The Brandeis Hoot 4/12/2019

Volume 16 Issue 11

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

Brandeis University’s Community Newspaper · Waltham, Mass.

Senator rescinds proposal to de-charter The Brandeis Hoot

By Thalia Plata staff

Class of 2019 Senator Kent Dinlenc formally introduced a proposal to de-charter The Brandeis Hoot at the senate meeting held this past Sunday.

This proposal was rescinded late on Thursday night, April 11 in a Facebook post by Dinlenc.

Dinlenc’s nine-page proposal to the senate states “...as important as the presence of an indepen-

dent student-run newspaper is on campus, Brandeis already has one in existence: The Justice.” In his proposal Dinlenc claims that The Hoot “...blatantly violates the Duality of Purpose amendment.”

The amendment in question, found in the bylaws in Article VIII Section 2, clause C, states: “In order to be eligible for accreditation, a prospective club must…. Not duplicate the purpose or goals of an existing club.

If the prospective club’s operations, impact, and student appeal would substantively be the same

as that of an existing club, then it should not be accredited. A group has duality of purpose if it has duality of operations, impact, and appeal. Collectively, this standard is called Duality of Purpose.”

Dinlenc, in his capacity as Senate Co-Chair of the Sustainability Committee (SenSus), met separately with editorial staff from both newspapers in mid-March to discuss sustainability. Dinlenc was a staff writer for the Justice’s arts section but denies this being a factor in his proposal, stating at the senate meeting, “I criti-

PHOTO BY RYAN SPENCER/THE HOOT

FIRE ON DARTMOUTH STREET

‘I Am Proud’ celebrates students

By David Cohen staff

The student leadership board of the Student Support Services Program (SSSP) arranged a celebratory event to commemorate students and faculty for their academic dedication to the community this past Tuesday. The event featured student talks, awards and other forms of recognition.

Agnele Sewa ’20 and Karekin Johnson ’19, both current board

members of SSSP, opened the night, explaining the program’s history of being federally funded through the department of education to provide low-income first generation students with the support they need to achieve academic success.

SSSP Director Elena Lewis then took the stage to show her delight, saying the students’ “presence gives us strength and legitimacy to the work that we do.”

After a brief remark of gratitude by new Dean of Arts and Sciences Dorothy Hodgson, SSSP student

Billy Chau ’19 entered the stage to share his journey at Brandeis.

Chau explained how his history as a hardworking student was put to the test at Brandeis. A local native from the Bronx, he explained how his high school did not offer certain support programs that SSSP does, so his chemistry classes obstructed his sense of worth as a student. Through SSSP, however, he slowly gained the skills to succeed in his classes and esSee SSSP, page 5

Canceled campus play progresses off-campus years later

By Ryan Spencer editor

“Buyer Beware,” a play which was originally meant to be performed on the Brandeis campus in Fall 2017 but was canceled following controversy and concerns over its content, is “in development” for performance elsewhere, according to the playwright Michael Weller ’65.

Weller, a Brandeis alum, first drafted the play after he had a chance to visit campus as part of his receiving the 2017 Creative Arts Award from Brandeis. He used interviews with students and research in the Brandeis archives to help inform the play about a Brandeis student who discovers comedian and free speech icon, Lenny Bruce, in the university archives and becomes inspired to do

Inside This Issue:

News: Union to hold elections Ops: Timeline of the history of The Hoot Features: Spanish books added to library Sports: Virginia wins March Madness

EDITORIAL: Thank you for supporting The Hoot

a comedy routine of his own.

At the time, he was excited to write the play for college theater “because it would be a chance to write for a very large cast,” but, in newer drafts of the play, what once was an 11-person cast has since shrunk to become more commercially viable, he said.

An updated script of the play was read several weeks ago in

Letter from Hoot Alumni Dear Brandeis University Student Union Senators, As both alumni of the University as well as passionate believers in democracy and free speech, we are profoundly disturbed by reports of a Union Senator’s proposal (link here) to decommission The Brandeis Hoot. Given The Hoot’s invaluable contributions to due process and transparency across the University during nearly 15 years of operations, as well as the antidemocratic precedent such a questionably motivated proposal would incur, we as alumni strongly urge the Union to vote against this course of action.

Founded in 2005, The Brandeis Hoot has been Brandeis University’s independent student newspaper for nearly a decade and a half, and has spearheaded national reporting such as President Jimmy Carter’s book “Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid,” the attempted sale of donated artwork for the Rose Art Museum, the removal of Palestinian artwork from the Goldfarb Museum, racist behavior by Brandeis men’s basketball coach Brian Meehan, and much more. To say that The Hoot’s coverage is somehow redundant — or even worse, somehow detrimental — to the campus’ ongoing health is not an argument that stands to reasonable review.

On any metric you choose to review, The Brandeis Hoot also is a model of sustainability and responsible fiscal spending. Over the last four years, The Hoot has never once broken $25,000 annually printing nearly two dozen issues per year, and has remained financially consistent with its spending every year — nearly half of any other publications on campus.

Additionally, when this proposal was first introduced — as an environmentally based proposal, rather than a hastily composed “duality of purpose” argument — The Hoot had already pledged to reduce printing numbers, thereby reducing the publication’s financial and environmental impact further.

Yet looking at this proposal on its alleged merits — if one wishes to decommission The Hoot based on duality of titles, one may wish to decommission numerous other groups who have competing titles such as “president,” “treasurer” or “secretary.” A line-by-line comparison of any organization on campus obviously fails any test of scrutiny, but the idea of multiple journalistic outlets on campus being redundant is a fallacy that is dangerous to public transparency and the principles of social justice that Brandeis values so deeply.

The Hoot’s independent, community-based approach stands in sharp contrast to any other publication, and the introduction of multiple voices to the campus journalism ecosystem has only benefited the campus. And anyone viewing this proposal should ask themselves whether decommissioning The Hoot would bring any positive value to the University, or if this proposal would only succeed as a strike against free speech, transparency and social justice.

Furthermore, the source of this proposal gives us deep concerns as to the motivations behind it. Beyond the antidemocratic sentiments behind such action, it is worrisome that the proposing senator has submitted this proposal just 48 hours after the publication of an article titled “Survey Circulates About Environmental Impact of Student Newspapers” (Thalia Plata, The Brandeis Hoot, April 5, 2019).

In said article, the proposing Senator was reported to have released a survey about the campus’ newspapers on behalf of the Senate Sustainability Committee, when in fact he had not received the group’s authorization to act on its behalf. Furthermore, the proposing Senator himself admitted he did not communicate with key group members for his survey, adding “I changed my mind due to the unethical nature of [a fellow committee member’s] position,” alleging a conflict of interest.

Yet the article also discloses that while this particular Senator is a contributor to The Justice — the entity which he recommends absorb The Hoot — he believes he has no bias in pursuing this course of action. While The Justice has since asked the proposing Senator to resign as of this writing, as fellow learned students of the University, it does not require a staggering leap of logic to see the double standard at play here.

The timing of this proposal is concerning and frankly disquieting to us as alumni. While See ALUMNI, page 7

See BUYER BEWARE, page 6

Track & Field

Page 5 Page 15 Men’s place third, women’s fifth.

Page 16 Page 8 SPORTS: PAGE 9 Page 10

April 12, 2019

The Bacchae Dionysus seeks revenge.

ARTS: PAGE 17

NEWS

2 The Brandeis Hoot

April 12, 2019

Dr. Leanne Day to teach four AAPI Studies courses in 2019-2020 academic year

By Sabrina Chow and Abigail Gardener editors

Dr. Leanne Day (WGS/ GRALL), the Florence Levy Kay Fellow in Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) Studies, has been officially hired as one of the faculty members who will spearhead the Asian American Pacific Islander Studies minor at Brandeis.

Day sees her role in the new AAPI program largely as a support for incoming faculty member Yuri Doolan, as well as ensuring that the “PI” in AAPI remains a central part of the program. “I also want to be advocating that we center Pacific Islanders and that they don’t...get lost in the fold. So I really sort of feel like, as much as I was advocating for that the last two years, now it can kind of become my central focus,” she said.

Day highlighted that the 20192020 academic year will decide the future of the AAPI program at Brandeis. “This is not an independent project of Brandeis, but that so many schools on the East Coast are advocating in whatever variation or whatever name they’re calling it, but it’s a critical ethnic studies project,” she said.

“So my hope with that would be that this momentum contin-

ues, and that what you actually get besides the AAPI minor, is you get a robust sort of push towards critical ethnic studies.”

She also hopes that because of the addition of an AAPI minor to Brandeis course offerings, expansion will continue with other critical ethnic studies, including Latinx studies and a separate indigenous groups studies component. “I think that what’s happening right now is so exciting and groundbreaking that it has the momentum to continue.

So that’s my hope, and I think it is an attainable goal,” Day said. “I can see it. It’s not right here, and probably not by the end of next year, but I can see it happening.”

Dr. Day feels that supporting students will be one of her most important roles as a faculty member in this new program, but that students have supported her as well. On March 4, 2019, the Brandeis Asian American Task Force (BAATF) circulated a petition signed by over 400 members of the campus community and beyond, requesting that Day be kept on as a faculty member for another year so she could help build the AAPI program. Although Day had to go through a normal application process to obtain the position, she believes that student support did indeed play a role in

her hiring in the new department.

Doolan, a Ph.D. candidate at Northwestern University who specializes in Asian American history, was recently hired as the first tenure track assistant professor in AAPI Studies in the upcoming 2019-2020 academic year. Doolan will be teaching one class in the Fall 2019 semester: AAPI/HIS 163A, “Asian American History.”

Day will be teaching two courses in the Fall 2019 semester: AAPI 141A, “Oceanic Cultures and Representation” and WMGS 105B, “Feminisms: History, Theory, and Practice.”

AAPI 141A is meant to focus only on Pacific Islander Studies, according to Day, since Doolan will already be covering Asian American History in general.

“When we’re thinking about building a program, Yuri will be teaching an Asian American History course, and so we really want to make sure that the ‘PI’ is part of the foundational part of the program,” Day said in an interview with The Brandeis Hoot. “I’m really excited about the course. We haven’t had anything like it, and as much as I’ve built in Pacific Islander Studies into the courses I’ve already taught, this one is the first one that’s really focusing on it.”

Day spoke about some ideas she had for the course, and while she

is playing with the idea of an introduction to the breadth of the Pacific Islander culture through travel narratives by authors like Mark Twain, she wants the main focus to be centering indigenous Pacific voices. “...I really want it to be about Pacific indigenous voices, their epistemologies, ontologies, perspectives,” she said.

Aside from the historical and political contexts, Day also wants to showcase “the ways in which Pacific Islanders are representing themselves through cultural production,” she said, which will include looking at various genres and mediums of art, like literature, short stories, spoken word and film.

WMGS 105B is a course Day has taught in the past, and she will teach it in the fall again as part of the terms of her re-hiring (part of her appointment as a faculty member is doing a service for the departments that host her, which includes Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies and German, Russian and Asian Languages and Literature).

Although she will be re-teaching this course, she plans to add a new spin on it for the fall. “I’m actually really excited because the course does look at...a lot of women of color feminist theory, but I also will be doing a section or two...on

sex trafficking and Pacific Islanders in that whole field,” she said.

In the spring, Day will also be teaching two courses for the AAPI minor, but these have not been definitively decided yet. However, one will likely be an Asian American Literature course, and the other will be a re-teaching of another course she has taught previously: AAPI 150B, “Asian American Pacific Islander Literature and Popular Culture.” This is also part of the program’s aim to flesh out what the requirements for the minor could be.

“We’re thinking it’s the Intro to Asian American Studies, Asian American History, and then Asian American Literature. And then you can take all the other electives...I mean it’s not set in stone, but what we’re thinking about is that you can take all these other courses or you can build in from pre-existing courses,” Day said.

“The hope is that people who have not already been actively advocating and taking these courses will be interested in them, and hopefully that can help the Task Force garner more support,” she added.

General registration for classes begins on July 17.

Panel showcases women in politics and their experiences running and campaigning

By Sabrina Chow and Emma Lichtenstein editors

Two Massachusetts state senators and a Kentucky state representative discussed their journeys into politics, lives as politicians and political engagement at the state level. Massachusetts State Senators Diana DiZoglio and Cindy Friedman and Kentucky State Representative Attica Scott also gave advice to women trying to get involved in politics.

DiZoglio never expected to work in government. She said that, by chance, she got offered a job at the Massachusetts State House, where she was inspired to run for government based on what she saw happening. She first

By Faria Afreen

ran in the 2012 election, where she joined the Massachusetts House of Representatives. She held that position until she ran for State Senate in 2018.

In college, DiZoglio majored in psychology and Spanish because she knew she wanted to help her surrounding community, which has a large Dominican and Puerto Rican population. “I knew I was going to be able to make a difference for my community for some of the injustices that I saw and the struggles that I saw,” she said during the panel.

Friedman began her career as a teacher before moving to the field of technology. Even when she was not working for the government, she was very active in her community. Her first election was a special election in 2017, which

she won.

Scott was drawn to politics from a young age, since her parents were extremely involved in the political scene. Before running, she was a campaign manager for her friend who was running for office. However, she and a group of her friends noticed a major lack of representation for African American women in Kentucky government and decided to run.

Her first election was in 2014, when she won a city council seat.

In 2016, she ran for the House of Representatives for the first time, where she won and defended her seat in 2018. “It wasn’t really about me... I was simply the voice and the body that was carrying the message forward,” she said.

All three women care about the limitations they experience

as women in politics and want to encourage more women to get involved. “I think that politician was one of those careers that wasn’t made salient to me as something that women did,” DiZoglio said.

They also all said that beyond entry barriers, elected women in office still face difficulties. DiZoglio mentioned how she used to wear bland clothes in an attempt to look older since other, more experienced members would not respect her.

Friedman also spoke about the importance of self-reflection and not changing because of politics.

“If you try to be something other than what you are, you will fail at some point,” she said at the panel. “It’s so hard to not be who you are.”

This event was an Educational

Network for Active Civic Transformation (ENACT) course. ENACT is a national program that engages colleges in state-level legislative change by working with different groups to increase policy, according to their website.

Their programs give students the opportunity to learn about “participating in the legislative and advocacy process at the state level, with a substantial hands-on component in which they engage directly with that process,” according to the ENACT website.

The talk was part of a series hosted by ENACT, the legal studies and politics departments, social justice and social policy program and the women’s, gender and sexuality studies program.

Brandeis graduate Susan Horwitz wins Gairdner Award

staff

Brandeis graduate, Professor and Rose C. Falkenstein Chair in Cancer Research at Albert Einstein College of Medicine Susan Band Horwitz Ph.D. ’63 won the Gairdner Award, also known as Canada’s Nobel.

Horwitz was selected by the U.S. National Cancer Institute to figure out how Taxol, a plant alkaloid, can be used as an anti-cancer drug. Her role in “defining novel mechanisms of action and

resistance of drugs of natural product origin, most significantly Taxol, and promoting their use for treatment of cancer” won her the Gairdner Award, according to the Gairdner Award website.

A hallmark of cancer and tumor growth is how fast their cells divide and spread. Dr. Horwitz helped establish that Taxol prevents microtubules from disassembling, thereby halting cell division.

Microtubules are highly dynamic protein polymers that give cells their shape. They are made out of two protein subunits, alpha tubulin and beta tubulin.

The subunits come together,

head-to-tail, to form long protofilaments. Thirteen protofilaments assemble parallel to each other to form a microtubule.

When Taxol binds to the beta-tubulin subunit, it causes net polymerization (addition of subunits). Without proper microtubule polymerization and depolymerization, cells can no longer divide correctly.

Dr. Horwitz’s meticulous work on Taxol’s mechanism allowed the drug to go into clinical trial.

Now, Taxol is an FDA approved drug that has been administered to millions of breast and lung cancer patients. Her work on Taxol’s

mechanism also paved way for a new class of antitumor drugs.

For her Ph.D., Horwitz worked under Nathan Oram Kaplan, who was the founding chair of the graduate biochemistry department at Brandeis, according to the National Academic Press.

She chose Brandeis because of it has “superb science and yet a relaxed atmosphere,” said Horwitz. She got married after her third year and gave birth to twins five days after defending her biochemistry thesis.

Dr. Horwitz holds membership in The National Academy of Sciences, the Institute of

Medicine of the National Academies, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the American Philosophical Society.

Horwitz is also a recipient of the C. Chester Stock Award from Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, the Warren Alpert Foundation Prize from Harvard Medical School, The Bristol-Myers Squibb Award for Distinguished Achievement in Cancer Research, the American Cancer Society’s Medal of Honor and the AACR Lifetime Achievement Award in Cancer Research.

April 12, 2019

NEWS 5

The Brandeis Hoot

Women discuss experience in tech industry

By Sasha Skarboviychuk editor

During the second annual Women LEAD in Tech, four women shared their experiences and struggles while working the world of technology. During the Q&A, they gave advice to women going into tech and shared inspiring stories of finding advisors.

When asked about unexpected hurdles the women faced in their careers, all panelists agreed that there are no major ones they face. Hazal Uzunkaya, a research technology specialist and service coordinator at the Brandeis MakerLab, pointed out that her “team looks out for [her] more than [she] looks out for [herself].”

Molly Marcus ’18, who now works in a rotational program where she explores various types of engineering teams under Con-

stant Contacts, said that most of her struggles are internal.

