The Brandeis Hoot - Oct 21, 2011

Volume 8 Number 20

www.thebrandeishoot.com

Brandeis University’s Community Newspaper • Waltham, Mass.

Downtown ‘Occupy’ protests escalate

Book Review

Anita Hill explores racial tension in housing market

By Yael Katzwer Editor

By Debby Brodsky Editor

When protesters from Occupy Boston, an offshoot of the Occupy Wall Street movement demanding corporate responsibility and attention to income inequality, began to camp out at Dewey Square in Boston’s downtown financial district, several rows of tents and tarp huts, neatly dotted the square. As time has passed, the camp at Dewey Square expanded and now houses hundreds of protesters, hailing from around the world.

Due to its central location in the heart of Boston’s financial district, Occupy Boston demands attention.

Resolutions are frequently being passed at general assembly meetings and Boston is taking notice. Yet deSee OCCUPY, page 4

photos by debby brodsky/the hoot

October 21, 2011

Just named senior adviser to the provost and hired at the Cohen, Milstein, Sellers and Toll law firm in Washington, D.C., Professor Anita Hill (Heller) has had a booming month. To add to her academic and legal success, Beacon Press released Hill’s newest book on Oct. 4.

“Reimagining Equality: Stories of Gender, Race, and Finding Home” focuses on racial and gender biases and inequalities as they pertain to the housing market. Through statistical research and anecdotal evidence, both personal and external, Hill exposes the details of how the current housing crisis has smashed the American Dream for many people.

Hill achieved national fame 20 years ago when she accused thenSupreme Court nominee Clarence Thomas of sexual harassment. Hill chronicled the hearings that followed in her book, “Speaking Truth to Power.”

Hill begins each chapter of her book with a different dictionaries’ definition of home.

“I do begin ‘Reimagining Equality’ with an idea about home and the importance of home,” Hill said in a

BrandeisNOW press release. “I talk about how important it is in American history. I don’t believe that you can have equality without first securing that place where you can live out your dreams and live out all the opportunities that the country has to offer at a national level.”

Despite repeated requests, Hill could not be reach for an interview or comment on this story.

She discusses in her book how in the past few decades more and more single women are applying for loans to buy homes. These women are often targeted by banks for higher loan payments and less fair agreements.

Banks also target black clients for unfair loan terms, making black women the most susceptible group.

Due to the rising Latino population, however, Hill admits that they too are vulnerable to inflated costs.

“Nothing better represents the twisted path to racial and gender equality in American than the search for home as a place of refuge, financial security, and expression,” Hill writes in “Reimaging Equality.”

“At the end of the Civil War and well into the twentieth century, for African American families, the search for roots that had been lost to slavSee HILL, page 15

A fast for Somalia: students rally for famine awareness

By Josh Kelly Staff

Whether in the form of a tornado demolishing much of Joplin, Mo., an 8.9-magnitude earthquake off the coast of Japan or severe flooding in Pakistan, Mother Nature has produced a slew of natural disasters—each of which require massive amounts of aid to help rebuild and recover. The ongoing famine in Somalia is still causing massive harm, however, plaguing the population with hunger and yet receiving little media attention. But Brandeis students are recognizing the problems associated with Somalia and giving aid, as evidenced by the “24-Hour Famine” event that took place in the Shapiro Campus Center from Friday, Oct. 14, to Saturday, Oct. 15.

“The media is structured to cover breaking news, and it moves on to the next thing very quickly,” said Kate Alexander ’12, former director of the Justice League and current policy director for Positive Foundations. “It’s our responsibility to recognize that structure of the media and not to assume that no more coverage means no more famine.”

Sponsored by Positive Foundations, The Girl Effect and the Justice

League, the event was built around a 24-hour fast during which there could be reflection and a chance to educate the community. The event began with Will Fenton of Oxfam International as the keynote speaker. Oxfam International is an organization that works to help people in need across the world through microloans. During the course of 24 hours, there were a range of advocacy and team-building activities.

There was also a panel on poverty and hunger run by Brandeis professors, as well as a candlelight vigil in honor of those suffering from the famine.

Fenton suggested that famine is man-made. “Drought is natural, yes, but history has taught us how to respond to drought. We could have prevented this with smart investments in life-saving programs but we didn’t and famines like this will continue to occur until we learn from our mistakes,” Fenton said.

“The famine in Somalia has killed 30,000 children in the last three months,” Fenton said. “Without urgent assistance, more than 160,000 children in southern Somalia will die in the coming weeks.”

See SOMALIA, page 3

photo by nafiz “fizz ” ahmed/the hoot

jane kahn and michael bien

Alumni win relief for Calif. prisoners

By Victoria Aronson and Sarah Weber Special to the Hoot

The United States Supreme Court in May ordered the California state prison system to reduce its population by 30,000 prisoners in a strong case of judicial intervention in the name of constitutional standards.

Michael Bien and Jane Kahn, a married couple who are both members of the Brandeis class of 1977, dedicated

more than two decades to improving the overcrowding of the California prisons and successfully persuaded the court to intercede.

Bien and Kahn presented the annual Joshua A. Guberman Lecture, “Representing Prisoners with Serious Mental Illness Trapped in a Nightmare: The California Prison Overcrowding Case,” Monday. They also received the Brandeis Alumni Activist Award for their continued pursuit.

Aside from the issue of prisoner rights, the fact of the Supreme Court’s

intervention within the case remains controversial due to whether the Supreme Court took a proper role in a state matter.

Kahn advocated the Supreme Court’s expanded role by saying that “the legislative and executive branches have washed their hands of this issue and forced the judicial branch to act.”

The California state prison system has long been known for its inSee GUBERMAN, page 3

NEWS

2 The Brandeis Hoot

October 21, 2011

Rose to display Conner artwork

By Jon Ostowsky Editor

shaina gilbert

photo by nafiz “fizz ” ahmed/the hoot

TFA hosts panel for recruitment

By Debby Brodsky Editor

Teach For America, a growing movement of leaders working to ensure impoverished children have access to quality education, hosted an alumni panel at Brandeis on Monday to recruit students interested in enlisting for two years of service.

Once selected, service members are placed in one of 43 national regions for two years. Service members are given an annual stipend of between $30,000 and $50,000, depending on the economy of the region, as well as comprehensive health benefits.

Shaina Gilbert ’10 spoke with students about her current service teaching math, history, science and English as a second language (ESL) to a class of Haitian-American students through Teach For America.

All of Gilbert’s students were forced to immigrate to America following the 2010 earthquake in Haiti.

Gilbert reflected that she is helping to carry out Brandeis’ mission of social justice through her work. Gilbert is currently a Teach For America service member in the Boston public school system.

“I share a cultural sameness with my students,” Gilbert said, “but there is also a tremendous educational gap between us. But if you know why you’re in the classroom, you can do it.”

“Leadership comes in all shapes and sizes. This will be the hardest and most rewarding thing you ever do,” Teach For America recruitment manager Angela Callado said.

Callado decided to become a recruitment manager following her years in service in the Dallas, Texas, school system. She saw how the students in her class advanced dramatically under her supervision and wanted to ensure that high-quality service members will continue to put Teach For America’s mission into action.

Callado observed first-hand the impact of poverty on educational opportunities for students and learned how students’ access to a quality education is largely based on the zip code in which they are raised.

“All students deserve a quality education,” Callado said. “When schools can’t meet the needs of children, Teach For America steps in.”

Teach For America annually seeks out service members who see chal-

lenges as opportunities. Applicants must have strong problem-solving and organizational skills and recognize the strengths and weaknesses of different students.

Callado said that Teach For America is unique because it focuses on helping needy students, in addition to advancing the long-term career goals of its teachers. In her presentation, Callado emphasized that, after two years of service, teachers frequently apply skills and lessons acquired in the classroom to a wide range of professions.

While many teachers choose to continue teaching, others pursue careers in law, business, medicine and the arts, carrying their knowledge learned in service with them and applying it to their work. “As a corps member you can have a real tangible impact on students by helping them achieve academically in the classroom,” Callado said. “However, teachers are also having an incredible experience because they are being exposed to how housing, legal, health and education policies all break down for our low income communities.”

For Gilbert, the challenge is that many of the students she teaches are learning at a kindergarten level and she works to bring them to a level between the sixth and eighth grades.

Due to the circumstances of the children’s arrival to the United States, Gilbert teaches in the students’ native language, Haitian Creole.

“There will be some rough days but, at the end of the day, I appreciate my kids and the community that their school builds to protect its children,” Gilbert said.

In 2010, Gilbert joined Nate Rosenblum ’10 in creating the Brandeis Haiti Relief Effort, an organization that now exists as Brandeis Haiti Initiative. She also founded ETE Camp, a free summer camp for the children of Hinche, Haiti.

In her conclusion Callado stressed that poverty is beatable and education is one way to beat it. Teach For America currently reaches 600,000 students, but 16 million face challenges of poverty.

“In the past two years we have had over 25 Brandeis graduates join our movement to end educational inequity,” Callado said. “We strive to work with communities, not change communities. Our goal is ending educational inequity in the United States today.”

As the Brandeis community gathers to celebrate the 50th anniversary of The Rose Art Museum next Thursday, it will find a renovated museum matched with a new image on campus, including the triptych film by the late Boston artist Bruce Conner, “EVE-RAY-FOREVER (1965/2006).”

The Conner work was purchased with Acquisition Funds from The Rose, Director of Museum Operations Roy Dawes said.

The Rose will showcase the three silent videos in black and white in the Lee Gallery, along with two new collections, “Art at the Origin: The Early 1960s,” a display of art from when the museum opened in academic year 1961-62 and a narrative work, “Collecting Stories.”

Conner grew up in Kansas but, after moving to San Francisco, became drawn to the Beat culture of the 1960s, according to a BrandeisNOW press release.

Displaying the silent films on three

small projectors in a blocked off area of The Rose in 1965, a set-up that many galleries later emulated, Conner established himself as an artist with a wide array of talents, including sculpture, collage, drawing and experiential films, Dabney Hailey, director of academic programs for The Rose, told BrandeisNOW. “It was a really daring and amazing choice by The Rose. It was controversial. It made people uncomfortable— in a good way,” Hailey said. “People were in the same space as the projector. Film was supposed to be a fantasy.

You weren’t supposed to see how the projector runs. It’s taboo.”

The “Art at the Origin” collection will display works from James Rosenquist , Roy Lichtenstein, Ellsworth Kelly, Willem de Kooning, Robert Rauschenberg and Andy Warhol.

The “Collecting Stories” exhibit in the Foster Wing includes works by Juan Gris, Marsden Hartley, Jasper Johns, Louise Nevelson, Nam June Paik and Kiki Smith depicting the transformation of The Rose over five decades.

In June, university President Fred Lawrence announced Brandeis would not sell any artwork from The Rose as part of a settlement agreement with Rose benefactors, ending a national controversy that began under former President Jehuda Reinharz. In 2009, Reinharz said Brandeis would begin selling art to make up for financial losses during the economic recession.

Lawrence, in an interview at the beginning of the semester, said he viewed the settlement as a major success early in his presidency.

“I take it as one of the accomplishments of my first six months of which I’m most proud, being able to move forward on The Rose, and to be able to close the difficult part of that chapter,” Lawrence said.

On Thursday evening, The Rose will host an opening ceremony with several artists and members of the media scheduled to attend.

“I am very, very grateful that, when I’m talking to people about The Rose now, what I’m talking about is planning a 50th-anniversary celebration,” Lawrence said.

College Notebook

Presidential transitions

By Jon Ostrowsky Editor

Tufts inaugurates Oxford scientist Tufts University will inaugurate Anthony P. Monaco, the former Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Planning and Resources at the University of Oxford, as its 13th president on Friday.

Before serving as Pro-Vice-Chancellor at Oxford, Monaco ran the university’s Wellcome Trust Centre for Human Genetics since 1998 and served as a professor of human genetics since 1997, where he taught both undergraduate and graduate students.

Monaco, who took office on Aug. 1, and replaced 10year president Lawrence Bacow, is credited with identifying “the first gene specifically involved in human speech and language,” according to My FOX Boston.

“I believe Tufts is singularly equipped to find creative and thoughtful ways of addressing some of the great challenges facing our world. I welcome the opportunity to work with you as we take on those challenges. So where do we begin?” Monaco wrote in a message to the Tufts community in August. “I believe that thoughtful listening followed by strategic planning is the indispensable foundation of good leadership, and that is where I will put my focus in the coming months.”

UMass law dean resigns Dean of the University of Massachusetts’ new law school Robert Ward announced his resignation Thursday, The Boston Globe reported. Although Ward cited poor health in his letter of resignation, he later released a statement saying he had charged personal expenses to his university credit card, but acknowledged that he later reimbursed the university account.

Ward blamed his lengthy commute to work and the stress of building a new law school, for his declining health. “The two-hour daily commute and the pressure

of building a world-class law school have taken a terrible toll on my health and my family,” Ward wrote in an undated letter to UMass Dartmouth Chancellor Jean MacCormack.

Ward’s university credit card was intended to cover the cost of business travel but was instead used for a family trip.

Ward’s resignation has unusual timing because the law school at UMass Dartmouth is new and still seeks accreditation from the American Bar Association this year.

UMass Dartmouth Law School released a statement saying it accepted Ward’s resignation and has begun searching for a replacement, according to The Globe.

Amherst college inaugurates first female president Amherst College on Sunday inaugurated Carolyn “Biddy” Martin, one of the nation’s top openly gay university leaders, as its first female president since the college was founded in 1821.

Martin, who is the 19th president of Amherst, replaced Anthony Marx, who left Amherst to become president of the New York Public Library.

Sunday’s ceremony was a historical event for Amherst students and faculty to witness and attracted guests from around the world. Martin was formally inaugurated on the 36th anniversary of the first time a woman was admitted to Amherst College.

Martin boasts a degree in English from the College of William & Mary, a master’s degree in German literature from Middlebury College and a German literature doctorate from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Martin served as Cornell University provost from 2000 to 2008, and as chancellor of the University of Wisconsin-Madison since 2008, according to The Springfield Republican.

“My move to Amherst College has felt like homecoming,” Martin said. “I’m so glad to be one of you.”

October 21, 2011

NEWS 3

The Brandeis Hoot

Student advocates ask state to audit health insurers

By Connor Novy Staff

Last month, a coalition of student and advocacy groups asked the Division of Health Care Finance and Policy to investigate regulations pertaining to co-insurance, according to a press release from Mass-Care. They maintained that according to the regulations for the Student Health Insurance Plans, co-insurance falls outside the parameters allowed for excludable coverage.

Massachusetts requires everyone to have health insurance and universities offer a basic level of care to students without other insurance. At Brandeis, the student health insurances have no copays or co-insurance cost shares for in-house services, and the insurance, which the university has developed, covers a multitude of events or accidents that commercial policies avoid,

including accidents while inebriated and mental health care.

It is common for universities to provide more comprehensive care than required by law but most coverage focuses on treatment rather than preventative care.

“It’s a one-year health plan,” explained Diana Denning, director of the Brandeis Health Center, “So they’re not invested in your lifelong health, just for that one year.”

There are copayments for wellness benefits like immunizations, which have recently been added to the health center’s repertoire. According to Denning, some Massachusetts universities, including Tufts, might be looking to pool their insurance “in order to contain health care costs” and make it more affordable for students.

Co-insurance charges a percentage of the cost of a medical procedure

instead of a static amount such as a copayment and has become increasingly common in health plans offered by universities.

Health care advocacy groups contend that the cost is prohibitive to students, a population often forced to choose between necessities during financial strain. Many students now face 15 percent co-insurance fees that can amount to thousands of dollars.

Students have begun to contest the legality of percentage-based payment, as it is not explicitly excluded from what insurers are bound to cover, like “charges reimbursable by any other valid and collectible medical insurance plan” or athletic injuries covered by another policy, according to MassCare.

In fact, most of the stipulations in the Division of Health Care Finance and Policy’s regulations are excluded only when covered under another

insurance plan. Only “reasonable copayments and deductibles,” which may not exceed $250 annually, are acceptable forms of cost-sharing with the policy holder.

Though students are now allowed to remain on their parents insurance until age 26 through the Affordable Care Act, many still rely solely on their university for insurance. The coalition states “co-insurance has increasingly come to be used to impose high cost sharing outside of the Division’s stated limits on copayments and deductibles,” which negates many of the recent consumer protections ensured by the Affordable Care Act. Graduate students older than 26 notice a significant impact on their coverage. SHIPs are sometimes their only affordable health coverage option and many of them also have families who are covered on their plan.

An emergency room trip that pre-

viously cost $100 can now be in the thousands. The cost of co-insurance payments can put medical treatment out of reach, even when a student has insurance.

The student health coalition has asked legislators to donate money to help cover the co-insurance payments of students unable to afford necessary medical care. Dr. James Recht choruses the fears of many in the medical profession. “Co-insurance acts as a strong disincentive to obtaining necessary care—co-insurance should not be permitted for student health plans, it puts care out of reach for those who need care the most,” he said in a press release from the Massachusetts Campaign for Single-Payer Health Care Many are concerned that the complexity of the system only allows the industry to be more expensive because people don’t know their coverage or the exact provisions of their plans.

A fast for Somali famine relief efforts SOMALIA, from page 1

At the end of the fast, participants shared in a feast and a reflection period. Throughout the entire event there were opportunities to donate money and canned goods. Any money donated would go to MADRE, an organization working with Womankind Kenya to help 20 malnourished families escaping the Somali famine. Any canned goods went to the Waltham Food Pantry.

