The Brandeis Hoot - 9/20/13

Volume 10 Number 15

www.thebrandeishoot.com

Brandeis University’s Community Newspaper • Waltham, Mass.

September 20, 2013

Mark Spencer, another in a series of resignations Victoria Aronson Editor

photo by katie chin /the hoot

Brandeis builds a playground from the ground up

By Ilana Cedarbaum Special to the Hoot

On Tuesday, Brandeis students worked alongside the City of Waltham, Waltham Housing Authority, and Bentley University to con-

struct a playground at Prospect Hill Terrace, a low-income housing development run by single mothers that is home to over 144 low-income families and almost 200 children.

Due to the current age and deteriorating state of the current playground

at Prospect Hill, an organization called KaBOOM! granted $85,000 to a proposal from a faculty member at Bentley to build a new playground and community center at Prospect Hill.

See WSRC, page 3

In the wake of Rick Sawyer’s controversial departure from Brandeis University, the resignation of yet another member of the administration, Mark Spencer, the former dean of admissions, has come to light. While Spencer officially resigned in June, students may remain unaware of his absence due to the university’s failure to notify the campus body via email.

Sawyer, former vice president for student affairs and dean of student life, is rumored to have resigned due to conflicting ideologies with other administrative officials.

Spencer’s resignation may be partially due to the failed alignment of his goals with the current alterations made in the admissions process.

“The general sense around the office was that there was a certain amount of tension between Andrew Flagel and Mark Spencer,” explained Savannah Pearlman ’12, whose insight is

garnered from her time spent working up to 30 hours a week in direct contact with students and admissions officers as a tour guide, senior interviewer and senior admissions coordinator.

Senior Vice President for Students and Enrollment Andrew Flagel, commented, “My understanding is that generally the university does not comment on personnel issues,” in an email correspondence with The Hoot.

During his time here at Brandeis, Spencer left a profound impact on the community according to former colleagues. Spencer was originally selected for the role of dean of admissions after an intensive national search, emerging as the most competent individual for the job.

According to Sawyer, “Mark was seen as an admissions leader who could position Brandeis in front of the changing paradigm.”

SPENCER, page 3

Brandeis to hire new sexual assault counselor

By Dana Trismen Editor

Hordes of students make the hike from Brandeis campus to Dartmouth Street every weekend. Laughing, they wind their way into fraternity housing, parties in cramped basements.

Most spill out onto the lawn, chatting with their friends, before returning home to Brandeis.

Last semester, the image of this seemingly serene scene was disrupted, with the horrific news that allegations of sexual assault were under investigation. The incident occurred at a fraternity house party the weekend of Jan. 18-20.

This semester, Brandeis faculty has begun interviewing for a new position in the Division of Students and Enrollment: a Sexual Assault Services and Prevention Specialist. With interviews held this week and the next, this sexual assault counselor will be a resource for students, faculty and staff and increase programming and training about sexual assault. In addition to creating this position, Dean of Student Life Jamele Adams reports Brandeis has made even more efforts to address the problem of sexual assault.

“With the latest conference being held at our campus, having annual assessment and revision of the Rights

and Responsibilities, being responsive and inclusive to our students, we continue to position ourselves to improve upon that which has been in place previously,” said Adams.

Many Brandeis students believe that Brandeis’ current handling of sexual assault may have stemmed from January’s alleged case, as the incident garnered much media attention. When asked why Brandeis may be hiring a sexual assault counselor, Gabby Drillich ’15 replied, “I am guessing because of what happened last year.”

See COUNSELOR, page 2

New students join the Union

By Mia Edelstein special to the hoot

Brandeis students voted on Wednesday to fill open positions in the Student Union. Voting online through a link sent by Student Union Secretary Sneha Walia ’15, students cast their ballots for the 20 available posts.

Michah Lehmann ’15 is the new treasurer.

The senator at large, who represents the entire student body, is Nao-

Inside this issue:

mi DePina ’16.

The class of 2016 elected Kathy Nguyen as its senator.

First-years chose both Erica Barnett and David Heaton to be class of 2017 senators. Wei “Wesley” Qian ’17 has been elected as the racial minority senator.

New quad senators are Henry Snow ’17 in Massell, Brian Hough ’17 in North, Andrew Savage ’16 in East, Eden Zik ’16 in Rosenthal, Ellen Parker ’16 in the Castle, Wonhee Choi ’15 in Ziv and Ethan Levy ’15 in Ridgewood. The Village abstained

Editorial: Administration needs transparency Page 10 Week in photos: Students break fast Page 4 NEWS: Explore Waltham with student activities Page 2 Arts, Etc.: Rose opening enthralls viewers Page 9 Opinion: Sodexo needs competition Page 12 Sports: Men’s soccer 7 - 0 Page 11

from choosing a senator, meaning that residents voted that no candidate was suitable for the position.

Other residential senators include Michael Stein ’14 in the Charles River and 567 South Street apartments and Haley Orlofsky ’14 in the Mods. The result for off-campus senator was “abstain,” and there will be a special election for TYP (Transitional Year Program) senator because there was a technical error during Wednesday’s election.

Students abstained from electing an associate justice.

chinese culture “Music from China” delighted audiences this past Wednesday.

Arts, etc.: Page 16

photo by katie chin/the hoot

break fast Students celebrate the coming of the Jewish New Year. See more photos

on page 4.

shop and drop The shopping period is over, now the real fun begins. opinion:

Page 12

news

2 The Brandeis Hoot

September 20, 2013

Students volunteer in Waltham

photo by katie chin/the hoot

PLAYGROUND, from page 1

United Health Care and New England Patriots Charitable Foundation also acted as funding sponsors of the project. The new playground consists of a slide, four swings, drums, monkey bars, sliding bars, a tree-house area, climbing wall, picnic tables, a performance stage and more.

According to Lucas Malo, Brandeis Director of Community Service, students at Brandeis have been providing their service to this project wholeheartedly. “Brandeis students have been involved from the very beginning,” Malo said. “They’ve been fundraising, raising community

awareness, going door to door to connect with local residents, assisting the youth at designing their playgrounds and both preparing and building the playground.”

On the build day, over 200 volunteers were divided into different teams led by captains from Bentley, Brandeis, United Health Care, and the Waltham Community, who were given short training sessions. Along with registration and food management, the teams worked on various tasks. Estie Martin ’14 was the captain of the team that worked on murals.

“There were lots of different teams, some that worked on projects for the actual playground and some that did

side projects, like assembling picnic tables, putting together a stage, painting a mural and making a garden,” Martin said.

Gwen Teutsch ’14, another Brandeis student who participated in the project, added that besides the dedication and organization of the volunteers, KaBOOM! played a large role in the success of the project. “KaBOOM! is the driving force behind this project,” she said. “They had all the building materials and instructions ready for the volunteers when we arrived.”

Although the build day was successful, one issue that those involved in the project ran into was volunteer commitment. Many volunteers who

Faculty meeting sets goals for new school year

By Robin Briendel Special to the Hoot

Last Thursday marked the first faculty meeting of the year. The agenda for the meeting included topics such as a report from President Lawrence, a report from Provost Goldstein, a report from Angela Gutchess, the Wellington Prize Winner in Psychology, an introduction of new faculty members and discussion of new business and policies.

As this meeting was the first since last May, the main objective was to discuss policy changes that were made over the summer. Faculty also began to plan goals for the year ahead.

According to Provost Goldstein ’78, the most important change since last May has been the arrival of the class of 2017 and the addition of new faculty members. Goldstein remarked that the new faculty members are all “individuals of significant accomplishment and great promise.”

Each of the 14 new faculty members were introduced by senior colleagues.

The English, German, Russian, Asian Languages and Literature, Near Eastern and Judaic Studies, Philosophy, Romance Studies, Biochemistry, Chemistry, Mathematics, American Studies, Sociology, Economics, Education, History, Psychology and Women’s and Gender Studies departments all received new additions.

President Lawrence also intro-

duced the newest addition to our Board of Trustees, Perry Traquina. A Brandeis graduate who came here on scholarship, Traquina has achieved great success. He is now the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Wellington Management, an investment firm headquartered in Boston.

While Traquina was not in attendance at the meeting, his first meeting as a member of the Board of Trustees will be in October.

At the meeting, it was also noted that Brandeis’ Transitional Year Program has been renamed the Myra Kraft Transitional Year Program. The program was named after the university’s receipt of a generous endowment from Robert Kraft, in memory of his late wife Myra ’64.

Both Provost Goldstein and President Lawrence’s discussed the strategic plan, which received endorsement by the Board of Trustees last May. When discussing the implementation of the plan, Goldstein remarked, “the steps we are already taking, in response to all the thinking that went into the strategic plan, are putting us on a path leading to both enhanced academic strength and greater financial stability for Brandeis University.”

One step of implementation already in place can be seen in the vast renovations and construction that took place over the summer. These improvements can be seen in the renovation and refurbishment of East

Quad, renovations to the buildings in the Mandel Humanities Quad, new outdoor seating areas, new banners and new landscaping.

This improvement of the campus facilities will be continued throughout the year with the construction of a larger facility for the Lemberg Childcare Center, to be located on South Street. Also projected for this year is the renovation of several social science buildings located in mid-campus. Also, once the Lemberg Childcare Center has been moved to its’ new space, the Crown Center for Middle East Studies will be relocated to Lemberg Hall.

The goal of allocating the university’s resources toward our academic missions and goals was also discussed during the meeting. Goldstein noted that an additional $1.5 million have been shifted toward the academic portion of the budget. This shift in spending can be largely attributed to savings in the university’s operations, for example in the new contract with Sodexo and in energy reduction.

In his report, Chair of the Faculty Senate and Irving Fine Professor of Music Eric Chasalow, discussed the university’s plan to experiment with standardized test optional admissions. He also spoke about Brandeis’ participation in online learning through a new colloquium of Semester Online universities, which will begin next semester.

signed up to help never showed up.

While this was very frustrating to those who did participate, Martin explained how they didn’t let this issue hinder them. “Everyone picked up the slack and we got everything done that we had set out to do,” she said.

In fact, all those that participated agreed that the day was an overall success and that the high energy from the volunteers made the day worth all of the hard work. Both Martin and Teutsch agreed that their favorite part of the day was when the kids from the Prospect Hill community came home from school and saw the playground for the first time. Teutsch recalled her favorite memory. “One [kid] said to

me, ‘This is my favorite day because it is my birthday. I’m 11 years old now, and we are getting a playground today!’ It was wonderful.”

This project was particularly special to the Brandeis students involved for a variety of reasons. Many students have been involved in the Prospect Hill community itself for some time, as they helped design the playground and donated food to the build day.

“They were so excited about it every step of the way and it wouldn’t have been as successful if we just came in and forced the project upon them,” said Martin, of the community reaction to the project.

Malo also noted how much this project allowed the students involved to grow and learn how to work with people from different communities.

