The Brandeis Hoot - April 29, 2011

Vol. 8, No. 13

www.thebrandeishoot.com

Brandeis University’s Community Newspaper • Waltham, Mass.

April 29, 2011

Univ student conduct procedures to change Title IX guidance to impact sexual assault regulations

By Jon Ostrowsky Editor

Brandeis will change its student conduct process for sexual assault cases following new Title IX guidance from the U.S. Department of Education earlier this month. But it is unlikely the university will create a new, separate grievance process specifically for sexual assault cases, Dean of Student Life Rick Sawyer said.

“Our students are at the top of the pile when it comes to saying they feel safe on this campus,” Sawyer said during an interview in his office this week.

“We didn’t need a letter from Title IX to tell us to do this.”

Other universities are considering creating a new grievance process for sexual assault separate from handling other cases of student misconduct, Sawyer said. Brandeis will review its procedures and the Rights and Responsibilities handbook during the summer to determine what it should change because of the Title IX guidance.

Universities can use student disci-

plinary hearings to address sexual assault complaints and do not need a separate grievance process, but the school’s Title IX coordinator must review the procedures to ensure they comply with Title IX, according to the guidance sent to school administrators from the Office for Civil Rights on April 4.

Effective immediately, as required in the guidance, Brandeis will shift its standard of proof for internal hearings on sexual assault from a “clear and convincing standard” to “preponderance of the evidence” standard, a lesser burden of proof, Sawyer said.

“What changes are the instructions to the board and how they are able to determine the outcome,” Sawyer said.

The university will also amend its procedures during the summer so that students are no longer required to confront one another during hearings.

“OCR strongly discourages schools from allowing the parties personally to question or cross-examine each other during the hearing,” Russlynn Ali, assistant secretary for civil rights, wrote in the letter. “Allowing an alleged perpetrator to question an alleged victim directly may be traumatic or intimidating, thereby possibly escalating or perpetuating a hostile environment.”

From 2007 to 2009, there were three reported “forcible sex offenses” at See TITLE IX, page 2

change of the guard Outgoing president Daniel Acheampong ’11 delivered the State of the Union Thursday, before welcoming incoming president Herbie Rosen ’12 to the podium.

photo by alex patch/the hoot

Acheampong reflects: State of the Union

By Nathan Koskella Editor

Union President Daniel Acheampong ’11 boasted his administration’s successes in the areas of student-administrative representation, curriculum and dining changes in his second and final State of the Union address Thursday night in Rapaporte Treasure Hall before an audience of fellow

students and members of the university senior staff.

Acheampong announced that beginning this fall “the senior representative to the board of trustees will have a seat on the governance committee,” the highest administrative organ of the university.

He congratulated his fellow Union members who are the student representatives to the Undergraduate

Curriculum Committee, which successfully approved a reform of the pass-fail system last month, wildly popular with the student body according to polls, that allowed a “pass” grade to count for one university general requirement.

“And as you all know, a new ‘P.O.D.’ has opened in the Village,” with the See ACHEAMPONG, page 10

Arts all around us: Festival of the Arts Financial disclosure bill to impact univ

By Destiny D. Aquino Editor

Installation in Shapiro Campus Center. For more artwork, see page 10.

photo by nafiz “fizz ” ahmed/the hoot

A Massachusetts state bill that would require Brandeis and all other universities and colleges to disclose federal and state taxes that would have been paid if they had not been tax exempt is currently with the Joint Committee on Revenue and the Joint Committee on the Judiciary.

The bill also requires universities and colleges to report a list of any holdings totaling more than $10 million and make public the salaries of any administrator making more than $250,000.

A hearing will likely be set in June or July, the committees’ offices said.

This bill was created after a report from the Center for Social Philanthropy at Boston-based Tellus Institute reported that taxexempt higher education institutions were involved in transactions that were similar to the high-finance-style practices that contributed to the global financial crisis.

The report studied six schools: Boston College, Boston University, Brandeis University, Harvard University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and Dartmouth College in New Hampshire.

According to the report, the schools made high-risk endowment investment; were governed by a large number of individuals with close or direct ties to the corporate financial

industry; granted large compensations and/ or severance packages to financial administrators; and failed to report some potential conflicts of interest among those administrators and their governing boards.

University Spokesman and Senior Vice President for Communications Andrew Gully declined to comment for this story. President Fred Lawrence could not be reached for comment.

In an April 23 Boston Globe article, which focused on the issues surrounding this bill, state Senator Patricia D. Jehlen, a Somerville Democrat and the lead sponsor of the bill said, “They made foolish financial decisions and the question is now, have they changed or are they, like many people on Wall Street, doing the same thing they were before the financial crisis and making other people pay for their mistakes?”

In response, the article quoted Richard Doherty, president of the Association of Independent Colleges and Universities in Massachusetts, saying that his association opposes the legislation and plans to denounce it when it reaches the public hearing process.

“It’s unclear to us what public policy problem the bill solves,” he said.

“We think there are any number of provisions in it that would cause harm,” to private higher education.

It is currently unclear how Brandeis will react to the bill.

NEWS

2 The Brandeis Hoot

April 29, 2011

Greek Life expands on campus

By Josh Kelly Staff

Since its founding in 1948, Brandeis has undergone many changes. The university has grown, its programs have expanded and it has begun to accept widely diverse students into the ever-changing population. One of these changes is the noticeable rise in the presence of Greek life.

While the founders of Brandeis opposed recognized Greek life, today, both off-campus fraternities and sororities have seen dramatic increases in enrollment. The presence of Greek life at Brandeis has grown in areas of social life but also in philanthropy and community service. At a university that does not recognize fraternities and sororities, many wonder how the image and role of Greek life will impact Brandeis in the future.

Marc Eder, the President of Phi Kappa Psi, described significant growth in enrollment numbers during the past decade.

“In the early 2000s we had seven guys. Now we’re the largest on campus. With this pledge class I think we have 69 brothers currently.

We’re graduating 12 or 13…we plan to start next semester with 53 brothers,” he said.

Eder, however, does not see this as isolated to his fraternity, but rather a pattern with all Greek organizations and a change in the overall Brandeis student body.

“I think part of it is the expansion of admissions here draws a new crowd…I feel like that has to have something to do with it,” he said.

Marisa Tashman, president of the Delta Phi Epsilon sorority, presented a different view. Her sorority has grown from about 50 sisters a few years ago to 65 today.

She attributes the increased popularity of Greek life to awareness.

“I think this increase is due to a greater awareness of Greek life amongst the overall student population on campus. I think that the Greek organizations have done a great job getting the word out about who we are and what we do over the past few years.”

However, when asked about how Greek life fits into the overall social scene at Brandeis and how this might change in the future, Eder did not hold any assumptions that fraternities and sororities are the end-all and be-all of socializing.

“I think currently Greek life is a great option but it’s not the overwhelming [option]…[Other people] might say ‘oh Greek life is the only place

By Debby Brodsky Staff

greek awareness council

where people go have parties and it’s the only social life really at Brandeis’, and that’s not really true, as much as we like to think it is,” Eder said.

He does not see it as a dichotomy of a Brandeis social scene and a distant Greek life like some other schools’ experiences. “The fraternities here are very uniquely Brandeis,” he said.

Eder also said that the role of fraternities extends beyond simply trying to “provide [a] pretty ample opportunity for students to go out and party.”

Like other Greek organizations, Phi Psi tries to engage in community building at retreats as well as emphasize the importance of philanthropy.

Eder described various philanthropic activities Greek life engages in, such as helping to get the group Invisible Children—an organization dedicated to bringing about an end to civil conflict in Uganda—to visit Brandeis.

Tashman explained, in addition to similar philanthropic efforts, that the sisters of Delta Phi Epsilon are deeply involved with the overall campus life of Brandeis.

“In terms of campus life, we have sisters involved in Waltham Group, the Student Union, sisters who hold jobs on campus, many who are involved in the pre-law and pre-health societies, a ton of sisters are orientation leaders every year, and we always have a few involved in student events.”

Referring to the Invisible Children visit, Eder said, “We can’t take credit for it all. We just said, ‘all right, we’ll do all the planning, Waltham Group, can you just reserve us a room, and now it’s ‘Waltham Group is hosting Invisible Children’ and they haven’t done anything for it.

While it’s great that we get to get it done, [also]

photo by ingrid schulte/the hoot

we [would] appreciate the recognition,” he said.

However, despite this desire to gain more recognition, when asked about whether or not he wanted to have fraternities recognized officially on campus, Eder responded that they do not want to be officially recognized.

When asked if he was concerned about university regulation, he explained that while that is true, “it’s not so much ‘oh, well now you guys can’t have parties.’ That’s not so much what Greek life’s worried about. They’re worried [that with] recognition they’re [going] to try and change organizations,” he said.

Presidents of the Greek organizations and the presidents of the Greek Awareness Council, a recognized club, have met with the deans in recent months. Eder also met with President Fred Lawrence and is hopeful that Greek-university relations will change.

Tashman expressed similar sentiments. “We aren’t necessarily seeking to be fully recognized by the university…We want communication lines to remain open between Greeks, the student body and administrators, so we can all work together to provide the campus with positive opportunities and experiences.”

Daniel Goulden ’14 said that the increased enrollment numbers have a snowball effect.

“I think it’s a combination of a lot of factors. I think Brandeis has grown a lot more and I think obviously if you have a bigger frat then more people are going to be inclined to join the frat,” Goulden said. “Also, the idea of a frat is just extremely seductive to a scared little college freshman who has no really close friends.” According to Goulden, the idea of being a brother is a “sense of security.”

Univ to reevaluate sexual assault procedures over summer TITLE IX, from page 1

Brandeis, according to data published in fall 2010 from Public Safety. Nationally, nearly one in five female and one in 20 male undergraduate college students will become a victim of a sexual assault, or attempted sexual assault, according to data from the Office for Civil Rights.

Title IX has made many national headlines this spring, with the Department of Education investigating both Yale University and Harvard Law School for complaints alleging that school policies on sexual harassment and sexual assault violate federal law under Title IX. “The situations at Yale and Harvard Law provide an impetus for us to review our own policies and procedures,” Vice President for Human Resources and Brandeis’ Title IX coordinator Scot Bemis wrote in an e-mail to The Hoot. “While we are confident that our policies fully comply with current law, we will use these incidents to reflect upon our current practices and see if there are any take-aways we can learn from them.”

In the guidance, OCR reminded schools that they must inform all students and employees about the role of the university’s Title IX coordinator.

Bemis said that in addition to other roles, he oversees complaints from students, staff and faculty regarding harassment. The student judicial system manages cases where the alleged offender is a student and the Office of Human Resources manages cases where the alleged offender is a university employee.

Bemis said that although his office has had many contacts since academic year 2008, it has only reviewed one case in a “formal complaint and

Students organize 5K for charity

investigation.”

From 2008 to 2010, according to data from the Student Rights and Community Standards website, there were three cases of sexual misconduct or assault, one of which the student conduct board accepted to hear.

The guidance letter from OCR reminded any school receiving federal funding that sexual violence is a form of sexual harassment prohibited under Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, and thus requires specific university regulations to prevent it.

Even if a victim or third party does not file a complaint, universities that learn of possible sexual harassment must order a Title IX investigation, independent of a local or state run criminal investigation, the guidance said.

Brandeis deals with alleged violations of Rights and Responsibilities through “the student conduct process independent of any ongoing criminal matter” Senior Vice President for Communications Andrew Gully wrote in an e-mail earlier this month.

“Even if the student doesn’t want to pursue a judicial action on it, there’s a requirement that the school does whatever possible to remove the hostile environment out of the situation,” Sawyer said.

Under Section 22 of Rights and Responsibilities, Sawyer, as dean of student life, has the power to enact an emergency suspension separate from other judicial action.

“It’s for anytime we believe the accused student is an imminent danger to the community,” Sawyer said. “[But] for me to interrupt a student’s right to be on this campus, I have to be very careful.”

Caitlin Fay ’12, coordinator of Students Talking About Relationships (S.T.A.R), said Brandeis’ has

a strong support system for victims of sexual assault, but that ultimately it is the attitudes of students and not administrators who can best prevent sexual assaults.

“No matter how many people you put on the administration, ultimately what needs to happen is that victims…need to feel like they have support in their community,” Fay said in a phone interview Thursday. “[Often] victims and survivors somehow feel implicated in the fault.”

Brandeis provides students who are victims of sexual assault with many resources and protections against retaliation, Bemis wrote.

As a primary precaution, Brandeis makes every effort to keep the investigation “investigation as confidential as possible.”

After explaining that Brandeis does not allow retaliation in any form, Bemis wrote that “the investigator will stay in contact with the complainant throughout the process and even after the process has ended to make sure that no retaliation occurs.”

One of the steps that Brandeis takes is that university police officers will transport students to a local hospital or police station in an unmarked vehicle in order to prevent drawing attention to the victim, Fay said.

Fay also said that many people are unclear about the definitions of sexual assault.

“A lot of people don’t actually know what sexual assault means or what it encompasses,” she said.

Section 3.1 of Rights and Responsibilities defines sexual misconduct.

“Sexual contact that occurs without the explicit consent of each student involved may be considered sexual misconduct. Consent must be clearly communicated, mutual, non-coercive, and given free of force or threat of force.”

The Brandeis-run Waltham Alliance to Create Housing, a community development corporation, (WATCH-CDC) is hosting a five-kilometer run around Loop Road this Saturday to raise funds for its housing advocacy clinic.

The 5k is designed to help support Waltham residents in need of emergency housing by providing them with grants in the hope that the money helps them escape further hardships.

“The reason why we started this fundraiser is because we opened up an emergency financial program for people in need,” Stephanie Johnson ’13, a WATCH-CDC intern, said.

“After having to choose between two families struggling for housing because of our lack of funds, we were determined to fundraise. Everything is donation-based.”

According to Anne Schweitzer ’10, the community organizer at WATCH-CDC, the organization “was formed by a group of concerned Waltham citizens in 1988 in the wake of housing troubles at that time. It was part of a movement with other communities to form community development corporations, whose aim is to work with, not for, the community in addressing issues and achieving goals.”

In 2007, Brandeis Professor Laura Goldin and several Brandeis students formed the WATCH-CDC Housing Advocacy Clinic, located on Moody Street, which works to empower local residents against unjust landlords. Johnson explained that she began to volunteer at the clinic last year and, after enjoying her time immensely, she continued her volunteer work this year, recruiting several Martin Luther King Jr. Service Scholarship students in the process. Deeply impacted by her work with WATCH-CDC, Johnson explained her anticipated role as a supervisor at the clinic next year. She hopes someday to become a lawyer, working with advocacy and low-income families.

While there are only two Brandeis interns working for WATCH-CDC, there are many advocates, all of whom are Brandeis students.

“An advocate is trained to help residents of Waltham and the greater Boston area,” Johnson said. “Advocates write letters to landlords, work to understand tenant-landlord problems and to find solutions to them.”

Schweitzer explained, “WATCH-CDC, like all CDCs, focuses solely on the community that it is in. We are and will always be a Waltham-based corporation.”

WATCH-CDC helps Waltham residents in a variety of ways. It works to provide affordable housing, holds an adult education class for immigrants of all nationalities, educates residents about their rights and responsibilities as tenants, educates first-time home buyers, and weatherizes homes to lower fuel costs.

“Some nights the clinic is so packed, we have to use every corner, every room to help people,” Johnson said. “I love the clinic, what it stands for and the fact that I can reach out to people and make a difference in their lives.

It is a feeling of satisfaction you cannot get anywhere else.”

This Saturday’s 5k is WATCH-CDC’s first fundraiser held at Brandeis. The event is sponsored by donations from many Waltham organizations, and by Powerade and Pop Chips. Food and festivities will accompany the event on the Great Lawn.

“This is an amazing way for Brandeis to work cohesively to support its bond with the Waltham community,” Johnson said. “Please come out to support the event; it’s going to be a beautiful day!”

EDITORIALS

April 29, 2011

Established 2005 "To acquire wisdom, one must observe."

Alex Schneider Editor in Chief Destiny D. Aquino Managing Editor Nathan Koskella News Editor Jon Ostrowsky News Editor Leah Finkelman Features Editor Morgan Gross Impressions Editor Alex Self Impressions Editor Sean Fabery Arts, Etc. Editor Gordy Stillman Sports Editor Leah Lefkowitz Layout Editor Vanessa Kerr Business Editor Yael Katzwer Copy Editor Savannah Pearlman Copy Editor Ariel Wittenberg Associate Editor Photography Editors Nafiz “Fizz” Ahmed Ingrid Schulte Alan Tran

Senior Editors Bret Matthew Kayla Dos Santos Max Shay

Volume 8 • Issue 13 the brandeis hoot • brandeis university 415 south street • waltham, ma

Founded By Leslie Pazan, Igor Pedan and Daniel Silverman

STAFF Rick Alterbaum, Candice Bautista, Alana Blum, Chris Bordelon, Debby Brodsky, Emily Breitbart, Haley Fine, Emma Chad-Friedman, Jodi Elkin, Andrea Fishman, Jeremy Goodman, Edwin Gonzalez, Paula Hoekstra, Adam Hughes, Gabby Katz, Josh Kelly, Christina Kolokotroni, Anthony Losquadro, Ariel Madway, Estie Martin, Alex Norris, Alexandra Patch, Lien Phung, Andrew Rauner, Alexandra Zelle Rettman, Ricky Rosen, Nate Rosenbloom, Imara Roychowdhury, Morgana Russino, Aaron Sadowsky, Jessica Sashihara, Aliza Sena, Emily Stott, Brian Tabakin, Ryan Tierney, Steven Wong, Yuan Yao and Suzanna Yu

Mission The Hoot is a community student newspaper of Brandeis University. Produced entirely by students, The Hoot serves a readership of 6,000 with in-depth news, relevant commentary, sports and coverage of cultural events. Our mission is to give every community member a voice.

SUBMISSION POLICIES The Hoot welcomes letters to the editor on subjects that are of interest to the community. Preference is given to current or former community members, and The Hoot reserves the right to edit or reject submissions. The deadline for submitting letters is Wednesday at noon.

Please submit letters to letters@thebrandeishoot.com along with your contact information. Letters should not exceed 500 words.

The opinions, columns, cartoons and advertisements printed in The Hoot do not necessarily represent the opinions of the editorial board.

connect On the Web http://thebrandeishoot.com http://twitter.com/thebrandeishoot http://facebook.com/thebrandeishoot General Inquiries Phone: (781) 330.0051 E-mail: editor@thebrandeishoot.com

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The Brandeis Hoot 3

Be a leader in sexual assault policy

M

ost students at Brandeis feel safe. And they should.