According to a U.N. News Centre article from January 2011, the United Nations declared a famine on July 20 in the two southern Somali regions of Southern Bakool and Lower Shabelle, and emphasized the magnitude of the impact on children.

“In the two regions of Southern Bakool and Lower Shabellle, acute malnutrition rates are above 30 percent, with deaths among children under the age of five exceeding six per 10,000 per day in some areas.

In the last few months, tens of thousands of Somalis have died as a result of causes related to malnutrition, the majority of them children,” the U.N. news article stated.

A series of consecutive droughts brought the country to the point where nearly half the Somali population, or 3.7 million people, were estimated to live in crisis.

While this provoked significant media coverage, it declined in the face of many other issues.

One issue that could play a major role in aid to Somalia is the current state of the economy in the United States, as well as the economies in Europe.

Alexander admitted that not enough money has been taken in for aid and insisted that the international community should be prepared to deal with future crises better.

“The United Nations asked for $1 billion to deal with the effects of the famine but has only received one-third of that,” Alexander added. “But the truth is, we only have to respond now because we didn’t respond earlier.”

Alexander also addressed the

issue of balancing help needed domestically versus help needed in Somalia and made it clear that aid to Waltham and aid to people in Somalia are not mutually exclusive.

“There’s no reason why aid can’t go in both directions,” said Alexander. “The fact is that our government’s budget won’t be balanced on the backs of the poor. Investments in food aid domestically and internationally will have long-term effects on reducing our spending overall, whether that’s because of improved national security or a larger, healthier, self-sufficient working class.”

Alexander also explained that the issue goes beyond food aid and that national security is intimately linked to Somalia. According to her, through sending aid, we can destabilize terrorist organizations.

“Earlier this week, we learned that Al Qaeda is distributing food aid in Somalia. This is a clear example that if we don’t step up to save lives, we open the door for terrorist organizations to intervene, save lives and recruit them for their own purposes,” Alexander said.

One student who asked not to be identified expressed skepticism that students would mobilize further to raise awareness about the famine.

“I just don’t think there are enough people at Brandeis— undergraduates—who are willing [to try] to understand what people are going through, people who are in [situation’s like that in Somalia] on a daily basis.”

The student also spoke of how powerful the event was and suggested that it may have overwhelmed students unwilling to be confronted with harsh realities.

“It seemed like people approached the event and then walked away when they realized how intense it was,” the attendee said.

“We can prevent this famine from happening in the future but that depends on the actions of individuals,” said Alexander. “Any one of us can step up and save lives, and I promise it works.”

photo by nafiz “fizz ” ahmed/the hoot

Alumni discuss win at Supreme Court GUBERMAN, from page 1

humane treatment of prisoners. In 1995, the federal courts found the state prison system to have violated the Eighth and 14th amendments to the Constitution and instituted a remedial process under the supervision of a special master. Yet conditions remained so poor that in 2006 California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger declared a state of emergency due to prison overcrowding.

As a direct consequence, the issue of mental illness already prevalent among inmates only worsened. The suicide rate in the prisons became higher than the national average, while one in four inmates required mental health care. In addition, hundreds of patients were placed on waitlists to receive mental health care.

Kahn, a frequent visitor to the prisons where she met with various inmates, recalled watching a group therapy session, in which prisoners were kept within individual cages gathered in a circle. Even those prisoners deemed suicidal were denied proper care and placed in dark cells with merely a blanket for warmth.

While observing an individual therapy session in which the prisoner was brought into the room handcuffed

wearing nothing but a blanket, Kahn recalls the therapist asking the prisoner why he constantly averted his eyes.

In response, the prisoner replied, “I can’t look because I’m so embarrassed sitting here naked.” After the prisoner left the room, nothing was said. An exacerbated Kahn declared during the lecture, “Sometimes we cannot bear the sluggish pace … we must scream at the top of our lungs on behalf of the prisoners.” And she has.

After the verdict of the Supreme Court was secured, Bien and Kahn admitted to contouring their argument based upon Justice Anthony Kennedy, the most ideologically to the center of the panel. Kennedy declared for the majority: “A prison that deprives prisoners of basic sustenance, including adequate medical care, is incompatible with the concept of human dignity and has no place in civilized society.” In addition to drafting their argument to Kennedy, Bien and Kahn utilized photographs depicting the inhumane and desolate conditions of the prisons. Bien explained, “Photos moved people in a different way, they show a real segment of our society that we should do something about.” Kennedy included some of the photographs in the Court record.

Now that the decision by the Supreme Court has been handed down, the question emerges: What will become of the inmates no longer detained? In response to inquiries regarding the cutback of population within the prisons, Bien and Kahn explained no inmates will be released prior to their sentence. Rather, those inmates who have committed technical parole violations or minor felonies will no longer be returned to prison.

In consequence, Bien admits, “the problem may simply be shifted to county jails.” But he asserts the money is already present; it is merely a matter of transferring funds from the state to the communities.

Despite the controversial nature of the case and the remaining questions concerning the future implications and precedents set by the Supreme Court’s decision, Bien and Khan have nevertheless succeeded in a task some would deem impossible. They have shed light on the dark issue of neglect of mental illness within prison systems. Bien, when asked whether he ever foresaw bearing such an impact upon society, replied “No. However, I am very fortunate in doing work that is meaningful; it wasn’t my dream, but my dream was hoping I could get something valuable out of work.”

4 NEWS

The Brandeis Hoot

October 21, 2011

New head of student life makes use of social media

By Connor Novy Staff

The use of social media by institutions has soared in the past decade, reaching even the ivory towers of academia. A method of communicating with not only friends but idols and community members, social media has long been used by digital natives, those who spent most of their lives with the Internet, and popular culture. Nearly all college students use some form of Facebook and Twitter.

Andrew Flagel, senior vice president for students and enrollment, who actively uses his Facebook page and Twitter account, “@deanflagel,” often tweeting multiple times per day about social, athletic and arts events on the weekend, described the difference: Facebook focuses on maintaining existing connections; Twitter is an information funnel, used to promote and proliferate a message, called a “push-medium.”

Though they are very different in aim, what makes them both successful is the personal connection they allow. “There’s a believability factor in Facebook and Twitter; the interactions that do the best to get students to look at a particular link or site are based on a response that folks feel are genuine,” Flagel said.

During the past 10 years, it has evolved in complexity and universality; if you’re not on Facebook, you are not the norm. Not only are individuals expected to maintain an online social presence but institutions are as well, including colleges and universities.

The humanity, despite the cyberabyss, is what makes social media

such an effective marketing tool. “If I am on a site and it feels like I’m being sold to, it’s a turn off in social media.

If I’m on a site and I feel engaged in the conversation, I feel a connection,” Flagel said.

Despite the common conception that Facebook is the more personal, Twitter allows for another kind of sociality. Thousands of institutions have Twitter handles and Facebook pages but few, if any, ever become even momentarily popular. The mostfollowed Twitters are celebrities: Lady Gaga reigns at number one, followed closely by Justin Bieber. The president of the United States ranks in at number four, in between Katy Perry and Kim Kardashian. They all use their accounts to connect to fans, even to talk to them personally.

And just as celebrities use Twitter to reach out to their fans, institutions have begun to use it not only to push events but as a way to speak directly to their own constituency. “What you see is an increasing proliferation of Twitter accounts among our students and among departments who are using it as a push-medium to send out messaging,” Flagel said.

The Department of Communications is responsible for the news feeds on Facebook and Twitter. Bill Burger, associate vice president of communications, explained that the university has little control over the pages created by departments. A Facebook search results in hundreds of pages dedicated to athletics, alumni relations, academic departments and student clubs. Burger called Brandeis’ use of social media “comparable” to other universities, attributing its relative success to the high levels of activ-

facebook connections Senior Vice President for Students and Enrollment Andrew Flagel

photo by nafiz “fizz ” ahmed/the hoot

club events has changed the way Brandeisians let their peers know what’s happening. Facebook is a passive form of promotion: Instead of the multitude of flyers and banners that used to array the campus in the days before cyberspace, an event is simply posted on Facebook.

There are repercussions to the presence of universities and administrators on Facebook, even those as sociable as Flagel. He begs students to adjust their privacy settings when friending an administrator. “Be cognizant of the fact that once you friend me, you’re in my news feed,” he said.

Brandeis, however, is not the most Internet-active university. In part because of its size, students do not feel the need to use social media to connect with other students when they see them on campus all the time. At larger institutions that lack more faceto-face interactions, social media assumes a larger presence. Alumni who have left the campus community and reside elsewhere more often use the Brandeis networks.

“The power of social media is that it challenges geographic boundaries. …

As we graduate more digital natives, the power of social media will only grow,” said Burger.

uses Facebook and Twitter to connect with students.

ity that the news feeds experience.

Whether or not the use of social media becomes influential to our image does not depend solely on the existence of these accounts. Flagel explained: “Social media isn’t about what an institution does, it’s what the individual in the institution does.” In order for social media to successfully promote Brandeis, the interactions with prospective students, a large portion of those who contact Flagel via Facebook, must be genuine. “It’s not just retweeting, it’s responding to a person.”

The use of Facebook to promote

Occupy Boston grows, attracts Brandeis students OCCUPY, from page 1

spite Occupy Boston’s growing organization, there are many grievances protesters wish to address at once and it is proving difficult to form a projected list of goals and principles.

A statue of Mohandas Gandhi has been erected at the entrance of Dewey Square, welcoming visitors and protesters alike. An intricate set of plywood pathways is constantly being reinforced and expanded by camp builders to form pathways through the mud. Throughout the day, reporters from across the United States step gingerly among the tents, asking residents to comment on their experiences at the camp, while police officers patrol the grounds, speaking amicably with protesters and passersby.

There is a new logistics tent, a tent for students, a tent representing the queer and transgender community, a tent promoting the legalization of marijuana and a heavily trafficked medical tent. Omer Elad, a medical student from Israel, mans the medical tent. Elad, who is not an American citizen, still sees Occupy Boston as his

photo by debby brodsky/the hoot

responsibility to encourage discussion and to work toward change.

While the student presence has been felt at Dewey Square for weeks,

colleges and universities around the state are increasing their show of support for Occupy Boston. Hailing from Bentley, Boston Architectural,

Tufts, Boston University, Boston College, UMass Boston, Berklee College of Music, Bridgewater State University, Emmanuel College, Framing-

ham State University, Harvard, Lasell, Lesley, MIT, Northeastern, Simmons, School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Suffolk, UMass Lowell, Emerson, Massachusetts College of Art and Design, and Brandeis, students hold their own general assemblies and hold anti-war rallies.

Occupy Boston continues to attract growing support from local communities and from celebrities. In recent weeks endorsements have come from Indian philosopher Vandana Shiva, linguist and activist Noam Chomsky, Uruguayan journalist Eduardo Galeano, American political philosopher Michael Hardt and dozens of other international leaders.

Since the formation of Occupy Boston, other offshoot movements have formed around the country. Protesters at Occupy New Hampshire, which began Oct. 15, faced 15 citations and five arrests as occupiers refused to evacuate the site of the protest, Veterans Park in Manchester. All of the arrested protesters are free now and members of Occupy Boston are traveling to Manchester to show their solidarity with Occupy New Hampshire.

Science center wins award for spatial design

By Debby Brodsky Editor

The Society for College and University Planning (SCUP) announced Monday that it would award the Carl J. Shapiro Science Center with the SCUP Excellence in Planning for a District or Campus Component Honor Award. SCUP awards mul-

tiple distinguished certificates annually as part of its Excellence Awards Program.

The Shapiro Science Center divides its space between teaching labs and research labs. The Science Center was designed to mimic a functional laboratory environment, fostering many elements of the research world, according to Professor Melissa Kosinski-Collins (BIOL).

“We have state-of-the-art equipment for the undergraduates including an AFM (Atomic Force Microscope), fluorescence microscopes and fluorimeters,” Kosinski-Collins said.

Following the opening of the Shapiro Science Center in February 2009, Brandeis is equipped with multiple research facilities. Among these facilities are an X-Ray Structure Determination Facility; the University

Mass Spectromety Facility (BUMS); the University Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Facility (BrUNMR); and a machine shop, and an array of stateof-the-art instruments.

“The labs ask the students to participate in research-style experiments in which they create their own mutant protein of Human gamma D crystallin (a protein involved in cataracts) and identify a potential new gene of

the Ptpmeg pathway in flies (a pathway which may have applicability to human cancers),” Kosinski-Collins said.

Currently SCUP has 5,000 members from 24 countries around the world. Its mission is to teach members how to establish institutional planning goals and to help institutions develop challenging and successful learning environments.

October 21, 2011

VIEWS OF THE WEEK

Quidditch Coffeehouse enchants

The Brandeis Hoot 5

Pumpkin carving in the quad

photos by ingrid schulte/the hoot

ziv quad program Junior and senior students carve pumpkins with their CAs at a quad event on Oct. 21.

DeWitt discusses latest novel

photos by alex hall/the hoot

magical performances Students show off talents such as card tricks and juggling at the

Quidditch Coffeehouse on Oct. 18.

photo by fizz “nafiz ” ahmed/the hoot

helen dewitt reading DeWitt reads from and speaks about her eagerly awaited second novel, “Lightning Rods,” on Oct. 17.

6 The Brandeis Hoot

Editor’s Desk

ImpressiOns

October 21, 2011

Broken constitution to blame for Union senate woes

By Alex Schneider Editor

It isn’t just 18 percent voter turnout in elections or uncontested races. It isn’t Senate Money Resolutions (SMR) requesting pizza for senate meetings or more votes for abstain and Mickey Mouse than real people. And it isn’t the invisibility of the senate’s work on campus.

The problem lies with the Union Constitution. While structural changes to the senate’s function may be difficult to implement, the potential benefits are well worth consideration.

A lack of interest This past week, residents of the Mods and Charles River received an e-mail message from Union President Herbie Rosen ’12. “Next Monday, the Student Union will be holding elections for the Senate seats which represent your Quads,” Rosen wrote. “As of now, no one is running for either seat.”

What a humiliating e-mail to have to write, not for Rosen, but for Brandeis. Elected office should be seen as a privilege, something that students want in order to make their school a better place.

Brandeis students are active in so many different facets of community life that indifference to the work of the Union cannot be the reason students choose not to run for office.

One problem is the lack of recognition of the senate’s work. In his e-mail, Rosen explained that work: “The Student Union isn’t just about Midnight Buffet & F-Board allocations—the Senators represent each class/quad advocating for renovations, supporting clubs, planning events and initiating changes in dining, housing & transportation.”

Rosen is right: The senate is not just about Midnight Buffet. But, to date, the senate has also not convinced students of its effectiveness and responsiveness to student concerns. Executive sessions of the senate, at which the press is asked to leave meetings, aren’t helpful in promoting the work of the senate.

Engrossing

By Morgan Gross Editor

Hello, my name is Morgan Gross and I can’t dance.

Now, before you start with the “everyone can dance,” “you just need to try it,” “don’t be so hard on yourself ” stuff, let me assure you, this isn’t some exercise in self-deprecation or fishing for compliments.

I’m not secretly a ballerina, who is just trying to be modest so that you’ll be more impressed when I start pirouetting. I’m not just saying it to get out of dancing with you and I’m definitely not exaggerating.

I am a good person with many positive qualities—I’m just not physically graceful. I can’t dance and I’m sorry to say that it’s always been this way.

My history with dance has been long and sordid, with only one thread of continuity woven throughout: my lack of skill.

In my first few years, I can only assume that my dancing skills were at a similar level to those in my age group.

graphic by steven wong/the hoot

If actions speak louder than words, the senate could gain greater recognition if students saw that it made a difference in their lives.

The problem is that the structure of the senate makes this task difficult.

Toward a more perfect legislature Today, the senate is far too large and has an unnecessarily broad mandate.

In spring 2010, the Constitutional Review Committee, of which I was an at-large member, proposed changes to the structure of the Union senate that would have fixed these problems. The student body unfortunately rejected the proposals.

I never blamed the students for that vote. Our committee had developed the ideas over a period of months, yet received no student

input throughout the process and was not permitted to share any ideas with the student press. The process ensured that such a radical change to the Union structure had little chance of success.

But here’s a little known fact: Changes to the Union constitution don’t require a constitutional review process. Union leaders should consider reintroducing our plans abandoned a year and a half ago to finally bring real change to the senate.

The plans of the Constitutional Review Committee as developed by a team led by then-Union President Andy Hogan ’11 would first split the senate into two parts to create an Assembly and a Club Support Board. As explained in the committee’s proposal, the Assembly would be a smaller version of the senate and would no longer have quad representatives. The

smaller senate would foster more competitive elections and would ideally allow senators to work more closely with administrators.

Although not proposed by the committee, other additional improvements would help strengthen the senate. Ideas include abandoning the Robert’s Rules of Order, which would be made possible by the smaller size of the Assembly, requiring open meetings to help foster community engagement in senate activities and barring the senate from using its funds for anything other than projects to benefit the community.

The other change that the committee proposed would be to remove the function of chartering and de-chartering clubs from the work of the senate and creating a new Club Support Board. Today, this idea appears particularly insightful given the recent increase

in chartered clubs and the resulting decrease in available funds for clubs. A Club Support Board would work alongside clubs to ensure not only the appropriateness of financial requests but also the effectiveness of clubs in fulfilling their stated missions.

