critical of Lawrence in the general assembly, Fellman said, “I’m guessing he went as far as he felt his position would let him go” with the Board and tuition issues.

—Andrew Wingens and Jonathan Epstein contributed reporting.

TUESDAY, MAY 1, 2012

5

MARRIAGE AND THE LAW

student activism

■ President Frederick

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JON EDELSTEIN/the Justice

POLITICAL BACKLASH: Michael Klarman gave a talk titled “Same-Sex Marriage Litigation and Political Backlash” on Thursday.

Klarman lectures on backlash ■ Harvard Law School

Professor Michael J. Klarman said that same-sex marriage is “inevitable.”

By suzanne schatz JUSTICE STAFF WRITER

On Thursday, Michael J. Klarman, Kirkland and Ellis Professor at Harvard Law School, gave the History Department’s Rahv, Hughes, Manuel and Marcuse Memorial Lecture in the Rapaporte Treasure Hall. The well-attended lecture, titled “SameSex Marriage Litigation and Political Backlash,” was a preview of Klarman’s new book about same-sex marriage litigation.

Prof. Michael Willrich (HIST) introduced Klarman, briefly discussing Klarman’s research on Brown v. Board of Education, Klarman’s achievements in the academic world and his new book “From the Closet to the Altar Courts, Backlash, and the Struggle for Same-Sex Marriage.”

Klarman used examples and comparisons from the decision and aftermath of Brown v. Board of Ed. as support for many of his points throughout the lecture.

Klarman began his speech by talking about several case studies related to political backlash.

He then gave some background on same-sex marriage litigation. He said that it seemed inconceivable that same-sex marriage would be constitutionally protected by the courts until around the 1990s, because “it’s just not the case that courts can ever get that far apart from predominant public opinion.”

Klarman stated that “gay marriage is starting to look pretty much inevitable,” adding that favorable public opinion had been rising at the rate of about one percent a year, but has substantially accelerated over the

last three years to around three or four percent a year. According to a 2011 New York Times article, 51 percent of Americans who were polled believe same-sex marriages should be legalized. He also referred to New York Times columnist Nate Silver’s prediction that at this new rate, half of the states will have a favorable majority opinion on same-sex marriage within the next year or two and that all states will have a favorable majority opinion in about twelve years.

Klarman explained that the rate increase of favorable opinion is attributable to the “coming-out phenomenon,” which is when people who come out prompt others to come out by making them more comfortable doing so.

The increase is therefore not simply the transfer of power from an older to a younger generation, as even older citizens are changing their opinions.

Klarman also spoke about political backlash stemming from same-sex marriage litigation. He said that political backlash is more likely to occur when people on the two sides of the issue care about the issue with differing levels of intensity. He used statistics that showed that white Southerners who disagreed with the decision of Brown v. Board of Ed. placed more importance on Civil Rights than white Northerners who agreed with the decision, and the political backlash that occurred after the decision to support this point. He also said that if a policy that is adopted considerably diverges from public opinion, backlash is likely to occur.

He elaborated that judges sometimes deviate from public opinion because they reflect the views of a cultural elite and not the masses and thus cannot always gauge how popular or unpopular their decisions will be.

Next, Klarman spoke and assessed the costs and benefits of same-sex marriage litigation. He said that one

benefit of same-sex marriage litigation is that it has raised awareness of the issue, and has caused more public discussions to take place. He said it has also aided the same-sex marriage movement by giving activists confidence that change is achievable. Additionally, he said that same-sex couples that got married after favorable court decisions advanced the movement by giving a face to the issue.

On the other hand, Klarman said that litigation has harmed the movement by subtracting resources and attention from other issues on the gay rights movement agenda. He added that by focusing on the most radical part of the agenda, litigation has made other goals harder to achieve.

For example, he said that litigation has sometimes made adoption by same-sex couples seem more controversial, because of the large focus on same-sex marriage, the most contentious part of the movement.

He added that the issue has profound effects on the results of some elections. Klarman said that George Bush may have been elected in 2004 because of the same-sex marriage issue. Because of this, whether to litigate should be carefully considered, because drawing attention to the heated issue in this way could slow the progress of the gay rights movement by preventing the election of progressive politicians. He followed this point, posing the hypothetical question “Would you rather have civil unions in Massachusetts and John Kerry as president, or gay marriage in Massachusetts and George Bush as president?”

Klarman ended his lecture with a question-and-answer session.

“I thought it was an interesting take on gay marriage that you don’t normally hear, sort of getting not just the social issue of it, but [also] the bigger political and legal aspects of it,” said Anna Barbaresi ’13, who attended the lecture.

interview

Rosen reviews year in office, looks ahead to Teach for America ■ The Justice interviewed

Herbie Rosen ’12 about his time as Student Union president and future plans.

JustNews: What is your biggest achievement as Student Union president?

Herbie Rosen: For me, ’Deis Impact felt good. A festival of social justice partnered with the [International Center for Ethics, Justice, and Public Life]; an entire initiative that I don’t think the Student Union had been involved with recently. … Getting students together to talk about this term that we get thrown at us way too often and starting a thing at Brandeis where at least students will take time, once a year, to really question what it means.

I think continually advocating to

the administrators and staff about student concerns is the second. … I can rest easy knowing that as a president I was letting administrators know every time students were upset. … The fact that that email Rosen [about the dining review] went out a couple weeks ago, in my mind, that’s one of the greatest things we helped bring about.

Overall, the Student Union image will never be perfect—it should always be under criticism—but I feel that I and some others were able to leave feeling like we were close with the students, connected with the students, faculty and staff. … I leave feeling like I left the Student Union in a

better place than I found it.

JN: What do you think your biggest weakness as Student Union president was?

HR: I walked in with no training as to how to be a president. … I walked in unsure which way to shoot, … I couldn’t wait to jump into everything, and in that, overextended myself and then had to pull myself back. … I ... sometimes missed the opportunity to delegate to my executive board.

JN: What do you hope [President-elect] Todd Kirkland ’13 does next year?

HR: I hope Todd is visible and connected to the student body. … That’s something I strived for as the Student Union president, and I think I did. …

One thing I’d really like for him and the Union is that I [ask] them to think outside of the Student Union. … It was a balancing act as a Union president to

try to do both [to be part of the student body and the Student Union]. … I am looking for more of an impact on the students, and I think Todd really needs to focus on that. His platform was very Union-structure heavy, which is good ... [He] needs to remember to be connected with the students.

JN: So what would your advice to Todd be?

HR: Remember that you’re for the students, not for the Union.

JN: What are you going to miss the most about Brandeis next year?

HR: Sherman [Dining Hall] when the time is right. Just kidding—the community, especially by the end of senior year. I can walk through campus and see at least four people I know from different corners and say “Hi.” … Here, it felt like I really mattered and that I knew that people are here together with a common mission.

JN: What are your plans for next year?

HR: I will be in New York City doing Teach for America, … I will be there for two years. I wanted to do something out of college where I was making a difference or at least impacting others. … It is a terrific cause. ... Law school is in the distant future, but right now I want to put my energy into something that really is a tremendous organization.

JN: In one sentence, what is your takeaway from Brandeis?

HR: I was free to be who I was, and that was cool.

JN: What advice would you give to those who aren’t graduating yet?

HR: Take it easy at first, and then go nuts, if you’d like. Remember there is stuff outside of Brandeis. Keep it real.

—Alana Abramson and Emily Kraus

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7

APARTMENT: Board of trustees UNION: votes to sell presidential house Second CONTINUED FROM 1 dent’s House in Newton. University President Emeritus Jehuda Reinharz was still living in the house when Lawrence arrived to take over his position last spring. According to Senior Vice President of Communications and External Affairs Andrew Gully, when Reinharz left at the end of June last year, the University decided the transition would be a good opportunity to evaluate the house and decide whether or not to renovate it.

The Board of Trustees voted at their March meeting to sell the house and find different quarters for the new president. Gully wrote in an email to the Justice that Lawrence “had been considering a move to Waltham for several months prior to the vote.”

The presidential house is slated to go on the market later this week, according to Gully. He also wrote that the University will pay for Lawrence to live in the Watch Factory loft for

the foreseeable future.

“The plan was always to try, if we could, to find something much closer to campus, and that’s what makes me very excited about this space,” said Lawrence in an interview with the Justice. “My thought was that in this time of the school’s history, and given the way in which I conceive of the president as being very much part of the life of the school, that this was a great opportunity to get us closer to campus,” Lawrence continued.

Lawrence noted his efforts to be visible on campus, saying that “being on campus and being with students, in many ways has been one of the hallmarks of my early presidency.”

While fostering unity and being accessible to students and faculty were important factors in his desire to live in Waltham, Lawrence admitted that his new home’s proximity to campus also had practical perks, such as being within walking distance of campus and the restaurants

on Moody Street.

“It’s an opportunity to really be both in and of Waltham,” said Lawrence. “It lets me walk to work, which for me is one of the great privileges” and a habit that he developed in his previous position as dean of George Washington University Law School in Washington, D.C. Lawrence said he plans to take a path that stretches for a little less than a mile from the loft to campus, over the Charles River and by Mt. Feake Cemetery. “I have boots; I can do it in wintertime, too,” he quipped.

Lawrence also spoke of the possibility of entertaining “students, faculty, alumni, trustees [and] other friends of the school” at the new apartment.

The move is not unprecedented.

Out of the seven presidents of the University, only two have lived in the same house.

While the Watch Factory residence is not likely to become permanent housing that will be used by future presidents, it is also “not

designed as a short-term solution,” said Lawrence. The move is intended to “allow [the University] to think more broadly about what we want to do going forward,” he said.

The Watch Factory, which is being developed by Berkeley Investments, Inc., contains two residential areas on either side of the central section of the building, which has already been fully renovated and rented out as office space to various companies.

The first residential section scheduled for completion, which includes Lawrence’s apartment, will feature a restaurant and a café, according to the Watch Factory project’s website.

One of the finished buildings also contains a small museum with displays and artifacts from the history of the Waltham Watch Company.

According to Lawrence, much of the original architecture and materials of the building are being kept in the renovated apartments. “It’s really going to have the flavor of the late 1800s,” said Lawrence. “It’s … very much the history of Waltham.”

DISCOURSE ON SEXUAL HARASSMENT

JOHSUA LINTON/the Justice

OPEN FORUM: Students talk at a forum hosted by the Feminist Majority Leadership Alliance. FMLA held the event to discuss assault and harassment on campus.

ASSAULT: Students discuss University response CONTINUED FROM 1 of guidelines for colleges and universities to address sexual assault violations.

“A school that knows, or should reasonably know, about possible harassment must promptly investigate to determine what occurred. … Title IX investigation is different from any law enforcement investigation, and a law enforcement investigation does not relieve the school of its independent Title IX obligation to investigate the conduct,” according to the “Dear Colleagues” letter from Vice President Joe Biden that clarified policies under Title IX. The Hoot article also states that the Student Conduct Board used a “clear and convincing” standard of evidence in this case, as opposed to the lower “preponderance of evidence” standard required by Title IX. The University student handbook outlines the Rights and Responsibilities of victims of sexual assault. The handbook states that “the Department of Public Safety has full police powers and the staff is trained to provide accurate information on preserving

evidence and the options for criminal prosecution, campus disciplinary proceedings, or both.”

The handbook, however, does not elaborate on what this training entails, including what information is taught and when the training is received.

The Brandeis University Class of 2015 Facebook group currently has 42 comments in response to the article and the Feminist Majority Leadership Alliance hosted an open forum yesterday to discuss sexual assault and harassment on campus and create a “decisive” plan for change. FMLA has been examining the University’s sexual harassment policy and FMLA President Amalia Bob-Waksberg ’14 said in an interview with the Justice that “we found that there were a lot of issues in the policy … and issues with things within the policy not being enacted.” She added, “So many students have told us that they were sexually assaulted and they didn’t feel safe telling Public Safety about it, and now they have to see the person who assaulted them on campus, and they didn’t know their resources.”

Bob-Waksberg describes the ad-

ministration as being generally silent about sexual assault.

She says the administration cites a low incidence rate of sexual assault on campus, when in reality, sexual assault is being grossly underreported.

Bob-Waksberg and other FMLA members are involved in the planning of a silent protest of these circumstances, which will take place in the Goldfarb Library tomorrow from noon to 4 p.m.

Prof. Anita Hill (Heller) wrote in an email to the Justice, “Sexual assault[s] on college campuses, as in general, are under-reported. Brandeis is reviewing its sexual assault policies and procedures so that we can guard against the threat of sexual assault. However, when they occur, we want to make sure individuals can come forward without fear, raise charges and be heard, and be treated fairly during and after the complaint process.”

Senior Vice President for Students and Enrollment Andrew Flagel informed the Justice about one new policy the University is planning to enact to combat sexual assault on campus.

“One of the opportunities that we’re exploring is the creation of a [staff]

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position specifically [addressing the issue of sexual assault]. We’re likely crafting this out of an opening we have at the counseling center. My hope is that we’ll be able to find resources to have a full-time position in this role,” said Flagel.

Students were generally upset by the implications of the Hoot article, and also expressed some skepticism.

“It's problematic that the administration didn't prosecute this case to the fullest extent,” said Dillon Harvey ’14.

“The administration should be creating a safe environment.”

“My concern is how the University can be so negligent to take care of students,” said Alina Cheema ’15. “They were inconsiderate of the student's safety.”

Student Union President Herbie Rosen ’12 said that he wants to learn more facts of the case. “Students want to know what they can do about it,” he said. “I want to understand the legal barriers and what's stopping us from doing something about it.”

“I have just a ton of questions about it,” said Daniel Goulden ’14.

—Shafaq Hasan contributed reporting

round results tallied CONTINUED FROM 1

to continue representing them in the Senate.” He plans to continue the momentum he gained in working with dining services on campus last semester.

Chen could not be reached for comment by press time.

Sneha Walia and Danny Novak both won reelection as senators for the Class of 2015, with 117 and 69 votes, respectively, and 41.68 of the class voting, the largest turnout of any election in this round.

Walia said in an interview with the Justice that she was “excited to continue working.” She hopes to improve the Union’s use of social media to connect with the student body.

In an email to the Justice, Novak said that he is “looking forward to another successful year.”

He hopes to improve the club recognition process as well as to work with academic services to make sure it meets the needs of students.

Amanda Pereira ’15 will be the racial minority senator. She was elected with 140 votes. This election saw 28.55 of eligible voters. “I feel awesome, I’m really happy,” Pereira said in an interview with the Justice. “I’m looking forward to … hearing different people’s perspectives and really seeing what people want changed in terms of … unity and communication.”

First-years Gali Gordon, Seth Brody, Claire Sinai and Ethan Stein won the race for the judiciary positions with 129, 118, 113 and 75 votes respectively; 24.71 percent of the student body voted.

Gordon said in an email to the Justice that he plans to “continue the strong work of the judiciary through the method of mediation.

This has worked well for us over the past term, but if going to trial is necessary, then we will rise to the occasion.”

Brody, Sinai and Stein could not be reached for comment by press time.

Moshi Shi ’15 will be a member of the Finance Board. He was elected with 174 votes and 16.4 percent of the student body participating. He could not be reached by press time.

Mohamed Ali ’14 won the race for the racial minority seat on the F-Board with 81 votes, with 23.57 percent of eligible voters participating. He could also not be reached for comment by press time.

The seats on the F-Board filled

by Shi and Ali were left empty during the first round of elections last week.

—Tate Herbert contributed reporting

JOIN LAYOUT Contact Nan Pang at layout@thejustice.org

8

features Acting pursuits

TUESDAY, MAY 1, 2012

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THE JUSTICE

just

VERBATIM | RALPH WALDO EMERSON

Most of the shadows of this life are caused by our standing in our own sunshine.

ON THIS DAY…

FUN FACT

In 1931, the Empire State Building was dedicated in New York City.

About 17 percent of humans are lefthanded, as are gorillas and chimpanzees.

Whitney Avalon ’03 continues to make her mark acting in Hollywood

By GABRIELLE SANTORO JUSTICE staff writer

PHOTO COURTESY OF THEO&JULIET

LOOKING BACK: Avalon graduated in 2003 and she believes her classes and professors in the theater department served as inspiration for her career.

