The Brandeis Hoot 10/232015

Volume 12 Issue 19

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

October 23, 2015

Brandeis University’s Community Newspaper • Waltham, Mass.

Director of Public Safety calls on all to improve roadway safety

By Elianna Spitzer Staff

Drivers and pedestrians at Brandeis need to increase their commitment to safety, according to Brandeis’ Director of Public Safety, Ed Callahan, who said he “receives complaints almost daily about speeding vehicles and near accidents with pedestrians and bicyclists,” in an email to the Brandeis community on Tuesday, Oct. 13.

Callahan addressed specific concerns for roadway safety on campus, including speeding vehicles and pedestrians texting while walking. Since the start of the school year, Callahan has received complaints from both faculty and community members regarding the safety of campus roads.

Vehicles play an important role on campus roads and a vital one in keeping them safe. According to Callahan, vehicles need to be more aware. The south street is one of several places around campus where the department of public safety is concerned about cars and student safety

Cohen speaks about experience studying ethnic conflict

By Emily Sorkin Smith Editor

Arielle Cohen ’99 went to the former Yugoslavia in the summer of 1998 as one of the first Sorensen Fellows to volunteer at the Center for Antiwar Action. There, she witnessed the region deal with war and ethnic conflict. Cohen spoke about her experience as a Sorensen Fellow, a program that finances students’ summer internships around the globe, at an event hosted by the International Center for Ethics, Justice and Public Life on Thursday, Oct. 22.

She is currently serving as the fellows’ program’s “Fellow in Residence,” hosting office hours during Fall Fest and relating her experiences to the current fellows and the community as a whole.

Cohen lived in Belgrade, in present-day Serbia, when it was part of the Former Republic of Yugoslavia which encompassed the modern nations of Serbia, Montenegro and Kosovo. The nation had just come out of conflicts with Slovenia, Croatia and Bosnia, and was about to go to war with the Kosovo Liberation Army. The ethnic tensions that informed these conflicts were the subject of Cohen’s work in the region.

The Sorensen Fellowship, when Cohen was a fellow, centered on ethnic conflict, somewhat narrowing the countries that she could choose to travel to. She decided on Yugoslavia because she felt she had already de-

Inside this issue:

veloped a connection to the nation, having friends at Brandeis who were from Yugoslavia and working with professors and visiting fellows who had done work in the region.

Her experiences were defined by the contrast between her own outsider’s perspective on the region’s ethnic conflicts and the desire to make a real impact in the nation.

“I felt like I didn’t even scratch the surface really, at the same time I felt very inspired because I was in a foreign country and met people that I felt were really making an impact. So it was this kind of juxtaposition with feeling kind of overwhelmed and feeling like there was somebody here I could learn from and carry with me through my life,” said Cohen during her speech.

While serving as a fellow in Belgrade, Cohen spoke to university students and other youth members of movements working to build democracy and civic society in Yugoslavia.

She spent two weeks of her time at a summer school where she met with students from Yugoslavia, Bosnia and Albania, among other countries, who had all grown up experiencing ethnic and political conflict. Her role there was primarily observational, and she learned the importance of listening and understanding the perspectives of people involved in a conflict.

Cohen recognizes that her current career as a lawyer for AIG is different See SORENSEN, page 2

News: Be Bold, Be Bald raises over $5,000 Opinion: Student exposes serious issue with DCL Arts: Flautist and clarinetist perform Features: Prof. Art loves his job Editorial: Students must meet Union half-way

photo by karen caldwell/the hoot

See ROADWAY, page 3

Journalist and activist speaks about immediacy of climate change

By Michele Lehat

Special to the Hoot

Journalist, climate activist and author Wen Stephenson said climate change “demands a radical response,” during a speech on Thursday, Oct. 15 where he discussed his writing and activist efforts in areas such as divestment from fossil fuels.

Stephenson spoke about his new book “What We’re Fighting For Now is Each Other,” to over 40 Brandeis students and faculty, regarding the “catastrophic” climate change striking

our planet. Stephenson’s book highlights students, including Brandeis students, who are protesting for fossil fuel divestment at their universities.

Professor Sabine von Mering (GRALL/WMGS), part of the yearold group Faculty Against Climate Threat, introduced Stephenson to a crowd of enthusiastic listeners ranging from members of Brandeis Climate Justice, who hosted the event and are responsible for major divestment activism on campus, to members of Brandeis Students for Environmental Action and curious faculty

and students.

“It all started with a walk to Walden Pond,” Stephenson reflected as he traced back to his first revelation that the world was decaying right before our eyes. Former editor of The Atlantic Monthly and contributing writer for The Nation, Stephenson, wears many hats as he continues to write about the intersection of climate, culture and politics for dozens of publications across the country.

Aside from his journalistic endeavSee JOURNALIST, page 3

‘Old Shit Show’

boris’ kitchen excites crowd at ‘old shit show’ For more, see page 6.

‘songs for a new Page 2 Page 13 world’ Theater thesis inspires audience Page 7 Page 11 Arts: Page 8 Page 10

women’s soccer defeats wash u

Alec Spivack ’16 scores game winning goal in overtime.

Sports: Page 12

photo by adam lamperi/the hoot

NEWS

2 The Brandeis Hoot

October 23, 2015

Brandeis prof. and undergraduates One of the first Sorensen discover secrets of the universe Fellows speaks on campus

photo courtesy prof. david roberts

By Ryan Spencer staff

Professor David Roberts (PHYS) and two undergraduate students found that pairs of supermassive black holes at the centers of X-shaped galaxies are significantly rarer than previously estimated—a discovery that has large implications for further research of the universe.

The concept for the project was introduced to Roberts by colleagues and collaborators Lakshmi Saripalli and Ravi Subrahmanyan from the Raman Research Institute in Bangalore, India, while Roberts was at the National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO) in New Mexico in 2012.

Roberts’ two Indian colleagues had a similar project rejected because they hadn’t consulted existing data first.

Roberts offered to do their project using existing data and brought this project to Brandeis in January 2013.

Here at Brandeis, Roberts enlisted the help of two undergraduate students: Jake Cohen ’15 and Jing Liu. Roberts taught these students how to

take previously collected data out of public data archives. In the archives, the students found data on 52 of the X-shaped galaxies they wished to study and then constructed images of the galaxies.

Then Roberts, Saripalli and Subrahmanyan looked at the images that the Brandeis undergraduates had created and used their expertise to determine the most likely explanation for the X-shape. Only in approximately 20 percent of cases did Roberts and his colleagues decide that binary black holes at the center of the galaxy were the most plausible explanation for the galaxies’ X-shape.

Roberts said that the most significant result of these findings has to do with gravitational radiation, which is a disturbance in space and time that moves at the speed of light and was predicted by Einstein’s general theory of relativity in 1915. While there is indirect evidence of gravitational radiation, no direct evidence of exists. However, it is known that binary black holes are one of the most significant sources of gravitational radiation.

Prior to this study, X-shaped galaxies were thought to be “the signposts”

of binary black holes. The results of this project, however, suggest that because there are fewer binary black holes than originally thought, there are probably also significantly lower levels of gravitational radiation than originally thought.

Roberts says that finding and directly observing gravitational radiation is “sort of the last great piece that is missing from our way of understanding the universe.” In his opinion, finding gravitational radiation is important because it would allow scientists to test the general theory of relativity. Because binary black holes are the most significant source of gravitational radiation, knowing how many binary black holes there are would give us an indication of how much gravitational radiation there should be. This, Roberts stressed, is the importance of the project.

Roberts plans to continue his investigation into binary black holes in two ways. First, on Nov. 1 most of the galaxies that were determined to be possible candidates for binary black holes are going to be observed using Very Long Baseline Interferometry (VLBI), is a technique that gives angular resolution that is 300 times larger than with the Very Large Array (VLA).

“If there are any binary black holes in there, we might see two different black holes in the same object,” Roberts said. This would be very exciting as no current examples exist of “galaxies with two black holes very close together.” This new project will use computerized telescopes located in Europe to conduct the VLBI according to Roberts’ instructions.

The second continuation of this original project remains in the proposal phase. Roberts has proposed to use VLA at the NRAO in New Mexico in order to do the original experiment “right.” The original project that took place at Brandeis relied heavily on fragmented and pre-existing data.

He has proposed looking at not just the 52 objects about which they could find existing data, but all 100 objects that were in the original sample proposed. This research would take place over two years and include many researchers from India, New Mexico and Brandeis.

For Roberts, “The most important thing about the whole project was that all the substantial work was done by … two Brandeis undergraduates.”

SORENSEN, from page 1

from her social justice work in Yugoslavia. However she has managed to incorporate social justice principles into the corporate world. In addition to her job at AIG, she does pro-bono work with Iraqi and Afghani citizens who served as interpreters for the U.S., helping them receive special visas to immigrate to the U.S. Marci McPhee, the director of campus programs at the Center, brought out some of Cohen’s reflections composed upon returning from her fellowship. McPhee emphasized the importance of framing history in a way that doesn’t dehumanize conflict, which she argued often causes them to erupt again. The way that history, especially the history of conflicts, is taught can determine whether nations are stable in the future.

Conflicts, she explained, often come from governments and aren’t supported by the people living under their rule. Focusing on and attempting to solve these ethnic conflicts, however, can be difficult when people lack basic needs. McPhee and Cohen both related a sentiment they had both encountered that ethnic problems are a “rich man’s” problem, that many people struggle to exist and

can’t worry about co-existence.

The Sorensen Fellowship, named after John F. Kennedy’s speechwriter Ted Sorensen, is designed to fund students’ social justice-related projects both in the U.S. and abroad. It is a three-part program that consists of a course in the spring relating to the student’s project, a summer internship at an organization of the student’s choosing and a fall course for fellows to reflect on their experiences together. Fellows going abroad receive $4,000 to fund their internship, while students working in the U.S. get $3,500. The fellowship is sponsored by the International Center for Ethics, Justice and Public Life.

The Sorensen Fellowship was created, according to McPhee, out of a desire to “make a deep … impact right away on the undergraduate population with students as a part of what we see as our mission at the ethics center.” The fellowship has evolved since its inception, focusing originally on ethnic conflicts and growing to include a vast range of social justice topics. In 2015, eight Sorensen Fellows completed a range of projects that included STEM education in Ethiopia and migrant health in Norway.

photo from internet source

Students wear bald caps to raise awareness in second-annual cancer fundraiser

By Hannah Stewart Staff

Brandeis hosted its second Be Bold, Be Bald cancer fundraiser on Friday, Oct. 16. Be Bold, Be Bald is the main fall semester fundraiser for cancer, which complements the Relay for Life fundraiser in the spring. Last year, Brandeis’ Be Bold, Be Bald pilot program raised about $4,000. This year, Be Bold, Be Bald raised over $5,000 and donated those funds to several different organizations, including the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.

James Machado ’16, brought Be Bold, Be Bald to Brandeis last year after spending the previous summer working with Small Army for a Cause, a Boston advertising agency where Be Bold, Be Bald began in 2009 when the

creative director, Mike Connell, died from cancer.

“Through Small Army for a Cause, they created the Be Bold, Be Bald cancer fundraiser, which takes place in the third week of October each year,” said Machado. This year, Small Army for a Cause raised $1 million nationally.

Machado continued to develop Be Bold, Be Bald for Brandeis when he participated in the JBS marketing program with Prof. Grace Zimmerman (IBS/HS). During the first month of the program, he took two graduate-level courses, and “the second month, we divided into three or four groups, and my group was Be Bold, Be Bald. We were marketing consultants for them. Our goal was to help them expand, specifically into schools.”

The athletic community and fraternities Zeta Beta Tau and Phi Kappa Psi were significant partners in the fundraiser. The Brandeis baseball, softball, women’s soccer, men’s and women’s basketball and men’s and women’s swimming teams all donated money to foundations such as the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.

Other organizations that received donations include the Jimmy Fund, Livestrong and UCLA’s Jonsson Cancer Center Foundation.

The women’s soccer team donated their funds to Massachusetts General Hospital in honor of Belle Swersey, a four-year-old from Newton, MA. Swersey has a rare kind of pediatric cancer called metastatic rhabdomyosarcoma, which is a cancer of the cells that would normally become skeletal muscle. The team “adopted” Swersey

and made her an honorary team member. Before their game on Friday, Oct 16, the team and their opponents from the University of Chicago all wore bald caps out on to the field in honor of Swersey. By the end of the event, the team surpassed their goal and raised $1,600.