The Assembly and the Club Support Board are certainly not the perfect solution. But, with a lack of focus and direction in the senate today, the change would be welcome. Splitting the functions of the senate in two would focus the work of each legislative body, improving the efficacy of each.

It’s time Union leadership recognized that the current senate’s structure isn’t working. Fixing a broken system is one path; the other path—staying the course— will only perpetuate the senate’s increasing irrelevance.

Let me confess: I can’t dance I wiggled and scooched to the music and all of that cute stuff, but only because it was the only motion I was capable of.

Once I got a little older, my mother—as what I can only imagine was a cruel joke—signed me up for dance classes.

Looking back at videos of recitals past, I know for sure that my issues with poise have been lifelong— my childhood dance videos are not pretty. It is easy to assume that once my parents, loved ones and multiple instructors realized what a mess I was, they would kindly tell me that dance was not my thing and kindly direct me to the French horn or some other activity that featured less risk of me injuring myself and those around me. This, however, never happened; I continued to participate in—and genuinely enjoy—dance classes until the ripe old age of nine—when I broke my ankle and was unable to participate in practices.

I never returned to dance classes, so my next interaction with dancing in public came at what is generally

accepted to be the most awkward period in every person’s life—bar mitzvah season.

I went into my first bar mitzvah, the same way that most 13 year olds do, blissfully unaware of the shenanigans that would take place once the dance party started. So, after services, candle lighting and dinner were done, the DJ instructed all of the kids in the room to get onto the floor and do the cha cha slide—perfect, because my 13-year-old self loved that song.

The music started, I started moving and everyone stared … but not in the good way.

As a singer, sometimes songwriter and overall appreciator of music, I understand the motivation of the dancer; the feeling of being so moved by music that you’re compelled to … well … move!

Thanks to one too many dirty looks during the first few bars of Nelly’s anthem “It’s Getting Hot In Here,” however, I suppressed my natural inclination to boogie. I passed through middle and high school as a wallflower, always conveniently ducking

into the bathroom for extended trips while my friends ventured into the crowd, and turned my back on dancing permanently … or at least, until this past August.

When I applied to be an orientation leader, I had no idea what I was getting into. Looking back on my own orientation, I should have remembered the countless hours of dance partying and sporadic choreographed numbers that my orientation leader partook in. Unfortunately, I did not have this foresight and was not prepared for the amount of dancing in my future—or what would come as its result.

At first, when I heard music start and saw people jump to their feet, I defaulted to my standard bathroom breaks, but I quickly realized that one can only “go to the ladies room” so many times until people start thinking that you have a urinary tract infection. I had to face my fears. I had to face the music and, as it turns out, it wasn’t as bad I thought.

Slowly, I came to realize that—even though I looked really dumb—no

one was looking at me weirdly. Even more strange is that, not only was I not causing a scene, I was enjoying myself! Dancing was great and relaxing and fun!

The lesson to be learned from my story is twofold.

First: If you ever see me at a party and it looks like I’m having a seizure on the dance floor, it’s probably fine— just me, getting my groove on.

The second is a little cheesy, so just stick with me and suppress all gagging and retching until after the column. I will never get back the years of dancing that I missed because I spent too much time worrying about what my classmates thought. Luckily, thanks to my orientation experience, I learned that when I stopped caring (and started moving) everyone else stopped caring too. Just think of all the Cotton-Eyed Joe I missed out on!

I will never be a great dancer but, from now on, if you see me at a party, I’ll be shaking my groove thing (for better or for worse).

October 21, 2011

The Brandeis Hoot

IMPRESSIONS

7

The Katzwer’s Out of the Bag

How young is too young to undergo a sex change?

By Yael Katzwer Editor

What a person wants to do with their own body is their business.

Therefore, while I may not entirely understand gender reassignment surgeries, I can respect the transgendered people undergoing them and wish them well.

Tommy, a resident of California, is currently taking the first steps to become Tammy. Good for him! He is a mature adult who has decided that he is unhappy in his current life and is moving to remedy this. Oh wait. He’s not a mature adult—he’s 11.

That’s right; this 11-year-old boy began taking GrNH inhibitors this summer as part of hormone-blocking therapy to delay his puberty until he turns 14 or 15. This child is making life-changing decisions before he is mature enough to do so.

Now, I know what you’re thinking: He’s not doing this alone; where are his parents? His mothers, Pauline Moreno and Debra Lobel, are perfectly all right with his decision and are encouraging him to explore his sexuality and all the options available to him. Certain news sources—cough, cough, FOX News—are saying that this is what naturally happens when

a little boy has two mothers. That’s a bunch of baloney. This is what naturally happens when a little boy has these two mothers.

The mothers’ sexual orientation does not overtly contribute to Tommy’s decision. Some news sources— FOX again—have suggested that these mothers pushed their son into this. I find that highly unlikely. More likely, he is a young boy experimenting with his gender and sexual identity who took strength from his mothers. Seeing how they live their lives probably gave him the courage to try and say things that other children might not try or say.

While I find his admission courageous, allowing Tommy to participate in hormone-blocking therapy is egregiously irresponsible on his parents’ part.

“This is child abuse,” said Dr. Paul McHugh, professor of psychiatry at Johns Hopkins University. “It’s like performing liposuction on an anorexic child. It is a disorder of the mind, not a disorder of the body. Dealing with it in this way is not dealing with the problem that truly exists.”

I have heard this argument against gender reassignment surgery before and am always caught between agreeing with it and being offended by it. Is he saying that transgendered people are mentally unbalanced? On the

other hand, it makes sense. Anorexia is a body-image issue that is cured through therapy; isn’t being transgendered a body-image issue as well?

Could these people go through therapy and find happiness while avoiding surgery?

I hope that before anyone commits to elective surgery, they will have pursued all other options. If this is the only thing that will make them happy, then so be it. While similar to anorexia, being transgendered differs in one major way: It will not lead to your death.

That doesn’t mean it is entirely safe either. This child clearly needs help.

While he has had therapy in the past, he still threatened to mutilate his genitalia when he was seven years old.

That is not normal.

Plain and simple, Tommy is too young to be making these decisions.

Pre-pubescence sucks for everyone; every 11 year old hates their body.

Additionally, hormone-blocking therapy is not side-effect free. Tommy could, in the long term, suffer from other hormone abnormalities, vascular problems or even cancer. When an adult decides to use hormoneblocking or hormone-replacement therapies in preparation for gender reassignment surgery, they are aware of the risks and are choosing to continue with the treatment anyway.

“ ” What 11 year old is fully able to think ahead and understand what consequences may occur from present actions?

Tommy is undergoing this therapy now so that he can make a final decision when he is a pre-pubescent 15-year-old. What if he changes his mind? He may not go ahead with gender reassignment surgery but he will still suffer the side effects of hormone-blocking therapy.

And while the potential side effects may have been explained to Tommy, he is still only 11. What 11 year old is fully able to think ahead and understand what consequences may occur from present actions? Some 20 years olds aren’t capable of this.

When I was 11, I flitted from thing to thing, never able to decide anything. One week I wanted to be a paleontologist when I grew up, the next a writer and then an actress. Ob-

viously I was all over the place. And while it is possible to know what you want your future to be as a child, your mind is too distracted to realize fully which desires are fleeting fancies and which are sustainable. I wanted to be a writer and, look, I’m writing. I still love dinosaurs but you could not pay me enough to be a paleontologist.

Ditto for theater.

Of course, switching dream jobs is different from switching genders. That doesn’t change the fact that children are ill-equipped to make intelligent and thoughtfully-considered choices.

I just hope that when Tommy turns 14 or 15, he will make whichever choice makes him happiest and he will not regret having decided something so drastic when he was so young.

Midyear madness: living life in London

By Zoe Kronovet

Special to the Hoot

As a midyear you have a couple options: Go abroad; stay home and try not to strangle your sibling; do an internship somewhere; or go to community college. For me it was a no-brainer. All my friends fled from my hometown like it was the plague and so I found myself doing the same.

Except instead of heading to the nearest domestic location, I hopped on a plane to London to experience my “first semester” of college.

This is not my first abroad experience. As a midyear who also took a gap-year in Israel (shocking, I know), I was prepared for the awkward chitchat and the adjustment to unreliable public transportation. I was unprepared, however, for the depth to which I would become entranced by this city. I won’t deny that I was sad about not being in Israel to rejoice with the rest of the country as Gilad Shalit was returned home after five excruciating years, but I comforted myself by watching the streaming newsfeed of his return as European sirens blared outside my window.

I’m taking four classes here through Arcadia University, the Philadelphiabased college this program is run through. The good news is that most of my courses are amazing and I can finally understand the Bard, making my Shakespeare class much easier. The bad news? I have to write a 4,000-word paper about the screwed up characters in “Much Ado About Nothing” and my analytical-essay writing is a little rusty. Not to worry, I’ve drafted my parents as intercontinental editors.

One of my most interesting classes is called “Environment, Community and the Arts” in Britain. It is the perfect combination of environmental science, art and literature which suits my hippy-green-art-loving-poetryreading self just fine.

But the class that by far beats out the rest is “Writing London.” My professor (or lecturer as they are called

here) wears skinny jeans, is in his late 20s (I think) and is full of wise words.

We read Virginia Woolf, Andrew O’Hagan, William Hazlitt and all the other major British essayists who had a thing for writing about London. I’m discovering a whole new portal of literature that didn’t fit into my high school English class curriculum.

A major part of “Writing London” is that each week we’re given wacky prompts to which we respond that makes us think and write and then cringe about what we’ve written, and then write again. We read our work for the class out loud to critique. It is mortifying. As expected each writing workshop my face takes on the color of a ripe tomato. Hopefully I will train my body to stop resembling fruit as time goes on, but I’m not entirely convinced this is possible.

Unfortunately, my “Intro to British Art and Architecture” class isn’t living up to my expectations. I love art history but have been placed with a teacher who would rather prattle on about forgetting her drink in the loo than remember significant facts about paintings. Despite the fact that my lecture isn’t always so informative, the field trips we take mostly make up for it. We visited the Kenwood House today and, although I’m not a fan of Pepto-Bismol colored ceilings, it was wonderful walking through a home literally rich with paintings and history.

That’s the great thing about London. I can learn in a classroom and then I can go experience it. Nothing is more gratifying than researching a Turner and then strolling into the National Gallery to stare at it for hours.

Despite the fact that I’ll be entering Brandeis in the dead of a winter that this North Carolinian is not prepared for, the frostbite will be worth it. My London street-roaming and British people-watching is fabulous, but I’m excited to be on a campus where I can put down roots and become part of an amazing community. It helps that I won’t have to deal with the threat of being run over by an angry taxi driver on the way to class.

photo by zoe kronovet/the hoot

8 IMPRESSIONS

The Brandeis Hoot

October 21, 2011

Impressions on Gilad Shalit

photo from internet source

Shedding new light on Shalit: a different perspective on the prisoner exchange

By Rida Abu Rass Special to the Hoot

The “Shalit Deal” with Hamas is not something the average Brandeis student has managed to avoid. According to the deal, Gilad Shalit was released in exchange for 1,027 Palestinian prisoners from the West Bank, Gaza Strip and Israel, some of whom returned to their homes while some were deported. The popular media in Israel continuously and systematically referred to these 1,027 as “terrorists.”

I have personally noticed many students discussing this deal in reality but mostly in the “statusphere,” on Facebook and Twitter. To me, as a (Palestinian) Israeli, this seems perfectly natural, since I have noticed the close relationship between hot topics in Israel and at Brandeis.

It is obvious that this deal would be heavily discussed in a university with such a large and diverse Zionist community. The deal is in fact a historic, defining moment in the history of Israel and the conflict, and in the Middle East in general. I feel confused, however, when thinking of the emotional responses of Brandeisians to this deal, reflecting exactly the sentiments and emotions in the Israeli streets with regard to the long-term benefits and detriments of the deal, reciting precisely what the Israeli media is feeding to the Israeli public.

According to what I have seen and read, we can divide the popular reaction in Israeli media into two parts: First, there was an unprecedented national support for the deal. This is very important to emphasize, since one should be surprised to find such sweeping support for a prisoner deal with Hamas. It is even more surprising when you look at the sheer number of prisoners being released.

The second part of the media’s reaction is precisely this: Is it worth it? Is it reasonable to release 1,027 “terrorists” in exchange for “our boy”? Is it worth risking Israel’s national security for Gilad’s sake?

No one spoke about the Palestinian response to the deal in Israeli media. They focused on the dangerous individuals being released and ignored the mass celebrations in the streets of Gaza (which had more than 200,000 participants). For them, 1,027 “Gilad Shalits” will be released. I invite all of you (who are at least somewhat proficient in Hebrew) to visit the Is-

raeli Prison Service website, which has a list of the 477 Palestinian prisoners already released.

Note how many of them are actually the dangerous individuals the Israeli media mentions and how many of them are unaffiliated with any organizations and have no information regarding the crime they supposedly committed.

Remember, in the Occupied Territories 16 year olds are treated as adults and can be imprisoned and, most importantly, there is no distinction between assaulting IDF soldiers (armed resistance) and civilians (criminal offense). I also invite you to read David Grossman’s “The Yellow Wind,” in which he visits the courts and prisons of the West Bank and details how minors are being sent to jail and how some have been kidnapped and jailed for years without a trial, often times simply for being affiliated with a certain group and without having violated any law.

This is the problem. The Palestinian Average Joe is extremely happy about the deal: For them, it is a huge tactical win, as opposed to how it is for the Israelis, for whom this is merely a happy moment. For Hamas this is a tactical win because now they can confidently say their method works; they can confidently tell their people that they can bring their loved ones back to their homes. Already people are calling for the second Gilad Shalit.

No one mentions that the Palestinians released into the West Band the Gaza Strip are still serving a life sentence: Their prison, however, is their home. Their prison is the illegal ongoing occupation of Palestinian territories and the non-existence of a future that they can look forward to. On Oct. 18, I was happy. I was happy for the Shalit family and for the families of the 1,027. But I was also ashamed to be a Palestinian and an Israeli, for we are now further away from a reasonable solution to the conflict. Israel will now be more inclined to tighten the blockade of Gaza since those “dangerous” individuals are now back, and the occupation will continue.

This, in turn, will only enrage the Palestinians, contributing to the endless circle of hate in the Middle East.

The illegal occupation must end; the illegal blockade of Gaza must end; a Palestinian state must be instated based on the 1967 borders; freedom of movement for Palestinians in the West Bank must be assured; the illegal separation wall must be torn down; and the illegal settlement in the West Bank must cease. Those are preconditions for negotiations since negotiations can be held only if both sides are equal.

Altered Consciousness

The price Israel paid for Gilad

By Rick Alterbaum Columnist

The Israeli government recently released approximately 1,000 Palestinian prisoners in exchange for the return of Staff Sergeant Gilad Shalit, who had been held hostage by Hamas for the last five years. I am not sure, however, if this was the wisest course of action to take on the part of the Israelis.

I clearly understand the impetus for getting Gilad back home to safety. The image of the former soldier rotting away in some cell, never to see or hear from his friends or family again, was utterly horrifying. Also, Gilad felt like a son not only to the Shalit family but to practically all of Israel. Nearly everyone in the country empathized and sympathized with his plight, especially considering the draft and the universality of military service. Furthermore, the Jewish mitzvah known as Pidyon Shvuyim, or the redemption of prisoners, as well as the Jewish emphasis on the intrinsic value of human life played a role in the Israeli decision-making calculus. Lastly, the Netanyahu administration apparently decided that this was the best opportunity it had to get Gilad home, considering the ever-changing regional political dynamic.

There are simply too many negatives involved here, however, for me to support the agreement fully.

Consider the identity of some of the Palestinian prisoners who are being freed from Israeli custody. According to recent reports, there is the mastermind behind the 2001 Sbarro bombing that killed 15 people; the perpetrators of the 2001 Dolphinarium attack where 21 died; and several participants in the 2002 suicide bombing of a hotel in Netanya, which led to the deaths of 29. This is just a very small sampling of the released convicts.

The thought of granting these terrorists amnesty so they can go back to committing their heinous crimes is just sickening. If anything, these sociopaths deserve to spend the rest of their lives in solitary confinement or worse.

Yet this is not the only undesirable aspect of this deal.

The agreement completely undermines Israeli deterrence. Quite simply, would-be murderers will not fear being sent to an Israeli prison, considering that they will just be swapped out in a couple of years.

It encourages future kidnappings and will embolden Hamas, Hezbollah and other radical Islamist groups to abduct Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) soldiers or Israeli citizens and take them hostage.

It strengthens Hamas at the expense of the less violent, albeit duplicitous, Fatah. Clearly Hamas knows how to negotiate from a position of strength and how to exercise its leverage to its favor. Palestinians will admire Hamas for its diplomatic savvy, as opposed to the corrupt, ineffective Mahmoud Abbas. Also, by negotiating with Hamas, even through Egyptian proxies, Israel legitimized the terrorist group.

Also, the deal reinforces the image of Israel as weak. The Jewish state possesses a formidable defense force and knows how to protect itself.

Yet, as this agreement illustrates, it has a softer, more vulnerable side: the fact that it is a democracy that will go to great and arguably excessive lengths to save one of its own. Jihadists often use the following slogan: “You love life, we love death.” They may have a point.

Weakness is provocative, particularly in the Middle East. Want to exert strength, power and influence in this region? Do not make lopsided deals or offer enormous concessions, including on the issues relating to the so-called “peace process,” which favor your enemies. Now, instead of acting as a strong horse, Israel may only invite further aggression and terrorism against its civilians.

