The Brandeis Hoot - Oct 7, 2011

Volume 8 Number 18

www.thebrandeishoot.com

Brandeis University’s Community Newspaper • Waltham, Mass.

October 7, 2011

Staff contradicts official account of sexual assault Doubt cast on safety measures’ effectiveness

By Jon Ostrowsky Editor

Brandeis University shifted its sexual assault grievance procedures after investigations of Title IX violations at two Ivy League schools earlier this year, but university staff—representing a range of legal, student life and

academic interests—disagree over the severity of the problem on campus and the effectiveness of current policies to prevent and respond to sexual violence.

“A responsible campaign would go way beyond legal responsibilities and look at our community with compassion,” said Alwina Bennett, assistant provost for graduate student affairs and a public contact for the Rape Crisis Hotline who spoke about her personal views. “I think we may be so worried about violating Title IX that

we sometimes forget what our goal is.”

University President Fred Lawrence said Brandeis does a better job than other schools of preventing sexual violence.

“I would say the watch word here should be vigilance but not overkill,” Lawrence said. “I don’t think that we have as serious a problem as some other institutions do, which is not to say that we don’t have an issue that we have to focus on as well.”

Some faculty and administrators

said Brandeis does not fully comply with the obligations and recommendations of Title IX guidance. On April 4 the Department of Education sent a new guidance letter, reminding school administrators of their obligations to comply with Title IX. Bennett questioned whether Brandeis launches the mandatory, internal Title IX investigation required when the school hears of a complaint, regardless of a student referral and

Viewpoints

President Fred Lawrence “I would say the watch word here should be vigilance but not overkill.”

Prof. Bernadette Brooten “There has to be a problem when there is so much under-reporting.”

See TITLE IX, page 3

Benefits seen to college students of new health law

By Connor Novy Staff

occupying boston Protesters set up camp in downtown Boston.

photo by debby brodsky/the hoot

’Deis joins Wall Street protests

By Debby Brodsky Editor

Nestled within Boston’s financial district is Dewey Square, a small plot of land now covered with tents—and, recently, with protesters.

“Occupy Boston” is a protest meant to call attention to the unmet needs

of the “bottom 99 percent” of Americans. It is modeled as part of the nascent Occupy Wall Street, the protest movement that formed July 13, and has since swept through Liberty Square in New York, resulting in hundreds of arrests and the formation of many similar protests nation-wide.

These protests are inspired by, among

others, the Arab Spring and economic protests around Europe, which have taken issue with harsh austerity measures.

See WALL STREET, page 4

The number of insured 19 to 25 year olds has risen dramatically since the Affordable Care Act passed in 2010, even as a greater number of young people find themselves unemployed after graduating. The new health care law allows parents to keep their children as dependents on their health insurance until they are 26 and has allowed 20-somethings to breathe more easily when looking for a job or continuing school.

In the first three months of 2011, 900 thousand more 19 to 25 year olds had health insurance compared to 2010, according to a study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention referenced by The New York Times last month.

Prior to the ACA, students were unable to stay on their parents’ insurance after completing their undergraduate degrees.

The national health care reform signed into law by President Obama last year has led to tense political rhetoric and partisanship, including arguments about whether the gov-

ernment can use an individual mandate and require citizens to purchase health care. The Supreme Court is expected to hear cases challenging the constitutionality of the law and reach a decision by June.

Michael Dukakis, former Massachusetts governor and 1988 Democratic nominee for president, defended the law Wednesday evening during a discussion with students at Brandeis.

“The American people should be for this thing,” Dukakis said, posing the key question as “will working people and their families share decent, affordable health care in America?”

A Commonwealth Fund survey reported 45 percent of young adults delayed medical care because of cost this year alone. Out of necessity, they were the “Young Invincibles,” willing to gamble that they would not need a doctor.

“For young adults as a group, prior to the ACA, those who were not fortunate enough to land jobs with employers that offered health insurance, many of them chose not to buy See HEALTH CARE, page 6

Drug committee report released

By Josh Kelly Staff

Last Tuesday, the ad-hoc Committee on Alcohol and Drug Policy released its report with recommendations. The possible changes in policy range from keeping Gosman open longer on weekends to having a mandatory online alcohol education course.

The 13-member committee was chaired by Professor Leonard Saxe (NEJS).

The report is divided into four main sections: health and safety, treatment, prevention and awareness, and environment and culture. Each section has an introduction summing up general views of the committee on how Brandeis is faring. Then each section lists ways in which the current system

can be improved.

Commenting on the report, President Lawrence explained that the implementation of the recommendations will be the responsibility of Andrew Flagel, senior vice president of students and enrollment.

When asked, however, about the nature of some of the recommendations and prospects for future action, Flagel made it clear that this report is only a stepping stone.

“The broad recommendations in the report are a welcome opportunity to explore many of these issues in more detail and we are in the midst of that effort,” Flagel said. “In some cases this means assigning staff members and building working groups, in others providing more detail on the See ALCOHOL, page 4

a tribute to steve jobs For more, turn to page 13.

photo by nafiz “fizz ” ahmed/the hoot

NEWS

2 The Brandeis Hoot

October 7, 2011

Dukakis offers insight on Democrats, Mass. Senate race

By Emily Belowich Special to the Hoot

Former Massachusetts Governor Michael Dukakis, the 1988 Democratic nominee for president, spoke to students at Brandeis Wednesday evening about how Democrats need to strengthen their grassroots campaign for President Obama in 2012.

He told students that he was very impressed with how Obama was able to raise money back in 2008. With four million contributors, Obama raised $750 million for his campaign.

Dukakis called the Citizens v. United decision “one of the worst Supreme Court decisions in history.”

“Now it’s all about the corporations,” he said. “We need to look at the constitution. [But for the justices,] it’s all about the ideology.

“The other side [Republicans] will get and spend a ton of money,” Dukakis said. “But this election will not be won by money alone: It’s all about making personal contact with every single voting household,” he said, recalling in 1962 when he had 70,000 people working on his Massachusetts state legislature campaign.

“We need to be knocking on doors, going back and developing relationships,” he said. Dukakis and his wife, Kitty, met earlier in the day with Elizabeth Warren, a candidate hoping to replace Senator Scott Brown, a Republican. He said, with a very intensive grassroots campaign, she will be able to make great strides and will be able to raise a lot of money to beat Brown and retake the seat for the party.

“Scott Brown is eminently beat-

able,” he said. “There’s no question she can beat him.”

The former governor also spoke about the Republican race, specifically between one of his successors, Mitt Romney, and Rick Perry, the governor of Texas. In Dukakis’ opinion, Mitt Romney vetoed two of the most important provisions of the health care bill while leading Massachusetts and is not fit for the presidency.

When asked if Romney is a threat to Obama, Dukakis replied, “Yes, no question. And how do we deal with Romney? Those of us who know him best are going to have to fan out across the country and tell people what a fraud this guy is.”

Dukakis recalled his own campaign failure in 1988 when George H. W. Bush defeated him in the presidential election. “If I had beaten Bush One, you would have never heard of Bush Two,” Dukakis joked, referring to his competitor’s son, former President George W. Bush. He said he had failed to make clear to the people of the United States what he had accomplished while in office in Massachusetts. And he said that President Obama is currently failing to remind people of the importance of keeping the Democratic Party in the White House.

“What kind of shape were we in after Clinton left office? We were in a budget surplus,” Dukakis said. “It was a very conservative approach, and I mean that in every good sense of that word.”

Dukakis emphasized the importance of making Social Security secure again. “A guy who thinks that Social Security is unconstitutional,

I don’t think is going to be elected as president of the United States,” he said of Perry.

Although Dukakis thinks the Democrats have a strong chance of beating the Republican Party, he thinks the biggest problem is that Democrats have done an inefficient job of explaining their landmark health care reform law.

There are currently 54 million people uninsured in the United States and Dukakis believes it is the working people, who are not privileged enough to receive health care benefits, who are most affected by this.

“If the Obama administration phrased it simply as: ‘Should working people have decent and affordable health care in the United States?’ people would understand that it’s not just about insurance reform,” he said.

The former governor also spoke about his early interest in public service and encouraged Brandeis students to be politically active. “You can’t be effective in public service without mastering political skills,” he said. When he ran for town-meeting member of Brookline in 1960, the town of Brookline was comprised of mostly Jews and Italians.

“I won because most of my constituents thought I was Jewish,” he joked.

Dukakis said the first steps of public service include taking advantage of internships and getting involved with campaigns. “I hope you all consider a career in public service or in politics: Take all the internships you can,” he said.

“If a guy with a funny name like Dukakis can be elected in this state three times, so can you,” the governor said.

Higher education in the news seton hall

norwich

Academic achievement leads to cheaper tuition

Student killed in DUI crash

Seton Hall University in South Orange, NJ, announced plans to cut tuition costs by twothirds the current cost for students with strong academic records. The plan will take action beginning next year and is designed to lower the costs of a private university to that of a public university, thereby attracting more applicants.

To be eligible for the tuition cut, prospective students must apply by the Dec. 15 early decision deadline to reflect the seriousness of their interest in Seton Hall. The drastic tuition cut will deduct up to $21,000 from each year’s bill.

Seton Hall’s tuition cut reflects a growing trend among private institutions to provide need-based as well as merit-based scholarships. According to The New York Times, Seton Hall officials said they hoped it would ease the weeks and months of stress that admitted students face as they wait to hear how much financial aid they might get from different campuses.

“Sixteen percent of the school’s [current] freshmen would have had the high school academic credentials to qualify for the lower price,” said Alyssa McCloud, Seton Hall’s vice president for enrollment management.

With Seton Hall’s new tuition plan in place, the university hopes to attract a more competitive group of incoming freshmen and a larger incoming class. According to The New York Times, to qualify, eligible students must be within the top 10 percent of their high school classes and must have a combined score of at least 1,200 on their math and reading SATs— but no less than 550 on either—or an ACT score of 27 or above.

Information from The New York Times was used in this report. debby brodsky, editor

Renee Robbins, 18, of Kentwood, Mich., was killed in a car crash early Sunday morning at Norwich University in Vermont. The driver of the van, Derek Seber, 22, was two and a half times over the legal alcohol limit and all of the van’s seven passengers had been drinking underage. Three of the other passengers are currently in critical condition.

The passengers were on their way home from a party off campus, which hosted about 100 students, all of which had been drinking underage.

Seber was driving roughly 60 miles per hour and lost control of his van, which eventually slammed into a tree. Following the accident, Seber attempted to flee the scene into nearby woods and was found by the police shortly after.

Norwich University officials are concerned about the large amount of underage drinking the university experiences each year. “Every college campus in this country struggles with underage drinking,” said Annie Stevens, who heads student life at the University of Michigan. “Often underage drinking starts in middle school and high school.

Colleges inherit the issue, which is a transition that can be tough for freshman.”

According to WCAX.com, to combat underage drinking, Norwich University has formed a partnership with the Northfield Police department to offer safe rides home to intoxicated students, no questions asked. Similarly, the University of Michigan has a policy that wipes out disciplinary sanctions for intoxicated students who seek medical help. While the number of drinking-related deaths has dropped in the past year at Norwich University, underage drinking remains a constant theme of the first-year experience and a constant challenge for university officials.

Information from WCAX.com was used in this report. debby brodsky, editor

michael dukakis

photo by haley fine/the hoot

Strategic decisions to be announced despite ‘planning fatigue’

By Nathan Koskella Editor

President Lawrence acknowledged at Thursday’s faculty meeting a feeling of “planning fatigue” among the Brandeis community, even as he asked the assembled professors and staff to bear with him and continue looking to the future.

“We’re looking not only at where we have been and where we are, but where we want to be,” Lawrence said, “and not just next year, but five years from now or even 10 years from now.”

Lawrence also announced the impending creation of a Strategic Planning Steering Committee that will undertake “a broad process to engage faculty, staff and students.”

The committee will perform a thorough examination of the university’s academic values and “the university’s strengths and weaknesses,” Lawrence said.

Subjects of the strategic planning review include changes to the curriculum; possible hiring changes or merging of departments and/or programs; managing the resources of the university for financial efficiency; and examining approaches meant to improve student life on campus.

The committee will not, however, replace or even reopen issues decided by the CARS and Brandeis 2020 committees of recent years, but will instead accept those recommendations and build on them. The new “Faculty Cabinet,” a powerful ninemember body integrated with the

primary University Advisory Committee, will assist in the strategic planning process.

The president took questions on the nature of some of these many “advisory” bodies that have been formed recently, in addition to older schemes like the Faculty Senate, and how they fit into the process.

Of the four schools of Humanities, Sciences, Social Sciences and Creative Arts, the first two have appointed “directors” and are known as divisions instead of just schools, while the arts and social sciences maintain a council system with an ad-hoc chair. Lawrence said that a council/school chair and a division director were effectively “the same thing, [with] no difference” in terms of what they actually performed.

He also said that the advice he gets from faculty members and many different bodies is about hearing views, while the implementation of strategic planning will actually be a separate process entirely.

The process should be spread over approximately 18 months, according to the president. With his full team in place, including new Senior Vice President for Students and Enrollment Andrew Flagel, changes can be discussed and implemented from now on and implemented without delay.

Lawrence admitted that “not all changes need to wait until the end of 18 months,” and that some ideas could begin to take effect sooner, though he would not specify what academic changes he and the administration had coalesced around thus far.

October 7, 2011

NEWS 3

The Brandeis Hoot

Univ sexual assault policy unclear among administrators TITLE IX, from page 1

separate from any criminal law enforcement investigation.

“Biden and the Office for Civil Rights says there has to be an investigation. I don’t know how we do that.

Often times the investigation is left to the students,” Bennett said. “I think the university needs to clarify what it means to do an investigation.”

Dean of Student Life Rick Sawyer acknowledged confusion over the internal investigation mentioned in Title IX. “The term ‘investigation’ in the context of the Dear Colleague letter was ill-defined and makes it quite understandable that people would have different standards and vision for what constitutes a sufficient investigation,” Sawyer wrote in an e-mail on Thursday.

Discussing the policy changes implemented in the spring, Sawyer said that Brandeis already provides an effective safety net for students.

“Our students are at the top of the pile when it comes to saying they feel safe on this campus,” Sawyer said in April. “We didn’t need a letter from Title IX to tell us to do this.”

Brandeis reported three sexual assaults between 2007 and 2010, according to campus police, and brought one sexual assault case before the student conduct board last semester, Dean Gendron, the director of community rights and standards, said.

“I do not believe that those [numbers] represent what happens in our community,” Bennett said.

Halee Brown ’13, who is president of TRISK, a campus LGBT and ally group, spoke about her personal views and said there is confusion over reporting procedures.

“I think that the rules of who is a mandated reporter need to be redefined,” Brown said.

Bennett estimated that on campus there are likely four to five times as many forcible sex offenses each year than the cases already reported.

Those statistics—four sexual assaults in more than four years at a school of 3,300 students—contrast sharply with widely cited national data that one in five women will be victims of sexual assault in college.

Professor Bernadette Brooten (NEJS) said that Brandeis, like other schools, suffers from under-reporting.

“When there’s such serious underreporting, I have questions. There has to be a problem when there’s so much under-reporting,” Brooten said.

Gendron too said that he believes there is under-reporting of crimes of sexual misconduct at Brandeis and in other communities.

When asked if Brandeis suffers from under-reporting of sexual assaults, Scot Bemis, vice president for human resources and the university’s Title IX coordinator, responded differently from Brooten and Bennett, writing in an April e-mail, “I really have no way to judge this. I do know that we take every report we receive seriously …”

“I’m glad that we don’t have the issue to the degree that some other schools do, and that they’ve had to deal with it in a very public way,” Lawrence said. “That doesn’t mean that we don’t need to focus on this.”

Lawrence said that sexual assault policy would be a new topic for Senior Vice President for Students and Enrollment Andrew Flagel to evaluate and one that Lawrence will discuss with the Faculty Senate.

Vice President Joe Biden and Secretary of Education Arne Duncan led the Obama administration’s effort to focus on sexual violence during the past six months. They spoke at the University of New Hampshire in April, as the Office for Civil Rights released new guidance for administrators to comply with Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972.

This fall, Biden and the White House launched a new initiative called 1is2Many, aiming to prevent dating violence and sexual assault by targeting student feedback through social media.

“The only way we’re going to stop it is for all of us to speak up and act and make it clear that violence against women will not be tolerated at your school, on your campus, at any time, for any reason—period,” Biden said in a video message. “I want to know from you … What has your school done to make you feel safer? What could they do that they’re not doing to make you feel safer?”

