The Brandeis Hoot 2/9/2018

Volume 15 Issue 4

“To acquire wisdom, one must observe” www.brandeishoot.com

February 9, 2018

Brandeis University’s Community Newspaper · Waltham, Mass.

NuDay Syria Founder delivers ‘DEIS Impact keynote

By Emily Sorkin Smith editor

photo by matthew kowalyk/the hoot

one person at a time, one humanity closer Nadia Alawa

delivers the keynote speech for ‘DEIS Impact.

Read more about this year’s ‘DEIS Impact events in The Hoot’s special ‘DEIS Impact spread, beginning on page 7.

NuDay Syria founder and activist Nadia Alawa delivered the keynote speech for ’DEIS Impact, discussing her own humanitarian action and how she came to found a non-profit to help mothers and children in need. Alawa’s speech, titled “One Person at a Time, One Humanity Closer: Tackling the Syrian Crisis From New Hampshire,” was introduced by Student Union President Jacob Edelman ’18 and Yiyi Wu ’19, ’DEIS Impact Chair.

While Alawa was living in the United States with her Syrian husband and eight children, she watched the Syrian revolution begin to unfold over Facebook. The images of the revolution playing out on the streets of downtown Homs haunted her as she saw

Syrians “out on the streets, assembled against oppression and hatred, advocating for their right to freedom, liberty and dignity,” she said.

Alawa recalled attending a rally in support of Syrian independence in downtown Boston, only the second demonstration she had ever been to. As they demonstrated their support for a free and democratic Syria, Alawa realized she had not been exercising her own democratic rights. “It was weird, hypocritical almost, to be rallying for the freedom and democracy of Syrians without ever having acted on those rights myself,” Alawa said.

“Although I am part Syrian, part Dane, my journey is not that of a Syrian-Dane finding her roots,” Alawa explained. Instead, she said, her story in one of “a woman See KEYNOTE, page 8

BBSO hosts teach-in for Black History Month

By Rachel Wang staff

As part of their month-long programming for Black History Month, the Brandeis Black Student Organization (BBSO) hosted a teach-in event on Monday eve-

ning featuring two new Brandeis lecturers, postdoctoral fellows Dr. Wangui Muigai and Dr. Cory Hunter.

Muigai, a historian of science and medicine, teaches in the African and Afro-American Studies (AAAS) and the Health: Science, Society, and Policy (HSSP)

programs. Hunter, a musicology expert, teaches in the American Studies department and offers classes on subjects such as the black church and gospel music.

Both professors gave presentations on their fields of study and facilitated discussions about Black History Month through the

lens of science and protest music.

Muigai opened the teach-in by referencing the Google Doodle image for Black History Month as a way of addressing how this four week long commemoration came to be. Student attendees were able to identify some of the icons of the abolitionist or Civil Rights

Movement figures depicted in the Doodle, but none could place the central figure in the image.

Muigai revealed the figure to be Carter G. Woodson, considered to be the father of Black History Month.

See BBSO, page 2

Brandeis to hold active shooter training in March

By Hannah Schuster editor

Brandeis will conduct an active shooter drill on Wednesday, March 21, according to a Feb. 5 email announcement from Public Safety Director Ed Callahan. The drill will simulate an active shooter situation in the library, including realistic gunshot sounds, and both Brandeis and Waltham law enforcement and emergency services will respond in real time.

The library is the only location that will be closed during the drill. All other classes and events will continue as planned.

The goal of the drill is to test Brandeis’ emergency and communication protocols and allow campus leaders and members of law enforcement to train and practice for these situations. “You walk through the drill to understand how these things play out in real time, to understand the importance of coordinating with the different law enforcement and emergency operations,” said Jim Gray, Vice President for Campus Operations, in a joint interview with The Brandeis Hoot and the Justice.

The drill will employ “interac-

Inside This Issue:

See DRILL, page 3

News: Board of Trustees pass new Gen. Ed. reqs.

Ops: J Street U on the demolition of Susya Arts: Student musician finds success with new EP Sports: Track thrives in non-scoring Tufts meet EDITORIALS: Appreciate campus workers

Page 3 Page 11 Page 15 Page 4 Page 6

photo by candace ng/the hoot

senior meet

The swimming and diving teams compete against Clark University. Read more in SPORTS, page 4

Islamophobia Amal Kassir talks Islamophobia on college campuses

‘DEIS IMPACT: PAGE 9

VoiceMale

A cappella group goes to the ICCA tournament ARTS: PAGE 13

NEWS

2 The Brandeis Hoot

BBSO Teach-in discusses science and protest music for Black History Month BBSO, from page 1

As Muigai explained, Woodson’s lifelong ambition was “chronicling, researching documenting and publishing the achievements, struggles, and feats [of] the people of the African diaspora” in a time when there were no black voices in academia to offset the popular lie that black people were “intellectually inferior.”

Woodson brought the facts of black history into the public eye by creating the first Journal of Negro History and the first national Negro History Week, later expanded to Black History Month.

Transitioning to her area of expertise, Muigai acknowledged that history and science are not commonly discussed together, but said they have every reason to be. “Health and illness are major drivers of historical change,” said Muigai. Her interests lie in exploring how sickness and race intersect in the black experience.

She cited the death of Eric Garner, who was held in a chokehold by the NYPD, as a compelling example of this intersection. Muigai described Garner’s last words“I can’t breathe,” as a “rallying cry” that sparked national recognition of police brutality. However, Garner’s words also referred to his asthma condition. Muigai observed the duality of contexts in which “I can’t breathe,” Garner’s last words, related both to Garner’s literal suffocation as well as the general feeling of suppression and distress in the black community.

Muigai also cited Erica Garner, the daughter of Eric Garner, who recently died after giving birth due to a heart attack, an ensuing coma and resulting brain damage. This incident brought the treatment of black mothers publically into question and further

solidified the notion of a “public health crisis facing black Americans.” Muigai concluded that the adequacy of hospital care and appropriateness of police responses work in conjunction with political and social rights.

Hunter spoke about protest songs of the Civil Rights Movement and conducted an interactive exercise of “decoding” lyrics of historical and political significance. He explained his academic interest in gospel music history began when he noticed a lack of scholarship on the subject. He felt responsible for putting such works into existence and proving that gospel music is “worthy of intellectual inquiry.”

Hunter explained the benefits and the critiques surrounding protest music of the 1960s.

It was effective because it could be cross-generationally relevant, persuasive and motivating. Protest music, however, could also be misinterpreted, appropriated, over-simplified and non-solution oriented, he said.

Due to the pressures of “crossover appeal,” artists had to alter lyrics or keep them vague to attract and satisfy both black and white listeners, said Hunter. Protest musicians encrypted their more provocative and political messages within symbolic lyrics that otherwise sounded harmless.

Hunter’s decoding exercise featured the songs “People Get Ready” by Curtis Mayfield and “Promised Land” by Chuck Berry.

In “People Get Ready,” the word “train,” is a popular term in black spirituals that signifies upward social mobility as well as the path to heaven. Hunter also explained the biblical allusion in the title of Berry’s “Promised Land” and noted how the mention of specific cities in the American South

refers to stops along the Freedom Rides.

Both Muigai and Hunter’s lectures involved student participation. Students commented on their own experiences with problematic medical treatment in correlation to the stereotype of “black strength”—black people being less sensitive to pain than white people. The decoding exercise also allowed attendees to read lyrics out loud with each other and draw upon their personal knowledge of black history to make inferences on meaning.

In closing her presentation on Black History Month, Muigai invited attendees to reflect on a Woodson quote: “We should emphasize not Negro history but the Negro in history.”

One student then said that “black history is American history.” Hunter also discussed the “individual identity” of black people and spoke about resisting the practice of generalizing black experience.

Muigai also brought up Woodson’s radical vision for a future where Black History Month is no longer necessary. “This kind of education should be intertwined year long,” she said. She concluded, “92 years after the first Negro History Week we’re left with this provocation...what does it mean to do black history every day?”

This event was a part of the BBSO’s programing for black history month. The BBSO is hosting two more events this month: a black career panel on Friday, Feb. 9 where panelists will discuss diversity hiring, recruitment, interviewing and underrepresented minorities, and “Shades of Blackness,” Saturday at 6 p.m., a performance event featuring a variety of student organizations.

February 9, 2018

IN THE SENATE: February 4, 2018 •

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Executive Senator Aaron Finkel ’20 reported on plans for the spring semester midnight buffet and told the senate the usual location (Levin Ballroom) may not be available. He proposed the Great Lawn (with the SCC as a rain location) as an alternative.

Abhishek Kulkarni ’19, Chair of the Senate Bylaws committee, said the committee is creating a senator’s guide to the bylaws.

The Union is planning a potential “Meet the Union” event and looking into hosting a coffeehouse at Chum’s.

Benedikt Reynolds ’19, Chair of the Senate Sustainability, updated the union on his recent meeting with Mary Fischer, Manager of Sustainability Programs. Fischer and Reynolds discussed plans to work with the Environmental Studies (ENVS) department to create an internship or give academic credit to students doing sustainability-related work on campus.

Jonathan Chen ’20, Chair of the Senate Dining committee, reminded senators about the special Lunar New Year menu and talked about food waste in dining facilities.

Vice President Hannah Brown ’19 said senators would be de-briefed on the recent Board of Trustees meeting at the next senate meeting. Brown said student representatives spoke to trustees about topics including hidden costs of attending Brandeis, the Asian American and Pacific Islander minor, and DCL’s “nickel and diming” students.

Senators discussed three SMR’s and passed two of them.

The first SMR, presented by Senator Matthew Kowalyk ’18, was a proposal to purchase 50 pins with the student union logo. The pins would increase union visibility and would cost around 20 dollars. Senators voted to suspend the rules, which state SMR’s are to be voted on one week after proposal. The senate passed Kowalyk’s SMR. Off-Campus Senator Matthew Stenerson ’19 presented the second SMR. Stenerson is planning an event for current and potential off-campus residents. He proposed an informal event in Usdan’s game room with food and representatives from DCL and the Waltham Police Department to discuss resources for students living off-campus. Stenerson suggested the event take place in late February. Senators will vote on the SMR next week.

Rachel McAllister ’21, Class of 2021 senator, proposed an SMR to fund a Valentine’s day event in Usdan and the SCC. Students could send lollipops directly to classmate’s mailboxes. In connection with American Heart Month, the lollipops would come with tags to provide information about healthy practices. Senators voted to suspend the rules and passed the SMR.

‘About Face’ discusses self-awareness

By Celia Young editor

Patricia Steiner, a graduate professor at the Rabb School of Continuing Studies, hosted a presentation in the intercultural lounge titled, “About Face—Solving Issues of Diversity through Self Awareness,” where she discussed diversity and self-awareness with Mark Frazier, a guest speaker from the “On My Genius Campaign” of North Carolina.

The presentation on Feb. 6 and later discussions were made possible by a grant from the Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.

The grant paid for the project, which includes a series of talks on and off campus as well as fees associated with Frazier’s travel from North Carolina.

Steiner and Frazier also presented at the Plymouth Public Library on Wednesday, giving the same presentation that was held at Brandeis. According to Steiner, further presentations will take place at off campus locations.

Frazier is an entrepreneur from North Carolina and the Chief

Executive Officer of the “Oh My Genius Campaign,” which hosts a variety of mentorship programs for young adults. The campaign’s mission is to “reduce negative life outcomes for all children by building their self awareness, self-confidence, and self-worth,” according to the organization’s website.

Steiner is a graduate professor at the Rabb School of Continuing Education in the Division of Graduate Professional Studies, and specializes in leadership, organization and strategic planning.

The presentation centered around ideas of self-awareness in thought processes, specifically the difference between primary thought, an individual’s first reaction, and secondary thought, which is the further contemplation of an event. They utilized anecdotes ranging from Nelson Mandela to their own personal experiences in order to discuss issues such as racism and sexism in the context of thought processes.

Frazier brought the conversation from theoretical ideas of thought to the world today, saying, “If we’re honest with our-

selves in this climate in this day and age I mean there’s a lot of different things where people … remain in that primary and never regulate it with secondary... and we’ve had tragedies as a result,” he continued, referencing police brutality and sexual assault and abuse.

After the initial description of thought processes, Steiner and Frazier opened the floor to the attendees of the presentation, where they took questions about the presentation and discussed personal experiences with stereotyping, primary and secondary thought.

An audience member related primary and secondary thought to her own experience by using an anecdote of shopping at Target with a red shirt on. She stated that she was approached often by patrons who thought she worked there and who, she stated, were only using their primary thought because of the association of the red shirt with Target employees.

In the talk, Frazier described the need for secondary thought, saying, “What we’re bringing awareness to … is the decision …

We want to go into the second-

photo by celia young/the hoot

ary to really be conscious of the decision, of the behavior and our actions.”

The talk was attended by graduate students from Steiner’s class, Organization, Leadership, and Decision Making, as well as un-

dergraduate students.

Further presentations are expected to take place off the Brandeis University campus. For more information on the discussions, contact pattsteiner@ brandeis.edu.

February 9, 2018

NEWS 3

The Brandeis Hoot

Active shooter drill to take place at library DRILL, from page 1

tive role-playing that, were it not for posted signs indicating police training is underway, would look and sound to a passerby as if a real crisis were unfolding,” said the email from Callahan.

There will be emergency sirens and simulated gunshot sounds on campus. Participants in the drill include Brandeis police, senior administrators, the Brandeis Emergency Medical Crops (BEMCo), Waltham Police and Fire Departments and Cataldo ambulance services.

