The Brandeis Hoot - February 3, 2012

Volume 9 Number 3

www.thebrandeishoot.com

Editorial

The Hoot counters Justice editorial

I

n response to a Justice editorial published Tuesday titled “Recognize Greek life,” we strongly urge the administration to uphold the value of equal opportunity that defines Brandeis University and reject the idea of recognizing

Brandeis University’s Community Newspaper • Waltham, Mass.

Don’t recognize Greek life

fraternities and sororities.

The Justice correctly noted that participation in off-campus fraternities at Brandeis has increased dramatically during the past five years with the launching of new chapters and doubling of membership rates in existing ones.

Students searching first and foremost for a social life and college experience enhanced by Greek life do not come to Brandeis. They never

have and they never will. We have never been that type of university, and we never will be.

Clearly, Greek life exists at Brandeis, and the inability of Greek organizations to sponsor charity events places both students and administrators in awkward positions.

Yet simply because Greek life exists does not mean the solution is to recognize it.

While Greek organizations do em-

brace community values of brotherhood, sisterhood and philanthropy, they also promote social hierarchy and exclusion. University regulation cannot solve the idea of students pledging for acceptance by their peers based on criteria unrelated to merit.

If the university regulated fraternities and sororities, it would be unable to prevent the inevitable social discrimination that would occur, even

February 3, 2012

if only against one student each year.

The university’s responsibility is to serve the interests of all its students.

Endorsing Greek organizations tied to a legacy of hazing and social inequality violates the principles that built Brandeis University in 1948 and continue to empower it today.

What separates Brandeis from other universities is that it offers See EDITORIAL, page 15

Answers elusive in frustrating, arbitrary class caps

By Aly Schuman

Special to the Hoot

used bookstore Protesters set up camp in downtown Boston.

photo by alex schneider/the hoot

In fundraising capital, a purpose-driven bookstore

By Jon Ostrowsky and Alex Schneider Editors

BOCA RATON, Fla. – Palm trees line the streets of wealth here but at the edge of a nondescript strip mall is a bookstore bearing Brandeis University’s name. Visitors won’t find typical Boca shopping of $5 Starbucks lattes

or Elizabeth Arden pocketbooks.

Instead, hidden in this Jewish retirement capital, John Grishams, Clinton biographies and Shakespeare plays surprise with their discounted $1 price tag.

The facade could easily mislead.

Now, more than 15 years old, the used bookstore has made a real contribution recently, raising an average of $25,000 per year for the university.

Tents gone, students turn to Occupy 2.0

By Gilda Di Carli

Special to the Hoot

As students and faculty strolled through Harvard Yard carrying cups of Starbucks coffee Tuesday afternoon, gone were the rallying cries to end corporate greed that had rung through campus and the tent donated

by MIT students to support Occupy Harvard. The student organizers of the movement, however, claim this intermittent period will enable them to move forward with Occupy 2.0, even at an elite Ivy League institution such as Harvard.

One of the movement’s challenges was addressing skepticism about Harvard’s role in criticizing the 1 percent.

“If you have so many issues with the 1 percent, why did you come to Harvard?” Claire McLaughlin ’15 asked.

Other students disagreed, explaining that Harvard’s student body includes students from a wide range of economic backgrounds.

“Yes, Harvard is a bastion of privilege; it gives me access to resources and opportunities to travel on grants.

But I am not part of the 1 percent, and I plan on becoming a journalist after I graduate, not part of the 1 percent,” Sandra Korn, an undergraduate organizer of the movement, said. “Like most students, I will be paying back student loans, although people say Harvard has great financial aid. Harvard’s financial aid is not a great force of wealth redistribution.”

Since students have returned from winter break, Occupy Harvard has held two meetings each week to plan See OCCUPY, page 2

Brandeis Books might be 1,200 miles south of Waltham, but volunteers who pick up the phone answer with a simple, “Brandeis.”

“What we do is to make sure that we can keep our end up and send enough See FUNDRAISING, page 3

Class-capping at Brandeis can seem a vague and inconsistent process.

Some classes are capped at a larger number than other equivalent courses; some allow additional students past these capped limits while others do not.

Mark Hewitt, the university registrar, gave a few reasons why classes are capped.

A typical and increasingly frequent reason, according to Hewitt, is simply size constraints. “This [capping] happens when a class is approaching the physical limits of the classroom and we have no larger classroom available to move it to,” Hewitt said. Instructors do not know what size classroom they will receive during the registration period. Therefore capping commonly is put in place before there is a clear idea of what the room capacity will be.

Sometimes there are situations in which the professor feels a limit must be placed on the class for a specific learning atmosphere. “If they are capped for pedagogical reasons, then that is a decision that is made by the

instructor and chair of the department and ultimately approved by the dean [of arts and sciences],” Hewitt explained.

This could include labs, classes requiring many oral presentations or language classes where class participation is key. Sometimes professors will prefer to have larger introductory classes so that other courses may remain small, a fact asserted by Mick Watson, dean of the graduate school of arts and sciences and professor of psychology. While these larger courses may still have caps, they are able to be bigger with the help of teaching assistants who can break up the classes into smaller discussion groups periodically.

Professors Mike Coiner (ECON) and Sarah Lamb (ANTH) both say they would not be able to manage such large classes without their TAs. Lamb said she needs her TAs so that she can break her Anthropology 1A class, Introduction to the Comparative Study of Human Societies, into discussion groups of around 20 students. Otherwise, she prefers her smaller classes to be capped at 25-40 students so that class discussions can See CLASS CAPS, page 17

Networking in fashion and style

dress code Students discuss career ideas at a fashion show and networking event on Wednesday hosted

by Hiatt in collaboration with Lord & Taylor. For more see page 16.

photo by ingrid schulte/the hoot

NEWS

2 The Brandeis Hoot

February 3, 2012

College affordability becomes election year priority

By Emily Belowich Staff

President Barack Obama asked the crowd at the University of Michigan last week, “How can we make sure that everybody is getting the kind of education they need to personally succeed but also to build up this nation?”

The president gave specific details of his proposal to help make college a more affordable and realistic opportunity for students and families. The plan, which Obama first proposed in his State of the Union address earlier this month, promises to lower costs and increase the amount of money colleges receive to lend as various types of loans.

The first part of his plan proposes a “shopping sheet” that will force colleges to be very transparent about how much financial aid they offer and how much it truly costs to go to college. Essentially, the shopping sheet will allow prospective families to compare more easily the financial aid packages that each college offers, making decisions about college affordability easier to navigate.

This part of the proposal, according to Professor Michael Coiner (ECON), would set in motion some type of competition among colleges and could eventually help to keep prices down a bit.

The second part of Obama’s plan involves a grading system, in which the government will rate each college’s graduation rate and will also assess how well their graduates are doing in finding jobs and the kinds of salaries they are earning.

Coiner sees this part of Obama’s plan as having both pros and cons.

“On the one hand, families will

have more information about what the chances are of their child graduating, finding a job and earning a decent salary. On the other hand, it might be that some universities, in order to look better on the report, will lower their graduation standards and essentially try to graduate everyone whether they learn anything or not.”

Another problem that Coiner sees with this grading system is the variations and specializations between schools. Public universities in the past few years have faced substantial budget cuts, which have in turn significantly decreased their graduation rates. Coiner explained that when the public looks at graduation rates, many are blindsided by the facts and do not realize how budget cuts directly affect graduation rates.

Many universities, Brandeis included, have historically focused on maintaining a well-balanced liberal arts education, in which popular majors can range anywhere from business to chemistry. Other institutions have concentrated on a different audience, who they train to be social workers and elementary school teachers—professions that earn lower salaries. This, in turn, makes for a system that rates each school against one another, not keeping in mind that every school holds different values, sizes and budgets.

“I think that publishing a college scorecard would have to be very carefully done. We do have one out there already, the U.S. News and Report, and that’s not free of problems because schools will manipulate their data to look better in the federal ranking,” Coiner said.

“It is possibly a very good idea if it’s done carefully, but we don’t

know yet exactly what it’s going to consist of.”

The third part of Obama’s plan uses federal aid—work study and Perkins Loans for example—as an incentive for colleges to hold costs down. Essentially, colleges that have not in the past succeeded in holding costs down would get their federal aid reduced.

Coiner believes this part of the proposal will most likely have to be passed through Congress and that it will be very difficult to pass given the current economy, since in the short-run it would cost money to expand this idea.

The foreseeable problem with trying to get colleges to reduce their costs is an overall decline in the quality of education.

“In an effort to cut costs, some schools might resort to larger classes and more adjunct faculty,” Coiner says. “Public universities, especially, are at the mercy of their state governments.

“They are faced with a tough choice: They either have to cut costs or raise tuition.”

Critics are arguing against Obama’s proposal saying that it is extremely difficult to hold down costs. Unfortunately, cutting costs could mean a lower quality education, in which case families would have to think carefully and thoroughly about the future.

With all of this said, some of Obama’s proposals will potentially increase government spending, and but it isn’t clear yet how he intends to pay for it. It is not yet a fully detailed report and until then, prospective students and families should keep this in mind as they process the realities of college affordability.

photo from internet source

president barack obama The president addressed the University of Michigan last Friday.

Harvard students plan next stage of Occupy protest OCCUPY, from page 1

the movement’s next phase: Occupy 2.0, Korn explained. “The idea behind Occupy 2.0 is transitioning from our physical encampment to more cohesive, disruptive, interesting, fun, targeted actions,” she said.

Among these actions, Occupy Harvard has begun working on the No Layoffs Campaign with SLAM (Student Labor Action Movement).

The No Layoffs Campaign gained

considerable attention in 2008 when students participated in a wave of demonstrations as the university laid off several staff workers. This year the campaign aims to protest on behalf of the library staff, many of whom will be laid off due to a restructuring of the library system, according to university administration.

Occupy Harvard has also joined with the Occupy UMass Boston movement only established more than a week ago. Occupy Harvard has

lent tents, solidarity signs and other resources to the students at UMass in an effort to show “we are all students fighting the same fight,” Korn said.

Last week Bread and Puppet Theater, a politically radical theater based in Glover, Vt., traveled to Harvard for three performances of Occupy Calisthenics within and surrounding the Harvard campus.

Occupy Harvard released the 2012 Spring Course Catalog Supplement, aiming to “poke fun at Harvard’s se-

rious policies,” Korn said. The introduction to the supplement explained that an additional fee would be charged for producing this supplement, containing courses that were accidentally left out “because we were too busy managing the endowment to proofread it.”

Due to safety risks from high winds, on Jan. 13, Harvard employees and Cambridge police disassembled the geodesic dome that MIT students donated to Occupy Harvard to keep them warm and dry.

Occupy Harvard organizers, however, said there was a discrepancy in communication.

“The groundskeeper said that as long as the dome was staked down and not a safety concern, which is what we were in the process of doing, it was OK. They took it down anyways,” Jennifer Sheehy-Skeffington, a graduate student organizer said.

Harvard Police officers and university spokesman Kevin Galvin, declined to comment for this story.

Last semester one could not see the typical sight that one sees now of tourists sightseeing, the elderly woman from Cambridge walking her terrier and the MIT students sitting on stairs. Officials gated the campus and prevented those not affiliated with Harvard from entering Harvard Yard due to safety concerns caused by the Occupy movement.

Regardless, Harvard students uninvolved with the movement noticed little difference between last semester and this one. “It didn’t affect my life whatsoever,” Leanna Herlich, an up-

perclassman, said.

First-years, whose dorms are located at the site of Occupy Harvard’s encampment and who encountered the protest on a daily basis, expressed relief it was gone. “It was pretty inconvenient, but I feel like a lot of people who were upset with the movement did not understand what they were doing or where they were coming from,” Crimson writer Dan Dou ’15 said.

Other students expressed concern that Occupy Harvard jeopardized the university’s image as Harvard security gated the campus. “It came across like we were keeping everyone out, but in reality it was a security issue,” McLaughlin said. “I don’t want my school to look even more exclusive than it is. That was a concern I had.

I also know some tour guides weren’t getting paid because they couldn’t enter the campus. I didn’t want visitors saying, ‘that is soo Hahvard,” McLaughlin said.

Sheehy-Skeffington explained that one of the movement’s main accomplishments last semester was that it shifted public discourse within the Harvard community.

“Occupy Harvard was the most spoken about term in The Crimson.

The number one issue was the need to look at what our own role is as an institution. Students now go into the job market knowing there is a sizable amount of classmates that will disapprove of them if they take up investment banking jobs,” Sheehy-Skeffington said. “They need to think twice.”

February 3, 2012

NEWS 3

The Brandeis Hoot

Colleges and websites react to anti-piracy bills

photo by ingrid schulte/the hoot

By Connor Novy editor

Wednesday, Jan. 18: College students everywhere experienced a collective panic attack. Hundreds of websites, including Wikipedia, Reddit, Wordpress and BoingBoing, “blacked out” in protest of the proposed Stop Online Piracy Act, or SOPA, and discontinued service for 24 hours in illustration of the censorship the site owners believe will come should SOPA pass both houses of

Congress.

The since-shelved SOPA (and its counterparts PIPA and ACTA) are meant to target pirated content, and the sites that host it, like the notorious and recently terminated Megavideo.

While it is widely agreed that protection of creative property is essential, the Stop Online Piracy Act, opponents say, comes rife with unintended—or unattested—consequences.

“Piracy is a problem, but there are better ways to deal with it than SOPA/ PIPA/ACTA,” Sari Holt ’15 said.

“Those just target innocent people and don’t actually accomplish anything. Lawmakers need to do more research and not just listen to the lobbyists.”

SOPA would theoretically allow the government to remove any website used “primarily as a means for engaging in, enabling or facilitating the activities” of copyright infringement, whether physical, counterfeit products, like knock-off handbags or creative copyright infringement, like movies and songs. Legislation

Heller School committee to promote diversity

By Marisa Budlong Special to the Hoot

Heller School Dean Lisa Lynch announced this month the founding of the Heller Diversity Steering Committee. Its main objectives are the enhancement of educational and research programs; reinforcement of an inclusive and welcoming environment; and the diversity of race, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, ethnicity and socioeconomics among the Heller School’s faculty, university staff and students.

The committee will be chaired by Anita Hill, a Heller School professor and household name, who has recently taken on several leadership roles on campus, which she joined in 1997.

“The committee’s work is in keeping with the Heller mission to ad-

dress issues facing a diverse society with attention to its most vulnerable citizens and will enhance the Heller School’s ability to expand its current research activities on disparities in access to health care, economic well-being, education, social services and human rights,” Lynch said.

The Heller School unanimously adopted this committee to achieve the purposes of the recent strategic plan, which includes developing academic capabilities and research impact, expanding boundaries across educational programs, and attaining greater racial and ethnic diversity. Lynch plans to work closely with this new committee.

“To improve mentoring, to aid in the integrity of the whole and to offer more varied angles of vision in its academic programs, the Heller School needs to recruit a more diverse faculty, research staff and ad-

ministration to match its student body, its program and its mission,” Lynch said. “With Professor Anita Hill chairing our committee as well as heading up diversity efforts for the university as a whole, I hope we will see positive synergies across our campus.”

A specific agenda has not yet been made for the committee, but both Hill and Lynch do not anticipate any negative concerns for the committee and hope to achieve the purpose of the Heller School’s strategic plan.

“We [the committee] are all dedicated to enhancing the diversity of the school and all bring our individual expertise and perspectives to the committee,” Hill said. “I am anxious to hear the members’ ideas and share my own and to facilitate moving from ideas to plans to achievements.”

Brandeis party scene in full swing

By Zachary Romano Special to the Hoot

Spring rush fever has taken hold of the Brandeis campus. Greek letters and rush t-shirts are now common attire on campus. This past weekend, hundreds of text messages were sent with party details and invites to an eclectic mix of events.

For such an active party weekend on the Brandeis campus, BEMCo reported only two cases of intoxicated students hospitalized for alcohol treatment. University police dispersed a total of four parties across campus.

Incidents did occur on campus in the Ziv Residence Quad on Friday night, which amounted to an altercation between two students concerning allegedly stolen

property. On Saturday night, Waltham Police broke up several parties on Dartmouth Street.

Despite Brandeis’ lack of official recognition of these groups, they play a growing role on our campus.

“There is a misconception that Greeks are the only ones that party on campus. If one navigates any fraternity party, they will find a large amount of non-Greek students,” said Aaron Corsi Markiewitz ’15, who pledged last semester.

Rush parties for fraternities and sororities are normally open to the entire Brandeis population.

“I joined a fraternity because I liked the people that were in it and it really seemed like the best way to maximize my experience for the next four years by giving me a group that would help support me and my goals,” said Abel Flint ’15, who pledged last semester.

has already been passed to protect copyrighted material on the Internet but, unlike the 1998 DMCA, which concentrates on removing infringing material from a website, SOPA is designed to target the website that hosts the content, as well as to remove websites that are affiliated with domains known for copyright infringement.

Numerous colleges protested the legislation, through blackouts of their own or with physical demonstrations, including Syracuse University, and others like MIT were extremely active in the opposition, as they felt they had a great deal to lose.

Much of universities’ online content would be put in legal jeopardy, sometimes because of blogs’ use of copyrighted material, whether conscious or not. If sites were suspected of being complicit in sharing copyrighted information, the government would have legal authority to shut down the site. Professor Jill Greenlee (POL) believes that, even if the bill did pass, universities would remain largely untouched. “How would it ever be beneficial for the Justice Department to take down university websites?” she asked.

