The Brandeis Hoot 09/13/2019

Volume 16 Issue 15

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

September 13, 2019

Brandeis University’s Community Newspaper · Waltham, Mass.

Alumna calls for Univ. action on inclusion

17 seats filled in Senate, Allocations Board

By Victoria Morrongiello

By The Brandeis Hoot

special to the hoot

staff

Dr. Blanca Vega ’98 has always been critical of the spaces she finds herself in and Brandeis University—with its shortcomings in providing equality for all its students regardless of their racial backgrounds—is no exception, she explained in a keynote speech at the Faculty Club on Friday, Sept. 6.

Though Vega has spent 16 years in administration positions in secondary education, she recounted struggling at Brandeis, in what she called a “white space”—a place which renders minority groups invisible. During her time here, students were comfort-

The Student Union announced on Thursday that 17 seats were filled following Wednesday’s election. The Class of 2023 comprised almost 60% of the total voter turn-out, providing 290 out of 507 total voters.

Elections were held for both Senate and Allocations Board (A-Board) positions.

Allocations Board

KEYNOTE

PHOTO BY SABRINA CHOW/THE HOOT

Dr. Blanca Vega ‘98 recalls experiencing racism at Brandeis.

Jordy Piñeiro ’23 and Emma Fiesinger ’23 won the two-semester representatives seats, with 20 percent and 18.7 perSee ELECTION, page 5

See ALUMNA, page 2

Brandeis warns students about mosquito-borne diseases

By Celia Young editor

Several communities in Massachusetts, including Middlesex County where Brandeis resides, are at risk of two mosquito-borne diseases: Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE) virus and West

Nile Virus, according to a Massachusetts Department of Public Health (DPH) press release.

The risk for Waltham is low though the surrounding area is moderate, according to an email from Student Activities that alerted the Brandeis community to the risk of both diseases. Administrative Director of the Brandeis

Health Center Diana Denning urged students to take basic precautionary measures in an interview with The Brandeis Hoot.

“People should be concerned enough to take reasonable precautions. Much like when you get in a car, you put on a seat belt—yet we get in the car,” Denning said. “That email that

went out is really meant to just inform students about how to take care of themselves and how the school is supporting them.”

There have been no cases of EEE in Waltham or at Brandeis, said Denning, and the email was meant to inform students on how to best take care of themselves.

Some concerned parents and

students had contacted Denning, she said, asking about how best to take preventative measures.

“Right now in Waltham, for EEE we are a low risk region and a moderate risk region for West Nile Virus,” Denning said.“I recommend that if you’re out in the eveSee MOSQUITO, page 5

Prof. and advocate for AAPI program leaves Brandeis

By Sabrina Chow editor

Dr. Leanne Day—a professor who has advocated for the creation of an Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) Studies Program at Brandeis—has decided to take another university position in Hawai’i, where they have demonstrated a need for the AAPI studies program, said the Brandeis Asian American Task Force (BAATF) in a statement.

Day decided to leave Brandeis in summer 2019 to take a posi-

Inside This Issue:

tion at the University of Hawai’i after the completion of her two year residency as a Florence Levy Kay postdoctoral fellow in spring 2019. Day received an offer from Brandeis for a one year position but would have to re-apply for the position or find a new job after the school year was out.

Day ultimately decided to leave Brandeis because of the lack of opportunity the university was able to offer.

“The UH Hilo [University of Hawai’i at Hilo] position was See AAPI, page 3

News: Director of SAS resigns after 14 years.

Ops: On being international.

Features: Mascall’s orgo baby.

Sports: Soccer succeeds.

Editorial: Our hopes for Brandeis.

MOSQUITO-BORNE ILLNESSES:

Study Abroad

Page 4 Page 12 Go study abroad in college.

Page 6 Page 10 FEATURES: PAGE 7 Page 8

Waltham is at a low and moderate risk for some illnesses.

24-Hour We take you behind the scenes of Brandeis’ latest impromtu production.

ARTS: PAGE 16

PHOTO COURTESY WBUR.ORG

NEWS

2 The Brandeis Hoot

September 13, 2019

Department of Student Activities launches Presence, new online home for Brandeis clubs

By Celia Young editor

Brandeis student clubs have a new (online) home. Presence—a new online club platform launched in late August by the Department of Student Activities (DSA)—offers a variety of new functions for student clubs, including centrally locating club information, forms and hosting events, said Director of Student Activities Dennis Hicks.

DSA and the Brandeis Student Union have been working together since December 2018 to find a new host site for clubs, said Hicks, which were decentralized in listservs, Google sites and social media.

“It allows continuity for clubs,” Hicks said. “They can store all their documents and forms on this

site [and] you won’t need to share google docs and all that and folders. It’s just all updated and maintained in one place,” Hicks continued. “Prior to this… there were bits and pieces all over, but we’re trying to put it all in one space.”

Presence offers one-stop shopping for club needs, said Hicks.

Students can even search for the type of club they’d be interested in, making it easier for students to navigate Brandeis’ over 200 student clubs and organizations.

The department started training student club leaders Wednesday on using the platform at their annual club conference.

“We did not have a solid platform,” said Hicks. “Essentially all you would ever see is a club listing with a little blurb and all that and you might have an email address—but that’s it,” he continued.

“There’s a lot of different ways

you can do searches now through events—whereas if you go to the Brandeis events page you see the event, you see the date, but you don’t see more than that.”

DSA is providing the funding for Presence, at an annual cost of $12,000 a year. The price of another platform, Engage, said Hicks—who had worked with the platform at his previous institution, George Mason University—was around $30,000 a year.

“I came from a school that used Engage, so I was a little bit more familiar [with it], but their prices went way up,” said Hicks.

“And I think prices was definitely a deciding factor as well as some of the features that we got.”

One of the features Hicks was excited about was being able to swipe IDs at events to get data on student attendees. The anonymized data, said Hicks, in-

cludes attendees’ class years and allows the Department of Student Activities to know exactly how many students attend events and send surveys about events directly to them.

“It’s given us data we’ve never had before: accurate data,” said Hicks. “We can start to see the ebb and flow of types of events.”

Presence also has the capability to host club elections, said Hicks, who hopes to roll out the feature after all clubs have joined. Clubs can also interact with university departments on the platform—for example, to get design approval for club apparel and stickers, said Hicks.

Another feature Hicks pointed to was badging—to be integrated after all clubs have migrated to Presence—which would create badges that students can achieve by getting involved with certain

events on campus, said Hicks, who gave the example of a “leadership” or “social justice” badge.

“It encourages you to check out different kinds of events,” said Hicks, who is working to create a co-curricular transcript for the fall semester of 2020 that will show a student’s involvement in clubs and events on campus. There is nothing like it at Brandeis currently, said Hicks.

Hicks is excited for the Presence app to be released on the Apple App Store and the Google Play store eventually, said Hicks, though the company needs to get approval from the App Store first.

Presence is used by universities around the country, including California State University-Los Angeles, the University of Texas-Dallas and Tulsa Community College, according to the company’s website.

