The Brandeis Hoot - 11/08/13

Volume 10 Number 21

www.thebrandeishoot.com

Brandeis University’s Community Newspaper • Waltham, Mass.

Acting skill saves ‘Hamlet’

By Dana Trismen Editor

hamlet Hamlet, played by Alex Davis ’15, steals the show.

photo by jesse zeng/the hoot

See HAMLET, page 9

Semester Online: an effort to integrate into the digital age

By Lassor Feasley Editor

As online education takes a more prominent role in collegiate life, Brandeis is actively working to integrate itself into the digital age. This semester, students will have the option to participate in over 20 courses on the internet-based classroom, Semester Online. While some courses have been offered recently, this semester’s offerings are more robust than ever before.

Semester Online, though in some ways following the trail blazed by other online educators like Khan Academy, distinguishes itself in several ways. It is the product of a consortium of 10 elite universities, each of which contributes class curriculums and professors to the website.

Brandeis, for example, is responsible for two upcoming classes, “Psychological and Socio-Cultural Perspectives on Health” and “The Hebrew Bible/Old Testament: Then and Now.” Semester Online also prides itself on having particularly selective enrollment, although students of consortium members, as well as three additional affiliate schools who do not contribute to course offerings, are automatically accepted. Students who do not attend one of these schools are

Inside this issue:

See ONLINE, page 2

Page 3 Page 12 Page 6 Page 14 Page 10

Parking problematic but solutions far off

By Dana Trismen Editor

Student Union states parking problematic but solutions a long way off There are more issued parking passes than parking spots. Students are angry about parking tickets, and professors are late to class because they cannot find a place to park their car. Welcome to Brandeis, where the proposed solution to the consistent parking problem may be a parking garage, but this is a simultaneously expensive and futuristic ideal.

Student Union President Ricky Rosen reported that Brandeis students have been concerned with parking for decades, according to his conversations with senior administration members. “This year, though, the issue has become even more serious. Both undergraduate and graduate students have reached out to Student Union representatives and members of administration about the shortage of parking. Many students have been parking in lots other than the ones to which they were assigned, leading to ticketing and towing,” Rosen stated.

Director of Public Safety Edward Callahan stated that Brandeis’ chal-

lenges are echoed at other small universities. “There may be challenges associated with illegally parked vehicles and unregistered vehicles. In addition, it may be challenging at times to manage parking for campus major events which occur on class days,” Callahan said.

Callahan estimates that about 15 percent of the vehicles consistently parked at Brandeis go unregistered, a statistic that includes both students and visitors. “We attempt to identify vehicle owners/operators and ask that they register their vehicles if they are Community members. If they are a visitor, we acclimate them to the parking pass process,” said Callahan.

When asked if students are required by law to pay a ticket, Callahan responded, “We encourage all Community members to pay fines and there is also an Appeal process available for Community members who believe they did not deserve to be cited.” He also stated that the money from the parking fines go back to the university general fund.

Rosen reports that the Student Union has evaluated several potential changes to the current parking See PARKING, page 3

Interfaith Chaplaincy expands its reach

also welcome to apply for enrollment, so long as they are at least in their sophomore year of college.

Unlike other online offerings, which are designed to be scalable, with virtually unlimited enrollment, Semester Online is different. Per class enrollment is capped at around 20 students. Because the service incorporates a live chat classroom, limited enrollment is necessary to ensure that professors are not overwhelmed.

Semester Online students may also meet the professor and other students in person if they so choose.

While credits earned on Semester Online are always transferable to general graduation requirements, departmental administrators decide if they are appropriate to fulfill major and minor requirements. For example, a class entitled “Financial Accounting and Reporting” offered

by University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, will not count towards the IBS Financial Accounting Requirement, which must be taken on campus.

Each Semester Online course only offers three (3) credits, unlike regular courses at Brandeis, which usually count for four. Each credit costs

News: Prof. highlights differences in recognition Opinion: Univ. needs to keep respectful club distance Arts, Etc.: Slosberg immersed in chamber music Opinion: Parking situation untenable on campus Editorial: 2U is too costly

From a company that historically has brought hilarity and variety to traditional Shakespeare plays, this week Hold Thy Peace presents “Hamlet.” In years past, the company has transported “Much Ado about Nothing” to the 1990s and set “Macbeth” in the era of World War II. But this year, Hold Thy Peace has played it pretty safe, making only one small (and confusing) plot change. In traditional performances of “Hamlet,” Hamlet has a close friend and confidant Horatio, who is the only other character that can see the ghost of Hamlet’s father.

In Hold Thy Peace’s version, both Horatio and Hamlet’s father are spectors, the dead that only Hamlet can see.

The acting in “Hamlet” is fantastic, enthralling audiences in every scene from a monologue to a battle scene. But this twist in the plotline is not supported by the lines in the play.

For those somehow still unaware of the plotline of “Hamlet” (it is one of the most widely referenced pieces of literature in English), Hamlet’s

November 8, 2013

photo courtesy vaishali gupta

advisor Vaishali Gupta was hired as the new Hindu advisor after a three-year search.

By Rachel Hirschhaut Editor

With an active Interfaith Chaplaincy composed of four chaplains— Jewish, Catholic, Protestant and Muslim—the religious and spiritual leadership at Brandeis University already reflects the diversity within the student body. Now the school

has welcomed a new Hindu chaplain, Vaishali Gupta, who will work to serve the spiritual needs of students in the Hindu, Jain and Sikh communities.

The Chaplaincy hosted a meetand-greet event to welcome Gupta on Wednesday, Nov. 6.

Gupta, who is already the spiritual advisor for Hindu students at Welles-

ley College, hopes to incorporate her passion for the environment into her interfaith work at Brandeis. She spoke fondly about her role in organizing “Diversitree,” a sustainable food gardening project that took place in her hometown of Ashland, MA. The initiative was a response to President See GUPTA, page 3

Judges salute

Pakistani explores

Women’s volleyball suffered losses at Endicott and Connecticut colleges at Tri-Match.

Khawaja presents artwork created by female Pakistani artists tackling the issue of identity.

seniors

Sports: Page 9

the female form

Arts: Page 16

news

2 The Brandeis Hoot

November 8, 2013

Lecture highlights unsung suffragist hero

By Jess Linde Staff

Last Thursday, the Women’s Studies Research Center hosted an event

by Center scholar Pamela Swing, who presented a lecture on her grandmother Betty Gram, a radical suffragist who worked with several famous figures in the early 20th century.

Swing first discovered her grandmother’s past in the early women’s rights movement as a high schooler when she wrote a paper on Gram.

Recently, Swing helped to clean out one of her grandmother’s beloved 18th-century Oregon houses, and found Gram’s personal archives. The archives, which are being donated to Harvard’s Schlesinger Library on the History of Women in America, are massive and include hundreds of typed articles, photographs and even scattered pieces of an unpublished memoir.

Swing’s lecture focused on her initial research into the archives. Ac-

cording to Swing, the information covered by the lecture, while substantial, drew from less than half of the documents in her grandmother’s archives. The lecture began with a description of Betty Gram’s work in the suffragist movement before moving backward and covering Gram’s earlier life. Gram was the daughter of a middle class Danish-American family living in Portland, Oregon and grew up with a passion for the arts and education.

She attended college for a year but had to drop out because of financial reasons. It was also at school that she first got involved in major actions within the voting movement. Gram became a radicalized feminist after being called with her sister to the East Coast by suffragist leader Alice Paul.

The most dramatic event of Gram’s career was with the suffragist movement, and the emotional focus of most of her writing, came when she and a group of around 160 women were arrested in 1917 for “disturbing the peace.” The arrest came in the

wake of a series of protests against the treatment of Alice Paul in prison (Paul was force-fed and not allowed to sleep).

Gram and her group were told they were going to the same Washington State prison as Paul, but were actually taken to the Occoquan Workhouse, where they were subjected to constant hard labor, beatings and emotional abuse. Gram went on a hunger strike that lasted eight days, and another suffragist even suffered a heart attack but was ignored by the guards. After her release, Gram became a national organizer for the National Woman’s Party and worked harder than ever to pass the 19th Amendment.

“Doing this research has allowed me to love my grandmother in a whole new way,” Swing told the audience. She said she hopes that her work will allow her grandmother to finally become known and appreciated for her generally unknown work.

The lecture ended with the audience singing the classic suffragist anthem “Alive, Oh!”

photo from internet source

suffrage Betty Gram, pictured with other suffragists and members of the National Woman’s

Party

Gupta joins chaplaincy New online classes come at a price GUPTA, from page 1

Obama’s Interfaith Challenge, which works to bring religious communities together through community service projects.

The new chaplain plans to lead a two-hour prayer and discussion group every Thursday evening, based on the prayers and rituals that students are most interested in including.

Gupta led the candle-lighting ceremony at the Diwali celebration hosted

by Namaskar, the student-led organization for Hindus, Jains and Sikhs, on Friday, Nov. 1. She explained the customs of the holiday to many students who were experiencing Diwali for the first time. Her responsibilities include leading other holiday celebrations, planning field trips to Hindu, Jain and Sikh temples in the Boston area and inviting speakers who can teach the greater Brandeis community about other aspects of Hinduism.

She is most looking forward to becoming part of a campus community “with a lot of excitement for spirituality” and “making our education whole” with a new multicultural perspective.

The chaplaincy found Gupta after a three-year search, with much input from members of Namaskar and other students who wanted to see a greater representation of their religion on campus. Led by Catholic Chaplain

Father Walter Cuenin, the chaplaincy searched the Boston Hindu community for a well-versed spiritual leader who could “hear what the students need,” Rev. Matthew Carriker, the Protestant chaplain said.

Carriker described how the chaplaincy is working harder to meet the needs of students whose religious backgrounds are not as widely represented at Brandeis. Jihyang Padma, a Buddhist nun, is coming to campus to speak next Monday, while Sangha, the Buddhist meditation and culture club, will now meet twice a week.

Atheists and non-religious students are part of this initiative as well. In February, Chris Stedman, the chaplain for atheists, agnostics and secular humanists at Harvard University, will visit Brandeis to deliver a lecture on his book, “Faitheist: How an Atheist Found Common Ground with the Religious.”

The chaplains agreed unanimously that with Gupta’s arrival, they are most looking forward to “adding more diversity to the interfaith conversation” by learning from perspectives beyond the Abrahamic religions.

