The Brandeis Hoot - 11/22/13

Volume 10 Number 22

www.thebrandeishoot.com

Brandeis University’s Community Newspaper • Waltham, Mass.

Univ severs ties with Al-Quds over protest

By Dana Trismen Editor

After numerous members of the university community expressed outrage and disgust, Brandeis announced it would suspend its partnership with Al-Quds University in Palestine on Nov. 18. Brandeis had been coupled with this sister university since 2003, a project originally undertaken to enhance cultural understanding. But after Nazi-style demonstrations on Al-Quds’ campus on Nov. 5 and an apology letter the university deemed unacceptable, Brandeis cut ties with the university.

“This week has been a challenging one for the Brandeis community … in many ways, I feel our response was correct,” University President Fred Lawrence stated on his personal blog, “Brandeis First.”

The story began unfolding on Nov. 8, when a news blog, The Free Beacon, published an article titled: “Brandeis University: School for Scandal.”

The article detailed the Palestinian school’s rally, which included a Naziinspired salute and students boasting black military gear and fake weapons.

The Free Beacon article published quotes from Brandeis students, but repeatedly stated that Brandeis re-

fused to comment at press time.

“We found out about the protest late in the day on Friday, Nov. 8. At that time, we could not give a comment to The Free Beacon because we could not verify the reports and it was after sundown, therefore too late to contact people in Israel on the Sabbath. We explained this to The Free Beacon—that we couldn’t comment on events that we couldn’t verify outside of a post on a single blog,” stated Ellen de Graffenreid, senior vice president for communications.

Al-Quds University reported that an outside group, not affiliated with the university, arranged the protest.

After taking stock of the situation, Brandeis requested that Al-Qud’s President Nusseibeh issue a letter of condemnation in both Arabic and English about the protests. The letter was posted on the Al-Quds website and an email was sent to President Lawrence on Nov. 17.

The next day, Brandeis found the letter unacceptable and suspended the partnership. “Brandeis is open to reevaluating the relationship as new information is available. That is why the relationship is suspended at this time [and not ended],” said Graffen-

November 22, 2013

Reinharz’s salary incites students

By Victoria Aronson Editor

Instigated by the reports in the Globe revealing the triple digit salary of President Emeritus Jehuda Reinharz, protests circulating across facebook condemn the allocation of university resources to the pockets of high ranking administration officials. Succeeded by President Fred Lawrence, Reinharz is nevertheless still reported to have earned

$627,228 in total compensation from the University according to 990 forms, in addition to the $800,000 he is alleged to receive from the Mandel Foundation, a large supporter of the university.

Citing discontent with what it deems “unacceptable behavior” on behalf of the University, the petition expresses outrage against the high salaries of members of administration, especially in light of steadily increasing tuition fees and student debt.

In 2011, Reinharz was the second highest paid administrative official, surpassed only by current President Fred Lawrence.

When asked to comment on whether large exit packages for officials such as Reinharz were an effective use of the university budget, Ellen de Graffenreid, senior vice president of communications, responded, “Many of your questions are matters of opinion, and I don’t believe that my See REINHARZ, page 3

Mela excites campus with color

See MARATHON, page 3

photo by shanlai shangguan/the hoot

mosaic SASA produced Mela last Saturday to an enthusiastic crowd in Levin Ballroom. See page 16 for more.

Audience disputes motherhood quota

Men’s soccer advances to Sweet Sixteen

By Dani Chasin Editor

hilke brockman Visiting professor from Germany advocates for more mothers in German government.

By Robin Briendel Staff

On Tuesday, Hilke Brockmann, sociologist, demographer and distinguished professor, came to Brandeis to discuss her work on whether German Parliament should implement a motherhood quota in the German economy and the European Union. A

Inside this issue:

professor at Jacobs University in Bremen, Germany, Brockmann is currently on sabbatical and serving as a visiting scholar at Harvard’s Center for European Studies (CES).

Brockmann has authored several journal articles and publications on her research, which focuses on the causes and consequences of aging, subjective well-being and happiness.

News: Universities battle deadly disease Page 3 Arts, Etc.: Cabaret wows the crowd Page 8 Opinion: Students consider early graduation Page 14 Sports: Men’s basketball excels in non-conference Page 11 Editorial: Emeritus pay not justified Page 10

photo by marian siljeholm/the hoot

The lecture Brockmann presented was entitled, “Do we need a motherhood quota? Women and Mothers in German parliament,” and was based upon a paper she authored on the topic.

Brockmann began the lecture discussing the nature of German mothSee MOM QUOTA, page 3

Find a niche in nails

“Happy Hands” initiates a deeper conversation offering a valuable lens into the immigrant experience allowing us to examine the sacrifices of those before us.

Arts, etc.: Page 5

The Brandeis men’s soccer team had an impressive performance this weekend, winning both the first and second round of the NCAA Division III tournament on the home field. Several fans gathered to witness the Judges dominate Saturday’s game against Johnson & Wales 3-0 and then outplay Roger Williams in a 1-0 match on Sunday. With a record of 16-4-1, the Judges advance to the Sweet Sixteen for a second-straight year.

Against Johnson & Wales, the Judges did not waste any time, scoring two goals in the first five minutes of the game. In the second minute, forward Tyler Savonen ’15 had a wide opening to the goal and after a quick touch around the Johnson & Wales goalkeeper Ryan Dzierawski, sent a cross to midfielder Michael Soboff ’15, who nailed the ball into the net. The goal was Soboff ’s fifth of the season.

Fewer than three minutes later, the Judges secured their second goal of the game. Forward Sam Ocel ’14 had control of the ball and found Soboff on the left wing, who sent a crisp crossover into the box that found Savonen for the finish. The goal was Savonen’s 11th of the season. Out-

shooting the opponent 9-1 in the first half, the Judges carried out the rest of the period with a comfortable 2-0 lead over the Wildcats.

The Judges’ third goal came three minutes into the second half. In the minute 49 of the game, Soboff played a ball across the net to rookie forward Evan Jastremski ’17 who converted for his fifth goal of the season. Soboff earned four points and had two assists for the game. The Wildcats only managed two shots for the entire game, while the Judges pulled off an impressive 23 attempts. Goalkeeper Joe Graffy ’15 earned his seventh shutout of the season.

After falling to the Judges, the Wildcats ended their season 14-2-6.

On Sunday, the Judges faced Roger Williams in the second round of the tournament. The Hawks were fresh off a come-from-behind 3-1 win against the Rutgers-Newark Scarlet Raiders in their first-round action.

Nailing three second-half goals, the Hawks looked to bring that momentum to the match against the Judges where both teams put it all on the line to earn a spot in the Sweet Sixteen.

The game started off with both teams fighting for control of the ball See VICTORY, page 11

Basketball suffers

After a promising win at Mount Ida College, women’s basketball lost to Colby and Roger Williams universities. They will face Tufts at a home game on Saturday.

Sports: Page 4

news

2 The Brandeis Hoot

November 22, 2013

Splash! turns college students into teachers

By Jess Linde Staff

On Saturday, Nov. 16, Brandeis welcomed a host of local students, including those from Waltham, Newton, Allston, Watertown and other towns, for the second annual Splash program. The program, in which college students teach specialized classes to high school students, originated at MIT over twenty-five years ago, and was brought to Brandeis last year by Brandeis’ Education for Students by Students (ESS) club.

“I came up with the idea with my friend Brendan while working at the Technology Help Desk,” said ESS founder Ben Wang ’15 in an interview with The Hoot. “I knew [Brendan] had taught some at MIT, and me being from the area I had taken a few in high school, and we both decided it would be a great idea to bring it to Brandeis.”

According to Wang, ESS was formed as the first step to bringing Splash to campus. The founders hoped to find students passionate about subjects that would be willing to volunteer and teach a class for 30 to 90 minutes about that passion for a weekend. Splash is also notable for providing classes to students who

otherwise would not have access to them. After ESS was chartered by Brandeis in January 2012, the club set out on bringing Splash to campus for fall semesters. In the spring, ESS organizes and puts on Deis Talks. “MIT was really helpful in setting us up,” said Wang, “They helped advertise and get the word out a lot.”

The Splash at Brandeis program has been an overall success for ESS. “Our first time, we had about 14 classes and 30 students. This year, we had 30 teachers and 60 students, so we basically doubled our num-

ber,” said Wang, who hopes that those numbers will keep increasing. This is likely, as anyone can sign up to take a Splash class and any Brandeis student can sign up through ESS to teach one.

“You just need to have a subject/topic that you really like and that you’re passionate about, and then you just need to sign up,” said Wang, “the students are basically going to school on the weekends for fun, so the least we can do is have fun with them.” ESS is always open to more volunteers, and Splash at Brandeis is expected to continue for many years to come.

photos courtesy ess brandeis

Univ breaks partnership

Alum brings Chinese comedy to campus

HEADLINE, from page 1

photo by marian siljeholm/the hoot

By Rachel Hirschhaut Editor

After graduating from Brandeis with an IGS degree, Jesse Appell ’12 spent a year in China on a Fulbright Scholarship, studying and performing the unique form of Chinese comedy known as Xiangsheng.

On Nov. 12, Appell returned to his alma mater to share his talents and experiences at the Brandeis Chinese Cultural Connection’s (BC3) annual Chinese-English Comedy Show.

Appell chose to study comedy to dispel the commonly held myth that “jokes don’t translate across cultures.” Instead, comedy can be a force that unites two different cultures and helps people understand

the interpersonal differences between cultural attitudes.

“Studying comedy is living, meeting people, learning the culture and hoping somehow it will all coalesce into a joke,” Appell said.

Appell discovered Improv Beijing, a bilingual improv comedy workshop, near the end of his semester abroad in China. He started taking classes there when he returned to Beijing the following summer for an internship.

In his presentation, Appell explained that like other types of performing arts, Xiangsheng has evolved with the changing times.

What originated as a form of street performance has expanded to include shows in large venues, television programs and even a Xiangsheng web series.

Dui Kou Xiangsheng, the type that Appell performs, is an especially interactive form of Chinese improv because it requires two performers to play two roles. Appell mastered this technique, known as “crosstalk,” by studying with a famous performer, Ding Guangquan.

Xiangsheng is challenging because it requires both performers to “speak, imitate, joke and sing,” all at once.

Now, Appell is best known for the two music videos he produced while abroad, which both use comedy to tackle cultural issues.

“Laowai Style,” a parody of the hit single “Gangnam Style,” overturns the stereotypes that are associated with foreigners in China. Another music video turns a critical eye to China’s economic policy today.

reid.

While Graffenreid states that Brandeis received “some phone calls, comments and emails from faculty, students, parents and alumni” about the protest, not all are in support of Brandeis’ decision.

“I was definitely not happy that such demonstrations had happened at Al-Quds and must be condemned.

But I was also aware that universities across the world are spaces where demonstrations and debate from each side of the political idea happens, so I was not overall surprised,” said Aziz Sohail, an alumnus who graduated in 2013. “I think [Brandeis’ connection to Al-Quds] is an amazing relationship and something that should be continued.”

The letter of apology, sent out by Nusseibeh, was rejected according to BrandeisNOW due to its “unacceptable” and “inflammatory” content. “First and foremost, universities should be safe spaces for a broad range of dialogue, discussion and debate. But there are limits, and hate speech has no place on our campus.

As private university campus we are not, strictly speaking, bound by the First Amendment. We can, and indeed we must, develop our own rules of freedom and expression,” Lawrence stated on his blog.

When asked about which qualities of the statement were unacceptable,

Graffenreid commented, “Please read the letter carefully.” The letter is linked to on the BrandeisNOW website.

“I think while the letter did not meet Brandeis’ expectations for outright condemnation, I think the letter discussed different valid points, but also remained to the spirit of progressiveness and debate. So I think Brandeis could have fostered that with the partnership and maintained a proactive rather than reactive relationship,” Sohail said.

