The Justice, November 12, 2013 by The Justice

SPORTS PULLOUT: BASKETBALL PREVIEW The Independent Student Newspaper

the

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

Justice

Volume LXVI, Number 11

www.thejustice.org

Tuesday, November 12, 2013

investment

ONE ON ONE

Endowment grows, aiming for a billion ■ The endowment reached

$767.7 million for the 2012 to 2013 fiscal year and is projected to rise again. By marissa ditkowsky JUSTICE editor

The University endowment increased 17.6 percent over the 2012 to 2013 fiscal year, and a seven percent increase is projected for the 2013 to 2014 fiscal year, according to data provided by Chief Investment Officer Nicholas Warren in an email

Waltham, Mass.

to the Justice. Warren wrote that updates on the current state of the University endowment were presented at the Oct. 31 Board of Trustees meeting. According to the data, the endowment for FY2013 reached $767.7 million, with $13.8 million donated. The projection for the 2013 to 2014 fiscal year is at $785.4 million, and $10 million in donations are anticipated. The five-year forecast projects that the endowment will be at $881.9 million, including expected donations of $35 million. Warren wrote that the donations

See ENDOWMENT, 7 ☛

ROSE ART MUSEUM

Campus to welcome new Rose installation

■ Artist Chris Burden

designed a permanent installation which will be completed by April 2014. By rachel hughes JUSTICE editor

As the culmination of several months of research and negotiations, the Rose Art Museum will acquire a piece that the museum’s organizers hope will change the way that students interact with the museum as a fixture of campus life. The piece,

which will soon be under construction and will be completely installed at the entrance of the Rose by late April, is a permanent outdoor installation created by artist Chris Burden. Born in Boston, Burden has been an active artist since the early 1970s and has worked with the mediums of installation, sculpture and performance art. Burden has created a piece called “Light of Reason” for the Rose to be placed outside of the entrance to the museum. Burden took conceptual inspiration from the seal of the University, and garnered its title from the words of Justice Louis

See BURDEN, 7 ☛

MORGAN BRILL/the Justice

The men’s soccer team qualified for the NCAA Division III tournament for the second year in a row. The first game will be Saturday at 5 p.m. See page 16 for full coverage.

development

Fundraising down $6 million from last year ■ The Office of Development

attributed the decline to a lack of ongoing major construction projects. By ANDREW WINGENS JUSTICE EDITOR

COURTESY OF LANDWORKS STUDIO, INC.

WORK OF ART: BrandeisNOW released a computer-generated projection of the installation yesterday. The piece will be installed outside of the Rose Art Museum.

The University raised $54.7 million in cash gifts in fiscal year 2013, an almost six million dollar decline from the previous year’s $61 million total. While the Office of Development attributes this decline to a lack of major ongoing construction projects, it is still looking to alumni to increase its base of alumni contributors. According to a statement from the Office of Development, “[t]he change reflects the fulfillment by donors of major capital and endowment pledges

made during the recently completed Campaign for Brandeis.” The Campaign for Brandeis was the last major capital campaign, which stretched from 2001 until the beginning of University President Frederick Lawrence’s presidency in 2011. In an interview with the Justice, Senior Vice President for Institutional Advancement Nancy Winship attributed the decline to the fact that there are no new facilities currently being built. “When you’re building—we’re not building any buildings right now— that makes a huge difference in the numbers you report because if you’re building the [Shapiro] Campus Center, if you’re building the Mandel Center [for the Humanities] or the [Shapiro] Science Center, there’s all this money coming in for those projects.” Donations for buildings are gener-

See FUNDRAISING, 7 ☛

Budding entrepreneur

Flying high

Hillel director

An alumna of the Heller School received a prestigious grant for her clothing start-up company.

 The men’s soccer team earned an NCAA tournament berth with a win on Saturday.

 Hillel at Brandeis gained an interim director following Larry Sternberg’s departure.

FEATURES 8 For tips or info email editor@thejustice.org

ally multi-year pledges, some of which are still being paid off by the donors, said Winship. The University will also soon launch a new capital campaign, which will focus less on constructing physical facilities and instead emphasize gifts for student scholarships and fellowships, endowed faculty chairs and funding for the strategic plan. “We’re working on what the gift opportunities will be out of the strategic plan,” said Winship. “What we need to do, and it’s most important, it’s a work in progress, is decide with the provost and trustee input, faculty input ‘what are the priorities that we want to raise money for.’” By the end of this year, Winship said the administration will have a refined gifts opportunities list, which will include endowed chairs and financial

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INDEX

SPORTS 16 ARTS SPORTS

17 16

EDITORIAL FEATURES

10 8

OPINION POLICE LOG

10 2

READER COMMENTARY 11

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 2013

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THE JUSTICE

NEWS SENATE LOG

Senate votes on clubs and proposals The Senate met on Sunday to vote on several clubs and initiatives, and to give an update on their projects. First, Volunteer Vacations presented on proper tabling techniques for signing up students to the Senate’s upcoming Turkey Shuttle service. While the shuttles to Logan International Airport have no seating limits, the ones to Pennsylvania Station in New York City are limited, and Volunteer Vacations reminded the senators to track this as they sign people up for the buses. Additionally, the Senate passed a senate money resolution to fund the buses. There will be two from Brandeis to Pennsylvania Station prior to Thanksgiving, and one from Pennsylvania Station to Brandeis following the holiday. Following the discussion of Turkey Shuttle procedures, a motion was made to add a member to the Social Justice and Diversity Committee. The Senate voted unanimously to elect Dana Levin ’16 as a nonsenate member of the committee. Union Vice President Charlotte Franco ’15 then gave her report. She reminded the Senate about a mandatory Union training session this Wednesday. The session will include further discussion on the Senate’s current projects. Franco also said she recently met with Senior Vice President for Students and Enrollment Andrew Flagel, Director of Dining Services Jay DeGioia and staff from procurement to discuss changes to meal plan options for next year. At this meeting, they went over what these new meal plans might be and possible changes to The Stein. Franco stressed the importance of the survey on The Stein in helping the University quickly make a decision on this change that is supposed to go into effect next semester. Franco said they would discuss in detail the points from this meeting on Wednesday’s Senate training session. Executive Senator Annie Chen’s ’14 report included a reminder about the Meet the Senate event, which she said will be today from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. in Usdan Boulevard. She also emphasized the importance of successful Turkey Shuttle tabling, and having passengers read the passenger constitution. Following these reports, the chapter of Meor at Brandeis approached the Senate to vote to recognize the club. The purpose of the club is to educate interested students on Judaism through classes and guest speakers, and they sought recognition in order to reserve space for these events. Some senators expressed hesitation over language in the constitution regarding the Maimonides scholar aspect of Meor, and if this could affect the inclusivity of the club. The Senate went into executive session to discuss these issues before voting. The Senate voted to recognize the club on the condition that they will clarify in their constitution what makes someone a member. The vote passed with 12 senators voting in favor, two objecting and four abstaining. Next, Student Language Exchange sought recognition after a motion was passed to add them to the agenda. The club would provide computers to teach languages not offered at Brandeis, and by next semester would have student tutors to also teach these languages. The club’s constitution was missing sections, such as a statement of inclusivity, so the Senate voted to table the club until next week. Colleges Against Cancer presented to the Senate on their “smoke less” campus initiative, and sought the Senate’s backing. The club said it wishes to amend the Rights and Responsibilities handbook from the current rule requiring people to smoke at least 30 feet away from buildings, to one where people may only smoke in designated smoking areas. Colleges Against Cancer’s presentation included the dangers of secondhand smoke, and a survey they completed last year, which garnered over 1,000 responses, and a 70 percent approval of the initiative. The Senate motioned to table this vote for two weeks, in order for the senators to gauge student opinion, and for Colleges Against Cancer to gain more feedback following their Great American Smokeout event. Class of 2017 Senator David Heaton delivered the report on the Senate Dining Committee. He mentioned that the survey on The Stein, sent out the previous day, had received over 650 responses in 24 hours. He repeated Franco’s statement that The Stein will be changing, that new meal plans are being discussed and that this will all be discussed at the training session on Wednesday. Senator-at-Large Naomi DePina ’16 said that the Social Justice and Diversity Committee will be meeting with Dean of Students Jamele Adams to finalize a date for their poetry slam, and to seek his involvement in the event. She announced the committee is planning a social justice event for ’Deis Impact. DePina also said she will be meeting with Adams and Prof. Anita Hill (Heller) to discuss diversity issues. —Brittany Joyce

CORRECTIONS AND CLARIFICATIONS

WIRE BRIEF

POLICE LOG Medical Emergency

Nov. 8—University Police received a report of a person having a seizure. BEMCo treated the party, who was transported to NewtonWellesley Hospital. Nov. 8—University Police received a report of a student who fell down a set of stairs and injured her ankle. BEMCo responded and the student was transported to urgent care. Nov. 8—A party reported that she experienced facial numbness and uncontrollable eye twitching. BEMCo responded and the student was transported to urgent care. Nov. 10—A party reported an intoxicated student semialert and vomiting. BEMCo was notified and the student was transported to NewtonWellesley Hospital. Nov. 10—A student reported that she had received a leg laceration. BEMCo was notified and the student was transported to Newton-

Wellesley Hospital. Nov. 10—Two injuries were reported at the soccer field: one a shoulder injury and the other a head laceration. BEMCo treated both parties with a signed refusal for further care. Nov. 10—A party reported that a student from another university had a twisted ankle on the soccer field. The student was transported to Newton-Wellesley Hospital. Nov. 10—A party reported that she was dizzy and unable to walk. BEMCo responded and the student was transported to Newton-Wellesley Hospital.

Larceny

Nov. 8—A party reported that her backpack and laptop were stolen off of a bench on campus. University Police compiled a report. Nov. 8—A party reported that her iPhone went missing from a bench in a building on campus. University Police

Immigrants and Access to Higher Education

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

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

—compiled by Sam Mintz

Last Thursday, the Women’s Studies Research Center hosted an event during which Betty Gram Swing’s granddaughter spoke about Swing’s participation in the women’s rights movement, which she joined in 1917.

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

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Nov. 4—There was a twocar motor vehicle accident in the Science Lot. No injuries were reported. Nov. 4—Advancement Services reported an unsuccessful credit card fraud attempt. University Police compiled a report. Nov. 5—There was a motor vehicle accident reported in Tower Lot. No injuries were reported. Nov. 7—A party reported that her parked vehicle had been damaged. University Police compiled a report. Nov. 7—There was a minor motor vehicle accident in Theater Lot. University Police contacted the owner of a parked vehicle and facilitated an exchange of paperwork.

ANNIE FORTNOW/the Justice

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Justice

Traffic

THE FIGHT FOR SUFFRAGE

n A Features article should have noted that Zachary Anziska ’16 is a Justice staff photographer. (Nov. 5, p. 9)

the

compiled a report on the incident.

What are the issues for undocumented immigrants seeking higher education? How do these issues play out in state schools, private schools and at Brandeis? Hear Senior Vice President for Students and Enrollment Andrew Flagel and Brandeis Immigration Education Initiative club members discuss this timely topic. Tomorrow from 1 to 2 p.m. in the Mandel Center for the Humanities Reading Room 303.

Weimar in Waltham

As the Keynote Speaker for the Center for German and European Studies’ Exile and Persecution event series, Brandeis’ own Prof. Stephen Whitfield (AMST), will present “Weimar in Waltham: Brandeis University at the Beginning.” Vestiges of Weimar culture were reconstituted at Brandeis University, founded in 1948, when something of the experimentalism and radicalism that Peter Gay summarized as “the outsider as insider” (1918-1933) could be discerned among the faculty. Thus Brandeis

managed to extend the precarious existence of the brilliance of German and especially German Jewish art and thought before the Nazi era. Tomorrow from 5 to 7 p.m. in the Rapaporte Treasure Hall in the Goldfarb Library.

People in Revolution

This panel discussion will feature Kathleen Duval (University of North Carolina), Amy Freund (Texas Christian University) and Emma Rothschild (Harvard University/ University of Cambridge). Refreshments will be served. This event is part of the yearlong seminar “Rethinking the Age of Revolution: Rights, Representation, and the Global Imaginary,” sponsored by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation at Brandeis University. Thursday from 4 to 5:30 p.m. in the Mandel Center for the Humanities Reading Room 303.

Investigating the Hacktivists of Anonymous

In a lecture at Brandeis, Forbes journalist Parmy Olson, author of �We Are Anonymous:

NSA works with colleges WASHINGTON—Universities across the country are racing to prepare the next generation of cybersecurity experts before a major cyberattack leaves the country’s networks struggling to reboot. Nearly 200 schools have partnered with the National Security Agency and the Department of Homeland Security to meet the growing need. The NSA, headquartered in Fort Meade, Md., and the homeland security department have partnered with 181 schools to come up with new programs in hopes of drawing more students to the booming field while securing the nation’s information infrastructure. For a school to be considered a National Center of Academic Excellence in Information Assurance or Cyber Defense it must adhere to the criteria outlined by the NSA and DHS. Certification ensures students leaving school with a background in cybersecurity have the necessary skills to help secure major networks for the government or private sector. The requirements are broken down into 10 sections to evaluate the school’s cybersecurity program in areas including academic content, the number of faculty who actively teach courses in cybersecurity and student involvement in cyber-research. Schools must offer classes in C programming language, networking, discrete math and cyberdefense, among other topics, in order to meet the NSA’s academic content requirements. In addition to government agencies, private companies have also partnered with computer science programs across the country in an attempt to educate students on how to effectively fortify and locate security breaches in computer networks. With the help of $1.1 million from Falls Church, Va. based Northrop Grumman, a defense and information technology company, the University of Maryland created a new cybersecurity program emphasizing multidisciplinary solutions called Advanced Cybersecurity Experience for Students. The program contrasts with more technical approaches to cybersecurity problems preferred by other programs. “Cybersecurity is really a systems problem. Some say it is a technical problem, but you need to look at the problems globally,” said Michel Cukier, the director of ACES. To combat the problem, Cukier said the new ACES program aims to focus on multidisciplinary approaches to cybersecurity. The program brought together 57 freshmen—from the computer science, engineering and business majors—to analyze problems and discuss solutions in cybersecurity. “Things will change, it’s a field where you need to learn all the time,” Cukier said. “We want to teach students that they need to keep their eyes open to get the most global picture to solve the problem.” Cybersecurity experts, who gathered at the Atlantic Council’s first Cyber Risk Wednesday recently in Washington, continue to warn that a substantial cybersecurity attack may occur in the U.S. at any time. The same experts also believe the government and the private sector are woefully underprepared to deal with a major attack. —McClatchy Newspapers

Inside the Hacker World of LulzSec, Anonymous, and the Global Cyber Insurgency,�will speak about the challenges and methods she used to investigate and report on the hidden and secret activities of Anonymous, notorious in some circles and acclaimed in others for their cyber attacks against the websites of major financial corporations, governments, law enforcement, purveyors of child pornography, and others. Thursday from 6 to 8 p.m. in the Mandel Center for the Humanities Room G03.

Putting Your Degree to Work

This event will explore how Brandeis Health: Science, Society and Social Policy majors can and have put their knowledge and skills to work in professional settings, including internships and careers. Several professionals and HSSP alumni from the health and health care industry will discuss how majors can make the most of their degrees. Monday from 7 to 8:30 p.m. in the Heller School for Social Policy and Management, Room G2.

THE JUSTICE

FACULTY

Provost presents at faculty meeting ■ The faculty representative

to the Board of Trustees said the University faces a $6.5 million budget deficit. By SAM MINTZ JUSTICE EDITOR

The faculty met for its monthly meeting on Thursday, and discussed implementation of the strategic plan, strategies for addressing the University’s $6.5 million budget deficit and other pressing matters. Provost Steve Goldstein ’78 led the meeting in the absence of University President Frederick Lawrence, who was on the West Coast for a fundraising trip. Goldstein announced that strategic plan implementation groups are being formed, and will include academic leaders, administrative leaders, faculty and staff members. He said that these groups will be working with Prof. Anita Hill (Heller) and himself to “distill” the plan’s “objectives, actions and timelines” and in order to start creating timelines for implementation

by the end of this semester. He also noted that many aspects of the plan will require funding to be “fully actualized,” and thus will be worked on concurrently with the design of the “case statement” for a capital campaign, which is slated to start with a “quiet phase,” or a period in which major gifts are secured before making an official public announcement, in January. Prof. Faith Smith (AAAS), the faculty representative to the Board of Trustees, also presented at the meeting and shared information from last week’s Board meetings. According to Smith, the University is taking several measures to address a current $6.5 million deficit. One such measure is a one million dollar savings in procurement. Additionally, she said that the new contract for dining services with Sodexo “will mean significant savings,” and that the University is “trying to do something similar” with the recently-announced health services overhaul. Smith also reported that at the Board meeting there was a discussion about whether or not faculty

members are underpaid. She said that it is “distressing” that “what we do has to be defended. … Some Board members get it but some don’t. … Board members have to be made to understand what we do and what it means and to see that this is vital to the institution’s existence.” On another topic directly related to the faculty, Goldstein announced that his office has authorized a set of faculty “cluster hires” on the theme of the African diaspora, and that there are two open positions: one a joint-appointment position in the African and Afro-American Studies and Women’s and Gender Studies departments, and the other in the History department. According to Dean of Arts and Sciences Susan Birren as quoted in an Oct. 10 BrandeisNOW press release, “This is exactly the kind of initiative identified by our faculty in our university-wide strategic planning process as an opportunity to build on areas of excellence through selective use of cluster hires in key disciplines.” Also on the topic of faculty positions, Goldstein announced that three professors were formally ap-

proved for promotions to the title of full professor at the Board meeting last week: Profs. Wendy Cadge (SOC), David Cunningham (SOC) and Ann O. Koloski-Ostrow (CLAS). Chris Bedford, director of the Rose Art Museum, made the final presentation of the meeting. After making several jokes about the difficulties of preparing for the annual dance party “SCRAM Jam,” which took place Thursday night at the Rose, he spoke about the ongoing restructuring of the museum’s staffing organization and the achievement of forming a Board of Advisors, both of which have taken place since the museum reopened two years ago. Bedford said that the staff’s size has “doubled,” that former collections manager Kristin Parker has been promoted to deputy director and that there are plans to add a director of development and a collection manager registrar. Bedford called the Board of Advisors an “impressive ensemble of people,” and said that the museum hopes to add three or four more advisors before the end of the fiscal year.

DUAL IDENTITY

JOSH HOROWITZ/the Justice

PREACHING ACCEPTANCE: Rabbi Steven Greenberg (left), an openly gay orthodox rabbi, posed with his family for a photograph on Saturday night, the day after his lecture.

Panel focuses on religion and sexuality ■ Rabbi Steven Greenberg

and several students spoke about challenges faced by gay orthodox Jews. By JAY FEINSTEIN JUSTICE STAFF WRITER

On Friday, Hillel at Brandeis, Triskelion, Shalem, the Brandeis Orthodox Organization and Kehilat Sha’ar sponsored the event “Jewish and LGBT: Understanding the Dual Identity” as a part of a themed weekend of events. Panelists Rabbi Steven Greenberg, Sara Fried ’15, and students Gidon Feen from the George Washington University and Ami Altzman from Columbia University spoke about identifying as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or queer and Jewish. Greenberg, the first openly gay orthodox rabbi, spoke about the difficulties many gay orthodox Jews face and the lack of acceptance in many orthodox communities. Greenberg said he made it a goal to spread stories. “In the end, stories mattered

more than ideologies when talking to orthodox rabbis,” he said. “One thing about a story is it can’t be wrong. It opens people up to emotions and gets people thinking.” Fried, the president of Shalem, a group at Brandeis that is “devoted to serving the Jewish/GLBTQQIA community,” according to its website, told the story of how she came to terms with her dual-identity and how she began to embrace it. At first she described the horror of her mother saying lesbians are “women who didn’t get enough love from their mothers and seek love from other women.” Then, she spoke about the people that cared for her and told her she did not have anything to hide. “Everyone has the ability for that level of empathy,” she said. “That’s what I want to see from the community.” Feen spoke about the conflict that he felt between his Jewish beliefs and his gay identity when he was coming to terms with his sexuality. “I never stopped believing in God, but my perspective changed,” he said. “I no longer believed He was omnibenevolent. I thought of him as a more sadistic God that enjoyed playing with people.

I left synagogue on Yom Kippur feeling defeated.” Feen asked himself, “Why would I want to follow the religion of this God if he was making me feel so terrible about myself?” Feen said that when he finally accepted his identity and came out at his graduation party, he realized that he did not want there to be a conflict between Judaism and being gay. ”I felt such pride and happiness for what I did,” he said. “[Coming out] was such an empowering and strengthening experience, and I felt that people cared about me.” Altzman spoke about the importance of conversation. “In high school I was coming out of the closet to people who had never met queer people, and this silence drove me to ask questions and have conversations,” he said. He talked about a summer program he participated in and a club he participated in where he was able to discuss issues like what it means to be queer and Jewish at the same time. “I realized I didn’t have to choose one or the other,” he said. “I could be both.” After the panelists spoke, many

audience members asked questions. Rabbi Elyse Winick ’86 asked how the panelists feel when “Acharei Mot Kedoshim” is read during the high holidays, a reading that she said has been interpreted to condemn homosexuality in the past. Feen said he hopes for another interpretation. Fried said she always questions its purpose and sometimes thinks of it as a challenge. Altzman said, “It makes me think of my friend’s father who said coming out is an abuse of free speech. I like to interpret the passage differently and think about it as telling us to act moral to one another.” Greenberg said it used to make him feel “utterly broken,” but that now he feels empowered by facing it. Avi Fuld ’14, who spearheaded the event’s organization, said in an interview with the Justice that it was his goal to have an event like this before he graduates. “It’s a really important issue to me personally,” he said. “We have such a warm and welcoming community at Brandeis, and it’s great that this community is willing to listen to these stories.”

