The Brandeis Hoot - 2/8/13

Volume 10 Number 4

www.thebrandeishoot.com

Brandeis University’s Community Newspaper • Waltham, Mass.

February 8, 2013

Univ braces for blizzard, cancels Friday classes

By Jon Ostrowsky Editor

innocence Damien Echols tells of his experience on death row and subsequent exoneration.

photo by ally eller/the hoot

Echols tells Innocence Project story

By Gilda Di Carli Staff

Forming part of ’Deis Impact week, Brandeis seniors, working on the Justice Brandeis Innocence Project at the Schuster Institute for Investigative Journalism, spoke with released inmate, Damien Echols, his wife, his defense team advisor and a correspondent for CBS’s 48 Hours at Rapaporte Treasure Hall Tuesday evening.

After a screening of the trailer of “West of Memphis,” a recentlyreleased documentary directed by Amy Berg and video clips from CBS correspondent Erin Moriarty’s interviews of Echols, Brandeis seniors, Madeleine Ziff, Keith Barry and Avi Snyder formed an interview panel to ask the participants questions regarding Echols’ story.

It started in 1993, when three young boys were murdered in West

Memphis, Arkansas.

Within a climate of fear and holding what Damien calls an “outsider status” in the small conservative community, he along with Jessie Misskelley, Jr. and Jason Baldwin were accused for the murders of these boys.

The culmination of no investigation, “alleged” confessions, faulty witnesses and weak representation, West See INNOCENCE, page 3

Rosbash and Hall win Wiley Prize

By Rachel Hirschhaut Editor

Professor Michael Rosbash (BIOL), the Peter Gruber Endowed Chair in Neuroscience and Jeffrey Hall, along with their colleague Michael Young of Rockefeller University, have been awarded the 12th annual Wiley Prize in Biomedical Sciences for the discovery of the molecules that control the circadian rhythm.

The discovery is significant to scientists who study sleep cycles, human metabolism and the response to drugs. It could help scientists develop new treatments for sleep disorders,

mental illness and even jet lag.

Rosbash says his research began 30 years ago, when the experiments were the earliest research in the field. His team began by investigating the circadian rhythms of fruit flies and soon discovered that the same genes and proteins were present in all mammals.

Rosbash’s success draws attention to the debate over Brandeis’ dual identity as a liberal arts university and a research institution.

Most professors in psychology and the sciences have their own labs, where they conduct original research and often hire undergraduates and graduate students to work as research

assistants.

Rosbash says that students gain more from their Brandeis experience because of “the opportunity to do research and nudge up against interesting people who do cutting-edge work.” He says that other elite liberal arts colleges, despite their strengths in the humanities, may not provide as many research opportunities in the sciences.

“Brandeis is still a hybrid between a research university and a liberal arts school,” Rosbash said. “Even with our research, we’re still more engaged in teaching than schools like Harvard or Stanford.”

With a blizzard warning in effect and forecasters predicting about two feet of snow along with the possibility of white out conditions and near zero visibility at times, university officials canceled classes Friday but expected the campus to operate without any major difficulties during the weekend.

“Dining halls are fully staffed. They have enough food, they plan to run regularly,” Director of Public Safety Ed Callahan said Thursday afternoon.

“We don’t anticipate any major disruptions.”

The National Weather Service in Taunton, Mass. issued a blizzard warning in effect from 6 a.m. on Friday to 1 p.m. on Saturday and anticipates 18-24 inches of snow for the area, along with wind gusts higher than 60 m.p.h., leading to blowing and drifting snow.

Kim Buttrick, a meteorologist at the NWS, said forecasts predict the storm will be historic because of snowfall.

“With each model run, our confidence level is going up that this could

be a historic storm for Southern New England,” Buttrick said.

She explained that one way the NWS ranks the impact of storms in the area is by measuring snowfall in Boston. A February 2003 storm that dumped 27.6 inches of snow on the city tops the list, followed by the famous Blizzard of 1978, which totaled 27.1 inches. A storm in December 2010 left 18.2 inches and the NWS expects this weekend’s blizzard to place on the list, Buttrick said, thus making it historic.

The full peak of the storm will be between 2 p.m. on Friday and mid-morning on Saturday, she added, noting that people traveling Friday night may find their cars stranded.

“Try to have all errands and preparations done by noon tomorrow,” Buttrick said.

University officials originally planned to cancel all classes starting at noon, they wrote in an email early Thursday evening. But a few hours later, following a press conference by Gov. Deval Patrick, officials sent an email saying See BLIZZARD, page 3

Men’s basketball now 15-5

CFPB lauches review of student loan, credit policies

By Lassor Feasley Editor

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) announced this week that it plans to examine potentially exploitative credit and loan products offered to students on college campuses. Many financial institutions have strong ties to university administrators, which they use to market student loan and credit accounts. Often, universities require that students interface with an affiliated financial institution in order to access financial aid. The CFPB inqui-

Inside this issue:

ry will span these and other products offered by banks on campuses across the country.

“We want to determine whether students are getting a good deal,” Rohit Chopra, CFPB’s student loan spokesman said. “This will inform how we work with schools and other policy makers to make sure this market is working well.”

Because students are often inexperienced in dealing with financial institutions, many speculate that they are vulnerable to marketing tactics of which regular customers might be weary. Particularly, students might be

News: Social justice through social media Scoops: Dushkus deliver keynote address Arts, Etc.: Univ Press authors win prize Opinion: Brandeis, real food now Sports: Women’s basketball snaps losing streak

liable to accept inequitable terms of borrowing, in which banks might get away with charging exorbitant fees or interest.

“By and large, college students are a young and relatively inexperienced consumer market when it comes to experience in managing personal finances,” Noah Litwer ’15 said. “This inexperience, coupled with the independence of legal adulthood, allows students to make decisions for themselves that may seem attractive, photo by paula hoekstra/the hoot

See CFPB, page 3

Writer’s perspective Page 2 Page 16 Fiction exemplifies the specifics of great writing.

Page 10 Page 15 Opinion: Page 13 Page 5

layup The Men’s basketball team split their games last weekend, defeating Emory

University on Friday and losing to the University of Rochester on Sunday.

Fencers make strides Fencing team showed tournament success even in a rebuilding year.

Sports: Page 5

news

2 The Brandeis Hoot

February 8, 2013

’DEIS Impact!

Jubilee Project emphasizes power of social media to create a more just world

By Emily Stott Editor

In a ’Deis Impact event last Saturday, members of the Jubilee Project, Eric Lu, Eddie Lee and Jason Lee, visited Brandeis to encourage students to use social media creatively to inspire others to action through the power of storytelling. The event, cosponsored

by Jubilee Project Brandeis, BAASA, the BPA and the ICC, was titled “Ordinary People can do Extraordinary Things” to show students that they can make a difference in the world by taking advantage of the tools they use every day.

Jubilee Project is a group of three young college graduates who seek to raise awareness of different social justice issues through their videos.

They have made more than 70 videos, raised more than $30,000 and have more than four million views on their videos. They spoke about how they chose to quit their jobs and schooling to pursue video production full time.

“We said to ourselves, what are we doing with our lives? … Eric was at med school, Jason was having a highpaying salary, I was working for the president of the United States …

There was something still missing,” Eddie Lee said. “We realized deep down inside that we weren’t living our true passions in life, and our passion was to tell stories and the intersection of our passion and the needs of the world was the Jubilee Project.”

As part of their presentation, they showed some of their previous videos as well as a sneak peek at a video just released online on Tuesday. The Jubilee Project writes, directs and films its own videos, using the best outside actors they can find. Videos have dealt with topics from sex trafficking (Back to Innocence), hearing impairments (Love Language) and autism (Fireflies). They feature children and

young adults, navigating the world despite the different major issues in their lives. The videos focus on inspiring hope for those impacted and teaching the community about the significance of these issues and how one can strengthen her community.

“We really believe that you can use videos and social media to change the world, but in little ways, inspire people to tell stories,” Jason Lee said.

Their videos started with a small audience, not gaining many views until they produced “Love Language.”

“It was a very organic process, I think; where people just shared it on Facebook and Twitter and from there we started building up,” Lu said.

They hope to communicate through their videos to get people excited about different causes, sharing stories through entertainment with a social message. They focus on how storytelling can be used by anyone, not just corporations and people in power, to achieve greater social awareness of important issues.

While the Jubilee Project had previously focused on fundraising attempts, they now focus primarily on getting the message out and giving people the platform to tell their stories. At first, they used microsponsorship to raise money, where someone would pledge to donate one penny per view of the video. “We realized that we don’t want to focus solely on funds but we want to use our platform to encourage other people to more creative ways to raise funds and raise awareness,” Jason Lee said.

The group responded to a question about how they fit into the Asian Pacific American (APA) movement.

“The reason we are here today is because of the Asian American community … We feel like we contribute to the Asian American movement by becoming excellent at what we’re doing, and we see that really just expanding the world for Asian Ameri-

cans,” Lu said. He talked about how he hopes to encourage other Asian Americans through mentoring and helping younger Asian Americans to develop their own talents.

Although there was a small crowd, the enthusiasm in the room generated many ideas about new ways to engage others in social justice through social media such as Facebook, YouTube and Twitter. The group introduced the audience to its process of making videos: beginning with a cause you care about, then thinking about a creative application of one’s own talents to raise awareness and understanding in the larger community.

After being given a chance to discuss campaigns on their own, students spoke about their thoughts.

One group, passionate about climate change, thought they could create a house that mimicked the destruction that happens to a polar bear’s home as the earth warms and ice melts.

Another group suggested having students wear surgical masks for a day with specific words written on the mask to raise awareness of a particular issue. A third group’s idea was to interview homeless people and listen to their stories, understanding how they got in that position and what one could do to help.

The Jubilee Project encouraged students to take risks and act upon the strength of their passion for social justice. “We’re young enough to still eat Ramen every day … why not take that leap?” Eddie Lee said. Even though they felt anxiety and fear, they demonstrated intense commitment to their goals, hoping to inspire others to do the same.

They quoted Bronnie Ware, a palliative care nurse who asked people about their largest regrets in life, to encourage others to make an effort now to change the world. “I wish I’d had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the life others expected of

me,” they said.

The Brandeis chapter of the Jubilee Project began after students Vicky and Stephanie Lee ’13 were introduced to the group at a benefit concert, and were struck by the group’s message and creative videos.

“We were finally able to get them to Brandeis in the fall, also two years ago now … Then this past summer, Eric randomly messaged Stephanie and was like ‘Hey, we’re staring college chapters and we’re wondering if you would be interested,” Vicky Lee said.

Although they have religious references in some of their videos, Jubilee Project simply strives to include messages of hope, optimism and joy in their videos. “We want to live out these Christian values … but to reflect jubilee, which means joy,” Lu said. “These are our values, and we just want to make amazing videos that tell stories and really change lives,” he said.

“Art is an extension of who we are,” Eddie Lee added.

photo courtesy lindsay mitnik

photo courtesy linda bui

Panel discusses presence of social justice in business

By Debby Brodsky Editor

’Deis Impact hosted a discussion on Ethics and Social Justice in Business on Monday evening as part of a series of events designed to bring the campus community together while defining social justice. The event sought to answer the question “Just because it’s legal, does it mean it’s ethical?” while defining social justice from a business point of view.

The event included a trio of speakers including Ron Scott, the author and co-founder of People Magazine, Professor Andreas Teuber (PHIL) and Professor Detlev Suderow (BUS).

Club sponsors included the Brandeis Investment Club, the American Students Investment Study Connection, the Econ Society and the Brandeis Libertarian Conservative Union (BLCU).

Throughout the event, each of the three speakers offered their perspectives and personal anecdotes to students about their experiences working for large corporations that were successful, as well as those that suffered great losses. The speakers repeatedly attributed a business’ success to its ties with the surrounding community and its charitable causes.

“This event sheds light on social justice practiced in corporate world,” Joshua Nass ’14 of BLCU. “One false stereotype that plagues the corporate world is that all corporate leaders are greedy. Social justice should be practiced by everybody, and it shouldn’t be considered a partisan issue. We should unite around engaging in social justice,” Nass concluded, as he introduced Scott to the audience.

As Scott began to address the audience, he spoke about the biography he had recently written of Mitt Romney, “Mitt Romney: An Inside Look at The Man and His Politics.” In his book and before the audience, Scott further described Romney’s famous quotation, “Corporations are people too,” personifying often dominating and greedy corporations.

“People are the conscience of an organization,” Scott said. “Good corporate policies often trickle up from the marketing departments of large corporations. Corporate involvement in the community is good for business, because need drives major business decisions.”

