The Brandeis Hoot

Volume 9 Number 20

www.thebrandeishoot.com

Brandeis University’s Community Newspaper • Waltham, Mass.

September 28, 2012

Counseling center to launch new discussion forum Union errors ‘Brandeis at Night’ will open this semester

By Connor Novy Editor

The Psychological Counseling Center is launching a new program of group talks this semester called

“Brandeis at Night,” seeking to provoke community discussions about stress, mental health and available resources on campus.

Cate Dooley, a part-time psychotherapist and spear-header of the Brandeis at Night program, hopes that the sessions will encourage more students to visit the counseling center.

Dooley believes that while the current support system is effective, it

would be more effective if students came earlier and more often. Often, students wait until their conditions are far beyond safe. This is due, Dooley said, to college students, and the entire culture’s expectations. “What’s happening at colleges is happening culturally,” she said.

“There has been more and more distressed and stress demonstrated,” Dooley said in an interview this week.

break the fast Students join staff and administrators at a community break fast on the Great Lawn Wednesday evening.

“The students are showing more stress, our culture is showing more stress. It’s not unique to Brandeis or to students. If Brandeis is willing to take the challenge and address it, that’s great.”

She feels that administrators have taken on a greater charge when it comes to mental health. Still, Dooley

Staff

Earlier this month, the Obama Administration announced its nomination of Dr. John Unsworth, vice provost for library and technology services and chief information officer at Brandeis, to the National Council of the Humanities. Unsworth joins nationally-renowned music composers, politicians and the CEO of the National Council.

“I am grateful these accomplished men and women have agreed to join this Administration, and I’m confident they will serve ably in these important roles,” President Obama said

in a statement released by The White House. “I look forward to working with them in the months and years ahead.”

Unsworth was unable to comment on his nomination, which was announced to the Brandeis community through an email from Provost Steve Goldstein on Sept. 21. “All of you who have worked with John know that he is eminently qualified to serve on the National Council on the Humanities,” Goldstein wrote.

Prior to working at Brandeis, Unsworth served as the dean of the Graduate School of Library and Information Science at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign for nine years. He was also the Director

of the Illinois Informatics Institute during the last four years of his time at Illinois. He was an associate professor in the English department at the University of Virginia from 1993 to 2003, while simultaneously directing the Institute for Advanced Technology in the Humanities. He is also the co-founder of “Postmodern Culture,” an electronic humanities-centered, peer review journal.

Unsworth has written a plethora of work that has been printed in a number of different publications, including most recently, the University of Michigan Press, Digital Medievalist, Collaborative Research in the Digital Humanities and the Journal of Text Encoding Initiative.

By Connor Novy

See MAILMAN, page 3

photo by haley fine/the hoot

Unsworth nominated to National Council of the Humanities

By Emily Belowich

continue with election results

The National Council on the Humanities is a board consisting of 26 prominent private citizens that oversee the National Endowment for Humanities (NEH), an independent federal agency that is one of the largest funders of humanities programs in the United States. Members are appointed by the president and serve six-year terms. Created in 1965, the NEH serves to promote excellence in the humanities by conveying the lessons of history to all Americans. They award grants to cultural institutions such as museums, archives, libraries, and colleges and universities. Grants are awarded to strengthen teaching, facilitate research and provide access to cultural resources.

Editor

In an email to the student body, Union Secretary Carlton Shakes ’14 admitted fault for overlooking an error in the voting software, which led to the announcement of an Off-Campus Senator, though the position has not actually been filled. The abstain option won instead and according to the Union Constitution, the position will remain unfilled until the next round of elections. The election for Off-Campus Senator will be held today, Friday Sept. 28.

East Quad Senator now has multiple candidates, and will be voted on in the third round of elections taking place today.

Brandeis Sustainability Fund Representatives Flora Wang and Padraig Murphy were announced on Sept. 22 after their initial wins were negated by a mistake in voting procedure.

The first round of elections had displayed the incorrect security group, according to Student Union president Todd Kirkland ’13. Last semester’s student security group had been picked, which included seniors who graduated last semester, also not allowing the votes of incoming firstyears. The mistake affected any election in which the entire campus was eligible to vote. Other positions that had to be revoted were Judiciary, now filled by Michael DeFeo and Ridgewood Quad Senator, which resulted in a tie despite the voting software’s assessment of a winner.

This will be the third round of elections since last Thursday.

Bill Clinton to headline Schuster Institute fundraiser

By Jon Ostrowsky Editor

presidential pair Former University President Jehuda Reinharz shares the stage with President Bill Clinton at the 2007 Segal lecture.

Inside this issue:

photo courtesy the boston globe

City: Roxbury Community College in hot water Page 2 News: Nohrabi on Iran’s Nuclear Program Page 4 Features: Pepperberg researches new parrots Page 5 Impressions: Alum speaks out on politics Page 14 Arts, Etc.: Braids and Vactioner at Chum’s Page 16 Sports: Coach Covern still going strong Page 20

Former U.S. President Bill Clinton will attend a fundraiser at a private Boston residence on Wednesday afternoon to benefit Brandeis University’s Schuster Institute for Investigative Journalism, according to an email invitation obtained by The Hoot. Tickets are $10,000 per individual and $15,000 per couple.

All proceeds from the fundraiser, held at the residence of Elaine and Gerald Schuster, will benefit the Schuster Institute, a non-profit public interest journalism organization focused on social justice and human

From stamps to songs

Musical mailman Bill Bowen leaves his mark through work and performance.

Features: Page 6

rights issues.

No further information about next week’s fundraiser was available by press time.

Clinton spoke on campus in 2005 to deliver the inaugural lecture for the Eli J. Segal Citizen Leadership Program. Eli Segal ’64 served as chief of staff in Clinton’s 1992 presidential campaign and then served as an assistant to the president in the White House, where he helped launch AmeriCorps and the Corporation for National and Community Service.

During a question and answer session following the lecture, former Brandeis President Jehuda Reinharz joked to Clinton, “Do you have any presidential aspirations? I mean be-

ing president of a university? Because if you do, I can work it out with the board of trustees, and if you don’t want to have this job I’d like to know why.”

Clinton, who launched the the Clinton Global Initiative in 2005, responded with “I thought about being a university president. It would be fun for me. I’d love it. I’d love to be in the classroom. I’d love to be around young people.”

At the 2007 Segal lecture, Clinton spoke in the Gosman Sports and Convocation Center to a crowd of several thousand. Last fall, he spoke to about 6,000 people at Tufts University to deliver the Issam M. Fares Lecture.

In memory of Seth David Ostrowsky ’06 remembers his friend Seth Roberts ’06.

Sports: Page 9

city

2 The Brandeis Hoot

MBTA auto fare system in error, auditors say

State auditors have discovered that the MBTA automated-fare collection has significantly overstated funds gained from devices throughout the last seven years.

The system is meant to aid convenience in collecting fares, but the state now believes that there are errors that result in the overcounting of receipts. Auditors found no evidence of theft but say the system leaves the MBTA open for free-riders, who amount to thieves. source: waltham news-tribune

City library to host fall festival and book sale The City of Waltham will hold a Neighborhoods Fall Festival Saturday, featuring music, a raffle and autumn-themed games for all residents. The event, at the public library on Main Street, will take place from 1 to 4 p.m. and will take place alongside the library’s book sale. It is co-sponsored with the REACH Beyond Domestic Violence campaign.

Waltham men indicted for heroin, cocaine trafficking Two Waltham men have been indicted on drug charges this week, including trafficking in heroin and cocaine. They face a tribunal from the superior court level, which means they will potentially receive harsher sentences under state law. The men were arrested in August following a police sting.

source: boston globe

source: waltham patch

UMass faculty member protests termination

By Steven Colon

Special to the Hoot

Last spring Barbara Madeloni, a lecturer in education at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, began to protest the outsourcing of teacher assessments to the company Pearson.

These protests gained much momentum as her students also became involved. Madeloni then met with administrators at UMass by their request and was told that her contract would no longer be renewed after August of 2013, according to The Boston Globe.

Madeloni argues that this occurred as a direct result of her protests and it is an issue of academic freedom.

Officials at UMass responded that the termination was a coincidence and that they had been planning not to bring Madeloni back for some time so that they could hire a new tenure track faculty member, according to The Globe.

According to McCormick, the Pearson Teacher assessment system had not yet been implemented at UMass Amherst and was cur-

rently only in the testing stages.

With this system, which has become the standard for teacher licensing in several states, professors must take a lengthy test, upload their lesson plans and record a short video that is submitted for grading.

Madeloni’s largest concern with this system, she told The Globe, was that it was not being assessed by the university itself but rather by someone hired specifically for the test.

She further argued that there is no universal teaching standard that can be scored, so it should be left in the hands of university faculty members and not Pearson.

In response to the news, Madeloni has been gathering supporters and requesting that they send letters of protest to Christine McCormick, the Dean of Education at UMass.

In addition, Madeloni has begun an online petition against her termination, which has been signed by more than 1,500 people. The UMass professors are also helping to look into Madeloni’s contract to see if any of its terms were violated by this termination.

McCormick stresses that UMass has been trying to raise the ratio of

tenure-track professors since 2009 in an attempt to raise academic freedom and not lower it. Tenured professors cannot be fired easily, based on their opinions.

Pearson’s assessment program, however, is under fire not just from Madeloni. According to The New York Times, the Pearson Teacher Assessment Program has induced criticism from teachers who feel that a take-home test and two 10-minute videos do not represent their teaching. One masters student training to be a biology professor found the process demeaning.

Often, instructors are compelled to reduce 270 minutes of class time into less than 20 minutes, which presents significant obstacles both for the professors themselves as well as for the graders of the test who must divine whether or not a professor is qualified to be licensed.

The test is meant to be used as a supplement to in-class observation and more long-term methods of assessment but in many states considering adopting the program, Pearson would be the finish line. Student teachers who fail to pass the Pearson assessment would not receive their license as teachers.

madeloni Barbara Madeloni, lecturer at UMass Amherst, protests after her contract was not renewed for her to continue teaching after August 2013.

photo courtesy boston globe

September 28, 2012

Waltham High test scores fall below state average

Waltham High School students scored below the statewide averages for the SAT college admissions test, according to state records released this week.

The Waltham average was 484 in critical reading, 502 in math and 481 in writing. The Massachusetts average was significantly higher, at 506, 523 and 500, respectively. But the commonwealth as a whole placed first out of all 17 states where at least 60 percent of students took the SAT last year. source: boston globe

Killer of Waltham man sentenced to life without parole A man from Roxbury convicted of slaying a Waltham man in 2010 was sentenced to life in prison this week, from the Middlesex Superior Court in Waltham. Daniel Louis, 23, was found guilty of murder, attempted armed robbery and possession of a firearm. Louis’ sentence does not include the possibility of parole.

source: boston globe

Flawed crime reporting puts Roxbury Community College federal funding at risk

By Gordy Stillman Editor

Roxbury College has recently come under fire due in part to a Department of Education probe regarding failures to comply with the Clery Act, a federal law mandating the annual reporting on crime statistics, according to a Boston Globe story this week. All colleges and universities that participate in federal financial aid programs face significant penalties for failing to report, including but not limited to suspension of federal financial aid.

In 2010, a former student came forward and reported that she had been sexually assaulted by one of her former instructors. When Roxbury next published its crime report, there was no mention of the accusation in the list of serious allegations at the college.

An internal audit found that the school had not only failed to produce annual reports on crime policies, as required by law, but upon further review, also could not locate crime logs from 2003 to 2007.

When the Department of Education began its probe, five personnel files that were specifically requested were unavailable. While the file related to the 2010 sexual assault allegation has recently been found, the other files are currently regarded as missing. Among the missing files include the file on a professor accused of sexual harassment by a student and a staff member, who in the end was wrongly accused of statutory rape, The Globe reported.

The consequences of failing to comply to federal law have only begun to be felt by Roxbury Community College. In June, then-president Terrence Gomes, during whose 11-year tenure there were no reported sexual assaults, stepped down after the state auditor’s began their own investigation. On Tuesday the first meeting of the school’s new board of trustees drew approximately 40 people for the public discussion portion of the meeting.

At the board of trustees meeting, human resources director Paul Alexander made two significant announcements: The school’s search for a new facilities and security chief remains ongoing as they search for someone experienced with federal crime statistics reporting. Addition-

ally, the school is continuing to work toward compliance.

Since finding the file, the contents have been forwarded to the Department of Education—long after it was requested. Regarding the room the file was found in, an electronic security system has been installed. Finding the file after numerous failures was, “kind of the last straw,” Alexander said.

On the same day as the meeting, Roxbury Community College was awarded $35,517 from a new fund established by the state Board of Higher Education. While Roxbury was awarded funds, the amount was far below the totals given to the state’s other community colleges that also won funds. Among the other awarded colleges, the average grant was $193,002 and the lowest grant other than that given to Roxbury was for $88,000, more than double Roxbury’s grant.

In a move that might be related to the smaller-than-average grant, Roxbury Community College’s budget director announced that budgets for everything other than grants were to be cut by 5.4 percent. The reasons for the cut were not announced, according to The Boston Globe, and sources attributed the announcement to unusually low enrollment. The projected headcount for the current semester was off by six percent, with enrollment being measured at 2,674 students.

Currently it appears to be a coincidence that the grant was so small compared to the other institutions. In an interview with The Globe, Commissioner of Higher Education Richard Freeland explained that grant request had all been evaluated on their merits, and while other factors were taken into account, such factors typically had to do with unusual challenges that were experienced by some community colleges.

On the topic of the June departure of former president Gomes, the board held discussions on their plans to form a presidential search committee. With the current turmoil, Roxbury Community College will be the first public college in state history to choose a president since the new laws implemented in July took effect.

Under the new laws, the Board of Higher Education can appoint a member to the search committee with the power to implement “strong search guidelines.”

September 28, 2012

NEWS 3

The Brandeis Hoot

‘Brandeis at Night’ to provide open mental health forum

‘brandeis at night’ Psychotherapist Cate Dooley discusses the goals of a new weekly

photo by nate rosenbloom/the hoot

program with open evening hours at the Psychological Counseling Center.

MAILMAN, from page 1

feels that the castle-on-the-hill concept of Mailman needs to change. She has always pushed for more integration, especially after the most-recent tragedy on campus.

President Fred Lawrence commented on the mental health situation in an interview earlier this month and explained the need to review current support systems and resources.

“I can tell you, as you probably know, that there is a regular process in student affairs of reviewing students in need and students who we think are at risk, not just as serious as suicide but obviously that,” Lawrence said. “What makes all of this awkward is that there are a lot of good stories that one could tell, but can’t tell for

privacy reasons, for legal reasons, for ethical reasons.”

Dooley discussed the need for broad support from student teams and clubs.

“We really need the support of the whole campus,” she said. “We really need the support of the clubs, any of the sororities, fraternities, the teams even, student life and professors.”

Dooley explained that one of the program’s goals is to bring in students who feel comfortable discussing a range of issues, including relationships and academic or social pressure.

“At this point, we need to do whatever we can to get students who are in need, to let them know that there’s a place they can come to talk. And it doesn’t have to be to talk about their deep, dark secrets, it can be to talk about relaxation, you can talk about

relationships,” Dooley said.

The programs would include group discussions, as well as films and videos, and TEDtalk recommendations.

She hopes that CAs, teams and fraternities will decide to encourage people to come as a group, in order to learn about different personality types, cultural differences, eating disorders (for which Dooley has run a successful recovery group for a number of years).