It could, however, be a potential financial burden on universities, whose IT and Library departments would have to comb through their colleges’ digital traffic for signs of copyright violations. “This has really struck people hard in education,” said Bryan Alexander of the National Institute for Technology in Liberal Education, a nonprofit group of 150 colleges and universities, including Brandeis, in an interview with eCampus News. “Librarians are the experts [in copyright violation], so it means more work for

them,” he explained, “which is bad during a time of cutting budgets and reducing resources in higher education.” EDUCAUSE, the educational technology advocacy group, said the bills would limit Internet freedom on campus and expose schools to frivolous litigation.

It would also, according to Chris Peterson at MIT Admissions, potentially incur liability costs for online fledgling companies so high it would drive away investors, “strangling start-ups.”

Many believe that this could lead to an abuse of power by the authorities.

Greenlee believes that even if SOPA or a similar bill were to pass, the likelihood that the authorities would enforce it at all, or at least very often, is low. The actual effects of SOPA would be far less than the intended because, she explained, it would be politically dangerous for the government to enforce it.

Though SOPA and PIPA have been effectively derailed, the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA), onto which many countries, including the United States, have already signed, may be equally inflammatory.

What ACTA does, according to European Parliament member Christian Engström, in a blog entry on Jan. 28, is remove the necessity for film or record companies to prove they lost purchases. “The film or record companies would no longer have to prove that they have actually lost the money.

All they need to do is to multiply the number of songs with the price for one song to get the amount of damages measured by the suggested retail price.”

Bookstore far away raises money for ’Deis

“ ” It matters not ... whether Brandeis thanks us or doesn’t. We’re there to make sure the bookstore continues.

FUNDRAISING, from page 1

to Brandeis to make it worthwhile,” organizer Molly Seiden said. Seiden has led the store for the last 12 years and speaks of an obligation to ensure the store survives in an age of Kindles and iPads.

“It matters not … whether Brandeis thanks us or doesn’t. We’re there to make sure the bookstore continues,” Seiden said.

“They are extremely dedicated,” Brandeis National Committee Executive Director Janice Fineman said.

“It provides a community service and a place to meet. … It is a wonderful way for the group to support Brandeis.”

Fineman explained that Brandeis Books is a remnant of a series of book fairs that Brandeis National Committee chapters across the country once held as their primary fundraising events. “Over the years, this has dwindled, mainly because of the amount of work that it takes.”

But here in Florida, as well as in Tucson, Ariz., and Corpus Christi, Texas, the tradition has continued.

In Corpus Christi, the chapter holds an annual sale in a local mall, while in Tucson and Boca Raton, Brandeis Books has a permanent presence.

The options here in the Boca store are certainly overwhelming. Volumes upon volumes of books line the shelves from floor to ceiling,

- Molly Seiden

with more piled into boxes. Every genre is represented, especially Judaica.

All books are donated. “It is an eclectic selection,” Seiden said.

“You could go through there once and not even see half the books we have.

“We have some dreck, but that’s normal because some people want to read dreck.”

As is the case with many members of the BNC here, the volunteers are overwhelmingly women who never attended Brandeis, some having never set foot on campus.

Many are of an age that they never had the opportunity to attend college.

“The ladies work hard,” Seiden said. “When you do volunteer, you have a responsibility—you must show up, you must know what’s in the store. … It is difficult [to find volunteers] but it is not doom and gloom.”

Donations to the store determine the success of sales. When one BNC member donated a collection of books three months ago, the store was able to capitalize on the gift and sell $1,000 worth of books per day.

“If their parents live here, tell students to ask them to donate their books,” Seiden said. “Just not Nora Roberts, I beg of you.”

4 The Brandeis Hoot

views of the week Art on display

photos by ingrid schulte/the hoot

paintings in the scc Tameen Jaara ’15 and Todd Kirkland ’13 sit in front of student artwork in the Shapiro Campus Center on Feb. 2 (middle photo). First-year artwork has been on display in the SCC this past week.

February 3, 2012

Meet the majors

photos by ingrid schulte/the hoot meet the majors, exhibit opening (Top to bottom) Alex Hulse ’12 talks with fellow Anthropology majors.

Professor Laurel Carpenter (ANTH) speaks briefly about the department. Coleman Mahler ’13 looks at the exhibit in Schwartz’s lobby curated by Professor Javier Urcid’s (ANTH) fall 2011 Meaning and Material Culture class.

Brandeis Democrats host local Senate candidate

photo by ingrid schulte/the hoot visit from mike barrett Members of the Deis Dems enjoyed a visit from Mike Barrett, who is running for State Senate in the Third Middlesex District of Massachusetts, at their weekly meeting Feb. 1. He talked about ways to get

involved with local campaigns, among other topics.

impressions

February 3, 2012

The Brandeis Hoot 5

Call Me, Tweet Me

Komen vs. Planned Parenthood: What would Grandma do?

Timeless lessons on freedom and choice

By Leah Finkelman Editor

I expected my first column while abroad to be something intrinsically introspective about the beauty of London and the personal growth I’ve achieved after only two weeks.

It would all be true—I love it here, and I’m having the time of my life.

It’ll have to wait though, because right now I’m so upset I’m shaking.

My maternal grandmother was and is one of the most important people in my life. From the time I was three years old, we lived in the same city and we saw my grandparents often. I remember her as a somewhat stern but always loving woman who adored her grandchildren, coming to as many of our school and extra-curricular events as she could.

When I was six years old, Lois Ruth Newmark Jipp, my namesake, babysitter and beloved grandmother was diagnosed with breast cancer. After a long, grueling year of aggressive treatment, she passed away at home, surrounded by her family, two months before my eighth birthday.

It goes without saying that it was a difficult time for my family, but as those in mourning often are, we were comforted by our memories of her, and the knowledge that she would live on in her legacy: her husband, her four children, their spouses and her (at the time) six grandchildren, including the baby my uncle and his wife were in the process of adopting.

From my grandmother, a working woman raising four children, my mother and her siblings learned the importance and the value of individual freedom and choice.

Although she never gave up her Canadian citizenship and couldn’t vote on issues she supported, my grandmother was pro-choice on all issues: civil rights, women’s rights GLBT rights, etc. In a speech on why she never became an American citizen, she said, “I’m sure if I had come from a country with no personal freedom I would have welcomed the opportunity to become a citizen of a country that puts such a high emphasis on personal freedom.”

According to my mother, her eldest, Grandma “didn’t have a lot of money to give to those causes, and she couldn’t vote for pro-choice candidates because she wasn’t an American citizen, so she supported individual freedom and choice with her voice, talking to her friends and teaching her kids.”

After she was diagnosed, my family began supporting Susan G. Komen for the Cure, an organization that supports education and research about breast cancer. My grandmother and aunt walked in the central Ohio Komen Race for the Cure when she was sick, and since her death several family members and friends have walked and raised money in her memory.

Since its creation in 1982, Komen has raised close to $2 billion for research, advocacy, education programs and other services relating to breast cancer. The organization has been absolutely vital in bringing breast cancer to national awareness. For that, I applaud them. For the past five years, those services included grants to Planned Parenthood clinics to provide breast exams to low-income and uninsured women.

Tuesday, Komen spokeswoman Leslie Aun said that the organization would no longer provide those grants on the basis of a new rule barring grants from organizations that are being investigated by authorities. Following urging by antiabortion group Americans United for Life, Rep. Cliff Stearns (R-Fla.) launched an investigation to see if government funding was being used by Planned Parenthood to perform abortions. As of now, the rule only affects Komen’s relationship with Planned Parenthod.

According to Komen board member and lobbyist John D. Raffaelli, the decision was made due to fears of losing potential donations from people who didn’t want to support organizations under federal investigation. Dawn Laguens, an executive vice president of Planned Parenthood, followed up with a statement criticizing Komen’s attempt to increase donations from pro-life people and organizations, pointing out that its grants had paid for breast cancer screenings for 170,000 women.

“I’m going to reserve my empathy for the women left on the side of the road by somebody who has given into bullying,” Laguens said, and I agree with her completely.

While I support everything Susan G. Komen has done to fight breast cancer, I can no longer support an organization that takes away a vital service from the women who need it. The women who receive breast exams at Planned Parenthood likely would not be able to afford them otherwise.

Cecile Richards, president of Planned Parenthood Federation of America and one of my personal

$680,000

2011 grants from Komen to Planned Parenthood for breast exams

$650,000

donated to Planned Parenthood in the 24 hours following the Komen announcement

Sources: Planned Parenthood, Susan G. Komen for the Cure, The New York Times, National Public Radio, The Huffington Post, The Washington Post. graphic by leah finkelman/the hoot

lessons learned From her grandmother, Leah Finkelman ’13 learned the importance of choice.

heroes, released a statement about Komen’s decision, saying, “We are alarmed and saddened that the Susan G. Komen for the Cure Foundation appears to have succumbed to political pressure. Our greatest desire is for Komen to reconsider this policy and recommit to the partnership on which so many women count.”

I know that my grandmother would approve of my decision to withdraw my support from Susan G. Komen for the Cure. To her, this

would not be about Planned Parenthood’s stance on abortion, but rather the important services the organization provides to women who wouldn’t be able to afford it otherwise. She worked hard to help provide for her family, and she would find it inconceivable that Komen didn’t want to help women who were unable to provide for themselves.

This shouldn’t be about abortion, it should be about women. Women who are unable to receive medi-

photo courtesy of leah finkelman/the hoot

cal care and prevention that they desperately need. I’m appalled and disappointed that Komen has forgotten that as they sold themselves to political zealots.

My donation has joined others in raising more than $650,000 donated in the past few days, offsetting the $680,000 loss in Komen grants.

Whatever your stance on abortion, join me in helping with the early detection of breast cancer by donating to Planned Parenthood today.

In 96 years, 5,000,000 people have utilized the services of Planned Parenthood. 76 percent of them have been at or below 150 percent of the federal poverty level. Only 11 percent of Planned Parenthood’s clients receive abortion services, which account for 3 percent of their health services. For the past 5 years, Susan G. Komen for the Cure has funded 170,000 breast exams with 1.3 percent of their $51 million fiscal year 2011 health screening grant expenses and .16 percent of their $409 million fiscal year 2011 total expenses.

6 IMPRESSIONS

The Brandeis Hoot

February 3, 2012

The Katzwer’s Out of the Bag

Separation of church and state: an overblown response

By Yael Katzwer Editor

There are many things written in the Constitution that can be questioned and understood in multiple ways. For example, we have the right to free speech but not if that speech can cause harm to others; U.S. Supreme Court Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes declared in 1919 that one cannot shout “fire” in a crowded theater.

Somewhat ambiguous is the section of the U.S. Constitution that decrees “a separation of church and state”; in fact, that phrase— “separation of church and state”— does not appear in the Constitution but comes from a letter that Thomas Jefferson wrote. The Constitution reads, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.”

This section of the Constitution seems to say plainly that Congress cannot prevent you from practicing your religion but it makes no statement about whether you can practice your religion in a public building. But, in 1947, all nine Supreme Court justices agreed that the United States should have separation of church and state so as to prevent religious coercion.

While this may seem cut and dry to us—we were all raised knowing the phrase “separation of church and state”—a 16-year-old girl is fighting for this principle.

Jessica Ahlquist, a junior at Cranston High School West in Rhode Island, lives in a heavily Roman Catholic city and is an atheist.

Ahlquist has become the face of an ACLU lawsuit against the public

Still Writing

high school to have a prayer banner removed from display in the gymnasium. Last month a judge ruled that the banner needed to be removed; the school has been holding meetings to decide whether or not they should comply with the order.

To be honest, when I first read about this case, I thought Ahlquist was making a big deal out of nothing. Who cares if the school has a prayer banner up? Yes, it is against the Constitution, but it is not as if the school makes the students recite it. Several former Cranston West students said they did not even remember the banner.

This is the natural thing to think when something does not affect you. But then I began to think about how I would feel if an overtly Christian prayer sign went up at my high school where I could see it every day. For a teenager, that can be intimidating and isolating.

“It seemed like it was saying, every time I saw it, ‘You don’t belong here,’” Ahlquist said.

My newfound sympathy for Ahlquist was further heightened when I read about the town’s reaction to her suit. Rather than stopping to consider how they would feel if an overtly religious symbol from another religion were being displayed at the public high school, the town stopped at nothing to vilify Ahlquist, a young woman who had the courage to stand up for that which she believes.

Ahlquist has received death threats from classmates and adults—or people who think they are adults (adults do not do this).

Three florists in her town have refused to deliver flowers to her.

Ahlquist was forced to take time off from school to escape the vitriol. State Representative Peter G. Palumbo called Ahlquist “an evil little thing” on a popular talk radio show.

This behavior is ridiculous and shameful. These people think they are better than Ahlquist because they are religious but good people do not harass little girls and they do not allow their biases to overrun their reason.

I agree that the banner is fairly benign and inoffensive but the law is the law. The banner reads: “Our Heavenly Father, Grant us each day the desire to do our best, To grow mentally and morally as well as physically, To be kind and helpful to our classmates and teachers, To be honest with ourselves as well as with others, Help us to be good sports and smile when we lose as well as when we win, Teach us the value of true friendship, Help us always to conduct ourselves so as to bring credit to Cranston High School West.

Amen” The banner has been hanging in the school since 1963, when a seventh-grade student wrote the prayer. A lot of people are arguing that the banner is a part of the school’s history and should remain because of that. So, leave it. If they would just cover up “Our Heavenly Father” and “Amen,” it is no longer a prayer and would not offend anyone. Ahlquist and the ACLU are not objecting to the values espoused in the prayer but to the manner in

photo from internet source

which they are espoused.

The response from those in Ahlquist’s community has just been appalling and, at times, confusing. For example, this is a line taken directly from the New York Times article on the issue: “Many alumni this week said they did not remember the prayer from their high school days but felt an attachment to it nonetheless.” What?

Why would you feel attached to something of which you learned mere days ago? That just does not make sense.

One Cranston West alumna, Brittany Lanni, told The New York Times that Ahlquist was “an idiot.”

She continued, “If you don’t believe in that, take all the money out of your pocket, because every dollar bill says, ‘In God We Trust.’” Lanni is correct. And maybe it is time that changed as well. We have a separa-

tion of church and state in this country—our money should not mention God on it.

Despite all the negative feedback, however, Ahlquist remains strong.

She intends to graduate from Cranston West next year and she refuses to back down on her lawsuit. When asked if she could empathize with the members of community who want the banner to remain, she responded, “I’ve never been asked this before. It’s almost like making a child get a shot even though they don’t want to. It’s for their own good. I feel like they might see it as a very negative thing right now, but I’m defending their Constitution too.”

I would like to thank Jessica Ahlquist for defending our Constitution and for not allowing the ignorance and cruelty of her community to weigh her down.

Limited pool hours sink hopes of convenient daily swimming

By Gordy Stillman Editor

graphic by diane somlo/the hoot

I’ve been swimming recreationally since I was about three years old. I even remember part of a swimming lesson in which I tried to swim away from my lesson group and into the deep end of a pool. I think I mostly wanted to show my parents that I could swim on my own at that point.

While I never swam competitively, I decided during my senior year that I was going to make use of the athletic facilities at whichever college I chose, primarily by swimming every day.

When I first arrived two and a half years ago, I planned to swim regularly only to learn on the first day of orientation that the pool had broken in the previous year and there were no plans to repair it at the time. To put it simply, I was ecstatic when last year it was announced that the pool would finally be repaired and running by the middle of my third year at Brandeis.

While I had made peace with the fact that the only reason I had for bringing my swimsuit to school every semester was in case I decided to take a trip to Florida or some other locale during breaks from school, I always held hope that eventually the Linsey Pool would be fixed and that it would hopefully be done before I graduate.

Fast forward to the beginning of this semester: After a short week of

classes, the pool party marked the official re-opening of the pool. After the opening, I was finally able to find a schedule of the pool hours. Unfortunately, the pool is open for 36 hours and 45 minutes per week. The daily schedules break it down to five hours and 45 minutes per day on week days, and four hours per day on weekends.

Further, if I leave out the hours on Sunday dedicated to gender-specific swimming, it is as if the pool is only open for three hours on Sunday for any given person, as I’m 99 percent certain that no one qualifies for both the women’s hours and the men’s hours.

On weekdays, the pool is open in three blocks: 7:15 to 9 a.m., 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., and from 6 to 8 p.m. With various commitments such as classes, homework and clubs, it can be very difficult to find the time to go to the pool. While I’ve found the time to swim every day, I’ve had to move other parts of my daily routine around instead of fitting it in on top of other obligations.

The weekends offer the least total hours, but they have an advantage over the weekends in that the swimming hours are all in a large block.

On the weekends, the pool is open for four continuous hours. On Sundays, when the pool is open to any given student for a three-hour block, it’s See SWIM, page 9

February 3, 2012

IMPRESSIONS 7

The Brandeis Hoot

Know your odds in the housing lottery

By Betty Revah Staff

Now that the room selection process is coming up, members of the Brandeis community are eagerly awaiting their housing lottery number. Rising sophomores are taking the time to tour the campus and explore their different options, while upperclassmen are starting to get together and make plans for next year.

Eventually it all comes down to one thing: the lottery number. Housing choices can be very limited for people with a very high lottery number; however, a low lottery number equals success for the next academic year.

I have never been through the process of selecting housing myself, but it seems like an extremely stressful process. First is the wait for the lottery number. Having a good number—i.e., a low number—can guarantee that you will live with all your friends and have a “happily ever after” kind of moment. With suites available and the option of “pull-ins,” a good lottery number can pretty much guarantee a good year. A high number, however, can potentially mean that you get what everyone else doesn’t like, hence bad housing.