Staff and some students will play mock-victims as Brandeis and Waltham emergency services respond to the situation and attend to the “victim’s” injuries, according to Gray. Brandeis senior executives will meet to discuss the attack and consider the aftermath of the “mock-tragedy.” The

university will send out emergency alerts via phone and email through the Brandeis Emergency Notification System (BENS).

BEMCo members receive training for mass casualty incidents (MCSIs) during the year “by undergoing classroom style and practical skills training,” Allison Lewis, the BEMCo Operations Officer, told The Hoot.

These drills are now common practice on college campus, said Gray, and serve to familizare campus communities with events that have occurred throughout the country. It is not in response to any particular event or because Brandeis is somehow more susceptible to this kind of attack, he said. The drill will likely present officials with scenarios they had not considered, allowing them to react on the spot and be more prepared to confront an actual incident, Gray explained. The procedure will take place at some

point between 6 a.m. and noon on the 21st and last approximately three hours, said Gray.

“The word ‘drill’ will be everywhere,” on the 21st and in the weeks preceding it, according to Gray. During the drill, there will be large signs at the entrance to campus and the library indicating that an emergency procedure is in progress. Long before then, staff will place signs in the library and on the doors to every campus building with details about the drill. The Office of Communications is developing a plan to release information online, via email and on social media in the weeks leading up to the date.

“We don’t want anyone hearing the mock gunshots and thinking that there’s a shooter,” said Gray. “We’re very concerned that someone might, nonetheless, fall through the cracks [so] we’re trying to take every precaution to be sure we overcommuniate and

carefully communicate to the right audience.”

Administrators are encouraging everyone to watch a video on active shooter protocols it released last semester. According to Gray, around 25 percent of the Brandeis community (students, faculty and staff) watched the video via the campus-wide emails, though this may underestimate its total reach.

Officials also remind students to ensure they are signed up for BENS notifications.

As the library will be closed, staff will communicate alternative study locations “well in advance of March 21,” said Callahan’s email.

The Brandeis Counseling Center will be on alert during the drill, for students who may need to speak with someone about the experience. University officials have begun communicating with Waltham political and neighborhood leaders and, moving

forward, intend to communicate with nearby residents as well.

The full Brandeis police force is participating in the drill, but the switchboard will be manned throughout, and Gray confirmed they will pull officers should they be needed elsewhere on campus.

If an actual emergency occurs on the 21st, Brandeis will issue a BENS alert stating, “This is not a test,” and will initiate their “actual emergency preparedness protocols and communications procedures,” according to Callahan.

Senior Brandeis officials are meeting weekly to discuss logistics of the drill, and administrators will have a debrief after the 21st to study how it went and what they can learn from the experience.

This is the first, but likely not the last, active shooter drill for Brandeis, though Gray said there are no scheduled plans for another drill at this time.

Board of Trustees passes new Gen. Ed. Requirements

By Celia Young and Hannah Schuster editors

The Board of Trustees voted unanimously to pass the new general education requirements, the final stamp of approval before the requirements go into effect for the class entering in fall 2019, according President Liebowitz’s summary of last week’s board meetings.

The trustees voted after a “thorough” two-hour long discussion with “great passion and thoughtfulness,” at their meeting last week. The “major concern” the trustees had was regarding the new “diversity, equity and inclusion” requirement.

“No one questioned the value of having such a requirement,” said Liebowitz’s report, but rather the questions centered on which courses would count towards this

requirement and the process for them to be approved. Provost Lisa Lynch and Susan Birren, the Dean of Arts and Sciences, will discuss the trustees’ concerns and suggestions with the faculty, according to Liebowitz.

The Gen. Ed. requirements were first introduced last year. The new requirements split the current requirements into five new categories: Brandeis First Year Experience, Foundational Literacies, Schools of Thought, Health Wellness and Life Skills and Global Engagement. Two new required courses were added: Digital Literacy and Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in the U.S., which bring the total list of requirements to 13 including the quantitative reasoning, non-western and comparative studies and the school distribution requirement. Brandeis is also adding a new component to the University Writing Seminar (UWS): the “First Year Ex-

perience.” It includes a three to five hour mandatory experiential learning trip during the semester and a “Critical Conversation,” where faculty members will offer contrasting views on the core theme of the UWS class.

When the Task Force on General Education first released the General Education requirements, members of the Student Union were concerned the new requirements would burden incoming students, according to discussion at a Senate Meeting.

According to Susan Birren, the Dean of Arts and Sciences, the task force expects students to take fewer requirements because, although the maximum number of courses is higher, every major department will have classes that satisfy the Writing Intensive and Quantitative Reasoning requirements. This way, students can take those courses within their own major.

During their meetings, the board members also listened to a student panel that spoke to the full board regarding major concerns of the student body such as “financial, housing, counseling, transportation and communications problems,” according to Liebowitz’s report.

The panel featured several students, including Jacob Edelman ’18, the Student Union President.

Issues they discussed included how Brandeis could support students looking for off campus housing and the burden of working many hours at an on-campus job while trying to keep up with school.

At one point, the panelists were asked if they knew anyone who worked so much that it impacted their school performance, according to Edelman. They all raised their hands. The students also addressed certain hidden costs of college and areas where the uni-

versity can “nickel and dime students.” These included the cost of subscription to online services for some courses and late fees at the library.

The Risk Management and Audit Committee of the Board reviewed two internal audit reports, including one on a “safety and security review of campus.”

This audit is conducted routinely to help the Brandeis ensure the safety of the campus, according to Ed Callahan, the director of Public Safety.

The Academy Committee also approved a resolution appointing Aida Wong (FA), Janet McIntosh (ANTH) and Yu-Hui Chang (MUS) from associate professors with tenure to full professors.

immigration detention centers or the federal employment verification program (e-verify) according to the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU).

Democratic lawmakers have been pushing for a Dream Act to extend the Obama-era protections for children of illegal immigrants established under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program (DACA).

In September, Trump announced he was revoking protections for DACA recipients, or “Dreamers.”

The Student Union provided a script for students to call their representatives, which asked them to support a clean Dream Act, “before the...expiration of this most recent continuous resolution,” referring to the DACA recipients’ protections set to expire on March 5, 2018.

Chas Newman, a Georgetown University student contacted Student Union president Jacob Edelman about hosting an event at Brandeis as part of a campaign where several U.S. colleges would host simultaneous phone-

a-thons and provided a script.

The Brandeis event was held after Newman’s original project date.

Between one and two dozen students attended the phone-athon, which was held in the the Student Union office in the SCC, according to Edelman.

Shaquan McDowell ’18, a senator-at-large who attended the event, commented on the legislation, saying, “It affects particular individuals inside of the Brandeis community … I’m just happy to see that…we’re providing a space for our students to engage not

only to assist the broader United States community but also…individuals inside of the campus.”

He continued, “As a Union we’re showing that we support our students affected as well as the broader communities affected.”

The phone-a-thon was a student initiative and is not representative of the university administration’s position on DACA or the Dream Act. Liebowitz sent an email to the community after Trump’s decision to rescind DACA, supporting students who are Dreamers.

Due to space constraints, this article will be continued online.

Student Union hosts phone-a-thon for DACA

By Celia Young editor

The Student Union hosted a phone-a-thon Tuesday, Feb. 6, where students could call their state Congressional representative and urge them to support a “clean” Dream Act. A clean Dream Act refers to the bipartisan Dream Act of 2017, dubbed “clean” because it would not contain funding for a border wall, increased border security or interior enforcement, funding for

Amy Singer appointed Hassenfeld chair

By Olivia Ellson special to the hoot

Leading scholar of Ottoman history, Amy Singer, will fill the Sylvia K. Hassenfeld Chair position in Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies at Brandeis University in the summer of 2019, according to a BrandeisNOW article.

Previously serving as a professor at Tel Aviv University, Singer received her Ph.D. from Princeton in 1989. Singer obtained her bachelor’s degree from Princeton in Near Eastern studies in 1985,

and her bachelors of the arts in history at Swarthmore College in 1982, according to Singer’s CV. Singer is researching Edirne, the second capital of the Ottoman Empire, according to BrandeisNOW. Singer is also the president of the Ottoman and Turkish Studies Association and has been the recipient of many fellowships and grants and the author of dozens of articles.

Singer often travels to Turkey for her research, and has also taught in various locations including Turkey, Paris, Bologna

and Crete, according to Singer’s personal page on the Tel Aviv University website.

Singer has published three books including, “Palestinian Peasants and Ottoman Officials: Rural Administration around Sixteenth-century Jerusalem” and “Constructing Ottoman Beneficence: An Imperial Soup Kitchen in Jerusalem.” In her most recent book, “Charity in Islamic Societies,” Singer explored Muslim charity.

“Amy Singer is a superb scholar, has deep roots within the Is-

raeli academic community, and has earned a strong reputation for mentorship,” said President Ron Liebowitz to BrandeisNOW. “These qualities make her a perfect match for Brandeis. Students and faculty in many areas of study will be enriched by her presence.”

In 2017, Professor Paul Jankowski (HIST) led the search to fill the chair which eventually selected Singer. Jankowski was excited about the experience she will bring to Brandeis.

President Sylvia K. Hassenfeld and Vice President Alan G. Has-

senfeld of the Hassenfeld Foundation gave a donation that allowed the creation of the Sylvia K. Hassenfeld Chair in Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies in 2002.

Kanan Makiya (NEJS) held the Chair until 2016.

Also from Tel Aviv University, Singer’s husband, David S. Katz, is an early modern European history professor and Lessing Institute for European History and Civilization director.

He will come to Brandeis as a visiting history professor, alongside Singer.

SPORTS

4 The Brandeis Hoot

February 9, 2018

Swimming and diving teams win on Senior Day

By Sarah Jousset editor

This past Saturday the men’s and women’s swimming and diving team celebrated their Senior Day, competing against the Clark Cougars. The Judges celebrated seniors Richard Avrutsky ’18, Andrew Baker ’18, Zach Diamond ’18, Taku Harada ’18, Sam Scudere-Weiss ’18, Sam Zucker ’18, Abby Damsky ’18, Genna Karp ’18 and Amy Sheinhait ’18.

To further honor the dedication the seniors have given in the last four years, both the men’s and women’s team defeated Clark.

The men won 132-95, while the women’s team snatched a 139-74 victory over Clark.

The women snagged 10 first place finishes in the meet. The team’s events started with the 200 yard medley relay, in which the four person team of Sheinhait, Audrey Kim ’21, Emily McGovern ’21 and Rachel Goldblatt ’21 earned a first place victory with a time of 1:59.32. Goldblatt, McGovern and Kylie Herman ’19 gave stand-out performances for the Judges. McGovern earned first place finishes in the 400 yard IM with a time of 5:05.69, and the 100 yard breaststroke in 1:12.45.

Goldblatt took the 200 yard freestyle in 2:06.93, and the 100 yard butterfly with a time of 1:02.77.

Herman earned her two victories in the 1000 yard freestyle with a time of 11:23.20, and the 500

By Zach Cihlar

senior day

and Diamond started the day with a win in the 200 yard medley relay with a time of 1:42.65. The remainder of the Judges’ success was spread out, with only one athlete earning multiple individual wins against Clark. Thomas Alger ’20 won the 50 yard freestyle in 24.19 and the 100 yard backstroke in 57.79. Brandeis’ Joe Beletti-Naccarato ’21 finished right behind Alger in both races.

First-years dominated the meet for the Judges once again. Tyr Hondorf ’21 won the 100 yard freestyle by almost 30 seconds with a time of 1:01.93. Daniel

Wohl ’21 took the 200 yard freestyle in 1:45.21, while classmate Richard Selznick ’21 took the 400 yard IM in 4:20.86. Chase Chen ’21 took the 100 yard freestyle with a time of 49.66. Zitelny won the 100 yard butterfly in 53.21.

For the senior class, Harada won the 500 yard freestyle with a time of 5:15.75 and Avrutsky took the 100 yard breaststroke in 1:03.01.

The men’s team closed out the meet with a win in the 200 yard freestyle relay, with Francis, Selznick, Diamond and Harada earning a time of 1:35.31.

In diving action, Zucker fin-

ished third for the Judges in the men’s one meter diving event. As for the women’s team, Brandeis saw divers finish in the top three spots of the one meter diving event. Julia Tartaglia ’19, Tessa Carreiro ’21 and Karp finished in succession for the Judges.

The men and women’s swimming and diving team return to action this coming Wednesday, Feb. 14 in the University Athletics Association Championships hosted by Emory University in Atlanta, GA. The four-day meet will run from Wednesday to Saturday, Feb. 17.

The men and women’s swimming and diving team celebrated their seniors Satruday in their last home meet of the season.

photo from brandeisjudges.com

Track and field shine in the field events at Tufts meet

editor

Brandeis track and field took the short drive to Medford, MA. on Friday, Feb. 2 to test their agility in the Tufts Cupid Challenge hosted by Tufts University. The two-day competition featured a host of events from the heptathlon to tradition track races.

On the men’s side, Jack Allan ’20 was a top performer for the Judges. The sophomore earned a personal best score of 4475 points

breaking records

yard freestyle in 5:37.16. Kim had her own individual victory in the 100 yard backstroke, with a time of 1:04.48, and Natalya Wozab ’20 rounded out the Judges’ individual victories with a win in the 100 yard freestyle in 58.12. The women finished out the day with the 200 yard freestyle relay, with the team of Sheinhait, Damsky, Sofia Chevez ’21 and Annie Huang ’21 taking first place, completing the race in 1:46.86.

