The Justice, September 20, 2011 issue

ARTS Page 21

FORUM Citations for alcohol use 10

JONAH HILL

SPORTS Cross country excels at first meet 16 The Independent Student Newspaper

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of

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

Justice

Volume LXIV, Number 4

www.thejustice.org

Tuesday, September 20, 2011

STUDENT UNION

HOME SEASON OPENER

Union to hold fall elections this Thursday ■ Fall elections will be

held on Thursday for the 16 open positions, including residential quad senators and class senators.

By SARA DEJENE JUSTICE EDITOR

The Student Union is holding elections this Thursday in order to fill the 16 available positions. As of press time, a total of 46 students are running.

The open seats include senators for the Classes of 2012, 2013 and 2015; the Castle; East Quad; Massell Quad; the Village; Rosenthal Quad; Ridgewood; Transitional Year Program; Racial Minority Financial Board Senator; Brandeis Sustainability Fund Representative; Student Judiciary, Alumni

Board Senior Representative and Senator at Large.

There are a total of six students running for North Quad senator. One of the candidates, Rachel Hughes ’15, said that she would work to promote more interaction between students living in North Quad. Charlotte Franco ’15, also running for North Quad senator, said that her goals would be keeping the quad as a healthy living space and creating unity among quad residents.

Benjamin Beutel ’12, who is one of two students running for the Village senator position, said that his goals include “better provisioning for the [P.O.D. Market], towels and free weights for the Village gym, better funding and support for social justice groups from the Student Union council, more quad-

University ranking rises from 34 a 31

■ Brandeis was also ranked

34th on the list of best-value schools, according to U.S. News and World Report’s ranking system.

By JONATHAN EPSTEIN JUSTICE STAFF WRITER

Brandeis is ranked 31st in U.S. News & World Report’s 2012 national university rankings, up three spots from last year’s ranking, faring best in the categories of SAT scores and classes with under 20 students.

Brandeis was tied with Boston College and was a single spot ahead of New York University while trailing Tufts University by one space in

For tips or info e-mail editor@thejustice.org

JOSHUA LINTON/the Justice

Impressive footwork

See ELECTIONS, 7 ☛

ACADEMICS

the rankings.

64.2 percent of Brandeis’ classes have fewer than 20 students, the 18th-highest proportion among schools in the top 40 national universities, ahead of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cornell University, Dartmouth College, Georgetown University and Vanderbilt University.

The 25th to 75th percentile of Brandeis students scored between 1270 and 1460 on the 1600-point SAT scale, giving Brandeis the 22ndhighest SAT scores among national universities, stronger than those of the University of California, Berkeley and BC. Brandeis was also ranked 34th on the list of best-value schools, defined

by U.S. News as a combination of

Waltham, Mass.

Midfielder Sam Ocel ’13 kicks past a Worchester Polytechnic Institute player during the men’s home opener last Wednesday night. The Judges won 5-0, coming back after a 1-0 loss to Clark University and later winning 2-0 against MIT. See Sports, p. 16.

BRIEF

Student Union introduces “skip” option on ballots A new “skip” option will be added to the voting process for the upcoming Student Union elections on Thursday, according to a Student Union press release.

“This option was added for students to express their right not to vote without penalizing the candidates,” according to the press release.

Voters on Thursday will be able to choose “skip” and proceed to the next ballot without penalizing the candidates who are skipped.

“With this new addition, students can skip and move on to the next ballot if they do not know the candidate, do not feel comfortable voting, or if they wish to exercise their right not to vote,” according to the release.

The abstain option, however, will remain on the ballot. “Selec-

tion of the ‘Abstain’ option will continue to work against a candidate, and the position will remain vacant if ‘Abstain’ gets the most votes. ‘Abstain’ is an option intended for those who are uncomfortable with all candidates for a position,” according to the press release.

The decision comes after only four senators were elected in second-round spring elections last semester, due at least in part to the fact that more students chose the “abstain” option rather than selecting a candidate.

According to the press release, “This initiative was undertaken in response to problems with our voting system, confusion, constructive criticism by our peers, and our own frustrations.”

Positions left unfilled last se-

mester were one senator for the Class of 2012, two senators for the Class of 2013, the racial minority senator and Brandeis Sustainability Fund Board representative positions, as well as additional seats on the Student Judiciary, according to an email from Student Union Secretary Todd Kirkland ’13.

Regarding the constitutionality of adding “skip” to the ballot, the press release stated, “We believe this to be within the Secretary’s constitutional power as Chief Elections Commissioner to add the skip option to the ballot. The Constitution does not specify that any additional ballot selections cannot be added.”

—Andrew Wingens

See RANKING, 7 ☛

A new minor

Volleyball wins

Triple homicide

 This semester, Students have the option to declare a minor in Sexuality and Queer Studies.

 The volleyball team continued its hot streak, moving to 7-3 to start the season.

 A Brandeis alumnus was murdered last Monday in a Waltham apartment.

FEATURES 9

SPORTS 14

Let your voice be heard!

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

INDEX

ARTS SPORTS

17 16

EDITORIAL FEATURES

10 8

OPINION POLICE LOG

10 2

COMMENTARY

11

News 3 COPYRIGHT 2011 FREE AT BRANDEIS. Email managing@thejustice.org for home delivery.

2

TUESDAY, september 20, 2011

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THE JUSTICE

NEWS AP BRIEF Standard & Poor’s upgrades Mass credit rating to AA-plus BOSTON—The Standard & Poor’s credit rating service on Friday raised the Massachusetts rating a notch, citing improvements in how officials have managed the state debt, finances and budget and helping it achieve its highest overall rating ever.

The agency said in a statement the state’s outlook is stable as it bumped its rating up from AA to AA-plus.

Massachusetts currently has ratings of Aa1 from Moody’s and AA-plus from Fitch, the two other top ratings agencies. Treasury officials say the three ratings collectively give the state its highest credit standing in history.

A bond rating for the state is like a credit rating for a person. The S&P’s Ratings Services bond rating system uses an alphabetical scale from AAA down to D. Massachusetts’ AA-plus rating indicates to potential investors of bonds and other debt securities that the state has a very strong capacity to meet financial commitments.

The S&P decision “will substantially improve Massachusetts’ competitive position when it goes to market with $475 million worth of bonds” on Wednesday for capital improvements, the state treasurer’s office said in a statement.

S&P said Friday that it assigned its AA-plus rating to the bonds.

The rating upgrade comes a week after state leaders told representatives of the three major U.S. credit rating agencies that Massachusetts was on solid fiscal footing and urged them to consider a bond rating upgrade in spite of growing concerns about the direction of the national economy.

Democratic Governor Deval Patrick and State Treasurer Steve Grossman pointed to a proposal to deposit $300 million into the state’s rainy-day fund, bringing it back above the $1 billion mark for the first time since the recession and giving the state one of the four strongest reserve funds in the country.

The Legislature still must approve the deposit.

Friday’s credit upgrade “reflects Massachusetts’ ongoing progress in improving financial, debt and budget management practices, while at the same time implementing cost-control and reform measures associated with its long-term liabilities,” S&P’s Credit Analyst Robin Prunty said. “The upgrade also reflects the commonwealth’s commitment to its stabilization fund.”

Patrick said the upgrade makes investments in schools, roads and housing more affordable.

“We have shown that you can still invest in our future while balancing the books and that doing both is the best way to better times,” Patrick said. “Standard & Poor’s has recognized that the commonwealth is a good investment, and, frankly, we’ve earned it.”

Grossman says Massachusetts maintained “fiscal discipline and responsible management” despite turmoil in markets and economic uncertainty at the federal level.

S&P said other factors supporting its AA-plus rating included Massachusetts’ relatively strong budget performance through the recent recession, with swift action to restore balance after identifying revenue shortfalls. The agency also cited high wealth and income levels in the largest New England state as well as a commitment to maintaining and, more recently, growing the stabilization fund balance, which provide flexibility to manage any budget volatility.

POLICE LOG Medical Emergency

Sept. 12—A party reported having breathing problems in Scheffres Residence Hall.

University Police and BEMCo responded, and the party was transported to the NewtonWellesley Hospital for further care.

Sept. 12—A party in Reitman Residence Hall reported feeling ill. BEMCo treated the party onscene with a signed refusal for further care.

Sept. 12—BEMCo received a report of a student with a sprained ankle in Usen Residence Hall. The party was treated on-scene and signed a refusal for further care.

Sept. 13—Waltham Police requested assistance from the University Police for a 911 emergency medical call at the Charles River Apartments. The party, who was suffering from a bloody nose, was transported to the Newton-Wellesley Hospital.

Sept. 13—A party reported experiencing chest pains at the Goulding Health Center and

was transported via ambulance to the Newton-Wellesley Hospital.

Sept. 13—A party at the Shapiro Admissions Center stepped on a bee. BEMCo treated the party with a signed refusal for further care.

Sept. 14—A party in the Usen Castle reported that her roommate was complaining of stomach pain. University Police and BEMCo responded, and the party was treated on-scene with a signed refusal for further care.

Sept. 14—A party on the athletic fields reported a laceration to her head. The party was treated on-scene with a signed refusal for further care.

Sept. 14—A party on the athletic fields reported a hand injury. BEMCo requested an ambulance to transport the party to the Newton-Wellesley Hospital.

Sept. 16—BEMCo received a report of a female student having a panic attack in the Village A. University Police and BEMCo responded, and the party was treated on-scene with a signed

refusal for further care.

Sept. 16—An intoxicated party was in the hallway of Shapiro Residence Hall. University Police and BEMCo responded and the party was transported via ambulance to the NewtonWellesley Hospital for further care.

Sept. 16—BEMCo and University Police respond to a report of a party feeling ill in Ridgewood C. The party was treated onscene and transported via ambulance for further care.

Sept. 16—A reporting party stated that a party on the athletic fields was conscious and alert but suffering from a dislocated knee. An ambulance transported the injured party to the Newton-Wellesley Hospital.

Sept. 17—A party reported that their roommate had struck their head in Shapiro Residence Hall. The injured party was transported via University Police car to the Health Center for further care.

Sept. 17—BEMCo reported a 25-year-old male party with a

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

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Miscellaneous

Sept. 12—University Police received a report of people smoking marijuana in North Quad. Police confiscated the contraband and the CDC will file University Judicial charges against the students. University Police compiled a report on the incident.

Sept. 16—A reporting party in the Village stated that her room had been entered and things were moved around. There was no forced entry.

University Police compiled a report on the incident and an investigation will follow.

Sept. 18—Two complaints of a loud party in the Foster Mods were reported. University Police moved approximately 15 people from the area without incident.

—compiled by Marielle Temkin

SENATE LOG Senate recognizes Disney at ’Deis club

CORRECTIONS AND CLARIFICATIONS n An article in News incorrectly characterized the state of contract negotiations between Aramark and unionized Dining Services workers. The negotiations had stalled; they were not at an impasse. (Sept. 13, pg.

1) n An article in News misstated the month in which University President Frederick Lawrence was inaugurated. The inauguration occurred in March 2011, not January 2010. (Sept. 13, pg. 1) n An article in News incorrectly noted that Kathleen Peratis P ’04 was an alumnus of the University. In fact, Peratis is the parent of an alumnus. (Sept. 13, pg. 4) n Two file photos in Features lacked the photographer’s name. The photos were taken by Brooke Ismach. (Sept.

13, pg. 9) n An article in Arts lacked an editor’s note indicating that a person interviewed in the article has a formal association with the Justice. Bryan Flatt ’12 is a senior staff writer. (Sept. 13, pg. 19) n An article in Arts incorrectly stated that the character GLaDOS of the video game Portal 2 is voiced

by Stephen Merchant. In fact, Ellen McLain voices the character. (Sept. 13, pg. 23)

hand injury outside Stoneman.

The party was treated on-scene

by BEMCo with a signed refusal for further care.

TALI SMOOKLER/the Justice

Learning how to get away A student learns about one of various programs at the Study Abroad Fair held last Thursday in the Levin Ballroom. The fair, which featured both summer and academic year study abroad options, included representatives from 37 different programs and overseas universities.

The Union Senate held its first meeting of the semester last Thursday night following concerns that the senate would violate the Student Union bylaws by not meeting within the first 10 academic days of the semester.

Student Union President Herbie Rosen ’12 swore in the four newly elected senators: Shekeyla Caldwell ’14 as senator-at-large, Rosby KomeMensah as senator for the Class of 2014, Ricky Rosen as senator for the Class of 2014 and Missy Skolnik as senator for the Class of 2012.

Rosen also swore in Suzanne Rothman ’13 as the Undergraduate Curriculum Committee Representative.

Rosen additionally appointed Abby Kulawitz ’12 to the post of director of executive affairs, Rebecca Bachman ’13 and Savannah Pearlman ’12 as codirectors of academic affairs and Dillon Harvey ’14 as co-director of community advocacy.

Kulawitz described her new position as essentially the “chief of staff” and she said her main goal, as of now, would be to work with the University committees.

Bachman said one of her goals would be to serve as a liasion between the students and the academic administration.

The senate approved all four of Rosen’s appointments and Rosen said that more appointments would follow at the next senate meeting.

The senate recognized the Disney at ’Deis club, which is intended “to fulfill the growing demand for a safe and fun environment for people to enjoy all things Disney,” according to the club’s application for recognition.

The club “intends to achieve its purpose by engaging in Disney-related activities like watching movies, and having discussions, about them and other Disney topics.

Ricky Rosen reported that he has discussed issues regarding dining with officials from Aramark and he hopes to affect change and express student opinions to representatives of Aramark.

—Andrew Wingens

ANNOUNCEMENTS Local/Global information session

From Feb. 6 to 10, 2012, the Student Union and the Ethics Center are collaborating on a week called “Local Action/Global Impact 2012,” pulling together talks, performances, exhibits, discussions and anything else that fits the theme. The vision is that the week will be like the Festival of the Creative Arts—but for social justice. The keynote speaker is Ruth Messinger, CEO of American Jewish World Service and a former New York City political leader. Learn about applying for funding and helping your organization be a part of the week of events.

Early deadline for priority consideration for event proposals is Friday, Sept. 30 by midnight. Speakers at the info session include Student Union President Herbie Rosen ’12, Miriam Wong (Positive Foundations), Marci McPhee (Ethics Center) and David Weinstein (Ethics Center). Refreshments will be served. Sponsored by the International Center for Ethics, Justice and Public Life. Today from 6 to 7 p.m. in the Feldberg Lounge in the Hassenfeld Conference Center.

Brandeis Labor Coalition meeting

Support workers’ rights on a global scale and within our own University community.

Join the labor coalition! Experience is not needed, though bilingual skills are a plus.

Come to a BLC meeting with a smile and an open mind. Be part of the movement working to change Brandeis and our world for the better. Today from 9 to 10 p.m. in Shapiro Campus Center 315.

Interview with the presidents

University President Frederick Lawrence and Professor Uriel Reichman, the Dean of the IDC in Israel, will be giving a special interview that will be broadcasted live on 100.1 FM Waltham and wbrs.org. Tomorrow from noon to 1 p.m. in the Shapiro Campus Center Multipurpose Room.

“Village by Village, Barrio por Barrio”

Starting on a small scale, Dr. Rosa Elena Bello has developed comprehensive social programs resulting in enormous changes in health, education and welfare, especially for children and women, in San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua. Dr. Bello will be in residence at Brandeis until Thursday as the Ethics Center’s fifth Distinguished Visiting Practitioner, a program that brings respected practitioners in any field to campus for several days to examine the ethical challenges and

dilemmas of that field. Bello’s residency is hosted by Associate Director of Academics Kelley Ready (Heller) and author Margaret Gullette (Women’s Studies Research Center). Sponsored by the International Center for Ethics, Justice, and Public Life and cosponsored by the Women’s Studies Research Center. All are welcome. Tomorrow from 5 to 6:30 p.m. in the Rapaporte Treasure Hall.

Business, consulting and finance forum

Become more aware and prepared for careers in business, consulting and finance through direct exposure and discussions with alumni and other professionals in related fields at the University’s inaugural Business, Consulting & Finance Forum. In addition to exploring and learning about specific career paths, this year’s theme focuses on helping students and young alumni learn how to become valued contributors to any company whether they are an intern, entry-level hire, manager or leader. The event will feature an expert panel presentation followed by round table networking sessions with alumni and other industry professionals. Professional attire is strongly recommended. Wednesday from 6 to 9 p.m. in Sherman Function Hall.

THE JUSTICE

research

are allegedly infringing on patents the University holds.

By damiana andonova and ANDREW WINGENS JUSTICE contributing WRITER and Justice editor

Brandeis and GFA Brands, Inc. are plaintiffs in a patent suit against 13 large and small cookie companies in the Midwest. The lawsuit claims that these companies have infringed on the patents held by Brandeis and licensed to GFA Brands relating to the formula used in Smart Balance, a buttery spread created based on research conducted at Brandeis on lipid metabolism in the 1990s.

Companies named as defendants in the case include cookie manufacturers such as East Side Ovens, Inc., Nestlé USA, Inc., the Pillsbury Company and Famous Amos Chocolate Chip Cookie Company, L.L.C., among others.

“It is a common business practice for patent licensees, such as GFA, to file patent infringement suits to protect their exclusivity,” wrote Associate Provost for Innovation and Executive Director of Technology Licensing Irene Abrams in an email to the Justice. Abrams explained that Brandeis is part of the suit because it holds the patents in question, but GFA is the exclusive licensee and therefore is “leading the prosecution of the suit.”

The “exclusive licensee has the right to prevent others from using the patented technology. … The legal method for doing that is to file an infringement suit,” wrote Abrams.

Research conducted by Prof. K.C. Hayes (BIOL) and Prof. Dan Perlman

(BIOL) in the 1990s resulted in a discovery of a certain “ratio of saturated to polyunsaturated fats that is healthier based on cholesterol profile than polyunsaturated fats alone,” wrote Abrams. This discovery led to the formulation of Smart Balance.

Brandeis filed for a patent on the formula and GFA became the exclusive licensee in 1996, according to Abrams. In 1998, the patent application was issued, she added.

According to the lawsuit, the inventions covered by the patents in question are “directed to fats and fat blends that decrease low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL) and increase high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL) in the human serum.

This adjustment of the LDL/HDL ratio by the claimed inventions in the Patents-in-Suit results in significant health benefits.” Brandeis and GFA have provided “the defendants identified above with actual and/or constructive notice of their infringement,” according to the suit.

East Side Ovens declined to comment on the matter.

According to a Nov. 2010 BrandeisNOW press release, the University “has nearly 300 active patents and 53 active license agreements.” The Smart Balance brand of products is “the largest single source of patent royalties.”

In 2008, Smart Balance and Brandeis entered into a multi-year, sponsored research agreement that would provide $1 million for research, to be paid out over the course of 10 years, according to a Nov. 2008 BrandeisNOW press release. “The deal is one of the largest industrysponsored research agreements in Brandeis’ history,” said Abrams in the release.

crime

Three found dead in Waltham home ■ An alumnus was among the

victims of the murders, which appeared to be targeted.

By marielle temkin JUSTICE editor

Three men, one of whom was a Brandeis alumnus, were found dead in a Waltham apartment located 3 miles from campus last Monday afternoon, according to press releases from the Middlesex District Attorney.

The autopsy showed that the men all died as a result of “sharp force injuries of the neck,” and the medical examiner determined it to be a homicide.

The Brandeis Office of Communications confirmed yesterday in an email to the Justice that one of the victims, Raphael Teken, 37, was a Brandeis alumnus who graduated in 1998 with a bachelor’s degree in History. The other victims were identified as Brendan Mess, 25, and Erik Weissman, 31.

“Based on the present state of the investigation, it is believed that the victims knew the assailant or assailants, and the attacks were not random,” according to a press release from the Middlesex DA. Teken and Weissman were both residents of Cambridge, and Mess was the resident of the apartment on Harding Ave. where the bodies were found. As of press time, authorities had not released a motive for the triple homicide, though they do say that it was a targeted attack, according to The Boston Globe.

