The Justice, November 10, 2009

ARTS PAGE 20

SPORTS Volleyball returns to ECAC tournament 16

FOLDS PERFORMS

FORUM Ease aid constraint on gap year students 12 THE INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER

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OF

BRANDEIS UNIVERSITY SINCE 1949

Justice www.theJusticeOnline.com

Volume LXII, Number 11

Waltham, Mass.

Tuesday, November 10, 2009

BOARD OF TRUSTEES

ACADEMICS

Ninth trustee to be appointed

Brandeis considers updates to dorms

■ The approached trustee

has not responded to the offer to be on the committee due to “personal issues.”

By NASHRAH RAHMAN JUSTICE EDITOR

A ninth trustee has yet to be appointed to the Presidential Search Committee, which current-

ly consists of eight trustees and three faculty members, according to Chair of the Faculty Senate Prof. Sabine Von Mering (GRALL) at last Thursday’s faculty meeting.

Chair of the Board of Trustees Malcolm Sherman, who is in charge of appointing the committee, said the delay in appointment is due to personal issues faced by the trustee. He declined to comment further but added that he hopes to fill the seat this week.

The rest of the committee was appointed at the Oct. 29 Board meeting after University President Jehuda Reinharz announced his intention to resign in a Sept. 24 campuswide e-mail.

Reinharz will remain president until a new president has been selected or until June 30, 2011, according to a Sept. 24 University press release. Reinharz’s Oct. 30 email to the Brandeis community announcing the appointment of

the committee did not state that the committee was not complete.

An organizational phone meeting among appointed members of the committee was scheduled to take place yesterday, Chair of the Presidential Search Committee Meyer Koplow ’72 wrote in an email to the Justice. He declined to provide further details before the committee conferred.

See SEARCH, 7 ☛

■ The Charles River

Apartments may be renovated to increase student housing options.

ACADEMICS

Eight Justice Brandeis Semester programs approved

By LIZ POSNER JUSTICE STAFF WRITER

■ One of the nine Justice

The Office of Capital Projects is currently researching potential plans to renovate several units of the Charles River Apartments in order to expand student housing options. Vice President of Capital Projects Dan Feldman presented this research to the Physical Facilities Committee of the Board of Trustees at two meetings Oct. 28 and 29.

According to Dean of Student Life Rick Sawyer, “Our biggest concern, moving forward over the coming years, is the large number of juniors and seniors who will not receive on-campus housing assignments and will have to seek beds elsewhere.”

At last Thursday’s faculty meeting Student Union President Andy Hogan ’11 presented the Office of Student Life’s figures on housing

Brandeis Semester proposals for summer will be resubmitted for fall 2010.

By NASHRAH RAHMAN JUSTICE EDITOR

Eight out of nine submitted Justice Brandeis Semester proposals for summer 2010 were approved by last Thursday by Dean of Arts and Sciences Adam Jaffe.

The approved programs are “Beacon Hill Summer,” proposed

by Profs. Eileen McNamara (JOUR) and Maura Jane Farrelly (AMST); “Collaborative Theater and the Theatrical Essay,” proposed by Prof.

Adrianne Krstansky (THA); “Ethnographic Fieldwork,” proposed by Prof.

Elizabeth Ferry (ANTH); “Health and Society Field Semester,” proposed by Prof. Peter Conrad (SOC); “Pathologies of Criminal Law: Restoring Justice,” proposed by Profs. Richard Gaskins (AMST) and Melissa Stimell (LGLS); and “Understanding the American Jewish Community,” proposed by Prof. Len Saxe (Heller), “Web Services, Mobile Apps, and Cloud Computing,” submitted by Prof.

Tim Hickey (COSI), and “Environmental Health and Justice,” submitted by Prof. Laura Goldin (AMST), were also approved.

“Conflict Resolution and Ethics in the Real World,” proposed by Gaskins and Student Union President Andy Hogan ’11, was withdrawn because it could be provided more easily in the fall than in the summer, according to Gaskins.

“After the approvals, I spoke with the dean, and I decided that for reasons of resources that we could provide it more easily in the fall than in the summer of 2010,”

See HOUSING, 7 ☛

GOLDSTONE VISITS DEIS

ROBYN SPECTOR/the Justice

SUMMER SEMESTER: Prof. Tim Hickey (COSI) submitted one of the eight proposals that was approved for summer 2010.

Gaskins said. He explained that the cooperation of faculty members from the Legal Studies; Philosophy; and Health: Science, Society and Policy programs required for the proposal will be

easier to coordinate in the fall.

“Science in Social Perspective and in Practice,” proposed by Profs. Christine Thomas (CHEM) and Jeffery Agar (CHEM), was not submitted to the Undergraduate

Curriculum Committee for approval, Jaffe said. The proposal aims to provide a social and business perspective on science, according to an informational doc-

Full coverage, page 3

See PROPOSAL, 7 ☛

A move to the South

Top speed in ECAC

Bold Ideas Group

■ Jess Kent ’09 discusses her post-college life in Mississippi.

■ The women’s soccer team beat New York University last Saturday and is the No. 1 seed in the ECAC tournament.

■ This new committee will create intiatives to increase Brandeis’ academic profile.

SPORTS 16

NEWS 5

FEATURES 8 For tips or info call Let your voice be heard!

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

INDEX

ARTS SPORTS

17 16

EDITORIAL FEATURES

10 8

OPINION POLICE LOG

11 2

COMMENTARY

11

COPYRIGHT 2009 FREE AT BRANDEIS. Call for home delivery.

2

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2009

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THE JUSTICE

NEWS POLICE LOG

AP BRIEF First Hispanic confirmed as top Massachusetts prosecutor BOSTON—Carmen Ortiz has been confirmed as the U.S. attorney for Massachusetts, becoming the first Hispanic and the first woman to hold the top federal prosecutor’s job in the state.

Ortiz, an assistant U.S. attorney who prosecutes white-collar crime, was nominated by President Barack Obama in September and confirmed by the U.S. Senate late Thursday. She succeeds Michael Sullivan, a Republican who was appointed by President Bush in 2001 and left the job earlier this year.

Ortiz told The Associated Press in an interview in May that her priorities as U.S. attorney would include terrorism cases, financial crimes, public corruption cases and gang violence.

“I am excited about the challenges that lie ahead and committed to fulfilling the trust reflected in my appointment,” Ortiz said in a statement released Friday.

Ortiz, whose parents are from Puerto Rico, is the oldest of five children and grew up in the Spanish Harlem neighborhood of New York City.

She was one of two Hispanic U.S. attorneys nominated by Obama. The other, Stephanie Villafuerte, is deputy chief of staff to Colorado Gov. Bill Ritter and has been nominated as U.S. attorney for Colorado.

Ortiz attended Adelphi University and received her law degree from George Washington University Law School in 1981.

For the past 12 years, she has worked as an assistant U.S. attorney, mostly recently specializing in prosecuting economic crimes, including embezzlement, tax evasion, investment fraud and telemarketing schemes.

Earlier in her career, she worked as a state prosecutor in Middlesex County and as a senior trial attorney at a private law firm.

In 1992, Ortiz was a member of the “October Surprise” team for the U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, which investigated allegations that the Reagan/Bush campaign of 1980 sought to delay the release of the hostages in Iran to undermine President Carter’s re-election bid.

She also helped investigate allegations of sexual harassment made by a Boston Herald sports writer against the New England Patriots in 1990.

From 1989 to 1991, she worked on the Harvard/Guatemala Criminal Justice Project, which included collaborating with the judiciary of Guatemala on criminal justice reforms in that country.

Harvard Law professor Philip Heymann said Ortiz managed the project, traveling several times a year to meet with Guatemalan judges and prosecutors.

“She was very honorable, very hardworking and unaccepting of excuses from the judges and prosecutors we were working with. She demanded good work from them and got it,” Heymann recalled.

Ortiz, who was recommended for the job in May by the late U.S. Sen. Edward M. Kennedy and U.S. Sen. John F. Kerry, said she and Kennedy spoke about public service.

“I told Sen. Kennedy that if confirmed, I would make him proud, and I intend to honor his legacy,” she said Friday.

Medical Emergency Nov. 2—University Police received a call about a student who had injured her knee at the Gosman Sports and Convocation Center. University Police and BEMCo responded. The party was treated on-scene and was transported to the NewtonWellesley Hospital.

Nov. 6—A party in Mandel Quad reported that a female had fallen and twisted her ankle and was dizzy. BEMCo and the Waltham Fire Department responded. The party was transported to the Newton-Wellesley Hospital.

Nov. 6—University Police received several calls about a pedestrian struck by a car in the crosswalk at South Street and the Gosman Sports and Convocation Center. The Waltham Police Department, Waltham Fire Department, University Police and BEMCo responded. The party was treated on-scene and was

transported to the NewtonWellesley Hospital. The Waltham Police Department compiled a report on the incident and will file charges against the operator of the motor vehicle.

Nov. 7—A BEMCo standby crew at the Usdan Student Center treated an intoxicated female at Pachanga. BEMCo requested an ambulance to transport the party to the Newton-Wellesley Hospital.

Nov. 7—BEMCo requested an ambulance to transport an intoxicated female at the Usdan Student Center during Pachanga.

The party was transported to the Newton-Wellesley Hospital.

Nov. 8—A male party at the Usdan Student Center requested BEMCo because he was experiencing abdominal pain. The party was transported to the NewtonWellesley Hospital.

Larceny Nov. 6—University Police compiled a report on a laptop com-

puter stolen from the Usdan Student Center.

Nov. 7—A party reported that a camera had been stolen from the Shapiro Campus Center. University Police compiled a report on the incident.

Disturbance Nov. 8—University Police received a noise complaint from the community advisor in the Foster Mods. University Police responded and dispersed the offending parties without incident.

Traffic Nov. 3—A party at the Gosman Sports and Convocation Center reported that a vehicle hit the side of a van being used by the Brandeis Swimming and Diving team. University Police requested the assistance of the Waltham Police Department. There was minor damage to both vehicles, but no injuries were reported.

Nov. 3—A party in North Quad

An article in Arts last week referred to Alexandra Friedman ’09, who is working with the Berkeley Repertory Theater, as the Scenic Art Fellow, not the Scenic Design Fellow. (Nov. 3, p. 19) An article in Arts last week misstated the name of an event sponsor. The sponsor was the Intercultural Center, not the International Cultural Center. (Nov. 3, p. 19)

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 are held every Wednesday from 1 to 2 p.m. in the Justice office.

Main Line News Forum Features Sports Arts Ads Photos Managing

(781) 736-3750 (781) 736-6397 (781) 736-3746 (781) 736-3754 (781) 736-3745 (781) 736-3753 (781) 736-3751 (781) 736-3752 (781) 736-3567

The Justice Brandeis University Mailstop 214 P.O. Box 549110 Waltham, MA 02454-9110 E-mail: justeditor@brandeis.edu

Nov. 7—University Police placed a male party at the Usdan Student Center into protective custody for alcohol intoxication during Pachanga. The party was transported to the Waltham Police Department for processing.

Nov. 8—Two male parties at the Usdan Student Center were arrested for disorderly conduct during the Pachanga event. The parties were transported to the Waltham Police Department without incident.

—compiled by Harry Shipps

Senators discuss with AlQuds University students

An article in News last week misstated the departmental affiliation of a professor. Prof. Len Saxe is a faculty member of the Heller School for Social Policy and Management, not the Near Eastern and Judaic Studies department. (Nov. 3, p. 5)

Sarah Geller, who wrote the article “Report’s accusations against Israel are unmerited” in last week’s issue, is a representative of the Brandeis Israel Political Affairs Committee. (Nov. 3, p. 12)

Miscellaneous

SENATE LOG

CORRECTIONS AND CLARIFICATIONS

An article in Sports last week misspelled the name of a member of the men’s soccer team. The player’s name is Matt Hohmann, not Matt Hohtmann. (Nov. 3, p. 14)

Lot reported that he hit a parked vehicle. The owner of the parked vehicle was notified, and University Police compiled a report on the incident.

Nov. 7—University Police received a report of a van that was hit while parked in Tower Lot. University Police compiled a report on the incident.

ANDREA FINEMAN/the Justice

Music man Emperor X (real name Chad Matheny), who is best known for playing one-man pop songs, performed with the group Pictureplane at Chum’s. The event was sponsored by the Punk, Rock n’ Roll Club.

Five students from Al-Quds University, the Arab school in Israel that has a partnership with the University, engaged in a roundtable discussion with members of the Senate.

Assistant Provost for Graduate Student Affairs Alwina Bennett assisted in communication between the Al-Quds and Brandeis students.

The Senate voted to charter J Street UBrandeis, “a student-driven network of activists organizing on campuses across North America for peace and social justice in Israel, the future state of Palestine and across the Middle East.”

Student Union Director of Academic Affairs Supreetha Gubbala ’12, Director of Executive Affairs Sofya Bronshvayg ’11 and Student Union Executive Task Force Member Danielle Wolfson ’11 presented a slide show about Justice Brandeis Semesters.

Student Union President Andy Hogan ’11 discussed in his Executive Board report that the presidential advisory committee met this past week to discuss outreach options for the student body to be represented on the search committee.

Hogan said that he made a presentation to faculty about student overcrowding. He showed concern, noting that the average class size last year was approximately 21.8 students and, if nothing is changed and trends continue, average class size will be close to 28 students in 2014.

Hogan pressed senators to advertise trial runs of an additional BranVan for peak times during the week. Trial runs will be provided from 5 to 9 p.m. on Nov. 10, 12, 17 and 19.

The Senate voted to table the issue of dechartering the approximately 90 clubs who have not signed the mandatory anti-hazing forms until next week.

Senator for the Class of 2013 Jonah Cohen said that he and Senator for the Class of 2012 Nipun Marwaha are working to improve cell phone service on campus.

Senator for the Class of 2010 Michael Weil talked about a possible new kosher meal plan for Sherman. He met with Vice President for Campus Operations Mark Collins and the meal plan committee to discuss meal plan reform.

—Erin Doniger

ANNOUNCEMENTS Connecting Experiences Abroad to Health Careers Students who have interned, volunteered, worked or studied abroad and plan to pursue a health career have gained valuable “international” skills that could help in applying to health professions school or health-related internships or job searches.

This workshop will show students how to identify these skills and describe the experience in resumes, activity lists, short essays, personal statements, cover letters and interviews. Today from 4 to 5 p.m. in the Hassenfeld Conference Center. For more information, e-mail abroad@ brandeis.edu or call (781) 736-3483.

Why Do Americans Do That?: A Discussion of Culture, Academia and Adjustment Students can come listen to a panel of international undergraduate and graduate students share their stories of experienc-

ing American culture for the first time and discuss the challenges of adjusting to a new social and academic environment. Today from 7 to 9 p.m. in the Hassenfeld Conference Center. For more information, e-mail isso@brandeis.edu.

CEO Forum Bill Drayton, Founder and CEO of Ashoka, will speak about his experiences as a social entrepreneur, his fascination with how human institutions work and his current role as head of Ashoka: Innovators for the Public, as well as his work with Youth Venture, Community Greens and Get America Working. He has served as an administator in the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and also founded and led the orgranization Environmental Safety. Wednesday from 2 to 3:30 p.m. in the Lee Lecture Hall in the Lemberg Academic Center.

Coffee Chat with City Year Students can join Emily Jones, recruitment coordinator for City Year Boston, at Einstein Bros. Bagels to learn about the volunteer program and its application process. Thursday from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in Einstein Bros. Bagels.

South Asian Studies Soli Sorabjee Lecture Series The South Asian Studies department will present the first inaugural Soli Sorabjee lecture series. Sugata Bose, the Gardiner professor of oceanic history and affairs and the director of the South Asia initiative at Harvard University, will present his talk “Different Universalisms, Colorful Cosmopolitanisms: The Global Imagination of the Colonized.” Monday, Nov. 16 from 4:30 to 6 p.m. in Rapaporte Treasure Hall. For more information, email mzazueta@brandeis.edu.

THE JUSTICE

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TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2009

GOLDSTONE AND GOLD COME TO BRANDEIS

Students stage protest during Gold’s speech ■ Student protesters

wore signs bearing the names of victims of the recent conflict in Gaza.

By MIRANDA NEUBAUER JUSTICE SENIOR WRITER

MAX BREITSTEIN MATZA/the Justice

TENSE TALK: Justice Richard Goldstone (second from left) spoke at the “Challenge of the UN Gaza Report” event last week.

Debate over UN Gaza report ■ Last Thursday’s forum

dealt with issues related to the U.N.’s report on war crimes during the Gaza War.

By MIRANDA NEUBAUER JUSTICE SENIOR WRITER

Justice Richard Goldstone, lead author of a controversial United Nations-endorsed report on last winter’s Gaza conflict, and former Israeli ambassador to the U.N. Dore Gold sharply disagreed at Brandeis last Thursday about the extent to which war crimes took place during the conflict between Israel and Hamas in front of an audience of over 700 attendees from Brandeis and surrounding communities, as well as online viewers.

The event marked the first time that Goldstone publicly discussed the report with an Israeli official. In a discussion that saw some tense moments and a brief protest, the two speakers exchanged their views on the report and answered questions.

The event was organized by the International Center for Ethics, Justice and Public Life, of which Goldstone is the advisory board chair, and the Schusterman Center for Israel Studies.

The report, released Sept. 25, alleges that both the Israeli and the Palestinian parties in the conflict committed war crimes. The U.N. General Assembly was deliberating over the report as the event at Brandeis took place and endorsed it later on Thursday, submitting it for further attention to the Security Council.

Goldstone defended the report, stating that the mandate under which the Gaza fact-finding mission was working was evenhanded toward both sides in the conflict, while Gold criticized the report as an unfair indictment of the Israeli military and Israeli society.

Goldstone stated that the report would not constitute evidence in a court of law, which is why independent investigations were necessary.

Furthermore, he said that “our mandate did not evaluate the right to use military force,” emphasizing repeat-

edly that “Israel has the right under international law to not only to protect its citizens, it has a clear duty to do so.” The mission’s aim instead was to evaluate whether “the manner in which force was used was consistent with humanitarian law [and] law of armed conflict.”

In his talk, Goldstone said he had rejected the original mandate of the fact-finding mission approved by the U.N. Human Rights Council because he found it too one-sided against Israel. Goldstone said he agreed to lead the mission after the President of the Human Rights Council gave him the opportunity to draft his own mandate that he considered evenhanded and that he believed would “make it clear that [it would be an] investigation of human rights violations and humanitarian violations committed by all sides.”

“War crimes are committed when disproportionate force is used,” Goldstone stated. “That strategy that was adopted in Gaza by the Israeli Defense Force completely undermined the norms of humanitarian law, the distinction between civilians and combatants, [and] that is the essence [of] what war crimes [is] all about,” he said.

Responding to Goldstone, Gold stated that “The [language] of the report … amounts to an assault on Israeli society as a whole.”

Furthermore, he said it “simply distorts the very essence of what Israel stands for and provides fuel for those seeking its delegitimization.”

He went on to say that the report misrepresented the motive of Israel’s actions. “It obfuscates the fundamental fact that [Israel’s military action] was a war of self-defense,” he said. Israel’s goal, he said, was “to finally bring the rain of rocket fire on its civilians to a halt,” adding that the report suggested that the invasion was a pretext to punish the Gaza population for electing Hamas.

He emphasized that the Israeli military had gone out of its way to minimize civilian casualties, a strategy he said Hamas had complicated by puposely placing its military positions within civilian areas on purpose or in mosques. Israel, he said pursued “a deliberate strategy to try and separate

Palestinian civilians from the military capability that Hamas intentionally embedded.”

Gold gave his speech with the help of a PowerPoint presentation that included video clips and photographs to provide examples of Israel’s effort to prevent casualties. Gold played television reports that he said depicted Hamas leaders discussing the warnings that were received and urging supporters to continue to form “human shields” around military targets.

He said that when a missile was launched against certain targets, and the military learned that civilians were around it, the soldiers controlling the missile “veered the rocket away from the target area into an open field.”

During the question-and-answer session the two speakers had some more direct exchanges about the details of the report.

As an example of one of the incidents the mission examined, Goldstone mentioned an attack on a mosque in Gaza City. He said 21 people were killed when a missile from IDF ground forces hit it while 300 worshippers were inside during combined morning and evening services.

Gold stated that it was not clear that Israeli ammunition had exploded in the mosque or who had operated the mosque. The Israeli position is that “based on information that is publicly available, Israel did not attack that mosque,” Gold said he had full confidence in the Israeli judicial system to investigate questionable incidents, explaining that Israel had civilian oversight over the Israeli military.

Goldstone countered that “Ambassador Gold is conflating Israel’s outstanding civil legal system with military justice.” With the investigation to date, Goldstone said, “The military is investigating itself behind closed doors. That’s not a legal system, that’s not a judicial system: It’s not justice at all.”

☛ Read an expanded version of this article on the Justice Web site at www.thejusticeonline.com.

Several protesters who briefly interrupted former Israeli ambassador to the United Nations Dore Gold by standing up with signs taped to their shirts at last Thursday’s “The Challenge of the UN Gaza Report” event said that they felt violated by other attendees.

The signs worn by the protesters showed the names of Palestinian and Israeli victims of last winter’s Gaza conflict. The protesters sat down after Public Safety officials and Prof. Ilan Troen (NEJS), one of the moderators of the event, asked them to be seated and listen to the rest of the talk.

“Specifically one old man sitting in front of me, as soon as I stood up, being totally silent, … abruptly shoved his chair backward into me,” Amanda Hoffman ’11, one of the protesters, said. Hoffman said that the chair was pushed back twice but that the Public Safety staff ignored her when she pointed out the man’s behavior and instead focused on warning her to sit down.