I hope everything that I am saying does not come true. Furthermore, I am aware of the intense political pressure that was placed on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu by the Shalit family and others. Yet, instead of unequivocally celebrating and embracing Gilad’s release, we need to bear all of these factors in mind going forward.

graphic by steven wong/the hoot

October 21, 2011

IMPRESSIONS 9

The Brandeis Hoot

The joys of java: why real girls take their coffee black

photo from internet source

ingly, the term nychthemeron is the term for the consecutive 24 hours marked on the calendar as a day, while a “day” is the transitive period of sunlight.) This is why coffee is such a glorious development of civilization. What could be done with-

By Connor Novy Staff

Whoever decided that 24 hours was enough for a day was terribly unmotivated or had a particularly cruel sense of humor. (Interest-

out it? Very little. A couple hours of productivity, starting at 2 p.m. and ending at about 9 with time for a nap in between.

Coffee is about as close to religious fervor as I come, which is why I become so angry when peo-

ple blaspheme it. There is a certain kind of person who likes their coffee ending in an “ino” and tasting of something other than brown. Do not trust these folk for they are little girls and probably don’t add much to society.

While espresso has the miraculous ability to produce wakefulness, these creations of fruit syrup, milk and ice only have espresso vaguely waved in their general direction and actually contain very little, and that is sad.

Once, long ago, I sat in a lecture, hiding behind a pair of sunglasses, clutching at a cup of joe. It was 8 a.m. on a Monday. The professor was explaining something about what I imagine was the American government, as that was the title of the class, but at that point I couldn’t really be sure. Someone beside me tried to take the coffee from my hands and I held it tighter, whimpering and snarling intermittently.

The villain­—a “friend”—laughed and asked if he could have some. I bared my teeth. He got the picture.

At the end of class, the last two inches had gone cold, and naturally I was now willing to be generous.

He drank and the hateful, sappy grin contorted as he spat it back into the cup.

“What the hell is this?”

“Coffee.”

“It tastes like gutter. What did you put in it?”

“Nothing.”

“It’s black? This is terrible. Why

do you drink this stuff?”

“It allows me life. Why, what do you put in yours?”

“You know those cappuccino machines they have at 7-Eleven? I fill it up halfway with that, and then put in some of the french vanilla flavor and some creamer.” “… What do you get at Starbucks?”

“I like Frappuccinos.”

“Are you 12?”

He parroted me shrilly, thus confirming my suspicions. I stared at him and he seemed silly and wasteful. So many hours wasted—he probably slept a whole six hours every night. So much of his life spent unconscious.

Some people drink coffee to get started in the morning, some to relax. I drink it because if I don’t I suffer crippling symptoms of withdrawal and frankly no one wants to be around a shouting, manic mess.

But a strawberry cream Frappuccino is not coffee, it is a milkshake; that it has become the norm is a little tragic. Society loses when otherwise intensely motivated individuals who could stay up all night and fix the world’s problems go to bed at 8:30, tricked into placation by sugar and such a sad lack of caffeine.

Not to take advantage of the wonder that is coffee, which the Earth has so generously provided, would smack of ingrate and deny our full potential. To create a grotesque mimic of coffee that feigns its effect is even worse.

The Katzwer’s Out of the Bag

The athletic opposite finding a home in sports

By Yael Katzwer

a team. If you join, you can sit on the bench the whole season.” And he did.

Everyone played sports. You were odd if you didn’t. So, I tried out for volleyball despite having never played it before in my life, not knowing any of the rules or techniques, and not being very athletic in general. I made the team because everyone who tried out made the team.

At first it was jolting. I couldn’t do anything the other girls could do. I could not understand how they could hit the ball to someone. Every time I hit it, it went flying off to the side. But the other girls on the team were really nice and they helped me develop my skills. I still wasn’t very good but I wasn’t atrocious either.

That year marked a huge change for me: My confidence was boosted, I made new friends, and I found

Editor

Most people play sports because they are competitive or athletic or “into” sports. Not me. In 10th grade I tried out for my high school’s girls’ volleyball team to make friends.

Playing sports was a way of life in my high school. In most high schools it is the elite few who achieve the status of athlete and receive their peers’ adoration. My high school was too small for that. There were about 230 kids in my high school. Almost everyone played a sport so that our school could reach the minimum number of players to have a team.

My brother joined the baseball team only after his best friend said to him, “Seriously, if you don’t join, we won’t have enough kids and we won’t have

myself interested in something that wasn’t academic. That all changed the next year. My health acted up on me again and I could no longer play. I was heartbroken.

After telling one my best friends from the team, I suppose she told everyone else because within the hour my e-mail inbox was filled with emails from my teammates, telling me they hoped they would still see me at practices and games. Later I spoke with my coach and gushed that I still wanted to be on the team even though I could no longer play.

My coach came up with a solution and I became the team’s manager. It became my job to keep the scorebook during the game, work the scoreboard, keep track of the players’ individual statistics and be on-hand with the medical kit should someone get

injured.

I was thrilled to still be on the team.

I went to all the games, dressed up with the team on game days and hung out with them as a peer. Their ongoing support got me through two years that were medically rough on me.

I went through long bouts of illness and even a lengthy hospitalization.

But, after each, I would come home to e-mails from my teammates wishing me well and keeping me informed about what was happening at school.

At the end of senior year, my friends dragged me along to the school’s annual sports awards dinner. I went to see which of my friends would win MVP, the Coaches Award and so on.

I was not expecting to get anything.

When it came time for the girls’ volleyball awards, my coach got up and lamented the fact that seven girls on

his team were seniors who would be graduating. Then he said, “I’m losing my two setters and my two liberos, but that is not who the team will miss the most. I keep telling everyone that the hardest position to fill will be the most thankless one: our manager.” He then called me up and gave me a “manager’s award,” an award he had made up.

I received a quartz volleyball necklace, a “best volleyball manager” pin and my varsity letter and pin.

I don’t really like sports and I don’t really understand them. It is odd then that sports played such a vital role in my life. Without the support of my teammates, those two years would have been unbearable. They and the coach always made me feel like I belonged and like I was part of the team.

I was their manager and they were my cheering section.

Hooking up 101: the ten commandments

By Dana Trismen, Victoria Aronson and Sarah Weber Staff and Special to the Hoot

“Hook up”: Informal. To have casual sex or a romantic date without a long-term commitment, according to Dictionary.com.

As residents of a college campus, the words “hook up” pass our lips on an almost daily basis. Yet—for something about which we talk so much—their exact meaning, when used in the correct combination and context, are notoriously difficult to pin down. The definition above pinpoints the main problem with the idea of “hooking up”; it is a vague term that not only confuses the listener but those partaking in the act as well.

This definition is so faulty that it equates sex with a romantic date, one of those for which you definitely remain in your clothes.

Since hooking up can mean sex or even casual hand-holding, people can manipulate the term to mislead others intentionally. For example, if an in-

experienced individual wants his or her friends to believe the night went further than planned, they can simply say “We hooked up” and leave it open to interpretation. This can also reflect negatively on the partner, for rumors regarding the night quickly spread. Since simple kissing can translate into full-blown sex, a person may suffer a blow to their reputation. People can also use the term to downplay their sexual activity to avoid being labeled “slutty.”

What is also ambiguous about the term is the situations in which it can occur. For example, if a person wer invited over to “watch a movie,” does that mean watch a movie or hook up? And if it means hook up, what does that even entail?

This vague method of communication can lead to awkward situations. While it is understandable that people do not want to talk about sexual situations to someone they have just met, it may actually be easier than suffering the consequences afterward. For example, a simple conversation about “what are we actually doing when we hang out?” could be less awkward than stopping a hook-up midstride.

With all of this in mind, we decided to do a ser-

vice to the Brandeis community and shed a little light on the topic of the hook-up.

In our expert opinions, we believe the “10 Commandments for Hooking Up” should be as follows: 1. Mean what you say. If you go to watch a movie, put on a movie at least in the background.

Odds are, if you don’t even have a movie playing, you will be seen as quite sketchy and unlikely to get anywhere anyway.

2. If you are manipulating the terms to your advantage, most likely it is a translucent act and makes you seem more desperate than you even are.

3. Timing matters. If it is the middle of the night, people understand the difference between a booty call and wanting to hang out.

4. Be direct. Do not go through other people. If you are brave enough to hook up with somebody, you must be courageous enough to ask them.

Hooking up often involves a certain sort of bravery; you must be not only comfortable in your sexuality but confident in being able to have a conversation with the other person.

5. Sexiling is only acceptable under some circumstances and for short amounts of time. For

those who don’t know, sexiling involves “exiling” your roommate in the college setting from his or her room to engage in sexual activity. Sexiling involves a certain sort of etiquette, perhaps involving a code word or a meaningful glance. Respect is basically the key here; respect your roommates desire to hook up but they should respect the fact that it is your room as well.

6. Communication is key not only with your partner but with close friends or roommates (especially in a college/dorm environment).

7. Hooking up in public places is not acceptable whether you are simply making out or anything further. For example, the lounge is not a private area—it has glass windows.

8. In hook ups that become relationships, communication should be an extended discussion of how “far” each person is comfortable going. This should become easier since you now presumably know each other and are more comfortable.

9. Be careful of friendships. If you hook up once it does not mean that you can no longer be friends.

If awkwardness could potentially be a problem, value the friendship over the hook-up.

10. Hook up safely, but have fun.

10 The Brandeis Hoot

This Week in History Brandeis

2007 Brandeis holds an-

nual Hot Dog Eating Contest, the winner finishing three hot dogs in less than five minutes.

2009 Brandeis hosts

event memorializing the 20-year anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall.

Massachusetts

1844 A crowd gathers on

the Boston wharf to wave off the first group of Protestant missionaries bound for Hawaii.

1819 A group called the

Millerites, who numbered in the tens of thousands, expected the world to end.

United States

1881 Wyatt Earp and

Doc Holiday face off with the ClantonMcLaury Gang in a shoot-out at the OK Corral.

features Graduating this semester, senior reflects on experiences

By Josh Kahane

Special to the Hoot

As my final semester at Brandeis University comes to an end (because I am graduating early), I have been asked to reflect back on the past three years. I know it sounds cliche but these years have truly flown by.

Back in 2008, I had absolutely no desire to come to Brandeis. I had just grudgingly moved from Connecticut to New York, leaving my friends and reputation behind. When people asked me why I chose Brandeis, I told them it was because Brandeis chose me, but it was actually my last choice of undergraduate institution and I wasn’t excited to transition again. Nonetheless, with many sighs and complaints, I moved to Waltham, Mass.

Fortunately, my Orientation Leader, Maurice Goldstein ’09, was “the man.” When he picked me up at my room, I asked, “Do I have to go with you?” to which he responded, “Dude, you’re in college. You can do whatever you want.” I figured he was pretty cool so I went to the picnic and thus began my Brandeis career.

During my first year in Renfield’s basement—not as sketchy as it sounds—I played guitar and sang every day. Aside from attracting floormates to my room, my performances gained the attention of Geraldine Rothschild and the rest of Voices of Soul, which I subsequently joined. Since then, I have performed at multiple on-campus and off-campus events, widening my experiences and ascertaining the definition of “Honeybutter.”

Academically, I was pre-med (like the rest of Brandeis) but with a politics major.

Though I fulfilled a full year of General Chemistry, lab and calculus, I found the sciences unappealing. By the end of spring 2009, I dropped pre-med for pre-law and never looked back. I recall writing a 20-page paper for Professor Woll’s Constitution Law class while SpringFest raged outside my window. If there’s one piece of academic advice I can give to underclassmen, it is to pursue what interests you. Don’t be afraid to venture into unknown territory.

In terms of other clubs at Brandeis, I was a member of the Brandeis Dining Committee until the Union randomly decided to dissolve the committee. Though I am off the meal plan now, I still believe that Brandeis dining needs to be changed. I encourage you all to “have a say for what you pay.”

Nevertheless, I discovered a more enduring club in English Language Learners (ELL), for which I have been a Coordinator for several years. ELL is truly Brandeis social justice in action, empowering non-native speakers with the English language. At the same time, it is a good way of giving back to those who work in custodial and dining services. In addition, I have also served as an OL and a UDR in my effort to give back to the Brandeis community.

Since my sophomore year, I have been a proud member of Morning Mist in Intramural Sports. Though we have yet to gain a t-shirt or championship, we still never lose sight of the goal. Although we are underdogs in every way, we plan to give the A league a run for its money this flag football season.

During my time at Brandeis, I also started getting involved in the YouTube music scene. What started out as me and my girl-

Halloween health hazards

1947 Congress House

of Un-American Activities counsel begins to investigate Hollywood stars.

World

1881 Famous cubist

painter, Pablo Piccasso, is born in Malaga in the Andalusian region of Spain.

1962 50 Chechen rebels

invade a Moscow theater, taking 700 people hostage during a sold-out musical.

October 21, 2011

friend, Geraldine, singing together for fun, transformed into the YouTube channel, JKahane25, a.k.a. Gorjek Productions. To date, we have 1,100 subscribers and more than 150,000 views. In addition, I have been featured on my friend T.S. Miller’s channel, garnering nearly 400,000 views worldwide.

As a result, people from the Philippines, Germany, Ghana and other nations comment and write to me. One guy from Indonesia even asked me to sing his lyrics for his girlfriend (which I politely declined).

Though I haven’t been active on YouTube in a few months, I do have some projects pending. I am also looking into entering the live music scene in Boston as an electric guitarist and vocalist, but we will see how much time I have.

In my last semester at Brandeis, I am working on law school applications, my senior thesis and job applications. Though the “real world” seems daunting, especially with the economy, I am sure that Brandeis has provided me with a solid foundation and a genuine liberal arts education. As I move onward, I will not forget the amazing faculty members and people I have encountered here.

My sister Jenna is now a first-year at Brandeis and I see the whole Brandeis experience unfolding again: As my chapter ends, her chapter begins. Thus, if I can leave any words of wisdom to the underclassmen, I simply say this: Live life with no regrets and don’t look back. Try new things and take advantage of the enormous opportunities that surround you. I wish you all the best of luck in everything you choose.

Student Events “fallabrates” the season

By Jennifer Spencer Special to the Hoot

By Gabby Katz Staff

Nothing says autumn quite like the squirrels going nuts for nuts, having the sniffles and digging through your drawers for mittens. But really, the tell-tale sign of this season are the first-years prowling the consignment shops on Moody Street for the perfect Halloween costume. Yes, along with midterms, parents’ weekend and changing leaves, there comes one night when the studious little Brandeis students get to dress up and go crazy! So here I am again, your health voice of reason, to remind you how to have your Halloween candy fun in moderation.

According to “U.S. News & World Report Health Report,” the average American today consumes about 142 pounds of sugar per year. That’s eating a Gabby in sugar cubes. Yikes. There is a literal hefty health price to pay for all of that sugar. Each pound of sugar has about 1,755 calories in it. That’s a total of about 249,200 calories per year just from added sugar. Based on a daily 2,000-calorie consumption, I calculated that amount of sugar to be about 34 percent of your daily food intake. Although this may get you through a couple of midterm study nights, I think the risks outweigh the benefits here.

Too much sugar can contribute to diabetes, produce an acidic stomach, suppress the immune system, raise LDL (bad cholesterol) levels, promote weight gain and

obesity, and the list goes on and on. Even though snacking on Halloween candy is socially acceptable here, what can we do this upcoming Halloween not to fall into the sugar consumption statistic?

Let’s face it, it is immoral to deny yourself candy on Halloween. Instead, implementing portion control could help satisfy the cravings without packing on the pounds.

Eat one or two wrapped candies instead of continually digging into the candy corn bowl into which zillions of other grubby little fingers have dug. This way you control the amount you eat and avoid everyone else’s germs.

Next, take it easy when you’re out at parties. Altered judgments go beyond macking it with the blue Power Ranger or the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle in the basement. It also can lead to you chowing down on the candy bowl without realizing when you’re getting full or what you’re even eating. It’s a much better idea to average a drink per hour and snack on some carrots and hummus after a long night of celebrating.

Lastly, donate three-fourths of your candy to a food drive or pantry. A program called Operation Gratitude will take your donated candy and put it in a care package to U.S. military troops overseas. This can add a little gratification to your diet choices beyond the well-fitting jeans.

Most importantly, get your “sugar high” from spending time with friends and having fun this Halloween instead of from actual sugar! Have a great holiday and take a relaxing break from midterms.

This Friday the Brandeis community has reason to take a break and celebrate during the first ever “Fallabration” on the Great Lawn from 1 to 4 p.m. At this time of year many students are worn out from all-nighters and the constant stress of classes, and few get a chance to notice the great things about fall. The fun-filled event will provide a wide array of entertainment and food for attendees.

The Student Events Entertainment Department is in charge of planning and running the event designed to give all students an enjoyable way to celebrate the fall.

“We strive in all of our events to make it as much fun as possible for as many students as possible,” entertainment coordinator Rachel Nelson ’13 said.

A local farm will be providing pumpkin for Fallabration and there will also be art supplies supplied for pumpkin carving and other activities.

“We have never held Fallabration before but we hope it will be well received so that it can become a yearly tradition,” director of entertainment Ellen Franz ’12 said.

“We are really excited about the fall and Halloween themes.”

Students can look forward to candy apples, wax hands, a photo shoot with scary backgrounds, hot apple cider and pumpkin Munchkins.

“We think it is a great chance for students to enjoy the fall weather before it gets cold. It’s going to be great!” Nelson said.

