The Justice, October 26, 2010 issue

ARTS PAGE 19

FORUM Don’t support egg initiative 12

‘ADULT’ PLAYERS

SPORTS Womens’ soccer team beats Bowdoin 16 THE INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER

the

OF

BRANDEIS UNIVERSITY SINCE 1949

Justice www.theJusticeOnline.com

Volume LXIII, Number 10

Waltham, Mass.

Tuesday, October 26, 2010

DANCE FLOOR DISRUPTED

FACULTY

Thomas requests apology from Hill ■ Clarence Thomas’s wife

left Prof. Anita Hill a voicemail, which she then reported to Public Safety.

By JILLIAN WAGNER JUSTICE EDITOR

Nineteen years after accusing Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas of sexual harassment during his Supreme Court confirmation hearings, Prof. Anita Hill (Heller) received a voice mail from Thomas’ wife Oct. 9 in which the woman asked Hill for an apology.

“Good morning, Anita Hill, it’s Ginni Thomas,” she said on the voice mail, which was left on Hill’s Brandeis office phone at 7:31 that Saturday morning, Senior Vice President for Communications Andrew Gully confirmed. Thomas went on to say, “I just wanted to reach across the airwaves and the years and ask you to consider something. I would love you to consider an apology sometime and some full explanation of why you did what you did with my husband. So give it some thought and certainly

pray about this and hope that one day you will help us understand why you did what you did.

O.K., have a good day.”

Hill wrote in an e-mail to the Justice that she Prof.Hill is not participating in interviews at this point. However, she forwarded her official statement to the Justice: “I thought the call was inappropriate. I don’t owe her an apology because I did Thomas nothing to apologize for. As I have said for 19 years, I testified truthfully and I stand by that testimony.”

Keith Appell, the senior vice president for CRC Public Relations, which represents Liberty Central, the nonprofit conservative activist group

See HILL, 5 ☛

ADMINISTRATION

Deans speak about financial aid policy ■ The Student Union held a

forum to discuss the new policy, which will affect the class of 2015.

By SARA AHMED JUSTICE STAFF WRITER

The Student Union held a town hall meeting in the Hassenfeld Conference Center last Thursday to discuss the recommendations for changes to Brandeis’ admission and financial aid policies.

According to an Oct. 19 article of the Justice, the recommendation is that applicants to Brandeis University be accepted on a needblind basis until there are no more funds, in which case the university would review applicants on a need-sensitive basis. Many merit

PHOTO COURTESY OF ZOE MESSINGER

PACHANGA INCIDENTS: Students stand outside the Levin Ballroom last Saturday as they prepare to enter the Pachanga event.

Pachanga night yields arrests, medical crises ■ President Reinharz has

categorized students’ behavior at the biannual dance as unprecedented.

scholarships that the university offers would no longer exist, with the exception of scholarships that are specifically endowed. This change would affect the Class of 2015 and those after it but not earlier classes.

Brandeis is currently needblind, meaning that an applicant’s financial need is not taken into consideration. By contrast, a need-sensitive policy takes financial situations into consideration.

Dean of Student Financial Services Peter Giumette, who answered questions at the meeting with Dean of Admissions Mark Spencer, said that the current system is problematic because the University had a limited ability to fund the financial needs of all applicants. In the Oct. 19 issue of The Justice, Prof.

See DISCUSSION, 5 ☛

By NASHRAH RAHMAN JUSTICE EDITOR

Editor's note: Because all charges related to the arrests described in this article have been dismissed, the Justice has removed the names of the individuals involved. For the original text, contact the editor in chief at editor@thejustice.org.

The Department of Public Safety responded to several incidents of disruptive student behavior that resulted in two student arrests and the hospitalization of multiple intoxicated students on the night of last Saturday's Pachanga dance, Director of Public Safety Ed Callahan said in an interview with the Justice.

Pachanga is a popular dance event hosted each semester by the International Club in Levin Ballroom.

University President Jehuda Reinharz described the incidents as

“unprecedented” in his 16 years as president in an e-mail sent to the student body last night. “They cause me and other members of this community great concern,” Reinharz wrote.

Two students were arrested and charged under Massachusetts law for disorderly conduct and assaulting University police, according to the police media log. The log also states that one of the students was also charged with resisting arrest.

The arrested students could not be reached by press time despite repeated requests for comment. As per protocol, Brandeis Emergency Medical Corps initially arrived with University Police in response to request for assistance. Additional University Police officers arrived to provide further assistance because BEMCo “felt threatened,” Callahan said.

“The [University] Police arrived, and there was a situation that dramatically went downhill,” Callahan said.

“Several individuals exhibited very violent behavior and the officers tried to mitigate the situation. ... While trying to arrest the person, one of my officers was bit in the forearm by the indi-

See PACHANGA, 5 ☛

Kaos Kids

Winning the home finale

Scheduling changes

■ Sean Norton ’12 started the hip-hop group Kaos Kids.

■ The men’s soccer team defeated Springfield College 3-1 last Wednesday.

■ The Faculty Senate will review possible changes to the class scheduling system.

FEATURES 9 For tips or info call (781) 736-6397

vidual that was being arrested. He broke [the officer's] skin; subsequently [the officer] had to go to the NewtonWellesley Hospital and receive shots and treatment, and the other officer hurt his back trying to mitigate the situation,” Callahan said.

University Police requested that Waltham Police also provide further assistance, according to Sergeant Timothy King of the Waltham Police Department. Callahan explained that the Waltham Police were called because "there was a mob mentality where a group started to form, and the officers who were trying to put this individual in the cruiser were faced with some very negative actions from the crowd."

The two students were taken to the Waltham police station and booked, according to Callahan. He said that they posted bail and had to go to court yesterday morning. Callahan did not elaborate on the matter.

Director of Student Rights and Community Standards Dean Gendron said in an interview with the Justice that the University has also filed charges against the two students for

Let your voice be heard!

Submit letters to the editor online at www.thejusticeonline.com

INDEX

SPORTS 16 ARTS SPORTS

17 16

EDITORIAL FEATURES

10 7

OPINION POLICE LOG

10 2

NEWS 3 COPYRIGHT 2010 FREE AT BRANDEIS. Call for home delivery.

2

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 26, 2010

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THE JUSTICE

NEWS SENATE LOG

POLICE LOG

Union Senate halts transportation to Long Island for Thanksgiving

Medical Emergency

At the Oct. 24 Senate meeting, Sarah Geller ’13 was confirmed and sworn in as the director of community advocacy.

Senior Representative to the Board of Trustees Heddy Ben-Atar ’11 presented the Senate with a draft of the PowerPoint presentation she prepared and plans to present to the Board of Trustees tomorrow, which focuses on financial aid changes, Dining Services issues, the importance of a University pool and the need to make the University more “fun” socially.

It was unclear whether Junior Representative to the Board of Trustees Adam Hughes ’12 will present with Ben-Atar because he has yet to be confirmed by the Board as a student member. The Senate unanimously endorsed the presentation.

Senator for the Class of 2011 Abraham Berin presented on behalf of the Senate’s Services Committee concerning shuttle bus services for Thanksgiving weekend.

Berin stated that, per bus, it would cost the Senate $300 for service to Boston’s South Station or Logan International Airport and $1,200 per bus for service to New York City’s Penn Station.

The senators then discussed the logistics and routes of the services it would provide. The Senate decided that there would be no bus service to Long Island, as students who live there could use train service to get there after taking any New Yorkbound bus.

During the discussion, Senator for the Class of 2011 Michael Newborn mentioned that Article 6, Section 1 of the Union Bylaws states that the committee must provide bus service to “Logan Airport, New York City, and Long Island preceding Thanksgiving Break and Spring/Passover Recess.”

Eventually, Senator for the Class of 2014 Mitchell Schwartz drafted and proposed an amendment to the Bylaws, which changed the language of that section to read that the committee must provide bus service “including but not limited to Logan Airport and New York City, preceding Thanksgiving Break.” The amendment was approved unanimously.

The majority of senators expressed their support through a straw poll for a plan that would offer transportation, without any return trips, from the University: one New York-bound bus, one Loganbound bus and one South Station-bound bus on the Tuesday before Thanksgiving, as well as one New York-bound bus, two Logan-bound buses and two South Station-bound buses on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving. Berin said that he would bring the approved plan back to the Senate in the form of a Senate Money Resolution next week.

Seth Grande ’12 and Marisa Turseky ’13 asked the Senate to formally support the campaign to have Dining Services provide only cage-free eggs.

Grande mentioned that Student Union President Daniel Acheampong ’11 met with Director of Dining Services Aaron Bennos to discuss potential price increases in meal plans for exclusive use of cage-free eggs, which would be approximately $20, although Grande was unsure as to whether this was the peryear or per-semester price increase.

The Senate unanimously voted in favor of issuing a resolution of support.

Linda Li ’13 presented to the Senate on behalf of Clubs in Service. Li urged the senators to involve their constituencies to help with advertising its efforts.

Oct. 18—University Police received a report of a student with a leg injury on the athletic fields of the Gosman Sports and Convocation Center.

BEMCo treated the party onscene with a signed refusal for further care.

Oct. 20—A party in Usen Hall informed University Police of an individual who was experiencing chest pressure and having difficulty breathing.

BEMCo treated the patient on-scene, and the patient was transported to the NewtonWellesley Hospital.

Oct. 20—A party outside of the Usdan Student Center reported that his friend was suffering from dizziness.

The patient was transported to the Golding Health Center by the University Police.

Oct. 21—University Police received a report of a student suffering from a migraine headache.

BEMCo treated the party onscene, and the party was then transported to the NewtonWellesley Hospital.

Oct. 23—A party reported that a 21-year-old male in Ziv Quad was intoxicated and requested BEMCo.

The party became combative when BEMCo attempted to treat him, and University Police assisted the BEMCo staff onscene.

Oct. 23—Three females suffering from extreme alcohol intoxication while attending Pachanga were transported to the Newton-Wellesley Hospital.

Oct. 23—University Police responded to a report of an 18year-old female in Deroy Hall suffering from extreme alcohol intoxication.

The party was transported to the Newton-Wellesley Hospital.

Oct. 23—University Police responded to a report of an intoxicated 18-year-old female in Gordon Hall who needed medical assistance.

She had hit her head and was drifting in and out of consciousness before BEMCo arrived.

The party was transported to the Newton-Wellesley Hospital.

Oct. 24—Six females and two males suffering from extreme alcohol intoxication while attending Pachanga were transported to the Newton-Wellesley Hospital.

Oct. 24—University Police received a report of a male in Shapiro Residence Hall who was vomiting due to extreme al-

cohol intoxication.

The party was transported to the Newton-Wellesley Hospital.

Larceny Oct. 18—University Police compiled a report for a party whose credit card had been used without authorization at the Sachar International Center.

Oct. 19—Three community members informed University Police that there had been unauthorized use of their credit cards from the Sachar International Center.

University Police compiled a report.

Oct. 20—University Police compiled a report for a party whose credit card had been used without authorization at the Sachar International Center.

Oct. 21—University Police compiled a report for a party whose credit card had been used without authorization at the Sachar International Center.

Oct. 22—University Police compiled a report for a party whose credit card had been used without authorization at the Sachar International Center.

TALI SMOOKLER/the Justice

Sustainability Rocks Ben Gronich ’12 and Myles Tyrer-Vasell ’12 performed for the crowd at Sustainability Rocks last Tuesday night to raise money for environmentally friendly efforts on campus.

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

ANNOUNCEMENTS

theJustice

Interested in Year in Service programs? Interested in educational service? Find out more about MATCH corps during its informal drop-in hours. Today from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. outside of Einstein Bros. Bagels in the Shapiro Campus Center.

Main Line News Forum Features Sports Arts Ads Photos Managing

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

The Justice Brandeis University Mailstop 214 P.O. Box 549110 Waltham, MA. 024549110 E-mail: editor@thejustice.org

Disturbance Oct. 23— A party in the South Campus Commons notified University Police that 15 people were pushing each other around and one male party was bleeding from the head.

University Police arrived onscene but were unable to locate any disturbance.

Miscellaneous Oct. 20—A community development coordinator observed what was believed to be marijuana during a fire drill inspection in the South Campus Commons.

The University Police confiscated the contraband and University judicial charges will be filed.

—compiled by Fiona Lockyer

Friday boiler malfunction repaired overnight

CORRECTIONS AND CLARIFICATIONS

The Justice is the independent student newspaper of Brandeis University. The Justice is published every Tuesday of the academic year with the exception of examination and vacation periods. Editor in Chief office hours are held every Monday from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. in the Justice office.

Oct. 23—Two individuals in Ziv Quad were arrested for assault and battery on a police officer, disorderly conduct and resisting arrest.

Both parties were transported to the Waltham Police station for processing, and University Judicial charges are being filed.

BRIEF

—Hillel Buechler

An article in News misrepresented some facts in an article. The article stated that “because spending was reduced, less of the overall endowment fund was used, resulting in the investment of more funds, which led to more investment return.” The sentence should read, “because spending in fiscal 2010 was reduced, lesser funds were used, which will lead to more investment return in the future if the market remains positive.” Also, the spending amount of $42.5 million is for fiscal 2011, not fiscal 2012. (Oct. 19, pg. 7)

Assault

Coffee chat with MATCH corps

Martin Weiner lecture series Listen to Jeffrey E. McClintock’s discussion of black holes and the implications of measured spin data for models of relativisitic jets and black hole formation. This discussion is part of the Physics department Colloquium. Today from 4 to 5 p.m. in Abelson-Bass-Yalem 131.

Passport to sophomore success This is a special resource fair exclusively for the Class of 2013. Come speak with representatives from Academic Services, Hiatt Career Center, Experiential Learning, the department of Community Living, the Office

of Study Abroad, Community Service, Student Financial Services, the University Writing Center and Student Activities. Plus, undergraduate department representatives from academic majors and minors will be on hand to answer questions about major selection, classes, faculty and more! Tomorrow from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. in the Levin Ballroom.

President Reinharz holds student office hours University President Jehuda Reinharz will be available to meet with students for approximately 10 minutes per student on a firstcome, first-served basis. Please call (781) 736-3001 on the scheduled date to confirm that no changes have been made. Thursday from 2 to 3:30 p.m. in Irving 113.

Psychology colloquium talk Join the Psychology department in listening to a talk titled “The Contribution of Childhood Trauma to the Neurobiology of Depression” given by Dr. Christine Heim of

On Oct. 23, Senior Vice President of the Administration Mark Collins issued a campuswide e-mail explaining that a main boiler that provides several campus buildings with heat and hot water had malfunctioned at approximately 11 p.m. the night before.

Affected residence halls included East Quad, the Usen Castle, North Quad and Rosenthal Quad.

Collins said in an interview with the Justice that the cause of the malfunction was a broken relief valve, which resulted in a loss of the required amount of steam to support the affected quads.

Collins explained that contractors were contacted Friday night to repair the malfunctioning boiler, but the cost of that repair is undetermined at this time.

According to Collins, hot water and heat service were completely functional by midday Saturday.

Collins also said that the cause of the fire that occurred in the Heller School for Social Policy and Management in the Schneider building Oct. 18 was still undetermined.

The fire resulted in an immediate evacuation of the building.

In an interview with the Justice, Director of Public Safety Ed Callahan said that glass repairs, smoke damage repair and aesthetic repairs are currently under way in the Schneider building.

Collins said the costs of repairing the damage would exceed $50,000 "We work with the Waltham Building department in the residence halls to eliminate fire safety concerns," said Callahan of the University's fire precaution measures.

—Fiona Lockyer, Jillian Wagner contributed reporting

Emory University. Thursday from 3:30 to 5 p.m. in the Hassenfeld Conference Center.

Study abroad information session The information session will include tips for researching programs and destinations, the application process, getting credit for work off-campus, financial aid, resources and services the Office of Study Abroad provides.

Attending a general information session is mandatory for students wishing to study off campus for the semester or academic year.

Thursday from 4 to 5 p.m. in the Academic Services Conference room.

Journalism brown-bag lunch and learn Please join Brandeis faculty, staff and students in welcoming Edwin Vidal ’77, director of Operations for Castila Communication, as he offers insight into the industry and shares tips with students on how to launch a career in journalism. Friday from noon to 1 p.m. in the Hiatt Career Center.

THE JUSTICE

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TUESDAY, OCTOBER 26, 2010

ACADEMICS

ACADEMICS

University announces summer, fall JBS programs

Block scheduling changes considered

■ Three programs will be

offered in summer 2011, and one program will be offered for fall 2011.

By ALANA ABRAMSON JUSTICE EDITOR

The University announced the four new course topics for the summer and fall 2011 Justice Brandeis Semesters, an experiential learning program, in a campuswide e-mail Oct. 20.

According to the e-mail, the four programs are “Civil Rights and Justice in Mississippi,” which will be taught by Prof. David Cunningham (SOC); “Environmental Health and Justice,” by Prof. Laura Goldin (AMST); “Filmmaking: From Script to Screen,” by Prof. Marc Weinberg (ENG); and “Mobile Applications and Game Development,” by Prof.

Tim Hickey (COSI). The e-mail explains that “Environmental Health and Justice” will be offered in the fall, and the others will be offered during the summer.

The JBS website explains that JBS is “an engaging, immersive academic program in which small groups of students explore a thematic topic through inquiry-based courses linked to real-world experiential opportunities.” A subcommittee of the Curriculum and Academic Restructuring Steering committee proposed implementing a Justice Brandeis Semesters in 2009.

Alyssa Grinberg, the manager of the JBS programs, wrote in an email to the Justice that the JBS committee evaluated the program proposals to determine which ones would more on to the Undergraduate Curriculum Committee.

She explained the programs announced to the student body had already received approval from the UCC Oct. 14 and that “no major revisions were incorporated in the proposals” after they had been approved.

When asked if there was a targeted student enrollment number, Grinberg wrote that “each program will roughly enroll ten to fifteen students.”

“With the benefit of small class sizes, learning will become a collaborative process, as professors are able to engage students on a more personal level, and students and their peers share their own ideas and experiences,” she explained.

Five of the eight JBS programs the University originally planned to offer last year were canceled due to both administrative reasons and a lack of student participation, according to an April 13 Justice article. When asked if there would be a concerted effort to promote enrollment in these upcoming programs, Grinberg explained that until the application deadline on March 15, the University will emphasize the benefits of the program to students in an effort to ensure adequate enrollment.

Grinberg explained that the promotion of the program would occur through e-mails and information sessions.

“Students will receive some emails with information and we will hold a series of information sessions,” she wrote, further explaining that students are encouraged to contact her or the faculty members teaching the programs to “discuss the students [sic] academic career and explore whether JBS would be the right match for the individual.”

Grinberg also emphasized that students participating in these programs would have housing for both the fall and spring semesters.

“Students can choose to live on campus or off,” Grinberg wrote.

■ Dean of the Graduate

School of Arts and Sciences Malcolm Watson explained three possible changes.

By HARRY SHIPPS JUSTICE SENIOR WRITER

The Faculty Senate is currently considering a proposal to change the University’s block scheduling system. The proposed switch would create class blocks on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons, as opposed to the current system’s Tuesday and Friday afternoons, and would change the starting times of certain class blocks, among other changes, according to an e-mail to the Justice from University Registrar Mark Hewitt.

In addition to the proposed changes to the block scheduling system, the University is currently in the process of implementing systematic changes, that would force class enrollment limits to be approved by the Dean’s Curriculum Committee and Dean of Arts and Sciences Adam Jaffe, according to an e-mail to the Justice from Jaffe.

While no decisions have been publicized, Dean of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences and chair of the

Block Scheduling Committee Malcolm Watson wrote in an e-mail to the Justice that he expects the Faculty Senate will make a recommendation regarding the proposed changes to the block scheduling system to the provost soon, who will then make the final decision on any changes.

Prof. Tim Hickey (COSI), chair of the Faculty Senate, confirmed in an interview with the Justice that Hewitt and Watson presented a report to the Faculty Senate detailing four different block scheduling proposals, but he declined to comment on the specific proposals of the Faculty Senate at this point.

Watson wrote in a follow-up e-mail to the Justice that he thought of three different proposals. The first, which was submitted last year and suggested more radical changes by changing all three-times-a-week courses to Monday, Wednesday and Friday, is no longer under consideration. The second proposal leaves three-times-a-week classes on Monday, Wednesday and Thursday “but modifies other blocks, mainly by utilizing Thur. afternoon and evening,” he wrote. Watson continued to write that the third option is blended and offers some classes on a Monday, Wednesday and Thursday basis and some classes on a Monday, Wednes-

day and Friday basis, but it would have basically the same afternoon schedule as the second option.

If the second option were adopted, only afternoon schedules would change. Whereas afternoon classes are currently scheduled on a Monday/Wednesday and Tuesday/Friday block system, they would instead be scheduled on a Monday/Wednesday and Tuesday/Thursday block schedule. Watson explained that the changes are advantageous to the University because “we can more effectively use the time we have each week because we will be able to use Thursday afternoons for full scheduling of classes.”

Watson also wrote that under the proposed system, two 80-minute blocks may also be combined to form three-hour class blocks. Additionally, classes could be scheduled until 9:30 p.m., according to Hewitt, and classes would not be scheduled later than 2 p.m. on Friday afternoons, excluding “special classes, such as labs and advanced graduate seminars.”