In order to make an informed decision (depending, of course, on this annoying lottery number that we will be receiving in a couple of weeks), all options should be carefully considered, especially when it comes to rising sophomores like me who are guaranteed housing but are perhaps less experienced in the process.

Sophomores have the option to live in East Quad, which is composed of single and double rooms. East has traditional, hall-style living, and people living there seem quite fun

and diverse. On the downside, I have heard rumors of East being infested with bugs.

Rosenthal Quad (presumably a party quad) contains suites of eight people. This is a very popular option and a really good lottery number is necessary.

The Castle offers traditional, hallstyle living, as well as suite living.

Since it’s a castle, you can pretty much pretend you are at Hogwarts. The Castle also has fun living arrangements, as some rooms are very hard to get into. For instance, I saw a girl using the fire escape, and I think there is a room accessed through the roof, if that is even possible.

The Village only offers a few rooms for sophomores but, judging by the demand, it must be a really great place in which to live; you get your own gym and even your own C-Store.

567 South St., though a little too far from campus, has a kitchen area and private bathroom. It’s a lot less like a dorm and a lot more like real life.

If all of these options aren’t enough, there are also singles available in North and Massell for whomever wants to live like a first-year again.

When it comes to juniors and seniors, the options are quite diverse.

Juniors and seniors primarily live in Ziv Quad (which offers six-person suites with singles), Charles River Apartments, Ridgewood, Foster Mods (which is exclusively for senior students) and the Village (which offers singles and doubles in a cluster hall-style). The Charles River Apartments, Ridgewood and Foster Mods offer a variety of apartment housing options that include kitchens; this means that you can cook your own food and do not need to have a meal plan! All housing options are com-

graphic by steven wong/the hoot

fortable and promote for a more “independent” kind of living since most of these options are farther from campus than the options that are given to first-years or sophomores.

The wait for the lottery number

can be tough, especially considering how important it is in determining a big part of the students’ happiness, socially and otherwise, for the following year. Being aware (and analyzing the pros and cons), however, of the

different options that are available for housing, as well as planning ahead of time can be very beneficial to the process. In the meantime I wish the best of luck to my fellow Brandeisians and may the best number win!

Altered Consciousness

As liberals and conservatives clash, the victor is unclear

graphic by sindhura sonnathi/the hoot

By Rick Alterbaum Columnist

As has been made abundantly clear during the past several years, one of the key issues dividing conservatives and liberals, particularly in relation to economic affairs, is the role and nature of government.

Underlying differences on subjects as detail-oriented and specific as

tax reform, spending levels, debt, deficits and entitlements are competing philosophical visions on the proper purpose of the federal government.

In particular, two important questions arise out of this debate, the first of which is: Where should the preponderance of power and decision-making authority be con-

centrated within our society?

Modern liberals, in contrast to the more libertarian individuals who once assumed that title, are inclined to believe that a substantial amount of power should be placed within the hands of officials serving in the federal government.

Capitalism and market forces are too chaotic and must be tamed

and restrained for the sake of the greater good as well as for those people who have been marginalized by this system. Furthermore, economic and social progress is as likely to derive from the insight of an enlightened civil servant as it is from the ingenuity of a CEO or businessman in the private sector.

This fundamentally positive vision of government leads to the belief that it should have a large capacity to implement policies that will ideally improve the lives of its citizens.

Conservatives, especially of the fiscal variety, instead think that power should be spread throughout every other sector in life aside from government. Markets, families, communities, religious establishments—all of these institutions, which have, at their core, autonomous individuals acting upon their own initiative or in concert with one another—should be allowed to provide services and perform tasks that are typically associated with centralized authority. Government ought still to maintain order, security, the rule of law and a restrained safety net, as well as enforce private property rights and some regulations, among other things. But when it exceeds this role and too much power is transferred to it, especially vis-a-vis its ability to tax and regulate, government becomes intrusive and counterproductive in regards to the goals it seeks to achieve.

The other essential question that arises is whether government is an enabler or disabler of rights.

In particular, in their rhetoric on

the nature of government, liberals may emphasize positive rights— the freedom to perform or acquire certain things. They are of the belief that people are entitled to a set of benefits—health, education, employment, welfare, security— that government can and should provide as a matter of moral and economic necessity. In this sense, government promotes liberty by laying the foundation for people’s future successes; it does not inhibit society’s ambitions but rather facilitates and directs them in certain directions to promote the common interest.

In contrast, conservatives often tend to discuss negative rights— freedom from specific restrictions and regulations—in relation to government. Liberty, from their perspective, seems to be defined as an absence of centralized control primarily on commerce and economic activities. This view is not necessarily anarchic since, as was mentioned, government ought to have a presence in this arena, albeit a limited one. But when government exceeds a set of relatively basic roles, it becomes an inherently harmful force that interferes with other spheres of life. Conservatives are intent on ensuring that this threshold is not crossed.

The answers to these questions over power and rights are not clear and perhaps they can be found somewhere in between where the liberal and conservative extremes lie. Regardless, it is useful to delineate the parameters of the debate over government.

8 IMPRESSIONS

Jelly of the Week

The Brandeis Hoot

February 3, 2012

Twisted trust: why sometimes strangers are more reliable than friends

By Josh Kelly Columnist

A few nights ago in the Shapiro Campus Center Library, something odd happened to me. I was sitting, ostensibly doing my work while really just messing around on my computer, when a guy I didn’t know who had been sitting at a table nearby asked me to watch his stuff for a few minutes.

At first it may not seem that strange at all. In my experience, this is a pretty ordinary occurrence at Brandeis. I then, however, started to think about it. To me, it seems most logical to ask a friend to watch your stuff. You can surely trust a friend. What seems very odd is asking someone you do not know to watch your stuff. The whole purpose behind having someone watch your stuff is that potentially, were someone to notice immediately that you had left and jump into the room with the intention of stealing your laptop within the time span of a bathroom break, it would not happen.

The logic holds up with a friend. Generally, I’d expect that even if my friend did take my laptop, it would just be a joke and it would be returned to me promptly. The entire purpose, however, is defeated when it is a stranger.

While I think of myself as a trustworthy person, and I certainly was not planning on doing anything to his stuff, it’s a little fun to muse about what I could possibly have done that would make trusting me a bad idea.

I could certainly have gone the boring route and just stolen his laptop. I could also have gotten a little more ingraphic by yi wang/the hoot

See FACEBOOK, page 9

Everything has its limits, including Cultural Relativism

By Sam Allen Columnist

This past Sunday in Ontario, Canada, Afghan nationals Mohammed Shafia, his wife Tooba Yahya and their oldest son Hamed were each found guilty on four counts of first-degree murder for killing the couple’s three daughters and Shafia’s first wife. They killed their daughters Zainab, 19; Sahar, 17; and Geeti 13 in a socalled “honor killing” because they had stained their family’s twisted concept of honor by dressing in Western styles, having boyfriends and because of Zainab’s attempt to marry to a man she loved. Mohammed Shafia was overheard in wiretaps saying this about his dead daughters, “God curse their generation, they were filthy and rotten children. To hell with them and their boyfriends, may the devil shit on their grave.”

What was most damning, however, for Mohammed Shafia, and that showed that the girls murder was an honor killing was when Shafia was overheard on the wiretap saying, “Even if they hoist me up onto the gallows, nothing is more dear to me than my honor.”

Shafia, along with his wife and his son, are honorless and shameless scum. It is they, along with ever perpetrator of “honor killings” worldwide, who lack honor, not the victims of their murders. The Shafia family will now each serve

at least 25 years in prison as they deserve, and justice has been found for their daughters.

Unsurprisingly, Islamic organizations in North America have denounced the Shafia family’s crime and have brought attention to the fact that honor killings have roots in old tribal customs, not Islam.

Here at Brandeis, however, I have spoken to people who have said that judging the Shafia family for their crimes means that we are lacking sensitivity for their culture.

These cultural-relativism absolutists apparently believe that even murder can be justified if it is part of a people’s culture. I wonder if these people would continue to believe this if they were traveling and were abducted by a group of people who believed enslaving another human being is an important rite of passage in their culture? Would they defend the culture of such people? The murder of these young girls is proof to me that even cultural relativism has its limits. A culture that condones murder, torture and slavery needs to be changed, end of story.

Central Asian cultures need to eliminate honor killing from their culture, just as American culture needed to get rid of lynchings just five decades ago. Murdering another human being because they looked at someone the wrong way, or fell in love with the wrong person can never be justified. Do cultural relativists believe that it was OK for white Americans to lynch

graphic by steven wong/the hoot

black people because it was part of their culture to string up black men for looking at white women the wrong way? What about widow burning in Indian culture? Or how

about legalized slavery in Mauretania? Should we have never spoken up about cultural practices that involve murder, torture or slavery?

Cultural Relativists need to answer

these questions. We should always respect other cultures, however, under no circumstances should cultural practices ever get in the way of saving a human life.

February 3, 2012

IMPRESSIONS 9

The Brandeis Hoot

Keeping perspective: Don’t lose sight of how lucky you are

graphic by linjie xu/the hoot

By Naomi Shine

Special to the Hoot

Before you read this article, stop for a moment. Think about where you’ve been today. Let’s say you stopped by the Shapiro Campus Center. You can remember students roaming around, talking in groups, lounging with books and tapping at iPads. Now think again.

Who did you miss?

A few days ago, I would not have thought anyone was missing from that picture. Last week, however, surveying the buzz of activity from my spot at the Campus Center Info Desk, I noticed a man carefully sweeping around the students’ feet, so as not to disturb their conversations. Moments later the janitor was called to clean up a spilled drink near the couches while students dashed off to their next ac-

tivities.

After that day, I increasingly noticed the total separation between worker and student. A common sight is the janitor roaming the atrium with a trash can, picking up after students who leave in a rush.

What strikes me most is the total invisibility of the janitor. One day he rolled a loud trash can through the atrium and no one looked up.

Students moved aside, still engaged in conversation, but never made eye contact.

Brandeis is known for being one of the most socially conscious campuses. And in truth, I have never seen students behave in a demeaning or dismissive way toward the workers on campus. On the contrary, I believe students are generally accommodating and respectful to staff. The problem I see is the unrecognized indebtedness we owe the workers around us.

No time to appreciate our pool SWIM, from page 6

still open longer than any of the time blocks on weekdays.

I understand that the pool will most likely only be open when lifeguards are available, and I understand that it costs money to pay lifeguards because no lifeguard is going to work for free. The thing is, there are plenty of students that need jobs and would happily take a few hours a week of work, even at what may seem like odd hours.

I also understand that swimming and diving clubs and teams have scheduled practices that use the pool at times when it’s not open to the average student. Without knowing when these groups have practices, I can hardly imagine which hours the building is open and the pool

is actually unused, but there must certainly be hours when the building is open that the pool is not in use.

I won’t deny that even with these hurdles I’ve found a way to go to the pool every weekday and I am working on finding the time to go on the weekends, too. The pool opened to huge celebration and is without a doubt a welcome addition to the athletic resources available to students. I just hope that eventually, like the weightroom, cardio room and other areas of Gosman, the pool reaches the point where it’s open throughout the day and only closed when clubs or the swim team reserve it.

They allow us to go about our day without having to think about anything but studying and socializing. Our bathrooms are stocked and clean, our food is prepared and ready, our events are set up for us to enjoy. We are able to lounge in the atrium and discuss our classes and lives because we don’t have to worry about anything else. What a life! How lucky we are to be the ones on the couches.

What makes us different from the people who sweep around our feet? Why are you reading this newspaper between classes as opposed to sweeping it up at the end of your shift?

This injustice starts the minute we are born. I remember meeting a girl named Alicia in my high school study hall; she was filling out telemarketer applications while I was filling out college applications. We were in the same school,

in the same room, yet so far apart.

I was lucky to be born into a family that values education above all else. My father left his country at the age of 26 after the Iranian Revolution. He lost all his connections, all his upbringing’s status.

As far back as I can remember, he has stressed the importance of doing well in school. But I could easily have been born into Alicia’s family, with an alcoholic mother, pregnant best friend, dad who paid his daughter with vodka to babysit and a sister with fetal alcohol syndrome. In Alicia’s shoes, when would I do my homework? Who would have taken me to piano lessons, soccer games and swim meets? Who would have driven me to school at seven in the morning for math tutoring? I learned to appreciate the small and large contributions my family made to my education. From kindergarten

on, students have preconceptions about how they are going to fare in school. Most of us at Brandeis have known we were going to college from the first time we heard about it. For those who have come to college without the support of strong expectations, great admiration is due.

I understand that unequal opportunities have been a real problem in this country for a long time.

One cannot be faulted for a privileged upbringing. I don’t expect to solve this problem, nor do I expect it ever to be solved. So what can we do? We can be utterly thankful— thankful for our positions, thankful for our good fortune. We may not change the lives of the workers at Brandeis but we can be aware of them. We can acknowledge the debt we owe them and keep in mind the people that allow us to pursue our goals.

Facebook friends or foes?

FACEBOOK, from page 8

teresting and maybe turned his backpack inside out, as was the custom for such an occasion when I was in ninth grade. If I really wanted to get a little risky, I could have put a spider in his bag.

The point is that since he didn’t know me, I was every bit as dangerous to his possessions as some anonymous stranger for whom I would supposedly be watching out. This has happened multiple times and it seems to me to be a pattern—at least at Brandeis—that we can be extremely trusting of one another even when it seems a tad illogical.

So the question is, why did he trust me? Why do all people in that situation choose to trust a stranger? I think that a lot of it is just appearance.

Likely, upon looking at me, he made subconscious calculations. He likely saw a studious-looking kid, about his age, almost certainly a student and in many ways very comparable to himself. The very act of sitting in the same room doing approximately the same activity created a sort of connection by which he could assume that he could trust me.

Furthermore, perhaps it is just human nature to trust people based on

agreements. We want to take people at their word, and when I said that I would watch his stuff I was in essence entering into a very informal verbal contract. Obviously one is more inclined to trust that someone won’t do something if they actually give an explicit guarantee that they will do the opposite of doing something, and just keep watch with vigilance.

There is, however, an interesting converse to this. I’m sure that many out there have been “hacked” by friends on Facebook or other social media websites. It has happened to me many times. Assuming that the “hacker” is not an experienced computer science major—or just someone who actually is literate with computers (not me)—it results from leaving your computer open to your page. It is almost exclusively friends who hack other friends, and people can often be concerned that they’ll be hacked, preempting it by telling friends not to do it. Interestingly, it appears that it is strangers whom you can trust in the SCC library, but just not the friend sitting next to you.

In my opinion, this is because we feel a license to violate rules with our friends. It is with our friends that we are allowed to make inappropriate jokes. It is our friends whom we can tease and with whom we can cross

photo from internet source

the line. It is furthermore our friends whom we can hack, rob and otherwise do wrong, knowing that it is all in good fun and that the favor will be repaid soon enough. With strangers it is different, as we feel a sort of formality and therefore won’t risk pushing boundaries. This is just a way of common human social interaction.

Overall, I do not think I’ve ever heard of someone being robbed after telling a stranger to watch his stuff in the library, and yet I have been hacked many times. The ways in which we trust or do not trust require extensive research truly to understand, but from this anecdotal examination of Brandeis, it looks like there’s a lot to be said for a tendency to be respectful and trusting of strangers in certain situations while being worried about friends.

10 The Brandeis Hoot

By Alan Tran

Arts, etc.

February 3, 2012

Students learn about Turkey at DÜNYA

Staff

There are many things a college student can get up to on a Saturday night—yes, even at Brandeis—but of all those things, more than 100 students chose to go to the DÜNYA charity concert in Slosberg on Jan. 28.

Lucky they did: DÜNYA didn’t disappoint. After the pre-concert talk where organization president Mehmet Ali Sanlikol spoke about the night’s program, he and two other musicians spun music with traditional Turkish instruments, playing classical religious and secular pieces as well as folk songs, improvisations and contemporary riffs.

Abdul “Aziz” Sohail, a member of the Brandeis Chapter of Project Nur who helped bring the Boston-based music collective and educational nonprofit to Brandeis, wrote in an e-mail that the “purpose of the concert was to showcase the culture of Turkey while at the same time raise money for earthquake victims.”

“At the same time, it is also an act of cultural diplomacy. By showcasing the depth and variety of a culture we hope to build bridges by showing the more human side of our identities.”

Last October, an earthquake struck Turkey that left more than 600 dead, 4,000 injured and many more homeless. Through ticket and CD sales as well as donations, more than $800

devastation DÜNYA charity concert on Jan. 28 brought students together to remember those who suffered

photo from internet source

from the recent earthquake that hit Turkey.

were raised toward earthquake relief efforts. Other organizations that helped sponsor the concert included MusicUnitesUs, the Brandeis Pluralism Alliance, the ICC and the Brandeis Music Department.

The music was fantastic: Sharply plucked and smooth ringing tones melded together with lilting descant, a quick beat and sweeping exotic allure

keeping the energy high. Slosberg Recital Hall easily carried delicate tonal inflections from the stage, where the musicians sat only a few feet from the first row of seats, through to the back of the hall. What impressed me most were their listening skills; while improvising they played perfectly together, following the sound of Mehmet’s breath to mark the beat without

having to look.

Mehmet himself played three instruments, switching from the oud, the “guitar of the Middle East,” to the three-stringed saz, as well as a bamboo flute considered spiritualsounding by Turkish natives. His companions played the çeng, a harplike instrument that can be played by hand, and handheld drums including

the tambourine-like daf.

