The Justice, October 25, 2011 issue

ARTS Page 19

FORUM Catering to our donors 12

BLONSKY ON BTV

SPORTS Volleyball nails first win in October 16 The Independent Student Newspaper

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

Justice

Volume LXIV, Number 9

www.thejustice.org

Tuesday, October 25, 2011

STUDENT UNION

dining services

FALL FESTIVITIES

After delay, Union posts filled

Senator proposes dining changes ■ Senator for the Class

of 2014 Ricky Rosen proposed extending the P.O.D. Market’s hours.

By sam mintz JUSTICE STAFF WRITER

to social justice” that first attracted her to the school, Hefner said.

Hefner’s “interest in activism” while at Brandeis “infused” her professional interests, which primarily include journalism, law and politics, she said.

She said that though recent graduates may not have much freedom in choosing what they do professionally because of the economic climate, the skills they gain at Brandeis can help them learn the most from their jobs.

Students’ “commitment to always wanting to learn” is a “gift” from the school that comes with an “obligation” to use their skills “for not just their own happiness but for [the benefit of] the society they live in,” Hefner said.

Executive Senator Shekeyla

Senator for the Class of 2014 Senator Ricky Rosen is working with Dining Services on potential changes at the Provisions on Demand Market in the Usdan Student Center.

Rosen has been in communication with Aramark employees, including Director of Dining Services Aaron Bennos, to discuss potential improvements that could both raise student satisfaction with the food on campus and provide healthier and more convenient dining options for students. He used an online survey of about 220 students to gauge opinions on dining options.

“The student body’s numberone concern is dining,” said Rosen in an interview with the Justice.

“People talk all the time about how the hours are inconvenient, how the meal plan is inaccessible and how there are not a lot of options. And so when I became elected senator, my number-one priority was to help improve the dining services at Brandeis.”

The three goals of his project are to extend the P.O.D. Market's hours on Saturdays, to include gluten-free foods from the P.O.D. Market in University meal plans, and to include frozen foods in the meal plans as well.

Currently, gluten-free foods and frozen foods cannot be purchased using a meal plan at the P.O.D. Market.

As of right now, according to Rosen, the inclusion of glutenfree foods from the P.O.D. Market in meal plans is the only one of his proposed changes that is certain to be instituted in the near future.

Rosen said that Aramark may consider putting some healthy frozen foods on the meal plan, like Lean Cuisine or Healthy

See HEFNER, 5 ☛

See DINING, 5 ☛

■ The “skip” and “abstain”

options were altered for yesterday’s election to help fix issues from previous rounds of voting.

By hillel buechler

JANEY ZITOMER/the Justice

JUSTICE editor

Students were elected to fill three seats on the Student Judiciary, as well as three seats in the Student Union Senate and the post of senior representative to the Alumni Association in yesterday’s Union elections, according to an email to the Justice from Union Secretary Todd Kirkland ’13.

With the election of three new justices, the judiciary’s five seats will now be filled. This election marked the third attempt since last spring to fill all five seats.

The winning candidates for the seats were Zach Breslaw ’15, John Fonte ’12 and Claire Sinai ’15.

For the positions of Charles River senator, senator for the Mods and racial minority senator, the winners, respectively, were Deena Horowitz ’13, Betsy Hinchey ’12 and Jonathan Beaver ’15. Destiny Aquino ’12 was elected senior representative to the Alumni Association.

According to earlier emails to the Justice from Kirkland and Union President Herbie Rosen ’12, both the “abstain” and “skip” options were reworded for this election and calculated as if they were candidates by BigPulse, the online voting system used by the Union.

See ELECTIONS, 5 ☛

Celebrating the season Students carve pumpkins during Fallabration, which took place last Friday on the Great Lawn and in the Shapiro Campus Center Atrium. The event, sponsored by Student Events, also featured caramel apples, cider, donuts and wax hand-making.

campus speaker

Hefner speaks on activism ■ The former CEO of Playboy

Enterprises said that her interest in activism inspired her professional career.

By allyson cartter JUSTICE STAFF WRITER

Former CEO of Playboy Enterprises Christie Hefner ’74 spoke in Rapaporte Treasure Hall on Friday about her career and how her experiences at Brandeis have shaped it. The talk was part of the Student Union’s “Influential People Embodying the Brandeis Spirit” series.

Hefner graduated summa cum laude with a degree in English and American Literature. She wrote for the Arts section of the Justice and worked with Upward Bound, a program in which

Brandeis students tutored high school students in neighboring towns, Hefner said.

Hefner began working at Playboy Enterprises after graduating from Brandeis. She held the positions of CEO and chairman of the board from 1988 to 2009, becoming the longestserving female CEO of a public company, Sarah Geller ’13, who organized the event, said in her introduction.

Hefner is now the executive chairman of Canyon Ranch Enterprises and a director of the Hugh M. Hefner Foundation.

Hefner began her talk by saying that “it’s always a pleasure to be back at Brandeis,” explaining that she takes note each time she returns of what has changed on campus and what has remained the same.

It was Brandeis’ “combination of intellectual curiosity and commitment

Pursuing a cause

Men beat Springfield

Education panel

 Sam Vaghar ’08 founded the Millennium Campus Network to help fight poverty.

 The men’s soccer team shut out Springfield College in its only match of the week.

 A panel of experts spoke about global advocacy and literacy.

FEATURES 7 For tips or info email editor@thejustice.org

Waltham, Mass.

Let your voice be heard!

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

INDEX

SPORTS 16 ARTS SPORTS

17 16

EDITORIAL FEATURES

10 7

OPINION POLICE LOG

10 2

COMMENTARY

News 5 11

COPYRIGHT 2011 FREE AT BRANDEIS. Email managing@thejustice.org for home delivery.

2

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 25, 2011

●

THE JUSTICE

NEWS SENATE LOG

Senate recognizes two clubs and passes two money resolutions Student Union Secretary Todd Kirkland ’13 informed the Senate of a change in the online student election procedure. The “abstain” option will now be called “no vote/abstain.”

In addition, the “skip” option will be one of the options for voting. When people select “skip,” it will count towards the total of votes.

He also encouraged senators to take part in election tabling.

The senate next discussed a trial of a shuttle to and from the Riverside MBTA Station.

Director of Public Safety Ed Callahan has indicated to Student Union Vice President Gloria Park ’13 that a trial of buses to Riverside will take place on a weekend day for two weeks in the future, according to Park.

The senate recognized Freshman Fifteen, an a capella group that will be open to any student, according to the club co-founders.

“It will be a unique medium for students to improve their singing abilities without the requirement of many hours of rehearsals a week,” said club co-founder Ben Wheat ’15.

The Senate also recognized a Brandeis chapter of Amnesty International.

According to the club’s constitution, the goal of the club is the same as the goal of Amnesty International: “A world in which every person enjoys all of the human rights enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and other international rights instruments.”

The Senate also passed two Senate Money Resolutions. The first SMR was for Reverse Trick-O-Treating in East Quad.

The East Quad Community Development Coordinator Sandra Summers and East Quad Senator Jeremy Goodman ’14 will go around to East Quad rooms and hand out candy to students. The SMR, for $52, will be used to purchase candy.

The second SMR was for a Social Justice Consortium put on by the Senate Social Justice Committee.

The Consortium will bring together leaders from university groups committed to social justice and enhance communication between them. The SMR for this event, which totaled $59.18, will pay for pizza, plates and napkins.

The senate also discussed problems with timely updating of the MyBrandeis website and resolved to address the issues with Kirkland.

Finally, Executive Senator Shekeyla Caldwell ’14 announced that starting next week, the meetings would feature a Senator of the Week so that the Senate can recognize exemplary work from senators.

AP BRIEFS

POLICE LOG Medical Emergency

Oct. 17—University Police received a call of a female having a seizure at the Lemberg Children’s Center.

BEMCo was notified, and the party was transported via ambulance to a hospital.

Oct. 18—A reporting party stated there was an intoxicated female outside a room in Village Residence Hall A. BEMCo responded and requested an ambulance to transport the party to the Newton-Wellesley Hospital.

Oct. 18—A reporting party informed University Police that a 50-year-old female in the Usdan Student Center had a laceration on her finger.

University Police transported the party to an urgent care center.

Oct. 19—A staff member at the Mailman House requested an ambulance to transport a patient to the Newton-Wellesley Hospital. The patient was cooperative.

Oct. 20—University Police received a report of a non-student vomiting in the Levin Ballroom. An ambulance was contacted to transport the party to the Newton-Wellesley Hospital for further care.

Oct. 21—A reporting party complaining of nausea and a headache requested BEMCo. BEMCo responded and treated the party, who then refused further treatment.

Oct. 22—A 20-year-old female walked into the lobby of Stoneman with burns to her right hand from an electric stove.

BEMCo was notified, and the party was transported via cruiser to an urgent care center.

Disturbance

Oct. 17—University Police received a call that a group of students inside the sukkah near Sherman Dining Hall were causing

a disturbance. A group of approximately 40 students were advised to quiet down without incident.

Oct. 21—A party in Rosenthal Residence Hall East reported loud music coming from above her room.

The residents were told to quiet down without incident.

Larceny

Oct. 21—University Police received a report of a past larceny in the Slosberg Recital Hall.

University Police compiled a report.

Oct. 22—A party reported a past larceny of personal items that were left unattended overnight in a common access area in the Usdan Student Center.

University Police compiled a report.

—compiled by Marielle Temkin

MEDFORD, Mass.—Tufts University formally inaugurated noted neuroscientist Anthony Monaco as its 13th president.

Monaco served as pro-vice chancellor for planning and resources at the University of Oxford before assuming the Tufts leadership on Aug. 1.

Monano, who identified the first gene specifically involved in human speech and language, was inaugurated as Tufts president on Friday.

He takes over from Lawrence Bacow, who announced in February he would step down after 10 years leading the Boston-area university.

Monaco is a native of Wilmington, Del., with degrees from Princeton and Harvard.

His research has focused on the genetic basis of autism, dyslexia and other disorders.

Speakers at his inauguration included Princeton University President Shirley Tilghman. Representatives from more than 100 other academic institutions and societies also attended.

AP BRIEF

Rhode Island woman returns to Mass on charges of killing spouse NORTHAMPTON, Mass.— A Rhode Island woman is returning to Massachusetts after waiving extradition on charges of killing her spouse.

Prosecutors say 45-year-old Cara Rintala waived extradition Thursday in Rhode Island after appearing on a fugitive from justice charge. She was arrested on Wednesday after a Hampshire County Grand Jury returned an indictment charging her with the March 2010 murder of 37-year-old Annamarie Rintala at the married couple’s Granby, Mass. home.

She is expected to be arraigned Thursday afternoon.

Annamarie Rintala’s body was found in the basement of the home. Authorities said at the time that the victim, who worked as a paramedic, had been strangled.

Northwestern District Attorney David Sullivan says Cara Rintala had been living in Narragansett, R.I., for about the last year.

CORRECTIONS AND CLARIFICATIONS n A photo in Arts was credited to the wrong photographer. The photo was taken by David Yun, not Alex Margolis. (Oct. 18, pg. 18) The Justice welcomes submissions for errors that warrant correction or clarification. Email editor@ thejustice.org.

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GLOUCESTER, Mass.—Massachusetts Sen. Scott Brown is calling on President Barack Obama to fire the head of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, saying she’s worsened the fishing industry’s problems.

Brown said Saturday in a press conference at the Gloucester waterfront that Obama should replace Jane Lubchenco.

In a statement, Brown said Lubchenco was indifferent to the industry’s struggles and wrongly committed to a new management system he says is destroying fishing jobs.

Brown joins Massachusetts Rep. John Tierney and North Carolina Rep. Walter Jones, who last year called for Lubchenco’s dismissal.

A NOAA spokesman said Lubchenco has always sought success for fishermen and wants to partner with them to build a profitable industry.

He pointed to NOAA’s commitment this week of millions to fund required on-board catch observers, a cost fishermen had worried they’d have to absorb.

Tufts inaugurates new university president

—Sam Mintz

n A photo in Sports was credited to the wrong photographer. The photo was taken by Joshua Linton, not Alex Margolis. (Oct. 18, pg. 13)

Senator Brown calls for firing of NOAA head

Mass man killed after jumping from car

Under the stars

ANDREW WINGENS/the Justice

Students Talking About Relationships distributed free donuts, apple cider, candy corn and chocolates last night and told students about various types of relationships and how to prevent domestic violence.

FALL RIVER, Mass.—State police say a man was killed after he jumped out of a moving car in Fall River.

Police say 35-year-old Clifford Whelan of Somerset was in the front seat of a car driven by Patrick Boynton of Somerset on Saturday at about 2:20 a.m. when he jumped out while the car was on a ramp to Route 6.

They say he suffered severe injuries and died later at a local hospital.

Police were still investigating the accident and no further information was immediately available.

ANNOUNCEMENTS Evening with Palden Gyatso

Students for Tibet and the International Center for Ethics, Justice, and Public Life present the venerable Palden Gyatso, an inspirational and internationally acclaimed Tibetan monk. Palden Gyatso spent 33 years in Chinese prison and labor camps, where he was extensively tortured. After his release in 1993, he fled to Dharamsala, in northern India, in exile. Ever since, he has travelled the world speaking against violence and for the cause of human rights in Tibet. Today from 7 to 9 p.m. in the Rapaporte Treasure Hall.

The Global Debt Crisis

International and Global Studies will host a conversation on government debts and the troubled world economy. Kent Lucken, a managing director with Citigroup, will join IGS for this conversation.

Lucken has extensive experience in global finance, but he also knows European politics well. In his past career as a U.S. diplomat, Lucken served in several embassies in Europe and is familiar with the roots of the

continent’s economic crisis. Joining Lucken on the panel will be IGS students Craig Elman ’12 and Adina Weissman ’12, both recently returned from studying abroad in Europe. Tomorrow from 6:30 to 8 p.m. in the Mandel Center Reading Room.

Sherron Watkins speaks

Sherron Watkins is the former vice president of Enron Corporation and a whistleblower who alerted then Enron CEO Ken Lay in August 2001 to accounting irregularities within the company, warning him that Enron “might implode in a wave of accounting scandals.” In the book Power Failure, the Inside Story of the Collapse of Enron, Watkins tells the inside story of that scandal that rocked the American financial world and beyond. Alison Bass, lecturer in journalism at Brandeis and author of Side Effects: A Prosecutor, a Whistleblower, and a Bestselling Antidepressant on Trial will interview Watkins from a reporter’s point of view. Offering legal perspective will be Dana Gold, director of the American Whistleblower Tour: Essential Voices for

Accountablity, a program of the Government Accountablity Project. This lecture is presented by the Brandeis Journalism Program and the International Business School and cosponsored by the American Studies Program, the Office of the Dean of Arts and Sciences and the Schuster Institute for Investigative Journalism. Tomorrow from 7 to 9 p.m. in the Mandel Center Auditorium G03.

The Dire Fate of Boys

Scare stories about the fate of boys are proliferating in the media. We hear that they are falling behind; that their brains are so different from those of girls that they have to be taught in “boy-friendly” classes; that they are ill-equipped to comprehend major works of literature; that they are aggressive, unemotional and even uncaring—all the things that girls are not.

Are these stories based on fact or on stereotyped fictions? And does it matter? This event is sponsored by the Women’s Studies Research Center. Thursday from 12:30 to 2 p.m. in the Epstein Lecture Hall.

THE JUSTICE

panel on biotech, health and science, moderated by Provost Steve Goldstein ’78.

By tyler belanga JUSTICE STAFF WRITER

JANEY ZITOMER/the Justice

AUDIENCE ENGAGEMENT: Jenkins, a professor at Georgia Perimeter College and an author, chats with students after his lecture.

Jenkins analyzes twoyear university careers Georgia Perimeter College spoke about the pros and cons of working at a two-year institution, last Friday.

By luke hayslip JUSTICE contributing WRITER

This past Friday in the Shapiro Campus Center, Rob Jenkins, a published author and tenured associate professor of English at Georgia Perimeter College, spoke of the benefits of and options in choosing a career teaching at a two-year university.

Though Jenkins displayed a PowerPoint presentation, he spoke predominantly on a question-andanswer basis, shaping his speech around the questions and opinions of the participants.

Jenkins began his presentation by saying that most applicants were either unaware or unprepared to teach in a two-year institution.

Jenkins stressed the advantages of choosing a career path in the twoyear college system for a number of reasons, including generally easy-toacquire tenure, no “publish or perish” rule whereby one must publish

3

Employers and students network at science forum ■ The program included a

works in order to achieve tenure and the relative ease in branching out within the two-year college system.

He also emphasized the unimportance of having a terminal degree in one’s field of study, the possibilities for enhanced community involvement over those a full research-university professor would have, as well as relatively competitive salary and benefits.

Among other topics mentioned in the discussion were the negative aspects of working in a two-year institution over a four-year institution.

Most two-year schools do not take into consideration an applicant’s research history or plans for academic research. That is why jobs in two-year schools are generally advertised as teaching jobs where the majority of work duties are teaching and grading, and not researching, explained Jenkins.

Jenkins related this to the lack of a need for a terminal degree, especially a Ph.D., due to the unimportance in having a doctoral dissertation and the irrelevance of having research hours.

However, said Jenkins, one could look at the insignificance in having a terminal degree and research as time and money-saving steps toward securing a job in an unsteady economy.

TUESDAY, October 25, 2011

PANEL

PRESENTING OPTIONS

■ Professor Rob Jenkins of

●

Unfortunately, it is usually harder to find and secure a full-time twoyear college position than a full-time four-year college position. It often becomes a necessity to choose a parttime position in order to secure some form of employment at the school in which an applicant is interested.

One of the most important topics in choosing a career that arose in the discussion was that of salary and benefits.

Two-year colleges pay less than four-year colleges, for the most part, for both part-time and full-time professors. “The average professor earns [a beginning salary] in the lowto mid-40 thousand dollar range,” with an upper range of about “75 to 80 thousand dollars.”

A full-time professor can earn an extra 15 to 20 thousand dollars if they forgo their summer break and work a 12-month school year.

Jenkins concluded his presentation with advice on applying for a teaching position in a two-year university.

“Do a demonstration, not a presentation. Prove your worth,” he said.

Above all, he emphasized the importance in perfecting interviewing techniques, networking and being open to different career possibilities within the school system.

Last Tuesday, the Hiatt Career Center sponsored its third annual Biotech, Healthcare and Science Forum called “Discovery Without Borders.” The forum began with a panel presentation followed by a question-and-answer session and 20-minute speed networking sessions. The event, which was held in Sherman Function Hall, drew 240 students, according to Joseph DuPont, director of Hiatt.

Twenty-five employers attended the forum, including high-profile companies such as GlaxoSmithKline, Pfizer and Shire Pharmaceuticals.

Provost Steve Goldstein ’78 moderated the event, which included a panel composed of Glen Cowley ’88, a research scientist at the Broad Institute; Robert Sackstein, a bone marrow transplant physician, biomedical researcher and professor at Harvard Medical School; and Amber Toll, director and senior human resources business partner for Shire Pharmaceuticals.

Goldstein directed each of his questions to a different panelist, asking what employers are looking for in students, how the medical and biotech industries have changed over the past years and the importance of collaboration between different professions, companies and countries in an age of globalization.

Sackstein, who was described

by Goldstein as a man who professionally “wears many hats” because of his many areas of involvement in the medical industry, emphasized the necessity of pursuing a career that one is truly excited and passionate about.

“Identify yourself early on; what gets you out of bed in the morning?

You want to find something that really captures your enthusiasm. … You will be amazed what you can do with only your own energy,” said Sackstein.

When asked what would make a student an appealing hire to Shire Pharmaceuticals, Toll said that, in addition to having extensive experience in the lab and having several internships, the “softer skills”

are also essential.

“The ability to work with other people and collaborate is very important; you must have a certain level of emotional intelligence. [A student should be] bright, open and able to get along with people.

If you can’t, we don’t want to deal with it,” said Toll.

Cowley spoke about the changes in biotechnology and the importance of communication and collaboration in a globalized world.

Cowley said that when he was a student, the Internet was still in its infancy, and being global did not mean what it does today.

“Now being global means I am on the phone with people in Korea or Belgium at 8 o’clock at night. …

Things have changed a lot in the last five or 10 years. … The ability to communicate clearly is essential; you don’t have to be bilingual, but you must be able to communicate and explain your science,” said Cowley.

Following the panel presentation was a 30-minute Q-and-A session, followed by speed networking, which gave students an opportunity to meet with prospective employers. Cary Weir Lytle ’98, associate director of employer relations at Hiatt, gave the closing remarks.