At approximately 2:25 p.m. last Monday, Waltham police received a report that three dead bodies had been found at 12 Harding Avenue in Waltham. Police responded and “located three decedents in the apartment,” according to the DA. On a WBZ Boston news broadcast

that aired on Sept. 12, Maria Rosarti, who lives on Harding Avenue, said that she “was shocked, shocked, because it doesn’t happen in Waltham, you know. It’s a little too close to home right now.” The Globe wrote that a law enforcement official involved with the case said that police believe that drugs were a factor in the homicides. According to the Globe article, Weissman was “charged with marijuana possession in 2008 and intent to distribute.”

Geoff Langton, a neighbor, said in the WBZ broadcast that “[My mother] told me there was a girl running out of the house saying, ‘There’s blood everywhere.’” He added, “There was marijuana, like, all over the bodies apparently.” Gerry Leone, Middlesex District Attorney, described the apartment where the three bodies were found as a “very graphic crime scene.”

As of press time, the DA’s office said that there were no new updates in the investigation, and Brandeis Director of Public Safety Edward Callahan declined to comment on the incident.

Some Brandeis students wondered why the University had not advised students of the incident. “When I found out abut the triple homicide, I was actually at work, and it was on the news, so it makes me wonder why Brandeis didn’t even inform me of it. … for those people with friends who live off campus, I kind of worry for them because they are not in a secluded area like we are and no one seems informed about the triple homicide,” said Nicole Nightingale ’13 in an interview with the Justice.

Emily Diamond ’12 said in an interview with the Justice, “I wish Brandeis had informed me in a better way: maybe they should have sent out an email informing us to be careful. A lot of us live off campus.”

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2011

3

HUMAN RIGHTS ADVOCATE

University joins patent lawsuit ■ Thirteen companies

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JANEY ZITOMER/the Justice

FINDING A REMEDY: According to Rabbi Levi Lauer, while the issue of sex slavery is well known, little action is being taken.

Lauer discusses human trafficking ■ While examining sex slavery and trafficking problems within Israel, Rabbi Levi Lauer also presented solutions.

By danielle gross JUSTICE contributing writer

The Schuster Institute for Investigative Journalism and the Schusterman Center for Israeli Studies sponsored a lecture and discussion with Rabbi Levi Lauer titled “When Hope Ends in Slavery: Human Trafficking in Israel” in Rapaporte Treasure Hall last Tuesday.

Lauer examined the rise in trafficking of women over the Israeli borders for the purpose of sex slavery and how Assisting Israeli Terror Victims and Righteous Among Nations (ATZUM) and the Task Force on Human Trafficking are working together to fight and address this human rights issue.

The event was co-sponsored by the Hadassah-Brandeis Institute; the International Center for Ethics, Justice, and Public Life; the Peace, Conflict and Coexistence Studies Program; the Social Justice & Social Policy Program; the Women’s and Gender Studies Program; and the Women’s Studies Research Center.

Prof. Ilan Troen (NEJS), director of the Schusterman Center for Israel Studies, delivered the opening remarks in which he introduced the Rabbi. Troen referred to Lauer as an “unusual and exceptional individual who blends the vision of a utopia with an energetic activist who is prepared to engage in unwelcome realities.”

He then went on to discuss Lauer’s work with creating ATZUM and some of the goals behind the organization. According to ATZUM’s website, its goals are to make a crucial difference in assisting survivors of terror, supporting Righteous Among the Nations and alerting and stopping the problem of human trafficking in the country. He finished off his statement by leaving the audience with some words

to consider during the rest of the presentation—that there are no innocent bystanders.

According to background knowledge provided by Lauer, prostitution is legal in Israel for both the buyer and the seller. However, brothels, pimping and sex trafficking are all illegal. Many advocates behind the anti-trafficking groups in Israel believe the lenient laws in which men can pay for sex has led to the trafficking problems within the country.

Approximately 3,200 destitute women are taken from their homes in various countries and forced over the border into Israel each year. They are then each given a “slaver,” a man who is in charge of finding clients to violate them for money. The women are stripped naked and sold on the street based on their appearances. Lauer said that because these women do not give any consent, the slavers are profiting from rape.

Lauer started off discussing how widespread the issue of sex slavery is and how almost everyone in the country knows about the crimes being committed toward these women. “Today, there is not a single Israeli ... who doesn’t know that there is a major problem with trafficking of sex slaves into the state of Israel.

The only people that say that they don’t know are either men who compulsively rape sex slaves and say that they’re having sex with prostitutes or people that don’t want to know.”

Lauer provided figures about the men who commit these crimes, which are as follows: 8 percent of the clientele in the sexual slavery field are foreign workers; 20 to 25 percent are Arab; 30 percent are Haredi Jews—the most conservative form of Orthodox Judaism; and the rest cut across all social, economic and financial groups in Israel.

Lauer went on to discuss potential remedies. The issue has been brought to the attention of the police and the media several times, and there was little to no reaction.

Lauer did mention that on multiple

accounts he was asked if the women were Jewish. When he disclosed that some of the women were not Jewish, interest was quickly lost.

According to Lauer, people are currently garnering support for national legislation to pass a law that would criminalize men who buy sex but decriminalize the women who sell sex. A bill of this caliber was introduced about 3 years ago but no further action has been taken.

The most controversial of the courses of action being taken against sexual trafficking is called “Women To Go,” a campaign in Israel in which women are displayed in storefront windows wearing stylish yet provocative clothing as well as a large price tag. Listed on this tag are the height, weight and the country of origin for these women.

The point of this is to spread awareness about the issue and mock the idea of selling women.

When Lauer was done laying down a solid framework of facts, the audience began to participate and ask questions. The topics broached in these inquiries ranged from whether the suggested bill would possibly lead to the murdering of the women to a discussion in the problems and psychology of the way criminals may be handled.

When asked how she felt about the event, Florence Graves, the founding director of the Schuster Institute for Investigative Journalism, replied, “I think the event was a success, and I am very happy with the turnout that we had. It is very exciting that people are this invested and interested in the topic.

[Lauer] is a wonderfully eloquent speaker, and I think he has made a huge impact here at Brandeis.”

Irina Finkel ’12, who works at the Schuster Institute, said that the best parts of the presentation were the stories. “They were very vivid and haunting. Those types of things helped to drive the point across. ...

Those kinds of things get people’s attention and make them more willing to listen to different approaches and statistics. He is most effective at getting people’s attention.”

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THE JUSTICE

a meeting with Dining Services workers to discuss negotiations with Aramark about wages and health care.

By EMILY KRAUS MADELINE STIX/the Justice

JEWS AND MUSLIMS: Dr. Jan Feldman (right) and Dr. Zainab Alwani stressed the significance of female religious scholars.

Prof discusses faith and feminism Muslim and Jewish feminists’ similar goals in attaining women’s rights.

By ALLYSON CARTTER JUSTICE STAFF WRITER

The International Center for Ethics, Justice, and Public Life and the Hadassah-Brandeis Institute Project on Gender, Culture, Religion and Law co-sponsored “Jewish and Muslim Women Reclaim their Rights,” an event exploring the role of faith in religious feminists’ quest for gender equality, in the Women’s Studies Research Center last Thursday.

The event featured Dr. Jan Feldman, associate professor of political science at the University of Vermont, and Dr. Zainab Alwani, assistant professor of Islamic studies at the Howard University School of Divinity.

At the event, Feldman discussed the main arguments of her book—Citizenship, Faith and Feminism: Jewish and Muslim Women Reclaim their Rights, published by Brandeis University Press—and read selected excerpts.

Alwani, an Islamic law specialist, responded to Feldman’s presentation.

In Citizenship, Faith and Feminism, Feldman examines how religious Jewish and Muslim women balance their faith with feminism, emphasizing the strategies that women of both religions have in common, she said.

She wrote the book in response to the assumption that “a religious feminist or a faithful feminist is an oxymoron,” she said. God, Feldman said,

5

Dining workers, Aramark set to resume talks ■ Union organizers held

does not “dislike women” and “cannot be unjust.” Suffering, therefore, stems from humans’ misinterpretation of religious texts, she continued.

A priority for Muslim and Jewish women, Feldman said, is to reclaim the interpretation of these divine texts and to advocate civic equality and women’s rights in a religious context.

According to Feldman, Jewish and Muslim feminists “don’t want to jump ship [from their respective religions], nor do they see themselves as renegades.” These women aim to “disentangle” religious texts such as the Torah and the Quran from the “patriarchal society that has claimed them” and to recover the texts’ original meaning, she continued.

The book looks at case studies of Jewish women in Israel, Muslim women in Kuwait and women of both faiths in the United States. In Kuwait, Feldman said, Muslim women understood that they could not call for law outside of Islam, so women then became scholars so that they could enact reform based upon the Quran.

Citing her research in the U.S., Feldman said that the U.S. government’s “hands-off approach” to religion and other lifestyle choices is one of its challenges in gender equality, as this tactic may result in issues such as domestic abusestemming from misinterpretation of religious texts being overlooked.

Feldman addressed Muslim and Jewish feminists’ “shared agenda” in attaining women’s rights. Among these agenda items are the recognition that gender justice must be included in the definition of social jus-

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2011

DINING SERVICES

INTERFAITH DISCOURSE

■ Dr. Jan Feldman noted

●

tice, the emphasis of the differences between culture and religion, and the acknowledgement that, in light of religious texts’ multiple legitimate interpretations, the accepted interpretation must be one that serves the welfare of the community.

Alwani responded to Feldman’s talk by further emphasizing the distinction between religion and culture and the importance of returning to religious texts for reinterpretation. Women, Alwani said, must seek to criticize what already exists and generate new ideas. She stressed the importance of female religious scholars and greater female presence in mosques.

Feldman’s book, Citizenship, Faith and Feminism, was the first book published in the HBI Gender, Culture, Religion and Law series from the Brandeis University Press. According to the Brandeis University Press website, the series “focuses on the conflict between women’s claims to gender equality, on the one hand, and legal norms justified in terms of religious and cultural traditions, on the other.”

In an interview with the Justice, Lisa Fishbayn Joffe, director of the HBI Project on Gender, Culture, Religion and the Law and an editor of the book series, said that the event “demonstrate[d] everything that we want to do with this series, which is to highlight the very exciting work being done by scholars and activists who, rather than throwing up their hands at the difficult challenges of reconciling women’s rights and religious law, are engaging in very creative and innovative scholarship to identify ways of resolving those kinds of conflicts.”

JUSTICE EDITOR

Dining Services workers will resume negotiations with Aramark at an Oct. 5 negotiations session, according to the organizing director of the union, Dana Simon, in an interview with the Justice.

Organizers of Unite HERE Local 26—the union that represents Dining Services workers at Brandeis—held a meeting last Tuesday at which workers and union organizers emphasized the importance of returning to negotiations with Aramark and of receiving a contract that includes wage increases without cuts to the workers’ health care plans.

About 50 people, including approximately 10 students, attended the meeting, which took place last Tuesday in the Usdan Boulevard.

Last week, Simon said in an interview with the Justice that negotiations between Aramark and the union had stalled over a disagreement over the health care plans.

Last May, Aramark and Dining Services workers began formal negotiations to establish a new 5-year contract before the old one expired on June 30. According to Simon, Dining Services workers have since continued to operate under the terms of the old contract and said that the old contract “will continue to cover the workers until a new one is negotiated.”

Director of Dining Services Aaron Bennos wrote in an email to the Justice last week that he could not “comment on specifics regarding contract negotiations, as they are confidential.” Bennos, an Aramark representative, further wrote, “We [the Aramark representatives] continue to bargain in good faith and hope to reach a new agreement soon.”

At the meeting on Tuesday, Simon said, “Aramark is a profitable company. … They’re very profitable. … Food services workers are hard workers, and you guys love the stu-

dents and take care of the students, and you’re dedicated to the students.

The Food services workers deserve to be treated decently. Food services workers do not deserve to have their health insurance cut.”

Simon continued by saying that Aramark representatives needed to return to the bargaining table, saying, “In the next couple of days, we’ll have to see what’s going on because, a week or two from now, … either we’re scheduling a meeting to ratify the contract, or we’re going to take some action. Today we don’t know.”

When asked after the meeting whether he had a specific date in mind for taking action, Simon said no.

Simon paused at the meeting to recognize the students present, including Alana Pellerito ’13, a representative from the Brandeis Labor Coalition.

Simon concluded the meeting by asking the assembled workers, “Are you ready to fight?”

Julie Richards, the shop steward of the union and a cashier at Usdan, said in an interview with the Justice after the meeting that members of the bargaining committee came to Brandeis to negotiate over the summer without pay. “People come in on their own time and try to get this, and we thought it was going to be fine, and all of a sudden it just stopped, and we’re looking for our insurance, and a raise, which everybody needs.

We want to work hard, but we want a fair shake too,” she said.

Marie Martin, another member of the bargaining committee who also works at Usdan, said after the meeting, “Our insurance is very important. Without a raise, without insurance, where are you going?”

Both Martin and Richards emphasized the importance of the union members working together during the negotiation process.

Richards spoke during the meeting as well, saying to the workers present, “I think it’s pretty rotten that we are just waiting to get a contract. …

We’d like to move on and … be happy with what we have and do the work that we always do. We always work hard, and we love it here. We like the kids. … I hope it’ll work out.”

—Hillel Buechler contributed reporting.

ACADEMICS

Univ releases fifth-year report to the NEASC ■ Brandeis is required to

evaluate its progress relative to the reaccreditation that takes place every 10 years.

By ERICA COOPERBERG JUSTICE STAFF WRITER

This past week, Brandeis released its Fifth-Year report to the New England Association for Schools and Colleges to the Brandeis community, which “provided an excellent opportunity to take stock of Brandeis’s progress toward institutional goals, to assess areas needing further attention, and to chart a set of priorities for the future,” according to the official NEASC Fifth-Year report.

The Fifth-Year report acts as a halfway point between each full university reaccreditation, which occurs once every 10 years.

The report especially focuses on “any issues of special concern raised in the 10-year report,” wrote Associate Vice President for University Affairs and University Liaison to NEASC John Hose in an email to the

Justice. Brandeis’ last assessment for reaccreditation by NEASC occurred in 2006.

The Fifth-Year report is essentially a “progress report,” explained Vice Provost for Academic Affairs Michaele Whelan in an interview with the Justice. “Each school assesses how it’s doing [according to NEASC’s 11 standards]; it is meant to be transparent to the community.”

A Steering Committee, consisting of the Provost, the Senior Vice President for Finance and Chief Financial Officer, the Dean of Arts and Sciences, the Vice Provost for Academic Affairs and the Vice President for Planning and Institutional Research, and 12 subcommittees, spent the academic year discussing content for the report, collecting evidence, producing draft documents and offering possible projections by area, according to the report.

The 11 NEASC standards evaluate everything from an institution’s mission and purposes to its faculty and students to its financial resources.

The elements of focus for the

Fifth-Year report were “implementing the integrated plan, expanding and improving facilities including reducing deferred maintenance, and developing and implementing a comprehensive approach to the assessment of student learning,” said Whelan.

The report details how the University dealt with these areas of emphasis. In terms of integrated planning, the report explains how Brandeis handled the “global financial crisis, which included a hiring freeze … and the controversial vote by the Board of Trustees to allow the University to sell art from the Rose [Art] Museum permanent collection.”

The report notes that “eight new buildings … have been added to the campus,” in reference to the facilities and resources element, and that the University has “set eight goals for the assessment of student learning, following its reaccreditation in 2006.”

For each of the 11 standards, the report includes an overview, description, appraisal and projection, which provide a general idea of what

has changed in the past 5 years, a detailed explanation of how that element is broken down, Brandeis’ own assessment of the current structure and a general outline of what Brandeis plans to do in the future, respectively.

For example, in reference to the sixth standard, Students, the report states that there has been an increase in both international and minority students, which is bolstered by the creation of the Gateway Scholars Program in 2009 and a second Posse group drawing students from Atlanta.

Some of the standards, such as Faculty, Students, and Financial Resources, acknowledge the economic turmoil that began in 2008 and explain both how the University has coped with the economic problems and what is planned for the future.

The fifth standard details the creation of the faculty affiliation program, which was established in 2010 to “better utilize the full talents of the faculty and to increase the teaching resources available for maintaining the curriculum” in light of economic difficulties, while the

third standard—Organization and Governance—states that the crisis resulted in a more involved Faculty Senate.

The Fifth-Year report requires much less community involvement than the full reaccreditation, during which an evaluation team visits the institution and meets with administrators, faculty and staff.

Preparation for the Fifth-Year report began in September 2010, according to Brandeis’ official NEASC Fifth-Year report.

NEASC provides accreditation services for more than 2000 public and private institutions from pre-K through university, using “self-reflection, peer review and best practices as integral components of its assessment process,” according to its website. Additionally, “NEASC consists of six Commissions, each of which sets the standards for a particular segment of the educational community,” accorrdint to its website.

NEASC “assures the quality of programs and degrees,” Whelan added. “It’s meant to protect the integrity of education and to foster institutional improvement.”

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PERSONAL PERSPECTIVE: Keynote speaker Ruth Franklin explained her family's connection with Polish-Jewish history.

Symposium recognizes Polonsky’s publication was honored by several speakers including University President Frederick Lawrence.

By ROBYN SPECTOR and tess raser JUSTICE EDITORs

The University held a symposium on Monday to mark the publication of Prof. Antony Polonsky’s (NEJS) magnum opus, which is said to be the most important work of an author; a threevolume compilation of Jewish life in Poland and Russia from 1350 to 2008.

The event, which was sponsored by the Near Eastern and Judaic Studies departments, the Hadassah-Brandeis Institute, the Tauber Institute for the Study of European Jewry and the National Center for Jewish Film, included a scholarly panel, remarks from University President Frederick Lawrence and a keynote presentation by author and journalist Ruth Franklin.

Joanna B. Michlic introduced Polonsky’s book, The Jews in Poland and Russia, noting its examination of social, political and economic topics in Jewish communities. Michlic noted the difficulty of breaking away

from the views of previous generations in Jewish history.

Though Polonsky discusses politics in his compilation, Michlic noted that he shifts the focus away from the politically Polonsky charged discourse of Polish-Jewish relations and history. His focus in the magnum opus is more on the social and cultural history of the complicated narrative.

David Engel, the Maurice R. and Corinne P. Greenberg professor of Holocaust Studies at New York University, discussed a brief history of Russo-Polish history. He also spoke about the historian’s role in predicting what is now Jewish history. Engel went on to say that while some historians believe that studying the past would “illuminate” the present, Polonsky’s work illuminates the past.

Lawrence, in his remarks preceding Franklin’s presentation, explained that Polonsky’s work had especially resonated for him because of his own family’s Jewish roots.

The keynote speaker, Franklin,

TUESDAY, September 20, 2011

7

ELECTIONS: 46 students to run for 16 positions

DISCUSSING HERITAGE

■ Polonsky’s magnum opus

●

a senior editor at the New Republic and a former researcher at the Warsaw Bureau of The New York Times, echoed similar sentiments in the opening lines of her speech. She explained that Polonsky’s magnum opus was close to her heart because her maternal grandparents were Holocaust survivors from Poland who immigrated to America.

Franklin went on to explain what Poland meant to her and her grandparents—a place to which they felt deeply attached. She told the story of their trip to Poland in the 1990s, which they found to be much different than their pre-war vision of the Eastern European country. After graduating from Columbia in 1995, Franklin returned to Krakow. While there, she studied Polish and, to her dismay, found a prevailing negative attitude toward Jews.

After Franklin’s lecture, she took questions from the audience. Prof.

Sharon Pucker Rivo (NEJS), on behalf of the National Center for Jewish Film at Brandeis University, presented a film tribute to conclude the evening.

specific events and more campuswide events.”

The other candidate for Village senator, Andre Tran ’14 said that, if elected, he would want to voice opinions of the Village residents and host events to unite residents.