Title IX made many national headlines in the 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 violated federal law under Title IX. “The situations at Yale and Harvard Law provide an impetus for us to review our own policies and procedures,” Bemis wrote in April. “While we are confident that our policies fully comply with current law, we will use these incidents to reflect upon our current practices …”

The guidance sent to school administrators in April contained a combination of recommendations and requirements. Brandeis receives federal financial aid, so it is not exempt from the requirements even though it is a private university.

The Office for Civil Rights recommends that teachers, staff and administrators undergo training to better understand appropriate campus responses to sexual harassment or sexual violence. Nearly two dozen faculty say they have never received this type of training.

In many cases the guidance explained how schools should work to prevent sexual violence. And in some areas, it reminded administrators that failure to abide by the proper policies could jeopardize a school’s compliance with Title IX, a provision of the 1972 law banning sex discrimination by all schools receiving federal financial assistance.

Administrators and faculty disagreed over whether the changes would significantly impact the environment for reporting and hearing cases of sexual assault at Brandeis.

“Rights and Responsibilities needed to undergo very little renovation, so to speak, in order to come into compliance because of the type of campus that we are fortunate to work and study at,” Gendron said.

One of the most important requirements is the obligation for universities to conduct internal investigations when they hear of sexual assault or

“ ” I wish there was a silver bullet that I could offer on this issue because no administrator wants to ... feel that they’ve let down that trust in protecting the student body.

Andrew Flagel

photo from internet source

title ix speech Vice President Joe Biden (far right), Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, and University of New Hampshire Senior

Sara Jane Bibeau speak at the University of New Hampshire on April 4.

Sexual assault policy in the news

March 31 — OCR announces that it will investigate Yale University’s policies for addressing sexual harassment and sexual assault following a complaint filed by 16 people that the policies have created a “hostile environment.”

April 4 — The Department of Education Office for Civil Rights (OCR) releases new Title IX guidance on sexual assault reporting and grievance procedures to school administrators.

April 25 — Harvard Law School is the subject of an investigation after a Boston lawyer filed a complaint with OCR that the school’s policies for dealing with sexual assault violate Title IX rules prohibiting discrimination.

Sept. 13 — Vice President Joe Biden launches a new White House initiative called 1is2Many, asking college students to provide feedback through social media on how schools can take additional steps to prevent sexual violence. harassment.

“Regardless of whether a harassed student, his or her parent, or a third party, files a complaint under the school’s grievance procedures or otherwise requests action on the student’s behalf, a school that knows, or reasonably should know, about possible harassment must promptly investigate to determine what occurred and then take appropriate steps to resolve the situation,” Russlynn Ali, assistant secretary for Civil Rights wrote in the April 4 guidance letter.

Sawyer defended the Brandeis procedures, explaining that “when a student reports that he or she has been harassed or assaulted, every effort is made to pursue the facts.”

Students are encouraged to report sexual assaults to university and local authorities. If harassment has occurred, immediate action is taken to end the behavior, he said.

“On our campus, when a student chooses not to file a complaint or will only do so anonymously, much thought is given to protecting the safety of the complainant,” Sawyer wrote. “However, the OCR recognizes that a university’s ability to investigate and respond in this instance may be limited.”

Acknowledging the confusion and vagueness of certain Title IX recommendations and obligations, Sawyer wrote that “during the collection of facts I am empowered to take immediate action to protect the safety of the reporting student and others if need be.”

The most significant change in university policies was a shift to a lesser burden of proof for cases of sexual assault heard before the student conduct board.

Like many other universities, prior to the April guidance, Brandeis used a “clear and convincing standard” as opposed to a “preponderance of the evidence standard” required by Title IX. Under the “clear and convincing standard,” it must be “highly probable or reasonably certain that the sexual

harassment or violence occurred,” but under a “preponderance of the evidence,” it must only be “more likely than not that sexual harassment or violence occurred,” according to the letter.

“Grievance procedures that use this higher standard are inconsistent with the standard of proof established for violations of civil rights laws, and are thus not equitable under Title IX,” Ali wrote in the letter. “Therefore, preponderance of the evidence is the appropriate standard for investigating allegations of sexual harassment or violence.”

The shift in evidence standards took effect immediately in April and incorporated into the Student Rights and Responsibilities handbook this summer.

“The [new] standard is too low for something that can be so life-changing,” Bennett said. “We need to be a little more sure.”

Gendron defended the new standard, explaining that even with the new standard, “in our system … the burden of proof is on the accuser.”

“Whenever students are accusers, we are looking to provide due process to all parties,” Gendron said.

Following the OCR guidance, another change in Brandeis policies was that in cases of alleged sexual assault, both the accuser and the accused student have the right to appeal.

In addition, effective April 4, conduct board hearings for sexual assault do not allow parties to communicate directly, Gendron said. Both parties can be in the same room, but questions can be asked through a chairperson or communicated via a video conference from a separate room, for example.

Brooten explained one of the problems students face is that faculty are not always willing to advise students on the conduct board process, afraid of the impact on their job.

“Faculty tend to be taught that we are only responsible for academic matters,” Brooten said. “I would love for the faculty to be more involved in

preventing sexual violence on campus. It’s part of our educational mission to discuss it with students.”

Tenured faculty, however, can advise students from a different position.

“Tenured faculty can be a helpful adviser because tenured faculty can stand up for students’ rights,” Brooten said. “Tenured faculty don’t have to be afraid for their positions.”

The broader question that administrators faced after reviewing the guidance was whether to launch new grievance procedures specifically for cases of sexual assault. Brandeis has chosen to keep its current student conduct system for the cases, administrators said, explaining the benefits of peer evaluation.

But the larger issue is how many cases of sexual misconduct appear before the conduct board. Since Gendron assumed his position as director of SRCS in June 2009, the board has only heard one case.

Reporting at Brandeis reflects a national trend exacerbated on college campuses where victims are afraid to report sexual assault because it is such a personal crime.

“It’s like the hardest thing in the entire world to deal with,” Brown said.

“It just shakes every bit of your foundation.”

Bennett explained that sexual assault on college campuses is a complex issue to address because most conflicts involve peers and not strangers.

“We’re not talking about some stranger holding a knife to someone’s throat generally. We’re talking about somebody in someone’s suite or class,” Bennett said. “You’re also talking about a population that is relatively inexperienced despite a sophisticated veneer.”

“I wish there was a silver bullet that I could offer on this issue because no administrator wants to come into these roles and feel that they’ve let down that trust in protecting the student body and creating an appropriate learning atmosphere,” Flagel said.

4 NEWS

The Brandeis Hoot

October 7, 2011

Brandeis students join ‘the 99 percent’

WALL STREET, from page 1

A handful of Brandeis students who have participated in Occupy Wall Street are now making their presence known at Occupy Boston.

Monday night, 15 Brandeis students met in the peace room at Usdan to discuss their past experiences at Occupy Boston and to organize a plan to spend the night at Dewey Square Wednesday.

Among the students were Noam Lekach ’14, who had spent the summer camping at tent protests in Israel; Matt Gabrenya ’13 and Sari Ladin ’12, who expressed interest in forming a Brandeis student walkout next month to show solidarity with protests around the world.

“I have never experienced being part of a self-made government,” said Gabrenya. “It’s really nerve-wracking because this has the potential to become something America hasn’t seen in a long time.”

Occupy Boston and other protests around the country are organized in a General Assembly-style government.

There is no leader and decisions are reached through a dialogue among participants. There is a tremendous amount of student participation in Occupy Boston, stemming from resentment due to high tuition and health care costs, and the difficulty students have finding employment following graduation.

Each day at Dewey Square, there is a General Assembly meeting at 10 a.m. and 7 p.m. The campsite attracts curious strangers and stares from passing traffic. Students at colleges and universities around Boston spend time protesting before and after class, and professionals stop by before and after shifts of work.

In addition to the presence of protesters, police officers are stationed around the square at all hours of the day. There have been few incidents between police officers and protesters, however, on Oct. 1, 24 protesters were arrested outside of a Bank of America for trespassing in a sit-down protest. On Wednesday, Northeastern University led a student walkout to Dewey Square. The walkout resulted in a standoff with police, when students blocked traffic on Atlantic Avenue. After briefly negotiating, students finally pulled back to Dewey Square.

Unlike Occupy Boston, Occupy Wall Street has resulted in hundreds of arrests. Liza Behrendt ’11 was among 700 protesters arrested Oct. 3 for blocking traffic on the Brooklyn Bridge. “I have been periodically attending the Wall Street demonstrations since they started on Sept.

17,” Behrendt said. “I started going because it seemed like a great way to show solidarity with protests across the Middle East and Europe, but now the Wall Street occupation is bloom-

ing into something all its own. It appeals to a broad range of people and has the potential to affect public discourse around global capitalism.”

Behrendt continued to explain how “corporations gain power through global and nation-wide exploitation without being held accountable by the government.”

The campsite at Occupy Boston appears disorganized from afar, but up close there are neat rows of tents separated by lanes of plywood, providing paths for protesters on rain-soaked grounds. There is an information table at the entrance to Dewey Square, providing passersby with contact information for local support groups and pamphlets encouraging young people to take up the fight for socialism.

Within the campsite there is a media relations tent, a legal tent and a medical tent. The protesters have access to WiFi and are provided with food, medical supplies and clean clothing daily by donations from neighboring businesses and friendly strangers.

Many of the young people protesting have dropped out of local colleges after running out of financial aid and scholarship money. They protest each day to challenge the status quo of the United States’ economic system.

“Occupy Boston is less about finding an immediate consensus, and more about facilitating dialogue. We are trying to turn anger into activ-

photos by ingrid schulte (top) and debby brodsky (bottom) /the hoot

ism,” said Michael Flowers, a former Indiana University student who was forced to drop out due to high tuition costs.

While Occupy Boston has a tremendous amount of support, it lacks structure, principles and a solid agenda. Brandeis students planning to attend the protest realized at their meeting that they did not know exactly for which demands they were about to protest. In addition, protesters at Dewey Square spoke critically about what the skyscrapers and Federal Reserve building surrounding them represented, while simultaneously accepting donations of food and clothing from the same buildings. Flowers, who spoke of the importance of dia-

logue, recognized how challenging it is to synthesize ideas without a group leader. “It is a very long process,” he said. “Nobody knows what the occupy movements will achieve.”

The common theme among activists is dissatisfaction; however, there are so many causes for this feeling that it is proving difficult to organize a set of principles for and a proposed solution to these grievances.

Many protesters are finding an overwhelming sense of support from the local, national and international communities in their occupation efforts. Occupy Boston is currently supported by 130 Boston-based unions and there are 109 occupations being planned around the world.

Alcohol and drug committee urges focus on CA, BEMCo student relations ALCOHOL, from page 1

many efforts already underway.”

Positive sentiments were expressed concerning a number of issues. According to the report, Brandeis is quite effective at handling urgent medical emergencies.

“Medical personnel, both those connected with Brandeis and those at Newton-Wellesley Hospital, confirm that our transfers for patient care are appropriate and necessary,” Flagel continued. “BEMCo’s availability allows many cases to be handled without an ambulance transport to an emergency room and provides a critical safety net for the campus.”

The report expressed that medical treatment is regarded positively. The introduction to this section also cites how different departments, including the Department of Community Living, Public Safety and the Health Center, meet together to collaborate and identify at-risk students.

“The committee is satisfied that Brandeis offers excellent treatment services for students who are identified as being at-risk for alcohol and drug problems. Both the Psychological Counseling Center and the Health Center provide treatment for students with alcohol and drug as well as mental issues,” said Flagel.

Lawrence praised the report for publicizing the success of these resources. Furthermore, according to the committee, despite high-quality prevention and education, more can be done.

“The committee recognizes that Brandeis offers a number of high-

quality prevention and education programs offered by the Alcohol and Drug Specialist and peer educators throughout the school year. That said, more can be done and it will likely require that additional resources be devoted to these educational endeavors,” Lawrence said.

In addition to high-quality medical treatment, the committee placed a high level of importance on environment and community. The report explained that a strategy focusing on the nature of the Brandeis campus could be very beneficial.

“The committee strongly recommends that more attention be paid to the environment that promotes positive Brandeis values and reduces harmful alcohol and drug use,” Lawrence added. “Potentially, positive changes to the environment for student life at Brandeis can do more than any other effort to protect students.”

The committee offered a wide range of ideas on how best to move forward.

While the report explained the competence of BEMCo, it also suggested that BEMCo’s procedures need to be more publicized. This includes ensuring that students are not “afraid” to call due to concerns about possible judicial action, as well as educating the student body about the nature of confidentiality with regard to BEMCo reports.

Saxe explained the issues with BEMCo as primarily stemming from confusion. Saxe spoke of the possibility that perhaps, if a student were to hit another student and BEMCo were to show up to treat injuries of the assaulted, then the Brandeis Police

would show up as well. The students around, however, would then consequently associate BEMCo and the police with one another, and therefore assume a call to BEMCo would result in negative consequences from the police. Saxe feels it is crucial to make sure students who need medical attention get it without hesitation over possible consequences.

In addition, the report recommended creating a way to screen students for drug and alcohol use during routine annual physical exams. Under prevention and education, the report considered hiring more prevention staff a top priority.

“Currently, a single counselor is responsible for providing primary treatment services and prevention education for a campus of nearly 5,000 students. Investing, particularly in prevention services, is cost-effective and should be a top priority,” Lawrence said.

The report also includes recommendations to collect more data through surveys, BEMCo reports and public safety reports in addition to recommendations for peer education.

One of the major complaints heard by the committee when talking to students was the lack of weekend activity. The report describes the possibilities of extending operation hours for Gosman, the Library and the Stein on weekends to provide more social gathering places. The proposed changes are designed to encourage a greater student body presence at sporting events and to create more weekend activities. There is also a mention of considering “the relation-

ship of unrecognized fraternities and sororities to the student body.”

The committee also recommended taking a “social norms” approach, and providing education through active and passive programming at times of the year that are “high-risk.” A social norms approach, defined by Professor Ralph W. Hingson of the National Institutes of Health, would notify students of the actual number of students using alcohol and drugs. Studies in the past have indicated college students think more of their peers are drinking than actually are. Saxe advocates spreading the information of how many students are actually drinking and doing drugs in order to avoid confusion.

Saxe reflected that there are certain guidelines in different buildings across campus on appropriate behavior and how there are certain rules students are expected to follow. Therefore the proposed recommendations do not represent an attempt on the part of Brandeis to change the student body culture.

These examples, according to Saxe, are representations of Brandeis attempting to uphold norms which are no different than attempts to create norms of health with regard to drinking. “People once thought it was not possible to get people to use less paper or take other environmentally sound actions but that over time it certainly became possible to create these norms,” Saxe continued.

“The recommendations have to be taken very seriously,” Lawrence said.

“The health of our students is vitally important, and mental health is part of that. Our position is more con-

tained than many other universities.”

Saxe explained that while the report did take other schools into account, the focus was on Brandeis.

According to Saxe, the committee wanted to look at Brandeis policies in relation to those of other schools. In order to do this, the committee made contact with students from other local schools and based the entire framework of their work on studies done by governmental organizations.

Saxe explained that the committee did not have the time or the resources to do a comprehensive study of the severity of the problem within the framework of Brandeis itself.

The report made it clear that the committee’s primary goal is the safety of students.

“We took the position that the health and safety of each student is important. Thus, whether the alcohol and drug situation is better or worse than [on] other campuses or whether there has been deterioration or an improvement at Brandeis with respect to alcohol and drug use, was not investigated,” said Saxe.

Other members of the Brandeis community on the committee included Associate Dean of Student Life Jamele Adams, Director of Public Safety Ed Callahan, and Alcohol and Drugs Counselor Dawn Skop. The committee was created last year following a request by then-President Jehuda Reinharz that university alcohol and drug policies be reviewed after a school-sponsored party saw several student arrests for disorderly conduct. The committee deliberated for the final six weeks of the fall 2010 semester.

October 7, 2011

VIEWS OF THE WEEK Boris’ Kitchen brings laughs

The Brandeis Hoot 5

Brandeis community gives back

photo by nafiz “fizz ” ahmed/the hoot

waltham group Volunteers at the first blood drive of the 2011-12 academic year sign in donors.

Environmental activist Larry Gibson visits

photo by paula hoekstra/the hoot

movement-building speech Larry Gibson, president of the Keeper of the Mountatins

Foundation, speaks to students about mountaintop removal and fracking in the coal industry.