To participate in the fundraiser, participants sign up at BeBoldBeBald. org and choose which foundation will receive their donations. Then, participants gather patrons who will sponsor them to either shave their head or wear a bald cap for the day. This past year, close to 400 people at Brandeis purchased bald caps.

Machado, who has had two benign tumors, one in his elbow, and the other in his eardrum, found meaning in this program because “you got to give back and unite the community

around a cause, which is something that I enjoyed doing.”

Machado will graduate from Brandeis, either at the end of this semester and move on to the BA/MA program at Brandeis IBS, or after the spring semester, but Be Bold, Be Bald will continue. This past spring, Be Bold, Be Bald was recognized by the Senate as a club, and they plan on applying to become a chartered club later this semester. Afterward, the club plans to organize a live band performance in either Chum’s or in the Stein and connect that to cancer awareness.

Machado worked with the Athletics Administration, the Department of Community Service and its director Lucas Malo, and Robbie Steinberg ’13 of Student Activities to organize the fundraiser.

October 23, 2015

The Brandeis Hoot

In The Senate: Oct. 18

Bylaw amendment to record votes: voted down.

• In a five yea to 16 nay vote, senators voted down a proposed amendment to record votes.

• “Even if we have record of how we voted in the past, we should not use that to determine how we vote in the future,” said Lorenzo Finamore, a 2015-2016 Senator at Large.

Final Turkey Shuttle dates and times proposed to Senate for funding.

• Two shuttles from Brandeis to Penn Station.

• Nov. 24 at 9:00 a.m. and Nov. 25 at 12:00 p.m.

• One shuttle from Brandeis to Penn Station and then to Newark, NJ. • Nov. 25 at 9:00 a.m.

• Two shuttles from Penn Station to Brandeis.

• Nov. 29 at 10:00 a.m. and 12:00 p.m.

• Unless further negotiated, the Senate will pay $8,975 for the shuttles.

• Senate will vote on approval at the next meeting.

Nicole Lenchner, Student Union Treasurer and an A-Board member, spoke to the Senate about club funding.

• Lenchner announced that clubs requested over $400,000, but A-Board was only given $200,000 to allocate.

• “There’s really so many clubs and so little money,” said Lenchner.

• A-Board and the Senate are currently identifying inactive clubs to get a better picture of exactly how many active clubs are on campus and requesting funds.

Stephanie Grimes is holding a professional development workshop on negotiation at the Senate meeting on Oct. 25.

• All members of the Brandeis community are welcome to attend.

Net Impact Brandeis was recognized and chartered.

• “We’re chartered, yay!” Heather Spector ’17, president of Net Impact Brandeis said when the Senate revealed they chartered the club.

Coapital, a club focused on international business and easing the transition process for international students, was recognized but not chartered.

• The final tally of votes for chartering: 12 yeas to nine nays.

• “We want the club to have a semester to grow,” said a Senator when explaining why the club was not chartered.

Kate Kesselman, class of 2019 senator, was appointed A-Board Senate representative.

Students respond to Callahan’s email on roadway safety

JOURNALIST, from page 1

ors, Stephenson helped launch 350 Massachusetts, a statewide volunteer climate action network that includes hundreds of activists. He also served on the volunteer board of Better Future Project, a Cambridge-based non-profit devoted to building the climate movement in New England and across the states.

In the Mandel Reading Room, Stephenson spoke about his journey to become a passionate climate activist.

His book, beginning with the words “This is really happening,” captures his sentiment of frustration at the unbelievable rate at which the arctic is melting, he said. Stephenson warned that the window to prevent the worst climatic scenarios is closing right before our eyes: Nations are disappearing, mass extinction is spreading, and underprivileged people are losing their lives.

“We face a radical situation that demands a radical response,” Stephenson said. His goal in writing his book was to help evoke a serious wake up call to our crumbling environmental emergency, he explained.

As his speech continued, Stephenson spoke about strong human rights campaigns throughout American history, some of which were led by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., suggesting that that same radicalization is necessary in combating climate change.

Stephenson pressed that we should treat climate change just like we

students cross the street in front of the Rabb Steps. “In front of Rabb, sometimes [drivers] are really impatient with pedestrians crossing, so they’re kind of like, inching up. They’re super close to the crosswalk. Sometimes people are speeding and they have to stop really abruptly,” Adriem Ortiz ’16 said.

Often, between Usdan and the entrance to East Quad, large delivery trucks block sight lines for pedestrians crossing. “Where the trucks are, it’s a blind spot. You can’t see if any cars are coming. You need to make sure that no car is speeding down,” said Fatma Siddique ’18.

Pedestrian safety is often in the hands of the pedestrian, according to Callahan. Distractions may decrease the chance of a safe crossing. In an email to The Hoot he wrote, “Pedestrians are looking at their electronic devices while walking and not paying attention to vehicular traffic, which may present safety concerns.”

Yael Jaffe ’18 echoed Callahan’s concern for distracted crossing. “People are on their phones when they cross the street,” she said. A lack of caution has also generated concern for Selena Livas ’16. “I’ve noticed people cross the street, not really paying attention

to cars,” Livas said.

Distracted pedestrians are something that student drivers on campus have learned to look out for, said Ortiz. “Sometimes even when I’m driving, [students] come to cross the street and they don’t see me coming because they’re on their cellphones, so I have to stop as well,” he said.

Roadway safety is being addressed in multiple ways on campus. At peak pedestrian crossing times, students have noticed public safety officers directing traffic. “There’s a crosswalk that takes you from the SCC down toward the Village and the cars go pretty fast there. Crossing guards have helped, though they’re not always there, so … you have to be conscientious when crossing streets,” said Amy Clark ’19.

Callahan has implemented other measures to increase the roadway safety. “At the beginning of the academic year, we repainted all campus crosswalks and placed portable ‘yield to pedestrian’ signs at heavily used crosswalks to enhance safety,” said Callahan in his campus-wide email.

When asked about the effectiveness of the yield signs, Callahan responded, “The portable signs do work to advise oncoming vehicles of pedestrians.”

would treat human injustice, for it is after all a human catastrophe.

The ideas of other figures, such as Henry David Thoreau also resonate with Stephenson. Thoreau’s ideas of solidarity helped radicalize Stephenson who. Stephenson repeated one of his favorite Thoreau quotes several times throughout the speech: “Let your life be a counter friction to stop the machine.”

Aside from Thoreau’s radical abolitionist works, Stephenson’s own children, who “face a deeply uncertain issue living on this planet,” also inspired him to take action against what he calls our “human injustice.”

“Inequality is very much intertwined with climate change,” Stephenson argued. “When we stare our climate reality in the face, looking at what people with wealth are willing to do to hold onto power, we realize what type of society we have.” Nonetheless, Stephenson pointed out that Americans still fail to accept climate change as a real issue and still fail to accept that fossil fuel emissions continue to affect underprivileged families who still live in catastrophe from Hurricane Katrina, which killed around 1,800 people in 2005, or other climatic disasters.

To avert this climatic crisis, we must come together and fight for humanity, said Stephenson, explaining his belief that not only does this crisis call for a fight for survival, but also a fight for justice. “It’s time to fight like there’s nothing left to lose other than our humanity.”

Inclusivity to be theme of allies training staff

photo by karen caldwell/the hoot

3

Climate change demands ‘radical’ solution

By Rachel Bossuk

ROADWAY, from page 1

speed limit on campus roadways is 15 miles per hour. “I [received] complaints about speeding vehicles on the Loop Road and sometimes vehicles driving the wrong direction,” wrote Callahan in an email to The Brandeis Hoot. Public Safety has conducted, “about 10 motor vehicle stops for speeding and associated violations on campus” since August.

While speeding poses a significant problem on campus roads, driver confusion poses an equally substantial danger. Students have raised concern about the entrance to campus.

“Over by the Brandeis sign … a lot of cars just don’t know where they’re going and what they’re doing. I don’t know whether that’s more dangerous for pedestrians or cars,” said Isabella Stork ’18.

Pedestrians play an equally vital role in keeping campus roadways safe, Callahan said in his email to the Brandeis community.

There are several areas on campus in which pedestrian safety is of heightened concern for Callahan and his department. South Street, for instance, poses a high risk to pedestrians when crossing outside of crosswalks, he said “When crossing South Street, please use the designated crosswalks by the Epstein Building or the Linsey Pool or the Squire Bridge,” said Callahan in his campus wide email.

The Squire Bridge, erected in 1992, stretches over South Street from near the Psychological Counseling Center to Gosman Sports and Convocation Center. The designated crosswalks at the Epstein and Linsey also provide a safe manner of crossing, particularly at night. They feature flashing lights that tell vehicles to stop and allow a pedestrian to cross safely.

Students raised concerns about areas on campus in addition to South Street. When classes let out, a line of cars is often held up while a crowd of

NEWS

The Brandeis Allies Training Program was established in order to train people to be allies to the LGBT community. To be a part of this group of Brandeis allies, one must participate in the program and sign the Allies Pledge. Operated through the Intercultural Center (ICC), there will be two training sessions this semester, on Nov. 15 and Dec. 4.

The Brandeis Allies Training began in 2009, but throughout the years has taken on different names and forms. The training exists at almost every university in the country, and the training itself is altered based on the needs and interests of its leaders, participants and the environment it is taught in. At Brandeis, the training focuses on teaching participants what it means to be an ally in addition to discussing various ways to support members of the LGBT community and make Brandeis’ campus safe from prejudices.

It is a three-hour long session consisting of both an interactive component and a presentation both presented in a way that makes people interested and eager to learn more about sexuality and gender diversity.

Felix Tunador, the program coordinator for sexuality and gender diversity at the ICC, said that goal of the program is to “create a visible allied community,” and “provide resources and support for Brandeis LGBTQIA+ students, staff and faculty, and to encourage the Brandeis community to learn and grow with the receipt of this knowledge.”

This program is relevant in today’s world because the plight of the LGBT community is often overlooked, according to Tunador. With the help of mainstream media, he explained people are becoming aware of these struggles and that this group exists, so he believes the Allies Program will serve as a way to learn more.

With the large number of LGBT students, faculty and staff at Brandeis, Tunador said it is important for all members of the Brandeis community to be well informed and inclusive of everyone they meet. The benefits of the Allies Training, according to Tunador, “will be felt by everyone on campus.” The first benefit he noted is that the LGBT community and their experiences will be both accepted and validated by the rest of the campus.

Additionally, because of Brandeis’ overall emphasis on social justice, the Allies Program will be putting social justice into action, he explained. By participating in this program, attendees will realize that that the Brandeis community is interconnected will be able to grow and expand our way of thinking about the world, Tunador said.

To illustrate that point, Tunador quoted Audre Lorde, who wrote, “I cannot afford to believe that freedom from intolerance is the right of only one particular group. And I cannot afford to choose between the fronts upon which I must battle these forces of discrimination, wherever they appear to destroy me. And when they appear to destroy me, it will not be long before they appear to destroy you.”

Tunador hopes that people and their friends will begin talking about this program and the positive experiences they had while participating in it. He hopes that this will allow the program to thrive and remain a positive source of knowledge and inclusion on campus while also being able change and keep up with the ever-evolving world.

“Nothing in this world is static, and for this program to be successful, it needs to change and be updated as often as necessary,” Tunador said.

Allies Training sessions will be located in the ICC. Prior registration is required but the program is free and open to the entire Brandeis community.

4 NEWS

The Brandeis Hoot

Bookstore renovation completed

Josh Gondelman ’07 encourages students to follow their dreams through their work

By Aaron Hersch

Special to the Hoot

photo by adam lamper/the hoot

October 23, 2015

Your career should be something you love, said Josh Gondelman ’07 when he spoke at the Meet the Majors event for Film, Television and Interactive Media on Monday.

The Emmy-nominated writer for his work on John Oliver’s “Last Week Tonight” on HBO spoke to students about his job and the process he went through to get to where he is now.

Throughout his informal presentation at the event, where participants sat in a circle in Mandel Atrium, Gondelman expressed that students should make their interests part of what they do.