Graffenreid explained Brandeis’ past relationship with Al-Quds. “It was begun to link an Arab institution in Jerusalem and a Jewish-sponsored institution in the U.S. in an exchange designed to provide education opportunities for students, faculty and staff and foster cultural understanding.

With funding from the Ford Foundation, the project included administrative exchanges, academic exchanges and student exchanges. Feedback from those involved in the exchanges has been positive,” she said. When asked to comment about how the suspended partnership may negatively affect Al-Quds, Graffenreid stated, “I don’t have any insight on your second question.”

Sohail said that the relationship Brandeis had with Al-Quds was one of the things that made him proud to be affiliated with the university as an alumnus. “Now they have lost something unique, and an ability to continue the dialogue and ensure things like this do not happen.”

photo from internet source

November 22, 2013

NEWS 3

The Brandeis Hoot

College Notebook

Reinharz continues trend of high FDA intervenes in Princeton meningitis outbreak compensation for retirees REINHARZ, from page 1

personal opinion is relevant.”

Reinharz, who is currently pursuing academic research on the role of the donkey in literature, asserts that his compensation package was initiated by the Executive Committee of the Brandeis Board of Trustees in 2009 when he announced his resignation in the wake of the Rose Art controversy.

According to Reinharz, the board of trustees provided him with this package given his worth in assisting the future president and performing various other duties until July of 2014.

“My advice to the President is always private and I believe he sees value in the relationship,” Reinharz stated.

Reinharz explains his services to the University, including helping to to secure pledges made during his administration, helping to recruit new board members, introducing the President to donors, meeting with faculty on occasion and continuing his research and publication as a faculty member,

among other duties.

Explaining his academic research, Reinharz recently told The Globe, “There are smart donkeys, stupid donkeys, evil donkeys, etc., and no one has ever contemplated this on a large scale.” He further went on to state, “It’s probably the most ambitious topic I have ever contemplated.”

When asked to comment on the university’s standpoint on Reinharz’s research, de Graffenreid said, “The University doesn’t dictate the topics of faculty research projects. That is a matter of academic freedom.”

In an email correspondence with The Hoot, Reinharz wrote, “Although I spend 50% of my time on Brandeis activities as President Emeritus, I also devote a portion of my time to the Mandel Foundation.” Yet, in an interview with the Globe published last week, Reinharz stated “I don’t punch a clock...I work when my work is needed.”

Reinharz stressed his role as consultant to the Mandel Foundation, a role for which he was re-

portedly compensated $800,000 for in 2011. Citing his personal bond with Morton Mandel, Reinharz explained that he “is the one who set my compensation and I presume he believes I bring him and his Foundation substantial value in terms of advice and counsel.”

Stressing the discrepancy between Brandeis’ policy of social justice and recent administrative decisions, the online petition states, “The gulf of inequality at Brandeis University is growing.”

Demanding transparency regarding the executive compensation packages, the petition asserts “Brandeis undermines its own values when it prioritizes donor relationships and institutional prestige over student access to scholarship and good stewardship of our communal resources.”

Although the Globe exposed the high salary of Reinharz, articles published in 2005 and 2012

by The Hoot cited the issue of high compensation packages for administrative officials, such as Mel Bernstein and Peter French, in the past.

photo from internet source

By Charlie Romanow Staff

Princeton University is fighting through a bout of meningitis type B—a disease without an approved vaccine available in the U.S. Six students and one visitor have contracted the disease since March. All individuals but the most recent case, which began on Nov. 8, have recovered. This strain of the bacteria is not the one commonly found and vaccinated for in the United States.

William Schaffner, professor of Preventative Medicine at Vanderbilt University said, “Usually, when you see this kind of meningitis on the campus, it’s meningitis C. This is very unusual,” as reported by USA Today.

Meningitis type B usually affects young infants and children. Many states, including New Jersey, require students living on campus to be vaccinated for meningitis, although this vaccine does not protect against the type B strain. 40 percent of cases in the U.S. are caused by the type B strain, and this number jumps as high as 80 percent in Australia and parts of Europe according to Bloomberg News.

Dr. Thomas Clark, acting head of the CDC’s meningitis and vaccine preventable diseases branch, told NBC News, “This is a bad disease, and we know how devastating it is. A lot of us had a gut feeling that there would be more cases, and we should get the ball rolling.”

The CDC, New Jersey Department of Health and Princeton University hope that a vaccine unapproved in the U.S. will be able to stabilize the outbreak. Bexsero, produced by the Swiss pharmaceutical company Novartis, is approved for use in Europe and Australia. The vaccine is the first that fights this strain of bacteria.

American-based company Pfizer is currently developing a vaccine that has not been approved but whose test results are expected to be made public next year.

Barbara Reynolds, spokesperson for the CDC, said that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the import of the vaccine from Europe to the Princeton campus. Novartis hopes to eventually get the vaccine approved in the United States.

The vaccine is expected to be ready to be administered on campus within the next two months, and the FDA has approved the vaccine’s import.

The students will have the option of receiving the vaccine, but until then, Princeton is encouraging students to wash hands, cover coughs and not share items such as eating utensils and drinking glasses. They have also reached out to students through posters and emails as well as distributed nearly five thousand plastic tumblers that said, “Mine. Not yours,” at the beginning of the semester.

Lynn Bozof, president of the National Meningitis Association, told NBC News, “I think this is really wonderful that all these groups have come together to combat this. Their immediate concern is stopping the outbreak in this contained group.”

Seton Hall and Rider universities located nearby in New Jersey are looking out for meningitis cases.

A spokesperson from Rider said, “We are working with local health authorities to monitor the situation closely. We have taken the precaution of putting our student health services on alert and have informed our students of the basic infection prevention activities they can take.”

The New Jersey Department of Health has recommended that the university not cancel any scheduled activities due to the bacteria and that the public does not need to avoid contact with students. The bacteria are spread by coughing, sneezing, kissing and living in close quarters, such as dormitories. The bacteria are less infectious than influenza and the common cold.

Andrin Oswald, head of Novartis vaccines and diagnostics, said that not everyone who has the meningitis bacteria gets sick. It is likely carried by as much as 10 percent of the Princeton community but is only occurring in about one out of 1,000 students. This rate is much higher than the one to two of 100,000 prevalence rate found in other forms of the bacteria.

Bacterial meningitis, a rare disease in the U.S., can cause swelling of membranes covering the brain and spinal cord in addition to stiff neck, high fever, sensitivity to light, confusion, headaches and vomiting. Nearly 10 percent of those infected die of the bacteria within 48 hours of symptoms appearing. The World Health Organization reports that 170,000 deaths annually are due to meningitis. Only 500 of these deaths are in the United States, according to The New York Times. 20 percent of survivors develop mental disabilities, hearing loss and paralysis.

Questions for practicality of mother quota in German politics MOM QUOTA, from page 1

erhood and showing data that illustrates the small numbers of women in leadership positions in government and corporations across the European Union. While what she had to say was certainly interesting and necessary background for the discussion of her paper, Brockmann’s PowerPoint slides were in German and she failed to provide background on the structure of German parliament.

This made complete comprehension of this background difficult, if not impossible.

She then discussed the concept of “having it all” and how this idealistic state is not feasible within the Ger-

man society, especially for women with children. She discussed how a majority of women in leadership positions are childless and how this correlation between women in positions of power not having children is not by pure coincidence. Brockmann explained how many of the parties in Germany have voluntary quotas requiring a certain amount of female parliament members in the party, but how most of these positions are filled by motherless women. She explained how this is problematic and that as mothers are the best advocates for children, who do not have representation in parliament, so mothers’ increased presence and membership in parliament is necessary.

After providing what she deemed was sufficient background information on the German political structure and its need for motherhood,

Brockmann launched into an explanation of her paper and its structure.

Her paper first began with an explanation of the pros and cons of a motherhood quota and then proposed a potential design for the aforementioned quota. She explained with humor that it was received quite negatively by the German tabloids and that some even questioned the sanity of her ideas. Everyone in the room laughed as Brockmann discussed how the out-of-context picture featured on the front page of many of the tabloids indeed made her like quite the crazy person.

Brockmann’s presentation was followed by a question-and-answer session in which many questioned and criticized her work. Professor Bellin of the Politics department animatedly questioned Brockmann’s motherhood quota, saying she believed it would be ineffective given the lack of unified

objectives of mothers as a group. She further criticized Brockmann’s focus on amplifying the voices of mothers exclusively, questioning whether or not other underrepresented groups in parliament should also be able to benefit from such quotas. With tensions high in the room, Brockmann largely skirted Professor Bellin’s questions and comments, even going as far as to compare the underrepresented groups Professor Bellin asked about to ridiculous subsets of the population, saying that you could create quotas for people with big feet and the like, but there would be no reason to do so.

Others in the audience also questioned the objectives of the motherhood quota and its implications. They brought up issues of why a parenthood quota wouldn’t suffice and if the proposed motherhood quota would

lead to an antagonistic dynamic among women themselves. Again, Brockmann danced around answering these questions, claiming that a quota would be a “pulse to signal women and mothers not to worry” that they had a voice and that a majority of women are mothers.

Brockmann’s presentation was unimpressive. Despite her academic credentials, her presentation seemed very much like the beginning of a research project as opposed to the presentation of an already-published paper. Further, her research appeared to be quite descriptive in nature with very little empirical evidence presented to support her claims. While certainly an interesting topic for research and discussion, it seems like Brockmann has much more work to do before any causal or conclusive findings can be obtained from her work.

sports

4 The Brandeis Hoot

November 22, 2013

Women’s basketball is 1-2 after tough losses

By Charlie Romanow Staff

The women’s basketball team had a rough start to the season, going 1-2.

They defeated Mount Ida College on Friday but lost to Colby College on Saturday and Roger Williams University on Tuesday.

The team’s first two games of the season were part of the Brandeis Invitational Tip-Off Tourney. Mount Ida, Colby and Eastern Nazarene College also participated. The Judges easily defeated the Mount Ida Mustangs 7439. Despite trailing 13-12 after eight minutes, the home team went on a 41-5 run and then a 27-3 streak to end the first half. The Mustangs were

scoreless for nine consecutive minutes. The first half ended at 39-16.

Brandeis took the momentum into the second with a 14-2 run before leading 53-18. Forward Nicolina Vitale ’14 led the team with 19 points and eight rebounds, shooting 9-11 from the field. Guard Heather Cain ’16, a transfer student from Trinity College, also had eight rebounds.

Guard Paris Hodges ’17 added 10 points, seven rebounds, five assists and three steals. Center Angela Miller ’14 had seven points, six rebounds– five of which came on offense–and four blocks. Mount Ida’s Jenn Rafuse had 15 points and a game-high 13 rebounds. Angelique Martinez and Abbey Fedigan each added six rebounds.

The Judges played well overall but

were particularly impressive on the court, out-rebounding the Mustangs 64-42. Five Judges had at least five boards. The Judges’ bench outscored the opponents’ reserves 28-4. Mount Ida Assistant Coach Morgan Kendrew is a 2012 Brandeis graduate who is one of the top 10 scorers for the program. Mount Ida is currently 0-3.

Brandeis followed this impressive performance up with a close 70-67 loss to Colby in the Tournament Championship Game. Brandeis had a 13-6 run in the first half to take an eight-point lead, but the Mules responded with a 20-4 roll that included four three-pointers to leave the half on top 33-25. Guard Niki Laskaris ’16 had nine points during the Judges’ streak. Early in the second

half, Brandeis was down by nine but forced four turnovers on a full-court press to soon lead 41-40. The game was back and forth throughout the remainder. The home team led 5551 with only six minutes left but was not able to maintain control as Colby scored eight straight. The Judges’ final lead of the night came with 2:57 left in the game. Colby made back-to-back threes to take the lead. Desi Smith and Jen Nale put the game away, making four free throws in the final minute. Guard Kasey Dean ’14 missed a last-second three-pointer.