“There are two components of our jobs: serving the people in our own faith traditions and thinking creatively about what we can do as chaplains,” Carriker said. “Interfaith service, coming together for peace and social justice, only becomes richer when there are more faiths sitting around the table.”

photo courtesy vaishali gupta

ONLINE, from page 1

$1,400, meaning that a class will run a prospective unaffiliated student $4,200.

Semester Online was created in collaboration with 2U, a company which specializes in helping elite schools of higher education create online programs. While the company has limited experience working with undergraduate programs before the Semester Online software, many organizations have expressed enthusiasm for its prospects. For example, it has raised almost 100 million dollars in Venture Capital financing and was featured in Fast Company’s 2012 list of the most innovative education companies.

2U retains the help of other corporations to provide services to top universities. For example, Amazon Salesforce, an all-purpose software and databasing company, is responsible for features of the software which keep track of every interaction students have with Semester Online. For example, Salesforce can gauge how often students login to the program and what the extent of their interaction is.

Adobe was contracted to provide a live video streaming service, so that each student can connect to the classroom simultaneously. Some online classrooms even feature screens displaying all the other students at one time, unlike a traditional classroom, in which students can only see the backs of their peers’ heads.

Finally, Kaltura is responsible for video demonstrations which will often accompany course materials.

These could, for example, feature actors pretending to engage in a therapy session in a psychology class. Integrating elements which are customized to the web platform is important to the company and its clients.

2U puts a high emphasis on student success and satisfaction. Each student is connected with a “representative” who keeps track of the students performance and utilization of the site.

The representative can offer guidance and take advice from disgruntled or

photo by marian siljeholm/the hoot

underperforming students.

While the consortium of schools on Semester Online is select, it has been growing steadily. Even recently, two new schools signed on: Trinity College Dublin and the University of Melbourne are offering classes starting next semester.

Semester Online represents a medium between traditional and online education which has been established over the past decade and the class-

room format which has been around for centuries. Semester Online states in its guiding principles that “the purpose of Semester Online student learning assessment is to improve teaching and learning at consortium institutions.” The principals also mandate that professors share their teaching experiences between universities, such that a non-adversarial relationship is hopefully fostered between the institutions.

November 8, 2013

NEWS 3

The Brandeis Hoot

Brandeis researchers find older adults still recognize subtle facial expressions

photo by matt brondoli/the hoot

By Jaye Han Staff

Professor Leslie Zebrowitz (PSYC) and Robert Franklin of Zebrowitz Face Perception Lab conducted research comparing the level of emotion overgeneralization effects in older adults and younger adults. They published their findings in the paper “Older Adults’ Trait Impressions of Faces are Sensitive to Subtle Resemblance to Emotions” in April 2013.

It has been previously found that first impressions are affected by emotion overgeneralization, which refers to people’s tendencies

to attribute emotion-related traits to people whose neutral faces resemble a certain emotion. For example, if a person’s neutral face resembles an angry face, people are more likely to perceive this person less likable and hostile even though this assumption might be completely invalid. It is theorized that this overgeneralization is a byproduct of our ability to appropriately perceive and respond to emotional expressions, which is an important survival skill.

For this study, the Zebrowitz lab compared their subjects’ evaluation of a series of photographs of neutral faces with the evaluation of a computer program that was trained to

analyze which emotion the neutral face actually resembled by measuring and calculating the face through its characteristics. When they compared the young adults’ answers with the computer’s answers, they found that young adults could effectively recognize the subtle resemblances of emotions in neutral faces. For example, the more hostile or unfriendly they thought a neutral face looked, the more resemblance to expression of anger the computer calculated the face to be.

Given the knowledge that older adults show deficit in accurately labeling strong emotional expressions, Zebrowitz thought that perhaps old-

Parking problems remain unsolved PARKING, from page 1

system. “We have evaluated potential short-term changes, such as finding an off-campus lot to use during peak hours on weekday mornings and afternoons. We have also considered building another parking lot on campus. However, Ed Callahan and Mark Collins both assured me that these options were unfeasible,” he said.

Presently, the Student Union has decided the best option moving forward would be to invest in a parking lot.

Rosen sent out a parking survey to the student body on Oct. 28. The questionnaire asked undergraduate and graduate students about parking, with questions such as, “Do you think that there are enough parking spaces on campus?” “Would you like to see the university invest in a new parking garage?” and “Are you in favor of the university allocating tuition dollars to build a parking structure?” Rosen reports that within 24 hours, 1000 students responded to the survey. As of Nov. 4, another 300 students sent in their responses. “We believe that this is further evidence that students are dissatisfied with parking on campus and that we are eager for a change,” said Rosen.

Callahan believes that while the parking lot may be an effective new option, it would also be expensive. “If

photo by the hoot

the structure was large enough and accessible enough, it may alleviate concerns and possibly make the campus easier to navigate for pedestrians and bicyclists. Funding would have to be appropriated for a parking garage, and it may take a while to construct if approved,” he said.

While Rosen said that the Student Union has the Administration on their side and that the two plan to work together toward new steps,

he also said that the parking garage “would be long-term and would probably not be implemented for years.”

In the meantime, the Student Union plans on evaluating the results of the survey and presenting statistics and research to upper administration members. “In the immediate future, we are trying to educate students on responsible parking, such as registering with the parking office and parking in one’s assigned lot,” said Rosen.

er adults wouldn’t show this bias as much as young adults. Amazingly, their study showed that older adults are just as effective as young adults in recognizing the subtle emotional resemblances in neutral faces.

“There’s no difference. Older adults, just like younger adults, see faces that the computer thinks look more angry, and think they’re more hostile, and less trustworthy; they think the faces that the computer believes show more surprise, actually look more naïve,” Professor Zebrowitz said. This means that although older adults show deficit in identifying real emotional faces accurately, they are very sensitive to subtle variations among neutral faces

that resemble emotions.

There are a number of different explanations that they have been pursuing, Zebrowitz explained. One may be that multiple choices invoke a different kind of thinking that older adults perform worse on. Another explanation is that they use a different kind of processing, automatic or controlled, and because the parts of the brain that control automatic processing are more preserved with age, older adults show no deficit in emotional overgeneralization.

Older adults usually do worse on tests that measure speed of processing and executive control; they usually also have poorer visual cue, and perhaps less contrast sensitivity. There is a lot of evidence that older adults function very well in interpersonal relationships, and because of these test results that show lower cognitive function, this social ability has been a puzzle to scientists.

Zebrowitz expressed that this study is important because it that shows social cognition functions are intact in older adults. “Maybe we shouldn’t generalize too much from what happens in cognitive tests that don’t have meaningful social content or the cognitive tests that doesn’t really represent what goes on in everyday life,” she said. This study shows that when older adults face a social cognition task, they perform just as well as young adults do.

The Zebrowitz lab has since furthered their research and published another paper that studied the accuracy of people’s first expressions in regards to aggression. They found that people did show accuracy greater than chance in correctly judging how aggressive a person is. Professor Zebrowitz further mentioned that the lab is currently studying how accurate people are in predicting a person’s health and competence based on appearances.

sports

4 The Brandeis Hoot

November 8, 2013

Judges send off Hensley and Einhorn on Senior Day

By Dani Chasin Editor

In their final two matches before the UAA championships, the Brandeis women’s volleyball team suffered back-to-back losses against Endicott and Connecticut colleges at the Brandeis Tri-Match. The players and coaches took the time to honor seniors Si-Si Hensley ’14 and Yael Einhorn ’14 before they played in their last home game of the regular season. The Judges fell 3-0 against Endicott College in the opening game and lost to Connecticut College in a tight 3-2 match as they finished their season off with an overall record of 10-22.

At the start of the game against Endicott, both teams were evenly matched. After tying 15-15 in the first set, the visitors broke away to win the period 25-20. The Judges had a chance to rebound in the second set

when they were up 17-6 with their biggest lead of the game, but they were unable to hold the Gulls off as the opponent came back to win the point 26-24. Although the Judges tried again to overcome the Gulls in the third set, the visitors got an early start and carried the lead until the final buzzer with a set score of 25-18.

Despite the Endicott team getting away with the win, the Judges managed to have more kills for the game with 42 compared to the visitors’ 37.

They also outnumbered Endicott in digs (71-70) and service aces (7-6).

The Judges had 27 attacking errors while the opponent had 11. Hensley led the team in digs with 21, while outside hitter Liz Hood ’15 had the most kills for the Judges with 12.

Also, middle blocker Carly GutnerDavis ’15 had 10 kills and four errors in 20 attempts.

In a two-hour long match against Connecticut College, both teams

gearing up The team gets ready for another point.

By Charlie Romanow Staff

The men’s soccer team had a solid weekend on the home field holding off two conference opponents. Friday pitted them against Washington University in a 0-0 draw while Sunday had them leaving with a 3-0 victory against the University of Chicago.

The Wash. U Bears outshot the Judges 14-11 overall and 7-3 on goal, but neither team was able to get the ball in the net. The first solid opportunity of the game was in minute 26 after a cross by rookie forward Zach Viera ’17 led to a header by forward Sam Ocel ’13 but ended up over the bar. Wash U.’s Jeremy Kirkwood was able to scoot the ball past the goalie but defender Conor Lanahan ’16 stopped it from reaching the net.

photos by edwin gonzalez/the hoot

spiking the competition

traded sets, but the Camels slipped away with the 3-2 win against the Judges. The first set saw an almosteven match from both teams, but the visitors held the lead until the end of the period with a 25-21 score. In the second, the score was 19-14, and three big kills from Hensley nearly sealed the point for the Judges who managed to add three more kills to win the set 25-20. The Judges got an early start in the third set nailing the first five points, but a counterattack by the Camels kept them strong until they were tied 18-18 with the home team, and then the visitors broke

away to finish the point 25-18. In the fourth set, both teams were tied 1616, but the Judges took advantage of a few attack errors by the Camels and stole the point with a score of 25-22.

The final set of the match saw an early start for the Camels as they scored five out of the first six points and held off the Judges until the close of the game with a score of 15-12 for the set.

The Judges saw a key performance

by Hood, who nailed 21 kills for the game, the most out of all players on the court and her seventh career match recording at least 20 kills. She also had 12 digs and was one of five

players for the Judges who had a double-double. Hensley added 14 kills and 11 digs, securing her 25th double figures performance of her career.

Setter Maggie Swenson ’16 gained a career-high with 50 assists, as libero Elsie Bernaiche ’15 had 27 digs.