“You do what feels good to do, and you do what gives you the best feedback,” Gondelman said. No matter what students do for a living after college, they should feel that what they are doing is satisfying their dreams, he said Gondelman developed his ideas about working toward your dreams through his own post-college experience. At Brandeis, he was passionate about comedy and writing. Beginning his sophomore year, he performed stand-up comedy off campus.

After graduating, Gondelman taught preschool full time but continued to perform stand-up in the Boston area. A couple years later, when he moved to New York and worked as a freelance writer, he still performed stand-up on the side.

Gondelman always tried to make his passion for comedy a part of his life, whether it was outside of his work or in his writing. In New York,

Gondelman began to combine his interests in writing and comedy into a career in comedy writing.

“Whatever you do that’s fun, it will probably be closest to what you do as a creative job because it feels the least like toil,” Gondelman said of making career choices.

He soon started to submit writing to television shows. In addition, he operated a “Modern Seinfeld” parody Twitter page and co-wrote the book “You Blew It!” with his friend Joe Berkowitz.

He advised that finding the right career is all about “working on what interests you and learning to say no to the things that you don’t want to do.”

At the time Gondelman was submitting writing pieces to television shows, many of his friends were auditioning for acting roles in commercials. Gondelman was even invited to audition for some ads. However, he said no because it was not his forte.

Instead, he kept writing and submitting.

He was hired to write episodes for TruTV’s “Billy On The Street” and eventually, in 2013, “Last Week Tonight.”

Despite keeping his stand-up comedy going after college, Gondelman stressed that having a full-time job is also important. He explained that while smaller jobs such as performing stand-up can be fun, you need a fulltime job so that you can keep your life together.

“Keep your day job until you can’t afford to keep it,” he advised. He further suggested that a side job is sustainable as long as it fits your work schedule.

He also advised that the full-time

work be something creative, based on one’s interests. Therefore, the work can be enjoyable and make you feel proud of yourself.

On the other hand, he said that “If you’re going to use your time and effort to go into something you don’t like, go into finance; write poems when you’re not at work, and you’ll feel great.” This was not the case for Gondelman, as he molded his passions and interests into his primary work.

At Brandeis, Gondelman was an English and creative writing major, with a minor in Spanish. During his time as a student, there was no film program at Brandeis. However, he serves as a good example of a Brandeis graduate who was successful in the television industry. According to film professor Alice Kelikian, Gondelman was invited to demonstrate this success for those who are interested in majoring in film and going into the industry.

When asked how important the English major was toward his career path, Gondelman replied, “The degree isn’t necessarily important, but the classes are important.” He explained how specifically the classes he took at Brandeis, in the English and Creative Writing programs helped him to succeed as a writer. Specifically, these classes taught him to develop useful literary skills, such as thinking critically, writing with arguments and writing with appropriate style.

When he took questions from students, Gondelman asked, “Before you ask [your question], what is your first name, what are you studying, and what is your dream job?”

Survey will gauge student satisfaction with campus operations

By Hannah Schuster Editor

To fill out the survey announced in an email from Jim Gray, vice president for operations, students must consider how satisfied they are with issues such sustainability efforts, building maintenance, campus safety and management of construction projects.

“We take great pride in our work and we strive to provide excellent service, but we truly can’t know how we are doing without feedback,” said Gray. The results will help the operations department improve its ser-

vices, he said, reporting, “To the best of anyone’s knowledge, this is the first time Campus Operations has asked the full community for feedback on its services.”

The survey asked students to designate if they are satisfied with heating and air-conditioning around campus and with plumbing and electrical maintenance, needs and services.

Students had to consider their satisfaction with management of campus construction projects. Brandeis undertook many projects over the summer, including renovations to Sherman Dining Hall, North Quad and the campus bookstore.

In regard to campus safety, the

survey asks students to consider how safe they feel on campus, with questions relating to student interactions with campus police and the student-operated Brandeis Emergency Medical Corps (BEMCo), as well as the blue light system—blue lights found around campus with intercom systems connecting students to the police dispatch center for emergency and nonemergency situations.

Students must consider their satisfaction with the BranVan and Joseph shuttle services that provide transportation around campus, Waltham and to Cambridge and Boston.

Sustainability is another component of the survey, inquiring about

the prevalence of recycling receptacles, recycling education efforts, bike and pedestrian friendliness, as well as overall university efforts to conserve energy use.

Brandeis implemented “Turn It Off ” days this summer, encouraging those on campus to reduce energy consumption on exceptionally hot days. Last spring, the university’s Task Force on Sustainability recommended full divestment from fossil fuels; however, The Brandeis Hoot reported that members of Brandeis Climate Justice are unsatisfied with the board of trustee’s lack of response to the recommendation.

The survey also asked whether stu-

dents are aware of the Environmental Health and Safety department and its services, whether they are satisfied with its response time, fire evacuation procedures, handling of hazardous waste and laboratory safety procedures among other points.

“Campus Operations is responsible for maintaining a safe, comfortable and attractive campus environment that supports the university’s commitment to excellence in teaching, learning and research,” said Gray. He listed a wide array from of departments facilities to dining that fall under his umbrella and are “used by every member of the campus community.”

Brandeis Democrats back Faculty Forward movement

By Charlotte Aaron Editor

Leaders of Brandeis Democrats support Faculty Forward, non-tenure-track faculty working to form a union, arguing that non-tenure track faculty deserve fair pay, benefits and compensation that will ultimately improve the quality of education on the Brandeis campus.

Last week, faculty gathered in the wake-and-shake area between Usdan and the library to promote their campaign for the creation of a union affiliated with the Service Employees International Union (SEIU). Nontenure-track faculty, as well as students, spoke in support of the move to unionize.

The event, hosted by Brandeis Labor Coalition, was also endorsed by Brandeis Democrats, a club actively involved in the movement. On Oct. 10, the Brandeis Democrats hosted a teach-in with graduate student and UWS Professor Steven Plunkett, as well as Marcelle Grair, an organizer from SEIU Local 509, who educated club members on SEIU’s efforts to advance Faculty Forward’s cause, said Brian Hough ’17, vice president of College Democrats of Massachusetts.

“Professor Plunkett said at our workshop that he was paid $4,800 per section of UWS that he instructed … in addition to his holding office hours, preparing for courses and grading papers during spare hours, none of which are compensated,” Hough said.

Because adjunct faculty do not have long-term contracts, they can be let go with little notice and receive “little to nothing in terms of reliable benefits,” Hough said. “We find these conditions unfair to both the workers and to students, given that there is no differentiation between tenured faculty and contracted and adjunct [faculty] from the perspectives of students and the costs associated with education.”

In a club vote, Brandeis Democrats decided to fully support Brandeis Faculty Forward. “We believe the right to unionize for fair pay, benefits and equitable compensation is one of the main steps we can take to ensure social justice advocacy on our college campus,” Hough said.

photo by karen caldwell/the hoot

October 23. 2015

ARTS, ETC.

The Brandeis Hoot 5

Lydian String Quartet masterfully pays tribute to Robert Koff

By Sabrina Pond Editor

In celebration of Robert Koff, whose contributions to music are far-reaching, the renowned Lydian String Quartet performed as part of Brandeis University’s 2015-2016 concert series. Performed on Saturday, Oct.17 at 8 p.m. in Slosberg Music Center, the concert showcased the wonderful musicality of two violins, a viola and a cello.

Koff, who passed away in 2005, had a lifelong fiery passion for music— he played the violin—that could not be extinguished. The Lydian String Quartet performed in memory of Koff because of his insurmountable accomplishments, as he helped found the Julliard String Quartet after completing his studies at Oberlin Conservatory and Julliard. He performed in the String Quartet for a number of years before he became part of Brandeis’ faculty in 1958, at which point he was both a professor and director of performance activities.

He also served as chair of the Department of Music from 1969 to 1976.

Before the performance started, the Interim President Lisa M. Lynch, two of Brandeis’ alumni, Barbra Rabson ’80 and Sally Pinkas ’79, and Judith Eissenberg introduced the Lydian String Quartet and made some remarks about Robert Koff who left an indelible print on the last three speakers. Koff spent a considerable amount of time mentoring his students, and Pinkas in particular mentioned that Koff was the best piano teacher she had ever had. His comic and honest

personality coupled with his supreme ability to teach helped fuel her continued passion for her craft. Judith Eissenberg, on the other hand, who was part of the original Lydian String Quartet, performed once again with the group and performed using Koff ’s violin.

Over the course of the performance, the Lydian String Quartet played both modern and traditional classical music. There were three parts to the program, the first of which was titled “Aqua,” by Harold Meltzer, the second was “String Quartet No. 5” composed by Richard Wernick, and the third, which was titled the “String

Quartet in C Minor, Op. 51, No. 1”

by Johannes Brahms. Wernick did his undergraduate work at Brandeis and has received an innumerable amount of awards, the greatest of which was the 1977 Pulitzer Prize in Music.

The first piece in the second set, titled “At the Crossroads” was particularly dissonant and unsettling, even uncomfortable. Despite this evocative quality, the various chords somehow worked together and meshed, bringing to the forefront a more contemporary sound. The viola was the lead instrument of this piece, which is not typical, while the other instruments only added single notes or chords to

photo from internet source

‘The Martian’ fails to compel despite visual beauty

By Jess Linde Editor

Ridley Scott’s “The Martian” is undoubtedly his best film in years, a return to form to the simple and stylish science fiction that made him famous in the seventies and eighties. Though most of the film takes place on computer-generated landscapes, they are beautiful in their composition. Drew Goddard’s screenplay brings a lot of great humor into the story, which is grounded by great performances from Matt Damon, Jessica Chastain and more. It is also based on the insanely popular novel of the same name by Andy Weir, which garnered acclaim for its realistic story and incredible amount of scientific detail. It is this, sadly, that ultimately prevents the film from taking liftoff, so to speak.

The story is that of Mark Watney, played by Damon, an astronaut stranded on Mars after losing track of his crew in a dust storm. Armed with nothing but a video diary program (through which most of Damon’s scenes are viewed), his botany and engineering skills and his winning

the set. That’s not all; this piece was not solely instrumental. Actually, Hannah Senesh’s poem with the same title as the song was translated from Hebrew to English and then incorporated into the piece, thereby adding meaning to the song that caused a more melancholy tone.

Another piece in the second set, titled “Scherzo I” was strangely pieced together, each musician appearing to play at their own pace, performing their own individual piece. Though “Scherzo I” did not have an overriding main melody that each instrument played into, the unusual form of the song allowed the individual

personality, Watney must survive at least three years, so that the next mission can come get him. Back on the ground, the heads of NASA (Jeff Daniels and Chiwetel Ejiofor) and a series of comedians in cameo appearances scramble to try and find a way to bring Watney back home before he goes insane, starves or otherwise perishes alone, millions of miles away.

As already said, “The Martian” is visually stunning, and has a lot of good things going for it. The cast is stellar, the pacing is excellent, the characters are mostly very well realized and the script is sharp and funny. All of this however, cannot save the film from the fact that its story is flat and empty. Not to spoil anything, but there is nary a moment of tension over the course of the entire two-and-a-halfhours, and never a danger I did not have absolute confidence in Watney to escape. As funny as the script can be, a good third of it is dedicated to building up the hero’s likability, and another third is all explanation of how everything at NASA works.

About half an hour into the film, we know what everything does and that

Surviving Sodexo:

A Vegetarian Hot Pasta Salad

By Charlotte Aaron Editor

This week’s Surviving Sodexo features a dish made by Allison Plotnik ’18, a copy editor for The Brandeis Hoot. Plotnik, a vegetarian who prefers not to eat “just cold kidney beans,” mixes her protein with hot vegetables and pasta to make what she likes to call Hot Pasta Salad. Below is a delicious dish for vegetarians who are looking for a salad to warm them up on a cold day.

Ingredients

photos from internet source

Watney, the charming genius that he is, can manipulate everything to work in his favor. Watney always gets up after being knocked down, and unlike Sandra Bullock’s character in “Gravity,” has absolutely no flaws in his character or charm. And yet we are expected to worry about him.

