Volume 16 Issue 12
“To acquire wisdom, one must observe” www.brandeishoot.com
May 3, 2019
Brandeis University’s Community Newspaper · Waltham, Mass.
New members join Union
Students call for Univ. action By Celia Young editor
By Celia Young
Brandeis students gathered at the top of the Rabb steps to stand in solidarity with the students protesting at Johns Hopkins University and Yale University and to ask the Brandeis community to recognize racialized policing and violence on Wednesday, May 1. The students read a series of demands at the steps and then marched from the Rabb Steps to the Department of Community Living Office (DCL), to the Office of Public Safety and to the Shapiro Campus Center (SCC) Atrium, reading the demands at each stop. The list of demands included calls for transparency from DCL
Brandeis Student Union representatives gathered in the Shapiro Campus Center Multi-Purpose Room on Thursday to speak about the achievements of the Union over the past year, and to swear in the new Union members. Student Union Treasurer Adrian Ashley ’20 spoke first. Ashley said he was grateful for the opportunity to help fund clubs and felt that students were able to spend more money and create better events during his time as treasurer. He also announced the new spending system, Slate, which will allow clubs to request funds more easily than the cur-
See RALLY, page 4
staff
VIOLENCE AND CAMPUS POLICING RALLY Students
march from Rabb to DCL and Public Safety.
Prof. part of black hole imaging team By Sabrina Chow and Faria Afreen editor and staff
Brandeis Prof. John Wardle (PHYS) was amongst the group of scientists that assisted in generating the first image of a black hole ever captured. The black hole that this group of scientists photographed, and released to the public in early April, is at the center of Messier 87, which is in the Virgo galaxy cluster with a mass 6.5 billion times that of the sun and 55 million light-years away from Earth. The announcement was made in a series of six papers that were published in a special issue of “The Astrophysical Journal Letters,” according to the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) website. The EHT is an international collaboration on improving the capability of the “Very Long Baseline Interferometry (VLBI) at short wavelengths in pursuit of this goal,” according to their website. Radio dishes around the world are connected to one another which helps create an interferometer, which measures the size of the emissions of two
Inside This Issue:
“supermassive black holes”: one, SgrA*, which lies at the center of the Milky Way and a second, M87, which sites in the center of the Virgo A galaxy, according to the website. Wardle was a part of four different working groups that contributed to the project, the professor said in an interview with The Brandeis Hoot. In total, over 200 scientists around the world helped. The four groups Wardle was a part of included: “one that helped with imaging, one that is looking at the polarization of radio waves, which is my particular speciality… one that was helping all the publications get refereed internally. And then the fourth one was looking at the more distant quasars,” Wardle said. Together, all the working groups have used eight different telescopes around the world, according to Wardle, to observe the wavelengths produced by the black hole over the past four years. Data collection was completed in April 2017, according to a BrandeisNOW article. The knowledge gained from this project also helps to further See BLACK HOLE, page 4
Commissioned art for Israel week painted over By Rachel Saal editor
Brandeis Hillel commissioned a group called Artists 4 Israel to paint a cube that would sit on the Great Lawn all week to commemorate “Israel Week.” The artists painted three sides of the block on Tuesday, leaving one blank with the intention of letting students paint on the empty canvas,
ISRAEL WEEK “Free
Celebration of Service
according to Sydney Brenner, the IACT Coordinator for Israel Engagement at Brandeis Hillel. The next day, however, Hillel staff were informed that the words “Free Palestine” were painted over the side of the block that read “Israel.” Brandeis Hillel flipped the canvas and Jackie Zenou ’19, former member of Brandeis Israel Public Affairs Committee (BIPAC)’s board and a member of Brandeis
Hillel, painted over the graffiti with different “peace messages” including “Coexist,” at roughly 1:30 p.m. on Wednesday. She also had other people write words like “Shalom” and “Salam,” meaning peace in Hebrew and Arabic respectively, according to Zenou. On Wednesday evening, IfNotNow, a group that is trying to “end American Jewish community’s See ISRAEL WEEK ART, page 5
Palestine” was written on the Israel week cube.
Page 5 Page 16 Page 12 DCS celebrates volunteers. Page 9 EDITORIAL: Union: reflecting and looking ahead Page 8 NEWS: PAGE 7 News: Search for two new admin. positions Ops: Seniors’ last words to Brandeis Features: Study abroad can change career Sports: Softball at 25 wins
See STATE OF UNION, page 2
PHOTO BY CELIA YOUNG/THE HOOT
‘Endgame’ Jonah reviews “Endgame.” ARTS: PAGE 19
PHOTO COURTESY OVERHEARD AT BRANDEIS ON FACEBOOK
NEWS
2 The Brandeis Hoot
Brandeis Student Union reports on year, swears in new president, vice president, senators By Celia Young editor
rent system, the Student Union Management System (SUMS). Ashley was also happy to announce a $10,000 grant for a commuter rail subsidy for students with internships off campus. Chief Justice Morris Nadjar ’19 spoke about the future of the Judiciary at Brandeis, using quotes from Brandeis’ namesake, Louis D. Brandeis. For the Senate, he read the quote, “Our government… teaches the whole people by its example. If the government becomes the lawbreaker, it breeds contempt for law; it invites every man to become a law unto himself; it invites anarchy.” On the issue of free speech, Nadjar quoted Brandeis’ opinion in Whitney v. California, saying, “If there be time to expose through discussion the falsehood and fallacies, to avert the evil by the processes of education, the remedy to be applied is more speech, not enforced silence.” Nadjar said that “missing communication was a recurring theme” between the branches of the Student Union. He urged students to listen to student concerns and to understand the responsibility of the Judiciary of the Union. Chair of the Allocations Board Aseem Kumar ’20 presented on behalf of the Allocations Board, and encouraged student leaders to enact change at Brandeis no matter their role. Kumar said he thoroughly enjoyed his time on Allocations Board, and looking forward, he was excited for the new allocations system, Slate, to make the allocations process easier for clubs. He also emphasized that students can approach members of A-Board at any time with marathon issues. Kumar also said he wanted to continue his work to find space for storage in Gosman for sports clubs that have felt underrepresented in the past. Rebecca Shaar ’21 credited Kumar for much of the changes in A-Board this academic year. Shaar said that the Allocations Board plans to train student leaders on Slate and plans to reevaluate A-Board policies including their funding scope. Student Representative to the Board of Trustees Christian Nunez ’19 spoke about his efforts to bring issues like mental health, divestment, community living and financial aid to the attention of the Board of Trustees. Nunez said he expects board member Meyer Koplow to be receptive to student concerns. He told the students in attendance to remember that “forward is our only direction.” Nunez spoke about his time in Ford Hall 2015, a sit-in and protest that resulted in 13 demands to increase African American representation on campus in the faculty and student body among other demands. He continued by
discussing the continued concerns of students of 2015 and 2019, who are now asking the University to respond to a new set of 14 demands. “To my fellow members of the Student Union, to the administrators in this space, I urge you to listen carefully before you react because these are the kinds of students that will bring Brandeis forward,” Nunez said. Junior Representative to the Board of Trustees Zosia Busé ’20 wrote about her plans to release the reports to student publications about what happened at the Board of Trustees meetings to encourage further communication with the student body. As an executive board member, Busé spoke about the challenges and positive moments she’d experienced on the Union, and was proud of her work to increase transparency in the Union and called her time on the Union some of her most rewarding work at Brandeis. President Hannah Brown ’19 presented on behalf of Union Diversity and Inclusion Officer Zoe Fört ’21. Fort served on Brandeis President Ron Liebowitz’s task force for Brandeis’ founding values, and worked to encourage Brandeis values including diversity, equity and inclusion. Fört also served on a task force to improve relationships with the student body and Brandeis police force. Communications Officer Rachel McAllister ’21 spoke about renovating and updating the Student Union website, increasing Student Union outreach to clubs and students on campus and thanked fellow members of the Union. Vice President Aaron Finkel ’19 said he was proud of his three years on the Student Union. He said that despite some early internal dysfunction and public relations issues, he was proud to see that the “hashtag do your job seems to have caught on.” He then spoke about the achievements of different Senate committees. He spoke about the Senate Sustainability Committee, which helped with events including a student sustainability symposium, a $70,000 project renovating and installing water fountains, a ban on the sale of disposable water bottles that will happen next year and the distribution of Brandeis water bottles to new and returning students. Finkel also spoke about the club advisor initiative, saying, “I realize there were mixed opinions on this,” but emphasizing that he believes the change was necessary. Finkel spoke about the Rules committee, which streamlined the bylaws, passed a Student Union code of conduct and increased legislative productivity, said Finkel. He also spoke about the menstrual project initiative and the project to provide condoms in freshman dorms. Finkel said that the Social Justice Committee plans to hold allyship trainings the upcoming year, and spoke about the dining committee’s work to relate feedback
to Sodexo officials and increase food quality. He left the crowd of Student Union officials, administrators and interested community members with a quote from Confucius, saying, “The more a man mediates upon good thoughts, the better will be his world and the world at large.” The Senate then handed out awards to Senate members. Leigh Saloman ’19 received the Committee Award for his work on the dining committee. Kent Dinlenc ’19 won the Friend of the Senate award. Kendal Chapman ’22 won Innovator of the Year award. Jake Rong ’21 won Legislator of the Year. Senator of the Year was awarded to Nancy Zhai ’22. Hannah Brown ’19 won the University Key award and finally Finkel won the Louis D. Brandeis award for Visionary Leadership. Brown announced the superlatives for members of the Executive Board. Brown presented three staff member awards, the Presidential Partnership award to Director of Student Activities Dennis Hicks, and two other staff member awards to Student Activities Specialist Robbie Steinberg and Assistant Dean Stephanie Grimes. Brown gave her final remarks, calling her time on the union a “rollercoaster.” “At times the experience was challenging and at times it was rewarding,” she said. Brown talked about the achievements of the Union, noting several projects including the commuter rail subsidy, which allows students with internships, jobs or interviews in the Boston area to receive transport funding, free transport to airport, co-sponsoring the student awards ceremony the Ollies, the Branda app, the renovation of the Berlin Chapel, the library treadmill project, an open forum series on financial aid and community living and more. “We must make difficult choices and listen to all voices, not just the loudest,” Brown said. “No, we don’t always make the right choices, but we learn and we grow from our mistakes.” She concluded, “Thank you, Brandeis, for letting me serve you this past year and for the last three. I hope I have given you something… because you have given me so much in return.” Student Union officials then swore in new Union members, including Vice President Guillermo Caballero ’20, president Simran Tatuskar ’21 and over 15 new Union members. The new Union president then gave an inaugural speech, thanking Brown for teaching her how to balance her commitments and act as a leader for the Brandeis community, Finkel for helping her to stay positive and to not take things too seriously, Nadjar for working with her on the Union rules and Salomon for showing her what passion is. Tatuskar welcomed the new members to the Union, and said goodbye to those leaving.
May 3, 2019
IN THE SENATE: April 14, 2019 •
Vice President of the Student Union Aaron Finkel ’19 collaborated with administration to circulate a student body survey over the following weeks about the Brandeis mascot. The survey will assist the administration in determining whether the Brandeis mascot should continue as the Judge, or whether it should return to being the owl.
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Student Union President Hannah Brown ’19 introduced a proposal on which she worked with the administration in response to the issues that occured this academic year with the MyDeis Facebook pages. Moderation of the groups will now be the direct responsibility of the respective class senators, as well as the Office of Communication. Senators will have to go through training and sign a contract, in which they agree to their responsibilities and understand that this is a privilege that can be revoked in the case of misuse.
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Several proposals were introduced in the senate this week. One proposal would give the senate the power to subpoena leaders of chartered clubs in order to question their spending and actions. The motion passed.
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Another proposal was that clubs should be highly encouraged to attend racial sensitivity trainings, hosted by the Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (ODEI). This motion was passed through a vote by roll call.
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Two members of the Judiciary, Abdul Rehman ’19 and Shangyuan Xu ’21 were impeached for not attending meetings. Senator for the Class of 2021 Zach Kern ’21 resigned.
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Executive Senator Kent Dinlenc ’19 announced that the deadline for selecting the Pass/Fail has been moved to the same date as the deadline to drop a course. The Senate passed a Senate Money Resolution (SMR) to sponsor food at games at the Flea Market, which will take place on Saturday, May 4, from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. in the Foster Mods. Massell Quad Senator Kendal Chapman ’22 also reminded the Senate that the State of the Union address and the Midnight Buffet will take place on May 2.
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Linzy Rosen ’22, president of the club Period, presented to the Senate about chartering the club. According to Rosen, Period consists of a group of students that seek to bring awareness of menstrual inequity on campus. Period was chartered by the Student Union unanimously.
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A change in the constitution of Brandeis instrumental bands was proposed to create MARIMBA (Mutual Alliance for Recognizing Instrumental Music in Brandeis Activity), an umbrella group for the clubs, to support one another in special events and create a musical community on campus. The motion passed by a vote by acclamation. -Thalia Plata
Brandeis employee competes on ‘Jeopardy’ By Sarah Terrazano editor
A Brandeis employee and alum who competed on “Jeopardy” came the closest to beating the show’s current reigning champ after over two weeks of runaway games. Adam Levin ’94 is the sports information director at Brandeis. He lost to champion James Holzhauer by $18 in the episode that aired on April 29. Levin was the first contestant in Holzhauer’s then-18 games to prevent Holzhauer from having a runaway game (where other contestants, no matter how much they bet, cannot catch up to one person’s total going into Final Jeopardy). Both Levin and Holzhauer got the question right, leaving Holzhauer with $54,017 for the day, and Levin just $18 behind with $53,999. It has been Levin’s “lifelong dream” to compete on “Jeopardy,” according to an article he wrote for BrandeisNOW. Levin was on the College Bowl (now Quiz Bowl) team while he was a stu-
dent at Brandeis, which “got me hooked on the competitive aspect of trivia,” Levin noted. Levin had auditioned for “Jeopardy” twice before, in 2006 and 2008, without being selected. About 10 years later, he made it on the show, competing against Holzhauer and the episode’s third contestant, Jasmine Leonas. Holzhauer is a professional sports gambler from Las Vegas who has made headlines not only for his succession of runaway games but for his record-breaking daily totals. Holzhauer has the second-longest winning streak in the game show’s history and holds the top spot for single-game winnings: $131,127 in one game. As of press time, Holzhauer has won $1,608,672 in total—the second-highest in total winnings behind Ken Jennings, according to the Jeopardy Hall of Fame. Despite his loss, Levin is proud of the experience, he said. He compared the experience to the student-athletes he works with at Brandeis: “Sometimes, you can give your all-out best, and it’s just not enough. But if you left everything out on the field (or stage), it’s all you can ask for.”
May 3, 2019
NEWS 3
The Brandeis Hoot
Students respond to Israel week art ISRAEL WEEK ART, from page 1
support for the occupation and gain freedom and dignity for all Israelis and Palestinians,” according to their Facebook page, put a cardboard sign that read “Stop lying to young Jews #FreePalestine” over the newly repainted side. Artists 4 Israel is known for going to college campuses and creating artwork that is pro-peace and pro-Israel, according to Brenner. They painted the block during the event hosted by Brandeis Hillel from 12 to 4 p.m. The cube was meant to be a centerpiece for the Israel block party the next day, hosted by BIPAC. Isaac Graber ’19, president of BIPAC, said that he was informed around 9 a.m. on Wednesday that someone had used their own paint to paint over the artwork after the event had
ended. “I believe that whoever wrote it probably wanted the Palestinian perspective to be heard, but I don’t think they did it in the right way,” said Graber. “I don’t think it would’ve been appropriate for anyone to write anything on it. The issue was that it was after the event had ended and that it was vandalism.” Brandeis’ chapter of IfNotNow said that they “see the Israel Week art installation on the Great Lawn as a beacon of propaganda and an embodiment of blatant nationalism,” and that “the display of Brandeis branding in conjunction with glorified nationalistic art is a misrepresentation of the Brandeis student body.” Ari Albertson ’22, member of IfNotNow, said that “IfNotNow has no knowledge or connection with the original, spray-painted
#FreePalestine,” in an email to The Brandeis Hoot. In an official statement, IfNotNow said that they did not agree with original vandalism, but they did want to contribute to the subsequent conversation around the art. “We feel as though the choice to cover the message of Palestinian solidarity without addressing the legitimate concerns of the sentiment was irresponsible. As a university committed to social justice, we should be promoting dialogue, not suppressing it,” said the club on Wednesday evening. “There was a fourth side, so if [the graffiti] had been on that fourth side, it would have been respectful and in line with what we’re trying to do here. The fact that someone wrote on the artwork, one message over another rather than side by side, didn’t allow for any dialogue,” said Zenou.
“Hopefully, in the future, we can have peaceful dialogue.” On Thursday evening, Brandeis Hillel student board released an official statement saying, “Hillel is committed to creating spaces that engage with not just the culture but the politics of Israel and the violence and trauma that have shaped the last 71 years of Israeli life.” “All are invited to these spaces,” said the statement. It continued, “We wish that those who defaced the exhibition in the Great Lawn—the first time or the second time—had decided to contribute to the project rather than vandalize it. The choice they made caused real hurt to members of our community whom we are proud to serve.” Israel Week is an annual event that commemorates Israel’s independence day and took place
April 29 to May 3 this year. Its events have included a “block party” on the Great Lawn, coffee samples from an Israeli coffee chain, a discussion about Israeli history and its contemporary role and display of the painted block outside of the SCC all week. The final event of Israel week is “Hummus and Debrief,” hosted by J Street and B View. It will take place in the Alumni lounge from 1 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. and the event will be centralized around not only learning about the historical and cultural connections to Palestinian and Israeli foods but also discussing the Artists 4 Israel cube, according to Brandeis Hillel’s website. The website said that “all opinions and backgrounds are welcome.”
Brandeis rebrands with updated seal, narrative By Celia Young editor
Brandeis introduced an updated seal and logo on Wednesday in an effort to become more recognizable outside the Brandeis community, said Mark Neustadt, a marketer with Neustadt Creative Marketing who presented the logo to students, staff, faculty and other community members. The new brand will be officially rolled out on Aug. 1. Neustadt said that though the changes may appear slight, he hopes that they provide a way for Brandeis to be more recognizable to the outside world. He spoke about encouraging more “connective tissue” so that the University as a whole is consistently branded. The new logo can come in different versions including or without the seal and the words “Brandeis” or “Brandeis University.” Different institutes and centers can use the logo for publications by putting
the name of their school to the right of the word “Brandeis,” but the athletics department will not yet be affected by the logo change, Neustadt said. The logo uses a sans serif typeface, and Neustadt hopes to standardize fonts and colors across Brandeis publications. Neustadt said that one of the hardest parts of the process was dealing with the letter “r” and “a” in the word “Brandeis.” Neustadt said that the two letters, when placed next to each other, tend to clash and worked to adjust the font to rectify that problem. The seal has also been slightly changed. In the new seal, there is no longer a double ring in the center, the word “Brandeis” is now in all capital letters, the shield is centered in the seal, and the lines that lead into the seal were changed to create a more “luminous effect,” said Neustadt. Neustadt plans to release “swag” to promote the logo to new and returning Brandeis stu-
dents, though he is not sure what type of merchandise it would be. Neustadt also emphasized that the roll-out process of the new logo and seal would be slow, as it would have to be phased in with existing materials. Neustadt urged administrators in the room to order materials with the new branding rather than the old. Neustadt also spoke about the Brandeis “brand narrative,” which is meant to encompass the personality of the university and what external groups will see Brandeis as. Neustadt said that for the narrative to be effective, it needs to be authentic. He described Brandeis as “inquisitive, considerate, genuine, friendly, embracing of the unconventional and creative,” and “inviting and open to engaging across difference, even if that requires uncomfortable conversations, with the goal of making Brandeis and the world a better place.” Neustadt elaborated on the
After Schuster wind-down, students continue at Justice Brandeis Law Project By Sasha Skarboviychuk editor
After the shutdown of the Schuster Institute for Investigative Journalism, its Brandeis Justice Law Project (JBLP) remains in operation. Although the general atmosphere of the institute changed, the work done at the JBLP continues like it did before, according to JBLP member Jason Kwan ’20. The Schuster Institute for Investigative Journalism, a pioneer in nonprofit journalism, was first launched in 2004, by investigative journalist and editor Florence Graves. The goal was “to investigate significant social and political problems and human rights issues and uncover corporate and government abuses of power.” The institute was shut down in December 2018, due to financial difficulties, which were limiting the work of the institute. The Justice Brandeis Law Project (JBLP) is the only Schuster program
which is still operating to finish ongoing projects. JBLP uses investigative journalism techniques to examine possible miscarriages of criminal justice, and employs student researchers who can train there as an internship for Brandeis’ journalism minor. Despite the shutdown, the work being done by students in the institute have not experienced major changes, according to Kwan. “The amount that Schuster employees can get done is very much based on their own skills and abilities,” and no longer having an office does not change that, said Kwan in an interview with The Hoot. “Since I can no longer work in the office, I usually work in some space at the library … Most of the work that Schuster does is independent work, and the fact is that we are still on collaborative teams, but comparing this to a student project that you do for any class, you won’t have to meet up with people to work on individual projects,” Kwan continued.