Brandeis is a safe campus filled with multiple departments and community leaders dedicated to protecting student safety. But unfortunately, Brandeis is not immune from the issues of sexual violence and harassment that plague every college and university campus. It would be naive to think that because our campus is safe students are not raped here.

This month, The Office for Civil Rights in the U.S. Department of Education reminded all schools of their responsibilities to comply with Title IX and prevent sexual assaults. The message of the 20-page guidance letter sent on April 4 is simple: Schools must take every action possible to prevent sexual violence. And when it does occur, they must make every effort to remove the hostile environment the assault created. That means investigating the incident and making victim protection the number one priority.

We trust that Brandeis has a strong sup-

C

port system in place. We expect Brandeis to conduct a full review of its current procedures and ensure not only that they fulfill the Title IX requirements, but also that this university will become a national leader in creating programs that raise awareness about sexual harassment and will form policies that seek to prevent it from creating an unsafe campus environment. That is what Brandeis does in the field of social justice. It does not accept the status quo. But rather it strives to set a new benchmark, a new goal for other institutions to follow. We hope that all of Brandeis’ leaders will recognize that as they review the current policies.

If university President Fred Lawrence wishes to assert his leadership in an area that directly affects student life and the spirit of our community, we recommend that he appoint a new task force to review Brandeis regulations for handling issues of sexual violence.

But regardless of what any administrator can do, Joe Biden said it best earlier this

month when he spoke at the University of New Hampshire. He explained that only by shifting our society’s attitudes about sexual assault will we be able to make our country safer.

“When it comes to sexual abuse, it’s quite simple. No means no,” Biden said. “No means no if you’re drunk or you’re sober.

No means no if you’re on bed in a dorm or on the street. No means no even if you said yes at first and you changed your mind. No means no. And it’s a crime to disregard no.”

The stigma associated with sexual assault on college campuses—the belief that if someone was drunk or best friends with the attacker—makes it less of an offense is absurd. It’s an excuse that needs to end. And it needs to end now. Biden could not have been clearer. Sex without consent is rape. Period.

And it’s a crime punishable by more than a decade in prison under state law.

We hope Brandeis will become a leader in reminding our society that rape is always a crime, regardless of when or where it occurs.

The voices of the class of 2011

ommencement is approaching, and in preparation, seniors voted this week for the senior commencement speech they would most want to hear on their last day at Brandeis.

Taken together, the 10 speeches are more than options for the senior class to choose.

They are a representation of where the class of 2011 has been, where they’re going and most importantly how a Brandeis education has forever changed the class 2011.

The speeches are a strong reminder of the changing times. Stephen Robinson and Julie Judson urge their classmates to keep in touch via the Internet, whether on Facebook or Twitter. Robinson goes further, stating that Brandeis has changed: “As we exit Gosman today, Brandeis enters a new era. President Fred Lawrence has taken over for President Jehuda Reinharz. The new Mandel Center is in full function and looking beautiful.”

Each speech has its own theme. Julian Olidort speaks of the values instilled in graduates by a liberal arts education. Andrew Litwin asks, “Why are we here … What are we celebrating?” and uses his speech to answer the question. Andrew Mandel likens Brandeis to a home.

Allison Simon laments, “Now, as we sit

here on our graduation day, we can no longer hide in our favorite study spaces.” Nevertheless, to her, college was a time for finding strength. “Even though it may be incredibly daunting, my hope for each and every graduate is that you use this newfound strength to challenge yourself.”

“Go for it,” says Stephen Rango. “Brandeisians are not called to blend in, to conform, to keep quiet. … Just go for it. Like seriously. No really. Go for it. We not only owe that to ourselves, but we owe it to the rest of the world.”

The speeches also remind graduates about what makes Brandeis wonderfully different from other schools. Daniel Acheampong urges appreciation of the present, remembering key moments of his Brandeis experience: “We begin to appreciate the long conversations about the economics and the physics exam we had in Usdan, the all-nighters in Shapiro Campus Center writing 25-page papers as we devoured Einstein bagels, the familial Shabbat dinners at Sherman Function Hall, the Battle of the Brandeis DJs with President Lawrence as the MC and the multiple attempts to talk to the girl or guy you wanted to approach since freshman year.”

Ilana Spector remembers the places that

Letters to the editor

To the Editor: While The Hoot’s article covering Dr. Andrew Wakefield’s April 13 lecture at Brandeis presented both sides, the accompanying editorial titled, “Don’t let Wakefield go unchallenged,” was completely biased and provided no support for its claims that Wakefield’s work has been “discredited” and contains “errors and flaws,” or that he “committed great harm through his research, which is filled with fraud and unethical conduct far more than it is with facts.”

In truth, Dr. Wakefield’s greatest harm is to the bottom line of the pharmaceutical companies when he points out serious risks in the vaccine schedule. One such example is the recommendation to delay the Diphtheria-TetanusPertussis vaccine by a mere two months, which has been shown to halve the risk of developing asthma according to a 2008 Canadian study from the University of Manitoba, as cited by Dr. Wakefield in his lecture.

The Hoot editorial also stated that Dr. Wakefield should have debated a Brandeis health policy or science professor. That’s exactly what I’d intended but those who were invited to debate him declined.

A January op-ed in The New York Times writ-

make Brandeis different: “I know where I am going … whether it is to the top of Rabb, Usdan or Sherman, and where I have been— Massell, the Castle, the Village, the Mods …

Shapiro.”

The speeches get to the heart of student culture at Brandeis, as when Stephen Rango notes, “I’ve learned that with enough Shapiros, anything is possible. And I’ve learned that the Jewish people just can’t celebrate enough, especially in September and October. And a whole week in April. Still waiting on someone to tell me what Shemini Atzeret is.”

Some choose to tell familiar stories. Abigail Katznelson describes the all too common experience of losing her computer’s hard drive and her choice to recover just three things: iTunes, a family photo and her graduation speech. “Yes,” she writes. “For the first time in my life, I am traveling light.”

If The Hoot were able to give its own graduation speech, the premise would be simple: Listen to the accomplished class of 2011.

You will be surprised to find that no two graduates have the same thing to say. Like President Lawrence’s coined phrase, “They didn’t go to college, they went to Brandeis,” and it has changed them all, the way it will change all of us.

Send letters to letters@thebrandeishoot.com

ten by my former professor, Michael Willrich, criticized Dr. Wakefield. Yet neither Professor Willrich nor anyone from the social or natural science departments who opposes Dr. Wakefield and who was approached with the idea of debating him was willing to do so.

In The Hoot’s article, Dr. Steven Miles—a gerontologist who said Dr. Wakefield “scared” Minnesota’s Somali community—neglected to mention that autism affects a whopping one in 28 Somali children in Minnesota and that Dr. Wakefield was actually invited to speak by the Somali community.

The Somalis had plenty to fear from autism before they were visited by Dr. Wakefield, who advocated an initiative to study why the condition affects their population so profoundly. This is something the state health department and Steven Miles—who was quoted as calling Minnesota’s Somali community “unsophisticated and desperate”—are not publicly supporting.

Parents at the event who came from off-campus—many of whose children had been as sick as the children in Dr. Wakefield’s presentation— were represented as an “angry group” who had “gobbled up” “atrocious science and statistical fudging” in graduate student Zach Feiger’s

statement to The Hoot. Yet he did not question the science or the statistics at the question and answer session. Isn’t it “atrocious science” to continue giving every infant the Hep B shot on the first day of life, which is associated with a three-fold greater prevalence of autism in boys according to a SUNY Stony Brook study cited in Dr. Wakefield’s presentation?

That there are people who would not debate Dr. Wakefield, ask him questions or even hear what he has to say is their own responsibility— not that of the speaker, the organizer or anyone else in attendance that night.

I am proud that Dr. Andrew Wakefield had this opportunity to address the allegations against him as well as the science of autism and vaccine risks. He spoke to a diverse audience of students, faculty, staff, parents of children with autism, scientists, a pediatrician and professionals in the field of autism.

—Jake Crosby ’11 Jake Crosby organized Dr. Andrew Wakefield’s Brandeis lecture and is a contributing editor to ageofautism.com.

4 NEWS

The Brandeis Hoot

April 29, 2011

Part four in a comprehensive examination of race at Brandeis

The Mosaic: The reality of race in campus social life photos by ingrid schulte and nafiz “fizz ” ahmed/the hoot

In 2007, 94.5 percent of student respondents to a university diversity survey said Brandeis had exposed them to a group different than their own. In the same survey, 51 percent of students responded “not at all” to the question: “To what extent does the culture of Brandeis support people in getting to know people of different backgrounds?”

This discrepancy is still seen today.

“Have you seen the lunch room on a daily basis?” JV Souffrant ’14 asked. “You have white students sitting with white students, Asian students sitting with Asian students and black students sitting with black students.”

“It’s like, hey, I thought we were diverse,” he said. “It looks diverse but nobody is coming together.”

Indeed, student interviews and surveys have revealed one basic truth to race and social life at Brandeis: No matter the school’s mission statement or racial makeup, cross-racial student interaction only occurs when students will it.

Everyday interactions In a survey of 8 percent of the undergraduate population, many students were quick to give non-traditional responses to the question: “What does the word ‘race’ mean to you?” Many responses echoed the response of one student: “I don’t believe in race.”

More than 20 respondents stated that race was “a social construct.” One went so far as to say that race was “basically meaningless.”

Yet racial disparities and barriers to social advancement continue to persist.

In the same survey, 27 percent of students surveyed said they are more likely to hang out with their own race or ethnic group, with 8 percent strongly agreeing with the statement. Forty-five percent of respondents said they felt more comfortable in a social setting when there were more

By

members of their own race present.

Maya Grant ’13 said that self-segregation of students in their daily interactions is not intentional but merely a symptom of students’ comfort levels.

“At lunch you sit with your friends who you relate with,” she said. “If those people happen to be your race then I feel like [people assume] races want to sit together.

“It gets put [into] this social identity but really, when you think about it, lunch is an hour and if I want to sit with someone of my race who I am comfortable with, and the rest of the day I will be in classes with people I don’t know then why does it matter?” she asked.

Ipyani Grant ’12 agreed that daily interactions are not so much influenced by race as they are by one’s group of friends. Still, he thinks race does impede people from stepping out of their comfort zones.

“Often times I don’t think people are comfortable enough to speak to someone they are used to seeing and, in particular, someone of a different race,” he said.

Nathan Hakimi ’11 explained Brandeis’ social interactions by comparing the university to Brooklyn, NY. “On the one hand you have a lot of Jews, some of whom are really religious, and then you have racial minorities and black people, but they don’t interact,” Hakimi said.

While Hakimi said he has a very eclectic group of friends made up of students of different backgrounds, he said he does not have any close black or African-American friends.

“I don’t have any reason not to—I have a desire to [befriend people],” he said. “But there is the question of: How do you become friends with people who are so different from you?”

Bethlehem Solomon ’14 said her friends from high school were racially diverse so she “didn’t initially come [to Brandeis] and say ‘All

Wittenberg,

right, all the black people will be my friends,’ but when I look at my friends now, they are very heavily one race.

“I guess that’s just the way it is here,” she said.

“It’s diverse but we don’t use it to gain new perspectives from our peers.”

While students agreed that, for the most part, the racial stratification of Brandeis’ social life is not caused by any animosity between the races, there have still been instances where minority students feel stereotyped.

Souffrant said, while he has “not experienced blatant racism,” he has “seen small signals of it.

“It’s the kind of thing where I have been walking back to my dorm at night and a student walking towards you looks at you and then starts walking a little faster,” he said.

Zakaria Hussein (TYP) said he has been met with “ignorant questions” about his personal background, which he attributes to his race.

“I had a girl come up to me and ask ‘So you’re from Roxbury, isn’t that where all the people get shot?’” he said. “It’s not her fault; it’s the fault of the media and society. But that shit still pisses me off.”

The danger of assumptions More prevalent than overt racism on campus are the incorrect and offensive assumptions many minorities face.

Ipyani Grant said, “It is hard to communicate with people that don’t really understand you, and often times there’s a question of: Do they really want to understand you?

“Do people really care or do people already have their minds made up?”

A common assumption faced by students of color is that they all belong to scholarship programs like Posse, TYP, MLK or the newly inaugurated Gateway Scholars program.

“I think people look down on TYP and think

Ogbeide &

Pictured above (counter-clockwise starting top left): Ipyani Grant, Caroline Duchin, Muhammad Malik, Beneva Davies, Ezra Erani and Haemee Kang.

it’s just an opportunity for Brandeis to incorporate minorities,” Maya Grant said. “They see Posse as an elite scholarship program; at the same time, sometimes people are confused by why minorities would be in an elite scholarship program and assume it to be financial.

And MLK is just something in between.”

Beneva Davies ’13, an African-American regular admit, meaning she is not a scholarship student, is often assumed to be on scholarship. She commented that upon first coming to Brandeis, it can be harder to relate within minority groups: “[Minority students] automatically assume you come from the same background as them, but when you’re a regular admit, have a different background and come from a different state as them, it is a little harder to make friends.”

Some assumptions are more pernicious than others. In addition to being mistakenly typecast as a basketball player on countless occasions, Napoleon Lherisson ’11 described an experience when he “was speaking with a Brandeis police officer and he said, ‘I didn’t realize how smart you are.’

“I thought, ‘who do you think I am, or better yet, who do you assume I am?’”

Many assumptions take root in the variety of ways in which students choose to define their identity.

Hussein, who is originally from Somalia, identifies himself as “African, not black,” a distinction many students disregard, instead choosing to look at him through their own racial lens.

Hakimi, who is “technically white,” feels a similar pressure to define.

“On a census, I am Caucasian, but the fact that I look ethnic in some way signifies me as different from white,” Hakimi, whose mother is white and father is Iranian, said. “So what does that make me? Am I white? Half-white?

Gubbala

April 29, 2011

NEWS 5

The Brandeis Hoot

By the numbers In general, I am more likely to hang out with members of my own racial/ethnic group outside class.

What does ‘race’ mean to you?

In a survey of the undergraduate student body, The Hoot found that “race” has different meanings to different students. Here are some responses we received:

Something the United States is obsessed with.

I have a lot of difficulty defining this word.

I really, really don’t know.

A bubble I color in on a standardized test. .

I don’t use the term race, I find it highly It means everything­—no matter how ridiculous—we’ve associated with it.

inaccurate

A general, and basically meaningless, term for a large group of people.

Color of one’s skin.

People say it’s the color of your skin, but that’s not always accurate.

Race is a word that implies the existence of a skin-color based human classification system.

Survey of 270 students, or 8 percent, of the undergraduate student body

“Technically the part of the Middle East my family is from is still Caucasian but, if you look at my skin, it’s not white.”

Judaism as a race Hakimi’s struggle to define his race is mirrored by some Jews on campus who believe Judaism is not only a religion and ethnicity, but a race as well.

At least 10 respondents to The Hoot’s survey felt strongly that Judaism constitutes a race, with one outright rejecting the conflation of Jewish and white, saying “I’m not white, but Ashkenazi.”

On the fraught nature of self-identifying as Jewish, Miriam Goldman ’14 wrote, “People, especially other Jewish people, tend to disagree with my race and refer to me as white, which I find very offensive.”

The struggle to define Judaism is not unique to Brandeis and scholars have grappled with how to encapsulate the complex identity, which, depending on the person, can mean anything from religion, to culture, to nationality, to race.

One student said they considered Judaism to be their race because being white made them “simply feel boring.

“It may be obnoxious to say that I am bored to simply check white, but there is no white culture and that is sad to me.”

Vu Truong ’11 expressed frustration with whites who disavow their whiteness in order to identify as Jewish, Polish, Irish and Italian because in doing so they often forget the discrimination their people historically faced but with which they are no longer confronted.

“Some students kid themselves into believing that they are not white because they come from these [historically discriminated] backgrounds and feel culturally disintegrated that others see them as white,” he said. “The fact of the matter is all these identities have been absorbed into the white mainstream, so people from these backgrounds have traded ‘culture’ for the social advantages that come from being the default.”

On another front, Gila Heller ’13 said she will not live with students who are not Orthodox Jews because of different customs but admits “being Orthodox sometimes limits how much I am able to interact with other races.”

Hakimi, a Persian Jew, said the Orthodox community can feel alienating even to less observant Jews.

“Who wants to sit with the Shomer Negiah kids and try and figure out how that all works?” he asked about Orthodox Jewish students who choose not to have any physical contact with members of the opposite gender until marriage. “People don’t see the Jews in Sherman as a deserving group of our outreach.”

Race relations 101 When asked if they agreed with the statement: “In general, my race significantly affects my social life,” 30 percent of respondents to The Hoot’s survey said they disagreed, and 28 percent said they “strongly” disagreed.

Still, nearly all survey respondents and interviewees agree that race plays a significant role in social life at Brandeis. While Brandeis students, on the whole, report satisfaction

with the level of campus diversity (with 32 percent agreeing that they were satisfied), 10 percent of respondents report never having been in a close interracial friendship with a student during their time at Brandeis. Forty percent report never having attended a party where most attendees are racial minorities, something Davies finds outrageous.

“There are full minority parties and if you deny that fact then I don’t know where you’ve been,” she said.

One student was in the minority saying, “When I tried to answer questions about who I’m friends with, I had to stop to think about what race people were because it’s not generally something I consider.” Others noted the human tendency to group together by similarity, and that students in racially, ethnically or culturally homogeneous groups can benefit from shared experiences.

One respondent describes her experience with having a roommate who is an international student.

“She explained to me that, as a Chinese student, she felt she could only be friends with other Chinese students. I asked her if it would be possible for me to be friends with her friends and she thought not. She told me that the Chinese, along with other minorities on campus, have their own private communities that are inaccessible to others.”

Indeed, according to The Hoot’s survey, Asians and South-Asians are more likely to have race affect their choice of friends, with 89.6 percent saying they believed race had a significant influence on their social lives, the highest percentile of any other minority category.

Other students, however, distinguished a difference in functionality of their friends within heterogeneous friend groups.

“Being able to understand and console someone when they are going through something [is a big part of friendship]. My minority and non-minority friends do that all the same,” Davies said, adding that having race in common does sometimes mean friends could better relate in certain situations. “When I am dealing with something that is specifically about race, no matter how much my nonminority friend wants to understand and how much they love and care for me, the fact is that, unless you are a part of that group, you can’t really understand the struggles.”