Hoffman said that she followed the man out to the lobby as the event was ending. She said while at first he was apologetic, calling it an accident, he later became aggravated. Hoffman said that Prof. Shulamit Reinharz (SOC) offered to come over and seemed to offer to mediate, but then both walked away. After they left, a police officer told Hoffman that she had to let the man go, Hoffman said.

Hoffman said that she has since received helpful e-mail responses from Director of Public Safety Ed Callahan and other public safety officials regarding further investigation of the issue. However, regarding Public Safety’s initial response to the incident, Hoffman said she “can’t believe that that’s how Brandeis staff would respond to an attack on a student. ... They were really rude and fervent in just trying to shut us down.”

Another protester, Mariel Gruszko ’10, said that when she stood up, “a woman directly behind

me pulled my wrist and pulled backward so that I fell over, and the whole time she was saying things like, ‘You’re despicable.’” Gruszko said that others who were sitting in her row, whom she did not know, told the woman that what she was doing could be considered assault.

Gruszko said she did not intend to pursue the issue further because she did not know the person’s name. “I’m surprised because a lot of the complaints that were made about the protest essentially come down to, ‘It was rude of the protesters to get in the way of the event,’ … but I think it’s obviously much ruder to physically assault someone who was trying to protest as respectfully, quietly and peacefully as they can.”

Callahan said with regard to the protesters, “Obviously they were disruptive, which is somewhat against [the Student] Rights and Responsibilities [Handbook]. … If students wanted to initiate some kind of [protest action], they could have conferred with the Office of Student Life.”

Public Safety officials provided three chances for the students to stop the disruption before further action was taken, Callahan said.

Callahan said that he believed some vocal elderly attendees of the event were asked to leave because they were being disruptive. He added that another individual tried to approach Goldstone when Public Safety escorted him to his car after the event, and the person followed instructions to go on his way.

“Our basic message was that we felt the way that the event was set up was exclusionary. It did not include a viewpoint from the Palestinian community, and the way it was set up … basically set up the dynamic where Goldstone’s report was essentially seen as anti-Israel,” Jon Sussman ’11, one of the protesters, said. “[The event] marginalizes people who are Zionists, like myself, and others who believe that the state of Israel has created serious crime and then is not necessarily living up to its stated ideals,” Sussman said. Gruszko said that the protest wasn’t organized by a particular group and that there were multiple organizations involved.

“I think that instead of disrupting the discussion, it would’ve been

See PROTEST, 5 ☛

MAX BREITSTEIN MATZA/the Justice

MAKING A POINT: Students protested during Thursday’s controversial event.

The Justice speaks with Gold and Goldstone Q: What effect does the report have on the process of working toward an eventual resolution of the Arab-Israeli conflict?

Dore Gold: I believe that, because the report did not single out Hamas for its involvement in war crimes but instead used the innocuous expression ‘armed groups,’ Hamas feels exonerated by the U.N. Gaza report, and that leads us to a situation where the resolution of differences between Israel and the Palestinians will be much more difficult.

Q: Of all of the allegations that Justice Richard Goldstone made, what would you point to as the most egregious distortion, in your opinion?

DG: There are 11 horrifying instances in the report where Israel is alleged to have deliberately killed civilians. Now, the sources of information for those allegations are testimonies by Palestinians, … but the report itself says that Palestinians feared to speak about ... the activities of the armed groups, Hamas and their

military operations in the Gaza Strip. If Palestinian witnesses repeatedly stated that, in these 11 areas, there was no military activity going on, therefore if civilians were killed, it was Israel who deliberately killed them, that testimony can’t be relied upon in any real way if, indeed, the Palestinians who spoke refused to speak about Hamas military operations.

Q: How do you feel the U.N. and the international community can build on the fact that it contains the first U.N. criticism of Hamas?

Richard Goldstone: That acceptance of our criticism of Hamas and branding what they do as a war crime, possibly a crime against humanity, I would hope would act as a deterrent. ... But I would hope that Hamas leaders and certainly the leaders of the Qassam brigades must now realize that the United Nations Human Rights Council has said that what they do amounts to a serious war crime.

Q: What do you hope the report will accomplish, given the controversy and the fact that people don’t

have time to read 500-plus pages?

RG: I think it’s part of history. I think it recorded what happened. I think not only the Israeli military but the military of many countries that are fighting what is called an asymmetric war are going to look at the report, see what Israel did right, what it did wrong. I think it’s important for the future.

— interviewed by Harry Shipps, Miranda Neubauer and Nashrah Rahman.

3

ADVERTISEMENT

City Year and Brandeis University ■ Riko Bol ’09, a Brandeis alum, dis-

cusses time he spent working for the nonprofit City Year of AmeriCorps.

By RIKO BOL BRANDEIS ALUMNUS ’09

PHOTO COURTESY OF ANDY DEAN

Life after Brandeis is not always as you would expect it to be while cramming for those famous Brandeisan exams. As a graduate, I never thought I would be working with young adults as the man in charge.

It is mind-boggling to realize the great responsibilities I have at such a young age. No, I don’t own my own company: I work for City Year.

City Year is a national nonprofit organization that is part of AmeriCorps. It is a community-oriented service organization that provides diverse individuals from the ages of 17 to 24 years old the opportunity to give a year of full-time service working in innercity schools as tutors, mentors and role models. City Year is currently focusing on addressing the nation’s high school dropout rate, which is growing with alarming speed. City Year gives corps members like myself the skills they need to make positive changes in the lives of today’s youth, empowering youth to address social justice issues that affect them on a daily basis.

Like Brandeis, City Year is a relatively young institution that has grown to create the impact it does today. It started in 1988 in Boston with 50 individuals who were looking to change the world. Now, it has 19 other sites all over the United States as well as one in South Africa—and more to come. What started as a small idea is now a grand reality of idealism and the possibility of change realized.

Daily while in my City Year uniform (red coat, khakis and Timberland boots), curious individuals approach me, wondering what City Year is and asking why I have dedicated myself to a year of service.

Each time I answer this question my response comes out differently, but the main reasons stay the same. I joined City Year because I believe in providing youth with a voice and the knowledge that age has no merit when it comes to changing the world. These are the same beliefs I came to develop and know while attending Brandeis.

At Brandeis, much like at City Year, it is not difficult to find an individual who is passionate about social justice issues nor is it difficult to find a strong community support system. City Year is a place where even the administrators are involved with the corps members on a daily basis. It is a community in which individuals can speak to one of the founders as if he were a good friend. It is also a place where, like Brandeis, the community works diligently toward creating a more equitable world.

As strange as the real world sounded to me when I listened to stories told to me by previous alums, the transition from Brandeis to City Year has been all too familiar. Through my Brandeis experience, I was able to challenge myself to change the world while benefiting from the support systems that helped me to succeed. Brandeis gave me the urge to address social justice issues concretely and immediately, and it led me to an organization where I am doing just that every day—City Year.

To find out more about City Year and apply online, visit www.cityyear.org. City Year’s first application deadline for the 2010 to 2011 service year is Nov. 30!

City Year at Brandeis (sponsored by the Hiatt Career Center) *Coffee Chat with City Year–Nov. 12, from 10 to 12:30 p.m. at Einstein Bros. Bagels. * Third Annual Year in Service Program–Nov. 18, from 6 to 7:30 p.m. in the South Campus Commons. * City Year Brown Bag Lunch Session–Nov. 19, from noon to 1 p.m. at Hiatt Career Center. * City Year Interviews at Brandeis–Dec. 2 at the Hiatt Career Center from 1 to 4 p.m. (Application deadline for the 2010 to 2011 service year is Nov. 30.

Submit your appliciation online via Hiatt NACElink).

Register for these events via Hiatt NACElink.

THE JUSTICE

ADMINISTRATION

DANCE FEST

Group to propose major intiatives

●

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2009

5

STUDY ABROAD

Study Abroad updates split-year policy

■ The Bold Ideas Group,

■ Students will no longer be

which will hold its first meeting Nov. 16, will focus on large-scale programs.

able to split an academic year abroad if not for unusual circumstances.

By HARRY SHIPPS JUSTICE EDITORIAL ASSISTANT

By HARRY SHIPPS University President Jehuda Reinharz, along with the Board of Trustees, has created the Bold Ideas Group, which will be charged with formulating new initiatives that will increase Brandeis’ academic profile and visibility “while simultaneously providing significant new revenue streams,” according to the Brandeis University Web site. The members of the committee were announced at the Board of Trustees meeting, which took place last week and will meet for the first time on Monday, Nov. 16.

Provost Marty Krauss, who will chair the committee, said that BIG will be exploring programs on the scale of the Rabb School for Continuing Studies. The School provided a new set of academic programs and has now become profitable for the University: It earns Brandeis about $2 million per year.

The Brandeis Web site says that the goal for any program created by BIG is to have “a positive return within three years of initiation and yield a steadystate positive net return of at least $2 million.” Krauss said that the figure of $2 million was included to indicate the scale of the programs with which the group will be dealing. “There might be things we could do that might bring $100,000 to $200,000 more into the University; we’re really looking for something bigger.”

Krauss said that BIG is a continuation of a process begun in the fall of 2008, which looked at new, potentially profitable academic options for the University. These activities were put on hold during the rising financial crisis, but the BIG committee is a reawakening of that initial effort.

The Web site says that the committee will consider ideas proposed by the larger Brandeis community, and Krauss said that she would like to issue a “campuswide” invitation for people to submit ideas.

When asked what he thought he could bring to BIG, Director of the International Center for Ethics, Justice and Public Life Daniel Terris, a committee member, said that he started the division of Graduate Professional Studies at the Rabb School. Graduate Professional Studies offers programs in software engineering and related fields to people working in the hightech field. “It turned out we were able to offer high quality applied programs to adult learners and at the same time generate revenue year in and year out for Brandeis, so that’s the kind of winning program that I think we’ll be looking to, to build on in a Big Ideas Group,” Terris said.

Dean of the Heller School for Social Policy and Management Lisa Lynch, another committee member, wrote in an e-mail to the Justice that “given that the group has not even met it would be rather premature to make any comments.”

The other committee members will be Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Jeffrey Apfel; Senior Vice President for Students and Enrollment Jean Eddy; Director of the Master of Arts in Teaching program Marya Levenson; trustee Stuart Lewtan ’84; Dean of the International Business School Bruce Magid; Vice Provost for Academic Affairs Michele Whelan; Director of the Office of the Arts Scott Edmiston; and Profs. Sylvia Fishman (NEJS), Paul Morrison (ENG), Tim Hickey (COSI), Daniel Pearlman (BIOL), Wendy Cadge (SOC) and Alice Kelikian (HIST).

—Miranda Neubauer contributed reporting.

JUSTICE EDITORIAL ASSISTANT

REBECCA NEY/the Justice

Pachanga returns This semester’s Pachanga, sponsored by the International Club, featured a battle of the disc jockeys. The dance is held every semester and is traditionally well attended. This semester’s version was held last Saturday night in the Levin Ballroom.

ROSE ART MUSEUM

Button controversy discussed at meeting ■ A confidential meeting

was held last week between those involved in the “Save the Rose” pin controversy.

By ALANA ABRAMSON JUSTICE STAFF WRITER

Prof. Shulamit Reinharz (SOC), Fine Arts undergraduate departmental representatives and students involved in the controversy over the “Save the Rose” buttons at the museum’s reopening last week attended a confidential meeting last Thursday, according to Tara Metal ’10, a Fine Arts major who works at the Rose Art Museum and was one of the students Reinharz asked to remove her button.

Metal, who said her encounter with Reinharz at the Rose made her visibly upset, explained that the meeting was confidential because both parties wanted to create an open forum for discussion without any press.

“We all felt strongly about keeping a safe space, trying to have an actual discussion,” she said.

Reinharz and the wife of a trustee

whom interviewees have declined to identify asked several students and faculty to remove their “Save the Rose” pins at the Rose reopening Oct. 28. Some students wearing the button claim that Reinharz had been somewhat abrasive in requesting that they remove them.

Reinharz had said in a Nov. 2 interview with the Justice that she did not view her actions as coercive.

Reinharz declined to be interviewed, explaining in an e-mail that both parties had agreed to keep the proceedings of the meeting confidential and that she was going to abide by that stipulation.

Provost Marty Krauss wrote in an e-mail to the Justice that she did not attend the meeting but was aware that it took place. “I was briefed by several people about what transpired at the Rose opening,” Krauss wrote.

She did not comment further.

Beccah Ulm ’11, a Fine Arts UDR who attended the meeting, said that she did not believe the discussions at the meeting provided concrete resolutions for the issues that that occurred at the opening. Ulm said she believed what occurred was essentially a violation of free speech.

“I feel like the intent was positive, but there are still a lot of issues that

need to be dealt with,” she said.

Ulm added that she hoped more communication would occur, but that nothing definitive was agreed upon at the meeting to ensure that.

Student Union President Andy Hogan ’11, who attended the meeting, also declined to discuss what occurred at the meeting due to the confidentiality agreement. Hogan was asked to attend the meeting but would not say who asked him.

“The only thing I feel I can say is that it went well and I hope we can continue to have productive dialogue on contentious issues on this campus,” Hogan wrote in an e-mail to the Justice.

When asked if students had submitted an official complaint to the University, Metal said that there was a report but it was not from students and that Provost Krauss has been made explicitly aware of these cases.

She said she could not elaborate further. Krauss said that she has not received a complaint.

Ulm said she did not know if students had filed a complaint but that there are means by which they could.

—Harry Shipps and Nashrah Rahman contributed reporting.

PROTEST: Students harassed at event CONTINUED FROM 3 more beneficial to everyone involved to pay attention and try and actually listen to the opposition … than ignore them and stand up and protest,” event attendee David Mandel ’11 said.

Dafna Gutfreund ’12 said that the protest made her feel uncomfortable.

“Considering the nature of the discussion was to share information, an act of demonstration scared me because I didn’t know what to expect next.”

Rose Just-Michael ’12 said she felt the protest was “disrespectful, ... and it showed Brandeis students in a bad light that they stood up in the middle

of while [Gold] was speaking and took away time from [Gold’s] platform.”

Daniel Terris, director of the International Center for Ethics, Justice and Public Life, which invited Goldstone, said that he would have preferred “to let speakers speak. That said, for the type of protest it was for people who felt compelled to make a statement, they made it in a way where the disruption [was] relatively minimal.”

He added that he “also wanted to commend people who disagreed with those protesters for maintaining their sense of restraint.”

“I think ultimately even the demonstrators are glad they had an

opportunity to hear everything that was said,” said Prof. Ilan Troen (NEJS), director of the Schusterman Center for Israel Studies, which invited Gold.

“These were people who felt they were unrepresented, and that was simply an error on their part,” Troen said.

“The way in which we constructed [the event] was that the United Nations report was overwhelmingly accusatory towards Israel and this was an opportunity for the author of that report to confront for the first time a senior Israeli figure,” Troen said.

—Brian Fromm and Nashrah Rahman contributed reporting.

The Office of Study Abroad has updated its policy on the Study Abroad Web site regarding students who wish to “split” a year abroad, spending one semester in one program and one semester in another, according to an e-mail from Assistant Dean of Academic Services and Director of Study Abroad J. Scott Van Der Meid.

Van Der Meid wrote that the new policy is that “splitting two semesters abroad in two separate locations is an extreme logistical challenge. The administrative management of such an arrangement is not possible and thus will not be approved under normal circumstances.” He did say, however, that to split a year abroad between certain combinations of countries and programs might be possible, and he encouraged interested students to meet with Study Abroad to discuss the possibility.

This policy, which was recently updated on the Study Abroad Web site, is a change from the previous policy of the Study Abroad office regarding this issue. The policy that was previously posted on the frequently asked questions portion of the Study Abroad Web site stated, “While study abroad for the academic year in one location is the best overseas opportunity for most, some students combine two countries (or programs) for an academic year. … [Students] are required to have a solid academic reason to split a year abroad, and not all combinations will be approved.”

Van Der Meid wrote that the change was based on the work of the Advisory Committee to Study Abroad from the spring 2009 semester. The Advisory Committee is a body formed this year, comprised of students, professors and administrators, which advises the Study Abroad office on a range of matters including financial changes and application and selection requirements.

The committee’s concerns with students splitting time abroad included increasingly tight visa restrictions in many countries and students’ reports “that it is very challenging both academically and personally to move halfway through their year abroad to a new city, culture, sometimes different language,” wrote Van Der Meid.

Despite the change in the official policy, Van Der Meid did express his belief that “looking at a single thematic issue in a comparative format” by splitting time abroad “can be a very rewarding academic and personal experience.” He wrote that the deciding factor in determining the viability of a split year abroad would be whether a balance of sound academic proposal and logistical requirements could be created despite the split.

Allison Morse ’10, who studied abroad in Mexico and England during the 2008 to 2009 academic year, when the previous policy was still in effect, said, “[Study Abroad] was pretty supportive of me studying abroad in different countries.”

Morse said that she was advised that there would probably be a large culture shock involved in moving between two very different nations, and she agreed that this proved to be the case, but overall, she said, the Study Abroad office was very supportive.

6

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2009

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THE JUSTICE

RESEARCH

TECHNOLOGY

Prof receives grant for screening test

Laptop Connect service debuts

■ The chemical screening

test will look for organisms that are the cause of sepsis.

By ERIN DONIGER and HANNAH KIRSCH JUSTICE STAFF WRITERS

Prof. Lawrence Wangh (BIOL) and Smiths Detection Diagnostics have received a grant from the National Institute of Health to collaborate on the development of an assay, or biochemical screening test, for pathogens including at least eight of the most common organisms that cause sepsis, an illness in which bacteria proliferate in the blood. “[The assay uses] a new platform technology for molecular diagnostics and is very powerful in terms of its specificity and the amount of information it generates in a single tube,” said Wangh.

Wangh’s laboratory started out as a group of reproductive biologists investigating the genetics of single cells from mouse and human embryos and made a fundamental discovery in a lab procedure called the polymerase chain reaction. PCR is a method for “amplifying” genetic material, or replicating a small sample of DNA to quantities usable in experiments.

The discovery, patented as linearafter-the-exponential PCR, “opened a window for how to amplify DNA more conveniently and more specifically than was available using stan-

dard PCR methods,” explained Wangh. After this discovery, Wangh’s lab entered into a long-term partnership with Smiths, a U.K.based company that provides threat detection and screening for military, transportation, medical and homeland security applications.

President of Diagnostics for Smiths Detection Bill Mawer wrote in an email to the Justice that the dynamic between the company and Wangh’s laboratory at Brandeis will change from what it was since the start of their collaboration in 2004.

“Having an NIH grant introduces particular reporting requirements which are different from what we do now. We are working with Larry Wangh on a plan to separate the work that is dedicated to the NIH projects from the more general research work and manage each in an appropriate way,” Mawer wrote.

Smiths Detection Diagnostics is working to develop two versions of a machine—one portable and another for hospitals—that will run the assays for the dangerous bacteria without much input from human operators.

“The beauty of [an automated assay] is that the amount of training required for the operator is minimized, and the reproducibility of the assays is more reliable,” said Wangh.

“One of the big problems in diagnostics is often individual operators do it slightly differently, so by standardizing and making it automated,

we minimize the operator issues,” Wangh said.

Wangh also said that the new assay will simplify the process of testing for bacteria that cause sepsis.

“The whole idea is to Wangh get the maximum amount of information out of a reaction in a single tube in under two hours,” he said.

Although scientists in Wangh’s laboratory are working primarily in the area on infectious disease diagnostics, researchers are also working on cancer diagnostics, prenatal diagnostics and tests for aging and drug effects.

“It is probably fair to say that Smiths Detection Diagnostics and Brandeis are ‘joined at the hip’ on diagnostics, so we are working on a wide range of projects,” Mawer wrote.

Wangh’s laboratory also has funding from Smiths to work on diseases such as pandemic and avian influenza, African swine fever and tuberculosis.

The first assay to come to market will most likely be one that tests for foot-and-mouth disease, a virus that affects cattle.

Wangh said that the assay is being developed for use with a portable device that can be taken to sick cows on

farmland.

The second assay under development will test human patients for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, an antibiotic-resistant bacterium linked to high mortality rates, particularly in the very old and very young, that has become increasingly common in hospitals and schools.

Wangh said that it may take years for this assay to hit the markets, saying that “with human diseases there is a very long and expensive process to get the assay through FDA approval.”

“Each member of the [lab] has his or her own specialty, but we consult with each other frequently and we make group decisions about how to go forward. It is very much a team effort and co-inventorship on all of our patents,” said Wangh.

There are five senior scientists working as a part of Wangh’s lab.

Former Brandeis Associate Provost Dr. Arthur H. Reis Jr. is working on projects associated with MRSA and sepsis; Dr. Kenneth Pierce is working on foot-and-mouth disease and Clostridium difficile; Dr. Cristina Hartshorn is working on Avian influenza and, more recently pandemic influenza; John Rice is working on tuberculosis; and Dr. J. Aquiles Sanchez is working on cancer.

The researchers use synthetic genetic material rather than live pathogens to develop tests for the diseases.

INCREASING DEFICITS

JAXSON DERMER/the Justice

GLOOMY PROJECTIONS: Prof. Sue Lanser (ENG), the faculty representative to the Board of Trustees, spoke about the financial situation at a faculty meeting on Thursday.

Univ projects larger-than-expected budget deficits ■ The higher projections

were caused in part by the effect of the economic crisis on University fundraising.

By MIRANDA NEUBAUER JUSTICE SENIOR WRITER

At last week’s Board meeting, trustees discussed a possible deficit of $3 million or less for fiscal 2010 and $14.5 million for fiscal 2011, as opposed to earlier projections of a balanced budget in 2010 and a deficit of $7 million to $9 million for fiscal 2011, faculty representative to the Board of Trustees Prof. Sue Lanser (ENG) said at Thursday’s faculty meeting.