Mehmet said when he was approached by Project Nur, he decided to design a set list specifically with Brandeis in mind. The final program began with traditional instrumental improvisation, followed by a mix of Turkish classical songs and urban folk music. The second and third parts of the program included rural and devotional songs. The last section consisted of music composed by an 18th-century sultan, transformed toward the end into a contemporary pop song.

If the notes sounded clear throughout the hall, the educational component was less in sync. Even hearing the pre-concert talk, the printed program was difficult to decipher, peppered throughout with foreign words; more time could have been spent to make it cleaner. Also, publicity efforts seemed mostly to reach those who already had a Middle Eastern background or interest, which makes sense from a fundraising perspective but limited the power of cross-cultural connections. One member of the audience, upon being told that donations would go toward Turkish earthquake relief said, “Oh, this is a charity thing? Why didn’t you tell me?”

Overall, the night’s weaknesses were far outshone by its strengths. Concertgoers left with a greater understanding of Turkish history, the sound of Turkish music ringing in their ears and traditional Turkish food in their stomachs.

Spend ‘A Day in Pompeii’ at the Museum of Science

By Yael Katzwer Editor

Imagine a city buried under pyroclastic debris, a city frozen in time for nearly 2,000 years. That city is Pompeii and right now you can see preserved pieces of life from two millennia ago at the Boston Museum of Science. The exhibit, “A Day in Pompeii,” which leaves Boston after Feb. 12, contains pieces from Pompeii that shed light on how people lived in the first century C.E. of the Roman Empire and educational videos detailing life in Pompeii.

Pompeii, a city located to the southwest of Mount Vesuvius in Italy (near Naples), was completely buried by Vesuvius’ eruption in 79 C.E. When one thinks of volcanoes, one often thinks of flowing rivers of lava. Vesuvius’ eruption was pyroclastic, however, meaning that there was no lava; the city was buried under soot, ash and other bits of debris from the exploding mountaintop. While this was surely horrifying for the people still in Pompeii at the time of the eruption— many had fled due to a series of earthquakes preceding the eruption—it is a boon to archaeologists because the pyroclastic debris perfectly preserved many artifacts and prevented many thieves from being able to make off with Pompeii’s treasures.

The exhibit, for which one must buy a special ticket, contains two wellmade videos. The first, which you will see right when you walk in, explains some of the commonalities of Roman life in Pompeii, explaining common jobs, religious beliefs, etc. This video is useful to put the rest of the exhibit into context. The second video, however, is much more engaging; it shows a computer simulation of what happened to Pompeii in the two days it took for Pompeii to erupt completely.

It begins with an earthquake and then shows buildings toppling as heavy debris rains down on them and eventually ends with the burying of Pompeii.

photo from internet source

day in a life “A Day in Pompeii” exhibit at the Museum of Science includes body casts and a collection of objects that show daily life in Pompeii.

It is quite amazing how much artwork survived Vesuvius’ eruption; the exhibit hosts murals painted in vibrant colors and statues that show the careful attention ancient sculptors paid to musculature and detail. When people think of Roman sculptures, they often imagine the stark white marble that we see today; many people, however, do not realize that in ancient times these sculptures were painted with bright colors and would have actually been quite gaudy. The eroding hands of time often strip these statues of their colors but the Pompeii exhibit shows a female funerary statue on which one can still see her piercing blue eyes and her cascading yellow robe.

There is also a fabulous garden fresco, originally painted on a dining room wall, which shows a typical garden scene. It is, however, when

one moves closer that one can see the intense detail in the mural. Each leaf was crafted with skill and dedication, each vine has a life and vibrancy all its own, and each flower seems almost to emit a sweet smell.

Even more entrancing than the art, however, is the collection of objects that show daily life in Pompeii and, by extension, ancient Rome. There is a carbonized loaf of bread that still has its baker’s mark on it. There is a bracelet with a Latin inscription on it that says the jewelry was a gift for an “ancilla,” a serving girl. There are game dice that look exactly like the dice with which we play today. Also, like today, cheating was very much in vogue and one pair of dice are weighted.

The exhibit shows us how the people of Pompeii cooked, cleaned, dyed their clothes, ate their food and so on.

There are even several pieces of medical equipment that look terrifyingly similar to modern-day medical equipment. I never realized how archaic a speculum was.

The exhibit is laid out well, with similar objects placed near each other.

Most thoughtful is the placement of the bodies. The body casts of Pompeii are quite famous because, by finding a gap in the hardened pyroclastic debris where a body decayed leaving only the bones, one can pour plaster into the hole and create a statue of the deceased person that shows their final moments. The Museum of Science exhibit places all the body casts—which were actually casts of the casts, so no original bodies—in a room at the back that one can easily forego. While the music played in the room was a little too gloomy and depressing, the layout

is quite peaceful. The music does not need to be gloomy as viewing dead bodies is fairly grim on its own. The placement of the bodies, however, gives each a lot of space and the lighting is soft and seems respectful of the dead.

The body room contains a cast of the famous cast of the dog from Pompeii; this cast shows a dog struggling against his chain to escape but eventually succumbing to the ash. While this is the most famous cast from Pompeii, the exhibit also has a cast of a man lying dead across some stairs and a pig, on which you can still make out ribs. The most amazing of the Pompeii bodies are two women holding each other. The cast was so well accomplished that you can make out the folds in the women’s clothing and See POMPEII, page 12

February 3, 2012

The Brandeis Hoot

ARTS, ETC.

11

On DVD: Film has less than ‘50/50’ chance of success

By Dana Trismen Staff

While the movie “50/50,” which came out on DVD on Jan. 24, has garnered good reviews and was recently nominated for two Golden Globes, the purpose behind the film still seems vague. Starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Seth Rogen, screenwriter Will Reiser based it loosely on his own life.

It focuses on Adam (Gordon-Levitt), who at age 27 discovers he has cancer in his spine, leaving him with a 50 percent chance of survival; Rogen stars as his wisecracking best friend. Recently been released on DVD, the movie has made nearly $40 million to date, doing well considering its $eight million budget.

Although labeled a “comedic drama,” the previews for this film are somewhat misleading. They incorporate every funny scene in the movie—including every quirky comment Rogen makes—thus creating an illusion that this film has found a new, noteworthy way of handling cancer by incorporating humor all the time.

In fact, the actual film is only partially comedic, with the rest of the scenes focusing on the emotions underlying Adam’s so-called “nervous breakdown.”

It is in these serious scenes where the movie falls flat. While Rogen actually deserves a lot of credit here for making his portion of the movie very funny, the more depressing scenes lack this energy. Though the audience understands that Adam has cancer, we are not really let into his pain and suffering.

There is one scene in particular where we are really supposed to understand Adam’s internal feelings. It

bare headed Though Seth Rogen as Kyle plays a hilarious sidekick, Joseph Gordon-Levitt as a cancer-afllicted Adam fails to impress in “50/50.”

involves Adam screaming, crying and banging on the steering wheel of his best friend’s car. While it is possible to buy that scene, the rest of the movie just shows him looking upset, staring vacantly out of windows and frowning.

In this way, “50/50” does not accurately portray the life of a cancer patient. Adam endures his fair share of hardships. His girlfriend (Bryce Dallas-Howard), rather than standing by him and picking him up from chemo, chooses instead to cheat on him. His mother (Anjelica Huston) is extremely hysterical and hard to control. One

of his close friends (Matt Frewer) in therapy dies from cancer. Yet, his true pain is never felt; the emptiness and loneliness that he should be feeling is not expressed convincingly to the audience. Though the movie does show some of the horrors of cancer, such as Adam receiving chemotherapy, it is always shallow. While the comedy in the movie is well done and entertains, “50/50” is still not the real-life, believable drama it should be.

The movie’s other faults lie in other unbelievable occurrences. Adam goes to therapy to deal with his illness and is under the guidance of a very young

photo from internet source

therapist named Katherine (Anna Kendrick). Katherine is very unprofessional, starting with the fact that she is only 24 and Adam is one of her first patients. She does not keep professional boundaries between herself and Adam, and the end of the film shows them forming a relationship with each other. This is just another spot where “50/50” strayed from reality: In a professional world, Katherine would lose her job, not be part of Adam’s happy ending.

Seth Rogen, who plays Adam’s sidekick Kyle, is this film’s savior.

Juvenile and supportive, he conveys

a character that is both stable and hilarious. His support of Adam and the way Rogen conveys their friendship through body language is very real; their friendship is the one part of the movie audiences fully, completely believe. Meanwhile, Gordon-Levitt seems less important—his character almost fades into the background.

Indeed, it is as though Gordon-Levitt is playing the same character over and over again. With cancer, without cancer, with a girlfriend, without a girlfriend (such as in “500 Days of Summer”), he is the same morose, sensitive man who isn’t terribly interesting to watch onscreen.

So why did “50/50” get such good reviews? It seems as though reviewers were blinded by Seth Rogen. “Philadelphia Weekly” gave “50/50” a B-plus review, raving that it was “hysterically funny.” Yet, the only nod it gives to Gordon-Levitt is in passing, while every paragraph of the review pays homage to Rogen. Rogen displays a “fundamental, unexpected decency, which can often only be expressed through shoulder-punching obscenities” and makes this movie about cancer the film to watch. Yet, while Rogen is phenomenal, the quality of the movie should not be solely based on the performance of one character.

Why is it acceptable that Rogen is responsible for salvaging the entire film?

While “50/50” is entertaining and definitely a good enough movie to watch if you are slightly bored and it pops up on your Netflix queue, it is not something to encourage the entire family to watch. The movie seems not really to go anywhere. Adam contracts cancer then recovers, but since the audience hardly feels his pain, it does not seem to matter all that much.

‘The Voice’ within: Rebecca Loebe

By Steven Wong Staff

On Feb. 5, right after the Super Bowl, NBC will be airing the second season of the phenomenal hit, “The Voice,” a singing competition like no other. Contestants perform one song to four judges and a large audience.

What exactly separates “The Voice” from “American Idol” or “The X Factor”? When contestants step on stage to perform, they are trying to attract at least one of the judges. The twist in “The Voice” is that the four judges— Cee Lo Green, Christina Aguilera, Blake Shelton and Adam Levine from Maroon 5—have no idea what the contestants look like because their chairs are facing away from the performers. The four judges can only base their opinion and selection on the contestant’s voice and nothing else.

If one of the judges likes what they hear, they will push a button that will turn their chair around. As a result, the contestant is now on that specific judge’s team. If more than one judge presses the button, however, then the contestant has the option of choosing with whom he or she wants to work.

When this happens, the judges have to convince the contestant to join their individual teams.

Since the judges are unable to see the contestants at first, each singer is distinctively chosen by talent alone.

While this is already a novel idea for a singing competition show, “The Voice” is additionally unique because the show doesn’t focus too much attention on the emotional backstory of each contestant. Viewers are only exposed to the singers’ pure and natural talent. Furthermore, when one watches “The Voice,” one will hear more professional and trained voices rather

than a novice vocalist. Once each judge has picked eight contestants, the competition officially begins. Each contestant enters “battle rounds” in which the contestants face off against each other vocally and ultimately the judges decide who will advance to the next round.

Last season, Javier Colon won the competition and took home the grand prize of $100,000 and a record deal with Universal Republic. One contestant, however, a fan favorite named Rebecca Loebe attracted many viewers with her Indie Rock folk music influences. She is an extraordinary vocalist with years of experience in the music industry. Rebecca teamed up with Adam Levine and her rendition of Nirvana’s “Come As You Are” was simply flawless and received numerous positive reviews.

Born and raised in Arlington, Va., until the age of eight, Loebe had a passion for music. When her family moved to Atlanta, Ga., she attended junior high school and started to play the guitar and write her own songs. At the age of 16, Loebe graduated high school and after her 17th birthday, she enrolled herself in the prestigious musically inclined university, Berklee College of Music, in Boston.

Berklee College of Music is a place where many aspiring musicians have the ability to experiment with their craft as well as gain knowledge of music from interactive courses taught by dedicated professors. As a student at Berklee College of Music, one needs the practice to gain professional skills to sustain a positive music career.

Loebe did not waste any time at Berklee College of Music, as she received a degree in music production and engineering. A few years later, Rebecca decided she wanted to pursue singing as a full time career. With persistence, dedication, effort and talent, she did.

Rebecca overcame one of the hard-

photo from internet source

come as you are Rebecca Loebe, a singer with indie rock folk music influences, has gained much popularity after appearing on NBC show

“The Voice.”

est obstacles, which was releasing her debut album titled “Hey, It’s a Lonely World” in 2004, which she self-produced. Her lyrics are filled with emotion and have a spiritual connection.

When she begins singing, Rebecca can brighten a dark room.

In 2006, Loebe made a difficult decision that changed her life. She was courageous enough to tour full-time, which led to her decision to live in a 1992 Toyota Camry. A year later, Rebecca moved to Atlanta and recorded her second album; an EP entitled “The Brooklyn Series” then with a followup, a third album called “Mystery Prize,” which has been very successful on iTunes. A few years before auditioning for “The Voice,” Loebe won the coveted award at the Grassy Hill New Folk Songwriting Competition.

Since the competition of “The Voice,” Loebe has been touring the United States and, on Oct. 5, 2011, I had the privilege of seeing her perform live at Café 939, a student-run coffee shop at Berklee (like Chum’s at Brandeis). As always, Rebecca was energetic with each of her performances and her personality shined. Fans of Rebecca Loebe can always expect a spectacular show in which she will make viewers of all ages sing along and everyone leaves her concert feeling good. Although, Rebecca did not reign victorious, she is happy with the outcome and has gained so much experience by being in the competition.

“Start to finish, this has been an amazing adventure. I feel so blessed to have been able to sing two songs that I love and respect deeply with a band

that I adore. More than anything I’ve enjoyed getting to know the other artists. It’s definitely felt a bit like a multigenerational musical summer camp, and I know we’re all going to miss each other a lot when we go home. I feel super lucky that my lifestyle on the road will give me the opportunity to visit my 33 new BFFs,” she said.

As of Jan. 11, Loebe started working on her fourth studio album. Just like her album “Mystery Prize” she has decided to have her fans fund her recording studio time by donating any amount of money by pre-ordering her fourth album on her website: www.rebeccaloebe.com. I respect her choice because she wants to have full creative control and by having people donate, she is building a relationship with her fans. The reward will be well worth it.

12 ARTS, ETC.

By Sean Fabery

The Brandeis Hoot

February 3, 2012

‘Iron Lady’ a wasted opportunity

Editor

“One of the greatest problems of our age,” an elderly Margaret Thatcher (Meryl Streep) observes, “is that we are governed by people who care more about feelings than they do about thoughts and ideas.”

The same problem envelops the entirety of “The Iron Lady,” a biopic directed by “Mamma Mia!” director Phyllida Lloyd that chronicles the life of the former British prime minister; the film feels too many things about its subject while never thinking about her impact.

The film begins in the present, with Thatcher now in her 80s and suffering from the beginning signs of dementia.

Powerless in her old age, she spends most of her time alone or speaking to visions of her dead husband Denis (Jim Broadbent).

Their conversations spark remembrances of things, sparking the requisite flashbacks that detail her rise from grocer’s daughter to influential member of the Conservative Party, a remarkable feat considering that party’s emphasis on pedigree. She leads the Conservatives to victory in 1979, beginning her 11-year tenure as prime minister.

Here is where the film stumbles the most. It spends remarkably little time on Thatcher’s years in office, and what details it gives are largely surfacelevel. Thatcher is one of the most controversial figures in late 20th-century politics; depending on whom you ask, she either saved the United Kingdom from stagnation or destroyed the working class with her unapologetically conservative policies. An entire film could be made to focus on her ministership.

Yet little of this is chronicled in “The Iron Lady.” The film shows her assume power and face middling poll numbers as her country slogs through a re-

photo from internet source

a steely glare Meryl Streep stars in “The Iron Lady” as Margaret Thatcher, the first–and so far only–female prime minister of

the United Kingdom.

cession. Thatcher’s myriad advisers tell her to moderate her policies, but she refuses; the audience never finds out what policies they’re discussing. Similarly, Lloyd employs the standard images of protesters massing in the streets—and, at some points, around Thatcher’s car— yet never lets on why they’re doing this.

The film reserves specifics for one incident: the 1982 Falkands War with Argentina. When Thatcher is told of Argentina’s invasion of the Falkland Islands, she immediately declares the islands must be won back; when an American diplomat remarks that the islands are “of no social or economic importance,” she icily draws parallels between the Argentine invasion and Pearl Harbor.

The Falklands War undoubtedly impacted Thatcher’s tenure, as her poll ratings skyrocketed in its aftermath, but

Lloyd seems to include the conflict only as yet another example of how resilient Thatcher was in the face of adversity. Thatcher heroically fights back tears at the thought of the 258 British servicemen killed in the war, but she never considers whether it was worthwhile. Instead, we’re treated to a lovely montage depicting how wonderful the remainder of her tenure was—she even gets to dance with Ronald Reagan! The small portion of the film that deals with her fall from power—a leadership contest erupts with her own party in response to her abrasive personality and inability to compromise—seems almost incidental.

When “The Iron Lady” was first announced, commentators worried that the film would boast an excessively right- or left-wing perspective.

This isn’t really the case, as the film lacks any perspective on Thatcher’s politics. Lloyd’s analysis of Thatcher boils down to this: She could be kind of a jerk, but she never forgot how much a pint of milk cost!

Instead, the film remains much more preoccupied with her personal life, specifically her marriage to Denis.