One of two candidates for the Castle position Kelsey Dean ’14, said that she would like to “transform” the Castle into a “lively hub of campus” and that, as senator, she would want to meet her constituents and organize events for residents.

The position of senator for the Class of 2013 also has two students running for the seat.

Sarah G. Kim ’13, one of the candidates, said that she would work with testing associations, such as Kaplan, to provide more assistance to juniors taking exams for graduate schools, including more free practice exams.

The other candidate, Theodore Choi, said that he would want to promote green initiatives on campus and implement a program for off-campus students to feel more included within the Brandeis community.

There are a total of nine students running for senator for the Class of 2015.

Many of the candidates expressed interest in uniting members of the first-year class through activities and on-campus events.

One of the candidates, Alexander Thompson, said that he would encourage class bonding and promote collaboration between similar clubs to achieve common goals.

Glen Chesir, another candidate, said that he would want to hold events and activities for the first-year class, to make their first year “not just school, but an atmosphere.”

Sneha Walia, also running, said that her goals would be to unite both her class, including midyear students, and the University students as a whole.

Ally Eller, running for the same position, said that she would want to bring healthier food options to campus, connect first-year students living in the Massell and North Quads and create academic workshops and events to interact

with faculty.

Another candidate, Haotien Chen, said that if elected, he would want to organize opportunities for students to meet with faculty and engage in workshops.

Chama Mechtaly, also running for the same position, said that she would want to improve phone service on campus, organize a party for students during the spring semester and connect Brandeis students with students at other local colleges and universities.

Another candidate, Daniel Novak, said that if elected, he would want to extend the hours of the Waltham shuttle and dining halls.

In an email to the Justice, Sandra Luo, also running for the same position, wrote, “I like to think I’m here to help the students of the class of 2015 grow their pet projects into full-fledged Student Union ones. ... In addition, I want to plan more events like the ones we had at Orientation.”

There are two students running for Student Judiciary.

One of the candidates, Jessica Huynh ’15 said that she would gauge public opinion while examining the constitution in order to interpret Senate laws.

Gali Gordon ’15, also running for the SJ, said that he would want to become an “integral part of the judiciary.”

The Racial Minority Financial Board seat also has two candidates running for the position. Moshi Shi ’15 said that he would work with club treasurers to save money for their clubs in order for them to hold more events and organize more social events on campus over the weekends.

Paul Lee ’13, who is running for the same position, said that he would use both his experience as a club treasurer and his passion for promoting cultural diversity in order to encourage clubs to request funding.

Jhanezia Stevens (TYP), one of three candidates for the Transitional Year Program senator, said that she would want to represent members of TYP and encourage networking with other University students.

All prospective candidates were contacted for comments, but not all responded by press time.

—Alana Abramson contributed reporting.

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RANKING: Brandeis is ahead of NYU and tied with BC CONTINUED FROM 1 academic quality and “the 2010-2011 net cost of attendance for a student who receives the average level of need-based financial aid.” 44.6 percent of Brandeis students receive need-based grants, and among those students, the average discount on the net cost of attendance is 51 percent.

Senior Vice President for Communications and External Affairs Andrew Gully said that rankings are not a primary concern of the administration.

“The U.S. News reports are a snapshot. ... They are one barometer of how this University is doing,” he

said in an interview with the Justice.

“What we want to do is focus on the things that are important to Brandeis, for our students and for our alums,” he said. “The ratings will take care of themselves.”

U.S. News defines national universities as those that “offer a full range of undergraduate majors, master’s, and doctoral degrees” and “are committed to producing ground-breaking research.”

Brandeis has the second-lowest enrollment, at 5,642 undergraduate and graduate students, among the top 40 national universities, trailing only the California Institute of Technology.

8

features

TUESDAY, September 20, 2011

just

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THE JUSTICE

VERBATIM | HENRY WARD BEECHER God made man to go by motives, and he will not go without them, any more than a boat without steam or a balloon without gas.

ON THIS DAY…

FUN FACT

In 1982, the National Football League players began a 57day strike.

The United States has more airports than any other nation.

Helping through

housing

PHOTO COURTESY OF STEPHANIE JOHNSON

RACE FOR A CAUSE: Brandeis students participated in a 5K run on campus last April to help raise money for the WATCH Housing Advocacy Clinic.

A student-run clinic shows the residents of Waltham their rights By dafna fine justice editor

In the densely populated city of Waltham, families and individuals alike face a limited amount of available housing. Graduate students earning low incomes and immigrants speaking little English are among many residents treated unfairly by landlords. Faced with discrimination when searching for housing, notices to quit and bed bug-infested apartments ignored by their landlords, residents struggle to find affordable housing where their rights as tenants are not abused.

Founded in 2007 by Prof. Laura Goldin (AMST) and her communityengaged learning “Environmental Law and Policy” class, the Waltham Alliance to Create Housing Advocacy Clinic is a free drop-in service that was “designed primarily to assist with fair and safe housing issues,” according to its website. The clinic is staffed exclusively by Brandeis students, who work closely with Goldin to learn how to run and supervise the work of the clinic.

“The Housing Advocacy clinic is a go-to place for the residents of Waltham if they have a problem with their landlord [or] if they have any housing questions. We’re the starting point [and] connect them with other resources available in the Waltham and greater Boston community,” Stephanie Johnson ’13 said. Johnson, a Politics major with a minor in Social Justice and Social Policy, began working as an advocate at the clinic during her first year at the University while taking Goldin’s class. She is now working as one of three Brandeis WATCH Housing Advocacy Clinic coordinators this semester, along with Tyler Belanga ’12 and Abigail Steinberg ’12.

Located on Moody Street in Waltham, the clinic is open from 7 to 8:30 p.m. on Monday and Thursday nights to help residents learn their rights as tenants and deal with a variety of housing-related issues. While many seek help from the clinic in their search for affordable housing, others look for guidance after being refused assistance from their landlords or receiving a notice to quit, the first step a landlord takes to regain possession of rental property.

“A lot of times they’ll come in and just don’t really have knowledge of the law or what course of action they can take. … If someone has bed bugs in their apartment, they don’t know that that’s actually a specific law and the landlord has to do something about it,” said Belanga, who first got involved with WATCH during his summer 2010 Justice Brandeis Semester, “Environmental Health and Justice.”

While advocates at the clinic do not have formal legal degrees, students undergo training with Alan Minuskin, an associate clinical professor of law at Boston College Law School, on the legal aspects of their work. Using a book of basic Massachusetts housing laws as a resource, helping tenants is often as simple as showing them their legal rights. “[There is a] lot of discrimination

PHOTO COURTESY OF TYLER BELANGA

HOUSING ADVOCATES: Tyler Belanga ’12 and Stephanie Johnson ’13, co-coordinators at the WATCH Housing Advocacy Clinic, research the rights of local Waltham tenants. that goes on, especially in Waltham, it seems like. People for some reason don’t want tenants who are on Section A housing, … people who have children [or who] don’t speak good English,” Belanga said, adding that the number of available apartments in Waltham is currently extremely limited.

The housing clinic helps residents write letters to landlords explaining their rights, in addition to preparing talking points for tenants about what to say and how to present themselves in order to be heard. Many use the clinic as their sole source of Internet access, where they are able to use Craigslist and search for affordable housing.

Those who come with notices to quit are reassured by the clinic that they won’t be kicked out right away and are connected to the Boston College Legal Assistant Bureau, a partner of WATCH, where they can find a lawyer.

Graduate students, low-income families and homeless people compose only part of the diverse population which makes use of the housing clinic.

“There is a large immigrant population. They speak little to no English, and they feel like they don’t have a voice in a country that’s not their own. … They don’t know the laws and if they’re being cheated out of something,” Johnson said.

Since a sizable portion of its clients are Haitian and Spanish-speaking peo-

ple, the clinic keeps a University translator on staff each night to accommodate their clients in addition to the two coordinators and four JBS students who are present on a given night.

Last year, WATCH also created a fund called the Emergency Funds Assistance Program, which provides grants to those in need of financial assistance when looking to purchase a house or pay their rent. Those who find housing but are unable to pay the extra $200 for the security deposit are able to apply for a grant to secure the house.

“A lot of these people do have jobs but don’t make quite enough. They might have something else coming up; … they might have just had a child and are out of work temporarily,” Belanga said of the grant recipients. Applicants are chosen based on their potential to sustain housing payments.

“When it comes to funds, that’s the most important thing,” Belanga said.

“It’s not just giving it to a homeless couple who comes in and needs some money. It’s got to be given to someone who is going to be able to use it to stay in an apartment.” The WATCH Housing Advocacy Clinic also receives funding from Lend a Hand, an organization which works to “enhance the quality of life of our less fortunate youth with an emphasis on youth in transitional housing,” according to its website.

PHOTO COURTESY OF STEPHANIE JOHNSON

TEAM SPIRIT: Belanga and Johnson showed their support at the race last semester.

Last April, Johnson and Belanga organized a 5K run on campus in order to raise funds for the housing clinic.

While the event raised $2,500, it took only 3 months for the clinic to distribute the money, with so many Waltham residents in need of help. The plan, according to Belanga, is to hold the race again in the spring and raise even more money this year through a larger number of participants.

In the meantime, the clinic has 20

student advocates working this semester as part of the Environmental Health and Justice JBS, happening for the first time during the academic year. The class students to visit the clinic at least eight times throughout the semester.

“Once you start working there and meeting the people in Waltham and hearing their stories, you get fulfillment you can’t get anywhere else,” Johnson said.

THE JUSTICE

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TUESDAY, september 20, 2011

9

The making of a

minor

IN THE CLASSROOM: “Anthropology of Gender” counts as one of the classes toward the new SQS minor.

Sexuality and queer studies find a place in the classroom By jessie miller justice contributing writer

SPREADING KNOWLEDGE: Prof. Ellen Schattschneider (ANTH) teaches one of the classes for the minor.

ACADEMIC SPHERE: Schattschneider’s class examines gender constructs, sexuality and cultural systems.

For the past 18 years, Prof. Thomas King (ENG) has seen the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer community at Brandeis grow and become more active on campus through various programming and student resources. And when the students began to demand an academic program that “focused on their own culture,” he supported them. Among other faculty, King became an influential force behind the recently created minor in Sexuality and Queer Studies.

Since its formation, the University has always been an open-minded, safe place for the LGBTQ community, according to King. Organizations such as Triskelion and the LGBTQ Alliance have made an impact on the social landscape of the school, allowing for future advancements in the LGBTQ initiative.

However, the students were still not satisfied. Ten years ago, they began rallying for more “queer visibility,” as King says, through acceptance and activism on campus.

“They formed an initiative with faculty, staff and the administration to bring about a number of improvements to campus life for students who identify as queer, meaning who understood themselves as having a sexuality that was other than heteronormativity or a gender identity, expression other than the norms of male and female. They basically began to agitate to bring around improvements on campus,” King said.

A written nondiscrimination policy and housing and bathroom facility improvements were just a few of the results that came from the initiative. Jessamine Beal works as the program coordinator for sexuality and gender diversity, one of the staff positions which was ultimately created to promote LGBTQ activism on campus.

Over the past few years, the initiative continued. Elaine Wong, Associate Dean of Arts and Sciences, met with other faculty to discuss LGBTQ resources and services offered at Brandeis.

Their overall consensus was that “the students, primarily in Triskelion, had done a great job in advocating for student needs but that students shouldn’t have to be responsible for providing all of the services and resources needed by the LGBTQ community,” Wong said.

However, more faculty support was needed to meet what the LGBTQ community demanded from Brandeis. More than just acceptance, Brandeis needed a distinct academic program “to provide students with the opportunity to study and examine sexuality and gender studies in the classroom,” Wong said.

Previously, King had taught cluster courses, which are interrelated classes, on sexuality and society. However, these courses ultimately stopped being offered and the options for studying sexuality were scarce.

The idea of having an interdisciplinary field of study combining English, the social sciences and the arts once again became popular. King is one of a handful of faculty focusing on and researching sexuality and queer studies at Brandeis who worked to create the new Sexuality and Queer Studies minor.

After deciding some sort of interdisciplinary field of study was now a necessity, it became a collaborative effort between students, faculty and staff to create the minor.

“Ultimately, what really became the motor, or the engine, for bringing Sexuality and Queer Studies to campus was the strong student desire,” King said.

Despite the support for the program, the LGBTQ initiative still faced many obstacles.

One main issue was finding faculty to staff the program. The problem was not a lack of knowledge on the subject but time constraints. As a research institution, Brandeis

has access to many professors, all willing to share their knowledge but many of whom have prior commitments. Another question that arose was where to house the substantial program. Many agreed that it would fit best under Women’s and Gender Studies, but they did not want that program to lose its distinct feminine approach to society and the understanding of women’s issues.

Ten years later, the timing was finally right. After years of perfecting the details, the objective of the new minor was released: “The opportunity to examine socially and historically specific experiences, meanings, and representations of sexuality and gender and the centrality of sexuality and gender to personal and collective identities in modernity.”

And now, this academic year, the first students are in the process of exploring and declaring Sexuality and Queer Studies minors.

SQS is already able to offer unique opportunities to the student body. Classes span across many academic fields including English, anthropology and history. Grace Leslie, a visiting fellow in African and Afro-American Studies, is teaching a course on the history of civil rights, which focuses on its relation to gender and sexuality.

Shannon Hunt, part of the staff in the Women’s and Gender Studies program, is planning an event for Oct. 17 at which Alison Bechdel, author of Fun Home and Dykes to Watch Out For, will return to Brandeis and give the Roosevelt Lecture, a yearly speech created to honor Eleanor Roosevelt’s commitment to Brandeis.

Shannon Ingram ’13, a Sociology and Hispanic Studies double major who was one of the first students to declare the minor, first heard of the minor at the Brandeis drag show last year, where King introduced it as a possible minor and asked for support.

Ingram describes sexuality and queer studies as “a study of the history of both sexuality and the LGBTQ spectrum, and insight into the mindset of the culture.” This semester, Ingram is enrolled in an independent study on “The Hook-Up Culture,” which involves interviewing and studying the relationship habits of 20 college-aged women. Ingram also notes that one of the highlights of the program is King himself, who she describes as “incredibly passionate about the subject.”

Ingram hopes to eventually obtain a master’s degree in human sexuality and possibly go on to teach sexual education. She also stresses that even juniors and seniors still have time to declare the minor if they are interested.

While the SQS minor may be new on campus, Brandeis is not the first university to offer this minor. Colleges across the country, including the University of Maryland, New York University, Yale University and Syracuse University, all offer similar programs or minors in sexuality and queer studies. The University of California, Berkeley was the first school to offer the program in 1970.

Though the minor is new, the hope is that it will expand. King hopes to encourage the growth of courses like “Queer Anthropology,” which will be offered in the spring.

Next academic year, for the first time, an introductory course on sexuality and queer studies will be offered to help the minor become more recognized.

Another of King’s goals is to more fully develop SQS from a historical and intersectional approach to show how sex is cross-cultural and helps shape society.

King hopes Brandeis will become “a destination for students who identify as LGBT or queer” and that it will offer them a community and place to come to explore and think.

“As a gay man, it is important to know SQS is given academic seriousness at a welcoming university,” he said.

♦ Photos by Robyn Spector/the Justice

10

TUESDAY, September 20, 2011

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THE JUSTICE

Justice Justice

the the

Established 1949, Brandeis University

Brandeis University

Established 1949

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

Support Dining Services workers In the past 3 months, many Dining Services workers have found themselves in a precarious position. With their contracts expired and negotiations ongoing throughout the duration of the summer, their future compensation packages are uncertain.

Recently, the situation took a turn for the worse when negotiations between Aramark and Unite HERE Local 26, the cafeteria workers’ union, hit a roadblock. Talks have stalled over critical issues concerning healthcare and salary. In addition to their expired contract, Dining Services workers have brought up numerous grievances with Aramark management that must be addressed in current negotiations.

This editorial board extends its support to the Dining Services workers who work tirelessly on our behalf.

We hope that the student body and administration can also offer their support, and that negotiations can proceed smoothly and successfully in the coming weeks.

As Aramark is an extremely large corporation, it is understandable that they have many cost considerations to take into account. It is impossible for Aramark to fully satisfy its employees’ needs. However, our workers are not wrong in making certain demands in negotiations: healthcare and wages that cover the basic costs of living.

In a May interview with the Justice, Senior Vice President for Administration Mark Collins said that the University contracts with Aramark to provide dining services and is therefore not involved in the talks.

We understand that the nature of the negotiations would normally preclude the University from stepping in.

However, given the seriousness of the

Recognize employees’ service current situation, it would be appropriate if the administration advocated for Dining Services workers and helped to prevent a further derailment of talks.

The disagreement in negotiations extends beyond a disagreement between a large cooperation and its workers. More is at stake here, namely, the well-being of those who have dedicated their lives to serving students. In return, students, faculty and the administration have an obligation to recognize and appreciate the much-needed service they provide to the University.

As Julie Richards, head shop steward of the unionized Dining Services workers and employee of 34 years said in an interview with the Justice, “I think it’s pretty rotten that we are just waiting to get a contract. … We always work hard, and we love it here. We like the kids. … I hope it’ll work out.”

We encourage students to support our cafeteria workers in every way possible. As Aramark is a cooperation that employs over 200,000 employees, they probably have the upper hand in the current negotiations. Student involvement can include attending union meetings to which students are invited, and wearing “Unite HERE Local 26” pins in solidarity with the workers.

Supporting Dining Services workers is a perfect way to concretize our university’s sometimes-unspecified commitment to social justice. Our mantra should not be a vague saying that we place on admissions brochures and our letterhead, but rather a sincere commitment to stand behind the principles that our university holds dear.

Constitutional clarity This Thursday, students will be voting to fill numerous positions in the Student Union, including a majority of seats in the Union senate.

As the new senate will begin to set its agenda next week, its officials should ensure to clarify and respect its procedural rules.

In recent weeks, the Union has struggled with an ambiguous definition of what constitutes its quorum, the minimum amount of people required to begin a meeting. According to the Union bylaws, the senate follows the parliamentary rules in the latest version Robert’s Rules of Order (a general set of rules followed by numerous organizations that hold meetings). While those rules state that a quorum is necessary in order to hold all official meetings, they do not specify the precise number of people required.

The ambiguity of a quorum for the senate was a factor that almost led the senate to push off its first formal meeting until after it filled more vacant seats. It is imperative that a clear definition of what constitutes a quorum is added to the union bylaws. This can be done at any senate meeting of the semester, with a 2/3 majority vote to amend the bylaws.

Explain procedural rules Furthermore, there exists some confusion within the senate as to whether residential quad senators remain in their positions during the start of the fall semester after having served for a full year, even though they typically no longer live in that quad. The constitution states that “The term of office for the Residential Quad Senators and Off Campus Senator shall be one year, and shall expire at the next Fall Inauguration.”

At last Thursday’s senate meeting, only one residential quad senator was in attendance, while the others were absent. When contacted by the Justice, two residential quad senators stated that they thought their terms had expired. Regardless of the sensibility of the rule, this information should be made clearer to residential quad senators.

The Union—the Senate, specifically—is the primary vehicle through which students channel their opinions to the administration. However, in order for it to be an effective vehicle in that respect, its guiding rules must be clarified and its members must be more keenly aware of them.

RISHIKA ASSOMULL/the Justice

Citations will not curb binge drinking Naomi

Volk Et Cetera

OP-BOX Quote of the Week “The inheritance of human emotion belongs to all of us, ... but we have to embrace it, we have to honor it, even.”

—Colin Channer, Fannie Hurst Writer-in-Residence.

(See Arts, page 20)

Brandeis Talks Back Drinking alcohol is a large part of college life for many students. The problem is that many times this drinking can be taken to the extreme—which can lead to tickets, alcohol poisoning and public disruption. The University of Wisconsin­­­­-Madison thinks it has the answer to this problem. The school has created a new program that requires students who have gotten an alcohol citation to pay for sessions with a professional counselor.

While I applaud these efforts to use alcohol education as a way of dealing with excessive drinking, the university is going about it in the wrong way by making students pay for these sessions.