One large factor in those gaps is the effect of the economic crisis on University fundraising, Lanser

said.

She noted that there had been some significant successes in the area of Institutional Development.

The Campaign for Brandeis, an ongoing fundraising campaign for Brandeis that has existed since 2001, has raised $857 million of its $1.22 billion goal.

She noted that at this point in time, 30 percent of all donations to Brandeis come from trustees.

Lanser said that several challenges lie ahead in fundraising. She stated that nationwide giving to universities is down 16 percent, while donations to Jewish organizations are down 25 to 50 percent. Donations to Brandeis are currently down 13 percent.

“There’s been a 100-percent increase in the number of people who can’t contribute because they’re out of work,” she said. She added that

the fiscal 2010 budget was largely balanced due to the University’s one-year suspension of retirement contributions with no plans to repeat that measure. She also said that any planned retirements would not yet be yielding extra funds by 2011.

At the beginning of the academic year, former Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Peter French had projected a balanced budget for fiscal 2010.

In October, then-Senior Vice President for Finance and Administration Jeffrey Apfel had projected an increase of the fiscal 2011 deficit to $9 million from $7 million due to a slower-than-expected pace of faculty retirements. He also stated at that time that financial projections for 2010 and onward are uncertain because of fundraising difficulties, in part because of President Jehuda Reinharz’s resignation.

Dean of Arts and Sciences Adam Jaffe added that trustees were concerned about the long-term success of the proposals of the Curriculum and Academic Restructuring Steering committee, particularly whether the 10-percent faculty reduction would result in enough savings. He emphasized, however, that nobody was suggesting further reductions.

Lanser said there were discussions about a special Board of Trustees meeting in December or January to discuss the fundraising issues. She said that trustee Meyer Koplow ’72 noted a certain “tension between resources and running Brandeis as it’s run today.”

She added that the trustees emphasized the importance of faculty involvement and that they hoped to see the University take the initiative with plans.

■ The new service from

Library and Technology Services will provide docking stations and chargers.

By EMILY KRAUS JUSTICE EDITORIAL ASSISTANT

Library and Technology Services’ new Laptop Connect service, which provides amenities such as laptop docking stations, chargers and wireless printing to Brandeis laptop users, began operation last Monday, according to LTS Director of Integrated Services Josh Wilson.

The program includes 12 laptop docking stations on the mezzanine level of the Farber Library, each of which includes a monitor, keyboard and mouse that laptops can be hooked into for easier use. Students and faculty will now be able to use their laptops to print on library printers from anywhere on campus.

Laptop Connect has also provided power cables, video adapters and keyboards that students can borrow from the circulation desk.

The program is in its pilot phase, said Wilson, and will soon include lockers in which students will be able to charge their laptops. If students use the services provided, LTS will expand the program and purchase more equipment.

Wilson said that the program will be assessed at the end of the year to determine whether it should be expanded.

“We know from the survey research that we do every year that about 97 or 98 percent of students actually have laptops with them [while in the library],” said Wilson. “We wanted to try to respond to that and help students use their laptops more comfortably, because our sense is that if everyone has one, then probably they want to use them,” he continued.

LTS conducts two surveys in the spring of each year that focus on computing and on services provided. The services survey is sent to a random sample of 700 students in which all of the classes are represented, and the computing survey is sent to the entire student body with a focus on seniors and first-years. From these surveys, Wilson said, “we’ve discovered that students have begun to value and use public computing resources a little bit less. … Laptop Connect was in response to that. What we did was put together a series of services related to laptops.” “[Laptop Connect] is not a money saver,” said Wilson. He continued, “This service was definitely a cost and not a savings, but it was only a small cost and we thought it was the right thing to do.”

The money for the project is coming from the LTS budget for the year. Wilson said, “Every year we have money to do neat projects, and this is something like that.”

Jon Sussman ’11, an employee at the library’s circulation desk, said that he had not seen a great deal of promotion for the program. “I feel that some people know about it,” he said. He continued, “I definitely don’t think that there’s been an advertising push for it.

I feel like more people could know about it.”

“We put an announcement in the Student Union newsletter, there is an article on the LTS Web site, and there is signage throughout [the library],” said Wilson of LTS’ efforts to publicize the service. “We could have done a lot more, but it’s a pilot service. … The thing with pilots is that they start small and expand. … We’re in the start small phase.”

Lilis Suryani (GRAD) said that although she spends a lot of time in the library, she had not heard about the Laptop Connect service. After learning about the amenities, though, she said, “That would be great.”

THE JUSTICE

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TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2009

7

SEARCH: Committee is not complete

MEDICAL AWARENESS

CONTINUED FROM 1 Von Mering told the Justice that while she was happy with the selection of the three faculty members on the search committee, she would have liked to see the humanities and creative arts represented in the selection.

The faculty members of the committee are Profs. Gregory Petsko (BCHM), Leonard Saxe (Heller) and Gina Turrigiano (BIOL).

“The Board of Trustees is not getting the best bang for the buck by not having broad representation from all the schools,” she said.

Eighty-two different faculty members have been nominated for the eight seats on the faculty advisory committee, which will provide the search committee with faculty feedback, Von Mering said.

Forty-three faculty members nominated the candidates, Von Mering said at the faculty meeting. The deadline to submit nominations was last Friday.

Von Mering told the Justice that the Senate will send out elec-

tronic ballots sometime this week in order to form the advisory committee as soon as possible.

“This committee of eight faculty members will advise the search committee about the goals of the search, will review and have input on the position description, and will also be involved in interviewing the finalists,” Von Mering wrote in an Oct. 30 e-mail to faculty.

A Student Advisory Committee that will also assist in the presidential search met last Wednesday to discuss how to bring student feedback to the search committee, Student Advisory Committee Chair and Student Union President Andy Hogan ’11 said.

In particular, topics addressed at the Student Advisory Committee’s meeting included “the logistics of the town hall [meetings], the surveys and everything that we will be doing to get cohesive presentation to the search committee,” Hogan said.

—Hannah Kirsch contributed reporting.

HOUSING: Plans to renovate Charles River apartments CONTINUED FROM 1

SHAEFALI SHANDILYA/the Justice

Addressing health issues Anna Pancheshnikov ’10, a 2008 Jane’s Travel Grant for Latin American Research recipient, spoke yesterday at an event titled “HIV/AIDS and Pregnant Women in San Juan, Puerto Rico.” The event was sponsored by the Latin American and Latino Studies Program.

PROPOSAL: Eight programs approved CONTINUED FROM 1 ument provided to the Justice by Agar.

“My understanding is that our proposal was by far the most expensive of the JBS proposals and was cost prohibitive,” wrote Agar in an e-mail to the Justice.

He added that changes are being made to the proposal so that it can be resubmitted.

“The key will be incorporating this JBS into the chemistry curriculum. If this were accomplished our proposal would be cost neutral or at least less expensive,” Agar wrote.

All nine JBS programs were conditionally approved by the UCC last week.

Jaffe said that while the UCC approved the programs on curriculum grounds, he looked at the budget requirements of each proposal.

“I am thrilled excited about mov-

ing forward,” Goldin said. She added that she will be working with JBS Manager Alyssa Grinberg, Hogan and others on getting the word out to students about her program.

“

I am thrilled and excited about moving forward.

PROF. LAURA GOLDIN (AMST)

Hickey said three new courses, that are parts of his JBS proposal have yet to be submitted to the Science Council for approval but that he expects that they will be approved. He added that up to five students have expressed interest in

his program so far.

The Early Decision and Regular Decision deadlines for the summer JBS programs are Jan. 29 and March 15, respectively, according to the JBS Web site. The programs will begin June 1, as indicated on the Web site.

Grinberg said that the application for the JBS programs will be similar to that of the Study Abroad program at Brandeis in that it will require an essay, a recommendation from a faculty member and supplementary materials.

Jaffe said that the summer proposals will be taught by faculty who are “getting paid extra for it, and some of them are doing it instead of doing teaching they would do in some time over spring or fall.”

He declined to give further details.

—Miranda Neubauer contributed reporting.

capacity for up until fall 2014.

According to the presentation, for an enrollment figure of 3,395 students in fall 2010, 618 students will not be housed; 761 students will not be housed in fall 2011 if enrollment increases to 3,538. In fall 2012, 850 out of 3,627 students will not receive housing; in fall 2013, 880 out of 3,657 students will not be housed; and in fall 2014, 891 out of 3,668 students will not have housing.

Jeremy Leiferman, the director of Community Living, said that the Charles River Apartments were chosen because of their close proximity to campus. “My hope is that Charles River can become the best of both worlds for students— the conveniences of on-campus housing partnered with the independence and experiences that comes with living off-campus,” Leiferman told the Justice.

The research Capital Projects is currently conducting, in cooperation with the Office of Facilities Services, Vice President of Students and Enrollment Jean Eddy, the Department of Student Life and Lieferman, involves the renovation of a “test unit” at the Charles River Apartments.

Capital Projects is surveying the “condition of the infrastructure” in the apartments, according to Feldman. “If good options emerge from this study perhaps we will come up with a proposal [for renovation]”, Feldman told the Justice.

Since no definite plans have been made yet and research in ongoing, Capital Projects has not set a timeline for renovation.

The current state of the economy is a crucial factor in plans for expanding housing options,

according to Feldman. During the research phase, Capital Projects is exploring “how can we make most difference in most efficient, most cost-effective way,” Feldman said.

“It’s hard to say whether this research will lead to a project—we are hopeful,” Feldman said. “It is a high priority. Now we’re trying to figure out how to do this in the current financial environment.”

The question of student housing is especially significant considering the University’s goal to increase enrollment by 400 undergraduates by 2014. Sawyer insisted that the University “will be able to accommodate additional students.” Still, Sawyer told the Justice, “We will not be doing any ‘overcrowding.’ We have a finite number of beds on campus, and that is the number that will be used.”

According to Hogan, the Student Union sent out a poll to the student body recently with questions about Charles River.

The results of the poll were included in a recent presentation to the Board of Trustees. “Surveying of students done recently confirms that a renovated Charles River will be attractive to our students,” Sawyer said.

“It is clear that increasing the amount of students on campus will bring about consequences,” Hogan told the Justice. “The Student Union is making sure that student life concerns, including access to housing, are addressed [by the administration].

Overcrowding affects all facets of campus. It is necessary that students have multiple, quality options for housing.”

—Nashrah Rahman contributed reporting.

8

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 3, 2009

just

●

THE JUSTICE

features

VERBATIM | Aldous Huxley Most human beings have an almost infinite capacity for taking things for granted.

ON THIS DAY...

FUN FACT

In 1872, a fire destroyed about 800 buildings in Boston.

The most common name in the world is Mohammed.

Jess Kent ’09 experiences her post-college life in Mississippi

By TESS RASER JUSTICE STAFF WRITER

In the current job market, times are tough, especially if you’re a recent college graduate. As they navigate life outside the Brandeis bubble, some grads are following paths they’d always planned on pursuing, while others have found employment and hobbies they never expected. This is the second in a series of articles about recent Brandeis graduates and their adjustments to life after college.

Jess Kent ’09, originally from Buffalo, N.Y., never saw herself as a potential “Southerner” because she had lived her entire life in the Northeast.

Still, two weeks after graduation, she packed up her car and headed to Jackson, Miss. to work at the Institute for Southern Jewish Life.

The Institute for Southern Jewish Life is a nonprofit organization that offers resources for Southern Jewish history by preserving artifacts and providing lesson plans and education tools to Jewish schools and communities. The organization “is dedicated to providing educational and rabbinic services to Southern Jewish communities, documenting and preserving the rich history of the Southern Jewish experience, and promoting a Jewish cultural presence throughout a thirteen state region,” according to its Web site.

During the week, Kent spends a normal 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. workday in an office, spending her days preparing lessons for Jewish schools throughout the South. On Fridays and Saturdays, Kent travels to Chattanooga, Jackson and Jacksonville, Tenn; Atlanta and Macon, Ga.; and Mobile, Ala. to consult with Jewish communities and help implement the lesson plans she prepared for these communities.

The job is a two-year fellowship, and Kent, who majored in Psychology, does not see herself working there past the fellowship. “My purpose in coming to Mississippi was to get a new type of experience. I wanted to use my skills in a new community,” says Kent. She also wanted to learn more about Judaism in a different part of the country.

While the job does not necessarily expand Kent’s career interests, as she is still undecided on what job to pursue in the long run, she said it expands her personal interests of learning about Judaism. Working at the Institute for Southern Jewish Life “won’t bump me into [graduate school]. It’s a nice way of learning about the real world before I go on to grad school,” she says. She thinks she wants to attend grad school after the fellowship but is waiting to see where life takes her.

Kent is still thinking about what exactly she wants to study in grad school.

“I really want to [ultimately work] in a high-power environment. That could be in public policy or more on a college campus,” she says.

Kent says by that living in a new environment, she is experiencing new things.

“Brandeis really is a bubble, and it’s a very different lifestyle [living on your own], where you don’t know ... people’s names, or you don’t exactly [know] how things are run. At Brandeis, people know, ‘[If] I need my transcript, I go to the registrar.’ Things [are] laid out for you,” she says.

Kent had to make significant adjustments after moving to Jackson. She lives near the heart of the city in a house that was converted into an apartment building .

Currently she has two roommates whom she did not know until arriving but is in the process of moving into a house where she will live with a landlord. While she is getting along fine with her roommates, with whom she also works, she wanted to try living in a different part of Jackson to further her learning and familiarity with the area. “I had a new opportunity to get a different perspective, so I took it,” says Kent.

Kent says living on her own is a

PHOTO COURTESY OF JESS KENT

A NEW CULTURE: Jess Kent ’09 (right), who works for the Institute of Southern Jewish Life in Mississippi, spends time educating children in Jewish communities for her job.

Learning a new life far away from home

PHOTO COURTESY OF JESS KENT

EXPERIENCING INDEPENDENCE: As part of her job, Kent spends Fridays and Saturdays travelling to different Jewish communities, like the one above in Jackson, Tenn. challenge but that she enjoys the independence nonetheless. But, Kent says she is still “adjusting to the environment.”

When Kent first moved to Jackson, she only knew one person in town,

who was also a Brandeis graduate. She said that meeting new people and making friends is similar to making friends in college, as “you have to go out into the community.” Her new friends are all originally from the

South. They are also their late 20s and early 30s and therefore older than she is; however, she says that she does not notice the age difference.

Kent has gone to several “young professionals events” to network. “One of the women I met [at a young professionals event] I’ve been friends with since,” she says.

Kent has been assertive, which she says is key in meeting people. For example. one day Kent saw a man at the gym who was around her age. She decided to ask him what people their age did in Jackson, she says. He told her about the bars and local hangouts that young men and women go to in Jackson. Kent has had several encounters like this, which have enabled her to find things to do and to meet people her age. Kent says that telling people she is new in town has proved the best way to learn about community events like outdoor concerts and art showings. However, a lot of people respond to this by telling Kent to go to church. “[There are] not too many … [people] my age in the city. The type of person living here is very different,” says Kent.

Kent finds that gender roles are also more prominent in Jackson. Kent once tried to hold a door open for a man walking behind her once as she was entering a building, and he angrily yelled at her, saying that it was a man’s job to hold the door, not a

woman’s. Kent was shocked.

While she says the South has a lot of culture and history, Kent wonders if she will ever become part of that culture or remain feeling like an outsider.

“I wouldn’t know it was America had I just been thrown here,” says Kent. She says the way people walk and talk is so foreign to her and the use of American currency is sometimes the only thing she finds the same. “I walked into a restaurant the other day for lunch, and there were 200 people there, eating fried, buttered everything,” says Kent.

She says you can get anything fried, even Twinkies.

Despite the culture shock, Kent is discovering new things about herself by living in a new environment.

“You should be in an environment where [stress] doesn’t prohibit you.

Nobody will have a perfect job, and there will be a lot of challenges either way,” she says. She recommends that graduates keep in touch with close friends from Brandeis because they are the only ones who will understand where you came from. It’s also important to open yourself to new friendships, she adds.

“It’s great to have that [Brandeis] presence in your life, [but] you also [have to] go beyond Brandeis. However, there’s no point to Facebook every Brandeis student anymore. ...

Creating distance is also pretty healthy, too,” she says.

THE JUSTICE

BAREING IT ALL

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TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2009

A three-part series about the production of ‘Bare’

Moving forward

GENEVIEVE ARMSTRONG/the Justice

PASSIONATE PRACTICE: Mark DiCampo (left), who was newly cast in the role of Jason after the original Jason left the show, and Benny Gronich ’12, who plays Matt, prepare a scene for ‘Bare’ in Spingold Theater.

After several setbacks, the cast of Bare keeps high spirits

By KAPRI KREPS JUSTICE CONTRIBUTING WRITER

It is a lazy Saturday afternoon when I walk into the empty Slosberg Recital Hall.

The hall is dark except for the lightened patch of flat stage down below rows of seats. Melodic piano playing fills the empty space with a sense of harmony.

Kat Teeter ’12 and Nicole Litvak ’12, the stage manager and producer/assistant director respectively, of Brandeis University’s upcoming pop opera, Bare, sit in the front row of the hall.

They are intently watching a scene between Austin Auh ’10 and Mark DiCampo, an off campus actor and new addition to the cast.

“Take a look into these big, brown eyes and you’ll understand,” sings Dicampo, who is the production’s newly-installed Jason, the character who struggles with his homosexual feelings for his best friend, Peter (Auh). Dicampo exudes a sense of natural stage confidence, and it is clear that he and Auh have already formed an excellent dynamic both on and offstage. The two look at one another often, and their willingness to take onstage risks for various tender moments transcends their lines and lyrics.

Within the past two weeks, Bare’s production team and cast members have undergone significant tests of endurance. Several weeks ago, for personal reasons, Robert St. Laurence ’11, Jacob Lazar ’10, Rachel Copel ’11 and Hank Lin ’10 who played the characters of Jason, Allen, Nadia and the Priest, respectively, decided to leave the show. On Monday, Janel Rabbani ’11 and Julie Stein ’11, who played the roles of Tanya and Rory, also decided to leave the show for personal reasons.

Auh, who in addition to playing the role of Peter, is co-director and putting on the show as part of his senior thesis, says that the actors who left the show several weeks ago expressed concerns over the direction and design of the production.“[They left the show] not mostly because they disagreed [with its direction] but because it was not what they expected and more work than they thought it would be. After talking with them, four of them decided to leave for personal reasons,” he says.

The six actors declined to comment on their

PART2

decisions to leave the show.

So far, the show has replaced the roles of Jason, Nadia, the Priest and Allen, although the production staff is still looking to fill the roles of Tanya and Rory.

Almost immediately, they began to get in touch with individuals who they felt might easily fill certain roles. They also planned open auditions, with one in particular devoted to auditioning individuals for the role of Jason.

They sought a very specific actor for this particular role and knew they needed someone who could hit a high G note.

When it came time to find an individual who could embody of all Jason’s qualities, Bare’s production staff received a suggestion from co-director Pamela Wolfe. One of her voice students, a non-Brandesian who loved the musical and theatrical realm, would fill the play’s major void.

The team welcomed 27-year-old Mark DiCampo to their theatrical ensemble. However, because DiCampo is not a Brandeis student, it is questionable whether Bare will continue to be supported by the Brandeis Ensemble Theater.

Still, Auh contends that Bare is prepared to continue whether or not Bare supports the show or not.

“We’re not really worried [about BET]. It’s more of, just to let you know that we don’t want to leave [BET], but we understand [the] guidelines that you follow,” says Auh. Quickly, they began to fill the holes in their cast, choosing Jared Field ’11 to play the Priest, Abigail Clarke ’12 to play Nadia and David Ferralozzi ’13, who was already involved in the show as a rehearsal pianist, to play Allen.

In regards to the production team’s reaction to the loss of the original four actors, Teeter says, “It was rough and a big blow, but we all put our heads together and were like, ‘How are we going to make this work?’ and we did.”

Auh explains that the show has already begun to move forward with its new cast additions.

“The [new cast members] we picked up are learning the music fairly quickly and we don’t really have to reteach a lot of blocking, so we’re kind of just moving on already,” he says.

After the rehearsal, I sit in a small, somewhat dilapidated lounge tucked off to the side of the Slosberg Recital Hall. Litvak sits in the weathered chair to my right, Teeter sits to her right ,and to my left Auh and DiCampo share a couch.

GENEVIEVE ARMSTRONG/the Justice

PLAYTIME: Lauren Elias ‘10, who plays Claire, and Austin Auh ’10, who plays Peter, practice for ‘Bare.’

DiCampo sits comfortably with his legs crossed, arms back above his head as he describes his history with music and theater. He went to school to study music and voice at the New England and Boston Conservatories and now teaches and performs music full time. When Wolfe came to him with the opportunity to play Jason, he immediately decided to look into it. Of playing Jason he says, “It will be fun to work with this group. This is a space and environment I haven’t performed in before.”

Among numerous moments of laughter, Auh nearly finishes DiCampo’s sentences, clearly relieved and excited with the significant progress made after what potentially could have been his production’s downfall.

Auh says that he is not the only cast member excited about the show. He says that there are no major divisions within the cast and that everyone has been very supportive.

Diana Flatto ’12, assisant stage manager of Bare, says that the cast has remained close despite the loss of certain actors.

Flatto says that the cast “really [cares] about

the show and Austin’s vision.”

The cast is currently preparing for its first group rehearsal with the new actors, which will take place Tuesday Nov. 10. The cast and crew also look forward to their coffeehouse next week.

At the coffeehouse, they plan to begin to raise money for the Waltham House, one of only two GLBTQ homes in the United States, or places which provide support and shelter for teens. The team will also raise money for the organization at performances; instead of charging admissions for their show, they plan to ask for donations.