Watson wrote that the proposed changes would simplify the class schedule by starting classes on the hour or half hour.

As an example, Watson wrote that a certain block may now start at 10 a.m. and end at 10:50 a.m. rather than

3

beginning at 10:10 a.m. and ending at 11 a.m.

Watson wrote that by changing the starting time of classes, “we will be aligned with most administrative meetings and events on campus.” Additionally, according to Watson, there will be greater flexibility in combining blocks or scheduling classes that meet more than three times per week.

While Watson wrote that he was not aware of any decisions made by the Faculty Senate, he wrote that any changes would go into effect in the “next academic year at the earliest.”

In regard to imposing limits on capping class sizes, Jaffe wrote in an e-mail to the Justice that the University is enacting a proposal that will limit enrollment caps on classes. According to Jaffe, “except for foreign language classes, calculus classes and classes in which there is a physical constraint on the number of students who can be accommodated, all proposed enrollment caps need to be approved by the dean’s curriculum committee and then by [the Dean of Arts and Sciences].”

Jaffe wrote that the goal of the change is to ensure that University resources are used effectively. The changes were detailed in a report from the Dean’s Curriculum Committee released in May.

CAMPUS SPEAKER

Hedy Epstein discusses Israel’s policies ■ The Holocaust refugee

spoke about her history as an anti-Zionist and her time spent in the West Bank.

By ANDREW WINGENS JUSTICE STAFF WRITER

Hedy Epstein, a political activist and refugee from Nazi Germany, addressed Brandeis students and community members last Thursday about her experience focusing on Palestine solidarity work in the West Bank, where she has visited several times since 2003.

Jewish Voice for Peace; Students for Justice in Palestine; and the Peace, Conflict and Coexistence Studies program sponsored the event.

Epstein said she was born in Germany in 1924 to Jewish, anti-Zionist parents and fled Germany on a kindertransport, a transport of Jewish children designed to prevent them from encountering Nazi persecution, to England before World War II began. She said because of her parents’ influence, she too was an antiZionist. Much of her family perished at Auschwitz, a concentration camp, during the Holocaust.

Epstein said that her first visit to the West Bank occurred in December 2003, when she and several friends traveled there for the first time.

While in the West Bank, Epstein said she participated in many “nonviolent protests” against the Israeli military and its occupation of the West Bank. She cited one example in which she marched with Palestinians and Israelis to protest the security barrier that was constructed by Israel, and said that Israeli soldiers fired on the group and wounded an Israeli citizen and other protesters.

Epstein said, “The demonstrations are always peaceful on the part of the Palestinians, the Israelis and the internationals. The violence is always on the part of the Israeli soldiers.”

Epstein also criticized the Israeli military checkpoints, which are imposed on people entering and exiting the West Bank.

She reported that at one checkpoint, for example, she once saw an Israeli soldier use his gun to bang on the casts a young boy was wearing on both his legs and one of his arms. Epstein said she told the soldier to stop and the soldier replied, “Shut up.”

The soldier offended Epstein and she told the room of Brandeis students, “Maybe if I had been his peer, it [saying “Shut up”] would have been semi-appropriate, but even then it wouldn’t have been, I think.”

When asked by a student during a question-and-answer session why she thinks Israel instituted a block-

LYDIA EMMANOUILIDOU/the Justice

WAR REFUGEE: Epstein’s presentation focused on her experience as an activist and her views on Israel-Palestinean relations. ade of Gaza, Epstein said of the Israeli government, “I think sometimes I have the feeling they must sit up at night and figure out what can we do to hurt and to harm and to restrict freedoms for the Palestinians, because they keep on coming up with new ideas [of] how they can restrict the livelihood of the Palestinians.”

Epstein announced that another flotilla with contingents from many different countries is being planned for March 2011. She plans to be aboard a U.S. boat to Gaza.

Concerning the right for a Jewish state to exist, she said, “I am not fighting what exists and has existed since 1948. But it needs to be a different kind of a state. It needs to be a state where all people living in that state have equal rights.”

Epstein was asked to explain her view of Hamas, an Islamic militant group that won elections in Gaza in 2006. Epstein said, “Hamas was democratically elected with international supervision, so they have the right to have whatever they have. I have to recognize it; whether I like it or don’t

like it doesn’t matter.” Regarding the fact that Hamas has been deemed by some to be a terrorist organization, she said, “That has been arbitrarily decided by the United States and Israel.”

With regards to U.S. President Barack Obama’s role in the peace talks, Epstein recommended that Obama remember his once “very close relationship with Edward Said.” Said was a Palestinian American political activist who supported the Palestinian cause and advocated for Palestinian statehood. Epstein stated that Obama should consider Said’s opinions when dealing with the Middle East.

Prof. Gordon Fellman (SOC), chair of the Peace, Conflict and Coexistence Studies program said in an interview with the Justice after the event that he was willing to sponsor the event because he was convinced that Epstein acknowledged the national aspirations of both the Palestinians and the Israelis.

Fellman asserted that students entered the event with set beliefs and

were not willing to learn anything new. He said, “I thought it was a classic frozen format. … Part of what is sad about this as a university is that there is very little learning going on, there is very little listening going on.”

Sarah Geller ’13, president of Brandeis Israel Public Affairs Committee, said, “I think she is very one-sided and does not understand the whole context of the situation. … For a lot of the scenarios that she presented, there is definitely another valid side.”

Elisha Baskin (GRAD) said, “I think that she is a very brave woman to be both Jewish and have a background, her family background, and being a Holocaust survivor, to be able to speak this voice is just incredible that she has the courage and the time to talk to people about it.”

Lev Hirschhorn ’11, co-founder of Jewish Voice for Peace, noted, “Hedy is an activist and she stated her opinions—what she saw and what she felt— and people listened, and I think that is what matters.”

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TUESDAY, OCTOBER 26, 2010

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THE JUSTICE

CAMPUS SPEAKER

ADMISSIONS

Horowitz spoke about liberal biases

Univ hosts preview day

■ In his speech, David

Horowitz claimed that Universities are not teaching students how to think.

By ROBYN SPECTOR JUSTICE EDITOR

Conservative policy advocate, author and columnist for Townhall magazine David Horowitz presented his views on academic freedom and leftist bias in higher education to community members last Wednesday evening in the Rapaporte Treasure Hall.

The event was sponsored by the Brandeis Libertarian-Conservative Union, formerly known as the Brandeis Republicans. During the event, multiple security personnel were present in the room.

In his presentation, Horowitz said that his last lecture on campus was 7 years ago and was scheduled to be held in the Shapiro Campus Center Atrium, but it was moved by University administration to a more secluded venue where his views would not openly offend students.

Few fliers were posted around campus publicizing the event. Despite limited promotion and departmental support, Michael Sklaroff ’13, president of the Libertarian-Conservative Union, was satisfied with the turnout.

Horowitz, who said he considers himself a “liberal,” argued that universities today are teaching students what to think, not how to think. “Students don’t understand that they are being indoctrinated,” he said, Entire academic fields, Horowitz claimed in his speech, have been transformed into political parties. He cited examples at Brandeis such as the African and Afro-American Studies department and the Women’s and Gender Studies; Social Justice and Social Policy; and Peace, Conflict and Coexistence studies programs.

“These are not-so-subtle ways of shaping the discourse at the University,” Horowitz explicated. “Campuses are the most intolerant environments in our society.”

Horowitz referenced the two leftwing speakers on campus, Hedy Epstein and Ellen Schrecker, who both spoke to Brandeis students on the same day as his presentation. “It’s not a mystery that campus fascism is a left-wing phenomenon,” Horowitz argued when comparing the police presence in the room to the expected minimal security measures for leftwing Middle East commentators.

In his Townhall column, Horowitz wrote an Oct. 22 entry titled “Schrecker and Me at Brandeis,” where he noted the small number of faculty present at his event and the complete lack of departmental sponsorship that the event had garnered.

He pointed out that on the same night, Ellen Schrecker spoke to students about her new book, The Lost Soul of Higher Education, which was sponsored by the Education, History,

Sociology, Anthropology and English departments and the Women’s and Gender Studies, Mandel Center for Studies in Jewish Education, Legal Studies and Journalism programs.

“This little disparity tells you all you really need to know about the intellectual orientation of academic faculties and their disrespect for conservative students,” Horowitz wrote in his column. However, he noted that the Brandeis LibertarianConservative Union was not alone in bringing Horowitz to campus without faculty or departmental support. He explained that after speaking at 400 universities over 20 years, only two faculty members invited him to speak and only one department had ever invited him to speak.

Horowitz has written numerous books discussing the role of liberalism in academic freedom and listed Prof.

Gordon Fellman (PAX) as a dangerous professor in his book, The Professors: 101 Most Dangerous Academics in America.

A campus bookstore representative arranged at the event at least 30 copies of Horowitz’s new book, Reforming Our Universities: The Campaign for an Academic Bill of Rights. No copies were sold or signed after the lecture.

Only one professor attended the event, Prof. Jacob Cohen (AMST), who described himself that evening as a “conservative” faculty member at Brandeis in rebuke of Horowitz’s assertions that “there are no conservatives on the faculty here” at Brandeis.

Horowitz also spoke about Israel, claiming that “whenever Israel has shown the willingness to negotiate, to withdraw, what has happened is that they have been made weaker because the other side is a terrorist entity.” He argued that Palestine never belonged to the Arabs, tracing the lineage of the land back to the Philistines, and referenced the recent flotilla incident in which Israeli soldiers intercepted a Turkish ship carrying humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip, saying that, “when the Jews responded, the campus fascists joined the terrorists.”

Paraska Tolan ’11, a member of Jewish Voice for Peace and Students for Justice in Palestine, disputed Horowitz several times during his speech. In an interview with the Justice after the event, she claimed that she was frustrated by Horowitz’s “unsubstantiated accusations” against student groups at Brandeis like the Muslim Students Association, which Horowitz defined as a “wing of Muslim Brotherhood” with a direct agenda for terrorism.

Liza Behrendt ’11, a co-founder of Jewish Voice for Peace, called Horowitz a “complete bigot” and felt that “his ideology reinforces the same oppression that has persisted in the Western world for a very long time, particularly in the United States and in Israel.”

Gary Willig ’14 said, “I think it was important to have him here. I don’t agree with everything he says, but I generally don’t agree with everything that speakers say.”

■ This event was the second

of three this fall that marks a change in the recruit of prospective students.

By SARA AHMED JUSTICE STAFF WRITER

Last Sunday, the Office of Admissions hosted its second of three Fall Preview Days for prospective applicants. The multiple Fall Preview Days marks a shift from Brandeis’ previous method of having one large fall open house and one small preview day.

In an e-mail to the Justice, Luigi Solla, associate director of Admissions, said that the goal of restructuring Fall Preview Days was to recreate the “intimacy of the [preview] program” by organizing days with smaller groups rather than one large event. Solla said that in the past, the annual Fall Open House had generally received favorable feedback, but the smaller preview days have received extremely positive reviews. According to Solla, attendees said that the smaller program “helped them to get a genuine sense of the small, academically and socially passionate community that [Brandeis is].”

Solla said that by “breaking down the traditional large-scale” fall open house into three smaller Fall Preview Days, Admissions hopes to create a “casual setting” where visitors can speak with faculty, stu-

dents, and staff while still being informed about admissions, academics, campus life, and financial aid.

Solla said that, until this year, Admissions would host onemain fall open house for high school seniors on Columbus Day with a smaller preview day in November for both high school seniors and juniors. In addition to creating smaller events, Solla said that by having three separate dates, Brandeis became has made Brandeis more flexible to the schedules of prospective students. The dates of the program —Oct. 10, Oct. 24 and Nov. 21 —provide students with more options to visit Brandeis than in past years past. Solla explained that as a result of the three options, Admissions is expecting over 300 more total visitors versus in comparison to previous years.

According to the Fall Preview Days’ schedule on the Admissions website, the day begins with registration at the Carl and Ruth Shapiro Admissions Center followed by a residence hall showcase in Massell Quad. Shortly after, Dean of Admissions Mark Spencer welcomes prospective students and their families with opening remarks at Sherman Function Hall, along with an information session about admissions by Director of Admissions Jennifer Walker, who also takes questions from both students and parents regarding admissions, campus life and financial aid.

During last Sunday’s opening remarks, Spencer greeted visitors

and explained why he choose Brandeis, saying, “This is a very passionate place.” He went on to say that students and faculty have great enthusiasm, and Walker explained to students what makes Brandeis unique. Prospective students were then led on campus tours before attending the Brandeis Community Panel, where Brandeis students elaborate on campus life and also answered questions. Students were then invited back to the Shapiro Admissions Center for a reception, which gives them the chances to speak with members of Brandeis faculty.

The reviews for the restructured Fall Preview Days have been very positive, according to Solla. He said that Admissions received comments that which showed that a smaller program made the Preview Day more comfortable for prospective students.

At the ending reception, Leo Gefter, a high school senior, said that Fall Preview Day and Brandeis were “up to and above” his expectations. Helen Voloshin, another high school senior, said that the day had been very informative and helpful.

Debbie Sternklar, who accompanied her daughter to Fall Preview Day, said that being able to talk to “so many people” including students, faculty and staff, was “excellent.” Gefter, Voloshin, and Sternklar said that their questions about Brandeis were answered and that the overall program went smoothly.

ASHER KRELL/the Justice

STUDENT PANEL: Students discussed their Brandeis experiences for prospective students at last Sunday’s Preview Day.

CENTERS AND INSTITUTES

Cohen Center launches the JData project for Jewish education ■ JData will increase the

amount of consolidated research that is available for Jewish education.

By LEAH IGDALSKY JUSTICE CONTRIBUTING WRITER

On Oct. 8, the Maurice and Marilyn Cohen Center for Modern Jewish Studies announced the official national launch of its JData.com project from the Brandeis House in New York, which is intended to strengthen “the Jewish education system with highquality, publicly-available, user-driven data,” according to it’s website.

JData.com intends to address the lack of a consolidated research database for those involved in Jewish education, according to Project Director Amy Sales in an Oct. 21st interview with the Justice. JData also creates possibilities for further philanthropic work within the Jewish community by allowing users to use the statistics

and reports compiled by the website to understand where and how resources are currently allocated, influencing donors’ decisions regarding where they choose to donate.

The JData project is sponsored by the Jim Joseph Foundation, which the foundation’s website states is “devoted exclusively to supporting education of Jewish youth” and was founded by Jim Joseph, a generous supporter of different Jewish organizations during his lifetime. The board of the Jim Joseph Foundation presented the Cohen Center with a grant for $1.5 million for its JData project.

Sales explained in an interview with the Justice that in the past, anyone wanting to study the field of Jewish education had to start “from square one,” meaning that he or she had to collect basic data on the state of Jewish education before getting to the more specific topics of study that he or she was researching. This was because there was no consolidated, organized collection of statistics or facts on the current state of Jewish educa-

tion.

In an interview with the Justice, Cohen Center Research Specialist Emily Einhorn explained that Amy Sales’ 2006 paper, “Philanthropic Lessons from Mapping Jewish Education” first sparked interest in the idea of studying, compiling and comparing Jewish education around the country.

This paper helped inspire the Jim Joseph Foundation and the Cohen Center to think about creating a database that could “support the field of Jewish education and raise the level, quality and accessibility of information about the field,” according to Sales’ interview with the Justice.

The Cohen Center launched a pilot phase of JData.com in 2008, which worked with the Jewish communities within San Francisco and Boston to collect data from organizations like day schools, camps, child care centers, youth groups and Hebrew Schools. In 2009 and 2010, this pilot expanded to include 10 communities around the country.

Since the launch, the Cohen Center

has continued the process of encouraging more community involvement around the United States. Einhorn told the Justice that confidentiality concerns as well as hesitation in moving from “pen and paper” to a digitized system are issues stopping some communities from signing on; however, the Foundation for Jewish Camps will use JData for its annual census report.

Einhorn stated that the Cohen Center is hoping that JData will essentially be the “Common Application” for Jewish education, which, like the standardized undergraduate admissions form, would serve as a centralized starting point of information from which further supplemental research and work can begin.

Furthermore, the growth and expansion of the project allows for the increase of what Sales called “engagement capabilities.” Still, Sales noted that using JData for engagement purposes rather than research would be a “byproduct” of the site’s design.

She noted that the JData team plans to “hold to the core of research.” In an in-

terview with the Justice, Sales explained that as more organizations join JData, community members, ranging from parents to donors to organizers, will be able to use the website as a starting point for research on possibilities for engagement in their communities.

The website also presents the possibility for a more fact-driven system, allowing school and synagogue boards and Federation presidents to make decisions based on concrete facts without the immense resources usually required to pursue studies about about the current state of Jewish education according to Einhorn. Einhorn explained that JData would make statistics regarding the allocation of funds and resources in the field of Jewish education more accessible to the public.

Sales told the Justice that she believes JData.com is a revolution for the world of Jewish education, since “in providing this information, … it is requiring a major change in how people think and operate who are running Jewish educational institutions.”

THE JUSTICE

PACHANGA: Two students were arrested CONTINUED FROM 1 violating the rules outlined in the Student Rights and Responsibilities handbook. Gendron said that the students were notified yesterday via email about the charges against them and that he is meeting with the students today to discuss the options available to them. Gendron declined to disclose details about the charges filed against the students.

According to the student conduct process, after a student has been contacted by e-mail, the student must meet with Gendron and complete a Choice of Action form. Gendron said that the arrested students will be given three options available: They can deny responsibility for the alleged violation and be referred for a hearing before the University Board on Student Conduct, they can accept responsibility for the alleged violation and request a sanction hearing before the University Board on Student Conduct, or they can accept responsibility for the alleged violation and request that Gendron take appropriate action. The Office of the Dean of Student Life, the University Board on Student Conduct and Gendron will be involved in assessing the situation based on the course of action the students wish to undertake.

Callahan expressed concerns about public safety on the night of Pachanga.

“From my perspective, there was a mass amount of pregaming and drinking of alcoholic beverages prior to this event. ... [What] usually happens when people pregame and drink excessively [is that] they get into a hot environment like a dance floor, then it doesn't take too long for the metabolic reactions of alcohol and obviously internal systems to cause mass disorder,” he said.

“I believe that, in comparison to last year, the number of transports and the number of intoxicated people that my staff ran into were increased in numbers,” Callahan said. He described one such incident in which an intoxicated student, who had struck her head and was going in and out of consciousness, had to wait for assistance because all available ambulances were transporting intoxicated students to hospitals.

Callahan said that approximately 20 students required some form of medical assistance, eight to 10 of whom were transported to a hospital for further care.

Public Safety utilized emergency support services from the cities of Waltham, Weston and Watertown “to render medical assistance to students who were intoxicated,” Callahan said.

He also said that some students gave false names when they requested medical assistance.

Additionally, Callahan described

the scene outside the Levin Ballroom as being chaotic because someone had sold fake wristbands for admittance to Pachanaga. “There seemed to be more people outside than obviously legitimate ticket holders at the event. We know the identity of the person who did [sell old fake wristbands] and we're trying to figure out how many counterfeit wristbands were sold to people, because obviously that led to the chaos outside,” Callahan said.

Pachanga, which was scheduled to end at 2 a.m., actually ended at around 12:30 a.m. when one of the fire alarms was activated, Callahan said. “We don't know who the student was or if it was a student [who pulled the fire alarm]. We surmise it may have been a student. We don't know who the person was, so we couldn't refer them through the student conduct system,” Callahan said.

“When my officers and security people outside tried to close the event for public safety reasons, they were greeted by people throwing bottles and a very out-of-control mob mentality scene outside, which I would attribute again to alcohol use and alcohol abuse and just nonconforming people,” Callahan said.

“We believed from a public safety perspective we had sufficient resources, but obviously the unknown factor was the students and alcohol abuse,” Callahan said.

Reinharz wrote in his e-mail, “All of this news is disheartening because in addition to unacceptable health risks, it demonstrates a lack of basic respect that students must show to each other and to the staff who are here to protect our community.”

Can Nahum '12, a co-president of the International Club, said in an interview with the Justice that the International Club is going to talk to University administrators, Public Safety, the Intercultural Center and Associate Dean of Student Life Jamele Adams about designing a new ticket system to avoid the sale of fake tickets.

Callahan recommended that the community educate its members about drinking responsibly. “In my experience at Brandeis, the kind of behavior we saw on campus over the weekend was very unusual,” Reinharz wrote. “It is my strong hope that it will prove to be an anomaly.”

—Rebecca Klein and Jillian Wagner contributed reporting.

Clarification: The article combined the events of Pachanga, which took place in the Levin Ballroom, with the student arrests and the events leading up to them, which took place in Ziv Quad. The article should have noted the different locations more distinctly to avoid reader confusion.

●

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 26, 2010

5

APOLOGY REQUEST PUBLICIZED

ROBYN SPECTOR/the Justice

MEDIA COVERAGE: Various news crews assembled on campus for on-scene reports about Thomas’ unexpected phone call.

HILL: After quiet 19 years, Thomas’ wife reaches out CONTINUED FROM 1 founded in 2009 by Mrs. Thomas, shared Thomas’ official statement with the Justice. Appell emphasized that CRC represents not Mrs. Thomas but Liberty Central.

