The Brandeis Hoot - 2/28/14

Volume 11 Number 6

www.thebrandeishoot.com

Brandeis University’s Community Newspaper • Waltham, Mass.

Planned ‘Israel Apartheid Week’ riles students online

By Jess Linde Editor

This Monday, a Facebook event titled “Brandeis Israel Apartheid Week” went viral. The event was created by Brandeis Students for Justice in Palestine (BSJP) member Aya Abdelaziz ’16 and administered by several others. It came into existence with the purpose of being a headquarters for the titular series of events, which will begin next Monday and last the whole week. In the event’s description was a quote by the late Nelson Mandela and a list of the planned events. These functions include a keynote speech by controversial journalist Max Blumenthal, a seminar on the word “apartheid,” a film screening and a peace vigil for Palestinians killed in the ongoing Syrian Civil War. “[BSJP] created the event because we as a club felt isolated,” said BSJP members Guy Mika ’17 and Iona Feldman ’17 in an interview with The Hoot. “It seemed to us that the Palestinian narrative is always presented in the frame of Israel, which we believe unfairly silences the voices of Palestinians.”

Less than two days after the creation of the event, the Brandeis Israel Apartheid Week Facebook page exploded with comments, written by several pro-Israel Brandeis students who expressed anger and offense at

Geometric art takes over The Rose

the term “apartheid” being used to describe Israel.

“The term ‘apartheid’ is not only loaded, but also entirely false when it comes to life in Israel and Israeli policy,” wrote BIPAC president Daniel Koas ’16 in an email. “In fact, making such a claim about Israel belittles the actual apartheid that took place in South Africa.”

The event’s organizers and attendees were quick to respond, but tempers on both sides quickly flared. Accusations flew from both sides; the original commenters accused BSJP of unfairly targeting Israel in the face of human rights atrocities in Iran and North Korea, while BSJP accused the event’s detractors of attempting to silence the club.

This response from BSJP became the supporters of Brandeis Israel Apartheid Week’s rallying cry as the arguments continued. Many further responses took the angle of the event’s detractors attempting to intimidate students with differing opinions. “I strongly disagree with the ideas expressed by the event,” wrote Koas.

He also assured in his email that he is supportive of all students’ rights to express themselves.

The comment situation began to spiral out of control with the arrival of several mysterious Facebook accounts, all unaffiliated with Brandeis, See ISRAEL, page 3

photos by haley fine/the hoot

color See page 16 for a review of the new exhibits.

Brandeis Cares will entertain

Univ. housing moves online to facilitate student need

By Dana Trismen Editor

brandeis cares Students will perform on Saturday evening. See page 9 for The Hoot’s preview.

photo by shanlai shangguan/the hoot

Assault in Shapiro, no arrests to date

By Emily Belowich Editor

On Feb. 12 at 11:58 p.m., a student reported an assault that occurred in Shapiro Residence Hall to Brandeis University police. The report involved an assault and battery situation between two students that was considered “simple not aggravated.”

Inside this issue:

February 28, 2014

Simple assaults are ones where there are no intention to do any other injury. This type of assault is punished through common law by fine or imprisonment. The latter, aggravated assaults, include a bare intention to commit injury, but also another object that is criminal. For example, if a person should fire a pistol at someone, this person would

most likely be guilty of an aggravated assault with an attempt to murder.

The names, genders and ages of the students involved have not been released. Director of Public Safety Ed Callahan said that the Brandeis police assisted by transporting one of the students to the Waltham courthouse See ASSAULT, page 3

Brandeis truly cares

Benefit event hopes to raise funds to fight AIDS and entertain audience on Saturday night with Broadway medley

News: Students help out over Feb. break Page 5 Arts, Etc.: Online show keeps you watching Page 7 Opinion: Civil discourse is best discourse Page 14 Sports: Successful weekend fencing meets Page 11 Editorial: Immediate action needs to be taken Page 10 Arts, etc.: Page 9

’Tis the season for frantic upperclassmen, broken friendships and student Facebook statuses that read, “May the housing odds be ever in your favor.” Housing numbers for the 2014-2015 school year were announced last week, with the lottery set to take place from Mar. 9-13 for rising sophomores and Mar. 1621 for upperclassmen. This year, Brandeis has implemented one major change to this frenzied process: It is now online.

“Our students are very comfortable with technology, so moving room selection online like course registration and so many other processes made sense for us. Overall our goal is to make the process easier and less stressful for students,” said Sarah Hogan-Crowley, assistant director for operations in community living.

Senior Vice President for Students and Enrollment Andrew Flagel stated that Brandeis has been seeking a suf-

ficient housing module for a number of years.

“Brandeis is unusual in lacking a robust housing data system,” said Flagel. “Such systems are routine at most universities, and I am not aware of significant issues that have arisen as a result of using such systems, beyond the kind of errors that are just as common in manual systems.”

Both Flagel and Hogan-Crowley do not expect major problems to result from this switch to an online system.

The system is powered by Adirondack Solutions, a software provider with many clients much larger than Brandeis.

“They have much larger clients than us with many more students on campus and they successfully handle the network traffic from them, so we’re confident they can handle the traffic from Brandeis,” said Hogan-Crowley.

She also said that the Department of Community Living (DCL) has worked with Library & Technology See HOUSING, page 3

Upgrade to crosswalk In collaboration with Waltham, new 5 step plan should improve safety and make crosswalk more noticeable to drivers.

Sports: Page 16

news

2 The Brandeis Hoot

College Notebook

February 28, 2014

Clark University no longer need-blind

By Charlie Romanow Staff

Clark University, located in Worcester, Mass., has recently decided to adjust its admissions policy away from the preferred need-blind method to need-aware. A need-aware policy takes the student’s ability to pay into account so that the school will not have to give as much in financial aid to students. Students first heard of the decision on Feb. 13 in an article by the Clark student newspaper, The Scarlet, a week before an email was sent by university President David Angel.

Though Angel made the final decision, he received input from the Board of Trustees, Faculty Admissions and Financial Aid Committee and the admissions staff. Many Clark students have expressed their concern about the possible effects that the change will have in the Clark community that has been known for its emphasis on making a positive impact on the community and world as evidenced by the schools motto “Challenge Convention, Change Our World.”

President Angel said that the university cannot know the exact financial aid numbers for admitted students until the fall and are sometimes forced to outspend the allocated financial aid budget, a process that Angel says is “unsustainable.” The school has then made cuts to other parts of the budget to make up for the loss.

This is coming after years of costly renovations of four of the school’s nine dormitories. After multiple years of financial aid loss, Clark will have to admit some students on a need-aware basis. They will do so once the finan-

clark university

cial aid budget has been spent on previously admitted students through an initial need-blind process. It is estimated that only the final five percent of admissions decisions will be made with financial need in mind, though students are concerned of the effects on the message sent by the change.

English major Claire McDonald told GoLocal Worcester that “to eradicate this [need-blind policy] implies that the school in question is concerned not only with providing a comprehensive education to its students, but also with how much of a profit they are making from the students.”

A study done by the National Bureau of Economic Research shows that factors including perceived prestige and admissions policy can have an effect on potential applicants. The

photo from internet source

study showed that the vast majority of high-achieving low-income students do not apply to selective colleges, though in practice these schools may be better able to assist them through their larger average financial aid packages. The study also concluded that of the small percentage of highachieving low-income students who do apply to selective institutions, they are admitted and graduate at higher rates than others.

Adding to the increasing financial need of incoming students is the increase in size of the freshman class, due to an influx of applications. This year’s freshman class of 620 is the largest in school history, and the 7300 applications received are up 83 percent since 2011. The rate of admission has expectantly shifted downward from 70 percent two years ago to 50

percent now.

91 percent of Clark undergraduates receive financial aid for the $39,200 tuition. The school currently gives $39.9 million in aid, though that figure has risen by 29 percent, $2 million over the budget, since 2010, when Angel began his presidency. Clark’s Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid Don Honeman reported that as much as 52 percent of collected tuition is returned to students through financial aid. President Angel believes that the change in admissions policy for a small number of applicants is a necessary evil.

“Unless we make some changes in how we approach admissions and financial aid, we would face a variety of negative choices, ranging from large tuition increases to cuts in critical programs to decreases in financial aid

for enrolling students,” Angel said, as reported by Mass Live.

In response to the decision, dozens of students and alumni demonstrated outside of the admissions building.

Sociology major Ailey Wilder said, “It sets a precedent for the future about the type of people that they want to attract and the type of people that are going to school here,” reported NECN. Political science major Bryan Diehl added, “Most students here are very uncomfortable with the fact that Clark would be looking at those who can pay rather than those who might just be more qualified to receive an education here.”

An article by U.S. News and World Report evidenced the rarity of needblind colleges. Their study found that only 61 of 1,130 colleges studied met a student’s demonstrated financial need. Moreover, a majority, 75 percent, of these 61 schools were ranked in the top 25 of their respective category by U.S. News and World Report.

David Hawkins, director of public policy and research at the National Association for College Admissions Counseling, believes that fewer schools will have the resources to take a need-blind approach due to rising costs, diminishing state support, reduced investment and endowment income and less state and federal aid for students.

“As a result, many institutions believe they can serve students better by ensuring that there is a balance of full-paying students and students who need aid so that the institutions can be sure that they can offer sufficient aid to those who need it,” Hawkins told GoLocal Worcester.

The new policy will not take effect until the next admissions cycle begins in the fall.

Univ. releases five steps to alter crosswalk

By Dana Trismen Editor

In a continued effort to improve student safety and collaborate with the city of Waltham, Brandeis released a list of steps that will be taken in terms of crosswalk safety. A statement by Ellen de Graffenreid, senior vice president for communications, and Ed Callahan, director of public safety, was released to The Brandeis Hoot and The Justice this week. It reported that enhancements to the crosswalk will be made as quickly as possible.

Brandeis has been spurred to action as a result of the accident involving three Brandeis student pedestrians who were hit by a car, crossing the crosswalk near Lindsey Pool.

“The safety of our community is paramount, and Brandeis immediately took steps to reach out to the city of Waltham to address safety issues in the area,” the statement said.

Five steps are outlined in the statement. The first involves enhancing the lights on South Street, as pedestrians are often hard to spot. The statement reports this is already in progress.

Another improvement is a reported addition of “rectangular rapid-flash beacons to the existing crosswalk light poles. These beacons resemble police vehicle strobe lights and have been shown to increase drivers’ attention.”

Others include spotlights over the crosswalk and installing a motiondetector system so students no longer

photo by matt brondoli/the hoot

have to push the button or remember to do so.

A final enhancement will be made to make the crosswalk even more noticeable. The statement announces a “rapid installation of larger signs

on each crosswalk pole instructing pedestrians to push the button to activate crossing lights to enhance pedestrian use of the lights prior to installation of the motion detector system.”

The statement also praises the Waltham police department for their increased security around campus borders.

“Particularly around dusk [the Waltham police] have been very help-

ful in reinforcing to drivers and the Brandeis community that there is a need to exercise extreme caution in the area,” reads the statement.

February 28, 2014

NEWS 3

The Brandeis Hoot

No problems predicted for new housing system HOUSING, from page 1

Services to ensure there will be no Internet outages during room selection.