Brandeis reflects on mission and purpose, planning and evaluation

By Sabrina Chow editor

Brandeis reflected on how the university is living up to its mission and its plans for the future in the first part of a self-study conducted by the university in September 2018. The self study, a part of Brandeis’ reaccreditation process by the New England Commissions of Higher Education (NECHE), requires each school to reflect on different parts of their university.

Every 10 years, each university in the Association of American Universities (AAU) must receive reaccreditation from various commissions of higher education in the U.S. Brandeis was reaccredited by the NECHE in April 2019, according to an earlier article by The Brandeis Hoot.

During the reaccreditation process, each university must submit a self-study to the visiting team sent by the NECHE to self-evaluate their university based on the nine standards expressed by the NECHE. The standards for accreditation establish criteria for institutional quality, according to the Brandeis website, and each of the standards describe a smaller dimension of institutional quality.

Standard 1: Mission and Purpose The first standard, Mission and Purpose, ensures that the mission and purpose of the specific insti-

tution is appropriate with higher education and consistent with the Standards of the Commission, according to an earlier Hoot article.

The current Mission Statement, approved in 1984 by the then Board of Trustees, states that Brandeis is both a research university “dedicated to the advancement of the humanities, arts, and social, natural, and physical sciences” and a liberal arts institution that “affirms the importance of a broad and critical education in enriching the lives of students and preparing them for full participation in a changing world.”

The self-study also points to the social justice focus of the university as “central to [our] mission as a nonsectarian university founded by members of the American Jewish community.”

In 2006, the university adopted a diversity statement to supplement the existing mission statement, which states that the university “seeks to encompass ‘diverse cultures, backgrounds, and life experiences,’” according to the self-study.

The self-study requires that the schools reflect on their current policies and what needs to be improved in the future. Brandeis noted three major continuing challenges that the university is currently working toward.

The first challenge comes out of the small size and number of resources that the university has access to. Brandeis is a small school, compared to other schools of similar prestige. The second challenge is the university’s uniqueness as a

Jewish-founded non-sectarian university. Brandeis is one of the only schools in the country that has Jewish foundings, according to the self-study. The final challenge is the “deep rooted commitment to being a pluralistic university,” given the university’s struggle to be a non-sectarian university but to also remain tied to its founding Jewish values.

The university is still working towards “reflect[ing] the heterogeneity of the United States and world community” on campus. “[Brandeis is] one of the few universities in America that has inclusivity as one of its original principles,” the self-study goes on to say. “Brandeis is committed to assembling on its campus the most extensive range of backgrounds, experiences, cultures and religions as possible. At the same time, Brandeis is guided by further values rooted in Jewish tradition and experience.”

Standard 2: Planning and Evaluation The second standard states that “the institution is able to prioritize and find success in ‘strategic, academic, financial, and other resource planning and the evaluation of its educational effectiveness,’” according to an earlier Hoot article.

A commissioned external study of university finances found a documented “structural imbalance between the scope of our academic enterprise and our financial resources,” wrote Liebowitz in

an email to the Brandeis community in fall 2016.

Prior to beginning his role as president, Liebowitz commissioned the study by an external source to look at university finances. He asked Kermit Daniel, a financial consultant, to do a study on the university’s finances in July 2016. The study also added that that comparable research universities to Brandeis are much wealthier and/or larger than Brandeis.

Brandeis utilized different budgetary devices—such as drawing too much from the endowment, putting too much gift money into the operating budget (instead of endowment), paying faculty less than other peer institutions and under-investing in physical and technological infrastructure for the bettering of the university—to help pay for funds. The self-study called these methods unsustainable in the long run.

Following the previous reaccreditation process Brandeis went through, they transitioned to a new strategic plan in 2013 for finances, a comprehensive guide for decision making and allocation of resources for higher level administration, according to the self-study.

Following a major shift in senior leadership during the 20142015 school year, including the resignation of former President Frederick Lawrence, Liebowitz used the transitional period as an opportunity to bring about a new financial plan for the university.

While the 2013 Strategic Plan was

more of a “wishlist,” the current financial plan outlines the use of the university’s resources.

In this standard, the university also states four strategic priorities that they are working on to improve the university. The first is “redefining the student experience” by changing the demographics of the student body and how faculty and staff impact the lives of students.

The second is “fostering excellence in scholarship” across the entire university, both in undergraduate and graduate studies.

The third is strengthening the connections of the university with other institutions and businesses.

And the final is providing educational programs for Jewish organizations, while still remaining a fully nonsectarian and inclusive university.

During the previous reaccreditation process, the visiting team sent by the NECHE found that the university lacked “systematic controls and procedures to perform accurate and easy internal and external multi-year comparative analysis,” according to the 2018 self-study conducted by Brandeis. This meant the university was lacked a centralized institutional research office. Through this feedback, they established the Office of Planning and Institutional Research (OPIR).

This is the first part in a series that will look into the rest of Brandeis’ self-study.

Branda relaunches in a new version of the app

By Gunnar Johnson special to the hoot

The Branda app relaunched with updates and new features. A group of undergraduate students built the application to provide students with convenient access to accurate data and information, according to an earlier article by The Brandeis Hoot.

Before the update, the developers, Sam Stern ’20 and Benjamin Segal ’20, were working on providing new features.

“We’d heard some concerns from the previous year we had . . . nine month’s worth of fixes and improvements and . . . our goal was to get that out as soon as possible, so that when people got back on campus they’d have this new version,” said Stern in an in-

terview with The Hoot.

Branda has a schedule of events, gym hours and dining hall open hours. Students can also catch their bus or Branvan in time with Branda, which provides a shuttle tracking function.

It also allows students to track how much time is left on their laundry cycle.

“We were ready for the first weekend with the shuttles,” said

Segal, in an interview with The Hoot. “We were working five days almost all day long on the app to make sure that everyone benefits from it once school starts,” said Segal.

Branda can comfortably manage a user count above 4000.

Stern says that the application’s architecture is “designed to scale up to the number of users that we need,” and there is no burden on

their system even with the current number of users.

Branda is available on Apple and Android devices as a phone app. According to Stern, the front end—the actual code that resides on the phone—is written in a framework called React Native.

Both iOS and Android devices support Reactive Native, and Branda can now be downloaded on supported devices.

September 13, 2019

NEWS 3

The Brandeis Hoot

Alumna gives keynote speech on providing equality for all students See ALUMNA, page 3

able with being openly racist toward their peers who descended from minority groups, Vega said.

Vega—the daughter of Ecuadorian immigrants and a first generation college student—felt racist sentiments directed toward her, not only through the actions and words of her classmates, but from Brandeis itself, which accepted few students of color and had even fewer faculty members of color, she noted.

These were just a few examples of racism Vega recounted when asked to come back to speak at Brandeis, which she called “triggers.”

“I never called Brandeis University my alma mater,” Vega said.

Alma mater, a term for the institutions a person has graduated from or is currently attending, is Latin for caring mother—but Vega never made the connection between Brandeis and a caring mother.