The men’s team won all 11 events Saturday to secure their 37 point victory. Benjamin Francis ’21, Tamir Zitelny ’20, Avrutsky

over all the events, beating his own school record by 145 points.

Allan pulled ahead in the competition by finishing strong in the 60-meter dash and the high jump, recording his personal best in both events. The overall score puts Allan in 17th place for Division III in the heptathlon event.

Runner Regan Charie ’19 earned top performances in two separate races—the 60-meter and 200-meter sprints. In the former, Charie ran his season-best in the event with a 7.19 sprint in the first heat and a 7.18 sprint in the final,

matching his personal best and vaulting him into fourth place. In the 200-meter event, the Brandeis competitor earned a seventh place finish, with a notable time of 23.10 seconds.

In the field events, Scott Grote ’19 put up a notable performance in the weight throw with a 14.34 meter toss, adding 0.66 meters to his personal record.

For the women, the mile-runners led the pack in top performances of the day. With both Emily Bryson ’19 and Julia Bryson ’19 sitting for this race, captain Kyra

Jordin Carter ‘18 broke her own school record at Tufts this past weekend.

photos from brandeisjudges.com

Shreeve ’18 led the Judges with a seventh place finish, recording a time of 5:20.18. Just a few spots behind her, rookie Andrea Bolduc ’21 narrowly secured the tenth place spot with her personal best time of 5:24.27.

Leinni Valdez ’21, another of the Judges’ newcomers, recorded a personal best. Her time of 1:40.81 in the 600-meter run was strong enough to earn her the fourth place prize for her performance.

In the field events, Jordin Carter ’18 continued her domination

fast track

Tufts.

in the weight throw. Putting up a series of strong throws recently, the senior once again built on her school record from last week (14.78 meters), improving her record to 14.91 meters at Tufts. The throw catapulted her to second place in the competition.

Both the men’s and women’s track and field teams will compete in another meet in the Greater Boston Area over the weekend of Feb. 9. when Boston University will host the BU Valentine’s Invitational, another two-day long meet.

Jack Allan ‘20 earned a personal best in the 60m and high jump at

February 9, 2018

Women’s basketball split UAA weekend

By Shea Decker-Jacoby editor

The Brandeis University women’s basketball team went on the road to Cleveland, OH to continue their University Athletic Association (UAA) matches against Case Western Reserve University. Despite their best efforts, the Judges fell to the Spartans 70-73.

This puts the Judges at a 11-7 record overall and 3-5 in the UAA. The Judges started off strong in the first quarter leading 20-17, but allowed the Spartans to come back in the second quarter, ending the half with a scare of 34-37.

The game was tied at 51 going into the fourth quarter, but the Spartans pulled away with an 11-0 point run to take the lead with 2:59 minutes remaining. Katherine Puda ’21 put up a pair of 3-pointers in the last 25 seconds of the game to bring the Judges to only a two-point deficit. Puda tried one more time to bring the Judges back into the game with a three off the mark to finalize the score at 73-70.

Camila Casanueva ’21 led Brandeis in scoring, earning 16 points in 22 minutes, just shy of her career-high. Casanueva earned her career-high in rebounds, getting eight, and tied the team-high with three assists.

Hannah Nicholson ’20 earned her third double-double of the season and second in a row with 11 points and 11 rebounds.

The Judges hit the court again when they traveled to Pittsburgh, PA to play against Carnegie Mellon. After a slow start, the Judges were able to get a win from behind beating the Tartans 60-52.

The Judges outscored the Tartans

By Bhargav Bindiganavile special to the hoot

The Judges spent the last weekend away from their comfortable home-court advantage as they travelled to battle it out with University Athletic Association (UAA) opponents: Case Western Reserve and Carnegie Mellon University. The men’s basketball team dropped both games, losing to Case Western Reserve 64-69 and Carnegie Mellon University 58-72.

The first game of the weekend was against the Case Western Re-

uaa learning curve

SPORTS 5

The Brandeis Hoot

in the second half 33-19. This win earned the Judges first sweep of the Tartans since the 2014-2015 season. The Judges lead the third quarter by out scoring the Tartans by 19-11. The Judges took a 46-44 lead into the final ten minutes, then the Judges outscored the Tartans 14-4 over the first six and a half minutes to pull away and secure the win. Katie Goncalo ’20 was the only player in the double digits in the scoring with 10 points, and matching her career-high in rebounds at seven.

Sarah Jaromin ’19 had nine points off the bench and Casanueva finished with eight. Noel Hodges ’18 led the team with five assists, six points, and six boards. The Judges hit 12-14 from the free-throw line. Nicholson lead the team with 16 points and 15 rebounds.

This was Nicholson recorded her third-strait double-double.

Brandeis returns to the court on Friday at 6 p.m. against Washington University at St. Louis as the Judges seek their first-ever sweep of the Bears.

photo from brandeisjudges.com

Hannah Nicholson ‘20 was the high scorer for the Judges in Sunday’s win against Carnegie Mellon University. uaa play

Women’s tennis starts strong

By Sarah Jousset editor

The Brandeis women’s tennis team started their spring season strong this past Saturday with a victory against Division I Bryant University, 4-3. The Division I contest, played at Bryant University in Rhode Island, forced the Judges to play by different rules, making doubles matches played to 7 instead of 8, as well as adding other limitations like no lets, no-advantage scoring and combined doubles matches to count for one point.

The Judges started off the match, taking the first two of three doubles matches. In the number one spot Olivia Leavitt ’19 and transfer Diana Dehterevich ’20 beat their opponent 7-5, while the Brandeis pair in the number two spot, Keren Khromchenko ’19 and Sabrina Ross Neergaard ’20, also secured a victory by the same score of 7-5. Meanwhile, duo Lauren Bertsch ’21 and Haley Cohen ’18 dropped their match 5-7 in

photo from brandeisjudges.com

Sabrina Ross Neergaard ‘20 won in both singles and doubles action against Bryant University. division i victory

Men’s basketball drops two

serve Spartans in Cleveland, OH this past Friday. The game started well for the Judges as they gained a 29-26 lead during the first half. It was a strong half for them as both rookie Chandler Jones ’21 and Colin Sawyer ’20 came out strong with 6 points each. The Spartans began the half on the same note they ended the first half, however, coming out with a 23-11 run. The Judges tried to make a comeback during the last eight minutes with the help of rookie Semih Say ’21 and Latye Workman ’18, but the Spartans made a clutch play to close the game with a charge to regain possession which led to a

three possession lead. The Judges were unable to close the gap in the remaining minute, losing to Case Western 64-69.

On offense, Lawrence Sabir ’21 and Latye Workman ’18 stood out in the tight game with the Spartans, earning 12 and 10 points respectively. Workman also carried the Judges defensively, with 5 rebounds in the game, while Corey Sherman ’19 matched Workman’s boards against Case Western Reserve.

In the game against Carnegie Mellon University this past Sunday, the Judges suffered a tougher loss, falling 58-72 to their oppo-

the No. 3 spot.

In singles action, the Judges won three and lost three matches against Bryant. Brandeis won in the number one, three and five spots. Ross Neergaard took the top spot for the Judges, splitting the first two sets before winning the third 6-1 to secure her victory.

Cohen played in the No. 3 spot, winning 6-4, 6-4, while Bertsch took the No. 5 spot win when her opponent retired after splitting two sets with Bertsch. The Bulldogs snatched wins in the No. 2 spot over Khromchenko and the No. 4 spot over Michele Lehat ’19.

The No. 6 match came down to third sets with Rachel Zubrinksy ’21 coming back with a 6-4 win in the second set after dropping the first 0-6. Unfortunately, Zubrinsky couldn’t carry her momentum into the third set, losing 1-6 to give the match victory over to Bryant.

The Brandeis women’s tennis team is back in action on Feb. 19 against CalTech, as part of the team’s annual trip to California during February break.

nents. The Judges never secured a lead against Carnegie Mellon, with Carnegie Mellon hitting eight of their first nine shots and taking off from there. The Judges lagged 45-24 at halftime. Brandeis tried to close the gap, however, at the beginning of the second half with a 11-2 run in the first four minutes. The Judges managed to come within 11 points of their opponent, but couldn’t hold on to their momentum. Carnegie Mellon defeated the Judges 58-72.

Collin Sawyer ’20 gave a strong performance for the Judges as the high scorer for Brandeis. Sawyer earned 14 points against Car-

Despite losing both UAA games this past weekend, Lawrence Sabir ‘21 (left) and Latye Workman ‘18 (right) gave impressive performances

negie Mellon with 11 of those points earned in the second half.

Workman secured his third double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds in the game. Jones contributed eight points, five assists, four rebounds and three blocks as Sabir almost matched Jones’ stats for the game, earning eight points and four rebounds as well.

The Brandeis men’s basketball team will head to another UAA match this Friday, Feb. 9 against Washington University at St. Louis (WashU). The Judges will take the court at home in Gosman Athletic Center at 8 p.m.

photo from brandeisjudges.com

6 The Brandeis Hoot

“To acquire wisdom, one must observe.”

Editors-in-Chief Hannah Schuster Emily Sorkin Smith Senior Managing Editor Allison Plotnik Senior Editor Sarah Jousset Copy Editor Emily Botto News Editor Celia Young Arts Editors Ben Beriss Rebecca Goldfarb Opinions Editor Katarina Weessies Features Editor Polina Potochevska Deputy Features Editor Sara McCrea Sports Editor Zach Cihlar Deputy Sports Editor Shea Decker-Jacoby Photo Editor Yarisa Diaz Layout Editor Candace Ng Editors-at-Large Katie Decker-Jacoby Abigail Gardener Ryan Spencer Elianna Spitzer Sarah Terrazano

Volume 15 • Issue 4 the brandeis hoot • brandeis university 415 south street • waltham, ma

STAFF

David Aizenberg, Juliana An, Robert Banks, Caleigh Bartash, José Castellanos, Anindita Chanda, Sabrina Chow, Kevin Costa, Daniel Freedman, Natalie Fritzson, Ariella Gentin, Noah Harper, Kevin Healey, Daniel Johnston, Daniel Kang, Jonah Koslofsky, Matthew Kowalyk, Samantha Lauring, Jerry Peng, Elana Rombro, Rachel Wang

MISSION As the weekly community student newspaper of Brandeis University, The Brandeis Hoot aims to provide our readers with a reliable, accurate and unbiased source of news and information. Produced entirely by students, The Hoot serves a readership of 6,000 with in-depth news, relevant commentary, sports and coverage of cultural events.

Recognizing that better journalism leads to better policy, The Brandeis Hoot is dedicated to the principles of investigative reporting and news analysis. Our mission is to give every community member a voice.

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EDITORIALS

February 9, 2018

Appreciate the workers who keep the campus running

After the heavy snow on Wednesday, we would like to thank the facilities workers who worked relentlessly to make the campus safer for us. Despite complaints from students of slow responses to snow buildup or ice, behind the scenes, facilities staff members work tirelessly to keep walkways passable during times that students may be asleep or inside waiting for the bad weather to pass. The Hoot Editorial Board encourages everyone to recognize their efforts and show their appreciation for the people who keep our school running.

Additionally, we would like to thank other Brandeis and Sodexo staff who commute to and from campus in bad weather to ensure students have access to dining and other services on campus, even when classes are canceled. Without these essential members of the Brandeis community, our campus would not effectively function.

We should appreciate facilities workers even on days without

snow. Students must be conscious of all members of the Brandeis community by cleaning up after ourselves, respecting common areas in residence halls and practicing patience, gratitude and kindness.

Areas like the library and common rooms do not appear spotless and clean every morning by themselves. When students leave wrappers or dirty plates in communal spaces like the tables in lower Usdan or in lounges of residence halls, it reads as a lack of respect for the large group of people who work hard everyday for the students’ benefit.

Just as professors arrive on campus each morning ready to teach, facilities staff arrive ready to keep us safe, fed and comfortable. We must exercise empathy and compassion for all members of our community, even by taking the time to say hello or thank you. Regardless of background or occupation, we all deserve to be treated with dignity and respect.

This is especially important in the wake of the sudden passing of Sodexo Food Service Manager Rick Gobbi, who always went the extra mile to connect with and help others. Beyond being an incredibly kind figure, he took the time to ensure students’ needs were met. As the community is navigating a difficult loss, we need to be especially careful of how we treat all workers and each other. Facilities and dining service staff work to keep the campus up and running even in trying times, and student appreciation is a small yet impactful way to spread positivity.

First-years and Student Union members have mentioned plans to organize a staff appreciation event to honor the hard work these underappreciated members of our community have contributed to the daily life of Brandeis students. We, The Brandeis Hoot Editorial Board, believe that having such an event would be an important step toward recognizing the dedication of the Brandeis staff.

February 9, 2018

’DEIS IMPACT

The Brandeis Hoot 7

Students share stories through powerful slam poetry

By Sara McCrea editor

“So, does anyone have anything else they’d like to share?”

A few moments of silence. A man wearing a zip-up sweatshirt over a neon orange t-shirt from the back of the room offers to perform. When he begins to speak, he immediately takes hold of the audience’s attention, pacing back and forth and gesturing as if he is grasping at the words as they roll off his tongue. His poem about racial identity, “I think,” possesses a rhythm that is beautiful and chilling at the same time.

After his performance, the man introduced himself as Professor Will “C.” Chalmus ’07, an adjunct theatre professor teaching a “Playback Theatre” course this semester. Chalmus has attended national poetry slam competitions.