Ipyani Grant echoes that sentiment.

“I don’t believe there is a difference in trust but a difference in understanding,” he said.

Race within the hook-up culture While many friendships may cross race lines, sex and romantic relationships rarely do.

Daniel Gutman ’12 regrets the low prevalence of interracial sex which he relates to the low integration of social groups at Brandeis.

Lherisson thinks black women on campus have a false perception of black men, saying, “Black girls perceive black guys to hook up with anything.”

He believes black male promiscuity is exaggerated in the media and also receives unwarranted attention from white women.

Davies reiterated this sort of special attention to black males.

“I’ve had white girlfriends who say, ‘Oh my

I think it’s mostly made up.

god, I just want to hook up with a black guy!’”

Questions of whether people are seen as individuals or as sexual novelties surfaces often when students have sex with members of other races.

Ipyani Grant wonders if this is just an imagined issue and if people just have innocent curiosities. “I’ve heard girls say ‘that guy’s really hot’ and he’s black but I don’t know if it’s because she thinks he’s more sexually adequate than someone else or if it’s because she sincerely thinks he’s hot,” he said.

Others who have engaged in interracial relations think that experiences between the races result in different sexual experiences.

Gutman said that his own experiences lead him to believe that “chicks of different races act differently.

“Sometimes the black chicks are a little wilder; the Asians do their own thing, they kind of like it to be brought to them; Spanish chicks are kind of a little bit wild but more conservative; white chicks can go either way—sometimes they can be boring.”

Ipyani Grant doesn’t see his sexual experiences as racially distinctive and said race is never part of his preferences. “I don’t really associate race with who I like; I never considered someone’s race before I started to advance that relationship or tell them how I felt about them,” he said.

Truong is skeptical that attraction can be colorblind.

“A lot of straight Brandeis students talk a good game about how miscegenation laws are outdated and that love is love, but even students who are willing to hook-up or date interracially are doing so within the bounds of their socialization,” he said.

He continued to say that sometimes interracial “hook-ups” are considered more acceptable based on the gender of the racial minority, saying, “I feel like students on this campus are more OK with a black guy and a white girl than they are with a black girl and a white guy.”

As a white male within the queer community, Chase Hiller ’12 says, “Although on a societal level I may seem to be underprivileged, within the queer community gay men are actually considered privileged,” pointing to the fact that sexual orientation can often add further layers to the complexity of race relations within sexual relationships.

Interracial relationships Racial differences become more apparent in interracial relationships, and 65 percent of respondents to The Hoot’s survey said they have not been in an interracial relationship while at Brandeis.

Marisa Tashman ’12 is Jewish and has been dating an African-American since her first year.

“Dating outside of my race at Brandeis is particularly interesting because it is very rare to find here,” she said. “I am Jewish and I know that it is important in many Jewish families to date other Jews, which leads many Jewish students to not give those underrepresented minorities a chance.”

Tashman thinks her relationship gets special attention because her boyfriend is not just a minority but black. “I’ve gotten some looks and reactions that are very surprised

when I say who I am dating,” she said. “I think it would be different if I was dating an Asian man or even someone who is white but not Jewish.”

The emphasis of dating within one’s culture is not limited to Jews.

“Seeing two black people who are committed to each other is beautiful because not enough people see black love. A lot of people think that a black guy is just going to bang her, knock her up and leave her,” Lherisson said, attributing this assumption to media stereotypes.

But Tashman also believes there is a transformative aspect to interracial dating. “I’ve just become more aware of things and see things differently—like I will notice if a TV show only has white people in it.”

Ipyani Grant said the only difference he sees in dating outside of his race is his ability to relate to his partner “When you date someone within your race there is already that foundation in which you both basically understand each other culturally,” he said.

It’s not easy being Greek Fraternity life, a place where many “hookups” occur on campus, is often viewed as a place devoid of diversity.

But, according to Gutman, president of Zeta Beta Tau, things began to change in 2005 when his ZBT brothers realized black students were not joining fraternities and made an effort to “try to break down that barrier.”

“We’ve had African-Americans in every class after,” he said.

Ipyani Grant, one of the first African-Americans to join, speaks of his experiences of rushing an all-white and Jewish fraternity.

“Even for myself, it was kind of shocking and surreal to be in an environment where I [was] around all-Jewish people and in an environment where they’re more comfortable,” he said.

“I hear sometimes that I am the first black person they ever met and, although that is odd to me being that I’m from New York City, I think it is a positive thing.”

He added that being in ZBT has been a very inclusive experience for him where he has made real friendships. “They honestly care about each brother as an individual and not by race.”

Gutman said integration into the fraternity is not always perfect because many of the brothers have never been exposed to people of a different culture than theirs and so misunderstandings do arise. When that happens, a brother not involved in the incident serves as the mediator until the issue is resolved.

Gutman said this mediation might come as a surprise to people who stereotype fraternities as being insensitive.

Last month, ZBT and the sorority Delta Phi Epsilon coordinated a Diversity Summit. Seeing the growing trends of diversity in their respective organizations, Tashman, who is president of DphiE, and Gutman saw the need for cultural education.

The summit, facilitated by Jamele Adams, the associate dean of student life, aimed to break down stereotypes.

“One of the most interesting topics [we discussed] was whether racial comedy is funny,” Ipyani Grant said. “Some people sided with yes, because it addressed issues that we should be See mosaic, page 6

6 NEWS

The Brandeis Hoot

April 29, 2011

‘Shades of Gray’ in-focus: a journalist’s notebook Hoot writers discuss lessons learned on completing a four-part series on race at Brandeis

Ariel Wittenberg, Editor

Supreetha Gubbala, Staff

Omoefe, Supreetha and I were sitting in the office of a senior administrator at Brandeis in order to interview him for this series. It just so happened that, between the three of us, we brought three different racial identities to the table: white, Indian and Nigerian-American.

“How would you characterize Brandeis as a racially diverse university?” we asked.

“Well of course Brandeis is diverse,” he replied. “Just look at the three of you.”

The words stung. I am a 21-year-old white, Jewish woman, and while I had previously felt marginalized because of my religion and my gender, never had I felt that way due to my race. Never had anyone even commented upon my race, positively, negatively or otherwise. And at a place like Brandeis, whose student population is almost 50 percent Jewish and 43 percent white, why should they?

So to have someone use my race to prove a point—to essentially say “because you are here, we are post-racial”—was utterly shocking.

But the incident did not shock Omoefe. Nor did it not shock Supreetha. It was not their first exposure to being marginalized because of their race; the fact that it was mine is, in itself, a byproduct of the white privilege to which I, and many others, have been privy.

As well-educated members of the Brandeis community, most of us in the majority race are aware that skin color infects and affects just about every portion of our lives. We are aware that racism exists and that, at the very least, white privilege still has a strong influence on the world. We discuss it hypothetically, learn about it in class and write essays about it. But we don’t actually feel its effects for ourselves, much less think that we are part of the problem.

In writing this series, many people have questioned our motives behind the articles. Some call our looking at Brandeis through a racial lens “brittle thinking,” others have said our view of race is stuck in the pre-Civil Rights 1960s when our reality is post-racial. Still others have said writing about race at Brandeis is creating controversy about a non-issue.

People hear you are writing about race and automatically tense up and attempt to convince you otherwise. It is a taboo subject that, if it is discussed, is often spoken of in hushed voices. There is rarely an honest, interracial dialogue. But that is precisely why we decided to take on this mammoth in the first place.

We decided to hold a mirror up to Brandeis and gage its racial status. As a university with a unique history— and a unique promise—regarding acceptance and diversity, we attempted to show how the university is living up to its mission. Whether it has made it there or has a long way to go is for you, the readers, to decide. I can only hope that reading our articles has been half as much of a learning experience for you as it was for us.

I didn’t realize race until this year. Though I had attended a Posse Plus Retreat focused on “Race After Obama” and roomed with my first “black” Nigerian roommate in a crowded single room, I didn’t fully understand the effects of race until the first week of our Race and Gender in the Media class when Professor Eileen McNamara (JOUR) proved to me that pedagogy can fling open doors in your mind that simply cannot be shut again. At that point it becomes so difficult to unlearn what becomes so painfully clear in the classroom that you simply cannot turn away from seeing it everywhere in your life.

You might say the three of us came into writing this series welleducated but supremely naïve. During the three-month process of writing this series, we have screamed at each other out of frustration, been lied to by those we respected, considered giving up, considered restarting the Black Panther movement and been moved by people we had never before met. In working with two other journalists, my best friend and an experienced senior journalist, this understanding of race was unavoidable as we realized that our lens of objectivity was clouded with the subjectivity of race.

People are not what they seem; we were taught this by moments that were sometimes inspiring but sometimes greatly disappointing. Each person has different motives for their beliefs. Maybe, as journalists, we could not dig up the entire truth from our politically correct academia. But, without writing this, how would I have ever known the truth often lies in that which is off-the-record?

Race is not easy to discuss honestly because it is easy to lie to yourself. It’s unlikely that anyone is going to know how you actually feel about it unless you admit it and, I will be the first to say, writing this is only the first step toward accepting how I feel about race. I am a South-Asian girl by appearance with an ever-changing accent as result of being raised in India, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Australia and the United States. Race is not a concept I was taught until I arrived here. I had no personal relationship with racial struggle. But attempting to understand a struggle not my own has ultimately made all the difference.

Writing this series made me see that the majority of Brandeis has been standing on a moving walkway for too long, unaware of the dangers of remaining uneducated on an issue that underlies the very buildings we walk through. As students, we cannot sit and wait to be educated about race when it is visible in our science classrooms, which are void of black skin, and grad fests with floor parties stratified by colors. It is all around us in the crevices of Usdan and in the location of the ICC on campus—most of all it is in the lack of color on campus.

The school that I once glorified for being avant-garde in taking the unbeaten path is now accepting mediocrity and stagnancy because it is easy. It’s hard to see a lack of African-American professors when you only have a handful to point it out to you and even harder to see why that is important to a confused Indian girl with only fresh knowledge of African-American history. I secretly hoped in doing all this, in admitting that confusion and frustration is better than ignorance, that we could fling open doors that cannot be shut; that we could so clearly outline the dangers of what we don’t talk about and what is not there; that we could show you firsthand that this journey is worth taking.

Omoefe Ogbeide, Staff It was Nov. 4, 2008 when I stood in the middle of Shapiro Campus Center surrounded by rambunctious cheering and excited chatter. My lungs breathed in air thick with anticipation, my heart palpitated with growing anxiety and, as if bracing myself from what was occurring, my arms were inextricably linked with my friends around me.

The 2008 presidential election was winding down and the winners of the last states were being announced. I couldn’t believe what was happening was real. So many political and social debates had been inspired by the idea of a “post-racial society.” Was this country capable of electing its first “black” president? The answer was yes and I began to cry. I couldn’t explain what was happening to me as I looked into the worried faces of my first-year hall-mates who tried to console me. All night as I roamed the campus, my smiling eyes connected with everyone passing by with acknowledgment of this exciting news, but each time I saw one of my black friends, I couldn’t stop my tears.

Looking back at that time, my newly acquired wisdom has illuminated that experience as the first time I felt a connection to my race. I grew up relatively sheltered to the reality of racial undertones in society. This came primarily from the environment of my childhood growing up in the San Francisco-Bay Area, one of the wealthiest and most racially diverse regions of the United States.

I falsely believed I grew up in a utopia. I never noticed rampant socio-economic disparities because I lived above them, on a pristine street of identical Mediterranean style houses where my neighbor across the street, Virginia, an elderly white woman, waved at me and my Asian, white and bi-racial neighborhood friends on our way to school.

I never noticed anything unordinary when my Nigerian father preached to my brother and me that we were first generation Nigerian-Americans and not “black.” We were told that we could not act like “one of them” but as immigrants. I never understood what that meant completely but I internalized it as a duality of good and bad.

To put it frankly, I grew up learning that African-American people were inferior all while never feeling like that had anything to do with me. After coming to college, my silent arrogance did not last long. Being out of my bubble of familiarity, I quickly discovered that I was not impervious to this destructive societal perception.

Heated and poignant discussion in classrooms and on couches became a norm to me as I sought out people from all races and backgrounds. Their differing and sometimes incendiary opinions obliterated my smug complacency. The barrier between “them” and me disintegrated and I underwent somewhat of a rebirth. I do not look at anything the same way, and now simplistic statistics and stereotypes speak volumes to the extensive history of racial inequality and the slow and sometimes ineffective practice of rectifying civil injustice.

Writing these articles was my attempt to pay it forward. I wanted to share this enlightenment with the Brandeis community and incite conversations that I had benefitted from having. We all come to Brandeis University with a belief that we will leave with a comprehensive knowledge of the world, but I fear that without more interactive and introspective discussion, we will leave never truly knowing ourselves.

Shades of Gray

The mosaic: how students deal with racial discourse

mosaic, from page 5

talking about and that people don’t want to talk about using [comedy] as a channel, and some people thought it was negative in that it further ingrained the stereotypes people already had.”

This increase of diversity in Greek life comes from a bigger interest from minorities, Hakimi, who is a member of Alpha Delta Phi, said.

“We like it if there are diverse rushes—that’s awesome, that’s an affirmative attitude. We are not going to give minorities preference, like affirmative action, but [we will] if we like you and want to be your friend.”

Taking safety measures Director of Public Safety at Brandeis Ed Callahan said the police force has diversified along with the student body during recent years, with an Asian officer, a black female officer and a Hispanic officer.

“Its best that we kind of mirror the community as far as diversity, try to hire what is reflective of the community.”

Additionally, every year the officers undergo diversity training which incorporates lessons taught by student groups like the South Asian Student Association and the Brandeis Black Student Organization to make sure racial profiling does not occur.

“In a criminal or a judicial situation, race doesn’t really play any part of it. It’s the situation itself. Obviously coupled with that is, if there are any services we can provide the person from a

cultural perspective, then we reach out to that, but [a person’s race] is not the be-all and endall,” Callahan said.

Ipyani Grant said he was satisfied with Public Safety’s training.

“I haven’t had any issues with the Brandeis Police; I think the Brandeis Police definitely approach each situation individually.”

Lherisson, however, thinks issues of discrimination still arise around crime at Brandeis.

“They want us to do those things and it’s easy to put blame on us because of the social condition of African-American men in this country.”

Dean Adams said that, while relations between racial minorities and the police may have had issues in the past, it has greatly improved in recent years.

“There was a kind of crazy relationship between police and males of color but now for the past two years [Callahan] and Waltham police come together and have a very authentic conversation.”

Callahan said he tries to have an interactive approach to public safety precisely in order to avoid making any group feel alienated.

“Through the years, there have been students that have had negative interactions with the police ... and we try to reach out to that group or that student,” he said. “That’s why we reach out to International Cultural Center or the Men of Color Association, not just because they are people of color, but they might have concerns about police from different districts.”

“It takes time for there to be trust, especially if experiences are bad with white police officers— [it] makes it difficult for me to regain trust,”

Lherisson pointed out.

Callahan also sees this mistrust as an issue that comes from the reality of the civil injustices perpetrated by police forces in some students’ home communities.

“It’s common that you pick up the paper every day and unfortunately you see that the police did this, shot this person, beat this person and I think that I can’t sit here and say those things don’t happen, they do,” Callahan said.

In order for Public Safety to have a beneficial relationship with the community, everyone has to take steps to come together, Callahan said.

But he said, in order to do so, it may require more patience and less force: “Education is good but being part of the community is equally important. You could be the smartest person on the block but not have the slightest sense of social skills or how to interact with somebody who is different than you.”

Reasons for racial discourse Lisa Purdy ’14 said there is an absence of honest discourse about race on campus.

“I think we are at a midway point. There is definitely segregation, but it’s nothing intentional and I think that’s something,” she said. “There is a boundary between not understanding and wanting to know but not knowing exactly what questions to ask. Is it more polite not to say anything?”

Hakimi said he hasn’t made an effort “to relate with black people” in part because “a lot of times I feel like when you go in the forest and you see

the wolf and you go, ‘Oh, my God, the wolf is going to eat me,’ and your mom goes, ‘It’s more afraid of you than you are of it.’

“It’s a mutual inhibition that you won’t be accepted—because you don’t know the customs,” he said.

This semester Hakimi was afforded the rare opportunity to make connections with minority students by going on the Posse Plus retreat.

“I don’t get that usually,” he said.

When the conversation about race does happen, Lherisson said it happens in academic settings where students are asked to discuss racial strife abroad. There are few similar opportunities to discuss race relations on campus.

“It’s so easy [to discuss] racism in South Africa, but not here in America, here in Boston, here at Brandeis,” he said. “It is so weird to me how these same issues are happening around the world and a student can write a 20-page paper on [race in South Africa], but when they are asked about those same issues here, they have nothing to say.”

Dean Adams believes that, over time, more people will be more willing to talk about race relations—pointing out that the conversation is not one that has been around for very long.

“1964—that was the first time that anyone in this country tried to do anything about living together, with affirmative action,” he said. “That was [President John F.] Kennedy and Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. and both of those people got assassinated.

“It’s only 47 years after that. The whole conversation about living together is not that old.”

features

April 29, 2011

The Brandeis Hoot 7

This Week Senior takes the middle man out of online discovery in History

By Leah Finkelman Editor

Brandeis

2002 Students plan Is-

lamic and Christian Awareness Weeks, aiming to education Brandeisians about their faiths.

2007 The board of trustees disinvests from companies doing business in genocide-stricken Sudan.

Massachusetts

1844 After being denied

public burial space, Boston Jews raise money to form the first Jewish cemetery in Boston.

1962 The Springfield Armory, established

by George Washington, closes after nearly two centuries.

United States

1863

William Randolph Hearst is born, later controlling one of the largest newspaper empires in America.

1992 Riots erupt in Los

Angeles after four police officers are acquitted of police brutality and beating Rodney King.

World

1469 Niccolo Macchi-

avelli, now known as one of the fathers of modern political theory, is born in Italy.

Hitler and Eva 1945 Adolf Braun are married and commit suicide hours later, the same day Dachau is liberated.

Brett Segall ’11 will be busy during the next few months. In addition to graduating with a double major in Economics and Business and a minor in Legal Studies, he plans to launch eMuze Connect, a web-based business that “places the entertainment industry online.” After realizing how many celebrities are discovered online, Founder and CEO Segall decided to make it easier for everyone. Instead of uploading content to Facebook or YouTube, a hopeful young star in the making will be able to upload to www.emuze.com, set to launch in June. Once the content is uploaded, a group of what Segall called “top notch decision makers” will be able to view it. Segall recently spoke with The Hoot about his plans and his work with Maxwell Zotz ’11, his Chief Marketing Officer.

