The Justice, May 4, 2010

ARTS PAGE 20

FORUM Use new ‘green’ fund 12

SPRINGFEST

SPORTS Selig ’11 breaks own record 16 THE INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER

the

OF

BRANDEIS UNIVERSITY SINCE 1949

Justice www.theJusticeOnline.com

Volume LXII, Number 26

Tuesday, May 4, 2010

Waltham, Mass.

ACADEMICS

ADMINISTRATION

New online program to launch

Bold Ideas Group releases final report

■ The program will prepare

students to meet the technological demands of the health care industry.

By FIONA LOCKYER JUSTICE EDITORIAL ASSISTANT

The Rabb School of Continuing Studies will launch a new online master’s degree program this September in Health and Medical Informatics designed to train students for information technology jobs in the health care industry,

according to an April 20 BrandeisNOW article.

According to the article, the need for technology-trained individuals in the health care industry will increase in the coming years because the federal government is providing financial incentives for hospitals to more fully integrate digital technology into their health services by next year.

The program’s website explains that students will be trained to use technology to improve the “quality, safety, efficiency and access of healthcare,” and that students in the program participate in the

“development, implementation, evaluation and management of information technology solutions to improve patient care.”

“There’s been a lot of talk about health care and health care initiatives, and this is one of the focuses: for doctors and patients to be able to share information,” program director Prof. Cynthia Phillips (GPS) said in an interview with the Justice.

She explained that students’ training would be focused on the analytical and business aspects of health care delivery to make health services more efficient.

Previously, Health and Medical

Informatics courses were taught as a specialization in the Information Technology master’s program and consisted of six main courses and four electives, which are now requirements for the new program, according to an e-mail from Phillips.

The new program is now comprised of 10 courses and 30 credits and will be offered exclusively online at the same tuition rate as other graduate professional studies programs, according to the program website, although no timeframe for completing the program is specified.

■ The report recommends the exploration of expansion of master’s programs and hybrid learning programs.

See RABB, 5 ☛

By ALANA ABRAMSON JUSTICE EDITORIAL ASSISTANT

STUDENT LIFE

Water main break affects Brandeis

The Bold Ideas Group, a committee designed to formulate initiatives for the University that would simultaneously enhance its profile and generate revenue, released its report last Friday in a campuswide e-mail sent by Provost Marty Krauss, the chair of the committee.

According to the report, the members of BIG recommended exploring the expansion of the master’s programs and hybrid learning, which entails a combination of online and oncampus learning. The report also recommended developing new high school programming. The University currently supports three high school programs: Genesis, a Jewish academic summer program; BIMA, a Jewish summer arts program; and Impact Boston, a program that provides highschool students with volunteer experience in service organizations in the Boston area.

University President Jehuda Reinharz established BIG last fall with the goal of the group establishing new initiatives that would simultaneously enhance Brandeis’ profile while generating at least $2 million in additional revenue.

The report explains that the Rabb School of Graduate and Professional Studies currently yields $2 million in revenue for the University and that the plan to expand the master’s programs would be a “vertical” in the sense that the school would aim to increase the number of students already enrolled in the six master’s programs rather than add new programs.

The report further states that the Graduate School of Professional Studies will seek a firm to recruit students and has reached out to two firms, Embanet and Colloquy 360.

Krauss said in an interview with the Justice that the University is currently in talks with a third firm and hopes to make a selection by the summer.

Krauss said that the University will initially aim to increase enrollment in the master’s program for Management

■ Brandeis has taken steps

to provide students with clean drinking water after a boil-water order was issued.

By HANNAH KIRSCH JUSTICE EDITOR

In the wake of a rupture in a 10-footwide water pipe in Weston, Mass. that left 2 million residents of the greater Boston area without clean running water, Brandeis is taking measures to ensure that students have an adequate supply of potable water.

The pipe, which broke at approximately 10 a.m. last Saturday, was operational again as of 6 a.m. yesterday. However, until testing proves that the water is safe to drink, Waltham residents are advised to avoid ingesting any tap water before boiling it first. The water order is expected to be lifted within the next 48 hours, according to a statement on the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority’s website.

An e-mail was sent to the student body Saturday at 6:35 p.m., and an emergency broadcast was made to student room phones at 9:48 p.m., both of which alerted students of the incident and warned them that tap water had to be boiled before it could be drunk. Signs were also posted around campus, particularly over faucets and water fountains, alerting students not to drink tap water until further notice.

According to an e-mail sent Sunday

by Senior Vice President for Communications Andrew Gully, bottles of water are available in the East, North, Massell and Ridgewood Quad offices for students who cannot boil water in their rooms or suites.

Coolers of boiled water have also

ASHER KRELL/the Justice

CLEAN WATER: A student tries to get drinking water from a University-provided jug, which was empty, at Sunday’s SpringFest. been set out in dining halls, Einstein Bros. Bagels and the Provisions on Demand Market. During Springfest, the outdoor concert on Chapels Field during which temperatures topped 85 degrees, coolers and bottles of water were set out for attendees.

However, Assistant Director of Concerts for Student Events Alyssa Folickman ’10 said in an interview with the Justice that she was “not very pleased” with Aramark’s handling of the water situation for Springfest. “We spoke to them Saturday night, and they assured us

that they had enough water, and they certainly did not make good on that,” she said. Folickman said that because the water canisters provided were much smaller than expected, were not filled often enough and were filled with very hot water, Student Events staff purchased water bottles with emergency fund money despite the fact that one of the bands’ contracts specified that the band did not want water bottles distributed at the event.

“It was easier to do that than to keep finding Aramark,” said Folickman.

Director of Dining Services

Michael Newmark could not be reached for comment by press time.

E-mails from Gully to the Brandeis community also explained that extra hand sanitizer has been set out across campus for students to use after washing their hands, which CoDirector of the Health Center Toby Walters recommended, particularly for washing hands immediately before eating. The Health Center website notes that while the water is safe for showering and laundry, it should not be used for brushing teeth,

See WATER, 5 ☛

See BIG, 5 ☛

‘Labour’ no chore

Sophomore Tea Partier

New vice president

■ The production of Love’s Labour’s Lost by BTC was comedic and well-staged.

■ Mary-Alice Perdichizzi ’12 talks about her involvement in the Tea Party movement.

■ Keenyn McFarlane was named the new vice president for enrollment.

ARTS 19 For tips or info call Let your voice be heard!

Submit letters to the editor online (781) 736-6397 at www.thejusticeonline.com

INDEX

FEATURES 8 ARTS SPORTS

17 16

EDITORIAL FEATURES

10 7

OPINION POLICE LOG

11 2

COMMENTARY

NEWS 3 11

COPYRIGHT 2010 FREE AT BRANDEIS. Call for home delivery.

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TUESDAY, MAY 4, 2010

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THE JUSTICE

NEWS BRIEF

POLICE LOG

Phi Beta Kappa elects 75 senior and six junior honorees

Medical Emergency

The Brandeis Phi Beta Kappa Selection Committee met last week and elected 75 new members to Phi Beta Kappa from the Class of 2010 and six new members from the Class of 2011.

These lists were then confirmed at a meeting of the members of the Brandeis Phi Beta Kappa Chapter at 4 p.m. on Monday.

The Brandeis Chapter of Phi Beta Kappa elects about 10 percent of the senior class and about 1 percent of the junior class each year.

Selection is based on three criteria: quality of academic record (of which the GPA is an important consideration); breadth of interest (indicated by courses taken beyond a student’s concentration); and opinions of faculty and senior administrators concerning the scholarly achievements and character of the candidate in the form of letters of recommendation.

Electees from the Class of 2010 are: Ariel, Tamar; Balik, Paul S.*; Beller, Daniel A. *; Brigham, Faith L.; Channon, Alison J.; Cohen, Jonah N.; Cooper, Sharon E.; Cornell, Samantha L.; Dembowitz, Marti E.; Dillon, Alison M.; Ellerton, Sara R.; Eron, Abby R. *; Ettinger, Allyson K.; Fineman, Andrea D.; Fischman, Kathleen N.; Fishman, Ezra I.; Frenkel, Michael J.; Friedman, Clarence D.; Gewurz, Danielle E. *; Goldwasser, Mia R. *; Griffin, Emily; Gross, Alissa L.; Guyshan, Leonid V.; Hallock, Hannah R.; Hamami, Ayala; Hecker, Amanda R.; Hilburg, Rachel E.; Hirsh, Jared A.; Hutchinson, Sean Z.; Jadwin, Ari D.; Karagodsky, Igor; Karasick, Andrew S.; Khmara, Kseniya; King, Etta; Kirsh, Jarrad M.; Kuehnlenz, Sri K.; Landau, Susan A.; Levin, Theodore F.; Lewis, Courtney N.; Loren, Rebecca; Maizlish, Rivka A.; Margulies, Zachary Abram; Marmor, Lee A. *; Meltzer, Ethan I.; Miodovnik, Daniel; Mukunda, Shilpa; Nada, Garrett; Narayanan, Arun A.; Nhaissi, Corinne; Opas, Dana S.; Pancheshnikov, Anna; Payson, Christine R.; Pease, Sarah E.; Perry, Russell W.; Pisarik, Elizabeth A.; Pitt, Michael J.; Ravichandran, Kanchana; Reuss, Joshua E.; Rich, Mariah R.; Rittner, Spencer E.; Rosenberg, Sophie T.; Rothwax, Jason T.; Sacks, Benjamin P.; Saly, Danielle L.; Sarquilla, Lindsey S.; Saunders, Elizabeth C.; Serby, Benjamin J.; Setren, Elizabeth M.; Shevelyova, Anna *; Sklar, Hannelore Z.; Sniderman, Rebecca S.; Snir, Batia R.; Spiro, Stephanie B.; Stein, Benjamin W.; Stewart, Clarissa L.; Strong, Bruce E.; Strykowski, Derek R.; Trott, Alexander R.; Vasquez, Claudia G.; von Guggenberg, Miriam K.; Werfel, Seth H.; and Wolman, Dylan N. * (also elected as juniors) Electees from the class of 2011 are: Engelhardt, Netta; Goodman, Julie E.; Hand, Laura B.; Liken, Jessica P.; Shafir, Michael P.; and Stern, Raphael G. Phi Beta Kappa is the oldest and most prestigious undergraduate honors organization in the United States.

Founded at the College of William and Mary in 1776, its high and rigorous standards of excellence have made election to it one of the highest academic honors an undergraduate at a college in the United States can receive.

No other university in the United States has been granted the privilege to form a Chapter of Phi Beta Kappa more quickly than Brandeis.

The Initiation Ceremony will take place at 2:30 p.m. on May 22 of Commencement Weekend on the Mainstage of the Spingold Theater Center.

The ceremony will be followed by a reception at 4:00 p.m. for all new Phi Beta Kappa members, their families and their friends.

Apr. 28—A caller in Ridgewood A reported that his or her roommate was having difficulty breathing and was complaining of pain in the lower right side of the back. The patient was escorted by the University Police to the Golding Health Center.

Apr. 28—A dancer injured her hip while dancing in the Spingold Theater Center. BEMCo and University Police responded.

The patient was treated on-scene with a signed refusal for further care.

Apr. 29—A patient with an allergic reaction was transferred by ambulance from the Golding Health Center to the NewtonWellesley Hospital.

Apr. 29—A party at Goldfarb library was treated by BEMCo for a sprained ankle with a signed refusal for further care.

May 1—A woman fell and in-

jured her ankle at Spingold Theater Center. She was treated by BEMCo on-scene with a signed refusal for further care.

May 1—A party at the Foster Mods reported that she had burned her hand. The individual was treated on-scene by BEMCo with a signed refusal for further care.

May 2—An intoxicated 19-year old female was transported from Ridgewood B by ambulance to the Newton-Wellesley Hospital

Larceny Apr. 29—A party reported that a Weber Charcoal Grill, valued at $80, was stolen from the Foster Mods. University Police compiled a report.

May 1—A caller from Rosenthal East reported a laptop was stolen from an unlocked room.

University Police was sent to take report of the incident.

Harassment May 1—University Police compiled a report of a harassing statement sent to a party in the Bernstein-Marcus Administration Center.

Disturbance Apr. 30—Waltham residents on Wheelock Road called Waltham Police complaining of loud noise. The volume at the event in front of the Shapiro Campus Center was turned down, and the event staff obtained a noise permit from Waltham Police.

May 1—Waltham Police notified University Police that they are revoking the noise permit previously given to Brandeis for the Foam Party at the Shapiro Campus Center after receiving a dozen noise complaints. The party was cleared out by University Police.

The Justice welcomes submissions for errors that warrant correction or clarification. E-mail justeditor@ brandeis.edu.

theJustice The Justice is the independent student newspaper of Brandeis University. The Justice is published every Tuesday of the academic year with the exception of examination and vacation periods. Editor in chief office hours will be held Wednesday from 1 to 2 p.m.

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SENATE LOG Student Union purchases new website domain name

CORRECTIONS AND CLARIFICATIONS An article in News misspelled the surname of a student. It is Mariel Gruszko, not Gruszco. (Apr. 27, p. 1) An article in News originally suggested that the reason Brandeis received criticism for honoring both Tony Kushner and Jordanian Prince Hassan bin Talal in 2006 was their expression of negative sentiments about Israel.

Only the criticism of Kushner was directly related to his negative sentiments about Israel. (Apr. 27, p. 1) An article in News originally quoted Dean of Arts and Sciences Adam Jaffe as calling Brandeis “unique” in allowing students to decide whether a class will remain pass/fail after they know their grade. This partial quotation is potentially misleading, as Jaffe actually said, “We're very aware that Brandeis is either unique or very rare in terms of a school that gives you that option.” (Apr. 27, p. 2)

May 1—University Police received a complaint from the Foster Mods of loud noise coming from one of the Mods. The party was dispersed without incident

by University Police.

May 1—A caller from Ridgewood A reported loud noise from the room below them. The party was told to quiet down.

May 2—Numerous calls were received about a loud party in the Foster Mods. One caller reported a fight in the area. University Police reported on-scene, found no fight and dispersed all individuals.

May 2—An individual called University Police complaining of a loud party in Ziv Quad. University Police reported to the room of the small gathering and advised the individuals to be quiet. The group complied.

ASHER KRELL/the Justice

Filling the blank spaces Students from the “Social Movements” course in the Sociology department learned to take over underused space with art in order to draw questions from students on campus.

At its meeting on Sunday night, the Student Union Senate swore in Savannah Pearlman ’12 as elected Representative to the Alumni Association, Sofya Bronshvayg ’11 as appointed Undergraduate Curriculum Committee Representative, and Julia Blanter ’13 as an elected member of the Finance Board.

Jenna Rubin ’11 reported that the Senate has purchased a new domain name for its website, BrandeisStudentUnion.org, and hopes that the new domain name will help solve the problem of server listing.

Bronshvayg reported that Saturday’s Night for Haiti raised over $5,000 and that Brandeis has raised over $30,000 in total for Haiti-related causes.

The Senate chartered the China Cares Club, which will focus on raising money for and providing direct medical care to orphans in China; the Swimming and Diving Team, which was cut from the varsity sports program for the upcoming year; and the Custom Clothing Club, which will allow students to make and sell self-designed clothing. According to the club’s presentation, the club will be expensive at first, but all proceeds from the sale of clothing will stay within the club and members hope that this will help offset costs. The Senate also chartered the Boxing Club, which will provide discounted lessons at a boxing gym.

Members said that there has been a great deal of interest from people who want to learn to defend themselves and get in shape.

The Senate accepted a new constitution submitted by the Activist Resource Center that proposed creating new positions on the club’s executive board, a new calendar and a new directory as well as changing the club’s name to “Change Agency.”

A proposal by the Brandeis Republican Club to change their name to the “Libertarian-Conservative Union” was not approved by the Senate.

The Senate then went into executive session, after which Abby Kulawitz ’12 was confirmed as the new Executive Senator.

—Harry Shipps

ANNOUNCEMENTS Israeli drama performance Students in the Experimental Learning practicum with Bracha Azoulay (NEJS) as a part of the Engaged Learning Hebrew Program are proud to present HBRW 121b “Practicum in Israeli Drama Performance.” The program will include short scenes from the play Haketubba by Ephraim Kishon, Israeli songs and much more. The performance will be in Hebrew.

Refreshments will be served. Today at 8 p.m. in Cholmondoley’s.

sgrande@brandeis.edu with any questions.

Today at 6 p.m. in Sherman Function Hall.

Midnight Buffet Come celebrate the last day of classes with the Student Union! There will be tacos, chips and dip, Chinese food and pizza with sorbet for dessert. Kosher options will be pizza and Chinese food with ice cream for dessert. Music will be provided by DJ J.V. Souffrant ‘13. Stop by and make sure to join in on T-shirt giveaways! Tomorrow at 10 p.m. in the Levin Ballroom.

Triskelion dinner Trisk will be having a dinner to bring together Brandeis’ queer and ally community. Thursday from 6 to 8 p.m. in the International Lounge.

UnCommencement Join the Ethics Center in celebrating its graduating seniors. Refreshments will be served! For more information, e-mail ethics@brandeis.edu. Thursday from 4 to 5 p.m. in the Abraham Shapiro Academic Complex Atrium.

Students for Environmental Action banquet Join Students for Environmental Action for free food at this semester’s Local and Organic Food Banquet: Food and Social Justice. Panelists will include Prof. Brian Donahue (AMST) and local farmers while appetizers are served, followed by a question-and-answer session and dinner. Join SEA to enjoy ecologically conscious, delicious food as a break from end-of-semester projects and exams!

Contact

PRS’ Buddhism Speaker Series

New York area bagel reception

The Program in Religious Studies’ “Thursdays this Spring” Buddhism Speaker Series features a variety of speakers from both on and off campus with various expertise in and experiences with Buddhism. Discussions with the featured speaker as well as refreshments will follow each talk. Thursday from 12 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. in Heller G3.

An event just for New Yorkers and New Jerseyans. Plan potential rides home for the future and eat some bagels! Sponsored

by Future Alumni of Brandeis. Contact jbrofsky@brandeis.edu with any questions. Sunday at 12:30 p.m. in the Shapiro Residence Hall lounge.

THE JUSTICE

ADMINISTRATION

●

TUESDAY, MAY 4, 2010

3

COMMENCEMENT

Univ Commencement reactions continue rehires former admin ■ Students both protested

and provided a letter of support for Michael Oren as commencement speaker.

By MIRANDA NEUBAUER JUSTICE SENIOR WRITER

■ Keenyn McFarlane has

returned to Brandeis to serve as Vice President for Enrollment, a position he assumed on April 5.

By HARRY SHIPPS JUSTICE EDITOR

Keenyn McFarlane, who had previously served as the assistant vice president and budget director for the Division of Students and Enrollment, has returned to Brandeis to serve as the vice president for enrollment, according to an e-mail to the Brandeis community from Senior Vice President for Students and Enrollment Jean Eddy.

McFarlane, who recently worked as deputy chief financial officer for the Department of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives in Washington, D.C., began serving in his new post on April 5, according to the e-mail.

In an interview with the Justice, McFarlane said that he replaced Frank Urso, who left after serving in the post since McFarlane’s 2007 departure.

“In his current role at Brandeis, Keenyn will focus on division wide budget issues, oversight on the administrative side for student activity fees, and management of the enrollment drivers that impact University tuition revenue,” Eddy wrote in the e-mail.

McFarlane said that in his previous post as vice president of students and enrollment he had “a lot of interaction with student groups, managed the resources and helped staffing decisions for the Division of Students and Enrollment [and] was the liaison to the University financial departments.”

Being at Brandeis before has helped with his understanding of how the University works and to whom to turn to with a question or to get something done, said McFarlane.

As deputy chief financial officer for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. McFarlane said that he was responsible for all the fiscal resources of the bureau, from formulating the budget to implementing it.