“It’s a rewarding experience to see the city and the community, including students from both institutions, working together,” he said. “This project required lots of work, energy and commitment and shows students that with strong leadership and a passion to partner with the community that you can see tangible impacts.”

Brandeis’ involvement in the Prospect Hill community, however, will not stop now that the playground is complete. The Waltham Group hosts a program called Kids Club, which serves the kids at Prospect Hill by providing them with fun activities on campus. This year, however, they are adding a tutoring program, which will provide academic aid, resource availability, and adult literacy programs. Teutsch said of this project and Brandeis’ involvement in aiding the Prospect Hill community, “Brandeis student leaders will kickstart this program into action and continue to build community outside of the boundaries of our campus, and into the Waltham community.”

Apple Picking with Student Activities

By Rebecca Leaf Staff

The Student Activities department is very dedicated to helping Brandeis students better appreciate the many bonuses of living in Waltham, as some may have noticed through the most recent strew of fliers around campus advertising an apple picking trip. Student Activities was developed as a department in 2000, and in addition to organizing trips, it runs major programs such as Orientation, Fall Fest Weekend, Winter Week and the Junior/Senior Formal. It co-sponsors programs with clubs and manages the Shapiro Campus Center, Usdan Game Room, the Student Service Bureau in Usdan and Cholmondeley’s Coffeehouse. The off-campus events part of the program has grown in popularity, as noted by Director of Student Activities, Stephanie Grimes. Grimes mentioned in an interview with The Hoot that they recently had to increase the number of buses for student transportation for the apple picking trip from two to three based on demand.

Grimes has been Director of Student Activities since July 2004 but has served a total of 12 years as part of the Brandeis staff.

Student Activities organizes a variety of different trips during the course of the school year. An average of approximately 40 students go on these trips. There are six planned trips for the semester and two to four possible trips for the spring. The most recent

photo from internet source

trip, apple picking, is established as an annual fall favorite. There is typically at least one activity that allows students to see Massachusetts’ winters in a positive light. The event is usually something along the lines of ice-skating or snow tubing. Part of organizing the event is procuring transportation (either buses or vans) to get the students to the fun. “Movie Tours and the Kayak trip were new this year,” said Grimes.

Students can find out about trips and purchase tickets as well as other programs for this semester by visiting the Department of Student Activities on the Brandeis website and clicking on “Programs and Events.”

“We try to give students different things to do and experience. We give students opportunities with no commitment needed—if you want to go off campus and pick apples—you can; If you want to go to the Natick Mall and window shop with your friends, you can. You don’t have to be a part of a group, club or any other affiliation,” said Grimes via email this past week.

September 20, 2013

NEWS 3

The Brandeis Hoot

The Supply Club breaks down barriers with education

other colleges and universities help photo from internet source

By Iona Feldman Staff

A new club on campus, The Supply, aims to empower urban slum youth through the medium of education.

The club represents a non-profit organization based in Queens, New York, which educates through a network

of secondary schools that support young people through practical education. Although urban poverty exists in every country, The Supply currently concentrates its resources on two schools, including their pilot project, Kevjumba High School, located six miles outside of Nairobi, Kenya. Here the organization tests out its innovative techniques, which it hopes to ex-

out the schools in kenya.

tend to around 100 schools by 2020.

In a conversation earlier this week, President Will Cheon ’15 and CoVice Presidents Gabe Sullivan ‘15 and Sarah Yun ‘16 told The Hoot about the newly formed Brandeis chapter of this nonprofit. The Supply addresses a problem that extends through all parts of the world. At least 1 billion people worldwide live in slums, and

experts believe that this figure, if left unchecked, will triple by 2050. However, this future is not inevitable.

Cheon pointed out that historically, many slums have become prosperous metropolises, such as in London. He ardently believes that addressing the root cause of inadequate education will bring hope to these communities.

The organization has chosen to start its work in Kenya, a country where 65 percent of the population lives on less than a dollar a day. Their work is supported by over 20 high school and university chapters across the country, including local institutions such as Boston College, Boston University, and Northeastern University. While the chapters organize their own events individually, they often work through the national organization to collaborate on fundraisers.

One such event is “Chicken and Rice,” which the Brandeis chapter will be holding on October 4. This is a renowned dish from the streets of New York City that The Supply will sell to promote awareness of slum life, in partnership with “The Halal Guys” restaurant of Manhattan. This event will also be used as an opportunity to introduce The Supply to the Brandeis community, and to encourage students to come to the club’s first meeting.

At this stage, The Supply, like several other new clubs, cannot formally be recognized, as long as the Student Union is not in session. As the new Student Union has not yet been

elected as of the writing of this article, the Supply is technically still in a state of limbo. Nevertheless, they have already obtained the required signatures to be recognized by the Union, and are waiting for the opportunity to present their documentation. It is already clear that the current active members are deeply committed to the cause.

Co-Vice President Yun already had a connection to The Supply. She grew up in the area where the nonprofit originated, and personally knows the founder. Previously involved in her high school’s chapter, she wants to continue on this path during her Brandeis career.

She believes that this particular organization deserves commendation for giving students the chance to visit slums and get directly immersed in the environment.

Cheon also has some prior experience, having been inspired by his best friend, the president of the Northeastern chapter. His belief in the importance of educational reform makes this cause truly meaningful for him.

Sullivan only learned of the cause at Brandeis, but he felt motivated to get involved as soon as he heard about it from Cheon.

The club plans to debut through the “Chicken and Rice” fundraiser on Oct. 4, so the Brandeis community can expect to hear more about this event in the near future. At that point, there will be opportunities for anybody interested to get involved.

Spencer leaves a legacy at Brandeis SPENCER, from page 1

In addition to promoting Brandeis’ profile internationally, utilizing social media and technology to strengthen marketing and fortifying relationships with the financial aid staff, Spencer also rebuilt the student tour guide program among other leadership initiatives.

Spencer fondly reflected on his initial experiences with the university, saying, “From diversity and international recruitment to enhancing financial aid packaging from a gapping policy to one of meeting 100 percent

of need, I believe the office made some significant changes that truly represent the heart of Brandeis and its social justice mission.”

He characterized his proudest moment as when, in his first year serving as dean of admissions, the first-year class target was achieved, after having been missed by 100 students the year prior.

Yet despite these former successes, it appears tensions circulated among members of the administration.

“Flagel told me during a one-onone meeting my senior year that significant changes needed to be made in the way we run admissions,” said Pearlman. These alterations may

serve as one of the underlying causes behind the resignation of both Sawyer and Spencer. “It had been suggested to me that Flagel had a more controlling approach over admissions than previous VPs of enrollment had taken,” Pearlman further explained.

Spencer’s role as dean of admissions was relatively short in comparison to predecessors, despite his success in generating interest in the university among international students.

Sawyer describes Spencer as “a great listener and very ‘hip’ to what is happening in college student culture.” On the other hand, however, Pearlman stated, “He seemed like an administrator type, rather than a per-

sonable personality.”

Many Brandeis policies have been in flux recently, such as the transition of the tour guide program to a volunteer service and the proposition to remove SAT scores as an application requirement.

In wake of his resignation, Spencer stated, “I hope every student, faculty and alumni who reads this realizes that being true to yourself and making authentic decisions for oneself are even more important for your life than individual institutional/work demands.”

Spencer is currently serving as director of college advising at Deerfield Academy, where he continues to pur-

brandeis admissions

sue his passion for student advocacy.

Despite his departure from Brandeis University, Spencer said the most rewarding aspect of his job is the relationships he builds with faculty, colleagues and students.

Denied the opportunity of a formal farewell, Spencer apologizes for the timing of his departure and inability to say goodbye to the many students who have impacted his life. “You are a student populace that is passionate and caring in your own right,” he said.

“I know you will make an impact in your post-Brandeis years, not only as intellectuals in your fields but as activists in making the world a better place.”

photo from internet source

4 NEWS

The Brandeis Hoot

September 20, 2013

Brandeis makes adjustments for handicapped students

photo from internet source

By Theresa Gaffney Staff

Many Brandeis students complain that our campus is in many ways inaccessible to handicapped students.

When looking at places such as the Rabb steps or the East Quad hil, it is hard not to agree with this assertion.

The best known accommodation for students with handicaps is the disabilities van, which takes students with temporary injuries to class. Fay Laborio ’16 utilized the service last

semester and was happy with the help. “They were almost always on time,” Laborio said. She did run into some trouble, however, once she got to the buildings that held her classes.

While some buildings did have elevators, simply walking through some of the door that came after the elevator posed a problem.

“I’d have to whip the door open quickly and then crutch really quickly to make it through the door, and sometimes I would be hit by the door if I didn’t go quickly enough, and would fall,” Laborio stated. “Some buildings have handicap buttons to automatically open the doors, but a lot of them are broken.”

Many original buildings, such as the first-year dorm rooms, do not have elevator access.

In an interview, Associate Dean of Student Life Maggie Balch explained the accommodations made to the Shapiro building in Massell Quad.

“Shapiro C” is the wing of the building by the loading dock to Sherman, accessible to students in scooters or wheelchairs. There are three or four rooms there, Balch said, that connect

all the way through to Shapiro A and B. While this limits handicapped students to living and moving around on the first floor, it gives them access to the lounge.

Balch also explained that the rooms and hallways are large, so that a student could leave a scooter out in the hall or entertain friends in their own room with the larger space.

Brandeis has added many accommodations in this vein, many of which may go unnoticed to the average student but are irreplaceable in helping to integrate students into normal campus life.

Balch remembered a time when she was director of resident life and a student in a wheelchair wanted to live in a Rosenthal suite with her friends. “We took that opportunity to advocate one of those spaces on the ground floor of Rosenthal to be more handicap accessible,” she said.

Currently, the university is working on at least two projects to improve transportation for handicapped students on campus. Senior Vice President for Students and Enrollment Andrew Flagel wrote in an email that one

this week in photos

specific project is the repaving of certain areas around campus. He added that this is “in conjunction with completing approximately $35,000 worth of additional repairs and upgrades that will further enhance accessibility.” Balch said that these renovations will also include sidewalk curb cuts for wheelchair accessibility.

Another improvement in the works is the addition of a crosswalk light by Cappy’s Restaurant on South Street.

The university has undertaken this project after a visually-impaired student began studying at Brandeis this year. Improvements such as these involve the Waltham community as well, Balch noted. Plans need to be cleared by the city before they can be put into action.

While many of these renovations may be made on a case-by-case basis, Balch doesn’t think of the actions as behind the ball.

In her 13 years at Brandeis, Balch remembers only three or four students in wheelchairs that have come through the residence halls. “It’s not that we aren’t proactive, but sometimes you aren’t aware of the need

until it pops up,” she said.

Along with these improvements that come with having handicapped students, accessibility is considered in each new construction project as “an aspect of the architectural design in compliance with the ADA,” Flagel said.