“The only drawback of the system is that there is a learning curve. We want everyone to feel comfortable with the system before room selection starts,” said Hogan-Crowley.

She said that DCL has held many workshops and meetings regarding room selection, to make switching systems easier for the student body.

The DCL office will also remain open during room selection, so students can come and ask questions if need be.

“The big change is that students need to form their roommate groups ahead of time in the system,” warns Hogan-Crowly. “Students can request other students they know, or they can use the advanced roommate search option to find other students looking for similar housing situations.”

Other changes include the fact that as of press time, study abroad students were included in the traditional junior-senior lottery for the first time. “For students planning to study abroad in Spring 2015: You are currently in the Junior/Senior Room Selection process. When the Office of Study Abroad provides us with a list of students approved to study abroad you on March 5th will automatically

be removed from the Junior/Senior process and placed in a separate Study Abroad Room Selection,” states the DCL website. This choice affects the lottery system, as student’s numbers may improve once study abroad students are removed from the traditional upperclassman lottery.

Hogan-Crowley excitedly informs students that room selection this year should only take about three quick clicks.

“While many of the efficiencies created by using such systems may not be readily visible to students, they includes moving room rosters and maintenance to online rather than manual/paper-based systems,” said Flagel.

The fact that the system is easier for students who are abroad is another factor.

“Of course, students have a much easier time accessing online systems for housing, just as they do for course registration and other functional processes at universities, rather than waiting in lines for room assignments,” said Flagel.

While the online housing process may make room selection quicker and easier, it still remains no less painful for students with high numbers who need to look off campus, or students left out of “roommate groups.”

“ ” The big change is that students need to form their roommate groups ahead of time in the system.

Criminal complaint filed against student ASSAULT, from page 1

to file a criminal complaint. There have been no formal arrests made.

Callahan says that although the event was fairly minor, every student has a right to a hearing.

“The student will have to go to the court clerk-magistrate’s office to share his or her side of the story,” Callahan said.

Waltham Police and the Waltham District Court could not comment on the current investigation, but they did share remarks about the difference between criminal complaints and arrests.

“Once a complaint is filed, someone will be charged. The complaint then has to be approved by the court, and the court will then determine if there’s a probable charge,” Waltham Police said.

Waltham Police do not know if this case will lead any arrests. In Massachusetts, if police decide to charge a person with misdemeanor that occurred outside of their presence, they are generally unable to make an arrest. The Brandeis police did not witness this assault, which is why they helped this student apply for a complaint at the district court.

Callahan says the assault is currently under investigation between his department and the department of Student Life.

An article by The Hoot in late January 2014 reported five separate cases of harassment, assault and sexual violence crimes that occurred on and off the Brandeis campus between the time of mid-December 2013 and mid-

January 2014. Brandeis police say that in addition to Brandeis Public Safety, students can also seek help from services such as Community Living, the ICC, Student Activities, the dean

of student life, Student Rights and Community Standards, Community Service, the Health and Psychological Counseling Center, the chaplains and the Title IX coordinator.

waltham district court

photo from internet source

Sarah Hogan-Crowley

Contention over pro-Palestinian planned events

photo from internet source

ISRAEL, from page 1

who began issuing personal insults and in some cases, violent threats towards Brandeis students. The organizers and supporters of the event began to defend themselves and became understandably frustrated in their language, though for almost the entirety of Feb. 25th, the assault went on.

The number of mysterious commenters eventually overtook the amount of criticism from actual Brandeis students, and nearly all requests for civility were completely ignored. But once a closer look was taken at these attacking accounts, several strange things popped up. At least five specific accounts were discovered to only have each other as Facebook friends, as well as a near complete lack of personal information, profile and cover photos or evidence of existing beyond a year.

Once this was seen by the event page’s administrators, most of these accounts’ comments were deleted from the page. Many of them had progressed to include virulent Islamophobia and profane insults against female students. Over time, the argument largely calmed down, though some accusations of anti-Semitism from from the larger SJP organization did remain. “It’s absolutely odious to call us anti-Semitic and to dismiss the voices of proud Jews such as myself who hold differing opinions,”

Mika said. “Doing so claims the entirety of Judaism as belonging to one worldview.”

While it is true that as a university, Brandeis has no official connection to the state of Israel or Judaism, it is home to a student body that is 55 percent Jewish. BSJP is also the only club on campus whose activities relate specifically to Palestinian state autonomy, as opposed to the total of nine actively pro-Israel clubs at Brandeis. But Koas and other students are worried about issues beyond Brandeis walls.

“Israel Apartheid Week is also closely linked with the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement which aims to de-legitimize the State of Israel,” Koas wrote.

“It seems that many who support this movement are fueled by hatred rather than a desire for understanding.”

Mika and Feldman, however, reject this as the motive behind Brandeis Israel Apartheid Week.

“If the facts we are simply trying to present somehow delegitimizes Israel, that is not our fault,” said Mika. “[Iona and I] are coming from a place of compassion, as Jews and Brandeis students, for the voices of 11 million people currently living in the Palestinian territories … I think the extreme response on Facebook says more scary things about the national conversation [on Israel] than the atmosphere on campus.”

And though both sides agree that serious debate on the issues populating the Israeli-Arab conflict, they do disagree on how the conversation should occur. “By only providing [a BDS-tied] point of view, this event fails to provide a platform for all opinions to be heard,” wrote Koas.

“By serving as a soapbox rather than an open stage for discussion, it is failing to live up to one of Brandeis’ core values, namely the promotion of vigorous debate and the chance for all opinions to be voiced.”

Nevertheless, BSJP has added things to the Facebook event’s description, including invitations to those with differing opinions to come and debate civilly in person.

“It’s authoritarian, to say the least, that [BSJP] is anti-Semitic for criticizing a state; we are not trying to say that all Israelis or all Jews are evil because of the policies of the Israeli government,” added Feldman.

The furor on the Brandeis Israel Apartheid Week event page has largely halted, with very few comments still being made from either side. Max Blumenthal is still confirmed to open the event on Monday, March 3 in the Lown Ballroom at 8 p.m., and all Brandeis students are free to attend. Until then and after, the contentious issue of Israel and Palestine will presumably continue to be discussed and argued over at Brandeis, hopefully without such extreme virulence as seen this week.

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February 28, 2014

Major dining plans to be implemented, but slowly

photo by ally eller/the hoot

By Dana Trismen Editor

Brandeis recently announced, amid student protests, that meal plans would become mandatory for students not next year, but in the fall of 2016. The email released by Brandeis titled “INFORMATIONAL: Dining Update” detailed a timeline for upcoming dining transformations. These alterations promised by the university are part of a “slow phase-in schedule … to offer stu-

dents many more opportunities to offer their feedback.”

Student Union President Ricky Rosen states that the Student Union did support many of the proposed dining changes, from unlimited swipes to elimination of meal equivalency. But he also agrees that mandatory meal plans have been met with some resistance from the student body. “[The Student Union] did express our concerns to administration about the mandatory meal plan policy,” said Rosen. “Our concerns about the mandatory meal plan policy were mainly regarding the issues of affordability, as

well as how this would impact student housing. Our fear was that in light of these changes, students would turn to off-campus accommodations, which would not benefit students and would certainly not benefit the university.”

Rosen states that in a way, the administration attempted to meet the student body halfway by rolling out a four-year phase-in for major meal plan changes instead of implementing them immediately. He also admits that the Student Union does understand the necessity of mandatory meal plans, for Brandeis’ administrative and financial reasons.

“However, our responsibility, at the

end of the day, is to the student body and to have their voices heard before any changes are made,” Rosen said.

The Student Union tried to address student’s unhappiness with mandatory meal-plans through sending out a survey, but the effort was unsuccessful.

“We sent out a survey to students in December regarding their opinions on meal plans, which had 877 student respondents. However, the survey results did not ultimately impact the administration’s decisions on dining policies, which as I understand, were the result of conversations that had been ongoing for several years.”

Despite this setback, Rosen promises that the Student Union will continue advocating for students.

“Obviously, there are many students who attend this institution who have significant financial need. It is certainly one of our bigger priorities going forward to push for affordable alternatives to the new meal plans to accommodate these students,” Rosen said.

Andrew Flagel, senior vice president for students and enrollment, stated that changes to Brandeis dining were proposed because over the years, students have consistently asked for more dining hours, more venues and value for their meal plans.

In explaining the idea behind mandatory meal plans, Flagel said the following: “Continuing discussions highlighted the disparity between Brandeis and our peers in significantly discounting juniors and seniors residing in on campus apartments for on-campus costs. At most institutions, that residential cost is fairly consistent over a four year en-

rollment, while at Brandeis most seniors and juniors pay significantly less than most first- and second-year students,” Flagel said. “Not surprisingly given that feedback, all of the competing vendors proposed models that encompassed a residential dining requirement at Brandeis.”

Flagel also envisions a total revamping of all Brandeis dining services. “I think it’s important to bear in mind that before the new requirements impact any Brandeis students, both of our major dining venues will be entirely renovated,” he said. “It is difficult to compare where we are now with the dining system that will be available in Fall 2015, and I’m sure there will be many more changes discussed in the interim.”

Other transformations outlined in the timeline of the email include a total revision of Lower Usdan and an expansion of Einstein Bros. Bagels.

New meal plans titled “unlimited” and “flex program” will be implemented.

Sherman and the Stein will also undergo renovations. There will be an additional apartment-style meal plan for older students.

Like Rosen, Flagel highlights the importance of a continued dialogue between administration members, dining services and the student body.

“It is so crucial that we have students engaged in dining discussions who take a big picture view … student satisfaction is the largest performance indicator for our dining partner,” said Flagel.

He also has very high hopes for the future of Brandeis dining.

“I am very glad that student input has helped shape what has the potential to be one of the better dining systems available in any college or university setting,” he said.

F-Board announces funding for spring semester

By Tzlil Levy Staff

Brandeis boasts an active student campus, known for its clubs, extracurriculars and events. There are roughly 250 clubs varying in focus, including academic, service, sports, political activism, media and publications, arts and culture and spiritual and religious. Every semester, the Student Union’s Finance Board is in charge of allocating funding to these clubs, though not every club that requests money is endorsed.

Ricky Rosen, the President of the Student Union, sat down with The Hoot to discuss the F-Board’s mission and duties. As president, Rosen has the power to veto any decision made by F-Board, although he does not sit in on the F-Board meetings during the allocation.

When students are accepted into Brandeis, each undergraduate must pay a student activities fee of $230 as part of their tuition. From this fee, $1.6 million is accumulated, which is later distributed and and used to pay other costs pertaining to student activities.

“The $1.6 million is not the raw number that goes to F-Board. There are other outlets, such as paying Stephen Costa, the budget analyst, and paying for expenses in the office,” Rosen said.

F-Board consists of six members: five elected by the student body and one member appointed by the presi-

dent. In the beginning of the semester, F-Board holds a marathon, during which the six members vote on funding and the Treasurer and Director of Student Activities sits in as an advisor. For the spring of 2014, F-Board allocated $303,332.70 to 124 clubs. Of these 124 clubs, 70 clubs received 100 percent funding. However, 17 clubs were not given any funding, though some of these clubs had also not asked for funding.

When the board makes a decision, Rosen said, it has many factors to consider.