Her aversion to using the term came from her experience with racism at Brandeis, which she described as “a painful truth embedded into Brandeis University’s innermost parts.”

Vega watched upperclassmen like Janus Johnson ‘94 and Michael Clemens ‘93 as they fought the racism prevalent throughout Brandeis, she said.

“I’m not going to break my back for an institution that isn’t nurturing me,” Vega said.

Vega’s mentality changed when her mentor, Senior Associate Provost for Academic Affairs Kim Godsoe, asked her one day, “What are we going to do about it? We know you are sad.

What are we going to do about this?”

This moment was when Vega realized her ability to take action to better the social climate on campus. Vega worked to improve the beginnings of the Intercultural Center (ICC), a program that encourages the growth and aware-

KEYNOTE:

Mark Brimhall-Vargas speaks before Brandeis community members on Friday.

ness of other cultures, as summarized by their website, which still exists to this day on campus.

She also ran a group called Ahora, which was an inclusionary experience for LatinX Students.

She also spearheaded the first celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month at Brandeis.

After leaving Brandeis, she earned her Master of Arts in higher education from NYU, later obtaining her doctorate from Columbia University. She has worked on coordinating and directing New York opportunity programs such as The Liberty Partnership Program and the Higher Education Opportunity Program.

Vega encouraged the current students in the crowd to reclaim their alma mater, and offered some advice.

She told the crowd of current students and alumni from minority groups to allow change to

happen and to embrace it at the university, while keeping in mind that students can have just as large an impact as it has on them.

Her next piece of advice stemmed from an anecdote of her first move-in day where her mother said to her, “No te olvides tu Español,” or “Don’t forget that you speak Spanish.”

To Vega, this meant don’t forget where you came from, and she stressed the importance of this shared wisdom.

She also advised the crowd to embrace all forms of culture, love their people and embrace conflict—the catalyst by which change will come.

“We need culture,” said Vega, “because it calls us. It’s a signaling effect, to let us know if this is a safe space,” Vega said, “Embracing the conflict made me more human though and made me feel empowered.”

PHOTOS BY SABRINA CHOW/THE HOOT

In an interview with The Brandeis Hoot after her speech, Vega stressed the fact that society is not working toward an end result. If it is striving for an end then it will get stuck in another form of oppression; every generation has set a goal for an end and in turn it leads to another means of suppression, she said. She gave the example of slavery, where the goal was abolition, but then the Jim Crow Laws came, and the pattern continued as society found a means to oppress minority groups.

“Progress isn’t the way to think about it,” Vega stated, “[racism] is everywhere, composed of peaks of progress with the knowledge it will never end.”

As for Brandeis and the social climate on our campus, Vega ended on this note, “[Brandeis] prides on [its] name, yet it falls short. We must continue to fight.”

Professor Leanne Day leaves Brandeis for University of Hawai’i AAPI, from page 1

about PI [Pacific Islander] and centering PI voices and in a community I feel very strongly about,” she told The Hoot.

Day accepted a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Hawai’i at Manoa (UH Manoa) for fall 2019 and a tenure-track position at UH Hilo in Pacific Islander, Hawai’i, and Asian American literary and cultural studies— according to a statement released by the BAATF. The dual position means that she will not have to reapply for her position but will immediately go into a tenure-track professorship following the completion of her postdoctoral work.

Day believes the biggest impact she will leave on Brandeis campus is “raising the consciousness that PI is not equivalent to AA [Asian American],” she told The Hoot in an interview.

“The students are recognizing those differences and have the

tools and intellectual knowledge to support why they’re different...

They have the tools to articulate and advocate and show that one is not higher than the other.”

Day’s departure from Brandeis does not invalidate the support of an AAPI Studies program on campus, said BAATF in a statement.

Day’s departure is instead a call for the urgency of this type of program. The Task Force submitted a formal petition with over 500 signatures from the Brandeis community for a faculty position in Pacific Islander Studies to university management in spring 2019—according to their statement.

Through this petition and other work by Task Force, Yuri Doolan was hired as the first tenure-track assistant professor in AAPI Studies at Brandeis, according to an earlier Hoot article.

Day has two main hopes for the AAPI Studies program at Brandeis. The first is that it re-

mains a collaborative effort between the students and faculty.

“I hope it is a concerted effort to build together,” she told The Hoot.

“And it’s an ongoing conversation that is collaborative.”

Her second hope is that the program maintains longevity.

Day believes that the only way to maintain the program in the long run is to hire more professors in order to make the program last.

“I hope the program continues beyond this particular group of students,” she said.

Day initially chose to come to Brandeis for her postdoctoral work when she visited campus and met with BAATF members in March 2017.

Day explained how researching a school online significantly differs from being on campus and interacting with students. “I felt really inspired by what they [the Task Force] was doing and that was reinforced by the way that the faculty talked about these students,” Day told The Hoot in an

interview.

While at Brandeis, Day’s postdoctoral research looked towards converting her dissertation into a book manuscript.

Her first year at Brandeis focused on converting just one chapter into a publishable article, while during her second year, she revised her entire dissertation for her manuscript.

Day will continue with her postdoctoral work while at the UH Manoa.

There, she will focus on a different angle of Pacific Islander studies by studying the manuscripts of former Senator Daniel Inouye.

Even though this is a new project, Day explained there is much overlap in the topics that she’s studying.

Day decided to go into AAPI Studies when she was in college after randomly signing up for an introductory AAPI course. After completing her senior thesis on Hawai’i and local literature and taking a few gap years, Day felt

like she still didn’t answer all the questions that her senior thesis asked, which is what led her to want to pursue AAPI Studies as a career.

She also noticed the different nuances of ethnic studies groups on the east coast compared to the west coast.

Day was raised in Hawai’i and completed her education all along the west coast of the U.S. “I went to west coast [schools] that had a strong ethnic studies consciousness,” she told The Hoot. “It was almost surprising to see that all the country’s universities were not like that.” “[African and Afro-American Studies] AAAS helps build the demand and awareness, and because of this, I really believe indigenous studies is really flourishing,” she said.

She noticed that AAAS programs were very strong on the east coast but believes that there is a growing variety of ethnic studies on the east coast.

4 NEWS

The Brandeis Hoot

September 13, 2019

Director of Student Accessibility Services to retire after 14 years at Brandeis

By Celia Young editor

The director of Student Accessibility Support (SAS), Beth Rodgers-Kay, is retiring from Brandeis after 14 years at the university, wrote Accessibility Specialist for Undergraduate Students Kaitlyn Rogers in a Sept. 6 email obtained by The Brandeis Hoot.

Rodgers-Kay’s final day at Brandeis will be around the middle of this month, wrote Dean of Academic Services Erika Smith to The Hoot in an email. Academic Services will be posting the open position (director of Student Accessibility Support) next week, wrote Smith.

Rogers sent an email on Sept.

6 to students Rodgers-Kay did or intended to check-in with, read the email, which also contained a message from Rodgers-Kay. “I am so very sorry not to see each of you through this year; I’ll miss watching the effort, growth and accomplishments I know you will make.