Scott continued to discuss how successful business partnerships are almost always charitable. Marriott for instance, partnered with the March of Dimes because the March of Dimes

wanted the publicity associated with Marriott. The partnership, according to Scott, was an overwhelming success.

“Corporations are looking for evidence of long term opportunities, where their employees can serve on the boards of these organizations, and as volunteers. Corporations, like people, make decisions to get involved in projects that are worthy and needed and beneficial and measurable. If the U.S. government were as demanding, it is likely that we never would have heard of the Tea Party or of Libertarians. Mitt Romney was right when he said that corporations are people too,” Scott said.

Following Scott, Teuber spoke about the philosophical meanings of morality and social justice.

“It’s interesting to think that we would care about social justice at all because it means caring for people that aren’t members of our own family,” Teuber began. “We care for strangers halfway around the world. We want to give to famine relief efforts and to do something about world poverty. It is unusual that we would be willing to do this. That we would reach out to those who don’t have an immediate relation to ourselves and that don’t seem to do something im-

mediately for you or me.”

Teuber elaborated by saying that morality is often contrasted with egoism, and he asked how it is possible that morality is a standard in a world that is founded in self interest. Business especially, he said, seems to be concerned with self interest and doing what is best to gain a profit.

“We tend to separate business from the notion of social justice. We think business is not in the ‘business’ of social justice,” Teuber said.

Following Teuber’s remarks, Suderow ’70, spoke to the audience about his years as a student at Brandeis and his time, years later, as a professor at Brandeis’ International Business School. Suderow emphasized how the lessons he learned of social justice at Brandeis had a lasting impact on his professional career.

“The sixties was a time of revolution at Brandeis, and the beginning of major social change, which had a lasting impact on the business world,” Suderow said. “First there was the Civil Rights movement. This had a lasting impact because of the fact that injustices were not just considered wrong but that they also had serious detrimental social consequences.

Second came the anti-war movement.

What was pertinent about the anti-

war movement was that, as a result of that movement, I went into a career based on the idea that large communities can change social movements and countries. I learned that I could change large systems.”

Suderow continued by describing his chosen and eventual career paths following his graduation from Brandeis in 1970.

“After I graduated, I did what most people of our generation did. I thought all that stood for evil was embodied by business. None of my classmates wanted to go into business.

And yet, to this day, I teach in the undergraduate business school. My first job after college dealt with social justice. Then some economic realities started to dawn on me and my wife, so she suggested I go out and get a real job and stop saving the world and make some money,” Suderow said.

Together, Scott, Teuber and Suderow strongly advised the audience to push business to be the social justicepromoting businesses they ought to be, by holding businesses accountable.

“If you don’t,” Suderow warned, “they will pursue their interest of making as much money for themselves as possible, which, unfortunately, is human nature.”

February 8, 2013

NEWS 3

The Brandeis Hoot

Schuster Institute hosts Innocence Project panel INNOCENCE, from page 1

Memphis Three’s “ringleader,” Echols, was sentenced to be executed. The case slid into a pile of wrongful conviction cases.

“It is virtually impossible to get an innocent person out of prison,” said Lonnie Soury, Echols’ defense team advisor, to the audience of more than 200 in Rapaporte Treasure Hall. Students and faculty sat or stood almost anywhere for the entirety of the twohour event.

But after West Virginia native and landscape architect, Lorri Davis, saw the New York film screening of the documentary “Paradise Lost” in 1996, she “just knew that something had gone wrong in that courtroom,” she said. She wrote Damien Echols a letter. Damien wrote her back. Few letters soon became several. Convinced of his innocence, she began working on his case in 1998. And one conversation led to another until they were married in 1999.

Davis, nicknamed the Chief Executive Officer of Free West Memphis, joined forces with Lonnie Soury to educate the public about the case. Celebrities such as Johnny Depp, Pearl Jam’s Eddie Vedde, and Dixie Chicks’ Natalie Maines, who in one way or another identified with the West Memphis Three, came to support them, and attracted much needed media attention on the West Memphis Three’s behalf.

“I literally would be dead without it,” Echols said. Two other supporters are Peter Jackson and Fran Walsh, both of whom helped co-produce his new documentary, “West of Memphis.”

Echols insisted that this celebrity support was not really about the case.

In the end, they were family to him.

Echols shared an anecdote with the audience about Peter Jackson. Jackson, who wanted to make up for 18 years of life lost, took Echols paragliding and on a helicopter ride into an active volcano. “He is honestly the smartest person I’ve ever come across in my life, but he’s also crazy,” Echols said with a chuckle.

One reporter who was willing to cover Echols’ story, was Erin Moriarty of CBS’s 48 Hours. Journalists, in general, do a good enough job including all pieces of evidence in legal cases, explained Moriarty. “That’s also my job as a reporter.” But unlike Davis and Soury, Moriarty has to walk the fine line of objectivity in reporting legal cases such as these. “I have to remind myself I’m not an innocence project. I’m a reporter,” she said to a small group of Schuster students before the event.

Despite an optimistic forecast for Echols in rallying support, attracting positive press attention and gathering

overwhelming evidence of his innocence, his health was in jeopardy. Of his 18 years on death row, he spent the last 10 in solitary confinement. He was losing his eyesight, his weight and developed consistent pain. It came down to a deal: The Alford Plea. If the defendants admit there is sufficient evidence to find them guilty as well as agree to not sue the State, they can be released from prison. “Either you die in prison or you take it and walk out,” said Echols to why they agreed to take the plea. Soury added that the prosecution case had intended to and could feasibly reprosecute, dragging the case on for years, if Echols had refused to sign the Alford Plea.

“Damien Echols’ case highlights the serious flaws in our criminal justice system—especially those cases in which police and prosecutors have not thoroughly investigated the cases,” Florence Graves, Founding Director of the Schuster Institute said.

“We simply don’t know how many innocent people may have been executed for crimes they did not commit,” Florence Graves, Founding Director of the Schuster Institute said.

The Brandeis Community was silent throughout the question and answer series, safe for a few rounds of applause to insightful responses from the participants. One such response to an audience member’s question of what advice he could offer the Brandeis community was this: “It may sound simple, but focus on what you want and not on what you don’t want … You go into the direction you focus your attention in,” Echols said. Echols and Davis, who spoke on a daily basis, practiced this method by not talking about the perpetual element of execution in the near future.

In an attempt to focus his attention on other things, Echols also painted and practiced the Rinzai tradition of Japanese Buddhism. He explained that he would spend five to seven hours a day in meditation and eventually received ordination.

Another curious element of Echols’ case, is Echols and Davis’ love story that took place while he was on death row. “Well, I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone,” said Davis, in response to Snyder’s question on their marriage’s challenges. After the laughter subsided, she explained that it was very stressful, but never regretted her decision. It worked because “we created a world together while I was in there,” Damien added.

But why was the judiciary so unwilling to reopen the investigation?

“Ambition,” Echols said. Echols and Soury said that the elected officials involved did not want to admit the possibility of a wrongful conviction for fear of the effect it would have on their political careers.

“The Appellate System is broken. It

needs to be changed,” said Moriarty, who also holds a legal degree. She adds that in her experience, wrongful conviction cases are more often the sum of human error: “not [having] enough time, overwork, young lawyers with not enough experience, who don’t necessarily believe in their clients.” It’s also a question of “complete laziness” on the side of reporters who are fed one side of the story by the prosecution, said Soury.

In response to Brandeis students’ question to Echols if the prison system is obsolete, Echols pointed out that the question is more that of rehabilitation. He found that people in prison were “either crazy or driven crazy,” but for those to be released from prison, rehabilitation is necessary. “It’s not the best idea to drive them crazy before bringing them back in the room,” said Echols.

Brandeis students and faculty were not the only attendees at the event.

Seniors at Waltham High School, Katie Nicoloro, Maria Millan and Ava Rosen, accompanied by their junior year English teacher, Jeanette Amiano, stood eagerly in the book-signing line to have their junior research paper autographed, of which the subject was the West Memphis Three. Amiano and her students had developed an “emotional attachment” to the case and had long anticipated this event, said Amiano.

“I love this. What I don’t like is talking to the mass press because they don’t care. But the people who came out here tonight do care,” Echols said as he signed books after the event.

“We think it went exceptionally well. We were so pleased with the turn out and really pleased that the audience was ready and willing to engage with Damien and the others in the panel during the Q & A session. I really hope that it made people in the audience want to know more about this really huge issue of wrongful convictions, why and how they happen,” Elizabeth Macedo Assistant Director at the Schuster Institute said.

She explained the organization of the event was mainly a group effort, although she and Anne Driscoll were heavily involved in the logistics and the organization of the participants, respectively. Driscoll, who knew Moriarty from the Investigative Reporters and Editors National Conference in June of last year, also contacted Soury to get in touch with Echols and Davis. “They were all so gracious,” and “sort of all the stars aligned … It all came together,” Driscoll said.

One of members of the interview panel, Keith Barry, has worked at the Schuster Institute for more than a year exclusively on the Innocence Project. His experience interacting directly with Echols, made a strong impact on him. “I think the best ben-

photos by ally eller/the hoot

efit is to concretely see why you’re doing what you’re doing,” he said.

Maddie Ziff, at Schuster for almost three years, found it to be “an honor and an incredible experience” to have participated in the interview panel, but she continues to wonder about the nature of circumstance in wrongful conviction cases. “What about Damien made his case gather so much attention while so many others have sat—and will continue to sit—in prison waiting for their turn for justice?” she questioned.

Cosponsors of the event included the Department of Sociology, the Journalism Program, the Legal Studies Program, the Office of the Dean of Arts and Sciences, the Office of the Dean of Student Life, the Office of the Provost, the Peace, Conflict and Coexistence Studies Program, the Social Justice Social Policy Program and the Women’s Studies Research Center.

CFPB to review student loan and credit policies CFPB, from page 1

but end up leaving a student racked with high-interest debt and late payment fees that are written deep in the fine print.”

In 2009, a new code of conduct established by the Credit CARD Act constrained many of the questionable marketing practices conducted by financial institutions on college campuses. It further required transparency in agreements between colleges and credit providers. But the CFPB inquiry seeks to capture a more comprehensive snapshot of how providers treat their college clients.

Many students have felt the effects of questionable financial packaging.

Matthew Kuruvinakunnel ’15 notes, “Financial products and institutions are mixed blessings. While intended to make debt manageable (and hence, college affordable) the nature of debt is binding, and a consumer bound by debt will always be vulnerable until it is paid off,” he continued, “I have seen the constraining effects of such programs create many problems for friends and peers.”

According to its website, the CFPB has received mixed reviews of student financial providers, “We’ve heard from students that sometimes these arrangements are a convenience, while other times we’ve heard that they didn’t feel they had a choice. We want to see if students are getting a

good deal and what schools can do to help them through the process.”

While the CFPB does not necessarily operate on a scope that is different from other federal watchdogs like the FDIC or SEC, its mandate is limited to the relationships that consumers have to financial institutions (rather than relationships between two financial entities). According to Professor Lynn Browne (ECON), “The CFPB’s mandate is broad; it is not limited to specific financial products, such as mortgages. The CFPB is a supervisory and regulatory agency with consumer financial protection as its primary mission.”

When asked if such a new institution as the CFPB had the opera-

tional ability to conduct the inquiry smoothly, she responded, “Many employees [of the CPFB] have considerable experience in consumer financial supervision and regulation even though the agency itself is new.

In other words, the organization has many very competent employees, who are keenly interested in consumer protection.”

The CFPB plans to publish a summary of its findings in coming months. Findings could potentially guide a more comprehensive legislative package aimed at reining in financial abuses if any are to be found, as well as to direct the actions of other regulatory agencies if any violations to current legislation are found.

Blizzard to hit region BLIZZARD, from page 1

Brandeis would close for the day.

“As a predominantly residential university, our objective is to hold classes whenever it is safe to do so. Accordingly, based on the most current weather forecast for tomorrow afternoon, Brandeis will be closed on Friday, February 8. All classes and public activities are canceled,” officials wrote in the email.

In an evening press conference, Patrick asked private employers to allow workers to remain at home and told non-emergency employees working in Executive Branch agencies to stay home as well.

Brandeis Public Safety will have officers on campus during the storm and Callahan said that while Facilities may use private companies to help with plowing and snow removal as it sometimes does, he anticipates few major issues, given that there is no snow on the ground already.

“Facilities is confident that they can mitigate the amount of snow,” Callahan said.

“In the event of additional changes to class schedules or activities, the community will be notified through local radio and television stations and via SMS text message,” officials wrote in the email.

The Goldfarb Library will be closed on Saturday, while Farber One and Farber Mezzanine will be open on Saturday from noon to 8 p.m., along with the Library Cafe. The Boston/Cambridge shuttle will be canceled, officials said, but the campus and Waltham shuttle will run on Friday and Saturday.