“For starters, we look at how much clubs asked for in the past and then we look at the current need for every other club for funding,” he said.

Reasons why F-Board will not allocate funds to some clubs might be due to “not having any need met” or “planning an event which never takes place.” Regardless, there are seven secured clubs on campus, which receive roughly the same funding every semester. These clubs are the Waltham Group, The Justice, BEMCO, Archon, SSIS, WBRS and BTV. If a club does not request money for the semester, typically it will not attend the marathons, but of course there are exceptions. F-Board also holds early marathons within the last two weeks of the semester where clubs are able to request money for the following semester. If a club has leftover money at the end of the semester, the club loses access to that money for any later semester.

When clubs believe they do not re-

ceive enough funding, they are able to appeal by filing forms and waiting for F-Board to file the necessary documents. Lastly, if a club needs urgent money for an event, F-Board has an emergency fund to assist the club in a dire circumstance.

Although F-Board is the core financial supporter for all student organizations, clubs are able to receive money from outside sources such as

via alumni, advertising or other individuals that can donate to specific causes. Clubs may also hold fundraisers, where they can receive additional funds through bake sales, clothing sales or other events. The treasurer of the club is generally in charge of how the club spends its money.

In previous years, F-Board allocated more money to various clubs than was actually requested by those clubs.

Rosen said that he was not personally involved in those extra allocations, so he did not have a specific response. As a critical component of the Student Union, F-Board has many duties and responsibilities to the clubs, activities and events on campus. Through the F-Board allocations, hundreds of clubs are enabled and strengthened, allowing for a stronger campus community.

photo courtesy student union

February 28, 2014

NEWS 5

The Brandeis Hoot

Students give a ‘hand up’ with Habitat for Humanity

photos courtesy sophia brickman

By Emily Stott Editor

For 10 Brandeis students, February break was not filled with TV marathons, warm beaches or sleeping all day. Instead, they spent their time serving others: giving them “a hand up, not a hand out,” in line with the motto of Habitat for Humanity.

Members of the Brandeis chapter of Habitat for Humanity traveled to York, Penn., to spend the week at the build site for the Hanline family’s new home. They worked with the York affiliate of Habitat for Humanity to cut, put up, tape and float drywall for the first floor of the home.

This house was built with the Hanline family in mind. This is a multigenerational family, as the mother cares for her two children as well as her own mother. One of her children has a significant handicap, and the house is being built with his needs in mind.

“The halls are wider, and there is a track running from the older son’s room straight to the bathroom. In his previous home situation, he was unable to get around the home without his mother physically carrying him,” co-coordinator Kateri Spear ’15 said.

Spear was excited that the other students on the trip had the same vision as she and the other coordinators. They all want to be able to help

people in a tangible, hands-on way.

They are committed to working with a population in need, rather than for a population.

During the week, the students learned more about the area they were serving and Habitat’s mission.

Although they initially had planned to travel to North Carolina, traveling to York was a shorter distance and cost the club less. Ian Christie ’16, a co-coordinator, was glad they chose to travel to York, saying that they worked with an excellent affiliate. The York chapter provided educational information and a presentation about the economic situation in the city. The students appreciated the information that allowed them to better understand the people they served.

“The mission of the organization is that everyone should have decent, affordable housing. Affordable means that less than 30 percent of your income is devoted to housing,” Christie said. “It’s a hand up, not a hand out.

These are not all built for free,” he said.

The families are not simply given the homes; they pay for the homes with a 30-year mortgage, with zeropercent interest. Habitat helps alleviate housing concerns for people of low income, those who have 50-80 percent of the median income. There is a strenuous application prospective families must fill out, and they also must complete 250-500 “sweat equity hours.” This is time that the adults of the family give back to the organization, volunteering in different capacities to address the mission of Habitat for Humanity.

The families are also expected to go into debt counseling and complete financial literacy counseling.

“They’re enabling individuals who previously had limited success in home ownership or in a rental environment to take control of their finances and become more successful in their personal lives in this way,” Spear said. Families that buy a house through Habitat for Humanity have less than a 2-percent default rate, much lower than any bank.

For one day of the trip, the students visited the Bell Family Shelter. Students met with “interesting administrators and learned about the issues of economic depression in the area and how certain youth are coming back to the areas for a revitalization movement,” said Spear. They saw a holistic view of the economic situation in York and learned how immigration and emigration impacted the community.

Christie elaborated on the economic depression, saying that after the steel mills closed because the economy could not sustain them, people lost their salaries and economic security. York went from a booming city to a primarily low-income community.

“The organizational values that

it’s structured around have really influenced how I perceive other notfor-profits. It provides not only the resources for success, but also the educational and intellectual tools for success,” Spear said.

Although the experience was overwhelmingly positive, the group did experience some difficulties. On the last day of the build, an older man, a volunteer, refused to work with a female Brandeis student because he said she was “weak,” Spear claimed.

This was the first time Spear had experienced sexism in a service project, and she held a discussion with the rest of her team about the occurrence.

“It was disappointing, but it wasn’t Habitat’s fault,” she said. They had a positive discussion, in which they agreed it was important to not make assumptions and not put gender at the forefront of what people are capable of. It was a chance for the group to realize that the rest of the world is not as aligned as people may want it to be, and there will still be challenges wherever one goes.

Members of the club have different ideas of what they want to do with their lives after college, but their experiences with Habitat for Humanity will inform the projects in which they participate and the way they work to help others. Spear said, “I do know about my future is that it will be in service. Regardless of where I end up I want to help people. The structure is probably going to change, but I have a need to help in the direct contact sort of way and that’s going to shape my future.” The opportunity to help people in such a direct capacity can help the students understand larger problems impacting the world and how they can take a hands-on approach to solving problems.

The club on campus typically offers three to four build opportunities for student volunteers per semester, offering a different type of commitment than most Waltham Group clubs. The co-coordinators are currently planning builds for this semester. Students can contact the club and sign up for their listserv to get involved.

work and play Students traveled to York, PA to work on a build through Habitat for

Humanity.

6 The Brandeis Hoot

ARTS, ETC.

February 28, 2014

“Play On!” a work in progress but beautifully performed

By Theresa Gaffney Editor

“Play On! A One-Woman Musical Romp with Shakespeare’s Heroines” was conceived, written, co-developed and performed by Laura Jo Trexler MFA ’14. The show was born from one song, “Speak No More,” that Trexler wrote last fall in order to connect to the character of Gertrude in “Hamlet” in a more meaningful and deeper way. The show is playing in Merrick Theater again on Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m., with a Saturday matinee at 2 p.m.

The show is composed of eight songs sung by different women from within Shakespearean plays, with a final song, “Play On!” From Juliet and Ophelia, to Gertrude and Lady Macbeth, Trexler presents the audience with a variety of emotions and tones.

At first, the audience didn’t even notice Trexler come into the room. She walked on quietly, in her simple black outfit, with her big, Mary Poppinslike bag of props and began to set up.

She didn’t look at audience members or interact with them, instead simply placed props such as paper, glasses and flowers intently around the set.

Every item was placed exactly. Even this walk out onto stage was planned out carefully, as Trexler revealed after the show that she contemplated whether she should interact with the

audience or not.

The show opened with a song titled “I Shouldn’t Look at You” for the character of Juliet. As one of Shakespeare’s most famous characters, it was easy to jump into the song and understand the emotions that Juliet was singing about.

Unfortunately, this wasn’t so with all of the other characters. If you do not know Shakespeare, songs likes “Master of My State,” for Adrianna from “Comedy of Errors” or “Orlando,” for Rosalind from “As You Like It,” may leave you missing the deeper connection that fostered the creation of the songs in the first place. Despite this, one can still connect with the characters on a certain level, as it is clear throughout the show how each character feels.

This emotion is so palpable because of Trexler’s obvious investment in each role. In “Mother Never Meant to Be,” a song for Ophelia from “Hamlet,” Trexler played the piano with one hand as she sat defeated on the ground, her eyes glistening on the verge of real tears. At the end of the same song, she walked out of the spotlight behind the audience, and up the stairs to the catwalk. Out of view she continued to sing, and from the catwalk she dropped petals of roses over the front row of seats. The light shone out beneath the rose petals, as Trexler’s voice guided them down peacefully. This beautiful moment demon-

strated the attention to detail that was clear throughout the show. And impressively, by the time she came back down the opposite staircase, she was Adrianna from “Comedy of Errors,” drunk and stumbling.

Along with stellar musical talents, the lighting of the room added to the emotion of each song. While singing “Leave All the Rest to Me,” as Lady Macbeth, the entire Merrick Theater was pitch black, except for one spotlight on Trexler’s face. This echoed the intense tone and content of the song, forcing all attention onto the angry, spitting face of Lady Macbeth.

Trexler presented her show as a workshop production so that she could learn from the experience and from the audience how to make it an even better show. Afterward, she sat down with co-director Robert Walsh and not only answered audience questions, but asked some of her own.

Trexler explained some of the hardest parts for her to work on, such as the transitions between characters and asked for feedback on how they worked.

One of the only drawbacks to the show was that there was no overarching cohesive feel. The songs didn’t connect to each other in any way.

After the show, Trexler addressed this, saying that it was something she fought with and tried to deal with but was unable to do. “I decided for the time being to let them live in their

photo by firstname lastname/the hoot

own worlds,” she said.

If you love Shakespeare, musicals or simply the opportunity to see a lot of work put into a great performance, “Play On!” is a great way to spend

an hour of your weekend. While you won’t leave able to discuss a complicated plot twist or character development, the short, hour-long show is great musical entertainment.

February 28, 2014

ARTS, ETC. 7

The Brandeis Hoot

Baker ’14 finds passion in poetry and education

By Rachel Dobkin Staff

In college, we are often encouraged to find a way to mold our hobbies and interests into our professions, as passion often translates into enthusiasm and success. We are told to concoct a major or dream job by marrying separate ideas and goals into one ultimate goal. However, this is not always the most effective way of excelling in multiple interests or making a difference. Taylor Baker ’14 plans to separate her dream job from her passion (and major) in order to do so.

Baker, a Creative Writing and English double major, has written poetry most of her life. “It’s something I have to do. It feels like a natural form of expression, a natural way to figure out events or feelings,” she said.

Currently, she is working on a poetry thesis (a work in progress for the past few years), which is essentially a collection of her poetry with no particular unifying theme or overarching message. She bases her poetry on aspects of her life such relationships and family, sometimes reflecting on specific events. She writes in free verse, so she is not confined to one rhyme scheme or rhythm.

Baker has always loved English and

was inspired to study it in college by her high school English teacher, who taught her how to truly understand literature. She finds writing cathartic, which leads to a greater comprehension of oneself. One might expect that she would pursue her love of poetry to a career, but she is choosing to follow her second passion—education.

Originally an elementary education major, Baker realized that classroom teaching was not for her. Still very much interested in education, Baker realized that museum education would be a brilliant intersection of what she loves: education, art and culture. After graduation, Baker hopes to intern at a museum somewhere in her hometown of New York City, preferably at the Museum of Modern Art, the Metropolitan Museum of Art or the local Queens museum of her neighborhood. The last option would not only involve the history of her home, but also the art. One of her difficulties in her search for internships is the prerequisite of a few years of museum experience or a master’s degree, which she plans to earn in the future.