Chalmus’ performance followed 11 student-performed poets at the ’DEIS Impact event “Slam Impact.” On the night of Friday, Feb. 2, approximately 45 students gathered in the Mandel Center for the Humanities Atrium for the event that provided students with a space to share their experiences through poetry and the spoken word. The theme of the event was “living social justice.” Eleven stu-

photo by sara mccrea/the hoot

dents performed before the mic was opened up to anyone with an experience they wanted to share.

The event attracted student poets who frequent perform in the Brandeis slam community and others who were performing for their first times. The poems covered a wide range of deeply personal content, including experiences with self-discovery and acceptance, eating disorders, police brutality and marginalization of minorities. Every piece was spoken with powerful sincerity, and after the event members of the crowd were heard earnestly praising the po-

ets. Instead of snaps, the ends of each performance were greeted with enthusiastic applause.

Coordinators of the event Lizy Dabanka ’20 and Sohaima Khilji ’20 gave a brief introduction, welcoming impromptu speakers at the open mic after the scheduled performances. After a detailed content warning, the first poet came up to the microphone. He went by “Bethlehem the Producer” and performed “Language,” a piece about his relationship with slang that is degrading to women. His was the only piece spoken over music.

Olivia Nichols ’20 performed

“Coming Out Soon,” which she said was partially based off of events that occurred at the end of last summer, though she had been working on the material of the poem for longer.

“It started out as the idea that often the narrative of coming out is portrayed as something very clean cut, that there’s a certain amount of buildup and then it’s let out all at once and everything is fine and dandy. But that’s not the reality for a lot of people,” Nichols said. “It’s about first coming to terms with the self within the self, and then sharing that self with others. It’s a complicated process.”

Nichols performs frequently at Brandeis poetry slams and said that slam poetry as an art form is very raw. “Vulnerability is a huge part of what people express through slam poetry. The sources of vulnerability are often social pressures and oppression, and that coincides with the mission of ’DEIS Impact, which is a week of learning and sharing and processing and hearing all of these different perspective about what social justice actually looks like.”

The last scheduled performance was Ben Greene ’21’s poem, “Some Questions from a Trans Boy.” Greene had written the poem when he was 16, and when he finished his powerful performance multiple audience members wiped away tears.

“My transition was really stressful for me,” Greene said about his inspiration. “I struggled a lot with trying to put myself in a box of being the perfect man, but I ended up feeling just as unhappy as I had been before. I realized that I needed to let myself be my own kind of man.”

Marci McPhee, a faculty member on ’DEIS Impact’s steering committee, attended the event. “It’s dynamite. Everything so far has been really provocative and so much to think about,” McPhee said.

And Still We Rise portrays impact of prison

By Juliana An staff

And Still We Rise Productions, a theater company for actors affected by the prison system, performed and told their stories at Brandeis on Feb. 2, as part of the 2018 ’DEIS Impact festival of social justice. Their performances explore the impact of prison on the incarcerated and their families. Specific stories from their performance at Brandeis touched on trauma from law enforcement, cruel nature of guards, arbitrary and inhumane rules and restrictions and effects of incarceration on loved ones and friends. The performers who told their stories and produced their performances were all formerly incarcerated.

Dev Luthra, the artistic director

of And Still We Rise Productions, directed the performance.

One of the actors told about the time when her son was taken away by law enforcement on the same day he was released.

Without allowing her time to reunite with her son or process the sudden change, law enforcement treated both her and her son with disrespect and “treated [them] as animals.” She mentioned that while the moment is passing, the emotional trauma and memories never fade away.

Another actor shared her stories of restoring broken family relationships as a result of her incarceration. She expressed the sorrow, grief and unspoken sadness that she felt and saw among her siblings.

After the performances, actors

began a discussion about how they found the courage to share their stories. For most of the actors, this collaborative project helped heal their trauma by providing a platform to share their experiences and to impact social justice.

“I’m allowing someone know what I’m going through, so I don’t feel closed in,” said one of the actors when asked why she joined the team.

Dev Luthra, artistic director since the founding of the company, believes that the real experiences of the actors and the authenticity of their voices help compel participants and audiences toward action.

“Pain shared is pain lessened,” said Luthra in an interview.

“You have people who are present and living the story of injus-

tice and telling the story. It helps make the issue a little more real.

It helps bring the human impact to the issues we are all debating and struggling with. It’s not an expert or activist. It’s the people who are actually living the story.

That’s the difference we bring.”

Tanashya Batra ’21, student coordinator for ’DEIS Impact, served as liaison for this event.

She discussed the importance of the performers’ stories, calling it a “humbling” experience. “I think this event was a deep reflection of the social constructions of poverty and prison incarceration.

This particular event for me was an indication of the immense privilege I have in terms of my education and socioeconomic status,” she said in an interview. “’DEIS Impact is just the begin-

ning and you can choose to take it anywhere from there. I think as Brandeis students we have the incredible opportunity to go attend these events with experts in the field and network, take social justice classes, or even create newer clubs at Brandeis,” said Batra.

Luthra commented on the impact of the theater company’s performances on campus. “It’s important to educate yourself on the issue. Make a proactive effort to search out people who are living the issue you are concerned about. You have to leave your campus to do something. A campus is a wonderful thing, but it’s like its own universe…its own world. It complements the bubble to go out into the world and to visit the people who are living the things you are concerned about.”

Panel debates efficacy of Teach For America

By Sara McCrea editor

In “Is ‘Teach For America’ for America?” the Brandeis Academic Debate and Speech Society sponsored a panel of Marya Levenson, Director of the Brandeis Education Department, and Josh Biber, the Executive Director of Teach For America in Massachusetts to discuss the effectiveness of the national nonprofit.

Teach For America selects graduates from top universities to teach a K-12 classroom for a minimum of two years in one of the 52 low-income communities the organization serves. The panel, mediated by B.A.D.A.S.S. Public Relations Coordinator Renee Korgood ’20, debated whether Teach For America trains the college graduates for a sufficient period before sending them into

classrooms, as well as the efficacy of standardized testing in measuring student growth and whether the two-year minimum is enough to make a significant change.

Both Levenson and Biber spoke passionately about their beliefs to the crowd in Schwartz Hall. After graduating Brown University, Biber taught a 5th grade class in Arizona through the nonprofit and said that he loved every second of his experience. He said that although 90 percent of Teach For America applicants have no interest in teaching, about 66 percent pursue careers in the field of education after completing their time in the program.

Levenson taught in the Boston Public School system and was involved in the founding of Madison Park High School, a magnet school created as a part of desegregation. In the discussion, she raised concerns about the meth-

teach for america panel

Panelists addressed questions about the national nonprofit.

ods of Teach For America, saying that the turnover period of two years is not long enough for teachers to apply what they learn in their first year of teaching. She also criticized the intent of some

graduates entering the program, saying that they may lack respect for the field of education and use the program as a stepping stone to get into graduate schools in more prestigious fields.

photo courtesy libby eisenberg

The panel debated in front of nearly 40 students and answered questions from the audience after the main discussion. ’DEIS Impact Events will continue through Sunday, Feb. 11.

8 ‘DEIS IMPACT

The Brandeis Hoot

Feburary 9, 2018

H2Woe event focuses on access to water at home and abroad

By Celia Young editor

’DEIS Impact presented “H2Woe: The Struggle for Clean Water,” a screening of the documentary film, “A World without Water,” on Wednesday Feb. 7, and held a question and answer session with two panelists, Donna J. Barry and Brian Concannon Jr. Esq. The discussions focused on the problems arising from the privatization of access to water and access to clean water in the third world.

Sponsored by the Foundation for International Medical Relief of Children, H2Woe focused on the privatization of the water in-

h2woe

dustry which, according to the panelists, tends to raise the price of water access. The panelists and the film also concentrated on private industries overuse of water in rural countries, such as Bolivia and Haiti, which results in less and lower quality water for the local populations.

Barry is the Executive Director of Global Oncology, a non-profit organization that aims to reduce disparities in access to cancer treatment. The majority of her previous work is centered in public health, and she holds a Master’s from Columbia University in International Affairs and Public Health.

Concannon is a human rights lawyer and Executive Director of

photos by celia young/the hoot

SASA president Vineet Vishwanath ’18 addresses audience.

By Emily Botto

the Institute of Justice and Democracy in Haiti, and has previously worked as a Human Rights Officer for the United Nations (UN). His work focuses specifically on Haiti, and has worked on cases such as the UN cholera case, where the United Nations admitted responsibility for an outbreak of cholera in Haiti.

The film, “A World without Water,” described the life of a family in Bolivia whose access to water was limited when water access was privatized. It goes on to focus on an Indian community in Jaipur whose water supplies are being drained, according to the film, by Coca-Cola, who mines the underground water supply beneath the community. The film also addresses water access in Detroit, MI, interviewing a family whose water access was shut off.

After the film and an intermission, Vineet Vishwanath ’18, the president of the South Asian Students Association introduced the two panelists. Vishwanath asked them both about the privatization of the water industry, the United State’s role in water access abroad, and how lack of access to water affects everyday life for families.

Barry and Concannon described the problems with water privatization, citing that privatized water tends to be more expensive at the same level of quality to the consumer. Concannon continued, “I would always approach any privatization… with great skepticism…And certainly privatization in places where people are relatively disempowered.

the struggle for clean water

Student coordinators introduce their topic.

With the current world structure I think it’s really hard to have that work fairly.”

They also described a lack of initiative on the United States to address a deficiency of water access in the UN, and finally described that a lack of water leads to lower education in families, especially women, who often are charged with fetching the water.

Barry described how a lack of clean water affects girls, saying,

“The other thing that I think is important to think about with the gender lense, it’s often girls… younger girls who are in charge of getting the water for the household…In some cases they don’t go to school because they’re charged with getting the water.”

The event concluded with Barry and Concannon giving advice to the attendees about how to get involved in the fight for clean water at Brandeis.

‘Sound and Fury’ screening sheds light on deaf culture

editor

After the screen faded to black and the lights were raised, the organizers of the Brandeis American Sign Language (ASL) Club’s ’DEIS Impact event lined up three panelists in a neat row at the front of the room. Three interpreters were placed strategically, two facing the panelists and one facing the audience. They wore black, the color most lighter-skinned interpreters are asked to wear to contrast with their skin tone and ensure maximum visibility for their audience.

The bangles circling the wrists of one the interpreters clanged as she signed, not quite in harmony with her movements.

The panelists had come to discuss the documentary film, “Sound and Fury,” which was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature in 2000.

The film focuses on the controversial topic of cochlear implants in the deaf community by documenting the experience of two brothers, one deaf and one hearing, and their families.

The Brandeis ASL Club hosted a screening of this documentary on Monday at 5 p.m. in The Heller School for Social Policy and Management.

A cochlear implant is a hearing device inserted into the inner ear, bypassing damaged areas and

stimulating the auditory nerve directly. “Sound and Fury” puts emphasis on the controversy of implanting cochlear implants in children. It also highlights the pressure both hearing and deaf parents experience when deciding on whether the implant is right for their child.

After the interpreters and panelists had positioned themselves, Prof. James Morris (HSSP, BIOL, ENVS, ED), the moderator for the night, introduced the panelists. The panel consisted of Dr. Courtney Dunne, the director of the EDCO Program for Deaf and Hard of Hearing, Bruce Bucci, director of Boston University’s Deaf Studies department and Larry Stephen, who is part of the ASL faculty at Northern Essex Community College. Stephen is also a former member of the Brandeis faculty. The panelists spoke about their views on the documentary and their experiences in the deaf community.

The first question Morris asked the panelists was an obvious one: “How do you feel about cochlear implants?”

“My heart broke,” said Bucci through an interpreter, lamenting over the ubiquity of Morris’ question. “The system has already started to oppress the deaf community by asking that as the first question.”

He said that the cochlear implant is nothing more than a tool that some people may choose to

utilize. It is not as important of a problem to be considering compared to topics such as “identity and language and the system.’”

Stephen introduced himself as a person of color and an immigrant from Trinidad and Tobago. He told the story of his parents’ visit to Gallaudet University, a school in Washington, D.C. with a large deaf student population. When they witnessed many deaf students graduating with advanced degrees, they decided to move the family to the U.S., where Stephen and his hearing family discovered the American deaf community.

Stephen said the connection to the deaf community, such as he had, and an awareness of deaf culture is what is most important for deaf or hearing parents in teaching their deaf children, regardless of the path they take.

Stephen’s parents, sitting in the second row, held up a phone to take pictures while he spoke.

Dunne agreed with Bucci and Stephen that the implant is a tool of sorts. Dunne said implants are most concerning when parents of deaf children think “the implant is a magic fix,” without knowing all the information necessary to make an educated decision about their child’s life.

The conversation fell into a definition of culture after Morris asked a second question: what the word “culture” means to people, hearing or deaf. Deaf culture, Bucci replied, is exactly like any

other culture.

Those who are involved in the deaf community are merely those who value and want to be involved in deaf culture. The only people, Bucci said, who are not part of the deaf community, are those who do not show respect or appreciation for it or those who oppress deaf people.

There were also questions regarding the efficiency of cochlear implants, the language of ASL and the relationships within mixed families.