4 The Brandeis Hoot

sports

February 8, 2013

Men’s basketball outplays Emory, loses by 7 to Rochester

By Charlie Romanow Staff

The men’s basketball team split their two University Athletic Association (UAA) games this past weekend, narrowly defeating Emory University on Friday and losing to the University of Rochester on Sunday. Although Brandeis had lost to both squads the previous weekend, these recent matches were played at home and were hotly contested. The Judges started with a 72-67 win over the Emory Eagles and a 66-59 loss to the Rochester Yellow Jackets, the No. 1 team in the nation. The Judges leave the weekend ranked third in the conference and ranked 25th in the nation, behind UAA rivals Rochester at No. 1 and Washington University in St. Louis at No. 2.

Friday’s prime time game had Brandeis facing off against Emory who had beaten the Judges by 14 points just a week earlier. Alex Stoyle ’14 said that in going into the game against Emory he felt prepared after the previous weekend’s road trip. “[I] felt more focused and ready … than in general. I thought a lot last week about the weekend, talked to coach about what I needed to do and tried to refocus; and it’s always easier to play at home,” Stoyle said.

Stoyle’s focus was clear as he led the team this past Friday by achieving his first career double-double, recording career-highs of 27 points and 13 rebounds. Ben Bartoldus ’14 was not far behind with 20 points, along with center Youri Dascy ’14 who had 15 points, 13 of which came in the second half. While it was a back and forth contest, the Judges won by outrebounding the Eagles 39-30, outshooting them from the field 48 percent to 39 percent and only missing one free throw. Although Brandeis made three fewer field goals than Emory, they had three more 3-pointers and eight more free throws. Strong shot selection was key in this game.

The Eagles had a very even core of players with four starters scoring in double figures, led by McPherson Moore who led his team with 19 points and two assists. The Judges’ 14 assists far-outweighed Emory’s six but what kept the Eagles in the game were the Judges’ 14 turnovers.

Coach Brian Meehan said the turnovers could have been costly.

“We need to continue playing solid defense, which we have all season, but we need to focus on taking care of the ball better as turnovers have really hurt us,” Meehan said.

Both teams struggled off of the

photos by paula hoekstra/the hoot

bench with the home team putting up four points from the bench, which narrowly outdid the Eagles’ three bench points. Brandeis had the lead at the half but was outscored early in the second half, down 33-31, before Stoyle made two consecutive 3-pointers. Toward the end of the game, the Judges went on an 11-1 run to create a nice cushion that the Eagles could not overcome. This lifted the Judges to 15-4 overall and 6-2 in conference, while it left the Eagles at 13-5 overall and 5-3 in conference.

The Sunday afternoon game pitted the 25th ranked Judges against No. 1 ranked Rochester. The hometown team wanted to keep the momentum going from Friday’s win but were unable to get a strong lead in the game.

The season’s lead scorer, Gabriel Moton ’14 had a lackluster game on Friday but came back to lead the Judges with 17 points on Sunday. Moton’s performance was exasperated by the fact that he could only play five minutes in the first half due to foul trouble. Stoyle led the game with nine rebounds and contributed 15 points and three blocks. The Yellow Jackets led readily for most of the game, at most by 14 before facing resistance from the Judges who went on a 15-2 run to eventually come within one point.

Rochester outshot Brandeis from the floor in the first half by shooting 40 percent against the Judges’ 26 percent. Emory’s Rob Reid and John DiBartolomeo enhanced the difference by each making a key steal and shot.

DiBartolomeo led Emory in triple crown categories with 22 points, 8 rebounds and 4 assists.

Looking at the box score, the teams had similar field goal and 3-point percentages with Brandeis shooting more efficiently from the free throw line.

As in Friday’s game, the Judges had trouble maintaining control of the ball with 16 turnovers, twice as many as the Yellow Jackets. While the home team did lose, their performance was admirable, especially against the No. 1 ranked team in the country. Despite the poor first-half performance, the Judges outrebounded and out-assisted Rochester and put a speed bump

in front of the Yellow Jackets’ stinger.

“We have yet to have everyone clicking at the same time. Moving forward we need to have all our guys contributing in a positive way each game,” Meehan said.

Stoyle shared the sentiment.

“If we can eliminate some of our mistakes and execute our offense, we can play with anyone. I think we just need to continue to be more consistent and disciplined and put together 40 minutes of high energy, solid, team basketball,” Stoyle said.

Some of the individual players have had strong performances, but to contend for a championship, the Judges will have to have all pieces working together at the same time.

The Judges have already earned more wins this season than they had during all of last season and have placed themselves on a national stage as a team that won’t go down easily. The Judges head out to the Great Lakes area to face off against UAA rivals Carnegie Mellon on Friday and Case Western on Sunday.

February 8, 2013

SPORTS 5

The Brandeis Hoot

Women’s basketball gets revenge against Rochester, ends seven-game losing streak

By Dani Chasin Staff

Back on their home court after two consecutive travel weekends, the women’s basketball team got their chance for revenge last weekend against Emory University and the University of Rochester. With their goals for the weekend fresh in their minds, the Judges beat the UAA third-ranked Rochester Yellow Jackets, breaking their seven-game losing streak on their home court.

Junior guard Janelle Rodriguez described the second-straight match up against these teams as both bittersweet and motivating.

“I know we were all upset after losing not only away at Rochester and Emory but also that Friday against Emory, but we wanted to work harder and we really wanted to win that game more than anything, all of us,” Rodriguez said. “Personally, I could feel that the entire team really, really

wanted this win even before we started warming up.”

Now carrying a conference record of 2-7 and an overall record of 8-12, the Judges can look toward the five remaining UAA games of their season with a renewed confidence and motivation that this win brings. In both games, the Judges maintained a steady offensive performance, crushing the Yellow Jackets with a final score of 62-49 and falling to the Emory Eagles 66-52.

Against the Eagles, the 16th-ranked team in the NCAA, the Judges widely improved their offensive performance from the previous weekend where they only managed to shoot 17 percent from the field, ending the game with a score of 59-28. In their second matchup, the Judges’ field goal percentage improved to 33 as they recorded 18 points at the end of the first half and gained 34 more in the second half.

The Eagles mostly dominated the first half of the game. Brandeis came

in close contact in the 14th and 13th minutes when the score was 9-7 and two Brandeis players, guards Kasey Dean ’14 and Julia Scanlon ’14 nailed two free throws apiece, while only allowing one jump shot by an Eagles player in between their chances at the line. This brought the score to 11-10.

The Judges, however, were unable to keep a tight hold on the Eagles as they put on an offensive rally for the rest of the half and didn’t let up in the second, either. Still, the Judges managed to pick up the intensity in the second half as several players pitched in on offense and defense.

Both Dean and guard Hannah Cain ’15 tied for team-high scoring with nine points each, while senior forward Samantha Anderson trailed with eight points. Rookie guard Samantha Mancinelli ’16 had an impressive performance, nailing six points in the last three minutes and recording seven altogether, also putting up six rebounds behind Cain who led the team with seven. Overall,

the Judges were able to out-rebound the Eagles by a wide margin of 49-24.

In the game against Rochester, the Judges nearly doubled the opponent’s field goal percentage, shooting 44 percent on offense while the Yellow Jackets only managed 27 percent.

Tied at halftime with a score of 25-25, the Judges decided to turn on the heat in the second half, gaining 37 points while the Yellow Jackets added 24 more to end the game 49-62.

The final score, in favor of the Judges, was a huge step up for the team as they fell to the Yellow Jackets the previous weekend by 14 points with a score of 72-58. Getting a quick lead in the first half, the Judges propelled further in the 13th minute when Mancinelli nailed a 3-point jumper to make the score 4-11. The opponent, however, was able to catch up to the Judges in the last five minutes of the half to even the scoreboard out at 25-25.

In the second half, the Yellow Jackets barely stood a chance against the Judges as they maintained control of

the ball and nailed shots left and right while only giving up one turnover.

Leading in scoring for the Judges was Rodriguez who nailed 13 points, followed by Dean who chipped in 10 and recorded a career-high five steals.

Off the bench forward Nicolina Vitale ’14 and Mancinelli tied for eight points apiece; Mancinelli went 2-3 at the 3-point line. Anderson, one of the tallest players on the team at 6’0”, led the Judges with nine rebounds, followed by Cain who had seven.

By facing these two top teams for a second weekend in a row and dramatically increasing their scoring, the Judges have proved their offensive capability. With this win on their side, Rodriguez says the next step is to look forward to the next game.

“We are obviously all really happy and it helped us as a small confidence booster. But we know that we have more games ahead of us and now we’re focusing on the next game and working hard so we can continue winning,” she said.

Messinger and Berman named UAA Fencer of the Week

By Dana Trismen Editor

The Brandeis fencing team may have some inexperienced members, but they are improving at a rapid pace: competitors Zoe Messinger ’13 and Noah Berman ’15 both won UAA Fencer of the Week honors.

“It means that in the UAA, Noah Berman and I had the best records,” Messinger said. “I am proud of my performance, and I’m happy they chose to write about me!”

According to Coach William Shipman, “nearly all of our fencers come with significant high school and/or club training and tournament experience.” That granted, “Their skill and training varies greatly,” he said.

This has affected the performance of the team this season. Shipman coaches both teams, and while men and women’s teams practice together, they compete separately.

“Last year, the women’s team had a transition year, in which we had a few empty spots to fill,” Messinger said.

“I am really pleased with our performance so far. All of the girls on the team put in their all.”

Shipman believes, “the women are performing well, given their experience” and mentioned the large amount of first-year fencers, all improving in the sport.

“We have so many quality freshmen on the team,” he said. “All have potential but do not yet perform at the highest potential.”

The women’s team has a record of 16-8. The men’s team has a better record, with 12-8; Shipman admits they are “overall a stronger group now.”

He also believes that the men suffer from bouts of instability, where they are strong at some meets and weak at others. “All will improve and be quite a good team soon,” he said.

Fencing involves three types of weapons, foil, epee and sabre.

“Each have different rules and target areas for scoring touches,” Messinger said. “In foil, the target area is mainly the torso and back; in epee, the target area is the entire body; in sabre, however, the target area is the torso up.”

Messinger herself is a sabre fencer, again one of the best in the conference. “The fun part about sabre is that

photos by annie kim/the archon

in addition to poking, you can also slash to get your touches,” she said.

“Think Zorro, only in real life.” Berman is a foil fencer.

In regards to recent meets, Shipman discussed the Eric Sollee Invitational meet at MIT, as well as the men winning over NYU and Haverford. Messinger also remarked on the Sollee meet.

“We had a really good mindset. We wanted to win and I think we performed well against some of the top teams in the country,” she said. “In fencing, it’s all about your mindset.

Any fencer can win on any given day, depending on his or her mental state.”

Berman recalls a tournament labeled “The Big One.” “It is an individual tournament that opens up the season,” he said. “I got sixth place in it, which definitely made it better, but I think it is good to start off the year as an individual so that way it is easier to gauge yourself against all the other fencers in the region.”

Messinger is senior captain, which includes responsibilities like leading warm ups, giving speeches before meets and keeping up morale. “It is such an honor to be in charge of a group of such self-motivated indi-

viduals,” she said. “They really make my life easy … they are my second family.” While Shipman does admit that winning the UAA Fencer of the Week is “not so [important] as in other sports as there are only two fencing schools now in the UAA,” he still says, “it’s a nice honor and signifies a great result.”

Messinger became interested in fencing because she was shy as a child. “I was afraid that other children would bully me in a team sport. My mother suggested fencing, which she used to do. I loved it right away because it was an individual sport; there is no one to blame for your actions other than yourself,” she said.

Berman started fencing when he was 10 years old, introduced to the sport by a family friend. “My parents made me go to a class and I hated it,” he said. “But they said I had to go to a second class and after that one I was hooked … fencing is fun and I would do it all day if I could.”

Both Messinger and Berman refer to fencing as “physical chess,” as this is a sport that very much involves the mind. Their talent lies not only in fancy footwork but also in their ability to mentally focus.

6 The Brandeis Hoot

“To acquire wisdom, one must observe.”