“I did place a call to Ms. Hill at her office extending an olive branch to her after all these years, in hopes that we could ultimately get passed [sic] what happened so long ago,” Thomas wrote in her statement. “That offer still stands, I would be very happy to meet and talk with her if she would be willing to do the same. Certaianly no offense was ever intended.”

Justice Thomas declined to comment on the matter, according to Supreme Court spokesperson Kathy Arberg.

After receiving the voice mail, Hill discussed it with some of her colleagues and made the decision to inform Brandeis Public Safety, according to Gully.

Gully explained that Hill “thought it was appropriate that she should inform [Public Safety] about the call” because “she wasn’t sure if it was a prank.”

Hill notified Public Safety about the message Oct. 18, according to Director of Public Safety Ed Callahan. Callahan said he then informed the Federal Bureau of Investigation about the situation.

FBI agent Greg Comcowich, a

spokesperson for the FBI’s Boston office, said, “We are not commenting on that matter at all.”

In 1991, Hill accused Justice Thomas of sexual harassment and testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee during his Supreme Court confirmation hearings. She testified that during her time as Thomas’ aide at the Department of Education and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, he “spoke about acts that he had seen in pornographic films involving such matters as women having sex with animals, and films showing group sex or rape scenes.” She said the “conversations were very vivid.”

In the hearings, Justice Thomas denied the accusations and referred to them as a “high-tech lynching.”

The nationally televised hearings became a matter of widespread controversy, leaving the country divided in a discussion about sexual harassment in the workplace. The Senate eventually confirmed Justice Thomas by a vote of 52-48.

The issue had remained relatively dormant until Mrs. Thomas’ Oct. 9 voice mail.

Hill has been teaching at Brandeis since 1998. She is a professor of Social Policy, Law and Women’s Studies at the Heller School for Social Policy and

Management.

After hearing about the voic mail, Prof. Mary Baine Campbell (ENG) forwarded a petition to a faculty listserv called Concerned.

In response to questions about Thomas’ voice mail and about the petition, Campbell wrote in an email to the Justice that she “forwarded this particular petition … from the progressive organization Credo Action, because it asks Justice Thomas to apologize for his harassment of Prof. Hill: a fitting response to the weird sexism of Mrs. Thomas’s demand.”

Campbell explained wrote that “the message to Professor Hill was bizarre, and I can’t guess its motivation. I don’t know what political benefit it might have had.”

Campbell wrote in the e-mail that Hill’s decision not to apologize “was no surprise: she was put under enormous pressure to backtrack or desist during the hearings, and lost her job because of her integrity in sticking to her testimony. … Why would she compromise it now, on the basis of a voice mail message?”

“The Brandeis community supports Professor Hill as we would any member of the faculty, student [body] or staff that was involved in something like this,” Gully said.

“She’s a very distinguished member of the faculty, and as an institution, we certainly support her.”

DISCUSSION: Union holds forum on financial aid policy CONTINUED FROM 1 Steven Burg (POL) explained that the University currently conducts a system called “gapping,” in which the University calculates the estimated need for a student but does not provide the student with the whole amount because of the limited funds.

Giumette explained that on average, Brandeis currently meets about 85 percent of a student’s estimated needs. Giumette and Spencer both said that the change in policy would enable the University to meet 100 percent of a student’s estimated need rather than just a fraction of it.

The deans explained that the school would admit as many students as possible on a need-blind basis before using financial need as a factor for admission.

When drawing a line between students admitted on a need-blind basis and a need-sensitive basis, Spencer confirmed that students would be ranked by desirability, or their chances of acceptance based

on academic and extracurricular qualifications. Once the available funds for financial need are exhausted, lower-ranked applicants will be admitted on a need-sensitive basis. This policy would allocate more funds to provide admitted students with aid, rather than admitting more students without the ability to meet 100 percent of their need.

Giumette and Spencer stressed that a student’s financial need would become one of multiple criteria that the admissions officers analyze before determining their acceptance. Giumette said that factors include transcript grades, SAT and ACT scores, extracurricular involvement and recommendations of students by teachers and mentors, and he explained that financial need would be added to that list.

Giumette and Spencer also explained the decision to eliminate many scholarships from financial aid awards. This would allocate more funds to be given to students on a need basis in order to meet 100 percent of need for more students.

However, Spencer and Giumette said some merit scholarships will still be available. “[Those scholarships] are specifically endowed,” said Giumette, “and those will be continued to the extent possible.”

According to Giumette, the number of students receiving merit scholarships has declined over the years. In an e-mail to the Justice, Giumette said that the number of merit scholar recipients who enrolled dropped by 60 percent between the Classes of 2013 and 2014. Among the scholarships awarded were Justice Brandeis Scholarships, Presidential Scholarships, Dean’s Awards and Merit Trustee Scholarships. “There are very few students in the Class of [2014] that have strict merit scholarships. We’ve been moving in this direction over the last couple of years,” said Giumette.

When asked about the possibility of early decision applicants rising, the deans said that they do not expect that percentage, which they said was about 20 percent of the

Class of 2014, to rise significantly.

Giumette explained that a student who applies to Brandeis early decision is aware that it is a binding decision, meaning that if accepted, the student must attend Brandeis, and that students who apply early decision generally have lower estimated need than students who apply regular decision.

The town hall meeting was hosted by the Student Union. In an interview with the Justice, Student Union President Daniel Acheampong ’11 said that the meeting was held in order to inform students and get them involved in policy change on campus. When asked why the meeting was held a month after the recommendations for the policy change were announced, Acheampong explained that it was a scheduling issue.

“Timing was very difficult,” he said. He also said that students wanted to know why these changes were taking place and wanted to create a forum at which students could get answers and be involved.

“It’s so important to get student opinions,” said Acheampong.

“Without including students [in these decisions], it’s as if we’re building something without the foundation. Students are the foundation of this university, and students are the future.” Acheampong promised to keep students informed as news about the policy change progresses.

Many students were able to attend the town hall and have their questions answered by the deans.

Adam Garbacz ’14, one of those students, said that his main concern about the policy change was a “de facto financial discrimination,” meaning that students who had a higher estimated need would not be as likely to be admitted. He said that the town hall meeting cleared up many misconceptions that he had.

“I had heard about [the policy change] from other [students] and thought it was a lot worse,” said Benjamin Hill ’14. “I think [the school] is trying to make the right decisions.”

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THE JUSTICE

just

features

●

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 26, 2010

7

VERBATIM | Daniel Schorr All news is an exaggeration of life.

ON THIS DAY...

FUN FACT

In 1958, Pan American Airways made the first commercial flight from New York City to Paris.

The longest recorded flight of a chicken is 13 seconds.

A career ‘Considered’ Guy Raz ’96 discusses his success as the host of a program on National Public Radio

By TESS RASER JUSTICE EDITOR

Guy Raz ’96 knew he liked journalism as soon as he entered college, when he joined the Justice and an on-campus magazine. He covered tons of events, became an editor of both the newspaper and the magazine, thought of innovative ways to change his section and fell more in love with journalism, particularly with National Public Radio. Fourteen years later, not only is he still an avid NPR listener, but he is the weekend host of the NPR program All Things Considered.

Raz, originally from Los Angeles, came to Brandeis because of the school’s strong Politics and History departments. He started his involvement in journalism on campus as a first-year and was already an assistant editor at the Justice by his second semester.

“We were going through a very creative time. We were doing some new things with the newspaper. [Raz] approached the Forum section in very much the same way; he tried to be very creative and innovative,” said Howard Jeruchimowitz ’94, the paper’s editor in chief during Raz’s time as the Forum editor, in a phone interview with the Justice.

Jeruchimowitz remembers that Raz was interested in the whole editorial process and would often stay late with Jeruchimowitz after finishing his section’s work. “[Raz] was motivated by the creativity of his section, and he was interested in what I was doing,” he said.

During production night, the night the newspaper receives its final edits and is put together, Jeruchimowitz remembers Raz expressing interest in foreign affairs and in NPR. “My senior year, I listened to it all the time.

I loved it. I couldn’t get enough. I just loved the stories and the voices and the way the stories were told,” Raz said in a phone interview with the Justice.

Upon graduating, Raz went on to receive his master’s degree in History at Cambridge University in England, and, in fall 1997, he applied for a paid internship at NPR. After being an avid listener, Raz listed specific people and programs he had heard in his application. He believes this was the edge to his application that got him the internship.

“We get a lot of letters at NPR, and I would say 90 percent of the letters are, “I’m writing to you because I’m very interested in pursuing a career in broadcast journalism to broaden my horizons, and NPR would be the perfect place for me to do that.” … The problem is when they say that, is there is nothing original,” Raz said about the applications he now reviews.

“I was specific. I gave names of people I wanted to work with. I gave names of specific programs I had heard and liked. That’s why I got an interview,” he continued.

Raz started at NPR doing research for other journalists at the station, such as the late Daniel Schorr, an Emmy award-winning television journalist and senior news analyst at NPR. He did tedious work searching through encyclopedias and running to the library for Schorr—one of Raz’s personal mentors—and other hosts but noted that this was a “transitional period, and was not permanent” Raz has been at NPR since then, with only a 2-year

RISHIKA ASSOMULL/the Justice

break to work at CNN as its Jerusalem correspondent, according to his profile on NPR’s website.

After returning to NPR from CNN, Raz covered news happening at the Pentagon and events in the Middle East. In 2009, Raz became the official weekend host of the program All Things Considered.

“Being a reporter [was] just a different job than being a show host, because you generally cover one issue. This job is different. We’re doing everything from pop culture, to folk segments, to books, to thinkers, … to scientists, to hiphop,” Raz explained.

Raz approaches reporting and hosting his program with the wisdom he acquired from his time in Brandeis classrooms.

He learned about compassion from Prof.

Antony Polonsky’s (NEJS) “Destruction of European Jewry,” which according to Raz, is applicable to journalism.

“It wasn’t about the science of a historical event but also about the people who were affected by those events. I think that is also an important thing you need to do in journalism,” he said.

He then told an anecdote about the story of a flood and noted that it is important to tell the facts of the flood, such as why the flood happened and why the city was not prepared for it.

It is also important, Raz said, to talk to people whose houses were destroyed.

“Part of what makes telling a news story is not just telling the news but also making sure that you can make a connection between people affected by the news. There are real people behind the news,” he elaborated.

According to Raz, the way that Polonsky taught history maintained that similar balance between “academic detachment” and a “tremendous amount of empathy.”

During his time at Brandeis, Raz also learned about critical thinking and having an open mind from a campus full of varying polit-

ical and academic opinions.

The focus on strong writing and the heavy workload has also helped Raz in his journalism career.

“I read a lot, had to read a lot. … The class expectations [were] big, so by having to read a lot and being exposed to a lot of ideas, it just got [me] prepared to do that as a professional,” he said.

Raz does about 15 to 18 in-depth, highly researched interviews per week. These interviews are with people from all disciplines and walks of life; Eminem and Bill Gates have both been on the show at different points.

“All of those interviews require a lot of preparation. I have to read a book, I have to listen to music. If it’s a member of Congress, someone involved in national security, ... you have to be prepared. To get to that point, you have to do a bit of reading,” he said.

Like in college, though, the great thing about all the reading for Raz is that he is learning something new every day.

“You’re learning about topics and issues that you may not know a lot about, but you have to gain some understanding quickly.

That’s what I think is the best part of the job,” he stated.

Before these interviews, Raz and the staff of about eight people met early in the week to come up with ideas for the weekend shows.

The team tries to balance out how much a story has already been covered that week and how much they think a story needs to be looked at from a different angle.

“We try to use the obvious big stories and kind of a take step back and look at the deeper stories. We come up with the ideas and turn it into radio,” Raz explained.

Raz works at a job he loves in a field he knew he always loved. He believes that the key to his success and advice that all students could use is simple: hard work.

“You have to be prepared for setbacks, [and]

PHOTO COURTESY OF BRANDEIS IN THE BERKSHIRES

SHOW HOST: Guy Raz ’96 worked on campus publications and now is a professional journalist. you have to be willing to do anything. At the same time, when you come in after you graduate, if you’re a Brandeis graduate, you’re smart and you’re capable and come up with great ideas. [But] you have to do work that you [do] not feel [is] particularly valuable for a while. It ultimately is valuable,” Raz said.

He understandingly continued that even though starting jobs and internships are not the most glamorous, they are just part of what recent graduates have to do.

These days, Raz has a massive audience but still feels connected to the University.

“I think that, to me, the most important part of [Brandeis] was what I learned there and that sort of thought process I retained, and that, to me, is a very important connection,” Raz said.

8

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 26, 2010

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THE JUSTICE

On the

road

HILARY HEYISON/the Justice

SPEAKING TOUR: Aman Ali shared stories with students from his 30-day trip across the country.

again

Aman Ali and Bassam Tariq came to campus last week

By DAFNA FINE JUSTICE EDITORIAL ASSISTANT

New York; Maine; Massachusetts; Pennsylvania; Washington, D.C.; North Carolina; Georgia; Florida; and Alabama. Aman Ali and Bassam Tariq have already visited nine mosques in nine days when a police car pulls them over for carelessly swerving into the right lane. They step out of the car and are individually questioned, just moments away from a ticket. Their saving grace? Showing the officer their “30 Mosques 30 States” CNN interview, a video more interesting than a minor misdemeanor.

Ali and Tariq, co-creators of the 30 Mosques 30 States project, came to Brandeis Oct. 19 to speak about their 30-day journey across the country. The event was organized

by Project Nur, a student-led initiative of the American Islamic Congress that is “striving for the American ideals of democracy, diversity, and pluralism,” according to Wajida Syed ’12, president of Project Nur. The event was co-sponsored by the Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies program, the Interfaith Chaplaincy and the Brandeis Muslim Students Association.

“The American Muslim perspective is often not talked about,” Syed says. “People don’t realize there is an American Muslim narrative of both people who are accepted and who are not,” she says.

The 30 Mosques project began last year when Ali and Tariq decided to get to know the Muslim community and visit 30 mosques in New York during the holy month of Ramadan. Ali, a writer and stand-up comedian of Indian descent, and Tariq, a filmmaker and advertising copywriter born in Pakistan, visited some of the most well-known mosques of New York City, including the Malcolm Shabazz Cultural Center, dedicated to Muslim pioneer Malcolm X, and the Islamic Cultural Center of New York, believed to be the largest mosque in the New York City area.

Blogging their way through each mosque on their website with pictures, descriptions and stories, Ali and Tariq were surprised to reach thousands of readers as far as Vietnam and South Africa, both Muslim and nonMuslim.

“The energy was amazing to us,” Ali told the audience in the Harlan Chapel last Tuesday night. With the enthusiasm and support they received, the two decided to broaden the project this year from the streets of New York City to a countrywide trip during the month of Ramadan. The goal: 30 mosques, 30 states, 30 days.

“We’re not pushing an ideology, we just wanted to tell great stories. There is a genuine hunger for good, authentic stories of what Muslims are like around the country,” Ali said. “It wasn’t a response to the Ground Zero Mosque, and it wasn’t a PR campaign.

We tell the positive and negative stories,” he said.

Beginning in New York City this summer on Aug. 11, Ali and Tariq made their way on a 13,000-mile journey, stopping each day to visit a different mosque to break their fast.

To experience the diversity of Muslim communities firsthand, Ali and Tariq opted to stay at different homes each night along the way rather than in hotels. They researched the communities in each place online and found contacts they could call for a place to stay. “We were afraid of finding cookie-cutter communities, but we were pleasantly surprised by the diversity,” said Tariq in an interview with the Justice. He says he felt that no two cities were the same.

One day was spent in Ross, N.D., a city with a population of 48 people as of the 2000 census. The small city is also home to the first mosque built in the United States in 1929. Though the mosque was demolished in the 1970s, a new one was built in its place in 2005. Nearby, in the cemetery, Ali and Tariq read the names of deceased Muslims from the community dating back as far as 1882.

They saw the Muslim community of Bosnian refugees in Idaho and the Cambodian mosque in Santa Ana, Calif. In Iowa, they visited the longest-standing mosque in North America.

“What they uncovered candidly is amazing,” Syed says. “People don’t even know there are Cambodian Muslims,” she says.

The jam-packed trip left little time for hunger. “Fasting was one of the easiest things. My mind was focused on getting there on time. We had to schedule, cram everything in, and then start again the next day,” Ali said. “We would contact communities to try to find a great story. We wanted to get a lot of perspectives in,” he continued.

The challenge for Tariq, the photographer on the trip, was to keep the photos interesting. “We wanted to give justice to each community so it looked different than the one the day before,” Tariq told the Justice. They posted photos with each blog entry to give readers a small glimpse of each community along the way, many of which he showed in a slideshow at the event.

Traveling up to 10 hours each day, the trip was not always easy. They drove over a large rock in Montana, one of the only states without a mosque, which left their car broken and Tariq hiking into town to find help.

Their car was eventually towed to Bozeman, a town about 40 miles north from where they stopped. In another instance, the two were almost kicked out of a mosque in Mobile, Ala. when they showed up with CNN. Day 30 was spent in Dearborn, Mich., home to the largest concentration of Muslims in the country. After 29 days of traveling, the two arrived late for mosque on the last day. Despite their disappointment, they made it in time to celebrate the Eid festivities with the Dearborn community, which concluded the holy month of Ramadan.

The trip not only shed a new light on Muslim communities nationwide, but also on the

HILARY HEYISON/the Justice

MEMORABLE MOMENTS: Bassam Tariq told students his favorite memories from the road trip. country itself. “America is embracing. I’ve always believed it, but to experience it was amazing,” Ali said, referring to the welcoming people along the way who opened their homes and lives to the travelers.

“It’s a great country and an incredible time,” Tariq said. Though the two do not know exactly what will be for the Muslim community in the next few years, Ali said he is on “optimistic pins and needles.” “We are at the threshold to bring change,” Tariq said.

Though Ramadan is over, the two are still on the road. They just began their 30 Mosques 30 States speaking tour, visiting different places to share their photos, stories and videos and inspire others.

“They portray diversity in general, and

specifically in America,” Nusrath Yusuf ’13 says, a member of Project Nur who found their story unique.

“We don’t have a monopoly on the project,” Ali says in response to others who have expressed interest in trying something similar. “We’re just two people stepping out of our comfort zones, learning about something and being embraced. Our experience is ours; yours might be different. We want to hear more stories,” he said.

What are they planning for next year’s Ramadan? “Thirty planets might be nuts, but we’re thinking about 30 countries in Europe,” Tariq said. “We’re just two dudes that like to hang out, listen to Alanis Morissette and drive.”

THE JUSTICE

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Kaos campus

PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY ASHER KRELL/the Justice

DYNAMIC DUO: Sean Norton ’12 and Shaquan Perkins ’13 perform hip hop together on campus. ’13

Sean Norton ’12 started the hip-hop group Kaos Kids

By REBECCA KLEIN JUSTICE EDITOR

PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY ASHER KRELL/the Justice

SMOOTH MOVES: Sean Norton ’12, founder of the dance group Kaos Kids, shows off his moves.

Sean Norton ’12 never saw himself as much of a dancer. In high school, he was involved in activities like fencing and music, and although he would sometimes try break dancing with his friends, he says he wasn’t very good.

When Norton started college, the Philosophy major and Business minor had no plans of getting involved with dance. He was quick to join a fraternity and get involved with church activities, but he did not think of joining Adagio.

Two years later, Norton is one of the founders of Brandeis’ first hip-hop dance group, Kaos Kids. He is the group’s off-campus coordinator and has taught a dance class at Brown University. Norton now cites dance as one of the biggest parts of his college experience even though his involvement came somewhat unexpectedly.

The turning point came in the second semester of Norton’s first year. Will Bedor ’10, one of Norton’s fraternity brothers, was getting a group of guys together for Adagio’s spring show. He asked Norton to join the group.

“I kind of thought it would be a lot of fun to do; there was not much more incentive other than that,” says Norton.

Norton says he loved his first dance show in Adagio, and it inspired him to want to get better.

“I [thought] it was just really, really fun.

We just had a really good time dancing together, and I wanted to keep doing it,” says Norton.

During Norton’s sophomore year, Bedor approached him again, this time to start a hip-hop dance crew. The crew started off casually and was what Norton describes as a “small, tight-knit family.” However, as time went on, the group started holding auditions for the group, and Norton, along with Bedor, Samanthan Cortez ’13, Kayla Sotomil ’10, Ben Harel ’12, Yuri Gloumakov ’13, Rebecca Schlangel ’10 and Shaquan Perkins ’13 founded what would become Kaos Kids.

Kaos Kids now has 17 members and has performed at various Adagio shows, the Fall Fest Variety Show and October’s Sustainability Rocks benefit concert.

Last summer, Norton continued to get more involved with dance, as he “took a lot of classes with Project D in New Jersey.”

Norton eventually auditioned for the dance company and was accepted. Norton says that Project D “improved my dancing style and mentality when it comes to running a dance company and crew.”

His involvement with Project D introduced him to a dancer who gave him an opportunity to teach a student dance class at

Brown University.

“A guy from Project D is a grad student at Brown right now, and he approached me toward the end of the summer and asked me if I’d like to come teach a class at Brown. He hooked me up with that, so that was my first time really teaching a dance class ever. I’d love to do it again,” Norton says.

Norton says that dance is greatly influencing his college experience by “giving [him] something to look forward to” and that Kaos Kids is helping to fill a dance niche on campus.