A majority of the employees at the project are student researchers, most of whom work remotely, said Kwan. “Everyone has their own specific assignment, and we work through it on our own if we need some supplementary information or help, we will contact our supervisors, but otherwise the work done is pretty much continuing as normal,” he continued. Although the length of Schuster’s existence is under question, the importance of the project and its legacy are undoubtable, said Kwan. “The people we assist in this project are people … who are vulnerable by the criminal justice system … the work that we can do to assist them in any way we can for investigative reporting is absolutely worthwhile,” concluded Kwan. How long the project will continue its operations, is unclear. Celia Young contributed to this report.
brand narrative and spoke about the interviews with over 20 divisions, offices and groups of individuals the communications team did to research what the narrative would be. Neustadt then presented the “core differentiator” of Brandeis or why Brandeis is unique. “Brandeis is a research university shaped by a spirit of rigorous inquiry. And because Brandeis is not as big as other research universities, it is also marked by a particular coactivity. Faculty, students and staff engage with others across departments, disciplines and interests. This results in an academic and social environment that is both deeply curious and
collaborative,” Neustadt read off a slide. The presentation also displayed additional characteristics of Brandeis, that included inquisitivity, Brandeis’ Jewish roots, its commitment to social justice and its placement in Waltham, outside of Boston. Neustadt then took questions from the audience about the implementation of the new logo. He told students that though he wanted student clubs to be able to use the logo, he also wants to allow students to brand themselves as they see fit. He also reiterated that the seal and the logo should be used as provided.
PHOTO COURTESY OFFICE OF COMMUNICATIONS
Warren plan analyzed By Abigail Gardener editor
Professor Thomas Shapiro (HS) and Senior Research Associate at The Heller School Laura Sullivan contributed to an analysis of Massachusetts Senator and Democratic 2020 presidential candidate Elizabeth Warren’s recent plan to eliminate most student debt and make public colleges tuition-free. Warren’s plan proposes to cancel up to $50,000 in student loan debt for households that make $100,000 or less annually, and some debt for households that make between $100,000 and $250,000 annually, according to a Business Insider article. Families that make over $250,000 annually would not be eligible for debt cancellation, said the same article. This means that student loan debt would be completely eliminated for about 75 percent of Americans, and at least some debt would be eliminated for 95 percent of Americans, according to the analysis, as stated in the Business Insider article. Additionally, Warren’s plan aims to get rid of undergraduate tuition and stu-
dent fees at public universities, both two and four-year, according to the Business Insider article. The plan is designed especially to provide assistance to students of color, establishing a $50 billion fund for Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs), said the Business Insider article. The plan would cost about $1.25 trillion over the span of 10 years and would be paid for by a wealth tax on American households that have more than $50 million in assets, according to the same article. The analysis also noted that the potential debt cancellation would stimulate the economy, according to a USA Today article. “The greater ability to save and build assets entailed by a lower debt load would generate additional wealth and would be significant in the lives of debtors. It would likely entail consumer-driven economic stimulus, improved credit scores, greater home-buying rates and housing stability, higher college completion rates and greater business formation,” the analysis states.
4 NEWS
The Brandeis Hoot
May 3, 2019
Students rally in solidarity with Johns Hopkins, Yale RALLY, from page 1
and implementing the mental health provisions established during the 2015 Ford Hall protests. The demands list also called for public statements of support from Brandeis administration and were sent to student publications. The students last request-
students of Yale and Johns Hopkins on Wednesday, carrying signs that read “It’s our duty to fight for our freedom” and chanting slogans such as “the people united will never be defeated,” “if we don’t get it shut it down” and “DCL is racist.” The students asked for a public statement of support by Liebowitz in solidarity with the students at Johns Hop-
dents referred to the publication of a racial slur in the Justice and incidents of photos of students being used for protests they did not participate in, in both publications. The demands regarding DCL also included mandating “informed consent for DCL room inspections,” providing independent advocates that can inform students of color of their rights
PHOTOS BY CELIA YOUNG/THE HOOT
ed that the university issue “an official and public response to this list by May 14 at 12:00 p.m.” In a statement sent to The Brandeis Hoot, the remaining students of #ConcernedStudents2015, referring to the Ford Hall 2015 protests, wrote that they “are unmoved and yet again concerned for the safety and comfort of the students of Brandeis University, centering the needs of Black, Brown, Trans and Queer Folx on campus, regardless of legal status.” “We call for our University to adopt policies that create real safety for all students,” the statement read. “We ask that Brandeis’ promoted values and practices become aligned with its founding principles of Inclusion, Truth and Justice.” At Johns Hopkins, students held a sit-in at their administration building to protest armed police forces on campus and university contracts with the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), according to an April article in The Washington Post. At Yale, a police shooting of an unarmed black couple by several officers, including a Yale police officer, a mile from the university triggered almost daily protests outside the President of Yale’s home, according to The New York Times. Brandeis students joined the
kins and Yale and called for the president to support policies to encourage other universities to end private contracts with ICE. At the DCL office, students read the demands and asked that, if quota systems exist in regards to student conduct and punishment, that the student body be informed and that the practice be eliminated. In a meeting with the student press and interested students on Thursday, students clarified that they do not know if quota systems exist and described them as a minimum number of conduct reports DCL would be required to make that would disproportionately affect students of color. In the meeting, students also explained that they felt that DCL policies were being unfairly applied, citing the religious candle policy as an example of how religious candles for Judaism were allowed, but for African indigenous practices like Santeria, candles were not allowed. Students also called upon white students to face issues of race on the Brandeis campus, issues that exist but are often ignored or go unseen by white students, students said. The students also called attention to racism in not only university institutions such as DCL and Public Safety, but in the university press, referencing both the Justice and The Brandeis Hoot. The stu-
and responsibilities if a student has been accused of violating a code of conduct and called for a third-party investigation of potential racial bias among code violation reports by the department. At Public Safety, the students repeated the demands to officers and called for the Director of Public Safety, Ed Callahan, to come out and speak with them. Students chanted “who do you protect and who do you serve,” and “which side are you on Ed, which side are you on” (referring to Callahan). The fourth demand called for
DCL and Public Safety to be held accountable “for the safety and overall well being of students of color,” including ending “excessive policing of student of color organizations on campus,” requiring body camera use by the Brandeis police department and strengthening community engagement with students of color, according to the demands read during the rally and sent to student publications. The group then marched to Bernstein-Marcus, the university administration building. Students crowded into the building and read once again the demands in the president’s office, though President Ron Liebowitz was not present. During the march, the students were accompanied by two therapists from the Brandeis Counseling Center. Chief Diversity Officer and Vice President for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Mark Brimhall-Vargas, Dean of Students Jamele Adams and Chair of the Department of African and African American Studies (AAS) Professor Chad Williams also attended the rally. The students concluded their rally in the SCC Atrium, where they asked students in attendance and others present to remember that the SCC is where Ford and Sydeman Halls, the site of the original Ford Hall 1969 protest, once stood. Ford Hall 1969 was a sit-in of about 70 African-American students who presented 10 demands to the university administration, including the creation of the African and African American Studies Department (AAAS), which celebrated its 50th anniversary this year, according to the Heller School for Social Policy and Management’s page describing the history of the Ford Hall protests. During the rally, students called for a range of university actions. This included fulfilling the men-
tal health priorities established during Ford Hall 2015, a 13 day sit-in where students issued a list of 13 demands to the university administration followed by a march to Bernstein-Marcus, according to the Heller School for Social Policy and Management’s page describing the history of the Ford Hall protests. The Ford Hall 2015 demands are listed on the Brandeis website, and the fifth speaks to mental health, reading, “Employ additional clinical staff of color within the Psychological Counseling Center in order to provide culturally relevant support to students of all backgrounds.” The students also called for transport options other than police cruisers in instances of emergencies, transportation routes for students who, financially, cannot travel home during academic recesses and expanding transport routes, such as the BranVan, from the Brandeis campus to Market Basket Plaza in order to reduce costs and food insecurity for low income students. Students speaking in the meeting with press and interested community members expressed that they were part of a movement that started before Ford Hall 1969 and Ford Hall 2015, and they were frustrated that they continue to have to fight for an education and space at Brandeis. The community violence and campus policing rally and the question and answer session with students involved were announced on the Instagram page @ proudtobeaproblem48, a page that asks for financial support from Brandeis community members to pay for the cost of materials and to support the student organizers. Since the protest, students and clubs have shared the demands of the protestors on social media.
Brandeis prof. helps capture first image of black hole BLACK HOLE, from page 1
support Albert Einstein’s theory of general relativity (GR), a theory that has remained true for almost a century. “So what we’re doing is testing whether general relativity works all the way out to this regime of billion solar mass objects with huge amounts of bending of the light and orbiting light and so on,” explained Wardle. Until recently, GR was only tested within our solar system. The research done with the black hole, however, demonstrates that GR holds true as well. Wardle has been part of the
Brandeis physics department since 1979 and studying astrophysics since the late 1960s. On campus, Wardle is part of the Brandeis Radio Astronomy Group with Prof. David Roberts (PHYS), which “conducts research in extragalactic astrophysics and cosmology at wavelengths covering the entire electromagnetic spectrum, but especially radio wavelengths,” according to their official website. More specifically, they study what is at the core of various “active galaxies” or “blazars.” Wardle studies radio waves and looks at “distant objects like quasars and centers of galaxies,” he
said. He continued to explain that quasars are “galaxies with a very, very bright nucleus… They look almost like stars because you can’t see the surrounding galaxy. Quasar is a contraction of ‘quasi-star,’ or quasi-star object.” Students interested in astronomy can join the Astronomy Club on campus, which seeks “to advance the awareness of the cosmos and optical observation of outer space,” according to their club description. The club works with the Physics Department to host events and utilizes the 24’’ Cassegrain primary telescope and the 8’’ Celestron finderscope to perform their celestial gazing.
PHOTO FROM BRANDEIS.EDU
May 3, 2019
NEWS 5
The Brandeis Hoot
Author speaks on critical edition of ‘Mein Kampf’ By Sasha Skarboviychuk editor
When Othmar Ploeckinger, a scholar who studies the early Nazi movement, first started working on the critical edition of “Mein Kampf ” he did not think that the ideas in the book would once again be relevant. Now, with the rise of right wing activism around the world, the author came to Brandeis to discuss the edition and its importance. “Mein Kampf ” (German for “my struggle”) is an autobiographical book written by Adolf Hitler while he was imprisoned for the attempted coup commonly known as the “Beer Hall Putsch” in Munich in November
1923. The book describes the process by which Hitler became anti-semitic and outlines his political ideology and future plans for Germany. The book became a bestseller in Germany after Hitler’s rise to power in 1933. The copyright to the book, after Hitler’s death, was given to the state government of Bavaria. Throughout the 70 years that the state held the copyright, it refused to allow any copying or printing of the book in Germany. In 2015, the copyright expired, and the book was once again published in Germany, which sparked controversy and ethical debate on whether the book should be allowed to be spread. Although many believe that the book is banned in many nations, accord-
ing to the magazine the Atlantic, there are only four: Austria, Luxembourg, Russia and Romania. Ploeckinger said that there are many ethical questions surrounding the book, as it represents Nazi values and their actions. The authors structured the critical edition by providing explanatory introductions to each individual chapter and adding over 3,500 annotations to the original text. They also try to give readers more background to the events described in the book, objective information on persons and events described, clarification of central ideological concepts and disclosure of the source materials Hitler used. Their additions to the book also include an explanation of the roots of various concepts in the
history of ideas, contextualization of aspects contemporaneous to the text, as well as the correction of errors and one-sided accounts. The authors believe that the book is an important historical and political document, which can give insights to some of humanity’s darkest times. When discussing the importance of the book Ploeckinger described it as “a book related to the past but is coming back today.” When asked whether the authors tried to connect the book to current events, Ploeckinger said that when they first started working on the book, they did not know what the world would look like when the book came out. However, they did want people to rethink what they were saying, and about
what comes out of radical speech. Ploeckinger also pointed out that translators impact how the book is read because of the tone and language used. Interpretations can be biased because of the tone and the political views of the translators. Which is why they believed that it was important to have a book which tries to be as unbiased as possible, and explained so everyone can understand it, not only people with a background on the subject. The critical edition of “Mein Kampf ” received praise from experts in the field: over 100,000 copies have been sold thus far. The event was sponsored by the Center for German and European Studies (CGES).
Prof. elected into Academy of Arts and Sciences By Sabrina Chow editor
Professor Jeff Gelles (BCHM), the Aron and Imre Tauber Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, was elected into the American Academy of Arts & Sciences earlier this month. Gelles is part of the 239th class of elected members, which include former First Lady Michelle Obama. “I’m very grateful to the colleagues who nominated and voted me in,” Gelles wrote in an email to The Brandeis Hoot. Gelles’ lab at Brandeis, nick-
named “The Little Engine Shop,” focuses on the “molecular machines” that his lab studies, according to an email Gelles sent to The Hoot. These machines are “assemblies of proteins that carry out essential processes in living cells,” he said. The lab uses various forms of light microscopy that have the ability to record individual molecules as they perform their various functions. He was inspired to name his lab “The Little Engine Shop,” because some of the molecular machines that his lab studies are really engines. “They can use the energy from a chemical reaction to do useful mechanical work, just like an internal combustion engine,”
he said. Some of the machines are a few billionths of a meter in diameter, he included. The name of the lab came from the Volkswagen mechanic’s shop that he used to go to in Pasadena, CA when he was in grad school. “The first car I ever owned was a 1973 Volkswagen Beetle, which like all Volksies of that era had a very small engine,” he wrote to The Hoot. Gelles has been at Brandeis for almost 30 years, having been hired after completing his postdoctoral work at Brandeis. He thinks the greatest accomplishment of his lab has been the students that he has been able to train to do scientific research.
“Quite a few of them have gone on to do research of their own in industry, academia and government,” he wrote. “I think science is important and I’m proud that Brandeis provides some students the opportunity to get this kind of intensive research experience.” The Chair of the Board of Directors of the American Academy, Nancy C. Andrews, said in a press release that “while the work of this class includes areas never imagined in 1780 — such as cultural studies, cybersecurity, disease ecology, nanotechnology, paleoclimatology, and superconductivity — the members of the class of 2019 embody the founders’ vision of cultivating knowledge that ad-
vances, in their words, a ‘free, virtuous, and independent people.’” The 2019 Richman Fellow Anna Deveare Smith and artist Mark Bradford, a member of the Rose Art Museum’s board advisors, are also part of the new class of inductees with Gelles, according to an article by BrandeisNOW. He will join 15 other Brandeis faculty members who are already part of the Academy, including University Professor Jonathan Sarna (NEJS), Gina Turrigiano (NBIO) and James Haber (BIOL). According to the press release, Gelles, along with the other electees, will be inducted into the Academy in October at a ceremony in Cambridge, MA.
Brandeis searches for athletics director, vice provost for student affairs By Celia Young editor
Brandeis has begun its search for a new athletics director and the vice provost for student affairs (VPSA), Provost Lisa Lynch announced to the Brandeis community on April 26. Brandeis hopes to have final candidates interviewing on campus over the summer, according to the email announcement. The vice provost of student affairs position was created after the resignation of the vice president of student affairs, who left Brandeis after an independent investigation into the Brandeis athletics department uncovered racist and discriminatory conduct by the men’s basketball coach. The position of athletics director was filled by Jeffrey Ward after September of last year, when the previous director was demoted to associate director of athletics following the investigation. The search for both the vice provost for student affairs and athletics director will be facilitated by two national search firms: Isaacson, Miller and Odgers Berndtson, respectively. Students, staff, faculty and Brandeis Trustees are on the search committees for both positions. The search committee for the athletics director includes Chief Diversity Officer Mark Brimhall-Vargas, Director of Student
Activities Dennis Hicks and Dean of Admissions Jennifer Walker. Three students involved in Brandeis athletics are also on the search team, along with three faculty members and Brandeis Trustee Josh Kraft. The athletics director is expected to mentor coaches and athletics staff and represent the department on campus. The director will “listen closely to the perspectives of others in identifying opportunities to expand the impact of Brandeis University athletics across the campus and maintain an unwavering commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion,” said Lynch’s email. A student athlete on the committee, Diana Dehterevich ’20, was asked to join the committee by the senior executive assistant to the provost. Dehterevich, a transfer to Brandeis, wasn’t completely familiar with the circumstances surrounding the investigation into the athletics department, and she was surprised that there were only three student athletes on the search committee, she told The Brandeis Hoot in an interview. Dehterevich hopes to find a candidate that can get more students involved with Brandeis athletics, takes student complaints seriously and someone who “wants to make sure that our campus has a really healthy environment and everybody trusts each other” she said in an interview with The Hoot.
The search committee has met once and has received a draft job posting that is undergoing edits by the committee, according to Brimhall-Vargas. Brimhall-Vargas spoke about the search, saying he wanted to make sure the pool of applicants “is wide and deep and that the process is equitable and fair.” A candidate for the athletics director position should also have a “demonstrated capacity on cultural competence and engaging with a diverse student body,” Brimhall-Vargas said and emphasized that he was not the only member of the committee considering this factor. Brimhall-Vargas also said that candidates with experience in leading and managing a department effectively understand that, for management to be effective, personal relationships need to be set aside if an administrator has a supervisory role. After the independent investigation, investigators reported that holes in the “administrative safety net” including the close relationship between coach Brian Meehan, his direct superior, then Athletic Director Lynne Dempsey and the then Vice President for Student Affairs Sheryl Sousa contributed to departmental problems, according to the report. Dempsey remains at Brandeis as the Associate Director of Athletics, having been named associate director two months into
her six-month probation, a period of closely supervised work, according to Director of Media Relations Julie Jette. Dempsey works with students when they come across scheduling conflicts with athletic events, coordinates with faculty and other colleges and universities and is working to build connections with alumni for development and career mentoring, according to Interim Athletics Director Ward. Dempsey declined to comment to The Brandeis Hoot about the search for the new athletics director. Vice President of the Rabb School of Continuing Studies Karen Muncaster has served as interim vice president for student affairs since September of 2018 after Sousa’s resignation. Muncaster is leaving Brandeis to become the dean of the Woods College of Advancing Studies at Boston College. She will continue in both roles until June 30. Lynch announced a search for a new permanent vice president of the Rabb School of Continuing Studies and is searching for an interim vice president over the coming weeks, according to another email to the Brandeis community. Lynch described Muncaster as a “dynamic and superbly effective leader whose entrepreneurial spirit and willingness to take on any new responsibility will be greatly missed” and credited her for growing Brandeis’ online Graduate Professional Studies
(GPS) program, precollege programs and non-degree continuing studies programs. Eight staff members are on the search committee for this position, including Dean of Students Jamele Adams and Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer Sam Solomon, as well as two Student Union representatives, Vice President Aaron Finkel ’19 and Junior Representative to the Board of Trustees Zosia Busé ’20. Three faculty members and trustee Ellen Lasher Kaplan are the final members of the search team. The vice provost for student affairs will be an advocate for all students and will have experience in “community building; developing a sense of belonging, inclusion and connection amongst different constituencies of students; experience with the implementation, assessment and oversight of student services; budget management; and crisis management,” according to Lynch’s email. The position’s division will include several offices, including the Dean of Students Office, the Hiatt Career Center, Undergraduate Housing and Orientation, Spiritual and Religious Life, Hillel, Family Engagement and Communication and Student Health and Wellness, according to Lynch’s email.
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May 3, 2019
Administrators consider solutions to accessibility By Ryan Spencer editor
Following a February open forum on the topic of accessibility at Brandeis, Chief Diversity Officer Mark Brimhall-Vargas and Associate Provost for Academic Affairs Kim Godsoe “have reviewed the items that were gathered and have been attempting to think about short and long-term approaches,” according to Brimhall-Vargas. Brimhall-Vargas told The Brandeis Hoot that he has worked with the National Organization on Disability (NOD) and the Hiatt Career Center to pilot a
training for campus staff over the summer and a Campus to Careers event which is scheduled for June 18. He is also investigating whether there is interest among faculty and departments to organize a disabilities minor. He told The Hoot that Godsoe has been working with Student Accessibility Services (SAS) on “items that could be immediately undertaken” and that it is his understanding “that much has happened since the forum.” The Hoot reached out to SAS but did not receive comment in time for publication. Brimhall-Vargas also stated that a SAS program has been
added to the new student orientation in August and that a review of the “BranVan, its usage, and ways to expand the service it can provide” is underway. A long term relationship with NOD is also under consideration, according to Brimhall-Vargas. He said that NOD could be a “provider of training for our campus as a way to begin to impact the larger campus’ awareness of disability.” SAS has also posted an updated syllabus statement concerning academic accommodations for students with disabilities. The two paragraph statement is now written in the first person. It tells students that Brandeis
welcomes and includes all students and that students seeking accommodations should present their letter of accommodation to their professor as soon as possible. “I want to support you,” the statement reads. It reminds students that test accommodations require a letter of accommodation to be submitted 48 hours in advance of any exam and provides the contact information of SAS. The February forum, which was the second forum addressing accessibility at Brandeis this semester, requested feedback from students on six areas: classroom issues, physical disability, transportation and parking, changing
the culture, residence and dining and accessibility services. Brimhall-Vargas said that these topics are all being addressed on a longer term basis but did not provide details on how the university was considering tackling each subject. Brimhall-Vargas told The Hoot that he will continue to solicit feedback from the student body and plans on “reconvening people in the fall.” The two accessibility forums this semester came after students submitted an open letter to President Ron Liebowitz last fall which called for accessibility reforms on campus.