I know that the SAS team that continues is capable, dedicated and ready to support your ’19 to ’20 year,” the email read.

“Please let them know how they can be of help to you and give them the chance to do so. I am cheering for them and for you!”

Rodgers-Kay provided SAS a list of students for the department to check in with, and a list of students who should continue weekly and or bi-weekly check-ins with the department, according to the email.

Rogers apologized for announcing Rodgers-Kay’s retirement in an email, writing that she wanted recipients to have the information as soon as possible. The larger Brandeis community learned of her retirement in a Justice article on Tuesday.

Ellie Hulan ’22 spoke about Rodgers-Kay’s retirement, which she said was surprising because on July 3, Rodgers-Kay sent an update email about SAS with no mention of her retirement. Hulan said the email seemed like “business as usual.”

Rodgers-Kay was Hulan’s advisor during the last academic year, helping her coordinate with professors and working with her when she was taking a medical underload.

Hulan said Rodgers-Kay was very knowledgeable and proactive when working with her.

“It was really nice to have someone who was very proactive and very obviously well-informed,” said Hulan. “She always seemed overwhelmed, but she had it together. I know she was very

busy… but she never let anything drop. She was doing a lot.”

Rodgers-Kay has worked in higher education since 1989, according to her biography on Brandeis’ website, and was responsible for determining accommodations and services to students with disabilities.

The Hoot reached out to Rodgers-Kay, Rogers, Smith and Accessibility Specialist for Graduate Students Scott Lapinski for comment. The Hoot was referred to Smith, who gave a brief comment.

“She [Rodgers-Kay] is working closely with us to transition her projects, and, more importantly, support for students with whom she has worked,” wrote Smith to The Hoot. We are glad for her partnership on this,” she continued. “While we conduct a search for Beth’s successor, our excellent staff will continue to work hard to serve students’ needs.”

Rodgers-Kay responded with an automatic email reply that she is out of the office and will not check her email at this time and referred the sender to Rogers, Lapinski and two other SAS employees.

Rodgers-Kay’s retirement comes after students have advocated for more accessibility on the Brandeis campus for students with disabilities. As early as 2007, students who used

wheelchairs said they struggled to navigate the Brandeis campus with an increasing number of potholes and detours, according to a Brandeis Hoot article.

Rodgers-Kay spoke about the Office of Admissions efforts to create more livable sophomore residence halls for students with disabilities in 2007, including the installation of automatic doors, a ramp and some construction work. Since then, Brandeis has continued to see student activism surrounding accessibility and SAS. In November 2018, students formed an advocacy group and sent a letter asking university President Ron Liebowitz to hold an open forum on accessibility, which occurred on Jan. 23, 2019, where many students expressed their frustration with accessibility at Brandeis.

“At its core, our message is simple: when access is increased for all students with disabilities, Brandeis will move closer to truly fulfilling its mission,” read the letter.

The letter itself also contained anonymous testimonials criticizing SAS. Testimonies included student difficulties with gaining temporary parking passes during illness flare ups, limited health center resources, unresponsive or dismissive professors, problems with finding appropriate

university housing and difficulty meeting with SAS employees.

The testimonies included an individual who said that “I have been struggling with health problems for a while and when I was arranging for medical leave, Beth from Accommodations told me to give up on a college because I was clearly incapable of finishing my college degree.”

The only person in both SAS and the Academic Services department to have the first name “Beth” is Rodgers-Kay, according to the Academic Services and SAS online staff pages.

The forum, held in January 2019, identified several issues on the Brandeis campus for students with disabilities, including transportation, housing, quality of dining hall food and the amount of paperwork needed to prove learning disabilities—leading students to feel like second class citizens.

Just a few days after the forum, Liebowitz announced the formation of The Task Force on the Student Living/Learning Living Experience at Brandeis to address structural improvements on campus, and, in late February, another forum was held which identified priorities including physical accessibility on campus, changing Brandeis’ culture around accessibility and SAS.

New VP of operations to join Brandeis in October

By Emma Lichtenstein editor

Brandeis hired its new vice president of campus operations, Lois A. Stanley, who will begin her new role on Oct. 15. Stanley’s responsibilities include overseeing “Facilities Services, Public Safety, Capital Programs, Events Management, Dining Services, Health and Safety, Sustainability, Emergency Management and University Services,” according to an email from Executive Vice President for Finance and Administration Stewart Uretsky.

After she applied last spring,

Stanley heard back fairly quickly, she wrote to The Brandeis Hoot in an email.

“The position is a strong fit with my background in higher education campus operations.

Brandeis University was also a big draw for me, especially because of its principles of social justice, diversity and inclusiveness,” Stanley wrote to The Hoot.

Stanley is the current capital renewal and campus planning director at Tufts University. She has worked at the university for over four years now, and during her time there, helped develop Tufts’ first comprehensive fiveyear capital planning process.

“Lois oversaw strategic planning and implementation for Tufts’ deferred maintenance program and led the early planning and programing for all crossschool capital projects in recent years, totaling 450,000 square feet for social sciences, life sciences and engineering, Tisch College, visual and media arts, the Gordon Institute and data-intensive studies,” read the email from Uretsky.

Stanley expanded on her work on deferred maintenance at Tufts in an email to The Hoot.

“At Tufts, I created the first campus planning department.

Our office provides many services to the university including…

steering campus-wide initiatives like all-gender restrooms and increasing social spaces, long-term capital planning in partnership with Finance, and, most recently, for launching a university-wide space governance initiative.”

Prior to her time at Tufts, Stanley worked for eight years at Harvard.

Stanley earned several degrees, including a bachelor of science in business management from Virginia Tech, a master of city planning degree from Georgia Tech, and a Ph.D. in urban studies and planning from MIT, according to the email from Uretsky.

Stanley will be taking over for Interim Vice President Dick

Reynolds, who stepped in after previous vice president, Jim Gray, left. Gray worked on many projects at Brandeis, including closing down part of the Castle, opening Skyline and reducing the university’s carbon footprint. Gray had worked at Brandeis for five years but left in April 2019 to join Smith College as the associate vice president for facilities and operations.

According to a March 2019 article from The Hoot, Gray said, “I was receptive when Smith reached out to me through an executive recruiting firm largely because of the attractiveness to me and my partner of Northampton and Western Mass, which we like very much.”

Research shows integration of perceptual and conceptual information

By Emma Lichtenstein and Sabrina Chow editors

A psychology professor from the University of Toronto spoke about the relationship between the processing of perceptual and conceptual information in the brain to members of the Brandeis community gathered in the Gerstenzang Science Library. Dr. Morgan Barense spoke about her lab’s research on memory and perception, and on how the brain processes our perceptual and conceptual information to learn more about our surroundings.

The main findings of her research demonstrated that there is a relationship between the processing perceptual and conceptual information in the perirhinal cortex. Barense went onto explain the two types of distractors that their study utilized: visual and conceptual.