From sharing the stage with comic film star Jack Black to sparking feminist debates on various online publications with her pop-song parodies, actress Whitney Avalon ’03 has had a lot of unique roles through her work.

One such role was playing an adulterous wife in the internet soap opera parody Ikea Heights, which was shot in an Ikea store unbeknownst to its employees and customers. Avalon shared her take-aways from projects like Ikea Heights and her memories from her time at Brandeis.

Avalon, a Theater Arts major at the University, was a very active student on campus. She DJ-ed on WBRS, wrote for the Arts section of the Justice and co-produced The Vagina Monologues. However, she remained mainly committed to theater. “I have always performed. I started [on stage] at age six, while growing up in Needham, [Mass.],” she said in an interview with the Justice.

Avalon helped put together The Vagina Monologues through her role as a founder of the Vagina Club and shared that she still stays up to date with what happens at the University because of the connection she established with the arts department during her undergraduate career.

“I just saw that they are still putting the show on, which I could not be more excited about. One of my co-producers, and co-actors, is now an assistant casting director out here [in Los Angeles], and we still get together,” she said.

Avalon recalled that one of her favorite faculty members in the Theater Arts program at Brandeis influenced her along the way. “Adrianne Krstansky, who is an amazing professor, taught a lot of theater while I was there,” she noted.

“She directed one of the most amazing shows that I have been a part of, which was Charles Mee’s The Trojan Women: A Love Story. It’s this dark, twisted, beautiful [story] with drama and comedy. I loved it, and it’s [also] nice to keep in touch with [Krstanksy] on Facebook, see what she’s up to ... and keep her up with what I’m doing here [in] Hollywood.”

During her senior year, as her thesis, Avalon wrote and starred in a one-woman play titled Sweet Inverted Princess. “It was [about] this woman who had just won a ‘Who Wants to be a Princess?’ competition. People thought it was insane, but I had actually seen it on television ... and that inspired the idea of this [character] who kind of figures out if this is what she really wants,” she explained. “It was the first time that I wrote something of substance for myself to perform, [and] a great and scary way to say what I wanted to say.”

She has continued to develop witty and hilarious concepts influenced by popular culture and has translated these ideas into videos she shares on her Vimeo and YouTube pages. Avalon describes her first video, a parody of Cee Lo Green’s hit song “F**k You” on her YouTube page as addressing “the song’s allegations from the woman’s perspective.” Avalon cleverly imagines the perspective

PHOTO COURTESY OF ERICA PARISE

IN THE SPOTLIGHT: Avalon acted opposite Julian Stone in the short film “Seven Lanterns,” screened at Boston’s Comic Con.

that Cee Lo creates in the original song as coming from an angry, obsessed stalker, instead of the heartbroken, yet resilient person left by their ex with whom listeners have sympathized. The video has over 200,000 views and was featured on online publications like PerezHilton. com, Jezebel.com and LaughingSquid.com.

“It went viral, immediately, because of the controversy [that resulted from others] reading into what [the song] meant. Jezebel.com posted it as ‘Look at this feminist anthem,’ ... a bunch of men’s rights and anti-feminism websites wrote comments about it like, ‘Get back in the kitchen.’ All I was trying to do was make something funny,” she explained.

Another video she created, “Why I Love the New Facebook Timeline,” was inspired by Avalon’s wariness about how much personal information Facebook users are exposing to the online community.

“I just started writing this from the perspective of someone who thinks it’s awesome if you leave everything public so that [he or she] can read everything [the Facebook user] has ever done,” she shared. A week after it was posted, Avalon found a Polish website that had translated her video into Polish and the discussions it was creating in the comment section. “I translated the comments, and they were actually having a discussion in Polish about what they had on their Facebook page … it hit me across the face, in a wonderful way,” she recalled.

Avalon has also been a part of some comical moments on television. At the 2008 Spike TV Video Game Awards, she played the Demon of Healthy Relationships in a skit with actors Craig Robinson and Jack Black.

She has also played a coffee shop barista during a moment of public indecency with Kunal Nayyar’s character Raj in the CBS comedy series The Big Bang Theory. “The show is taped in front of a live audience … Seeing their reactions was really great,” she said about the experience.

As a cast member in the web series Ikea Heights, Avalon dove into an offbeat role, storyline and set. “[During this series,] I got to have the once in a lifetime experience of, you know, crawling into Ikea beds, and fake-dying on the floor of the store’s bathroom,” she said. The show was produced through Channel 101, “a monthly mini-TV show film festival that was founded by Dan Harmon [creator of Community on NBC and co-creator of The Sarah Silverman Program] and Rob Schrab [co-creator of The Sarah Silverman Program],” she explained. This was not Avalon’s first time working in comedy, and ispreceeded by a lot of acting experience.

Recently, Avalon has been focusing on more dramatic roles, like her part in the short film Seven Lanterns, which was screened at the Boston Comic Con Film Festival. She acknowledged that studying theater at Brandeis provided “a good foundation” for her career.

“I always had the sense that I was the weird, creative girl … It was beautiful to arrive at Brandeis and find a bunch of theater people that were creative just like me,” she said. “I’m fortunate that Brandeis has a lot of great arts programs, including the theater department.”

PHOTO COURTESY OF CBS

NEXT IN LINE: Avalon played a coffee shop barista in CBS’ “The Big Bang Theory.”

THE JUSTICE

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TUESDAY, MAY 1, 2012

9

JOINT VOICES: A panel of students answered questions about how much support the program has provided.

Defining

legendary PHOTOS BY NATHANIEL FREEDMAN/the Justice

Students speak about being the first in family to graduate

By SELENE CAMPION JUSTICE STAFF WRITER

“Sacrifice, suffering and struggle in the pursuit of success is my definition of being legendary,” said keynote speaker Ipyani Grant ’12 at the annual Student Support Services Program ceremony, held last Thursday in the Mandel Center for the Humanities and sponsored by the Office of Academic Services and the Brandeis Pluralism Alliance.

According to its mission statement, Student Support Services offers resources to undergraduate students who are the first in their family to attend college.

Due to the financial crisis, the federal government has cut funds to programs such as TRIO, a Department of Education program that helps first-generation and low-income students attend college and which sponsors SSSP. The Student Leadership Board of SSSP at Brandeis has written a petition to the U.S. Senate to urge them to continue funding for the program. They reminded the Senate that many students are given the opportunity to go to college because of the program and without government funding to programs such as SSSP, many students will not receive support from their schools.

The program coordinates events that enhance the experiences of SSSP students, such as study breaks and talent shows, and provides volunteer opportunities along with the signature “I Am” event. This year’s theme was “I Am Legendary,” and the students explored how they view themselves as legends and how they define the word legendary.

Grant knew from a young age that he wanted to succeed, but at times he was held back. He grew up in Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn, New York in a public housing unit.

His daily life included riding bikes and witnessing drug deals. “How I perceived those experiences and overcame them made me legendary. I fought over and over and over again, and this is why I succeed,” he said in his speech.

Dean of Academic Services Kim Godsoe explained how SSSP honors Brandeis’ mission of social justice. She opened the event by saying, “The best community we can be is to welcome everyone.” Godsoe described the event as “uniquely Brandeis … When colleges and universities across the country are becoming more and more expensive and more and more a place only the wealthy can afford and others cannot, Brandeis has stayed strong in its diversity and it has stayed strong in its mission of social jus-

tice.”

Tamar Brown ’12, another student who is a part of SSSP, is co-director of the SSSP documentary I Am Legendary, which premiered at the event on Thursday. “This year we really wanted to recognize not only the SSSP community but also [give] a shout-out to our graduating seniors, Class of 2012. The mark they are leaving on campus is the mark we hope juniors, sophomores, and first-years will also leave and I hope I’m right when I say that,” Brown said.

Many students involved in the program underwent similar experiences and overcame barriers to be accepted to the University. The same phrase echoed throughout the 20-minute documentary: “I will not let my circumstances keep me from achieving my dream.”

There proved to be several definitions for the term “legendary.” Students’ definitions ranged from “unforgettable, “someone who has a voice,” “someone who stands up for what they believe in” and “someone who really makes a mark.” Gerardo Garcia-Rios, director of SSSP, came up with his own definition of legendary by creating an acrostic poem: “‘L’ is for legend, ‘E’ exemplary, ‘G’ for great, ‘E’ elite, ‘N’ noble, ‘D’ dedicated, ‘A’ amazing, ‘R’ respectful and ‘Y’ youthful.”

“Legendary is [a term] for people who go out and make opportunities for themselves,” said Jessica Hood ’15. “If I think I’m legendary, it’s going to make me want to go out and be and do things on campus. Because … in the end … I don’t have to worry about anybody else thinking that I’m not, because I am.”

Rachael Koehler ’13 highlighted the prevalence of SSSP. “I think that programs like SSSP are important especially right now,” she said, “because if you just keep having the same people of the same status and the same minds be the ones who get an education to go further, and then people of the lower status who have different minds and different thoughts [who do not] have the opportunity, then we will never truly change.”

Her success, along with that of the other SSSP members, speaks to the importance of the program in helping students achieve their dreams. SSSP has encouraged Koehler in school by providing peer tutoring and peer-mentoring programs. Reactions from an audience member during the questionand-answer session spoke to the nature of the program. “I can honestly say that my struggle isn’t your struggle so ... I appreciate hearing that you guys have persevered, that you are striving, that this is what [SSSP] is truly about.”

MOVING WORDS: Ipyani Grant ’12 discussed his personal struggles, successes and plans for graduation.

LIFE THROUGH FILM: The event focused on a documentary depicting the stories of the students involved.

COLLABORATING LEGENDS: Organizers thanked the school, directors and fellow students involved in SSSP.

10

TUESDAY, april 24, 2012

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THE JUSTICE

Justice Justice

the the

Established 1949, Brandeis University

Brandeis University

Established 1949

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

Welcome to Waltham For the duration of his term, former University President Emeritus Jehuda Reinharz lived in a Brandeis-owned home in Newton, Mass.

However, University President Frederick Lawrence has opted out of living in this home, and the Board of Trustees has decided to put the house up for sale.

Instead, Mr. Lawrence will be moving into an apartment in the newly converted Waltham Watch Factory to situate himself closer to campus.

We appreciate Mr. Lawrence’s efforts to immerse himself further into Brandeis’ community and hope his decision will also nurture the University’s relationship with the greater Waltham community.

During his first year as University president, Mr. Lawrence has made a significant effort to include himself in campus events and activities. Living within walking distance of campus will further involve him in the community.

According to an interview with the Justice, Mr. Lawrence said he looks forward to holding gatherings at his new apartment that students and faculty will be able attend.

By opening his home to Brandeis students, Mr. Lawrence continues to create a supportive and productive relationship with the student body.

Along with the Brandeis community,

Nurture community ties Mr. Lawrence will be encouraging a more receptive relationship with the Waltham township.

Earlier this semester, Mark Collins, senior vice president of administration, indicated that as part of the strategic planning process, the University was considering buying and expanding housing into Waltham.

This part of the plan was proposed to help alleviate the housing issues on campus. Regardless of whether or not this element of the plan moves forward, students will still continue to live in offcampus housing and the University will still need to maintain a relationship with the town.

By living in Waltham, Mr. Lawrence may be able to help the University better facilitate open conversations with the Waltham town council and local landlords about student housing in the area.

While the presidential home will be sold and the University will lose this part of our history, we appreciate Mr. Lawrence fully trying to incorporate himself into the community.

By moving closer to campus, Mr. Lawrence continues to demonstrate his commitment to remaining a welcoming and open figure to the student body.

Coffee shop convenience Finals are almost here and students can be seen crowding around study spaces and cramming in the Goldfarb Library basement, living on coffee and sometimes little food.

In the midst of studying, students would undoubtedly appreciate the convenience of food and drink in the library.

Recognizing this need, the University and food services company Aramark are looking into placing a new coffee shop in the Goldfarb Library. This board applauds Dining Service’s efforts to meet the needs of the Brandeis community and continue improving the functionality of the campus.

Last year, Dining Services added a similar satellite food location in Olin-Sang.

In addition to providing sandwiches, coffee and drinks, this station is conveniently placed among traffic so students can stop by in-between classes instead of running to the Usdan Student Center.

Similarly, the most ideal location for the café in the library is the green room in the Farber Library, where students already eat and talk freely. As the room already functions as a place for students to congregate and interact, the coffee stand would be able to provide students with a place to continue meeting while also enjoying food and drink.

However, we discourage the University from building a station similar to the one in Olin-Sang in the library because it would not serve a similar purpose.

The library is close to the Provisions on Demand Market in Usdan, which sells coffee and snacks. Therefore, sim-

Foster a warmer environment ply adding pots of coffee, hot water and maybe some baked goods to the library, while helpful, would be somewhat superfluous.

Instead, we encourage the University to build a café that adds style and ambience to the library. It must offer novel goods to students while also creating a welcoming study atmosphere. In that spirit, the coffee shop should, to some extent, emulate the relaxed café atmosphere of Cholmondeley’s. Such an establishment would not be redundant, as Chums, situated on the side of Usen Castle, no longer attracts crowds in the way it once did.

Furthermore, the new establishment would be able to cater to an already existent population of students in the library. Therefore, although the primary purpose of the shop will be to provide coffee and other drinks to students, we encourage the University to utilize this station to create a warmer, more comfortable environment where students can study. The green room is the perfect space for such a café.

The library already serves a natural, central purpose on this campus. Adding a café or similar dining establishment within its walls would greatly serve to benefit the student body overall. We are pleased that the University is pursuing such an option and hope that similar ideas that work to benefit students everyday lives will be envisioned in the future.

SARA WEININGER/the Justice

Retain individualism; avoid mob mentality Shafaq

hasan into the fire

As far as mobs go, this one was pretty sweet. Whether it was the collective swaying of a united college campus or the soothing smells of the seven—sometimes nine—leaf clover, SpringFest 2012 was a prime example of a mob done right.

The crowd starts chanting, you chant too. Childish Gambino conducts the chorus of Adele’s hit song and you join in. When everybody rushes to the front of the stage, you push and shove your way through too. With so little instruction, this mass of people had started to move, talk and breathe in unison. While SpringFest embodied this feeling of togetherness—a student body in sync—cynically, I could only think of how easily this way of thinking could be corrupted and how mob mentality has no place at a college campus.

Mob mentality is the behavioral pattern that emerges as individuals start to react as a collective group, rather than on their own. Riots, demonstrations and even concert audiences all have the potential to demonstrate the characteristics of mob mentality, even when they don’t turn violent. When individuals react differently in a crowd than they would have if they were on their own, they are also buying into this mentality.

Although many people innately react differently when they are in a crowd of people with similar thoughts, beliefs or emotional states, this mentality is inherently at odds with the function and purpose of college.

College is one of the very few places where you’re constantly encouraged to redefine yourself and steer away from the crowd.

The reason we need to be encouraged and given the go-ahead to be different is because it’s so incredibly difficult. It’s easier to follow along than it is to pave your own path. It’s more convenient to let someone else think for you than to have the courage to be different. It’s even more challenging to reevaluate your thinking in a crowd when you can’t discern that anything’s wrong.

That’s what Professor Daniel R. Kittle of Wartburg College investigated when he discreetly experimented with mob mentality in his “Leadership and Cultural Competencies” class and recorded his findings for the Chronicle of Higher Education. Dr. Kittle hired an actor to impersonate an expert on leadership.

After the actor earned the students’ respect and established his credibility as an “expert,” he then subtly started weaving bigoted remarks into his lecture. While a few students exchanged glances and others mechanically took down notes, no one challenged the lecturer. The class didn’t realize something was wrong until the actor had to excuse himself because he couldn’t keep up the ruse.

Students believed that the actor was a legitimate expert and therefore they were less likely to question what he was saying.

The speaker was able to manipulate the students because some weren’t actively thinking and others felt that they couldn’t challenge the professor who brought in this speaker. In the end, the exercise was meant to teach students how to handle discrimination in the real world. Do you go along with the crowd or do you stand up for what we’re all morally responsible for?