Baker explained her deep-rooted passion for education. “I didn’t attend great schools, and I experienced first hand a lot of problems that exist in the education system. I think if you focus on fixing education it can be one of the most beneficial things for people.

Classroom teaching wasn’t really for me, but by working in a museum I could educate both adults and kids.”

Baker thinks that museums function as huge centers of learning that are informative, interactive and stimulating. One major issue in education that she hopes to address is how learning is made into something done exclusively in school. “Things like art can seem recreational and superficial, but because museums are outside of school, I would have the opportunity to emphasize learning as something that is fun life-long in any aspect.”

Baker clearly wants to make an impact on the world, similarly to the way she has done in her four years at Brandeis. Baker is a co-editor-inchief of “Where the Children Play,” Brandeis’ arts and literary magazine, is an undergraduate department representative for the English department, is a tutor for ELL (English Language Learners, which helps Brandeis employees learn and improve their English) and hosts an indie music radio show for WBRS. One of Baker’s most memorable experiences at Brandeis is the first poetry workshop she took with Professor Melanie Braverman (ENG), who taught her to have confidence in her poetry. Taylor will miss the unique college experience that Brandeis gives to its students. She will miss the in-

tellectualism of Brandeis and how she learned to speak intelligently and critically here.

Baker hopes to publish her poetry eventually and submit her work to poetry reviews.

photo by katie chin/the hoot

taylor baker ‘14

‘House of Cards’ continues to prove addicting

By Jason Kasman

Special to the Hoot

It’s nearly impossible to review the second season of “House of Cards” without spoilers, and if you’ve made it this long without being spoiled, I am thoroughly impressed. Nevertheless, I find it necessary to say that beyond this point, I will not withhold any information about the plot of “House of Cards.”

When the writers chose to eliminate Zoe (Kate Mara) from the equation, they certainly started the season with a shock. I found my pulse racing as my brain caught up to what I had just witnessed: The heroine from season one pushed in front of a train at the start of season two.

My heart ached for the loss of one of my favorite characters, but my gut told me this could be a great thing for the plot. While in season one, the trio of Zoe, Janine (Constance Zimmer) and Lucas (Sebastian Arcelus) were investigating Frank Underwood (Kevin Spacey) solely due to journalistic merit, Zoe’s untimely death gave them powerful emotion to run with.

Now they could pursue Underwood for his murder of Peter (Corey Stoll) and Zoe, and put Frank where he belongs. This added pressure would act as a serious obstacle for Frank’s political actions in pursuit of the Oval Office.

But all too quickly, the characters flaked. Janine was quickly scared away to her mother’s up north, and in just a few episodes and mere minutes of on-screen investigation by Lucas, he is imprisoned and quietly taken out of the picture. And then there is nothing. Zoe is never mentioned again in any capacity.

There is the possibility and, in my case, the hope that Frank’s crimes will come back to bite him in the following season. Janine could become a stronger character and avenge the murder and imprisonment of her colleagues.

Part of the beauty of this show is the way it makes you simultaneously root for and against Frank Underwood.

photo from internet source

You want to see his manipulations get him to the top, and at the same time, you want to see him pay for what he’s done. I hope the writers will have the good sense to not leave these crimes in the dust in the upcoming season.

After Lucas gets thrown behind bars, nothing really happens. In any given episode there were things that shocked and surprised, but often it felt like it was building to nothing.

This was, in part, due to the fact that you just knew that Frank would get to be President. So they had to fill time.

Some of these time filling exercises were better than others. A shining sequence of episodes follows Claire (Robin Wright) through the creation

of an anti-sexual assault bill. Wright delivers some gut-wrenching scenes as she battles her demons in the public eye. Her handling of accusations of infidelity with Adam (Ben Daniels) is strong and decisive. Her delivery is a perfect balance of cold and emotional. Wright brings Claire’s character to the surface in a way that few others in the series could match.

Another fun aside is the extra attention given to Freddy (Reg E. Cathey) and his BBQ business as he worked to capitalize on his newfound success after being associated with the Vice President. He decides to sell the business for a large sum of money to help his family. Cathey makes Freddy one

of the most relatable characters in the show. He is the only character in the series who consistently has a heart.

His stories offer sound, feel-good comic relief, and the relationship he shares with Frank unveils a softer side to the villain. This season’s plotline gives Freddy even more room to grow.

But then, like many other plots of “House of Cards,” Freddy is tossed aside. Season two’s biggest failure is in the way it branches out and leaves plot lines unfinished. Perhaps this is an artistic choice: Things that no longer matter to Frank Underwood are no longer portrayed as important to the audience. But so far, it seems

as if every time characters are built up, they are cut down. Zoe, Lucas, Freddy, Doug (Michael Stamper) … it seems unending.

Overall, I’d say season two was a disappointment, but not disappointing. I had exceptionally high expectations and no, they weren’t completely met. That being said, Wright and Spacey deliver breathtaking performances. Supporting characters including Freddy, Doug and Rachel are given the opportunity to shine.

The story is still compelling and still comes at an edge-of-the-seat, heart racing pace. This is television as it should be in the 21st century: madeto-binge.

The biggest mistake would be to go to a season four. Too often a good show will overstay its welcome. If we’re really in a “golden age of television” and if “House Of Cards” is going to earn its place in the TV hall of fame, the writers need to finish what they’ve started. This season left many holes, and next season there are opportunities to fill them.

Now that Doug is out of the picture, there is nothing holding Rachel back from taking over the charge for Zoe. Rachel could be the one who topples the Underwood tower. I’m looking for her to take a much bigger role in the third season. (I say this fully aware that last season I had hoped for the same thing from Zoe.) I’m also hoping for some more exploration of the complicated Underwood/Meachum relationship.

That sort of just happened and was dropped. We can see more of it.

Finally, I’m hoping that Claire is given the opportunity for happiness.

If season three pans out as it should, and Frank falls from his seat of power, Claire deserves something for herself.

If I were writing the season, she’d get a child, either her own child or someone she can be motherly to.

There’s plenty of time before the next season will be available on Netflix. Here’s to hoping for a solid conclusion to what has been a hell of a ride.

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The Brandeis Hoot

February 28, 2014

Artist-in-residence Abrams accepted to Boston Sculptors Gallery

By Theresa Gaffney Editor

Christopher Abrams has been the Artist-in-Residence at Brandeis for the best part of 10 years. When he first came here, he was barely out of graduate school. He has come a long way since then; at the end of January, Abrams was accepted as a member of the Boston Sculptors Gallery.

Boston Sculptors Gallery is a prestigious “members-run collective gallery,” as the group’s webiste explains. The group stays at a constant 36 members, only accepting new members when a current one departs. Members exhibit their work at least once in the Gallery, and receive benefits such as professional support and opportunities to exhibit in galleries outside of the Boston area. In exchange for these benefits, members pay annual dues and must volunteer for a certain number of obligations such as “gallery sittings or committee tasks.”

As a new member, Abrams is preparing for his solo-exhibit, which will open next January for four to six weeks. The exhibit will host a collection of his work. While it seems a far way away, Abrams is already preparing.

“I’m working on a little series of sculptures that are sort of based on science fiction movie props,” Abrams explained, “I’ve always been really into nautical forms, aeronautical forms.”

His inspiration for the series came, almost a decade ago, from a display

at the Museum of Science that was made up of movie props. “I’m making these things that are loosely based on that … They’ll be abstract, in other words, they won’t be spaceships or anything like that, but they borrow from that prop building language,” Abrams said.

In his planning, Abrams is thinking about movie props with an end goal of portraying abstract designs based off of and acting as those props in pictures and even film.

“They’ll behave as though they were movie props but not with the succinct ‘It’s a spaceship!’ phenomenon,” Abrams said. While in the midst of preparing for his Gallery debut, however, Abrams still packs a busy schedule.

“I’m realizing, with mixed success, that I have to very carefully structure my time so that I carve out a couple of hours here and there where I get into the studio and do what I need to do.”

Along with working on his own projects, Abrams teaches here at Brandeis every semester. Currently, he is teaching Introduction to 3D Design as well as Sculpture in the Age of New Media.

For Abrams, making the change from studying art at graduate school to teaching it to undergraduates wasn’t hard. Teaching has always come naturally to him. “I’d always had this inclination to share stuff that I’ve learned … If I learned something new and I thought it was cool, then I wanted somebody else to know about it.”

In “Sculpture in the Age of New Media,” he engages students in his

photo from internet source

type here, don’t capitalize One of Abrams’ works

passion for sculpting, but through digital fabrication. “You have to really drill down to what is at the core of a technique or a concept,” said Abrams on teaching the specifics of sculpting.

This summer, Abrams has created another learning experience for students. He is going to offer an architectural design studies program as part of the summer Justice Brandeis Semester. The program will involve three tightly knit classes. The first class will be a study of architectural

drawing, while the second will take a look at real examples of things that have been built, in some cases meeting the architect who designed the structure. In the third course, the class will build something on campus.

“It’s going to be modest, but we’re going to design some basic stuff and then build something here on campus.” The priority deadline for applying to the summer program is March 1; the final deadline is March 15.

In addition to preparing for his big

exhibit, Abrams is also considering taking advantage of one of the opportunities to exhibit outside of the immediate area that the Gallery offers.

Next summer at the Daniel Chester French Estate in western Massachusetts, there will be an outdoor exhibit.

“The pieces have to be made to last in the weather … It’s an interesting challenge,” Abrams said. For now though, Abram’s time is focused on his big reveal as a new member of the Boston Sculptors Gallery next January.

Wonder of Wonders: The cultural impact of ‘Fiddler on the Roof ’

By Clayre Benzadon Special to the Hoot

Brandeis was lucky enough to have Alisa Solomon, author of “Wonders of Wonders: A Cultural History of Fiddler on the Roof ” come to talk about her book on Feb. 25 in the Rapaporte Treasure Hall. Students, professors and scholars crowded around the spacious room, all eager to learn the aesthetic, cultural and generational features so prominent in the play.

Summarizing her analysis of the play, Solomon’s work touches upon the thematic struggles that arose in society, especially during the time that “Fiddler on the Roof ” first made its appearance on stage. These struggles include the unfortunate aftermath of American Postmodernist values that seemed to plague society, the intergenerational family dynamic conflicts that most families can understand, and the many issues that emerged during this period as a result of the Jewish identity crisis.

With the Jewish cultural identity a central theme of the play, Solomon focused primarily on the different dances that the production rehearses, folk forms and traditional Jewish dances, wedding dances and the most famous of them all, “the bottle dance.”

From Solomon’s display of different videos, the audience was able to clearly see all the different performances, which serve to convey the “virile ferocity” that these songs contain, with “hats flown off, chairs overturned” as the wedding ceremonies proceed and with “bottles being dropped to the floor” while they meticulously practice the balanced ballad of the bottle dance, weighting the jugs of wine on their heads as the roof shakes vociferously.

Solomon claims that these performances also attempt to debunk the stereotype of the weak Jewish masculinity that seems to be a prominent feature that many people perceive the average Jewish man to be. The play includes overpowering aspects in each song, with tension building up and exaggerated movements frequently incorporated into them in order to reflect the juxtaposition of the “weak” with the “grand” aspects that manifest each dance. Another reason they also include so much emphasis (and even a bit of satire) into the dances is because the play tries to reflect the struggle that the Jews, especially the Hasidic Jews, faced while trying to integrate into postmodernist society’s increasingly widespread pop culture.