Editors-in-Chief Jon Ostrowsky Emily Stott Connor Novy News Editor Victoria Aronson Features Editor Dana Trismen Features Editor Lassor Feasley Opinion Editor Morgan Dashko Copy Editor Nate Rosenbloom Photography Editor Ally Eller Deputy Photography Editor Jun Zhao Graphics Editor Rachel Hirschhaut Deputy News Editor Senior Editor Debby Brodsky

Volume 10 • Issue 4 the brandeis hoot • brandeis university 415 south street • waltham, ma

Founded By Leslie Pazan, Igor Pedan and Daniel Silverman

staff

Shota Adamia, Emily Beker, Emily Belowich, Dani Chasin, Dori Cohen, Gilda DiCarli, Ally Eller, Lassor Feasley, Ben Fine, Evan Goldstein, Maya Himelfarb, Paula Hoekstra, Brittany Joyce, Ari Kalfus, Sarah Sue Landau, Rebecca Leaf, Nathan Murphy Needle, Aliya Nealy, Alexandra Patch, Max Randhahn, Brendan Reardon, Zach Reid, Zoe Richman, Charlie Romanow, Alex Self, Alec Siegel, Diane Somlo, Sindhura Sonnathi, Jennifer Spencer, Matthew Tagan, Alison Thvedt, Yi Wang, Shreyas Warrier, Pete Wein, Lila Westreich, Linjie Xu, Suzanna Yu

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.

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editorials

February 8, 2013

Thinking about social justice We applaud the students, faculty and staff who coordinated this week’s ’Deis Impact festival to celebrate social justice. With events ranging from the arts, to business practices, to social media to investigative reporting, the community rallied to show the diversity of fields where social justice can impact the lives of others.

The question that Brandeis has faced during the past year is twofold: First, how does this community define social justice? And second, does Brandeis want social justice to be the defining characteristic that distinguishes it from its peers?

The answers to those questions are not just part of a strategic plan drafted by administrators. They must be part of a community dialogue that continues from year to year. In large part, they are

a communication questions about how Brandeis seeks to market itself as an institution. Because if we are to become a school defined by social justice, surely there are ways to expand upon the festival held this week and our programs organized throughout the year.

Beginning with its long history of Waltham Group, this university has made significant progress and direct impacts in the Waltham community, including through tutoring and mentoring programs with students in local schools.

Students participate in a multitude of activism causes and encourage their friends to organize community service projects.

But if social justice is to become the selling point, the marketing tool of Brandeis, it must become a more formalized part of the curriculum here.

During our first year, for example, university writing seminars are one place where students could be introduced to learning about social justice and its relevance to Brandeis’ history. A community service requirement could be added to the list of school distribution requirements for graduation.

Because if Brandeis wants to be a school known for social justice, it must take the enthusiasm and energy from this past week and use it to engage students, alumni, faculty and trustees in a discussion about what social justice means, what we’ve done and what we can do.

And if we are dedicated to the principle and idea, launching that discussion across the entire campus, incorporating democratic methods at every turn, would be a reasonable place to start.

sexual assault is massively underreported. Victims remain silent because of shame, stigma, fear of retaliation and fear of being vilified and disbelieved. So we have silence from survivors, silence from perpetrators and silence from the community.

We saw a terrible example of silence when the Greek Awareness Council admonished its members to “stand by ZBT through this, and that means not discussing” an alleged sexual assault at the fraternity house. I know many on campus might disagree with the decision to report on the GAC email, but The Hoot was right to reveal that the

GAC’s “top priority” was its own reputation, not justice for the alleged victim or accountability for the alleged perpetrator.

Silence about sexual violence hurts victims, protects perpetrators, perpetuates stigma and damages our community. But that’s why we have journalists—to break the silence on the most troubling and difficult issues facing our campus.

ibly serious and is very difficult for all involved. I was glad to see that ZBT was working with the Waltham Police Department, suspended the accused indefinitely, and was planning to organize educational workshops on sexual assault. These were all the right things to do and the biggest reason why ZBT did not totally tarnish its reputation in my eyes. I also understand that there was probably not a lot of information available to all the Greek life members and there was a very real fear that, should its members speak incorrectly, the already difficult situation for ZBT could (and likely would) become much worse both reputably as well as legally.

This is very much a public relations nightmare for any organization. There are a lot of emotions running high (for good reason) and an organization would want not only to to try to help the investigation, but also to keep abreast of its own public relations concerns. However, by remaining silent, ZBT/GAC let this PR nightmare completely get ahead of it when, until that point, it had been handling (from what I’ve read) the situation appropriately.

Instead of remaining silent, and urging its members to do the same, ZBT/GAC should have issued a statement (whether combined or separate) explaining the situation, what it was doing to handle it, and sending its most

sincere condolences to the alleged victim. Confidentiality must be maintained here and ZBT/GAC would have to have worded the statement carefully so as not to admit legal fault. Condolences, confidentiality and assistance with the investigation as much as possible, yes, but admitting legal fault would not have been appropriate.

This is one of the most delicate situations an organization can find itself in. I am very grateful that The Hoot was able to give a voice to the victim and ensure that the Brandeis community knew what happened. I am also thankful that ZBT is working with the police and is taking steps to better educate its members about sexual assault. I am disturbed with the decision of ZBT/GAC to remain silent on the issue and I hope the two groups realize that speaking up is the most effective way to make sure all parties are heard and the proper feelings are conveyed. Do I think that Greek life’s or ZBT’s reputations are beyond repair?

No. I think, with continued work and careful communication, their reputations can be carefully rebuilt in such a way that the victim is not forgotten or belittled and sexual assault is treated like the serious issue it is.

Sydney Reuben The writer is a former Arts editor of The Brandeis Hoot

Letter to the Editor I would like to applaud The Brandeis Hoot for its coverage of campus sexual assault in last week’s articles, “Brandeis Greek life urges members not to discuss alleged sexual assault” and “With serious allegations, silence not the answer” (Feb. 1, 2013). I would also like to commend The Hoot writers and editors for their continued and consistent coverage of this issue during the past two years.

Sexual violence on college campuses is a serious problem. Research shows that one in five college women will be sexually assaulted in the course of her college career. And yet, campus

Alison Channon ’10 The writer is a former editor-in-chief of The Brandeis Hoot

Letter to the Editor As a previous Arts editor of The Hoot, as well as an alumna of Delta Phi Epsilon, the headline of last week’s article, “Brandeis Greek life urges members not to discuss alleged sexual assault,” immediately grabbed my interest. After reading the article (and accompanying editorial), I was hit with several emotions: grief and compassion for the alleged (in strictly the legal sense) victim, surprise and dismay at ZBT and GAC’s response, as well as pride in seeing The Hoot’s reporting on this important story.

First, I want to commend The Hoot on a well-written, completely unbiased article. I was impressed with how it tackled such a difficult issue, by simply reporting and not inserting any opinion or accusation. I appreciated that it mentioned what ZBT had been doing to correct the problem beyond the emails that were sent out. However, I found the editorial to be a bit lacking. It was more of an angry finger wag than actually offering some constructive criticism of how ZBT/GAC handled the situation and treated the alleged victim. Merely stating that there is strong disagreement with an organization’s action, in my opinion, is not enough. Yes, the response ZBT/GAC had was the wrong one, but I think there are other issues here that should be fleshed out.

A sexual assault allegation is incred-

February 8, 2013

this week in photos

The Brandeis Hoot 7

photos by sindhura sonnathi/the hoot

social justice show and tell The University displayed different elements from their archives on Tuesday.

photos by ally eller/the hoot

8 The Brandeis Hoot

THIS WEEK IN PHOTOS

February 8, 2013

photos by nate rosenbloom/the hoot

SEA Creates Climate Camp

building a visual definition of social justice Students paint tiles to reflect what social justice means to them.

photos by ally eller/the hoot

arts, etc.

February 8, 2013

The Brandeis Hoot 9

WSRC celebrates 25 years of ‘Women Making Music’

“ ” [We have] a strong ideological passion for the humanities.

By Zoe Richman Editor

The Brandeis Women’s Studies Research Center celebrated the 25th an-

niversary of the anthology, “Women Making Music: The Western Art Tradition 1150-1950,” compiled by Judith Tick and Jane Bowers last Sunday. At the event, Judith Tick, the Matthews Distinguished Professor of Music at

Judith Tick

vivian montgomery Montgomery played the piano before the lecture began.

judith tick Tick discussed the importance of women in the musical field.

photos by nate rosenbloom/the hoot

Northeastern University, spoke with grace and clear passion, detailing her life as musicologist as well as a lifelong dedication to promoting the work of women in the field of music.

The anthology came out of the Civil Rights Movement and “what was then called, women’s liberation,” Tick explained. As fellow graduate students at the University of California, Berkeley, Tick and Jane Bowers’ political activism emerged into cultural feminism. Tick noted that Gerta Lerning had inspired her to feel that teaching music could be a tool for women’s emancipation.

In 1994, Tick and Bowers coupled their “strong ideological passion for the humanities” and made the new idea of cultural feminism their own domain. However, they were taking a risk.

At the time, women were hardly mentioned in the music sphere. Tick and Bowers believed that their anthology would act as a starting point for talented female composers to earn the participation and recognition they deserved.

They studied female composers and musicians who, despite their objective musical prowess, were not acclaimed simply because of the dominance of male professionals in society.

Tick explained that gender, like class and race, was the anchor of their restrictions.

Their work, however, did not go without criticism. Tick noted that they faced “sharp skepticism and uncharitable assumptions” as they were trying to promote their work. The two fighters did not allow ruthless criticism to hinder their success. A combination of their belief in music, willingness to learn from criticism and their persistence, accounted for the ultimate publishing of their anthology.

In her lecture on Sunday, Tick offered several detailed examples of the women featured in her anthology.

For example, Tick played a song by Barbara Strozzi (1619-1664), describing it as “a hypnotic work.” She also played songs by Fanny Mendelssohn (1805-1847), who was originally discouraged from composing, although her work has been revived in the last 10 to 15 years. Tick described Mendelssohn, the sister of German composer Felix Mendelssohn, as the poster child for the discouragement of female composers at the time.

Tick also discussed her current project on Ella Fitzgerald. She played a song sung by Fitzgerald in 1946 at the Howard Theater in Washington, D.C. The audience at the theater was familiar with Fitzgerald, for she regularly performed there. In the performance, Fitzgerald impersonated Slam Stewart and the audience erupted with cheers about two minutes into the song when she began to poke fun at Stewart’s eccentric singing style. Tick described the audience as “frighteningly hip.”

The room was full of Brandeis alumni, devoted musicologist fans and friends and admirers of Tick. As Tick played samples of musicians’ works that have been showcased in the anthology, the excitement and appreciation was palpable. Later that evening, Brandeis hosted a gala concert at Slosberg Recital Hall open to the Brandeis community and the general public.

The entire day was a celebration of women’s roles in music, marking the progress in the field of musicology as a result of the work done by musicologists such as Tick and Bower.

10 ARTS, ETC.

The Brandeis Hoot

February 8, 2013

Writing and one-liners highlights in ‘Hansel and Gretel’

By Shreyas Warrier Staff

“Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters” is exactly how the movie is advertised. It follows in the tradition of those wintertime action movies loaded with copious amounts of explosions and action that seem to prequel summer blockbusters. Hansel (Jeremy Renner, who played Hawkeye in “The Avengers”) and Gretel (Gemma Arterton, the Princess in “Prince of Persia” and the mysterious maiden in “Clash of the Titans”), the two siblings from the famous fairy tale, teach children not to accept candy from strangers.

In the first 10 minutes of the movie, the original fairy tale is re-enacted— albeit with a twist: the children get lured into the witch’s candy hut, but they kill the foul temptress and move on with their lives by using amazing fighting skills that they possess. Then, a series of images and caricatures in the form of “Your Highness” (2011) show the pair growing up, fighting and killing more witches, which seems to be their calling in life. Finally, they are led to a town that has, conveniently enough, lost 11 children born in 11 different months.

Using their great sleuthing abilities, the pair discern that only one child is missing from this evil plot: cue a great amount of destruction, appealing women who suddenly turn into shrieking, grotesque harpies and an oddly touching but extremely creepy love story involving a troll.

The movie has some amazing one-liners but only a few of which

are actually worthy of chuckles. The characters say their lines in a manner that appears as if they too, know how ridiculous the movie is. Lines like, “One thing this job has taught me over the years: Don’t eat the fucking candy!” and “We kill witches, what do you do?” are accompanied by some kind of crossed-arms posture. These are all delivered with a droll sense of humor, as if the actors are struggling to say them without breaking out into laughter at the absurdity of it all.

The most interesting plot twist centers around the troll who, suddenly, with absolutely no explanation, decides to defy the witches for whom he has faithfully served his entire life. Despite his line, “Trolls always serve witches,” he changes his mind in order to help Hansel and Gretel, presumably because Gretel falls in front of him with her leather suit pulled down a little. They then use him for his strength and convenience, with almost no recompense.

In fact, he is thrown into the middle of an enormous battle against magic-wielding witches while the main characters stay far away, unleashing blood with machine guns, shot guns and exploding crossbow bolts. Yes, all these weapons magically exist in the 1500s—and no, the witches don’t possess any of them.