Maria Altebarmakian ’19, a PhD student at Brandeis in the Computer Science, shared that when she comes to job interviews, people assume that she does not know anything. Although that can be seen as a hurdle, it just indicates to her that it is not an environment she would want to work in.

Currently, only about 80 of the 300 declared Computer Science majors at Brandeis are women, and there is a need for more women in the industry. Marcus and Hayley Ross ’20, a graduate student in Computational Linguistics, acknowledged that seeing more women in the field could encourage younger women to go into it.

Altebarmakian added that there should be caution about segregating women and men, since everyone is equally capable of being in the field: “encourage little girls,

but don’t single them out.” Marcus agreed, saying that the learning should be done in a comfortable environment.

All the panelists also disagreed that women should act more like men to be successful in the field.

Altebarmakian said that the issue in this is not about gender, but about respecting everyone equally. Uzunkaya simply said that you should not “waste your time training [women] to act like [boys].”

Marcus also pointed out that women tend to be better at soft skills, a benefit in the profession that should be neglected in efforts to act more masculine.

Ross concluded that in the field, “the less you have to think about gender, the better.” The event was sponsored by BITMAP and Girls Who Code.

Expert discusses Trump on North Korea and Iran

By Celia Young editor

Chief U.S. negotiator between the U.S. and North Korea in the early 1990s and Brandeis Masters and Ph.D. graduate Robert Gallucci ’68 Ph.D. ’74 discU.S.sed President Donald Trump’s strategies in North Korea and Iran on Thursday. Gallucci spoke with Director of the Crown Center for Middle East Studies Gary Samore (POL).

Samore introduced Gallucci as the first U.S. diplomat to negotiate a diplomatic agreement with North Korea. Gallucci was the top U.S. negotiator on North Korea during the Clinton administration, according to an article from NPR. Gallucci spoke to the climate of the U.S. government, which he said did not favor diplomatic negotiations with enemy nations. “Hardwired into your domestic context is a hostility to engagement,” Gallucci said and spoke about how he was thought to be naïve and questioned for pursuing diplomacy.

“Which would you rather have, the rhetorical question comes, a piece of paper or a better missile?” he said others would ask and described how government officials saw compromises not as a part of the negotiation process but as compromising national security.

Gallucci said that the press acted the same way—concerned only with what he gave up, not what he got.

During his career, Gallucci helped to negotiate the Agreed Framework, a deal where North Korea agreed to close its plutonium plant in exchange for fuel supplies from the United states. The deal fell apart in 2002 after the Bush administration accused North Korea of violations, according to NPR. Gallucci spoke about his time in the Clinton administration, saying that during the crisis with North Korea, there was a real risk of U.S. escalation. “President Clinton came pretty close to ordering a military strike on North Korea,” Gallucci said, though he later clarified he wasn’t certain

if Clinton would have done it.

Gallucci compared President Bill Clinton and Trump’s styles of negotiating, saying while Clinton preferred negotiations to take place between lower level diplomats and then the president could agree to a negotiated outcome, Trump wants to negotiate himself.

“I’ve never met President Trump, but he doesn’t strike me as a shrinking violet,” Gallucci said, and then questioned Trump’s decision making. “Why would he think that the best use of his time is to start going in a back and forth with the chairman of North Korea?” Gallucci asked.

“That’s a lot of hacking around.”

Gallucci also expressed his concerns with the current administration. “I was worried a lot through 2017 that we were much closer to launching a military strike against North Korea,” he said, though he now feels like the relationship between the two countries is more stable, calling it a “plateau.”

Looking towards the 2020 presidential election primary season, Gallucci said he’d be watching for North Korean action, such as antagonizing South Korea or testing a nuclear weapon—and for the president’s response.

Gallucci questioned what Trump would do in the scenario of a North Korean attack. “Do you think he would belittle the significance of it, so it wouldn’t damage his past political activity or would he seize upon it to demonstrate that he is the leader of leaders?”

Gallucci asked. Samore agreed that it might not be wise to approach the president as a rational actor.

But Gallucci still believes that more progress can be made on limiting North Korea’s nuclear weapons capabilities. “I still think negotiations are possible with these people,” he said.

Gallucci also touched on the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA)—more commonly known as the Iran deal— and said that though it wasn’t a perfect deal, it was far better than going to war over Iran’s nuclear weapons program.

Gallucci questioned the Trump administration’s decision to pull out of the JCPOA, saying, “I don’t see how this helps us,

but I do see how this hurts us.”

Though Iran has continued to abide by the terms of the deal, after the U.S. pullout, Iran could also leave the deal, meaning the main benefits of the pause on Iranian nuclear weapons program would be lost, said Gallucci. The U.S. should honor the hard fought deal, Gallucci said.

Gallucci also spoke about first starting out as a negotiator with North Korea. He said that he wasn’t an expert in Korea or Asia, and that he had only been to South Korea once before the negotiations began. “We had no experience at this,” he said, and described the process as “OJT” or “On the Job Training.”

At the time, North Korea wasn’t allowing the International Atomic Energy Association (IAEA) to inspect their nuclear facilities.

Gallucci was sent to negotiate.

When he first met the North Korean diplomats, he observed that “Every single one of them had a little lapel pin of Kim Ilsung.” He continued, “I was imagining myself with a little lapel pin of Bill Clinton, and I couldn’t [imagine it].”

Gallucci also took questions from the audience, ranging from how the process of creating a deal with North Korea would look to partisan politics in Congress. Gallucci clarified that he didn’t feel the partisan divide hugely affected his work.

Gallucci has an extensive background in diplomacy that includes serving as President of the MacArthur Foundation and serving as the dean of Georgetown University School of Foreign Service. Gallucci now teaches at Georgetown University.

The event was sponsored by the Crown Center for Middle East Studies, the Department of Politics and the International and Global Studies Program.

IN THE SENATE: April 7, 2019 •

Class of 2019 Senator Kent Dinlenc introduced a proposal to de-charter The Brandeis Hoot. The Senators deliberated for an hour over the issue and invited representatives from The Hoot to speak. The senate will vote on Sunday, April 14.

•

Ridgewood and Ziv Quad Senator Leigh Salomon ’19, chair of the Dining Committee, reported that hand sanitizer machines and Dasani seltzer water machines will be installed in dining halls during spring break.

•

Salomon also added that Sodexo will be creating recipe books after complaints that Sodexo employees did not know all the ingredients in foods.

•

Salomon also announced that his committee has been working making prices for fruit in the Hoot Market stable, regardless of the season.

•

Services and Outreach Committee Chair Kendal Chapman’22 talked about the Midnight Buffet and stressed that promotion of the event was especially necessary because it’ll no longer take place in Levine Ballroom but in the Shapiro Campus Center as well as the Great Lawn

•

Chapman also introduced a Senate Money Resolution for Midnight Buffet for color posters and more food. The Senate passed the SMR by a vote of acclamation.

•

Chapman then introduced another SMR for a flea market for seniors. Finkel announced that the Senate would not vote on this issue this week.

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Village Quad Senator Jake Rong ’21 introduced the “Amendment Giving the Senate the Power to Subpoena Club Leaders,” which would allow the Senate to “by majority vote, mandate that a particular Club Officer report before the Senate.” The amendment will be voted on on Sunday.

•

Finkel briefly summarized an amendment to Section XIII of the Bylaws, which would allow clubs to use a non-faculty or full-time staff member to serve as a club consultant with Student Activities’ approval. Finkel stated that the Senate did not have to vote that day, and encouraged discussion about the amendment.

•

Finkel also introduced an amendment to have class senators be moderators of the MyDeis class Facebook groups, with members of the Department of Communications serving as administrators. Members objected and it’ll be voted on on Sunday.

-Thalia Plata

PHOTO BY CELIA YOUNG/THE HOOT

4 NEWS

The Brandeis Hoot

April 12, 2019

Local politicians speak on engaging in politics

By Celia Young editor

Local politicians, including Waltham’s mayor, two state representatives and one state senator, spoke on engaging in politics— and their experience in passing legislation to make it easier for victims of sexual abuse to come forward.

State Representative John Lawn spoke about his experience working to pass legislation that expanded the statute of limitations on child sexual abuse crimes, and allowed victims of child sexual abuse to come forward for more years after the abuse occurred.

“We were able finally to get this

legislation passed and we were able to extend the civil side of the statute of limitations for another 35 years from the age of 21,” Lawn said. Lawn described the law as giving people “a voice they felt they never had had before.”

Waltham Mayor Jeanette McCarthy chimed in, calling the law “a herculean effort,” as it involved working with multiple interest groups including lawyers, religious groups and others.

“You don’t do that in a generation,” she said.

Lawn got involved because a constituent reached out to him personally, he said. “It was an example of a constituent who reached out who made an appointment to just meet for coffee.”

He continued, “And from there,

through the help of the whole delegation in raising awareness in working with a lot of the advocate groups that were involved in this issue, we were able to get something done.”

State Representative Tom Stanley also spoke about hearing from constituents—one in particular.

Stanley spoke about meeting the father of a transgender son who committed suicide. Stanley said he knew it would be a “lightning rod issue,” but felt compelled to help improve transgender rights after hearing that story.

State Senator Michael Barett said he didn’t need to hear a personal story to feel compelled to act, saying “what I need to know is that the issue is important to you,” and urged listeners to con-

tact their state representatives on key issues.

State Senator Michael Barrett emphasized that he encourages his constituents to call their representatives to learn how to get involved. “If you care about something passionately it is possible to believe you can engage here in Massachusetts.”

Lawn said that one of the most effective ways to get in touch is to meet a representative for coffee.

“We will come meet with you,” he said.

Waltham Mayor Jeanette McCarthy spoke about how, with growing access to communication through social media it can be easier to contact your representatives, but she prefers face to face conversations.

Stanley spoke about the dangers of social media, saying he experienced personal attacks from individuals, including death threats.

“It’s easy to say what you want when you’re not doing it face to face.”

All politicians expressed that they expected to be approached about issues, recounting anecdotes of being approached in the grocery store, or when they were mowing the lawn. All strive to listen to their constituents, and Barrett encouraged constituents to visit their local representatives in person in the middle of the week (Tuesday through Thursday), as those days tend to be less busy.

18 to run for open senate, judiciary, representative seats

By Celia Young editor

A total of 18 students are running for 15 open seats on the Brandeis Student Union, with 10 running for the senate, four for judiciary, two for representatives to the Undergraduate Curriculum Committee (UCC) and two for the Community Emergency and Enhancement Fund (CEEF).

There are 10 open seats on the Senate, including two open seats for the Class of 2020, 2021 and 2022. No one has decided to run for the racial minority senator seat or senator for international students seat.

Jacob Diaz ’20, Dane Leoniak ’20, Trevor Filseth ’20 and Scott Halper ’20 are running for the two Class of 2020 seats.

Diaz has served as the off campus senator for the last semester.

“My work in the senate and in the rules committee has been to hold us senators accountable...such as passing legislation that requires senators attend their committee meetings,” he wrote in his candidates biography.

Diaz continued to describe how he has “tirelessly worked to keep the free press free.” He also spoke about his goals for next year, saying, “My goal for next year will be

to continue to make sure my constituents’ interests are being held in the senate and make sure that our career at Brandeis ends on a high note.”

Leoniak wrote about his platform for the Class of 2020 seat, saying, “I’m running for office because I believe the Student Union has not been listening to many people and groups on campus, and I want that to change.”

Filseth has served as the Class of 2020 senator for the last semester. Filseth and halper did not submit candidate biographies by press time.

Sissel Tan ’21 and Jake Rong ’21 are running unopposed for Class of 2021 senator seats.

Tan is studying International Global Studies (IGS) and sociology and is an undergraduate representative of IGS department and vice president of Global China Connection. “I decide[d] to contribute more to our loving campus and make our community more active and energetic, by being able [to] participate in campus regulating, problem solving and improving,” wrote Tan in her candidates biography.

Rong has served on the Student Union since he was a first-year and is currently the Rules Committee chair on the senate. Rong wrote about his experience on the senate, including initiating a part-

nership with the Residence Hall Association, the Undergraduate Library Council and his perfect attendance record at Senate meetings in his candidates biography.

Topaz Fragoso ’22 and Joseph Coles ’22 are running unopposed for Class of 2022 senator.

Fragoso has served as the Class of 2022 senator for the past year.

“After being the senator for a year, I now know what I can try and change and what still needs to be done. I am learning how to represent everyone equally and make the best decisions,” wrote Fragoso in her candidates biography.

Coles did not submit a candidates biography by press time.

Joshua Hoffman ’21 and Nancy Zhai ’22 are running unopposed for the two senator-at-large seats.

Hoffman currently serves as the Skyline and Rosenthal quad senator. Hoffman worked on the condom project initiative, which installed condoms in first-year dorms. Hoffman did not submit a candidates biography by press time.

Zhai currently serves as the Class of 2022 senator. Zhai also described her work on the dining committee to address labelling in the dining halls. “As Senator atLarge, I plan to work with dining administration to make the current meal plan practice more accommodating for students as well

as ensure the quality and representation of food options,” wrote Zhai in her candidates Biography.

Four students are running for the five open associate justice seats on the Student Union Judiciary. Jack Ranucci ’22, Rachel Sterling ’21, Ruth Itzkowitz ’22 and Yehoshua Rubin ’20.

Ranucci is currently an associate justice on the Brandeis Student Union Judiciary. In his candidates biography, Ranucci wrote about his experience of the Judiciary—especially his work reviewing the governing documents of the union.

“I have been able to hit the ground running this semester, and I hope you all vote to reelect me so I can continue to advise the Union and serve the Brandeis community,” wrote Ranucci in his candidates biography.

Sterling has served as an associate justice for the past two months. “My values are anchored in the belief that every student deserves the opportunity to be recognized and fully contribute to our school, and that we must encourage all student voices to be heard,” wrote Sterling her candidates biography.

Itzkowitz is an admissions tour guide and is involved in the Waltham Group at Brandeis. “I have read through the bylaws and the Constitution to better under-

stand the working of the Student Union and want to ensure the Student Union is run fairly and justly… I hope to make next year at Brandeis a successful year for the Student Union and the student body,” wrote Itzkowitz in her candidates biography.

Rubin is a double major in economics and politics, and in his candidates biography spoke about upholding the integrity of the Union as an institution. “I intend to arbitrate cases fairly and with impartiality. Allow me to uphold the Judiciary’s tradition of fairness and dignity,” wrote Rubin in his candidates biography.

Two students, Jiale Hao ’22 and Mike Bender ’22 are running for representative to CEEF. Hao did not submit a candidates biography by press time.

Bender is currently the representative to the CEEF board.

“During my time on CEEF, we were able to put through some amazing student projects...I would appreciate the opportunity to continue supporting student-led initiatives on campus,” wrote Bender in his candidates biography.

Lyle James ’21 and Steven Luo ’21 are running for UCC Representative.

James and Luo did not submit candidates biographies by press time.

Students gather for Take Back the Night, march to Light of Reason

By Madeline Herrup staff

Students gathered at the Rabb steps for the annual Take Back the Night (TBTN) march on the evening of April 11. During this time, students and administration leading the event spoke to the crowd and walked together down to the Light of Reason to raise awareness for sexual assault and violence.

Becky Schwartz ’20 and Chila Haber ’19, two students at Brandeis, were the main students involved in running the event Thursday evening. Each took turns speaking to the crowd at the beginning. They vocalized sexual violence statistics specific to Brandeis while walking down the center of campus and ended on a serious note at the Light of Reason before going to admissions

for a personal reflection.

Haber began with reiterating the privacy of the march, not limited to press attending the event but also to every attendee. She emphasized confidentiality and collective privacy being the top priorities, as sexual assault and violence are very personal and vulnerable for any individual to speak about. Haber and several other organizers of TBTN served not only as facilitators but people able to intervene if any person felt their safety was put into question.

All support people present at the event, including peer advocates and Sarah Berg, director of PARC, made sure all participants knew they could come walk with them at any time. Each person wore glow sticks to make themselves known. Other professors, staff and resources were present in addition to those visible or with

TBTN shirts, available to support the students’ narratives.

Schwartz presented for the crowd some statistics via the 2015 Brandeis Climate Survey, though her more present message is how the numbers “most likely underestimate the prevalence of sexual violence at Brandeis.” This is a reality for a variety of reasons, she said, such as students not wishing to disclose their experience or “not labeling their experience as sexual violence.”

Haber ended this part of the march with several important points, one of which was that “Take Back the Night is a call to the entire Brandeis community, to commit collectively and intentionally to ending violence in all its forms.” From here, the chant was recited to the crowd to be said while marching throughout campus: “Shatter the silence, stop

the violence; ignite the light, take back the night.”

During the walk to the Light of Reason, many students were offered a candle with an electronic switch to hold while walking, connected to the chant recited during the march. Some marched silently, some marched with friends and some carried on in regular dialogue.

The banner displaying the words “Take Back the Night” was held in front of the march to the Light of Reason, as well as to admissions for the reflective piece of the evening. When arriving at the Light of Reason as the sun set on the Brandeis campus, Schwartz and Haber reaffirmed the privacy of the space created through TBTN. Schwartz briefly discussed ways in which Brandeis has reacted to sexual assault and violence in

the past, and how students have responded. This is indicative of the ongoing dialogue happening between administration and students on campus. Schwartz ended by emphasizing how sexual violence is prevalent on Brandeis campus, and as such, “the university must reaffirm its commitment” to best responding to and advocating for students.

