ARTS PAGE 15
SPORTS Volleyball wins first three games 12
EVENT SHOWCASE
FORUM Voter pessimism may impact election 8 The Independent Student Newspaper
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B r a n d e is U n i v e r sit y S i n c e 1 9 4 9
Justice
Volume LXV, Number 2
www.thejustice.org
Tuesday, September 4, 2012
STUDENT DEATH
STUDENT CONDUCT
Apparent suicide stuns campus ■ The junior neuroscience
major was discovered in his Ziv suite on Monday morning by University police. By ROBYN SPECTOR JUSTICE EDITOR
Akshay R. Venkatesh ’14 was found dead in Ziv 127 yesterday morning by two members of the Brandeis Police Department after an apparent suicide, University officials said.
Venkatesh, an international student, was studying neuroscience at the University. The officers were performing a wellness visit on Venkatesh, according to an email from Bill Burger, associate vice president of communications. An off-campus source had called to notify University officials that there was reason for concern. Senior administrators including Maggie Balch, Jamele Adams, David Bunis ’83, Andrew Flagel and Edward Callahan were on the scene in Ziv Quad a little after 10:30 a.m. Monday morning.
In addition to Brandeis staff and police, Waltham police and paramedics responded to the call. Burger later confirmed in an interview with the Justice that students were around the suite when the police arrived a little after 10 a.m. The police walked into Venkatesh’s room, shut the door and then cleared the suite. The suitemates and building residents were later informed of Venkatesh’s death by Community Development Coordinator for Ziv and Ridgewood Quads Allison Leventhal and Community Advisor Natan
Assault policy revised
Odenheimer ’14. The Massachusetts Medical Examiner arrived at approximately 1 p.m. and removed the body from the building while Department of Community Living staff cleared the area. Before that point, students walked in and out of the building as normal. Representatives from the Middlesex District Attorney's Office and Massachusetts State Police Department attended to the scene and are conducting an ongoing investigation, according to Burger. University officials declined to
■ A special examiner
will hear cases of sexual misconduct or harassment. By SAM MINTZ
See SUICIDE, 4 ☛
JUSTICE EDITOR
the University, usually in installments over time), cash, write-offs (expected contributions that were unable to be paid) and government grants such as professorships. The dollar amount of pledges counted in the 990 is the total amount of all installments expected over time. For example, if a donor pledged $10 million to be paid in ten yearly installments of $1 million each, $10 million would be counted in the 990 for the year it was pledged, whereas the Office of Development and Alumni Relations would count only $1 million
As part of the annual revision of the rules for student conduct, the University has implemented a new procedure to address allegations of sexual misconduct or harassment. Instead of these issues being handled by the Student Conduct Board, as most other allegations of student misconduct in the handbook are, they will now be under the purview of a “special examiner.” According to the handbook, the new process will take approximately five to 10 days and will involve the special examiner receiving a report from the “accuser,” contacting and meeting with the “accused,” interviewing witnesses and assembling a report for the dean of student life. In an interview with the Justice, Director of Student Rights and Community Standards Dean Gendron said that the special examiner will be someone who is experienced with grievance procedures and also understands sexual trauma. He said that the special examiner could be someone from within the Brandeis community but does not necessarily have to be. The special examiner will be used to address violations of Sections 3 and 7 in the handbook, which are titled, respectively, “Sexual Responsibility—Seeking and Communicating Consent” and “Equal Opportunity, Non-Discrimination, and Harassment.” Prior to this change, sexual assault and harassment allegations were considered by the same process as every other violation, which is described in Section 19. This procedure involves a hearing before the Student Conduct Board, which includes testimony from the accuser, accused and witnesses. The SCB is made up of students, staff and faculty. Gendron explained that part of the reason for this significant change had to do with encouraging
See FUNDS, 4 ☛
See CONDUCT, 4 ☛
JOSHUA LINTON/the Justice
A COMMUNITY IN MOURNING: Students gather at a candlelight vigil held in memory of Akshay Venkatesh ’14 at Chapels Pond yesterday evening.
ADMINISTRATION
Fundraising expected to recover after dip ■ The Office of Development
and Alumni Relations reported $61 million raised. By TATE HERBERT JUSTICE EDITOR
The University recently reported that it surpassed its fundraising goal for fiscal year 2012, despite a large drop in fundraising during FY 2011 that had led to the weakest outcome in ten years. The Office of Development and
Alumni Relations released fundraising data citing the total amount of cash donations received in FY 2012 as $60,999,486. Nancy Winship, senior vice president of institutional advancement, said in an interview with the Justice that this outstrips the goal set last year of $55 to 57 million. The $61 million figure is made up purely of cash that Brandeis received in FY 2012. Just a year earlier, Brandeis had seen a precipitous drop in fundraising. Federal tax documents show just under $29 million in contributions
and grants received by the University in the last fiscal year, the lowest point yet in a decline since FY 2008's high of nearly $100 million. The federally reported numbers are not comparable to the numbers reported by the development office. Winship and Associate Vice President of Communications Bill Burger say the tax filings for FY 2012 will show a substantial increase. The dollar amount of contributions and grants reported in the 990 nonprofit tax forms includes pledges (legally binding agreements that donors make to contribute a set amount of money to
Inspired by community
Road warriors
Apartments open
Andrea Verdeja ’14 volunteered at the Al-Feneiq community center and connected with the people she met.
The women’s soccer team defeated MIT and Clark en route to a 2-0 start to the season.
Eight IBS students are moving into apartments in the Watch Factory building.
SPORTS 12
NEWS 3
FEATURES 5 For tips or info email editor@thejustice.org
Waltham, Mass.
Let your voice be heard! Submit letters to the editor online at www.thejustice.org
INDEX
ARTS SPORTS
13 11
EDITORIAL FEATURES
6 5
OPINION POLICE LOG
6 2
COMMENTARY
7
COPYRIGHT 2012 FREE AT BRANDEIS. Email managing@thejustice.org for home delivery.
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TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 4, 2012
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THE JUSTICE
NEWS WIRE BRIEF
POLICE LOG
Candidates jockey between events
Medical Emergency
CINCINNATI—Republican Mitt Romney wrapped up his big week in politically pivotal Ohio Saturday, grabbing for a jolt of momentum as Democrats prepared to seize the national stage. President Barack Obama campaigned in Iowa, firing back that Romney’s Republican convention was a “re-run” of old ideas. The skirmish across the Midwest came as Romney emerged from the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla., and as Democrats started to arrive in Charlotte, N.C., for the Democratic National Convention. A visibly energized Romney appeared before a loud, appreciative audience of about 1,000 at Cincinnati’s historic downtown art deco Union Terminal under a huge banner proclaiming the Republican ticket as “America’s Comeback Team.” The audience cheered when he pledged to repeal the 2010 federal health care law. They whooped and hollered when he sounded his key message of the day: “I will bring us together.” “I will do everything in my power to bring us together, because united, America built the strongest economy in the history of the Earth,” he said. “United, we put Neil Armstrong on the moon. United, we faced down unspeakable darkness. United, our men and women in uniform continue to defend freedom today.” Romney blamed President Barack Obama for poisoning the political debate. “These are tough times for the American people,” he said. “And added to all that is the divisiveness and bitterness that we’ve seen from the president’s campaign. Look, America is a story of the many becoming one and accomplishing extraordinary things because of our unity.” Romney found what’s become a typical audience— long-time fans mingled with people who are only now firmly on board after harboring doubts about him during a long and hard-fought primary campaign. “My dream ticket would be Chris Christie and Marco Rubio,” said Judie Dreyer, a police clerk from Mason, Ohio. “Romney just doesn’t seem to have that fire in the belly.” Republican vice presidential running mate Paul Ryan was in nearby Columbus for Ohio State University’s opening football game. The ticket-mates were to reunite later Saturday in Jacksonville, Fla., another key area in the fall campaign. After five days of convention messages and acceptance speeches, rallies in swing states and a visit to storm-torn Louisiana, Romney plans no events Sunday or Monday. Obama countered by launching a “Road to Charlotte” tour Saturday at the Living History Farms in Urbandale, Iowa. He told an audience estimated at 10,000 that it was important to begin in Iowa, where he said his campaign got started more than four years ago and which “kept us going when the pundits were writing us off.” He lambasted the Republican convention, saying it offered a return to economic policies of the past. “Despite all the challenges we face, what they offered over those three days was more often than not an agenda that was better suited for the last century. It was a re-run. We’ve seen it before. You might as well have watched it on a black-and-white TV.” He said at his convention he’d offer “what I believe is a better path forward. A path to grow this economy, create good jobs and strengthen the middle class .. . . We can choose whether we give massive new tax cuts to folks who’ve already made it or whether we keep the tax cuts for every American who’s still trying to make it.” He defended his record amid crowd cheers of “four more years,” saying he’s cut taxes for the middle class and is running “to make sure taxes aren’t raised a dime on your family’s first $250,000 of income.” After being introduced by a veteran at the event, Obama also noted that Romney had “nothing to say about Afghanistan” during his convention speech, “let alone offer a plan for the 33,000 troops who will have come home from the war by the end of this month.”
Aug. 28—A student in Renfield suffering from food poisoning was treated on-scene by BEMCo with a signed refusal for further care. Aug. 28—A party in the Spingold Theater Center with insulin problems called University Police because they felt weak. BEMCo treated the party with a signed refusal for further care. Aug. 28—A student in Usen Castle called University Police for a finger laceration. BEMCo treated the party with a signed refusal for further care. Aug. 28—A party in Ridgewood stated there was a possible suicidal male in their room. University Police responded and the CDC was notified. An ambulance took the male party to the Newton-Wellesley Hospital; University Police compiled a report on the incident. Aug. 28—A student in the Shapiro Campus Center had an injured toe. BEMCo treated the party with a signed refusal for
n The features teaser on the front page used a photo that was misidentified as Theresa Rebeck. The photo was in fact of Julia Jordan. (Aug. 28, pg. 1) n The orientation spread did not include a credit for its photographs. The photos were taken by Robyn Spector, Joshua Linton and Jenny Cheng, all Justice Editors. (Aug. 28, pg. 8—9) The Justice welcomes submissions for errors that warrant correction or clarification. Email editor@ thejustice.org.
Justice
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Larceny
Aug. 28—The info booth at the main entrance reported a missing banner. University Police compiled a report on the
theft. Aug. 30—A University Police detective spoke to the bookstore manager regarding an attempted theft. The detective reported that the party was described as a white male, six-feet tall and 170 pounds wearing a Patriots shirt and cargo pants. It was also reported that the party was driving a 1990 Chevy Lumina. The stolen property was recovered.
Disturbance
Aug. 28—University Police responded to a verbal argument between a mother and daughter in Hassenfeld Lot. They were arguing over books; they went their separate ways, and no further police action was taken. Aug. 28—University Police received multiple phone calls from Waltham residents regarding the noise at a University-sponsored event on the Great Lawn. Sept. 1—A registered party in
the Foster Mods was dispersed by University Police because it was in progress after its scheduled end time. Police units were cleared with no further action. Sept. 1—Several Waltham residents complained about the noise from the event on Chapels Field.
Miscellaneous
Aug. 30—A party reported that her room might have been broken into. University Police investigated, there was no property missing and no signs of forced entry. A report was compiled. Aug. 31—University Police spotted three individuals carrying furniture near the MBTA commuter parking lot. The furniture was trash on the side of the road that the students had picked up; they were sent on their way after being identified. —compiled by Marielle Temkin
WIRE BRIEF
Gulf deals with damage
JOSHUA LINTON/the Justice
—McClatchy Newspapers (MCT)
CORRECTIONS AND CLARIFICATIONS
further care. Aug. 29—University Police assigned to the scheduled event near the Shapiro Campus Center requested BEMCo to assist a party vomiting into a trashcan. The 18-year-old female was treated on-scene by BEMCo with a signed refusal for further care. Sept. 1—A reporting party stated a 21-year-old male in the Foster Mods was intoxicated but alert and breathing. University Police and BEMCo responded, and an ambulance transported the party to the Newton-Wellesley Hospital for further care. Sept. 1—University Police and BEMCo staff responded to a report of an intoxicated female in Massell Quad. The party was treated on-scene by BEMCo and transported to the NewtonWellesley Hospital for further care.
Our House Associate Dean of Student Life Jamele Adams speaks at “This is Our House!” last Tuesday. The event welcomed students to Brandeis and helped them become “part of the colorful fabric that holds the University together.”
Isaac lost most of its destructive steam by Saturday—with the Gulf Coast still recovering from its battering earlier in the week—but the storm managed to carry a small amount of needed rain to drought-stricken parts of the Midwest. “This by no means will be a droughtbuster,” said Chris Vaccaro, a National Weather Service spokesman. “But we’ll take whatever rain we can get.” Up to three inches of rain was expected in the Mississippi and Ohio valleys—though some parts of Illinois and Indiana could get more, Vaccaro said. Residents of the Gulf Coast, meanwhile, were trying to cope with damage inflicted by the slow-moving storm. Then a hurricane, Isaac, made landfall Tuesday, the day before the seventh anniversary of Hurricane Katrina. It then proceeded to pummel the region for several days, largely sparing New Orleans but devastating southern, lowlying parts of Mississippi and Louisiana with flooding. In Mississippi, where two deaths have been attributed to Isaac, recovery efforts were under way Saturday. “As we transition to the recovery phase of this disaster, our priority is to identify damages and begin the process of requesting federal assistance for local governments and residents who have been affected by this disaster,” said Robert Latham, executive director of the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency, in a statement. In Louisiana, more than 3,000 evacuees remained in shelters across the state, though some had begun returning home. In a Saturday news conference, New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu said that, although New Orleans had escaped the worst effects of the storm, the majority of the city still does not have power. “Like everyone else, my patience is wearing thin,” he said. “This is more than an inconvenience; it continues to be dangerous for everybody.” —Los Angeles Times (MCT)
ANNOUNCEMENTS Study Abroad info session
Navigating the off-campus study process and finding the best study program for you can be challenging, but fear not! The Office of Study Abroad is here to help. Each of the Study Abroad Information Sessions is designed to give you an overview of the off-campus study process at Brandeis, including tips for researching programs and destinations, the application process, getting credit for your work off campus, financial aid, and resources and services our office provides. Attending a general information session is mandatory for students wishing to study off campus for the semester or academic year. After you have attended an information session, we welcome you to set up an appointment with a member of the study abroad staff. Today from 11 a.m. to noon in the Usdan Student Center International Lounge.
Senior Day at Hiatt
Seniors, Hiatt is ready to celebrate your senior year with you. Stop by on Wednesday, Sept. 5 between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. to relax, grab something to eat,
check out the office, learn how Hiatt can help and complete key steps for a successful senior year. We are ready to answer your quick questions, take a fabulous professional-looking photo for your LinkedIn page and prepare you for alumni networking and campus recruiting. Brief networking workshops will be offered each hour on the hour. Swing by for five minutes, or stay for as long as you would like. This day is your day. Come on in! Tomorrow from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Hiatt Career Center.
Michael Weisbach lecture
Michael S. Weisbach, Professor and Ralph W. Kurtz Chair in Finance at The Ohio State University, will be the first in the fall semester’s Research Seminar Series, sponsored by the Department of Economics. Weisbach will discuss his paper, Financing-Motivated Acquisitions. Tomorrow from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Alumni Common Room in the Lemberg Academic Center of the International Business School.
AmeriCorps SLIS info session
Every year, Brandeis can enroll a limited number of students in the AmeriCorps Student Leader in Service program. Students commit to completing 300 hours of service in a single year and, upon completion, recieve a $1,175 stipend toward their educational expenses. Thursday from noon to 1 p.m. in the Shapiro Campus Center, Room 313.
Summer internship funding info session
Given the chance, how would you change the world? Here’s your opportunity to work for coexistence, peace, social justice, gender rights ... the list goes on. Come learn about the following funding opportunities for summer 2013 internships—both social justice and non-social justice related. Thursday from 4 to 5 p.m. in the Abraham Shapiro Academic Complex of the Heller School for Social Policy and Management.