Even in moments of dire peril, there is no real threat, because as an audience we know that there’s still an entire hour left in the movie. I was never bored watching the film, but I was also never worried that there would be anything but a happy ending. As much as I would like to say this is because of the fact that I am jaded and that I watch too many movies, ultimately I have to place blame on the idea of “hard” sci-fi. Though lines and lines of exposition may be interesting to science buffs, it becomes a placeholder for excitement and general plot, which forces “The Martian” to remain earthbound.

instruments greater musical range and freedom. Wernick’s composition redefines norms within music and creates an altogether different ambiance. “Scherzo I” also made use of unusual bowing techniques so that the musicians hit the strings with the back of the bow, resulting in a sound like falling raindrops. All in all, this composition embodied the concept of confusion with all its echoing tonality and sharp, grating sounds.

“String Quartet in C Minor, Op. 51, No. 1,” on the other hand, laid siege to a completely different style of music that is far more reminiscent of the traditional harmonics of baroque music. Brahm’s earliest quartet, the songs within are a tribute to excellence and precision, especially considering that this piece was the only string quartet, of 20 he wrote, that he actually published.

In honor of Robert Koff, the Robert Koff Scholarship in Music was created in memory of the musician and professor who mentored countless students over his 25 year tenure at Brandeis. Recipients of the scholarship are Brandeis students who contribute to the music community, with a preference to those who perform or study string instruments. Over 29 contributors have made the Robert Koff Scholarship in Music possible and have consequently allowed Koff ’s lifelong dedication to music continue on and blossom through their own study of music.

Robert Koff may have died 10 years ago, but his legacy lives on through his students who recognize his contribution to their own musical journeys and continue their craft.

1 bowl of pasta tomato sauce spinach shredded cheese chickpeas kidney beans

Recipe Fill a bowl with pasta from the pasta bar. Add one spoonful of tomato sauce and bring the bowl to the hotfood section to find that day’s cooked vegetables. Plotnik finds that the dish turns out best “when they have cooked carrots and cooked broccoli” available. After adding cooked vegetables, go to the salad bar. Place one tong-ful of spinach, a spoonful of chickpeas, a spoonful of kidney beans and a little bit of shredded cheese to the pasta. For the best results, Plotnik suggests putting the cheese next to the hot tomato sauce so that it melts into the rest of the dish. “The rest is variable, because it depends on what looks good in the salad bar and what vegetables are cooked.” Once all the ingredients have been added, mix everything together with a fork. Enjoy!

photo from internet source

6 ARTS

The Brandeis Hoot

October 23, 2015

Boris’ Kitchen annual ‘Old Shit Show’ remembers 25 years of sketches

By Alana Hodson Staff

Some of you may recall a massive line of students waiting along the staircase of the SCC this past Friday night, Oct. 16—or you were standing in it.

That line was the eager audience waiting to get into Boris’ Kitchen’s free annual Old Shit Show, featuring 14 sketches that had all been previously written and performed over the past 28 years..

The show highlights the troupe’s three new members: Ben Astrachan ’19, Mira Garin ’19 and Yael Matlow ’18.

The night began at 7:30 p.m. when the doors of the SCC Multipurpose Room were flung open, and the train of people filed inside, passing by a table set up just outside the doors where there was a fundraiser to raise money for the American Cancer Society. People had the option of placing money into containers displaying the names of four of Boris’ Kitchen cast members: Dennis Gonzales ’16, Sarah Duffet ’17, Paul Sindberg ’18 and Ben Astrachan ’19. The cast member who raised the most money earned a face full of pie.

As people settled down—the majority

seated on the ground, some standing in the back, and even more still huddled by the entrance attempting to worm their way in through the crowd—the room buzzed with excited chatter. Soon, the lights went down and the first sketch, “Epic Wake-up Time,” commenced.

The scene opened with a girl, Garin, sleeping on a bed, and an alarm clock, played by Yael Platt ’17, kneeling beside her. After a conspicuously long period of time where the audience waited in anticipatory silence, the alarm clock began to blare, though it was swiftly silenced when Garin slapped it on the head. However, the clock became increasingly persistent until the girl finally leapt from her bed to challenge her clock. The two characters then entered a truly epic wake up battle featuring a fight scene, an intense chess game, a dramatic, slow-motion race through the audience concluding with a game of tug-of-war that included the entire BK cast. In the end, the girl realized she was late to class and decided to go back to sleep.

The following sketches continued to match, and in some cases, surpass the level of absurdity set by the first ones.

Two sketches were about Brandeis,

“Pregnancy Test” and “Bizarro Theater.”

“Pregnancy Test,” which garnered many laughs and took place at the Health Center, where an oddly enthusiastic nurse (Platt, asked each patient—a girl with a harsh cough (Yaznil Baez ’16), a girl with a broken ankle (Garin) and a guy (Zephry Wright ’17), if they were pregnant. Naturally, each patient was not pregnant … save for the last patient, played by Sarah Duffet, who, much to the nurse’s excitement, thought she might actually be pregnant. The sketch ended with a loud cough followed by a small, red fetus (a doll) hurled over the curtain from backstage.

The other 12 sketches varied drastically. “Spay Your Way to Coolness,” featuring Rodrigo Alfaro Garcia Granadas ’18, Sindberg, and Gonzalez, was about two popular high school boys trying to convince a third boy,Gonzalez, that the secret to their coolness was castration.

“Bee Juice” was an infomercial-style sketch where Astrachan and Granadas promoted their new product, Bee Juice, and included a passionate keyboard solo played on a smartphone to boost sales. Other performances took a jab at slightly political subject matter, such as “Knock Knock,” where a guy tried to teach his foreign friend American humor, “Racial Slur,” where a family enjoying a dinner party becomes flustered after one member of the group keeps using what sounds like racial slurs and “Allergic,” a sketch where a girl reveals that she is allergic to freedom.

The show’s final sketch was “WWJD” which featured the four senior members of BK, Deesha Patel ’16, Jason Kasman ’16, Gonzalez and Baez. The four seniors acted as middle-school girls at a slumber party playing Truth or Dare.

When Baez was asked about her deepest secret, she responded that it was neglecting to say three “Hail Marys” after confession. However, the ironic humor

Visiting poet addresses issues of ethnicity and culture

ensued when her secret failed to impress her friends and they demanded she tell a better one, to which she revealed having a meth lab in her basement…which also failed to impress, since, according to the group, all the seventh-grade girls had one. After the final sketch, Duffet was revealed to have raised the most money (BK raised over $130 total) and thus received a pie to the face.Kasman directed this year’s Old Shit Show, with help from Andrew Aggress ’17 who assistant directed, Raphael Stigliano ’18 as producer and Subhi Sapkota ’16 on lights and sound.

photos by sharon cai/the hoot

8 DAYS

UNTIL HALLOWEEN!

By Clayre Benzadon Staff

Bobby Gonzalez, a writer and multicultural motivational speaker, spoke at AHORA’s Thursday, Oct. 22 coffeehouse in honor of Hispanic Heritage Month.

Native American and Puerto Rican author of “The Last Puerto Rican India: A Collection of Dangerous Poetry” and “Taino Zen,” Gonzalez is also a storyteller and poet and has been to many colleges to give talks. The first thing that Gonzalez asked the audience was whether our school celebrated Columbus Day. He spoke about his Latino, African and Native American ancestry and a brief background behind Columbus’ colonization.

He brought up the point that many of his friends have told him at some point or another that they love “Spanish” culture and “Spanish” food. What they don’t realize, however, is the fact that Spanish culture is different from Hispanic/Latin culture—Spanish culture is limited to Spain, while Hispanic/Latino culture refers to the various differences in places in Latin America. Later on, Gonzalez asks the audience whether they knew about

photo from internet source

Taíno culture—the room got quiet.

Gonzalez also talked about the discrimination that his ancestors faced. This is reflected in his book of poetry “The Last Puerto Rican Indian,” which is a collection of poems that is written about his identity and a of journey of self discovery.

A lot of the works in his collection are spiritual, like in his poem “Beneath this Earth.”

“The Last Puerto Rican Indian” is another crucial poem that appears toward the end of the book. This piece is more explicitly a social commentary on his Native American heritage, how everything connects back to the land and how forgetfulness is a human condition that the

land never experiences. Rather, the land is a reminder of human destruction and carelessness as well as loss of culture and spirituality.

Gonzalez stayed to talk to attendees individually, while an open space was created for anyone else who wanted to perform on the spot about their own experiences, taking inspiration from Gonzalez’s talk.

The performances were not limited to poetry and was very open to other forms of artistic expression, whether it be music or dance. A few people got up to perform, and some started to open up about their own cultural experiences and background to new people that they had just met at Chum’s thanks to this event.

photo from internet source

October 23, 2015

ARTS 7

The Brandeis Hoot

Contemporary and classic concert mediates between the clarinet, flute and piano

By Adam Lamper Staff

This past Sunday, Oct. 18, as part of Brandeis University’s 2015-2016 Concert Series, flautist Jill Dreeben, clarinetist Todd Brunel and pianist Elizabeth Skavish took center stage with their performance, “Contemporary with Classic: Music with Flute, Clarinet and Piano.” The night brought many surprises, including two premier pieces, and an energetic group of artists that would be sure to excite any audience.

The concert kicked off with McDonald’s premier piece, “Three Sketchbook Items.” McDonald, a professor of music at Tufts University, presented the three pieces as a set because of their contrasting styles and proximity within his sketchbook, hence the piece’s title. This show-opening piece displayed the diversity of the performer’s skills, employing techniques that ranged from the standard trill to flutter-tongue, as well as exemplifying their wide range of pitch. Like the majority of the pieces that night, a fair portion of the music was centered around atonality, and was vaguely reminiscent of Schoenberg’s 12-tone technique, adding to the overall sense of surrealism of the piece.

The second and last premier of the night was film composer John Kusiak’s, “Film Noir for Flute, Clarinet and Piano.” Unlike the opener, this piece’s tonality centered around the keys of E minor and E major, which, to Kusiak, evokes the color black.

“Although I don’t have true synesthesia, in the case of E chords and keys (along with a few others), I’ve always had a definite color association,” he

said. Kusiak incorporated many stylistic elements from his film scores into this piece. However, he remarked that he did not intend to emulate any specific film noir music, but rather stated that “the darkness in the piece is evocative of the genre.” The haunting ostinatos of the song surely added to the envisioned darkness of the piece.

The final song of the first half of the performance brought in the “classic” aspect of concert with Sergei Prokofiev’s “Sonata No. 2 Op. 94.”

This four-movement piece starred Dreeben, who also happens to teach private flute lessons here at Brandeis, accompanied by Skavish on the piano. The piece explored a wide range of tempos from andante to allegro con brio, and even expressed Dreeben’s excellent use and control of the various timbres of sound that can be produced with the flute.

After intermission, there was yet another solo titled, “Child’s Play,” exclusively starring Dreeben. Toronto-native composer John Armstrong, a close friend, had written this piece.

He stated that he wrote the five-movement piece for Dreeben in order to “explore the various shades of innocence evoked by children, and, at the same time, explore the capabilities of the solo flute,” as she was expecting her first child, Simon. “This piece was written 23 years ago for my son,” Dreeben said as she introduced the piece, “and I’m playing it tonight in his honor.” The piece then goes on to emulate aspects of childhood through movements with names such as “First Steps,” “Curious” and “Mischievous.”

As a direct result of Armstrong’s attempt to demonstrate the true range

and diversity of the flute, this piece acted as a culmination of various techniques presented throughout the night, most notably Dreeben’s ability to bend the notes, and her use of a contemporary technique of whisper or whistle-tones.

The last piece of the night was “Barn Dances,” written by one of America’s most-performed living composers, Libby Larsen. A series of four abstract compositions, each drawing its name from a dance step used in cowboy dances, “Barn Dances” was by far the most diverse and entertaining piece of the night. With energetic, fluid and semi-atonal allegretto all in one movement, transitioning to a slow, melodic waltz in another, it was the perfect way to end the performance.

The most appealing movement of the

four, however, was titled “Divide the Ring,” and features themes of a genre that Larsen refers to as “Cowboy Swing.” The piece opened up with a Scott Joplin-esque piano, and continued to flip-flop between the abstract and ragtime genres, until, eventually ending in the traditional E7, A7, D7, C blues, chord progression.