Mobs present a situation where people value solidarity and consensus over reason and logic. But at Brandeis, where professors teach you to think critically and constantly ask questions, mob mentality thematically clashes with our education and learning. There’s nothing wrong with enjoying yourself while you’re at a concert or a sports game. Sure, you probably wouldn’t chant cheers if you were by yourself, but it’s harmless, right? Singing along to fun. and participating together as a community demonstrates the positive effects of engaging in mob mentality. Barring any violence, there is no significant downside to following the lead of the crowd if it makes the experience more poignant and enjoyable.

However, be aware that your mindset and your behavior instinctively changes when you interact with a group of people.

There’s a fine line between being an individual in an audience and subtly altering your thoughts and feelings to align with those around you. If you’re jumping on the bandwagon, make sure it’s for something you really believe in. When you start to change your beliefs to coincide with the crowd, you may feel like you’ve blended in, but ultimately you’re doing a disservice to yourself. Without critically evaluating our surroundings and thinking before going along with the crowd, we essentially dispense with the value professors try to instill in their students— individuality.

OP-BOX Quote of the Week “I always had the sense that I was the weird, creative girl … It was beautiful to arrive at Brandeis and find a bunch of theater people that were creative just like me.”

—Whitney Avalon ’03 on how Brandeis’s theater department has helped her in her acting career (Features, p. 8).

Brandeis Talks Back What do you think of a coffee shop in the library?

Karla Alvidrez ’13 “It would be bad because it would be loud and it would create too much traffic.”

Brie Beberman ’13 “I would go to any coffee shop if there’s caffeine.”

Sam Stemper ’13 “It would be great; a lot of people here drink coffee.”

Imara Roychowdhury ’13 “Libraries are a place for studying and reading; not a place for feeding.”

—Compiled by Shafaq Hasan Photos by Joshua Linton/ the Justice

THE JUSTICE

READER COMMENTARY Mehanna stripped of free speech In response to your article, “Internet terrorism permeates the home,” (April 24): Tarek Mehanna’s case presents a major First Amendment issue.

The freedom of speech is an integral part of our society that must not be undervalued.

It promotes growth, it protects citizens from the coercive and despotic reach of the state, and it enables democracy to flourish. With the freedom of speech, a marketplace of ideas is created. In this metaphorical marketplace, all ideas and opinions are gathered, considered, and consequently sorted by their value, insight, and purpose.

After returning to the United States, Mehanna was just an independent advocate, not an aid to terrorist organizations. Mehanna did not counsel terrorist groups and his translations and statements were made to the world at large.

Since he did not engage in threats of imminent violence, his course of action does not come within the ‘fighting words’ exception.

This distinction is absolutely crucial as it is what brings his case under the protection of the First Amendment.

We the People ought to be free to exercise our constitutional liberties.

We have the right to express our beliefs (even on the Internet), no matter how contentious, radical, or unpopular they may be.

—Sarah Park ’14 The writer is the secretary of Young Americans for Liberty.

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TUESDAY, May 1, 2012

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Assess threat of nuclear Iran

By ALEX THOMSON SPECIAL TO THE jUSTICE

“The danger of letting Iran’s nuclear program go on is greater than the danger of stopping it.” Most would probably assume that an Israeli official, a representative of the United States or maybe even a politician from the European Union expressed this sentiment.

However, King Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifa of Bahrain, an Arab nation, made this claim. The threat of a nuclear Iran isn’t just felt by Israel or other Middle Eastern nations; its dangers ripple across the Arab world to the shores of the United States. A nuclear Iran would set off a nuclear arms race that would propel its regional neighbors to commence their own nuclear programs and lead to further regional instability and mass nuclear proliferation.

A nuclear Iran isn’t just a theoretical threat; the danger Iran poses is real and perilous. Iran continues to enrich uranium, the element used to make nuclear bombs, at levels only used to create nuclear weapons. While Iran states that their nuclear program is for purely peaceful purposes, their actions clearly suggest otherwise. While we must remain mindful of the effect that a nuclear Iran will have on the Middle East region, as Americans, we must focus primarily on the deleterious consequences of Iran’s actions on the United States.

One of the most serious threats to the security of the United States is the possibility of rogue groups, such as terrorist organizations, obtaining weapons. While a nuclear-capable Iran itself remains the largest threat, it is also

important to note Iran’s close relationship with terrorist groups such as Hamas in the Gaza Strip and Hezbollah in Lebanon. Iran currently supplies both terrorist organizations with missiles and other military equipment. Who is to say that Iran won’t further their regional interests by providing these groups with nuclear weapons as well? This possibility, as demonstrated by Iran’s current support for these organizations, is intolerable. A nuclear-capable Hamas or Hezbollah threatens both our regional interests in maintaining stability in the Middle East and America’s security if one of these organizations resorts to terrorist attacks on American soil, as we have seen with other rogue groups such as Al Qaeda.

Iran’s posturing threatens many Arab nations in the Middle East. Other Arab countries, such as Egypt, have indicated that they would build nuclear weapons if Iran was successful in constructing them. While Egypt has a history of promoting nuclear non-proliferation, the rise of the Arab Spring has added uncertainty to this pledge. The likely victor in the Egyptian elections taking place at the end of May is the Muslim Brotherhood—a radical Egyptian political organization that opposes much of Egypt’s current policy. If Iran obtains nuclear weapons and shares their technology with their allies in Hamas, Egypt may follow suit in order to maintain a balance of power within the region.

The United States is currently leading a global effort to reduce nuclear weapons, but a Middle Eastern arms race would derail the global nuclear non-proliferation effort.

If the United States fails to stop Iran, our re-

gional influence will wane. Iran would be the only non-democratic Middle Eastern country to possess nuclear weapons and something that would enhance their position in the region.

Currently, Iran is isolated from the world community, and other Arab nations are distancing themselves from Iran.

However, an Iran with a nuclear weapons capability would reign supreme in a region that is already subject to constant volatility. Just as Egypt, Iraq, Saudi Arabia and Jordan remain conciliatory toward the United States because of our prominent position in global affairs, a nuclear Iran will lead to Arab nations acquiescing to their demands.

This would diminish the United States’ ability to foster democracy and promote equality for all people within this region.

Any country that is run by a dictatorial regime is fundamentally at odds with all democracy seeking nations. If a country such as Iran obtains nuclear weapons, the entire world would be affected. For this reason, it is the United States’ role to take action to halt the acceleration of Iran’s nuclear program.

While recent diplomatic talks with Iran are hopeful, America and our global partners must continue to pressure Iran to interrupt their march towards acquiring nuclear weapons. Ultimately, the prevention of a nuclear Iran will help maintain the fragile stability of the Middle East and allow the United States to continue to spread democratic values in this region in the hopes of a more pluralistic society.

The writer is a member of the Class of 2015.

Commencement must go beyond entertainment Philip

Gallagher back to basics

I can’t count the number of people who have told me how much they want Jon Stewart to come to Brandeis and deliver our commencement address.

Yes, I think Jon Stewart is awesome and funny, but what exactly would he say at graduation that would be so riveting? I watched the commencement address he delivered at the College of William and Mary in 2004, where he is an alumnus.

It was fine.

As expected, he made some jokes—although they were not as funny as I imagined they would be.

It was exciting to watch him speak, but there wasn’t much more to it than that.

What concerned me, however, was that the speech struck me as being primarily a performance, instead of an informed oration.

The job of a commencement speaker is to provide thoughtful and worldly advice to the graduating class that is based on their personal and professional experiences; entertainment and theater are always enjoyable but should be nothing more than secondary characteristics of the speech.

Jon Stewart interviews people on a comedy television show and, in my opinion, doesn’t have the hands-on experience of making a difference in the world necessary for this type of a speech.

The choice for Brandeis’ commencement speaker this year of Deborah Bial ’87, however, was a masterstroke, despite some lingering concerns about how well-known she is outside of Brandeis. I am confident that she will deliver a speech that is provocative and inspiring.

When we look for a commencement speaker, we should seek out someone who has accomplished something noteworthy and challenging.

Dr. Bial founded and grew the Posse Foundation, which has sent over 4,000 urban students to college with full-tuition scholarships.

For her efforts, Dr. Bial received a MacArthur Fellowship, and the Posse Foundation received a portion of President Obama’s Nobel

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NAN PANG/the Justice

Peace Prize winnings.

Dr. Bial has undoubtedly accomplished a tremendous amount that qualifies her to provide the Brandeis graduating class with advice for the future.

Furthermore, given that she herself gradu-

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ated from Brandeis, I’m sure that seniors will be able to relate to Dr. Bial on a more personal level than they could to someone from outside the University.

The concerns from students that she is not a celebrity incorrectly prioritize the most im-

The Staff

For information on joining the Justice, write to editor@ thejustice.org.

portant qualities of a commencement speaker.

Dr. Bial has experience on the front-lines working to make a positive difference with and for other individuals, an experience that celebrities frequently lack. Having this type of record is more valuable than fame and name-recognition.

People like former President Bill Clinton would be speaking to us from a very comfortable chair, from where he has indirectly impacted the masses.

Dr. Bial is speaking to us at our level, having rolled up her sleeves and changed lives of one person at a time.

The important values that Dr. Bial brings to commencement this year have been muddled at other top-tier colleges, which seem to place a greater emphasis on entertainment and prestige over thoughtful advice. Speeches from past years have consisted largely if not wholly of comedy routines.

These overly dramatic speakers include Conan O’Brien at Dartmouth College in 2011, Seth MacFarlane and Will Ferrell at Harvard University in 2006 and 2003, respectively— though they were not the Commencement Speakers but Class Day speakers, having been invited by Harvard’s Senior Class Committee.

In fact, O’Brien, Stewart and MacFarlane all prefaced their speeches by saying how ridiculous it was that they were invited to address the graduating class. O’Brien even gestured to former President George H.W. Bush sitting behind him and asked why a comedy talk show host was being asked to impart wisdom instead of a former U.S. President and decorated war veteran.

This is not to say that humor has no place in a commencement address.

Ellen DeGeneres gave a very clever speech at Tulane University in 2009, during which she danced through the aisles to Lady Gaga.

However, she managed to keep her main message of living life with integrity the focus of almost her entire speech.

At Brandeis, we have not yet had a commencement speaker who placed theater before knowledge, but I am concerned that students who want speakers like Jon Stewart are moving in that direction.

The choice of Dr. Bial this year sets an appropriate tone for the event. Seniors should not be expecting entertainment or comedy from the speech but rather thoughtful advice.

Commencement will not be a performance for applause but a lecture for reflection. Dr. Bial is an ideal speaker to foster this kind of atmosphere.

Editorial Assistants Layout: Rachel Burkhoff Staff Senior Writers: Josh Asen, Aaron Berke, Dafna Fine, Wei Huan-Chen, Amy Melser, Shelly Shore Senior Illustrator: Sara Weininger Senior Photographer: Alex Margolis News: Shani Abramowitz, Jonathan Epstein, Danielle Gross, Luke Hayslip, Raquel Kallas, Suzanne Schatz, Rachel Starr Features: Selene Campion, Jessie Miller, Rachel Miller, Gabrielle Santoro Forum: Glen Chagi Chesir, Aaron Fried, Philip Gallagher, Diego Medrano, Joshua Nass, Sara Shahanaghi, Avi Snyder, Naomi Volk Sports: Jacob Elder, Becca Elwin, Henry Loughlin,

Jacob Lurie, Jacob Moskowitz, Madeleine Stix Arts: Damiana Andonova, Alex DeSilva, Olivia Leiter, Leanne Ortbals, Louis Polisson, Mara Sassoon, Ayan Sanyal, Maya Shemtov, Aziz Sohail, Viet Tran, Dan Willey Photography: Jon Edelstein, Morgan Fine, Nathaniel Freedman, Josh Horowitz, Josh Spiro, Michelle Wang, Anna Yatskar Copy: Aliza Braverman, Jennie Bromberg, Kinza Kukhari, Patricia Greene, Andrew Hayes, Max Holzman, Brittany Joyce, Eunice Ko, Megan Paris, Christine Phan, Mailinh Phan-Nguyen, Leah Rogers, Will Schneiderman, Amanda Winn Layout: Jassen Lu, Denny Poliferno, Michelle Yi Illustrations: Mara Sassoon, Arielle Shorr, Tziporah Thompson

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TUESDAY, may 1, 2012

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THE JUSTICE

FORUM

Evaluate administration of final exams Sara

shahnaghi enlightened

As the semester draws to an end, students are busy studying for their final exams. These endof-the-year tests are routine at Brandeis and elsewhere, with the semester culminating in a week or two dedicated to their administration.

Their widespread presence at colleges isn’t unwarranted: they serve as a convenient form of cumulative assessment for classes where final papers may not apply.

Final exams have become a primary target for those opposed to high-stakes testing. A recent article in the Chronicle of Higher Education criticized final exams for coming in the way of learning, arguing that seemingly benign final tests can defeat the purpose of learning as students become much too focused on a single test. It proposes getting rid of final exams and replacing them with other, more creative means of assessment, such as classroom-based projects that are not formally graded.

To a large extent, those against final exams are right to believe that it interferes with learning. Final exams differ from other tests during the semester in two major ways. First, they are generally weighed heavily in a student’s final grade. Grade-conscious students can fixate on the final exam, making learning second to getting a good grade on a single test.

Second, final exams are often cumulative and require students to know material learned throughout most of the semester. Having to know a large quantity of material at once encourages students to cram and absorb content quickly in preparation for their exam, which can hamper long-term retention.

However, getting rid of final exams altogether would be impractical. Tests provide a convenient way of assessing students’ learning. Projects and homework assignments can only go so far in capturing students’ true understanding of material, particularly in the sciences. Also, tests incentivize students to dedicate time to learning subject matter. Most importantly, if implemented properly, final exams allow an opportunity for students to review everything they have learned and view all the course content as one unit.

There may be a way of implementing final exams while avoiding the negative consequences the tests can have on learning. The key is to realize that the problem is not the final exams per se, but instead what they are testing. Many of these tests are designed in such a way that students are rewarded for relying on short-term memory of facts and procedures rather than a deep understanding of concepts. Because there is a relatively large breadth of content for final exams, students benefit from studying each topic a little and knowing material just well

NASHRAH RAHMAN/the Justice

enough for the exam.

A different approach should be taken to cumulative exams. Instead of testing students on topic-specific questions from throughout the class, students should be tested on the overarching themes and concepts that bring the wide span of material covered in the course together. In preparing for such an exam, students would not benefit from memorizing specific facts or problems.

A student would instead benefit from looking at the course material from the macro level, trying to understand major themes. Unlike memorizing specific facts, this kind of analysis can improve long-term retention.

Another major pitfall instructors should avoid is teaching to the test. While this can occur with any type of exam, it is particularly common for final exams because they are so important to students’ grades.

During the last few classes of the semester, some instructors openly shift focus from learning material to preparing for the final and even

discussing what will or won’t be on the test.

While reviewing material at the end of the semester can help students learn, when doing so in the context of test preparation, learning can easily become auxiliary. Furthermore, it can interfere with student interest, as class time is focused on preparing for a test rather than fostering curiosity.

One strategy for preventing final exams from compromising learning is to change the way instructors guide studying. While students are thrilled when teachers specify what topics they should study through review sheets or study outlines, making studying for the exam easier will harm them in the long run. Rote memorization comes into play when students approach studying from a topic-by-topic approach.

In the place of review sheets that tell students what topics they should know, instructors should consider guiding student studying through a set of focus questions. This way, even if students look at class material through the lens of the final exam, they will be analyzing

and grouping material by general themes. This is precisely the sort of thinking schools should cultivate in their students because it helps students retain material and think critically.

Despite their bad reputation, final exams do not necessarily hurt student learning. If approached correctly, they can help students tie together everything they have learned throughout the semester, encourage studying and accurately evaluate understanding. Because final exams play such an important role in college coursework, Brandeis should consider whether these tests match the school’s educational goals. While high-stakes testing may not be the most ideal form of final assessment, finding a suitable replacement for the final exam would require a great deal of research and experimentation.

Maintaining final exams while changing the approach the University takes to them is a more realistic solution that can result in significant improvements in the quality of education that each student receives.