In his new post, McFarlane said that he is responsible for elements of admissions and enrollment as well as certain elements of his previous post as vice president of students and enrollment.

“What we have to look at is our capacity to deliver on whatever that optimal level of enrollment is,” McFarlane said.

He explained that there is a lot of pressure on enrollment in terms of creating revenue and meeting academic standards, and that, along with this pressure, the University must maintain and work to improve its ability to house, feed and educate students.

McFarlane said that the increase in the number of applications for the Class of 2014 and the fact that the University was able to accept a smaller percentage of applicants but still achieve the desirable class size is a good thing that means that Brandeis is a “desirable institution.”

“It challenges people to want to do even better, and more in high school and not just better academically, but more from a social or community perspective, and that’s what we want,” he said.

McFarlane said that students have and remain most important to him.

Student groups both opposing and supporting the selection of Israeli Ambassador to the United States Michael Oren as the main commencement speaker met separately with President Jehuda Reinharz during his office hours last Friday, following student protests against Oren in front of the Bernstein-Marcus Administration Center and at Wednesday’s opening of the Leonard Bernstein Festival of the Creative Arts and outside of Bernstein Marcus.

Last Wednesday approximately 12 students who opposed Oren’s selection participated in the opening of the Festival of the Arts. After participating in the festival by using the buckets to fill the water sculpture Source/ReSource in front of the Rose Art Museum, they lined up their buckets with signs taped to them that read, “Another Brandeis Student ALIENATED By Michael Oren ..no alumni donations here.”

Friday afternoon, between 10 and 15 students opposing Oren’s selection gathered in front of Bernstein Marcus with banners that claimed statements such as “Brandeis doesn’t have a foreign policy,” and called attention to their presence by beating on Source/ReSource buckets and using a loudspeaker with cries of “One, two, three, four, Oren just divides us more! Five, six, seven, eight, hate we will not advocate!”

“Our thinking was that the event that we participated in on Wednesday … was a very subdued event. It wasn’t really cathartic in the sense of letting people scream, shout and get their opinions out,” protester Mariel Gruszko ’10 said in an interview with the Justice at the start of Friday’s demonstration.

During her meeting with Reinharz after the protest, Gruszko said she and other protestors were not creating a division but that the selection of Oren itself was inherently divisive.

Reinharz said in the meeting with students that he thought of Brandeis students as “willing to listen to any opinion any time” and told students, “None of you know what [Oren’s] going to speak about.” Stressing commencement as a learning opportunity, Reinharz asked whether students would rather have “Commencement speakers who are bland and will tell you nothing.”

Daniel Orkin ’10, who also met with Reinharz to express his disappointment with the choice of Oren,

ASHER KRELL/the Justice

COMMENCEMENT PROTEST: Students opposed to Michael Oren speaking expressed their discontent with the administration. questioned “how am I supposed to oppose my own commmencement?” and added that there was no opportunity for dialogue during the ceremony.

Gruszko asked whether an honorary degree recipient, humanitarian Paul Farmer could speak at Commencement. Reinharz said he did ask Farmer whether he would speak at a departmental commencement, but that Farmer declined because will be giving another speech later the same day at a different event.

In a separate meeting with Reinharz, Adam Ross ’10 and three other students handed Reinharz a copy of the letter with the signatures they collected that expressed support for the selection of Oren as commencement speaker.

The letter additionally notes Oren’s “achievements and contributions to academia as a former professor at several prestigious universities in America and his work in Israel to promote the creation of the country’s first liberal arts college.”

Ross told Reinharz that he was “ecstatic” when he heard about Oren’s selection. He said that even though he anticipated some controversy, he felt that some of the dialogue particularly online and in campus media had developed into anti-Israel, anti-Zionist rhetoric.

“I felt that students on campus were feeling ashamed to be supportive or excited that Ambassador Oren was coming,” he said.

Reinharz said he was pleased to see the letter, and that critics should

not make judgments of Oren without reading his books. “His book on the Six Day War, for example, is a classic,” Reinharz said. “It shows that he is a scholar who can take a very detached view when dealing with a very controversial issue.”

Ross said after the meeting that he appreciated Reinharz’s efforts to meet with groups who both opposed and supported the selection of Oren.He said he hoped to reach out to the students critical of Oren to start a dialogue in order to avoid protests at commencement.

Orkin said afterward that he “was especially frustrated by [Reinharz’s] inability to recognize the difference between bringing this speaker versus any other controversial speaker in the past. … He doesn’t really seem to recognize unique problems presented by Michael Oren.”

Orkin said he was very open to meeting with Ross and other students about the issue and that they could still get along personally. “In the waiting room before we went into our meetings, we were joking around and having a nice conversation.”

As of Monday, an online petition against Oren coming had 134 signatures, while 243 had joined a Facebook group critical of the selection.

The group favoring Oren had 159 members, and the letter in support of Oren had 2,243 signatures.

Even as students remained divided over Oren’s selection, a united student-led Facebook effort calling for honorary degree recipient Paul Simon, the Grammy nominated singer, to sing at Commencement

proved successful with notice from Simon’s management that he would sing one song at the ceremony and speak at the Creative Arts minicommencement, according to an April 28 e-mail from Reinharz to graduating seniors.

“Music can keep people in the same room when they have a hard time being with each other,” Prof.

Judy Eissenberg (MUS) said with regard to Simon singing at the ceremony, explaining that Simon acts as a mediator between different cultures and points of view.

“I think of Brandeis as being supportive of the arts and social justice and Paul Simon is a good example in a popular mode of combining those,” Eissenbergsaid with regard to Simon singing at the ceremony.

Former Student Union Vice President Amanda Hecker ’10 started the Facebook group with Senator for the Class of 2010 Micheal Weil; the group had 746 members as of press time. Hecker said she walked out of a test Wednesday and was feeling “drained intellectually, and then I looked at my cell phone and saw I had these calls and text messages and the e-mail from [Reinharz], and I got so excited that the Facebook group had been a success,” Hecker said. She added that the successful effort to persuade Simon to sing shows that the “Brandeis community was so excited about a particular cause that we could come together and make a request in a unified manner.”

—Fiona Lockyer contributed reporting.

ACADEMICS

Tea Party controversy clarified at conference ■ The conference discussing

the rise of right-wing radicalism in Europe and the U.S. proceeded peacefully.

By NASHRAH RAHMAN JUSTICE EDITOR

Chip Berlet, senior analyst at Political Research Associates, clarified the differences between the American Tea Party Movement and NeoNazism at a conference last Wednesday that generated controversy for allegedly linking the two political beliefs in its advertisements.

Sponsored by the Center for European and German Studies, the “New Right-Wing Radicalism Conference” also featured six other panelists.

Event attendees also had opportunities to pose questions to the panelists.

The event attracted attention from political commentator Michael Graham on his April 23 radio show because the poster advertising the event originally featured a swastika, and the online description of the event included a “related link” to the April 14 Tea Party Express rally. The event also received attention from Fox News.

Berlet stated at the event, “I have explicitly said before, and I will say it again, that the Tea Party is not an extremist group, nor is it a racist group.

It is a legitimate political movement that deserves to be treated with respect.”

“People have a tendency to lump the Tea Party and neo-Nazis together because Hitler manipulated the middle class fear to get them to vote for him and thus legitimize him,” Berlet said. He added, however, that the Tea Party was not a racist movement.

Addressing the media coverage leading up to the conference, Berlet said, “For media demigods to exploit the agony of the Holocaust for political gains and for their personal aggrandizement is deeply offensive. It’s offensive to everyone in this audience, to [the] Brandeis community, to Jews around the world and every decent person on this planet.”

Berlet described the Tea Party as an “overwhelmingly conservative” mainstream demographic group that is “a little more white, … a little better off … [and] a little more educated than many Americans.”

Berlet said that liberals ridicule the Tea Party for believing in the idea of euthanasia, which he called “unplugging grandma,” and for believing

that “Obama is a socialist and a fascist.” He said that the concept of “unplugging grandma” dates back to the 1970s, when conservatives argued that abortion was the first step toward euthanasia. The labels given to Obama, on the other hand, originate from political scientists who saw the connection between Hitler and Stalin to be “big government” rather than totalitarianism.

“There is not one shred of social science evidence … that people who join right-wing social movements are any less intelligent or any more crazy than the rest of us,” Berlet said. The other panelists who spoke prior to Berlet addressed right-wing extremism in Europe and in the United States.

Othmar Plöckinger, Ph.D., discussed the historical and political aspects of Hitler’s book Mein Kampf.

Hans Jaschke, professor for Political Science, Police and Security Management at the Berlin School of Economics and Law, gave an overview of the history of right-wing extremism in Germany.

Jochen Kersten, professor at the German University for Police, compared right-wing extremism, antiSemitism and hate crimes in countries such as Poland and Russia.

Peter Niesen, professor of Political Theory and History of Ideas at the Technical University of Darmstadt, Germany spoke about the legal restrictions on right-wing extremism.

David Art, assistant professor in Political Science at Tufts University, explained the success and failures of European right-wing radicalism.

The U.S. perspective on right-wing extremism was discussed by Kathleen Blee, chair of Sociology at the University of Pittsburgh; Pete Simi, associate professor at the School of Criminology and Criminal Justice at the University of Nebraska, Omaha; and Berlet. Blee focused on the roots of racism while Simi spoke about right-wing terrorism.

Those in attendance, including Tea Partiers and University administrators, faced increased security upon arrival. Director of Public Safety Ed Callahan said in an interview with the Justice that it was “a very quiet event” and that there were no public safety concerns.

Graham, who was also present for Berlet’s talk, commented on the conference last Thursday on Fox News.

Reflecting upon Berlet’s lectures, Graham said on Fox News that it is still unclear why the Tea Party was a topic of discussion at the event at all.

Love going to the games?

Write for the Justice Sports section and give us the scoop on all the latest games and events.

For more information, e-mail Josh Asen at jasen@brandeis.edu.

THE JUSTICE

INSIDE THE JUSTICE

Fromm elected editor in chief ■ Former Copy Editor Brian

Fromm ’11 was elected as editor in chief in a recent vote of staff and editors.

Brian Fromm ’11 became the new editor in chief of the Justice on April 27. The staff of the Justice voted with 34 votes in favor of electing Fromm with one vote against and one abstention. The editorial board confirmed Fromm’s election with 18 votes in favor, none against and no abstentions.

As Fromm took on his new responsibilities following the elction, Senior Editor and former Editor in Chief Hannah Kirsch ’10 offered praise for his character and work ethic. “I think he has great force of personality and a great sense of judgment about any decision that might need to be made in the office,” she said.

“I’ve been a member of the Justice staff since the start of my first year at Brandeis, so I’m bringing a lot of experience,” said Fromm. “I come with a level head. I don’t stress easily.”

Fromm hopes to bring his strong

relationships with the Student Union and other campus media outlets to his new role as editor in chief. He also hopes to forge a good relationship with the administration.

“I want the Fromm Justice to be the first place that faculty, students and staff look for breaking news and to learn of all campus happenings,” said Fromm. He intends to move the Justice forward during his term by increasing the Justice’s online content and strengthening the Forum section to be a central location for people to go to learn both sides of controversial University issues.

“I am very excited to begin this new position, and I think that I can really make the Justice even better than it is now,” Fromm said.

Kirsch echoed Fromm’s enthusiasm. “I’m very excited to see him take this leadership position because I know he can make the Justice the best it can be,” she said.

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TUESDAY, MAY 4, 2010

5

RABB: Students will learn to use technology to better care CONTINUED FROM 1 “We essentially have the same instructors as online and on-campus. ... The syllabi are basically the same in terms of materials used, so they’re basically the same [program],” Phillips explained.

“It [launching the program completely online] really has to do with the trend in continuing education, which is online,” Phillips said, noting also that the trend in graduate courses has been for more students to enroll in online courses than oncampus courses. She further explained that another goal of the

program is to bring in more students and in turn more revenue.

Phillips said the first course of the program, which was offered through the IT program, reached 75 percent of the maximum student enrollment, in which every online class has a maximum of 20 students.

“We [Graduate Professional Studies staff] had been talking about it for a little bit of time, and [the idea for the program] had been around,” Phillips said. Later, former Brandeis students in the information technology field working in area hospitals as well as other current professionals in the field sug-

gested the creation of the Health and Medical Informatics program and worked together to create it.

Both Brandeis representatives and field professionals worked together on an advisory board to create the goal and details of the program, similar to all other GPS programs, according to Phillips.

The program adviser is John Glaser, vice president and chief information officer of Partners Healthcare, an integrated healthcare system that provides services for its member hospitals, which include the Newton-Wellesley Hospital.

WATER: Students urged to boil drinking water CONTINUED FROM 1 in coffee makers or for washing dishes.

According to Walters in an interview with the Justice, “[Brandeis is] following all of the recommendations recommended by the Boston Health Department.” She added that “the main thing about these types of situations is really not to panic. The school is doing a very good job, and health services is aware of the problem, and we agree with what the school is doing.” Walters said that students who ingested potentially contaminated water should “hold tight” and remain calm. “In terms of from what I’ve heard from the public health department, they’re saying it’s too early for any sort of [gastrointestinal] type of illnesses,” she said. “It takes about seven days [to experience symptoms due to contaminated water], so anything going on now is totally different. If you wake up and you have a little bit of a stomachache, it’s not related to the water.”

In an interview with the Justice, Gully said, “I think Public Safety did a great job in getting the ball going as soon as [the situation] became clear.”

He said that the University compared the steps it was taking to peer institutions like Tufts University and added that a major goal of the University was to ensure that communication was clear and accurate.

“We try not to overcommunicate,

because people sort of get that e-mail thing of ‘I’m not going to pay attention because I’m getting too many [emails],’” he said. He said that the University communications system worked “very well.”

Gully added that faculty and staff have not experienced any major problems due to the water contamination.

Vice President of Campus Operations Mark Collins said in an interview with the Justice that “everyone was cooperative,” noting that many Brandeis staff members brought their own bottled or boiled water from home.

Nicole Tiger ’13 said in an interview with the Justice, “I don’t think the administration acted fast enough.”

Tiger explained that at her concert for the campus a cappella group Up the Octave that took place Saturday at 7 p.m., “we had to tell people not to drink from the water fountains and not to wash their hands because they were not informed. An e-mail was not an efficient way to alert people about what had happened.”

Kevin Monk ’13 called the situation “really annoying.” He said, “It’s like, I’m thirsty, but I can’t go to a water fountain. I have to go to Einstein’s, or I have to go out of my way to get a bottle of water. … I still wash my hands, because I see the signs that say it’s safe for hygiene.”

—Fiona Lockyer, Harry Shipps and Nashrah Rahman contributed reporting.

ASHER KRELL/the Justice

Night of Giving Brandeis Haiti Relief Effort’s Night for Haiti fundraiser took place on Saturday. The event, which raised over $5,000 for relief efforts in Haiti, featured live entertainment and a silent auction. The group has raised over $30,000 to benefit Haiti since January.

BIG: Report also suggests development of new high school program of Projects and Programs in GPS because it is one of the more popular programs. “It’s a little bit of a trial period to see what it takes to increase enrollment. The advice we have gotten is to start with a program that has a proven track record and improve that program,” she said.

In addition to advocating the expansion of students in the master’s programs, the report highlights the possibility of making certain degrees hybrids, in which the courses would take place both online and on campus.

In an effort to identify which graduate programs should become hybrids, the report recommends “that the provost work with the deans of the Graduate

School of Arts and Sciences, Heller School for Social Policy and Management and the International Business School to identify graduate degrees where Brandeis has a competitive advantage.”

Krauss emphasized that the concept of hybrid degrees is “still on the drawing board” and that after the University has experience working with an outside vendor and expanding master’s programs, “we will also investigate what other kinds of master’s programs might be amenable to a hybrid format.” She added that this concept would entail work with academic deans and faculty.

“Hybrid programs are something

we will be working towards, not something we are trying to work on right now,” she said. Additionally, the report endorsed a recommendation from the Distance Learning Program regarding the implementation of the Provost’s Distance Learning Advisory Committee, which would serve as an advisory body for online master’s programs. According to the report, members of the committee will be selected in the fall and will ultimately make recommendations to the Undergraduate Curriculum Committee, the Graduate Council, the Graduate Professional School Council and the provost.

The report’s third recommendation

is to increase the University’s high school programming. The report states, “This project could move in several directions and possibly include English as a Second Language, online courses, for-credit courses through Summer School, internships, and Advanced Placement and could evolve into half-year and gap year programs,” and that the effort to develop these programs will take approximately three to five years. According to the report, Director of High School Programs Bradley Solmsen will form an advisory group for faculty interested in these initiatives.

Krauss said that the University is currently engaging in outreach to uni-

versities with successful high school programming to gather information.

“By the end of the summer, we will have a sense of what types of high school programs will be appropriate.” she said.

The report concludes that the University Advisory Council will assume responsibility for “soliciting, reviewing and recommending BIG ideas in the future.”

The report also recommends that the Presidential Search Committee take these ideas into account when interviewing candidates to fill Reinharz’s position after he steps down. A search process is currently under way to find his replacement.

THE JUSTICE

just

features

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TUESDAY, MAY 4, 2010

7

VERBATIM | Frank Zappa I think it is good that books still exist, but they do make me sleepy.

ON THIS DAY...

In 1953, Ernest Hemingway was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for The Old Man and the Sea.

FUN FACT First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt was so convinced the White House was haunted that she kept a vial of holy water on her nightstand.

The makings of a law journal

ASHER KRELL/the Justice

LOVER OF LAW: Judah Marans ’11 and the Law Journal’s staff will be releasing Brandeis’ first-ever law journal, which includes introductions from President Jehuda Reinharz and Harvard Law Professor Alan Dershowitz.

By DEBORAH SALMON JUSTICE STAFF WRITER

Last summer, while pondering how he could get hands-on experience in the world of legal studies, Judah Marans ’11 came up with an innovative idea: to create a Brandeis law journal.

The journal would be designed to make current law issues more approachable and to give undergraduate students a rare opportunity to become immersed in legal studies.

This way, by the time students apply to law school, they will have already been exposed to the legal world.

This Wednesday, the expected release date of the Brandeis Law Journal, Marans’ idea will become reality. The journal, which has 10 articles and seven features and is 140 pages long, will be one of the only undergraduate law journals in the country.

It has a retail price of $4.95 but will be free for Brandeis students.

According to the preface to the Journal, written by Marans, the Journal’s founder and editor-in-chief, the journal is “a publication with articles by members of Brandeis University about the law” which seeks to provide undergraduate writers and editors with an opportunity to learn hands-on about legal study.

Marans says he wanted to create the journal in order to further develop his interest in law.

He says that a student interested in journalism can work in a college newspaper before heading for, say, The New York Times; yet a student interested in legal studies has comparatively few opportunities to advance in his or her interests.

The lack of opportunities led Marans to take the

Judah Marans ’11 founds a new law journal initiative to create those opportunities.

Marans, who has bright blue eyes and a friendly face, started working on the Journal during summer 2009.

At first he wrote a constitution, along with his hopes and goals for the publication. He created a Facebook group and “did some heavy advertising.”

Next came the countless hours Marans spent sending e-mails to Legal Studies professors, alumni and students. With continued perseverance, Marans finally got Brandeis president Jehuda Reinharz and Harvard Law School professor Alan Dershowitz involved.

According to Marans, Reinharz saw the passion involved with the project and thus agreed to write the introduction for the inaugural issue.

In the Journal’s introduction, he writes, “The Brandeis Law Journal offers an opportunity for all students, not just those interested in formal professional legal training, to contribute to thoughtful and reasoned debate and discussion on some of the most fascinating and challenging issues of our day.”

As Marans explained how the project continued to grow exponentially, his eyes widened with pride. He explained that at first it was a one-man show –but that didn’t last long.