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TUESDAY, November 12, 2013

BRIEF Mendales to head Hillel at Brandeis in the interim Former E x e c u tive Director Larry Sternberg’s M.A. ’78 tenure officially ended this past week, and Hillel at Mendales Brandeis’ Board of Directors appointed Samuel Mendales to take over as the interim executive director for Hillel, according to a Nov. 9 email to Hillel student leaders from student president of Hillel Rachel Mayo ’14. This decision comes after Sternberg announced on Oct. 18 that he would be leaving the University after over 30 years at Brandeis as a student, faculty member and staff member. Mendales wrote in an email to the Justice that he plans to start in his position as the interim executive director this week with a few “stealth” visits. Mendales said that he plans to be on campus twice a week and “as needed in the future.” According to Mayo’s email, more specific details of Mendales’ schedule and tasks are still in development. “My major goal is to support the terrific staff and students through this transition and work with all of you to find the best possible candidate for Brandeis Hillel.” Mendales explained that the new executive director will not be him, as he has a fulltime job at Hillel Council. According to Mendales, he has worked with Brandeis students over the years on Hillel Council regional events and has helped to send Brandeis students on Israel programs. “I even attended services at Brandeis when I first moved to Boston before joining a synagogue,” Mendales wrote. He added that he is excited to work with Brandeis students. “I feel proud and humbled that … the Board and the [Schusterman] International Center [through Hillel] asked me to join the Brandeis community for this transitional period,” wrote Mendales. Mendales has been the executive director of Hillel Council of New England since 1985, according to a biography attached to Mayo’s email. Mendales transformed Hillel Council into a regional agency, which promotes advocacy and supplies regional services and programming for Hillel staff and students, as well fiscal management for the larger Hillels in the Greater Boston area, according to the biography. Mendales is a graduate of the University of Texas at Austin, the Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences at Case Western Reserve University and the School of Jewish Communal Service at Hebrew Union College, according to the biography. Mendales is a board member of the Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Boston, a member of the Combined Jewish Philanthropy’s Board of Governors, a founding board member of the Jewish Organizers Initiative, a member of Temple Isaiah in Lexington, Mass. and a member of the Bedford Center for The Arts. Mayo declined to comment on Mendales’ appointment. —Marissa Ditkowsky

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THE JUSTICE

CAMPUS SPEAKER

as a part of National Prematurity Awareness Month. By DANIELLE GROSS JUSTICE STAFF WRITER

Last Wednesday, Dr. Adam Wolfberg spoke at an event titled “Prematurity and Medicine,” in which he discussed premature births and gave advice for students interested in medicine. The event was organized by The March of Dimes Collegiate Council at Brandeis in honor of National Prematurity Awareness Month. Wolfberg, who specializes in maternal fetal medicine, spoke with students in the Multipurpose Room of the Shapiro Campus Center. He started with the story of his family, which was the main focus of the talk. Wolfberg’s youngest daughter was born prematurely at only 26 weeks, and he discussed the complications that his family faced after her birth. A large part of this segment of Wolfberg’s talk was dedicated to describing kangaroo care, also known as skin-to-skin contact, and its benefits for newborn premature babies. Kangaroo care is the method of holding a baby to bare skin, as close to the heart as possible. When this is done, the human body acts as a natural incubator for the baby. The next portion of Wolfberg’s talk was dedicated to evidence-based medicine. He helped to outline the risk factors for pre-term delivery and

the possible solutions to avoid some of these risks. Some examples of risk factors that can be avoided are smoking and alcohol consumption. Unavoidable risks include a small cervix or an unusually shaped uterus. Wolfberg finished up this event by providing students with tips on how to get into medical school and some secrets to being a doctor. He provided some unconventional wisdom, saying that students interested in medicine should take a few humanities courses in their academic careers, try working jobs that are not related to lab work and find some interests outside of the sciences. He mentioned not being pre-med in his list of tips for getting into medical school. “As undergraduates, students are much less mature. When I was doing my premed courses as a [post-baccalaureate] student, I was much more driven and mature than those around me,” Wolfberg said. The event ended in a brief question-and-answer session during which Wolfberg revealed the reason behind his passion for medicine and public health. “The ability to look at problems from a population level and figure out how to solve a group’s problem by taking a systems-based approach is really compelling,” said Wolfberg. Sarah Brugge ’15, president of March of Dimes at Brandeis, said that her favorite part was when Wolfberg discussed tips on getting into medical school. “It was things that you don’t really hear much, which was really great,” said Brugge in an interview with the Justice.

MORGAN BRILL/the Justice

BRIEF New scholarship fund will provide need-based support for students The Hans and Mavis Lopater Foundation, which has an endowment of approximately six million dollars, will support the newlyestablished Hans and Mavis Lopater Scholarship Fund for Brandeis University students, according to Director of Development Communications David Nathan. “Brandeis undergraduates with a declared interest in English, American literature, history, European cultural studies, social sciences, psychology or women’s studies will be eligible to receive need-based support” through the fund, according to an article on the Office of Development’s website. The fund will provide more than $300,000 a year in scholarship support. “The Lopaters were warm, kind people who identified strongly with the mission and history of Brandeis University,” said Senior Vice President of Institutional Advancement Nancy Winship in the article.

“They cared deeply about our students, and they wanted to ensure that Brandeis would continue to educate the most promising students without regard to financial need.”  Hans Lopater, a Holocaust survivor who died in 2010 at the age of 82, served as a vice president at Gillette and a consultant to many companies such as Coca-Cola and Dow Chemical. Mavis Lopater, who was a painter and a volunteer at Emerson Hospital, died in 2012. The Lopaters were generous patrons of the University, according to the Development article. “We are overwhelmed by the generosity of Hans and Mavis, and thrilled that their legacies will live on” said Vice President of Development Myles Weisenberg ’78, according to the article. “Their gift will make a difference in the lives of Brandeis students forever.” —Andrew Wingens

CHELSEA POLANIECKI/the Justice

NEW ECONOMY: Jessica Meissner ’05 discussed her research in an open lecture for a class in the Anthropology department.

Alumna discusses research in economics and anthropology ■ Jessica Meissner ’05 held

an open lecture on Friday to discuss the “New Economy.” By RACHEL UEMOTO JUSTICE CONTRIBUTING WRITER

THE PREMATURITY PROBLEM: Dr. Adam Wolfberg spoke on premature births and risk factors as part of an event during National Prematurity Awareness Month.

TUESDAY, november 12, 2013

OPEN LECTURE

Doctor talks on fetal medicine ■ The event was planned

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Last Friday, Jessica Meissner ’05 returned to campus to give an open lecture for the students of Prof. Elizabeth Ferry’s (ANTH) class, “Production, Consumption, and Exchange.” The presentation, titled, “Applied Anthropology in the ‘New Economy,’” allowed Meissner to discuss the results of her fieldwork in Washtenaw County, Mich. While in Michigan, Meissner, an economic anthropologist, studied the role of localized nonventure capital funded businesses in serving their communities. According to the website for Meissner’s organization, The Shed, Business & Employment Cooperative, a mere “0.4 percent of business start-ups receive venture capital resources.” The website also states that, “less than 17 percent [of start-ups] receive capital from a bank or institution.” Given that very few companies receive capital investments in their start-ups, it became Meissner’s role in Washtenaw County to study the creation of jobs and businesses with little dependence on public subsidy. “The county contracted me to do a study of their small businesses, entrepreneurship … the work force and how that was going to relate to the bigger picture and make some recommendations to them,” said Meissner during the presentation. Through her research, Meissner noted that she heard the term “new economy” being used by companies supporting independent businesses that value self-reliance. She continued to explain that the term is most commonly used by “[the companies] that are trying to redefine the framework

of our economic activities. In particular, they are interested in distributing economic and decision-making power back to the little guy.” She said that the main goal of the businesses is to increase independence and market competitiveness through localization, creating business alliances specific to servicing and remaining within smaller communities. “Venture capital funds are looking for investments that are going to be high rates of return … and one concern that policy makers have is that the main way venture capital investors get their money back is by looking for an exit strategy,” Meissner said in an interview with the Justice. “That exit strategy means that start-up companies are either going to get sold to a larger, multinational corporation, or through an initial public offering.” In short, Meissner said that venture capital funded businesses may start out local, but almost never remain so. In order to cultivate a healthy local economy, Meissner suggested the promotion of business cooperatives, or co-ops, as a way to better cater to the local community and allow multiple small businesses to remain competitive among other corporations. According to the International Cooperative Alliance, a co-op is defined as “an autonomous association of persons united voluntarily to meet their common economic, social, and cultural needs and aspirations through a jointly owned and democratically controlled enterprise.” Co-ops have multiple-stakeholders, many of them being member-owners who stand to lose if the company fails and therefore have personal incentive in seeing to the success of the company. Unlike multinational corporations, “co-ops aren’t working for profit maximization,” said Meissner. Rather, “they seek to benefit the member-owners” in addition to better serving the

community. Co-ops, because they are locally run, can capitalize on opportunities in which larger corporations have no interest. As an example, Meissner discussed electricity co-ops consisting of farmers, which successfully brought electricity to rural areas, therefore benefitting the farmers in their productions. “Multinational companies would not have seen any profit in that, so they wouldn’t have invested” said Meissner. It therefore becomes the responsibility of local corporations to serve the community in ways that no one else can. In essence, co-ops have the opportunity to service locals in areas that larger corporations view as unprofitable. Additionally, in her presentation, Meissner noted that buying local products and services will allow money to circulate within the local economy three to four more times than it would if consumers chose to purchase the same goods from multinational corporations. Therefore, buying local services the community. Furthermore, buying locally increases the number of stable jobs within the community, as it enables co-ops to hire more workers and, for the most part, co-ops have higher job stabilization and employ more workers than private companies, according to Meissner. As stated on Meissner’s website, co-ops employ 20 percent more people than do multinational corporations, and as stated in her lecture, the percentage of layoffs in the private sector increased to about 12 percent in 2010, while that of co-ops decreased to nearly six percent. “Of course, it does not always make sense to buy local,” cautioned Meissner. “It’s just about supporting and growing local businesses where it makes sense.”

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FUNDRAISING: University to shift targets

VISITING EXPERT

CONTINUED FROM 1 aid, among more specific options. The Board of Trustees approved the final version of the strategic plan in May 2013. Winship said once the capital campaign is launched, fundraising numbers “will start going up.” “I see us five years from now raising $90 million a year,” she said. The “quiet phase” of the campaign, which is when the University approaches its closest alumni and friends but does not publicize the campaign, will likely start in spring 2014, according to Winship. As a broader trend, the University is shifting from being supported mostly by friends, who are nonaffiliated supporters of the University, to focusing on the potential of alumni giving. “Alumni fundraising is going exceptionally well and I give the credit to [Lawrence],” said Winship. “We are in a transition from being supported mostly by friends, remember there were times when ... 65 percent of our money came from friends,” she said. “[Lawrence] is talking to a number of donors who are interested in making very large gifts to the University,” said Winship.

In fiscal 2013, 21.6 percent of funds raised came from alumni, as compared to 15.8 percent in 2009, said Winship. That same year, 27 percent of alumni made a gift to the University, which is up one percent from the previous year and beats the average of the top 50 national universities in the U.S. News & World Report rankings, according to Director of Development Communications David Nathan. The Office of Development said it is particularly emphasizing giving by young alumni. The Bold: Brandeisians of the Last Decade campaign has increased giving from 13 percent in fiscal 2011 to 17 percent in fiscal 2013. “I would say that’s a long-term investment. We invest in Bold. We do not expect that Bold alumni are going to be making large gifts. But what we care about is what percentage of them give gifts,” said Winship. “It’s all about looking into the future and making sure what we do here now, with the president and in development, prepares the way for future larger and larger campaigns.” The University also recently hired Patricia Fisher as the new vice president of alumni and university relations. Fisher previously worked in development at Dartmouth College for 25 years.

ENDOWMENT: $210 million increase BURDEN: New piece coming soon expected by 2014 JOSHUA LINTON/the Justice

Last Friday, Dr. Crystal Feimster, assistant professor of African American Studies and American Studies at Yale University, spoke at an event called “In the Shadow of Slavery.”

CONTINUED FROM 1

D. Brandeis, who said “[i]f we would guide by the light of reason, we must let our minds be bold.” Analogous to the three torches, hills and Hebrew phrase on the University seal, the architectural composition of the installation is meant to ensure that it remains as an enduring work on campus. The piece was acquired through the Rose’s restricted acquisitions fund, a resource that is secured only for the acquisition of works of visual art, whose places in the museum’s permanent collection contribute to the museum’s longevity. Although the installation will cost the museum two million dollars, the Rose staff reasons that the investment will pay off because thousands of visitors that the museum sees each year will come to know the Rose as an art destination by its new characteristic entrance. The installation will be a fixture of longevity at the Rose, and Bedford is hopeful that it will become integrated into campus. “I imagine the sculpture serving various different functions at Brandeis and for the Rose as an icon for the University and for the museum as part of the University,” Bedford said. “It’s supposed to operate as a thoroughfare or ushering people in and out of the museum, from campus into the museum, out from the museum onto campus. It’s symbolic of the connection.” Rose Art Museum director Christo-

CONTINUED FROM 1

COURTESY OF LANDWORKS STUDIO, INC.

AT THE ROSE: Chris Burden’s work will be installed at the Rose entrance by April. pher Bedford gave a public statement about his anticipation for the installation in a BrandeisNOW press release yesterday. “Brandeis has a history of radical innovation in the visual arts,” he said. “The decision to add to that collection a landmark sculpture by Chris Burden, one of our most important living artists, is conceived in accordance with Brandeis’ history of prescience and greatness in collecting and presenting the art of our time.” Bedford also has a longstanding professional relationship with Burden, as he described in a interview with the Justice. The two met almost seven years ago while involved with the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. “I think it was around that time as a curatorial assistant and an assistant curator at LACMA, that I got to know him doing research for a disser-

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tation … and I began visiting him at his studio,” Bedford explained. Bedford said that his vision for the installation is one that focuses largely on community. “I imagined it as space for social activity, artistic activity, both scripted and improvised. So when I imagine that, I think musical performances, theater, performance art, a cappella, as well as really just a place for students and faculty and members of the general public to meet,” he said. Students can look forward to construction beginning soon, during which time Burden will be on campus frequently, checking in on both the installation and the response to his work. —Phil Gallagher contributed reporting

listed were only those that were invested in the endowment and do not include annual fund donations. According to Senior Vice President for Finance and Chief Financial Officer Marianne Cwalina, annual gifts are not invested, but are designated for current use in the University budget. Cwalina wrote in an email to the Justice that annual funds can either be temporarily restricted for a particular purpose or unrestricted so that they may be used “for any of the University’s priorities.” Permanently-restricted gifts are gifts that increase the endowment and “are subject to donor-imposed specifications that do not expire with the passage of time and must be used for the purpose that the donor specifies, for example for scholarships, a professorship, or to support a particular program or department,” Cwalina wrote. According to Cwalina, the University endowment is composed of several restricted funds. These endowed gifts are unique from annual gifts in that they are invested. Although a certain percentage of the endowment is distributed “to benefit the University,” according to Cwalina, the remaining funds are re-invested.

theJustice

“When you raise money for endowment, you’re raising money from people who want to give you a gift that will be there in perpetuity,” said Senior Vice President of Institutional Advancement Nancy Winship in an interview with the Justice. According to Winship, the University has pledged to raise $210 million in endowment to support the operating budget of the University, a lot of which, she said, will be allotted toward financial aid. Brandeis is relatively young compared to peer institutions and this means that the University endowment has not had the chance to grow for as many years, according to Cwalina. Cwalina wrote that one of the University’s goals under the strategic plan will be to grow the Brandeis endowment through a fundraising campaign “in order to provide a predictable, long term source of funds for the University’s needs.” “We have a goal to get the endowment above a billion and we will do that. … That’s what this campaign is for,” said Winship. “The campaign we’re going into now will get the endowment at a billion or over.” —Andrew Wingens contributed reporting

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TUESDAY, novembER 12, 2013

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THE JUSTICE

VERBATIM | ALBERT CAMUS Don’t walk behind me; I may not lead. Don’t walk in front of me; I may not follow. Just walk beside me and be my friend.

ON THIS DAY…

FUN FACT

In 1990, computer scientist Tim Berners-Lee published a formal proposal for the World Wide Web.

The acid in the human stomach is strong enough to dissolve razor blades.

Start-up

rises to the top

PHOTOS COURTESY OF BRENNA NAN SCHNEIDER

TAILORED APPROACH: Brenna Nan Schneider MA ’11 received the highest awarded prize for her company 99Degrees Custom in a Massachusetts competition for innovative new start-ups.

Schneider MA ’11 received a prize for her clothing company By rEBECCA hELLER JUSTICE STAFF WRITER

A company with both a profitable business model and social impact? Heller School for Social Policy and Management alumna Brenna Nan Schneider MA ’11 is showing that this enviable combination is possible with her start-up 99Degrees Custom, and in late October she won the prestigious MassChallenge competition to help move it along. 99Degrees Custom is a manufacturing company that offers clients built-to-order custom apparel made in Lawrence, Mass. Schneider founded the company in 2012. “People are not able to customize the features and the colors and the cuts that they buy online,” Schneider said. “We’re the manufacturing solution for that.” In the end, there were two qualifiers in founding 99Degrees Custom. “It had to really have a market opportunity that was clear and that had some growth potential, but also that it had the ability to have a social impact in a positive way and create jobs that mattered. When both of those things checked out, I decided to start,” Schneider said. 99Degrees Custom provides practical benefits. One of these is the speed with which the company can produce its product. While these products would typically take about four to six weeks to produce overseas, 99Degrees Custom is “able to turn around custom clothing within a few days of an order,” Schneider said. Another important factor is 99Degrees Custom’s tailored approach. The company focuses on single-piece manufacturing. “We’re building the business around the custom market so rather than mass production,

which has dominated the apparel industry from the late 1800s, we’re kind of turning that on its head,” Schneider said. In addition to 99Degrees Custom’s unique offerings, Schneider noted that their specific type of American manufacturing is special. Schneider wanted to “create jobs that really mattered, rather than low-income, low-wage jobs that were dead end.” “Stitching isn’t a broader skill that’s applicable to many industries in the States, so while it’s an incredibly skilled job and industry, it doesn’t translate to upward mobility,” Schneider said. 99Degrees Custom helps with this because “this particular market and the complexity that comes with custom manufacturing does translate, and helping to build that bridge is really important.” Schneider says Brandeis helped prepare her to found her own company. “Not only were my goals that were strengthened at Brandeis, but it was also the skills that I have,” she says. Business school increased her comfort with numbers and taught her to build financial models, analyze businesses analytically and make critical decisions. However, Schneider notes that she came away from Brandeis with more than just analytical skills. In addition to teaching her to make savvy business decisions, the University “also really gave me a sense of community and leaning on a community to build something — that we’re not in it on our own,” she said. Both the skills she learned and the community that she found at Brandeis have “been invaluable and have been a huge part of the success of the business so far.” MassChallenge, a Massachusetts-based organization, seeks to help early-stage entrepreneurs and start-up companies such as

NOT SO CUSTOMARY: The company 99Degrees Custom presents a unique business model that defies the traditions of American mass manufacturing.

99Degrees Custom by connecting them with resources such as mentors, advisers, investors and funding. Primary activities include running an annual global accelerator program and startup competition, documenting and organizing key resources and organizing training and networking events. This year, over 1,300 teams applied to the MassChallenge startup competition. 128 of these teams got into the program, 26 won and five of these were awarded the Diamond Prize, which Schneider’s 99Degrees Custom received. The Diamond Prize grants $100,000 in prize money. Schneider first learned about MassChallenge about two years ago. “Last fall, I was in the Merrimack Valley Sandbox Business Accelerator, a regional accelerator,” or a program for entrepreneurs where they receive advising, workshops, and mentors. “They are really trying to bring entrepreneurship to other parts, gateway cities, not just Boston,” she said. After speaking with an adviser there, she entered that competition, where 99Degrees Custom earned first prize. She launched the company with the funds from that win, a total of $7,500. “One of my judges at that competition was John Harthorne, the [Chief Executive Officer] of MassChallenge, and so that was my first formal introduction,” Schneider said. The introduction turned out to be an important one, as MassChallenge provided Schneider with both financial resources and support as she grew 99Degrees Custom. Though she has been at the helm of 99Degrees Custom on her own, Schneider says that MassChallenge has provided her with crucial support from advisers. MassChallenge includes speed-networking events to

help entrepreneurs meet mentors, including some extremely successful entrepreneurs, investors and executives. “You have access to some of the smartest people who have come before you,” she said. “I had an amazing team of mentors.” Schneider met with her mentors every other week. “They were invaluable. They gave me great insight.” Larger corporations also played an important role in MassChallenge and provided important benefits. “It was an amazing opportunity because the mentorship is amazing, the resources,” Schneider says. Sponsors include United Parcel Service, American Airlines and ZipCar, all of whom contribute in-kind donations and support. It is “amazing to be a start-up and have access to these resources and these discounts, especially when things are so financially tight,” Schneider says. The money from MassChallenge will help expand the start-up’s capacity. This means “taking on new machines. It also means improving the [production] machines that we have” to make production even quicker and more accurate, according to Schneider. As the single founder, Schneider is currently the only person on 99Degrees Custom’s executive team. She has a team of five people who work in production. In addition to the infrastructure of 99Degrees Custom, it “enables us to grow our team,” she said. “The money allows me to hire a vice president of operations, who functions on the executive team and helps make strategic decisions and really thinks through the future of the business on the production and operations side, which is a really key role.” The win, she says, is “a huge step forward for our company. It enables us to do things we could never do on our own.”

BIG WIN: Schneider (center) and the MassChallenge team celebrate 99Degrees Custom’s win, which will help expand and develop her company.

THE JUSTICE

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TUESDAY, november 12, 2013

PHOTO COURTESY OF BRONTTE HWANG

THROUGH NEW EYES: Brontte Hwang ’15 grew to love the country of Namibia by experiencing the place through the perspective of the children she taught.

Snapshots of

Africa

Students created an exhibit aimed at presenting a wide perspective of the continent By HEE JU KANG JUSTICE STAFF WRITER

URTESY OF

PHOTO CO

ERG

ISAAC STEINB

in raphs featured ultiple photog , m wn d To ha 5 pe ’1 Ca g einber tions including Morocco. AUTY: Isaac St different loca y in s an ie m NATURE’S BE cit at d n an a ey were take gion of Ghan the exhibit. Th e) the Volta re (pictured abov a ric Af h ut So

PERSONA L PICTUR ES and contr PHOTO COURTE ibuted ph : Hannah Young ’1 SY OF HA otos of he 5 (right) is NAH YO UNG rself and th e B ASO club her host secretary family fro m her tim e in Ugan da.