THE JUSTICE
IBS students move in to Watch Factory apartments said Collins in an interview with the Justice. As the number of students needing housing dropped, he said, “that number was reduced to 9, then 7, then 5, and we finally, just a week before opening, [we] contracted for four total units, two of which we have rented for the entire year, on a 10 month lease.” The other two apartments have been rented until Dec. 31, as they will be used by students who are part of a program during only the first semester, according to Collins. Senior Vice President for Students and Enrollment Andrew Flagel said in the BrandeisNOW release that “if we could come up with a reasonable alternative,
we would prefer not to turn down these students on the wait list who had very strong reasons for wanting to be on campus.” According to the BrandeisNOW article, “Brandeis is able to make the space available without a significant budgetary impact.” Collins said that the apartments cost approximately $2,400 or $2,500 a month. Flagel also said that President Lawrence is looking forward to having students live so close by. “Fred’s excitement really has been about the whole dynamism of bringing the residents so close to campus and into the heart of Waltham.” —Sam Mintz
JOSHUA LINTON/Justice File Photo
LOCATION, LOCATION: The old Watch Factory will serve as a picturesque home for eight IBS students this semester.
facilities
Sustainability coordinator leaves to study at Heller ■ Janna Cohen-Rosenthal
’03 was the first person to hold the position of Sustainability Coordinator. By shani abramowitz JUSTICE STAFF WRITER
This past week, Janna CohenRosenthal ’03 announced that she would be leaving her position as sustainability coordinator in the Department of Facilities Services to pursue a MBA in non-profit management this fall at the Heller School of Social Policy and Management. In an email to the Justice, CohenRosenthal said she enjoyed being the first sustainability coordinator. “We have launched numerous sustainability programs-focusing on projects that measurably reduce environmental impact while at the same time improve the quality of life on campus and expand opportunities for student learning,” she wrote. Cohen wrote about her accomplishments as sustainability coordinator. “Projects included one of the largest solar electricity ar-
TUESDAY, September 4, 2012
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alumni
BRIEF University President Frederick Lawrence will be joined by some new, young neighbors in the Watch Factory building this year, as eight graduate students from the International Business School have moved into apartments there, according to a BrandeisNOW press release. According to Senior Vice President for Administration Mark Collins, the Department of Community Living initially asked for additional housing for 20 students in the middle of August, and the University looked at several potential facilities before settling on the building where Lawrence recently bought an apartment. “The original request I made to Waltham was for 10 apartments,”
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rays in Massachusetts, an innovative EcoRep program, transitioning to single stream recycling, a large CSA farm membership, over $100,000 in student led sustainCohenability project Rosenthal funding through the Brandeis Sustainability Fund (BSF), investing millions in energy upgrades through the new Sustainable Energy Program, and much more,” Cohen-Rosenthal continued. As the University’s first sustainability coordinator, Cohen-Rosenthal was responsible for overseeing several on-campus sustainability initiatives as well as co-chairing and advising the BSF. She created the Campus Sustainability Initiative, a collaboration of students, departments, and faculty sponsored and housed in Facilities Services working together to reduce Brandeis’ environmental impact. When asked why she had decided to pursue a graduate degree, CohenRosenthal said that she has always wanted to continue her studies.
“In March, my husband and I had a beautiful baby girl, so in this big time of life transitions, it felt like a good time to move on to new pursuits,” she continued. When asked how she plans to use her master’s degree, Cohen-Rosenthal wrote about the exciting opportunities she will encounter in the upcoming year. “I want to use this year to explore and learn more. Prior to working at Brandeis, I worked in renewable energy development and marketing. I may look into non-profit/mission driven organizational management in a wide range of social topics.” “Since I was an undergraduate at Brandeis, I have been a firm believer in making your working life reflect your life values. I am excited to gain new skills to further these goals,” she continued. Cohen-Rosenthal commented in her email to the Justice that the University is committed to hiring a new sustainability coordinator in the near future. “I enjoyed being the first “Sustainability Coordinator” for Brandeis University for the past 4 ½ years,” she wrote. Cohen-Rosenthal expects to graduate from the Heller School in August 2013.
University seeks to improve relations with potential donors ■ Since last January, the
University has put on 17 “rollout events” to introduce President Lawrence. By tate herbert JUSTICE editor
The Office of Alumni Relations & Development recently stepped up efforts to connect with Brandeis’ alumni—and potential donor— base, launching programs such as BOLD (Brandeisians of the Last Decade), holding a special swearing-in ceremony of alumni to the bar of the Supreme Court this summer and increasing University President Frederick Lawrence’s visibility with alumni clubs across the country. From last January to this fall, the University put on 17 “rollout events” across the U.S.— and one in Israel— to introduce Lawrence to Brandeis alumni. Some of these were hosted at alumni homes, others at hotels and convention centers. According to Senior Vice President of Institutional Advancement Nancy Winship, who typically travels with Lawrence to these events, he has particularly built relationships with the Los Angeles alumni base during his first years. Lawrence also added special events such as this June’s group swearing-in of 16 Brandeis alumni to the bar of the Supreme Court, the first ceremony of its kind for Brandeis or any other University, to his itinerary. A program called Brandeisians of the Last Decade was also launched nationwide last fall in an effort to connect with younger alumni, which make up a disproportionately large amount of Brandeis’ alumni profile. Class sizes have increased over the years from 101 in the first graduating class, the Class of 1952, to 972 students admitted to the Class of 2015, Brandeis’ largest to date. Director of Development Communications David Nathan credits BOLD with a 19 percent increase in the rate of participation in alumni giving among those who graduated in the past ten years. At most colleges and universities, the bulk of the gifts which make up their endowments come from alumni, with a small portion coming from “friends,” or donors who don’t have a prior connection to the school, according to Myles E. Weisenberg ’78, vice president of Development. At Brandeis, the opposite is true. Donations from friends such as Carl and Ruth Shapiro, whose names are visible on several buildings on campus, have historically made up the vast majority of funding. “With a number of that generation passing, Fred recognizes that we have to shift more and more of our time and efforts with alumni,” said Weisenberg in an interview with the Justice. He said that alumni giving as a percentage of the overall dollar amount has steadily increased over
the past decade, estimating that this statistic has grown from almost nothing as recently as the 1970s to about 20 percent of all donations now. The alumni participation rate, or the percentage of alumni who make a gift of any size to the University, is around 25 to 30 percent. In terms of participation rate, this puts Brandeis at the 22nd highest in the country, according to Weisenberg. While the University aims to increase this percentage, it is still a work in progress, said Weisenberg. “Alumni can’t yet take on the full mantle of supporting this institution … because they’re so young.” According to Winship, 38 alumni have given gifts ranging from $1 million to $16.5 million to Brandeis over the last 12 years. As recently as 2000, no alumni fell in this category. Winship explained in an interview with the Justice that the senior class gift is one of the most important projects in regard to tapping these young alumni, because it puts graduates in the habit of giving to the University. The Senior Class gift, which was founded in 1983, has seen a steady increase in both the participation rate and the amount of dollars raised since 1990, the first year from which data is available. It has fluctuated from 1993’s low of $1,068.32 raised at 6 percent participation to 2012’s high of $18,204.99 raised with 75 percent participation. “What’s so important about the senior class gift is that it’s a reflection of how students feel when they’re leaving. …For 75 percent of seniors to make a senior class gift, whether they’re coming out with loans, they know where their job is or not, is a huge, huge significance,” said Winship. For the 60th reunion class gift, which includes contributions made by the Class of 1952 over the past year, a record 71 percent of the original 101 members gave, according to Weisenberg. In addition, 21 of the 86 surviving members of the Class returned to campus this June for the University’s very first 60th reunion. The Class as a whole was recognized with the Alumni Achievement Award, the first time a group of alumni has received the honor. “I think alumni need to play an effective role in recognizing what the school did for each of us, and … [give] back in some way. That’s my working definition of being a meaningful alum or alumna,” said Max Perlitsh ’52, cochair of the reunion, in an interview with the Justice. According to Perlitsh, since the 50th reunion, gifts from the Class of 1952 have been directed toward supporting a Class of 1952 fully endowed scholarship (which requires $1 million, according to Winship), which will go toward supporting one student through all four of his or her undergraduate years. “That’s our way of giving back to Brandeis,” said Perlitsh.
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TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 4, 2012
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THE JUSTICE
BRIEF
Harvard investigates cheating In a scandal of unprecedented scale, the esteemed Harvard University recently announced that over 120 students are being investigated for cheating on an exam. According to the Wall Street Journal, those students, who were part of a course called “Introduction to Congress,” will be investigated by the Harvard College Administrative Board in upcoming weeks. The Boston Globe reported that some could be excused while others could face yearlong suspensions. In May, a Teaching Assistant was grading papers from the take-home final when she noticed that many had similar or identical answers. Further investigation showed that many students had seemingly worked together, which explicitly went against the instructions given by the professor. In an interview with the Justice, Brandeis Director of Student Rights and Community Standards Dean Gendron compared the way Harvard handled the situation with Brandeis’ policies. “Like Harvard, we would conduct interviews with involved parties to ascertain the nature and scope of the allegations,” he said. The recently revised Rights and Responsibilities Student Handbook gives some insight into how the University tries to prevent similar situations. Section 19 explains how Brandeis officials would punish students found to be
involved with dishonest academic behavior. It reads, “Examples of penalties for a student found responsible for an infringement of academic honesty are: no credit for the work in question, failure in the course and the traditional range of conduct sanctions from disciplinary warning through permanent dismissal from the university.” In an interview with the Justice, Lyubov Neglyad ’15 said, “I can’t imagine anything like that happening at Brandeis. It was made known when we were freshmen what was expected of us.” Harvard plans to increase education on academic honesty. According to the Wall Street Journal, Harvard is against establishing an honor code because officials believe their students should know how to behave. Unlike Harvard, Brandeis uses a handbook of guidelines for students’ actions, which clearly defines academic integrity standards. Neglyad added that she has faith that “the Student Conduct Board and the overall Brandeis community help to prevent situations like this from happening at Brandeis.” Brandeis’ Student Conduct Board, comprised of students and staff, hears cases regarding academic dishonesty.
SUICIDE: Students, staff unite in wake of tragedy CONTINUED FROM 1 comment on the details of the scene and the D.A.’s office could not be reached for comment by press time. Associate Dean of Student Life Maggie Balch was in touch with the family at least twice yesterday, though the University is unsure of what the family’s next steps will be. According to club members, Venkatesh attended several Namaskr events, including Diwali, which is also known as the Festival of Lights and is an official holiday in India. This past summer, Venkatesh interned at the Genome Institute of Singapore, in the same city in which he attended high school. In a campuswide email sent at 6:30 p.m., University President Frederick Lawrence announced the news.
At 9 p.m., the University held an informal community gathering for mutual support at Chapels Pond. The candlelight vigil, attended by over one hundred members of the community, allowed students to “remember a member of our community whether they knew him or not. Being at the informal gathering … showed how unique Brandeis really is,” Student Union President Todd Kirkland ’13 said in an interview Monday night. During the ceremony, the candles were slowly lit, as students passed the flame from one to another. “The Brandeis family is in mourning … There is a deep tear in the fabric of our Brandeis community.” Lawrence said, following an opening address from Coordinator of the Interfaith Chaplaincy Rev. Walter Cuenin. Balch, in an interview after
the event, said that the family was comforted to hear that the community was coming together for a vigil. Senior Vice President for Students and Enrollment Andrew Flagel reminded students at the vigil, “what helps us make it through experiences like this is the support of friends. “You never want a community to continue to go through it, but I’m very grateful for the enormous emotional and physical commitment that the team makes to making sure that every student feels supported, especially at a time like this.” The counseling center was open all night to support students and will be having extended hours this week, according to Flagel. —Fiona Lockyer contributed reporting.
ALL EYES FORWARD
—Rachel Starr
FUNDS: Pledges in lull after campaign CONTINUED FROM 1 for that year. The cash number is much larger this year, said Burger, because cash donations are still coming to the University in installments from several decades of pledges. Winship also said that the difference is due in part to a major fundraising campaign which has come to a close in recent years. The campaign brought in several large pledges, a significant portion of which went toward construction projects. These included the $14 million Carl and Ruth Shapiro Admissions Center in 2009, $24.8 million for the Heller School for Social Policy and Management from 2006 to 2007 and the $35 million Ridgewood residence halls in 2009, according to information from the Brandeis Office of Capital Projects’ website. According to Winship, only the cash figure of $61 million accurately portrays the state of Brandeis’ financial and fundraising health. Frances Drolette, senior vice president of finance and Chief Financial Officer, wrote in an email to the Justice that, “the 990 as a research source will not provide the reader a cohesive statement to enlighten folks about the University’s financial or cash position, its annual revenue and expense activity, or its budget.” Several nonprofit watchdog and charity ratings organizations, such as GuideStar and Charity Navigator, use the publicly available 990 form to report and analyze information about nonprofit finances. Ideally, said Burger, the 990 numbers would line up more with the cash fundraising numbers in the future, as a more stable fundraising base is established. “The goal now is building the pipeline full of gifts,” or pledges, said Winship. “In [University President Frederick Lawrence’s] first year, since the pipeline was empty, there were about $4 million in gifts that we knew would come in from pledges. … That’s a very, very small number.” Of Lawrence’s fundraising efforts, Winship said, “He came into Brandeis at a time when, in some ways it’s so exciting because there’s so much change,” said Winship. “On the other hand, there’s never been more need for money, especially financial aid.” According to Brandeis’ Admissions
and Financial Aid website, the University distributes about $9 million in student scholarships and grants every year, with more than 70 percent of undergraduates receiving some form of need-based aid. The average need-based award is approximately $30,000. Over the past year, Winship said that the amount of pledges the University received has increased to about $12 million. “I would predict that where you will see real growth this year is going to be in that pledge line,” she added. Winship explained this “pledge line’s” relationship to the University’s endowment. The endowment is made up of fundraising dollars, which are invested and are expected to grow at a higher rate than the rate at which the University draws from the endowment to cover its operating expenses. “If you were at an older school, the endowment has been growing for 200 years or 300 years … for those schools, when there’s a drop in the market, it doesn’t affect their endowment very much,” said Winship. For a much younger school like Brandeis, these market fluctuations have a much larger impact. A January 2008 U.S. News & World Report article agreed that “smaller schools have underperformed the stock market and a standard diversified portfolio for the past five years” because they “do not have such great returns of the past to protect them against future troubles.” This year’s tentative goal for building the endowment is $15 to $18 million, according to Winship. These numbers have yet to be approved by the Board of Trustees. “If you raise the money for financial aid and [professorships], then that’s the money that permanently strengthens the University ... because those are in perpetuity. That’s how you stabilize a university, and as a young university, that’s where we need to be,” said Winship. According to a June 2012 Boston Business Journal article on endowments, Brandeis is the ninthwealthiest school in Massachusetts, with an endowment of $703.6 million, an $83.45 million increase from last year. In national rankings, it doesn’t crack the top 70. Harvard tops both state and national lists, at a staggering $32.1 billion.
JOSHUA LINTON/the Justice
Sharing her secrets Author Julie Otsuka discusses her book When the Emperor Was Divine on Wednesday in front of an attentive audience made up of new students and orientation leaders.
CONDUCT: Handbook changes aim to encourage victims to come forward CONTINUED FROM 1 more students to report sexual misconduct. He said that a university examination of the Section 19 process and its application in sexual misconduct cases showed that by “[reducing] the number of individuals who are part of the process, and also [being] thoughtful about feedback we’ve been receiving about the role of peers in the process, that … we might be able to lower the barriers to [the potential accusers’] decision-making process.” This change in policy follows widespread discussion last spring on campus about the issue of sexual assault and the University’s policies on assault and harassment. The conversations began after The Hoot published an article in April reporting that an undergraduate student was allegedly raped by a Heller School of Social Policy and Management student, and that the student felt that the University was unresponsive to her complaints. Gendron said that this change was not a response to last semester’s discussion, but rather was a regular part of the yearly overhaul that the handbook undergoes. However, he did say that the sexual assault case written about by The Hoot, which was adjudicated in spring 2011, “is part of our history and experiences,
and gave us a lot of opportunity to think about how that case affected our practice and how our practice affected that case.” Dean of Student Life Rick Sawyer said “that particular case was almost worthy of case study, in terms of the challenges to a University’s ability to handle a dynamic behavioral case on their campus.” He also said that Section 19 of the handbook, which describes the procedure used for most violations and which was used for sexual assault cases up until this year, is “tested, effective, fair and totally Brandeis.” Gendron said that the addition of the special examiner process does not indicate any lack of trust in the Student Conduct Board and that the students involved are “an extremely competent and enthusiastic group.” Sawyer and Gendron also said that the change to the sexual assault policy was in part related to the “Dear Colleague” letter released by the Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights on April 4, 2011. The letter discussed schools’ obligations to respond to sexual violence, the steps they should take to prevent sexual violence and educate students, and their obligation to comply with Title IX, a law enacted in 1972 to protect students from sexbased discrimination. Gendron announced the
new process and several other minor changes to the Rights and Responsibilities handbook, which provides guidelines and procedures for the management of student conduct issues, in an Aug. 27 email to the University community. In addition to the development of the special examiner process, the University made several other adjustments to the handbook, most of them involving word choice. One change was the addition of section 5.3 e, which bans drinking games on campus, saying that “any games, contests, challenges, or other competitive activities in which the object or strategy involves the consumption of alcohol are prohibited.” Gendron said that section 5.3 e “is not a new opportunity for a student or staff member or anyone else to find a Brandeis student responsible for breaking a rule, but rather it is a strong statement by the University that sometimes such games are put in place for encouragement of binge drinking, which is a health issue. Brandeis does not encourage binge drinking.” Other additions to this year’s handbook include a section requiring students to keep up with their Brandeis email accounts and the addition of a confidential and anonymous complaint hotline.
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Applying
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VERBATIM | LUCILLE BALL The secret of staying young is to live honestly, eat slowly and lie about your age.
ON THIS DAY…
FUN FACT
In 1972, Mark Spitz became the first competitor to win seven medals at a single Olympic Games.