Time was given before heading to admissions for silent reflections at the Light of Reason. Chalk was handed out to write on the concrete, with any thoughts that came to mind. One individual wrote, as an ongoing part of sexual violence and healing dialogue, “I believe you,” with a heart beside it.

The main speakers reiterated this while letting the crowd know that “We support you,” and saying that the messages from TBTN 2019 span beyond that evening.

April 12, 2019

NEWS 5

The Brandeis Hoot

By Rachel Saal

Harvard prof. gives annual John Lisman ’66 Memorial Lecture

editor

A Harvard Medical School Professor received the John Lisman ’66 Memorial award on Tuesday.

Professor Connie Cepko, Professor of Ophthalmology and the Bullard Professor of Genetics and Neuroscience at Harvard Medical School, also delivered the John Lisman ’66 Memorial Lecture in Vision Science.

In her lecture, Cepko spoke about retinal development, gene therapy used to improve vision and developing tools that will allow the use of GFP (green fluorescent protein) to control biological activities.

Cepko began the lecture, ti-

tled, “The Development of the Vertebrate Retina and Nanobodies as Regulators of Intracellular Activities,” by talking about the work that she has done with some of her graduate students, including a “remarkable” student named Jonathan Tang.

Tang read about GFP nanobodies and realized that if you could find a pair of GFP nanobodies that could co-occupy the GFP molecule, then by making fusion cedionades such as creating in lab a cedionade of one nanobody and some protein domain, he might be able to create two fusion protein which could co-occupy GFP. GFP would then scaffle— that is, bring together— the fusion domains and create a novel activity. That novel activity would only occur in a cell expressed GFP, said Cepko.

“I thought that it’s so clever, but it probably won’t work, because so many clever ideas don’t work. But in fact, it did,” said Cepko. They then created a method for gene exploitation in the lab named CRE-DOG, a cell type-specific manipulation with GFP-dependent Cre recombinase in 2015, according to Cepko.

Cepko started her science career in viruses in Phillips Sharp’s lab at MIT and Richard Mulligans’ lab as a postdoctoral fellow. She was instrumental in bringing the technique of using retroviruses to introduce genes into biological systems to cause expression of proteins in bio systems to enable practices like lineage tracing, according to Professor Stephen Van Hooser. He said that she most prominently

has studied retinal development and has unpacked the proteins and signaling pathways that are involved in patterning and cellbased division in the retina.

Cepko has 200 papers studying the signaling pathways and the lineage tracing in a variety of structures, and she also has worked on retinitis pigmentosa, a group of rare, genetic disorders that involve a breakdown and loss of cells in the retina—which is the light sensitive tissue that lines the back of the eye. She has been instrumental in developing tools for science and therapy.

Cepko said that she would have liked to meet Lisman, the namesake of the award, and that she heard he gave a lecture similar to the one that she was delivering, but his was from the ICU.

“What an incredible person he must have been,” said Cepko.

The award was previously named the Jay Pepose ’75 Award in Vision Sciences, but following the death of John Lisman ’66 in 2017, the name was changed to memorialize him, according to the Brandeis events page. Lisman earned his undergraduate degree in physics from Brandeis and he later received a doctorate in physiology at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a postdoctoral fellowship at Harvard University under Nobel Laureate George Wald. He returned to Brandeis in 1974 as an assistant professor and then became a full professor in 1987.

SSSP community praises academic success SSSP, from page 1

tablish confidence. He will graduate this May with a bachelor of science in biology and will earn a masters in biotechnology next year.

Chelsea Walker, assistant director of SSSP, then called students up to the stage to collect gifts, including Sandra Casarez ’21, Jorge Chaves ’20, and Irma Zamarripa ’21, and a short video was pre-

sented showing all the students’ favorite aspects of Brandeis that inspired them the most. From developing clothes in a fashion class, to working in admissions, to aiding students through the Samaritans suicide hotline, everyone showcased some important aspect of their college life.

Following the video, Deborah V. Fataki ’19, a Posse scholar from Atlanta, Georgia, reflected on her educational experiences, leaving

the audience with a powerful adage, “don’t fake it until you make it, rather face it until you overcome it.” A current scholar in the Brandeis IBS program then explained how first generation students don’t give themselves enough credit for the work they do as students. He further elaborated on his desire to give back to his community and to support his family, and he hopes a degree from IBS will provide a step-

Prof. lectures on sexual violence

By Emma Lichtenstein editor

A Brandeis professor spoke about her discoveries from the research she conducted in preparation for her second novel, which “explores literary articulation of sexual assault in modern… Israeli culture,” she said.

Professor Szobel, Associate Professor of Modern Hebrew Literature on the Joseph H. and Belle R. Braun Chair, started the lecture by bringing up examples of sexual violence against women in Hebrew literature from the 20th century and then spoke about her book, “Flesh to Flesh: Sexual Violence in Hebrew Literature.”

She focused most on “Beer Sheva, the Capital of Negev” by Amalia Kahana-Carmon. A sexual encounter is mentioned, but she states that all readings express the scene as romantic, proving the main character’s loyalty to the love interest. Professor Szobel brings up the idea that this scene describes a forced encounter, pointing out predatory language used in the scene and in other places throughout the novel. She states, “the fact that sexual violence was excluded from the readings tells more about the research… than about the literature itself.”

Szobel acknowledged that modern day Israeli culture is trying to be more sensitive to sexual violence than they were in the past but that even today’s response still isn’t perfect. As an example, she brought up a 2016 issue of “Lalsha” magazine, which featured 22 women speaking up about their sexual assault experiences. She said that while it

was great to empower women to come forward with their stories and portray themselves as survivors rather than victims, society has unintentionally marginalized the group of people who still do feel like victims or who aren’t able to discuss their trauma.

Szobel explained this pressure that society has placed on sexual violence victims to publicly come forward and bare all the gory details, making that the only acceptable coping mechanism, refusing to acknowledge that repression or reflection may be valid methods for others.

“I take no issue with speech but cultural dominance in relation to other voices and experiences of victims.” She argued that this massive dominance of speech “works against the transgressive nature of victim’s speech” by still putting stress on women.

Most of the stories told about survivors are by those who have started to heal from the traumatic experiences. She mentioned that mainstream media “rarely tells stories of women who are still suffering from abuse.” Mainstream media also often fails to address minorities in Israeli culture, creating a “deafening silence.”

Issues with media coverage, she explains, can come from anxiety about the randomness and helplessness of assault. She mentioned that a lot of coverage involves speaking about how this assault could have been prevented, usually on the victim’s end rather than the perpetrator’s end.

This narrative is “more comforting than living with the fear of the uncontrollable,” she argued.

Towards the end of the lecture, Professor Szobel spoke about why

most of the narratives focus on one type of assault (as in stories from non-minority survivors).

She said, “writing about multidimensional aspects of sexual violence… raises questions about moral, ethical and legal implications of Israeli supremacy.”

Professor Szobel brought up again that 2016 issue of “Lalsha.”

Rotem Elish is one of the 22 women featured, and she had the opportunity to light the torch at the Israeli Independence Day ceremony in 2016. She comments that this is ironic, since it practically “expose[s] the unspoken connection between Zionist ideology and violence against women.”

The floor then opened up to questions, where she developed this idea more.

She spoke about how the body is manipulated in Zionist ideology, how this ideology emphasizes masculine people, able-bodied people and Ashkenazi people (referring both to the religion and the light skin tone). People that do not fit this criteria become super vulnerable, but there is little material about their stories. “We know it [violence] happens, but it’s not represented in Israeli literature.”

When asked about how Palestinians fit into that narrative of vulnerable minorities, she mentioned that Israelis have created an “eroticixation of the occupation [of Palestine].”

She further explained how even the original Zionist pioneers were violent people, who committed asks of abuse—both sexual and nonsexual—even when Israel was being founded. She noted that she found it interesting that this violence did not change these victims’ Zionistic values.

ping-stone for such goals.

After this, the final awards were presented for the night, including a leadership award to Chau for dedication to the community and an award for citizenship to Irma Reyes ’21. Graduate assistants Leah Shafer (GRAD), Jeremy Rappaport Stein (GRAD) and Habiba Farh (GRAD) were also praised for their efforts, and Yvonna Roderick ’20 was given an award for peer mentor of the year.

The last award of the night, tutor of the year, was given to Brandis Whitfield ’19 for her contributions to the mathematics department, dedicating time to over 15 tutees while also managing her personal life. Lewis then made her closing remarks, restating her happiness for all the students in the program and her best wishes for their life journeys following Brandeis.

Fire drill to take place in Ridgewood residence area, April 16 beginning at 11:30

By Celia Young editor

Between 11:30 a.m. and 11:45 a.m. on Tuesday, April 16, fire alarms will go off at Ridgewood Residences as part of a test of the Brandeis Emergency Notification System (BENS) and evacuation drill, according to an email sent on April 9 from Vice President of Campus Operations James Gray.

Students will be required to evacuate from Ridgewood to Spingold Theater. Once the buildings are clear, staff will allow everyone to re-enter Ridgewood, according to the email.

Between 11:30 a.m. and 11:45 a.m. members of the Waltham Police and Fire departments, along with staff from the Department of Community Living (DCL), Public Safety and Emergency Management will supervise the evacuation drill.

At 11:30 a.m. on Tuesday, students will be notified by email and phone about the test. Students will receive an email to their Brandeis address and a text and voicemail to their Brandeis University telephone, which is the phone number registered an a student’s Sage account. These messages will also be sent to a student’s cell phone and to their personal email address, if a student has registered

those devices for emergency notifications.

Students can register for BENS through their Sage account. “To receive notifications via text message or a non-Brandeis email address, you must provide us with your mobile phone number, and check the box authorizing Brandeis to send texts and personal email address,” wrote Gray in his email.

Gray emphasized that the alarms are only a test, writing in his email, “Again, this is only a TEST. In the event of a real emergency, these messages would include instructions and information.”

The drill is being coordinated with the Brandeis Public Safety Department, Emergency Management, Information Technology Services, the Office of Communications and DCL. BENS provides emergency alerts, severe weather delays and closure notifications to the Brandeis community. For more information and instructions on registration, students should go to go.brandeis.edu/alerts.

A week prior to the notification of the emergency drill, Gray sent out another email encouraging students to register for BENS. This earlier email did not mention the drill.

6 NEWS

The Brandeis Hoot

April 12, 2019

Hoot remains chartered, senator rescinds proposal RECINDS, from page 1

cize both equally.” Dinlenc resigned from the Justice on April 6, after pressure from the Justice editorial staff, according to the letter from the editor published on April 7 by the Justice.

When Dinlenc met with Sarah Terrazano ’19, Editor-in-Chief of The Hoot, to discuss sustainability, Terrazano said that the meeting “seemed more like a gathering of information for sustainability purposes.” According to Terrazano, the duality of purpose bylaw was never discussed.

Dinlenc expressed interest in merging the two newspapers.

In an interview with The Hoot, Terrazano said, “I told him I couldn’t make the decision by myself and needed to talk to the rest of the editorial board but told him that a merger was unlikely.”

Dinlenc sent out a survey in a Facebook post regarding the interest in and sustainability of having two student newspapers on campus last Wednesday. A couple of hours later, Dinlenc added a different version of the post, removing any mention of the Senate Sustainability Committee, also known as SenSus, of which he is the senate co-chair.

But in the senate meeting on Sunday, Dinlenc refers to this survey, although the word “sustainability” only appears once in his proposal. In an email interview with The Hoot last week, Dinlenc wrote that the point of the survey

was to “...gather the opinions of the student body regarding the presence of 2 campus newspapers and whether or not they see it as an issue from a sustainability standpoint.” In his proposal, Dinlenc admitted that “...the survey has accrued only 72 responses” but only “... 51 unbiased opinions out of 3,639 undergraduates.”

Dinlenc plans to remove biased responses from students who have written for either The Hoot or the Justice. Dinlenc continued that he would share the results with the senate if the survey reached the threshold of five percent (182 unbiased students). As of April 11, the survey had only received 98 total votes and 77 unbiased.

In the senate meeting introducing his proposal, Dinlenc said the issue of The Hoot was “Ultimately…a bylaws issue and an environment issue, and it’s a redundancy that we do not need.”

“Brandeis is the only, only university in the country that produces two papers on campus,” Dinlenc stated. He added that “…there is little to no ideological issue between the two [The Hoot and the Justice.]”

In an interview with The Hoot, Celia Young ’21, news editor of The Hoot refuted both of these claims. “We are not the only small school with two newspapers.

Oberlin comes to mind.” And when asked about the differences between the two papers, Young said that she considered The Hoot to be “more investigative.”

“We focus more on the Brandeis

community because the Justice also focuses on the Waltham community and the Bentley community,” Young told the senators at the meeting on Sunday.

Senator for Off Campus Students Jacob Diaz ’20 also took issue with Dinlenc’s claims that having two on-campus newspapers was outside the norm.

“We are Brandeis; we shouldn’t be comparing ourselves to other universities,” said Diaz.

In the introduction of his proposal at the senate meeting, Dinlenc also claimed that The Hoot and the Justice’s constitutions were too similar. “Their ethics policy is pretty much copy paste,” said Dinlenc. He also claimed that “there is no barrier in transition from working in one paper and also working in another, other than the rivalry that is already present.”

Young, at the senate meeting, refuted both these claims. “There is a barrier of transition in the Justice according to Article 2 Section 4 of the Justice constitution: No staff member can write for a competing publication. That means that Justice writers are not allowed to write for The Hoot,” said Young. She also added, “The Justice and The Hoot are both newspapers; we’re obviously going to have similar codes of ethics.”

Young also disagreed with Dinlenc’s main two arguments for de-chartering The Hoot. Regarding duality of purpose, Young stated that “..the argument has been brought up before, but generations of Union members have held up

The Hoot even though this bylaw does exist.” She added, “I think it doesn’t apply to use because The Hoot and the Justice are very different. We cover different things.”

Young cited research that she and Sabrina Chow ’21, opinions editor of The Hoot, conducted where they compared articles from The Hoot and the Justice from this spring semester. According to Young, she and Chow found that “at least double the content is different,” and “… usually it’s more than double.”

Young also lamented the “poor timing” of the proposal, a sentiment Vice President of the Student Union Aaron Finkel ’19 seemed to share when interviewed by The Hoot. “Usually big proposals get introduced in one meeting, deliberated in the next and amended if necessary and voted on in the next,” said Finkel. He cited the club consultant proposal as an example.

“The proposal [from Dinlenc] was officially brought forward within a day while the club consultant proposal was brought up in several meetings, and there were several conversations with clubs before that,” said Finkel.

He expressed his regret for the lack of further debate. “We need to give it a lot more time.”

Finkel added that he “would encourage everyone over the next couple of days, if they have opinions, to make their voice heard and talk to their senators.”

In response to the proposal, The Hoot editorial board penned

a petition, asking students, clubs, and “non-Brandeis affiliated individuals” to show their support.

The Hoot also circulated a letter, written by alum David Pepose ’08, asking alumni for support.

The letter in the petition states, “The Hoot is more than just a newspaper to us; it is our livelihood, our pride and joy and a family of dozens—if not hundreds— of current students and alumni.”

They ask readers to “stand in solidarity with [them] and support that The Hoot should not be de-chartered as a club on campus.”

As of late Thursday afternoon, the petition has been signed by 515 current students and recent alumni, 65 campus clubs and has garnered support from non-Brandeis affiliated clubs and individuals.

The alumni letter of support has 60 signatures from Hoot alumni and 93 general Brandeis alumni.

When asked about the petition and her experience, Young said, “This has shown me that The Hoot is a family. It’s not just a newspaper, or a club or something people forget after they graduate—it’s a family that is there for you for life.”

Dinlenc declined an in-person interview, instead referring The Hoot to his proposal.

The senate will no longer vote on the proposal to de-charter The Hoot, because as of 11:39 p.m. on Thursday, April 11, the de-charter proposal was rescinded by Dinlenc.

‘Buyer Beware’ to be produced off-campus CAMPUS PLAY, from page 1

New York in front of a group of “backers who expressed interest in it,” he told The Brandeis Hoot.

It could be seen by the public as early as next year, according to an article in The Boston Globe. The play has a new director, Tony Speciale.

Weller said that after it became clear that it wasn’t going to be performed on campus in 2017, he put “Buyer Beware” to the side to focus on two other plays. At the time, he hadn’t finished writing the script, even though it had already sparked protest from some students and alumni for its portrayal of black characters when a draft copy—shared with a select

group within the theater department—was leaked.

Students claimed the play contained stereotypical black characters and some called on the administration and theater department, asking for the play to be canceled. At first, “Buyer Beware” was postponed to Spring 2018 but it was eventually withdrawn

by Weller after frustrations with communication from the theater department.

“When I heard that African American kids were up in arms, I started asking my own African American friends and playwright buddies to look at it and give me pointers,” Weller said, noting that he has since made changes to the interactions of white and black students in the script.

(There is no indication that African American students in particular objected to the script.

Though objections centered around the way the play depicted black characters, they were most often voiced publicly by students who were not black.

“Not to toot my own horn,” Weller said, “but it’s a very good play.”

Early in “Buyer Beware,” the Bruce-inspired Brandeis student is overheard by a black student as he recites a monologue by Bruce which uses the n-word. When he schedules a comedy performance—incidentally on the same night as a wealthy donor is visiting campus—the student faces both student protest and pressure from the administration to cancel

the comedy routine.

“It’s very timely and important and similar sorts of repressive steps have been taken on other campuses, so I think there is a feeling just afoot that this whole subject has to be addressed by somebody,” Weller said.