Construction around campus

photos by nafiz “fizz ” ahmed/the hoot

the old sh*t show Boris’ Kitchen introduces its newest members

and performs a selection of sketches from their 25-year archive in the Alumni Lounge on Oct. 6.

photo by nafiz “fizz ” ahmed/the hoot

hardhats The area between the Shapiro Campus Center and the Science Complex undergoes

construction.

6 NEWS

The Brandeis Hoot

October 7, 2011

Health care law brings changes, expands coverage

photo by nafiz “fizz ” ahmed/the hoot

it doesn’t hurt to help others Alex Breslaw ’15 waits as a nurse draws blood as part of the Red Cross blood drive.

HEALTH CARE, from page 1

coverage at all because rates are so much higher in the individual insurance market and because, as young people, they tend to be quite healthy,”

Professor Michael Coiner (ECON) said.

Now that they are able to have coverage under their parents’ plan at a far less expensive rate than they would by themselves, reports

are finding that the youngest group has been signing up so quickly they have surpassed their elders in the percentage of insured.

“Students with parents who don’t

have health care will still need college insurance,” Professor Stuart Altman (HS) said. “Colleges would need to change some of the kind of insurance they make available” in order both to compete with commercial policies and expand coverage to fulfill their new obligations to the law.

The ACA will force many campuses to improve their own health plans, the quality of which has been questioned, according to John Holahan of the Urban Institute, increasing coverage of prescriptions and treatment. Student plans offered by colleges will qualify as individual market plans beginning in January, granting students greater consumer protection and flexibility, and must now offer coverage regardless of health status, which will provide far greater protection from major health care costs. Lifetime caps, the maximum amount insurance companies will pay on a policy, will also be eliminated, allowing more security for students in case of catastrophe, says U.S. News in a report early last month. Many students, who now qualify with their parents’ insurance, will forego the campus medical plan, but whether the decrease in total cost to the university will be large enough to affect costs is unclear.

For many with chronic illness-

es—approximately one in six of all young adults, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services—skimping on health care is not a feasible option. Often the rates for those with chronic conditions were extremely prohibitive.

The ACA ensures that universities cannot deny coverage to those with pre-existing conditions and also prevents companies from turning away those younger than 19. Outside of the universities, many states have begun to enact programs to assist those unable to find coverage and, by 2014, when the ACA will take effect in its entirety, discrimination based on pre-existing conditions will be prohibited.

Many fear that the ACA will increase premiums, but as the proportion of young adult subscribers increase, the cost per person would hypothetically drop.

The ACA is only responsible for “1 to 2 percentage points” of the recent increases in premiums, according to remarks by the president of the Kaiser Family Fund, Robert Altman, in a press conference last September.

“Being forced to cover these young adults will increase the payments they have to make in total … but, by including everyone (or just about everyone) in coverage, per person costs will fall,” Coiner said.

Grad schools increase enrollment; IBS takes no Ph.D. candidates

By Anita Palmer Staff

The deans of Brandeis’ four graduate schools delivered their annual admissions reports at Thursday’s faculty meeting, describing their divisions’ roles in the overall human resources and financial goals of the university.

According to Michaele Whelan, the vice provost for academic affairs and head of the Rabb School of Continuing Studies, the school is both thriving and serving the campus’ “social mission.”

Instead of traditional four- or fiveyear programs, students are beginning to enroll in the Rabb School of Continuing Studies for five weeks, for 10 weeks and by the term. Many of those who enrolled are non-traditional students. Of the 1,462 students that enrolled for the 2011-12 school year, 513 were college students and 565 were adult learners.

At the summer school, 30 percent of the Brandeis student population took summer courses, which is a 5 percent increase from last year.

Brandeis’ Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (BOLLI) “provides students in their late 40s to 90s noncredit courses and activities,” Whelan said.

The average age is 70 and many of the students are Jewish and some are Brandeis alumni. BOLLI fosters intergenerational learning relationships with both undergraduate students and students in Heller. It’s the most expensive local lifelong learning program and its enrollment has decreased as a result of the economic recession. The institute lost 63 students this year and many of them had already registered for the courses before they were laid off from their jobs.

“There was an overall 30 percent increase in the number of students matriculated in Ph.D., Master, PostBaccalaureate certificate and non-

degree graduate programs,” Malcolm Watson, the dean of the graduate school of arts and sciences, said.

For Ph.D. programs, there was a 54.5 percent increase, whereas the number matriculated in masters and doctoral programs remained flat. The total enrollment for this year reached 959 students, which is depictive of an upward trend during the last four years. Last year, 939 students were enrolled, 912 in the year prior to that and 846 students during the 2008-09 school year. With the rise in enrollment, there is an increased need in services to ensure quality for disabilities, career services, English as a Second Language students and teacher assistants.

Dean Lisa Lynch delivered the report for the Heller School, which offers a total of six programs, five masters programs and one Ph.D. program. This year a total of 223 students were matriculated, 100 for master

degree programs, 24 for masters in science, 56 for MBAs, 24 for masters in public policy and 18 for Ph.D.s.

Within the student body, 45 different countries are represented, 53 percent are women, 47 percent are men, 21 percent are self-identified as students of color, 54 percent are U.S. citizens and a third are in national service.

Three years ago, Ford phased out its program funding study abroad and pulled back on advertising and funding, resulting in a decrease in applicants to The Heller School. In previous years, there were more than 1,300 students, but now there are just more than a thousand.

Despite this, the yield has increased this year. Currently the key issues that The Heller School faces are financial aid and increasing the applicant pool, especially since Ford is no longer recruiting as much as it previously did. The school is currently looking at partnerships with other universities and a joint program between the

Health: Science, Society, and Policy program and a master degree in public policy.

Each year, the Heller school offers courses to about 600 undergraduates as well.

The International Business School, which has received a number of accolades of late, is “a university-inclusive business school that wants to be part of the overall Brandeis community,” Dean Bruce Magid said in his report. Of the students matriculated this fall, 52 percent are male and 48 percent are female. IBS hopes to expand brand recognition in the United States and the world, since it’s more recognized in Asia than in California.

It achieved first place in the nation for the Lemberg Master of Arts in International Economics and Finance (14th place globally).

Six new faculty members have been added to increase recognition and, this year, there is a total of 241 IBS students.

Rose Art director to be named in early 2012

By Connor Novy Staff

The Rose Art Museum has been searching for a new director since September 2010 and, now that the legal conflicts concerning the museum have been resolved, the university has redoubled its efforts to fill the position. The search committee expanded from nine to 12 members, including graduate and undergraduate students, faculty and staff, and is accompanied by an advisory committee of three alumni now working in the arts.

The Phillips Oppenheim executive search firm, which has fulfilled placement for institutions such as the Boston Symphony Orchestra and the Metropolitan Museum of Art, has been secured to assist in the national search for a leader for The Rose who will ensure the institution will remain a valuable resource on campus, Beck Klien ’77, from Phillips Oppenheim, said.

The company will deliver a short list of potential candidates for the position to the university early next year.

Many feel The Rose was significant to their

education at Brandeis, and are extremely glad that the university is taking steps toward rehabilitating The Rose.

John Lee, one of the former plaintiffs in The Rose lawsuit, hopes the committee finds someone to “build back up the charisma and experience” of the museum, which has “enjoyed [a] history of strong direction.”

Former director Michael Rush wishes the committee well in its search for new personnel but declined further comment.

The current director of museum operations, Roy Dawes, will remain in a senior position after the directorship is filled.

Recently the university also hired Kristin Parker, formerly of the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston, to fill a vacancy as registrar and collections manager, and Dabney Hailey, formerly of Wellesley College, as director of academic programming. Brandeis is also working with Sotheby’s in order to generate revenue from The Rose’s vast collection while still legally retaining ownership.

The museum will re-open after renovations later this month, with a reception Oct. 26, and feature two new exhibitions in the near future.

rose art museum

photo by nafiz “fizz ” ahmed/the hoot

EDITORIALS

October 7, 2011

"To acquire wisdom, one must observe."

Editor-in-Chief Alex Schneider Managing Editors Destiny D. Aquino Sean Fabery Yael Katzwer Jon Ostrowsky Senior News Editor Nathan Koskella News Editor Debby Brodsky News Editor Leah Finkelman Features Editor Morgan Gross Impressions Editor Gordy Stillman Sports Editor Candice Bautista Arts, Etc. Editor Alana Blum Hoot Scoops Editor Savannah Pearlman Copy Editor Steven Wong Graphics Editor Nafiz “Fizz” Ahmed Photography Editor Ingrid Schulte Photography Editor Leah Finkelman Production Editor Emily Stott Layout Editor Brian Tabakin Deputy Sports Editor Suzanna Yu Deputy Copy Editor

Volume 8 • Issue 18 the brandeis hoot • brandeis university 415 south street • waltham, ma

Founded By Leslie Pazan, Igor Pedan and Daniel Silverman

Mission As the weekly community student newspaper of Brandeis University, The Brandeis Hoot aims to provide our readers with a reliable, accurate and unbiased source of news and information.

Produced entirely by students, The Hoot serves a readership of 6,000 with in-depth news, relevant commentary, sports and coverage of cultural events. Recognizing that better journalism leads to better policy, The Brandeis Hoot is dedicated to the principles of investigative reporting and news analysis. Our mission is to give every community member a voice.

SUBMISSION POLICIES The Brandeis 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.

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connect phone • (781) 330 - 0051 e-mail • editor@thebrandeishoot.com online • thebrandeishoot.com twitter • twitter.com/thebrandeishoot facebook • facebook.com/thebrandeishoot

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Writers, editors, photographers, layout designers and copy staff wanted!

It isn’t too late to join Brandeis’ community newspaper! Stop by our offices on the third floor of the Shapiro Campus Center on a Thursday or send us an e-mail at join@thebrandeishoot.com.

The things they requested

hey received 1,615 requests and granted $195,647 and 96 cents for regular marathon.

And yet the Union’s finance board (Fboard) has been the target of much ire since it released allocations for clubs last week.

But before laying too much blame on F-board, students should consider what F-board turned down in its decision making process.

Exorbitant food costs. Students tend to excel at finding deals and living within their means but, when spending someone else’s money, that seems to be a different matter. One club requested $40 for supplies to make cookies, another club $150 for Ramen at $3 a pack.

And our favorite: One club requested $30 for “Miscellaneous snacks.”

Club clothing. More than one club requested funds for t-shirts for club members. Club cohesion is certainly beneficial, but students should be willing to help pay the costs for clothing they will keep. The student activities fee is for just that—student activities— not for free clothing for students with enough chutzpah to request such funding. Clubs would do well to follow The Hoot’s model: subsidize club apparel through fundraising but ultimately ask club members to chip in and pay for the bulk of such merchandise.

STAFF Rick Alterbaum, Louis Berger, Alex Bernstein, Emily Breitbart, Adam Cohen, Haley Fine, Jeremy Goodman, Edwin Gonzalez, Paula Hoekstra, Adam Hughes, Gabby Katz, Josh Kelly, Christina Kolokotroni, Ariel Madway, Estie Martin, Adam Marx, Connor Novy, Anita Palmer, Alex Patch, Lien Phung, Andrew Rauner, Betty Revah, Alexandra Zelle Rettman, Ricky Rosen, Nate Rosenbloom, Imara Roychowdhury, Aaron Sadowsky, Jessica Sashihara, Alex Self, Ryan Tierney, Alan Tran and Ariel Wittenberg

A

The Brandeis Hoot 7

Some things are already available.

We won’t name names but one club requested a piano ($1,000), one club requested a boombox ($100) and one club requested paint brushes.

So here’s the question: Why can’t those requesting the piano use the pianos available on campus, those requesting the boombox befriend someone with an iTunes-enabled computer and those requesting paint brushes pick up their backpacks and amble over to the campus art building?

Case in point. Of all the requests, our favorite was a $350 request for a backpage color ad in The Hoot. We don’t charge that much for campus clubs to advertise on our back page—all clubs receive a 25 percent discount. But again, clubs aren’t spending their own money, so what’s a savings of $87.50 when you have nothing to lose?

— Club leaders are invested in their clubs, as they should be. But funding requests are also inflated.

A Hoot analysis of the allocations data, all of which is publicly available, revealed a fact none too shocking. The overwhelming majority of funding allocations fell into one of two categories: A club requested more money than it had in Fall 2010 and received more money than in Fall 2010, or a club requested less money than in Fall 2010

and received less money.

Here’s an example of this pattern: A club requested $5,000 in Fall 2010 and received $2,000. In Fall 2011, the pattern is that if the club requested $6,000, it would receive $3,000. If, on the other hand, it requested $4,000, it received $1,000.

This wasn’t true for all clubs, just the majority. But the result is a self-perpetuating cycle: Clubs are convinced that the more they request, the greater their ultimate funding will be. Thus, they make absurd requests believing, many times correctly, that their final allocations will thus be inflated.

After all, no F-board member wants to fund a club below 20 percent of what they requested. So if a club requests $15,000, granting the necessary $4,000 the club needs sounds more reasonable than would be the case if the club had requested $4,500.

F-board is not doing a good job of convincing students that requests are granted on merit only.

But, as students, we also don’t have to accept inflated requests as the status quo. Students should urge restraint on the part of their club leaders.

So go ahead, log-in to the club center at http://my.brandeis.edu and take a look at what your club requested for Fall 2011. The things they requested may surprise you.

Room to grow in student life offerings

s Brandeis begins a new strategic planning process, it should prioritize student life improvements just as it does strengthening academic programs and departments. That’s because the difference between Brandeis University and schools ranked 10 to 15 spots higher is not restricted to academics.

It is well-known that Brandeis is home to some of the nation’s most distinguished faculty. But the difference between schools such as Washington University in St. Louis or Emory University in Atlanta and Brandeis lies in the vibrancy of student life—and the buildings and services that enhance it.

At other universities, we can see it in the athletic facilities with state of the art gyms, new dining halls that feel drastically different from high school

cafeterias and residence halls that have been renovated and rebuilt since the 1970s.

To be fair, Brandeis has made significant improvements in each of these areas during the past decade. Much of that success is due to former President Jehuda Reinharz, who revived Brandeis from an identity crisis and raised funds for the state of the art buildings that fill campus today.

But we can’t compete with these other schools if we don’t improve all of our residence halls and expand the size of our gym and dining areas. These agenda items may seem trivial to some administrators but they matter to prospective students and their parents choosing where to apply to college.

And they should. We pay more than $50,000 per year to attend and live at

Brandeis.

The reality is that only a strategic planning process, incorporating a variety of student feedback, can most accurately represent what Brandeis needs in order to reach its full potential as a university and a community. This editorial board hopes that administrators will realize how students can help in that process.

It is undoubtedly an exciting time for Brandeis. We have emerged from a global economic recession to stand on strong financial ground, settled The Rose Art Museum lawsuit that created a national media frenzy and chosen a new president with the experience, passion and spirit to lead Brandeis into a new era. We just hope our strategic plan and all its designers choose the right vision for the future.

Sound off!

Take The Hoot’s student health survey as part of a news team project on mental health at Brandeis. http://thebrandeishoot.com/survey

8 The Brandeis Hoot

SPORTS

October 7, 2011

Judges rebound from tie with 2-0 win at Wheaton

By Brian Tabakin Editor

This past Wednesday, the Judges snapped a 13-game losing streak against Wheaton College dating back to 1998. With goals from Tyler Savonen ’15 and Sam Ocel ’13 they secured a 2-0 win in a non-conference matchup at Keefe Field. With the win the Judges improved to 7-2-1 on the season.

Brandeis goalie Blake Minchoff ’13 continued his stellar early-season performance with three saves, gaining his seventh shutout of the season.

In the first half of play, the Judges outshot the Wheaton Lyons 11-5 and took the lead at the 29:06 mark with a goal from Savonen. Lee Russo ’13 inbounded a corner kick with a low rocket across the box that Savonen headed into the net. The goal was Savonen’s first collegiate game-winning goal and gave him 12 points on the season while Russo’s assist gave him 13 points.

Ocel scored his third goal of the season at the 53:08 mark in the second half to give the Judges a 2-0 cushion. Steve Keuchkarian ’12 fed a pass to Ocel through the defense and Ocel beat the Wheaton first-year goalie Devin Delfino one-on-one and hooked a shot past a Wheaton back.

The Judges finished the game with a 22-9 edge in shots and a 6-1 advantage in corner kicks. Minchoff increased his collegiate record as a starting goalie to 7-2-1 with the win and Delfino stopped eight shots in the losing effort to fall to 3-4-2.