Therefore, the emblem of Jewish culture and identity has been able to live on as it begins to be portrayed through the different forms of media.

With a twist of humor (or to some, irony), “Fiddler on the Roof ” comes to life in modern culture with the Amazing Bottle Dancers (or “fake Hasidim for hire” as Solomon calls them) who are advertised as a group of enterprising dancers bursting into all different events, from weddings to bar and bat mitzvahs, carrying the celebrated on top of chairs and reenacting the bottle dance right in front of the audience, who seem to be enjoying every second of the performance.

Even Chabad included a “Fiddler on the Roof ” scene to promote their 2008 “To life” Telethon, which generated more than $8 million. Actor Keith David played the role of Tevye, acting out the moment right before the song “Tradition” starts to play, and they create what seems to be a parody of the song by substituting the word “telethon” with “tradition,” singing loudly, dancing and waving their hands up, all while Lior Kaminetsky plays the fiddle in the background.

Although the audience got a kick out of the commercials, Solomon made the point that this humor only attempts to relieve the Jewish tension that continues to appear in society.

Even though it is not as big of a problem as it was during the time that the production began to film, there are still remnants of the Jewish identity struggle that people still seem to be trying to cope with in modern society.

photo from internet source

type here, don’t capitalize Alisa Solomon discusses about her book “Wonders of Won-

ders: A Cultural History of Fiddler on the Roof ”

February 28, 2014

ARTS, ETC. 9

The Brandeis Hoot

UTC to host AIDS fundraiser for Broadway Cares

By Michelle Kim Editor

This weekend, Tympanium Euphorium aims to celebrate music while simultaneously raising money to fight against AIDS. On Saturday at 8 p.m., Tympanium Euphorium, one of Brandeis’ undergraduate theater companies, will present their annual benefit event, Brandeis Cares, at the Shapiro Campus Center Theater. Brandeis Cares will donate all proceeds to Broadway Cares/Equity Fights Aids, which has raised over $250 million since 1988.

The show this Saturday will feature famous Broadway hits (and ventriloquy), most of which will be familiar to audience members. I will refrain from spoiling what is in store for audience members this Saturday, but if you enjoyed some of last semester’s productions, I would like you to know that you will be able to revisit your beloved Fall 2013 Brandeis musicals.

Furthermore, last semester’s vocalists are somehow much improved.

Another hint for those of you who are interested: If you enjoy a certain duet from a production that is set in Dublin, Ireland, you will also be pleased. To find out more about what songs will actually be featured, please proceed to buy tickets and attend the show.

While previewing the production during one of Tympanium Euphorium’s dress rehearsals, I was impressed by the vocal quality of each of the performances, many of which brought

about extreme nostalgia. Considering that the cast consists of Brandeis’ Undergraduate Theater Company performers and a graduate student, this comes as no surprise at all.

In addition to the actual show itself, Tympanium Euphorium will also host raffles for a variety of prizes, including tickets to see the famed and ever so dynamic Blue Man Group in Boston. Compared to many (actually, most) of the raffles at other Brandeis events, the Brandeis Cares function will reward those who donate with incredible prizes.

photo by shanlai shangguan/the hoot

brandeis cares hits this weekend This Saturday, the SCC Theater will host Brandeis

Cares, a fundraiser concert to raise money for AIDS through Broadway Cares/Equity Fights Aids. The concert will feature music from many famous Broadway musicals, as well as songs from previous Brandeis performances.

From what I watched last night at the Brandeis Cares dress rehearsal, audience members will not be disappointed. It feels more like a musical variety show and will hopefully cater to music lovers. Costumes consisted mostly of everyday clothing, and the stage set was relatively simple, therefore providing an unplugged performance feel. The backdrop was a black and silver city skyline, presumably that of New York City. To add to the stripped-down nature of the production, there was an all-student live band in the corner (very similar to

that of last semester’s “Edges”) which provided reliable instrumental music for every single performance and transition.

Although transitions and lighting were a bit rough, what I had experienced was just the first ever dress rehearsal for this year’s production. As someone who sadly only enjoys songs from musicals if previously exposed to the show, I was not the biggest fan of the less mainstream pieces, but nevertheless appreciated the strong vocals.

As with many Brandeis fundraisers,

Brandeis Cares has also integrated comedy into their show. I thoroughly appreciated the crude hand motions utilized in one of the songs. The cast members are also naturally charming and dynamic; all of the songs at the dress rehearsal that I attended were performed by charismatic actorsingers.

All tickets for Brandeis Cares will be available at the Brandeis Tickets Box Office in the SCC for $5. Again, all proceeds from the event go to providing services to those suffering from AIDS.

10 The Brandeis Hoot

“To acquire wisdom, one must observe.”

Editors-in-Chief Emily Stott Dana Trismen Andrew Elmers Opinion Editor Dani Chasin Sports Editor Theresa Gaffney Arts, Etc. Editor Mia Edelstein Copy Editor Julie Landy Copy Editor Jesse Zeng Photography Editor Jun Zhao Graphics Editor Katie Chin Online Editor Michelle Kim Deputy Arts Editor Jess Linde Deputy News Editor Emily Belowich Deputy News Editor Nate Rosenbloom Senior Editor

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EDITORIALS

W

February 28, 2014

Univ. should take preventative measures rather than wait for crisis

ith the upcoming housing selection and the movement of the housing lottery online, Andrew Flagel, senior vice president for students and enrollment, has admitted that this is an improvement long overdue. “Brandeis is unusual in lacking a robust housing data system,” he said in an interview with The Hoot this week. Yes, Brandeis is outdated in many ways that could make campus life less stressful for students if updated. And it seems to take an incredibly long amount of time for the necessary changes to be made.

There is a general lack of urgency from the administration when it comes to responding and finding solutions to problems that plague the campus. These are typically things that are recognized as problems, but more effort is placed into dealing with the situation from a public relations standpoint than looking for a preventative, positive solution that would benefit everyone.

A persistent issue is with dining. After incessant complaints from the student body on the lack of quality provided from Aramark, the change to Sodexo

was implemented this past year, with more dining changes overall to happen in the near future. Administrators point to the fact that a number of surveys were needed to accurately take a picture of student desires, but it does not take long to realize that there is a problem with food quality, quantity and price on this campus. And while Brandeis has now rolled out an extensive, four-year dining plan (including renovating the Stein, Lower Usdan and Sherman) the changes are still too late in the eyes of many students who have protested the poor quality of food for years.

Another example of Brandeis’ tendency to delay an active response is related to the South Street crosswalks.

Multiple accidents have occurred at these crosswalks for years. In the past, these events were met with a simple email reminding students to look both ways and make sure to press the button to signal that they’re crossing. We are not children who need to be told what to do, and there is no need to blame the victim. Three students were hit and injured by one car before the university was prompted to make serious renova-

tions to the crosswalk and converse with Waltham police. Frankly, there should not have even been one accident before making sure that the crosswalk was safe for pedestrians. Both Brandeis and the city of Waltham are at fault here, and the administration needs to be more forthright in making sure this does not happen again.

A final problem was the issue of executive compensation. Someone must have realized that, when Jehuda Reinharz’s salary for working part-time was reported, there would be an eventual backlash. Yet Brandeis endured extensive media coverage, including a large expose by The Boston Globe, and a petition with student and alumni signatures before making any changes to executive compensation. Brandeis students even staged a protest in recent weeks.

Brandeis needs to address problems before they reach a tipping point, before they become unavoidable. The university cannot ignore issues it knows affect students on a daily basis, be it our food, living space, money or safety. Brandeis needs to make preventative choices, not wait for student uproar to take action.

February 28, 2014

sports

The Brandeis Hoot 11

Baseball team leaves Florida 4-2

By Charlie Romanow Staff

The Judges baseball team lost their first game of the season against Warner University of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics 5-3 on Monday Feb. 17. The Royals left the game 8-4, but they have since dropped to 8-8.

The Judges fared better in their second game of the season, winning 12-2 against Johnson University, formerly Florida Christian College, on the Feb. 18 in Central Florida. Johnson is a member of the National Christian College Athletic Association.

The Judges scored runs in each of the first four innings to lead 7-0, putting the game out of reach for the Suns.

The Judges’ dozen runs came on 19 hits and seven walks, hitting .431 as a team.

Leadoff hitter Liam O’Connor ‘16 and cleanup batter Greg Heineman ‘16 led the team, each going three for four with a run and an RBI. Heineman doubled in the team’s four-run third inning and walked twice in the game, following the previous game in which he had three walks. Rob Trenk ‘15, Tom McCarthy ‘15 and Brian Ing ‘14 each added two hits. Trenk and McCarthy had two RBI’s and a run apiece. Max Hart ‘16 was two for five with two runs and a double. Kyle Brenner ‘15 pinch hit for Dan Gad ‘14 in the seventh and hit a two RBI double in the eighth, scoring a run himself three batters later. Brian Allen ‘15 had two RBI’s as well with a single in the third and sac fly in the fourth.

On the defensive side, Brandeis was stellar, turning five double plays, four of which ended an inning. Brent Edmunds ‘15 got the win with five innings on the mound allowing two earned runs on seven hits, recovering from missteps by forcing four double plays. Ryan Healy ‘16, James Machado ‘16, Colin Markel ‘14 and Ing finished the final four innings without

allowing a hit. The quartet put on six base runners through walks and a hit batter, but only one Sun’s player was able to make it to third.

Johnson’s Dustin Lawson was two for three with a double. Both of their runs came off a swing that resulted in a Chase Hunt pinch-hit single. Anthony Bladrich was saddled with his second loss of the season after allowing two earned runs in the first two innings. Located in Florida, the Sun’s baseball season has been under way since late January. They left the game 2-10.

The Judges began the Russ Matt Tournament win a 5-0 shutout of SUNY Maritime College, Brandeis’ first NCAA opponent of the year.

This was the Privateers first game of the season. Brandeis set the tone early in the game, scoring a run in the first inning after their first two batters were unable to reach base. They followed this up with a second inning in which the first three batters reached base allowing O’Connor to get an RBI groundout to bring home Ing. Later in the game, the Privateers carelessness cost them as Connor Doyle ‘16 scored on a dropped third strike in the sixth inning after advancing to third on a wild pitch and two more wild pitches the following inning allowed Ryan Tettemer ‘17 to score after pinch-running for Gad. Maritime had an opportunity in the fourth with runners on second and third but the team’s cleanup hitter Paul Woodburn was picked off at second base, ending the half-inning.

As with any shutout, the team was led by Brenner on the mound, recording a career-high 13 strikeouts in a 112 pitch complete game. The last Brandeisian to record as many strikeouts in a game was Tyler Robinson ’08 in 2007. Brenner allowed only six hits and two walks. His success did not deteriorate during the game as he struck out the side in the eighth and did not allow a hit in the final three innings. This is Brenner’s eighth ca-

photo courtesy sportspix

reer complete game, sixth shutout and first win of the season.