The Brandeis Hoot: What is eMuze Connect?

Brett Segall: eMuze Connect is a portal that helps individuals connect to the top notch decision makerl, like managers and agents, in all realms of the entertainment industry. They can also build a fan base, learn about the industry and become part of a larger community. We’re starting with music, motion pictures and television, and fashion, but once we’re up and running we’ll begin to expand to other parts of the entertainment industry.

Maxwell Zotz: eMuze Connect is revolutionary for the entertainment industry. This site will bring all these different facets from our favorite sites into one. Important agencies and individuals in the industry can now have a better chance of discovering new talent instead of pulling just a Scooter Braun and stumbling upon the next Justin Bieber. Fans follow the acts and with the right “decision makers” and “muzes” this site truly has a recipe for success.

The Hoot: Where did the name come from?

Segall: We juggled around a couple names, but then we started thinking about roles that people in the background were going to play. In Greek mythology, the muses were the inspiration for entertainment, so I wanted to do Muse, but a couple companies already trademarked that. We changed the spelling and changed it to eMuze, with the “e” meaning “electronic.”

The Hoot: Where did the idea for the company come from?

Segall: The last two years I’ve worked in Los Angeles for International Creative Management, the talent agency that represents Emimen, Beyonce and a lot of other celebrities. I know how exclusive the industry is, having worked in it. I came up with the idea when I was abroad in London. I didn’t really have television, so I was watching a lot of YouTube. I realized that there are a lot of talented individuals out there with

no real means of showcasing their talent. With successes like Justin Bieber, Soulja Boy and Katy Perry [who were all discovered online] I realized there wasn’t anything really like eMuze, which would bring them directly to the decision makers.

can do what Brett and I have done with their own respective start-ups, while still at Brandeis and it just takes a little more drive and focus to do it while in school.

The Hoot: How will it work?

Segall: Individuals will be able to upload content, like pictures, video and audio files, which would be viewed by the eMuze users and the Muzes. The site is a unique concept in identifying talent that previously had no way to present themselves to those who are in a position to “discover” or use their talent.

The Hoot: Who are the Muzes?

Segall: That’s what we’re calling the decision makers in the industry that will be part of the site. We didn’t want to try just to get a celebrity endorsement. We want our users to connect with actual managers and agents who will represent them. There are big names involved, names that a lot of the people using the site will recognize. We already have many on board and we’re going to continue building. When we launch, their names will be made public and a section on the site will be dedicated to them.

The Hoot: How will the fan base play a part?

Segall: eMuze Connect is not solely for talented individuals. As a social network, it’s for everyone, from individuals who want to become a part of the initial fan base, discover new content and learn new things about the entertainment industry, and interact with one another.

Zotz: Fans want the most recent, hottest thing out. Whether they are just a fan of acting or music or an upcoming artist or actor in general, eMuze Connect provides a one-stop shop for all fans to discover their new favorite individual or check out the latest post or video from the one they have already been following. If the artist commits to the site, we are confident that their fans will follow.

The Hoot: Why did you decide to enlist Maxwell Zotz as your chief marketing officer?

Segall: We’ve been friends for a while, and I wanted to bring him in because I knew him and I’ve seen his work ethic on a personal level. He brought a lot to the table in terms of smarts and experience in underground music industry. I knew he’d be a great fit for eMuze.

Zotz: For me this is just a great experience to be part of a start-up company and I think because Brett and I were friends first we already had trust in one another, so working together in a business has come naturally. As the CMO of eMuze Connect and overseeing the development of the Music section of eMuze Connect, I am really excited for the potential of this site as we both graduate in May and hope it serves as an example to other Brandeis students that they

After graduation, Brett Segall ’11 will manage his photo by ingrid schulte/the hoot own company.

The Hoot: How do you plan to market eMuze Connect to everyone who will be using it?

Segall: As of right now, there’s a teaser page on the site where people can register and be notified when we launch and receive early access.

Zotz: From my experience within the music industry, this applies to both models and actors as well, but it is hard to capture the “whole” individual in the social networks and medias that we are familiar with and utilize today. When you are on Facebook, you see artists post YouTube clips to showcase their talents, as well as links to their blogs. At eMuze, we are attempting to put this all in one place. When you are a “starving artist” you typically will do anything to get yourself or your talent out there, and that being said, there is no real risk involved in placing all your work or talent on the eMuze Connect site, where we have top “Muzes” and “decision makers” in the industry ready to view your talent!

The Hoot: How confident are you that eMuze Connect will succeed?

Segall: I believe in the company. It has the potential to be a very big success because there isn’t really anything out there like this. People can upload on the Internet but there’s no guarantee anyone will see it. As someone who’s come up with the idea and put it all together, I have to have faith in my own company. As an entrepreneur, when people say no you have to continue to say yes and keep moving forwards.

Students create teacher awards

By Morgan Gross Editor

At this point in the semester—as finals loom on the horizon—it is common for students to resent their professors for the work quickly piling up in front of them. Dana Schneider ’11 and Ilana Spector ’11 defied this pattern, however, and worked with the university to create Brandeis’ first-ever student-run teacher awards.

Specter explained, in an interview with The Hoot, the awards were inspired by a special experience that she and Schneider had shared in class together, on a day when the professor had no material to cover.

Spector explained, “Dana and I were present for a class led by Erika Lammare in which she conducted a meditation for her students. Following the meditation, Professor Lammare instructed us on how to make simple nutritious smoothies. She let the class experiment with ingredients she provided and even let us take the extras home. I was touched by her commitment to the well-being of her students. I remember she said, ‘Some teachers show movies on days with little material to cover, this is what I do.’ Leaving the class, Dana and I walked away talking about how nice it was

to feel supported by a professor in such a genuine way. I remember saying, ‘I want to thank her in some way. Can we give her an award?’ Dana responded by saying, ‘We should do it!’”

Inspired by this experience and a host of similar ones with other fantastic professors from whom they have had the privilege to learn during their four years at Brandeis, Spector and Schneider were compelled to find a way to thank the professors who had impacted them so deeply.

They felt that the pre-existing teaching awards didn’t truly capture the sentiment of the senior class—since faculty members choose the awarded professors; instead, they worked to create awards that came from the students.

Spector and Schneider created a list of awards that the entire class of 2011 had the opportunity to vote on in categories, including: “the professor I learned the most from, the professor who inspired me most, the professor who was the most engaging, the professor who was the most fun, the professor who brought out the best in me and the best lecturer” in order to show their gratitude to the faculty and to Brandeis for the quality of their four years at the institution.

Schneider explained that “what is particularly poignant about this story is the genuine sense of gratitude that has propelled the Teacher Awards.

Less than three days after the two students organized a Facebook event for the teacher awards, members of the Senior Class Gift Committee (Aaron Louison ’11 and Jenny Shapiro ’11, with Brandeis staff member Sarah Novello) adopted the campaign as part of their greater senior involvement effort, B-Seniors Week. Soon after this, Senior Associate Dean of Arts and Sciences for Undergraduate Education Elaine Wong contacted the two seniors to present their teacher awards at the Class of 2011 Faculty/Staff Appreciation and Teaching Awards Reception, which is being held on May 16 during Senior Week.

Schneider was proud of the amount of cooperation that occurred between individuals all across campus; “This story is an example of the partnership between students and the administration and the respect that the groups have for one another. And it is only possible at Brandeis, only with an administration that truly has faith in its students’ ideas and is willing to work alongside students to help them achieve their goals,” she said.

Schneider and Spector have worked hard and will witness the fruits of their labor at the university’s teaching award ceremony will take place, conducted—for the first time ever—by the administration and students together.

8 The Brandeis Hoot

Sports

April 29, 2011

MLB power rankings: Rockies reach the peak

By Gordy Stillman Editor

It’s the semester finale! While a lot has changed during break, some things stay the same. The Rockies, Phillies, Yankees and Rangers, for instance, consolidated from the top six to the top four while teams like the Indians dropped with important division losses. All records are as of April 26.

1. Colorado Rockies (16-7): As of Tuesday the Rockies had the best record in the MLB. With a series against the Pirates and the Diamondbacks on the way, expect them to hold on to this record.

2. Philadelphia Phillies (15-7): The Phillies entered the week on a fivegame winning streak. Unfortunately losses to the Diamondbacks dropped them from the top spot.

3. New York Yankees (12-8): With great wins during the weekend against Baltimore, the Yankees strengthened their hold on the American League (AL) East.

4. Texas Rangers (14-9): During the weekend the Rangers swept the Royals.

However, their ranking is threatened by their repeated losses to the Blue Jays.

5. Florida Marlins (15-7): During spring break the Marlins have been surging. With a sweep against the Pirates and wins against the Rockies and the Dodgers, the Marlins are tied with the Phillies for top of the National League (NL) East.

6. Cleveland Indians (14-8): In what was a surprise to many, the top of the AL Central Indians were swept by the then-bottom of the division Twins during the weekend. With games against the Royals this week, they have a chance to distance themselves from the

NFL brief: the lockout may be over

By Gordy Stillman Editor

On Monday in St. Paul, Minnesota Federal Judge Susan Nelson ordered an end to the NFL owners’ imposed lockout of the players. While the NFL has already begun the process of appealing the decision, the ruling adds strength to the players’ negotiations for a new collective bargaining agreement.

Both sides are scheduled to continue negotiations May 16, following a separate hearing regarding whether the players deserve damages stemming from the $4 billion that the NFL will receive from television networks regardless of whether there is a season or not.

In other NFL-related news, the NFL’s recently released schedule, which upon critical analysis appears to have been developed in anticipation of the labor dispute extending into the preseason, was released over spring break. They’ve done this by scheduling all week-three games against teams with bye-weeks at the same point later in the season, suggesting plans to eliminate a bye-week in order to keep a full season.

They have also reserved hotel rooms in Indianapolis (site of Super Bowl XLVI) for two weeks as though anticipating a need to push the Super Bowl back by a week.

While it’s still unclear whether there will be a season or not, this week not only marks the NFL draft (this weekend) but also the second victory for the players in this labor dispute.

second place royals.

7. Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (14-10): During the break the Angels had ups, such as sweeping the White Sox and beating the Texans, and downs, such as being swept by the Red Sox. 8. Cincinnati Reds (12-12): Cincinnati may be on the decline after their 5-0 start. They are 3-4 in their last seven games and have dropped down to a .500 record.

9. St. Louis Cardinals (12-11): The Cardinals are on the rise with a great trip to the West and a 4-3 record for their current home stretch.

10. Kansas City Royals (12-11): The Royals have been slumping. They split a home series against the Indians, were swept by the Rangers and have now earned losses at Cleveland’s own ballpark.

11. Milwaukee Brewers (12-11): Since getting swept by the Nationals, the Brewers have amassed a decent 5-3 record, including two wins against the Phillies.

12. San Francisco Giants (11-11): With a win on Tuesday, the Giants seem to be recovering from their three losses against the Braves. If they hope to regain the lead in their division, they’ll need to start winning series on the road.

13. Boston Red Sox (10-12): A trip to the West did well for the Red Sox. In their visit to the AL West they went 5-1 with a five-game win streak to enter the week. Returning to the East hasn’t been too successful with losses to the Orioles.

14. Detroit Tigers (12-11): During the weekend the Tigers swept the White Sox to the bottom of the AL Central and, as of Tuesday, are tied for the number two spot in the division.

15. Tampa Bay Rays (11-11): The Rays have been doing well with wins

against the Twins, White Sox and Blue Jays. They’ve barely played this week, with a day off Monday and a postponed game Tuesday.

16. Atlanta Braves (12-13): If not for an extra-innings loss to the Padres, the Braves would be riding a positive record after sweeping the Giants on their own field.

17. Los Angeles Dodgers (12-13): The Dodgers may have won the weekend series against the Cubs but, with two losses to the Marlins, they fell below a .500 record.

18. Toronto Blue Jays (11-12): Despite wins against the Rangers during the week, the Blue Jays have been unable to regain the number two spot in their division since losing it to the Rays over the weekend.

19. Oakland Athletics (11-13): In their last seven games the losing team has scored three or less runs. Unfortunately for Oakland, five of those games were losses.

20. Washington Nationals (10-12): In the last two weeks, the Nationals have had three games postponed. Maybe with a decrease in double headers the Nationals may become a threat.

21. Chicago Cubs (10-13): Losing to the Dodgers and the Rockies should not be too surprising for Cubs fans.

Maybe they’ll snap their losing streak with a trip to Arizona.

22. Minnesota Twins (9-12): Last weekend the Twins finally began to shown signs of the team they were expected to be. With Mauer on the disabled list and Morneau returning from a bad case of the flu, the Twins managed to sweep the Indians over the weekend. With the wins, the Twins moved from six games to four games out of first place.

23. Pittsburgh Pirates (10-13): The

Pirates have been interesting in the last couple of weeks. Since the start of spring break, they won a series against the highly ranked Reds before being swept by the Marlins.

24. Arizona Diamondbacks (10-12): With two straight wins against the Phillies, the Diamondbacks have further earned their spot as 24th. If not for these wins, they probably would have dropped down a rank or two.

25. New York Mets (10-13): The Mets have doubled their wins in the last week with a five-game streak. If they hope to keep the momentum going, they’ll have to hold up on a trip to Philadelphia before hosting the champion Giants next week.

26. Baltimore Orioles (9-12): The Orioles may have started the season 6-1 but, with a long losing streak of eight games, the Orioles dropped all the way from the top of their division to the bottom.

27. Chicago White Sox (10-14): In the last couple of weeks the White Sox were swept at home by the Angels, nearly swept on the road by the Rays, and dropped to the bottom of their division by getting swept by the Tigers.

Even with wins against the Yankees, the White Sox have little to be proud of.

28. Houston Astros (9-14): The Astros are having a surprisingly good week. Going 4-3 in their last seven games, the Astros have nearly doubled their total wins in little more than a week.

29. Seattle Mariners (9-15): During break the Mariners amassed five wins.

Unless they can start sweeping series, expect them to remain circling the drain.

30. San Diego Padres (9-15): Being swept at home by the Phillies, even if the games were close, makes it very hard to justify the Padres as doing well.

The Hoot congratulates our graduating senior editors Kayla Dos Santos, Vanessa Kerr, Leah Lefkowitz, Bret Matthew, Max Shay and Ariel Wittenberg CONGRATULATIONS!

April 29, 2011

SPORTS 9

The Brandeis Hoot

UAA standings and over-all records Baseball Team

UAA

All

Emory

5– 1

26 – 17

Case Western

4–2

30 – 13

Washington

3–3

25 – 16

Brandeis

2–4

23–13

Rochester

1 –5

11 – 17

Chicago

0–0

14 – 7

Box Scores Suffolk

Win

8–6

Endcott

Win

4–3

@ Bowdoin

Win

8–7

Softball Team

UAA

All

Emory

8– 0

40 – 2 – 1

Washington

6–2

27 – 8 – 1

Rochester

3–5

23 – 13

Brandeis

3–5

17 – 16

Chicago

0–0

19 – 9

Case Western

0–8

18 – 24

Men’s tennis Team

UAA

All

Emory

3–0

20 – 3

Washington

2–1

15 – 5

Chicago

2–1

16 – 4

Carnegie Mellon

1–2

14 – 10

Case Western

2–1

12 – 8

Brandeis

1–2

10–11

NYU

1 –2

7–6

Rochester

0–3

11 – 11

Box Scores @ Amherst

Loss

9–0

Tufts

Loss

6–3

Women’s tennis Team

UAA

All

Emory

3–0

19 – 4

Chicago

2–1

17 – 3

Washington

2–1

15 – 5

Carnegie Mellon

1–2

11 – 8

Rochester

2–1

15 – 4

Brandeis

1–2

11 – 9

Case Western

1 –2

9–8

NYU

0–3

1 – 11

UAA Tournament Carnegie Mellon

Loss

8–1

Case Western

Win

6–1

Rochester

Loss

5–4

Collision course: Celtics vs. Heat

By Brian Tabakin Staff

These two teams have been on a collision course since the “Big Three” of Lebron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh, or the “Big Two + Bosh” as I like to call them, teamed up this past July in Miami. When the three joined forces to form a super-team down in Miami, the so-called experts and pundits were already crowning them NBA champions without them even playing a game. James, Wade and Bosh held a victory party before the regular season had even began claiming they would win not one, not two, but seven championships while together. However, in all the hype, people seemed to forget about the other Big Three: the trio of Paul Pierce, Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett that is fresh off a stinging game-seven loss to the Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA finals, the Boston Celtics.

In perhaps one of the most anticipated regular season opening games in the history of sports, the Celtics reminded the world that they weren’t going anywhere, scoring a decisive victory against the Miami Heat on opening night. Throughout the NBA season, the Celtics have been called the Heat’s “big brother” who they just can’t beat. The Celtics were that roadblock much like the Pistons were the roadblock to Michael Jordan in his early days.

After finishing off the Philadelphia 76ers on Wednesday night, the Heat acknowledged the elephant waiting ahead of them. Heat head coach Eric Spoelstra said, “It wouldn’t be right if we didn’t go through [the Celtics].”

Bosh added, “It wasn’t if, it was when.”

The two teams were going in what appeared to be opposite directions when they entered the playoffs. The Celtics stumbled into the playoffs losing three out of their last five games while the Heat charged into the playoffs on a four-game winning streak.

Pundits decried the Celtics as too old and many picked the New York Knicks to upset them in the first round of the playoffs. However, the Celtics proved the pundits wrong once again by sweeping the Knicks in four games and playing with renewed vigor. Meanwhile, the Heat struggled against a 76ers team without a single superstar. The Celtics have flipped the proverbial switch and are once again playing at the level of champions.

The Heat have struggled mightily against the Celtics this year. Wade is averaging a meager 12.75 points against the Celtics in the four regular season games and only scored 14 points in Miami’s sole regular season

victory against the Celtics. Bosh has averaged a slightly better 15 points against the Celtics and only scored 13 points against the Celtics in Miami’s one victory against the Celtics.

Stat geeks such as ESPN’s John Hollinger like to attribute these poor performances as aberrations and not the pattern. However, they are wrong. Wade has struggled to score because he must fight through constant screens and pick and rolls to defend Celtics’ sharpshooter Allen.