Rachel Danzig ’12, an HSSP major, said after the event, “I found the forum to be extremely educational and I feel like I was given a lot more information toward finding a job for next year. I am definitely glad I came.”

“This year’s forum was more helpful than last year[’s] because I was able to gain more from the knowledge of all of the experts as I enter the workforce [next year].

It was also a great networking opportunity,” said Natali Baner ’12, a Neuroscience and Biology major who hopes to become a pediatric neurologist.

In an interview with the Justice, DuPont said that aside from looking at the curriculum and the capability of students, the connections that Brandeis maintains with its alumni was what allowed Hiatt to draw such prominent companies and organizations to the biotech forum.

“We can literally pick up the phone and say, ‘Can you come to this event? Can you help us champion [Brandeis] students?’ … The fact that most people had a great experience at Brandeis makes them willing to do that,” said DuPont.

campus speaker

James VanderVeen lectures about archaeological artifacts ■ VanderVeen focused his

discussion on the artifacts of the Taino of the pre-Columbian Dominican Rebublic and their possible interpretations.

By tate herbert JUSTICE STAFF WRITER

James VanderVeen, assistant professor of Sociology and Anthropology at Indiana University South Bend, challenged “received wisdom” in archaeology in his presentation, titled “Interpretations of Taino Representational Art,” on Friday evening in Brown Social Science Center.

VanderVeen, visiting Cambridge for a conference, was invited to give the lecture at Brandeis by his former student Rebecca Gibson, who is now a master’s student in Anthropology and Women’s Studies at Brandeis.

“Much of my desire to advance in

the field of archaeology stems from Dr. VanderVeen’s enthusiasm and passion for the subject,” said Gibson in an email interview with the Justice. According to Gibson, she and VanderVeen are currently coauthoring a paper based on their work together in South Bend.

However, VanderVeen focused his studies and Friday’s lecture not on the work he conducted at South Bend, but on artifacts made by the Taino, the people of the pre-Columbian Dominican Republic. In his lecture, VanderVeen used the potiza, a canteen-like vessel used by the Taino, to illustrate the various interpretations that can be applied to artifacts and the dangers of accepting conventional wisdom without question.

“Learning from others is a shortcut, and if you don’t have your own personal analysis of the data, it can actually lead you in the wrong direction,” said VanderVeen, explaining the lessons he learned from studying potizas.

The shape of potizas is such that they are generally interpreted as phallic symbols, but, according to VanderVeen, Taino customs and mythology do not actually support this theory. A common fallacy in interpretation of other cultures’ symbols, said VanderVeen, is that “we take our baggage here and apply it to other cultures.”

In this case, “maybe form follows function,” said VanderVeen, suggesting a more plausible explanation for the distinctive potiza shape.

Attempting to interpret symbols such as those of the potiza without context “can really get you close, but no cigar,” VanderVeen concluded.

The event was well attended by graduate students in the field of anthropology.

“I came to support fellow anthropologists [and] archaeologists,” said Ryan Collins MA’14.

Ariel Meave MA’15 said of the artifacts in VanderVeen’s presentation, “You’re not looking at physical objects; you’re looking at stories.”

JESSICA CHRISTIAN/the Justice

STAYING ACCURATE: VanderVeen discussed misinterpretations of Taino artifacts.

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TUESDAY, OCTOBER 25, 2011

5

Panelists discuss global ELECTIONS: All seats filled in this education and advocacy round of voting PANEL

■ The speakers described

their initiatives before taking questions from the audience about their efforts.

By danielle gross JUSTICE STAFF WRITER

Positive Foundations and the United Nations Association of Greater Boston presented a panel event on Global Education in the Mandel Center for the Humanities yesterday. The event, “Ensuring Literacy and Quality Education for All” was presented in celebration of United Nations Day. Positive Foundations Director of Policy, Kate Alexander ’12, introduced the panelists: Prof. Jane Hale (ROMS), founder and director of two family literacy programs, and Brian Callahan, a representative from the Global Campaign for Education.

According to the Facebook page for Positive Foundations, the club is dedicated to the alleviation of extreme poverty through assisting the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals.”

Hale discussed her literacy programs. First she spoke about the Malapa A Balang Lesotho, or “Family Literacy Lesotho,” program, which was founded by Hale in 2007.

Hale stated, “Our mission is to encourage the development of beautiful children’s picture books in Seso-

tho [the language of Lesotho], or about Lesotho and put them in the hands of all the Lesotho children.”

Famni Ki Li Ansamn, or “Families Reading Together,” is Hale’s newer project. In 2010, she and some of her students founded a project that strived to increase family literacy through picture books for Haitians in both the United States and Haiti.

Callahan, a graduate of San Francisco State University, is the acting director in the Global Campaign for Education.

GCE is a coalition of more than 30 organizations working together to ensure access to quality education for children in developing countries.

Callahan explained, “There are two Millennium Development Goals that deal with education. There’s MDG2 and MDG3.”

According to the United Nations website, MDG2 is to “Ensure that, by 2015, children everywhere, boys and girls alike, will be able to complete a full course of primary schooling.” MDG3 calls to “Eliminate gender disparity in primary and secondary education preferably by 2005, and at all levels by 2015.”

Callahan stressed that the problem is not even so much the lack of education but the poor quality of the education for those who do receive it.

Callahan then went on to explain the importance of political will,

which is the culmination of three factors: opinion, intensity and salience.

He continued in relaying the four important factors in advocating for change: map the community for like-minded supporters, identify policymakers in charge of the policy trying to be changed, build a relationship with policymakers when promoting advocacy and remember that the media is a largely important tool when doing advocacy work.

When he finished, the floor was opened to the audience for questions.

The questions asked involved micro-finance mechanisms, thoughts on how the government should better allot the aid money, steps involved to finding local advocacy allies, movement of funds from budget to quality education and what the successful tactics in the International Literacy movement have been.

In an interview with the Justice, Callahan said that his goals were met for the event. He also said that he was very impressed with the level of knowledge and the level of questions asked by students.

When asked what he thought the most important point of the night was, Callahan answered with, “What I hope people will take away is the importance of advocacy in general and advocacy on education for all.”

CONTINUED FROM 1 In the earlier email, Kirkland explained that for this election, the wording for the “Abstain” option was changed to “No vote/Abstain” so that BigPulse would “analyze the results in a way that better fits our election guidelines.”

Article IX of the Union constitution states, “If abstain receives the greatest number of votes during a final election, than [sic] there will be a vacancy in the office until the next election.”

According to Rosen, the wording of the “skip” option was changed to “Skip ballot and continue” in order to clarify the option and to have it act as a candidate so that data for the number of students selecting it would be generated, allowing the Union to better gauge overall student participation rates.

Rosen also noted that in reading the system’s elections results, the votes toward the “skip” option would be “disregarded” by Union officials.

In a phone interview with the Justice, Fonte said “I feel good.

Justice has been served. The abstain thing had been quite an error. Abstention was quite a candidate, but I beat it fair and square.”

In a phone interview with the Justice, Breslaw, another one of

the winners for the SJ, said, “It was a good win.”

Yesterday’s election was originally scheduled for last Monday.

However, the election’s date was moved back because the student elected as senior representative to the Alumni Association declined to serve in that capacity, and the Union wanted time to “gather more candidates,” according to Kirkland in an Oct. 13 email to campus media outlets.

Kirkland also noted that the move would “give people more time to campaign, and allow us to look deeper into our current election system with BigPulse.”

Last month, a Justice examination of Union election data from 2010 and 2011 revealed a conflict between election procedures concerning the “abstain” option and instant runoff voting.

That conflict caused a vote-tallying system that distributed votes to candidates in a way that was likely inconsistent with voters’ intentions, especially for multi-position elections such as those for the judiciary. This system may have prevented Fonte and Sinai from winning positions on the Judiciary in the last election.

—Andrew Wingens and Eitan Cooper contributed reporting.

HEFNER: Former CEO explains future of journalism CONTINUED FROM 1

HILARY HEYISON/the Justice

ENTREPRENEURIAL WOMAN: Hefner spoke about her career at Playboy Enterprises and recalled her experiences at Brandeis.

Caldwell ’14 began the question-andanswer session by inquiring about the “hardships” Hefner has faced as an “entrepreneurial woman.”

Hefner explained that her time at Playboy Enterprises helped her gain the “ability to make change when the margin of error is quite small” and taught her that one can be a “creative risk-taker” while still being cautious with resources.

In response to a question from a student about the future of print journalism, Hefner explained that there is not a “one-size-fits-all answer.”

She said that the “least challenged” form of print media is long-form, visual journalism, a category that includes Rolling Stone, Vogue and Playboy.

However, Hefner said, “newspapers were in trouble before the Internet” because they were operating under a “bad business model” that devalues news by obtaining the majority of revenue from advertisers rather than from consumers.

Mitchell Schwartz ’14 asked Hefner whether she felt that Playboy provided young girls with the wrong message by encouraging them to emulate Playboy models rather than an entrepreneur like Hefner.

Hefner replied that she does not have a problem with the magazine’s founding values of celebrating beauty and femininity and providing a venue for men to admire and respect beautiful women.

In response to a question from a student about whether Playboy’s message contradicts the “advancement and empowerment of women” that Hefner supports, Hefner said that she does not find the magazine’s photography

demeaning. Though she understands objections to the content, what people see in the magazine is a reflection of what they bring to it.

Hefner said that Playboy in many ways “ben[ds] over backwards to humanize the women” who model for them by telling their stories in the pages of the magazine.

In an interview with the Justice, Hefner said that the Brandeis spirit is “a way of thinking about life when you’re a student just beginning to make work choices and life choices.” This specific focus of the “Influential People” series “push[es speakers] and, therefore, the dialogue to really explore what Brandeis itself and its spirit represent,” Hefner continued.

The series, she said, “may offer [an] interesting ability to compare and contrast about how different people have interpreted [the Brandeis spirit], what it’s meant to them and how what they learned and what they did at Brandeis infused the rest of their lives.”

Geller said in her introduction that the goals of the “Influential People” series, which commenced last semester with an event featuring retired Massachusetts Chief Justice Margaret Mitchell and Prof. Anita Hill (Heller), include “having a conversation, engaging, probing, leaning and hopefully being inspired.”

In an interview with the Justice, Geller said that Hefner was chosen in part for her “spirit of giving back to the community, both at Brandeis and in other communities.” One of the goals of the series is to “see where [students’] futures can go,” she said.

The event was co-sponsored by the Hiatt Career Center, the Business Program and the Department of Student Life.

DINING: Rosen proposes that meal plans include frozen foods CONTINUED FROM 1 Choice Café Steamers. “When they put a food on the meal plan, students are encouraged to buy it, because they say, ‘OK, it’s more convenient for me to buy it,” said Rosen. “So Aramark doesn’t want to promote the purchase of unhealthy, oily foods, but they would be willing

to put Lean Cuisine or a healthier choice on there.”

The extension of P.O.D. Market hours is still in the planning stages.

Rosen has proposed a trial period where it would be open until 2 a.m. for three Saturdays in November.

Currently, it is open until midnight on Saturdays. His proposal is still waiting on approval from Senior

Vice President for Administration Mark Collins. “If enough students came in and made purchases [during the proposed trial period] then that could become permanent,” said Rosen. In the survey, 82 percent of students queried said that they would buy foods from the P.O.D. Market if it were open later on weekends. About the same number

of students would rather have the P.O.D. Market stay open late on Fridays as would want it to stay open late on Saturdays.

Student reactions to the proposed changes were positive. “I love the idea of having frozen foods available, because I keep missing the time period for lunch or dinner,” said Kelsey Segaloff ’15. “It would

make it so much easier to make sure I still got my meal plan’s worth by the end of the week, since I can just go get a frozen meal and eat it later.”

“Those are all awesome ideas,” said Alexander Belkin ’14. “My best friend is gluten-free, and I know a few other people who are, so I definitely feel that that should be a priority.”

How does up to $3,500 sound for doing original research in Latin America, the Caribbean or about the Latin American Diaspora in the United States?

The Latin American and Latino Studies Program at Brandeis University is pleased to announce our 2012 Jane’s Travel Grant for Inter-semester Break and Spring Semester Research.

For complete information, visit the LALS webpage: http://www.brandeis.edu/departments/lals/janetravel.html Or email the LALS Academic Administrator at gamwell@brandeis.edu Inter-semester and Spring applications are due November 2.

Apply today!

Interested in journalism?

Tired of wondering what’s going on?

Want to be the rst to know the facts?

Be a reporter for theJustice!

Contact Sara Dejene and Andrew Wingens at news@thejustice.org for more information.

Marjory Collins/Library of Congress

just

features

THE JUSTICE

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TUESDAY, october 25, 2011

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VERBATIM | ALEXANDER DUMAS Happiness is like those palaces in fairy tales whose gates are guarded by dragons: We must fight in order to conquer it.

ON THIS DAY…

FUN FACT

In 1861, the Toronto Stock Exchange was created.

One acre of peanuts will make 30,000 peanut butter sandwiches.

PHOTO COURTESY OF THE WHITE HOUSE

MEMORABLE MEETING: Sam Vaghar ’08 met President Barack Obama in June when he was invited to the White House as one of 10 young leaders chosen to share their efforts solving issues prevalent to today’s youth.

Networking for a cause

Sam Vaghar ’08 started a non-profit organization to fight poverty By celine HACOBIAN JUSTICE CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Sam Vaghar ’08 lost every election he ran in during high school. Like many students, Vaghar says that, in those four years, he “just didn’t fit in.” So when he got to Brandeis, he decided to do the exact opposite of what he did in high school. In his first year at Brandeis, he made the extra effort to meet everyone in his class by going door to door while running for positions in student government and the Student Union. It was then that Vaghar realized he had the skills to be a leader.

Just a few years later, Vaghar works as the co-founder and executive director of the Millennium Campus Network, “a non-profit network of university student organizations working to end poverty,” according to its website.

Vaghar’s realization that he wanted to be involved in eliminating poverty came during his freshman year after buying an issue of Time Magazine at the Walgreens on the corner of South Street and Main Street.

In the issue, Vaghar read passages from economist Jeffrey Sachs’ book, The End of Poverty, which noted that there are 1.4 billion people living on less than $1.25 per day. Vaghar says he was struck by this statistic, which he describes as “staggering [and] overwhelming to think about.”

After reading the article and conducting further informal research, Vaghar was inspired by the simple solutions that could solve so many of the world’s poverty issues, such as bed nets for less than $10 to prevent malaria, which he says is “less than 10 dollars to save a life.”

Vaghar says it was just a matter of “having the guts to pick up the phone and call ... worldfamous economist Jeff Sachs.”

He was interested in Sachs’ theory and wanted to talk more in person. Two days later, he was in a New York meeting with Sachs’ staff to speak about what students specifically could do to help eliminate poverty.

A major problem Vaghar found in the effort to fight global poverty was that, while so many students care about the issue, they are

PHOTO COURTESY OF SAM VAGHAR

CELEBRITY SUPPORT: K’naan (left) and his business partner Sol Guy (right) promote Vaghar’s organization. not working together. As a result, they lack many members and funding because individual groups are small.

From this idea, the Millennium Campus Network began. So far, it has allocated $40,000 in grants through fundraising efforts to student leaders. The organization is able to provide mentors, technical support and collaboration with students who have the same passion and commitment to the cause to bind them together by including them in the same network.

Students at Brandeis helped launch Millennium Campus Network during its beginning years, as members raised thousands of dollars through existing clubs and organizations such as the International Club, the Student Union and Greek life.

Positive Foundations, an on-campus organization Vaghar started during his time at Brandeis to fight poverty, has raised tens of thousands of dollars for various non-profit organizations.

The fact that Positive Foundations is still active at Brandeis and is now a member in the MCN means a lot to Vaghar “because it means

that the Brandeis journey continues to be a part of what [they’re] creating,” he said.

Senior year, Vaghar and the students he was initially working with decided to take the MCN beyond Brandeis and to reach out to other campuses. Through Facebook, emails and phone calls to student groups at schools such as Boston University, Harvard University, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Northeastern University and Tufts University, Vaghar convinced other campuses to get involved.

The MCN’s first conference took place with 1,000 students from around the world in April of Vaghar’s senior year and Sachs; Dr. Paul Farmer, a founding director of Partners in Health; and singer John Legend were all present. Devoted to the cause, Vaghar decided to continue his work for the organization fulltime after he graduated.

Vaghar strongly believes that what students learn in the classroom has to be applied in the real world.

“You can spend your whole life in class learning, but at a certain point you need to

learn by doing,” he said.

He believes that college students are a great resource because “they have more free time, ... more energy and passion and ... a sense that anything is possible, and I think that mentality means that they can do the impossible,” he said.

Along with 10 other other young leaders, Vaghar was given the opportunity to meet President Barack Obama this past June.

The group shared their efforts with the president and talked about the issues most prevalent in young lives today. Vaghar credits his preparation for the meeting to his time serving as a student representative on the Board of Trustees at Brandeis where he “learned how to be professional at a young age.”

And while one might expect Vaghar’s proudest moment with the organization to be meeting President Obama, he says it actually has been learning how to fundraise most efficiently, which used to be an element outside of his comfort zone.

Vaghar has been back to the University multiple times since graduating, has given talks on campus and attended events such as the Social Justice Forum for the Hiatt Career Center.

He describes his overall Brandeis experience as “life-changing” and says that he “wouldn’t be doing the work [he’s] doing today if [he] didn’t attend Brandeis.”

He stresses that going to Brandeis prepared him for what he is involved in now “in ways nothing else has.”

His hope is that the MCN will expand to cities other than the already-involved Boston, Chicago, New York and Washington D.C., as well as continue the annual conference where over 1,000 young leaders and widely known figures, such as Senator John Kerry, musical artist K’naan and actress Eliza Dushku are brought together to discuss the global problem of poverty, fundraising strategies and solutions.

“This whole movement, my whole life right now, is revolved around college organizing.

So Brandeis is at the heart of that because that’s where it started for me, ... where the MCN began,” he said.

MusicUnitesUS WORLD MUSIC CONCERTS AND INTERCULTURAL RESIDENCY SERIES FALL 2011

“A magical mix of tradition and styles” —The Boston Globe, October 2010

WORLD MUSIC CONCERT SATURDAY, OCTOBER 29 8:00 P.M. PRECONCERT TALK 7:00 P.M. SLOSBERG MUSIC CENTER BRANDEIS UNIVERSITY

NAVARASA DANCE THEATER:

Encounter

By Aparna Sindhoor and Anil Natyaveda Written by S.M. Raju and Aparna Sindhoor Music by Isaac Thomas Kottukapally

OCTOBER 24 –29, 2011

Office of Communications ©2011 Brandeis University C048c

THE JUSTICE

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TUESDAY, october 25, 2011

WORLDVIEW: ARGENTINA

Beginnings in

Buenos Aires

Elena Korn ’13 finds unexpected challenges abroad in Argentina

By Elena Korn Special to the Justice

PHOTOS COURTESY OF ELENA KORN

OUTDOOR ADVENTURES: Elena Korn ’13 gets a taste of the country while at a famous grill in Puerto Madero that sells fresh meat cooked and sold on the spot.

WELCOME TO ARGENTINA: Korn tours the Casa Rosada in Plaza de Mayo, the main square in downtown Buenos Aires, where Argentina’s first lady used to live.

I boarded the plane to Buenos Aires, Argentina with goals: “Next time I am in this airport, I want to be a fluent Spanish-speaking tango extraordinaire, a mujer of international status, who can whip up empanadas with one hand, while navigating my Guia T with the other.”

I pictured myself sunbathing daily in El Rosedal, Buenos Aires’ famous rose garden, sipping yerba maté and laughing carelessly with my new friends from around the city before we would gather at un apartmento for a late dinner of malbec wine, asado (barbeque) and light music playing in the background.

My sunny fantasy was almost immediately slashed as I stepped outside the Buenos Aires airport into the sleeting rain and an onslaught of cab drivers vying for my desperate patronage. I searched for the golden sun I had been reading about in my Fodor’s guidebooks and for the green, spacious monuments I had read about in my Lonely Planet travel guide.

During my taxi ride from the airport to my new apartment, I began to notice the filthy, graffiticovered walls of decrepit buildings and houses, many of which were surrounded by makeshift huts that housed the impoverished communities of Buenos Aires. I swallowed my fear and muttered some convoluted phrases to my taxi driver. Though he was patient and charmed by my first experience using Spanish in Argentina, about halfway through the conversation I realized the words this man were saying to me were like nothing I had ever heard in the classroom during my six years of high school and college Spanish.