Heineman and Hart each had two hits, with Hart recording the game’s only extra base hit on a triple in the fourth. Hart was unable to score after the triple as the following two batters struck out. Woodburn was the only Privateer able to reach base more than once, reaching on two hits and a walk. Kurt Niemeyer received the loss in five and a third innings on six hits, two earned runs, two walks and six strikeouts. SUNY Maritime left the Russ Matt Tournament 0-4.

The Judges extended their two game win streak against St. Joseph’s College of Brooklyn in the second game of the tournament with a 10-6 victory. Brandeis started the games offense in the second inning after Heineman began with a walk and was driven in by a double by Ing. Doyle would score during the next at-bat on a sac fly after reaching the bases on a dropped fly and advancing to second on a throwing error.

The Bears would come back to take the lead in the fourth, scoring three

runs. The first four batters of the inning got hits, putting ahead two early runs in the frame. Brandeis would take the final lead in the sixth. St. Joseph’s got the first two batters out but the walk of Mike Musto ‘17 opened up the offense. Heineman brought Musto home with a triple and scored on a McCarthy single. McCarthy then scored after a Doyle single and a two RBI double by Ing to lead 6-3. The team added three runs in the following inning on three hits and another run in the eighth as Ing was driven in

by Hart after reaching base on a triple. The Bears scored three unearned runs in the final inning that included a walk, balk, two errors and hits batsmen.

Elio Fernandez ‘15 earned his first win of the season with a career-long seven and two thirds on the mound.

He allowed three earned runs on eight hits, striking out six and not allowing a single walk. Besides St. Joseph’s offensive explosion in the fourth, Fernandez and the Judges defense did not allow a runner past second base. Freshmen Liam Coughlin

‘17 and Justin Freeman ‘17 finished the game allowing no hits in the final one and a third, despite allowing three unearned runs.

Ing was three for four with two doubles, a triple, three RBI’s and a run. Heineman had two extra base hits, two RBI’s and scored three times.

Trenk and McCarthy each knocked in two hits as well. McCarthy had three RBI’s and Hart had two sacrifices to drive players home. Doyle scored twice. The Bears’ Thomas McKenna was two for five with a run and RBI. Chris Cutrone left with the loss allowing eight hits and eight earned runs over six and two thirds. The Bears left Florida 1-4.

The Judges defeated Capital University on the 22nd 2-1 but lost the following day to Hanover College 112. The win over Capital featured stellar performances on the mound by Ing and Anthony Nomakeo ‘17. The team is off until March 9 when they begin the eight-game UAA Championship against Case Western Reserve University.

Fencers still strong in post-season

By Mia Edelstein Editor

Though the regular fencing season is complete, the team continued to channel their strength for post-season meets at Mount Holyoke College and the University of Pennsylvania.

At the New England Intercollegiate Fencing Conference on Feb. 22 hosted by Holyoke, Brandeis took home the trophy as the six-weapon champion, living up to last year’s victory. For this title, the Judges outscored Sacred Heart University by five touches.

The men also maintained their winning streak, placing first once again. Although the women did not do as well, they came in third behind Sacred Heart and Boston College.

Working hard on the strips, the

women’s foil and the men’s saber and foil squads took gold, while the male epeeists placed third, being edged out by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Sacred Heart. In fifth were the women’s saber and epee squads.

Several team members medaled individually throughout the day. Representing saber in the winner’s circle were Adam Mandel ’15 with gold and Jess Ochs-Willard ’15 with silver.

Foilists who reached the top six and won medals include Noah Berman ’15 in second, plus Len Grazian ’17, Ethan Levy ’15, and Vikki Nunley ’14.

Epee was not without its medals either, as Ari Feingersch ’16 and Gwen Mowell ’16 won fourth and sixth, respectively. Rookie Nina Sayles did not earn a medal, but she ranked 10th in

women’s saber for the day.

With victory on their shoulders, the men’s saber and foil and women’s foil squads traveled to the University of Pennsylvania to compete at the United States Collegiate Squad Championships the next day, Feb. 23.

The format for this tournament differed from the previous day’s. Rather than fencers completing individual bouts after one side has won five touches, each squad competed for a cumulative score of 45. At every first multiple of five, teammates rotated, and both schools put new fencers on the trip, with the team who scored 45 touches first declared the match’s winner.

All squads took home bronze, only ever behind #5 Princeton University and #7 Penn.

The team opened the meet against New York University, outperforming the Violets on all three strips, though the men’s wins were much cleaner than the women’s.

Mandel, Ben Loft ’15 and OchsWillard beat out the University of North Carolina’s male saber squad for third, 45-42.

Men’s foilists Julian Cardillo ’14, Grazian, Levy, and Berman pushed hard on their strip to tie at 44 against Boston College, but Berman outtouched his final opponent to win the match and rank in the number three spot.

In the match for third place, the female foil squad faced UNC. Eva Ahmad ’16, Annie Kim ’16, Caroline Mattos ’16, and Nunley took the strip against the Tar Heels, who lost 39 to

the Judges’ 45 after consistently trailing Brandeis.

Fencing will resume competition next Sunday, March 9 at Wellesley for the NCAA Regional Championships at Wellesley College, which will qualify some fencers to move on to the NCAA Championships at Ohio State University March 20-23.

photo by matt brondoli/the hoot photo courtesy sportspix

opinion

12 The Brandeis Hoot

February 28, 2014

Cubby holes promote disrespect for students

By Andrew Elmers Editor

It seems a bit funny whenever I walk past the little cubbies outside the C-store, intended for shoppers to leave their bags so there is no chance of shoplifting. The last time I had a cubby was in kindergarten, and it was part of the daily routine to place your backpack there before starting the day. Now that I am in college, these small enclosures pop back into my life. Maybe it’s just the word itself that gets me going—cubby. It is absurd to see it on a campus that lists neuroscience and international global studies as majors. It seems a bit immature and out of place.

But look into it more. It says something that is expected of us as college students. It says something that is expected of us as young adults. Young adults who are under the full protection, and judgment, of the law, are still expected to fall into temptation and steal from the C-store. A place with little security, crowds and an opportunity to hide in the back corner by the frozen food and simply place a box of Poptarts into your bag. Whoever installed the cubbies and put up signs asking students to store their bags there while shopping thought that every simple-minded student could not pass up this golden opportunity.

Never mind that all of us are here to receive an education, where even the slightest hint of stealing another’s intellectual work could lead to our expulsion. As 18- to 22-yearolds and older, we simply have to have the first thing our eye sees.

There is no benefit of the doubt offered to students if they are being asked to store away their bags so that there is less chance that they will shoplift. Everyone is granted

innocence until proven guilty, and the suspension of our rights ended as soon as we graduated from high school.

When we were accepted to

Brandeis, there was something positive and useful in each and every one of us that was determined to be an asset to the school. We did

something right that allowed us to matriculate here and take extensive See CUBBIES, page 15

graphic by jun zhao/the hoot

Do students get frenzied over social justice?

photo from internet source

By Michael Wang Staff

Something I’ve seen waved around quite a bit since coming to Brandeis has been the potent hand of social justice. It’s undoubtedly righteous, a profoundly positive

force on the world, broad enough to encompass such a large portion of what’s considered “good.” Yet it’s also vague enough to broker little potential for criticism when it’s invoked, and subsequently finds itself abused here and there.

Whether it’s used for good or evil,

however, it can’t be denied that it’s practically an intellectual staple for anyone attending this school.

Social justice is a popular topic for discussion. I’ve heard people discuss conflicts, bridge misunderstandings and compliment each other’s acumen. I’ve seen

them drunkenly spout half-sincere sophistry during heated arguments and then apologize for defending themselves too passionately.

I like to think I’ve been on both sides, and I can admit to an almost perverse sort of pleasure when-

ever I mistakenly wade into that cacophony of imperfect contemplation and chivalrous certainties, eager charities and ponderous maybes. One particular danger I’ve noticed looming about any interaction involving social justice, however, is a phenomenon I’ve come to describe informally as the “justice frenzy”—the act of attacking or defending an intellectual stance or behavior in the name of social justice rather than the actual moral values that dictate one’s sense of right and wrong.

If you’ve ever found yourself guilty of this, you shouldn’t feel ashamed. Around campus, it’s seemingly always performed with good intentions. For example, I once found myself arguing against the concept of social cleansing, only to find myself resorting to the “justice frenzy” when the conversation branched off into a topic I’m completely unfamiliar with: the living conditions of those who live in the lowest rungs of the most violent societies. Needless to say, I was left with little choice but to continue defending the obvious assertion that killing people to make space for other people was literally murder, but I did so blindly. That being said, another strain of the justice frenzy is that of seeking to subvert or reinforce the very essence of social justice for the sole purpose of enhancing one’s intellectual reputation. It’s not an admirable thing to mention conflicts and another culture’s difficulties to enhance one’s See JUSTICE, page 15

February 28, 2014

OPINION 13

The Brandeis Hoot

Will online housing selection work?

By Maryanne Cai Special to the Hoot

It’s that time of year again: housing selection. Every year, housing selection is a huge stress for many Brandeis students—especially for rising juniors and seniors since they are not guaranteed housing.

DCL does work very hard to get all students housing regardless of the non-guarantee. Nonetheless, housing selection is still very stressful. It is nerve-wracking to think about the possibility of not getting housing or not getting a residence of our choice. And this year, housing selection will be online for the first time. Instead of going to the Hassenfeld Conference Center during a specific time, we will go on the MyHousing website and click on the housing we want.

This makes the process more convenient as we do not have to go to a designated room and wait a while just to pick housing.

Students can now choose their own housing much faster and confirmation can be immediate.

However, since this is the first year housing selection is going to be online, students may have concerns regarding the selection, such as the website crashing during their appointment times.

DCL has indicated that they have accounted for this and did several test runs on the housing selection website to make sure it does not crash. Even if the MyHousing website does not crash, there are still other concerns about housing selection.

My main concern for online housing selection is that it will be even more stressful because DCL does not update parts of their website. If DCL can’t update their

graphic by jun zhao/the hoot

website, could online housing selection be successful? One example of how DCL does not update parts of their website is in the FAQ section of Room Selection.

This year, Village and East Hass neighbor pull-ins are no longer available for rising sophomores.

However, in the FAQ section of Room Selection, there is a question related to neighbor pull-ins.

The question is, Can I choose a single, then pull one person into a double and have Community Living just assign them a random roommate? Including this section on the FAQ is not useful because

it no longer applies to this year’s housing selection.

On the “statistics” section of the Room Selection website, DCL provides statistics from the 2011 housing selection. Although these statistics are useful to help gauge where one stands in the housing selection lottery, it is outdated as two housing selections have passed since 2011.

DCL could update these housing selection statistics, but does not.

DCL mentioned that these statistics are not useful to predict how the housing selection would actually go due to many contributing

factors. Even though housing selection does change from year to year, statistics can be helpful for students who want to see where they stand in the lottery. DCL can still provide housing selection statistics from different years and state on their website that students should be aware that many factors go into housing selection and should not rely on the statistics for future housing selections.

This way, students can use the statistics with discretion.

Instead of updating housing selection statistics, recently DCL has taken off the Statistics web-

page. Even though it is outdated, the 2011 statistics are vital information so that students can consider the history of room selection when planning for this year’s selection. Without these statistics, it will be harder to plan for the housing selection, as no one has an idea of how long certain residences last. This will lead to more stress in students. Although DCL moved housing selection online to make the process easier and quicker, there are still concerns about how successful the online process will be and if it will even make a difference.