Now, the Law Journal is directed by an official board, whom he recruited by advertising the Journal on campus and conducting interviews with applicants. There are now 16 people on the journal’s board.

Mark Garibyan ’11, who is communications director of the board, says “I am both confident and excited. I think we did a really great job with the inaugural issue –we brought highly respected academics to contribute as well as started off our publication with a very interesting and engaging set of articles and features.”

Even students not involved in legal studies benefited from the opportunity to write in a law journal. Contributer to the journal Adam Cohen ’12 wrote an article about the importance of a law journal to Brandeis.

“I chose to write for it because I’m a History major, and I think there is something very applicable [about] law and history in society,” says Cohen.

Cohen also found the editors to be helpful.

“I had a lot of leeway to do what I wanted. The editors were very nice,” he says.

Because the journal is meant to cater to all audiences, it includes features in addition to purely law-related articles, One of the features in the first issue is titled “‘Sexting,’ You, & The Law.” It deals with problems such as underage girls sending nude pictures of themselves to older boyfriends through text messages.

Marans says that articles like this “show how legal issues don’t need to be up there on the ivory tower, inaccessible.”

The article was written by Amber Kornreich ’12, the chief features editor, with the features board.

Another article features various professors

and administrators. In this feature, titled “What is Law.” each professor and administrator contributes a short answer to the question “What is law?” from his or her individual perspective.

In response to this question, Mark Collins, vice president for campus operations, answered, "It's what allows one to distinguish between what is right and what is wrong. But that’s not true, because there are some laws that I just don’t think are right. And therein lies the dilemma.”

Prof. Richard Gaskins (AMST) wrote the closing remarks to the journal, which state, “The study of law allows Brandeis students to deepen their disciplinary work by engaging with public values and conflicts that emerge whenever liberal knowledge meets the human dimension.”

Marans and Garibyan have implied that though they are excited and most definitely would like to see this project continue to grow, as Garibyan stated, “There is nothing set in stone yet.” In other words, their vision for the project remains and could potentially grow in different directions.

However, the board has made sure to reach out to prefrosh on Admitted Students Day in order assure the continuation of the Journal.

“As long as people read it, then it will be [here] for a long time,” says Cohen.

Editor’s note: Jenn Craig ’13, the Law Journal’s chief copy editor, is a member of the Justice Copy staff.

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THE JUSTICE

Bringing the Tea Party

back to

Boston

Mary-Alice Perdichizzi ’12 discusses her political views

By REBECCA KLEIN JUSTICE EDITOR

Last summer, midyear Mary-Alice Perdichizzi ’12 spent a summer and first semester working as a research assistant in the Man Vehicle Laboratory at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where she helped to build a spacesuit prototype. There, while working to redesign an astronaut’s garb, she spent her breaks reading the plethora of newspapers and research materials around the office. By the end of the semester, she says she was reading 12 newspapers a day and had gone from having no political affiliation to being a full-fledged member of the populist protest movement, the Tea Party.

According to The New York Times website, the Tea Party movement emerged in 2009 in objection to the Economic Stimulus Package, through a series of locally and nationally organized protests.

The official Tea Party website defines the group as “an organization [that] believes in Fiscal Responsibility, Constitutionally Limited Government and Free Markets.”

Prior to her summer at MIT, Perdichizzi, who has striking black hair and a friendly demeanor, says she had few political opinions. The Burlington, Mass. native says her family did not imbue her with a “political viewpoint” and that she decided to explore the world of politics “all on her own.”

Through reading newspapers at MIT, Perdichizzi began to understand politics and how it affects people’s everyday lives. Over time, through more reading and research, Perdichizzi began to develop a better understanding of how people and institutions interact with the government, she says.

The Biology major says, “I realized you go to college, you pay for all these things thinking you can leave and do whatever you want, and then you realize that the things going on right now might affect that. ... It motivated me to really be involved [in politics].”

Throughout this time, Perdichizzi began to identify as a conservative and became passionate about the idea of absolute liberty and free-market capitalism. Perdichizzi had also read about the Tea Party movement and felt as though they represented her idea of liberty.

Then, on Sept. 12, 2009, Perdichizzi attended a Tea Party rally in Worcester, Mass.

The rally solidified her dedication to the movement, and from that point on, she was an active member of the party.

“The first time I went to a Worcester rally, it was fantastic,” Perdichizzi says. “It was very informal; people just [came] and [went].

[The people there were all] individuals but they [were] all standing together saying, ‘This is our right as Americans to democratically and peacefully get our message across.’”

In her own words, Perdichizzi defines the Tea Party movement as “a group of individuals ... [who are] just trying to hold people accountable [and] maintain this idea that people have a liberty to be as successful as they can, there shouldn’t be any one person telling anyone how much they can make or what they can do.”

She adds that the Tea Party movement “is all based on this one idea of America and what we think makes it exceptional, that we have this opportunity to achieve whatever we can, no matter who you are, to the best of your ability. There is no limit on your success.”

Perdichizzi stayed involved with the Tea Party movement once she got to Brandeis.

Perdichizzi independently goes out and talks to political candidates who represent the movement’s ideals.

She also meets up with other local members of the movement in order to stay “connected to people.” At Brandeis, she is a member of the Brandeis Republicans, although she describes herself as the most “conservative” one in the group.

President of the Brandeis Republicans, Nipum Marwaha ’12, says of the Tea Party

ASHER KRELL/the Justice

PASSIONATE ABOUT POLITICS: Mary-Alice Perdichizzi ’12, who strongly believes in liberty, became an member of the Tea Party movement last September. movement, “We think the Tea Party movement is a good thing. It has its flaws, but the people who are really involved, like Mary, know how to advocate the real ideals of the Tea Party and not just the radical propaganda that you stereotypically see coming out of it.”

Marwaha added that he thinks Perdichizzi is “ an active and very valuable member [of Brandeis Republicans] and she does a lot for spreading conservative ideals on campus.”

Perdichizzi spoke about politicians who are affiliated with the Tea Party, such as

Sarah Palin.

“Well, most people say she doesn’t represent us. I think she’s interesting. I’ve read her book and what she’s done, [but] there’s no one person that represents [the movement]. It’s an idea and represented by individuals, not a collective,” Perdichizzi says.

Perdichizzi thinks that there are common misconceptions about the Tea Party movement and what it represents. Perdichizzi says that one such false belief is that “we're just racist homophobes and bigots. We’re actually the complete opposite. We don’t define

people based on who they are; we just think everyone should have opportunities. It’s not a matter of pinning anybody above the other.”

Perdichizzi says she receives a range of responses when people find out she is active in the Tea Party movement.

“Some people are very open to the idea and recognize that people are trying to speak their views and be informed. Other people are just obviously like, ‘Oh, you’re a bigot and a racist,’ and I’m like, ‘I’m not any of those things,’” she says.

THE JUSTICE

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TUESDAY, MAY 4, 2010

Social

change in the

classroom

MAX BREITSTEIN MATZA/the Justice

INSPIRING ACTION: Prof. Melissa Stimell (LGLS) teaches, “Advocacy for Policy Change,” which pushes students to discuss and try to solve ethical problems that are currently hot topics in Massachusetts.

Students take a hands–on approach to contentious issues

By GLORIA PARK JUSTICE CONTRIBUTING WRITER

It was a sunny yet windy Tuesday afternoon on April 20. While many students walked outside to enjoy the beautiful weather, two girls and a staff member were busily trying to get people’s attention behind a table with flyers outside the Shapiro Campus Center. “Hey guys, can you spare a minute to write a letter to the Massachusetts State Governor Deval Patrick? We’re trying to convince him to pass the in-state tuition bill to allow undocumented students in the state to receive in-state college tuition.”

Meet Vanessa Kerr ’11 and Morgan Manley ’11, two students in the newly created Legal Studies course, “Advocacy for Policy Change,” taught by Prof. Melissa Stimell (LGLS). According to the course catalogue, the class is the “centerpiece of a new initiative launched by the Ethics Center designed to encourage citizens to bring moral and ethical insights to the process of making and revising laws.” The class, which is an experiential learning course, allows the students to work in small teams to research specific laws and design and implement an advocacy project to address the range of issues surrounding those laws.

Kerr and Manley are working to expand student immigrant rights and have set up events in order to advocate for the in-state tuition bill.

Other students’ projects address issues including cyberbullying, the Metropolitan Council for Educational Oppurtunity funding for a busing program that would allow inner-city students to attend public schools in suburban communities, a new tax proposal on soda and candy and Criminal Offender Record Information Reform legislation for rehabilitated individuals.

Kerr and Rebecca Wilkof ’10, a student who has been working on the cyberbullying legislation, have each received $1,000 in funds to continue their research after the semester ends.

Students in the class investigate the “ethical dilemmas that arise in the process of lawmaking with hands-on advocacy work with entities seeking to reform laws perceived as unjust or to propose new ones that redress social wrongs,” says Stimell.

According to Stimell, the students first discussed possible topics that they were interested in researching. Then, they narrowed the search to choose an existing law that they think is potentially immoral and proposed a policy change to rectify this at the state legislative level.

Speakers from several fields came to the class to not only provide insight into lawmaking and policy change but also to deepen the understanding of how two contrasting viewpoints can affect a law. For instance, Massachusetts State Representative Jay Kaufman ’68, MA ’73 of Lexington came to

MAX BREITSTEIN MATZA/the Justice

STUDENT ADVOCATES: Students in the course take what they learn in the classroom and teach their fellow Brandeis students what they’ve learned. the class and talked to students about how work gets done in the State House while providing insider insights into the legislative process. He also met individually with students and discussed their group projects to make sure their goals were realistic and practical.

Stimell encouraged students to take initiative and talk to state legislators and coalition groups to learn about practical methods of implementing change. Some examples of this hands-on learning include writing a script for the elevator speech and preparing a script for an in-depth meeting with House Ways and Means legislative staff. Kerr and Manley immediately knew that they were interested in fighting for illegal immigrants’ rights. After conducting further research and collaborating with their professor and other guest speakers, they felt strongly about the issue and decided to stand up for the undocumented students in Massachusetts.

Currently, Massachusetts students without permanent residency status are denied equal access to in-state tuition for universities and are forced to pay out-of-state tuition, which is substantially higher. The students

are fighting to reverse this by advocating for the in-state tuition bill, which would allow any resident who has lived in Massachusetts for at least three years who has graduated from a Massachusetts high school and (if not an officially documented resident) who vows to pursue documentation as soon as he or she is able, to pay in-state tuition rates at the Commonwealth’s public colleges and universities.

The girls have personally discussed the matter with Senator Sonia Chang-Diaz and joined a coalition group, Student Immigrant Movement, which according to a sheet given out at the April 20 event, is a “statewide immigrant youth-led organization.”

“We as college students agree that everyone deserves to receive college education,” says Manley. “But even though these students pay taxes like documented residents, have good moral character (no criminal record), are talented and hardworking, and meet other guidelines to possibly gain permanent residency in the future, they are denied equal access to in-state tuition rates at public universities and colleges, paying outof-state rate that is three to five times the former.”

According to Manley, these students have lived in Massachusetts for most of their lives and are unfortunate victims of their parents’ immigration status. Overwhelmed by the cost, most students take between five to 10 years to graduate because they cannot afford to be full-time students. Most have to get a job to pay off the tuition. Worse, what they earn from these jobs is not sufficient for them to take more than one or two classes at a time.

To most people’s surprise, the Massachusetts Taxpayer Foundation actually supports this bill because it would generate about $2.5 million revenue due to increased number of full in-state cost tuition payers.

This relatively small yet controversial bill only affects 400 to 600 students in the state, compared to the 65,000 undocumented students who graduate from high school each year in the United States.

“I am amazed that I am making a difference by legislative means that can directly change 400 to 600 students’ future … because if this bill does go through, their lives will be completely transformed. So knowing that, I feel like I can truly make a difference in the world,” says Manley.

9

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THE JUSTICE

the Justice Established 1949

Brandeis University

B RIAN FROMM, Editor in Chief HANNAH L. KIRSCH and J OANNA SCHORR, Senior Editors REBECCA B LADY, Managing Editor ANYA B ERGMAN, B RIAN N. B LUMENTHAL, ANDREA FINEMAN, SHANA D. LEBOWITZ and MAX B REITSTEIN MATZA, Associate Editors NASHRAH RAHMAN and HARRY SHIPPS, News Editors REBECCA KLEIN, Features Editor HILLEL B UECHLER, Forum Editor J OSH ASEN, Sports Editor SARAH BAYER, Arts Editor B RYAN FLATT, Acting Arts Editor ASHER KRELL and ROBYN SPECTOR, Photography Editors DEBRA FRIEDMANN, Acting Layout Editor EMILY KRAUS, Copy Editor C ODY YUDKOFF, Acting Advertising Editor

Water issues were handled aptly We commend the University on its response to the water crisis in eastern Massachusetts. Drinkable tap water and cups have been made available in dining halls and the Provisions on Demand Market, and Einstein Bros.

Bagels has been frequently resupplied with extra water bottles. Water bottles have also been distributed to residential quad areas that lack kitchens. We also appreciate the regular updates from Senior Vice President for Communications and External Affairs Andrew Gully informing the community of the state of the water main line in Weston, Mass., which included the advisories from the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority.

In retrospect, however, this editorial board believes the University could have taken certain actions in order to improve and hasten the communication of appropriate protocol for the water crisis. The state announced the break Saturday at about 10 a.m., but students did not receive e-mail notification from the University until 6:35 p.m., several hours after the state first issued a boil water order.

Furthermore, students did not receive emergency telephone notifications until 9:48 p.m. We question why the University did not implement the procedures rehearsed regularly during emergency drills. If the University has the ability to contact every individual student via cell phone calls and text messages, there is no reason students should not have had instant notification in this situation, as it was a real emergency with health risks and probable liability.

We suggest the University look to Tufts University’s website as a model for enhancing communications between the administration and the student body. On its homepage, there

Warnings were late, though is a prominent link to an update on the water emergency. Thus far, Tufts has posted five announcements, a link to frequently asked questions and a special contact page for questions or concerns about the emergency as it pertains to Tufts. The use of a single webpage for all inquiries that includes a way to connect with people in the know serves as a great benefit for the Tufts community. BrandeisNOW and Gully’s e-mails provide helpful recommendations and useful links to information on the boil water order from the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency; however, a more direct way to express concern and access information is preferable.

The Tufts model would have functioned especially well at Brandeis considering the events of this past weekend. SpringFest, one of the biggest and best-attended events during the academic year, took place this past Sunday under sunny skies with a high of 89 degrees. The high risk of dehydration coupled with the inability to easily refill water bottles posed a threat to students’ health. While the University was able to provide Student Events with small water coolers, water ran out quickly and was rarely refilled. We wish the University could have worked with Student Events to provide extra water in order to combat the health hazards that exist at a major event like SpringFest.

While we believe there could have been a bit more foresight to do everything possible to guarantee the sustained health of the student body, we express our sincere appreciation to the University for their concern for the Brandeis community during this complicated time.

Sucessful SpringFest improvable Student Events brought an excellent lineup of bands to this year’s SpringFest, including headliner Passion Pit. The carefully planned and well-executed event provided a muchneeded opportunity for students and Brandeis community members to enjoy the sunny afternoon together.

The concert’s popularity marked a substantial increase in the number of attendees from years past; with twice as many concertgoers, it is clear that Student Events’ hard work and attentiveness to the student body’s wishes were worthwhile. The diversity of music featured also ensured that a large number of people would have the opportunity to see performers that interested them, and the high turnout rate spoke to the fact that Student Events’ efforts were successful.

This board commends Student Events for putting together a program that provided a memorable experience for attendees and gave the Brandeis community a chance to come together and relax before everyone goes their separate ways for the summer.

However, it would be beneficial if future SpringFests took place during less stressful times in the semester so that the maximum amount of students could fully enjoy the event.

As it does every year, this year, SpringFest coincided with the end-of-

Consider moving up event the-semester academic crunch and impending finals. As one of Brandeis’ most anticipated events of the year, SpringFest should not clash with one of the most crucial and busy periods of the academic year; students should be able to enjoy the bands that Student Events has worked hard to bring unfettered by academic deadlines.

Moving SpringFest only two weeks earlier would put the concert at a much less stressful academic period, making it less likely that students would have to give up attending because of an upcoming final. Given the inconsistency of Massachusetts weather, especially mid-spring, the change has no particular effect on the weather during the outdoor concert.

And because the event is held on Chapels Field, the switch would not cause any of the scheduling problems that crop up where events in the Levin Ballroom or Gosman Sports and Convocation Center are concerned.

Overall, this page would like to commend Student Events for putting together such a well-attended event.

SpringFest has become an exciting Brandeis tradition, and giving even more students the chance to take part will ensure that it continues to grow in years to come.

A. ELI TUKACHINSKY/the Justice

Ease transfer process

OP-BOX Quote of the Week

Leah

SMITH IN A WORD

Man, I love college. Or so says Asher Roth, whose single “I Love College” seems to have become something of an anthem for students across America. When you put it the way he does, who wouldn’t love college? Drinking, dancing, partying, staying up until 3 a.m.—it all sounds like a blast.

But if you actually go to college, you know full well that partying isn’t what it’s all about. Despite all the good times that some have in college, the truth is that many students don’t love college, at least at first, and end up transferring to another institution. A report from the National Association for College Admission Counseling says that about a third of all college students do just that.

Upon first reading that figure, I thought it was shockingly high. But on second thought, I realized it wasn’t that shocking at all. College is a time of great confusion for many. While one school may be appealing at first, anyone could easily discover that what they really need in a college is to be found elsewhere.

That figure became even less shocking when I thought about my own experience. My first semester at Brandeis was especially difficult, and I ended up applying to transfer.

I suppose what I really found surprising was not that so many students transfer but that so many students actually succeed in transferring when the process is so painstakingly difficult. Many schools put transfer students at the bottom of their list of priorities. During the application process, I was discouraged from even applying to some schools when they couldn’t tell me about credits, financial aid or housing.

But if one-third of all college students do end up transferring, why does it seem like transfer applicants are at the bottom of the priority list? According to an April 27 Chronicle of Higher Education article, on average colleges enroll 64 percent of admitted transfer students but only 42 percent of admitted first-year students. With enrollment rates for transfer students as they are and with the economic crisis still in full swing, it seems like colleges, particularly colleges like Brandeis, should make the application process more transfer-friendly.

Many colleges that are suffering from the current financial crisis, including Brandeis, are looking to increase their acceptance rates to bring in more money. But perhaps instead of focusing on increasing the size of freshman classes, these colleges should make the transfer application process easier.

Ultimately, more accepted transfer students will enroll than accepted freshmen will. By attracting more transfers, colleges will also be able to keep their freshmen admissions rates competitive, while still gaining the increase in enrollment that they need.

In addition to the financial incentives, transfer students may have a great deal more to bring to campus communities than do freshman applicants. Transfer students already have some college experience under their belts and will likely be more focused and directed than a freshman. If they decided to transfer, they know what they want in an institution and will be more likely to succeed when they get it. Furthermore, admissions teams can see exactly how well the student has already fared in college, which should be an accurate indicator of how well they will fare at a new institution—certainly a more accurate indicator than the SAT, which is one of the primary credentials for freshman applicants.

DePaul University has already seen the benefits of providing a transfer-friendly application process. Before even applying, prospective transfer students can submit their transcripts online and immediately see how their credits will transfer over as well as and how many more they will need to graduate. The admissions staff is also prepared to answer questions about financial aid and housing for transfers. Additionally, the admissions team at DePaul also publishes precise cutoffs for transfer admission, so students know exactly what GPA and exactly how many credits they need to get accepted. These kinds of guarantees usually aren’t made available to transfer students until after they know if they got in, yet theirs are the sorts of things that colleges like Brandeis should be implementing in order to attract more transfer students. They should also be able to deliver a prompt decision so that students don’t start their summers still wondering where they will end up.