Currently, they are also looking into coordinating another fundraiser to fulfill some of the “Wish Lists” of teens in the home in time for the holiday season.

As of now, the production team is in high spirits and looks forward to the show’s opening with great anticipation. Auh says, “So far the response we have been getting from people is very good. I think, I hope, there will be a positive response overall to it.”

—Rebecca Klein contributed reporting.

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TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2009

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THE JUSTICE

the Justice Established 1949

Brandeis University

HANNAH L. KIRSCH, Editor in Chief J OANNA SCHORR, Senior Editor ANDREA FINEMAN, Managing Editor ANYA B ERGMAN and SHANA D. LEBOWITZ, Associate Editors NASHRAH RAHMAN, News Editor REBECCA KLEIN, Features Editor REBECCA B LADY, Forum Editor IAN CUTLER, Sports Editor SARAH BAYER, Arts Editor JULIAN AGIN -LIEBES and MAX B REITSTEIN MATZA, Photography Editors B RIAN N. B LUMENTHAL, Layout Editor B RIAN FROMM, Copy Editor B RAD STERN, Advertising Editor

Improve study abroad policies Since the administration’s initial Jan. 16 announcement about changes to study abroad requirements, this board has criticized several of the various cost-cutting measures that the Office of Study Abroad has initiated.

The effects of such new rules as mandating a statement of interest as much as a year before a student goes abroad and housing students who have signed this statement in the Village remain to be seen.

Without waiting to measure the effects of these policies, however, Study Abroad has heightened the obstacles for students hoping to study in other countries. The new rules requiring students to apply earlier than ever before have ambiguous benefits, and these policies have not been well publicized enough to help students plan ahead.

Until recently, the Office of Study Abroad’s Web site stated that many students successfully pursued the option of studying abroad in two different countries consecutively over the course of one academic year and encouraged others to research the decision as well.

The site now states, “The administrative management of such an arrangement is not possible and thus will not be approved under normal circumstances.” However, an informational sheet that will be distributed to students’ mailboxes states that such a plan “will not be approved”—in any situation. If this is the case, the Web site should say so more clearly.

Students already coping with the rushed deadline cannot afford to spend extra time decoding contradictory and fluctuating messages.

The Office of Study Abroad also owes the student body an explanation as to why this option for students has been revoked. There are students currently on campus who have recently returned from successfully studying abroad in two consecutive countries

Clarification needed over the course of an academic year, calling into question why the University no longer feels equipped to handle such decisions. In an environment where students have historically been inspired to spend time in multiple countries, those seeking to follow in their footsteps deserve to know why they may not do so even if such a course of study would substantially contribute to their learning.

The Feb. 12 deadline for submitting a full study abroad application places many new burdens on sophomores looking to go abroad. On top of committing to a study abroad program, submitting a résumé and agreeing to live in the Village, students run the risk that in a year’s time their interests or their eligibility for their desired programs will have changed; some might even not be admitted to the program to which they apply.

Study Abroad has not explained why it cannot handle the paperwork when other programs are capable of processing applications in much less time.

If further changes to study abroad policy are to be added, they must be properly publicized in order to avoid the kind of last-minute wrangling that occurred last winter when students rushed to comply with a one-month deadline to assert interest in studying abroad.

In the immediate wake of the economic crisis such haste was understandable, but Study Abroad must now spend time evaluating the effects of the policy changes before it increases the burdens it imposes on sophomores.

Brandeis’ study abroad program is an important investment in the school’s intellectual life, as the hundreds of returning students now on campus can attest. That’s why it’s so important that these changes be handled carefully while keeping in mind students’ best interests.

Gold protest inappropriate Last Thursday, Justice Richard Goldstone and former Israeli ambassador to the United Nations Dore Gold discussed Mr. Goldstone’s eponymous report on war crimes committed during the Gaza conflict at an event in the Levin Ballroom.

Two weeks ago, this page emphasized that the event would be a rare and valuable opportunity for students to attend a serious discussion of international importance. While the event did serve as a meaningful forum for discussion, we are nonetheless disappointed with the actions of several attendees of the forum.

Firstly, the protest staged by a group of students that intentionally interrupted Gold during the first moments of his presentation was inappropriately timed. Their supposedly silent protest was only nominally such, as their coordinated efforts constituted a distraction to the speaker and, even more unfairly, to the audience, which included fellow students and University faculty.

We wholly respect and defend the students’ right to protest the absence of a Palestinian speaker to provide his or her perspective on the report at the

Reaction equally unseemly forum. Yet such a protest should have occurred outside the room in which the forum was held. The disruptive effort was a drain on the event for the community at large; the protesters have a right to freedom of speech but should not have used that freedom to block the speech of another party.

However, we do not condone the physical harassment the protesters reported suffering after they returned to their seats. The protesters said that their chairs were shoved and that they were in some cases physically assaulted; such a violent response to a nonviolent protest is completely inappropriate. Such a physical response should not have occurred within the confines of this campus, and we hope that no Brandeis students in attendence took part in these attacks.

Despite the setbacks that occurred during this past Thursday’s forum, the successful and interesting discourse at the event lead us to hope that the University will continue to bring politically significant events to this campus for the continued benefit of its entire community.

A. ELI TUKACHINSKY/the Justice

Root of Beha’s critique not unique to Brandeis

By REBECCA KELLOGG JUSTICE CONTRIBUTING WRITER

When I read Christopher Beha’s recent article in Harper’s Magazine drudging up Brandeis’ financial troubles, what first came to mind was the old maxim, “If you cannot improve the silence, then don’t speak.” Beha’s article aggravated me primarily because, to put it bluntly, the article was pointless. It’s certainly not news that the country as a whole is in an economic crisis: Everybody is well aware of that. Another wellknown fact is that hundreds of American universities have been hit especially hard by the crisis and that our own university is absolutely no exception to this unfortunate state of affairs.

There was no need for Beha to write this article. He shed no new light on the situation, nor did he broach any new solutions for the problem; rather, he just repeated the same old negative news about our wonderful school that has been splashed across multiple newspapers for what seems like the better part of a decade.

All of this put aside, if the author did for some unknown reason feel the burning urge to write more about a topic that has been beaten practically to death, there was no reason for him to focus solely on Brandeis. The United States Department of Education recently released a list of over 100 colleges and universities that either have had complete financial meltdowns or are dangerously close to having one. Brandeis University, curiously enough, cannot be found on this list, despite all of the negative media attention (a collection to which Beha needlessly added) the University’s financial state has received.

It’s true that there is some journalistic merit to using one example to illustrate a bigger issue, but Beha’s references to the fact that other universities may indeed be in such trouble were fleeting at most, and no other concrete examples were given. The tone of this article suggests that Brandeis is the only university in this country facing hard financial decisions, a statement that could not be further from the truth. Boston University and the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, schools that are in the same geographic area as in Brandeis and with which we compete for some of the same students, are just two examples of universities facing similar significant financial difficulties.

I also disagree with Beha’s conclusion that we have been initiating building projects just for the sake of making the University more attractive to potential applicants or outside opinions. Yes, this probably is an unintentional side effect of renovating student residence halls and of adding of a shiny new science building and a large new humanities center.

However, at least in my judgment, the vast majority of our construction and renovation works haven’t dealt with frivolous additions. In the last decade, most of our projects have dealt with the construction or renovation of academic buildings or residence halls, spaces that can hardly afford to be neglected.

This, however, is where I must stop and defend Beha from President Jehuda Reinharz’s accusation of libel. As redundant as his article is, the basic premise of the article is not incorrect: Even if money was spent with noble aims in mind, the fact still remains that Brandeis is indeed one of many universities currently facing severe financial difficulties.

Furthermore, in response to Reinharz’s accusations of libel: Some of the figures Beha cited may or may not have been inflated or incorrect, but at this point it is unclear who is truly responsible for that. There is, of course, the real possibility that Beha knowingly used misleading figures or deliberately distorted them to further advance his argument. If it is discovered that this is indeed the case, then Beha is a disgraceful example of modern professional journalism, and he should most certainly be reprimanded.

However, it is also important to keep in mind that the administration of our University is at least partially responsible for bearing the weight of any inaccurate reporting in the article. Our administration is not exactly renowned for its transparency, particularly in financial matters. This alone is enough to grant Beha at least a small amount of forgiveness over incorrect facts. However, the troubling fact that the University would not speak to fact-checkers further damns the administration and exonerates Beha.

Thus, it is important not to move too swiftly to condemn Beha, since any inaccurate reporting of facts may have been an honest mistake, the result of a financial situation that is by any measure very complex. It would behoove the administration to examine the source of this miscommunication very carefully before even considering any type of legal action and for Beha to consider in the future whether or not his words need to be said.

OP-BOX Quote of the Week “It’s about a bunch of guys who have drive and who push themselves to get better because they want to win. It’s about being your own coach.

Although you’re working for a team, no one’s asking you to get better except yourself.”

—Aaron Louison ’11, a men’s Ultimate Frisbee team player, describing his team (See Sports, page 13).

Brandeis Talks Back How do you feel about renovating the Charles River Apartments as a way to alleviate the overcrowding problem?

MINDY CIMINI ’12 “If they update it, they have to update everything.”

JANEL RABBANI ’11 “I never even thought of that, and if they can do that, I think it’s a great idea.”

YONI BRONSTEIN ’13 “I don’t have an opinion. I’m in my first semester.”

BENJAMIN DREYFUSS ’11 “I think it’s a brilliant idea. I think that would be more of an incentive to live there.”

THE JUSTICE

READER COMMENTARY Poor picks for search committee

In response to your article “University criticizes Harper’s article” (News, Nov. 3): Brandeis administrators should stop trying to prevent criticism of this type.

The fiasco around the Rose Art Museum speaks for itself: Poor planning and an erosion of integrity toward the arts.

Having received a Ph.D. in History in 1990 from this university—from an outstanding department with superb faculty—the latest developments at Brandeis are a great disappointment to me. And Harper’s—to which I subscribe—is one of America’s finest critical popular magazines, far more truthful than most of U.S. media, print or otherwise. A defamation lawsuit?! What a terrible waste of money and time. I’ll stand by Harper’s on that one.

—David Palmer Ph.D. ’90 The writer is a senior lecturer in American Studies at Flinders University, Adelaide, Australia.

Regarding your article “Search committee appointed” (News, Nov. 3): Pray tell, how does buying a building with your name on it qualify you to make decisions for an entire university community that you’re not even a part of?

Malcolm Sherman seems to think that the expertise that comes from donating large piles of money far outweighs anything brought to the table by students or staff—that is, the people who live and work here, and the people who will be most affected by the selection of a new president.

This leadership clearly hopes to model Brandeis on corporate structures and practices rather than on a community of learning, something I don’t think Louis Brandeis would have appreciated.

—Jon Sussman ’11

Regarding your article “University criticizes Harper’s article” (News, Nov. 3): Are statements of opinions that are based on factual errors or that are insulting actionable as defamation in any jurisidiction where Harper’s is distributed? I doubt it. The University has been in court enough lately over the Rose Art Museum controversy.

As a lawyer as well as an alumnus, I hope the President gets sound legal advice before pursuing a libel case on the University’s dime.

—Gary Lander ’67

Beha’s article is poor journalism In response to your article “University criticizes Harper’s article” (News, Nov. 3): As a Harper’s subscriber, veteran journalist and long-ago Brandeis graduate, I was surprised and put off by Beha’s article—not so much because it was highly critical of Brandeis but because it offers virtually no evidence to support its one-sided point of view.

Beha may have a few points to make, but his piece is lazily prepared, too polemical and ultimately unconvincing to anyone who reads it closely. It simply doesn’t pass muster as a reporting job.

There is little evidence that he actually interviewed anyone at Brandeis or did any investigative reporting. Or that he wanted to do any. He provides no quotes from the administration—or anyone else. Not even any off-the-record quotes, however misleading, to convince the reader, except one blind comment from a an unnamed “committee” involved in the Rose controversy.

If Beha had really wanted to get the story, he would have interviewed several wellinformed Brandeis sources and provided quotes from at least a few of them or at least quoted from one or two on ‘deep background.’

Beha damages his credibility further by implying that some students might actually have decided to attend Brandeis—despite its high tuition—because of the presence of the Rose Art Museum. Really? He provides no evidence for this absurd contention. Who would choose Brandeis over University of Massachusetts, Amherst, simply because of the art museum? He offers no anecdotal or survey data to support that notion.

Beha even implies that Brandeis’ tuition is significantly higher than that of other private institutions (he compares Brandeis with publicly funded UMass, not with comparable private universities)—so his comparison in that respect is utterly worthless.

Rather than threaten a lawsuit against Beha, however, I believe the Brandeis administration should focus its rebuttals on the substance of the article.

If, as President Reinharz has asserted, Brandeis has not been severely damaged by the Madoff debacle, then the administration might want to provide evidence that it is still in good health. Address the issues. Don’t expect any apologies from the author, however. Remember that Beha would never have written this article in the first place if he had intended to make it a balanced one.

Otherwise, he would not have overlooked the first rules of objective journalism in putting it together.

—Alan Field The writer is an associate editor at the Journal of Commerce.

Write to us

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2009

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EDUCATION IMPRISONED

Lawsuit against Harper’s is a waste

Request legal advice before suing

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Building would do little for the Jews In response to your op-ed “Scrap plans for chapel; erect a Hillel building” (Forum, Nov. 3): The writer’s intentions are good, but his proposition would simply prove inconsequential.

Putting a whole group of people in the same building will not magically solve all of the problems with our campus’ Jewish community. The community here at Brandeis is fragmented because each denominational group (Brandeis Orthodox Organization, Brandeis University Conservative Organization, Brandeis Reform Chavurah and Brandeis Reconstructionist Organization) has its own social activities.

What really needs to be done is more joint programming among the various demoninations, so that we (that’s right—I’m including myself in this statement) can get to know each other on a more personal level. Two people merely walking in the same direction to and from services or Shabbat dinner means absolutely nothing.

—Daniel Kasdan ’13

Goldstone and Gold forum was fair In response to your op-ed “Accord speaker his own platform” (Forum, Nov. 3): Several points are unclear in this article.

First, the opinion writer refers to Thursday’s forum as a “debate.” A debate is an argument in which some arbiter determines a winner and a loser. A famous example might be the debates in which Douglas rhetorically defeated Lincoln. As much as I would like to demonstrate to the world that not everyone has gone off the deep end, I highly doubt the audience will be asked to select a winner at the end of Thursday’s forum.

Second, on what grounds does the opinion holder conclude that Dore Gold is “far to the right of the Israeli political spectrum?” It’s impossible to be to the side of a spectrum; no matter where one is in relation to others, one is still on the spectrum.

Also, the tactic of hawkifying or extremifying is a tactic we see from terrorism apologists everywhere. I ask again: what do you know about Gold that convinces you he is several standard deviations from the mean of Israeli political thought?

Third, the assertion that “the Brandeis administration will not let a left-wing activist stand on his or her own” is patently ridiculous.

If I recall correctly, we hosted American terrorist-gone-academe Bill Ayers last spring; certainly he was the loudest name, but Barney Frank and Carl Levin have spoken here, too. If anyone reading this believes left-wing speakers are shunned, they need to share a bit with the rest of us.

Finally, this forum was balanced. On one side is the man who accepted the flawed mandate of the mission, failed to screen other panelists for prior prejudice and seriously entertained the testimonies of “civilians” living in an area that had recently experienced internal civil war, an area controlled by a vicious, uncompromising group dedicated to the destruction of any Jewish establishments between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean.

On the other side is a man standing up against the biases inherent in this mission and the prejudices in other U.N. work, a senior official in a government that saw the Mission’s real colors from the outset, a man from a nation that has kept coming back to negotiate itself into oblivion, from Israel.

—Gideon Klionsky ’11

The Justice welcomes letters to the editor responding to published material. Please submit letters through our Web site at www.thejusticeonline.com. Anonymous submissions cannot be accepted. Letters should not exceed 300 words, and may be edited for space, style, grammar, spelling, libel and clarity, and must relate to material published in the Justice.

Letters from off-campus sources should include location. The Justice does not print letters to the editor and op-ed submissions that have been submitted to other publications. Op-ed submissions of general interest to the University community—that do not respond explicitly to articles printed in the Justice—are also welcome and should be limited to 800 words.

All submissions are due Friday at 5 p.m.

The opinions stated in the editorial(s) under the masthead on the opposing page represent the opinion of a majority of the voting members of the editorial board; all other articles, columns, comics and advertisements do not necessarily. For the Brandeis Talks Back feature on the opposite page, staff interview four randomly selected students each week and print only those four answers.

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Subscription rate: $35 per semester, $50 per year.

Fine Print

STACY HANDLER/the Justice

Good schools need academic freedom

By AVI SNYDER JUSTICE CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Last week, China’s top nine universities formalized an elite group of universities known as the C9. According to reports by news agency The Australian, these nine Chinese universities “have signed co-operative agreements that feature ‘flexible student exchange programs, deepened cooperation on training of postgraduates, and the establishment of a credit system that allows students to win credits through attending classes in member universities of C9.’”

The Australian reported that the formation of the C9 “completes an 11-year government plan to elevate a group of Chinese higher education institutions into worldclass level” by pumping large amounts of money into these nine universities. The creation of the C9 is being hailed by many in the world media as the creation of the Chinese Ivy League.

Now, why should we American college students care about developments in higher education in China? Well, when I first read the news reports about the formation of the C9, I must admit I got a bit worried.

There is a lot of talk these days about how the United States’ reign as a world economic superpower is coming to an end, and how China will likely take the role of economic powerhouse of the world. And as I recently learned in “Introduction to Economics,” the quality of education in a country is proportionately related to that county’s economic success. With the formation of the C9, China could begin to challenge the United States’ almost-unrivaled status as a leader in higher education and thus as a world economic power.

However, as I read more about the formation of the elite C9, I began to realize that those of us here in America should not be threatened by the creation of an elite union of Chinese universities. Despite the amount of money the Chinese government may be pumping into these institutions and despite any agreements made between the universities, Chinese universities do not grant their students true academic freedom.

According to reports from the news agency Asia One, up to 80 percent of college courses in China are compulsory. And according to a report by CRI.English.com, less than 30 percent of Chinese college students are allowed to change their majors during their college careers. Thus many students are forced to complete degrees in fields in which they are not interested.

This is in marked contrast to the educa-

The Staff For information on joining the Justice, write to justeditor@ brandeis.edu.

tional requirements at Brandeis and most other highly ranked American universities. While course requirements such as Columbia University’s famous “core curriculum” or even Brandeis’ own general university requirements for graduation mandate that students take a certain number of required courses, these courses make up a minimal number of the dozens of courses any student will take during his time at college.

Wang Jianxun, associate professor at China University of Political Science and Law and a critic of the system of higher education in China, remarked to The Australian that “to form a league is merely a formality, while formality is not important, what is important is the spirit of chasing academic freedom, which Chinese universities lack.”

Wang acknowledges where the strength of any institute of higher education lies.

The quality of education at a university is not primarily determined by how much money the government pumps into it or by its membership in a league of elite schools.

The quality of education in a university is determined by the degree of academic freedom that it grants its students.

As a quick walk through any university library will show, there is a tremendous amount of knowledge out there. Young adults ought to be exposed to a wide variety of areas of study, for only through that can many young people learn what they truly love and what field they see as a personal calling.

Furthermore, an academic institution where knowledge is valued for its own sake will certainly become an institution in which serious study of intellectual exploration is taken seriously. If students are learning not as a means to an end but as a means in itself, they will take their learning more seriously.

As long as Chinese universities do not give their students the academic freedom to engage in full intellectual exploration, and as long as Chinese university students are taking 80 percent of their classes because they are compulsory rather than because they value learning for learning’s sake, Chinese institutions of higher education, no matter what league they belong to, will not be able to rival the top American universities.

It is no question that we in the United States have far more freedom than the citizens of China do. So let us take the formation of the C9 as a chance to appreciate one of the most precious freedoms we young people have in the United States: academic freedom.

EDITORIAL ASSISTANTS NEWS: Harry Shipps FORUM: Hillel Buechler SPORTS: Josh Asen ARTS: Amy Melser PHOTOS: Asher Krell, Robyn Spector COPY: Emily Kraus ADS: Cody Yudkoff STAFF Senior Writers: Miranda Neubauer, Melissa Siegel Senior Photographer: Rebecca Ney Senior Copy Editor: Joyce Wang Senior Illustrator: A. Eli Tukachinsky

News: Alana Abramson, Erin Doniger, Reina Guerrero, Ruth Orbach, Liz Posner Features: Tess Raser Forum: Eitan Cooper, Hannah Goldberg, Zachary Matusheski, Ethan Mermelstein, Eileen Smolyar Arts: Wei-Huan Chen, Marianna Faynshteyn, Morgan Manley, Daniel Orkin, Alex Pagan, Bryan Prywes, Justine Root, Ben Serby, Sujin Shin, Shelly Shore Photography: Genevieve Armstrong, Maegan Bautista, Jaxson Dermer, Nathaniel Freedman, Paula Hoekstra, Shaefali Shandilya Sports: Jeffrey Boxer, Max Goldstein, Jonathan Steinberg Copy: Ariel Adams, Danielle Berger, Jacob Chatinover, Jenn Craig, Patricia Greene, Liana Johnson, Lauren Paris Illustrations: Rishika Assomull, Stacy Handler Layout: Debra Friedmann, Karen Hu, Nan Pang

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THE JUSTICE

FORUM

Reinharz undermined free expression

By LEAH SMITH JUSTICE CONTRIBUTING WRITER

I am not a huge art person. I can certainly appreciate some nice pieces here and there, but standing around in an art museum or gallery for hours is not my idea of fun.