Coming off of the bench, Laskaris had a career-high 21 points. Vitale had 15 points and 10 rebounds, eight of which came on offense. Hodges had 11 rebounds. Colby’s Smith, Nale, Mia Diplock and Caitlyn Nolan each scored double-digit points in the winning effort. Diplock led all with four assists. Gabe Donahue had 10 rebounds.

The Judges attempted many more shots but weren’t as efficient as the Mules. The teams were equal in rebounds, but Brandeis had better control of the ball, having 13 turnovers to Colby’s 20. Brandeis was the lone team of the tournament to have two members of the All-Tournament team, having Hodges and Vitale be recognized for their play. Colby’s Nale was voted MVP, average 18.5 points per game.

Brandeis Head Coach Carol Simon is a graduate of Colby College, having won the ECAC Division III Championship with them twice.

The Judges lost 65-53 to the Roger Williams Hawks. The Judges came back from a 10-point halftime deficit but could not fight Kaitlyn Bovee’s 32 points, shooting 9-14 from the field, making four three-points, 10 of 11 from the free throw line, and leading with 13 rebounds. The Judges were

within two points, but the Hawks ended the half on a 15-7 to go ahead 33-23.

Brandeis reacted well to the deficit, beginning the second half on a 13-1 run to lead by two with 13:51 remaining. The Judges’ final lead came with 7:54 left in the game. Dean, the Judges’ captain, had 12 points on 60 percent shooting. Vitale added 10 points with three blocks. Mancinelli had eight rebounds, and Miller had seven.

Roger Williams is 2-0 before their Thursday game against Connecticut College. The 1-2 Judges have two remaining games this month. They face Tufts University at home on Saturday and head to Emmanuel College on Tuesday.

photos by marian siljeholm/the hoot

judges Women’s basketball secured a win but suffered two losses this week.

arts

November 22, 2013

The Brandeis Hoot 5

Poet Richard Blanco shares his journey to the podium

By Theresa Gaffney Editor

On Thursday, the Department of Hispanic Studies brought Richard Blanco to Brandeis for a poetry reading in the Carl and Ruth Shapiro Admissions Center. Blanco recently joined the elite group of inaugural poets, as he read at President Barack Obama’s second address.

Professor James Mandrell (HISP) introduced Blanco, touching shortly on what the poet represented to many on the day of the president’s second inauguration. “The poet chosen to read that day exemplified the types of inclusion that many in the U.S. had thought they would not necessarily live to see in the political realm,” he said. Blanco is “a gay man made in Cuba, assembled in Spain and imported to the United States.” After being introduced, Richard Blanco began to speak about his journey not just through life but around the world, which led him to President Obama’s inaugural address.

It is the story of this journey that

Blanco tells in his new book released Nov. 19, “For All of Us, One Today: An Inaugural Poet’s Journey.” Writing in English and in Spanish, Richard Blanco aims in his book to tell the emotional journey leading to the inaugural address, rather than the classic story about how he received a phone call from the president one day while driving on a highway in Maine.

Blanco spoke with pride of his history and his family that formed his character.

The journey starts as far back as the womb, Blanco joked. He told the audience how his parents moved from Cuba to Spain when his mother was seven months pregnant. By the time he was two months old, they had moved to America. “By the time I was 45 days old, I belonged figuratively to three countries … if that wasn’t some higher power telling you what was going to obsess my life and my writing later on, I don’t know what was,” he said.

Blanco opened up about many problems he had with his own cultural identity as a child and an adult.

Growing up in Miami, in a bubble of other Cuban families, he felt as

if he was between “two imaginary worlds”—that of Cuba, as he knew of it from tales told by his parents, and that of the United States as he saw on television in shows like “The Brady Bunch.”

At first, Blanco felt as if he was practically meant to speak at the inaugural address, when he received the call from the president. His first assignment in graduate school was “to write a poem about America ... and that’s exactly what Obama said 20 years later.”

Blanco read excerpts of his poetry that were heard as smoothly and as easily as his natural speaking. The poems were much like stories but performed. The first was “America.”

The poem told the tale of CubanAmerican Thanksgivings, where they ate pork rather than turkey and never knew what to do with peanut butter when it was in the house.

It slowly opened up into an exploration of the life between the two worlds in which Blanco lived. “Overheard conversations of returning to Cuba had grown wistful and less frequent.

I spoke English. My parents didn’t.”

Blanco’s poems, while following no

rhyme scheme or formula, flowed naturally off his tongue and held the audience’s attention. While exploring a topic such as his own journey through life, he could still create humorous moments. “Men in guayaberas stood in senate blaming Kennedy for everything. ‘Ese hijo de puta … ’” Blanco’s poems were long and winding, but filled with dramatic pauses and shifting tones; it was easy to follow along.

Blanco spoke most passionately perhaps about his mother. One of the last poems he read focused on her and how she was core of his story.

When Blanco was asked to speak at the capitol, he initially assumed that his partner, Mark, would be the one guest allowed to sit with him on the platform. However Mark, and soon Blanco, knew that it was his mother’s place. “She won’t fully understand the poem I will read about America, to America, in English, but she doesn’t have to. She is the poem. She is America.”

Blanco’s poetry was truly an expression from the heart. “The weird thing about poetry,” he admitted, “is that you write this stuff but then as

photo from internet sourcet

you read it, you get emotional,” he admitted.

The reading was fully attended by a variety of people, from Spanish students looking to receive extra credit, to those truly intrigued by the poet and his work, to faculty and staff and outside members of the community.

Raffle tickets were handed out upon entering the hall, and at the end of the reading, six numbers were pulled to give those students a free copy of Blanco’s new book. Copies were also for sale, and he stayed afterward to sign them for anybody who wanted.

Polishing the American Dream: ‘Happy Hands’ screening shares the Vietnamese immigrant story

By Vinh Nguyen Staff

“The nail industry is composed of up to 45 to 50 percent of Vietnamese immigrants,” Honey Lauren estimates, tucking a long strand of her curly hair behind her ear. Taking a pause to reposition her crossed legs, Lauren––the director of “Happy Hands”––proceeds, “and less than one percent of them know this story.”

The story Lauren mentions is the narrative of how Vietnamese Americans and immigrants have found a huge economic niche in the nail industry. According to “Nails” magazine, a publication within the trade, there are more than 8,000 nail salons in California alone—80 percent of them owned and operated by Vietnamese Americans. Nationwide, 45 percent of all licensed manicurists are of Vietnamese heritage.

Not only do the Vietnamese work in the nail industry, they also dominate it. The origin of how they have become so highly represented in the nail industry, however, is not a common story. For precisely this reason, actress and filmmaker Honey Lauren sought to explore the underpinnings that have led to this economic-cultural phenomenon in her short documentary “Happy Hands.”

Presented and hosted by the Brandeis Asian American Student Association (BAASA), the 20-minute documentary was screened in the ICC last Friday night, followed by a special Q&A with Lauren herself. Although initially appearing to be a story about the nail industry, the charm of “Happy Hands” comes from the fact that it’s actually not about the industry at all. Rather, using first-person narrative that is interspersed with interviews, the short film attempts to snapshot the experiences of Vietnamese immigrants transitioning into this country after the Fall of Saigon in 1975. The key players in this tale are the Vietnam-

ese immigrants themselves, the idea of the American Dream and perhaps unexpectedly, a young Hollywood starlet, Tippi Hedren.

The documentary opens by introducing Laura, a Vietnamese immigrant who moved to Los Angeles where she works in her aunt’s nail salon. From there, Laura recounts her story of coming to America and finding work in the industry. Along the way, Laura’s story breaks off with interviews of prominent people who have impacted the development of the Vietnamese nail community, such as Tam Nguyen.

Nguyen, owner and president of American Beauty College in Garden Grove, CA has trained and licensed thousands of Vietnamese manicurists. As a second-generation immigrant, Nguyen’s narrative offers insight on his upbringings and his parents’ determination to provide a better life in America during a time when anti-war opposition was high and the American-held opinions of the Vietnamese people were low.

From these other interviews, “Happy Hands” offers the stories of hard work and sacrifices experienced by several generations of Vietnamese-Americans.

The documentary also sheds light on the involvement of Tippi Hedren (star of Alfred Hitchcock’s iconic film, “The Birds”) in helping the first wave of Vietnamese immigrants gain a footing in the industry. Hedren, through her volunteer efforts with the international relief organization “Food for the Hungry,” worked with many of these immigrant women in a Sacramento refugee camp. There, it was Hedren who suggested that these women should learn a trade—nail technology. From there, Hedren had her personal manicurist teach these women to be manicurists themselves and her Hollywood status was instrumental in helping these women find jobs in nail salons. It was this first crop of women—20 of them—who were the first ambassadors and repre-

baasa event Students listen as director Honey Lauren presents her documentary.

sentatives of Vietnamese immigrants in the nail industry that cemented the road for many others to follow.

In the Q&A session that followed after the documentary, director Lauren took questions from the audience.

One audience member raised the theme of white-privilege and the survivor complex seen through the presentation of Tippi Hedren’s narrative to the Vietnamese immigrant story.

Circumventing the root of the question, Lauren did not succinctly offer a clear opinion on this. Perhaps a silver lining to this lies in Lauren’s description that the nail industry represents “a way to a means,” and that “you can do anything.” After all, through the stories shared by the Vietnamese

immigrants in the documentary, it is clear that although Hendren may have provided an opportunity for the immigrants, it was the immigrants who took the opportunity and ran with it. It was their individual hard work and will to succeed in America that transformed not only their lives but also the nail industry into a $7.3 billion business. It wasn’t Hendren that saved the Vietnamese—they saved themselves.

“I believe the Vietnamese immigrant stories presented in the documentary generally reflect the beginning of not only the Asian American but all immigrants’ narrative of attaining a better life in the United States. I know that my parents had

photos courtesy calvin wang

come here to give my brothers and me a much more comfortable and privileged life due to the larger amounts of opportunities here, and I think that this is usually the same scenario for other immigrants,” BAASA President Do Dang ’15 said.

Indeed, although not many Vietnamese Americans, myself included, know much about the origin and history of our culture in this industry, “Happy Hands” initiates a deeper conversation that has yet to be fully described. Despite its connotation of survivor-privilege, “Happy Hands” offers a valuable lens into the immigrant experience. It is a lens that allows us to examine where we came from and the sacrifices of those before us.

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November 22, 2013

Death Grips stick to strengths with free album

By Jess Linde Staff

I’m going to preface this review with the following statement: I don’t really get the indie music community’s obsession with Death Grips. The first time I heard of the Sacramento-based industrial-hip-hop-experimentgroup-thing was at the 2012 Coachella Festival. It was the middle of a very long and extremely hot day, and I had just finished an overpriced burger and fries for lunch. As we walked to the other side of the massive polo field that houses the festival, we noticed one of the smaller tents was packed to the brim in the middle of the day, and we were surprised to find that it was not the usually bro-infested dubstep tent.

No, this tent contained a general mixture of Coachella’s audience; hipsters, punks, Odd Future fans, doting parents, and even a couple bros and some ravers. My friends and I made our way pretty close to the front and waited for the mystery band to begin.

After around 15 minutes and several (declined) offers of ecstasy, three dudes took the stage to raucous applause and screams. Before I knew it, I was in a frenzy. We left early. A couple weeks later I tried out Death Grips’ first album “The Money Store” and liked a couple songs while Pitchfork raved that they were the return of punk-rap.

my tune a bit. It’s still pretentious, starting with “You might think he loves you for your money but I know what he really loves you for it’s your brand new leopard skin pillbox hat” and unnecessarily long noise sections in “Anne Bonny” and “Bootleg” but songs like “Feels Like a Wheel,” “Two Heavens” and “This Is Violence Now (Don’t Get Me Wrong)” are intense and fun. Andy “Flatlander” Morin’s production and beatwork is really good and features a lot of craziness, and drummer/octopus man Zach Hill provides an amazing background.