It is unfortunate that transfer applicants have been placed so low on the list of priorities for some colleges. There are many benefits, both financial and academic, to bringing more transfers to campus, and perhaps if the application process were made a little easier, more of those benefits could be realized.

“Other people are just obviously like, ‘Oh, you’re a bigot and a racist,’ and I’m like, ‘I'm not any of those things.’”

—Mary-Alice Perdichizzi ‘12, a member of the Tea Party, describing the difficulties associated with her political affiliation (See Features, page 7).

Brandeis Talks Back How has the water main break affected you?

REBECCA GROSSMAN ’12 “Not that much. My tooth brush is a little stiff.”

PAUL BALIK ’10 “I live in the Mods, so it’s made doing my dishes more difficult, but on the whole it hasn’t been too big a deal.”

YEHUDA HAREL ’12 “I drink from the tap water; now I can’t. I usually brush my teeth in the shower; now I can’t.”

PREAT SONGPHATANAYOTHIN ’13 “I don’t drink tap water anyways.”

THE JUSTICE

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TUESDAY, MAY 4, 2010

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READER COMMENTARY Do not use litmus test for speakers To the Editor, Because I have spoken out recently against personal attacks on Richard Goldstone, and because Michael Oren has criticized the Goldstone Report in extremely harsh terms, some friends and colleagues have suggested that I should logically join some of last week’s op-ed contributors and oppose Oren’s role as Commencement speaker. But I don’t think that this follows. When it comes to speakers on campus—even commencement speakers—I believe in latitude, and I dislike political litmus tests.

Oren has a distinguished record as a historian, and I do not believe that ideology, government service or even over-the-top rhetoric disqualifies him. I’ll be curious to hear what he has to say.

—Daniel Terris The writer is director of the International Center for Ethics, Justice and Public Life.

Apply moral standards to all sides In response to your article “Honoring Oren and Ross contradicts University mission” (Forum, April 27): As an alumnus of the Computer Science department, I was impressed to see one of our own, Prof. Harry Mairson, represented in the pages of the Justice.

Innocent Gazans have every right to safety and dignity. You and I might disagree, however, on which of the Gazans impacted by Operation Cast Lead were truly innocent, but that’s a fair argument. I found Asa Kasher’s piece in Azure, issue 37, “Operation Cast Lead and the Ethics of Just War,” very useful in beginning to sort out this difficult matter.

I have also learned a great deal from the historians you mentioned. Tom Segev’s 1967 was a gripping look into the Israeli people’s psyche during an unimaginably tense and depressing time. I would suggest, though, that Michael Oren’s Six Days of War is a necessary companion to Mr. Segev’s work for its detailed analysis of the military and political moves that led to Egypt and Jordan’s escalation and Israel’s stunning victory.

As for Benny Morris, both 1948 and One State, Two States have served well in shaping my outlook on the Middle East—I am considerably more conflicted since my black & white Brandeis days—but I believe even Mr. Morris would take issue with your characterization of Operation Cast Lead. I point you in particular to Mr. Morris’ piece in the London Times on Jan 4, 2009.

All that said, I truly am curious if your activism extends to all innocent parties—including the civilians under attack in Sederot, Beersheba, Haifa, Kiryat Shemona, and elsewhere—since your letter stressed the need for balance on behalf of the University.

—Jonathan Abbett ’02, MA ’03

Article against Oren misled readers To the Editor, Last week’s article “Honoring Oren and Ross contradicts University mission” (Forum, April 27) was misguided and misinformed. It seems to have stretched the truth in order to make an unsubstantiated point.

The article claimed that “Oren was designated an Israel Defense Forces spokesman last year and was its apologist during attacks where the IDF dropped white phosphorus on Gazan civilians. ... That’s enough discredit to rule out an honorary degree.” It claims that during the Gaza war, Israel violated human rights and that Ambassador Oren should not be given an honorary degree because he was the spokesperson for the IDF. However, as Col. Richard Kemp, a military expert of the British army, said in the UN on Oct 16, 2009 after the Goldstone Report was published, the report off which the op-ed’s claims are based, “The IDF did more to safeguard the rights of civilians in a combat zone, than any other army in the history of warfare.”

The fact that Oren was a spokesperson for this army, an army, as recognized by military experts, that tried to protect civilians even at risk to its own soldiers, is proof that he helps with the pursuit of social justice and is deserving of a Brandeis University honorary degree.

The op-ed continues to try and discredit Ambassador Oren by claiming that “Oren is not ‘a great historian.’” Well then, why did the Washington Post, Newsweek, New York Times Book Review, San Fransisco Chronicle, the Atlanta Monthly Review, and more all give Ambassador Oren the title “historian,” due to his having published multiple historical essays and books? Additionally, Oren received degrees

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both from Columbia and Princeton University and taught at Harvard, Yale and Georgetown University. From an academic perspective, Oren obviously deserves this degree.

Lastly, I take issue with the article’s explanation of hasbara. According to Prof. Harry Mairson (COSI), hasbara is “the Hebrew word for political propaganda, used positively by advocates and pejoratively by critics.” That is just incorrect; ask any Hebrew professor or student and they will tell you hasbara means explanation. Hasbara has taken on the meaning of advocacy, for the advocates and political propaganda for the undereducated critics because of an Israel advocacy summer program for college-aged students. It is unfair and incorrect to use the language of propaganda in this context of Ambassador Oren’s job.

—Tamar Schneck ’13

Protest won’t mar commencement In response to your article “Oren is poor choice for address” (Forum, April 27): In mild defense of the editorial, the Justice is not attacking the choice of Mr. Oren because of his political views. Rather, it attempts to attack the choice of Mr. Oren based on what it presumes the reaction of the student body will be. It does so clumsily and with no small amount of arrogance. I believe this editorial was well intentioned. The Justice obviously wants commencement to be a joyous and unifying occasion. As a graduate whose commencement speaker was equally controversial at the time (President of the World Bank), I assure the Justice that any protests will not take away from the specialness of graduation.

And as someone who has interacted with Mr. Oren in the past, I assure the Justice that he will be a dynamic and engaging speaker who will do justice to the honor of being the keynote speaker.

—Sam Wald ’03

RISHIKA ASSOMULL/the Justice

Major controversy was absent from radicalism conference Avi

SNYDER VOICE OF REASON

Graduation is wrong venue for Oren In response to your article “Choice of speaker is too divisive” (Forum, April 27): The problem here is not the Jewish connection to the Israeli political situation, but rather the fact that Brandeis, at first glance, seems to be putting aside the diversity it has worked hard to build by asking the Israeli ambassador to speak at its major nonreligious, otherwise nonpoliticized annual event.

I see no problem with bringing Michael Oren to speak to all those interested at an appropriate forum in the Rapaporte Treasure Hall, brought in by some pro-Israel on-campus group to speak to the questions and concerns about Israel and answer to the challenges very much alive on the Brandeis Campus. But to bring in this figure on a day celebrating the achievements of the academic community— not the religious, political or Jewish community, but rather the whole of the student body, no matter what their background—seems somewhat out of place. Brandeis is asking for a controversy, a publicity stunt, maybe trying to please some donors, but commencement is neither the time nor the place to pull such a stunt.

As a graduate of the Class of 2009, I can appreciate the importance of having a speaker who doesn’t provoke any kind of upset on the day I’m receiving my diploma, celebrating with friends and family and saying my goodbyes.

There is no need for a controversy when all anyone wants is a few inspirational words and maybe a laugh or two. However, who is to say that our expectations might be too high—Oren might tell some personal anecdotes of his own graduation experience, perhaps throw in a few jokes about the language barrier, and call it a day—however unlikely that might seem.

The concerns expressed by Jeremy Sherer are certainly valid, and all you can do is hope for the best.

—Becky Kupchan ’09

Univ has evolved over the years In response to your article “Oren is poor choice for address” (Forum, April 27): I used to go to Brandeis events to meet Jewish girls when I was a student at Bentley. At that time, Brandeis was actually proud of being a university with some sort of Jewish outlook. I never thought I’d see the day when the Israeli ambassador is the bad guy, and Jimmy Carter, Steven Walt and Desmond Tutu are the good guys. I only hope that the alumni who care about the Jewish people pull their donations and send their kids elsewhere. Whatever Brandeis was, it isn't anymore.

—Bill Pearlman

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At 10 in the morning this past Wednesday, I was woken up by a text message from my editor. He suggested that, as the Justice’s resident conservative columnist, I attend the controversial Conference of Right-Wing Radicalism taking place in the International Lounge later that day. What made the conference newsworthy was its use of a swastika on its promotional poster, which also mentioned that the Tea Party protest movement would be discussed at the conference. This was taken by some, most notably Fox News, as an indication that the conference organizers were drawing a moral equivalence between fascist Nazis and Tea Partiers. Due to the mild uproar over the swastika, the conference organizers removed it from their promotional poster. But Tea Partiers would still be discussed at the conference, and that alone was, for many, controversial enough.

So I decided to take my editor’s cue and check out the conference to see if the criticism of the conference was truly warranted.

It wasn’t. After attending the conference, it became clear to me that the controversy of the swastika and the Tea Partiers was more about shallow symbols than substance. The conference began with the conference organizer, Prof.

Sabine von Mering (GRALL), apologizing profusely for the use of the swastika on their promotional material, calling it “unwise and inappropriate.” This was followed by a panel of academics, who spoke about the generally racist and anti-Semitic extreme right wing in Europe. Next, a second panel discussed the far right in America. The discussion mostly centered around downright crazy groups, like white supremacists and anti-government terrorists. Only the final speaker, investigative journalist Chip Berlet, spoke at all about Tea Parties, and his presentation drew no comparison between Tea Partiers and the crazies of the radical right. Throughout the conference, it was made abundantly clear that, in the words of one of the professors presenting, right-wing movements across the political spectrum were being compared for the purposes of sociological study, not equated. I left the conference sorely disappointed in those who attacked the conference, in those who disrupted the conference during the question and answer session simply looking for a fight and in the conference organizers who bowed to the pressure of those whose focus is graphics rather than substance.

There was no reason for the organizers to remove the swastika. The vast majority of speakers at the conference explicitly dealt with radical right-wing movements that are racist, anti-Semitic and rabidly nationalist. Many of

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them, such as the National Democratic Party in Germany, are clearly neo-Nazi. The use of a swastika on the poster seemed rather logical to me once I realized that the majority of speakers at the conference would actually be talking about neo-Nazis.

The whole fuss over its use was because the words “Tea Parties” appeared alongside the swastika on the poster. However, for someone, be it a student at Brandeis or a Fox News anchor, to see that and automatically assume that a moral equivalence is being drawn between the two is the very definition of judging a book by its cover. And it represents an intellectual shallowness unbefitting discussion on a college campus.

This shallowness was shared by many of those who participated in the question and answer session at the conference (many of whom, I was sad to see, were fellow Republicans). After listening to a conference in which no outrageous or unreasonable equivalencies were drawn, one questioner asked about one of the panelist’s use of the word “tea-bagger” in the past, even though the word wasn’t used once throughout the conference. This harping on the use of mildly offensive words represents the same type of intellectual shallowness that led to the criticism of the swastika on the conference’s posters. Using the word “tea-bagger” in the past does not disqualify one from speaking about the movement from a sociological perspective. To say that it does is to elevate labels and symbols over substantive discussion and study.

I do not mean to imply that symbols and words are wholly unimportant in political dialogue; they certainly are important. But to allow them to cloud one’s judgment and to condemn a conference outright on the basis of a symbol alone is wholly inappropriate.

I am not saying that the conference was flawless. I think that the speakers did a poor job at defining precisely what made the various groups they spoke about right-wing (many of them oppose the laissez-faire capitalism so characteristic of the American right), and the differences between the European and American far-rights were not discussed in depth. But I made these judgments after listening to the content of the discussion throughout the conference. They were not based upon seeing a poster or looking at past incriminating quotes of one of the conference participants.

One of the biggest problems in American political dialogue today is too much dwelling on the use of potentially offensive words or pictures. Both conservatives and liberals have been subject to these types of shallow criticism.

Universities ought to stand in stark opposition to that type of shallow thinking, not bow to it.

Although the conference itself was both meaningful and intellectually stimulating, the conference organizer’s removal of the swastika from their promotional posters was a bow to those who care more about superficiality than substance, and it was wrong.

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EDITORIAL ASSISTANTS NEWS: Alana Abramson, Fiona Lockyer FEATURES: Tess Raser FORUM: Eitan Cooper

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TUESDAY, MAY 4, 2010

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THE JUSTICE

FORUM

Seize opportunity to use “green” fund

By HANNAH SALTMAN SPECIAL TO THE JUSTICE

With the passage of the Brandeis Sustainability Fund amendment early Tuesday morning, an exciting opportunity now exists for all Brandeis undergraduates to receive funding for the implementation of sustainable projects on campus. The two-thirds majority vote to create this fund demonstrates our student body’s commitment to reduce our carbon emissions in this critical time of climate change. Brandeis is now held to the higher standard set by numerous colleges and universities across the country that have already demonstrated their commitment by enacting similar “green fees.”

The proposal application process will begin this fall, and students should begin developing project ideas for sustainable changes they would like to see at Brandeis as soon as possible. While the fund is open to all undergraduate project proposals, it is not open to student clubs, as they currently receive funding for their projects and ideas through the Finance board.

Students need not worry that they will be submitting finalized project proposals on their own. The sustainability coordinator and administrative members of the board will provide ample feedback and critique to each proposal based on relevancy, impact and financial feasibility before it is voted on. A BSF website will be created this summer by students and staff detailing the application process, potential project ideas and information on what other universities have accomplished with similar green funds. The proposalvetting process will be a valuable

one for students, allowing them to work with faculty and staff to understand the process of enacting structural changes to the University.

While the potential for great environmental change exists in the creation of this fund, students must step forward in taking the initiative to create project proposals. Fabulous ideas already exist in the minds of Brandeis undergrads about how to green this university, and this fund will now provide the finances to implement them. The BSF gives students the financial and administrative resources they need in order to fulfill their legacy at Brandeis as engaged members of society who take action to preserve our collective future.

Student action to uphold Brandeis’ commitment to social justice could never be more applicable than in the efforts spent impeding climate change, the global phenomenon that has dramatically heightened issues surrounding food insecurity, poverty, conflict and human displacement. The BSF will drive sustainable culture and sustainable action here at Brandeis, educating students, faculty and staff about the impossibility of preserving a just world in the face of environmental degradation.

Our generation will be remembered for the actions we take today in combating climate change.

Brandeis students demonstrated to our greater community and to other institutions of higher education that we understand this responsibility and are prepared to take action with the creation of the BSF. Editor’s note: The writer was a sponsor of the recently passed constitutional amendments that establish the framework for the Brandeis Sustainability Fund.

GLORIA PARK/the Justice

Think first: Do not disrupt this year’s commencement Eitan

COOPER DOWN TO BUSINESS

It’s been nearly two weeks since the University’s controversial announcement that Michael Oren would be the 2010 commencement keynote speaker. After an intense period of debating and blogging, the dust has settled on the issue.

Like it or not, Oren will ascend the podium a mere 20 days from now.

I’m not going to address the merits of Oren as a speaker; much ink has already been spilled on the topic. Instead, I have a simple message: Do not protest at graduation.

Do not, under any circumstances, interrupt Oren’s remarks.

On one level, my objection to a commencement protest lies in the nature of Oren’s speech.

If you take a moment and search on YouTube for the word “commencement,” you will find clips of Steve Jobs at Stanford, J.K. Rowling at Harvard, Ellen Degeneres at Tulane and, most recently, Barack Obama at the University of Michigan. Every single speech follows an expected pattern: An introduction of thanks and praise, a couple of witty anecdotes and a standard message about the importance of academics and activism. You will not find a commencement speaker who used his pulpit to advance any sort of political agenda.

People should not protest at commencement because Oren will not be preaching politics. While a highly politicized speech may be legitimate cause for calamity, Oren’s comments promise to be completely benign.

But for those who have such a great deal of trouble listening to even a benign speech from someone with whom they disagree, I can assure you: He will not forcefeed us his ideology. Treat Oren as you would treat Rowling or Degeneres, for Oren plans on treating us the same way they already have. Based on the long history of commencement addresses, there is absolutely no reason to think that Michael Oren will try to reinvent the wheel. But in the past two weeks, many students have mistakenly assumed that he will.

On another level, protests should not take place because the commencement ceremony should not be a divisive event. The other night, I passed by a large message written in chalk on the ground. It read, “Graduation is about us.”

It’s fair to presume that everyone sitting in Gosman Sports and Convocation Center on May 23 would agree, including Oren.

Commencement ceremonies have rarely been a setting for political protest; responsible protests usually take place within an appropriate setting (such as a rally or picket line).

There are students, as well as faculty members, who don’t seem to be bothered by this. Instead, they are concerned about what Oren “represents.” They claim they must protest and stand up against injustice.

Irrespective of if they are right or wrong, these people must realize that the majority of those in the building at commencement are there to celebrate a joyous occasion.

Most people will not be concerned with politics. Any visible signs of protest that occur at or around the commencement cere-

mony will simply disregard the feelings and well-being of hundreds of others. That certainly doesn’t sound very Brandeisian to me.

The University has been accused of politicizing commencement.

But really, it is only we students and faculty who have made this event political. Our activism— including blog posts, flyers and debates—has transformed commencement into a political rally.

Some have actually threatened to boycott graduation. And while I cringe at the thought of it, I presume that some have even discussed creating a University of California at Irvine-like scene in which Michael Oren’s remarks are tarnished by a vulgar interruption every other minute. It has gone too far.

Some have thought to protest because Oren divides the senior class; an act of joint protest will be a unifying force. But what has to be understood is that it will only be through this very act of protest that any division takes place. The only way that the speech becomes divisive is if a rowdy few disrupt it.

If you choose to protest—to leap out of your seat, interrupt Oren’s speech or refuse to wear your academic regalia—you are the one who is dividing the University, not Michael Oren. Graduation is not the time nor the place for such actions.

Class of 2010, faculty of Brandeis and guests of commencement, the choice is yours. How will you treat this significant event? I hope—for your sake and for mine—that you think twice before tarnishing our reputation as an open-minded, prestigious university.

After four years, Brandeis’ influence shines through

By SHANA D. LEBOWITZ JUSTICE EDITOR

My first year at Brandeis, Marta Kaufman ’78, one of the co-creators of the television show Friends, came to speak at Brandeis. I was reporting on the presentation for one of my first Justice articles, hanging on eagerly to any potentially revelatory quotation I could come by.

“Brandeis,” Kaufman told the audience, “is where I learned to be a human being.”

I scribbled the words into my notebook, thinking that if humanity meant finding the inspiration to produce a hit sitcom and returning to your alma mater to talk about it, I’d like to be a human being, too.

Recently, though, I’ve been thinking more about those words, and about what she might have meant.

When I came to Brandeis, I was 17 years old. The first time I saw campus was Admitted Students Day, April 15, 2006. It was hailing, and I was crying because I was cold, because the campus was ugly and because I wished more than anything that I wouldn’t have to go here.

While I generally avoid attributing events to fate, I like to think ending up at Brandeis was the best thing that ever happened to me.

More than anything else I can say about the past four years, I have been incredibly happy.

There’s something unique about Brandeis that I can’t quite articulate.

I realize that whenever I leave Brandeis and go someplace where not everyone is genuinely glad to see each other. Maybe it’s that everyone here feels appreciated in a way they might not elsewhere. I was never afraid to be myself at Brandeis, even when I wasn’t sure who exactly I was. The friendships I made here instilled in me confidence, and the willingness to change.