Though it provided more “contemporary” than “classic,” Sunday’s performance was nothing short of musicianship at its finest. Coming up next in the 2015-2016 Concert Series is the “Eric Chasalow 60th Birthday Birthday Concert,” featuring leading presenters of chamber music, Dinosaur Annex Music Ensemble. This event will be taking place this upcoming Saturday, Oct. 24, in Slosberg Recital Hall.

photos by adam lamper/the hoot

‘The Birds and the Bees: Unabridged’ stings with unprofessionalism ByAmanda Ehrmann Staff

Honest Accomplice’s “The Birds and The Bees: Unabridged” is a devised, touring piece performed at Brandeis on Oct. 14. Devised theater is a particularly unique concept, because it proves beneficial not only to the viewers, but also to the actors, who create the piece themselves. The opportunity to perform your own work is a rare, admirable feat. When portraying intense emotion on stage not only do you have to be vulnerable, but you also know that what you are performing is your work, or your friend’s work, which is even more frightening.

Allowing others to perform a piece

photos by sophia he/the hoot

you wrote is never easy. The stakes are higher, and the rehearsal process is more of a personal journey.

“The Birds and The Bees” presented fresh material and key insight into transgender identity. The cast

was diverse, comprised of women and gender non-conforming actors.

Besides diversity in race and gender, there were also a few actors over the age of 60, which was refreshing. The idea of bringing older people into the

cast provided new perspectives and offered opportunities that older actors normally don’t have.

Additional abstract elements enhanced the show. There were dance pieces that mirrored sexual experiences. A couple danced in front of a couple lying on an upright bed holding the cover above them. This allowed the audience to have a peek into a couple’s personal life without being vulgar.

Other interesting scenes included movement pieces where one actor would repeat an everyday movement, like looking at themselves in the mirror, then other actors would repeat this action in a round. This echoed the obsessive nature of body unhappiness, and was particularly powerful to see if across all different races, genders and ages. The show also had comedic moments in songs that allowed the audience to breathe and take a break from the tough subject matter.

The show was well rounded and well written.

One aspect of the show that ultimately led to its downfall had to do with the actors’ abilities to perform.

Actors often stumbled over their lines or seemed to present overly dramatic versions of the characters that hindered the authenticity of the stories.

There were small technical mistakes, justified by the fact that the group toured and was not familiar with the SCC theater. However, the actors lacked the techniques that most actors are taught from day one, such as enunciation, projection, and identification of clear trigger moments.

Select theater courses were lucky to have the directors Maggie Keenan-Bolger and Rachel Sullivan

as guests. Sullivan explained the process of Accomplice’s abstract, devised theater, and also how they worked with people who had no previous acting experience. This explained the performers’ unfamiliarity with stage performance, but left the question of whether it was the right choice. If the actors performed their own stories, rather than other troupe member’s stories or fictional stories, they may have presented a more honest front.

Sullivan further explained that working with non-actors proved challenging, but they did their best to create a safe space. Near tech week, the troupe members write out their fears about the performance and Sullivan and Keenan-Bolger read these fears out loud to show troupe members they were not alone.

Despite slight performance slips, the overall production was refreshing and new. After learning about the production process, using non-actors made sense. This was an incredible opportunity for non-actors to express themselves and have an artistic voice.

But using non-actors was not necessarily the best decision for a piece whose aim was to educate, as the mistakes proved distracting.

ARTS, ETC.

8 The Brandeis Hoot

October 23, 2015

‘Songs for a New World’ explores the human experience through the ages

By Sabrina Pond Editor

Blue mountains gently peaked in the stage’s backdrop, a bunch of seethrough liners outlined in a blue pastel that allowed the audience to see a silhouette of the orchestra behind. A sun in a mosaic style was nestled in the sky, periodically carried up and down by a pulley, to mark the passage of time. A range of pastels cascaded down the length of the stage, reminiscent of the cool comforts of the sea.

The stage props were subtle, even simple, but the Brandeis Department of Theater Arts performance of “Songs for a New World” was anything but. Directed by Rachel Liff ’16 for her senior thesis, “Songs” is unique in that it is a play told through song, without a consistent storyline to hold it together, known as a song cycle. In fact, each individual song gives a glimpse of the lives of people of varied races, genders, classes and sexualities throughout human history. In her director’s note, Liff put a finger on the play’s charm, “‘Songs for a New World’ may be the only piece of theater that takes us from the Spanish Inquisition to the top of the New York City Skyscraper to the American Revolution and back again.”

A reflection of the human experience, the piece’s 20 songs traverse a wide range of human emotions, including both the highs and lows that are part of living. An altogether different type of show, “Songs for a New World” focuses less on the development of characters

photos by mike lovett/the hoot

over time and more on the capacity for humans to feel, to suffer, to enjoy life and to overcome considerable challenges that arise from living under a particular circumstance. The second number, “On The Deck Of A Sailing Ship, 1492” describes a captain’s fears for all aboard his ship as they sail into the unknown.

In Act Two, “Christmas Lullaby” recounts one woman’s astonishment and amazement at the revelation that she is pregnant. In the end “Songs for a New World” implies the union of humanity despite dividing factors like time, race and class.

For the majority of the show, actors performed alone on stage, or only with one other person, at least until the song called for the company. Five actors

comprised the entire cast, with Gabi Nail ’18 as Woman #1, Rebecca Myers ’18 as Woman #2, Kiana Nwaobia ’17 as Woman #3, Adam Recht ’16 as Man #1 and Jason Theoharis ’17 as Man #2.

These generic character names were necessary given that the actors played a different person with each song.

With stunning vocal performances all-around, Nwaboia’s deep, rich voice was nicely contrasted against Nail’s delicate, yet lush soprano voice. These voices, played against each other, resulted in interesting vocal combinations that helped drive home the emotional intensity of the individual pieces. With so many emotions, each of the singers had their own respective niches that, once put together, only amplified the

heart-wrenching emotions therein.

Given the structure of the performance, each song could have easily catalyzed an entirely new production. In particular, one rather remarkable performance in Act I titled “Just One Step” told the story of a New York housewife whose volatile marriage caused her to have suicidal thoughts. The tensions apparent in her marriage stem from her desire for material items, including, but not limited to, a fur coat and a dog, as well as her anxieties over her appearance—”I’m embarrassing, I’m fat, I’m demanding, and controlling, and whatever, perhaps it’s true.” Myers fully captured the role and added dimension to a character who deserves to have her story told. Her New York accent was spot

on, never bridging on the dramatic, and throughout the number she was able to convey subtleties about her character through the slightest hand motion and annoyingly high-pitched pronunciation of her husband’s name. Myers’ vocal delivery only added to the emotional tension with the anticipation of her suicide attempt as she first pretends to jump off a cliff, and then actually does.

Another notable performance in Act II, titled “I’d Give It All For You,” showcased the talents of both Nail and Theoharis in a duet about two people rediscovering their love for each other.

One of the most inspirational songs of the entire play, the interplay between the two characters shows a pair of lovers who recognize their inability to live without each other. The vocal talents of both Nail and Theoharis shone through their supported sound, especially when they both sang in unison. Theodaris’ strong, husky voice paired with Nail’s abounding, sweet vocals produce a luxurious, rich vocal sound that only served to further emphasize the hope and wonder of finding someone who really cares.

“Songs for a New World,” though an ambitious show, was completely within the realm of Brandeis’ theater department to perform well. The subject matter and deliverance of the play spoke volumes about humanity as a whole— it’s capacity to feel and experience, as well as the trials and tribulations people have encountered through difficult circumstances—in a mindful and enlightening way.

Next Week: Brandeis Ensemble Theater Presents: ‘The Love of the Nightingale’

by Timberlake Wertenbaker About the show: This play is a retelling of an ancient Greek myth for a contemporary audience. With sexual violence at its epicenter, “Nightingale” explores themes of violence, silence and power at the intersections of race and gender, and challenges the systems embedded in our own society. A Greek Chorus guides the action of the play, incorporating elements of dance and song to weave together a story that is beautiful, horrific and vital.

Content Warning: sexual, physical, gendered, racialized violence

graphic by pichya nimit

’16

Featuring: Keturah Walker ’18, Salena Deane ’19, Andrew Hyde ’17, Laura Goemann ’17, Otis Fuqua ’19, Sindy Sura ’19, Morgan Winters ’17, Jessie Shinberg ’17, Emily Bisno ’19, Ellie McKnight ’18, Gabe Walker ’19, Tremaine Smith ’18, Cam Braunstein ’19, Shaquan McDowell ’18 and Kaelan Lynch ’17.

Showtimes:

Thursday 8 p.m.

Friday 8 p.m.

Saturday 2 p.m. and 8 p.m.

Sunday 2 p.m.

Tickets are now on sale at the SCC Box Office ($3 for students, $5 for general admission).

Production Staff:

Ayelet Schrek ’17 (Director/Fight Choreographer/Composer) Julie Landy ’17 (Stage Manager) Dahlia Kushinsky ’16 (Executive Producer) LaQuasia Cherry ’17 (Producer) Eirian Siegal-Botti ’17 (Assistant Producer) Sam Laney ’17 (Set Designer) Rachel Haskins ’17 (Co-Lighting Designer) Jennifer Amato ’15 (Co-Lighting Designer) Ana-Sofia Meneses ’16 (Executive Costume Designer) Dennis Hermida ’17 (Costume Designer) Kylie Underwood ’18 (Assistant Costume Designer) Xiaoxi Ma ’18 (Assistant Costume Designer) Madi Samus ’17 (Prop Designer/Dramaturg/ASM) Molly Marcus ’18 (Tech Assistant) Samantha Levine ’18 (Sound Designer/ASM) Hannah McCowan ’19 (Tech Assistant) Emma Bess Hanselman ’18 (Dance Choreographer)

October 23, 2015

WEEK IN PHOTOS

photo by mike lovett/the hoot

The Brandeis Hoot 9

photo by karen caldwell/the hoot

photo by sharon cai/the hoot

photos by adam lamper/the hoot

EDITORIALS

10 The Brandeis Hoot

Embrace Student Union’s transparency efforts

“To acquire wisdom, one must observe.”

Editors-in-Chief Andrew Elmers Theresa Gaffney Senior Managing Editor Jess Linde Senior Copy Editors Mia Edelstein Julie Landy News Editors Charlotte Aaron Hannah Schuster Arts Editor Sabrina Pond Opinions Editor Zach Phil Schwartz Features Editor Jacob Edelman Sports Editor Sarah Jousset Hoot Scoops Editor Emily Sorkin Smith Copy Editor Allison Plotnik

October 23, 2015

S

tudent Union President Nyah Macklin ’16 has emphasized the importance of increasing transparency among students, the Student Union and the administration. She believes it is the Union’s job to keep students informed of the inner workings of the university so that students are not “left in the dark,” a complaint that the student body has rightfully made numerous times over the past few years.

We support Macklin’s resolution. We at The Brandeis Hoot believe it is essential for students to feel included in decision making processes that very much concern them.

Macklin has undertaken several initiatives to improve transparency so far this year, and we commend her for this. Last week, Macklin appeared on the first edition of the WBRS program The Student Union Update Show where she answered questions about campus issues and her plans for the year. The Union will also soon unveil a new website featuring information on the Union’s activity and progress on

initiatives.

We appreciate Macklin’s efforts in both these arenas; however, we wonder, how many people will tune into Macklin’s radio show?

How often will students check the website?

Another issue we find troubling is lack of student attendance at the Union’s weekly Senate meetings.

These meetings are open to the public; however, typically there are few or no outside attendees.

At these meetings, the Senate members vote on chartering clubs, discuss dining initiatives, hear updates on committee reports and propose changes to their policies.

Macklin can try as hard as she wants to introduce new avenues for students to learn about the university’s activity, but students have to take advantage of these opportunities, new and old. Senate meetings are a great way for students to become familiar with the way their government works, to understand why some

clubs are chartered and others are not and to get to know their elected officers.

The Hoot does not wish to criticize students, but rather encourage. We want students to want to attend Senate meetings at 7 p.m. on Sunday in the SCC multi-purpose room, as well as the State of the Union address with interim President Lisa Lynch this Saturday at 9:30 a.m. To complain about a lack of resources without taking full advantage of those that are provided is hypocritical at best. Though we recognize that it is almost antagonizing of administration to schedule the address so early in the morning on the weekend, taking advantage of this opportunity to hear President Lynch speak is important.