Even Stefan “MC Ride” Burnett’s shouted, unintelligible vocals, are pretty tolerable this time around.

“Birds” is boring, but the mostly instrumental “I’m Overflow” and “Big House” are energetic and fun.

The lyrics are nonsense, but then again that’s per usual with Death Grips.

The best song on the album, “Whatever I Want,” is the last one, but it is very creative and fun to listen to.

At the end of the day, I still wouldn’t call myself a big Death Grips fan, and I probably wouldn’t have even listened to “Government Plates” if it wasn’t free. But the fact that I did at all and enjoyed myself shows that Death Grips are an interesting band with a photo from internet source lead singer The band specializes in free releases. unique and cool sound. But “GovernWhen the band released their second even less interested and in how self- art” was even more proof to me that ment Plates” also sounds the same as album “No Love Deep Web” without obsessed and arty I thought they were. they were a pretentious buzzband not every Death Grips album, and for all telling their label and then were “unTheir whole deal with not showing worth my time. But their latest free their creativity and pretentiousness, expectedly” got dropped, I became up for their shows as “performance release, “Government Plates,” changed that only exacerbates the latter.

‘Worm’ a predictable but entertaining web novel

By Cameron Fen

Special to the Hoot

“Worm” is a serialized web novel by an author who goes by the pseudonym Wildbow about an introverted teenage girl Taylor who gains superpowers. There is even an indestructible cheerleader a la Hayden Panettiere from “Heroes.” The characters, however, don’t have much depth. The main character is bullied “Mean Girls” style, and interactions with the bullies provides much of the relatively shallow, but still interesting, emotional dimension.

The novel reads like a comic book but without the pictures. Although the character development is not what I call sophisticated, it is acceptable.

One doesn’t read comic books for the character development anyway.

One overlooked aspect of the novel is how the reader gets to explore the world of “Worm.” As the novel progresses, bits and pieces of the world slowly come together. We learn about the Manton effect, where superheroes often find that their powers either work uniquely on living organisms or on inorganic matter. Only later do we learn about trigger events and how superheroes get their powers. The author aptly leaves many things unsaid and discoverable for the reader in the future.

Often it is interesting to learn about the superpowers of the heroes and villains, as they are somewhat unconventional. Taylor can control the movement and action of bugs. Another hero is a human snail who can produce enzymes with a vast array of composition and effect.

The novel is 1.5 million words long, which is roughly 9-23 typical books in length. It begins at school. We learn that Taylor eats lunch in the bath-

photo from internet source

superheroes Taylor and her gang fight evil in this web novel.

room to avoid the high school bullies.

The popular girls find her in the bathroom, give her a swirlie and pour juice down her jacket. Why she doesn’t fight back or tell a teacher seems to be a point that is poorly justified.

As an escape, Taylor trains to be a superhero. In her first day as a hero, she picks a fight with Lung, a pyrokinetic whose metal skin hardens progressively the longer he fights. In over her head, Taylor is rescued by the Undersiders, a group of aspiring villains, who mistake her for a compatriot.

With her use of bugs and some strategically deployed pepper spray, she is able to severely wound Lung and earn the respect of the Undersiders.

The Undersiders ask her to join their gang, and Taylor agrees, rationalizing that she will turn them in when she gathers enough information. I get the impression that the author is fond of thinking, “Nothing is black and white,” but the concept is still cliché.

The leader of the gang, Brian, is trying to make enough money so that he can become his sister’s legal guardian and rescue her from abusive parents. Rachel, another one of the Undersiders, is against recruiting Taylor and ends up unleashing her dogs on her. We find out later that Rachel’s personality problems are the result of an unfortunate childhood. Her superpower replaces her poor ability to understand

human communication with an ability to better communicate with dogs.

When the heroes turn out to be a less than ideal bunch, especially after Taylor finds out the secret identity of Shadow Stalker, she faces a difficult choice. For all of the typical tropes in this novel, the main thing that the author does best is her ability to steadily increase the tension with every fight without making it feel episodic. It goes without saying that after each fight, the antagonists are more dangerous.

It’s the author’s ability, however, to foreshadow and to build up the tension that sets her apart.

In the beginning of the novel, the Endbringers are brought up as the ul-

timate villains, so when the heroes and villains of Taylor’s city, Brockton Bay, gang up to fight the Endbringer Leviathan, it is believable that Leviathan can take out five superheroes with one swipe of a claw and then summon a tsunami afterward. The author juxtaposes Taylor’s feelings of uselessness administering first aid and her moral guilt over having abandoned a fellow fighter to save herself from a tsunami.

The author is able to draw out the battle for more than 30,000 words, which is equivalent to 60 pages.

While the novel is rather unrefined, it is thoroughly entertaining for the nerd in all of us. The text can be found at Parahumans.Wordpress.com.

November 22, 2013

ARTS, ETC. 7

The Brandeis Hoot

‘The Children’s Hour’ is the event to watch this weekend

By Victoria Aronson Editor

Group’s production of “The Children’s Hour” stunned audiences through its dramatic performances, disturbing themes of manipulation, and exquisitely talented cast. Delving into the psychologically disturbed mind of a young girl who incites claims of homosexuality to destroy the lives of those around her, the play, directed by Allison Thvedt ’15, enraptured the attention of the audience.

Originally written in the 1930s by Lillian Hellman, the play explores the social stigmatization of homosexuality in a manner astonishing for the time period. As ipods blared the song “Paper Planes” and the simple set filled with schoolgirls chatting during their sewing lessons, it was impossible to decipher the time period of the play. Yet, this technicality was truly the only noticeable flaw of the production, as brilliant performances by a cast heavily laden with debuting freshmen seized the stage.

Standout performer Allison Kaminsky ’17, a first-year from Los Angeles, delivered a convincing and haunting portrayal of the manipulative Mary Tilford, a pre-teen girl who psychologically torments her peers, teachers and relatives. It is revealed that Mary’s father committed suicide, suggesting a troubled childhood that gave rise to her manipulative behaviors. Feigning a heart attack to escape class, Mary’s propensity to lie and suddenly switch from a state of pure rage to smiles is haunting to say the least.

Bronte Velez ’16, who convincingly plays the role of Karen White, headmistress of the boarding school, appears a concerned mentor figure who glimpses into Mary’s true character and makes the grave mistake of confronting the young girl’s propensity for lying.

Having co-founded the boarding school with Martha Dobie, expertly played by Grace Fosler ’14, White is engaged to be married to Joseph Cardin, played by Justy Kosek ’14.

However, Martha’s jealous antics and emotional outbreaks hint at a potential homosexual relationship lingering between her and Karen, one which Mary discovers and utilizes for her own selfish exploits.

Depicting fragile family relation-

ships wrought with tension, Dobie is accused of being “unnatural” in a emotionally charged argument with her aunt, a middle aged woman burdened with a strong sense of pride who is easily deceived by the young Mary. The simple set, bare except for a desk and a sofa, only seemed to thrust the emotional performances of the actresses into the spotlight. Without the presence of intricate props or luxurious costumes to awe audiences, the play astonished viewers solely on the basis of its chilling performances.

In startling moments during the play, the audience is given glimpses into the abusive mind of Mary as she violently throws objects in rage, lies blatantly to school officials and her own grandmother and physically slaps a stunned friend across the face.

When one of Mary’s friends attempts to stand up to her, Mary unexpectedly lashes out, shoving one of the girls to the floor, slapping another across the check, and yanking on her hair without mercy. The victims break down in tears, unable to process the violent behavior of Mary, relinquishing to her desires.

As Mary becomes progressively more psychotic, switching from loving granddaughter to abusive friend, she utters a lie with fatal consequenc-

es. Running away from the boarding school, she twists a web of lies to manipulate her grandmother, instigating Karen and Martha as lesbian lovers.

Witnessing her grand mother becoming more and more disturbed, Mary leans across and whispers a terrifying secret in her ear, which although is not heard by the audience, but can clearly be deciphered. Pretending to be frightened by audible noises heard in Karen’s bedroom when Martha visits during the evening hours, Mary spins a story of a lesbian love affair to avoid returning to the boarding school.

Noting the time period of the 1930s, allegations of homosexuality are met with grave concern by the grandmother, who immediately seeks action, resulting in parents pulling all their children from the boarding school. Leading ultimately to the dramatic suicide of Martha, Mary’s manipulative lies are only brought to light after the utter destruction of the innocent lives of those around her.

As the first debut of director Allison Thvedt, “The Children’s Hour” draws audiences into a chilling tale of the psychologically disturbed young girl who utterly lacks empathy for those around her. Kaminsky expertly plays the role, switching effortlessly

photos by marian siljeholm/the hoot

family feud Martha Dobie (Grace Fosler) argues with her aunt, Mrs. Mortar (Ayelet

Schrek)..

between moments of sheer rage, to sweet, loving facades. The emotional torment of characters such as Martha

and Karen are captured through the stunning performances of Velez and Fosler.

True Confessions of a Netflix Addict

‘Legend of Korra’ finale as enthralling as its prequel

By Sophia Baez Staff

It was a normal Friday afternoon.

I was sitting with my boyfriend, discussing our very typical Brandeisian plans for the night—going to the 99, buying some Ben and Jerry’s in the C-Store and maybe relaxing in Grad.

At the end of our Fridays, we usually watch the new episode of the “Legend of Korra” with our friend. Last Friday was a particularly exciting night because two episodes of the second seasons were going to be aired. It was not until I checked my Facebook that I found the most exciting news of my life. Nickelodeon was airing the two

finale episodes of “Legend of Korra!”

How did this even happen, you ask? It all started when Janet Varney (voice character of Korra) posted a video giving fans a challenge that if her video was reblogged 10,000 times, Nickelodeon would agree to air the final episodes. In true nerd fashion, the video was reblogged much more than 10,000 times.

For those who do not know, the “Legend of Korra” is the spin-off of “Avatar: The Last Airbender.” Korra is the avatar after Aang. She is a feisty teenage waterbender. She is very strong, but not very spiritual. She had difficulty mastering airbending because she cannot meditate. The main plot of the second season is discover-

ing two main spirits: the light spirit, Raava, which lives inside the avatar, and Vaatu, which has been trapped in the Spirit World for the last 10,000 years.

The plot thickens when Korra’s uncle, Unalaq, wants to unleash Vaatu and become the anti-avatar, bringing darkness to the world. Super messed up, right? Of course, Vaatu gets out of his cage, which is actually called the Tree of Time. Unalaq becomes the anti-avatar and destroys Raava, which in turn destroys Korra’s connection to past avatars. There were a good 25 minutes when I thought that everyone was screwed. I do not want to ruin the plot, but needless to say, Korra and her friends save the day.

The finale was amazing and included many reasons to anticipate the next season.

If you have never seen either “Avatar: The Last Airbender” or “Legend of Korra,” you should know that the avatar is known to keep peace in the world and to be the bridge between the physical and spiritual worlds.

When Unalaq decides that he wants to be the anti-avatar, which was never really explained, he opens the doors of the Spirit World by tricking Korra.

After the smoke clears, Korra decides not to close the portal, but to keep them open, so that spirits and humans can learn to live together. I am not trying to be negative, but this is going to bite her in the butt next sea-

son.