Meanwhile, Garnett, the defensive staple of the Celtics, has consistently abused Bosh in the post-up situation. The one player on Miami who has consistently excelled against the Celtics is James. However, the Celtics have a decided psychological advantage against James, having ended his title aspirations two of the past three years, including a decisive six-game upset in the playoffs last year.

While the Big Three of the Heat may be evenly matched against the Big Three of the Celtics, the Celtics are no longer a Big Three. They are a Big Four. And that fourth man is point guard Rajon Rondo. Rondo is the X-factor in this series. The Heat have no-one capable of defending Rondo. The Heat start Mike Bibby at the point guard position opposite Rondo. Bibby cannot keep up defensively with Rondo and thus Rondo will absolutely abuse him. When Rondo plays well, the Celtics win.

It’s as simple as that. The media will frame this series as a battle between the old guard and the new guard of the Eastern Conference, but don’t let them fool you. The Celtics will win or lose depending on the performance of Rondo.

The Heat do not have a deep enough bench to compete with the Celtics bench of Glenn “Big Baby” Davis, Jeff Green, Delonte West, Nenad Krstic and Shaq if and when he returns from injury. It is this reason along with Rondo that the Heat will not win this series. Every title winner in the past three years has had a star contributor off the bench. In 2008 it was James Posey and Eddie House for the Celtics. In 2009 and 2010 it was Lamar Odom for the Lakers. The Heat have no player that can consistently contribute off the bench.

The Celtics will win the series in six games. Miami and Boston will split the first two in Miami. The Celtics will then take the next two at home to take a 3-1 series lead down to Miami for game 5. Miami will win game 5 but the Celtics will close out the Heat in a game-six showdown at the TD Garden in Boston.

Brandeis sports shorts Baseball secures winning record

By Gordy Stillman Editor

The Brandeis baseball team has had a busy couple of weeks. On April 20 the Judges defeated Tufts in a rout.

While visiting Roger Williams University, the Judges continued their double-digit scoring with an 11-6 victory. After a few days off, the Judges continued to win, 8-6, when they hosted Suffolk University. On Tuesday the Judges secured their first winning season since 2006 with a 4-3 victory against Endicott College.

In the match against Endicott Col-

photo by alan tran/the hoot

lege the Judges mounted a comefrom-behind victory scoring all of their runs in the final two innings.

Additionally, the opposing team was coached by Brandeis alumnus Bryan Haley ’99.

On Wednesday Brandeis’ winning streak continued while facing Bowdoin College. Defeating another team coached by an alumnus, the Judges won 8-7 in an 11-inning game.

The Judges next play on Saturday when they host Springfield in a double header.

Men’s Tennis hosts UAA tournament

photo by alan tran/the hoot

By Gordy Stillman Editor

While most students began their spring breaks, the Brandeis men’s tennis team hosted the UAA men’s tennis tournament. The Judges started off with a 6-3 loss to Carnegie Mellon before winning their match against Rochester 5-3. In the fifth-place match the Judges slipped against Case Western 5-2 to end the tournament with sixth place.

Even after the tournament concluded, the Judges, had a few games to play before the end of their season.

The Judges traveled to Briant on April 21 to make up for a postponed game earlier in the week. Unfortunately they lost 7-0 on this road game before traveling to Amherst and losing 9-0. On Tuesday the Judges returned home for their senior day and ended their season with a 6-3 loss.

They ended their season just barely under .500 with a record of 10-11.

10 NEWS

The Brandeis Hoot

Brandeis Briefs

April 29, 2011

This week in pictures

Acheampong delivers state of union

ACHEAMPONG, from page 1

V-store increasing access to food to lower campus, Acheampong said.

He also celebrated the fact that, despite the university stating last year that it will allow itself to look at students’ financial statuses for some applications, the class of 2015 was admitted on an entirely need-blind basis.

Acheampong reiterated this news saying that the community should be committed to the responsibility that “no scholar should be denied access to a Brandeis education because they do not have the money to pay for it.”

The president celebrated a number of successes that clubs outside of the Union achieved this year, including Student Sexuality Information Service’s invitation to a San Francisco conference on social media in sex education; the Brandeis Haiti Initiative’s second Hoops For Haiti event (of which Acheampong played a key basketball role); and Student Events’ widely-attended winter concert that featured the Super Smash Bros.

Another point of celebration as Acheampong reflected on the 2010-2011 year was the men’s basketball team’s winning of their conference, ECAC Division III, New England title this year.

In terms of Union initial achievements, Acheampong said that the administration pioneered a complaints section on the Union website, instituted the first Union newsletter and organized a housing lottery feedback initiative.

As Acheampong mentioned in his first State of the Union, when he announced that the Union was doubling the number of vouchers in its popular “Take Your Professor to Lunch Program,” the number of students availing themselves of this opportunity this semester was “the greatest participation in this program’s history,” he said.

But he also remarked that “this academic year was not exactly on a paved street: … we were challenged by the death of Kat Sommers … who touched us all because she was one of our own.” Sommers, a first-year, died in an apparent suicide Feb. 15.

Acheampong also referenced the Westboro Baptist Church’s visit last Novemeber and applauded what he called the student body’s “love in the face of the WBC’s hatred.”

His final act as president was to introduce the Union president-elect, Herbie Rosen ’12, who is the current secretary and will be officially sworn in Sunday.

Rosen said that his main hope was to “encourage the type of enthusiasm” he has felt since election day and his tangible goal: “that at least 75 percent of the student body is voting in Union elections one year from now—the 47 percent of last Thursday must be higher.”

‘All around,’ art sprouts up

By Nafiz ‘Fizz’ Ahmed, Editor

the arts on display Great lawn sculpture installations were on display this week as part of the annual Leonard Bernstein Festival of the Creative Arts.

Shankland places third at US chess championship Chess Grandmaster and Brandeis student Sam Shankland ’14 won a third-place finish in the 2011 U.S. Chess Championship in St. Louis.

At 16, Shankland, who is from California, won the U.S. Junior Championships in July 2010. The July victory allowed Shankland to qualify for this week’s tournament of 16 players. Shankland entered ranked 12th. He has also won the Under 18 World Championship in Vietnam.

The winnings at the Championship are unusually high this year, with the champion taking $40,000, of the $170,000 purse. The U.S. Championship, which has competitors ranging in age from 15 to 54, started on April 15 and ran through April 28.

— Jon Ostrowsky, Editor

An a cappella festival

By Ingrid Schulte, Editor voices like instruments Students perform Thursday at the annual a cappella fest.

Impressions

April 29, 2011

The Brandeis Hoot 11

Taking the guilt out of activism

By David Azer

Special to the Hoot

I was hiking along a trail in the Blue Hill Nature Reserve in Milton, Mass. with a few friends the other day and I felt a nagging feeling of confusion and guilt. I heard a voice in my mind saying, “This is indulgent! Going on a hike with friends! When there are hundreds of acres of rainforest being destroyed every day, women being raped in Darfur and a huge academic achievement gap in our country; the list goes on. The point is: You should not be enjoying yourself on this hike.

You should at least be doing something and that something had better be the most you could possibly do to make this world a ‘better place’ ’cause otherwise you are not doing enough and should feel ashamed of yourself.”

Does that voice sounds familiar to some of you? If it doesn’t, I hope you might understand where it is coming from.

I believe it comes from the idea that as a white person living in America, born to two parents—one secondgeneration and the other third-generation American, who both have jobs to support my brother and myself without needing us to work to support the family—I am obligated to be taking actions to help people meet their needs and, if I’m not working on school work or activism work, I am doing the wrong thing.

While I would like to meet my needs, one of which is to contribute to life and the other to have all human beings have their needs met, I do not want to be motivated by guilt, and thus by obligation, duty, or a sense of doing right or doing wrong.

Rather I’d like to be motivated by a desire to meet my own needs for peace, harmony, meaning and contri-

bution.

The question remains as to how I can be motivated internally without having the voice in my head asking: “Is this really enough? Is this really all you can do? There are still people suffering out there, so your need for harmony hasn’t been met? What are you doing going on another hike? Huh? To meet your need for fun and joy?

How dare you meet those needs when there are people not meeting their needs for food and safety?”

I’d like to share with you some of the ideas I have currently come up with as a response to the above question. I have yet really to apply these thoughts to my life and am aware that they may change. For the time being I hope you will find them stimulating; I appreciate the chance to think about them and share them with you.

The key to feeling satisfied with how I am already behaving while desiring to behave so as to make even more of an impact is receiving and giving gratitude.

I believe that while part of my hunger to do as much as I can to make the world a better place comes from a desire to meet my basic human needs of enriching life and harmony in the world, I think more so my hunger comes from a lack of meaning in my life.

Thus, my hunger is like being an emotional eater. I’m not eating because I’m actually hungry. I’m eating because I feel a hole in my stomach and I have the notion that eating could fill it, while actually that hole stems from another need, like loneliness, rather than a need for food.

Similarly, I believe I am already meeting my need for enriching life in so many ways. I’ve given friends advice they really appreciate; I’ve encouraged friends to work out with me, which they appreciated; I helped

gather a group together to sing in the SCC atrium Monday nights, which all of us are happy to have a chance to do; I’ve helped first-years through tough class decisions as a Roosevelt Fellow; and I’ve said “hi” to folks I did not know while walking around campus.

So, if I’m meeting my need for enriching life through these actions and others large and small, why am I asking myself: “Am I doing enough?”

Why does my mind focus on how I have not called my grandma or sent my homestay families from my study abroad experience letters or organized a blood drive?

I believe it is partially because I have not taken the time to recognize the impact I am already having on

other peoples’ lives. I am not taking a second to think, “Wait, who knows what impact I’m having on the world?

My ripple effects could be huge! And even if they are small, if there is one person out there whose day was drastically improved for a second because of the singing we were doing in the atrium, then that is enough.” That is the definition of enough to me. This does not mean that then I would not want to do more but getting that sort of gratitude, either from the person herself or at least imagining it for myself, provides fuel to do even more work.

Thus, I believe it would be easier for me to enjoy my hiking trip if I had taken time to ask people for gratitude

or imagined receiving it. As Marshall Rosenberg, author of “Nonviolent Communication: A Language of Life” puts it, “Gratitude is fuel for life.”

We are all already doing so much for ourselves, our families, our friends and strangers. Yes, we can do more and, if it comes from guilt, I’m guessing we and the people receiving it from us will enjoy it a lot less.

Furthermore, guilt has the potential power to immobilize us and lead us to want to do nothing (like an emotional eater who eats even more because he feels guilty for eating). Instead, I’d love to see us recognize the impact we are already having and use the joy that comes with that recognition to spur us toward more wonderful work!

graphic by leah lefkowitz/the hoot

The Chosen Rosen

Battling the end-of-semester blues

By Ricky Rosen Columnist

graphic by leah lefkowitz/the hoot

It’s that time of year—what our professors refer to as “the home stretch” and what we students like to call “Hell Week.” This is the time of the year that nobody likes. Sure, some of us are eager to scramble home and get our summers started, but the rest of us are too focused on acing all of our tests before we can think about whether to go to Six Flags or Dorney Park this summer. And the only thing that stands between us and summer is finals.

Before we know it, it will be midMay. Finals will be a blur and we will be saying our heartfelt goodbyes to all of the friends we’ve made during the past year. We will pack up our stuff (I don’t know how I’m getting half of the stuff in my room home—nor am I aware of what possessed me to bring five seasons of “Scrubs” with me to college).

Soon enough, we will head back to our old lives, the lives we put on hold when we came here in the fall.

We’ll reconnect with our old friends, enjoy home-cooked meals (regrettably, it will be a Sherman-less summer), and watch baseball games with our friends and family. That sounds a little more pleasant than burying ourselves in the library for the next two

weeks to memorize every Supreme Court case that was adjudicated under John Roberts.

But unfortunately, the latter scenario is the predicament most of us find ourselves in right now. And as the days number down, students are finding it hard to keep their chins up. They have to cope with anxiety, nerves and the dreaded “end-of-the-semester blues.” How do you combat the end of the semester blues? How do you cope with studying for finals, doing papers, completing assignments you should have done months ago, catching up on readings, preparing to head home and getting in those last meaningful moments with friends?

It’s all about time management.

Consider what is most important and make that your top priority. Studying for finals should be at the top of your list. After all, this entire year will have been for nothing if you do not, at the very least, pass your finals. Your friends can wait. You can see them during meals (yes, you still need to eat during finals week) or you can study with them, if you are able to do that without getting distracted.

Still stressed about finals? Here are some tips to help you suppress the stress!

1. Don’t overwork yourself. Adding stress to stress does not equal success.

See Blues, page 13

12 IMPRESSIONS

The Brandeis Hoot

April 29, 2011

The Self Shelf

Don’t be buried by the Brandeis Disease

By Alex Self Editor

Class had started 10 minutes ago and I was unable to walk. The run had been overly long and full of hardship due to lack of sleep and a lack of direction. My legs were pulsing with pain to the point where I couldn’t stay in the same position for more than 20 seconds. I was feeling nauseated and I knew I was severely dehydrated. I asked a friend to bring me a bottle of water because I didn’t have any in my room and I wasn’t making it to the CStore any time soon. I sent an e-mail to my professor about my situation, drank some water provided by my friend and promptly passed out for a few hours.

This scenario took place a month ago but it feels as if I have been involved in similar situations throughout the semester. The reason my day was so miserable on that cold April afternoon was due to the overlapping of several schedule conflicts. I had to run 20 miles during the day in order to keep up with my running schedule and thus not die when I ran my marathon (which is actually now

three days away). Additionally, I had to attend a three-hour seminar in the afternoon. Yet the preceeding week had been hellish. It had involved a 15page paper, an eight-page paper and two exams. My sleep deficit was running higher than the national debt.

Thus my plan was to complete my run in two and a half hours, shower and run off to class. As you know, this plan did not work out very well.

The truly interesting facet of the situation, however, was the response my rather sad apology for missing my professor’s class received. He told me to consider cutting some of my classes and activities in the name of sleep. When I received the message, I laughed and asked a friend near me exactly what the word sleep meant.

After I wrote the professor back about considering dropping one of my minors next semester, he told me about something he called the Brandeis Disease. The Brandeis Disease is a psychological condition endemic to Brandeis students in which the victims are convinced that they need to triple major, triple minor and be president of four clubs to get into a good graduate school. These students often overwork themselves to the point

of exhaustion and reach stress levels higher than a Red Bull-drinking squirrel, all in the name of getting that extra edge in the future application process. An important qualification is that there are people who legitimately do a million things because they love all of them but a great many people participate in many classes and clubs for the sole purpose of putting it on their resume someday—these are the victims I am referring to.

The professor went on to say that this was one of the most irrational mindsets he had ever seen. Indeed, having been afflicted with this disease myself, I came to realize that a good part of my commitments were completely unnecessary. I was asking the wrong questions about my activities.

Whereas before I had asked whether a class, major or activity might benefit my graduate school application, I realized that the correct question was whether the future facet of my life interested me. The prime example of this for most of the people afflicted with this condition is taking classes to fulfill an extraneous major or minor. How many times have you heard someone say: “I don’t really want to take this class but I only

need two more classes for the minor.”

Something that no one ever told me and that I never really realized is that the extra minor isn’t going to matter.

That second major is not going to affect your chances of getting into law school. In the end, you will be evaluated based on your GPA and LSATs along with everyone else.

Yet the real problem with the Brandeis Disease is not that people have this misconception that this overcrowding of classes and clubs helps them but instead the valuable time and peace of mind they lose by it. This semester, there were countless times when I wanted a break to sleep, to spend some time with a friend or simply to have some fun, only to find that I was bound by one of my commitments. My commitments included five classes, three clubs, two jobs and a running schedule. The running schedule may seem to be the most extraneous facet of this schedule but honestly the endorphins from my runs were the best protection I had from a nervous breakdown. And indeed, there were several times when I nearly had a nervous breakdown. I often pondered taking a few days off from everything, regardless of the

graphic by leah lefkowitz/the hoot

Altered Conciousness

By Rick Alterbaum Columnist

During the last couple of weeks, I have become extremely disappointed in regards to President Obama’s domestic policies and general behavior.

First of all, he just does not appear to be serious about addressing our current fiscal situation. This year we face a $1.6 trillion deficit and a more than $14 trillion federal debt, which is nearly equivalent to 100 percent of GDP. If current trends persist, we could very well experience a debt crisis within the next decade that could potentially dwarf, in terms of sheer magnitude, the 2008 financial crisis. Yet what are the president’s proposals to address these daunting problems?

Firstly, he wants to raise taxes on the richest Americans. But this policy will only raise at most $100 billion per year. Therefore, does he want to increase taxes on everyone and completely stifle economic growth? Also, the fact is that federal tax revenue has never exceeded 21 percent of GDP, which equates to approximately $3 trillion, in comparison to a current budget that is equal to approximately $3.8 trillion.

Unless we pass a VAT, which is a regressive sales tax that would further depress the economy, Obama will have to cut spending.

And on spending, Obama’s main proposal is to cut defense. Obama says that his savings can come from

consequences. Due to insanity, caffeine and running, I was able to keep everything relatively under control.

Yet the amount of fun, recreation and tranquility I missed out on is unquantifiable. This is bothersome because, underneath it all, college is not supposed to be a hellish death trudge.

Many call it the best years of their lives and there’s little point in spending it engulfed in one extraneous pursuit after another. This wonderful experience we call Brandeis will be over before we know it—we may as well have a little fun. Unfortunately, this is the main part of your life that the Brandeis Disease attacks.

You may be wondering if I’m going to put my money where my mouth is, as it were. Inspired by this new outlook and a new goal of having an academically ambitious yet sane college life, I am indeed going to simplify my schedule next semester. I’m not exactly sure how I will do this yet but I have a few ideas that would make my life a lot easier. One of the most obvious ones is dropping a few of my many minors and thus the intensive, unappealing requirement classes I would have to take to complete them. Additionally, I will probably resign one of my leadership positions in my clubs and drop a job. Thus, next semester, with any luck, I will be looking at a healthier lifestyle that doesn’t involve constantly running from one obligation to the next in a never ending free for all.

I would advise you, dear reader, to take a look at your own busy schedule and ask yourself whether you’re living the life you want to live. If the answer is negative or uncertain, then perhaps you should consider a change. That extra line on your vitae isn’t going to get you into med school. Yet that lack of time you had to put into studying because of your million obligations very well may keep you out of it. Thus, if you get a moment, vet your priorities and make sure you’re not another victim of the Brandeis Disease.