“The night program will focus on prevention and wellness by offering educational groups and workshops regarding self-care, stress management, communication skills, building a balanced lifestyle, time management, coping with stressful situations, navigating the ebb and flow of relationship, emotional and relational intelligence and so on,” she said.

Following the suicide on campus earlier this month, where the counseling center held emergency extended hours in the evening, came the idea to begin nighttime group programs.

“Having Brandeis Nights is an attempt to open our doors at night and offer everything possible that could pull in any single stragglers that could feel disconnected or even isolated, even out of curiosity,” Dooley said.

“There might be some topic out of many that would bring someone in here, and even just to become familiar with the place.”

At the moment, many of Mailman’s patients come from voluntary walkins looking for help, or because roommates, friends and faculty compel a student to go.

“Usually friends, roommates, suitemates will usually talk to them and walk them down. Or sometimes someone from student life will walk them down. Or a professor, I’ve even had professors call,” Dooley said. “If there’s any concern on the part of anyone on staff, the athletics, the student life, professors, I’ve dealt with everybody.”

The process for emergencies is quick, Dooley says, and she deals with multiple instances each week.

“If they call, they’re told to come on over, and if it’s an emergency situation they will be seen that day,” Dooley said. “If they can wait a week, they’ll be seen within a week, if they can wait two weeks, they’ll be seen within two weeks.”

Students fill out a questionnaire and Mailman staff analyzes whether the situation is dire: “We have a form that gives us information. Why are they here? What’s their chief complaint and do they have suicidal ideation? Depression? They say whether it’s emergent or not, whether it’s critical they be seen within the day, or not.

Whether they can wait 24 hours, 48 hours, whether they can wait a week, they check that off.”

“We’ll do an intake that is 45 to 50 minutes long, and that person gets assigned.”

When asked if students may feel unwilling to come to Mailman because they fear being hospitalized,

Dooley says that while hospitalizations do happen, they aren’t needless and are only used when the situation requires it.

“I think students who come in for an emergency are worried enough about themselves. If someone wants to be seen on this day, I think they’re feeling out of control, and maybe they need to go to the hospital,” said Dooley, “And that’s good that they come down here.”

“And we get complaints. People will complain that we send people off to the hospital, but if someone comes in and there is a lot of suicidal thinking or even a plan, or they are feeling unsafe and are going to hurt themselves, or look psychotic in their thinking and talking, they need to go to the hospital rather than go back to their dorm and have their roommate or suitemates deal with it.”

Dooley explained the system used for night hours: A doctor is on call 24/7 during the hours Mailman is closed. Students call the center and are given an on-call number, which goes to a beeper and the on-call doctor calls back.

She hopes the new Brandeis at Night program will not only open the doors to students who find themselves in crisis, but also to their friends who might need advice on how to handle situations outside of the center.

Dooley recognizes that in cases like this, early treatment is most effective.

Students who wait until the tipping point, she said, could be helped far earlier.

“I think they want to come,” said Dooley, when asked why students don’t come earlier and more often, “but their lives are so busy. “I think it’s part of this whole cultural expectation to be everything … Students are really overextended.”

“The problem is getting students here. Because I can arrange, and we can arrange to have these things going on at night, but I have had the experience of having one, two, three people show up,” Dooley said.

“They might not come to say they need to be seen today, but they might come to something like this,” she added.

Community Living temporarily Brandeis/Roberts railroad bans Mods parties construction to cause traffic detours

By Debby Brodsky Editor

The Brandeis Roberts railroad station will undergo construction by the Massachusetts Bay Commuter Railroad Company (MBCR) between Friday, Oct. 5 at 11 p.m. and Sunday, Oct. 7 at 8 p.m. During this time, a portion of South Street will be closed to vehicular traffic.

According to a project report from the Waltham Police Department, the tracks are deteriorating and are in need of replacement. During this time, however, the commuter rail and bus services will continue to run and will not be disrupted by the construction. Parking will be available at the Brandeis Roberts lot on either side of the detour. Two possible detours are available to drivers during the scheduled construction dates.

The first detour for residential and commercial traffic, north of the Brandeis Roberts commuter rail station, will have drivers enter South Street from the area of Highland Street and Hope Avenue. Traffic coming from Brandeis will also have to adhere to this detour. The second

detour, for drivers traveling from Waltham to the area south of the railroad tracks, will enter South Street from River Road in Weston.

“There will be a second stoppage on South Street after Highland Street.

Any vehicles that require residential or commercial access to the neighborhoods behind either stoppage can enter. It would be recommended that

those vehicles access the areas between Bedford St. and Highland St. through the surrounding side streets,” according to a press release from the Waltham Police Department.

The Waltham Police Department said that it will keep residents of Waltham and surrounding towns up to date on construction progress and schedule changes.

photo by nate rosenbloom/the hoot

By Gordy Stillman Editor

On Wednesday, the Department of Community Living announced that until further notice party registration in the Foster Mods and Charles River Apartments has been suspended.

In an email to the Mods residents, George Marshall, Community Development Coordinator for the Charles River Apartments and the Foster Mods, acknowledged that while many students have registered parties and followed the established procedures, the many unregistered parties made large contributions to the problems of the past few weekends.

Specifically, “overcrowding, excessive noise, public drinking and underage alcohol transport” were listed as the reasons for the crackdown. While the email sent to Mod residents states that the suspension of parties will only last “for a brief period,” the email is noticeably vague.

In order to allow parties in the future and as a procedure to return

the Mods to normal conditions, Marshall will meet with the Mod Community Advisors, Mod Senator “and a few Mod residents,” as well as the Department of Public Safety to resolve the lingering concerns.

From the perspective of Director of Public Safety Ed Callahan, “This year there seems to be more concerns existing at the Mods at an early point of the year.”

Stephanie Crane, CDC for East Quad, sent an email Thursday to East residents, the closest dry quad to the Mods, reminding residents of policies regarding parties and underage drinking. In the email, she urged residents to “please avoid off-campus and on-campus student parties.”

As reasoning for why residents of East are encouraged to avoid parties, Crane’s email included reminders that underage consumption of alcohol, aside from the risks it poses to the consumer, also creates risk for the hosts of parties.

Emails that were sent to students did not include a date for the return of parties in the Mods.

4 NEWS

The Brandeis Hoot

September 28, 2012

Heller School helps develop prescription drug monitoring program

By Debby Brodsky Editor

The Heller School Prescription Drug Monitoring Program Center of Excellence, part of the Schneider Institutes for Health Policy, has launched research and data analysis designed to help drug prescribers prevent patient misuse of prescription drugs.

The Massachusetts Prescription Drug Monitoring Program and the Center have received several grants since 2008, including a grant from the U.S. Bureau of Justice Assistance, which has allowed the Center to conduct epidemiological studies of the drug monitoring data. Grants from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Center for Disease Control also permitted assessment of prescriber education and the development of early warning programs based on a multi-state database.

Peter Kreiner, research scientist and Principal Investigator for the Center, has headed a small team of research scientists since he started working at Brandeis in 2004. Kreiner specializes in substance abuse and prevention treatment and is working with the Massachusetts Prescription Drug Monitoring Program to further develop a state database that requires pharmacies to report all filled substance prescriptions, in order to to better keep track of a patient’s substance use and identify when a patient is abusing substances as well.

“The main purpose of these databases, is to help reduce and prevent prescription drug abuse and diversion, which is when people sell prescription drugs to other people. And

also to facilitate appropriate prescribing,” Kreiner said.

According to Kreiner, every state except Missouri has passed legislation authorizing this program. Through this prescription monitoring database, prescribers (such as doctors and pharmacists) can register with the prescription monitoring program, query about a particular patient and get their prescription history. This database is especially useful for doctors, because while it is hard to observe pain and know if a patient is telling the truth, through this program it is easy to know if the patient has been to multiple doctors in the recent past, seeking the same medication. If so, the prescription drug monitoring program can indicate that the patient is not in legitimate pain.

Kreiner continued to describe two sorts of approaches to the program database. The first, a proactive approach involving prescribers and research scientists, entails analyzing the data for patterns that might indicate patients at risk for substance abuse.

“A proactive approach is when the program itself or a local university analyzes the data for patterns that show risky situations. Being proactive also makes this information available to prescribers, and in extreme cases it makes that information available to law enforcement as well,” Kreiner explained.

About half of the existing programs are prohibited from being proactive by individual state privacy laws, and half of the existing programs are legally able to analyze the data they collect, because of the amount of monetary resources data analysis requires.

Currently, 16 states have proactive

programs.

The second approach, of reactive nature, is much more widespread.

“Nearly every program allows online access to the data. These databases are reactive in the sense that they are passive databases that require someone to access it,” Kreiner said.

The proactive prescription drug monitoring programs are especially useful. Once the data is available for analysis, medical examiners can use the data from one particular patient to help determine possible causes of death; Medicaid fraud units can more easily identify Medicaid patients paying for prescriptions in cash, when they should be paying with Medicaid; and community profiles can develop, helping law enforcement officials identify which cities and neighborhoods have particularly high rates of prescription drug abuse by mapping patterns of pain reliever and stimulant trafficking.

“When mapping is done, you can see that patterns of pain relievers are very different than patterns of stimulants in Massachusetts. You can see patterns of combinations of drugs that have desirable effects when prescribed together as well as rates of use of fatal and nonfatal opioids within different age ranges,” Kreiner added.

“One big value of prescription monitoring data, is that it’s very timely.

The systems are updated every week.

Oklahoma prescribers update their system within five minutes of prescribing medications.

While prescription drug monitoring presents many benefits, it also poses several drawbacks that highlight the importance of ensuring limited access to this information.

peter kreiner

“Authorized users have to sign forms saying they will only use the data for appropriate means,” Kreiner said.

Information about drug use and abuse, if accessed, can expose celebrities to unwanted news coverage and can expose unflattering information in bad divorce cases. “Programs are trying to build safeguards against this happening,” Kreiner said. “States can vary greatly on who is allowed to see this information, and on how users are authorized.”

Kreiner continued to say that deaths from prescription drug overdoses is the leading cause of death nationwide, killing more people than auto accidents, as well as more than heroin and cocaine associated deaths combined. “Many of physicians and prescribers are recognizing that prescriber education is a big problem, since there are currently no widely accepted guidelines about how to prescribe opioids or pain relievers,” Kreiner said.

photo courtesy brandeisnow

According to Kreiner, this program represents a vastly underused resource. It also represents a new sector for people who study drug abuse.

Historically drug abuse has been centered in urban areas, yet with a newly heightened awareness of prescription drug abuse through mapping, researchers like Kreiner are finding that the worst offenders are young, white, suburban and middle class.

Kreiner, who came to Brandeis from a private non-profit research company in 2004, is very pleased with working in a university setting. “The university setting for this work gives a legitimacy to the work that is different than a private research company.

That has been very important to some of the grants we’ve gotten, and it has allowed us a lot of latitude and gotten us a lot of support.”

Professor Sohrabi on Egypt, Arab Springs and Iran’s nuclear program

By Dori Cohen Staff

Iran’s nuclear program is one of the most polarizing issues in the world today. While American and European officials believe Tehran is planning to build nuclear weapons, Iran’s leadership says its goal in developing a nuclear program is to generate electricity without dipping into the oil supply that it prefers to sell abroad, and to provide fuel for medical reactors.

Iran and the West have been at odds over its nuclear program for years, however, the controversy has accelerated since November 2011, with new findings by international inspectors, tougher sanctions by the United States and Europe against Iran’s oil exports, threats by Iran to shut the Strait of Hormuz and threats from Israel signaling an increasing readiness to attack Iran’s nuclear facilities.

Professor Naghmeh Sohrabi (HIST), Associate Director for Research at the Crown Center for Middle East Studies, analyzed the different aspects of each of the regional issues and offered different perspectives on Israeli-Iranian tensions.

“Nobody knows the answer to the question of whether Iran is trying to obtain nuclear power for energy resources or militaristic purposes,” Sohrabi said. “There are indications that Iran may be developing weapons, but I personally cannot say if they are. What it [Iran’s nuclear development] has done until now is

upped the tension in a region that is already tense, between Iran and the Gulf states, and particularly between Iran and Israel. At the very least, what is going on is that the tension in the Middle East has been dramatically increased,” she said.

The unrest is not limited to the nuclear and oil fields. Civil war in the region has created ground for political conflict not just inside the countries but also abroad.

The wave of Arab unrest that began with the Tunisian revolution reached Syria on March 15 last year, when residents of a small southern city took to the streets in order to protest the torture of students who had put up antigovernment graffiti. The government, headed by President Bashar al-Assad, responded with unprecedented force and demonstrations that quickly spread across much of the country. By the summer of 2012, the country was in civil war. More than 21,000 people, mostly civilians, are thought to have died and tens of thousands of others have been arrested. Conflict has spilled over borders into Lebanon, Iraq, Turkey and Jordan, and inhabitants are worried that fighting might flare up in their countries and that they will have to take in more Syrian refugees than possible.

“People who say that, yes, the United States should militarily support the rebels who are trying to overthrow Assad’s regime, believe that as long as there is an imbalance of power, as long as Assad has the upper hand, the massacres will continue,” Sohrabi stated. “If the United States boosts the opposition, though, that might ‘tip the scale,’ and the rebellion will have a

better chance of succeeding. That option is always very attractive, because people feel the need to do something, and see U.S. support as the only option they have left. Others, however, think that if the moral purpose of supporting the rebels is to decrease the amount of bloodshed in Syria and to end the fighting, then arming the opposition is not the way to go—it will only lead to more confrontation than currently exists.”

Another critical issue in the Middle East is the situation in Egypt. Egypt is the most populous country in the Arab world, and its revolution in February 2011 was the capstone event of the Arab Spring, inspiring demonstrators in Libya, Syria and elsewhere.

In June 2012, however, after ousting former dictator Hosni Mubarak, the radical Islamist group the Muslim Brotherhood, headed by Mohamed Morsi, took power, causing American officials to raise concerns about the role an Islamist Egypt might play in the region.

In September, outrage in the Egyptian media over an anti-Islamic film boiled over when an angry crowd breached the fortified walls of the American Embassy in Cairo. While the attack did not lead to American deaths, as in Libya, Mr. Morsi waited 24 hours before issuing an only mild rebuke of the rioters, while on Facebook the Muslim Brotherhood called for more protests and riots.

On Sept. 21, an Islamist militant group based in Egypt’s Sinai peninsula claimed responsibility for a crossborder attack in which an Israeli soldier was killed. U.S. President Barack

Obama then warned Mr. Morsi that relations between Egypt and the United States would be jeopardized if Egyptian authorities failed to protect American diplomats and stand more firmly against anti-American attacks.

This series of events begs the question of how the Egyptian government will respond in the future: Will it take a firm hand against the militant groups operating inside the country, or will it distance itself from the politics of the United States?

“To what degree is the Egyptian government making decisions that are ideological, or making decisions

that are continuing policy from before, is a very interesting question,” Sohrabi said. “When it comes to Egypt’s foreign relations, one wonders how much is there going to be continuity with the past, and since Egypt receives a huge amount of money in aid from America, how much can it afford to antagonize the U.S. in terms of its national interests. The Egyptian government has to walk a fine line between its own ideological concerns that they had before it was elected into office, and the practicality of its governing.”

photo from internet source

September 28, 2012

FEATURES

The Brandeis Hoot 5

Famous animal behavior study lives on at Brandeis

By Alison Thvedt

Special to the Hoot

With a bachelor’s degree from MIT and a doctorate from Harvard, both in chemistry, it’s difficult to see how Dr. Irene Pepperberg, an adjunct associate psychology professor at Brandeis, became interested in animal behavior and psychology.