The writers also decided to have the avatar’s past lives detached, of which I strongly disapprove. One of my favorite aspects of the show is seeing the past avatars and learning their history. The theme for the next season is going to change. I was so obsessed with the end of the second season that third season cannot come fast enough. While I am typically afraid of change, I am excited to see what these amazing writers are going to bring. “The Legend of Korra” is a must-see—no exceptions. If you have not watched “Avatar: The Last Airbender,” watch it first so that you may gain a great appreciation for its spin-off.

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November 22, 2013

‘Cabaret:’ The raunchy but captivating show astounds audience

By Michelle Kim Staff

Raunchy, gaudy, captivating. “Cabaret” is the best show that’s been performed so far this entire semester.

Starring graduate students Sam Gillam, Alex Jacobs, Alex Johnson, Sara Schoch, Eddie Shields, Laura Jo Trexler and Jonathan Young, the musical is set in 1930s Berlin, where the Nazi Party is gradually becoming stronger and more prevalent. The musical follows a “starving author” named Cliff (Gillam), who falls in love with a British nightclub performer named Sally (Trexler). We also see Lulu, a promiscuous German, and many of the remaining characters fall into the hands of the Nazi Party.

“Cabaret” is not a show you want to miss. The night was full of flapperesque costumes, dark makeup, dirty humor and provocative dancing.

Aside from minor microphone issues in the beginning of the show, everything was carried out flawlessly.

Audience members who arrived early were treated to interactions with in-character cast members, who sauntered about holding drinks and cigarettes. I was in awe of the stage set; in the middle of the stage sat a glamorous, but grungy, stone arch. Evocative of a broken-down part of the Emerald City, the arch served multiple functions, as one watching the show will see.

What surprised me (pleasantly) was that every aspect of the show was professional. The fly system was efficient, the live band expertly played all the songs, and, most of all, the cast members were marvelously charismatic.

When the band’s microphone created awful screeching noises during “Two Ladies,” Emcee (played by Eddie Shields) and his two ladies continued performing as if nothing had happened.

It should not be unexpected that “Cabaret” is a musical of such high caliber. All of the main cast members are MFA Acting students; in other words, they are of training and experience that exceeds those of a highly talented undergraduate. The Brandeis undergraduates who were in the show, however, are also very talented and should be proud that they are able to be a part of such a high-quality show.

My personal favorite is Emcee, who

opened and narrated the show. Leering, sexed up, gangly and flamboyant, Emcee added spice to the show, with his eye-accentuating makeup and slouchy saunter. His manic behavior was both creepy and fascinating. Despite the fact that he is loathsome in character, Emcee is absolutely compelling.

Shields, who played Emcee, reminded me of Heath Ledger as the Joker in “The Dark Knight.” I wish I had brought a trumpet or something loud so that I could cheer louder for him at the end.

From the very beginning, “Cabaret” is racy; at times it’s sexy and at other times downright lewd. Lines like “You can tell my papa, that’s alright, cause he comes in here every night, but don’t tell Mama what you saw” were full of suggestiveness. Some of the songs, like “Two Ladies” and “Money,” were so creepy that I couldn’t help but cringe and ask myself if nightclubs in the thirties were really that crude.

But really, the dancing and singing talent present in the cast of “Cabaret” photos courtesy mike lovett is extremely impressive. In some of nazi power Many of the show’s favorite characters join the Nazi party. the productions mounted at Brandeis this semester, singers sang but conveyed no emotions.

Everything, from the set, to the cast, about is why the Brandeis Theater it is a controversial one. Not that I, or In “Cabaret,” every single note, ev- to the band, was, in short, extraordi- Company chose “Cabaret” this semes- any of the audience members who atery single voice was so filled with feel- nary. One thing to I’m still thinking ter. Granted, it is a fabulous show, but tending the opening night minded. ing and energy that I didn’t even know if I was at Brandeis or on Broadway.

There was a relatively large audience, which, ironically, consisted mostly of parents and grandparents. I hope they were warned of the show’s racy costumes, behind-slapping, boob groping, and suggestive mannerisms by their children/grandchildren.

I know for a fact that many of the audience members were rather shocked by the end of the first half (spoiler: it involves a Swastika and the Nazi salute), because after the show, I heard numerous parents commenting on the controversial nature of the musical. They weren’t the only ones shocked. Having never seen “Cabaret” before, I was rather taken aback by many of the things I saw on stage. The scandalous nature of the musical was performed so well, so fantastically, however, that the audience still loved “Cabaret.”

Everyone who has spare time needs to watch “Cabaret” this weekend. I cannot say one bad word about it because there is nothing—absolutely nothing —that went wrong tonight.

welcome to berlin ‘Cabaret’ was written in 1966, and features music by Jonh Kander and lyrics by Fredd Ebb. The musical is based on a book written by Christopher Isherwood, and on the 1951 play ‘I am a Cameraa’ by John Van Druten. The musical is set in 1931 Berlin, as the Nazis rise to power. Most of the action takes place in the nightclub, the Kit Kat Klub. The music features big vocal ranges with simple and straightforward lyrics.

November 22, 2013

this week in photos

The Brandeis Hoot 9

Adagio DanceFest

photos by shanlai shangguan/the hoot

Happy Thanksgiving photos by dana levine/the hoot

EDITORIALS

10 The Brandeis Hoot

November 22, 2013

Despite continued service, Reinharz pay excessive “To acquire wisdom, one must observe.”

Editor-in-Chief Emily Stott Lassor Feasley Managing Editor Victoria Aronson Managing Editor Dana Trismen Managing Editor Dani Chasin Sports Editor Morgan Dashko Copy Editor Theresa Gaffney Copy Editor Jesse Zeng Photography Editor Jun Zhao Graphics Editor Katie Chin Online Editor Andrew Elmers Deputy Opinion Editor Rachel Hirschhaut Deputy News Editor

Volume 10 • Issue 22 the brandeis hoot • brandeis university 415 south street • waltham, ma

Founded By Leslie Pazan, Igor Pedan and Daniel Silverman

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Shota Adamia, Zachary Bellis, Emily Belowich, Debra Edelman, Mia Edelstein, Andrew Elmers, Roy Fan, Iona Feldman, Ben Fine, Evan Goldstein, Jaye Han, Maya Himelfarb, Eli Kaminsky, Michelle Kim, Julie Landy, Jess Linde, Vinh Nguyen, Alexandra Patch, Charlie Romanow, Emily Scharf, Eliana Sinoff, Naomi Soman, Diane Somlo, Sindhura Sonnathi, Jennifer Spencer, Alison Thvedt, Shreyas Warrier, Linjie Xu

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

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

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

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R

ecently, the Boston Globe published a front page article bringing national attention to a subject we at the Hoot have been commenting on for years: the outrageous compensation given to retiring leaders of Brandeis. In the most recent example Brandeis’ President Emeritus Jehuda Reinharz receives an unusually high compensation from the University. In exchange for indeterminant and largely clandestine services which Reinharz says he renders on behalf of Brandeis, the school pays him over $600,000 dollars annually. After current president Fred Lawrence, he is the highest paid member of the Brandeis Community.

Not bad for a day job. This is in addition to $800,000 dollars which he receives as President of the Mandel Foundation, an organization which has donated tens of millions of dollars to Brandeis in the past decade.

Professor Reinharz’ compensation has been likened to the lucrative “Golden Parachutes” which corporate titans often negotiate with large corporations after being ousted from command. We are hesitant to endorse that characterization; while students often felt alienated by his policy, Reinharz was praised for his ability to funnel large contributions from wealthy individuals and charitable endowments. Though Reinharz proved to be a savvy fundraiser, he

was an inadequate financial steward, as demonstrated by his controversial failed attempt to sell Rose Art Museum assets to compensate for University deficits, a move which shortly preceded his abrupt departure.

When Reinharz negotiated his post presidential compensation package with Trustees, his council cited the compensation which several other “peer institutions” paid their departing presidents. These included Harvard’s Lawrence Summers. In his 6-year term, endowment contributions rose by $400 million. Per year. Reinharz also cited John Silber’s record breaking compensation package. Despite Boston University’s meteoric rise in his 30 year tenure, Silbers compensation caused a national media uproar and raised the eyebrows of potential donors. Brandeis has had healthy endowment gains and it has held steady in college rankings for over a decade. But we doubt that Mr. Reinharz can compare himself to such esteemed figures in good faith.

Reinharz says that he provides President Lawrence important continuity advice and introduces him to potential donors. This begs the question, why pay Lawrence $700,000 a year when he needs a set of $600,000 training wheels?

Would Reinharz act as gatekeeper to the donors he has so much sway over, were it not for the generous compensation he

receives?

Of course, since the uproar caused by the Globe’s front page article, Reinharz’s articulation of his role as President Emeritus has evolved rapidly. “I’ve never worked at Brandeis by the hour.

[Lawrence] asks for advice. I give it. And I don’t look at my watch,” he told the Globe. In an interview with The Hoot, he backpedaled. “I spend 50 percent of my time on Brandeis activities as President Emeritus”, he said.

Here is the hard truth. In exchange for millions of dollars in post presidential compensation, Reinharz likely directs tens of millions of dollars in contributions back to Brandeis which he might otherwise shepard less diligently. Unseemly? Yes. Prudent? You bet. As President of the Mandel Foundation, he has already been involved in directing over five million dollars back to Brandeis this November alone.

In the future, Brandeis should be transparent about the compensation of its administrators. This is not the sort of thing which we should discover by sifting through archaic tax documents.

This is not the sort of thing that should be negotiated behind closed doors then explained away in newspapers years later. Faculty are unhappy. Students, the future donors to this university, are taking note.

Dear Editor, The Boston Globe recently published an article detailing the outrageous sums of money Brandeis is still paying to its defunct president. This article made made my jaw drop.

When I was going to Brandeis for undergrad, Reinharz had a terrible reputation among the student body as someone who didn’t care about anything but money, treating students as though they existed to serve him.

This is why he elicited boo’s from the crowd during my graduation speech in 2009 (which was about money, go figure). But with this article, he’s taking it to a whole new level.

I don’t care if other presidents are doing it.

That doesn’t make it alright to suck millions of dollars out of a university where you don’t even really work anymore at the expense of kids who are trying to get an education (and are already graduating with record levels of debt).

Several friends of mine were similarly floored when we read this article. I can’t speak for them, but I know I’m never going to donate to Brandeis again since apparently it’s just going to go to waste anyway. It almost makes me ashamed that I used to work on the Brandeis Phonathon, soliciting donations!

This could be described as the Goldman Sachs plan for higher education. Our university more closely resembles one of the corporations that profited from the organized misery of the financial crisis than an institution whose bedrock is social justice. During the crisis in 2009, Jehuda’s administration forced through drastic changes in the name of budgetary responsibility - increasing class sizes, laying off staff, thinning out departments, and most infamously, selling the treasures of the Rose Art Museum. The current and retired executives who continue to profit are essentially being bailed out on the backs of students and workers.

The same logic that put us in this situation would tell us that this state of affairs isn’t a problem at all - that Brandeis’s actions make us competitive with our peers; that this inequality is rational. But nothing could be further from the truth. There is no evidence - beyond the assertions of those who profit from it - that astronomical pay for executives improves scholarship or finances at universities. Instead, the evidence suggests that such compensation packages lead only to bureaucratic bloat and tuition creep. These trends are destructive to our ideals and continued well-being. But they are not set in stone, and we have the power to reverse them.

During the crisis, students and faculty rose up and demanded greater transparency and power over budgeting. That was inspiring, and partially successful, in that students now have a seat at the table on certain committees.

Recent events have shown that those limited victories for transparency and participation were not enough. We have two simple, easily-implemented demands to get us back on track: 1) The Board of Trustees must institute a policy of transparency regarding past, current,

Letters to the Editor I was glad to see your editorial in the Nov. 1 issue, which I just read, on the “departure” of Senior Vice President Mark Collins and the “recent spate of resignations” (especially given the puzzling silence of The Justice editorial board).