More than 500 billion cups of coffee are consumed each year.
class to the real world
Student used classroom knowledge in Jewish Funders Network By rachel miller JUSTICE STAFF WRITER
Rebecca Bachman’s ’13 experiences this summer seemed like a seamless continuation from her past year at Brandeis. As a summer intern involved in social justice and philanthropy, Bachman utilized the knowledge and skills she developed in the classroom. This past summer, Bachman interned in Manhattan at the Jewish Teen Funders Network, a program of the Jewish Funders Network, which provides teens ages 13 to 18 the opportunity to allocate grants to nonprofit organizations. JTFN works with over 100 teen foundations across the United States to engage these young adults in the grant making process. The programs are run by trained facilitators and are based in day schools, religious schools, synagogues, social service agencies, local Jewish Federations and endowment foundations, according to JTFN’s website. Bachman was no stranger to the grant-making process. In fall 2011 she took Prof. Rebecca Riccio’s (Heller) “Social Justice and Philanthropy”
course through the Sillerman Center for the Advancement of Philanthropy at Brandeis. The Learning by Giving Foundation provides a grant for the students to distribute $10,000 to a Waltham-based nonprofit organization of their choice. “It was powerful, because the Learning by Giving Foundation entrusted college students with [$10,000],” Bachman said. Riccio’s class empowers students to take on leadership positions, since they met in groups as if they were members of a foundation, appointing a chairperson and note-taker. They chose a type of philanthropy to which they would like to give the grant based on the organization’s mission. After going through a decision making process, Bachman’s group chose to give to the Waltham Boys and Girls Club. After a semester of learning about grants and philanthropic organizations, Bachman became passionate about the subject and well equipped to intern at JTFN. Bachman’s role during the summer was to compile information for the facilitators of JTFN’s 11 teen foundation programs throughout Long Island, N.Y. Bachman had access to a curriculum in which she distributed to the
facilitators a regional guidebook with unbiased information regarding Long Island’s needs and a docket of requests for proposals (RFP), which is a request for funding written by the nonprofit organization to be sent to the teen foundation. Bachman also communicated with more than 40 nonprofit organizations to inform them of the available grants and encouraged them to submit a RFP. Bachman used her experience from her “Social Justice and Philanthropy” course and applied that towards JTFN. She helped the JTFN with curriculum development for the teen foundations along with reaching out to nonprofit organizations for the Stepping up Long Island Jewish Teen Philanthropy pilot, which is rolling out this fall through the JTFN. Through this program, nonprofit organizations can apply for grants if they fall under one of the five “need” categories present on Long Island, which are education, health, jobs, housing and hunger. Bachman noted the similarities between the course she had taken at Brandeis and the curriculum of JTFN. “As college students, we had a lot of say in the whole grant-making process, and the curriculum of the Jew-
A communal
ish Teen Funders Network empowers teens to have a huge part in the grant making process as well,” Bachman said. In order to improve and enhance her knowledge of the world of philanthropy and nonprofit organizations, Bachman attended a conference, a facilitation workshop, listened to webinars and helped create ideas of how JTFN can use social media to their advantage, all in a 10-week internship with JTFN. “My internship really combined my passion and my studies in an incredible way. As an Education and Sociology double major with a minor in Social Justice and Social Policy, [my internship] tied it all together in a way that I didn’t know was possible until it was completed,” Bachman reflected. According to Bachman, studies have shown that teen philanthropy programs develop future leaders in our communities. She pointed out that JTFN emphasizes leadership and education among the teen participants. Combining her experiences as a student and intern, Bachman will be a teacher’s assistant for Riccio’s “Social Justice and Philanthropy” this semes-
PHOTO COURTESY OF REBECCA BACHMAN
RELATED RESOURCES: Bachman found connections between classes and work. ter. “I’m really excited to be there as a resource [for the students] and to be able to take the class from a different perspective.” Bachman’s passion for helping others was manifested this summer as an intern for JTFN. “I learned about whole grant-making process through social justice and philanthropy. And I also learned a lot about how a foundation works and that philanthropy education is a field in higher education and education in general,” she said.
WEST BANK VOLUNTEER: Verdeja ’14 spent her summer at the Al-Feniq Center. PHOTOS COURTESY OF ANDREA VERDEJA
endeavor
Verdeja ’14 worked at a community center in the West Bank By CELINE HACOBIAN JUSTICE editor
The West Bank has always been in an area of the world engulfed in political controversy. Although the Dheisheh Refugee Camp was created as a place of refuge for Palestinians, the people there have done their best to transform the land where they live with positive spirits. Andrea Verdeja ’14 was born in Japan and then moved with her family to the Dominican Republic, where she lives now. An International and Global Studies and Politics double major and Peace and Coexistence Studies minor, Verdeja stays involved on campus from being on the Brandeis sailing team to being the president of the International Club, a student worker at ISSO, as well as being a community advisor. This past summer, Verdeja, who is a 2012 Sorensen Fellow, volunteered at the Al-Feniq community center, also known as the Phoenix Center, which is located in the Dheisheh refugee camp near Bethlehem in the West Bank. The camp was created after more than 750,000 Palestinians had to leave Israel. This refugee camp is “the biggest camp in the Bethlehem area. They have 13,000 refugees living there,” according to Verdeja. She said the community center was established 10 years ago and is made up of mostly locals, so “they accept any international
volunteers willing to go and help, but it’s basically community life.” Verdeja was one of only two from the United States volunteering at the center. Much of the volunteer work consists of assigned projects involving the camp, such as the project Verdeja took on, which was a series of interviews with members of the camp in their early 20s, speaking about what life is like in the camp. While she was there, she took editing and filmmaking classes, which she hopes to put in use when she compiles the interviews and finalizes her film. Besides her project, Verdeja was also working on translations, updating the center’s webpage and writing grant proposals. Verdeja described the center which she learned about from her Palestinian friend who took her to his center, as being “a very familybased, community culture” and said the center “is basically the house [for] everyone.” Al-Feniq has programs for people of all ages. Some of the activities available for the members of the camp include bringing in trainers to run workshops on various topics including team building and stress relief; workshops on mosaics, photography, filmmaking, mural painting and theater; and exercising in gyms, including one newly built only for women. There are also library programs for young-
er children. “Because there is no space inside the refugee camp, they really don’t have a place to play or [a place] to have a recreational area, so the center does give them that space that they wouldn’t have otherwise,” Verdeja said. One aspect of the center that Verdeja particularly appreciated was the involvement of the volunteers inspired by pure concern for the members of the community. “Every single person including the director is a volunteer. Absolutely no one gets paid. It comes out of themselves to go and work. … It comes out of themselves to do it, for love of their communities, for love of their friends and families because they do want to make things better,” she said. Another program that the community offered, “Campus in Camps,” gives 15 to 20 young adults with college degrees the opportunity to complete a two-year post-graduate program involving their ideas on how to improve the camp, “what are the projects that they themselves want to see implemented inside the camp,” according to Verdeja. “That was really inspiring to see them taking over the future of the camp and what’s going to happen with their community and see them so excited and motivated. Everything was so inspiring,” she said. Within the Dheisheh refugee camp, there are two major commu-
BEING KIDS: The center provides recreational areas for their younger members. nity centers, of which Al-Feniq is one, and the Ibdaa cultural center is the other. The directors of each community center “were jailed together and inside the jail … they conceptualized the project of [building] these two centers” and began their project as soon as they were free. Verdeja plans on continuing work in NGOs, human rights and advocacy once she graduates from the University. She praised the individuals in the community center and the camp. “They’re so inspiring. They’re honorable and their capacity to love and their capacity to be openhearted, open-minded … they’re so hospitable and so loving
and [have] so much warmth. They welcome you into their families,” she said. Verdeja said that considering their situation, she was impressed with their attitudes and personalities and called her whole experience humbling. “[The people in the camp are] under occupation 24/7. They wake up every morning with a smile on their faces. It gives you perspective on what real problems are; if they go through everything they go through and still have a smile on their faces and be as loving human beings as they are, what gives us the right in our perfect little world to complain about things?”
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TUESDAY, September 4, 2012
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THE JUSTICE
Justice Justice
the the
Established 1949, Brandeis University
Brandeis University
Established 1949
Andrew Wingens, Editor in Chief Marielle Temkin, Managing Editor Eitan Cooper, Production Editor Fiona Lockyer and Robyn Spector, Associate Editors Sam Mintz and Tate Herbert, News Editors Celine Hacobian, Features Editor Shafaq Hasan, Forum Editor Adam Rabinowitz, Sports Editor Emily Salloway, Arts Editor Jenny Cheng and Joshua Linton, Photography Editors Nan Pang, Layout Editor Sara Dejene, Online Editor Maya Riser-Kositsky, Copy Editor David Wolkoff, Advertising Editor
Our condolences We extend our condolences to the Brandeis community for the passing of Neuroscience major Akshay R. Venkatesh ’14. Anyone who has ever lost a loved one knows that it is a difficult experience— one feels loss, grief, sadness and even confusion. When the individual lost is one of our classmates, coping can be even more difficult. This board encourages members of the University community to take advantage of the resources on campus to ease the grieving process. Community
Reach out to resources Development Coordinators, Community Advisors in the residence halls and the members of Mailman Counseling Center (between the Health Center and the Squire Bridge) are only a few of the many services on campus qualified to counsel and guide students through their loss. These services are available yearround, not just in the wake of a tragedy. The stresses of college can be extreme. This editorial board hopes that no one feels like they need to face them alone.
New policy addresses concerns In its annual evaluation of the Student Rights and Responsibilities handbook, the administration significantly altered the sexual assault policy on campus. The Student Conduct Board will no longer review sexual assault and harassment cases; rather, a University appointed “special examiner” will now evaluate all forthcoming allegations. When one in four female students will be sexually assaulted during their time at school, as reported by the Department of Justice, we support this policy change. We appreciate the administration’s recognition of the need to amend and clarify the campus sexual assault policy; however, we also believe continued evaluation is needed as these policies are put into effect. In an email to the Justice, Director of Student Rights and Community Standard Dean Gendron expressed concerns about students reporting sexual misconduct or harassment under the current system where students process cases. Given the sensitive nature of these allegations, it is understandable that students may feel uncomfortable being evaluated by their peers. While members of the Student Conduct Board are trained to assess and respond to such cases, we think the nature of these allegations may be beyond the purview of students. Moreover, while the position is currently unfilled, the special examiner should have a legal background combined with experience in psychological counseling. While Gendron said this in-
Continue monitoring policies dividual could possibly be a member of the Brandeis community, we believe an objective third-party would best be suited to evaluate sexual misconduct and harassment within the University community. An unaffiliated individual would also encourage more students to come forward with their allegations without bias on the part of the University. This policy shift comes after allegations from last semester that scrutinized the University’s past handlings of sexual assault cases. While Gendron has said this new policy is not a direct result of this case, he conceded that it did allow the administration the opportunity to “think about how that case affected our practice and how our practice affected that case.” Regardless, we’re glad the University utilized the case to reevaluate their current policy. We appreciate that the administration was able to recognize a policy change was needed and moved efficiently to enact these changes within a short threemonth period. However, as the administration puts these changes into effect and monitors their failures and successes, we also urge them to continue evaluating the sexual assault and harassment policies for any possible shortcomings. It is imperative that the University remains an open and comfortable environment that continues to shelter and protect its students.
Guiding hand Last week, the University launched a mobile application called “Guidebook” for first-year Orientation. The Guidebook program includes a building and office locator and a campus wide events calendar, among other features. All these tools helped first-year students adjust to their new lives on campus. While we support the creation of this new app, we believe it should be extended beyond the features that are currently available in order to to benefit all members of the community. Including more information about the many resources available on campus could transform the app into a comprehensive information center. The “FirstYear Survival Guide” that was given out during Orientation includes information relevant to every student on campus that could be included in the Guidebook app. The survival guide includes a wide range of information from how to declare a major to the Campus Crystal Shuttle Service times and advice about how to obtain a
Consolidate information job on campus. In addition to these features, the app could also have a LATTE or sage function that easily directs users to those resources or a button to allow students to check their WhoCash, meals and points balances. While we understand these resources exist on separate websites, working to consolidate them into one place would be beneficial to all students. While the Guidebook app should be expanded to include resources for all students, the University should consider also transferring this information onto one comprehensive website. As the app is only accessible to those with a smartphone, it is only beneficial to a select group of students. Creating a comparable website in addition to expanding the information available on the app will best utilize this new campus resource.
SARA WEININGER/the Justice
Views the News on
On Aug. 17, Colorado joined 25 other states including Michigan, Virginia and Utah that now allow college students to carry concealed weapons around campus with a permit or license to carry. Given the increasing frequency of deadly shootings at universities in the past few years, should the right to bear arms also extend onto college campuses?
Russell Leibowitz ’14 The solution to an increase in shootings around the nation is not to put weapons into the hands of more people. Such an approach makes it harder for campus security departments to locate and investigate suspicious activity and puts more people in danger. The supposed justification is that individuals can protect themselves, but the only real result from a poorly trained student shooting in a panic is more bullets in the air hitting innocent bystanders. Even worse, imagine a police officer walking into a room filled with people pointing guns at each other: It becomes impossible for that officer to distinguish the victim from the killer. Russell Leibowitz ’14 is a member of the Brandeis Democrats.
Prof. Daniel Breen (LGLS) Under the Supreme Court’s reasoning in the recent Second Amendment cases of Heller and McDonald, state and federal authorities retain broad authority to regulate the possession of firearms in particularly sensitive contexts. A college campus would appear to be just such a place, where states would want to put substantial limits on an individual’s ability to carry a concealed weapon. When people use guns to open fire on an armed assailant, it is all too likely that more innocent people will be hurt in the chaotic crossfire. As a matter of policy, therefore, I would hope that states would use their police powers to discourage, rather than make more common, the possession of concealed weapons on campus. Professor Daniel Breen serves as a lecturer in the Legal Studies Department.
Aaron Fried ’14 The best way to defend people is to allow them to defend themselves. When a maniac goes on a rampage and shoots many innocent people, it’s easy to forget a simple detail: None of the innocent victims, from Aurora to Virginia Tech, shot back. Licensed students carrying firearms can help to prevent or ameliorate such tragedies. Students who wish to carry a firearm as a precaution should be required to be evaluated as mentally stable, mature, and proficient with weapons safety prior to being issued a license. Aaron Fried ’14 is the president of the Young Americans for Liberty and is a columnist for the Justice.
Esther Brandon ’12 As Albert Einstein said, “Peace cannot be kept by force; it can only be achieved by understanding.” To prevent violence on college campuses, peace studies education needs to increase. I am firmly against allowing students to carry a deadly weapon, but I am saddened to say, I believe planned mass shootings on a campus will occur with or without a permit. Esther Brandon ’12 is the president of the Brandeis Peace Alliance.
THE JUSTICE
READER COMMENTARY University fundraising is thriving To the Editor: Your editorial “Fundraising woes” (Aug. 29.) sadly misrepresented the true state of fundraising at Brandeis. By relying upon federal tax filings that are already dated by the time of their release, you greatly understated the amount of money actually received from Brandeis supporters in recent years. In fact, President Fred Lawrence just led Brandeis to another strong fundraising year, marking the 13th consecutive year the university has exceeded $60 million in gifts received. In the future, it will be far more enlightening for your readers if you use the figures Brandeis files annually through the universally accepted Voluntary Support of Education Survey conducted by the Council for Aid to Education. —Bill Burger and David E. Nathan Bill Burger is the Associate Vice President of Communications and David E. Nathan is the Director of Development Communications.