“There’s so many groups on campus, we have religious coexistence groups ... and culture groups. ... I think that one of the things that wasn’t here before was a real hip-hop dance group, and hopefully we’re adding to the culture at Brandeis,” Norton says .

In the future, Kaos Kids will be performing at events including Dance Fest with Adagio, Mela and a student’s senior project, just to name a few. Norton also hopes the group will be able to perform at Brown and other off-campus events.

Norton hopes that even after he graduates the legacy of Kaos Kids will continue.

“I would love to see everyone grow together as dancers. I want us to move together well [and] learn different styles, not just hip hop but dance as a whole, [and] be able to go out and compete with other schools such as Boston College [and] BU Fusion. Even if it’s after I graduate, I would love for Kaos Kids to eventually be able to compete at the college level,” Norton says.

On the personal level, Norton would also like to continue his involvement with dance after he graduates. However, while Norton says he would love to dance professionally, he is unsure if it is an economically feasible option.

“If there was a way where I could have a comfortable life and not necessarily have to worry about income and keep dancing, I would love to keep doing it,” he says.

Shaquan Perkins ’13 is one of the founders of Kaos Kids and also the group’s logistics coordinator. Perkins, who has been involved with dance since high school, describes Kaos Kids as a “family,” as does Norton, and says that the group’s atmosphere is “magnificent.”

Perkin says that he feels that the group is helping to bring awareness of hip hop to campus and that his favorite part of Kaos Kids is “seeing my Jewish kids get down.”

Still, he has high ambitions for the group and says that he hopes “that the group brings hip hop to Brandeis and allows Brandeis to just accept hip hop to the campus. [I hope it] helps bring awareness to the genre and other parts of dance and I hope the group gets to perform every chance we get.

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THE JUSTICE

the Justice Established 1949

Brandeis University

B RIAN FROMM, Editor in Chief REBECCA B LADY, Managing Editor B RIAN N. B LUMENTHAL, Production Editor IAN CUTLER, REBECCA KLEIN, NASHRAH RAHMAN and JILLIAN WAGNER, Associate Editors ALANA ABRAMSON, News Editor TESS RASER, Features Editor HILLEL B UECHLER, Forum Editor J OSH ASEN, Sports Editor B RYAN FLATT, Arts Editor ASHER KRELL and ROBYN SPECTOR, Photography Editors DEBRA FRIEDMANN, Layout Editor EMILY KRAUS, Copy Editor C ODY YUDKOFF, Advertising Editor

Avoid future Pachanga hazards This past Saturday night, two students were arrested and numerous students required emergency medical care due to alcohol intoxication associated with Pachanga. This board agrees with the sentiment expressed yesterday by University President Jehuda Reinharz in his community-wide email that such conduct was “disheartening” and “demonstrates a lack of basic respect that students must show to each other and to the staff who are here to protect our community.”

Students may see a need to improve social life on this campus, but this event was, and ought to remain, an anomaly for our community.

It is true that Pachanga constitutes a highly attended and anticipated event at this university. Additionally, it is no secret that this campus is sometimes lacking in the vibrant social atmosphere and general school spirit present at other colleges, and the University, as well as its students, should work toward improving that situation. However, Pachanga should not serve as an exemplary way to improve the social situation on this campus.

According to the Student Advisory Committee for the Presidential Search Committee’s findings, “student life” appears to be the “most important student priority for the next Brandeis President to address.” Additionally, the results showed that students place “school spirit” as a close second on the list of what they would “like most to improve about Brandeis.”

At the weekly Student Union Senate meeting this past Sunday, Senior Representative to the Board of

Other types of events needed Trustees Heddy Ben-Atar ’11 presented a draft of the presentation that she hopes to formally present to the Board of Trustees this Wednesday. Ms. BenAtar stated that one of the focuses of her presentation to the Board would concern improving student life on campus with a specific emphasis on increasing accessibility to alcohol at campus events for those legally of age.

This board recognizes that Ms. BenAtar’s proposal can, to an extent, contribute to improving campus life by making some events more appealing to upperclassmen and thus more popular overall.

However, while we do see merit in her argument, alcohol is not the chief component to improving campus social life. The University must also look toward other aspects of student life to foster increased student pride and student life on this campus. Large events, such as SpringFest, bring much enjoyment to the community, and we hope that the University and student groups can expand their repertoires of similarly styled events.

Additionally, a concerted effort on the part of more students to support the University’s athletics teams could also increase University pride. We applaud efforts associated with Fall Fest weekend’s homecoming athletic games and hope that similar events are promoted in the future.

There is certainly a need to improve school spirit and social life here, but as a community, we must also work to avoid the type of situation that materialized this past weekend.

Scheduling proposals are useful At this month’s Department Chairs and Faculty Senate meetings, Dean of Arts and Sciences Adam Jaffe and Dean of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences Malcom Watson presented revised recommendations for a number of proposals previously presented to the community. This editorial board welcomes the new suggestions and hopes that they will be passed and implemented soon.

The revised Block Scheduling Committee Report retains 3-day-aweek classes on Monday-WednesdayThursday in the mornings while changing 2-day-a-week classes to be primarily on Monday-Wednesday and Tuesday-Thursday in the afternoons.

This increases the number of 80minute blocks with an emphasis on increased utilization of classrooms on Thursday afternoons while also opening up Friday afternoons for Jewish and Muslim students’ religious obligations in addition to faculty meetings.

Furthermore, the committee recommended that class times be changed to start on the hour or half-hour and end 10 minutes before the hour in order to better synchronize class schedules with those of the greater community.

This board sees that we stand to waste less of our limited resources by making full use of our classrooms on Thursday afternoons, and we encounter fewer conflicts by having Friday afternoons open. The change of the start times of classes is also welcome, as we will be able to better coordinate our schedules with meetings

Be mindful of limits on caps and events both on-and off-campus.

Mr. Jaffe’s report deals with the challenge of shifting student-teacher ratios. Three major policies are proposed in the report: the imposition of a minimum class size limit, a limit on placing enrollment caps on classes and the creation of new courses to appeal to a broader array of students.

While smaller classes are generally preferable, requiring professors to have legitimate pedagogical reasons for limiting a course’s size is a good way of balancing resources and allowing the most possible students to participate in a variety of classes. Of course, Mr. Jaffe should consider the specific requirements necessary for each class to be successful.

Encouraging professors to design courses that appeal to more students is also a positive change; however, we hope that this measure does not preclude the presence of classes pertaining to a professor’s particular expertise. These recommendations are not ideal but make sense in light of the University’s current resources.

Overall, we approve of the revised recommendations presented by the Block Scheduling Committee and the proposals regarding class sizes.

Moving forward, we hope that those in charge of implementing these changes, should they be approved, keep the unique needs and sensibilities of each particular class affected in mind and make their decisions accordingly.

A. ELI TUKACHINSKY/the Justice

Epstein’s presentation lacked proper context

By RYAN KUHEL JUSTICE CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Last week, Hedy Epstein, a Holocaust survivor and human rights activist, came to campus to discuss her views on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The event was disappointing.

The forum did not give context to the criticism made against Israel, and the presentation was misleading. Every person who wanted to give context to Epstein’s presentation had to choose between preventing a gross misrepresentation of the conflict and compromising the dignity of a Holocaust survivor. Because of this, I want to give some context to three major claims presented by Epstein in the forum.

Epstein spoke about her experiences seeing the security fence, the checkpoints and the Palestinian suffering in the disputed territories. She did not address the fact that Israel captured the West Bank, Golan Heights and Gaza Strip in a defensive war in 1967. Israel tried to exchange land for peace after the war, but the Syrians and Jordanians rejected the overture. Now Israel controls this territory and has to figure out how to address terrorism. After 1967, it is true that the Israeli government encouraged Jewish settlement of the disputed territories. The Oslo Accords in 1993 almost secured peace by returning over 90 percent of the disputed territories to Palestinians; however, Yasser Arafat undermined the peace talks, thereby committing a serious crime against the Palestinian people.

Israel is currently engaging in peace talks. The checkpoints obviously make Palestinian life very difficult. And some of them are poorly positioned, which needs to be addressed. But checkpoints address Israel’s security threats, and Israel is not the only country that uses checkpoints for that purpose. Although checkpoints are ugly and inconvenient anywhere, there is never an easy answer to security threats.

In response to being asked how Israel should respond to Hamas firing rockets at the Israeli city of Sderot, Epstein implied a moral equivalence between Hamas rocket fire and the Israeli response. Every reasonable form of jurisprudence differentiates between intentionally targeting civilians in a terrorist attack and inadvertently killing civilians while targeting terrorists who are using civilians as human shields.

Terrorist attacks against Israelis have included targeting and murdering individuals in a nursery school, a Passover Seder in Netanya, a discotheque for teenagers, a Hebrew University cafeteria and a passenger terminal in Lod Airport. Israel targets Hamas operatives who hide among civilians. I’m not justifying the killing the civilians; rather, I’m asking you to put yourself in the position of a government whose populace faces indiscriminate rocket fire. How would you respond?

When asked what steps should be taken to remedy the overall situation between the Israelis and Palestianians, Epstein encouraged divestment from Israel. Yes, there is tremendous Palestinian suffering in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. I hope it need not be stated that Palestinian suffering in the territories is far from Israel’s fault alone. But divesting from Israel is absurd. Israel’s actions are in response to security concerns—this doesn’t make Israel a terrible violator of human rights. Should we divest from China and not allow Chinese students, teachers, filmmakers or athletes come to the University because of the way the Chinese government deals with capital punishment, torture and its relationship with Tibet? Isolating Israel with divestment is an example of the double standard applied to Israel.

Epstein may have failed to give context to the conflict, but she did highlight Palestinian suffering, which needs to be addressed. People who have concerns about Israel’s security should not neglect to recognize Palestinian suffering.

Likewise, people with concerns about Palestinian suffering should not neglect to recognize the importance of Israel’s security. The groups active in advocacy pertaining to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict should engage in more productive efforts—at least sometimes. For example, they should consider fundraising for the Save a Child’s Heart Organization, an Israeli-based charity that provides medical care for children in developing countries. Many of the children who receive care are from the West Bank and Gaza Strip. This organization helps those is need and contributes to a culture of peace.

Groups obviously have the right to bring in speakers who present their narratives. I challenge those who are forming their views about the conflict to investigate both sides of the narrative before engaging in any serious activism. It is possible to balance concerns about Israel’s security with those about Palestinian suffering. Putting all the blame on Israel is irresponsible and unproductive.

OP-BOX Quote of the Week “Hopefully we’re adding to the culture at Brandeis.”

—Sean Norton ’12, on starting Kaos Kids at Brandeis. (See Features, page 9)

Brandeis Talks Back What did you think of this semester’s Pachanga?

OLGA MEZHEBOVSKY ’11 “It was funny as a CA to watch freshmen get ready.”

DANIEL SCHWAB ’14 “Short, extremely short.”

CHARLOTTE PADDEN ’12 “I thought it was terrible.

There were so many people with fake tickets, myself included. So many people were way too drunk.”

JOSHUA KAYE ’13 “I thought it was okay, all things considered.”

—Compiled by Rebecca Klein Photos by Tali Smookler/the Justice

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First-years must take advantage of office hours

By NAOMI VOLK JUSTICE CONTRIBUTING WRITER

The recent Wabash National Study of the University showed that 61 percent of Brandeis students had never interacted with their professors “on activities other than coursework.” Maybe it’s just me, but I am bothered that so many students could refuse to take advantage of the opportunities we have at this university to interact with the best and brightest in their fields.

Many of us come here expecting that we’re not just going to be another number in a classroom, anticipating that our world-class, prestigious professors are going to know us.

I find it even more astounding that first-years in particular wouldn’t take advantage of their situation and take the initiative required to reach out to professors. Yes, I understand that it can be daunting. After all, it’s a whole new system, and first-years are still trying to figure out what their place is in this new setting.

However, considering it is a new environment, it would make more sense to try to adjust to college expectations, which can best be done by learning from the professors themselves.

Coming out of high school, you learn great tools that will help you in college, but generally you’re still not doing college work, even if you were in an Advanced Placement class.

First-years need to understand what a college professor is looking for in a paper; the essay I had to write for the AP English Literature test wouldn’t succeed as a college-level paper.

First-years should be encouraged to go to office hours and ask questions in order to clarify expectations.

The only clear way to transition into college academic life is to have guidance by the very people who will be judging such a transition.

Yes, it’s an overwhelming change, but it’s no excuse for sitting around and hoping that something will change without ever being proactive.

I may just be an anomaly, but I’ve always striven to interact with my teachers. In high school, I was the person who would stay for hours after school talking to my teachers.

This quality of mine was something that made me admire Brandeis,

MARA SASSOON/the Justice

because the relatively small number of students would allow similar student-faculty interaction.

The discussions I had with my teachers in high school were about everything under the sun. Speaking to professors about their experiences can help you learn extensively about their fields, their accomplishments and the insights they may have into your education. It blows my mind that others wouldn’t feel

the same way.

More importantly, by speaking to professors about topics that aren’t directly related to work, you get a sense of their humanity. Professors aren’t just deities ruling over the classroom; they are people with life experiences that may just be worth listening to. If you get a sense of a professor’s true personality, you are less inclined to be shy about asking questions and about delving com-

pletely into the topic. This is because you understand that this person in front of you was once in your shoes.

Professors wouldn’t be teaching if they didn’t want to help us learn.

Would it really hurt to let them know you want to be taught? Meet them halfway, even if it means stepping up and taking the initiative.

Send a professor an e-mail, drop in on office hours or stay after class. Do

something to show that you care enough to make the first move.

Ultimately, we’re paying for the opportunity to learn from these knowledgeable people. Office hours are a free, yet terribly underutilized, service. Why spend $200,000 for textbook learning and nothing else? We have 4 years to learn everything we can, and sitting in front of a computer screen instead of listening to a human being isn’t the way to do it.

Newly installed televisions in University cafeterias are unneeded

By EMILY KRAUS JUSTICE EDITOR

Last week, I almost tripped in the Usdan Café when I found an unexpected cardboard box blocking the way from the Boulevard to the Provisions on Demand Market. Upon closer examination, I saw that the mysterious object was not just a piece of trash mocking me for texting when I should have been paying attention to where I was walking. Instead, it was a plasma television being installed right outside the Usdan game room. I could barely contain my excitement. Finally, I thought, I would be able to watch a Phillies game during dinner or have The Today Show on in the background while I read The New York Times and ate my breakfast. This was going to be great.

Imagine my surprise, then, when the next morning I was greeted not by some witty banter between Matt Lauer and Meredith Viera but by … a piece of fish. Sure, the fish looked tasty and everything, but what was it doing there? I waited for what I could only imagine was some kind of screen saver to go away and for the regular-

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ly scheduled programming to resume, but I have since come to learn that the plasma television, along with those just like it in the Boulevard, Sherman Dining Hall, and the P.O.D. Market are just there to show us pictures of food and remind us that our meals are “fresh.”

I’ve been really happy with Dining Services this past year. There has been a greater variety of food available, lines have been shorter, and having the P.O.D. Market open early on weekends has been nice. But the fact that not one, not two, but four plasma televisions were installed to leave on all day and advertise Aramark’s food—food that, to my knowledge, is nowhere to be found at Brandeis—has me feeling miffed.

First of all, what happened to all of this talk about sustainability? I can’t say that I know how much energy it takes to power one of those screens, but I’m fairly confident in asserting that those watts could be put to better use elsewhere. Yesterday morning, I passed through the Boulevard, where no students were sitting, and saw that the television was showing a bunch of empty chairs a picture of “homemade” macaroni and cheese.

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I know that, as students, we aren’t paying for these TVs, and maybe the energy they use isn’t all that much, but still—it’s unnecessary and wasteful. It would be one thing to have televisions installed that we would actually watch; I, for one, wouldn’t mind having some entertainment while I’m waiting for my friends to get to Sherman. However, it’s another story entirely when these screens are constantly on with virtually nobody watching them.

“

The television was showing a bunch of empty chairs a picture.

That brings me to my next point: Why is Aramark using these locations for their advertisements? What new audience could they possibly be reaching? If I’m in a dining hall, chances are that I have already decided that I am going to get some food.

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The fact that there are some pictures of ambiguous meat and artfully seasoned potatoes isn’t convincing me that my turkey sandwich is delicious.

If anything, it’s depressing to see pictures of gourmet cuisine and compare it with what is actually available. I happen to like the food at Usdan—I may be addicted to those lettuce wraps—but it doesn’t come close to resembling the food in those ads. Maybe somewhere deep down in my psyche, these advertisements are making me love my turkey sandwich more, but I have yet to realize it.

The vast majority of us don’t have the ability to choose whether we are going to eat Aramark food or not. If you’re regularly seeing those enticing pictures, you’re probably on a meal plan. And if that’s the case, you probably have to have a meal plan whether you want to or not. When customers have no choice but to buy a product, advertising it doesn’t make a difference. I’m just not really sure what purpose these televisions could fulfill. I understand that there are plenty of people who eat on campus who don’t have a meal plan, and maybe these televisions are geared toward them. But if they are placed in

EDITORIAL ASSISTANTS NEWS: Fiona Lockyer FEATURES: Dafna Fine FORUM: Eitan Cooper SPORTS: Jeffrey Boxer ARTS: Wei-Huan Chen STAFF Senior Writers: Harry Shipps, Melissa Siegel Senior Illustrators: Rishika Assomull, A. Eli Tukachinsky News: Sara Ahmed, Tyler Belanga Features: Sarah Gilson, Claire Gohorel, Rocky Reichman, Deborah Salmon Forum: Hannah Goldberg, Rebecca Kellogg, Ethan Mermelstein, Liz Posner, Leah Smith, Avi Snyder, Elizabeth Stoker Sports: Julian Cardillo, Jacob Lurie, Max Goldstein, Adam Rabinowitz, Jonathan Steinberg

locations where a person would only go after having made the decision to buy food, what is the point?

If it’s Aramark’s goal to encourage students to consume more food, though, I question the logic of putting a TV in Sherman. If a person is seeing that advertisement, he or she has already paid the all-you-can-eat fee to get in the door. Why, then, is he or she being enticed to eat more? I’m not an Economics major, but I don’t think this makes sense financially.

Convincing students to eat more than they would otherwise when there is no money to be gained from doing so doesn’t help Aramark. If anything, it’s just a waste of resources.

All in all, these televisions just seem impractical. There are better ways to get students and other members of the Brandeis community to spend more time and money in the dining halls; improving food quality, increasing hours and adding variety would all be tangible changes that would make eating here more enjoyable. Or maybe those TVs could show The Today Show instead of an endless loop of food pictures—I know I would be more likely to stick around if that were the case.

Arts: Aaron Berke, Eric Chow, Alex DeSilva, Julia Jerusalmi, Elly Kalfus, Morgan Manley, Amy Melser, Douglas Moore, Alex Pagan, Gloria Park, Bryan Prywes, Sujin Shin, Shelly Shore Photography: Genevieve Armstrong, Amy Bissaillon, Lydia Emmanouilidou, Nathan Feldman, Morgan Fine, Nathaniel Freedman, Hilary Heyison, Davida Judelson, Joshua Linton, Mansi Luo, Yosef Schaffel, Tali Smookler Copy: Taylor Baker, Rebecca Brooks, Jacob Chatinover, Hilary Cheney, Philip Gallagher, Ariel Glickman, Patricia Greene, Celine Hacobian, Jeff Herman, Rachel Herman, Liana Johnson, Rachel Mayo, Mailinh Phan-Nguyen, Zane Relethford, Maya Riser-Kositsky, Mara Sassoon, Marielle Temkin, Dan Willey, Amanda Winn, Liat Zabludovsky Layout: Nadav Havivi, Nan Pang Illustrations: Ari Tretin Ads: Alex Fischler

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FORUM

Don’t hastily support cage-free initiative Leah

SMITH IN A WORD

About two weeks ago, I was sitting at Einstein Bros. Bagels when a representative from the Real Food Coalition came up to me with a petition demanding that Brandeis Dining Services start serving exclusively cage-free eggs.

She asked me to sign, and I said no.

My response clearly shocked her. Her eyes suddenly widened as she launched into an emotional tirade about the horrendous conditions in the battery cages where egg-laying hens spend the majority of their lives.

I politely told her that I wasn’t going to sign because I don’t want to pay extra for the eggs.

When she told me it would only add $5 to the cost of the meal plan, I responded, a little more forcefully, that cage-free eggs are not on my list of priorities.

At that, she put on a more patronizing tone, told me my opinion was really unfortunate and stalked off.

Members of the Real Food Coalition might have you believe that I did something heinous by refusing to sign the petition. But despite all the noise they’ve been making on this issue, the idea of serving exclusively cage-free eggs is not one that our entire community is totally invested in.

Although 90 percent of respondents on the recent Student Union poll said they were in favor of serving only cage-free eggs, the poll was only out of 877 students. Where is the rest of the community on this issue? We shouldn’t make such a huge change that will affect everyone when only 28 percent of students have voiced their opinion.

Furthermore, the outcome of the poll might have been different if the Real Food Coalition didn’t use such emotionally charged rhetoric to get people to support their cause.

Everyone feels so bad for these poor hens that no one has stopped to look at the practicalities of the issue. But if you think about it a little more rationally, you might realize that serving exclusively cage-free eggs on campus just doesn’t make sense.