This was my first taste of castellano, Argentinian Spanish that is quite different from the Spanish I had studied, and in this moment I considered whether the two languages had any similarities apart from “hola.”

Perhaps this is when it hit me.

My expectations of this experience living and studying in Buenos Aires would be turned upside down in the next few months and my character and ability to stay positive in uncomfortable situations would be tested on a daily basis. Little did I know that I would emerge from this experience in December as an entirely different person than the one who boarded that 10-hour flight in July.

My first visit to the University of Buenos Aires was one of the most overwhelming moments of my entire life. I boarded a city bus from my host family’s apartment in Palermo and stood for 45 minutes until getting off at my stop at the UBA building in a less-than-savory area of Buenos Aires.

Completely disoriented, I followed a couple of students down the street to a large building surround-

ed with barbed wire and brightly painted posters, which looked more like a jailhouse than a university.

The hallways were lined with students chatting, smoking cigarettes, laughing and sitting in circles on the floor sipping maté, a traditional South American infused drink. Everybody seemed to know each other.

I felt like every eye in the building was on me, judging me, wondering what I thought I was doing in their country and their school.

I made it to my classroom on the third floor and sat in a desk in the back of the room waiting for “Introduccion a Violencia Familiar” to start. My class was scheduled to begin at 3 p.m. and I, as a typical Brandeisian, had arrived 10 minutes early on the first day in hopes of meeting the teacher and introducing myself.

Twenty-three minutes later, the professor strolled into class, followed by students here and there, some on their cell phones, some with absolutely no writing materials in hand. This was my introduction to the Argentine educational system in La UBA: laid-back, casual and low-stress.

The professor eventually began the four-hour course, and I realized that even if I used every ounce of focus within me, I only understood about a fifth of everything the teacher said. Sneezes or getting things out of my backpack, formerly petty occurrences, turned into huge gaps in comprehension.

Classes in Spanish demanded my absolute full attention. Whether it was the cigarette smoke or my inability to understand most things my professor said, I left my first day in a haze—overwhelmed with isolation and loneliness.

Over the next couple of classes, I began to experience tiny successes.

I started sitting in the front of the classroom, writing everything down that I could understand and checking my pocket dictionary for any and all words that I didn’t know. I changed my attitude from a passive, scared foreigner to an eager, somewhat neurotic notetaker who simply refused to miss a point.

My biggest goal became speaking out in class, and one day, I swallowed my fear, raised my hand and attempted to explain Jeremy Bentham’s Panopticon to the class.

The habitual chatter in the back of the classroom halted as the students and teacher leaned in and listened with supportive eyes and raised eyebrows as I mumbled some form of description in my broken Spanish. When I had finished, a wave of pride washed over me, and I felt a new sense of control over my life in Buenos Aires.

However, my biggest obstacle in my study abroad experience is not the language barrier, the miscommunications with store clerks or the differences of culture—it is the way in which I approach these challenges. A porteña lifestyle invites new challenges and adventures every day. My weeks are a constant roller coaster taking me anywhere

from enchantment to frustration or confusion to appreciation.

One day, I am confused and frustrated wondering why I was charged 35 extra pesos at lunch in a café for the pasta sauce on my noodles, while another day has me covertly giggling to myself when I board the subway and have to literally heave my entire body weight into the sardine-smashed cable car to get to class. Sometimes the windows are open and there is a breeze throughout the car, but sometimes we are not as lucky, and by the time I get to my stop, I have sweated off the café con leche I had for breakfast an hour earlier.

And other days I sit down and have long conversations with my deliciously sweet apartment building doorman, Luis. He is from the north of Argentina and has an extremely thick accent that I can hardly understand. Somehow we manage to speak about everything: cinema, his family, the weather and holidays of Argentina. Luis and I have become quite the amigos in my time here, and I will miss the sly grin he gives me when I come home from a late night out.

But the crown jewel of my time in Argentina is my host family; I live with two amazing people. Fernanda and Sergio welcomed me into their home that first rainy day in July as their hija, their daughter, and have not stopped treating me as one since. When I had pharyngitis in my second week here, they both stopped what they were doing to take me at midnight to the 24-hour clinic to get medical attention.

Each dinner conversation is filled with laughter, patience, stories and delicious home-cooked meals. They invite me to family get-togethers, teach me new words and phrases and provide me with constant love and care in this foreign country.

This is my experience here in Argentina. With its trials and tribulations, failures, tears and moments of hysterical laughter because I am simply unable to communicate basic concepts such as “sour cream,” I am learning more and more every day about the Argentine culture and about Latin America in general.

I have left my easy, comfortable routine in the U.S. and have entered a completely different world; things are vastly different, in some ways harder, and yet stimulating and engaging in a way that invites magical discoveries each and every day.

Buenos Aires is an unbelievable place with some of the most friendly and charming people I have ever met. I see the two months in front of me as a gift filled with adventure and opportunity.

I might not meet every goal I set for myself the day I arrived, but I will return home with a new sense of wonder, independence and admiration of an entirely different culture.

And most importantly, I’ll make sure not to step foot on U.S. soil without a mouthwatering recipe for empanadas!

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TUESDAY, October 25, 2011

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THE JUSTICE

Justice Justice

the the

Established 1949, Brandeis University

Brandeis University

Established 1949

Emily Kraus, Editor in Chief Nashrah Rahman, Managing Editor Brian N. Blumenthal, Production Editor Hillel Buechler, Deputy Editor Alana Abramson, Rebecca Blady, Bryan Flatt, Rebecca Klein, Asher Krell, Tess Raser and Robyn Spector, Associate Editors Sara Dejene and Andrew Wingens, News Editors Dafna Fine, Features Editor Eitan Cooper, Forum Editor Jeffrey Boxer, Sports Editor Wei-Huan Chen and Ariel Kay, Arts Editors Yosef Schaffel and Tali Smookler, Photography Editors Nan Pang, Layout Editor Marielle Temkin, Copy Editor Cody Yudkoff, Advertising Editor

Celebrate the Rose This editorial board appreciates the community’s support for the reopening of the Rose Art Museum this Thursday, Oct. 27.

By administering major renovations to the museum over the summer and early fall, the University has made a worthwhile investment in a wonderful art institution that serves students, faculty and community members. The reopening of the Rose also marks its 50th anniversary and the end of the Rose’s recent controversial history.

Although the Rose was at the heart of a controversial decision in the University’s history nearly three years ago after the Board of Trustees announced its intention to sell the museum’s artwork, it has now become a staple of the University’s identity.

At this point, the museum’s presence is incredibly strong. The Student Committee for the Rose Art Museum has been very active this week, promoting events at the museum and otherwise enhancing its visibility on campus.

Museum leaves past behind Clearly, the University at large has deemed the Rose as important a priority as many other major institutions on campus, and students should follow through and take advantage of this unique resource.

Given the recent settling of the legal controversy surrounding the Rose, it is especially momentous that the upcoming 50th anniversary celebration will transpire in such an exciting fashion.

As plaintiffs Meryl Rose, Jonathan Lee, Lois Foster and Gerald Fineberg decided to release and relinquish their claims against the University near the summer’s end, the Rose has been able to progress successfully into a new era and host the finest works of modern art.

We encourage both students and the Brandeis community at large to celebrate this milestone and visit the museum, as it allows us to move forward and enjoy the academic and aesthetic benefits our campus’ museum has to offer.

Wasting funds on Turkey Shuttles The Student Union has once again announced the continuation of Turkey Shuttles to transport students from Brandeis to Logan Airport, South Station or New York City over Thanksgiving break. However, given the large amount of money allocated to the shuttles going to New York, along with the option to now travel on other discount buses, we question whether Turkey Shuttles to New York City should be continued.

According to a bylaw in the Union Senate constitution article VI, section 4, the Services Committee is mandated to provide service to “Logan Airport, New York City, and Long Island preceding Thanksgiving Break and Spring/Passover Recess.” In abiding to this bylaw, the Senate instituted the Turkey Shuttles to give students a convenient and inexpensive way to get home safely.

Last year, six shuttles left on Nov. 23 and 24 before Thanksgiving. This year, tickets to South Station and Logan Airport range from $10 to $15, while tickets to New York City amount to $30 per person. According to last year’s Senate Money Resolution from Oct. 31, the Union spent $350 on each bus going to South Station and Logan Airport and $1,200 on each bus traveling to Penn Station in New York City. Ultimately, the Student Union expended $5,000 to transport students to these various locations without making a single profit from the ticket sales. We recognize the clear advantage of having largely inexpensive, nonstop transportation to South Station and Logan airport.

While there may not be a significant difference between the price of the shuttle tickets and traveling to South Station via public transportation, travel to Logan airport can potentially be costly. Shuttles traveling to New York City, however, pose a different issue. In previous years, students may have relied on the shuttles as one of

Reevaluate New York buses the limited options to travel to New York, but discount buses have greatly diminished the need for these shuttles.

Since the bylaw was implemented, bus companies such as MegaBus and Bolt Bus have cropped up for easy, low-cost travel. These bus companies offer tickets to New York City that average $20.

Discount buses provide students the same means of getting home, devaluing the Senate’s Turkey Shuttles. Given these new traveling options and the considerable sum of money required to operate the buses, we encourage the Senate to reevaluate the Turkey Shuttles designated for New York.

Instead of employing buses to take students to just New York, the Senate should help establish a carpool system that allows students to find others traveling to locations near their homes.

By expanding this system into school breaks, students who live outside New York will also benefit from the shuttles with limited cost to the Student Union.

While buses traveling to South Station and Logan Airport should continue to operate, the Student Union would be free to use the money saved from the New York shuttles for other productive purposes. This money can be used to fund shuttles to go to Riverside MTBA Station near the University where other discount buses, like World Wide Bus, can be taken. The money could also be used for additional Senate money resolutions, or it can even be dispersed back into the Student Activities Fund to be allocated to on-campus clubs. Along with the Midnight Buffet, the bulk of the Student Union’s budget is allocated to the Thanksgiving shuttles. By eliminating the buses going to New York, the Student Union will be able to save a substantial amount of money that they would have otherwise spent on unneeded buses.

JENNIE BROMBERG and SHAFAQ HASAN/the Justice

GAC should reassess and refocus mission Aaron

Fried free thought

One week ago, the Greek Awareness Council, a Student Union-recognized organization, decided to dissolve its regulatory powers over the eight fraternities and sororities present at Brandeis. This came as something of a surprise to me for two reasons. First, I was unaware of the existence of the GAC. Second, when I saw the reasons for the council’s surrendering of its powers, I was astounded by the utter stupidity of the decision.

In addition to raising awareness about Greek life on campus, the GAC was tasked with mediating and resolving conflicts between sororities and fraternities. For example, earlier this year, a Greek organization accused another of holding a party on a night when the GAC had prohibited rush events. The GAC was unable to resolve this incident, and as a result, relinquished its regulatory powers.

Ask yourself: Do you really expect a Greek organization to sacrifice a fun night for the sake of its rival organizations?

I know that I don’t expect that. I cannot possibly imagine the inane conflicts this council successfully overcame, considering the incompetence that caused them to relinquish these responsibilities. After all, if the Greek Awareness Council cannot even anticipate the tendencies of its peer organizations from which the councilors are drawn, what can be expected from them?

The simple fact is that no serious oversight of Greek organizations can be expected from GAC unless it reassesses its role in representing the Greek organizations at Brandeis. According to an article in last week’s Justice, “The GAC plans to promote Greek unity through events such as Greek Week, expansion of Greek life and philanthropy events.” Greek Week is a great example of how fraternities and sororities should promote themselves. A week of friendly competition is completely harmless and should be a lot of fun for all involved—as is the purpose of such organizations. I find their plan to increase philanthropy among their organizations, however, to be purely disingenuous.

It takes a great deal of self-delusion to believe that anyone joins a fraternity or sorority exclusively as a means of volunteering or doing charity work.

The GAC should encourage Greek organizations to portray themselves more honestly. Relatively rare incidences of date rape, hazing-gone-wrong and alcohol-caused illnesses in certain fraternities and sororities across the country have been the subject of media hype.

This fuels stigmas that force these organizations to tread carefully in order to be viewed favorably by the non-Greek public.

When you see Greeks raising money for a cause, do not hesitate to help their cause if you find it to be worthy, but keep in mind the fact that they do not exist solely for community service but rather for the entertainment of those who join them. Not that there is anything wrong with that.

The problem with Greek life is not the parties, the arguably superficial friendships or their exclusive nature, but rather the fact that fraternities and sororities are forced to hide and apologize for these things. People who are looking for what Greek life entails will not hesitate to join a fraternity or sorority in the same way that those who are looking to volunteer will not waver about joining Waltham Group. These should not be confused.

Instead of diluting their purpose by playing peacemaker and hiding behind philanthropy, the Greek Awareness Council ought to take steps to combat the stigmas holding fraternities and sororities back. The GAC should encourage responsible bartending by imposing standards on the way Greek parties serve alcohol and then following up by creating easily accessible reports.

This will help to curb drunken mishaps. The council should also develop some sort of relationship with the University’s rape crisis hotline.

While Brandeis’ Greek organizations are not known for these types of behavior, the increased transparency will help the student body feel more comfortable with them. This will allow the GAC to more adequately represent its constituent fraternities and sororities.

By embracing their true role as the “fun party organizations,” Greeks can preserve their identities while creating a safer and more enjoyable atmosphere for themselves and those who socialize with them.

OP-BOX Quote of the Week “Six million children were abused in America last year. ... This is just one of those underground causes that deserves more attention.”

— Krista Giuntoli ’14 commenting on a kickball event to raise money for Prevent Child Abuse in America.

(Sports, page 13)

Brandeis Talks Back What are your thoughts about the Rose Museum’s 50th anniversary?

Tong Shen ’13 “It’s hard to say: I don’t know much about it.”

Lena Menkes ’14 “It’s a great accomplishment for Brandeis.”

Rachel Rubin ’14 “It’s really exciting because of all the renovation. It’s a big part of our campus. ”

Shumay Williams ’13 “There’s been drama with the museum, so I’m glad it’s all sorted out.”

—Compiled by Rebecca Klein Photos by Asher Krell/ the Justice

THE JUSTICE

READER COMMENTARY BTV’s challenges have precedent In response to your article, “BTV without TV” (News, Oct. 18): I have a lot more to say about this subject, but I wholeheartedly agree with the comment above that Brandeis needs a studio.

If the administration wants to create filmmakers, which University President Frederick Lawrence’s frequent attendance of the Wasserman screenings seem to suggest it does, funds need to be allocated to the Film department, including the employment of full-time professors specializing in production.

The classes currently offered are swell if you wish to be a film critic, but, off the top of my head, I can only think of four or five classes offered in the area of production.

As an aspiring filmmaker, Brandeis has taught me about 10 percent of what I know. I’m a senior, so it would be futile to think anything will change by the time I leave, but hopefully this editorial, along with the article accompanying it, will start a discussion about the education and experience that Film majors receive here at Brandeis.

There are hundreds of Film majors on this campus. Where is their work?

—Paul Gale ’12

Don’t single out F-board In response to your article, “F-board allocates fall funds” (News, Oct. 11): It’s hard to place blame solely on the Finance Board. The bigger problem is that F-board is trying to allocate a set budget with a limitless number of chartered clubs.

No matter how large the budget, if the number of clubs continues to increase there will be even worse budgeting problems in the future.

One solution may be to have a cutoff limit for clubs. Alternatively, we can reevaluate current charters, decharter clubs if they don’t meet university standards.

We can also create a more rigid, but need -based allocation system for the Finance Board.

Ultimately, the problem lies with a set budget to fund an unlimited number of projects. If this doesn’t change, things will only get worse.

—David Ferrazzoli ’13

Prisoner swap shows maturity In response to your article, “Shalit deal poses challenging questions” (Forum, Oct. 18): We are here in the midst of a country celebrating Gilad’s release yet concerned about the implications. This is indicative of a mature people who live daily with the idea that Israel is surrounded by enemies who declare her demise, yet live life to the fullest with the firm belief that Israel will triumph and continue to flourish in the Middle East.

—Fay Poliak, M.D. Hollywood, Fla.

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TUESDAY, October 25, 2011

11

Support our forgotten heroes Diego

MEDRANO MISSING LINK

The word “hero” has become practically meaningless. We throw the term around so much that we devalue those who truly are heroes. I, myself, called my friend a hero a few days ago just for getting me coffee.

But for those heroes who do exist, we, the public, aren’t holding up our end of the bargain. It’s not just about how we use the term.

It’s about reciprocating the treatment that made them heroes in the first place.

The New York Times recently published a follow-up piece about the Chilean miners who were trapped for 69 days and their struggle to return to normal life. Most of them have severe and debilitating post-traumatic stress and, only months after being lauded as “heroes,” are unable to find jobs and adequately support their families.

For lack of a better term, they were a fad: a feel-good story about the power of human persistence, friendship and the will to live.

Now that the spotlight has dimmed, they’re finding life to be more difficult than they ever imagined.

Though they are receiving government aid, it’s often not nearly enough to support their families. When they find jobs, their trauma can hinder performance. Often, employers aren’t even willing to try to hire “damaged goods.” But before you judge the Chilean government and Chileans in general, think about those we have treated similarly.

Of modern-day heroes, few carry more clout than 9/11 firefighters and first responders. Every anniversary, all types of media are filled with stories about the heroism of those who responded to the attacks. Rightfully so: They are heroes. Lost in this are the dire needs of many of those heroes.

According to a study conducted by the Fire Department of the City of New York in early September of this year, 10 to 30 percent of the 50,000 people exposed to pollutants from Ground Zero continue to suffer from a plethora of illnesses ranging from respiratory problems to mental disorders.

Like the miners, returning to a normal life, working, earning money and supporting a family now proves difficult for those first responders. In January of this year, in order to assist these heroes, Congress passed the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act, which set aside $1.8 billion for medical costs relating to a specific list of ailments

RISHIKA ASSOMULL /the Justice

related to work at Ground Zero and also appropriated $2.7 billion as compensation for them.

After 10 years of heated debate from both sides, the plan was enacted only after specific illnesses were chosen.

Notably absent from the list of illnesses is cancer, despite increasing evidence that work at Ground Zero may have caused cancer in many of the firefighters who risked their lives on that day.

This is outrageous. If there is so much as a one-percent chance that working at Ground Zero caused cancer in these firefighters and responders, their medical treatment should be covered in full with no questions asked.

The American public doesn’t care to wait for results from studies, and the people suffering care even less. Even if cancer were unrelated to this issue, it should be covered. We owe them a debt larger than any amount of money can fill.

This shouldn’t be a partisan issue, and this too-little too-late bill is hardly a solution. We know these people aren’t trying to “pull a fast one” on the government. They’ve already given enough to this country to earn our trust.

Liberals want to say that it’s the responsibility of the government to right this wrong, yet so far, not much has been done. Conservatives want to count on the private sector

for this.

Yet for all the private foundations that have admirably attempted to help those still suffering, they are simply overwhelmed and lack the funding and resources to make a large enough impact.

Has our political system really deteriorated so far? Since when is supporting our heroes a divisive issue?

When analysts look at movements like Occupy Wall Street or try to solve the problem of low voter turnout, they needn’t look further than issues like these. Issues that include inadequate support for those returning from Iraq or Afghanistan. They can look even further back at the lack of support for Vietnam veterans.

This country has a troubling history of not paying off our debts to those who risk everything for us Americans. From Chile to the U.S., inadequate support for those who deserve it most represents an inherent disconnect between the people and the politicians.

I know it’s not every politician who is at fault, and I’m sure if you asked every single senator and representative they would champion the cause of giving back to our heroes, but the reality is that they haven’t.

Or at least not enough. And if heroes can’t even count on a government they suffered for to take care of them, what hope do the rest of us have?

Don’t be misled by mainstream news stations Liz

Posner But I digress

I hate the 24-hour news cycle. I think it’s bad for us as a society—it controls the way we learn about and process the news and affects how we understand our world. Even worse, it is formatted in a way that makes the news a source of entertainment.

More troubling is the amount of time and attention major networks regularly pay to stories that involve only a few individuals.

The top stories are edited down to 60-second segments, truly important news is cropped and details are left out in order to fit the allotted length of the program. Watching Fox or CNN is never as informative as actually doing the research on the issue you want to know more about.

Take the Casey Anthony trial for example, which dominated news cycles for almost half the summer.

Anthony was tried on first-degree murder charges after the remains of her two-year-old daughter Caylee were found outside her home

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in 2008. The trial was televised and attracted throngs of media attention this past July.