When “Buyer Beware” was canceled at Brandeis in 2017, free speech advocates with the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education sent an open letter to university administration urging the university to re-invite Weller and “Buyer Beware” to Brandeis and voicing concerns of censorship. The administration maintained that the play had not been cancelled or censored by Brandeis.

Karen Eilbacher, an actor who

read the part of a black student activist during the reading in New York, said of “Buyer Beware,” “I love this script so much,” according to an article published by The Boston Globe.

“Buyer Beware” is developing with “unusual speed,” according to Weller, who compared it to another play he wrote, “Fifty Words,” which only had two characters and one set but took six years to reach the public. Weller was nominated for an Oscar in 1982 for his play “Ragtime.”

He also mentioned that he is working separately on another version of “Buyer Beware,” which he is crafting as a miniseries. He gave few details about this project.

CEEF asks for new projects, displays old

By Celia Young editor

The Community Enhancement and Emergency Fund (CEEF) will be accepting ideas for student initiated community enhancement projects until Sept. 15. The CEEF fund contains $250,000, $100,000 of which goes to student projects while $150,000 goes towards emergencies.

The projects can be anything from installing water fountains and swing sets, to renovating an underused space, listed Tal Ritchman ’19, the community representative to CEEF in an information session to students on Wednesday.

The projects can be fully funded, partially funded or receive no funding at all, said Ritchman, who encouraged students to re-

search their projects fully over the summer and to reach out to offices at Brandeis for guidance or to partner with on a project.

“The funding must be used to enhance the Brandeis community as a long term benefit. The emergency projects must be related to student life and student activities,” said a handout given to students at the information session.

Ritchman expanded on this in an interview with The Brandeis Hoot, saying, “I want to make sure that it’s [the project] something that could not be addressed by any other department.” Ritchman emphasized that though the university is lacking in resources, there are some projects that are work funding through CEEF because otherwise they won’t happen.

It’s a balance, Ritchman said, who said he wants to “make sure

the university is accountable for what they need to provide.” Ritchman said that he’d worked with different departments to partially fund or support projects.

Once applications are submitted, the CEEF committee of five students—three from the Student Union and two from the undergraduate student body—will review them for two weeks. Students will present their proposals before the committee, which will then deliberate and decide over another week. Funds for the projects are allocated and managed through the Student Union Management System (SUMS).

Past projects that have been approved by CEEF include the Branda app, an application that informs students about dining hall hours, laundry availability and other information, the renovation of the Berlin Chapel, the

Shapiro Campus Center TV display near the information booth and the library treadmill project.

The Branda app was a project spearheaded by Benjamin Segal ’20 and coded by a team of 12, including first-years, sophomores, and juniors. Most students were coders, and some were software engineers, said Segal in an interview with The Brandeis Hoot.

To make the project sustainable, Segal recruited first-year coders to join the team and plans to continue a cycle of recruiting two to three first-years per year.

Segal was rejected by the CEEF committee the first time he presented the idea of an app, and said that the experience was helpful in better planning the project.

Segal presented again and was approved for $21,000, according to Ritchman. The Branda team is continuing to work on updates

for the app, including integrating a student’s class schedule, dining hall traffic and notifying students of club events on campus.

Alex Friedman ’19 worked on the renovation of the Berlin Chapel, which involved extensive renovations. “Downstairs, we cleaned like crazy, replaced the lights, repaired and repainted the walls, replaced the floor and abated the asbestos underneath it, brought in a rug and tables and chairs, installed some student artwork and replaced the windows,” Friedman wrote in an email to The Hoot.

Friedman recommended that students workshop with administrators and other students to help prepare for the project. The renovation project was allocated $18,000 plus another $6,000 to remove the asbestos beneath the flooring.

April 12, 2019

NEWS 7

The Brandeis Hoot

Dear Brandeis University Student Union Senators: a letter from Hoot Alumni ALUMNI, from page 1

being the subject of journalistic investigation is never a comfortable process, that scrutiny is part and parcel of being a member of the Student Union. Having a member of the Student Union openly advocate to decrease transparency on campus with such a measure is a questionable proposal under the best of circumstances, but given the author of the proposal’s clear conflict of interest — both as the subject of an unflattering article and as a former writer for a competing newspaper — this dubious foundation actually provides the strongest possible argument in favor of a diverse and robust environment for journalism on the Brandeis campus.

Finally, the idea of having multiple journalistic voices on the Brandeis campus has been one that has been mutually ben-

eficial to both students and the University alike. As the campus namesake Justice Louis D. Brandeis once said, “sunlight is said to be the best of disinfectants” — and following The Hoot’s arrival on campus in 2005, student journalists have been more instrumental than ever in uncovering deeply problematic incidents on campus, ranging from the outrageous decision to remove artwork created by Palestinian children from the Goldfarb Library to the illegal proposal to sell donated artwork from the Rose Art Museum to Sodexo mislabeling its gluten-free options in Brandeis cafeterias. V Rather than The Hoot’s message being redundant to other publications, the reporting has been additive to the on-campus dialogue, with this rigorous environment of investigation and scrutiny bringing the University much-needed transparency and

social justice. Furthermore, as alumni of an institution dedicated to “truth, even unto its innermost parts,” we are frankly astonished that any member of the Brandeis community would advocate to limit students to only one perspective on on-campus events. By having multiple voices with multiple approaches of reporting and investigation, we only strengthen our critical facilities and guard against malfeasance and genuine bad actors alike.

Yet, as a university, Brandeis’ top commitment should be to its students — and by having multiple outlets with distinct editorial voices and production processes, decommissioning The Hoot would profoundly affect the strong journalistic environment that has defined Brandeis’ campus since 2005. For many campuses, being a member of the campus newspaper requires a four-year journalism degree,

and even those campuses that do not require that, having a single print publication lends itself to siloing writers based on seniority, leaning toward homogeneity and establishing disproportionately high barriers of entry for writers from other majors or socioeconomic backgrounds.

But The Hoot has been the launchpad for a generation of reporters, authors, speechwriters, PR officials, social media experts, and data analysts, primarily because it has offered an alternative platform for talented but untested writers to explore the field of journalism. We as a university should be proud to support an institution that allows for students to follow their passions without years of “paying their dues” — yet not only would decommissioning The Hoot stifle freedom of speech and much-needed transparency on campus, but it would actively discourage new students

from pursuing this important and necessary tradition of civic activism.

While the author of this proposal may believe “nobody would be dismayed by the dissolution of The Hoot in three years,” we vehemently disagree. As alumni of Brandeis University, we cannot understate the role that The Brandeis Hoot has had on this campus’ history, as well as the role it has had in our careers, friendships, and even the trajectory of our lives. There is nothing for the University to gain by decommissioning The Hoot, but the implications of closing it would have chilling effects on campus free speech and transparency for years to come. For these reasons as well as the negative public perception this would incur upon the University, we strongly recommend the Student Union to vote against such a zero-sum proposal.

The Brandeis Hoot throughout the years...

PHOTO BY HOOT ALUMNI/THE HOOT

SPORTS

8 The Brandeis Hoot

April 12, 2019

Softball ranked 21st in the nation, remains the only unbeaten team in the NCAA

By Emerson White staff

The Brandeis softball team swept New York University 4-0 in their first weekend of UAA conference play. They had back to back doubleheaders, winning 3-1 and 9-1 on Saturday, and 6-3 and 3-1 on Sunday. With their wins from this weekend, the softball team extends their winning streak to fifteen and becomes the only team in the NCAA to remain undefeated. Brandeis also achieved national ranking this week, coming in at 21st in the NCAA. The Judges started off their weekend against NYU on Saturday, where they won the game 3-1. The Violets started off the scoring in the second inning putting one run on the board.

But the Judges quickly responded in the third inning answering NYU’s one run with three. With two runners on base, catcher, Keri Lehtonen ’19 sent a double to left field making the score 1-1. Then, Bridget Cifuni ’21 and shortstop Jolie Fujita ’21 hit back-to-back infield grounders to give Brandeis

the lead. With the score being 3-1, the Judges and the Violets battled the next four innings scoreless, thanks to Brandeis pitcher Scottie Todd ’20. Todd held the Violets to just one hit over the next four innings. Todd finished the game with four strikeouts and three walks and only gave up one earned run.

In game two of Saturday, the Judges could not be stopped offensively. Brandeis scored nine runs on 15 hits. Fujita and Todd performed strongly for the Judges yet again, each finishing with three hits in the game. Lehtonen was also a big player for Brandeis, hitting a two-run triple in the sixth inning and a three-run double in the seventh. On the pitching side, the Judges remained a threat with Sydney Goldman ’22 on the mound. Goldman allowed only five hits for the Violets, and she finished with seven strikeouts.

With this win, Goldman improves to 5-0.

Sunday, the Judges and the Violets returned to face off twice more, and the Judges remained victorious. In the first game of the day, the Brandeis pitching shut

down NYU’s offense yet again.

Todd pitched another complete game, improving to 8-0 on the season. She allowed only one earned run on five hits and finished with five strikeouts and two walks. Offensively, the Judges were first on the board with a run scored by Fujita. Brandeis then added two more runs in the bottom of the sixth, to which NYU responded with one.

The Judges had a slow start in game two and trailed 3-1 at the end of the sixth inning. Then, Brandeis came out hot in their final at-bat of the game, scoring five runs to NYU’s zero, allowing the Judges to win the game 6-3. Todd hit her fourth home run of the season to drive in the game-winning runs. Runs were scored by Todd, Lehtonen, Fujita, Marissa DeLaurentis ’19, Melissa Rothenberg ’21, and Amidori Anderson ’22. In the Violets final at-bat, Goldman struck out three batters in a row to secure the win for the Judges.

After the weekend, pitcher Sydney Goldman ’22 said, “It feels great to be the only unbeaten team. We have a really special

KERRI LEHTONEN ‘19

PHOTO FROM BRANDEISJUDGES.COM

Lehtonen hit a two-run triple and a three--run triple to close

out the game.

team, and each player has a key role in every game. We all fight for each other, and it’s something we hope to continue throughout UAA play.”

With this win, Brandeis remains the only undefeated team in NCAA softball in any division.

Brandeis was also ranked nationally this week, coming in at number 21 in the country in Division III Softball.

Brandeis will host Case Western Reserve next weekend for their first home UAA action of the season.

Baseball swept in conference play against WashU

By Zach Cihlar editor

Brandeis baseball played a series at home over the weekend against UAA Conference opponent Washington University in St. Louis. Despite playing on home turf, the Judges were swept in the four-game conference match-up, bringing their record to 9-13.

The series started off rough for the Judges. The first game, played at night on Friday, April 5, saw strong defensive play from both teams through fourth innings, before slipping from the Judges’ control. A three-run fifth inning granted WashU momentum for the rest of the game, finalizing in a seven-run ninth inning that put the visiting team over the Judges in a 0-15 game.

The Judges pitching gave the WashU Bears 17 total hits, with the Judges hitting responding with just three.

The Judges would recover the next time and put up a stronger defense against WashU’s strong hitting. In the second game of the series, hosted on the morning of Saturday, April 6, Brandeis contested the 18th-ranked team to the finish line, driving the visiting team into an extra inning.

In the top of the first inning, the Bears scored off a pair of two unearned runs. However, the Judges quickly responded in the bottom of the first. The Judges tacked on two runs as well. One occurred off the bat of center fielder Dan Frey ’21, who singled off a WashU error and secured an RBI by getting Victor Oppenheimer ’20 to home plate. Mike Khoury ’21 scored the second run of the inning off a sacrifice fly from Luke Hall ’21.

The Judges took the lead in the third inning off an earned run.

Isaac Fossas ’21 earned the RBI after doubling to center field to get Khoury to home plate.

Brandeis held on to the lead for almost the entire game, but dropped a run in the top of the

CONNOR SHEEHAN ‘21

ninth inning on a sacrifice fly from the Bears, pushing the game into extra innings after Brandeis

PHOTO FROM TWITTER.COM/BRANDEISJUDGES

All smiles for the Judges on Wednesday night with their 19-4 win against Newbury.

couldn’t secure a run in the bottom of the ninth. The Bears earned the solo run in the tenth inning that would ultimately push them to victory.

The last two games featured high run tallies from the Bears that the Judges couldn’t combat.

Brandeis lost the two games 4-10 and 0-11, respectively.

The Judges snapped the losing streak during the week, however, when they played Newbury College on Wednesday, April 10. The game gave the team some earned confidence after scoring 19 runs while only dropping four to the visiting team in the only game of the series.

The Judges are set to return to conference play on Friday, April 19 when they are scheduled to host NYU in a four-game series.

In the meantime, Brandeis is scheduled to play in a couple single-game series to prepare for the conference match-up.

Virginia claims redemption one year later

By Camilla Casanueva staff

A year ago, Virginia earned the overall number one seed of the tournament but lost in a heartbreaking fashion as the No. 16 University of Maryland-Baltimore County made history upsetting the Cavaliers in the first round. It was a long road back but well worth it for Virginia as they bring home the program’s first ever national championship.

In the Final Four, Virginia stunned Auburn 63-62 as Kyle Guy sank three free throws with 0.6 seconds left after a late controversial foul call. Texas Tech grinded past Michigan State 61-51 as the Red Raiders held a comfortable lead for the majority of the game,

but the Spartans pulled within one with three minutes left. However, that would be the last time Michigan State would score, as Matt Mooney made some clutch baskets, leading the way with 22 points. With the championship game set, we were guaranteed to see a first time champion as defensive powerhouses of Virginia and Texas Tech would go head to head.

Virginia completed their redemption season with Monday’s win that needed extra time and called for big shots from De’Andre Hunter, Ty Jerome and Kyle Guy. Virginia had a double digit lead evaporate late in the game, and the teams began trading baskets late, including big three pointers by both sides. Projected to be a defensive slugfest, the contest

turned out to be an unexpected thriller, as the Cavaliers held on for an 85-77 win in overtime.

Virginia was led by possible NBA prospect, De’Andre Hunter, who came to the rescue with a career high of 27 points. The sophomore made the game-tying 3 with 12.1 seconds left in regulation, then made another with just over two minutes left in the extra period to give the Cavaliers the lead for good. After all the criticisms, the jokes, the memes and the laughingstock of last year Virginia is finally able to celebrate. It is a sweet story of redemption for Virginia, after the worst loss by any team in the history of the NCAA tournament; Virginia quite possibly had to win it all in order to rewrite their story, and that is just what they did.

DE’ANDRE HUNTER

PHOTO FROM WASHINGTONPOST.COM

April 12, 2019

SPORTS 9

The Brandeis Hoot

Tennis hosts Senior Day, has another successful weekend

By Sophie Trachtenberg editor

Both the Brandeis men’s and women’s tennis teams faced a full weekend of matches, including the last home match of the spring season this past Sunday, making it Senior Day for the six graduating players. The women upset both of their opponents, beating No. 13 Skidmore College by a margin of 6-3 and winning against University Athletic Association rivals from New York University by the same score. On the men’s side, the 10th ranked Judges fell to number five Bowdoin College in a 3-6 fashion, but defeated NYU by a score of 6-3 on Senior Day. Against Skidmore, the women won at the number three and two spots, but partners Olivia Leavitt ’19 and Lauren Bertsch ’21 fell at the number one spot by a score of 8-7 (7-4). At number two, Diana Dehterevich ’20 and Keren Khromchenko ’19 beat their opponents 8-5. To make the score 2-1 after doubles play, Sophia He ’19 and Ana Hatfield ’22 saw victory after an 8-6 win. In singles, Leavitt sealed a 6-4, 6-0 win at the number two spot. Khromchenko also was successful, winning a superset tiebreaker 10-8 as the number three seed, making it the lengthiest match played against Skidmore. Lastly in the number

five and six spots, He and classmate Michele Lehat ’19 both saw wins, making the final score of the match 6-3.

On Sunday, the Judges faced the Violets of NYU, sweeping them in doubles. Leavitt and Bertsch began by winning a tiebreaker set at number one, ending the match 8-7 (7-2). Dehterevich and Khromchenko dominated in the number two spot, seeing a score of 8-4. Lastly, He and Hatfield came in with another tiebreaker set, winning 8-7 (7-4) at number three. In singles, the Violets had a strong showing in the top seeds, defeating the Judges at the number one and two spots. However, Khromchenko, Bertsch, and Hatfield stepped up at the number three, four, and five spots respectively, giving Brandeis the three wins needed to defeated NYU by a margin of 6-3.

With the men, the Judges fell to the Polar Bears of Bowdoin College on Saturday. Doubles started off strong, with David Aizenberg ’20 and Anupreeth Coramutla ’21 defeated their opponents 8-6 at number one, while Jeff Chen ’22 and Adam Tzeng ’22 also won 8-5 at number two. Ultimately, Nikhil Das ’21 and Rajan Vohra ’21 fell 2-8 at the number three spot, leaving the Judges leading 2-1 heading into the second half of the match. However, the Polar Bears dominated singles play,

PHOTO FROM BRANDEISJUDGES.COM

BRANDEIS TENNIS CLASS OF 2019 (FROM LEFT TO RIGHT)

Sophia He, Olivia Leavitt, Zach Cihlar, Keren Khromchenko, Tyler Ng

and Michele Lehat.

with the Judges only seeing one win at the number four spot, as Chen defeated his opponent 6-4, 6-1.