With the regular season behind them, the Judges look to make a fresh appearance in the UAA Championship this weekend at home. They will face some of the biggest competition in the league, including Emory, Washington University and Chicago.

Their first game will be on Friday against Wash U in the quarterfinals.

good work Teammates congratulate each other on their playing.

Men’s soccer has strong weekend against UAA opponents A couple of late yellow cards given to defender Ben Applefield ’14 and forward Tyler Savonen ’15 gave advantage to the Bears, but goalkeeper Joe Graffy ’15 stopped any possibility of a goal. Brandeis had a couple of late chances in the 81st and 89th minutes. The first came off a corner by midfielder Michael Soboff ’15 to Lanahan that bounced wide of the far post. The second started from a cross by forward Tudor Livadaru ’14, but Savonen unable to redirect it to the goal as it bounced wide. Both teams had some opportunities in the first overtime, but neither was able to pull ahead.

The Judges did not help themselves early on by committing 11 of a total 19 fouls in the first half. The Bears had nine fouls. Graffy led with seven saves. Soboff had two shots on-goal

on six shot attempts. The Bears Michael Flowers and Kirkwood each had multiple shot on-goal opportunities.

19th-ranked Wash U. is ahead of Brandeis by one point in the conference standings. They are 9-4-3 overall and 2-2-2 in-conference. Their final match will be in the “Windy City” against the University of Chicago on Saturday.

Sunday’s match against the Maroons heavily favored the Judges.

Brandeis took the lead for good in the 21st minute after Ocel was fouled, and Livadaru put a free kick that bounced off of the right post into the goal. This was Livadaru’s fourth goal of the season. Both teams would have good opportunities later on as Graffy made a strong block in the 31st minute which led to a play by Savonen in which he beat the defender to the ball,

had a shot blocked by the goalie but put the rebound back in for a score.

Savonen scored his second goal of the game and ninth of the season in the 57th minute on an assist by Jake Picard ’16. This marks Savonen’s third multi-goal game of the season, and the fourth of his career.

Despite the lopsided score differential, Chicago outshot Brandeis 11 to 9. They did not have many opportunities on-goal though, as the Judges overtook them in this statistic five to three. In addition to Savonen’s three shots on-goal, Livadaru had two of his own.

Brandeis keeper Joe Graffy took home his fourth shutout of the season. He has accordingly been named the UAA Defensive Player of the Week. He has had three consecutive shutouts and has not allowed a goal in

the last 327 minutes of his time on the field. He is third in the conference in saves and shutouts. This is the second time this season that he has received this honor.

The Maroons are 9-5-2 overall and 3-3 in the conference, two places ahead of Brandeis. Despite the Judges solid 13-4-1 performance this season, they have fallen behind conference opponents with worse overall records as they are 2-3-1 in the UAA. Despite the disappointing conference performances this year, Brandeis is ranked 22nd nationally by D3soccer. com, behind UAA foes Carnegie Mellon and the University of Rochester, both of whom defeated Brandeis this season. They are also ranked 22nd

by NSCAA, behind three UAA foes.

Brandeis finishes the season at home against New York University.

NEWS

November 8, 2013

The Brandeis Hoot 5

Recently published articles by Brandeis researchers How we make decisions quickly Researchers Don Katz (PSYC) and Paul Miller investigated the difficulty for animals to make quick decisions that keep them alive. When animals must choose an action to take, their brains process information that is “noisy,” which means that there is extra unnecessary information available to them. They have to sort through the additional information and decide the best action they can take to guarantee their survival. The researchers saw that there are limitations to how well animals can make decisions; there is “noise,” so the brain can only work so quickly, and a decision must be made in a short period of time.

They then looked at the differences between two models that represent the network in the brain that forms a decision. Their data suggested that the common integrator model, which assumes that an animal has unlimited time to make a decision, is not the best way to demonstrate the neural circuits. Instead, they looked at the accuracy of multiple different models of decision-making and investigated what could make the model work better.

Accuracy and response-time distributions for decision-making: linear perfect integrators versus nonlinear attractor-based neural circuits.

Diabetes caused by amount and type of carbohydrates you eat Researchers Bolsinger, Pronczuk and Hayes investigated Type 2 diabetes mellitus in rats. They fed the rats diets with different ratios of carbohydrates to fats and varying amounts of fiber. After a period of time, they tested blood sugar levels, weight and incidence of diabetes. The rats that received a large amount of carbohydrates were more likely to develop diabetes. The other diets did not alter the rats’ development of diabetes.

The rats with advanced diabetes had

liver and kidney damage. When the researchers switched carbohydrates with fiber, they were able to delay the time when diabetes started, but it did not prevent the rats’ resistance to insulin. Rats that ate a high fat and low carbohydrate diet, however, seemed to have prevented insulin resistance.

This is very similar to how diabetes occurs in humans, and the research can give us a better understanding of how to treat or prevent diabetes by a controlled diet.

Understanding what causes sleep Scientists are using flies to study the biological pathway of sleep and how sleep impacts feeding habits. In both humans and flies, there is a protein called Neuropeptide Y (NPY) that regulates both sleep schedules and feeding. Since NPY has caused young men to sleep in previous studies, Yuhua Shang et al. researched the relative protein in fruit flies to find out how sleep was regulated by flies.

The researchers specifically looked for the neuropeptide called Y-like short neuropeptide F (sNPF) which is very similar to the human protein. Data indicated that this neuropeptide is an important signal that tells the fly

when to sleep and when to wake. The peptide is made by neurons, some of which function as biological clocks.

Usually, a sleeping organism will have less desire to eat. Conversely, eating can make an organism less likely to sleep. The protein in the fly is interesting because although it increases the amount of time spent sleeping, it doesn’t change the typical feeding habits of the flies. This indicates that the protein is likely most important for making an organism sleep, and the effects on feeding are through an indirect process, rather than being the primary function of the peptide.

This Week in Photos

perc Student group PERC gives out free kits in the morning to educate their peers to make good decisions.

comic Judah Friedlander visited Brandeis Oct. 25 during Fall Fest weekend.

photo by nate rosenbloom/the hoot photos by marian siljeholm/the hoot

6 The Brandeis Hoot

arts, etc.

November 8, 2013

Choirs present evokative melodies

By Vinh Nguyen Staff

Velvety smooth melodies and lush, tranquil harmonies filled the Slosberg Recital Hall last Saturday night with the concert performance of the Brandeis University Chorus and Chamber Choir. Presenting a program that drew references to Bach and repertoire from the Romantic era, including the works of Schubert, Schumann and Brahms, the University Chorus and Chamber Choir gave a concert that was delightfully enjoyable as evident by the three rounds of thunderous applause the audience gave at the conclusion of the show.

Performing under the direction of James Olesen with Leslie Amper accompanying the group on the piano, the Brandeis University Chorus and Chamber group opened the concert by singing the Brandeis Alma Mater, a piece arranged from Brahms by Erwin Bodky, who was also an original member of the Brandeis music department.

From the start of the show, with this first piece, the audience was able to tell that both the University Chorus and Chamber Choir sing with a strong attention to musical technique and musicianship. The sound was well balanced between each section, and harmonies were well built from the bass section all the way up to the soprano singers. The result was an entirely full, rounded quality to the overall sound that was produced by both groups singing.

Indeed, the technical skills each student presented, as well as the way both the University Chorus and Chamber Chorus can sing as a group—internally and when joined together—were some of the key elements that made the concert a success. An alto singer in the University Chorus, Emily Eng ’14, explained that the chorus works attentively to develop their ensemble skills, saying, “We have sectional for each song that lasts about half an hour scattered through the first part of the semester.

The rest of the time, Professor Olesen will teach us how to phrase the music, sing healthily and come together as a group, focusing on balance, articulation and vowel sounds.”

Next, the University Chorus was

choir performance Choir astounds audience with velvety melodies.

featured in Mendelssohn’s “Lift Thine Eyes” from Elijah and “O Be Joyful (Psalm 100).” The chorus was impressive in the way they communicated the contrapuntal compositional elements of Mendelssohn’s works. Simply, the pieces use melodies that are similar but sung at offset time. First, a main melody is sung, and while it proceeds, a different section starts another similar melody and the process continues with each section starting and either ending together or independently.

“The selections for this concert were related through Bach’s music.

All of the composers on the program knew, revered and strove to emulate his music, even as they were of a different time and had other music on their minds,” Olesen said. “They all wrote to a contrapuntal ideal, an ideal in which each voice has a measure of melodic and rhythmic independence yet combine to make expressive and motion-generating harmony.”

The University Chorus displayed their ensemble skills with timing of these different contrapuntal melodic

motifs, rendering beautiful and angelically haunting echoes that were exchanged between the sections.

The University Chorus took a rest while the Chamber Choir group took the front stage, performing an array of sections from Schubert, Schumann and Brahms. Through its sections, the Chamber Choir showcased their wide range of skills and flexibly, singing a substantial selection of classical choral works in this part of the concert. A wonderful highlight was “Standchen,” which the Chamber Choir performed with the guest mezzo-soprano soloist, Pamela Dellal.

As noted in the program, Dellal has been praised for her “exquisite vocal color,” “musical sensitivity” and “eloquent phrasing.” Dellal, a voice instructor at Brandeis who was also instrumental in writing and putting together the opera “Love in Schlossberg Village” last semester, truly went beyond her accolades as a soloist in “Standchen.” Dellal sang with her whole body, echoing the grace of her poise to her expressions and ultimately to her wonderful singing. She

photo from internet source

was well supported by the Chamber Choir, who helped to tie the piece together. The University Chorus then performed four selections from Bach, threading each piece with the careful attention to detail and technical merit as they had done throughout the whole night.

The University Chorus and Chamber Choir closed the show with gusto in singing a second Brandeis song: “The Blue and White.” Composed by Irving Fine, another original member of the Brandies Music Department and founder of the Brandeis School of Creative Arts, the piece was charmingly upbeat and had many of the audience members humming its catchy lines.

The Brandeis University Chorus has continuously stood as a strong cornerstone in the music department, both providing access to music performance for students and leading the community in the annual “Messiah Sing” that is held in the SCC atrium every winter. The University Chorus offers students a chance to sing music from the Renaissance to

the present, exploring the extensive repertoire from the Western tradition with the occasional songs from Broadway, Hollywood and AfricanAmerican tradition in the mix.

Similarly, the Chamber Choir gives students an added opportunity to dive into classical choral repertoire. The Chamber Choir is smaller in ensemble, but it is composed of talented and skilled singers that make for a group that is highly vocally and musically independent.