This treatment of loyal, longstanding, wellliked members of the Brandeis community (you didn’t mention Suzanne Yates, but she too was a bitter loss)—people in whom the priceless resource of institutional memory runs deep—suggests we don’t see ourselves any longer as a community at all.

And yet how can a university not be? It is a small and in many ways self-contained world, operating by its own bylaws and community standards, committed not to the pursuit of profit but the welfare of its members, now and in the long future. And it exists for you and is paid for by you and those who have been here before you, and it makes you who you are and what you will be as an adult.

It’s a bad lesson then that the administration—with the complicit silence of the faculty—is teaching the future administrators and leaders of our world: the lesson of the ruthlessness and pettiness of power. Not all power is, in fact, ruthless and petty, and we like—or liked in the past?—to think we might inspire you here toward alternatives. I salute you for seeing what is before you, and objecting. Your front-page news piece about Mark Collins, with its ghastly tale of an interview conducted under the eyes of the administrator in charge of “communications” (and silences?), consisting of “prepared quotes,” could have been headlined “University Censors Interview with Longtime Administrator Fired for Reasons Unknown.”

-Mary Baine Campbell, Professor of English

-David Drayton, ’09 To the Editor: Finding out that former President Jehuda Reinharz is still making millions from Brandeis feels distressing, irritating, and quite frankly, insulting. Students, current and former, struggle financially to access the university. Academic and service workers work more but are less secure. Many in our community are sacrificing, but very few seem to be reaping most of the benefits.

sports

November 22, 2013

The Brandeis Hoot 11

Men’s basketball begins season undefeated

By Charlie Romanow Staff

The men’s basketball team began the season with a few non-conference wins. They started with a blowout against Curry College on Saturday and a come-from-behind win against UMass-Dartmouth on Tuesday.

On Saturday, the Judges faced

Curry College for an at-home win of 111-59. The Colonels’ largest lead of the game was two, which they held for only a few minutes into the game. The Judges’ 52-point victory margin is the largest that the program has had since the 1954-55 season, and the score of 111 points is the highest score since the 1994-95 season. The Colonels had no chance of keeping this game close,

as Brandeis went on a 17-0 run in the first half, reaching a 28-8 lead eight minutes into the game. The team had a 62-31 lead at the break as guards Derek Retos ’14, Ben Bartoldus ’14 and Robinson Vilmont ’17 each scored in double figures during the half. Retos managed to get 15 points overall in only 14 minutes of play. He shot 4-8 from the three-point range.

photos by shanlai shangguan/the hoot

Letters to the Editor continued from page 10

and future executive compensation. We should not have to learn about this from the front page of the Boston Globe.

2) We should have some assurance that the financial priorities of the university are in the right place.

Extremely reasonable limits on executive pay are a start. Currently, there are at least 17 officers on our payroll, including Jehuda, who make more than $200,000 in salary and ‘other’ compensation. Imagine if we were to cap salaries at 15 times the compensation of the least-paid full-time employee; an executive could still receive the princely sum of $350,000, perfectly adequate to attract and compensate talent.

(This assumes that the lowest-paid employee makes at least $23,528, the living wage for a single adult in Massachusetts.) This would provide

an instant savings of at least $1.1 million a year, or 1/6th of our current fundraising gap.

There is nothing earth-shattering or impossible about these proposals. They are in line with our stated principles and appeal to common sense. They are a step back from the brink. In less than a day since putting forth these demands, 1000 alumni, faculty, staff, and current students have urged the university to adopt them.

You can see the full text of our demands, and sign on to them too, at http://j.mp/brandeisPay The Board of Trustees needs to act decisively, and the campus community must hold them accountable.

Real transparency and a cap on compensation would preserve our integrity and move us forward.

-Jonathan Sussman BA ’11, Sahar Massachi, BS ’11 MA ’12, Lev Hirschhorn BA ’11, Mariel Gruszko BA ’10

The game continued to be a blowout even as the Judges’ reserves received more playing time. In addition to the three double-digit scorers in the first, guard Gabriel Moton ’14, forward Ishmael Kalilou ’15 and forward Alex Stoyle ’14 contributed double figure points. Kalilou had 11 points in 10 minutes. Moton led the game with 12 rebounds and was tied for the lead with five assists. Guard Colby Smith ’16 also had five assists as well as three steals. Guards Ruben Kanya ’14 and Connor Arnold ’14 contributed off the bench with five rebounds each. The Colonels’ Kenneth Ramos led all with 17 points and four steals while Lambros Papalambros and Stephen O’Neal added another 14 points apiece. Papalambros led the team in the paint with six rebounds and two blocks.

Brandeis shot an impressive 50.6 percent from the floor, holding Curry to 27.7 percent. The Judges had command in all facets of the game out, marking the Colonels by 20 rebounds, 17 assists, 16 points off turnovers, 13 second chance points and 18 bench points. They also shot well from beyond the arc, converting 12 of 33 threes. The Judges’ early lead allowed 15 players to receive playing time in the season opener.

Brandeis’ second game of the season was a 96-90 win against the previously undefeated UMass-Dartmouth.

It was not as easy as the team’s first game but did have some dominating individual performances. Moton had a career-high 32 points on 1014 shooting and 11-14 from the free throw line. The Corsairs Jake Laga had 20 points in the first half, including 12 consecutive during an 18-4 run. UMass-Dartmouth led 30-16 with seven minutes left to go in the first. Moton responded with 21 firsthalf points of his own, 20 of which

came after the 14 point deficit. This helped the Judges embark on a 29-9 run that left them with a 45-39 halftime lead.

Brandeis had better command in the second half, leading throughout. The Judges led by only four with about five minutes left but manufactured some insurance points to eventually seal the game.

Moton, Bartoldus and Retos made free throws in the last two minutes to end the game. Moton was five for six from the line in the last 56 seconds.

He was 10-14 overall, 11-14 on free throws and led the team with four assists. Other double-digit scorers included Bartoldus with 17, Stoyle with 13 and Vilmont with 13. Vilmont led the game with eight rebounds. Laga, who nearly pulled his team ahead of Brandeis for good, finished with 33 points including 11-15 from the floor, 6-7 from three and a perfect 5-5 from the free throw line. He led with five assists. Abi Akanni shot well making 7-10 from the floor for 16 points.

Wale Abraham led the team with seven rebounds.

Both teams shot more than 53 percent, but the difference came from the free throw line, where Brandeis was 26-34 and UMass-Dartmouth was only eight for 10. The first half success

by Moton put the game out of reach for the Corsairs, as each team had 51 points in the second half. Brandeis out-rebounded their opponents 3425 and had all nine second chance points of the game. The home team led in assists 19-11 and bench points 23-12. They were also astounding from beyond the arc, shooting 14-23.

Brandeis has three more upcoming non-conference home games: Thursday against Framingham State, another on Saturday against Rhode Island College and a third one on Tuesday against Lasell College.

Men’s soccer advances to Sweet Sixteen for second-straight year VICTORY, from page 1

and a first chance on goal. In the 25th minute, the Judges scored their only goal of the game. The play began with Ocel having possession of the ball and playing it out wide to defender Ben Applefield ’14, who came up on offense from the back. Nearing the end line on the left side of the field, Applefield launched a cross into the box and found Savonen, who nailed it in the goal off a header.

Savonen’s 12th tally of the season marked his fourth-straight game earning a goal and was also his fourth game winner in the campaign.

With only one goal for the game, the Judges had more attempts but put all of their effort on shutting down the Wildcats on defense. One player for Roger

Williams, Trevor Hoxsie, was one of the biggest offensive threats for the team, but the Judges managed to limit him to only one shot on goal early in the first half, which was swiftly saved by Graffy. In an interview, Brandeis head coach Mike Coven said, “Hoxsie is one of the top forwards in New England, and we were able to shut him down.”

For the entire match, the Judges outshot the Wildcats 20-4 with six shots on goal and limited the opponent to only three. While Graffy saw a bit more action in the second half, the Brandeis defense managed to stay strong till the final buzzer.

With the loss, Roger Williams finished its season 16-6-2.

Now advancing to the third round of the tournament, which will be held this weekend, the Judges have more to look forward

to than just returning to the Sweet Sixteen for a second year in a row.

On Saturday, they will face Williams College, whom they fell to 1-0 in the same game last year. The Judges are determined to not have their season cut short by their upcoming opponent again. Fresh off these home wins, the Judges will take their momentum on the road for the ultimate showdown.

photo by mariah beck/the hoot

opinion

12 The Brandeis Hoot

November 22, 2013

Red Head Redemption

Arts requirement should promote creativity

By Andrew Elmers Editor

After finishing up my work one evening in the GoldmanSchwartz art studio, I was signing myself out when I overheard a conversation between the building monitor and a friend.

The monitor’s friend mentioned that many students fulfill their fine arts requirement by taking some sort of art history course.

Instead of taking a class that would involve creating art in any medium, they look for the least consuming course that would fill the university’s requirements so they can get back to studying the Krebs cycle.

At one point this semester, in the midst of taking an introductory painting course, I would have wished I had done what these two were complaining about. I am not a fine arts major, and I have no real past experience painting anything, so I have struggled through this class.

And having to drudge down to the art studio numerous times to work on a piece is something that I completely loathe, as well as finding oil paint on my clothes after class, having no idea how it got there. Yet, now I share their feelings, and think that to fulfill the fine arts requirement, a student should have to actually take a creative arts class, not just a classics class that happens to be cross-listed in fine arts.

I have found this class to present so many different challenges that I never would have had to face if I just took a lecture on the age of cathedrals. How to mix the perfect color, how the light reflects off an object, how to accurately paint a shadow or arm

photo from internet source

and how to project the volume of the subject onto a flat canvas all teach skills that are not focused on in other classes. While the skills being built here are mostly things that you would be working on in kindergarten, like patience and motor-skills, they are so greatly enforced in a painting course that it improves your ability to really break down a prob-

lem and find a solution, a skill that can be transferred to any other discipline. Other classes just teach the subject matter that might not help in other aspects of life. But when taking a creative arts class, the subject matter transcends the course and really enriches the student.

The first painting I completed was pretty terrible, if I do say

so myself, and I was rueing the rest of the semester having to drag myself through a two-hour, twice-a-week class just pushing paint around. However, during the past few months, I can see the improvements I have made directly in my work, and it makes me proud. It is very uplifting to be able to see tangible progress in something and can

help with any sort of unhappy mood. In addition to that, creating any sort of art can be a somewhat cathartic act, one that will help express feeling and emotion in a safe way.

More than just appreciating your own work, you learn to appreciate others’ works and all See ARTS, page 15

Do staff receive proper respect?

By Theresa Gaffney Editor

This past week, the most remarkable, amazing and heartwarming thing happened here at Brandeis: Dunkin’ Donuts finally opened. After almost an entire semester of pining for a sweet Boston Kreme, hash browns and a Coolatta, my chance finally arrived. While the establishment was open in secret over the weekend, the grand opening was this Monday. I managed to make it there after class in the afternoon, and needless to say, it was packed. Students were crammed inside the little building to wait in line.

As was to be expected, the staff was having a little trouble behind the counter. It was the first day; mistakes were bound to be made. However, the staff were apologetic and eager to fix any blunders. Some people, though, were not forgiving of the openingday struggles. A girl in front of me in line decided that she knew exactly what the problem was behind the counter, and whispered to her friend (though loud enough for me to hear) that they had too many people working and that the staff should be doing specific jobs … all this as she had her back turned to the counter, and while one of the workers was trying to get her attention as her order was fixed. This girl asked for a kosher bagel, a reasonable request. When the bagel came back with the cream

photo from internet source

cheese already on it, she was livid, and demanded that she get another one. So the worker got her another bagel, graciously trying to please the rude girl. But she could not be satisfied. She took her second bagel and almost immediately brought it back up to the counter. “I wanted

this toasted,” she said impatiently.