The ASL club hosts a ’DEIS Impact movie screening each year to raise awareness and inform students and interested parties about the deaf community.

photo from amazon.com

The documentary film follows two families with their conflict over cochlear implants. sound and fury

February 9, 2018

‘DEIS IMPACT 9

The Brandeis Hoot

NuDay Syria founder Nadia Alawa discusses motherhood, activism KEYNOTE, from page 1

with a diverse and advantageous background who wants to make a difference and who is constantly evolving.”

As she became more involved in the humanitarian crisis unfolding in Syria, Alawa realized her efforts might have been more self-serving. Alawa drew a distinction between “activism for the self and activism for humanity,” but explained the two are not mutually exclusive. She decided to focus on where she could make the biggest difference, even if that meant looking beyond established NGOs. Alawa began on a small scale and eventually established NuDay as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization based out of New Hampshire. NuDay’s mission, Alawa said, is the “empowerment and dignity of the Syrian people,” with a specific focus on mothers and children in need. As a mother herself, she felt the bond of motherhood extend from her home in the United States to Syria.

Alawa’s view of feminism and motherhood connects to her activism. She grew up during the 1970’s wave of feminism, saying, “back then, feminism meant there was one way of being an ‘empowered woman’” and being a mother did not fit the mold.

Intersectional feminism, she argued, “understands women

as independent actors from all spaces and backgrounds...allied together for positive change.”

Alawa wanted to bring her understanding of motherhood, feminism and individual empowerment to NuDay Syria.

The organization looks at each person it reaches as someone with strength and dignity, people whose circumstances are far from the norm in the United States but are not different in their humanity, said Alawa.

“It took years for me to become the humanitarian activist I am today,” Alawa told the audience. She “considers dignity before pride and consciously makes the assumption that others are capable and powerful human beings despite their current humanitarian disaster, family loss, or personal despair.”

To combat the crises mothers and children face in Syria, NuDay delivers crates of supplies to camps in Syria or Turkey. Where exactly these crates go and what supplies they contain is largely up to their Syrian partners to decide.

“I felt a calling to be part of the story as it was unfolding,” Alawa said, “but I also knew that I was an outsider and as such had to take their collective lead on where my role would best be.”

Alawa described NuDay’s success as the product of the combined effort of Syrians and Americans.

NuDay vets its contacts in Syria

nadia alawa

NuDay Syria founder Nadia Alawa delivers keynote speech.

multiple times and takes claims of sexual harassment or misconduct of any kind very seriously.

It keeps lines of communication open between Syrian partners and American volunteers.

During the fall semester, Brandeis students traveled to New Hampshire to volunteer with NuDay Syria as part of the

Waltham Group’s Mini Day of Service, helping to pack crates to send off. When the crates arrive, volunteers take pictures to post on Facebook, ensuring donations are reaching those in need.

After her speech, event organizers opened the floor to questions. One attendee asked Alawa how to become involved in ac-

photo by matthew kowalyk/the hoot

tivism or volunteer work when it seems humanitarian crises are too overwhelming to be helped by just one person’s actions.

It is the small things, Alawa argued, that make a difference in the world.

“Do what you can, not what you can’t,” Alawa said.

Activist Amal Kassir performs slam-poetry about Syria, Islam and family

By Emily Sorkin Smith editor

Amal Kassir a Syrian-American slam-poet and activist, spoke to a crowd of students gathered in the SCC theater to hear her speak about Islamophobia on campus.

“I’ve seen enough of the world to know that were all really not so different,” the Denver said. Kassir performed during ‘DEIS Impact, an annual festival of social justice.

Kassir’s TedX talk “The Muslim on the Airplane” has over two million views. After seeing her TedX performance, Sohaima Khilji ’20 knew she needed to find a way to bring the poet to campus. Khilji, the vice-president of Brandeis’ Muslim Students Association (MSA) initially applied for event funding through the Allocations Board, but was told the cost was too high. She and a friend, Lizy Dabanka ’20, Rosenthal Quad Senator and chair of the Senate’s Social Justice and Diversity Committee, quickly began thinking of other ways to bring Kassir to Brandeis. The best course of action, they decided, was to plan a ’DEIS Impact event centered around Kassir.

“My body is made of two types of blood, German and Syrian,” Kassir said, describing her childhood as the daughter of a Syrian immigrant father and a mother from rural Iowa. “Rhine river and nahar al-Furat... My world was the most colorful spice rack,” she said, speaking of two rivers, the Nile and the Euphrates.

Her family’s ties to Syria go back generations and create a deep connection to the land

rhine river and nahar al-furat

photo by matthew kowalyk/the hoot

Kassir performs poetry at a ‘DEIS Impact event about islamaphobia on college campuses..

they live on. After 9/11, her father worried Kassir and her siblings would learn their muslim, arab identity from people who opposed it. He decided to send the children to Syria, what Kassir likened to study abroad.

Kassir spoke of the complex relationship her grandmother has with Syria, “My grandmother,” Kassir said “always had dinner on the table, even when the ty-

rant put a checkpoint outside her door, her defiance made mealtime a battle her families would always win. As long as she could keep chopping, she could get that tabbouleh to the table fresh.”

She spoke of her family and their farm in Syria, how her grandmother “spoke the language of the land that fed her.”

The farmers, she said, “built Syria with a prayer, with a meal,

blistered hands and enough food to feed the neighbors.”

Kassir’s performance was intimate and warm- when audience members seemed too nervous to ask her questions, Kassir began telling jokes. She used humor to show the humanity in difficult subjects, like the often-tense relationship between American law-enforcement and the Muslim community. Her father was once

taken out to dinner by the FBI, she said, and she, like many other muslims and members of ethnic minorities, is frequently the subject of “random” TSA searches.

FBI monitoring of American mosques seems so common that worshippers are often greeted by “Assalam Alaikum, brothers, sister, FBI informants,” Kassir joked.

As she spoke of Islamophobia, Kassir explained “We tend to fear things that are hidden behind vocabulary words, and Islamophobia is a vocabulary word…Do not be so foolish as to use vocabulary words to define your world. It is the people who make up these vocabulary words.”

Islamophobia, she said, is not truly a phobia but is misunderstanding or simply hatred. Students like Dabanka and Khilji work to combat the misunderstanding in the Brandeis community.

Dabanka pushes for “exposure therapy,” creating space for people to listen to views different from their own. Kassir, Dabanka said, might be “controversial,” as she is openly pro-Palestine and is “not here to cater to anyone else.” Dabanka hoped students would come to the performance even if just to listen to someone they disagree with.

Rarely do muslim students see themselves represented, Dabanka told The Hoot, so performances from hijabi women like Kassir are important statements of support to members of the muslim community on campus.

Kassir’s performance was held in collaboration with the Brandeis MSA, the Senate Social Justice and Diversity committee, and the Department of Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies (WGS).

10 ‘DEIS IMPACT

The Brandeis Hoot

Feburary 9, 2018

Citizen science and social justice merge to engage the public

By Sabrina Chow staff

Students and faculty convened in the International Lounge on Tuesday, Feb. 6, where Dr. Mark Chandler, the International Director of Research at the Earthwatch Institute, discussed the power of citizen science (cit sci) and its overarching benefits.

Hannah Stewart ’18 organized the event. She “wanted to learn more about citizen science and what ways it can be used in our world, not just science,” she said.

“I wanted to introduce Brandeis to the intersection between cit sci and social justice.” As an Environmental Studies and Health, Science, Society, and Politics (HSSP) major, cit sci was the best of both worlds, allowing her to collect data and use it in a larger setting beyond herself.

“Cit sci is meant to engage the public, and scientists, who are interested in scientific research, data collection or finding your research question, analyzing data…It is very community based” said Chandler.

The main concept of citizen science is split into two different subgroups: science for citizens and citizens for science. “Science for citizens” relies heavily on the belief that all people, regardless of education level or socioeconomic status, have the ability to push science forward.

On the other hand, citizens for science focuses on crowdsourcing and using citizens to collect data for scientific purposes.

Inclusion is a key characteristic of citizen science: the ability for anyone to participate, and for everyone to benefit in turn.

The more science-involved portion of citizen science, in regards to sustainability, is the three E’s: environment, economy and equity. “Environment” promotes

‘deis does cit sci Participants listen to Dr. Chandler’s presentation on itizen science and social justice.

the flourishment of all ecosystems. “Economy” promotes strong economic benefits from increased sustainability. “Equity” is the social justice portion, in which everyone has equal access to clean air and healthy living.

There are several main topics that Chandler discussed that related to citizen science and its contribution to society. The first is demographic changes. By expanding the outreach of citizen science programs, scientists will be able to collect data from all corners of the globe and work together to unify our world.

The next is economic inequality. The population most affect-

ed by climate change is low-income residents in cities. One of the biggest correlations between health and pollution is the high percentage of people who have asthma because of poor air quality where they reside.

“More trees create better air, but the access to this air is not equal. Planting thousands of trees for cooling benefits is not just beneficial for the planet, it has also been known to be a de-stressor and create more positive environments from a social perspective,” said Chandler.

He discussed how he hopes the population participating in citizen science will become more

diverse. As it stands, the majority of participants within the citizen science studies are white men and women. Even though different ethnicities were more “interested in the environment over public health,” there still was a very low participation rate, said Chandler during his speech.

One of the audience members, Danielle Davidoff ’19, was already knowledgeable about citizen science, but was able to learn more.

“I was excited to learn that cit sci can also help people in poor air quality areas know whether they can go outside one day. We need different kinds of people involved in cit sci platforms so

photo by sabrina chow/the hoot

that it can reflect all these various goals and so that we can ensure everyone, regardless of minority status, has access to clean air and water,” said Davidoff.

To get more involved with citizen science, Chandler and Stewart urge everyone to join the iNaturalist City Nature Challenge, which allows citizens all over the country, and the world, collect and share photo observations of their surrounding environment and document the beauty of nature.

All of these observations together help to create a diverse social network that helps scientists to gain valuable data and teaches citizens about biodiversity and nature.

Junior Achievement helps students gain financial literacy

By Polina Potochevska editor

The ’DEIS Impact event “Owning Your Economic Success,” started with a few technical difficulties. They did not throw off the presenters, however, who eloquently addressed the small audience about their mission.

The event was held on Wednesday, Feb. 7 at 12 p.m. in the SCC. Junior Achievement of Northern New England (JA) CEO and President, Radhames Nova, attended the event and spoke of his experiences moving to the United States from the Dominican Republic at the age of 13. Just based on the numbers, he said, there was a 50 percent chance that he would have dropped out of high school. Youth organizations like the Boys and Girls Club in his town of Lawrence, MA helped him stay on track. He went on to complete high school and obtain a Master’s degree from Boston University’s School Of Management. “I had adults who were invested in my success, which

I’m sure is what happens here on campus with your professors and administrators,” Nova said.

Nova explained that he was telling this story to the small group of students and faculty in the audience because of his connection to social justice.

“I have a direct connection having experienced the impact that youth organizations can have on shaping a young person’s life … I think the theme of social justice, and the impact that organizations have on our communities that are not always evident when you are serving those young people [is important] … my story could have been very different,” said Nova of his success in youth organizations that led to him obtaining higher education.

JA is a global non-profit organization that was founded in Springfield, Mass. 99 years ago and has served 10 million students grades K-12 across the globe in 120 countries, with five million students served in the US alone.

According to Nova, JA programs fill the gap of life skills that students are not learning

about at school or at home, such as the basics of financial management and entrepreneurship.

Director of Programs for JA of Northern New England, Deirdre O’Connor Mitchell, gave a presentation about JA and their many ways of participating with students to teach them financial literacy skills to “succeed in a global economy,” according to the presentation.

She included statistics about the need for a program like JA, including the fact that 36 percent of Americans say they felt at one point their financial situation was out of control, and that 91 percent of millenials wish they had greater access to entrepreneurial education programs.

Jake Rong ’21 participated in the JA Summer Institute at Northeastern University the summer after his junior year of high school and was inspired by the various workshops and guest speakers to bring a similar event to campus.

“It gave us the real world glimpse as to what it’s like to get a job and start a career after [high school] graduation,” said Rong. When he

was applying to Brandeis, he visited campus during ’DEIS Impact and says that the event connected these two experiences for him.

While JA does not provide college-level programs, they do offer internships and volunteer opportunities for college students to get involved with their financial literacy programs. O’Connor, Mitchell and Nova expressed their hope for greater volunteer recruitment from college students, as all volunteers are thoroughly trained and can greatly impact young students as well as gain networking opportunities and experience in the economic and teaching field.

“We are tailoring JA’s mission of providing students with economic and financial literacy programs to the social justice theme of the festival, and showing how JA, because all of their programs are free of charge, allows students regardless of their income or ethnicity or race or educational background to be able to learn these skills that they might not otherwise be able to obtain,” Rong said.

“It seemed like a topic that hadn’t been tried before in the festival.”

“I thought it was a really great event with knowledgeable presenters, I never had these opportunities [to learn about] financial literacy and I’m glad to learn about it now,” said Will Hodgkinson ’21.

Ingrid Pabon, Programs Coordinator for Office of the Arts, said after the event, “I think a lot of the spirit of this work is to bring empowerment to students and to bring them out into communities to empower people to bring a more equitable future for all ... people need to jump onto this and learn more about this and I would’ve loved to see more people in this session.”

In terms of future ’DEIS Impact events that Rong would like to be involved in, he said that the goal is not to continue inviting just JA back to campus, but rather to create “lasting impact with the people who attend the event and have them be able to spread this message further.”

“We want people to be able to better reflect on themselves and understand the reality of financial literacy education in this country,” said Rong.