According to the Wisconsin State Journal, along with the roughly $260 ticket, students will have to pay $78 for two group sessions for first offenses or $200 for two one-on-one sessions if the problem persists. The program mainly targets underage drinking. Yes, it makes a lot of sense for students who have gotten out of control enough that they have run into legal issues to have to speak to someone about the consequences of alcohol.

But what does “out of control” mean?

According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s website, “About 90% of the alcohol consumed by youth under the age of 21 in the United States is in the form of binge drinks.”

The website also notes that the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism defines “binge drinking” as alcohol consumption that brings one’s blood alcohol ontent to 0.08 grams or more.

The fact of the matter is that those students who are forced to pay for the group sessions will probably tune it out the minute they walk through the door. Everyone’s heard the statistics before, and most people understand what they’re doing to their bodies. Hearing this in a group of eight to 12 people probably won’t reinforce the message any more than getting a ticket probably could.

A one-on-one session with a counselor could be effective— there would be no way for the student to tune out because it would be painfully obvious to the counselor if they did. That said, if the session turns out to be simply the counselor lecturing to the student, the effect will probably be the same as if the student went to a group session. What might actually have an impact is a real, deep discussion between the counselor and the student, where the student is forced to reevaluate his or her relationship to alcohol and the alcohol-infused social scene.

Yet the University of Wisconsin has withheld the possibility of real progress by indirectly encouraging students to tune out the facts and continue to have legal problems. Maybe if the students weren’t headed off on a path toward problems with alcohol, they wouldn’t get to the stage where one-on-one intervention was necessary.

That said, I think the much larger problem is not the format of the sessions but the cost. If students have to pay for the sessions, it will reinforce the idea that the sessions are a punishment and not a second chance. If the university is really worried about the cost, they should factor it into everyone’s tuition and then fine those who do not show up to their sessions. Yes, not everyone would use this service. But, for an example using our own campus, even if I don’t go to the Health Center at all during the year, I still have to pay for its services to exist, in case I need them. This is the same idea. It’s better to have the service be there rather than have a problem later on.

Additionally, the University of Wisconsin has recently implemented “Responsible Restriction Guidelines,” which state that a student will not get in trouble for helping in an emergency situation, particularly when it’s in the context of alcohol use.

While protecting other underage drinkers who try to help out is a great step forward for the university, it’s not enough when it is counteracted by other policies. In my opinion, while students are going to be worried about getting themselves in trouble, they’re also going to be worried about getting their friends in trouble of any kind, including financial. The cost could discourage people from calling for help, completely undermining the purpose of the “Responsible Restriction Guidelines.”

The University of Wisconsin-Madison should be applauded for creating a newly consistent approach to binge drinking,” but they should rethink the ways in which they are doing so.

This new policy, while valiant in its efforts, will effectively do nothing to truly commit change.

What do you think the Student Union can do to increase voter turnout?

Justin Carlise ’13 “They can make the rules more transparent. The Union can let students know they’re here to help them.”

Tziporah Thompson ‘14 “They can make everyone more aware of the different candidates and what they all do.”

Sivan Levin ‘13 “Give us candy.”

Neal Rabinowitz ’13 “They can give us incentives like snacks and make voting more exciting.”

—Compiled by Shafaq Hasan Photos by Asher Krell/ the Justice

THE JUSTICE

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TUESDAY, September 20, 2011

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Alleviate overcrowding in residence halls

By Philip Gallagher JUSTICE staff writer

This year, our university housing system became much more crowded. The Brandeis Class of 2015 is one of the biggest in the school’s history, currently estimated at 972 students, 108 of whom will join the class as midyears this January. As a result, the Class of 2015 is also experiencing a significant housing squeeze. This year, the Department of Community Living designated 75 rooms to be “lofted triple rooms,” the polite term for rooms commonly known as “forced triples.” These 75 rooms house 225 firstyear students, which is slightly over a quarter of all first-year fall enrollment students. I find this statistic very distressing and am somewhat doubtful that the consequences of admitting so many students were thoroughly considered.

I see three main consequences of overcrowding in first-year dormitories. The first and most obvious consequence is the mediocre living experience that many first-year students will likely have in forced triples. In an article from last week’s issue of the Justice, Senior Director of Community Living Jeremy Leiferman acknowledged this difficulty in an email. “We do [recognize] that living in a triple is not an easy situation and requires a little more effort on the students behalf to manage a tighter space and additional relationships,” he wrote.

In my opinion, however, he understated how difficult it could be for first-years. The space of a double room must now be divided among three students, resulting in a significant decrease personal space for everyone.

For instance, double rooms only have two closets, which can result in one student not getting adequate storage space for personal belongings. First-year students must also deal with the politics of having two unfamiliar roommates instead of one. Making decorative or organizational changes to the room require additional consent, and managing sleep schedules can get complicated. Additionally, social situations can become awkward if two of the three roommates become good friends.

The second consequence is the potential effects of the housing shortage on rising juniors and seniors. In last week’s issue of the Justice, Leiferman stated that the policy of guaranteeing housing for a student’s first 2 years would not change as a result of the large first-year class. However, he also acknowledged that this could possibly lead to fewer housing options for juniors and seniors. As housing for upperclassmen is already difficult to obtain, it is likely that a much greater number of juniors and seniors will have to find housing off campus next year.

Lastly, the creation of such a large number of forced triples reinforces the idea to administrators that forced triples are an acceptable and

MARA SASSOON/the Justice

reasonable method of alleviating the persistent overcrowding problem in first-year dorms. I’m confident that most first-year rooms were not designed to hold three people at a time, and the first implementation of a forced triple many years ago was probably not very popular. However, it has now become a standard practice over the years, with those students who decide to matriculate at Brandeis later than other students getting into the forced triples. This year, the practice has seemingly reached a new low, having impacted a quarter of current firstyears. There needs to be a point at which the administration recognizes that the practice is not sustainable.

I do understand that administrators needed to improve Brandeis’ financial condition and

that accepting additional students in the firstyear class was a reliable method to do so. However, enrolling 100 additional students strikes me as ill advised, especially considering that we already have a housing shortage in firstyear dorms. Perhaps we should have tried to admit more transfer students, who would have joined classes with lower enrollments, or admitted first-year classes with 35 to 50 extra students for a couple of years to stagger the impact of the housing shortage.

At this point, we can only find ways to ameliorate the housing problem for the coming academic year. Bearing in mind that there is a finite amount of realistic off-campus housing available, it is in Brandeis’ best interest to make on-campus housing available to as many

students as possible.

One possible solution would be to temporarily allow extra students into the larger dormitories of Usen Castle to help meet the 2-year housing guarantee. Usen Castle has many rooms of above-average size that could accommodate additional residents, which would ease the strain on upper-class housing.

As sophomores are more familiar with college life and have established their own social circles, they would be able to judge whether they could manage an extra person in their dormitories and who that would be.

I am hopeful that Brandeis will be more cautious with its housing practices in the future and will be able to find comprehensive solutions to the problems we face in the coming year.

Be wary of on-campus brand ambassadors

By Tien Le JUSTICE staff WRITER

Marketing experts have recently found the need to leave traditional means of advertising in order to find innovative ways to reach a part of society that is young, highly tech-savvy and hard to please: college students. Marketers have found it difficult to gain the attention of students through conventional television commercials or magazines. With a decrease in sales and a gloomy market, companies are seeking better prospects by using multiple forms of social media.

They have, however, recently found a more innovative approach: hiring college students as brand ambassadors. In other words, individuals are hired to represent and promote products on campuses. So far, brand ambassadors have been effective in linking marketers to students and students to trendy brands. Their success continues to grow, but their influence over students and college culture may be something to worry about.

For many colleges, fall semester marks the start of over 10,000 students working as brand ambassadors on hundreds of campuses, with many in the Boston region. Students are paid to endorse major brand names and retailers already popularized by young adults. Brand ambassadors can be seen marketing American Eagle, Apple, Red Bull and other brands dur-

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ing move-in, orientation and other major campus activities. Students often create their own marketing plans to promote their company’s products to extracurricular groups and sports teams. Normally this includes walking around campus wearing logos or passing out products after class. Companies claim this peer-to-peer marketing is a friendly approach.

Marketers are not the only ones attracted to the idea of brand ambassadors; it has also created profitable opportunities for students.

Brand ambassadors are paid either in cash or products to represent brands, some earning a little over $1,000 per semester. The marketing experience boosts résumés and the potential to be employed by the company after graduation.

Some students may already find themselves equipped with the skills to become brand ambassadors. Corporations select students that can tap into the social networks at school, such as students in athletic clubs, fraternities or sororities. The situation can become one where companies are shaping the lifestyle and culture of the universities rather than the students themselves.

While these compensations have high appeal, brand ambassadors might be creating a climate clouded with brands rather than an enriched campus culture. Students are potentially hindered from shaping a college community that is original and reflects their own tastes and values. Brands may slowly become accepted as

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positive ways of identification, especially when the student ambassador is a friend. A brand ambassador could be the popular student on campus or a classmate. Students are more willing to listen to a friend than a stranger pushing a product. A product suggestion becomes less of a marketing tactic when a close friend recommends it.

These brands are marketed, if not directed, particularly toward incoming students. Companies and brand names sponsor freshman dinners and provide services for students moving in. In late August, brand ambassadors of American Eagle helped students move in during freshman welcome week at the University of North Carolina and passed out American Eagle water bottles and flip-flops. Within the same week, Target sponsored a welcome party for UNC’s incoming Class of 2015. While move-in day presents an open opportunity where ambassadors can easily talk up a product with students and families, it also diminishes the uniqueness of a freshman’s first college experience.

Freshmen are away from home, parents and close friends as they are trying to fit in and find their own niche in the college community.

They are often shopping and making decisions on their own for the very first time. Systematically exposing these students to brands would allow companies to essentially make those decisions for the students. Instead of exploring new interests, students are shopping for interests.

The Staff

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

Becoming hooked on a product now only means one thing: Companies have secured your brand loyalty to them in the future.

It is not surprising that brands are easing their way into college communities. Some colleges are completely unaware of or indifferent to the presence of student marketers or companies on campus. There is little supervision in how these brands and companies access college students for their investments.

A brand’s strong presence on campus can define the college and the lifestyle of its students, perhaps in a negative light. Brands would become labels that are attached to the name and reputation of college. Marketing energy drinks and highly caffeinated products on campus isn’t promoting healthy and appropriate lifestyles for students, but energy drinks and most similar products target the college demographic because of the lifestyle students are assumed to typically lead: one that is restless and without self-control.

I am not labeling companies or marketers as evil forces out to fool students. In fact, college students are in need of the free clothing and gadgets that some companies offer, as well as the job opportunities that brand ambassadors can provide. Yet people should be reminded that college is a place for education. Students enter college not to be bombarded by worldly materials but to have the privilege of experiencing the world at their own pace.

Editorial Assistants

Forum: Shafaq Hasan Sports: Adam Rabinowitz Staff Senior Writers: Josh Asen, Max Goldstein, Bryan Flatt Senior Illustrator: Rishika Assomull News: Shani Abramowitz Features: Dave Benger, Rocky Reichman Forum: Aaron Fried, Philip Gallagher, Hannah Goldberg, Tien Le, Diego Medrano, Liz Posner, Sara Shahanaghi, Leah Smith, Elizabeth Stoker, Naomi Volk Sports: Julian Cardillo, Jonathan Epstein, Jacob Lurie, Adam Rabinowitz, Natalie Shushan, Jonathan Steinberg Arts: Aaron Berke, Alex DeSilva, Leah Igdalsky, Olivia Leiter, Amy Melser, Leanne Ortbals, Mara Sassoon

Photography: Amy Bisaillon, Jenny Cheng, Lydia Emmanouilidou, Morgan Fine, Nathaniel Freedman, Rachel Gordon, Hilary Heyison, Davida Judelson, Joshua Linton, Alex Margolis, Maya Shemtov, Josh Spiro, Diana Wang, David Yun, Janey Zitomer Copy: Aliza Braverman, Rebecca Brooks, Allyson Cartter, Hilary Cheney, Erica Cooperberg, Patricia Greene, Celine Hacobian, Rachel Herman, Liana Johnson, Lauren Katz, Eunice Ko, Felicia Kuperwaser, Rachel Miller, Tarini Nalwa, Mailinh PhanNguyen, Maya Riser-Kositsky, Mara Sassoon, Holly Spicer, Dan Willey, Amanda Winn Layout: Rachel Burkhoff, Nadav Havivi, Denny Poliferno, Michelle Yi Illustrations: Stacy Handler, Arielle Shorr, Ari Tretin, Sara Weininger Ads: Nicholas Violette

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TUESDAY, September 20, 2011

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THE JUSTICE

FORUM

Don’t mandate drug testing on campus Shafaq

Hasan Into the fire

Linn State Technical College in Missouri recently instituted a drug-testing program ordering all incoming freshmen and returning students to submit urine samples to be screened for a variety of substances including marijuana, cocaine and methamphetamine.

While no legal action will be taken if a student tests positive after an initial screening, he or she will remain on probation for the duration of the semester and will be required to submit a follow-up sample and take an online drugprevention course. They will have to pass a second drug test 45 days later to stay enrolled in the school.

I can almost understand the importance of monitoring individuals who are actually suspected of contributing to terrorist organizations or being involved in other modes of crime. If there is prior suspicion and just cause to review someone’s phone records, law enforcement has every right to legally obtain a warrant to conduct a thorough investigation.

However, mandating an entire student body to acquiesce to drug testing is unconstitutional. According to a complaint by the American Civil Liberties Union, there is “no special need for drug testing its students that is sufficient to outweigh the students’ individual privacy.”

Representatives from the small 2-year vocational school say the purpose of the program is to simulate a real-world environment where drug testing may be required for work. The school tries to further justify its actions by claiming that through this program they are ensuring the safety of the student body. According to Linn State, most of the coursework at the vocational college includes dangerous assignments involving nuclear technology, aircraft repairs and heavy machinery maintenance. Presumably this drug-free workplace will decrease accidents, though the college has not produced any research citing substance abuse as a rampant problem that has greatly contributed to accidents on campus.

While this reasoning makes sense, Linn State has not explained what prompted the program, such as an accident involving substance abuse. The school is deliberately invading the privacy of their students based on the fear that someone may theoretically take a substance and then operate machinery. If this is indeed a real issue, I implore the college to compile data showing the frequency of accidents caused by drugs—if there have been any—supporting its reasoning behind this drastic program.

The fundamental problem I find with this reasoning is that the school won’t be conducting random drug tests. There is one initial drug test at the beginning of the school year, and students who pass the test the first time

NAN PANG/the Justice

will never be asked to take the test again.

Without the threat of additional tests, the students have no incentive to remain drug-free, voiding the safe environment the school is aiming for.

Perhaps the only palatable component of this program is that it prepares students for future work environments where drug testing may or may not be required. Though this is certainly an admirable mission for the small vocational school, is it necessary to coddle students into the real world? Only the experience of interacting in an actual work environment and understanding the demands of an employer will help the student properly transition into the real world. If they choose to abuse substances knowing they may be drug tested, it’s a lifestyle choice they will suffer for.

While in our college bubble there’s a level of detachment from the responsibilities of society, the real world unapologetically requires us to be held accountable for our actions. In this respect, training students to be

prepared for drug tests is an ineffective tool for students because it doesn’t simulate a real work environment; the students are given notice prior to the drug test and are not held legally accountable if they test positive for a substance.

Regardless of the legitimacy of the institution’s reasoning behind the program, implementation of just one test without cause is unconstitutional and an infringement of the students’ privacy.

Specifically, the mandate violates the Fourth Amendment, which condemns “unreasonable search and seizures without probable cause.” Whether the school is searching through someone’s book bag or his body, if they don’t have reason to suspect drug use from the entirety of its student body, the college is in violation of the constitution.

While there are genuine reasons to enforce drug testing for certain individuals, issuing a blanket mandate for an entire college is excessive and unprecedented. It’s possible for the college to realistically create a safe, healthy

and productive environment that does not so incredulously encroach on their students’ rights and privacy. Even limiting the drug testing to the individuals who are known to be using heavy machinery, nuclear technology or other tasks classified as “dangerous” would be a better compromise than testing everyone attending the college. There are several other programs at the school—such as physical therapy, computer programming and electronic engineering—that do not exhibit the safety concerns that repairing a large engine might.

Recently a federal judge suspended the program, following a lawsuit by the ACLU in conjunction with six dissenting students from Linn State. The lawsuit cites the program in violation of the fourth amendment, as the students are submitting to a drug test without “individualized suspicion.”

The absence of just cause has turned a program with a fairly benevolent purpose into a baseless crusade to create a drug-free environment that sacrifices privacy.

Education bias hampers Birthright Israel trips Liz

Posner But I digress

In May I went to Israel on the Brandeis Shorashim Birthright trip. Birthright, for anyone who doesn’t already know, is an organization funded through philanthropy that sends young Jewish people from across the world on a free 10-day trip to Israel. Its purpose is to strengthen the diaspora Jewish connection to Israel, introduce young Jews to Israelis, and educate Jews about their history.

As if straight out of a postcard, I rode a camel in the desert, hiked up Masada at 4 a.m., and got ripped off buying souvenirs on Jerusalem’s Ben Yehuda Street. I made new friends both from Brandeis and Israel and was reminded of my love of Israeli culture and cuisine. I had a great time, but I feel kind of bad about it.

My guilt comes from the ethical dilemma I always feel when my actions do not perfectly align with my personal morality. I really should be a vegan, but I’m too lazy and I just like ice cream too much. It’s almost impossible to live in our society and not feel this constant nagging guilt. Every time I drink coffee out of a paper cup, drive in a car that churns

pollutants into the atmosphere and steal music off the Internet, I feel the familiar pangs of shame. Of course, they’re not strong enough to actually keep me from doing these things all the time anyway, but that’s a rant for another column.

I’m bringing up this particular kind of guilt because I was feeling a similar way before—and after—I went on Birthright this summer. I was wary of what I knew to be the subliminal (and sometimes outright) political agenda of the program, and I was uneasy about joining a program I knew had a reputation of attempting to subtly brainwash its participants. Because going on the trip would mean inadvertently supporting the organization’s mission, I didn’t want to be part of the whole “machine.” I had heard from friends who went on the trip in previous years that it provided a narrow account of the history of Israel and the Israel-Palestinian conflict.

I’m not sure how widely known this political agenda is among young American Jews.

Many of the Jewish people I’ve talked to about Birthright seemed aware of this part of the organization’s reputation, but I’m sure most know it mainly as just a great opportunity to visit Israel free of charge.

The fact that Birthright often presents a limited presentation of Israel’s culpability in its many internal and diplomatic conflicts has not deterred over 250,000 people from participating since its first trip in 1994.

Several recent articles from Salon.com and

The Nation, to name a few, have explored the “hidden agenda” of Birthright and quoted participants who noticed they were being presented with a one-sided story. The accounts have a similar theme: Birthright, aside from requiring a basic curriculum and suggested trip plan, gives a large amount of freedom and authority to each trip’s tour guide. The Birthright alumni featured in these articles describe how their Israeli guides would speak about the Palestinian people with harsh “us versus them” language and state opinions about the Palestinian grab for “our land” while painting Israel as only a victim. Sometimes, speaking casually to a group of 20-yearolds, Israeli guides presented their personal political opinions—usually conservative and defensive of Israel—as universal truths.

We were never told anything blatantly inaccurate on my Birthright trip. My experience aligned most closely with these stories of participant exposure to Birthright’s political agenda only when our tour guide, Amit, recounted stories of Israeli military victories without much context to explain how Israel had ended up in the midst of simultaneous invasions from several neighboring Arab states at once.

The “educational” portion of the trip left out many important details about Palestinian claims to the land, and I am sure any participant without prior knowledge of Israel’s foreign relations and struggle with the Palestinian government would have left the

trip believing in Israel’s total innocence. To Birthright’s credit, though, the point of these educational detours always seemed to focus more on instilling pride in participants than providing us with a textbook account of Israeli history.