Make the most of your Brandeis experience Diego

medrano missing link

I can’t summarize my college experience in a single article and I won’t even try. What I can do is attempt to summarize my thoughts on the people and culture of Brandeis, while offering up a few pieces of advice. There’s no possible way for me to cover everything, but I’ll try to hit the main points.

For starters, yes, we’re awkward. Let’s not beat an awkward dead horse, but many of our jokes are received with silence. There’s always that kid who just raises his hand way too many times in class—and is wrong more often than he’d like to admit—and most guys would be better off using books like, How to Pick Up Chicks for Dummies, or 100 Fool-Proof Pick-Up Lines.

But so what? There are worse traits to have as a school identity than awkwardness. We also have intelligence, earnestness and passion; those just aren’t as fun (or funny) to talk about.

I would go so far as to say that I have never been to a place as accepting and friendly as Brandeis, and I probably never will again.

I don’t think I realized this until about

halfway through my sophomore year. Like others, I considered transferring and visited other schools because Brandeis just didn’t feel “college” enough for me. Our parties were too small, as was the campus, and feeling like I knew everyone at the school within a week of starting was a bit underwhelming. What I found was that no other school was quite as warm and welcoming. At other schools, the “bros” were “broey-er,” the intellectuals smugger and the artists more isolated. I took an honest look at where I was and decided that I could do a lot worse than being in a place where you have to say “hi” to 50 people on the walk to class.

Next, this place radiates with passion.

From volunteering, to activism, to academics, to even what music we listen to, Brandeisians just care about what they do. I’m constantly excited to hear how people spend their time, and what fuels their motivation. Our professors by-and-large mimic that same excitement, and even if it means that they constantly go over class time, I’d take that any day of the week to the alternative.

The passion with which they teach us ensures that future Brandeisians will be inclined to adopt with the same spirit and passion. Our professors help to pass the torch.

I’d be remiss as an editorial writer if I didn’t offer up a few suggestions. To the activists, high-minded ideals and large world issues may be pressing and popular to support, but don’t underestimate the power that you can have locally. That’s not to say that

the choice is between one or the other. Often, change has the biggest impact when it starts from the ground up. While it might be popular to throw money at “Kony 2012” and stage protests, don’t forget about the people in hospitals nearby who could use your help, the kids that could use a mentor or the schools that could use a hand.

My next piece of advice: grade point averages, majors and extra-curriculars aren’t all that define you. If that hits home, the best I can say is, don’t be afraid to just be a person for a change.

It’s great that you study chemistry, but that doesn’t mean that you don’t have anything else to offer. On a similar note, if you still haven’t taken a class you’ve enjoyed in your major but you find yourself volunteering, painting, advocating or doing anything else without being able to wipe the smile from your face, you just might have found your calling.

I get it. We’re paying thousands of dollars and accumulating debt in an attempt to put ourselves in a position to succeed. To get off track and go in a completely opposite direction is scary, naive and potentially necessary.

That doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t work hard.

It just means that you should make sure that what you’re working hard at is actually fulfilling. Yes, in theory, it’s great to go to law school and become a lawyer, but if you’re hating the entire journey, you’ll never be as successful as you would be doing something

you love.

And even if you’re reading this and graduating with a degree in an area you’re sure you want to pursue, don’t be afraid to give your other dreams a shot.

Worst comes to worst, you’ve reaffirmed that you’re making the right choice—congratulations.

Which leads me to my next point: Take a chance. Brandeis is a bubble. Sometimes it’s important to just stick your neck out and try something new.

Diverse experiences are just as important as what you learn in class; they just don’t get you a degree.

As with the previous point, we’re in the best position possible to make a mistake. We’re young, energetic and—hopefully—curious.

While five-year-plans can be comforting and important, recognizing other opportunities along the way is vital. Again, we’re young.

We don’t have to have everything figured out, and we probably shouldn’t. Why deny ourselves the opportunity to find what truly makes us happy? I’m not saying we shouldn’t be ambitious, I’m just saying that we should take the blinders off.

Overall, Brandeis is filled with the type of people who give others hope in the outside world.

We’re the door-holders, the spare-changers and the “just because” gifters that remind everyone else that people aren’t that bad. What I’m trying to say is—thanks, it’s been a pleasure.

THE JUSTICE

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ALEX MARGOLIS/Justice File Photo

CAUGHT OFF-GUARD: Josh Jordan '13 fends off a shot from his opponent in a 5-4 loss against a Trinity College rival on April 14.

TENNIS: Teams conclude year Kareem Farah 8-6, giving Brandeis their only win of the match.

The Brandeis men’s team reversed its fortunes the following day, however, defeating NYU 5-4 in the consolation semifinals of the tournament.

Milo and Michael Secular ’15 excelled in their individual matchups, each earning victories in three sets.

Milo took the first set 6-3 and dropped the second 6-3, but seized the tie-breaker 6-4 to emerge ultimately victorious. Secular took the opposite path to victory, dropping his first set but staging a comeback to win the second set 6-4. He notched his second consecutive victory with a 6-4 win in the tiebreaker

set of the matcg.

In doubles play, the Brandeis men won two of three matches. Jordan and Milo earned an 8-4 victory over freshmen Ting Yee Lai and William Smithline, while Yovanoff and Ezra Bernstein ’11, MA ’12 defeated junior Connor Witty and senior Steven Wu, by an 8-3 margin.

Levine was nostalgic about her last tournament, stating though that this UAA championship was the most rewarding for her in her four years at Brandeis.

“It was probably the best tournament overall that I've been a part of,” she said. It was just the way we played... the energy and the way we worked together had been much better than in the past."

SOFTBALL

Judges excel in final action of the season ■ The softball team ended

regular-season action with a 3-2 mark in its last five games, preparing for ECACs.

By JOSH ASEN JUSTICE SENIOR WRITER

After defeating the University of Massachusetts at Boston Beacons last Sunday, the softball team needed just one more out in the bottom of the seventh inning on the road to secure the sweep of the doubleheader. However, with the bases loaded, Beacon freshman third baseman Amanda Perry hit a two-out, two-run single that catapulted UMass Boston over the Judges to a 3-2 win.

Despite the loss, the Judges went 4-2 last week, including a sweep of Framingham State University and a split with Worcester State University. The team ended the regular season with a notable 23-16 record.

In the loss to UMass Boston, the Judges committed four costly errors.

Pitcher Melissa Nolan ’14 allowed all three runs in the game but allowed no earned runs due to the Judges’ defensive woes.

Despite the loss, the Judges started the day by belting 14 hits en route to a 10-4 victory. Although the Judges led 6-4 going into the top of the seventh inning, they scored four more runs to cushion their lead and ultimately take the game.

Last Friday, the softball team swept its doubleheader against Framingham State University by a 9-1 margin.

The seniors, who played their last career regular season home games, scored a combined record of 10 RBIs. In the second game on Friday, the Judges scored at least one run in five of six innings. Center fielder Lauren Porcaro ’12 led the Judges with three RBIs, including a home run, while Brittany Grimm '12 had a team-leading three hits.

Earlier that day, nine of 10 Judges batters recorded hits in the game. Of the Judges’ 16 hits, three went for extra bases. Grimm and pitcher Caroline Miller ’12, who walked no batters and struck out eight, each belted doubles to deep right field.

Last Thursday, the Judges defeated Worcester State University 6-1 on the road in the first game of a doubleheader, before dropping a 4-2 contest later in the day.

In the team’s loss, the Judges recorded a costly six walks. The team scored one run in the sixth and seventh innings, but it was not enough to overcome the runs Worcester State scored between the third and fifth innings.

Catcher Cori Coleman ’15 stated that in order to improve the team's offensive output, they must focus better and be confident at the plate.

“We just need to relax and believe that we can do it,” she said.

Despite the loss in the game, the team exploded offensively for six

TUESDAY, may 1, 2012

13

BASEBALL: Team falters in finale

STAYING ALIVE

only one Judge winning in singles play.

David Yovanoff ’13 battled back from an early 6-2 defeat against senior Jan Stefanski, taking the next two sets by convincing 6-3 and 6-0 margins.

In doubles, Josh Jordan ’13 and Steven Milo ’13 succeeded in their third consecutive pairing of the day. The duo dominated Chicago in a matchup with freshmen Ankur Bhargava and Deepak Sabada, attaining 8-4 victories in each set of the match.

Brandeis started out slow, however, unable to clinch a singles match against the Bears. In doubles, however, Jordan and Milo defeated freshman Parker Chang and junior

●

runs on 13 hits, including another home run from Grimm. The Judges led 2-1 going into the top of the seventh inning and they scored four runs to cushion their lead, allowing for pitcher Nikki Cote ’15 to relieve Miller and record the final three outs for the win.

Although the regular season is now over, the team can also boast the selection of four new members to the All-University Athletic Association squads.

Infielder Marianne Specker ’12 rounded out her career with a berth on the First All-UAA squad, leading the conference with 35 RBIs and 49 hits. Outfielder Amanda Genovese ’15 was selected as Brandeis’ first All-UAA Rookie of the Year since the award was first presented in 2001, leading the UAA with 15 stolen bases and a .489 on-base percentage. Grimm was selected to the Second All-UAA team for the third straight year, while Porcaro earned a spot via her conference-leading seven runs.

Coleman is also excited about the team’s likely berth in the Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference playoffs, stating that the Judges have the potential to win a championship.

“It should be a good post-season,” she said. “If we play to our potential, we can win ECACs." "That would be a great way to end to the season for our seniors."

attributed to the seniors' impressive performance.

Galli admired his fellow seniors’ dedication to end their baseball careers on a high note in the final home game of the season.

“All of us played well,” he said.

“It was nice to win our last home game.”

While the seniors were the stars of the Judges’ winning effort, additional help came in the form of three RBIs from center fielder Chris Ferro ’13.

Brandeis also received a crucial boost from the bullpen. Tynan led the Judges’ pitching effort, allowing only five hits and one earned run in three and one-third innings, in which he struck out three batters.

Relief pitcher Andrew Weissenberg ’12 and Nicholson would combine to seal the victory for the Judges. Starting pitcher Kyle Brenner ’15 earned the win even amid a six-run start, improving to 3-7 on the season. However, the record is hardly indicative of the rookie's success on the mound, forecasting a successful career for the Judges.

The Brandeis baseball team, however, could not get the job done in its final day of play, losing both games of their doubleheader at Trinity College last Sunday. The Judges’ bats were cold after an offensive explosion against Bowdoin.

While the Judges only had one hit less than Trinity, they nonetheless failed to convert any of their

opportunities into runs. Ferro went three-for-four, singling in the first, doubling in the third, and singling again in the seventh. No other Brandeis player was able to notch a multi-hit game to contribute to the offensive output.

Mike Swerdloff ’13, in his final start of the season, pitched five innings for the Judges, allowing eight hits and three earned runs, while striking out three batters.

Tagged with the loss, Swerdloff fell to 3-4 for the season. Starting pitcher Brian Ing ’14 followed his effort with a scoreless sixth inning.

While the bats awoke for Brandeis in the second game, Trinity’s offense likewise reawakened.

The Judges failed once again to convert their hits into runs. Ferro again led the Judges' effort, going two-for-four with two doubles.

While Nicholson only pitched two innings, he surrendered the decisive fifth run, failing to notch a win on the season at 0-4.

Tynan stated it was an unfortunate way to end the season, but noted that it was a learning experience for the newer members and will hopefully lead to future success.

“Even though this season was rough, we have come together as a team,” he said.

“We just need to focus more, and I think we have the potential to start next season on a high note.”

With the loss at Trinity, Brandeis concludes its season at 8-31, a mark that the team will hope to build upon for the 2013 season.

TRACK: Squads end well at Carnegie Mellon meet CONTINUED FROM 16 For the women, Kate Warwick ’12 led the team by winning her second UAA title of 2012, emerging in first place in the 10,000-meter run with a time of 36:34.38.

Kim Farrington ’12 placed fifth in the triple jump with a distance of 35 feet, eight inches. Alyssa Fenenbock ’15 notched a sixth-place finish in the javelin throw with a distance of 111.8 feet in the first throw of the meet. Amelia Lundkvist ’14 was the last runner to score for Brandeis, notching a seventh place finish in the 1,500-meter run with a time of 4:47.11.

Finally, Lili Parenteau ’12 sneaked into the scoring column with a eighth-place finish in the high jump at 5.2 feet. In the last event of the championships, the 4x800-meter relay, Brandeis finished fifth in 9:52.25, just seconds

out of fourth place.

The team will certainly miss its seniors, including Brown and Warwick, who are admired for the consistent leadership they provide to the team, often by example.

“Their mentalities are fantastic,” said Maser. “We see them perform like they do and it makes us just want to do that that much better. ... So to see runners that successful, it gives us inspiration,” he said.

Using that inspiration from the seniors, Brandeis hopes to build for future success.

“We had some really strong performances and we are only going to get better next year,” said Maser.

The Judges now anticipate the announcement of qualifications for the New England Division III Championships, which will take place at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology this Saturday.

NATHANIEL FREEDMAN/ Justice File Photo

—Jacob Elder contributed reporting.

RIGHT ON TRACK: Jung Park ’14 sprints ahead of opposing runners last Dec. 10.

Join the Arts section of

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the

Write reviews for theater, movies, dance and music.

Contact Ariel Kay and Emily Salloway at arts@thejustice.org for more information.

AMY BISAILLON/the Justice

THE JUSTICE

jUDGES BY THE NUMBERS UAA STANDINGS

TEAM STATS

Not including Monday’s games

Kenny Destremps ’12 leads the team this season with 18 RBIs. Player RBI Kenny Destremps 18 Zach Malis 15 Pat Nicholson 15 Brian Allen 13

Runs Batted In

Overall W L Pct. 26 11 .703 27 12 .692 26 16 .616 13 19 .406 8 31 .205 22 11 .667

EDITOR’S NOTE: The baseball team ended regularseason action after its games at Trinity College on Sunday.

TUESDAY, mAY 1, 2012

15

CLUB SPORTS

baseball

UAA Conference

W L Emory 7 1 WashU 5 3 Case 4 4 Rochester 3 5 JUDGES 1 7 Chicago 0 0

●

Quidditch team soars in annual tournament

Strikeouts Mike Swerdloff ’13 leads the pitching staff with 32 Ks. Player Ks Mike Swerdloff 35 Kyle Brenner 26 Colin Markel 21 Pat Nicholson 20

SOFTBALL UAA STANDINGS

TEAM STATS Runs Batted In

Not including Monday’s games UAA Conference

Emory WashU Rochester Case JUDGES Chicago

W 6 4 4 3 3 0

L 2 4 4 5 5 0

Overall

W L 33 3 26 12 25 12 26 15 23 16 20 8

Pct. .917 .684 .676 .634 .590 .714

EDITOR’S NOTE: The softball team concluded its season after its games against UMass Boston on Sunday.

Marianne Specker ’12 leads the squad this year with 39 RBIs. Player RBI Marianne Specker 39 Brittany Grimm 34 Lauren Porcaro 32 Caroline Miller 21

Strikeouts Caroline Miller ’12 leads all pitchers with 135 strikeouts.

Player Ks Caroline Miller 135 Lauren Porcaro 60 Casey Ducinski 22 Nikki Cote 16

TRACK AND FIELD Results from University Athletic Association Championships at CMU

NOTABLE FINISHES (Men’s)

NOTABLE FINISHES (Women’s)

200-METER DASH TIME Vincent Asante 22.82 1,500-METER RUN TIME Chris Brown 3:55.97 LONG JUMP DISTANCE Kensai Hughes 6.28 meters

1,500-METER RUN TIME Erin Bisceglia 4:54.96 10,000-METER RUN TIME Kate Warwick 36:34.38 TRIPLE JUMP DISTANCE Kim Farrington 10.86 meters

COURTESY OF BILL FULLER

ROAD BLOCK: Jacob Aronson ’15 is stymied by a Westfield State player at the Hedwig and Dobby Memorial Tournament.

■ The Brandeis Quidditch

UPCOMING MEET: The track teams will next compete at the New England Division III Championships at MIT this upcoming Saturday.

team has adjusted well to the competition in just its third season of action.

By HENRY LOUGHLIN

TENNIS

JUSTICE Staff WRITER

Results from University Athletic Association Championships.