I’m going to miss Brandeis. I’m going to miss the overlapping echoes of voices in the Shapiro Campus Center Atrium and the feeling of breathless relief upon the top of Rabb steps. I’ll miss the posters that line the path between upper and lower campus because someone is protesting something.

Once I leave, I worry that I won’t be a person anymore, that I’ll try to greet fellow pedestrians on the street and no one will wave back.

That I’ll forget that points don’t exist in the real world and spend all my money on gum.

For a while there was this sign outside the Usdan Student Center that read, in big capital letters, “Meet Someone New Today.”

I used to pass this sign every day on my way back to North or East Quad, and I’d always stop to think about whether I really had met somebody new. Even after I graduate, I think part of this command will stay with me, keeping me from limiting myself to what is familiar or convenient. My experiences here have made me curious to learn what I don’t know, to see the places I haven’t seen.

For about the past year I’ve been having this surreal experience: I walk into Usdan, or Shapiro, or the library and barely recognize a single face. Then, in a moment of extreme egoism, I begin to find images of myself in every group of younger students I see. I remember walking to parties in a pack of firstyear girls and sitting in Usdan until hours after it closed. Sometimes I’m jealous that I’m leaving and they’re not, but usually I have the impulse to tell them how meaningful these experiences will be when they one day become memories.

Of all my 21 years, these past four have been the most valuable. I’m not entirely sure that I wasn’t a human being when I arrived at Brandeis.

But I have a feeling that four years later, I am much, much closer.

THE JUSTICE

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TUESDAY, MAY 4, 2010

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SPORTS

SOFTBALL: Judges lose final contest CONTINUED FROM 16

Judges took the first game 9-1 in six innings and the second game 11-3 in five innings. In both games, Brandeis had one big offensive inning. In the first game it was the sixth, in which the Judges scored five runs on six hits, culminating in a walk-off single by third baseman Danielle Lavallee ’11.

In the second game, the Judges picked up where they left off, scoring eight runs off three Lions pitchers.

Both Korp and Berg hit two-run home runs in the first inning, with Korp’s blast scoring the last two runs of the inning for the Judges.

Emerson did not give up, however, scoring once in the third and twice in the fifth inning to stay in the game.

But center fielder Samantha Gajewski ’12, who earlier in the game had pinch hit for center fielder Lauren Porcaro ’12, changed that with just one swing, hitting a leadoff home run in the bottom of the fifth to again enact the mercy rule. For the season, the Judges have won 11 games via the mercy rule.

“I think typically, with the exception of [Sunday’s] second game we’re a very strong hitting team, and everyone in our lineup hits fairly well,” Korp said. “And I think that’s where

we’re able to mercy a lot of the teams that we play, especially with the pitching and the defense that we have.”

On Thursday, the Judges also swept RIC, currently ranked seventh in the New England Region. In the first game the Judges were tied 3-3, but Brandeis scored twice in the fourth inning to take the lead for good. Korp came home from third on a wild pitch, and Berg’s single brought home Cagar. The Judges then pulled away in the seventh inning with four runs on four hits and two RIC errors to win 9-3.

The second game was a closer affair, as the Judges led 6-2 going in the bottom of the seventh before RIC made a spirited comeback attempt.

They were able to get within 6-5 and had the tying run at third base before Vaillette, who came in with two outs for Miller, induced a groundout to first base to end the game.

The Judges finished the season with a record of 27-7-1 and currently are second in the New England region. They will learn their NCAA Tournament fate on May 10.

“Right now I think it’s completely up in the air whether we get invited [to the tournament] or not,” Johnson said. “Hopefully we do, but [it’s] understandable if we don’t, I think.”

TRACK: Selig ’11 sets new Brandeis record at meet CONTINUED FROM 16 than 5 seconds off of his time in the past two weeks.

“He looked really good out there today, and has been really improving as of late,” Sinjour said.

Marc Boutin ’12 finished less than 2 seconds off of Holgate’s pace, finishing 12th with a time of 3:57.22. Ben Bray ’11 finished 26th with a time of 4:11.07.

Aaron Udel ’10 also grabbed a top 10 finish, placing tenth with a time of 1:55.18 in the 800-meter race. “[Udel] looked really strong throughout the duration of the race,” Sinjour commented.

The only other men’s runner who competed in the meet was Mingkai Lin ’12, who finished the 400-meter race in 50.74 , good for 16th place.

With the Eastern College Athletic Championships and NCAA Championships coming up on the calendar, Pisarik acknowledged the importance of training hard.

“We have to keep up the same training and have everyone work hard together,” she said. “Everyone needs to support each other and cheer for other.

Next up for both squads is the Outdoor New England Championships this Friday and Saturday.

DELIVERING THE HEAT

ASHER KRELL/the Justice

OVER THE TOP: Starting pitcher Dylan Britton ’13 pitches in the baseball team’s 11-2 loss to Amherst College on April 20.

BASEBALL: Team concludes its season with an away loss CONTINUED FROM 16 which cost us in our losses, but other than that, we were right with them for a lot of games.”

Going into next season, the team will lose key seniors that include the three team captains—Livada, Posch and second baseman John O’Brion ’10—and four-year starter Drew Brzozowski ’10.

To fill those holes, said Livada, the team will look to players like Deshler, O’Hare, and pitcher John McGrath ’11.

Pitcher and utility player Pat Nicholson ’11, who won five games with a team second-best 4.58 earned

run average in the 2009 season, will return from an injury that caused him to miss the entire year.

Further, the team has an impressive class of rookies that will continue to develop, including lefthander Mike Swerdloff ’13, who had the team’s third-lowest ERA with 5.40.

He also pitched 40.0 innings during the year, which was the third most on the team.

Ferro, who played a significant role in almost all Brandeis wins and often added a touch of Judges pride to tough losses at catcher and in the outfield, had a team-leading .355 batting average, five home runs, 44 hits and 25 RBIs.

For the departing seniors, a tough moment in any athete’s career was made more bitter by dissapointments, but Livada said he speaks for all seniors in his appreciation of the Brandeis program and confidence in its future.

“It’s definitely been a positive experience. It’s a great group of guys, and the athletic administration has been great. It’s been a bumpy road, but there have been more pros than cons, and us seniors are going to reflect on the good things that happened in the four years for us. We’ve had a [great] time together, and we’ll miss the program.”

THE JUSTICE

ATHLETE OF THE WEEK

17

runs scored by the baseball team in its two-run victory over Bowdoin College on Wednesday.

ASHER KRELL/ the Justice

Melisa Cagar ’11 before being driven home with a hit from third baseman Brittney Grimm ’12.

With the regular season finished, Specker anxiously awaits the announcement for the NCAA Tournament lineup.

“I’m looking forward to making [the NCAAs] for the first time,” she said. “I really want to know what the NCAA [Tournament] is all about.”

—Quincy Auger

UAA STANDINGS Baseball

Softball

Not including Monday’s games

Rochester Case Emory WashU JUDGES Chicago

UAA W L 4 1 4 2 3 2 1 4 1 4 0 0

Overall W L 28 9 24 18 19 20 17 15 11 24 16 14

Not including Monday’s games Overall UAA W L W L Emory 6 2 25 16 WashU 5 3 33 8 JUDGES 5 3 27 7 Rochester 4 4 22 17 Chicago 0 0 24 13 Case 0 8 9 33

TEAM LEADERS

9 4 3 2 45

runs scored by the baseball team in the eighth inning against Bowdoin College. They were down 15-8 before the nine-run inning.

minutes, 32.96 seconds for Grayce Selig ’11 in the 1,500-meter race last weekend at the New England Division III Championships. She finished first and broke her own school record.

RBIs for first baseman Marianne Specker ’12 in the softball team’s 9-1 victory over Framingham State College on Sunday.

The team won the first game, but lost the second game.

nd-place finish for Suzanne Bernier ’10 in the high jump, in which she reached a height of 1.68 meters.

runs scored by the softball team in six games, of which they won five.

15

University of Arizona basketball star makes switch to football

■ The first baseman for the No. 18 softball team propelled the team to five wins in its six final regular season games last week by recording 10 RBIs. She had at least one hit in each game.

Judging numbers

TUESDAY, MAY 4, 2010

AP BRIEFS

Marianne Specker ’12

With a two-run home run to right field, first baseman Marianne Specker ’12 helped the softball team defeat Framingham State College 9-1 in the first game of a doubleheader on Sunday afternoon.

Specker went 2-2 in the win, with three RBIs and two runs scored.

Specker started the year as a utility player for the Judges, but has played first baseman, a role she has filled since Courtney Kelley ’11 sprained her ankle earlier in the season.

“I am kind of used to moving [which position I play] around,” she said.

Starting at first came with pressure because “Courtney is a really good leader, … and that left some big shoes to fill.”

Specker has proven her versatility through defensive capability at first combined with aggressive offensive plays.

In the first game against Emerson College on Friday, Specker highlighted her aggressiveness as she notched a single to second and only moments later used her speed to steal second base.

Still, despite the growing familiarity of her new task for the Judges, Specker described her role on the team as a utility player.

“I [do] whatever needs to be done,” Specker said. “I’ll play wherever.”

In the fourth inning of the first Emerson game, Specker knocked a double to left field, scoring second baseman

●

Baseball (hits)

Baseball (runs batted in)

Third baseman Tony Deshler ’11 and left fielder Chris Ferro ’13 led the team with 44 hits this year.

Left fielder Chris Ferro ’13 led the Judges in the regular season with 25 RBIs.

Player Tony Deshler Chris Ferro Sean O’Hare John Chu Artie Posch

Player Chris Ferro Jon Chu Artie Posch John O’Brion Tony Deshler

Hits 44 44 42 40 34

RBIs 25 22 22 17 16

Softball (hits)

Softball (runs batted in)

Left fielder Brittany Grimm ’12 led Brandeis in the regular season with 51 hits.

Catcher/designated player Stacy Berg ’13 led the Judges in the regular season with 43 RBIs.

Player Brittany Grimm Marianne Specker Stacey Berg Melisa Cagar Erin Ross

Player Stacy Berg Marianne Specker Erin Ross Brittany Grimm Two tied with...

Hits 51 47 40 39 36

RBIs 43 35 29 27 19

UPCOMING GAME OF THE WEEK Track at the Outdoor New England Championships The track and field squads will compete in the meet on Friday and Saturday.

As the Eastern College Athletic Conference Championships and the NCAA Championships near, the men’s and women’s track and field teams will first compete in the Outdoor New England Championship Meet on both Friday and Saturday.

The meet will take place at Soloman Stadium in Dedham, Mass. and will be hosted by Northeastern University.

Last season, the meet was held at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. The men finished 24th out of

39 schools, while the women finished 29th of 36 schools.

Paul Norton ’11 had the highest finish for any Brandeis runner in the meet. In the 5,000-meter race, he finished fourth with a time of 14 minutes, 48.51 seconds. He earned 5 of Brandeis’ 11 points.

For the women’s track and field squad, Grayce Selig ’11 finished 18th in the 1,500-meter race with a time of 4:42.14. The winning time in the race was 4:27.40.

The player who could be the St. Louis Rams’ future tight end played only one year of college football after abandoning his professional basketball dreams.

The 6-foot-6-inch, 249-pound Fendi Onobun participated in the second day of rookie minicamp Saturday at Rams Park.

The sixth-round draft choice in the 2010 NFL Draft was an intriguing selection by the Rams.

Onobun admits he has much to learn as a football player.

“I’m a raw athlete. I’m so new to this game, I’m like a piece of clay,” Onobun said. “They can mold me any way they want me.”

So far, so good for Onobun, coach Steve Spagnuolo said.

“For a guy who didn’t play a lot of football, he’s done some good things out here,” Spagnuolo said. “You can see he’s got some natural skills. He sure does look the part.”

It’s been a long, strange trip to the gridiron.

Onobun played four years of basketball at Arizona.

Then he went to his hometown and played one year of football for Houston.

He could do that because the NCAA says an athlete has five years to complete four years of eligibility in any one sport. When the athlete finishes that eligibility in four years, he can use that fifth year to play another sport.

So Onobun played football, which he last played in junior high school as a seventh-grader. Onobun played in 11 of the Cougars’ 14 games. He blocked two kicks on special teams. He also caught two passes for 33 yards in his lone college football season, one for a touchdown.

Then came the call on draft day.

General Manager Billy Devaney acknowledged picking Onobun could been seen as a stretch.

“We’re taking a flier, guys,” Devaney said after St. Louis made Onobun the 170th overall pick. “We know that. It’s a project in its truest sense.”

Spagnuolo acknowledged a learning curve for Onobun, but he said he didn’t know how to measure it.

“Everybody that’s been in that kind of situation reacts a little bit differently,” Spagnuolo said. “Some of them are well-documented. [Tony] Gonzalez and Antonio Gates, some of those guys catch on quick.

We’ll find out with him.”

For his part, Onobun wants to soak up as much as he can.

“The biggest adjustment is the tempo,” Onobun said.

“I’m spending a lot of time studying, extra hours with coach [Frank] Leonard and by my own. I don’t think I’m as far off as most people think.”

He sees no reason why he can’t succeed in pro football.

“I dreamed of the NBA, now it’s the NFL,” Onobun said. “I’m psyched to be here. I think I’ve found something I can be really good at.”

Nuggets revert to bad old habits in first-round loss to Jazz Forward Carmelo Anthony figured first-round playoff failures were old history after reaching the Western Conference championship a year ago.

Having advanced to seven straight conference championships, point guard Chauncey Billups never dreamed of flopping in the first round, especially against the Utah Jazz, which was missing two starters and the homecourt advantage.

Both were proven emphatically wrong after the Denver Nuggets were eliminated in six games.

Now come the many inevitable questions. Chief among them yet again: What to do about guard J.R. Smith?

He spent Friday night sulking over reduced playing time and sitting on the end of the bench while his teammates huddled during timeouts. In the Nuggets’ Game 3 loss at Salt Lake City, Smith’s halftime warmup shots consisted of a dozen or so bounces—yes—bounces, toward the basket.

Smith, who one year ago had a breakout party in the playoffs, has a year left on his contract.

Coach George Karl is counting on being back in 2010-11.

He is recovering from throat cancer treatment that kept him away from his team for the last seven weeks save for a recent 10-minute visit to practice.

“The situation with Coach Karl was difficult to get past,” Billups said. “I’m very disappointed, as we came into this season with championship aspirations.”

Acting coach Adrian Dantley was a convenient scapegoat for perturbed Nuggets fans, who wondered why he didn’t get in the face of his players or the officials like Karl can.

They got fresh fodder in Game 6 when Dantley drew a technical foul for arguing a charge and the Nuggets responded with a 13-0 run to make a game of it. Dantley then mostly sat quietly while his team began to unravel and the Jazz used an 11-0 run in the closing minutes to wrap up the series.

Players said the problems were theirs: inconsistent effort, energy, intensity and focus. They didn’t just develop these bad habits over the last month. They were there all season.

With their athleticism and physicality, the Nuggets have thrived for years on what they like to call “random basketball.” That is, they don’t rely on deliberate set plays but are free to ad-lib, flourishing through dominant one-on-one play and breakneck buckets in transition.

That style served them well a year ago in the postseason but didn’t work with the tight officiating in these playoffs.

As Billups said, “It’s hard to run from the free-throw line.”

Or when taking the ball out of bounds every time.

The Nuggets, playing without injured center Nene, avoided elimination with a win at Denver on Wednesday night but went 0-3 at Utah in the series after losing Game 2 at home when they again lost their focus and shooting touch.

“You have to give the Jazz credit. They stole home court, and that proved to be the difference,” Billups said.

“Sometimes when we play against very, very disciplined teams, we tend to break down.”

just

Sports

Page 16

SPECKER ’12 SHINES Softball first baseman Marianne Specker ’12 had 10 RBIs in the team’s six games last week, p. 15.

Waltham, Mass.

Tuesday, May 4, 2010

IN THE BATTER’S BOX

BASEBALL

Judges lose three of their last five to end the season

■ The baseball team won

its first two games of the week but fell in its final three games.

By TREVOR COHEN JUSTICE STAFF WRITER

JULIAN AGIN-LIEBES/the Justice

BAT IN HAND: Third baseman Danielle Lavellee ’11 bats in the softball team’s doubleheader against Emerson College on Friday.

Team loses in season finale ■ The softball team won five

straight games last week before falling to Framingham State College 4-1 on Sunday.

By MELISSA SIEGEL JUSTICE SENIOR WRITER

After winning its last three games via the mercy rule, the No. 18 softball team went into its final game of the regular season against Framingham State College hoping for another offensive outburst.

Instead, the team managed only one run against Rams starting pitcher sophomore Alysia Morrissette, falling 4-1 in the second game of a doubleheader on Sunday. While the loss was a dissapointing end to the team’s regular season, the Judges, did win the first game of the doubleheader against Framingham State along with sweeping doubleheaders against Rhode Island College on Thursday and Emerson College on Friday, two regionally ranked opponents.

“Those were four pretty big wins [against Emerson and RIC], but it was

kind of counterproductive [Sunday] because we lost to a team below .500,” said coach Jessica Johnson, who was named University Athletic Association Coaching Staff of the Year along with assistant coach Melissa Dubay on Friday.

Second baseman Melisa Cagar ’11, left fielder Brittany Grimm ’12 and pitcher Emily Vaillette ’10 were all named to the first-team All-UAA squad.

Designated player Stacy Berg ’13 and and catcher Erin Ross ’10 were named to the second team.

Before the Framingham doubleheader, the Judges honored their four seniors: Vaillette, Ross, pitcher Allie Mussen ’10 and shortstop Chelsea Korp ’10.

Mussen gave up only one unearned run through the second game’s first six innings, but the Judges still trailed going into the fifth inning. They finally tied the score after center fielder Lauren Porcaro ’12 doubled, advanced to third on a groundout by pinch hitter Lara Hirschler ’12 and then scored on a wild pitch.

But other than that one sequence, the Judges could not solve Morrissette’s pitching despite her com-

ing in with a 7-12 record on the season.

“I feel like it wasn’t anything in particular that had to do with [Morrissette]. I feel like we just weren’t hitting the ball,” Korp said of her team’s offensive struggles in the game.

“She wasn’t anything too phenomenal. … I think the heat had a lot to do with it. We just weren’t very energized.”

In the early game, Vaillette pitched a complete game three-hitter, allowing just one unearned run in the first inning. The Judges were able to support their starting pitcher. After Vaillette gave up the unearned run in the first inning, Brandeis immediately responded with two runs in the bottom of the inning on an RBI single from first baseman Marianne Specker ’12 and a sacrifice fly from Ross.

The Judges then scored in every inning except the second to come away with the mercy rule-shortened win in six innings, capped by Cagar’s walk-off RBI single.

On Friday, the Judges swept Emerson, who was ranked fifth in the Northeast Region. Both games were shortened by the mercy rule, as the

See SOFTBALL, 13 ☛

The baseball season ended in disappointment on Sunday as the Judges lost their final game to the University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth 11-4, stumbling to a final record of 11-24. The Corsairs scored seven runs in the first three innings in a game that, like the Judges’ season, seemed lost from the start.

Brandeis stayed off the board until the fourth inning, in which left fielder Chris Ferro ’13 hit his team-leading fifth home run to make it 7-1. The team added three more in the eighth to make it interesting, but the Corsairs added three of their own in the bottom of the inning to silence the would-be comeback.

However, on Wednesday, the Judges showed the same burst of life that appeared sporadically throughout the season. Coming off a rain-shortened 11-6 home win over UMass-Dartmouth on Tuesday, their seventh comefrom-behind win ended in exciting and unlikely fashion against Bowdoin College in Brandeis’ home finale.

Down seven runs in the bottom of the eighth inning, the Judges put nine on the board to win 17-15.

It marked the third time this season that the team has won in its final turn at bat.

“That was a great win for us,” said first baseman Drake Livada ’10. “All year, we’ve been giving up big innings and never really had a big inning ourselves.