The fact is, I did go on the trip despite my slight uneasiness with what I had heard predeparture. In the end, the allure of a free trip to Israel vastly outweighed the fear that someone would try to brainwash me—or even worse, my fear that Birthright organizers believed young Jewish adults could be so easily convinced of anything. I actually came out of my experience with a more positive view of Birthright as an organization and genuine belief in the need for young Jews to visit Israel.

Our trip was well run and, in the scope of only 10 days, covered a daunting amount of Israeli history, culture and land. My tour guide may not have sold me on his particular political views, but the exposure to Israeli opinion that Birthright provided was invaluable. I am opposed to any enterprise that presents itself as educational while masking the truth from its participants, but I would still encourage anyone who is eligible for the trip to take advantage of the opportunity.

I would caution them, though, to be wary, not only of the ridiculous price hikes for Tshirts in tourist-heavy markets, but of the biases and prejudices they will undoubtedly hear from the trip’s own organizers and administration.

THE JUSTICE

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TUESDAY, September 20, 2011

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SPORTS

Women win MSOCCER: Men roll past WPI in their home opener big while men fall at tourney tennis

CONTINUED FROM 16

■ The women’s tennis team

defeated Simmons College while the men struggled at Middlebury College.

By jacob moskowitz JUSTICE contributing WRITER

The women’s tennis team started out the 2011-2012 season on a high note, sweeping visiting Simmons College 9-0 last Tuesday. The Judges did not drop a set, including four 6-0 sets in singles competition. The men’s team did not fare as well, winning only one main-draw match and 10 total matches at the Middlebury Invitational last weekend.

The women’s team started play against the Sharks by sweeping all three doubles matches. First singles Carley Cooke ’15 then made her collegiate debut in singles, taking a 7-6 (7-2), 6-0 victory over Simmons sophomore Margaret Teague.

Cooke trailed 5-2 in the first set before rallying back to win 11 of the last 12 games of the match. “[Cooke] played great,” said coach Ben Lammana. “She was down early, but she closed out a really good match.”

Allyson Bernstein ’14 won her first set of second singles 7-5 before her opponent retired because of a hurt ankle. She also teamed with third singles player Roberta Bergstein ’14 to defeat Simmons’ freshman Nicole Eskenazi and junior Sabrina Salmela 8-4 in second doubles.

“It was our first match together,” said Bernstein of her doubles match with Bergstein. “We had only practiced a couple of times together. But I think it was a pretty solid doubles game. We started off consistent, got into a few rallies, and closed off more balls as the match went on.”

Bergstein defeated her opponent, Simmons sophomore Allison Bodek, 6-4, 7-5 in the tightest match of the day in third singles. Nina Levine ’11, the team’s captain, won her match in fourth singles 6-4, 6-1.

She also teamed with Cooke to win the number one doubles match, 8-4. “[Levine] showed great leadership in both singles and doubles,” said Lamanna. “She did a tremendous job with Carley to help start off the competition strong.”

The bottom of the Judges’ lineup

looked particularly good, as Alexa Katz ’14 and Marissa Lazar ’14 lost just three games between them in both singles and doubles competition. Katz won her singles match 6-0, 6-0 and Lazar took both sets 6-0, 6-2. They won their doubles match 8-1. The two sophomores were named the University Athletic Association athletes of the week in women’s tennis for their effort.

“This match was a great warm-up for the girls,” said Coach Lamanna.

“It was a very important learning moment for them. I felt good about it.”

The men’s team had a rough start to the season, kicking off their campaign at a traditionally difficult meet.

“It was a tough tournament,” said Lamanna. “All five of the teams were nationally ranked. We have a young team this year; we graduated a bunch of guys last year.”

Matthew Zuckerman ’14 won the Judges’ only main-draw match 6-4, 7-5. He lost his next two matches 6-1, 6-4 and 6-1, 6-3.

In A singles, Steven Milo ’13 lost his first match 6-0, 6-1. His second opponent retired, and Milo defeated his third opponent 7-5, 6-7 (2-7), 10-2.

David Yovanoff ’13, the other Judges A singles player, lost his first match 6-2, 6-4 and his second match 6-1, 6-0 before defeating his third opponent 6-1, 1-6, 7-6 (7-4).

“This whole tournament was a bunch of losses for our guys,” Lamanna said. “It was tough.”

Adam Brown ’14 was the only other Brandeis player to win two matches. Competing in C singles, he lost his first match 6-0, 6-3. He lost the first set of his second match before pulling away, ultimately defeating Ithaca College freshman Ryan Zuckerman 4-6, 6-0, 10-4. He defeated Skidmore College sophomore Gabe Steerman 6-2, 6-4 to complete his impressive rebound.

No other Brandeis athlete won more than one match. The team won two matches in A doubles but failed to take a match in B doubles.

“We played OK,” said Lamanna, “but this competition was a wakeup call for us.”

Both squads’ next competition is the Intercollegiate Tennis Association Regional Tournament. The men begin play on Thursday, while the women’s competition begins Sept. 30.

XCOUNTRY: Judges open year with strong finish CONTINUED FROM 16 most pulled off the victory,” Evans said. “She’s been battling this year, and her goal is to be All-American in cross country.”

Amelia Lundkvist ’12 was the second Judges runner to finish the race, finishing 22nd in 19:20.58.

Miriam Stulin ’15 placed 26th in 19:23.45, while Victoria Sanford ’14 finished 39th with a time of 19:44.04.

Monique Girard ’12 rounded out the women’s team’s runners, crossing the finish line in 64th in 20:15.55.

With the first meet in the books, Evans wants both of his teams to keep working toward the University Athletic Association Championships and the NCAA Regional

Championships, with the goal to qualify for the NCAA Division III Championships.

“We just want to keep progressing toward UAAs and Regionals,” Evans said. “The guys have gone to NCAAs for the last 3 years, and along with Williams [College], we have been only one of two teams to do that, so we want to go for a fourth straight year. For the women, it is a little bit of a rebuilding year, but we just want to get stronger every week and have some strong performances going into UAA and Regionals.”

Both cross country teams will next race at the Open New England Championships on Oct. 8 at Franklin Park in Boston.

the match, forward Nick George ’14 scored the fifth goal of the match by converting a feed from midfielder Tudor Livadaru ’14.

“Every player on this team is a key component to winning, and anyone at any point in time can come in and make a difference,” said Feather. “[Savonen and George] have been scoring goals, and they’ve just been helping us out.”

Coming off of a poor offensive ef-

fort against Clark, the Judges’ midfield looked comfortable against WPI, stringing together many promising passing sequences that led to many scoring opportunities.

In addition, the men’s soccer team has been helped offensively by the first-year and sophomore classes, which accounted for nearly half of the team’s total goals scored.

Applefield believes the Judges have regained their composure after their struggles against Clark.

“It’s always a positive to score goals,” finished Applefield. “Obviously, you need to score goals to win the game, so we were happy to finish a lot of the chances we created.

We were hoping to bounce back and put the game against Clark behind us and just move on, and that’s exactly what happened. We have a lot of momentum going forward.”

The Judges will look to build upon their success this Saturday at 7 p.m. in a match at Babson College.

FULL SPEED AHEAD

JON EDELSTEIN/the Justice

LOCKED IN: Forward Alanna Torre ’12 fights for the ball against a Bridgewater State defender during a loss last Tuesday night.

WSOCCER: Team drops three CONTINUED FROM 16 scored what proved to be the coup de grace with 25 seconds remaining to solidify Roger Williams’ 2-0 victory, its first over Brandeis since 2008.

It would have been easy for Brandeis to arrive at Bowdoin’s historic Pickard Field this past weekend with their heads hung, but Dallamora’s side did quite the contrary, notching the game’s first five shots. However, despite the visitors’ early dominance, it would be the Polar Bears who broke the

deadlock off of a volley from junior forward Stacie Sammott in the 59th minute. Ten minutes later, the hosts found themselves with a 2-goal advantage, with senior forward Ellery Gould notching a tally of her own. Though Brandeis would break its weeklong scoring drought—midfielder Sapir Edalati ’15 halved the deficit with just under 9 minutes left—it was too little, too late, as the Judges came crashing down in a 2-1 defeat.

Despite all the bad luck within the past week, the coach and players are optimistic that better days

are ahead.

“We are working hard,” Dallamora said. “We are working as a team and coming together as a unit. It is a mixture of maturity and they will get their act together soon.”

“The fact that we are playing really well is helpful,” added Torre.

“Once it clicks and we figure this all out and put it behind us, we’re going to be hard to beat. Things can only get better.”

The team’s first chance to test that theory is this afternoon, when they travel to Gordon College to take on the Fighting Scots.

14

TUESDAY, september 20, 2011

●

THE JUSTICE

volleyball

Squad stays hot, wins two out of three ■ The women’s volleyball

team split its weekend matches after earning a home victory last Wednesday.

By adam rabinowitz JUSTICE editorial assistant

The volleyball team continued to impress last week, taking two out of three matches to improve to a 7-3 record on the year. Before an extremely close 3-2 loss to Colby-Sawyer College to end the week, the Judges pulled off 3-1 wins against both Emmanuel College and Endicott College.

Coach Michelle Kim was impressed with the team’s ability to set the tone of play.

“Going into the weekend, we had a goal of jumping out to fast starts, especially after our failure to do that against Endicott,” she said. “We were able to do that in New London against Emmanuel and Colby-Sawyer. I was extremely proud, we are really coming together as a team.”

Setter Yael Einhorn ’14 was pleased with the team’s mentality during the week’s matches.

“The team did very well with staying positive,” she said. “Volleyball is a tough sport mentally because you need to immediately get over mistakes so you can focus on the next point.

Staying positive has been a struggle for our team in practices and in games, so it was really nice to see everyone improve on that this week.”

In their last match of the tournament last Saturday, the team took on Colby-Sawyer. The match went down to the wire with five sets, but the Judges could not seal the deal and lost 3-2. Brandeis was defeated by scores of 25-17, 24-26, 25-22, 17-25 and 14-16. The Judges jumped out to a dominating victory in the first set but soon began to falter, losing in a 26-24 marathon second set that went into overtime. The Judges quickly recovered, proceeding to take another closely contested third set. However, the Judges grew tired and dropped the next two sets.

Earlier in the day, the Judges extended their winning streak to five matches by topping Emmanuel 3-1.

Brandeis raced out of the gate in the first set, limiting the Saints to a mere 9 points en route to a 25-9 win. The

second set was the same story, as the Judges cruised to a 25-15 victory.

The Judges briefly lost control of the match in the third set, dropping 25-14, but Brandeis regrouped in the fourth and final set. They battled it out with Emmanuel and came through with a 25-23 victory.

The outside hitters for the Judges set the pace on both sides of the ball.

Liz Hood ’15 led the team in kills with 16 and added 12 digs, while Si-Si Hensley ’14 delivered 14 kills and 13 digs.

Libero Elsie Bernaiche ’15 threw in 24 digs while defensive specialist Susan Sun ’13 chipped in 14 digs. Einhorn added 44 assists.

Last Wednesday, the Judges continued their success from the Sept. 10 Brandeis Invitational with a 3-1 victory over Endicott by scores of 17-25, 25-19, 25-15 and 25-12. Brandeis seemed rusty at the outset, notching just four kills and 11 errors in only 34 attacks in the first set.

The Judges continued to have difficulty at the start of the second set, at one point trailing 12-11. But Hood sparked a comeback, firing three consecutive service aces. Brandeis took control of the match from that point forward, making only six errors in the next three sets and reeling off 14 kills without an error in 32 chances. The team also notched a season-high 12 service aces.

Hood set the tempo for the offense once again, racking up 16 kills and an impressive five service aces. Sun had a well-rounded performance, contributing seven kills, 17 digs and four service aces while Hensley also added 10 kills. On the defensive end, Bernaiche had a career-high 27 digs and Einhorn contributed a season-best 33 assists.

After the matches, Kim pointed out some aspects of play the team could improve upon.

“When we get on the floor, we need to be quick and jump right out of the gate,” she said. “We need to avoid these sluggish starts and also attain a level of more consistent play.”

The Judges will end their homestand against Tufts University tonight at 7 p.m. Brandeis will then travel to Amherst College this weekend for the Amherst Invitational. On Friday, the team will take on Amherst before playing a doubleheader against the Coast Guard Academy and Middlebury College on Saturday.

JOSH HOROWITZ/the Justice

AT THE NET: Lauren Berens ‘13 (left) and Si-Si Hensley ‘14 leap for the block last Wednesday night against Endicott College.

Like going to the games?

Write for the Sports the section of Justice!

To write for Sports or for more information, contact Jeffrey Boxer at sports@thejustice.org David Sheppard-Brick/Justice File Photo

THE JUSTICE

jUDGES BY THE NUMBERS Men’s Soccer UAA STANDINGS

TEAM STATS Goals

Not including Monday’s games UAA Conference Overall

W L D W L D Pct. WashU 0 0 0 6 0 0 1.000 Case 0 0 0 5 1 0 .833 Chicago 0 0 0 4 1 1 .750 JUDGES 0 0 0 3 1 0 .750 Rochester 0 0 0 4 2 0 .667 Emory 0 0 0 3 4 0 .429 Carnegie 0 0 0 2 3 1 .417 NYU 0 0 0 2 3 1 .417

Kyle Feather ’14 leads the team in goals with three.

Player G Kyle Feather 3 Sam Ocel 2 Tyler Savonen 2 Theo Terris 2

Shots

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TUESDAY, September 20, 2011

15

NEWCOMER TO WATCH

Stulin impresses in her collegiate debut

Joe Eisenbies ’13 leads the team in shots taken with 11.

Player Shots Joe Eisenbies 11 Alexander Farr 9 Lee Russo 9 two tied with 8

UPCOMING GAMES Saturday at Babson; Tuesday, Sept.

27 vs Wentworth; Wednesday, Sept.

28 at Colby-Sawyer

WOMen’s Soccer UAA STANDINGS

TEAM STATS

Not including Monday’s games

Points

UAA Conference

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

Sapir Edalati ’15 and Mary Shimko ’14 lead in points.

Player Pts Sapir Edalati 4 Mary Shimko 4 Mimi Theodore 3 five tied with 1

Overall D Pct. 0 1.000 1 .917 0 .857 1 .750 0 .667 0 .667 0 .667 0 .500

UPCOMING GAMES Today at Gordon; Thursday at Lasell; Tuesday, Sept. 27 vs Wellesley; Saturday, Oct. 1 vs Rochester

Shots Alanna Torre ’12 lead the team in shots taken with 22.

Player Shots Alanna Torre 22 Hilary Andrews 12 Sapir Edalati 12 Mimi Theodore 12

VOLLEYBALL UAA STANDINGS

TEAM STATS Kills

Not including Monday’s games UAA Conference Overall

W L W L Pct. WashU 0 0 14 0 1.000 Chicago 0 0 11 0 1.000 Emory 0 0 13 1 .929 Rochester 0 0 9 3 .750 JUDGES 0 0 7 3 .700 Case 0 0 9 4 .692 NYU 0 0 9 4 .692 Carnegie 0 0 8 5 .615

UPCOMING GAMES Today vs. Tufts; Friday at Amherst; Saturday vs. Coast Guard and Middlebury at Amherst

Liz Hood ’15 leads the team in kills so far this year with 125.

Player Kills Liz Hood 125 Si-Si Hensley 72 Becca Fischer 50 Lauren Berens 46

Digs Elsie Bernaiche ’15 leads the team in digs this year with 174.

Player Digs Elsie Bernaiche 174 Susan Sun 75 Si-Si Hensley 60 Yael Einhorn 53

cross cOuntry TOP FINISHERS (Men’s)

TOP FINISHERS (Women’s)

RUNNER TIME Chris Brown 24:56.74 Marc Boutin 25:11.99 Taylor Dundas 25:19.73 25:43.70 Alex Kramer Ed Colvin 25:57.19

RUNNER TIME Kate Warwick 17:58.39 Amelia Lundkvist 19:20.58 Miriam Stulin 19:23.45 Victoria Sanford 19:44.04 Monique Girard 20:15.50

UPCOMING EVENTS Saturday, Oct. 8 at the Open New England Championships at Franklin Park; Saturday, Oct. 15 at the University of Albany Invitational

PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY ROBYN SPECTOR/the Justice

FRESH LEGS: Miriam Stulin ’15 has helped pace the women’s cross country team through its first two meets this season.

■ Rookie Miriam Stulin ’15

finished third on the team and 26th overall in her first scoring meet at Brandeis.

By jacob lurie JUSTICE STAFF WRITER

Last Saturday, the women’s cross country team placed fourth out of 37 teams at the University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth Shriner’s Invitational. One standout from the event was Miriam Stulin ’15, who ran to a time of 19 minutes, 20.58 seconds in her official college debut, good for 26th overall out of more than 250 competitors. Stulin, a rookie studentathlete from the Dana Hall School in Wellesley, Mass., said that she has

had few problem adjusting to the collegiate level.

“The transition’s been good, and the training is going well,” she said.

“I’m still learning the running routes, and that’s probably the toughest part right now because I don’t quite know where I’m going yet.”

Stulin also credited captain Kate Warwick ’12 with helping her adjust to running at Brandeis.

“Kate [Warwick] has been a great mentor for me,” Stulin said. “She’s very good at setting paces. … She has a lot of experience, so she’s a great person to talk to. So are a lot of the upperclassmen. But everyone’s been great to talk to.”

In the women’s cross country team’s first nonscoring meet of the season, at the University of Southern Maine on Sept. 2, Stulin finished

second overall and first for Brandeis with a time of 15:42 in the 4-kilometer event. The race was nonscoring, but if it was any indicator for the rest of the season, it showed that the women are ready to run.

“That race was more of a tempo run to get our jitters out before we actually start racing,” Stulin said. “We had a set pace, but we both felt really good, and so we just kept going.”

The team has been training as a team since before the school year started. For Stulin, this was an important time to get to know the team.

“The team was really nice and welcoming. I loved coming early for preseason because I got to know coach [John] Evans and the team before everyone else got here,” she said. “I felt like when classes started, I had a really solid foundation.”

SOCCER brief Manchester United teach Chelsea a lesson in finishing at the net, down Blues 3-1 at Old Trafford It was a brilliant through ball by Ramires, the Chelsea midfielder. Forward Fernando Torres’ first touch was a beauty as well, propelling him past keeper David de Gea and within yards of the now-empty Manchester United goal. All Torres had to do was tap the ball toward the net, and Chelsea would be within a goal of equalizing. But Torres struck the ball awkwardly, and the £50-million striker collapsed in a heap of frustration—a perfect metaphor for the Blues’ afternoon, which saw a very winnable game end in a frustrating 3-1 loss to Manchester United.

A look at the statline tells a very different story than last Sunday’s 3-1 shellacking would indicate. The Blues (now 3-1-1) outshot their hosts (who move to 5-0-0) 22-14, including 8-6 in shots on net. Chelsea also had 10 corners to United’s four, and the

possession stats were dead even until Manchester began to take its time toward the end of the match. And those statistics don’t even include two pointblank shots by Ramires that went right at de Gea, 2 near-goals off the head of defender Bernislav Ivanovic and what should have been 2 easy goals for Torres, including the open-netted blunder.

“I think it was a crazy game,” Chelsea coach Andre Villas-Boas told reporters following the match. “We feel the scoreline doesn’t represent well what happened in the game. We had very good chances in the first half, and in the second half, it just didn’t fall our way. ... It’s a pity for us because we were really expecting to do something here, to take the 3 points. We were confident that we could do it.”

United struck first, with defender Chris Smalling heading home an 8th-

minute free kick by midfielder Ashley Young for his first-ever league goal.

Ramires had his best opportunity just minutes later, as a through ball found Torres on the left side of the 6-yard box with just the keeper to beat. Torres played the ball across the face of the goal, but an off-balance Ramires could do little more than tap the ball towards the net, and de Gea was able to scramble back to redirect the shot.