OURTESY

PHOTO C

IA MAGAD

OF MAR

na she took o ia. otos that h mb p a d Z te d it n babwe a ’15 subm a Magade on the border of Zim ri a M : N O VACATI located TRANQUIL n to Victoria Falls, tio ca va ily m fa

Perhaps you have traveled somewhere unfamiliar and culturally different— someplace you had previously only encountered through films, text and word of mouth. Were you surprised to discover new things about these places that conflicted with your preconceived notions? With funds from the Intercultural Center and the Student Union Finance Board, the Brandeis African Students Organization hosted an exhibition from Nov. 1 to Nov. 8 that featured photography from various regions of Africa including Namibia, Uganda, Zimbabwe, Tanzania, South Africa, Kenya and Morocco in the Shapiro Campus Center Art Gallery. The photographs were submitted by Brandeis students, both BASO club members and not. According to the club’s website, BASO “seeks to culturally empower African students and the student body at large to become socially, politically, and critically aware of African cultures.” The club aspires to understand the diversity of each African country “through a sociopolitical and sociocultural lens.” Reflecting this mission, BASO came up with the exhibit idea in an effort to help “change the image that the Brandeis students have of Africa as a continent,” club secretary Hannah Young ’15 said. One featured photographer named Isaac Steinberg ’15 submitted photographs to exhibit from the Volta region in eastern Ghana, Cape Town in South Africa and the cities of Essaouira and Rabat in Morocco. “Most of my photography, I do [it] abroad. So I try to do it in a way that really transports you to the place I went to,” Steinberg said. “I try to give some emotion, some lighting in such a way that makes you feel like you are just thrown into a scene.” One of his personal favorite photographs was of the sunset by a lagoon taken just north of Cape Town. “I was staying by some guest houses with family friends and … we were walking along the beach. It was a pretty amazing sunset. … You would look into the distance and see clouds and warmish hues,” he said. Brontte Hwang ’15 submitted photos from her time teaching children in Namibia. “It was really hard for me to choose … the pictures [to submit] because I had so many from my trip. … The ones I picked were among my favorites, but any picture [in which] my kids are smiling and looking at me… I just love all of those.” “I was really happy for Namibia because [it] is usually a quiet country. Not a lot of people know that it exists, so you don’t see a lot of pictures of are out there of the modern [Namibian] people,” she said. “I realized [my photos] might have been really important because my children are a part of people who are not well studied. … These might be some of the few pictures that are out there of the

modern [Namibian] people.” Maria Magade ’15 is a BASO member and a featured photographer and is an international student from Zimbabwe who submitted photos. “[My] photos were taken at the Victoria Falls, a waterfall on the Zambezi River at the border between Zimbabwe and Zambia,” she said. “They were taken during a family vacation. … [The Victoria Falls is] a popular holiday destination for both international tourists and Zimbabweans alike.” Magade believes the exhibit was a culturally beneficial experience for the Brandeis student body. “The photos [showed] the Brandeis community Africa from [the] perspective [of the] people who have experienced the beauty of the continent firsthand,” she said. “[It is] a way of showing people the Africa they probably haven’t seen in the media.” Young also had her photography, taken in Uganda and South Africa, featured in the exhibit. Young’s photographs were taken in Uganda. One depicts Young and her host mother dressed in traditional attire, but another is of four South Sudanese students in a Ugandan school and another features the school building with the students out for their morning assembly. “I wanted to show [the many] dimensions [of life] through these different photos,” she said. Young’s personal favorite is the photograph of herself and her host mother. Young feels the exhibition was successful. “It was a small exhibit, but we really did think that it showed different aspects that people normally don’t consider about culture that they don’t really know about,” she said. Hwang said the exhibition helped her connect to the student body. “These are very personal pictures. Of course, the photographs are always personal to the photographer, but when you see an exhibit or photos by Brandeis students, they’re people you know. … These pictures are very personal to them, so I think that connection is really meaningful,” she said. Magade expressed similar sentiments. “[It is] an opportunity to show my fellow Brandeisians some snippets of the beautiful Zimbabwe that I know—the side of Zimbabwe that so many people do not know exists,” she said. Young also indicated an interest in pursuing the same project in the future. “We didn’t represent every country in one year, so we’d like to expand and make this a very cohesive and illustrative exhibit for years to come,” she said. Young is glad for the awareness the exhibition promoted. “Our lives are so busy and we’re very oriented on our own culture, our own community and our own lives. We tend to make broad assumptions about other cultures,” she said.“This … helps create dimensions in other cultures that outsiders don’t necessarily see and it’s familiarizing yourself with those differences that, in my opinion, is the best way to expand your horizon.”

10 TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 2013 ● THE JUSTICE

Justice Justice

the the

Established 1949, Brandeis University

Brandeis University

Established 1949

Tate Herbert, Editor in Chief Andrew Wingens, Senior Editor Adam Rabinowitz, Managing Editor Sam Mintz, Production Editor Phil Gallagher, Deputy Editor Rachel Burkhoff, Sara Dejene, Shafaq Hasan, Joshua Linton and Jessie Miller Associate Editors Marissa Ditkowsky, News Editor Jaime Kaiser, Features Editor Glen Chagi Chesir, Forum Editor Henry Loughlin, Sports Editor Rachel Hughes, Arts Editor Emily Wishingrad, Arts Editor Josh Horowitz and Olivia Pobiel, Photography Editors Rebecca Lantner, Layout Editor Celine Hacobian, Online Editor Brittany Joyce, Copy Editor Schuyler Brass, Advertising Editor

Prioritize quality over savings At a faculty meeting this past week, Prof. Faith Smith (AAAS), faculty representative to the Board of Trustees, announced a positive aspect of both the new dining contract and the health facilities overhaul: savings in cost. While the University should be taking the cost of contracts and programs into account in its decision making process, this board stresses the importance of prioritizing the quality of those things that are central to student life, over the poential savings in cost. In an email to the University in 2009, former President Jehuda Reinharz projected “Brandeis will be facing operating budget shortfalls for as many as five years.” This past year, the fourth since Reinharz’s projection, the University ran a $6.5 million deficit in its budget, according to Smith. To address this, the University is planning a multi-year cost-cutting plan, starting with one million dollars in savings, in procurement. Furthermore, the net fundraising gained by the University this year was $54.7 million compared to $61 million last year, a downward trend that must be reversed. It is understandable for the University to still be running at a budget deficit as well as for fundraising to decline between the end of one capital campaign and the beginning of another. However, when determining how to properly meet future budgets, we hope the quality of new projects and programs does not suffer. For example, the quality of the overall health of the Brandeis campus community must be prioritized over potential savings. According to the report of Hodgkins Beckley Consulting, which was released to the public last week, the problems facing the health facilities on campus are

Continue to invest in faculty pervasive. The restructuring plan proposes placing all health services, both physical and mental, under one umbrella. This board hopes that the primary goal of this health services model is to bring improvements to the services that so desperately need them, not to just cut costs. Moreover, at last week’s faculty meeting it was reported that there has been an apparent disconnect between the faculty and the Board of Trustees regarding faculty wages. Investment in faculty must be a priority for University funding, as faculty will always be the backbone of a successful university. While cost cutting is vital, faculty wages must remain a priority. Furthermore, we urge the University to think concretely about which parts of the forthcoming implementation of the strategic plan should be addressed first. The “quiet phase,” or initial stage of fundraising for the University’s upcoming capital campaign, will begin in the spring. While the strategic plan is essential to the continued success of the University, we urge the University to at least maintain the quality of previously existing programs while attempting to meet budgetary requirements for the plan itself. The University should not cut costs so much as to lower the standard of health services, dining services or any other previously existing program in order to implement the strategic plan. Like many higher education institutions following the recession, Brandeis is reassessing its financial obligations to meet its budget. We urge the University to weigh the quality of programs versus the cost, as both are requisite pieces of the future success of the University.

Continue cluster hire practice

For the next academic year, the African and Afro-American Studies department intends to hire two new faculty members as part of a multi-year cluster hire initiative, a practice in which several professors from complementary disciplines are simultaneously hired. The cluster hire will connect the AAAS department and the Women’s and Gender Studies program along with a position of a Latin American historian in the History department. We commend the University for undertaking this interdisciplinary initiative to broaden the academic scope of the department. In that vein, we urge the University to consider utilizing cluster hires in other departments in an effort to enhance the caliber of our academics. The aim of the initiative is to introduce different perspectives in the field of the African diaspora, and in so doing, isolate areas of scholarship that are unexplored within the University curriculum. Through their collaborative efforts with another department, students will be exposed to a more complete learning experience of African and Afro-American Studies. Likewise, other professors will benefit from a newly energized environment with incoming faculty members that will further enhance intellectual diversity. New faculty members with concentrations in other disciplines can enrich discourse with different perspectives. Given the pioneering nature of cluster hiring, if we were to expand this initiative across other disciplines, the administra-

Extend to other departments tion would have the opportunity to invest in the research of its new faculty members, and promote potentially new and innovative scholarship in developing fields. In its current capacity, Brandeis does promote the liberal arts model by fostering interaction between its departments. In the course of fulfilling major and minor requirements, students will find a number of their classes cross-listed with other departments. The University also offers co-taught classes sponsored by the Mandel Center for the Humanities in which two professors jointly teach cross-disciplinary classes where subjects overlap. However, a broader effort should be made to encourage collaborations between departments, as seen with this initiative. Our academic study would only be enriched through learning material from several diverse perspectives. According to the March 2013 draft of the strategic plan, “When possible, Brandeis should pursue opportunities for thematic ‘cluster hires’ of faculty with overlapping interests in multiple disciplines, so that we can strengthen individual programs and build new strengths in interdisciplinary areas.” As the University moves forward with the implementation of this plan, we expect that the administration will be trying to actively incorporate interdisciplinary programs into the curriculum.

TZIPORAH THOMSON /the Justice

Views the News on

This past Tuesday, elections resulted in significant changes for the cities of Boston and New York. After 20 years with a Republican or Independent mayor, New York City elected liberal Democrat Bill de Blasio in a landslide. In Boston, Thomas Menino, who this year decided not to run after holding office for 20 years, was replaced by Martin Walsh. What impact do you think de Blasio and Walsh will have over their respective cities?

Nicholas Medina ’14 The impact that they will have is hard for me to predict. First and foremost, their impacts will depend on how much they care about their city. Without emotional investment, I think they are more likely to make decisions that help them stand out as politicians rather than actually improve citizens’ quality of life. Second, I see at least de Blasio’s landslide victory as more of a symbol that represents changes in New Yorkers’ values. In a Nov. 5 article, the Washington Post commented that de Blasio is “ushering in an era of activist liberal governance,” but I’d say most of the leading is done by New York City citizens on a daily basis. If the assertion of the Washington Post is true, maybe now politicians and activists will exist more harmoniously, and political activism might not feel so anti-political at least on the city level. Third, as a Dominican Bronx resident, I think it’s critical that de Blasio make New York City less Manhattan-centric, especially as gentrification pushes ethnic minorities to the outskirts of the other four boroughs. Nicholas Medina ’14 is a Biology major and a Science Posse Scholar.

Noah Coolidge ’16 A really good mayor has the potential to truly transform not just their city, but also their entire region. Marty Walsh and Bill de Blasio had very different paths to the mayor’s office in their respective cities. De Blasio campaigned on a powerful progressive platform of fairness, equality and ending the discriminatory “stop and frisk” policy. Walsh has promised to focus on improving public education and economic development. Both come from different backgrounds and won in very different circumstances. De Blasio is the first Democratic mayor of New York in years and won a resounding victory. Walsh succeeds a 20-year incumbent Democrat and won by only two percent. Both will face difficult challenges as they begin leading their cities. They have ambitious agendas that will challenge the status quo and improve their cities and the regions beyond. Despite different circumstances, the two mayorselect have at least one thing in common: they’re both Red Sox fans. Noah Coolidge ’16 is a History major, has worked on several political campaigns, and is a resident of Lexington, Mass.

Mark Gimelstein ’17 Following Bill de Blasio’s win in the 2013 New York City mayoral election, it is clear that the city’s populace has taken a major turn to the left on the political spectrum. In my opinion, the outcome of the election was an unfortunate one, as I believe that de Blasio’s proposed policies have the potential to drive many job creators out of the city, which will make it that much more difficult for the city’s poor to climb up the economic ladder. Personal opinions aside, this election matters because of New York City’s great importance for the United States and global economy. As the financial capital of the world, the policies put in place by the mayor of New York City can be consequential and influential for millions, if not billions of people. Mark Gimelstein ’17 is a projected Politics and Economics major, and a Long Island, New York native.

Sam Mintz ’15 Marty Walsh is a great guy with many supporters, and I think he’ll be a fine mayor. However, what he won’t do is bring many new ideas to a city that could really use some. Boston has had the same mayor for 20 years, and has had only three mayors in the last 45 years. While Walsh represents a token change, I think Boston would have been ready for a mayor like Charlotte Golar Richie, who came in third in the preliminary election behind Walsh and runner up John Connolly. She would have been both the first female and first African-American mayor in Boston history. Or what about Felix Arroyo, John Barros, or Rob Consalvo, excellent candidates, each of whom was vying to be the first Hispanic mayor of a city which now has as many or almost as many Hispanic residents as Irish-American residents? Sam Mintz ’15 is a Politics major, production editor of the Justice, and a native of Arlington, Mass.

THE JUSTICE

READER COMMENTARY Evaluate communal role on campus In response to your article “Uniting religious segments” (Nov. 5): In response to your article, “Uniting religious segments,” this reader finds that the author was not comprehensive in her research. While the substantive mission of Kehilat Sha’ar is another question for the Jewish community at Brandeis, and perhaps a topic for an additional article in the Justice, that necessary question was not posed to the relevant Jewish community in this article. The author failed to provide any insight as to how Kehilat Sha’ar interacts with the wider Brandeis Jewish community, including no input from the leaders of the other denominational groups. For example, the author’s comment that the current Jewish religious groups at Brandeis “are just that—only services, with no events directly corresponding,” is completely inaccurate: each of the main religious groups under the Hillel umbrella—Brandeis Reform Chavurah, Brandeis Orthodox Organization, Brandeis University Conservative Organization and Brandeis Reconstructionist Organization—hosts a wide variety of social, educational and social-action events specifically intended to foster community. The fact that the author failed to mention these groups gives a false impression about the lack of vibrant religious communities existing within Hillel. Secondly, the author notes that there is an inherent relationship between Sha’ar and Hillel at Brandeis, but failed to further uncover that this dynamic may actually be somewhat strained from the other perspective. Lastly, the author notes that “Kehilat Sha’ar is open to anyone on campus,” implying that the existing communities aren’t open to the wider campus community. An article about such a presently controversial topic within the Brandeis Jewish community must voice more than one perspective. A well-balanced article includes more opinions than simply interviewing the founders of one group, especially when its existence continues to be a contentious subject for many others involved in Jewish religious groups on campus. —Naomi Weinblatt ’16

Both Hillel and Chabad fill the void In response to your article “Uniting religious segments” (Nov. 5): How are they any different? Chabad and Hillel are both welcoming to all members of the community. As an alum I am interested in hearing how this group has somehow created a community with lower “barriers to entry” than Hillel and Chabad, which already welcome everyone. I remember my time at Hillel as inclusive and loving. I don’t see how this helps to bring the greater Jewish community on campus any closer. —Paul Garvey ’07

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TUESDAY, November 12, 2013

Health services on campus need reform Catherine

rosch Cynical idealist

There is no question that the health services on campus need to be reformed. I’ve personally experienced confusion about hours, how to set up an appointment or how I was supposed to pay for services at the various centers on campus. It’s a very positive first step that the University has taken the initiative to investigate the flaws in health services and suggest solutions. However, despite the promised improvements, I remain wary about the mental health and psychological counseling resources. Perhaps my view on the mental health services is biased, as I have not had great experiences with the Psychological Counseling Center. During first year orientation, I went to the PCC to make an appointment with a therapist. The receptionist was friendly but was unable to answer basic questions, like how insurance would cover sessions or when was the earliest a therapist could meet with me on a regular basis. Although I did eventually meet with a counselor, I ultimately decided to see a therapist in Newton, Mass., even though it requires taking a cab both ways and having to squeeze visits in between classes. It simply was less stressful to go to Newton than to use services on campus. My experience at the PCC may have been a onetime lapse on behalf of the center, but according to the report on health services released by the University last week, other students, both graduate and undergraduate, have struggled to get the mental health services they need for a variety of reasons, ranging from waiting times to lack of clarity about payments. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, more than one in four Americans over the age of 18 has some sort of mental disorder, and of those affected, nearly 45 percent have multiple disorders. Mental disorders are just as common as other disorders like asthma, but they are often misunderstood or ignored. There still remains a stigma around mental disorders, be it dyslexia, anxiety and depression issues or more serious illnesses like schizophrenia or post-traumatic stress disorder. The NIMH also states that on average, many mental disorders, like anxiety, depression and panic disorders, first start to show symptoms when an individual is in their late teens or early 20’s. Because of this fact, it is even more important that colleges and universities like Brandeis make sure students have adequate resources. Hopefully, in the wake of this revealing University report, mental health services will be more accessible and students will have all the information they need without confusion or having to

MARISA RUBEL/the Justice

go to multiple sources. From experience, it is incredibly stressful to be a new student, away from home for the first time, and not be able to figure out how to see a counselor. But the problems with the PCC go beyond organizational challenges. While there are currently a number of people who work at the PCC, including 20 psychologists and social workers, three psychiatrists and six unpaid interns, a majority of these positions are part time, according to the University’s report. The PCC is open between 9 AM and 6 PM according to the website and runs an answering service for non-emergency cases, but there is no sort of round-the-clock therapist for students. Life-threatening emergencies are referred to the Brandeis Police, according to the website. Here’s the thing. If you need counseling or have a mental disorder, you don’t always operate on a schedule. You can’t decide to wait until the next day, when a therapist is in the office, to have suicidal thoughts or a panic attack. If someone is not in a good mental state, they need help, and fast. An answering service is great if you need to set up an appointment, but a pre-recorded message can’t help you if you need psychological help at that moment for whatever reason. Parents, friends and community advisors are always resources, but there are situations where they simply aren’t

enough and a student would need something more. Although it would be more expensive, some sort of round the clock resource, either professional or student-run, would be preferable. While Students Talking About Relationships and the Brandeis Counseling and Rape Hotline, both of which are student-run, both exist as resources for students, they aren’t available 24/7 and aren’t staffed by professionals. If someone needs serious help, it isn’t that helpful if the number they call is an answering machine. While having peer resources are important, sometimes a person in the midst of an episode needs professional help or might not feel comfortable talking to a fellow student. Perhaps the PCC can keep their answering service, but also have a way of directing students to practices or hospitals that do have therapists on call at all hours. Or they could partner more closely with groups like STAR and he counseling hotline so that they always have a trained, adult professional on hand. I’m sure I sound pessimistic about the state of mental health services at Brandeis, and partially, it is because I’ve been frustrated in the past. However, I am hopeful that things can and will change, and the PCC will be a more accessible resource for students in the future.

Incognito ignored the locker room culture with abuse of Martin Glen

chesir Chagi’s chop

As any athlete can attest, sports locker rooms are a place like no other. The culture is regimented in its rules, yet loose in its methods of enforcing them. Leadership is the job description of the coaching staff, yet assumed by veteran players. The only way to gain respect is to perform. You do your job, and you’ll become a welcomed member of the locker room. I have been an avid sports fan my entire life. I’ve lived, breathed and bled New York sports for as long as I can remember. The locker rooms of my favorite teams were a revered and abstract place that all my sports idols spoke about; it was the ultimate hub of sports culture. For my 11th birthday, my dad somehow scored tickets to an off-season training program with the New York Giants. The players taught us the fundamentals of tackling, throwing, running and blocking. At the end of the program all the kids got to talk to the players in the locker room itself. I will never forget conversing with Michael Stra-

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han, famed defensive end and Amani Toomer, the always-reliable wide receiver, about what it’s like to play football for a living. But the most noteworthy part was the way the players spoke about each other. They relentlessly made fun of each other, yet so evidently respected each other. Every jab or joke was taken in stride because the underlying level of respect always existed. In this vein, everyone who has ever called themselves a sports fan should be absolutely appalled at the current state of the Miami Dolphins locker room. On Oct. 28, rookie offensive lineman Jonathan Martin dismissed himself from the team after a dining hall altercation. In the ensuing days, more and more details continue to be publicized, mostly involving fellow offensive lineman Richie Incognito. Voicemails from Incognito using racial slurs, death threats and even recent reports of physical abuse have all been reported. Martin recently checked himself into a mental health hospital to help cope with the emotional damage that took place in this tumultuous environment. In his first public interview since the reports, which aired on Fox Sports this past Sunday, Incognito pushed part of the blame onto both Martin and all of sports culture. Incognito argued that all of the insults and abuse “came from a place of love” and that vulgar communication was normal among Dolphins players. Incognito continued, “All

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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 last page of the newspaper, staff interview four randomly selected students each week and print only those four answers. The Justice is the independent student newspaper of Brandeis University. Operated, written, produced and published entirely by students, the Justice includes news, features, arts, opinion and sports articles of interest to approximately 3,500 undergraduates, 800 graduate students, 500 faculty and 1,000 administrative staff. In addition, the Justice is mailed weekly to paid subscribers and distributed throughout Waltham, Mass. The Justice is published every Tuesday of the academic year with the exception of examination and vacation periods. Advertising deadlines: All insertion orders and advertising copy must be received by the Justice no later than 5 p.m. on the Thursday preceding the date of publication. All advertising copy is subject to approval of the editor in chief and the managing and advertising editors. A publication schedule and rate card is available upon request. Subscription rate: $35 per semester, $55 per year.

this stuff coming out, it speaks to the culture of our locker room, it speaks to culture of our closeness, it speaks to the culture of our brotherhood. And the racism, the bad words, that’s what I regret most. But that is a product of the environment.” Its not my fault, claimed Incognito, it’s just what happens in the locker room system. Incognito has since been dismissed from the team. However, Incognito fundamentally misunderstands the culture of a locker room, which is why he sees minimal fault in his actions. Locker room culture is predicated on success; that’s where one earns his stripes and earns his respect. It is therefore the responsibility of the rest of the locker room to create an environment for all to succeed in the long run. Pushing rookies to their physical and mental limits, within the scope of reason, is vital to each player reaching his ultimate potential. Just as associate lawyers are the last to leave the office, and first-year investment bankers wont see daylight as first-year employees, so too football players must work up the proverbial ladder to achieve the success and, subsequently, earn the respect of their peers. This “earn-your-stripes” environment is what Incognito was referencing when he claimed the behavior was “coming from a place of love” and simply an act of “brotherhood.” He may have actually thought he was helping Martin reach his potential by acting in this manner—he seemed rather genuine

The Staff

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

in his interview. But there are fine lines between pushing one to reach his potential and basic harassment. Incognito blatantly crossed those lines with his deplorable behavior. Racial slurs have no positive implications whatsoever and physical abuse has no practical implications whatsoever. Michael Strahan, the New York Giants player I met as a child, now works as a commentator for Fox Sports. When asked if any hazing occurred during his tenure as the veteran leadership of the Giants, Strahan replied, “We never did anything like that.” Strahan elaborated that the hazing on the Giants under his tenure from 1993 through 2007 consisted of having the rookies bring breakfast sandwiches on Friday and donuts and coffee on Saturday. Rookies learned their place in the locker room and respected their elders. Never offensive. Never harmful. The problem therefore lies not in locker room culture, but in how Incognito interpreted that culture. Veterans have an obligation to help rookies reach their full potential, and part of that process is learning to respect those who came before them. That, however, does not give Incognito, or any veteran player, the right to abuse anyone else. Incognito crossed the line that differentiates constructive hierarchy to harmful abuse. Hopefully, the rest of the sports world will learn from his mistakes and situations like this will never arise again.