The person behind the counter tried to explain that if she wanted it to be a kosher bagel, it couldn’t be toasted.

She hadn’t thought of that. Luckily for her, she found something else to complain about, as her friend pointed out that a kosher bagel should not be cut,

and hers was. This time, however, the customer did not ask for a redo. She fumed a little more about not being able to get a toasted bagel, muttering a lot of “I can’t evens” and shaking her head, as if the staff weren’t trying to help her. Then she went back to her table and ate the non-kosher bagel

anyway.

She ate it anyway.

I stood in line, audience to the entire scene, in awe. How could one person be so rude and condescending over a bagel? There is nothing wrong with asking a food establishment to See BAGEL, page 15

November 22, 2013

OPINION 13

The Brandeis Hoot

Activist journalism should not be the norm

By Roy Fan Staff

A few weeks ago, as I was reading The New York Times on my phone during the cold, solitary walk to my 9 a.m. class, my eyes happened to glance over an opinion piece titled “Is Glenn Greenwald the Future of News?” Since Glenn Greenwald was the first journalist to publish the classified NSA files leaked by Edward Snowden, the title piqued my interest. It turns out that the piece was written by Bill Keller, the former editor-in-chief of The Times, in a sort of back-and-forth conversation style. The “conversation” in this case was between Keller and Greenwald himself about the merits of “activist journalism,” with Keller questioning the consistency between the tendencies of “activist journalism” and what is traditionally expected of journalists, and Greenwald countering by arguing that “activist journalism” should instead be encouraged and actually is a better form of journalism. I didn’t get to read the end of the article, because my professor was barking at me to put my phone away and pay attention, but it did get me thinking about what “appropriate” journalism should entail.

For those of you who either don’t know or aren’t sure of what I mean by “activist journalism,” it is more or less a form of journalism where the journalist or author approaches his assignments and investigations with an agenda or cause at the forefront of his or her mind. In Greenwald’s case, that was and continues to be the exposing of espionage activities of the U.S. and other western governments.

photo from internet source

This is a concept that I vehemently disagree with. Journalists have traditionally been impartial investigators who look for the truth in order to keep the public aware and to impose some ac-

countability on those in power.

The kind of journalism that those such as Greenwald advocate for is one where journalists become heavily opinionated commentators, which results in pieces and

articles that seem to be trying to convince the reader of something rather than simply laying out the facts. I’m not saying that it is wrong to have an opinion as a journalist. In fact, it is simply

unrealistic to expect that when journalists go out to investigate something they won’t form personal opinions of their own. But we already have a way for journalists to explicitly express such opinions: the opinion pages. If a journalist feels strongly about expressing their opinion on a particular event or issue they can write and publish an op-ed about it, just as I’m doing right now. But for decades we, the consumers of such forms of media, have come to expect journalists who write articles for the front pages to uphold a principle of impartiality and suppress their opinions and emotions to the extent that they can.

To further illustrate the marked difference between “activist journalism” and the more traditional style of journalism, allow me to demonstrate what I believe to be the biggest drawback of “activist journalism.” The usual course of action for an impartial journalist investigating a particular issue would be to first do the research with an open mind, find out the facts and different opinions from different points of view then lay them out in the most succinct way in the form of an article.

The writer lets the facts speak for themselves and invites the reader to draw their own conclusions from the given facts.

The partisan journalist, on the other hand, dives in to the investigation already armed with the conclusion he or she wants to prove. Anybody see a problem?

That’s right—it’s confirmation bias. When the writer is already committed to a point of view from the start, he or she risks losing objectivity and taking evi See ACTIVISM, page 15

Better listeners? Sodexo proves to hear students’ demands

photo from internet source

By Joe Lanoie

Special to the Hoot

When the community discovered last semester that the university would use Sodexo as our main dining provider and not Aramark, I was pleased. Aramark had its good aspects, but it seemed sub-par to many students. The prices of items in the C-store, the point-to-dollar ratio, the lack of national chains and meal plan costs were some of the more contentious problems

Aramark dealt with. When Sodexo took the reins, some of these problems were solved. The library got a Starbucks and the V-store is now a Dunkin’ Donuts. Sushi has become much more common in Usdan.

There is a food truck here on the weekends late at night. Yet problems that plagued Aramark still exist under Sodexo, such as dining hours and meal prices. As some may have expected, Sodexo’s supremacy adds new problems, such as Brandeis After Dark, limited weekend stations

in Sherman and the lack of pork products available on campus.

Brandeis After Dark, which is what Sodexo turned Ollie’s into, remains a place of confusion. The first time I attempted to go, I looked at the website for hours, visited while it was allegedly open and was told that it would not open at those hours for another week. When I did go, the late night menu was visually appealing, but to find what one could order was akin to following a treasure map. Only a few items off

the regular menu can be ordered, since the others are not available for some unexplained reason. The breakfast buffet, which they have instead to compensate for a limited menu, ranges from $5 to $6.99, depending on how early in the year one goes. The place still retains the completely arbitrary $5 meal equivalency that Aramark utilized. This buffet had three or four items, and to help differentiate who can eat at the buffet, the restaurant added the necessity of wristbands. I’m trying

to eat, not go on a roller coaster. The staff were nice, but the experiences I had there lacked gusto and pleasure.

Brandeis After Dark should at least have a better laid-out menu and not devolve to using wristbands to keep patrons in check.

One problem that Sodexo seems to have more trouble with is weekend availability. From Friday night to Monday morning, a good third of campus dining is shut down and open in a sequential system. Only See SODEXO, page 15

14 OPINION

The Brandeis Hoot

November 22, 2013

Graduating early offers more benefits than drawbacks

By Jennifer Spencer Staff

When people ask what school year I’m in, I’m left deciding between senior year and senior semester. I usually go with the route of senior year out of ease, but if I am particularly in the mood to converse, will add on a quick, “But I graduate in December.” Typically I am met with the confused response of “Why?” As in why would you ever want to leave early? I understand this lack of comprehension completely.

I am aware that the college lifestyle that we have become accustomed to is, in all likelihood, much simpler than what follows. What

follows is the complexity of real life encounters—deciding where you want to live, meeting new people in a new town and finding a job among other personal responsibilities. If only a GPS for life navigation existed, then the future wouldn’t be quite as ambiguous. Trust me, in deciding to graduate early, I have been cherishing (almost) every day in college.

After all, Brandeis has everything from friends, food, parties, classes and a recently-opened Dunkin’ Donuts, all within less than a square mile. Personal responsibilities consist of laundry, school work and far too frequent Ramen noodles. The joys of college. So why force the best four years of your life, to condense

into the best 3.5, you ask? Well, for those of us graduating early, we know there are benefits to doing so, and not just downsides.

Regardless of whether you are graduating early or not, emotions ranging from excited to straight-up terrified are relevant to the perceived next step of entering the “real world.”

We early graduates just encounter the full force of these emotions, and the inevitable “What are you doing after college?” questions a bit earlier.

Even if you have a job set, you still do not know where life will take you and that can be a bit scary. Is anyone ready to handle taxes and other such expenses? Me neither. However, by graduating a semester early and

throwing yourself into “real life,” you are forced to adapt, and perhaps pick up some life skills before the rest of your class even graduates.

In addition, with college prices so high, there is some appeal in the form of thousands of dollars saved in graduating as quickly as you can.

An increasing number of students are doing so for financial reasons.

Some even go the route of community college for the first two years to save even more money. With the unjustifiably high prices of college, very few go through college without feeling any financial strain. Sure, some may argue, you sacrifice experiences that are priceless, but in reality, thousands of dollars and dreaded

photo from internet source

loans are a good enough reason to think twice about that final semester.

Even if you are lucky enough to be able to afford to take that eighth semester of classes with financial ease, there are still benefits in finishing early. While your friends are planning on how late they can sleep to before class, while still having enough time to get an Einstein’s bagel, you are able to plan ahead for your future. Being done in December means you can pursue internships, travel and take on other opportunities you may not have considered or may not have had time to complete. Since the job market is particularly challenging, having a semester to gain additional experience can put you ahead of the competition. Internships can also turn into jobs if you are able to demonstrate to your employer how your wonderful Brandeis education and talents seamlessly combine to make you perfect for the position.

You could even take the route of applying to jobs right away, if you feel ready and have the credentials.

In doing so, you would be up against far fewer people from your class for positions, as most people graduate in May and begin work in the fall.

This can be a challenge because you may find your last semester of college is filled with perfecting your resume, working on that cumbersome cover letter and completing other tasks while managing school work and trying to socialize. In this job market though, where unemployment is high and many college grads work unskilled jobs, the procrastination talents you built up in school no longer serve a purpose. The hard work you put in will pay off.

While graduating early may make you feel like the guinea pig among your friends, you may just find yourself learning more about life than you ever could from that textbook you forgot to return.

Eliana’s Advice

Common ground with girls, roommates and parents

By Eliana Sinoff Staff

Dear Eliana, There is this girl who I think is really cute; however I haven’t really talked to her much. I’ve only really spoken to her twice. Once, I sort of awkwardly introduced myself, and the second time I just said, “Hi.” I would like to be better friends with her, but I don’t really know how to start conversations with her to get the ball rolling.

-Forever Alone

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Dear Forever Alone, I’m sure you will not be alone forever. Just remember that the way to get girls to like you is to buy them expensive things (just kidding, don’t follow that advice). What you should actually do is try to figure out her interests. For example, if she is on the Quidditch team, you can brush up on your Harry Potter and have a conversation with

her about that. The best conversations are often about things you have in common, so figure out what those things are. If you are respectful, kind and have some interesting thoughts, you will have little trouble being “friends” with this girl. Once you begin the conversation, the rest will fall into place easily.

-Eliana Dear Eliana, My father is divorced and recently found a new girlfriend. I think it is getting more serious, but I feel like my father’s girlfriend is inauthentic.

Should I tell this to my father? How do I go about doing that?

-Stuck Dear Stuck, It can be very hard to see your parent dating someone else besides your other parent. If you and your father are close, you should be able to talk to him about how you feel. Don’t just go up to him and start listing everything that’s wrong with this woman. Instead, calmly ask him to discuss what he thinks about his relationship, and have a mature discussion about what the future might hold and what your doubts might be. Perhaps your father can address your concerns, so that you are both on the same page about this woman. You just need to make sure you approach this situation carefully so that no one gets hurt.

-Eliana

Dear Eliana, My parents want me to major in computer science and mathematics.

I really love writing and want to major in English and journalism. I have had this conversation with my parents before and they tell me that they are paying for college (although we do get some financial aid and student loans) and so they should have some say in what I am majoring in. They also talk about how I won’t be able to support myself if I major in English. Do you have any suggestions on what I should do?

-No Major Dear No Major, Oh, parents. They likely have your best interests at heart, but you also need to be able to make some of your own decisions. First, you need to talk to your parents—have a civilized discussion where you are both able to make arguments for your side. Then, try to reach a compromise. This is Brandeis, so you could either major in everything, or maybe major in English and math or you could major in your English and minor in math, or vice versa. The combinations are endless. You both have valid arguments, and you just need to listen to each other and make it work. I’m sure you’ll be able to work something out.

-Eliana Dear Eliana, My roommate is really nice; we get along and have fun. But she likes

to get to bed on school nights by 11.

This is fine, but she needs to turn off the light to get to sleep. I like to stay up a bit later and finish up some work, because I tend to do my best work at night. I have a desk lamp to use, yet I don’t know if it bothers my roommate when she’s trying to sleep. Whenever I do use my lamp, the morning after, she always has this growl on her face and is upset. And when I ask her about it, she always makes a point about not being able to fall asleep with a light on, using a real snooty tone.

How am I supposed to get my work done? I have the right to use my room to study just as much as she can use it to sleep, right?