Crowds lined up outside the courthouse hours before the trial’s daily proceedings began to jeer at Anthony or vie for one of the coveted seats inside the courtroom open to the public. For some reason, this trial captivated audiences, and networks were happy to oblige.

I followed the Anthony trial feeling slightly sickened by the amount of attention it was getting.

While it’s true that, by our nature, we are naturally fascinated by outrageous stories of horrible crimes involving young, beautiful or powerful people, I don’t think it is the media’s job to give the people what they want.

The Casey Anthony trial was highly publicized because, for most people, it was a source of entertainment. The trial affected very few people aside from those directly involved in the story. At the same time, major networks ignore other lower-profile crimes that occur every day.

There are countless examples of stories like these, blown out of proportion by the media.

The Amanda Knox case similarly gripped the nation.

Even though it was hardly important to my own life, I followed the proceedings of the trial. Some media analysts explain that networks will almost always give the most

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coverage to stories about gruesome murder or disappearances involving white women or children.

There’s no reason why the public had to be involved in the intimate details of the Knox or Anthony trials. Murders happen every day in this country, but only a select few make it into the nightly news.

Even the recent coverage of Hurricane Irene bordered on ridiculous at times. For the entire weekend that the storm passed over the East Coast, it was all that was on TV. If you had any interest in knowing what was going on in Libya, Egypt or Afghanistan that week, there was no way the major news networks were going to give you what you were looking for. Instead, unnecessary information about the hurricane dominated.

All that we really needed to know during the storm was when it was projected to hit our area, how severe the damage was estimated to be, what we could do to protect ourselves, and a follow-up assessment of how the East Coast fared after the storm.

I didn’t need to see a dozen miserable reporters dressed in windbreakers talking to lunatics at the Jersey Shore who were bent on “chasing” the storm as it passed over their beach houses. Just give me the facts, and I’ll change the channel when I want to be entertained.

The amount of time news networks dedi-

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cate to certain stories has always made me uncomfortable. CNN, MSNBC and Fox all undoubtedly spent more time covering the Casey Anthony trial over the summer than the earthquake that struck Turkey this past weekend, killing 138 people.

The earthquake may be a more “important” story because more people died; the amount of media coverage during the Anthony trial, though, suggests that networks thought people would care more about the outcome of the murder case.

It reminds me of the oft-repeated quote by Joseph Stalin that claims, “The death of one is a tragedy, while the death of a million is a statistic.” The sad truth may be that it is just easier to care about one murdered child than it is to care about the accidental deaths of hundreds of people.

The nature of our television media today gives us too much information about stories that don’t have much relevance to our lives.

Far too often, we forget that there are other possibilities in the way our news is presented to us.

It’s fine to watch MSNBC, Fox or CNN to get a general sense of the headlines of the day.

But if we complacently accept the way we are given our news, then we are allowing ourselves to be manipulated by these networks, and we shield ourselves from the full truth of what is going on in the world around us.

Editorial Assistants

Forum: Shafaq Hasan Sports: Adam Rabinowitz Staff Senior Writers: Josh Asen, Max Goldstein Senior Illustrator: Rishika Assomull News: Shani Abramowitz, Jonathan Epstein, Danielle Gross, Tate Herbert, Sam Mintz Features: Dave Benger, Claire Gohorel, Rachel Miller Forum: Aaron Fried, Philip Gallagher, Hannah Goldberg, Tien Le, Diego Medrano, Liz Posner, Sara Shahanaghi, Leah Smith, Elizabeth Stoker, Naomi Volk Sports: Julian Cardillo, Henry Loughlin, Jacob Lurie, Jacob Moskowitz, Natalie Shushan Arts: Damiana Andonova, Aaron Berke, Alex DeSilva, Leah Igdalsky,

Olivia Leiter, Amy Melser, Leanne Ortbals, Louis Polisson, Mara Sassoon, Dan Willey Photography: Amy Bisaillon, Jenny Cheng, Jon Edelstein, Lydia Emmanouilidou, Morgan Fine, Nathaniel Freedman, Rachel Gordon, Yifan He, Hilary Heyison, Josh Horowitz, Davida Judelson, Joshua Linton, Alex Margolis, Maya Shemtov, Josh Spiro, Madeleine Stix, Diana Wang, David Yun, Janey Zitomer Copy: Aliza Braverman, Jennie Bromberg, Rebecca Brooks, Allyson Cartter, Hilary Cheney, Erica Cooperberg, Patricia Greene, Celine Hacobian, Max Holzman, Liana Johnson, Lauren Katz, Eunice Ko, Felicia Kuperwaser, Jessie Miller, Tarini Nalwa, Christine Phan, Mailinh Phan-Nguyen, Maya Riser-Kositsky, Mara Sassoon, Holly Spicer, Amanda Winn Layout: Rachel Burkhoff, Nadav Havivi, Denny Poliferno, Michelle Yi Illustrations: Stacy Handler, Arielle Shorr, Ari Tretin, Sara Weininger

12

TUESDAY, October 25, 2011

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THE JUSTICE

FORUM

Occupy protesters Go beyond Jewish identity need real leaders Philip

By JEFFReY BOXER JUSTICE EDITOR

Occupy Wall Street is here to stay.

Doesn’t that sentence seem crazy?

Just a few weeks ago I likely would have laughed at someone who made such a remark. Whether or not you agree with it, the message behind the movement has always been a powerful one. But a bunch of unemployed people and college students sleeping in Zuccotti Park in New York City never seemed like much of a threat to the American political bureaucracy.

Nevertheless, the movement is entering its second month and has spread to hundreds of communities across the United States in addition to Canada, the United Kingdom and several other countries.

But one thing is holding the movement back: Many people still aren’t taking it seriously. I’m not referring to the pundits claiming that all of the protestors are bound together by their “support for radical redistribution of wealth,” as Doug Schoen claimed in an op-ed for The Wall Street Journal last Tuesday. I’m talking about the average liberal-leaning American who generally agrees with the complaints that are fueling the protests but has little idea what Occupy Wall Street has accomplished and even less of an idea of what its end goal is.

What the movement needs is leaders—for people to help the “99 percent” infiltrate Washington D.C. politics. This isn’t to say that there hasn’t been celebrity backing for the movement. Lupe Fiasco has voiced his support and even written a poem about Occupy Wall Street. Slovenian philosopher Slavoj Žižek gave a speech on Wall Street on Oct. 9, and Democratic National Committee Chairwoman Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (DFla.) called the protestors “symbolic

of the frustration that middle-class folks and working people feel.”

But a rapper, an Eastern-European nutjob and tepid support from the DNC chair are not nearly enough.

Occupy Wall Street needs politicians that have the 99 percent’s interests in mind to emerge and run for office.

The movement needs leaders whom people will take seriously and who will ensure that concrete changes can take place. It is nearly impossible to discuss the Occupy Wall Street movement without comparing it to the Tea Party movement that preceded it. The Tea Party movement had a grassroots beginning of its own, and while it enjoyed a rapid spread in popularity, few Democrats took it seriously.

But that changed quickly when Republicans stole back the House of Representatives in the 2010 election. And by the time that the Tea Party held the debt ceiling negotiations hostage at the end of the summer, Democrats were reeling. Three years later, liberals have the opportunity to do the same thing: to take back the House and stun conservatives with a brandnew direction for this country.

But in order to do that, the 99 percent needs its own batch of freshman congressmen to run for office in 2012.

According to a survey conducted last week by Capital New York, the vast majority of protestors in New York hope that Occupy Wall Street “influences the Democratic Party the way the Tea Party has influenced the GOP.” In order to do that, Occupy Wall Street needs to not just be a protest: It needs to infiltrate the political system.

This is not to discredit the work that has been done so far—indeed, it is impressive how widespread the protests have become. But this movement can be so much more. It just needs strong leadership to take it there.

Gallagher Back to Basics

Last year, Marquette University, a Jesuit institution in Milwaukee, came under scrutiny for withdrawing an employment offer for the position of Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences from Jodi O’Brien, a lesbian sociologist who has written about gender and sexual identity issues.

According to a May 2010 article from The Chronicle of Higher Education, Marquette University claimed that the withdrawal of the job offer was due to concerns about how some of her scholarly writings related to the school’s “Catholic mission and identity.”

Nancy E. Snow, a philosophy professor at the school, commented that she believed the withdrawal was motivated by fears of upsetting donors to the school who would not be pleased with a lesbian faculty member in such a position of power.

At Brandeis, we frequently have similar crises of upsetting donors, although our crises involve the definition of our Jewish identity and our relationship to Israel.

These crises are not healthy, as they force us to choose between our collegiate identity and our financial interests.

Such crises include the addition of pork and shellfish to campus cafeterias by then-President Evelyn Handler in the late 1980s and the invitation of former President Jimmy Carter to talk about the Middle East on campus.

Brandeis was founded as a Jewish-sponsored university with the intent of accepting and accommo-

dating all qualified students regardless of religion, race or gender and providing them with a comfortable learning environment. Additionally, Brandeis maintains a thriving Jewish student population and a phenomenal Near Eastern and Judaic Studies academic department.

However, that identity should not be used to create expectations about the University’s politics. It would be inappropriate for a university to formally adopt a political position and alienate anyone in disagreement.

Looking back at various events on campus, donors have responded negatively to matters that possibly compromise the University’s expected pro-Israel and Jewish identity.

When Carter spoke at Brandeis in 2007, groups such as the Zionist Organization of America called on donors to reconsider contributing to Brandeis.

“

Donors have responded negatively to issues that possibly compromise ...

Jewish identity.

One donor couple even wrote a letter to the Justice describing their disgust at Carter’s visit and declaring that they would reevaluate their future support for Brandeis.

In the 1987-88 academic year, former Handler proposed that the dining halls on campus attempt to “internationalize” and begin to offer pork and shellfish to students in addition to the non-kosher meats already offered.

Kosher areas in dining halls would be maintained and unaffect-

ed. At the time, Handler was interested in de-emphasizing the Jewish identity of the school in order to attract a more diverse student body.

According to Edward Shapiro’s book A Time for Healing: American Jewry since World War II, opposition erupted from donors and alumni, adversely affecting fundraising efforts. In fact, a pledge of one million dollars was reportedly withdrawn.

Both of these events suggest an unfortunate belief among some donors that Brandeis is a Jewish university that caters primarily to Jewish students and espouses only pro-Israel sentiments.

However, neither of those beliefs is true.

I do recognize that universities cannot be especially selective about their donations.

However, having a donor base that views Brandeis at the same level as prominent Jewish nonprofit organizations is unhealthy for the University. Brandeis is still a donor-reliant institution and, as an institution for academic discourse, we should not have to think about making a choice between encouraging intellectual debate and angering donors who aren’t willing to accept a wide spectrum of political opinions.

Both Handler’s introduction of pork and shellfish and Carter’s speech on campus occurred before I enrolled at Brandeis. However, although I may not eat pork or agree with Carter’s opinion on the Middle East, I consider it valuable that both events happened.

They help us recognize that the role of our school is one that should embrace diversity and respectfully consider opinions that differ from our own.

These are two qualities that are vital to any institution of higher learning and should never be compromised by money.

Provide fair tuition to undocumented college students Naomi

volk et cetera

I can’t believe I’m saying this, but Rick Perry did something right. According to the website Inside Higher Education, in 2001, Governor Rick Perry signed the Noriega Act in Texas into law, which grants instate tuition rates at Texas’ public universities to some students who are illegal aliens.

And while I can’t believe I’m praising Perry for something, his decision makes sense. In a campaign so based on ultra-conservative values, this seems surprisingly progressive for Perry.

While Texas was the first state to enact this kind of law, it isn’t alone; other states such as California and New York have also enacted laws that allow undocumented students to pay in-state tuition.

Other Republican presidential candidates have picked up on this topic as a source of contention in Perry’s campaign. Inside Higher Education quoted former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney as saying at a debate, “I’ve got be honest with you, I don’t see how … to go to the University of Texas, if you’re an illegal alien, you get an in-state tuition discount.”

I don’t understand what Romney’s problem is. It seems only natural to me that students would be encouraged to go to a college within their state of residence.

Yes, these aren’t American citizens, but they are students who want to learn and want to get an education. They may not be American citizens now, but they can make a large contribution to our society and economy if they ever do get citizenship. And this contribution

ARIELLE SHORR/the Justice

will only be enhanced by their possession of a degree. After all, many of these students have come to the United States with hopes for their future, for the possibility of having a better life in America.

Just as they want to have a better future in America, America has the possibility for a better future with educated immigrants. A basic necessity for a professional career in our economy is some sort of degree from a post-secondary-level institution. It doesn’t help us as a country to dissuade people who want to go to college from going to college.

These people want to make something of themselves, and they have the potential to help restart our broken economy.

While the intricacies of the reasons behind illegal immigration are beyond the scope of this article, it is important to realize that people aren’t immigrating illegally for

the sake of it—they feel they have no choice. Giving them access to education will help them contribute to the country they so desperately want to be a part of.

According to the Inside Higher Education article, “During the 200910 academic year, 16,476 students in Texas were granted in-state tuition rates as a result of the Noriega Act, according to the most recent figures available from the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board.”

That’s almost 17,000 people who now have the resources and the knowledge to go out and make something of themselves, who have the degree that will allow them to get further in the workplace. By forcing illegal immigrants to pay out-of-state tuition, almost twice the cost of instate tuition, we are turning away people who may not be able to afford higher education but have a real desire to go to school and further their

education.

What’s really disappointing is that, partially because of Perry’s stance on in-state tuition, his place in the polls has dipped. This isn’t to say that I want Perry to be ahead in the polls by any means.

Rather, I don’t understand how Perry can be lauded for supporting the teaching of Creationism in public schools, but when he claims to support giving immigrants a chance at a college education he becomes demonized in the eyes of the voters.

According to a recent Huffington Post article, Perry defended his stance by attributing the issue to a states’ rights debate, saying that it made sense in Texas but that he wouldn’t want the policy to be something mandated in all states.

He also said that the reason behind the decision was that “it was in our best interest as a state, eco-

nomically and otherwise, to have those young people in our institutions of higher learning and becoming educated as part of our skilled workforce.”

Perry’s stance on immigration has not been entirely consistent.

After sponsoring the Noriega Act, he then opposed the DREAM Act, which would give permanent residency to certain immigrant students without documentation.

According to MSNBC’s website, “[Perry’s] team has not done a good job of explaining exactly what the differences are between the bill he signed into law and the one Obama supports.” There seems to be no cause for the discrepancy.

Still, I do have to give credit where credit is due—I respect Perry slightly more for understanding that the right to education should not be determined by whether or not you are an immigrant.

THE JUSTICE

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TUESDAY, OCTOBER 25, 2011

13

SPORTS

Double the trouble

PHOTO COURTESY OF ALI AND MIMI THEODORE

MINI ME: Mimi (left) and Ali Theodore ’12, pictured here at age 7, have been playing soccer together for 14 years.

Seniors Ali and Mimi Theodore end a long career as teammates

By MAX GOLDSTEIN JUSTICE SENIOR WRITER

On Nov. 5, the Brandeis women’s soccer team will take the pitch for the final time this season, and for the seniors, it will be their last game wearing a Brandeis jersey.

Nov. 5 will also be the last game forward Mimi Theodore ’12 and defender Ali Theodore ’12 will share as teammates, a bond they have shared since the age of seven. The term “sibling rivalry” does not seem to apply to the Theodores, who have always enjoyed each other’s company on and off the playing field.

“We’re not competitive with each other,” Ali said. “We care about how each other does, and if I tell her to step it up, it’s because I really want her to do well.”

The Theodores both believe that their sibling rivalry is replaced with a trustworthy and genuine support system.

“It’s great to have someone who is truthful, someone who genuinely isn’t afraid to hurt your feelings, but wants you to succeed,” Ali said. “Mimi is the last person I compete with. Her success is my success.”

“I have a lot of confidence and trust in her,” added Mimi. “If you have a bad game, there is someone to vent to, and it’s great to have someone going through exactly what you are going through.”

Despite playing on opposite ends of the field, the twins know each other’s styles extremely well after playing together for 14 years.

“Mimi is more predictable,” Ali explained. “When I play with Mimi, she likes to make a diagonal run and play the ball early, or else she will be offside. I know not to hold it too long if I play it to her.”

“If Ali is calling for a ball back, she gets mad if I don’t play it back, or if I don’t play the correct ball,” said Mimi.

When Mimi and Ali were in the recruiting process for playing soccer in college, they were not a “package deal” and did not express any issues with playing for different colleges. Ideally, though, the Theodores hoped they could play together.

“When we were looking at soccer programs, we approached coaches together. Brandeis was the perfect fit academically, and it was the kind of soccer we were looking for,” said Ali. Most first-year athletes struggle at first upon entering college athletics; they are faced with an entirely new group of teammates and the sports are much more rigorous than high school. In order to last on the team, they have to push themselves to a higher level of play. The Theodore twins were grateful that they had each other to navigate the challenges that college athletics posed.

“Getting used to playing with Ali at the college level was the same as getting used to playing with anyone at the college level, but at first, I definitely had more confidence and trust in Ali,” said Mimi.

The Theodores find themselves in a familiar position for college seniors—they are trying to chart out the next phase of their lives.

However, it seems that their soccer lives will end with the final whistle on Nov. 5.

“We need a break from soccer, I’m starting to feel it in my body,” Ali said. “I’d love to get into coaching someday, but for now, we need a break.”

“We need to focus on other stuff as we get older,” agreed Mimi.

The Theodores are not only parting ways from the soccer world, but they may be parting ways from each other.

“We’ll probably be going our separate ways,” said Ali. “We both want to go to law school, we’re taking our LSATs next year and want to do something unique next year,” added Mimi. “But I don’t know if we’ll go to the same school.”

Being teammates for 14 years, it will surely be odd when the Theodore twins head in different directions after graduating this year.

Even so, they will stand to benefit in the future from having such a strong bond both on and off the field.

NATHANIEL FREEDMAN/Justice File Photo

JOSHUA LINTON/Justice File Photo

MSOCCER: Squad keeps rolling with win over Springfield CONTINUED FROM 16 ready ringing.

Instead of retreating into a defensive formation, the Judges began to get a foothold on the match, dictating possession and chances. Early efforts from forward Steve Keuchkarian ’12 and midfielder Theo Terris ’12 were blocked and went wide, respectively, while strikers Ocel and Kyle Feather ’14 both sliced efforts wide of Springfield freshman goalkeeper Brett Bascom’s net. Strikers Alex Farr ’12 and Tyler Savonen ’15

had more scoring opportunities in the half, the latter being stonewalled

by Bascom. However, for all their pressure, the match remained scoreless going into the break.

“You can dominate play and chances like against WashU,” coach Mike Coven said, “but if you can’t score, you can’t win games.”

Though overtime seemed necessary, Brandeis finally broke through. In the 83rd minute, Ocel embarked on a marauding run down the right flank. Instead of whipping

in a cross, the striker dribbled into the box. Though there was a cluster of players waiting to halt his progress toward the goal, the forward passed the ball across the six-yard box to the back post, where strike partner Russo fired home.

“I think we played the best we’ve played all season,” said Coven, “but we just couldn’t score for 83 minutes. Thankfully, we got one at the end.”

Coven believes that if the team continues to play airtight defense

and persist on the offensive front, the Judges could make a statement if they qualify for the playoffs.

“We’re probably going to have to [run the table] to make it [to the NCAA tournament],” Coven said.

“A lot of it depends on what other teams do. We’re still in the thick of things.”

“We’ve probably got to win out the rest of the regular season,” added Russo. “If we do that, we’ll be in a much better position. But we can’t look past our next game [against La-

sell College].”

If the Judges are effective in converting scoring opportunities, themen could see a very successful end to the season.

Brandeis ends the regular season portion of its campaign with three University Athletic Association contests. The Judges will face Emory University at home on Friday and then travel to Carnegie Mellon University on Sunday. They then close the season at home on Nov. 5 against New York University.

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THE JUSTICE

jUDGES BY THE NUMBERS

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TUESDAY, october 25, 2011

15

CLUB EVENT

Men’s Soccer UAA STANDINGS

TEAM STATS

Goals

Not including Monday’s games UAA Conference Overall

W L D W L D Pct. WashU 4 0 0 13 1 1 .900 Case 3 1 0 12 3 0 .800 Rochester 2 1 1 8 3 2 .692 NYU 2 2 0 7 6 1 .536 Emory 2 2 0 8 7 0 .533 JUDGES 1 2 1 9 4 1 .679 Carnegie 1 3 0 5 7 1 .423 Chicago 0 4 0 7 6 2 .533

Lee Russo ’13 leads the team in goals this year with six.