Sigma Alpha Mu needs recognition In response to your article, “Nine Percent of student body involved in Greek life,” (Jan. 31) What about Sigma Alpha Mu? Sammy at Brandeis has been a nationally recognized, award winning fraternity powerhouse at Brandeis for decades. [Vice President and Dean of Student Life Rick] Sawyer is in the unique position to end the ongoing Greek life prejudice, if for no other reason than to help out the school’s Annual Fund which would undoubtedly see an increase in alumni support if the school abandoned its antiquated philosophies towards these social institutions, whose continued growth is underestimated in this article, that continue to fill a huge void at Brandeis. —Andrew Katznelson ’99
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Online courses required trade-off Avi
snyder voice of reason
I am an anti-Luddite. For those of you who don’t recall your 19thcentury English history, the Luddites were a group of English textile artisans who opposed the development of the mechanized loom. This new technology meant that skilled textile producers could be replaced by less-skilled, low-wage workers, leaving the artisans out of work. In modern times, the term neo-Luddite has come to refer to one who opposes the kinds of innovative and disruptive technological change that often render old economic and social arrangements obsolete. Think of the people who hate on self-checkout lines in grocery stores or complain about computers doing jobs people used to do. One of the latest outbursts of neo-Luddism has come from Pamela Hieronymi in The Chronicle of Higher Education. In an article entitled “Don’t Confuse Technology with College Teaching,” Hieronymi, a philosophy professor at the University of California at Los Angeles, attempts to dampen some of the enthusiasm that has surrounded the growth of online education programs at institutions as respected as Harvard and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. At the core of her argument is a point made by nearly all neo-Luddites. Hieronymi writes, “We will not make [the task of training minds] significantly less time-consuming without
sacrificing quality… [W]e will not make that core task significantly less expensive without cheapening it.” In other words, nothing can replicate the experience of actually learning in a classroom and engaging in face-to-face interaction with a teacher. Online learning may be cheap, less time-intensive and easy to access, but it comes at the precious price of quality. I honestly don’t have a bone to pick with this argument. In fact, I more or less agree with it. Here’s the problem. You know what else can’t be replicated? The quality and durability of hand-woven fabric. If you’ve ever seen clothing that was really made by hand, you know what I’m talking about. The mechanized loom, and subsequent technological innovations in the textile industry have given us textiles and clothing of somewhat lower quality than the handmade products of centuries ago. But how many of us wear handmade clothing? The reason the Luddites lost their battle is because textiles made by mechanical looms was cheaper, less labor-intensive and easier to come by. Just like online education. Life is full of trade-offs. We just can’t have clothing that is hand-made in quality but as cheap and widely available as clothing made by machine. Likewise, we can’t necessarily have a higher education system that can provide the full “college experience,” face-to-face education and also expect costs to be low and accessibility to be high. The higher education sector is ripe for the kind of transformation that revolutionized the textile industry years ago. All of us here at
Brandeis are intimately familiar with yearly tuition hikes that are far outpacing inflation and wage growth. No longer does it seem so obvious that four years of face-to-face classroom time in a picturesque New England university will yield the economic return it once did. Online education offers a cheap and accessible way to earn marketable skills without breaking the bank. American Enterprise Institute scholar Andrew Kelly has even suggested that free online courses offered by elite institutions could enhance the marketability of many aspiring jobapplicants. If the market pressures make traditional college educations far too expensive for most people, then employers may begin to consider “credits” earned online in their hiring decisions. Perhaps this kind of market transformation could even begin to put downward pressure on the costs at traditional, four-year residential colleges. The kind of online revolution Hieronymi laments could ultimately make more traditional, in-person instruction more accessible to more students. Market innovations, especially the most economically and socially disruptive ones, always spark opposition and make entrenched interests nervous, Those who oppose such innovations have legitimate worries. But markets are complicated and ever changing. It is possible to avoid tradeoffs and sub-par choices. But hard choices can prove to be incredible opportunities. Trade-offs in the short-term may yield more choices in the long-term. Those are the facts Hieronymi fails to understand, but that we must.
Lack of bipartisanship continues to cripple the political system By ALLIE GOODMAN JUSTICE CONTRIBUTING WRITER
Although President Barack Obama campaigned on a platform of bipartisanship, the constant conflict both sides experience from politicking creates a barrier between political parties, crippling our political system and the American people. It’s no wonder why so many individuals are uninterested in politics. It is a nasty, negative and disheartening game. Expensive ads and clever phrases like “Obama the Terrorist” or “Romney the JobDestroyer” often lead to great entertainment, but they don’t help anyone understand issues or become better informed. Earlier this year, an anti-Gingrich Iowa ad said, “Gingrich exaggerates, dropping Reagan’s name 50 times. But in his diaries, Reagan mentions Gingrich only once.” This sounds more like a middle school student representative poster than a presidential campaign ad. Aside from the slew of misinformation that many voters take as fact, this type of campaigning wouldn’t be as big of a problem if at the end of the day the hostility was just part of the election pregame and died down as soon as representatives entered their respective offices. Sadly, this is not the case. In today’s two-party system, we have plenty of room for accusations and antagonism, but almost no room for listening or even an attempt at bipartisanship. In an ideal world, the two-party system would encourage many people of different backgrounds and viewpoints to come together to make decisions that would best benefit the most Americans. Now doesn’t that sound nice? But politicians from every end of the political spectrum have convinced a large number of the American people that it is “those other guys” who are making our country worse. “They” made our economy bad and “they” intend to keep it that way to help the wealthiest Americans. But this is nothing new. Mudslinging has always played a role in politics. Look at the 1828 presidential election. John Quincy Adams’ party accused Andrew Jackson of murder when, as a known war hero, he had executed militia deserters. Though we still experience the same type of
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TZIPORAH THOMPSON/the Justice
mudslinging almost 200 years later, the general understanding of how to deal with witnessing this game has not developed. We still act like middle schoolers watching a fight in the hallway. Unfortunately, no one has stepped up to the role of hall monitor. Negative campaigning teaches nothing other than dissatisfaction and pessimism. And when we accept what we are told by these ads and speeches without questioning or fact checking, we buy into a world where Obama is a terrorist and Romney really enjoys firing people just for the heck of it. Our job is to vote—and yes, I mean everyone needs to go vote—for candidates based on not only what they stand for, but on their relative aggressiveness.
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The opinions stated in the editorial(s) under the masthead on the opposing page represent the opinion of a majority of the voting members of the editorial board; all other articles, columns, comics and advertisements do not necessarily. For the Brandeis Talks Back feature on the last page of the newspaper, staff interview four randomly selected students each week and print only those four answers. The Justice is the independent student newspaper of Brandeis University. Operated, written, produced and published entirely by students, the Justice includes news, features, arts, opinion and sports articles of interest to approximately 3,200 undergraduates, 800 graduate students, 500 faculty and 1,000 administrative staff. In addition, the Justice is mailed weekly to paid subscribers and distributed throughout Waltham, Mass. The Justice is published every Tuesday of the academic year with the exception of examination and vacation periods. Advertising deadlines: All insertion orders and advertising copy must be received by the Justice no later than 5 p.m. on the Thursday preceding the date of publication. All advertising copy is subject to approval of the editor in chief and the managing and advertising editors. A publication schedule and rate card is available upon request. Subscription rate: $35 per semester, $55 per year.
It is difficult for two people of opposing viewpoints to work together if both are too attached to their ideas. Fighting for what you believe in is fantastic and certainly has its place, but not when that fight hinders progress. The issue at hand is not what party you are affiliated with, whether or not you approve of the job President Barack Obama has done, or even whether or not you like Romney or Ryan. The issue is that the American system of government is based off of the assumption that two differing parties with many differing ideas can come together somewhere in the middle to create reasonable solutions to important issues. This assumption does not support tricking
The Staff
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Americans into voting for whichever politician threw the most woodchips in a playground fight. While at Brandeis, we are surrounded by not only intelligent people, but also people that like to question. After all, our motto is, “Truth, even unto its innermost parts.” Our job, then, is to question the practices of leaders who use mudslinging to distract from real problems. Here, we know better. Though a largely liberal community, we don’t get angry when a fellow Brandeisian disagrees. The healthy conversations about important political issues never get personal or inappropriate, and they certainly don’t sound like a couple of five-year-olds arguing over whose turn it is on the swing-set.
Editorial Assistants Arts: Phillip Gallagher, Jessie Miller Forum: Glen Chagi Chesir Layout: Rachel Burkhoff Sports: Henry Loughlin Staff Senior Writers: Josh Asen, Aaron Berke, Jeffrey Boxer, Dafna Fine Senior Illustrator: Sara Weininger Senior Photographer: Alex Margolis News: Shani Abramowitz, Danielle Gross, Luke Hayslip, Raquel Kallas, Suzanne Schatz, Rachel Starr Features: Selene Campion, Rachel Miller, Gabrielle Santoro Forum: Aaron Fried, Liz Posner, Sara Shahanaghi,
Leah Smith, Avi Snyder, Naomi Volk Sports: Jacob Elder, Jacob Moskowitz Arts: Damiana Andonova, Alex DeSilva, Olivia Leiter, Mara Sassoon, Ayan Sanyal, Maya Shemtov, Aziz Sohail, Viet Tran Photography: Jon Edelstein, Morgan Fine, Nathaniel Freedman, Josh Horowitz, Josh Spiro, Michelle Wang, Anna Yatskar Copy: Aliza Braverman, Jennie Bromberg, Kinza Kukhari, Patricia Greene, Andrew Hayes, Max Holzman, Brittany Joyce, Eunice Ko, Megan Paris, Christine Phan, Mailinh Phan-Nguyen, Leah Rogers, Will Schneiderman, Amanda Winn Layout: Jassen Lu, Denny Poliferno, Michelle Yi Illustrations: Mara Sassoon, Arielle Shorr, Tziporah Thompson
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TUESDAY, sEPTEMBER 4, 2012
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THE JUSTICE
FORUM
Rekindle lingering Occupy movement spirit Liz
Posner but i digress
I was out of the country for most of this past spring, but even from southern Spain I could pick out the signs that usually appear at the beginning of an election year. From my—albeit short—life experience when it comes to presidential elections, it seems like we can start to observe the mood of a presidential race once fall begins. As early as six months before anyone shows up at the voting booths, the news media picks up on the zeitgeist of the American voter. We all witnessed the hopeful idealism that sprang up, particularly among young voters, around President Barack Obama’s first campaign in 2008. Even in the midst of what would become a full-scale recession, the spirit of 2008 carried over to secure a Democratic White House. But we also watched that same idealism fade away as his first term played out. Then it gradually withered as bank bailouts and health care legislation debates reminded us of the shattered state of our economy and political system. Four years later, the mood surrounding this election feels much more bitter, pragmatic and resigned—the polar opposite of the last election. We are now suffering from an idealism hangover of sorts, through which we can understand the current mood of the American populace. If the campaign organizers for both major parties can tap into this new, more jaded attitude, it could even sway the course of the election. What happened to this idealist spirit—the one that inspired our generation to believe it could make a difference and brought thousands of protesters to Occupy movements across the country? It can’t be a coincidence that the dissolution of Occupy and the growing reported disappointment in Obama began around the same time. Certainly there is a strong link between the spirit that grew out of the 2008 election and the common belief in grassroots activism that fueled Occupy. For example, a New York Times article from last January on new student activism mentioned, “Ericka Hoffman, 26, a junior at California State University, Bakersfield, and one of the organizers of Occupy Colleges, a nonprofit group that facilitates Occupy movements at colleges.” She was quoted saying, “Before Occupy, activism did not interest her, but that changed with President Obama’s election. Ms. Hoffman saw him enacting policies as usual and, in her view, coming down on the side of Wall Street.” Through Occupy, young people like Hoffman found an outlet for their frustration with the bailout policies and their disappointment in the government’s tolerance of Wall Street corruption and inequality. Occupy has been credited by some columnists for reversing the “apathy” our generation has been accused of for years. It was a youth movement’s impassioned response to outrageous tuition, staggering student debt figures and grow-
MARA SASSOON/the Justice
ing inequality between the rich and the poor, among countless other factors. Moreover, journalists have exhaustively documented the “spirit” of the Occupy protests. When I walked through Zuccotti Park in October 2011, it just felt a lot like the atmosphere at the Democratic Convention that nominated Barack Obama in 2008, and even what it felt like the night he was elected president. According to a Pew Research poll, young voters were “unusually active” in both campaign work and voting during the 2008 election. According to the Young Democrats of America, voter turnout among the millennial generation “tripled or even quadrupled in many primary states,” and “over 6.5 million young voters participated in the primary contests or caucuses in 2008, an increase of 103 percent over 2004.” There is no denying that 2008 politically mobilized young Americans in a way that had not existed before, and Occupy renewed that spirit in 2011. But then Occupy died out. Can it really be, as
columnists and talking heads usually much older than us like to claim, that our generation’s experiment with social activism and ’60s-style protest was so short-lived because our attention spans are really that short? Did the Occupy movement last less than a year because we—raised on instant gratifications and downloads—are accustomed to the convenience of high-speed everything and couldn’t sustain a social movement by dedicating ourselves fully to it? Regardless of the causes behind its decline, the ultimate and lasting impact of Occupy, as much of the media seems to be saying, is that it made terms like “the 1 percent” common knowledge in American homes. More people are aware of the growing wealth gap and have witnessed the recession personally affect their quality of life. And as young people overwhelmingly attended the Occupy protests, I think we can take credit for raising these issues and putting them at the fore-
front of this current election. Even if Occupy never springs to life again, it will have at least started these conversations. It doesn’t seem unreasonable to say that the focus on Republican Presidential Candidate Mitt Romney’s tax returns and the emphasis on the exorbitant funds he has raised from banks and corporation PACs are partially the result of an increased call for transparency and resentment of the extremely wealthy and their influence in Washington—all issues propagated by Occupy. The best possible outcome of this new pessimism is if it snowballed into actual anger, and manifested itself in a renewed attack on corruption in government. Come November, we will see what impact this anti-idealism has on voter turnout among young people. Hopefully the social activism legacies of 2008 and 2011 will continue to inspire young voters to take matters into their own hands—even if the new way does not involve rallies or occupations.
Political rhetoric embodies Republican platform Glen Chagi
Chesir
Chagi’s chop
Political advertisements, campaign speeches and party conventions are spectacles chock-full of rhetoric. They act as the fundamental way to appeal to voters. This past week at the Republican National Convention, Republican Presidential and Vice-Presidential Candidates Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan were nominated to run against President Barack Obama. According to the RNC website, this year’s convention hosted 2,286 delegates, 2,125 alternative delegates and 15,000 media passes—a press corps second only in size to the London Olympics this year. Each night of the convention was based around a different slogan including signs, posters, video montages and speeches. Tuesday’s slogan was “We built it,” Wednesday’s “We can change it,” and Thursday finished off with “We believe in America.” The slogans for both Wednesday and Thursday are more of your classic campaign rhetoric; bland statements void of an original claim
or opinion. They are basic campaign lingo; an integral, yet fluffy, part of any successful platform. However, Tuesday’s slogan seemed to be in direct response to President Obama. Obama said at a campaign rally in Roanoke, VA on July 13, that companies do not become successful simply on hard work and innovative ideas. He said, “If you are successful, then someone along the line gave you some help.” In other words, the government and society have just as much a hand in the success of a company as the owner or founder. Throughout the evening, various clips were shown at the convention first of President Barack Obama delivering this speech in Virginia followed by various independent business owners responding to the president with some form of “No, Mr. President, I built this.” By using the slogan “We built it,” the Republican National Convention tried to directly disagree with President Obama. Using a slogan that will follow you throughout the campaign that is in contrast to your opponent is quite brilliant. However, the effectiveness of this specific slogan on the surface can be called into question. The difference of opinion between the Democratic and the Republican camps over this issue is clear. The Democratic Party maintains that so-
ciety played a major role in building a company. Therefore the company should give back to society through higher taxes. Republicans maintain that individual people with innovative ideas and dedication to success built their companies. The answer is clearly somewhere in the middle. Obviously, the success of a company is mostly based on the devotion of the owner and his employees. However, to deny that the government and society have any part in the success of the company would be foolish. Why then is this the issue that the Republicans chose to use to represent themselves? Why not create a slogan of a more concrete issue, like a potentially broken political promise the President has made or a flaw in his economic plan? Why bring more attention to a mere argument over what percentage the government plays in a successful business? On the surface, it seems rather petty. That exact pettiness is precisely what makes the slogan so brilliant. This dispute between the two parties represents a fundamental difference in philosophy between Democrats and Republicans. The Democrats are saying that those who have been blessed with success in their business have the moral duty to pay back the country that has facilitated that success. By
using the phrase “We Built This,” the Republicans are arguing that the government under President Obama is trying to leech off of the small business owners who have created their businesses through sweat and tears. Republicans claim it is undemocratic for the government to infringe on the benefits of those sweat and tears. What people choose to do with their hard-earned money is up to them. This slogan is not meant to draw attention to a petty quarrel over percentages; rather, it portrays the modern-day Republican stance of a laissez-faire government. With these three words of “We Built it,”Republicans convey their entire philosophy that small government facilitates economic growth. “We built it” also has an enormous externality. The American public is void of patriotism and self-confidence in their country and in themselves as businessmen and woman. What better way to promote self-confidence than to be constantly wearing your accomplishments on your sleeve and believe in the idea of “We Built This?” With this slogan, Romney and the Republicans not only portray their entire economic philosophy, but they also invoke a sense of pride within the American people. You may or may not agree with the Republican campaign platform but their choice of words was nothing short of remarkable.
THE JUSTICE
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TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 4, 2012
9
MSOCCER: Men kick off season on a high note
AIRBORNE
CONTINUED FROM 12 Saturday was much of the same story for the Judges. Forward Lee Russo ’13, who led his team in scoring last season with nine goals, got the scoring started in the 31st minute by taking a feed from Savonen and slotting the ball into the net. Russo doubled his tally in the 56th minute, burying a rebound from an Ocel shot to double the score. Wingback Josh Hacunda ’16 wrapped up the scoring late in the game, firing home a loose ball to give Brandeis its first win on the season. There had been talk about moving wingbacks Ben Applefield ’14 and Robbie Lynch ’15 up to central midfield, as the middle of the park was where both had played before coming to Brandeis. However, Coven was quick to point out that playing
outside back does not hinder their attacking capablities. “We play a 4-3-3, so the wingbacks can often overlap down the flanks to give us some offense,” he said. “[Applefield] especially loves to come down and play onto his left foot.” Despite the initial successes, Coven is not overconfident. The team has three tough tests at home this week. They play Colby-Sawyer College tomorrow at 7:00 p.m., followed by contests against Clark University on Saturday and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology on Sunday. “We really hope to get some good fan support out there,” said Coven. “I was really happy because about 10 or 20 Brandeis students drove up to New Hampshire to watch us. It was really great to have them there.” With this kind of early season form, this season could be just as good as the last.