Editorial Assistants Photos: Morgan Brill, Rafaella Schor Sports: Avi Gold Forum: Max Moran

Alexandra Zelle Rettman, Mara Sassoon, Nate Shaffer, Aliza

Staff

Copy: Aliza Braverman, Kathryn Brody, Melanie Cytron, Eliza

Senior Writers: Jacob Moskowitz News: Jay Feinstein, Danielle Gross, Luke Hayslip, Ilana Kruger, Sarah Rontal, Scarlett Reynoso, Samantha Topper Features: Rebecca Heller, Hee Ju Kang, Aditi Shah Forum: Jennie Bromberg, Daniel Koas, Aaron Fried, Noah M. Horwitz, Max Moran, Kahlil Oppenheimer, Catherine Rosch, Naomi Volk Sports: Ben Freudman, Elan Kane, Daniel Kanovich, Dan Rozel Arts: Aliza Gans, Kiran Gill, Arielle Gordon, Zachary Marlin,

Vigderman Photography: Zach Anziska, Jenny Cheng, Annie Fortnow, Wit Gan, Annie Kim, Abby Knecht, Bri Mussman, Leah Newman, Adam Stern, Olivia Wang, Xiaoyu Yang Kopelman, Mara Nussbaum Layout: Ashley Hebard, Elana Horowitz, Jassen Lu, Maya RiserKositsky, Lilah Zohar Illustrations: Hannah Kober, Tziporah Thompson

TUESDAY, November 12, 2013

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THE JUSTICE

FORUM

Human kindness needed to truly combat poverty By Kahlil OpPenheimer JUSTICE STAFF WRITER

I remember walking through Harvard Square a couple of months ago and giving $20 to a homeless guy. I felt so proud. I had earned that money working and was originally going to put it towards a t-shirt I saw at Urban Outfitters. Not only was I being moral and generous, I was being frugal. Feeling particularly content, I entered a nearby Starbucks, ordered a hot chocolate with whipped cream, pulled out my laptop, and began to peruse through my Facebook newsfeed. It was rest time and I had earned it. My high school’s environmental action club was fundraising through a bake sale to replenish rainforests in Madagascar. Sweet. The club that volunteers at the local homeless shelter was preparing a dinner. I messaged a good friend to boast about my accomplishment. He responded, “Awesome! What’d you guys talk about?” Flustered and embarrassed, I didn’t know how to respond. I didn’t stop to speak to the man I “helped.” I didn’t even look him in the face. In those six words, my friend (and I can’t thank him enough for this) transformed my self-proclaimed, world-saving deed into one of the causes of the problem. Maybe instead of blindly donating, we need to actually embrace our societal guilt surrounding poverty, look it in the face, and remember its name. A 2012 interview with a homeless Chicago man, Ronald Davis, went viral over the media-sharing site worldstarhiphop.com. In the interview, Davis shares his experience panhandling, including being yelled at to “get a job.” Through tears, he notes, “No matter what people think about me, I know I’m a human first. And just ‘cause I’m down on my luck, don’t give nobody no excuse to call me no bum. Because I’m not.” We dehumanize homeless people because we don’t think they deserve the same respect as everyone else. I never mentioned the man I spoke to by name, only as “a homeless guy.” I didn’t know his name, and didn’t care to try to find out what it was. We think that if someone is homeless or poor, it is his fault. We think that if someone is rich or famous, it is her achievement. This claim is absolutely integral to everything we believe in about America—the American Dream of being the next Bill Gates, Michael Jordan, Louis Armstrong, or one of the other thirty or so people we cite as evidence of opportunity paying off. Not only is that notion doing immense amounts of harm to how we view poverty, it’s also just incorrect. A recent op-ed in The New York Times written by Mark R. Rank, a professor of social welfare at Washington University, set out to debunk common myths about poverty. Rank tackled the idea that if someone is homeless or poor, it’s because they aren’t working hard enough. Through his colleagues’ and his own research, he concluded that the attitudes of those in poverty mirror those in mainstream America, and that “a vast majority of the poor have worked extensively and will do so again.” In fact, he went on to conclude that at least 40 percent of Americans aged 25-60 will experience at least one year below the official poverty line, at least 54 percent will spend a

HANNAH KOBER/the Justice

year in poverty or near poverty (below 150 percent of poverty line) and 50 percent of all American children will at some point reside in a house that uses food stamps for a period of time. So if being “down on your luck” isn’t anomalous, and is actually quite “mainstream,” why do we stigmatize it? In “Hiding Homelessness,” an article published in The Spare Change News (a newspaper mostly run and distributed by homeless individuals), James Shearer, member of the paper’s board of directors, writes:

“The other thing I’ve noticed quite a bit lately is how, as Americans, we get caught up in causes, especially when it comes to tragedies such as the horrific tornadoes that recently struck Oklahoma, or the bombings in Boston. Whenever things like this happen, we gather ourselves up to help, we set up funds, sell T-shirts and throw benefit concerts, all in a heroic effort to raise money for the victims and to raise awareness. We donate to causes like cancer, diabetes, heart disease or sick children. These are all noble causes, but there are times when I wonder why we will not do

the same for those living in homelessness and poverty. Where is their benefit concert? Is not having one another way of hiding these social ills?” “We need to stop hiding homelessness and poverty—and we need to stop hiding them from ourselves.” If human kindness, not blind philanthropy, is needed to break the cycle of poverty, if anyone could be poor and everyone is human, there is no question about what we need to do. We need to realize that the problem isn’t with them. It’s with us.

Get rid of standardized testing to save the education system By Jennie Bromberg Justice staff writer

Too many times throughout pre-college schooling, I sat at a desk with my extra sharp No. 2 pencils lined up in a row, ready to bubble in the answers on the dreaded standardized tests. I survived the TerraNova tests, the Ohio Achievement Assessments, the SAT, various Advanced Placement tests and the Ohio Graduation Test. Having an institution that attempted to quantify my education and intelligence through a mandatory standardized test made by someone other than my own teacher was something I was glad to leave behind once I graduated high school. But not all college students are so lucky. Last Monday, the Chronicle of Higher Education published an article about the growing trend of states trying to measure how much students in college learn, with the overall goal of figuring out the quality of the education at each college. There is currently a consortium composed of nine states and led by Massachusetts with the goal of creating a “tool to measure learning that surpasses the current array of standardized tests” for universities which are already mandated by some states. But creating such a tool is almost, if not completely, impossible to do. When a specific knowledge base matters for graduate school, college students take which-

ever standardized test the school requires, like the GRE, GMAT, LSAT or MCAT. These tests have the same problems as most other standardized tests, and adding more testing in college than there already is excessive. Standardized testing or rubric testing in any level of education has its flaws. There needs to be a shift in focus to the individual. Implementing standardized testing at the university levels shifts the professor’s focus from what they feel is necessary to teach and emphasize as a professional in education to what the state and its politics think is necessary. Teaching to the test has never worked and has only robbed teachers of their autonomy in the classroom. Implementing this into colleges would take away from students’ education. If a student is not learning and does not understand a subject, it will show up in their grade for the class. If anyone is qualified to evaluate college students’ performance and gain of knowledge, it’s the professors themselves, based on their own curricula. They are the people teaching, and testing is an indication of the extent to which students understand and are able to apply the material they have taught. The problem with trying to transfer this method of evaluation to a scale beyond the scope of the classroom is twofold. There is too much variation among professors and there is too much variation among students. Every professor teaches in a different way and every student

learns in a different way. Standardized tests do not show how students learn and test differently. The day for the standardized test or “rubric evaluation” may have simply been an abnormally good day or an abnormally bad day for the student. Not to mention that all students learn and test differently. How can you possibly quantify the knowledge of a group of individuals through half a day of testing when each person is different from the next?

“

Teaching to the test has never worked and has only robbed teachers of their autonomy in the classroom. While there is some value in standardized testing in its idea to objectively measure education, the current system just does not work. It is time to change the way we measure education. In order to really grasp how a school in any level of education is functioning and imparting knowledge, those evaluating the

schools need to go to the school and evaluate it by experiencing it themselves, whether by sitting in on classes or talking to the students and teachers. Those who wish to measure education must stop wasting money on testing and rubrics and start reallocating that money to send people into the schools to evaluate them through experience. Additionally, the development of technology has greatly expanded the ability for communication and collaboration. Standardized tests do not show the ability of students to work with others, delegate tasks and take on responsibilities, all of which are important qualities that college students develop and will use once they graduate. Being tested by bubbling multiple choice questions in with a No. 2 pencil for a few hours once a year shows almost nothing about the quality of one’s education, because in the end the only thing that matters is how you apply what you learn in college once you graduate. Standardized testing needs some serious reform if it wants to accomplish its original goal. At the end of the day, the only thing that matters is how well the student as an individual is mastering the material from their teacher and not what shows up on a standardized test. If there were a way to focus on students’ experiences rather than their test scores, maybe education could somehow be measured.

THE JUSTICE

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November 12, 2013

WSOCCER: Team goes to ECACs

EXTENDING HER REACH

CONTINUED FROM 16 cant senior leadership in the first half, it also gave the Judges a glimpse of potential for the future. Defensemen Jessica Morana ’17 and Julia McDermott ’17 as well as forward Cidney Moscovitch ’17 all made strong cases for themselves to start next year, playing strong games in their respective positions. In addition to the trio, forward Tali Fleitman ’17 and midfielder Michaela Friedman ’17 had strong appearances in the first half for the Judges. Having failed to impose itself in the first half, the Judges knew that they would have to pick up their play following the half-time break. Just when it appeared that it wasn’t Brandeis’ day, co-captain Peterson started the rally off on a free kick. Peterson took a direct kick from a full 35 yards and put it over NYU freshman goalkeeper Cassie Steinberg to tie the game at one goal apiece. In a final tribute to her sterling college career, she tied up the game just as it was beginning to slip away from the Judges. “We were aware that we had to pick it up,” said Peterson. “We

knew that we weren’t playing that well in the first half and we wanted to make sure that it wasn’t going to be the same game in the second half—and it wasn’t.” Much like the Judges’ first goal, the second strike came from a freekick about 25 yards out. With just under nine minutes left, forward Sapir Edalati ’15 was fouled, giving Brandeis an opportunity to make the visiting Violets pay. Stein lined up the kick. Though the Judges’ attackers crowded the box for a delivery, Stein ripped a powerful high shot off the bottom of the crossbar, which headed straight down on the goal line before bouncing into the top of the net for a very timely firstcareer game winner and first strike of the season. “I was just going to hit it as hard as I could,” she said. “I wanted to blast it into the back of the net. It worked. It felt amazing.” “I was like ‘I’m not losing at home in my last game.’ Thankfully, we did not.” Brandeis hosts the first round of the Eastern College Athletic Conference Division III Championship versus Castleton State College tomorrow at a time to be determined.

Swimming and diving

RAFAELLA SCHOR/theJustice

MAXIMUM FOCUS: Middle blocker Summer Koop ’16 rises above two defenders in search of a kill during Friday's match at home.

VOLLEYBALL: Hosts drop games in season finale CONTINUED FROM 16 nating the third and fourth sets, never allowing the Judges more than 16 points in any game. The Bears also extended leads of 11 and 15 in the two sets respectively, taking the match by a 3-1 margin and individual scores of 25-23, 22-25, 25-16, and 25-13.

Brandeis sputtered to a three set loss against Case in their second game Friday, squandering a 1913 lead in the first set and leading just once over the second and third sets. The Spartans cruised to an easy 3-0 victory over the Judges by scores of 25-23, 25-16, 25-22. The Judges end the season with a record of 10-25 record, eighth in

UAA standings, but can look forward to featuring a veteran core next year. Brandeis graduates just two of its starters from this year, Hensley and setter Yael Einhorn ’14, and in turn, seeks to bring back Hood, Bernaiche and middle blocker Carly Gutner-Davis ’15 to lead the team next year.

MSOCCER: Exciting victories at home qualify men for Tournament CONTINUED FROM 16 half, NYU came out strong after the interval. Senior midfielder Chris Ramirez tested Judges’ goalkeeper Joe Graffy ’15 with a low shot, which Graffy dove to stop. Instead of being the start of a potential push for the equalizer, the stop would prove the springboard for the Judges’ second goal, which they netted in the 69th minute. Savonen, who used his torrid pace to get around the outside of the Violets’ rearguard, sent a low ball in towards the center of the pitch. Fellow forward Evan Jastremski ’17 was there to slot the ball into the right corner of the net for a 2-0 advantage that the Judges wouldn’t relinquish. From there, the hosts were in relative control. A late surge by NYU senior center back Joseph Lee proved all the offense that the visitors would muster, and following the second half, the Judges ran out as comfortable 2-0 winners at home. Though happy to make the tournament, Coven realizes that his team

might not have earned a bid but for a clutch play by an unsung hero—center back Conor Lanahan ’16. With the score tied late in the Judges’ game against WashU, Lanahan made a goal-saving tackle to deny Bears’ senior forward Jeremy Kirkwood an almost certain winning goal that would likely have ended Brandeis’ hopes of qualification “That might have saved the season for us right then and there,” he said. “[Kirkwood] was in all alone and went around the ’keeper, but [Lanahan] made the big tackle and we ended up with a draw. That could have [eliminated our tournament chances]. That could have been a 1-0 game that we lost and we might not be standing here right now. That was a huge play.” Saturday night at 5 p.m., Brandeis will host a first-round game, facing the Johnson & Wales University Wildcats. If it wins that game, it will play Sunday against the winner of a battle between Roger Williams and Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey Newark. The two winners will meet at 5 p.m. on Sunday

“[Johnson & Wales’ conference] is not as difficult of a conference as the UAA, but there’s anything can happen. Their coach, Dave Kulik, has done a real nice job with that program. They were struggling until he took over and has had them improve. I’m sure they’ll be excited about getting into the tournament. It should be fun,” Coven said. In a direct contrast of how the Judges were playing two weeks ago, Coven believes that his team is peaking at the right time. “Joe [Graffy] has been playing very well in goal and I think they realized that if we probably lost another game, we wouldn’t be here. They tightened it up, they had a good weekend against WashU and Chicago and it came down to the fact that they knew if we beat NYU we’d get a bid and that’s what happened. Plus, I think [Savonen] has turned it on a little bit, he’s scoring some big goals for us and playing better than he has in quite a while.” Regardless of the competition, Coven believes his team will be ready to battle.

Judges shine in solo meets among losses ■ Brian Luk ’16 and Max

Fabian ’15 performed outstandingly even as the team lost the overall match at a weekend invitational. By DANIEL KANOVICH JUSTICE STAFF WRITER

The men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams both traveled to Worcester Polytechnic Institute this Saturday—the men taking on both WPI and Babson and the women taking on WPI, Babson, and Smith College. Even though both squads were defeated by significant margins, Brian Luk ’16 had a positive outlook on the day; the closest margin of defeat for either team was 83 points. “We learned that it is a process toward success when it comes to [University Athletic Association],” he said. “We look back and think about how we can improve in our races in hindsight, which can be extremely important to us individually or as a team later as the season goes on.” For the men, both Luk and Max Fabian ’15 continue to be bright spots for a team that has had trouble finding early season success. Luk managed to pick up wins in the 200-yard freestyle and the 100-yard freestyle, while breaking his previous best time in the 200yard freestyle. Luk swam the race in 1:46.45, a full 1.63 seconds faster than his previous best time. He also managed to score second in the 50-yard freestyle, getting out-touched by WPI freshman Erick Burgwardt by .02 seconds. This marks the second time on the season that Luk has finished second in the 50-yard freestyle. Luk was quick to share his optimism of the first-years on the team. “I am impressed by the firstyears,” he said. “They are all very talented. They work hard every day, and I am sure they will do very well when it comes to UAA [Championships] by February,” Fabian added a win of his own for the men in the 1000-yard freestyle with a time of 10:12.12. He also secured two second place finishes in the 500-yard freestyle and the 400-yard Individual Medley. Fabi-

an was bested in the 500-yard freestyle by just .15 seconds by Babson senior Isaac Breen-Franklin who pulled off an impressive display in the final 50-yard stretch of the race when he managed to overtake Fabian. The 500-yard freestyle was emblematic of both the men’s and women’s struggles on the day. Joanna Murphy ’17 was the lone bright spot for the women on Saturday as she managed to pick up a win in the 200-yard freestyle with a time of 2:02.57, just barely beating out WPI senior Sonja Kent, who had led for the first 100 yards of the race. Murphy also managed to place third in the 200-yard butterfly while setting a personal best on the season with a time of 2:23.45. She also finished in fifth place in the 100-yard butterfly. Other top-five finishes by the women included Theresa Gaffney ’16 in the 1000-yard freestyle, Fallon Bushee ’16 in the 100-yard freestyle, and Gabby Drillich ’15 in the 200-yard backstroke and 400-yard individual medley. Murphy and Luk are the young future that the swimming program has been looking for. The program has had trouble trying to grow in numbers over the past few years and in attracting talent to the small yet dedicated group. The process has been difficult after the closing of the pool in the Joseph M. Linsey Sports Center forced the aquatics teams to be put on hiatus after the 2009 to 2010 season. Head coach Mike Kotch was hired in 2011 and tasked with rebuilding the program. While the performance in the pool is what the team focuses on week in and week out, it can be difficult when recruitment continues to be a major issue going forward for both of the teams. Luk thought that the team did well when it came to the aspects that the team could control. “I don't see any major problem that the team has in general,” he explained. “We are all training very hard and this meet, along with any other meets going forward, are opportunities for everyone to practice racing and preparing for the UAA championship meet.” Both the men’s and women’s teams will try to get their first wins of the season when they host Wesleyan University on November 16th in the Linsey Pool.

THE JUSTICE

jUDGES BY THE NUMBERS

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Tuesday, November 12, 2013

INTRAMURAL FOOTBALL

Men’s Soccer UAA STANDINGS

TEAM STATS Goals

2013-2014 Statistics Overall W L D Pct. 13 2 2 .824 11 2 3 .781 11 5 2 .667 10 4 3 .676 14 4 1 .763 9 6 2 .558 6 7 4 .471 6 8 3 .441

UAA Conf. W L D Rochester 5 1 1 Carnegie 4 1 2 Emory 4 1 2 WashU 3 2 2 JUDGES 3 3 1 Chicago 3 4 0 Case 1 5 1 NYU 0 6 1

Tyler Savonen ’15 leads the team with 10 goals. Player Goals Tyler Savonen 10 Kyle Feather 9 Michael Soboff 5 Evan Jastremski 4

Assists Ben Applefield ’14 leads the team with nine assists. Player Assists Ben Applefield 9 Michael Soboff 8 Kyle Feather 5

EDITOR’S NOTE: The team will host Johnson & Wales University in the NCAA Division III Tournament on Sat.

WOMen’s Soccer UAA STANDINGS

TEAM STATS

2013-2014 Statistics

Goals

UAA Conf. W L D WashU 7 0 0 Emory 6 1 0 Chicago 3 2 2 Carnegie 3 3 1 JUDGES 2 3 2 Rochester 1 3 3 Case 0 5 2 NYU 0 5 2

Overall W L D Pct. 17 1 0 .944 14 3 1 .806 11 4 3 .694 9 4 2 .667 10 6 2 .611 6 6 5 .500 8 9 2 .474 7 8 3 .472

EDITOR’S NOTE: The team will host Castleton State College in an ECAC Division III Championship match on Wed.

Dara Spital ’15 leads the team with nine goals. Player Goals Dara Spital 9 Sapir Edalati 8 Melissa Darling 3 Holly Szafran 3

Assists Dara Spital ’15 leads the team with six assists. Player Assists Dara Spital 6 Holly Szafran 3 Sapir Edalati 2

VOLLEYBALL UAA STANDINGS

TEAM STATS Kills

2013-2014 Statistics UAA Conf. W L Chicago 6 1 Emory 5 2 Carnegie 4 3 WashU 6 1 NYU 4 3 Case 2 5 Rochester 0 7 JUDGES 1 6

W L 25 10 30 4 25 9 26 7 27 7 16 17 9 27 10 25

Overall Pct. .722 .882 .735 .788 .794 .485 .250 .286

EDITOR’S NOTE: The volleyball team hosted the UAA Championships over the weekend to conclude their season.

Liz Hood ’15 leads the team in kills with 434. Player Kills Liz Hood 434 Si-Si Hensley 227 Carly Gutner-Davis 174 Rachael Dye 136

Digs Elsie Bernaiche ’15 leads the team in digs with 541. Player Digs Elsie Bernaiche 541 Si-Si Hensley 389 Liz Hood 336 Amaris Brown 236

cross cOuntry Results from the UAA Cross Country Championships held on Nov. 2.

TOP FINISHERS (Men’s)

TOP FINISHERS (Women’s)

RUNNER TIME Jarret Harrigan 26:53.5 Quinton Hoey 26:58.9 Grady Ward 27:19.1 Michael Rosenbach 27:30.0

RUNNER TIME 22:02.5 Amelia Lundkvist Maddie Dolins 22:35.4 Victoria Sanford 22:43.0 Kelsey Whitaker 23:18.9

UPCOMING EVENTS: Saturday at the New England Division III Regional Championships (hosted by the University of Southern Maine in Gorham, Maine).

PHOTO COURTESY OF TOM RAND

SMILES ABOUND: Abhester’s Army sits with the Paul Woolf ’73 Memorial Intramural Football Championship Cup after their win.