Nevertheless, I figured that the reopening of the Rose Art Museum last week was a big enough deal that I had better go.

It turned out that it was a bigger deal than I thought, although I didn’t find that out until later.

When I arrived at the opening, a jazz band was playing some bouncy tunes; waiters in tuxedos were scurrying about handing out wine, cheese and crackers; and people were alternately mingling and admiring the art. I noticed that many students and faculty were sporting buttons that declared “Save the Rose,” but I didn’t think much of them. It seemed to me that by being at the opening, people were already making the statement that they wanted the Rose to remain open. As far as I could tell, the buttons were just another means for people to express their opinion on the matter, but I didn’t think they were inappropriate or disruptive in the least.

Apparently, I was wrong. That “big deal” I heard about later turned out not to be about the actual opening. Instead, it was about those “Save the Rose” buttons. Although I didn’t witness any of the controversy myself, Prof. Shula Reinharz (SOC) was reportedly going around asking people to remove their buttons, and in some cases she was accused of using “coercion” in her requests.

I was really very surprised when I heard about these incidents. In last week’s issue of the Justice, Reinharz was quoted as saying that the buttons were “misleading and detrimen-

tal” to the opening. Of course, it isn’t surprising that Reinharz saw these buttons as “detrimental,” especially since they could have been interpreted as shedding a bad light on University President Jehuda Reinharz, to whom she is married, and the Board of Trustees’ decision to close the Rose. What is surprising is that Reinharz was bold enough to tell students and faculty members that the expression of their opinions was “detrimental” to the event, especially when the buttons seemed to be the least disruptive form of protest possible. As far as I could tell, the whole evening was quite enjoyable for the majority of people in attendance, and the buttons certainly took nothing away from the experience. In fact, Reinharz, as well as the wife of a member of the Board of Trustees, seemed to be the only ones to get worked up about the buttons.

To be fair, Reinharz certainly had a right to be upset about the buttons.

As she said in an interview with the Justice for last week’s article, in her opinion, “the Rose is saved.”

Although the lawsuit against Brandeis is still pending, it does seem that the majority of the controversy has passed. It is understandable that Reinharz would not want to see “Save the Rose” buttons, especially at the reopening of the museum. It is equally as understandable that Reinharz wanted to, and did, express her opinion on the display of these buttons. But what is not understandable is that Reinharz’s expression of her own opinion was also an attempt to suppress the expression of others. To many students and faculty, the possibility of paintings being sold is still a huge concern even if the museum remainS open, and they have as much of a right to express their dissent as Reinharz had to express hers. The fact that Reinharz made any attempt to quiet

REBECCA NEY/Justice File Photo

MAKING A STATEMENT: Attendees of the reopening of the Rose proudly demonstrate their support in the form of T-shirts. the already silent protest was unacceptable.

To some, particularly those who are not concerned with the Rose, Reinharz’s actions at the Rose opening might seem trite and unimportant. After all, she only asked some people to remove their buttons. But if we take these actions out of context, the implications are important and a little disturbing. Living in a country like the United States and

Consider gap year’s value when awarding merit aid

By HANNAH GOLDBERG JUSTICE STAFF WRITER

Rarely do I go to bed before 3 a.m—and this dent in my sleep is not the result of General Chemistry lab. Instead, it is because at 1:30 in the morning my hall will often burst into intense political and philosophical conversations.

Why? Because my roommate and I both took a gap year.

On nights not spent in the hallway hosting a spontaneous political forum, we stay awake and discuss from our beds the implications of what we learned that day on our worldviews. These late nights have been one of the most valuable aspects of my daily life at college.

Brandeis students pursue their interests outside the classroom, which creates a great sense of tangible curiosity and appeal for outside knowledge to make its way onto campus. One way that students pursue their interests outside of class is by taking a gap year between high school and college.

Students who choose to take a gap year before entering Brandeis have an entire year’s worth of worldly experience and perspectives to bring to the campus. For this reason, it would seem to be in Brandeis’ best interest to encourage its students to take gap years.

However, the opposite is done.

Students who are awarded merit scholarships and choose to take a gap year are deprived of the final year of their scholarship.

In an e-mail interview with the Justice, Vice President of

Students and Enrollment Jean Eddy said, “When a student is offered a merit award, the clock starts ticking because it is tied to a budget figure. If the student starts as expected then the scholarship will renew for the next three years. If a student defers, the funds are still tied to the year and budget that student should have started in. Thus they would only have 3 years left. Because these are real budget dollars we can only give out what we have.”

While this system for allocating merit scholarships seems to make sense, it could be improved to allow students choosing to take a gap year to retain their scholarships. Perhaps Brandeis should include a segment on the application to allow students to make note of their plans to take a gap year. This way, Brandeis can budget to allow for the scholarship dollars for these students to come from the next year’s supply, and thus will carry through with them for all four years at Brandeis.

Brandeis is an extremely expensive school, but it is worth every dollar paid. In an ideal world, everyone could afford to receive the incredible education and opportunities we receive here.

However, money is a great factor for accepted students in making the final decision to attend Brandeis.

Therefore, it is important to keep in mind that many students at Brandeis do not qualify for financial aid, but covering the cost of such a costly education is still a great burden. Students awarded merit scholarships to Brandeis may be offered merit scholarships to many other schools. The fact

that Brandeis refuses to extend the length of their scholarship to accommodate a gap year discourages worldly, curious students from either seizing the opportunity to take a gap year or from attending Brandeis.

Gap years offer the incredible opportunity to sit back and philosophize for an entire year without the stress of a busy school schedule. In a busy college schedule, this is unheard of. What if, for example, a student travels to Djibouti for a year and stumbles upon the only vegetarian aardvark during their travels?

Shouldn’t that student be more highly sought after by colleges because of the unique and enriching experience he can share with his peers?

Unintentionally, Brandeis is turning the gap year into a financial burden on gifted students.

Perhaps, in addition to budgeting to allow gap year students to use the entirety of their scholarship, it would be in Brandeis’ best interest to have a separate scholarship set aside for students who choose to take a gap year. After all, the gem that is Brandeis is a sum of its parts, and a fair percentage of the University chose to take a gap year before beginning their time here.

It is important to realize that in Brandeis’ short 61-year existance, it has become one of the most prestigious colleges in the country.

This is partly due to a student body that takes a sincere interest in their studies. Perhaps by becoming “gap-year friendly,” even more late-night political discussions, a staple of college life, would flourish.

going to a school like Brandeis, we sometimes take our unrestrained right to freedom of expression for granted. Whether we are protesting quietly, like those who wore the “Save the Rose” buttons, or marching in the streets, our right to express ourselves is one of the most valuable rights we have. Without our voices, it is unlikely that changes in our favor would ever be made. We need only look at our stu-

dent counterparts elsewhere in the world to remember that not everyone has the same freedom of expression that we do, and not everyone is able to use this expression as a catalyst for change. So whether we think the Rose is still at risk or not, we should be supportive of the expression of opinions that took place at the Rose opening. And furthermore, we should condemn any attempts to suppress that expression.

Take tests, not Adderall Eileen

SMOLYAR YEAS AND NAYS

Students at Brandeis may know or begin to understand what it’s like to study for graduate school entrance exams by their senior year. Whether they decide to study through a preparation course like Kaplan or singlehandedly tackle the GRE, LSAT, MCAT and the like, the dedication, strength and perseverance to vanquish a graduate admission exam and start a journey in the real world is unmatched by the amount of stress that was induced when we took the SAT that introduced us to the college application.

The score you receive is your brandmark, your label under a percentile.

You are officially categorized for viewing by the admissions office of your preferred graduate school. To add to the pressure, school work begins to pile up even more as you progress to the next academic year, and your responsibilities cannot be put on hold.

You must pay the bills, go to work, keep in touch with family and friends and so on.

So, how is a twentysomething supposed to cope with the stress of taking a graduate exam?

In hindsight, a competitive drive isn’t always bad. It isn’t necessarily unhealthy to be motivated enough to accomplish a goal and not let anyone or anything get in the way. However, when the desired objective becomes all-consuming and you’re willing to use any means to gain an advantage, danger strikes.

In my preparation course for the LSAT, the final lessons were brainstorms about what to do to conquer stress and remain focused. The proctor mentioned eating healthful foods, such as high omega-fatty foods and almonds, but a fellow student piped in with a different idea: Adderall.

Another student started lamenting that taking Adderall without a prescription can lead to addiction and detrimental effects on your health, but the student who voiced the original idea had a definitive gleam in his eyes that clearly said he wasn’t too keen on accepting a handful of almonds instead. Furthermore, the glazed looks on the rest of the class showed that stress was detrimental to their focus.

This is a very worrying matter.

According to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, almost 10 percent of full-time college students use Adderall illegally and consequently are in danger of harmful side effects and emotional damage. Also, they are breeding a wrong sense of perfectionism and using addictive substances to cheat around the system, which transfers over as an epidemic to the next generation. Although gaining the prestige and privilege of going to a top-tier graduate school is beneficial, the advantage of a short-term gain does not override the many health problems caused by amphetamine abuse, such as heart conditions and addiction. Furthermore, the effects continue even after a student stops using the substance because the level of concentration can no longer match the same intensity.

Meanwhile, there are bountiful opportunities open to college graduates who maintain their health, regardless of whether they did well on their exam. The best method to tackle this highly anxious and stressful situation is to use the arsenal of abilities each individual possesses, both learned and adopted. Students aren’t just cheating the system but are also cheating themselves of presenting their best efforts when they succumb to additives or substances. The best medicines are confidence, perseverance and sound belief in yourself while you cope with this important step in your life. So please, students: Keep in mind that in the end, the graduate exam is just a test. Good health is more valuable than any stress and agony caused by college student life.

THE JUSTICE

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TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2009

13

SPORTS

The ultimate Frisbee dedication A look at a passionate and united club team

By MAX GOLDSTEIN JUSTICE STAFF WRITER

If you walk by Chapels Field during the fall and spring, chances are that you will come across a men’s Ultimate Frisbee team practice. Unlike other sports, there are no coaches present. Yet the team still shows its commitment to routine, discipline and improving its game at every practice.

“It’s about a bunch of guys who have drive and who push themselves to get better because they want to win,” member Aaron Louison ’11 said. “It’s about being your own coach. Although you’re working for a team, no one’s asking you to get better except yourself.”

Tron, as the team calls itself, recently wrapped up a very successful fall season in which it won the Ultimate Players Association Club Sectional Finals and reached the semifinals at the University of Rhode Island’s biannual tournament, the Lemony Fall Classic.

Tron practices several times a week and competes in regional tournaments on many weekends throughout the fall.

The team has gone up against top squads such as Boston College, Stonehill College and the University of New Hampshire and had an overall record of 15-3 this fall.

But success for this team is defined by more than its winning percentage, as members of the team commit themselves just as a varsity athletes do.

“We lose having ‘fun party weekends’ because we go out to tournaments that are both Saturday and Sunday. We end up leaving campus around 6 a.m. both days usually driving over an hour and a half and return close to 8 p.m. just to do it again the next day,” Louison said in an e-mail to the Justice. “That’s dedication.”

“We’re just a bunch of average guys who love the game, have fun and stay in shape,” co-captain Jake Yarmus ’10 said.

Tron was established in 2000, when the Frisbee team, then cogender, separated into men and

women’s teams so that both squads could compete on a regional level.

Like other club sports, Tron has looked for players with a shared passion for their game.

According to Yarmus, the team’s goal is to “play competitively on a regional and national level and to put in the dedication necessary to achieve that goal.”

The club sport is allotted approximately $1,000 per year, enough for the team to enter four or five tournaments and fund other team necessities.

Despite this restriction, the team looks to enter seven to eight tournaments a year. In order to gain the necessary funds to enter this many tournaments, the team holds multiple fundraisers every year.

The team’s most recent fundraiser was a coffeehouse at Cholmondeley’s last month but only raised one dollar. However, the team has ordered approximately 100 Frisbees to sell on campus at $12 apiece, with the goal of raising some of the money required to hold an open Ultimate Frisbee tournament in the spring.

“Our goal is around $2,000, so we really need to find ways to bridge that gap,” team manager Andrew Ng ’10 said.

Tron attracts a wide range of new members. While most Tron players have prior experience playing Ultimate Frisbee, some of the current players had never thrown a disc in their life before they joined the team.

“A few years ago, most of the guys who joined had no idea how to throw,” Yarmus said. “Over the years, as the game has grown in popularity, we keep getting better and better players.”

The players put in full effort during games and practices, and many of them do so while fighting through various injuries, just like varsity athletes.

“We have one player who has been battling a knee injury all year, but he has still come out to every tournament so far, and he’s been a huge contributor,” Ng said “We’ve played in really bad weather, and everyone would like

MAX BREITSTEIN MATZA/the Justice

ELEVATED: Tron co-captain Jake Yarmus ’10 catches a disc at a team practice. to be in their room, cuddled up and warm. But everyone has still come out and contributed.”

Although Tron’s coach, Library and Technology Services employee Charlie Blumenthal, does not normally attend practices, Yarmus attributes much of Tron’s success to Blumenthal’s guidance.

“He doesn’t come to practice, but during the games he is a huge help. We have a lot of guys on the team, so he helps us organize and

MSOCCER: Squad loses last game CONTINUED FROM 16 the Judges raise their game this season against several tough UAA opponents.

“A big part of the team playing well later in the season was [Silverstein] really coming around,” Coven said.

Perhaps the most missed player due to injuries was midfielder Adam Guttman ’10. After starting as a first-year and maintaining his success through his second season, the co-captain tore his hamstring and missed most of his last two seasons.

Despite the injury, Coven noted his presence at every practice and praised Guttman for his determination to battle back.

“He would have been great if he hadn’t torn [his hamstring]; we really missed him on the pitch,” Coven said.

Midfielder Alex Zenerovitz ’10 also missed much of this season due to illness.

Coven said Zenerovitz had a “very solid career,” despite not getting much time on the field this season.

Even with a solid senior class, the Judges played a majority of

put out a strong squad,” Yarmus said.

Since Tron is a club sport, not all members are mandated to attend every practice or game.

However, the team, consisting of around 30 members, does its best to make every practice, game and tournament even though there are only seven players on the field at a time.

The team holds four practices a week at Chapels Field during the

MAEGAN BAUTISTA/the Justice

first-year and sophomore players this year.

The added experience for the younger players will hopefully help the Judges improve on their 2009 campaign, which saw the

team win its first UAA game in three seasons.

“It was a great learning experience for [the younger players]. It’s going to help them all be better players next year,” Coven said.

—Ian Cutler contributed reporting.

WSOCCER: Team in prime position for third ECAC title CONTINUED FROM 16

FINALE: Midfielder Joe Eisenbies ’13 chases down an NYU player last Saturday.

fall and spring and moves indoors to Gosman Sports and Convocation Center during the winter with intersquad games, team workouts and drill practice.

Tron members bond not only through their time practicing Frisbee but also through their charity work.

The team participated in an Alzheimer’s Association Memory Walk last September and plans to teach children how to play Ultimate Frisbee at a local YMCA at a later date.

“It’s kind of cool: We’re not just about the sport but about a group of guys,” Tony Rimburg ’10 said.

The team’s record proves that they can play with some of the stronger teams. The team hopes for a spot at the UPA College Championships in Columbus, Ohio next May. While different colleges and universities host most weekend tournaments, the UPA sectional and then regional tournaments in the spring determine the squad’s national standing among other teams in the nation.

To advance in the UPA standings, a team must win its section and then its region before reaching the national championships.

Tron reached the regional championships two seasons ago and was one game short of reaching the regional championships last season.

Since the standings do not distinguish between Division I, II or III teams, Tron’s appearance in the regional championships would be a significant accomplishment.

“We’ve proven to ourselves that we’re really competitive, especially in the metro-Boston area,” Ng said. “Our goal every year is to make the regional tournament, and we think our goal is definitely possible this year.”

Yarmus summed up the team’s attitude toward winning and keeping close relationships within the team by emphasizing the pure fun the team has in playing Ultimate Frisbee.

“This isn’t the most talented team I’ve been on, but we have good flow and are a really good united team,” Yarmus said. “It’s really great to be a winning team.”

Dallamora made an adjustment with Pacheco’s position to try to prevent the Violets from getting several corner kicks in a row. “[NYU is] pretty good at getting corners and put a lot of pressure on us,” Dallamora said. “I moved [Pacheco] back to that far post because they kept getting second tries.”

Goalie Hillary Rosenzweig ’10 also got help from her defenders, particularly backs Francesca Shin ’12 and Allison Maresca ’12, who both cleared balls off the line after the switch.

Rookie defender Stevie Phillis ’13 started the game in place of injured defender Alanna Torre ’12. Dallamora said Torre has numbness in her hands and expects her to miss the postseason.

The match was the final regular season game for the team’s two seniors, Gorenkoff and Rosenzweig, both of whom have had record-setting careers at Brandeis.

Gorenkoff extended her Brandeis career assist record with her 26th against NYU. She was also named the Eastern College Athletic Conference

Division III Tournament MVP last season, when she scored four goals in the team’s three games despite aggravating an ankle injury in the semifinal match.

Rosenzweig set school records in both career wins and shutouts last weeks. She now has 36 career victories and 21 shutouts and has only allowed 13 goals in the team’s 18 games this season.

“They’ve both had an awesome four years, and I’m going to miss them terribly,” Dallamora said of Gorenkoff and Rosenzweig. “I don’t want them to go at all. … The whole team will miss them. They’re super players, super people, and they’re going to be super in the real world.”

The No. 1 Judges will next host No. 8 Castelton College in the opening quarterfinal round of the ECAC Tournament tomorrow at 6 p.m.

If they win, the Judges will play in the semifinals and final round of the tournament this weekend. Brandeis will host each round of the tournament in which the Judges advance.

—Ian Cutler contributed reporting.

Photo courtesy of Hay Kranen, Wikipedia Creative Commons

THE JUSTICE

2

consecutive Eastern College Athletic Conference Championship titles for the women’s soccer team entering this year’s ECAC Championships.

6

more points scored by the University of Chicago than the Brandeis volleyball team last Friday in its sweep over the Judges. The score was 25-23, 2725, 25-23.

5

seniors on the men’s soccer team who played their last game as Brandeis Judges last Saturday in a 3-2 home loss to New York University.

1

career triple-double for volleyball captain and setter Abby Blasco ’11, which she recorded last weekend at the conference championships. Blasco recorded 11 kills, 12 digs and 42 assists in a five-set loss to Case Western Reserve University.

15

more goals scored by the women’s soccer team than goals allowed throughout the entire season.

ASHER KRELL/Justice File Photo

LAST LINE OF DEFENSE: Goalie Hillary Rosenzweig ’10 holds the ball in a game Oct. 30. a really good team and really good teammates through these four years. My advice is to play hard and trust your teammates.”

Rosenzweig is saddened by the conclusion of her career but knows that the team is in good hands and hopes her teammates

continue to improve as a group.

“I wish them the best and [that they] do the school proud,” she said.

—Jonathan Steinberg

UAA STANDINGS Men’s Soccer

Women’s Soccer

Not including Monday’s games

Not including Monday’s games

UAA Conference WL T Carnegie 5 1 1 Rochester 5 1 1 Chicago 5 1 1 Washington 3 4 0 Emory 2 3 2 New York 2 3 2 JUDGES 1 5 1 Case 0 5 2

UAA Conference W LT Washington 5 1 1 Rochester 5 11 Chicago 4 21 JUDGES 3 31 Case 3 31 Emory 2 32 Carnegie 1 42 New York 0 61

Overall W L T Pct. 14 2 1 .853 12 1 3 .844 12 3 3 .750 9 7 3 .553 12 4 2 .722 7 8 2 .471 6 10 2 .389 7 8 4 .474

W 14 12 14 9 9 8 6 9

L 3 3 3 6 6 5 8 8

T 1 3 1 3 3 5 2 1

Overall Pct. .806 .750 .806 .583 .583 .583 .438 .528

TEAM LEADERS MSoccer (points)

WSoccer (points)

Forward Alexander Farr ’12 led the Judges with 14 points this season.

Forwards Mimi Theodore ’12 leads the team with 22 points this year.

Player Alexander Farr Matt Peabody Corey Bradley Sam Ocel Two tied with...

Player Mimi Theodore Tiffany Pacheco Melissa Gorenkoff Sofia Vallone Two tied with...

Points 14 10 10 6 5

Points 22 20 14 11 5

Volleyball (kills)

Volleyball (digs)

Outside hitter Paige Blasco ’11 leads the Judges with 409 kills.

Outside hitter Paige Blasco ’11 leads the team with 336 digs.

Player Paige Blasco Piera Carfagno Nicole Smith Bridget McAllister Abby Blasco

Player Paige Blasco Abby Blasco Bridget McAllister Piera Carfagno Anna Homitsky

Kills 409 274 217 190 131

Digs 336 313 299 286 280

UPCOMING GAME OF THE WEEK WBBALL at Worcester Polytechnic Institute The women’s basketball team will open its season at WPI Sunday at 1 p.m.

11

sets decided by 5 or fewer points in the volleyball’s 15 sets played in the UAA Championships.

15

BCS standings show Texas and Alabama switch and TCU on rise

■ The women’s soccer goalie added to her career wins and shutout school records last Saturday in a 1-0 home victory over New York University to close out the regular season.

Judging numbers

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2009

AP BRIEFS

ATHLETE OF THE WEEK Hillary Rosenzweig ’10

One week after her record-setting performance against the University of Chicago in which she broke the school’s career wins and shutout marks, women’s soccer goalie Hillary Rosenzweig ’10 continued her dominance last Saturday at home against New York University.

Rosenzweig earned her 36th career win and 21st career shutout while saving eight shots on goal in the Judges’ 1-0 regularseason finale victory over the Violets to propel the team to a No. 1 seed in the Eastern College Athletic Conference tournament starting tomorrow.