WSOCCER: Squad wins twice to begin a year against notable rivals CONTINUED FROM 12 ASHER KRELL/Justice File Photo
GOING FOR THE KILL: Outside hitter Si-Si Hensley ’14 leaps up to notch the kill in a home victory against Babson College.
VBALL: Judges notch strong effort in their road matches CONTINUED FROM 12 come back after being down,” Einhorn said. “It’s all about mentality. We played together and never gave up at any point in the game. I think the fact that we did fight back and win this weekend shows that we can beat any team.” Outside hitter Liz Hood ’15 led the way with 15 kills, while Hensley and Einhorn each tallied doubledoubles. Einhorn had 18 digs and 37 assists, and Hensley had 20 digs and 11 kills. The Judges battled with Johnson & Wales University in their first match on Saturday to preserve their perfect record. Brandeis certainly put in all of their effort. The team came back after losing the first and third sets to win 26-28, 25-
18, 24-26, 25-23 and 15-11. Hood led the squad again with 16 kills, while middle blocker Maddie Engeler ’16 shined in her collegiate debut with 13 kills. Bernaiche had 28 digs, and Einhorn just missed a chance at the half-century mark with 49 assists. The Judges surged to a 2-0 set lead in defeating Salve Regina University 3-1 last Friday. The squad took the first two sets by scores of 25-19 and 28-26, but fell 25-22 in the third set. However, the Judges closed out the match with a 25-18 win to start the season off on the right note. Hensley tallied a double-double with 14 kills and 16 digs. Bernaiche led the way with 19 digs for the Judges, and Hood posted nine kills. Einhorn led the way with 37 assists, and Engeler tallied eight blocks in her first college match.
Einhorn elaborated on the team’s goals this season, saying that many players worked hard over the offseason to improve their game. “All of us definitely have a lot of personal goals to improve our skills,” she said. “One of our main team goals is to make it to the [Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference] tournament, which hasn’t been done for a few years now.” The Judges will try to take another step toward reaching that goal in Wednesday’s home opener against Wellesley College at 7 p.m. They then will remain at home this weekend for the Brandeis Invitational Tournament on Friday with matches versus Babson College at 5 p.m. and Tufts University at 7 p.m.
the Judges engaged in a tight match on Friday against MIT. The Judges had four shots in the first half, two of which were on goal, to the Engineers’ one Coach Denise Dallamora replaced Kofinas in the second half, transferring Savuto to goal. Savuto was called into action at goal quite early. The Engineers roared out of the gates in the second half, firing a shot on goal in just the 21st second. The Engineers came to life and the alarm bells were ringing for the Judges. Spital would soon come to save the day for the Judges in her collegiate debut, scoring the only goal of the game just eight minutes later. After bolting ahead to 20 yards before the goal, she unleashed a high, curling shot that arced past MIT goalkeeper Meghan Wright to hand the Judges a 1-0 lead which would endure.
Though the hosts cranked up the pressure, launching seven shots toward Savuto after the goal, the scoreboard stayed the same, leading to the Judges first win of the year. Savuto noted that these two matches were exactly what the Judges needed to do to bury the ghosts of last year. “We proved we could be beat physical teams by playing smarter," she said. "We used time well in the game and were able to slow them down on their attacking drives. I'm confident that as we continue to play more, our game speed and cohesion will only get better. "With that first hardfought win under our belt, it gave us the confidence we needed to rain goals on Clark.” The Judges will kick off their season at home tomorrow at 4:30 p.m. against Roger Williams, followed by a 12:30 p.m. Saturday matinee versus Springfield College.
BRIEF Brandeis Athletics partners with JLTV for future Brandeis Athletics is finally receiving ESPN-like treatment. The Judges are officially partnering with the Jewish Life Television Network for this upcoming year to promote coverage of the University’s sports. In a desire to launch a more diverse sports programming lineup, JLTV is offering live statistics, highlights and video footage of
Brandeis sporting events. The Judges boast 19 intercollegiate teams, and as a member of the University Athletic Association, JLTV has an opportunity to reach out to a larger base. Brandeis, however, also stands to benefit. JLTV is featured on several leading cable providers in the New England region, including Comcast, DirecTV and Time Warner Cable.
Director of Athletics Sheryl Sousa was pleased with this newfound public relations opportunity “It’s an opportunity to showcase the quality of our program and the student athletes experience at Brandeis,” she said. The Brandeis community has reason to be pleased as well. — Adam Rabinowitz
JENNY CHENG/ Justice File Photo
SANDWICHED: Defenseman Alec Spivack ’15 leaves a NYU defender in the dust.
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THE JUSTICE
jUDGES BY THE NUMBERS
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Tuesday, SEPTEMBER 4, 2012
11
RISING STAR TO WATCH
Men’s Soccer UAA STANDINGS
TEAM STATS Goals
Not including Monday’s games UAA Conference Overall W L D W L D Pct. JUDGES 0 0 0 2 0 0 1.000 Carnegie 0 0 0 2 0 0 1.000 Rochester 0 0 0 2 0 0 1.000 WashU 0 0 0 2 0 0 1.000 NYU 0 0 0 1 0 0 1.000 Case 0 0 0 1 0 1 .500 Chicago 0 0 0 0 0 1 .000 Emory 0 0 0 0 1 1 .000
Lee Russo ’13 and Sam Ocel ’13 have each scored two goals. Player Goals Lee Russo 2 Sam Ocel 2 Tyler Savonen 1 two tied with 1
Shots Lee Russo ’13 is the current team leader with four shots. Player Shots Lee Russo 4 Josh Hacunda 2 Sam Ocel 1 three tied with 1
UPCOMING GAMES Wednesday vs. Colby-Sawyer Saturday vs. Clark Sunday vs. MIT
WOMen’s Soccer UAA STANDINGS
TEAM STATS
Not including Monday’s games
Goals
UAA Conference Overall W L D W L D Pct. JUDGES 0 0 0 2 0 0 1.000 Emory 0 0 0 2 0 0 1.000 WashU 0 0 0 2 0 0 1.000 Chicago 0 0 0 1 0 0 1.000 Carnegie 0 0 0 1 0 1 .750 Case 0 0 0 1 0 1 .750 NYU 0 0 0 0 1 0 .000 Rochester 0 0 0 0 2 0 .000
Mary Shimko ’14 leads the team this year with 2 goals. Player Goals Mary Shimko 2 Sapir Edalati 1 Kelly Peterson 1 Dara Spital 1
UPCOMING GAMES: Wednesday vs. Roger Williams Saturday vs. Springfield Tues, Sept. 11 at Bridgewater St.
Shots Dara Spital ’15 led the team in shots taken with 7. Player Shots Dara Spital 7 Alyssa Fenenbock 4 Mary Shimko 4 Holly Szafran 3
VOLLEYBALL UAA STANDINGS
TEAM STATS Kills
Not including Monday’s games UAA Conference Overall W L W L Pct. WashU 0 0 0 6 0 0 1.000 Emory 0 0 0 4 0 0 1.000 Case 0 0 0 4 0 0 1.000 JUDGES 0 0 0 3 0 0 1.000 Rochester 0 0 0 3 1 0 .750 Chicago 0 0 0 3 1 0 .750 NYU 0 0 0 1 3 0 .250 Carnegie 0 0 0 0 4 0 .000
UPCOMING GAMES: Wednesday vs. Wellesley Friday vs. Babson Friday vs. Tufts
Liz Hood ’15 leads the team in kills this year with 42. Player Kills Liz Hood 42 Si-Si Hensley 35 Maddie Engeler 25 Becca Fischer 21
Digs Elsie Bernaiche ’15 leads the team in digs this year with 69. Player Digs Elsie Bernaiche 69 Yael Einhorn 47 Si-Si Hensley 47 Susan Sun 41
cross cOuntry Results from last year’s UAA Championships at UChicago
TOP FINISHERS (Men’s)
TOP FINISHERS (Women’s)
RUNNER TIME Chris Brown 26:00.5 Marc Boutin 26:20.2 Ed Colvin 26:35.2 Alex Kramer 26:40.1
RUNNER TIME Kate Warwick 23:22.8 Miriam Stulin 23:55.9 Ali Kirsch 24:08.7 Victoria Sanford 25:14.7
UPCOMING EVENTS: Sept. 22 Shriners Invitational at UMass Dartmouth Oct. 6 Open New England Championship at Franklin Park
JOSHUA LINTON/Justice File Photo
CRUISE CONTROL: Defender Ben Applefield ’14 looks to sneak past a WashU defender in a 2-0 home loss last Oct. 18.
Applefield seeks to excel in leading role ■ Despite playing an
unfamiliar position, Ben Applefield ’14 has shined at left-back for the Judges. By JACOB ELDER JUSTICE STAFF WRITER
Every soccer team needs a talented and versatile player on the back line to make the key plays that make or break games. The men’s soccer team has found that player in Ben Applefield ’14. Applefield is a junior who has made quite an impression at left back. He totaled five assists and even slotted home a goal last year. He has continually made an impact on the defensive end of the field and the expectations are high as Brandeis seeks to make the National Collegiate Athletic Association tournament. Applefield is just the sort of utility player that they need to make it to the tournament. He generally plays left back but, to add to his strengths, he can also move forward and attack when
needed at any point in the match. The squad thus boasts a new angle of attack that is a useful weapon against opposing defenses. Hailing from Connecticut, Applefield was recruited by Brandeis coaches after playing for a club team in high school. He stated that he viewed Brandeis as an opportunity to play at a rigorous level. “I just really liked that I could come and play competitive teams,” he said. Applefield also noted that he chose Brandeis due to the team’s consistent perseverance and dedication to improvement. He cited that two of his many secrets to success are that he practices constantly and that he loves to dissect film whenever given the opportunity. “I love looking at film and asking myself how I can improve,” he said. “There are always ways that you can better your game.” Applefield distinguishes himself from other players on the field with a vast knowledge of the game and his touch on the ball. He also is unique for his bound-
less passion for the game. “Soccer’s the thing that I love the most,” he said. “I really just enjoy playing.” Applefield stated that the Judges, after losing backs to graduation last year, do face an imposing hurdle in resurrecting the backfield for this year. He stressed though that they have already made significant progress on that front with several new additions. “We’ve already improved a lot in just a few weeks since the beginning of practice,” he said. He isn’t shy about setting the bar high when asked about the team’s prospects for the upcoming season. His goal is to help the team make the NCAA tournament in any way he can. “We were really close to making the tournament last year ... it was a good learning experience for us and our mentalities different now ... expectations are higher,” he said. The Judges just might accomplish that goal with a player like Applefield.
NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS PREVIEW Patriots seek to capture the elusive Lombardi Trophy after another dismaying Super Bowl loss The motto for the New England Patriots this season is “Super Bowl or bust.” This is nothing new for head coach Bill Belichick’s team, but with a revamped defense and the signing of wide receiver Brandon Lloyd, Belichick has made it clear that the Patriots are built to avenge last year’s loss in the Super Bowl and hoist the coveted Lombardi Trophy. The Patriots, with the drafting of defensive end Chandler Jones and linebacker Dont’a Hightower in the first round of the 2012 NFL draft, are gearing toward a gameplan that focuses on getting after the opposing team’s quarterback and making more gamechanging plays. Belichick, who usually trades down in the draft to accumulate more picks for the future, traded up twice in the first round to select both Jones and Hightower. Belichick was
clearly impressed with these two players, believing that they could make an immediate impact for this season and beyond. Jones and Hightower look to start in a new 4-3 Patriots defense that encompasses four defensive lineman and three linebackers. The Patriots have historically operated under a 3-4 defense, but due to a greater emphasis on passing over the past several years, the team will use faster and quicker defensive ends to sack the quarterback. Defensive end Rob Ninkovich, who often played outside linebacker in last year’s defense, will play alongside Jones on the new defensive line. While Hightower will join linebackers Jerod Mayo and Brandon Spikes to give the Patriots a young and solid core of linebackers, the 31st ranked secondary will warrant the most attention
after surrendering 4,703 passing yards in the regular season last year. Cornerbacks Devin McCourty and Kyle Arrington will be aided by the return of second-year cornerback Ras-I Dowling, who played only two games last year after suffering a season-ending hip injury. The safety position was a revolving door last year due to constant injuries, but safety Patrick Chung will be welcomed by safety Steve Gregory, who was signed as a free agent, as well as safety Tavon Wilson who was drafted in the second round. While there are so many questions on the defensive side of the ball, there should be fewer on offense, as the Patriots boast an aerial attack under quarterback Tom Brady that helped produce the third-most points in the league last year. Tight ends Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez,
both of whom signed contract extensions with the team during the offseason that will keep the duo in Foxborough until at least 2018, will continue to work the middle of the field. Wide receiver Wes Welker will look to lead the league in catches for the second year in a row. The signing of Lloyd should make the offense even more exciting than last year’s explosive corps, given he will be Brady’s best deep threat since wide receiver Randy Moss. The Patriots’ Achilles heel on offense last year proved to be the inability to repeatedly send a receiver for deep passes, but Lloyd should fill that void and give Brady yet another target to throw to. However, in order for this offense to reach its full potential, the offensive line must protect Brady better than it has in the preseason. Without left
tackle Matt Light, who retired after the Super Bowl, as well as right guard Brian Waters, who has yet to report to the team, questions about the line that has often been considered a strength for the Patriots remain. The offensive line must also create enough holes for the Patriots’ running backs to burst through and increase yardage. Second-year running back Stevan Ridley should assume the bulk of the carries after running back BenJarvus Green-Ellis signed with the Cincinnati Bengals during free agency. The pieces are in place for the Patriots to win their first Super Bowl since 2004, but before jumping to that Super Bowl, the journey beings Sunday in a road match in Nashville against the Tennessee Titans.
— Josh Asen
just
Sports
Page 12
JACK OF ALL TRADES Men’s soccer left back Ben Applefield ’14 looks to make a notable impact on both sides of the field for the Judges, p. 11.
Tuesday, September 4, 2012
VOLLEYBALL
Waltham, Mass.
WOMEN’S SOCCER
STRONG START
Squad notches victories in first contests
Team wins in crucial matches ■ The women’s soccer squad defeated MIT and Clark to start off its season with its best foot forward. By HENRY LOUGHLIN JUSTICE EDITORIAL ASSISTANT
■ The women’s volleyball
team wiped away their struggles from last year with a notable 3-0 start. By JACOB MOSKOWITZ JUSTICE STAFF WRITER
The volleyball team dropped the first set in the championship match of the Western Connecticut State University Invitational on Saturday, and with the match suddenly on the line, the team seemed to falter and about to repeat their struggles from last season. This time, however, Brandeis surged to take the next three sets, win the tournament and improve to a 3-0 record after its first weekend of play. The squad won the match against Western Connecticut State by margins of 22-25, 25-21, 25-19 and 25-21. Outside hitter Si-Si Hensley ’14 earned the tournament’s Most Valuable Player award and defensive specialist Elsie Bernaiche ’15 was named as an All-Tournament selection. Setter Yael Einhorn ’14 was impressed with the team’s efforts and further noted that Hensley and Bernaiche played key roles in the success. “[Hensley] played really well,” said Einhorn. “The entire team played well, but she and [Bernaiche] definitely earned the honors they received this weekend.” Western Connecticut State did not make it easy for the Judges. The Colonials won the final three points of the first set and held the momentum, but the Judges turned the tables in the second set, notching the final three points to even the score. In the third set, Brandeis surged to an 11-0 run to turn an 8-5 deficit into a 16-8 lead. The Judges pushed the lead to 23-13 before the Colonials made a furious comeback. Yet, the women were able to ward off collapse and emerge victorious, needing just one more set to win the match and the tournament. The Judges again scored in bunches in the fourth set, rallying to a 16-12 lead after trailing 12-9. While the Colonials stunned the Judges en route to taking a 21-19 lead, Brandeis would not let the match go to a tie-breaker, closing out the set on a 6-0 run to win the final match of the tournament. Einhorn stressed that the Judges need to showcase more resiliency over the course of the season if they wish to avoid last season’s problems. “Last season, we struggled to
See VBALL, 9 ☛
JOSHUA LINTON/Justice File Photo
CLOSE CALL: Defenseman Gaelen Oliver ’15 fights for possession with a NYU defender in a home victory last November.
Men dominate rivals to begin a promising year ■ The men’s soccer team
continued where they left off from last year, winning the Keene State Invitiational. By HENRY LOUGHLIN JUSTICE EDITORIAL ASSISTANT
Before the season, men’s soccer coach Mike Coven, after losing his top seniors, expressed cautious optimism while assessing his team’s chances for the 2012-13 season. After winning the Keene State College Invitational Tournament, he must be more confident. “We had a nice weekend,” said Coven. “We made some mistakes which might come back to haunt us in our more difficult games, but we’re definitely headed in the right direction. We’re a pretty new team, but things are starting to come together pretty well for us.”