From the moment he asks her to marry him, Thatcher makes it clear that she will always maintain her career.

The remainder of the film documents the push-and-pull between her political drive and her familial obligations.

Whenever Thatcher takes on another obligation, Denis responds by alternately being grumpy or the definition of supportive. It’s often cute—he calls her MT, she calls him DT—but it also feels generic, as though their relationship is like every other relationship in

every other middling film.

In the present, Lloyd is clearly fascinated by the idea that age strips even the most powerful of their authority. With her husband dead, Thatcher is isolated and alone; her attendants and her daughter Carol (Olivia Colman) believe her to be more senile than she actually is.

This portion of the film is merely speculative, however, and consequently it’s strange that Lloyd would foreground this part of her story. If Lloyd and screenwriter Abi Morgan wanted to create a film about the unfairness of aging with a light romantic subplot, then this film could have been about any old person; instead, its subject just happens once to have been the most powerful woman in the world.

Streep’s performance is the one thing that salvages the film. Streep has long possessed the title of most skilled mimic in Hollywood, and that still remains the case. She perfectly adopts the real Iron Lady’s voice, and with the help of make-up she even bears an uncanny resemblance to Thatcher. Her performance, however, is not just a skilled mimicry but in fact carries real depth. It’s the only depth the movie possesses and, as good as Streep is, it’s a shame she has dedicated the last few years to appearing in films beneath her talent, like the light “Julie & Julia,” the surprisingly middling “Doubt” and the aforementioned atrocity “Mamma Mia!” In light of Streep’s performance, little room exists for any other actors. Broadbent handles his scenes well enough—he’s made a science of the “supporting husband” archetype—but dead Denis’ appearances are so repetitive that they become overbearing. When Thatcher finally packs away his clothes and convinces Denis to leave her alone, it’s a relief.

Thankfully, that’s also when the movie finally ends.

Grenadian coral sculptures serve dual purpose ‘Pompeii’ impresses

part of your world Underwater life-size scuptures in Grenada serve as both a tourist destination and a distraction from endangered coral.

By Gilda Di Carli

Special to the Hoot

You try to rub your eyes before you realize you are wearing a snorkel mask. Could it be true? Life-size child sculptures facing outward stand hand-in-hand in a circle on the ocean floor. Molinere Bay in Grenada has been a tourist destination for years, but Jason deCaires Taylor’s underwater sculpture garden—commissioned in 2006—serves as new bait for eager tourists hoping to get a taste of the Caribbean coral reef without realizing that Taylor’s mission is ingeniously deceptive.

Though snorkelers are technically

swimming in the Molinere reef, Taylor’s underwater installations actually lure them away from the endangered coral. The World Atlas of Coral Reefs found that humans are responsible for threatening approximately 58 percent of coral reefs worldwide. The Taylor installations found in this bay—Vicissitudes, Grace Reef and The Lost Correspondent—are constructed from eco-friendly cement that over time changes into an artificial coral reef.

This deception is a small price to pay for the experience.

Worlds different than viewing framed art in a museum, stumbling across the human sculptures makes you suddenly forget the clunkiness

photo from internet source

and irritation brought with wearing snorkel gear. Perhaps 50 people are herded into the reef at a time, but as you approach the sculptures placed tens of meters apart along the neatly swept ocean floor, you experience the sculptures as something almost natural to their environment. You imagine that they are remnants of a shipwreck, sand-dusted and decaying. You are suddenly weightless with the sense of discovery.

Once found, the installation of The Lost Correspondent seems to mock this idea of discovery. A man is sitting at his desk in front of a typewriter. The more experienced divers may descend the 22 feet to

find that alongside the typewriter on the desk are several newspaper articles, many concerned with Cuban politics of the 1970s. It is incredible to witness the transformation of the sculpture as it is absorbed into its environment; its surface is rough with moss-like vegetation.

The most eerie of the installations is Grace Reef, with its tomb-like placement of 16 full-scale bodies along the Bay’s floor. They seem as though they were recently uncovered at an archaeological dig, oddly resembling the bodies dug out at the site of the volcanic eruption of Mount Vesuvius.

These bodies, however, lie stiff with arms at their sides as if they were dumped out of their coffins. They look up at you as you snorkel overhead. Your body is the site of collision: As your back basks in the sun above, you are met with the icy stare of these statues below.

The underwater sculpture park in Molinere Bay is a unique success in the realms of environmental action and contemporary art. No matter what your reactions to the statues are, one cannot deny the earnest appreciation for one’s environment and the measures one can take to protect it. Coral reefs bring an immeasurable amount of benefit to human beings, without which perhaps up to two million species of marine plants and animals would be lost. Call it a cry for protecting coral reefs. Call it a cry for revolutionizing art as we know it. Whatever the cause, the impact is there and not for long, as it will soon be absorbed by the coral.

POMPEII, from page 10

the jewelry they were wearing; there is even some question as to whether one of them was wearing a belt or if her dress was bunched around her waist to allow her to run.

The back room also contains a cast of skeletal remains from Herculaneum. Herculaneum was a city to the northwest of Mount Vesuvius; when Vesuvius erupted, Herculaneum was swept away by rivers of boiling mud.

This cast contains approximately 20 skeletons occupying a space about the size of a Ziv common room. Unlike the Pompeii bodies, archaeologists could not use the cast method, so all that remains are the bones. Of course, if this sounds like too much for you to handle, it is really easy to avoid this back room and just continue seeing the daily-life objects of Pompeii.

All in all, “A Day in Pompeii” was amazing and I highly recommend that everyone visit it before the exhibit moves to another museum. The Museum of Science is right near MIT and has many other fascinating exhibits for you to peruse during your expedition.

Pompeii provides a unique look into the daily-life activities of firstcentury Romans and, while some of these activities may seem boring at first, they help explain how we got to where we are today and they show us the intricacies of our forebears.

February 3, 2012

ARTS, ETC. 13

The Brandeis Hoot

In sticking to formula, ‘Alcatraz’ flounders

By Juliette Martin Staff

The two-hour pilot episode of J.J. Abram’s latest brainchild, “Alcatraz,” premiered on Jan. 16. Abrams is one of the most celebrated minds in modern science fiction, having created the incredibly popular “Lost.” With such an impressive track record, his fans had high hopes for the premiere of “Alcatraz.”

The premise of the show is interesting enough on its own: When Alcatraz Prison closed in 1963, it was not due to a lack of funding. Instead, the prison closed because all the prisoners mysteriously vanished. In the present, they suddenly begin returning; the years since their appearance seem to have had no effect. The show has set itself up as a chronicle of how these criminals are dealt with and will perhaps eventually offer an explanation of how and why their disappearances occurred.

The show stars Sarah Jones as police detective Rebecca Madsen and Jorge Garcia as Dr. Diego Soto, a writer who specializes in the prisoners of Alcatraz (Garcia has worked with Abrams before, having starred on “Lost”). Along with their enigmatic superior Emerson Hauser (Sam Neill), a former prison guard with plenty of secrets and unknown goals, they must work to combat and round up these mysterious criminals; in Madsen’s case, deep personal connections to these strange events may also exist.

Though intriguing, the show does not appear to be particularly original. It bears a strong thematic resemblance to Abram’s previous shows, including “Lost” and “Fringe,” and uses an incomprehensible and impossible mystery to draw in viewers. While this has worked for Abrams in the past, it falls flat for those of us who

photo from internet source

smooth criminal Sarah Jones as Rebecca Madsen and Jorge Garcia as Diego Soto star in “Alcatraz,” a show about the mysterious disappearance then reappearance of Alcatraz prisoners.

have seen him do this many times before and were looking for something a bit more unconventional from him.

“Alcatraz” also draws elements from non-Abrams shows. It uses a writer-police team like “Castle” and depicts people vanishing and returning years later without having aged like “The 4400.”

Additionally, the writing feels stilted at times. Though the plot twists are designed to keep the viewer guessing, some of them seem contrived.

Perhaps too many major revelations occurred in the first two episodes; it cheapens the shock when these plot twists are revealed so early into the show because we have no real emotional attachment to the characters

yet. Additionally, certain portions of the show’s set-up are forced, including Madsen’s decision to choose a writer for her partner. While her partner may have immense knowledge about the criminals they face, he would be better off advising them from a home base rather than going into the field with no idea of what to expect and with no training.

Despite these basic flaws, the major issue remains that we have already seen several shows of its ilk.

In comparison to Abrams’ previous shows, “Alcatraz” seems to be trying too hard to make what has already been done sound original again. For someone new to the world of science fiction, and particularly new

to Abrams’ distinct brand of sci-fi, this show may well be a decent starting point. To someone entrenched in the genre, however, it feels like a simple restructuring of an overused formula that has lost its flavor due to oversaturation. Even Madsen bears a striking similarity to Olivia Dunham of “Fringe,” a similarly intense and emotionally distant blond agent with a dark, familial past.

The problem with “Alcatraz” is not that it’s inherently a bad show.

It most certainly is not. “Alcatraz” is fast-paced, immersing and mysterious. Despite the fact that the show feels unoriginal, I still want answers to the questions it has raised. I appreciate the intriguing concept: Alcatraz

Prison has always been a dangerous place ensconced in mystery that has aroused many imaginations. With that background, it’s a brilliant place to set a show like this.

Though interesting in concept, “Alcatraz” simply feels stiff and overdone. As a major fan of J.J. Abrams’ work, I wanted very badly to enjoy it, but it feels like a simple rehash of old ideas and concepts with a slightly new setting and spin. It remains to be seen if “Alcatraz” will find a way to bring something new to the table, or if it will simply serve as a placeholder for similar shows that are rapidly growing old. Hopefully “Alcatraz” will find a way to differentiate itself before its grace period ends.

Kelly Clarkson concert more impressive than expected

By Alex Patch Staff

When my friends asked me if I would like to go to see Kelly Clarkson, I thought it would be fun, but I was not as excited as I have been in the past to see other concerts. I used to be a huge fan of hers, and knew every lyric to her early songs. Lately, however, I had not listened much to her music or considered myself a fan. In the end, my decision to go to the concert ended up being the right choice because I had the time of my life.

Matt Nathanson opened for Kelly, and although I only knew his two most often played songs, “Come on Get Higher” and “Faster,” I loved the other ones he sang as well. Not only was he an amazing musician, he was also hilarious, and his wit reached even the highest balcony where we stood in Row X. Among various hilarious sexual jokes, he also made comments such as “Don’t be that person who gets annoyed at the person standing up in front of you—stand up!” This gave me the push to get up and dance, and I remained standing for the rest of the concert.

When Kelly Clarkson came on stage, I was surprised by the amount of excitement I felt; I was almost in tears! She played songs from the 10 years she has been a known singer, one of which was a medley including at least one song from each of her five albums. I especially enjoyed her old songs, as they are the ones I knew and loved so many years ago.

Her new songs were great, too, and

kelly sparkles Kelly Clarkson performed in the Wang Theater on Jan. 27 and sang songs that ranged the

photo from internet source

entirety of her 10 year career.

she even sang a few covers, including Florence and the Machine’s “Heavy in Your Arms,” Carrie Underwood’s “I Know You Won’t” and Heart’s “What About Love.”

I was enjoying the concert so much that I found myself singing along to every song, whether I knew them or not. This often meant making up lyrics to the songs I did not know very well, or at all, which was quite

a chunk of the concert. My friends laughed but I was just so happy, and I found myself smiling the whole time.

What was interesting and different from other artists I have seen was the variety of genres she sang. Her concert ranged from pop to rock to country (her duet “Don’t You Wanna Stay” featured a giant projection of Jason Aldean). She was so sweet and thanked us for allowing her to sing so

many types of songs.

I would have to say that all of Kelly Clarkson’s comments were cute. She told us long, run-on stories that really had no plot but I loved it because I do the same thing. It made it easy for the audience to relate to her on a personal level. One example was an adorable remark about her new shiny, red microphone, which she was so excited about.

The newest song I actually did know was “Stronger,” which I hear on the radio almost every day. I absolutely loved it live and sang along as much as I could. The songs I recognized included “Walk Away,” “Mr. Know It All,” “Already Gone,” “My Life Would Suck Without You,” “Breakaway” and “Since U Been Gone.” I was pleasantly surprised that she sang “Miss Independent,” one of her very first songs. I loved hearing it, because it brought me back to my fifth-grade days when I first started listening to her.

She started with “Behind These Hazel Eyes” which made me freak out, since it is one of my favorites!

Still, I was waiting the whole time to hear “Because of You,” another song of hers that I love. Finally, as one of her encore pieces, the music began to play for “Because of You,” and I started jumping up and down, squeezing my friend’s hand next to me—she was going to sing it!

I have rediscovered my love for Kelly Clarkson, and now want to listen to her all of the time. I went home with her songs running through my head, as well as amazing pictures of my friends, the stage and Kelly (unfortunately not all together). Additionally, I now have “Walk Away” set as my ringtone. I am excited that she is singing the National Anthem for the Super Bowl. Now I have to watch it, even though I admittedly do not like football. For those of you that do, I should let you know what she told us at the concert: She is a Patriots fan! If Kelly Clarkson is ever in the area, I highly recommend you go see her. She is truly an amazing artist.

14 ARTS, ETC.

The Brandeis Hoot

February 3, 2012

Woodland Theatre ‘Cabaret’ impresses with performance

photos from the woodland theatre company

By Candice Bautista Editor

Woodland Theatre Company put on the musical “Cabaret” by Christopher Isherwood, John Kander and Fred Ebb last weekend.

The musical takes place in Germany in the 1930s. The show begins with a flamboyant man welcoming the audience with the song “Willkommen” as several cabaret girls seductively dance on stage. This man is the Emcee (a brilliant Evan Murphy). As he sings “Leave your troubles outside!” to an increasingly creepy effect, it becomes clear the show will have some connection to the cabaret, though it is not immediately clear how.

At the start of Act I, American Cliff Bradshaw, played by a stout Kevin Parise, is introduced along with friendly Ernst Ludwig (Woody Gaul) on a train traveling to Berlin in order to get the inspiration for a novel he is writing. Although “Cabaret” revolves around him and the people he meets in Berlin, it is constantly juxtaposed if not outright interrupted by the Emcee. The line between the cabaret (dubbed the Kit Kat Klub) and the “real world” is a fuzzy one at best—the Emcee is omniscient and Cliff visits the cabaret frequently. It is actually at the Kit Kat Klub that Cliff meets his love interest, Sally Bowles (Sarah Beling). Or rather, she forces herself on him. Sally, having just been simultaneously dumped and fired by her boyfriend, the owner of the Kit Kat Klub, decides to move in with the dashing American she had met the night before. Of course, this is much to the demure of Fraulein Schneider (Veronica Wiseman), the landlady, who has come to accept everything that comes her way, as she points out in the downtrodden song “So What?”

This character set-up sounds like a sitcom in the ’70s, a sort of “Three’s Company” with Fraulein Schneider as Mr. Roper. She even has a hilarious scene in which she has to hide Herr Schultz (Kevin Groppe) as he leaves his room in front of one of her more promiscuous tenants, Fraulein Kost (Brandeis’ own Jackie Theoharis ’14).

Even slightly more ridiculous, this scene gets even more absurd as Herr Schultz proposes to Fraulein Schneider in order for her to keep her in-

tegrity, echoing Shakespeare in “happy endings.” Meanwhile, Cliff and Sally are doing financially well with Cliff doing sketchy smuggling for Ernst Ludwig, and Sally pregnant with (maybe) Cliff ’s child. Aside from Cliff ’s novel not being written and the Emcee’s creepy appearances every so often, everything is going great!

Of course, the musical would have no backbone if that were the case. The last scene of Act I is set at Herr Schultz and Fraulein Schneider’s bridal shower.

Continuing in the sitcom theme, Herr Schultz is drunk and Fraulein Schneider is tut-tutting. The stark difference between this scene and the rest of the play is Cliff handing another smuggled package to Ernst Ludwig, who is now sporting a Nazi armband. This is the first time the fact that the Nazi Party is slowly gaining power in Germany is mentioned directly. The scene closes with Ernst Ludwig berating Fraulein Schneider for marrying a Jew, and the song “Tomorrow Belongs to Me” playing while film footage of Nazis and Hitler is projected onto the background.

Act II is almost a morbid afterthought when contrasted with Act I. Just as everything is cheerfully bright in Act I, Act II is the inverse: Everything goes as wrongly as possible. Fraulein Schneider breaks off her engagement, Sally has an abortion, and Cliff gets beaten and dumped before deciding to go back to Pennsylvania. By the end of the show, it is hard not to be slightly bewildered at what had just happened.

Act I was hilarious and the music and choreography was on the mark. Act II, however, was just one bummer after another. Even the song “If You Could See Her” in which the Emcee dances with a girl in a gorilla suit, wishing and moaning that the world would see his girlfriend as he does—this song barely has an effect even after it’s revealed that he’s singing about a Jew. In most musicals and plays, Act I is to lay the foundation and backgrounds of the characters for the audience to emotionally attach to, and Act II is for the real substance to happen. It was only by the end of Act II, however, that the play tried to solicit empathy from the audience, and by then it was far too late.

This is largely due to the musical itself and no fault of Woodland Theatre Company. The show was unsettling mostly in that it did not offer the

shock, grief and horror a musical set in Nazi Germany should have had. Additionally, every mention of Nazis after Act I was almost a bore, especially with the only American loudly opposing it. The fact that Cliff was the only one to have a problem with the Nazis other than Herr Schultz was a major flaw to the musical. Not only was his character not sympathetic to begin with, it made the show seem even more contrived. The other responses such as indifference from Sally and Fraulein Schneider’s “so what?” mentality, however, really pushed the show forward.