NOTABLE FINISHES (Men’s)

NOTABLE FINISHES (Women’s)

MEN’S SINGLES Steven Milo

RECORD 7-5

WOMEN’S SINGLES Faith Broderick

RECORD 13-3

MEN’S DOUBLES Milo/Jordan

RECORD 8-2

WOMEN’S DOUBLES Broderick/Cooke

RECORD 13-5

EDITOR’S NOTE: The men’s and women’s teams ended their seasons after performances at the University Athletic Association Championships in Orlando, Fla.

Despite its magical nature, members of the Brandeis Quidditch team do not simply wave their wands to conjure up success.

Founded two years ago by Harrison Goldspiel ’13, Ingrid Schulte ’13, Tali Smookler ’13, and Hannah Pollack ’13, Brandeis Quidditch — also known as the “Wizengamot” — is growing in popularity.

Though they are not able to literally fly through the air on broomsticks, the game retains many of the authentic properties of the game made famous by J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series. Players scurry around the field with their hands on broomsticks to score as many points as possible. However,

the primary objective for each team’s seeker is to capture the elusive snitch, worth 150 points.

The four founding members, who were first-years at the time, decided that Brandeis needed a Quidditch team on campus. They were all avid fans of Harry Potter, thus solidifying the desire to participate in a rewarding sport such as Quidditch.

Alexander Belkin ’14, greatly enjoys his experience for the team, not only for the hard work involved, but also for the friendships he has made with his assorted teammates.

“The team itself is just a lot of fun, and being able to have that connection to the people on the team is simply the best,” he said.

Despite the sport’s newfound ascent, there are a variety of other elite schools that participate in the league, including Emerson College, Tufts University, Wellesley College and the University of Vermont.

Belkin stated that the expansive field of competitors allowed the team to grow in its performance.

“Well, we’ve played in a few tournaments, and we’ve played against some of the best teams in our division at the World Cup,” he said. “We’ve played against some teams, such as Syracuse [University], Purdue [University], and Wellesley [College] that were easier, but I think we’ve grown regardless.”

Even though it is an athletic endeavor that requires endurance, speed and quick thinking, Wizengamot is always looking for new faces.

“I want to encourage all new members to join,” he said. “It is truly a blast, and even if you’ve never played the sport, feel free to check it out!”

After concluding its season with two of three wins in the Hedwig and Dobby Memorial Tournament, the team will look forward to more growth in the coming year.

NBA PLAYOFF PREVIEW After a condensed schedule, the top 16 NBA teams prepare for an unprecedented playoff season After a two-month long lockout drama, devastating injuries and a condensed 66-game season, the seemingly impossible has happened. The NBA playoffs have finally begun.

The Eastern Conference-leading Chicago Bulls and the reeling No.8 Philadelphia 76ers kicked off the playoff season with a bang last Saturday, but for the wrong reasons. Even with point guard Derrick Rose side-lined and a roster further decimated by injuries, the Bulls managed to finish the season with the best record in the NBA. They face a feisty 76ers team that, with a season-ending injury to center Spencer Hawes, slid to the point of almost missing the playoffs. Even though Chicago lost Rose to a torn ACL in Game 1, the Bulls should take this series easily.

The most drama-filled series of the first round rests in a pivotal matchup

between the Knicks and the Heat. With the Big 3 of the Heat on one side and forwards Amare Stoudemire and Carmelo Anthony on the other, the key to the series will be the performance of the role players. If the Heat excel like in Game 1, though, the Knicks should not pose a problem.

The Indiana Pacers, the sweethearts of the Eastern Conference, locked up the third seed and will face an Orlando Magic squad without center Dwight Howard. The Pacers signed big man David West and traded for combo guard George Hill over the off-season, making Indiana a legitimate contender. They should have an easy time with the Magic, who will be missing their all-world center.

The final Eastern Conference game may turn out to be the closest matchup of the first round. The Boston Celt-

ics started the season slowly, but coalesced late in the season after the return of the Big 3 from injury. Rajon Rondo and his crew aspire to make one last run toward the NBA championships. The Hawks, on the other hand, have made it to the second round the last three years and look to do so again this year, even without all-star forward Al Horford.

While the East promises a slew of exciting matchups, one can not simply write off the intensity of the Western Conference matchups this year. Locking up the top seed for the second year in a row, the San Antonio Spurs look to cruisen to the second round against the surprising Utah Jazz. However, if the Jazz can dominate inside, Utah has a chance to send the Spurs packing for the second consecutive year.

The second-seeded Oklahoma City

Thunder, however, look to take their success one step further. After losing to the eventual NBA-champion Dallas Mavericks in the conference finals last year, Most Valuable Player candidate and forward Kevin Durant, Sixth Man of the Year guard James Harden and point guard Russell Westbrook look to make some noise in the playoffs. They are seeking revenge against a notably depleted Dallas squad, especially with the struggles of Dirk Nowitzki.

After barely holding onto the third seed, the Los Angeles Lakers will face the explosive Denver Nuggets. While guard Kobe Bryant has been the catalyst for the Lakers’ continued success, defying the odds with another fantastic season, Los Angeles will be without Metta World Peace for the first six games of the playoffs. The Denver Nuggets may be able to sneak

away with the upset, especially if their bench holds up and their outside shots fall consistently.

Finally, the Los Angeles Clippers, in the playoffs for the first time since 2006 and for just the fourth time in franchise history, will face off against an imposing Memphis Grizzlies squad. The Clippers boast an intimidating duo in guard Chris Paul and forward Blake Griffin. However, the Grizzlies are deep at every position, and if the fifth-seeded Clippers want to pull off the upset, they will need their role players, such as center DeAndre Jordan and guard Randy Foye to knock down their outside shots.

In November, no one could have seen this coming. The NBA playoffs are here to stay—let the games begin.

— Jacob Moskowitz

just

Sports

Page 16

SEEKING SUCCESS The Brandeis Quidditch team won two of three games at its first annual 2012 Hedwig and Dobby Memorial Tournament, p. 15.

Tuesday, May 1, 2012

TENNIS

GOING THROUGH THE MOTIONS

Squads surprise at championship ■ The women’s tennis team

finished fifth at the UAA tournament, while the men placed in sixth.

By JACOB LURIE JUSTICE STAFF WRITER

The men’s and women’s tennis teams hoped to catch fire on the red-hot tennis courts in Altamonte Springs, Fla. for the season-ending University Athletic Association Championships last weekend. The women were able to win their fifthplace slot, topping the University of Rochester in a contested match.

After losing to the University of Chicago in the fifth-place match, the men ended the season with a 5-14 record and a sixth-place finish in the conference.

The women were defeated by Washington University in St. Louis, 5-4, but then proceeded to shut out New York University. Unlike the men, the women topped Rochester 6-3 to earn fifth place in the UAA this season.

Although the women's team eventually lost to WashU, they didn’t give up to the Bears without a fight.

In six matches, Brandeis took four wins. Faith Broderick ’13, Allyson Bernstein ’13, and Simone Vandroff ’15 all defeated their opponents in straight sets. Carley Cooke ’15 also defeated her WashU rival, winning the heated match 6-3, 6-7 (6-8), 1-0 (10-8).

The women then went on to face NYU, against which they notched victories in all four singles and doubles matches.

Allyson Bernstein ’14 shone in her play against NYU, defeating

Waltham, Mass.

sophomore Ramya Pokala in a 6-1 6-0 blowout. The other three Judges played in extended series, but all came away with victories.

In doubles, Broderick and Cooke had a strong showing, defeating their opponents 8-2. Roberta Bergstein ’14 and Nine Levine ’12 defeated NYU by an 8-3 margin to complete Brandeis’ sweep.

The women played for fifth place against the YellowJackets. The women took four of six singles matches and two of three doubles matches.

Bernstein and Vandroff highlighted the effort with victories in back-to-back sets, 6-3, 6-2 and 6-2, 6-4, respectively.

Dylan Schlesinger ’15 and Vandroff defeated Rochester freshman Cara Genbauffe and sophomore Janice Zhao 8-5. Cooke and Broderick rounded out the action for the 2012 season with a 8-6 win.

While the team did not perform as well as she could have hoped, Nina Levine ’12 expressed that she thought the squad was wellprepared and should take pride in their singles play.

“We trained the entire season for this tournament,” she said.

“Everyone played similarly, so we were ready to handle anything."

"It really just came down to the doubles matches, and unfortunately, it really just didn't go our way that day, but we played really well in singles."

The men also dropped their opening match against No. 17 University of Washington in St. Louis 8-1, but subsequently defeated NYU 5-4 to advance to the fifth-place matchup. The men then squared off against Chicago, but came up empty, losing the match 7-2, with

See TENNIS, 13 ☛

TRACK AND FIELD

Brown, Warwick win races on the big stage

■ The track squads turned

in notable performances at the UAA tournament at Carnegie Mellon University.

By JACOB ELDER JUSTICE STAFF WRITER

The story of the season for the men’s and women’s outdoor track and field teams has been consistency. This proved to be no different in the University Athletic Association Championships at Carnegie Mellon University last weekend.

The men’s and women’s squads wrapped up a strong UAA season with several impressive individual performances. However, the men and women collectively each finished in seventh place with 59 and 28 points, respectively.

As he has done all season, Chris Brown ’12 led the way for the Judges. Brown, named the meet’s outstanding performer, not only won his 1,500-meter event, but also managed to take home the top prize in the 800-meter run. Even though it was only his first time running the 800-meter this season, Brown won the title with a time of one minute, 59.67 seconds.

Meanwhile, in the 1,500-meter run, Brown currently holds the nation's third fastest Division III fin-

ish time. It was business as usual for Brown at UAAs, winning the event in 3:55.97.

Two other Brandeis track team members also earned All-UAA honors. However, the award was bittersweet for Vincent Asante ’14, who failed to defend his title in the 100-meter dash. After winning his preliminary race, Asante lost in the final by one hundredth of a second at 11.20 seconds. Asante also placed eighth in the 200-meter dash, finishing in 23.56 seconds. Ed Colvin ’14 also claimed an honor at Carnegie Mellon, finishing second in the 5,000-meter run with a time of 15:18.90.

Jeffrey Maser ’15 also scored points for the Judges, but his success was tinged with a sense of disappointment. Maser fell only two inches short from notching an AllUAA honor.

“I thought I really should have got at 6’ 2’’ or 6’ 4,’’ but I just couldn’t find my form,” he said.

Maser notched a 6' leap in the high jump.

Jonathan Gilman ’15 and Jacob Wilhoite ’15 placed fifth and seventh, respectively, in the javelin throw with distances of 160 feet, nine inches and 153.11 feet. In the long jump, Kensai Hughes ’14 tacked on a sixth-place finish, leaping 20 feet, 7 inches.

See TRACK, 13 ☛

JON EDELSTEIN/the Justice

RELEASE POINT: Rookie starting pitcher Kyle Brenner ’15 unleashes a pitch in a victory over Bowdoin College last Wednesday.

Judges stumble to poor result in taxing season ■ The baseball team ended

the year with another two losses at the hands of Trinity College on the road.

By BECCA ELWIN JUSTICE STAFF WRITER

Fittingly enough, the senior players got the job done in their Senior Day matchup against Bowdoin College last Wednesday. Led by relief pitcher Alex Tynan ’12, center fielder Sean O’Hare ’12, catcher Kenny Destremps ’12, right fielder Zach Malis ’12 and left fielder Joe Galli ’12, the Judges defeated the Bowdoin College Polar Bears 14-7 last Wednesday.

The Judges improved their record

to 8-29 this season, finishing the year with a 2-1 mark in the last three games. Bowdoin’s record fell to 18-14 with this loss.

The fifth and sixth innings proved to be the turning point of the game for the Judges. The team collected 11 of their 14 runs in that half-hour of play. In a season that has been plagued by offensive struggles, Brandeis finally showcased its potential for power in its lineup against the Polar Bears.

Although Bowdoin outhit the Judges 15 to 14 and led 6-3 in the top of the fifth, the Judges did not surrender easily.

O’Hare went two-for-three in the leadoff position, earning two walks, firing off two doubles and crossing home plate three times.

The strong game for O’Hare capped off a hot streak for the third baseman to end the season, batting .400 with seven runs scored, three doubles and three home runs in his last five games. Since coming off injury last week, the center fielder ended his season on a high note.

In addition to O’Hare’s effort, Destremps went two-for-four with three runs and an RBI in the second spot in the order.

Designated hitter Pat Nicholson ’11 MA ’12 gave an outstanding performance, tallying a game-high four hits with a double, two RBI and two runs scored. Malis and Galli both reached base twice in the winning effort. Much of the team's victory was

See BASEBALL, 13 ☛

just

ARTS

May 1, 2012

Leonard Bernstein Festival of the Creative Arts

energizes campus

p. 20-21 Photo: Asher Krell, Joshua Linton and Robyn Spector/the Justice. Design: Asher Krell/the Justice.

18

TUESDAY, MAY 1, 2012 ● THE JUSTICE

POP CULTURE

INSIDE ON CAMPUS

19-21

■ Adagio performance

19

■ Etgar Keret reading

19

■ ‘Beyond the Boundaries’

19

Brandeis’ dance company put on its semester show last Thursday and Saturday.

Israeli author and screenwriter Keret read from his latest book of short stories.

Brandeis Theater Company experimented with the connection between sculpture and movement in this Sartre-inspired piece.

■ SpringFest 2012

20 - 21

Acts Nite Jewel, Phantogram, fun. and Childish Gambino performed for a huge crowd last Sunday afternoon.

■ ‘Rivers are Lost in the Sea’

22

■ ‘Next to Normal’ review

22

Rachel Klein ’12 choreographed a dance based off of a print by artist Kiki Smith.

B.E.T.’s production of this dark musical rocked the Schwartz Hall auditorium.

OFF CAMPUS

23

■ “Revelations” review

23

■ Island Creek Oyster Bar

23

JustArts reviews the latest from the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater.

This Boston restaurant impresses with its service and decor, but JustArts found the food to be mediocre considering its prices.

■ ‘Blunderbuss’ review

23

JustArts analyzes the latest album from former White Stripes frontman Jack White.

CALENDAR

Interview

by Shelly Shore

Readers, I very much wish that I could end my tenure with you by breaking a huge story.

Sadly, very little happened this week in celebrity gossip, aside from President Obama’s spot-on comedic timing at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, so this week will be a good old-fashioned “In Case You Missed It” piece.

Let’s start with the cover stories. People Magazine named Beyoncé their “Most Beautiful Woman in the World,” a well-deserved honor for the stunning new mom. Beyoncé is only the second black woman to win the title in the competition’s 22-year history, following Halle Berry who nabbed the title in 2003. To put that in perspective, Julia Roberts has been named “Most Beautiful” four times, Michelle Pfeiffer twice. Jennifer Lopez is the only Latina on this year’s list, and there are no Asian women. This trend was probably all well and good when no one paid attention, but with online sites like Jezebel and the Huffington Post critiquing the list barely cool from the printing press, People might need to re-examine its criteria in determining the most beautiful women in Hollywood.

In love triangle news, with Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie’s announcement of their engagement last week, it was no surprise that most magazine covers had some mention of the two. It was even less surprising that OK! threw in a comment about Brad’s ex-wife Jennifer Aniston in a sub-headline reading: “Already fighting over … whether they should invite Jen!” Just a sweet, friendly reminder from the tabloids that we will never hear the end of this non-existent triangle. Ever.

In stories relevant to our undergraduate demographic: On Saturday, TMZ caught 19-yearold Hunger Games star Josh Hutcherson as he waltzed into a grocery store, bought a bottle of whiskey and waltzed back out. Thus far, no legal action has been taken. Irresponsible?

Bad Grammer to perform last show of spring  Improvisational comedy troupe Bad Grammer will hold its semester show on Thursday night, which will feature performances by alumni of the group and current undergraduate members.

LIONEL HAHN/Abaca Press/MCT

FINALLY FIANCÉS: Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, who have six children together, are engaged.

Maybe—but to be fair, the kid did just fight for his life in a fictional arena.