The Judges beat Ithaca College and Keene State on Saturday and Sunday by scores of 3-0 and 4-0, respectively. As a result, the squad—for the second straight year—won the tournament, which proves to be a good measuring stick for their progress this season. The Judges replicated the offensive attack that gave them a 15-5-1 record last year early in their match against Ithaca. Brandeis was awarded a free kick just outside the box. Midfielder Sam Ocel ’13 stepped up and curled the set piece around the wall and into the net, which caught the hosts flatfooted. The Judges’ struck again later in the first half when new holding midfielder Jake Picard ’16 whipped in a cross for forward Tyler Savonen ’15, who made no mistake in putting the Judges 2-0 up. “[Picard] has done a good job at the defensive midfield position,” said Coven. “Matt [Brondoli ’14] and Joe
[Eisenbies ’13] have done a good job replacing Ari [Silver ’12] and David [McCoy ’12], who were two of our key players last year. They’ve done a much better job than I would have thought so far.” Midfielder Tudor Livadaru ’14 got his name on the score-sheet soon after to make it 3-0. This time, Ocel was the benefactor rather than the beneficiary, sending a ball in to Livadaru with a good chance, which he converted. “Tudor is much improved from last season,” Coven said. “We like to play a controlled tempo with our game. Tudor is very fast and energetic, but once he learned to settle down, he really fit into our system. He did a very nice job [on Sunday].” Brandeis then bettered its goal total from Sunday against Ithaca. Ocel notched his second goal of the game by finishing into an empty net to wrap up the scoring for the match.
See MSOCCER, 9 ☛
BRIEF Women lead the pack in their season opening meet The women’s cross-country team, ranked No. 10 in the New England region, bolted to a strong start in its first meet of the 2012 season, notching a 34-25 win against the University of Southern Maine last Friday at Weston High School. The Judges boasted seven of the top 10 finishers in the race, edging out the Huskies by nine points. While USM junior Molly Carl won the race in 17 minutes, 51 seconds, Victoria Sanford ’14 and Ali Kirsch ’14 were not far behind, both cross-
ing the finish line in 18:06 to take second and third place, respectively. While USM junior Morgan Beede finished fourth at 18:15, junior Hannah Wiley placed sixth with a time of 18:36, the Judges took care of business by securing five of the six other top 10 finishes. Erin Bisceglia ’12, MA ’13 rounded out the top five with a time of 18:25, and Kristi Pisarik ’15 followed in seventh place with 19:10. Kelsey Whitaker ’16, Molly Paris ’16 and Maggie Hensel ’16 shined in their collegiate debuts
with three top 10 finishes with a time of 19:31. Nora Owens ’16 and Rachel Keller ’16 also performed well in their first meet, notching 17th -and 18thplace finishes, respectively. Owens clocked in at 19:48, while Keller completed the race in 20:01. The squad next competes at the Shriner’s Invitational at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth on Sept. 15. — Adam Rabinowitz
The women’s soccer team started last season 2-0 before limping to a 6-11-2 finish. Based on their two road victories over Clark University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology last weekend, it does not look like the Judges will be on a similar trajectory. The Judges’ 5-0 romp at Clark University on Saturday represented the culmination of a 24-hour span that also included a thrilling 1-0 victory against MIT last Friday. Goalie Michelle Savuto ’15 stated that the team has improved its chemistry and that members are working diligently toward reaching their potential this season. “I think this year, our team chemistry is so positive and every person is taking it upon themselves to improve from last year,” said Savuto, who played the second half of both games. “Our new saying in the locker room—‘cross the line'—is exactly the kind of mentality that will push us beyond what we were able to do last year. Basically, ‘crossing the line’ means that each of us has made a commitment to being focused and resilient when faced with big challenges. Everyone has really embraced this idea, and we are all pushing each other hard on the practice field.” While Brandeis emerged with a 2-0 victory at home in last year’s contest against Clark, the Judges did even better this time. Center back Kelly Peterson ’14 did not take long to start the offensive onslaught, slotting home a goal in the 21st minute to give Brandeis a 1-0 advantage. Defenseman Alec Spivack ’15, after receiving a pass at midfield, dished a feed to Peterson, who then was able to slip in a goal. Midfielder Mary Shimko ’14 notched the second goal of the contest less than five minutes later, receiving the assist from transfer forward Dara Spital ’15, who scored the winner in Friday’s contest in Cambridge. Spital then set up forward Holly Szafran ’16 for a goal in the 33rd minute. The Judges were in the driving seat by the end of the first half, but they weren’t done yet. It took just 42 seconds into the second half for the Judges to continue the scoring. Midfielder Sapir Edalati ’15 received a cross from Szafran to drive home yet another goal. Shimko then polished off the Judges’ offensive success in the 49th minute. Spital was the culprit for the third time, providing the assist for Shimko’s second goal. Savuto stated that team chemistry helped in the win against Clark. “Our year together really showed up [Saturday agains Clark]” she sa id. “We are more able to read each others’ movements on the field and were able to connect passes all the way to the net. Each of us wants to be an impact player, so I think that having a year of experience at the college level has given us an idea of how to utilize each player's strengths." Unlike their game against Clark,
See WSOCCER, 9 ☛
just just
February4, 7, 2012 2012 September
ARTS Laser party lights up the campus
Photo: Robyn Spector/the Justice. Design: Jenny Cheng/the Justice.
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TUESDAY, september 4, 2012 ● THE JUSTICE
POP CULTURE
INSIDE ON CAMPUS
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■ New Arts Faculty
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■ Student Events
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JustArts presents the new Arts faculty and what they are doing at Brandeis. Student Events showcases their activities taking place throughout the semester.
OFF CAMPUS
16-20
■ ‘The Good Doctor’ review
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Orlando Bloom stars in this twisted love story about a doctor harming a patient to spend more time with her.
■ Books Review
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■ ‘Lawless’ review
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A review of five books on a wide variety of topics to consider reading as the semester begins.
A bloody film with Shia LeBoeuf, set during Prohibition, proves to be engaging and exciting.
■ ‘Project Mindy’ review
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■ ‘Sleepwalk With Me’ review
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■ Walden Pond
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Fox’s new show, which stars Mindy Kaling from The Office, is enjoyable but discombobulated.
Radio host Ira Glass’ new film is funny and thoughtful with a valuable message.
The pond, famously described by Thoreau, proves to be a beautiful and relaxing space near campus.
CALENDAR
Interview
by Erica Cooperberg
Ciao bambini! The Italian pop culture community has much to celebrate … well, maybe. In addition to the varied responses to the newest babies on the reality-TV block, there’s a bit of controversy as to just how Italian the little guys are. The E! family, along with parents Giuliana and Bill Rancic, welcomed baby Edward Duke this past Wednesday night. The birth followed nearly a week’s worth of excited tweets from his entertainment-news anchor mama and The Apprentice-winner papa counting down the days until his birth, including @BillRancic’s “It’s Game Time……” when their gestational carrier went into labor and @GiulianaRancic’s “He’s a dream….” after the little guy was born. Edward can be considered a first-generation American. While his pop was born in the United States, Giuliana was born in Italy and immigrated to the States as a young girl. Edward’s birth, mere days before his parents’ fifth anniversary, follows a difficult year for his parents: They endured Giuliana’s breast cancer diagnosis and double mastectomy in 2011 in addition to suffering through numerous failed IVF treatments and a miscarriage. But now that his mom is cancer-free, Edward and his elated parents can begin planning their first family vacay to Italy, perhaps to visit the church where the Rancics wed? Just three days prior to Edward’s Colorado birth, all eyes were on the East Coast, New Jersey, to be specific. Nicole “Snooki” Polizzi and fiancé Jionni LaValle welcomed their little “guido,” Lorenzo Dominic, super early on Sunday, about the time his reality star mom would normally get home from a night of partying at the Jersey Shore. Perhaps most famous for getting punched in the face during a bar brawl, Snooki has earned more than her fair share of backlash after announcing her pregnancy in March. Not only did she drink during her first month before she re-
NYC theater designer joins art community Assistant Prof. Cameron Anderson (THA) hopes to increase interest in production design.
JEFF LEWIS/Chicagophotoshop.com
GUIDO MAMA: Reality star Snooki poses for the camera before her shocking pregnancy.
alized she was carrying her lil guy, but she has notoriously strutted around for the past nine months in sky-high heels and wedges. Who knows if she’s changed her ways, but if her recent tweets are any indication, she’s definitely enjoying motherhood. As for Lorenzo’s actual Italian roots, while his dad may have passed along some Italian blood, his mom certainly didn’t. Although Snooki was raised by an Italian-American family, her dad explained to The New York Times that his daughter was actually born in Santiago, Chile. Whether full-blooded, part-Italian or simply “Guidos” at heart, here’s to wishing these new boys a childhood filled with “molto amore”… and not so much fist-pumping.
What’s happening in Arts on and off campus this semester
ON-CAMPUS EVENTS BZA Hookah Night
BZA will host its annual kickoff event. On the Great Lawn, it will be an opportunity for everyone to see each other again and reconnect through the Israeli cultural apparatus of hookah, which can be seen all over Israel. Thursday from 5 to 7 p.m. on the Great Lawn.
Contra Dance at the Concord Scott House
Sponsored by Contra Dancers, come check out the music of the New England Folk Festival Association at the weekly concert event. The concert is headlined by Nils Fredland and Crowfoot. Thursday from 7:30 to 10:30 p.m. in the Concord Scott House, 74 Walden St., Concord, Mass. Tickets are $5 under the age of 22 and $8 otherwise.
‘Playback Theatre & Desert Roots: Journey of an Iranian Immigrant Family’
Mitra Shavarini (WMGS), a lecturer at Brandeis, is celebrating the launch of her new book, Desert Roots: Journey of an Iranian Immigrant Family. This personal narrative represents a chronicle of the events and people that brought her parents to America and back again to Iran. Shavarini’s talk will be followed by a response by Prof. Kristen Lucken (IGS), a song performed in Tagalog by Leila May Pascual ’15, and a performance by Playback Theatre exploring themes drawn from the book. Persian food will be served. Friday from 5 to 7:30 p.m. in the Laurie Theater in the Spingold Theater Center.
Game Knight Come play fun, awesome games that would make your childhood proud. Sponsored by the Game Knight club, play the various games of your younger days and reminisce in times past. Friday from 8:45 p.m. to 3:00 a.m. in the Castle Commons.
All-Arts Welcome Party
This is an annual welcome party for the Brandeis Arts community. Enjoy free food, live music and giveaways. Sponsored by the Office of the Arts, Student Activities and the Undergraduate Theater Collective. Sept. 10 from 5 to 7 p.m. outside Slosberg Music Center.
Dor Guez
The Rose Art Museum will open “100 Steps to the Mediterranean,” a solo exhibition of photography and video installations by Dor Guez, one of the most compelling emerging artists in the Middle East. It is his first major museum exhibition in the United States. Beginning Sept. 20 at the Rose Art Museum in the Lois Foster Gallery.
OFF-CAMPUS EVENTS Blue Man Group
It’s new. It’s cool. Blue Man Group has up-
JOSHUA LINTON/The Justice
WHAT’S HAPPENING AT THE ROSE: Starting this month, the museum will feature the solo exhibition of Dor Guez that explores the Christian Palestinian minority of the Middle East. p.m. at the Loeb Drama Center, 64 Brattle Street, Cambridge. Tickets start at $25.
dated the wildly popular theatrical show in Boston. Taking a closer look at the technology that both surrounds and isolates us, Blue Man Group showcases technogeek ingenuity while uniting the audience in primal, collective exhilaration. Ongoing weekly. Wednesday at 8 p.m., Friday at 7 p.m., Saturday at 5 p.m. and 8 p.m. and Sunday at 4 p.m. Tickets start at $49. Charles Playhouse, 74 Warrenton Street, Boston.
This R&B group made number 15 on the Billboard 200 with its release of its fourth album, I Learned the Hard Way, in 2010. Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings will be opening the tenthannual Boston “Ahts” Festival. Friday from 6 to 9 p.m. at Christopher Columbus Waterfront Park, Boston.
The Art of Story: Illustrator and Narrative
Festival featuring the Yesberger Band
Pictures tell a story, a story evokes images, a certain tangible object has a life of its own, depending on the tale it summons up in the viewer or the story its creator has endowed it with. Sometimes the art illuminates the words and sometimes the art is a direct contradiction of those words. The art of story draws viewers in and lets them become part of a world, real or imagined, created to delight and inform, with beauty, humor, imagination and not a little magic. It is our privilege to invite you into our worlds. We hope that you will enjoy your journey. Through Oct. 1 at the Emerson Umbrella Center for the Arts, 40 Stow St., Concord, Mass. Monday through Saturday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.
‘Marie Antoinette’
David Adjmi, playwright of last year’s Off-Broadway phenomenon Elective Affinities brings us this comedy. Marie Antoinette provides a peek into the life of everyone’s favorite representative of the one percent—the infamous queen of France and cake enthusiast. She delights and inspires her subjects with her three-foot tall wigs and extravagant haute couture. Through Sept. 29 at 2 p.m., 7 p.m. and 7:30
Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings
ZUMIX celebrates the beginning of the fall season with the annual Harvest Festival. Compete for prizes and the title for bestbaked apple pie and locally grown harvest. There will be free food, live music, games and family activities. Founded in early 2010 at Berklee College of Music, is the project of lead singer and pianist Devon Yesberger, backed up by good friends Spencer Stewart (bass) and Gabriel Smith (drums). Sunday at 3 p.m. at Piers Park, 95 Marginal St., East Boston.
‘Kite Runner’
Based on the 2003 best-selling novel, this epic drama follows boyhood friends Amir and Hassan in 1970s Afghanistan. After witnessing terrible brutality and betraying Hassan, Amir immigrates to the United States with his father, his regret and his shame. When Amir is summoned home to Afghanistan 30 years later to help an ailing friend, secrets are uncovered. This beautiful and complicated story shares an inside view of Afghani culture, while exploring the price of loyalty and friendship, the desire for integrity and hope for redemption. Running from Sunday to Sept. 30 at Arsenal Center for the Arts, 321 Arsenal Street, Watertown, Mass. Student tickets are $20.
JustArts emailed with Assistant Prof. of Theater Arts Cameron Anderson, one of five new faculty members in the University’s Arts departments. Anderson provided highlights from her career and the plans for her class, “THA 40A The Art of the Visual Narrative and Production Design.” For more information on the new Arts faculty, check out our inside guide on the opposite page . JustArts: How did you get into the design side of theater? What is your history with theater and/or art? Cameron Anderson: I was an English major at Wesleyan University and wrote a thesis about Renaissance drama. I also studied drawing and architecture. While writing my thesis, I realized that set design brings together fine arts, literature and architecture. I walked into the theater department to try to assist someone on a design and I was given a show to design. I have been designing ever since. I moved to [New York City] and assisted a designer and then applied to graduate school. After finishing I moved back to NYC and have been working in theater and opera for the past ten years. JA: Is it very different to design for opera rather than for plays? CA: Opera sets tend to be larger and more abstract. ... So opera tends to enable a designer to think on a grander more sweeping scale—but designing classical theater or Shakespeare allows for the same epic qualities. JA: I saw that you have designed for the same show at multiple venues (West Side Story). How much does the physical space play a part in your process? Do you usually try to adapt your previous design to the new space or come up with something completely different or a mixture of the two? CA: It depends. On the production of West Side Story you mentioned, the theaters specifically wanted a similar production. They had seen the earlier production and wanted to remount it. However, the set always has to be adapted to the specific theater it is going into. If the situation were being hired to do a new production of a show I have already designed, I would always make a new and different design. JA: In what ways do you work with the director of a show and in what ways do you follow your own creative choices? CA: The director’s vision usually plays a large part in the process - but it depends on the director. I find that the most rewarding experiences are usually lead by directors who choose to collaborate with designers they trust - and so they want their designers to come up with ideas. I have been fortunate to work with many directors like this. JA: What has been your favorite show you have designed for and why? CA: One of my favorite designs is a production of The Tempest I designed in graduate school. I was able to create a large set made up of huge curved sculptural elements that transformed from the ship to the sea, to the cave. JA: How will you be teaching your class on production design? Is it more theory or hands-on instruction? CA: In my class called the Art of Visual Narrative and Production Design students will learn to story-tell though space. It will mostly be hands- on with some theory. Students will make sculptures, collage, build models, and as a final project create a larger scale visual installation project. It is not a class in how to be a set designer, but in making striking, evocative spaces. JA: What do you hope your students will get out of this class? CA: Using the building blocks of color, composition, line, texture and shape, students will learn to create work that effectively conveys themes, ideas, politics and meaning. Students will learn to identify why something is moving visually ... and then to elicit emotion and meaning from their own work. Students will learn how to create meaning through visual metaphor - so that their work is expressive rather than descriptive. JA: What should someone who wishes to become a production designer study/do in order to be successful? CA: I encourage students who want to become designers to get a well-rounded undergraduate education. Take courses in theater design, but also learn about art history, history, literature - the world. You can’t be an effective story-teller without having a story to tell. JA: Why did you choose to teach at Brandeis? CA: I chose to teach at Brandeis because I wanted to teach ... in a University dedicated to diversity and social justice. ... What we learn in theater and in design can be applied to whatever career you choose. — Emily Salloway
THE JUSTICE
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TUESDAY, september 4, 2012
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ON CAMPUS NEW ARTS FACULTY
PHOTO COURTESY OF BRANDEIS FACULTY GUIDE
PHOTO COURTESY OF BRANDEIS FACULTY GUIDE
PHOTO COURTESY OF SOYEON LUCIA KIM
PHOTO COURTESY OF BRANDEIS FACULTY GUIDE
CREATIVE MINDS: From left to right, Profs. Lori Cole (FA), Elizabeth Bradfield (ENG), Soyeon Lucia Kim (FA) and Deb Todd Wheeler (FA) will all bring new perspectives and experience to the Arts at Brandeis.