In a musical in which the storyline is not spectacular, it needs strong performers to compensate, and that is exactly what Woodland Theatre provides. Brandeis’ Jackie Theoharis truly pulls her weight in the show, even as minor comedic relief. She saunters across the stage with such force and confidence, it is difficult to believe she goes to Brandeis. Bigger roles such as Fraulein Schneider and Sally are done very well by Veronica Wiseman and Sarah Beling, respectively.

Their characters are the only threedimensional characters in the show and Wiseman and Beling fill the roles and truly make the characters their own, both acting and voicewise. In contrast, Cliff and Ernst Ludwig, played by Kevin Parise and Woody Gaul, are static and are not particularly memorable.

The rest of the show is blown out of the water, though, by Evan Murphy as the Emcee. As the musical progresses, the more Murphy appears and showcases the different talents he has. His voice is spectacular, just as everyone else in the show, but he complements his role well by dancing across the stage and at one point even playing the banjo with the orchestra. Murphy along with the cabaret girls is the definite highlight of the show, and what the musical should have been more about.

Although the story failed effectively to compel the audience even with Nazi overtones, individual performances from members of Woodland Theatre Company were amazing, and show great promise for their upcoming shows.

EDITORIALS

February 3, 2012

“To acquire wisdom, one must observe.”

Editor-in-Chief Jon Ostrowsky Managing Editors Sean Fabery Yael Katzwer Nathan Koskella Alex Schneider Editor Emeritus Connor Novy News Editor Morgan Gross Impressions Editor Candice Bautista Arts, Etc. Editor Alana Blum Hoot Scoops Editor Brian Tabakin Sports Editor Ingrid Schulte Photography Editor Nate Rosenbloom Photography Editor Emily Stott Layout Editor Steven Wong Graphics Editor Leah Finkelman Production Editor Gordy Stillman Business Editor Suzanna Yu Copy Editor Morgan Dashko Deputy Copy Editor Destiny D. Aquino Senior Editor

Volume 9 • Issue 3 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 Senior Staff Nafiz “Fizz” Ahmed Debby Brodsky Savannah Pearlman Sam Allen, Rick Alterbaum, Victoria Aronson, Louis Berger, Alex Bernstein, Emily Breitbart, Adam Cohen, Haley Fine, Jeremy Goodman, Edwin Gonzalez, Rachel Hirschhaut, Paula Hoekstra, Adam Hughes, Gabby Katz, Josh Kelly, Samuel Kim, Christina Kolokotroni, Sarah Sue Landau, Arielle Levine, Ariel Madway, Estie Martin, Juliette Martin, Adam Marx, Anita Palmer, Alex Patch, Lien Phung, Andrew Rauner, Betty Revah, Alexandra Zelle Rettman, Ricky Rosen, Imara Roychowdhury, Aaron Sadowsky, Jessica Sashihara, Alex Self, Diane Somlo, Ryan Tierney, Alan Tran, Dana Trismen, Sarah Weber and Linjie Xu

E

Rethink midyear housing in Village

ach January, Brandeis receives a new handful of midyear students.

Unlike the average first-year arrival, however, these students find residence in the Village.

Now, before our wonderful, beautiful readers get upset thinking that our staff is merely bitter and resentful that we ourselves live in not-so-clean or new housing, we would like to make it clear that we are simply presenting a view of campus life that has not been previously put forward.

Placing midyears in the Village presents multiple drawbacks.

Yes, many first-years are resentful that midyears receive better housing upon arrival. Of course, there is nothing to be done about it but, still, it encourages class conflict. Midyears and other firstyears do not considerably interact with

each other, which certainly may be due to the housing discrepancy. But putting aside all resentment, by living in the Village, midyears are viewed much like a separate society. It makes it more difficult for the two parties to interact and, let’s be honest, if you had the choice of staying in the Village, eating in the Village and watching a glorious flat-screen TV in the Village, why would you make an effort—in the cold nonetheless—to go anywhere else?

As they will come to learn, however, Brandeis is not one big Village, it is East, Rosie, North and Massell quads and let’s not forget, the Castle. The Village is one of the dankest places in which to live on campus and, sadly, not often procured (to which those of us with high lottery numbers can attest). When midyears find themselves next year in the likes of East, in flooded rooms, hobbit-hallways,

one-shower bathrooms, paper-thin walls, faulty windows (the list goes on … and on) they might not think that Brandeis is all they had thought it would be. It’s like setting someone up for a Brownie Earthquake sundae from Dairy Queen and coming back with one of those fake ice cream posers from Hannaford.

Maybe this is Brandeis’ attempt to hold on to as many students as possible, which makes sense of course, but setting its students up for disappointment is unhealthy. With the current lack of housing as it is, our staff, after much debate could not easily come up with a solution that would make all parties happy. We do recognize, however, that housing on campus is a dilemma, has been a dilemma and will continue to be a dilemma that will eventually have to be approached with more than just a lottery number, Band-Aid solution.

A different Greek life proposal EDITORIAL, from page 1

a unique college experience. We are not the University of Michigan or Tufts University, nor do we want to be. The Justice editorial cited its research that 9 percent of Brandeis students are members of a fraternity or sorority. That means more than nine out of 10 students here are not. There is a silent majority of students who do not believe in the Greek life culture. If they did, we would see membership figures nearly double or triple what they are now.

This editorial is not a critique of Greek life at Brandeis or the talented student leaders who run fraternities and sororities here. It is a critique of the Greek life culture present at colleges and universities throughout the country that is inextricably linked to the fraternity houses on Dartmouth Street.

It is true that the students who lead Greek organizations at Brandeis are actively involved in school spirit and student life, helping to organize charity events with other philanthropic

and social justice-oriented clubs. Brandeis needs to reevaluate how students in Greek organizations can co-sponsor events with other clubs on campus. If two dozen members of a fraternity want to raise awareness about AIDS, they can join with the appropriate club to organize an event and not worry about the credit from wearing Greek letters on a sweatshirt.

It would be foolish to ignore the dangerously excessive alcohol consumption and emotional stress that occurs during any pledge week.

Inherent in the Greek life culture is the pressure to conform to the behavior of others—a practice directly at odds with the individualism, self-confidence and creativity that are hallmarks of a Brandeis education. Binge drinking and bullying are serious problems for college students throughout the country and we cannot pretend that Brandeis can buck a national trend present for decades. The reason is that even university regulation cannot entirely control the mission and objectives of these organizations because they achieve sponsorship and funding through national Greek life offices.

Brandeis is a university guided by the core values of openness and diversity. We are a community strengthened by the power of individuals to think creatively and live boldly without fear of the social judgement by our peers. Recognized Greek life, no matter how much one touts the benefits of it or the facts behind its growing presence, has no place at Brandeis University.

Speaking at Symphony Hall in his inauguration speech on Oct. 7, 1948, founding Brandeis President Abram Leon Sachar said, “My colleagues and I will take to heart the guiding principles which have been developed by the great university tradition of this land, and which we pray may never be jeopardized.”

We have no doubt that administrators here already know the core university value of equal opportunity must never be questioned or threatened.

Yet the Justice editorial board, in arguing for regulation as a solution to exclusion, has only voiced a proposal that will exacerbate the problem and threaten the values that define our university.

A strategic plan is an extensive process that requires the gathering of all information from trustees, staff, the faculty and the thousands of alumni and students. When a strategic plan happens, one must be sure that opinions are heard and that well-wrought proposals are put forward. We are talking about the future of

Brandeis University and new initiatives cannot be constructed over a mere winter break. When a plan is coming that might transform Brandeis, wouldn’t you want to make sure that members of the Steering Committee take all of your opinions and ideas into account?

This is a different chapter in Brandeis history, and I think the strategic plan is an appropriate first step for this new administration to learn about the university and put us on a new course.

The Strategic Planning Steering Committee will continually ask for input from the community, and even when this process is done—the end result should ensure that continual input will be welcome. I agree that strategic plans are never the end-all be-all to problems/issues. I caution you, however, about criticizing a plan which is a long-term project, dedicated to being receptive to every member of our community who wants to contribute.

Letter to the editor

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

The Brandeis Hoot 15

Dear members of The Brandeis Hoot Editorial Board, In response to last week’s editorial, “Ensure strategic plan endures,” I wanted to ensure that you understand the intention of the strategic plan.

Herbie Rosen ’12, Student Union president

Response from the Editorial Board

We value Rosen’s desire to include a widerange of student opinions in the strategic plan.

Nevertheless, our concern remains that we have spent more time talking about the process of forming a committee than the time that the plan itself needs to launch. Further, simply because we have a new administration does not mean that we must drastically change the strategy of governing and leading this university. This strategic plan may improve, but will not and should not transform Brandeis.

FEATURES

16 The Brandeis Hoot

Hiatt showcases appropriate attire

February 3, 2012

A major debacle: the right program for success

By Justin Burack

Special to the Hoot

By Victoria Aronson Staff

The Hiatt Career Center joined with Lord & Taylor to host a fashion show with more than 100 students, alumni and industry professionals in Sherman Function Hall on Wednesday evening, emphasizing the impact of first impressions on employers.

“It takes only 30 seconds for a potential employer to develop a first impression,” Hiatt recruiting coordinator Angela Gugliotta explained in order to stress the impact of appearance on hiring practices.

As Gugliotta admits, “Appearance will not simply get you the job, it can have the opposite effect and act as a deterrent, preventing companies from hiring you despite impressive qualifications.”

When questioned as to the original purpose of the event, Gugliotta related her experiences witnessing countless students frequently arrive for interviews inappropriately dressed.

Hiatt’s Andrea Dine reflected on

one particular experience in which a student was nearly denied employment due to their attire, stating, “Casual dress can cause anxiety on a company’s behalf for fears it may offend international clients.”

During the fashion show, student volunteers modeled the distinctions between business casual and business professional wear with clothes provided by Lord & Taylor. Following the runway presentation, representatives answered questions from the audience regarding the intricacies of appropriate clothing for interviews and other professional environments.

Leigh Keleher, assistant store manager of Lord & Taylor in Natick, offered insight regarding footwear, stating, “Fashionable leather boots are absolutely a don’t. This year, the trend is moving away from platform shoes and towards kitten heels for business wear.” Despite discrepancies in preferences regarding trendy versus conservative wear, Keleher insisted upon the importance of maintaining a “clean, polished and understated appear-

photo by ingrid schulte/the hoot

ance.”

Following the conclusion of the runway portion of the event, students were offered the opportunity to network with Brandeis alumni.

Dine described the event as “a safe environment where students can learn to overcome their fears, stimulate proper introductions and graciously end conversations.” Although the night was intended as a means of practicing professional skills, Dine said, “Approximately 70 percent of students find a job through networking, whereas otherwise they may become lost in a black hole of qualified applicants.”

Furthermore, Hiatt stressed the importance of networking not only as tool to develop useful connections but also to discover whether an employer is suited to the applicant.

Comparing seeking employment to the process of applying to universities, Dine commented, “It is crucial to the decision-making process to discover the culture of an organization or company.”

View from the top

John Fonte

By John Fonte

Special to the Hoot

My experience at Brandeis started off a little differently than the stereotypical incoming student. I didn’t have extensive high school research background or dreams of revamping the human condition in the name of social justice.

I didn’t even have a Jewish grandmother pushing me into this school to marry a nice Jewish girl.

The summer before my first year at college, I was enrolled at Tulane University. Yes, the one in hot and humid New Orleans, the party school, the one with

unadulterated school spirit. It was the school at which my non-existent Jewish grandmother would scoff and the school that would cause her ultimately to disown me. During one normal summer day, probably somewhere between eating cereal while wearing my boxers in the afternoon and my customary post-afternoon breakfast nap, I received a phone call about being accepted from the waitlist into Brandeis. On a sheer whim, I accepted a few days thereafter.

Not surprisingly, my experience has been vastly different here than it would have been if it were 2,000 miles away. In fact, Brandeis University’s atmosphere

cannot be paralleled at any other school; it is truly unique. This individuality among the masses of universities can be explained in one word: Brandeisian.

Sure, defining a word with the word doesn’t help much, but that is just how unique Brandeis is. For non-Brandeisians, this word doesn’t translate. For Brandeisians, this seemingly ineffable quality is explained perfectly in a matter of only three syllables.

Here are two examples that will try to grasp the essence of being Brandeisian.

First, Brandeis’ activist nature has manSee VIEW, page 17

The persistence of the global recession has led everyone from world leaders at the Davos Summit to Brandeis undergraduates to question their fundamental assumptions about success.

In this vein, a debate has been raging across the academy and the news media about how one’s choice of college major, formerly a relative non-issue, affects the ability of college graduates to withstand financial pressures.

In the mass media in particular, debate has centered upon the efficacy of holding a liberal arts degree in today’s economy.

Many economic factors have increased the sense of urgency pervading college campuses to reap the returns of their hard work. According to an expose published in the publication n +1 titled “Bad Education,” the total amount of student debt owned by banks has surpassed that of credit card debt (with the average amount of debt per individual at $25,000), while the average costs of a college education in the United States have ballooned 650 percent above inflation. “When I took out a student loan when I was in college,” explained Professor Scott Redenius (ECON) in an interview, “the bank collected a fairly significant fee. … The recent Obama administration plan to have these loans directly funded by the government should reduce student loan costs in that component.”

The Obama administration plan, however, has yet to extend its reach to private loans and decrease predatory lending practices. Banks continue to issue collateralized debt agreements backed by student debt (and government guarantees) known as Student Loan Asset-Backed Securities (SLABS), which use the same principles as the Collateralized Debt Obligations that contributed to the housing crisis, driving up the number of loans and therefore college costs.

Globalization has also increased financial returns for people holding skilled quantitative and technical jobs in developed countries, and raised the level of competitiveness for firms seeking college and graduate degree holders.

“If you take a theory like Heckscher-Ohlin, it shows that increased trade hurts the relatively scarce factors and benefits the relatively abundant factors,” Redenius said. “The United States is quite relatively scarce in unskilled labor, so with globalization, those with a relatively low number of skills have been hurt.”

Andrea Dine, associate director of career development at the Hiatt Career Center, pointed out that “fields where there are major shortages pay more … accounting, actuarium and science research all pay the most— the quantitative, mathematical fields.”

Many economists and commentators, however, point out a caveat. In a blog article, “Angst for the Educated,” Adrian Wooldridge of The Economist writes that although the world is being reconfigured by technology, there will be increased

pressure and uncertainty for people with technical degrees as computers replace jobs that were once carried out by large numbers of humans. “I think technology makes college graduates more productive,” Redenius said.

A 2011 Goergetown study also stated its conclusion in its title: “Not All College Degrees Are Created Equal.” While taking a differential view of earning potential for college majors, its findings indicate a more nuanced version of events than simply higher earning potential for vocational and quantitative majors, and lower earning potential for humanities majors. A poll of recent college graduates (those between the ages of 22 and 26) showed that the recession has affected architecture majors most adversely due to the decline in new construction and housing development, leading to an unemployment rate of 13.9 percent. Fine arts majors are the second worse-off in the job market, with 12.9 percent unemployment.

The Georgetown study would agree (if you can measure productivity with profits) as it concludes that those who produce technology tend to earn more than those who use it. “Andrea Dine continued to say, however, that “the skills employers most want are perfect for a liberal arts degree: communication skills, problem solving-analytical skills, and the desire to learn how to learn...Liberal arts majors feel a little behind in coding skills, but they catch up...and the faculty end up coming to them.”

Josh Hoffman-Senn ’13, cofounder of the Brandeis Economics Society and former investment banking summer analyst at Beamonte Investments in Boston, framed the problem of post-graduate employment as both an issue of motivation and experience.

“It takes a lot of hard work,” he stated during an interview.

When asked about how liberal arts majors fared in the financial market, Hoffman-Senn responded, “Companies want to have diverse employees and take students from a multitude of backgrounds, but quantitative majors have an easier time finding jobs.”

Statistics appear to back up Hoffman-Senn’s personal experiences as an intern in the financial world. If monetary gain is your concern, the majority of college graduates in the top 1 percent of income earners majored in quantitative fields—according to census data published in The New York Times. One may also find that zoology majors made it into the top five, and art history and criticism is in the top-10 highest earning majors: There are also more history majors in the 1 percent than economics majors specifically, according to The Times.

“What got me ahead was starting early, I started pursuing a career from freshman year, and building up experiences that help lead to where I want to be,” continued Hoffman-Senn. “Additionally, what many students don’t realize is that Brandeis has a pretty powerful alumni network which is loyal to current undergraduates, and not many students seem to be utilizing it to its fullest extent.”