Flag football seasons end in impressive wins ■ Remember the Karpoff and Abhester’s Army both took home intramural flag football crowns last week. By TOM RAND SPECIAL TO THE JUSTICE

The 2013 intramural flag football season ended Thursday night with an impressive double feature. On the men’s side—a back-and-forth affair that came down to the final minute— Abeshter’s Army held on for a 26-25 win over the Patchworkers in front of a raucous crowd. In the women’s championship, Remember The Karpoff used a stifling defense to win the game—and the title—by a 13-0 margin over Back That Pass Up. The win was the culmination of a Cinderella season for Abeshter’s Army, as they became the first B-Division team ever to win the IM Football championship. The victory was not sealed, though, until the Army’s defense broke up a two-point conversion attempt by the Patchworkers with 44 seconds remaining. Trailing 25-19 with one minute and 41 seconds to go in the game, the Patchworkers drove 66 yards to close within a point on a short touchdown pass. Going for the win, staff

member quarterback Joe Coppens’ point after touchdown pass to fellow staff Terrell Hollins was incomplete and the Army’s celebration began. After a defensive battle early on, the two teams erupted in the final seven minutes of the first half. The Patchworkers got on the board first as Coppens fired a long touchdown. Abeshter’s Army got even three minutes later as Daniel Mael ’15 threw the first of three scoring passes to Andrew Miller ’16. The Patchworkers came right back with a 60-yard touchdown of their own, while Mael went to Miller again a minute later and the game was deadlocked at 13 at the half. Abeshter’s Army received the ball to open the second half but quickly turned the ball over. While the Patchworkers capitalized on the turnover to grab the lead, they failed on the extra point attempt, which would prove to be costly. With nine minutes to go in the game, Mael found Miller for a 20-19 lead. After their defense forced a turnover-on-downs, the Army’s captain, AJ Varon ’15, scored on a touchdown run that set the stage for the game deciding drive. Roni Rosen ’14 was the star on both sides of the ball for Remember The Karpoff, meanwhile, as she scored two touchdowns and had two inter-

ceptions on the night. After both teams opened the game by turning the ball over on downs, Rosen gave Remember The Karpoff all the points they would need with a 71-yard touchdown run. Karpoff took a shovel pass from Sarah Sue Landau ‘14 deep in the Karpoff’s territory and ran sraight up the middle before blowing by a defender down the sideline for the long touchdown. Late in the first half, Back That Pass Up had their only real scoring chance of the game when a 58-yard run by Sammy Wroblewski ’17 gave them a first-and-goal inside the 10yard line. The ensuing pass was picked off by Rachel Gordon ’14, and from there, Remember The Karpoff had sealed the game. Their defense did not allow the ball past the midfield in the, as Rosen returned her second interception of the day for a touchdown. The teams are the first to receive the Paul Woolf ’73 Memorial Intramural Football Championship Cup. The trophy was donated by Woolf’s brother, Lou ’76, and his classmates in honor of Woolf’s love for intramural football. The group also established a scholarship in Woolf’s memory. Brandeis intramurals continue with volleyball until December 5th.

BOSTON Bruins BRIEF Bruins dispatch of visiting Florida Panthers in weekend contest using third period barrage of goals What started out as a frustrating game against the Florida Panthers ended in emphatic triumph for the Boston Bruins last Thursday night in TD Garden. Following a scoreless first period, Boston’s offense built a 1-0 advantage as center David Krejci scored a highlight-reel goal with seven minutes, 17 seconds left in the second period. Yet, while the middle interval ended with the Bruins clinging to a slim 1-0 lead, the Boston offense exploded for three more goals in the third period to seal a commanding 4-1 victory. “[Having a strong offense] makes it easier on the defense,” goalkeeper Tuukka Rask said of the Bruins’ offense. “But then again, when we were ahead 3-0 and then they get a goal, it’s still a two-goal game and anything can happen. So, I just try not to get too com-

fortable out there and keep my head cool, and try to keep the puck out of the net and play those last minutes.” The first period was a defensive struggle. Scoring chances were at a premium and neither team possessed the puck cleanly. However, the first score eventually came. Positioned just inside the blue line, Krejci released a slapshot on net. Though it was from a significant distance from the goal, the power on the shot was enough to beat Florida goalkeeper Scott Clemmensen for a one-goal advantage. Other than that one goal, the Bruins failed to threaten offensively for the remainder of the second period. Yet, just as it appeared that Florida might be able to sneak a goal, the Bruins put the icing on the victory with two goals in quick succession.

Left wing Brad Marchand finished off a rebound from defenseman Torey Krug with 15:51 left in the game to give Boston a comfortable 2-0 advantage over the Panthers. Given that it was Marchand’s first goal in 13 games, it was a big relief for him to put one home. “It’s really nice to finally get one,” Marchand said. “It’s been a while and I forget what it felt like, but it’s only a lucky goal like that and it’s nice to get the monkey off the back.” Krug got himself in on the action just a few moments later, blasting home a shot for a 3-0 advantage with 11:03 left in the game. Even though the game seemed to be over, Florida provided a reminder that it was not out of the game just yet. Center Jesse Winchester slotted a backhanded shot past Rask, who

saved 24 of 25 shots, to cut Boston’s lead to 3-1 with 5:35 remaining. However, it was the Bruins who would score the final goal with less than two minutes remaining. Right wing Reilly Smith put home an unassisted tally to cap the 4-1 victory. Despite losing in emphatic fashion, Panthers’ coach Kevin Dineen didn’t fault his team’s display, insisting that the parity between the teams was greater than the score on the board. “There’s not much to say,” he said of the team. “I think the score is probably not overly indicative of the hockey game. At the end of the day, there’s only one thing that matters and that’s the two points at the end of the night. We’re going to continue to search for a way to find a complete game that’ll make a difference.” The Bruins continued their success

on Saturday, downing the visiting Toronto Maple Leafs by a 3-1 score. Defenseman Zdeno Chara opened the scoring for Boston in the first period before Leafs right wing Joffrey Lupul tied the game in the second. Boston ultimately put the game away in the third, as center Patrice Bergeron scored two goals to give the home team a 3-1 victory. The Bruins shut out the visting Tampa Bay Lightning 3-0 yesterday afternoon. Patrice Bergeron, Daniel Paille and Jarome Iginla all scored in a matchup of two of the Atlantic Divison leaders to carry the Bruins, who sit one point back of the division lead. Boston returns to action Thursday at home against the Columbus Blue Jackets at 7 p.m. — Henry Loughlin

just

Sports

Page 16

SWIMMING AND DIVING IMPROVES Swimming and diving team received stellar individual efforts to take home a few victories among a tough outing, p. 13.

Tuesday, November 12, 2013

VOLLEYBALL

LOOKING AHEAD

Team loses tough tournament games ■ The women played host

to the University Athletic Association championship but fell in all three matches for an eighth-place finish. By AVI GOLD JUSTICE editorIAL ASSISTANT

The women’s volleyball team had an opportunity to make one final statement in hosting the 2013 University Athletic Association tournament this weekend, squaring off in heated rivalries against its conference foes. Although the team played well for prolonged stretches during the tournament, they came away empty-handed, suffering defeats on Friday to No. 8 Washington University in St. Louis and Case Western Reserve University. The squad also could not pull off a final victory on Saturday, falling in a five set loss in the seventh-place match to the University of Rochester YellowJackets. In their final weekend of the season, outside hitter Si-Si Hensley ’14 stressed the importance of maintaining focus. “Even though they were my last [matches], I treated them like any other match,” Hensley said. “No matter what the circumstance I still expect myself and my teammates to come out with the same drive and mindset that we would for any other match.” Although the Judges dropped the opening two sets to the YellowJackets on Saturday, the team battled back with two sets of their own to force a fifth set tiebreaker. Rochester dominated the first two sets by 25-14 and 25-12 margins, and did not allow the Judges to come within four points after building successive 7-2 leads in the two sets. In the third set the two teams traded points and could not build a lead greater than four points. The Judges trailed 12-8 in what could have been the final set of their season. Yet, the hosts rattled off a 17-7 run to take the third set 25-19. The

Judges strung together three sets of three-point rallies, receiving five of the game-high 17 kills from outside hitter Liz Hood ’15 during that span of play. In the fourth set, neither team could break away as the Judges clung to a 15-14 lead. Over the final 10 points of the set, the two teams were tied seven times. The Judges used three straight kills by Hood to put away the set and evened the match at two sets apiece. The Judges stumbled out of the gate in the fifth set, as two unforced errors on Brandeis allowed Rochester to begin the tiebreaking set with a lead. Rochester never looked back and took the set 15-11, taking the seventh-place match 3-2 by scores of 25-14, 25-12, 19-25, 23-25 and 15-11. Although the match ended in defeat, the Judges received strong play from Hood, who registered a double-double with 17 kills and 11 digs. Hensley recorded 12 kills and 16 digs for a double-double while libero Elsie Bernaiche ’15 recorded a team-high 21 digs. Even though the match ended in defeat, Hensley was proud of the effort put forth by the Judges. “Our team worked really hard this weekend and we had some really good moments and games,” she explained. “We definitely put in a lot of fight even though our execution may not always have been there at times.” Before the seventh-place match on Sunday, the Judges had an opportunity to steal a big victory over WashU on Friday in the tournament’s opening match. The Judges controlled most of the opening set against the Bears and led 19-18 before WashU closed out the set on a 7-3 run. In a mirror image of the first set, the Judges fell behind 19-18 in the second set but this time featured a 7-3 run of their own. The Judges closed out the set with kills from Hensley and Hood as well as strong services from Bernaiche to tie the match at one set. WashU showed their strength down the stretch, though, domi-

Waltham, Mass.

MORGAN BRILL/theJustice

ALL SMILES: Celebration erupts around Tyler Savonen ’15 (right) after his goal in Saturday’s 2-0 win over New York University.

Women end in victory

Men gain NCAA bid in pivotal win over NYU

■ The squad downed a

■ The men handled visiting

See VBALL, 13 ☛

wOMEN’S SOCCER

formidable opponent in their season finale on the strength of two free kick goals by graduating seniors. By dAN ROZEL JUSTICE STAFF WRITER

Prior to its final home game on Saturday against New York University, the women’s soccer team honored its graduating seniors. All five seniors—forward Megan Kessler ’14, midfielders Mary Shimko ’14 and Maddy Stein ’14, defender Kelly Peterson ’14 and goalkeeper Leah Sax ’14—fittingly were featured in the starting 11 to round out memorable careers. It would also be the seniors who played major roles in the game’s results. Peterson and Stein scored second-half free kicks as Brandeis rallied from a half-time deficit to defeat visiting NYU 2-1. Shimko’s start was a symbolic

gesture. She is still nursing a foot injury and was substituted out right after the opening kickoff. Shimko took the opening kickoff and controlled it for a moment before it was kicked out of bounds by a teammate. Sax was substituted in the second half as well by cocaptain and usual starting keeper Michele Savuto ’15. NYU controlled the play throughout the first half while Brandeis struggled to string passes together or create any significant scoring opportunities. The Judges were made to pay for their profligacy as NYU junior forward Cami Crawford scored for the Violets just 13 minutes into the game, taking advantage of a defensive miscue that left her alone in front of the net and, in turn, very little chance for Sax to save the ball. From that point on, the half featured very few scoring chances, as the match was defensively tight and both sides struggled to create offensive opportunities. While the day featured signifi-

See WSOCCER, 13 ☛

New York University in a 2-0 win on Gordon Field and will host Johnson & Wales in a first-round tournament game. By HENRY LOUGHLIN JUSTICE editor

Three weeks ago, the rest of the season looked quite bleak as the No. 22 men’s soccer team found itself in an unenviable position. After losing two successive games to University Athletic Association opponents Carnegie Mellon University and Emory University on Oct. 18 and Oct. 20, head coach Michael Coven knew that his team couldn’t afford to lose any of its four remaining games if they wanted to have any chance of making the upcoming NCAA Division III Tournament. In a remarkable turn of events, the Judges found a way to qualify for the second year in a row. A 2-0 victory over New York Uni-

versity on Saturday capped off a 3-01 stretch in which the Judges also downed Mount Ida College and the University of Chicago and tied No. 19 Washington University in St. Louis. The Judges (14-4-1), ranked No. 22 nationally and second in New England behind No. 2 Amherst College— who qualified for the tournament by virtue of winning the New England Small College Athletic Conference— earned the first of five at-large bids awarded to the New England region. Gordon College, Williams College, Roger Williams University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology received the other at-large bids. “It feels good to make it, just as good as last year,” said Coven, who, last season, guided his team to its first tournament appearance in 27 years. “We got a taste of it last year and now I’m hoping we can try to do a little bit better. I think that [not losing during the rest of the regular season] says a lot about the guys that we have on this team; they knew that their backs were up against the wall, but they worked hard, they knew that they had to win those games and they did.”

The game against NYU started with a fairly even tempo. The Violets (6-8-3, 0-6-1 in the UAA) were looking to keep their defensive shape while Brandeis possessed the ball with relative ease. Forward Tyler Savonen ’15 had the first real effort of the game in the 11th minute. However, his effort was blocked and the game remained scoreless in the early going. However, it was he who delivered the opening goal in the 16th minute. For the second time in a week, Savonen made the Judges’ opponents pay for playing a high line. The striker took a through ball from left-back Ben Applefield ’14 and beat a Violets defender with pace down the left wing. He then curled a right-footed shot around NYU freshman goalkeeper Lucas Doucette and into the far right corner for a 1-0 advantage. Despite outshooting the visiting Violets 4-3 in the first half, the Judges were unable to extend their lead and went into the break clinging to a onegoal advantage. While Brandeis was in relative comfort for a majority of the second

See MSOCCER, 13 ☛

JustArts Volume LXVI, Number 11

Tuesday, November 12, 2013

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

Waltham, Mass.

SCRAM JAM Rose Art Museum opens its doors for annual bash p. 19

In this issue:

‘Matt and Ben’

Funny play suffers in small space P. 20

‘ARTPOP’

Mother monster makes a comeback P. 23

‘Hamlet’

Adaptaion modernizes canonical script P. 21

Composer’s Colloquium

Talk explores role of the audience P. 19

‘Kennedy’s Children’

Monologue centered play portrays stereotypes P. 22

Adrianne Krstansky

Professor brings film acting to the University P. 22

justARTS

TUESDAY, november 12, 2013 | THE JUSTICE

CALENDAR

INTERVIEW

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

ON-CAMPUS EVENTS Artist Talk: Mark Boulos

On the occasion of the opening of Rose Video’s latest iteration, artist Mark Boulos discusses his work and the video “All That Is Solid Melts into Air” (2008), included in the exhibition Rose Video 02: Mark Boulos and Josephine Meckseper. An opening reception for Rose Video 2 follows the talk. Today at 5 p.m. in the Henry and Lois Foster Gallery of the Rose Art Museum. This event is open to the public.

What’s Funny in the Middle Kingdom

Jesse Appell ’12 will be giving a lecture and performance about his experience during his year as a Fulbright Research Fellow in Beijing. The talk will focus first on describing and performing traditional Xiangsheng comedy, including a rundown of its history and progression from street art to television mainstay, and the specifics of what makes Xiangsheng so interesting to Chinese audiences. Sprinkled throughout will be the performances and tongue-twisters that make Xiangsheng so interesting to audiences of all language levels. This event is hosted by the East Asian Studies Program. Today from 6:45 to 8:45 p.m. in the Shiffman Humanities Center.

Samantha LeVangie ’15 Student directs ‘Hamlet’ for Hold Thy Peace OLIVIA POBIEL/the Justice

This week, JustArts chatted with Samantha LeVangie ’15, who directed Hold Thy Peace’s adapted production of William Shakespeare’s Hamlet this past weekend. JA: I heard that some of the script was cut in the interest of time. Could you tell us about how you chose what to take out and what to keep in?

The Sexual Politics of Minimalism

SL: Hamlet originally was about a six-hour production, so the script is very long. The first big cut I made, which a lot of productions of Hamlet make, is the character of Fortinbras. There’s basically an underlying military plotline in the play, which, of course is essential to the original text. It’s the easiest cut to make if you’re not focusing on the military aspect of the production.

Christopher Bedford, the Henry and Lois Foster director of the Rose Art Museum, will present a lecture titled “The Sexual Politics of Minimalism.” Bedford’s talk coincides with the ongoing exhibition Minimal and More: ’60s and ’70s Sculpture from the Collection, on view at the Rose Art Museum through Dec. 15. Wednesday from 3:30 to 5 p.m. at the Rose Art Musem. This event is free and open to the public.

There were a few scenes here and there that I felt that were unnecessary or that I felt didn’t get to the point of the show, especially for modern audiences, so I focused a lot on keeping the text that really got to the point—a lot of the beautiful language is nice to listen to. But I kept a coherent plotline without making things abrupt, which is important.

Tympanium Euphorium’s ‘Edges’ “Who am I and who do I want to become?” Benj Pasek and Justin Paul,

JA: Can you tell us about your decision to portray Horatio as a ghost, and did you like how this turned out? SL: I like how it turned out! With Hamlet, it’s such a popular production, it’s such a popular play, it’s highly quoted. Everyone knows Hamlet. So while it’s my favorite play, I also struggled when I thought about directing it. I struggled with what I would do, because I didn’t want to do stock Shakespeare, a production that’s been done thousands and thousands of times. And so I was thinking about the supernatural and how that plays a role in the production. And in the original text, there’s only two or three scenes that ghosts play a part in … and then there’s Horatio, who is Hamlet’s best friend and confidante and the voice of reason in the play. He also only ever really talks to Hamlet—there are a few exceptions, but they were easily tweaked with—so I decided I wanted to try it out. I read through the script, I made sure to see that it worked, and it did. I liked this because it adds a layer of insecurity to Hamlet’s character, because he is now the only real living, breathing person in the play who sees the ghosts (later in the production, I also had Ophelia see it, but she was going mad). I kind of implied that the more mad you were, the closer you were to the ghostly realm. Or maybe they were just hallucinating, that’s up to the audience. JA: It seems like the production was modernized with respect to costumes. How did choices like these contribute to this production as an adaptation of the original play? SL: One of the things about Shakespeare is that it can be extremely intimidating to a modern audience—especially to a college audience. You come in to Brandeis and, I feel like, people are really polarized in their opinion of Shakespeare. … A lot of people have really strong opinions. So one of the things that I wanted to do to kind of close the barrier that a lot of people have with Shakespeare is to make it more contemporary, more relatable. That’s one less thing you have to worry about. … Everyone wore clothes, generally, that reflected [their status] in the play. So the Queen and the King usually wore business attire, suits, more proper clothing. Hamlet is a stand-out because he didn’t really care about presenting himself properly to the court, he just wanted to stick it to his mother and his uncle, so he wore jeans the first few scenes. Whenever they were costumed in any way, it was strictly chosen by what his mood was, what he wanted to present to other characters. I didn’t want it to be time-period specific, just out-of-time contemporary. JA: Could you tell us a bit about your experience directing? What sort of challenges did you run into? SL: This was my first time directing. One of the biggest challenges was determining how much to reveal in the process of directing. I came up with the whole concept, I came into my first rehearsal completely ready for anyone’s questions. I had everyone’s back story—of course, I kept in mind that these are actors, they’re going to create their own characters and their own image. But especially for all the changes I had made in the play, I was prepared for the back story. I think one of the reasons I struggled—the first rehearsal or two— was that I revealed too much of the intricacies with characters before they knew their characters well enough to know what I was talking about.

—Rachel Hughes and Emily Wishingrad

Tony-nominated songwriters of the Broadway musical A Christmas Story, wrote this chang-of-age song cycle while in their sophomore year at the University of Michigan. The show is presented by Undergraduate Theater Collective member Tympanium Euphorium. Playing Thursday through Saturday at 8 p.m., and at 2 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday in the Shapiro Campus Center Theater. Tickets are $5.

Student Events Film Series: ‘Pitch Perfect’

Student Events is showing a fan favorite this weekend. Come join us for some of the funniest moments in the hi Fat Amy-loving and horizontal running. Start warming up your vocal chords and get ready for Pitch Perfect. Friday and Saturday from 8 to 11 p.m. in the Schwartz Hall Auditorium. This event is open to the public.

MELA

Mela—“fair” in Hindi—an annual performance promoting understanding and awareness of South Asian culture, features cultural performances from countries that are part of South Asia: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. The show includes dance, music, spoken word and other performances. Saturday at 6 p.m. in Levin Ballroom, Usdan Student Center. This event is free and open to the public.

Brandeis Wind Ensemble

Delight in five musically diverse performances from the wind repertoire of the past 50 years, one from each decade. Directed by Brandeis’ own Prof. Tom Souza (MUS). Sunday at 7 p.m. in Slosberg Music Center. This event is free and open to the public.

Milica Tomic: Art as Subjugated Knowledge

Belgrade artist Milica Tomic speaks

in the second lecture of the 2013-2014 Art and Gender: Global Perspectives series, presented by the Department of Fine Arts. Monday from 3:30 to 5 p.m. at the Mandel Center for the Humanities in room G03. This event is free and open to the public, although the number of guests is limited.

OFF-CAMPUS EVENTS Dawit L. Petros: Sense of Place

Part of an annual series of Museum of Fine Arts exhibitions focusing on School of the Museum of Fine Arts graduates of the past decade whose work has achieved international acclaim, Dawit L. Petros: Sense of Place features the photographs, video art, and sculpture of this 2007 SMFA master’s degree recipient. Petros’s experiences as an immigrant, vagabond, intrepid explorer and an outsider inform his practice. His careful observations of sites across the globe inspire his work, which strives to capture each city’s essence—its sense of place. On view from Oct. 26 to April 13, 2014 at the Museum of Fine Arts. Admission is free for members, $23 for students and seniors and $25 for general admission.

Boston Symphny Orchestra Presents: Mozart, Prokofiev and Schumann

Greek-born violin virtuoso and conductor Leonidas Kavakos returns in that dual role for Mozart’s Violin Concerto No. 4. Kavakos then leads Serge Prokofiev’s delightful, Mozart and Haydn-inspired Classical Symphony. Closing the program is Robert Schumann’s Symphony No. 2, composed in 1845 after a bout of deep depression, but ultimately, even miraculously, optimistic and affirmative in character. Performances begin Thursday at the Boston Symphony Hall. Tickets range from $37 to $126 and are available online at http://bso.org/.