Having escaped a barrage of Chelsea opportunities, United struck again.

Midfielder Nani took control of the ball in the 37th minute, and, leaving Blues midfielder Juan Mata in his dust, struck a laser into the top-left corner of the net from 20 yards out.

Chelsea squandered several more opportunities before United added a third goal in the closing moments of the half. Chelsea centerback and cap-

tain John Terry tried to clear the ball from deep in his own box, but it ball took an awkward bounce to unmarked striker Wayne Rooney, who slotted the ball home for his Premiere Leagueleading ninth goal of the season.

But Chelsea wasn’t done, and Torres gave Chelsea its only goal of the match just 30 seconds into the second half. Forward Nicholas Anelka, who had only just entered the game, played a brilliant through ball to Torres, who flicked it over de Gea’s head for his first goal of the season.

However, both sides seemingly fell apart from there, and despite countless opportunities, the netting in both goals remained undisturbed. United was awarded a penalty in the 57th minute, but Rooney lost his footing as he struck the ball, sending it well wide of the net. Torres’ unbelievable gaffe fell

in between shots by both Ivanovic and United forward Dimitar Berbatov that were cleared off the line, and the score remained 3-1 at full-time.

Despite losing, Villas-Boas was happy with the way that his team battled back in the second half.

“I am very happy with how our team reacted to such a negative halftime result, and we showed commitment and desire to turn things around,” he said.

“We did everything within our power to try to find the second goal, ... but it just didn’t fall our way. If it does and a little bit of luck comes in the game, then the result is different.”

United’s next league fixture is at home against Norwich City on Oct. 1.

Chelsea travels to Bolton to take on the Wanderers the following day.

—Jeffrey Boxer

just

Sports

Page 16

JUDGES KEEP ROLLING The volleyball team won two out of three matches last week, including a comeback win against Emmanuel College, p. 14.

Tuesday, September 20, 2011

cross country

Waltham, Mass.

HEADED FOR GOAL

Runners start off season on high note ■ The men’s and women’s cross country teams placed second and fourth in their first scoring meet.

By josh asen JUSTICE senior WRITER

The men’s cross country team finished second out of 34 schools, while the women’s cross country team placed fourth out of 37 schools in both teams’ first scoring meet of the season at the University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth Shriners’ Invitational last Saturday.

“It was a really good start to the season,” said coach John Evans. “We probably haven’t been as sharp as in previous years, so it was really encouraging to see everyone run well.”

The men’s team, which is ranked No. 33 nationally and No. 7 in New England, according to the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association, finished with 79 points in the 8-kilometer race, which trailed only the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. MIT is currently ranked No. 11 nationally and No. 2 in the New England Region.

For the Judges, co-captains Chris Brown ’12 and Marc Boutin ’12 both finished in the top 10 out of 255 runners. Brown placed fourth with a time of 24 minutes, 56.74 seconds, while Boutin was the tenth runner overall to cross the finish line in 25:11.99.

“I am happy with how I performed yesterday,” Boutin said.

“I didn’t race all summer, and we kind of took an easier approach to workouts this year. Based off this postseason, we are poised to run well in the postseason like we really want to.”

Taylor Dundas ’14 finished 13th overall at the 45:19.73 mark, while Alex Kramer ’13 came in 26th, finishing in 25:43.70. Ed Colvin ’14 was the last Judges’ runner to complete the race, placing 32nd with a time of 25:57.19.

Overall, Boutin thought the men’s team ran well in its first meet of the season.

“I feel like as a team, yesterday, we performed really well together,” Boutin said. “It was our first race of the season, and we were racing against some tough teams, and we all worked off each other really well and ended up running a really good race.”

For the women, the team finished with 148 points, which trailed first-place finisher MIT, the United States Coast Guard and Wellesley College. MIT is ranked No. 5 nationally and No. 3 in the New England Region, while Wellesley is No. 7 in the New England Region. The Brandeis women currently are No. 10 in the region.

Co-captain Kate Warwick ’12 paced the women’s team, finishing second out of 258 runners in the 5-kilometer race in 17:58.39.

She finished 4.04 seconds behind MIT sophomore Brook Johnson. “[Warwick] ran great and al-

See XCOUNTRY, 13 ☛

JOSHUA LINTON/the Justice

DRIBBLING THROUGH TRAFFIC: Midfielder Ben Applefield ’14 takes the ball upfield during the team’s 5-0 victory against Worcester Polytechnic Institute last Wednesday.

Judges blow out WPI at home ■ The men’s soccer team

rebounded from a tough loss to Clark with a commanding 5-0 victory over WPI. By julian cardillo JUSTICE STAFF WRITER

After a Sept. 10 loss to Clark University, the men’s soccer team rebounded last Wednesday night, dismantling Worcester Polytechnic Institute 5-0 in their home opener.

Judges goalkeeper Blake Minchoff ’13 made five saves against the Engineers, helping Brandeis earn its third shutout of the season, and move to 3-1 on the year.

The Gordon Field sideline seats were filled to capacity, with 150 people venturing out to watch the

Judges take on WPI. The opening few minutes were uneventful as both teams tried to win the midfield battle and establish a rhythm to their play. Brandeis had the first scoring opportunity of the game, a free kick by midfielder Joe Eisenbies ’13 that WPI junior goalkeeper Jeff Wong tipped over the crossbar.

Eisenbies’ shot changed the tone of the game, allowing the Judges to press forward and create several more opportunities. Brandeis finally broke through in the 16th minute, with midfielder Steve Keuchkarian ’12 playing a low cross into the penalty area that midfielder Kyle Feather ’14 redirected into the net for his third goal of the season. “[Keuchkarian] does what he does best and takes on three or four guys and gets to the sideline and makes it kind of easy for me,” said Feather.

“He just put it right on my foot and made it an easy finish.”

Brandeis held on to a 1-goal lead for the remainder of the first half.

From the start of the second half, the Judges were more offensiveminded, especially defender Ben Applefield ’14, who took on a more expressive role and provided overlapping runs on the left flank. Applefield would come out of defense to help attack and nailed a goal early in the second half.

In the 52nd minute, Applefield made his way out of defense and took possession in WPI’s penalty area. Applefield faked past one defender and then shot a low, hard drive past Wong to stretch the lead to 2-0.

“Their defenders were pretty big physically, but you could be a little shifty with them and beat them with

speed,” said Applefield of his first goal of the season. “I was able to cut inside and had the ball and shot it and finished it well.”

Midfielder Theo Terris ’12 added another goal just 2 minutes later, heading in a 30-yard free kick from midfielder Lee Russo ’13. The team’s third goal provided the opportunity to drop back and close the game out, but Brandeis pressed on and looked for more goals.

In the 79th minute, forward Tyler Savonen ’15 came on as a substitute and found himself behind the defense after controlling a feed from midfielder Matt Peabody ’13.

Savonen went one-on-one with Wong and unloaded a shot into the back of the net for his second goal of the season. With 8 seconds left in

See MSOCCER, 13 ☛

women’s soccer

Team outplays foes but can’t find net ■ The women’s soccer team

dominated statistically but couldn’t close out its foes, extending its losing streak.

By henry loughlin JUSTICE contributing WRITER

Though creating chances in a game like soccer is essential to winning, it pales in statistical importance to scoring goals.

This reality proved costly for the women’s soccer team last week. Despite outshooting its opponents by a combined total of 59-31, the Judges were unable to win their encounters against Bridgewater State College, Roger Williams University and Bowdoin College. The three losses leave the Judges sitting at 2-4-0 overall.

Midfielder Alanna Torre ’12, one of six seniors in the Brandeis lineup, said that it would be an understatement to call the last week

“frustrating” after the defeat to Bowdoin last Saturday. “It’s frustrating just knowing that we have been the better team during these past few games,” she said. “We work so hard and actually play great soccer, while the other team scores on their first shot on goal.

It’s difficult to come back from being down a goal.”

Coach Denise Dallamora echoed Torre’s sentiments. “We had some luck crashing the net against our first two opponents [Clark University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, both of whom the Judges beat by 2-0 margins] and no luck in the last four games,” she said.

Having fallen to host Springfield College 2-0 on Sept. 10, Brandeis looked to get back on track when the team played host to Bridgewater State last Tuesday night. The contest typified the clashing of two different types of soccer: possession and counterattack. While the Judges knocked the ball around in

an effort to draw out the opposition, the visitors were content to sit in their own half and let Brandeis attack them in an effort to soak up the offensive pressure.

In addition to dominating possession, the Judges ruled other facets of the game, perhaps best exhibited by the fact that they outshot the Bears 25-3. However, for all their seeming superiority on the pitch, Brandeis could not capitalize, and the Judges found themselves playing catch-up when Bears sophomore midfielder Megan O’Leary beat Brandeis keeper Francine Kofinas ’13 in the 52nd minute to give Bridgewater a 1-0 advantage that it had done little to deserve. However, despite quality efforts from Torre, midfielder Mary Shimko ’14 and defender Kelly Peterson ’14, the last of whom sent a curling free kick just over the corner of the post with 2 minutes to go, Brandeis was unable to find an equalizer, resulting in its first home loss of the campaign.

Two days later, the Judges trav-

eled to Roger Williams, where they found themselves down 1-0 after only 11 minutes thanks to a strike from sophomore forward Hannah Noel. Although the host Hawks had managed to put an early score on the board, Brandeis upped the ante and almost drew level 9 minutes later, as forward Hilary Andrews ’14 hit a shot from the top of the box that nailed the side netting. Just before the end of the half, Shimko played a through ball that almost set a teammate free only to be negated by an offsides flag. Though goalie Allison Maresca ’15 had to make a couple of point-blank saves in the Brandeis net after the interval to keep the deficit at one, most of the offensive pressure came from the visitors.

Despite outshooting its opponent for the third consecutive game— this time by a 22-10 differential—the Judges came crashing down to their third consecutive defeat, as Hawks sophomore midfielder Tory Benoit

See WSOCCER. 13 ☛

just

ARTS

September 20, 2011

y n n a n e t o Ho ians c i s u m s e unit

FOR A K L O F F NIGHT O p. 19

Photos: Joshua Linton and Nathaniel Freedman/the Justice. Design: Robyn Spector/the Justice.

18

TUESDAY, September 20, 2011 ● THE JUSTICE

POP CULTURE

INSIDE ON CAMPUS

19

■ Hootenanny at Slosberg

19

■ Dinosaur Annex preview

19

The folk concert on Saturday featured performances by the Bard Cassidy Band, Starving Artists and local favorite Pesky J. Nixon.

Classical composers Dinosaur Annex come to campus next week. The Annex includes a Brandeis musician, Prof. Yu-Hei Chang (MUS).

■ ‘Floors and Ceilings’ closing 20

The first student-produced art show housed in the Women’s Studies Research Center ended on Thursday.

■ Colin Channer reading

20

OFF CAMPUS

21

■ Jonah Hill interview

21

Brandeis’ newest Fannie Hurst visiting writer, Jamaican-born Channer, shared excerpts from his novel and short stories.

The ‘Moneyball’ star spoke with justArts about why this role is different from anything he’s done before and how Brad Pitt pranked him on set.

■ Kayuga restaurant review

21

■ Lupe Fiasco concert

23

Kayuga, a Japanese-Korean fusion restaurant in Allston, Mass. provides tasty Asian drinks and filling food.

The hip-hop prodigy performed for a highenergy crowd in Boston last Thursday.

CALENDAR

Interview

Every Friday is a wild ride with Game Knight

by Shelly Shore

There’s been a lot of talk on the blogosphere recently about the influence of the media on kids, especially on the sexualization of young girls. Five-year-old girls are being admitted to hospitals because of eating disorders, blaming the women they see on America’s Next Top Model; a French clothing company is marketing lingerie for 3-month-old girls (Google “Jours Après Lunes” if you don’t believe me, but be warned, it’s not pleasant); Forever 21 is also coming under fire for its new “Allergic to Algebra” and “Too Pretty for Homework” T-shirt designs, which some believe encourage young girls to put their looks before their education and perpetuate the stereotype that girls aren’t good at math.

But if you really want to see something that will make you want to keep your future kids away from anything related to media, look no further than the TLC reality show Toddlers & Tiaras, which goes behind the scenes of child beauty pageants. The show leaves no stone unturned, showcasing everything from spray tanning to teeth bleaching that pageant parents do to get their little girls ready for the stage. In the past few weeks, though, the show has gone from guilty-pleasure fun to a somewhat uncomfortable viewing experience. There has been footage of 3- and 4-year-old girls dressed in undoubtedly adult costumes—one little girl dressed like Dolly Parton, complete with padded breasts, and another as Julia Roberts’ prostitute character from Pretty Woman.

“Little girls are supposed to play with dolls, not be dolls,” New York-based clinical social worker Mark Sichel said in an interview with People Magazine. Sichel said that the extremes parents go to to prepare their children for competition—using padding, fake hair and teeth and spray tans—“causes the children tremendous confusion, wondering why they are not okay without those things.”

The pageant mothers have spoken out in

 This unique club has come a long way from a couple of friends goofing off with each other. JustArts emailed with the four leaders of Game Knight.

PHOTO COURTESY OF DISCOVERY COMMUNICATIONS

BABY FACE: The mother of Mackenzie Myers, age 4 (above), says pageants are her child’s “sport.”

their defense. Wendy Dickey, who dressed her 3-year-old daughter Paisley as the Julia Roberts character, told People that she thought the look was “tasteful and funny.”

Juana Myers, whose daughter Makenzie is often featured on the show, says that the pageant industry is coming under unfair scrutiny. “If this were a sport, no one would question it,” she said. “This is her sport.”

What do you think? Is there a line between competition and the over-sexualization of underage bodies? Is there any real benefit for these girls or are pageants more about the adults that watch them? And what the heck does that say about those adults?

What’s happening in Arts on and off campus

ON-CAMPUS EVENTS

Opening reception: New Work from Abroad and Home

Senior Fine Arts students present their latest works at the newest student art exhibit on campus. Pieces by postbaccalaureate artists will be on display at the Dreitzer Gallery in Spingold Theater and the Goldman Schwartz Art Center.

Wednesday from 5 to 7 p.m. in the Goldman Schwartz Art Center and the Dreitzer Gallery in the Spingold Theater Center.

Artist’s Slide Talk: Milcah Bassel PB ’11

Postbaccalaureate Bassel will give a talk about her most recent piece, “This Monster, The Body,” currently housed in the Women’s Studies Research Center gallery. The work, an oversized papier-mâché sculpture, is an interactive exhibit. Viewers can walk inside the sculpture and become fully immersed within it.

Thursday from 5 to 6:15 p.m. in the Epstein building of the Women’s Studies Research Center.

Pan-Asian food night

Brandeis Asian American Student Association is hosting a feast, featuring a spread from various Asian countries. BAASA members will also discuss how these foods contribute to their cultures.

Thursday from 7:30 to 8:30 p.m. in the Intercultural Swig Lounge.

Thursdays with Morrie

The first monthly comedy night of the semester features student stand-up comedy, improvisations, sketches and musical comedy acts.

Spaces are still available if you are interested in signing up to perform.

Thursday from 9 to 11 p.m. at Cholmondeley’s.

Brandeis Theater department costume sale

Students can come stock up on clothing, accessories, hats and masks that have been made by the Brandeis Theater department’s costume shop. Everything from classic period pieces to funky or trendy styles will be on sale.

Friday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on the Spingold Theater Main Stage.

‘Cultures of Resistance’ documentary screening

Documentary filmmaker Iara Lee traveled the world seeking footage for her most recent movie. The film explores the lives of many artists working for nonviolent change through their pieces. Several notable subjects include Iranian graffiti artists, Palestinian hip-hop singers and Brazilian capoeira dancers.

Friday from 8 to 10:30 p.m. in the South Campus Commons.

Israeli cooking with BaRuCH

The Brandeis Reform Chavurah (the Reform arm of Brandeis Hillel) will be exploring Israeli culture through food and music at this event.

They will be making Israeli salad, falafel and pita from scratch, as well as a chocolate dessert. New and returning members are invited.

PHOTO COURTESY OF SNAGFILMS

WILL PAINT FOR CHANGE : Documentary filmmaker Iara Lee (front) sought out artists and performers trying to solve societal problems on five continents. Her efforts are documented in ‘Cultures of Resistance.’

Sunday from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Polaris Lounge in Gordon Hall.

Dinosaur Annex concert

Local band Dinosaur Annex comes to campus with their new concert, “Dissolving Boundaries.” The ensemble plays a mix of many different genres, including pop, jazz, world music and classical and uses both traditional and foreign instruments. See article on opposite page.

Sunday from 8 to 10:15 p.m. in the Slosberg Recital Hall.

Music by Chants

Faculty jazz band Bob Nieske 4 will perform this unique show featuring songs that showcase either chant-like singing or improvised numbers. The band is composed of Prof. Robert Nieske (MUS), as well as trumpeter Phil Grenadier, percussionist Jon Hazilla and slide-guitarist and “gizmo”-player Dave Tronzo.

Saturday, Oct. 1 from 8 to 9:30 p.m. in the Slosberg Recital Hall.

OFF-CAMPUS EVENTS Enrique Iglesias concert

The chart-topping Latino singer will kick off his 20-city tour in Boston late September. Iglesias will be joined by collaborators Pitbull and Prince Royce and will perform such hits as “I Like It” and “Tonight.”

Thursday, Sept. 22 at 7 p.m. at TD Garden, located at 100 Legends Way, Boston. Tickets are $35 to $100.

‘RENT’

The New Repertory Theater puts on the award-winning musical about down-and-out artists struggling on the Lower East Side of New York in the 1980s. Brandeis alumnus Robert St. Laurence ’11 is featured in the role of Roger, a depressed guitarist who discovers the love of his life in a drug-addled stripper named

Mimi, portrayed by Eve Kagan.

Running until Sept. 25 at the Arsenal Center of the Arts located at 321 Arsenal St., Watertown, Mass. Tickets start around $30.

James Van Praagh talk

Praagh, a noted medium, or communicator with the dead, presents his skills to a live audience in this spiritual performance. Praagh asserts that he can “feel the emotions and personalities of the deceased,” and he provides access to the thoughts and feelings of the dead to those still on earth.

Saturday, Oct. 1 at 7 p.m. at the Wilbur Theater, located at 246 Tremont St., Boston. Tickets are $40 to $50.

‘Porgy and Bess’

This George Gershwin-penned opera is about the interactions of three African-American families living in South Carolina in the 1920s.

The opera, first performed in 1935, was originally considered controversial for its use of an all-black cast and production team. Porgy and Bess stars David Alan Grier (In Living Color) and Audra McDonald (Private Practice).

Running until Oct. 2 at the the American Reperatory Theatre, located at 64 Brattle Street, Cambridge. Ticket prices vary.

‘Big River’

Big River is a musical adaptation of Mark Twain’s classic novel The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. The show confronts the racist notions of the late 19th-century South through a friendship between two runaways: one a young boy, the other an escaped slave. Country-pop musician Roger Miller composed folky, bluesy music for the production.

Running until Saturday, Oct. 8 at the Lyric Stage Company, located at 140 Clarendon St., Boston. Tickets are $25 to $53.

While pregamed partygoers begin their exodus Friday night down South Street toward the frat houses, students who choose not to drink or go out are left with the eternal Brandeisian question: What should I do on the weekend? For Jesse Appell ’12, Kendrick Gores ’12, Jordi Goodman ’12, Brian Teagle ’12 and the members of Game Knight, a club dedicated to the pursuit of childhood-inspired social activities, Friday night is a chance to act silly, play games and delve into their wild imaginations. JustArts catches up with the leaders of the club to find out what Game Knight is all about.

JustArts: What exactly, in your mind, is Game Knight?

Jesse Appell: Game Knight is the place where people can play games and drop the illusion that, as adults, we don’t have fun the same way we do when we are kids.

Kendrick Gores: It’s a throwback to your childhood. We do all those things that you used to love doing when you were younger, but we take it up a notch because now we are older, wiser and have university funding. We generally meet every Friday night in the Castle Commons at nine, and have some big events once or twice a semester.