Her interest in birds, however, is a deeply-rooted one. Pepperberg developed an interest in parrots long before she had any interest in actually researching them. “I was a kid living above a store—no children to play with. And my dad bought me a parakeet,” Pepperberg said.

Pepperberg got into the field of animal cognition while at Harvard, partially through her doctorate in theoretical chemistry. She remembers learning that scientists were doing research on intelligence and interspecies communication with apes and dolphins: “And I had this epiphany that no one was doing this kind of work with a bird, and a bird can talk.”

She decided to sit in on classes dealing with bird behavior and child language while finishing up her doctorate in chemistry. “I attended every lecture I could, and attended every conference I could to learn more about this nascent field,” Pepperberg said.

Pepperberg was awarded her first grant to do research on parrot cognition and communication while at Purdue University.

Pepperberg bought Alex, an African Grey Parrot at a pet store in Chicago. She enjoyed a long and personal relationship with Alex, with whom she studied avian intelligence for 30 years. “Alex was always eager to work with you,” Pepperberg remembered fondly.

Alex proved to animal psychologists that birds do, in fact, have much more complex brains than originally thought. “Nobody believed that a bird could think about abstract relationships. Nobody thought that birds had anything resembling a cerebral cortex,” said Pepperberg, remembering how she first felt when she applied for a research grant.

During his lifetime, Alex learned to recognize about 100 objects, seven colors and five shapes. He understood concepts of relative size, difference and similarity, category, number and absence, and he could identify quantities up to eight. Birds may not have a cortex but they have an equivalent— and it takes up about the same percentage of space in their brain as an ape’s cortex does in its brain.

Now that Alex has passed away, the “Alex Foundation” still supports research on Grey Parrots. Griffin and Arthur, current parrot subjects, live here at Brandeis University where Pepperberg is continuing her work on bird cognition. A 501(C)(3) organization, the foundation is partially funded by private donations and also sells merchandise to support student lab assistants and research in general.

Griffin, however, isn’t as advanced as Alex was at this stage in his life.

“Alex was an “only” bird the first 15 years of his life … When we got Griffin he had to share. Alex interrupted all of [Griffin’s] sessions. He would butt in to give the right answer,” Pepperberg said. She also tried some different training methods with Griffin that didn’t work as well; Griffin was exposed to audio and video tapes, whereas Alex was taught mainly by live human demonstration.

Still, Griffin has done some important and interesting work. Alex showed that parrots had object per-

research duo Irene Pepperberg plays with Alex the parrot.

manence but Pepperberg was able to track the development of that skill in Griffin. Griffin also exhibited mutual exclusivity, which is an early stage in language development often found in young children. Mutual exclusivity is the idea that every object has a label, but only that one label (e.g., a child will initially insist that a dog is a dog, not an animal).

Mutual exclusivity also helps individuals learn by the process of elimination. If an individual knows the color red and is given a red ball and a chrome ball, and he is told to pick up the “chrome” ball, he’ll know to pick up the one that isn’t red—even if he doesn’t know what chrome is.

Arthur, in contrast, is doing different work. “We got Arthur while at the MIT Media Lab to do work on animal-human computer interfaces.

After Pepperberg’s position at the Media Lab lost funding, he did some vocalization work, but he wasn’t interested in [that].” He also has kidney problems, which make him much less stable than Griffin or Alex and harder to work with.

“Some days, he just doesn’t feel very good.” He has, however, along with Griffin, participated in a study on physical exclusion (knowing where to find a hidden object after being shown where it can’t be) and another on sociality.

Because Arthur and Griffin are working on tasks that differ considerably from those studied with Alex, some researchers are still skeptical of Alex’s intelligence. “Some people still find it very difficult to believe that a bird can do this kind of work. They argue that Alex was some kind of Einstein,” Pepperberg said. But she herself is confident that these birds are intelligent; they just all have different histories and different personalities.

The question next presented is that of the African Grey Parrot. Pepperberg explained that she wanted a bird that could speak very clearly, and Grey Parrots have that ability. Research on

photo from internet source

in the work room Intelligence studies with Alex the parrot.

Grey parrots’ number concepts had also been performed by researchers in Germany in the 1940s and 1950s, and that provided some foundational base work. Although Pepperberg thinks working with other parrot species would be interesting, it would require a lot of work to learn about their proclivities and extra space to separate the species.

Pepperberg’s interests in this research are threefold: One, to learn more about bird psychology; Two, to

help raise awareness about African Grey Parrots, which are an endangered species; and three, potentially to use the training techniques developed for the parrots to help children with disabilities, especially children with autism.

While Pepperberg and her lab assistants truly enjoy their work, there are still difficulties in getting enough money to fund them.

Pepperberg is only an adjunct associate professor here at Brandeis.

photo from internet source

She doesn’t teach any classes, though she does lecture at Harvard. She has also said that sometimes she feels as though she’s “not really a part of the Brandeis community.”

That being said, Pepperberg appreciates the students. There are currently 12 Brandeis students that work with her as lab assistants. “All types of students work with me … some are pre-vet, some major in psychology and some just want to be around parrots … they’re all great students.”

6 FEATURES

The Brandeis Hoot

September 28, 2012

Mailman leaves mark through work and performances

By Victoria Aronson Editor

As generations of students pass through the university, Bill Bowen, the musically talented mail clerk, remains one of the most memorable staff members on campus.

Having been employed at Brandeis since March of 1979, Bowen’s optimistic persona and singing performances remain a constant amidst the inevitably evolving culture of the university.

Born and raised in the housing projects of Waltham, Bowen was the second born of five children.

Reflecting that his interest in singing and performing was sparked at an early age, he said, “As a kid I practically drove my parents out of the house with music.” During his youth, he recalled performing small plays and singing for the entertainment of the other children in the housing projects.

“I remember coming down the stairs with a bow on and fringe singing the Naughty Lady of Shady Lane to all the kids in the neighborhood,” he said.

Tracing his initial involvement in theatrical performances to elementary school, Bowen recalled playing the part of a witch in a school production. Although other students jested, “Billy was in a dress,” he simply stated, “Well guess what, the witch was a woman.”

Even as a young child, Bowen’s adoration of performing was clear, and teachers began to recognize his natural abilities.

As an interest that would transcend his childhood years to become an integral aspect of his adult life, Bowen’s love of performing soon manifested itself in the production of radio programs as well.

During his senior year in high school, he first became interested in a radio program broadcasted at Brandeis University. With the collaborative effort of a close friend, Bowen proceeded to run the program titled “Your mother should know,” for the next 10 years, marking his initial involvement with the university. As a host of the show, he interviewed a variety of famous actors, comedians and band members for his broadcasts.

Continuing to engage in theater and radio productions within the

photo by nate rosenbloom/the hoot

singing mailman Bill Bowen talks with a student before he relinquishes a package in Lower Usdan.

Boston area, Bowen further appeared in commercial ads for General Electric before assuming his position as a mail clerk at Brandeis in March of 1979.

Acknowledging the technological innovations that have impacted his profession, he said, “I used to say years ago, people always need to send out mail. So I’m kind of like a monopoly on campus, but not anymore with the Internet. Although, I do see a lot more packages.”

Beyond technological advancements, Bowen has witnessed the evolving nature of the atmosphere on campus. Citing the increased diversification of the

student body, including the increasing number of international students and students of color. He said, “I love seeing the constant change in people over the years.”

Equipped with a sense of humor, Bowen remarked that the most fascinating aspect of his job is Fred George, a fellow staff member in mail services who broadcasts the radio program titled “On the Street.”

Expanding upon this, he proceeded to attribute the most rewarding aspect of his job as the interactions he has with both students and his fellow

staff members, including Fred George and Josh Matta. Due to his optimistic persona, students often linger at the mailroom to confide their problems to Bowen, leading to the development of friendships that prevail past graduation.

Bowen traces his optimistic personality to his mother: “It was part of my makeup growing up. My mother was the same way; she never really had a bad mood, or if she did, kept it to herself.”

Having performed on campus in the past for events such as Springfest

and Culture X, Bowen is currently embarking on the 50th anniversary of his singing career, which initiated in 1962. Although he displays a passion for all musical genres, ranging from country to pop, he recognizes Michael Bublé and John Pizzarelli, a renowned jazz guitarist and singer, as his singing idols.

Bowen expressed his continued fondness for Brandeis. “I have no desire to leave yet. I’ve been here so long, they’ll probably name a monument after me or something. I’ve been very happy here over the years.”

Physics professor utilizes prestigious grant in research

By Dana Trismen Staff

Professor Aparna Baskaran (PHYS), gained her Ph.D. from the University of Florida in 2006, and is entering her third year of teaching here at Brandeis. Her research is primarily focused on the physics of biological systems. Over the summer, she was awarded the prestigious NSF Career Grant in order to pursue her research on dynamics in active materials. The grant is given to early career tenure-track faculty members, and is awarded by the National Science Foundation.

It is awarded to junior faculty who “exemplify the role of teacher-scholars through outstanding research, excellent education and the integration of education and research within the context of the mission of their organizations,” as stated by the National Science Foundation. This is a prestigious

honor, which is also highly competitive.

Baskaran is not a practical physicist, instead she is a theorist. Baskaran’s research questions are therefore associated with the theoretical tools needed to study complex dynamic systems. Baskaran explains that “most normal materials are in equilibrium. If you leave a chair in a room, when you come back to it, it will still be there in the same place you left it and it will still be a chair.” Instead of focusing on these systems that physicists understand, Baskaran focuses on those systems that are not in equilibrium, except in death. Her research is motivated by the desire to find the tools to address and understand these more complex dynamics.

Biological systems, such as the cytoskeleton of a cell or colonies of bacteria, are examples of systems not in equilibrium. The cytoskeleton of a cell is “a polymer material, it dynamically changes,” as Baskaran describes. A cell is driven from the inside. The only time it is in equilibrium is in death, which is an irrelevant state.

Baskaran’s research, continued by the

money awarded in her grant, desires to understand the material properties of cells. These properties relate to how the cell crawls and moves. For example, the bacterial biofilms that form on teeth are antibiotic-resistant forms. These colonies form in interesting manners, in relation to how they move and organize themselves on a population scale. Many objects humans come in contact with on Earth are driven by these complex, external forces that physicists are still struggling to understand.

This phenomenon Baskaran is tackling can also be shown in the populations of larger organisms.

Here it is harder to measure, given that the organism possesses brains that process more functions and thoughts. When a school of fish swarms to avoid a predator, the swarm always begins with a single fish. This sole fish, upon seeing its enemy, will swim toward the center of the group. This change in its path and momentum alerts the fish next to it, as the water pressure against the

school of fish Fish swimming at an equilibrium state

sensors on its gills change. That fish then averts its path in order to stay in equilibrium, and in turn affects other fish in the school. Baskaran attempts to theorize how these reactions occur, and continues to strive to generalize the statistical mechanics of systems that are not in equilibrium or those that work to keep in equilibrium.

Baskaran’s work, which currently concerns itself mostly with the cy-

photo from internet source

toplasms and cytoskeletons of cells, theorizes how to generalize these mechanics that govern our world.

Here at Brandeis, Baskaran teaches statistical physics and thermodynamics. She claims that she loves her environment and the experiences that she has had here. “My students really wake me up, and my colleagues provide a very collaborative environment.”

September 28, 2012

The Brandeis Hoot

FEATURES

7

Neuroscience presentation brings miracle story to Brandeis

By Zoë Richman

Special to the Hoot

Peggy Sue Lebba, who suffered a traumatic brain injury that at one point rendered her incapable of communicating with others, shared her

professor lorenz

remarkable story of recovery at an event sponsored by the Brandeis Neuroscience Club on Monday evening.

Professor Arthur Wingfield (NPSY) reviewed the basics of the human brain and Professor Laura Lorenz (HS) spoke about her own policy re-

photo by nate rosenbloom/the hoot

search.

On March 11, 2002, Peggy Sue Lebba was on her way to a lecture in Phoenix, Ariz., with several of her colleagues. While on a shuttle bus, she was knocked unconscious by a falling sign. It hit the left side of her head, the area of the brain associated with the application of language.

Before the accident, Lebba had been a clinical researcher and a published author with a master’s degree in education. “I had a pretty cool life,” she remarked.

Initially, there was little indication that her injury was severe. Other than a headache, she felt fine. In fact, worried about being late, she was eager to get to the lecture she and her colleagues had planned to attend.

Lebba was diagnosed with a concussion. Several days after the accident, however, she gradually lost the ability to communicate. For months, she and her doctors were unsuccessful in pinpointing the problem. Repeated visits to neurologists were discouraging. She was told that she was stuck—that the improvement she had seen so far was the only improvement she would ever see.

“It’s probably the most devastating thing to hear ‘OK, this is it,” she reflected.

It was not until she found a brain injury support group that Lebba found what she so desperately needed. The group provided her with the

emotional support necessary for coping with the realities of her new life.

Lebba confessed that she was initially skeptical about joining a support group. She laughed as she told the audience that she imagined the group as a roomful of people crying while weaving baskets.

She was, however, pleasantly surprised.

“It really changed my world,” she said, her eyes lighting up. The support group met for open and honest discussions. It became a social outlet for Lebba and the other members—a time when they were able to relax and laugh with like-minded company.

Since joining the group, she has experienced considerable progress.

“Something happened,” she says.

“My speech improved dramatically. It was great.”

Hearing that she had a chance to improve, and then seeing that improvement, was huge for Lebba.

“I can actually go through the world without people knowing I have a brain injury.”

Professor Lorenz is a research associate and lecturer at Brandeis’ Heller School for Social Policy and Management and also serves as Program Director for the Supportive Living Inc. Brain Injury Rehabilitation Research and Wellness Center in Lexington, Mass.

She described her professional duties, which includes working “with a

group of transdisciplinary colleagues to plan and implement a program of research to support the social, cognitive and physical rehabilitation of individuals living with long-term brain injury.”

In her work, Lorenz conducts “Photovoice” workshops, using an interactive program through which long-term brain injured individuals take pictures and create captions for them. The activity allows participants to share their experiences, and the use of photographs eliminates communicative barriers.

“Photovoice” serves not only to share experiences but it is also used to “collaborate for change.” First, participants get together adn learn about the camera and the project. They then take photos individually. Afterward, they discuss the photographs and reflect on their experiences with the rest of the group. Finally, they write or dictate the captions for the photographs. Lorenz explains that participants “were free to do what fit best for them within the parameters of the project.”

Through her support group, Peggy Sue Lebba was able to participate in a “Photovoice” workshop, facilitated

by Professor Lorenz. Among the nine participants, six had a traumatic brain injury, two had brain tumors and one had suffered from stroke. All of the individuals were between the ages of 40 and 60.

Worldly professor insists his true passion is teaching

By Dana Trismen Editor

Professor Joseph Lumbard (IMES) has held prestigious positions throughout his career, including serving as an advisor to the Jordanian Royal Court, but he insists his true passion has always been teaching.

Born in Washington D.C., he admits that in his youth he was “one of those kids who wanted to be a sports star.” As he aged, he acknowledges, “By the time I started realizing something that I wanted to be that was a realistic possibility, I knew I wanted to be a teacher.”