Player Goals Lee Russo 6 Kyle Feather 5 Sam Ocel 4 Tyler Savonen 4

Assists Steve Keuchkarian ’12 leads in assists so far this year with six.

Player Assists Steve Keuchkarian 6 Sam Ocel 4 Tyler Savonen 4 two tied with 3

UPCOMING GAMES Friday at Emory; Sunday at Carnegie Mellon; Saturday, Nov. 5 at NYU

WOMen’s Soccer UAA STANDINGS

TEAM STATS

Not including Monday’s games

Points

UAA Conference

W L D W L Emory 3 0 1 12 0 Case 3 1 0 11 2 WashU 2 2 0 12 4 Carnegie 2 2 0 8 5 Rochester 2 2 0 8 5 Chicago 1 1 2 6 4 NYU 1 3 0 9 5 JUDGES 0 3 1 5 8

Mimi Theodore ’12 leads in points this year with eight.

Player Pts Mimi Theodore 8 Mary Shimko 7 Hilary Andrews 5 Sapir Edalati 5

Overall D Pct. 2 .929 2 .800 0 .750 0 .615 0 .615 1 .643 0 .643 1 .393

UPCOMING GAMES Tonight at Lesley; Friday at Emory; Sunday at Carnegie Mellon

Shots Alanna Torre ’12 leads the team in shots taken with 51.

Player Shots Alanna Torre 51 Hilary Andrews 27 Mimi Theodore 26 Mary Shimko 20

VOLLEYBALL UAA STANDINGS

TEAM STATS

Not including Monday’s games

Kills

UAA Conference Overall

W L W L Pct. Emory 7 0 29 2 .935 WashU 6 1 24 1 .960 Chicago 5 2 27 4 .871 Case 4 3 20 8 .714 NYU 2 5 16 12 .571 Rochester 2 5 15 14 .517 Carnegie 2 5 12 12 .500 JUDGES 0 7 8 17 .320

UPCOMING GAMES Tonight at Lasell; Saturday vs. UMass Boston; Nov. 4 at UAA Tournament [TBD]

Liz Hood ’15 leads the team in kills so far this year with 250.

Player Kills Liz Hood 250 Si-Si Hensley 168 Becca Fischer 119 Lauren Berens 107

Digs Elsie Bernaiche ’15 leads the team in digs this year with 329.

Player Digs Elsie Bernaiche 329 Si-Si Hensley 155 Susan Sun 143 Yael Einhorn 136

TALI SMOOKLER/the Justice

KICKING FOR THE KIDS: Evan Ersing ’13 swings through the ball during last Sunday’s kickball tournament on Chapels Field.

Best foot forward: kickball tournament is a home run

■ Last weekend, 14 teams faced off in a charity kickball tournament to benefit Prevent Child Abuse America.

By jeffrey boxer JUSTICE Editor

Big Rubber Balls. Butterballs.

No Big Teal. These were just some of the 14 teams that competed in last Sunday’s first annual kickball tournament to benefit Prevent Child Abuse America, an organization that builds awareness and education about “the abuse and neglect of our nation’s children,” according to its website.

“It was a lot of fun,” Big Rubber Balls’ Max Goldstein ’13 said.

“It was nice to help out a charity, and it really was a good time had

by all.”

“It was a well-attended, fun event,” added Jeetayu Biswas ’13.

“It was great getting to play kickball because it’s a lot of fun, but it is not an intramural sport [at Brandeis].”

The event was run by Brandeis’ Sigma Delta Tau chapter and sponsored by the Greek Awareness Council. Krista Giuntoli ’14, who organized the tournament, said that they raised more than $200 for PCAA and that more contributions were still coming in.

“It went great,” Giuntoli said.

“It was the first one we ever did.

It’s exciting because we didn’t really have expectations going in because we’d never done it before.

Now, we’re going to try to do it every year.”

The tournament was won by

the team Safety First, Then Teamwork, Then FIFA, who defeated Butterballs by a 10-3 score in the finals. A fake Olympic ceremony was held for the victors, who were given plastic Olympic medals.

Giuntoli said that while Brandeis always has been quite strong philanthropically, child abuse is something that hasn’t received as much attention.

“It’s a national charity, and they do a lot of educational programs for families,” she said. “People are always doing things on campus for all of these causes, but six million children were abused in America last year, and I feel like this is just one of those underground causes that deserves more attention.”

With nearly 200 individuals competing, the tournament was certainly a big step in that direction.

boston BRUINS beat Bruins continue to struggle as blowout victory against the Leafs is bookended by two home losses For the 2011-2012 season, justSports has been given a press pass to attend Boston Bruins home games. We will cover these games periodically.

The Boston Bruins looked to be in trouble going into the third period of last Saturday’s game against the San Jose Sharks. The Bs entered the period trailing 2-0, and without having posed much of a threat to the Sharks’ defense.

But Boston lit up the scoreboard two minutes, 43 seconds into the period on a put-in near the crease from forward Milan Lucic. Twenty-nine seconds later, Lucic fed forward Tyler Seguin on a two-on-one exchange that tied the game, sending the sold-out TD Garden crowd into frenzy.

However, at the 8:48 mark, Sharks forward Benn Ferriero fielded defenseman Jim Vandermeer’s wrist shot that was initially saved by Bruins goalie Tim Thomas. He then swiveled to the right and fired the shot around the Bruins goalkeeper to put the Sharks up 3-2. The Sharks added an empty-net goal by forward Patrick Marleau with 4.8 seconds remaining in the game to secure a 4-2 win over the Bruins, the Sharks’ fourth straight win in Boston.

“Especially in the third [period], we [were] all over them,” Lucic said. “Fortunately for them, they were able to jump on a loose puck in front and get a goal the way that they did.”

The loss to the Sharks came after a 6-2 Bruins win over the Toronto Maple Leafs last Thursday and a 4-1 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes last Tuesday, both of which were played at home.

The Bruins, who have played six of their first eight games at home, are now 3-5 on the season.

The Bruins trailed early last Saturday, as former Bruin and current Sharks forward Joe Thornton stole the puck near the Bruins blue line and passed the puck to forward Joe Pavelski, whose wrist shot went past Thomas’ glove just 1:12 into the game. It was the sixth game in a row where the Bruins allowed the first goal of the game.

“It’s always nice when you get that first one,” Lucic said. “You start feeling better about yourself and you start making plays. You start building that momentum. We need to find a way to get that first one.”

In the second period, the Sharks doubled their lead on a goal from forward Logan Couture at the 8:54 mark.

Couture received a pass from forward Martin Havlat, who was tied-up on the boards behind the net, and shot the puck past Thomas.

The Bruins outshot the Sharks 39-30 in the game, including 16-9 in the third period. The Bruins have scored two goals or fewer in five of eight games so far this season.

However, the Bs looked like a whole different team last Thursday against the Leafs. They were looking for a crucial win to turn around their slow start to the season and, as Bruins coach Claude Julien said before the game, a victory to “help the guys get out of their funks.” The Bs snapped out of that funk Thursday night, downing the Leafs 6-2.

Despite the Leafs jumping off to a quick start, with a goal by center David Steckel just 7:29 into the first period, the Bruins would score the next six goals en route to a blowout win.

Forward Nathan Horton’s power-play goal at 10:32 would open the offensive gates for the Bruins as defenseman Zdeno Chara and forward Chris Kelly both notched first-period goals, creating a 3-1 advantage for the Bruins by the end of the first period.

The second period was scoreless for the Bruins and Leafs but was marked by numerous penalties. Though both sides had many scoring opportunities, neither team could put them away.

It was in the third period that things got messy. Lucic and forward Patrice Bergeron each found their openings and scored their first goals of the season at 2:08 and 10:08, respectively, bringing the score to 5-1. Adding insult to injury, forward Tyler Seguin ripped a shot past Leafs netminder Jonas Gustavsson at 11:43 to create an insurmountable 6-1 lead.

A late goal by Leaf’s center Mikhail Grabovski at 12:33 did little to change the momentum as the game wound down. The Bruins would notch an impressive 6-2 win, and their play finally seemed to resemble that of last year’s Stanley Cup team.

“I just thought we looked more like our team tonight, ” Julien said after the game.

The Bruins began the week with a frenetic 4-1 loss to the Hurricanes. Boston almost scored twice inside the first

SLIDING SIDEWAYS/Flickr Creative Commons

FACE OFF: Bruins forward Patrice Bergeron fights for a face off against the Sharks. minute, but Carolina would seize the early advantage, as forward Anthony Stewart buried the rebound off of center Brett Sutter’s effort into the net just 2:43 into the game.

Following the first intermission, the Hurricanes lit the lamp again. Defender Joni Pitkanen beat Bruins keeper Tukka Rask through his five-hole with a slap-shot with 9:41 remaining.

As the crowd volume increased, so did the hostility between the two sides on the ice. Following a full-ice brawl toward the end of the second period, Carolina defenseman Jay Harrison was sent to the box for seven minutes, while Chara found himself out of the game for 17.

The Bs finally halved the deficit with

9:01 remaining in regulation. Forward Rich Peverley fired home a long-range slap-shot that passed by Ward to cut the lead to 2-1.

Any hopes of a comeback soon disappeared, as Carolina center Eric Staal put the game beyond doubt, slotting home a feed from Pitkanen to double the Hurricanes’ lead. Forward Tuomo Ruutu would provide the finishing blow with 5:02 left.

Looking to turn their season around, the Bruins will next take on the Montreal Canadiens at home on Thursday night. The Bs will then travel to Montreal in a rematch on Saturday.

—Josh Asen, Bryan Flatt, and Henry Loughlin

just

Sports

Page 16

SISTER ACT Mimi and Ali Theodore ’12 reflect on their soccer careers together before and during their time at Brandeis, p. 13.

Tuesday, October 25, 2011

Waltham, Mass.

volleyball

FAKEOUT

Judges snap their long losing streak ■ The volleyball team

notched its first victory this month with a 3-0 win over host Smith College.

By jacob lurie JUSTICE STAFF WRITER

ALEX MARGOLIS/Justice File Photo

FOCUS SHOT: Midfielder Sam Ocel ’13 dribbles the ball past a WashU defender in a 2-0 loss to the Bears on Sunday, Oct. 16.

Men edge Springfield in the closing minutes ■ The men’s soccer team

earned a 1-0 victory in the final minutes against rival Springfield College.

By henry loughlin JUSTICE STAFF WRITER

As Jacob Riis—a famous figure in American social reform—once said, a rock that shatters on a stonecutter’s 101st blow is not a result of a single strike, but all that came before.

While Riis’ statement doesn’t directly apply to the men’s soccer team’s 1-0 victory over Springfield College last Wednesday night, it certainly shared the same basic principle: The key to achieving a goal is sticking with it.

“It was a great team goal,” said forward Lee Russo ’13, scorer of the game’s lone tally. “[Forward] Sam Ocel ’13 made a great run down the right and cut in, and I was able to finish from six yards.”

The loss dropped the Pride to an 8-3-3 record. The Judges improved

to 9-4-1.

Following a frustrating loss against the No. 8 Washington University in St. Louis Bears on Oct. 16 in which the Judges dictated much of the play but fell 2-0, Brandeis was eager to get on the board quickly against the Pride. They were given a lucky break just two minutes, 18 seconds into the first half, as a goal by Springfield was negated by the linesman’s flag due to an offsides call. The game may have been young, but the alarm bells were al-

See MSOCCER, 13 ☛

Entering last weekend’s Hall of Fame Invitational at Mount Holyoke College, the volleyball team was looking to snap a 13-game losing streak that had lasted for almost two months.

Last Friday, the Judges notched their first win in October at the tournament, sweeping Smith College 3-0.

However, the Judges were swept in both of their matches the following day, losing 3-0 to Amherst College and Bowdoin College.

Outside hitter Si-Si Hensley ’14 viewed the victory over Smith as a sign of the team’s strong camaraderie.

“I thought our team played really well together, and at that point, we really just wanted to win a game, and we knew we could,” she said. “I think that was one of our best displays of our team skill and our ability to get the job done. I had a lot of fun playing in that game, and I think a lot of my teammates did as well.”

Middle blocker Lauren Berens ’13 agreed with Hensley’s belief that the win was a result of the chemistry and cohesiveness of the team.

“I thought it was a great team effort,” she said. “I think everyone really came together that game and gave it their best. There hasn’t really been a game in a while where I thought everyone showed up to play their best. I think if we did that more often, we’d be winning more games.”

The Judges ended the tournament with a 3-0 loss to Bowdoin. The Polar Bears dominated the Judges for the first two sets, winning by scores of 25-9 and 25-11. In the third set, however, Brandeis was resilient and took Bowdoin right to the wire. But Bowdoin escaped with a narrow win over the Judges, 25-23, as Brandeis suffered its second loss of the day.

Outside hitter Liz Hood ’15 led the Judges with six kills. Setter Yael Einhorn ’14 led the team with 18 assists, while libero Elsie Bernaiche ’15 accumulated 10 digs in the game.

Earlier in the day, Brandeis suffered another sweep at the hands of Amherst by scores of 25-18, 25-17 and 25-22. In the opening set, the Judges tallied 13 kills and 18 points, yet Amherst outplayed Brandeis en route to a win. A similar story followed in the

second set, as Amherst pulled away once again despite a solid effort from the Judges. In the third set, Brandeis kept pace with the Lord Jeffs, but Amherst pulled away at the end and Brandeis fell.

Hood and Hensley shared the team lead in kills with 11. Libero Elsie Bernaiche ’15 anchored Brandeis on the defensive front with 12 digs.

Hensley recognized the Judges’ spirit and their ability to bounce back and battle until the end.

“One of the things we do before every game is that we talk about our goals individually as players,” she said. “When we’re in tough situations, what really helps us out is our teammates holding us accountable for all of the things we talk about before the game. We just try our best to support each other. … And generally, that just helps us put up a fight, no matter who we’re playing, regardless of whether we’re about to win or lose.”

Last Friday, the Judges finally managed to snap their losing streak, notching a 3-0 win over Smith. In the first set, Brandeis landed 10 kills in 25 attacks, helping to seal a 25-16 victory.

Brandeis was able to outscore Smith in the two subsequent sets as well, defeating the Pioneers 26-24 in the second set and 25-22 in the third set.

Hood led the team with 11 kills, Einhorn contributed 32 assists and middle blocker Becca Fischer ’13 added six blocks. Bernaiche also contributed to the win with a team-leading 19 digs.

Berens believed the tournament, especially the win over Smith, was an important experience for the team.

“I think this weekend reminded us all how it felt to win,” she said. “If we can take everything we’ve learned this year, … [that] we’ve been working on in practice, I think we can do well as a team, and I think we’ll be able to show up to play.”

Hensley was very optimistic about the team, looking toward the remainder of the season.

“The things we take away from our games are the positive,” she said. “We play well together as a team, and we talk a lot of the court which helps us play.

“We’ll also point out things that we can do better or things that we can work on in practice. [This weekend], we really kept our attitudes up, which is also a good thing. So we’ll definitely take that with us.”

The Judges play tonight at Lasell College at 7 p.m. The team will then play a home match against the University of Massachusetts Boston on Saturday at 1 p.m.

Brandeis crew competes in the Head of the Charles Regatta against top sailing teams For one whole weekend, when people thought Charles River, they thought rowing. Not the river that creates a barrier around Boston’s Back Bay. Not a piece of Harvard University’s or the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s backyards. Rowing.

An estimated 300,000 spectators flocked to the shores of the 47th Head of the Charles Regatta to watch 1,953 boats compete in a 3.2 mile-long course in 61 events over two days.

Nineteen countries and 34 U.S. states were represented in the Head of the Charles, regarded as the world’s second largest two-day time-trial boat race. There were competitors ranging from boat clubs to Olympic athletes, senior citizens to teenagers, and also Brandeis’ club crew team, which competed in the Club Men’s Fours and finished 45th among 53 teams.

“I’m an international and it was a big deal for me,” said Sinan Isam ’14, who is originally from Turkey and rowed in the prestigious regatta for the first time this weekend. “I don’t think that this is something someone does every day.”

Brandeis Crew belongs to a local crew league made up mostly of Boston-area schools, routinely competing in the Head of the Charles as well as in other races. Two weeks ago, the Brandeis women came in third at the Quinsigamond Snake Regatta, competing against many varsity rowing teams.

“We’re very inclusive. We have a good time, and we don’t lose sight of that,” said club Co-president Andy Hyde ’12. “But it’s also important for us to be able to compete with teams who recruit varsity level athletes.”

Although Club Men’s Fours may not attract Olympic competitors, Brandeis does row the same windy and narrow 3-mile course as the more prestigious racers.

“The course is pretty crazy, lots of crews going at once. It’s prone to a lot of crashes,” Hyde said.

The risk of a crash was likely on the Brandeis team’s mind before the race.

“We were involved in a crash two years ago with an international boat,” recalled Hyde. “The way they set themselves up, they couldn’t turn properly. They tried to pass under a bridge and tried to make a left turn, but they collided with us. It was technically their fault, but they were pretty upset about what happened. They were supposed to finish the race in the top three.”

If there’s a team that understands

how a crash can change the outcome of a race, it’s Harvard. Last year, the Crimson, neck and neck with Washington University in the Championship Men’s Eights, clipped one of their opponent’s oars. The infraction cost Harvard first place, finishing two seconds behind the Huskies.

Last Sunday, Harvard faced off against Washington again, this time crossing the finish line in first place without drawing a penalty.

The final piece of the regatta’s course consists of navigating through the narrow Eliot Bridge near the Cambridge Boat Club. The bridge blocks headwinds that prevent rowers from going faster in other parts of the course, allowing crews to reach their top speeds. Once Harvard and WashU’s boats came into view, the crowd erupted into chants and cheers

for the Crimson. Both boats were within inches of one another, the two squads trying to pick up speed in the final stretch.

“It was the perfect race right from the start,” said Harvard sophomore Andy Reed. “Our coxswain told us that we made up two lengths. I barely believed him at the time, but after a little while we could hear their screams, feel their oars. It was probably one of the best feelings in the world. Especially going under Eliot, we were both right there. We knew we had them.”

Harvard’s time of 14 minutes, 17.68 seconds beat out the national U.S. Rowing team by six seconds. It was the first time since 1977 that Harvard won the event.

—Julian Cardillo

just

ARTS

October 27, 2011

‘Margaret’

steals audience’s hearts

p. 20

Photo: Alex Margolis/the Justice. Design: Robyn Spector/the Justice.

18

TUESDAY, October 25, 2011 ● THE JUSTICE

POP CULTURE

INSIDE ON CAMPUS

19-21

■ The Jubilee Project

19

The trio of Asian-American filmmakers visited Brandeis to speak about social change.

■ Peacebuilding and the Arts

19

■ ‘Margaret: a Tiger’s Heart’

20

■ Rose Art Museum opening

21

The annual symposium spanned three days and featured talks from many local artists.

Hold Thy Peace performed scenes featuring Shakespeare’s character Margaret of Anjou.

JustArts spoke with musuem organizers about the its opening ceremony on Thursday.

■ Nikki Blonsky

21

■ ‘Embodied’ art opening

21

The ‘Hairspray’ star was on campus on Sunday to share her experience as a film actress.

The two artists were on hand to discuss their feminist-themed sculptures and paintings.

OFF CAMPUS

22-23

■ ‘Ides of March’ review

22

■ Boston Baroque orchestra

22

■ ‘Footloose’ review

23

■ Critical Hit

23

The latest political film from director and star George Clooney opened this weekend.

Conductor Martin Pearlman led a performance of Haydn’s “The Creation” Saturday.

This remake doesn’t feature Kevin Bacon, but new star Kenny Wormald is a hit.

Just because the NBA season is on hold doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy ‘NBA 2K12.’

CALENDAR

Interview

Students create “Evie,” a Brandeis original film

by Shelly Shore

Remember how a few weeks ago I said we’d be able to get away from hardcore social issues as soon as Lindsay Lohan screwed up again?

Guess what? Lindsay Lohan screwed up again!

This week, TMZ reported that, not only is Lohan in hot water for not making it to her court-ordered community service, but she has also been served for the alleged attack on a Betty Ford Center worker during her rehab stay last year.

In a brief, harsh hearing in Los Angeles on Oct. 19, Judge Stephanie Sautner revoked Lindsay’s probation, ordered her put in handcuffs and set a hearing for Nov. 2, at which point Lindsay could be sentenced to up to a year and a half in jail. Citing a failure to attend her community service, Sautner declared that “probation is a gift,” rejecting attorney Shawn Holley’s defense argument that Lindsay had to leave town for work. “She’s supposed to be an actress, from what I hear, though I haven’t heard much about her acting lately,” Sautner said, and dismissed the idea that Lindsay’s work was more important than her court-mandated service. Burn!