First of all, serving exclusively cage-free eggs might be more costly than we think. The reason hens are usually raised in battery cages is because it is cheaper and far more efficient. When hens live free-range, they lay eggs less often and their upkeep is more expensive; therefore, the eggs they produce are more expensive.

Serving cage-free eggs might only cost an extra $5 per semester for every student that is on a meal plan, but everyone seems to have overlooked the potential increase in the actual price of food on campus.

If Aramark wants to make a profit, they will probably have to raise food prices to accommodate for the significant increase in

RISHIKA ASSOMULL/the Justice

the price of eggs. That means our meal plans won’t give us as much value for our money.

And if you don’t have a meal plan, the price of food will make eating on campus much less convenient.

Considering how much Brandeis students complain about the cost of food on campus, I can’t quite understand why everyone is so enthusiastic about a proposal that will only make food even more expensive.

But let’s put the minute detail of increased food prices aside for a second. Serving cagefree eggs is a pretty noble cause.

After all, we’re liberating hens from the confines of the battery cages so they can live free-range, just the way nature intended. Or at least it sounds like a noble cause until you look down at your plate and realize that the hen you just liberated is now fried up and being served with a side of scrambled, cage-

free eggs.

It is pretty ironic that we’re so concerned about the well-being of a bunch of hens when you consider how much chicken we eat on this campus. If hens’ quality of life is so important that we’re willing to pay extra to have exclusively cage-free eggs, shouldn’t we just be advocating to preserve their lives entirely?

The fact is that hens are raised for food, and the priority of farmers is to be productive and efficient. Unfortunately, that means that animals aren’t always treated well. If we eliminated the demand for meat, it would no longer be an issue. But as long as people eat chicken and eggs, there will be farmers who cage their poultry.

On their posters advocating for cage-free eggs, the Real Food Coalition asked us what kind of society we are trying to promote by

purchasing eggs from battery cage farms. But let’s think about some broader issues for a moment.

In today’s world, over 3 billion people live on less than $2.50 a day. Over 22,000 children die every day due to poverty. Nearly a billion people are illiterate. With all of these horrible things in the world, what kind of society are we trying to promote?

The Real Food Coalition has certainly shown us that we can make a real impact if we set our minds to it.

I do admire its ability to rally support for its cause. But what disturbs me the most is that so much time, effort and money is being spent trying to save hens while so much of humanity is suffering.

What if we put the same efforts into saving humanity? We could change the world. And then we could worry about chickens.

Pachanga event is inconsistent with our character Eitan

COOPER DOWN TO BUSINESS

This past weekend, I had a prefrosh stay over in my room. I enjoyed his visit because the time I spent with him allowed me to view our university through his eyes. I was able to examine just how Brandeis may have portrayed itself this past weekend to one of its potential students.

The truth is, I don’t think he could have chosen a better 3-day period to visit. My prefrosh certainly got an accurate perception of what life as a Brandeisian is really like; he encountered all of the staples that are part of the Brandeis experience. These include wild parties that begin on Thursday night; a dormitory that reeks of alcohol; numerous calls to the Brandeis Emergency Medical Corps and the Department of Public Safety; lights and sirens galore; handcuffs; scantily clad women (and men); assaults of police officers; arrests; and, of course, a crazy, multi-thousand dollar party that ended with a fire alarm being pulled.

Yes, he may have concluded this was all part of a typical weekend in the life of a Brandeis student. He might have thought that whoever compiles the rankings of the biggest party schools must have gotten it totally wrong, because the crazy Brandeisian nightlife certainly deserves the top spot.

Granted, I may be approaching this a bit cyni-

cally. In reality, though, his possibly skewed opinion is due to Pachanga, the wild event sponsored by the International Club. The event only became an official party that was open to everyone in 1998. What did we ever do before its existence? Where did Brandeisians go for a party as intense as Pachanga?

If I were to speculate, I’d say the answer is not anywhere near campus. This was probably true for every weekend of the semester until Pachanga hit Brandeis. Now, we are fortunate (or unfortunate, depending on how you view the extravaganza) enough to have one weekend out of the semester to, well, expand our horizons.

Brandeis has never been known as a party school. We don’t pride ourselves on fraternities and blood alcohol content but rather on our greatest weapon: social justice. True, there are always parties on the weekends; and people drink at these parties. However, I’m sure that most would admit that our parties—while enjoyable-—don’t fit the “party-school” mentality. That is to say, while we have an active nightlife, it is definitely toned-down.

Many prospective students who come to visit on any non-Pachanga weekend of the semester will be hit by these toned-down Brandeisian parties, but they will also be hit by Bananagrams.

And, for many (though not all), if they drink any alcohol, it will likely be at a post-Shabbat dinner party. The fact of the matter is that, like it or not, Brandeis simply is not used to a party of Pachanga-like magnitude. What do I mean by this? Whether or not you like to party, it’s not hard to see that Pachanga is a bit over the top. It’s

definitely not the norm for us. For example, a friend of mine informed me that, on the way to the Provisions on Demand Market, he saw two different females who were wearing so little clothing that most of their buttocks were exposed. Additionally, two students were arrested before 10 p.m. for being belligerent. Also, according to the University police log, approximately 20 people needed medical attention in some shape or form. Additionally, a student bit a police officer on the forearm while resisting arrest. BEMCo experienced a significant increase in calls and had a station set up near Levin Ballroom, where Pachanga took place, specifically for injuries at the event.

I cannot speak from experience, because I did not attend the party. But all I had to do was take a brief trip through my hall and to the P.O.D. Market to get a very good sense of what was going on. For many, it seemed, the weekend’s festivities were treated the same way a person may treat the discovery of chocolate. It seems that the rarity of an actual college party on this campus threw many students into an incredible craze.

Now, one may make the argument that if this university had more parties of Pachanga-like magnitude, it wouldn’t be such a big deal every time Pachanga came around. Students would no longer hype up the event, because it really wouldn’t be anything special. In short, this university should become more of a party school so that we can learn how to drink responsibly.

Alas, this position violates the very character of the University. I’m afraid that adopting such an attitude toward partying would be quite

impossible at Brandeis, because, for the past 62 years, this university has had the same reputation: a school for hard-working, genuine and somewhat quirky individuals who like to have a good time, but shy away from the stereotypical college experience.

True, there will always be people that violate this stereotype—Brandeis does have its share of fraternity brothers and Pachanga-lovers. But if you ask me, I think that most of the people here don’t actually like Pachanga. It’s an attraction. A rite of passage, if you will. While I have no statistics to back this up, I would speculate that students attend the event because they feel deprived of the typical college experience. However, this does not mean that students crave Pachanga every weekend. Many of us, instead, are obsessed with more humanistic social justice matters.

By no means do I suggest that Pachanga should be canceled. I think it is a positive effect that so many students are unified, putting aside all differences for one night in the name of an insane party. That being said, I do believe that the event does not at all fit in with the character of the University. It’s quite telling that it seems like this is the only time of the year when students from other universities actually travel to Brandeis specifically for a party.

While Brandeis may never learn how to become a true party school, those who partake in Pachanga should attempt to act the part of a student at a party school by at least pretending that this is a normal event for Brandeis. Hopefully, Brandeis can party more responsibly at Pachanga in spring 2011.

THE JUSTICE

MSOCCER: Team beats Springfield in home finale CONTINUED FROM 16 four saves.

“It was a little disappointing because we always want a shutout, but at the end of the day, we still got the win,” said Bercelli.

The Judges finish the season with a 4-2-1 record at home, with all for of their wins coming against non-conference opponents.

“All of the seniors were really happy about winning,” added Bercelli of winning the final home

●

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 26, 2010

13

LOOSE BALL

game of the season. “It was the last game they would ever get to play at Gordon Field.”

The Judges close out the year with University Athletic Association games against Washington University in St. Louis, University of Chicago and New York University.

The team plays WashU on Friday and Chicago on Sunday, and will end the season with an away game against New York University Nov. 6.

JOSHUA LINTON/the Justice

RUNNING TO THE BALL: Forward Tiffany Pacheco ’11 and Bowdoin junior defender Tiernan Cutler look to gain possession.

VBALL: Losing streak WSOCCER: Goal by Peterson seals extends to six matches win for Judges against Bowdoin CONTINUED FROM 16

rebounded with totals of eight, 10 and five in the three other sets.

For the match, outside hitter Paige Blasco ’11 led the team with 13 kills and was tied for third in digs with nine.

Smith added six kills in the loss, but she led the team with three solo blocks. In the match, Fischer and middle blocker/outside hitter Lauren Berens ’13 added the other solo kills.

Einhorn, who had 22 of the team’s 26 assists, also led the team with three service aces. Paige Blasco was the only other player on the team with a service ace.

The Judges’ first match of the tournament was Friday against Tufts. Like the match against Wellesley, the Judges captured the first set by a score of 25-22. Despite that, the Jumbos took the three remaining sets in the match by scores of 25-23, 25-10 and 25-22.

The squad put up 17 kills in the first set, its most of the match.

However, Brandeis could not close out the set and never recovered, dropping their last three sets in relatively close contests.

Paige Blasco led the team with 13 kills and 14 digs. She added a solo block and two block assists during the match. Smith contriubuted with six kills, one solo block and seven block assists.

Berens added 10 kills, a solo block and four block assists as well.

The Judges are next in action this weekend at home in the Judges Classic. The team will first play University of Massachusetts Boston Friday at 7 p.m. It will then face Tufts University Saturday at noon. and Clarkson College at 2 p.m.

“We have to take it one day at a time [and] play really hard at practice, and hopefully we’ll win all our matches this weekend, and we can get back in the [swing] of things,” Fischer said. “We’re all looking forward to playing Tufts again this weekend and showing them what we have.”

CONTINUED FROM 16 another shot by senior captain at the 78:57 mark.

With the one-goal lead, the Judges had to withstand a late charge by the Polar Bears, who had three shots and a corner kick in the last 6 minutes of the game.

“I think it was a little bit of fatigue, probably getting the ball pounded at you and pounded at you and just kicking it back, kicking it back,” Dallamora said of the Judges’ defensive struggles late in the game.

Two of these shots, along with the corner kick, came off the foot of Bowdoin junior forward Ellery Gould. Coming into the game, Gould led the team with 10 goals, seven more than the second-highest scorer on the team. She had also scored in seven straight games.

Dallamora said after the game she was aware of Gould’s skill and made sure to keep her covered at all

times. “We contemplated marking her out, putting a player on her for the whole game,” Dallamora said.

“But we didn’t. ... We just shared the marking, basically, so wherever she went, someone would pick her up. … She’s speedy; she’s very talented. I wish she was graduating.”

Gould had a team-high four shots for the game but only one shot on goal.

Earlier last week, the first NCAA regional rankings were released, and the Judges are ranked third in the New England region. The only two teams ranked higher are Eastern Connecticut State University and Williams College, ranked No. 11 and No. 12 in the latest National College Soccer Coaches Association of America/HendrickCars.com Division III poll, respectively.

The Judges are currently unranked in the NSCAA poll after being as high as No. 15 earlier this

season. Brandeis received the most votes among non-ranked teams in the most recent poll. Brandeis also has wins over Roger Williams University and Springfield College, currently No. 7 and No. 8, respectively, in the New England region.

“We’ve never made it [to the NCAA Tournament] in our four years that [the seniors have] been here, so that’s definitely a goal that we’re trying to achieve,” forward Sofia Vallone ’11 said, adding, “I do know that we need to get back on the national rankings. We are still receiving votes for that, but being nationally ranked would definitely ensure a spot.”

The Judges are next in action today at 4 p.m. against Lesley University in their last regular-season home game of the year. They then head out on a UAA road trip with matches against Washington University in St. Louis Friday at 6 p.m. and against the University of Chicago Sunday at noon.

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THE JUSTICE ● TUESDAY, OCTOBER 26, 2010

BOSTON BRUINS BEAT

ATHLETE OF THE WEEK

New York Rangers spoil Boston Bruins’ opening home stand

Kelly Peterson ’14 ■ The women’s soccer defender scored her first collegiate goal in the Judges’ 1-0 home win over Bowdoin College last Wednesday.

Last Wednesday, the women’s soccer team defeated Bowdoin College 1-0 on a game-winning header by rookie defender Kelly Peterson ’14, the first in her collegiate career.

With the win, the women’s soccer team improves to 11-3-1 on the season.

“I’ve loved [playing for Brandeis],” Peterson said. “I’ve loved getting to know everyone and playing with them.

We’re doing really well, and it’s been fun.”

Peterson attributed her success to the support her teammates have given her as she learns the ropes in her first season.

“Everyone on the team, especially the other defenders, has been really helpful. If you make a mistake, they’ll be there to back you up.”

Before coming to Brandeis, Peterson played soccer at Clear Lake High School in Houston. Comparing her experiences at Brandeis to her high school career, Peterson has seen both similarities and differences.

“It’s not a lot different from high school, but it’s definitely different in that I’m coming from being a senior, and now I’m a freshman, so I have to prove myself again,” she said.

Despite the similar playing styles, Peterson still says learning to play with a new team and for a new coach has been an adjustment.

“It’s hard [to adjust] at first,” she said. “You just have to figure out the new style of play and kind of figure out what the coach wants. But once I fig-

Judging numbers

1 26 13 11 6 7

career goal for defender Kelly Peterson ’14, which came in the women’s soccer team’s 1-0 home win last Wednesday over Bowdoin College.

goals scored by the men’s soccer team in seven home games this season. The team added to its total when they defeated Springfield College 3-1 last Wednesday.

kills for middle blocker Nicole Smith ’11 in the volleyball team’s 3-1 loss to Wellesley College last Saturday at the Hall of Fame Invitational.

total shot differential in the men’s soccer team’s win over Springfield. The men’s soccer team outshot Springfield 10-3 and 9-5 in the first and second halves, respectively.

straight losses for the volleyball team. They last won a match against Keene State College on Oct. 9.

shots on goal for the women’s soccer team in its 1-0 win over Bowdoin.

Forwards Tiffany Pacheco ’11 and Sofia Vallone ’11 had five of the team’s seven shots.

15

PHOTO COURTESY OF SPORTSPIX

ured that out, it was easy to adjust.”

Peterson hopes the team contiunes to win its remaining games of the year.

“I want us to keep winning,” she said. “We have three more games in the University Athletic Association

conference, and I want us to win all those. They’ll be hard, but I think we can do it. And hopefully, we … can make the NCAA Tournament.”

—Jacob Lurie

UAA STANDINGS Men’s Soccer

Women’s Soccer

Not including Monday’s games

Not including Monday’s games

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

UAA Conference W LT Chicago 3 10 Washington 2 0 2 Emory 2 11 Rochester 2 11 JUDGES 2 20 New York 2 20 Case 1 30 Carnegie 0 40

W 9 11 9 12 8 8 10 7

L 2 1 4 1 1 4 2 6

Overall T Pct. 3 .750 3 .833 3 .656 2 .867 5 .750 1 .654 1 .808 1 .536

W 9 8 12 10 11 7 9 6

L 4 5 1 3 3 7 5 7

Overall T Pct. 2 .667 2 .600 2 .867 2 .733 1 .767 2 .500 1 .633 0 .462

TEAM LEADERS MSoccer (points)

WSoccer (points)

Midfielder Luke Teece ’12 leads the team with 20 points this season.

Forward Sofia Vallone ’11 leads the team with 26 points this year.

Player Luke Teece Alexander Farr Joe Eisenbies Lee Russo Nick George

Player Sofia Vallone Tiffany Pacheco Mimi Theodore Alanna Torre Hillary Andrews

Points 20 13 12 10 9

Points 26 18 15 6 5

Volleyball (kills)

Volleyball (digs)

Outside hitter Paige Blasco ’11 leads the team with 339 kills.

Defensive specialist Susan Sun ’12 leads the team with 329 digs.

Player Paige Blasco Nicole Smith Si-Si Hensley Lauren Berens Abby Blasco

Player Susan Sun Paige Blasco Abby Blasco Si-Si Hensley Yael Einhorn

Kills 339 246 168 117 87

Digs 329 2291 260 220 215

UPCOMING GAME OF THE WEEK Women’s soccer at University of Chicago The Judges will play the Maroons in Chicago Sunday afternoon at 2:30 p.m.

The women’s soccer team will play Lesley College today and Washington University in St. Louis Friday, but on Sunday, the Judges will at University of Chicago on Sunday at 2:30 p.m.

Last season on Gordon Field, the Judges defeated the Maroons 2-0.

Forwards Tiffany Pacheco ’11 and Sofia Vallone ’11 each scored goals in

the win over the Judges’ University Athletic Association rival.

This season, Chicago is 9-4-2 overall a conference-best 3-1 in the UAA. In their last three games, the Maroons are 2-0-1.

The team’s last loss was to Univeristy of Rochester on Oct. 15.

Chicago lost the game 1-0.

For the 2010 to 2011 season, justSports has been given a press pass to attend Boston Bruins home games. We will cover these games periodically throughout the year.

New York Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist tends to play well against the Boston Bruins. Coming into last Saturday’s game in Boston, the Rangers were 13-4-2 when Lundqvist started in net in head-to-head match-ups between two of the six original NHL teams. This game was no different.

The Rangers defeated Boston 3-2 behind Ludqvist’s 35 saves and handed the Bruins their second loss of the season, snapping Boston’s four-game winning streak after the Bruins defeated the Washington Capitals 4-1 in their home opener last Thursday. The Bruins remain at 8 points for the season, while the Rangers defeated the New Jersey Devils 31 Sunday night. This was the 15th one-goal game between the Rangers and Bruins in their last 21 match-ups.

“I think as a team, when you have to step up to a challenge, you feel very solid,” Lundqvist said. “Boston is a team that’s not all over the place, and usually our games are pretty tight, so it’s more controlled and it leads to low-scoring games.”

New York got out to a fast start, scoring two goals in a span of 27 seconds just 7 minutes into the first period.

Center Artem Anisimov started the scoring with a powerplay goal at 12 minutes, 28 seconds. Anisimov whacked the puck out of midair on his backhand into the net after an initial shot had been saved by Bruins goalie Tuukka Rask. The second goal came at 12:01 from forward Alexander Frolov, who luckily was the last Rangers player to touch a puck that ricocheted off of Bruins defenseman Dennis Seidenberg and floated over Rask’s head.

Bruins head coach Claude Julien said the Rangers’ goals were the result of his team’s mistakes early in the game.

“They had a couple of lucky goals, but I feel like those goals would not have happened if we didn’t have such a slow start,” Julien said.

The Bruins responded, though, scoring on defenseman Zdeno Chara’s slap shot from the left circle on a two-man advantage with just 4.3 seconds remaining in the period.

The goal was Chara’s second of the season.

Despite the late Bruins goal, it was the Rangers who came out strong in the second period as defenseman Marc Staal scored on a breakaway less than a minute into the period to give the Rangers a 3-1 lead. Staal raced out of the penalty box and skated away with a puck that forward Ryan Callahan had broken up on the Rangers’ blue line.

Staal converted by deking to his backhand to beat Rask for his first goal of the season.

“It felt nice,” Staal told Madison Square Garden Network of his goal. “I’ve used that move a couple of times on breakaways [in junior hockey], but I think this was my first breakaway in the NHL. … Old trusty backhand and it worked.”

The Bruins would again cut the lead to one later in the period, when forward David Krecij sent a pass on his backhand and through his legs from the deep left corner of the ice right to the middle of the offensive zone. Forward Nathan Horton collected the pass and fired a shot past Lundqvist at the 12:27 mark. Horton extended his consecutive points-scored streak to six games after also scoring in the home opener last Thursday.

Both teams were held scoreless in the third period, largely due to several game-saving plays by Lundqvist. The Bruins’ best opportunity came on an odd-man rush at the 6:21 mark. Forward Blake Wheeler got past the Rangers’ defense and was chased into the corner of the offensive zone with the puck. Wheeler sent a cross-ice pass to the opposite side where forward Jordan Caron tried to onetime the puck home to tie the game. However, Lundqvist was able to recover and plant his right foot into the right post to make the pad save and secure the win.

In front of a sellout crowd of over 17,000 people, the Bruins did not disappoint in their home opener against Washington last Thursday, defeating the Capitals 4-1 for the second time in as many games. The win came after the Bruins beat the Caps in Washington last Tuesday by a score of 3-1.

The Bruins scored first, getting on the board late in the first period on a power-play goal from forward Michael Ryder at 19:27. Patrice Bergeron received a pass from center Tyler Seguin at the top of the zone between the points.

He faked a shot and instead sent a sharp pass to the right of Capitals’ goalie Semyon Varlomov where Ryder one-timed the puck home for the first goal of the game.

The goal capped off a period that saw teams have chances to pull ahead early. Washington outshot Boston 13-8 and had two odd-man rushes with forwards Marcus Johansson and Brooks Laich. However, Bruins’ goalie Tim Thomas saved both chances to hold Washington scoreless.

The Bruins picked up where they left off to start the second period. Boston controlled the puck for almost all of the first 2 1/2 minutes of the period, outshooting Washington 60 in that span. The Bruins finally converted on a sharp wrister by Caron that beat Varlomov at 2:20 to give Boston the 2-0 lead.