The newest residence halls—the Village, built in 2001, and Ridgewood, built in 2009—both have elevator access and handicap accommodations inside. The difficulty comes, Balch said, in trying to make the same accommodations to the older buildings. “How are you going to make Scheffries handicap-accessible?” she asked.

Flagel mentioned that the university is doing more than just adhering to the legal standards. “Many of us recognize that legal compliance is often a minimal standard, and that there are a multitude of factors to consider in building for usability. There are times when we make additional effort to building features that will make the building useable. On occasion, Facilities has built additional ramps, added signage and so on.”

Get involved with The Hoot!

breaking the fast Brandeis students,

faculty and staff enjoy a meal together after a long day of fasting.

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photos by nathan rosenbloom/the hoot

September 20, 2013

NEWS 5

The Brandeis Hoot

Elite colleges investigated after failing to address sexual assault

swathmore campus This elite university has had problems with sexual assault cases.

By Charlie Romanow Staff

In recent years, a slew of sexual assault cases have arisen at elite colleges which have paved the way for an investigation by the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights.

The complaints deal with the federal laws of Title IX of the Education Amendment and the Clery Act. The

investigation has materialized after students and alumni from a number of schools including Swarthmore, Dartmouth, Occidental, USC, CalBerkeley and UNC claim that their administrations failed to properly adjudicate campus sex crimes. This group action has followed recent past cases at Amherst, Yale and Wesleyan.

In addition to underreporting the number of sexual assaults and rapes, some of the victims also claim that

photo from internet source

they received backlash for reporting the assault, were persuaded not to report the crime, did not receive support from the school and faced discrimination for being gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender.

Title IX of the Education Amendment of 1972 states that nobody can be discriminated against or excluded from educational programs based on sex. The complainants in these cases believe that the lack of accountability

Brandeis tackles sexual assault preemptively COUNSELOR, from page 1

Drillich, a member of the varsity swim team, mentioned a program about sexual assault awareness that was made available for athletes right after January’s incident.

In addition to this case, in 2012, The Hoot reported on a story where a female undergraduate student was allegedly raped by a Heller School student at their off campus apartment nearly a dozen times.

The Brandeis police website reports two cases of forcible sexual advances in 2011, the most recent year that data is available. But many cases may go unreported.

“I do think situations of sexual misconduct go unreported for multiple reasons. In no particular order, I think there is shame and embarrassment associated with an act of misconduct, no one really wants to get someone “in trouble,” the stigma attached to it, peer pressure, reliving a traumatic event, uncertainty of whether or not it was an act of misconduct, and these are just a few reasons,” Maggie Balch, Associate Dean of Student Life said.

But Brandeis is taking a firm stance on this topic.

“One sexual assault is one too many; and any occurrence should be reported,” Adams said. Director of Public Safety Ed Callahan echoes this message: “If you have one incident,

that is one too many. A zero tolerance as far as these sort of situations go … it should not be tolerated.”

Callahan is on the committee to fill the position for the sexual assault counselor.

“We’re looking for someone who can provide a lot of training during orientation, training for faculty and staff to enlighten them about domestic violence … the ideal person would be someone that all the departments can reach out to … so students and community members would feel comfortable with this person and be able to impart relative information, anything that is of concern,” said Callahan.

Director of Athletics Sheryl Sousa, and chair of the search committee for the sexual assault counselor, states both students and staff were active in interviewing candidates.

“Campus-wide involvement from students, faculty and staff has been integral throughout the process. All three constituencies were represented on the search committee and all three groups have met with candidates when they visited campus,” said Sousa.

As the search continues to find the perfect person to fill the position, faculty suggest that there are many options for Brandeis students who are seeking help.

“Students should know that all members of the community (stu-

dents, faculty and staff) are concerned about sexual misconduct and are interested in helping any reporting parties that come forward,” said Balch. She mentioned sources such as Community Living, the ICC, Student Activities, the Dean of Student Life, Student Rights and Community Standards, Public Safety, Community Service, the Health and Psychological Counseling centers, the Chaplains, the Title IX coordinator and more.

Callahan reports that while not everyone feels comfortable going to the police with an allegation of sexual assault, the case may often filter down to Public Safety. “We have trained sexual assault investigators that can interact with victims and survivors and unveil the different processes to members of the community, file a police report, an anonymous report, however they want to proceed with things,” he said. He also mentioned services like restraining orders, harassment protection orders and mental health assistance.

But as the new counselor is appointed, the first thing he or she may wish to examine is Brandeis students’ awareness of this topic, and whether they even know the definition of sexual assault.

“How can you tell the difference between someone just touching you at a frat party and sexual assault?” asked Drillich.

by the school and the perpetrators has led to interference in the student’s education, lives and personal growth.

The Clery Act, named after a Lehigh University student who was raped in 1986, states that all schools receiving federal aid must track and disclose all sexual violence on campus, a rule that many schools across the nation have resisted due to the negative publicity of such transparency.

A resident adviser at Swarthmore College, Mia Ferguson, has also prompted the investigation after she lost her job for speaking out publicly about Swarthmore’s failure to deal with the issue.

Advisors and fellow students face trepidations, as they must often act as intermediaries between victims and the administration.

RAs are required to report incidences of sexual assault but as the case at Swarthmore displays, it can be difficult to give the names of victims who trust the RA and do not want anyone to know. For some mandated reporters, it can appear better not to report a crime for the benefit of the victim than to put them through the process of revealing the case and its details to the public.

“If I had given the victim’s name, she would not have trusted me. No one would have ever trusted me again” said Ferguson in an interview with “Inside Higher Ed.” These schools are putting up an image of compassion and understanding toward victims, but the reality sometimes differs from this facade.

Hope Brinn, another Swarthmore student, was told by a school official that “the male student’s admission

that he had harassed her was punishment enough,” as reported in the “Huffington Post.” The online news source also stated that Tucker Reed, a victim of sexual assault at USC, said that a university official told her that “the goal was not to punish her assailant, but rather to offer an educative process.”

The New York Times reported that an Occidental student was told that she “had nothing to worry about, that she [the administrator] had met with my rapist, and that he didn’t seem like the type of person who would do something like that.”

Andrea Pino, a UNC student who helped file the complaint, believed that the school was more concerned with demonstrating that they cared about assault than actually trying to help victims, and that RAs did not receive enough training and were overwhelmed by the number of cases that they had to manage. UNC sophomore Landen Gambill was charged with honor code violations after reporting her sexual assault and her attacker was later moved to a dormitory near her own. Incidents such as these are prevalent across the country.

Colleges have become more aware of the effect that negative publicity can have on admissions and fundraising as widespread use of social media allows information to leave campuses quicker than ever. Schools often are more concerned with the detriment to the school that a sexual assault can bring, than its short and long-term effects on the victim. The investigation by the Department of Education will hopefully lead to a change in attitude by administrators.

arts, etc.

6 The Brandeis Hoot

September 20, 2013

Ba’Note a cappella group sings with heart

By Dana Trismen Editor

Katherine Fallon ’14 and Talia Friedland ’16 have created their own family on Brandeis grounds. Both are leaders of the a cappella group Ba’Note, and they believe the club is a strong support system for all its members. Ba’Note is immersed in the Jewish tradition, following Kol isha, a tradition where women do not sing solos in public. Instead, members share the spotlight.

“Because of Kol isha, we appreciate the absence of “aca-drama” associated with a cappella groups,” said Fallon. “We spend a lot of time together.”

Jewish women who wanted to embrace the tradition of Kol isha founded Ba’Note five years ago. “To fulfill this tradition, we don’t have solos, but instead the solo line in our songs is sung by two or three members,” Friedland said. “Because we don’t use solos, we emphasize blending.”

The group name is also inventive, because Ba’Note in Hebrew signifies “girls” or “women.”

Friedland serves as president of the group, promoting a friendly environment for all members. Before her involvement in Ba’Note she loved to sing, but never had performed for

an audience.

Fallon is the music director. A lifelong participant in theater arts, in high school she sang in a cappella, jazz and in madrigal groups.

“We both love the sense of community of Ba’Note, which is why we wanted to join,” said Fallon.

After the club fair, Brandeis witnessed dozens of a cappella auditions, as eager students sang in front of their peers for a spot in a group. This year, Ba’Note was very selective. “This semester, we only accepted three girls because we had limited spots available,” said Friedland.

Friedland and Fallon insist that auditions are short and stress-free. “We test vocal range and pitch matching and ask those auditioning to sing a verse and chorus of any song,” said Fallon.

Ba’Note is well known for singing English pop, Jewish traditional music, and contemporary Israeli tunes.

Performances take place at coffeehouses throughout the semester.

Friedland and Fallon state they are usually well attended. “We always love new audience members!” Friedland said. Brandeis’ Hillel also promotes the group’s performances.

As clubs settle down for the semester, both Friedland and Fallon are ecstatic to be part of the group.

“Ba’Note is its own family. We’re all very close,” said Friedland.

a tight knit group

Brandeis is home to ten a cappella groups, and other musical clubs such

ba’note performs Students sing contemporary Israeli tunes.

as Voices of Praise, the gospel choir, and A Cappella Etc., which helps or-

ganize all the varied singing groups on campus.

a family Ba’Note members serve as a support system.

photos courtesy of katherine fallon

FXX hopes to draw viewers with hit shows

By Robert Xie

Special to the Hoot

In January, Fox announced the addition of it’s new channel, FXX. The channel’s two feature sitcoms, “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” and “The League,” are supposed to be the spearhead for the movement. FXX was introduced on Sept. 2, and these two particular shows launched just two days later on Sept. 4.

Viewers across the nation are no strangers to “Always Sunny.” Entering its ninth season, “Always Sunny” has endeared fans with its dry sense of humor and over-the-top plot. In recent seasons, however, the show has somewhat flopped. The show definitely peaked from season three to season six. Prior to season three, Danny DeVito’s likeable character, Frank Reynolds, had not yet been introduced to

the humorous sitcom. With his elaborate schemes and quirky behavior, Reynolds would prove to be an integral character to the cast.

Starting with the seventh season, however, the flavor of the show was drastically altered. What previously was a calculated balance of lighthearted humor and ridiculous themes became much too extreme. Missing was some of the witty, dry humor and subtle poking of fun at the characters’ collective stupidity. This was replaced with a bevy of overly ridiculous premises and outrageous outcomes.

This transition strays away from the original intention of the show. “Always Sunny” was created by a group of friends and spouses. Thus, the various plot lines seemed to revolve around the day-to-day struggles of “the gang.” From getting into beyond outrageous situations in Atlantic City

to lead character Mac somehow gaining 50 pounds, the show began to fall into a tailspin of absurdity. Gone is the “homey” feel generated by a group of friends working on a sitcom for fun and laughs. Previously a major strength of the show, subtlety was replaced by insanity.