And the lightning round: Lindsay Lohan showed up late to film her guest star scenes on Glee; no one was surprised. Canada decided that Dr. Seuss books were too political for public schools. Megan Fox is pregnant (sorry, gentlemen). And, apparently, Jessica Biel’s parents hate Justin Timberlake. I can’t imagine why.

Brandeis, I have had an amazing seven semesters telling you all about the latest goings-on in Hollywood. Have a great summer, a great rest of your time at Brandeis, and to my fellow pop-culture enthusiasts, remember OhNoTheyDidn’t’s timeless motto: the celebrities are disposable. The gossip is priceless.

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

ON-CAMPUS EVENTS Senior Studio Art show

The senior Studio Art students will be presenting their bodies of work from the semester. There will be food and visual displays of various media including painting and sculpture.

Tomorrow from 5 to 7 p.m. in the Spingold Dreitzer Gallery.

Creative Writing senior honors reading

Senior Creative Writing students Talya Davidoff, Leila Einhorn, Betsy Hinchey, Erica Lubitz, Shelly Shore and Joseph Sloman will be reading from the work they have written this year.

Tomorrow from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. in the Women’s Studies Research Center.

Improv Collective

In an event sponsored by the music deparment, Prof. Thomas Hall (MUS) directs a group of musicians as they explore improvisational music.

Tonight from 7 to 9 p.m. in the Slosberg Recital Hall.

Triskelion drag show

Triskelion has put together a night of music and talents performed by students challenging gender stereotypes. Director of the Office of the Arts Scott Edmiston, Senior Associate Dean of Arts and Sciences Elaine Wong, Intercultural Center staff member Jessamine Beal, ICC Director Monique Gnanaratnam and Senior Vice President for Students and Enrollment Andrew Flagel will be judging the competition.

Tonight at 8 p.m. in the Levin Ballroom. Tickets are free, but there is a first come, first served policy starting at 7:30 p.m.

LUNCHBOX LP/Wikimedia Commons

SILKY SMOOTH: The Grammy-winning crooners Boyz II Men will come to Worcester on May 17. The band, popular in the ’90s, has released 11 records since 1991, including their 2011 album ‘20.’ caped the zoo. Written by Kim Rosenstock, the show is full of quirky characters and crazy situations.

Through Friday at the BCA Plaza Black Box Theatre, 527 Tremont St., Boston. Ticket prices and showtimes vary.

The Shins concert

Brandeis Ensemble Theatre’s last project of the semester is a dance interpretation of the human struggle.

Tonight and tomorrow at 8 p.m. in the Merrick Theater in the Spingold Theater Center.

Beloved New Mexican alt-rockers The Shins are touring to promote their fourth studio album, Port of Morrow. The record is the band’s first release in five years. The Shins first came to national notice due to their hit song “New Slang” which featured prominently in the movie Garden State.

Friday at 8 p.m. at the Wang Theatre of the Citi Performing Arts Center, located at 270 Tremont St., Boston. Tickets start at $30.

ABLAZE

David Sederis talk

‘Pandora’s Box’

This dance party will give students a chance to celebrate the end of classes.

Tonight from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m. in the Sherman Function Hall.

Cinco de Mayo

AHORA leads a celebration of this Mexican festival. The party includes free mariachi music, food and games.

Saturday from noon to 3 p.m. on the Great Lawn.

OFF-CAMPUS EVENTS ‘Tigers Be Still’

David Miller directs this dark comedy, in which Sherry Wickman finds herself with a master’s degree in art therapy yet unemployed and living with her parents again. When she gets hired as a substitute art teacher, things start to look up. If only her family would cheer up, her student would turn in his homework and someone would catch the tiger that es-

The celebrated comedic essayist, author of When You are Engulfed in Flames and Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim shares humorious stories of growing up in a dysfunctional family. Sederis has also contributed stories to The New Yorker and NPR. Sunday at 7 p.m. at Symphony Hall, located at 301 Massachusetts Ave., Boston. Ticket prices vary.

‘FELA!’

The award-winning Broadway musical is touring the nation and has finally stopped in Boston. Directed and choreographed by Tony award-winner Bill T. Jones, FELA! tells the story of legendary African musician Fela Kuti through dance, music and theater. The show features many of Kuti’s own songs and received three Tony awards in 2010.

Through Saturday at the Cutler Majestic Theatre at Emerson College, 219 Tremont St., Boston. Showtimes and ticket prices vary.

Boston Ballet presents ‘Don Quixote’

This acclaimed ballet, choreographed by Rudolf Nureyev with music by Ludwig Minkus, interprets Miguel de Cervantes’ classic tale.

Don Quixote, an errant knight full of notions of bravery, is accompanied by his faithful servant Sancho Panza as he strives to bring chivalry back to Spain.

Through Saturday at the Boston Opera House, located at 539 Washington St., Boston.

Tickets start at $25.

Burn the Floor

Experience ballroom dance like never before. Burn the Floor, an expert ballroom troupe, dances the Foxtrot, the Charleston, the Rumba and more.

May 9 at Symphony Hall, located at 34 Court St., Springfield, Mass. Tickets start at $29.

‘Avenue Q’

The Lyric Stage Company presents this bawdy musical featuring puppets and ventriloquists. Like an R-rated Sesame Street, Avenue Q follows Princeton, a recent college grad forced to relocate to the titular Manhattan neighborhood. The show features such popular songs as “The Internet is for Porn” and “Eveyone’s a Little Bit Racist.”

May 11 through June 9 at the Lyric Stage Company theater, located at 140 Claredon St., Boston. Tickets start at $27.

Boyz II Men concert

The ’90s boy band Boyz II Men performs their sultry pop hits, such as “I’ll Make Love to You” and “On Bended Knee.” As the popularity of bands like One Direction and The Wanted show, boy bands are making a comeback this year. Experience the original at this concert.

May 17 at the Hanover Theater, located at 2 Southbridge St., Worcester, Mass. Tickets start at $37.

JustArts spoke with Jen Kleinrock ’12, who is a member of Bad Grammer. The group performs in both long- and short-form sketches and holds open practices where anyone on campus can learn how to make people laugh or just have some fun. Bad Grammer’s semester show will be held this Thursday at 9 p.m. in Cholmondeley’s. The event is billed as the group’s seniors’ last show at Brandeis, but they also have the opportunity to come back and perform as alumni. This year, several alumni, including recent graduates Amy Thompson ’11 and Dave Frederick ’11, will be performing once more.

JustArts: How long have you been in Bad Grammer? How did you get involved?

Jen Kleinrock ’12: I’ve been in Bad Grammer since I was a sophomore, so since September 2009. … Herbie Rosen ’12 told me to audition for improv troupes at the activities fair that year and I did and I got in and it was really fun. It’s a good community.

JA: What made you choose Bad Grammer in particular?

JK: The way that the system works for getting into improv troupes is that you audition until you get into one and then pretty much everyone just accepts the first one that they get into. It’s more of a feeling than anything else. You get kind of a vibe from the group and every group has a different style of comedy so … you end up where you fit the best in the end.

JA: What makes Bad Grammer special as opposed to the other improv groups on campus?

JK: We’re really wacky and strange. For us it’s less about potty humor and randomness.

We go big or go home.

JA: How much does the Bad Grammer lineup change year to year? How has it changed since you joined?

JK: It definitely changes a lot. We take two to three, sometimes more, people per year.

So it’s definitely a very different group than when I got in but we still have the same kind of attitude. … It changes because [there are] different people in the group, but [they are] the same kind of people. It’s like a cycle.

JA: Why does Bad Grammer hold an alumni show every year?

JK: Bad Grammer is one of the younger improv troupes and so a lot of alumni are still close to our hearts and have been in the group with a lot of [current members] so it’s almost like a reunion for everybody. … It’s more hanging out.

JA: How much do the alumni actually participate in the show?

JK: The way it’s set up usually is we have about half an hour of the current Bad Grammer and then we have for the next half hour all the alumni so all the alumni will be in at least one or two games in the show.

JA: How often does Bad Grammer practice? What do practices consist of, considering improv is supposed to be made up on the spot?

JK: We practice twice a week, for two hours on Thursday and three hours on Sunday.

Honestly what practicing for improv is just playing the games. We have some games that we play that we only do in practice because they’re about building an environment or relationships or really strengthening character work but most of what we do in practice is just the games that we do in shows and figuring out what particular things there need to be to make the game funny and for the show to be successful.

JA: What is your favorite improv game?

JK: A lot of people will disagree with me about this, but my favorite game that we play is called Trip Dub and it’s where three people are up and they’re in this location and nobody is speaking for themselves and so someone would be voicing my character and it’s like a circle. It’s really complicated.

JA: What do you do to cope with the awkward moment when something you say during a performance does not make the audience laugh?

JK: That definitely happens and I think the more you kind of acknowledge that it wasn’t funny and move on from there, the better it is. Because if everyone is still expecting it to be funny and you’re just standing there waiting for somebody to laugh, it’s horrifying.

You just kind of have to push through that.

We know that everything we say is not going to be funny, clearly. But hopefully it is more often than it isn’t.

— Emily Salloway

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DANCE

Dancers “Feel the Pulse” ■ Adagio says goodbye to its

seniors in a bitter-sweet final show featuring pop hits.

By RACHEL GORDON JUSTICE STAFF WRITER

If dancing is truly the best form of non-verbal communication, I’d be willing to seal my lips forever. Last Thursday, the Adagio Dance Company held its final semester show, Feel the Pulse, in Levin Ballroom.

The large audience sat in the dimly lit room, which set the jaunty ambience for the night.

The first performance, “Welcome to The Circus,” was a funky, seductive piece featuring music by Robyn, Pink and Cirque du Soleil.

Choreographed by seniors Melanie Shapiro and Carina Platner, the dance was a colorful mixture of hiphop and modern styles.

“Welcome to your First Day at Brandeis High” offered a comedic interlude in the program, with dancers clad in glasses acting out

high school stereotypes. Music such as “Teenage Dream” by Katy Perry and “Fed Up” by DJ Khaled, made the piece unconventional and a nice detour from the heavily modern- and ballet-influenced show.

Another gem was “Jai Ho!,” which featured tap dancing and Arabianesque costumes. The music, recognizable from the Slumdog Millionaire soundtrack, was also popular with the crowd.

Marc Eder ’12 continued his tradition of emceeing Adagio performances. The tone of the show—an ode to the graduating seniors—was slightly bittersweet. The performance organizers showed a slide show honoring the seniors’ last performance, including slides of baby pictures alongside current photos before the final act.

The Brandeis Boys, an all-male hip-hop dance crew, was amongst those performing. The Boys, clad in matching jeans and black t-shirts, gallivanted around the stage as the Adagio ladies pranced among them.

Choreographed by Marla Merchut ’12 and Samantha Cortez ’13, the

piece, “This is Why I’m Hot,” was a fusion of music by Mims, LMFAO, Britney Spears and P. Diddy. The small group featured current Student Union President Herbie Rosen ’12 and President-elect Todd Kirkland ’13.

Other pieces included dances set to music by Florence + the Machine, One Republic and the Killers. One piece that particularly stood out for me was “Fix You” by Coldplay, choreographed by Leanna Rodriguez ’11.

A modern piece, the dancers oscillated between standing behind one another and moving their limbs to mirror one another. The shadows they created were beautiful against the backdrop, as the audience sang along with the popular song.

The sense of camaraderie among the dancers was present throughout the show. The performers had an electrifying chemistry that bounced off of one another. Adagio member Malorie Letcavage ’14 said, “I never thought of myself as a dancer, but I love doing the Adagio shows. It’s like being a part of a family.”

JOSHUA LINTON/the Justice

MAN OF MANY WORDS: Author Etgar Keret spoke about his most recent collection.

Father’s sickness inspires author ■ Etgar Keret read from the

English translation of his newest work, “Suddenly, a Knock on the Door.”

By Jonathan epstein JUSTICE STAFF WRITER

The Israeli short story writer and filmmaker Etgar Keret spoke in the Mandel Center for the Humanities on Friday afternoon as part of the Leonard Bernstein Festival of the Creative Arts. He read from the newly published translation of his stories titled, Suddenly, a Knock on the Door, and screened his short film What About Me? Keret spoke in a frank tone that was complemented by his utilitarian look consisting of a black oxford shirt with dark-wash jeans and black New Balance sneakers beneath a full head of unkempt black hair. Keret began by reading “What Animal Are You?,” the final story in his new collection.

Keret’s mannerisms and a knack for gesticulation, combined with a pitched voice and whimsical prose, repeatedly provoked the audience to laughter, but commanded silence when the story abruptly touched on mortality.

The most poignant part of the talk came after the reading, when Keret spoke about his father, a Holocaust survivor who died five weeks ago. He began by relating that he had been unsure if he should go on his current book tour, but that his mother told him his father would have made him go.

Keret told the “Coffee Story,” a real-life anecdote of how his father clung to a sense of normalcy, even at the end of his life. Keret’s father had a cancerous lump in his throat, making him unable to drink or eat, except through an I.V., but he loved sitting in cafes, and convinced Etgar to take him to one. As the waitress was walking away after taking Etgar’s order, his father added a double espresso to the order. After the coffees arrived, “My father would sit back like … a purse snatcher. He would just sit quietly and then grab the coffee and take it all in,” said Keret. This action caused Keret’s father to vomit the coffee back up in the middle of the café. Then, “He would sit down again, light a cigarette, say to me, ‘What, that was good damn coffee.’

That was my dad, you know. He did what he liked,” Keret explained.

His father once commented that in half of Etgar’s stories “The father character is dumb, and in the other half of the stories he is an asshole, but in all of them I feel that you love me.”

In response to a question from the audience about his writing process, Keret contrasted himself with more established authors who wake up early to carve out a paragraph, saying that he has a more free-flowing process. “If you open a Diet Coke bottle, you know it can go ‘spizz’ and spill on your pants, but when you write a story—it’s easy,” Keret explained, “because you can just be… all your desires, all your wishes and everything you want to be, and there are no consequences. … Because in real life, you know, if you say what you want or do what you want you can insult people, you can get into trouble, they can beat you up. But in a story you can do the wildest thing.”

He added that his latest metaphor for his writing process is a “trust fall,” in which couples in therapy learn to fall backward into each other’s arms: “I trust the story to catch me, you know—I don’t know what’s going to happen next … and sometimes you wake up on the floor with a bump in back of your head and five pages that do not mean anything,” Keret said.

Keret concluded that he cannot force a story, which is why he has never written a full-length novel.

Additionally, he criticized American Masters of Fine Arts in creative writing programs for focusing on enforcing the strictures of proper writing, instead of allowing students to develop stories in an unstructured manner.

Asked about his view on realism in art, Keret responded that he finds the concept to be a contradiction, because no artist is objective, and, “Because when you create something you always project something that is extremely subjective. … A priori is extremely subjective because you write something from your head.

You share your experience, you share your view.” Keret cited experiences that may be irreconcilable with physical laws, but nevertheless, “we feel them. So if my character, when he kisses a girl he feels that he’s levitating, then he levitates, because it’s his story.”

Keret last visited Brandeis in October 2008, when he conducted a creative writing workshop and screened his film Jellyfish.

ASHER KRELL/the Justice

CONGA LINE: Three members of Adagio dance in Feel the Pulse’s funky opening number, “Wecome to the Circus.”

DANCE

Nature-themed piece interprets Sartre ■ Professors, staff members,

students and professional artists created a dancesculpture masterpiece.

By tess raser JUSTICE editor

The existentialist philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre stated in Being and Nothingness that a tree “is [a] being and nothing more.” He explained that unlike humans, trees do not have the ability to do more than just be. Perhaps this is true of most flora, but this was not the case for the plants that came alive in the Spingold Theater this weekend during Beyond the Boundaries.

Beyond the Boundaries was the result of a yearlong collaborative effort between Prof. Susan Dibble, the Barbara ’54 and Malcolm L. Sherman Chair of the Theater Arts Department and Prof. Tory Fair (FA). Dibble, the director and choreographer, also consulted with Profs. Berislav Marusic (PHIL) and Dan Perlman (BIO) in her construction of a theme that in many ways centered around Sartre’s inquiries in Being and Nothingness. The few spoken words in the show were taken mainly from Sartre’s work.