Everyone was hitting [in the eighth], and hitting [is] contagious.”

After allowing three runs in the first two innings on Wednesday, Brandeis battled into the lead with five in the third.

A two-run home run from center fielder Tony Deshler ’11 and an RBI double from third baseman Jon Chu ’12 combined with singles by shortstop Sean O’Hare ’12 and Ferro, a wild pitch and a hit batter to give the Judges a two-

run lead.

The Polar Bears went back in front in the fifth with two more runs. After Brandeis got one back in the bottom of the inning on catcher Artie Posch’s ’10 single that scored Chu, Bowdoin scored four runs to go up 9-6.

Brandeis picked up two runs in the top of the seventh to pull within one, but Bowdoin quickly retook a commanding lead, scoring six runs in the top of the eighth before pitcher Andrew Weissenberg ’13 able to close out the inning on a 4-6-3 double play.

The Judges came from behind two times and broke two ties in their home opener win against Bridgewater State University back on March 18, and despite entering the bottom of the eighth inning facing a 15-8 deficit and high odds, were determined to leave the Stein Diamond the same way that they had arrived.

After leading off with a Deshler double, Brandeis sent a barrage of men across the plate that left a stunned Bowdoin team looking at a two-run deficit when the dust settled, where seemingly moments earlier they had seen themselves on the short path to victory.

With only four hits in the inning, the Judges were able to score nine runs with the help of two Bowdoin errors, two walks, a hit batter, three wild pitches and a passed ball.

Pitcher Alex Tynan ’12 delivered the finishing touch with his first career save.

The upset of a strong Bowdoin team was neither the Judges’ first nor their most impressive during the season.

On Feb. 19, during the team’s season-opening southern road trip, Brandeis pulled out a nineinning, 7-6 upset over Trinity University in Texas, which is currently ranked No. 14 by the d3baseball.com NCAA poll.

Livada said that games like the ones against Bowdoin and Trinity give the team hope for the future.

“We play one of the toughest schedules in the country, so we know that we’re capable of playing with anybody,” said Livada.

“That just gives us hope for the team next year. All year, we gave up one big inning every game,

See BASEBALL, 13 ☛

TRACK & FIELD

Selig ’11 breaks her own school record in the 1,500-meter race ■ Grayce Selig ’11 set a new

record in the 1,500-meter race at the New England Division III Championships.

By JEFFREY BOXER JUSTICE STAFF WRITER

Grayce Selig ’11 broke her own school record in the women’s 1,500meter run and was one of three Brandeis men’s and women’s track and field competitors who medaled at the New England Division III Championships at Tufts University last weekend.

In team standings, the women’s squad finished seventh out of 31 schools, while the men finished 24th

out of 25 schools.

The highlight of the meet was Selig’s first-place finish in the 1,500meter when she shattered the record by nearly a full second. She finished the race in a time of 4 minutes, 32.96 seconds, besting her mark of 4:33.91 that was set at the Fitchburg State Invitational two weeks ago.

“Her performances can speak for themselves,” Beth Pisarik ’10 said.

“She’s improving every week. It’s also great having her to train with.”

The triumph was another highlight on a phenomenal year for Selig, who qualified individually for cross-country nationals in the fall, then finished second at the University Athletic Association Indoor championships in the 1-mile run.

Selig currently holds the school

record in both the 1,500-meter and 1mile events.

The 1,500-meter race also featured Pisarik, who finished fourth with a time of 4:36.77, Marie Lemay ’11, who was tenth with a time of 4:40.00, and Erin Bisceglia ’12 who finished 11th, just 0.7 seconds off of Lemay’s time.

Suzanne Bernier ’10 acheived the team’s next best finish, grabbing second in the high jump. Bernier reached a height of 1.68 meters, matching her previous career and school record.

“She was really excited about her performance. She continued to clear the bar and it was very exciting to watch,” teammate Anifreed Sinjour ’13 said.

Lily Parenteau ’12 also competed in the high jump, finishing sixth with a height of 1.58 meters.

Alyssa Pisarik ’12 and Ally Connolly ’10, two of the squad’s top distance runners, were also impressive in the meet. Pisarik finished third in the 5,000-meter race with a time of 17:48.27, while Connolly finished the same race with in 37:47.83.

“Our distance runners have really stepped up as of late,” Sinjour said.

Lucia Capano ’11 finished sixth in both of her events as well. Competing in the long jump and triple jump, Capano finished with distances of 5.31 meters and 11.28 meters, respectively.

Kim Farrington ’13 also competed in the triple jump, finishing eighth with a distance of just short of 10 meters.

Sinjour’s time of 59.50 seconds in the 400-meter race and Emily Owen’s ‘11 time of 2:19.30 in the 800-meter race

rounded out the women’s performances. The two finished in 11th and 16th, respectively.

In the women’s field events, Desiree Murphy ’10 finished 11th in the discus with a toss totaling 35.13 meters.

On the men’s side, Devon Holgate ’11 had the team’s best finish, grabbing seventh in the 1,500-meter race with a time of 3:55.68. Holgate’s times have steadily improved over the past few weeks.

He finished first in the Fitchburg State Invitational with a time of 4:00.89 two weeks ago and followed that with a third place finish at the UAA Championships last week with a time of 3:57.69.

Both times set new personal bests, meaning that Holgate has sliced more

See TRACK, 13 ☛

just

Arts ARTS

May 2010 April 27,4,2010

Students are the “source� at the Leonard Bernstein Festival of the Creative Arts

Photos and design: Robyn Spector/the Justice.

Photos: Davida Judelson, Tali Smookler, Robyn Spector, Asher Krell/the Justice. Design: Robyn Spector/the Justice.

18

TUESDAY, MAY 4, 2010

●

THE JUSTICE

POP CULTURE

INSIDE ON CAMPUS

18-22

■ ‘Love’s Labour’s Lost’ 19 The Brandeis Theater Company play performed one of Shakespeare’s earlier works.

■ Science of Art 19 A look into the result of a rare collaboration.

■ Brandeis-Wellesley Orchestra 19 The two-campus collaboration performed a tribute to Leonard Bernstein as well as many other songs.

20-21 ■ SpringFest Student Events and WBRS’ annual spring concert brought many musicians to campus.

22 ■ A Cappella Fest This year’s A Cappella Fest brought all the on-campus a cappella groups together for a communal finale performance for Haiti relief.

22 ■ Mochila A final concert for founder Mohammad Kundos ’10 supported the band’s brand new initiative to bring Mochila to Haiti.

22 ■ ‘Harold: The Musical’ Student siblings create an original musical performed during the Festival of the Arts.

OFF CAMPUS

23-24

23 ■ ‘Idomeneo’ The Boston Lyric Opera performs a Mozart rarity.

23 ■ Pop Muse A review of Sia’s live Boston performance.

CALENDAR

INTERVIEW

by Shelly Shore

This week brought up two very interesting facts about Hollywood: the first is that if a celebrity really wants to keep things under wraps, they’ll figure out a way to do it, and second is that celebrity adoption always causes controversy.

Sandra Bullock took to this week’s issue of People Magazine with a full exclusive about the adoption of her 3 1/2-month-old son, Louis. In the article, Sandra discusses motherhood, the adoption process and her decision to divorce her husband, Jesse James, on the grounds of his affair with Michelle “Bombshell” McGee. For Sandra and Jesse, the adoption process began four years ago while Sandra was doing volunteer work in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina. Interestingly enough, however, the real idea to adopt came from Jesse’s then-fouryear-old daughter, Sunny. Sandra recalls, “Out of the blue one day, Sunny said we shouldn’t have another baby, we should adopt. … I asked her why, and she said, ‘Because there are so many little babies that have no home, and we can share our things with them.’” Looks like Sandra has been a good influence on that one!

The four-year adoption process, which included interviews, home visits, background checks and a lot of paperwork, resulted in the successful adoption of Louis, and Sandra says she could not have been happier. “The first time I met Louis, it was like the whole outside world just got quiet. … All I said when I met him was, ‘Oh, there you are.’ It was like he had always been a part of our lives.” She named Louis after Louis Armstrong, whose song “What a Wonderful World” constantly played in her head when she held the baby.

While adoption is often viewed as a wonderful thing, some media outlets are decidedly less pleased. It seems as if a person can never do

Alum inspires budding actors ■ JustArts spoke to Harley Yanoff ’08 about Spotlight Theater Workshop, a local musical theater summer camp for children ages seven to 13, which he founded shortly after graduating.

MATT SAYLES/The Associated Press

SECRECY: Sandra Bullock stirred controversy when she revealed her adopted child, Louis. everything right when it comes to adoption. If you adopt from the U.S., you should have adopted from overseas and vice-versa. If you adopt from the U.S., you should have adopted a special-needs child. The list goes on and on.

Despite the controversy sprung by the article, Sandra is standing strong. “There is nothing hard about loving Louis,” she says. “As long as he knows he is loved and protected and given the opportunity to touch and see everything, I have done my job as a mama.”

What’s happening in Arts on and off campus

ON CAMPUS EVENTS Science of Art gallery talk & reception Connected to the Science of Art exhibition during the Leonard Bernstein Festival of the Creative Arts at the Women’s Studies Research Center’s Kniznick Gallery, painter and printmaker Guhapriya Ranganathan as well as sculptor Nancy Selvage will give a brief talk about their works in the gallery and will take qusetions from any visitors.

Today from 5 to 7 p.m. in the Women’s Studies Research Center.

False Advertising on Ice: An Ode to My Dick Come see one of Brandeis’ improvisational comedy groups, False Advertising, in its end-of-the-year show as the groups says goodbye to seniors Amy Hoffman, Alison Channon and piano player Karen Lowe. The night will be fun-filled and full of “shenanigans, good times for all and definitely no drama.”

Today from 10 to 11 p.m. in the Merrick Theater in the Spingold Theater Center.

Too Cheap for Instruments’ senior showcase!

Too Cheap for Instruments will be performing its last show of the semester, welcoming back some recently missed friendly faces and saying goodbye to some longtime members. They will perform some never-beforeheard songs and bring back some retired favorites. The night will feature special performances, including Tegan Kehoe ’10 reading some original poetry and the Ballroom Dance Club performance team performing a specially made number featuring Rebecca Sniderman ’10 and Kristine Kenning ’10.

Also included will be appetizers and drinks provided for a more relaxed atmosphere and enjoyment for all.

Tomorrow from 8:30 to 9:30 p.m. in the South Campus Commons.

Voices of Soul semester show Voices of Soul, Brandeis’ feature coed a cappella group specializing in the rhythm and melodic nature of soul and R & B music, will be celebrating its seniors and the semester with smooth sounds and hot beats of new songs and longtime classics. Their semester show will be themed “6 de Mayo” and is sure to be a good time.

Thursday from 8 to 10 p.m. in the South Campus Commons.

TALI SMOOKLER/the Justice

“ARTISTS” SING: The members of Starving Artists sing during the annual A Cappella Fest last Wednesday. They have their semester show coming up this Saturday at 6 p.m. group, will be performing its biggest and final concert of the year. Throughout the show, the group will be debuting new songs, bringing back some old favorites and singing some of their popular songs. It will also be saying goodbye to the group’s seniors in a heartfelt goodbye that will include some big surprises.

Saturday from 8:30 to 10:30 p.m. in the Carl J. Shapiro Theater.

Rather Be Giraffes Semester Show Come see your favorite animal-themed a cappella group as Rather Be Giraffes, Brandeis’ fun and quirky coed a capella group, celebrates another end to an amazing school year with its spring semester show.

Saturday from 8:30 to 10 p.m. in Golding Auditorium.

Movement Project See the Brandeis Theater Company’s Graduate Actors’ movement project, which is sure to not be stagnant.

Sunday from 2 to 4 p.m. on the Mainstage of the Spingold Theater.

OFF CAMPUS EVENTS

Starving Artists Semester Show

‘Disfarmer’

Starving Artists has reached a group milestone and will be having a semester show to celebrate and commemorate it. The current group members will be joined by many alumni for a “family reuinion” to commemorate 15 years of melodic existence at Brandeis.

Starving Artists is a coed a cappella group that made it to the semi-final round of the very competitive International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella this past year.

Saturday at 6 p.m. in Sherman Function Hall.

Come and appreciate the works of the mysterious Arkansas photographer Mike Disfarmer, who left behind many works now considered to be some of the most significant in the history of portraiture. The orginal and haunting work of puppet theater explores the world of the eccentric and reclusive artist. It was conceived and directed by Dan Hurlin with original music by Dan Moses Schreier and text by Sally Oswald. The Washington Post described the performance as a “deeply poignant mystery tale featuring a cranky and insistently human puppet,” while Variety said Disfarmer is, “Moving, poignant and occasionally hilarious.”

Friday, May 14 and Saturday, May 15 at 7:30

TESTFEST!! VoiceMale’s year-end concert VoiceMale, Brandeis’ all-male a cappella

p.m. at the Institute of Contemporary Art Boston; Tickets are $25 for reserved seating, $20 for members, students and seniors.

Idina Menzel and the Boston Pops Broadway star Idina Menzel—best known for her Tony Award-winning performance of ‘Elphaba’ from the musical Wicked and her diverse repertoire that includes pop, musical theater and classical music—will team up with Keith Lockhart and the Boston Pops for a two-night-only special.

Tomorrow and Thursday, at 8 p.m. at the Boston Symphony Orchestra.

Boston LGBT Film Festival 2010 The Brattle Theater in Cambridge will be one of the venues for the the Boston LGBT Film Festival. In its 26th year, the film festival is one of the longest-running festivals in the world and the programs hosted will focus on experimental, international and queer horror shorts. There are many great films being shown. Among them the world premiere of Gen Silent (a film that explores the elderly LGBT community) and the Boston premiere of The City of Your Final Destination, director James Ivory’s new film starring Academy Award-winning actor Anthony Hopkins.

The festival will run at the Brattle Theater in Cambridge from Friday until Sunday, May 16 with The City of your Final Destination premiering on Wednesday, May 12.

America: Boom, Bust and Baseball From shame to fame, the world premier of new musical Johnny Baseball explores the source of the Red Sox’s “curse” until the team’s thrilling World Series victory in 2004, blending in the magic of the game that is baseball.

The play opens Sunday, May 16 and runs until June 27 at the American Repitory Theater.

JustArts: What have you been doing since you graduated in 2008?

Harley Yanoff: I’m an actor in New York City. ... I’ve done a few TV shows—Gossip Girl, I actually did Boardwalk Empire with Martin Scorcese. I just came back from doing an indie in Maine for two months. Also, [I’ve been] coming back to Boston for my summers for the workshop that was created from my honors thesis at Brandeis. ... The company opened a month after graduation.

JA: How many kids do you usually have at the camp?

HY: We like to have 15 per session, 15 to 20.

That way, there’s a lot of individual attention, which is really the whole purpose of this. We don’t want anyone getting lost in the mix. We want a really intimate environment where there’s a lot of one-on-one coaching and a three-to-one participant-to-staff ratio. We don’t really like to go too high, because then it becomes not really a learning environment, and people get really small parts, and it’s just not a great thing for a theater program, I think, when there’s too many people.

JA: I noticed that you’re also working with another Brandeis alum, Olivia Mell ’09. How did you guys connect?

HY: We did a show together at Brandeis my junior year, her sophomore year. ... This was going into our second summer, and I had lost my choreographer because she was doing something else that summer, so I needed a choreographer, and someone mentioned to me that Olivia was looking for a job in Boston, so I contacted her. It kind of worked out really, really perfectly, because she was pretty much exactly what I was looking for with her experience, and I knew her well from school, and she signed on and she’s been great.

JA: What venue do you use for the camp?

HY: In the thesis, it was probably the hardest part to find out what we actually needed for a location, which was classrooms so that we could split the participants up by age and then an actual theater with a performance space. I tried a lot of locations, but a lot of them just weren’t feasible; a lot of them wanted way too much [monry]. We struck a deal with the St. Julia Parish in Weston. We’ve got our own entrance there, so it’s pretty great. It’s our space for the summer. It’s got a bunch of classrooms downstairs, and then upstairs there’s a stage. It really, really works out nicely.

JA: Could you tell me a little more about the thesis? Was the original goal to start a company?

HY: It started out as an independent study where I wanted to research different programs in the area to see if I was potentially ever going to think about opening something, what kind of thing it would be. I did a lot of market research on that. And then it kind of became like, “Wow, this could actually be something, maybe.” So I talked to [Prof.] Jen [Cleary] (THA) and talked to the department. I had this concept and I wanted to roll with it. So I started doing it, you know: There was market research, kind of going to schools in the area, contacting parents who had enrolled [their children] in theater programs in the area and seeing what was lacking in the program that they were sending their kids to and what they’d want to change. I developed a curriculum based on the things I had seen lacking in the 10 years I had worked in these programs, also various feedback and suggestions and comments and complaints from other programs and parents and all that. It just kind of snowballed. It was just like, “Wow, everything is already set up, so let’s just do it.”

JA: Do you feel like it was mostly because of the research you did that you were able to pull it off, or has there been a continual learning process since you started it?

HY: It’s always a learning process. Each summer we introduce a new concept. I’m still learning, and there’s still a lot of trial and error going into it. But we’re a very young company. The oldest staff member is 23. ... My staff is very loyal. It’s great because I can finally mold this program into what I think a theater workshop could be and what I think kids should get out of a program. The past two years, we’ve actually done fall programs because there’s been such a desire for it to keep going. We’ve got some pretty cool shows coming up this summer, and it’s pretty exciting.

JA: So is this something you see yourself continuing?

HY: Yeah, it’s my company—you know, it’s my baby now. The plan is having it grow. ...

The short answer to that question is yes. I don’t see any reason why it won’t continue to flourish.

—Sarah Bayer

THE JUSTICE

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ON CAMPUS SHAKESPEAREAN SUCCESS

MUSIC

Vocalists unite at 11th A Cappella Fest ■ Brandeis’ 12 a cappella

groups put on entertaining performances at a benefit concert Wednesday before coming together for a grand finale of “We Are the World.”

By SARAH BAYER JUSTICE EDITOR

MIKE LOVETT/Brandeis Theater Company

LADIES IN WAITING: Brandeis Theater Company’s production of ‘Love’s Labour’s Lost’ offered a clever take on romance.

‘Labour’ no chore to watch ■ The production of ‘Love’s

Labour’s Lost’ by Brandeis Theater Company was comedic and well staged.

By SUJIN SHIN JUSTICE STAFF WRITER

Though not one of Shakespeare’s better-known plays, Love’s Labour’s Lost is a story still filled with the Bard’s classic themes: mistaken identity, wily and strong-willed women and love gone slightly awry.

One of Shakespeare’s earlier comedies, Love’s Labour’s Lost begins with Ferdinand, the King of Navarre, and three of his lords swearing an oath to scholarship and to stay away from women for three years. But when it is revealed that the beautiful princess of France is coming to visit with her train, the men are unnerved. Nevertheless, the king insists that their promises be kept and refuses the ladies entrance to his court. The story centers on how the men eventually fall in love with the women and the interactions between the feisty and strong women and the rather hopeless lords. In a frenzy of witty puns and some of the richest, most sophisticated wordplay in his oeuvre, Shakespeare creates a story filled with irony and humor, directed

by Steven Maler and presented by the Brandeis Theater Company for this year’s Leonard Bernstein Festival of the Creative Arts.

The most striking part of the show

was the beautiful set. The complexity of the stage (three large parallel flats of stretched canvas painted with a gradient of cream to orange from top to bottom, green pillars with curling imposts and multiple swirling wooden figures with snaking tendrils) and the simplicity of its presentation crafted an almost otherworldly atmosphere on the stage. In conjunction with the intense and colorful lighting, the images that were created onstage were aesthetically breathtaking. One of the most beautiful was the final scene, during which the lights faded to black and there was only the silhouette of a violinist playing a mournful tune, a sustained visual for almost a whole minute. The interaction between the colorful lights and the nude color of the flats was one of subtlety and masterful understanding of theatrical staging and presentation.