This past Saturday, the Judges opened University Athletic Association conference play with a 1-1 tie against the visiting Rochester Yellowjackets at Gordon Field. With the draw both teams moved to identical records of 0-0-1 in UAA matches.

Both teams played at a very fast tempo in the first half though it was ultimately scoreless. The Yellowjackets dominated the beginning of the half with two shots on goal in the first 10:02. Brandeis goalie Minchoff, however, continued his impressive play, making saves on the shots to keep the game scoreless. Ocel had the first quality scoring opportunity in the 16th minute but his shot hit the crossbar.

Minchoff stoned the Yellowjackets

again in the 19th minute. Rochester rookie forward Alex Swanger headed a free kick directly into Minchoff ’s hands. In the closing seconds of the first half, Brandeis had another scoring opportunity but Rochester rookie back Alex Sheridan made an exciting tackle on Alexander Farr ’12 to prevent him from getting off a shot.

Rochester opened the second half much like the first half, taking the first two shots. Rochester senior midfielder Max Eberhardt took both shots, with Minchoff saving the first and the second sailing over the net.

The Judges finally broke the scoreless tie in the 51st minute. Keuchkarian dribbled the ball to the endline and faked the goalkeeper out of the net. Keuchkarian then fed the ball across the goalmouth where forward Lee Russo ’13 was waiting and headed the ball into the net at the 50:17 mark of the second half for his fifth goal on the season.

Less than four minutes later, the Yellowjackets responded with a goal of their own. Rochester senior Josh Richards moved to the end-line, much like Keuchkarian had, and crossed the ball to a waiting Swanger, who buried the ball into the back of the net to notch the score at 1-1.

Rochester closed the second half with consistent offensive pressure outshooting the Judges 15-5 in the final 25 minutes of play. In the closing 13 minutes of regulation the Judges were able to dial up their own offensive pressure with three late-corner kicks and five of the final six shots of the second half.

In overtime, the tempo went back and forth with neither team able to dial up consistent pressure in the offensive zone. The Judges had three shots during extra time compared to just one shot for the Yellowjackets.

Both Minchoff and Rochester junior goalie Scott Garfing each made a save to preserve the tie-game.

Minchoff finished the contest with seven saves compared to just three for Garfing. The goal on Minchoff was only the fourth he has allowed all season throughout nine games.

Russo stressed the need for “mental strength and toughness.” When asked about the Judges’ inability thus far to win the low-scoring games. Russo continued, commenting, “We need to improve our mental strength because we’re not going to beat teams 5-0 or

4-0 anymore.” Russo expressed that the team “wasn’t disappointed in losing to a good team like Rochester.”

He noted, however, that the team has “only won one game in UAA competition the past two years.”

Russo also had high praise for new goalie Minchoff. Russo said, “There was a question coming into the season about Minchoff ’s ability to replace the previous goalie, Taylor Bracken. But [Minchoff] has been playing confident and the team’s confidence starts with him.”

Last week, on Sept. 28, the Judges gained a 4-0 road win against ColbySawyer in non-conference play. The Judges scored four goals in the final 17 minutes of play in an offensive outburst.

Before Brandeis broke up the stalemate in the 73rd minute, neither team had been able to crack the opposing goalie. Brandeis midfielder Theo Harris ’12 scored his fourth goal of the season on a cross by defender Savonen. Less than five minutes later, Savonen shot one past Colby-Sawyer

senior goalie Will Berry, giving the Judges a 2-0 advantage.

Brandeis put the game completely out of reach for Colby-Sawyer with two goals in a span of a mere 40 seconds during the 84th minute. Tudor Livadaru ’14 scored his first goal of the season on a cross from Farr. Farr then scored the Judges’ fourth goal of the game on an assist from Savonen.

With that goal, Farr became one of the top 25 scorers in Brandeis history.

In his collegiate career, Farr has 21 goals and four assists for a total of 46 points passing Nate Allen ’99, Kevin Healy ’85 and David Robbins ’99 for 23rd place. Farr is tied for 16th place with Joel Thompson ’95 and Michael Christy ’97 on the Brandeis career goals list.

Minchoff posted three saves in the game while Berry stopped seven shots in the loss.

The Judges return to action on Sunday at 11 a.m. when they travel to Case Western Reserve for their first UAA road game of the season.

photo by paula hoekstra/the hoot

Men’s soccer Team

UAA

All

Washington

1–0

9–1

Emory

1–0

6–4

NYU

1–0

5–4–1

Brandeis

0–0–1 7–2–1

Rochester

0–0–1

6–2–1

Case Western

0–1

8–3

Chicago

0–1

5–3–2

Carnegie Mellon

0–1

4–4–1

Box Scores @Babson

Win

2–0

Wentworth

Win

4–0

@Colby-Sawyer

Win

4–0

Rochester

Tie

1–1

@Wheaton

Win

2–0

Judges slide into eight-game losing streak

By Gordy Stillman Editor

During the last two weeks the Brandeis Volleyball team has slid by with a 0-6 record, extending their streak to eight losses. While losing matches can be demoralizing, they show some good signs.

Two weeks ago on Sept. 23 the Judges lost to Amherst College in the opening match of the Amherst Classic. The Judges started off on offense, with a 2-0 lead, but Amherst went on a spree with nine consecutive points on their way to a 25-15 win. The second match went similarly, starting with a 2-0 lead for the Judges. The Judges amassed a 9-8 lead before the Lord Jeffs rallied again to take a 2513 win. In the third and final set, the Judges rallied to a close match. After falling to a 9-6 deficit, the Judges fought back to a 17-all tie after a timeout by Amherst. The time-out didn’t end the Judges rally, taking an 18-17 lead off of an Amherst error. Amherst edged out a win of 25-22 with a few key blocks followed by kills.

The final two matches of the Amherst Classic didn’t go any better due to two straight losses. Brandeis fell to Coast Guard and Middlebury in straight sets: 25-18, 25-9 and 25-17; and 25-10, 25-20 and 25-21, respectively.

Against the Coast Guard Bears, Brandeis outside hitters Liz Hood ’15 and Si-Si Hensley ’14 led the Judge’s offensive attack recording seven and five kills respectively. Yael Einhorn ’14 led the team with 13 assists while Elsie Bernaiche ’15 and Susan Sun ’13 combined for 23 digs in the loss.

Against Middlebury, Einhorn again led the team in assists recording 20, a match high. Hood tallied eight kills and six digs while middle blocker Becca Fischer ’13 had five kills and three blocks. Bernaiche led the Judges with 12 digs for the match.

During the extended weekend the team traveled to St. Louis to participate in the first University Athletic Association Round Robin series of the season. While they didn’t win their matches against NYU, Washington University or Carnegie Mellon, it was a good learning experience. Cap-

tain Einhorn commented, “The teams we played in the UAA are nationally ranked. … By playing them we can only improve.”

In the first match the Judges fought hard against NYU. While they lost the set 3-0, the match started off close with 25-22 and 25-20 losses. The third set was less of a nail-biter with a final score of 25-13. Hood led the offense with 10 kills while, on defense, Bernaiche led with 15 digs. Einhorn added a double-double with 10 digs and 24 assists. Fischer added three blocks, including one solo block.

In the next match against Washington University, the defending NCAA Division III runners-up and number two team in the nation, the Judges dropped the first two sets 25-12 but rallied in the third to a closer game with a 25-19 loss. The Judges managed 15 kills across the three sets, including six from Hood and four from outside hitter Si-Si Hensley ’14. On defense Bernaiche had 12 digs and Fischer added two solo blocks.

In the final match of the event, the Judges showed that a loss to the number two team isn’t a reason to give up.

While it’s easy to lose enthusiasm after a loss, winning a set showed that, in the words of Einhorn, “we were able to overcome our losing streak and pull out some great points.”

Against the Carnegie Mellon Tartans, the Judges split the first two sets 2515 for the Tartans and 25-23 for the Judges. The second two sets went similarly, but the Judges were outscored in the fourth and final set with scores of 25-12 and 25-20 to seal the match 3-1 for the Tartans. Once again Hood and Hensley led the offence with a combined 25 kills—14 for Hood and 11 for Hensley. With 12 digs to her credit in addition to 11 kills, Hensley earned a double-double. While Bernaiche led with 15 digs, Vanessa Bodie ’15, in her first major playing time of the season, was close behind with 13 digs.

As of Wednesday, the Judges stand at 7-10 overall and play next Saturday when they host UAA rival Chicago in the second UAA Round Robin event.

Brian Tabakin contributed to this article.

Volleyball Team

UAA

All

Washington

3– 0

17 – 0

Emory

3–0

20 – 1

Chicago

2–1

19– 2

Carnegie Mellon

2–1

12 – 7

Case Western

1–2

13 – 6

NYU

1–2

14 – 8

Rochester

0–3

12– 10

Brandeis

0–3

7 – 10

Box Scores @Amherst

Loss

3–0

Coast Guard

Loss

3–0

Middlebury

Loss

3–0

UAA Round Robin at Washington NYU

Loss

3–0

@Washington

Loss

3–0

Carnegie Mellon

Loss

3–1

October 7, 2011

SPORTS 9

The Brandeis Hoot

Women’s soccer struggles in UAA opener Women’s soccer Team

UAA

All

Washington

1– 0

10 – 1

Case Western

1–0

8–1–2

Rochester

1– 0

6–3

Emory

0–0–1

8–0–2

Chicago

0–0–1

6–3–1

NYU

0–1

8–3

Carnegie Mellon

0–1

6–4

Brandeis

0–1

4–6

In the 86th minute, Brandeis missed yet another opportunity when forward Hilary Andrews ’14 hit the crossbar. The rebound went to Torre, who kicked wide, allowing Rochester to keep possession to start running out the clock.

While Brandeis ended up outshooting Rochester 13-11 in the game, they could not capitalize on their opportunities, a problem for the Judges all season. Even in their victory at Wellesley, the Judges had many opportunities on which they could not capitalize. The Judges outshot Wellesley, 24-11, but were only able to put two in the net.

Goalkeeper Leah Sax ’14, emphasized that the success or failure of any team stems from the way it practices and, that in order for the Judges to start winning more, they will need to keep practicing. “In practice, we need to continue going full speed and playing as if we’re in an actual game,” she said. “If you practice hard, good things will come in games.”

Sax also noted that a successful team needs a strong leader and, while the Judges have not been winning games, Torre has done an excellent job of keeping the team going.

“Alanna is doing great as a leader and really taking charge on the field.

It’s easy to get down on yourself in times like this, but she knows how to keep our spirits up. Going forward, we just need to continue staying positive, and try to come out and score goals early on, like we did at Wellesley, and build off of that.”

The Judges hope to bounce back soon. Their next match is Sunday when they travel to Case Western Reserve for a 1 p.m. UAA match.

Box Scores

photo by jingfei chen/the hoot

By Alex Bernstein Staff

The Brandeis women’s soccer team lost its University Athletic Association (UAA) season opener, 2-0, to the University of Rochester on Saturday, after defeating Wellesley College 2-0 last Tuesday. Brandeis started off 2-0, however, the Judges have gone through a tough stretch, losing six of their last eight games.

In the match against Wellesley,

the Judges struck in the 10th minute when forward Madeline Stein ’14 gained control of a deflected corner kick. Her shot was saved by Wellesley’s goalie, but tri-captain Ali Maresca ’12 gained possession of the rebound and knocked it into the back of the net. The goal was Maresca’s second of the season and her first gamewinner as a Judge.

The Judges added an insurance goal only six minutes into the second half, when tri-captain midfielder Alanna

Torre ’12 scored her first goal of the season on a cross from forward Sapir Edalati ’15, who was running down the left side of the field.

The Judges went home happy, ready to take on Rochester in the conference-opener on Saturday. The first half of Saturday’s contest yielded no score, with only seven shots combined between the two teams, two of which (one for each team) were on goal. Several minutes into the second half, the Yellowjackets began

Wellesley

Win

2–0

Rochester

Loss

2–0

getting good looks on goal. The first two shots missed—one was blocked by defensive back Jessica Schulman ’12, while goalie Francine Kofinas ’13 saved the other. In the 54th minute, however, Coleman scored the game winner on a cross from teammate Rachel Wesley.

After Rochester scored, Brandeis began to improve, taking five of the game’s next six shots. In the 66th minute, the Judges just missed an opportunity for an equalizing point. On a corner kick, Torre headed the ball just wide of the net, but the ball stayed in play and allowed forward Alec Spivack ’15 to get a foot on the rebound.

Unfortunately, her shot was blocked

by Rochester goalie Bridget Lang.

In the 76th minute, the Yellowjackets added an insurance goal, when Coleman assisted senior Elizabeth Martens on her fourth goal of the season.

Red Sox crumble in worst September collapse ever

By Louis Berger Staff

On the night of Sept. 3, the Boston Red Sox were on a roll. They had just defeated the Texas Rangers 12-7 behind a Carl Crawford grand slam and a strong start by Erik Bedard; Bedard’s first win with the Red Sox. They were nine games ahead of the Tampa Bay Rays for the wild card and just half a game behind the Yankees in the American League East. After the game there were talks that Crawford may have reached a turning point in his disappointing season and that Bedard could be the solid starting pitcher that the Red Sox expected. Nobody could have guessed that this night would mark the beginning of the worst regular-season collapse in baseball history.

What does it take to blow a nine-game lead in less than a month? The Red Sox finished September with a 7-20 record, their worst month in franchise history in the last 47 years. At the same time, the Rays went 17-10 in September and beat the Red Sox in six of their seven meetings. Boston’s starting rotation had a 7.08 ERA in September, the worst ERA in Red Sox history for a single month. This time it wasn’t just the usual suspects—John Lackey, Tim Wakefield and Bedard—who took the blame, Jon Lester and Josh Beckett were just as bad. In September, Beckett went 1-2 with a 5.48 ERA and Lester was 1-3 with a 5.40 ERA. On top of this, Clay Buchholz was still unavailable, out with a back injury he suffered in mid-June.

No Red Sox pitcher had more September woes than Daniel Bard. The hard-throwing setup man was 0-4 with a 10.64 ERA in September.

The heir-apparent to Red Sox closer Jonathan Papelbon apparently couldn’t get anybody out in the last month of the season. The Red Sox front office will have to do some serious reconsidering this off-season when they think about letting Papelbon sign with another team and handing Bard the closer role.

It’s hard to blame the Red Sox offense for the September struggles. The Sox were among the top five in the major leagues for team batting average and runs scored in September. Maybe some players forgot that they weren’t the Designated Hitter (DH), because Boston led the big leagues in errors in September with 26.

One error can completely change a game but a month of errors can derail a team.

No teams gave the Red Sox more trouble in September than the Tampa Bay Rays and Baltimore Orioles, both division rivals. Boston went 1-6 against Tampa and was outscored 4622 in those seven games. Don’t take any credit away from the Rays though; they played their best baseball when it counted most. The Rays’ September success against the Sox put them two games behind Boston with 10 games to play. Then there were the Orioles. For a team that was out of the playoff hunt in April, they played every Red Sox series like the World Series. The Red Sox went 2-5 against the last place O’s, who played tough and gritty like a team that had nothing to lose.

The game that will be remembered most though is the season finale against Baltimore.

The Red Sox had a 3-2 lead in the ninth inning and Papelbon was called in to close the game.

What were the Orioles’ chances at this point?

Mathematically speaking, slim to none because the Red Sox were 89-0 this season when

having a lead in the ninth inning. It seemed like this number would improve to 90 after Papelbon quickly retired the first two batters but, after two doubles and a single, the game was over, 4-3 Orioles.

After an unlikely defeat, an even more unlikely victory vaulted the Rays into the playoffs and the Red Sox into their living room recliners. The Rays beat the Yankees in extra innings after trailing 7-0 in the eighth inning. The last time the Yankees lost a game after having a seven-run lead in the eighth inning was 1953.

Sure, the New York Yankees lineup at that point looked like the Scranton Yankees, their Triple A affiliate, and they didn’t use Mariano Rivera at all, but the Rays never got discouraged; they kept competing and, to use a tired sports cliché, played their hearts out.

Sept. 28 may have been the greatest night in Major League Baseball regular-season history. It marked the completion of the worst September collapse in Major League history. The Rays overcame immense odds when they could have just called it a season and gone belly up after facing a nine and a half game deficit in early September.

The odds were beyond bad—they were improbable; to give it a ballpark estimate, 99.85 percent.