Many of the songs performed were religious in content; however, there is a something much greater in the activity of musical performance. Olesen noted in a post-concert interview, “I think all of western classical music speaks to peace, not directly, but by being beyond politics and showing there is an interior life for each individual which can be entered in no other way but by art of this depth and meaning.” Perhaps this was best exemplified by how the student musicians were able to work and sing together to produce a pleasurable listening experience this past weekend.

Pakistani art celebrates female form ByDaniela Ayala

Special to the Hoot

Earlier this week, Brandeis hosted a lecture by Sophya Khwaja sponsored by the programs in South Asian studies and history of ideas.

Khwaja, a Pakistani artist who was born and raised in Pakistan, focused on the restrictions placed on the female body and the artworks of contemporary female artists from Pakistan who challenge these restrictions and celebrate the female form.

Khwaja initiated her discussion by elaborating on the current issues in Pakistan regarding the conflicting traditional values and the impact that they have on women. She provided information about the Hudood Ordinance, which was established in 1977. It included a clause in the constitution that made adultery and rape punishable by death, but the limitations in the clause make proving rape and providing sufficient evidence practically impossible. In 2003, 80 percent of women in Pakistani jails were there because they failed to prove charges of rape and were con-

sequently charged with adultery.

According to Khwaja, current-day Pakistan has been flung into a technologically advanced age. However, it is still behind in regards to policies surrounding technology. For example, even though 90 percent of people live below the poverty line, about 70 percent own a cellular device. Recently, legislation placed a ban on cheaper plan packages because the constant communication allegedly encourages youth to engage in immoral behavior.

Khawaja also presented artwork created by female Pakistani artists tackling the issues of identity and selfhood and taking on the aforementioned issues. The first image was a painting of a cow climbing what appeared to be a phone tower. It was twisted away, looking downward in distress. According to Khwaja, the cow was meant to depict Pakistan wanting to move forward while still trying to retain its traditional values. The discomfort of the cow could mean many things, such as the distrust of modern-day technology or a fear of change and advancement that could pose a threat to those traditional values.

Much of the art work that Khwaja showed was focused on female attire in Pakistan. Khwaja described how the endorsed clothing restricts movement. It signifies telling a woman she cannot go to work, cannot operate certain machinery and must remain indoors. In short, the religious dress code dictates the status of women.

The main article of clothing discussed was the burqa, a traditional form of dress that covers a woman’s full body, including face, with a small opening for the eyes.

Some women find wearing the burqa empowering because they can avoid certain things such as the “male gaze.” Khwaja stated that the feeling of empowerment is temporary and in the short run might seem beneficial, but the implications in the long run are serious. “We only veil things we wish to unveil at some point,” Khwaja said, which means that the burqa renders women a mysterious entity desired to be unraveled by the “male gaze.”

Her lecture was well received by the audience and a group of students who gathered after her lecture to speak with her and further the discourse.

controversey of the burqua Lecturer Sophya Khwaja discusses Pakistani feminist art. photo from internet source

November 8, 2013

ARTS, ETC. 7

The Brandeis Hoot

‘Liars’ spin off show starts strong ByRachel Dobkin Special to the Hoot

On Oct. 22, ABC Family debuted new drama “Ravenswood,” a spin-off of the extremely popular (and addictive) show “Pretty Little Liars” (PLL).

“Ravenswood” is a fictional town next to Rosewood, the fictional home of PLL. Ravenswood has appeared in the last several episodes of “Pretty Little Liars” as the home of Ms. Grunwald (a mysterious woman linked to Ali) and A’s lair.

The town in “Pretty Little Liars” was always seen in a dismal and scary light, tinged with suspicion and peculiarity—but in “Ravenswood,” it is seen in a completely new light. The series follows five teenagers: Miranda Collins, Luke and Olivia Matheson and Remy Beaumont, who attend the local high school, and Caleb Rivers from PLL. Instead of appearing dreary and primarily inhabited by the elderly, Ravenswood is portrayed as a lively town with just as vibrant a high school and town culture as its neighbor, Rosewood.

Interestingly, Ravenswood High School seems to have a lot more school spirit and normalcy than Rosewood High. The writers do not let this lightheartedness linger for too long, however. It is soon juxtaposed with dark mystery.

The show begins with Caleb meeting a frazzled Miranda on a bus, and he is told by his girlfriend to watch out for her for the near future. Miranda ran away to Ravenswood to locate her only living relative, a mysterious uncle who has been absent for most of her life.

Caleb and Miranda find gravestones in a cemetery that are marked with their names and pictures, which is very unnerving. They meet Remy, whose father runs the town newspaper and could access information that could potentially help them figure out

cast of ravenswood Ravenswood delves into the supernatural.

why they have appeared to have died.

Remy is also coping with her mother’s return from service in Afghanistan, who inexplicably is the lone survivor of a disaster in her unit.

After her mother quotes a long-dead miraculous war survivor from Ravenswood, Remy does some investigation of her own. She weaves together a hypothesis that after every war, five teenagers die in an accident.

After Caleb, Miranda, Luke, Olivia and Remy are involved in a car crash precipitated by supernatural forces and Miranda dies, they cannot ignore this possible explanation. Miranda now appears to Caleb as a ghost. Unable to shake the feeling that they all should have perished, the teens continue to investigate the possible

“curse” of Ravenswood and are confronted with calamitous and gloomy occurrences that do not appear to be mere coincidences, which are the focal point of the show.

Although there have only been three episodes of the show so far, the series is enthralling and leaves the viewer on the edge of her seat.

The writers do an excellent job constructing a complex but easy-to-follow plot and creating familiar characters. The show’s content is somber and sometimes scary, leaving little room for humor. This is to be expected in a drama, but a little laugh now and then would probably be met with a positive response. Overall, “Ravenswood” is so far an addictive, provocative and enjoyable show.

photos from internet source

True Confessions of a Netflix Addict

Cancelled show depicts urban life

By Sophia Baez

Special to the Hoot

Hello, my name is Sophia Baez. I am a self-proclaimed Netflix addict. I eat, breathe and live my Netflix. Some might think I am outrageous—and they might be right—but Netflix is my happy place. Going to Brandeis can be stressful. Between the five papers due within two days of each other, lab reports and exams, there is a lot happening. One of my favorite things to do after a long day of work, class and meetings is to go back to my room, get on my computer and open Netflix. Yes, I live a sad life. Let’s move on.

Netflix recommended my latest show because I’ve watched and enjoyed “The Carrie Diaries.” Yet again, Netflix was right. The show they recommended is witty, heartwarming and includes my favorite thing to have in a television show (other than Ian Somerholder of course): awkwardness.

The show is “Don’t Trust the B--- in Apartment 23.” June Colburn (played by Dreama Walker) is a smalltown girl from Indiana. She moves to the greatest city in the world, New

York, after scoring a major job on Wall Street. The job was the missing piece in her perfect life puzzle—after already having a perfect fiancé and a perfect company apartment. After what seems like a day in the city, she loses all of those things through a se-

ries of unfortunate events.

June, being the upbeat perfectionist, needs to put everything back together again. In search of another perfect apartment, she comes across Chloe (Krysten Ritter). Chloe is something of a con artist, and she al-

most conned June from her security deposit and a month’s rent. While she might have the morals of a sociopath, she does have moments of true compassion.

The unlikely pair balance each other out, and eventually change each

photo from internet source

other for better or worse. This show is all about their adventures in the big city alongside James Van Der Beek, famous from “Dawson’s Creek,” who plays a fictional version of himself.

Van Der Beek gives a great performance, playing an actor who is trying to break from his “Dawson’s Creek” box but also has no problem using his fame in the sticky situations Chloe usually puts him in. While “Don’t Trust the B---- in Apartment 23” only ran for two seasons, I think it is incredibly funny and light. It definitely was a change of pace, and the characters are solid.

The best part of the show is Krysten Ritter. You might have seen her in supporting roles such as the gothic office worker from “27 Dresses” or Jesse’s heroin addict girlfriend from “Breaking Bad.” She is outrageous but also the best friend every girl wants because she forces June out of her comfort zone, in a good way.

While Walker’s character is a little vanilla, she adds a good dynamic to this hilarious show. If you want a show with crazy roommates, awkward ’90s teen idols, a pervy yet insightful neighbor, a stalker-like former roommate and a diva assistant, this 20-minute show is for you.

8 ARTS, ETC.

The Brandeis Hoot

November 8, 2013

Action Bronson continues his streak

By Jess Linde Staff

Of all the new rappers who have come out of the so-called “new school” of hip-hop, there are few more unique, in both personality and style, than New York’s Action Bronson. A trained fire-flame chef, Bronson has made quite the name for himself since his 2011 debut. He’s proven himself extremely prolific, with two self-released albums, an EP on Atlantic Records, four mixtapes and guest appearances in which he is able to hold his own on songs by other acclaimed new-schoolers, such as Chance the Rapper, Joey Bada$$ and A$AP Rocky.

But at the same time, the music community has bashed Bronson for his vulgar lyrics and actions. All of his songs have to do with sex, crime, genitalia (or food-related euphemisms for genitalia) and controversial activities. He once posted on Instagram a

picture of a drunk homeless person whom he and his friends had shoved around and poured water on.

Nevertheless, Action Bronson has been one of my favorite current rappers since a friend gave me burned CDs of his brilliant 2012 mixtapes “Rare Chandeliers” and “Blue Chips,” the latter of which he followed up this Halloween with a surprise release of the aptly-titled “Blue Chips 2.” Since it came out, I’ve diligently listened to the 19-song tape at least five times, and I was happy to see that unlike this June’s lukewarm “SAAAB Stories,” “Blue Chips 2” is Action Bronson at his best.

Beginning with “Silverado,” “Intro” and “Pepe Lopez,” the mixtape immediately sets itself up as classic Bronson: classic Wu-Tang style flow, tongue-incheek sensibility and of course vulgarity. “The Don’s Cheek” is a three-minute “Godfather” reference, and the following songs “It Concerns Me” and “Practice” continue to show off Action Bronson’s skills, as well as those of producer Party Supplies, who also produced the first “Blue Chips” tape.

The beats are very creative and include funky samples, such as The Champs’ instrumental classic “Tequila,” and on the song “Jackson and Travolta,” the hilarious isolated vocal track of Van Halen’s “Running With the Devil.”