The BTC actors were, as usual, quite good. Though there existed a clear distinction between undergraduate and graduate actors because this was a collaboration between BTC and an undergraduate theater practicum class, the few acting flaws were understandable.

There is one actor worth special mention: Robert McFadyen (GRAD) played the flamboyant Don Adriano de Armado, a Spaniard caught in the throes of love. McFadyen’s goofy “everyman” feel is completely masked as he dons the costume of the gaudy and exaggerated de Armado.

Instead he turns into an effervescent and prone-to-leaping dandy who can-

not help but entertain with his extravagance, both in personality and word.

The themes of the show were lighthearted to the greatest extent. Love is a stronger force than any determination of man. A woman can bend a man to her every will. Sometimes love makes a fool of us all. And yet, the ending of Love’s Labour’s Lost is one worth pondering. Though this play is in no sense a tragedy, it finishes with the separation of the lovers, unlike Shakespeare’s other comedies in which the characters all get married in the end. The princess receives a message that her father has died, forcing the princess and her train back to France. The men swear that they love them and will also fulfill the oath of scholarship, but the women don’t believe them. The women make them promise to wait a year and a day to show that the love for them is true. It’s a bittersweet ending: The lords make fools out of themselves as they fall in love with the princess and her entourage, but nothing comes to fruition at the end.

However, it’s still a refreshing difference from Shakespeare’s other plays; in fact, Love’s Labour’s Lost is one of the only stories from which there are no obvious sources of inspiration.

Love’s Labour’s Lost is a show definitely worth its place among all the other amazing works of art in the Festival of the Creative Arts this year. The combination of a beautiful stage and arguably Shakespeare’s wittiest comedy is a force to be reckoned with, and BTC’s production of this fine show is well worth seeing.

A Cappella Fest, the 11-year annual tradition hosted by Starving Artists that brings together all of Brandeis’ a cappella groups for a charity benefit concert, has always been an ambitious project, given that the campus scene comprises 12 vocal ensembles and over 100 students. This year’s event, on the first night of the Leonard Bernstein Festival of the Creative Arts, took place in front of an enthusiastic audience in the Sherman Function Hall. Each a cappella group performed a pair of songs representing its unique repertoire, with Starving Artists closing out the night with three songs of their own.

The night started off on a powerful note with a pair of sultry tunes from Voices of Soul, showcasing the butter-smooth vocals of Romy James ’13 and Lexi Kriss’ ’11 virtuosic beatboxing on “Can’t Take My Eyes Off of You” before transitioning to Bill Withers’ “Just the Two of Us,” sung by two graduating seniors, Lisa Fitzgerald ’10 and Jeremy Sherer ’10.

Other groups bidding farewell to soloist seniors throughout the night included Manginah, whose rendition of “Ein Ani” combined a breathtaking, birdlike solo by Becky Fisher ’10 with Adam Ross’ ’10 deep baritone vocals; and Proscenium, which continued its reputation for fun musical theater covers with “Raining on Prom Night” from Grease, with Lizzie Abbate ’10 as soloist.

Even as groups honored departing members, the debuts performed on Wednesday promised continued excellence in campus a cappella. Sophie Golomb ’13 of Rather Be Giraffes soloed on the group’s strong and defiant premiere of “Scar” by Missy Higgins, while Starving Artists introduced its arrangement of Jessie James’ “Wanted” with a seductive solo by Sarit Friedman ’12.

The all-female group Ba’Note also made its A Cappella Fest debut, and its members set a fun-loving tone as they broke into Rupert Holmes’ “Escape (The Piña Colada Song)” in the middle of their arrangement of “Hinei Ba HaShalom” and later played air guitar during Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believing.”

The audience expressed delight at

such familiar favorites, cheering a range of material from golden oldies like Up the Octave’s soulful “Son of a Preacher Man” and Company B’s playful “The Shoop Shoop Song” to Jewish Fella Acappella’s genderbending “Matchmaker” from the musical Fiddler on the Roof (featuring Gideon Klionsky ’11 as a blushing bride).

More recent hits also garnered wild applause, especially middleschool favorite “Never Had a Dream Come True” by S Club 7, tenderly sung by RBG, and Lady Gaga’s “Poker Face,” as interpreted with music video-quality choreography and a clear sense of humor by VoiceMale.

Still, the groups performing pushed beyond audience expectations to deliver less familiar numbers as well. Too Cheap for Instruments’ outlandishly threatening “Revenge Song” and JFA’s satirical “The Bar Mitzvah Song” were two novelty tunes that got listeners giggling at the goofy lyrics. Voices of Praise, with its rousing gospel harmonies, had spectators clapping along eagerly to hymns they’d probably never heard before. And VoiceMale presented its original composition “Don’t Go,” demonstrating along with its counterparts a passion for musical experimentation.

If sorting out the logistics of a typical A Cappella Fest wasn’t enough, this year, organizers Ellyn Getz ’13 and Jordan Brown ’12 set their sights even higher, bringing all of the groups together for a powerful rendition of “We Are the World” (as arranged by Andrew Litwin ’11).

The collaborative effort, which served as a very grand finale to the 2 1/2-hour-long concert, was apparently inspired by a desire to pay tribute to the struggles of the Haitian people in the wake of January’s earthquake. All proceeds from the concert went to benefit the Brandeis Haiti Relief Effort, raising $657.05 toward the fund.

The final number was billed as “the first time in history that all the a cappella groups come together to sing as one,” and based on the talent displayed Wednesday night, it hopefully won’t be the last.

A Cappella Fest was a great way to kick off this year’s Festival of the Arts. The vibrant a cappella scene produced a show that fulfilled its enormous creative and collaborative potential, managing at once to showcase polished vocal talent and look toward future enterprises.

Editor’s note: Justice staff writer Shelly Shore ’12 is a member of Proscenium, and Justice editorial assistant Eitan Cooper ’13 is a member of JFA.

MUSIC

Brandeis-Wellesley Orchestra transposes stories into song ■ The Brandeis-Wellesley

Orchestra skillfully played a program of music based on narratives as part of this year’s Leonard Bernstein Festival of the Creative Arts.

By REBECCA BROOKS JUSTICE STAFF WRITER

The Brandeis-Wellesley Orchestra’s performance in the Slosberg Recital Hall last Thursday allowed students from both schools to showcase their exceptional talent and professionalism. With over 70 participants and 16 sections, the orchestra played music originally conducted and/or composed by Leonard Bernstein as well as music influenced by the book One Thousand and One Nights , more commonly known as Tales of the

Arabian Nights.

The program consisted of an overture to Candide , music from the movie Our Town , the orchestral suite from Disney’s Aladdin and Scheherazade , op. 35 by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov.

As the conductor Neal Hampton explained during the event, “All music is written to a story.” The Brandeis-Wellesley orchestra weaved many stories throughout the night in their dynamic and compelling performance.

The show began with an overture from the operetta Candide , originally composed by Leonard Bernstein. The song started off with lots of energy and a quick, intense beat.

Between the smooth transitions from plucking their strings to bowing, the string sections displayed their versatility and skill, and as the song progressed, the percussion section increased the excitement with the use of cymbals. If Bernstein

were alive today, he would agree that the Brandeis-Wellesley Orchestra did his overture proud.

The second piece of the night added a little twist to the show. The conductor began by explaining that the music they were about to play, composed by Aaron Copland, was from the title credits and opening monologue of the 1940 film Our Town . To really set the scene, Director of the Office of the Arts Scott Edmiston recited the opening monologue from the movie; the second he was finished, the orchestra started playing.

The song itself was much slower than the previous piece and put the listener in the mindset of white picket fences and quintessential small-town life. The players sustained notes for an impressively long period of time without wavering, and the song went very smoothly.

The orchestral suite from Dis-

ney’s Aladdin was the most anticipated piece of the night, and it included a medley of all of the movie’s favorite tunes, from “Arabian Nights” to “A Whole New World.”

The first chair violinist Nicole Kilroy ’12 expertly played a few solo lines throughout the piece.

All the sections were well-balanced: the wind, brass and percussion sections never overpowered the strings nor vice versa. At the conclusion of the piece, the orchestra received the loudest and most rambunctious applause out of all the pieces.

After a brief intermission, the Brandeis-Wellesley Orchestra performed Scheherazade , op. 35. Separated into four movements, the piece helps to tell the story of the book One Thousand and One Nights.

Each movement is described by a different caption in an attempt to articulate the plot of the story. The

first movement, “The Sea and Sinbad’s Ship,” sounded like the rolling of the waves in the sea, while the second movement, “The Tale of Prince Kalendar,” ended with a combination of a string tremolo and the harpist’s rapid plucking. The horns added a deep, rich sound to “Intermezzo: The Young Prince and the Princess,” and “The Festival at Baghdad; The Sea; The Ship Goes to Pieces on a Rock” included a strong solo by the first violinist and ended serenely, almost like the calm following a storm.

The Brandeis-Wellesley Orchestra performed at an unparalleled level. All of the music was enjoyable and kept the audience entertained.

The members of the orchestra were energetic and lively, which made the event even more delightful. The two themes, Leonard Bernstein and Arabian Nights, were tied together well, and the performance was a huge success.

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TUESDAY, MAY 4, 2010

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THE JUSTICE

Sounds of S

By REBECCA BROOKS JUSTICE STAFF WRITER

The 2010 Brandeis SpringFest began with a lot of expectations. Man Man, Chiddy Bang, Streetlight Manifesto and Passion Pit all in one concert?

With free food and free admission?

There had to be a catch. With the exceptions of muggy weather and glaring sun, SpringFest 2010 was a huge success. The food was decent, the venue was clean, and DJ Tao, who began the show with a 30-minute set and played music between acts, kept everyone entertained. Student Events and WBRS put on an amazing show.

The members of Man Man, faces decorated with war paint and wearing a slew of funny hats, performed first.

They started their band in Philadelphia in 2003 and have been creating albums ever since. Although the crowd was small and only started to form during Man Man’s act, the band charmed the audience with their quirky clothes, fun lyrics and a wide variety of unique instruments rarely found in live performances, such as a xylophone.

Chiddy Bang, a two-man rap group consisting of Chiddy (emcee) and Xaphoon Jones (DJ/producer), performed next. The pair met at Drexel University in Philadelphia and decided to create hip-hop music together.

Toward the end of their act, Xaphoon Jones decided to play a game with the audience. He claimed Chiddy could freestyle about anything and asked the audience for three topics. The audience chose donuts, drinking water and Judaism, and much to everyone’s surprise, Chiddy spit out a coherent and fluid rap. The most requested song by the audience was a remix of the MGMT song “Kids.”

By the time Streetlight Manifesto came on, the crowd had begun to thicken. Streetlight, as the band is sometimes called, is well-known in the

ska genre of music. Throughout the performance, people were crowd-surfing and, as far as I could tell, attempting to start a mosh pit. Although things got a little crazy, the band performed well and was genuinely amusing, especially when one of the singers said to the audience, “What song would you like to hear? Not that it matters because we’re gonna play what want to.” And they did. The crowd loved Streetlight’s music no matter what song the band played, so there were no complaints.

Although the first three acts were great, Passion Pit stole the show. The crowd was gigantic, stretching all the way back to the edges of Chapels Field, and it was unbelievably rowdy. The band played all the crowd favorites but saved the popular “Sleepyhead” for last. Even when members of the alienlooking group. Leonard Bernstein Festival of the Arts participants Big Nazo appeared in the audience, Passion Pit did not waver from its songs and instead encouraged the freakish-looking creatures to come up onstage though they had to settle for surfing the crowd.

From a purely physical perspective, the band was quite easy on the eyes too. The curly, soft-looking hair of the lead singer looked as if it were dancing along to the words pouring from his mouth. Passion Pit was a great band to watch. The band’s members engaged the audience with their electric indie sound and performed their songs just like they do on their albums Manners and Chunk of Change.

Student Events and WBRS really did a great job pulling off this concert.

Even though most of the audience sweated buckets of water (which is quite a precious commodity these days), they attended an event that was the highlight of the year.

Editors note: Justice Arts editor Bryan Flatt is a concerts coordinator for Student Events

ASHER KRELL/the Justice

SKA SUPREME: Tomas Kalnoky, one of the singers and guitar players of band Streetlight Manifeseto, plays a song during the band’s set on Sunday.

ASHER KRELL/the Justice

FLOWING FREESTYLE: Chiddy, the emcee half of the up-and-coming rap group Chiddy Bang combined style and creativity during the freestyle portion of his set.

THE JUSTICE

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TUESDAY, MAY 4, 2010

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SpringFest Students soaked in both the sun and sounds during SpringFest

ASHER KRELLT/the Justice

ROBYN SPECTOR/the Justice

INTERESTING INSTRUMENTS: A member of Man Man plays one of their many eclectic instruments while donning war paint as the band kicked off SpringFest.

ASHER KRELL/the Justice

VIVACIOUS VOCALS: Michael Angelakos, leader singer and keyboardist of Passion Pit, sings to the audience. Above: Passion Pit rocks through the day’s intense heat.

TALI SMOOKLER/the Justice

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TUESDAY, MAY 4, 2010

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THE JUSTICE

MUSIC

Mochila bids musical farewell to founder ■ Music group Mochila kept

audiences entertained throughout their diverse and interesting performance.

By GLORIA PARK JUSTICE CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Introduced by the program pamphlet for the Leonard Bernstein Festival of the Creative Arts as “Brandeis’s favorite student band,” Mochila indeed exceeded expectations with its unique compositions, “unique, compelling fusion of Arabic, jazz, reggaeton, and more” and magical harmonies on May 2. The majority of the audience members in the Slosberg Recital Hall were students, eyes gleaming with anticipation of and excitement for the forthcoming benefit concert for Haiti. As Will Chalmus ’07 came out, jumping around the stage and encouraging people to get pumped for the concert, the audience cheered and hollered.

As I peered through the program notes, I was struck by graduating senior and founder of the ensemble Mohammad Kundos’ ’10 humble introduction about what the group represents.

Mochila, which in Spanish means “backpack,” boasts a fascinating combination of various elements that each instrument exhibits, working together to create one united identity. Its mission, as fans already know, is “Create. Appreciate. Discover. Combine. No matter where you are from. Don’t be Afraid. Shout.

Out. Loud.” Kundos wrote, “Mochila brings together different cultures, different identities, different languages on one state to play the universal language of music.” On the same note, he proudly announced the group’s new initiative to launch a Mochila in Haiti in July as “part of a summer camp that is being held in Hinche, where [they] will be working with musicians from the city [so

that] together [they] aim to work on rebuilding a united identity between the people in Haiti and those who were displaced after the earthquake.” The group plans to combine traditional Haitian elements with popular music to unite the generations, ensuring total inclusion for all ages. While the Haiti effort was recommended to the Student Emerging Artist foundation for a grant totalling $2500, album sales and donations gathered at the concert will provide invaluable financial support.

Not only was this the farewell concert for Kundos, but it was also Mochila’s second album recording.

Thus, the group asked the audience to show much love by clapping and screaming, which it gladly did. Overall, the performance was superb and pleasant to watch, as the ensemble successfully interacted with the audience, inducing some of them to get up from their seats and dance to the beat in the aisle.

The various acts consisted of the original ensemble playing its signature music; a duet consisting of slam poetry and violin; a Zayde Buti performance; Usman Yasin Hameedi’s ’12 spoken word; a joint performance with Indian Tabla drum by Ethan Geringer-Sameth ’12 and Kathak, a classical dance from North India by Ashni Dave ’12; and “Arabic Coffee” and B’yachad. My favorite performance was “Eternal Spring,” which began with piano and viola, performed by Jae Kyo Han ’10 and Emily Gelb ’11, respectively, soon joined by everyone else, with refreshing drum beats from Kundos, Geringer-Sameth and Lopez, and beautifully ended with the Carnatic violin.

Although every artist was phenomenal, I was particularly intrigued by the Indian classical violin (or Carnatic violin) played by Siddhi Krishna ’12, because I had never encountered such style before, as well as the Kundos’ oud, a pear-shaped stringed instrument commonly used in Middle Eastern music. Other wellknown instruments, such as piano, drum set, saxophone, trumpet, viola,

TALI SMOOKLER/the Justice

MUSICAL FUSION: Mohammad Kundos ’10, Ethan Geringer-Sameth ’12 and Darlene Zephyrine ’12 play as part of Mochila. violin, cello and voice, also defied the traditional boundaries of their stereotyped genres and flaunted their eccentric rhythms and original tone qualities.

Despite the seemingly odd combination of various instruments, which consists of partly Indian, Arabic and

Western instruments, the best asset of the performance was the exceptional unity and harmony of the group.

Everyone was in sync and engaged in the music, all with same desire to become one within the music. I wish the best of luck for Mochila’s effort to

execute its newest project in Haiti, and if its performance was any indication of the group’s unity, dedication and potential, I have no doubt in the success they will gain.

Editors Note: Justice staff writer Wei-Huan Chen is a member of Mochila

ART

THEATER

Science mixes with art

‘Harold!’ impresses crowd

■ In the unique Science of Art

exhibition, artists explore the unlikely pairing of scientific research and expression.

By SUJIN SHIN JUSTICE STAFF WRITER

Most of the time, opposites in our world don’t complement each other.

Fire and water, oil and vinegar, hippies and conservatives. And some include science and art in that list of impossible relationships. However, Guhapriya Ranganathan and Nancy Selvage’s exhibition, “Science of Art,” takes that dichotomy and marries the opposing elements in a way that is both striking and eye-opening. Two Bostonian artists whose work is displayed in both public and private venues around the city have come to Brandeis to showcase their talents in the Leonard Bernstein Festival of the Creative Arts.

Ranganathan’s works are quite vivid and conspicuous. The prints on the wall are jagged and seem frantic. The colors, very specific and intentional in their presentation, are bright and immediately eye-catching. But there is a methodical peace surrounding her works.

Upon close inspection it’s obvious that each line, each color, each parallel stroke was carefully measured and pondered. The only organic shapes were the several oblong pieces of paper inlaid on the print, from which all the jagged lines seemed to be emanating. Inspired by the neural networks from PET scans of Ranganathan’s grandmother afflicted by Alzheimer’s disease, the complexity of her pieces are mind boggling as well as logical. There is a very calculating and meticulous aspect to her pieces, many of which have seemingly hundreds of straight lines and scrupulously marked angles that greatly contribute to the “scientific feel” that radiates from her prints.

One of her pieces, a series of four or-

ange prints covered almost fully in black paint, was especially different from the others. The focus of the piece is hundreds of tiny empty dots that show the orange and yellowish paint underneath the black, arranged in one unceasing line, some places angularly positioned and others rounded and smooth; the fractal-like quality is very intriguing, both mathematically and aesthetically. Inspired by the unraveling of DNA, the four prints are some of many that Ranganathan is working on to this day.

Selvage didn’t have many works on display at the exhibition, but her pieces were definitely the biggest. One piece, titled “BI OP SEE,” was crafted with perforated sheet metal and large, fluid lines.

In the piece, there is a single tube in which a purplish-pink foam insert, squishy and organic-looking in texture, is visible. A play on the word “biopsy,” Selvage takes the act of biopsying, the removal for diagnostic study of a piece of tissue from a living body, and expands the definition to artistic status with her work. It is a very visually arresting piece with reflective surfaces covering nearly the entirety of the composition and a hazy, moiré-like rippling pattern created by the layers of perforated sheet metal, with the one point of focus being the piece of pink, brain-like foam in the largest reflective tube. “BI OP SEE” is very present and yet delicate at the same time. She had one other piece in the exhibit—a smaller tube of reflective material with a piece of burned fiberglass inside, whose ragged and fragmented appearance seemed to gel smoothly with Ranganathan’s pieces while still retaining that eerie quality created by the reflecting material on the tube.