Despite falling to Bowdoin, the men did not let this set them back in their next match, turning around to beat NYU handily the next day. The Judges swept doubles play, as Aizenberg and Co-

ramutla won 8-2 at number one, Zach Cihlar ’19 and Tzeng defeated their opponents 8-4 at number two, and Tyler Ng ’19 and Colt Tegtmeier ’22 finished the job with an 8-4 win at number three.

This impressive performance propelled Brandeis to success, as they split the singles matches with NYU, seeing wins from Co-

ramutla, Chen, and Cihlar at the number two, four, and six spots respectively.

Against NYU, both the men’s and women’s teams hosted Senior Day, sending off He, Khromchenko, Leavitt, Lehat, Cihlar, and Ng as they played their last home match at Gosman. Congratulations to the Class of 2019!

Men’s track and field finishes third, women’s fifth

By Sabrina Chow editor

The Judges continued their outdoor season strong at the Amherst College Spring Fling with the men placing third with 54 points and women places fifth with 30 points.

Amherst College won the meet with 152 points and Wheaton College (Massachusetts) won on the women’s side with 94 points.

The top performers throughout the day finished in second place.

On the men’s side, Lorenzo Maddox ’20 finished overall in third place in the 100 meter dash with a time of 11.14 seconds. Jacob Ward ’21 finished close behind Maddox in ninth place, with a time of 11.57.

Regan Charie ’19 also finished in third place in the 200 meter dash, completing the race just over seven tenths of a second after the first place finisher, in 22.74 seconds. Patrick Quinlan ’21 finished in 13th with a time of 23.63.

In the 800 meter run, in his outdoor debut, rookie Jacob Grant ’22 finished in sixth place overall with a time of 2:00.81. Erez Needleman ’20 finished in 12th place with a time of 2:02.78.

Rookie Matthew Driben ’22 placed fourth in the 5000 meter run with a time of 15:35.46, almost 10 seconds faster than this seed time. Dan Curley ’20 was close behind Driben, finishing in fifth place with a time of 15:38.43.

Mark Murdy ’21, in his first race all year, finished in seventh place with a time of 15:50.91.

Jack Allan ’20 was one of the top performers on the men’s side, finishing second overall in the 110 meter hurdles with a time of 16.04.

In the 4x100 meter relay, the

Brandeis ‘A’ team, which included Maddox, Michael Kroker ’19, Ward and Charie finished in third overall with a time of 44.37.

The ‘B’ team, made up of Michael Leung ’21, Aaron Baublis ’21, Kevin Truong ’21 and Aaron Corin ’20 with a time of 45.61.

The Brandeis ‘A’ team, made of Aaron Portman ’22, Needleman, Jacob Grant ’22 and Jacob Judd ’20, in the 4x400 relay placed second with a time of 3:32.17.

On the field side, Corin placed second overall in pole vault with a height of 4.25 meters. Breylen Ammen ’21 finished in fourth place with a height of 4.10 meters.

In the throwing events, Scott Grote ’19 shone. Grote finished fourth in the shot put, with a throw of 12.55 meters. Rookie Jeremiah Fantroy ’22 finished in ninth with 10.49 meters while Charie finished in 10th with 9.30

SCOTT GROTE ‘19

meters.

Grote also finished fifth in the discus throw with a throw of 37.59 meters, while Fantroy finished in 14th with a distance of 23.49 meters.

In the hammer throw, Grote finished in 10th with a distance of 37.45 meters, Sam Charnizon ’19 finished in 12th with a distance of 33.73 meters.

Ammen finished second in the javelin throw with a distance of 48.34 meters. Kroker was close behind with a distance of 43.87 meters, finishing in fifth.

On the women’s side, rookie Anna Touitou ’22 finished seventh in the hundred meter dash with a time of 13.05, just five one-hundredths of a second slower than sixth place, and less than a half a second behind the first place finisher.

Julia Bryson ’19 finished second

PHOTO BY NOAH HARPER/THE HOOT

in the 800 meter run with a time of 2:20.36. Five Judges runners finished in fifth through ninth place in this race also. Leinni Valdez ’21, Lisbeth Valdez ’21, Andrea Bolduc ’21, Maya Bliss ’19 and Meaghan Barry ’19 finished the race in 2:22.82, 2:22.84, 2:23.41, 2:23.91 and 2:24.57, respectively.

Rookie Erin Magill ’22 finished third overall in the 5000 meter race, completing it in a time of 18:42.88, shaving almost eight seconds off her seed time.

In the 100 meter hurdles, rookie Sonali Anderson ’22 continued to shine, similar to indoor season, taking second place with a time of 15.74. Tessa Holleran ’21 finished in seventh place with a time of 17.45.

Kanya Brown ’19, Anderson, Holleran and Touitou all competed as the Brandeis “A” team in the

SONALI ANDERSON ‘22

4x100 meter relay and finished in second place with a time of 52.04.

The Brandeis “A” team for the 4x400 meter relay also placed second. Led by Le. Valdez, Li. Valdez, Bolduc and Bryson, the team finished with a time of 4:12.60. The Brandeis “B” team of Mahala Lahvis ’21, Taylor Kane ’22, Hannah Walsh ’22 and Barry finished in fifth with a time of 4:43.60.

Lydia Harris ’20 finished sixth in the discus throw with a distance of 14.07 meters. In the javelin throw, rookie Kerry Tanke ’22 placed seventh with a distance of 30.05 meters. Harris finished in 13th with a distance of 17.10 meters.

The Judges return to action on Friday, April 12 at the Silfin Invitational in New London, CT, at Connecticut College.

PHOTO FROM BRANDEISJUDGES.COM

EDITORIALS

10 The Brandeis Hoot

“To acquire wisdom, one must observe.”

Editors-in-Chief Abigail Gardener Sarah Terrazano Managing Editor Emily Botto Senior Editor Ryan Spencer Copy Editor Natalie Fritzson Deputy Copy Editor Jennifer Cook News Editor Celia Young Deputy News Editor Rachel Saal

Thank you for supporting The Hoot

E

ven though Class of 2019 Sen- of an existing club, then it should er than reasons to conform to other ator Kent Dinlenc withdrew his proposal to de-charter The not be accredited.” We acknowledge universities.

A brief point made in the proposHoot last night, The Brandeis Hoot that The Hoot and the Justice have editorial board cannot disregard the some inherent similarities, such al was the issue of sustainability. lingering effects that his actions had that both newspapers report “reli- While our newspapers are printed and will have on our publication.

journalists had to enter the unnatural role of activists, sacrificing our

Opinions Editor Sabrina Chow

integrity that we have spent years

Deputy Opinions Editor Sasha Skarboviychuk

trying to cultivate within our com-

objectivity and, consequently, the

munity. On a positive note, we had the opportunity to come together

Deputy Features Editor Shruthi Manjunath

with generations of Brandeis alum-

Sports Editors Zach Cihlar Shea Decker-Jacoby

ni, both affiliated and unaffiliated

Deputy Sports Editor Sophie Trachtenberg

the newspaper means to students,

Layout Editor Candace Ng Social Media Editor Emma Lichtenstein Cartoonist Helen Wong

Volume 16 • Issue 11 the brandeis hoot • brandeis university 415 south street • waltham, ma

with The Hoot, and see how much even after they graduate.

We appreciate Dinlenc admitting his mistake and being willing to listen to the voices of the student body. However, his withdrawal of the proposal before it was put to a

STAFF

vote neither erases the damage that

Medjine Barionette, Emma Belkin, Camila Casanueva, Chris DeMena, James Feltner, John Fornagiel, Daniel Freedman, Madeline Herrup, Stewart Huang, Jonah Koslofsky, Jackie Kostenko, Alex Kougasian, Aaron LaFauci, Jenna Lifschitz, Josh Lannon, Thalia Plata, Joseph Silber, Zachary Sosland, Rachel Wang, Emerson White, Hannah Wilson

it caused nor does it erase the ef-

MISSION

The Hoot is a necessary and valu-

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

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

SUBMISSION POLICIES The Brandeis Hoot welcomes letters to the editor on subjects that are of interest to the community. Preference is given to current or former community members and The Hoot reserves the right to edit or reject submissions. The deadline for submitting letters is Wednesday at noon.

Please submit letters to letters@thebrandeishoot.com along with your contact information. Letters should not exceed 500 words. The opinions, columns, cartoons and advertisements printed in The Hoot do not necessarily represent the opinions of the editorial board.

CONNECT phone • (781) 330-0051 e-mail • eic@thebrandeishoot.com online • brandeishoot.com twitter • twitter.com/thebrandeishoot facebook • facebook.com/thebrandeishoot

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

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

To reserve your space in the paper, contact us by phone at (781) 3300051 or by e-mail at ads@thebrandeishoot.com.

GIVE A HOOT, JOIN THE HOOT! Writers, editors, photographers and graphic artists wanted to join The Brandeis Hoot, your weekly community newspaper.

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

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

able, accurate and unbiased sources on recycled paper, we acknowledge

By having to defend our legitima- of news and information” as written that both newspapers can reduce cy and justify our existence, we as in the statement of purpose in our printing to be more sustainable. But

Arts Editors Ben Beriss Noah Harper

Features Editor Polina Potochevska

April 12, 2019

forts that students and alumni put in to protect journalistic freedom.

We stand firm in our belief that able addition to Brandeis and its

constitution.

In the spirit of having diverse

it is also worth noting that not only does The Hoot print fewer news-

voices on campus, the two news- papers than the Justice, but it takes papers need to have similarly func- more energy to produce and read a tioning platforms to share those newspaper online than in print beperspectives and not prioritize cause of the amount of electricity it some voices over others. Our sim- takes to charge a laptop. We at The ilarities allow us to keep each other

Hoot are willing to cut our printing

in check and improve each other

by 25 percent if the Justice also does

with every issue. We admit that we

so, and have already communicated

are not faultless, but we do our best

this to the Senate.

to make your voices heard and to

The proposal states that “If this

inform you about campus life. As de-chartering is approved, nobody stated in our constitution, The Hoot

would be dismayed by the dissolu-

is Brandeis’ community newspa- tion of The Hoot in three years. The per; we are “for, by and about the students who founded The Hoot Brandeis community.”

On campus, as in the real world,

fifteen years ago will live their lives unaffected by this action.” It also

the press should not be limited. states that “the turnover for people Different editorial boards provide caring about The Hoot is four years.” a range of perspectives and do not

Within 24 hours of being informed

stifle voices in the way that a large of the de-chartering proposal, we staff would. In this way, both pub- received a letter from Hoot alumni lications are pushed toward a high- from the past 14 years, all of whom

er standard. We operate on differ- were unsettled and saddened by students. Through the responses ent news cycles, allowing for more the de-charter proposal. The overthat we received on our open peti- timely coverage on both Tuesdays whelming outpouring of support tion, this week has shown that over and Fridays to keep the student from our alumni goes to show that

700 students and alumni and over body more informed. while there are many things that 60 clubs believe that The Hoot is an The proposal also claimed that have changed about The Hoot over important asset to the campus com- since few universities have more the years, one thing has not—The munity. than one news publication, Brandeis Hoot is not just a club, it is a family.

One of the central points made should follow suit and have only one Originally, we asked people to in the Hoot De-Charter Proposal newspaper. We believe that not only wear red or maroon today to highis that we are violating the Duality should it not matter that we’re dif- light the members of our commuof Purpose amendment found in ferent from other schools, but our

nity standing in solidarity with us,

the Bylaws in Article VIII Section 2 uniqueness should be celebrated. defending one of the many valuable (c), which states that “In order to be Brandeis has always forged its own publications on campus. But now, eligible for accreditation, a prospec- path in higher education; it is an in- people wearing our colors on camtive club must: Not duplicate the stitution that was founded on inclu- pus today will be celebrating our purpose or goals of an existing club. sivity. Freedom of the press and the joint efforts to show the strength If the prospective club’s operations,

encouragement of a wide variety of

impact, and student appeal would journalistic voices are merits that substantively be the same as that

Brandeis should be proud of, rath-

and importance of The Hoot’s presence on campus.

Thank you.

April 12, 2019

NORTH QUAD

Two hawks outside of Ziv 128.

PHOTO BY POLINA POTOCHEVSKA/THE HOOT

DCL’s pie event raised over $100 for a local charity!

HAIKUS

The Brandeis Hoot 11

PHOTO BY CANDACE NG/THE HOOT

The temperatures might be fluctuating, but spring is definitely on the horizon!

SPRING IS COMING

PIE DCL

WEEK IN PHOTOS

A CAST Capstone project invited students to write haikus in the library.

PHOTO BY CANDACE NG/THE HOOT

PREFERRED FOOD AT BRANDEIS

Louis likes bagels, too!

PHOTO BY SARAH TERRAZANO/THE HOOT

PHOTO BY POLINA POTOCHEVSKA/THE HOOT

OPINIONS

12 The Brandeis Hoot

April 12, 2019

Why joining a club is important

By Sasha Skarboviychuk editor

Coming to college isn’t an easy experience for anyone. Most people move away from home, be it five or five thousand miles away.

No more homemade food (hello Sodexo), your high school friends are scattered all over the country, if not the world, and you can only see your dog over FaceTime.

In a place like this, how can you not feel lonely? It’s hard.

One of the easiest solutions to this problem is making friends, but of course, that is much easier said than done. If you have a roommate then you already have a great place to start. However if you are like me, and DCL seems to have used the housing survey you filled in as toilet paper, you are stuck with a roommate you don’t exactly get along with.

The next logical step is getting to know the people on your floor: it’s convenient, you live close by, and since you’re stuck with them for a year anyway, you might as well like them. However as these friendships start to develop, a worrying question arises: are we friends just because we live nearby? Will we even talk after we

HOOT ALUMNI

move?

This is where joining some kind of organization on campus is crucial. By joining a club, firstly you find people that have similar interests to you, or if you’re joining a club that is out of your comfort zone, you’ll embark on a journey of self discovery while meeting people very different from you.

You’ll meet people from all over the world, in various majors, with different skills, from different backgrounds, etc. And you never know, maybe you’ll meet your future spouse or best friend. Think of all the networking opportunities you gain from all these people you will know. The crazy thing is that all those people also know a lot of people, so the amount of people you’ll be able to get in touch with will increase exponentially.

But joining a club has so much more benefits than the connections you make, especially if you join a club that is unlike anything you’ve done before. I’m not sure how I ended up at The Hoot, it definitely was not like anything I’ve ever done before, but here I am. You learn so many new things about yourself by joining a club.

You might find strengths you never knew you had, and chances are you’ll find weaknesses too (I have

PHOTO COURTESY SAVANNAH PEARLMAN

Staff photo of 2011-2012 Hoot staff.

Dane Leoniak special to the hoot

There is a finesse to pulling the wool over a constituent’s eyes; and it is becoming something of a lost art. Gone are the days of “we have found weapons of mass destruction,” lost in favor of “windmill noises cause cancer.” It’s an odd place to be, nostalgic for the politician’s convincing lie, wishing that Donald Trump’s cover ups were as thorough as Nixon’s.

Back in the day, you had to make your lie believable because you assumed that the general public, or at least the portion of the public that pays attention to politics, could see through your bullshit.

Now with Trumpism, it doesn’t matter. There’s a lost respect for the constituency’s intelligence that comes with the easy-to-see-

a ridiculous love for commas).

You’ll be tested in new situations, face new challenges, and see how well you respond to this. This self awareness that you will gain is invaluable, maybe you’ll discover that you’re great at multitasking.

Or maybe you’re actually really good at organizing. Who knows what you’ll discover along the way.

Maybe you’re not the best at teamwork. It’s okay, I think that requires a special gene that some of us just weren’t born with.

Unfortunately, a club for one is against the Student Union Bylaws. But when you join a club, it’s very hard to not work with other people. As much as you might not want them to, your communication skills will improve. And who knows, maybe you will actually start liking working in a group, especially with people you like.

Bonus: you will improve your people skills. Probably. You’ll also want to murder a few people. Just saying.

You will also have a chance to improve your leadership skills and who doesn’t want that? That is something that will come in useful in many aspects of your life, as a parent, a boss, sometimes even as a friend in crisis situations.

And maybe you will try being

PHOTO COURTESY ARIEL WITTENBERG

in a leadership position and that won’t work for you, so you’ll know that maybe that is not something to seek in the future. Or if you’re stubborn like me you’ll keep trying. And failing. And trying. And hopefully succeeding one day.

Speaking of being on the road to success, joining a club can also allow you to finally apply all the knowledge you’ve gained in class outside of class. And even if you screw up, it won’t be the end of the world.

In case you’re one of those people try to be as morally good as they can be, joining a group that serves the community is a wonder way to give back to the community you’re in. Regardless of what your interests are, the Waltham Group will have something you’ll enjoy doing, from Hospital Helper to volunteering with kids.

Some clubs also can make your dreams come true. When I was little I kept asking my parents for a brother or sister but that never really happened. I guess you can’t have it all. But thanks to Big Brother Big Sisters I now have a “little sister” with whom I spend every week (how nice is it to just

Being blatant

through political lie.

The proposal to remove The Hoot’s charter status at least tried to look like it was trying to be convincing. Saying that the environment and sustainability are important and that two newspapers in print is a waste of resources was a good virtue signal. It was a valid reason to have one paper; I mean, who doesn’t want to save the environment (at a liberal university)? But that is where the art of the lie ends.

Let’s ignore the obvious biases and conflicts of interests all of you reading this opinion piece already know about the proposal’s author.

Let’s just focus on its weaknesses.