Lohan was assigned to complete 16 hours at the L.A. County Morgue before her Nov. 2 hearing in two eight-hour sessions. Unfortunately, she didn’t get off to a good start—she showed up almost 40 minutes late for her first session on Oct. 20 and was turned away. Lindsay’s publicist blamed the late arrival on “a combination of not knowing what entrance to go through and confusion caused by the media waiting for her arrival,” but anyone who’s ever tried to travel in rush hour knows that when you expect difficulty getting somewhere—for example, like Lindsay should have expected a crazy horde of paparazzi—you leave an extra half hour early.

In addition to her new stressful schedule of community service and a looming hearing date, Lohan also has to deal with the lawsuit

 The 20-minute movie, which will be shown on campus today, focuses on a mysterious friendship that develops between two girls.

NICO GENIN/Flickr Creative Commons

BREAKING THE LAW: Lohan’s latest legal troubles are only the most recent in a slew of arrests. from Betty Ford worker Dawn Bradley, who filed the suit in July. Legal proceedings are only getting started now, but TMZ reports that Bradley wants at least a million dollars to compensate her for the “mental, physical and nervous pain and suffering from the alleged assault.”

While new laws and the overcrowding of the California prison system suggest that Lindsay probably won’t end up in jail, potential jail time and an increasingly likely $1-million payout add up to a pretty rough morning for everyone’s favorite former mean girl.

Oh, Miss Lohan. Whatever are we going to do with you?

What’s happening in Arts on and off campus

ON-CAMPUS EVENTS Meet the Author: Michal Govrin

Israeli author Michal Govrin will read from her newly translated work, Hold on to the Sun, a collection of short stories and essays focusing on a group of mysterious people living in a post-Holocaust world. Govrin was selected in 2010 by the Salon du Livre of Paris as one of the most influential writers of the past 30 years.

She will answer audience questions and sign books during the event.

Tomorrow at 4 p.m. in the Rapaporte Treasure Hall.

Joan Houlihan reading

Poet Joan Houlihan, founder of the Concord Poetry Center and the Colrain Poetry Manuscript Conference, has published three collections of her award-winning poetry, including her most recent, The Us. Houlihan will read her poems and take questions from the audience.

Tomorrow from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. in the Pearlman Lounge.

World music concert open set

This event is a sneak peak at the Navarasa Dance Theater’s Saturday night performance.

Navarasa explores many complex subjects, including the Self, the Military, Love and History.

Thursday from 4 to 5 p.m. in the Shapiro Campus Center Atrium.

Rose Art Museum opening

After a summer of renovations, the Rose Art Museum will again open its doors to the student body and the public. The Rose has three new collections on display: 1961-62: Art at the Origins, which features art from the Rose’s first years; Collecting Stories, which highlights specific purchases that have shaped the museum’s history; and Bruce Conner: EVE-RAY-FOREVER, a showing of a 1965 stroboscopic film triptych and its 2006 recreation. These collections will show alongside the museum’s permanent collection, which includes works by Andy Warhol, Willem de Kooning, Jasper Johns, Roy Lichtenstein, Moris Louis and James Rosenquist.

University President Frederick Lawrence will also give remarks during the opening.

Thursday from 5 to 8 p.m. at the Rose Art Museum.

‘Dear Mr. Waldman’ screening

BUCO and the National Center for Jewish Film present the first movie in their film series. Dear Mr. Waldman, set in 1960s Tel Aviv, is the humorous and poignant story of a young boy coming of age after the Holocaust.

Thursday at 8 p.m. in the Lown Auditorium.

‘Cinderella Waltz’

Brandeis Ensemble Theater presents this twisted take on traditional fairytales. Protagonist Rosey Snow encounters characters from various other classic stories (including King Lear’s Regan and Goneril and a troll) in this comical and lighthearted production.

Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday at 2 p.m. in the Carl J. Shapiro Theater. Tickets are $5 for the public

ASHER KRELL/Justice File Photo

A ROSE BY ANY OTHER NAME: Last year’s Rose Art Museum opening featured live music as well as new collections. This year’s event, held on Thursday, will focus on works from Brandeis’ past. and $3 for Brandeis students.

‘The Interrupters’ screening

The Interrupters, an official selection at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival, documents the attempts of three “violence interrupters” working in Chicago to end the crime and violence that they themselves used to perpetrate in their hometown.

Thursday at 7 p.m. in the Wasserman Cinematheque.

Haunted Castle tour

Halloween is fast approaching, and Brandeis is taking full advantage of our own haunted building. Tour guides will guide groups through Usen Castle and speak about its history, architecture and overall spookiness. The tour will end with a stop at Cholmondeley’s.

Friday at 8 p.m. and Saturday at 6:30 p.m. at Usen Castle. Part of FallFest 2011.

A Journey Through Time

Come learn about what Brandeis was like before computers, the Internet or cell phones were invented. Students can tie dye, swing dance or get a period photo taken.

Friday from 9 p.m. to midnight. Sherman Function Hall. Event costs $5 without previous registration. Part of FallFest 2011.

Fall Fest Variety Show

The annual variety show, one of the biggest arts events of the year, will feature performances by multiple a cappella troupes, dance ensembles, improv and sketch comedy groups and more.

Saturday at 8 p.m. in Levin Ballroom. Free for students and registered families. Event costs $10 for families without previous registration.

Music Unites Us: World Music concert Navarasa Dance Theater—‘Encounter’

This final performance concludes the Navarasa Dance Theater’s residency at Brandeis.

The show consists of several encounters with Self, Bob Marley, Love and the Military. Each encounter is uniquely staged and features a variety of dance styles ranging from contemporary to modern to classical to folk. A pre-concert talk will take place before the event begins.

Saturday at 7 p.m. in Slosberg Recital Hall.

Tickets are $20 for the general public, $15 for the Brandeis community and seniors, and $5 for students.

OFF-CAMPUS EVENTS The Bad Plus at Regattabar

Since its inception 10 years ago, hard-hitting acoustic jazz trio The Bad Plus have shattered musical convention by melding, nay, smashing jazz with genres such as indie rock, electronica and acid jazz. It’s true-to-roots, sophisticated jazz but also hard, loud music that will get your head rocking at the same time.

The threesome has been exchanging musical ideas since the late ’80s, when Anderson and King were two fledgling rock musicians listening to records by Coltrane and The Police.

Anderson met Iverson in 1989. All three played together on one occasion a year later before going their separate ways for 10 years.

When the three reconvened in their hometown in 2000, the combination of their eccentric beats and melodious improvisations produced what The New York Times called one of the top releases in 2001.

The Bad Plus’ two-day stay at the Regattabar will feature pieces from its recent albums, including 2009’s For All I Care and 2010’s NEVER STOP. Thursday and Friday at the Regattabar, located in the Charles Hotel in Cambridge.

This summer, the 10 undergranduates of the JBS “Filmmaking: from Script to Screen” worked on campus for eight weeks to produce their own short film. Chastity DeLorme ’14, the producer of the project, titled “Evie,” spoke with JustArts about this great experience.

JustArts: Could you explain a bit about this project to me?

Chastity DeLorme: It was an eight-week program with 10 of us in the class. For four weeks we took three classes: screenwriting, production and editing. Every week, we’d divide into two groups of five to write a little mini-scene in our screenwriting class. Then in editing we’d learn a different technique for editing our scenes. It is different when you’re editing for comedy verses drama, etc. Then, in production, we’d film our scene and take it to the studio, where we’d upload it and edit it, and on the weekends, we would view all our scenes and critique them. Each week had a different theme: first was dialogue, second was comedy, third was suspense and so on. The next two weeks were dedicated to writing our short film.

We each wrote a screenplay for a short film, and we voted on the best one. We picked Karla Alvidrez’s ’13 script, “Evie.” For the last two weeks, we shot the film that you will all be able to see soon.

JA: What was the professor’s involvement?

CD: We had Prof. Marc Weinberg (ENG) and Mark Dellelo. Weinberg was mainly involved in screenwriting and production. He taught us how to bring our ideas into something substantial. Dellelo was more interested in the technical side, but he also helped with production. They were both very involved and on the job every day. If we had to be up at 5 a.m. for shooting, they were right there with us. I was constantly communicating with them either back and forth through email or by phone. They were also there personally. Like, I broke my leg two days before the program ended, and Weinberg drove me to the orthopedic office! We have a really good bond right now. We still stay in touch and are very close.

JA: Could you describe the basic plot of the movie?

CD: There’s a young girl, Nikki, who is in college and she is very outgoing. But all of a sudden, something happens between her and her friend Joel, and she loses her ability to let go and have fun. She secludes herself from everyone. Then she meets a girl named Evie and they become friends. Through their friendship she learns something about Evie which helps her resolve the issue that she had.

JA: How did you divide up the work?

Which of you had different responsibilities?

CD: Each week when we would make the little scenes, we’d take on a different role: director one week, boom operator the next week, and so on.

For the last big film, we each filled out a questionnaire about which role we wanted to take on, and we could suggest people for certain roles. The professors ultimately decided who could do what based on our requests. They split up the roles of director and director of photography (cameraman) so each person got to be the director for at least one scene. For the most part we all had a main role, and then we all took turns editing different scenes. I was assistant director/producer and that was my only responsibility because it is a much bigger role and had a lot more at stake. Alvidrez was writer/producer so she would make sure everything was consistent with her screenplay, and she could give the directors advice.

JA: Were you inspired by any filmmakers or movies in particular?

CD: We definitely have an inspiration for the film, but that would give away the plot twist, so I can’t tell you. If you see it, you’ll know the inspiration, because it’s very obvious.

JA: Do you have any funny stories from filming?

CD: During the little mini-scenes we had one film called “Someone Farted,” about a girl farting in the library. At the end of the day, we were really exhausted. It was super hot in the library and we had gone without lunch, and we got to take turns making farting sounds in the microphones. It was a release from the stressful day.

JA: What was the hardest part of this experience?

CD: The amount of time we spent on it. It was fun because we enjoyed it, but it was very timeconsuming so we had to be very committed.

Even before making our final film, we’d have editing sessions from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. The commitment was definitely the most challenging thing.

­—Clara Gray

THE JUSTICE

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TUESDAY, OCTOBER 25, 2011

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ON CAMPUS film

Jubilee Project raises awareness ■ BAASA brought filmmakers

Eric Lu and Eddie Lee to speak about their projects.

By amalie kwassman JUSTICE contributing WRITER

It began with a man, a guitar and a “terrible voice.” In February 2010, Jason Lee made his way to a New York City subway station raising money for the victims of the Haitian earthquake. Singing voice aside, Jason was able to get New Yorkers to drop their dollar bills into his guitar case. He then put the video of his performance up on YouTube. When Lee woke up the next morning, his video had gone viral. Lee was able to raise over $700 for relief for Haiti. After seeing the effect of his video, Lee joined forces with his brother, Eddie Lee, and former classmate, Eric Lu, to create the Jubilee Project.

This past Friday, the Jubilee Project gave a presentation in the Olin-Sang Auditorium. The event, sponsored by the Brandeis Asian American Students Association, attracted a diverse crowd of Brandeis students, as well as some faculty.

As Jason Lee is in Africa conducting social justice work, only Eddie Lee and Lu were in attendance.

The Jubilee Project took Jason Lee’s original idea of short videos with a message and ran with it. Using active viewership—a program on YouTube through which a sponsor donates a penny to a specific organization for every view—they have raised over $25,000. Anyone can be a sponsor.

Lu, studying medicine at Harvard University, chose the name “Jubilee Project” to mean “redemption.”

Beginning in April, when Vicky Lee ’13 and Stephanie Lee ’13, the co-presidents of Brandeis Asian American Students Association, first asked the Jubilee Project to stop at Brandeis on its college tour, the group’s appearance on campus has been eagerly anticipated. The influence of social media is well known to the Jubilee Project.

“Egypt saw the power of social media mobilizing people to start revolutions. YouTube, Twitter and Facebook save lives,” they declared. The Jubilee Project uses social media to “educate and empower” others to correct social injustices in the world. During the presentation, audience members were treated to a sneak peek of a new video, “Back to Innocence,” which raises awareness about the horrors of sex-trafficking. The film opens with a girl wearing a plaid skirt clutching a stuffed pink bunny. She is shown crying after having been assaulted. The video then rewinds to depict her life prior to her entrapment in the sex-trafficking industry. The Jubilee Project

is aware of its directness, but the filmmakers chose to “put [issues] in people’s faces,” as sex trafficking is an issue that “needs more activism.”

None of the Jubilee members have actually studied film. The trio learned filmmaking on their own by fooling around with cameras and watching tutorials. They also received valuable tips from Lee who made films for the Obama campaign. Starting in November 2010, the Jubilee Project has been making one video a week for any cause requiring a voice. Their causes include Hepatitis B awareness and prevention (one of the most prominent illnesses to affect the Asian-American community), bullying, domestic violence and children with disabilities.

“Dear Daniel” is about every college student’s worries—the pressures of entering the real world, handling girlfriends, parents, career choices and family tragedy. The main character, John Lee, chooses—to the dismay of his parents—to pursue filmmaking over law. As the members of the Jubilee Project point out, “A life without passion is not worth living.”

It is no coincidence that there are parallels between “Dear Daniel” and the life stories of the members of the Jubilee Project. Lu’s parents reacted to his filmmaking as “just a hobby” and not as a real career.

As of late, Lu has seen a change of heart in his parents.

The Lees’ parents are internetsavvy science professors. At first, their mother would discover Project Jubilee videos on YouTube and post comments such as “Get a life!”

Now she is their manager.

Eddie Lee urged the crowd to find a passion because “life is not so long” and remarked, “Don’t take yourself so seriously ... because everything is going to work out for the best. So be free, simple and joyful.”

Despite their full-time jobs and locations in three different cities (Boston, New York and Washington D.C.), the three still manage to get together every couple of weeks.

For three hours each week, they also have conference calls.

One of their more significant videos features the members using a microphone and camera to ask people, “What is the one thing you would like to change about the world?” One Brandeis student threw this question back to The Jubilee Project. Lee said he “would love to see our generation as civil rights leaders ... because almost every major change in history came through youth.”

All in all, the Jubilee Project is “not about fame or selfish motivations,” but is about hope. “Life is flashing before our eyes,” Lu said.

“Every single day is a day we have to take advantage of.”

fine arts

“Embodied” exhibits provocative artists ■ Works by Laurie Kaplowitz and Stacy Latt Savage were presented last Wednesday.

By olivia leiter and hayley deberry JUSTICE STAFF WRITER and contributing writer

The human body has always been a source of inspiration for the artist.

This past Wednesday, students, faculty and other members of the Brandeis community gathered at the Kniznick Gallery at the Women’s Studies Research Center for the opening reception of “Embodied,” an exhibit that showcases fresh approaches to the human form and features works by painter Laurie Kaplowitz and sculptor Stacy Latt Savage.

Laurie Kaplowitz is a figure painter and a full-time arts professor at University of Massachusetts Dartmouth. Consistent elements and themes tie her works together. In all of her pieces, for example, Kaplowitz decorates the human figure with some type of element from nature. In “Floribunda,” a wide variety of colorful flowers and other plants adorn the subject’s neck.

In many of her acrylic paintings, Kaplowitz uses a neutral palate to paint the human figure and blurs specific features of the face. Kaplowitz explained that it was a conscious choice to deemphasize the human figure by painting it in such neutral shades and by concealing certain features. “The head is basically generic. I was not interested in getting into differentiation there; I just wanted it to be kind of a human trope, and I felt comfortable just leaving it like that. I wanted it to dwell more on the ornamentation than on individual people.”

“The paintings are really about personal adornment,” Kaplowitz said in an interview with justArts at the opening. “I think it’s a universal human impulse to adorn ourselves.”

Kaplowitz explained that she drew inspiration from a trip that she took to Southern India. “I saw women embellishing themselves with shells and plants and animals,” she said. In one of her pieces, “Nest,” the subject is decorated with twigs and birds. In another piece, “Dragonfly Nimbus,” the subject’s neck is covered by a cluster of the winged insects. In each of her pieces, Kaplowitz depicts a connection between the human form and aspects of the natural world.

Kaplowitz went on, explaining the significance of human rituals. “Everybody goes through daily rituals, daily routines. But we don’t recognize anything we adhere to until we take it out of context. The ceremonial or ritual or any kind of adornment goes back to the indigenous societies.

Those rights of passage events are huge. They mark different points of life.”

While Kaplowitz focused on ornamentation and what goes on the body, sculptor Stacy Latt Savage, also an art professor at University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, concentrated more on the body form itself. Like Kaplowitz, Savage wants her pieces to be universal, dealing with shared elements of the human experience.

JANEY ZITOMER/the Justice

SCULPTING ART: “Embodied” closely examines the human body through art.

Many of her works center around the idea of the public versus the private sphere of existence. In most of her body sculptures, Savage uses fragments of the figure combined with abstract shapes. I thought the fragments represented what is public and the more abstract portions represented what is more internal and hard to translate.

Savage explained that her sculptures depict what we choose to show to the world and reveal the private emotions that we choose to conceal or keep beneath the surface. “I’m simultaneously trying to show what is seen and not seen,” Savage said.

Savage talked more about these concealed, unrecognizable emotions, explaining that she tries to give them some kind of form. I really like this concept of unearthing what is elusive and secretive. I mulled over this concept for a while. What would emotions look like if they were transformed into a definite, physical structure?

“For the most part, because emotions are fleeting and ethereal and we can’t really grab them, I use abstraction to express those types of feelings. That’s why I think the title ‘Embodied’ is so good: Each figure is embodying or holding their own experience, their emotions, their own history and their own hopes for the future,” Savage explained.

Savage categorizes herself as a sculptor who works in mixed media, as she used a wide variety of materials in her works such as bronze, steel, wood and hydrocal. Sometimes, she said, she likes to play around with the identity of materials. “I like to hide materials. I like to work a material enough where you can’t really tell what it’s made from.” Like Kaplow-

itz, Savage makes her figures neutralcolored. Savage explained, “My figures are earthen; they’re real to me. ... I didn’t want to decorate them.” I thought Savage’s use of a limited color palate unified her pieces and made the underlying theme of embodiment more apparent.

Both artists talked a little about the relationship between teaching art and making art. Kaplowitz said that she gains a lot from teaching drawing and painting classes. “It’s wonderful when you’re young and just beginning, it’s really symbiotic. You learn as much from your students as they can learn from you. You go back and use it in your studio.”

Savage, too, said that teaching puts her in a state of constant learning and exploration. “I love interacting with young artists because my whole life is centered on conversation about art.”

Savage explained that her husband is an artist, her profession is discussing art, and her studio is a significant part of her life. Savage added, “It’s all I do. It helps me stay engaged at all times.” She went on to explain, “It’s hugely gratifying to teach and help people express themselves in a really unique way that’s meaningful to them. It’s really exciting to get people into what excites them.”

Ultimately, both artists offered thoughtful perspectives on the human body and the human experience.

Though both artists differed in their style and approach, the two bodies of works are interconnected in that they share the same underlying concept of “embodiment.” Both artists gave a material, tangible form to abstractions, to experiences and to fundamental features of life. The exhibit will run until Dec. 20.

event

Peacebuilding and the Arts unites its participants ■ The Ethics Center hosted

three days of programs for its second-annual symposium.

By ariel kay JUSTICE editor

The second-annual Peacebuilding and the Arts Symposium, sponsored by the International Center for Ethics, Justice, and Public Life, took place from Friday to Sunday this week in the Abraham Shapiro Academic Complex and the Slosberg Recital Hall.

Multiple artists, writers, singers and storytellers came to Brandeis to share their work with students and community members, as well as to discuss how to create better and more creative communities through art.

The first event of the seminar, on

Friday, featured storyteller and singer-songwriter Jane Sapp. She was the musical director of Voices of Today, an award-winning choir, for 11 years. A documentary, titled Someone Sang for Me, tells the story of her work in the Civil Rights struggle and her impact on the students she teaches at a public school in Springfield, Mass. Sapp has also performed many solo concerts, including a performance at Carnegie Hall with folk legend Pete Seeger.

At the Friday concert, Sapp sang several spirituals. Her work is heavily influenced by African-American culture and her own experiences in the American south. Sapp also shared stories about her experiences as an arts teacher.

According to Sapp’s website, “One of [her] primary goals is to help young people grow into leaders, to help them

gain the confidence they need to be spokespeople and advocates for their communities. [She has] consistently found that as young people start talking about their dreams, they discover their own strengths and move towards a more positive and hopeful future.”