All positions filled in Union elections By Sasha Skarboviychuk editor
All 18 open seats in the Senate, Judiciary, Community Emergency Enhancement Fund (CEEF) and Undergraduate Curriculum Committee (UCC) were filled in the most recent Student Union election. A total of 684 students voted in the election. Scott Halper ’20 and Dane Leoniak ’20 won the two open seats for the class of 2020 senator, beating out Jacob Diaz ’20 and Trevor Filseth ’20. Halper won the election overall with 80 votes, which was just over 30 percent. Leoniak beat Diaz by just one vote, 57 to 56, for the second seat. Halper said “the climate of the Union is one in which I think a lot of students have felt that problems aren’t addressed in a civil manner, there is not a lot of constructive dialogue, and there are a lot of students that feel like a lot of the issues that are important to them aren’t getting heard,” in an interview with The Brandeis Hoot. Halper hopes that the Union next year will help to facilitate these dialogues and work towards making students’ “demands a reality.” Leoniak said that his main goal as a newly elected senator is to “help people on campus who are ignored by campus have their voices heard by the Student Union and to be someone on the side of clubs.” He wants to work with Student Union members to solve campus issues and plans to join three Senate committees: the Club Support Committee, the Social Justice and Diversity Committee and the Sustainability Committee.
Shuorui Wang ’22 will serve as the new international student senator, beating out competitor Leah Fernandez ’22. Fernandez was only five votes away from Wang, who received 40 votes. Wang hopes to work on all the platforms that he shared in his campaign, which include looking more into the Gateway Scholars Program and increasing involvement of international students on campus. “Almost 40 percent of the student population uses WeChat every day,” Wang said in an interview. “I hope I can make a news alert for these students, so you can see what happens around campus very easily to catch the information in the morning when they wake up.” Maya Walborsky ’22, Rachel Sterling ’21, Ruth Itzkowitz ’22, Shania Thomas ’21 and Jack Ranucci ’22 are the five new associate justices of the Judiciary. These individuals beat out Junhan Lee ’20, Mack Schoenfeld ’21, Maxwell Hunsinger ’20 and Yehoshua Rubin ’20. Walborsky won the overall vote with 216 votes, followed by Sterling with 208, Itzkowitz with 204, Thomas with 198 and Ranucci with 178. Itzkowitz wanted to thank all the individuals that supported her and went out to vote. She highlighted that this past year the Union had scandals that were not “handled properly.” “I feel the Judiciary board needs to act more according to the Constitution and Bylaws and make sure that above all else those are followed,” she wrote. Ranucci was re-elected to the position and “cannot wait to spend the next year working to ensure the Student Union works
as smoothly and efficiently as possible to better your interests,” he wrote in an email. One issue he saw this past year in the judiciary is the lack of communication within the Union and hopes to increase this communication through the means of the Judiciary. “My first priority is working with the president and Senate committee chairs to ensure that all Union members are fulfilling their duties as elected representatives,” he wrote. Walborsky, Sterling and Thomas could not be reached by press time. Jake Rong ’21 and Sissel Tan ’21 won the two seats for class of 2021 senator, both having run uncontested. Rong won the overall vote with 83 votes, just under 35 percent of total votes. Tan was close behind with 74 votes. Rong is excited to be working with the new leadership team that the Union is bringing in for the 2019-2020 school year, with his new role and as executive senator. “I think the main thing that I would focus on in the next year is accountability as well as just I think that the main job as the executive senator as it has been this past year is taking the attendance and overseeing the agenda for senate as well as communication between the executive board and senate and vice versa,” he said. Tan could not be reached prior to press time. Topaz Fragoso ’22 and Joseph Coles ’22 are the new class of 2022 senators, both running uncontested. Fragoso was re-elected for the position, receiving 143 votes and just over 44 percent of the total vote. Coles received 124 votes overall.
Fragoso is hoping to build off of the work that she has accomplished during her first year in the Union. Something she is hoping to change is the communication within the Union and the student body. “We need to make sure we’re listening and making the best decisions for the school’s best interest,” said Fragoso. She is also hoping to add another non-Sodexo food provider to campus alongside the dining committee. Coles could not be reached prior to press time. Nancy Zhai ’22 and Joshua Hoffman ’21 won the two open seats for senator-at-large, running uncontested. Zhai won the overall vote with 374 votes, and Hoffman received 277 votes. Zhai will continue her work in the senate dining committee next year as well as maintaining, if not increasing, her communication with all members of the student body. “I hope to keep reinforcing my public image to show respect to colleagues to be as receptive as possible,” she said in an interview. “I’m here for everyone at Brandeis
and will myself to this standard.” She is hoping to shift her focus on more administrative issues and increasing the dining resources during Orientation. Hoffman could not be reached prior to press time. Rajan Vohra ’21 ran unopposed for senator for racial minority students, receiving over 50 percent of the votes, with 134. He could not be reached prior to press time. Mike Bender ’22 and Jiale Hao ’22 were voted as the representatives to CEEF, beating out Anthony Cai ’22. Bender won the re-election with 233 votes, while Hao garnered 185 votes. Both could not be reached by press time. Lyle James ’21 beat out Steven Luo ’21 for the representative to the UCC. James won almost 40 percent of the total votes with 241 votes, beating out Luo who received 158. James could not be reached by press time. Celia Young contributed to this report.
PHOTO FROM HOOT ARCHIVES
Joe Biden criticized for treatment of Prof. Anita Hill By Rachel Saal editor
In 1991, Anita Hill (AAAS/ LGLS/HS/WGS) testified that she was sexually harassed by Clarence Thomas, a then-nominee to the Supreme Court. At the time, Joe Biden was the chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and now, almost 30 years later, the 2020 presidential hopeful is facing criticism for the way he handled the hearings. In an interview with The New York Times, Hill criticized Biden for not calling additional witnesses to support Hill and not stepping in when Hill was attacked during the hearings. Earlier in the month, Biden called Hill to dis-
cuss the 1991 issue. During his appearance on ABC’s “The View,” Biden said that he is “sorry for the way she got treated… If you go back to what I said, and didn’t say, I don’t think I treated her badly.” He added that “I believed Dr. Hill; I believed what she was saying… There were a lot of mistakes made across the board, and for those, I apologize. We could have conducted it better, but I believed Dr. Hill from the beginning, and I said it.” He continued by praising her for the work she has done, saying she is “responsible for significant changes, and she deserves credit for it.” He continued, “She’s one of the reasons why we have the #MeToo movement; she’s one of the reasons why I was able
to finish writing the Violence Against Women Act; she’s one of the reasons why I committed… [that] there’d never be a Judiciary Committee I was on that didn’t have women on it,” he said. When asked about why he did not reach out to her earlier, Biden said that he did not want to “invade her space.” According to Hill, she was dissatisfied with the conversation with Biden. She did not characterize Biden’s words as an apology and stated that she does not believe that he has taken full responsibility for his conduct at the hearings. “I cannot be satisfied by simply saying, ‘I’m sorry for what happened to you,’” she told The Times. “I will be satisfied when I know there is real change and real
accountability and real purpose.” “The focus on apology to me is one thing,” Hill told The Times. “But he needs to give an apology to the other women and to the American public because we know now how deeply disappointed Americans around the country were about what they saw. And not just women. There are women and men now who have just really lost confidence in our government to respond to the problem of gender violence.” Hill spoke about the larger problems facing women in a statement released by Wellesley College, which will host Hill as their commencement speaker on May 31. “We are experiencing a watershed moment in which women are making their voices heard
throughout society — in business, politics, higher education and social movements,” said Hill in the statement. “Wellesley women are known for standing up for justice, and the class of 2019 is graduating into a climate that is challenging but offers so many possibilities for leadership. I am honored to mark this momentous occasion with the graduating seniors.” According to The Boston Globe, Hill will deliver the commencement address at Wellesley College, a college that, according to College Factual, is 99.7 percent female. “Her voice has been prominent in academia, politics and in the media regarding gender, race, and equality,” read a statement by Wellesley College.
May 3, 2019
NEWS 7
The Brandeis Hoot
Plan B vending machine installed
Brandeis already in compliance with proposed Massachussetts state bills By Celia Young editor
Brandeis is largely in compliance with two bills on sexual misconduct and sexual violence before the Massachusetts legislature, according to Director of the Office of Equal Opportunity (OEO) Sonia Juardo. The two bills would require a biennial sexual misconduct climate survey and the other requires policies on sexual violence and misconduct to be public. They were presented to the Joint Committee on Higher Education of Massachusetts in early April. If the bills would go into effect, Brandeis would review its policies, wrote Juardo to The Hoot. H.1208/S.736 (An act requiring sexual misconduct climate surveys at institutions of higher education) would require biennial sexual misconduct climate survey to be submitted to the department of higher education and a summary of the results to be posted on the Brandeis web page. The survey would be required to include the number of incidents, when and where they occurred and demographic information about at-risk groups among other factors, according to the bill. Brandeis conducted its most recent campus climate survey this year, and the results will be
released in the fall of the upcoming academic year, according to Juardo. The most recent results available come from a 2015 campus climate survey, accessible on the Brandeis website. According to the bill, universities would be able to use their own survey instead of one provided by the state. H.1209/S.764 (An act relative to sexual violence on higher education campuses) requires policies regarding dating violence, domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking and sanctions and penalties for these offenses to be public. “All of Brandeis’s policies regarding these issues are available to the public. They can currently be found on the Title IX web page,” wrote Juardo, who is also the university Title IX coordinator, in an email interview to The Brandeis Hoot. The Office of Equal Opportunity addresses complaints of sexual misconduct within the Brandeis community. The bill requires that investigators are regularly trained. “Ongoing annual professional development happens for all of these individuals, through conferences, webinars, professional associations and other sources of relevant information to this work,” wrote Juardo. Possible sanctions for sexual violence or misconduct are listed in the rights and responsibilities student code. There are a range of sanctions—from
By Celia Young editor
a warning to dismissal from Brandeis—but they are not tied to specific student violations. Protective measures for students are also required to be made public by the bill and are available in the Brandeis student Rights and Responsibilities. These measures can include “no contact orders, relocation of residence hall room, or restricting the responding party’s movements on, or access to, campus,” according to Rights and Responsibilities. The bill also requires that types of support and the rights of students to notify law enforcement are made public to students. For accused individuals outside the Brandeis community, Juardo wrote that, “we will work with the reporter to discuss what options may be available to address that conduct, such as reporting to law enforcement. It would be the reporter’s decision regarding whether to pursue any course of action.” The bill also asks that university policies are applied in a “culturally competent way.” “Being culturally sensitive is something that Brandeis is always working on,” Jurado wrote to The Hoot. The OEO handles investigations into all allegations of discrimination, harassment and sexual misconduct brought forward by faculty, staff and students. The OEO is located in Swig Hall in the Intercultural Center.
After over two years of work, Brandeis Pro-Choice installed a “Wellness Vending Machine” that is stocked with Plan B and other health products in the second-floor gender neutral bathroom in the Shapiro Campus Center (SCC) on April 16. Planned Parenthood Generation Action, the organization’s national college program, gave the club a $5,000 grant in October of 2017 to fund the project, and they were given official approval to install the machines that December, according to Susannah Miller ’19, president of Brandeis Pro-Choice. Brandeis Pro-Choice is a student activism club whose work includes promoting “reproductive rights including safe and legal abortion, comprehensive sex education programs, [and] adequate access to contraception.” Some of the obstacles that the club encountered included not being able to fit the machine in its original location, making sure that there was enough funding to sustain the machine and finding a pharmaceutical distributor who was willing to sell Plan B to the University Services Department since it does not have a pharmaceutical license, according to Miller. The products in the vending machine will be available for purchase 24/7. Brandeis’ Health Center also supplies the emergen-
cy pregnancy contraceptive and is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays. Miller said that Brandeis was awarded the grant along with about 12 to 14 other chapters the first year that the grant program was launched in 2017. Following the success of the program, Planned Parenthood expanded it to give grants to about 125 chapters across the country. “Following the installation of the machine, the response has been overwhelmingly positive and excited,” Miller told The Brandeis Hoot. “I’ve seen many current and past Brandeis students say this makes them proud to be associated with Brandeis and students from other schools saying they want to try to implement this on their campuses.” Miller said that in the future, she hopes that the machines will be able to hold a wider range of menstrual products as well as general wellness products such as Emergen-C, band-aids and Neosporin. Brandeis Pro-Choice, formerly known as Brandeis University Students for NARAL, holds weekly meetings in Schwartz Hall and holds events throughout the semester. Next year, Kadria Simms ’21 and Thalia Plata ’21 will be co-presidents of the club. Miller said that they want to orient the club more toward project and action-based work and are going to work on the implementation of more sexual education for Brandeis students.
Students gather for ‘Celebration of Service’
Tenor sax player Jonathan Aiyathurai ’21, alto sax player Sam Francis ’21, bassist Jake Sibley ’19, drummer Izzy Yeoh ’20 and pianist Celia Bernhardt ’22 provided jazzy tunes for students at the Celebration of Service.
Senior speaker Abigail Gardener ’19 (second from left) spoke about her experience in Companions to Elders, an organization that matches student volunteers with elderly residents in local assisted living facilities and nursing homes.
Staff and students gathered on Monday to celebrate student volunteers and their impact in the Waltham community, including the Rich/Collins Fellow projects and service trips students have participated in.
PHOTOS BY CELIA YOUNG/THE HOOT
Lucas Malo addresses attendees at Celebration of Service.
8 The Brandeis Hoot
EDITORIALS
“To acquire wisdom, one must observe.” Editors-in-Chief Abigail Gardener Sarah Terrazano Managing Editor Emily Botto Senior Editor Ryan Spencer Copy Editor Natalie Fritzson Deputy Copy Editor Jennifer Cook News Editor Celia Young Deputy News Editor Rachel Saal Arts Editors Ben Beriss Noah Harper Opinions Editor Sabrina Chow Deputy Opinions Editor Sasha Skarboviychuk Features Editor Polina Potochevska Deputy Features Editor Shruthi Manjunath Sports Editors Zach Cihlar Shea Decker-Jacoby Deputy Sports Editor Sophie Trachtenberg Layout Editor Candace Ng Social Media Editor Emma Lichtenstein Cartoonist Helen Wong
Volume 16 • Issue 12 the brandeis hoot • brandeis university 415 south street • waltham, ma
STAFF
Medjine Barionette, Emma Belkin, Camila Casanueva, Chris DeMena, James Feltner, John Fornagiel, Madeline Herrup, Stewart Huang, Jonah Koslofsky, Jackie Kostenko, Alex Kougasian, Aaron LaFauci, Jesse Lieberman, Jenna Lifschitz, Josh Lannon, Thalia Plata, Joseph Silber, Zachary Sosland, Rachel Wang, Emerson White, Hannah Wilson
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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May 3, 2019
The Union: Looking ahead to more improvement
s the newest class of Union members were sworn in at the State of the Union on Thursday, former President Hannah Brown ’19 reflected on the ups and downs of the Union during the past year. She cited successes, such as the implementation of free transportation from Logan Airport after major school breaks, as well as more sobering situations, like the mishandling of the passing of the club advisor amendment as examples of the positive and negative influence that the Union has had on the Brandeis community. Even though the internal issues (like the piano project, among others) that the Union faced prompted many negative responses from the student body this past academic year, we should not discredit all the initiatives that members of the Union worked on to improve the lives of students. The loudest voices in the Union may have been the only ones you heard this year, but behind the scenes, many members
of the Union were working hard on helpful projects to improve students’ experiences. Take a closer look, and you’ll see the various things that dedicated members of the Union were able to accomplish. Members of the Executive Board were able to set aside $10,000 next year for a commuter rail subsidy for students with jobs, internships and educational opportunities in Boston and will continue to provide free shuttle services from the airport coming back from major breaks. They also hosted a series of open and honest conversations with members of the student body about issues concerning finances and community living. They even “partnered with administration to lower library fines, extend mailroom and library hours and expand open-source textbook and software resources for professors,” said Brown in an opinion piece submitted to The Brandeis Hoot this week. Looking ahead to the next aca-
demic year, we hope that the Student Union not only continues to improve and becomes more receptive to concerns of the student body, but that the Brandeis community is in turn understanding that a few individuals do not make up the whole. The issues that permeated the Union this year, and seem to have engendered a belief that the Union is unable to properly serve its constituency, are only a small part of the whole story. In addition, we hope that the Union can work harder at including students outside the Union, such as incorporating non-senators into committees. The Union can increase its transparency and better inform the community about its ongoing initiatives. It can also make itself more accessible to students who may not want to run for actual positions by making the Union more widely known as an available resource to help students work through and potentially implement their own initiatives.
In response to the archival of the Class of 2019 Facebook page
T
he action to archive the Class of 2019 Facebook page accomplishes exactly the hypocrisy that the anonymous moderators criticized. They have accused the Union of being out of touch with the student body, specifically, that “the student union can’t seem to learn that they have no business dictating campus life and our freedom of speech.” And yet, the moderators of the class group, ironically, felt they had the power to take it upon themselves to archive the group, preventing any members from posting, liking or commenting. To our knowledge, they did not ask any member of the class of 2019 if they wanted the group to be archived and stated in the email that they are “unable to accept interviews at this time,” impeding dialogue in the same way that they accused the Union of doing. Recently, students have been using the group to find extra commencement tickets that their peers won’t be using. Cutting off this mode of communication eliminates one of the few
places the majority of the senior class has to communicate with each other. In light of this, archiving the page seems an extreme action to take that affects constituents who were not consulted about the decision. Further, the moderators’ claim that “this group will serve as a monument to the complete and utter failure of the student union” is an overgeneralization and does not accurately reflect the class of 2019. The senior class is a monument to a lot of things—accomplishments, leadership, activism—but not to the “failure of the Student Union,” as the moderators claim. The class of 2019 is also the last class to have taken part in the Ford Hall 2015 protest and carried that memory to the recent #StillConcerned #ProudToBeAProblem organizing. The editorial board of The Brandeis Hoot—especially the senior staff members—do not support the archival of the senior class page, nor were we involved in the
process. We were unaware that the proposal to de-charter The Hoot would be used as reasoning in the moderators’ decision. We are also unsure why an email from the moderators, addressed to “the brandeis press,” was sent exclusively to “the brandeis hoot, the brandeis bagel, and gravity magazine” [sic]. The Brandeis Bagel and Gravity Magazine are both satirical media outlets; of the three groups the email was sent to, The Hoot is the only legitimate news source. Following the proposal to de-charter The Hoot and limit voices on campus, we are disheartened to see that some students are actively working to further stifle communication on campus. We do not believe that the mistakes made by some members of the Union justify the encouragement of harsh criticisms against the Union as a whole; however, we do not condone restrictions on the channels through which students can express these concerns.
Congratulations to the Class of 2019!