There are many changes to campus life that the Brandeis student body needs administration and the Student Union to take charge of.

However, when these community members come through for us, as students we need to ensure the effort wasn’t in vain.

Senior Layout Editor Sasha Ruiz Layout Editors Lisa Petrie Ludi Yang

Matrimony at Brandeis

Photo Editor Karen Caldwell

By Naomi Klickstein Staff

Volume 12 • Issue 19

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Founded By Leslie Pazan, Igor Pedan and Daniel Silverman

STAFF

Clayre Benzadon, Rachel Bossuk, Sharon Cai, Zach Cihlar, Talia Franks, Zachary Gordon, Emma Gutman, Curtis Zunyu He, Emma Kahn, Naomi Klickstein, Nabi Menai, Monique J Menezes, Santiago Montoya, Joon Park, Nicole Porter, Albert Reiss, Emily Scharf, Marian Siljeholm, Eliana Sinoff, Ryan Spencer, Elianna Spitzer, Hannah Stewart, Sarah Terrazano, Michael Wang, Katarina Weessies MISSION As the weekly community student newspaper of Brandeis University, The Brandeis Hoot aims to provide our readers with a reliable, accurate and unbiased source of news and information.

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

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ACROSS 1. Nightmarish street 2. Duel 6. Rollercoaster feature 9. Actress Scarlett 11. Prefix for dynamic 14. Ex-acorn 15. Something old 17. Relaxing spot 18. Former expert 23. Something new 27. ___ entendu (misunderstanding) 28. Something borrowed 29. Clingy 33. Taxi 36. Something blue 40. Prefix with meter 41. Design org.

42. Sing 43. MPH part 44. Genesis garden 45. Enemy

Last Week’s Solution

DOWN 1. Isaac’s older son 3. Nut 4. e.g. potatoes 5. Japanese liquor 6. Liquid ______ 7. NHL player Bobby 8. ____ Lisa 10. Bryan Cranston role 12. Double turn 13. Gym num.

16. Give up 18. Americans in Paris (abr.)

19. Unhooked 20. Dedham cinema 21. TV awards 22. Natural Theology author 24. Mug 25. Ingest 26. Commotion 30. Get jiggy with it 31. British weight 32. Three points 33. Winter garment 34. Heavyweight champ 35. Plead 36. e.g. Europa 37. Tokyo formerly 38. Aussie’s pal 39. Nail polish brand

FEATURES

October 23, 2015

The Brandeis Hoot 11

Prof. Art offers insights on a long, distinguished political tenure

By Abigail Gardener Staff

Professor Robert Art (POL) came to Brandeis in 1967, immediately after attending graduate school at Harvard.

This was because, as Art said, “The Vietnam War was on at that time, and if you didn’t teach, you would’ve been drafted.” He chose Brandeis because he wanted to stay in the Boston area and be at a good school.

Art has become a distinguished fixture of the Brandeis politics department. Specializing in national security affairs and foreign policy, Art teaches various politics courses, from undergraduate intro courses to graduate seminars. Currently, he is teaching an introductory course on international politics, an upper-level seminar on national security policy, a course on American foreign policy from 1890-present, a field seminar in international relations and a course on war and world history, starting with the Greeks.

Although he says he doesn’t have a favorite course to teach because each is different, he said, “I really enjoy teaching the Intro to International Relations, because beginning students always ask the most naive, which are always the best, questions.”

In addition to teaching all these courses, Art was invited to be a

member of the Council on Foreign Relations in the early 1980s. People are invited to be members based on their prominence in the field. “The Council on Foreign Relations is kind of the mainstream organization for American foreign policy. I’m a member … by invitation, but there are a lot of people that are members: people interested from the private sector, the government, from academia interested in American foreign policy.”

His favorite aspect of working at Brandeis is that he gets to teach; the meetings, he doesn’t enjoy as much. “I was the dean of the graduate school for six years here back in the late ’70s and early ’80s, and I developed an allergy to meetings after six years of doing that,” he said. It’s no surprise Art would rather be in the classroom. He remembers the challenge of coming to teach during a very turbulent time in American history.

“I think the most difficult [time] teaching I had was that first semester, when I had the president of the local student chapter of SDS,” Students for a Democratic Society. SDS was a radical leftist student activist organization known for opposing the Vietnam War, so Art knew he would have a relatively hard time teaching a class on American foreign policy.

“I remember [a student] standing up in my class and saying “Professor Art, I’m not going to take your class,

but I disagree with the way you’re teaching it.” And then he decided to take my class. This was my first course that I’d ever taught, and we basically had a duel throughout the whole semester. It was extremely difficult. It was a trial by fire. But I survived. It worked out well.”

Art says one of the common misconceptions about his area of scholarship is that people assume he loves war. “My goal is to try to figure out how to avoid war, and how to resolve things without going to war. But you need to understand the function of military power and how to achieve that. So I study war in order to try to keep the peace.”

To students who are unsure about taking a politics course, Art recommends trying different things while at school; after all, that’s the purpose of a liberal arts education. “The more you know, the richer your life can be. You shouldn’t pile up courses in a pre-professional way. Take some music, take some English, literature, take some fine arts.” Art himself said he took five fine arts courses while he was an undergraduate.

Although he came to Brandeis during a difficult time in American history, especially for a politics professor, Art said, “I’ve really enjoyed my years at Brandeis. It’s been very fulfilling. I can’t believe they pay me to do this.”

photo from internet source

The Harry Potter Alliance—social justice enabled through new culture

By Jacob Edelman Editor

The Brandeis University Harry Potter Alliance is not a fan club. They are an activist organization devoted to making change in the world through pop-culture based campaigns, dealing primarily through the lens of movies and television shows. Describing themselves as “Dumbledore’s Army for the real world,” the organization is a national non-profit run largely by people who find commonality in their love for Harry Potter, setting out to “turn fans into heroes” by using “the power of story and popular culture to inspire fans to be like the heroes they read about.” The national organization was created and co-founded in 2005 by Brandeis Alumnus Andrew Slack, and the Brandeis iteration of the Harry Potter Alliance was founded seven years later in 2012.

Emily Kalver ’18, a psychology major and linguistics minor is both a member and the communications representative of the Brandeis University Harry Potter Alliance. She recently spoke about the club and its intentions on campus. Comprising 15 members, the club is a chartered group. Kalver says that they “bring Brandeis’ love for social justice together with the Harry Potter Alliance’s love for relevant culture to try to get people excited about issues in a different way.”

The Harry Potter Alliance does get people excited about issues in less conventional ways. Among many social justice campaigns, the larger organization held a national ‘Hunger is NOT a Game’ campaign as a part of their Imagine Better project, partnering with Oxfam and the Hunger

Games fan base to fight hunger issues. They also held a ‘Not in Harry’s Name’ campaign in a successful effort to use an ethical source for the cocoa used in Harry Potter chocolate products. As a 10 year anniversary celebration, the Harry Potter Alliance is

now holding an Indiegogo fundraiser to continue their mission for positive social change.

The Brandeis extension of the Harry Potter Alliance has had a flurry of activity in recent years. Last year, the club organized a book drive to donate

books to a children’s hospital in Boston. The club has also held bake sales, including a very successful one just last week. The club is also organizing a DEISImpact event for this spring after having held a ‘Deis Impact event just last year.

photo from internet source

Last year, the ‘Deis Impact event that was organized was a life-sized Game of Life. In a case of unfortunate timing, the event was scheduled during the Super Bowl (during which the Patriots were playing,) but it was put on regardless. The goal of the game was to educate about how difficult living could be on a low income.

“You could win some money or you could lose some money,” Kalver stated “but if you were wealthier you might win more, and if you were poorer you might not be able to cushion losses.

You just had to rely on getting a good spin.” The Brandeis University Harry Potter Alliance expects to hold another ‘Deis Impact this year.

The club’s hopes are that they can get more known on campus. “We’re trying to get our name out there more,” said Kalver, “A lot of the people who do [the club] are big Harry Potter fans, but we keep people in the club to improve the world and to imagine better.”

Kalver spoke of the club members, saying “We have a really dedicated membership. We are small, but we are very committed, and everyone is always really excited to participate.” She spoke about how, during the recent bake sale, the members of the club “spent all weekend running around, buying ingredients and baking, and they were happy to do it in their spare time.” The club’s ultimate hope is to bring fresh ideas about how social activism can work. “[Activism] is often not really accessible to people who don’t already know what’s going on” said Kalver. The Harry Potter Alliance wants to bring in people who want to know more about social activism, and bring them the activism in an interesting package. That way, Kalver notes, true change can be made.

SPORTS

12 The Brandeis Hoot

October 23, 2015

Women’s rugby improves with new coaches

By Lily Wageman Staff

The women’s rugby club team is a hidden gem of the athletic department. The team was founded in 2000 and has continued to develop a closeknit community since its foundation.

Some recent successes from the team came last season when the team won both of its games on the first day of the Beast of the East tournament in Rhode Island. Another highlight from last season was a 76-10 victory over Wellesley in a friendly match.

This season has been a little tougher with only one win over Mount Holyoke and two losses against University of New Haven and Framingham State University. The team won their match against Babson because they forfeited for a lack of players.

Sunday, Oct. 25 is the team’s last game, against Worcester Polytechnic Institute.

This season also brings change to the team, as they welcomed new head coach LauraBen (LB) Moore ’14 and assistant coach Ev Evnen Heller ’14. Continuing their captainship are Ahuva Hanau ’16 and Maggie Lacwasan ’17. The Hoot was able to interview both captains and gain insight into the rugby team.

Hanau, who plays at scrum-half,

has been on the team since her freshman year. For the past two semesters, she’s been the leading scorer.

Although out for the season because of a broken finger from the New Haven game, her goals for this season included improving tactical decision making.

She describes her leadership style as leading by example and “a lot of talking,” but she has been working with Moore to make this communication more specific.

“LB has taught me a lot about how to ask leading questions to help teammates come to an understanding of what they need to do to improve themselves.” Hanau believes that rugby is empowering for women because “it’s great to play a sport that has all the same rules for men and women, even though it’s full contact. We also say that women’s rugby has a spot on the team for everybody, and I truly believe it.”

Lacwasan began playing rugby during her first semester and had only played field hockey and softball before. During the season, she aimed to improve her communication skills with her co-captain, coaches and teammates, as well as gain a better understanding of the game overall.

According to Lacwasan, her leadership style is to “show than tell” and

photo courtesy of brandeis women’s rugby club

“lead by example.” She also shares the same belief with her co-captain that rugby is an incredibly empowering sport and that “truly anyone can play rugby.” She further believes that rugby promotes a positive body image in women because “you can feel the

strength in your own body when you tackle someone or when you’re making a sprint down field. It transforms your thinking about how your body looks into what it can do and I think that’s extremely powerful.”

Both captains expressed an enthu-

siasm and passion for rugby and the bond they feel toward all within the community. They encourage anyone with any interest in the sport to join the women’s rugby team and check out their Facebook page and their page on the athletics website.

Women’s soccer wins homecoming game in overtime

By Zach Cihlar Staff

The women’s soccer team pulled off a win on Homecoming weekend against Washington University on Sunday, Oct. 18, after falling to the University of Chicago Maroons 1-0 on Friday, Oct. 16. The score of the conference match-up was 1-0 with a golden goal occurring in overtime as parents, students, alumni and animals from the petting zoo supported the team from the sidelines. It would be the Judges’ ninth shutout win of the season.

The tension was high as the two top10 ranked teams met at Gordon Field.

The 10th-ranked Judges pulled off the upset against the seventh-ranked bears, who received their first loss against a UAA conference opponent in the homecoming match-up.

The game advanced the Judges’ record to 12-2-1 as they approach the end of the regular season. Both losses have been to UAA conference opponents. The Judges’ conference record is now 2-2.

It was a tight game between two skilled teams, with both offenses applying strong pressure, requiring great saves on both ends of the field.

Overall, Brandeis earned the advantage in shots with 13-11 against the visiting team, while receiving an even greater advantage in shots on goal, 7-3. For the duration of the first half, the Judges’ defense excelled. The vis-

women’s soccer beats wusl

#19 Samantha Schwartz ‘18 goes for a loose ball.

iting team was unable to land a shot on goal for the entirety of the first 45-minute period.