October 21, 2011

FEATURES 11

The Brandeis Hoot

View From the Top: Josh Kahane

You Know We’re Right

Starting to think about summer opportunities— and already lost?

Dear Leah and Morgan, I’ve started thinking about getting a summer job, and I’m not sure where to turn. I have to do an internship for one of my minors, and my adviser suggested I do it over the summer. My parents want me to find a job that I can use to help pay my rent next year and practice money management ... blah, blah, blah. I’ve been going to the same camp for years and I want to keep working there next year. I don’t want to be selfish but I really miss my camp friends and I had an amazing time last summer. It really does look good on a resume because I’m a specialist and I’ve gotten a lot of leadership experience out of it, but I don’t want to disappoint my parents and my adviser. What should I do?

Sincerely, Confused Counselor

photo courtesy of josh kahane

The Hoot does Halloween!

Hoot editors share their favorite Halloween memories I never celebrated Halloween as a child. My parents insisted it was a pagan holiday and, thanks to Purim, I never felt like I was missing out. Also, I probably got more sweets than the kids who went trick-or-treating thanks to my mother’s strategic over-buying when it came to candy. I dressed up for Halloween for the very first time last year. I was invited to a Halloween party and told that costumes were mandatory. Well, being the strict grammarian that I am, everyone naturally expected me to come as something grammatical. (This is despite the fact that I dress as a “Star Trek” character for nearly every Purim.) Never one to disappoint, I, along with my friends Savannah and Nathan, dressed as the split infinitive “to incorrectly split.” We were each one of the words, and I had a blast—a nerdy blast—but a great time nonetheless.

Yael Katzwer, Managing Editor Halloween in Ohio can get tricky.

The weather changes constantly and you never know until the day before what costume will be appropriate.

While trick-or-treating, leaving the house in a t-shirt and shorts is no guarantee you won’t need a winter coat by the end of those two candyfilled hours. One year, my Jasmine costume was ruined by a black turtleneck cute shirt my seven-year-old self was so excited about.

It wasn’t until I got to Brandeis and celebrated my first Halloween that I realized that the innovation I’d garnered was helpful when I had to create costumes that could be worn to Brandeis Halloween parties—on the cold walk there, and in the sweaty party itself. As everyone tottered around in stilettos and skimpy skirts, complaining about the cold, I added a thick black sweater to my red leotard and shiny green leggings. I was warm and cozy on sev-

eral walks back and forth on campus, and upon arriving at numerous destinations, announced to anyone who would listen that of course I wanted to keep the sweater with me instead of stashing it in a corner—didn’t they remember Robin having a cape?

Leah Finkelman, Features Editor Everyone knows that the most difficult part of Halloween is deciding how to dress. For me, it’s about being able to express my creative side.

Not liking to spend a lot of money on costumes that I will realistically wear once, I’m one of those people who digs through my closet every year trying to find clothes to work into my costume ideas. For example, one year my friend and I were “thunder” and “lighting.”

It’s as simple as wearing black clothes, and cutting out a cloud and lightning bolt from poster board.

My favorite, however, has to be the year I went as a “work of art.” I worked a colorful, spray paint-patterned shirt with a cardboard cut out frame tied around my neck with string so it hung down over the shirt. Needless to say, I like to think my costume was like any work of art should be—one of a kind.

Ingrid Schulte, Photo Editor There was only one Halloween when my father came trick-or-treating with us and so my entire family dressed up in a sort of group-costume. We were all disguised as wizards, either from “Harry Potter” or “The Lord of the Rings.” To make things even more of a personal, family event, we made all of our costumes ourselves. We had beards made of cotton, colored with dye; we all helped Mum sew our own capes, robes and even “cloth shoes.”

Sticks, jewelry and face-paint did the rest. I do not think my dad ever came with us again (Mum always did) but I may not blame him—he looked pretty

ridiculous in the Voldemort costume.

Nathan Koskella, News Editor Last year for Halloween I was Barney Stinson from “How I Met Your Mother.” Translation: I rocked a nice tailored suit and maintained a constant beverage in my hand. My thengirlfriend took me to Boston College to celebrate with her cousin. As we party-hopped from one heavily Catholic, crowded dorm to another, I quickly learned that BC parties were heavily centered on certain group beverage activities. Being the only Brandeisian in the house, I mastered their craft and beat them in all their own popular passtimes. That Halloween was memorable because I felt that I was a good ambassador for my school.

Nafiz “Fizz” Ahmed, Photo Editor I live in a very family-friendly area.

My town is comprised almost entirely of neighborhoods filled with young families and their children. This means a few things: good school districts, lots of babysitting jobs and—when the season comes—Halloween pay-dirt.

When I was little, I used to collect so much candy that it wouldn’t fit in the standard jack-o-lantern candy basket or any of the other receptacles that are sold especially for this purpose. The logical response to this, and the one that most of my neighbors employed, was to use a pillow case as a trick-ortreat bag. As a woman who has always committed fully to her costume, however, I never accepted this solution (what kind of self-respecting cowgirl carries a pillow case?!). So, I forced my father to carry the pillowcase for me, while I pranced around with my decorative basket. I would empty it into his bag, when it filled up or, more realistically, when it got too heavy.

Morgan Gross, Impressions Editor

Dear Confused, First of all, we’re both camp kids, so we completely understand your attachment! Camp is a place where a lot of us have grown up and we know how important that experience can be to shaping a person’s identity.

That said, there comes a summer in everyone’s life when they decide not to return to their home away from home. You just need to decide if this is that summer for you.

Weighing your options As you said, getting a job that pays well will help you with finances for next year. Money isn’t everything, however, especially if your summer job won’t make or break your budget for next semester. Look over your financial options with your parents to see if that’s the case. Make a list of all the factors, and give each factor a rating between one and 10 for your three options.

The case for an internship Internships are the ultimate resume builder.

You’ll have the opportunity to try out a field before you commit to it, gain experience, make connections in the professional world and you might even be able to turn it into a full-time job after college. Better yet, you might even be able to find a paid internship and kill three birds with one stone (including your minor requirement).

The case for a job To be clear, we’re distinguishing between an internship in a field you might be interested in and a job that, while supplementing your income, won’t really give you the experience you’re looking for. If you’re lucky, you’ll get a job that does!

If not, you’ll still be assured a steady income and be less likely to need to work (or at least as hard) during the fall semester.

The case for camp You might be interested in a USA Today College opinion column, “Skip the internship, go to camp.” If you choose the camp job, you can share it with your parents. Williams College junior Darryl Brown points out all the benefits of a camp counselor job: customer interaction, ensuring the long- and short-term success of the business, and learning critical skills that will help in any later job.

Remember: you have the rest of your life to be responsible. We’re not biased, but it does seem to us that a camp job, especially at sleep-away camp where your outflow of cash is next to nothing, might be your best option, combining valuable work experience, money and the best summer ever.

Best of luck deciding!

Peace, Love and Great Advice, Leah and Morgan Have questions that you want answered by the lovely ladies of The Hoot? Submit your questions to advice@thebrandeishoot.com or at formspring. me/leahandmorgan! They will be answered by Leah Finkelman ’13, Features Editor, and Morgan Gross ’14, Impressions Editor. We’re so excited to hear your questions!

editorials

12 The Brandeis Hoot

October 21, 2011

Holiday closures, options continue to frustrate

"To acquire wisdom, one must observe."

Editor-in-Chief Alex Schneider Managing Editors 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

L

ast week this editorial board complained about Einstein Bros.

Bagels closing early, cowardly using the excuse of the Jewish holidays. We made the point that Jews eat too, even on holidays. Similarly, the food options in Sherman Dining Hall on Jewish holidays are meager.

On the non-kosher side, which should not logically be affected by the Jewish holidays, there is less food and less variety. Whole sections are closed down and the food and utensils are slow to be replaced.

For students who have special food diets, this can prove especially challenging.

Just because you are a vegetarian does

Destiny D. Aquino Senior Editor

Volume 8 • Issue 20 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.

STAFF Sam Allen, 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, Arielle Levine, 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, Dana Trismen and Ariel Wittenberg

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

Letter to the Editor

Dear Editor, In response to your article “Vegan vote flawed, nothing but publicity stunt” (Oct. 14, 2011), I would like to correct some inaccuracies in the piece. PETA2 looks at a number of factors when determining the winners of the competition, including quality and variety of vegan food and student feedback. Votes are tallied, but school size is taken into consideration as well as other factors and, ultimately, PETA2 determines which schools should move forward. This information is clearly laid out on the voting page at peta2.com/VeganColleges.

The reason for the contest is the ever-growing vegan awareness sweeping college campuses across the country that we’re excited to showcase! Vegetarian options are more popular than ever, particularly among college students, for reasons ranging from health and environmental concerns to the clear cruelty to animals involved in raising and killing animals for food. Most students are horrified to discover that chickens have their beaks cut off when they’re only days old, male piglets are castrated, and cows are branded and de-horned—all without any painkillers. These terrified animals are often skinned and dismembered while still conscious as well.

Thankfully, with Brandeis promoting vegan foods, cutting out the cruelty on campus has never been easier! Brandeis students should continue to show support for their school’s impressive range of vegan options so that the school can, hopefully, receive the national praise its students feel it deserves. For more information, visit peta2.com, where you can also order a free vegetarian/vegan starter kit.

— Amelia Jensen, College Campaigns Assistant, peta2.com

Give a Hoot, Join The Hoot!

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Write for The Hoot!

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not mean you want to eat salad for every meal. There should be other options.

Placing leftover desserts where stir fry or some other equally appetizing option would normally be placed is unacceptable. There is already a dessert bar.

Clearly dining services has taken to heart the comment often misattributed to Marie Antoinette: “Let them eat cake!”

We need food, not cake.

It is even harder for students who remain kosher because Sherman effectively shuts down the kosher side if Hillel is going to be holding a meal elsewhere.

Just because someone keeps kosher does not mean they necessarily want to eat at Hillel.

For example, last night for Simchat Torah, Hillel held its dinner at 10 p.m. Not all kosher students wanted to wait until 10 p.m. but, had they gone to Sherman during regular hours of operation, they would have found the kosher side empty.

We understand that Brandeis is very welcoming and accepting of its Jewish community. We think that is great. But the Jewish community does not require the starvation of themselves or the nonJewish students at Brandeis to celebrate their holidays.

Furthermore, to coincide these limited options with Jewish holidays, while a money saver, is unfair to students and creates a false perception of the Jewish holidays.

Advertise your event in The Hoot! * Special pricing for campus organizations * Prices start at $15 http://thebrandeishoot.com/advertise

October 21, 2011

IMPRESSIONS 13

The Brandeis Hoot

New experiences at Brandeis Why Brandeis beat my expectations

graphic by steven wong/the hoot

By Betty Revah Staff

This past summer, all I could think about was college—how incredible it was going to be, how much fun I was

going to have and the amazing friends I would make.

I spent my free time worrying about my classes and dreading my finals, dreaming of people I did not know and places I had never seen and hop-

ing—after all I had gone through to get there—that Brandeis would be exactly as I imagined … but it really wasn’t.

I was the first in my family to leave for college; something that was shocking in its own right. But the most shocking thing about my departure was that I was actually leaving—the same girl whose parents had to force to go to a camp during the summer, the girl who always hated sleepovers because she felt too homesick to spend even one night away from home and cried when she was in a store and couldn’t find her mom.

Lets just say that in my family, I’m not known for being very brave, so I felt extra pressure for this decision to be the right one. I really wanted to prove to everyone that I could do it, that I was an adult—which I actually became in Mexico when I turned 18— and that no matter what anyone said, I was going to do it.

I thought of so many different scenarios in my head. The first day of orientation, the first friend I would make, my first class … you get the idea. I had it all planned out. I knew what I wanted and I was going out to get it. No matter what, I was doing it.

Of course, once I got here and started saying goodbye to my parents I panicked and reconsidered all this

certainty for a few minutes. What if I was making the wrong decision?

What if everyone who said I would regret this was right? What if coming here was a mistake?

Now don’t get too alarmed. I didn’t even have time to come up with more questions or to plan any more negative outcomes because, when orientation began, I had this feeling and I knew that coming here was right.

From that moment to right now, everything has happened in the blink of an eye. I can’t believe half a semester has already gone by and I can’t believe how many things have happened since I got to Brandeis.

Every time I look back on this summer, I feel like laughing at myself for trying to plan everything ahead of time instead of enjoying the process.

But how could I have known that only two doors away from my room would live the most incredible friend, or that after dropping and switching classes I would feel so thrilled, so excited to learn about things I love?

How could I have known I was going to go to Boston almost every weekend, or that I was going to shop like a crazy person and eat like a ravenous piranha and laugh at everything, all the time?

How could I have known how unbelievably happy being brave would make me?

When I said I wanted to be independent I really meant it and now I really am. I don’t answer to anyone— except maybe my parents now and then, when they remember to call me.

I don’t have to let anyone know where I am, what I’m doing or with whom I am spending time.

Even the fact that I have a key to my room and that that room is my own (OK, it’s my roommate’s too) makes me so happy, no matter how small it may be or how different from my room at home. I can even sing it out loud … “Freedom, freedom, freeeedooooooommmm.”

I wanted Brandeis to be exactly like I imagined because I was scared to admit that I had absolutely no idea at all what I was doing. And when I come back home and someone asks me “Was it everything you expected?”

I want to say yes—after all, I came this far to prove something. But the honest answer is no.

Brandeis is nothing like I thought it would be, it’s a million times more exciting, intimidating and incredible to be here than I ever thought it would be. Everything that has happened since I made the decision to come here has exceeded my expectations. It may not be much but I’m brave and independent now and I’ll never give it up.

Sophomore struggles: the importance of taking time

By Jeremy Goodman Staff

Throughout all of high school, each and every activity—whether academic, athletic or extracurricular—was done with the future in mind. Upon volunteering or signing up for anything I would always ask myself: “Will this help me get into college?” Everything I’d do was explicitly done in an attempt to make me more appealing to college admission officers.

After successfully receiving admission to a number of fantastic universities, I thought the days of doing things for the sake of maximizing future benefit would be finished.

I came to Brandeis eager and excited to get involved in activities I loved doing. I was going to take only classes I enjoyed and volunteer with organizations for which I had a true desire to contribute. Throughout my first semester I dabbled in several groups and got involved around campus. I rowed crew, volunteered at admissions and got a job at Conference & Events.

Winter break came and first semester came to a close. When I returned in January I was shocked by the amount of activities with which my friends were getting involved.

They were becoming coordinators for Waltham Group and FallFest Core or getting positions as club presidents and e-board members or becoming heavily involved with Greek life. Have I been doing something wrong?

Not only was there this sudden pressure from my peers to get involved but, I also realized that, in order to gain admission into medical school (to which I have been planning to apply), I must also get involved.

The cycle has begun to repeat itself.

As soon as I’ve made it into college, I already had to have medical school admissions in mind.

Coming into my sophomore year, the pressures to get involved in-

photo by nate rosenbloom/the hoot

creased. I became an orientation leader, campaigned and joined the student senate, pledged a fraternity and increased my involvement in previous activities. It wasn’t until an interview with a future fraternity brother that I realized that I didn’t necessarily enjoy everything with which I was involved. I never had any time to develop personal hobbies. I never had time for Jeremy.

I became so involved and so overscheduled that I had almost no time just to relax. It seemed that everything I was doing was what I should be doing, instead of what I wanted

to be doing.

Further reflection made me begin to think about whether I myself was doing things “right.” Until high school, and even early in college, my thoughts about life had been to make money and be successful. Not once when I thought about my future did I wonder whether or not I would be happy with what my life had become. I’ve realized now that my perspective on life must radically be shifted. Before, my goals had been to 1) make lots of money and 2) become a doctor. But now I realized that my ranking was out of

whack. I now understand the importance of happiness. I know now that life isn’t all about the size of one’s bank account but the size of one’s heart. I want to have a career that gives me joy and makes me feel as if I am making a meaningful contribution to society. Happiness is not a matter of money but in finding my true purpose. I want to make a difference in others’ lives and not only feel that it matters but love doing it as well. Most of all, I want to live without any doubts or regrets, and to be satisfied with what my life has become.

I have forgotten the importance of having joy, happiness and a purpose in the things I pursue. I must recognize the difference between doing something because it is expected and finding significant meaning in my actions. I now understand that being happy means finding the value in what I do. To live a successful life and feel that it matters isn’t as straightforward as it sounds and at times may feel impossible. If I can someday be nearly as happy, giving and caring as I truly know is possible, however, it will be worth all the heartaches.

14 The Brandeis Hoot

sports

October 21, 2011

Womens’ soccer struggles

By Alex Bernstein Staff

photo by nate rosenbloom/the hoot

Judges rebound with win at Springfield

By Brian Tabakin Editor

This past Wednesday, Brandeis defeated host Springfield College 1-0 in a match plagued by rain. With the win, the Judges, ranked seventh in New England, improved to 9-4-1 (1-1-1 UAA) while Springfield fell to 8-3-3.

Springfield appeared to take an early lead just 2:18 into the game when sophomore midfielder Drew Vanasse tapped in a long free kick from sophomore midfielder Ryan Malone.

Both the head referee and linesman, however, decided to negate the goal after determining that Springfield was offsides.

Brandeis controlled the game statistically, owning a 13-5 advantage over Springfield in shots and a 3-0 advantage in shots on goal. The Judges also earned 11 corner kicks to Springfield’s three and Brandeis was called for only nine fouls compared to Springfield’s 19.