JustArts: How or why did you get involved?

JA: We came together one night in 2008 when a bunch of friends of mine and I all played lap tag and mafia from Friday night till Saturday morning. We’ve met Fridays since then.

Jordi Goodman: Game Knight really just started because a bunch of our friends freshman year wanted to find something to do on a Friday night. Some of us were shomer shabbat, and so we couldn’t go to Boston. Others really didn’t want to drink. So what’s left? We got together and started playing games from camp—charades and lap tag. Of course, we got much more creative with our games, throwing couch cushions on the floor in Shapiro lounge to play “the floor is lava,” or creating dodgeball games with socks—aptly named “sock wars.” I have been involved since the beginning—there were about 10 to 15 of us and the group seems to just grow.

JustArts: What’s the weirdest thing that’s happened during one of your meetings?

Brian Teagle: A musical procession of swaying murderous zombies.

JG: How do I choose? Our club president, Jesse [Appell], decided to explain a few games in Mandarin to new people, convincing a few members that he actually didn’t speak any English.

Once, when playing charades, someone acted out “quantum physics” by running at a wall— because, according to the laws of quantum physics, if you run at the wall enough times, you’ll eventually go through it. Is it weird that a normal event at Game Knight is to throw socks at each other in dodgeball fashion? I really can’t help you on the “weirdest” thing—we’re all kind of weird.

KG: The weirdest thing would be when one of our member’s twin brothers came to visit and the switched places multiple times throughout the course of the night, until they made the big reveal and surprised everyone.

JustArts: What kinds of things do you buy for the club?

BT: Socks, balls, cones, black lights and trips to play laser tag.

KG: Any awesome toys our parents didn’t buy us as kids, and socks, lots of socks.

JustArts: Who is the most interesting person you’ve met at Game Knight?

JG: Jesse’s a character—wearing a long gold robe to most Game Knight events. Asaf [Reich] is one of the most ticklish people you’ve ever met.

Brian Teagle “brings the cool.”

JA: Everyone at Game Knight is interesting. If I had to say, it would probably be my estranged brother, Karl Appell.

JustArts: Is the club an important part of your Brandeis life?

JA: Game Knight is a huge part of my college life. It has shown me that people can get together, have fun, and be creative without needing—or wanting—to be forced to do so or be herded like cats.

KG: It absolutely is, I would not have met half of the awesome people or had a tenth as much fun at Brandeis without it.

BT: It is how I spend my Friday nights, and I would not have it any other way.

JG: I love everyone in Game Knight—we’re all individuals. Sometimes I look around and I wonder how I got involved with this group, and I marvel that I’m surrounded by my best friends— all 20 of ’em. We’re all there for each other, to give hugs and support and encouragement. That’s really what Game Knight’s about, the freedom to be yourself. No judgments, just fun.

—Wei-Huan Chen

THE JUSTICE

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TUESDAY, September 20, 2011

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ON CAMPUS MUSIC

Hootenanny groups sing their hearts out ■ Saturday’s concert featured performances by three ensembles as well as collaborative pieces.

By ARIEL KAY JUSTICE EDITOR

Hootenanny: According to Dictionary.com, the term means “an informal session at which folk singers and instrumentalists perform for their own enjoyment.” This is a perfect description of the concert that took place on Saturday night in the Slosberg Recital Hall, titled “Hootenanny with Pesky J. Nixon.”

The concert, headlined by the Massachusetts-based folk group Pesky J. Nixon, fronted by alumnus Ethan Baird ’02, also featured performances

by Brandeis a cappella group Starving Artists and the Barbara Cassidy Band—composed of Prof. Eric Chasalow (MUS) and his wife Barbara Cassidy MA ’98.

Cassidy opened the show with an a cappella solo performance of the Irish ballad “The Quiet Joys of Brotherhood,” a lilting number with a pastoral theme. Chasalow joined Cassidy at the end of the song and introduced the group, adding that they were excited for the opportunity to play with the two other featured bands. “We’re the serious part of the night,” joked the professor.

Despite this comment, the duo’s next two numbers, both originals, were much livelier and sounded more like typical folk music than the traditionals they had opened with. In between songs, Chasalow told the audience how he had recently returned to folk music after focusing on modern classical music for most of his career. He said that he had started writing folk songs as an undergrad but stopped because his lyrics were “just terrible.” However, he picked up his guitar a short time ago and tried his luck again. This time, Cassidy wrote the lyrics and Chasalow supplied the music.

This combination works well for the Barbara Cassidy Band. Chasalow is an excellent musician, and it was easy for the audience to tell that he was enjoying himself onstage. Cassidy’s lyrics are honest and fit within traditional folk themes such as lost loves and wandering souls. As Chasalow puts it, “Barbara started writing page after page of terrific lyrics that I felt really strongly about these and inspired me to write.”

Two members of Pesky J. Nixon (named for Red Sox players Johnny Pesky, Jason Varitek and Trot Nixon) joined Chasalow and Cassidy for their last number. Jake Bush (accordion, lead and backing vocals) and Dan Karp (percussion and backing vocals) added a rich and complex tone to this final song. In an interview with justArts, Chasalow remarked that he and his wife “were flattered to be asked [to perform]” alongside PJN. Starving Artists followed this compilation with four songs of their own.

NATHANIEL FREEDMAN/the Justice

OOH LA LA: A cappella group Starving Artists delivered a musically diverse set at the Hootenanny. They also performed alongside Pesky J. Nixon and Prof. Eric Chasalow (MUS).

The group appeared very excited to be part of the performance. Starving Artist’s musical director and choreographer Jordan Brown ’12 shared the group’s feelings about being part of the event: “Pesky J. Nixon has an incredible sense of musicality that transcended the line of genre, and everyone in Starving Artists, at least, was absolutely blown away by the beautiful lyricism, harmonies and songwriting that [the band] brought to every song they performed.” Each member was beaming—no easy feat to accomplish while singing.

The ensemble sang a mix of folk and pop hits, including songs by Rob Thomas and Carrie Underwood.

Their final song, “Last Name,” featuring Lindsay Tsopelas ’12, was the sassy, high-energy highlight of their set.

After Starving Artists exited, PJN

lead singer and guitarist Baird came onstage to introduce the band. It was quickly apparent that he is both a talker and a storyteller. He began by sharing how meaningful the University is to him. The singer was in an a cappella troupe as an undergrad, the now-defunct Spur of the Moment, and he mentioned how happy he was that PJN was able to collaborate with both Starving Artists and the Barbara Cassidy Band as part of Hootenanny.

PJN’s music is an ideal blend of vocal harmonies and skilled instrumentation. Bush’s accordion added an unexpected, lyrical tone while Karp’s percussion—several hand drums and cymbals as opposed to a full drum kit—gave the music a softer, less staccato vibe than can be achieved with drumsticks. Baird’s voice, deep and just a touch raspy, traveled from the stage to the audience and wrapped

the listeners inside the songs’ stories.

The music brought on a feeling that was comfortable, cozy and familiar.

“Their songs are so completely natural and well-made that they quickly hook you in. They often use beautiful three-part harmonies, and their sound is also defined by the very sensitive arrangements that feature accordion and hand percussion,” said Chasalow.

Baird shared several humorous anecdotes from the band’s time together. His account of their rise to popularity was particularly memorable. PJN first learned that their music was being played on the radio about a year ago. Unfortunately, the radio station that had picked them up was located in Melbourne, Australia.

From there, the song migrated up East Asia and through Russia to the West Coast of the United States until

finally making its way to New England, where the band lives. Today, they have a fair amount of success on folk and country radio stations throughout the country, particularly on college radio.

The trio played several call-andresponse numbers before its big finale, in which they brought Starving Artists and Chasalow back up on stage. The “hootenanny” aspect of the concert worked well for these three groups, which all collaborated well together. Each of their styles enhanced the tone of the songs overall. After the performance, Brown enthused, “Everyone in Starving Artists agreed after the performance tonight that this was one of the most fun and unique gigs we’ve ever gotten to do. … If the opportunity to do something similar in the future arose, we would jump at it.”

mUSIC

Prestigious ensemble Dinosaur Annex to play on campus ■ Dinosaur Annex, a group

that plays classical pieces written in the 21st century, will debut on campus Sept. 25.

By damiana andonova JUSTICE contributing writer

Dinosaur Annex’s history is quite unique. In the early 1970s, a ballet dance company director named her company after her child’s favorite toy, a dinosaur. After a few years, the membership of the Dinosaur Dance Company started a music group to perform chamber music specifically for them. Over the past 37 years, this “annex” became known for its accomplished

performers and eclectic mélange of classical, jazz, world and ethnic music. This contemporary music ensemble has developed quite a reputation in the Boston performing arts arena, playing with some of the most prestigious Boston music groups in the area, such as the Boston Symphony, Boston Lyric Opera and the Boston Ballet.

The group plays classical pieces from 21st-century composers and incorporates other musical styles like those mentioned above. Last year, Dinosaur Annex welcomed two new additions to their group: Prof. Yu-Hei Chang (MUS) and Peter van Zandt Lane, a fourth-year doctoral candidate for music composition and theory. Lane is the group’s recently appointed general

manager.

Dinosaur Annex will be visiting Brandeis on Sept. 25 for its performance “Dissolving Boundaries” at the Slosberg Recital Hall at 8 p.m.

Lane describes Dinosaur Annex’s musical philosophy: “The world of contemporary classical music has had music mixes for a long time— it truly is an amalgamation of all these [styles].” He elaborates further that two famous composers will be joining Dinosaur Annex at Brandeis, Barbara Kolb and David Sanford. They will be giving a preconcert talk at 7 p.m.

David Sanford’s Meeting of the Spirits is an eclectic spin on the classical music I have heard before, but it was definitely fun to listen to.

Kolb’s work All in Good Time incor-

porated more folk tunes. “[All in Good Time] is probably more representative of contemporary music,” says Lane, “her piece will be played in a smaller group with more jazz influences.” Another composer Lane mentioned is Julia Wolfe, whose piece “East Broadway” was very uplifting, quirky and cheery, and will be played on a boom box and toy piano at the concert.

“It’s a not-to-be-missed event,” says Lane, featuring “amazing accomplished musicians, really cool music and a special rate for Brandeis students. A group of this caliber on campus is really exciting.”

Dinosaur Annex is interested in broadening their audience outside of Boston. “We want to expose what

we do to more people. Because our director is from Brandeis, we are interested in cultivating our presence here and give the opportunity to students to hear us,” Lane said. To entice students to attend, Brandesians can purchase tickets at the door for $5. Lane also mentioned that there will be a reception after the concert with refreshments.

After listening to a sampling of the composers, I urge the Brandeis community to take advantage of this performance. Dinosaur Annex is a unique and eclectic group, yet timeless in many ways.

If “Dissolving Boundaries” is anything like the samples I’ve listened to, this will be a spectacular performance worthy of much discussion.

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THE JUSTICE

fine arts

Using art to explore issues of gender ■ “Floors and Ceilings,”

hosted by the Women’s Studies Research Center, held its closing reception.

By olivia leiter JUSTICE STAFF WRITER

It is amazing how one concept can generate so many different works of art. This past Thursday, students, faculty and other members of the Brandeis community gathered at Kniznick Gallery at the Women’s Studies Research Center for the closing reception of “Floors and Ceilings,” a student art exhibition hosted by the WSRC. WSRC Curator and Director of the Arts Michele L’Heureux explained that Nera Lerner ’12, the assistant curator for “Floors and Ceilings,” initiated the exhibition’s overriding question: What is the relationship between floors and ceilings and gender issues?

L’Heureux explained, “The show is feminist themed but broad enough to access. There are different approaches that one can take. ‘Floors and ceilings’ can speak about glass ceilings, economic theories and domestic spaces,” L’Heureux said. In other words, there is room for artistic experimentation within Lerner’s theme because it is open-ended enough to allow for various interpretations.

This ambiguity was evidenced by the diversity of student work at the show. Media ranged from sculpture to painting to collage to photography.

Students used a wide variety of materials to create their pieces. For example, Milcah Bassel, PB ’11, created an installation called “This Monster, The Body,” from papier-mâché. This sculpture was fascinating; it was this large, abstract form that looked different from every angle.

Students also expressed a colorful range of perspectives on gender identity through their pieces. Aviva Paiste ’13 talked about her photography piece, “Just When You Thought It Was Safe to Go Back in the Water,” in an interview with justArts. “I was doing a photography project on androgyny and how the use of props affects the way a body is read as having gender.” Paiste went on to explain that she wanted viewers to question the gender identity of the person in her

DAVID YUN/the Justice

FEMINIST-THEMED ART: Post-baccalaureate student Milcah Bassel focused on feminist and body issues with a papier-mâché installation (left) titled “This Monster, The Body.” piece. Paiste said, “The idea behind the project was for people to stop and look at the pictures and think, ‘That boy is wearing a hat’ and then see the other and think, ‘That girl is wearing a necklace. ... Oh wait. Isn’t that the same person?” Paiste went on, explaining, “I wanted to make people have to think about gender issues and how we are always gendering the bodies around us.”

While I thought this piece was a basic portrait at first glance, I found that it had a lot more depth and ambiguity after further examination. The piece that Paiste displayed in the show is only part of a larger series. “This

piece was the inspiration behind the project in which I took hundreds of photographs of seven different models, gendering each of their bodies using men’s and women’s accessories,” said Paiste.

Another student artist whose work was displayed in the show, A. Eli Tukachinsky ’11, talked a little about his piece, “Emily.” Tukachinsky explained that his painting “sums up some tricky paradigms that firstgeneration immigrant children face in the U.S.: attachment to parents, yet living independently, living in one close apartment with all your belongings, taking the traditionally

male position of breadwinning.” Tukachinsky continued to say, “The confining space may be just as important as the sitter [Emily] in defining the woman’s role in immigrating to a U.S. city and distancing herself from her heritage. These common conceptions surfaced during weekly focus group sessions among Russian Jews on campus, and the model is a good friend of mine.” Tukachinsky’s piece focused on one girl’s story and put in a real, historical context, making it personal and relevant.

Ultimately, students displayed works that were both eye-catching and thought-provoking. I enjoyed see-

ing such diversity in the pieces. The “Floors and Ceilings” theme took on so many different forms. I came out of the show ruminating on what I had just seen. I gained new perspectives on how gender identity corresponds to one’s environment.

L’Heureux emphasized that “Floors and Ceilings” is different from other shows in the past because, “This is the first time this center has shown student work.” The Women’s Studies Research Center will be hosting four more shows this year. Coming up soon is “Embodied” by painter Laurie Kaplowitz and sculptor Stacy Latt Savage from Oct. 11 to Dec. 20.

literature

With his booming voice, Colin Channer inspires new writers ■ The visiting writer and

professor, originally from Jamaica, read excerpts from his work last Wednesday.

By mara sassoon JUSTICE STAFF WRITER

Last Wednesday evening, the Fannie Hurst Writer-in-Residence Colin Channer read from a selection of his work at the Women’s Studies Research Center. The reading was the first event of the year in the School of Night reading series, a program that brings writers to campus each year to read from their works and talk to students. Previous Fannie Hurst Writersin-Residence include such well-known authors as Alice Walker, Adrienne Rich and John Irving. Channer has formerly held residencies in Chicago, Guyana, Jamaica and Barbados, and he currently teaches English 109b: “Directed Writing Short Fiction.”

Channer was born in Kingston, Jamaica and moved to New York as a teenager. His Jamaican heritage has greatly influenced many of his works.

He is also the co-founder of the Calabash International Literary Festival Trust, which puts on an annual festival in Treasure Beach, Jamaica, as well as supports writing workshops and publishing seminars in the area near the festival.

In his introduction at the reading, Prof. Stephen McCauley (ENG), who is currently the associate director of Creative Writing, said that Channer is “that rarest of rarities: … a writer who has shown himself to be tirelessly, generously supportive [of ] and helpful [to] other writers.” At the reading,

ROBYN SPECTOR/the Justice

VIVID WRITER: Colin Channer has taught writing around the world and now teaches “Directed Writing: Short Fiction“ at Brandeis.

Channer undeniably showed an appreciation of and support for his students and fans alike. Upon entering the room, he sat down among the crowd and, while waiting for his introduction, spoke candidly to two audience members who had attended another of his readings a few years ago. When asked what he enjoys about teaching creative writing, Channer replied, “The energy that [I] get from students and the opportunity to see real talent developing.”

Perhaps it was emblematic of these feelings that he began by reading a

piece by one of his former students, Chris Abani, that appears in So Much Things to Say, the anthology that he coedited with Kwame Dawes. The anthology contains pieces written by people who have read at the Calabash Festival over the years.

Channer then read a personal essay that he wrote in May for the Wall Street Journal that reflects on the 30th anniversary of Bob Marley’s death.

For Channer, Marley, “as a storyteller” is one of the great influences on his writing “because of his ability to reach out internationally while still

maintaining relevance locally in his home country.” In his essay, Channer revealed that something that he truly admired about Marley was that “there was no sense that [he] had been styled. … Yes, there was the grammar of American fashion in his look, but he’d disrupted that language, reshaped it, creating a ‘sty-alect.’”

In a way, Channer does something similar to this in his writing. From his personal essay on Marley to the story that he read next from his forthcoming anthology Blue Christmas, he showed a deft control and command

over his characters’ voices. In the Blue Christmas anthology, the stories look at Christmas in a melancholy way.

The particular excerpt that he read involves a warlord who calls himself Santa. It focuses on how a little girl must cope with living in a refugee camp in the violent and war-torn area of Africa. Channer said that the people in the world who do not have the ability to write down their stories inspired him to create this character.

Listening to Channer read from his work was a truly unique experience because he evoked his characters so vividly. During the reading, he slipped in and out of his characters’ different voices seamlessly—almost with an actor’s flair—even when that character happened to be a little girl living in an African refugee camp. By doing so, he drew the audience in and made the stories he told present. His expert command of his characters’ voices (at the heart of which is, undoubtedly, his own distinct voice) made for some very believable characters. Channer does, after all, seem to treat his characters as real people, even asking the audience at one point, “Who am I to argue with a character?”

An audience member then asked Channer how he was able to write in the voice of a little girl, and he responded, “The inheritance of human emotion belongs to all of us, … but, we have to embrace it, we have to honor it, even. … I can feel anything, I can imagine anything, and when it comes to writ[ing] this story in this girl’s voice, I just had to listen … and find the music, the poetry, in that voice, but also the dignity in it.” Channer certainly proved that at the foundation of a good story is characters that are simultaneously authentic and captivating.

THE JUSTICE

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TUESDAY, September 20, 2011

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OFF CAMPUS ASIAN FUSIONS

PHOTO COURTESY OF KAYUGA

SUSHI SUPREME: Kayuga, across from the Super 88 supermarket and next to Angora Café, provides an extensive sushi and maki menu. For those 21 and over, sake bar is also open until 2 a.m. every day.

Okdol Bibimbob, sake delight at Kayuga ■ The Japanese-Korean

restaurant by Babcock Street is an ethnic treat and nightlife hot spot perfect for students.

By WEI-HUAN CHEN JUSTICE EDITOR

The triangle formed by Harvard Avenue, Brighton Avenue and Commonwealth Avenue in downtown Allston, Mass. is a bustling center of Asian food and entertainment.

There’s the Super 88 supermarket/ restaurant right across from the Packards Corner T stop, Shabu Zen (Japanese food), Jo Jo Taipei (Taiwanese food) and an easy-to-miss but excellent karaoke lounge called DoRe-Mi down Brighton Avenue. On the western end of this triangle lies Kayuga, a Japanese-Korean fusion destination that embodies the Boston college experience.

How so? First, it’s a great place for drinks and nightlife that will entertain Boston University and Brandeis students alike. Open daily from 3:30 p.m. to 2 a.m., Kayuga focuses on classy dinners and a late-night sushi and sake bar, fitting for any 21stbirthday celebration, sorority outing, date or bar hop. It’s right next to Angora Café, UBurger and Café Japonaise and is within walking distance from hot spots like Wonder Bar, White Horse Tavern and Tavern in the Square. Ask any BU student; they’ll show you around.