The Bruins increased their lead midway through the period after Caps forward Alexander Semin was called for a hooking penalty at 10:29. The Bruins had an early chance just a few seconds into the power play when Horton had a breakaway against Varlomov in which he deked to his backhand but was stopped by the goalie’s splitting right pad. Horton would get another chance on the same power play as he converted the Bruins’ third goal with just 14 seconds left on the man-advantage. Horton fired a slap shot from the blue line that trickled past a screened Varlomov at 12:16.

“There was so much traffic in front of the net,” Horton said. “We had all our guys in front, and I don’t think [Varlomov] saw [the puck]. It was just luck that it went in.”

Washington finally got on the board in the third period when Thomas turned the puck over on a failed clearing attempt. Washington forward Jason Chimera intercepted the puck and scored on the unguarded net at 9:27.

Boston, though, would respond with its third power-play goal of the game as Chara scored his first goal of the season with just 16 seconds left in the game.

The Bruins next host the Toronto Maple Leafs Thursday at 7 p.m.

—Ian Cutler

just

Sports

Page 16

A SPLIT ON HOME ICE JustSports covered the Bruins latest home stand, where they lost to the Rangers and defeated the Capitals, p. 15.

Waltham, Mass.

Tuesday, October 26, 2010

SHOOTING ON GOAL

WOMEN’S SOCCER

Peterson records first collegiate goal in victory ■ Defender Kelly Peterson

’14 scored in the women’s soccer team’s 1-0 win over Bowdoin College.

By MELISSA SIEGEL JUSTICE SENIOR WRITER

In the 28th minute of the women’s soccer team’s game against Bowdoin College last Wednesday, defender Ali Maresca ’12, starting her first game since suffering an ankle injury in practice around 3 weeks ago, suffered a blood injury and by rule had to be temporarily removed from the game. She was replaced by rookie defender Kelly Peterson ’14, who had started the previous five games in Maresca’s place.

Just 4 minutes later, the substitute made the biggest play of the game.

Peterson scored her first collegiate goal in the 32nd minute to give the Judges a 1-0 win over Bowdoin.

Brandeis’ record for the season now stands at 11-3-1, 2-2 in the

University Athletic Association.

“She’s tenacious,” coach Denise Dallamora said of Peterson.

“She’s a great ball winner. … She can send that ball a country mile.”

Peterson headed the ball home off of a corner kick from fellow defender Taryn Martiniello ’11.

Martiniello was playing in front of one of her old coaches, Andrew Farrar, who coached her on the Spirit of Massachusetts club team for 3 years. Farrar’s daughter, senior defender Katherine Farrar, plays for the Bowdoin Polar Bears.

The two teams played evenly in the first half, with Bowdoin attempting eight shots and Brandeis attempting seven. But the Judges outshot the Polar Bears 8-4 in the second half and had several chances to pull further ahead. Two of their best opportunities occurred in the 79th minute, when forward Tiffany Pacheco ’11 had two shots on goal in a 43-second span. Bowdoin senior goalkeeper Kat Flaherty made a diving save on a Pacheco shot at the 78:14 mark and then blocked

See WSOCCER, 13 ☛

VOLLEYBALL ALEX MARGOLIS/the Justice

LOOKING TO SCORE: Midfielder Luke Teece ’12 shoots in the team’s 3-1 home win over Springfield College last Wednesday.

Judges win their home finale over Springfield ■ The men’s soccer team

defeated Springfield College 3-1 in the team’s regularseason home finale.

By JULIAN CARDILLO JUSTICE STAFF WRITER

The men’s soccer team finished its regular-season home schedule with a 3-1 victory over Springfield College last Wednesday night. The Judges, now 8-4-1, scored 26 goals at home this season and continued their offensive dominance last Wednesday night by scoring early.

“As a defender, it’s nice knowing that if the defense does its job, the offense will always get the job done for us,” said defender Ethan Bercelli ’14.

Coach Michael Coven was pleased with how his team played in the win.

“I think we’ve been playing good soccer, and in the last 2 weeks, the team has come together,” Coven said. “We’re playing attractive soccer and winning soccer.”

The Judges broke through in just the 12th minute with midfielder Luke Teece’s ’12 team-leading ninth goal of the season. Captain and

defender/midfielder Kyle Gross ’11 played a through ball from midfield that Teece ran onto and shot past Springfield sophomore goalkeeper Chris Walton. Brandeis nearly doubled its advantage just 2 minutes later as midfielder Lee Russo ’13 fired a shot on frame, but his effort was saved by Walton.

In the 32nd minute, forward Alexander Farr ’12 put in the Judges’ second goal of the match.

Farr came on the field as a substitute for midfieldder Steve Keuchkarian ’11 and scored his sixth goal of the season just 16 seconds after stepping onto the field.

Midfielder Theo Terris ’12 played a through ball from midfield, and Farr took hold of the ball, took a few touches in the penalty area and then powered a drive past Walton to double the Judges’ lead.

Brandeis nearly found its third goal of the match just 3 minutes before halftime, as Teece caught Walton out of position but had his effort on an open goal cleared off the line by Springfield junior midfielder Scott Donofrio. Despite the missed opportunities, Brandeis still statistically dominated Springfield by the end of the first half, outshooting the Pride 10-3.

The Judges continued attacking

in the second half, finding their third goal after 11 minutes of play.

Gross earned his second assist by serving the ball into the penalty area for midfielder Joe Eisenbies ’13. The ball instead connected with the head of a Springfield defender who failed to control the ball and squandered possession to Eisenbies.

Eisenbies fired it home for his fifth goal of the season and a 3-0 Brandeis lead.

Brandeis continued to control the tempo of the match but lost the shutout in the 89th minute of play.

Springfield freshman forward Scott Morneau sent a corner kick into the box that was blocked and found its way back to his feet. Morneau crossed again, this time finding the head of Springirld sophomore defender Jake Miskin, who headed the ball in off the far post past goalkeeper Matt Lynch ’11.

“It wasn’t that we gave up a goal; it’s the kind of goal we let up,” Coven said. “It came off a corner, and that’s been our vein at all season.”

Lynch came on in the 83rd minute for Taylor Bracken ’11, who had allowed two goals in his last four games and finished the match against Springfield College with

See MSOCCER, 13 ☛

Team drops all three matches at the Hall of Fame Invitational ■ The volleyball team lost

three matches this past weekend and extended its losing streak to six.

By MAX GOLDSTEIN JUSTICE STAFF WRITER

The women’s volleyball team continued its cold streak at the Hall of Fame Women’s Invitational Tournament this weekend, losing all three of its games in the tournament at Smith College. The team, ranked No. 5 in the bracket, was plagued by an injury to captain and setter Abby Blasco ’11 and placed last in the eight-team bracket.

The team is now 13-14 on the year and 1-6 in University Athletic Asssociation play.

Middlebury College, the No. 1 team in the bracket, won the invitational, winning all three of its matches by a score of 3-0.

Middlebury senior setter Lauren Barett was named the most valuable player of the gold bracket.

Though the Judges were disappointed with the results, they did not dwell on their play.

“Honestly, I think we played some really good teams, and it was a rough weekend, and we have to move on,” said middle blocker/right side hitter Becca Fischer ’13. “We just had a tough weekend,

and all we can do is pull together as a team and play hard this [upcoming] weekend.”

The Judges suffered their third loss of the weekend and second loss of the day Saturday against Wellesley 3-1. The Judges took the first set by a score of 25-19, but the Blue were able to bounce back from a first-set loss and win the next three sets by scores of 25-20, 25-18 and 25-15.

In the loss, middle blocker Nicole Smith ’11, who was named to the All-Tournament team, led the Judges with 15 kills. On the defensive side, she had the team’s only solo block, and she also had two block assists.

Outside hitter Si-Si Hensley ’14 was second to Smith in kills with 10. Hensley had five digs as well.

In place of Abby Blasco, setter Yael Einhorn ’14 had 25 of the team’s 28 assists. Einhorn recorded 14 digs in the loss.

In the first match Saturday, the Judges fell to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology 3-1. After losing the first set 25-19, Brandeis dominated the second set, winning by a score of 25-11. However, the Judges could not feed off their momentum from the second set, losing the third and fourth sets by scores of 25-23 and 25-15.

The Judges had only three kills in the first set of the match but

See VBALL, 13☛

just

October 26, 2010

ARTS Players explore Silverstein’s ‘Adult’ side p. 19

Photos: Robyn Spector/the Justice. Design: Asher Krell/the Justice.

18

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 26, 2010

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THE JUSTICE

POP CULTURE

INSIDE ON CAMPUS

18-20

■ Shel Silverstein’s ‘Adult’ play 19 Brandeis Players put on a production of Shel Silverstein’s darker, more adult-themed works last weekend.

19 ■ Interview with Ben Noero ’13 JustArts sat down and talked to the student filmmaker, who is shooting a high-budget project taking place at Cholmondeley’s.

20 ■ Diwali Namaskar, the Association for Hindus, Jains and Sikhs, celebrated this holiday last week.

20 ■ Michael Klein poetry The author of ‘then, we were still living’ read excerpts from his works.

OFF CAMPUS

21-24

21 ■ Watch City Brewing Co. The local Waltham pub brews and serves a variety of beers on site.

21 ■ KO Prime Foie burgers with tobayaki sauce and red snapper fillet are only some of the exquisite offerings at this Boston steakhouse.

22 ■ Rubberbandance Group The Montreal-based group fused breaking and ballet styles in its Boston debut week.

23 ■ Kings of Leon’s newest album JustArts reviews the popular band’s new album, Come Around Sundown.

CALENDAR

INTERVIEW

by Shelly Shore

After last week’s “bad news bears” article (so many breakups! I was depressed just writing it), I’m happy to bring you an article full of good news: babies and marriages!

This week, both Matt Damon and Cèline Dion welcomed new bundles of joy. Damon’s wife Luciana gave birth to a girl, Stella Zavala Damon, on Wednesday in New York. “Mom and baby are both healthy,” a rep for Damon told People magazine. “The whole family is thrilled.” It looks like Damon can’t help but be a ladies’ man: Baby Stella joins big sisters Isabella, 4; Gia, 2; and Alexia, 12, Luciana’s daughter from her previous marriage.

Cèline Dion also became a mom for the second time this week—to twins! The 42-year-old singer gave birth to fraternal twin boys at St. Mary’s Medical Center in West Palm Beach, Fla., Saturday morning at 11:11 a.m. (what a great wish!) and 11:12 a.m., a rep for Dion told People exclusively saying, “Cèline, [her husband] René, and their son René-Charles are thrilled.”

The babies weighed in at 5 pounds, 4 ounces and 5 pounds, 10 ounces, respectively. At a press conference outside the hospital, Dion’s doctor, Ronald Ackerman, said that the delivery, done

by Caesarean, went off without a hitch. The twins are healthy, according to Dion’s rep, but will spend the next few days in an incubator as a safety precaution as they were born premature. “Cèline is resting now, and they plan to discuss what to name the boys when she wakes up,” the rep added. “René-Charles has been to the hospital to visit his brothers and is just so excited they are here.”

And finally, after months of planning, interviews and way too many paparazzi candids, Katy Perry and Russell Brand tied the knot Saturday night in India, the country where they got engaged. In a joint statement, the couple

Collegiate Volunteers “rock” fashion ■ National Collegiate Volunteers

chair of publicity Tania Abramova ’11 e-mailed with justArts regarding the most recent Sustainability Rocks events last Tuesday that raised funds for Of Rags clothing.

PHOTO COURTESY OF WARNER BROTHERS

FAMILY ADDITION: This past week Matt Damon welcomed a brand-new baby girl to his family. said, “Katy and Russell were pronounced Mr. and Mrs. Brand on Saturday, October 23. The very private and spiritual ceremony, attended by the couples’ closest family and friends, was performed by a Christian minister and longtime friend of the Hudson Family. The backdrop was the inspirational and majestic countryside of Northern India.” The couple used a traditional Indian wedding procession, in which the bridegroom, his male friends and relatives walk to the spot where the bride, her female friends and relatives await them.

There. Much less depressing than last week.

What’s happening in Arts on and off campus

ON CAMPUS EVENTS Student Events’ Night of LOLs Join Student Events for a night of comedy with Last Comic Standing finalist and Comedy Central regular Myq Kaplan ’00.

Because Kaplan is a Brandeis alum, so the show will surely feature many Brandeisrelated jokes interspersed within his regularly hilarious bits. He is an atheistic vegan who defines his humor as “being hilarious to his demographic, which is anyone who might know the word demographic.” The show also features the local sketch comedy group ImprovBoston, voted 2009-2010’s Best of Boston comedy group. Let the laughter begin.

Doors open Tuesday at 8 p.m., and the show runs from 8:30 to 10:30 p.m. in the Levin Ballroom. Admission is free with a Brandeis ID.

New Music Brandeis A concert ensemble of undergraduate and graduate students performing new compositional works will feature premieres by graduate composers—Jared Redmond, Sangwon Lee, Dan Neal, Jeremy Spindler, Yohanan Chendler and Florie Namir—and performers—Jared Redmond (piano), Emil Altshuler, Yohanan Chendler (violins) and Joshua Gordon (cello).

Saturday at 8 p.m. in the Slosberg Recital Hall. Admission is free for all who wish to attend and open to the public.

‘The Wild Party’ Based on the book-length poem by Joseph Moncure March about the Roaring ’20s, the play portrays the original story of Queenie and Burs, a vaudeville dancer and a clown.

The characters’ violent and reckless relationship, closely mirroring the era in which they live, prompts them to throw the ultimate party. Book, music and lyrics by Andrew Lippa.

Thursday and Friday at 8 p.m., Saturday at 2 and 7 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m. in the Carl J. Shapiro Theater. Admission is $3 for students and faculty, $5 for general admission.

Tickets are available online and at the Brandeis Box Office.

False Advertising presents: Spooktacular Improv troupe False Advertising is presenting its annual Halloween special, titled “You’re a Dead Man, Charlie Brown.” False Advertising is Brandeis’ oldest English-language improv troupe and the only musical improv group on campus. It also specializes in long form nonmusical comedy.

Thursday at 8 p.m. in the Spingold Merrick Theater. Admission is free and open to the public.

Garba 2010 Celebration of Navatri, the South Asian dance form, includes elements of Garba, Raas and Bhangra. The performance is preceded by a free dinner. The schedule for the night begins with dinner from 7 to 7:45 p.m., followed by Garba from 8 to 10 p.m., Raas from 10 to 11 p.m. and Bhangra from 11 p.m. to midnight.

Saturday at 7 p.m. in the Levin Ballroom.

Admission is free and open to the public.

PHOTO COURTESY OF CHRIS HASTON

FUNNY MAN: ImprovBoston is opening for Brandeis alum and ‘Last Comic Standing’ top-five finalist Myq Kaplan’00, who is coming back to campus Tuesday as the headliner for Student Events’ Night of LOLs.

Manginah’s fall semester show The premier co-ed Jewish a cappella group’s 17th annual fall semester show is this year presenting new members with extraordinary talents.

The group’s set includes music from Jewish liturgy and prayers, American Jewish songwriters, Israeli pop songs and parodies of popular American songs. The group released its album, Notes in the Wall, last semester, featuring a slew of new songs that showcases its extensive musical talent across multiple genres.

Nov. 14 at 3 p.m. in the Mandel Center for the Humanities. Admission is free and open to the public.

Brandeis’ Premier Improv Comedy Club A group of people meeting to play improv games and foster a sense of comedic genius on the campus at large is specifically targeting those who do not know the joys of humor yet. The comedy club is open to people of all levels of comedic experience (or inexperience). There won’t be any auditions or rehearsals—just fun and games. Make sure to bring a good sense of humor and a craving for creativity.

Wednesday from 8 p.m. to 9 p.m. in the Usen Castle Commons.

Deiskeit semester show The Brandeis klezmer ensemble’s musical semester show features performers who specialize in both classic and contemporary treatments of Jewish and Israeli music.

Although the University’s music halls are the group’s primary stage, it can be found performing in different locations all around the greater Boston area. The performance will showcase a slew of songs from a variety of cultural backgrounds.

Friday at 3 p.m. in the Slosberg Recital Hall.

Concert admission is free and open to the public.

OFF CAMPUS EVENTS ‘A Moon for the Misbegotten’ The Nora Theater Company presents an acclaimed revival of Eugene O’Neill’s A Moon for the Misbegotten starring Ramona Alexander, 2007 graduate of the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, and Will McGarrahan.

The haunting classic, written by America’s only Nobel Prize-winning playwright, depicts a moonlit moment shared by two troubled people with touchingly tragic results.

Following Thursday night’s performance, patrons are able to discuss the play with O’Neill scholars at a special event titled “Scholar’s Social.”

Nora is offering the Arts at Brandeis special discounted tickets. To purchase $15 tickets ($40 full price), visit Central Square Theatre tickets or call 866-811-4111 and use the discount code BRANDEIS15.

Tomorrow and Thursday beginning at 7:30 p.m. in the Central Square Theatre in Cambridge.

John Butler Trio and Dave Matthews Band Concert John Butler Trio, which consists of Australian guitar virtuoso John Butler, bassist Byron Luiters and drummer Nicky Bomba, will be coming to Boston along with Dave Matthews Band. John Butler Trio is continuing its tour in support of its recently released album April Uprising.

Praised by Rolling Stone for its “Melody, subtlety, authenticity, and sophistication,” the album saw the trio’s highest U.S. Billboard chart debut. Even so, it only does partial justice to the Trio’s live performance.

Headliner Dave Matthews Band, famously known for its live shows, will be playing in support of its newest album, Big Whisky & the GrooGrux King.

Nov. 9 and 10 starting at 7 p.m. at the Boston TD Garden.

National Collegiate Volunteers aim to utilize the talents, attributes and skills that students develop in college for nonprofit organizations to help college students gain awareness of big-picture issues throughout North America and the world.

The group organized and put on the Sustainability Rocks event last Tuesday evening in the Levin Ballroom, which consisted of a fashion show, concert by the upand-coming band Keeping Riley and a dance performance by the campus’ hip-hop group Kaos Kids. The event was created in support of the sustainable fair-trade fashion company Of Rags, which combines New York and Ghana styles.

The board that partially consists of Yuli Almozlino ’11, Helen Mac ’11 and Alan Tran ’12, as well as Michal Shapiro, the NCV Tufts and Brandeis director, all contributed to the answers to all of the following questions.

JustArts: What is the goal of National Collegiate Volunteers?

Tania Abramova ’11: The mission of National Collegiate Volunteers is to empower college students with the tools and the resources necessary to partner with local organizations in order to create highimpact sustainable projects that address the needs of disadvantaged communities in the United States. NCV’s focus is not only on community service, but also on community organizing and leadership development.

JA: How did NCV Brandeis decide to collaborate with “Of Rags”?

TA: “Of Rags” contacted NCV in late summer asking for our support to organize an event for them on Brandeis campus as part of their Fall college tour. We are always willing to stand in solidarity with and to support other sustainable development projects. “Of Rags” has a very strong and unique mission that we are proud to support and to promote.

JA: How has the student body reaction to the “Of Rags” initiative been?

TA: In speaking with students on campus about the “Of Rags” initiative, we received a lot of positive feedback. Though most students had never heard of the organization, they were impressed with the work it's doing and curious to learn more. The event turnout was successful and many students bought “Of Rags” clothing and signed up to learn more about their upcoming events and work.

JA: Why did you chose to bring the band Keeping Riley to campus?

TA: Keeping Riley is partnering with “Of Rags” for their Fall tour, bringing a unique new sound to sustainability. They have performed with some big-name bands like OK GO and Train, but have never lost track of the importance of community service, traveling across the country to support “Of Rags” raise awareness for their cause.

JA: Tell me about collaborating with student performing arts groups for this event.

TA: We knew that “Of Rags” and Keeping Riley were the main focus of the event, but we also wanted to showcase Brandeis talent in order to increase the amount of support and the visibility of this organization on campus. We were very lucky to have the MT’s and Kaos Kids perform. They are both incredibly talented groups and added so much to this event in terms of quality and energy. Both groups were great to work with pre show and during the performance they rocked out! We couldn’t have had such a wonderful event without them!

JA: What’s in store for NCV in the future?

TA: This Fall NCV has partnered with the Waltham Alliance to Create Housing in order to support local affordable housing initiatives, specifically in the context of environmental issues. This semester and year we are actively supporting WATCH’s “Healthy Homes” initiative. NCV is currently planning a weatherization of a Waltham home, known as a Barnraising. In addition to the Barnraising (date in December TBD) we will be bringing awareness and educational events to the Brandeis community. If students, faculty or community members would like to get involved or learn more about NCV, please contact the Chair of Publicity, Tania Abramova at taniaab@brandeis.edu.

—Bryan Flatt

THE JUSTICE

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TUESDAY, OCTOBER 26, 2010

19

ON CAMPUS THEATER

Brandeis Players explore a darker side of Shel ■ Although Brandeis Players’

production was exceptional, it did not save Silverstein’s adult play from falling flat.

By AARON BERKE JUSTICE STAFF WRITER

When a show comes alive, there are so many things that can go right or wrong. Its foundation is dependent on the combined efforts of the actors, set designers, directors and stage managers. Sometimes all of these elements come together and truly bring a script to life. But even in this situation, there’s always one possible irrevocable flaw that cannot be fixed regardless of a great presentation: the writing.