In its attempts to bolster its argument, it got lazy. It chose quantity over quality and gave us: duality of purpose, easy transfer of writers between papers, the papers don’t have distinct styles, oth-

er colleges only have one paper and, my personal favorite, alumni don’t care about anything after they graduate.

It is beyond easy to counter these points. They pile on as excuses for the proposal, not as valid reasonings. Duality of purpose? Aside from my opinion that it’s a stupid rule anyway, The Hoot and the Justice merely serve similar purposes. The Hoot covers smaller campus events than the Justice, often things students actually care about. There’s your distinct style as well. The Hoot was also founded in response to the Justice’s publishing of a racial slur.

While the secured paper has gotten better in its bigotry, it still has a way to go (Note that I am not arguing that The Hoot is without fault. I merely argue that the Justice is still problematic at times).

The argument that writers of

The Hoot could easily move to the Justice is also moot. Many people write for The Hoot due to lack of comfort with the Justice, myself included. And the Justice has a rule against writing for rival papers. Hoot writers would have no avenue for journalism anymore.

The argument that other colleges only have one paper sounds better as an argument for keeping both.

It’s something that gives Brandeis a unique identity and adds to its (admittedly shaky) reputation as a social-justice-oriented institution.

Maybe the proposal’s author can’t wait to forget their years at Brandeis, but most alumni I know (and a significant portion of former Hoot team members who have proven their love for the paper) do indeed care about their alma mater, and the legacies they left there. Whether they’re friends

take a break from the craziness of college and play a board game for an hour).

In addition to all these amazing things, you will get the most important thing a college student can have: additional things to add to your resume. Not to be shallow or anything, but that is something very important for us, as we move closer and closer to going out into the “real world.”

College is full of hard work, long nights of homework, lectures, recitations, four month long midterm seasons, etc. Joining a club will be a place where you can just have fun doing something you enjoy doing, be it mountain climbing (I admire you guys, but you’re crazy) or writing weekly rants. In fact, joining a club gives you a great reason to procrastinate. Do I have a Problem Set for Economics I should be doing right now? Yes. What am I doing?

Writing an OP, because my commitments are important. And of course, if you’re as lucky as I was, you’ll find a group of people who become your second family.

who message their not-yet-graduated friends “good luck” before performances or tests, or people who come back to see or perform in an anniversary show 30 years later (as members of Boris’ Kitchen’s founding class did last year)—they care. This argument was entirely a weak fallacy.

In conclusion, I just wish the proposal lied better. It would have made it look more professional, and probably would have given it better chances of being passed.

The Trump route may work when one has a support base that blindly follows a leader and willingly eats up the garbage. But when proposing something that you know will be controversial? Cover your tracks better so people can’t trace the obvious line between you and your well-known biases.

Better yet, let someone else push the proposal. Or don’t do it at all.

April 12, 2019

OPINIONS 13

The Brandeis Hoot

Going with your gut: the case for kombucha

By Elijiah Sinclair and Noah Harper special to the hoot and editor

“I need the booch!” Travis Scott exclaims in his hit song Sicko Mode. These are words that we would all do well to live by.

Kombucha is a fermented tea that’s recently become quite popular but has been around for millennia. It’s a brew full of probiotic bacteria—lactic-acid based bacteria that promote good gut health.

While kombucha “was originally produced in parts of China” according to Tufts University microbiologist Ben Wolfe, its origin story remains a relative mystery.

Over 2,000 years old, kombucha is one of many sources serving up a healthy dose of probiotics. Other options include yogurt, kimchi and sauerkraut, but kombucha is especially beneficial because of its other benefits; the beverage is also high in powerful antioxidants, and it can help reduce heart disease risk, assist with managing Type 2 diabetes and help protect against cancer. It’s practically a man-made superfood.

But is it just the latest craze? We think not.

There are more than 100 million nerve cells lining our gastrointestinal tracts, called our “gut brain”

by Johns Hopkins University gastroenterologist Jay Pastricha. Pastricha says that the nerve cells in our gut can send messages to the nerve cells in our brains, triggering mood shifts, such as anxiety and depression. The probiotics in kombucha can help affect this. In a school where managing mental health is of serious concern— and students continuously criticize available resources—taking a multi-disciplinary approach, such as serving substances with plenty of probiotics to students, could pay off serious dividends.

While the benefits of kombucha are well studied, one important point remains: You’re probably saying to yourself, “Isn’t kombucha alcoholic?” Well, yes.

Commercial kombucha contains a small amount of alcohol, less than .5 percent, due to the fermentation process. Is this a

i

cause for worry? Most likely not.

In an article posted by Nutrimin, an international company supplying vitamins, they carefully explain that “if you eat bananas, then you should have no issue with drinking kombucha.” Indeed, a ripe banana has more alcohol than a commercial batch of kombucha. In regards to alcohol, we would suppose the browning bananas at Usdan are far more worrisome than the commercial kombucha at the C-Store.

Usdan is renowned for its fruit-flavored water, but what if it could become a gut-friendly probiotic destination? We envision an entire spread of pickles, kimchi, sauerkraut and, of course, a generous amount of ginger lemon kombucha on tap for students to consume as much as they need.

That’s why we’re calling for kombucha—a whole variety of fermented foods—to be served daily in our campus’ dining halls. It’s not enough to charge exorbitant prices (6 points?!) for a potentially life-altering substance; clear and direct action directly affecting the majority of the student body is necessary.

Let’s also think about having an adjacent pickling station, where students can learn the basics of preparing a time-tested simple dish that’s also big on probiotics, as well as vitamin K and electrolytes. It’s not enough to provide factory farm-based pickles because students cannot be sure of their chemical origins or organic bonafides—but a pickling station that teaches a healthy lifelong hobby and allows students to be sure that their pickles are free of pesticides and carcinogens is a slam dunk to be sure.

Who will start this health movement? In short, you already did. Sodexo is always asking what we, the students, want to see in our dining halls. You can let them know on their website, or you can reach out to the Senate Dining Committee. We have, but the movement needs a cacophony of voices clamoring for more robust digestive tracts.

Our recommendation? Try some kombucha. Start small, make sure it works, and then enjoy the benefits. Honestly, just trust your gut.

SSIS: advice column Welcome back to the SSIS column, where we answer any and all of Brandeis students’ questions about sex, sexuality, identity, and relationships. If you have a question you’d like answered in our next column, email ssis@ brandeis.edu or leave a question in the Google Form link on our Facebook page. (Note: These answers are good-faith attempts by SSIS to be helpful to the Brandeis community, and are by no means exhaustive or to be taken as universal. If these answers don’t resonate with you, either pay them no mind, or reach out to us with suggestions for improvement!)

My boyfriend and I both have of the recommended ways? ing about pregnancy prevention!

A common myth is that pregdoubles. My roommate has no respect for our intimate life and Great question! Having sex for nancy cannot occur from sexual waltzes into the room in the mid- the first time can be exciting, and acts that aren’t penis-in-vagina dle of us hooking up and just sits there are some common concerns sex or the first time someone has there. Is it OK that I’m into this? that people have leading up to penis-in-vagina sex, but in actuhaving sex for the first time. First ality, pregnancy can occur any Thank you for submitting your of all, it may be worthwhile to time that semen (or cum) enters question! It is definitely OK to be ask yourself some of the follow- the vaginal canal. For instance, into your roommate being there ing questions: Why do I want to pregnancy can occur during oral while you hook up with your have sex? Do I trust my partner? or anal sex, if semen comes into boyfriend. Being watched while Have I communicated about hav- contact with the vaginal canal.

Some recommended ways of hooking up is a fairly common ing sex for the first time with my desire and is often referred to partner? Do I feel ready to em- preventing pregnancy include colloquially as “exhibitionism.” brace this new experience? The condoms or other barrier methExhibitionism can include be- answers to these questions may ods, birth control pills, IUDs, the ing watched during sexual ac- help you feel more comfortable patch, the shot… there are many tivity, performing sexual acts in when having sex for the first time. methods of preventing pregnanpublic or semi-public locations, Physically, one common con- cy! Condoms are one simple way and more. It is perfectly healthy cern is that sex for the first time to prevent pregnancy, and you and OK to be an exhibitionist or will hurt. This can be true, but it can get 10 for $1 at SSIS. SSIS carto simply enjoy being watched isn’t always the case. Some ways ries twenty types of condoms, and (Note: The clinical definition of to prevent pain and soreness in- our peer educators are more than exhibitionism is different and is clude lube and foreplay. Foreplay happy to help you figure out what not being discussed in this an- can help reduce the risk of dis- brand might work best for you. swer). If you’re curious about comfort during sex by helping Condoms and barrier methods clinical exhibitionism or want to your body relax and get ready for work by physically blocking sexlearn more, feel free to visit SSIS sex. Foreplay can include talking, ual fluids from mixing. For inforduring our office hours from hugging, kissing and other sex- mation on how to properly use a 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays! ual acts. Adding lube can also condom (or other barrier methThat being said, it may be help by reducing any unwanted ods) feel free to come in during worthwhile to have conversations kind of friction, and thus reduc- our office hours or text us! The with your roommate and with ing the risk of soreness on a shaft, other forms of birth control menyour boyfriend about this. It is vaginal walls or anus. Even when tioned above are hormonal, which important to consider both peo- lube is used and there is fore- means that a doctor or nurse pracple’s comfort with the situation. play, sex for the first time can titioner has to prescribe them.

Your boyfriend may share the hurt, and that can be normal. For more info about hormonal same desire as you to be watched, If sex continues to hurt, please birth control methods, feel free but it’s always important to ask! consult a medical professional. to stop by our office or make an Additionally, if you feel that your You may have heard the term appointment at the health center.

We hope this helps! If you roommate is not respecting your “popping the cherry,” which refers intimate life, that may warrant a to vulva-owners stretching the hy- have follow up questions or longer conversation, even if you men. The hymen is a piece of thin concerns, feel free to submit are ultimately into them watching. tissue that partially covers the vag- them to this column, text us at Hope this helps!

Best inal opening. While it may stretch 586-ASK-SSIS, or ask our peer of luck on this adventure. during vaginal stimulation, it is a educators during office hours myth that it will “break” or “tear.” (11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays)!

If you have a question you’d What do I need to know Additionally, many vulva-owners’ about having sex for the first hymens stretch or dissolve from like answered in our next coltime? I’m also curious about non-sexual activity, such as rid- umn, email ssis@brandeis.edu or anything related to pregnan- ing a bike, or even just walking. leave a question in the Google cy prevention; what are some It’s great that you’re also think- Form link on our Facebook page.

By SSIS

special to the hoot

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PHOTO FROM OWLCATION.COM

PHOTO COURTESY SSIS

14 OPINIONS

The Brandeis Hoot

April 12, 2019

Why The Hoot matters to me Since the founding of The Brandeis Hoot in early 2005, dozens—and possibly hundreds—of Hoot alumni have stepped through the doors of the Brandeis Media Coalition (BMC) to work on issues of The Hoot. Last week’s proposal, which has since been rescinded, asking the Student Union to de-charter The Hoot states, “Once a student graduates from Brandeis and gets a job or leaves the city altogether to move on with their lives, the concern at the bottom of their list is the well-being of the university clubs they were a part of. If this de-chartering is approved, nobody would be dismayed by the dissolution of The Hoot in three years. The students who founded The Hoot fifteen years ago will live their lives unaffected by this action.” But the issue with this statement is that our alumni do care. The Hoot reached out, before the proposal was rescinded late on Thursday night, to known alumni, including two of our founders, Igor Pedan ’05 and Leslie Pazan ’05. Here is what they had to say.

By Alumni of The Hoot special to the hoot

Igor Pedan ’05, Founder of The Brandeis Hoot

Hannah (Vickers) Carson ’10, Former Sports Editor

“Obviously classes come and go and the purpose of The Hoot and what it means to different classes changes...and to me that’s the greatest thing...Whatever my and my co-founders vision was, it’s great to see each generation make it their own...All of the EIC’s in the four or five years following me that I talk to from time to time definitely care about The Hoot and see it as a significant part of their college experience in shaping who they are now.”

“When I first entered Brandeis, I had a clear vision: I was going to law school after graduation.

That was fine, until I took a law class and decided that was not the career for me. I felt lost at that point, as this plan I held for years was suddenly gone. That changed when, on a whim, I picked up a journalism class and was introduced to students from The Hoot.

I joined the staff as a sports writer, before serving as sports editor the following academic year...That decision opened so many doors for me...I would not be where I am today - pursuing my PhD and teaching communication skills to thousands of first-year students at the largest university in Perth—if it were not for The Hoot...I actively follow The Hoot and the Crew Team, and the majority of my donations to Brandeis in the past nine years have gone to my clubs.”

Lisa (Libra) Pazan ’05, Founder of The Brandeis Hoot “One of the highlights of my time at Brandeis was helping to create The Brandeis Hoot, a new student newspaper on campus during my senior year (2004 2005). This experience building something from scratch was pivotal in my decision to later pursue an MBA and helped me succeed in subsequent roles at Apple and now at Google. It has been a great source of pride to watch the newspaper flourish over the last 15 years, and I look back at my time working on The Brandeis Hoot with great fondness. It would be a terrible misfortune if The Brandeis Hoot was de-chartered, and I strongly urge the Union to vote against this course of action.”

Mia Edelstein ’17, Former Editor-in-Chief (EIC) “The Hoot taught me about accountability, ethics and integrity, which I continue to carry with me. At The Hoot, I learned how to negotiate coverage, respect for students and a mission for the truth. I learned these lessons from people I interviewed and the Hoot staff I worked with because they were relentless in accurately representing what was going on at Brandeis and respecting the community we were a part of. Additionally, The Hoot broadened my understanding of who and what made up Brandeis because I was constantly exposed to articles that covered pockets of campus I never would have come across otherwise. The Hoot is still how I keep up with what matters to students, especially because The Hoot strives to democratize the ability to get published. The Hoot is an indispensable supplement to institutional publications like BrandeisNOW and Louie News.”

Yael Katzwer ’12, Former Managing Editor “As a Brandeis student, I loved The Hoot; as a Brandeis alumna, I still love The Hoot...During my time at Brandeis, The Hoot was more than just a newspaper—it was my family. Each Thursday I would spend hours upon hours in the BMC with my fellow Hootsters and those are some of my best memories from Brandeis. I made friends at The Hoot that I will keep for the rest of my life and whom I love dearly...and I learned that a newspaper is not just a collection of stories—it is a culmination of passion, hard work and a deep commitment to the community. Without The Hoot I would not be where I am today.”

Ariel Wittenberg ’11, former EIC “I met my husband while working on The Brandeis Hoot. I ascended to editor in chief in 2010, and he took over for me when I graduated. We have affectionately dubbed one wall in our Washington, D.C., apartment our “Hoot wall.” It’s where we display a framed printout of the Hoot logo, farewell columns we each wrote for our last issues as editor in chief, a picture of us working on The Hoot together, a staff photo and a string of reporting awards I have won since graduation during my career as a journalist.

It’s impossible to write in just a few paragraphs how important The Hoot is to me and to the student body because The Hoot has meant so much to me throughout my life; The Hoot is my family, friends, career...I spent more than 10 hours every Thursday of my sophomore, junior and senior years crowded into the BMC with my best friends, putting out a paper I was proud of, and I spent countless more time reporting and editing the articles we published. That experience doesn’t disappear when you graduate.

As I wrote in my aforementioned farewell column nearly a decade ago, The Hoot is more than just 20 pages of newsprint, ‘It is the lifeblood of this staff poured into solid, tangible, readable form.

It is vital information produced not only by ink, paper and press, but also by time, energy and shoe leather.’”

Emily (Stott) Maraschky ’14, former EIC “I am so thankful to have been part of The Brandeis Hoot. My college experience would have been completely different without it. The Hoot was a place where we could be ourselves, work hard and publish something that could change our campus. Without the traditional hierarchy of roles, students could become leaders when others saw their determination and talent. There were no fixed caps on the number of writers or editors or any other box - we welcomed whoever was willing to help, and there was always another willing to teach. Students were willing to put their whole heart

into the paper. That kind of dedication is rare to find...I was not the most outgoing student, yet at The Hoot I felt supported, challenged, and was able to become EIC... My responsibilities taught me more than I could have learned in a college class—navigating conversations with administrators, clubs, interpersonal conflicts, etc.”

Andrew Elmers ’16, former EIC “Editing and writing for The Brandeis Hoot was one of the most fulfilling experiences of my life, let alone my undergraduate years in Waltham. My colleagues at The Hoot are some of the smartest and most talented people I’ve met, and there was nothing like the feeling of pride when I saw the finished paper on a Friday afternoon having stayed up until 4 AM the night before at production. (This sounds like a eulogy, but I swear it isn’t.) I honestly do not know where I would be today, personally or professionally, without my experiences at The Hoot, and I am grateful for the opportunities I was afforded as a mere college kid. I hope the Student Union doesn’t de-charter the Brandeis Hoot for any reason, as the value it brings to the community far exceeds the cost to produce it. But really, it’s just an important part of Brandeis that should be celebrated and supported.”

Jordan Rothman ’09, former Senior Editor “Working for The Brandeis Hoot was an integral part of my college experience. I started working for the Brandeis Hoot under the paper’s second EIC, and the culture of The Hoot during my time at the paper was unlike any club on campus. The Hoot was a warm, welcoming place, where people were dedicated to our mission of responsibly reporting all the news that was happening at the Brandeis community. I made some of my closest college friends, and have some of my fondest college memories, as a member of the Brandeis Hoot...Writing for The Hoot had a substantial impact on my life.