SPORTS
May 3, 2019
The Brandeis Hoot 9
Softball ranks 20th in the NCAA, reaches 25 wins By Emerson White staff
Brandeis Softball was on fire from April 11th to the 20th the team won eight of their ten games closing their regular season record at 25-2-1 and finished 20th in Division III. After going 16 games unbeaten, Brandeis dropped the first game of the series with against Case Western Reserve University, 4-2. In the second game of the series, pitcher Sydney Goldman ‘22 pitched a one-hitter, throwing 94 pitches, 63 of which were strikes securing the win. On the offensive side, P.J. Ross ‘20 finished the game with four RBI and scored two runs. The next day, the Judges swept CWRU in another double-header the following day. With final scores of 4-1and 3-2, the Judges won the series 3-1. In the first game, the Spartans scored first with a run in the fourth inning. The Judges immediately responded in the fifth inning with four runs. In the second game, it went back and forth, until the Judges
secured the win by adding a run in their last at-bat in the seventh inning. Brandeis then went on to play a doubleheader against Clark. In the first game, the Judges won 9-0 in five innings. Goldman threw another one-hitter and struck out a career-high 11 batters, including a home run from Ross. In the second game, Clark was first on the board, but the Judges answered with two runs in the second to give them the lead. Going into the eighth inning, the game was tied 3-3, and Brandeis scored three runs to win the game 6-3. Next, the Judges went on to face Worcester State at home, where they went 2-0. Brandeis came out on fire in their first game from the very first pitch, in which Lehtonen hit her first home run of the season. Shortstop Jolie Fujita ‘21 had a two-run home run in the fourth, Ross also had a home run in the fourth to secure the 8-0 win. Then in game two, the Judges won 4-0. Amidori Anderson ’22 threw her first complete game and a shutout with five strikeouts and only three hits allowed. Finally, the Judges traveled to
Pittsburgh to play against Carnegie Mellon University and won 3-1. In their first game against the Tartans, the Judges suffered their second loss of the season 2-1. The Judges came back from the loss and went on to sweep CMU in the next three games. In the second game of the series, the Judges in the fourth answered with two runs, tying the game 2-2. Then in the seventh, Lehtonen crossed the plate securing the win. In game three of the series, Brandeis pitcher, Todd, held Carnegie Mellon to zero hits through the first five innings. The Judges scored one run in the second, one in the fourth, and two more runs in the sixth and one in the seventh putting Brandeis out of reach for CMU. In the final game of the series, the Judges beat CMU 6-2. the Judges were the first on the board in the third inning. The Tartans answered with two runs in the fourth, Brandeis then went on to score five more runs, one being a home run from Anderson. With this win, the Judges have earned 25 wins on the season. Brandeis
PHOTO FROM BRANDEISJUDGES.COM
Pitcher Sydney Goldman was also awarded UAA Pitcher of the Week. Goldman went 4-0 for the week. Goldman has a 13-0 record for the season and she leads the league in both wins and ERA. She also ranks third in the UAA with
Judges bounce back in new season
By Jesse Lieberman staff
Brandeis baseball won three of their last five league games to close out University Athletic Association play, as the Judges went 4-3 overall in the past 10 days. The Judges split the finale doubleheader of their four game series against conference opponent NYU on April 21. NYU dominated the first game, winning 12-2. The Judges took the second game 8-3 led by freshman pitcher Cam Roberts. Roberts threw 6 2/3 shutout innings, allowing only four hits and issuing one walk with 65 of his 98 pitches were strikes. Shortstop Victor Oppenheimer ’20 had three hits and Isaac Fossas ’21 hit
a three run homer to lead the offensive charge. The Judges headed to Cleveland to take on Case Western on Friday April 26, the Judges opened the series with a 5-3 victory. They led offensively by Fossas and catcher Luke Hall ’21. Left-handed pitcher Greg Tobin ’20 came in after the first and threw seven innings, allowing only two hits and two runs. After the Judges pushed a run across in the fourth inning, the Judges scored three runs in the fifth inning, extending their lead 5-1. The Judges scored all three runs with two outs as Fossas doubled, bringing in two runs and Hall followed with an RBI-double of his own. Left-hander Marc Maestri ’22 relieved Tobin and got his
team-leading third save of the season. The Judges split the doubleheader on April 27, losing the first game 6-0 and winning the second game 7-5. In the first game, the Judges had only five hits, which were all singles. On the mound for the Judges, lefty Kyle Shedden ’20 pitched five innings and allowed three runs. The Judges found their grove in the second game as they had 11 hits with five doubles. Khoury had three hits with two RBI and two runs scored, while Fossas had two doubles and knocked in three runs. Mason Newman ’21 pitched seven quality innings allowing three runs on seven hits. Of Newman’s 95 pitches, 61 were strikes. Down by a score of 3-2 in the sixth inning, the Judges scored
five runs in the next three frames as they took and extended their lead to 7-3. The Judges dropped the series finale against Case Western 17-4. After the Judges scored two runs in the top of the second to take the lead 2-1, Case Western responded with eight runs in the bottom half of the frame. Oppenheimer led the Judges with three hits, while Khoury and junior outfielder Dan O’Leary each had two hits in the losing effort. The Judges walked off Bridgewater State 4-3 on May 1, despite not getting a hit from the fifth inning on. With the score 3-3 in the bottom of the ninth, Khoury led off with a walk. Dan Frey ’21 laid down a bunt. With the bases load-
93 strikeouts. After winning Pitcher of the Week, two weeks in a row, Goldman said, “As only a freshman it feels great to be recognized by the conference. This also drives me to pitch even better, and continue to push our team this season.”
ed and no one out, Khoury scored on a passed ball to end the game. Albert Gutierrez ’20 pitched five solid innings, allowing three runs and striking out five. After going 3-25 last season, the Judges have bounced back, winning 16 games with two games remaining on their schedule. Despite being a young team, many of the Judges key contributors have been from underclassman In a tough conference, which features nationally ranked No. 8 Washington University, both Fossas and Khoury rank in the top 15 players in the conference in runs scored, batting average, hits, doubles, home runs and RBIs. As only pitcher Daniel Schupper ’19 will be graduating, the team’s nucleus should remain intact for the next several years.
Women’s tennis has strong season finish By Shea Decker-Jacoby editor
The Brandeis women’s tennis team finished the regular season with a total of three wins and two losses, ending with a record of 12-7. The #14 ranked Judges started with an upset win against the Bowdoin polar bears. They fell behind in the first match of the day with a loss in the second seat of doubles, but came back to take the lead by winning the number one and number three seats. Olivia Leavitt ’19 and Lauren Bertsch ’21 got the Judges on the board with their win 8-6 in the number one seat. Shortly after, Sophia He ’19 and Ana Hatfield ’22 won a tiebreaker 8-7 (7-3). In the singles matches, Bowdoin tied it up with a win in the fourth seat, but shortly after Diana Dehterevich ’20 brought the Judges back with a win in the first seat, 6-3 and 6-3. With one match down, the Judges final two seniors earned clinched the victory. Leavitt channeled a home
PHOTOS FROM BRANDEISJUDGES.COM
state advantage and earned a 7-5, 7-6 win at the number two seat by winning a tiebreaker to tie the Judges and Polar Bears up. Keren Khromchenko ’19, the previous UAA Athlete of the Week, won the final four games of the match to secure the upset victory for the Judges. The next day, the Judges headed back home for their final regional match against Division II Stonehill. The Judges improved their record 11-4 by sweeping Stonehill
in all nine matches. In the doubles matches He and Hatfield put the Judges on the board with their 8-0 win in the third seat. Leavitt and Bertsch followed with a 8-3 win in the first seat. Dehterevich and Isabel Cepeda ’21 completed the doubles sweep with a 8-5 victory in the number two seat. For the singles matches, Michele Lehat ’19 crushed her opponent 6-0, 6-1 at the number four seat to put the Judges on the board in the singles matches. Bertsch
snatched the number one seat with a winning score of 6-3, 6-2. Cepeda and Dehterevich earned their first two-set dual match win of the season the number six seat with the score 6-3, 6-3. In the singles matches, Lehat won her match at ease at 6-0, 6-1. Bertsch took the number one seat at 6-3, 6-2 and Hartfield won in a close third seat match with scores of 3-6, 6-3, 10-8. He closed out the sweep with a close match as well with final scores of 3-6, 7-5,
10-8. The Judges headed to Florida for the conference tournament as the fourth seat. To kick off the weekend the Judges topped #33 Case Western Reserve with a 5-0 sweep to move on to the tournament’s championship semi-finals for the first time since 2004. In the doubles matches, Khromchenko and Dehterevich rolled into an easy win 8-1 in the number two seat. Leavitt and Bertsch earned a 8-5 win and He and Hatfield finished off the sweep with a 8-1 win. In the singles action, Leavitt got a double-bagel in the number two seat to put the Judges one point away from victory. Bertsch secured the win in the number four seat with a 6-0 6-4 victory. This win was even more sweet as it was a rematch from last year’s fifthplace match where Case topped the Judges 7-2. Unfortunately, this was the last win for the Judges for the weekend as they fell to #8 Chicago 5-0 and #11 Carnegie Mellon. The Judges now eagerly wait for their NCAA tournament bid which comes out this weekend.
10 SPORTS
The Brandeis Hoot
May 3, 2019
Emily Bryson wins 12th UAA title By Zach Cihlar editor
The Brandeis track and field teams traveled to Atlanta, Georgia, to compete in the UAA Outdoor Track and Field Conference Championships on Saturday, April 27 through Sunday, April 28. Both teams finished the weekend at sixth place in the eightteam conference. The men, at 71 points, were just four points behind NYU at fifth place in a closely contested conference meet.
The women were securely in sixth place, earning 59 points to the seventh place finisher NYU’s 21 points. Brandeis’s Emily Bryson ’19 topped off her final UAA conference meet with her eleventh and twelfth UAA Conference titles. Leading the Judges, the decorated senior won the outdoor 1,500-meter run title by four seconds with a time of 4:37.94. E. Bryson returned to the track again for the 5,000-meter run and sped to her fastest time of the season in the event with a time of 17:35.61, nearly 25 seconds faster than the runner up in the event.
Upon E. Bryson’s return to Brandeis, she was presented with the Max I. Silber Award for the Outstanding Female Athlete in the class of 2019. E. Bryson was not alone in her achievements at the outdoor track and field conference meet. E. Bryson’s twin sister, Julia Bryson ’19 ran the 1,500-meter race and earned the sixth place finish with a time of 4:44.01 while their younger teammate Andrea Bolduc ’21 came in at eighth in the same race with a time of 4:45.57. Doyin Ogundiran ’19, another historically consistent high performer for the Judges, secured her best UAA finish in her Brandeis career. Running the 800-meter race in 2:13.20, Ogundiran finished in second place, and recorded the eleventh fastest finish in Division III for the 2019 season. For the men, Regan Charie ’19 finalized his career with some impressive UAA conference performances. He received his third UAA conference honor in men’s sprints, finishing in third place for the 100-meter event with a time of 11.10 seconds. Charie secured a second time on the podium by anchoring Brandeis’ 4x100-meter relay. The Brandeis squad of Churchill Perry ’20, Michael Kroker ’19, Jacob Ward ’21 and Charie raced to another third place finish, crossing the finish line at 42.89 seconds. During the field events, Brandeis athletes stepped onto
PHOTOS FROM BRANDEISJUDGES.COM
the podium to accept UAA honors at three of the four events. In the discus throw, Scott Grote ’19 earned his fourth overall UAA honor by throwing 49.65 meters, holding the UAA record for a short time until his throw was surpassed by a thrower from Carnegie Mellon. Grote earned the second place designation. Perry also earned runner-up standing for the triple jump and Breylen Ammen ’21 earned third in the javelin throw. For Brandeis track and field, the
Judges have quite a bit more of their season to go. Without much of a break, Brandeis will return to the track to compete in the Division III New England Regional Championship in a two-day event on Friday, May 4 and Saturday, May 5. Williams College will host the event in Williamstown, Massachusetts. The Judges will keep an eye out for any individual NCAA national bids, which will be hosted by the Spire Institute in Geneva, Ohio, from Thursday, May 23 to Saturday, May 25.
Baseball highlights: April 11-21 By Camila Casanueva staff
On April 11th, the Brandeis baseball team defeated Becker College, 17-13. It took a while to get there as the contest lasted three hours and 35 minutes, with the Judges scoring runs in seven of their eight innings and Becker scoring six of nine. This win was his 300-career win for head coach Derek Carlson. Marc Maestri ’22 came in with no outs and made a big play as he induced a grounder to third that cut down the tying run at the plate, then went on to strike out the next two batters. Also getting involved in the action was left fielder, Tommy Sand ’21 who went 2-5 with three RBI, including a key two run single in the eighth. Second baseman Victor Oppenheimer ’20 and catcher Luke Hall ’21 each scored three runs, while Alex Parrot ’21 delivered a two-run triple in the fifth. In his first collegiate start, Aneesh Avancha ’22 went 2-4 with two runs scored, and an RBI sac fly. Also on the hill was Rik Jhamb ‘21, who earned his first collegiate win by pitching the fifth inning and only allowing two unearned runs along with two strikeouts to seal the victory. In their next contest, the team kept things rolling, earning a non-conference win over the visiting Curry College Colonels, 4-3. In their next contest, the Brandeis University baseball kept things rolling, earning a non-conference win over the visiting Curry College Colonels, 4-3. It is the Judges third consecutive win, giving them a 12-13 record on the year. It was the Brandeis offense that got them going early, scoring runs
PHOTOS FROM BRANDEISJUDGES.COM
in each of the first three innings. The Judges were very disciplined at the plate throughout the game, recording four walks in the first inning. They would take advantage of the walks, along with a couple wild pitches and a hit batter to score two runs in the first without recording a hit. Oppenheimer led things off, scoring two of the Judges four runs as he went 1-4 with a walk. The eventual winning run would come in the third inning from left fielder Sand as outfielder Alex Parrot ’21 drove him home with a sacrifice grounder. Starter Mason Newman ’21 pitched 5.1 innings, only surrendering six hits and one earned run with four strikeouts to earn the win and move to 2-3 on the year. Coming in for relief was lefty Kyle Shedden ’20 who silenced the Curry lineup, scattering only one hit over 2.2 innings of scoreless work. Greg Tobin ’20 came in for the ninth inning and stroke out two batters en route to his first
save of the season. In their following contest against Trinity College, the team could not keep pace as Trinity scored eight runs on seven hits and committed no errors in an 8-4 victory over the Judges. Three days later, the Judges suffered a pair of losses to the conference opponent NYU dropping a 6-5 decision in the opener and 1510 in the second game. Game one was a back and forth affair with the Judges in the bottom of the third, scoring four times. Right fielder Scott Ziegler ’21 drew a one-out walk, while baseman Oppenheimer’s swinging bunt was thrown away, putting both runners in scoring position. Ziegler would score on a wild pitch and Oppenheimer came home on shortstop Mike Khoury’s double to right center. After a walk and a hit batter loaded bases, Khoury scored on a passed ball and Hall delivered a sacrifice fly to put Brandeis ahead 4-1. The second game was an offen-
sive outpour, as NYU had eight runs in the sixth inning, proving to be the difference in a 1510 loss for the Judges. Brandeis would battle back with a five run oftheir own in the bottom of the sixth to cut it to 14-10. Offensively, Brandeis was paced by Dan Frey ’21 and Khoury, who each drove in three runs. Khoury had a key two-run triple in the team’s three-run second inning, while Frey had three doubles in the contest. Pitcher Kyle Shedden ’21 suffered the loss, pitching four innings, with seven hits and allowing six runs, with a walk and a strikeout. On April 21st, the Judges got a terrific start from lefty Cam Roberts ’22 en route to their first University Athletic Association win of the season against NYU. Roberts threw 6.2 scoreless innings as the Judges won the second game of the doubleheader, 8-3. Frey delivered a two run single to get things going for the Judges. Frey was then able to steal second and scored on a hit up the
middle by Hall. Brandeis was able to double its lead in the fourth inning with two out, as second baseman Victor Oppenheimer ’20 hit a double. The Violets elected to walk Khoury intentionally, and Isaac Fossas ’21 made them pay with a long home run to left field on the second pitch. It was Fossas’ fourth of the season and, fifth of his career. The Judges tacked on two more runs in the eighth, on a groundrule double by Oppenheimer ’20 and a sacrifice fly by Khoury. The RBI for Khoury was his UAA leading 37th of the season. The Judges were not able to sweep NYU for the day, as the Violets won the opener, 12-2. Right fielder Dan O’Leary ’20 singled home a run in the fifth, while Khoury blasted a solo homer in the sixth. It was his seventh round tripper of the season, second-most in the UAA, and the 11th of his career. From the mound. Newman took the loss, falling to 2-4.
May 3, 2019
SPORTS 11
The Brandeis Hoot
Men’s tennis finishes second in UAA By Shea Decker-Jacoby editor
Before the number 9 nationally ranked men’s tennis team headed into conference play, they had one final regional game of the season against MIT. The Judges prevailed against the Beavers with a final match score of 5-4 to improve their record 14-3. The doubles matches put Brandeis into the lead taking two of the three. The two victories were from Colt Tegtmeier ’22 and Tyler Ng ’19 who won the third seat with a score of 8-3 and in the second seat Adam Tzeng ’22 and Jeffrey Chen ’22 claimed an 8-7 to give the Judges a lead. David Aizenberg ’20 and Anupreeth Coramulta ’21 fell in the first seat to a score of 5-8. In the singles matches the Judg-
es and the Beavers went back and forth bringing the match down to the wire. The Judges fell behind in the beginning when MIT took the win in the second seat, but bounced back with a victory in the number six seat by a Rajan Vohra ’21 win with a final score of 6-2, 6-0. The Judges pulled ahead for the second time leading the match with a victory by Tzeng in the number three seat with a final score of 6-3, 6-2. The Judges dropped the number one seat in three seats; 6-1, 1-6, 3-6. It came down to the final match in the number four seat with Chen. With a three set battle, Chen took the victory home for the Judges at 6-3, 6-7, 6-2. For the first time since 2010, the men headed to Florida for UAA Championship matchups. The quarter-final match was against number 12 Case Western Reserve
University and the Judges pulled out the first win of the weekend with a final score of 5-3. The Judges came out strong to win two of three of the doubles matches. Tzeng and Chen won in the second seat match 8-2. In the number one seat, Aizenberg and Coramutla took the Spartans to a tie breaker and came out on top with a big win, 8-7, 7-2 to give the Judges the lead. In the singles matches, the Spartans pulled ahead early with the first two wins in the fifth and six seats. In Brandeis Judges fashion, they bounded back. Aizenberg topped his opponent 6-4, 6-2. Tzeng continued with a win in the third seat at 6-3, 6-4 and to clinch the victory, Coramutla finished it off with a tiebreaking set 6-7 (911), 6-4, 6-3 finishing off with a killer ace. This win gives the Judges a 15win season for the seventh time
in school history and the second time in a row. The next day the Judges played in the semi-final match against number 2 ranked Chicago. The Judges started out like they always do with a 2-1 victory in the doubles matches. Tzeng and Vohra clinched the win the second seat. It was the first time they were paired together this season and topped Chicago with a score of 8-6. The second win was from Ng and Tegtmeier who took it to a tie breaker, 8-7, 7-5. In the singles action, Brandeis was topped by Chicago in the fifth seat, and Coramutla came back with a win in the second seat to earn back the lead for Brandeis. Tzeng then took a 7-5, 6-2 decision in the third seat. The match would be decided from the first and fourth seats. Aizenberg came out on top with a final score of 3-6, 6-4, 6-1 winning the last of
five games. Nikhil Das ’21 came back from behind and earned the final win for the Judges at 3-6, 6-3, 3-4 to improve their record to 16-3 and advance the to UAA Championship match for the first time in program history. The next day the Judges faced the Emory Eagles, but could not pull off another upset and became UAA Tournament finalist for the first time in program history as the number four seat coming into the tournament. The Judges’ singular win from the match came from Tzeng and Vohra in the second seat doubles match with a score of 8-6. Despite the loss, the second place finish is the second-best in program history; surpassed by the 1989 team’s title. The Judges anxiously wait for the NCAA tournament bids to be announced to see if their season continues.
Softball sits at No. 1 in New England, finishes second in the UAA By Sophie Trachtenberg editor
Over spring break, the Brandeis women’s softball team headed down to Pittsburgh to take on the Tartans of Carnegie Mellon University, sweeping them in both games played on Sunday to take the series in a 3-1 fashion. In the first contest, the Judges won 5-1, and then followed with a score of 6-2. The team is ranked 20th in the nation, being number one in New England. The Judges got off to a hot start, scoring the first five runs of the game before the Tartans scored their only run of the contest. Left fielder Marissa DeLaurentis ’19 hit a fly ball out to leftfield that allowed Scottie Todd ’20 to make
it first onto the scoreboard. Again with her hit in the top of the fourth inning, DeLaurentis batted in centerfielder Melissa Rothenberg ’21 on a single. First baseman Ashleigh Fultz ’22 hit a double to bring Rothenberg in again. DeLaurentis also scored in the top of the sixth off a passed ball. Lastly, pitcher Sydney Goldman ’22 hit a single in the seventh to bring in third baseman Marley Felder ’22. From the circle, Todd pitched the whole game, giving the Tartans only three hits overall and one run coming in the bottom of the seventh. In the second game of the day, the Tartans were still not able to match the Judges’ scoring efforts, scoring six runs. In the top of the third, shortstop Jolie Fujita ’21 hit a sacrifice fly that allowed Felder to cross home. In the bottom of
the fourth, Carnegie Mellon landed two runs, but the Judges came back to hold them scoreless for the rest of the game. In the fifth, Fultz, right fielder Amidori Anderson ’22, and Todd all made hits to allow their teammates to score, bringing in Fujita, DeLaurentis and Fultz in respectively. In the seventh, Anderson landed her first career home run, with Todd following as the last batter of the game to earn an RBI that brought in catcher Keri Lehtonen ’19. Goldman pitched from the circle, earning a 12-0 record on the season and becoming the UAA leader in wins. Heading back to Massachusetts, the Judges played a non-conference double header against the Rams of Framingham State, winning 3-1 and 5-1. In the first game, Goldman hit a single to bat in Fu-
jita in the bottom of the second. In the fifth, Felder hit a double to left center to bring in Anderson and Rothenberg. Todd pitched all seven innings, bringing her win total up to 12 on the season. In the latter half of the double header, the Judges took over in the fifth, with Todd hitting a single that brought in right fielder Marysa Massoia ’19, Fujita hitting in Lehtonen, and Goldman doubling to right center to bring Fujita across home plate for the Judge’s fifth and final run of the day. Goldman pitched from the circle, bringing her win total up to a perfect 13-0. To wrap up play over spring break, the Judges took the field for another four games against University Athletic Association (UAA) opponents from Emory University. The Eagles won all
FEATURES
four contests with scores of 12-3, 6-3, 3-2 and 11-3. In game one, Fujita launched a home run in the bottom of the first that brought the Judges all of their runs in the matchup, making it her fourth homer of the season. In the latter half of the double header, it was Goldman who batted in two of the Judges’ three runs. On day two of the weekend, Brandeis continued to compete, but ultimately fell again to a fierce Emory team, leaving them to end in second place overall in the UAA after regular season play. The Judges end their incredible season with a record of 27-6-1 overall, 10-6 in the UAA. They await the possibility of receiving an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament. The selection show is on Monday, May 6.