On the plus side, the scenery chosen for the film was exquisite, and the shots cost more than most people will make in their entire lifetime. The movie did not have a fully thoughtout plot, but it was not advertised as such. It followed the mold of many Hollywood fairy tale movies with a new twist, such as recent releases “Red Riding Hood” and “Snow White

weapons and violence This twist on the classic fairytale is rated R, with explosions and action sequences.

and the Huntsman.” None of these movies could be said to have thoughtprovoking, interesting plots, as they were released for the explosions and the action more than anything else.

And with that, audiences got exactly what they paid for. One does not walk into this movie expecting some great, in-depth plot line that will play tricks on the mind.

A person should expect an 88-minute long movie with quite a few explosions, houses falling down, fake screams of terror, huge amounts of blood, some nonsensical plot twists and an attractive lead actress. If anyone were to see this movie expecting a serious spectacle, they would be disappointed. It delivers everything that is promised, and for that, it is

photo from internet source

an enjoyable movie. If you are in the mood for watching some random village get decimated, some ugly witches get killed, a blundering sheriff get humiliated, multiple things blow up with enough blood to fill a large crater, and most important of all, learn that you should never, ever, enter a house made of candy, then this movie is for you.

Brandeis University Press authors win 2013 National Jewish Book Awards

By Dana Trismen Editor

Brandeis University Press has recently boasted a series of successes, with two authors nominated as winners of the 2013 National Jewish Book Awards. Anita Shapira’s “Israel: A History” won in the history category, while Elana Maryles Sztokman earned a win in women’s studies for “The Men’s Section: Orthodox Jewish Men in an Egalitarian World.”

Brandeis University Press is a member press of the University Press of New England (UPNE), which publishes in various fields, the majority of which are related to Jewish culture, thought and Israeli studies. Yet, the published books cover diverse subjects and viewpoints on topics such as politics, history, gender and philosophy. While their focus may be on the Jewish experience, their “goal is to illuminate subjects of all stripes with intelligence, curiosity and care,” according to the University Press website.

“My book was published by the Hadassah Brandeis Institute, an organization at Brandeis University led

by Professor Shulamith Reinharz and Professor Sylvia Barack Fishman, that focuses on scholarship in issues of gender and Judaism,” Sztokman said.

Originally granted a research scholarship, she then submitted a proposal to be published, a request that was granted. “The people at HBI are phenomenal,” she said. “[They are] wonderful scholars and really incredibly supportive of emerging voices. I feel really lucky and privileged to have received their support.”

Sztokman’s book, “The Men’s Section: Orthodox Jewish Men in an Egalitarian World,” examines gender identities of Orthodox men.

“I wanted to know, when Orthodox Jews say things like, “Be a Man,” or “Today you are a man” (said at every bar mitzvah on the planet), what do they mean?” she said. “What does it mean to be an Orthodox man?”

Her research drove her to interview many Jewish men, especially ones who belonged to synagogues called ‘partnership synagogues.’ These are places that have found a compromise between feminist ideals and Jewish law, allowing gender equality. “The men in these synagogues are deeply engaged in this gender struggle,” she said.

The idea for her book came to her during a conversation she had with an Orthodox Jewish man. She remembers him saying, “I could never go to a synagogue like that, because if women are doing everything, what’s left for men to do?” Sztokman decided this was actually an important point. “He was articulating something very poignant about society,” she said. “When women step into roles that were once exclusively owned by men, the men suffer from a crisis of identity. They no longer know how to define themselves as a man.”

This drove Sztokman to write a book that addressed what men were going through, instead of exclusively focusing on women in this movement. “We have to pay attention to how men deal with this if we are going to successfully create equitable, compassionate communities,” she said.

Sztokman is very aware that Or-

thodox Judaism creates strict gender divisions. Men are allowed public actions such as leading prayer services, as well as more intellectual roles such as studying the Torah. Women are exempt from commandments about public prayer, which Sztokman described as being “considered the epitome of maleness.”

“Women and girls are taught from early on that their divine role is to be kind, to raise children, to be a ‘good’ wife and mother, perhaps to pray (but privately), and most importantly to cover their bodies,” Sztokman said.

Regarding this focus on clothing, Sztokman is a well-educated researcher, having covered the topic in her doctoral research. “I found that the dominant definition of religiousness for girls is wearing skirts and long sleeves and, later on, covering their hair when they’re married,” she said. While men live in the public life, Sztokman argued that women “are taught that to be religious means to be covered and at home.” As Sztokman examined Orthodox men and women in her book, she came to the conclusion that there is no ‘Orthodox person.’

“There is an Orthodox man and an Orthodox woman,” she said. “And they are two completely different entities with different rules, expectations and personalities.”

Sztokman has received several positive responses to her book.

“People come up to me all the time and tell me that the book helped them understand some of their struggles,” she said. “Men especially tell me that I helped give definition to things they struggle with.” This coincides with

Sztokman’s personal dream: to help open up Orthodoxy. “I want to help break open the boxes that Orthodoxy puts men—and women—into.”

As she brings home a win in the women’s studies category, Sztokman mentioned, “We have to understand that feminism can liberate men, too.”

sztokman

Sztokman and Shapira’s books are a success for Brandeis University Press.

Sztokman describes her reaction as “ecstatic,” and feels, “enormously grateful, especially to the women of HBI who believed in me from the beginning.” She considers it to be a “great privilege.”

photo from internet source

February 8, 2013

ARTS, ETC. 11

The Brandeis Hoot

‘Happy Endings’ filled with outrageously good writing

By Sydney Reuben Editor Emerita

Americans have poor taste in television. There I said it. We rarely know when to let a show die. Take “The Office” for example. In Britain, the show survived two seasons (referred

to there as a series) and a Christmas special. Ricky Gervais, never one to let his shows continue past their expiration date, ended his show gracefully, with the audience still craving more but satisfied with where he left it. In America, on the other hand, we are taking a very dead horse and beating it to a pulp.

happy endings This comedic show is in danger of being taken off the air.

Conversely, Americans sometimes don’t know when to let a show live.

As an obvious example, “Arrested Development” was canned far too early.

I know we are all beyond thrilled that the show is coming back, but if you’re like me, you’re angry you didn’t realize the brilliance of that show before it was taken off the air.

photo from internet source

Now is our chance, my fellow Brandeisians, to save a show so wonderful, so hilarious that we simply cannot let it die. I am not talking about “Community,” though please save that show too; I am talking about ABC’s “Happy Endings.”

The show is about six friends (three male, three female) who live in Chicago. Two are married (Jane and Brad), two were almost married (one, Alex, left the other, Dave, at the altar), and the other two are, well, relationshipchallenged (Max and Penny). This is not “Friends,” though. “Happy Endings” holds no punches with its wellcrafted dialogue about gender roles, racial issues, sexual orientation and religion.

The show is funny. Like laugh out loud funny. Like “Modern Family,” the early seasons, funny. This season, the character Max, takes on a job hyping Bar and Bat Mitzvahs. Max is later joined by Brad and together they create the hype duo, Boys II Menorah. It was perfection.

There are countless pop culture references, from the gang dressing up as the Jackson 5 (complete with Joe Jackson) to an outrageously welldone allusion to “Unusual Suspects.”

Occasionally, genres are mixed resulting in a ZZ Top Gun situation.

It’s likely impossible to convey just how worthwhile this show is, but

trust me on this. Each week, a friend of mine and I exchange our favorite quotations from that week’s episode, and half of the time, I can’t pick only one and we end up having a back and forth. This means that every single week there are quotable moments. If that’s not a testament to outrageously good writing on a show, I don’t know what is.

There is even a website dedicated to posting gifs from the show. If you were to Google “F Yeah Happy Endings,” you would find it.

So yes, my dear Brandeisians, there is a perfect show on ABC and you are not watching it. You probably haven’t even heard of it and it is in its third season. This is why “Happy Endings” is in danger of being canceled. ABC hasn’t outright said it, but after “Don’t Trust the B” was canceled, I am pretty sure “Happy Endings” is next on the chopping block.

Do yourself a favor and watch it.

It’s on Tuesday nights at 9:30 and occasionally also at 9 EST on ABC. I’ll leave you with one of my favorite quotations from the Boys II Menorah episode: “You saw him cramp up during the Horah and he was nowhere to be found when ‘Shout’ came on. No one could get even the slightest bit louder and at no point could anyone get even at all softer.” Enjoy.

Nieske shines in Music at Mandel concert

By Vihn Nguyen

Special to the Hoot

Silky smooth jazz, good company and the nice backdrop of the Mandel Atrium are a trifecta for the perfect afternoon. Brandeis students, faculty and Waltham residents were quick to discover this during Brandeis’ Jazz Ensemble performance Wednesday.

Initially advertised as a performance by the entire Brandeis Ensemble, the show simply featured Professor Robert Nieske (MUS) on the string bass and professional musician John McKenna on the tenor saxophone.

Despite the advertisement misnomer, the two professionals dug into classic jazz repertoire, including songs from Duke Ellington and Sonny Rollins, to provide a muchneeded relaxing soundtrack in the week before midterms.

Having obtained both his bachelors and masters degrees in music from New England Conservatory, Professor Nieske contributes to the vibrant music scene here at Brandeis as an artist-in-residence of the music department. Outside of teaching improv jazz and regularly directing the Brandeis Jazz Ensemble, Nieske has made a name for himself in the world of music, having won acclaimed titles and awards such as Jazz Composers Alliance’s Jazz Composition Contest Winner, Modern Jazz record of the year by Jazz Hot Magazine and being the Boston Music Awards’ nominee for outstanding bassist.

As a seasoned musician, Nieske and McKenna showed their experience and skill through their choice selection of jazz tunes. The duo tapped into the soulful yet bittersweet quality of jazz with one of their opening pieces, “Softly, As in

a Morning Sunrise, ”from Romberg and Hammerstein’s 1928 operetta The New Moon. The piece relied on smooth baselines from Nieske’s bass that was well contrasted by sharp bites from the tenor jazz, to create a mood of melancholic love. McKenna showed his musical virtuosity in the performance of Duke Ellington’s “In a Sentimental Mood.” Here, McKenna’s improvisations were natural and fell nicely into the mellow cadence of the bass. Perhaps the highlight of the presentation was Sonny Rollins’ “St. Thomas” where Nieske truly shined. The piece was upbeat and evoked lightness and crisp tones that were refreshing midway through the show from the slower songs that were played.

Nieske’s syncopated rhythms were conducive to head bobbing and feet tapping from audience members.

Nieske engaged the audience, introducing each song with an interesting mention of its history. Key motifs of some songs were also explained to help the audience appreciate and understand the underlying composition of each song.

In the penultimate performance, Nieske thanked the audience for coming and enjoying the show. Yet, what was most interesting in his last address to the audience was his gratitude for “listening to live music.” Nieske’s words remind us of how profoundly intimate and honest live music is—two qualities that have become somewhat overlooked by the prominent growth of digital music. In the end, the Brandeis Jazz Ensemble show filled the Mandel Center Atrium with exciting jazz melodies. The presentation reminds us of the spontaneity, expressiveness and enduring power of live musical performances. photos by calvin wong/the hoot

12 ARTS, ETC.

The Brandeis Hoot

February 8, 2013

Using art to demonstrate atrocities of war

By Victoria Aronson Editor

Seeking to portray the casualties and atrocities of warfare, Linda Bond, artist and visiting scholar at the Women’s Studies Research Center, presented “The Artist as an Advocate for Social Change” to the Brandeis Community.

As an integral component of ’Deis Impact, a festival promoting social justice and advocacy, the event explored the portrayal of traumatic events through artistic renditions.

Initiating the presentation with a synopsis of other artists engaged in social advocacy, both throughout history and today, Bond referenced painter Francisco Goya, known for producing a series of prints titled “The Disasters of War.” Describing death as “a grim observation of the inhumanity of war,” Bond describes the prints as depicting mutilation, rape and torture, among other atrocities.

Transcending the historical depiction of wartime casualties, Bond cites artist Emily Price, who has created individual portraits of American servicemen who have perished in Iraq and Afghanistan. The portraits are mounted in a geographic representation of the United States, acknowledging the inevitable sacrifices associated with the war.

Throughout the presentation, the unique mechanisms used by artists to portray the tragedies and losses inherent in human history became apparent. Elaborating on the piece “Remembering,” created by artist Ai WeiWei in dedication to the thousands of children who died in the 2009 Munich earthquake, Bond explained the symbolism behind the piece. Constructed of backpacks, the piece bears a quotation in Chinese characters from a mother of one of the young victims following the tragedy. Describing the loss of her young daughter, the mother’s quotation translates to, “She lived happily for seven years in this world.”