Interestingly, Lumbard did not even want to attend college. “I took a year off after high school, I worked construction and traveled around Montana and Colorado and such.

Then after having worked jobs, I realized that the lives of my co-workers were ones they found frustrating and decided I would try college.”

Lumbard attended George Washington University, drawn by the free tuition that resulted from his mother’s employment at the institution. While he may not have been invested in academia to start, Lumbard concedes, “Once I started I have not left. I got my B.A. rather quickly, then an M.A., then I went to Yale for my Ph.D. and I started teaching.”

Lumbard’s specialty is Classical Is-

lam. While Lumbard insists he finds all religion fascinating, he enjoys studying Islam in particular partially due to its history.

“When it comes to medieval civilization, Islam was the one truly multicultural civilization. It bordered on every other major known civilization,” he said.

Lumbard also finds strong appeal in the concept and study of Sufism.

“Sufism is for those who yearn for God so deeply that they cannot wait to witness God in the hereafter, it is the desire to be with God and witness God in this life.” Describing how Sufis have called Sufism “dying before you die,” Lumbard insists that it is “more than a feeling, instead an intense yearning that encompasses all of one’s feelings.”

Lumbard started off working at the American University at Cairo, but soon found a position as an Advisor for Interfaith Affairs to the Jordanian Royal Court.

“I worked with the court in advising the King [King Abdullah II of Jordan] pertaining to matters of interfaith dialogue. I would write memos that they might give to other world leaders,” Lumbard said.

Lumbard wrote speeches for the King and was present with him when he met with other religious leaders. During these meetings Lumbard

would speak “if something needed to be said about a particular area of religion or interfaith dialogue where the King wanted to turn it over to somebody who had more in-depth knowledge of it.” Lumbard left this prestigious position because of his drive to be a teacher.

Lumbard describes teaching’s ability to make an impact on students in regard to the effect it can have on those who are still exploring different paths and faiths. “Most of the people that you work with [that are adults] have already made up their mind about certain things, but when working with students they are more interested in exploring new directions.”

Lumbard believes that Brandeis in particular has an invested student body. “Students are engaged and they are very respectful. You can usually get Brandeis students to think about important questions on a very deep level.” This engagement serves to profit the student body, as Lumbard asserts, “You can actually see students take a whole new interesting direction with their lives, both here in the university and sometimes afterward. It is a great community in that respect.”

While Lumbard founded The Islamic Research Institute in the aftermath of 9/11, the group has since been dissolved in order to allow him time to pursue teaching and academia.

lumbard’s publications Exploring misconceptions about

photo from internet source

Islam.

joseph lumbard

photo from internet source

Meant to be a place where people could study the issues pertaining to Islamic teachings, it was disbanded due to Lumbard’s dislike of fundraising. “I didn’t want to be a fundraiser.

I wanted to research, write and teach.

Fundraising is almost a full time job, so I didn’t want to be involved in that game.”

The university setting has given Lumbard and opportunity to write.

He has two books to date, “Islam, Fundamentalism and the Betrayal of Tradition” as well as “Submission, Faith and Beauty: The Religion of Islam.” The first book discusses the misconceptions related to Western attitudes about Islam. The second Lumbard describes as “Islam in one

or two sittings, the essential outlook or worldview of Islam based on the Quran and the teachings of the prophet in a very quick and accessible manner.”

Lumbard has also continued his work through the mode of research.

He is currently one of the general editors for the HarperCollins Study Quran. Lumbard describes how “this will be the first Study Quran to ever appear in any European language.”

A lengthy project, the final product will be a “new translation of the Quran that I have prepared with the other editors and about 900,000 words of commentary based upon the history of commentary on the Quran.”

8 The Brandeis Hoot

SPORTS

September 28, 2012

No. 20 Judges breeze by Bates and Wellesley on the road

By Evan Goldstein staff

The Brandeis women’s soccer team had a productive week with two victories, away from their home field. Now with a record of 8-1-0, it is evident that the Judges have the will and ability to win at any point in any match.

Specifically, the defense for the Judges has been phenomenal, only allowing two goals in nine matches. The rest of the matches were wins, and were all clean sheets. The matches against Bates and Wellesley were no different, both close 1-0 wins. Each match was also very hotly contested, with no team able to establish dominance at any point.

The match at Bates began with great possession and scoring chances by the two sides. Both keepers, Anabel Schmelz for Bates and Francine Kofinas ’15 for Brandeis, were tested early and throughout the match as both sides had numerous shots on goal. In the first half, Holly Szafran ’16 and Alec Spivack ’15 nearly scored on Schmelz numerous times while the Bates’ offensive unit worked Kofinas all over the box but could not get the ball past her.

By the 44th minute, everyone was surprised that, with so many fluid transitions between offensive zones, no ball had crossed the goal line. No one had to wait any longer, however, with Dara Spital ’15 scoring shortly before half. The scoring chance was created by Alyssa Fenenbock ’15 chipping a volley in between the box and midline right over the center back and into the middle of the box, right to Spital, who deftly shot forward on the volley avoiding offsides.

Spital, with only the keeper in front, did not hesitate and pulled the trigger and struck home another goal. This was Spital’s team-leading seventh goal this season, a total that does not look

like it will slow down.

The goal before half has been and always will be very influential to a team’s outlook for the second half.

This is nothing new for the Judges, however, as they have been scored on and have scored before half in many matches this season. This sort of repetitive effect for the Judges usually lessens the change in focus that may occur from such an event. Nonetheless, Bates got the same memo, because the intensity that existed from both sides in the first half, was definitely present in the second.

During the second half ’s back-andforth action, Camille Smith found herself with a free kick for Bates. In a dangerous set of moments, the strike from Smith found Brandeis Keeper Michelle Savuto ’15. The ball rolled tentatively on the line, which could have looked like a goal from one angle, a great scoring chance from another, or just an easy pickup for the keeper from the Referee’s angle. The latter turned out to be true as Savuto quickly fell on the ball to stop the madness and the Referee called no goal.

It could be said that the Judges escaped with a win against Bates but it could also be said that the Judges could have had a blowout. That was the nature of the match, back-andforth and not partial to one side.

Brandeis would end up with 17 shots total with nine of them on goal, while Bates would end up with 12 shots total with six of them on goal.

Schmelz would end up with eight saves and the Kofinas-Savuto tandem would pick up six. These are high numbers for the average soccer match—a result of the fluid and numerous transitions and back-andforth play.

It almost seemed like deja vu to the Judges as the match at Wellesley had the same gameplay and the high intensity offensive chances as the match

photo by paula hoekstra/the hoot

against Bates.

Abbey Hybl ’16 reinforced the similarity by telling The Hoot, “It was a lot of back and forth, I’d say.”

The difference about this match, however, was that the Judges struck early in the match instead of playing with fire until half. The scoring chance was created when a strike by Spivack was deflected by the Wellesley keeper Kat Goldsmith only to be placed in the net, off of the foot of Szafran for her fourth of the season, second to Spital in goals scored.

The first half saw Wellesley dominate possession early, and even with the goal by Szafran, the Judges could not make an early influence in the match. With their dominating possession in the first half, Wellesley

tested Brandeis keeper Kofinas and then dangerously earned a penalty kick in the 25th minute. This was uncharacteristic of a defense that rarely gives the other side a chance to score, not to mention that this was the first penalty kick allowed this season by the Judges. Nevertheless, Megan Turshi, who took the kick for Wellesley placed the ball far right, a huge break for Brandeis.

Possession wise, the Judges would achieve superiority soon after the missed penalty.

“Once we were able to gain and hold possession, we controlled the game,” Hybl said. In terms of offensive efficiency, however, Wellesley still put up a fight, outshooting the Judges 10-4 in the second half, working Sa-

vuto all over the box. Nonetheless, Savuto held firm, not allowing one ball to get past. She would end the match with five saves, adding to her honors as co-defensive player of the week.

At full time, the Judges would come out on top once again with their eighth win in nine matches and eighth clean sheet as well.

While these wins have been very important and pride-worthy they are not as important as the upcoming conference matches. These matches will determine placement in the endof-season tournament and are a more consistent measure of a side’s true competitive talent.

The Judges will compete at Rochester on Saturday at 4:30 p.m. in their first conference match.

Volleyball prevails with a 2-2 record at MIT Invitational

By Dani Chasin

Special to the Hoot

After battling their way through the MIT Invitational last weekend, the women’s volleyball team came out with two wins and two losses. The Judges suffered close losses against Roger Williams and MIT and defeated Bates and Mount Ida. Though they were able to secure a 2-2 record at the invitational, the women now carry a season record of 11-4.

Coach Michelle Kim said the Judges recognized the high level of competition before play began.

“We played a good mix of teams.

We knew going into the weekend that we would need to work hard to beat the teams we faced,” Kim said.

In their first game against the Roger Williams’ Hawks, the Judges set the pace by winning the first two sets by scores of 25-22 and 25-7. Though their confidence and energy level was high, the Brandeis morale soon wavered when the Hawks battled back to win the last three sets. The ending scores of the game were 25-22, 25-7, 20-25, 18-25 and 15-17. Kim added, “[the] match was a heartbreaker. We were evenly matched with them, and it would have been nice to come away with the win, but unfortunately, we weren’t able to pull it off.”

Outside hitter Liz Hood ’15 led the Judges with a match-high 20 kills, bumping her personal kills record up to 229. Other top performers in the game against the Hawks included libero Elsie Bernaiche ’15 who had a match-high 22 digs and outside hit-

ter Si-Si Hensley ’14 who scored a double-double with 15 kills and 17 digs. Setter Yael Einhorn ’14 secured a match-high 37 assists to help her team on the attack. The strong return by the Hawks, however, proved to get the best of the Judges’ performance in the first two sets and the remainder of the game.

Later that day, the Judges countered their loss against the Hawks with a solid 3-1 win over the Bates Bobcats.

Coming out strong in the first two sets yet again, the women were hoping to end the game in three sets. The Bobcats, however, gained momentum in the third in order to win a closely contested set with a score of 27-25.

The Judges were unwilling to accept another loss for the day and fought back to win the game in four sets. The scores for the match were 25-27, 1925, 27-25 and 26-24.

The top attackers for the Brandeis team were middle blocker Becca Fisher ‘13 and middle blocker Maddie Engeler ‘16. Fisher held a matchhigh 17 kills, while Engeler scored 10 and Hood had 14. In addition to conducting a steady offensive throughout the game, the team also saw great performances by Bernaiche, Einhorn and defensive specialist Amaris Brown ‘16. Bernaiche secured a match-high 21 digs, while Einhorn had 16 digs and 45 assists and Brown scored 10 digs. Overall, the Judges showed a great team effort and consistency that reaffirmed their dominance over the Bobcats.

On the second and final day of the MIT invitational, the Judges were

prepared to win two straight matches against MIT and Mount Ida. The first game of the day was against MIT, the team that proved they were a force to be reckoned with after their backto-back wins against Roger Williams and Bates the previous day. Coming out strong in the first set, the Judges secured a 1-0 lead over the Engineers with a score of 25-22. However, the Brandeis team lost their groove in the last three sets and lost by a score of 3-1 by margins of 22-25, 25-17, 25-11 and 26-24. Though the Judges fought back in the fourth set to take the match to another set, the Engineers were able to fend them off and secure their win.

In the match against MIT, the top players for the Judges included Hood, who recorded a match-high 11 kills, while middle blocker Lauren Berens ’13 had 10 kills. Bernaiche, who earned a match-high 22 digs, and Einhorn, who totaled 33 assists, played a crucial role for their team on the attack as well.

Entering the game against the Mount Ida Mustangs with a tournament record of 1-2, the Judges were intent on solidifying another win to balance out their losses. Unlike their other matches, the Judges were down 0-1 after the first set and had to battle back to win. After losing 28-26 in the first set, the Brandeis team secured the following three sets to win the match 3-1. The scores of the sets were 26-28, 25-17, 25-16 and 25-11. The See VOLLEYBALL, page 9

photo by paula hoekstra/the hoot

September 28, 2012

SPORTS 9

The Brandeis Hoot

Men’s soccer avoids emotional letdown with win over Wentworth

By Brian Tabakin Editor

Six days after a hard-fought, emotional win over rival Babson, the Judges traveled to Wentworth to face the Wentworth Leopards. The Judges are currently ranked fifth in the D3Soccer.com national poll and 10th in the most recent NSCAA poll.

Coach Mike Coven was not entirely pleased with the Judges’ performance.

It was a “real ugly game and difficult to play,” he said, but admitted that the team “can’t fire on all cylinders all the time.” Despite the team’s sloppy and uneven play on both offense and defense the Judges were still able to pull out the win to stay undefeated.

Coven expected a letdown after an “emotionally draining” game against Babson, but he “didn’t expect this much of a letdown.” He continued to say that it was good and that “we still won as horribly as we played.” He called the game a learning experience.

“I feel like the guys know now that you can’t play this bad against better competition and expect to win.”

Lee Russo ’13 echoed Coven’s sentiment.

“Not to make excuses but it’s a tough game,” Russo said. “It’s right after the Babson game and everyone took so much energy to get pumped and it’s right before the Rochester game. It’s kind of a trap game.”

Their record now stands at 9-0-0 as they prepare for the first UAA match of the season against Rochester.

The Judges started the game with an early malaise that nearly put them in an early hole. Just two minutes into the game, Wentworth senior forward Matt Racca got through the Brandeis defense and put a shot on goal that Brandeis keeper Blake Minchoff ’13 managed to save. After the close call, the Judges picked up their game and started to control the play for the rest of the first half. The Judges’ sloppiness, however, crossed over to the offensive side of the ball as they could not take advantage of the multiple opportunities that they had to score. Wentworth junior keeper Cody Gibb made an excellent save on Kyle Feather ’14 to keep the Judges off of the board in the seventh minute of play, corralling the ball off of a diving header from Feather.

Wentworth finally made the Judges’ pay for their failure to execute early in the second half.

In the 58th minute of play, Leopard sophomore Erik Shaw ran along the right sideline and played a cross to teammate Connor Gullifer who headed the ball past Minchoff and into the net.

The Wentworth goal finally appeared to wakeup the Judges. Just 44 seconds after the goal, Sam Ocel ’13 fed Feather a pass and Feather then beat Gibb to the right side to tie the game at 1-1.

The Judges scored the game-winning goal in the 82nd minute of play.

Tudor Livadaru ’14 placed a perfect pass to Lee Russo ’13 who then played it on net. While Gibb, initially ap-

Seth Roberts ’06 passes away after battle with leukemia

By Rachel Hirschhaut Editor

Seth Roberts ’06, a dedicated Brandeis student athlete from Orange, Conn., passed away on Sunday at a Boston hospital after a long battle with cancer. He was 28.

Roberts graduated from Amity Regional Senior High School in Woodbridge, Conn., and majored in American studies, business and journalism in his years at Brandeis. In his free time, he played varsity basketball as a recruited athlete, wrote for The Justice and Louis Lunatic Sports Magazine, was president of the Lacrosse Club and participated in WBRS campus radio.

Following graduation, Roberts explored several careers in writing and the business world, which fulfilled his dual passions for sports and music as both a participant and a fan. He worked as a writing and graphic design associate at his family’s strategic communications firm, Freeman Roberts, as a blog writer and editor at an online poker site, TexasHoldEm.com, as a technical writer at a financial firm, and most recently, as a real estate agent. In addition to work, Rob-

erts was a drummer in a metal band.