A visual distractor is words that look visually similar to the target word, such as a hair dryer and gun. Both are similar shapes and therefore a visual distractor. A conceptual distractor is a word that is in similar context with the target word, for example, hair dryer and comb. Both are used on your hair, so they have a conceptual connection.

“The perirhinal cortex is densely connected with regions throughout the ventrovisual stream that are known to be important,” explained Barense. “[This is] critical for visual object perception and . . . known to be important for abstract conceptual processing.”

Barense’s talk focused on four regions of interest in the brain: the lateral occipital cortex (LOC), parahippocampal cortex, the temporal pole and the perirhinal cortex (PRC). She highlighted in her talk that the lateral occipital cortex is “important for visual

perception,” the parahippocampal cortex can represent “contextual associations of objects,” the temporal pole is known “to be critical for conceptual processing,” and finally, the PRC is where “we expected to observe convergence.”

She went onto explain how visual tasks can be described both visually and conceptually, which demonstrates the evidence for integration.

“If when participants are making visual judgments, and their patterns of brain data, you can describe that conceptual similarities of those objects, that is evidence that the conceptual attributes are integrated,” Barense explained.

“They’re coming along for the ride on these visual judgements.”

Since publishing their findings, Barense’s lab has begun the second phase of their trial. Preliminary research shows that brains are less distracted by the visual distractor, but extremely distracted

by the conceptual word, she said.

In this study, participants used a touch screen device. They were to hold their finger on a starting location, and then drag that finger to the target word based on the color they lit up after a few seconds of seeing the words in black and white.

Data from their recent study showed that when met with two words that contain visually similar concepts, participants had a very distinct curve, moving their finger at first straight, and then to the side of the target about halfway through the screen. When met with two words that contain contextually similar concepts, however, participants stayed in the middle of the two targets significantly longer, having to think more about their decision.

Barense’s Memory & Perception Lab mainly sees “how the brain enables the mind,” according to the lab’s website. At

the Memory & Perception Lab, she mainly focuses on how to use advancements in cognitive neuroscience to reduce the effects of memory loss illnesses.

Barense earned her bachelor’s from Harvard University and her Ph.D. from the University of Cambridge. She started her career at the University of Toronto as a member of the faculty before she was promoted to associate professor in 2014. This past year, she was promoted to full professor. Barense has won many awards, most notably the Early Investigator Award and Lifetime Fellowship from the Society of Experimental Psychologists.

Barense’s talk was hosted

by Professor Angela Gutchess (PSYC) and is part of the M.R. Bauer Colloquium Series. The next talk in the series will be Tuesday, Oct. 8 at 12:30 p.m. with Survya Ganguli, a Stanford professor, in Gerstenzang 121.

September 13, 2019

SPORTS 5

The Brandeis Hoot

Class of 2023 is majority of voter turnout in election ELECTION, from page 1

cent of the votes respectively.

Piñeiro was the senior treasurer of his high school and led fundraisers for multiple projects. “To play a role in hearing and supplementing the passions of those on campus is the best way I can see myself spending my time,” wrote Piñeiro in his candidate biography.

Fiesinger decided to run because she was involved in student government in high school and because she felt like certain student groups got more funding and attention than others in high school.

“I want to make sure that every club has a fair shot, so they can run,” said Fiesinger to The Brandeis Hoot. “I want [the community] to know that their concerns deserve to be heard. I feel like people discuss with their friends what they want to be changed, but they don’t [talk] to the necessary people to get change happened.

Although I’m a freshman and I’m new to campus, I’m open to talking to other people and listening to what they want done.”

Marshall Smith ’21, who ran unopposed, was reelected for the two-semester racial minority representative seat with 145 of 207 votes.

“Primarily this year, I plan to increase the amount of funding that clubs get,” Smith told The Hoot.

“I know that in previous years and under a different administration, clubs received less funding or more stringent funding. Now with the budget the school has given us, we can give clubs more funding to host more or bigger events. If they want to do more traveling, we can help fund that as well. We can spend more before the school takes it from us.”

He said that he will give his “absolute best to make sure that funds are allocated properly and efficiently across campus.”

The winner of the uncontested three-semester representative seat is Rebecca Shaar ’21, with 315 out of 460 votes.

Shaar was co-chair of A-Board last semester and said she felt an obligation to run for the position because the knowledge she gained last semester would be key to the board. Her goals include making the process of getting money easier for clubs and making sure money is allocated equitably.

“I think we should make it easier for clubs to get money to get the funding that they want,” Schaar said in an interview with The Hoot. “I think the fact that we have an expanding budget means we should be more generous to clubs, so it’s going to be my initia-

tive to make sure that we’re spending the money we have wisely but also being as kind as possible.”

As co-chair, Shaar said that she has seen A-Board evolve and is optimistic about the board’s future relationship with the Student Union and in managing their now $2.4 million budget.

Senate-Quad Positions

Out of the four candidates running for the position of Senator of Massell Quad, Dariel Jimenez ’23 was elected with 48 out of 148 votes.

Jimenez said he will work to “shape our shared spaces.”

“As a first year student, just like many of you, I am also trying to quickly adjust to a new lifestyle here at Brandeis,” wrote Jimenez in his candidate biography. “I understand that this is a big change and that is why I am so passionate about making Massell Quad feel more like a home for all of us.”

Krupa Sourirajan ’23 was voted in as Senator for North Quad with 39.42 percent of the total vote.

Sourirajan said she decided to run because she wanted to fix a lot around North Quad and because her friends encouraged her.

Sourirajan hopes to implement a monthly event called “Fun with the Quad” where North Quad students can spend time together cooking, playing games and drinking hot chocolate. In addition, Sourirajan would like to add hammocks to North Quad to provide more space for students to socialize. She also hopes to improve living conditions in North Quad by adding command hooks and shelving to bathrooms. “I would love to change and improve the living conditions for everyone,” said Sourirajan in her candidate biography.

“Thank you so much for electing me to serve in this position,” said Sourirajan. “I’m grateful for everyone who voted. I just want to make… better living condition[s] [in North Quad].”

Priyata Bhatta ’22 won the seat for Senator for East Quad with 13 of the 17 total votes after running unopposed.

Bhatta’s plans for office include improving access to drinking water since there are not water fountains on all the floors, improving problems caused by infrastructural issues such as the bug infestation and the “unpleasant odor in various floors” and trying to create a comfortable environment of coexistence by holding events to encourage the interaction of different groups, ideologies, passions, religions and cultural experiences.

“I will be living in East Quad for

at least another year, and I think it is necessary to make sure that it is a comfortable environment so that everybody can feel like this is not just another quad but their home.”

Leah Fernandez ’22 won the seat for Senator for Rosenthal and Skyline quads, with 19 of the 23 votes after running unopposed.

Fernandez wants to advocate for improvements in infrastructure for the laundry rooms, showers and kitchens. She also hopes to facilitate better access to Community Advisors, maintenance services and student representatives. Fernandez previously worked as the Secretary for the Society of Asian Scientists and Engineers (SASE) as well as the International Students and Scholars Office as a Global Fellow and orientation leader for international students. “I believe that my experience in academic and extracurricular activities on campus have put me in a unique position to represent you and give back to our community,” said Fernandez in her candidate biography.