Such was the problem with the oneact plays of An Adult Evening of Shel Silverstein by Shel Silverstein, presented by the Brandeis Players this past weekend at the Carl J. Shapiro Theater. The individual pieces were well acted and well directed, but the jokes dragged on for too long and the punch lines were dropped.

The person to blame is clearly Shel Silverstein. Many of us will remember our parents reading his stories to us as children. The Giving Tree, A Light in The Attic, Where the Sidewalk Ends were wonderful classic children’s stories and poem collections that didn’t try to be funny, as his Adult stories painfully display.

What Silverstein essentially crafted here was a series of one-acts that seemed to be intended to puncture his image as a children’s author by proving he could write an adult comedy.

But rather than going about this process intelligently, he resorted to using crude jokes, unnecessarily misogynistic material and overly intellectualized explanations of his setups.

The acts themselves were split into 10 segments, each one lasting about 10 minutes. The show began with “One Tennis Shoe,” featuring a couple played by Harry Webb ’12 and Ilana Spector ’11. The man, Harvey, accuses his girlfriend, Sylvia, of being a bag lady. Harvey attempts to prove his theory by pointing out the random items she possesses in her bag, which include a single tennis shoe, an old picture frame and a bowl of oatmeal she stole from a diner.

This is pretty funny material, but the problem is that it all becomes diluted.

The performers, however, did the best they could with the material, playing their characters with sincerity. The set was also appealing, with a simple café table helping to heighten the mood. The audience was responsive too, despite some lulls in the laughter. This piece, luckily, doesn’t drag on for too long, which is a huge issue with some of the other acts.

Take, for example, “The Lifeboat is

ROBYN SPECTOR/the Justice

MEAT AND POTATOES: In a comedic act titled “Meat and Potatoes,” characters conveyed the intricacies of an entire scene by saying only the words “meat” and “potatoes.”

Sinking,” which presents a couple, Jen and Sherwin, played by Emily Rubin-Falcone ’13 and Daniel Liebman ’12. Jen gives Sherwin the classic question: “If your mother, our daughter and I were all on a sinking lifeboat with you and you had to throw one of us overboard so we could survive, who would you choose?” Again, the setting is clear, and the actors paint a wonderfully vivid picture of this sinking boat in the middle of the ocean. Although they are in a basic bedroom setting, the mood manages to come alive thanks to the acting. Unfortunately, despite some early funny interplay between the two characters, the joke starts to die when Sherwin throws away the pillow representing his mother.

Another example of a good set-up and poor payoff is “Wash and Dry,” which features a Laundromat owner, George, played by Yoni Bronstein ’13 and his client Marianne, played by Brianna Bensenouci ’12. Again, the early back-and-forth between these two is hilarious, with both actors portraying their characters with astounding resilience despite the dragged-out premise. The set here is

nicely constructed. George’s desk and the hanging bags behind him serve to accurately portray a Laundromat setting. The actual comedic content of the play, however, comes to a halt as the jokes peter on in the second half.

The least-funny act of the night was “Thinking Up a New Name For The Act,” which was split into four segments that literally consisted of nothing but the performers saying “meat and potatoes” to each other over and over again. No amount of good acting or set design could have saved this one, as the jokes seemed to exist only to the serve the purpose of making obscene gestures.

This crude comedy also bled into the pieces “Going Once” and “Buy One, Get One Free.” Both presented girls for sale to the highest bidder, the former being sold by an auctioneer and the latter selling themselves with rhyme. Some of these rhymes were clever, but overall both pieces just consisted of blatant misogynist principles. Now, I understand that the pieces were not actually trying to promote prostitution, but the jokes simply had no backup and no punch line.

The audience seemed to agree, as most of the laughter seemed polite at

best.

Of all 10 acts, there were two that were successful from beginning to end. The first was “The Best Daddy,” which presented a father (Liebman) informing his daughter (Corrie Legge ’14) that he shot her pony, which would have been her birthday present. Eventually he reveals that he was just joking—he didn’t shoot her pony, he shot her fat sister! These jokes actually worked very well, with the element of absurdity finally working because it knew how to be ridiculous and didn’t try to explain itself.

The audience got a kick out of it too.

There were many whispers to my left and right, excitedly anticipating who was really under that sheet.

The final act, “Blind Willie and the Talking Dog,” successfully established an emotional connection between the audience and the characters. The relationship between Willie (Bronstein) and the dog Barney (Webb) was evident and very well- acted, both through their surprisingly funny banter and through the love they showed for each other when the two almost parted ways at the end. This had definite elements of Silverstein’s best writings in it, espe-

cially with its clear similarities to The Giving Tree. The simple park bench setting worked as an excellent stage for the two characters’ relationship to unfold, and the direction was spot-on, with the progressive beats of Willie’s singing nicely timed with Barney’s departure and return to create a sympathetic, emotional pull.

I think the success of the final piece definitively proves that Shel Silverstein is at his best when he’s writing stories that contain a visible heart and soul, where the humor flows naturally out of its contents and not out of an attempt to appeal to a certain audience. That was the problem evident with An Adult Evening of Shel Silverstein.

It’s unfortunate, especially since the performers on stage were really quite gifted. Everything about the physical presence of the show worked phenomenally. The actors were engaging, playing their parts to perfection, and the audience for the most part responded well to them. The sets were vibrant and lifelike, and the directing brought to life exactly what the author intended. It’s just a shame that what the author intended was so misguided.

INTERVIEW

Ben Noero uses film to create his unique movie, ‘Fat Night’ ■ Ben Noero ’12 is using

funds from BTV and summer jobs to finance his film.

By ALEX DESILVA JUSTICE STAFF WRITER TV is no stranger to student films, but its definitely never made one as big as Fat Night, written and directed by Ben Noero ’12. For one thing, it was so big that BTV had to split the cost with Noero. For another, the casting director from The Departed was involved. All in all, this was quite a production for a movie that only has seven actors and that was shot entirely at Cholmondeley’s. Recently, justArts was able to sit down with Noero to discuss the professionals who made this happen, turning Chum’s into a studio and the problems of working with actual film.

JustArts: So, first things first, how did this project come about?

Ben Noero: I was on campus over the summer and had been writing it intermittently during that time.

Then, this semester I came to BTV and proposed this film to them, that would be shot on Super 16mm film (the standard for independent films, including The Wrestler and The Hurt Locker), and that I’d help pay for [it].

JA: So it’s more expensive than what BTV usually does?

BN: Well, BTV is usually able to film any kind of project, but this one was just so expensive that we had to split the cost. I’d been working a lot of jobs over the summer and only spending money on film equipment and rent, so I was able to help with the funding.

JA: What made this so expensive compared to past projects?

BN: Well, one thing we did differently was we hired a casting director, just a really nice woman named Carolyn Pickman. She’s based in Boston and was the casting director for The Departed, Gangs of New York and a bunch of other movies that

were filmed in Boston. I pretty much just cold called her and said, “Hey, I’m a student. Would you please cast my movie?” She told me to send over a script, and she liked it.

JA: Did that cost you a lot?

BN: I mean, we still had to pay her, but it was a student rate. Nothing too bad. Once we had her, we just spent four nights in the BTV office and saw over 100 actors.

JA: Did you cast any Brandeis students?

BN: That’s tough because all the student actors get picked up over the summer for theater projects. We have one Brandeis actress, Danielle Zipkin ’12; she has a small part in the movie. We actually sent out a casting call to see if any theater actresses wanted to be in it, and she ended up being fantastic for it.

JA: Other than the casting director, was this all made by BTV? BN: No, we also hired a director of photography named Beecher Cotton, who lives in Waltham. We had him for three days and spent the rest of

the time following his example. I have a pretty good background in photography and lighting, but there were things he did with [both photography and lighting] that you’d never even think of. He was a really valuable asset.

JA: Outside of production, can you say anything about the plot?

BN: Not too much. I can tell you that it’s a very small, contained story. It just has seven actors, and it all takes place in a diner, but we [filmed] all of it in Chum’s. The thing is, it’s gonna be bizarre if you ever watch it there, because it looks nothing like Chum’s in the movie.

JA: How’d you pull that off?

BN: Every weekend at7 in [the] morning we’d go and black out all the windows; we basically turned it into a studio. People got pretty confused; we even had some police officers come by and ask us what we were doing.

JA: Is this the first time you’ve directed something?

BN: Yeah. I mean, I made some

movies with my friends during high school and started a few things at Brandeis that never really came to fruition. But this is really the first script I’ve written and the first project with professional actors and a crew that’s come together like this.

JA: Is filming over now? How long do you think it will be before you show it?

BN: This [past] weekend [was] our last weekend of filming. When we go into post-production, we’re going to have different options available to us, from an online release to a festival screening. Plus, we’re working on the Super 16mm, which is actual film, not digital recording. This means we’re going to have to digitize everything. BTV actually doesn’t use Super 16, but this was a special case of me renting out the film and equipment. I want to have it out by the end of the semester, but we’re not exactly sure what we want to do with the film just yet. But I’m hoping for everything to be released by the end of the semester.

20

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 26, 2010

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THE JUSTICE

CULTURE

Students celebrate the Festival of Lights ■ South Campus Commons

lit up with decorations and glowing bulbs last Saturday with Namaskar’s celebration of Diwali, a festival observed

by Hindus, Sikhs and Jains.

By EMILY SALLOWAY JUSTICE CONTRIBUTING WRITER

On Saturday, Oct. 23, South Campus Commons transformed from an ordinary Brandeis-style lounge to an elegant red and gold festival hall for Diwali. The staircase, lit with tiny glowing bulbs, served as a mystical entryway into the Festival of Lights.

The celebration, which was hosted by the University’s Hindu, Sikh and Jain religious group, Namaskar, was well-attended but not overly crowded. Because of its small size, it was especially nice to have the opportunity to feel like a part of the intimate rituals and to be able to do all of the activities without too much of a wait.

That’s not to say the room wasn’t full. There were attendees both from within the community as well as from outside of the University, which really created an atmosphere of being a part of something important and spiritually meaningful.

One of the best parts of the night was Namaskar’s religious outreach, during which the club’s executive board relayed information to festival-goers by means of a PowerPoint Presentation and a poster, specifically explaining the significance of the holiday. Namaskar’s e-board, consisting of Ramya Kuchibhatla ’12, Vinay Setty ’12, Jasnam Sachdev ’12, Vijay Setty ’12, Sriya Srikrishnan ’12 and Praneetha Vissapragada ’13, was very welcoming and willing to explain any aspect of the holiday to attendees, especially those outside of the three aforementioned religions.

As explained in the presentation, Diwali is the observance of the South Asian Harvest Festival and the Sikh, Hindu and Jain Festival of Lights. Diyas, or small lamps, are lit and placed outside of buildings in order to offer the light as a gift to God. The light is said to illuminate the beauty of the world. Celebrants

give an offering of light and sweets to the goddess of wealth, Lakshmi, to thank her for the crops that have been harvested.

Each religion has its own significance applied to the holiday, although each recognizes the importance of light. Hindus say a prayer, Aarti, called “Om Jai Jagadish Hare,” which recognizes the triumph of good over evil as an important concept of Diwali. The date marks the return of the Lord Rama after defeating the demon king Ravana.

In Jainism, Diwali is the day that Lord Mahavira attained nirvana, the state of being free from suffering. It is one of the most important festivals for Jains because it signifies the arrival of the new year as well.

For Sikhs, Diwali recounts the release of the sixth Guru from prison.

After the 18th century, Sikhs began holding one of their biennial meetings regarding matters of the community on Diwali.

After an introduction from the Namaskar e-board, the Hindu prayer was recited accompanied by music, and Namaskar members came around with the aarti thal, or prayer plate, allowing anyone from the community to receive a blessing if they wanted.

Following the religious ceremony, there was delicious traditional South Asian food, including Indian rice pudding, naan bread, curry, rice and mango juice. Tables were set up around the room offering free henna, diya decorating and Rangoli making. Rangoli is a mixture of flowers, flour and rice used to decorate homes and welcome people. At Namaskar’s celebration, everyone was able to make his or her own brightly colored Rangoli on sheets of white paper to take home with them, as well as their own lamps.

The end of the celebration, as directed by Akash Vadalia ’12, was especially moving. Everyone took their lit diyas outside and arranged them in a circle on the ground in the quad. The lights shining in the darkness, along with members of the Brandeis community from all races, religions and class years really made this a moment of unspoiled unity.

Donations from the event are going to the Akshaya Patra Foundation, which provides meals to underprivileged school children in India.

DAN LAHMI/the Justice

HARVEST FESTIVAL: As part of the tradition for Diwali, a student holds up candles in front of a shrine depicting Hindu deities.

LITERATURE

Mandel Center welcomes author Michael Klein ■ Poet Michael Klein offered

students and professors writing advice at his unique poetry reading last Tuesday.

By ELLY KALFUS JUSTICE STAFF WRITER

“We should honor everything about our lives.” This was just one of the many pieces of advice that Michael Klein, author of two memoirs and two books of poetry, offered up during the course of his poetry reading event last Tuesday. The event, put together by the School of Night and co-sponsored by the Mandel Center for Humanities, took place in the Mandel Center Reading Room and was attended by faculty and students.

While promoting his new book of poetry, then, we were still living, Klein interwove his readings with anecdotes, reflections on the art of writing and blunt advice on life. He believes that people should appreciate everything around them, a view which prompted him to write a poem about the Franklin D. Roosevelt Drive—commonly known as the FDR—a highway on the east side of Manhattan that is always clogged with traffic. As a New Yorker, he hates the highway and always hears complaints about it, which made him want to find some redeeming quality to then write a poem about. Tidbits like these made Klein’s poetry reading that much more personal and engaging.

Klein started off the night by reading some of his older poems, including “5 Places to Have Sex,” a poem about

sexual fantasies, which he would be presenting at a gay and lesbian potluck reading at City College in New York the following day. He was very frank about his sexuality, joking that the reason he writes is so that he can afford cosmetics: “I like beauty products. … I’m gay.”

He also joked about his discomfort with reading a graphic poem aloud to an audience of strangers but said that he would do so anyway. He read only the first portion of the poem, which tells the story of a man who encounters another man on the train reading a book to whom he is attracted. The second man continues to read while getting more and more aroused by the first man’s presence. The first begins to massage the other, and the poem culminates in their mutual satisfaction.

Listening to Klein read is an experience unto itself, separate from enjoying the content of his poems, which is beautiful in its own right. His tone is extremely lyrical and melodic, emphasizing certain words and stretching out specific syllables. He imbues his poems with these same qualities, since he believes a large part of writing is listening to the sounds of words and the flow of sentences.

Sometimes, he likes to listen to classical music while writing, as he did with his memoir, Track Conditions, which derives its title from his stint as a groom for the award-winning racehorse Swale. The music “informed the language” of the book, although, he admitted, sometimes listening to music can be too distracting for him while writing. In the question-andanswer session following his reading, he explained that he is “always listen-

ALEX MARGOLIS/the Justice

POETIC LICENSE: Poet Michael Klein reads from his book ‘then, we were still living.’ ing; not thinking as much as I am listening.”

Prompted by questions, Klein talked about his writing and editing process. He believes everything should be revised and says that only two of the many poems he has written over the years have not been edited.

When writing prose, he writes paragraphs in no particular order and then arranges them later. Regarding poetry, he is often more focused on word order than on the words themselves, since the words either feel right or they don’t, but the word sequence is what gives the line its struc-

ture. A disdainer of clichés, he strives to come up with as many original lines as he can and suggests doing an Internet search for a line to see if it comes up before using it in a poem.

He makes some exceptions, however, such as the line, “The body is everywhere,” which he borrowed from a friend’s work for his own poem “Ghosts.” From the start, he knew that his poem would end on the line, “The body is everything.” Klein says that sometimes you know what the arc of a poem will be—where it will start and where it will end—even before beginning it. Another one of his poems with a poignant conclusion is “The Gift of Prophesy,” which tells the story of a person who is continuously telling half-truths to avoid the truth. After the reading, Klein was asked to repeat the last line of this poem, a true testament to its power. It ends on the line, “What nobody/Can say, I am living of something.”

At the end of his reading, Klein took a bow. After taking several questions, he wrapped up the night with some reflections on the process of creating a one-man show (a process he went through with his act 10,000 Men Have Touched Me) and advice for budding writers, to which the community of English and Creative Writing teachers present contributed a great deal.

At the conclusion of the presentation, copies of Klein’s latest book of poetry were sold, and he talked oneon-one with anyone who was interested, autographing books as well.

The reading was infused with humor, creativity and honesty, making it a pleasure to attend, and hopefully he will be returning to Brandeis soon with more writing to share.

THE JUSTICE

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Local brewery delivers grand tastes Douglas

MOORE INNERMOST BREW

I’ve mentioned before that we are blessed to live near Boston, one of the best beer cities in America. However, our own little town has quite the beer community itself. Most Moody Street bars and restaurants boast multiple taps of craft beer—nothing compared to what you can find 10 miles east but still a varied selection of beer. One of the highlights of Moody Street is Watch City Brewing Company, a brewpub that makes its own beer on site and serves it with various pub grub items.

I sat down and ordered a sampler of four beers. I highly recommend this, as at $8.95 for four half-size ponies, it is the cheapest way to try the most amount of different things. For my four pack, I had a Spearhead IPA, BeJeezus Belgian Botanical Ale, Belgian Blast Brune and Pieyed Pumpkin Ale. Spearhead IPA was a bitter beer that had mint added to it. While I was very skeptical of this brew, thinking it might be overpowered and unbalanced, it actually worked perfectly.

The mint was subtle, and the coolness of it blended beautifully with the bitter hops in the finish. It was the right balance of flavors and a really interesting and refreshing beverage. I give this beer 8.5 out of 10.

BeJeezus Belgian Botanical Ale is a gruit, a medieval style of beer originating from Scotland that does not use hops and instead balances the sweet maltiness with other spices, using bee and lemon balm and tea to spice the beer. This beer could have also gone very wrong, yet the balance of flavors was spot on. Drinking this beverage brought some sweet maltiness that balanced a lemon flavor with the slightest hint of tannins from tea leaves. I’ve had some tea beers before that have been so overpowering they were undrinkable. The subtleness

ROBYN SPECTOR/the Justice

SOCIAL DRINKING: At Watch City Brewery, located conveniently off on Waltham’s Moody Street, many patrons sit and enjoy the menu and the wide selection of tasty beer. gave this beer a very unique taste without overpowering everything else. It was not the most traditional tasting beer, but it sure was delicious.

I give this beer 8 out of 10.

Belgian Blast Brune is Belgian brown ale that uses darker malt and is high in alcohol (8.7 percent). This beer poured a dark amber color with hints of black and a dark-brown head. It tasted of dark fruit—a mix of figs, plums, cherries—and an ever-so-slight tinge of chocolate in the finish. The amazing thing about this drink was the utmost absence of any alcohol flavor. For 8.7-percent alcohol, this has to be one of the most drinkable high-al-

cohol beers out there. It’s an excellent drink. I give it an 8.5 out of 10.

I also had the Pieyed Pumpkin Ale. Now, let me start by saying that pumpkin beers are usually not my drink of choice. I usually find the pumpkin spices to either be too underpowering or overpowering. This one, however, got it perfectly right, with just the right amount of pumpkin flavor.

There was also a taste of hops, which I find to be very rare in pumpkin beers.

This was an excellent finish to the sampler; it was a well-done pumpkin beer. I give this beer 8 out of 10.

I also had a pint of Titan ale that was dry-hopped, oak-aged and served

on cask, a British style that uses physical force—not carbon dioxide—to force the beer out of the keg. Titan ale is a semiregular beer at Watch City that is good but usually nothing notable. When aged and dry hopped, it changes the dynamic a lot. Drinking the beer gave off notes of wood, flower and palette-killing bitterness. It had pretty much everything a beer can have. I give it 9 out of 10.

I also had dinner there. Watch City’s food is just as delicious as the beer. My personal choice is the Cuban, a sandwich with ham, pork, Swiss cheese, pickles and chipotle mayo served on fresh ciabatta. If you eat

pork, this sandwich will likely become your best friend. It’s one of the better sandwiches I’ve ever had. Other items on the menu are just as good, including the lamb burger (my other go-to item there).

Overall, Watch City is a wonderful place to get a pint to drink and a bite to eat. Even if you aren’t of age yet, the food alone is enough reason to come here. I highly recommend it, as it is cheap, fresh and delicious.

Be sure to check it out in the coming weeks.

Next week, I will be venturing to Cambridge Brewing Company for its annual pumpkin festival.

FOOD

KO Prime serves savory Boston burgers and dishes ■ With an eclectic menu

filled with cheap treats and expensive fare, KO Prime has a selection for everyone.

By ERIC CHOW JUSTICE STAFF WRITER

I am obsessed with burgers. Finding a good burger was one of my top priorities when I first moved to Boston, and the foie burger at KO Prime was at the top of my list (well, just under the burger at Radius). There is nothing like a burger made with care: good-quality, freshly ground beef (or lamb, buffalo, etc.) and a house-made bun, garnished with any number of accompaniments.