According to TotalProSports.com, this was the probability that the Red Sox would make the playoffs as of Sept. 2. After Wednesday’s loss to the Orioles, the Red Sox went to bed that night with a 0 percent chance of playing another game this year and a 100 percent chance of having the most nightmarish off-season a ballplayer could imagine.

On second thought, maybe it won’t be such a bad winter for the Sox; I’ve seen them beat those same odds before.

Gordy’s game guesses: week five

Tennessee Titans at Pittsburgh Steelers Seattle Seahawks at New York Giants Cincinnati Bengals at Jacksonville Jaguars New Orleans Saints at Carolina Panthers Oakland Raiders at Houston Texans Philadelphia Eagles at Buffalo Bills Kansas City Chiefs at Indianapolis Colts Arizona Cardinals at Minnesota Vikings Tampa Bay Buccaneers at San Francisco 49ers New York Jets at New England Patriots San Diego Chargers at Denver Broncos Green Bay Packers at Atlanta Falcons Chicago Bears at Detroit Lions Last issue’s record: 10-6 2011 Season: 28-20

Lockout update: games threatened

By Gordy Stillman Editor

The NBA has canceled all 114 preseason games, a casualty of the current labor dispute. If a deal is not reached by Monday, Commissioner David Stern has said that the first two weeks of the season may also be canceled. According to Stern, the NBA

will lose more than $200 million from the canceled pre-season.

The NBA has not eliminated the possibility of starting the season late and extending it further into the summer but Stern has repeated that starting the season after Nov. 1 will be problematic. Shortened seasons hurt all sides through reduced revenue and diminish the reputation of the sport.

The lockout is already hurting the league’s reputation with the stadiums.

According to Stern, buildings are “pressuring us to allow them to book dates” that are currently reserved for NBA games. If the NBA does not cancel games in a timely manner, the stadiums are unable to schedule concerts and other events.

Additionally, many agents urged

players last week to take a hard line stance on the splitting of basketballrelated income and considering decertification. The NFL Players Association decertified in March during their labor dispute but re-certified and dropped the lawsuit of Brady vs.

NFL in order to resolve fully the dispute and certify a new 10-year collective bargaining agreement.

In the last few days, agents have largely backed off the stance, viewing the time to consider decertification as having passed.

Another issue in the time crunch befoxre games are lost is the Jewish High Holy Day Yom Kippur. Since many involved plan to observe the holiday, Sunday is the only day left before Stern’s threatened deadline.

10 The Brandeis Hoot

This Week in History Brandeis

2005

2008

Following President Reinharz’s signing of a university presidents’ Climate Commitment, administrators committed to hire a sustainability coordinator.

Klauss Scharioth, the German Ambassador to the United States spoke at Brandeis about his country.

Massachusetts

1635

Puritan preacher and founder of Rhode Island Roger Williams banished from Massachusetts Bay Colony.

1860

First recorded aerial photograph is taken by James Wallace Black, who took a shot of Boston from a hot air balloon.

features

October 7, 2011

Triskelion offers safe space, educational opportunities

Halee Brown ’13, after applying early decision, knew by December of her senior year that she would be attending Brandeis. There were three things she wanted to get involved in: “Frisbee, newspaper and queerdom.”

She learned about Triskelion, Brandeis’ Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer and Ally student group, when she came to Waltham for Accepted Students Day in 2009.

After attending the annual Triskelion, or Trisk, drag show, she knew she had to get involved.

“I never expected to feel about Trisk the way that I do,” Brown said. “The show spoke to me so much about how open Brandeis is and I knew I wanted to be part of Trisk.”

Brown became general coordinator this year because of her “undying love for Trisk.” By the second week of her first year, she had dedicated all of her extra time and love to the club, which is in the Intercultural Center umbrella, and was attending as many branch meetings and events as she could.

Brown explained that Trisk’s goals are twofold: “We strive to create a community for all

queer and allied individuals to provide a safe social environment while educating people who are interested or curious.”

Open executive board meetings begin at 7 p.m. each Thursday and lead into general meetings at 8 p.m. The meetings, Brown said, strive to balance educational and social aspects and, in the past, have included mural painting for Coming Out Week and Queer Jeopardy, with information about gender and sexual identities, resources in the Boston area and other trivia.

This year, Brown wants to build up the general membership of Trisk and its various branches and get members more involved in planning the weekly meetings.

In order to expand and gain more recognition, another of Brown’s goals, Trisk plans several campus-wide events each year. Some, like Coming Out Week and November’s Trans Awareness Week are coordinated with nationwide events and days of remembrance. There have also been informational meetings about current issues like gay marriage and the re-

cently repealed Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.

In the coming months, Trisk has several events in the works, including a Nov. 5 dance co-hosted with Student Events as part of Louis Louis, a coffeehouse Nov. 17, and a Nov. 19 performance in the SCC theater by Schmekel, a transgender Jewish punk band.

“We try to keep things relevant but also build a community where people feel comfortable talking about and exploring these issues,” Brown said.

In April, nationally recognized as Pride Month, Trisk hosts speakers, performers, a Sex and Sexuality Symposium research conference, and the drag show Brown attended as an admitted student.

“Trisk really means a lot to me. It’s offered me a lot and I think that so far it’s taught me more and helped me grow more than anything else at Brandeis,” Brown said. “Trisk has offered me a wealth of information that I can pass on to others. I get to redefine queer every day.”

United States

1792

1871

The cornerstone of the White House is laid in Washington, D.C. The building became the official U.S. presidential residence.

The Great Chicago Fire, which would kill between 200 and 300 people, starts to burn.

World

1949

The German Democratic Republic, or East Germany, is established.

2001

The United States begins its invasion of Afghanistan to overthrow the Taliban government after Sept. 11.

opening ceremony Members of Triskelion gather in the Trisk lounge to begin National Coming Out Week by painting and drawing a mural. photo by nate rosenbloom/the hoot

Trisk’s Branches

As an all-inclusive club, Trisk aims to incorporate everyone who wants to be a part of it, but Brown acknowledg specific support system that we can’t always offer.” Trisk’s branches were created so students, whether identifying those support systems. During the years branches have been established and faded out, and this year four remain of Color Coalition, the Sex and Sexuality Symposium, and the Queer Resource Center. All branches are open to

TransBrandeis

TransBrandeis, run by co-coordinators Mariah Henderson ’12 and Sara Brande ’15, was created to serve members of the Brandeis community who identify as or question whether they may be transgender or transsexual and trans allies, and aims to help students express their identities on campus and beyond. “We are an open club of allies and transpeople, and are a support and information and social group,” Henderson said. While most of Trisk focuses on outreach and education, TransBrandeis’ effect on university policy is usually minimal. TransBrandeis, however, has had several influential impacts, including a gender neutral housing policy in sophomore housing and gender neutral bathrooms in some dorms. In the past, members of TransBrandeis have also provided resources for transitioning students, especially the administrative and logistical changes that are necessary. The past few years, along with the rest of Trisk, TransBrandeis has coordinated a Trans Awareness Week in November to correspond to other national events.

Queer People of Color Coalition

The Queer People of Color Coalition (QPOCC) “looks to provide a safe space to individuals who identify under our namesake’s umbrella,” coordinator Dillon Harvey ’14 said. The Trisk branch was formed two years ago by students who had difficulty expressing the intersection of their race and gender with their sexual identities to other members of Trisk. “When one possesses two identity markers that deviate from normativity, the complexity is quite captivating,” Harvey said. As coordinator, he hopes to build membership and plan events both to help struggling students and inform the rest of the student body about “the complications for a queer person of color in addition to successes and achievements attained by queer people of color.” For Coming Out Week, QPOCC is planning a meeting to explore the complications of coming out as a person of color and helping the rest of Trisk and the other branches facilitate events.

Sex and Sexualit

Sex and Sexuality Symposium (SASS), a discussion-b at 5 p.m. in the Intercultural Center lounge. During me tor, and other students discuss issues surrounding gend concept of queer, both as a word, a theory, an identity an the labels we choose to identify ourselves with, along w Brown said. In addition to weekly meetings, SASS coo research conference, during which students are invited and sexuality.

Queer Resourc

The Queer Resource Center (QRC) is one of Brand members, chosen through an application process and l Dani Zionts ’12, do dorm raps and speak to clubs and c library, which they share with Student Sexuality Inform create “resources and safe spaces for students to talk abo co-coordinator Zionts said. That includes anyone who to indicate a correlation between a person’s gender id as straight-identified student allies. During extensive t proach issues such as domestic violence, sexual assault ranging from helping people who don’t identify as cis practices like BDSM and polyamory, Zionts said. “We and in the rest of campus,” she said, explaining that man seling and just to hang out and look through books.

Office hours: Monday-Friday, noon-4 p.m., and by ap

October 7, 2011

students come together for coming out

ged that some identities “need a g or allying with them, can find n: TransBrandeis, Queer People o anyone interested.

ty Symposium

based branch of Trisk, meets each Tuesday eetings, Brown, who is also SASS coordinader, sex and sexuality. “We’ve discussed the nd how it relates to us. We also talked about with the labels we believe others put on us,” ordinates and hosts an April undergraduate to present on topics relating to gender, sex

ce Center

deis’ peer-counseling organizations. The 10 led by co-coordinators Mick Dunn ’12 and classes as well as running office hours in the mation Services (SSIS). The group strives to out issues of gender, sexuality and identity,” o doesn’t identify as cisgender, a term used dentity and physical body, she said, as well training, QRC counselors learn how to apand topics relating to gender and sexuality, sgender to kink, or non-normative sexual strive to be a safe space, both in our office ny people come to the QRC office for coun-

ppointment.

The Brandeis Hoot

FEATURES 11

National Coming Out Day has been celebrated worldwide since 1988 and Triskelion (or Trisk, Brandeis’ GLBTQA student group) is going big this year with events throughout the week.

“This is the second year Trisk has publicly celebrated Coming Out Week,” Trisk general coordinator Halee Brown ’13 said. “We feel that it’s important to raise awareness for the part of community that isn’t already involved.”

“Our society sometimes has a lot of misconceptions about what it means to ‘come out,’” Trisk’s event coordinator Cynthia Simonoff ’12 said, explaining that coming out is a far more complex process than it is often given credit. Events throughout the week stress the importance to an individual of coming out multiple times to multiple groups and the reality that not everyone is able or ready to come out and some simply don’t want to.

“I think Brandeis is a wonderful and accepting community that opens its arms wide to people from all different walks of life and I would love to see the campus giving this same attitude equally towards people who have come out, are in the process of coming out or have decided not to come out. I would like to see us celebrate people for their own choices and their own identities, as these are the things that truly make us who we are as individuals,” Simonoff said, adding that coming out is a personal choice and Coming Out Week is not intended to pressure anyone into coming out.

“We would like the Brandeis community to understand that those reasons are valid too and to honor people’s personal choices. … We also want to celebrate those who do feel comfortable coming out; our ultimate message is that everyone is welcome here,” she said.

Simonoff and the rest of Trisk hope to accomplish those goals with events like a peace vigil, a mural, weeklong PostSecret-making in Usdan and a meeting to share coming-out stories.

The events, chosen and planned by Simonoff, Brown and the rest of Trisk executive board, aim to incorporate aspects of each Trisk branch to include everyone.

“Coming Out Week is not just for queer-identified individuals or just for Trisk members,” Simonoff stressed. “Coming Out Week is a way for the campus to gather in celebration of a variety of identities and we really just hope that people attend our events, enjoy themselves and maybe learn something along the way!”

Top: Trisk members work on the mural. Left: A sampling of the PostSecrets made so far. Above: Chalking by Trisk members to promote Coming Out Week.

photos by nate rosenbloom and nafiz

“fizz” ahmed/the hoot

Coming Out Week 2011 PostSecret Making Coming Out Stories All week, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., Usdan

Come submit your own “secret” (whether or not it’s coming outrelated)!

Friday LGBTQ Peace Vigil 12 to 1 p.m., Usdan Peace Circle

Please come join us in commemorating all those who have undergone or who are undergoing the potentially difficult process that is coming out as well as all those who are not able to come out because they are silenced by bullying, fear, or other forms of queerphobia.

Monday Cookies with the QRC! Gerstenzang and Rabb steps

Celebrate Coming Out Week with a sweet treat on your way too (or from) class! Triskelion’s Queer Resource Center will be passing out cookies, information on Queer life at Brandeis and the coming out process, and other goodies (like pens and stickers!) between classes.

Tuesday National Coming Out Day

Join members of LGBT communities and allies worldwide in supporting equality, acceptance and discussion.

8 to 9 p.m. in the Trisk Lounge (SCC 328)

Coming out is often a difficult and ongoing process for many queer-identified individuals. Trisk invites you to come share your story/ies about what coming out was, is, or has been like for you over the years or to come and listen to the experiences of others in a safe, confidential, and welcoming environment. As always, individuals of all different identities are encouraged to attend!

Open to undergraduates only.

Wednesday TransBrandeis meeting 8 to 9 p.m. in the Trisk Lounge

TransBrandeis advocates for transgender, transsexual, genderqueer, and gender-nonconforming members of the Brandeis community. They seek to bring about the inclusion of all members of our community on an institutional level. We also aim to increase awareness of gender identity and expression, both on campus and in larger society. Please join us for our first introductory meeting! Open to undergraduates only.

Rainbow Lulav Making 9 to 10:30 p.m. in the Sherman Sukkah

Come join Trisk and help us celebrate both Coming Out Week and Sukkot in a truly unique way by learning how to make your own rainbow lulav! There will also be an optional ceremony following this arts and crafts adventure where we will use the lulavim for their intended purpose! (Shake it baby!)

Leah Finkelman, Editor

12 The Brandeis Hoot

The Katzwer’s Out of the Bag

ImpressiOns

Please ‘Occupy’ a rational mind-set

photo by ariel wittenberg/the hoot

By Yael Katzwer Editor

If you have not been living under a rock, you have heard of Occupy Wall Street. If you have been living under a rock, I hope you have a good ventilation system.

But seriously, Occupy Wall Street, at first glance, seems noble, idealistic—which is not always a bad thing—and inspired. Upon closer inspection, however, the movement is actually just a group of pissed off youth with nothing better to do with

their time than hang around in Zuccotti Park, NY. While not all of the protesters are young, the majority are in their 20s.

These kids have little understanding of how the world works. This is obvious because, if they were intelligent enough to understand how the world works, they would know that their “protest” is not going to do a damned thing.

One thing has been made abundantly clear in the approximately three weeks since Occupy Wall Street began on Sept. 17: These children have no clue how to lead a revolution.

They naively believe that just by being steadfast in their beliefs, they will color the way the world works. Beliefs are nice but they are not enough.

I can sympathize with what they are trying to do; the economy is tanking and many U.S. citizens are underserved. But something real needs to be done about this.

The loose group of Occupy Wall Street’s leaders, the General Assembly, hates the way the United States is organized and, it seems, is responding by not being organized themselves. These youths boast a “leaderless movement” and refuse to

identify themselves with any movement, claiming, “We are not limiting ourselves by affiliating with a specific movement. We comprise elements of many ‘progressive’ social movements: the environmental movement, education reform, the food movement, the campaign finance reform movement, the fair-labor movement, and the anti-globalization movement.”

Those are a lot of movements. Perhaps that is why there are so many people there who have no idea what they are doing. Everyone is protesting their own cause, shouting their own message.

Dan Morelly, a 25-year-old research assistant, told independent reporter Ariel Wittenberg ’11, “Putting labels on what we are doing is just a wedge tactic to separate us from people who agree with us. If you talk about politics, you are just going to focus on what you disagree with, when if you focused on what you did agree on you could actually get things done.”

How idealistic—used as a bad thing here! While this is principled, it is also naive. If you want people to take you seriously, you need to stand up together and shout one message.

Instead, people are protesting everything from Wall Street’s tactics to the environment. Some are even just asking for love, attempting to be placed on some ephemeral pedestal next to 1960s and ’70s anti-war protesters.

Leadership is also important because, when there is no leading body, people will not know what to do and that will get them into trouble.

On Oct. 1, at approximately 4 p.m., 700 protesters were arrested as they stormed the Brooklyn Bridge.

The protesters claim they believed the police had allowed them to conquer the roadway, blocking traffic, to march across the bridge.

They argue that the police did not try to stop them until they were all on the bridge and that no one told them they couldn’t do this. This would have been a good time to have a leader to say: “Gee guys, maybe this isn’t the best idea. It’s illegal.”