Katie Chandler ’17 of Washington University had a particularly lucrative

game with seven shot opportunities, two of which landed on goal. Holly Szafran ’16 had a team-high two shots on goal from a total of three shot opportunities for Brandeis.

photos by adam lamper/ the hoot

Wash U’s goalkeeper made a total of five saves during the 1-0 game, and Brandeis goalie Alexis Grossman ’17 saved all three of the Bears’ shots on goal, securing the shutout for the

Judges.

An incredible save came from a Wash U’s defender in the 72nd minute. Brandeis junior Cidney Moscovitch ’17 took a shot on goal on an open net, but before it could sneak past the goal line, the defender cleared the ball off the line, robbing the Judges of a second half goal.

Later on, the game-winning goal came from senior captain Alec Spivack ’16 in overtime. Spivack netted the ball off of a free kick 25 yards out in the 95th minute following a foul from the Bears. It was Spivack’s third of the season, two of which were game-winners. Additionally, it was the first goal allowed by the Wash U women’s team in six games. The excitement was felt throughout the stands as the women’s team stormed the field following the golden goal that dethroned the UAA undefeated Wash U team.

The Judges hosted another game on Wednesday Oct. 21 against Westfield State University. Brandeis pulled out the win by a score of 3-1, with two goals in the first half and one in the second. The win advanced their overall record to 13-2-1. Goals came from Szafran (two) and Spivack for the Judges. Brandeis women’s soccer has a nine-day break following the Westfield State game on Wednesday. They are scheduled to play again on Friday Oct. 30 in Atlanta against Emory University. The Emory team is currently 7-6-1, with a 0-3-1 record against UAA conference opponents.

Men’s soccer splits matches over homecoming weekend

By Sarah Jousset Editor

The men’s soccer team kicked off homecoming this past weekend with a game against fellow UAA conference member University of Chicago Maroons. The Friday night game was an aggressive match, with a large group of students, parents and alumni at Gordon Field supporting the team.

The seventh-ranked Judges beat the Maroons 1-0, scoring in the final minutes to make an emotional ending to an intense game.

The match was scoreless in the first

half, with Chicago controlling most of the play. The Maroons outshot the Judges 5-3 and accumulated seven corner kicks, compared to none for the Judges. Brandeis goalkeeper Ben Woodhouse ’18 made two saves in the first half and four saves overall, to ensure yet another shut out for the sophomore.

In the second half, the Judges came out with a stronger offensive attack, leveling the playing field by outshooting the Maroons in the second half 8-5. However, Chicago finished the game with the advantage in corner kicks at 11-0. With such an evenly

matched pair, the two teams resorted to aggression, as Chicago racked up nine fouls over the course of the game and the Judges accumulated 12 fouls of their own. The Judges had a few opportunities to score, one coming from captain Jake Picard ’16 in the 73rd minute. The Judges finally scored in the 85th minute of the game to take the lead over Chicago. A long punt from Woodhouse bounced into the Chicago half of the field. Zach Vieira ’17 came down with it and moved the ball into the Chicago box. Forward Evan Jastremski ’17 then beat the charging Chicago goalkeeper to the

ball and shot the ball into the opposite corner of the goal for the game winner. The goal marked Jastremski’s first goal of the season after missing all but three of the prior games this season due to injury. The goal was his third career game-winner and seventh career goal.

To finish Homecoming weekend, the Judges faced off against Washington University in another UAA conference match-up. The Judges couldn’t hold up against WashU, though, and saw their 11-game win streak snapped in a heartbreaking 2-0 loss.

The Judges outshot WashU 12-10, but couldn’t find the net with just one shot on goal against the Bears’ seven.

The first goal for the Bears came early into the game, at the five-minute mark. Woodhouse came out to make a play on a long kick from midfield, but was beaten to the ball by an opposing player who snuck the ball by Woodhouse into the goal. The insurance goal for the Bears came in the 61st minute, and would seal the Judge’s defeat, making the final score 2-0. Men’s soccer will host their final non-conference match on Tuesday, Oct. 27 against Lasell College.

OPINIONS

October 23, 2015

The Brandeis Hoot 13

Editorial board apologizes

By Hoot Editorial Board Editors

We, The Brandeis Hoot Editorial Board, would like to apologize for an opinion piece published in our last issue that made generalizations about Tim Touchette and the Community Advisors within the Department of Community Living. There were many ethical issues involved in this article that we would like to take the time to address.

Verification of information is essential to anything published in a newspaper, whether that be a news article or an opinion piece. The fact that this was an opinion piece should not have excused us from applying scrutiny and ensuring that you, our readers, could be certain all the information in the article was true and verified. The article included sweeping statements about DCL without attributing information to any sources. As editors, we are at fault for overlooking this and publishing the piece.

We recognize that our decision to allow the writer to remain anonymous without stating the reasons why was wrong. We gave the student anonymity out of concern for protecting survivors.

However, it was wrong of us to allow an anonymous author to make such strong claims without named sources to verify the information.

As a board, we have reflected on how this happened. Members of the editorial board know the identity of the writer and trusted their credibility. We recognize this was improper justification for publishing the article. We were irresponsible in trusting any source to the extent that we didn’t do our job in fact checking and standing our ethical ground.

We realize that our actions may have caused many of you—our readers, our sources and other members of the community—to question our standards. The Hoot has had a reputation as the “community newspaper,” a publication devoted to reporting on what is important to the student body. We have been a place for people to go to write about what matters to them.

Going forward, we want to show you we are a publication you can trust.

Despite purpose, social media erases voice

By Dalya Romaner Special to the Hoot

I live in a world where people are being replaced. Not by robots, but by anonymity. Cell phones have replaced face-to-face conversations, Twitter has replaced phone calls and Tinder has replaced dating. Physical action

has become unnecessary; people are finding more and more ways to remain in the safety of their own homes or behind their computer screens instead of showing their faces and interacting with one another. Don’t get me wrong. Social media has countless benefits, but a number of disadvantages as well.

In light of recent tragedies around

the world, particularly in America and Israel, I offer just one possible explanation. America has always had problems, but recently one has made constant headlines: gun violence. Yes, it’s related to mental health and gun control and numerous other factors, but I think it’s related to something else as well. In Israel, there has been a recent surge in violence between

photo from internet source

Arab-Israelis and their fellow Israeli citizens. Some have called it the Third Intifada against undeserving Jews, and others call it well-deserved punishment for occupation. Everyone has their opinions and I am not discussing why either is right or wrong.

My point is to connect American gun violence to the surge in fighting in Israel.

We millennials have set ourselves apart as the generation of screens— screens that control our lives and determine our actions. These screens also set up a wall between us and the outside world. Many see these screens as a protective barrier that allows impersonal interactions in which we act very differently than we would if face-to-face. These screens also separate us from the world we live in.

We watch and read the news to understand our surroundings instead of walking outside. We blog and post comments instead of raising our voices to the masses. Yet we find ourselves unheard.

A post on a website can go viral, but only for a very short amount of time. We are realizing that our virtual voices are much less effective than our physical voices, so we take action.

In desperation of being heard and remembered for the issues we care about, we turn to the most memorable action we know: violence.

Initially, no one took notice when

the Charleston shooter posted racist rants and confederate flags on Facebook, but when he murdered churchgoers, he became famous, or rather infamous. No one comments when Arab-Israelis post anti-Israel or anti-Semitic statements online, but after stabbing Jews on the streets, news is made. I do not justify any violent actions, but maybe there is an explanation that goes beyond politics, racism, mental health or religious duty. Maybe the answer is simply desperation to be heard among the billions of voices streaming online 24/7.

We face the issue today of being heard among the masses. Voter turnout in America is hitting record lows because people don’t feel their votes make a difference. Angry people are turning to murder by guns and knives to voice their opinions on race, politics, religion and more. People who think that only violence can make a difference are holding violent protests in the streets. We have to find a way to make people feel heard. Whether their opinions are right or wrong is irrelevant to the focus of this piece.

What matters is that those who try to raise their voices must be acknowledged so they don’t feel the need to take to the streets, movie theaters, religious sites or bus stations and murder or hurt people to have their voices heard.

14 OPINIONS

The Brandeis Hoot

October 23, 2015

Reject campus culture that puts stress on a pedestal

By Sarah Terrazano Staff

With the midterm period coming to a close, it is apparent that many students study everything except the one topic that would most benefit them during this demanding time: stress management. Amid the 2 a.m. study sessions, countless cups of coffee and stacks of flashcards, stress management needs to be of greater focus.

A dire problem on campus is the mentality that if students don’t feel over-involved in clubs or sports, they’re not doing enough. While this is a little exaggerated, the Brandeisian ideology nonetheless encourages students to try myriad new activities while still balancing a heavy academic workload. This creates the pressure to successfully juggle everything like acrobats in a circus show—harrowing tightrope walk included.

Furthermore, the widespread student mentality is that staying up late to study is more important than an adequate night’s

By Nicole Porter

sleep, because an exam is a onetime chance to pass or fail, while sleep can always be caught up on. However, this is actually not true. Sleeping four hours one night and compensating by sleeping 10 hours Friday night doesn’t readjust your sleep schedule; in fact, this habit makes it worse.

Our bodies function best on a set schedule: the same number of hours of sleep per night, not an erratic daily change in hours.

But this also doesn’t mean that four hours of sleep every night is healthy: College-age students require between seven and nine hours of nightly rest.

Thus a natural issue arises: Between all our academic, extracurricular and athletic commitments, how is there enough time to stay caught up with all our obligations, let alone get enough sleep?

Brandeis doesn’t do enough to address this problem, especially for first-year students who may be wholly unequipped with balancing such full schedules amid their newfound college freedom.

As a first-year, I’ve already heard constantly that it’s normal for a Brandeis student to double

major and double minor while simultaneously serving as the president of one club and the treasurer of another. There is a lack of encouragement that it’s okay to reduce your non-academic commitments to focus on schoolwork and get enough sleep—a reassurance that first-years and seniors alike could benefit from hearing.

The Psychological Counseling Center (PCC) oversees many initiatives to promote stress management on campus. The PCC newsletter, found on its page on the Brandeis website, features articles such as “Self-Care Exercise: ‘Steps to Elicit the Relaxation Response’” and “Everything is Awful and I’m Not Okay: Questions to Ask Before Giving Up.” Their counselors address everything from depression and homesickness to relationship problems and drug abuse.

The Office of Academic Services also sent emails to all undergraduate students a few weeks ago detailing a PCC Workshop Series called “Academic Related Anxiety: A Cognitive Behavioral Approach.” The biweekly workshops, which began in Septem-

ber and will continue until early December, are held in Room 314 of the SCC and each focus on a different aspect of stress management. For example, “Midterms and Test Anxiety” was offered in early October to correlate with the exam period. Upcoming sessions include “Panic Attacks!!!” and “Anxiety in the Classroom: Participation and Presentation” on Nov. 2 and 9, respectively.

These PCC workshops are a good start. However, they’re held on Mondays from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m., which is rather impractical considering the number of classes held at that time. Aside from attending these sessions, there are other ways for students to manage their stress. I’m currently taking a physical education class called Keeping Stress in Check, which encourages simple ways to reduce stress and anxiety throughout the day. One option is five-minute meditation: for just five minutes a day, stop working, clear your mind and focus on the movement of your breath. By also envisioning a peaceful scene or memory, this brief act of meditation can renew your energy and reduce

stress.

Another important consideration is your diet. It is imperative to not succumb to sporadic snacking because it seems like there’s no time for a real meal.

Poor nutrition decreases physical and mental performance, and the detrimental effects to your health aren’t worth the extra hour of studying.

Positive reinforcement is also a useful tool. By visualizing your goals step by step and telling yourself that it’s possible to accomplish them, tasks become less daunting. And especially on such a passionate and industrious campus like Brandeis, the administration could definitely reinforce that overexertion in academics and clubs is not necessary. Despite the surrounding pressure to be involved in more activities than there are hours of the day, students should strive for a balanced schedule. And when stress inevitably strikes, employing stress management techniques is the most useful solution.