“Through the Eyes of A G” kicks the mixtape into full gear with a fantastic guest verse by Ab-Soul; “Contemporary Man,” “Twin Peugots” and “Man in the Mirror” are equally electrifying and feature some great food puns. Except for “Rolling Thunder,” which also credits Action Bronson as a featured artist for some reason, and is just kind of weird, the final eight songs are all really good, especially “9.24.13” and “Amadu Diablo.” The baseness of the lyrics is a bit wearying at times and sometimes Party Supplies’ samples can be as weird and out of place as they are creative. I admit that I’m a bit biased in this review because I really like Action Bronson. But “Blue Chips 2” is a good entry into what has been a great year for rap music, and I’ll definitely be listening to it for the rest of this year.

photo from internet source

controversy Action Bronson has many controversial lyrics.

Third Eye Blind brings fun to Boston despite rough performance

By Dana Trismen Editor

Third Eye Blind, an alternative rock band known best known for their songs “Jumper” and “Semi-Charmed Life,” swept into Boston on Monday for a performance at the House of Blues. While all the band members are now in their 40s, and the lead singer (Steve Jenkins) is pushing 50, the show sold out quickly. The audience sat through the opening act Gentleman Hall (which wasn’t really all that bad), and then waited another 40 minutes for Third Eye Blind to take the stage.

The band opened with a strange medley of half-songs, in which they would play hits like “Losing a Whole Year” for a verse and then switch into something else. The lights on the stage went wild, blinding the audience and causing people to shield their eyes.

The whole stage was in fog, so only the band members’ silhouettes were visible. Jenkins wore a sweatshirt, the hood hiding his face.

It was as though the band was trying to hide two key facts, the first their visible and very apparent age, and the second a much larger problem: Jenkins can no longer sing.

Third Eye Blind released their selftitled album in 1997, with hits such as “Narcolepsy” and “Graduate.”

More albums followed, with “Blue” in 1999, “Out of the Vein” in 2003 and most recently, “Ursa Major” in 2009.

The band endured its share of controversy. “Semi-Charmed Life” was banned from some radio stations due to apparent mention of coke, and the band had a falling out with founding member Kevin Cadogan who sued for wrongful termination. There are only two original members of the band who still perform in it today, Jenkins and Brad Hargreaves, who plays drums.

While “Ursa Major” had some songs on it that were still lyrically and rhythmically enticing (namely, “Bonfire” and “Sharp Knife”), I had noticed before the concert that the whole album sounds like it was sung by a different singer. All the songs in “Ursa Major” are in a certain vocal range, never hitting any high notes.

As I watched Jenkins perform, I re-

alized that he truly had lost his ability to hit any of the high notes in his older songs. Songs from “Ursa Major” sounded fine, because he had written them after losing his voice. But in hits like “Never Let You Go,” Jenkins either had to scream the high notes or make the audience sing them for him.

After this original disappointment, which lasted for about five songs, I decided to enjoy myself anyway. Many artists cannot sing as well as they used to; age does a number on everybody (think Elton John). And the real reason so many Bostonians came out to see Third Eye Blind was for nostalgic reasons. Third Eye Blind rekindles the ’90s era, back to a time where song lyrics mattered and everything wasn’t hip-hop and repetitive themes of love and sex on the radio.

Third Eye Blind’s lyrics are the reason they have so many fans. Each song is carefully planned out, and can make the listener feel as though they’ve been transported to summertime or that immediate hurt after a breakup.

While Jenkins may have failed to sing many of his songs, he still shone on slower, lower-range tunes such as “Slow Motion,” “God of Wine” and “Motorcycle Drive By.” Jenkins sang “God of Wine” as one of the encore songs, which was interesting given its depressing subject matter.

The lyrics go from, “She takes a drink and then she waits/The alcohol it permeates/And soon the cells give way, and it cancels out the day,” to “The God of Wine is crouched down in my room/You let me down I said it/Now I’m going down/And you’re not even around.” But the way Jenkins sang it so soulfully make it a perfect encore song because it finally impressed the audience.

Jenkins was also an interesting stage performer. He would come on stage barefoot, kicking the air frantically while singing. He made multiple references to “a movement,” a place where people gathered and loved each other.

Honestly, he sounded a bit like Miley Cyrus, like his music would cause people to suddenly embrace strangers third eye blind The band is currently on tour and recording a new album. on the street. But Jenkins’s energy was palpable, and though he is 49, he still er space with good acoustics. Though cording a new album, due out soon, knows how to rock out on stage.

I was on the second floor, I could still and that they hope to come back to House of Blues is an excellent venue see Jenkins clearly.

Boston afterward.

The band reported that they are reto see the band in because it is a smallMaybe you don’t want to spend $40

photos from internet sourcet

on a ticket to see somebody who can’t sing, but if your attachment to this band is strong enough I would still recommend it.

November 8, 2013

ARTS, ETC. 9

The Brandeis Hoot

‘Hamlet’ triumphs over structural problems with great acting HAMLET, from page 1

father is recently deceased and his mother hurriedly marries his uncle who assumes the throne. Hamlet is visited by the ghost of his father, who says his uncle, Claudius, is a murderer.

Hamlet spends the rest of the play toying with the idea of revenge.

This version of the play is directed

by Samantha LeVangie, who writes of the plot change in the Director’s Note: “I thought more about Hamlet Sr., the Ghost of Hamlet’s father, and began to lament that Ghosts didn’t play a larger part in the production,” wrote LeVangie, pointing out the ghost is only in four small scenes. LeVangie said she spent time focusing on Horatio, who is only seen in scenes with Hamlet— his sole relationship is with the mad prince. “So what if I took Horatio— the character with whom the audience largely identifies, the voice of reason, the foundation for Hamlet’s sanity— and made him a Ghost? The change is two-fold. First Hamlet … must battle with two layers of insecurity in his own reality to move forward. And second, what does this mean for his sanity? Because now, Hamlet’s the only living person in his entire universe who can see Ghosts.”

Well, what this means for the play is, honestly, Hamlet is insane and off his rocker throughout the whole show.

The way Hamlet reacts to Horatio makes no sense. The ghost of his long dead best friend appears, and Hamlet shrugs it off as though it happens everyday. On the other hand, when the ghost of his dead father appears, he is so amazed and gladdened to speak with the apparition. Hold Thy Peace and director Samantha LeVangie change many of the traditional lines throughout the play, but what they should have focused on is adding more lines to Hamlet’s introduction to Horatio. The fact that he does not react in shock is not believable for audiences, and it took me out of the magic of the play. It insinuates that Hamlet is mad from the start, and if that is true, then why am I spending so much of my time watching the motives and whims of a mad man?

While this structural device may

not have worked, the acting compensated for it. Hamlet was played by Alex Davis ’15. Davis lit up the stage with his dramatic monologues. He would often lunge across the stage screaming, or fall to his knees crying. “Hamlet” has many monologues and it can get a bit tedious as time goes on, but Davis avoided this problem through his sheer stage presence. The image of him running across the stage and violently shaking Ophelia, screaming “Get thee to a nunnery” is not one audiences will soon forget.

While the idea of Horatio as a ghost may not have gelled, the acting by Aaron Fischer ’14 was right on the mark. Fischer even walked like a ghost, hauntingly and hesitantly. At once eager to help Hamlet and cautious, Fischer had great chemistry with Davis and their scenes together were enjoyable to watch.

Other slightly smaller roles were still well cast and carried out. Claudius, played by Ryan Kacani ’15, pulled off the slimy, overbearing uncle very well, with appropriately timed facial expressions and a royal aura. Polo-

hamlet and horatio Horatio is a ghost in this version of the play.

nius, played by Max Moran ’17, lit up the stage with his jolly attitude and laughter. A first-year playing an elder, Moran even walked across the stage like he was somebody’s dad.

Rosencrantz (Connor Wahrman ’17) and Guildenstern (Zack Kennedy ’16) acted in tandem, bowing together and conspiring hilariously.

While they came off a bit like caricatures, they were the few that succeeded in making the audience laugh.

Acting fell flat in only a few places.

Gertrude (Page Smith ’17) spoke too quickly and softly, often adding nothing to the scenes she performed in.

Ophelia (Barbara Spindle ’16) would use too many gestures and rolling of her eyes; she acted like she was in a modern play not in 16-century Denmark. This set her apart from the other actors and from the lines she was delivering, and not in a postive way.

The set was used throughout, but was very effective, and was given a boost by the use of haunting music.

The makeup was well done; the ghosts looked sallow and inhuman.

But the costumes were confusing to

photos by jingru wang and jesse zeng/the hoot

the audience. While some, like Gertrude, wore period-style dresses, others like Hamlet wore modern clothes.

Hamlet sported jeans and different T-shirts.

The original “Hamlet” is a very long play, and LeVangie and co. did an ex-

cellent job of cutting the script down to showcase only the crucial moments. And while LeVangie’s dream of changing Horatio’s character was not for the best, Hold Thy Peace members proved they can bring to-be-or-notto-be to life in front of our very eyes.

EDITORIALS

10 The Brandeis Hoot

“To acquire wisdom, one must observe.”

T

Digital education should have a price advantage

his spring semester marks a milestone in Brandeis’s debut on Editor-in-Chief the 21st century online educaEmily Stott tion scene. Higher education is unique Lassor Feasley Managing Editor among American industries in that digiVictoria Aronson Managing Editor tal technology has left long established Dana Trismen Managing Editor practices and mentalities largely unDani Chasin Sports Editor scathed. But the times are changing and Morgan Dashko Copy Editor Theresa Gaffney Copy Editor Brandeis, as well as other elite Universities, have to recognize that ultimately Jesse Zeng Photography Editor Jun Zhao Graphics Editor IT is going to transform everything we Katie Chin Online Editor thought we knew about education.

Rachel Hirschhaut Deputy News Editor Semester Online is Brandeis’s answer to web based education. The service is Volume 10 • Issue 21 composed of a growing consortium of the brandeis hoot • brandeis university 415 south street • waltham, ma top tier Universities which each conFounded By Leslie Pazan, Igor Pedan and Daniel Silverman tribute several courses that any of their students can take. Designed and hosted by the for-profit 2U venture startup, the staff product incorporates several promising elements like live video discussions Shota Adamia, Zachary Bellis, Emily Belowich, Dani Chasin, Andrew Elmers, Iona Feldman, Ben Fine, Evan between students and professors and provisions for active engagement.