Defending comedians; stereotypes are meant to be comical

By Naomi Soman Staff

Along with a capella, improv comedy is hugely popular on college campuses. Brandeis is no exception, boasting multiple improv groups.

The problem with performing at a school, however, especially one that puts such an emphasis on diversity, is the fact that there are people from many different backgrounds who may take offense. If anyone is going to offend a group of people, it will most likely be an improv comedy troupe. Imitating and making fun of

someone is a great way to secure a lot of laughs, but where is the line between innocent humor and hurtful remarks?

If anything else, comedians may make racist jokes. These jokes are just too easy. The Southern black, the Jewish mother, the Indian doctor, the poor Mexican—the stereotypes are already there for the taking. Crowd Control, a long-form improv group on campus, has been accused of being racist, and as a regular attendant of their performances, I can attest that they do not single out one particular group.

They make fun of all races equally.

On this campus in particular there are large Jewish and Asian presences, so these groups may tend to notice these jokes more, but they definitely include other races as well. However, is it wrong to make these jokes at all?

In his famous essay, “Laughter: An Essay on the Meaning of the Comic,” Henri Bergson picks up on the comedy involved in stereotypes. His main point is that people laugh at rigidity, at any instance that combines the automatic, motorized machine with living, breath-

photo from internet source

ing beings. This can take the form of a funny face or can expand to an instance where a human acts as a machine. For instance, if someone is walking down the street and trips over a banana peel he did not see, Bergson would claim this is funny because the person was acting like a machine and could not perceive and adapt to the change in the environment. Similarly, these stereotypes represent the rigidity of categorizing people, confining them within a specific grouping.

In this sense, racist jokes are no different than making fun of any group since the main point is not to make racist jokes, but to identify stereotypes. Would people feel offended if a comedy troupe made a “dumb blonde” joke? They probably would not, as people do not identify with hair color groups as closely as they do with their race. The members of the troupe are not making these jokes because they are racist or want to make fun of their audience members. They are assuming the role of a specific kind of person.

Sometimes the identifier is race, but that doesn’t mean that the race is the main point.

Moreover, the nature of comedy is actually quite an abysmal art in itself taking root in absurd existentialism. Existentialist Albert Camus describes how something is absurd if the truth does not live up to one’s expectation, and life is absurd because we believe that the world has meaning when we are actually just bumbling bundles of flesh running around on this planet. Camus be-

lieves that one should accept this truth but revolt against it anyway by enjoying life. In the Greek myth of Sisyphus, Sisyphus knows that the rock will always roll down the hill, but he continually pushes it back up anyway. However, another common response to absurdity is not revolt, but rather laughter. That is, people laugh when someone tries to give meaning to a meaningless world.

Crowd Control, as well as other groups, points out these stereotypes not to show that there is something wrong with a race or other group, but because rigidly confining people into groups is an absurd, purposeless practice that actually highlights human failure. Some groups also like to reverse stereotypes by, for instance, having an African family adopt a white baby from America to rescue them from poverty and gun violence in this backward country.

This further highlights why labels are so ludicrous.

Pointing out stereotypes, even racist ones, is a product of the inherent nature of humor. We laugh at human failure because we expect more from ourselves. Crowd Control is not trying to hurt anyone, they are just following the rules of comedy and trying to get the most laughs and be entertaining. I don’t know if I am complimenting or insulting Crowd Control here, but ultimately, they are not making fun of particular people at all—they are making fun of the hopeless, irremediable condition of the human race that ironically likes to think of itself as significant and meaningful.

14 OPINION

The Brandeis Hoot

February 28, 2014

Without bias: Israeli discourse could benefit

By Josh Kelly Staff

There are a few key tips for surviving at Brandeis that most students pick up after a little while. For example, most students come to realize that staying on campus over February break and surviving only on the meager offerings of the dining halls is ill-advised—especially considering that Baan Thai will deliver right to your door. Most students also eventually figure out that while going out onto the Great Lawn in springtime to get a ton of reading done sounds like a lovely idea, it won’t work out that way. Another lesson that most students receive either implicitly or explicitly is to never get into an argument about Israel.

Such arguments tend to accomplish very little.

I know that I have picked this idea up while at Brandeis. I am proud to say that I associate with people who have differing opinions on a number of issues. We debate, we fight, we try so hard to make one another understand our point of view, and while we do anger one another, we generally move on. Israel, however, seems to be taboo. Discussing Israel is something that I have learned over time will lead to me yelling at the people I care about and want to hang out with and vice versa.

This brings us to Israel Apartheid Week. The very name causes people to go into an uproar. Can anyone blame people for getting emotional on either side? Scanning posts on the event page it becomes clear that what sounds to one person like a le-

gitimate attempt to rectify what they see as the subjugation of a segment of a population in a country sounds to another person like a more veiled version of the anti-Semitism of years past—insidious and shrouded in the language of human rights, but just as dangerous.

There is desire to help and protect people, mixed in with fear, anger and a compulsive inability to hear the merits of the other side—a compulsion that has been ingrained through many experiences of attempted dialogue.

Given the emotional nature of discussions regarding Israel, the organizers of Brandeis Israel Apartheid Week seem to have a very difficult tightrope upon which to walk. While members of Brandeis Students for Justice in Palestine and Jewish Voice for Peace do have their own points of view—which vary within the groups themselves—one of the chief aims of the week is to facilitate dialogue. The event on March 5 is titled “What is Apartheid? A Seminar and Discussion on the Divisive Word and Its Application.” It isn’t titled “Israel is an Apartheid State: Let’s Force Our Point of View on You.” The point of the event would appear to be to talk about the word, while taking into account the debates over whether or not it can be applied to Israel. However, following this week’s influx of fierce online debate on the event page, the organizers of the week have written a notice condemning the use of “racist, anti-Semitic, Islamophobic, sexist, homophobic, and all forms of hate speech.” Along the same lines, on the page for the Max Blumenthal event on March 3

it is clearly stated that the organizers “will IMMEDIATELY ask ANYONE who uses anti-Semitic, Islamophobic, racist or sexist speech to leave.”

The obvious problem with this is that when a group tries to eliminate hate speech from a debate they will invariably fall into another debate over what exactly qualifies as hate speech. Just from looking at some of the posts on the Brandeis Israel Apartheid Week event page, my hunch would be that during the events next week someone will say something that might verge on hate speech depending on one’s definition. When this happens, action will be taken to remove that person or action will not be taken, and either way it will create a more tense envi-

ronment. It is an incredibly difficult balance to strike. At these events the intent is that people will not mince words but will engage in a very real discussion, and yet the discussion by its very nature is so sensitive that I am concerned that students may feel attacked even if that was not the intent.

I would suggest that more thought be taken as to exactly what will be a reason for sending someone out of a room or for blocking one from a webpage. It is easy to say that hate speech is bad, but the difficult part is to have a concrete discussion on it before an event takes place. Perhaps this is already under way and this article is merely preaching to the choir.

If, however, it is a conversation that

hasn’t occurred then I highly recommend that it be had.

Some will suggest that it is obvious what hate speech is and that there is no need to determine specifics. They will say that people will know what crosses the line. However, with people on the event page already debating with vigor what counts as antiSemitism, it is clear to me that there is not that much agreement.

I sincerely hope for the success of these events. I am always in favor of more discussion and yet I am apprehensive because of the sensitive nature of the discussion and the incredibly difficult challenges associated with striking the balance between openness and respect for one another.

photo from internet source

Proposed Apartheid week creates mixed feelings

photo from internet source

By Tzlil Levy Staff

A highly controversial event has been planned for the week of March 3 on campus. The Brandeis Israel Apartheid Week circulated around Facebook rather quickly on Monday night, with ensuing debate among individuals from the pro-Israel and pro-Palestine sides.

The Students for Justice in Palestine, the organization running this week-long event, claim that

its purpose is to expose a supposed “apartheid” system in Israel. However, the word apartheid should not be taken lightly. According to Merriam-Webster, apartheid is defined as “racial segregation.” The definition continues to say that apartheid is “specifically a former policy of segregation and political and economic discrimination against non-European groups in the Republic of South Africa.”

Under such a definition, the use of the word apartheid would only apply to what occurred in South Africa or similar events practiced in other countries.

A handful of significant world leaders and cultural figures have echoed the notion that Israel is an apartheid state. For instance, Desmond Tutu, a South African human rights activist and Nobel Peace Prize laureate, said, “[the] humiliation [of Palestinians] is familiar to me and the many black South Africans who were corralled and regularly insulted by the security forces of the Apartheid government.” Because of Tutu’s convictions regarding apartheid in Israel, he is a keen supporter of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement

against Israel.

Roger Waters, the former lead singer of Pink Floyd, explained the cancellation of his concert in Israel: “The situation in Israel/ Palestine, with the occupation, the ethnic cleansing and the systematic racist apartheid Israeli regime is unacceptable.” Waters is among many other musicians and celebrities who have cancelled trips to Israel because of a perceived system of apartheid in the nation.

With regard to the definition of apartheid, however, one can only legitimately classify a country as an apartheid state if it institutes a system of racial segregation in a manner similar to that of South Africa under apartheid. Is Israel truly guilty of such action? Absolutely not! Israelis are treated equally regardless of race, religion, ethnicity, gender or sexual orientation. In fact, there are multiple Arab parties with seats in the Knesset, Israel’s parliament, and 12 Arab Members of Knesset.

An Israeli Arab serves on the Supreme Court of Israel, and some of the Israeli Defense Forces’ highest-ranking commanders are Arab. All citizens vote in Israeli elections and partake in all sorts of societal affairs throughout the State of Israel. Religions are treated with respect, as Jews, Christians, Muslims and many other religious groups are each given the autonomy to control their own religious justice system (which includes controlling matters of marriage and divorce). These are just a number of examples that reflect Israel’s democratic society and respect for all individuals.

Is Israel perfect? No. There are various cultural aspects of Israeli society, transcending religion and race, that do not reflect well on

Israel. For example, there exists a societal behavior of rudeness that, in the most extreme cases, causes a small minority of Israelis to act in a racist manner against Arabs.

These actions, however, do not represent the official stance of Israel; more importantly, they do not even embody Israel’s overall cultural character, as it is clearly an open, respectful society.

This points to the main problem of those advocating for an Israeli Apartheid Week. While Israel certainly has its flaws, the overall society is democratic and commendable. Moreover, if one were to examine other countries, even in Israel’s very own neighborhood, it would become clear that too many cases exist wherein other countries commit acts that rank far worse than Israel’s.

My question to those running the Brandeis Israel Apartheid Week is the following: Why does Israel, specifically, deserve such sanctions and boycott, when so many other countries perform heinous, genocidal acts which are not seen in Israel? The suffering of millions of Syrians imposed by the Assad government, including the regime’s brutal murder of hundreds of thousands, should exhibit this exact point. The fact that people are devoting an entire week to slandering Israel, while seemingly putting aside far worse human rights violations, demonstrates the double standard of these advocates. Thus, I oppose all efforts to demonize Israel, especially in the form of the Brandeis Israel Apartheid Week. Perhaps, instead of focusing on the only state with a democratic government in the Middle East, individuals should direct their concern towards other dire situations.