Other instances of artistic expression of loss and devastation include

photo by calvin wong/the hoot

artwork by linda bond Bond promotes social advocacy through her pieces.

“The Cube,” a piece constructed of barbed wire by artist Mona Hoatum.

“It is a beautiful modular piece with elegance to it. Yet, when you look at it closely there is an element of danger,” Bond said. “It has the feeling of mass graves, things piled up like that, unsettled and tense.”

Referencing the potential for art to bear an impact upon social advocacy, Bond quoted artist Diego Salcedo, a Colombian-born sculptor who depicted the victims of civil wars, “I know that art does not act directly; I know that I cannot save anybody’s life, but art can keep ideas alive, ideas that can influence directly our everyday lives, our daily experiences.”

In regard to her own endeavors as an artist, Bond said, “I am not trying to tell someone else’s story,” but rather, “just trying to touch the humanity of it.” Tracing her development as an artist, Bond notes her progression from producing paintings solely on the basis of formal elements such as shape and composition to producing work laced with a deeper meaning and content. The personalization of her artwork stemmed from experiences including losing her mother at the age of 24, her travels throughout Italy and constant depiction of loss within the media.

In particular, she cites a haunting photograph displaying young vic-

tims of the civil war in Sierra Leone in 2000, in which children were portrayed missing limbs. Explaining that the dismemberment was a mechanism to prevent individuals from voting, Bond states, “I was thinking about how brutal that is, it is a wound that never goes away.” Influenced by the photograph, Bond began incorporating hands within her artwork as well.

Following the bombings of the Kosovo war, Bond created drawings of smoke, bearing an almost photographic quality. Surrounded by these depictions of the smoke emanating from the bombings, Bond recalled when the tragic events on 9/11 struck the U.S. “It was so profound, some-

how I couldn’t work for a while,” she said. Using newspaper photographs as a source of reference, she began integrating gunpowder with graphite as a medium within her artwork.

Rather than seeking to convey a political message condemning certain groups through her work, Bond said, “I feel like any of us could be a terrorist given the right conditions.” Instead, she claimed, “I think everybody is the victim, let’s just talk about the humanity of this.”

Despite the obvious connotation of gunpowder with destruction and tragedy, Bond utilizes it as a medium within her work to express the potential to create and promote peace.

Senior artist draws on painting inspiration from diverse academic interests

By Emily Beker Staff

As the current seniors begin their last semester at Brandeis, the studio art majors are now working on their senior theses. Aliza Sternstein ’13 is a studio art major with a focus on painting and a minor in economics from Long Island, N.Y. Sternstein said she has “always been interested in art, though I am wary of saying it like this.” She does not believe in the idea that a person can be born a painter. Her background in painting started one day at a camp for the performing arts program she attended beginning in third grade.

“It was a really serious camp, you chose a major and a minor and spent two hours a day on the major and one hour on the minor,” Sternstein said. “I always minored in painting and I really loved it. Then, eventually, I majored in it. I went there for seven years and that is where I developed a passion.”

Her experience in art throughout middle and high school was less positive, because art was non-existent, so the summer program “was always something special I did over the summer.”

Sternstein had never considered majoring in art, but her arrival at Brandeis changed that. “I never considered being an art major, but I signed up for painting because I was so excited to be able to take a painting class that was part of school and not a side thing,” she said. Her time in the studio came at a time that she found rewarding.

“I felt like I could just escape from everything around me. Doing my art homework didn’t feel like homework, while doing my chemistry homework was a means to an end,” she said.

Sternstein entered Brandeis expecting to follow the pre-medical track, but painting became a constant in her life.

“I think the turning point in my life was when I went to a summer painting residency in upstate New York

in the middle of nowhere after my sophomore year. All I wanted to do was be accepted, but then once I was, I remember looking at the website and reading: students wake up in the morning and paint, go to lunch where they talk about painting, then go back and paint, then have dinner and paint some more and then repeat the whole thing again,” she said.

“All of a sudden I got really worried. I didn’t know if I would be able to handle all art all the time.”

Sternstein, however, was able to adjust. “I’m not sure when it happened, but at some point toward the summer I became the girl who skipped lunch and barely made it to dinner because I was too busy painting.” She declared a painting major in her first year and then added an economics major in her sophomore year. The combination made sense to her, as she explained, “Economics is a lot of puzzle solving and that is how I view making a painting.”

Recently, she dropped her economics major. “My education doesn’t

have to end in college,” she said. “I purposefully chose not to apply to an art school for undergrad because I wanted the diversity of a liberal arts university. I really firmly believe that it is impossible to make art in a vacuum. As an artist, you have to exist in the world and be fed by the world. I have been incredibly inspired by most of my classes I took here.” She mentioned that she still draws inspiration for her paintings from the class Jewish Liturgy taught by Professor Kimelman (NEJS).

Her involvement on campus is minimal because she does not have much time, but she works during the week and Sundays at a Hebrew School in Newton, spending her spare time in the studio.

“I’m always inspired by light and windows and reflections but I thought it was cliché. I thought landscapes were too plain,” Sternstein said about her senior thesis. She believes that she has combined what she has learned in her non-art classes with her paintings.

“In the Kimelman class we were learn-

ing about all the Jewish prayers. The Rabbis had so many blessings for everything. For them, the ordinary and banal is a manifestation of holiness.

That really gave me some perspective,” she said.

Sternstein was particularly moved by an Albert Camus quotation, reading, “If a cloud covers up the sun and then lets it through again, the bright yellow of the vase of mimosa leaps out of the shade. The birth of this single flash of brightness is enough to fill me with a confused and whirling joy.”

She likes to think that her paintings respond to that sensibility. At the moment, she is moved by lines and the appearance of repeating lines.

She is unsure of what her paintings will look like at the end of the semester, but she does know how she feels about painting.

“Painting for me is about honesty and virtue. Painting is about love. It is something that comes completely from my heart. If I’m angry, sad, happy, frustrated, lonely, it can’t be hidden,” she said.

opinion

February 8, 2013

The Brandeis Hoot 13

Don’t forget fiction on assigned reading list

graphic by jun zhao/the hoot

By Jon Ostrowsky Editor

Phi Beta Kappa, the nation’s oldest academic honor society, has changed its admissions criteria to include mathematics and foreign language classes as requirements. The organization should also add literature to its new class requirements. Here’s why.

Encouraging a diverse range of

academic study, grounded in the liberal arts model, not only introduces us to new scholastic interests, but also strengthens our ability to understand complex and simple problems in our chosen majors.

College professors in history, political science, sociology and social policy classes assign a mountain of reading at the beginning of each semester, with some asking students to read more than 200 pages a week for

a single class. The reading, nearly exclusively non-fiction, often echoes the hallmarks of scholarly writing: thesis statements, evidence documented by facts and credible quotations, verbose paragraphs and balanced, cautiously, fairly framed opinions. The best professors manage to distinguish their reading list by assigning relevant books with high quality writing.

But as readers, non-fiction writing can only get us so far. That’s be-

cause writers in the social sciences are taught to carefully trace their arguments, document them with sources and avoid unreasonable judgments.

But fiction, free from the restraint of acceptable standards, is often found easier to produce great writing—writing so specific that the reader understands by relating to personal experiences, not thinking about external ones.

I have always enjoyed writing, but throughout middle and high school I found fiction useless, boring and inapplicable. Listening to English teachers preach about the hidden meanings and literary devices employed in classic works held little appeal. Not until my high school offered a journalism class my senior year, did I truly enjoy English class.

In college, after three and a half years of reading hundreds of non-fiction pages each week, I realized what I now missed, four years after high school. Good fiction writing. Not complicated writing with long-winded sentences and fancy metaphors, just good writing.

I found it in Chad Harbach’s 2011 novel, “The Art of Fielding.” Harbach, an editor at the journal n+1, a magazine of politics, literature and culture, who spent 10 years writing his first novel, chose college baseball as his setting.

The cover sells this as a baseball novel, but it’s the pages inside that make it a book about people and self-doubt—the transformation from incredible confidence to unshakable doubt. Friendship, love, ambition, personal fulfillment—these are the topics of Harbach’s writing. Baseball is merely the metaphor employed to describe them.

Passages like these make the book difficult to put down, without picking it up again the same day.

“Only two balls were hit to Henry.

Both times he double-clutched and

made a soft, hesitant throw. Instead of rifle shots fired at a target, they felt like doves released from a box,” Harbach writes and continues, “The distance called for a casual sidearm fling—he’d done it 10 thousand times.

But now he paused, ­double-clutched.

He’d thrown the last one too soft, better put a little mustard on it—no, no, not too hard, too hard would be bad too. He clutched again. Now the runner was closing in, and Henry had no choice but to throw it hard, really hard, too hard for Ajay to handle from 30 feet away.”

Yes, the subject of the passage is baseball. But more broadly, it’s a paragraph about self-doubt, about hesitant decisions and second-guessing and over thinking.

Passages such as these make it impossible to close the book and not think about it. That’s what good writing does. It forces you to understand through relation, to understand without being told what to think.

I don’t mean to say that good writing can’t appear in non-fiction. Of course it can. But it’s extremely difficult. To do so, one must be an avid reader of good fiction writing.

While college students should be encouraged to read for pleasure, the reality of competing demands between school and extracurricular activities, between hundreds of pages of non-fiction and club meetings is that we won’t. Professors reviewing their reading lists should consider deleting those couple of scholarly writers who, despite their clear intellectual gifts, struggle to communicate them clearly and replace them with the novelist who can.

Incorporating more fiction into our non-fiction curriculum will strengthen the possibilities that await graduates of a liberal arts program. And next year, Phi Betta Kappa could consider adding one more requirement: classes that assign literature.

Brandeis, take the leap: address sexual assault

By Yael Katzwer Editor Emerita

When I look back at my days at Brandeis, I remember the good things. I remember hanging out with my friends, scoffing at Pachanga and attending really fantastic lectures.

What I don’t remember is sexual assault.

Part of this is because I was never assaulted at Brandeis, but the other reason is that it simply is not talked about that much. Sure, Brandeis has S.T.A.R. and the Brandeis Counseling and Rape Crisis Hotline, but these are anonymous organizations, meaning they do not publicize it when they receive a call. And that is good, because victims need a safe place. The problem is, though, that we rarely hear about sexual assault on campus.

And I cannot believe that we rarely hear about it because it does not happen at a wonderland like Brandeis. As much as we may joke that Brandeis is awkward and throws crappy parties, we all know that Brandeis is very much like other universities. Brandeis students throw parties—whether they are crappy or not; they drink excessive amounts of alcohol on occasion—thank you Pachanga; and they make stupid decisions, because that is what young adults do.

Don’t kid yourself, Brandeis is just like other schools. Just because you are not hearing about rape and sexual assault does not mean Brandeis does not have those problems.

That point was driven home last week when The Hoot published an article titled “Brandeis Greek life urges members not to discuss alleged sexual assault.” According to the article, a girl reported that she was raped and police and university officials are currently investigating. Regardless of the outcome—whether she was raped or not, whether they find the evidence needed to do something—this should not be swept under the rug, by anyone, especially in the administration.

Universities have a long history of keeping these things quiet. Amherst College students were shaken out of their complacency last October when a former student, Angie Epifano, wrote a scathing 5,000-word column blasting the school for how they treated her after she was allegedly raped by a fellow student. She detailed the university’s response when she told them. According to Epifano’s column in The Amherst Student, after going to the campus’ sexual assault counselor, she was basically told: “No you can’t change dorms, there are too many students right now. Pressing charges would be useless, he’s about to graduate, there’s not much we can do. Are you SURE it was rape? It might have just been a bad hookup … You should

forgive and forget.”

The college blocked her at every turn. They shut her up in a psychiatric ward while her alleged attacker continued to attend classes; they refused to let her back on campus at first, telling her she needed parental supervision, even though she no longer had parents around; they even tried to keep her from dropping out, a choice that ended up making her much happier—though not healed. The school placed stumbling block after stumbling block in front of Epifano until she just could not take it anymore and gave up. And then they had the audacity to question why she would give up.

Amherst is not alone in this. According to a Feb. 4 Boston Globe article, colleges often underreport sexual assaults. Either students feel intimidated not to report the crime in the first place or, once they do report it, the schools treat them like pariahs and seem more interested in preventing ripples than in protecting students.

Last April, The Hoot published an article titled “Alleged rape case at Brandeis casts doubts on assault policy effectiveness.” This article detailed a he-said, she-said case of alleged rape at Brandeis; the case involves an undergraduate female student and male Heller School student. Like Epifano, the unidentified alleged victim ended up leaving Brandeis; she took indefi-

nite medical leave and her alleged assailant graduated and received his degree.