February 9, 2018

OPINIONS

The Brandeis Hoot 11

Support farm workers by boycotting Wendy’s

By Katarina Weessies editor

The Fair Food Program was born in 2005 when the Coalition of Immokalee Workers, a group of activist farm workers that originated in Florida, staged a boycott of Taco Bell. The coalition was protesting inhumane conditions on the American farms from which Taco Bell sourced its produce. At these farms, workers were subjected to dangerous working conditions, sexual violence and enslavement. The boycott worked, and Taco Bell signed the Fair Food Agreement, which ensured that any produce served at Taco Bell came from farms with humane conditions and decent wages.

Today, all major fast food companies have signed on the the Fair Food Program, including Chipotle, McDonalds and Burger King.

Brandeis’ supplier, Sodexo, is a participant in the program. The one hold-out from this near-universal participation in the Fair Food Program is Wendy’s. Wendy’s, in reaction to the Fair Food Program, moved their produce farming to Mexico, where workers do not have the same protections as the American farms governed by the program.

The harm that Wendy’s produce-farming procedures do to

workers is apparent. Farm workers without workplace protections are at a continuous risk of enslavement by their employers or injury in their workplace. The risks for female workers are particularly high. According to the Community Alliance for Global Justice, 21 percent of farm workers in the US are women. For these women, sexual harassment and violence are rampant and unchecked. Out of all women farm workers, 90 percent see sexual harassment in their workplace as a “major problem,” and 70 percent said that sexual violence is a “major problem for them.” Female farm workers who are subjected to harassment and violence almost never report their experiences or come forward due to shame, language barriers or a “lack of information about resources available to them.”

While the Fair Food Program cannot completely eliminate this issue, it is a large step in the right direction. The Presidential Medal-Winning program monitors farms and contacts workers to ensure that working conditions are humane. The program empowers workers to speak out and protest if they are subjected to sexual violence or other inhumane workplace conditions.

This empowerment is apparent in the Coalition of Immokalee Workers, a group that existed be-

fore the first Fair Food Agreement in 2005, but has since grown to influence every major fast food producer in the country. This group is now turning their attention to Wendy’s in an effort to expand their empowerment to the farm workers currently being exploited

by Wendy’s’ produce farms.

On March 11 to March 15, farm workers will descend on the New York City office of Trian Partners, a Wendy’s board-member company, to engage in a four-day protest fast. The protest is inspired by the #MeToo and #TimesUp movements with a particular focus on violence against women in the fields.

If the protest fast convinces Wendy’s to join the Fair Food Program, the effect on farm workers will be quick and obvious. Wendy’s will have to withdraw from exploitative overseas farms and source their produce from farms that abide by humane standards. Since Wendy’s would be the last major fast food company to join the program, exploitative farms both in the US and overseas would have no massive American companies to buy their produce. This change would increase the status and employment capability to humane farms and improve the conditions for all farm workers.

For those of us who can’t help out directly with the protest

fast, there are plenty of ways to help the Coalition of Immokalee Workers achieve their goal. The coalition is calling on consumers to boycott Wendy’s. Additionally, anyone can donate to the workers via boycott-wendys.org.

The Fair Food Program empowers farm workers to demand fair wages and conditions and to

activists at an anti-wendy’s protest

speak out against sexual violence.

The story’s empowerment of currently-exploited female farm workers is an important facet of the #MeToo movement. As consumers, it is easy for us to help these farm workers access their power and achieve their goals by donating to their cause and boycotting Wendy’s.

photo from flickr.com

Student activists can save Palestinian village of Susya

By Sivan Ben-Hayun j street u

This past summer, I had the opportunity to visit the Palestinian village of Susya with a group of American students on a trip led

by J Street U. Upon arrival to the village, we gathered in a tent with the words “Susya4Ever” and “No Demolition” spray painted on the outside. There, we met with the spokesperson for the community, Nasser Nawaj’ah. Nawaj’ah told us about his life in Susya and spoke about the fear and lack of security that comes with living under the constant threat of demolition. Located in Area C of the West Bank and under Israeli military control, the village of 350 residents has repeatedly confronted the demolition orders for the past 30 years.

On our way to Susya, my group visited the village’s neighboring Israeli outpost—an outgrowth of settler housing and buildings next to a settlement. An outpost indicates a settlement’s plans to expand beyond its borders, which is illegal under both international law and Israeli law. The residents of Palestinian Susya are also accused of illegal building; however, it is impossible for them to receive permits to build legally on their own land (their most recent permit application was rejected in 2013). While Palestinian structures are destroyed, those built by settlers are legitimized.

J Street U began working in partnership with the Palestinian village of Susya in the summer of 2016, supporting the village in its fight against demolitions. The people of Susya, J Street U, a large faction of the American Jewish community, several other allied organizations and the Obama administration have put pressure on the Israeli government to delay its

demolition. Organized vocal opposition kept up that pressure for a whole year, and this outcry, in part, is why Susya is still standing.

The time has come again to organize for Susya. On Feb. 1, 2018, the Israeli Supreme Court ruled in favor of approving immediate demolition orders for seven structures in the village. These seven structures make up the homes of over 40 people, half of whom are children.

Extremists on the Israeli right want to demolish Susya so they can expand settlements and permanently entrench the Israeli presence in the West Bank. This is the implicit agenda of the farright, pro-settler group, Regavim, which has been advocating for the demolition of Susya for years. The recurring demolitions of Palestinian communities in the West Bank are part of a process known as “creeping annexation.”

By removing and relocating Palestinian communities from their homes, Israeli settlements are given room to expand, securing a one-state nightmare in which Israel would rule indefinitely over West Bank Palestinians.

These demolitions are a systematic phenomenon, affecting numerous Palestinian villages at once. Susya is one example. The J Street U Brandeis partner community of Abu Nuwar, also situated in Area C of the West Bank, is another. According to B’Tselem, an Israeli human rights organization, Israeli authorities demolished two school buildings, used by third and fourth graders, on Feb. 4, 2018.

These demolitions hurt everyone. Israeli security experts have repeatedly spoken out about the dangers of creeping annexation and prolonged occupation for both Palestinians and Israelis alike. Jewish communal leaders,

students and prominent US Senators, such as Dianne Feinstein, Bernie Sanders, and Elizabeth Warren, have also voiced their concerns about how demolitions and creeping annexation pose a threat to Israel’s existence as a Jewish and democratic state. But considering the current rapport between the Trump and Netanyahu camps, we can’t expect our administration to stand against demolitions. The responsibility to

israeli caravans in susya

fight for Susya falls on members of Congress, the American Jewish community and student activists like us.

Here at Brandeis, we feel immense gratitude for the students and university institutions that have supported us in advocating for Susya, Abu Nuwar, and other Palestinian villages under threat.

We have put on a public Havdallah Against Demolition, facilitated a social media photo campaign

and hosted Nasser Nawaj’ah, Susya’s village spokesperson, to speak about his experience to the wider Brandeis community. We hope that one day, Nasser will tell us stories of permanence, instead of destruction. In the meantime, we, as pro-Israel, pro-Palestine, anti-Occupation students, believe that we must do everything within our power to halt this pattern of injustice before it’s too late.

photo from flickr.com

12 OPINION

The Brandeis Hoot

February 9, 2018

It’s time to let Bonds and Clemens into the Baseball Hall of Fame

By Joseph Silber columnist

Last week, the National Baseball Hall of Fame revealed 2018 voting results. Four players will be inducted into the Hall of Fame this year, each of them reaching 75% of the vote, which is the threshold needed to get in: former Atlanta Braves third baseman Chipper Jones (97.2%), Anaheim Angels slugger Vladimir Guerrero (92.9%), first baseman Jim Thome (89.8%), who spent most of his career with the Cleveland Indians, and San Diego Padres closer Trevor Hoffman (79.9%).

For the sixth consecutive year, two of the greatest players in MLB history, Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens, fell well short of the 75% marker (56.4% and 57.3%, respectively), due in large part to their suspected use of performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs).

The MLB dodged the issue of PED use for years. Though ste-

roids became a banned substance in 1991, drug testing for players didn’t begin until 2003, raising many questions about why the MLB turned a blind eye to cheating in its sport for so long.

Buster Olney, a longtime ESPN baseball writer and one of the 422 voters for the Hall of Fame, has voted for both Bonds and Clemens for the last six years. Olney wrote on his blog, “any drug use came in the context of a time when the institution of baseball effectively condoned the use of PEDs with inaction.”

By the mid-late 2000s, when Bonds and Clemens were at the tail end of their careers, the MLB finally began taking the issue of PED use seriously.

In 2006, MLB Commissioner Bud Selig asked former Senator George Mitchell to launch an investigation into the use of steroids in baseball.

In December 2007, after both Bonds and Clemens had retired, the 409-page Mitchell Report was

released to the public. Mitchell had listed 89 players in the report, including Bonds and Clemens, who had both been long suspected of steroid use.

What the Mitchell Report, as well as subsequent investigations into clinics providing steroids illegally, revealed was the degree to which steroids had infested the game of baseball.

The Steroid Era, which references the 1990s and early 2000s, cannot be erased from MLB history.

It was an exciting time for the average baseball fan, and produced dozens of superstar athletes, such as Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens, that became role models for many.

Bonds, who spent most of his career with the San Francisco Giants, broke Hank Aaron’s home run record in 2007, retiring after the season with 762 long balls, a record that still stands to this day.

Not only did Bonds hit for power, but he was also consistent at the

plate, finishing his career with an impressive .298 batting average.

He is also in third place on the alltime list in both RBIs (1,996) and runs scored (2,227).

Roger Clemens, meanwhile, was a stellar pitcher, spending most of his playing days with both the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees. Clemens’ 354 wins are ninth on the all-time list, his 4,672 strikeouts are the third best in league history and his durability is impressive as well, coming in at seventh all-time in games started (707).

Bonds and Clemens, had it not been for their suspected steroid use, would have probably received between 95% and 100% of the vote on their first year on the Hall of Fame ballot, given their legendary status.

Even outside of the legends and hall of famers, hundreds of former players have admitted to using PEDs. Some of them, including Andy Pettitte and Jose Canseco, were exciting to watch, and would

have likely been Hall of Famers had they played the game clean.

Others were below average players who wouldn’t have made the Hall of Fame either way. But none of them were at the same level as Bonds and Clemens, who were viewed as the two greatest players during the Steroid Era. The MLB can continue down the path of denying those suspected of PED use entry into the Hall of Fame. But to do so would be attempting to erase a decades-long, MLB-condoned era in league history, which isn’t realistic.

As Barry Svrluga so eloquently pointed out in the Washington Post, “a Hall of Fame without either of those two (Bonds and Clemens) is a Hall of Fame that doesn’t tell the full story of the game. The Steroid Era, that’s part of it. Maybe that’s too bad. But it’s the truth. Why shouldn’t Cooperstown include all of it?”

Bonds and Clemens’ inductions into the Hall of Fame are long overdue.

The truth behind human embryonic stem cell research

By Sabrina Chow staff

As someone extremely passionate about science, it frustrates me to see scientific research halted by people who are not completely informed about a topic. Before going straight to judgment, learn the history and all the facts and make an informed decision, not an uninformed decision. Stem cell research has been around since the late 20th century, but has seen a lot of backlash since its creation.

The backlash that comes from individuals, however, seem to come from the same misconceptions that are fundamentally wrong in nature.

In the late 1500s, Robert Hooke first discovered the cell. As history continued, more and more parts of eukaryotic cells were discovered. Most cells have specific functions. For example, a skin cell or blood cell, which form all of our tissues and enable our body

to work.

Stem cells are essentially “unassigned” cells. They can change their character to help heal all cuts and rebuild any degenerate tissue that may have been affected within the body. There are three main types of stem cells: somatic, embryonic, hematopoietic and induced-pluripotent. Most of these stem cells are not particularly controversial. Somatic stem cells are the “adult” stem cells, stored in our bodies to help fix injuries.

Embryonic stem cells come from human embryos, as distinguished by their names. Hematopoietic stem cells are found specifically in the blood of the umbilical cord and placenta of newborn babies.

Hematopoietic stem cells are the same cells found in the bone marrow. The final type of stem cell, induced-pluripotent, is the only type of stem cell that is not made naturally. It is essentially an adult stem cell that was genetically reprogrammed into an embryonic form.

When doctors use stem cells to treat a disease, they use the somatic stem cells that occur naturally in our bodies. These cells, however, are limited in that they are individual to each person and body system. On the other hand, human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) can be manipulated into pretty much anything. In other words, modern science has access to cells that are able to be created into whatever we need. We should utilize these programmable cells instead of somatic stem cells with limited functionalities.

One of the largest debates over hESCs is the origin of the stem cells and the ethics surrounding it. This controversy is one of the biggest misconceptions with hESCs. Many pro-life politicians and their supporters are against hESCs because they believe that the stem cells are obtained from the embryos of babies who have been aborted. This belief is not true. All hESCs that are donated come from four to five day old

blastocysts, or younger embryos, according to the National Institutes of Health. A large majority of people against stem cell research have strong religious beliefs. Since hESCs are able to be manipulated into pretty much any type of cell, they have given scientists the freedom to ‘play God’ in the eyes of some religious groups.

In addition to this concern, as medicine continues to advance, we as a society are inching closer and closer to the reality of science fiction, where parents are able to create the perfect “designer child,” leading to neo-eugenics and a new subset of the human population.