Roberts’ journalistic talents were apparent as he chronicled his battle with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and recent relapse on a Tumblr page called “Descriptions from Dana,” referring to the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, where he was treated. With dark humor and brutal honesty, Roberts blogged about his treatment, side effects, the bone marrow transplant that he received from his sister, and reflections on being “a young man living with an old man’s disease.”

Still, he wrote optimistically on “Day Zero,” the day before his transplant: “I have hope for the future and I appreciate that going through this pain likely affords me the opportunity to live again in the future.”

On his Facebook page, he urged his family and friends to get a cheek swab to become eligible for bone marrow donation through two donor registry organizations, Be The Match or Gift Of Life. His family requested that donations be made to Be The Match in his honor.

Roberts is survived by his parents, Richard and Joan Roberts of Brighton, Mass., and his sister, Hillary Roberts.

Lessons learned for conference play VOLLEYBALL, from page 8

Mustangs were unable to gain momentum on the Judges who asserted their dominance early in the second set.

The standout performers of the match were Bernaiche, Hood and Einhorn, who have proved to be the dominant trio for the Brandeis Judges. Hood recorded a match-high 16 kills and nine digs, Bernaiche scored a match-high 21 digs and Einhorn led the attack with 30 assists. Also contributing to the offense, Berens

secured nine kills for the team.

With two more wins on their record, the Judges continue to enhance their season performance. The losses that they suffered from the tournament remind them that they have tough competition and must hone a few aspects of their game to face these teams again in the future.

“I thought MIT and Roger Williams matches were a good test for us, especially going into a tough conference weekend coming up this weekend in Chicago,” Kim said. “We’ll need all of our players to work hard and be on their A game.”

peared to stop the ball, the ball found its way over the goal-line to put the Judges ahead. The goal was Russo’s team-leading ninth of the season.

After breaking away into a oneon-one with Minchoff, Racca had a chance to tie the game in the 87th minute and send the game into over-

time; however, Minchoff came out and made the necessary save to preserve the Judges’ 2-1 victory.

Coven thought many of the Judges’ offensive problems stemmed from Wentworth’s smaller field. Part of the Judges’ game plan focuses on using their skill to stretch out the opposing

photo by morgan dashko/the hoot

defense and create space to then execute their offense.

“We need a big field to stretch out the defense. There just wasn’t enough space to create what we wanted to do,” he said.

The Judges travel to face Rochester on Saturday at 7 p.m.

In memoriam of Seth Roberts

By David Ostrowsky editor emeritus

Late August 2002. I’m bouncing around the first floor Renfield dormitory, trying to get settled in before Orientation. I don’t remember a lot from that sweaty first day but I do recall one soon-to-be hallmate who was about a head taller (or more) than the rest of us Brandeisians. I figured that he was about 6’7” and I thought that it was cool that we had a Brandeis basketball player on our floor.

Well, in a few days that 6’7” dude became one of my close friends. It didn’t take long for Seth Roberts ’06 and I to hit it off. We were both avid sports fans, albeit of different teams.

Along with other hallmates, we spent many a fall Sunday afternoon watching NFL games and ordering greasy, buffalo chicken calzones. Seth was passionate about all things sports.

An avid fan of the New York Giants, Mets and Knicks, he was never afraid to voice his well informed opinions about anything going on in the world of sports. I can only imagine his outrage over the asinine ending to the Packers-Seahawks Monday Night Football game arlier this week.

Seth earned a spot on the varsity basketball team as a first-year, walking onto the court to score in doubledigits against a tough Washington University team on the road during a late season game. Then Brandeis (and former Celtics) coach Chris Ford made a point of recognizing Seth’s strong performance in his postgame remarks—a rare recognition for a first-year. He probably would have had a nice career for the Judges but he decided to focus his efforts on lacrosse, a sport in which he excelled at the club level. Seth would return to Brandeis basketball as a broadcaster for WBRS, calling games on the sidelines and then commenting on them later at night during our weekly Sunday night radio shows. Many of us WBRS sports members never played basketball past elementary school, so it was nice to hear the perspective of a

photo from internet source

college hoops alum.

Perhaps one of my fondest memories of spending time with Seth was when we interviewed Boston Celtics players and coaches at the nearby training facility in Waltham. (It was a little easier to get media access at the time given that Boston’s baseball and football teams were then on top of the world.)

In any event, I remember Seth and I jockeying for position amongst professional scribes and reporters while trying to slip in a question for Doc Rivers or Paul Pierce. It must have been cool to be roughly the same height as professional basketball players. In any event, it was nice to carry on a tradition of Brandeis sports reportering at Celtics practices—one that had existed in the early 1990s when Larry Bird and the Celtics actually did practice at Brandeis. As college kids, we felt pretty good about ourselves as we headed back to campus after shooting the breeze with Gary Payton or Al Jefferson for a few minutes.

I know that Seth’s passion for life transcended the playing fields. While I am not particularly well versed in the music field, I can appreciate how Seth parlayed his creativity into spearheading a heavy metal band that performed throughout the Greater Boston area.

He took his music very seriously and found performances to be a great vehicle for articulating his thoughts.

On a couple of occasions, I thankfully left my comfort zone of sports, pubs and movies to venture out to his impressive shows.

Anyone who knew Seth loved his passion for life and his fun-loving nature. People from all different social groups, backgrounds and interests gravitated toward him. His sense of humor was infectious and his thirst for creative expression was inimitable, as far as I am concerned. Smart, compassionate, entertaining, Seth was all those things and more. You would have loved knowing Seth. For those of us who did, we miss him already.

10 The Brandeis Hoot

THIS WEEK IN PHOTOS

break fast Students join President Lawrence and his

September 28, 2012

photos by haley fine/the hoot

wife to break the fast after Yom Kippur.

photos by nate rosenbloom/the hoot

September 28, 2012

The Brandeis Hoot

THIS WEEK IN PHOTOS 11

editorials

12 The Brandeis Hoot

“To acquire wisdom, one must observe.”

Editor-in-Chief Jon Ostrowsky Managing Editor Leah Finkelman Associate Editors Nathan Koskella Emily Stott Brian Tabakin Morgan Dashko Copy Editor Connor Novy News Editor Debby Brodsky News Editor Rachel Hirschhaut Deputy News Editor Victoria Aronson Features Editor Dana Trismen Features Editor Juliette Martin Arts, Etc. Editor Zach Reid Deputy Arts, Etc. Editor Zoe Kronovet Impressions Editor Nate Rosenbloom Photography Editor Senior Editors Ingrid Schulte Suzanna Yu Business Editor Gordy Stillman

Volume 9 • Issue 20 the brandeis hoot • brandeis university 415 south street • waltham, ma

Founded By Leslie Pazan, Igor Pedan and Daniel Silverman

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

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

SUBMISSION POLICIES The Brandeis Hoot welcomes letters to the editor on subjects that are of interest to the community. Preference is given to current or former community members and The Hoot reserves the right to edit or reject submissions. The deadline for submitting letters is Wednesday at noon. Please submit letters to letters@ thebrandeishoot.com along with your contact information. Letters should not exceed 500 words. The opinions, columns, cartoons and advertisements printed in The Hoot do not necessarily represent the opinions of the editorial board.

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CORRECTION

An article on senior artists in the Sept. 21 print issue and online incorrectly attributed an inspirational quote of Eleanor Roosevelt’s to artist Tess Sucoff. The statement was made by artist Sara Weininger.

A

September 28, 2012

Union election errors expose constitutional confusion

s Brandeis’ community newspaper, we dutifully report the results of each Student Union election—no matter how many times a week we have to do so.

The duties of the Union itself are what demand attention today. Last week the student body bore witness to yet another election debacle. The key function of student government must surely be to act as representation of the population at large, but the current student administration cannot reliably or efficiently find out who has been elected to act.

Voting integrity The BigPulse company that to some extent provides us with our voting system is clunky, and about as-far-as can be from user-friendly. The “I forgot my password” login, wherein students have to pretend to receive an error message and then multiple emails, may have started as a minor annoyance. But its repeated existence is now just a symbol of larger Union ineptitude.

More than 50 first-year students complained last week that they could not vote in the elections. And The Hoot received word from several recently graduated students that they not only received the email, but cast votes in Thursday’s election.

The Union responded to these errors by having a revote Friday afternoon. But this presents its own problems, as those who were able to win successfully the first day may have lost votes they had already won by Friday.

Recent elections, of course, have had abysmal turnout percentages, and students certainly did not vote in the numbers on Friday that they did in the disqualified Thursday round.

Union President Todd Kirkland ’13 said to The Hoot that Secretary Carlton

Shakes ’14 had mistakenly used a prior year’s security list of would-be eligible voters for the system. When BigPulse got the list, it sent out vote emails to scores of ineligible voters and completely missed some first-years that should have been included.

Shakes failed in his primary responsibility as chief elections officer (other than sending out weekly email blasts).

With a computerized voting system like BigPulse, sending it the correct list of voters is just about the only thing Shakes was elected to do by his peers.

We cannot help but wonder what Shakes thought the job of chief of elections entailed if it did not include providing the list of voters.

Unconstitutional special elections Finally, and most worrisomely, the Union continues to compound its flaws with what The Hoot believes to be unconstitutional fix-its. We are speaking of the constant new elections the Union has been calling for during the last year whenever the “Abstain” option wins an election.

The Constitution states that “Abstain shall be an option on all union ballots,” and “if abstain receives the greatest number of votes during a final election, then there will be a vacancy in the office until the next election, except in the case of the President, in which new elections will be held five academic days later.”

The Union’s use of snap special elections to fill any seat wherein abstain is the victor violates the founding document. By explicitly specifying “except in the case of the President,” the Constitution forbids calling a snap election just to get around its demand that abstain be allowed to win. The Constitution is allowed to grant exceptions to its own commands: the Union president and

secretary are not.

The Union has previously told The Hoot that they believe they are fulfilling the Constitution’s demand that abstain hold the seat until the “next election”— by just making the “next election” earlier than called for, by executive order. But the Constitution’s respect for a winning abstain is explicitly waived only in the case of the president, which logically ensures that that office, at the very least, will always be filled with a real candidate.

The logic of the Union would allow the secretary to call a new election absolutely, whenever he or she saw fit—the Constitution, except in the crucial case of the president, treats abstain exactly like any other candidate. Just as abstain is to hold the seat until the next election, so too does any candidate. So this line of reasoning would allow the Union to call a new election whenever anyone won whom it didn’t like, letting him/her keep the seat for about a day.

If Joey First-year won a race to be treasurer, the Constitution would guarantee him the seat “until the next election,” just as it promises to abstain.

Just as Kirkland and Shakes would never just call “the next election” to circumvent a winning student, they cannot choose when the next election will be held as they like, just because it was won by abstain.

The Union has severe, systemic problems, and what is worse, they are being made worse by disobedience on the part of the personalities that are currently in office. Not only did Shakes and others prove incompetent last week, but they are attempting to correct their mistakes and the embarrassingly high number of votes for abstain with unconstitutional do-overs. Brandeis undergraduates deserve better.

September 28, 2012

impressions

The Brandeis Hoot 13

Give journaling a shot

By Lila Westreich Staff

According to Wired News, in January 2002, about 41,000 people created new blogs using popular blog host, Blogger. My first inspiration to write down my thoughts came from a friend who had been doing the same for some time. She has filled so many books over the years that she has to devote more than one shelf to house them all. I began writing in a journal a little over a year ago and thus far have only accumulated a measly few pages. In comparison to my friend’s intense journaling, I felt a little bit like a failure. But while she solely keeps her thoughts in a tangible notebook, my thoughts often times find their home on the computer.

In September 2002, The New York Times reported that blog host LiveJournal was gaining 1,100 bloggers per day. In 2008, Wired stated that nine blogs were created every minute, with 2.3 content updates posted every second. In July of 2006, it was estimated that the U.S. blog population had grown to around 12 million American adults. While online journaling or even journaling on a word document is a more modern reincarnation of traditional journaling, it has its benefits. It not only saves time if typing fast is one of your skills, but it also allows your memories, thoughts and ideas to become portable.

With so many people deciding to write down their thoughts, one has to question why it is so beneficial. Many

people believe that it alleviates stress and helps us come to terms with the hardships in our lives. Others believe that journaling allows us to process the events of the day in a healthy way, especially in a world so filled with screens, web pages and browsers. And with so many studies proving that television and computer screens cause insomnia, a few minutes to unwind before bed by writing in a notebook is a gift. It is also believed that journaling can strengthen our bodies. Psychologist and researcher James Pennebaker

of the University of Texas at Austin contends that regular journaling can strengthen T-lymphocytes, or immune cells.

In an article in The Atlantic regarding journaling, Harvard Business School professor Teresa Amabile discussed a study that analyzed thousands of daily entries from the diaries of more than 200 professionals.

This research showed that by keeping track of daily challenges, successes, and other experiences, the professionals could enhance their creativity

and motivation. She also discussed some tips and tricks to getting started. Amabile focuses on the idea that anyone can do it, and it doesn’t matter how, as long as you get the words out onto the medium. She states, “Find a medium that you know you’re going to enjoy using … Anything that you think will be easy for you to keep …

Give yourself one or two minutes just to refresh yourself, then reflect on the say and see what stands out from your work day, anything that you want to capture, and then capture it, in any

graphic by diane somlo/the hoot

form that seems to fit whatever it is that you’re trying to keep for yourself.

And it is for yourself.” Amabile even recommends using an app to keep track of your journaling. She recommends journaling at the same time every day, or even once a week for 15 to 20 minutes. She also recommends writing down a few things that you are grateful for, and something that happened during that day or week that made you happy.

Every couple of days as I have written down my thoughts, I know that I have felt less stress and less anxiety. The best part, however, is having those memories to look back on. College is flying by already, and holding onto the best parts and putting them in print for years to come is a wonderful opportunity. For college students especially, under the weight of premed tracks, chemistry labs and all those extracurriculars Brandeisians love to brag about, we need an outlet to unwind at the end of a long day. As we quietly work away at our papers and munch on our Einstein bagels and lox, we deserve a break from the busy world and a space to call our own. It’s also nice to document experiences in a place we can go back and read about later. Finding pages and moments from travels abroad, vacations with family and happy nights with friends are gifts at the end of a long, hard day.

So give journaling a shot. Grab a book from the campus store, maybe a package of pencils, and write down anything and everything that comes into your head. Who knows, maybe in 10 years you’ll be thankful you did.

iDon’t Care about the iPhone

By Peter Wein Staff

So, as all of the Apple fanatics (and many who are not) know, the new and shiny iPhone 5 was just recently released and it’s gotten some serious attention. According to USA Today, iPhone 5 sales toppled the 5 million mark within the first week of release.

The price of an iPhone 5, depending on the size of the memory card and the contract you choose to purchase, can vary from a reasonable amount to just an obscene glob of cash. These are the prices of the unlocked iPhone 5, quoted from the Apple website: $649 (16GB), $749 (32GB) and $849 (64GB); and the prices of the iPhone 5 with a two-year contract: $199 (16GB), $299 (32GB) and $399 (64GB).

For my less tech-savvy readers, an unlocked phone means that it has no contract and you can pretty much do whatever you want without dealing with a contract.

Now, here’s where I get upset with Apple. To create a phone that is not connected to a contract means that from start to finish it does the exact same build procedure as a contracted phone. The only difference is that the extra price is absorbed by the contractor (AT&T, Verizon, etc.) and is then regained by your unlimited data/talk/text plan that you will inevitably receive along with the brandspanking new phone.