-Conflicted

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Dear Conflicted, It’s very nice of you to try to respect your roommate’s bedtime, but it can also be tricky. You both deserve equal access to your dorm room, and you

just need to plan a bit better. First of all, don’t get angry, but do ask your roommate if she can think of any ways that you would be able to do work without disturbing her. You need to have a calm and direct discussion about the problem. Hopefully you can find ways to accommodate one another. Maybe she can start wearing a sleep mask to get the darkness she desires. Or maybe if you’re still working at 11, you can move into the lounge or somewhere else outside of the dorm. Or, if she doesn’t get all the beauty sleep she needs, offer to make her coffee to make up for it. Compromises can fix the situation. If this ordeal turns into an all-out war, maybe get your CA involved to mediate. You are both adults, and you can work something out in a calm manner.

-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.

Thanks!

-Eliana

November 22, 2013

Gaining an appreciation for art

photo from internet source

ARTS, from page 12

other art much more than by sitting through a lecture, looking at a slide show. After struggling to paint a squash on a 16”by-20” canvas, it simply amazes me how Michelangelo was able to paint the Sistine Chapel. The difficulty of working in that position for months, the ability to focus on the minute and the pa-

OPINION 15

The Brandeis Hoot

tience to get through the whole thing. Plus, where did he get all of that paint? I could not imagine there being a paint store in 16thcentury Italy. From now on, just walking through a museum will make me more interested in what really went into that painting of a bowl of fruit.

I think the university should refine their requirements for undergraduates from the fine to

Student preferences should be considered

the creative arts, but could it be done? The first consequence of this would be the need for more classes, classrooms and professors to teach all 3,500 undergraduates in typically small classes.

The subject matter would probably be watered down as well, with a great host of students not completely invested in a course that is required to graduate. This would force the curriculum to be drafted around them, dragging the courses down to a more remedial level. It would not be fair to those who do plan to major in a creative art to have these formative classes be diluted by other students who do not want to pursue it. It would not be fair to those students who have no skill in a creative art, and being forced to take one would just cause great anxiety and possibly a poor grade.

Even if it would be extremely difficult and somewhat ludicrous to change the graduation requirements, I still believe that every student should make an attempt at a creative arts class, be it in studio art, music or theater.

It creates a diverse skill set, and broadens the education received, something a liberal arts college like Brandeis wants to enforce.

The creative arts generate a greater appreciation of the process involved and the achievement of others to a level that leaves you able to recognize the beauty all around you.

Checking privilege and patience

photo from internet source

BAGEL, from page 12

cater to your religious dietary restrictions, but this particular student, perhaps because we go to Brandeis and there is the notion that with a larger Jewish population it is to be expected, did not acknowledge the fact that for Dunkin’ Donuts to cater to this is a courtesy for which she should be thankful. When the order was completed incorrectly, she jumped to correct them, yet she clearly didn’t know how everything worked. And then to eat the non-kosher bagel anyway, to me at least, hints that perhaps keeping it kosher wasn’t the driving force behind all of her complaints.

Here at Brandeis, there is a palpable niceness in the air. Almost every one holds the door open for those behind them and is courteous to strangers in whatever setting. It’s one of our things. This girl didn’t get it. When she first started attacking the staff, the first thought that came to my mind was, “Check your privilege.” Who do

you think you are? This was the first official day that Dunkin’ Donuts was open and was probably the first real shift for most of the staff there. People were crowded elbow-to-elbow in line and waiting for orders. This customer needed to take a breath and cut the staff some slack. There is nothing wrong with wanting a kosher bagel and asking for another if it wasn’t done right. But there is no need to create a scene or forget that the workers behind the counter are trying their best to get the order right. It is possible that nobody working at the time kept kosher themselves, making the dos and don’ts of kosher products all the more difficult for them to keep straight. Patience is a virtue that this customer did not have. So as we all enjoy the new Dunkin’ Donuts, or any establishment on campus, let’s remember that this campus caters to a myriad of dietary restrictions, and that it is a privilege for which we should be grateful.

Greenwald wrong about role of journalism

photo from internet source

SODEXO, from page 12

one or two places are open, and in those open places, the options are severely limited. I went to nonkosher Sherman last Saturday afternoon. I expected, as Aramark did before, a variety of brunch stations where one could get breakfast and lunch at any time of the day. When I entered, the cashier informed me that all they had open were two stations, and none of them were breakfast items. She handed me a list of when certain stations were open and where one could find eggs. Weekend dining here has always been bad, but when half of the only establishment open is not utilized, it becomes ludicrous. I do believe that Dunkin’ Donuts will have consistent hours seven days a week, so I know that Sodexo is aware of this problem’s existence. Either way, consistent hours are a necessity here.

Another problem one can see is the seeming lack of pork and shellfish on campus. Aramark offered diners shellfish, pork and bacon at Usdan’s dining halls and on the non-kosher side in Sherman. Now, Sodexo ensured that there will be no pork products on campus, and

any traditionally pork product, such as ham and bacon, is made from turkey. If people like bacon, let them eat bacon. It does not matter if Sodexo wants to “make students healthier” by substituting turkey bacon and ham for the pork versions.

Sodexo must listen to its customers: the students.

Despite the problems of no pork, Brandeis After Dark and limited weekend service, Sodexo has done a great job listening to our complaints and suggestions, and I commend them for that. They kept breakfast all day in Usdan when the sandwich station was not received well. They turned the Meatball Madness station in Upper Usdan to a pasta corner, even adding more food to that area.

They added a stir-fry station there as well. I applaud Sodexo for all the work it has done and will do, but it has a long way to go. Extending hours, options and meal plans are all good starts. If there’s one advantage that Sodexo has over Aramark, it’s that Sodexo listens. That was my biggest complaint under Aramark: The students would complain, and nothing would change. Now, the students are cared about. Thank you, Sodexo, for lending an ear.

photo from internet source

ACTIVISM, from page 12

dence out of its proper context, with which the evidence might actually have a much weaker effect.

Finally, I’d like to specifically address an argument that Greenwald proposes in his exchange with Keller. Greenwald states that “human beings are not objectivity-driven machines. We all intrinsically perceive and process the world through subjective prisms. What is the value in pretending otherwise?” I would say that there is a pretty high value in that act. To be clear, journalists

aren’t “pretending” that they don’t have opinions of their own; they are suppressing them as much as possible to protect the integrity of professional and objective journalism. We have expected that much from major, reputable publications for generations now, and this new approach that is emerging completely throws all of that out. Sure it might be more “boring” as Greenwald claims, but at least we know that what we are reading is not tainted by blatant bias. In any case, if what is being covered is so heinous, wrong or immoral then I’m sure the majority of readers will reach similar conclusions from the facts,

without needing the author to tell them what to think.

The faculty of journalism and reporting is a much more delicate thing than most people realize.

The neutrality of the industry does the public a great service by being truly objective observers who can keep the actions of public officials accountable, so much so that the right of freedom for the press is protected by the First Amendment. If this trend of increasingly partisan reporting of the facts continues, we risk destroying the sanctity of the institution of journalism and greatly diminishing its significant value to society.

November 22, 2013

arts, etc.

The Brandeis Hoot 11

MELA 2013, a massive success

By Rachel Dobkin Special to the Hoot

Envision a room that hums with energy and music, delights the eye with every color imaginable and pulsates with tons of dancing. This festive and exciting celebration known as Mela filled almost every seat in the entire Levin Ballroom and balconies on Nov. 16.

Sponsored by the South Asian Student Association (SASA), Mela’s theme this year was Ran̈g—A Mosaic of Color. This mosaic parallels the mosaic of unique individuals who comprise the Brandeis community and the beautiful way in which people of so many races, backgrounds and religions coexist. The planning of this elaborate show takes place almost year-round. Sindhura Sonnathi, the co-president of SASA, said, “We begin to brainstorm themes individually over the summer so that when we meet in the fall, we can have really great discussions and can ultimately make our decision on the final theme together … by the end of September.”

Sonnathi also said that she felt the theme allowed for the most vibrant show possible and was an ideal representation of what Mela is all about.

It was clear that Indian tradition is an integral part of many performers’ lives—almost every act included performers clad in traditional attire, with many of their family members and friends appearing in similar dress in the audience. The main component of the set, apart from the stage, was a gorgeous, huge and colorful backdrop adorned with glitter and designs representing the theme of a “mosaic of color.” The theme was very well-integrated into all of the performances, acting as both a central element of the South Asian culture as well as a significant component of the creative arts. As the announcers said before the show, “Color is how we perceive the world—it is home.”

Mela consisted of many different styles of dancing, including Bhangra (folk-style Punjabi folk dance charac-

terized by twirling sticks) and Bharata Natyam (the Indian equivalent of ballet, characterized by graceful sculpturesque poses and pants with bells attached). The show also showcased other art forms including a fashion show, slam poetry, music, theater and stepping, although the program consisted of mostly dance. The crowd went wild for the show, clapping and cheering enthusiastically for every performance. There were good representations of students and dances from many South Asian countries: India, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Bhutan, Maldives, Sri Lanka and Nepal.

The emcees contributed to the funny and vibrant ambience, coupling quirky humor with respect for the performers. The emcees participated in some dances, showing that while Mela is supposed to be fun, it is important to pay homage to the countless traditions that are embodied in different South Asian cultures.

The most popular acts were the class dances (with each class embracing a different style of dancing), slam poetry, the Bellydance Ensemble, a brief musical act, the So Unique Step Team, the Brandeis Studs and Chak de ‘Deis. Among the class dances, the first-year dance displayed highenergy music and Bharatanatyaminspired movements, and was playful and beautiful to watch. The sophomore dance was also paced, but could have been more uniform. The junior dance combined both slow and energetic songs, and was very well executed. The senior dance was emotional for many of the participants and excellently done. All of these dances exhibited almost explosive dancing that was very impressive to watch and did a good job of incorporating both male and female students into the choreography.

The slam poetry by Naman Patel ’15 was flawless and touching, addressing the plight of women in India, and its rhythmic patterns were mirrored by the step team’s perfect performance, proving that a non-South

Asian group could bring as much to the table as other Mela performers.

Chak de ‘Deis first showed a short film, where male and female dancers met under adorable circumstances set to the song “L-O-V-E” by Nat “King” Cole. They then followed it up with a flawless dance performance to outstanding choreography.

Ullas Rao ’15 and Prayuth ’15 Naduthota played traditional Indian drums and flute, showing mastery of their respective instruments, great melody and a style of music never before heard by many students. Additionally, the Brandeis Studs showed a short film explaining how the “studs” came to be so attractive and irresistible. This was followed up by a series of dances set to both Indian and American hip-hop music to which the audience was extremely receptive.

Other notable performances were the E-board dance, which could have been more uniform, a solo Bharatanatyam dance performed by graduate student Neeraja Reddy, which felt repetitive and was not as exciting to watch and the fashion show which presented many beautiful styles of traditional Indian clothes set to lively music.

Mela could not have been better executed, with the only major flaws being a delayed start of 20 minutes and some minor flukes. SASA even sponsored a charity called Plan International, whose goal is to enable families, communities and individuals from India, Nepal, Bangladesh and Pakistan to meet basic needs and enjoy the benefits of Social Security, promote the rights and interests of children worldwide and create unity.

Although SASA is comprised predominantly of Indians of all backgrounds, students of almost every race and ethnicity were present in the dances, fashion show and other presentations, reinforcing Brandeis’ philosophy of inclusivity.

Overall, SASA did a phenomenal and professional job putting together a show that enlightened and excited its audience.

sophomore dance Insert optional text here.

photos by shanlai shangguan/the hoot

color Above, Juniors dance together in their class performance. Below, the SASA E-Board

shows their strong friendship and cooperation in a dance on their own.