Sapp’s commitment to teaching arts to young people made her a particularly insightful lecturer and performer at the symposium.

On Saturday, the Peacebuilding and the Arts participants gathered in the atrium of the Abraham Shapiro Academic Complex. About 30 Brandeis students and faculty, as well as people from outside the Brandeis community, participated in the symposium.

The morning began with a round of introductions through a story circle.

In this exercise, each participant told the rest of the group a bit about them-

selves.

The rest of the day was filled with theater games and several talks about the intersection of art and society. The talks were led by three women: Dijana Milošević, co-founder and artistic director of DAH Theater in Belgrade, Serbia; Cynthia Cohen, the director of the symposium and the principal investigator in the “Acting Together” project; and Polly Walker, assistant professor of Peace and Conflict Studies at Juniata College in Huntingdon, Penn. Each talk seemed to expand upon the ideas of the previous discussion as the participants got to know one another better and got into the rhythm of the event.

At the end of the day everyone gathered together to share his or her thoughts on the presentations, as well as what they wanted to cover on the fi-

nal day of the symposium. It was clear that, at this point, the participants had bonded quite a bit. The discussion ended with everyone singing another spiritual and two group hugs. This friendly, even loving atmosphere, was quite different from any academic conference that I had previously attended.

On the final day of Peacebuilding and the Arts, everyone gathered back in Slosberg. Arthur Kibbelaar, consul for press and cultural affairs at the Dutch consulate in New York City, and Hubert Sapp, former director of Oxfam America’s America Program, both gave talks about culture in developing nations and communities.

This subject was of particular interest to the group. More than just learning about the history of peace and the arts, they wanted to continue this legacy themselves.

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TUESDAY, OCTOBER 25, 2011

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THE JUSTICE

KILLER QUEEN

Crowns and cruelty in HTP’s ‘Margaret’

YIFAN HE/the Justice

ALEX MARGOLIS/the Justice

REVENGE: Richard III (Baldras) seeks to avenge his family.

SETTING THE SCENE: Despite the actual timeline of King Henry VI’s reign, director Dave Benger ’14 dressed his cast in modern costumes.

Hold Thy Peace and Brandeis Players present a fiery Shakespearean woman

By ARIEL kAY JUSTICE EDITOR

Margaret of Anjou has the most lines of any woman in the entire Shakespearean canon. She is different from most of the playwright’s female characters in that she is powerful in her own right. As her character is fleshed out, it becomes clear that she is also quite conniving and sly, as opposed to the many demure or lovesick ladies that fill the pages of other plays, such as Romeo and Juliet or Othello.

Margaret: a Tiger’s Heart, the semester’s first Hold Thy Peace (Brandeis’ Shakespeare theater club) and Brandeis Players show, whittles down the 11 hours it would have taken to cover all three of Shakespeare’s Henry IV plays as well as the opening of Richard III, covering only the scenes that pertain to Margaret.

This still leaves a two and a half hour production, but one that is more compelling and character-driven than Shakespeare’s other histories.

The play opens with a battle scene interrupted by the Duke of Bedford (Abigail Clarke ’12) singing out the opening lines of the play. At first I was confused by this musical touch, but I came to enjoy Director Dave Benger’s ’14 unexpected choice. Bedford acted as a sort of Greek chorus, singing again at Margaret’s final scene. It also allowed Clarke to show off her wonderful voice while adding a theatrical element to the proceedings.

Margaret (Caitlin Partridge ’13) is undoubtedly one of the most interesting characters I have seen in a Shakespearean work. At first, she seems to be a powerless female, a pawn in her father’s plans to obtain more wealth. Upon her marriage to King Henry VI of England (Julian Seltzer ’15), however, Margaret quickly shows that she knows how to scheme with the best of them. She begins an affair with the Duke of Suffolk (Jonathan Plesser ’12) and also entraps the Duchess of Gloucester (Stephanie Karol ’12) and forces her into banishment.

It is not until the second act, however, that the

audience discovers how cruel Margaret actually is. After the Duke of York (Alex Davis ’15) unseats Henry from the throne, Margaret becomes wild with ambition, doing anything necessary to win back her title as queen. Here is where Partridge truly showed her acting skills: The actress fully committed to the character and seemed to relish the grizzly deeds that Margaret performs, pushing her character’s emotional limits with scenes filled alternatively with crying, shouting and killing. The scene that made the greatest impression on the audience is when Margaret clearly takes pleasure in taunting York with his murdered son’s bloodied handkerchief. The zeal with which Margaret takes innocent life is quite shocking, and Partridge did not hold back. It was true when York referred to the character as a “tiger’s heart wrapped in a woman’s hide.”

There is another character in Margaret who was equally thrilling to watch, more so because he is barely seen on stage until the second act: Richard (Stephen Baldras ’13). The character eventually becomes the subject of Shakespeare’s Richard III—or Tricky Dick, as some historians refer to him. Richard is well known for his ambition and cruelty later in life, but in Margaret he appears as a young man, and the audience watches his malevolence grow as he ages and endures the loss of his father and brother, as well as his chance at the throne.

Baldras is quite chilling in the role. He makes it clear that, by the end of the play, Richard has gone mad with desire for power. He declares that he has “no pity, love or fear,” and goes so far as to kill his brother’s infant child to prove his point. Baldras’ maniacal laughter and his hunched appearance make his one of the best performances of the production.

Margaret: a Tiger’s Heart demonstrates that Shakespeare can be more than just beautiful words and funny costumes. Benger’s production created dynamic and engrossing characters and also managed to produce quite a few grizzly images that I won’t be forgetting any time soon.

ALEX MARGOLIS/the Justice

CATCHING HER PREY: After losing her title as queen, Margaret kills the coup leader York (Davis, left) and his youngest son.

ALEX MARGOLIS/the Justice

FIGHTING BACK: Margaret (Partridge) demands King Henry (Seltzer) defend his throne.

YIFAN HE/the Justice

BANISHED: The Duke and Duchess of Gloucester (Karol, left, and Charlotte Oswald ’12).

THE JUSTICE

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TUESDAY, OCTOBER 25, 2011

21

event preview

Rose to reopen after summer renovations ■ The Rose Art Museum will open its doors on Thursday, showing its $1.7 M upgrade.

By BRYAN FLATT JUSTICE EDITOR

This Thursday at 5 p.m., the Rose Art Museum will officially present its opening exhibitions of the season and welcome students, faculty and community members alike to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the museum.

The three exhibitions, “Art at the Origin,” “Collecting Stories” and “Bruce Conner: EVE-RAY-FOREVER (1965/2006)” will feature some of the museum’s most prominent pieces structured around the history, present and future of the Rose and convey how much significant art history has come through the museum over the years.

“Art at the Origin: the Early Sixties” takes viewers back to the beginnings of the Rose Art Museum. Taking place in the Rose Gallery, the original building of the museum, the exhibit will connect the physical location of the Rose’s beginnings to the historic first pieces that the original director, Sam Hunter, bought with the $50,000 grant given by Leon Mnuchin and his wife Harriet Gevirtz-Mnuchin. Showing 17 of the 21 pieces, all collected in 1961 and 1962, “Art at the Origin” will capture the legacy of the Rose Art Museum. It just so happens that those 17 pieces are also among the most prominent pieces in the world of modern art—by Roy Lichtenstein, Jasper Johns and Andy Warhol.

“Collecting Stories” takes viewers on a chronological tale through the progression of the past 50 years, highlighting major acquisitions and exhibitions throughout the Rose’s history.

ROBYN SPECTOR/Justice File Photo

OLD-SCHOOL ART: The original Rose building opened in 1961. On Thursday, the museum will show three exhibitions of old and new works, including an update of a ’60s film.

Beginning with a piece from the inaugural exhibition and ending with two pieces that recognize the recent struggles and present state of the museum, each piece is extremely significant and has an attached story explaining its importance. “The exhibitions provide a contrast between the past and the future,” Warner Curatorial Intern Meryl Feinstein ’12 said in an interview with the Justice. “It acknowledges recent negative experiences while also working toward a new positive direction. We want to show that the Rose Art Museum has become a beacon of artistic hope and that finally, and most importantly, it has reopened the educational dialogue between the Brandeis community and this fantastic collection,” she said.

Also new to the Rose is “EVE-RAYFOREVER (1965/2006),” the newly reacquired film installation originally shown at the Rose during the late

Bruce Connor’s first major museum exhibition in 1965. A controversial triptych consisting of three black-andwhite silent films, Connor recreated the piece over the years after the original film footage was cut up and used in different contexts for his works. As one of the first significant pieces of video art, the piece reaffirms the Rose Art Museum’s position as one of the leading modern art museums in the Northeast.

The new exhibitions are not the only new and exciting updates to the museum this fall. Over the summer and into the first months of fall, the Rose went through a $1.7-million renovation to breathe new life into both the physical structure of the museum and the vision of the arts at Brandeis.

The purpose of the changes is to open up the space of the museum and also to create a safe environment to preserve the priceless pieces.

According to Ingrid Schorr, associate director of the Office of the Arts, “this [50th anniversary] yearlong celebration is a significant chapter in the ongoing story of the Rose and of the arts at Brandeis.”

With such great exhibitions on display, the opening event is attracting many big-name attendees. Famed Pop artist Jim Rosenquist, who canceled a show in the Rose last fall, will be on campus Thursday to attend the opening and give a talk from 2 to 3 p.m.; University President Frederick Lawrence will be giving his remarks on the 50th anniversary at 6:30 p.m.

Thursday evening; and on Nov. 1, Sam Jury, a young British photographer and filmmaker who will have an exhibit at the Rose this coming year, will be speaking.

The event marks a reassurance of Rose’s future. Many trustees who voted to close the Rose two years ago,

as well as other invited guests, will gather at the museum on Wednesday for an evening of art that will include a dialogue between two of the louder people in the debate about of the Rose’s announced closing—Brandeis alum and Whitney Museum of American Art Director Adam Weinberg ’77 and Rosenquist. The two previously opposing sides will come together, out of appreciation for the artwork and unite in the future vision of the Rose.

“Everybody is very positive thinking right now, there is a real excitement, amongst the President of the University, the administration, the faculty,” Feinstein said. “We’re really hoping … that we will reinstate that mission of reuniting education and art—a rejuvenation of what the Rose is supposed to be at Brandeis. It’s not just the Rose, it’s the Rose at Brandeis.

This week marks the beginning of a great future.”

ACTRESS WITH A HEART

Nikki Blonsky to star in new BTV series ■ The Web show, called

“The Hall,” is about a high school experiencing financial difficulties.

HILARY HEYISON/the Justice

DANCING DIVA: Nikki Blonsky has previously appeared in the popular television shows ‘Huge,’ ‘Valemont’ and ‘Ugly Betty.’

‘Hairspray’ star shares story ■ Nikki Blonsky was brought

to campus by her friend Ethan Mermelstein ’12.

By JANEY ZITOMER

JUSTICE CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Last Sunday, a packed theater applauded as the credits of the awardwinning play-turned-movie Hairspray rolled. Heads turned as Nikki Blonsky, the Great Neck, N.Y.-born actress who got her big break as a star in her role as Tracy Turnblad in Hairspray, emerged from the dimmed rear of the theater.

Ethan Mermelstein ’12—president of BTV, which co-sponsored the event with The Edie and Lew Wasserman Fund and the Film, Television and Interactive Media Program—invited Blonsky to speak to the student body and act in a TV Web series he had created. As part of the deal, Mermelstein had the opportunity to interview Blonsky at this event. He introduced Blonsky as a celebrity, high school classmate and friend. They exchanged witty words onstage before he asked her about the movie. He opened with

a surprisingly mood-lightening question,“What was it like to kiss Zac Efron?”

The crowd laughed and the questions rolled in.

“What’s it like to be an inspiration to so many people?” a student in the third row asked. “First of all, thank you.” Blonsky replied, before explaining that it is an honor to be thought of as such. When auditioning for the role, she said that she only told her high school teachers what she was up to and did so only because she had to miss class. Blonsky’s dedication to professional acting played a big part in her success then and continues to guide her now.

Blonsky discussed the difficulty of being in the spotlight and the unsuspected, demanding aspects of a celebrity-status lifestyle. “Everyone cries,” she said, as she explained the constant pressure cameras add to her life. When asked to describe an average day in her life, Blonsky replied that such a thing doesn’t exist. “One day I’ll be walking my dog in my pajamas,” she said. And the next? You can find her speaking on tour or appearing as a guest on The Oprah Winfrey Show or The View.

In Hollywood, the equivalent to

making it big was being on Oprah, the movie star commented.

Blonsky spoke of never having had any formal dance training before Hairspray. This meant hours of grueling practice each day while on set.

Once the music started, she told the Brandeis crowd that her feet simply took over—it was that simple. But when it came to jazz, tap and ballet, technical terms were never her forte.

When the director first asked her to do a Shenae, a type of turn typical in jazz dancing, Blonsky said she stared blankly and asked, “Who’s that?”

The discussion touched upon the social topics of the movie as well.

Blonsky described knowing that she was able to truly make an impact when another celebrity told her that the movie had helped to teach her children about race issues in the ’60s.

“All while they sang and danced,” Blonsky said, smiling.

As for Zac Efron and the kiss, it turns out the magical moment was not as romantic in real life as on film.

The celebrities were told to count to nine with their heads tilted in one direction before switching sides. But more than a few takes were necessary to get it right, so the envy is still ours, and the pleasure all hers.

In partnership with the Film, Television and Interactive Media Program, Ethan Mermelstein ’12 helped bring prominent actress Nikki Blonsky to Brandeis to act in his own TV Web series, “The Hall.” Mermelstein and Blonsky know each other from high school, where they starred together in theater productions and joined the same improv troupe. In an interview with the Justice, co-producers of “The Hall” Mermelstein and Jerry Genser ’12 discuss their experience filming the series and working with Blonsky.

JustArts: How did the show come about?

Jerry Genser: We had done this thing called “Roomies” sophomore year, and Ethan called me this summer, talking about rebooting it.

Ethan Mermelstein: It was the first thing I ever did. I directed, I had a leading role, I wrote a 30-page script, and it was a 12-person cast. It was just a huge undertaking, hours and hours of footage. At the last minute, one of the hard drives that things were backed up on crashed— so it just fell apart. Everything I learned from that experience, we improved on. So this is a similar seed concept as “Roomies” but a complete new direction.

JA: What is the show about?

EM: It’s called “The Hall.” It’s about a school in a financial crisis—much like the school I entered as a freshman—whose dean decides that, in an effort to raise revenue to close the budget gap, he will make a reality TV show out of a hall of freshmen. Deep down, the dean just wants to be a Hollywood producer, has no interest in academics, is prepared to exploit the students by any means necessary to make the show

appealing to networks so it will be bought and the school will make money. On the first episode, he hires Nikki Blonsky as his receptionist and is paying her more than half a million dollars for the year just to answer his phone calls.

JA: What are you planning to do with the episodes of the show?

EM: First priority is to screen it on campus. Hopefully, we’ll have three episodes that we can show in sequence. Traditionally, we’ve uploaded to YouTube, but something like this, which is a little bit longer, might not get as many hits. That’s just a discussion that I’ll have afterwards. The fact that Nikki’s on board with this means that she can ask her agents for me strategically what might make [the] most sense.

JG: We’re still trying to think about how people look at [the show].

Obviously we’re going to screen it for Brandeis. But it’s a Web series.

We’re not sure how distribution’s going work. But [there are] myriad ways. Technology has advanced at a level that allows us to get a lot more shots. We have the ability to get shots that would have taken hours and much higher technology equipment to get.

JA: How was your experience working with Nikki Blonsky?

EM: This weekend went so much better than I could have imagined.

I was pretty anxious. Even though Nikki and I are pretty good friends, she’s flying out here to be part of my first-ever big creative project, and there’s a lot of pressure, but everybody really just worked together.

As somebody who was acting, very involved in the creative side and dealing with Nikki, making sure she was happy at all times and directing the other actors, I was able to say the rest of the stuff on set, everyone else did their part and made sure things ran smoothly, which I can say is very, very rare on any production.

—Rebecca Blady

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TUESDAY, OCTOBER 25, 2011

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THE JUSTICE

OFF CAMPUS TIMELESS CREATION

film

Corruption flourishes on the campaign trail ■ George Clooney’s ‘The Ides

of March’ stars Ryan Gosling as a presidential candidate’s multi-faceted press secretary.

By aaron berke JUSTICE STAFF WRITER

PHOTO COURTESY OF BOSTON BAROQUE

LIVELY LEADER: Martin Pearlman conducts the Boston Baroque in “The Creation.”

Boston Baroque brings Haydn’s “Creation” to life ■ Martin Pearlman led

the period-instrument orchestra in Jordan Hall.

By FELICIA KUPERWASER JUSTICE STAFF WRITER

On Oct. 22, Boston Baroque performed Joseph Haydn’s masterpiece “The Creation” at New England Conservatory’s Jordan Hall. Led by music director and conductor Martin Pearlman, the orchestra opened its 39th season with an exquisite performance of one of the great choral works of all time.

Boston Baroque is America’s first period-instrument orchestra, and its talent and innovation has earned the group three Grammy nominations and widespread acclaim. Performing at the concert were talented soloists Amanda Forsythe, soprano; Keith Jameson, tenor; and Kevin Deas, bass-baritone. Pearlman’s expertise combined a measured precision with artistic liberty that generated a captivating and uplifting performance.

Haydn completed “The Creation” in 1798 after hearing a number of Handel’s oratorios during a visit to England from his native Austria. The libretto, based on Genesis, Psalms and Paradise Lost, was written by Baron Gottfried van Swieten, who encouraged Haydn to take on this work.

Haydn is believed to have intended to write a piece on the same scale and that bears the same significance as Handel’s “Messiah.”

Still performed every year in Vienna, “The Creation” has stood the test of time. Due to its legacy and history, as well as its everlasting relevance and beauty, the work created a buzz that filled Jordan Hall in the moments before the concert. In the fittingly ornate and elegant venue, now a National Historic Landmark, a diverse crowd eagerly awaited the opening notes of the piece as if it were the premiere in 1798.

Pearlman gave a short introduction, the orchestra tuned, and after a silent moment heavy with anticipation, the orchestra began to play. The music was initially apprehensive and wary, meant to depict the chaos that preceded the earth’s creation, with an eerie quiet that was punctuated by uneasy, abrupt gestures in the lower registers. Elements of order and harmony gradually appeared in the music until the angel Raphael began the narrative of creation with “Im Anfange schuf,” or “In the beginning.”

In the first two parts of the work,

three angels—Raphael (Deas), Uriel (Jameson) and Gabriel (Forsythe)— first describe the creation of the earth and plants and then the creation of animals and man. The music is highly programmatic, full of creative word painting, and the soloists’ animated, expressive performance really made it feel as if they were recalling the story of creation after witnessing it from heaven.

The third part tells the story of Adam and Eve, performed by soprano and baritone with Uriel’s continued narration. Deas and Forsythe took on these new roles sincerely, flirting with one another, like Adam and Eve, in so endearing a manner that at times they elicited laughter from the audience. Because of the compelling nature of the story, and the soloists’ charisma, this added drama did not distract from the performance but rather enhanced it.

By the time they arrived at the final chorus “Singt dem Herren,” or “Sing to the Lord,” the whole hall felt the gratitude and praise that the chorus expressed, both as the culmination of this performance and because of its relevance to us as creatures of the earth.

The recitative—which, in an oratorio, runs the risk of dragging—was compelling because the soloists were engaging and sang with contagious excitement and ardor. The arias were elegant and skillfully sung, and the choruses were powerful and uplifting. Forsythe’s voice was pure and unadulterated; she had many parts that described the sheer beauty and joy on earth, all of which she executed with charm and grace. Jameson’s voice was resonant, earnest and full of wonderment, and Deas’ low, powerful bass was perfectly suited for describing the billowing, boisterous sea and the lowest creatures on earth.

In some ways, Boston Baroque’s performance felt like it could have been the Vienna premiere, and in other ways it felt like a firsthand account from angels. Most importantly, the music and libretto of “The Creation” are so seamlessly intertwined that in a way it was like watching the actual story of creation evolve, allowing a riveting and exquisite musical experience.

The period instruments and inspired performances transported the audience back in time. However, it is the timeless quality of the music and the eternal relevance of this part of our universal identity that made the epic performance just another part in the ever-unfolding story of creation.