KO Prime’s burger comes on freshly baked brioche, with kobayaki sauce (a Japanese sauce usually served with eel—think teriyaki, but sweeter and less thick) and a thick slice of seared foie gras (duck liver). It is really wonderful. The foie, when seared, has a great, steak-like depth of flavor and a really creamy, buttery flavor and texture; it just makes sense with the brioche and the beef. The sweet kobayaki pulls everything together nicely while keeping the burger moist; there is nothing as tragic to me as a dried-out burger patty. It was really a joy to eat, especially with a generous mound of fries and house-made yuzu aioli (a mayonnaise usually made with the addition of garlic; KO Prime adds yuzu, a Japanese citrus fruit, instead).

After this meal, which also included a lovely side of fresh spaetzle with parmesan and fines herbes, I knew I had to come back.

KO Prime is chef Ken Oringer’s steakhouse, and his fourth Boston restaurant (of six), located on the second floor of the Nine Zero hotel in Boston’s Beacon Hill neighborhood, just a few blocks from Boston Common.

So far, this may sound like a strange place to review for a campus newspa-

per—a full meal here can easily be over $50. But it certainly doesn’t have to be.

Several entrées, the burger included, are $18; while definitely not cheap, it is doable for an occasional splurge. And there is a new trend in the food world that has sprung up in the last year: group buying sites, where large numbers of people buy coupons for businesses that offer one-time deals (usually a 50-percent discount), and the deal only goes through if enough people buy. Of course, most of the businesses featured seem uninteresting and not worth it, but occasionally some of Boston’s best restaurants put themselves out there, usually with a $25 for $50-value deal. Three sites to Google are LivingSocial (on which KO Prime has had two deals in the last year), Groupon, and BuyWithMe. These deals are incredible for making great several-course meals suddenly accessible—not to mention the possibility of splitting a coupon with a friend, so that each of you end up paying $15 or less.

I should also say that most of these higher-end restaurants have very affordable bar menus and specials (one need not be of drinking age if just coming to eat). KO Prime has several items on its bar menu for just $5: a Philly cheesesteak with secret sauce; a pulled chicken sandwich with house-made pickles, BBQ sauce and crispy onions; and seasonal hush puppies. Their poutine ($11) is tempting as well: a twohour egg (slow cooked for that long), local cheese curd and mushroom gravy over their house fries. Two other specials in the city that have caught my eye are Tremont 647’s $2 taco Tuesdays and Sel de la Terre—Back Bay’s $2 mini burger Mondays (with choices of New England beef, porchetta, tuna and marinated mushrooms with cilantro pesto and almonds).

But back to KO Prime. My most recent meal there was one of my best in a long time: chanterelle mushroom risotto, red snapper and butterpoached lobster and pumpkin cake with mascarpone cream.

tablehopper/Flickr Media Commons

SENSORY DISHES: Exquisite meals, such as the Swordfish, are served at KO Prime.

The risotto—which is actually listed under the restaurant’s sides (they are happy to bring any of them as an appetizer), was definitely the weakest part of the meal. It was good: creamy, interspersed with sliced sautéed chanterelles and each grain of rice had a nice amount of bite, but it lacked personality.

My entrée was completely different—incredible on many levels, the most stunning of which was the composition of the dish: how each element was presented and how they all worked so well with each other. Two large seared fillets of red snapper were perched upon a bed of perfectly sautéed mustard greens. Around it on the plate were pieces of poached lobster, sautéed chunks of apple and butternut squash,

toasted chestnuts and fresh pumpkin gnocchi (little potato dumplings). A pool of lightly curried butternut squash sauce enveloped the greens and the other vegetables, and atop both fillets was a scattering of assorted flower petals and pumpkin foam.

It was really a joy to look at—and even more to eat. There were so many levels of flavor and texture, an important part of which were the crisp chestnuts against the soft fish and gnocchi.

The chestnuts also provided little explosions of full, toasty flavor. All of the components were good, but what stood out the most were the pumpkin gnocchi. They were so fresh and flavorful— and perfectly sautéed—with just the right amount of firmness and bite to each.

The dessert was strongly recommended by my server, and it stood out on the menu anyway (though the dark chocolate marquise with buttery popcorn ice cream was a close second). The pumpkin cake was presented just as beautifully as my fish: pecan cookie crumbs scattered with flower petals divided a large, circular plate. On one end, a square slice of cake with two layers of mascarpone cream, topped with candied pecan halves and a quenelle (dumpling-shaped scoop) of bourbonbrown sugar ice cream. On the other side, across the line of crumbs, was a small dollop of cranberry compote (cranberries cooked in sugar syrup).

The cake was very nicely done, and while not mind-blowing by itself (it could have used more pumpkin, perhaps), the flavor combinations were fresh and interesting. The compote was more distinct, probably because of its contrast with the rest of the dessert, providing a bright fruity flavor similar to the taste (and texture) of Craisins, except not overly sweet. The flavor was clearer and more fresh.

Food like this is exciting and more accessible than you might think. I’ll leave you with a short video to look up for some insight into the basic process that some chefs use when creating dishes with traditional and nontraditional flavor combinations. Search on YouTube for “Flavor bouncing Grant Achatz” (title: Flavor Bouncing). Both the process and the realization of the ideas at the end are very inspiring.

KO Prime is rare among steakhouses because of its commitment to be new and fresh, reinterpreting classic presentations of steak while serving whatever else they like to go with it. As the restaurant says on its website, “Leave the ‘classics’ to others. KO Prime is edgy, appealing and totally 21st century.” Agreed.

KO Prime is in Boston’s Beacon Hill neighborhood, at 90 Tremont St. Visit it online at koprimeboston.com, and check their Facebook page for specials and updates.

Marjory Collins/Library of Congress

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THE JUSTICE

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TUESDAY, OCTOBER 26, 2010

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DANCE

Rubberbandance stretches bodies, art ■ The Montreal-based

dance group performed a thrilling blend of breaking and ballet dance last week.

By WEI-HUAN CHEN JUSTICE EDITORIAL ASSISTANT

A blend of ballet and hip-hop may be hard to imagine.

It’s not easy to picture the bombastic attitude and showmanship of breaking melded with the rigor and grace of classical and contemporary dance: an idea of the fusion may slowly take shape, but imagining what the dancers’ movements would look like presents physical and stylistic challenges. That’s why I assumed choreographer Victor Quijada and co-director Anne Plamondon’s ambitious Rubberbandance Group, one of the first dance groups around the world to simultaneously embrace hip-hop and classical dance with such gusto, would highlight the conflict between its dance forms at its Boston debut last Friday. Its stunning sold-out performance at the Institute of Contemporary Art/Boston brought a provocative new aesthetic that challenged how the audience viewed the space around the dancers.

The result was a new perception toward air: instead of merely moving through it, the eight members of the ensemble carved through a seemingly viscous medium—like they were dancing in pudding, to put it one way. Rather than creating conflict between hip hop and classical dance, Rubberbandance celebrated a fresh and seamless marriage of the two forms.

A simple explanation to the group’s success in fusion is that Quijada, who grew up with the underground hip-hop dance scene in Los Angeles, had spent 8 years training with Plamondon, a professional ballet dancer. The two noted the challenges that came up in the crisscross of disciplines: as a classically trained dancer, Plamondon had mastered control of her body through balancing on her two feet but not on her hands or chest. It took years of rigorous training until she gained the upper body strength required for hip-hop dance. However, making the transition from classical to hip hop was an essential part of the co-directors’ creative process.

So what exactly does this product look like? Runnerbandance’s presentation, entitled Loan Sharking, began its first act with the fiery music of Igor Stravinsky, a creative presentation of smooth movements between the bodies of the eight dancers. Impressive acrobatic techniques showcased their agile bodies while stark moments of musical stops gave emphasis to their ability to express emotion through their fa-

PHOTO COURTESY OF WORLD MUSIC/CRASHARTS

ELASTIC BODIES: Rubberbandance Group co-directors Victor Quijada and Anne Plamondon bend their bodies in a wretching love narrative at the Institute of Contemporary Art. cial expressions. An amusing moment, where the dancers seemed to try and dodge the spotlight, made the audience chuckle. It was a moment when comedy and theatricality were the focus of the show.

In that moment, the spotlight drew attention not only to the dancer caught under its beam but also to the flawless light design of technical director Yan Lee Chan. The third-floor theater at the ICA had simple, rectangular dimensions that complemented the jagged lights. The sides of the venue were dimly lit with green, outlining the downward path to the show floor. A dancer took advantage of the stairs around the audience: in a moment of humorous metatheatricality, he took a cell phone call on the side while Plamondon was performing onstage. Planted in the audience,

he began whispering while the lone dancer moved silently on the floor.

Signs of offense like “Are you kidding me?” escalated while he talked louder and louder, until the man walked down to the floor and said on the phone, “I’ll tell you how I feel! I feel lost.”

Thus began the final pieces of the second act’s “Punto Ciego Abreviado,” a condensed version of the fulllength piece “Punto Ciego.” It was an impressive duet between music and dance that illustrated the agonies of love and loss. Jasper Gahunia, a DJ and friend of Quijada’s, composed the music using sounds from a classical piece, using the crackly sounds of a record while abruptly offering slices of string and bass. The dance scenes, depicting a pain-filled courtship ritual, were equally abrupt

in their emotional presentations.

Bodies would flow together while climbing and tumbling through the air, inhabiting both vertical and horizontal planes of movement. But the fluid movements were interrupted by pauses and jolts of darkness— again, Chan’s lighting design proved crucial to the narrative. The saga ended beautifully, with three couples standing under pentagonal spotlights holding calm, yet unresolved, postures.

“I created the group because I wanted to see if the two worlds of hip-hop and classical dance could be manifested,” said Quijada in a question-and-answer session following the performance. His goal was to change the way dancers approached their bodies by transmitting his knowledge of the different forms. He

had imagined hip hop coming out from underground culture and eventually being viewed as an art form that challenged people’s expectations. Seeing his ideas manifesting into physical bodies validated this notion and acted as a stepping stone towards creating Rubberbandance.

The project, as indicated by its name, features this elastic hodgepodge of varying dance forms, stretching what people consider traditional hiphop dance and banding it together with classical and ballet.

The performance was organized by World Music/CRASHarts, a performing arts series that will bring over 15 musical and dance acts from Africa, Asia, Europe and the Americas to Boston. More information on its fall offerings can be found on worldmusic.org.

MUSIC

Kings of Leon ‘Come Around’ on newest album ■ Known for its 2008 chart-

climbing hit song “Use Somebody,” Kings of Leon is back with a new album that, while not perfect, improves on its previous style.

By TAYLOR BAKER JUSTICE CONTRIBUTING WRITER

In 2008, Kings of Leon made its way onto iPods everywhere with the release of its song “Use Somebody,” a soaring, adult-contemporary, radio-station-friendly rock song displaying the boozy southern rockers’ softer side, off their 2008 album Only by the Night. But Kings of Leon, consisting of the Followill brothers Nathan, Caleb and Jordan and their cousin Matthew, have been around much longer. Kings of Leon has been releasing material since 2003 and were rock stars in England before they were considered such in America, winning awards and topping the charts. However, older fans be-

moaned Only by the Night, saying Kings of Leon sold out because it was less of the blues/southern-rock revival sound the band was known for and more of the arena-rock sound that is synonymous with bands like Nickelback. While I don’t really agree with that sentiment, I did see that “Use Somebody” was not Kings of Leon’s best.

I’ll admit that I didn’t start to really listen to Kings of Leon until I heard “Use Somebody,” but the song intrigued me, so I went and sought out more of its songs. What I found were songs much more daring and impassioned than anything on Only by the Night. Songs like “Holy Roller Novocaine” and “Knocked Up” from previous albums were simply better because they had a sound different from anything I’d heard; some parts are understated, others are a flagrant display of booze, sex and religion and how the three aren’t always separate. So with its new album, Come Around Sundown, released Oct. 12, I was hoping to find something more rebellious and aggressive that was lacking in Only by the

Night.

Come Around Sundown lived up to my hopes, and in a way, it didn’t.

The album isn’t great, but it’s not terrible. The album resides in the limbo between great albums and horrible albums; it’s the “we can make decent songs that will get attention and sell records because, well, we’ve done it before” album.

For the most part, it’s a solid album that’s an improved follow-up. The album will probably gain Kings of Leon some more Grammy awards, as well as performances on a litany of talk shows and award shows, but musically, there’s still something missing.

The album opens up with “The End,” a song that feels a bit clichéd because the lyrics are basically lead singer Caleb Followill moping around. The vocals themselves are powerful, but that can’t hide the overly sappy lyrics; the mopey feeling is exacerbated by the singer belting out, “This could be the end” one too many times. Then the song ends with an overwrought and overused sentiment: “Cos I ain’t got a home/

I’ll forever roam.” Despite my misgivings about the content, the song is one of the more interesting ones on the album due to the beautiful, understated guitar in the background that goes a bit screwy during the chorus and bridge.

“Mary” is possibly the best song on the album. It’s different from anything Kings of Leon has done before: doo-wop! Well, at least something reminiscent of doo-wop, chock full of “ahhs” that could be played over any scene of a 50s-era school dance as couples sway back and forth with their poodle skirts and cardigans.

With a relentless guitar riff backed by a simple and direct drumbeat, “Mary” is a bit sloppier than the other songs, echoing the seemingly teenage, tortured relationship.

Other notable songs are “Back Down South” and “Pony Up.” “Back Down South” is a lazy southern-rock song full of twang, fiddles and plenty of talk of dancing, beer and gettin’ romantic underneath the stars.

While “Pony Up” features an eccentric guitar riff and a cowbell that makes the song feel lively as Caleb

Followill sings of a rowdy fight, it still keeps that gritty southern feel with the lyrics.

Come Around Sundown falls flat because it tries too hard for the big choruses that’ll get everyone singing. For example, “The Immortals” feels slick and cool during the verses due to the prominence of the bass but falls when the “big” chorus comes in changing the pace of the song. “Pyro” is another song that had potential, but it doesn’t really go anywhere. Like “The End,” “Pyro” is a downer, with Followill singing “Everything I cherish is slowly dying or it’s gone,” solidifying himself as a degenerate destroying the lives of those around him as he wails that he “won’t ever be a cornerstone.”

Like I said, there are no major issues with this album. Come Around Sundown is simple but sometimes intricate, well-thought-out and exultant here and there. It’s an improvement, but it didn’t feel ballsy, something that makes songs like “Knocked Up” and “Holy Roller Novocaine” so remarkable.

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TUESDAY, OCTOBER 26, 2010

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THE JUSTICE

TOP of the

ARTS ON VIEW

TRIVIA TIME 1. In what Disney movie was Earth referred to as “Section 17, Area 51”?

2. What does the musical direction subito mean?

3. What does B.P.O.E. stand for?

4. What term describes a plant’s involuntary tendency to grow toward light?

5. What popular 1970s TV show featured a news writer named Murray Slaughter?

6. What is the code word for the letter “V” in international radio alphabet?

7. Who was the Green Hornet’s sidekick?

8. Which of the United States has the nickname “Old Dominion State”?

9. Who was the founder of the Methodist Church?

10. What is a more common name for the nares?

CHARTS Top 10s for the week ending Oct. 24 BOX OFFICE 1. Paranormal Activity 2 2. Jackass 3D 3. Red 4. Hereafter 5. The Social Network 6. Secretariat 7. Life as We Know It 8. Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga’Hoole 9. The Town 10. Easy A

WBRS

MORGAN FINE/the Justice

HDR MBTA: A high-dynamic-range photograph captures light from several photographs and is combined to create a single photo with a wide range of color and light, accentuating the visual contrasts present on the side of the MBTA Commuter Rail station at Porter Square.

ANSWERS 1. Lilo and Stitch 2. Suddenly 3. Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks 4. Phototropism 5. The Mary Tyler Moore Show 6. Victor 7. Kato 8. Virginia 9. The Rev. John Wesley 10. Nostrils

CROSSWORD

SHOWTIMES 10/29 - 11/14

The Town Fri-Sun: 1:00, 3:45, 7:00, 9:45 Mon-Thurs: 2:00, 4:50, 7:40 Paranormal Activity 2 Fri-Sun: 1:50, 4:25, 7:30, 9:55 Mon-Thurs: 2:40, 5:10, 8:20 Stone Fri-Sun: 1:30, 4:05, 7:10, 9:35 Mon-Thurs: 2:20, 5:00, 8:00 The Social Network Fri-Sun: 1:10, 3:55, 6:50, 9:40 Mon-Thurs: 2:10, 4:50, 7:50 The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest Fri-Sun: 1:20, 4:35, 8:00 Mon-Thurs: 2:50, 7:30 It’s Kind of a Funny Story Fri-Sun: 1:40, 4:15, 7:20, 9:50 Mon-Thurs: 2:30, 5:00, 8:10

The Embassy is located at 18 Pine Street in Waltham

ACROSS 1. Army rank 6. Huge 9. Matterhorn, for one 12. Eat away 13. Tramcar contents 14. Knightly address 15. Trapshooting 16. “Alas!”

18. Motivated 20. Urban fleet 21. Tackle moguls 23. Listening device 24. Wheels of fortune?

25. Scull lineup 27. Hosiery fabric 29. Large constrictor 31. Zeroes 35. Precise 37. Campbell’s product 38. Analyze 41. “— Wiedersehen” 43. Greek H 44. Undo a dele 45. Followed 47. Slight footing 49. Staffordshire ceramicware 52. Shade provider 53. Latin 101 word 54. Norton’s workplace 55. In medias — 56. Supporting 57. Meddler DOWN 1. Month (Sp.) 2. Deluge refuge 3. 2001 David Spade movie 4. Baltic Sea feeder 5. Fix a stubborn knot 6. Section of NYC, with “The” 7. Unyielding 8. “Golly!”

9. Black tea of India 10. People will bend over backward to do it 11. Fourth estate 17. Cupcake enhancements 19. Woman of letters?

1. “I Want The World To Stop” – Belle and Sebastian 2. “Everything is Wrong” – Blonde Redhead 3. “Doncamatic” – Gorillaz 4. “Scissor Runner” – Jenny and Johnny 5. “Cameras” – Matt & Kim 6. “Memories” – Weezer 7. “Hold Me Down” – You Me At Six 8. “Cherry Blossom” – Quitzow 9. “4th of July” – Kelis 10. “Say God” – The Idan Raichel Project

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

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Bribe Bandleader Kyser Singer Rawls Scabbard Yoga position Anti-acne brand Square-dance party Historic boy king Resort Frankness Autumn bloom Filched Appears to be Persnickety Ticklish Muppet Duel tool Lummox P.I. Geologic period

1. Lil Wayne – I Am Not A Human Being 2. Darius Rucker – Charleston, SC 1966 3. Big Time Rush – BTR (Soundtrack) 4. The Band Perry – The Band Perry 5. Eminem – Recovery 6. Kenny Chesney – Hemingway's Whiskey 7. Sufjan Stevens – Age of Adz 8. Zac Brown Band – You Get What You Give 9. Toby Keith – Bullets in the Gun 10. All that Remains – For We Are Many Album information provided by Billboard Magazine.

Box office information provided by Yahoo! Movies.

Radio charts provided by CMJ.

STAFF PLAYLIST

“Perfect Score”

By AARON BERKE JUSTICE STAFF WRITER

Solution to last issue’s crossword.

King Crossword Copyright 2010 King Features Synd., Inc.

STRANGE BUT TRUE ■ It was American author, producer, screenwriter and director Michael Crichton who made the following sage observation: “Whenever you hear the consensus of scientists agrees on something or other, reach for your wallet, because you’re being had.”

■ Statistics show that more babies are born in September than in any other month of the year.

■ Talk about bad luck: In May of 2009, two thieves broke into a jewelry store in Milwaukee, bagged up their loot and tried to make their getaway. On the way out of the looted store, they were confronted by two more thieves, who took the ill-gotten gains. No one ended up profiting from the crime, however; all four were arrested.

■ According to an estimate by the United Nations, there are more than 3 million shipwrecks on the ocean floor.

■ You may have heard of the turducken—a chicken stuffed into a duck stuffed into a turkey—but you

probably didn’t know that a chef in the United Kingdom took the idea of nested fowl several steps further. Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall stuffed a woodcock inside a pigeon inside a partridge inside a pheasant inside a chicken inside a guineafowl inside a mallard inside a duck inside a goose inside a turkey. No word on how the 10-layer dish was carved for serving.

■ Tablecloths were originally meant to be served as towels with which dinner guests could wipe their hands and faces after eating.

■ If you’re not the sort of person who makes the bed every day, here’s some good news for you: Researchers in the United Kingdom have found that unmade beds are less likely to harbor dust mites, a common cause of asthma and allergic symptoms.

Thought for the Day: “If you would be a real seeker after truth, it is necessary that at least once in your life you doubt, as far as possible, all things.” —René Descartes

For me music is synonymous with film. As a longtime film buff, I always found it a joy to listen to film scores. They provide an underlying tone for the story and define the emotional themes for the characters. Naturally, my 10 songs are comprised entirely of my favorite movie scores.

THE LIST 1. John Williams – “Star Wars Main Title” 2. John Williams – “Theme From Superman” 3. John Williams – “Raiders March” 4. Howard Shore – “ Concerning Hobbits” 5. Alan Silvestri – “Back to the Future” 6. Hanz Zimmer – “Like a Dog Chasing Cars” 7. Howard Shore – “The Breaking of the Fellowship” 8. John Williams – “The Imperial March” 9. Charlie Clouser – “Hello Zepp” 10. John Williams – “Flight to Neverland”