Beyond the Boundaries began with one of the two male performers in the show, Eddie Shields, a candidate in Master of Fine Arts in Theater Arts

Acting, as the philosopher, declaring that, “We are free,” but that bodies are also objects. He then explored a white box to which a petaled flower was attached. Soon after, a new dancer, Meg Evans ’12, entered clad in green. According to Dibble in an interview with JustArts, Evans represented a sort of plant life and was meant to be our narrator in this interdisciplinary, artistic experience.

A highlight of the performance was a piece in which Boston-based dancer Nicole Pierce carefully dances over a series of long, black-stemmed flowers that span across the entirety of the stage. A man in a bowtie, Alex Jacobs, a candidate in Master of Fine Arts in Theater Arts Acting, awaits her at the end of the lineup of flowers. This part of the piece was so engaging due to the music, which drove each of Pierce’s precise movements over and around the stems. The music was almost entirely composed in-house by sound designer, J Hagenbuckle.

In addition to floral life, family life was at the show’s center. A little girl, Fiona Hyland, was periodically escorted onto the stage and engaged with Fair’s sculptures in the same ways as the older dancers. The young dancer added a softness to the sometimes dark, Sartrean performance.

In the 45 minutes I spent in Spingold, it became unclear whether or not the dancers were performing around Fair’s sculptures or vice versa. I could

imagine many theatrical experiences in which a chair is used as a prop on stage, but flowers grew out of Fair’s chairs as if someone or something living had invaded them. On several occasions, the dancers were almost a part of the sculpture.

When the show’s family sat at a table on stage, the audience could only see their shadows and the shadows of the bed of flowers on which the table sat. As light returned to the stage, Evans was propped under the table in the entanglement of flora. The dancers played an elementary school favorite, leapfrog, over the backs of other dancers in the same way they did with the sculptures.

Beyond the Boundaries challenged the audience’s perception of which were the objects and which were the beings on the stage. The powerful music, passionate dancing, intricate sculptures and challenging inquiries combined into an interesting visual experience. However visually appealing the show was, to me, a viewer inexperienced in experimental theater, the show was hard to connect with emotionally. I also was not very impressed by the dancers’ skills or techniques. Still, there was not a moment that I was bored or wanted to turn away from the stage, and as I left the show, I noticed that Dibble was bombarded with compliments from audience members who had been moved by the show and its beauty.

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SpringFe

fills cam

JOSHUA LINTON/the Justice

FUN. TIMES: Lead singer Nate Ruess of fun. performed an energetic set during this year’s SpringFest concert.

RIFF, ROCK

Student

By EMILY SALLO

JUSTICE EDITO

JENNY CHENG/the Justice

STRAIGHT FROM L.A.: Ramona Gonzalez, also known as Nite Jewel, opened the show with her techno sounds.

JOSHUA LINTON/the Justice

PURE ENTERTAINMENT: Childish Gambino engaged the excited crowd.

On Sunday, the slope of C sprinkled with beach blan 57 degree temperature an breeze, the sun was high in dents were taking full adva And they kept coming that wind through campus movement as groups of fr mates made their way tow permeated the walls of the Center and the Goldfarb Li al thumps and electric shim far as the Charles River ap After months of anticip nally the afternoon of S Members of WBRS and Stu started preparing on Satu had been up that day since together booths and equipm

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ROBYN SPECTOR/the Justice

mpus with sound

FIRST LAST/the Justice

LANGUAGE BARRIER: The Philadelphia Sphas, a team discussed in ‘The First Basket’, sport Hebrew lettering

JENNY CHENG/the Justice

JENNY CHENG/the Justice

K ‘N’ ROLL: Jack Antonoff, guitarist for fun. rocked out during the band’s set.

PHANTASMIC: The haunting vocals of Phantogram’s Sarah Barthel echoed throughout Chapels Field, leaving her mark on listeners’ memories.

Events and WBRS bring four great acts to this year’s concert

OWAY

OR

Chapels Field was nkets. Despite the nd the relentless n the sky and stuantage of spring. g. The pathways s were dotted with riends and classward the sound. It e Shapiro Campus ibrary. Occasionmmers reached as partments. pation, it was fiSpringFest 2012. udent Events had urday night and 5:30 a.m., putting ment for the four

musical acts that had strayed from the wellworn venues of Boston to this grassy field in Waltham.

First up was Ramona Gonzalez, who performs under the name Nite Jewel. With her long dark hair and powerful voice, the singer-songwriter from Los Angeles performed a set that was a mixture of techno and electronic. Donning a ’90s-style vest and cropped top, Nite Jewel played keyboards and sang with the members of her band providing a background of synthetic beats.

Phantogram followed, and while both Phantogram and Nite Jewel had similar styles, it was clear that Phantogram was the crowd favorite. Made up of duo Sarah Barthel and Josh Carter and their accompanying instrumentalists, the group released its first studio album, Eyelid Movies, in 2009. The pair’s haunting vocals soared in the open air, and the strange combination of mystical and electric instrumentation blended seam-

lessly together.

About halfway through the afternoon, New York City-based fun. took the stage, and there was a stampede of excited students who all wanted to get as close to the band as possible. Nate Ruess, the lead singer, interacted with the crowd, and the band’s lighthearted minimalist sound was perfect for the outdoor concert atmosphere of SpringFest.

Although they did not bring songstress Janelle Monáe with them, backup singer Emily Moore’s vivacious vocals contrasted nicely with Ruess’ signature rasp. The upbeat “All The Pretty Girls” and the band’s newest single, “Some Nights,” had people humming along and cheering. Those who were familiar with the band’s music either mouthed the words to themselves like a prayer or screamed the choruses loudly to show their true fandom. Others waited patiently for the moment that would soon

come.

When fun. finally sang their most popular single, “We Are Young,” Ruess urged the audience to sing louder and louder, giving the impromptu sing-along the feeling of an anthem. The whole crowd moved as one, swaying and bouncing and raising their cell phones to snap pictures of the band or record a snippet of “We Are Young” to show off later. The build-up to the performance of this song, which I heard twice in two hours on the radio later that same night, was worth the wait.

After a long interim, headliner Childish Gambino commanded attention. Famous not only for his music but also for his Community role on TV and YouTube cameos, Gambino, whose real name is Donald Glover, drew the largest crowd. By that point, many of the student groups had abandoned their cotton candy and bracelet-making booths, and WBRS was long out of give-

aways, but there were more people milling around than there had been all day. Armed with snacks, laptops, homework or whatever else they needed for the long haul, hundreds of students, alumni and other community members were determined to witness the excitement of the final performance for themselves.

Childish Gambino was charming. Up close, his personality really came through in his speech and ability to entertain. The moments of melody in his songs were quite nice, showing off his strong vocals. His rapping was okay, but his overall performance was definitely enhanced by his commitment to strong showmanship. With a mixture of live and recorded backup music as well as a digital display with interesting graphics and lyrics, Childish Gambino’s set was a great way to end the afternoon.

— Tess Raser contributed reporting.

JOSHUA LINTON/the Justice

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theater

Family drama ‘Next to Normal’ rocks Schwartz

ART INSPIRATION

■ The Pulitzer-winning musical delves into dark themes, such as depression, with great success.

By ARIEL KAY JUSTICE EDITOR

Free Play Theater Cooperative’s rock musical Next to Normal, which ran this past weekend in Schwartz Hall, examines the life of a suburban family fighting against matriarch Diana’s (Abigail Clarke ’12, who was also the production’s vocal director) chronic mental illness.

Diana is bipolar (though at one point she explains, “Bipolar doesn’t quite cover it.”) and experiences bursts of manic energy, though she tends to feel anxious and depressed most of the time. These are not often the subject matter of musical theater, a genre known for its incessant good cheer. But Next to Normal, written

by Brian Yorkey with music by Tom Kitt, uses the form to its advantage, allowing the characters to express in lyrics what they cannot say to each other directly.

The majority of Next to Normal is conducted in song, rather than through dialogue. Additionally, the characters often sing complex vocal arrangements consisting of different lyrics, which combine to make one complex sound. Director David Benger ’14 dexterously staged number after number—37 in all—often without pause between the songs.

Next to Normal takes on social issues, lambasting the pharmaceutical industry and the malaise of suburban America. As such, the writing could have veered off into preaching, but the show is peppered with moments of both hilarity and such profound despair that it rises above trite arguments of right and wrong.

Clarke played the complex role of Diana with simplicity and elegance.

Her desperation for a “normal life” was palpable and heartbreaking. It was Jared Greenberg ’12 as Diana’s son Gabe, however, who truly stole the show. While I won’t reveal the play’s central revelation, of which Gabe is the focus, I will say that Greenberg was perfectly suited to the part.

Gabe may speak a few lines of dialogue, but I don’t recall them. Rather, the character sings his way through every scene in which he appears, a task that requires additional skill from the actor portraying him. Additionally, Greenberg was rarely still on stage, instead leaping, twisting and bopping to every song—his movements nearly balletic in form.

I found Gabe to be, if not Next to Normal’s villain, then at least the embodiment of the family’s torment. He was often crouched, gargoyle-like and ready to pounce, on the stage’s second level. In “I’m Alive,” the show’s most electric number, he suddenly springs

JENNY CHENG/the Justice

WOMAN IN WHITE: Alexandra Patch ’14 performed in Klein’s piece last Friday.

JENNY CHENG/the Justice

LURKING: Gabe haunts his mother and enables her depressive tendencies. down into the main level, proving that he is, indeed, bursting with life.

Dan (Justy Kosek ’14), Diana’s endlessly patient husband, is the crumbling rock in the sea of swirling, overwhelming emotions that drenches the show. While Kosek could not quite match the other performers in terms of vocal ability, his portrayal of a lost soul clinging to a promise made 20 years ago was wonderfully depressed.

Mental illness, like all diseases, affects not only the sufferers but their families as well. In the song “I’ve Been,” Dan tries to explain to his ailing wife why he’s remained with her all these years. He utters the crushing line, “Mine is just a slower suicide,” with agonizing acceptance that defines his adult life, and the audience’s hearts break.

Diana’s pharmacologists, Dr. Fine and Dr. Madden (both played by Dotan Horowitz ’12) are similarly stumped, though of course they are not as invested as Diana’s family in the outcome of her treatment. The Doctors serve primarily as Kitt and Yorkey’s mouthpieces to address the everyday evils of over-drugging patients and electroshock therapy.

Though the roles are laced with overthe-top antics, I found it problematic that Dr. Madden places Diana’s cure in her own hands. He implores her to, “Make up your mind to be well.” Kitt and Yorkey are right: Vicodin and lithium may not be the answer, but

victim blaming isn’t either.

Dan and Diana’s other child, Natalie (Sarah Hines ’15) plays off her father’s need to believe with feelings of fury, abandonment and self-centered loneliness. Natalie puts up a sarcastic over-achieving front in order to cope with the ground zero that is her home life. Her boyfriend Henry (Nick Maletta ’13), a quiet stoner who sees past Natalie’s hard shell, is Next to Normal’s only fully likeable character. Paradoxically, he’s also the least fleshed out. The most we hear about his back-story is a throwaway line about how his mother is “in denial” about his drug use. Maletta possesses a strong, clear voice, necessary for Henry’s falsetto solos. I only wish that he and Hines had more chemistry on stage. Hines plays Natalie well, but so willfully that it didn’t appear she really needed a boyfriend to get through, even as she teeters perilously close to the brink herself.

Next to Normal is a powerful, gutwrenching look at living with the invisible, uncontrollable monster named depression. Kitt and Yorkey won several Tony Awards and a Pulitzer Prize for their play. It may almost be too good—after seeing Saturday’s performance, I had difficulty concentrating on anything else. The haunting lyrics followed me out of Schwartz Hall and hung over me like a personal raincloud for the rest of the day.

JENNY CHENG/the Justice

DINNER FOR FOUR: Diana (Abigail Clarke ’12) celebrates her son’s birthday with her family in a moment of manic energy.

Klein ’12 creates dance inspired by Kiki Smith print ■ As part of the Leonard

Bernstein Festival of the Creative Arts, Rachel Klein ’12 interpreted visual art.

By JESSIE MILLER JUSTICE STAFF WRITER

Outside the Rose Art Museum, shaded by the trees, a dance interpretation of visual artist Kiki Smith’s very original artwork fit perfectly into the surrounding nature and marked an interesting start to my first Leonard Bernstein Festival of the Creative Arts weekend.

The dance piece, entitled “Rivers are Lost in the Sea” and choreographed by Rachel Klein ’12, started promptly on Friday afternoon, and the entire dance was over in mere minutes. Along with fellow dancers Diana Flatto ’12 and Alexandra Patch ’14, Klein transformed Smith’s screen-printed “Lucy’s Daughters” into an interpretative surrealist dance piece.

Because there was no formal stage or seating, the audience mainly clustered around a large wooden structure that resembled stacked shipping pallets and served as the dance’s focal point. A large sheet with two shadowed figures painted on it covered one side of the platform. The dance began in silence, and Klein danced to unheard music alone on the stage. Moments later, Flatto and Patch emerged—each wore a simple white dress with a thick rope tied from her wrist to her ankle. Klein’s black dress contrasted with the white clothing of the other two dancers.

At first, the dance seemed choppy. It was merely a series of movements and the dancers appeared disassociated from one another.

However, the dancers became more unified, and their interactions began to depict a closer connection as they moved at the same time like one fluid body. Towards the end of the piece, Klein took the sheet off the wooden figure, spread it on the ground and lay down on top of the shadowed figures. The other two dancers gingerly wrapped the sheet around her body and exited, leaving her as a shrouded figure at center stage.

At first, I had no clue what the dance meant, but luckily, Klein led an interactive discussion inside the Rose Art Museum in front of the original Smith screen print following her performance. I stood

towards the back of the exhibit, listening and drawing my own conclusions about the piece. Smith’s original silkscreen resembles the sheet Klein was wrapped in and has dozens of naked female figures printed on it in an arrangement similar to an upside down triangle.

If you look closely, you can see thin strings connecting many of the women at the belly button.

I recalled how at one point during the end of the dance piece, Flatto and Patch tied their ropes together, alluding to the strings that connect the daughters on the silk screen. The piece in its entirety somehow reminded me of Plato’s “The Cave,” which reveals truths about the universal human condition. The dancers looked like they too were emerging from a cave and realizing their own strength as individuals and dancers, breaking free from the constraints society places upon them as women or humans in general. Like “The Cave,” the people are anonymous and have a sense of longing in their actions, meaning that they are trying to transcend the shackles and explore outside the cave.

Having also studied Smith in an art history class on Frida Kahlo, it was interesting to see how Klein portrayed the dancers with rope, like shackles, tied around their arms and legs. To me, the restraints represented powerlessness to the desires of others, and this contrasts with the feminist nature of Smith’s work. Other than the relationships between the dancers, I didn’t see many obvious similarities between the two art forms.

I think this was done purposely to show how art is open to interpretation and takes many forms. I thoroughly enjoyed the piece and I think having the dance outside made a huge difference in its success. If it had been on an indoor stage, the dance would have looked too simple and abstract; outside, there was an amazing contrast between the freedom and pure beauty of nature and the constrained rigidity and colorlessness of the dance.

Maybe I’m biased because I love Smith’s art or because I know Klein is a great choreographer after having seen her Liquid Latex piece this year, but “Rivers are Lost in the Sea” was a thought-provoking addition to the Arts Festival. I appreciated the way that, instead of Klein and her dancers bluntly throwing their interpretation at the audience, we were left to contemplate its meaning on our own.

THE JUSTICE

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TUESDAY, may 1, 2012

23

OFF CAMPUS dance

Battle directs Ailey Co ■ Robert Battle, who was

inspired to become a dancer by “Revelations,” is the new company artistic director.

By wei-huan chen JUSTICE Senior writer

Dance is an art of the present. Unlike film, literature or painting, it thrives on live performance. Its emotional and aesthetic effects are lost when seen on footage or, admittedly, recounted in a review. Why, then, has Alvin Ailey’s “Revelations,” a transcendent hymn to the AfricanAmerican spirit, become timeless since its debut in 1960? Why are these movements and images, among the thousands of modern dances since created, worth performing over and over again?