“The school was more interested in protecting its image than removing the hostile environment for me. They were afraid of being sued [by my alleged assailant],” the alleged victim said in the April article. “I think they did not care about my safety at all.”

Since the Epifano column printed in The Amherst Student, Amherst has responded by forming a special oversight committee, according to the Feb. 4 Globe article, to review school policies and make recommendations to help the college prevent and address sexual assaults. The committee has suggested that the school better train staff and faculty to deal with these issues, and that the school make mental health services more accessible. They also recommended that students be required to take a course focusing on respecting the sexual boundaries of their peers.

I am loathe to suggest that Brandeis form another committee—like the Strategic Planning one, which has been meeting for a while now and yet I still have no idea what exactly it is supposed to be doing—but perhaps Brandeis should re-evaluate their policies and past handlings of cases of alleged sexual assault.

This is not to say that Brandeis handles these things worse than other schools, but there can always be

improvement. Brandeis did make a great stride when they took cases of alleged sexual assault away from the student conduct board and placed them squarely in a special examiner’s lap. Now, as of summer 2012, according to the 2012 Rights and Responsibilities handbook: “The Special Examiner will conduct an investigation and prepare a report of their findings at the conclusion of the Fact-Finding Phase that is submitted to the Dean of Student Life in support of the Outcome Phase of the process.”

This is a good first step, but I think the university can take more. Sexual assault should not be something we are afraid to talk about. Raising awareness and letting people know that these things do happen at Brandeis and that the university will take care of people who are assaulted will help encourage victims to step forward and it will make this university a less tolerable place for rapists.

Brandeis, I really think you are trying and it is sad that it takes a report of rape to spur any action, but at least now people are talking about it. Don’t let this opportunity go to waste. Protect your students and lead the way for other universities; become a role model.

Yael Katzwer ’12 is currently the managing editor of two weekly newspapers in New Jersey: the West Orange Chronicle and the News-Record of Maplewood & South Orange.

14 OPINION

The Brandeis Hoot

February 8, 2013

Learning history beyond the campus bubble

photo courtesy ariel wittenberg

By Ariel Wittenberg Editor Emerita

On Jan. 5, 2013, I woke up early and read Chapter 83 of Moby Dick out loud at 4:10 a.m. to a handful of people gathered in the lobby of the New Bedford Whaling Museum for the 17th annual Moby Dick Marathon.

The Marathon is a 24-hour affair where volunteers from across the globe come to read the 135-chapter novel in the city whose streets Melville himself once walked. As a newcomer, I had the 4:10 a.m. slot, which landed me in the middle of the Pacific with Melville’s Ishmael musing on whether the biblical story of Jonah could be regarded as historically accurate and whether a man could fit inside, much

less survive in, the body of a whale for three days.

There I was, reading Melville at a podium under the hanging skeletons of sperm whales while adrenaline and untold amounts of coffee pumped through my veins, and I thought to myself: “Why didn’t I hear about this thing before?”

Afterall, I was an American studies major at Brandeis. I learned all about whaling, read some Melville short stories, read about the history of the Whaleship Essex and how whales really did sometimes slam into boats to the extent that they were pulverized.

But I didn’t know about the Moby Dick Marathon until I started my job in the Whaling City in April 2012, almost a year post-grad.

I also hadn’t known that the Seaman’s Bethel, where a good three chapters take place, was real. I hadn’t known that it still stood on Johnny Cake Hill in New Bedford and that you could still go to the Bethel and read the plaques dedicated to men and boys who were “lost in pursuit of a whale.” I hadn’t even known the city was a national park because of its whaling history.

I didn’t know any of that until I started working in New Bedford last April. And that’s a pity.

New Bedford is located just an hour’s drive from Waltham. Any good American studies major (not to mention history or literature major) knows that in the 1850s, New Bedford was one of the richest cities on earth because of the revenue it gained from hunting whales and selling their oil.

So why don’t any of us visit it?

During my four years at Brandeis, I went on approximately two field trips with class: One with my UWS class into Boston to watch a murder trial that ended up being closed to the public and one with my sculpture class to the Decordova Museum in Lincoln, M.A. I also went on an American studies trip to Salem, M.A., around Halloween time that was organized by the UDRs. We met up with professors and park rangers and learned all about the Salem Witch Trials and ate good pizza and got some souvenirs.

That fieldtrip was one of my favorite experiences at Brandeis. A chance to bond off-campus with friends who I don’t normally hang out with, but who understood the glorious nerdiness of knowing the last words of Giles Corey (More weight!).

I wish I had done more of that. And the benefit of living in Massachusetts, is that no matter where you go, there will always be interesting history.

Next door to New Bedford is the

town of Fairhaven, where, in 1841 a 14-year-old Japanese shipwreck survivor was taken in by Whaling Captain William Whitfield who rescued him and brought him home. After learning English in Fairhaven, Manjiro returned to Japan in 1851 and served as a translator when Commodore Matthew Perry came to force the country open to trade in 1854. I took a Japanese and Chinese history class at Brandeis and I never knew that.

Fairhaven is also the hometown of Henry Huttleston Rogers, John D. Rockefeller’s right hand man at the Standard Oil Company. He was instrumental in providing information to muckraking journalist Ida M. Tarbell, who wrote an exposé on the company that became one of the most famous pieces of investigative journalism. He was good friends with Mark Twain and helped finance Hellen Keller’s education. He built the town an elementary school, a library, a high school, the town hall and also a church.

That church was used by Warren Delano II, grandfather to President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, who often visited the town. Warren’s home is now a bed and breakfast where you can look at old family photos of Franklin, his mother Sarah and his wife, Eleanor who taught at Brandeis during its early years. (Bonus fun fact for history nerds also learned at the B&B: Civil War General and U.S. President Ulysses S. Grant is FDR’s fourth cousin once removed.)

Again, Ms. American Studies Major here (not to mention journalism minor!) didn’t know that until a year ago.

There are historic places within a stone’s throw of Brandeis, too, if only we’d take advantage of them.

We learn about the transcendentalists, but we don’t go to visit Walden Pond. We learn about the American

Revolution but we don’t attend the reenactment of the Battle of Lexington and Concord. We learn about the industrial revolution but we don’t even visit Waltham’s Museum of Industry and Innovation.

And I get it. There are so many places to go, so many places with stories, some of which I didn’t even mention yet (the USS Constitution, the Wayside Inn, Plimouth Plantation, etc.) we can’t pick them all. But why can’t we pick more than one?

In other disciplines, there is a large emphasis placed on “experiential learning.” The environmental studies majors explore the outdoors, the chemistry majors work in labs, the journalism minors have an internship component.

But what about the history majors?

No, we don’t have a time machine, but in Massachusetts we do have the next best thing.

Try going to the Battle of Lexington and Concord and tell me after that your heart doesn’t jump when you see the redcoats. Try going to Walden Pond and tell me that you don’t understand the importance of living deliberately. Heck, try going to the Moby Dick Marathon at 1:30 p.m. on the first day and tell me Father Mapple’s sermon doesn’t utterly captivate you.

Too often during college, students complain about living inside the Brandeis Bubble. That’s something students don’t have to do if they’d prefer not to. Students shouldn’t rely on UDRs and professors to do it for them, either. Exploring the real world and learning about traditions and histories isn’t something that’s only done in a book or with an academic, which is something Melville’s Ishmael understood.

“A whale ship was my Yale College and my Harvard,” he wrote. It could be your Brandeis, too.

Sci-fi: Dying pastime or rising genre?

By Zach Reid Staff

As the son of a pair of proud nerds, I have always been interested in science fiction. Whether I was running around the house screaming in terror at Darth Vader’s revelation from “Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back” or seeing the magic of “Dr. Who’s” sonic screwdriver for the first time, I’ve always had a soft spot for sci-fi in my heart. Yet, lately I’ve been disappointed with the selection of movies coming out. I often find myself turning away from new sci-fi releases.

With its lackluster showings as of late, I’m left to wonder: is sci-fi slowly dying off in the box office?

One of the worst flops of recent memory was “Total Recall,” a 2012 reboot of an acclaimed 1990 tale of a construction worker in 2084 who discovers his memory was wiped and that he’s a secret agent. While this incarnation of the franchise was highly anticipated, critics slammed it, picking apart almost every element of the film (with the exception of some action sequences). Sadly, this is a trend that is becoming more and more common with sci-fi films. Many rely on flash and spectacle rather than focus on how characters are affected by the technology around them and the morality that ensues. This is not to say that spectacle hasn’t always been a large part of the appeal of scifi films (blockbusters such as “Independence Day” and “Terminator 2, Judgment Day” were based largely on their visual appeal). Yet, good sci-fi

films have always boasted memorable and sophisticated characters, but few such characters have presented themselves in recent films.

These flops can be attributed to one thing: a public that is finally losing its taste for intense on-screen action and instead seeking in-depth characterization and drama. While I share a love for action films like “Avatar” and “Transformers,” I’m glad this trend of “action for action’s sake” is coming to an end. Films should showcase the journeys of individuals, and the trials and choices they face along the way.

It is this conflict and drama that all great films share in common. These former standards in sci-fi films have since been discarded for the visual spectacle, a detrimental choice.

Hollywood has not completely abandoned sci-fi, however, as some good films have come out recently. J.J. Abrams’ 2009 hit “Star Trek” revitalized a franchise long known for having only a small, tight-knit fan base of “Trekkies.” It highlighted popular actors like Karl Urban and Simon Pegg to create a fast-paced, action-oriented space epic. The “Iron Man” franchise has also contributed to the popularity of sci-fi films, as Tony Stark’s lack of superpowers forces him to rely on his own inventions (wondrous examples of technology that are both plausible to modern viewers and futuristic at the same time). As with “Star Trek,” big-name actors such as Robert Downey Jr., Gwyneth Paltrow and Samuel L. Jackson have breathed new life into this technological superhero.

It is worth noting that interest in sci-fi will likely continue to grow, thanks to the wide array of brilliant

photo from internet source

TV shows targeted toward youthful generations. Series such as “Dr. Who” keep teenagers and college students riveted, while grittier cartoons like “Star Wars: The Clone Wars” and “Transformers Prime” are seeing increasingly respectable ratings. These and many other shows are allowing sci-fi to become more of a mainstream item for TV connoisseurs, as can be seen by fan bases even here at Brandeis. One can scarcely walk through Usdan without hearing dis-

cussion about the latest “Dr. Who” episode, or nervous chattering about the upcoming “Star Wars” films and whether they will destroy the beloved franchise or carry it strongly into another decade.

While many sci-fi films have flopped in the box office, and it can be argued that the “golden age of sci-fi” has ended, this year has plenty of movies coming out that may reverse this trend. “Star Trek Into Darkness” and “Iron Man 3” call upon veteran actors

and directors to bring sci-fi into the spring with a bang, while “After Earth” and “World War Z” will strike a more serious chord this summer. The fall’s lineup of “Thor: The Dark Worlds” and “The Hunger Games: Catching Fire” also promise to keep the year going strong. All of these titles are highly anticipated and most believe they will be well-received both by critics and box offices. It remains to be seen, but 2013 stands to be a great time for sci-fi films to redeem their reputation.

February 8, 2013

OPINION 15

The Brandeis Hoot

Why is American culture mimicking itself?

By Lassor Feasley Editor

In the past several years, many social commentators have noticed a marked trend in the progression of pop culture, style and fashion during the past two decades. While prior eras were distinguished by rapidly shifting cultural aesthetics, recent changes have been generally more pronounced and subdued.

Think of the difference between the slick leather jackets sported by the pop icons of the fifties compared with the psychedelic paradigm of the sixties, or the bell-bottom saturated seventies. Almost every decade of the past century has been characterized by an unmistakable dissonance in creative identity. That is to say, until now.

It seems that at the rate trends become fads and fads become cliches has slowed to nearly a standstill since the early nineties. All it takes to confirm this is to look at a photograph from that dynasty. You might observe that the clothing and decor hardly seem dated, whereas the divergence with a photo taken in 1970 will burst with anachronisms and bygone trends.

What could possibly explain this discrepancy? Clearly, we haven’t entered a period of stagnation on other fronts. Economically and techno-

logically, we have seemingly experienced change at a rate unimaginable to previous generations. One might imagine that in the face of all the existential strides we’ve made in the past several decades, we might have similarly changed aesthetically.

In his 2012 Vanity Fair article “You Say you Want a Devolution?”

Kurt Anderson made the same observation and argued that “in this thrilling but disconcerting time of technological and other disruptions, people are comforted by a world that at least still looks the way it did in the past.” In other words, he believes we cling onto the past in an act of nostalgia as a rapidly changing present threatens to disorient us to the point of distraction.