But if your focus is on Kayuga’s food and not the environment where it’s located—which would be true of anyone under 21—the question aris-

PHOTO COURTESY OF KAYUGA

COLORFUL FEAST: Traditional sushi might seem less than appetizing , but the raw fish and roe (above) is healthy and nutritious. es: Should you go Japanese or Korean? While many have recommended Kayuga’s sushi, maki and sashimi menu, my friend and I went Korean and ordered the Dukboki ($10)—rice cakes with spicy sauce—and Okdol Bibimbob ($13)—fried rice and vegetables in a hot stone pot.

The miso soup that preceded our entrees was predictable, but is there any other type of miso soup? To liven the night and entertain us while we waited for our food, we delved into Kayuga’s impressive sake menu.

The smartest choice for sake beginners is the hot House Sake ($8.50, large), but we leaped into more adventurous territories with the Hakushika Junmai Ginjo ($16), a crisp and fruity cold sake that finishes clean.

Actually, this sake tastes so deceptively light, with a sweet mouthfeel accompanied by a dry aftertaste, that you should, well, drink responsibly.

I thought I kept a slow pace but definitely felt the alcohol by the time the food arrived.

Now, just as the overall quality of

an American or Italian restaurant can be judged by its bread, so can a Korean restaurant show its true colors in its pre-entrée side dishes. The kimchi, bean sprouts, radishes and pickled cucumber and carrots arrived promptly. The white radishes, similar to the kind served with sushi but delightfully tinged with vinegar, stole the show, while the bean sprouts were less than spectacular.

Dukboki is a popular Korean dish with rice cakes, rice noodles and vegetables drizzled with spicy-sweet

sauce. The sauce was overwhelming in taste and volume, so I ordered a side of rice to help it go down. Neither the chicken and leek dumplings nor the rice cakes won me over. The onions and carrots, delicately cut, gave the dish a nice balance, but the sauce still masked the vegetables’ taste. The best ingredient in the dish was the rice noodles; it was the only thing I finished on the plate.

Kayuga’s take on the classic Okdol Bibimbob, on the other hand, is impressive. The popular dish comes out sizzling on a hot stone pot—don’t touch it!—with rice, meat, vegetables and a fried egg on top. Eat this dish by first mixing everything together and generously adding the spicy sauce. I like to let the rice on the bottom sit for a few minutes, then turn the crunchy, roasted rice over to give the dish some added texture. Newcomers to Korean cuisine should always start with this dish as it’s a hearty, easily palatable and widespread item found in many Boston-area eateries (Tom Can Cook on Moody Street has some solid Okdol Bibimbob).

So while we chose the road less traveled by trying out Kayuga’s Korean sensibilities, it’s one that offers better value and sweeter tastes than going Japanese. Not that it should be such a hard choice. If it pleases you, order the Bibimbob, sushi, tempura, sake, Sapporo beer and Soju cocktail bowls all together and stumble out of the place drunk, sociable and satisfyingly full.

Kayuga is located at 1030 Commonwealth Ave. in Boston near the Babcock Street MBTA stop. Call (617) 566-8888 for more information.

MUSIC

Fiasco is a “Superstar” at the House of Blues ■ Acclaimed hip-hop artist

Lupe Fiasco performed to screaming crowds in Boston on Thursday night.

By Luky guigui JUSTICE contributing writer

When I found out that Grammy Award-winning rapper Lupe Fiasco was performing Thursday night at the Boston House of Blues, I immediately called to see if there were tickets still available. Luckily, I was able to snag one. The whole day, all I could think about was the concert. I’d never seen Fiasco live before and, needless to say, my blood was pumping.

I finally arrived at the House of

Blues at 8:30 p.m. The concert opener was Theophilus London, an up-andcoming rapper from Brooklyn. His performance was alright, but the crowd didn’t know too many of his songs and only got truly excited when he exited the stage. Anticipating that the main event was near, people began cheering “Lupe! Lupe! Lupe!” Then Fiasco stepped on stage.

Opening his “Generation Lasers” tour with a bang, Fiasco showed his true colors early. With a huge neon “A” in the background, the artist bounced around the stage as if on a pogo stick. The energy in the triplefloored hall was palpable.

As to be expected, the first few songs were mostly from Fiasco’s new album, Lasers. The songs got the crowd pumping, but it was when he began “Touch

the Sky” that the concert took its first leap to the next level. He continued to rock the crowd with songs like “Out of My Head,” “Superstar” and “I’m Beamin.” Each word had more energy and soul than the one before it. Fiasco then introduced his band, consisting of a drummer, bassist, violinist, guitarist, pianist and, my personal favorite, three backup singers. A few of the band members performed solos after their introductions, which is definitely not common for hip-hop shows.

Finally, the concert reached its pinnacle. Fiasco felt it and the crowd could tell; it was time for “The Show Goes On,” one of the rapper’s most popular hits. The entire concert hall went so crazy that it felt as though the roof might actually blow right off.

From there on in, the show went from

wild to a stampede of hip-hop madness.

After a few more unbelievable songs, the show ended, but the experience felt continuous. Even as I write this, I’m listening to Fiasco and can’t seem to get him out of my head. Fiasco definitely puts on one of the best hiphop shows around today because of his ability to excite a crowd. This was exemplified by the fact that one of the artist’s flight attendants on his trip to Boston, a grandmother, was in the front row rapping every word along with the prominent artist. That does not seem like a common occurrence, at least not at hip-hop shows.

The show definitely lived up to the giant “A” on stage. However, there were some peculiar parts that I found confusing: Fiasco took a commercial

break during the concert to discuss his Vans sneakers. He also said Bill O’Reilly could kiss his “black a**” and called Obama a “terrorist” because he fights wars instead of hunger. This is especially strange, considering he couldn’t seem to stop saying, “I’m not political, I just speak my mind.”

I wonder what he thinks it means to, in fact, be political, because he had no problem speaking his mind about the Palestinian statehood issue while onstage, either.

Overall, as a rapper there aren’t too many out there that are better than Fiasco, but as far as a future presidential candidate goes, I guess I’ll have to end by quoting the man himself: I’m not political, I just speak my mind, and I say it would be pretty scary if he became our first rapper-turned-president.

Join the Arts section of

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Write reviews for theater, movies, dance and music.

Contact Wei-Huan Chen and Ariel Kay at arts@thejustice.org for more information.

AMY BISAILLON/the Justice

THE JUSTICE

●

TUESDAY, September 20, 2011

23

film

Hill and Pitt hit it off between scenes ■ Last week, justArts spoke

with actor Jonah Hill about collaborating with Brad Pitt in his newest film, ‘Moneyball.’

By aaron berke JUSTICE STAFF WRITER

“At that point of my life there was no part of me that ever could have imagined co-starring with Brad Pitt,” said Jonah Hill, referencing his time working on Superbad. Hill, currently starring in Sony Pictures’ new film, Moneyball, held a roundtable discussion in which justArts was able to participate. Hill elaborated on a few points about the film, particularly his experiences working with Pitt. “We spent a lot of time with one another, which for me was awesome and for him was probably ‘whatever,’” Hill joked in a typical self-deprecating fashion.

Hill is currently doing a press tour for Moneyball, which stars Pitt as Billy Beane, real-life ex-general manager of the Oakland Athletics.

The film centers on Beane’s attempts to rise against the discriminatory team-selecting penchants of traditional baseball. He does this by using a process of statistical analysis to uncover hidden talents among candidates who ordinarily wouldn’t stand a chance to compete on a professional team. Hill plays the computer-savvy Peter Brand, a Yale graduate, who is hired by Beane to use his expert analytical skills to help him create the world’s most unlikely baseball team. The duo presses forward despite facing opposition from all sides, including Beane’s disgruntled field manager, Art Howe (Phillip Seymour Hoffman), who rigidly opposes Beane’s attempts to remake the game.

The movie is based on the Michael Lewis’ book Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game, with a screenplay penned by Steve Zaillain (Schindler’s List) and Oscar winner Aaron Sorkin (The Social

Network). The screenplay cracks, sizzles and pops with electrifying dialogue in typical Sorkin fashion.

Bennett Miller (Capote) directs the film. With his fluid, even-paced style, Miller manages to facilitate a dynamic arena for Hill and Pitt to play off of one another, with humorous results.

Hill burst onto the scene with 2002’s Superbad and is well-known for his participation in comedic circles with the likes of Seth Rogan and Judd Apatow. But while Hill is an expert at playing brash and outrageous comic roles, the realm of drama is new territory for him.

The role of Brand gives Hill the opportunity to give his most low-key performance to date. Rather than playing the character for over-thetop laughs, Hill goes for comedy of a more reserved nature. His lovable awkwardness and deadpan humor serve as excellent counterbalances to Pitt’s more straight-laced and enthusiastic performance.

The relationship between Beane and Brand is a driving force behind the film, and Hill spoke about the ways he and Pitt worked on developing their characters. “We had a great time, we rehearsed quite a bit, … and we knew our characters had to really get along, so we bonded and hung out, and we talked a lot about All the President’s Men,” Hill commented, referencing the characters of Woodward and Bernstein.

Hill says he and Pitt based the dynamics of their relationship off of those two figures. “[The point was] just understanding that this relationship between us is kind of the central relationship of the film, and to understand each other was really important.”

All that time Hill spent working with Pitt resulted in quite a few laughs shared—mainly at Hill’s expense. “You know, I consider myself a funny guy, but I’m not that great at pranks. They take a lot of time and effort, especially at [Brad’s] level of skill. He decided that I was obsessed with the band Wham!—he

PHOTO COURTESY OF COLUMBIA PICTURES

MONEYMAKER: Jonah Hill talked about his first dramatic role and acting opposite Pitt. decided this for me,” Hill quipped.

“I got to my character’s office the first couple days, and there was a big Fred Wham poster above my desk.”

Hill went on to discuss how Pitt inflicted increasingly shameful damage to his golf cart; first removing the wheels, putting it on cinderblocks, then turning it completely upside down. “[When this is happening], he’s in there with me shooting a scene, which means he has secret prank elves that do this while we’re working,” Hill joked.

Pitt’s pranks reached their peak

when he wrapped Hill’s golf cart in pink saran wrap and photoshopped a photo of Hill and George Michael, the lead singer of Wham!, together, which Pitt placed on the hood. “[It read] ‘Wham! Mobile: I’m Jonah Hill, number-one Wham fan,’” Hill laughed in recollection. “And the icing on the cake was that he had it engineered somehow that every time I turned on the golf cart (that was now a pink Wham! Mobile) it blasted full volume, ‘Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go.’” Despite Pitt’s commitment to pranks, Hill has promised to get him back one day.

“I really just wracked my brain,” he said, deadpan. “And I have one [prank] that I’m gonna wait to reveal on Letterman.”

Beyond the fun of working with Pitt, Hill also had a lot to say on the subject of youth in the media, and how his own success correlates with today’s “youth movement.”

“I think the culture is kind of changing with people like Mark Zuckerberg,” he said, noting that the accomplishment of Facebook marked a huge step forward for young people who want to make their mark on the world. “I became well known … at 22 years old, and I made some mistakes because I was too immature in certain ways to handle the responsibility. ... And I matured, and I hopefully came out the other end knowing something,” he laughed.

Hill was reflective on this point about gaining new opportunities with age and was excited about being able to participate in a drama for the first time. Moneyball has given Hill the chance to broaden his acting horizons, something he hopes to continue well into the future. “What’s interesting is that I feel right now the way I felt when Superbad was coming out,” Hill said thoughtfully.

“Very similarly, because with Superbad I was an underdog, I was on a movie poster and you didn’t know who I was, and I said: ‘Hey, my name is Jonah, I’m in this movie, and I would like to make more of these kinds of movies and I hope you accept me. Watch the movie!’” he chortled. “And now it’s not unexpected for me to do a comedy—I’m no longer an underdog within the comedy world. Now, with this film I’m the underdog again, because I’m unlikely to be chosen to be in this movie with Brad and Phillip Seymour Hoffman. So [now] I’m saying, ‘Hey, I’m Jonah, I’m in this totally different movie that you’ve never seen me in, and I’d like to make more of these. And I hope you accept me again.’”

24

TUESday, september 20, 2011 ● THE JUSTICE

TOP of the

ARTS ON VIEW

TRIVIA TIME 1. What U.S. state lies directly south of South Dakota?

2. Which World War II battle was fought entirely by air?

3. Martha Jane Burke was better known by what name?

4. Who was known as the “Maid of Orleans”?

5. Who wrote the book The Wonderful Wizard of Oz? 6. What is something that is mordant?

7. Who was the first canonized saint of the New World?

8. Who is the voice of Moe in the animated comedy The Simpsons?

9. What is coal made of originally?

10. Who wrote the line, “But only God can make a tree?”

1. Nebraska 2. Battle of Britain 3. Calamity Jane 4. Joan of Arc 5. L. Frank Baum 6. Caustic 7. Rose of Lima 8. Hank Azaria 9. Coal is formed from the remains of trees and plants.

10. Joyce Kilmer

SHOWTIMES 9/23 – 9/29 The Help Fri-Sun: 1:20, 4:40, 8:10 Mon-Thurs: 2:50, 7:20 Killer Elite Fri-Sun: 1:00, 3:40, 6:30, 9:05 Mon-Thurs: 2:00, 4:50, 7:40 The Guard Fri-Sun: 1:50, 9:10 Mon-Thurs: 2:30, 8:10 Midnight in Paris Fri-Sun: 4:10, 6:40 Mon-Thurs: 5:00 Drive Fri-Sun: 1:30, 4:00, 7:00, 9:20 Mon-Thurs: 2:20, 5:00, 8:00 Moneyball Fri-Sun: 1:40, 4:50, 8:00 Mon-Thurs: 2:40, 7:30 Contagion Fri-Sun: 1:10, 3:50, 6:50, 9:15 Mon-Thurs: 2:10, 4:50, 7:50

The Embassy is located at 18 Pine Street in Waltham

CHARTS Top 10s for the week ending September 18 BOX OFFICE

1. The Lion King 3D 2. Contagion 3. Drive 4. The Help 5. Straw Dogs 6.

7. The Debt 8. Warrior 9. Rise of the Planet of the Apes 10. Colombiana

NYT BESTSELLERS

ASHER KRELL/the Justice

BLUE SKIES: Justice editor Asher Krell ’13 created this high dynamic range photograph of the Blue Hills ski resort by editing together several snapshots that he took using various exposures.

CROSSWORD

Across: 1. Larger portion 5. Belle of the ball, maybe 8. Enos’ grandpa 12. Conception 13. Wrath 14. Missile shelter 15. Standard 16. Bando of baseball 17. Despot 18. Saw things in the dark?

20. Sleeping sickness carrier 22. Main- lander’s memento 23. Slip up 24. Green gem 27. Full exposure 32. “The Greatest” 33. Helgenberger series 34. Barney Miller actor Jack 35. Periods of relief 38. Mail carrier (Abbr.)

39. Hall-of-Famer Williams 40. Stannum 42. Not digital 45. Impact 49. For fear that 50. Novelist Radcliffe 52. Colorful fish 53. Appointment 54. Fond du -, Wis. 55. Toy block name 56. Lacked originality 57. Candle count 58. Skittish wildlife

Fiction 1. Kill Me if You Can — James Patterson and Marshall Karp 2. The Race — Clive Cussler and Justin Scott 3. Dark Predator — Christine Feehan 4. A Dance With Dragons — George R. R. Martin 5. Prey — Linda Howard Nonfiction 1. In My Time — Dick Cheney with Liz Cheney 2. That Used to Be — Thomas L. Friedman and Michael Mandelbaum 3. Unbroken — Laura Hillenbrand 4. A Stolen Life — Jaycee Dugard 5. In the Garden of Beasts — Erik Larson

iTUNES

1. Maroon 5 feat. Christina Aguilera — “Moves like Jagger (Studio Recording from The Voice)” 2. Adele — “Someone Like You” 3. Foster the People — “Pumped Up Kicks” 4. Gym Class Heroes feat. Adam Levine — “Stereo Hearts” 5. Cobra Starship feat. Sabi — “You Make Me Feel...”

6. Rihanna — “Cheers (Drink to That)” 7. LMFAO feat. Lauren Bennett and GoonRock — “Party Rock Anthem” 8. Lady Gaga — “Yoü and I” 9. David Guetta feat. Usher — “Without You” 10. Coldplay — “Paradise”

BILLBOARD

DOWN 1. Have an objection 2. Stench 3. Withered 4. Mexican entree 5. Separate 6. Detergent brand 7. Region 8. Toward the rear, nautically 9. Woe 10. “Oh, woe!”

11. Still others 19. Yours truly 21. Witness 24. Mayo container

25. Hearty brew 26. Aversion 28. Work with 29. Length from here to there 30. Bribe 31. “Help!”

36. Struck repeatedly 37. Altar affirmative 38. Open out 41. In that case 42. M*A*S*H star 43. Tide type 44. Festive 46. Duel tool 47. Zoo structure 48. Hammer-wielding deity 51. Kvetch

1. Lil Wayne — Tha Carter IV 2. Adele — 21 3. George Strait — Here for a Good Time 4. The Beatles — 1 5. Red Hot Chili Peppers — I’m With You 6. Jay Z and Kanye West — Watch the Throne 7. Maroon 5­— Hands All Over 8. Various Artists — Now 39 9. Beyonce — 4 10. Foster the People — Torches Top of the Charts information provided

by Fandango, the New York Times, BillBoard.com, and Apple.com.

Solution to last week’s crossword

King Crossword Copyright 2011 King Features Synd, Inc.

STAFF PLAYLIST

“Classic and New”

By DANIELLE GROSS

Justice contributing WRITER

STRANGE BUT TRUE  It was noted American wit Groucho Marx who made the following sage observation: “There’s one way to find out if a man is honest — ask him. If he says ‘Yes,’ you know he is a crook.”  When the city of Los Angeles was founded, it was given the name “El Pueblo de Nuestra Señora de los Angeles de Porciuncula,” which translates to “The Town of Our Lady of the Angels of Porciuncula.” Back then, in 1781, there were just 52 settlers to start what is now the second most populous city in the country.  A toothpick is the object most often choked on by Americans.  When speaking of dead languages, Latin is the one that probably comes to mind most often. It’s not quite dead, though; it’s the official language of Vatican City.  Those who keep track of such things say that a professional ballet dancer goes through about 130 pairs of toe shoes in a single year.  The yo-yo became popular in the United States after

it was marketed by Donald F. Duncan Sr., a businessman from Chicago, but he didn’t invent the toy. In 1928, Duncan was on a business trip to San Francisco when he saw Philippine immigrant Pedro Flores, who had gotten financing to manufacture the yo-yos and had trademarked the name, demonstrating how to use the toy. Duncan realized that the toy had the potential to be a huge success, so he paid Flores $5,000 for all the rights. Incidentally, the name “yo-yo” means “comecome” in the native language of the Philippines.  If you’re like the average American, showers account for nearly one-third of your home water use. Every year, kids in North America spend close to half a billion dollars on chewing gum.

Thought for the Day: “Any reviewer who expresses rage and loathing for a novel is preposterous. He or she is like a person who has put on full armor and attacked a hot fudge sundae.”

— Kurt Vonnegut Jr.

Ever since I was little, I remember having a very eclectic taste in music.

This is my “can’t live without it” playlist of the moment.

THE LIST 1. “Unstoppable” — Foxy Shazam 2. “Break on Through” — The Doors 3. “Paint it Black” — The Rolling Stones 4. “Goodbye Natural, Hello Manmade” — Play for Keeps 5. “Cupid’s Chokehold” — Gym Class Heroes 6. “We Party (You Shout)” — Andrew W. K. 7. “As Lovers Go” — Dashboard Confessional 8. “Save the World” — Swedish House Mafia 9. “Super Bass”— Nicki Minaj 10. “Time to Win” — Down With Webster