The procedure of IVF involves the implantation of a fertilized egg in the uterus. The procedure is often used by people who cannot conceive naturally and can be extremely expensive, reaching almost $20,000 for just one round of treatment. Even with the expense and precision of this procedure, it is only around 40 percent

effective. This 40 percent success rate is not stagnant across treatments but rather the effectiveness becomes lower with each fertilization, as well as with the natural progression of aging.

Many mothers who could not conceive through IVF choose to donate their embryos to further the research. Hospitals and research institutions do not just take the cells whenever they want from parents still grieving over lost children. The process of volunteering allows them a unique opportunity to cope. Oftentimes, mothers who chose to donate cells are doing so as an opportunity to put the life of their unborn child to a better cause and help contribute to the future of medicine.

Common misconceptions about stem cell research should not get in the way of scientific and medical progress and should not impede the ability of IVF participants to cope with ineffective procedures in the way that they choose.

Tests are an ineffective measure of intelligence

By Alex Kougasian special to the hoot

Since transitioning to college, I have had time to reflect on my high school experience from a new perspective. My course plan was practically plotted out for me from the beginning of the year.

The struggle to build a resume was a constantly looming task. Most of these problems have seemingly evaporated since I have come to college. The main complaint I hold from high school, however, remains the weight placed on tests.

There are situations in which tests are appropriate ways to determine students’ level of mastery. A foreign language teacher

can use tests as a valuable tool to gauge the offhand knowledge students have about the language.

This type of knowledge has a particular importance in learning a foreign language as one’s ability to speak in a language is limited by the extent of one’s ingrained memory of the specific vocabulary and grammatical concepts.

In almost all other subjects, however, memory is not a top priority.

With the advent of the internet, a fact can be looked up with a quick Google search and, with a few more seconds, can be cross-referenced with two other sources. While many teachers claim their tests judge pure analysis, in the end memorization becomes a large part of students’

preparation for exams. In high school, and even college, there were times when I would cram an entire semester’s worth of information to pass an exam, and forget it after finishing the test. In an abstract way, knowledge becomes a phase rather than something learned.

Instead of testing a student’s ability to memorize a given amount of information, why not stress projects or writing assignments to critically assess a student’s knowledge and ability to use given information. These types of assessments better reflect how work is done in the real world. If a student finds a gap in their understanding, they can remedy it with a quick search and then incorporated it into the proj-

ect.

Instead of managing time on the small scale by rushing to finish a test on time, the student is learning large scale time management skills by figuring out how to meet deadlines. Most professions do not require test taking skills, but do need strong time management skills in order to reach important deadlines. Using projects and essays is not only a benefit for the class, but for future career success.

Would a student actually learn the material more effectively through a project rather than through a test? In terms of the scale of the material, a student focusing specifically on a small portion of a subject matter may only show mastery of a small portion

of the material. This should not be seen as a negative.

As it stands, the student with a head dense with knowledge the day before a test has an empty mind by the end of the month.

Long-term assignments allow the student some creativity when expressing her understanding. The information that a student focuses on will be more likely to stick with her if she develops a close relationship with the subject in this way.

We don’t need to get rid of tests, we need to change our priorities.

If we favor long-term assignments over tests, we can bring new life to the way a student learns. Knowledge will be something sought after rather than something begrudgingly digested.

ARTS

February 9, 2018

The Brandeis Hoot 13

‘Circle UP!’ speaks up about education inequality

By Ben Beriss editor

As part of ’Deis Impact, the Creativity, the Arts, and Social Transformation Program (CAST) brought youth Boston theater group “Youth Underground” to Brandeis on Monday, Feb. 5, to perform “Circle UP!,” a show about inequality in the American school system.

An underappreciated part of ’Deis Impact, “Circle UP!” follows nine members of an improv group as they perform single-scene skits about teachers’ and students’ experiences dealing with diversity in school. The play, created by Betsy Bard, is drawn directly from interviews about the achievement gap conducted in urban high schools. As such, it offers impressive insight into the forces behind the achievement gap.

This gap, the disparity in test scores between generally higher scoring white and Asian-American students and generally lower scoring black and Hispanic students, is the focus of the show, a fact it points out by featuring a reporter character who occasionally monologues about the details of the problem. This disparity is an impressively large problem, having survived the millions of dollars and work-hours thrown at it, and as a result there are a million

By Rebecca Goldfarb

towards the teacher for singling him out, showed how even the best intentions can lead to problems.

The performers, led by director Vincent Ernest Siders, portrayed these scenarios with impressive skill. Each character was shown with a realism which (mostly) prevented the show from feeling like a cheesy diversity handout with profiles of people that start “My name is __ and my problem with my school is...” The performances were also impressive in the way they created scenes sans any set pieces. Through simple blocking and basic pantomime the actors managed to communicate setting clearly without straying into excessive mime-ery or causing confusion. Stand-out performances came from Trinidad Ramkissoon who portrayed a student struggling to be accepted for her gender identity with a touching authenticity, and Zay Pearson who was excellent at both humorously roasting his classmates and angrily voicing his resentments.

The narrative style of the show did, however, make the show seem stilted and on-the-nose at times. This was compounded by the fact the skits were only broken up by the reporter’s grim monologuing and improv games likely unrecognizable to those without theater experience. As a result, many of the more similar skits

photo from cctvcambridge.com

circle up! 2017

The play explores the issues surrounding the achievement gap.

bled together and became a tad tedious.

Despite these imperfections, “Circle UP!” serves a testament to the power of theater to introduce and start conversations about our society, as well as the power of youth to create impressive theater. The concepts introduced by the show, such as the gap between teachers and their students of color, permeate and define the achievement gap. Seeing them made real on stage helps us understand them and hopefully start a dialogue on how to solve them.

The beginnings of this conversation actually came about directly after the show in a talkback conducted with the full creative team

behind the show, where the audience and artists came together to discuss the creative process, and hopeful solutions to alleviate some of the issues.

The group which created the show, Youth Underground, is a program at Central Square Theater which brings together young actors to investigate and create art around social issues relevant to them.

“CircleUP!” is created by the Youth Underground Ambassadors, a group of actors between 19-25, and is an example of the powerful theater which can be created by letting young adults perform work about issues relevant to them.

VoiceMale competes at ICCAs

editor

This past Saturday, over 10 acapella groups from Massachusetts schools competed for a cappella glory at the quarterfinals of the International Collegiate Championship of Acapella at Berklee School of Music. The name of this competition might sound familiar, from movies such as “Pitch Perfect.” The ICCAs attract hundreds of competitive college a capella groups annually, and this year, featured a performance from the Brandeis men’s a cappella group, VoiceMale.

Groups that perform are scored based on their vocal and visual performance, and the groups who place first and second in the competition move on to the semifinals. While VoiceMale did not

we made it

theories about its cause. But with its experience-focused approach “Circle UP!” largely skirts these theories in order to directly introduce its audience to the concrete details.

This more personal approach was reinforced by the structure of the skits; each was led by an actor narrating, using interviewees’ descriptions of their experiences to set the scene, under the premise the actors are part of an improv class performing the scenes as part of their exercises.

As the show goes on, you are exposed to more perspectives giving you a clearer view of the competing forces at play in our schools. A series of scenes about the gulf between advanced and basic classes ­­­­­introduced the concept that expectations of success, and failure, can become self-fulfilling prophecies. Another scene, with a student who had to spend most her day helping her family, introduced the concept some students may not have as much time to spend on schoolwork than others.

Similarly, the juxtaposition of these skits helped make clear the difficulty of reconciling these perspectives. One pair of skits, one from a teacher’s perspective about how she singled out minority students in her advanced class for help and one from the student’s perspective about his resentment

advance to the next round, their performance on Saturday night was still a proud accomplishment for members of the group.

The group opened their up their set with “What Do You Want From Me” by Adam Lambert, featuring a solo from the music director of the group, Abram Foster ’19. They followed with, “Dear Prudence” by the Beatles, soloed

by Marek Haar ’20, which transitioned into “Death Of A Bachelor” by Panic! At The Disco, soloed by VoiceMale president, Ben Astrachan ’19.

There are a variety of ways the group selects their songs to perform, where members propose songs and the others vote. Afterwards, singers audition for parts, and, as a group, they decide who sounded best on each of the solos. VoiceMale made their song

choices for the ICCAs after an extended period of deliberation.

Foster proposed “What Do You Want From Me,” another member in the proposed “Dear Prudence” and an alum suggested “Death of a Bachelor.”

The group been rehearsing rigorously. They structured much of their rehearsal process around the two new members they took this semester. “We had a very intensive two week ‘hell week’ process, where for the first week, we had a choreography rehearsal, and then two music rehearsals of the ICCA set,” Foster recalled. The second ‘hell week’ consisted of fine tuning everything, making sure that every note was in tune and that the choreography meshed well with the performance. The group put in at least 20-25 hours of rehearsal in the past two weeks

Members of VoiceMale take a group selfie to commemorate their journey to the ICCAs.

photo courtesy abram foster

alone preparing for this competition. However, the effort was all worth it in the end. Foster described the feeling of being able to compete in the quarterfinals of an international competition to be “relieving because I had been working on this the entire year.”

“In the time we had, I am really proud of the work people put in it was working the last year, everyone was really helpful,” he said.

Zain Walker ’18 is a member of the publicity board for VoiceMale. “I am the only senior in the group, and I have been doing a capella since the first semester here.

I have waiting four years to do the competition. After finally doing it, I do not want to say it was a dream come true because it sounds kind of dramatic, but it kind of was.”

Both Foster and Walker identify that one of the biggest differences between performing a cappella in a noncompetitive setting versus at competition is the visual element. When VoiceMale performs on campus, they often have no choreography, and if they do, it will only be for one song. “I think this was really great opportunity to not just focus on music, but to really focus on every particularly the visual element to pull together in a cohesive set,” Foster explained. Another major difference between a casual performance and a competitive performance is increased pressure.

“When we perform on campus with other groups from Brandeis, we are just performing with them, but as for the a cappella groups at the ICCAs, we do not know them or the people in the groups,” Walker said.

Foster and Walker began to sing as young children and have not stopped since. They both auditioned for VoiceMale their first semester freshman year, but did not get callbacks. Foster re-audi-

tioned his second semester and got in, while Walker stayed with another a capella group for three semesters before taking a semester off, and joining VoiceMale fall of his junior year. Foster cites Stephen Sondheim and Ben Brown as some of his biggest musical inspirations. “I am always in awe of the way Ben Brown gets such rich chords out in so few voices.

Voice Male is a traditionally small a capella group. To have someone who is that good and get that good of a sound with so few members is so inspirational to me,” he explained. Walker explains while he grew up on angsty teen bands, such as Green Day and Blink 182, he turns to musical theatre when picking songs that he wants to sing. “It is always a lot of fun to go through new kinds of songs that I never even heard, I have learned to love them through Voice Male, so it is really nice to be a part of the group with new music,” he said.

There are still opportunities to watch VoiceMale perform in the next month. The group is hosting an a cappella festival, Lovapalooza, this coming Saturday. The event features nine groups from on and off campus, including Pitch Please from Northeastern, who also competed at the ICCAs last weekend. Brandeis groups, Starving Artists, Rather Be Giraffes, Too Cheap for Instruments, Company B and Up the Octave will also be performing.

VoiceMale will be going on tour during February break throughout the local area to raise money for a larger tour next year. One of the most anticipated performances on their tour is Brandeis VoiceMale at Zuzu on Sunday, Feb. 18, in Cambridge. The group has several upcoming gigs in the Boston area this semester before their semester show in April.

14 ARTS

The Brandeis Hoot

February 9, 2018

‘Beats Per Minute’ shows humanity in HIV diagnosis

By Ruoshi Liu special to the hoot

“Beats Per Minute” (BPM) depicts a story of a group of young HIV positive patients working in ACT UP, an international advocacy group striving to support the lives of people with AIDS. It is an honest portrayal of a series of ACT UP’s actions in the 1990s, as well as a tragedy of a 26-year-old HIV patient.

The movie begins with Nathan, the main character, joining ACT UP, Paris. All the members of ACT UP are diagnosed HIV positive and some are approaching late-stage.

The group of around 100 members fervently debate about topics such as public reception of the latest protest and plans for future action. Nathan was impressed and

attracted to an energetic activist, Sean, an ACT UP veteran. The first half of the movie is a constant switching between protests and strategy meetings. The meetings are, unexpectedly, full of disapproval, urgency and even anger.

Sean is firmly at odds with Thibault, the group’s leader. Later in the movie, when Sean starts exhibiting symptoms of the disease and living in the hospital, Thibault asks why Sean hates him so much. Sean replies plainly and condescendingly: “no reason.”

This sentence moved me so deeply—it made Sean a relatable person with pride instead of just a patient begging for pity from everyone. The highlight of the movie is its realistic portrayal of HIV patients as vibrant individuals with anger, enthusiasm, shame and anxiety, instead of dying human bodies. If the only impression of an HIV patient is one who

is emaciated and pale, this movie shows that HIV patients can be positive, ardent and socially engaged.

There are sharp disagreements between members of ACT UP.

photos from imdb.com

There is no ideal character in this movie. There is only the cadence of heartbeats and an honest approach of human nature.

In the latter part, the movie transitions from lively ACT UP’s actions to the onset period for Sean. Sean and Nathan become sexually involved after a successful protest.

As Sean’s condition worsens, we see him transition from a passionate young man who screams the loudest and claims his sexuality most confidently, to a decadent, irritable person. Nathan does not leave Sean in his time of weakness. Through the relationship between Nathan and Sean, I saw the genuine glory of human nature.