New faculty bring variety to the Arts ■ Four new professors with diverse backgrounds add more artistic opportunities to the Brandeis community. By emily salloway and jessie miller JUSTICE editor and editorial assistant
JustArts sat down with Associate Director of the Office of the Arts Ingrid Schorr who was eager to discuss several arts faculty members who will be joining the Brandeis community this semester. “My aim is to get them involved,” Schorr told JustArts. “They’re all collaborators and they all are interdisciplinary.” Starting this year, Elizabeth Bradfield will serve as the Jacob Ziskind Visiting Poet-in-Residence and will also teach “ENG 109a: Directed Writing: Poetry.” She is the
author of two poetry collections, Interpretive Work (2008) and Approaching Ice (2010), and also has two more books coming out within the next year, along with several pieces that have been published in anthologies and journals. Bradfield’s work has received widespread recognition, having won the Audre Lorde Award for Lesbian Poetry for her poetry in Interpretive Work and also receiving fellowships from many places, including Stanford University’s Wallace Stegner program. In 2005, Bradfield founded Broadsided, a collaborative online press that brings literary work from journals into the streets to be shared with the public and posted around the world. Taking leave from Massachusetts College of Art and Design, Deb Todd Wheeler will spend the year working within the Fine Arts department and teaching “FA 4A: Three-Dimensional Design I” and “FA 110A: Senior Studio.”
Brandeis has also commissioned Wheeler to create large-scale public artwork on campus. Wheeler’s gallery exhibits have consisted of work ranging from an installation of live ants to interactive powergenerating pieces. According to Schorr, Wheeler is truly passionate about sculpture: “She’s really interested in using spaces that she thinks are inert and putting artwork in them, like spaces on the staircases between the railings. That’s what excites her.” Lori Cole is the inaugural Charlotte Zysman Postdoctoral Fellow in the Humanities. Having earned her bachelor’s degree from Brown University and both her master’s and Ph.D. in Comparative Literature from New York University, Cole is no stranger to academia. Her work at NYU included research on the artistic interaction between Europe and Latin America. She studied questionnaires about art in these locations in order
to find out more detail about this transatlantic exchange. In addition to teaching, she is also a translator, and has written art criticism for artforum and the Journal of Surrealism and the Americas. Her class, “FA 160A: Global Surrealisms” will demonstrate her expertise in the art movement of surrealism and is only being offered this semester. Soyeon Lucia Kim comes to us primarily as an artist. She was born in Seoul, Korea and raised in Korea, Myanmar and the United States. She has had several exhibitions in New York and was most recently awarded the Carol Schlosberg Memorial Prize from the Yale University School of Art in 2007. She will be teaching “FA 3a: Introduction to Drawing I,” “FA 3b: Introduction to Drawing II,” “FA 107a: Beginning Painting” and “FA 107b: Beginning Painting II.” She earned her B.F.A. from Rhode Island School of Design and her M.F.A. from Yale University. A
statement from Kim on the Museum of Modern Art in New York’s website reads: “It is the errors in communication that I find particularly interesting, and exploring the gap between the physical and the literal is at the crux of my work. … Between that transitional gap lies the site of comedy and tragedy, function and dysfunction.” Schorr has enjoyed meeting with several of the new professors, but has yet to have a chance to speak with each personally. One of the best parts for Schorr about getting to know these four artists (along with Cameron Anderson, about whom you can read in the interview column on the opposite page) is “see[ing] the campus through a newcomer’s eyes,” she said. “I gave Deb [Todd Wheeler] a tour of campus. We walked up the hill past Usdan and she just stops in her tracks and goes, ‘they didn’t tell me there was a castle here.’”
events
Student Events showcases campus activities ■ The outdoor event was
designed to present Student Events to new first-year students during Orientation. By Jessie Miller JUSTICE Editorial Assistant
Friday night on the Great Lawn, Carly Rae Jepson’s “Call Me Maybe” played and groups of students stood in clusters on the grass. Firstyears, orientation leaders and other students all mingled together and checked out the different stations made available to them. The event, titled, “The Hitchhikers’ Guide to Student Events,” was designed to showcase all that the club, which sponsors programming throughout the year, has to offer. Student Events Executive Director, Rachel Nelson ’13, explained to JustArts, “We just want them to know right off the bat [what] we do.” At one table, there were Dunkin’ Donuts munchkins and drinks set up. The table one over had carnivalstyle popcorn, already popped and bagged. Across the lawn, a table was set up to promote Thirsty Thursdays, an event in The Stein that serves beer and wine to upperclassmen, but also has plenty of food for other students. Student Events members dished out Stein classics, like onion rings and fries, and promoted this semester’s Thirsty Thursdays, set for Sept. 13, Oct. 11 and Nov. 15. There were also two Twister mats laid out in the center of the lawn. Though mainly orientation leaders were playing at first, other students joined in as the night progressed. Student Events also parked their be-
JOSHUA LINTON/the Justice
GETTING ORIENTED: Alex Faye ‘15, an Orientation Leader, plays Mafia with a group of a first-year students during “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to Student Events” last week. loved Munchie Mobile, this time in the form of a mid-size SUV with the trunk popped open, at the event and enthusiastically explained to firstyears that they drive around to each quad bringing late night snacks, like pizza, chips, drinks and candy. Andrew Flagel, senior vice president for students and enrollment, was also in attendance Friday night. In an interview with the Justice, he stated his support for Student Events: “This driving force of students being at the center of event planning itself breeds an amazing sense of spirit and these events really embody that,” he
said. “So, attending [their programming] is important but even their existence itself is so different than what other schools have during their welcome weeks, which are largely staged by administrators. Instead, what we have is really an expression of what we love most about Brandeis, selected, executed and designed by our students.” This night was just the beginning for Student Events, who have many more exciting events planned for the year. Says Nelson, “I’m looking forward to the [fall] concert on Sept. 29 ... and for Louis Louis, our spirit
week, in November because we have a lot of exciting and new things for that as well.” Besides the organized activities, attendees also made their own fun. Groups of orientation leaders and first-years broke off into smaller groups and socialized on their own. Others circled up and started playing Mafia, an ice-breaker game where someone plays the murderer and the group tries to solve the mystery of who it is. When asked about the event, Tommy Clifton ’16 said, “It’s awesome. I had fun bonding more with my orientation leader and
friends.” Hitchhiker’s Guide to Student Events was a great night for everyone involved, but the event really was another part of orientation designed to welcome the incoming class to Brandeis. “I hope that the first-years learn that Student Events is awesome and that we are always there to brighten your day,” Nelson said. “We’re there as a club to make the overall campus experience more bright, especially when you’re tired walking to class early in the morning, but then you see donuts and your day is made.”
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TUESDAY, september 4, 2012
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THE JUSTICE
OFF CAMPUS Film
‘Good Doctor’ stages twisted love story ■ This unique movie offers
compelling acting and an unusual plot with themes of obsession, power and loss. By Jessie Miller JUSTICE editorial assistant
The camera zooms in on his hospital ID badge, pans slowly up his reclining body and focuses on the everpresent stethoscope of a doctor. For a moment, Dr. Martin Blake (Orlando Bloom) looks like he is the patient lying sick and vulnerable in a hospital bed. His face is pale, almost ghostlike against the white sheets, and his eyes are glazed over in a state of emptiness. But he is the doctor. He is the one who so carefully balances life and death in his hands. This is how we first see Blake in The Good Doctor, a 2011 Magnolia Pictures film that has finally been released on-demand and in theaters. The movie begins on the first day of Blake’s residency in a southern California hospital. He is nervous and wants to prove himself to his coworkers. He prescribes medication to one of his first patients, Diane Nixon (Riley Keough), an 18-year-old suffering from a kidney disorder, and releases her from the hospital with strict orders to finish her medicine. To thank him for saving his daughter, Nixon’s father (Wade Williams) invites Blake over for dinner. But Blake’s feelings have grown for Nixon since the last time he saw her, and this peek into her home life only feeds his interest. Blake soon becomes obsessed with Nixon and when he visits her home again, he replaces her medication with sugar pills. She winds up in the hospital and Blake secretly continues to make her sicker, while at the same time developing a closer relationship with her. One night, Nixon suddenly dies from heart failure and Blake is left an emotional wreck. However, Jimmy (Michael Peña), an orderly, finds Nixon’s diary and reads all about her relationship with Blake. The film’s trajectory changes and we watch as
Photo courtesy of Magnolia Pictures
NOT SO GOOD DOCTOR: Dr. Martin Blake (Orlando Bloom) examines Diane Nixon (Riley Keough) and slowly develops an obsession with her, intentionally making her sick. Jimmy blackmails Blake into giving him prescription painkillers. After watching The Good Doctor, I am torn. At its core, it is a demented and warped love story. It marks the invisible line where desire becomes obsession, leading to Blake’s undeniably inhumane actions. In some ways, this works against the movie, as we are given no character to cling to throughout; we do not feel attached or responsible for anyone, not even the victims of Blake’s cru-
elty. Bloom’s acting was outstanding, especially because it is so different than some of his typical roles. He achieves a certain level of “creepiness” yet does not alienate the viewer. Keough’s role was less memorable because she is in a hospital bed for most of the movie, but I feel like her role is less memorable and pronounced because it is not about her; she is a victim of Blake’s actions
and, therefore, fades into the background. Bloom fully supports the movie on his own, and the other actors, especially Keough, bring more out of his character and enhance the story, exactly what supporting characters should do. Peña plays Jimmy as a dynamic and interesting supporting character. His role evolved as the movie progressed; he perfectly depicted the fun, lighthearted and joking orderly,
but flawlessly transitioned into a deceiving character who took advantage of Blake’s situation. The Good Doctor is a foray into the abuse of power, especially when blinded by obsession. But the film reminds us that love is not infallible. Once Blake gets hold of Nixon’s diary, he destroys it, just like he destroyed her. He moves on with his life and she is forgotten, a silent victim in the ongoing tragedies of love.
books
Memoirs and politics make good summer reads ■ JustArts reviews a few
books to consider, ranging from Jewish sociology to a Supreme Court analysis. By PHIL GALLAGHER JUSTICE editorial assistant
One of the best things about the summer is the time that you have to catch up on all the reading that you weren’t able to do during the academic year. I found myself spending a good deal of time on my summer reading, whether it was on my daily commute into Manhattan or vacationing on Cape Cod. Out of the books that I read over the past three months, I chose five relatively different titles to review. What Happened: Inside the Bush White House and Washington’s Culture of Deception, Scott McClellan (PublicAffairs, 2008) Summary: As an insider account of the Bush administration by Scott McClellan, Bush’s former press secretary, this book deals almost exclusively with the Valerie Plame affair, a political scandal involving the blown cover of CIA Agent Plame, and McClellan’s role conveying information on the scandal to the press. A particular prominence is given to the personal ethical challenges that McClellan recalls facing when he questioned the political information he was provided while trying to be an honest and reputable spokesperson for President Bush. Review: The book comes across as a vehicle for McClellan to clear
his name from ethical wrongdoing in the Plame affair. As a reader who was looking for a thoughtful monograph to consider the faults of the Bush administration, this was a major disappointment. Moreover, McClellan included others’ personal testimonials to him, which I perceived as purely self-serving. He makes some interesting points about Bush and his leadership style, but McClellan seems most concerned about his image and his own life, contrary to the book’s title. Score: 4/10 Portrait of American Jews: The Last Half of the 20th Century, Samuel C. Heilman (University of Washington Press, 2011) Summary: Heilman, a distinguished professor of Sociology at Queens College in New York, has adapted a series of lectures given at the University of Washington into this comprehensive book. This is a broad survey of American Jewry as it has evolved from the 1950s to the 1990s, divided into sections by decade. Heilman touches on several topics of interest to American Jews, such as Jewish education, institution building and mixed marriage. Review: As a reader with minimal background in sociological methodology or terminology, I found the book very accessible and thorough. Some points can be a bit dry, such as the number-filled section on population growth, but this should be expected in an academic book. Heilman is nonetheless able to create an overview of American Jewry that explains the group’s complicated development. The book is best read
with a general knowledge of Jewish cultural practices, as he does not break down each Jewish ritual and tradition he discusses. Score: 9/10 A Tale of Love and Darkness, Amos Oz (Mariner Books, 2004) Summary: This is the memoir of Israeli author Amos Oz, in which he recounts his time growing up in Jerusalem during the creation of the Israeli state. The story primarily chronicles the suicide of his mother when Oz was 12, but also touches upon other themes of growing up, such as his personal relations with Arabs, the professional struggles of his father in academia and his oneon-one meeting with David Ben-Gurion while living on a type of communal settlement called a kibbutz. Review: At over 500 pages, this book is very long and not exactly a page-turner but Oz offers a unique child’s perspective on growing up in war-torn Jerusalem and vividly conveys emotions of loss surrounding his mother’s suicide. Furthermore, he includes wisdom and insight based in his life experiences throughout the book that make it a pleasure to read. Several times in the story, Oz somewhat abruptly adopts the voices of relatives to convey stories about his parents or ancestry, and it can be difficult to identify exactly whom he channels. However, once the reader understands the voice through which he is speaking, Oz communicates the attitudes of those around him growing up quite clearly, and his very precise language paints clear pictures of his childhood.
Score: 9/10 Bringing up Bebé: One American Mother Discovers the Wisdom of French Parenting, Pamela Druckerman (Penguin Press, 2012) Summary: Part narrative, part popular sociology, Bringing up Bebé reports Druckerman’s experiences as an American woman raising children in France. She discusses several components of French parenting, including attitudes towards food, French nurseries (crèches) and dealing with a child’s minor misbehaviors (bêtises). At the same time, she incorporates her personal experiences living in France, making French friends and assimilating into French culture. Review: Druckerman’s book provides an exciting glimpse into French parenting culture through an American lens. She includes research from several sources in her book and clearly details, with personality and humor, informal fieldwork in crèches, doctor’s offices and friends’ homes. Druckerman starts to falter, however, with narratives unrelated to her fieldwork. These describe either mundane social anxiety or familial conflicts and have a whining tone. This not insignificant chunk of the story hampers the book’s overall quality. Score: 7/10 The Nine: Inside the Secret World of the Supreme Court, Jeffrey Toobin (Doubleday, 2008) Summary: Legal analyst Jeffrey Toobin details the Supreme Court before the Obama term, analyzing the roles and characters of each individual Justice on the Court. He
considers important topics that the Court has encountered, from social issues to the 2000 presidential election, and focuses on recent American history and the niches that each Justice has created for him- or herself. Review: This excellent and highly engaging book breathes life and personality into the Supreme Court, which can be perceived as the quietest branch of American government. Toobin’s prose is engrossing, and he avoids complex “legalese,” making his book intellectually accessible. Furthermore, his biographical research, which reveals the distinct personalities of the Court, is very thorough and often humorous. Although the book is now slightly outdated, given the new makeup of the court with Elena Kagan and Sonia Sotomayor, it remains a highly recommended read to get a fuller understanding of the United States’ highest judiciary body. I’m looking forward to picking up his new book, titled The Oath: The Obama White House and the Supreme Court, which comes out on Sept. 18. Score: 10/10 Although this review provides several options for reading, many exciting books are coming out in September, such as alumnus Mitch Albom’s The Time Keeper (which hits shelves today) and J.K. Rowling’s new novel The Casual Vacancy (Sept. 27). Be on the lookout for these new publications, as there are several days off in September that can be used to do some reading for pleasure.