Rosenzweig finished the regular season with an impressive 85 saves for a save percentage of .867. She also allowed only 13 goals all season in 18 games, helping to earn the team eight wins and playing in seven shutouts.

When asked about the season, Rosenzweig said she was very proud that the team won so many games against tough teams.

“I thought we had some huge wins this season,” Rosenzweig said. “We beat some teams we haven’t beat in years.”

With her shutout over NYU, Rosenzweig wrapped up her regular season career as a member of the women’s soccer team.

Leaving the team with two significant records to her credit at season’s end, Rosenzweig said that future goalkeepers could have just as good of a chance at achieving the same accomplishments she did if put in the right situations.

“Anything is possible,” she said. “I had

●

Last season, the women’s basketball team defeated Worcester Polytechnic Institute 67-54 in the team’s season opener at Brandeis. The Judges went on to go 20-8 before losing to Amherst College in the Sectional Finals in the NCAA Tournament.

This season, the team opens its season at WPI on Sunday at 1 p.m. Brandeis will

look for D3hoops.com fourth-team allAmerican and team captain guard Jessica Chapin ’10 to start the season on a strong note.

Last year, the Engineers went 24-6 while going 12-1 in New England Women’s and Men’s and Conference play. The team went on to win its conference tournament.

NEW YORK—All those blowouts have carried Texas Christian University to unprecedented heights in the Bowl Championship Series standings, giving the Horned Frogs hope—however slim—of becoming the first BCS buster to break into the national championship game.

TCU took over fourth place in the BCS standings Sunday behind Florida, Alabama and Texas. It’s the highest BCS ranking ever for a team from a conference without an automatic bid to the big-money bowl games. No potential BCS buster had ever done better than sixth in the BCS standings.

Florida is first for the fourth straight week, and Alabama and Texas switched spots for the second week in a row.

The Gators and Crimson Tide have clinched their respective divisions in the Southeastern Conference and will meet Dec. 5 in the league championship game. One of them is all but guaranteed a spot in the BCS title game on Jan. 7 in Pasadena, Calif. if they can get through the next month without a loss.

The same goes for Texas, which has three regular-season games and possibly the Big 12 championship remaining.

The other undefeated teams—TCU, Cincinnati and Boise State—need the top three to stumble to have any shot of reaching the title game.

The Horned Frogs (.8620) moved up two spots and are just ahead of Cincinnati (.8579) and Boise State (.8125).

Each is 9-0 with three games left.

TCU has been rising by racking up lopsided victories.

The Horned Frogs have won their last four games by an average score of 44-8.

Meanwhile, Boise State has played close games against Tulsa and Louisiana Tech in the last month, two teams with losing records. Cincinnati struggled to put away Connecticut in a wild 47-45 victory on Saturday night.

TCU is ranked fourth in both the Harris and coaches’ polls and in the compilation of six computer rankings used by the BCS. Cincinnati is fifth in the two polls and third in the computer ratings, while Boise State is sixth across the board.

BCS analyst Jerry Palm said TCU could still have a hard time getting into the BCS title game even if the teams in front of it lose and the Frogs keep winning.

Cincinnati from the Big East has a tougher schedule down the stretch and could pass the Horned Frogs. Plus, there’s no guarantee that in the end a one-loss team would not get more support from poll voters than TCU. “If they have to vote for No. 2, are they going to vote for a TCU team ahead of an 11-1 Georgia Tech or a 12-1 Alabama if their only loss is to Florida?” Palm said.

The Horned Frogs and Broncos are also competing to earn the one automatic bid that non-automatic bid conferences can earn by finishing in the top 12 of the final standings.

TCU plays Mountain West Conference rival Utah on Saturday. A win there for the Horned Frogs could provide even more separation between them and Boise State, which does not have another ranked team on its schedule.

Phil Mickelson tops Tiger Woods and Ernie Els at Shanghai SHANGHAI—Thousands of fans caused a bottleneck at the entrance to the HSBC Champions, all of them eager to see the Sunday showdown at Sheshan International between Phil Mickelson and Tiger Woods.

The Shanghai surprise? Woods turned out to be merely a spectator, too.

Mickelson built a six-shot lead over the world’s No. 1 player on the front nine, then rallied to beat another familiar foe, Ernie Els, with two clutch putts for a one-shot victory in the final World Golf Championship of the year.

Mickelson closed with a 3-under-par 69 and won for the first time playing with Woods in the final group.

Even with Woods out of the picture—he shot 72 and wound up five shots behind—Mickelson provided his usual dose of entertainment.

Trailing by one shot, Mickelson whiffed on a risky flop shot below the 16th green only to save par with perhaps his best putt of the year, an 18-foot slider that dropped on its final turn. He followed that with a 10-foot birdie on the 17th, which turned out to be the difference when Els hit into the water on the par-5 18th and made bogey.

“We all expected that Tiger and myself would be shooting in the mid-60s and pull away a little bit,” Mickelson said. “And yet our group was not making any birdies. It was the groups in front of us. And I was very fortunate to come out on top by a shot. But this feels terrific, because I had to fight very hard throughout the day. Nothing came easy.”

That was particularly true for Woods.

He looked out of sorts from the start, missing birdie putts of 4 feet and 10 feet, then taking double bogey on the par-3 fourth when he hit into a canal left of the green where residents on the other side routinely dump their garbage.

Hearing a series of camera shutters in the middle of his swing on No. 7 caused him to hit his tee shot into a plugged lie in the bunker, and it took Woods three shots to cover the final 75 yards and reach the green for another bogey.

“Anything that could go wrong went wrong for me today,” Woods said. “Just one of those days.”

It ended with a wedge too strong that went down the bank and into the water on the 18th, then having to wait for Mickelson to tap in for par and walk off the green to affectionate applause.

In the last four times Woods has played in the final group dating to the PGA Championship in August, he has won only once. And the last three times he and Mickelson have played together in the final round, Lefty has come out on top every time.

“It always feels good to win any tournament, but certainly when you have a chance to go head-to-head,” Mickelson said. “Although I know [Woods] didn’t play his best today.”

just

Sports

Page 16

ULTIMATE IS ULTIMATE The Ultimate Frisbee team is a united squad that had a successful fall season, p. 13.

Tuesday, November 10, 2009

CHANCE FOR A THREE-PEAT

Waltham, Mass.

MEN’S SOCCER

Team’s season ends in close home defeat ■ The men’s soccer team

dropped its season finale to New York University 3-2 and finished the season with a 6-10-2 record.

By JEFFREY BOXER JUSTICE STAFF WRITER

MAX BREITSTEIN MATZA/the Justice

BATTLING: Midfiedler Ellie Einhorn ’11 fights for the ball against a New York University defender in the team’s win last Saturday.

Judges get No. 1 seed in ECACs after win over NYU ■ The women’s soccer team

earned the top seed in the Eastern College Athletic Association Championships.

By MELISSA SIEGEL JUSTICE SENIOR WRITER

Early in the first half of the women’s soccer team’s regular season finale against New York University, forward Tiffany Pacheco ’11 sent a solid crossing pass to midfielder Mimi Theodore ’12, who appeared to be in a prime position to head the ball home to break a scoreless tie. Theodore, though, did not get a good shot on the ball and headed it wide of the net. When she got a second chance at the tie-breaking goal just 65 seconds into the second half, however, Theodore did not disappoint.

Theodore headed in a pass from forward Melissa Gorenkoff ’10, who placed the ball perfectly from the end line to set up the only goal of a 1-0 victory for the Judges. The win put Brandeis at 9-6-3 and 3-3-1 in University Athletic Association play.

“I made sure that I was in the correct spot to be able to get the right position on it,” Theodore said. “I knew that

I just definitely had to focus where I had to be when [Gorenkoff] had the ball going [to the] end line, and she just placed it perfectly and I was able to run on to it and just follow through.

Most of the time I have to go far post, and sometimes I go too much to the middle, so when that happens I usually misjudge the ball, and I don’t get the right power and the right direction on the ball.”

The Judges finished the season fourth in the UAA and sixth in the New England Region, putting them on the outside of the NCAA field of 63 teams that will have a chance at a National Championship. The team did earn a No. 1 seed in the Eastern College Athletic Conference Division III New England Women’s Soccer Championship tournament and will look to win its third consecutive title in the eight-team field.

Coach Denise Dallamora said she was not surprised that the team missed the NCAAs, saying the squad would have had to have finished at least third or fourth in the region to receive a bid. She was disappointed, however, in the team’s final UAA standing behind Washington University in St. Louis, the University of Rochester and the University of Chicago, after Chicago defeated the

conference’s top team, WashU, 3-0 to close out its season.

“If Chicago had lost [last Sunday against WashU] we would have been third. WashU and Chicago played each other at the end [of the season], and in the last few years WashU had secured the title already and play [Chicago] when they have nothing to lose,” Dallamora said. “If WashU had to win to secure the conference, it would have been a different game.”

Dallamora was excited, however, about the team’s chance to win a third straight ECAC Championships.

“It’s fun,” she said. “We absolutely [are motivated to win]. We want an ECAC hat trick.”

Against NYU, the Judges outshot the Violets 8-7 in an evenly played first half. However, in the second half, the Violets put the pressure on, getting off 12 shots compared to the Judges’ four.

“We just didn’t play the feet, that’s all,” Dallamora said. “Possession is passing to feet, so we just had to play a little bit of kick and run. We kind of lost our tempo late into the game.”

Much of this pressure came off of NYU corner kicks. The Violets had seven in the second half, including five in an 11-minute span from the 49th to 60th minute. At one point in the half,

See WSOCCER, 13 ☛

With just a few seconds left in the men’s soccer team’s season finale at home against University Athletic Association rival New York University, forward Corey Bradley ’10 and the rest of the Judges were desperately trying to put the finishing touches on a furious comeback.

After trailing 3-1 with 2 minutes to play, Bradley scored to cut the deficit in half, but Bradley’s final shot as a Judge with just 22 seconds on the clock went just wide of the net, ending all hope for the team and the careers of Bradley and four of his senior teammates with a 3-2 NYU victory The loss dropped Brandeis to 610-2 on the year, including a 1-5-1 record in UAA play. The Judges finished seventh in the conference, while the Violets’ 2-3-2 conference record (7-8-2 overall) was good enough for fifth.

Goalie Matt Lynch ’11 said that the team was resilient until the end of the game and badly wanted the victory.

“We knew that there was still time left on the clock and anything could happen,” Lynch said.

“It was the end of the season, so we just wanted to play hard for the seniors and do well for them.”

The first half was relatively quiet compared to the second.

NYU scored the only goal of the half and took a 1-0 lead into halftime on senior Brandon Hintz’s first goal of the season in the 27th minute.

Brandeis answered quickly in the second half, scoring just 7 minutes into the period.

In the 52nd minute, forward Lee Russo ’13 played a nice ball into the NYU far corner for midfielder Sam Ocel ’13.

Ocel ran down the ball and used several nice fakes to beat the last NYU line of defense just inside the box. From there, the Brandeis midfielder blasted a shot that was stopped by NYU senior goalkeeper Marek Urbanski. However, Ocel retrieved his own rebound and tapped the ball into the open net to knot the game at one

apiece. “[That] was a huge goal for us because it tied up the game,” Lynch said.

NYU scored the next two goals to jump ahead 3-1. In the 67th minute, sophomore Adam Fein sent a ball across the mouth of the net, and rookie Kyle Green barely beat Lynch to the ball and put it home. Just 9 minutes later, Hintz scored his second goal of the game to double the Violets’ lead.

Fein assisted this goal as well, this time putting a cross into the box that Hintz headed in.

Brandeis began to battle back almost immediately.

Led by Bradley and classmate Jamie Batista ’10, the Judges spent much of the last 15 minutes with the ball on the NYU side of the field. The pressure finally paid off when Bradley and Batista hooked up in the 88th minute to cut the lead to 3-2. Batista found an open Bradley with a through ball into the box, and Bradley sent the ball into the lower righthand corner of the net. The goal was the third of the season for the team’s captain.

However, the rally finished just short as the Judges were unable to strike again.

Coach Mike Coven gave credit to Bradley and the rest of the senior class for their great careers.

After an all-UAA season last year, Coven felt that Bradley was “even more complete this year, playing great defense in addition to being a complete offensive player.”

Summing up the captain’s career, the coach stated that Bradley “has just been terrific.”

All five of the Judges’ seniors were hampered by injuries for much of their career, including Bradley, who missed most of his first year with a bruised heel.

Batista missed a significant amount of time in his sophomore and junior years with a series of concussions.

After recovering, coach Coven said that “we needed him to come back at full strength, and he’s done really well for us.”

Forward Mike Silverstein ’10 also missed a lot of time but was an essential element for the Brandeis squad. After a great campaign last year, Silverstein blew out his knee.

He missed the end of last season and the beginning of this one, but Silverstein came back and helped

See MSOCCER, 13 ☛

VOLLEYBALL

Squad goes 1-3 in UAA finals and will play in ECAC Championships ■ The volleyball team lost

three of four matches last weekend but will still compete in the postseason.

By JOSH ASEN JUSTICE EDITORIAL ASSISTANT

After upsetting Carnegie Mellon University by a score of 3-1, the volleyball team faced off against Case Western Reserve University and coach Karen Chambers Farell ’93 for fifth place in the University Athletic Association Championship in Chicago last Saturday. After splitting the first four sets, the teams moved to a fifth set, in which Case Western narrowly defeated Brandeis 15-12 to take the match. The loss put the Judges in sixth place at the end of the weekend after they opened the championships

with two straight losses last Friday.

The team finished the regular season with a record of 18-16 (2-9 in UAA play). The Judges did, however, reach the Eastern College Athletic Conference championships, a bid that the team received last season but did not accept due to multiple injuries.

This season, the Judges are the No. 2 seed in the ECAC tournament.

In the loss to Case, all five sets were decided by margins of 5 points or fewer, and three were decided by 3 points. The final score was 25-22, 20-25, 25-22, 22-25, 15-13.

Coach Michele Kim thought the loss to Case was especially difficult due to the close scores in each of the sets.

“Our match against Case Western was a close match with tight scoring in all five sets,” Kim said in an e-mail to the Justice. “It was a tough loss since it was such a close game, and it’s always heartbreaking to lose a hard-

fought match.”

Captain and setter Abby Blasco ’11 recorded the first triple-double of her career in the loss, finishing with 11 kills, 12 digs and 42 assists.

“Abby played well this weekend,” Kim wrote. “She is our setter so she is in charge of running our offense, and she has improved a lot on distributing sets for our hitters.”

Outside hitter Paige Blasco ’11 contributed 17 kills and 17 digs of her own in the loss, while captain and right setter Piera Carfagno ’10 recorded 12 kills.

On the defensive side, middle blocker Nicole Smith ’11 had a career-high 11 blocks, one of which was solo.

Before facing Case Western, the Judges defeated Carnegie Mellon University in four sets by a score of 2513, 25-18, 27-29, 25-16.

“Winning the Carnegie Mellon match was huge for us since it has

been a while since we beat them in the championship weekend,” Kim said.

“By winning that match, we placed third place in our pool, which meant that we were guaranteed to finish higher than the seventh seed, which is where we entered the tournament.”

Paige Blasco registered 20 kills and 13 digs in the win for her 10th doubledouble of the season. It was the fourth time that she has recorded at least 20 kills this fall.

Outside hitter/middle blocker Bridget McAllister ’10 had 11 kills and did not record an error, resulting in a hitting percentage of .367. Abby Blasco contributed as well with 46 assists and 10 digs, resulting in her team-leading 14th double-double.

In the first match of the tournament last Friday, the Judges were swept by defending national champion Emory University 25-21, 25-16, 25-21.

The match was highlighted by the

play of the Blasco sisters, as Paige had 12 kills while Abby had 26 assists in the loss.

In their second match last Friday, the Judges were swept by the University of Chicago by a mere total of 6 points. The final score of the match was 25-23, 27-25, 25-23.

Both Paige Blasco and Smith had a team-leading 10 kills, which gave Smith a hitting percentage of .562. The Blasco sisters, along with Carfagno, had a team-high eight digs in the loss.

Brandeis continues its season tomorrow when it hosts No. 7 ColbySawyer College in an opening quarterfinal match in the ECAC Tournament.

Prior to declining a bid at the ECACs last season, the Judges were the twotime reigning champions at the tournament.

If Brandeis wins tomorrow, it will play Saturday in the semifinals at a place to be determined.

November 10, 2009

just

ARTS ‘A Chorus

Line’

reaches new heights p. 19

Photos: Asher Krell/the Justice. Design: Julian Agin-Liebes and Robyn Spector/the Justice.

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THE JUSTICE

POP CULTURE

INSIDE ON CAMPUS

18-19

■ ‘A Chorus Line’ 19 Tympanium Euphorium’s ensemble cast staged a skillful and moving production of the popular Broadway musical about dancers.

20 ■ Ben Folds concert During the much-anticipated Student Events fall concert, Folds showed both sarcastic and sincere sides as he played fan favorites.

OFF CAMPUS

19-24

■ International bakery experience 21 Two Justice writers embarked on a tour of pastry shops in the Boston area to experience world culture through their desserts.

22 ■ ‘Avenue Q’ The touring cast of the puppet-filled musical will arrive in Boston this week to begin a short run of the play at the Colonial Theatre.

22 ■ ‘I Told You I Was Freaky’ The new album by musical comedy duo Flight of the Conchords did not live up to the humor of the pair’s HBO show or its previous work.

23 ■ Mr. Crepe The casual Brookline, Mass. restaurant offers delectable cuisine apt for any meal.

23 ■ ‘The Men Who Stare at Goats’ George Clooney stars in a new film about a journalist writing a story on soldiers in the U.S. Army who want to apply their believed psychic abilities to warfare in Iraq.

CALENDAR

INTERVIEW

by Marianna Faynshteyn

There are certain familiar faces who cannot help but give interviews, deliver performances or just generally behave without the earth parting into two—a Red Sea effect, if you will, of consequential publicity. The subjects of this week’s column are our very own teen queens of pop music, Taylor Swift and Miley Cyrus.

Taylor Swift was up as Saturday Night Live ’s host this week and, as expected, offered up a Saturday night’s worth of cuteness. But additionally, the lanky blonde proved she had some chutzpah. Her opening monologue consisted of references to confrontation-fearing Joe Jonas, her namesake werewolf sweetheart (Taylor Lautner), and Mr. (Kanye) West, who was not in the building. She accomplished all this via a guitar ballad, titled “My Monologue Song (lalala).”

Taylor’s SNL performance will likely be a professional landmark for the teen star. The simple act of doubling as host and musical guest is a feat in and of itself, not to mention the surprising range—not awe-inspiring, but worthy of remarks that would inspire more than just an “aww”—she demonstrated.

Swift’s country-pop counterpart Miley Cyrus was not so inspiring. Seated between two toddler twin girls in a tight-fitting Pocahontas costume, Ms. Cyrus proved she was just being Miley when, handler-less, the 16-year-old again offered up her unique gift of word vomit. When asked by an unassuming interviewer (who was the twins’ father) backstage at MileyWood about her latest single, “Party in the USA,” Miley responded to the man’s innocuous questions with damaging information, mentioning, “I don’t like pop music,” and “I’ve never heard a Jay-Z

Chybowski illuminates ‘Game of Love and Chance’ ■ In an e-mail interview with

justArts, the lighting designer spoke about his work on Brandeis Theater Company’s production of the play by Pierre de Marivaux.

DANA EDELSON/The Associated Press

TUNEFUL TAYLOR: Taylor Swift appeared on ‘Saturday Night Live’ as host and musical guest. song.” Best part? Given absolutely no provocation, Miley admitted that she only picked the song as a single because she “needed something to go with her clothing line.” The segment had the singer teetering on the line between career suicide and triumph, and though it seems like quite a silly series of things to say (and publicize on your own Web site), the consequence of the act remains to be seen. Who knows? Maybe this will grant Miley the professional freedom she's always wanted.

What’s happening in Arts on and off campus

Poetry reading Franz Wright and Elizabeth Oehlkers Wright will unite for their first reading together.

Franz Wright is a Pulitzer Prize-winning poet who recently served as the Jacob Ziskind Poetin-Residence. His wife, Elizabeth Oehlkers Wright, is a translator of contemporary German poets. Refreshments will be served.

Today from 4:30 to 6 p.m. in the DuBois Lounge, Rabb 119.

‘The Horse Boy’ After his son Rowan was diagnosed with autism, Rupert Isaacson decided to take the boy to Mongolia in hopes that the shamanic healing practiced there could help him. This documentary film tells the story of the Isaacson family’s unusual journey. Rupert Isaacson will be on hand afterward for a question-and-answer session. This event is part of Autism Awareness Week.

Today from 9 to 11 p.m. in the Olin-Sang Auditorium.

‘Autism: The Musical’ This inspirational HBO documentary follows a group of children with autism as they collaborate to create and perform an original musical. This event is part of Autism Awareness Week.

Tomorrow from 9 to 11 p.m. in the Golding Auditorium.

‘The Game of Love and Chance’ This 1730 play by Pierre de Marivaux tells the story of an arranged marriage that goes hilariously awry due to multiple cases of mistaken identity. This production of the Brandeis Theater Company was directed by Prof. Janet Morrison (THA).

Tickets for students are $9 for Thursday and $10 for Friday and Saturday. Thursday through Saturday from 8 to 10 p.m. in the Laurie Theater.

Friday Music Breaks@3 In this week’s installment of the Music department’s coffeehouse series, musicians Sharan Leventhal (violin) and Paulina Zamora (piano) will play works by contemporary masters from the Americas.

Friday from 3 to 4 p.m. in the Slosberg Recital Hall.

WHAT’S ON?