Serious fiscal solutions needed eliminating the magical quartet of waste, fraud, abuse and duplication. But that can only take him so far. At this point, the United States cannot truly allocate fewer resources for national security purposes without significantly affecting things like weapons maintenance, force structure and deployment, which in turn impacts major overseas operations.

In regards to the latter point, currently our troops are performing the following functions abroad: They are in Libya, Iraq and Afghanistan; fighting wars against terrorism and piracy; containing China, Russia, Iran and North Korea; keeping the sea and air lanes open for trade and commerce; and providing collective security benefits to the world. Which of these roles for the military does Obama want to do away with? Judging by the fact that the United States just got involved in Libya, I would assume none of them.

I’ve gathered Obama’s third key proposal is that he seeks to grant more power to the Independent Payment Advisory Board (IPAB). Essentially, the IPAB consists of a group of 15 unelected bureaucrats who would make arbitrary cuts in Medicare spending, most likely through rationing care and reducing reimbursement rates to providers. Optimistic projections of savings from the IPAB amount to approximately $30 billion, which is less than what the federal government spends in a week. Congress disapproves of the IPAB, however, because it takes away its power to regulate Medicare. So

much for that policy.

And what of economic growth?

The president’s main theme seems to be investments in clean energy, high-speed rail and education. Certainly this spending can help the country somewhat in the long-term but it won’t make a major impact in the short-term.

I’m also disappointed in Obama’s recent rhetoric. As I’ve stated, we face a potentially dire fiscal scenario and looming national insolvency. Yet Obama, for all intents and purposes, accuses Republicans of being un-American and of robbing grandma and autistic children to give tax cuts to the rich. Regardless of the accuracy of these charges—and I think it’s demagoguery— Obama is going to have to deal with the other side of the aisle to solve the country’s problems. His present approach poisons the well.

What makes the president’s hyperpartisan attitude all the more unfortunate is that Obama actually has a real potential partner in the form of

Congressman Paul Ryan. I emphasize that Ryan’s budget is far from perfect.

At the same time, Ryan is intelligent, genuine, sincere and a patriot who is truly concerned about the fiscal issues we face. When he attended Obama’s speech a few weeks ago ex-

pecting an olive branch, however, all he got was a tongue-lashing.

Hopefully, Republicans and Democrats can forge a compromise that can simultaneously lower the deficit and maintain the economic recovery.

But right now, this seems like a dubious prospect.

photo from internet source

April 29, 2011

IMPRESSIONS 13

The Brandeis Hoot

Book of Matthew

By Bret Matthew Editor

If you look closely enough, you can still find the picture floating around on the Internet. I found it a few days ago without meaning to on the Mother Jones magazine website.

In it, a group of U.S. Army soldiers prepare to board a helicopter that has just landed in Afghanistan. They keep their weapons raised as their eyes scan the horizon, searching for things unseen.

The title of the picture says it all: “We’re Still at War.” These days, we need reminding.

Long gone is the flag-waving furor that kick-started our foray into the Middle East; gone as well are the protest marches that tried to stop it.

We—and by “we,” I mean college students—have entered a third phase: a quagmire of apathy as widespread and complex as the quagmire of Afghanistan.

I can only remember one major anti-war demonstration in the four years I have spent here. In March 2008, several campus organizations organized a march to protest the Iraq War on its fifth anniversary. About 100 students—myself included—put up signs and chanted all the way down from the Rabb steps to Shapiro Campus Center, where we sang protest songs, sent letters to members of Congress, and had the opportunity to hear both Catholic chaplain Father Walter Cuenin and Protestant chaplain Alexander Kern speak.

The whole thing lasted for maybe an hour or two, and then we all left,

Engrossing

War stories going our separate ways to class, or to the library, or back to the dorms to hang out with our friends until slowly, one by one, we forgot about what we had done. And why not? After all, whether the war continued or ended, would our comfortable lives at school really be affected?

What a difference a few decades bring. It was 60 years ago when Abram Sachar, Brandeis’ first president, told the Justice that the university’s expansion plans would operate on the assumption that between 30 and 50 percent of male enrollment would be drafted into the armed forces to serve in the Korean War. And it was 41 years ago when Brandeis became the headquarters for the National Strike Information Center, which collected information about ongoing Vietnam protests across the nation and published newsletters for participating schools and strikers.

We’re lucky. We don’t have to deal with the same kind of fear and uncertainty as our forebears. We don’t have to fight our government’s foolish wars if we don’t want to. But we also don’t have to think about them.

I was reminded of this during winter break when I took a trip to Israel via the Taglit-Birthright Israel program. Our group was visiting Haifa, and because Haifa and Boston are sister cities, we made a special trip to a Haifa high school to meet with some of the students there.

We split into smaller groups and filed separately into classrooms, each group with two Haifa students.

I don’t remember why we started talking about the military. Maybe it’s inevitable when you’re sitting in a

“

We’re lucky. We don’t have to deal with the same kind of fear and uncertainty as our forebears. We don’t have to fight our goverment’s foolish wars if we don’t want to. But we also don’t have to think about them.

room with two people who are only a year or so away from being drafted by their own country. But I do remember one of the students asking us if we had ever considered enlisting ourselves.

Our response consisted of a few shaken heads and a murmured “umm, no.”

In a way, it highlighted a different sort of Brandeis bubble. One girl mentioned that where she came from, there were no Memorial Day parades.

Another said that she didn’t know anyone who had ever served in uniform.

I remember being shocked for a moment but ultimately not surprised. Military presence on campus is small: Last time I checked, only two Brandeis students participate in the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps program (which is held at Boston University). Last semester, they were featured in a Justice article, with a headline that had to clearly explain what ROTC was. The Justice editors clearly knew their audience.

I used to think that I had a passing familiarity with the military. Not the I-play-Call-of-Duty-and-cite-

”

weapons-specs-at-parties kind—it’s simpler than that. I know a few guys from high school who, for one reason or another, chose to enlist. I still have the empty shell casing from when my grandfather had been buried with full military honors. These weren’t things that I had though about very much but, when I did, I realized that they didn’t add up to a whole lot.

What I didn’t want to say to the Israelis—what I couldn’t bring myself to say out of embarrassment—was that they were talking to the wrong people. We belonged to a demographic that, statistically speaking, does not join the American military—we were white, middle-to-upper-class and in college.

The old story goes that President Nixon sought to end the draft so that young people, especially affluent ones, would stop protesting once they realized they wouldn’t have to fight. At that point, it wasn’t much of a political battle. The draft had become so unpopular that both parties eventually embraced its demise and the Vietnam War itself soon followed.

See War, page 14

Facebook: changing the face of revolution

By Morgan Gross Editor

My first semester at Brandeis and my first semester writing for The Hoot, I wrote a whole bunch of articles about Facebook and a whole bunch of articles about activism.

Since the beginning of this semester, I have stepped away from these topics and written about other pressing issues such as cigarette smoking, Four Loko and sleep. As my first year at Brandeis comes to an end, however, I thought that it would be appropriate to make a return to the topics that got me started.

During April break, I went out for Chinese food with my father, sister and paternal grandparents as a prePesach celebration. Over lo-mein, my grandmother brought up—one of her favorite topics—her own lack of understanding about Facebook. She questioned my sister and me intensely about the social media outlet; but no matter what my sister and I said to sway her, she couldn’t wrap her head around the concept that it was good for more than drug deals and the dissemination of nude pictures. I wish that I had been with her a few days later when I stumbled upon something that put the power of Facebook into a completely new perspective for me.

In April, Mark Zuckerberg and President Obama teamed up to produce a White House town hall meeting conducted completely via Facebook—a wholly underpublicized event, in my opinion, considering the fact that the White House is kind of a big deal.

In this town hall, the president discussed issues such as the economy but before the official town hall started, Obama had a few enthusiastic words to share about the social media site: “What makes me incredibly op-

timistic—and that’s why being here at Facebook is so exciting for me—is that at every juncture in our history, whenever we face challenges like this, whether it’s been the shift from a agricultural age to an industrial age, or whether it was facing the challenges of the Cold War, or trying to figure out how we make this country more fair and more inclusive, at every juncture we’ve always been able to adapt.

We’ve been able to change and we’ve been able to get ahead of the curve.

And that’s true today as well and you guys are at the cutting edge of what’s happening.” Pretty high praise from the leader of the free world, and not completely without justification.

Since its inception, Facebook has become the world’s largest social media outlet. According to figures that they’ve released, the website has more than 500 million accounts— with numbers climbing quickly towards 600 million. Fifty percent of these members are between the ages of 18 and 35. Half of these members log into Facebook at least once a day and the average user has 130 friends.

In addition to users, there are more than 900 million objects—including pages, groups, events and community pages—that its users are able to interact with. These interactions allow users to connect to others with similar interests and ideologies.

Though this may seem insignificant, it is important not to underestimate the power of this many people having access to so many resources.

Anyone who doubts the mettle of this statement needs only to look to the Middle East to see its truth.

Shortly after Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak stepped down from power, Egyptian activist Wael Ghonim, was interviewed by CNN’s Wolf Blitzer.

Ghonim, an activist and marketing manager for Google, was a key player in Egypt’s revolution, as he organized

graphic by leah finkelman/the hoot

the Jan. 25 protest by reaching out to Egyptian youths on Facebook.

Though he has been given much credit for his work on behalf of the revolution—during which he was arrested and imprisoned for 12 days— he insists that “he is not the hero.” In his CNN interview, Ghonim credited Facebook with the success of the Egyptian people’s uprising.

He explained: “I want to meet Mark Zuckerberg one day and thank him [...] I’m talking on behalf of Egypt. [...]

This revolution started online. This revolution started on Facebook. This revolution started [...] in June 2010 when hundreds of thousands of Egyptians started collaborating content.

We would post a video on Facebook that would be shared by 60,000 people

on their walls within a few hours. I’ve always said that if you want to liberate a society just give them the Internet.”

As we, on college campuses all across the nation, sit on Facebook, searching for information about our hallmate’s new boyfriend or our third grade girlfriend’s new haircut, it is easy to forget the incredible power that Facebook and other forms of social media possess. It is important to remember the words of anthropologist Margaret Mead, when she instructed never to disregard the power of “a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens” to change the world, because in Egypt and throughout the Middle East, that is exactly what they did.

Forlorn about finals Blues, from page 11

Find time to eat and sleep and get in five minutes or so of fun a day.

2. Don’t wait until the last minute.

Start studying early to avoid having to read a memoir and two novels the night before your exam.

3. Minimize distractions. If the sound of the radiator is providing an endless distraction, go outside and study, instead of burying yourself in the dungeon for three days in a row.

But if you’re the type of person whose mind wanders at the sight of anything even remotely interesting, I wouldn’t recommend studying outside, as it will have you tracking a squirrel instead of doing your work.

4. Don’t procrastinate! That means no Facebook, no Twitter and no Sporcle during study time. You have to stay on task! If you can’t stay off of Facebook, deactivate it for a week or block it from your Internet browser.

You can just unblock it after finals are over.

5. Take breaks while studying. Staring at a computer screen or browsing through a textbook can make your eyes (and your brain) really tired. To keep yourself fresh, take breaks every two hours or so.

6. Study actively. That means you need to do more than just review your notes—you should make a review sheet, repeat things out loud to remember them, and brainstorm possible essay tasks and responses.

7. Listen to music while you study.

Listening to music can be a very good way to help you concentrate on your work but make sure it’s a song you know well. If you listen to a song you haven’t heard before, you’ll be more focused on the song than your work.

8. Don’t panic! If you find yourself stressing out the night before your history exam, feeling like you don’t know a thing about history, take a step back and relax. As important as these exams are, they’re just exams. They’re not worth losing all your friends, not sleeping for a week and spiking your blood pressure over.

After final exams are over, you can breathe a sigh of relief. The semester is over—the year is over …

The excitement of shopping classes, the strain of making your schedule, the lines outside Sherman three or four days per semester, the Saturday night party-hopping, the hilarious YouTube parodies that you watched with friends, the lectures that never seemed to end, the late-night spiritual discussions you had in Usdan until you got kicked out at 2 a.m., the time you forgot your laundry was still in the machine and a week later figured out why you were missing all your clothes, the time you were locked outside the SCC without a key for an hour with an unfinished research paper, all of the times you had an urge to play Ultimate Ninja—the amusement of Purim, the thrill of winning trivia night at Ollie’s, the frustration of your roommate’s cluttered space, the agitation of standing at a corner in Waltham waiting for the BranVan, the delight of finding out that Rice Krispie treats has C-Store Meal Equivalency (and the anger of learning that string cheese does not), the fatigue of a Thursday night all-nighter, the glory of an A, the failure of a B, the exhilaration of making a new friend, the ache of losing an old one …

Enjoy your summer, everyone, because when we come back, we get to do it all over again.

14 IMPRESSIONS

The Brandeis Hoot

April 29, 2011

Faking it with confidence: the art of being a camp counselor and an adult

Where have all the protests gone?

War, from page 13

photo from internet source

By Leah Finkelman Editor

As children, our parents and other adults know everything. They’re our source of information, telling us why the sky is blue and the difference between boys and girls. As soon as they became parents, they must have gotten a manual called “The Answer to Everything.”

Three summers ago, I realized that my parents had been faking it. They were smart but they definitely didn’t know the answer to everything.

I was a camp counselor, only four years older than my campers, but almost immediately I was the all-knowing adult. I controlled their day: the programs they did, what time they ate, when they went to bed. I remembered being their age. My counselors were so old, so cool, so smart. With more life experience, they always had the answers. Suddenly, that was me.

Sexcapades

By Sophie Riese Columnist

I don’t know how this happened already, but it’s almost summer vacation. And while for some of us that means our last few weeks of freedom (especially once exams are finished)

One night it was my turn to stay up and keep an eye on our campers in case of an emergency. I was sitting on the porch listening to my iPod hoping for a quiet night when Zoe* came out.

Zoe was one of my favorites. She was always smiling and could always make everyone around her smile, which is why I was surprised when her brow was furrowed. It was obvious something was wrong. She sat down with me and told me that she was worried about one of her friends, another of my campers. Jenny* hadn’t been eating much, and what she did eat she threw up, blaming it on her lactose intolerance.

Being a camp counselor is great preparation for being an adult, complete with a catchphrase for every situation. You spend all your waking hours pretending you know exactly what’s going on (“you’ll find out after lunch”), fixing boo-boos (“drink some water and take deep breaths”) and giv-

ing life advice (“ignore boys … camp is about your friends and it’s too short to worry”). Zoe’s concerns, however, caught me completely off guard. It was something I’d never dealt with and I had absolutely no idea what to tell her.

I comforted Zoe, trying to think of what I would want to hear if I were in her position, and gave her some of the advice I remembered from every time I had been told what to do in her situation. I told her to make sure Jenny knew she was there for her, and to encourage her to eat and feel comfortable with food, but not force her or criticize her.

The truth was that I had no idea if anything I said was right or would make a difference. That terrified me.

Looking at Zoe’s face as I spoke to her made me realize what it must be like to be an adult. She trusted me, and thought I knew exactly what to say.

I didn’t know what to tell Zoe but I think I did just fine. There was no right

thing to say, but I made her feel better and, with the help of other counselors, I helped Jenny. We just needed to remember that we might not have known what to do but we needed to try. After discovering that there was a link between her not eating and her new boyfriend, we tried to keep them apart at meals. My co-counselor had a long talk with her about the importance of staying well-nourished, especially at camp, because we are constantly running around in the sun.

By the end of the summer, Jenny and her boyfriend had broken up and her eating had gotten much better. We were proud of ourselves for helping and had all learned how to deal with similar issues in the future.

I also learned something very valuable about life. You don’t need all the answers, just enough to fake it with enough confidence to fool everyone, even yourself. *Names have been changed.

To some, it was a double victory. But things changed as Americans got used to the idea of an all-volunteer military.

Much has been written about student response to war in recent years.

Many before me have decried the seeming growth of apathy on campuses. Others, speaking in defense of students, say that we are just as active as we have always been. The only difference is what we focus on. As one Harvard College assistant dean told The Boston Globe in a 2007 article about this issue, students prefer to “focus on causes they can see in front of them.” He cited a hunger strike that was held in support of better working conditions and pay for campus security guards.

As clichéd as it sounds, I tend to agree with both sides. I certainly don’t want to discount the work that many college activists are doing on smaller scale projects, and we will always need that work.

But certain truths still remain: Combat troops are leaving Iraq, but we’re still there to “advise” and “assist” the new government. The nearly 10-year war in Afghanistan is only growing larger. And lately we’ve been intervening in Libya, though most Americans are not sure what that means.

“We’re Still at War.” It’s as true a statement today as it was three years ago, or 10 years ago, or even 45. As citizens, we have always been indirectly responsible.

So I hope we can learn to show awareness, regardless of self-interest.

Because as it turns out, ending the draft may have been the greatest trick that Dick Nixon and his cronies ever played on us.

Summer lovin’?

before we start our new grown-up lives, most of you will really just be going on summer vacation, with plans to return to Brandeis in the fall.

The question at this time of year is always the same: Should we continue our relationships into summer?

Personally, I’ve always been a fan of the summer fling and, let me tell you,

photo by stephen wong/the hoot

I’ve had some pretty amazing ones.

The summer before my junior year, I met a kid outside a bike shop while going to put air in my tires so I could ride to work sometimes. He was tall, athletic, cute and funny, and he was a photographer—a personal weakness of mine. I found out later we’d actually been in the same kindergarten class

and had a million friends in common.

But the best part was the sex. He was sexy and into me, creative and exciting, and because of his strength we could really try out all kinds of moves.

That being said, I’ve had relationships that I continued through summer,suddenly with the introduction of the excitement-fever that summer seems to bring. Suddenly he was taking me on surprise dates to wonderful places and to outdoor concerts with light shows. There was also an insertion of a sort of lusty existence that had long since left our relationship.

So what is a good plan for the summer?

Should we be making the decisions that get us laid and take us on adventures, even if that means dumping a potential long-distance partner for the opportunity to meet someone new at home?

Or should we instead be stuck with the people we’re already with in order to continue a successful and happy relationship, potentially risking the possibility of booty? Obviously sometimes things work out perfectly and the person you regularly tangle with in the sheets is going to be living just steps from your door; but let’s be honest, how many college couples do you know who live close to each other?

I think it all comes down to what’s important to you as an individual and

what the original agreement was in your relationship. As college students, we often like to imagine that what’s most important to us is the sex—after all, that’s what college is all about, right?