THE JUSTICE
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TUESDAY, september 4, 2012
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PREDICTABLE YET POLISHED
Actors’ command fleshes out ‘Lawless’ ■ In this action-filled non-action film,
LaBeouf’s and Pearce’s multi-faceted performances bring depth and energy to an otherwise predictable story arc. By emily salloway JUSTICE editor
It’s the Prohibition, and Franklin County, Virginia, is not the kind of place you’d ever want to find yourself. The good guys aren’t so good, and the bad guys show no mercy. There’s a war going on between those who have it (alcohol, masculinity pride, fearlessness to the point of stupidity) and those who have less of it. The police aren’t sure who to side with—the people of Franklin County make their own rules and aren’t afraid to break them. This is the backdrop for John Hillcoat’s new flick Lawless, based on the true story of the Bondurant brothers, Jack (Shia LaBeouf), Forrest (Tom Hardy) and Howard (Jason Clarke). The brothers run an illegal liquor business out of their family’s store and, along with Jack’s friend Cricket Pate (Dane DeHaan), produce the moonshine in a hidden distillery nearby. Chicago big shot Special Agent Charlie Rakes (Guy Pearce) has been hired to put a stop to the Bondurants’ bootlegging. Rakes is definitely one of the bad guys. With his slicked- back hair and city-boy accent, he is both talk and action. But the Bondurants aren’t boys to be messed with. They’re legendary, and some say they’re even the stuff of legend: invincible, inhuman, immortal. When they find that they have the worst of the bad guys, serial killer Floyd Banner (Gary Oldman), as their number-one customer, they discover the confidence to with-
stand the danger of guns and knives. On the surface, Lawless is unique. The plot is complex, the morality of the characters is multi-dimensional and the setting is flawlessly photographed by Benoît Delhomme (The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, One Day). But beyond the basics, the film is predictable, from who’s going to live and who’s going to die, to the type of transformation each character must go through to make it to the end. Luckily for Hillcoat, the lack of surprise actually works to the film’s advantage. Set to a powerful score, the denouement offers a sort of catharsis not found in other movies with expected outcomes. There is satisfaction in seeing the characters, especially Jack, fulfill the miniature prophecies you begin to set for them. LaBeouf outshines his costars, whose grunts and scowls make it seem like they took the easy way out in their interpretations. LaBeouf, with his boyish looks and silly partshaven hairstyle, brings out the sides of Jack’s personality that are relatable and even likeable. Pearce is a strong foil to the youngest Bondurant: he is chilling as the black-suited, wellgroomed villain and makes it easy for the audience to side with the rule-breakers. From his speech mannerisms to his unfaltering mission, Pearce stands out as an atypically coldhearted law enforcer. Though it is certainly not an action film, Lawless is not for the squeamish. There’s blood, there’s bodily mutilation and there are countless instances of intolerable pain. Just don’t close your eyes for too long, or you might miss out on what may seem like a pissing contest but is actually an incredibly engaging story of growth, morality and internal strength.
RICHARD FOREMAN, JR./The Weinstein Company
RICHARD FOREMAN, JR./The Weinstein Company
WATCH OUT: Charlie Rakes (Guy Pearce) prepares for an attack behind the doors of his hotel room.
THE BONDURANTS BATTLE: The Bondurants and friends encounter their law-enforcing opponents at the bridge.
television
Writer-comedian stars in lackluster TV pilot ■ Kaling’s new sitcom, ‘The
Mindy Project,’ delivers a few laughs but needs time to grow and balance out. By fiona lockyer JUSTICE editor
A television show about the life and romantic misadventures of a slightly overweight OB/GYN obsessed with romantic comedies. Sounds good to me, but sadly, I lack a TV. So naturally, I turned to the internet. After watching the pilot episode of the new Fox sitcom The Mindy Project on Hulu, I took a look at the comments to see if any of my thoughts while watching the show had also registered with other viewers. Debate was roaring in the comment section. One commenter, Meena Adams, wrote, “I expected not to like it, but an [sic] chunky Indian
female lead that looks just like me? Yeah, I guess I’ll buy that! ... And to the black man who said she is Indian and ‘acts white’, please tell me what American-born Indians should act like so I’ll know how to not sell out my race in the future.” So, it seemed that someone else shared my thoughts. Mindy Kaling’s (The Office) The Mindy Project, for as run-of-the-mill and normal as it seems to be, is special in the sense that it features a main character, Mindy Lahiri (Kaling), that one does not often see on television: namely, a slightly-overweight, Indian female. It’s easy to compare Kaling and Lena Dunham, creator and star of HBO’s latest Girls. Well, it’s easy for a few reasons, but racial/ethnic diversity in casting (or lack thereof) certainly is a hot topic of discussion. Yes, both Kaling and Dunham are in the same general age bracket, they both have a large social-media following and they both have written
shows focused on female characters. But though they share some similarities, there is one difference: Kaling has some racial/ethnic diversity in her show (although in the pilot, it’s only herself), and Dunham does not. After the recent criticism surrounding Girls, the topic of casting in Hollywood has found itself back in the blogosphere’s spotlight. NPR’s “Fresh Air” interviewed Dunham about the lack of diversity in her show, to which she responded, “Not that the experience of an AfricanAmerican girl and a white girl are drastically different, but there has to be specificity to that experience [that] I wasn’t able to speak to. I really wrote the show from a gut-level place, and each character was a piece of me or based on someone close to me.” If it is indeed impossible to write for characters outside of one’s race, theoretically, casting diversity is going to rely on diverse writers coming along.
So now, the Mindy Project is here to add a little diversity to the TV scene. But outside of what it provides in color–and the necessary conversations it can start about diversity in casting and what “acting white” means, as the aforementioned commenter brought up–does it hit all the right notes in terms of being funny? Well, I laughed quite a bit. Mindy’s character is all at once boring and out of control. She spends all of her time watching romantic comedies (and tells us that she’s been doing so since elementary school). She’s made it through medical school, but when her ex-boyfriend gets married, she becomes an outrageous ball of black-out energy, causing a scene at the wedding and riding a bike into someone’s in-ground pool. She delivers a baby, and then her office-hottie-turned-hook-up, Jeremy (Ed Weeks), comes over, and it’s clear where the episode is going to go. It’s all funny, but it’s also difficult
at times to gauge whether Mindy is going to come out as the doctor or the drunk, which can be distractingly confusing. So this is where I find fault with the pilot. It’s fine that the character is multifaceted, that the plot, following her life, twists and turns often. It’s fine that it’s laden with classic romantic comedy conventions, like when it becomes clear that Danny (Chris Messina), who mocks her weight and her outfit choice, is going to be the guy with whom she of course ends up. What’s hard to understand is why a doctor, at 30-something years old, would be oscillating between dorkychic and drunken and disorderly. For a pilot episode, is scatterbrained, but entertaining. What the rest of the season holds, and what the show itself means for the ethnic and racial landscape of sitcom television, is still unclear.
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THE JUSTICE
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TUESDAY, september 4, 2012
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WEEKEND DAY TRIP INTO THE WATER: The pond has a section for swimming, which is roped off and patrolled by lifeguards to maintain safety within the park. PHOTOS BY ROBYN SPECTOR/the Justice
Walden Pond mixes recreation, history ■ This bit of New England
history, made famous by writer Henry David Thoreau, offers plenty of outdoor fun. By FIONA LOCKYER JUSTICE editor
In the mood to commune with Henry David Thoreau? In New England, it’s possible. A mere nine miles from Brandeis, you can see exactly where Thoreau made his cabin and lived in nature, which inspired possibly his most famous text, Walden. Walden Pond, hidden in Concord, Mass.—and apparently unreachable by GPS, according to a recent New York Times article—is one of those New England gems one must visit during their four year stay at Brandeis. On a popular beach day at the Pond, you can find yourself sharing the sand with hundreds of other New Englanders, whether they’re literary enthusiasts, nature enthusiasts or just looking for a place to spend the day. But even on Labor Day, when day-trippers all over try to get out of the office and into the world, if
you walk around the 1.7-mile radius of Thoreau’s tranquil oasis you’ll find quiet strips of land. There’s just enough water to dip your toes in to think and realize that even just miles outside of a major city, nature is plentiful. If you don’t think about it while you’re at the Pond, you’ll certainly realize when you lose cell phone reception and GPS service. This complicates attempts to tweet a picture of the delicious frozen treats at Dairy Joy, in Weston, Mass., but makes for a much more encompassing (and delicious) trip into nature. Certainly visit this fall, while the leaves are changing colors and before the water is too cold for a quick dip. Don’t have a car? Fear not: there will be an opportunity to do so this fall. The “Quest Through Concord” trip, part of the Fall Fest events Oct. 11 to 15, will include a tour of Walden Pond and the nearby Concord Museum. Or, you could do it the old-fashioned way and walk, like Prof. Sabine Von Mering (GER), who walked with students from her course “GECS 118B Human/Nature: European Perspectives on Climate Change” from Brandeis to Walden Pond last spring.
PLAYING IT COOL: Three visitors to Walden Pond enjoy ice cream cones from Dairy Joy, a food vendor in Weston, Mass.
ROW, ROW, ROW: The quiet pond provides the perfect location for fishers and boaters alike to enjoy the weather.
film
‘Sleepwalk’ combines comedy and self-reflection ■ This film from Ira Glass and
Mike Birbiglia crosses genres and is making its rounds in theaters across the country. By JANE ZITOMER JUSTICE CONTRIBUTING WRITER
This summer I jumped at the chance to meet Ira Glass, radio host of “This American Life,” at the premiere of Sleepwalk With Me, a film that he produced. Little did I know that the real star of the production would be director, comedian and actor Mike Birbiglia.
Based on the true story of Birbiglia’s funny-because-it’s-not-yours life, Sleepwalk With Me documents a struggling comedian’s conclusion that his girlfriend of eight years isn’t “the one.” The film is self-reflective. Birbiglia’s character, Matt Pandamiglio, narrates the story from a car he’s driving, and as with his career and love life, Pandamiglio pays little attention to the road. His passive-aggressive father (James Rebhorn) nags him about getting a “real” job, while his pathetic mother (Carol Kane) always tries to get in the last word. Between the constant comments from relatives about what a wonderful girlfriend Abby
(Lauren Ambrose) is and how his comedic material is recycled, Matt reaches a breaking point. He starts to unknowingly play out the events of his underwhelming, unsatisfying life in his sleep. And the details of both his daily and nighttime struggles make for the best stand-up of his career. “This is the first time I remember thinking ‘I think I should see a doctor.’ Then I thought, ‘maybe I’ll eat dinner.’ I went with dinner,” Birbiglia narrates from the driver’s seat. At one point, he also notes to the audience that he too is in the future and therefore sees the major flaw in a certain life-changing decision his
character previously made on screen. Comedians such as Marc Maron, who hosts a popular podcast called “WTF,” and Kristen Schaal, who has appeared on 30 Rock and contributes to The Daily Show make appearances throughout the film in roles that are seemingly similar to their actual personas. Actors and actresses from many different genres and generations make small appearances. This film is perfect for frequent documentary-goers, aspiring stand-up comedians and comedy enthusiasts in general. The film is funny because it’s sad but true. Sleepwalk With Me is witty and relatable. It’s about ignoring pestering
symptoms until doing so becomes impossible and unavoidable. It’s about the humor in failure on the way to success. It’s about the most useful advice coming from absolute strangers but ultimately listening to your own instinct. By the end of the screening, I was so busy sleepwalking with Birbiglia, I forgot to ask Glass to autograph my ticket stub. Sleepwalk With Me has now been released in theaters and is making its way to the big screens of what will be more than 25 cities in total. It is showing in Boston every day this week at Kendall Square Cinema in Cambridge and Friday at Coolidge Corner in Brookline, Mass.
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TUESday, September 4, 2012 ● THE JUSTICE
TOP of the
ARTS ON VIEW
Brandeis “
CHARTS
TALKS
Top 10s for the week ending September 2
Quote of the week
BOX OFFICE
“It’s tested, effective, fair and totally Brandeis.” —Dean of Student Life Rick Sawyer on the Student Conduct Board process for assessing student misconduct. (News, p. 4).
1. The Possession 2. Lawless (2012) 3. The Expendables 2 4. The Bourne Legacy 5. ParaNorman 6. The Odd Life of Timothy Green 7. The Dark Knight Rises 8. The Campaign 9. 2016: Obama’s America 10. Hope Springs
What class are you looking forward to this semester and why?
NYT BESTSELLERS
JOSHUA LINTON/The Justice
NIGHT LIGHTS: Photo Editor Joshua Linton ’14 took this shot on the Fourth of July at Milwaukee, Wisc.’s annual fireworks show while exploring the city with his photographer friends.
Anita Palmer ’15 “Economics of Race and Gender because it incorporates a lot of topics.”
Jason Xia ’15 “I’m excited for French because I want to study abroad.”
Olga Birbrayer ’16 “Ballroom dancing class ... it’s a great way to dive into a new experience.”
ACROSS 1 No. on a utility bill 5 Show of affection 9 Dust and grime 13 Old woman’s home, in a nursery rhyme 14 Capital NNW of Copenhagen 15 TV’s Uncle Miltie 16 Place to prop a pillow 18 Win by __ 19 St. Francis’s home 20 Emulate Georgia O’Keeffe 21 Well-suited 22 Luck of the draw 25 French girlfriend 27 Deadlocked 29 Vital central section of a country 31 Sawbones 34 Joint-bending ballet move 35 Actor Beatty 36 Youth organization whose focus areas begin the answers to starred clues 39 Leave openmouthed 42 Oklahoma tribe 43 Spread here and there 47 Effortless way to win 50 Length x width, for a rectangle 51 Wheel holder 52 “... nothing to fear but fear __” 55 Unspecified high degree 56 Bundled, as hay 58 Pretenses 60 Chutzpah 61 Recuperative resort 64 Raring to go 65 Part of ISBN: Abbr. 66 Resting on 67 Small bills 68 Barely passing grades 69 Spoil, with “on” DOWN 1 Bat wood 2 Any product at a dollar store 3 Rolled with the engine off 4 “Bill & __ Bogus Journey” 5 __ ball: rubber toy fad of the ’80s 6 Old Testament prophet 7 Camera type, for short 8 Roll-your-own grass 9 “It wasn’t me,” e.g. 10 Armored superhero 11 “Goosebumps” series author 12 Casual shirt 15 Sheep’s bleat 17 Ballpoint brand 20 Hazards 21 24-hr. cash source 23 Brothers of nieces
CROSSWORD
“Field Biology because that’s what I’m doing later in life after school.”
iTUNES
BILLBOARD
24 Differential or integral math subj. 26 Onetime Leno announcer Hall 28 “What’s the __?”: “Seems the same to me” 30 German: Abbr. 32 Lovey-dovey murmurs 33 Surpassed in performance 37 Ginger or ginseng 38 Lingerie top 39 “I get it!” 40 Yellow-podded veggie 41 Make bigger 44 Che’s given name 45 Slippery area to mop up 46 “Let’s not” 48 Probes, with “into” 49 Prove false 53 Calm spells 54 Strong and healthy 57 Suffix with auction 59 Herring known for its roe
60 Recent: Pref. 61 Stayed out of sight 62 WSW opposite 63. Mimic
1. Trey Songz — Chapter V 2. 2 Chainz — Based on A T.R.U. Story 3. Various Artists — Now Vol. 43 4. DJ Khaled — Kiss the Ring 5. Justin Bieber — Believe 6. Maroon 5 — Overexposed 7. Owl City — The Midsummer Station 8. Rick Ross — God Forgives, I Don’t 9. Tenth Avenue North — The Struggle 10. One Direction — Up All Night Top of the Charts information provided by Fandango, the New York Times, Billboard. com and Apple.com.
STAFF PLAYLIST
“Drifting Back” Solution to last week’s crossword
SUDOKU INSTRUCTIONS: Place a number in the empty boxes in such a way that each row across, each column down and each small 9-box square contains all of the numbers from one to nine.
Lucas Silva ’13
“Hollywood in American Culture because I really like the professor, and I am a film major.” —Compiled by Jessie Miller Photos by Joshua Linton/ the Justice
Nonfiction 1. Paterno — Joe Posnanski 2. Obama’s America: Unmaking the American Dream — Dinesh D’Souza 3. The Amateur — Edward Klein 4. Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption — Cheryl Strayed 5. Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Coast Trail — Cheryl Strayed 1. Taylor Swift — “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together” 2. Maroon 5 — “One More Night” 3. Fun. — “Some Nights” 4. Flo Rida — “Whistle” 5. Owl City & Carly Rae Jepson — “Good Time” 6. Justin Bieber feat. Big Sean — “As Long As You Love Me” 7. Phillip Phillips — “Home” 8. Neon Trees — “Everybody Talks” 9. Cher Lloyd —“Want U Back” 10. Carly Rae Jepsen — “Call Me Maybe”
MCT Campus
Elliot Lustig ’13
Fiction 1. Gone Girl — Gillian Flynn 2. The Inn at Rose Harbor — Debbie Macomber 3. Wards of Faerie — Terry Brooks 4. The Light Between Oceans — M.L. Stedman 5. A Dance with Dragons — George R.R. Martin
Solution to last week’s sudoku
Sudoku Copyright 2012 MCT Campus, Inc.
By PHIL GALLAGHER
Justice eDITORIAL ASSISTANT
I always enjoy listening to music from a variety of decades. Each year has a slightly different musical style, and it’s interesting to listen to the change in progression. THE LIST 1. “I Would Do Anything for You”— Foster the People 2. “Some Nights”—Fun. 3. “Scar” —Missy Higgins 4. “I Don’t Feel Like Dancin’”—Scissor Sisters 5. “Deacon Blues”—Steely Dan 6. “Karma Chameleon”—Culture Club 7. “She Drives Me Crazy”—Fine Young Cannibals 8. “Come on Eileen”—Dexy’s Midnight Runners 9. “Edge of Seventeen”—Stevie Nicks 10. Midnight Train to Georgia — Gladys Knight & The Pips