Of course, although they didn’t have a leader, they did have the NYPD telling them to stop. As the protesters seized the bridge, chanting “take

October 7, 2011

the bridge,” they were met by several high-level police officers, who blocked their way and announced repeatedly through bullhorns that what they were attempting to do was illegal and would result in arrests.

“This was not a trap,” Paul Browne, the chief spokesman for the NYPD, told The New York Times. “They were warned not to proceed.”

And if the protesters’ best excuse is “we didn’t know,” then they are even less-informed than I originally thought. Who would ever think that swarming across the Brooklyn Bridge’s roadway, blocking traffic and pointedly ignoring the police was a good idea? Common sense tells you that this is not the appropriate thing to do. Permits are required for this type of thing. Woodstock may have been an all-out love-fest but they still got their permits.

What they were doing was dangerous. In mob situations like this people can be trampled and killed. By storming a roadway, both they and the innocent drivers were at risk. It is the NYPD’s job to take care of the people of New York. They take this job very seriously. These are men who have faced bloody riots, violent crimes and the barbarism of 9/11. These men do what they need to do to protect their city—although pepper-spraying protesters and striking them with batons is overzealous—and arresting these rabble-rousers was the right thing to do at the time.

I would even have more respect for these people if they had stormed the Brooklyn Bridge in order to be arrested. This is a longstanding technique to gain attention for a cause.

John Scopes famously got arrested on May 5, 1925, for teaching evolution in a Tennessee schoolroom. A lot of people are unaware that his intention was to be arrested; he did not want to get away with it. And it worked. He even got more attention than he had originally planned.

Occupy Wall Street’s most recent inanity was dressing as zombies on Oct. 3. Protesters were urged to “come dressed as a corporate zombie!

This means jacket and tie if pos See WALL STREET, page 14

Why Boston is the best city

By Betty Revah Staff

You know that moment when college stops being “hook-up city” and your classes suddenly become so overwhelming that you find yourself going to the C-Store in order to get an entire container of Ben and Jerry’s to eat by yourself?

During the Rosh Hashanah break, as I tried to keep up with my workload and attempted to get ahead while the campus was so empty and quiet, I realized—given my never-ending amount of homework and the even longer reading assignments—that summer had officially ended and that college had officially begun.

I started to lament my loss of free time and fun; after all, college was turning out to be harder than I had anticipated. But, as I looked around, I realized that I wasn’t just anywhere— I was in Boston (well, not technically, but you know what I mean ...) and everything seemed to improve drastically.

More than four years ago I came all the way from Mexico City for the sole purpose of visiting colleges with my

brother. I can remember being particularly angry about having to waste my holidays in a place with such a boring name, but Boston—mainly Harvard Square in the early morning—surprised me. The city made such an impression on my younger self that it’s now me, and not my brother, who now goes to a college that is only 15 minutes away from Cambridge.

For me and many other first-year students, the first time in Boston as independent semi-adults was an unforgettable adventure. In my case, it began on a Saturday afternoon, at exactly 3:30 p.m., when I waited outside Rabb for the shuttle that would take me back to where my love for Cambridge officially began: Harvard Square.

Once inside the bus, a number of lucky students (unfortunately, not me) found a place to sit while others (unfortunately, me) had to huddle together and learn the joys of close proximity and human heat.

After what seemed like forever, the bus doors opened and my dizzy and cranky self was pushed out of the bus.

Luckily, my trip to Cambridge was absolutely worth its initial inconvenience; after just a few moments off

the bus, I felt at home.

The first thing I did on my adventure, was shop, shop and shop—can you blame me? In fact, besides eating at a Mexican restaurant (that was not Mexican at all), shopping may have been all I did that first time in Boston (so much for being a responsible semi-adult, huh?). Somewhere in the middle of all that shopping, I also got lost and missed the shuttle back to Brandeis. This led to a little more free time and a lot more shopping.

There are many things—that don’t necessarily include as much shopping—that I have yet to do in Boston and Cambridge. A small sample includes walking along Charles River and Newberry Street, going to a Red Sox game at Fenway Park, exploring Quincy Market, enjoying a climate in which all four seasons are clearly marked and can be fully experienced, eating some of the best and most diverse food there is or simply enjoying the joys of living on a college city that seems to be filled with other students.

Sometimes we Brandeisians forget that we are only a few miles from stimulating Boston and the adventures of a weekend at one of the most beautiful cities in the world. After all,

graphic by steven wong/the hoot

spending so much time in friendly and perfect Brandeis can sometimes lead to an acute case of forgetfulness of the outside world—especially for students that (like me) keep going to the C-Store and eating its entire stock of ice cream when they are faced with

more homework than they can possibly handle.

I will say, however, that there’s one thing Waltham also has; it rhymes with “shmizziies” and sells scoops of “Chocolate Orgy” ... just something to think about.

October 7, 2011

IMPRESSIONS 13

The Brandeis Hoot

Call Me, Tweet Me

Jobs’ death a reminder to step back from technology

By Leah Finkelman Editor

I haven’t yet joined the iPhone cult (BBM is just too important to my lifestyle) but I do consider myself a Mac person. In high school, I switched to a MacBook because it would be “much better when I got to college.” I didn’t really understand what could make it that much better … but then I got one. Only someone who has switched from a crappy Dell laptop to a MacBook can begin to understand the elation I felt. As it joined my iPod Classic, I fell in love with Apple. I’m now the proud owner of an iPad as well.

So why am I writing about Steve Jobs in my communication column?

Simple: Not only did he revolutionize technology and the concept of personal computers, his technology revolutionized human communication.

As President Obama so eloquently put it, “There may be no greater tribute to Steve’s success than the fact that much of the world learned of his passing on a device he invented.”

For me, that meant a tweet from the Associated Press. “BREAKING: Apple says Steve Jobs has died.” Short, simple, to the point.

My column this week was originally going to be about the merits of Twitter in journalistic spheres, including instantaneous and easy access to breaking news and updates, among others. For now though, I’ll put that on hold.

Because of Jobs, Apple and other innovators, the personalization of technology has made easy communication more accessible to the masses.

With the advent of personal computers and laptops came e-mail, instant messaging and social-networking sites like Facebook. We are able to talk to anyone, anywhere in the world, at the click of a button.

The ease, however, at which we can sit in front of Apple and other companies’ gadgets and tap away has had a detrimental effect on face-to-face communication.

As wonderful as it is that our friends, family and complete strangers have the potential to be just a

The Chosen Rosen

By Ricky Rosen Columnist

After a long day of boring lectures and pages upon pages of notes (or doodles), working out has to be at the bottom of your priority list. Wouldn’t you rather just fall into your soft, cozy bed and bury yourself in pillows and blankets to forget about all your assignments and papers? Why, after an exhausting day, should you torture your weak, sleep-deprived body by dragging your feet to the gym?

Believe it or not, pulling yourself out of bed to exercise is one of the best things you can do for yourself. Unfortunately, the hardest part is actually getting there. We all tell ourselves we’ll go to the gym more often but we never actually follow through on that promise. Something always gets in the way and we put it off. And then one day we finally force ourselves to go to the gym and we have a productive work-out and tell ourselves we’ll get into some sort of routine. Until we forget.

I believe that as college students, we need to make exercising a higher priority in our lives. No, we shouldn’t put it above classes or activities, but we should try to get in some exercise every day. I’m not suggesting you

click away, human interaction is, in my mind, still the most vital form of communication. Technological advances are great, don’t get me wrong, but there’s just nothing like sitting down for a long talk and a cup of coffee or (of course) a Diet Coke with a friend.

Steve Jobs recognized the importance of life outside technology. In his letter of resignation as CEO of Apple, he spoke little about his professional success or the technological advances of the company he founded. Instead, he recognized the relationships he had created through working there: “I have made some of the best friends of my life at Apple and I thank you all for the many years of being able to work alongside you.”

On Yom Kippur, the Jewish Day of Atonement, I use technology as sparingly as possible. I don’t catch up on shows I missed, I don’t respond to e-mails unless they are urgent and I don’t go on Facebook. Last year I was home and spent quality time with my parents and sister, and this year I plan to go to services with my roommate.

Throughout the day, I will reflect on the past year and the coming one, contemplating how I will strengthen the relationships I have with my family and friends.

“You’ve got to find what you love … If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking,” Jobs told the Stanford class of 2005. For him, that meant the entrepreneurial path that brought me the MacBook on which I type this column.

I don’t know what I want to do with my life, but I do know that this column is only the beginning.

I love communication. I love learning about it, writing about it, talking about it and doing it. I’m still trying to find a way to turn that into a career but I’m going to keep looking and I urge you to do the same.

It’s beautiful not to know where you’re going to end up but it’s also (I would imagine) incredibly rewarding to figure it out.

So, take a break from the world that’s flying past you, and search, seek and scavenge until you find your passion. When you do, share it with the world.

photo from internet source

Letter to the Editor

Remembering a 21st-century visionary

By Rachel Hirschhaut Special to the Hoot

Six years ago I had the privilege of hearing Steve Jobs give the commencement address at Stanford University at my cousin’s graduation. I will never forget how his words of wisdom inspired me at a time in my life when I needed someone to show me that it was all right to think differently. His speech was an affirmation of cre-

ativity, the proof that anyone can create extraordinary ideas if we dare to think outside the box and take risks.

It’s amazing how Steve Jobs’ death is being felt all over the world, how it seems to affect every individual person, from every walk of life, whether they knew him or not. I see this as a testament to the number of lives he changed with his creativity and innovation. Of course I heard the news first online, scrolling through Facebook on my Mac laptop and witnessing people dealing with the aftershocks of this news through so-

cial media. This too is a testament to how Steve Jobs was responsible for changing today’s society. Some complain that technology divides people, but here it is clear that Jobs’ inventions—computers, iPhones and iPods, just to name a few— have actually brought my generation closer together through the power of technology. So as we say goodbye to one of the most influential modern visionaries, we must remember to take his mission of innovation and goodness into our own hands for the future.

The wonders of working out head over to the gym right now, stack 200 pound weights on each side of the bench press and lift until your arms turn to Jello. There are plenty of other ways to work out. Whether it be going on a 20-minute jog down South Street, playing tennis with a friend or doing sit-ups in the weight room, it is all tremendous for our health and general well-being.

Now I know what you must be thinking. “Who in the world has time to exercise? I’m in college—my time is extremely valuable. I shouldn’t waste time every day working out.”

On the contrary, exercising is anything but a waste of time. Here are a few reasons you should take time out of your day to work out: You will look and feel great if you exercise. Throughout the course of a day we consume lots of calories and, if we want to burn off those calories, it would be wise to exercise. And if you want to stay in shape, it also probably isn’t a good idea to lock yourself in your room playing “Call of Duty” and eating kettle corn every night. Also, exercise makes you feel good. That’s because when you exercise, your body produces endorphins, chemicals that induce happiness and calmness. So if you’re down in the dumps, put away the Ben and Jerry’s and head

to the gym!

Exercising is good for your health.

Exercising lowers your risk of a plethora of viruses and diseases. Pretty much any illness you look up on WEBMD.com lists “exercise” as one of the ways to prevent such illness.

And when you’re on a college campus where colds and flus spread like wildfire, you really should be taking any means possible to prevent getting sick.

Exercising is a nice way to de-stress.

One of the reasons I love to exercise is that I have a ridiculous amount of stress in my life and I need an outlet to rid myself of that stress. You walk into the gym feeling tense and overwhelmed and you leave feeling light and refreshed (and most of the time, exhausted). And, if you’re ever angry, exercising is the best way to work off the rage in a constructive manner.

You can exercise with your friends.

Although it can be fun to go to the gym every day by yourself, it’s even better if you get into a work-out routine with a group of your friends. Oftentimes, you tell yourself you’ll go to the gym, but you end up not going because you feel unmotivated. But when you’re going to the gym habitually with three of your friends, you have a reason to go. After all, you can

graphic by savannah pearlman/the hoot

say no to yourself, but can you say no to three of your friends?

It’s an excuse to get out of your dorm room. People at Brandeis always complain “nobody ever leaves their dorm rooms!” And from what I’ve seen, that’s pretty accurate. I know people who wake up, eat all their meals in their room, do their homework in their room and only leave their room for classes or to go to the mail room. That’s partially because we’re extremely lazy but it’s

also because many people don’t know what to do or where to go. Well, going to the gym is a great excuse for you to get out of your room to see the sunshine once in a while.

Lastly, it’s just a productive way to spend your time.

There are tons of ways to work out—you don’t have to lift heavy weights until your veins pop out; you See EXERCISE, page 14

14 IMPRESSIONS

The Brandeis Hoot

Occupy Wall Street: grow up!

October 7, 2011

Ricky’s advice: Be wise and exercise

EXERCISE, from page 13

photo by ariel wittenberg/the hoot

WALL STREET, from page 12

sible, white face, fake blood, eating monopoly money, and doing a slow march, so when people come to work on Monday in this neighborhood they see us reflecting the metaphor of their actions.”

Columnist Lauri Apple put it best when she wrote on Gawker.com about Zombie Day: “But seriously guys: not only are Wall Street workers unlikely to see themselves ‘reflected’ by your bloodied-up stockbroker

outfits, but zombies are as played out as America’s income gap. You guys should all put on spotless tailored suits, slick back your hair, and march around Zuccotti Park in neat rows, shouting into cell phones about your investments. That would make a statement, and also shut up all the “dirty stinky hippie”-haters, at least for a day or so. (It would also look cool.)”

I couldn’t have said it better, which is why I didn’t.

While Occupy Wall Street had some good ideas and is trying to address

some real issues that face our country, these protesters are going about it in the entirely wrong way. Their attempts at protest are juvenile, unorganized and ill-informed. Perhaps they should grow up a little more—for, let’s say, 10 or so years—and then try again. Of course, by then they may be a part of the corporate culture they so despise at this point in their lives and will instead be rolling their eyes at the antics of the new generation of 20 years olds who are behaving like buffoons in the park.

can use the dozens of other machines in the weight room that hone in on certain areas of the body. You can work on your legs, chest, back— Just no matter what you do, don’t do everything at the same time, or else you’ll wake up the next day and feel like you were in the ring with Rocky Balboa the previous night. Of course, if you exercise, you should also be eating a balanced diet and getting enough sleep. If you forget to do either of these things, exercising could do you more harm than good.

Most exercise takes place at Gosman, an exerciser’s paradise. If you have not explored Gosman yet, I would highly recommend doing so. I took a personal tour of Gosman my third day here as a first-year and I absolutely loved it. I was blown away by the indoor track, tennis courts, weight room, basketball courts and ping-pong room. Then I discovered the “hidden gems” of Gosman’s lower levels: the handball courts and the aerobic area with bicycles and treadmills.

Yes, I know other colleges have all these facilities and then some. But what we forget is that this is the one time in our lives that we can use all of these facilities for free. Unless you’re privileged enough to have your own personal gym in your home, you probably have wasted hundreds of dollars on gym membership fees over the years (or been stingy and signed up for all the free one-month trials like me). Well, at Brandeis you have a gym in your own backyard, along with all the other amazing things on campus that many of us don’t take advantage of. So I suggest on the weekends, heading over to Gosman and doing just that.

If you choose to exercise, you should probably try to get into some sort of routine: Don’t go once and not go again until the end of the year.

You can break up your routines into three categories: aerobic training, strength training and flexibility training. Aerobic training—running and

playing sports—works out your heart.

Strength training—lifting weights— involves your muscle groups. Flexibility training involves activities that make you more flexible—like martial arts. It’s good to mix and match the routines, mostly so you don’t wear yourself out.

If you don’t want to run but still want to work out your cardio, then I would suggest playing sports with friends; this is something I like to do as much as possible. And it’s really one of my favorite things about college. In high school, it was a hassle getting a pick-up game of basketball together. My friends were never free at the same time and we worried about where to play, who would bring the ball and how we would all get there. But none of this is a problem in college; all of your friends are in one place—all you have to do is send a few text messages or post a Facebook status and you’ve got yourself a pickup game. Or you can just head to the courts and join a game that’s already in progress. It’s really that easy.

Something else I love about college are intramural sports. My friends and I do nearly every sport together; we try to create the oddest team names out there (our intramural football team’s name was almost the Headhunting Teapots) and we play. The games are all late at night, so it doesn’t interfere with clubs or classes; it’s very competitive; and it’s just good to get all of your friends together to hang out.

If outdoor sports or lifting weights doesn’t appeal to you, then be inventive! Find fun ways to exercise with your friends. Last year I played catch with a tennis ball with a few of my friends in my residential hall.

And even though my CA came out of the shower to yell at us for making so much noise at 1 a.m., it was wellworth it.