Have no fear, Grad Bag is here By Shruthi Manjunath editor
As the semester comes to a close, students are probably wondering what to do with all of the items they used during the year that they don’t plan on using next year. Students could throw these items out, or they could donate to Grad Bag, a donation-based organization that cleans and repackages used dorm supplies and distributes them to students who may not have the financial means to buy these supplies on their own. Grad Bag serves anyone in the Boston area. In Boston, Grad Bag is partnered with Babson College, Wellesley College and as of recently, Brandeis University. Grad Bag was created by Liz Gruber and Tara Smith Tyberg in 2012. Gruber and Tyberg previously worked at an organization in Scarsdale, NY. While working on a project, the issue of campus waste and the expenses of living
in a college dorm came up during a conversation. Tyberg had noticed the overwhelming amount of items that people threw into the dumpster as they moved out of their dorms when she was picking up her daughter from college. Gruber and Tyberg then decided to put an advertisement in the Scarsdale Inquirer asking for items. Once they had received all the donations, they washed all the items at their houses in order to make sure that the items would be desirable to students. As Grad Bag began to grow, they formed a partnership with Let’s Get Ready, a non-profit organization that supports first-generation incoming college students and low-income high school students as they apply to college. The newly formed organization also created a Transition Day workshop, with 30 students in the first workshop that was held, in which the organization provided these individuals with free SAT prep, admissions counseling and post-enrollment mentoring to
low-income and first-generation students. The next year, Grad Bag began partnering with universities in the Northeast. For the Grad Bag Boston region, items that are donated are retrieved by a moving company and are taken to a storage area. Then the donations are taken to Temple Shalom in Newton. High school students aid in cleaning and fixing the items in the temple during the summer. These services are all volunteer based. During the distribution of the goods, a “store” is created during college transition workshops in August where students can take items. Mary Fischer, the Sustainability Manager at Brandeis who facilitated the partnership between Brandeis and Grad Bag, believes that what makes Grad Bag unique is the fact that they launder, clean and re-distribute items that students donate. Many other donation organizations do not clean the donations that they receive. Fischer believes that “It’s important for the students benefiting from Grad
PHOTO FROM GRADBAG.ORG
Bag to feel that they are getting good-quality items—such as a clean set of sheets and a fan or lamp that actually works.” In the words of Fischer, “Grad Bag has identified a much-need-
ed niche in the world of donated goods” by providing students with dorm essentials that they are excited to use in college, rather than something they picked up from Goodwill.
12 FEATURES
The Brandeis Hoot
May 3, 2019
TRII advocates and their stories: Sam Ades By Polina Potochevska editor
The Right to Immigration Institute (TRII), founded at Brandeis, is a unique organization that trains undergraduates to become accredited representatives in immigration courts and to gain legal experience firsthand. It allows for immigrants to receive assistance with many types of legal processes, making sure they have the support and the knowledge they need. Sam Ades ’21 is a history and politics double major, with a minor in film, television and interactive media. Ades is on TRII’s E-board serving as secretary, and is working with two clients on applying for status through asylum. Ades joined TRII in the fall semester of his first year, and went through the training program to learn “all the different intricacies of the immigration system and the asylum process.” Ades explained that he has always been interested in law and politics but didn’t know much about the immigration system. “It’s been really eye-opening because you kind of assume that there’s a certain system of justice that occurs in the immigration court system but in my experience, it’s more or less a bureaucratic nightmare... it makes you realize that someone going through this process by themselves, especially if their first language isn’t English, would be nearly impossible. I wouldn’t have been able to do it had I been faced with this situation,” said Ades. Ades’ father and his father’s parents came to the United States as refugees from Egypt “facing religious and political discrimination.” This has greatly influenced Ades in working at TRII and focusing on asylum cases.
TRII The current E-Board for TRII consists of Sara Hogenboom ‘21 as president, Sam Ades ‘21 as secretary and Jacqie Wycoff ‘21 as treasurer.
“Since arriving in the 60s, achieving asylum has become exponentially harder with restrictionist policies put in place in order to dissuade people from applying in the U.S. I’m exceptionally proud of TRII’s commitment to activism and our efforts to bring more awareness to the damage these policies inflict on our community in Waltham,” said Ades. At the end of last year, Ades got even more involved in the organization by taking on clients and stepped into the role of secretary this year. As secretary, he helps to organize meetings and lectures, and sends weekly emails to TRII. He is also involved in the transition that the organization is undergoing to standardize TRII practices and develop a training manual. There are three undergraduate students and one graduate student at TRII who are currently accredited to serve as immigration representatives. Ades is in the
process of applying for his accreditation as well. Aside from that, Ades meets with clients once or twice a week with his team of other students, including TRII president Sara Hogenboom ’21 and legal director and professor Doug Smith (LGLS) to work on the clients’ applications. Ades said that 90 percent of asylum applicants are rejected if they do not have representation and if they do, “it’s only 50/50, so even with someone that knows the legal system, that knows what the judge is looking for, and that will be able to train the asylee for interviews, it’s almost random.” For that reason, Ades said it is important for Brandeis to have an organization such as TRII that tries to get involved with the local immigrant community and give undergraduate students the opportunity to be involved. “Typically undergraduates aren’t given the opportunity to take
on asylum applicants, but hopefully that will change, especially now that there is a backlog of 800,000 or so cases and people are waiting years and years just for a trial,” said Ades. He also mentioned that the process is incredibly long, and mentioned an asylum application that was submitted recently that was around 1,400 pages long. “It’s full of expert testimony, expert reports that you have to compile and everything, and I don’t think people realize how well documented and well supported your application has to be.” With the help of TRII, community members are better equipped to face the lengthy process. Ades said through TRII he has been able to work with “truly amazing people that have gone through some of the worst circumstances imaginable,” and the support from the organization helps everyone to feel as comfortable as possible, especially when
PHOTO COURTESY SAM ADES
discussing more difficult topics or when overwhelmed with the workload. While it does involve a lot of writing, reading and research, Ades says these skills are easily transferred to other classes. One of Ades’ best memories in TRII so far is when one of his clients opened up to him and his team. “It took about 3 months of meeting twice a week to get him comfortable and to be able to open up with us and fully share his story… that was a big breakthrough that he felt comfortable with us and going forward it’s helped a lot to establish that type of connection,” said Ades. Ades’ advice to students who want to get involved? It can be a big time commitment, “but it really is what you make of it.” For students interested in joining TRII, the training will begin next semester in the first or second week of classes.
How study abroad can shape a career path By Sabrina Chow editor
It often seems like the most fulfilling opportunities are never ones that we expect. For Galen Karlan-Mason ’16 MBA ’17, his study abroad experience changed his career path for the better. As an undergraduate at Brandeis, Karlan-Mason was an international and global studies and business double major, originally in a concentration of real estate. He was also a varsity soccer player during his first three years at Brandeis. During his spring semester of junior year, he traveled to Peru to study and was extremely immersed in the Peruvian culture, playing soccer and taking courses. Karlan-Mason made the ultimate decision to take a semester off from Brandeis, so he could spend an entire year in Peru, forgoing his senior soccer season at Brandeis. “I really felt like I was not done,” Karlan-Mason said. “There was more learning to be had and that it was never going to get easier to take this time away.” He knew that this could be a “life-changing experience” but needed more time in Peru to make it happen. “It’s going to fundamentally form who I am as a human being and as a
young adult, and there was [sic] reasons that I would’ve denied myself that, but I had to seize it,” he said. Unlike some of the other students that were abroad with him, Karlan-Mason felt his experience was different because of how immersed he was in the culture. He had the opportunity to play soccer while in Peru and made a lot of Peruvian friends through the soccer team. While staying the extra semester in Peru, Karlan-Mason took only one class to not only focus on playing soccer, playing both varsity and on a semi-professional team but also work on a non-profit, Golazos2, with one of his Peruvian teammates. In Spanish, “golazo” refers to a “magnificent goal,” according to Karlan-Mason, which was the inspiration behind the name of the organization. “It’s a play on working with life goals and using soccer to help achieve those,” he said. “We had created a soccer-based curriculum to work with boys and girls ages nine to 13 on issues of equality, gender relations, healthy living and goal setting but all in the form of a soccer practice. Outside looking in, it just looks like soccer practice, but close up, every activity is designed to foster some type of collaborative effort, problem solving and discussion around
these issues.” After coming back to Brandeis from his year abroad, Karlan-Mason learned that his nonprofit, which took three-fourths of a year to build, had died in two months. “It was incredibly sobering,” he said. “A true failure… But the greatest lessons come from failures.” He went on to talk about how he was humbled by the challenges of building a business, which helped him realize that there are organizations that work towards righteous causes, but “these efforts will live and die by their funding. I started to obsess with that idea,” Karlan-Mason said. “I was recognizing that there was a lot more to learn.” With both his parents as educators, Karlan-Mason was taught
GREENCHOICE
from a young age that “our choices have an impact, and we have to be very conscious and make them with the right intention and that if we make these conscious choices as a collective, we can have a profound impact and can affect large scale change.” While in graduate school, Karlan-Mason started to shift his interest towards sustainability and bringing together environmental and sustainability issues toward food shopping. His biggest goal was to leave the Brandeis International Business School (IBS) wanting to work with him on his project. Through his work with IBS, he started GreenChoice, an organization that makes healthy and sustainable shopping more affordable and easy. “Time is our
Karlan-Mason (right) and Varun Srivastava (left), Lead Data Scientist
most valuable asset,” said Karlan-Mason. “Which is why we do all the research for you, so you can save time and still live sustainably.” The GreenChoice team looks at different food products in grocery stores on various dimensions and gives out a green score based on nutritional value, carbon footprint, etc. to help consumers learn which foods are the most sustainable and best to consume. According to Karlan-Mason, they have 12 major retailers that they work with and have created scores for over 55,000 products, all of which can be scanned with their mobile app. He hopes that over time, people are able to realize the impact that they can make to live a better life.
PHOTO FROM FACEBOOK.COM
OPINIONS
May 3, 2019
The Brandeis Hoot 13
Hip-hop: The modern American Dream By Sabrina Ross Neergaard special to the hoot
“They had grown up to find all Gods dead, all wars fought, all faiths in man shaken...” If you can recognize this quote it means you paid attention during high school English class and I applaud you. If not, no worries I’ll explain. The American Dream has evolved since the 1920s, morphing from the right to create a better life to the desire to acquire material things. The perspective declared by F. Scott Fitzgerald that the American Dream is dead correlates with the consensus of today’s millennials. The ingrained American Dream that every citizen holds equal opportunity to upward mobility, success and prosperity through their ambition, hard work and initiative has been shaping the course of America since its conception, however, it has evolved and expanded through time. Today the American Dream is dwindling but still viable in the commercial realm. Despite a gradual loss of faith in the American Dream, the ethos of the American vision has permeated throughout modern culture, as it is still marketable, most notably in the industry of music and rap. A widespread theme throughout most mainstream rap is a desire for wealth; this wish is the main component of the American Dream, and thus mirroring the aspirations of popular American culture. Nowadays, there are many millennial Americans who don’t buy into the American Dream, or believe it has never been achievable. A study conducted recently by the life insurance company MassMutual directly sheds light on millennial doubt. Their surveys show that one in three families believe that the American Dream is unattainable and more than half of the respondents admit that financial security for themselves and their family is not within their reach. Likewise, American hedge fund
PHOTO FROM UPROXX.COM
manager and venture capitalist James Altucher said in one of his blogs that “The American Dream never really existed. It was a marketing scam.” I am persuaded to believe him. For one, he notes money doesn’t buy happiness; only free time, imagination and creativity will give you freedom. Freedom from financial worry is only an illusion; a marketing illusion created by the consumerist society’s crass appeal for materialism and easy gratification. On the other hand, according to a survey done this year by Pew Research Center, 41 percent of whites are more likely than African Americans (17 percent) or Hispanics (32 percent) to say they have achieved the American Dream. But more African Americans (62 percent) and Hispanics (51 percent) than whites (42 percent) say they are on their way to achieving it. Notably, there are no significant racial or ethnic differences in the percentages who say the American Dream is out of reach for their families. Bottom line, millennials are wrong about the American Dream. It’s not dead, just scattered throughout updated ideals. Regardless of disheartening statistics, the mindset of the Amer-
ican Dream is still embedded in many social and cultural customs. Particularly, rap appears to be one of the few outlets that vehemently encourages the American Dream. Rap music speaks to people by honoring the individual sacrifice, hard work, hustle and ambition. It’s undeniable that rap has had an increasingly strong influence on our culture and society since the turn of the century. Rap is not perfect, but it certainly has the potential to do a lot of good. According to Nielsen Music, R&B and hip hop accounted for a quarter of the music consumed in 2017 in the U.S. To illustrate, take the rapid rise to fame of Tekashi69. At first look, it’s difficult to overlook his extensive criminal controversies, dangerous gang affiliations or an unquenchable thirst for beef with, well, everyone. Yet, sifting through the cacophony of controversies and opinions, perhaps we can view this transient hip-hop supervillain as an example of someone who cultivated his personal American Dream. Love him or love to hate him, we can’t dismiss Tekashi, who never had more than a few dollars to his name, made mil-
lions within months, achieved the fundamental American Dream of success, at least for a brief span of time, owing his success to the fact he was ambitious and determined to succeed. He hurdled over personal, economic and social struggles such as a traumatic poverty-stricken childhood, loss of two father figures and an inadequate education. Riding the wave of social media sensations, he spun his struggles to market himself in a unique brazen fashion which made him impossible to ignore. Through the help of social media platforms and sheer determination, the rapper, whose real name is Danny Hernandez, lived a brief success story. He had no real interest in the music industry, but his provocative attitude captured audiences on social media and he leveraged this to build a larger audience. He was not the most technically gifted of musicians, but when it came to trolling, he was Mozart. That is to say, his improbable rise to rap superstardom had little to do with his musical talent, rather his mastery of the vendible fine art of provocative trolling. This type of success could only emerge in the smartphone era. For this reason,
Hernandez was able to break free from the chains of poverty by means of rapidly propelling himself into a career in which he lacked natural talent but advanced himself by following the American Dream. All things considered, the fact that so many human beings in America grow up in such disadvantaged conditions is quite awful, but every once in a while when one or two manage to break out of the cycle of poverty, through a combination of crime and rap music, then it means the American Dream is still alive, right? The idea of the American Dream is particularly important for low-income communities that a lot of rappers were raised in. By encouraging members of these communities to change their circumstances, rap has the potential to prove an essential facilitator of poverty alleviation. Additionally, because a lot of rappers come from these areas, rap can provide the average American with a much wider perspective. By sharing their stories, rappers can improve the understanding between different socioeconomic classes; and that understanding is the first step to creating widespread reform.
Louis D. Brandeis: Abolish the Board of Trustees By Sagie Tvizer special to the hoot
Divestment does not go far enough; we must divest ourselves of the Board of Trustees. Each day our community does not act, climate change becomes ever more irreversible, our university profits off of a principally objectionable ravaging of our world, and the momentum needed to bring about change is lost. At the margins, some members of our community, particularly those prone to tacitly accept misinformation and appeals to authority, are under the impression that Brandeis University is a leader in combating climate change on university campuses. I, Louis D. Brandeis, have risen from the dead to share one final opinion, both to add to the present discussion about fossil fuel divestment and to offer a vision for the future of Brandeis University. An opinion piece published in the Oct. 26 issue of The Hoot titled “The case against fossil fuel
divestment” really presents a case against the worst form of divestment. Intrinsically, divestment brings attention to the reality that climate change is real and that the responsibility to take action to mitigate this harm lies on relatively privileged communities. Such action should not be understood to be universally costly. One study from The Journal of Portfolio Management found sin taxes “unambiguously outperforming common benchmarks in terms of both magnitude and frequency.” Somehow we are still talking about fossil fuel divestment while colleges and corporations around the world have moved on to bigger and better things. According to gofossilfree.org, over 150 educational institutions around the world have already committed to divestment. Go Fossil Free lists Brandeis University as an institution divesting only from coal. Anything less than full divestment affirms institionaly complicity. Many schools are taking this energy even further, but we are still debating fossil fuels. Yale University, for
example, has already committed to divesting from assault weapons retailers. Hopefully this serves as a reminder that being named after someone does not mean you have lived up to their name. Our community should be and is angry that our endowment is complicit in funding climate change. The reason we have to consider opportunity cost with respect to university fossil-fuel divestment is precisely because a cost has been created. The only cost intrinsic to this action is marginally lower returns on stocks. The benefit, other than satiating our collective moral conscience and awareness, is similarly subject to change at our discretion. Such funds could be earmarked for stocks which advance Brandeis’ mission of advancing social justice. That is probably a little too social-justicey for Brandeis, but I hope it highlights the freedom we have to actualize divestment in positive ways; or, at the very least, the freedoms we should have. The Board of Trustees’ infantile foot-dragging is deceiving
the campus community, feigning recognition of the divestment movement on campus, intentionally scheduling board meetings during the summer when most students are not on campus. Article X of the Board of Trustees bylaws makes clear that Student Representatives to the Board are neither Trustees nor voting members. “Truth, even unto its innermost parts” demands that we turn to evidence to determine the extent to which these practices are undemocratic. The Brandeis University Exploratory Committee on Fossil Fuel Divestment states “The majority of the Committee advocates that Brandeis strongly considers divesting its holdings in fossil fuel firms. Student consensus and robust faculty concern suggests that continued investment in fossil fuels presents a fundamental tension with Brandeis’ proud tradition of social justice.” To practice social justice, we must act upon such recommendations. Let’s not forget that the Chair of the Brandeis Board of Trustees, Meyer Koplow ’72 represented
tobacco companies and even told the Senate Judiciary Committee that he could not answer the yesor-no question “do you believe the truth of proposed warnings on cigarette packaging?” If you are feeling especially cynical, feel free to watch this moment (linked in the online article), which starts at about 01:40:00 and recall what you will about the Gilded Age. But the Board of Trustees is not democratic. It is an oligarchy at best and a plutocracy at worst. If this entity lived up to the values of Brandeis, perhaps there would be more important issues to take up than abolishing the Board. At present, the Board of Trustees represents the single gravest threat to the world which we, members of the Brandeis community, can do something about. We must shift the conversation to one which demands immediate change, rather than accepts piecemeal concessions. I, in my personal capacity, believe this is the first step. Egalitarians of the world unite! You have nothing to lose but your privilege!
14 OPINIONS
The Brandeis Hoot
May 3, 2019
From the president’s desk By Hannah Brown special to the hoot
For Brandeis, the Student Union and myself—as a person and president, this past year has been a year of extreme highs and lows. I am not naive. I know that many people are not pleased with the student union as I leave this role. These past four years at Brandeis and on the student union have taught me many lessons that I hope other Brandeis students will learn too. Almost all of the work on the Student Union comes from good intentions, although not all of it is well-informed, well-executed or can predict the future well enough. A few of these initiatives and others received both positive and negative feedback. Student Union members listened to all voices, not just the loudest, and at times, made difficult decisions. While I am not proud of every decision made this past year—by others and myself—I am proud that Student Union members persisted in their work and many of these accomplishments will benefit students for years to come. While these are the things I am proud of, I would take a different approach to many other things in retrospect. First, the disagreement between Allocations Board and some Executive Board members and myself should have been handled more professionally by both
parties. A judiciary case should never have been necessary, and calm, level-headed conversation should have occurred. I commend Treasurer Adrian Ashley for going above and beyond in mending much of this divide and ensuring that the Union spend money wisely. Second, bullying by members of the Union should never have been allowed to persist for so long. Many members of the Union, including myself, were personally attacked earlier in the year, and this impaired our ability to work quickly and impartially to resolve matters. The Union has since implemented a Code of Conduct for all members where gray areas in conduct are now more clearly codified. Finally, the Student Union and I should have engaged in more outreach. It was not and is not enough to hold office hours, have open meetings and release weekly reports. It is difficult to balance routine Union responsibilities in addition to being a full-time student, working a part-time job (or more), holding membership in clubs, etc., but outreach to specific groups, particularly students of color and Intercultural Center (ICC) clubs, must be more of a priority. It is excellent that my successor Simran Tatuskar has made strengthening outreach one of her priorities. In dealing with the Student Union, I encourage students to
not assume bad intentions at first if a project is introduced that you do not like. If you are willing and able, reach out to the representative, ask questions and voice your opinion. Almost always, the representative will be on your side, even if they disagree. I also encourage students to educate themselves on issues before making judgments. Remember that Student Union members are your classmates, friends and peers who are fulltime students, have part-time jobs, are members of multiple clubs, etc. We receive no compensation for our labor. We are a team of individuals with different opinions, and one person’s actions or beliefs do not reflect those of all others on the Union—not even mine as the president. If I had to summarize this past year’s Student Union, I would say goal-oriented, driven and persevering. I have deep gratitude for everyone that either served on or engaged with the Student Union, even to give criticism. Your involvement holds us accountable and keeps us informed. Thank you, Brandeis, for allowing me to serve you for this past year and all three before it. You have given me so much, and I hope I was able to give you something back in return. I wish the best of luck to Simran and to Guillermo Caballero, vice president-elect, next year! They will certainly have their hands full.