Pop Culture n

wwwas another crazy week in pop It culture, Brandeis. A well-known television journalist revealed that she will seek treatment in rehab, two actresses announced their pregnancies in very different ways and a former boy-band star finally tied the knot. Last Wednesday came with revelation that ABC’s 20/20 co-anchor Elizabeth Vargas has checked in to rehab for alcohol abuse. Vargas, 51, confirmed the news to People Magazine in a statement, saying that she “realized [she] was becoming increasingly dependent on alcohol,” adding that she “feel[s] fortunate to have recognized it for the problem it was becoming.” In recent weeks, Vargas had been conspicuously absent from the news program, given her most recent appearance was earlier in October. ABC also confirmed a New York Daily News report that claimed Vargas has been in a treatment facility for some weeks now. She reportedly has a few more weeks left in the program. Vargas has had roles in network news since the early ’90’s. Besides her prominent role as a co-anchor on 20/20, she has also filled in many times as an anchor on Good Morning America. She is married to singer Marc Cohn, with whom she has two children. In other news, actress Drew Barrymore’s rep confirmed to People Magazine that she is expecting a second child with her husband, art consultant Will Kopelman. The couple, who tied the knot back in June 2012, welcomed their first child, daughter Olive, last September. Barrymore, 38, had expressed her desire to have another child many times in past interviews. The rumors of Barrymore’s second pregnancy began after her appearance at the Art & Film Gala at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art on Nov. 2, during which her long floral dress barely concealed her baby bump. This week, another celeb revealed that she’s pregnant. Though she has neither publicly discussed nor offi-

By Mara Sassoon

CREATIVE COMMONS

BABY BOOMER: Barrymore’s rep confirmed to People that she is expecting her second child. cially confirmed it herself, there’s basically no doubt that songstress Gwen Stefani is expecting her third child with husband Gavin Rossdale. Sources close to the couple have confirmed the rumors to E! News. Many photographs of Stefani, 44, that have been snapped over the past few weeks pretty much speak for themselves. Stefani and Rossdale, 48, have been married since 2002. Their sons are Kingston, seven, and Zuma, five. Lastly, let’s bring back a name you most likely haven’t heard in a while. On the heels of ’NSYNC’s reunion this August at the MTV Video Music Awards, band member Chris Kirkpatrick, 42, married his fiancée Karly

Skladany in Orlando, Fla. on Nov. 2. The wedding became a piece of pop culture fodder this week more for its guest list than anything else. Another mini band reunion ensued—Justin Timberlake, JC Chasez, Joey Fatone and Lance Bass were all in attendance. Over two-hundred guests attended the nuptials at the Loews Portofino Bay Hotel—but if the media coverage of the event is any indication, it was Justin Timberlake and his wife, actress Jessica Biel, who garnered the most attention. Talk about stealing the wedding day thunder. Well, that’s your pop culture fix for this week, Brandeis! It’s “Bye Bye Bye” for now.

ARTS COVER PHOTOS: ABBY KNECHT, JOSH HOROWITZ and RAFAELLA SCHOR/the Justice and Creative Commons. DESIGN: RAFAELLA SCHOR/the Justice.

ON CAMPUS

THE JUSTICE | TUESDAY, november 12, 2013

rose art museum

PHOTOS BY RAFAELLA SCHOR/the Justice

CLASSY CREW: More than 700 students perused the current exhibits at the Rose Art Museum’s event on Thursday night.

Students enjoy art in a social atmosphere By eMILY WISHINGRAD justice EDITOR

On Thursday night, in the final days of Louis Louis week, the Student Committee for the Rose Art Museum, commonly known as SCRAM, in conjunction with Student Events, put on SCRAM Jam, their annual semi-formal event. When asked which student organizations—Student Events and SCRAM— were responsible for specific aspects of the evening, Rita Tobias ’14 said that it was entirely a collaborative effort between the two groups and that they worked together since the middle of September planning the event. SCRAM Jam provides students with an opportunity to enjoy the current exhibits in a social and interactive environment. Students were encouraged to walk around the exhibits but also to watch student performances, take pictures in a photo booth and dance with friends. The event featured artists disc jockey King Pleaxure (Ayan Sanyal ’14), Trevor Kafka ’15, a including an aerial dancer, and the Brandeis Improv Collective. In an interview with the Justice, Sarah Horn ’16, the leader of the student committee for the Rose Art Museum, said that this was the first time SCRAM Jam featured performances. The upper level was mostly filled with students as they waited in line to

get drinks and piled around the table with SCRAM Jam exclusive giveaways—cups that change color when filled with hot or cold liquids and vibrant red sunglasses. Members of the Improv Collective were also scattered around the first floor, improvising on wind instruments, an asset that created a mood of refinement. The music was very disjointed as the musicians were staged fairly far apart, playing independently of each other in a modernistic style. The modern music went well with the modernist art of Andy Warhol, Jack Whitten and others in the exhibits currently on view. The event attempted to present itself as classy and cultured and students adhered to that standard, appearing in semiformal attire. About a third of the way through the night, Kafka began his solo dance performance on the landing between the top and bottom floors. Kafka moved with incredible grace and strength as he slowly switched from pose to pose in a dance that had echoes of a figure skating routine. The next performance, also on the middle landing, was an improvisation show courtesy of the Music department’s Improv Collective. The group of musicians, with their instructor Prof. Thomas Hall (MUS), started to clap in unison and then transitioned into improvisation.

As one might imagine, the event could be potentially risky for the artwork but Student Events and SCRAM made sure that they had strict guidelines and security in place in order to protect the art. The food and beverages provided were not allowed in the galleries but only allowed in the passageway between the upper and lower levels. In addition, members of SCRAM along with Jennifer Yee, the patron services coordinator of the Rose, carefully monitored students to ensure that students did not get too close to the artwork. This concern was mostly relevant in the Minimal and More exhibit in which sculptures were staged in the middle of the floor in the path of foot traffic. Horn mentioned that there were a lot of limitations to the event due specifically to the Warhol exhibit. She mentioned that “given the fact that a lot of works in [the Warhol] exhibit were loans, [the event] technically didn’t have a dance floor. [The event was] allowed a DJ and… allowed to have activity in [the Foster Gallery] but it was really closely monitored. In years before, [SCRAM Jam] had a space that was designated as a dance floor, the lights were off.” SCRAM Jam gave students a way into the museum—some for the first time—and made the art more accessible.

UP ALL NIGHT: Some of the night’s fun activities, left: students smile in the photobooth; right: a student dances her heart out in the Foster Gallery to DJ King Pleaxure at the Rose Art Museum on Thursday evening.

cONCERT

Composer considers the viewpoint of the audience By NATE SHAFFER justice Staff writer

As part of a composer colloquium series, David Sanford, composer, band leader and professor of music at Mount Holyoke College gave a lecture in Slosberg Music Center. The topic of his talk, which took place on Friday afternoon, was “The Projected Audience.” Attendance at these talks is mandatory for students in the MFA and Ph.D. programs in composition. However, they are also free and open to the public. The tone of Sanford’s talk was as unpretentious and casual as could be—especially considering the lethal potential for dry personality and inscrutable musical choices. Perhaps this tone could be attributed to his background in jazz—jazz musicians are known to be “cool cats,” while “academic composers” favor ambiguity, if not inscrutability, in their work. As the talk’s topic had to do with the

audience itself, in presenting his pieces, Sanford discussed the particular ways in which he addressed the audience before and after performances. Typically this is done via program notes, short explanations of music to be read by audience members in a concert’s program. However, he began by addressing his own appearance: “When I was younger I used to look even more like Jay-Z,” he said, provoking laughs from the audience. “I could only do Public Enemy, but I could do it pretty well.” He was getting to his main point—the audience’s context for understanding music plays a significant role in their appreciation of a performance. Looking a certain way, or making very small statements about a piece can greatly influecne how audience members perceive a performance. Sanford cited an example. At a recent performance of his cello sonata 22.1, he was introduced as having a background in jazz and funk. How-

ever, the piece itself sounds nothing like jazz—it’s very much a part of the new music canon. Loosely defined, new music is “contemporary classical,” which doesn’t inherently mean much, though it tends to indicate a certain amount of inscrutability. Sanford explained that the application of this classification caused him to be described as “one lame funkster” by an especially rabid concert reviewer. This qualification of his background unfairly portrayed the objective of the piece; he wasn’t aiming for funk, this was a piece in the “classical” canon. Sanford then engaged more in the idea of how fractured our current audience is. At this point in time, we have unprecedented access to music of the past. In a sense, that minimizes the effective role of music being “invented” or composed today. He explained this idea by comparing today’s audience to audiences of the past. Those hearing Strauss’ symphonies for the first time understood

the context of the composition; they knew Strauss’ contemporaries, they had seen the concert from the previous week. They necessarily had more reference points that they could use to parse through Strauss’ musical choices. However, the listeners aren’t the only ones who have been decontextualized; composers of new music can insert themselves into any aesthetic, past or present, and comment as they see fit. It’s unreasonable to think an audience member will know whose music you were thinking of a composer can’t just assume a listener will “get it.” In short, our freedom to engage with past music effectively decontextualizes all new music. As Sanford said, “the listener is a bit impoverished in what they have [to go by in listening to music for the first time]—got to give them something … Personally, I don’t like people to say ‘this is going to be difficult, even if it is going to be like that.’” Sanford raised an important ques-

tion—what is a composer to say about his work? He came to a nihilistic view of program notes. Although the context plays a role in how the piece is understood, if the audience likes the piece, the program notes are genius and if they hate the music, the notes couldn’t matter any less. He encourages composers to minimize the mediation and let the music speak for itself. In an enjoyable way, Sanford’s music itself reflected the methodically presented intellectual insight of his talk. His pieces pleasingly combine the harmonic language of 12-tone classical music with the instrumentation, soloing and “grooving” of jazz. But despite how well Sanford’s music resonated with me, the take away from his talk was that in newly composed music, as in all art, universal understanding is impossible. Even if today’s audience is more fractured than they ever have been, the only thing for passionate creators to do is to keep pushing forward.

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 2013 | THE JUSTICE

theater review

Hollywood heartthrobs portrayed in play By aliza vigderman justice Staff writer

Do you ever wish you could see a show with pop culture references, Hollywood heartthrobs and reversed gender roles? On Friday and Saturday, Nicole Carlson ’14 and Samantha Gordon ’14 performed Matt and Ben, a two-woman show written and originally performed by Mindy Kaling and Brenda Withers. The show took place in a cozy classroom in Spingold Theater Center. Carlson and Gordon performed this part for their senior project, and have been working on it since April. Kaling and Withers co-wrote the play in 2003 after graduating from Dartmouth College. In the original production, the two women portrayed Matt Damon and Ben Affleck, A-list actors and writers of the Academy Award-winning film Good Will Hunting. New York Magazine identified the ideal demographic for Matt and Ben as people “under 30—correction, make that 25— [who] live physically or mentally in the East Village, derive [their] intellectual sustenance from cult movies and pop culture, and think that Matt Damon and Ben Affleck’s Good Will Hunting rates a toothless spoof stretched out to 70 minutes.” The audience, full of Brandeis students and a few parents, fit that demographic well and responded quite positively, laughing consistently throughout the 60 minute performance. It is full of pop culture references, sophomoric humor and is often irresistible to an audience of a certain age. The play takes place in Damon and Affleck’s Somerville, Mass. apartment in the 1990s, before they hit success. In the play, the script for Good Will Hunting falls mysteriously from the sky into the hands of struggling actor-writers Affleck and Damon. The show pokes fun at the celebrity duo, as well as others such as actress Gwyneth Paltrow and author J.D. Salinger, whom the two actors impersonate. Gordon played Matt Damon, a perfectionist who faces

JOSH HOROWITZ/the Justice

A SHOULDER TO LEAN ON: Samantha Gordon ’14 (left) and Nicole Carlson ’14 starred in the show.

moral dilemmas over whether or not to accept the magical script. In contrast, Carlson played Ben Affleck, the obnoxious, childish counterpart who acts as a foil to Damon’s obsessive nature. The two argue over whether or not to use the script, rehash past failures and even have a hilarious physical fight. Carlson and Gordon purposefully used a classroom instead of a stage to create an intimate feel for the production. In an interview with the Justice, Carlson explained, “We wanted it to be really intimate, like you’re hanging out with us in our apartment, because that’s what it is.” The two interacted with the audience, and even ran through the rows of seating while trying to find the origin of the script. The play did benefit from the small setting, given the scope of the set and the character quirks, like Gordon’s deadpan facial expressions. However, the room proved inadequate for many reasons, including not facilitating enough space for all of the audience members. Some found it very difficult to see, and audience members craned their necks to catch the action. Much of the plot occurred sitting down on a couch, so the show would have better suited a small, stage-less theater. Despite the unsatisfactory venue, Gordon and Carlson clearly had fun with the show, and the audience had fun watching it. The show featured many great moments, such as Carlson, as Affleck in full Red Sox regalia, noisily eating snacks, annoying roommate Damon to tears. Both actresses also played other characters—Carlson as a vapid Gwyneth Paltrow who seduces Damon, and Gordon as J.D. Salinger with a comical mustache. Carlson especially impressed as the immature Affleck. She succeeded in capturing the feel of an annoying little brother, and killed the audience as she imitated Affleck in a high-pitched, mocking tone. Gordon succeeded in her dream for the play she described in her interview, that the audience will “be grateful for their friends and have had a fun time laughing for an hour.”

JOSH HOROWITZ/the Justice

LAYING AROUND: Carlson, who played actor Ben Affleck, lounged around in a Boston Red Sox sweatshirt, acting out Affleck’s lazy college days.

Art talk

Artist uses spandex as a medium for gendered art By kiran gill justice Staff writer

The Brooklyn-based, interdisciplinary artist Elizaveta Meksin, who utilizes paintings, installations, sculpture, printmaking and copious amounts of spandex in her work, came to Brandeis on Wednesday to speak about her art in Goldman-Shwartz Fine Arts Studios. Although she works in more than one medium, she believes that the different mediums all act as vehicles for content, a theme coherent throughout her oeuvre. Meksin’s thesis project, “FUPA, “explored linguistics by taking a word with primarily negative conations, “FUPA,” and encouraging individuals to repurpose the meaning of the term. FUPA, which stands for “fat upper pubic area,” was a term Meksin found on the Internet that was used in primarily pejorative contexts. In response to the pejorative meaning of the word, Meksin

created the same, circular, yonicesque shape in different sizes and with different patterns, but always referred to it as a FUPA. In fact, she added a communal aspect to the project by hosting “FUPA parties” where she would encourage attendees to create their own FUPA that they could “then enjoy, use and love,” as Meksin said. Her project brought this word to the attention of her local community and, by doing so, the meaning of the word was subtly altered as people began to adopt it into their daily vernacular. Meanwhile, 100 Spandex Leggings, which was created a few years after FUPA, was a project that operated similarly to FUPA although Meksin changed the respective pattern and word for each pair of leggings. Meksin asked 100 people to think of a word and in response to that word would select a pattern that she felt fit the word so she could then make a pair of leggings. Once the

leggings were complete, she would ask the individual who selected the word to wear the leggings and take a picture of themselves. Her spandex project was the inverse of FUPA. In FUPA the same word was used to refer to the same object, but in 100 Spandex Leggings, the same shape is referenced by words ranging from knotty, magic, maid, honest, surf and pig, to name a few. The exhibited work, an installation of FUPAs which were tacked into the wall, enabled Meksin to engage with the coded meaning of not just words but also patterns that she associated with the words. Meksin’s work with spandex appears peculiar and kitsch until one recognizes the number and degree of spandex patterns that are created. The possibilities are endless and as Meksin describes, “there is a life span to these fabrics.” As a result, Meksin said she felt the need to create her own spandex library to catalogue all the different patterns that enter into her studio. The patterns

ranged from the gaudiest, including explosions of yellow fireworks and stars, to the basic stripes and anchors. In fact, Meksin was incredibly curious to figure out who was creating these fabrics and she said, “the more I dug for who was doing these patterns I realized spandex was a raw material.” Spandex also plays a central role in her 2011 piece, “House Coat.” In the on-site installation, Meksin creates an outfit for a building out of spandex as she was struck by the similarities between buildings and houses, as both are what she termed, “vessels.” To elaborate on her idea, she wrapped a house in St. Louis in white spandex that was covered in a gold chain motif. She hoped that, “by making an outfit for the building maybe it would draw out some of these similarities and show how the other buildings were naked.” Meksin covered the house in spandex without creating fissures and holes in the building. Meksin

felt adamant that the fabric should be fastened without nails and said that after all, “we don’t bind our fabrics to our body, we don’t make holes on the bodies.” Instead, Meksin used a lot of corseting, ropes and sand bags to attach the spandex. As time progressed and as a result of the nature of the fabric, Meskin said, “The spandex would billow” and gave the house an airy affect. It appeared as if the house was “breathing,” just like humans, thereby furthering the association of houses to bodies. By calling the project “House Coat”, Meksin referred to the article of clothing formerly fashionable for women in the domestic sphere. This reference was reminiscent of the separate spheres of society and the distinction of the public and private, inside and outside, male and female and hard and soft. Meksin’s work, created through the amalgamation of different mediums, explores recycling, meaning, linguistics and form.

THE JUSTICE | TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 2013

THEATER REVIEW

FIGHT CLUB: Foils Hamlet (Alex Davis ’15) and Laertes (Raustin Hernandez ’14) battle as their friends and family look on and try to quell the rumble.

Play brings life to Shakespearean classic By Ilana kruger

Justice contributing writer

On Thursday night, Hold Thy Peace, Brandeis’ Shakespeare theater group, premiered their production of Hamlet to a small but enthusiastic audience in the Shapiro Campus Center theater. Directed by Samantha LeVangie ’15, the play stuck close to its original version, with some cuts to reduce the running time, which was already close to three hours with the cuts. There was also one major change: Horatio is a ghost. The play opened with Hamlet’s best friend, Horatio (Aaron Fischer ’15), seeing the ghost of Hamlet’s father. In this version, however, since Horatio was also a ghost, this scene seemed redundant. In the playbill, LeVangie explained that she wanted to enhance the supernatural already found in Hamlet. Fischer sported ghastly makeup to lighten his pallor and a bloody gash on his cheek, but the change is confusing at first. Once I realized what Horatio was supposed to be, Fischer’s performance as Hamlet’s voice of reason was convincing, even if his new ghostly identity was not. Hamlet was volatile and his emotion did not seem forced, even in the overthe-top soliloquies that he had to recite while bounding around the stage. When Hamlet talked to himself, he didn’t address the audience. Instead, he focused on a point on the stage to address at random, highlighting his alleged madness, which worked brilliantly. The music played in between scenes was appropriately ominous, and the prop as well

as furniture changes in between scenes went smoothly. The set, designed and put together by Ryan Kacani ’15, who also plays Claudius, was a dark medieval-style castle with colorful stained glass windows that offset the gray and black of the rest of the scenery. This set presented an odd contrast to the costume choices. At the start of the play, Hamlet (Alex Davis ’15) wears jeans, a tuxedo-printed t-shirt and sneakers. The rest of the cast wore modern formal clothing, and in one scene Hamlet wore a suit and top hat, but other than that he was dressed casually. Hamlet is supposed to be a rebel, but the jeans were off-putting and out of place. In the scene where Hamlet and his family views the players’ performance, Hamlet’s costume was given the addition of a cane, which he wielded comically and effectively, adding personality to the otherwise unstable character. Another odd costuming element was the single leather glove, worn Michael Jackson-style throughout most of the play by Claudius. This could be seen as symbolic, since it is worn on the hand that presumably killed Hamlet’s father, but came across as an out of place fashion choice for the murderous king. Ophelia, portrayed by Barbara Spidle ’16, was a convincing Shakespearean maiden, even in her J. Crew-style pencil skirt and heels. She started out overly bubbly but progressed into a wailing state of madness by the end of the play. Spidle’s talents were especially showcased in the scenes before Ophelia’s

death, wallowing around the stage, singing to herself and handing out flowers. Her portrayal of the grieving Ophelia lent sympathy to the character, who has gone mad but is also mourning the loss of her father. The other actors were spot-on as well, no matter the size of their parts. The small cast meant that many actors played multiple roles, which was only confusing in one scene. Rosencrantz and Gildenstern, played by Connor Wahrman ’17 and Zack Kennedy ’16, are pronounced dead, and shortly after the actors come back as two gravediggers at Ophelia’s grave. It took me a minute to realize that Rosencrantz and Gildenstern did not come back from their graves to dig their own graves. Wahrman and Kennedy’s performances are comical and they work well together as the inseparable pair. Max Moran’s ’17 performance as the eccentric, babbling Polonius, Ophelia and Laertes’ father, warrants a special mention. Wandering around the stage and gesturing comically, he delivered Polonius’s nonsensical ramblings with gusto and humor. The production went smoothly, and there were only a few minor slip-ups of the complicated Shakespearean dialogue. Overall, despite the odd choice of making Horatio a ghost and some unusual costuming, the play was an earnest rendition of Shakespeare’s tragedy. Editor’s note: Max Moran ’17 is an Editorial Assistant for the Justice’s Forum section.

THAT’S CRAZY TALK: Ophelia (Barbara Spidle ’16), left, babbles manically at Queen Gertrude (Page Smith ’17).

PHOTOS BY ABBY KNECHT/the Justice

TALK TO THE SKULL: Hamlet, played by Alex Davis ’15, soliloquizes in his typical dramatic style, holding a skull.

PARANORMAL ACTIVITY: The Ghost (Ben Federlin ’14) provokes Hamlet to avenge his death.

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 2013 | THE JUSTICE

feature

Krstansky boosts film acting education

CREATIVE COMMONS

PHOTO COURTESY OF BRANDEIS UNIVERSITY

LONE MAN IN THE CROWD: Prof. Adrianne Krstansky (THA) had a role in the 2010 feature film Company Men with Ben Affleck.

PICTURE PERFECT: This semester Krstansky taught “Directing Practicum,” “Improvisation” and “The Collaborative Process.”