Goldstein, Jaye Han, Maya Himelfarb, Eli Kaminsky, It is an interesting approach to online Julie Landy, Jess Linde, Nathan Murphy Needle, Vinh Nguyen, Alexandra Patch, Max Randhahn, Charlie education. Unlike many other offerings, Romanow, Emily Scharf, Alec Siegel, Naomi Soman, Semester Online does not attempt to Diane Somlo, Sindhura Sonnathi, Jennifer Spencer, make education more scalable or less Matthew Tagan, Alison Thvedt, Coco Tirambulo, Yi labor intensive for professors. It prides Wang, Shreyas Warrier, Pete Wein, Linjie Xu itself on its exclusivity; 2U refuses to

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.

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

ADVERTISE

Advertising in The Brandeis Hoot helps spread your message to our readers across the Brandeis campus, in the Waltham community and beyond through our website.

All campus organizations receive a 25 percent discount off our regular prices. We also design basic ads for campus organizations free of charge.

To reserve your space in the paper, contact us by phone at (781) 330-0051 or by e-mail at ads@thebrandeishoot.com.

GIVE A HOOT, JOIN THE HOOT!

Writers, editors, photographers and graphic artists wanted to join The Brandeis Hoot, your weekly community newspaper.

To learn more, send us an e-mail at join@thebrandeishoot.com, or visit our website http://thebrandeishoot.com/join. unsolicited submissions

We welcome unsolicited submissions from members of the community sent by e-mail to eic@thebrandeishoot.com. Please limit submissions to 800 words. All submissions are subjected to editing.

November 8, 2013

work with institutions which are not “top tier,” and has a rigorous application process for students from schools not affiliated with the program.

We would hope that 2U would take into account the fundamental nature of the digital revolution when structuring its foray into the online sphere. In some ways, it does, like its whole hearted embrace of collaboration between institutions. In other ways, it does not. For example, digital technology generally makes things cheaper. Semester Online does not make things cheaper. In fact, each class on offer currently costs $4,200 to students not attending an affiliated school.

A student taking five classes on campus paying the traditional $21,000 per semester would also be paying the same $4,200 per class. However, a Semester Online class only counts for three credit hours, as opposed to the traditional four of a typical on campus class. This means that students enrolled in Semester Online would pay $350 more per credit than they would were they enrolled at Brandeis, one of the most expensive schools in America.

While Brandeis students can participate in Semester Online without incurring additional fees during a Spring or Fall semester, summer students will have to pay the full price. Brandeis is already one of the priciest Universities in the world, but Semester Online, an organization which claims to embrace the digital revolution, manages to exceed our costs on a per credit basis. Add to this the fact that online offerings from other schools are likely not to count towards Brandeis major and minor requirements, and you have a highly inequitable service.

Administrators have to realize that when they gouge students, students resent the University for it. Take for instance the fact that a student attending a $10,000 study abroad program must pay the University the full cost of on campus tuition in order to receive credit. Take for instance the fact that students earning more than 22 credits in a semester pay additional fees while students taking 12 credits pay regular tuition. We see direct parallels to this opportunist pricing culture in the fee strategy presented

by Semester Online.

sports

November 8, 2013

Women’s soccer faces tough challenges

The Brandeis Hoot 11

Soccer players honored for outstanding academic performance

By Charlie Romanow Staff

photos by matt brondoli/the hoot

taking a shot Number 14 attempts to get the ball past the other team.

By Charlie Romanow Staff

The women’s soccer team had a difficult weekend facing two nationallyranked conference opponents. They lost 3-0 to Washington University and then tied with the University of Chicago 1-1 on Sunday.

The first 40 minutes of the game against first-ranked Wash. U saw no goals scored. This changed in the 41st minute when Tessa Klumpp threw it into Lille Toaspern who maneuvered into the box and scored her eighth goal of the season.

The match would remain this close for the next 30 minutes of the contest, but got away from the Judges in a hurry after that. The Bears scored two goals in a 68-second span when Beck Berels scored off of a defensive turnover in the 78th minute and Kate Doyle scored on a free kick in the 79th. This was Berels fifth goal of the season and Doyle’s sixth. Before the sudden onslaught, forward Holly Szafran ’16 had an attempt at an equalizer in the 73rd but the ball

run it up Teammates chase the ball up-field.

sailed above the crossbar. Brandeis had two free kick attempts in the first half as the result of the Bears sloppy play of 10 fouls.

The Judges stayed close for the majority of the game but could not fight the tough defense, which now has 13 shutouts on the season. Wash U. had the clear advantage in shots throughout the game, leading 18-10.

Six Bears had multiple shot attempts.

The Judges had only one attempt ongoal during the span that they were within one goal. Wash. U is 16-1 overall and undefeated in the conference.

They have allowed only four goals this season. They end the regular season against the University of Chicago on Saturday.

Sunday’s match against the 25thranked Maroons ended in a 1-1 tie.

The game’s first goal did not come until the 58th minute when Micaela Harms hit a shot at the crossbar that was rebounded and kicked in by Sara Kwan, which was her eighth goal of the season. Brandeis responded in the 67th minute as forward Sapir Edalati ’15 passed an opposing goal kick to

forward Melissa Darling ’16, who was able to knock it in for her third goal of the year. Goalkeeper Michelle Savuto ’15 later had a good stop of a Harms kick in the 78th minute and Jacinda Reid stopped a header by Szafran.

Each team had shot opportunities in overtime but could not convert. Szafran and rookie defender Julia McDermott ’17 each hit one high, and a free kick by Natalia Jovanovic was saved in the final minute. Savuto had five saves in the match, three coming in overtime. Reid had six stops.

The teams were generally evenly matched, each having six shots ongoal and four corner kicks. The Maroons were outshot overall though 16-11. Darling and Jovanovic each had two shots on-goal.

Chicago is still ranked 25th by D3Soccer.com after Sunday’s game.

They are third in the conference as Brandeis lies tied for fifth. They are 11-3-3 overall and 3-1-2 in the UAA. The Judges stand at 9-6-2 overall and 1-3-2 in the UAA. They will finish the regular season against New York University on Saturday.

Four Brandeis soccer players have been selected for the Capital One Academic All-District squads. The teams are selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America.

By being chosen for the All-District team, they are eligible to received Academic All-America honors later this month. The four athletes have excelled both on and off the field, each earning captain status and starting every match this year. They are Kelly Peterson ’14, Michelle Savuto ’15, Ben Applefield ’14 and Sam Ocel ’13.

Peterson is a two-time honorable mention for All-UAA honors and has been honored three times for Academic All-UAA’s. She has a 3.69 GPA and has made the dean’s list four times. A Sociology major and a Social Justice and Social Policy minor, she studied abroad in the Netherlands last semeste. Over the summer, Peterson was an International Affairs intern in Houston with the World Affairs Council of Houston. Throughout her four years at Brandeis, Peterson has played 70 games, and 34 of her 50 shot attempts have been on-goal and she has had a game-winning goal in each of her first three seasons.

Goalkeeper Savuto has played 1535 of the team’s 1595 minutes this season.

She has received Academic All-UAA honors twice and been named to the dean’s list every semester. She has a 3.82 GPA as a Health: Science, Society and Policy major while also minoring in Economics and Legal Studies. She has been named the UAA defensive player of the week three times in her career as she currently leads the con-

ference with 73 saves. Savuto studied abroad in the Netherlands this spring and worked in Waltham over the summer with Boston Biomedical Consultants. She has played 56 games in her three years and has amassed 180 saves for a record of 15-14-5. This year has been her strongest, having had all three of her career shutouts this season.

Senior Applefield’s eight assists are currently tied for the conference lead with teammate Michael Soboff. Applefield received All-UAA Honorable Mention last year as well as receiving All-UAA Academic Honors for three years. He has made the dean’s list four times with a 3.65 GPA while majoring in History. He studied abroad this spring in Barcelona. Applefield has played in 79 games, scoring six goals and contributing 18 assists, and two of his goals have been game-winners.

According to the Brandeis athletics website, he hopes to coach soccer after graduation.

Ocel has taken a more defensively minded role this year, but he has still contributed three goals and three assists. Last year, he led the conference with 34 points on 13 goals and eight assists while becoming conference player of the year. Nine of these goals were game-winners. In addition to soccer success, he was named an All-Academic by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America and D3Soccer.com. He has earned AllUAA honors three times and made the dean’s list five times. Last spring he interned at an endodontic office in preparation for dental school. He has a 3.41 GPA as a Biology major. He has played in 79 games, scoring 26 goals and contributing 22 assists.

opinion

12 The Brandeis Hoot

November 8, 2013

Are student groups really independent?

By Lassor Feasley Editor

Here at Brandeis, undergraduates enjoy a particularly robust selection of student groups.

These organizations are comparatively autonomous, yet they manage to contribute events and services to the Brandeis community on a scale which would suggest institutional organization.

How do they do this? Students at Brandeis take their club experience seriously. Just take a look at a graduate’s LinkedIn resume.

If club affiliation is not the first item alongside a list of internships, jobs and other experience, it is sure to be near the top.

And they are right to be proud.

The clubs do some incredible things. They bring distinguished speakers to campus, execute social events, provide life advice and coaching and publish numerous Journals and Periodicals. This is not despite a lack of adult oversight, but a result of it.

The pride we take in our clubs is derived from the broad latitude of independence that the university has historically offered student groups. Rarely will

you see a faculty member in the vicinity of a club event or gathering. The university makes a point of collecting the Student Activities Fee separately from tuition.

This ensures that clubs maintain their air of independence.

Brandeis specifically markets its clubs as “student-run” to potential enrollees. All of this is to say that clubs have come to expect a certain degree of sovereignty from the university in their day to day operations.

But is this perceived right to self governance justified? If the university wanted to, what degree of control could it take over the groups that students have worked so hard to build and maintain? What checks exist in order to maintain the sovereignty of clubs from the paternalistic nature that large institutions tend to develop?

The truth is that the sense of independence and autonomy that members of student groups may feel is almost entirely unjustified. As one administrator once put it to me, “Brandeis student clubs and organizations are part of Brandeis University. They do not exist independently from

photo from internet source

Brandeis.”

This does not sit right with me.