Despite all of these advantages, Brandeis was unable to capitalize on their opportunities in the first half.

In the 84th minute of play, however, midfielder Sam Ocel ’13 dribbled down the right side of the field and crossed the ball to forward Lee Russo ’13, who was wide open. Russo then netted his team-leading sixth goal of the season to give the Judges a 1-0 lead.

Brandeis goalie Blake Minchoff ’13 earned his eighth shutout of the season without having to make a single save, thanks in large part to the spectacular defensive play of Ari Silver ’12, David McCoy ’12, Ben Applefield ’12 and Robbie Lynch ’12 while firstyear goalie Brett Bascom made two saves against one goal allowed for Springfield.

Earlier in the week, the Brandeis men’s soccer team lost to the eighthranked University of Washington Bears at Gordon Field. It was the Judges’ first home loss of the season. The game started off at a very fast tempo with both sides unable to maintain control of the pace. Midway through the first half the pace started to settle down and the Judges had most of the scoring chances; however, the Judges were unable to take advantage of any of these shots and ouldn’t get on the score board. Washington University scored in the 39th minute when senior midfielder Cody Costakis inbounded a corner kick to the far goal post where senior midfielder Zach Hendrickson headed it to the feet of senior forward Michael Chamberlain.

Chamberlain finished the feed with a rocket shot to the back of the net

to put the Bears ahead 1-0 at halftime. Despite very physical play in the second half, Brandeis once again had the advantage in scoring chances outshooting the Bears 11-2. Just like the first half, however, the Judges were unable to find the back of the net. Ocel, Russo and midfielder Kyle Feather ’14 kept the Judges in the game with their sensational play. Ocel and Lee combined for eight shots with six of those on goal and Feather controlled the middle of the field and assisted in many scoring opportunities for the Judges. Washington University sophomore goalie Jonathon Jebson kept the Bears on top with a career-high nine saves including a pair of acrobatic saves on two Ocel headers.

Washington University put the game out of reach in the 84th minute when senior forward Dylan Roman beat his defender to create a two-onone with Brandeis goalie Blake Minchoff ’13. Roman crossed to junior midfielder Zach Query, who finished the breakaway with a shot past a diving Minchoff. Minchoff finished the game with just two saves and allowed more than one goal for just the third time all season. Despite holding a 17-9 advantage in shots, Brandeis was unable to translate that advantage into a win.

Earlier in the week, Brandeis earned their first victory in UAA competition with a 2-1 win against the University of Chicago. Nasty weather and constant rain adversely affected the conditions of the field with both teams having to deal with slick and slippery turf. The conditions contributed to sloppy play with Chicago tallying 17 fouls and two yellow cards and Brandeis compiling 11 fouls and three yellow cards by the end of the match.

The Judges were able to score in the fourth minute of the game when forward Steve Keuchkarian ’12 made a perfect pass to Ocel, who blasted a shot from the penalty area into the left corner of the net to give the Judges a 1-0 lead. The goal was Ocel’s fourth of the season. Chicago tied the game in the 21st minute when rookie midfielder Nick Codispoti crossed the ball past Minchoff and to senior midfielder Alan Pikna who finished the play with a kick into the open net.

Applefield broke the 1-1 tie in the 57th minute when he dribbled down the left side of the field and made a perfect centering pass to Feather.

Feather then shot a rocket past the diving Chicago goaltender Elek Lane to give Brandeis a 2-1 lead. Minchoff finished the match with four saves against one goal allowed while Lane finished with three saves and two goals allowed.

Brandeis returns to action Monday at 7 p.m. when they host Lasell College.

Men’s soccer Team

UAA

All

Washington

4– 0

13 – 1

Case Western

3–1

11 – 3

Rochester

2–1–1 8–3–1

Emory

2–2

8–6

NYU

2–2

6–6–1

Brandeis

1–2–1 9–4–1

Carnegie Mellon

1–3

5–7–1

Chicago

0–4

5–6–2

Box Scores Chicago

Win

2–1

Washington

Loss

2–0

@ Springfield

Win

1–0

Women’s soccer Team

UAA

All

Emory

3–0–1 11-0-2

Case Western

3–1

10-2-2

Washington

2–2

12 – 3

Carnegie Mellon

2–2

8–5

Rochester

2–2

7–5

Chicago

1–1–2

7–4–2

NYU

1– 3

9–5

Brandeis

0-3-1

5-8-1

Box Scores Chicago

Tie

1–1

Washington

Loss

3–0

Volleyball Team

UAA

All

Emory

7– 0

28 – 2

Washington

6– 1

24 – 1

Chicago

5–2

24 – 3

Case Western

4–3

18 – 8

NYU

2–5

15 –11

Rochester

2–5

15 – 14

Carnegie Mellon

2–5

12– 11

Brandeis

0–7

7 – 15

Box Scores Chicago

Loss

3–0

Case Western

Loss

3–0

Emory

Loss

3–0

@Rochester

Loss

3–0

The Brandeis women’s soccer team fell to 5-8-1 Sunday after losing to Washington University 3-0. Two days earlier, Brandeis tied the University of Chicago 1-1 in a match that was delayed for an hour and 25 minutes due to lightning. The Judges earned their first point of the season in the conference standings with their tie against Chicago.

Brandeis got off to an excellent start in the game versus Chicago. Just 2:01 minutes into the match, midfielder Mimi Theodore ’12 passed the ball to midfielder Mary Shimko ’14, who was waiting at the top of the box.

Shimko ripped the ball top shelf and, although it was barely deflected by Maroon goalkeeper Emma Gormley, the ball found its way into the net.

Shimko’s score was her team-leading third goal of the season.

Seven minutes later the Judges had another opportunity to score when tri-captain forward Alanna Torre ’12 got a shot off on a corner kick, but it was saved by Gormley. Tri-captain defender Ali Maresca ’12 then followed up with another shot, but it was deflected to Torre who had her shot saved again. The Judges ended up outshooting the Maroons 9-5 in an overall well-played first half. Five of the Judges’ nine shots were on goal, while only two of the Maroons’ five shots were on goal.

In the second half, the rain picked up, making it difficult for both teams to control the ball. Chicago was able to capitalize in the 54th minute when the rain was coming down the hardest. Maroon senior Allison Hegel was able to free up some space after a Judge defensive back slipped on the wet surface. Hegel then skipped a shot on the slick turf that made its way past the dive of Brandeis goalkeeper Francine Kofinas ’13 and into the net.

Hegel, who now has seven goals this

season, leads the Maroons in scoring.

Less than a minute after the goal was scored, a bright flash of lightning lit up the sky, forcing the referees to stop the game. The delay lasted an hour and a half and, when the game resumed, Chicago had the momentum. Kofinas made several saves, including a last-minute save when she came off the line to save a shot on a breakaway by Hegel. In overtime, neither team was able to get into a rhythm, with possession changing frequently. The Judges finished with 19 shots on goal to the Maroons’ 18, with Kofinas and Gormley making six and eight saves respectively.

Unsatisfied with a tie, Brandeis hoped to come out victorious in their next match when they faced 10thranked Washington University this past Sunday at home. The Judges, however, would leave Sunday’s match even more dissatisfied. In the 17th minute, Bears senior forward Emma Brown scored her eighth goal of the season, nailing a ball into the top shelf of the net from a few yards outside the box. Two minutes later, Wash U added to their lead when sophomore midfielder Lauren Steimle headed a ball into the net on a beautiful cross by junior midfielder Lauren Clatch.

The goal was Steimle’s ninth of the season, a team high.

After being outshot 11-3 in the first half, the Judges looked to gain some momentum in the second half. In the 59th minute, forward Alyssa Fenenbock ’15 was able to make a nice cross that could have been scored by a teammate, before Wash U sophomore back Jen Reed cleared the ball, keeping the shutout in order. Then, in the 65th minute, the Bears added some insurance when sophomore Jessica Johnson scored on a cross by senior Mari Greenberg.

After being outshot 22-8 by Wash U, Brandeis will look to rebound at home versus Endicott College on Monday at 4 p.m. in a non-conference match.

Cross country competes at Albany Invitational

By Brian Tabakin Editor

The Brandeis cross country team returned to competition this week for the first time in nearly a month at the Albany Invitational. Both the men’s and women’s cross country teams had very strong showings with the men coming in fifth out of 21 competitors and the women coming in 10th out of 23 competitors. Both the men’s and women’s teams placed ahead of several Division I schools.

For the men, their fifth place finish (164 points) was second among all Division III schools behind Middlebury (third place with 89 points), currently ranked sixth in the nation. The Judges finished just slightly behind the University of New Hampshire (154 points) but far ahead of sixth place Colgate University (211 points), both Division I teams.

The two captains for the Judges, Chris Brown ’12 and Marc Boutin ’12 led the way for the Judges, finishing 18th and 20th respectively. Brown and Boutin finished the race less than two seconds apart with times of 26:07.8 and 26:09.4 respectively and the times were fourth and sixth best among all Division III competitors.

Taylor Dundas ’14 had the thirdbest time for the Judges, finishing

in 37th place with a time of 26:34.6 ahead of Alex Kramer ’13, who finished just more than four seconds later in 40th place with a time of 26:38.8. Ed Colvin ’14 was the last of the Brandeis scorers finishing in 51st place with a time of 26:49.8. Jarret Harrigan ’15 finished in 89th place with a time of 27:35.0 and Greg Bray ’15 finished in 101st place with a time of 27:48.8.

The women also finished second among all Division III schools with 299 points, finishing behind second place Middlebury with 64 points. The Judges were just five points behind Division I Hartford and 31 points in front of Division II Adelphi.

Kate Warwick ’12 once again set the pace for the Judges placing 35th with a time of 19:02.8. Warwick was the top Division III runner not from Middlebury. Amelia Lundkvist ’14 finished 54th with a time of 19:26.5.

Miriam Stulin ’15 continued her impressive rookie season with a 60th place finish and a time of 19:36.9.

Victoria Sanford ’14 placed 90th with a time of 20:26.7 and Monique Girard ’12 rounded out the scoring for the Judges with a 98th place finish and a time of 20:36.2.

Brandeis cross country returns to action at the 2011 University Athletic Association championships on Oct. 29 at the University of Chicago.

October 21, 2011

SPORTS 15

The Brandeis Hoot

Volleyball skid reaches 13 straight

By Brian Tabakin Editor

The women’s volleyball team struggled once again at the second UAA Round Robin tournament at Rochester University dropping all four matches in straight sets. The four losses drop the Judges to 7-15 (0-7 UAA).

The Judges opened the tournament against 16th ranked Chicago. Chicago beat the Judges in straight sets 25-14, 25-14 and 25-20. In the loss middle blocker Becca Fischer ’13 set the offensive pace with seven kills and two blocks while libero Elsie Bernaiche ’15 had seven digs.

In their second match, Brandeis lost to Case Western Reserve 25-16, 25-20 and 25-14. Case Western is coached by Brandeis alumnus Karen Chambers Farrell ’93. Lauren Berens ’13 led the Judges with a season-high nine kills and just two errors in 34 attempts to post a strong .538 hitting percentage. Setter Yael Einhorn ’14 finished with a double-double of 21 assists and a team-

high 11 digs. Vanessa Bodie ’15 added 10 digs, her second collegiate match in which she posted double figures.

In the third match, the Judges faced 3rd ranked Emory. Emory defeated the Judges in straight sets 25-17, 25-10 and 25-20. With the win Emory secured the top seed in the November UAA championship. Outside hitter Liz Hood ’15 had a solid match with 10 kills, the first double-digit kill performance of the weekend for the Judges. Outside hitter Si-Si Hensley ’14 posted five kills and nine digs.

In the last match of the weekend, the Judges fell to host Rochester University 25-16, 25-15 and 25-19. Hood had another strong performance with nine kills and Hensley posted seven kills. Fischer finished the match with five kills and had just one error in 14 attempts to go along with three blocks. Einhorn dished out 19 assists and had two aces.

Brandeis will return to action next weekend at the Hall of Fame tournament where they will face Smith College at 5 PM. photo by alex patch/the hoot

Gordy’s game guesses, week seven News

San Diego Chargers at New York Jets Indianapolis Colts at New Orleans Saints Chicago Bears and Tampa Bay Bucanneers* Baltimore Ravens at Jacksonville Jaguars Washington Redskins at Carolina Panthers Byes: Buffalo Bills, Cincinnati Bengals, Atlanta Falcons at Detroit Lions New England Patriots, New York Giants, Seattle Seahawks at Cleveland Browns Philadelphia Eagles and San Francisco Denver Broncos at Miami Dolphins 49ers Houston Texans at Tennessee Titans *Editor’s note: This game is being played Kansas City Chiefs at Oakland Raiders at Wembley Stadium in London, therefore Pittsburgh Steelers at Arizona Cardinals there is no true home team.

Green Bay Packers at Minnesota Vikings Last week’s record: 9-4 St. Louis Rams at Dallas Cowboys 2011 season’s record: 48-26

Hill publishes new book on race in America HILL, from page 1

ery became a search for land, a place where they could earn a living and escape the vestiges of bondage and the brutality of Jim Crow laws.”

Hill’s own family was forced to flee their home in Arkansas due to racism and violence, eventually ending up in Lone Tree, Okla., where Hill grew up.

The first two chapters focus on Hill’s personal story: leaving home for college when she was 17 years old and discovering that her grandfather had been a slave.

Hill describes being transplanted from her large, tight knit family’s farm—Hill is the youngest of 13 children—to a large, impersonal college where one had to struggle to be heard and to feel at home.

“My personal story of home has to do with my leaving home at the age of 17,” Hill told BrandeisNOW. “It was after the civil rights movement, after the women’s rights movement, and we were really having to think again: one, about what our home life would be life, where we could find home, and two, what it was going to mean once we got there.”

Her story of leaving home at 17 resonates so deeply with her because her great-grandmother, Mollie Elliott Taylor, was 17 as well when she was sold to a new owner in 1864 due to the tumult of the Civil War. She was separated from her husband and pregnant with their first child, Hill’s grandfather.

Although Mollie was never reunited with her first husband—she later remarried—she stayed close with her son, Henry. “… Mollie never lived far from Henry, my grandfather,” Hill writes.

“Theirs was a bond forged by the cruelty of slavery that had separated Mollie from her husband and other family and left Mollie and Henry with only each other for the first ten years of his life.”

Experiences like this make the notion of home so important to Hill, making the current housing crisis especially painful to her.

“The crisis is more than a collapse of the housing market, it is a crisis of home—a tragic turning point in the search for equality in America,” Hill writes.

Hill argues that the current housing crisis has hurt black women more than others due to the inequality that persists in the United States.

Banks, like Wells Fargo, have faced lawsuits purporting that they discriminate based on gender and race.

Anjanette Booker, a resident of Baltimore, was highly affected by this, nearly losing her house and her hair salon in 2008. Hill quotes a New York Times’ article about Booker, reading, “Four years ago, Miss Booker bought a brick row house for $130,000, taking a subprime mortgage because she had a low credit score. Her initial payments were $841 a month. … After two years her mortgage payments shot up to $1,769.”

Although Booker was able to keep her house and salon, she was one of the lucky ones; many black women lost their houses when their mortgage payments were raised.

“I do outline the trajectory from the slave cabin, to segregated housing, to rampant discrimination in mortgage lending practice and now to reverse redlining—targeting women and communities of color for toxic mortgage agreements,” Hill told BrandeisNOW. “Underlying each one of those factors is bias, social bias that has been so embedded in our institutions, particularly lending, that they keep coming up. Until we understand and really attack and confront the historic bias and the historic racial and gender discrimination that has become a part of the lending culture, we will not ever really protect ourselves against the kind of catastrophe that we have had in the law few years in the housing market.”

This idea of home being essential to equality and American life has persisted for generations.

In the 1940s and ’50s, the Own Your Own Home (OYOH) campaign promoted home ownership as a necessary step toward the American Dream.

“OYOH slogans declared that the male homeowner was better at just about everything and dubbed him the ‘real American,’” Hill writes, explaining how the OYOH campaign, which promoted home, actually discriminated against women. “… the message of OYOH was that by encouraging their husbands to buy homes, women would be happy and fulfilled, as long as they stayed in those homes and out of the workplace.”

The Own Your Own Home campaign may partially have contributed to the current bias against single women buying their own homes, which has become a trend.

On home ownership when Hill bought her home in Massachusetts about 10 years ago, Hill told BrandeisNOW, “The growing market was single women. This reflected both our economic and our social progress. We weren’t waiting until we married to acquire a home and we were beginning to build the means to realize our dream on our own.

“One in every five homes was being bought by women on their own. Single women were targeted for subprime loans and, many of them, by some estimates as much as 40 or 50 percent, qualified for conventional loans.

“Now we all know what happened with many of those rates. They escalated. So whatever equity women had is being stripped.”

Despite these issues, Hill feels she has found

photo by ingrid schulte/the hoot

home.

“In truth I didn’t move to New England for the real estate,” Hill writes. “I was looking for a new intellectual home. After years of hearing from individuals, mostly women, who had suffered various forms of discrimination, I felt I needed to be outside a law school environment to rethink the role of law.”

“I found both an intellectual home here at Brandeis and I found a physical home,” Hill told BrandeisNOW. “I found that place where I feel very secure in Massachusetts. It allows me to do the things that I want to have the opportunities that I think the country has to offer.”

Hill will be speaking about her book at a Heller School luncheon on Nov. 2.

Arts, Etc.