PHOTO BY CINDY GOLD/HBO

CREATIVE MINDS: ‘Autism: The Musical’ tells the story of (from left) Neal, Adam, Lexi, Henry and Wyatt, autistic children who are preparing a musical. The movie screens Wednesday at 9 p.m.

Commonwealth Brass Quintet The group, which consists of Sgt. Sammy Costa, Trumpet, Spc. Russell Correia, Trumpet, Spc. Nicholas A. Brown ’10, horn, Sgt. Mark Alves, Trombone and SSG Robert Needs, Tuba, is part of the 215th Army Band, also known as “The Governor’s Own.” The ensemble will perform works for brass quintet in order to celebrate Veterans Day as well as to honor the life of Sen. Ted Kennedy. Prof.

Pamela Wolfe (MUS), soprano, will join them.

Friday from 8 to 10 p.m. in the Slosberg Recital Hall.

Psalms: The Judeo-Christian Tradition During this performance by the Brandeis University Chorus and Chamber Choir under the direction of Prof. James Olesen (MUS), the choral groups will perform selections from Franz Joseph Haydn’s The Creation, Felix Mendelssohn’s Elijah and settings of Psalms 23 and 130 as conceived by Johann Sebastian Bach, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Igor Stravinsky, Henry Purcell, and many others.

Tickets are $5 for students and $10 for the gen-

eral public. Saturday from 8 to 10 p.m. in the Slosberg Recital Hall.

Wind Ensemble performance The Brandeis University Wind Ensemble, directed by Thomas Souza, will perform music from south of the border, including works from Mexico, Puerto Rico, and Brazil.

Tickets are $5 for students and $10 for the general public. Sunday from 3 to 5 p.m. in the Slosberg Recital Hall.

Amos Oz: An Israeli Perspective The Schusterman Center for Israel Studies will bring the prominent Israeli writer to campus to speak about his personal views on Israel and discuss the art of storytelling. Oz was an early proponent of a two-state solution to the Israel-Palestine conflict. His work has been translated into 36 languages, making him the most translated Israeli author according to the Institute for the Translation of Hebrew Literature.

Sunday from 7 to 9 p.m. in the Hassenfeld Conference Center.

JustArts: Many of the professors in the theater department work on outside projects. Have you done lighting design (or some other kind of theater-related project) on any non-Brandeis projects lately?

Michael Chybowski: Currently I am working on an adaptation of the Carson McCullers novel The Heart Is A Lonely Hunter at New York Theatre Workshop in Manhattan. In fact it begins technical rehearsals while the Marivaux is still in rehearsals. Ben Williams will take over for me at Brandeis when I have to leave to begin those rehearsals, and Jake Bray will assist him. I am also currently working on a production of Romeo & Juliet for The Acting Company at the Guthrie Theatre, a new dance by Mark Morris entitled “Socrate”, and a production of A Little Night Music that is being directed by Isaac Mizrahi. The professors in the theatre program all design shows outside of the department. It is particularly important in a professional training program that the teachers are part of the professional world.

JA: How did you come to find that you wanted to specialize in lighting design, as a young student?

MC: That is a very long story. Suffice to say that at a certain point I became addicted to the process of designing. For me there is no other experience that engages every part of my intellect and personality in so complete a way.

JA: Do you have any advice for Brandeis students trying to break into the realm of theatrical design?

MC: It is extremely difficult to make a career of it right now. For undergraduates, I would advise working in professional theatre as an assistant or as a crew member for a couple of years to get a sense of whether this world is one that you want to enter. It takes a lot of stubbornness and a lot of persistence.

JA: Can you tell us a little about the work you are doing on Game of Love and Chance?

Are you currently working on any other oncampus plays in addition to that one?

MC: In talks with the director, Janet Morrison, and the other designers, what we decided that we wanted the lighting to convey is a sense of lightness. In the Marivaux, no one has to worry about getting hungry, going to the bathroom, or any of the other mundane things that happen to us every day. The characters all float above the ordinary in a rarified world, and we wanted the light to feel this way.

JA: What’s next for you—both in terms of on-campus and off-campus projects? Are you working on the spring plays at Brandeis? If so, what kinds of ideas are you coming up with for those?

MC: This is the only play that I am working on at Brandeis this year. I seem to do one show at Brandeis every two years—“Tommy” a few years ago and Threepenny Opera two years ago are the shows I’ve done here. Ben Williams will be designing the lighting for Funnyhouse of a Negro, and Jake Bray will be designing the Shakespeare. Chesapeake Weaver, a third year set designer, will be lighting the new play workshop this spring.

—Andrea Fineman

Top 10s for the week ending Nov.10

Box Office

College Radio

Billboard

WBRS

1. Disney’s A Christmas Carol 2. Michael Jackson’s This Is It 3. The Men Who Stare at Goats 4. The Fourth Kind 5. Paranormal Activity 6. The Box 7. Couples Retreat 8. Law Abiding Citizen 9. Where the Wild Things Are 10. Astro Boy

1. Monsters of Folk – Monsters of Folk 2. Raveonettes – In and Out of Control 3. Yo La Tengo – Popular Songs 4. Arctic Monkeys – Humbug 5. Islands – Vapours 6. Sea Wolf – White Water, White Bloom 7. Why? – Eskimo Snow 8. Avett Brothers – I and Love and You 9. Compilation – Everything Goes Wrong 10. Muse – The Resistance

1. Michael Jackson – Michael Jackson’s This Is It 2. Creed – Full Circle 3. Taylor Swift – Fearless 4. Rod Stewart – Soulbook 5. Trans-Siberian Orchestra – Night Castle 6. Sting – If On A Winter’s Night...

7. Michael Buble – Crazy Love 8. Soundtrack – The Twilight Saga: New Moon 9. Tim McGraw – Southern Voice 10. Jay-Z – The Blueprint 3

1. The Love Language – “Lalita” 2. Clare and the Reasons – “All the Wine” 3. The Flaming Lips – “The Ego’s Last Stand” 4. Junior Boys – “Hazel” 5. Arctic Monkeys – “Fire and the Thud” 6. Experimental Dental School – “Tear Brush” 7. The Swell Season – “Low Rising” 8. These United States – “End” 9. Girls – “Morning Light” 10. Zora Young – “Goin’ Back to Memphis”

Album information provided by Billboard Magazine. Box office information provided by Yahoo!Movies. Radio charts provided by CMJ.

THE JUSTICE

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TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2009

19

ON CAMPUS THEATER

‘A Chorus Line’ doesn’t miss a step ■ Tympanium Euphorium’s masterful production of the Tony Award-winning musical benefitted from the dancing and acting talent of its cast.

By SUJIN SHIN JUSTICE STAFF WRITER

It’s been a bit of time since I’ve started writing reviews for the Arts section of the Justice. By now, I’ve slipped into a pretty stable and reliable reviewing routine. I sit as close to the middle of the auditorium as possible. I turn off my cell phone and unwrap my soothing lozenge before the show begins. I make three columns on my sheets of notebook paper: Staging, Themes/Symbolism and Performers. Throughout the show, I take a lot of time to scribble on my papers; I take note of striking visuals, write down names of actors and just comment on the show in general. This universal scheme of annotation has always been helpful when I sit down to type out my thoughts. But Tymphanium Euphorium’s production of A Chorus Line was an exception. My pages are almost completely bare, my columns without any filler. This is the first time a theatrical performance had so completely captured my attention that I couldn’t pull away during the whole show to put my pen to paper.

Needless to say, it was fantastic.

The concept of A Chorus Line is ingenious. By circling around a dancing audition process, it taps into a well of emotion that most other shows can’t. All actors have had to face its subject material before— most of the cast probably felt the same sentiments auditioning for this

show as well. Some people can’t really pull off being a heroin-addicted druggie, a fledging opera star or a cat as some other shows may require.

Those are unknowable characters, and some actors fail at reaching beyond themselves to depict the character (that’s how we get the Keanu Reeves version of Dracula). But all performers have had to go through the harrowing audition process before. All have had to deal with the crushing and unforeseeable future of their professions. All have had to search, or plead, for acceptance by their parents. And because the story is so real for each actor on the stage, each portrayal feels raw and honest, without a trace of the unfortunate woodenness of premiere-night performers. Kudos to director Johanna Wickemeyer ’12 for using this great resource to create a tender depth in the show.

It isn’t enough to say that all members of the company were fine actors.

Because the show so easily facilitated great acting, great chemistry flowed among the cast as well. The right amount of friendly-butdecidedly-cutthroat sentiment buzzed in the makeshift dance studio on stage. And though most of the time they were presented in a line on stage (quite close to the audience, I might add), each actor took care to keep in character, even while doing nothing. Doug Friedman ’10 stayed the imperious yet grittily real director; Ell Getz ’13 remained as the Boricua Fire; Abigail Clarke ’12, the sassy older woman with a biting tongue. Those are just a few of the fine actors on the line.

Of the dancing, I was honestly impressed. A Chorus Line is difficult in that each actor must be a triple threat. And though not everyone was as fine a dancer as was required, I ap-

ASHER KRELL/the Justice

ENSEMBLE EFFORT: From left, Ell Getz ’13, Arielle Kaplan ’10 and Alex Davidson ’10 dance in the ensemble in ‘A Chorus Line.’ plaud the cast for still being enthusiastic and keeping the dancing strong, and I also applaud choreographers Greg Storella ’11 and Julie Judson ’11 for their work.

Though I quite sincerely commend each and every member of the cast for his or her fantastic performance that night, one performer stands out in my mind. Jared Greenberg ’12 plays Paul, a Puerto Rican who first worked in a drag show. An incredible singer and a highly sympathetic actor and dancer, Greenberg com-

pletely filled the auditorium with his voice and presence. When he performed his character’s monologue detailing Paul’s life before auditioning for the chorus line, I could not pull my eyes away from the stage.

His performance was arresting, emotionally alive without being overdone and deserving of the highest praise.

Since I prefer to watch straight plays, I don’t usually enjoy musicals.

To me, a portrayal of life in which people randomly burst into song

seems false and weird. The one musical I watched of my own accord (“watched” being a misleading term since I was in the last row of the last tier sitting in the leftmost corner of the theater and couldn’t really “watch” anything) was Les Miserables, a work that is one of the highlights of the year to most people. I found Les Miserables decent, stomachable really. But after watching A Chorus Line, I feel that maybe, just maybe, musicals might deserve a second chance in my book.

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THE JUSTICE

Soloists sounding off

GUITAR GAL: As a crowd of students watched (below), Sara Melson (above) opened for Folds with guitar and vocals during his perfomance at the Shapiro Athletic Center. Her music has been featured on ‘Grey’s Anatomy.’

PIANO MAN: Ben Folds provided a witty and personal musical experience for Brandeis students last Thursday.

Ben Folds took the stage for a heartfelt performance

By LIAT ZABLUDOVSKY JUSTICE CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Ben Folds, most famous for his upbeat, piano-driven pop songs, is that type of performer whose stage presence seems to play off the energy of his audience. Sitting at a worn black grand piano on the stage of the Shapiro Athletic Center, he looked slightly out of place, perhaps even uncomfortable. He seemed a man clearly accustomed to bigger things than university concerts, a fact he certainly was aware of. Folds appeared to hold an odd contempt for his audience; he noted that they were “great for a gymnasium crowd” and explained multiple times (once in song form) that he originally did not

want to perform at Brandeis —strong words for a supposedly third-choice performer.

While listing the names of the songs that Folds played would sufficiently describe the important parts of the night, in order to characterize the entire performance I would only need two adjectives: energetic (though not energizing) and emotive.

Specifically, Folds slowed down his live performance of the cheerful Ben Folds Five pop track “Emaline,” giving it a confiding, intimate tone. At points he seemed to incorporate an R&B influence, crooning in a falsetto that felt both passionate and poignant. Folds appeared to be connecting with the audience through this song, seeming for the first time as though he were sharing something

meaningful. He had, for the few minutes that “Emaline” lasted, captivated the audience with a song that was both beautiful and personal.

The entire gymnasium seemed to know the words to some of the more popular songs.

“Landed,” a slow, emotional song about regaining independence after a bad relationship, got the entire audience singing, as did “Zak and Sara,” a fun and fast-paced song about the budding relationship between a boy named Zak and a girl named Sara. “Army,” a perhaps autobiographical piece about the life of a cynical, continually rejected middle-aged man, had a similar effect.

Thankfully, the occasional spikes in the audience’s contribution got Folds to brighten his

typical sarcastic stage attitude a little. The audience’s participation appeared to be invigorating for Folds, lending a similarly hopeful quality to the three very different songs.

An hour into the show, when Folds’ numerous extended piano solos were beginning to get old, he joined the audience together for a three-part harmony of the song “Bastard.”

The combination of surroundsound vocals and the new, huge smile plastered to Folds’ face cemented the complex song as the best performance of the night. Written in several different time signatures, the fastpaced “Bastard” is not a particularly emotional song, but Folds quite literally pounded on the well-worn grand piano, breaking a key or

two in the process. His rendering of the song was raw and intense, a departure from the decidedly average performance of the song that he gives in the studio version on the album Songs for Silverman.

The concert itself was overall not a bad performance. Ben Folds played many of his familiar hits, and several drunk and excited college students were able to hear live piano pop performed by a very gifted albeit slightly abrasive piano player.

Fittingly, Folds finished off the night with an encore performance of “One Angry Dwarf and 200 Solemn Faces,” perhaps the angriest, most acerbic song ever to be played so cheerily on a beautiful old grand piano in the middle of the small stage of the Shapiro Athletic Center.

PHOTOS BY ROBYN SPECTOR/the Justice

THE JUSTICE

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TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2009

21

OFF CAMPUS

Boston’s great bakery escape

PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY ANDREA FINEMAN/the Justice

DANISH DELIGHTS: An employee stands at the counter of Danish Pastry House in Medford, which offers an array of desserts and breakfast foods ranging from a traditional chocolate cake to the bizarre “Jim’s Potato.”

The Hub offers many opportunities to sample pastries of other cultures

By MATT LAWRENCE and BEN SERBY JUSTICE STAFF WRITERS

ver the weekend, we undertook an expedition along with three friends into the world of exotic desserts. Our itinerary led us to international bakeries all around the metro area, where our palates were transported across the globe: Denmark across Europe to Turkey, all the way to China, then back to Eastern Europe and, finally, ending in Russia. What follows are our evaluations of the many tasty treasures we discovered along the way.

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Danish: Danish Pastry House 330 Boston Ave., Medford, Mass.

Our first stop was the uncreativelynamed Danish Pastry House at the edge of Tufts University. Airy and well lit, the café manages to be both spacious and cozy at the same time. Through vigilance and fierce jostling, our intrepid quintet was able to push together two tables and dig in. I had been here before and was lucky enough to have sampled their decadent Sacher Torte, based on the famous Viennese concoction. To my disappointment, they were out of that when I visited, so instead I picked the Danish chocolate cake, rationalizing that names were not this place’s strong suit, but that perhaps authenticity lurked behind the unimpressive nomenclature. This was easily the worst thing our group tried. This socalled cake, in actuality a very large brownie covered with shaved coconut, was certainly more than edible, but it was uninspired and hardly worth the almost-$4 price tag. The ham and cheese quiche was better, if no more original—a regular, satisfying quiche with a crust of perhaps above-average construction: crumbly and crispy enough to frame the gooey insides and not overwhelm the rich savory taste.

The blueberry square was much better. This pastry, essentially a traditional crisp/crumble dessert rendered in bar form, was excellently crafted.

The crumbly bits managed to be just crunchy enough, while complimenting the excellently moist fruity portion— too often, treats of this kind can be excessively dry. The blueberry, however, was an unfortunate choice; the flavor was too sweet and mellow and did not cut across the rest of the rich flour. I bit in hoping for cranberries, apples, or even blackberries, but the blueberries kept this very good dessert from being truly excellent. Jim’s Potato was easily

the most confounding and divisive selection but was still fairly delicious. A dark, oval concoction (which did bear a slight resemblance to the tuber), this pastry was made of cream cheese, marzipan and strawberry. The flavor was not unlike cheesecake but was somehow much mellower while also lighter and fluffier. I personally found this a most unusual treat but one for which the deliciousness was not at all overwhelmed by the novelty. Some felt it was the other way around and that this was just too bizarre to enjoy fully.

The Kringle slice was the consensus favorite: a delicate, fluffy slice of almondy goodness. The Danish Pastry House also serves sandwiches, soups, coffee, gelato, cakes and an assortment of brightly colored sugary creations—but with pastries like these, I’m not sure why anyone would bother. When you visit the House, take my advice: Pick whichever dessert has either the funniest name or the most marzipan.

Turkish: Sofra Bakery and Café 1 Belmont St., Cambridge, Mass.

Among bakeries in the Boston area, Sofra Bakery and Café, run by chef Ana Sortun of Oleana, is an obvious standout, right down to the external appearance of the building. Drivers on Route 16 between Waltham and Cambridge are no doubt often distracted by the unusual retro design of the small green structure, situated on a corner lot across from Mt. Auburn Cemetery.

Walk into the place on a Saturday afternoon and you’re bound to end up in the midst of a crowd of hungry customers waiting for their chance to sample the tempting fare. A glance at the menu dispels the sense that this is a standard gourmet sandwich and coffee shop: On the contrary, the offerings are primarily Turkish recipes. If one so desired, it would be possible (and certainly advisable) to order a “real meal” here, as the café serves a wide variety of salads, sandwiches and specialties.

But to ignore the sweets would be to miss the fun.

If you just want a beverage and a light treat, the sesame scones are a good choice. Essentially consisting of a sweet, fluffy bread of even consistency, coated in a crisp outer layer of sesame seeds, these scones are not too dry, nor are they lacking in flavor. But perhaps you’re in more of a dairy mood, in which case you won’t want to leave without tasting the kunefe. This is a Turkish dessert that has a filling of smooth haloumi cheese bounded by

two layers of sweet, crisp shredded pastry and spiced syrup with a sprinkling of various nuts. Be that as it may, the true jewel of the menu is the chocolate hazelnut baklava, a decadent twist on the traditional Middle Eastern pastry.

The construction is impeccably balanced and harmonious: moist without dripping, cohesive without it affecting the taste and flavorful without any one particular element overwhelming the others. Hours after having eaten one, I was still remembering it, and yes, my mouth was watering.

ANDREA FINEMAN/the Justice

TASTY TRAYS: Eldo Cake House arranges its tasty, colorful treats in a display case.

Chinese: Eldo Cake House 36 Harrison Ave., Boston Chinatown’s Eldo Cake House provided a relief to our wallets, if not our waistlines. Straying slightly from our sugarcoated path, we tried one of Eldo’s many savory pastries, the beef curry turnover. As a full-blooded American, I’m still slightly skeptical of this whole meats-baked-in-pastries thing, but if anything were to convert me, it would be this. Excellently flavored beef curry, neatly chopped, baked into a pastry that’s both crispy and flaky, is an excellent argument for embracing the unfamiliar, particularly when the unfamiliar is so delicious. The sponge cake is also very interesting; it tastes like the impossibly fluffy center of a croissant or even a popover, but sweeter and stickier. The egg tart is not exactly my style—a creamy and definitively eggy goo baked into a familiar crust. If you’re into that, this is the place to go. The pineapple bun, however, is still my favorite—some may call it bland, but to me it’s just infinitely subtle. The bun is essentially a classic brioche roll, lightly flavored with pineapple. It’s rather addicting, and also functions as a palate-cleansing pastry, something to keep in mind should you ever find yourself visiting five different bakeries in one day. The best part about Eldo Cake House? All of that cost about three bucks, less than any one item at most of the other bakeries.

Jewish: Cheryl Ann’s of Brookline 1010 West Roxbury Parkway, Chestnut Hill, Mass.

A suburban shopping center is not a place where one would expect to stumble across a quality sampling of traditional Jewish baking. But regardless of its unassuming and perhaps uninspired location, Cheryl Ann’s of Brookline provides every bit of what its reputation promises. Brandeis students

ANDREA FINEMAN/the Justice

PURIM PASTRIES: Cheryl Ann’s of Brookline offers poppy seed hamantaschen. have probably heard about or even purchased the legendary, shiny glazed challah from here. Here is the truth about their challah: It is that good. But if you go to Cheryl Ann’s, please don’t stop at the braided bread. The bakery also offers a selection of wonderful sweet treats that run the gamut from hamentaschen to babka. Fans of rugelach will enjoy their cinnamonapple-raisin and apricot flavors but should avoid chocolate (somewhat dry and bland) and raspberry (overwhelmingly sweet). Also noteworthy are the apple hamantaschen, which are huge.

The doughy crust on these is well crisped and not too thick, while the sweet flavor of apple filling, mixed with a hefty dose of cinnamon, provides the perfect complement to a skillfully balanced texture. Suffice it to say that these are worth coming back for.

Russian: Baza World Market 30 Tower Road, Newton Upper Falls, Mass.

Toward the back of this Russian supermarket, which is hidden in a back alley in Newton, lies the bakery section.

If, like me, you are not familiar with Russian cuisine, you might have a hard

time figuring out what to order. The woman behind the counter made a valiant effort to assist me, but as she spoke English with difficulty, her foodrelated vocabulary was limited, and of course included no non-Russian dishes with which to draw comparisons. In the end, I decided to take a shot at a few desserts that caught my eye. The appleand cherry-filled piroshki (stuffed buns) certainly turned out to be worth trying. The bread was delicious—very sweet and fluffy—though overall the ratio of bread to filling was higher than I had hoped. Next up came a strangelooking pastry called a margarita, essentially a creamy, sugary glob coated in a crumbly layer of light cookie crust.

Lastly, I purchased a slice of a mixed fruit and nut cake called muraveynik.