You may be wondering: What’s so upsetting about the phone? If you don’t like it, no one is forcing you to buy it! I am upset because our economy is on a very slow path to regaining only a portion of its former glory.

People have less discretionary money and many people don’t have jobs.

And yet, over five million people can scrape together a minimum of $200 before monthly fees just to have this phone. For that kind of cash this phone better make me a fruit smoothie.

Purely based on the specifications on the Apple website, the only difference you can actually see or feel is that the screen is a bit larger, looks a bit better and the phone is a bit sleeker. I will also grant Apple lovers that the phone is better than any previous version that has come out. It will undoubtedly run faster, more beautifully and more efficiently than anything they have ever offered. The question is: Is the difference between your current phone and this phone worth it? Right away, if those are the only advantages I’m going to get for paying my life savings, I may wait a bit to purchase the phone.

Another positive addition to the new iPhone is that it has a pretty cool map app that you get with real time loading, which has actual visuals from Google maps. It’s a very exciting and useful thing to be able to see what my destination will look like before I even arrive.

Except, this is an app that any iPhone user can get, and it alone is not worth buying a $200 or more phone.

Apple is a corporation working for monetary gain. They consistently release a slightly better version of the exact same product over and over at even higher prices because people will pay. People continue to buy the newest version of the iPod even now that Apple has run out of ideas and is consequently, cycling between small and large squares. I’m sure, especially if you do own an iPhone, that you have no idea what the latest generation of iPod is or what it looks like, but I will

graphic by yi wang/the hoot

guarantee you that there is a new one on the horizon and it is probably very similar to an older model.

The only way to put a stop to this business model is by no longer purchasing Apple products unnecessarily. Believe me, I love new technology and the latest available products, but newer is by no means better. If you want Apple to make a good iPod, you

need to shift your mobile music to an mp3 player until Apple’s sales drop to the point where a new model is their only option. Apple is large enough that you, as an individual mean nothing, so this boycott must be done on a large scale.

If enough people chose not to buy the iPhone 5S (which we all know will be released relatively soon), Apple will

actually reconsider their current sales strategy and make legitimate, worthwhile changes to their products. So when the newest iPhone hits AT&T, Verizon and Apple retail stores everywhere, don’t go waste your money on a product or company that doesn’t even think you are smart enough to notice that they’re really just taking your money.

14 IMPRESSIONS

The Brandeis Hoot

September 28, 2012

Pediatric care is worth your while

By Zoe Kronovet Staff

I recently found myself sitting in a waiting room at a doctor’s office. The floor had a fun patterned carpet, there were puzzles scattered around and “Finding Nemo” played on a flat screen, while a clown with a balloon was staring at me from his portrait across the room.

So often today, we are in a rush to grow up. There is a stigma associated with being a child, one that as we grow older and leave pubescence, morph into teenagers, and then begin to tell people we are in our “early twenties” we try to leave behind.

Most pediatric doctors allow college students to stay-on as their patients until they graduate, but so often, as we hurry toward becoming an adult, too quickly we leave our pediatric doctors behind.

We may, however, make this decision in haste. It is indisputable that children are treated with more care when it comes to facing illness or

general well-being while in pediatric care than an adult facing a similar issue. In a New York Times article published in March, Dr. Bradley Monash, who works in both the pediatric and adult wards at a hospital in California, was quoted saying, “There’s something about the care of a child that touches people. There’s something about caring for children that people address differently.”

Comparing the adult to the children’s wards in the hospital is illustrative of the differences in care. Dr. Monash commented that within pediatric care, family members are better accommodated. Cots are built into pediatric hospital rooms because it is expected that parents will spend the night with their child. Parents are allowed into recovery rooms, while in the adult section, it is harder for family members and friends to have access to the recovering patient. There aren’t “visiting hours where everyone has to leave.” Dr. Perry Klass, the author of The Times article, asks a good question when he points out the differences in adult and pediatric care.

While we treat children with more fragility and concern than adults, “are adults any less scared, uncertain or disoriented?” The answer is no.

The idea that once you hit a certain age, you are able and therefore forced to handle more fear is inaccurate and wrong. As I recover from a surgery, no matter if I am seven, 12 or 44, I will want a comforting face to greet me as I regain consciousness. I think that this is true for most people.

It isn’t always easy seeing a pediatrician. Often times you’ll find that your nearest companion is a grumpy seven year old and the nurse asking you awkward questions is dressed in Bernstein Bears scrubs. But at the end of the day, these trivial things do not diminish the fact that the quality of care you receive is significantly greater than an adult practitioner.

The difference in care can be explained because there is a goal for pediatric doctors that is nonexistent in doctors for adults. As was recently explained to me, the goal of pediatricians of any type, be it a primary care physician (PCP), a gastroenterologist

or a cardiologist, is to do whatever they can to provide the child they are seeing with the ability to grow up healthy and happy. That mantra doesn’t exist in adult care where the impetus is on the patient to be an advocate for their health needs and there is no end goal in sight. In pediatrics, because there is an impending deadline (once that child has graduated college or is 18, depending on preference) the doctors want to see that when their patients leave their care, they do so with the best results— as a thriving young adult.

This often times induces pediatric doctors to be more flexible. They are willing to spend more time explaining diagnoses and consequences to their patients. In pediatric care, you don’t feel like a cog in the system.

The transition from pediatric care to adult care can often be difficult.

The kind of extensive and kind care received during childhood falls away as a young adult is integrated into the adult medical world, where they often receive “very minimal care that really is much more haphazard and

not nearly as comprehensive as the care they had when they were children,” Dr. Debra Lotstein, an assistant professor of pediatrics at the University of California tells Dr. Klass.

The conclusion to a study by the Commonwealth Fund released in May of 2011 found that in 2009, a third of the 19 to 29-year-olds in America had no insurance coverage, limiting their medical care options. Hopefully the implementation of President Obama’s Affordable Care Act, which allows children to stay on their parent’s health insurance plan until they turn 26, will reduce this astronomical number and frightening statistic.

So while we work hard to attain our college degrees and move out into the big world, something we need not get rid of before we absolutely have to should be pediatric care. Although you will have to put up with the childish waiting rooms, Shrek band aids and the snotty four-year-old throwing a tantrum in the exam room next door, sometimes, it’s best to be considered a “child” for as long as possible.

Reflection of vitriolic national politics seen on campus

By Jordan Rothman Editor Emeritus

Anyone who turns on the television today, or reads any number of Internet blogs is able to feel the acidic nature of contemporary American politics.

Politicians use the most incendiary rhetoric to describe their opponents and talk as if the world would collapse if disfavored platforms were implemented. As a result of this environment, voters typically assume an “us or them” mentality and those who strive for compromise are deemed to be unfaithful to their party and their constituents. As the shooting of Congresswoman Gabrielle Gifford, the Sandra Fluke controversy or any number of recent events can indicate, there is something fundamentally wrong with the political discourse in America today. Our political environment, however, does not have to be so vitriolic. Indeed, voters can focus on issues that are non-partisan and the electorate can encourage more compromise and understanding in our political discourse.

The ideological environment at Brandeis University is emblematic of what is wrong with the political atmosphere in this country. As a student at Brandeis I was a member of the College Republicans, and this experience gave me a unique perspective on campus politics. I did not enter Brandeis as a Republican, but was rather a moderate when I came to campus in the fall of 2005. In the fall of my first year, however, a friend of mine invited me to post flyers with members of the Brandeis Republicans. The responses we received while flyering influenced my nascent political sentiments drastically. As we made our way across campus, our flyers were torn down and members of the club were taunted. Although the Republicans spoke in tempered tones, many of the people we encountered conveyed political punchlines with incredibly heated variety. This incident made me turn away from any Liberal sentiment and solidified my position as a Conservative. During my years at Brandeis, the campus Republicans were mocked at club fairs, our campaign stickers were vandalized, popular professors ridiculed our views and other attacks were made.

These events further cemented my adherence to Rightist views and inhibited me from considering any opposing ideologies.

It was only after I left Brandeis, and

attended law school that my move back to Moderatism began. At law school, people were more civil when engaging in political discourse, and I was able to see that extremists and close-minded partisans existed on both sides of the political spectrum. I was able to explore differing views in a marketplace of ideas that was notably tamer and less vitriolic than the one that existed at Brandeis. Law school was where my true ideological development occurred. Only by hearing both sides of an issue, through a civil and unheated discourse, could I truly appreciate and understand most contemporary issues. My more recent experiences have also led me to become a more moderate thinker. Now that I am free of party rhetoric and bickering, I can see the true value of a given policy initiative.

Brandeis can, however, be a place for tempered and civil political discourse. As a liberal arts institution, Brandeis is committed to ensuring that students have a wide array of op-

atmosphere of contemporary politics. I believe one reason why discussions about national politics are so heated is because of the amassed power of the central government. Despite what many people may think, Congress is not omnipotent, and the federal government only has certain enumerated powers delegated to it by the Constitution. Since the New Deal, the Supreme Court has allowed Congress to exercise an increasing degree of control over many issues in this country, mainly through the extension of Congress’ commerce power. I would not advocate for a change in this jurisprudence, since I believe in the value of adhering to judicial precedent.

Just because the Supreme Court gave Congress vastly expanded authority to influence contemporary issues, does not mean that Congress has to use it. Indeed, I feel that most “values centric” local issues such as the legalization of marijuana and other subjects should be decided at the state level. If more isgraphic by linjie xu/the hoot sues were settled at the state level, more like-minded portunities to learn from, and this citizens could decide issues locally should include a diversity of student to suit the views of people in that repolitical opinions as well. Indeed, the gion. Citizens of each state could then very core of Liberalism and Progresbe more easily placated, since people sivism includes a commitment to diin certain regions of the country have versity and open-mindedness. These more similar views to their neighbors goals are not achieved when students than with people in other parts of the steadfastly adhere to one ideological nation. All told, by de-emphasizing position without adequately considthe national political process, we can ering the other side. From my expetake some of the vitriol out of our rience, Brandeis students of all politipolitical atmosphere by lowering the cal and ideological backgrounds are stakes of controlling national politics. more than willing to share their opinAnother way that we can take some ions if afforded an environment in of the vitriol out of national politiwhich they feel comfortable. It should cal discussions is by focusing on isbe the goal of every student to make sues that are non-partisan in nature. sure that students of all backgrounds People all too often seem overly-conare in fact permitted to express their cerned with abortion, gay marriage views so that the lofty goals of our or any number of other divisive subinstitution can be pursued. Additionjects. I feel that our national political ally, each student will benefit from the debate should focus on non-divisive wealth of opinions that will thereafter issues that rightly belong on the nabe offered, and maybe such efforts tional stage. Copyright reform is a will lessen the heated nature of politipoignant example of a subject that cal discussions on campus. should be at the center of our discusOn the national stage, much can sion. Copyright laws are extremely also be done to temper the acidic out of date, impose harsh penalties

for conduct that causes little harm and are passed by politicians who are influenced by special interests rather than sound logic. Additionally, as the unified front against the Stop Online Piracy Act shows, those who are in favor of reform hail from all parts of the political spectrum. Furthermore, Congress has the exclusive prerogative to decide federal copyright matters, and as such, this is an issue of countrywide concern. National service and a variety of other issues can also be classified as non-partisan, and these pressing subjects should fill our national discourse, rather than the divisive subjects that do not belong on the national stage. If these subjects were emphasized, citizens would see that their views are similar to many other Americans and more vitriol would be taken out of contemporary political discussions.

Furthermore, focusing on nonpartisan issues at Brandeis would also help change the heated political culture on campus. Throughout my four years at Brandeis, a number of divisive ideological discussions among students took place about use of fair trade coffee on campus, Palestinian art work in our library and a number of other subjects. Additionally, students also focused on various unifying issues, such as maintaining The Rose Art Museum, extending hours at the C-Store and others. These latter discussions were better for the students at Brandeis since people from all parts of the political spectrum united to seek positive changes in the community. In the process, students were able to see that we all agreed with each other on certain fundamental issues, and discussions of these topics were much less acidic than debates about other more controversial subjects.

Nothing disheartens me more than seeing my fellow countrymen slinging mindless and hurtful phrases at each other without actually listening to the diversity of opinions behind such rhetoric. And in many ways, I see the political environment at Brandeis as a microcosm of the vitriol present in our contemporary political atmosphere. From my own experience, I can attest that opening your mind to a wealth of views only enhances one’s understanding of politics and awakens oneself to the ideologies that truly represent one’s political sentiment.

Additionally, I hope that such openmindedness was more present on the national stage, and that steps were implemented to make contemporary politics less vitriolic.

September 28, 2012

IMPRESSIONS 15

The Brandeis Hoot

Weekly Kos

Court must acknowledge role of race in higher education

By Nathan Koskella Editor

The U.S. Supreme Court begins a new term on Monday morning, one that could mean huge changes in American life, be they concerning gay rights, continued federal enforcement of voting rights or the future of critical counter-terrorism efforts. The issue, however, that looms largest on our small university in Waltham is up for oral argument in 12 precious days: An appellant will ask the Court if colleges can use racial preferences in education admissions. The broader consequence is that policies similar to those at Brandeis are in danger all over the nation.

Abigail Fisher, who is caucasian, was denied admission to the University of Texas at Austin a few years ago, a decision she contends was due to her race. The last time the Court considered the issue of race in admissions, as part of the Constitution’s prohibition of race discrimination, a 2003 decision of 5-4 upheld the ability of the University of Michigan Law School to use a “holistic” approach to race, considering it in addition to several other factors. But the Court did allow it to consider race. “Encouraging diversity” was given the elite title of a compelling interest, making it acceptable constitutionally in older cases. The holistic approach met the criteria in Regents of the University of California v. Bakke, in 1978 and 2003’s Grutter v. Bollinger.

It has been less than 10 years since Grutter and Texas’ admissions program is so similar to Michigan’s that it is couched in the same language as that of the law school. So why is race in admissions in such peril? Sandra Day O’Connor wrote Grutter, but she

is no longer on the Court.

Since the deeply conservative Samuel Alito was chosen by former President George W. Bush to replace her, the justice who occupies her swingvote moderate seat instead is Anthony Kennedy—who dissented in 2003, calling the affirmative action process illegal racial balancing.

While this case, Fisher v. University of Texas at Austin, does not ask the Supreme Court to overrule directly the findings of the precedents, a ruling discarding Texas’ measures would leave public schools across the country wondering what they could do, without running afoul of this new constitutional prohibition.

The nation has benefited greatly from brave decisions like those made in Bakke more than 30 years ago.

Race-relations are far from ideal, and the rates of minority graduation levels are still underwhelming at best.

But affirmative action programs have made it possible for college administrators to consider other hardships, like discrimination, family issues or cultural oppression, as factors that entitle some children to a second look.

If the Far-right Five on the Court declare these looks, because of a student’s historically underrepresented race, unconstitutional on paper, they will be undermining a century and a half of progress. The consequences are noted in the briefs submitted on behalf of the university: Fortune 500 companies, hardly liberal commonwealths, have urged the Court to let the nation pride diversity as a value in our success. They warn that the nation’s economic productivity could be harmed if we could not find and educate the best and brightest, which is what will happen if we do not take racial factors into account. The Obama administration commendably supported Texas’ case. The briefs on behalf of Fisher are just the usual jealous and spiteful

conservative organizations that have opposed affirmative action for years.