Working under tight deadlines at The Hoot helped me prepare for my career as an attorney, since I routinely have to work under time pressures as a lawyer. In addition, the ability to compose articles in short amounts of time helped prepare me for my work as a blogger.

I would not be the person I am today without The Hoot, and I do not think that Brandeis would be the college it is today without The Hoot either. The Hoot is an important institution on campus, that has impacted generations of students in profound ways.”

roommates when I lived off campus, remained the friends I kept in contact with after graduating and are the core of why I stayed at Brandeis after considering transferring early in my undergraduate career. I kid you not, I am typing this while waiting to board a flight to a former Hoot editor’s wedding, where I’ll see friends I have not had the chance to see since graduation because that is the kind of bond that The Hoot forges...I owe the man I am today to my time on The Hoot. It’s not hyperbole when I say that the best parts of my post-Brandeis life all trace back to my time in the BMC working on printing the paper.”

Julie Landy ’17, former EIC “I never thought I would be an editor-in-chief of The Hoot when I showed up at the BMC the first Thursday of my freshman year to see if they might let me copyedit.

I certainly didn’t expect to stay in that crowded, messy, crumb-laden room until 2 a.m. that night (about 6 hours past my preferred bedtime), and continue to elect to stay until ungodly hours nearly each subsequent week for 4 years.

I didn’t plan to write a single article (which I did; precisely one article), and I didn’t expect to learn a thing about layout, and I didn’t anticipate that I would actually end up caring about this newspaper enough that years after graduating...But it sucked me in—the editors and staff cared about faithfully reporting the news and representing the student body, and they cared about building a foundation that future generations of student journalists could continue to develop in the years to come. They cared about what they were doing, and they cared about the people who would carry it on when they were gone…”

Bret Matthew ’11, former Opinions Editor “The first thing I did at Brandeis was get lost in Massell Quad because I thought I was in North.

The second thing I did was join The Hoot...I told the editors I wanted to write op-eds, and they told me that the best way to build an audience was to write

every week. This was a mistake on their part, because Bret circa 2007 was a bad writer with bad opinions. But, it turns out that the best way to turn a bad writer into a decent writer is to force them to keep writing. I filled a column every week for four years.

My writing got stronger. Whether my opinions improved is still an open question...If I had never joined The Hoot, my Thursday nights would have been a lot less stressful, but my time at Brandeis would have been infinitely more boring. And I genuinely have no idea what I would be doing right now, because working on the paper was as much a part of my education as my actual classes.”

Hannah Schuster ’18, former EIC “The Brandeis Hoot was such an important part of my college experience, and I wouldn’t be the person I am today without this newspaper. I gained so much from the countless hours I spent reporting stories or camped out in the BMC on Thursday nights. The Hoot made me a more thoughtful, responsible person, and it gave me first-hand journalism experience that you can’t get in a classroom. It was a privilege to work with the other editors, writers, copy editors and layout stars at The Hoot—they are some of the most dedicated people I know, working tirelessly to shed light on important issues at Brandeis.

And of course, they are also great friends that I’m so lucky to have.”

Kayla Dos Santos ’11, former Arts Editor “When I think about Brandeis, I remember Thursday nights huddled over ancient computers in the BMC, fighting with InDesign and downing caffeine in order to see The Hoot through to the printer...It was hard work but it was fun too because of the people.

Funny, creative, opinionated and passionate. I couldn’t think of a better bunch of people to spend long hours with. We would joke about punny headlines, argue about grammar and gossip about in-progress stories.”

Gordy Stillman ’13, Former Managing Editor “My time at Brandeis was a mixture of good times and bad times. The Hoot, unequivocally, was central to my overall positive experience at Brandeis. Between Nov. 2009 and Feb. 2013, I discovered my love of journalism, amassing more than 120 bylines between the opinions, arts, sports and news sections. If not for The Hoot, I’d have never pursued journalism as a career...The friends I made on The Hoot became my

Kayla Dos Santos ‘11 and Bret Matthew ‘11

PHOTO COURTESY BRET MATTHEW

April 12, 2019

OPINIONS 15

The Brandeis Hoot

A look into the history of The Hoot

By Sabrina Chow and the alumni of The Hoot editor and special to the hoot

Not many individuals beyond the staff of The Hoot really know its history, starting with its conception in 2004. We thought that

we would finally settle what the differences between The Hoot and the Justice are, and give the entire Brandeis community an in-depth

look into our founding story and history. The current editorial board of The Hoot reached out to Hoot alumni from as far back

as 14 years ago, along with countless generations of members who helped form The Hoot’s identity in order to create this timeline.

Beginnings and rapid expansion (2005-2008) Founders: Igor Pedan ’05, M.A. ’06, Daniel Silverman ‘05 and Leslie Pazan ‘05 Jan. 14, 2005

First issue published

Late 2005

Transition from Romper Room to Brandeis Media Coalition

Dec. 1, 2006

Non-exclusivity clause expands to include political ideas

Sept. 21, 2007

Reinharz Ok’s guns for campus police

Dec. 5, 2004

The Hoot officially chartered by the Student Union.

Mid 2005

Transition from Pedan’s Mod to the Romper Room in the SCC

March 24, 2006

Flaw in voting questions election decisions (Unique to The Hoot)

March 23, 2007

McNamara to teach full time

Feb. 29, 2008 - March 21, 2018

Free speech at Brandeis series (Unique to The Hoot)

The Era of Scrutiny (2009-2014) March 6 - June 23, 2009

Brandeis financial crisis

Nov. 6, 2009 - Aug. 7, 2010

President Frederick M. Lawrence chosen as new president

March 5, 2010

Madoff scandal risks major donor’s money

Jan, 2011

Switched printers to Graphic Developments

April 8 - 29, 2011

Brandeis rewrites sexual assault policy

April 11, 2014

Students’ outcry prompts Brandeis to reconsider award

May 1, 2014

The Hoot receives “New England College Newspaper of the Year, Honorable Mention”

Jan. 30 - Oct. 30, 2009

Attempted closure of the Rose Art Museum

Sept. 25, 2009

President Jehuda Reinharz resigns

Feb. 1, 2010

Impeachment of Student Union Secretary

Sept. 17 - Oct. 8, 2010

“Financial disclosure” series on finances (Unique to The Hoot)

April 1 - April 29, 2011

“Shades of Grey” series on race at Brandeis, covering its history, admissions, faculty and student life (Unique to The Hoot)

May 3, 2012

The Hoot receives “New England College Newspaper of the Year, First Runner-Up”

Sept. 19, 2014

Rape crisis center to be implemented in near future

Activism and Further Investigation (2015 - Present) Nov. 12, 2015

Ford Hall 2015, Hoot editorial supporting Ford Hall students

April 2016

The Hoot opted to respect survivors at Take Back the Night

May 2016

End of year survey about how students think of campus publications

Sept. 29 - Nov. 17 2017

Controversy behind “Buyer Beware”

Aug. 13, 2018

Swim Coach Leaves after HR Investigation

Oct. 26, 2018

Title IX Reports

April 12, 2019

Senator moves to decharter The Hoot, withdraws proposal Beginnings and Rapid Expansion (2005-2008) Jan. 2005 - Dec. 2005, EIC: Igor Pedan ’05 Dec. 2005 - Jan. 2007, EIC: Heather Zajdel ’07 Jan. - May 2007, EIC’s: Andy Meyers ’08, Lauren Stein ’08 Sept. 2007- May 2008, EIC’s: Andy Meyers ’08, Pat Garofalo ’08 Sept. 2008 - Dec. 2008 EIC’s: Sri Kuehnlenz ’09, Kathleen Fischman ’09 The Era of Scrutiny (2005-2008) Jan. 2009 - Oct. 2009, EIC: Alison Channon ’10 Oct. 2009 - Dec. 2010, EIC: Ariel Wittenberg ’11 Jan. - Dec. 2011, EIC: Alex Schneider ’12

2015

New website domain, brandeishoot.com

Dec. 4, 2015

Demand for Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) Studies program

April 1, 2016

Prof. Powers rejects univ. exploitation

March 3, 2017

Anonymous op about free speech and violence w/ EIC response

April 13, 2018

Meehan Firing, “And Then There Were None,” runs for one night

Oct. 14, 2018

Cyanide found in Brandeis Mods Residence Hall

March 1, 2019

Sodexo updates procedures after mislabeling

Jan. 2012 - May 2013, EIC: Jon Ostrowsky ’13 May 2013 - May 2014, EIC: Emily Stott ’14 May 2014 - May 2015, EIC: Dana Trismen ’15 Activism and Further Investigation (2015 - Present) Jan. - Dec. 2015, EIC: Andrew Elmers ’16 May 2015- May 2016, EIC: Theresa Gaffney ’16 Jan. 2016 - May 2017, EIC: Julie Landy ’17 May 2016 - May 2017, EIC: Mia Edelstein ’17 May 2017 - May 2018, EIC’s: Hannah Schuster ’18, Emily Sorkin Smith ’18 May 2018 - May 2019, EIC’s: Sarah Terrazano ’19, Abigail Gardener ’19

16 The Brandeis Hoot

FEATURES

April 12, 2019

Spanish-language books added to Brandeis Library

By Shruthi Manjunath editor

The Brandeis library has recently added many Spanish-language books to the non-English recreational reading collection. The books can be seen in Farber one, near Starbucks.

Maric Kramer, a social sciences librarian, was able to attend the Fería Internacional del Libro (FIL) in Guadalajara, Mexico, which inspired her to add these new books to the non-English recreational reading collection.

The Fería Internacional del Libro is a Spanish-language book fair with around two thousand publishers from 47 countries. The festival includes an activity in which authors from various continents who speak different languages get to engage in a discussion about the major issues that plague the world today.

Kramer was able to attend the Fería Internacional del Libro through a sponsorship from the

American Library Association.

Through this festival, Brandeis was able to acquire books in many different languages, especially books in Spanish. Kramer explained that “Attending FIL allowed me to learn more about the Spanish-language publishing industry, as well as to discover new releases from a wide variety of publishers.” Books that were initially written in Spanish were brought to the Brandeis Library, rather than being translated from Spanish into English, in an attempt to support the Spanish-language curriculum in Latin American and Latino Studies (LALS) and in Hispanic Studies.

Kramer met with Jerónimo Arellano, Associate Professor of Latin American Literature and Culture and Program Chair for LALS, to figure out which books would be most beneficial to the library.

In addition to academic reading, Kramer also bought books that students at Brandeis could simply read for enjoyment. Kramer said, “It’s important that our li-

FIL

The Feria Internacional del Libro in Guadalajara, Mexico, is a famous book fair.

PHOTO CREDIT MARIC KRAMER

brary collection provides access to the voices of people from around the world—especially those who are writing from the places that students are studying.” It is vital to have books describing, for example, the development of Mexico through the eyes of Mexican scholars, rather than having U.S. scholars describe the development of this country. It is important for students studying Spanish and Latin American culture and also for heritage speakers. In addition, it is difficult to find some of these books in the United States, so having these books at Brandeis creates unique resources for students.

The books include topics such as history, Jewish life and culture, gender and sexuality studies, politics, film and television, indigenous studies, fiction and graphic novels. Some of the books have been damaged so replacements

PHOTO FROM CIUDADYPODER.MX

are on the way. More books will be added to the display. Kramer hopes “to attend FIL again this November to purchase more Spanish-language books for the Brandeis community!”

Books have the ability to influence people and change lives.

Therefore, it is vital that Brandeis continues to provide its students with the best resources to aid them in their education. The new Spanish-language books allow students to get a firsthand look into Spanish literature and allows heritage speakers to enjoy a piece of their heritage at Brandeis, a place that they will hopefully now call home. Books allow for connections between people, and the addition of the Spanish-language books can allow for more connections between people at Brandeis and foster connections that students can make with others later on in their career.

TRII advocates and their stories: Roy Lee

By Polina Potochevska editor

The Right to Immigration Institute (TRII), founded at Brandeis, is a unique organization that trains undergraduates to become accredited representatives in immigration courts and to gain legal experience firsthand.

It allows for immigrants to receive assistance with many types of legal processes, making sure they have the support and the knowledge they need.

Roy Lee ’21 is a pre-law student, double majoring in philosophy and history and double minoring in economics and legal studies. He also a member of the Brandeis Academic Debate And Speech Society (BADASS).

Lee participated in TRII’s learning program in the fall semester and is “still relatively new,” but is looking forward to getting ready to work on a case and is trying to get involved in different ways with TRII in the meantime. He discovered the group through his friends on the debate team and finds that there are multiple intersections between the two.

Lee’s involvement with TRII as of right now involves going to meetings with the entire group

of TRII to discuss and vote on cases and finding other ways to participate. “I need to find a case I’m genuinely willing to commit to and find other individuals to work with,” said Lee about his future involvement with taking clients and forming a team to tackle it. He hopes to become more active within the group over time.

Lee enjoys being a part of TRII because of the way that it allows him to connect with his “background as an individual.”

“I’m from Hong Kong; I’m an immigrant; I have a green card here,” said Lee and mentioned that TRII is a unique activity offered at Brandeis that allows him to intersect the two worlds of his personal life and his academic one and help those who are “vulnerable in society.”Lee is a first generation college student and said that framework “gives me the opportunity to work as an individual to give back to a community” and to individuals that have not had the same opportunities as him.

A challenge that Lee has faced was the time commitment involved with the training process.

“Understand that it’s like an entire different course,” said Lee of the information that one will learn over the course of the semester.

However, it is extremely import-

ant to dedicate that time to the content to be able to be a successful and helpful advocate within TRII. He advised students who may be interested in TRII to respect the time that it involves and keep up with the work.

Jonathan Goldman ’19, relations director of TRII, once spoke with Lee about the importance of time management and how being late to working on people’s files could mean “worsening someone’s personal life.”

Lee said, “Time commitment does really translate into ways individuals are affected… it’s really important,” especially when it comes to intimate and personal stories.

TRII is an important group not only to Brandeis but the entire community.

“It’s important that Brandeis has [TRII] because specifically no other school has it, we are one of the only institutions that provide free legal aid to people who really, really need it.”

Lee also mentioned that Brandeis’ good reputation in regards to pre-law activities allows TRII and its members to exercise their interests “as vehicles through which we’re able to substantively aid the society.”

Lee said that many universities

could benefit from a program such as TRII because there are so many students interested in law and wanting to work in the field but also that “there’s a huge immigration crisis in the United States”

and that having more institutions that can set up such programs is “of the utmost importance.”

“We’re stepping into a field that’s going to change people’s lives,” he said.

PHOTO COURTESY ROY LEE

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April 12, 2019

The Brandeis Hoot 17

The mad, musical theater spectacle of classic Greek drama ‘The Bacchae’

By Noah Harper editor

Thebes has been overrun. Their king, Pentheus, has defied Dionysus, mocking his deity and sacred rites. As his revenge, Dionysus drives the city-state mad.

The ancient Greek play by Euripides “The Bacchae,” has been revived, retranslated and restaged for a contemporary audience.

There are musical numbers, a plethora of red plastic balls, and an incredible underscoring drum performance.

“The Bacchae” is an experience that does not bore—the songs sprinkled throughout make sure of that, the musical numbers a daring revision of the greek chorus of classical drama. Beyond that, it’s evident that a lot of time and expertise went into engineering this performance.

From the costume design—Dionysus’ (Rose Archer ’20 and Dan Souza ’19) shimmering skirts and the Theban guards’ Soviet-inspired wardrobe—to the stage’s architecture—a gray stone wall with three empty doorways that curves toward you like a möbius strip—the entire show feels cohesive and effectively orchestrated.

Dionysus is played by two actors, Archer and Souza, who frolic around the stage, trading off lines

PHOTOS BY SABRINA CHOW/THE HOOT

and climbing up onto the wall as they speak to their followers, the Bacchae, a chorus of obedient revelers wearing simple tunics

and flowery coronets.

Dionysus is out to prove his godhood. We’re told the story of his origins: his mother Semele

was murdered by jealous Hera while she was pregnant, the baby saved by Zeus who sews him up into his thigh. But his mortal family, grandfather Kadmos (Alex Jacobs [THA]), aunt Agave (Rachel Greene ’20), and nephew Pentheus (Ben Astrachan ’19), find it blasphemous. “I’ll prove to him and all of Thebes that I am a god,” Dionysus proclaims.

The god of wine and revelry, made mortal, arrives in the citystate with his entourage, but the king Pentheus, wary of the mad merrymaking, soon throws him in prison. “This bacchic disease is spreading like wildfire,” Pentheus says.

Astrachan’s Pentheus is an arrogant dictator. He wears a leather jacket and is flanked by two soldiers in Soviet-era military garb.

Like in many classical tragedies, it’s his hubris that ultimately leads to a grisly downfall as Dionysus’s wreaks his revenge.

It’s Pentheus’ inept attempt to save his city that dooms it, though not all are as afraid of the bacchic menace. Kadmos, Dionysus’ and Pentheus’s mortal grandfather, and Tiresias (Norma Stobbe ’20) are ready to embrace the revels.

Stobbe’s Tiresias, wearing sunglasses and wreathed in a crimson crown, staggers about the stage in front of Pentheus, drunkenly attempting to persuade him to embrace Dionysian living. It doesn’t work, and we never see Tiresias again.