16 The Brandeis Hoot

October 21 , 2011

Geeks and pop culture collide at NY Comic Con 2011

By Juliette Martin Special to the Hoot

Arriving at the Javits Center, located in a relatively secluded corner of Manhattan, is like stepping onto another planet. As you enter the enormous glass building, a sign hanging from the ceiling reads “Greetings, earthlings! You have landed at the 2011 New York Comic Con!” It is immediately clear that today the Javits Center—which normally houses business conventions—has been transformed into a very different place. All around, convention-goers are clad in extravagant costumes, often homemade and complete with over-sized Styrofoam weapons. Further into the building, unending rows of booths are set up.

These booths house artists, booksellers, big-name video game companies, thousands of comic books and all things otherwise geek.

New York Comic Con, commonly abbreviated as NYCC, is the largest comic book convention on the East Coast, attended by tens of thousands of people during the four-day duration of the convention. Though the name focuses on comic books, NYCC has expanded to far more than that; if something is loved by geeks, you can find it at NYCC. Often this includes announcements of future products, which are met with great fanfare. This, it seems, is the apex of the geek world.

What is most remarkable about this enormous celebration is how much of

photo from internet source

comic con counterculture New York Comic Con was held between Oct. 13 and 16 and housed an assortment of all things geek.

Above, the convention’s 2007 iteration is pictured.

a secret it is. Even on those four days a year when the Javits Center seems ready to explode with costumed people enjoying everything the convention has to offer—which sometimes seems to be in endless supply—much of the rest of the city is blissfully obliv-

ious. Downtown, the protests on Wall Street rage on. Uptown, the businessmen continue their workday. Comic Con is a strange and isolated bubble of festive counterculture nestled away in an otherwise serious city. But with the enormous amount of money invested

and traded between hands at NYCC and other gatherings like it, can such events, and geek culture in general, really be considered part of a counterculture anymore?

Though teeming with relatively unknown artists and a selection of more

quirky and obscure booths known as the Cult Yard, NYCC has become as much a celebration of the mainstream as it is of the different. A major portion of the excitement at this years’ convention circled around the movie “The Avengers,” which features a team of superheroes pulled from classic Marvel comic books. Though rooted in geek culture, this movie is anything but obscure; with an enormous budget and big-name stars like Robert Downey, Jr., “The Avengers” does not seem to be the movie of a counterculture. Similarly, the dozens of similarly comic book-based movies that have been celebrated at NYCC in past years don’t seem like counterculture either.

Furthermore, geek culture is deeply rooted in mainstream capitalism. Despite what often feels like relative obscurity, an enormous amount of money is wrapped up in NYCC and events like it. With tickets ranging from $35 to $50 for a single day and $65 to $85 for multi-day passes and with tens of thousands of attendees each day, NYCC’s numbers do not suggest the obscurity of a counterculture. The vast majority of booths, commercial and artistic alike, are present in the hope of selling their wares or, in the case of larger establishments, advertising and offering hints at future products. With this much money wrapped up in a single event—one of the many across the country including the equally massive (if not larger) San Diego Comic Con— the world of the geeks is becoming an important moneymaker and a part of mainstream culture.

Not kidding around about kids’ books

By Yael Katzwer Editor

I have loved books since I was a very small child. I clearly remember my parents teaching me to read as I sat on their laps and slowly sounded out words from semi-awful Step-intoReading books. Once I got past that rudimentary process, however, I discovered books that thrilled my mind and sparked my creativity. There were certain books that I loved when I was a child and, as an adult, I have returned to a lot of them. I was shocked to discover when I returned that these books that I had adored as a child were still really awesome books.

There are some really fantastic children’s books out there that are so great because, while being written with diction meant for children, they still resonate with adults and they don’t speak down to their target audience.

One of my favorites is actually not a book but a series of books; I love “The Chronicles of Narnia” by C.S. Lewis.

The seven novels, published between 1950 and 1956, recount the adventures of various children as they find themselves mystically transported to this fantasy world: Narnia. As the children grow up, they are replaced with new characters and, while this would usually hurt a series, it strengthens “Narnia” because no one gets stale. (Spoiler: Nearly all the Pevensie children of the first book do return for “The Last Battle.”) While in Narnia, the children always have to battle some bad guy and save the people.

Now there is a heated debate among Lewis fans concerning the order in which the books should be read. Some argue order of publication while others argue chronological order. I don’t feel I can write about these books without weighing in. Publication order—plain and simple. They were published that way for a reason. (For those of you willing to read these books despite your advanced age, that means this

order: “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe”; “Prince Caspian”; “The Voyage of the Dawn Treader”; “The Silver Chair”; “The Horse and His Boy”; “The Magician’s Nephew”; then “The Last Battle.”) Beginning with “The Magician’s Nephew” gives away a lot of secrets that make the first five books so entertaining. It’s like flipping to read the last page of a book (something not done in polite society).

These books remain so lovable because every time you read them you get something else out of them.

When I first read them, they were romps in Narnia with talking animals, cool fights and neat mystical creatures. When I got a little older I had an epiphany that went something like this: “Holy crap, Aslan’s Jesus!”

Reading the books now and getting the Christian propaganda sprinkled throughout them is like playing hideand-seek. I love it.

But enough about Mr. Lewis’ phenomenal creations; if full-on fantasy is not your thing, you may want to consider Katherine Paterson’s 1977 novel “Bridge to Terabithia.” “Terabithia” focuses on two children, Jess and Leslie, who form an unlikely friendship (though not as unlikely as “Freak the Mighty”) and together create a fantasy world to play in. They use this pretend world to deal with the slings and arrows of the fifth grade and of life.

Now, I am not going to give away the ending of this book but I will say that it is shocking and will stick with you. Often children’s books try to remain uplifting and positive; Ms. Paterson recognized that the world is not all sunshine and daisies and she wrote a book letting kids know that as well. It’s well and good to be upbeat, but bad things still happen. Due to the somewhat tumultuous ending of this book, there is great debate about whether or not children should be allowed to read it. Luckily none of us are children and should have no problem reading it—in fact, give it to your younger siblings; just be on-hand to

photo from internet source

remember these books? Some books aimed at children, like “The Chronicles of Narnia” and “Number the Stars,” are even more enjoyable

when read as adults.

discuss it with them when they finish.

Not all children’s books find their home within a world of fantasy, either “real” or imagined. Lois Lowry’s 1989 novel “Number the Stars” is firmly grounded in reality—and a grim reality at that. “Number the Stars” is about Annemarie Johansen, a young Danish girl, whose family takes in her best friend, Ellen Rosen, in 1943 to protect the other girl from the Nazis by pretending she is a member of their family.

I have read a lot of Holocaust novels directed at children; I did after all go to a Jewish day school. This is the best Holocaust novel for children and one of the best in general. The setting allows readers to see the brutality and harshness of Germany’s occupation of

Denmark during World War II while being able to leave some of the more disturbing WWII facts out of the book without being inaccurate. (While plugging “Number the Stars,” I feel the need to plug another of Lowry’s books that I enjoy: “The Giver.” Just do it.)

Propelling us back to the future is Margaret Peterson Haddix’s 1995 novel “Running out of Time.” And “propelling into the future” is the proper term here. The novel features a 13-year-old girl named Jessie who has lived nearly her entire life in Indiana in the 1840s. She is a curious girl who sometimes feels closed in by the confines of her town and she desires adventure … and she gets it. When the children in her town begin to fall ill, her mother sends her out to find a

doctor and get help.

And that is how Jessie steps out of the 1840s and into 1996. (This happens very early in the book; I promise I’m not giving anything away.) It turns out Jessie has been living in a historical recreation which tourists pay money to watch. She now needs to navigate this new world 150 years in the future before time runs out and the children die.

We get to follow Jessie as she learns about the world in which she could have been living, about her parents’ past decisions and about what she wants for herself for the future, whether that future is in 1996 or back in the 1840s.

See CLASSIC, page 19

October 21, 2011

The Brandeis Hoot

ARTS, ETC. 17

‘Margaret’ reveals Shakesperian ‘tiger’s heart’

By Sean Fabery Editor

In William Shakespeare’s “Henry VI Part 3,” the Duke of York describes Queen Margaret as a “tiger’s heart wrapp’d in a woman’s hide.”

Despite her involvement in various battles, both personal and physical, that “woman’s hide” is clearly a supporting part. “Margaret: A Tiger’s Heart”—a re-cutting of the “Henry VI” trilogy and “Richard III” being staged this weekend by Hold Thy Peace and the Brandeis Players—tries to remedy that by refocusing the action around the powerful queen.

Margaret (Caitlin Partridge ’13) certainly makes her presence felt, spending much of her early time on stage attired in a striking red dress with matching red heels while everyone else sticks to plain suits and combat fatigues. You immediately sense her strength, her determination and her insistence on always speaking her mind. These characteristics certainly come in handy.

Her husband, King Henry VI (Julian Seltzer ’15) is mild-mannered and pious, which ordinarily wouldn’t be a problem in times of peace. As it is, the Duke of York (Alex Davis ’15) is determined to remove the House of Lancaster from the throne and install himself as king. York sees the perfect opportunity to do this in the king’s weakness.

Historically, Margaret hasn’t always been viewed favorably by critics. For one thing, she’s unrepentantly sexual.

After marrying Henry, she begins an affair with the Duke of Suffolk (Jonathan Plesser ’12), and together they oust Henry’s favorite adviser and former regent, Duke Humphrey of Gloucester (Charlotte Oswald ’12).

At times Margaret fails to hide her disgust with her husband’s weakness; clearly she finds him pathetic.

In short, Margaret doesn’t make the best of wives.

“Margaret,” however, argues for

a more nuanced view of the queen: Yes, she’s flawed, but in a profoundly human way. She does go behind her husband’s back, but, when times get tough, she’s there for her family, even leading an army into battle so long as her son’s future will be secure. When the body count starts going up—remember, this is Shakespeare—you can sense the depth of her feeling; her son and, yes, even her husband rank before power in her eyes (and besides, what’s so terrible about liking power?). These elements always existed in Shakespeare’s trilogy, but the re-cutting foregrounds her complexity and humanity.

This is not to say that the play whitewashes her capacity for cruelty. In one scene, Margaret wipes York’s brow with a rag drenched in the blood of one of his sons; she then mockingly crowns him with her garter. At the very least, she was ballsy.

This production of “Margaret” was buoyed by an exceptionally strong cast. Simply put, there was not one weak link.

Partridge captures all the complexity of the titular queen. She brings a palpable intensity to every moment in which she’s onstage; when her Margaret denies Henry her affection, everyone feels her scorn. Most importantly, however, Partridge is effectively able to meld the tempestuous and tender sides of Margaret together without it seeming like two completely different people.

Partridge has especially good chemistry with Plesser, who plays both her banished lover and her young son, Prince Edward. Plesser imbues the Duke of Suffolk with just enough swagger; his scenes with Partridge’s Margaret are electric, full of passion—in essence, the opposite of Margaret’s relationship with her actual husband.

Seltzer grants King Henry a lost quality. He never knows how to communicate with the world around him, and he never learns—even before he speaks, you can see this in his baffled eyes and uncertain body language.

Perhaps the biggest standout, however, is Stephen Badras ’13 as the Duke of York’s conniving, hunchbacked son, Richard Plantagenet (later known to history as Richard III). Badras completely inhabits the psychotic imbalances that seemingly shape all of Richard’s actions—one moment he’s laughing with gleeful malice, the next ruminating on his family’s shortcomings.

Of course, the entire cast did an outstanding job, with many appearing only for brief segments. Special mention has to be made of all four actors who played the sons of York, a motley crew that alternated backstabbing with gleeful laughter.

If any problems exist with “Margaret,” they lay in the way the text has been re-cut. Because “Margaret” is pulled from four different Shakespeare plays (primarily parts one and two of “Henry VI”), the pacing feels choppy at times; things happen at such a quick pace that there isn’t much time to process the gravity of them. One moment Lancaster is on top, the next York. It’s not necessarily difficult to follow, but there’s not much room for the audience to breathe.

The play also fails to meet its key goal—that is, making Margaret the main focus. When comparing it to the parts of “Henry VI,” the ratio of scenes with Margaret versus without is certainly higher. Despite cutting materials not directly pertinent to her, she’s still not the one driving most of the action. When the Wars of the Roses erupt, Margaret largely takes the backseat; yes, she does lead the Lancaster army into action, but she then disappears to France as the focus shifts to King Edward (Andrew Prentice ’13), Richard and Warwick (Samantha LeVangie ’15).

But these are quibbles with the recut text, not the production itself.

Overall, director Dave Benger ’14 has put together an excellent production with a talented cast and crew that tackles one of the more enigmatic figures in the Shakespeare canon. photos by ingrid schulte/the hoot

battle hymn of the ‘tiger’ queen At top, Clifford (Phillip Skokos), Edward (Andrew Prentice) and Suffolk ( Jonathan Plesser) observe

Queen Margaret (Caitlin Partridge) and King Henry ( Julian Seltzer) deliberating. At top right, Margaret (Partridge) and Suffolk (Plesser) conspire. At top bottom, Humphrey (Charlotte Oswald) reacts to the banishment of his wife Eleanor (Stephanie Karol).

18 ARTS, ETC.

The Brandeis Hoot

October 21, 2011

Autopsying the first casualties of the new TV season

By Arielle Levine Staff

As soon as the new shows for this season were announced, I sat down and watched the trailer for every single one—all 27 of those scheduled to debut on ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC and the CW. The first new show premiered Sept. 13 and there are two shows yet to premiere. Although I was initially excited, this soon went away after a few weeks of watching prime time: A month after that first premiere, there have already been five cancellations.

One of the first shows to be canceled was NBC’s “The Playboy Club,” which made it to all of three episodes.

In the wake of the success of “Mad Men,” both NBC and ABC have attempted to capitalize on dramas set in the 1960s. Thus far, ABC seems to be fairing better with its “Pan Am.” In fact, even before “The Playboy Club” aired, it was surrounded by controversy, with feminists as well as parents calling for boycotts of the show.

As long as you watched the trailer, there is no need to watch the pilot.

Maureen (Amber Heard), a small town girl turned Bunny, kills a man in self-defense. Unfortunately for her, that man turns out to be the head of the mob. Thankfully Nick Dalton, played by LeeAnn Rimes’ hubby Eddie Cibrian, comes to the rescue. For men, Dalton is the man to be; for women, he’s the with whom man to be seen. When he whisks Maureen and the body out of the club, his girlfriend Carol Lynn (Laura Benanti) becomes suspicious. The intended effect is a love triangle but, after three episodes, there wasn’t enough development to see this as more than Nick helping the helpless.

The show had several other plot lines, with many of the characters

hiding something or running a scam.

In the episodes that aired, there are a few suspicious bunnies.

These include Door Bunny Kate and Bunny Jenny. It is revealed that Door Bunny Kate (Katherine Cunningham) is using the money she makes at the club to fund an underground gay rights movement. Bunny Janie, played by Jenna Dewan-Tatum (the wife of actor Channing Tatum), turns out to be married. And, in the final episode, a new girl is hired who also seems to be running some other sort of scam. Each of our suspicions seems to have a neat little explanation. This only leads to decreasing the pressure in what should have been a time bomb waiting to explode.

As ratings quickly decreased, NBC pulled the plug on this misfire. NBC quickly announced that it would be replacing “Playboy Club” with “Rock Center,” a news-magazine program hosted by Brian Williams.

CBS’ “How to Be a Gentleman” stars David Hornsby as Andrew Carlson, the writer of a column with the same name as the show. He seems to be a nerdier version of Barney Stinson from “How I Met Your Mother,” though he doesn’t do anywhere near as well with the ladies. Aside from always wearing a suit and constantly giving tips on what a gentleman does or does not do (similar to Barney’s “bro code”), the similarities are slim to none. In the beginning of the series, Andrew receives a gift certificate to a gym for his birthday and his personal trainer ends up being a guy who beat him up in high school, Bert (Kevin Dillon).

It is apparent in their interactions that Bert never really grew up. When Andrew’s boss tells him to revamp his column, however, to make it “sexier,” Andrew enlists Bert to help teach him how to be a “man.” This motivation is what fuels the show, but not to

photo from internet source

another one bites the dust “How to Be a Gentleman” is one of the five shows that has already been canceled.

CBS pulled it from its schedule after airing three episodes.

any spectacular effect.

The relationship between Andrew and Bert seemed overly forced and unrealistic. By the second episode, Bert moved in with Andrew. They jump from Bert punching Andrew to having the pair be practically best friends. While the show features some funny moments, the extremes of Andrew’s frailty and Bert’s caveman ways end up being unrelatable.

As a result, “How to Be a Gentleman” lasted only three episodes as well.

I have to be honest and say that I couldn’t force myself to watch the pilot episode of the CW show “H8R” (forgive me for being a H8R). I was fairly convinced that it would be canceled after the first episode but, sadly, it lasted an astonishing four episodes.

“H8R” is the only new “reality” show

to be canceled so far this season.

The show’s plot centers around bringing “celebrities” face-to-face with the person who has been saying terrible things about them on the Internet. The first episode featured Snooki and Jake Pavelka from “The Bachelor.” My guess is that the “H8Rs” have less guts face-to-face and end up apologizing, but feel free to contact me if I’m wrong and you’ve actually seen any of the episodes.

ABC started out this season with a total of seven new shows, but it seems greater quantity does not mean greater quality. Their reboot of “Charlie’s Angels” didn’t fare well. These new angels and much younger Bosley take themselves too seriously. The show lacks the lightheartedness that

the most recent movies held.