So pull yourself out of bed (or get your friend to pull you out) and head over to Gosman. Or throw a football around Chapels Field. But no matter what you do, make it a point to get out and do something.

Holiday homework? No way!

By Gordy Stillman Editor

Last week, we had a four-day weekend due to the Jewish High Holy Day of Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year. I’ve always loved how Brandeis has no classes on the holidays; it makes it easier for me to go to services because, unlike in high school, there’s no need to make the decision between going to services and going to class. Unlike in high school—at least this year—it appears that professors are taking the long weekends as an excuse to assign extra readings and homework.

Across my four classes, I was assigned to approximately 90 pages from different books and the entirety of another book, and given a paper topic on which to write a first draft.

I considered myself lucky that I am not observant to the point of being unable to do work on the holidays.

While I’d strongly like to avoid doing work and instead celebrate the holidays, I spent hours each day doing work because leaving all the work for Saturday night (when Shabbat ends) and Sunday just wasn’t feasible.

While I don’t often miss much about high school, the holidays were never a problem. I went to a normal

enough public school district yet was never made to do extra work on account of the holidays. My school was approximately 30 percent Jewish and the teachers were careful to avoid putting anything important on the days where a notable percentage of the school was absent. Readings were assigned, but at the same level as on any other day. They were also assigned well-enough in advance that it was never too difficult to get them done ahead of time.

Only once in all of high school did I feel the need to do schoolwork during the holidays. On the second day of Rosh Hashanah senior year, my AP Chemistry class had a lab experiment.

Since it was the first class of the day and ended a full 40 minutes before my family would even get to services, I went to the one class, ran home to change my clothes and then went right to services like any other year.

Additionally, professors should not need to assign extra work over the days off because these days have already been worked into the schedule of the semester. Compared to my friends at other schools, we typically start the semester a full week, sometimes two, before these schools and we end around the same time in December. It’s clear from this that we certainly get approximately the same

amount of class days. Some schools, like Syracuse, even get the full week of Thanksgiving off. Considering that we start earlier and end later in the fall semester, there’s no reason why we should not be able to enjoy and observe the holidays without an extra burden of homework.

During my first year at Brandeis, Rosh Hashanah started on a Friday night and consequently there were no days off. Other than the annoyance that I had to either do homework on my birthday or over the holiday, it wasn’t an excessive amount of work.

Last year, we had a collective four days of classes before Rosh Hashanah began, and so, aside from readings for classes that had barely begun, there was not much work to do. This year, it seems that the holiday being at the end of September is more of a curse than a blessed break from work. Instead of enjoying the festivities and reprieve from work, I sat in a quiet room, toiling away in order to avoid falling significantly behind in most of my classes.

Rosh Hashanah is a part of welcoming the New Year. Traditionally people eat apples dipped in honey or other foods to symbolize the hope for a sweet new year. I find it hard to foresee a sweet year when it begins with a particularly bitter level of homework.

graphic by steven wong/the hoot

October 7, 2011

IMPRESSIONS 15

The Brandeis Hoot

Altered Consciousness

Tone it down: polarizing rhetoric unwarranted and counterproductive

graphic by steven wong/the hoot

By Rick Alterbaum Columnist

During the last couple of years, the political rhetoric emanating from both the left and the right has increasingly been characterized by the tendency to demonize, in black-or-white

Letter to the Editor

By Felege-Selam Yirga Special to the Hoot

I recently read Rick Alterbaum’s piece titled “Supporting Israel in times of trouble.” I am actually a fan of Mr. Alterbaum’s pieces and though I may not agree with his positions, I find his pieces insightful and well thought out.

In Mr. Alterbaum’s most recent piece, however, I was somewhat confused by an assertion made in the third paragraph of the piece, which states: “Israel, forming what was

terms, entire institutions or groups of people.

Conservatives lambast government as a monolithic, corrupt, unproductive force that only serves to stifle growth and innovation and erode self-reliance in favor of dependency and lethargy. They also argue that labor unions, particularly in the public sector, are greedy, self-interested

forces that garner lavish benefits at the expense of everyone else.

Conversely, liberals harshly and consistently attack banks and other financial institutions as well as insurance, pharmaceutical, gas and oil companies. They denounce CEOs, executives—particularly those sinister corporate jet owners—and successful businesspeople in general as

rapacious and unconcerned with anything besides profits. The Occupy Wall Street movement is only the latest manifestation of these sentiments.

Also, it condemns the Tea Party as a bunch of racist loons, despite the fact that Herman Cain has recently been riding the polls.

This is not to mention the resentment and antagonism that is increasingly alienating Republicans from Democrats and vice versa and polarizing America.

My fundamental point is that there are problems associated with all of these things that I have mentioned.

I disapprove of a crass populism that seeks to divide rather than unify; that pits disparate groups against one another and employs ad hominem attacks to generate excitement for a particular cause. At best, such rhetoric is misleading. At worst, it can, if taken to an extreme, be interpreted as incitement or it can really cause certain groups to feel vilified, marginalized and unwanted by the greater society. In short, words have meaning.

What I propose then is a political discourse that is more inclusive rather than exclusive and rational rather than emotive. The United States would greatly benefit from a broad national conversation that favors nuance and shades of grey instead of grandiose, Manichean narratives that cast one particular faction or institution as evil, or as a villain.

Consider one aforementioned example: the nature of government.

Instead of reinforcing the old Reagan mantra—“Government is not the solution to our problem. Government is the problem.”—perhaps the right

should entertain or at least advertise a more complex view: While there are real waste and fraud and inefficiencies associated with government, there are certain collective priorities that only government can act upon, like providing people with security, education, the rule of law, a safety net and so on.

Similar changes should take place on the other side of the spectrum as well. Incessantly demonizing the private sector and threatening to tax and regulate it in the interest of “fairness,” as President Obama is prone to do, is unwarranted and counterproductive to creating an atmosphere of confidence. Rather, the left should acknowledge the following: While markets can generate excesses that ought to be checked, they also are the primary producers of jobs and creators of capital and investment. Capitalism is the only economic system that is capable of lifting millions of people out of poverty, as has happened in places like China and India, and enabling them to use their skills, talents and individual initiative to their own advantage.

Regarding government and markets, these are basic and obvious truths that are just not heard enough, especially in the most extreme and partisan corners of our society. It seems that politicians in particular are more interested in catchy, mindless campaign slogans that play to their favored constituencies rather than in improving the quality and tone of our political discourse. This needs to change. With yet another election year coming up, hopefully I will not prove to be a naive idealist.

Ethiopia: Setting the record straight termed the alliance of the periphery, sought to forge relations with countries and non-state actors that had not succumbed to Arab nationalism, including Turkey, Ethiopia and even Iran before the 1979 revolution.” The sentence seems to be suggesting that Ethiopia shared similar cultural characteristics with Turkey and Iran pre1979 and like those nations may have been susceptible to Arab nationalism, a mistake that may be attributed to Ethiopia’s high Muslim population, concentrated around certain cities such as Harer and ethnically Somali

territories such as Ogaden.

While I am generally not very informed on issues pertaining to the Middle East and Israeli foreign policy, I am fairly well versed in the history of Ethiopia, a nation that was my home for 12 years. Though it may not have been Mr. Alterbaum’s intention, the assertion that Ethiopia was ever susceptible to Arab nationalism is absurd to the point of laughable. Ethiopian national feelings (both then and now) toward Arabs can only be described as unmitigated hostility bordering on outright racism. Though there is a

large Muslim population in Ethiopia, they are dramatically underrepresented in parliament and political life and, furthermore, are certainly not Arab. It is that last point that would make it especially challenging to assert, even tacitly, that Ethiopian Muslims would have been moved to any Arab nationalism.

In addition, it is probably important to note that relations were formally terminated soon after they were established, as the pro-Israeli emperor and the old guard of parliament were murdered and imprisoned

following a military coup in 1974.

Though Israel continued to provide military aid to the brutal Marxist regime, relations were always tense as Ethiopia realigned itself with the Soviet Union and its radical Arab allies.

I realize that Mr. Alterbaum may not have been making this assertion at all, but I feel it is absolutely necessary, even in an opinion piece targeted at a largely sympathetic college campus, to maintain the high degree of factual accuracy and commitment to truth that I have come to expect from The Hoot.

Arts, Etc.

16 The Brandeis Hoot

October 7 , 2011

‘Moneyball’ redefines the baseball movie

By Brian Tabakin Editor

When I went to see “Moneyball” this past weekend, I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. I walked in knowing the movie was based on Michael Lewis’ 2003 book, “Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game.” Having read the book, I was interested to see if screenwriter Aaron Sorkin would be able to successfully adapt the book to the big screen. The opening scene answered that question.

The movie opens with footage from the 2001 American League Divisional Round Playoffs between the Oakland Athletics and the New York Yankees. The screen then fades to a graphic with the text “Oakland Athletics vs. New York Yankees: Elimination Game.” Soon after, that text fades and is then replaced with “$39,722,689 vs. $110,181,143.” This text underscores the premise of the entire movie: a small market baseball team trying to compete with a large market team with a substantially larger payroll.

After suffering a devastating loss to the Yankees in Game Five of the 2001 American League Division Series, Billy Beane (Brad Pitt), the General Manager of the Oakland Athletics, is forced to rebuild his team from scratch on a limited payroll after their three franchise players, Jason Giambi, Johnny Damon and Jason Isringhausen all leave to play for large-market teams.

Beane goes to Cleveland to discuss a trade with Mike Shapiro (Reed

photo from internet source

stats meets baseball Brad Pitt (left) stars in director Bennett Miller’s “Moneyball” as Billy Beane, the General Manager of the Oakland

Athletics who, with Peter Brand ( Jonah Hill), pioneered the use of statistics in scouting.

Diamond), the General Manager of the Cleveland Indians; Shapiro rejects all of Beane’s trade proposals. In Cleveland, however, Beane meets Peter Brand (Jonah Hill).

Brand is promoting a new way of scouting based on statistics. Beane acquires him and enlists his help to rebuild the Oakland Athletics.

“Moneyball” is not the typical baseball film. It’s a mix of “Bad News Bears” and statistics. The opening scenes do a fantastic job of

relating the dull subject of baseball statistics to the casual fan through Pitt’s charisma and Hill’s humor. The efforts to make the film relatable to the casual audience, however, do a disservice to its source material.

A red flag is immediately raised in the very beginning when Beane takes a plane to discuss a trade with the Indians. Any casual sports fan will know that all trades are discussed via telephone. The plane ride is a convenient tactic to introduce

Hill into the film but it fails to provide a semblance of realism.

There is also a great deal of asymmetry when dealing with the “misfit” characters of the Athletics in contrast to Pitt and Hill’s characters.

The film harped on the collection of misfits and nobodies that led the Oakland Athletics to 103 wins. The film, however, conveniently leaves out that Oakland had the American League MVP in Miguel Tejada and Cy Young Award winner in Barry

Zito. Additionally, there is a lack of character depth other than in Pitt and Hill’s characters. Pitt and Hill’s performances are enough to carry the film (and both will merit Oscar consideration). By focusing so much attention on Pitt and Hill, however, the writers neglect to expand on the misfits that make up the Athletics.

While the film still works despite neglecting these characters, there is a substantial amount of untapped potential.

The most notorious feature of the film is the villainization of Art Howe (Philip Seymour Hoffman).

Hoffman portrays Howe as an insubordinate who is more focused on gaining a contract extension than in helping the team win. Howe directly disobeys Beane’s orders although it would help the team win. Hoffman does not truthfully represent Howe at all. As a fan of baseball, I was puzzled at Hoffman’s fictitious portrayal of Howe. Though this is a movie, it claims to be based “on a true story” but fails to include the truth they claim to base it on. In fact, Hoffman’s portrayal of Howe was so egregious, Art Howe himself threatened a character defamation suit against Sorkin and the writers.

“Moneyball” is a fantastic movie for the casual and avid baseball fan.

Don’t, however, go in expecting an accurate and truthful representation of the 2002 Oakland Athletics. The movie is a new take on the baseball comeback story but, in weaving this new tale, the movie delves into fiction rather than the reality on which it is based.

An enchanted evening, courtesy of Enrique

By Alex Patch Staff

Remember the good old ’90s, when you would hear Enrique Iglesias’ “Hero” constantly being played on the radio? Nowadays, he is famous for his hits “Tonight (I’m Lovin’ You)” and “I Like It,” appealing to today’s club-like music fan base. I have never been a super-fan, but I have followed him along his musical career. When my friends asked me to go to his recent Boston concert with them, I could not pass it up.

Originally, Pitbull was supposed to be Iglesias’ opening act. However, when we got to the concert, a security guard kindly informed us that Pitbull would not be there that night; he was stuck in Miami. We laughed it off—how could Pitbull miss his own concert? He must have been joking. Unfortunately, the security guard was telling the truth, as we soon saw signs confirming his statement and offering to refund tickets if we wanted to leave. The six of us looked at each other, and knew we were going to stay; we did not go to Boston for nothing!

Once we took our seats, which excitingly enough were located on the first level above the floor, we decided to get back up again and dance to the pre-show music. After about 45 minutes, Prince Royce came on first, as he was also touring with Pitbull and Iglesias. Only one of my friends knew who he was, and was ecstatic to see him perform.

If his name sounds familiar, you

may know his very pretty rendition of “Stand By Me” or, for those of you with a taste for Spanish music, his “El Amor Que Perdimos.”

The rest of us enjoyed his music and danced to it, but after multiple songs with a slow tempo, we were anxiously awaiting Enrique’s upbeat music while continuing to swear at no-show Pitbull. Soon, Prince Royce finished his set, and we got ready for Mr. Iglesias to take the stage.

Of course, we had to wait at least another hour as they set up for Enrique. I have been to multiple concerts in the past, and there was always a long wait, but never for more than an hour. It was obvious that they were stalling to make up for time lost by Pitbull not being there.

The weird thing is that his absence was never mentioned, so we were left hoping that maybe somehow he would show up. We overheard another security guard talking to a group of people, telling them that Pitbull missed his plane.

Couldn’t he get another one? It was frustrating for us, but we continued to look forward to the main act.

When Enrique Iglesias came out on stage after an enormous buildup, we were freaking out with excitement. He sang many songs in Spanish, and although only one person in our group spoke Spanish, we could all recognize the beauty in his songs. However, it wasn’t until he brought a woman up on stage and serenaded her that I really fell in love. He kept her up there for three songs, took shots of rum with

her and held her close as he sang to this stranger.

Later, I fell even harder for this handsome man upon hearing his reaction to security preventing people from moving closer to the stage. He announced, “Security, let Boston do whatever the fuck they want!” A couple of my friends had already escaped through a small gap onto the main floor, rushing up to the stage.

But as soon as the remaining four of us got to the bottom of our section, a security woman steadfastly held the gap to the floor shut. We were disappointed, but we wouldn’t give up.

As soon as we saw a chance, a slight turn of the guard’s head, we ran past her through the gap and ended up ten feet away from Enrique’s beautiful body. He had now moved to a raised stage toward the back of the floor. However, we realized that one friend remained behind, caught in the traps of the evil security guard. We encouraged her to hop over the boundary, and after multiple failed tries, she succeeded, sprinting toward us before anyone could catch her; we had all made it.

At this point, Enrique was singing “Hero,” the one song we were all waiting to hear. He brought a different woman up on the stage. He slowdanced with her as he sang Hero, and it looked as if she was crying, or shaking at the least—who wouldn’t be? I was in awe of his talent and beauty. At the very end, he kissed her, something I had never before seen happen at a concert. This only photo from internet source

See ENRIQUE, page 19

glistening god Singer Enrique Iglesias performed at a concert in Boston on Sept. 22.

October 7, 2011

ARTS, ETC. 17

The Brandeis Hoot

Guster and Jukebox the Ghost show gusto at fall concert

photos by alex hall/the hoot

By Arielle Levine

Special to the Hoot

Few things bring the Brandeis community together like a concert.

The Guster performance a few Saturdays ago in the Gosman gymnasium was no exception.

Guster was accompanied by the opener Jukebox the Ghost, a Philadelphia-based rock band composed of Ben Thornewill (vocals & piano), Tommy Siegel (vocals & guitar) and Jesse Kristin (drums). Jukebox the Ghost, in comparison to Guster, is a relatively young band with only two albums released to date. They talked about their last performance at Brandeis in Chum’s. This was funny because the band members look like they could have just as easily been in a Chum’s concert audience as playing one.