February 3, 2012

FEATURES 17

The Brandeis Hoot

Iran and Israel: tensions continue to rise

By Zach Reid

Brandeis. The success of such a strike would depend on what the Israelis could do, in Art’s view, and it would Brandeis professors offered varying be “foolish” to launch a strike, given responses this week to the heighten- the potential for a war based on the ing of tensions between the already results. dire relationship between Iran and the Professor Nader Habibi (ECON) State of Israel. also agreed that such a strike could With Iran’s President, Mahmoud just as easily “further entrench the Ahmadinejad, who has publicly de- Iranian government and increase cried the existence of the state of Israel their desire for nuclear weapons” as and called for its destruction, relations a setback the program. He stated that between both countries have been Iran has openly pursued a nuclear restrained at best as Israel has viewed search program since the 1979 Islamic Iran as a significant threat to its na- Revolution, although the government tional security for many years. has never openly expressed a desire to The potential for Iran to possess possess nuclear weapons. nuclear weapons would add another There is also some concern as to element of instability in the politics of whether the United States would be the Middle East and Israel has repeat- dragged into a conflict between Israel edly declared that it will act before Iran and Iran, a situation that seems siggains a nuclear weapon and the chance nificantly undesirable given its past to use it. The Independent quoted Is- involvement in Middle Eastern conraeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak as flicts during the last decade. Habibi saying that “a situation could be rapidly commented that “Iran could easily reached where even ‘surgical’ military retaliate against American interests in action could not block the Tehran re- the Persian Gulf.” Professor Art also gime from getting the bomb.” agrees with this idea, given how Iran An actual strike against Iran by Is- could easily assume that “any milirael, however, may not be a certainty. tary action taken by Israel would have Such a strike would take “days or been in coordination with America, if weeks of coordinated military action,” not with [America’s] approval.” according to Robert Art, a profesIsrael has a history of pre-emptive sor of international relations here at action against perceived nuclear Special to the Hoot

threats, such as the 1981 raid against Iraq’s Osirak nuclear reactor, or the 2007 strike against an alleged Syrian nuclear reactor. In both cases, Israeli aircrafts entered the airspace of their target nations, and proceeded to bomb the facilities.

The Iranian government is currently engaged in nuclear enrichment that it claims is for civilian purposes, including medical research and treatment. Many countries, however, chiefly the United States and Israel, believe that Iran is producing weapons-grade nuclear material at their facilities.

International response to Iran’s nuclear program, however, has not been completely military. In response to the Iranian government’s continued alleged development of nuclear weapons, America, the European Union and the United Nations have laid various waves of economic sanctions on Iran, with the latest being in the form of an oil embargo. This embargo would certainly have an impact on Iran’s economy, given that 80 percent of the country’s exports are comprised of oil.

These sanctions have the potential to harm seriously the Iranian economy, according to Habibi. When asked about the civilian unrest in Iran, he also stated that “if [the sanctions] do enough harm, they might persuade

photo from internet source

Iran’s government to negotiate on their nuclear program.” Previous negotiations have been met with limited success, but the impact from the impending oil embargo might be enough to change the government’s position on diplomacy.

Another aspect of the international pressure on Iran comes from the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), which is a treaty designed to control the spread of nuclear weapons and to facilitate the disarmament of nuclear weapons as well. Currently, 32 countries are either confirmed to or

believed to possess nuclear weapons, with 190 countries having ratified the NPT. Of the countries that have not ratified the NPT, four are on nuclear “watchdog” lists: India, Pakistan, Israel and North Korea.

The NPT itself presents an interesting situation for Iran, according to Art. In an interview with The Hoot, he stated that “while the NPT allows Iran to enrich uranium for research purposes, they are not allowed to enrich it up to weapons-grade capacity,” which would constitute at least 85 percent enrichment.

Faculty, registrar cooperate in complex capping procedure CLASS CAPS, from page 1

happen regularly and much more easily.

Faculty provide the initial input as to where they prefer their cap limit to be. Lamb describes the process: The anthropology department makes a decision considering the faculty’s wishes and then sends it to the dean to approve.

Once a cap limit is established, it is up to the individual professor whether they wish to admit any additional students unless it is an issue of classroom constraints. According to Hewitt, the exceptions happen in UWS or comprehensive writing courses where the writing program director must also approve added students.

The economics department shares a similar procedure with a few outstanding issues. This semester Coiner teaches the course Global Economy of which there are two other sessions available. Since it is a popular course for both majors and non-majors, however, the dean occasionally approves an additional “supersession”

to be offered. Coiner is teaching one such session, which originally was capped at 80 students, a decision originally made by the department.

The department will often choose a cap, typically around 35 students for a regular session, based on the last time the course was offered. Sometimes they will also impose a smaller cap number to prevent students from randomly enrolling in a course only to drop it later.

Hewitt describes this situation, in which the registrar may, “[impose] a lower cap than the current enrollment so that the instructor can fully control who receives seats that open up if students drop. This happens when a class initially closes at the ‘normal’ cap number, but there are many students hoping for seats. In order to ensure that the instructor can decide who gets a seat that opens, we lower the cap so that there is no danger of a student enrolling directly.” Lamb says this exact situation often applies in her classes and those of other professors in the anthropology department.

“Many professors intentionally set a

Senior column: defining Brandeisian VIEW, from page 16

aged to address every single social injustice that exists on planet Earth (well, I have yet to see any posters for “Water for Waslala,” but now the cat is out of the bag).

Secondly, the opportunities for Brandeis are virtually endless. Normally, if I wanted to join the sailing team, I would have to have prior experience and survive tryouts before I could ever set foot on a boat.

Here at Brandeis, that’s not the case.

Even with no experience at all, you can become a member of the team and participate in intercollegiate competitions.

From sexuality counseling at SSIS to the Ping-Pong club, it’s all there.

But being Brandeisian was not what I was expecting for a college experience.

I must have been biased from watching way too many college comedies. Why do I have so much homework? Why is my dorm room so small? And where were the drunken provocative esca-

pades?

This leads me to my absolute favorite thing about being Brandeisian. Dorm rooms haven’t been renovated for generations. Dining services is constantly under fire from the student body. We had hopes of a faculty student ratio of 9:1, and then we decided to take General Chemistry and Introduction to Economics. And finally, this was all for the meager cost of four Cadillac Escalades with a used Toyota Camry on the side.

Why are we proud to be Brandeisian? It’s because we’re all in it together.

Brandeis has a sense of community. We all look out for each other. We can recognize one of our own. It’s no surprise that the eyes of alumni light up when they hear the word “Brandeis.”

Being Brandeisian is something found at the core of our hearts, something that we will have for the rest of our lives. There is a sheer joy derived from being a part of this community. I’m sure that if I went to Tulane, I would just never understand.

lower cap than the planned final size of a course, expecting to admit some students who petition to be added after a course is ‘full.’”

This method permits the professor to consider compelling petitions.

This sometimes leads to a discrepancy between the capped number and the actual number of students registered, which can make it seem as though extra students have been allowed to enroll.

But how does one attempt to enroll in a class that is already filled? It is important to try petitioning, though it is not guaranteed to work.

“The instructor has the authority to let in as few or as many from the demand list as they wish,” Coiner explained.

This can depend on the physical restraints of the classroom or even just one instructor’s preferences. Coiner says he will typically let in as many students as he can from the demand list as long as they show up to class and put forth effort.

Watson, however, said he typically does not allow students past his cap limit. He imposes a strictly first-come,

first-served policy, regardless of class level, as long as the students meet the prerequisites. Not all professors follow this plan. “Some give preference by class rank or grades, I don’t know. But this is how I do it,” Watson stated.

Exceptions may occur, as did this year in his Child Development Across Cultures course, in which he considered a petition. One masters student had contacted him because she had enrolled midyear and thus failed to complete any pre-enrollment, and he accepted her past the capped limit. “I prefer that course to be capped at 20 [instead of the current 25], but with more and more students at Brandeis, the department heads will often put a lot of pressure on the instructors to increase their cap limit. It is ultimately up to the professor whether or not to do so,” Watson explained. In the psychology department, a professor is usually allowed to choose his own capping limit, but within reason. For example, a cap limit of 10 students would typically not be approved, and if a course is requested by a large number of students, the department heads

may encourage the instructors to increase the limit, as Watson described.

One other situation in which Watson may allow surplus students to join a class is if graduate students are on the waitlist. “If I have any grad students at all, I like to have many so they can associate with each other,” he said, explaining how the graduate students will typically have extra duties or assignments in the class, and this will give them an opportunity to work together within their own groups.

The consensus seems to be that a petition will never hurt, although an individual professor’s preferences are not always known.

“Most professors consider e-mailed petitions,” Lamb said. “We often give priority to majors. Some give priority to seniors who won’t be able to take the class in the future, although I myself tend to prefer to give priority to freshmen and sophomores for [Anthropology 1A], and to sophomores and juniors for my upper-level courses—for I find that students in their earlier years are often the very most eager and hardworking.”

’Deis gets Zipcars grant

By Nathan Koskella Editor

The ZipCar Students with Drive program donated $5,500 to Brandeis this week for transportation from campus to their many partner sites, which will now be much easier for those involved with Brandeis’ experiential learning.

The grant will provide $5,500 in Zipcar credits that can be used for vehicle usage charges by students traveling to and from both experiential and community engaged learning programs and events. Brandeis Zipcars are located near the public safety and health center buildings.

The experiential learning programs take many students off campus during the school day or away from their dorms in the evening, so these Zipcar credits can now assist them in their unusual commutes.

Among the programs that will benefit are the Charles River Public Internet Center, which helps immigrant Bay Staters and those with low-

incomes learn basic computer skills; WATCH Tenant Advocacy Clinic, which provides ESL classes, resume building and other skill training; and Healthy Waltham, where students go to teach Waltham-area youth about healthy eating and vegetable gardening.Brandeis’s winning entry was written by Caitlin Abber ’13, the student program assistant for the experiential and community learning programs.

Zipcar partnered with Ford to create the grant program. The Ford family has pledged to provide more than $300,000 in grants to be awarded to student organizations and universities, and Brandeis is now among them.

The Zipcar University Students with Drive Facebook page chooses monthly winners. A group of finalists will be chosen in April in order to compete to receive a grand prize comprising of a further $5,000 of Zipcar credits, $10,000 in cash and $10,000 for their school’s general scholarship fund.

Voting will take place on the Facebook page, with the winner being announced in May.

“Today’s students are very active with local organizations in and around their communities,” said John Felice, the general manager of Ford and Lincoln Marketing, in a press release. “Ford’s alliance with Zipcar will not only provide students with access to Ford’s newest fuel-efficient vehicles, but now, through the Students with Drive program, we will help them give back, using these vehicles to help make a difference on their campus and in their communities.”

photo from internet source

18 The Brandeis Hoot

SPORTS

February 3, 2012

Judges rebound with overtime victory at Chicago

By Brian Tabakin Editor

Just five days after defeating Chicago in overtime, the men’s basketball team pulled out a tough overtime victory against Case Western Reserve, 78-74, this past Friday. The Judges continued their strong play in an 8067 win against Carnegie Mellon this past Sunday. With the two wins, the Judges improve to 11-7 (5-2 UAA) and are in a good position to make a strong push for the playoffs over the last month of the season.

The first 33 minutes of the contest were extremely tight, with neither team able to establish an edge. During this period, the largest lead was five points by Case Western late in the first half. With roughly seven minutes left in regulation time, there had been four ties and 14 lead changes.

Brandeis trailed 51-50 following a dunk from Case sophomore center David Thompson at the 7:10 mark of the second half; however, Brandeis guard Ben Bartoldus ’14 answered with a three-pointer from the right, thereby giving Brandeis a 53-51 lead. Bartoldus’ basket started a 12-2 run for the Judges during the next three minutes of play. Forward Vytas Kriskus ’12 capped off the run with a three-pointer with 3:43 left in the game to give Brandeis a 62-53 edge in the waning minutes of the contest.

Case did not back down from the deficit as they held Brandeis to just one field goal for the rest of regulation as they went on a 12-2 run of their own. Case senior forward Tom Summers scored eight of 12 points during this stretch while also controlling three crucial rebounds in the final 90 seconds of regulation.

After grabbing an offensive board with 1:21 left, he scored to cut the Case deficit to 64-60. Then, after playing a tight defense on Kriskus at the other end, he collected the defensive rebound and scored a layup to make it a one-possession game with 45 seconds left.

The Judges didn’t do themselves

any favors as they missed their third free throw of the game in crunch time with 23 seconds remaining in regulation.

Summers once again made the key play for Case grabbing the rebound off of the missed free throw and Case called timeout to set up a final play.

Following the timeout, Case worked the ball into the paint where Judges’ guard Tyrone Hughes ’12 was called for a reach-in foul with 11.6 seconds left. Case junior guard Robert Scott calmly drained both free throws, tying the game at 64-64.

Despite the Judges’ inability to score down the stretch, they still had a chance to win the game in regulation following the free throws by Scott.

Hughes drove into the lane and got enough separation from his defender to attempt a jumper. The jumper was off the mark and Bartoldus was unable successfully to control the offensive rebound.

Much like in regulation, overtime was a tightly contested affair as well; however, the Judges connected on 5-of-6 from the free throw line in the extra period to eke out the win.

The Judges had a balanced attack in overtime as their 14 points came from four different players, with no player scoring more than four points.

Center Youri Dascy ’14 led Brandeis with seven rebounds while Hughes had a game-high seven assists. Bartoldus led all players with three steals, which helped give Brandeis a 15-11 edge in turnovers and a 21-14 advantage in points scored off of turnovers.

The points off of turnovers helped Brandeis overcome a 23-10 deficit in points from the charity stripe.

The Judges looked to carry the momentum from the overtime victory against Case to their contest against Carnegie Mellon.

The first half could not have gone any better for the Judges as they stormed out of the gate, opening the contest on a 21-9 run during the first eight minutes of play. Carnegie Mellon was able to cut their deficit to nine points at 28-19; however, the Judges

didn’t let them get any closer as they closed the half on a 18-2 run to take a commanding 46-21 lead into the locker room at the half. Terrific bench play, including eight points and two three-pointers from guard Anthony Trapasso ’14, helped pad the Judges’ lead in the first half.

The second half did not go as smoothly for the Judges as sloppy play and turnovers let the Tartans roar back into the contest. After committing just six turnovers in the first half, Brandeis committed a devastating 12 turnovers in the second half.

With 3:11 remaining in the second half, a jumper from CMU sophomore guard Rashaun Riley cut the once commanding Judges’ lead to just nine points. Fortunately, the Tartans were unable to get any closer as the Judges’ strong bench play continued as guard Jay Freeman ’13 helped the Judges hang in with a layup and four free throws over the final stretch.

Bartoldus said that after a “long overtime game on Friday night, we just sputtered out in the second half.

We were running plays to run the clock out, but we still got the win.”

When the Judges have a lead, they cannot afford to run the shot clock down to 10-15 seconds before setting their offense in motion as it will force them to take contested jumpers, thereby receiving odd looks by using this type of offense.

Kriskus led Brandeis with 17 points while Hughes added 13 points. Guard Derek Retos ’14 scored 12 points on 4-of-5 shooting from beyond the arc, Freeman had 11 points and Dascy finished with 11 points.

Dascy, Kriskus and forward Alex Schmidt ’14 all tied for the team lead with six rebounds while Schmidt led the team with two blocks. Hughes led the team with four assists and Freeman led the Judges with four steals, a career high. Brandeis had their thirdbest shooting performance of the season, shooting a blistering 58.3 percent on 28-of-48 shooting.

Bartoldus added that this is “still a young team, but we are starting to

photo by nafiz “fizz ” ahmed/the hoot

mature from last year. Our two seniors keep us focused.” He continued, “Last year was a rollercoaster with everyone trying to prove themselves, but this year, we all have a year’s experience.” Bartoldus finished, saying, “We anticipate making the playoffs but we have to beat Emory coming up and we have some big games coming up on the road that we need to win.”

The Judges will look to keep their momentum going and continue their playoff push when they travel to face Case Western Reserve again this Friday at 8 p.m. The Judges will be on the road for the next two weeks before they return home Feb. 17 for a 8 p.m. contest against Washington.

Men’s basketball Team

UAA

All

Washington

6–1

14 – 4

NYU

5–2

15 – 2

Brandeis

5–2

11 – 7

Emory

4–3

15 – 3

Chicago

4–3

11 – 7

Rochester

2–5

11 – 7

Carnegie Mellon

2–5

7 – 11

Case Western

0–7

8 – 10

Box Scores Case Western

Win

78 – 74

Carnegie Mellon

Win

80 – 67

Judges finally notch first UAA victory

By Alex Bernstein Staff

After losing a close game to Case Western Reserve University 61-54 on Friday night, the Brandeis women’s basketball team finally got their first University Athletic Association (UAA) victory against Carnegie Mellon University, 67-56, on Sunday afternoon.

The Judges, who had lost six straight games before Sunday, all against UAA opponents, are now 8-10 on the season.

Brandeis opened up Friday’s game on a 9-3 run, beginning the first half that featured three lead changes. The Spartans then went on a 9-2 run of their own. After the Judges led 26-20 with two minutes left in the half, the Spartans closed the half on a 9-0 run, sending Brandeis to the locker room down 29-26 at the half.

Judges’ guard Kasey Dean ’14 mentioned after the game that a big reason the Judges have been struggling lately is that they have been giving up too many large scoring runs to their opponents. “We play well for most of the game, but those games where the opponents go on 10-0 runs are what really kill us.” Although the Judges have played well in previous games, they have not played consistently for all 40 minutes.

The Judges went into the second half looking to stay consistent and prevent the Spartans from getting on a roll. Brandeis started the half strongly, regaining the lead and putting themselves ahead 35-31; how-

ever, Case Western responded with an 8-2 run, exactly what the Judges had worked diligently to prevent. The Spartans led for the remaining 14 minutes of the game.

Both teams shot under 40 percent from the field, as Brandeis shot 37 percent while Case Western shot 39 percent. Both teams finished with 39 rebounds, and both finished with 14 assists. Additionally, each team finished with similar totals in points in the paint as well as points off the bench. While Brandeis (13) turned the ball over only twice more than Case Western (11), it was points-offturnovers that may have decided the game. The Spartans outscored the Judges 13-6 in that category, a margin equivalent to the difference in overall points scored.