NBC, who seemed to be starting strong with six shows, has canceled not only “Playboy Club” but also “Free Agents.” This half-hour comedy featured two co-workers who end up having a one-night stand and then awkwardly try to work with each other. “Free Agents” is an American adaptation of the British “Free Agents,” which didn’t last either. This is even more ironic considering Anthony Head (you may know him as Giles from “Buffy the Vampire Slayer”) played the boss in both the American and British version of “Free Agents.”

As five shows got canned in a little more than a month, we’ll just have to wait and see how many more shows are able to stay above water.

On DVD: ‘Submarine’ navigates first love

By Candice Bautista Editor

“Submarine” is an indie British comedy-drama that has recently come out on DVD. In short, it is the epitome of an indie film.

The hero of this film is 15-yearold Oliver Tate (Craig Roberts), who is exactly how you would imagine an adolescent Brit to be: a tad sensitive, more than a smidge strange and, most of all, a twisted romantic.

While we would picture a sulking boy sitting on his bed woefully listening to the Smiths, however, the opening scene involves Oliver narrating what he imagines would happen when he died.

Oliver Tate is such an amazing protagonist because he portrays himself in such a way that the viewer is essentially forced to make assumptions about him—assumptions he continuously defies. When we are introduced to his pyromaniac love interest, Jordana (Yasmin Paige), Oliver tries to earn her love by getting involved in her interests, which, incidentally, involve bullying another girl in their class. After they start dating, as Oliver describes it, “Jordana and I enjoyed an atavistic, glorious fortnight of lovemakin’; humiliatin’ teachers and bullies in the week. I have already turned these moments into the Super-8 footage of memory.”

This footage translates into a date montage that is beautiful, both cinematically and emotionally. They do bizarre things on their dates ranging from Jordana’s burning Oliver’s leg

photo from internet source

caught in the headlights Oliver Tate, played by Craig Roberts, faces first love head-on.

hair to breaking into an abandoned amusement park. Though it occasionally toes the line, it never goes from enjoyable to corny, which is very difficult when depicting “first love” scenes. This is made even better

by Oliver’s quest to lose his virginity; he tries to convince Jordana to sleep with him using the following three reasons: “1. You are fatally in love with me. 2. Best to do it before legal.

3. Bound to be disappointing, so why wait?”

If this film solely focused on the relationship between Jordana and Oliver, it would only be half as great

as the final product. To add another level to the film and to make the film more realistic, there is a parallel storyline involving a possible affair between Oliver’s mother and the newly moved-in self-proclaimed psychic.

In adolescent films, it is very easy to keep parents out of the story unless they are playing a mentoring or supportive role. In “Submarine,” the parents are just as helpless in terms of the events around them as Oliver is. Later in the film, with a hint of Oedipal affectation, Oliver needs to choose between going after his mother or for Jordana.

In many ways, “Submarine” is a sort of “Juno” meets “Amelie.” Like Juno, Oliver is a kid trying to figure things out like first relationships and how to deal with kids judging you but, like Amelie, he’s had the upbringing that explains many of his strange traits. His father is a heavily bearded, antisocial marine biologist, his mother is going through a midlife crisis and Oliver is overly aware of their sexual patterns. At one point, in order to make his parents’ relationship work, he writes his mother a letter that involves the line “I want to find your sweet spot,” before sign-

ing it with his father’s name. It may or may not be due to the fact it is a European film, or perhaps it’s just part of the atypically dysfunctional family, but Oliver and his family share every detail of their sex life with each other.

Each moment of the film is hectic and vital to the overall flow. There is never a dull moment and, with each scene, you can’t help but be bewildered yet also further intrigued by what just happened. When the movie ends, there’s an undeniable urge to rewatch the movie and live life through Oliver’s eyes just one more time.

October 21, 2011

ARTS, ETC. 19

The Brandeis Hoot

Sugarland soothes the soul

Arts Recommends film

photo from internet source

‘I’m a Cyborg, But That’s OK’ photo from internet source

sweet sounds of sugarland Sugarland performed in Boston on Oct. 17.

By Dana Trismen Staff

For those who aren’t avid fans, Sugarland is a country band, comprised of Jennifer Nettles and Kristian Bush, with five number-one singles under their belt. While I’m aware that country isn’t everybody’s favorite genre like it is mine, I want to impress upon everybody that Sugarland is capable of drawing fantastically large crowds of various ages to almost every concert they give.

I saw this in action when I went to a Sugarland and Sara Bareilles concert last Thursday night.

For those who are fans of Sara Bareilles (who is not a country artist), I will digress here to discuss her opening act. Nominated for three Grammys, I think Bareilles could be headlining her own show. As a Bareilles fan, however, I was disappointed in her performance. It seemed as though she played only a few songs without much of a reaction, even to hits like “Love Song.” Her stage personality grated on me; she acted overly bubbly, bordering on being annoyingly peppy.

But the largest problem that arose with her opening act was most likely not her fault. A common practice during concerts is to make the opening act less pristine than the main attraction. This is primarily due to the main act’s fear that the opener will outshine them if left to their own devices. This phenomenon has occurred before, an example being Bruce Springsteen fans booing a main act off the stage in order to encourage Springsteen to come back on and play the whole show. In terms of Bareilles’s act, her band actually sounded relatively horrendous.

Her drummer was incredibly messy and her band often drowned out her lyrics. I was very disappointed by the sound quality; Bareilles deserves better.

As for Sugarland, I was impressed by how fluid the concert was. There seemed to be no lulls in the set; though they played slow songs, upbeat ones always followed. One of the most impressive moments occurred with the performance of the song “Stay,” a mournful song about a mistress scorned.Though I’ve seen Nettles sing it in the music video, on YouTube and live one

other time, she still brings conviction to it again and again.

Despite Nettles’ odd resemblance to my aunt, who is not a stage presence, she is extremely comfortable on stage, even in debuting some dance moves I would only do alone in my dorm room. I loved her confidence almost as much as I admired her ability to hold extremely long notes.

Sugarland’s excellence probably stems from their wealth of experience as performers. Nettles and Bush play off each others’ facial reactions and stage movements like siblings, and other members of the band can predict their every move. Playing mostly off their album “The Incredible Machine,” they snuck in many of their other popular hits to pay homage to old fans. Definitely grateful to their fans, Bush even signed and gave away one of his guitars, holding it above his head while walking through the crowd before choosing the perfect fan to whom to give it.

Set-wise, nothing Sugarland had onstage was particularly striking. I have seen other shows in which technology, wires and many colors are used to enhance the experience of the show. For example, Carrie Underwood rides in a flying car during part of her act. Sugarland’s entire set, however, consisted of their band equipment and a backdrop with the emblem of their latest album. During the title song “The Incredible Machine,” aspects of the backdrop—gears on the photo of a heart—began to move. Aside from that, no flashy lights or swooping objects were needed: I did not mind the lack of set because Sugarland, with their music alone, can carry the show.

One thing about country concerts I have always enjoyed is the sense of community surrounding them. Most people were wearing cowboy hats and Sugarland t-shirts, and discussing their favorite Sugarland songs with other fans beforehand. Dancing in your seat is acceptable, as well as singing every word out loud. Though some may dislike the genre, Sugarland, along with many other country bands, have managed to bring together diverse groups of people.

The Korean film “I’m a Cyborg, But That’s OK” is a bewildering film. The story takes place in a mental institution. Il-Sun is a kleptomaniac who wears bunny ears and spends his days playing ping-pong. This changes when a new patient comes in, Young-goon, a woman hospitalized for an eating disorder that stems from her believing that she is a cyborg and only needs to grip batteries in order to gain energy. The film follows Il-Sun courting her and trying to cure her eating disorder by following along with her delusion while living with his own disorder. This involves Il-Sun convincing her that he installed a rice-energy converter in her as well as a bizarre yodeling scene.

“I’m a Cyborg” is a love story that is half mental disorder, half fantastical hallucination.

film

‘We Brave Bee Stings and All’

candice bautista, editor

photo from internet source

Thao with the Get Down Stay Down’s “We Brave Bee Stings and All” is the group’s sophomore album and vastly improves on their original album, “Like the Linen.” Thao Nguyen, the lead singer, guitarist and inspiration for the band’s name, is the main writer for the songs. Her voice, which at first sounds incredibly androgynous, portrays the meanings of her lyrics effectively as they crack and whine from note to note. Her lyrics combined with the melodies are probably the most memorable aspect of Thao’s music. As she sings in her opening song, “Beat (Health, Life, Fire),” the listener can hear the hurt yet eagerness in her voice as she describes a past relationship.

Thao’s appeal lies mostly in how optimistic her music sounds despite the meanings of her songs, whether she’s singing about gender disparity or about long distance relationships. Another fantastic aspect of Thao’s music is how talented a musician she is overall. Even those who don’t know much about guitar can hear the catchy unique riffs in the background of her songs. There is even a song that involves her beat-boxing in the background. Overall, the album is amazing, with each song different enough to stand on its own while also contributing to a conclusive piece of work. candice bautista, editor

Classic children’s books make for promising reading CLASSIC, from page 16

Taking us back into a world of complete fantasy, Gail Carson Levine’s 1997 novel “Ella Enchanted” also provides the reader with a strong heroine. Ella of Frell is unfortunate enough to be the recipient of a “blessing” from the fairy Lucinda that she must always obey commands.

Naturally that doesn’t work out so well for her. This retelling of the Cinderella story, set in a fantastical world full of fairies, ogres and hunky princes is entertaining the entire way through.

As great as Ella is, my favorite characters in the book are Hattie and Olive, her step-sisters.

They are just such terrible people yet so wellwritten. Whenever Ella routs one of them, you cheer along with her, but, conversely, whenever Hattie does something really obnoxious to Ella, you laugh along with her, both out of real amusement and sheer disbelief. This, admit-

tedly, is a book for girls. I don’t know if guys like this book but I don’t think they would.

Also, if you have seen the movie starring Anne Hathaway and thought, “Wow, that was terrible,” just know that the movie was terrible and was nothing like the book; the director took a lot of liberties.

Lastly, Louis Sachar’s 1998 novel “Holes” was my favorite book when I was a kid. I must have read that book at least 50 times. It became a running family joke that whenever I’d ask for something to read, they’d suggest I reread “Holes” for the umpteenth time. “Holes” is very odd for a children’s book because it has a complex set-up of three stories at three different time periods, which the book switches between, and it deals with issues such as murder, revenge and racism.

The main story is that of Stanley Yelnats, a young boy who is sent off to Camp Greenlake, a misnomer as there is no lake anymore and it is not a camp but a youth detention facil-

ity. Stanley blames the family curse, which we learn about when we switch to the story of his great-grandfather Elya Yelnats. In between all this, we get to learn about Kissin’ Kate Barlow, a Wild West robber, and her exploits.

The book fits together so well that by the time you get to the end you will be saying: “Louis Sachar, thank you for blowing my mind.” I am still blown away by how cool this book is and how well-planned it was. Once you pick it up, you will not put it down until you have read it at least twice.

Also, check out Mr. Sachar’s collection of related short stories “Sideways Stories from Wayside School”; they’re a blast.

Just because these books were written for children does not mean that we, as adults, cannot enjoy them. After all, an adult wrote them and they clearly meant something to their authors, whether that something was religious belief, strength in the face of overwhelming odds or mind-blowing awesomeness.

photo from internet source

Hoot Scoops

October 21, 2011

The Brandeis Hoot 20

Nation remembers Anita Hill testimony

By Nathan Koskella Editor

It has been 20 years since Anita Hill, then a law professor at Oklahoma, appeared before the Senate Judiciary Committee for what she called “the most difficult experience of my life.”

“It is only after a great deal of agonizing consideration that I am able to talk of these unpleasant matters to anyone,” Hill told 14 United States senators, before telling the nation that Supreme Court nominee Clarence Thomas, while employing her in the government, had harassed her with sexually-charged comments, talk of pornographic crush videos and boasts of his personal sexual prowess.

Hill’s allegations were both lurid and specific.

Thomas, she claimed, purported to find pubic hair on his Coke can; told Hill that he was particularly pleasing to women during oral sex; and demanded a necessary reason why she had “said no to him.” Hill also asserted that when she left his office to begin teaching law, Thomas admitted to her that if she ever talked about his conduct, it would “ruin his career.”

For his part, Thomas said that he “categorically denied all of the allegations,” and he even “denied that I ever attempted to date Anita Hill” or expressed any romantic interest in her that could have been conceived as harassment.

The then-sitting D.C. circuit judge went further, saying that since these false accusations were put to him by the FBI, he had experienced a fundamental change in his emotional state.

“I have never, in all my life, felt such hurt, such pain, such agony,” Thomas said in his testimony.

“My family and I have been done a grave and irreparable injustice. During the past two weeks, I lost the belief that if I did my best all would work out.”

Opinion polls conducted during the hearings portrayed an American public that was deeply skeptical of Hill—Thomas was only the second African-American nominated to the high court, succeeding the first, Justice Thurgood Marshall.

The Judiciary Committee, then-chaired by Delaware Democrat Joseph Biden, who stopped calling witnesses who were “pro-Anita Hill,” sent the nomination to the full house. The Senate, by the most narrow vote margin in more than 100 years, confirmed Thomas 52-48.

Two decades later Hill, now a national figure, left in disgrace. She has said in rare interviews that she found it difficult to date under the spotlight and labored to move on in her professional career.

She joined Brandeis in 1998, teaching first in the Women’s and Gender Studies program before

joining the Heller School for Social Policy and Management. Several of her colleagues, who she met at Brandeis, attended a conference held for her, “Anita Hill 20 Years Later: Sex, Power and Speaking Truth,” in New York this past Saturday.

The conference brought together activists, legal experts from Hill’s 1991 team and other scholars to discuss the hearings and their aftermath.

“It was unbelievably powerful, and I’ve attended dozens if not hundreds of other academic conferences,” Professor Joyce Antler, chair of American Studies, said. “Rarely has there been one of this magnitude in terms of its cultural relevance.”

The conference contained one panel on the hearing, with another of younger panelists to discuss the impact since.

The conference included legal luminaries, like Charles Ogletree of Harvard and Judith Resnick of Yale, who were on Hill’s legal team or had expertise in race relations, and longtime women’s rights leader Gloria Steinem.

According to Professor Susan Lanser (ENG), there were more than 2,200 registrants for the packed event. It was a full house that “made anything that we have a Brandeis look positively tiny” by comparison.

“There were so many groups, activists, artists and scholars that have taken what she did and carried the cause forward,” Professor Bernadette Brooten (NEJS) said.

“And how we move forward was the question,” she added. “Anita Hill is so positive and forwardlooking, and embodied that sense at the conference.”

Brooten also gave an anecdote that when one young woman raised a good point, Hill interrupted and asked her, “Do you have plans for a book? Do you have an outline for a book?”

Many in the Hunter College auditorium criticized now-Vice President Biden, and Antler said Thomas may not have been confirmed, since it was by such a slim margin, “had the hearings not been cut short by Biden.”

Steinem, though, made a bold claim to much applause: “Clarence Thomas may be on the Supreme Court, but Dominique Strauss-Kahn will never be president of France.”

Applause lines and other positive chants punctuated the conference, an entirely different atmosphere than the tense Senate chamber.

“Being at this conference really took you back and back 20 years. It was a revelatory moment when the day began with Anita Hill, in her blue dress, before 14 white, male senators,” Antler said.

“They were almost vitriolic in belittling her,” she continued, saying, “the senators attacked who

twenty years later Left: Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas. Right: Anita Hill during Thomas’ confirmation hearings.

she was and even her ability to bring this up.”

“We saw the Senate vote and Anita did not win—but this was a watershed moment when you saw the injustice of the system. Anita Hill spoke and there was no going back,” Antler said.

“For legal history, sexual and gender history, and I’d even say it is up there with the work of Susan B. Anthony, Rosa Parks and Eleanor Roosevelt.”

Legacy Antler went so far as to compare it to President John F. Kennedy’s assassination and the Challenger shuttle explosion—“mothers and daughters asked each other, ‘Where were you when Anita testified?’”

Antler said that while Hill did not win—in terms of Thomas successfully attaining a lifetime seat on the Supreme Court—but the success the women’s movement and the nation have made toward awareness of the issues Hill raised still counts.

Brooten said that, like Strauss-Kahn’s ordeal, the “loss” experienced by Anita Hill by Thomas’ confirmation was “a political decision, not a legal one.”

“But with sexual harassment, workplace discrimination and sexual violence,” she said, “we now have an actual legal issue. She moved that forward—it’s an issue now in schools, a policy issue; she was its first and most important incarnation.”

While many women were of course subject to the same treatment as Anita Hill, she is credited with the public first for what Brooten said was the courage and clarity to move it forward in the public eye.

“Young women and men have found ways to speak about meaningful consent,” she said, “and your body has dignity. You have the right to study at a university free of harassment, work in a setting free from harassment—this is not about sex.”

Lanser said the conference’s being held now had a special relevance because of the economic crisis: “When there are no jobs, what happens if you lose yours [for speaking out]? So Anita Hill is still very relevant.”

The court of public opinion, Lanser said, was where Hill’s victory was reached.

“Sexual harassment was not taken to be a disqualification for a Supreme Court justice—now that’s changed,” she said.

She also referred to the Strauss-Kahn sex assault case and political fallout, saying that French women were going through the same “change in consciousness” that the United States went through 20 years ago.

“These problems aren’t over,” Lanser said. “This generation has problems to deal with that must be solved.”

photos from internet source