The “Sunny in Philadelphia” premiere proved to be no different. Season nine’s kickoff starts with Dee Reynolds (daughter of Frank) in shambles.

She’s sulking in the bar while smoking, drinking and eating trash. This premise is exactly the problem with the newer version of the show. It is almost as if the makers have run out of ideas to keep the hectic plotline afloat.

“Always Sunny” is not known for an overall fluid plotline, but the air of creativity has been completely sucked out of the show. There is definitely a hint of negligence in the script, and the show’s

identity has completely changed for the worse.

FXX’s other premier show, “The League,” entered its fifth season this year. “Always Sunny” and “The League” have similarities, yet each show’s respective design is vastly different from one another’s.

The characters in “The League” seem to be more uniform than those in “Sunny,” with the former lacking a sense of individualism.

In the beginning seasons, this factor definitely was a major problem as members of the audience may not have been able to differentiate the characters enough to be attached to the show.

Like a fine wine, however, the makers of “The League” have really built its product up; it has gotten better with time. Giving side characters enough time to establish identities,

“The League” has improved gradually with its fantasy football-themed premise. In reality, the fantasy football theme does not always play a crucial role in the plot, but it (along with the appearance of several NFL players) keeps the show interesting.

This type of show can keep even the most casual fan entertained because it incorporates an element that many can follow: football. So how did the opening episode of season five fair on FXX? The episode takes place at a posh venue in California during Andre’s bachelor party. This is the beauty of “The League:” The episodes get better as time goes on. Once the characters were established, “The League” was able to incorporate well thought out plot twists all the while sticking to its loose premise of being a show centered on the game of fantasy football.

It seemingly can’t go wrong.

September 20, 2013

ARTS, ETC. 7

The Brandeis Hoot

Boston calling festival delights thousands

By Shikah Chandarana Special to the Hoot

There were a lot of things that could have gone wrong with the Boston Calling festival this past week.

It took place in a venue that isn’t as large as most festival venues, in a city as crowded and busy as Boston, and drew at least 20,000 people to attend. Nothing went wrong last year, however, and unsurprisingly, Boston Calling’s sophomore attempt was as overwhelmingly successful as the last.

The festival venue was managed easily and smoothly; every stage was marked clearly, the food trucks were at one end of the venue and there were stands for beverages at every corner.

Organizers utilized space brilliantly.

The first band I had the pleasure of watching was You Won’t, a duo from Massachusetts. Having never heard of them before, I didn’t know what to expect. I was surprised by their utilization of a multitude of instruments like harmoniums and kid xylophones to play simplistic contemporary music. Like most people who saw them, I was charmed by their musical sophistication and, of course, their wind chimes.

The next band I saw was Okkervil River, an amazing folk band from Texas. They started out with “It Was My Season,” a song from their new album “Silver Gymnasium,” which offered a good peek into their brand of energetic folk music. Their set was a brilliant collection of songs from their new album, as well as favorites like “For Real.”

Airborne Toxic Event followed with one of my favorite sets of the day.

Anna Bulbrook’s haunting viola solos and Mikel Jollett’s effervescent stage presence stole the show. The entire crowd sang along to the very popular and catchy songs like “Changing” and “Timeless,” while tossing large beach balls. At one point during the set, two of the band members climbed over the scaffolding on the stage while one of them crowd surfed. The crowd was in a frenzy when the band started throwing mementos out into the audience, such as signed drumsticks and guitar picks. “Airborne Toxic Event”

vampire weekend Indie band wows audience.

managed to be very involved with the large crowd and their magnetism left an impact on every person.

After a long wait, Local Natives, the now very popular indie pop band from LA, took the stage. With their new album “Hummingbird” they have left a niche in the indie pop music scene, and that confidence oozed in every song they performed. I felt that hearing the comparatively folksy songs of Local Natives after Airborne Toxic Event was strange in comparison. Yet, most people in the large crowd were enthusiastically singing along, and shrieked the words to “Sun

photo from internet source

Hands” and “Airplanes”. The highlight of their performance for me was their brilliant cover of Talking Head’s “Warning Sign” and their excitement about being introduced by Boston mayor Tom Menino, which they mentioned a number of times during their performance.

The set times were matched perfectly with performers playing on alternate stages, so that it was easy to experience every performance. It got a little chaotic towards the end, however, when most fans were waiting for the day’s headliners Vampire Weekend to perform. Most fans did

not move after Local Natives’ performance, instead choosing to wait for an hour and a half for the headliners to arrive.

This caused a lot of discomfort within the crowd. This would have left me disgruntled, if it weren’t for the fact the Vampire Weekend’s performance was worth all that wait and disorder.

While all the other bands performed with no significant changes to the stage, Vampire Weekend chose to change the stage background to match the cover of their third and best album yet “Modern Vampires of

the City,” which added to the appeal of their performance. From the first song “Diane Young,” the entire crowd was bewitched by their relaxed yet dynamic stage persona.

They played many of their unforgettable songs like “Ya Hey” and “Obvious Bicycle” from their new album, along with songs like “A Punk” and “Cousins.” This was one of their best sets, showcasing their marvelous variety.

I left the venue exhausted and dehydrated, but still reflecting on the music. On this night, I did not want to leave Boston.

Franz Ferdinand makes a worthy return

By Jess Linde

Special to the Hoot

The Glaswegian post-punk Franz Ferdinand band members are gods.

Their second album, “You Could Have It So Much Better,” was one of the first modern albums that I ever bought myself on vinyl, and they were the primary reason that I attended my first Coachella.

The indie-rock band was formed in 2002, and consists of four members.

Part of the post-punk revival with other well-known names like The Kaiser Chiefs and the Arctic Monkeys, their self-titled debut brought us classic songs like “Take Me Out” and “This Fire.” Even though 2007’s “Tonight” was a bit of a drop in quality compared to their first two albums, its dance inspiring, club-beat songs were still pretty fun.

It has been about six years since that release, and it’s been a tough six years indeed. Until the announcement of “Right Thoughts, Right Words, Right Action” last year, there was no news from the band, and rumors of a breakup circulated the Internet. Ever the devoted fan, I was

ecstatic and pre-ordered the deluxe version of the album on iTunes.

I did, however, have reservations; “Tonight” disappointed me because FF ditched their trademark guitar sound for synths. Lucky for me, “Right Thoughts, Right Words, Right Action” is a return to their previous form.

The album begins with classic Franz Ferdinand tunes, “Right Action,” “Evil Eye,” and “Love Illumination.” All three are very fun to listen to and are welcome on a dance or party playlist. “Stand on the Horizon,” is an arrogant apology song, with the great line “how can I tell you I was wrong?/When I’m the cruelest man you know.”

“Fresh Strawberries” is a weak point for the record, with cheesy lyrics about love, coming off just as a token slower song. “Bullet” and “Treason! Animals.” sound like B-sides from the first Franz Ferdinand album, in a very good way. “Right Thoughts” hits another snag, with “The Universe Expanded,” a faux-psychedelic homage, which just sounds out of place.

The track “Brief Encounters” is a great rock song; it has a really cool guitar riff, chorus and even a funky synthesizer bridge that make it stand

franz ferdinand Indie-rock band releases album.

out well. The final song, “Goodbye Lovers and Friends” is another classic Franz Ferdinand song that closes off the album very well.

Overall, “Right Thoughts, Right

Words, Right Action” is not the triumphant return or the magnum opus that fans may yearn for from the band, but maybe we just expect too much from them. It is a perfectly sol-

photo from internet source

id alternative rock album with some very good songs, and at the end of the day it signifies the return of one of my favorite bands, and that’s what really matters.

Crown Center for Middle East Studies

September 20, 2013

ARTS, ETC. 9

The Brandeis Hoot

ARTS

9 The Brandeis Hoot

January 18. 2013

Rose debuts five highly anticipated exhibits

By Victoria Aronson Editor

On Sept. 17, The Rose Art Museum debuted five highly anticipated exhibits, including “Image Machine: Andy Warhol and Photography;” “Omer Fast: 5,000 Feet is the Best;” “Light Years: Jack Whitten, 19711973;” “Minimal and More: 60s and 70s Sculpture from the Collection” and “Collection in Focus: Al Loving.”

Ranging from the sexually explicit photographs by Warhol to the soothing, canvas works of Whitten, the debut was well-attended by students and faculty alike.

Viewers stroll directly into the works of Jake Whitten, several of which are being revealed for the first time. Dating to the 1970s, his oversized canvas paintings evoke a sense of calm, marking a period he dubs “a time of reckoning,” in which he erases the past and moves to the future. Quotes from Whitten are artfully intermingled among the canvases, providing a glimmer of insight into the mind of the artist. Scrawled across the gallery wall are the evocative words: “The history of painting is encoded in the light and space of all paintings, produced since the dawn of consciousness.”

“Collection in Focus” features two abstract works by Al Loving, an African-American artist who rose to the forefront in the 1960s and 70s. Featuring the intricate layering of colors

and materials on canvas, his works demonstrate the power of using collage as an art form.

As viewers progress through the exhibits, they shuffle through a glass room filled to the brim with silver balloons, creating a sense of playfulness amid the spacious gallery setting.

Departing from the soft, organic nature of canvas paintings, the artistic works of Andy Warhol delve into themes of sexuality, posing a reflection on popular culture. The title, “Image Machine,” a phrase signifying both the artist and the technologies he utilizes, highlights Warhol’s focus on the medium of photography.

The exhibit features a daring portrayal of male genitalia, the graphic image of a penis repeated across several oversized canvases against a single wall in the gallery. Employing black and white photography, Warhol’s emphasis stems from the controversial nature of his subject matter rather than from the distracting usage of colors or intricate mediums.

The clenched fist of the man pictured suggests a sense of sexual tension, although his expression cannot be ascertained.

A series of photographs bordering on the pornographic illustrates the nude bodies of males and females in various poses, emphasizing their sexuality. Forcing the viewer to focus directly on the genitals of the individuals depicted, Warhol’s works are thought to be suggestive of his own struggles with homosexuality.

enthralled by art Abstract paintings captivate viewers.

new exhibits on display Artistic wallpaper serves as backdrop to portraits.

Intriguingly, Warhol’s photographic images are displayed across wallpaper that he designed. The glaring image of repetitive yellow cows serves as the backdrop to some of his works, heightening the emotional experience of the viewer who is confronted with the image.

Departing from the stationary medium of photography, Warhol moves to the medium of film as well. Viewers are confronted with the opportunity to sit on a stool before a short video recording, watching the facial expressions and mannerisms of individuals Warhol had filmed.

Despite its seeming simplicity, the short films evoke a sense of emotion, providing an unusual and almost uncomfortable glance into the personal habits of those filmed. A young woman sits frozen with the trace of tears streaming down her cheek in one frame, while the television screen beside her features the image of a man sipping Coca Cola. The voyeuristic sense generated by the short film clips is powerful, albeit confusing to viewers.