This was too dry and therefore less enjoyable than the previous two items, but still recommendable for its subtle tastes. As I learned, anyone who is making their first foray into the world of Russian desserts should embrace the mystery and not worry too much about what is in something as long as they try whatever looks appealing. Clearly Baza is a good place for such an immersion, given its large selection and diverse array of exclusively Russian items.

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TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2009

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THE JUSTICE

THEATER

‘Avenue Q’ blazes path to Boston ■ The Colonial Theatre will host the touring production of the Tony Award-winning play from Nov. 17 to 22. A justArts writer tells what’s so great about the show and what you can expect from this particular cast.

By SHELLY SHORE JUSTICE STAFF WRITER

Avenue Q, the Sesame Street-based musical that won three Tony Awards in 2004, is back on tour and coming to Boston. The 2009 touring cast will be hitting the Colonial Theatre from Tuesday, Nov. 17 through Sunday, Nov. 22.

Written by Robert Lopez and Jeff Marx, Avenue Q tells the cheerful, expletive-heavy story of Princeton (Brent Michael DiRoma), a recent college grad with an exceptionally useless degree (in English—Brandeis students, can we relate?), who moves into a new neighborhood in New York. There, he meets a slew of fun people, including Kate Monster (Jacqueline Grabois), roommates Rod and Nicky (Diroma and Jason Heymann), porn-obsessed Trekkie Monster (Heymann), engaged couple Brian (Tim Kornblum) and Christmas Eve (Lisa Helmi Johanson), and of course the superintendent of the apartment complex, Gary Coleman—yes, that Gary Coleman (Nigel Jamaal Clark).

Several of the characters of Avenue Q have clear resemblances to their Sesame Street counterparts. Rod and Nicky play homage to Bert and Ernie (though they aren’t as subtle about the gay undertones as the kid-friendly versions of their characters), while Trekkie Monster is a shoutout to Cookie Monster—just replace the cookie addiction with Internet porn. Despite the obvious homage to Sesame Street, though, no one can really call Avenue Q family-friendly. Through overly cheerful songs, the show addresses issues like racism (“Everyone’s A Little Bit Racist”), homosexuality (“If You Were Gay”) and pornography (“The Internet is for Porn”). On the bright side, the show also touches on the importance of love (“The More You Ruv Someone”) and charity (“The Money Song”).

What makes the show so unique is the puppetry. Out of the entire cast, only Brian, Christmas Eve, and Gary Coleman (“Gaaaaaaary Coleman!”) are played as real humans. All the other characters are puppets: Sesame Street-inspired, dancing, singing, copulating puppets. And when I say copulating, by the way, I mean copulating—the song “Loud as the Hell You Want (When You’re Making Love)” comes complete with a very vocally graphic puppet sex scene. Think Team America but with a much catchier soundtrack.

The show begins with Princeton, fresh out of college, coming to Avenue Q looking for a place to live. Once he moves in, he begins to learn about all the hardships that come with “real life”—bills, job searches, relationship woes and other such delightful things. Brandeisians, take note—Avenue Q can be taken as a lighthearted preview of life post-graduation!

(Though chances are, our lives will involve a little less coordinated song and dance, with the exception of our wonderful Theater Arts majors.) Deciding that his life needs some

JOHN DAUGHTRY/Broadway Across America

PUPPETMASTERS: The touring cast of the Broadway musical ‘Avenue Q’ will arrive at Boston’s Colonial Theatre this week to perform their witty puppet theatrics. meaning, Princeton dedicates himself to finding his purpose in life. He also gets into a romance with Kate Monster, which causes all sorts of drama.

In addition to Princeton’s story, the subplots of the show are just as fun. Rod and Nicky, longtime roommates, dance around the issue of Rod’s possible homosexuality until the metaphorical you-know-what hits the fan, Kate Monster deals with the troubles and trials of being a kindergarten teacher while still maintaining a social life, and Gary Coleman … is Gary Coleman. Enough said.

With a Tony Award for Best Original Score, the music is possibly the best part of Avenue Q. While absolutely shameless in its lyrics, the bright, cheerful songs are easy to follow and even easier to enjoy. They might seem simple—again, when you’re basing your music off of Sesame Street, it’s easy to see why the songs can feel a bit childish, until you listen to the lyrics, at least—but they’re well performed and catchy as hell. It’s no surprise that most audiences leave the theater singing.

While the show itself is a blast, die-hard fans of the original cast might find the touring cast a bit hard to adjust to. The casting of Clark as Gary Coleman is definitely unorthodox (the part is usually played by a woman), and it’s surprisingly hard to get used to the changes in octave and notes that make the part work.

Grabois, who plays both the lovable Kate Monster and the aptly named Lucy the Slut, has pitch problems in multiple songs.

Despite the occasional sharp-flat issue, the

JOHN DAUGHTRY/Broadway Across America

MONSTER MASH: Kerri Brackin (left) and Jason Heymann bring Trekkie Monster to life in ‘Avenue Q.’ show is a ton of fun. As a longtime lover of both Sesame Street and Avenue Q, I absolutely adored this playful, adult version of my childhood favorite. Tickets are already available online, but don’t wait—a show like this is

going to sell out fast. Don’t forget your Brandeis ID when you’re buying; student discounts can be fantastic, especially in the Boston area.

And don’t worry: The show is much funnier than it is offensive. I promise.

MUSIC

Conchords’ flight of fancy not so ‘Freaky’ ■ ‘I Told You I Was Freaky,’ the Flight of the Conchords’ second album, disappoints the promise of the pair’s debut release because it relies too heavily on the listener’s knowledge of the band’s television show.

By BRYAN FLATT JUSTICE CONTRIBUTING WRITER

The Flight of the Conchords is a very funny show. The main characters, New Zealander friends Bret McKenzie and Jemaine Clement, document their lives as a struggling folk rock group in New York City and all the situations they get themselves into. The show is supposed to parody their real-life comedy duo of the same name as they themselves came from New Zealand over to New York City after gaining notoriety for their catchy songs with funny lyrics.

One would think that a comedy troupe whose main shtick was comedic song writing could come through with a hilarious album, which it

did its first time around (2008’s self-titled release Flight of the Conchords), but this attempt, titled I Told You I Was Freaky, is too much tied to its show to satisfy the casual listener.

The biggest issue with this album is that the lyrics seem to be directly correlated to the sights and visuals of their television show. It is difficult to separate this album from the second season of the television show, making it more of a soundtrack than a standalone album of original songs. This should have been somewhat expected due to its correlation with the show, but for example, when on the track “Friends,” Bret goes on a minute-long talk about all the things friends can do for each other (on the already-short, 2-minute-long song) without a montage or certain background from the episode, it just becomes a cutesy basic song about, well, nothing.

On their first album, the songs sounded confident and creative, ranging in genres and themes. Many of the songs existed before the show was even conceived and were able to be worked out over many years of onstage comedy shows. Due to this fact, the songs worked both by themselves and within the plotlines of the show. This time around, the Conchords had

HBO’s time constraints of creating a full season of a television show in a timely manner and the difficulty working out comedic lyrical narratives to place on top of their catchy beats shows. The best example of this is the song “Petrov, Yelena and Me.” The poor Russian accent of the singer mixed with an overly simple repetitive backbeat creates a song that would have been better off staying on TV, where it at least fit contextually. The first season was built around the songs, while in this effort the songs were built around the show. The result will be very pleasing to all the fans of the series and anyone else who has seen the specific episodes that the songs correlate to, as the goofy nature and awkward motions work very well for this comedy duo.

The album does not entirely fall victim to this problem, as there are some very redeeming songs that capture the magic of the original album, such as “We’re Both in Love with a Sexy Lady,” a song that parodies R. Kelly and Usher’s song “Same Girl,” and “Angels,” a sweet song that compliments both singers’ vocal talents and plays the album out nicely, among a few other well-done songs. Unfortunately my favorite song on this album, which

was featured in the first season of the show but didn’t make it on the first album, is only available as a bonus track on iTunes. The song, called “Pencils in the Wind,” is a reminder of the duo’s ability to create a track that has a nice message and vocal interjections that fit well on top of the simple acoustic music.

Overall, the album is not the best effort I could have imagined from these musicians. As a casual fan of the series, the semi-comedic lyrics and sometimes catchy but sometimes oversimplified beats didn’t draw me in as much as I expected. But if you are a loyal follower, this album was made for you. These songs were originally all released the day after the episodes aired that featured them, which I feel gave them a much greater context and were therefore more enjoyable both to the casual fan catching last night’s episode as well as the diehard fan who follows them weekly. As evidenced by their first album, and other albums released by comedy groups like The Lonely Island, an album with high quality music and catchy funny lyrics is not impossible. Unfortunately this one, with its few good moments aside, didn’t follow through as much as I had hoped.

THE JUSTICE

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TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2009

23

FILM

QUALITY CREPES

Clooney gets ‘Goats’ ■ Standout performances in

‘The Men Who Stare at Goats’ made the movie enjoyable.

By BRYAN FLATT JUSTICE CONTRIBUTING WRITER

AMY MELSER/the Justice

CULINARY ORIGAMI: An employee at Mr. Crepe folds a pancake on one of the restaurant’s special crepe griddles, which are visible to clients through a window.

FOOD

Mr. Crepe rethinks breakfast food ■ The Somerville restaurant offers

short-order versions of the traditional French delicacy that can serve as breakfast, lunch, dinner or dessert.

By AMY MELSER JUSTICE EDITORIAL ASSISTANT

Mr. Crepe in Somerville, Mass. is roughly a 20-minute drive from campus, but the trip is well worth it. It is also located less than a minute walking from the Davis Square T stop if you want to get there via public transportation. The shop offers the most delicious crepes, whether you prefer them sweet, savory or spicy.

The employees are friendly, and if you want to watch your crepe being made, there is a clear window next to the kitchen area to watch the magic happen. Each crepe starts with a crepe base, which looks similar to pancake mix. It is ladled onto a large circular disc, which is equivalent to a sauté pan, except stationary. The crepes cook in a matter of seconds, gaining a light, golden brown color and are then moved over to the next disc where the fillings are added.

Mr. Crepe offers a vast selection of fillings ranging from the typical Nutella and bananas to the not-so-typical “super chutney,” which includes smoked chicken, feta, goat cheese, roasted bell peppers, baby arugula, fresh basil and a mango chutney. They also offer a selection of vegetarian crepes. The “super fennel” includes marinated fresh mozzarella cheese with shaved fennel, Roma tomatoes, basil and baby spinach. These crepes are not just for dessert.

Still, all the “sweet crepes” sounded absolutely scrumptious, including raspberries with Nutella or Belgian chocolate; marshmallow, graham crackers and Belgian chocolate; or strawberries and kiwi with honey. You’re probably getting hungry just thinking about these crepes. Mr. Crepe is open Monday to Thursday from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m., Friday and Saturday from 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. and Sunday

AMY MELSER/the Justice

CREPE CORNUCOPIA: This conical crepe served at Mr. Crepe contains freshly sliced apples, Brie and grapes. The restaurant’s menu demonstrates that crepes can be eaten as more than just breakfast. from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., so if you leave now you could still make it!

Not only are the crepes at Mr. Crepe mouthwatering and of gourmet quality, they are a great price. You could get a cheese crepe for $3.85 or a “Super Salmon” crepe with grilled salmon, fresh baby spinach, homemade corn relish with peppers, red onions and balsamic syrup drizzle for $9.25. However, most of the crepes are around 6 or 7 dollars.

If you haven’t noticed by now, Mr. Crepe offers quality ingredients. Moreover, they aren’t stingy with their portion sizes. These are not petite French crepes; they are delicately folded pieces of heaven that take up most of the plate. I have a voracious appetite, but it was difficult for me to finish the crepe because it was very filling. (I finished it anyway because it was just too good.)

I also appreciate the fact that Mr. Crepe does not distract the clients with little salads

or sides to accompany the crepes. Of course, if you want a salad, they do serve them, but, really, if you’re going out of your way to get crepes, why bother with the mesclun mix?

The atmosphere at Mr. Crepe is casual.

There are beautiful paintings along the back wall that give the restaurant character and an artsy appeal. You can walk in and order a coffee, espresso, tea, etc. from the barista and sit down with your laptop. Or, if your peanut butter, marshmallow and Belgian chocolate crepe did not satisfy that sweet tooth, there are ice cream and smoothie options.

Mr. Crepe is a restaurant that is sure to impress. Not only is it delicious, but the vibe feels young and hip. After leaving Mr. Crepe, you can’t help but smile since the crepes are divine.

Mr. Crepe is located at 51 Davis Square. For more information and a menu visit www.mrcrepe.net.

The Men Who Stare at Goats has had a lot of hype surrounding it. Since the film premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in September, most if not all reviews have been very positive. The excitement surrounding this film was not only viewer-generated but also pushed very hard by the production company, Overture Films. While hype can make a film that much better, in this case it detracted from what turned out to be a pretty good movie.

While the film contained humor, superb acting and a memorable story, it just couldn’t live up to the level of expectations it set for itself.

The Men Who Stare at Goats follows a journalist named Bob Wilton (Ewan McGregor) trying to find the story of his lifetime after a series of unfortunate events disrupts the order that kept him happy and satisfied with his simple life in Ann Arbor, Mich. In his despair, he travels to Iraq and meets the man who will give him this big story, Lyn Cassidy (George Clooney), an ex-soldier in the U.S. army’s First Earth Battalion —a secret government-funded operation from the ’80s that focused on nonwarfare techniques such as invisibility (later refined to “finding a way to not be seen”), the “starry eyes” look (a glossy-eyed puppy dog face), walking through walls and killing goats with your mind. The movement was started by Bill Django (Jeff Bridges) who, after almost dying in the Vietnam War, convinced the U.S. government that new age peaceful tactics could be just as effective as violent warfare. The story of the First Earth Battalion and its crazy techniques are interspersed with the main plotline of Bob following Lyn on a mysterious mission in Iraq and Lyn trying to teach Bob to have faith in the ways of the Jedi Warrior (the selfappointed name of the soldiers). The irony of Ewan McGregor learning to embrace his Jedi spirit (he played Obi-Wan Kenobi in Star Wars Episodes 1-3) adds a nice inside joke. The two plotlines meet up at the end of the film in a very hilarious and satisfying second-to-last scene.

Going into the movie one expects a laughout-loud comedy with lots of quick-witted jokes, but instead the film is slower, focusing a lot more on the plot than the humor. The humor almost writes itself in the almost tooridiculous situations, such as a scene that consists of an entire army base’s breakfast of scrambled eggs being spiked with LSD and the subsequent reactions that occur. Though right away the film says, “The events in this film [are] based on more truth than you would believe,” one really feels the need to suspend disbelief for large parts of the film and go along with the ridiculousness of the plotline.

What I really enjoyed about the film were the performances. George Clooney stands out here in one of his best performances in a while. He manages to balance his strengths as a smooth talker and comedian to create a likable character that the audience can cheer for. It is no surprise that Ewan McGregor’s character follows him into Iraq. Clooney looks very natural in his role and plays it with ease. While this can partly be attributed to his talent as an actor, his relationship with director Grant Heslov, who worked with Clooney as the writer of the acclaimed 2005 film Good Night and Good Luck, clearly helped produce the excellent performance seen in the film.

Jeff Bridges plays his character very well in what appears to be a mature homage to his role of “The Dude” in the Coen Brothers’ The Big Lebowski. His unconventional new age techniques (the first training session involved spontaneous dancing) and his emotional authenticity (when he takes a burden for his men around the middle of the film) created a welldeveloped character that the audience was laughing at and with almost the entire film.

Kevin Spacey, though vastly underutilized in the first half of the film, works well as the antagonist Larry Hooper. His goal of being the best creates an interesting dynamic when the plotlines of the past and present collide. The only character I didn’t find to be very authentic was Ewan McGregor’s. After meeting Clooney early on, his character seems very bland and predictable on the path of nonbeliever to believer that has been produced in so many films before. McGregor did the best he could have with his role, and the performance was well acted, but Bob Wilson the character just wasn’t fleshed out enough.

The Men Who Stare at Goats is a pretty funny film with a goofy (and a little concerning if it is, in fact, as true as it says it is) plotline and fairly likeable characters. The pacing is a little slow at parts and the last scene does leave a little more to be desired, but in his first big feature film as director, Grant Heslov and his all-star cast create a movie that is worth seeing.

24

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2009

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THE JUSTICE

ARIES (March 21 to April 19) While it seems that chaos is taking over, you get everything back to normal, even if it means being more than a little assertive with some people. Expect to hear more job-related news soon.

TAURUS (April 20 to May 20) Expect to be able to move ahead with your workplace plans now that you have a good idea of what you might have to face. You can also anticipate a welcome change on the home front.

GEMINI (May 21 to June 20) A quieter period settles in, giving you a chance to catch your breath, as well as allowing for more time to handle some important family matters. The arts dominate this weekend. Enjoy them.

CANCER (June 21 to July 22) The frustrations of last week have pretty much played themselves out. You should find things going more smoothly, especially with those all-important personal matters.

LEO (July 23 to August 22) Once again, you find a creative way to resolve a pesky problem in short order. However, a matter involving a possible breach of confidence might need a bit more time to check out.

VIRGO (August 23 to September 22) Reuniting with an old friend could lead to the sharing of some great new experiences. But be careful you don’t find yourself once again being super-critical or overly judgmental.

LIBRA (September 23 to October 22) You should be seeing some positive results following your move toward repairing that unraveling relationship. There might be some setbacks, but staying with it ultimately pays off.

SCORPIO (October 23 to November 21) Encouraging a friendlier environment in the home could go a long way to help dissipate ACROSS 1. Help 4. Site of Apra Harbor 8. Roosevelt successor 12. Omega preceder 13. Incite 14. Shrek, for one 15. Golfer Ernie 16. Classic Cadillac 18. “Unleaded” brew 20. Family 21. Jamie of “M*A*S*H” 24. Turning point 28. Robin Hood’s forest 32. Green land 33. Whammy 34. Some wrestling matches 36. Born 37. Bedouin 39. “Gran Torino” star 41. Minion of Satan 43. Approach 44. Existed 46. U-Haul competitor 50. Tinseltown 55. Water (Fr.) 56. Ontario neighbor 57. Florence’s river 58. Pompous sort 59. Require 60. Verse 61. Allow DOWN 1. Mimicked 2. Last word in Gilligan’s theme 3. Platter 4. Hearty laughs 5. It starts with “http:” 6. Time of your life?

7. Timid

anger and resolve problems, especially those affecting children. It won’t be easy, but you can do it.

SAGITTARIUS (November 22 to December 21) A recent act of kindness is beginning to show some unexpected (but very welcome) results.

On another note, expect to hear more about a possible move to another locale.

CAPRICORN (December 22 to January 19) The good news is that the sure-footed Goat can rely on his or her skill to get around obstacles in the workplace. The not-so-good news is that new impediments could turn up later.

AQUARIUS (January 20 to February 18) A change of pace is welcome but also confusing.

Before you make decisions one way or another, be sure you know precisely what it is you’re being asked to do.

PISCES (February 19 to March 20) Don’t fret if you don’t get the gratitude you think you’re owed for doing a nice thing for someone. There might be a good reason for that. In any event, what’s important is that you did it.

BORN THIS WEEK: You have a way of making the sort of wise decisions that lead to shedding new light on dark situations.

BRANDEIS

Through the Lens

Solution to last issue’s crossword.

REBECCA NEY/the Justice

Purple Haze Students dance at Saturday night’s Pachanga, the semesterly dance sponsored by The International Club. Amidst pulsing music and

Sudoku

8. Local, to a collegian 9. Past 10. To and — 11. Kennedy or Koppel 17. Gratuity 19. A cont.

22. Libertine 23. Typeface option 25. Provider of veritas 26. Sandwich treat 27. Prepared to drive 28. Roe source 29. Present 30. Physical 31. Tablespoonful or tablet

35. Fame, in 50-Across 38. Partook at kegling 40. Distort 42. Aye canceler 45. Trade 47. Option from Howie 48. Facility 49. Oxidation 50. Coop dweller 51. Raw rock 52. Falsehood 53. Plata’s partner 54. Inseparable

King Crossword Copyright 2009 King Features Synd., Inc.

■ It was Harry S. Truman, the 33rd president of the United States, who made the following sage observation: “It’s a recession when your neighbor loses his job; it’s a depression when you lose yours.”

and guests have to scuba dive to the entrance.

And if you don’t already know how to scuba dive, don’t worry—the management offers a two-hour introduction so you can make it to your room.

■ In all likelihood, you’ve never heard of an ailment known as aquagenic urticaria. It’s extremely rare, affecting only one out of every 23 million people on the planet. Those who suffer from this disease are hypersensitive to the ions found in non-distilled water. They can drink distilled water, but if they come into contact with any other kind of water, they break out in a painful allergic rash.

■ Someone with way too much time on his hands discovered that a quarter has 119 grooves along its edge.

■ The country of Finland has more islands than any other nation on Earth.

■ Next time you’re heading to sunny Florida for a vacation, try to make it to Key Largo to stay at the Jules Undersea Lodge. True to its name, the hotel is located 21 feet underwater,

■ From the Yes, There Is a Word for It files comes today’s entry: acnestis. This word denotes that part of the body that you cannot reach to scratch (and it’s an excellent reason to get married). This handy noun comes from the word “aknestis,” which, perhaps unsurprisingly, means “spine” in Greek.

Thought for the Day: “Women speak because they wish to speak, whereas a man speaks only when driven to speech by something outside himself—like, for instance, he can’t find any clean socks.” —Jean Kerr

Enter digits from 1 to 9 into each blank space so that every row, column and 3x3 square contains one of each digit.

Sudoku Copyright 2009 King Features Synd., Inc.

flashing lights, students transcended the boundaries of reality. A battle of the DJs accompanied the psychedelic flavor of the event.