In reality though, many of us are looking for some kind of emotional and intellectual connection to go along with physical sparks. Leaving a stable, happy relationship that offers much in the way of emotional support for the possibility of physical pleasure and exhilaration doesn’t seem like a good plan for most people, and I’m not necessarily in favor of it.

But few of my college relationships and hook-ups made it past the semester mark, meaning I’ve pretty much always been single and on the prowl for the summer, which is amazing.

So prepare yourself for the summer by making sure you know that you and your partners are on the same page.

No matter what, you definitely don’t want to reach summer thinking you have a boyfriend only to discover you’re suddenly single, but you also don’t want the opposite situation to be the case either.

Whatever happens, remember that summer is a time to enjoy, not to worry.

There are opportunities all over if you just keep your eyes open.

Arts, Etc.

April 29, 2011

The Brandeis Hoot 15

Bowling for Soup returns to cast new lines

By Adam Marx

Special to the Hoot

Fresh off studio time and a U.K. tour last year, Bowling for Soup (BFS) return this spring with an album of new material that makes me wonder if they will ever run out of topics to talk about. At home in the clever wordplay that Bowling for Soup seem to work with so easily, “Fishin’ for Woos,” the 11th studio album in the BFS catalogue, keeps the party from “Sorry for Partyin’” going.

Songs like “S-S-S-Saturday” and “Let’s Pretend We’re Not in Love” find a reemergence in the song-style and sound of “Drunk Enough to Dance” and “A Hangover You Don’t Deserve,” the albums that brought these guys from Texas to the mainstream. “Here’s Your Freakin’ Song” drips with the BFS attitude that blew up on songs like “My Hometown” and “Two-Seater” from “A Hangover You Don’t Deserve,” and BFS have hit their mark again. “Smiley Face (It’s All Good)” has the same groove as “Shut Up and Smile,” and with fun-loving songs like these, it’s hard not to love Bowling for Soup as they take aim at clever songs rather than hardcore depressing tunes.

Yet along with the pop-punk anthems that get your adrenaline flowing, there’s another side of the album. “What About Us” is a surprisingly powerful ballad reminiscent of “When We Die” from “The Great Burrito Extortion Case,” and adds a level of emotion to an otherwise funny and happy-go-lucky album. Reddick and the rest of BFS prove that they can be just as deep as they can be witty when they want to be, and it seems to me that they certainly have a knack for it. But I respect BFS for not pushing it over the limit: Their albums aren’t taken up by sappy “mygirlfriend-left-me” songs that make you want

photo from internet source

gone fishin’ Infectious band Bowling for Soup, best known for the song “1985,” released their latest album, “Fishin’ for Woos,” this week.

to sit inside on a rainy day. Instead the songs have a brash bluntness that is the exact opposite: They accept reality and take it with a grain of salt, and whether you want to play them with the windows down on a hot summer day or while you’re outside playing ball in the rain, the undertone is “you can’t keep me down,” and that’s something I love.

Jaret Reddick’s voice is choice on this recording and, as it comes through the speakers to the rhythm of Erik Chandler’s bass and Gary Wiseman’s drums, songs like “Here’s Your Freakin’ Song” and “I’ve Never Done

Anything Like This” (which features Kay Hanley, former vocalist for Letters to Cleo) create a party groove that boosts the album in ways I can’t help but love. Reddick continues the power and drive with Chris Burney as their twin guitar chords punch out and prove that the pop-punk rock way of doing things is just as powerful as it was back in 1996. The lyrical precision is quick and powerful and, as I listen, I think of songs like “Girl All the Bad Guys Want” and “Punk Rock 101,” whose lyrics stick in your head days after you’ve played them.

One of the last songs on the album is “Dear Megan Fox,” and just from the title I can tell this one is gonna be a trip. As the chords start and Wiseman’s snares set the rhythm, the lyrics of this song blow me away. Yet I shouldn’t be surprised at all. Penned by Reddick and Mitch Allan (from SR-71), this is the same songwriting team that wrote “1985” for BFS’s seventh release, “A Hangover You Don’t De-

See BFS, page 19

‘Conspirator’ hatches plot to underwhelm audience

By Sean Fabery Editor

Shortly after assassinating President Abraham Lincoln, actor-turned-assassin John Wilkes Booth jumped from the presidential balcony at Ford’s Theater, breaking a leg in the process. Nearly 150 years later, actor-turned-director Robert Redford’s “The Conspirator”—a dramatization of the events surrounding the trial of the lone female implicated in the murder—lands with a similar thud.

In the aftermath of Lincoln’s assassination, the government launches a massive manhunt to track down Booth and those who conspired with him. Booth is found and killed within two weeks, while eight others are imprisoned for aiding in the plot. Among these is Mary Surratt (Robin Wright), the owner of the boarding house where the conspirators met.

Surratt is quickly brought to trial but it’s under less than ideal circumstances. Lincoln’s vengeful secretary of war, Edwin Stanton (Kevin Kline), orders military trials for all involved. Surratt is not allowed to see her defense attorney until the day before her trial begins and they are barred from knowing what witnesses the prosecution will use.

When Surratt’s original attorney leaves the case, lawyer and war veteran Fredrick Aiken (James McAvoy) enters as her reluctant defender. Though he initially deems her irrefutably guilty, he becomes aware of extralegal steps taken by the government: Witnesses have been threatened and evidence has been invented. When Aiken questions this, he falls into disrepute with Washington society, only emboldening him to uncover the truth.

With its focus on extraordinary—and illegal—measures taken in cases of “enemy combatants,” the film clearly draws parallels between Surratt’s predicament and the actions taken at the detention facilities at Guantanamo Bay. It’s certainly shocking how similar the two situations are; the film succeeds in

getting its primary thematic point across. It’s very perceptive and noble, though perhaps it would have been more timely had it premiered five years ago (not that the situation at Guantanamo has been resolved, of course).

However, it lacks something in the execution.

“The Conspirator” has the unfortunate distinction of feeling exactly like the ubiquitous historical reenactments presented on virtually every History Channel program. The film’s script, written by James D. Solomon, feels clunky at times and suffers from occasionally leaden dialogue. Redford’s direction, meanwhile, can only be described as by-thenumbers. It’s overly static, especially in the abundant, dialogue-heavy courtroom scenes.

Visually, the film was overly de-saturated and dull. The few visual flourishes employed by its cinematographer felt a little too obvious. For instance, a single ray of light constantly penetrates Surratt’s prison cell, giving her the aura of a saint. It’s a bit much, especially since her innocence has never been established by the historical record.

“The Conspirator” promisingly assembles a large talented cast but few really command the screen.

Wright gives an exceptional performance as the woman of the hour. She imbues Surratt with a quiet dignity; alternatively caged and maternal, she always feels true to the character’s situation. However, the film itself seems to get in the way of her portrayal. The script never allows us full access to Surratt’s mind or heart. This causes our sympathy for her to remain abstract when Redford clearly intended us to feel something deeper.

McAvoy proves fine as her defender, but Aiken is more of an ideal than a genuine character. From the moment he is introduced in the film’s prologue, in which we see Aiken rescuing a fellow soldier on a battlefield, we know that he is a Hero with a capital H. There’s simply not much subtlety to him.

Considering the great work McAvoy has done in other films, it’s a shame he didn’t try to get more out of Aiken.

photo from internet source

trial Robin Wright, left, stars as Mary Surratt, the lone woman implicated in the assassination of Abraham Lincoln, in

“The Conspirator,” in which James McAvoy, right, plays her idealistic defense lawyer.

The strength of the supporting cast varies considerably.

Evan Rachel Wood is one of its standouts as Anna, Surratt’s enigmatic daughter. While she’s primarily here to play the role of Reluctant Courtroom Witness, there’s a palpable emotional quality that enters her voice whenever she mentions her mother that feels natural and real.

Others are not quite as subtle. Kevin Kline veers into hamminess as the man leading the charge against Surratt. Considering he initially has noble intentions—to avenge his friend Lincoln’s death—there should be more hints of gray in his portrayal. On a related note, Tom Wilkinson, who portrays Surratt’s initial defense, overdoes the southern accent.

Some felt out of place against the film’s period stylings. Former “Gilmore Girl” Alexis

Bledel, portraying Aiken’s love interest Sarah, imbues her character with a host of vocal affectations, but she never feels of the period.

Similarly, Justin Long, as Aiken’s best friend and occasional confidante, feels completely out of place. The film’s production staff give him a snazzy, period-appropriate mustache, but it can only accomplish so much on its own. His presentation of the character is overly contemporary, making him look at best like a second-tier Civil War re-enactor in his Union army uniform.

Redford selected a fascinating topic for his film, one that should provide a host of rich historical and thematic material. Unfortunately, he falters in the film’s execution, robbing the film of any real kind of style or substance. “The Conspirator” is fine as a history lesson but it feels decidedly small screen.

16 ARTS, ETC.

The Brandeis Hoot

April 29, 2011

Arts festival opens with ‘happening’

By Sean Fabery Editor

The Leonard Bernstein Festival of the Creative Arts, held annually in the spring, is always the campus cultural highlight of the year, presenting the best of what the arts at Brandeis have to offer. This year’s festival adopts the theme that “art is all around.” As such, members of the Brandeis community who happened to enter the Shapiro Campus Center on Thursday afternoon quite literally found themselves surrounded by art as part of the festival’s opening ceremony.

This year’s ceremony took the form of a “happening,” a live action event in which different forms of artistic expression converge. Traditionally, these often include music, dance, painting and song. All were present on Thursday.

The ceremony began with a performance of traditional African dancing and drumming by members of the Fafali ensemble, comprised of students in the Ghana Drumming and Dancing (MUS 87) class. Not only was their dancing electrifying, but it also provided a wonderful glimpse into the kind of unique opportunities provided to students by the school of the creative arts.

Of course, happenings are all about the melding of various art forms, so naturally the ceremony transitioned to a classic violin concert given by three students. Halfway through their performance,

they were joined by another student playing a drum.

As the violinists and drummer played, students of the Suzuki class appeared, marching across the atrium floor. Originally developed by the Japanese theater artist Tadashi Suzuki, this method develops both physical strength and the imagination through a series of walks and marches.

While the Suzuki members skillfully marched, a change of pace was injected through the appearance of jugglers.

Afterwards, cast members from this year’s Tympanium Euphorium production of “Rent” appeared. Led

by Harrison Bannett ’11, they performed the song “La Vie Boheme.”

As the song came to a close, the singers grabbed students from the audience and encouraged them to dance, incorporating them into the happening.

These amateur dancers were subsequently joined by hip-hop dancers, many of them members of Kaos Kids and Adagio Dance Company.

They began by dancing to Chris Brown’s “Yeah 3x” before continuing to other songs.

Not only was it impressive on its own merits, but it also attracted an impressive level of attendance; the SCC atrium is normally never so packed. Overall, it proved a spectacular opening to an always promising festival, which promises an array of excellent events combining the theater, music and art.

The festival runs through May 1.

photos by alex patch/the hoot

the happening At top, three violinists play for the audience, while other students perform hip-hop dancing at bottom.

African dance enlivens campus center

By Gabby Katz Staff

photos by alex patch/the hoot

dance and drum At top, members of Fafali perform a traditional dance employed by the Ewe people of West Africa. At bottom, Nani Agbeli and two others perform on the drums.

With alien-like creatures littering the lawn of the Great Lawn, one can only imagine what is lurking inside.

Thursday night, alongside intricate paintings, moving photos and a rainbow squiggly snake, the beat of the heartbeat of southern Ghana radiated through the Shapiro Campus Center atrium.

It was here that the students of the class Ghana Drumming and Dancing (MUS87)—myself included—performed traditional instrumental music and dance from the Ewe people of West Africa, led by our handsome and effervescent professor, Nani Agbeli (MUS).

We voted on naming our troupe Fafali, which translates to “there is peace,” as we felt a cross-cultural experience of peace while spending the semester learning about the Ewe people’s traditions and arts. Nani himself has frequently mentioned that learning and sharing one another’s culture promotes peace as well. Most of the students in the class are not music majors and took up the class as a new experience. Today we find ourselves proficient in some of the dancing and drumming techniques we learned.

We each had integral roles in the music, as each instrument carries a set of beats for the leading drum and bell’s tune, and it was apparent that the semester-long practice session had paid off. We next sang a traditional song of peace while forming a circle. Once in the circle, Nani pounded a large drum with

specific beats to lead the dancers into a variety of hip-swaying, buttslapping, feet-stomping moves. At many points, we partnered off and engaged each other in core movements that embodied each beat of the drum.

Nani Agbeli comes from a long family line of drumming and dancing, as he received much of his training from his father Godwin Agbeli who was the chairman of the National Folkloric Company at the Arts Council of Ghana. He has been a drum and dancing instructor at the Dagbe Cultural Center in Kopeyia, Ghana, as well as schools all over such as Berklee College of Music, Tufts University and, the most fortunate school, Brandeis!

After we performed, Nani and two special guests, including artist Frederick Abban, aggressivly portrayed a war story through dances and chanting. At one point, Nani jumped onto an audience member’s lap and gently carressed her face. If nothing else, it was an experience worth having.

Following the performances a reception was held with light delicious snacks as the students celebrated a fun and culturally invigorating semester. If anyone is interested in taking this class next semester, we were fortunate enough to have it funded for another year and it will be offered in the fall!

All of the students are especially grateful for the support of Judy Eissenberg, Nani Agbeli and the Brandeis Music Department for having this class offered and are surely walking away with an experience to remember.

April 29, 2011

ARTS, ETC. 17

The Brandeis Hoot

A guide to the sounds of Springfest

By Candice Bautista

May 1 marks the date for Springfest, an all-day outdoor music festival hosted by Student Events and WBRS, which is one of the most anticipated events of the year. This year’s festival will feature of Montreal and Far East Movement, as well

as DOM and rapper Aziz, a current Brandeis first-year.

“It used to be a small show with only smaller bands performing,” Alyssa Folickman ’11, director of concerts for Student Events, wrote via e-mail.

“Over the past few years it has evolved into a larger event headlined by more well-known artists.”

The process of planning Springfest and booking bands took about

six months.

Student Events has known this year’s lineup since February, but they were only able to make the official announcement April 9 after all the contracts between the artists and the school had been signed.

Although the bands are the major attraction of Springfest, there are other aspects of the event that add to the festival-like atmosphere. This includes free food such as pizza,

Far East Movement, or FM for short, is an Asian-American band best known for the song “Like a G6.”

They’ve rapidly gained popularity in the last few years. In fact, they have the distinction of being the first Asian-American group to earn a Top 10 spot on the Billboard Mainstream Pop charts in the United States.

The fact that they are Asian-American has simultaneously had a lot and very little to do with their music. Although they are trying to establish themselves as capable Asian-American artists, they are also trying to establish themselves as musicians alone.

The band name “Far East Movement” describes their goal as a group, to bring Asian-American music to the mainstream. However, that is not to deter from the fact they just want to make music. Many people that listen to Far East Movement are not even aware they are Asian. As Kev Nish said in a Hyphen Magazine interview in 2008, “To us, that’s a compliment.

It means they felt we sounded authentic to how they hear hip hop music.

Hopefully the next time they hear or

see an Asian artist it won’t be as much of a shock.”

The phrase “Far East Movement” was the name of one of their first songs as a group. First formed in 2001 as “Emcee’s Anonymous,” its original members were Kevin Nishimura (Kev Nish), James Roh (Prohgress) and Jae Choung (J-Splif). The trio grew up in Koreatown in Los Angeles and were friends in high school. After playing a few events, they decided to change their name to Far East Movement.

Their first album as a group was 2006’s “Folk Music,” which featured the single “Round Round.” “Round Round” was featured in “The Fast and the Furious: Toyko Drift.” This publicity was their first time being exposed to the world and was one of the reasons FM decided to pursue music as a full-time career.

Soon afterwards, DJ Vermin joined the group as its DJ; together, they released “Lowridin” as their next single which led to their second album, “Animal.” This album also gained attention, as they had collaborated with many artist including Bruno Mars

and Bionik. “Animal” also featured the single “Girls on the Dance Floor,” which has been played frequently in movies and on television shows, the most popular of which being “America’s Best Dance Crew.” In 2010, FM signed a major record deal with Cherrytree Records, marking a whole new era for FM as a band. Additionally, in April 2010, they signed on as the opening act for the Asian portion of Lady Gaga’s Monster Ball Tour. They also opened for Mike Posner from September to October 2010.

FM released “Free Wired,” their first major and most recent album, on Oct. 12, 2010. This record has been their most popular record so far and includes collaborations with Keri Hilson, Lil Jon, Snoop Dogg and Ryan Tedder from OneRepublic. In addition to featuring “Like a G6,” FM also recently released the single “Rocketeer” featuring Ryan Tedder.

FM’s music can be described as a combination of hip hop and electronica with some rock influences. All of their songs have a dance feel, which promises a high-energy show.

Staff

snowcones, cotton candy and popcorn, as well as beer for those 21 and older with two forms of ID. Additionally, there will be many giveaways sponsored by Student Events and WBRS. Eight organizations will also be tabling at the event, including the Leonard Bernstein Festival of the Creative Arts, which will be occurring at the same time as Springfest this year. Although the Creative Arts Festival

and Springfest promote each other, they are planned independently of one another. This is the third year in a row they have coincided on the same weekend.

To give a taste of what will probably be played on Sunday, here are biographies of the headlining bands, along with lists of singles and additional songs you should listen to in order to get a deeper feel for the band’s sound.

photo from internet source

Singles: “Like a G6,”“Rocketeer,”“Round Round,”“Girls on the Dance Floor ” Additional Listening: “Fighting for Air (ft. FrankMusik),”“Dance Like Michael Jackson,” “For The City (ft. Jin)”

of Montreal

photo from internet source

Singles: “Wraith Pinned to the Mist and Other Games,”“I Was a Landscape in Your Dream,”“Requiem for O.M.M.,”“Disconnect the Dots,”“Gronlandic Edit” Additional Listening: “The Party’s Crashing Us,”“For Our Elegant Caste,”“Tim, I Wish You Were Born a Girl,” “Lysergic Bliss”

Though currently consisting of eight members, the band of Montreal rests mainly on the shoulders of Kevin Barnes. Named after a failed relationship he had with a girl from Montreal, Barnes composes, produces and plays most of the instruments for the band.

Of Montreal has been around for quite a while, having been founded in 1996 by Barnes himself in Athens, Georgia. The band has 10 full-length albums under its belt, as well as nine EPs and six compilation albums. Each album’s style varies and can be described as featuring traits from indie rock to psychedelic pop, electronica to experimental, vaudeville to Baroque pop.