Moving past Warhol’s daring representations of the human body, the exhibit “Minimal and More: 60s and 70s Sculpture from the Collection” showcases simple pieces, including those created by feminist artists. Following the dramatic nature of Warhol’s exhibit, however, the sculptures seem lacking in contrast, although they bear social significance to the feminist movement and a taste for minimalism.

Along with Omer Fast’s “5,000 feet is the best,” a video exploring issues

of drone surveillance in highly tense areas such as Afghanistan, the exhibits featured at The Rose Art Museum employ diverse media, but are each powerful in their own regard. Al-

photo by nate rosenbloom/the hoot

though Omer Fast’s exhibit will only be on display until Nov. 3, the works of Warhol, Whitten, Loving and an assemblage of minimalist sculptors will be on display until Dec. 15.

bursting with balloons Balloons welcome viewers.

photo by nate rosenbloom/the hoot

photo by katie chin/the hoot

Jack Johnson brings beachside pop back into style

By Margot Grubert Special to the Hoot

Back in 1985, 10-year-old Jack Johnson was the youngest listed contestant in Pipeline, one of Hawaii’s most prestigious surfing competitions. I think I speak for many music fans when I say: thank God Johnson discovered the guitar at age 14. Six studio albums later, Johnson is the reigning king of smooth, beachside pop and rock.

In his new record, “From Here to Now to You,” Johnson moves away from the darker, more electric sound of his past two albums (“Sleep Through the Static” and “To the Sea”) and back to the ultra-laid-back vibe of his initial three efforts. The result,

with the help of former Beastie Boys producer Mario Caldato, is beautiful. Johnson’s acoustic beach vibes are back in a big way.

The sound, however, is bigger than that of albums past, with more recorded space and instrumentation.

Johnson thus refreshingly proves that that although the album is, in a sense, a throwback, he is without a doubt progressing as an artist.

A trademark of Johnson’s is his uncanny ability to write what he knows.

His focus on family and love is stunningly apparent in tracks strewn with themes of household activities and community self, evident in even the titles “Washing Dishes” and “Home.”

He dips into his high school punk band past by way of lyrics in “Shot Reverse Shot,” juxtaposing his own

childhood and those of his three children, tying the tracks together seamlessly.

Although Johnson’s focus is his own experience, he seems to work equally as hard to maintain a down-to-earth feel, which is undoubtedly relevant to almost all listeners.

The first single off the new album, “I Got You,” is simple and sweet, with a repetitive chorus that Johnson succeeds in making work where most other artists would fail. The lyrics are campy, but the laid-back tone of Johnson’s voice is perfection, and thus the song is saved. His inflection is so unassuming and honest that the over-simplicity of the lyrics does not matter. The three-minute song seems much shorter than it is, leaving listeners wanting more, and ends on a

sweet, positive note.

“From Here to Now to You” is fairly diverse within the narrow spectrum of Johnson’s sound, giving the album more depth than initially evident.

Some songs, including “Ones and Zeros” and “Never Fade,” are string pieces overlaid with simple melodies. Others are catchy pop and rock songs with good beats and fun lyrics that will get stuck in listeners’ heads, chiefly, “Shot Reverse Shot” and “Radiate.”

“Don’t Believe a Thing I Say” and resonant ballad “Change” are pure love songs, rich with light and emotion. “Tape Deck” has a drawling, lazy “Banana Pancakes” feel, perfect for a relaxed day at the beach, and it is a sound Johnson has perfected.

Only one song falls particularly

flat. “You Remind Me of You” is too expected, and the lyrics are too campy and boring to be saved by Johnson’s charm. Where “I Got You” succeeds, “You Remind Me of You” fails.

Overall, “From Here to Now to You” is a strong album with many good songs, and a very satisfying overall theme and aura. Jack Johnson fans will flock to the new record, and the single “I Got You” has the potential to become the new “Better Together.”

This album will not result in an influx of new fans, only because Johnson is so true to himself. He makes the music he likes to listen to. Therefore, if listeners like Johnson, they will like his new album, if they do not, one should assume that Johnson is fine with this.

10 The Brandeis Hoot

EDITIORIALS

September 20, 2013

Political rifts shake administration

“To acquire wisdom, one must observe.”

Editor-in-Chief Emily Stott Lassor Feasley Managing Editor Victoria Aronson Managing Editor Dana Trismen Managing Editor Morgan Dashko Copy Editor Theresa Gaffney Copy Editor Suzanna Yu Copy Editor Nate Rosenbloom Photography Editor Jun Zhao Graphics Editor Katie Chin Online Editor Rachel Hirschhaut Deputy News Editor

Volume 10 • Issue 15 the brandeis hoot • brandeis university 415 south street • waltham, ma

A

s an institution accountable to its students, Brandeis University should attempt to communicate its administrative prerogatives in a more accessible manner. Rifts between administrators should be part of the school’s public discourse, such that disagreements on key issues can be respectfully moderated.

Recently, we have been given reason to believe that tensions simmering between key members of Brandeis management have resulted in an exodus of administrative talent from the school.

Rather than publicly articulating the differences in opinion that led to the recent spate of resignations, Brandeis

administrators appear to be working to cover up the lack of unanimity within their ranks.

It started this summer when President Frederick Lawrence blasted an email about Dean of Student Life Rick Sawyer’s departure. The email implied Sawyer had retired. What it failed to note was that Sawyer had actually resigned over political issues stemming from disagreements with other senior Brandeis officials.

In another instance of administrative mishandling of internal turbulence, the resignation of Dean of Admissions Mark Spencer was not even announced. Even in the predatory admin-

istrative environment that has come to characterize Brandeis’ internal affairs, we would have expected an email or press release thanking Spencer for his years of service. Instead: silence. The only notification of Spencer’s departure was the vacancy of his office.

The specific reason for this subterfuge remains unclear. But when ideological changes can only be mediated by the resignation of key officials, students deserve an explanation. We believe that the Brandeis community deserves a higher degree of transparency when it comes to administrative changes that directly affect the direction of our institution.

Founded By Leslie Pazan, Igor Pedan and Daniel Silverman

staff

Shota Adamia, Emily Belowich, Dani Chasin, Ben Fine, Evan Goldstein, Jaye Han, Maya Himelfarb, Brittany Joyce, Eli Kaminsky, Rebecca Leaf, Nathan Murphy Needle, Vinh Nguyen, Aliya Nealy, Alexandra Patch, Max Randhahn, Zoe Richman, Charlie Romanow, Emily Scharf, Alec Siegel, Naomi Soman, Diane Somlo, Sindhura Sonnathi, Jennifer Spencer, Matthew Tagan, Alison Thvedt, Coco Tirambulo, Yi Wang, Shreyas Warrier, Pete Wein, Linjie Xu

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

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

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

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Correction:

The photo on page 15 of the issue published on September 13 neglected to contain an attribution. The photo is by Wesley Taylor.

Letter to the Editor: Dear Editor, Soon the Obama Administration will issue a new, innovative proposal to protect public health from air pollution fueled by climate change. By requiring all new coal-fired power plants to limit their carbon emissions, people with chronic lung diseases such as asthma and COPD will one day be better protected. The American Lung Association has led the call for updated standards, and as a volunteer and a medical professional, I also believe the time has come.

Dirty air is responsible for tens of thousands of asthma attacks, millions of missed days of work and school, countless emergency room admissions and hospitalizations and even shortens lives.

Climate change will make it harder to clean up our air, making breathing more difficult for the one in ten Massachusetts’ residents who suffer from asthma.

This is an especially scary thought for any parent, who has watched their child struggle to breathe when they have an

asthma attack.

It’s a long overdue relief for those of us in the public health community to see that the president recognizes the urgency of protecting the health of the American people by moving forward with proposing sensible air quality standards that will undoubtedly benefit generations to come.

Megan Sandel, MD Boston American Lung Association of the Northeast

September 20, 2013

sports

The Brandeis Hoot 11

Judges upset Lyons, 3-1

By Edwin Gonzalez Staff

After splitting wins in the MIT invitational tournament on Saturday, the Brandeis women’s volleyball team looked to gain traction in their season against Wheaton College. Going into Tuesday’s game, the Wheaton Lyons had won three out of their last five matches. This streak would end for the Lyons, as the Judges dominated the evening, winning three sets in a convincing fashion. The Judges managed a .255 hitting percentage to take them to the win, along with 38 digs and 13 serving aces. Set scores came to 25-16, 23-25, 25-15 and 2517, with Wheaton winning only in the second set. The Judges improved their season record to 6-6, while the Lyons fell to 6-6 on the year. These two teams will not face each other again this season.

Outside hitter Si-Si Hensley ’14 led the way for the Judges by recording her second double-double of the season. Hensley achieved 15 kills along with 11 digs throughout the night. Most impressively, however, were her four service aces.

When asked about the win, Hensley said, “Every team we encounter is going to be different and they will have changed from previous years, as well. We work really hard to quickly adjust to whatever team we play.”

The Judges adapted well when playing Wheaton, especially after losing a

tight second set to the Lyons due to 10 attacking errors. Brandeis commanded the second half of the game, after making adjustments. To start the beginning of the third set, the Judges went on a 4-0 run, before conceding a point to the Lyons. Wheaton would attempt to gain momentum back from the Judges halfway through the third when the score was 11-7 Judges.

Hensley’s two kills led the Judges to score eight unanswered points (19-8) to win the set 25-15.

Hensley was not alone, as Tuesday night’s win for the Judges represented an entire team effort.

Outside hitter Liz Hood ’15 led the attack for her team, with 17 kills. Hood is now averaging 3.73 kills per set for the season. Maggie Swenson ’16 supported her team, performing a career high of 36 assists on Tuesday.

In her tenth season as the head coach of the team, Michelle Kim stated that the Judges “served them tough and kept them out of system most of the match, and that helped us get our offense organized and score points.

Wheaton made many unforced errors, and we needed to work hard to reduce our errors and that helped us win the match. We also picked up our blocking this match, and that helped us win.”

Logging in three blocks each were Carly Gutner-Davis ’14 and Jessica Kaufman ’16.

The Lyons received an impressive performance from Deir-

judges vollyball team competes in gosman gym

dre Wilson ’16. The sophomore had double-digit numbers in kills (12), assists (18) and digs (11). Teammate Arieanne Creighton ’16 aided with 11 kills and a .304 hitting percentage on the night, but their combined efforts were not enough to stop the Judges.

The Wheaton Lyons have a doubleheader this Saturday, facing Worcester Polytechnic Institute and Westfield State. The Judges meanwhile have their own doubleheader on Saturday at Brandeis, hosting Emmanuel at 11:00 a.m. and Colby-Sawyer at

Judges achieve seventh-straight win of season brandeis vs. wheaton

By Dani Chasin Staff

On Wednesday night, the Brandeis men’s soccer team rallied against Lasell College, sweeping them 5-1 and gaining the Judges’ seventh straight win of the season. Ranked second in New England and 12th in Division III by the NSCAA, the Judges improved their perfect record to 7-0 and forced the first loss of the Lasers’record, bringing theirs to 4-1.