Judges’ guard Morgan Kendrew ’12 led the team with 13 points and two steals, while guard Diana Cincotta M.A. ’12 and forward Courtney Ness ’13 each added 10 points. Forward Samantha Anderson ’13 led Brandeis with 11 rebounds, and guard Hannah Cain ’15 added five rebounds, five assists and a block.

Looking to rebound from Friday’s tough loss and finally defeat a UAA opponent, the Judges faced Carnegie Mellon University at home Sunday afternoon. The Judges started off well, going on a 13-5 run to open up the first four and a half minutes of the game. The Tartans then went on a 13-5 run of their own, tying the game up at 18 apiece three minutes later.

Brandeis played well during the next 11 minutes, going ahead 36-28 at the

half. The Judges led for the entire second half, benefitting from an 11-0 run midway through the half.

Kendrew led the Judges to victory, scoring 11 second-half points on her way to 22 for the game. She went 9-for-18 from the field for the game, including 2-of-7 from beyond the arc, while making both of her free-throw attempts. Kendrew also brought down four boards and added four assists, marking an impressive performance. Cincotta also added 13 points for the Judges, going 4-for-9 from the three-point range; she hit her 100th career three-pointer with 13:57 remaining in the second half, becoming the sixth Judge to do so and joining Kendrew in the 100 club.

The Judges shot 40 percent from the field, while their defense was just as impressive, holding Carnegie Mellon to just 31 percent shooting.

Brandeis dominated the paint, outscoring the Tartans 26-4 in points scored in the paint. The Judges also outscored the Tartans 16-4 in secondchance points, and 22-13 in pointsoff-turnovers.

Cain had another great game, scoring 12 points while contributing four assists, four rebounds and three steals.

Forward Shannon Hassan ’12 also added six rebounds off the bench.

Dean, who had a career-high four steals Sunday, spoke about the victory afterward. “We’ve been sick of losing, and it feels great to get a victory. It’s been frustrating because we haven’t been playing poor basketball, we’ve just been losing tough games.”

Dean added that the upperclass-

photo by nate rosenbloom/the hoot

men have helped the team a lot during the Judges’ recent struggles. “They’ve all done a great job of staying supportive, even after losses. They’ve set good examples and, as a team, we’ve stuck together, never trying to put the blame on others after tough losses.”

Dean mentioned that if the Judges want to build off of Sunday’s win and

be successful for the remainder of the season, they cannot let their opponents dictate the way they play. “We have to execute our plays the way we do in practice. When we lose games, it’s our own fault. We force passes See W. BASKETBALL, page 15

February 3, 2012

SPORTS 19

The Brandeis Hoot

Super Bowl XLVI: legacies on the line in rematch

By Brian Tabakin Editor

In February 2008, the Giants and Patriots arguably played the best Super Bowl in the modern era. The Patriots were coming off of a recordbreaking season during which they shattered offensive records. Patriots quarterback Tom Brady threw for 4,806 yards, at the time a career-high, an NFL record 50 touchdown passes and just eight interceptions. Brady finished the season with a 117.2 passer rating, the second highest rating in the history of the NFL. Brady’s favorite target that season was wide receiver Randy Moss. Coming off the worst statistical year of his career, finishing with just 42 receptions for 553 yards and three touchdowns; however, with the Patriots in 2007, Moss had what can be considered the best single season for a wide receiver in NFL history finishing with 98 receptions for 1,493 yards and an NFL record 23 touchdowns.

The Patriots had also acquired wide receiver Wes Welker from the Dolphins for a second round and seventh round pick. In his first season with the Patriots, Welker finished tied for the league lead with 112 receptions for 1,175 yards and eight touchdowns.

As impressive as their offense was, the defense was just as dominant led by all-pro players Vince Wilfork, Mike Vrabel, Adalius Thomas, Junior Seau, Rodney Harrison, Tedy Bruschi and Asante Samuel.

The Patriots had steamrolled the competition during the regular season and post-season going undefeated and were on the precipice of becoming the first 19-0 team in the history of the NFL and staking the claim to the “greatest team in NFL history.”

In contrast, the Giants finished the regular season with a 10-6 record and had to fight for their lives even to get into the playoffs.

Every NFL fan knows what happened next. In one of the greatest

upsets in sports history, the Giants knocked off the Patriots and ruined their perfect season with a 17-14 victory. Just as stunning as the Giants’ upset was what has come to be known simply as “The Catch 42.” The play involved a relatively unknown Giants’ receiver, David Tyree, catching a poorly thrown ball from Eli Manning by securing it against his helmet as he fell to the ground.

Until this season, the Patriots had not won a playoff game since that run to the Super Bowl. Similarly, the Giants had not won a playoff game since winning that Super Bowl either.

Both the Giants and Patriots reversed these recent trends, as they will once again face off in the Super Bowl this Sunday at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. Too many are making the mistake of coining this game as a rematch of Super Bowl XLII. The simple facts are that the two teams could not be more different. The Patriots have just seven players remaining from the ’07 team as the entire roster, including the offense has been entirely redone. The Giants have just 16 players remaining from their championship team. While the quarterbacks, Eli Manning and Tom Brady, and the coaches, Tom Coughlin and Bill Belichick, remain the same, most of the players are completely different.

A common analysis of the game is that the Giants defensive line will disrupt and pressure Brady just like they did in ’07 with Justin Tuck, Jason Pierre-Paul, Osi Umenyiora and Mathias Kiwanuka. This monster front four that won the game for the Giants is mostly the same with the only difference being Pierre-Paul replacing the now retired and first ballot hall of famer Michael Strahan (a much bigger talent drop off than ESPN would have you believe.) But while this front four is among the best in rushing the quarterback, they will not have a big impact.

Through this entire postseason, Brady has been sacked only one time.

photos from internet source

This is even more amazing considering he has played against and beaten some of the best pass rushing teams in the NFL this year in the Ravens and Broncos. Like these teams, the Giants won’t have much success sacking and rushing Brady either. The simple reason is the revolutionary Patriots offense. In ’07, Brady had to hold the ball in the pocket for around three to five seconds to allow Randy Moss to break through the safeties and create space downfield; however, the current Patriots offense primarily uses a two tight end with Aaron Hernandez and Rob Gronkowski to go along with a Wes Welker as a slot receiver and typically Deion Branch on the sideline. This offensive package allows Brady to get rid of the ball much more quickly, typically in one to three seconds, to his tight ends and slot receivers. While in ’07 the Patriots passing game was primarily vertical, the current Patriots’ offense is primarily horizontal with quick slant passes, screens and 8-15 yard passes with an astounding amount of YAC (yards after the catch).

Eli Manning has had a career year

this season. Criticized before this season for saying he was an elite quarterback in the same class of Tom Brady, Eli responded with a spectacular regular season breaking a record for the most fourth-quarter comebacks.

The Giants have also experienced a renaissance in their receiving core with the additions of Victor Cruz, Mario Manningham and Hakeem Nicks. Both the Patriots’ and Giants’ passing attacks are clicking on all cylinders and both will be able to put up impressive numbers as the Giants and Patriots pass defense were ranked 29th and 31st respectively; therefore, the game will likely come down to the running game.

Surprisingly, the Giants running game was ranked dead-last in the NFL this year with Brandon Jacobs and Ahmad struggling all season. Lost behind the brilliance of Tom Brady, the Patriots running game was ranked 20th among all teams. The Patriots were able to rush for 96 yards against the Ravens, the toughest-run defense in the NFL, in the AFC championship and will need success against the Giants’ mediocre run defense.

If the Patriots are going to win this game, they will need to rush for at least 150 yards. Look for BenJarvus Green-Ellis, “the Lawfirm,” to have a spectacular day with close to 130 rushing yards by himself to go along with two rushing touchdowns.

Brady will throw two touchdowns and zero interceptions while Manning will throw two touchdowns and one interception. In a high scoring game, the Patriots will pull away in the fourth quarter behind the rungame of the Lawfirm and an ill-timed turnover by the Giants.

Tom Brady will win his fourth Super Bowl ring Sunday and any questions regarding whether the Patriots have had a dynasty this past decade will be erased with a fourth Super Bowl win in 11 years.

Manning will not be able to win his second Super Bowl ring but he has firmly established himself among the elite NFL quarterbacks with Tom Brady, Drew Brees and Aaron Rodgers.

Patriots 34 Giants 24 Super Bowl MVP: BenJarvus Green-Ellis

Judges seek strong UAA finish W. BASKETBALL from page 14

rather than letting the offense flow and come to us. We also take a lot of threes, and need to make sure we’re more active on the offensive glass, because second-chance points are very important.” The Judges did a good job Sunday of playing the way they like to play.

Dean also mentioned that the team has been plagued with several injuries lately, but now that they are mostly healthy, they can focus on winning more games. The win on Sunday was Brandeis’ 20th straight victory over Carnegie Mellon, a streak that dates back to the 2001-02 season.

The Judges look to keep up their winning ways when they face Case Western in Cleveland this Friday at 6 p.m.

Women’s basketball Team

UAA

All

Chicago

7–0

18 – 0

Rochester

6–1

17 – 1

Washington

5–2

15– 3

Emory

4–3

13 – 5

Case Western

3–4

11 – 7

NYU

1–6

9–9

Brandeis

1–6

8 – 10

Carnegie Mellon

1–6

7 – 11

Box Scores Case Western

Loss

61 – 54

Carnegie Mellon

Win

67 – 56

Fencing squads have strong outing

By Louis Berger Staff

The men’s fencing team went 3-2 in the second Northeast Fencing Conference meet of the season. The Judges defeated Dartmouth 14-13, Tufts 21-6 and Vassar 17-10 but fell to Brown 14-13 and host Boston College 16-11. Noah Berman ’15 was the top performer for Brandeis, going 9-3 in the foil. Fellow foilist Julian Cardillo ’14 also performed well, going 8-2 on the day. Two members of the saber team, Jess Ochs-Willard ’15 and Adam Mandel ’15 both had eight-win days.

The Judges are now 7-7 overall and

7-3 in the Northeast Fencing Conference. This Saturday they will host NYU, Penn, Hunter, Johns Hopkins and Haverford at the Eric Sollee Invitational.

The women’s team went 3-3 at the same event, defeating Dartmouth 1710, Smith 15-12 and Tufts 15-12. The Judges fell short against Boston College 21-6, Brown 24-3 and Vassar 198. On the epee, Leah Mack ’14 went 12-6 and Eliza Powell ’15 went 6-3 on the day.

The women’s squad moved to 8-10 overall and 7-5 in the Northeast Fencing Conference. They will play again this Saturday at home as they host the Eric Sollee Invitational.

Track and field continues to impress

By Louis Berger Staff

The Brandeis men’s and women’s track and field teams competed last weekend in the Boston University Terrier Classic, a nonscoring meet with competition from Division I, II and III schools as well as non-collegiate teams.

Their best performance in an NCAA event came from Kate Warwick ’12 who ran the 5,000-meter run with a time of 17:20.96, 21st overall and second among Division III runners. After adjusting her time to take into account the

track size, it was the fifth fastest in Division III this season, the best time in the UAA this season and third among all New England runners.

In the 1,000-meter run, Kristi Pisarik ’15 finished with a time of 3:02.61, which was 11th out of 49 runners and third among Division III competitors. In the high jump, Lily Parenteau ’12 finished 11th overall with a distance of 1.60 meters. Parenteau was unable to improve her national ranking in the event but still sits at 16th.

On the men’s team, Chris

Brown ’12 continued his strong season, placing ninth overall and first among Division III runners in the mile run with a time of 4:10.34.

Taylor Dundas ’14 improved his national standing, placing 27th overall and fifth among Division III runners in the mile run with a time of 4:14.97, thereby improving his Division III ranking to 12th on the season.

The men’s and women’s teams will both be back in action this Saturday at the Tufts Invitational.

20 The Brandeis Hoot

HOOT SCOOPS

February 3, 2012

A priest and politics

Amid the Republican primaries, the Rev. Walter Cuenin discusses the intersection of religion and politics

photo from internet source

rick perry’s campaign ad Former Republican presidential candidate Rick Perry criticizes

the inclusion of gay people in the United States military in his Christmas-time campaign ad.

photo by nate rosenbloom/the hoot peace and pride The Rev. Walter Cuenin stands in front of the gay pride rainbow flag that he displays in Brandeis’ Bethlehem Chapel.

By Alana Blum Editor

It may be rare to encounter a multicolored gay pride flag upon entering a church. But Brandeis’ Catholic chaplain, the Rev. Walter Cuenin, proudly displays the rainbow flag in the Bethlehem Chapel’s foyer. With the word “Peace” written across the middle, the flag symbolizes a proclamation of acceptance and unity for each person who may walk through the Bethlehem Chapel’s doors.

Cuenin bases his decision to exhibit a gay pride flag on a tale about Jesus’ birth in Bethlehem. According to Christian tradition, when Mary and Joseph arrived at a Bethlehem inn, Mary was forced to have her baby in an outside stable since there were no rooms left at the inn. Cuenin connects this story to Brandeis’ Bethlehem Chapel by using the multicolored flag to portray that “in this Bethlehem, there’s always room for everyone in the inn.”

The Republican presidential primary race, however, has included several debates where candidates voice their opposition to Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell and gay marriage, often invoking religion in the process.

Rick Perry, for example, released a video in December stating, “There’s something wrong in this country when gays can serve openly in the military but our kids can’t openly celebrate Christmas or pray in school.”

Although Perry has since dropped out of the presidential race, many Republicans continue to use religion to validate their political views. Republican candidate Newt Gingrich, who converted to Catholicism when he married his third wife, recently compared gay marriage to paganism.

“It’s pretty simple: Marriage is between a man and a woman. This is a historic doctrine driven deep into the Bible, both in the Old Testament and in the New Testament, and it’s a perfect example of what I mean by the rise of paganism,” Gingrich said in a conference call with religious rights advocated last week.

Meanwhile, Cuenin, a self-proclaimed Democrat, uses religion and his worldly observations to advocate a more open position.

He believes that allowing openly

gay people to serve in the military is in fact a very positive step. As Cuenin points out, almost all of the major developed countries in the world don’t prohibit openly gay people from joining the army.

Cuenin is currently an ally of Brandeis’ LGBT group, Triskelion.

He claims that while the Catholic Church does not support gay marriage, it does welcome gay people to its churches. In fact, when he was a pastor for a larger church nearby, Cuenin had even performed a baptism for the baby of a gay couple.

“The Catholic Church opposes gay marriage, so I cannot directly say I support it, but I have seen from my experience that for many people it creates a much healthier environment … For example, if you were to go to Provincetown in the summer time, where a lot of gay people go, it’s a radically different place today than it was 20 years ago,” Cuenin said. “They are there with children and married, raising kids, so they go home at night. In other words, it has transformed the whole gay scene … it hasn’t led to total debauchery. In some ways, it has pulled people back together,” Cuenin said.

Cuenin views many of the Republican candidates’ attitudes about other political topics difficult to accept as well. For example, Cuenin points out that Rick Santorum’s efforts to add creationism to schools’ curricula goes against the official ruling of the Cath-

olic Church. Catholicism doesn’t read the Genesis story literally anymore and thus does not view the creation narrative as the biological description of the beginning of the world.

Likewise, Cuenin isn’t in favor of Santorum’s war on contraception.

While the Catholic Church does not permit the use of artificial contraceptives, Cuenin doesn’t believe that contraceptives should be prohibited from all Americans. Instead, he would like to help Catholic people make the decision on their own.

While Cuenin follows the Catholic Church’s ruling against abortion, he believes the United States should provide solutions for lowering the abortion rate, rather than banning abortion all together. He says that President Obama’s plan to include contraception in health care plans could help lower the abortion rate.

He furthermore promotes the inclusion of sex education in school curricula.

“Ironically, United States of America has very high teenage pregnancy rates and abortion rates because we are so conflicted over sex education,” Cuenin said.

Cuenin would additionally like to see better maternal support systems put in place for pregnant women. According to Cuenin, it would be easier for women to keep their children if they were offered longer maternity leave, more day cares and improved health care.

Although the Catholic Church opposes abortion, Church leaders are usually willing to offer psychological counseling and support to anyone who has had an abortion in the past.

Cuenin described a story about a bishop in Great Britain who had been working with a poor, pregnant young woman.

Although the bishop had offered the woman financial and emotional support, the woman decided to have an abortion. Nevertheless, the bishop picked up the woman from the clinic afterward, brought her home and made her a cup of tea.

“Now that to me expresses two sides of a very complicated question.

You need to support what you believe in, and at the same time you need to support people who may choose to do things you don’t believe in. In this case, [the bishop] showed great compassion even though he was hoping she wouldn’t have that abortion,” Cuenin said.

Many people may assume religion and the Republican Party go hand in hand. Whether about the rights of minorities, justice for the poor or even immigration rights, however, Cuenin has proven that religious people can adopt open, progressive views on social issues.

Following the teachings of the Catholic Church, Cuenin fully supports the rights of immigrants and undocumented students. And although Cuenin has received complaints for his support of both gay rights and women’s rights in the past, he continues to offer acceptance and guidance to anybody who asks.

“When I was a pastor of a large church … I would always say I welcome everybody to this church, whether you’re gay or straight, divorced or remarried. Sometimes people in authority can take that the wrong way, but my understanding of being Christian is someone who welcomes everybody.”

photo from internet source photo from internet source

newt gingrich In Gingrich’s point of view, gay marriage is comparable to paganism

rick santorum Santorum believes that creationsim should be taught in schools. His

religious views also shape his opinions regarding contraception.