While you may not have liked everything that wwe did, in the last year our over 60 members accomplished all this, and more: • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
• • •
Implemented a full Commuter Rail subsidy for students with internships, jobs or interviews in Boston starting next fall. Worked with administrators to introduce Presence, a personalized student life online portal system which will be implemented next fall. Introduced free transportation from Logan Airport and significantly reduced the cost for Thanksgiving shuttles to New York City. Worked on improvements to the Union’s Club Support system, including expanding opportunities for extracurricular faculty-student engagement through Club Advisors. Collaborated with administrators to move the Pass/Fail deadline to the same date as the Add/Drop deadline. Co-sponsored The Ollies, a new student leader awards program and hopefully a new Brandeis tradition. Installed new water refill stations/replaced old water fountains, especially in residence halls. Funded the Branda app, a new digital display system in the SCC, the renovation of the Berlin Chapel and a library treadmill project. Dramatically increased feedback opportunities and collaboration with Brandeis Dining (Sodexo) and hosted numerous dining events this past year. Saw a 400 percent increase in productivity for the Senate Rules Committee from last year—the Senate has focused on reviewing and reforming its governing documents. Hosted “Campus Conversations,” an open-forum series on Community Living/Housing and Financial Aid/Affordability. Hosted and co-sponsored several events around campus, including free food events, guest speakers, panels, etc. Frequently met with administrators to voice student concerns on issues including accessibility, diversity and inclusion, affordability, sustainability and more. Expanded transparency efforts through hosting meet the candidates events for all elections and sending out weekly reports of branch heads and executive officers in the weekly email. Created a system of accountability for the MyDeis pages in which the Office of Communications maintains administrative status and trained class senators serve as moderators. Groups are now clearly under the jurisdiction of Rights and Responsibilities and university Free Expression Principles. Drafted a Code of Conduct that all Union members must abide by for decorum and common decency. Partnered with administration to lower library fines, extend mailroom and library hours and expand open-source textbook and software resources for professors. Served on working groups for the presidential task force, A Framework For our Future.
Letter to the Editor: response to graffiti By Hillel Student Board special to the hoot
There has been a lot of discussion over the last 24 hours, on campus and on social media, about the defacement, restoration, and subsequent defacement of an art exhibition, part of Brandeis Hillel’s “Israel Week,” on the Great Lawn. One face of the four-sided block was an open canvas for student expression; on the other three sides were commissioned works of art. On Tuesday night, someone crudely vandalized one of these panels, which colorfully displayed the word “Israel,” and on Wednesday, disappointed by the vandalism, we turned around the defaced panel, revealing a blank canvas, and restored it, painting the center with the word “coexist.” To our disappointment, this restored panel was again defaced, with a duct-taped cardboard sign covering up the panel’s message. A great number of Brandeis students have family and friends in Israel or are themselves Israeli. A greater number have lived there for a significant portion of their young adult lives. Israel Week is an opportunity for these
students, and the entire Brandeis community, to celebrate a country to which many Brandeisians are intimately connected—a space which recognizes all the complexity that loving Israel, like loving any country, carries with it. Other events this week include a “block party” on the Great Lawn, coffee samples from Aroma, a ubiquitous Israeli café chain and a conversation in the Brandeis Beit
Midrash about Israeli history and its role in contemporary Jewish religious thought. Hillel is committed to creating spaces that engage with not just the culture, but the politics of Israel, and the violence and trauma that have shaped the last 71 years of Israeli life. Earlier this year, we hosted Yossi Klein HaLevi, a prominent public intellectual in Israel, and Walid Issa, an Amer-
ican-Palestinian economist, to discuss HaLevi’s book, “Letters to my Palestinian Neighbor.” We hosted an Israeli lawmaker from the Labour Party who fielded a number of questions about the conflict and his party’s proposed way forward. And in February, Hillel hosted two activists, one Palestinian and one Israeli, for a workshop on solution-oriented activism.
All are invited to these spaces. It is worth noting, again, that one side of the block was open for student expression. We wish that those who defaced the exhibition in the Great Lawn—the first time or the second time—had decided to contribute to the project rather than vandalize it. The choice they made caused real hurt to members of our community whom we are proud to serve.
PHOTO BY SABRINA CHOW/THE HOOT
Letter to the Editor: ‘deis IMPACT!
By Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion special to the hoot
On behalf of The Office of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (ODEI), we write to share our apologies to students, faculty and staff neg-
atively impacted by the ‘deis IMPACT! “Immigration Court: An Experiential Program” proposal process. This program was originally included in the scheduleof-events for the week-long Social Justice Festival. The program was canceled by the host organization, the Harry Potter Alliance (HPA),
before it was delivered, as it was clear that this event, as written, did not reflect the harsh realities of the migration crisis adequately. As this was the first year that the ODEI has managed ‘deis IMPACT!, we plan on engaging in a systematic review and evaluation of all ‘deis IMPACT! processes,
including program and Impacter selection, development and support, this summer. Additional plans include a possible collaboration with the Student Union to develop a coalition-building workshop for student organizational leaders from across campus, which has the potential to
offer an important development opportunity for many student groups. We are looking forward to including Brandeis community members as we engage in this process. Please contact us at diversity@brandeis.edu if you wish to be involved.
May 3, 2019
OPINIONS 15
The Brandeis Hoot
SSIS: advice column By SSIS special to the hoot
I have a prone to but I really strual cup What do
Welcome back to the SSIS column, where we answer any and all of Brandeis students’ questions about sex, sexuality, identity and relationships. If you have a question you’d like answered in our next column, email ssis@brandeis.edu or leave a question in the Google Form link on our Facebook page. (Note: These answers are good-faith attempts by SSIS to be helpful to the Brandeis community,and are by no means exhaustive or to be taken as universal. If these answers don’t resonate with you, either pay them no mind, or reach out to us with suggestions for improvement!)
light flow and am vaginal infection want to try a mento reduce waste. you recommend?
Thanks for writing in! First of all, it’s great that you are trying to find solutions that work for your body. Menstrual cups are a popular form of menstrual products, and because they are reusable they do help reduce waste! A menstrual cup can be inserted into the vagina to collect blood and menses during a vulva-owner’s period. Menstrual cups come in different shapes and sizes, so there are lots of options when deciding what will work best for your body and your flow. Menstrual cups, when used correctly, do not increase the risk of vaginal infection, and in some cases can even reduce the risk of yeast infections compared
with pads or tampons. Pads and tampons are both made to absorb menses, which means that they alter the levels of moisture in the vagina. Because menstrual cups do not absorb menses (they simply collect), they should not significantly alter the vagina’s moisture or pH level. However, if you already have a yeast infection, it is not recommended to use a menstrual cup or tampon, because the friction can further agitate the infection. Proper use of a menstrual cup means cleaning it regularly (with soap and water, in the dishwasher or by boiling—depending on the material) and storing it safely between uses. There are many menstrual cups available, and in fact SSIS offers three menstrual cups for sale in our office; the Diva cup (model 1), the Keeper cup and the Softcup. The Diva cup is a clear silicone cup; it can be cleaned with soap and water, in the dishwasher
or by boiling. SSIS sells the Diva cup model 1, which is intended for use by vulva-owners who have not given birth vaginally. The Diva cup lasts up to 10 years and costs $20 at SSIS. The Keeper cup is similar to the Diva cup, but is made out of gum rubber; it can be washed with soap and water. It is brown and obscure in color, which may be preferable to someone who doesn’t want to see their menstrual blood as much. The Keeper cup also lasts up to 10 years and is sold for $20 at SSIS. The Softcup is a disposable form of menstrual cup that can be used two times, and then discarded. The Softcup is made of plastic and can be worn during penetrative intercourse, although it does not prevent pregnancy or the spreading of STIs. The Softcup costs 25¢ at SSIS. You can buy any of these products in our office, SCC 328, during our open office hours which are 11
a.m. to 5 p.m. this semester any day when classes are in session. We hope this helps! Good luck! Why doesn’t he text me after sex? Thanks for writing in! While we do not know why your partner specifically doesn’t text you after sex, we can offer some tips about effective communication in sexual relationships. Communication in any kind of relationship is important in making sure that all people involved are on the same page. At SSIS, we like to say that effective communication is four things: early, often, open and honest. This means that if something is confusing or upsetting to you, talking openly with your partner/partners about it as soon as it feels like an issue can help avoid any issues down the line. When communicating
with your partner/partners, it is helpful to think about how you phrase concerns without putting them on the defensive. This can mean using “I” statements, such as “I feel confused when you don’t text me after sex,” and/ or starting the conversation by saying that you don’t mean to attack them and you hope to have a constructive conversation. Ultimately, how you choose to communicate with your partner/partners is up to you. If you’d like to talk about more methods of healthy communication or even roleplay how a conversation might go, feel free to stop by our open office hours in SCC 328 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on days when classes are in session! If you have a question you’d like answered in our next column, email ssis@brandeis.edu or leave a question in the Google Form link on our Facebook page.
Achieving true social justice By Alex Kougasian staff
Last year, I was sitting in one of the lounges in my dormitory building when a group of students started sitting in a circle on the other side of the room. While overhearing their conversations, it became apparent that they were the media and politics LLC and they were meeting for a discussion. The professor came in and sat with them. I continued working silently, but could hear most of what was being talked about. The professor was speaking about how inviting political speakers to campus is a difficult issue to negotiate. On one hand, Brandeis champions open discourse, so the university should encourage the student body to confront a vast diversity of thought. On the other
hand, the university holds above all else the value of social justice, and in the preservation of social justice, many speakers should not be given a platform to spread their ideas. The professor said that these two values were ones that Justice Louis D. Brandeis himself held dear and that the university seeks to be a reflection of his values. Brandeis University is a social justice university at heart, however, and on the shoulders of that, we should not be providing any way of popularizing views that are against social justice. At the time, this did not faze me. But upon reflecting on this memory, I worry that the situation showcases a misunderstanding of social justice itself. Moreover, I see this misunderstanding as a reflection of many of the contemporary problems with liberal culture. First, I should outline what I be-
lieve social justice to be. The difficulties in defining social justice are part of what makes it important that it is handled intelligently. Very vaguely, I think social justice is the attempt to establish systematic fairness both in theory and in the practice of a society. Because every society’s understanding of “fairness” is different, there is no universalizable formula for going about creating social justice. This is why it worries me that Brandeis might suspend the value of open discourse in favor of satisfying the value of what it thinks is social justice. It is important that the voiceless be given a voice in the name of social justice, but that does not mean squelching opposition. It is a difficult balance to maintain, but it is a necessary one. Brandeis should not be bringing on opposition as a way of promoting them, nor should they be showcasing extremism as a way
of legitimizing that position. But, Brandeis should be encouraging the student body to engage with diverse opinions in order to ensure that Brandeis’s conception of social justice is actually utilized for the society that those beliefs affect. Social justice without open discourse is unjust. The right often complains that liberals are condescending with their ideas. I believe that this is in no small part because many liberals’ response to hate, extremism and sometimes even mere opposition is to censor or ignore them out of principle. Those who do this often cite the danger in legitimizing those views by even attempting to reason with them. While I do understand that it is often hard for the oppressed to engage their oppressors in the way that I suggest, I warn that attempting to box certain viewpoints out of the discussion without confronting
Advocacy for policy change: empowered renewables
By Anna Dorosenkov special to the hoot
Combating the climate crisis is not contingent on whether people believe the science or not, it is contingent on political will. Historically, energy reform has been led primarily by entrepreneurship and the private sector, but legislative efforts are slowly catching up to non-governmental agencies. According to the Yale Climate Opinion Maps for 2018, 62 percent of adults in Massachusetts believe that global warming is mostly caused by human activity and 69 percent believe their governor should do more to address this issue. Environmentally favorable changes, such as transitioning to renewable energy statewide, are inevitably dependent on governmental action. Beyond environmental benefits, providing Massachusetts consumers with a diverse
energy system consisting of zero carbon energy sources eliminates the inconsistent price fluctuations intrinsic to natural gas services. The natural gas market is extremely vulnerable to supply instability and therefore prices spike during periods of shortage. To keep the state in line with the framework set in the Global Warming Solutions Act of 2008, an increase in Massachusetts renewable energy portfolio (RPS) is needed. A comprehensive bill titled “An Act transitioning Massachusetts to 100 percent renewable energy,” S. 1958/H. 2836, sets guidelines by which the state can achieve 100 percent renewable electricity and subsequently 100 percent renewable energy across all sectors by 2035 and 2045 respectively. This bill aims to build a green economy through increasing energy efficiency, affordability and reliability. It also takes into account disproportionately affected
communities and fossil fuel work displacement. The passing of such legislature could be monumental in mandating a shift to a clean energy economy. Such an economy will create thousands of local jobs and provide consumers with more energy choices. A report by Applied Economics Clinic (AEC) predicts that implementing policies that will increase the state’s RPS, expand offshore wind energy production and storage and allow more flexibility with net metering, will be advantageous for the Massachusetts economy. The report predicts an annual increase of $263 million in economic growth from 2018 to 2030. One concern that some Massachusetts legislators share has to do with the gravity of requiring this 100 percent renewable energy goal by a specified date because of the possibility of failing to meet those given requirements. Consequently, there is fear in passing
such a high stakes act. However, Massachusetts State Senator Michael Barrett loosely equates the passing of this bill to him telling his wife he’s going on a diet. Although it is true that the passing of this bill itself will not solve the climate change problem or even guarantee a clear grid, goal setting is an integral first step. Implementation, however, is the real driver of change. If Massachusetts wants to stay true to its national image as a leader in combating climate change, renewable energy policy implementation is a necessary move. This bill would declare Massachusetts on par with California and Hawaii, leaders in the fight for a clean energy future. As a state that prides itself on being at the forefront of progressive movements, it would naturally prioritize the steps needed in order to meet the agenda outlined in the bill. The prospect of Massachusetts being a hero in fighting
them will only cause them to intensify and spread. The commonly used philosophical adage known as Hanlon’s razor tells us to “[n]ever attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by stupidity.” If we believe that much of the hate in the world is a product of ignorance rather than malice, then we should try to enlighten the other side with new perspective rather than shun them for being irrationally hateful. Similarly, if we ourselves do not engage them, we risk being ignorant to their perspectives and becoming just as hateful as we believe them to be. With Trump’s election into office and social media being a polarized mess, it is clear that most Americans have not taken Hanlon’s razor to heart. It is my hope that this changes and perhaps that change can start with Brandeis.
climate change is also an enticing reason for bold action. Massachusetts is especially vulnerable to the impacts of the rising sea level and is one of the states that is already experiencing climate change firsthand through inland flooding, coastal flooding, extreme temperatures and other weather-related events. Between the years 2007 and 2014, Massachusetts spent over $9.1 million in flood repairs annually. Legislators should hold themselves morally responsible for getting ambitious legislature passed in the same way that all of us should feel morally responsible for advocating the need for such legislature. “The path is there, if only our leaders will choose to take it,” said Amory B. Lovins. To make sure this bill gets passed, speak to your legislators and advocate for this bill to be voted out favorably from the joint committee on telecommunications, utilities and energy.
16 OPINIONS
The Brandeis Hoot
May 3, 2019
This issue, May 3, will be the final issue that our graduating seniors will work on for The Brandeis Hoot in their undergraduate careers. Some have been a part of The Hoot since their first semester here at Brandeis. Here, they give one last bit of advice to all underclassmen through the wisdom that they have gained over their time here at Brandeis. Best of luck to the entire graduating class of 2019. We cannot wait to see what you will accomplish.
What we can do here and now By Noah Harper editor
My advice to Brandeis students: Eschew transience by engaging with your community. In other words, live in the here and now. It’s something I’ve struggled with for most of my life, trying to stay firmly rooted in the present. For most of my life, I’ve anxiously lived in the future—that uncertain, immaterial head space that distracts from the present. The hardest lesson I’ve learned—and continue to struggle with—is living in the present. There are things we can do, people we can affect, today. Instead of thinking on the grand-scale, we have to accept where we are and do all we can to change the world on the local level. I think a lot about Edwin Dobb’s essay in last October’s issue of “Harper’s Magazine.” In “Nothing but Gifts,” Dobb looks back at his life, when he lived in near-poverty in Seattle while trying to take care of his stepson as a single parent.
His ultimate takeaway is an adoption metaphor. “Adopting the world as it is alleviates estrangement, a malaise so widespread it might be a human birthright,” he says. As students, we’re not here permanently. Our lives here at Brandeis have a built-in expiration date that’s always looming. Adopting an impermanent world is, at least for me, a struggle. It’s easier to watch the days go by while looking ahead instead of what’s around. For most of my time at Brandeis, I failed to live in the here and now. Instead of investing in my community, I counted down the days to when I’d get to leave. Sure there are problems here— I’m convinced the administration hates us, and we all know that Sodexo does. But the student culture here doesn’t have to be one of these problems. “The imagination, especially the anguished imagination, will always be susceptible to the allure of the idealized elsewhere. But the ideal elsewhere is uninhabitable,
an ever-receding mirage,” Dobb writes in his essay. When I think about wasted resources, I think about all the time and energy that students have— students that are living transient lives like I was, disconnected and disassociated from their communities, waiting to leave so they can get on with their lives. Life doesn’t magically begin when we graduate. We students here in Waltham have the opportunity to shape the tremendous impact we have on this city in a positive or negative way. It’s good that a school focused on social justice is planted here. There’s plenty we can do in a city where 24 percent of people are immigrants, and there’s a nearly 10 percent poverty rate. I’d like to commend the Waltham Group, which I wish I’d joined, for doing just that. Giving back to the community isn’t glamorous or world-changing, but it is effective and meaningful. The world is fundamentally broken—that fact, and our seeming inability to do anything about
it, makes me at least want to shut down and give in to despair. I’ve become increasingly skeptical about attempts to make top-down changes to these issues. From this mindset, I think it’s easy to become overwhelmed by senseless politics, our impending ecological disaster, the vast, growing inequalities and others. Instead, I think we should approach these issues from the bottom, at the local level. The reality is that we can change the world, starting in our own communities with the people and systems we participate in every day. Rather than being rendered complacent and inert by our inability to change the big things, we have to look at the community-level impacts we can create where we live. This, at its core, means acting relationally and sympathetically to those we cross paths with. For example, the people that make our meals and clean our buildings here—many of whom are immigrants—could be better served by those who like to tweet about
social inequalities but are waiting until after they graduate to change the world. Living in the here and now means being intentional, being aware of where we are and who we interact with, and how our interactions can affect them. It’s hard not to feel transient at this stage in life. Living sort-of at home but also here, it’s easy to not engage in other people or places. To float through them, waiting for the next life cycle to start. But we shouldn’t be waiting for life to begin: It’s happening, right now. We need to adopt the world as it is. Live gratefully and graciously. The fitting response to a world gone awry, Dobb writes, “isn’t to indulge in or promote fear, which leads to more greed and isolation, but instead to encourage engagement, especially engagement that sustains the ecology of indebtedness, in other words, the old-school strategies known as compassion and community.” I encourage my fellow students to invest in the here and now.
An ode to The Hoot: what I learned in the BMC By Abigail Gardener editor
Four years later. Here I am, a senior approaching the end. I have spent eight semesters at Brandeis, which means apparently now I have accumulated some sort of wisdom to share. What invaluable lessons have I learned walking up and down Rabb steps for 1,460 days? I can’t tell you that, but I can tell you the most important thing I learned from spending approximately half of those days (more like nights… very long ones) in The Brandeis Hoot’s beloved BMC. But first, some nostalgia. When I first joined The Hoot as a first-year, I had no idea what I was getting myself into. I had been “editor-in-chief ” of my very small high school newspaper (I use that title lightly because can you really be editor-in-chief if you have a staff of approximately two people?), and I wanted to continue working on a publication;
I wanted to be part of a REAL newspaper staff. What followed were three years of the most extreme spectrum of emotions I have ever experienced: stress, excitement, exhaustion, pride and a myriad of others. I started out as a news writer and then moved up to news editor. At some point during that time, I began going to production nights, the night each week in which the entire staff stays up for however long it takes to put a 16 or 20-page paper together (spoiler: it takes a long time). Helping to put together a newspaper can be exhausting, but as a spry young underclassman, I enjoyed the adrenaline rush throughout the week of conducting interviews, meeting story deadlines, figuring out what the layout should look like and seeing the paper come to life before my eyes during production nights. As a senior staff member, I have perhaps lost that adrenaline rush. But I still marvel every single production night at the fact that we are
able to put together an entire publication in the span of a few hours. As my sprightly attitude wore off, the near-constant stress of being on the paper began to get to me. I decided to take off my entire junior year to pursue an internship in the fall semester and go abroad in the spring. At the point when I took what I now refer to as my “Hoot hiatus,” I felt worn out by all the newspaper-related stress. I took a break, and when I was asked to come back my senior year as a co-Editor-in-Chief, my first thought was that I couldn’t do it, but I also couldn’t stop thinking about it. I almost felt (as silly as this sounds) like The Hoot was calling me to come back. And I am so glad I did. My experience at The Hoot mirrors my experience at Brandeis: There are many things about both that have frustrated me during my time here, but there are more things that have been amazing. And the thing that has been the most amazing are the people I
have met here, especially the people on The Hoot staff. You will not find a more dedicated, conscientious, intelligent (and fun!) bunch of people than the students working at The Hoot, especially the staff that I have had the pleasure of working with this year. I am continuously impressed by how hard they work to produce a newspaper that does not give them that much in return. But they continue to do so, running around throughout the week to get every interview they can, being on constant alert for late-breaking stories, writing multiple stories per week, taking photos at any and all events. Not only would these people do anything for the newspaper (even taking a “non-fatal bullet” for The Hoot, as our news editor once boldly and lovingly stated), but they are genuine, kind, funny and excel in various other areas of their lives (because somehow they have the time for that even after all they put in at the paper). They are people that I want to be
around and not just because I’m in a club with them. So, now that I have waxed nostalgic for a bit, you’re probably wondering, what is the lesson I promised at the beginning? Here it is: Push yourself. Do things that are challenging, that are a bit out of your comfort zone. As a first-year, I was the last person who would want to get out of that cozy zone, and it even took a little pushing for me to jump back in as a senior. But do it because no matter what activity you join or class you take or how frustrating it gets, I can guarantee that the people surrounding you will make all those frustrations worth your while. You’ll remember all the fun times you had with them (remember when a dog came into the BMC? Remember when we literally saved the paper??) just as much as you’ll remember the stressful times. The people are one of the most special things about Brandeis, and that is the most important thing The Hoot has shown me. #HootNation forever!