In its execution, the play is successful. Director (and theater department chair) Prof. Dmitry Troyanovsky (THA) makes dynamic use of the stage. The actors play their parts with gusto—pulling off musical numbers that could have seemed jarring or tacky. Archer and Souza play

Dionysus like two snakes that have been stepped on, circling their prey. It is well-paced, almost never dragging through its hourand-change running time. It takes risks, too, that pay off: In particular, there’s a giant glass cube full of red balls that drops during the second half, a bold artistic device that conveys the grotesque violence that occurs between a band of Theban women led by Agave and her son, as well as the frenzied revelry that consumes the city entirely.

But the last 10 minutes are lacking. It’s difficult to empathize with Agave and Kadmos over the death of Pentheus, when enough time hasn’t been spent establishing their characters. The ending feels unearned. It lacks the dramatic weight it’s supposed to—which I can only attribute to the fact that we don’t care or know enough to feel sorry with Agave about her son. Her son, a fascist misogynist, doesn’t inspire much pity either, even though he gets torn to pieces. And it doesn’t seem right to root for Dionysus, who is rather unsympathetic in what he accomplishes. The events happen, and then it ends. There’s no catharsis, only an admonishment from the entire production to “take this story today.”

What’s lacking, however, isn’t noticeable in the moment: You’re too enchanted by the bacchic revelers rollicking around in their red balls, the yellowish smokescreen enveloping the stage, Dionysus eating grapes with a devilish grin, fruit juice dripping from Souza’s mouth and the entire mad spectacle inflamed by an intensifying drum beat.

The spectacle might be enough.

The questions can be asked later.

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April 12, 2019

CAST minors present creative, social transformation projects

By Lisha Jin special to the hoot

Earlier this week, I was fortunate enough to attend an event held by the interdisciplinary CAST (creativity, the arts and social transformation) minor at the Shapiro Campus Center. The event was divided into two sections.

During the first part, Jean Poulard ’19 presented his capstone project. He showed a video that

included beautiful murals that incorporated Mayan influences.

These murals respected and remembered Mayan culture and were able to convey ideas of beauty and health to viewers. Poulard spoke of how much he admired the way people have used art to express values that are important to them.

He also discussed the way Americans use art to convey the importance of health and showed the audience numerous ads from the United States that promote

health. The first one was produced

by PETA to convince people to go vegetarian. Another ad was meant to promote life insurance and showed a picture of a dad shaving and his son gazing up at him in admiration.

The most controversial ad was one meant to promote mental health. This ad wanted to call attention to mindfulness and showed a picture of a woman, but instead of showing her head, they photoshopped in doll heads instead. Many audience members

RASHID PETERS IN ‘PROPER BANTAH’

PHOTO FROM YOUTUBE.COM

were confused with this depiction.

One even called it disturbing.

Poulard went on to explain that the point of his project was to explore different ways a culture depicts health and what that says about the culture. He’s fascinated by how people choose to use their creativity to inform the public on topics such as health and wellbeing.

I really enjoyed the interactive of his presentation, where he asked the audience to come up with our own ads to promote health and educate the public. We spent fifteen minutes designing our own public health advertisements and then presenting them to everyone. Everyone shared positive messages about health.

One ad promoted meditation.

The second part of the event featured Rasheed Peters ’20 and a screening of an episode of his series “Proper Bantah.” These episodes consist of two parts. In one of the parts, Peters interviews people and allows them to tell their stories and share their passions, and in the second, he gets to join the guest speakers in a particular hobby they enjoy.

In the episode we watched, Peters interviewed Akim Sanni ’21, who plays basketball for Brandeis.

He discussed how he felt when he left his home in Benin to come to America and the cultural shocks

he felt at times. Sanni also spoke about how he loves having the ability to pursue both his athletic and academic dreams in college.

It was really important to him to not have to sacrifice one for the other.

One of my favorite parts of the inspiring interview was when Peters asked Sanni about how he’s able to manage his time when he has so much going on. He explained that he’s able to complete his responsibilities because he has equal passions for both being a student and being an athlete. He values both equally which makes it easier for him to both get his work done and play at games and train.

We were also able to watch both of them take on sculpting, one of Sanni’s favorite hobbies. They made a sculpture of Peters’s hand doing a “rock on” pose and Akim showed his impressive “Game of Thrones” inspired artwork.

I really enjoyed both Poulard’s capstone project and Peters’ interview. They both illustrated the importance of using creativity for social change. I was really surprised by how controversial some ads about health were.

It was really nice to share positive messages about health with each other. There was also a generous amount of some solid pizza served.

Springfest: Brandeis embraces bacchanal spirit

By Aaron LaFauci staff

Brandeis lucked out: this year’s Springfest was greeted by another spectacular day. Though the weather did not hold up nearly as well as the preceding Saturday, the sun remained visible (though often obscured) for most of the day and there was no rain during the concert.

This year’s lineup included three main performers: Ari Lennox, Rico Nasty and the highly anticipated Aminé. The show also featured a student rapper, Trizzy Tré (Tré Warner ’23) and a lively DJ that kept the music pumping throughout the event. Free T-Shirts were thrown, but I didn’t get one.

But let’s not kid ourselves here.

For many students, Springfest is much more than a four hour concert on Chapels Field. The fun begins the moment you decide to roll out of bed, finally ending between 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. in a panicked crash as you grapple with how much homework you’ve neglected all weekend. Savvy students will have completed their obligations before hand.

The fact stands that Springfest is one of the few days of the year when a student can do whatever they please under the sun without catching too much moral flack.

The trick is deciding what you want to consume, when you want to consume it and how. A quick walk down South Street always reveals a plethora of pre-game options ripe for the crashing.

The trick is deciding what you are going to do, when you will do it and where. There are many options for anyone hoping to have fun on and off campus. The real obstacle is keeping the fun going throughout the concert, but I’ll touch on that in a moment.

Brandeis offered two open barbeques this year, one on the green of south residences and another on the lawn of Skyline. The hot dogs were cold by the time I got around to them, but, given the circumstances, they were still the most delicious hot dogs I had ever eaten. The common areas of certain residential halls had been loaded with fruit roll ups and pringles among other things, and the snacks had neat little self-care advice stickers attached to them.

Preemptively keeping above the hunger and dehydration is paramount for preventing impulsive food truck and Uber Eats runs later down the line.

Chapels Field itself was gated during the event, and large bags and containers were prohibited from entry. This severely limits one’s inventory of what can be brought into the venue. My girlfriend and I, ever fearful of being reprimanded, spent some time scoping out the gates to make sure there weren’t any pat downs or pocket checks, but the paranoia was largely unnecessary. Security this year seemed quite tolerant, and students could be seen openly partying throughout the event to little harassment.

Some folks can go from 8 a.m. to sundown, but for many others, Springfest is a pacing game. Nobody wants to be in the center of an Aminé mosh pit when they’re starting to come down. Although the show technically started at 2 p.m., it would be another four or five hours more before the final act. That’s a long time to keep the vibe alive, especially if you’re trying to keep a spot at the front of the pit. Students were allowed free exit and reentry to the event as far I was aware. Although I suppose I wasn’t aware of much; my notes become increasingly difficult to interpret after entering Chapels Field.

I think I got inside around 2:40.

PHOTO FROM NYTIMES.COM

AMINÉ

Trizzy Tré was either just getting on or just getting off the mic. I made a beeline for the grilled cheese truck. I remember completely failing to interface with the cashier like a human being. Did I gargle? Either way, I had my wallet ready in advance and just barely managed to swing my credit card hand within reach of the register and sign my name. It looked like some kind of demonic reach around, a very unholy transfer of currency. I felt like some kind of vulgar prostitution was taking place between us, but whether it was myself or the sandwich guy that was doing the prostituting is unknown.

My base need for sustenance satisfied for the moment, I couldn’t help but notice that the ground was far too wet to be standing in. The water was sloshing up into my shower sandals.

I needed to seek higher ground.

Three distinct human clumps were forming across the field.

I climbed the back hill, where the sun and gravity kept the soil pleasantly dry, and claimed my place among an increasing number of blanket-laying loungers.

The stage dwellers, many of whom

likely intended to stay by the railing for the duration of the show, made up a massive clump at the other end of the field. The center became a sort of no man’s land, a swampy pit bookended on two sides by a “Quench station” and the food trucks.

At this point, I lapsed into a dream state. Ari Lennox had come on with her perfectly soothing voice. My notes here consist of the phrases “Delicious grilled Cheese” and “sun photosynthesizing.” Ari eventually gave way to Rico Nasty, a much louder, more hype sound, and it is during this period that the cheese pizza was served. Three massive stacks of pizza boxes were hauled to the Quench station, and students began to swarm pretty quickly.

Feeling refreshed after some hours (and not comprehending the horror that my bloated stomach would bring upon me in the coming hours), I realized that it was time to enter the pit.

I wanted a T-shirt. Navigating the bowls of a general admission crowd is its own essay in physics.

It’s a forest of bodies, constantly swaying, constantly undulating.

As one approaches the stage, the

bodies become more compact.

Gaining headway (unless you are an especially tall person) requires patience. Edge and pry. Very few bodies are going to give much resistance, but even when they do, you can’t back down. If they’re giving you dirty looks, they obviously aren’t having fun anyway and are just looking for trouble.

The natural sway of the bodies will always reveal niches so long as you don’t give any distance. If you have friends, lock hands and use them like battering rams.

Aminé eventually came on and did his thing. It was exciting, but you could feel the fatigue in the crowd. A sheet of clouds had finally overcome the sky and it looked like it might rain as the students cleared the field.

Tired doesn’t mean bad, however. Though Brandeis’ spring celebration doesn’t always match the scale of other college shows (Brown’s Spring Weekend is going to have Aminé AND Mitski), it consistently provides a fun distraction from the rigors of Brandeis life. This year’s Springfest did not disappoint, and I am excited to see what kind of show we’ll get next year.

April 12, 2019

ARTS 19

The Brandeis Hoot

‘Joker’ 2019: why you should be excited

By Joshua Lannon staff

As an avid DC comics fan I was initially skeptical of the new “Joker” movie. I will admit that I thought it would just be an attempt to recapture the magic of Heath Ledger’s portrayal of the Joker. Another concern I had was the choice in director; Todd Phillips has previously directed movies like “The Hangover.” This had me worried that he would give the “Joker” movie a more lighthearted or comedic tone, which would be a gross misinterpretation of the character. However, all my fears were dashed when I saw the teaser trailer. Instead of seeing a farce of a film, as I had expected, I was instead greeted by a creepy yet captivating character study of one of the most infamous supervillains of all time.

The teaser revealed quite a lot about the film’s aesthetic and tone. For example, the backgrounds of the film seems to suggest that this film will take place in or around 1970-1980. Also, the contrast between the eerie yet positive lyrics of the song “Smile” and the content of the scenes set an anxious tone for the film that encapsulates the idea of a man falling into madness. Overall, the teaser shows that this film will be far different from any other recent superhero movie. Instead of a big budget blockbuster film set in a greater universe, this film seems to be a stand alone low-budget character study.

Beyond the excellent cinematography shown in the teaser, the trailer also dropped a few hints of the plot as well as possible inspiration the film is drawing from.

PHOTO FROM GLOBALINTEREST.CA

In terms of inspiration, the tone and aesthetic shown in the teaser seems to be reminiscent of Martin Scorsese movies. One movie in particular that came to mind while watching the trailer was the movie “Taxi Driver.” The appearance of Robert De Niro later in the teaser further added to my suspicion of Scorsese’s influence.

Upon investigating further into the film’s inspiration, I found that De Niro is playing some sort of talk show host which is reminiscent of his role in another Scorsese movie called “The King of Comedy,” where De Niro played a struggling comedian who kidnaps a talk show host. From the teaser, it seems that Joaquin Phoenix’s Joker is also a struggling comedian. The similarities between the films could imply that the Joker will kidnap and or harm the talk show host much like De Niro did in his film.

Despite the clear inspirations from Scorsese movies, the events shown in the teaser are also reminiscent of several iconic “Joker” comics. The aforementioned talk show could also be a reference to the events of Frank Miller’s “The Dark Returns,” in which the Joker goes on a late night talk show and kills the entire audience.

However, the teaser also suggests that the film takes some aspects from the most famous Joker origin story, Alan Moore’s “The Killing Joke.” While it’s unlikely we will see this Joker in a red hood falling into a vat of acid, there are several similarities between the film and comic. For example, in the comic, Joker is also a struggling comedian before he becomes insane. Another similarity is the character portrayed

by Zazie Beetz is who rumored to be the love interest of Phoenix’s Joker. Beetz is said to be a single

mother in the film, and in “The Killing Joke,” Joker had a pregnant wife he was trying to provide for, and her death was one of the major factors that led to his transformation into the Joker. As a single mother and love interest for Phoenix’s Joker, Zazie Beetz could play a similar role to that of Joker’s wife in the comic.

Another connection I drew from the teaser was from the movie “Psycho.” Joker’s mother is a major focus of the first part of the teaser, as the initial narration states “Mother always told me...” Joker’s relationship with his mother seemed to be reminiscent of the creepy relationship between Norman Bates and his mother. However, upon revisiting the teaser, his mother could also represent a small bit of light in his otherwise depressing life. Of course this suggests that he would eventually lose his mother, setting

him down the path to becoming the Joker.

The last major inspiration I gleaned from the teaser was from the costume. I initially saw similarities between Phoenix’s costume and Heath Ledger’s. But when looking at the costume color and the design of the make up, I actually see a lot of similarities between this Joker costume and the Cesar Romero Joker costume.

Both costumes share a similar color palette, bright purple with a green undershirt. Also the giant red lip makeup used in the teaser looks more like Romero’s than Ledger’s. Since Romero was the first version of the iconic villain to appear on the screen, the costume could be an homage to the first Joker.

The aesthetic and tone set by the teaser suggest that this iteration of the Joker won’t be your typical CGI filled superhero blockbuster.

Instead, the teaser reveals that his film will be a low budget character study of one of the most iconic villains of all time. The clear inspirations taken from Scorsese as well as the comics bode well for the film appealing to both moviegoers and comic fans.

While it is too early to say whether or not Joaquin Phoenix’s portrayal of this legendary character will live up to other iconic versions like Heath Ledger’s Joker, from what we have seen so far, this film is taking the clown prince of crime in a new direction that still pays homage to the character origins.

It seems that 2019’s “Joker” is shaping up to be a blend of the best aspects of what makes the Joker a truly captivating villain and will surely translate into a captivating film.

For ‘Gloria Bell,’ coming-of-age is a constant

By Jonah Koslofsky staff

We never quite finish growing up, so it makes sense that the coming-of-age honchos at A24 would eventually finance a movie like “Gloria Bell.” After all, this is the same studio that brought us “Moonlight,”“Lady Bird,” “Mid90s,” “The Florida Project” and “Eighth Grade.” Why not apply their signature lens to a middle-aged woman?

“When the world blows up, I hope I go down dancing!” proclaims Julianne Moore’s Gloria Bell, a divorcee whose kids have grown up and moved on to (un-

PHOTO FROM BALTIMOREMAGAZINE.COM

Hoot Recommends

By The Brandeis Hoot

“Generation Why”

Conan Gray is the up-andcoming pop icon you need to listen to. If his name sounds familiar, you may know him from his old YouTube days or from his most famous single “Idle Town.”

Only 20 years old, he manages to perfectly capture the essence of Generation Z, which he playfully calls “Generation Why” in his single by that name. He may only have eight songs on Spotify, but all eight are absolutely incredible. My personal favorite is “Crush Culture.” Trust me on

successful) relationships of their this one-your playlists will thank you! -Emma Lichtenstein

“Killing Eve”

Don’t sleep on “Killing Eve.” I did—I thought it looked the same as all the other British detective TV shows. But Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s (Fleabag) show about Sandra Oh trying to track down a European assassin is incredibly well-written, performed, and produced. An eight episode series, there’s very little time wasted, and every episode feels necessary and dynamic.

Did I mention that Sandra Oh is a goddamn icon? I can’t wait to review season 2. —Noah Harper

PHOTO FROM ROLLINGSTONE.COM

own. She lives alone, works for an insurance company and is still trying to figure out what this chapter of her life is going to look like. Positive exterior aside, there’s something missing.

Written and directed by Chilean auteur Sebastián Lelio, “Gloria Bell” is the American remake of Lelio’s own “Gloria” (2013). Lelio, along with cinematographer Natasha Braier, give the picture a nice sense of atmosphere: during Gloria’s nights on the town, the frames are drowned in perfect purple light, and the whole thing is suddenly reminiscent of “Black Mirror” standout “San Junipero.”

Unfortunately, the dialogue isn’t quite as naturalistic as I think Lelio intended–some of the interactions we see come across as stilted, when they’re supposed to feel completely normal.

Though she may not realize it, Gloria’s life is not stagnant, as she meets Arnold (John Turturro), a seemingly-perfect foil. Turturro turns in a solid performance, but Moore carries this thing. Even as the story meanders and gets somewhat lost, she’s such a talented performer that just watching her go about her life is entertaining – and for most of the runtime, that’s all Lelio is interested in showing. He understands that Gloria’s problems aren’t going to be resolved by the appearance of a bachelor with salt-and-pepper hair. Despite its interludes to the contrary, this isn’t a rom-com; no, “Gloria Bell” is simply a poorly-paced coming-of-age story, one I’d nonetheless recommend.

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April 12, 2019

Fashions of Springfest

PHOTOS COURTESY GEMMA CURNIN