Cindy Yao ’22 is the new Senator for Village Quad and 567 South Street after running unopposed, receiving 16 out of the 23 votes.

Yao heard about the Student Union Senate through her friend and former Senator for North Quad David Hui ’22 and wanted to help the Brandeis community.

Yao wants to focus on improving basic facilities so that everyone in her quad can be safe and healthy and can connect with the larger Brandeis community, she said in an interview with The Hoot.

“Before I do anything really fancy, I should make sure that basic facilities are good and make sure everyone’s safe and healthy,” Yao said. “My main goal as the senator for Village and 567 is to improve our quad residents’ school life quality,” said Yao in her candidate biography.

In the race for Senator for Ziv and Ridgewood Quads, Sagar Punjabi ’21 won 78 percent of the vote unopposed.

“I’m trying to get more involved on campus and with the processes that impact the students,” said Punjabi in an interview with The Hoot.

Over the summer, Punjabi became interested in politics and said, “This is something I could really see myself getting involved in.” Although Punjabi has not held a leadership role, he has been involved in a variety of clubs, including the boxing club, Brazilian club, Jiu Jitsu club and Deis Robotics team.

While in office, Punjabi wants to see change in two areas in

particular: housing and food.

“To me, it seems like housing and food are some of the most impactful things on a student’s life,” Punjabi said, “What you eat can really affect you.”

Punjabi is ready to assume this role, though he said, “Good change always takes time.” He spoke about how hopeful he is to positively impact the lives of students during this school year.

Oliver Price ’20 is the new Senator for the Charles River Apartments with 17 of the 26 votes after running unopposed.

Price wants to make Brandeis more sustainable by banning the sale of disposable plastic water bottles. He served as the Charles River Senator during his sophomore year and participated in the Sustainability Committee, which introduced Brandeis Sustainability Ambassadors. Price also contributed to managing the Brandeis Sustainability Fund, which invested in energy efficient lights and thermostats for campus. “I want to continue to be involved in the Sustainability Committee this year and work towards a more sustainable Brandeis,” Price said in his candidate biography.

Trevor Filseth ’20 won the Foster Mods Quad seat with 10 of the 17 votes after running unopposed. Filseth was the Class of 2020 Senator last year for about six months, he said, and ran because he enjoyed the work of student government and felt that no one else would step up to the role.

“I’m used to being in the Union, and I enjoy it,” Filseth said. “The fact that I’m the only person in the Foster Mods interested in doing this is kind of sad.”

Filseth hopes to increase student engagement and is interested in joining the committees he learned about and served on last year: the Senate Sustainability Committee (SenSus) and the dining committee.

Alison Liebowitz ’20 is the winner of the election of Senator to the Off-Campus Students with 44 percent of the votes.

Although Liebowitz does not have previous experience in student government, she said that she believes that as a transfer student, living off-campus her entire time at Brandeis has given her insight on what the community needs as a whole.

“I think my strength is that I am just one person. I recognize that,” Liebowitz said. “I’m willing to listen to a bunch of different voices, and give people tools without forcing anything on anybody.” Her platform would require simply listening to the opin-

ions of peers and implementing changes according to community needs, according to Liebowitz.

She hopes that becoming a part of the Student Union is a good way to get to know a variety of people in the diverse community of Brandeis. “I want to give people the opportunity to get more connected and also to branch off.”

Senate-Racial Minority Senator Joyce Huang ’22 won the seat for Racial Minority Senator, running uncontested. “I wanted to take on a challenge,” Huang said.

“It is the duty of every student to make changes on campus.”

She has three goals for her time in office. Huang will strive to make Asian culture clubs on campus more inclusive of South Asian students, as these groups, according to her, are currently primarily targeted towards Central Asian students. She also plans on organizing events for specific minority groups to allow them to connect with one another. Finally, Huang wants to start an online forum where students would be able to reach out with concerns they have.

Huang stated that she will make sure that the voices of her constituents are heard during Senate meetings by not allowing any issues they face be dismissed.

Senate-Class Positions Janice Huang ’23 and Yitong (Skye) Liu ’23, receiving 31.4 percent and 28.1 percent respectively, were elected the Senators for the Class of 2023.

Huang wants to improve the facilities in Massell and North Quads and represent her class’ voice, according to her candidate biography.

Liu served in student government in high school, as per her candidate biography, where she promised to fight for the student body.

Senate-MKTYP Senator Erik Lambrecht ’23 received six out of the 10 votes for the senator to the Myra Kraft Transitional Program (MKTYP).

Lambrecht wants to give students from the transitional program more of a voice on campus.

“I would strive to make sure students within the program’s voices are heard amongst the rest of the Brandeis community, making the experience more seamless and divide nonexistent,” Lambrecht said in his candidate biography.

Waltham at moderate, low risk for two illnesses MOSQUITO, from page 1

nings you wear long sleeve clothing and socks and use repellent.”

EEE, generally spread by mosquito bites, is a rare disease that can cause severe illness and death—especially in people under the age of 15—according to the DPH. West Nile Virus, which poses a higher risk for people over 50, can cause symptoms ranging from a mild fever to encephalitis or meningitis and is most commonly spread through mosquito bites.

The best way to protect from infections is avoiding exposure to mosquito bites.

The CDC offers the following advice to prevent EEE: “Use insect repellent containing DEET, picaridin, IR3535

or oil of lemon eucalyptus on exposed skin and/or clothing.

The repellent/insecticide permethrin can be used on clothing to protect through several washes. Always follow the directions on the package.

Wear long sleeves and pants when weather permits.

Have secure, intact screens on windows and doors to keep mosquitoes out.

Eliminate mosquito breeding sites by emptying standing water from flower pots, buckets, barrels, and other containers. Drill holes in tire swings so water drains out. Keep children’s wading pools empty and on their sides when they aren’t being used.”

People can take similar actions to protect from West Nile Vi-

rus, according to the DPH, and includes wearing long sleeved clothes, avoiding outdoor activities during dusk and dawn— when mosquitoes are most active—as well as using DEET and removing standing water.

Mosquito repellent is available at several on campus locations and events including athletic events, the front desk of Gosman Athletic Center, student activities events, the Shapiro Campus Center (SCC) information desk, the Dean of Students Office, through Community Advisors and in some retail outlets on campus, according to an email released to the student body.

The Hoot confirmed that the campus convenience store, and the bookstore does not sell bug spray, said employees from both locations.

Massachusetts has seen seven human cases of EEE and one death this season, according to a Sept. 10 press release by the DPH. Usually only five to 10 cases are reported annually in the United States, according to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), and only four to five percent of EEE virus infections result in the disease.

People infected with West Nile Virus usually take two to six days before developing symptoms, according to the CDC. Those infected with EEE usually take four to 10 days before developing symptoms and, according to the CDC, there are limited treatment options.