The corruption of politicians isn’t exactly a route that has gone unexplored in popular media. Political scandals since the dawn of television have been given merciless attention, from the Watergate scandal to the Bill Clinton/Monica Lewinsky affair to events as recent as the rumored poll riggings in Ohio during the 2004 presidential elections. Events such as these have been given extraordinary attention and provide significant background for the new George Clooney-helmed political thriller, The Ides of March. But where this film differs from previous filmic sojourns into the scandalous world of politics is that the film’s focus is primarily from the perspective of the campaign managers.

The spotlight is on junior campaign manager and press secretary Stephen Meyers (Ryan Gosling). His keen political savvy and ability to manipulate his colleagues like pawns on a chessboard make him the ideal diamond in the rough for smooth-talking Democratic presidential candidate Governor Mike Norris (Clooney) of Ohio.

Along with the relatively straightlaced senior campaign manager Paul Zara (Philip Seymour Hoffman), Meyers at first seems assured to push Norris off the campaign trail and into the White House. However, the sinister efforts of the man in charge of Norris’ opposition, Senior Campaign Manager Tom Duffy (Paul Giamatti), make things inevitably complicated. Duffy seeks to recruit Meyers to his campaign, and Meyers’ indecisiveness in response sets off an unfortunate chain of events that threatens Norris’ chances at the presidency. Throw into the mix an alluring underage intern, Molly Stearns (Evan Rachel Wood), who sets her hooks in Meyers, and a snooping investigative reporter, Ida Horowicz (Marisa Tomei), and Meyers is left virtually helpless as the façade of friendly faces in Norris’ campaign unravels and the true nature of back-stabbing politics is exposed.

What is immediately fascinating about the dynamics of the various players in March is how equally in-

nocent yet inevitably corrupt they all are. Despite the guilt they share, they are, at their core, shown to be relatively nice people. The friendly, optimistic Norris appears to be determined to keep his campaign honest despite the pushing of his staff to accept the backing of the corrupt Senator Thomson (Jeffrey Wright). This move is perhaps ironic considering the fallout to come involving Norris, Meyers and Stearns. But Meyers too, who remains the focus of the film, is shown to be a relatively earnest young player in the rough politician’s game. His singular morally compromising quality is that he wants to get ahead. But what politician doesn’t?

Stearns, whose affair with Meyers results in a threat to the entire campaign, can be accused only of making the mistake of being attracted to politicians. Even the shark-like Duffy, who seems to view Meyers as a quick but enjoyable snack to whet his political appetite, admits that he takes no real pleasure from his devious acts.

The only player here who remains morally incorruptible is Zara, but his honesty and loyalty to Norris proves a slap in the face, and for all his preaching of morality, he winds up the loser in the end. And so the problem is, as Clooney positions it, not with the people involved, but with the nature of politics itself.

March is Clooney’s fourth directorial gig to date, and despite his proportionately little experience directing, his ease behind the camera is firmly on display here. His style is relatively minimalist, utilizing simple and interpersonal camera set-ups, never overwhelming the audience with his vision (except for an interesting, albeit obviously intentioned shot of Meyers’ tiny shadow cast over a giant American flag) and instead lets his cast do the work for him. With Good Night, and Good Luck, Clooney proved his masterful handling of an ensemble cast. The Academy Awardwinning actor could have easily let himself take center stage here as the wily Norris, but by letting Gosling stand out, he allows for a unique cinematic take on backdoor politics.

The cast does an excellent job in its supporting roles. While none of them are really standouts, they aren’t required to be, and they’re all excellent, noteworthy actors who essentially do the job expected of them. Clooney himself is particularly enjoyable as the slick and charming Norris (but

then again, isn’t he always?). Hoffman presents the voice of reason within this backstabbing world, and his honesty and frustration as Zara come across with ease. Tomei delightfully portrays the typically side-switching and ruthless journalist who fits in well with the manipulative populace of the movie. Wood is simultaneously provocative and sincere as the illfated Stearns and represents the pinnacle of what can happen when the tactics of politicians are pushed too far. Paul Giamatti is Paul Giamatti (and admirably smarmy as always).

The real standout, however, is Gosling, who does a great job playing the different sides of Meyers. Equal parts cutthroat manager, sensitive playboy, vulnerable novice and vengeful opportunist, Gosling balances the multi-faceted role to such a great degree that you’re never sure if you really like him or not. He has likable traits for sure, but his opportunistic nature sometimes offsets those traits.

But by the end of the movie it is clear that, more than anything else, Meyers is a victim of circumstance and of his chosen profession. That’s not to say he can’t be implicated by the decisions he has made, however. And, while not absolved of sin, he is, at the very least, understood and not without sympathy.

The Ides of March is a thoroughly enjoyable film. The only downside is that Clooney overlays his message perhaps a bit too emphatically. The message of the film is in fact evident within the first 30 minutes (though most people probably got it with the trailer): Politics is a game of moral compromises, anyone who gets involved is likely to sacrifice their integrity in the process and even the most good natured of people will be eaten alive if they don’t get with the program. This is something we all know about politics already, and one can’t help but wish that the movie’s ending was at least a bit more subtle (Clooney instead beats the viewer over the head with his summation).

But that’s okay because March is a riveting film, entertaining from the first frame until the last, and if nothing else, presents a unique vantage point into the backdoor of political managing that we’ve never really been given before. So while the message is old, the angle is new, and it makes for a fascinating look into a world we already know and despise— but now we get to despise it more.

PHOTO COURTESY OF SONY PICTURES

ET TU, BRUTE?: Stephen Meyers (Gosling, above) starts off highly passionate about Democratic nominee Mike Norris (Clooney).

THE JUSTICE

●

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 25, 2011

23

film

New generation dances off in ‘Footloose’

■ The remake of the 1984 Kevin Bacon film stays true to its timeless themes in a modern-day American setting.

By liz posner JUSTICE STAFF WRITER

As I sat alone in the deserted movie theater at 2:10 p.m. last Thursday watching Footloose by myself, I had an epiphany. No, it wasn’t about how I should probably find some more friends. I started thinking about how my life would be different if dancing were banned in my town. In some ways, it wouldn’t be so bad. Frat parties would be a lot less creepy, since it would be harder for random strangers to grope girls without the cover of loud music and darkness. It would profoundly change the college courtship experience, as you would no longer be able to make a move on a cute guy or girl in the middle of a dance floor. People would probably rely more on drinking to fill in the gaps or have actual conversations instead of mindlessly moving our bodies around to a beat. Thank God for dancing! I, for one, wouldn’t want to be at that party.

Once I snapped out of this existential daydream, I refocused on the movie. Anyone who has seen the 1984 original with Kevin Bacon already knows the plot, and the remake followed it closely. The film follows the story of Ren MacCormack, a bad boy from Boston played by professional dancer and newcomer actor Kenny Wormald. Ren moves to the archetype of small-town America—Beaumont, Texas—after his mother dies of leukemia. Ren, a smart-aleck city kid, is the obvious outsider. However, his earnestness and charm earn him fast friends, including the lovably goofy Willard (Miles Teller) and the town Reverend Shaw Moore’s (Dennis Quaid) rebellious daughter, Ariel (Julianne Hough).

What binds Ren to his new friends is their shared reliance on dancing as an outlet for their frustrations with the social restrictions in Beaumont. Ever since five high school

PHOTO COURTESY OF PARAMOUNT PICTURES

THE DANCING PANTHERS: Instead of getting down to boom boxes, the high school students of Beaumont use iPods and other modern devices to dance and protest. students were killed in a car crash after leaving a party, the alreadyconservative town placed a ban on public dancing and loud music, plus a blanket curfew for all residents under 18. This town law was passed under the leadership of Reverend Moore, whose son died in the crash.

Naturally, this leads to a youth culture in Beaumont that relies on high-adrenaline tractor races and speakeasy-esque dance parties hidden in drive-in theaters to socialize.

Ren soon realizes that he can’t live in a town where teenagers are forced to repress themselves like this and challenges the law by organizing a petition to reinstate public dancing.

Footloose works as a remake in part because the original incorporated many timeless themes and could

be easily reinterpreted for our generation. Let’s be honest—not much has changed since the Reagan-era ’80s in small-town America. There is still a major culture clash between big northern cities and smalltown America. Teenagers still rebel against their parents, and parents still try to control their children.

Alcohol, drugs and parties are still a major part of the American youth experience and will still be a part of rebellious teenage culture in future generations. This is why Footloose succeeds as a remake: Beaumont looks like the America we know today.

The dancing scenes are a huge asset of the original film, and the remake definitely does them justice.

In an attempt to attract a modern

audience, the new version incorporates a hip-hop influence, including impressive break dancing sequences by unexplained dance crews that crop up randomly. It definitely gives the entire movie an updated feel. I thought the country-inspired hoedown scenes were especially great.

I almost believed that the dancers were really just small-town kids who grew up on line dancing and not actors and extras who spent weeks rehearsing their moves. This is exactly what movie dance sequences should look like—they should all seem this natural—unlike Step Up, for example, whose dancing looks way too impressive to be believable. I didn’t have to try so hard to suspend my disbelief while watching Footloose.

My Footloose experience was sort

of a lonely one, so I’d definitely recommend bringing a few friends if you want to check it out. If you’re a diehard fan of the original, the remake might not live up to your standards, though the acting is on par with the original version and the characters are just as believable. The new film stays faithful to the original, and it is almost eerie how well the nearly 30-year-old themes apply in 2011.

However, it’s refreshing to see that not much has changed since 1984, in the same way that I was comforted by the movie’s feel-good ending. It almost makes me empathize with the Beaumont oligarchy, desperate to avoid the changing world. Footloose made me feel like some things never change, even when they are rescripted for a new generation.

gaming

‘NBA 2K12’ refines an excellent basketball series Dan

Willey critical hit

As a basketball fan, this was a rough summer for me. Coming off the heels of one of the best seasons in recent memory, the NBA entered its long-predicted lockout. Seemingly unbridgeable disputes between the players association and the owners concerning revenue splits have led to the cancellation of the first two weeks of the season and it looks as though the entire season may ultimately be in jeopardy. Fortunately, basketball fans can still get a little taste of the NBA this year in the form of 2K Sports’ new game, NBA 2K12.

Last year’s iteration of the series, NBA 2K11, was lauded as the best basketball game of all time, and quite possibly the best sports game as well. NBA 2K12 picks up right where the series left off, keeping all of the elements that made the 2K11 so successful while also improving it in several important ways. Part of 2K11’s success was its intuitive gameplay. The animations were incredibly realistic and synced up well with the controls; players had weight, and it factored into how they played and moved about the court.

NBA 2K12 has continued to refine and hone this element by including more player-specific animations and improving the general physics of the game. The player-specific animations are in particular a nice treat for fans of the game; if you’re playing as Dirk Nowitzki, for example, you can employ his signature off-

PHOTO COURTESY OF 2K SPORTS

BALLIN’: The Lakers’ Magic Johnson (left) and the Celtics’ Larry Bird are two of many classic players to choose from in ‘NBA 2K12.’ balance, one-footed hook shot and just as in real life, it will miraculously find the basket. Developer Visual Concepts has also put a lot of work into improving post play, and it shows. The post game is far more robust and includes a wide array of new moves that are mapped to the controller in such a way that they feel natural and give the player complete control.

Along with the superior gameplay, 2K12 also boasts improvements in presentation. Character models look even better than in the previous game, and fans of the NBA should instantly recognize their favorite players. The game is clever

with camera angles, player introductions and commercial spots that all add to the feeling that the player is watching a nationally televised game. Kevin Harlan and Clark Kellogg, who both broadcast in real life, return as the game’s broadcasters along with newcomer Steve Kerr, a five-time NBA champion who has done voice work on other basketball videogames. Some dialogue is taken from previous games, but there is plenty of new banter and trivia, which adds a lot to the game. The commentators respond not just to what’s going on in the game, but also refer to the general progression of the season, which adds a lot to the

game’s realism.

The game’s several play modes feature significant advancements as well, from the ability to take Association mode online and compete in a league with your friends to the vast improvements in My Player mode, which include the elimination of the tedious Development League games of 2K11 and the new salary your player earns. These can be spent on training camps and signature moves. 2K12 also boasts an all-new NBA’s Greatest mode, which lets gamers take control of 15 of the greatest NBA teams of all time including Michael Jordan’s championship Chicago Bulls, the ’88 to ’89 “Bad

Boy” Pistons and Magic Johnson’s “Showtime” Lakers. Each of these 15 teams is paired up against rival teams from that era and as players win each game, they gain access to both teams and their players in the Quick Game mode. This allows players to match up teams across all eras of the game’s great history; if you’ve ever wanted to pit MJ against King James or Shaq against Dwight Howard, now you can. This feature is absolutely brilliant and gives gamers a reason to pick up 2K12 despite the lack of an NBA season.

If I had one critique for 2K12, it would be regarding the ratings the game assigns to certain players.

Ranking players is never easy and almost always sure to cause some disagreement, so I’m willing to give 2K12 a little leeway here. I’m not sure that Rudy Gay is better than Blake Griffin, but it’s close, so I’ll give 2K12 the benefit of the doubt.

However, some of these rankings just seem obviously wrong. There’s simply no way Amar’e Stoudemire should be ranked higher than Nowitzki. Nowitzki just single-handedly led his Mavericks to a championship against the Miami Heat. Meanwhile, Stoudemire couldn’t get the Knicks past the first round of the playoffs, and that was with the help of superstar Carmelo Anthony, who also for some reason ranks higher than Nowitzki. Fortunately, the game does allow players to change the ratings of players in the game, but it would have been nice to have more accurate ratings as the default.

Despite this minor complaint, NBA 2K12 replaces its predecessor as the best basketball game of all time. It’s a shame that 2K12 won’t get the game of the year consideration it deserves simply because it’s a sports game, but it is definitely at the top of my list. I give NBA 2K12 a 9.75/10.

24

TUESday, October 25, 2011 ● THE JUSTICE

TOP of the

ARTS ON VIEW

TRIVIA TIME

CHARTS

1. What is the only food that koalas will eat?

2. What was the name of Fred and Wilma Flintstone’s daughter?

3. Who once said, “It’s not that I’m afraid to die. I just don’t want to be there when it happens”?

4. What is the motto of West Virginia?

5. Who wrote the screenplay for Mean Girls and co-starred in the movie?

6. How many dots are on a pair of dice?

7. Where are the Channel Islands located?

8. What was the name of the motel where Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was shot?

9. When did Staten Island residents vote to secede from New York City?

10. How many teaspoons are in a tablespoon?

ANSWERS 1. Eucalyptus leaves 2. Pebbles 3. Woody Allen 4. Mountaineers are always free (Montani semper liberi) 5. Tina Fey 6. 42 7. Between England and France 8. The Lorraine Motel 9. 1993 10. Three

STRANGE BUT TRUE  It was French Renaissance essayist Michel de Montaigne who made the following sage observation: “Nothing is so firmly believed as what is least known.”  If someone called you a “mumpsimus,” the appropriate reaction would be to take offense. According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, a mumpsimus is “a stubborn person who insists on making an error in spite of being shown that it is wrong.”  In the Baltic region, it’s traditional for a bride to wear black.  The English language is unique in the number of collective nouns it possesses. For instance, a group of frogs is known as an “army” and a group of crows is called a “murder.” We have a “shrewdness” of apes, a “wisdom” of wombats, a “congregation” of crocodiles, a “smack” of jellyfish, a “wiggle” of worms, a “crash” of rhinoceroses, a “waddle” of penguins and a “scourge” of mosquitoes, to name a few.

Geese flock together in “gaggles,” unless they’re in flight, in which case they are collectively known as a “skein.”  You’ve probably never heard of Harvey Lowe, but in the 1930s he enjoyed a certain amount of notoriety; in 1934 he won the first World Yo-Yo Contest. Can you imagine what he had in common with Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards and notoriously flamboyant entertainer Liberace? It turns out that all three took out insurance policies on their hands.  If you’re like 20 percent of the respondents in a recent poll, you find it embarrassing to order tap water when you’re in a restaurant.  Walmart is the world’s largest corporation. Last year its total income was $246.5 billion, a sum larger than the Gross Domestic Product of Sweden, Austria or Norway. It is the 19th largest economy in the world.

Top 10s for the week ending October 23 BOX OFFICE

1. Paranormal Activity 3 2. Real Steel 3. Footloose 4. The Three Musketeers 5. The Ides of March 6. Dolphin Tale 7. Moneyball 8. Johnny English Reborn 9. The Thing 10. 50/50

NYT BESTSELLERS

Fiction 1. The Best of Me — Nicholas Sparks 2. The Marriage Plot — Jeffrey Eugenides 3. Snuff — Terry Pratchett 4. The Affair — Lee Child 5. Shock Wave — John Sandford YIFAN HE/the Justice

CITY LIGHTS: This photo was taken at the Bund, a historic neighborhood on the Huangpu River in Shanghai. The Bund houses buildings in 52 different architectural styles, particularly art deco edifices.

ACROSS 1. Commercials 4. “Doo” follower 7. First victim 8. Acrylic fiber 10. Scent 11. Wallowed (in) 13. Sofa, recliner, ottoman, etc.

16. New Guinea port 17. Antimacassar 18. Spotted, a la Tweety 19. Intend 20. Arm bone 21. Cricket, for one 23. Performs high-tech surgery 25. Sonic — 26. Scoff 27. Elev.

28. Ladd and Alda 30. Shemp’s brother 33. Guesswork 36. Jog sans togs 37. Gambling game 38. Surpass 39. Kill a bill 40. French possessive 41. English cathedral city DOWN 1. Overhead 2. Actress Moore 3. Smear tactics 4. Slobber 5. Metallic blend 6. Actress Celeste 7. Met melody 8. Utah politico Hatch 9. Get snug and cozy 10. The whole enchilada 12. Campus bigwigs 14. Grown-up kid 15. Old airline initials 19. Mid-May honoree 20. Work with 21. Cobbler’s supply 22. Spud 23. Chain part 24. Exculpate 25. Evil 26. “King of Pop,” in headlines

CROSSWORD

iTUNES

1. Rihanna feat. Calvin Harris — “We Found Love” 2. LMFAO — “Sexy and I Know It” 3. Justin Bieber — “Mistletoe” 4. Adele — “Someone Like You” 5. Foster the People — “Pumped Up Kicks” 6. David Guetta feat. Usher — “Without You” 7. Maroon 5 feat. Christina Aguilera — “Moves like Jagger (Studio Recording from The Voice Performance)” 8. Gym Class Heroes feat. Adam Levine — “Stereo Hearts” 9. Cobra Starship feat. Sabi — “You Make Me Feel...”

10. Jason Derulo — “It Girl”

BILLBOARD

1. Evanescence — Evanescence 2. Adele — 21 3. American Capitolist — Five Finger Death Punch 4. Scotty McCreery — Clear as Day 5. Lauren Alaina — Wildflower 6. Tony Bennett — Duets II 7. Ryan Adams — Ashes & Fire 8. Lady Antebellum — Own the Night 9. Lil Wayne — Tha Carter IV 10. Martina McBride — Eleven

28. Mountain ridge 29. Begins 30. Thurber’s dreamer Walter 31. Aware of 32. Id counterpart 34. Tom-tom, e.g.

35. Christmas refrain

Top of the Charts information provided

by Fandango, the New York Times, BillBoard.com and Apple.com.

STAFF PLAYLIST Solution to last week’s crossword

— Saul Bellow

“The 207”

By TATE HERBERT

King Crossword Copyright 2011 King Features Synd, Inc.

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

Check this space next week for answers!

Thought for the Day: “A great deal of intelligence can be invested in ignorance when the need for illusion is deep.”

Nonfiction 1. Killing Lincoln — Bill O’Reilly and Martin Dugard 2. Boomerang — Michael Lewis 3. Seriously ... I’m Kidding — Ellen DeGeneres 4. Unbroken — Laura Hillenbrand 5. Jaqueline Kennedy: Historic Conversations on Life with John F. Kennedy — Caroline Kennedy and Michael Beschloss

Sudoku Copyright 2011 King Features Synd, Inc.

Justice STAFF WRITER

My room number is the same as my home state’s area code (yes, the entire state of Maine has only one area code), so when I blast the songs on this list and look at the plaque on my door, I feel like I never left.

THE LIST 1.f“Troublesome” — Rustic Overtones 2. “F*ck It” — Spose 3. “She Says” — Howie Day 4. “Roses and Cigarettes” — Ray LaMontagne 5. “Something Fierce” — As Fast As 6. “Florida Sunshine” — As Fast As 7. “Wasted” — Paranoid Social Club 8. “Love and a .45” — Rustic Overtones 9. “Lydia” — Slaid Cleaves 10. “You are the Best Thing” — Ray Lamontagne