The combination of both scientific inspirations and presentation of artistic form is a very intriguing one, and yet one doesn’t see this duality often. Encapsulated quite creatively in the works of Ranganathan and Selvage, “Science of Art” is an exhibition worth attending for appreciators of science and art alike.

■ Brother and sister Jared

Field ’11 and Jessie Field ’13 create an exciting and original musical.

By JOYCE WANG JUSTICE STAFF WRITER

For this year’s Leonard Bernstein Festival of the Creative Arts, artists from all over the world gathered to celebrate music, theater and studio and public art. In addition to promoting this surfeit of options, Brandeis made sure to highlight student productions. Codirected and written by brother and sister pair Jared Field ’11 and Jessie Field ’13 (Jared, music; Jessie, lyrics, along with co-music director Amelia Lavranchuk ’12), their original production Harold!

The Musical offered something a little lighter and a little humbler than most Bernstein Festival fare—a charming musical satire about a man whose greatest dream is to escape to an idyllic world in which everyone sings all of the time.

Seeing Harold! The Musical reminded me of nothing so much as James Thurber’s classic short story “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty.” The subject: male protagonist in a mind-numbing, humiliating job, prone to extreme daydreaming. The result: incessant criticism by those around him who wonder why he can’t just face up to reality and live up to his responsibilities. In Harold!, the title character (Matthew Cohen ’11) spends his days at the most tedious occupation imaginable— working for a toy company that more closely resembles a sinister corporation. The company con-

structs “Business Bears,” teddy bears with recorded voices that exhort employees to work harder.

His boss, Mr. N. P. Sludgebottom (played by Gabe Bronk ’11), is an old classmate turned ruthless manager obsessed with efficiency.

In fact, everyone around him, from his wife Shirley (Taylor Hamilton ’10) to his sycophantic coworker Carl (Ben Hornstein ’11), is obsessed with conserving time and maximizing productivity. In this world, there is no room for any kind of fun, any sense of wonder or any enjoyment of life that doesn’t have to do with increasing profits.

The central drama pits Harold, who wants nothing more than to retreat into the vivid world of a colorful musical, against reality.

These desires result in a confusing and fragmented structure in which half of the time the play is simply a manifestation of Harold’s daydreams and fantasies. This also results in a lot of bizarre and humorous flights of fancy during which the singing and dancing troupe, The New Hat Players, performs satirical numbers that poke fun at the concept of a musical itself and the artifice of the genre. A lot of this is successful because many of the pieces are humorous and entertaining—for example, the play-within-a-play piece about the wife/husband/mistress trio was great—but unfortunately the play still retains some of the flaws of the genre it’s trying to satirize, which is always a danger with satires. A satire has to transcend the boundaries of its genre or be particularly incisive in order to criticize effectively. Here, the structure of the musical numbers is overall rather flat—most of them simply meander along at an amiable pace, and although enjoy-

able, they are occasionally not as engaging as those of some of the best musicals, in part because of the lack of variety of song structure. However, some of the best moments of the play are in the clever details, for instance, the “Disastrous graph”—a hilariously simple visual that added to the satirical note of the play.

As far as characters go, Sludgebottom is a great adversary, played with elastic features and overdrawn wit by Bronk, but he’s by far the most interesting character. Harold himself does not hold up as well, because the audience has little insight about his inner character and why he wants to escape so much. Cohen is a great singer but a less fluid actor, and the stiffness in some of his acting may simply have been part of the limitations of his character, because the role is oddly limiting.

Everyone can empathize with the urge to make life more fun and full of art, but most people recognize that there has to be a balance and it doesn’t have to be all one way or the other. Like the protagonist of ”The Secret Life of Walter Mitty,” both men choose a world of delusion over the mundane reality of their lives. There seems to be little acknowledgment of that middle ground in this play. I don’t think Harold! was intended as a profound meditation on the nature and role of art, exactly, although the director’s note—wiser, less pretentious and more earnest than many I’ve read—urged the audience to think deeply about why things were happening onstage. If anything, I would describe Harold! as the meta-theatrical equivalent of a well-sung ditty—light-hearted and unassuming, but certainly not to be mistaken for a grandiose production.

THE JUSTICE

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TUESDAY, MAY 4, 2010

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OFF CAMPUS ROYAL ROMANCE

MUSIC

Sia reveals a new and goofy side on tour Brad

STERN POP MUSE

CHARLES ERICKSON/Boston Lyric Opera

LOVING AT FIRST GRASP: Idamante, son of the title character, King Idomeneo, and Ilia, a beautiful Trojan princess vying for Idamante’s affection, sing during the rarely performed though highly acclaimed Mozart opera ‘Idomeneo’.

Singers contribute to the vocally brilliant ‘Idomeneo’ ■ The rarely performed but

acclaimed Mozart opera was put on marvelously by the Boston Lyric Opera.

By HANNAH KIRSCH JUSTICE EDITOR

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s Idomeneo premiered in 1781 after a difficult and rigorous composition process that took him many years and many revisions to conclude; then, despite its musical and dramatic innovations, it faded into relative musical obscurity. The opera wasn’t even performed in the United States until 1947, and it remains among the more infrequently performed of Mozart’s operas. Thus it is belated, but not surprising, that the Boston Lyric Opera’s staging of Idomeneo, which opened April 23 at the Shubert Theatre, was the first in the company’s history.

In Idomeneo, the titular king of this Mozart masterpiece is caught in a storm during his return from Troy to Crete and pledges to Neptune that in return for his life, he will sacrifice the first person he meets on the shore. When this turns out to be his son Idamante, the king brings Neptune’s wrath (and a sea monster) upon the citizens of Crete as he attempts to evade his oath. Meanwhile, Trojan princess and prisoner Ilia and the daughter of King Agamemnon, Elettra, are both in love with Idamante, competing with each other and with their own torn emotions for the hand of the prince.

Although the entire cast of Idomeneo was very strong, the clear stars

of the night were mezzo-soprano Sandra Piques Eddy in the role of Idamante and soprano Caroline Worra as Elettra. Eddy, a Boston native, played the prince with appropriately royal bearing and youthful vigor, all overlaid with a rich, mellow tone that she had to have exerted incredible effort to cultivate. As a BLO staff member explained, during the orchestra’s first rehearsal with Worra, the musicians cheered following the conclusion of “D’Oreste, D’Aiace,” the aria during which Elettra goes insane with jealousy and rage. Her performance Wednesday night inspired similar enthusiasm from the audience, which applauded unrestrainedly as she tore offstage, cackling and screaming.

A particular highlight of Wednesday’s performance was the quartet sung by Idamante, Elettra, Ilia— played by a graceful and sympathetic Camille Zamora—and Idomeneo, to whom tenor Jason Collins brought the sturm und drang expected of the tortured king. The singers explored a full range of emotions during one of the dramatic peaks of the opera, deftly navigating tricky ensemble moments along the way.

The set and costumes, borrowed from a Glimmerglass Opera production of Gluck’s Orpheus and Eurydice, were rich without being overly opulent—although the carved words “et in arcadia ego” on the back wall of the room in which the action of the opera took place were notably in Latin, not in Greek. The choice to clothe Elettra in stark black was a wonderful contrast to the brocades worn by Idomeneo, Ilia and Idamante. Particularly striking was

the image of a seemingly endless sea visible through the arch at the back of the stage, and overall, the lighting was quite deft. The only misstep was the strange white felt overcoats worn by the imposing High Priest (Neal Ferreira) and his acolytes, which looked like high-collared winter blankets enveloping the singers.

While there were some moments of orchestral uncertainty and overly driving tempi under the baton of otherwise excellent conductor David Angus, the sole serious problems of the night came with the staging, organized by Lillian Groag. A red rope functioning alternately as chains, a barrier and mere onstage clutter was not the artistic touch it seemed intended as but rather a distraction from the more effective aspects of the staging. When Elettra twined it about herself during an early scene, it resembled nothing so much as fresh intestines, adding a cartoonish touch to what would otherwise have been a stark and deeply effective aria. Similarly, although at the outset I was intrigued by Groag’s recasting of the story of Idomeneo as a reenactment during a festival for Neptune, there were some awkward moments as onlookers waved aluminum sheets in unsuccessful attempts to create flashes of light that clashed with highly effective recorded thunder and projected lightning. And the choice to have Elettra rejoin the cast for a triumphant paean to love and marriage after her enraged exit was a jarring and amateur finish to an otherwise emotionally subtle opera.

Lucky, then, that the vocal talents of the cast were more than sufficient to quench the few flaws that the production had in store.

As a massive cloth banner sporting the singer’s name was hoisted into the air, strange alien noises began spewing from the speakers.

“We are born, we are born,” they began to disjointedly chant, hastening and finally meeting in a frenzied rally cry.

At once, Sia, wearing a red- and white-striped gown and a glowing light piece attached to her forehead, looking not unlike a glorious technicolor unicorn, pranced out from behind the stage with her band.

“This is my head penis!” she announced, pointing at the contraption. The crowd cheered in approval, propelling her into the first of many Woody Woodpeckerlike giggle fits.

Last Saturday, Sia arrived in Boston for the American leg of her We Meaning You tour, a tour to promote her upcoming release, We Are Born, due out June 7.

As the singer, formerly best known for her more solemn, downtempo work with Zero 7 or her classic ballad “Breathe Me,” Sia has certainly had an image reversal as of late: Saturday’s show was, if nothing else, a bubbly affair, complete with crocheted set design and colorful patterns.

On stage, the microphones and instruments were wrapped in fabrics and yarn. Even the amps were covered in fuzzy knits, making the show look a bit like it were an impromptu performance inside a Mexican souvenir shop. As if to purposely counteract the rather dreary ambiance of her last few efforts, the night was a spunky celebration of color and dance-ready pop tunes.

Sia herself is an effortless, understated powerhouse of a performer.

Standing barefoot at center stage, the singer playfully twitched around, doing robotic dances and playing with the fringes of her dress while effortlessly belting out some of the toughest, scale-heavy numbers from her discography, including “Little Black Sandals,” “The Girl You Lost to Cocaine” and her brilliant cover of Madonna’s “Oh Fa-

ther.” These were literally studioready vocals (if not better than the original recordings) being produced, as though it were not a big deal.

Aside from “Breathe Me,” the most celebrated songs of the night also happened to be the newest ones, especially the new single “Clap Your Hands.” It seems no concertgoer, no matter how dedicated or ambivalent, can resist a bass groove as dirty as the one in her latest single.

The entire audience seemed to sway and clap in unison to the song’s massive disco beat. “Bring Night” and “You’ve Changed” were equally beloved by the crowd, only further emphasizing the very real fact that a happy Sia is just as wonderful as a down tempo Sia. Later on, after the “fake encore” (as she referred to her initial exit from the stage), the Aussie songstress returned to the stage with a set of colorful plastic wheel wings attached to her back. Yes, friends, it was time for bubbles!

From behind the singer, a machine began spinning the wings on Sia’s back, resulting in flurries of bubbles that carried across the venue. “This is the first time it’s worked the way I want it to!” she announced giddily, doing a quick victory dance before rounding out the concert with a moving rendition of “Soon You’ll Be Found,” complete with accompanying sign language.

“Who wants to do some more heckling?” she would ask a few times throughout the show. As the crowd would begin to cheer, choice members of the audience threw out their best, silliest insults—or whatever was on their mind, really.

“Your girlfriend is hot!” shouted one. “Thanks, I’ll tell her you said that!” she responded gleefully.

“Your drummer is hot!” shouted another. Not exactly the jeers she was expecting perhaps, but ridiculous nonetheless.

Despite a lack of costume changes or major video installations, the singer kept the crowd engaged with her adorable, off-kilter anecdotes and interactions with the audience.

It’s hard to believe that the bouncy, effervescent character dancing around onstage is the same one soulfully belting out her songs like some of the best songstresses of the last century. But then again, you would have to see it happen live to truly understand.

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TUESDAY, MAY 4, 2010

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THE JUSTICE

TOP of the

ARTS ON VIEW

TRIVIA TIME 1. What is “sidereal time”?

2. What is meant by the musical term “giocoso”?

3. Who is the patron saint of firefighters?

4. What does it mean when a lawyer takes a case “pro bono”?

5. What U.S. state lies between Oregon and Wyoming?

6. What is the monetary unit of Panama?

7. The carotid artery is located in what part of the human body?

8. What was the first of the 13 original states to be admitted into the Union?

9. Who was President Franklin Roosevelt’s vice president during his first term?

10. What causes Lyme disease?

CHARTS Top 10s for the week ending May 4 BOX OFFICE 1. A Nightmare on Elm Street 2. How to Train Your Dragon 3. Date Night 4. The Back-up Plan 5. Furry Vengeance 6. The Losers 7. Clash of the Titans 9. Death at a Funeral 9. Kick-Ass

WBRS

SOLOMON KIM/the Justice

WINDSWEPT WOMAN: The artist writes of his creative process, “I stand/sit/lie in front of my medium (in this case, a plastic board and liquid chalk) and slave away methodically until my brain is too tired to improve upon the output. I only had a vague idea of the finished product.”

1. Time measured by rotation of the earth with respect to the stars 2. Merry or lively 3. St. Florian 4. Without a fee 5. Idaho 6. Balboa 7. The neck 8. Delaware 9. John Garner 10. Deer tick bite ANSWERS

CROSSWORD

SHOWTIMES 5/7 - 5/13 Iron Man 2 Fri-Sun 1, 2, 4, 5, 7, 8, 9:45 Mon-Thurs 2, 3, 4:50, 7, 8 Please Give Fri-Sun 1:30, 4:30, 7:10, 9:35 Mon-Thurs 2:30, 5:10, 8:10 Greenberg Fri-Sun 1:20, 4:20, 6:50, 9:30 Mon-Thurs 2:20, 5, 7:50 The Ghost Writer Fri-Sun 1:10, 3:50, 6:40, 9:25 Mon-Thurs 2:10, 4:50, 7:40 Date Night Fri-Sun 1:40, 4:10, 6:30, 9:20 Mon-Thurs 2:40, 5:10, 7:30

ACROSS 1. Totally dominate 4. Right on the map?

8. Liking a lot 12. Shooter ammo 13. Jubilation 14. Disposition 15. Where salmon go to spawn 17. Motivate 18. Gazing one 19. Chart format 21. Guinness Book suffix 22. Transmission to a spacecraft 26. Rural buildings 29. “No seats” 30. Dress in 31. Supplemented, with “out” 32. Bookkeeper (Abbr.)

33. — gin fizz 34. Dead heat 35. Happiness 36. Public squabble 37. “You betcha!”

39. Spring mo.

40. Smokestack output 41. Shamelessly bold 45. Dixieland music 48. Entry on a team’s schedule 50. Bassoon’s cousin 51. Wine’s aroma 52. Yank 53. Implement 54. Active one 55. Early bird?

DOWN 1. Piece of work 2. Sobbed 3. Houston acronym 4. Exit 5. On the qui vive 6. Poseidon’s realm 7. Deep-fried recipe 8. Urge 9. Neither mate 10. As well 11. Peculiar 16. Pollster’s find 20. Wall St. debut

COLLEGE RADIO 1. Gorillaz – Plastic Beach 2. Broken Bells – Broken Bells 3. Joanna Newsom – Have One On Me 4. Hot Chip – One Life Stand 5. Local Natives – Gorilla Manor 6. Yeasayer – ODD BLOOD 7. Liars – Sisterworld 8. Ted Leo and the Pharmacists – The Brutalist Bricks 9. Beach House – Teen Dream 10. Spoon – Transference

BILLBOARD

23. Between jobs 24. Lunchtime, often 25. Banjo supporter 26. — carotene 27. In the same family 28. 50-Across need 29. Agent 32. Rancher 33. Raw-boned person 35. Alcott book, — Boys 36. More agile 38. The Baxters’ maid 39. Humiliate 42. Fill till full 43. Complacent 44. Safecracker 45. Least bit 46. Blood-group letters 47. Menagerie

1. Soundtrack – Glee: The Music, The Power of Madonna 2. Lady Antebellum – Need You Now 3. Justin Bieber – My World 2.0 4. AC/DC – Iron Man 2 (Soundtrack) 5. Usher – Raymond V Raymond 6. Various Artists – NOW 33 7. Jimmy Buffett – Encores 8. Justin Bieber – My World (EP) 9. Zac Brown Band – The Foundation 10. Lady Gaga – The Fame Album information provided by Billboard Magazine. Box office information provided by Yahoo! Movies. Radio charts provided by CMJ.

STAFF PLAYLIST

“Energy Boost”

By NAN PANG

Solution to last issue’s crossword.

49. Court

King Crossword Copyright 2010 King Features Synd., Inc.

STRANGE BUT TRUE ■ It was American poet, etymologist and translator John Ciardi who made the following sage observation: “The Constitution gives every American the inalienable right to make a damn fool of himself.” He was, evidently, also a shrewd observer of people.

Between 1997 and 2003, the number of nine- to 12year-olds who spent time outdoors hiking, fishing or camping fell by 50 percent.

The Embassy is located at 18 Pine Street in Waltham

1. Ten Foot Polecats – “Tears On My Windshield” 2. Eric Bibb – “Train From Aberdeen” 3. Vampire Weekend – “Diplomat’s Son” 4. Frightened Rabbit – “Not Miserable” 5. Mumford and Sons – “After the Storm” 6. Mark Hummel – “The Price of Love” 7. The Tallest Man On Earth – “King of Spain” 8. Johnny Moeller – “Everybody’s Got To Cry Sometime” 9. Six Gallery – “Bermuda Triangles” 10. The Holmes Brothers – “Dark Cloud”

Greece’s Parthenon is a famous ruin, but many people today don’t realize that it wasn’t time that caused the destruction of the structure. In 1687, the Ottoman Turks occupied the Acropolis and used the Parthenon to store gunpowder. A mortar fired by the attacking Venetians hit the building and ignited the gunpowder, causing much of the widespread damage we see today.

Although Portuguese is the official language of Brazil, those who study such things say that there are 170 languages spoken in that country, most of them known well only by the indigenous people who grew up speaking them.

When city officials in New Orleans are estimating the crowds that turn out for Mardi Gras, they use the sanitation department’s figures on how much garbage was removed during the festival.

It was famed fashion designer Coco Chanel who made the little black dress a popular item; before that, most women wore black only when they were in mourning.

England’s King Richard I, known popularly as the Lionheart, didn’t actually live in England; his residence was in Aquitaine, in the southwestern part of France. He didn’t speak English, either.

The next time you’re at a dance in Utah, remember not to get too close to your partner; in that state, by law, daylight must be visible between partners.

Thought for the Day: “The nuclear arms race is like two sworn enemies standing waist deep in gasoline, one with three matches, the other with five.” —Carl Sagan

JUSTICE STAFF WRITER

Well, obviously my body and I cannot have three cups of coffee and two cans of energy drinks every day, even if I do have at least one midterm or paper every single week; so here the music comes.

Though I listen to songs from various genres, my playlist consists of pop songs and rock songs, and each song on the playlist has an “energy-boosting” melody, lyrics or rhythm that acts like caffeine, vitamins or taurin. This is so I don’t have to drink a “5-Hour Energy” drink or experience the “crash” during my exams.

THE LIST 1. Lady Gaga – “Bad Romance” 2. Shinedown – “Second Chance” 3. Shinedown – “Devour” 4. Carlito – “Who’s that Boy” 5. Kelly Clarkson – “My Life Would Suck Without You” 6. Nickelback – “If Today Was Your Last Day” 7. Glee Cast – “Don’t Stop Believin’” 8. Daniel Powter – “Bad Day” 9. OneRepublic – “All the Right Move” 10. Daughtry – “It’s not Over”