While 80 percent of people exposed to West Nile Virus will exhibit no symptoms, 20 percent will have fever, headache, body aches, nausea, vomiting, rash

and sometimes swollen lymph glands, according to the DPH. Less than one percent of those infected will develop severe illness, including encephalitis or meningitis.

The symptoms of encephalitis and meningitis can include high fever, headache, neck stiffness, stupor, disorientation, coma, tremors, convulsions, muscle weakness, vision loss, numbness and paralysis, according to the DPH. People who experience these symptoms almost always need to be hospitalized, according to the DPH, and though the symptoms may only last several weeks neurological effects can be permanent.

Of the less than one percent infected who develop a severe illness, approximately 10 percent will die from the infection, according to the DPH.

FEATURES

6 The Brandeis Hoot

September 13, 2019

Ali Hagani ’22 advocates for women’s rights, political activism

By Sabrina Chow editor

Since coming to Brandeis over a year ago, Alison Hagani ’22 has always wanted to make a change not only on campus, but in the country. She is majoring in sociology with minors in legal studies and Social Justice, Social Policy (SJSP). Outside of academics, she is a Peer Advocate and Violence Prevention Educator at Brandeis’ Prevention, Advocacy and Resource Center (PARC), a representative at The Right to Immigration Institute (TRII) and is involved in Brandeis Democrats. She is also an Undergraduate Departmental Representative (UDR) for the Sociology department. But her biggest role is outside of Brandeis campus and with the College Democrats of Massachusetts (CDMA).

Hagani started her work with CDMA when she attended their winter summit in February 2019 with Brandeis Democrats. “At the summit, I got to meet politically involved students from universities all across Massachusetts, think more critically about statewide registration and started to view at least my political involvement as something intangibly linked to social reform and grassroots lobbying,” she wrote to The Brandeis Hoot in an email.

CDMA is the Massachusetts state-wide branch of the national College Democrats of America.

CDMA has chartered chapters in universities all across Massachusetts and holds events and encourages political activism from the community, Hagani told The Hoot. She added that “as part of this initiative, CDMA has several caucuses all devoted to the

advocacy and representation of certain identities and causes.”

“The importance of CDMA lies mostly in the fact that it harnesses the efforts of students across Massachusetts and brings them together under a shared goal of political activeness and social reform,” Hagani told The Hoot. “There is something so fundamentally important about a group of similarly-motivated students from across Massachusetts bringing their different perspectives, identities, experiences and insights together to fight for positive social change.”

CDMA has endorsed a few candidates across Massachusetts ahead of the upcoming 2019 elections, including Rebecca Lisi for Holyoke’s City Councilor-At-Large and Erica Scott-Pacheo for Mayor of Fall River, Massachusetts, Hagani told The Hoot.

The organization as a whole does not endorse specific presidential candidates until the primaries are complete. Hagani did note that many CDMA members are canvassing and working for various presidential campaigns.

“The wide-range of support for a plethora of different candidates truly reflects how CDMA members—while ultimately united under a common goal—still differ in priorities, perspectives, ideologies and more,” she wrote. “It makes our group more diverse and calls for better discussions.”

These caucuses provide like-minded students in Massachusetts the opportunity to meet and “promote statewide legislative advocacy and education in support of a certain cause or issue,” Hagani added. Being a sociology major with a political

focus, she approaches politics “with a very humanitarian and socially-conscious lenses” and was intrigued to hear there was a caucus within CDMA that was focused on women’s rights. She applied for caucus chair and was elected by the executive board of CDMA in Summer 2019.

Hagani says she was drawn to CDMA because of their emphasis on action and reform. “Especially in our sometimes-disheartening current political and societal environment, the chance to work alongside fellow college students who are similarly motivated is truly the antidote to any feelings of helplessness,” she wrote. She added that CDMA also sustains her personal activism.

The CDMA’s Women’s Caucus “advocates for the rights, representation and freedom of women across Massachusetts and beyond,” Hagani told The Hoot.

“We achieve this through outreach, events and programming, education, advocacy, community-building and representation.”

She works alongside Vice Chair Sophia Ventura, a junior at UMass Amherst, in the CDMA’s Women’s Caucus. At the moment, the caucus is focused on mobilizing members and creating their legislative agenda. Hagani went onto speak about the work that the Women’s Caucus has done with The Every Voice Coalition to mobilize CDMA chapters to hold letter-writing events at their chapter meetings. “The letter-writing would call on the House Chair of the Joint Committee on Higher Education in Massachuesetts State Legislature to bring critical sexual violence prevention bills to a vote,” said Hagani.

Hagani hopes that the Wom-

en’s Caucus will continue to fight for “affirmative policies, candidates and initiatives that will holistically protect and enhance the rights of women.”

Going beyond this, she also recognizes that there are certain issues (gender inequality and sexism) that are not very clear on the surface and hopes to mobilize students across Massachusetts to advocate for reform on these issues. Hagani added that the Women’s Caucus will also, hopefully, become a “community of empowerment and celebration.”

Even though a lot of the work within CDMA is about mobilizing the community, Hagani also focused on the importance of going out and using voting power, whether it be on the national level or at school. When asked, “Why vote?” Hagani cited her own personal experiences. This past summer, she interned at the Legal Aid Society (LAS) in New York City with their Immigration Law Unit. There she met with Deferred Action for Childhood Arrival (DACA) recipients to renew their status. “The individuals I assisted at LAS were so fun to talk to, kind, funny, intelligent and so much more, but their futures in America were always in jeopardy due to shifting administrations and inadequate policies,” she told The Hoot.

She encourages everyone to “vote for yourself and the candidates and policies that align with your own priorities and causes,” she said. “Being able to vote is a fundamental American right that everyone should be able to utilize, but it is also an immense privilege—I encourage everyone to use that privilege to vote for candidates who uphold the values and

the vision of America that not only most align with theirs but are the most inclusive and welcoming.”

After college, Hagani plans to go to law school and pursue a career in legal advocacy or nonprofit work. She intends to stay involved with politics even if it isn’t part of her career. “College Democrats of Massachusetts has taught me a lot about how laws, policies, candidates and decisions should always reflect the needs and desires of the community and its inhabitants,” she told The Hoot.

Hagani also spoke about putting herself in the headspace of those who may not be as privileged as her. “Beyond this, it’s critical that I am constantly assessing not only how I can be a voice for those not present, but how I can bring them into that decision-making process, as well,” she wrote to The Hoot. “CDMA has further opened my eyes to the necessity of these active commitments.”

She also said in an email that it’s never too late to get involved with politics. “Political activism can manifest in so many forms, including voting, encouraging others to vote or staying informed,” she told The Hoot. “If you harness a drive to improve this country, then your perspective, your voice and your knowledge and experience—to whatever extent you have it—is still crucial in this fight, and I encourage you to get involved in whatever way you can.

Hagani told The Hoot that on Wednesday, Sept. 18 at 7 p.m. and 8 p.m., Brandeis Pro-Choice and Brandeis Democrats will be hosting a letter-writing event, respectively. The Feminist Majority Leadership Alliance (FMLA) will also be hosting a letter-writing event on Tuesday, Sept. 24 at 8 p.m.