The decision of the Court will be handed down by the end of next spring: public colleges, as arms of the state, will be immediately affected. Universities that are private, like Brandeis, would still be able to use affirmative action, but Brandeis receives public funding in the form of regular grants and specific programs, some of which could be inoperable if the federal purse cannot be used in the way it has for half a century.

This is the part of a column where a good editorialist issues a call to action, detailing the necessary steps to bring the desired goal into effect.

Fellow supporters of racial diversity in admissions: Unfortunately, in this

instance, the Supreme Court is largely immune to political action. If racebased admissions are struck down, there is little we can do, except hope that we are in a wide enough majority to spur further action from all three of our governmental branches.

For those who would like to be supportive of Abigail Fisher’s misguided plight, I instead call for you to consider the testimony of the University of Texas. The specific program they have in place is sound. Minority graduation rates there have doubled since the program’s inception, and recently UT-Austin ranked sixth in the nation in terms of minority participation and diversity. Affirmative action does not deny deserving-citizens’ rights that then go to an undeserving lucky few.

An SAT score and GPA do not tell an admissions counselor the entire story. A composite score of 2050 from a student in a home trapped in poverty with family laboring amid racial prejudice? Yes, sometimes this person has more to offer a university than another 2100 from an upper-middleclass white student.

The nation’s business leaders, civil service and virtually all of the education community are supporting Texas, as stand-in for the nation trying to better guarantee the promises of our Constitution to everyone, regardless of race. Much needs to be done, especially in fulfilling that promise to our nation’s poorest, including poor whites. But listening to Fisher and her backers would be moving backward.

graphic by steven wong/the hoot

Call me, Tweet Me

Technological relationships shouldn’t become the norm

By Leah Finkelman Editor

Upon Steve Jobs’ death last year, I wrote about the importance of technology in our lives, and conversely, the importance of stepping back from technology and experiencing the

world around us.

For the second year in a row, I didn’t attend services on Yom Kippur. Instead, I spent time with friends, setting myself up for healthy relationships in the year to come. Between Evanescence and TLC music videos, delicious matzah ball soup and cookie brownies at my roommate’s break fast, I think I accomplished that.

I also made a concentrated effort to abstain from technology—I didn’t turn everything off, but I avoided unnecessary Facebooking, excessive communication with people not in my general vicinity and catching up on new T.V. episodes. The countless YouTube videos didn’t count though, because they definitely brought us closer together.

The thoughtful people at Mobile Generation of Chicago, who have been entirely ill-equipped to replace my stolen iPhone, aided me in this quest. For three weeks, I waited for a replacement phone, complaining to everyone who would listen about the jerk who picked it up wherever I dropped it, taking it to Brighton with him and even answering my friends’ prank calls.

As it turns out, my Virgin Mobile pay-asyou-go flip phone has been a blessing in disguise. I’ve been locked out of my house at 4 a.m. with no saved numbers to reach my roommates.

I haven’t been in (as) constant contact with my best friend, who is a thousand miles away.

When I was left alone at a Mexican restaurant table, my only entertainment was re-teaching myself Spanish from the graphic by steven wong/the hoot menu. It’s been horrible.

When I was home for Rosh Hashanah, Finkelmom and I watched “The American President.” When I say watched, I mean that rather than her watching while I played on my phone with half an ear toward the television, we ate popcorn and talked about the possibility of true love in the most difficult of circumstances (POTUS and a lobbyist) and the fantasy of a president who, in the end, knows all the right things to say.

On our way to synagogue for Rosh Hashanah services, rather than play on my phone in the backseat, I had an in-depth conversation with my parents about the state of our synagogue and the future of youth in Reform Judaism.

There have definitely been moments these past few weeks when I realized how vital it is to have a phone in general—primarily when I was stranded at Wendy’s with a dead car battery—and when I realized how much I rely on my iPhone—my roommate, Elana, is definitely tired of making sure I’m awake for class.

In a class last week, we discussed technology as a marker of changes in society and an example of how luxury goods have become perceived as necessities. I disagreed with my professor, arguing that society changes as consumption changes, and while an iPhone itself isn’t necessary, it performs tasks that are necessary, like serving as a calendar, an alarm clock and basic communication.

So how can we reconcile that need for technology with our needs for human contact?

For starters, when we’re with people, technology should take a back-

seat. Out to dinner with a group of friends? Put all of your cell phones in the middle of the table. You don’t need to be worrying about your plans for later, and you don’t need to be looking anything up online. Remember the days when we could just sit and argue about the lyrics of songs?

When we focus on connecting with people online, we lose sight of the connections we have with the people in front of us. Yes, social networking sites like Facebook are an ideal way to maintain long-distance friendships, but spending too much time on those sites leads us to max out the number of people we can reasonably be in contact with each day. In this case, it’s certainly quality, not quantity, that should rule us.

It’s a matter of time displacement, according to St. Edward’s University communications professor Corinne Weisgerber. We are reaching our limit when it comes to technological communication, she said, citing “time displacement,” or the time we spend talking online and on our phones, instead of face-to-face interactions with the people in our lives.

So will this shift towards technological communication become the norm, like a smartphone? Or will we recognize that we’re moving in a dangerous direction?

I’m looking forward to finally getting my replacement phone, but I’ve learned valuable lessons during these past few weeks. Before we become wrapped up in the technology around us, we should be taking a step back and asking ourselves if there is anything better we could be doing to connect to the people who care about us.

16 The Brandeis Hoot

ARTS, ETC.

September 28, 2012

‘Vacationer’ and ‘Braids’ rock first concert at Chums

By Max Randhahn Staff

Chums hosted its first show of the semester last Friday with two of the most relaxing bands to come this fall.

Things kicked off with Vacationer, a mellow Philadelphia-based indie band with driving percussion and interesting riffs. The band attempts to live up to their namesake, evoking all the memories and pleasantries of being on a beach, and is every bit as good live as on record despite the unusual samples they employ.

Kenny Vasoli, the band’s bassist and singer, repeatedly insisted that the audience “just be chill…let’s get a chill vibe going here.” The audience reciprocated this with music around them sounding like a dreamier Vampire Weekend. Vasoli and his band mates controlled the crowd’s energy well, cycling quickly and fluidly from slow jams to more excited tunes. Each of their songs had a different upbeat mood, but they also had distinct, otherworldly qualities.

“Trip”, for instance, takes on a reggae feel, with chimes and woodwinds aiding a driving beat, while “Gone” relies more on sustained synths and a Latin-infused rhythm.

The crowd had high energy throughout the set – nearly everyone was dancing to some degree, and one man was so full of passion that he jumped around the circumference of Chums. The band was clearly passionate about the music as well, smiling, joking, and performing little flourishes when playing their instruments.

Vasoli is no stranger to any kind of music, and has provided guest vocals and bass playing for a variety of bands, including Valencia and Say Anything. He is also the lead singer and guitarist for Person L. Though Vacationer is just starting out (their debut album “Gone” was only released last March), the collective has massive potential, and it will be interesting to see how they develop over the next few years.

After Vacationer wrapped up their set, Braids took the stage. Formed in Calgary, Alberta in 2006 by schoolmates, the band gained attention quickly, achieving notoriety at multiple folk music festivals. The most famous moment of their rise in fame was when they were invited to open for Deerhunter, the lead singer of which requested them to play an

encore. In 2008 the band relocated to Montreal after three of its members were accepted to McGill University, all while touring and beginning work on their debut album. “Native Speaker” was finished in 2011, received positive reviews from most major music publications and likened to early Animal Collective or Broken Social Scene.

Braids is the kind of music someone would fall asleep to, except louder. Braids eschews normal post-rock tendencies in favor of more artistic sounds. This doesn’t always translate well into live music, however; some audience members thought their first song lasted roughly twenty minutes, when actually it was three very fluid but distinct tracks. By the end of their relatively short set, roughly half the crowd had dispersed. Despite this, Braids performed admirably. While Vacationer controlled the audience with aplomb by way of the order of their songs, Braids controlled the pace of their music expertly. The band is not afraid of letting things flow, as evidenced by the lengthy opening tracks, and build and break in equal measure. The guitar and bass complement the electronic sounds from the keyboards, rather than the other way around, and mild distortion keeps everything at a certain level of strangeness. The Animal Collective comparison is apt, with touches of Yeasayer and Bjork throughout. One reviewer

remarked, “This is a band that is all about abstraction, experimentation and, most important, obfuscation”.

Their music is certainly more dreamlike than Vacationer’s, focused more on building landscapes of sound than anything with discernible rhythm.

Metaphorically speaking, Braids floats along above the clouds, while Vacationer runs along the beach.

This makes for an interesting venue in Chums, where people mostly go to get their energy up.

While not the most engaging band, Braids was a good way to wind down the evening. The band seemed to be playing for the music’s sake, rather than the audience’s. There was very little interaction between the performers and the patrons of Chums, resulting in a detached mood in the venue. While there are certainly merits to an approach focusing on the performance and not the listener, it is better suited to a theater full of people rather than a coffeehouse. Still, the audience that stayed certainly enjoyed the music; people on couches reclined with contented expressions, while those in front of the stage smiled and nodded sagely to the beat.

The first show at Chums this semester set a wonderful tone for the acts to come. For those seeking a more involved experience, No One and the Somebodies, Cave Cricket, and Turbosleaze will all be playing in early October.

braids and vacationer Last friday at Chums, Braids and Vacationer (bottom right) preformed a worthy opening at the first concert of the year.

photo from internet source

September 28, 2012

ARTS, ETC. 17

The Brandeis Hoot

June Divided roars out of obscurity

june divided With a fresh new album, June Divided proves their strength as a unique young band with a successful future.

By Adam Marx Staff

Since June Divided released their debut EP “The Other Side of You” in February 2011, the Philadelphia quartet has been involved in a nonstop whirlwind of activity. Riding on the success of songs such as, “If You Were Here,” “Breathless” and in particular, the EP’s lead single “Bullet,” these alternative rockers are redefining the depths of their sound, which straddles the space between Paramore and Jimmy Eat World.

While not necessarily accurate, the Paramore comparison is an inevitable

reality since Melissa Menago’s vocals demonstrate the same power as Paramore lead singer Hayley Williams.

Despite this, the band’s self-admitted true influences, such as Jimmy Eat World, Thrice and Foo Fighters, attest to more than any surface comparison. In addition to “The Other Side of You,” the music video for “Bullet” was an undeniable triumph for the group, elevating the single to a whole new level. The video’s concept stems from a new-age horror film, and is something for which the band can be immensely proud.

Even more impressive than June Divided’s first EP is the group’s first

full-length album, “Backbone,” which was released earlier this summer on July 10, 2012. Taking what they did with producer Alec Henninger on “The Other Side of You” and amping it up to a whole new level, June Divided (working with Henninger again) find themselves exploring a vast new territory with very exciting possibilities.

Although not a part of the music itself, the artwork on the album’s cover is worth noting—simple, powerful and memorable. It adds to an already exciting feeling that the listener holds even before playing the first track.

The first song on the album, however, is not the opening track (which

photo from internet source

is the song “Waves”). The listener is treated instead to the album’s lead single “Secrets,” and immediately the song is completely unforgettable. The driving guitar chords set down by Melissa Menago and Chris Kissel tear through a set of speakers at lightning speed, and the powerhouse rhythm section of Keith Gill and Lenny Sasso blasts down anything that might be left standing. As the intro quickly fades and bleeds into a pulsating verse, Menago’s vocals climb up and cut through the air like a hot knife through butter. Gill’s drumming is especially on point and the fills and rolls that come crashing down make

for an exceptional end result: A track that thunders with enough power to match the attitude with which it drips. Clearly an excellent choice for the album’s lead single, “Secrets” ensures that June Divided won’t stay secret for long.

One way in which “Backbone” truly shines is the presence of many must-hear tracks. A great example is its title track, which is an immediate classic in the band’s catalogue. Kissel’s guitar riff is addictive and rips with hell-bent intensity through the song, vibrating through the roaring peaks set up by Sasso’s pounding bass lines.

Menago nails the vocals perfectly and proves once again that June Divided is no rip-off band, rather that they have their own groove and they own the hell out of it. With Kissel’s notes resonating in the foreground, Gill’s drums carve out the bombastic cliffs from which Menago’s vocals do swan dives. Not an outlier by any means, “Backbone” would certainly be a great choice for the album’s second single, and is currently receiving the airplay it deserves on radio shows, including WBRS’s own “Underground Takeover.”

Including other five-star tracks such as “Waves,” “Skin and Bones,” “Drive,” and “Yellow House,” “Backbone” is a smash success of a first album for June Divided. Combining explosive rhythms with clever and poetic songwriting, the Philadelphia quartet crafts an instant classic for alternative fans in the new decade, clearly showing why the band was present at many performances of Warped Tour, one of the most famous concert series to feature alternative music. Resilient and powerful, “Backbone” will now act as a spine from which future June Divided works can grow.

In new album, Mumford & Sons wields raw emotion

By Juliette Martin Editor

In 2009, Mumford & Sons released their first album “Sigh No More,” and not long afterwards, their sound seemed inescapable. The popular single “Little Lion Man” charted gloriously, playing incessantly on the radio and turning Mumford & Sons from a cult love to a full-blown mainstream obsession. Born out of West London and headed by Marcus Mumford, Mumford & Sons bears a strongly folk, rock sound, making generous use of the banjo and Mumford’s raw, emotive vocals. In the years since the release of their first album, Sigh No More, their popularity has grown dramatically, and on Tuesday, their second album, entitled “Babel,” was released.

Though some have already critiqued “Babel” for being too similar to the band’s first album, this is not necessarily a demerit against the album’s considerable strengths. In general, the music of Mumford & Sons is a graceful blending of rock and folk, bringing the generally niche folk music into a mainstream spotlight by adding rock elements that make the music far more accessible. Though perhaps not an explicitly plotted concept, it is a genius plan nonetheless, and works in Mumford & Son’s favor.

“Babel,” like its predecessor, is a wonderful example of this blending. This folk-rock is particularly notable in faster, angrier songs such as “Broken Crown,” where a harsh rock melody drives the song forward with conviction and fury. Even on such angry songs, however, Mumford’s folk tones are still present, as above all other instruments a furious banjo reigns supreme. Other songs are softer and more solemn, including “Hopeless

Wanderer,” a plea for love and home.

The first single released off of “Babel” was “I Will Wait,” a song that aptly straddles that line between folk and rock upon which Mumford & Sons have found their fame. Though “I Will Wait” was immediately pinned as being overly similar to the songs of their first album, it and the rest of the album does overall portray a sense of maturity over the first album. “Babel” is more consistent overall, with each song at roughly the same high quality level, where as though “Sigh No

More” was a strong album overall, it often felt too slow around the middle.

Listening to “Sigh No More” all the way through had a tendency to grow boring, but “Babel” has no such problem: the album is attention holding all the way through, the tone of the songs varied and unpredictable.

In continuing Mumford & Sons style, “Babel” carries a healthy dose of literary and biblical allusion. Their first album included references to Shakespeare (including the album’s title, which calls back to the play “Much

babel Mumford and Sons as they appear on the cover of their new album, “Babel.”

Ado about Nothing”) and John Steinbeck (“Dust Bowl Dance” and “Timshel” are particularly Steinbeckian), and “Babel” is a healthy continuation of this trend. The album’s title and the song that bears the same name are references to the biblical story of the Tower of Babel, which gives the origin of the varied languages on Earth, and one song contains a line lifted straight out of a more modern work of literature, Hillary Mantel’s award winning novel “Wolf Hall.”