While the earlier albums had a very tangible melody line with a conventional verse/chorus/verse lineup, especially in their first album “Cherry Peel,” their more recent albums like “False Priest” and “Skeletal Lamping” are rarely predictable. In fact, when listening to “Skeletal Lamping,” it is hard to discern track breaks into new songs. Each song has a variety of sections and emotions, the whole of which can be overwhelming at times but mostly inspiring.

“Cherry Peel,” the group’s first album, was released in 1997. It features mostly acoustic songs of unrequited

love and general feelings of love. In the song “Don’t Ask Me To Explain,” Barnes sings, “I’d want to marry all of my close friends, / And live in a big house together by the angry sea.” This romanticism is only a hint of what was to come in his following albums, although it manifested itself in many different ways.

Additionally, in this album, it is apparent that, though Barnes feels very strongly about certain ideas, he can recognize how absurd some of his notions are. In the song “Tim, I Wish You Were Born a Girl,” for example, Barnes sings about how he wishes his male best friend was in fact born a female so he could “Make you spaghetti with a little bit of tomato sauce.” At the end of the song, though, he laments, “I’m not saying you can’t be all these things for me ’cause you’re a man and so am I,” a sad but half-joking conclusion to Barnes’ emotions. However, this album got many negative reviews that led Barnes to refrain from writing about personal issues until several albums later.

Of Montreal released their aptlynamed second album, “The Bedside Drama: A Petite Tragedy,” in 1998. It is the story of a couple from their meeting (“Very Few of a Kind”) to the end of their relationship (“It’s Easy to Sleep

When You’re Dead”). It feels as if it is a story that a father would tell his son as a bedtime story, with overdramatizing and silly voices included. The album is a bit less emotional than the first one, but it was a necessary step for the band to take in order to develop their sound.

The band released three more albums before signing to new label Polyvinyl and releasing “Satanic Panic in the Attic” in 2004 and “The Sunlandic Twins” in 2005. At this point, of Montreal finally realized how to make the sound they wanted via synthesizer.

From that point on, Barnes pushed the limits of what makes music by using a variety of sounds, including his own loud dryer.

Additionally, Barnes’ growth as a writer is apparent as he realized how to convey how he felt via words, making many literary and Greek mythology references as well as writing clever, sexually-charged lines.

Of Montreal’s concerts are always very elaborate, with Barnes often getting into his glam rock persona named “Georgie Fruit,” after one of the characters he created in the album “The Gay Parade.”

Barnes is also known for taking off his pants, if not all of his clothes, while performing.

18 ARTS, ETC.

The Brandeis Hoot

April 29, 2011

BEAMS marathon brings electronic music to campus

By Adam Hughes Staff

The Leonard Bernstein Festival is once again upon us, and the campus is abuzz with creativity for this four-day celebration of the arts. Perhaps you’re excited for the BTC production of “Dog Sees God” or Boris’ Kitchen’s new “Armed & Legged” show. Maybe you just can’t wait for Springfest to start on Sunday. And maybe your only connection to the festival is seeing the artwork that’s appearing on the Great Lawn. Regardless of your level of interest, it’s almost impossible to avoid the grand spectacles that bathe our campus for one weekend every spring.

There hasn’t been much talk, however, about the most audacious undertaking of the festival, the 12 hour labor of love that will be Saturday’s BEAMS Electronic Music Marathon. For half a day, the stage at the Slosberg Music Center will be packed with a plethora of talented musicians, performing works that range from Milton Babbitt’s 1964 “Ensembles for Synthesizer” to four pieces that will receive their world premiere.

Each piece incorporates some form of electronic sound that will function on its own or in conjunction with more traditional instruments to explore sonic vistas beyond conventional limits. The program lists ensembles such as “cello with delay line” and “piano/ toy piano with 5.1 fixed media.” So will Brandeis student turn out to explore these new musical horizons?

“I don’t know. It’s hard to gauge,” says PhD candidate Christian Gentry, adding, “there’s a chance of it

graphic by leah lefkowitz/the hoot

being lost in the shuffle.”

Gentry should know; as the Assistant Producer for Production Oversight and Programming, he has spent the last year working as part of a five-person team headed

by Professor Eric Chasalow (MUS) to make the show a reality. On the whole, he feels that the general unfamiliarity with this particular style of music means that most of the attendees will come from off-campus, drawn by the considerable advertising aimed primarily at the closeknit electronic music community.

As a student, professor, composer and concert organizer, Gentry has

made a considerable impression, both on the campus as a whole and on my personal Brandeis journey.

This semester is the third in a row that I have taken one of his classes and I owe almost everything I know about music theory to his informal, engaging pedagogy. Last year, I covered the premiere of his quartet “No Epiphanies Yet (Stumped)” for The Hoot (“ICE at ’Deis: Graduate compositions impress,” Feb. 5, 2010), and I was fortunate enough to see his latest piece, “Corps Sonore,” premiere on April 15 at the Hartford New Music Festival.

“Corps Sonore” was written on

commission from percussionist Bill Solomon for percussion with studio-fixed media. The title comes from the writings of Jean-Philippe Rameau and can be roughly translated as “sonorous body.” It comes with a dual meaning; first, the performers physicality makes him a figurative “sonorous body” as he strikes the instruments, and second, the electronic elements are composed to sound like they evolve from the percussion sounds, making the instrument itself a “sonorous body.” It’s based around a busy but compelling vibraphone line and rich electronic chords caress the listener, creating an appealingly exotic sonic pairing. To write it, Gentry listened to Solomon perform, then improvised on the keyboard using only four fingers as if they were mallets.

Gentry has great respect for electro-acoustic composition, calling it: “something I have a natural inclination towards ... a style of composition that I think is very fruitful.” He views it as a study in contrasts. The electronic element is bound only by the imagination of the composer and can be programmed to produce sounds and tempos beyond the ability of any human performer, while the acoustic element retains those limitations. The challenge, then, is to “reign in” the electronics so the two work in tandem, a process in which Gentry believes, “my imagination can go wild a little bit more.”

Gentry will get another chance to hear his piece performed during the Electronic Music Marathon, with Solomon again serving as the performer. His intense gyrations among different percussion devices have to be seen to be believed and Brandeis students will get that

The glutton: exploring the aisles of the C-Store

By Aaron Sadowsky and Imara Roychowdhury Staff

As gluttons, we know that the only thing we get out of studying is a huge appetite. The best way to study—or procrastinate—is by taking a trip to the P.O.D., colloquially known as the C-Store. The C-Store is our favorite place to go to get snacks we probably would never have heard of unless we went to college. It’s our go-to glutton locale.

Not to be confused with the VStore, the C-Store is located in lower Usdan, next to the game room.

When you see it, walk in. Now you can say you’ve made one good decision. Look right, these are the candies that are going to gain you the Freshman 15 … regardless of year.

Seniors, you can blame the beer but we all know what the truth is.

If you look up upon entering, you’ll inevitably see—well, first the light—and then a glinting blue wrapper which denotes the savior of all of your bad friends out there.

Yes, it’s the gigantic Rice Krispies.

Apparently more than 4,000 calories, this monstrosity can save you from going down in your friends’ books as the “One-Who-Forgot.”

Instead, grab some M&Ms from the candy dispensary on the left and decorate to your heart’s content.

Since you’re getting M&Ms anyway, you might as well grab another plastic bag for the thousands of gummys and trail mixes you can find at the dispensary. Yeah, Brandeis keeps you a kid for a little

photo by nate rosenbloom/the hoot

longer than it should.

To compound the sugar, there are soft drinks immediately following the candy. We agree that the only thing better than soft-drinks is the burping right afterward.

For all of you that disagree, there are countless varieties of teas and juices as well. You’ll find that some of these have immense flavorful merit, while others simply taste like water you could have gotten for far cheaper from your tap. On that note, try them all: as a glutton you should understand the value of trying things for yourself in large quantities.

As we circle the C-Store, you can see the freezer section. College students are notorious for eating fro-

zen and packaged food. From Amy’s Vegan Food to the classic Lean Cuisine, there are countless options with varying nutritional integrity for your pleasure. Interpret this as you may. With frozen foods from all around the world, we can see that the C-Store brings Brandeis’ international mission to your taste buds. There are breakfast foods in case you miss Ollie’s so much that you can’t wait until morning for that semi-delicious french toast. There’s brand name frozen food as well so if you can’t take a trip out to Waltham or beyond, you can get your fix right here at school, which is more than we can say for other aspects of campus life.

And now, what the fanfare is re-

ally all about: The Vegan Section.

We’ve all seen it— and some of us have quickly walked by it—but we’re going to slow down and take you on a tour. There are all kinds of tofu delights everywhere with noodles galore. Try what you may and revel in Brandeis’ superhuman vegan options. For you kosher folk, fear not, here reside the kosher soufflés that we hear are pretty delicious. It’ll save you a walk to Sherman, a walk to remember.

We’ve given you a taste of the CStore, but it’s up to you as fellow gluttons to dream, discover and explore. Mark Twain had it all, but he forgot to add butter. Until next year, fellow Gluttons: don’t just live the dream—eat it.

chance when “Corps Sonore” opens the 6 to 8 p.m. block of the show.

There will be much more to appreciate throughout the day, which begins at noon with “Violin Phase” by the celebrated composer Steve Reich. Other pieces that catch my eye include “Rotazione,” described as “an audiovisual homage to futurism in three movements;” “Study for Bowed Cardboard,” performed by composer Lou Bunk on something called a “scratch-o-lin;” and a set of three pieces by Michael Lowenstern, which he will perform on the bass clarinet with a live electronic backing. With so much music, something is bound to appeal to any listener’s liking, and you can peruse the complete program with notes at the Department of Music website.

I hope that many Brandeis students take the chance to show up, even if only for a short time. The music may be unfamiliar, but it can also be very rewarding, as “Corps Sonore” taught me. At the Hartford New Music Festival, the piece premiered to a standing-room-only audience. Gentry raved enthusiastically to me about the new music scene in Hartford and the devoted concert curators who work in what is often a thankless genre of music before saying somewhat wistfully, “I wish we could generate that here.”

I wish that, too, and although developing that audience won’t happen overnight, Chasalow, Gentry and the rest of the Electronic Music Marathon team have worked their hardest to ensure it happens eventually. Saturday’s concert is the culmination of years of hard work from talented composers and organizers, and I hope they get the attention that they deserve.

April 29, 2011

ARTS, ETC. 19

The Brandeis Hoot

Stay healthy when school’s out for the summer

By Gabby Katz Staff

As we dust off our shorts and dig out those flip-flops, a twinge of excitement and sadness rushes across the campus as we realize the semester is almost over and the summer is here. Before I continue, I just want to thank everyone who reads my health column and the feedback people send me; I appreciate all your support and look forward to being your health columnist next year!

Wrapping up this semester with nothing but the beach and a sunny Great Lawn on my mind, I thought I would leave you with some summer tips for keeping cool and hydrated while enjoying the outdoor sun.

When outside during the summer, it is important to protect yourself head-to-toe from the sun. Starting with the top of your head, heat and the sun’s UV rays can leave your hair dry and mad frizzy. The out of control Jew ’fro was so last season, so it is time to channel your inner Queen of England and pull out some fabulous hats. Other ways to protect your hair include protecting it from the sun by combing in some conditioner without washing it out before swimming in a pool or at the beach.

The easiest and most effective way to protect those flowing locks is to mix one teaspoon of sunscreen with an SPF of 25 or higher with one-half cup of water in a spray bottle and

spray your hair every couple of hours while in the sun.

Moving down the head, your eyes—including the eyelid, cornea and lens—can be damaged by UV exposure. In some extreme cases, this can lead to cataracts later in life.

Those eyeballs of yours can be protected by wearing sunglasses while outside with large lenses that block 99 to 100 percent of all UVA and UVB rays; usually when you buy them, they will be labeled with what kind of UV rays they block. I knew there was a reason women choose buggy-eyed sunglasses. To clarify, UVA rays are responsible for the “aging” effect, while UVB rays cause sunburn; however, both rays can cause skin cancer.

It’s therefore always important to wear sunscreen on your face with an SPF of 15 or higher every day, regardless of whether it is cloudy or sunny outside. Also, be aware that sunscreens labeled “water resistant” protect you for up to only 40 minutes in the water, while “waterproof ” sunscreens protect you for up to 80 minutes in the water.

Moving to your body, it’s crucial to constantly implement sun protection methods every time you’re outside to reduce your risk of skin cancer and other sun-related illnesses like heat stroke. Ways to protect yourself include staying in shady, cooler places outside, constantly having cool water available to drink, wearing protective clothing and reapplying sun-

BFS returns with trademark quirk BFS, from page 15

serve.” Their only Top 40 album, “A Hangover You Don’t Deserve” skyrocketed to popularity following the release of “1985” to radio stations. Since then, BFS haven’t really released singles on a regular basis from their albums from 2007-2010 to radio, but if they decide to release this track (the first single that’s been released is “S-S-S-Saturday”), I have no doubt in my mind that it will follow “1985” up the charts and rekindle an interest in the boys from Texas.

It’s interesting that Bowling for Soup doesn’t seem to be one of the popular bands in the pop-punk scene anymore simply because they are just not here. Though their shows in the States draw fewer people than Bright Eyes or OK Go, they sell out whole tours in the United Kingdom and Europe the way that Busted did a few years ago. Yet I still can’t understand it. I’ve seen BFS live five times (and counting), and every time is like a comedy show and a concert combined, and one thing that the Texas guys always make use of is diversity in their shows. I can go to a show and hear “Ohio (Come Back to Texas)” and “1985,” but also expect to hear songs like “Belgium” and “Life After Lisa.” In this vein, I look forward to going to see them again soon, and hearing songs I loved from “Fishin’ for Woos” like “Evil All Over the World” and “My Girlfriend’s an Alcoholic” that I know will never be released as singles.

For Bowling for Soup, the name of the game is fun mixed with a clever tongue always to keep you guessing (maybe that’s why their rendition of “… Baby One More Time” is a fan favorite). In any event, if

photo from internet source

bfs The album “Fishin’ for Woos” marks

the 11th album released by Bowling for Soup, which released its debut album in 1994.

you’re looking for a great album to play this summer with the windows down, “Fishin’ for Woos” is the one to go for. A mix of witty wordplay and fun-loving, popping rhythms, Bowling for Soup’s new release, which hit shelves April 26, is a triumph for the band.

An album that’s sure to ride in under the radar except for the most rabid of BFS fans, “Fishin’ for Woos” is the way to start summer right. I know for me, it’s going to be on permanent rotation for the next three months at least as a great next step in the crazy, clever Bowling for Soup saga.

photo from internet source

screen often.

It’s mostly important just to be aware of your body; if you are feeling dizzy or faint, take a break and cool off from whatever outdoor activity you may be participating in. Although following the “Jersey Shore” cast is fun, Snooki’s love for tanning could quickly develop into a hatred for skin cancer. UVA rays oxidizing the melanin in our skin cause tan-

ning. There is a reason we are always encouraged to eat ANTI-oxidants, as this oxidation could lead to skin cancer or deep wrinkling. Crocodile skin is not sexy, so just be smart about your habits right now to prevent these future dangers.

As mentioned in my previous articles, being outside is incredibly healthy, as it promotes physical activity and the production of Vitamin

D, so you shouldn’t avoid the sun— just be smart little Brandeisians like you always are. Wishing everyone the best of luck on their finals and a relaxing, warm and, most importantly, healthy summer! As always, tune in for more health tips next semester and feel free to send me an e-mail at gkatz10@brandeis.edu during the summer with any healthrelated questions you may have!

20 The Brandeis Hoot

hoot scoops

April 29, 2011

Here’s to the nights...

S.T.A.R. students rally to

‘Take Back the Night’

By Leah Finkelman Editor

Take Back the Night was created more than 30 years ago as a vigil and march to protest sexual assault and the danger people often feel walking alone at night.

As it grew in popularity, it became an annual part of college tradition, including at Brandeis.

After gathering at Rabb steps, participants are given candles and walk as a group throughout campus. At each quad, they stop and people can share their experiences and thoughts. They call out to others in the quad, encouraging them to join. Several do, so the group generally gets larger as it progresses.

Although the vigil was originally scheduled for last Thursday, poor weather and scheduling conflicts forced Students Talking About Relationships (S.T.A.R.), the group organizing it this year, to reschedule for next Tuesday, May 3. The delay will also give S.T.A.R. more time to advertise for the event to get as many supporters as possible. “[Take Back the Night] is a space where survivors and victims of sexual assault feel comfortable with people they

know are allies,” Caitlin Fay ’12 said.

“Everyone’s able to share stories and they realize a lot about each other.”

Until recently, a group called the Committee on Rape Education (CORE) planned it. CORE was started in order to inform the Brandeis community about sexual assault and rape, and they became one of many college groups to speak out against sexual violence.

Last year, CORE was less active, and one member recruited the Feminist Majority Leadership Alliance (FMLA) and the Student Sexuality Information Service (SSIS) to help plan the event.

Last year’s event was particularly overwhelming for Fay. “The group really connected and were so comfortable with each other. There was even a group hug at the end,” she said of last year’s event, which began with 15 people and grew to 25 as they walked.

Fay has attended Take Back the Night since her first year at Brandeis and, as one of many S.T.A.R. counselors, she was the main force in planning it this year. “I was really passionate about the cause when I came to Brandeis, and I wanted to be involved,” she said.

Worried that no one would take the

planning initiative this year, Fay stepped in.

“I was scared that if no one stepped up, it would dissipate and I didn’t want it to disappear.”

The assaults that Take Back the Night tries to combat are often associated with women and sex but there’s much more to it than that, Fay said. Anyone, regardless of their gender or sexual orientation, can be assaulted and it’s usually more about power than sexual release.

“I thought it should be run by a more all-encompassing group, so I got S.T.A.R. involved,” she said. So far, planning has gone well.

In the past, Brandeis’ Take Back the Night has had its ups and downs, ranging from poor turnout to an incident in 2005, when 100 students ended the march in North Quad, only to hear someone blasting the song “Rape Me,”

by Nirvana, out of his window. The incident, according to The Hoot archives, led to students unaffiliated with Take Back the Night to put up flyers around campus with the boy’s name, room number and picture from “thefacebook.com,” as well as a declaration that he “thinks rape is funny.”

Taking it back: Students participate in last year’s Take Back the Night.

photos by max shay/the hoot