Student groups have been a part of Brandeis since its founding and are a longstanding tradition at other universities before that. I have to imagine that the reason that universities have entertained, and even encouraged

student groups is because they hoped that students would use their experience with collegiate groups to form organizations after graduation. Why? Of course, learning to interact in an independent organizational setting surely prepares participants for future ventures,

like activist organizations and businesses. But there is an even deeper reason that I think constitutes the true foundation of student groups on universities: Encouraging student groups is See GROUPS, page 15

Professors need to become more accepting of new age

By Jennifer Spencer Staff

Online classes are surging in popularity, but what about the use of laptops in the traditional classroom setting? An increasing number of professors are banning laptops in the classroom, viewing them as an unnecessary distraction. Laptops, however, provide many tools to students, creating a learning aid for students who may otherwise have trouble focusing or keeping up with lectures.

I’m well aware that a select number of students choose to spend the entirety of class time surfing the web, Facebook or the latest news stories.

When working to fit the needs of an entire class, perspective is necessary.

Individual choices should not be the demise of students who use computers to effectively promote learning. It is important to shift the focus to cater to all types of learning styles and preferences, to create the optimum classroom environment.

This means allowing laptops.

Not doing so takes away from the learning experience. Digital media is simply (or not so simply) a large part of our lives. Whether you are a college student or professor, chances are your typing speed is fairly fast.

The internet plays a role in research and assignments—it has essentially become an extension of the classroom. A person possessing masterful typing skills is no longer seen as the exception, but the rule. With so much time spent on computers in academia, learning and technology have become intertwined.

It is no surprise that many people find it easier to type than to write by hand. Laptops have become such a natural part of school work. Students are required to type papers, and after so many assignments, finger speed is not an issue. Because the use of computers is so common, the traditional classroom must adapt. Not allowing

photo from internet source

computers forces students to take notes in a way that might not be best suited for them.

To begin, many people can multitask better while typing than writing.

They are looking up at the professor, while simultaneously taking notes rapidly. It is the ideal situation when you are effectively trying to transcribe as much quality information as possible. Utilizing a familiar, comfortable learning environment helps students be successful. If students don’t have to focus on writing everything by hand, they can focus more what the professor is saying.

Furthermore, some students have difficulty writing clear, concise notes by hand. Looking back on sloppilywritten handwriting can be an obvious deterrent when returning to study for a final exam. We all know a student whose handwriting is hard

to distinguish from a series of sophisticated scribbles. Laptops, when permitted, make it easy to look back on notes without squinting to comprehend.

It is true that if you have a learning disability you can still use a computer.

However, it is even more distracting if only one person is typing away while the rest are writing. Students who do not have learning disabilities, but are much stronger typists than writers, might fall behind. Messy handwriting, unfortunately, does not always grant automatic computer privileges.

Particular learning styles are put at a disadvantage when laptops are banned in the classroom.

For instance, for audio or visual learners who prefer seeing and listening, the use of laptops allows these students to focus more on what the teacher is saying and doing, with the

unique speed and simplicity provided by typing. It is hard enough to follow all discussion points, let alone when one is familiar with typing but is then forced to write. While some primarily kinesthetic learners do work better by writing things down, we must not neglect those who suffer through this method. Easing the process of note taking by providing the option of computers makes it so one can focus more on what the professor is actually saying rather than scrambling to write down every last bit of information.

On this note, there are also apps available to help auditory learners through the use of computers. Evernote, for example, allows students to simultaneously record and take notes on the computer for free. Students can then go back and listen to the audio while they are studying alongside

their notes.

There are many other apps out there to help different types of learners. For those who have trouble with time management, computers allow students to quickly pull up a schedule and record assignment dates as soon as the professor states them. This is great for visual learners who like seeing assignments written out, but don’t want to have to shuffle through their bag for a planner, only to miss important information and create an unnecessary distraction.

Laptops are more than ease, clarity and speed. While I understand that it is annoying for teachers to talk to a sea of screens, laptops do much more good than harm. At the end of the day, if computers mean a deeper understanding of the material, that computer logo takes on a much greater meaning.

November 8, 2013

OPINION 13

The Brandeis Hoot

Students growing more disinterested in class

By Andrew Elmers Staff

Imagine walking into a lecture hall for class.Your professor is setting up the day’s notes on the board: laying out the outline, listing the reading for next class and writing an announcement for his department’s “Meet the Majors” event. Typically arriving at just four minutes before the hour, you head to your regular seat, even though there are no assigned seats in a lecture, and prepare yourself for the class. Pulling out your notebook and a pen or pencil, you might also check your phone for a text. You type out your response just as the room begins to quiet and the professor turns around from the board to begin. A few minutes after he begins with the day’s lesson, you notice someone casually walk in late.

He or she slinks into the first available seat, and sets up their meal for the class. If it is the morning, maybe a bagel and coffee; around noon, you can find them with a sandwich, or possibly a cup of fruit. A water bottle is most common, and if you happen to be sitting by them, the whine of swallowing fluid will distract you from the lecture content.

After finishing their first spoonful of Greek yogurt, they reach for their bag and pull out their laptop. Taking a few minutes to turn on their computer, opening a document to take notes and logging into Facebook, it is now almost 10 minutes into a 50-minute class. And as you begin to wonder how this person is able to retain any knowledge from this class, they pull out their phone to begin texting.

Lecture classes are full of this kind of student—the one who understands the importance of showing up to classes, but do not understand that class time is limited. Instead, they choose to use class as a chance to eat or check their social calendar. I always wonder if they are able to succeed in class if this is the effort they

graphic by janet jun zhao/the hoot

put into learning. I understand that it might be easier for them to learn with their computers, so it is easier to save and access all of their notes or use the internet to search something quickly. I am the complete opposite; I just need a pen and paper to be able to understand what the professor is lecturing about. Yet nobody can pay attention in a class if they are sitting on Facebook or texting someone who might not even go to this school.

It leads me to wonder if this is how these students treat all of their classes. I contemplate if they

were accepted into college with these habits, or if they evolved as they got further involved in college and could not treat every class with the same care and love as they would for a class in their major. Lectures are typically the shortest classes offered here at Brandeis, as they are simple presentations where the student needs to copy down what’s on the board and record the professor’s words. It is very easy to use the lecture time to focus on non-class activities, trying to pick up only the most important facts from the class. This becomes even

less difficult if the powerpoint slides are posted on LATTE after class. Sometimes you just have to choose your battles.

Yet how can they not treat these classes with respect? Students should recognize the effort that the professor puts forth by listening intently. Respect professors by showing up on time and not treating the lecture hall like a cafeteria. Respect the class by actually using the class time as it is meant to be used. As easy as it is to show up late to class and waste time to set yourself up, it is just as easy to get there an extra two

minutes early and really pay attention to the class. Who knows, maybe you will get confused by something and can ask the professor to explain himself further, and you might gain something out of paying attention.

College presents a busy schedule of trying to fit everything in, and waking up 20 minutes later or perhaps not waiting in line for coffee will severely inhibit your preparedness for the day. But if you are going to spend the effort to get out of bed and get to class, you should put 100 percent into it.

Trying to find peace in a crowded room

By Naomi Soman Staff

The new Upper Green Room is gorgeous. Otherwise known as Farber Mezzanine, or the room above Starbucks, Brandeis remodelled it perfectly. There are large tables with high chairs, clusters of pink comfy chairs, large white boards, and booths along the edges next to the windows with couches and outlets embedded right in the table top. The bright overhead lighting is optimal for studying, and there is exciting, brand-new technology. On some of the tables in the back, there are large screen computer monitors with available laptop connection for student use — not to mention private study rooms for group projects.

This lime green and magenta themed study space definitely beats the previous 1980’s carpeting and furniture. I only wish I could use it.

I am an English major with a philosophy minor, so the majority of my work consists of reading. I can only concentrate on my reading in silence.

If I am writing an essay, I don’t mind noise, but reading requires my full concentration. During the morning,

Farber Mezzanine is a nice, quiet place to go, but as soon as early afternoon hits, the place fills to capacity.

I have no problem with people who need to work on group projects. There definitely need to be places for that; the problem is not the people who go up there to work, but those who do so merely to socialize. The library should not just be a place to hang out—that’s why there are lounges. If there are even any seats left in the first place, Farber Mezzanine is much too noisy to concentrate on any work, not only reading.

My usual favorite place to go is Goldfarb 1, across from Usdan. It’s usually quiet there, but not as dark and solitary as the bottom two floors, or the dungeon. However, people still decide to carry on a conversation there. Only the other day I was sitting towards the back near the bathrooms and someone decided to tutor chemistry right behind me. There are several places infinitely more suitable for tutoring. In addition to both floors of Farber, there are the tables near the front desk, the tables near the writing center, the arm chairs near the magazine stacks, the arm chairs near the

photo from internet source

computers, and not to mention the SCC. Though people decide to carry on loud conversations in areas not specifically designated as quiet, they still should be respectful.

If I really cannot find any silence on

Goldfarb 1, I retreat to the dungeon, but people are still talking there. The section with the long carrels in the back of Goldfarb 2 echoes whispers very easily, and people decide they can just talk freely at the tables on

the other side of Goldfarb 2. Usually the individual desks are quiet, but the lights are dim, especially at night when the sun goes down, making it easy to fall asleep.

Many individual lights and outlets don’t work, if you can find an outlet in the first place. The “dungeon,” where people actually get work done, is dark, cramped, and uncomfortable, but Farber Mezzanine, where people decide they can just hang out, is gorgeous. I think it’s very important that we have a specific place for students to study in groups, but if those places were reserved for groups actually doing work rather than people socializing, then students wouldn’t have to disturb others by talking in other quiet areas.

I do not like to do homework in my room because I find it is easy to just to find a snack or crawl into my bed to take a nap instead. The library provides an environment specifically for work that allows me to concentrate on what I am doing. Unfortunately, students who do not understand proper library etiquette ruin the quiet areas on the first floor and the bottom two floors are too dark and dreary.

14 OPINION

The Brandeis Hoot

November 8, 2013

Antidepressants may not be the right solution for everyone

By Charlie Romanow Staff

I have seen myself and others work through anxiety and mental health issues such as depression.

Each person finds his or her own way to get past it, but for some, it takes years before they can even begin to deal with their issues effectively. A seemingly simple way to cope with the stress of everyday life is to take medication, either overthe-counter or prescription. The use of medication has saved countless lives and eased suffering for count-

less others. For some conditions it may bring little to no side effects, such as taking an aspirin when you have a headache or some cold medicine before allergy season. Stronger medications such as antidepressants, however, can have a larger impact.

Antidepressants, particularly Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are designed to raise the level of serotonin in the brain, which they effectively do. It has not been proven, however, that depression is caused only by low serotonin levels.

While serotonin does play a role in depression, it is not the only biological factor that is part of depression.