Just as with the previous scene, however, what shook me most were the details of everyone’s reactions after Sean’s death. Shortly afterwards, several members of ACT UP and some of Sean’s closest friends come to the apart-

ment where he died. The mother insists on putting proper clothes on her son; a teenage member of ACT UP is afraid of the body but worries Nathan will be upset if he shows his fear. Sean’s mother makes coffee for everyone who comes.

With these details, the movie is not trying to merely tell a story of the death of an HIV patient, but instead, a human portrayal of death’s reality. It achieves this while showing only the most ordinary settings and conversations, even including some humor.

BPM didn’t shock me immediately, but when I thought it over in the following few days, I felt the strength of the movie, especially the scenes I did not understand while watching in the theater.

Just like ACT UP’s motto “AIDS is you, AIDS is me, AIDS is us” says, AIDS effects human beings, and resisting it is an obligation for every one of us.

“The Good Place” goes from good to

great in a phenomenal second season

By Jonah Koslofsky staff

In the second season of any show, there’s always the fear of the sophomore slump. Even the most robust and energetic series can lose momentum in its second season, after the showrunners and cast have proven themselves.

Case in point: the second season of “Heroes” was catastrophic, and nearly nobody made it through the second season of “Mr. Robot.”

Sure, there are exceptions (“The Leftovers”), but it is rare to find a show that actually improves during it’s second time at bat.

I am happy to report that NBC’s “The Good Place” effortlessly avoided the sophomore slump.

In fact, it got even better, becoming must-see TV, and NBC’s best comedy since “Parks and Recreation.” Confident, funny and smart-as-hell, “The Good Place” is a crowd pleaser with a philosophical aftertaste, and a rare show that has something for everyone. If you have not done so already, you can stream the first season now on Netflix, and then come back here to get my take on season two. Major spoilers follow!

After a perfect season finale twist that our afterlife inhabitants Eleanor, Chidi, Tahani and Jason are actually in The Bad Place, season two hits the ground running.

The show has already revealed that the comforting Michael (a devilish Ted Danson) is actually a demon, tasked with finding a way to get the four humans to torture each other. The first few episodes of season two follow Michael’s continued attempts to organize endless agony for our protagonists. This is some energetic storytelling, and it leads to whole potential seasons of the “The Good Place” happening over the course of just a few episodes.

No matter how many times he “resets” things, Michael can’t get these four terrible people to destroy each other, which leads to another beautiful twist: Michael and the group teaming up.

Turns out, “The Good Place” is a great antidote for much of the anti-hero drama that dominates the “Golden Age of Television.”

More than any other medium, a show can do long form character development, like the type you would need if you wanted to make a chemistry teacher’s transformation into a drug lord seem reasonable.

But while most shows use their abundance of time to depict a protagonist’s descent, “The Good Place” uses its episodes to show the characters improving. Much of season one was used to craft a believable arc for Eleanor (Kristen Bell), but she is not the only one in need of improvement. A stellar supporting cast–made up of char-

acters Chidi, Tahani and Jason— are all deeply flawed individuals, and the show excels at slowly but surely leading these compelling characters to the point where they can address their problems. In season two, Michael becomes yet another individual trying to improve, an earned transition that gives each member of the cast a cohesive goal.

I worry that I am not selling just how funny this show is. A lot of the philosophical babble is easily undercut by the great interjections of Bell’s character, Eleanor, or a really stupid observation by the Floridian, Jason (Manny Jacinto). Aside from the dialogue— which is quite good—”The Good Place” is great at doing visual comedy.

The premise of the show promises a universe where anything is possible, and for the most part, the creators make good on this.

The immediate example that comes to mind is Michael kicking a dog into the sun in the second episode, or the revolving door of restaurants that populate the faux-Good Place.

It is no surprise that the show is hilarious: “The Good Place” comes from Michael Schur, the mind behind “Parks and Recreation” and “Brooklyn 99,” as well as the actor who played Dwight’s cousin Mose on “The Office.”

Nevertheless, “The Good Place” manages to outdo all of Schur’s

prior work by marrying Schur’s comedy with a brilliant story.

If you haven’t already, I highly encourage everyone who watched the first season of “The Good Place” to check out season two.

The show confidently abandons its mistaken identity plotting of season one in favor of an unpre-

dictable and constantly funny evolution.

The jokes land, the characters have depth and there is no reason to miss out. The whole second season is streaming now for free with Xfinity on campus, in-lieu of an upload to Netflix in the fall. It’s forking great!

photo from mdb.com

February 9, 2018

ARTS 15

The Brandeis Hoot

Mathias Boyar ’20 succeeds with debut EP ‘Hangup’

By Sam Manoogian special to the hoot

Mathias Boyar ’20, who raps under the mononym Mathias, just released his debut EP, “Hangup,” last Friday, Feb 2. When I approached him in the Slosberg lobby, he initially didn’t notice me, lost in the music from his headphones. He sat with a large black instrument case next to him, maybe a guitar or bass; I later learned he had brought it for a 3-hour jam class after our meeting. As soon as I greeted him and sat down, we were off, discussing his origins in hip-hop, his unorthodox recording methods and possible plans for the future.

Mathias comes from a musical family, but none of his family members were ever particularly interested in hip-hop, instead favoring classic and glam rock such as Queen or David Bowie. He

first discovered hip-hop through watching the music video for Eminem’s “My Name Is” on MTV when he was 10.

Shortly after, he started talking about hip-hop with his friends, and one of them suggested he listen to a rapper who would soon become one of Mathias’ favorite: Aesop Rock.

Aesop Rock’s influence on Mathias is clear on “Hangup.”

Like the seminal indie rapper, Mathias utilizes a tricky, serpentine flow that makes his words a challenge to follow but still pack a rewarding emotional punch.

Although his beats tend to lean closer to simple rhythms he could easily glide over, Mathias instead chooses to craft circuitous rhymes that defy the production’s inviting cadences. This skill with twisted flows adds a layer of complexity to his style that is further compounded by the sound of his production.

A music composition major,

photos courtesy mathias boyar

Mathias produces his own beats using a program called Logic and uses live instrumentation to supplement the digital elements wherever necessary. His production style is unique, a varied mix of digitally programmed percussion, keyboards and live guitar flourishes and riffs to punctuate his melodies. In fact, on the final track, Scaffolding, Mathias even introduces live drums on the verses, which breathes natural life into the track that programmed drums can’t quite capture.

His production mixes bright, relaxed indie pop rock with elastic hip-hop rhythms to create a sound entirely his own. As Mathias described to me in the interview, he would often come up with the bare chords or melody on guitar and then begin translating these melodies into keyboard lines and adding percussion with Logic. His writing and recording process was largely individual, save for the couple of singing and rapping features in the EP’s second half and the mixing/mastering process.

Most of “Hangup” was recorded on weekend trips home, and even occasionally under his bedsheets in his dorm. Laughing, he recalled to me a time when he had to record the chorus for a track under the covers while somebody was vacuuming down the hall, indicating that this first outing into hip-hop was far from a “professional” affair. Lyrically, “Hangup” deals with social anxiety and insecurity and how Mathias deals with these issues.

One of the EP’s most interesting features is the meta-narrative about Mathias stressing out over other people’s’ opinions of the songs on “Hangup,” which is woven throughout the record using a series of voicemails left by friends. Mathias told me this concept for the EP started when he showed the first track he recorded—a working version of the opener, Coy—to one of his friends and asked for feedback.

The song deals with Mathias’

general insecurities, which his friend advised might not be the best way to hook listeners into the album and keep them interested.

Intrigued by this opinion, Mathias sought to make “Hangup” revolve around the detrimental influence of other people’s’ opinions on his art and his struggle to maintain his individual style in the face of external doubt.

It’s an interesting idea that is developed throughout the EP, making the 20-minute listen feel quite substantial considering its short runtime.

Looking toward the future, Mathias aims to refine and perfect his current mix of indie pop, jazz and hip-hop before looking to expand his sound palette. Since his first instrument was the drums, Mathias expressed great interest in searching for uncommon, challenging rhythms that would better fit his twisted flow and push him as an artist. He was also enthusiastic towards the idea of incorporating a live band into his

beats beyond the snippets of guitar and drums heard throughout the EP. Considering the potential shown with live instrumentation on “Hangup,” I’d have to agree—although the EP has an interesting style, more complex, human-played rhythms and intricate melodies would elevate Mathias’ music to be even better than it is now.

Mathias presents a great amount of potential on “Hangup.”

From his circuitous flow to his intricately emotional lyrics and fully formed production style, this project is clearly only just beginning for him.

Equipped with the confidence of having completed his first recording, I can only imagine where Mathias’ pop prowess and adeptness with rhythm will take his music next. One can only hope Mathias’ next album will expand upon the ideas presented in “Hangup” and refine them to become even more complex and vast than before.

Boston entertainment: pre-February break edition

By Ben Beriss editor

With break still a week away, it’s easy to give up hope of being happy while still at school. But if you need an early escape, these events will help.

Bad Dates: A one-woman production centered around the stories of one bachelorette and her worst dating experiences, Huntington Theatre’s “Bad Dates” is a comedic tour-de-force. Reminiscent of an impressive standup performance, the show has a woman regale the audience with the story of her life via her experience trying to find The One, or at least someone tolerable. It’s an excellent date show for Valentine’s Day couples to help them put their issues in perspective, or for those without dates to help them feel better about avoiding dates.

Tickets run from $20-$105, and the show runs through Feb. 25.

Old School Game Show’s Valentine’s Special!: Also in the Valentine’s Day mood, the American Repertory Theater is presenting a Valentine-and-game-showthemed interactive theater experience. Old School Game Show is a theatrical group which puts on shows themed around, aptly, old school game shows, which consist of equal parts trivia, music, dance, scripted comedy and improv comedy to create a truly unique event. The show is happening Feb. 16, charging $19 for tickets.

Blonde Side of the Moon: For a different type of Valentine’s Day event, the Boston Museum is hosting notorious celebrity impersonator Niki Luparelli in a tribute to Pink Floyd. Luparelli is most well known for immensely popular concerts covering such artists as Madonna, Led Zeppelin and Blondie. On Feb. 15, she is coming to Boston, with band the Even Pinker Floyd, to perform a tribute to the classic psychedelic

rock band in the museum’s planetarium.

Combining this music with the stunning visuals of the planetarium promise to provide a new way to experience the Dark Side of the Moon. Tickets purchased in advance are $20 and tickets bought same-day are $25.

The Moth Boston GRANDSLAM: The Moth, the popular organization which hosts storytelling events across the country as well as the Moth Radio Hour, is holding a GrandSLAM in Boston on Feb. 15. This event will pit the winners of the last ten Boston StorySLAMS against each other in an ultimate battle for the title of Boston Story Champion. The theme of the slam is, “what’s love got to do with it?” The performance will be held at the Cutler Majestic Theatre and tickets are around $30.

Unveiled: For powerful storytelling, consider “Unveiled,” a play about the post-9/11 Muslim

experience. In this one-woman show, Rohina Malik takes on the characters of five separate Muslim women to share their character and experiences over tea. A wonderful look at an underrepresented demographic, this show sheds light on perspectives we rarely look at. The show runs through Feb. 7, and student tickets cost $20.

The Healing: “The Healing” follows an Orthodox monk who takes refuge in Serbia but is haunted by his past suffering when visited by two people involved in it.

As he realizes he cannot forgive the crimes he suffered, he struggles to reconcile his faith with his newfound anger.

The film serves as a touching testament to the difficulty of creating peace after war. It is being shown Feb. 10 and 11, with a talkback after all showings, at the Museum of Russian Icons. The Museum is an attraction unto itself, with exhibits featuring a vari-

ety of Russian heritage. Tickets to the showing cost $8 for museum members and $12 for non-members.

Playtime: The Peabody Essex Museum (PEM) is opening an exhibit all about Playtime this week, and it looks as fun as it sounds.

The exhibit examines the role of play in art and culture, with art from both established contemporary artists and emerging younger artists. Perhaps more interestingly, it also features three playrooms, or “tactile interactive works,” such as a balloon room and a room full of interactive sculptures. PEM also features “XYZT,” an interactive exhibit which allows you to translate your sensations into digital features, as well as exhibits on Georgia O’Keefe, Chinese art and more. Student admission is $18.

If you know any upcoming Boston arts events which we’ve missed or may want to feature in the future send them in at eic@ thebrandeishoot.com

16 The Brandeis Hoot

WEEK IN PHOTOS

photo by celia young/the hoot

Located on the third floor of the SCC, the Brandeis Media Coalition is home to The Hoot and a number of publication clubs. views from the bmc

photo by candace ng/the hoot

Hand sanitizer stations placed around campus encourage the community to stay healthy in the flu season. clean hands are safe hands

photo by candace ng/the hoot

In the words of GB co-campus chairperson Dan Klein ’18, “guess who’s back, back again. Krispy Kreme’s back, tell a friend.”

global brigades fundraiser

photo by allison plotnik/the hoot

MAZEL TOV, CLASS OF 2018 The Class of 2018 celebrates their forthcoming graduation and relives their Bar and

Bat mitzvahs at the Faculty club.

photo by allison plotnik/the hoot

The new residence hall, known as Skyline, replaces the beloved Brandeis antique that is Usen Castle. Skyline will be the most sustainable building on campus once it opens in the fall.

modernity

February 9, 2018

photo by polina potochevska/the hoot

Students taking humanities courses have the privilege of being on top of the Rabb at the end of the day. sunset