Brandeis had an early start in the game, nailing four goals in the first half and one more in the second. The Lasers, who were playing shorthanded due to a player getting a red card in the first half, snuck in a goal toward the end of the game in minute 81.

Brandeis was led by senior midfielder Kyle Feather ’14, who scored the team’s first and fifth goals. He nailed six goals so far this season, with his fifth goal coming in as a header off a throw in by midfielder Foti Andreo ’15 and his sixth goal coming in after receiving the ball from defender Ben Applefield ’14 and dribbling it into the box to execute a lofted rip into the corner.

Feather’s six goals this season add to his total 22 career goals, placing him as number 21 on the Judges’ career scoring list.

Although his six goals equal the career-highs he set in each of the past two seasons, the game against Lasell signaled Feather’s third multi-goal game of his career.

Tudor Livadaru ’14 scored Brandeis’ second goal, which is his third of the season. After being substituted into the game in minute 26, Livadaru found an opening for the goal off an assist by rookie forward Evan Jastremski ’17.

The service by Jastremski found Livadaru in a good position, allowing the forward to chip the ball over the goalkeeper and into the net.

In minute 38, Brandeis scored the third goal, a shot by rookie forward Mike Lynch ’17 off a feed by forward Michael Chaput ’16. Lynch’s first goal of the season came after Chaput dribbled across the six-yard box and passed the ball to Lynch for a finish into the wide-open net.

Chaput’s chance for his first goal of the season came in minute 43. A cross from Livadaru found Chaput in an open position, giving him the

opportunity to nail it into the back of the net, raising the score to 4-0 for the Judges.

Brandeis got their fifth goal by Feather early in the second half, signaling the end of their scoring for the game. Lasell’s solo goal came toward a close when a scramble off a corner kick allowed one player to knock it in the net past goalkeeper, Joe Graffy ’15.

Brandeis had a total of 24 shots for the game, nine of which were on goal.

Lasell, on the other hand, had a total of five shots on goal. Graffy had to make four stops during the match.

Although Lasell was playing down a man for a large part of the game, the majority of the Judge’s success came from getting shots on goal early in the game.

Their quick ball movements and teamwork aided them in taking control of the match. With the confidence they’ve built up from their undefeated record, Brandeis will look to continue their streak as they face tougher competition during the season.

They will return to play on Saturday in an away game against Tufts, who are currently 3-1.

photo by edwin gonzalez/the hoot

3:00 p.m. in Red Auerbach Arena.

This will be the Judges’ first look at the Colby-Sawyer team this season, a team they will face again in the first round of the Mid-Coast Classic on Sept. 27.

photo by edwin gonzalez/the hoot

photo by marian siljeholm/the hoot

men’s soccer sweeps the season

opinion

12 The Brandeis Hoot

September 20, 2013

The young grasshopper’s guide

Course selection shopping period: the honeymoon is over

By Lassor Feasley Editor

The course selection shopping period is through, which can only mean one thing: The honeymoon is over.

Get ready to see a whole new side of your professors now that you are locked into their classes for the rest of the semester. While some may have piled on the work early in the hope of discouraging students of limited commitment, others are likely to have moderated their course load in the shopping period so as not to alienate students while they still had a chance to run.

In my four semesters at Brandeis, I have had an evolving notion of how to approach the generous two-week shopping period which is allotted us. Early in my career, I felt a strong commitment to the classes I had chosen before the semester even started, and I rarely dropped a class, even if I was incompatible with the professors teaching style. For some reason, once I chose a schedule, I felt obligated to keep it, even when it was painful and irrational.

Not so this semester. At final tally, I had signed up for five classes and audited seven more only to realize that I did not enjoy the class. So what was the problem? What do I look for in a class?

The first consideration I take into account is whether it fulfils course requirements. The truth is that I don’t particularly enjoy 90 percent of the classes I join, and I am frankly confused when I hear of someone taking a class “for fun”.

When I audit a class I automatically know to look for several things. The first thing I ask myself is ’what style of teacher is this professor?’. Often it seems that professors see their classes more as a personal exercise of intellectual prowess, rather than as an attempt to develop their students’ critical and analytical abilities. In the

Elmers Escape

Photo Credit Linjie Xu/The Hoot

humanities especially, you will find that a class will be taught with a thesis which unites each lecture. Often this thesis will be too unfocused to provide the foundation of a truly enlightening class. Other times, professors will preach their thesis so aggressively that the course will seem overtly political and one-sided.

My objective when I go into a class is not to shape my ideological worldview. I take them to improve my writing and comprehensive abilities.

Students in more vocational or science-based courses are likely not to encounter this phenomenon; it would

be difficult to apply a philosophical angle to Financial Accounting or Biology. But as you explore the fringes of the mainstream, you start to run into classes whose educational prerogatives are less clear.

I have found that humanities classes that are based on case studies – for example business or legal cases – tend to be more focused and well-rounded than classes which depend on thick academic passages.

I often look for classes which are discussion based instead of focusing on lectures. Personally, I doubt that any one person has so much to tell me

that it would take 40 hours of lecture time over a semester to say it.

In a class based on case studies, the teacher is forced by necessity to keep a certain structure in the class which is conducive to participation and actual learning.

There is nothing more frustrating to me than a class which assigns hundreds of pages of reading that have little bearing on the coursework or the actual grade which students receive.

When I do all the work assigned, I feel like I’m on a treadmill, running in place, not achieving anything in particular. When I don’t, I feel I am be-

ing rewarded for my own ineptitude.

Either way, I get an A in the class, but I never feel that it is truly deserved.

When I first came to Brandeis, the two subjects I thought I would avoid were law and business. These fields were too vocational, I was told, better saved for graduate programs.

But my encounters with the Legal Studies and Business departments have convinced me otherwise.

Other humanities departments have a lot to learn from the case study model of teaching utilized by IBS and Legal Studies if they hope to be taken seriously in more established settings.

Two-state solution for food service woes

By Andrew Elmers Staff

I walked into Usdan this evening looking for a basket of chicken tenders. I had not had any yet, and I wanted to try some of the new selection from Sodexo. Aramark had its problems, and it was certainly time for a change on campus. And what could go wrong with a different multi-national food service provider running every establishment at Brandeis, with no other sort of competition within the confines of 415 South Street?

I can understand, somewhat, why the prices for food are higher on campus than you would find anywhere else. There are upcharges for the delivering on campus and most things are made-to-order. But three dollars for a slice of pizza? About $2.50 for a bagel and cream cheese?

Just looking at three different pizza places in Waltham gave me an average of around a buck seventy for a plain slice, and I have never spent

photo from internet source

over two dollars for a bagel. Some of the prices are ridiculous, and that will not change whether we have Aramark or Sodexo or Freddy from “House of Cards” running our food services.

Unless, we have them both and create a little competition. Let the suits walk around the first week, making sure everything is running smoothly, and that everyone knows what is going on. They could play off of each other for the patronage of the student

body, and college students typically gravitate towards cheap food. And if we want to get really fancy and make the dining options at Brandeis all the better, we can allow each separate establishment such as Einstein’s and the C-store to be run independently, rather than under the patronage of an Aramark or Sodexo.

Imagine having a New York-style deli being run by someone from New York, or an Italian restaurant being

run by actual Albanians. In Usdan, there is space for about nine different booths total. Imagine them competing with each other to make the best food and offer the best prices. It would generate so much more highquality food and offer a better variety.

Now we have two sandwich shops right next to each other, the only difference being that one grills the sandwich while the other does not.

And if we, as students, decide that

we do not like a particular establishment, and they can not generate enough business, then the real fun begins. Evolution occurs, with the old restaurant being forced to close, giving a new prospective owner the opportunity to open up a shop. Students could even vote for what type of restaurant they wanted to open, or See SODEXO, page 14

September 20, 2013

OPINION 13

The Brandeis Hoot

Election equality, a modest proposal

By Naomie Soman staff

Every fall brings the controversial Student Union elections, and this year was no different. Campaigns were out of control. Brandeis needs to clamp down on what candidates can do to promote themselves on campus. Students here at Brandeis come from different backgrounds ethnically, nationally, financially and religiously, but they are all people and should not have to deal with discrimination when running to represent the student body. Although they may be disadvantaged in a certain area, an unrelated disability should not hinder equality and justice in our university. These are two values we should hold quite highly, especially considering the legacy of our school’s namesake, Justice Louis Brandeis.

There are some restrictions here on campus, but they simply are

not enough to control these wild campaigns. Students are only allowed 100 sheets of paper printed in black and white ink and one roll of masking tape, both provided by the school, so that students do not have to spend any money. Any personal spending in a campaign is clearly an unfair breach of justice, and it should not be tolerated.

Presidential and congressional candidates should not be allowed to spend any campaign money because it puts those less wealthy at a disadvantage. Even one penny is too much money to spend, because constituents should look only at a candidate’s platform, personal character, work ethic and qualifications. Since Brandeis is such a small school, every student likely knows each candidate, and therefore spending money on a huge campaign to spread one’s name and platform is completely unnecessary. Students should not even be

allowed to use friends as a resource to spread their name because this unfairly skews the election. By convincing someone to vote a certain way, one introduces bias toward another by effectively pushing his or her decision onto the other in a way that may differ if left solely to the individual’s discretion about the candidate’s descriptions.

Students should not use any creative abilities to campaign in case one person has an artistic advantage. The school, however, has banned neither posters made on the computer nor campaign videos. There is just as much difference in artistic talent by hand as on the computer. This is the digital age, and we have to account for artistic expression through all media.

Also, how can we permit video advertisements when some students clearly have more talent and experience filming and editing? Creativity takes more than one form, and just like someone

may not be able to draw proficiently, one equally may not be able to edit videos artistically, as filmmaking is an art as well.

Furthermore, if Brandeis bans artistic resources, it should eliminate any poster with a candidate’s face or at least require candidates to don masks, as one candidate may be more attractive than another. Elections should be based purely on the candidate’s platform, character and qualifications, not their physical characteristics! For instance, what if a male candidate pulled in front of his female opponent with his masculine traits that were able to win over the predominantly female population?

If we equalize physical attractiveness, we have to equalize intelligence, as it simply is not fair for one candidate to have an intellectual advantage. As a result, there should exist pre-formed election campaign

committees that regulate the posters and other advertisements present on campus. Therefore, the candidate would not have to exercise any intellectual capacity because his or her campaign committee would already create and distribute the advertisements. An intellectual advantage or academic focus in politics would provide a candidate with campaigning secrets that might unfairly put him ahead of an opponent. Everyone in the world is intelligent in his or her own way, so it would be unjust to favor one form of intelligence to the detriment of another when both types may prove equally effective in the Student Union position.