Robert Battle, the new artistic director at the Alvin Ailey Dance Company, offered an answer with last weekend’s programming at the Citi Performing Arts Center’s Wang Theatre (the last performance was on April 29). As proof of Battle’s innovative vision, each night brought new dances for the company, including works by choreographer Paul Taylor.

More important, as proof of Battle’s deference to legacy and history, he ended each night with Ailey’s “Revelations.” He said in a phone interview that the inclusion of “Revelations” was a “no-brainer.” It was an obvious, yet insightful decision.

Battle decided to become a dancer after seeing “Revelations” performed in Miami, Fla. when he was 12. He went on to study at The Juilliard School and in Ailey’s junior dance company, Ailey II. He also formed his own dance company, Battleworks.

After a year of training, he officially became the new director of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater in 2011. By succeeding the great Judith

Jameson—who succeeded Ailey—as the company’s new leader, Battle fulfilled a Hollywood-esque dream. He has spoken of his excitement and his gratefulness to that inexplicable thing artists like to call luck. He has also discussed his flat-out lack of nervousness as the new artistic director.

Battle took the stage with that same willful exuberance to preface last Friday’s performance. After welcoming the audience like a friendly uncle at a Thanksgiving dinner, Battle made way for Taylor’s “Arden Court,” a classic 1981 piece of hedonistic innocence, if there is such a thing. A rose shines in the backdrop as two intersecting beams of light give the dancers a path to the front of the stage.

William Boyce’s symphonies fill the theater. The music is something you’d hear at the coronation of a Renaissance king. The royal introduction complements the Wang Theatre’s lavish artwork and golden architecture.

If dance is a transportation of the mind and soul, then the Ailey company took audiences to some faraway place during “Arden Court.”

Ohad Naharin’s “Minus 16,” sounds like a surprise for Ailey on paper. The famous dance by the Israeli choreographer features dancers in formal dress engaging the audience by inviting them onstage. Ailey had never done anything like that before, Battle said in a question-andanswer session after the performance.

It worked. From its tribal opening scene, in which dancers gyrate on chairs placed in a half-circle, to its jittery climax of improvised dance, the Ailey company made each move a highlight.

Because of the audience interaction, “Minus 16” was the most popular featurette of the night. But “Revelations” was the most important. From beginning to end, the dance was virtually unchanged from the 1960 version, and rightly so. The introduction, titled “Pilgrim of Sorrow,” imbues the

stage with spiritual purity. How could this classic be any better if it were different?

A church choir standing in the shape of a flock of birds raises their arms in prayer, or in flight. One dancer offsets the unity of the congregation—the uniformity of choreographed dance. A woman raises her hand in abrupt jerks while everyone else reaches skyward in a smooth motion. This is a wonderful thing about modern dance. While any dancer knows that movements are only effective if performed in unison, sometimes bending the rules is better than following them. As a result, out of the congregation, we see the individual.

The dancers, previously seen as movable parts within a great machine, are now broken, unique pieces. Of course, underneath the celebratory innocence of “Relevations” is a story about slavery. Underneath the migration of the group is the toil of the individual.

In that sense, “I Wanna Be Ready” is the dance’s poignant climax. The solo is performed by Kirven James Boyd, an eighth-year dancer with the troupes who graces the front of the program as well as many billboards.

A wide, yellow spotlight shines on Boyd as he spins, ducks, rolls, jumps and prays. The oval shape of the light, and the threshold between light and dark, form a boundary meant to be broken. But Boyd never steps out of the light for too long.

No doubt there were audience members present who simply enjoyed the dance for its visual effects. But a few viewers understood the company’s historical significance. One woman at the post-performance talk said she saw the company every year since 1972. Roughly half of those performances were while Ailey was still alive, before he succumbed to HIV in 1989. I didn’t have a chance to ask her about that. All she said, over and over, to Battle and the dancers onstage, was “Thank you. Thank you so much.”

ANDREW ECCLES/Alvin Ailey Dance Company

SCRUMPTIOUS SEAFOOD

NASHRAH RAHMAN/The Justice

DINNER DOWNER: The mussel appetizer was the best part of the meal.

Island Creek’s food not equal to its ambience ■ Island Creek Oyster

Bar in Boston serves average food at a higherthan-average price.

By nashrah rahman JUSTICE editor

To celebrate the long-awaited completions of our senior theses, my friend and I preemptively made a reservation a month in advance at Island Creek Oyster Bar, an upscale seafood restaurant in Kenmore Square, with high expectations for fine dining and cuisine.

The food itself was somewhat disappointing, but the welcoming wait staff and sophisticated ambience compensated for the culinary shortcoming.

Our appetizer, mussels with couscous in a garlic-based white wine cream sauce, was the highlight of our meal. It came with a perfectly buttered slice of toast, which went well with the different textures of the dish: smooth, creamy couscous and juicy mussels. Served without shells, the mussels were able to absorb more of the delicious sauce and, as a result, burst with mild but delicious flavor. However, the appetizer itself was too filling and could have easily substituted for an entrée.

The main dishes paled in comparison. I chose the

roasted monkfish with housemade ricotta tortellini and wild mushrooms in a red wine sauce, while my friend opted for the grilled salmon with curried lentils, pickled almonds and spiced Greek yogurt.

Both types of fish tasted very fresh and were perfectly cooked. However, the monkfish was overwhelmingly salty, and the salmon peculiarly orange-flavored.

The accompanying tortellini, mushrooms, lentils, almonds and yogurt were all too small in proportion to complement or even improve the taste of the main dishes. Also, full from the appetizer, I found myself half-heartedly picking away at my meal.

While the food was average, the eye-catching decor—walls adorned with real oyster shells behind grill bars—and wonderful Motown music provided for a relaxing post-thesis celebration.

The service was also great.

Even though we were a little late for our reservation, the hostess promptly escorted us to our table. The wait staff answered our questions about the various menu options with sincerity and patience.

Overall, Island Creek makes for a good dining experience, but does not offer the extraordinary cuisine one would expect given its high prices and high-class presentation.

HIGH KICK: An eighth-year dancer for the Alvin Ailey Company, Kirven James Boyd performed in the piece “I Wanna Be Ready.”

music

White’s album, ‘Blunderbuss,’ promises much but delivers little ■ Former White Stripes

member Jack White released his new album last week.

By sam mintz JUSTICE editor

Jack White, formerly half of the band The White Stripes and member of The Dead Weather and The Raconteurs, released his first solo effort in the form of an album called Blunderbuss last Tuesday. His foray into solo work follows last year’s split with The White Stripes, which he formed in 1997 with his then-wife Meg White.

Blunderbuss is a moniker that is metaphorically accurate, though probably not in the way White intended. A blunderbuss was a short and powerful gun used as early as the 18th century and often compared

to the modern shotgun. The album is powerful, both emotionally and musically, but it’s often short on creativity, despite White’s admirable attempt to cover several different genres, including rock, country, electronic and ragtime.

These genres and styles that he experiments with range from country, in the title track, to the Motown-like cover of Little Willie John’s R&B hit “I’m Shakin’,” to the ragtime featured heavily in “I Guess I Should Go To Sleep.”

One of the most popular tracks on the album, based on the frequency it is played on the radio, is “Love Interruption,” and rightly so—it’s the pick of the album. The song highlights a smooth riff that doesn’t get old, unlike many of the other songs on the album. The vocals are brilliantly harmonized, and the lyrics are thought

provoking and clever. Singing about his painful relationship with love, White declares in the chorus, “I won’t let love disrupt, corrupt or interrupt me.”

While “Love Interruption” is more popular and widely played, “Weep Themselves To Sleep” is more exemplary of White’s music and skills and showcases him at his best. The rock ballad has a catchy, hard-hitting opening and only gets better from there.

“Weep” also has an excellent, effectheavy guitar solo towards the end.

The angry lyrics are reflective of the overall theme of the album, and as a whole, the song mimics arguably one of his greatest songs, “Another Way To Die,” White’s collaboration with Alicia Keys for the James Bond series.

The third-best song on the album is “Take Me With You When You Go.” It features peppy piano and drums, an

interesting harmony and later transitions into more of a rock sound. It also has another creative and enticing guitar solo.

Though these songs are enjoyable and creative, the album as a whole is not. Many of the songs are examples of very straightforward blues-influenced rock.

“Sixteen Saltines,” which is popular among fans of the album, is the song that rocks hardest, but it’s not very impressive outside of that. It gets your foot tapping from the start but loses interest fairly quickly.

Some of the songs on the album, like “Freedom at 21,” have extremely repetitive riffs that get old after a minute. “Freedom” also features unusual, interesting drums and creative rapvocals, but neither of those can make up for the boring sound that makes you want to change the song before

it’s over.

The song “Trash Tongue Talker” is simply straightforward, boring rock with a blues chord progression. Even its lyrics are simplified, as White complains about a woman who isn’t treating him well.

It appears that White is trying too hard for much of the album, and this is nowhere more clear than in the title of one of his songs, “Hip (Eponymous) Poor Boy.” While the song lyrics justify his use of the word “eponymous,” it’s still a trite and over-complicated title.

Despite the mediocrity of these songs, White has a lot of potential as a solo artist. If he can stick to more of what The White Stripes did and not try to stray too much from the sound that he has mastered, I think he has a bright future ahead of him, and I look forward to his next album.

24

TUESday, MAY 1, 2012 ● THE JUSTICE

TOP of the

ARTS ON VIEW

TRIVIA TIME

CHARTS

1. What is the first word spoken in Citizen Kane?

2. What two countries surround the Dead Sea? 3. In what branch of the military service did actor James Stewart serve in World War II? 4. Who composed the music for the film An American in Paris?

5. In which Pacific island group did the United States test atomic bombs?

6. What is the name for a group of geese?

7. What is scoliosis?

8. Who once said, “Too much of a good thing is wonderful?”

9. What metal is liquid at room temperature?

10. In the comic strip “Peanuts,” Shroeder is a fan of whose music?

ANSWERS 1. “Rosebud” 2. Israel and Jordan 3. Air Force, as a pilot 4. George Gershwin 5. Marshall Islands (Bikini Atoll) 6. Gaggle 7. Abnormal curvature of the spine 8. Mae West 9. Mercury 10. Beethoven

STRANGE BUT TRUE oIt was 17th-century French author François de la Rochefoucauld who made the following sage observation: “It is more often from pride than from ignorance that we are so obstinately opposed to current opinions; we find the first places taken, and we do not want to be the last.”  You probably know that Robert E. Lee was a general in the Confederate Army during the Civil War, and that he ultimately surrendered the war to Union General Ulysses S. Grant at the courthouse at Appomattox, Va. You might not know, though, that Lee had a pet hen that traveled with him everywhere. It’s said that the chicken laid an egg under Lee’s cot every morning.  The National Restaurant Association, which tracks dining statistics, says that the most popular day for eating out is Mother’s Day.  In 1954, Swanson pioneered the frozen dinner when, after Thanksgiving sales had been lower than expected, the company found itself stuck with 10 railroad cars of unsold turkey.  It’s a timeless truth that many kids go through an awkward, gawky period during adolescence. In the 16th century, a boy experiencing this phase was known as a hobbledehoy.  On the morning of a traditional Vietnamese wedding, the bride’s mother visits the groom’s family and presents them with a special plant, representing respect, and pink chalk, the color of happiness.  The 1935 Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to Carl von Ossietzky, a German writer who spoke out about Nazism in general and Adolf Hitler in particular. Hitler was so offended by the actions of the Nobel Committee in honoring his critic that he issued a decree forbidding any Germans to accept a Nobel Prize in the future.

Top 10s for the week ending April 29 BOX OFFICE

1. Think Like a Man 2. The Pirates! Band of Misfits 3. The Lucky One 4. The Hunger Games 5. The Five-Year Engagement 6. Safe 7. The Raven 8. Chimpanzee 9. The Three Stooges 10. The Cabin in the Woods

NYT BESTSELLERS

Fiction 1. The Innocent — David Baldacci 2. The Witness — Nora Roberts 3. Calico Joe — John Grisham 4. Unnatural Acts — Stuart Woods 5. Guilty Wives — James Patterson and David Ellis

JOSHUA LINTON AND ANNA YATSKAR/The Justice

Microcosmos: Photography Editor Joshua Linton ’14 and Anna Yatskar ’14 created this image using oil and water for the Brandeis Electroacoustic Music Studio concert.

ACROSS 1. Six-pack muscles 4. “Huh?” 8. Slender 12. Speck 13. Ginormous 14. Last few notes 15. Good poker hand 17. Stead 18. Possess 19. Weapon collection 21. San Fernando, for one 24. Melody 25. Have a bug 26. Witnessed 28. Stickum 32. March 15, e.g.

34. Central 36. Bring to a halt 37. Bold 39. Roscoe 41. Regret 42. Conger, e.g.

44. Coy 46. Puts in the wrong place 50. Tatter 51. Help slyly 52. Vigor 56. Paddock papa 57. “My bad” 58. Writer Buscaglia 59. Despot 60. Dalai 61. Tackle’s teammate DOWN 1. Billboards 2. Automaton, for short 3. Modern-day pram 4. Complains feebly 5. Embrace 6. Ottoman bigwig 7. Aquarium fish 8. Eyeball coats 9. Pork cut 10. Concept 11. Manhandle 16. Piercing tool 20. Taste 21. Futile 22. Staffer

CROSSWORD

Nonfiction 1. Drift: the Unmaking of American Military Power — Rachel Maddow 2. Let’s Pretend This Never Happened: (A Mostly True Memoir) — Jenny Lawson 3. Imagine: How Creativity Works — Jonah Lehrer 4. The Presidents Club: Inside the World’s Most Exclusive Fraternity — Nancy Gibbs and Michael Duffy 5. The Big Miss: My Years Coaching Tiger Woods ­— Hank Haney

iTUNES

1. Gotye feat. Kimbra —“Somebody That I Used to Know” 2. Carly Rae Jepson — “Call Me Maybe” 3. fun. feat. Janelle Monáe — “We are Young” 4. Justin Bieber — “Boyfriend” 5. One Direction — “What Makes You Beautiful” 6. Flo Rida feat. Sia — “Wild Ones” 7. The Wanted — “Glad You Came” 8. Train — “Drive By” 9. Flo Rida —“Whistle” 10. B. o. B. — “So Good”

BILLBOARD

1. Lionel Richie — Tuskegee 2. Jason Mraz — Love is a Four Letter Word 3. Adele — 21 4. Train — California 37 5. One Direction — Up All Night 6. Nicki Minaj — Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded 7. Gotye — Making Mirrors 8. Future — Pluto 9. Bonnie Raitt — Slipstream 10. Luke Bryan — Tailgates & Tanlines

23. Sweet potato kin 27. Peruke 29. Fight 30. Go sightseeing 31. Duel tool 33. Less corpulent 35. Old man 38. Verily 40. Singer Brewer 43. Disinfectant brand 45. Chap 46. Spar 47. Wading bird 48. Antitoxins 49. Old portico 53. Spinning stat 54. Coffee break hour 55. Scuttle

Top of the Charts information provided by Fandango, the New York Times, Billboard. com and Apple.com.

Solution to last week’s crossword

King Crossword Copyright 2012 King Features Synd, Inc.

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

Thought for the Day: “History is a vast early warning system.”

—Norman Cousins

Solution to last week’s sudoku

Sudoku Copyright 2012 King Features Synd, Inc.

STAFF PLAYLIST

“Finals Mix”

By MAX HOLZMAN Justice copy staff

With final exams and papers looming, I find it helpful to unwind with music during study breaks.

Here are some laid-back tunes to help you keep calm during these stressful and hectic weeks.

THE LIST 1. “C’mon Talk” — Jarle Bernhoft 2. “The Weight” — The Band 3. “Uncle John’s Band” — The Grateful Dead 4. “Who Says” — John Mayer 5. “Do It Again” — Steely Dan 6. “Bouncing Around the Room” — Phish 7. “Mrs. Robinson” — Watsky & Mody feat. Danny McClain 8. “Tangled Up in Blue (live)” — Jerry Garcia Band 9. “Cecilia” — Simon & Garfunkel 10. “The Joker” — Steve Miller Band