February 28, 2014

OPINION 15

The Brandeis Hoot

Does Univ. expect students to steal?

photo from internet source

great careers and opportunities. We were led to believe that we were the best of the best, yet they expect us to courses with knowledgeable pro- steal.

Remember that first week of orifessors that would propel us into CUBBIES, from page 12

entation, when President Lawrence, or perhaps Reinharz, welcomed the incoming first-year class to the school. He used some cliched lines about how so much will be accom-

plished in these next four years, all of the friends we would make, plus new discoveries both in the classroom and within ourselves. He probably mentioned how a Brandeis education would provide us with the necessary skills to lead productive lives and make us great contributors to society. Onto that, he placed forth the expectations of us to do great things with our lives, to strive to be the best both here at Brandeis and beyond. He didn’t add in his spiel that we would be expected to steal during our time at this institution, yet that is the message being put forward by these seemingly harmless wooden shelves.

Sure, everyone has thought about doing it; some of us even have walked out hiding something in our jackets. Some may find it hard to argue with the logic behind doing it.

The C-store charges premium prices on products that are much cheaper at a typical supermarket, and college students paying one of the highest tuitions in the country cannot afford this extra cost. There must have been repeated occurrences that warranted the construction of cubbies to help prevent this crime spree, so it isn’t a case of paranoia. However, the presence of these cubbies shows disrespect to anyone entering the store.

It is not very comforting to walk into a situation and immediately feel as if you are guilty without having done anything wrong. At least there aren’t cameras on every corner inside the C-store to make sure no one has placed something in their bags, but I feel that utilizing surveillance equipment would make more sense than these cubbies. Video cameras would actually work in finding any-

one who is shoplifting, and could potentially scare off anyone with the thought. No one uses these cubbies.

I have never seen a single bag in them while walking past, and I have walked in and out of the C-store numerous times with my backpack on, and no one stops me.

Even if someone were to utilize the cubby, and say place a purse there to hide any suspicion while looking at the yogurt selection, this could present a much larger problem. If we are to assume that students will be willing to steal something as simple as a banana, then they are also liable to seek more valuable objects, like those that would be stored in a purse or backpack—a wallet or computer. Obviously it is harder to steal a laptop out of a zippered bag than sneaking a bottle of soda, but anything is possible if we are led to believe that students with so much to lose would be willing to risk it on a bag of chips. This then raises the question of what is more valuable: a student’s personal belongings or poorly-produced food?

Having these cubby holes is a halfhearted attempt to solve a problem that should not be a problem in the first place. As a member of this community, I feel that we should all turn our backs and rebuke any action that brings us down. Any sort of criminal act harms everyone on campus, because we all identify collectively as Brandeis students. Shoplifting is not something to be promoted, or praised if done successfully, and it is certainly not something to be expected of us by a higher authority.

Set the students to a higher standard, and I’m sure they will exceed expectations.

Students find different ways to express social justice

photo from internet source

JUSTICE, from page 12

sense of intellectual esteem, and it can be crippling to think only in terms of black and white.

I can safely say, however, that the majority of my experiences with social justice at Brandeis have been positive.

I’ve found that, among the people I’ve encountered, the argument to discussion ratio is surprisingly low. Most of the time, people who start getting riled up by another’s

comments will go out of their way to try reaching a mutual understanding with their antagonists instead of allowing the tension to boil into full-blown confrontation.

Students tend to discuss things rather than argue about them. In the past, it had always struck me as a little odd whenever a scholarly debate would devolve into a contest of intellectual dominance revolving around the destruction of one’s opponent rather than tying up any loose ends with him and his beliefs.

I remember one instance in particular, where I was part of a little discussion on that now incredibly notorious music video “Blurred Lines.” Though neither party conceded their point by the end, the two parties addressed each other’s arguments civilly and without malice, something I could only describe as impressive.

Another time I found myself thrust into an hour-long sociological discussion of the philosophical implications of simply walking up to strangers and telling them

they’re pretty, with a stranger I’d walked up to and told was pretty.

At Brandeis, when a girl isn’t interested, she won’t just regretfully inform you of the circumstances and promptly leave; she’ll sit down with you for an hour and insist on helping analyze the social and gender-related nuances of what you did wrong while simultaneously contemplating whether or not she’s doing it just for social posturing. A fine champion of social justice, indeed, to dispel misunderstandings and keep oth-

ers from accidentally harming one another or themselves.

Like many self-righteous teenagers, I thought that the ideas of social equality and unhappy happenstance had more or less exhausted their supply of surprises on me since high school, and yet here I am bumping into something new every time I round a corner.

Social justice and the many ways its adherents choose to express it can be found almost anywhere on this campus, whether they boil the blood or warm the heart.

February 28, 2014

arts, etc.

The Brandeis Hoot 11

Spring at The Rose provides thought-provoking art

By Christa Caggiano Staff Michelle Kim Editor

Gleaming silver greets the museum-goer of The Rose this semester in its upper gallery. Made of several metallic bridges, this is “Chris Burden: Master Builder.” Burden is an interesting artist who is increasingly connected to The Rose. He is the creator of the major installation “Light of Reason,” which will be a large public work outside The Rose, to be completed in 2014. But to be honest, if you have heard of Burden, it is probably because of his 1970s performance art piece, “Shoot.” In “Shoot,” Burden stood across the room from his assistant, who then shot him in the arm with a .22 rifle.

That being said, “Chris Burden: Master Builder” is not quite as exciting as Burden’s performance art. Burden crafts these bridges out of erector building sets, toys meant for children.

The wall text placed at the start of the exhibit makes exciting claims—the bridges can hold hundreds of pounds while being lifted easily with a finger. This text goes on to purport that Burden is nothing less than a genius, a master at building and at art, creating pieces that are both aesthetically pleasing and cleverly innovative.

In our opinion, these affirmations are not supported by the actual show.

Frankly, it is a dry exhibit. The bridges are nothing aesthetically new, dating to the 13th century. They look lovely against the blue backdrop of the walls, but lovely falls short of my expectations. The idea of a light structure holding incredible amounts of weight is intriguing at first; however, I still do not find it dazzling. Similar bridges can be found in high school physics classes across the country. I was especially taken aback by a sign imploring “Do Not Touch” on a bridge with gears, something clearly designed to touch. Gears conjure images of the permanent MIT Museum exhibit, “Gestural Engineering: The Art of Arthur Ganson,” where there are buttons, pulleys and triggers that allow the viewer to really engage with the art and science. In comparison, the Burden exhibit seemed unnecessarily distant. It told me to believe that Burden was brilliant, without letting me explore this notion for myself.

If you venture out of the upper Rose and into the Foster stairwell, you are greeted by a video installation of Burden’s called “What My Dad Gave Me.” It is a video of a massive erector set skyscraper Burden created. The Rose will be installing one of these skyscrapers inside the museum, rising

through the atrium, later this spring.

In contrast, “The Matter That Surrounds Us” by Wols and Charline von Heyl is everything “Chris Burden: Master Builder” is not. It is an absolutely beautiful exhibit. The framing of the art is perfect and allows the works to play off each other in color and in texture, enveloping the visitor in a swath of color. This exhibition begins with brief text introducing the reader to Wols and von Heyl, but not giving too much away about either artist. It also sets up the parallel between the two by simply stating that von Heyls, a contemporary artist, was influenced by the work of Wols, who worked in the early 20th century. The unusual pairing functions as a vessel of intellectual discourse, something hugely important in university art museums. There is a brochure of more detailed text available to take in the exhibition, which students could read at their leisure.

Immediately, the viewer can make connections between the two artists.

A large von Heyls canvas of a woman’s head converses with a smaller, more abstract Wols illustration really well.

A head can emerge in the Wols piece to complement the von Heyls, or the audience can appreciate the purely aesthetic differences. Both artists have a style that realizes the variety of colors, textures and surfaces the art can produce. In this regard, this exhibit is reminiscent of “Light Years” by Jack Whitten in 1971-1973, an excellent exhibit The Rose put on last semester.

My favorite part of this exhibition, however, was the quotes included in the wall label. The curator let the art literally speak for itself. In one of the best examples, Charline von Heyls was quoted in response to her colleague’s critique of her art, “These weren’t the paintings I wanted to make, but they were the paintings I wanted to see.”

This theme of making art that isn’t pretentious, but instead making art as a profoundly personal and uniquely visual statement, is carried throughout this exhibit. It is a breath of fresh air that made me connect with the art on a deeper level. The two different artists and their perspectives on art made for interesting conversations.

I thought about the art a lot, talked about it with other students and drew my own conclusions. This gallery was alive.

In The Rose Video Gallery this spring is Josephine Meckseper’s “Mall of America.” The focus of this exhibit is the Mall of America, one of the world’s largest shopping malls, in Bloomington, Minnesota. This may seem mundane at first, but Meckseper claims it is not: “The focus … was to show the iconography of U.S. American consumer ritual in relation to

opening New exhibits are at The Rose incorporate color and structure.

military expansion.”

Meckseper attempts to defamiliarize the experience of going to the mall, which is a relatively common activity for Americans. The artist does so by using red and blue filters and a sinister soundtrack to accompany footage of objects we find relatively normal, such as people passing by, sale sings and mannequins.

The camera focuses on big brand names, such as “Pepsi” and “Budweiser,” and the use of Americanocentric phrases like “U.S.A.” and “AllAmerican”, which, according to the introduction pamphlet, makes the mall “[read] as one large advertisement for America.” She also opted to juxtapose this with a recording of the military using Napalm in hopes of showing the relation between nationalism and consumption, thus insinuating that neither are sustainable.

The video within the video is called “Fighter Pilot” and, unlike the foot-

age of the mall, is in full-color. Her two videos within the exhibit show that the “rampant consumerism we are witnessing is in part founded on our increased militarism at home and abroad … [and] expose the systems that perpetuate inequality.”

To be honest, Meckseper’s efforts to underscore the imbalance of economic wealth are unsuccessful.

Rather than creating an ominous atmosphere, Meckseper’s video bores audience members. She focuses on the mall for an extremely long period of time and many of the things she focuses her camera on are not frightening at all—even with the red and blue filter—because after a while, the audience habituates. There are little to no shocking changes to prevent people from zoning out. Some of the future museum-goers will find themselves maybe even a little bored.

The final exhibit, “Bowls Balls Souls Holes” by Mika Rottenberg is placed

photos by haley fine/the hoot

in the Lois Foster Gallery. Interestingly, it is artist Mika Rottenberg’s first solo museum exhibition in the United States.

There are three video installations: “Squeeze” (2010), “Tsss” (2013) and “Bowls Balls Souls Holes” (2014). The last video was commissioned and partially funded by The Rose. All three of the video installations were eccentric and extremely difficult to understand.

None of the videos are either logical or realistic; instead, a museum visitor is treated to relatively confusing narratives. However, it seems like Rottenberg wanted each installation to “abide by their own hermetic, relentless logic.” No one looked like they understood anything, but I believe that that was Rottenberg’s intent.

The Rose’s spring exhibit is definitely worth seeing. Although you may not understand all the art included in it, it is thought-provoking. These exhibits are open until June 8, 2014.