Although the election has terminated and the student body has chosen their representatives, we can still introduce these new prerogatives to equalize elections for future candidates and preserve justice to promote a fairer future for our children.

Defending George Zimmerman

By Roy Fan Staff

On July 13, 2013, the six-person jury of the 18th Circuit Court of Florida, tasked with delivering a verdict in State of Florida v. Zimmerman, rendered what might ultimately be one of the most controversial cases in the civil rights history of the United States. Specifically, the jury found defendant 29-year-old George Zimmerman not guilty of all charges, putting an end to a long and highly-publicized court trial in which Zimmerman was charged with the murder of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin on the night of Feb. 26, 2012 in a gated community in Sanford, Florida.

The verdict sparked a widespread outcry all across the United States, and members of the public from all corners of the country took to social media, and in certain cases, the streets, to protest what is perceived by many as a gross injustice perpetrated by the legal system. It even prompted President Obama to give an unannounced 20-minute speech in place of the regular White House daily press briefing, in which the President remarked, “Trayvon Martin could have been me 35 years ago”.

Despite the overwhelming proportion of people, both around the country and among my friends, who will readily criticize the “not guilty” verdict in this case, I actually find myself disagreeing with them. It’s not necessarily that I take the exact opposite view; it’s that I really don’t see what everyone is getting so worked up about. After taking some time to hear more opinions, I came to the conclusion that a lot of people made their minds up about the verdict based on emotion and a feeling that racism was somehow one of the major factors here. I believe that that is unfounded. Let me explain why I think what I think.

To start off with, many people have blasted the state of Florida for its “Stand Your Ground” law, which allows citizens to use deadly force in cases where the citizen fears death or “great bodily harm” without first attempting to retreat from the situation. This piece of criticism is per-

photo from internet source

fectly justified, and I myself have questioned the wisdom behind this legal principle. But that is a matter of policy, not legal argument, and protests against “Stand Your Ground” law should be directed at governors and state legislatures instead. It was not the role of either presiding judge Debra Nelson or the jury to state that George Zimmerman shouldn’t be able to get away with shooting Trayvon Martin in self-defense without trying to retreat, so why are people chastising Zimmerman for doing what he had a right to do? It’s like complaining to a tax collector how high your taxes are, when it is Congress who imposes them.

Secondly, I have noticed that many people take issue with the fact that the jury didn’t find Zimmerman

guilty on the second-degree murder charge or on the lesser charge of manslaughter. What I think many people don’t realize is the fact that given the circumstances of this case and what actually happened during the trial, there really is no other verdict that the jury could have reached. To start off with, the incident took place on a dark Florida night in a gated neighborhood, leaving Zimmerman as the only person who saw what happened that night in its entirety. Any witness who saw or heard what happened did so from a sizeable distance, meaning that the prosecution had very little evidence to work with. The defense attorneys were able to maintain a consistent narrative, and the forensic evidence more or less lined up with Zimmerman’s testimony, so the pros-

ecution had an uphill climb. To make matters worse, one of the prosecution’s witnesses, while under crossexamination by the defense attorney, admitted to lying about her reasons for not attending Martin’s funeral.

While this was not directly relevant, it weakened the prosecution’s case.

Lastly, I personally don’t believe that George Zimmerman approached Trayvon Martin that night just because he was black. Because of the multiple reports of breakins in the neighborhood recently, Zimmerman, as a member of the Neighborhood Watch, was probably particularly wary of possible intruders and decided to find out what was going on. Martin probably took it the wrong way and a fight ensued, in which a gun was fired. While I can’t

possibly rule out that Zimmerman racially profiled Martin, I consider that to be unlikely. Zimmerman is half-Peruvian, was raised as a Catholic, had a permit to carry the gun he used and he seemed to be a man in good standing with the community.

He has no prior history of criminal activity or making racist statements.

It was a fair trial and the legal system did exactly what it was designed to do, even if we’re not satisfied with the result. If you really believe in your heart that a guilty man walked free, then blame the prosecutor, Angela Corey and the Florida state legislature. I will freely accept the fact that I may very well be wrong, but this controversy at the very least warrants a second, more rational glance by all of us.

14 OPINION

The Brandeis Hoot

Reward for recycling

September 20, 2013

Exercise not required

By Emily Scharf Staff

photo from internet source

By Joe Lanoie Staff

When students moved into their dorms a few weeks ago, they noticed the signs and flyers reminding them to recycle their trash. They saw the numerous recycling bins present.

There are signs everywhere showing how environmentally sound or “green” Brandeis is. As a junior, this has been the culture for all two years and change that I have been here.

Walking into Usdan Student Center, there is a deposit bin for Green Bean Recycle, a local company designed to give college students money for recycling, similar to the return bottle deposits for five or more cents in Massachusetts and other states. I have always thought it to be an amusing idea.

I started to recycle bottles and cans there. Earlier this month, the company had a contest at local colleges, including Tufts, Bentley, Brandeis and Northeastern universities, to see which school’s students could recycle the most. These schools have more students than we do, and I did not have many bottles or cans to recycle.

My hopes of winning the contest were insignificant. I decided just to recycle so I could send the money to either PayPal or charity. Imagine my surprise when I won the contest. I was in the Top Ten Recyclers amongst all their locations. How many bottles did I recycle to win? 100? 564? 3,000? No. For a student at a school that claims to be environmentally driven, I won $60 in prizes by recycling three water bottles.

Although one might consider this a lucky scenario, this shows the innate problem of any activism, including the environmental movement, on this campus. Each movement needs people to act consciously 100 percent of the time. One member cannot take a day off. After this contest ended two weeks ago, I started to look at the campus in a different light. There is litter everywhere, despite the high number of trash cans. Sodexo uses only disposable trays and plates in Usdan, which go into landfills. Lights remain on in the library, Sherman Dining Hall and academic halls when no one is there. The simple actions we were taught to do in elementary school are being ignored. Yet we are

constantly told that our earth is dying and that doing these things is our only salvation. We are told that divestment is a necessity and that we need to cut our fossil fuel consumption. However, we are too blind to see that we stand on an unnoticed pile of litter, full of paper flyers telling us to divest.

I am not an environmentalist. I do not know enough about global warming. I do not know how paper is recycled. I know doing the best one can is the limit of what one can do. Living one lifestyle and preaching another, however, is not the best one can do. Last year, we had an amendment proposed to divest the university from fossil fuels. Proponents argued that we need to be an example for other universities. I voted against divesting from fossil fuels. There is still desire to divest on this campus, but on the same campus and in the same area, a person can win a recycling contest by barely participating.

My winning goes against the purpose of meaningful activism. One cannot and must not be activists by inactivity. Being an activist means that, to quote Mahatma Gandhi, “...we need not wait to see what others do.” It means living the changes you desire, accepting the risks and marching onward. If we really call ourselves a campus dedicated to activism, we need to set higher standards for ourselves individually. By changing the higher standards individually, one can rewrite the standards. It takes a child to change a village. We must act for ourselves first, and only by doing that can we better society.

And it has happened. Green Bean’s goal to reward students for recycling is working. Last time I went to donate, the machine was full. By personalizing and rewarding ourselves for our work, more people will be motivated to act. This could prompt a better society and a better future.

The true motivation for action is not for some generation in the future nor some person in the middle of nowhere. The true motivator is our own selfish nature. Despite what society declares, self-interested people are needed. Their passion and greed will drive them to get things done. If selfishness helps you save the world, so be it. The results are the same regardless of intention, perhaps even better.

In this day and age of extremely misleading media, people are often hyper aware of their outward appearance, and many feel pressured to look a certain way. There are many diet programs, exclusive gym memberships and just generally idiotic products out there, all aimed at helping the populace slim down. In my eyes, their goal is misguided.

Yes, it’s true that the obesity rate in America has skyrocketed in the last few decades. The United States leads the pack of obese countries, with 35.7 percent of American adults considered obese in 2010. Health is certainly a priority. I would say it is in most people’s interest to stay healthy in order to live a longer life. But, health does not always correspond to the shape of your body. A healthy body comes in all different shapes and sizes.

Everyone should love their body. If you find fault with your body, that’s your prerogative. No one else should be afforded the right to pass judgment on another’s appearance. That’s not to say it doesn’t happen. It seems everyone is subjected to someone else’s standards nearly every day. It’s not fair, and it’s not right. The tendency to judge other people is inherited fairly

photo from internet source

early on. From childhood we are all granted the often embarrassing trait of brutal honesty. Young children see the world with unbiased eyes: They state the facts as they see them.

Children do not judge, they observe.

I once had a 3-year-old ask me why I had big eyebrows. I responded, “Everyone’s eyebrows are different.”

As she looked around with wonder in her eyes, she realized that truth.

She turned back to me and said, very matter-of-factly, “You’re right!

Everyone’s eyebrows are different.”

Yet, somewhere down the line, traits

and qualities are given positive and negative connotations in our minds.

We are programmed to judge others based on some arbitrary set of criteria, likely intoned in us by the media.

It only gets worse with age. In my experience, the most cynical and judgmental people I’ve ever met have all been over the age of 65. The moral is: You shouldn’t pass judgment on others, especially not for how they look.

See EXERCISE, page 15

New company, old problems

SODEXO, from page 12

the administration could find a few candidates and students vote for the final say.

I understand that there are some major flaws in my plan for changing the food services here on campus.

One of which is what to do with Sherman, which is so large an operation, as it serves all-you-can-eat. I am not sure one small business could run it. It would probably require a company like Sodexo to run it day-to-day.

And it might be too difficult to feed a school with over 3,000 students seven days a week with private enterprises

handling everything. It might be too big of a job and require too much effort, when some restaurants may end up closing after a mere six months.

But some sort of competition, even if we just utilized two different larger companies, would be better than letting Sodexo have a complete monopoly. Right now, if we have a problem, the only other option is going to Hannaford’s, a mile away. I do not think it is fair to treat college students, who already pay so much for tuition, as if they are just open wallets looking to buy whatever overpriced food they can get their hands on. I would like to say we are more than that and deserve to be treated with more respect. The

school should have our best interests in mind, and our nutrition should be around the top of that list.

There were no chicken tenders in Usdan, and when I went to the grilled sandwich shop in Lower, they had run out of American cheese and sourdough bread. So if we cannot even get the full selection from Sodexo on any given night, what are they offering us? And how are we able to let them know we want something more? It might be a bit too early in the year to start complaining about the new food services company, but it is completely disheartening to see the same sort of mistakes happening as in years previous, as if nothing had changed.

September 20, 2013

OPINION 15

The Brandeis Hoot

Love who you are

photo from internet source

From EXERCISE, page 14

Try your best to escape this everconsuming need to evaluate a person’s worth by their figure. If someone judges you, ignore them; They have no right to appraise what they do not know nor understand. Do not let other people dictate how you feel about yourself.