Mumford’s music has a tendency to

draw on classical literary tropes, giving it a strong intellectual bent that can be difficult to find in popular music. The music of Mumford & Sons is compelling based on its sound alone, but the added layers of literary allusion and storytelling, which are alive and well on “Babel,” give it an even stronger pedestal of musical might on which to stand. In addition, though Mumford & Sons do not seek to create religious music by any means, the See ACCLAIM, page 19

photo from internet source

18 ARTS, ETC.

The Brandeis Hoot

September 28, 2012

‘How I Met Your Mother’ premieres to disappointment

By Zach Reid Editor

On Monday night, season eight of “How I Met Your Mother” debuted with the episode “Farhampton.” Avid fans of the series tuned in to watch as their favorite love-struck characters attempt to sort out their romantic affairs, while the set of new parents try to understand and tackle their latest responsibilities.

“How I Met Your Mother” is the story told by Ted (Josh Radnor) to his children about how he met their mother. The show is thus a giant flashback, and chronicles all of his shenanigans, misadventures and romantic efforts to meet his perfect match. Along for the ride are Marshall Eriksen (Jason Segel) and Lily Aldrin (Alyson Hannigan), two of Ted’s best friends from college who have been in a relationship for almost nine years as the show begins. The gang is rounded out by Barney Stinson (Neil Patrick Harris), a chauvinistic playboy who constantly tries to convince Ted to engage in an endless string of one-night stands, and Robin Scherbatsky (Cobie Smulders), a Canadian newscaster who befriends the gang through Ted during their offand-on-again relationship.

“Farhampton” opens with Ted sitting on a train platform at Farhampton, 10 hours after Barney and Robin’s wedding, where he tells an old woman a story about the events of his night.

The episode then returns to where the previous season left off, showing Ted as he leaves the church with Victoria (Ashley Williams) as she leaves her fiancé Klaus at the altar for Ted. The two then argue about whether Victoria should leave a note for Klaus with an explanation as to why she is leav-

photo from internet source

the cast ‘How I Met Your Mother’ premiered its eighth season to lackluster reception.

ing him, and consequently attempt to sneak said note into the wedding without arousing suspicion. Parallel to this, Barney and Quinn (Becki Newton), Barney’s fiancé, join Lily and Marshall at their house with Robin to talk about their impending wedding. This eventually leads to Quinn discovering that Barney and Robin had dated, and Barney’s admitting to Robin that he couldn’t get rid of all of his things from when they were together, which thus implies that he still

has feelings for her.

This episode shows that season eight still retains “How I Met Your Mother’s” traditional brand of humor, as viewers watch a terribly sleepdeprived Marshall and Lily stumble around in a stupor, thanks to their status as new parents. Additionally, Barney’s usual quick quips remain as amusing as ever, providing a large portion of the show’s comedic appeal.

They are even echoed by Quinn, who maintains her previous portrayal as advertisement

a female Barney. These include Barney’s questionably permissible escapade of phone sex with Klaus’ sister, and Quinn’s desire for Robin’s secret crush, Nick, to take body shots off of her.

“Farhampton” also retains the usual serious aspects of the show and showcases them in an emotionally intense discussion between Ted and Klaus, in which Klaus explains to Ted why he was willing to leave Victoria at the altar, and Ted attempts to defend his

belief that Victoria is the perfect woman for him. A montage of the main characters at the end also displays Robin and Barney longingly thinking about each other, despite Barney’s engagement. As if this wasn’t pitiable enough, the looks on their faces allow the viewer to truly sympathize with them both.

For all the positive aspects of the episode, the last few minutes can leave See NOTHING SPECIAL, page 19

September 28, 2012

The Brandeis Hoot

Fresh acclaim for Mumford & Sons

ARTS, ETC. 19

Arts Recommends books

photo from internet source

photo from internet source

MUMFORD, from page 17

culture of folk music has leaked into their music, strengthening the storytelling with reference to what is arguably the most read and referenced work of all history, and a virtual treasure trove of classical and compelling storytelling, upon which Mumford & Sons eagerly draws.

Of further note is the incredibly strength of Marcus Mumford’s vocals. Though not classically refined, Mumford’s voice is raw and powerful, and pairs with powerful lyrics to convey more emotion in a single line then many artists will in their whole discography. This is particularly of note in angrier lyrics, where pure fury takes unrelenting root through

the power of Mumford’s voice. Instrumentally, the tone is similar: Mumford & Son’s music is not perfect, but what it sacrifices in preciseness, it more then recoups in pure power and raw intensity. Mumford & Sons was never intended to be a band built on perfect technical precision, and that sacrifice means that it feels pure and unconstrained, creating an incredibly strong overall tone.

Mumford & Sons is one large part of an overall cultural trend towards a rediscovery of folk music in areas where it has largely fallen by the wayside. Other folk-style bands have followed Mumford into the spotlight, and “Babel,” though not revolutionary, prevents itself as a leader in this field and a strong, raw, emotional album.

Nothing special from ‘How I Met Your Mother’

‘World War Z’ by Max Brooks “World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War” (“World War Z”), written by Max Brooks, chronicles the story of a fictional third world war. This war is fought not by nation against nation, however, but by humanity against the rapidly spreading Solanum virus, which kills whoever it infects and brings them back to life as a mindless zombie that has only one desire: to eat any living human it encounters.

The narrative of “World War Z” is portrayed as the contents of a report being compiled for the United Nations Postwar Commission, in order to document the course of the war. This is shown mainly through first and third person accounts from characters that were present in a variety of different scenarios, as Brooks (the fictional writer of this report) interviews them; these interviewees range from a celebrity bodyguard who watched New York City become overrun to soldiers who fought a pitched battle to reclaim the eastern third of America from a massive zombie horde. Each of these narratives presents a different side of the conflict, and shows the painful decisions that the characters were forced to make when the survival of their species was on the line, such as being ready to sacrifice billions to save a few.

“World War Z’s” most appealing aspect, however, is its plausibility. Brooks’s account of how the conflict unfolded makes logical sense, as the initial confusion and lack of governmental intervention would occur in real life if this transpired (what respectable government would be ready to believe the dead were coming back to life)? Additionally, the moral dilemmas the characters encounter haunt the reader after the book is finished, as most people would have difficulty choosing whether to risk their own life to return to an infected area to rescue strangers.

In short, “World War Z” provides a grim portrayal of a war against a force humanity would be ill equipped to combat, and makes for a great read.

zach reid, editor

tv

photo from internet source

Firefly

photo from internet source

MET YOUR MOTHER, from page 18

the viewer frustrated and annoyed with the series. As it is already on its eighth season, the concept of meeting the mother has begun to wear thin and the search is becoming more tedious than endearing. Numerous continuity issues have also arisen, such as when Ted mentioned that the mother was in a class he taught, or that she was the roommate of a former girlfriend. The show’s writers had previously stated that Ted would meet the mother in the season seven finale—a claim that is now false, given the implication that Victoria wasn’t the woman with

the yellow umbrella. Some critics believe that this plot-stretching is merely an attempt to capitalize on the show and keep it on the air as long as possible for the sake of ratings of profits—something that could very easily alienate the show’s loyal fan base.

Overall, “Farhampton” proves to be an acceptable opener for season eight, although not a standout episode in the series’ history. Even though there are comedic moments in Ted and Victoria’s storylines, the issues with the ending have the potential to overshadow the positive aspects of the episode. Despite this, the stage is now set for a solid season, at least with regard to Robin, Barney, Marshall and Lily’s antics.

The T.V. show “Firefly,” directed by Joss Whedon, tells the tale of a merry band of criminals, mercenaries and fugitives as they attempt to provide fuel for their starship, food for themselves, and occasionally a tiny bit of profit.

The setting of the show is what makes it so iconic: taking place 500 years in the future in a distant star system with numerous planets and moons, the inner “core worlds” are industrialized, prosperous beacons of civilization while the “outer worlds” resemble the wild west, given their lawlessness and 19th century small-town feel. Additionally, it is explained that China and America were the two dominant superpowers on earth before humanity left the planet, and as such dual Chinese and American influences can be seen throughout the show, such as the Mandarin phrases the cast uses interchangeably with English.

The characters of the show also offer a wide range of personalities for the audience to fall for.. Each character has a very well-developed back-story, each providing a different aspect of humanity amongst the crew.

Due to ratings and production issues with Fox, the show was cancelled in the middle of its first season, with three episodes remaining unaired, despite Whedon’s intention of letting the series run for seven years. This forced him to attempt to tie together all of the plot’s loose ends in the film “Serenity,” which majorly aggravated many of the show’s fans. Overall, “Firefly” is an amazing series that any fan of sci-fi, westerns, or good television should check it out.

Zach Reid, editor

20 SPORTS

The Brandeis Hoot

September 28, 2012

Coven still going strong as men’s soccer coach

By Brian Tabakin Editor

Surrounded by trophies, awards and certificates from his 40 years as the head coach of the Brandeis men’s soccer team, Head Coach Michael Coven reclined in his office chair after practice Wednesday afternoon. He joked, “I’m very popular these days.

First The Globe [profile] and now The Hoot. I might as well retire after this.

It’s great. It doesn’t get any better.”

Growing up in Brookline, Mass., Coven says “there was no high school or youth soccer.” The game was relatively unknown in the 1960s with only a few hot spots of soccer throughout the state concentrated in ethnic areas.

Coven was very fast as a kid and played a lot of baseball and track.

He didn’t come across soccer, however, until the summer in between his sophomore and junior year of high school. That summer he was a waiter at a summer camp in Maine.

“The majority of the counselors were international guys from England and Israel. Every night they would go out on the field and play soccer pickup games. I watched them for a while and then I joined in and fell in love with it.”

Coven explained that back in those days the game was much less sophisticated than it is today. “So if you had pretty good speed and you were somewhat athletic and you were physically hard you could be somewhat successful at it. I took to it very quickly.”

After falling in love with the game at camp, Coven went on to play soccer at American International College even though he had never played organized soccer. “I was a bit behind other guys on the team but I think I

picked the game up pretty successfully.”

Once he graduated college, Coven played for various amateur leagues around Massachusetts and then played for the Boston Astros, one of the first professional soccer teams in the area in the old American Soccer League, ALS. “I played for their reserve squad and brought up a couple games on the A squad.”

Despite coaching for 40 years, Coven has not developed any rituals or superstitions. “I’m not a superstitious person, but I do have my towel. I have the same towel since I got here 40 years ago. It comes with me every game and travels with me. It’s probably a security blanket.”

Having paced the sidelines for 40 years, the game of soccer has naturally evolved and changed. Coven admits that he has had to adapt a little but says there’s one thing that has never changed. “I don’t think my relationship with the players has changed that much. I want to be there for my players more than two hours every day on the soccer field and I develop a relationship with my players that extend the rest of their lives.”

But Coven said the team has changed considerably in the last six or seven years, technically in the way it plays.

“The game has become so much more sophisticated. There is so much exposure now,” he said. “These players play the game at a much higher level than when I was growing-up playing or started coaching here. The game has evolved tremendously.”

Coven credits assistant coach Gabe Margolis ’05 for helping him adapt to the new realities of the game. “As a player I relied on my speed and athleticism, he relied on that, plus his technical ability with the ball and off

photo by nate rosenbloom/the hoot

strategy Coach Coven discusses mechanics with the team at midfield

the ball. I was very reluctant at first when he wanted to change our style.

We used to be big and strong and fast and hard. He wanted to start playing the game with a little more skill. Now I’m a convert. We play a more attractive style of soccer now.”

Part of the biggest success of any soccer team is their goal keeping. It can be argued that it’s the most important position in any sport. Coven is very grateful that Tim Murray, the current goalkeeper coach and professional soccer player for the New England Revolution is able to coach the keepers.

seize the day Coach Coven still enjoys each day on the field with his players

“He comes in and works exclusively with our goalkeepers. When Blake Minchoff came in, he was a very average goalkeeper. He’s improved tremendously. He was All-UAA last year and had 14 shutouts and he’s having a good year this year, I think because of Tim’s tutelage.”

In Coven’s 40 years on the job, his biggest regret is not one of loss or failure on the soccer field. It was his decision to bring in players solely on their soccer ability.

“We had a couple of bad seasons here and some of the players that were on those teams were not par-

photo by nate rosenbloom/the hoot

ticularly good people. I had an idea when I was recruiting them that they might be trouble, but they were good players,” Coven said.

“Something was telling me don’t get involved with them but I did and I regret bringing them here now because I think any of the years we had that maybe we were not as successful as we should have been, I could have done a better job in my recruiting effort.”

“I did not look beyond their ability as soccer players because some of them were very good players but they weren’t good teammates and they weren’t good people on or off the field and I regret that I probably brought them to Brandeis.”

Coven’s fondest memory at Brandeis is not the national title in 1976 or the multiple New England ECAC championships.

“I’ll never forget that at both my mother’s funeral and my father’s funeral, I looked up and my whole team was at each of these funerals. To me, that was a wonderful moment. It showed me the bond that we had. I think the letters and emails I get from former players wishing me well and congratulating me about different things are the things that made me feel that this is a special place for me.”

Coven shows no sign of slowing down in his 40th year. Each day he brings the same passion and enjoyment for the game that he brought to the field his first day on the job 40 years ago.

His job does not end once he leaves the field. He cultivates relationships with his players and sculpts them into athletes, but also men.

“Some of my best friends now are players I had 25 or 30 years ago,” he said.

What started as an activity to pass the time nights at summer camp in Maine has turned into a lifelong passion for Coven, and if he has it his way, his passion will continue for decades.

Women’s tennis swept in season opener at Tufts

By Brian Tabakin Editor

In the opening match of the season, the Brandeis women’s tennis team failed to build on their 15-5 record from the previous season, even though the team maintained the majority of their roster. The Judges were ranked 22nd in the final Intercollegiate Tennis Association poll from

2011 while the Tufts Jumbos were ranked 14th.

The Judges failed to close out many of their opponents as they lost three singles matches in tiebreakers. In the No. 1 singles match, All-American Carley Cooke ’15 dropped her first match of the season to Lindsey Katz, despite winning the first set, 4-6, 6-3 and 10-4. Faith Broderick ’13 lost to Samantha Gann in No. 2 singles 6-4,

2-6 and 10-4 even though she appeared to have momentum on her side after winning the second set. In No. 6 singles, Maya Vasser ’16 lost to Catherin Wooley, 3-6, 7-5 and 10-3, in a tiebreaker after the two split the first two sets.

Cooke and Broderick also suffered an upset in No. 1 doubles, losing to the Tufts tandem of Lindsey Katz and Shelci Bowman 8-5.

In No. 3 singles, Allyson Bernstein ’14 fell to Bowman in straight sets 6-0, 6-2 while Simone Vandroff ’15 was dispatched by Sophie Schonfeld in straight sets 7-5, 6-1 at No. 4 singles.

Finally, Lauren Hollender also defeated Roberta Bergstein ’14 in straight sets 6-2, 6-1 at No. 5 singles.

At No.2 and No. 3 doubles, the Tufts pairs of Gann and Schonfeld and Janice Lam and Hollender defeated the

Brandeis duos of Alexa Katz ’14 and Dylan Schlesinger ’15 and Vandroff and Vasser 8-1 and 8-3 respectively.

The Judges were competitive in many of their matches against Tufts but were unable to finish off any of the matches to register a point.

Brandeis will try to rebound from the tough loss and clean up their mistakes this weekend at the ITA New England Regional at MIT.