By Phil gallagher justice Editor

Prof. Adrianne Krstansky (THA) has expanded into new scholarship in the past couple of years with film acting, a type of acting uncommon in the University’s Theater Arts department. Krstansky had a role in Company Men, a 2010 feature film about corporate downsizing and unemployment starring Ben Affleck. She will also be starring in an episode of the upcoming HBO miniseries Olive Kitteridge, based on the novel of the same name by Elizabeth Strout. The Theater Arts department describes itself as “New England’s leading professional theater training program,” placing an emphasis on stage acting, which makes Krstansky’s activities all the more unique in the department. Krstansky explained in a phone interview with the Justice that she needed to learn “on the fly” in her first film acting experi-

ences. “There were a couple of actors there [to whom] I was able to say ‘Okay, teach me right now what I need to know,’ and I asked to watch a couple of scenes being shot ... [to] get the idea of what exactly would be required of me,” she said. On the set of Company Men, she played the role of Ben Affleck’s secretary. He was “very nice, like a dad. We talked about our kids,” she said. In Olive Kitteridge, she plays a woman in the neighborhood who encourages Olive to seek therapy for recent traumatic events in her life. With these roles, Krstansky has become very familiar with the differences between film and stage acting. “If you’re in a huge room filled with 300 people, the engagement of your voice and body is such that it has to energetically reach out and affect people who are far away from you,” Krstansky said in reference to stage acting. In contrast during film acting, she explained that, “there’s a sense of

intimacy and privacy about it that you can really indulge in with the person you’re acting with.” Additionally, with film acting, Krstansky added that “there’s something about the amount of money that’s involved on a film set that the stakes feel very high in terms of being able to deliver something kind of immediately, and there’s something about that challenge that I also find quite thrilling.” When asked about a new focus on film acting in the Theater Arts department, Krstansky responded, “I think that’s something that we’re looking very deeply at and feel that we need to expand into.” The chair of the Theater Arts department, Prof. Susan Dibble (THA), confirmed Krstansky’s opinion about expanding into film acting, writing in an email to the Justice that “[w]e are think[ing] about ways to offer students more experience in working in film. It will involve planning and resources, but it is something we are in-

terested in teaching our students about.” In regard to courses that the department offers to prepare students specifically for film acting, Dibble wrote that the department currently offers “THA 125A: Acting for the Camera,” taught by Krstansky, and is hoping to offer another course related to film in the future. Dibble wrote that Prof. Robert Walsh (THA) has also been involved in film and television acting, having starred in an episode of the show Body of Proof on ABC and the TV movie The March Sisters at Christmas, according to his profile on the University’s Faculty Guide. Despite the interest in building the film curriculum in the department, however, Krstansky expressed a belief that “if you only took film acting classes, I think you would be missing out on a lot of the richness and the depth that you could learn from theater acting.” The role of the Theater Arts faculty, Krstansky elaborated,

should be to “help makes the bridges between the two [disciplines].” Dibble made a similar comparison to bridging theater and film acting training among the faculty. She wrote in her email to the Justice that both Krstansky and Walsh represent individuals “who [have] excellent stage acting training and [are] able to enter the film acting industry because of [their] solid training in acting for live theater.” Krstansky explained that the need for the department to expand beyond theater acting is a practical one. “You need to be able to do other things because you cannot make a living doing theater in this country,” Krstansky said. “So I think as a department, we are feeling a growing obligation to at least—in the graduate program, certainly—but at least for the undergraduates, giving them the sort of rudimentary tools that they can walk onto a film set and have the bare necessities of what they would need in order to do the job.”

Theater

Historically sentimental play struggles to deliver By Catherine Rosch JUSTICE STAFF WRITER

On Friday evening, Free Play Theatre Cooperative, a social justice and free theater company, premiered Robert Patrick’s Kennedy’s Children to an audience of around 20 people in Cholmondeley’s. Although the script was less than stellar, the six actors managed to wow the crowd with their portrayals of a variety of tropes. Chum’s is not exactly the ideal place to put on a show. At some points, employees were running various machines or chatting with each other, which made it very hard to hear the actors who were not miked. Customers would come and go, occasionally distracting the audience from the show. Because of the small space, the audience and the actors were often intermingled, and it was difficult to follow what was going on. The weakest aspect of the show was the script. Kennedy’s Children is less of a play and more a series of

monologues from various characters who represent different aspects of the ’60s. In theory, the concept could be interesting, but Patrick’s trope-filled writing and lack of context makes the characters unsympathetic stereotypes. Set in a New York bar during 1974, Kennedy’s Children attempts to describe what the sixties were like from a variety of perspectives, including a Marilyn Monroe wannabe, a shell-shocked Vietnam veteran and a cynical former social and political activist. However, because of the one-dimensionality of the characters, the play’s interpretation of the decade comes across as cliché and dull. It was also confusing to tell who various characters were, and how they related to each other. Andrew Hyde ’16 played a variety of roles, and it took me a long time to realize he was actually part of the performance as he sat behind the counter at Chum’s and would occasionally rush out during scenes to play a small part. However, while the script was

weak, the actors were clearly dedicated to getting into character and making a weak play as strong as possible. Ben Lewin ’16, the show’s director, played Mark, the Vietnam veteran. Lewin captured how broken his character was through his body language, including hand tremors and stammering. During an especially memorable scene, when Mark has a breakdown over some of the things he saw in Vietnam, Lewin’s voice cracked as he wondered “must men die … so no man might kill?” However, despite Lewin’s fantastic acting, Mark came across as a shell-shocked stereotype of what could have been a very interesting character. Carla (Morgan Winters ’17) came across as just a knock-off of Marilyn Monroe. The character of Carla could have been interesting, but her lines were formulaic, and the actions she takes to deal with her problems predictable. Winters did give a strong performance despite these problems. Likewise, Sarah Duffet ’17 su-

perbly portrayed Wanda, a teacher who is obsessed with the Kennedy family. Duffet’s voice quivered with emotion when she described Lee Harvey Oswald’s death as “seal[ing] the truth off from us forever with a single shot.” Wanda played off nicely against Rona (Kiana Khozein ’17), a former hippie and activist turned cynic. While Khozein’s voice and mannerisms captured Rona’s lost idealism, her lines went from ridiculously stereotyped to banal. Rona lamented how Jimi Hendrix and Janis Joplin died and talked about her various exploits at protests, but none of it felt real because she had been to every single major event in the ’16. Although well-acted, the other characters, Sparger (Austin Koenigstein ’17) was by far the worst written of the characters. Sparger is supposed to be an actor who performs in underground performances, but he is written in such a way that makes him seem like an annoying, hyperactive child. However, Koenigstein was engaging as he ran around

Chum’s, jumping from stools to stage. His manic energy combined with vulnerability when delivering lines such as, “alcohol is supposed to kill brain cells. The trouble is, it isn’t selective,” when talking about how he longed to forget elements of his past. Koenigstein was able to overcome his poorly-written character to give a strong performance with his energy and charm. Overall, I was underwhelmed by Kennedy’s Children. While the actors and actresses were talented, the entire show felt like a stereotype or spoof of classic ’60s tropes. The show was around two hours, but probably could have been significantly condensed, because at moments, the audience appeared restless and sometimes even bored. The character of Wanda described the nostalgia of the time best with her line, “there are some of us who just try to go on.” Lewin and the rest of his cast worked with what they had and tried to go on with a very lackluster show.

THE JUSTICE | TUESDAY, november 12, 2013

ALBUM REVIEW

Fans put two paws up for new ‘ARTPOP’ By RACHEL HUGHES justicE EDITOR

Just in time for the holiday season, little monsters everywhere are getting the best present they can imagine: Lady Gaga’s newest album, ARTPOP. Though the album was just released yesterday, Mother Monster (as her fans so fondly call her) and her team hooked listeners on the record months ago with the Aug. 12 release of its first single, “Applause.” As with everything that Gaga does, the hype surrounding ARTPOP has been both impressive and overwhelming—and certainly does the pop gem justice. The new release represents a bit of a departure from Gaga’s usual darker and more psychologically resonant themes ranging from creation to bullying to self-ownership that she explored in her previous album Born This Way. Oddly enough, ARTPOP feels like a return to the sonic and thematic qualities of the artist’s 2008 album, The Fame, and its more complex 2009 EP counterpart, The Fame Monster. With more superficial themes like beauty, sex and drugs explored on the new record, Gaga seems to be taking a well-deserved break from the gloomy introspection of her past record. ARTPOP begins with the echo-ridden, tropical-sounding “Aura,” which was featured on the 2013 action film Machete Kills. The first third of the 15-track album continues on with “Venus,” “G.U.Y.” and “Sexxx Dreams”—an appropriate ordering, as all four songs consider female sexual

dynamics and autonomy. In “Aura” Gaga deconstructs the image of the woman, imploring listeners with lyrics like “do you wanna see me naked, lover?” and “do you wanna see the girl who lives behind the aura, behind the curtain, behind the burqa?” Through electronic beats, techno-sounding harmonies and a continuous percussive bass line, “Aura” is best listened to with the volume all the way up, and is one of the most genuinely fun tracks on the album. The transition from “Aura” to “Venus” follows Gaga’s thoughts from the external perception of the woman to a woman’s self-perception. Sung through extremely filtered, almost robotic vocals, Gaga’s repeated invocations of the goddess of love, Aphrodite, contrast beautifully with the emotionally earnest chorus, “when you touch me I die / Just a little inside / I wonder if this could be love.” The song explodes into a sonic paradise of harmony, sung with a pleasant vibrato and resonance. “Venus” is a song of self-accounting for the bad girl in all of us. “G.U.Y.” and “Sexxx Dreams” are, however, very different from all the other songs on the album—they talk boldly and unapologetically about sex and the roles of men and women in desire. When I first heard “G.U.Y.,” I’ll admit, I was an instant fan of the sparkly upbeat pop instrumental, but not of its lyrics. It took me a couple of listens through to convince myself that lyrics like “let me be the girl under you that makes

you cry / I wanna be that guy (G.U.Y.) / The girl under you, guy” are sung ironically, and not in a matter that reaffirms the disappointing heteronormative stereotype of women being the weaker sex. “Sexxx Dreams” has been playing on repeat on my iTunes all day, however, because of how hilarious it is to hear Lady Gaga sing about an embarrassing recurrence of sex dreams she has involving someone who is off-limits to her. Although a slew of songs on the album are markedly more superficial than others, and certainly more so than her previous, more contemplative songs, I’m sure that the more philosophical Lady Gaga listeners will get over it once they hear tracks like “Swine.” Another of my personal favorites, “Swine” is a no-holds-barred conversation between an individual and the negative voice in the back of his or her head. Somehow, through thick dance rhythms and chanting, almost confrontational vocals, Gaga reappropriates the idea of “acting like a pig,” as a negative body criticism, and makes the song both party-friendly and hilarious. No matter what people say about Lady Gaga—that her new album is frivolous, that her music is departing from the piano ballads that brought her into the industry or that she’s sold her soul to the pop machine—I’m still the biggest little monster I know. ARTPOP picks up where Born This Way left off as a declaration of braveness and shameless selfhood for Gaga fans everywhere.

CREATIVE COMMONS

TECHNO THRONE: Pop star Lady Gaga has once again rebranded herself—this time with the release of her album, ‘ARTPOP,’ going for a super modern, minimalist look to complement the new album’s sound.

ALBUM REVIEW CREATIVE COMMONS

ALL TOGETHER, NOW: Indie rock band Arcade Fire is making a comeback in a dwindling, scantily-defined genre with their newest release, ‘Reflektor,’ which is a favorite among the crowd of thoughtful listeners.

Arcade Fire releases philosophical album By AYAN SANYAL justice Staff writer

Making a successful rock album in 2013 is a daunting task, but Arcade Fire has once again managed to create a fantastic musical journey with their latest album, Reflektor. Indie rock today has been reduced to generic strange cross-over fantasies like Imagine Dragons and Awolnation— who can chart a single but fail to make cohesive projects. The rest of popular music is drowned out by high frequency electronic dance music, crystal clear pop and hip-hop. Releasing four great critically and commercially successful albums consecutively is an amazing feat and with Reflektor, Arcade Fire proves their greatness is no lucky streak.

My first impression of Reflektor came when Arcade Fire put the full album stream on YouTube in the longest lyric video ever made. On Oct. 24, Arcade Fire posted their entire album against the backdrop of Black Orpheus, an influential 1959 film that depicts the Carnavale in Brazil. While Reflektor sounds like a modern and Western-centric album with its themes of alienation—the band’s vocalist, Win Butler, has publicly noted the influence of Søren Kierkegaard’s essay, “The Present Age”—its musical influences start in a foreign place. The album writing and recording took place in Haiti and Jamaica, and you can hear the Caribbean and Latin American influences permeating throughout. With the guitars twanging in lo-fi stereo, the hand drums

beating out infectious rhythms and the super-chemistry of a traditional rock band that has been playing together for over a decade, Reflektor has a dance-ability that is steeped in a culture completely divorced from four-on-the-floor electronic dance music. At first you may be hesitant to dance to these worldly rhythms, but soon your instincts take over and you’ll notice your feet moving to tracks like “Flashbulb Eyes” and the title track, “Reflektor.” It doesn’t hurt that James Murphy from LCD Soundsystem handles the production, making every kick and snare punch your abdominals with movement. Lyrically, Reflektor takes on a lot of themes. But here’s Arcade Fire’s genius. You can listen to tracks like “It’s Never Over (Oh Orpheus),” which is

about something ending, and it can relate to you on a personal level. However, the song still operates on a mythical and literary level, taking from the famous Greek tale of Orpheus and his wife Eurydice. Even further, it could be a metaphor to describe singer and guitarist Win Butler’s relationship with his wife, Régine Chassagne, who is a multi-instrumentalist and band member. By creating a musical style that is accessible but still complicated, Arcade Fire achieves a level of sophisticated art-rock that will go as deep down the rabbit hole as you want to go. The highlight of the double-album (which runs about 75 minutes) is clearly the Haitian-inspired track “Here Comes the Nighttime.” It starts off in a cinematic frenzy and cools off

to a groovy jam that modulates with each new verse. Arcade Fire’s recording process sounds spontaneous yet carefully crafted at the same time—an extremely difficult blend to accomplish. Guitars move in and out of the left and right sides, congas enter and exit and the drums continue to pound the groove, and by the end, if you have any sense, you’re tapping your feet and following the frenzy of the Carnavale. Reflektor is a party that doesn’t take place in a frat house or an expensive club, but one that ebbs and flows in a foreign land, a place that may or may not have electricity, but where people still find the time to dance, laugh and cry in a fantasy age that is surprisingly silent of technology.

TUESDAY, november 12, 2013 | THE JUSTICE

TOPof the

ARTS ON VIEW

Brandeis TALKS

CHARTS

Quote of the week

Top 10s for the week ending November 10

“It’s supposed to operate as a thoroughfare for ushering people in and out of the museum, from campus into the museum, out from the museum onto campus. It’s symbolic of the connection.”

BOX OFFICE

1. Thor: The Dark World 3D 2. Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa 3. Free Birds in 3D 4. Last Vegas 5. Ender’s Game 6. Gravity 3D 7. Twelve Years a Slave 8. Captain Phillips 9. About Time 10. Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs 2

— Director of the Rose Art Museum Chris Bedford on the Rose’s acquisition of an outdoor installation piece. (News, p. 7)

If you could ask President Fred Lawrence one question what would it be?

NYT BESTSELLERS

JOSHUA LINTON/the Justice

MONDAY NIGHT LIGHTS: On Monday night, Justice editor Joshua Linton ’14 took this photo of the Charles River, city lights and the jagged skyline of Boston near sundown on a crystal clear and beautiful night.

Young Tae Seo ’15 “Why are you getting rid of Quiznos?”

the justice wants to see your original artwork! Submit your photography or a photo of your original drawings, sculptures, paintings or works in other mediums to photos@thejustice.org to be featured in the next issue!

CROSSWORD

Brittany Lerman ’14 “I just want to know your life story!”

Zakaria Hussein ’15 “Why doesn’t Brandeis have a law school? We’re even named after a lawyer and we don’t have a law school!”

Elena Babineau ’16 “What’s your favorite animal and why? I feel like he’s a dog person.”

ACROSS 1 Stately shade trees 5 Like tails in the dog park 9 Cupfuls after OJ and cereal 14 In __ of: replacing 15 No __ traffic 16 Tequila plant 17 *Sensitive spot on the elbow 19 Contradict 20 Hindu teachers 21 __ eclipse 22 Distinct feature 25 Immigrants’ night sch. class 27 Microscope part 28 Mazda sports car 29 Like days when hats fly 31 Gets it wrong 32 Lime-garnished Mexican beer 35 In good shape 38 Ping-Pong barrier 39 *Conceal 40 Tokyo-born Yoko 41 Susan of “L.A. Law” 42 Smart __: wise guys 43 Study feverishly 44 Work hard 46 Actor’s nickname that sounds like a golf term 47 Fruity drinks 49 Johannesburg’s land: Abbr. 51 Lawn cutters 52 Not entirely: Pref. 54 Foist (upon) 56 Below 57 Like many a teen boy ... and like the starts of the answers to starred clues? 61 End of __ 62 Be mindful of 63 Crossed (out) 64 Puts mail in boxes, say 65 Baker’s amts. 66 Cub Scout groups DOWN 1 Arctic toymaker 2 Lucy of “Charlie’s Angels” 3 “That’s just like a guy!” 4 Events before evening twilight 5 Facing the pitcher 6 “To __ it may concern” 7 Golfer Palmer, to fans 8 Conjecture 9 Short punches 10 From way back when 11 *1777-’78 Continental Army campsite 12 Birdlike 13 Clairvoyants 18 Female advocacy org. since the 1850s 22 Make changes to

Nonfiction 1. Killing Jesus—Bill O’Reilly and Martin Dugard 2. Things That Matter—Charles Krauthammer 3. David and Goliath—Malcolm Gladwell 4. The Death of Santini—Pat Conroy 5. I Am Malala—Malala Yousafzai with Christina Lamb

iTUNES

1. Lorde—“Royals” 2. One Republic—“Counting Stars” 3. Katy Perry—“Roar” 4. Pitbull (feat. Ke$ha)— “Timber” 5. Avicii—“Wake Me Up”

BILLBOARD

1. Arcade Fire—Reflektor 2. Katy Perry—Prism 3. Kelly Clarkson—Wrapped In Red 4. The Robertsons— Duck The Halls: A Robertson Family Christmas 5. Drake—Nothing Was The Same 6. Thomas Rhett—It Goes Like This 7. Toby Keith—Drinks After Work 8. Lorde—Pure Heroine 9. Miley Cyrus—Bangerz 10. Linkin Park—Recharged

23 “Yes __, Bob!” 24 *Political head honcho 26 “Peanuts” boy with a blanket 30 Not a deep sleep 32 Red, white or blue 33 Inadvertent omission 34 __ hall: campus hangout 36 “... bombs bursting __” 37 Big books 39 Hailed car 43 Crouched in fear 45 State with confidence 46 Pear variety 47 Greenish blues 48 “Ain’t got a clue!” 50 Pierre’s female friends 51 Gelatin shapers 53 Some nest eggs: Abbr. 55 Get ready, briefly 58 Lumberjack’s tool 59 Meditative practice 60 Golf course meas.

Top of the Charts information provided by Fandango, the New York Times, Billboard.com and Apple.com.

STAFF’S TOP TEN

TV Show Favorites By ANDREW WINGENS justice EDITOR

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

Hannah Diamond ’14 “Why are we cutting the social justice component of the school and building on the business component? All of the money is only going to the future money makers.” —Compiled by Rafaella Schor/ the Justice

Fiction 1. Sycamore Row—John Grisham 2. After Dead—Charlaine Harris 3. The Goldfinch— Donna Tartt 4. Winners—Danielle Steel 5. Doctor Sleep—Stephen King

Solution to last issue’s sudoku

Television is the best way to procrastinate and relax. From Netflix to Hulu, it’s easy to catch old episodes online. The West Wing is my all-time top choice for best television show, but comedies like The Office and Parks and Recreation are always good for a laugh and can be watched repeatedly. 1. The West Wing 2. The Office 3. Parks and Recreation 4. Modern Family 5. Scrubs 6. 24 7. House of Cards 8. House 9. Homeland 10. Orange is the New Black

BASKETBALL PREVIEW SPECIAL

NOVEMBER 12, 2013

READY TO BRING

THE HEAT just

Sports

or f ed m ri p s inter m w ea l T u f S s e c c u s Photos: Joshua Linton and Alex Margolis/Justice File Photos. Design: Rachel Burkhoff/the Justice.

TEAMS READY TO ROLL

TUESDAY, november 12, 2013

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THE JUSTICE

THE MEN

Senior group gets final shot ■ The men’s basketball squad

possesses a strong senior class which looks to return to its first NCAA Division III Tournament since 2010. By JACOB MOSKOWITZ JUSTICE SENIOR WRITER

JOSHUA LINTON/Justice File Photo

REACHING FOR THE HOOP: Center Youri Dascy ’14 attempts a dunk during the Judges’ 72-67 home victory over UAA rival Emory University on Feb. 1.

Three years ago, coach Brian Meehan brought in 10 first-years to revamp the men’s basketball program. The group of recruits started their fouryear run with an 11-game winning streak, showing the potential impact they could have on the Judges’ success. Three years later, six of the 10 remain. Guards Derek Retos ’14 and Ben Bartoldus ’14 became captains last year. Additionally, forward Alex Stoyle ’14 and center Youri Dascy ’14, along with Bartoldus and Retos, will play prominent roles for the squad. Guard Ruben Kanya ’14 and forward Connor Arnold ’14 also figure to provide unique sparks off the bench. The team, however, should also feature many new faces on the court this year. Point guard Robinson Vilmont ’17 is coming out of the Myra Kraft Transitional Year Program to compete with fellow point guard Colby Smith ’16 for a starting spot. Forwards Kevin Trotman ’16 and Ishmael Kalilou ’15 will both see expanded roles as athletic and versatile wings who can play both inside and out. Guard Gabe Moton ’14, last year’s star transfer from Boston College, is fighting plantar fasciitis to start the current season. Meehan still does not know what his rotation will look like this year. “I have no idea,” he said on Friday in an interview with The Justice. “We had one scrimmage; Gabe and Robinson were injured. We will probably have about 10 guys playing consistent minutes

with a lot of balance. The starting lineup will be irrelevant.” The team lacks depth up front. Dascy and Stoyle started in the frontcourt last year, but backup sixfoot-nine center Wouter Van der Eng ’13 graduated and Alex Schmidt ’14 is not playing this year. Kalilou, Arnold and Trotman may be the only options back there while forward Sam Dowden ‘17 recovers from an injury. Despite the lack of depth, Meehan does not think this will hurt the team’s approach. “We’re not as deep this year, but we’re just going to do what we always do,” he said. “That is, push the ball, press, and play a hard man-to-man defense. What we do will depend on what we’re capable of doing well.” Last season, Meehan spoke about team goals of making the NCAA Division III Tournament and winning the University Athletic Association. This season, his approach has been completely different. “Right now we’re focusing on getting better every day,” he said. “Everybody wants to win games, but the process as you go through the season is more important.” Last year the team came within one game of making the NCAA tournament as an at-large bid. This year, Meehan would not even talk about making the postseason. He said the postseason is decided at the end of the year and that all his team should do is focus on their current play. Making the tournament is not just about possessing talent—it is about executing and playing as a group. The Judges’ key to success this year will be the play of the seniors. Retos shot an impressive 46.8 percent from beyond the three-point arc last year. His ability to spread the floor will be key for Brandeis. Bartoldus and Moton are prolific scorers who are capable of taking over a game at any point. Moton led the team with 14.1 points per game last year and will hopefully be able to improve on that

after a year of acclimating to UAA play. Bartoldus was second on the team with 10.1 points per game; his athleticism should allow him to get to the rim and put pressure on opposing defenses. Dascy started the preseason out of shape, but should stabilize the Judges down low. If he can stay out of foul trouble, he should really help the team’s defense and rebounding. Stoyle found his stroke midway through last season and will spread the floor for this athletic, drive-and-kick team. Meehan said a few first-years will be able to carve out roles and get minutes, although he did not say whom. He did, however, say that the team has something it really hasn’t had the last few years. “We really have a bunch of guys pushing each other for [playing] time, making practice more competitive. It’s something very important for good teams.” Meehan’s keys to a successful season included execution and applying the lessons they learn in practice to game day. The Judges also need to play more as a team and share the ball, which will generate easy baskets. He also stated they will need to create steals and get shots in the open court, and most importantly, they need to rebound. The Judges will be undersized at times, so whoever is on the court needs to crash the boards hard. Brandeis received two votes in the D3hoops.com preseason top 25 poll. Though this is not much, it means the team has recognition. As far as the future looks, the team has potential for success this year. If the core of the team decides to play Meehan’s way, a top 25 finish and a potential NCAA Division III Tournament bid aren’t out of the question.