I disagree with this thesis on several points. It seems to imply that the whims of America’s cultural image are somehow governed by some conscious device, responsive to the fears and anxieties of our generation.

I do not think that such an apparatus exists in nearly the form it would have to in order to justify Anderson’s findings.

The statement further indicates that we would feel a kind of collective discomfort if we were given the knowledge that 10 years ago we looked different than we do today. If so, this same effect would have unsettled every generation before us.

But the image of the 50s Beatniks

gasping in despair at the flappers of yore hardly holds resonance in our cultural history.

I have a different explanation for why we are experiencing the doldrums in aesthetic dissonance. Anderson characterized his observation in a negative light. “The whole culture is stoned, listening to an LP that’s been skipping for decades, playing the same groove over and over. Nobody has the wit or gumption to stand up and lift the stylus,” he laments.

I have no such reservations.

When I look at the aesthetic disparity between the generations, I see a whirlpool of change throughout the twentieth century. We were sucked in during the 1920s as norms in femininity were taken apart and put back together again. As we progressed down the vortex, the rate of change accelerated, and new trends outmoded the old in an increasingly dizzying rotation of culture. The conformity of the 40s met the rock culture of the 50s, which in turn gave way to the new age mentality of the 60s. All this is to say that culture was not drifting without purpose; it had a destination, the center of the vortex.

I do not believe that we go through phases of culture just for the sake of variety, I think that we change in order to better ourselves; that every time our culture evolves, it is necessarily for the better. I believe that we

Brandeis, real food now

photo from internet source

By Maura Boughter-Dornfeld Special to the Hoot

The idea of real food at Brandeis has been popping up around campus more frequently alongside new everyday language such as “local,” “organic,” “humane” and “vegetarian.” The idea of controlling the food you consume is not foreign. In fact, its prevalence is regularly increasing in society within fields such as agriculture, technology, fad-diets and overall health—just to name a few.

There are criticisms of such terms and overall misconceptions about what they all mean. There is also the constant question of whether or not any of the claims on the labels make the food truly more beneficial than those purchased without them. Those of us here at Brandeis who are initiating an on-campus movement for “real food” are attempting to combine all of these labels and definitions into one unifying theme. We aim to work together in solidarity for real food now because it is nutritious, natural, bettertasting and a right for every citizen.

The idea of establishing a food system that is “real” needs to be evaluated within certain parameters and ideals. Firstly, let’s define real food.

It is food that is successful in at least two of these four pillars: 1) local; 2) ecologically-sound; 3) humane; and 4) fair-trade. Each of these values works toward overall equality of access and quality of food, ensures fair pay for providers, minimizes energy consumed in transportation and eliminates the possibility that chemi-

cals and pesticides are introduced into the nutritious elements with which we are attempting to feed our bodies. Whether or not you approach food consumption from a biological, anthropological, sociological, or historical perspective, the role of real food in everyday life is identical for each and every one of us. Eating real food keeps you healthier, nourishes you, helps your body fight disease and helps promote community and equality—all of which are important in leading a successful, happy life.

For those of us who are not on a meal plan, such as staff, faculty, some undergraduates and graduate students, we can choose where we purchase food, which can be purchased from the local farmer’s market, Russo’s or Hannaford. We are able to make a conscious choice, which is a privilege that we need to acknowledge. Students who are on meal plans, financial aid and, who are in general, reliant upon the campus food, do not have the same privilege and are seeking food that is equivalent to what others are able to choose.

Equity becomes largely threatened in this aspect of food justice and equality. Students jeopardize their productivity and happiness by eating foods that are significantly less nutritious because much of the nutrients are lost in transport and industrial production practices. Brandeis is known for being an isolated community within Waltham in many ways, some of which could be eliminated by establishing a greater community through real food. We further this isolation by supporting industrial farms that typi-

cally harbor much worse treatment of their workers than those of farmers in the greater Boston area.

In order for Brandeis to be a pioneer in this movement, we need to challenge ourselves and ask the broader questions: “What is my part in the world? What can I do on a large scale that will effectively promote social justice and catalyze larger change?” There are numerous actions and values that fit into this category, some of which include food justice and working with the administration and food provider (Aramark) to start making changes. The Brandeis Real Food Now movement is attempting to work toward change by approaching the situation in as simple and widespread a manner as possible. We are sending out a petition to see which population at Brandeis cares the most about changing our food system and whether or not this population effectively portrays the true desire for real food on campus. Our current task is to get 20 percent of our current food source from local areas by the year 2015. Schools within a 100 mile radius of Brandeis are working to do the same—some of them are already boasting the 20 percent number.

As the movement picks up, it is important for us to ensure that what we are seeking is representative of what would be good for Brandeis as a whole. We believe that in changing the food system here, we will start a ripple effect and be able to help the surrounding community of Waltham, Boston and neighboring schools and families. By changing the source from where our produce comes and by beginning to support local farmers and agriculturists, we can more effectively support the local economy.

By working with the Waltham Farmers Market, students who are not on a meal plan will have more access to purchasing food that is grown just a few miles up the road. By purchasing food that is made with fair-trade and humane practices, we are doing our part in social justice to help those who are working hard to have sustainable and appropriate compensation for their hard work. By joining together as a community and an institution, we can make a much larger difference together than we could individually.

have been looking for some un-nameable paradigm that the vortex naturally guided us toward. Through trial and error, we have found that the cultural aesthetics that best accommodate humanity are the ones hit upon in the early nineties and continued (in variations) today.

In the book “Guns, Germs and Steel,” Jared Diamond outlined a rule that he coined the “Anna Karenina Principle.” If you are up to speed on your Tolstoy, you’ll know the first lines of his similarly named novel, “Happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.” The principle basically states that there are countless ways to be wrong, but only one way to be right.

In Diamond’s words, “We tend to seek easy, single factor explanations for success. For most important things, though, success actually requires many separate possible causes of failure.” This holds true in engineering and statistics as well as a host of other disciplines. For example, there are a million ways a car can break down, yet only one way for it to work.

Even if one small piece is defective, the entire machine is rendered useless.

I believe the same is true of our cultural aesthetics. We were unhappy with the look and feel of things for the majority of the twentieth century, constantly in search of a new, better standard. In our exasperation, we changed again and again, each time

getting closer to the ultimate paradigm that would make us, finally, a happy family.

By the nineties, all the pieces were in place for a successful and timeless image. No longer did we have to frantically outmode the old with the new.

Our tastes in clothing, cars, music, even food started to settle. Despite the rapid textual changes outside of our cultural image and tastes, our way of interacting with the world and presenting ourselves stayed more or less the same.

This is not to say that limited change was not possible. But the changes that did occur were more subtle than before and never deviated from the norm so much as to make the past seem anachronistic. And the world continues to sculpt itself in the mold of the past. Although it may sound contrarian, the generational gap, in many ways, is closing.

Jerry Rubin’s classic maxim “Never trust anyone over 30” no longer holds any resonance. The average 30-yearold is not much different from the average 20-year-old in many aspects, as might have been the case previously. In that sense, time—and even age—has been homogenized. Because of this stagnation in cultural changes, the past is no longer quite so alien as it once was. And while we might not be able to foresee the future, you can bet it will never be quite so turbulent as the past.

2012: A Year in Dining

graphic by linjie xu/the hoot

By Noah Litwer

Special to the Hoot

It’s funny how we, as students, perceive time. It goes by so slowly during the majority of the year, yet at the end of every semester, we ask ourselves the same question: Where the did the last four months of my life go?

We get so caught up in the monotonous continuity of our daily routine, which falls into our weekly routine, and semester routine, that we stop noticing the minute changes in our lives.

We fall into autopilot, and lose appreciation for the everyday subtleties.

On the classic Brandeis walk from Usdan to the Shapiro Campus Center, hundreds of commutes eventually leave us guided by instinct—our thoughts monopolized with the happenings of the past and possibility of the future. We only stop to appreciate the most extreme of changes to our environment: the vibrant colors of fall, winter’s first snowfall, the blossoming tulips and cherry trees in March. It takes the most obvious of changes like these to force us out of our routine, if only for a minute, to experience the present.

And so, in the belated spirit of the New Year, I would like to dedicate this article to recognizing the many small, but cumulatively significant changes that the Brandeis Dining Committee has facilitated over the last year, in order of personal favoritism.

Firstly, we have extended Einstein hours, which now run 24 hours from Sunday through Thursday. Likewise, the C-Store hours have been extended until 2 a.m. on weekends. At Quiznos, all menu items can now be purchased with meals. And these are just a few of the improvements this year.

Additionally, we have a new standard of nutritional transparency with all nutritional facts now labeled.

Many of us have noticed the new salad station in Upper Usdan. Healthy grilled chicken is now offered daily in Sherman along with another innovation: labeled ice cream tubs, no more mystery flavors.

Back at Usdan, the Let-Us-Wrap station is back by popular demand.

Gluten-free stations have been added both in Usdan and Sherman. Finally, Upper Usdan now offers free sour cream at Tortilla Fresca.

In addition to making these changes through Aramark, Brandeis’ contracted catering provider, the Brandeis Dining Committee has created its very own Facebook group to provide students with an open forum in which to post comments, complaints and suggestions on food and dining at Brandeis. The Brandeis University Senate Dining Committee Facebook group currently has 423 members—approximately 12 percent of the undergraduate student-body.

Every comment or complaint that students make are directly addressed by one of the committee chairs and discussed with Aramark management in order of importance (the number of Facebook likes the wallpost receives). Since the Facebook group’s creation on Dec. 5, the forum has received more than 100 wall posts and continues to collect student feedback daily.

Students can join the discussion forum by searching Brandeis University Senate Dining Committee on Facebook. Many of the improvements we have seen are a direct result of the suggestions made through this site.

The writer is a member of the Senate Dining Committee.

16 The Brandeis Hoot

hoot scoops

February 8, 2013

Dushkus deliver keynote address of ’Deis Impact

By Rachel Hirschhaut Editor

Actress Eliza Dushku, most famous for her role on “Buffy The Vampire Slayer,” and her mother Judy Dushku, a political science professor at Suffolk University, visited campus to deliver the keynote speech for ’Deis Impact, the weeklong festival of social justice events, Wednesday in Levin Ballroom.

The Dushkus are the founders of THRIVE-Gulu, a nonprofit community and rehabilitation center in Uganda that helps victims of war, sexual abuse and extreme poverty heal and rebuild their lives. The organization focuses on child soldiers, most of whom were taken from their homes and schools at ages 8-10, and forced to commit atrocities. Girls often suffered sexual abuse and many became pregnant at young ages.

Eliza Dushku spoke fondly about how her mother’s knowledge and work inspired her to get involved and become the activist she is today.

“My involvement in THRIVE-Gulu was not accidental,” she said. “When I envision my legacy, this is what resonates with me … the idea of people helping people.”

Judy Dushku, a political scientist who studies the effects of conflict,

deis impact Judy and Eliza Dushku, who founded THRIVE-Gulu, a non-profit organization in Uganda, delivered the keynote address

photos by calvin wong/the hoot

Wednesday evening in Levin Ballroom.

trauma and healing, would teach classes on war-torn nations. She was interested in the question, “What happens when a large-scale conflict ends, leaving behind thousands of

people affected by trauma?” Dushku would take her students to visit the country at the end of the course and her children would often come with her.

“When all my friends were vacationing in Hawaii and Cancun, my family always went where there was a revolution taking place, or where my mom was going to start one,” Eliza joked.

It was their most recent trip to Uganda in 2009, after Judy taught a class on the reintegration of child soldiers in society, that influenced Eliza’s humanitarian work the most.

The trip itself was a dangerous mission. At the time, Gulu, Uganda was labeled a “red zone:” a location not recommended for travelers by the United States or the university provost, but they went anyway.

She was especially moved by the case of a young boy who had “seen, done and lived hell,” and “came alive again” while he played soccer. Then there was her “sister” Rose, a young woman who grew “from victim to survivor to thriver” and “emanates hope.” THRIVE-Gulu built a house for her and her three young children.

The trip ultimately taught Eliza the lesson that “social justice is about solidarity.”

“These trips are about the common goal of building something together,” she said.

“It’s about showing how people can heal and develop dignity and a sense of self.”

Now, Judy Dushku says that

Uganda is becoming a much different place. Gulu is now safer for foreigners, and the Ugandans served by THRIVE-Gulu are more interested in acclimating to modern life. She said that many of them learn computer literacy on donated laptops through programs at the center, and some are even interested in getting email addresses and joining Facebook—a sign that they are ready to connect and become part of a larger world.