Respect student journalism: mic drop By Sarah Terrazano editor
Campus journalism is vital at any university. Maybe I sound biased, as someone who has worked on The Brandeis Hoot the past four years. But if anything, my experience with The Hoot has shown me that campus journalism is not understood enough. Especially in my role as Editor-in-Chief this year, I have learned that students see newspapers as the enemy. We are insensitive, we are on power trips, we are disconnected from the needs of students, we are not doing “real journalism”—I have heard all of this. Maybe the problem is a distrust of media in general, but I think there is something unique to campus journalism that makes
it especially critiqued. Student reporters are not just journalists— they’re also classmates, roommates, members of your sports club or performance group. The campus bubble makes it so that we report on the campus that we live and study in, profile the student body we are also a part of and critique administrators who affect our college experiences. This is different than a journalist on a city paper, who has a separation between work and life, and who does not have such a limited sphere to report on. They do not live in the same residence hall or take the same introductory science courses as people they report on. Of course, the politicians they report on directly affect their lives—but this is very different from the campus bubble and the precarious role of being a student journalist. What I’ve seen above all
throughout my college career are rampant misunderstandings of the function and purpose of journalism. We report on campus events because that is our job. People don’t get to choose what becomes news—if it happens, it’s news. And newspapers have an obligation to report it. Without campus journalism, who would keep the administration in check? Investigate misconduct, mishandlings, wrongdoings? De-code and explain novel-length emails sent from Liebowitz? Just like in our day-today lives, whether it be through Facebook articles or the New York Times, everything we find out is because of the news. And as student reporters, it is not just wanting to share news when we feel like it or if we think something is important. We report out of obligation to uncover stories and inform our community.
I have also considered writing, “Opinion articles do not represent the opinion of the newspaper” on my forehead. And despite our connection to the student body, we are often not seen as students and peers, but as The Newspaper—capital N—and no longer students. This is difficult, and something I have struggled to reconcile, and I don’t know how to improve this. I think there needs to be greater understanding and empathy on both sides, and overall for a greater awareness of journalism’s purpose. Student reporters are not faultless either; journalistic ethics is a fine line that has been crossed in the past. But I will never be convinced that this means student journalists are maliciously intending to harm their peers or that they should take a step back from reporting. What I am positive about is that
we are fortunate to be one of the country’s unique campuses that has two undergraduate newspapers. I hope two papers always remain on campus. I hope an attack on journalistic freedom, like the recent proposal to de-charter The Hoot, never happens again. A threat against campus journalism is a threat against free speech, free press and any attempts in curbing the power of the administration. The greatest lessons I have learned at Brandeis have been outside the classroom. I learned that my best semester at Brandeis was my semester abroad. The idea that college is “the best years of your life” is patently false. And The Hoot, especially being in a leadership position, has taught me more than any other commitment on campus. I hope students years from now still have the chance to say the same.
May 3, 2019
OPINIONS 17
The Brandeis Hoot
The Hoot’s editorial cartoonist speaks By Helen Wong editor
This is only my second time writing for The Hoot. I wrote once as a first-year and now I’m writing for the last time as a senior, so maybe this is fitting in a bookend sort of way. I’m writing this because I made it into the staff box this year as The Hoot’s editorial cartoonist. Instead of reflecting on other people’s thoughts on my drawings, I think it’s time for me to talk about my own; not through pictures, but through words. Lean close, read intently. Listen to me as if
I’m a mystical crone you ran into deep in the woods somewhere. It’s foggy all around us. The air is damp and cold and you don’t know where you are. You can’t see my face, but I’m holding a lantern that’s probably a fire hazard and beckoning you closer even as the trees are whispering and bending and telling you not to. You step forward anyway, because you’re wondering exactly what this cartoonist, huddled away in a mysterious cave somewhere with a pen in hand and very little patience for shitty art, has to say about herself and her last year as an undergrad. You ask me, Do you have any regrets? Did you like your time at Brandeis? Do you think The Hoot
is better than the Justice? (Yes.) I do have some regrets. I wish I’d gotten that computer science minor I was always thinking of, because maybe then I’d actually be able to find a well-paying job straight out of undergrad. I wish I’d eaten less at Lower Usdan, which is single-handedly responsible for the worst cases of the Sodexo Shits I’ve ever had over the last four years. I wish Brandeis had paid certain professors better so that they wouldn’t have had to leave for other institutions that treat them the way they deserve. And—I wish I’d joined The Hoot sooner. But overall, my regrets are pretty few. I liked my time at Brandeis. It’s
coming to a close now and the world outside of it is scary and exciting. I don’t know if I know how to adult. I barely know how to do my taxes. My diet is 50 percent potato chips and the remaining half is an ungodly mix of instant noodles, the occasional vegetable and chocolate. I feel absurd and absurdly young. I’m afraid that I’m going to emerge into the real world and my inexperience and the shiny newness of my youth will make it that much harder to earn the respect I want. I’m graduating: I’m stepping out of the woods and into something new, but I have no sense yet of what the landscape will be like. I’m forging forward, blind and feeling like
Building from the ground up
By Shea Decker-Jacoby editor
My freshman year, I arrived on campus two weeks early. The campus was empty, except for the men’s and women’s soccer teams and the volleyball team. I got recruited to come to Brandeis for volleyball by a coach who had only one season at the school under her belt. I was a part of her first recruiting class, meaning the program was in the developing phase. They had only won five games the previous season and my goal was to win half of our games my first. That did not happen, nor did it happen the
next season. This made it hard to wake up in the morning to go to 6:30 a.m. practice and lifts. It was hard to invite friends to games because you knew you would lose. It was hard to be proud to be on the volleyball team because the first question I got was “how’s your season going?” It was hard to work hard day in and day out without any sort of positive return on our record. It wasn’t until my junior year that the team gained any traction in the region and in the league. As the number 8 team in the conference going into the playoffs, we faced the number one seat, which was Carnegie Mellon, who was also nationally ranked number 9. Unexpectedly, we won the first set. No one said anything;
we kept our eyes on the next 25 points ahead because the match was not over. We lost the next two sets, but there was a shift in the energy around our team. Carnegie was playing their starting lineup and we were holding our own. Every point they wanted, they had to earn. The other teams who had games after ours were watching and cheering us on, which had never happened before. The coaches of teams who were warming up on the court next to us were watching our game, instead of focusing on their own team. It was down to the fifth set and the whole gym was cheering for the upset of the season. Never before had an eighth seat team beat a number one seat in UAA volley-
ball history, and that still remains true today. We didn’t win the game, but we won respect in our conference. We were able to see the improvement that we worked so hard for. We were able to see how the change in our program created a positive impact on the court. We didn’t win the game, but we walked away with more than just another loss on our schedule. I have played volleyball since I was 10. Now 22, I wasn’t sure how I was going to process all of the lasts I would experience my senior year. The last preseason, the last fitness test, the last 6:30 a.m. practice, the last team lift, the last home game, the last travel trip, my last match, and the last point. I didn’t know how I would come
every step forward is a trust fall. And yet, maybe I would be more worried if the journey didn’t feel that way. If I knew exactly what was coming, that wouldn’t be right. The whole point of growing up is to discover something new out there. I want to see what’s next. So this is it. The Hoot’s editorial cartoonist has spoken for the last time. Now, get the hell out of my woods. I’m leaving, and you should too. I hope we both find somewhere warm and sunny, where the fog vanishes with the morning and we’re left with just clear skies.
to terms with concluding something that has been so integral to my life, and college experience. It didn’t feel like it was ending until around October. With the end of the road closing in on me, I so desperately wanted more time. The 117 matches, 392 sets and 253 practices didn’t feel like enough. I wanted one more game, one more point; I just didn’t want it to end. Now having not been to practice or lift for close to seven months, I know I did all that I could. I know there was nothing more I could do or give to the program. I left the program better than when I came in, which is what I came here to do. All I could have done was my best and that is exactly what I did for four years.
Senior reflections on the Brandeis student-athlete experience By Zach Cihlar editor
This past weekend, I competed in my final men’s tennis UAA conference tournament in Altamonte Springs, Florida. I’ve experienced over 70 Brandeis tennis dual matches in my time here, but none have compared to the rollercoaster upset win over 2ndranked University of Chicago that occurred there. In the moment that David Aizenberg ’20 won the
last point in his match to clinch the upset win, I knew it was a memory that would be ingrained in my mind forever. The guys that had finished their matches were eagerly watching the point from a court over. As he hit the last shot and we recognized the match was ours, Aizenberg threw his hands up and faced us as we stormed the court in celebration. It felt good that the No. 10 ranked team had thrown the Division III men’s tennis rankings into chaos. And it felt even
better to have made Brandeis tennis history.These are the moments when hard work pays off. As any Varsity athlete can attest, being a student-athlete at a rigorous, academic-focused school like Brandeis can be a challenging and frustrating experience. I find it hard to believe that any student-athlete hasn’t thought about how much easier it would be if they didn’t have to spend over 20 hours in Gosman a week fine-tuning their technique or working on strategic plays.
Sometimes it doesn’t feel like the work pays off. We aren’t a Division I school with a history of success. We don’t have a school culture ingrained in support for student-athletes. And we don’t always have the adequate amount of funding and resources as similar schools. But there is no feeling comparable to the glory of collective team triumph when the hard work materializes into tangible results. When you can finally say that you played a part in the making
of Brandeis Athletics history, you can be at ease with the frustration, lack of sleep, soreness (and lower GPA) that you experienced. These are the reasons why telling sports stories are important. This is why I’ve dedicated part of my time at Brandeis to the sports section of The Brandeis Hoot. The stories of triumph, glory and defeat are embedded in the memories of Brandeis student-athletes, and they, like all the other events at Brandeis, deserve to be written about and read.
From first year to senior year
PHOTOS BY NOAH HARPER, ABIGAIL GARDENER, SARAH TERRAZANO, HELEN WONG, SHEA DECKER-JACOBY, ZACH CIHLAR, RYAN SPENCER/THE HOOT
ARTS
May 3, 2019
The Brandeis Hoot 18
Culture X’s 20th anniversary show remains rooted in tradition By Candace Ng editor
When I walked into Levin Ballroom minutes before 7 p.m. on April 13, I was welcomed to Culture X by the Farfali percussion ensemble’s lively dancing and drumming. After the introduction, Culture X’s 20th anniversary show, “From Roots to Leaves, Grounded in our Histories,” began with the promotional video posted on the Facebook event page days prior. The projector screen rolled down and the lights dimmed, with natural sunlight seeping through the windows. In the video made by Amanda Huang ’19, one of the Culture X co-chairs, Gabi Rivero ’20 was seen looking through pictures and old articles about Culture X in the Intercultural Center. She stopped at one particular group photo, and ran with that idea to gather different performance groups. The video included short clips of performing groups in the style of a Polaroid picture. At the end of the video, this year’s Culture X chair team, composed of Maurice Windley ’19, Brianna Brown ’19, Gabi Rivero ’20, Connie Cai ’22 and Imani Islam ’20, came onstage to introduce themselves and the show. With this year’s 20th anniversary benchmark, the chair team placed an especially strong interest in remembering history and those who had come before them. Windley emceed the event. First on stage was Dean of Students Jamele Adams. Prior to giving one of his signature spoken-word poems, Adams announced that Poetic Justice, Brandeis’ slam poetry team, was ranked among the top 20 college slam teams in the country. He then invited Cary Weir Lytle ’98, the Associate Director of Employ-
er Relations at the Hiatt Career Center, to the stage and introduced him as one of the founders of Culture X. Adams explained that the possibility of Culture X came up after a year and a half of racial tension on campus, and it was a vision for something that allows everyone to come together. Lytle said that even though he was one of the organizers of the first ever Culture X show, “this isn’t mine, it’s everyone’s.” The room applauded as Lytle left the stage, and Adams delivered a slam poem honoring immigrants from all backgrounds. A series of dance groups followed Adams’ slam poetry. Afro Diamonds, a group of dancers from the Africano Cultural Center in Waltham, used their talents to perform a dance, choreographed by Bridget Kamanzi, which highlighted the beauty of Africa. The group was made up of dancers between ages five and 17; the dance was inclusive to all dancers of wide age range and incorporated various styles. Following Afro Diamonds, Brandeis Ballet Company performed a piece named “Elephant.” Inspired by animalistic movement, the group explored “fluidity and sharpness” through synchronized movements. XL, a pop-dance group took the stage next. Dressed in maroon, white and black, the group incorporated pop dances from various cultures. Up next was guitarist Eli Kengmana ’19. Kengmana’s performance tied back to the show’s theme “from roots to leaves— grounded in our histories”; he played a single line that was repeated and made more complex throughout his performance, reflecting on his growth as a performer over the years. While the melody was mostly soft and gentle, each strum on his acoustic guitar was firm, interspersed with string plucking and hitting the body of the guitar, incorporating beat into melody.
Brandeis’ beloved Chak De! impressed the audience with their signature Bollywood Fusion dances. Their swift movements seamlessly combined classical Indian, Bollywood, Indian folk and Western dance forms. The next performer, Zhen Quan ’22, took on the stage for the first time in her Brandeis career. Dressed in a white dress that resembled a nightgown, she danced along to a Chinese song about dreams; her light, agile movements incorporated elements of traditional Chinese and contemporary dances. Islam performed an original poem that talked about being multiculturalism and diversity, and how that related to representation at Brandeis. The poem concluded with a thank you to the ICC—the ICC showed Islam that she was more than a photo subject used in pamphlets for diversity purposes. Kaos Kids wrapped up the first act. Although Kaos Kids is a “secular group” and not affiliated with a particular culture, they showed off their diversity and wanderlust in their dance. Taking their audience around the world to cities such as Mumbai, India and Paris, France from the comfort of their seats, they announced worldwide destinations and danced along to music in the style and language of the countries they stopped by. The second act kicked off with two performances by the Toxic Majorette Dance Line—the first done under regular house lights due to a lights malfunction, and the second with the correct lighting. Their confident and bold moves in both performances, along with remarkable gymnastic stunts, left the room wanting more. Another Culture X organizer, Connie Cai, took the stage. Cai has been playing the violin since she was four years old, and the hard work she has put into refining her craft over the years
showed. Cai played her favorite sonata, the first adagio movement in Johann Sebastian Bach’s Sonata No. 1 in G Minor, beautifully; each bow was crisp but smooth. Following Cai, Platinum Step Team, amid fast-paced, in-sync clapping and stomping, performed a poem that embraced their group name, “Platinum.” Up next was Kazuki, a band composed of Kazuki Mochimaru and students from the Japanese Students Association and Taiwanese Student Association. Kazuki combined vocals, guitar and piano to play “Lemon” by Yonezu Kenshi. The remaining four performances were from different dance groups on campus. Premier hiphop dance group WKD brought the audience back with hit songs from the 2000s. Recognizing that most people in the audience had been kids in the 2000s, the group added bubbles and stuck to children’s songs and well-known hit songs. The audience responded well to the music choice as they sang along, and were especially elated when “Baby Shark” played from the speakers. Up next was Sankofa. Meaning “go back and get it” in the Akan language of Ghana, West Africa, the word “sankofa” highlights the need for one to look back and collect their history in order to move forward. Accompanied by a voiceover, the movements of the three students embodied the fearlessness of women throughout the African diaspora. The penultimate performance was by Rebelle, an Afro-Carribean dance team that focuses on the aspect of community rather than a single country. Dressed in glow-in-thedark neon clothing, the group coalesced their individual dance styles to form a greater community; the community aspect was evident in the way they interacted with each other in the dance. The chair team assembled on
stage once again, thanking all the people who helped make the show’s 20th anniversary a reality, and in turn, received accolades for their hard work. The group also thanked photographer Amanda Huang ’19 for her film and photography work. The show concluded with a grand finale, choreographed by Brown and Islam. According to the program, this final performance was one of Brown’s personal dreams when planning this event. Brown segued into the performance, saying “I don’t think y’all are ready for this, but whatever.” She was absolutely correct; the grand finale was nothing I imagined it to be and my favorite part of the show. As Beyoncé’s “End of Time” came on, many performers reappeared, dressed in all black and waving flags from different countries, and started dancing in all parts of the room—on stage, in the back and in the aisles. The energy and passion the performers put in made up for recurring technical difficulties, in this particular act and throughout the show. Culture X’s anniversary show took 20 years of history and wove it into something beautiful. In addition to showcasing students’ talents, Culture X was a time when community members came to appreciate different cultures and unite as one diverse community. It was only appropriate that prospective students in Admissions’ CommUNITY program were also in the audience— if that didn’t show them what community looks like at Brandeis, I don’t know what will. Editor’s note: Features Editor Polina Potochevska is a part of Brandeis Ballet Company and performed in Culture X.
MASS MoCA curator discusses work By Noah Harper editor
Denise Markonish, a curator at the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art (MASS MoCA) and a Brandeis alumna, visited campus to share her work. In her talk, she discussed both group and individual shows she’d curated, revealing the development process behind taking an idea or an artist and turning it into a fully-developed exhibition. After graduating from Brandeis, Markonish received an M.A. from Bard, and then worked her way up as a curator. She spent a year in the San Antonio Artpace residential program and in 2007 she started at MASS MoCA. The MoCA, a converted industrial space in North Adams, isn’t your standard contemporary art museum. Long-term art exhibitions are the focus. The museum’s Sol Lewitt space, for example, was installed in 2008 and will be on view until at least 2043. “It’s not your average museum,” Markonish said. “The idea around MASS MoCA was to have a place where artists or estates could deposit
works for a long period of time.” For group shows, she spends a lot of time exploring work that fits within her chosen theme. “Oh, Canada,” a 2012 survey of Canadian art, sprang out of a joke—what was the art landscape like up there? After performing over 400 studio visits, one of which was only accessible by snowmobile, Markonish narrowed things down to 63 artists. “Whenever an artist tells me to visit another artist, I always say yes.” That meticulous time and attention seemed to be a hallmark of her approach to curation. One of her first shows at the MoCA, “These Days: Elegies for Modern Times,” collected a diverse group of artists question-
PHOTO FROM THEBOSTONGLOBE.COM
ing progress and the present. It was 2009, just after the Bush era ended, but Markonish still found herself skeptical about hope. Sam Taylor-Wood’s “A Little Death” chronicles a rotting still life; Pawel Wojtasik’s panoramic “Below Sea Level” immerses the viewer in a post-Katrina New Orleans; Chris Doyle’s “Apocalyptic Management” animation examines recovery immediately after disaster. “Suffering From Realness,” which opened in April, is a 10-years-later companion piece of sorts. Inspired by a Kanye lyric, it’s a reckoning with representation politics in the Trump era. There’s a “Dadaist romp through the 2007 financial crisis;” trans-artist Cassil’s “Inextinguishable Fire”—a 14
minute slow-down self-immolation; Vincent Valdez’s “Metanoia,” a haunting large-scale oil portrait of a heavily-tattooed San Antonio man. Investing time to develop relationships with artists is crucial to Markonish’s work. For solo shows at MASS MoCA, the curator might contact an artist about creating something five years in advance. In that first year, she typically doesn’t even contact the artist, instead giving them time to just let ideas generate. For the artist Nick Cave, that also meant offering a challenge. Cave was famous for his Soundsuits, the wearable sculptures that became his calling card. But Markonish wanted to encourage the artist to try something new. The result, Nick Cave’s “Until” filled the football field-sized space with vast “clouds” that you could step up into, a curtain of 16,000 wind spinners, industrial fans and more. “Something that is so unique and exciting about MASS MoCA is our commitment to commissioning new work,” she said. After “Until,” Markonish found herself thinking, “What other artists can I ask to step out
of their comfort zone?” Most recently, that’s meant enabling Texas artist Trenton Doyle Hancock to create “Mind of the Mound: Critical Mass,” a whimsical universe created entirely inside the museum’s massive Building 5. Hancock’s work looks like Candyland—inspired by an elaborate fictional comic-book world he’s been developing, and is something that he never would have been able to create on his own. MASS MoCA staff helped fabricate the giant wooden mounds that visitors can step inside of. “It’s so surreal to be on this side of the lectern,” Markonish said at the beginning of her talk. Brandeis arts faculty and institutions are “the reason I am here today,” she continued. Those connections remain. In 2017, she commissioned Associate Professor of Painting Joe Wardwell to create a “Hello America: 40 Hits from the 50 States,” a hundred foot wall drawing now on display at the museum. Two current exhibitions curated by Markonish, “Mind of the Mound” and “Suffering From Realness,” are on view at MASS MoCA now.