YOUR GUIDE TO THE UNIVERSITY ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION: Men’s Basketball Brandeis University 2012-13 record: 17-8 (8-6 vs. UAA) What to watch for: After falling in three of its last

four games, the Judges will look to finish stronger this time. That’s a signifcant possibility, as the team returns four All-UAA selections—guards Gabe Moton ’14 and Ben Bartoldus ’14, center Youri Dascy ’14 and forward Alex Stoyle ’14 to lead an offense that scored 68.5 points per game last season. Add in a deep, talented bench and the Judges have what it takes to finish the season in memorable style. Key statistic: Though sixth in the UAA in scoring offense, the Judges allowed the least points per game (63.0) in the conference.

Carnegie Mellon University 2012-13 record: 6-19 (3-11 vs. UAA) What to watch for: Senior guard Asad Meghauni, a

Second Team All-UAA selection, should lead Carnegie’s offense this year. He was tops in the conference in successful three-pointers (3.3 per game) and recorded an impressive 45.6 percent success rate from that range. The Tartans will also look to its three other returning starters—senior guards Rashaun Riley and Rob Mohen and junior forward Matt Loebbaka—from last year, who will look to bring Carnegie back into contention for the conference championship. Key statistic: The Tartans were second in the conference in free-throw percentage, making 77.3 percent of their attempts from the stripe.

Case Western Reserve University 2012-13 record: 12-13 (5-9 vs. UAA) What to watch for: Coach Sean McDonnell says

that his team is “the most experienced roster that [I have] had in years.” His estimation appears to be correct. The Spartans have senior center David Thompson contributing on both offense and defense, as his per-game average of 8.3 points, 6.5 rebounds and 2.2 blocks (second in the UAA) makes him a threat all over the court. Case brings back three starters and will look to take the conference by surprise thanks to its veteran leadership.

Key statistic: Case was tops in the conference in blocked shots, stymying an average of 4.6 opposition shots per game. University of Chicago 2012-13 record: 11-14 (5-9 vs. UAA) What to watch for: The Maroon return two All-UAA

Honorable mention selections to lead their squad. Senior forward Charlie Hughes led the team with 10.9 points per game in the conference, while recording 9.4 points per game for the season. Junior point guard Royce Muskeyvalley provided his own scoring punch, notching 8.4 points per game. Additionally, Chicago boasted UAA Rookie of the Year— sophomore guard Jordan Smith—who averaged 7.9 points for the season. The team is young, but those three will provide steady leadership. Key statistic: Chicago had the third-best rebounding offense in the UAA last year, averaging 35.1 per game.

Emory University 2012-13 record: 20-7 (10-4 vs UAA) What to watch for: Senior forward Jake Davis

leads a team that made it to the second round of the NCAA Division III Tournament. Davis was a First-Team All-UAA selection last year and had the second-highest points per game average in the conference with 18.2. While the Eagles lost decorated seniors—guard Alex Greven and forward Michael Friedberg—they will look to Davis to lead them back to the tournament for the second time in as many years. Key statistic: Emory dominated the UAA in scoring offense, averaging 79.9 points per game, which was nearly five better than second-ranked WashU (75.2).

New York University 2012-13 record: 15-11 (5-9 vs. UAA) What to watch for: The Violets’ struggled in confer-

ence play last year and will face a tall task in dealing with the graduation of First Team All-UAA selection forward Carl Yaffe (14.8 points per game) and All-UAA Honorable Mentions in guard Kyle

YOUR GUIDE TO THE UNIVERSITY ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION: Women’s Basketball Brandeis University 2012-13 record: 10-15 (4-10 vs. UAA) What to watch for: The Judges are led by guard Kasey Dean ’14 (8.6 points per game), who was their top scorer last year. The team lost guard Samantha Anderson ’13 and forwards Erika Higginbottom ’13 and Courtney Ness ’13 to graduation and guard Hannah Cain ’15 (8.3 points per game) to an A.C.L. injury, but will look to utilize the scoring of Dean to achieve a successful conference campaign. Key statistic: The Judges had the secondbest defense in the UAA, allowing just 55.5 points per game, which was second to Emory’s 55.1. Carnegie Mellon University 2012-13 record: 13-13 (5-9 vs. UAA) What to watch for: Sophomore forward Liza Otto was a Second Team All-UAA selection last year. She will look to her three fellow returning starters, senior guard Jacquie Shaw, junior guard Chandler Caufield and sophomore guard Lindsay Poss, to pace the offense. Carnegie finished with a .500 record last year—given its returning talent, it has a great chance to improve its final mark. Key statistic: Carnegie had the second-best offensive rebound average in the UAA, averaging 45.0 per game. Case Western Reserve University 2012-13 record: 16-9 (8-6 vs. UAA) What to watch for: Case was led last year by guard Evy Iacono, a Second Team All-UAA selection who scored 17.9 points per game. The Spartans will likely struggle offensively due to her graduation, as the next-highest scorer was junior guard Brooke Orcutt, who averaged 7.7 points per game. However, with head coach Jennifer Reimer—who has been over .500 her last three seasons in a row—at the helm, the Spartans should be able to compete well with conference opposition. If this team develops, it could become a force within the UAA.

Stockmal and center Devin Karch. Senior guard Ryan Tana, who averaged 7.3 points per game, will be looked to lead the Violets’ offense. Key statistic: NYU was second in the conference in assists-per-game, as its 14.8 mark was only bettered by WashU (18.3).

year, finishing in a three-way tie for the UAA title with Emory and WashU and making it to the second round of the NCAA Division III Tournament, it will struggle to reach such dizzying heights this year. The Yellowjackets graduated a First-Team All-American and UAA Player of the Year in senior guard John DiBartolomeo, who recorded an incredible 22.6 points per game and scored 1,779 career points. Though the team returns senior guard Nate Vernon, a Second Team All-UAA selection who averaged 11.6 points per game, it will be tough for Rochester to maintain the form that it showed last year without DiBartolomeo. Key statistic: Rochester had the best free-throw percentage in the conference, making 83 percent of its attempts from the stripe.

Washington University in St. Louis 2012-13 record: 21-6 (11-2 vs. UAA) What to watch for: The Bears are led by senior for-

ward Chris Klimek, who was a First-Team All-UAA selection and was second in the conference with 15.4 points per game. He will be helped out by senior guard Alan Aboona, also a First Team All-UAA selection and dangerous three-point shooter (68 in the 2012-13 season) who averaged 12.7 points-per-game. The Bears didn’t lose a lot of offense from a year ago and, given their current senior leadership, will be a threat to defend their conference title this year. Key statistic: WashU led the conference in field goal percentage, proving successful with 47.2 percent of its attempts from the floor. — compiled by Henry Loughlin

JOSHUA LINTON/Justice File Photo

HANDS UP: Forward Alex Stoyle ’14 hopes to help the Judges earn a trip to the NCAA Division III Tournament.

JON EDELSTEIN/Justice File Photo

FIRM FOCUS: Guard Kasey Dean ’14 is determined to ensure her final season in a Brandeis uniform is a successful campaign.

TUESDAY, November 12, 2013

THE WOMEN

Key statistic: Case led the UAA in assists (17 per game) and blocked shots (4.9 per game) during last season. University of Chicago 2012-13: 7-18 (3-11 vs. UAA) What to watch for: The Maroons struggled down the stretch last season, losing eight of its last nine games to end the year. However, this team returns some promising talent, led by senior guard Julie Muguria, who was an All-UAA Honorable Mention honors. She’s joined by talented sophomore guard Paige Womack, who also earned All-UAA Honorable Mention honors and averaged 8.2 points per game as a freshman. Though Chicago took its lumps, it is certain to come back stronger. Key statistic: Chicago had the best free-throw percentage in the conference, making 71.9 percent of its efforts. Emory University 2012-13: 24-4 (12-2 vs. UAA) What to watch for: The Eagles made it to the Round of 16 of the NCAA Division III Tournament thanks in large part to the play of graduated forward Misha Jackson, whose 9.0 rebounds-per-game was the best in the UAA and helped her earn Women’s Basketball Coaches Association All-American Honorable Mention honors. The Eagles will have a lot to deal with in accounting for her graduation, but they’ll look to senior guard Savannah Morgan, a First-Team All-UAA selection last year, to power their offense. Key statistic: Emory had the best scoring offense in the UAA last year, averaging an impressive 71.9 points per game. New York University 2012-13: 10-15 (3-11 vs. UAA) What to watch for: Despite the fact that the Violets’ struggled in UAA play, their record was fairly impressive impressive in non-conference games. With a pair of dynamic sophomores returning in forward Megan Dawe (Second Team All-UAA and fifth-highest scorer in the conference) and guard Riley Wurtz (Honorable Mention All-UAA and 10th in the conference in scoring), NYU will look to improve upon its conference record and take observers by surprise. Key statistic: NYU’s only statistics in the top half of the UAA were steals (third with 10 per game) and assists (fourth with 15.3 per game) University of Rochester 2012-13: 20-7 (11-3 vs. UAA) What to watch for: The YellowJackets finished second behind Emory and last year qualified for the NCAA Division III Tournament, falling in the second round to Williams College. They return arguably their top player in junior guard Ally Zywicki, who was named a Women’s Basketball Coaches Association Honorable Mention All-American and a First Team All-UAA selection. Despite scoring only 10.6 points per game, which is less than many of her fellow honorees, her all-around play will certainly boost Rochester’s chances at success this year. Key statistic: Rochester had a surprisingly low field goal completion percentage last year, making just 36.7 percent of its attempts. If it can improve in this area, there’s no telling where this squad could end up.

University of Rochester 2012-13 record: 22-5 (10-4 vs. UAA) What to watch for: Though Rochester had a banner

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Washington University in ST. Louis 2012-13: 22-6 (10-4 vs. UAA) What to watch for: WashU returns a lot of talent this year and were ranked No. 2 in D3Hoops.com Pre-Season Top 25 poll. Junior forward Melissa Gilkey was a Women’s Basketball Coaches Association Honorable Mention All-American last year, averaging an impressive 15.4 points and 7.3 rebounds-per-game. With its top nine scorers coming back, one would be wise to ensure that the Bears are on the list of potential UAA title contenders. Key statistic: The Bears led the conference in offensive rebounding (45.7 per game) and had the best assist-turnover ratio in the UAA (1.1 per game). — compiled by Henry Loughlin

XIAOYU YANG/Justice File Photo

DRIVING FORWARD: Guard Janelle Rodriguez ’14 does battle with an Emory University defender in her team’s 66-52 home loss to the Eagles on Feb. 1.

Team hoping to make UAA mark ■ While the squad lost four seniors

who saw significant playing time last season, some talented players are returning for coach Carol Simon. By ELAN KANE JUSTICE STAFF WRITER

As the women’s basketball squad begins its season on Friday, coach Carol Simon, returning to lead Brandeis in her 27th season, stressed that results matter less to her than the team’s performance on a given day. “We’re not really looking at the outcomes right now, we’re going by the process and taking it day-by-day,” Simon said given that the team is still in its early stages of practice. “We’re still a young squad and we’re just trying to get better every day.” The Judges endured a mixed season last winter, suffering a seven game losing streak to conclude with a 10-15 overall record. However, despite the bump that the team hit mid-season, the squad ended its season on a positive note, winning two of its last three games against the University of Chicago and New York University—both formidable University Athletic Association rivals. The team will look to start off this year’s campaign right where last year’s left off. Simon noted the Judges will look to uphold a core philosophy of consistent defensive pressure in its games, forcing opponents to play the length of the court. The women allowed 55.5 points per game last season to opponents, an improvement from the 58.9 points per game they allowed in their 2011-12 campaign. On offense, meanwhile, the Judges will look to maintain a high tempo and keep defenses on their heels. Last season the squad scored 54.7 points per game, an increase from the 52.8 points per game they averaged the season before. One of the squad’s weaknesses, though, will be their game in the post. Forwards Samantha Anderson ’13 and Erika Higginbottom ’13, two of the top three rebounders from last year’s team, have graduated. To make matters worse for the Judges, forwards Sydney Sodine ’17, Maria Jackson ’17 and O’Hara Chard ’16 will all be sidelined at the beginning of the season with injuries, which means that the squad will

have to look to some of its other players to fill in roles while Sodine, Jackson and Chard are recovering from their ailments. Guard Hannah Cain ’15 will also miss the entire season with an A.C.L. injury. Cain averaged 8.3 points per game last season and collected 5.3 rebounds per game. Despite the many injuries that her squad is facing, Simon is nonetheless confident the Judges will be able to succeed. “We’re looking to get players that have to step up, whether they are newcomers or returners,” Simon said. “Everybody is important.” The Judges return five seniors, though, including second year captain and guard Kasey Dean ’14. Dean led the team last year with 8.6 points per game and 2.4 assists per game. She returns this season as motivated as ever to help the Judges win. Dean said simply her goal this year “is to make postseason play.” To achieve this goal, Dean knows the team has to play well on both sides of the court. “We want to build off of how we were playing at the end of last season,” she said. “Basically, we focus on being a disciplined defense and a smart, poised offense.” The team will also turn to guard Janelle Rodriguez ’14 as a primary scoring threat. Rodriguez averaged six points per game last season in 19.7 minutes per game of play. The Judges, additionally, will seek to improve their away record this season. Last season, Brandeis held a 2-8 road record as opposed to an 8-7 record at home. Dean remains confident that the team will pick up its play on the road. “We have some of our more important games home this year so that should be to our advantage,” she said. “We also do not have back-to-back travel trips in our UAA schedule so that will take some stress off us.” Simon noted that the team simply has to focus on improvement to be successful on the road. “We have to get better every day—whether it’s on the road or at home,” Simon said. The Judges will play their final 14 games against UAA opponents—certainly a challenge for this young squad. The Judges open their season this Friday at 5 p.m., squaring off against Mount Ida College for the first game of the Brandeis Invitational Tip-Off Tournament. Design by REBECCA LANTNER/the Justice

TUESDAY, November 12, 2013

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THE JUSTICE

ALUMNI PROFILE

Crafting victory no matter the setting Williams shines in career at Nike By ADAM RABINOWITZ justice EDITOR

GAME SCHEDULE

RISING ABOVE: Rashad Williams ’02 still holds Brandeis’ all-time scoring record with 1,928 points.

Basketball is a game of opportunity. An unexpected fast break down the court, an open threepoint shot, or a foul leading to two key free throws can make all the difference. This philosophy, meanwhile, has guided Rashad Williams ’02, the all-time leading scorer for the Judges’ men’s basketball squad, to be a Product Line manager in the Jordan Brand footwear line at Nike. “I get to create sneakers for a living, which is crazy,” he said. “I go to work in jeans and a Tshirt and live out my passion, working with the brightest, most competitive sports minds to keep me motivated and focused.” It sounds like the dream job for any die-hard basketball fan—and yet, it gets better. Williams collaborates with several of the top players in the National Basketball Association, including Los Angeles Clippers center Blake Griffin, New York Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony and Oklahoma City Thunder point guard Russell Westbrook, to develop products that enhance their performance on the game’s biggest stage. “I gain insights and help the best players in the NBA perform better on the court,” he said. “As a player and fan who understands their lifestyles, this is the perfect fit.” Yet, Williams’ first big opportunity came from the most unlikely of places—a liberal arts school located in Waltham, Mass. As a senior forward from Woodside High School in Redwood City, Calif., Williams ultimately aspired to continue his playing career at nearby Stanford University. Brandeis men’s basketball former assistant coach Wallace Johnson then entered the picture. Johnson coached Williams’ Amateur Athletic Union team for two weeks during his sophomore year of high school. He only needed two weeks to know that Williams had the makings of a special talent. Johnson then placed a phone call to Williams in April of his senior year and pitched the opportunity to play for the Judges. Brandeis had never popped up on Williams’ radar, which makes it understandable that he was reluctant to move 3,000 miles away from home. However, he then consulted with his best friend’s father, a professor at Stanford, who knew of Brandeis’ presige and told Williams to jump at the opportunity. The rest is history. Williams entered Brandeis in 1997 as a student in the Transitional Year Program. In the next five years, he proceeded to earn 1,928 points, shattering the previously established scoring record set by Rudy Finderson ’58. He also recorded four All-University Athletic Association Honors and secured a spot on the UAA’s Silver Anniversary Team. In addition to meeting his wife, Marsha PierreJacques ’01 at Brandeis, Williams took advantage of opportunities on the court to establish invaluable relationships. “The relationships I gained with my teammates were truly the greatest,” he said. “It was rewarding to open my eyes to new people and new experiences. This environment is what sustained me in the long run.”

MEN Nov. 16 Curry 7:00 p.m. Nov. 19 UMass-Dartmouth 7:00 p.m. Nov. 21 Framingham State 7:00 p.m. Nov. 23 Rhode Island College 3:00 p.m. Nov. 26 Lasell 7:00 p.m. Dec. 3 Becker 5:30 p.m. Dec. 7 Babson 3:00 p.m. Dec. 8 Tufts or Salem St. TBA Dec. 10 Amherst 7:00 p.m. Jan. 2 Roger Williams 6:00 p.m. Jan. 7 Bates 7:00 p.m. Jan. 11 at NYU 4:00 p.m. Jan. 17 at WashU 9:00 p.m. Jan. 19 at Chicago 1:00 p.m. Jan. 24 Rochester 8:00 p.m. Jan. 26 Emory 12:00 p.m. Jan. 31 at Case 8:00 p.m. Feb. 2 at Carnegie Mellon 11:30 a.m. Feb. 7 Case 8:00 p.m. Feb. 9 Carnegie Mellon 12:00 p.m. Feb. 14 WashU 8:00 p.m. Feb. 16 Chicago 12:00 p.m. Feb. 21 at Rochester 8:00 p.m. Feb. 23 at Emory 12:00 p.m. Mar. 2 NYU 2:00 p.m.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF RASHAD WILLIAMS

SLEEK SHOES: Despite finishing his playing career, Williams is still in the basketball circle and settled in a career designing shoes as a Product Line Manager at Nike. He also applied his passion on the court to his academics as an American Studies major, seeking to make the most of Brandeis’ focus on social justice. That focus allowed him to capitalize on yet another transformative opportunity as an intern for the Oakland Raiders. “At the time, I was writing a final paper on the state of female executives in the NFL for a Women’s and Gender Studies class called ‘Gender in America,’” he said. “I then managed to track down Amy Trask, Chief Executive Officer of the Raiders at the time and interviewed her for my paper. One thing eventually led to another and I had the privilege to intern for the Raiders.” After graduation, Williams received several offers from professional teams to play overseas, but he had his sights set on an entirely different career path. He began his career at a marketing and promotional agency in Boston for young adults and teens and eventually shifted to sales and consumer research, conducting analyses of companies such as New Balance, Nike, Timberland and Converse. It was at Brandeis, though, where Williams discovered his true passion. “I lived the [basketball] culture and knew about these [sneaker] brands,” he said. “It definitely sparked interest in something I love to do.” Williams got his first big break in FILA’s tennis division. After nine months, he relocated back to the West Coast for a position on Adidas’ lifestyle business line. For the past two years, he’s been hard at work at Nike and relishes every moment of his current work experience. “I never expected something like this to happen, but the most important things are to always work hard and to consider all relationships and opportunities,” he said. It is safe to say that Williams has been a leader in this game of opportunity—and has made a significant difference in doing so.

WOMEN Nov. 16 Mount Ida 5:00 p.m. Nov. 19 Colby or Eastern Nazarene TBA Nov. 21 Roger Williams 7:00 p.m. Nov. 23 Tufts 1:00 p.m. Nov. 26 at Emmanuel 7:00 p.m. Dec. 3 UMass-Dartmouth 7:30 p.m. Dec. 7 at Johnson & Wales 1:00 p.m. Dec. 9 at Simmons 7:00 p.m. Dec. 31 Husson 1:00 p.m. Jan. 4 Trinity (Conn.) 1:00 p.m. Jan. 6 UMass-Boston 6:00 p.m. Jan. 11 at NYU 2:00 p.m. Jan. 17 at WashU 7:00 p.m. Jan. 19 at Chicago 3:00 p.m. Jan. 24 Rochester 6:00 p.m. Jan. 26 Emory 2:00 p.m. Jan. 31 at Case 6:00 p.m. Feb. 2 at Carnegie Mellon 1:30 p.m. Feb. 7 Case 6:00 p.m. Feb. 9 Carnegie Mellon 2:00 p.m. Feb. 14 WashU 6:00 p.m. Feb. 16 Chicago 2:00 p.m. Feb. 21 at Rochester 6:00 p.m. Feb. 23 at Emory 2:00 p.m. Mar. 2 NYU 12:00 p.m.