The gym was only about a fourth full when Jukebox the Ghost took the stage, beginning with an upbeat song that got the crowd dancing. They started out with full energy and were able to keep it going throughout their performance.

Jukebox the Ghost incorporated a sense of theatrics into their performance. The drummer would peri-

odically throw one of his drumsticks behind him, pull out a maraca, then throw that and bring back the drumstick. He repeated this throughout the performance with maracas and a tambourine.

Along with one of their most popular songs, “Empire,” they also played three songs from their new album that they are currently recording in the studio. They also claimed that they only played bad covers and played “Power of Love” from “Back to the Future” with a few bars from the “Ghostbusters” theme song mixed in.

Jukebox the Ghost left the audience full of energy and with excitement for Guster who, according to Jukebox, would “melt their faces off.”

Guster sounded as pristine as they do on their albums. Brandeis seems like one of the optimal places for Guster to perform. They have a special brand of quirkiness that the audience responded to so completely that a 1,200-person gymnasium felt like an intimate Chum’s concert. The band itself formed after three of the main members, Adam Gardner (vocals & guitar), Ryan Miller (vocals & guitar) and Brian Rosenworcel (drummer), met during their fresh-

man year Wilderness Orientation at Tufts University, a setting not too different from the one at Brandeis.

When Guster began playing, they seemed to lack the energy of Jukebox the Ghost, which was comprised of younger members. With each successive song, however, Guster’s energy increased. Guster started out the night with the song “What You Wish for,” a song off their 1999 album “Lost and Gone Forever.” Throughout the evening they played a selection of songs ranging the entire length of the band’s 20-year career.

Despite their very informal appearance, it was evident that a lot of thought was put into the order of the set list as each song seemed to seamlessly meld into the next. Even though it was a concert at a university, the audience was diverse. From an older man jumping up and down in the audience to a very little girl wearing ear protectors, who was there with her parents, it was clear that Guster has a wide appeal. A majority of the audience has grown up with Guster, watching the band mature, and was able to sing along to every song.

For the most part the focus was more on the music than on speeches in between songs. Despite this, they

were able to play around with the music. During the song “On the Ocean” the lights were turned off and members of their road crew held flashlights to their faces for a beautifully dramatic effect. When they did speak they were gracious to Jukebox the Ghost and said that they appreciated the audience for “cramming into a gymnasium on a Saturday night.”

Many bands have road crews to help with the set up and break down of the stage and equipment, as well as to bring them instrument changes while on stage. Guster was no exception with guitar changes almost every song and the drummer switching back and forth between a regular drum kit and one he played with his hands. Besides the generally accepted duties of the road crew, the Guster road crew was very integrated into the band, coming on stage during some of the songs to play piano and add more harmonic layers to a song.

Guster is well-known as a band that uses satire to get messages across. In the middle of their set they joked about going to a fraternity party the previous night where everyone was listening to hip-hop.

This gave them the impression that

if they sang songs that were more hip-hop they would have more listeners.

Guster then went on to make up a rap ballad about the food that they had leftover from their tour and no longer wanted. The rap included Silk brand soymilk, avocados (which they nicknamed “two green balls”), cereal, vegan sausage links and bread: “If you eat this on Yom Kippur, you will not go to heaven.”

As their set reached its end, it was clear that none of the 1,200 people in the audience wanted the concert to end. Guster rejected the usual act of walking off the stage and coming back for an encore (as so many bands do) by directly addressing the audience. It was up to the audience to decide whether they would stay on stage and perform the last two songs or walk off to uphold the tradition of an “encore performance” which gave the ending a more casual and personal feel.

Guster and Jukebox the Ghost complemented each other well and made for a very entertaining musical evening at Brandeis. In a way, Jukebox the Ghost is the face of many current students and Guster is what we have to look forward to in just a few years.

18 ARTS, ETC.

The Brandeis Hoot

October 7, 2011

Graphic ‘Autobiography’ fails to capture Twain

By Sean Fabery Staff

In his lifetime, Mark Twain was the foremost satirical chronicler of American life thanks to the many articles, essays and novels that he published. William Faulkner dubbed him “the father of American literature,” and it’s not hard to see why—you can still find “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” and “The Prince and the Pauper” in virtually every bookstore, even if their author died in 1910.

But what if he didn’t? After all, previous reports of his death had been, to quote Twain, “an exaggeration.” What if his death was all one big, wacky misunderstanding?

That’s the premise of Michael Kupperman’s new graphic novel “Mark Twain’s Autobiography 19102010.” Kupperman is no stranger to Twain—in his “Tales Designed to Thrizzle” series, he depicts Twain as half of a crime-fighting duo with Albert Einstein—but here he gives Twain the full-feature treatment.

In the foreword, Kupperman describes encountering Twain on a “craggy, forbidden isle,” where the humorist gives Kupperman the manuscript of his autobiography.

Twain hurriedly explains himself to Kupperman: “If you publish it under your name, then people will be free to not believe a word of it … You should decorate it with your silly drawings, to further undermine the credibility. Perhaps a few comical strips as well.”

That’s just what Kupperman has done, complementing Twain’s 36 chapters with playful illustrations (and a few comic strips) depicting the man’s adventures.

Those adventures are certainly stranger than anything seen in “Huck Finn” or “Tom Sawyer.” In

graphic courtesy of fantagraphics books

those hundred years, Twain becomes a stand-up comedian, drops acid and stars in the hit TV show “Murder, He Painted.” His experiences bring him into contact with familiar figures; most notably, he starts a detective agency with Einstein and beds several important women: Elizabeth Taylor, Marilyn Monroe and even Mamie Eisenhower. Not content just to encounter actual people, he meets Dracula, Frankenstein and the Mummy after parachuting into World War II-era Switzerland.

Unfortunately, these adventures prove much more interesting in summary than in the actual book.

That’s not to say that “Mark Twain’s Autobiography” lacks some obvious strengths. When Kupperman opts to present Twain’s story in

the comic strip format, his deadpan visual style works perfectly with his madcap subject. There are also some deliciously funny lines and observations on Twain’s part. At the dawn of the new millennium, for instance, Twain can only “marvel at the advances in sandwiches.” After guest starring on an episode of “The Six Million Dollar Man”—a ’70s TV drama focused on astronautturned-“bionic man” Steve Austin— he observes that he “always respected Steve for his mechanicalness, but he smelled faintly of motor oil.”

In some cases, the situations are so outrageous that you can’t help but find his descriptions funny, such as when he stars in a porno as “a professor of literature named Dixton Mulberworthy, who … tell[s] a group of assembled co-eds that they

would receive extracurricular credits for doing the simplest of all acts that humans can do with their conjoined nether regions.”

Alas, Kupperman simply can’t sustain Twain’s comic voice. In the prose chapters, Twain only occasionally produces the kind of humorous asides for which the author became famous. While the illustrated Twain sports the trademark mustache and white suit with which the real man is associated, Kupperman’s creation is a mere cipher. Every now and then he says something Twainlike, but most of the time you get the sense that this character could be anyone and has only randomly been assigned Twain’s identity. The historical Twain was quite a character, giving Kupperman a lot to potentially work with. Instead, Twain

here acts like an immortal Forrest Gump, bumbling his way into one major event after another.

Many of the book’s problems could have been solved by presenting the entire story in comic strip form. In the rare instances when Kupperman employs that format, the visuals and the dialogue work perfectly in conjunction. Instead, the prose chapters lack spark, reading more like a rough outline of a funny book than anything else. The visuals, while expertly executed, can’t maintain interest in the story.

When I first read a blurb about Kupperman’s book, I was instantly excited: How had no one come up with idea before? Oh, well, it looks like the perfect fictional, illustrated Twain autobiography may have to wait for another epoch.

‘I have a bad feeling about this’: ‘Star Wars’ on Blu-ray

By Gordy Stillman Editor

The phrase “I have a bad feeling about this” has become synonymous with “Star Wars.” In fact, typing the phrase into Wikipedia will lead you to the “Star Wars” article. As it turns out, the phrase also accurately represents the hesitation that many fans like myself felt about the new “Star Wars” Blu-ray releases. This is due to a simple reason: George Lucas’ tendency to make changes and alterations, whether through added lines or special effects, is often considered destructive by “Star Wars” purists.

The “Star Wars” Blu-ray set was announced May 4, known to some as “Star Wars Day” (see Facebook: “May the fourth be with you”) and was met with the hesitant wariness that fans have developed as a result of past disappointing releases.

The six movies remain fundamentally the same movies that you have hopefully seen by now. There are, however, some notable differences in the Blu-ray releases. One of the most prominent changes is seen in “Episode I: The Phantom Menace.”

Yoda, originally portrayed by a puppet, has been replaced with a CGI version that more closely matches the CGI Yoda used in the rest of the prequel trilogy. While many fans were disappointed by this change

due to a fondness for the original puppet, I found it fitting. The Yoda puppet worked in the original trilogy because its style fit the settings and the other effects used at the time. In the prequel trilogy, which boasted greatly improved special effects and visual creations, the puppet seemed out of place and anachronistic.

Another difference occurs in the cantina scene in “Episode IV: A New Hope.” This scene has been controversial since the release of the “special editions” in 1997. In a gunfight between Han Solo—at the time a smuggler with a bounty on his head—and bounty hunter Greedo, Lucas changed who shot first.

In the original 1977 edition, Han shoots first; it’s an early sign that he doesn’t perfectly fit the goodguy archetype. In the special edition, the scene was altered to make it seem as though Greedo shot first.

In the Blu-ray edition, the scene is about as close as Lucas has been willing to go toward the original “Han shot first” version, as Greedo shoots barely a few frames before Han, making it seem like Han was little more than lucky to survive the gunfight.

Other changes in the Blu-ray, however, prove less positive. One such change, at the end of “Episode VI: Return of the Jedi,” involves the iconic scene in which Anakin Skywalker—now Darth Vader—redeems himself and defeats Emperor

Palpatine. In the original release, and in every subsequent release until now, Vader is largely silent throughout this process. In the Blu-ray release, Vader shouts “No!” when he can no longer accept the emperor torturing his son. More than anything else in the prequel trilogy, this single word ruins the fearsome persona of Vader by taking away his sense of “badassery.”

Despite these changes, its the three bonus discs that really make the Blu-Ray collection worth having. These discs are not included in the two trilogy sets and are only available in the six-film set. After owning the set for three weeks, I have still barely watched all the special features due to their vast nature. One of the discs, for example, contains a 100-minute collection of Star Wars spoofs and parodies from the last 34 years. Scenes from “That ’70s Show,” “Family Guy,” “Robot Chicken,” “How I Met Your Mother,” four decades of “Saturday Night Live” and many others not only entertained, but also give a unique appreciation for just how deeply “Star Wars” has penetrated American pop culture. I may have felt guilty after spending 100 minutes watching this on a night when I had coursework to do, but it was worth watching photo from internet source

See BLU-RAY, page 19

a long, long time ago Harrison Ford (right) and Peter Mayhew starred in the original

“Star Wars” trilogy as Han Solo and Chewbacca.

October 7, 2011

ARTS, ETC. 19

The Brandeis Hoot

Has ‘Development’ been reinstated?

By Peter Wein

special to the hoot

At this point, I am sure that many of my lovely and devoted readers have heard the hype surrounding the darkly humorous TV series, “Arrested Development.” For those of you who don’t know what the show is, Google or Netflix it and you can thank me in person later.

Now that we are all caught up, let’s discuss the new revelation: According to a tweet from Jason Bateman (which has been collaborated

by The LA Times, tweets from Will Arnett, etc.), the show’s creator will be working on a new season consisting of nine or 10 episodes, each of which will focus on one of the main characters and what has happened between the end of the last season and the present day. This will all supposedly culminate in a new movie that will allegedly come out in 2013.

Why then, does this article seem less thrilled than it should? A show hilarious in its inception and they are bringing it back? Well, unfortunately, I have some bad feelings about it. First and foremost: Other than a few very special exceptions, when has this ever worked? Even when a TV show or movie series intentionally made more than one movie (see the “Harry Potter” series), when did the sequels catch the magic of the original? Now, I do

photo from internet source

development arrested All nine primary cast members of “Arrested Development” will return for a final miniseries and a feature film in 2013.

realize that they will attempt to give the show an interesting twist but let’s be serious. Let’s think back to our childhoods for a moment: How great was “Aladdin”? Now think a bit more recently and how much worse was “The Return of Jafar”?

Now, I know what you’re thinking: “But Pete,” you say, “this isn’t a movie at all! It’s a TV series and the characters can easily fall back into the same shenanigans that they were doing before.” Well, confused reader, it saddens me greatly to disagree with that opinion. Let’s look at Michael Cera, for example. His acting, whether it’s obvious or not,

Enrique enchants

has changed a great deal since that show began. He, as a real human being, has grown up and moved into his own right as an actor. How will this transfer to the newest episodes?

It might be funny, but I truly have no idea if the changes in each of the real actors’ styles will be a positive or negative.

Of course, as much as I would like to, I cannot see the future. Who knows, maybe this TV series revitalization and movie will be the best thing since bread (yes, even better than sliced bread). Maybe the show will become an even bigger sensation than the original and the movie

‘Star Wars’ Blu-ray impresses

might even win an Oscar. But my hope that this show will catch the real magic and dark humor that the original three seasons had is weak, at best.

Not only that, this show falls under the category of “over-anticipation.” After waiting for five years, they are now just releasing information about the series, which won’t even come out for another two years? The build-up is almost too much and we will inevitably think the show is going to be funnier than it actually will be. This unfortunate conflict between expectations and reality will leave a lot of viewers up-

set, and it’s really only a question of how many.

Now, I’m really looking forward to seeing it, good or bad. Honestly, though, I really don’t expect all that much from the series or the movie.

Yes, the actors and actresses in the show are still great in their own right and yes, I can’t foretell the future. Those things being said, there is a lot of precedence pointing me to believe that this will really not live up to my near-Godlike expectations.

If you still don’t understand, might I recommend “Pirates of the Caribbean”?

Arts Recommends books

BLU-RAY, from page 18

more than any other special feature or movie-related documentary.

Overall, if you’re a purist, this set—special features aside—isn’t really for you. I personally doubt Lucas will re-release the unaltered original trilogy again for a long time. If you’re looking for that, I’d recommend the 2006 DVD releases, which include the original versions on the bonus discs. (They are available to rent at the Goldfarb Library.)

If you enjoy new special features and are generally not bothered by minor changes here and there, this is a great set. In fact, considering the planned theatrical 3D re-releases, which are scheduled to begin in February with Episode I, this might be the last great set for a “long, long time.”

photo from internet source

enrique In addition to his excellent and entrancing performances, Enrique Iglesias knows

how to wear a scarf.

ENRIQUE, from page 16

added to my adoration, of course.

After this, he quickly made it back to the main stage to sing “Tonight,” and my friends and I raced up as far as we could make it, ending up ten or so rows back. We stood on chairs and danced as confetti fell around us. What makes a concert incredible for me is that magical feeling, and this one certainly had it. Great

friends, great music, an attractive man to look at—it was overall an awesome experience. Even though Pitbull never made it, as Enrique excused him at the very end for feeling “under the weather,” it was still a very memorable evening. I would recommend seeing Enrique Iglesias in concert to anyone, super-fan or skeptic alike. You can count on it being a surprising and, at the very least, an especially eventful occasion.

photo from internet source

‘Middlesex’ by Jeffrey Eugenides The novel “Middlesex” by Jeffrey Eugenides is part love story, part family epic and part growing pains—all written under the umbrella story of protagonist Cal Stephanides growing up and discovering that he is a hermaphrodite.

Cal narrates his family’s story with his own story weaving in and out, because “everything happens for a reason.”

Eugenides starts the story by going two generations before Cal’s time, telling of two siblings forced to leave their Greek village with no one on whom to rely but each other. In a turn of events, they end up falling in love and marrying, bearing children and, as a result, bearing the first indication of Cal’s hermaphroditism.

Though incest would be controversial and even repulsive in any other context, Eugenides pays great attention to detail and writes in such a way that every event in the novel seems like the only logical outcome. A large strength of his writing is how powerfully Eugenides grabs the reader’s attention and sculpts the family’s life in a way that feels true to life. Cal’s hermaphroditism is a result of his family’s decisions, but Eugenides challenges readers to ask themselves if they are any different. He makes a big point to show readers that life is what it is and it can’t be any other way no matter how hard we try. Because this message is presented through beautifully written prose, “Middlesex” is a major success.

candice bautista, editor

yoda

photo from internet source

October 7, 2011

The Brandeis Hoot

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