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The Brandeis Hoot
May 3, 2019
‘ME!’ is a straight up bop By Emma Lichtenstein editor
Taylor Swift’s new song “ME!” is the purest strain of bubblegum pop. Fitting with the first release of her past two albums, Taylor Swift went for a song that she knew would be stuck in everyone’s heads, regardless of whether or not they actually enjoy the song. Brendon Urie of Panic! At The Disco is featured on the track, opening up this song to a whole new audience that would have never dared to listen to a Taylor Swift song. In addition to dropping the single, the music video premiered at midnight on April 26. Taylor answered questions from the YouTube chat box before the premiere, successfully increasing hype and hits on the music video page. The music video beat the Vevo record, gaining 65.2 million views in just 24 hours. It reached 100 million views in about 48 hours. This single broke both the record for most streams on Amazon Music and most voice requests using Alexa. It charted at number one on Spotify, iTunes and Amazon Music in both global
and U.S. charts. The music video opens in a startling image of a pink snake sliding over pastel tiles. When the snake bites, echoing the promo videos for “Look What You Made Me Do,” it transforms into a kaleidoscope of butterflies, symbolizing her rebirth. It then jumps to an odd argument between Taylor and Brendon who are fighting in French. The scene is full of little clues for her more observant fans, though we seem to think that it was only included so she could feature her cats. This is the first time she hints at having a third cat, shouting “un plus!” as the camera pans over her cats Meredith and Olivia. The song itself opens with a catchy hook, taking full advantage of that vocoder sound that she loved so much on “reputation” (looking at you, “Delicate”). The first verse is strong, paired with stunning visuals in the music video. The pastel wonderland that Taylor lives in (in the video) perfectly matches with the cheerful tone of the production of the song. She wears a gauzy dress with floral embellishments near the waist, tying into the fun theme and the floral merch she wore before the song dropped (now avail-
able online! Yes, I already got a shirt.) The pre-chorus is incredibly catchy, and has been stuck in my head since the second it premiered. Here, Taylor dons a pastel yellow suit as the rest of the dancers wear either pink or blue. This fits with the individuality message that this song celebrates. The chorus is the strongest part of the song. I honestly really love the lyrics of this part. “I’m the only one of me, baby that’s the fun of me!” is going to be the most overused Instagram caption, and I’m so excited to see that happen. The video has an excellent dance scene during the chorus. The party on the street is full of pastel colors and joy, clashing with Brendon watching from a window, still angry over the argument from the beginning of the video. We see him decide to leave the anger behind and literally jump into happier times (and a happier suit). Brendon sings the second verse. Despite this seemingly ambitious genre crossover, his voice harmonizes with Taylor’s seamlessly. Brendon, now in a floral suit, floats Mary Poppins style through the city before landing on a rooftop to join Taylor, now wearing a gorgeous pink dress. The video
continues to be absolutely adorable, featuring Brendon winning Taylor over with the new cat, Benjamin Button. Taylor actually adopted this new cat from set, falling in love with him immediately. The chorus before the bridge starts the epic dancing of Brendon and Taylor. Their many outfit changes fit the different styles of dance that the two perform. They start strong with a 60s feel, looking like they stepped off the set of “Hairspray.” The bridge itself is the weakest point of the song, I can’t skirt around it. The lyrics are basic, starting with “HEY KIDS! SPELLING IS FUN!” and ending with “you can’t spell awesome without ME!” This however also matches up with her three most recent lead singles. “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together,” “Shake It Off ” and “Look What You Made Me Do” had lyrically weak bridges, but ended up being the best part of the song to scream on tour. These lyrics are simply meant to be fun(ny). However, I would argue that the bridge is the strongest part of the music video. The cotton candy colored marching band outfits are just the right amount of frivolous. Taylor rocks a pink bob wig for this portion of the video,
which honestly might be the most exciting detail of the whole thing. The chorus after the bridge begins the most ridiculous choreography for Brendon and Taylor that makes me smile every time. The two of them are in matching suits with floral embellishments (Brendon’s a full pant, Taylor with a short) doing a carefree dance, clearly having the time of their lives. From here, there’s a blend between the bridge and the chorus for the rest of the song. The final scene of the video has Taylor in a paint dress with blue streaks in her hair. Brendon seems to be conducting the rainfall, which are, of course, paint splatters. The video ends with the two of them under an umbrella as rainbow paint splatters down around them. A visually appealing scene to an overall incredible video. I am so excited to see what the rest of the era brings. Taylor and Brendon opened up the BBMAs on May 1 with a stunning performance full of pastel colors and glitter. The theme of this Taylor Swift era is very peace, love and happiness, and who doesn’t need a little more of that.
Extravagant, indulgent and somehow perfect: we’re truly in the ‘endgame’ now By Jonah Koslofsky staff
“Because if we can’t protect the earth, you can be damn well sure we’ll avenge it.” So said Tony Stark to a petulant demigod seven years ago—and with the release of “Avengers: Endgame,” that day has come. In the wake of last year’s “Infinity War” and its unmatched, snappy cliffhanger, returning directors Anthony and Joe Russo, along with screenwriters Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely, envision “Endgame” as the finale of a story started 22 movies ago. I loved every single second. It’s difficult to articulate exactly why without getting into spoilers (though I’ve done my best to refrain). Basically, this is both the payoff for “Infinity War’s” heavy-handed plot movements and the true conclusion of some
major arcs. Those with a lot invested in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (like myself) are sure to be pleased, as the Russos stage a grand evaluation of everything that’s come before. The whole thing is blatantly self-reflexive and self-indulgent, and I’m genuinely curious to see where it’ll meet those with a mere passing interest in the Marvel pantheon. I’m inclined to believe “Endgame” will still land, because of how much care is given to these characters. The film gives Steve, Tony, Thor, Bruce and Natasha plenty of time to reckon with their colossal failure— unlike “Infinity War,” “Endgame” lets its heroes breathe, reflect and simply be. That’s especially gratifying when focus shifts to Robert Downey Jr. and Chris Evans, each delivering their best individual performances as Iron
Man and Captain America. These two are the backbone of this entire tapestry, and for good reason: Both actors are equipped with a real grasp of the psyches of these flawed, exhausted paladins. The rest of the cast keeps up, too. Since “Ragnarok,” seeing Chris
Paul Rudd’s Scott Lang still boasts endless charm. Jeremey Renner’s Hawkeye proves yet again how much a regular guy can bring to the table in these movies, and he gets a potent and tear-jerking scene with Scarlett Johansson’s Black Widow, though the latter still isn’t given quite enough to work with (it seems we’ll have to wait for her solo outing). Overall, the ensemble’s screentime is well-balanced—never an easy feat for a blockbuster working on this scale. Indeed, the Marvel Movies have always thrived on their oscillation between character beats and action; “Endgame” PHOTO FROM BGR.COM is no exception. There’s been a lot of conversation around Hemsworth carry Thor’s ham- the three-hour runtime, but the mer—er, axe—has been a delight. structure is rock-solid and enKaren Gillan, meanwhile, has lo- gaging throughout: the beginning cated the emotional center of cy- subverts expectations, the midbernetic survivor and ex-Guard- dle is a fast-paced romp through ian of the Galaxy Nebula, and the relationships that mean the
most to our protagonists, and the climax is… an enormous, CGI showdown. Like “Black Panther,” “Endgame” doesn’t break the Marvel formula, but elevates it. On the other hand, some of the story mechanics don’t quite make sense (though I can’t pretend it bothered me). I do wish the Russos were interested in making their movies as colorful as their source material, though the compositions are (thankfully) starting to resemble memorable panels from a comic book. Then again, the somewhat-bland visual style makes sense here, considering how much of the film exists within the context of established, earlier stuff. “Endgame” may be the opposite of self-contained, but that doesn’t make it any less effective—on the contrary. The avenging was inevitable. Who knew it would be so satisfying?
Slaughter in suburbia: ‘Santa Clarita Diet’ kills By Celia Young editor
Everyday challenges of suburban life, like parenting, keeping up with work and of course, killing people for food—are struggles Drew Barrymore’s character in “Santa Clarita Diet” faces in every episode. But the show, which centers around a recently zombified mom and her Californian family, is much more about what part of the human body most tastes like chicken. Barrymore’s character, Sheila Hammond, is turned into a zombie after eating a batch of bad clams. And if that sounds weird, get ready for the plot of this oddly fascinating comedy. Sheila Hammond is forced to kill and eat people—but don’t
worry, she only kills bad people. Sheila has a strong stomach, and given the amount of deaths per episode, so should the audience. From a Nazi baseball team to a friend’s abusive ex-husband, the Hammonds work their way through the less than friendly parts of their neighborhood, all the while trying to maintain some semblance of a normal life. For Sheila’s husband and daughter Joel and Abby, played by Timothy Olyphant and Liv Henson respectively, life with a zombie mom isn’t always easy. It’s their struggle to stay together as a family that makes Santa Clarita Diet so much more than just “Modern Family” with zombies. Sheila, Joel and Abby become increasingly separated throughout the show as the parents try to shield their daughter from the more gruesome and illegal as-
pects of their family life—like, you know, murder. Though most parents don’t have to hide their crime sprees from their children, the desire to keep your kid safe in a dangerous world is something most parents, and even older siblings, can understand. The Hammond family is like every other family, minus the homicide. Strangely enough, it’s the serial murders that bring them together and, sometimes, tear them apart. The show demonstrates how we all try to stick by our family even in the toughest situations—through the strange lens of a zombie-killing spree. This heartwarming and at times nausea-inducing Netflix original was created by Victor Fresco, who made “Better Off Ted,” a similarly absurdist comedy. Santa Clarita Diet mimics this mix of real life with an unreal twist, creating a
show that perfectly combines the supernatural with the suburban. Fresco manages to merge the
murder people.” And it’s this hilarious merger between these two universes that makes the show not only funny, but compelling. The audience isn’t just drawn into who Sheila’s next victim will be. We want to know if Joel, her husband, will be able to accept her new murderPHOTO FROM SLASHGEAR.COM ous lifestyle, or if Abby will finally absurd with the normal in every be included in the family business episode by creating small mo- (murder, not selling houses). ments of suburban dialogue ranThe show isn’t just some gory domly interrupted by the new comedy, it’s about family. It’s comworld of zombies. Parenting your pelling because it’s about standing daughter is a lot harder when any by the people you care about— complaint against her is met with even if that means helping your the retort, “Well, at least I don’t zombie-mom find her next meal.
20 ARTS
The Brandeis Hoot
May 3, 2019
‘Boston Calling’ interview and recommendations By Noah Harper and Celia Young editors
Interview with Boston Calling Co-Founder Mike Snow “I grew up here and I grew up jumping on the train to see punk rock shows in Kenmore Square. I love being here and being about this place,” said Boston Calling Co-Founder Mike Snow in an interview with The Brandeis Hoot. We asked Snow why it took so long for Boston to get its own music festival. “There’s not much usable land,” he said. But Snow and other festival organizers seized on an ideal location: Boston City Hall Plaza. “Where we started was seemingly inhospitable to larger companies,” he said. But that location soon filled with festival-goers, leading to a need for a change of venue. But part of it is a cultural mindset. “Some of it is we’re mean and stuck in our ways, we’re pilgrims and we can’t do what others can do; some of it is really preventative of growing an arts culture. This place feels so progressive, and then sometimes you see some
headlines and you’re like we haven’t advanced at all,” he said. A mission of Boston Calling is to be a beacon of art culture. “We are part of the arts in this city, and you want to see more art and public art and the celebration of culture and art in this city.” That means innovating in a crowded festival market. Snow said that the festival aims to embrace its unique Boston identity, while also utilizing available space at the festival’s current location, the Harvard Athletic Complex, to experiment. Last year, that meant hosting a feminist film festival curated by Natalie Portman. This year, Harvard’s hockey arena will feature stand-up from Michael Ché, Jenny Slate and Fred Armisen, as well as more intimate performances from Yaeji, Princess Nokia and the Boston Ballet. One fact about festivals is that many people are not experiencing them sober. We asked Snow what substance he recommended patrons use responsibly in order to best enjoy the festival. “Oh God, that’s a weird one,” he said, which was a fair response. “Be safe. You’re there to enjoy yourself. I guess I’m really nerdy and… I’m a sober music person.”
Mitski
Princess Nokia
PHOTO FROM ROLLINGSTONE.COM
Best of the Fest
Destiny Frasqueri, who performs as Princess Nokia, is a rapper of Puerto Rican descent. Her music examines identity and celebrates life in New York City. From the lo-fi mumble rap sound of “Bart Simpson,” to the affirming power anthem “Tomboy,” Princess Nokia is a versatile performer with a lot to say.
A few subjective picks for the best performers to see this year.
Travis Scott
Tame Impala
It’s been four years since Tame Impala released their last album, the incredibly popular “Currents.” Lead singles “Patience” and “Borderline” impress with their shimmering chord progressions and laid-back drum beats.
Tank and the Bangas
Tank and the Bangas first made waves winning NPR Music’s 2017 Tiny Desk Contest. The New Orleans-based group combines hip-hop, soul, jazz and R&B in an organic way that sounds fresh and original. If their charming personalities, and jazz flute isn’t enough to persuade you, I don’t know what will.
At first glance, Mitski’s music is catchy alternative rock. When you stop and think about the lyrics, the power of Mitski Miyawaki’s songwriting becomes apparent: the desperate longing mooring the organ-based “First Love / Late Spring;” “Don’t wait for me, I can’t come” she sings as acoustic guitar bursts into a metal song on “Your Best American Girl;” the melancholy isolation underlying last year’s earworm “Nobody.” Her set should be great.
PHOTO FROM TEENVOGUE.COM
Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever
The Melbourne band, also known as Rolling Blackouts C.F. makes great rock music—contemporary, yet with a discernible 80s influence. Their song “French Press” is an excellent sampler of their work: a rollicking elegy to the end of a relationship.
Despite his lackluster Super Bowl 2019 performance, there’s still hope that the “Sicko Mode” rapper can impress. Travis Scott is an acquired taste for sure. But this writer at least likes him unironically (“Astroworld” was good!). You’d be a fool not to see what spectacle Scott has in store.
PHOTO FROM COMPLETEMUSICUPDATE.COM
An honest review of the Epic Game Store By Stewart Huang staff
The Epic Game Store (EGS) has been the subject of heated debates in the gaming world recently regarding its strategy of game exclusivity, which means holding certain games hostage to one platform so that consumers are forced to buy that platform if they want to buy those games. This practice might be understandable for first or second-party games, which are made, published or funded by the companies behind the launchers, like Fortnite for example. But for a third-party game, like Metro: Exodus to be exclusive is almost unheard of on PC (Console gamers have gotten used to the abuse). A lot of gamers, including myself, were not happy with this. Among many other reasons, the EGS seems to be inferior to Steam in every way, save the fact that there are exclusives on the former. And limiting the customer’s choice so that he or she can only buy from the inferior platform is clearly an anti-consumer business practice. For the sake of fairness and objectivity, however, which will allow me to make a more informed decision, I’m going to install the EGS and see for myself: Is it really that bad? But before I do that, it is important to acknowledge the flaws that are known to be present in the EGS. There are a ton of features currently missing on the store. Even for the most basic ones like cloud-saves, user reviews and wish lists are missing. And I don’t need to install the launcher to know that: According to a chart comparing the seven major launchers on PC, the EGS is shown to be the worst of them all because it lacks so many features. Many of these core features, like the ones mentioned above, have become industry standards, so at this point that it seems inexcusable for Epic to not at least have some of them, especially considering the fact that the money
spent to acquire exclusives could have been spent on implementing these features. Admittedly, Epic has released a development roadmap promising these features further down the line. But why should anyone wait for four to six months for user reviews and longer than six months for a shopping cart when they can just go on Steam instead? Furthermore, user reviews on the EGS will be “optin” by developers, which means they get to decide whether they display reviews on their games or not. You see, already there are so many things that make the online store EGS unappealing, but let’s see if my experience with it changes this perception. When I logged in to my long-abandoned account (my friend gave me a beta key for Fortnite, and I never touched it), I clicked on the “manage account” button and I was surprised to find out that it opened a window in my browser instead of continuing inside the application. This is a minor complaint, but I feel like if you want players to install and use your store, you should make sure that all the functions stay within the app, especially for something so important like account management. Otherwise, what’s the point? Thankfully, the process of changing account information was simple enough as it only took that one click to get to the info that I needed. After this was done, I went ahead to delete all the friends that my friend Jake had added, and I discovered that a lot of these profiles simply had blank spaces for names, which is strange. In the process, I wanted to try out the chat function, one of the few features that is said to exist, but the only options when I right-clicked on profiles were “remove friend” and “block.” There was no “whisper” or “chat.” I’m guessing it was because they were offline, though that’s hardly a justification for making the chat function unavailable. Without a community tab, I was forced to look on Google but found no one talking about this
issue. At this point, I felt a little lonely, not being able to talk to any of my “friends.” Add this to the fact that users can’t even set their own profile pictures and are reduced to the first letter of their usernames on their icons, there seems to be no sense of community at all on the EGS. Epic really needs to make it easier for users to access the chat system, if it actually exists, and allow, at the very least, customization of the user icon and implement a community forum feature in the EGS. Without any substantial community features, the launcher feels extremely isolating, and it might as well be a glorified game folder on my desktop. But maybe the social aspect of launchers doesn’t interest you, dear reader. Maybe all you care about is the quality of the experience of buying games and playing them on the platform. Well, the first thing I can tell you is that it will be a little uncomfortable browsing through the store because you’ll have to scroll through a large grid of banners instead of a list of games like in Steam. As a result, there is too little information present at any given moment, which requires you to scroll more than you’d want to. The problem is scrolling feels choppy and slow. It’s like I’m scrolling on an old smartphone from 2013 that operates at 20 frames per second. Initially this might not seem like a big deal, but over time, I can imagine how irritating that can be. Thankfully I didn’t have to scroll far down because at the top of the store, there is a free game section that gives users a free game every two weeks. This is a great move on Epic’s part because you don’t have to subscribe to anything to get it, and it’s wonderful news for people who want to expand their library without hurting their wallet. That’s me right now. So I checked out the free game, which is The Witness at the moment, a puzzle/mystery game I’ve heard so many great things about but
never got to play. The individual store page for it was quite simple: The download button at the top, followed by a short, written introduction, a few embeds of trailers of the game from YouTube at the middle that I think are easier to use than Steam’s own video player, some nice big images of the game towards the end and system requirements plus supported languages at the very bottom. It’s the bare minimum a store page can have, and I think this is generally a bad thing because customers should be given as much info as possible before making a purchase. Something like a quick genre tag, recent updates or user review, which to be fair is on the development roadmap, could all benefit the user tremendously. Fortunately, the download process was quick and easy, though I’m not sure if something so basic really deserves praise. However, there’s no ETA on downloads (this standard feature isn’t even on the development roadmap)! When I started the game, I also missed the FPS counter that I had on the top right for Steam games. I looked into the settings on the EGS but was disappointed by, once again, how little there was: A language option, a few checkboxes and that’s basically it. There’s no in-game overlay, so it doesn’t seem like you can check friends list or chat with people when you’re playing. The in-game experience with the EGS is non-existent as far as I can tell, and maybe that’s what some people are looking for: a pure gaming experience. Generally speaking, even if all you care about in a launcher is the shopping and gaming experience, Steam is still a better place for you. Its store pages are more informative, more comfortable to use and, most importantly, contains a multiplicity of titles. There are handy features in-game like the FPS counter and the overlay that allows you to chat with friends and look up guides among other things. Aside from the commendable free game feature, the
EGS still has a long way to go regarding shopping and in-game features. That isn’t to say, however, that I don’t want competition in the PC gaming market. Steam is a great platform that I enjoy using, but it certainly would benefit everyone if there are rival launchers that are just as good, so that consumers are given more choice as to where they spend their money. Some healthy competition would encourage Steam and, by extension, Valve to get off their lazy butts and innovate and improve their products. Maybe Valve would finally give gamers Half-Life 3 or Portal 3 or Left for Dead 3 and make them exclusive on Steam to attract more users. In fact, when the EGS was first announced, reception from gamers was generally positive because it was a promising new platform that already has a lot of users due to the success of Fortnite and offers a higher revenue cut for developers. It has the potential to be a good competitor to Steam. But all in all, the EGS turns out to be exactly what I expected it to be. In its current form, it is in no way a proper rival to or replacement for Steam due to how obviously incomplete it is. The free games are very nice, and I give props to Epic for their generosity but that’s really all I can say for the EGS right now. And although I don’t doubt that the exclusives are effectively attracting new users, especially with highly anticipated titles like Borderlands 3 on the horizon, Epic is competing in the worst way possible by holding games hostage, in a way that quickly wears out the consumer’s good will. As it stands, the EGS is at best a companion to Steam and, at worst, just a glorified game folder. But Steam needs no companion, and if Steam doesn’t suffice, pirating, which is completely free, remains a viable option to consumers. You gotta try a lot harder, Epic, before you seriously win anyone over.