Potent antidepressants are given to millions of individuals, even though scientists are not exactly sure what the drugs do. Those with depression are often unable to communicate exactly how they feel. This puts them in a difficult situation as they must be able to discern what internal effects the medication is causing. A sufferer of depression may not be a good judge of small changes that occur while taking the medicine, as they are dealing with many outside difficulties. Adding to the problem is that diagnosing depression is nearly as difficult as treating it. Many people do not like to admit

that they are depressed, and medication is doled out to those who do not need it or may receive a greater benefit through cognitive behavioral therapy or other methods.

The pharmaceutical companies’ desire to make money creates a culture in which the long-term effects of these medications are not discovered because of the significant financial burden to complete long-term studies as well as the potential need to take the medication off of the market. They are also being pushed on patients and mental health professionals alike. Doctors may want to help their patients, but

photo from internet source

it is difficult to help with something that all is not known about. Only the individuals themselves can know how they feel, and they often do not know if their feelings are a result of the depression or medication. Additionally, studies that find negative results about medications may not be as well publicized so as to avoid public and professional scrutiny.

The side effects brought upon by medication can sometimes exacerbate or worsen the problem. It is difficult to know how a medication is affecting you—you can really only know once you choose to end the medication. Responsibly withdrawing from a medicine has problems of its own. Even when weaning off an antidepressant gradually according to doctor’s orders, one can experience unpleasant symptoms comparable to how one feels when going cold turkey off an addictive medicine. The incidence of SSRI Discontinuation Syndrome can cause the medication to have an extended impact even after having completely stopped taking the medicine. This conundrum pigeonholes many who take antidepressants into staying on them even when there are severe and troubling side effects. In this state it can be nearly impossible to get better when there are so many other psychological, emotional and physical things going on that are caused by the medication. In this sense, medication might be preventing someone from getting better.

All of these issues together can create an unsafe environment in which powerful medications are given to patients who do not need them, and even when their symptoms warrant such intervention the negative effects that the medication causes can override any possible positive effects. Antidepressants can affect the most basic functions of our lives such as eating and sleeping.

These interferences can prevent patients from getting better as they can put them in a negative disposition.

A depressed patient won’t be able to get better through therapeutic intervention if the medication that they are taking tires them all of the time.

Medication can be very helpful, but it should be considered with care and caution. Other methods should be looked into first. It is best for patients to deal with issues when they are as even-keeled as possible and not affected by outside influences.

Parking garage would offer a wealth of opportunities

By Debra Edelman Staff

Student parking at Brandeis should probably be considered a rite of passage. It is as if finally being handed one of the peel-off parking stickers can be equated with receiving a Bar Mitzvah certificate; with great privilege and maturity comes great responsibility.

With limited off-campus transportation options, having a car at school is often a gateway to seemingly unlimited freedom. It is as if South Street becomes your very own magic carpet.

Based on my own experiences as a student driver, it seems as though every upperclassmen with a car, and the underclassmen who manage to get around the rules, has a plethora of Brandeis parking stories associated with their coveted campus-registered motor vehicle. I can recall some of

mine with great nostalgia. There was the time last fall when I left campus midday to cast my vote in the presidential election, only to return to campus to find no spots left in my regularly assigned theater lot. Running late to class, I made the last minute call to park in one of the ever student-forbidden spots on Loop Road, all while making a mental promise to myself that I would move my car as soon as my class ended. When I returned to find an inevitable ticket, I appealed it on the basis that I did not have time to appropriately park my car because I was fulfilling my civic duty. A more recent parking scenario occurred this semester when I was boxed in by several other vehicles in a mysterious corner of the theatre lot. I was only able to exit due to the kindness of a good Samaritan who was able to guide me out of my spot.

Student parking at Brandeis is inconvenient to say the least. Unless you have all of your classes in the business school, the walk from the theater lot to upper campus, where a majority of classes are held, can be treacherous, especially in the winter. It is easy to see why students are often tempted to park in lots to which they are not assigned. Everybody has days when they are sick or running late and a 10-minute uphill sprint to upper campus just does not seem appealing. As a result, students who break the rules, even if it is only a few times, rack up ticket fees that are not always easy to pay on top of regular semester fees.

The parking woes that I am describing primarily apply to commuters who depend on their cars to get to school every day. Brandeis does not have the space to house all of its students on campus, and as a result, there will al-

ways be a considerable population of students who commute to school by car. The stress of parking is not always welcome on top of the stresses of everyday school life.

Brandeis is in dire need of a parking facility that better accommodates this ever-present need for more convenient parking options for students.

With the right planning and consideration, I am sure that there are at least a few spots on campus where a parking garage could be contemplated. While I understand that a majority of university resources should and do go directly to areas that support the internal workings of the university, a parking garage would be a tremendous asset to this campus. Not only would a garage make Brandeis a more friendly environment for student commuters, but faculty and administrators would also probably feel more at ease about

their commutes as well. Additionally, a parking garage could help to better facilitate visitor parking, which often causes understandable congestion in student and faculty parking areas.

Although a parking garage might seem superficial, in terms of looking at the long-term goals for the Brandeis campus, I believe it is a necessary next step. More ample and convenient parking would make the entire campus a more usable and friendly space for students, faculty, staff, administrators and visitors. It would also probably help to reduce unnecessary traffic on Loop Road, where people often circle either lost or unable to find proper parking. Investing in a parking garage would make Brandeis’s suburban campus more of an asset and create a less stressful environment for all members of the community and visitors alike.

November 8, 2013

OPINION 15

The Brandeis Hoot

Addictions, exercise and Student groups prepare graduates home-cooked meals for the future

By Eliana Sinoff Staff

Dear Eliana, I am always so hungry, but I just can’t seem to find good food to eat.

I never seem to have time to go to Sherman, and the pre-made food is just not up to my standards. How do I feed myself?

-Hungry

Dear Eliana, Now that it is winter, it is getting way too cold to walk all the way to the gym or basically go outside at all. How can I stay in shape when it’s really cold out?

-I Need Exercise

photo from internet source photo from internet source photo from internet source

Dear Hungry, I understand where you are coming from. There is all of this food on campus, but none of it has the good old taste of love in it.

Sometimes you just have to try everything in the C-store before you find the one pre-made dish that is you like. If all else fails, eat a lot of fruits and vegetables and cereal, because those things are all very hard to ruin. If you really wanted to, you could also buy your own food to keep in your room, and if you have a microwave, you can cook practically anything in the comfort of your dorm. Most buildings also have a kitchen you could use for more complicated things. I think your best bet is eating simple food, buying your own groceries and teaching yourself to cook so you can make some food you know you love. Keep eating!

-Eliana Dear Eliana, Ever since this semester started, I have become slightly more addicted to Diet Coke and cigarettes.

I know that neither of these things are healthy, but now that I’ve started I’m having trouble stopping.

How can I stop my bad habits and are there any alternatives?

-Addicted

photo from internet source

Dear Addicted, College can be stressful, so everyone finds ways to keep themselves going. I am not an expert on smoking or addictions, so I would strongly recommend the Health Center or a doctor. However, lots of students turn to coffee, which really isn’t very healthy for you, but the caffeine might help. Too much of anything is going to be a problem, so you just need to be careful and monitor yourself. Don’t give up on trying to stay healthy!

-Eliana

Dear I Need Exercise, In the winter I would suggest changing your workout to exercises you can do in your dorm like sit-ups, push-ups and other activities that don’t require equipment.

The internet has many suggestions.

If you’d rather go on a treadmill, some of the dorms have a few that would more likely be closer to you.

Or you could just run to all of your classes.

-Eliana Dear Eliana, I waste a ton of time on social media like Facebook and Twitter, but I don’t even feel any closer to my friends. I’m worried that social media is actually making my social life worse. What can I do?

-Antisocial

photo from internet source

Dear Antisocial, I understand how addicting those types of websites can be, and too much screen time can become a problem. To start, I would suggest limiting the amount of time you spend on social media a day.

Make sure you are using all the extra time this will give you to interact with your friends in person.

Once you actually get closer to your friends, you probably won’t feel as strong a need for the internet. You just need to put in some extra effort.

-Eliana Dear Readers, If you can’t already tell, this is an advice column and I’m here to help you with any questions that you might have! If you want more exciting questions, send them in and I will do my best to answer them.

Whether it’s relationships, social problems, or just life in general— send them here.I can’t wait to start hearing about everyone’s problems (how often do you hear people say that? Oh yeah, never).

Send questions to Elianasadvice@gmail.com.

GROUPS, from page 12

a patriotic duty, stemming from the value which Americans place on the freedom of assembly. This is a basic national tradition that has to be preserved and fostered on campuses in the hope that students will organize off campus as graduates.

This function of student groups has been recognized at a judicial level. At public universities, student groups are often given the full protections enumerated in the Bill of Rights by courts.

Even at private universities, especially ones that accept millions of dollars in federal money like Brandeis, some constitutional protections apply to clubs. This says to me that at some level, even Brandeis student groups are independent from the administrative controls of the university.

Concerningly, it seems like every month, there is a new restraint on club activities. This semester, two new policies have been instituted, each which brings the university a step closer to dominance over student groups.

First, the university mandated that all club apparel prominently bear “Brandeis” along with the club name and logo. This is a direct affront to the spirit of these groups. The entire point is that they are not specifically Brandeis.

In fact, I sometimes see my experiences in student groups as a refuge from Brandeis, a respite from the strict bureaucracy and deadlines of student life.

The second new policy mandates that all food consumed at club events not purchased through the university vendor be first closely evaluated by and justified to Brandeis Adminis-

trators. This takes a significant part of the club experience out of students’ hands. Basically, the rationale for this new rule seems to be that clubs are not responsible enough to bargain for the food they consume.

When students get out of college and want to form an organization, they are not going to have Big Brother standing over them, telling them what to buy. They are going to need to know how to do these things.

At the rate that new policies have been put in place to govern club behavior, in a few years these organizations won’t even have a veneer of independence to take pride in. I doubt that students will approach their extracurriculars with half the enthusiasm and sacrifice that they do today. I hope that administrators will take this into account when they consider new club policy.

November 8, 2013

THIS WEEK IN PHOTOS

The Brandeis Hoot 11

Brandeis Got Talent

talent Students perform in Chum’s Tuesday night. photos by haley fine/the hoot

Louis Louis 2013: Night Owl

up all night Student Events hosts an evening event as part of Louis Louis, the fall semester’s spirit week.

photos by dana levine/the hoot