I truly believe that loving who you are is the key to happiness. I’m not saying you have to think you’re perfect in every way; Flaws are inherent parts of who and what we are.

September 20, 2013

However, I think it’s perfectly wonderful to embrace the flaws you see in yourself and love yourself more for them. If you love who you are, then there is no reason to change. Don’t let others pressure you to work out or to diet. If you want to do either because you feel it will help you love yourself more, then go for it! Do what makes you happy.

I think a lot of people put pressure on themselves to look more muscled or to slim down in order to find a significant other. There’s some innate voice that nags in the back of the brain

saying that you have to look a certain way in order for someone to like you or find you attractive. That nagging voice is ridiculously incorrect. I believe that if you love your body, others will too. There is so much more to wanting to date someone than just his or her outward appearance. People fall in love with people, not the bodily manifestation of that person. If everyone looked like a combination of his or her personality, intelligence, humor and goodness as a human being, the world would be a simpler place.

But the world does not work that way.

We have to work a bit harder to discern whether or not we like a person, using more than our eyes.

When you first meet a person, all you really know is their physical appearance. It’s a bit unnerving. But, at least in my experience, as you get to know a person, the way they look changes a bit. By discovering a person’s personality and learning more about who they are, how they appear changes. Obviously, they do not actually change physically, but how you see them changes. I think that realizing someone is a wonderful person makes

sports

him or her more attractive and beautiful to you, and realizing that someone is not such a nice person does the opposite. Outward appearance is entirely irrelevant when you know what their inner appearance looks like.

Loving who you are is the key to happiness. If people judge you for the imperfections you love about yourself, then clearly they cannot see beyond the superficial. Anyone worth knowing, will care about you for the person you are on the inside, so the only person who needs to be pleased with your

The Brandeis Hoot 15

A tour of the NFL, week two

By Charlie Romanow Staff

The first two weeks of the 2013 NFL season are in the books and, as always, there is plenty to talk about in the league.

The local headline is the New England Patriots, a preseason 2-to1 favorite to win the Super Bowl by Bleacher Report. The pass-heavy Patriots were without their three primary targets last season, as Wes Welker is in Denver, Rob Gronkowski is injured and Aaron Hernandez is incarcerated.

The effects that these three had on the team were made evident in the opening games. The Patriots won both of their games but did so only by a few points, each edging out AFC East rivals led by rookie quarterbacks. Tom Brady has been upset with an inexperienced core of receivers, excepting Julian Edelman and Danny Amendola, the latter of whom played with Welker at Texas Tech.

Amendola was injured for week two while Edelman was able to wrangle in 13 of Brady’s 19 completions.

Eli Manning and the New York Giants are zero and two, respectively, despite throwing over 800 yards across the field.

They lost running back David Wilson early in the second game, which left them with the worst rushing attack in the NFL. Their lack of ability on the ground allowed Eli to be only one yard short of leading the league, but their tactic has not been effective overall, as their record exhibits. Manning faced off against his older brother Peyton in week two. He was not able to beat the more experienced Manning, throwing four interceptions while Peyton led the league with nine touchdowns.

photo from internet source

During Mark Sanchez’s time as quarterback on the New York Jets, the team managed to make it to two conference championship games but had disappointed the high expectations of New York fans overall. After an intense quarterback battle between Sanchez and second-round pick Geno Smith, Sanchez was placed on injured reserve for the season, allowing the rookie to be named the starter for the Jets. Smith went into the season against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, putting up a decent showing and a late game-winning drive to win by one. Week two pitted the Jets against the highly favored Patriots, and both teams played sloppily. The Patriots

had a weak passing game but earned the win after Smith was only able to complete 15 of 35 passes with zero touchdowns and three interceptions.

He was also sacked four times.

Other headlines across the league include the 0-2 Washington Redskins who was led by the recovering Robert Griffin III in his sophomore season.

Griffin III had surgery on his LCL and ACL in January. He had an outstanding rookie season, becoming the first rookie quarterback to be named offensive player of the week in his debut game.

He finished the season with the record for highest passer rating and highest touchdown-to-interception

ratio among rookie quarterbacks and was also named to the Pro Bowl. Griffin appeared to be uncomfortable fully throwing on his leg, which led to shorter passes, more incompletions than was ideal and a less profound running game for the man who broke the NCAA Midwest Regional record in the 400-meter hurdles during his time at Baylor University.

The Green Bay Packers Aaron Rodgers leads the league in passing yards, but his team came up short in week one against the Colin Kaepernickled 49er’s. After a season full of high expectations for the Eagles, they now have the league leaders in rushing and receiving in Lesean Mccoy and

Desean Jackson,respectively. They are led by Michael Vick, who completed 62 percent of his passes and has yet to throw an interception.

With the league becoming more pass-heavy with each season, defense will become more vital. Some of the most prolific quarterbacks of the opening two weeks have been disappointed by their teams’ outcomes, and whoever is able to stop the pass will have a monopoly on the game. This has been made evident by the 2-0 Seattle Seahawks, who permitted only one touchdown and as many points to their first two opponents as the Patriots scored in the first six minutes of their game against the Jets.

“Silk and Bamboo: Music from China” delights Mandel audience

By Vinh Nguyen Staff

The dynamics of music and storytelling took a central focus this Wednesday at the Mandel Center with the performance of “Silk and Bamboo: Music From China.” Presented with Brandeis’ Concert Series and Music Unites Us, the musicians behind “Music From China” wowed the bustling crowd seated in the Mandel Atrium with their exquisite playing of eastern folk melodies.

Founded in 1984, “Music From China” is a chamber ensemble that brings together a group of Chinese musicians, with a goal of sharing the richness of Chinese musical culture with audiences. Although the group started out with a strong repertoire in folk ensemble music, they have since grown to explore contemporary styles of music. The result is the group’s ability to play an expanded body of music that fuses together modern and traditional compositions in exciting and innovative tunes. Performing in the New York City area, the group is made up of classically trained musicians on traditional Chinese instruments. “Music from China’s” artistic director, Wang Guowei, played on the erhu— a two-stringed fiddle played vertically (sometimes analogously called the “Chinese violin”). On the pipa, a four-stringed plucked instrument that is similar to a lute, played Sun Li, while the group’s executive direc-

tor, Susan Cheng, played the daruan, another lute instrument. Helen Yee elegantly played the Chinese hammer dulcimer, called a yangqin. The hammer dulcimer is a class of string instruments stretched over a trapezoidal board. With a small mallet hammer held in both hands, the sound is produced by the musician striking the strings of the hammer dulcimer. Traditionally, the four instruments complement each other, but what made the small chamber group really work was their shared musicality and dialogue created between group members.

The first piece the group performed was “Sanliu,” which translates to “three-six.” The arrangement is of a traditional narrative song from the Suzhou area of China. The piece was upbeat. In particular, the soaring melodic line of the erhu added to the dance-like quality of the piece. It was reminiscent to the energy of Copland’s “Hoedown.” Next, the group took us further south of China with a traditional Cantonese tune, “Autumn Moon Over a Tranquil Lake.” Cheng explained that Cantonese style of Chinese music was perhaps the first type of Chinese music Americans heard, from the first waves of Chinese immigrants. The piece revolved around a central melody, and melodic embellishment was showcased as each instrument added its own color to the melody line.

Midway through the song, Hui Weng was featured as a solo artist on

“silk and bamboo” Musicians share Chinese culture through performance.

the Chinese plucked zither called the “Zheng.” Performing a contemporary piece “Misty Dawn,” Weng was truly virtuosic as she articulated the ideas of the song with her whole body, letting the sound be expressed through her hands and arm gestures as she plucked and pressed on the Zheng. Weng’s mesmerizing performance was met with a shower of applause that filled the Mandel Atrium.

Before playing each piece, the executive director of the group and

daruan player, Susan Cheng, gave a brief introduction and explained the background behind the composition.

Also noted was the closeness to nature that inspires Chinese music. This was evident in the titles of the songs, such as “Birds in the Forest,” and the serene twilight of the ocean that was conveyed in “Fisherman’s Night Song.” What emerged was a theme of storytelling and narrative that underlies Chinese folk music. From this, audiences were able to gain an appre-

photo by nate rosenbloom/the hoot

ciation for Chinese culture.

The Concert Series is in part a teaser for Brandeis audiences to be familiar with “Music from China.”

The group is scheduled to return to Brandeis for full residency, Nov. 2224, 2013. As such, this performance was meant to pique audience’s interest for their return later this fall. From the positive reaction of the audience, it is clear that their return will be much anticipated by Brandeis faculty and students alike.

New art exhibit showcases summer memories

By Jess Linde

Special to the Hoot

On Wednesday, Sept. 18, the Goldman Schwartz art studio presented its new exhibition of student artwork created over the summer of 2013. The paintings (advertised as “new work from home and abroad”) are currently available for viewing in the Goldman Schwartz hallway.

The exhibit features all kinds of student pieces, including paintings, sketches, architectural designs, and sculptures. Art is visible as soon as the viewer enters the studio, and as a result the building’s windows highlight the art very well. The art itself is very impressive.

From the still life to the experimental statuettes that decorate the hall, the pieces emanate a sense of unbridled creativity as well as calm. One can almost feel the influence of the summer in them, and it is quite relaxing to walk through the Goldman Schwartz building and look at them. It is also clear that several of the pieces were created while the artists were abroad, because of an inexplicable feeling of foreignism.

Many of the pieces are fairly traditional in their structure and genre, but there’s a sense that the artists were not necessarily used to their surroundings.

There are many small drawings hanging on the walls that show clear influence from Japanese anime and other central Asian pop art, as well as cityscapes that look too old and a little too foreign to belong in the United States.

Some of the most eye-catching art is that by Marissa Lazar ’14, whose sketch drawings of human faces and small paintings of lakeside views evoke a stark, natural beauty. Also worth attention are small architectural models by Mark Borreliz ’14, who made little paper houses, complete

whimsical art Exhibit features student artwork.

with small paper people standing in them, the kind of home that looks fun to live in. Perhaps my favorite works were a series of nature paintings by Yi Wang, who seems to have mastered the subject. The colors and composition are entrancing and beautiful, sometimes hauntingly. Wang’s work

is immersive, and I would be very excited to see future pieces.

The only thing that did not jive for the average viewer was the format of the exhibit, which did not feature any information except the names of about four or five of the artists. In turn, these names were scribbled onto

photo by nate rosenbloom/the hoot

small pieces of paper and post-its, and hidden in the corner. I would have liked to know the names of all the artists and to where they traveled (if they did at all) along with when they were creating the art, because the artists on display in the exhibit are talented and deserve that credit.

Overall, the studio has succeeded in creating a proper space to show the talent of Brandeis art students. Summer may be over and most of us are back stateside and in school, but exploring the world of the art in Goldman is a good way to bring back sweet summer memories.