Clubs are more than just a pastime

Staff

Brandeis may have its faults, but one thing the university excels at is student involvement through a variety of clubs. There is a club for everything here, from the pole-dancing club, to gamers, to a cappella, even The Hoot.

Anything you can imagine is a club on this campus, and if by some odd occurrence it is not, you can start one with little to no resistance. The clubs are, in my opinion, one of the best parts of attending Brandeis. Nothing is better than getting a few sets in at archery after a General Chemistry test or baking a delicious cupcake after a long day of essay writing. Clubs are an essential part of the collegiate experience for more than just their entertainment value.

In particular for first-years, clubs can be the first place you make your first valuable and long-lasting friendships. These are people you might never see in class, but you know you share at least one common interest.

And like most Brandeis students, these are amazing and kind people.

Not only do other first-years connect

with you, but the upperclassmen also do an amazing job of making you feel comfortable and at home in most clubs. This allows you to make connections you would never have made outside of the club.

Being involved in clubs can also be a great resume builder and a way to learn business and leadership skills. A major in business or economics from a great university like Brandeis is important but does not tell your future employer much about you as a person and your skills. Nothing says “leader” better than being the president of a club or “financially responsible” than being treasurer. Just putting that you were part of a service group or club shows you work well in a group environment. Clubs can also be a great place to make connections with people in your future field. For instance, the Pre-Dental and Pre-Law societies can be a great way to make business connections with people in your field and network.

However, there is always one major concern when signing up for clubs: time management. How could you balance a heavy course schedule and multiple clubs? Being an involved student as well as juggling coursework

photos from internet source

can be hard and requires learning how to manage your time. However, these time-management skills can be very valuable abilities to develop and can help a student not just manage multiple commitments but organize their time better. This organization can lead to the improvement of both your mental health and your grades.

Often busier students are more productive than students with free time,

since busy students know they have a set amount of time to do their work while students with free time often procrastinate and get distracted. In this way, being busy with clubs can even help students’ schoolwork and productivity.

Clubs are an essential part of the culture at Brandeis. They incorporate a variety of different people, are valuable for employers and help cre-

ate time management skills that will last a lifetime. So the best advice I can give is to join as many clubs as you want. Whether it be continuing an activity you used to do or an attempt at something new, take advantage of the club opportunities available at Brandeis while you are here. You never know, your new favorite hobby or best friend could be just one club meeting away.

UWS necessary, but imperfect

By Jennifer Gray Staff

As the time to choose classes approaches, the topic of the dreaded, first-year required, UWS is becoming at least semi-relevant again. Despite—or perhaps because of—the complaining, annoyance and general disdain expressed by most about the program, I have decided to offer a slightly different perspective. If only for the sake of playing devil’s advocate, I believe that at least the concept of UWS is a valiant one, and, with better implementation, the course has quite a bit of potential to greatly assist new students.

The idea behind UWS is plainly that incoming students need help in making the adjustment to college writing. Suffice to say,

writing in high school and writing in college are different enough to warrant the help. Many high schools do not prepare students for either the quantity or quality of writing they will be expected to produce at the college level.

This is not even mentioning that schools—like the underfunded public school I attended—place a disproportionate focus on preparation for standardized tests, so much that the task of preparing a fully edited, professional essay is never even mentioned. Even for students who do not come from such a background, there is still more than enough evidence in favor of giving students a class specifically designed to help with essay writing, and many of them desperately need it.

I would like to think I am at least a fairly decent writer—I have

submitted more than enough articles to The Hoot to a point where, if I was a complete hack, I think someone would have already said something. Part of being a decent writer is being able to recognize not-so-decent writing. From doing exercises such as peer reviewing, I can confidently assert my point that, yes, many students do need help. I also have confidence in this assertion as I am fairly certain none of the authors whose papers I have edited read The Hoot. But even if I am later called out by said authors, my point remains that in my experience, the essays I have read point to a need for basic help in writing at a college level.

I also applaud Brandeis for putting such an emphasis on good writing. Writing is an often underrated skill that achieves far

more than the raw ability to put words on a page. It teaches how to critically develop, articulate and present well-thought out arguments. And above all, writing is simply vital to sophisticated communication in any given situation.

And of course, being able to adequately express ideas in writing is fun and, in some cases, liberating.

This is not to deny the problems UWS has in practice. Most courses are taught by graduate students, some of whom are woefully inexperienced with teaching by no real fault of their own, and most students are fairly unengaged or uninterested. And, most often, the classes usually require an essay before anything useful can be taught. These are all clear issues that should be addressed in order to create a more successful program. However, I still stand by

the idea that the principle behind the courses is both necessary and important.

Ultimately, I assert that UWS is not the perfect answer to the discrepancy in the skill levels taught in high school and what is needed in college. Yet this does not mean that this problem would go better unanswered. UWS is a sound idea and a noble attempt that simply has complications that require more attention. That is where the complaining, annoyance and general dislike should be aimed: the pragmatics and implementation, not the program itself. Above its obvious snags, UWS should be— and occasionally is—considered an honorable and needed program. It just needs to work out a few practicalities.

October 23, 2015

Opinions 15

The Brandeis Hoot

Community members should take greater role in campus renewal projects

By Zach Phil Schwartz Editor

In an email dated Aug. 31, Vice President for Campus Operations Jim Gray briefly mentioned improvements to the Mandel Humanities Quad as part of a five-year refreshing plan. He mentioned the implementation of new fire-safety and window systems in Rabb and Golding, but did not go into detail on what else will be updated in the quad in next few years. Save the newer Mandel building proper, the quad is quite visibly in a state of decay, and while the administration is doing something about it, the lack of visibility underscores a series of bigger issues.

If you walk through some of the buildings in the Mandel Quad, you can clearly see that they need much more than minor fixes and improvements. In Golding, you may run across the old water fountain that hasn’t functioned since last semester, when it started spouting discolored water (presumably due to pipe damage caused by the harsh winter).

Mounted on the wall of the first floor you can see an inspection certificate, which expired in 2001.

Over in Shiffman, the inspection certificate mounted on the second floor expired in 1987. A certain word comes to mind when thinking about the quad: neglect. Several professors have complained, for example, about the classroom climates in the buildings, but these qualms have fallen on deaf ears.

By Santiago Montoya

In one classroom in Olin-Sang, the indoor temperature on a 60-degree day hit 75, which was uncomfortable for the professor and the students. Only a few days later, that room was a stifling 81 degrees, while other room temperatures in the same building were much lower.

The symptoms of decay faced by the buildings of the Mandel Humanities Quad are also prevalent in areas on campus that have not been dedicated a renewal plan; buildings in the science complex, Brown and Pearlman all qualify as in need of improvement.

The decaying status of academic buildings around campus as well as some residential buildings highlight failures on both the administrative and community sides. Truth be told, some of these issues still remain because some members of the community are apathetic about the future of their institution. Students, faculty and staff should not only be allowed but also encouraged to participate in surveys as well as advocacy in how their university functions and improves. Surveys represent one of the better avenues for direct communication between the administration and the Brandeis community, but they are severely underutilized and are inconsistently answered.

In an era where there isn’t much direct communication between the administration and the rest of the community, it is hard for students’ concerns to be aired, heard and dealt with in an appropriate manner. We need to be able to talk

photo from internet source

to the administration about our concerns, whether it be for building renewal or anything else. This policy of neglect cannot stand up.

Improvements may have been promised, and while some small changes have been implemented, this five-year renewal plan looks more minor than anything else.

The pipe damage that may have caused the plumbing issues we now see in Golding may have been minor this time, but next time, the building may not be as lucky. I am inclined to say that campus buildings are up to date on their inspections and that the inspection certificates mounted on the walls of the quad buildings are simply just outdated, but

given that most (if not all) of the elevators on campus also have expired inspection certificates, how can anyone be certain what is and isn’t safe?

The easiest outlet for students, faculty and staff to communicate all types of issues on campus is through surveys offered by the university. Maintenance is one thing, but we can see through the example of Usen Castle that maintenance can only go so far in keeping up the status quo. We need a more frequent line to the administration open to communicate the concerns we have, whether it be over building integrity or anything else. The biggest thing aside from administrative cooperation

is community cooperation, a factor that has been missing in many of the surveys that are sent out to members of the community. The administration has recently made significant strides in reaching out to the community with surveys, but much work is still to be done in order to bridge the gap.

The administrative policy of maintaining the status quo and neglecting to hear significant concerns of campus buildings, specifically academic buildings, can only go so far until a decay-related accident puts an entire building out of service. We have a long and tough winter on the way, and only through real improvements is breakdown not inevitable.

Lack of tolerance toward undocumented immigrants shocking

Staff

When you think of America, what is the first thing that comes to mind? If I ask the old me—the 11-year-old me, to be specific—I would probably have responded with baseball and hot dogs. However, maturing and moving to Brandeis University has allowed me to see life through a bigger scope. I have become more aware of the cultural and ethnic differences that not only form our student body, but affect how many of us think of America today: as a diverse, growing and cohesive population.

Throughout this week, which is Immigration Awareness Week, I ponder the question of why some

people still refuse to accept the new generations of immigrants.

Why is everyone not open to the idea of new people arriving to the United States? Most immigrants come to the United States chasing the American dream, a better life.

Although it may sound cliché, there are still closed-minded and exclusive forms of thinking toward undocumented immigrants, so much so that it must signify that the claim has not reached enough ears in order to become a cliché itself. Despite it being ludicrous, I cannot avoid linking the perception from some students that undocumented immigrants do not belong in the United States to the early history of this nation.

Is that not what the first immigrants were searching for when they decided to settle in this un-

explored land a few centuries ago?

A better life?

I have come to realize that the subject is as polarizing here at Brandeis as it is out there in the rest of the world. The other day, I was studying near the Starbucks area in Farber, sitting at one of the desks that have the green lamps.

It was the night of the presidential debate and some people were tuning in with their laptops while they were doing homework. The person in front of me started a conversation with other two people about immigration. This person referred to undocumented immigrants as “illegal” and said rhetorically, “Why do they even come here? Can’t they just go back to their country?”

Some people would view this little scene as innocuous and

photo from internet source

perhaps of little importance.

Nonetheless, as a Latino with an immigrant background, I found it offensive for distinct reasons.

First, how can a person be considered “illegal?” Is there such thing? The correct term should be “undocumented immigrant.” Secondly, a big percentage of the people who immigrate to the United States annually are forced to escape persecution, blackmailing or deadly threats, or experience extreme poverty or violence back in their homeland. You cannot generalize; you do not know everyone’s story. They have limited choices, one of them being desperately forced to seek refuge in other countries, and some chose the United States as their destination. Whether this society wants to accept them or not is reflected in our daily actions.

Around this time last year, one of the events during Immigration Awareness Week included posting different human silhouettes all over Usdan. Inside each cut-out was descriptive information about the individual who happened to be an undocumented immigrant, in an attempt to humanize the faces of undocumented immigrants.

The response from the Brandeis community was overwhelmingly negative. The students, specifically the members of the Brandeis Immigration Education Initiative (BIEI)—who planned the event— were perplexed and shocked over the lack of tolerance from the university, an institution that highly values social justice. The silhouettes were torn apart and offensive

comments were written on them.

Most of the comments were atrocious, such as, “Go back to the country that you belong to.” Our ignorance toward this particular subject was made visible along with our lack of inclusiveness.

I do not want to generalize and paint only a pessimistic perspective on the subject. As a matter of fact, the BIEI club is an example that there are people at Brandeis who understand or desire to understand the difficult plight of marginalized undocumented immigrants. Since the beginning of the semester, BIEI has been able to grow out of its initial underdog status. It has earned momentum and the support it’s needed and deserved from the very beginning; in addition, it recently was able to become officially part of the Intercultural Center.

I have been fortunate enough to attend several of the events they’ve hosted and have been able to witness the genuine interest that some Brandeisians feel about the subject. The attendance varies from students with immigrant backgrounds to people who have relatives or friends who are undocumented, or simply people who are curious and yearn to educate themselves more on the subject. Perhaps I should invite the ignorant individual I encountered the other day at the library: Perhaps I needed to control my ire, and in lieu of immediately abandoning the scene, I should have invited her to one of the BIEI meetings. After all, ignorance is curable.

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October 23, 2015