A life-long orgo prof. in the making

By Emily Botto editor

Although Professor Kristen Mascall (CHEM) is in her sixth year at Brandeis University, she still has a campus map clipped to one of the drawers in her office, maybe because most of her time is spent within the labyrinthine halls of the Shapiro Science Center (SSC). Her office is tucked away in a hidden corner of the SSC, her only window looking out onto the lab space she uses to teach her favorite and, as of now only, class: organic chemistry.

Organic chemistry, what Professor Mascall calls her “baby,” is a class full of mostly sophomore pre-med students. Professor Mascall also taught general chemistry in her first year at Brandeis, which is populated by mostly first-years.

She said that during her time teaching freshmen, she discovered that most of them are “just trying to figure things out.” They “don’t know what’s out there,” she said, and therefore haven’t decided the direction they want to take with their college careers and their lives.

Professor Mascall, like most people, relates to the lament of the freshmen, having been equally indecisive in her first years as a college student. She grew up and attended undergrad on the island of Antigua in the Carib-

bean, but since she was enrolled in a “distance program,” she finished her last two years in Barbados, earning a bachelor’s degree in chemistry and mathematics.

She said that where she grew up, “chemistry professor” wasn’t a well-known job title. Most children were only accustomed to the mainstream professions like doctor, lawyer or nurse. According to Professor Mascall, this is part of the reason why she originally wanted to go to school to become a dentist, an idea carried over from childhood which was quickly dropped in undergrad when she realized what she loved was “being in the academic environment.” Her decision to become a professor was a result of a lifelong love of school and academia.

Chemistry wasn’t quite the lifelong affair, however. She decided to major in her favorite subject in school—math—but she wanted to add on a science major, and according to Professor Mascall, she “hated chemistry the least.”

It was only when she discovered organic chemistry that she really fell in love with the subject.

Her time at Brandeis has been “amazing, in one word,” Professor Mascall said. The students are the best thing about her experience because they are “so diverse . . . all the clubs that they’re in, where everybody came from, how they ended up at Brandeis,” she continued.

According to Professor Mascall, the relationships that she builds with these students allow her to learn from the students as they learn from her. She believes that, as a professor, it is important to have this relationship with students “so that your students remember that you are also a person.”

“One of the things that we’re here for is to help them,” she said.

Both to prevent students from feeling lost in the classroom and for recommendations and advice about the future. Presenting herself as an approachable professor allows her students to take advantage of the resource that she offers. This dedication to her students is reflected in her Louis Dembitz Brandeis Prize for Excellence in Teaching, a student and faculty nominated award, which she earned in 2018.In addition to Professor Mascall’s position as an organic chemistry professor, she is the only African American professor in the chemistry department and part of the mere one percent of African American professors at Brandeis.

Although she said she hasn’t felt treated differently by her peers, she does believe that her position is important to other diverse students. “Other people can see the potential, and see what’s possible,” she said. It lends another level to her job, “to have this opportunity, and to do it well, and to inspire other people,” she said.

IN THE LAB

Professor Mascall doing magic chemistry in the lab

Professor Mascall is leaving Brandeis at the end of the semester and moving to Connecticut to get married. Close by, but not close enough to commute, she said with a pout. “I don’t want people to think, ‘you found a better job than Brandeis, and so you’re just up and leaving,’” she said. Although she loves it here at Brandeis, and she’s sad to be leav-

PHOTO FROM FLICKR.COM

ing, “I’m looking forward to what’s next, and something different I could do,” she said.But Professor Mascall won’t be moving away until the end of the semester. In the meantime, she’s focusing on improving her organic chemistry labs. “It’s all about improving student’s experience,” she said. She’s excited to test out her new and improved experiments this fall.

September 13, 2019

The Brandeis Hoot

FEATURES 7

Study abroad fair pushes student boundaries

By Sabreen Huq special to the hoot

Pushing boundaries, exploring beyond our peripheral vision and snatching an opportunity while it lasts are but a few characteristics that students at Brandeis share.

Even with a course catalog that takes hours upon hours to sift through, students want more.

To adhere to its students’ greed for knowledge and new experiences, Brandeis has developed partnerships with premier academic institutions around the world to further their studies.

From London, Siena, Thailand, Cuba, Mongolia, Prague and more, Brandeis students are leaving their mark and collecting priceless memories along the way.

On Sept. 12, 2019, the Study

Abroad Office hosted its largest event of the year: the annual Study Abroad Fair in Levin Ballroom.

This event allowed students to interact with representatives and learn about more than 200 programs from 60 countries around the world that are being offered during the semester, summer or year.

Mr. William Breare-Hall, Student Recruitment and Study Abroad Manager from the London School of Economics (LSE) and Political Science briefly discussed the various opportunities at LSE. “Depending on the specific major/minor requirements decided by Brandeis’ various departments, students have been able to satisfy multiple requirements, and oftentimes even find themselves blending areas of interest through our diverse

STUDY ABROAD

Students congregate at the Study Abroad Fair while viewing the many programs.

list of courses,” Breare-Hall said.

Further elaborating on the breadth of courses offered at LSE, Breare-Hall continued to discuss how students who may be interested in the natural sciences, the social sciences, healthcare policy, international relations and more are all welcome to partake in both graduate and undergraduate level classes offered at LSE in each of the subjects mentioned.

Assistant Director of Study Abroad Alisha Cardwell briefly spoke about the internal workings of studying abroad.

“Our office works with each student to discuss their goals and interests and then continues to work with students through the application process, prior to departing, and then when returning to campus,” she said. The department ensures a

smooth application process and helps students make their experiences as fulfilling as possible.

Ruchir Chaturvedi ’20 said that for his recent semester abroad, “I applied through a program to go directly to a university in the United Kingdom, and being on the pre-medical track, I needed to find an option that would satisfy my interests in science and business, leading me to King’s College.”

Chaturvedi elaborated on his experience, “I was looking for a change in pace and really wanted to take advantage of an opportunity like this that I may not get again later on in my life.

I was met with a rigorous course-load, but found a balance between studying and enjoying my time in a country I had yet to visit in the past. My time away from Brandeis gave me the sense

PHOTOS FROM BRANDEIS.EDU

of independence and self-sufficiency that I was seeking.”

Various tables at the fair, such as those representing the University of Melbourne in Australia, stressed exactly that; being able to find the right fit, where a student can fulfill more than one interest. Similar to LSE, the University of Melbourne is not restricted to a few subjects, but rather offers an extensive list to choose from.

Students are expected to make a list of their areas of interest as a precursor to the formal application process, and will receive feedback regarding availability of courses, types of courses and more.

The Study Abroad Fair is a great way for students to jumpstart their futures abroad and learn to take advantage of the opportunity of a lifetime.

8 The Brandeis Hoot

“To acquire wisdom, one must observe.”

Editors-in-Chief Candace Ng Polina Potochevska Managing Editor Emily Botto Senior Copy Editor Natalie Fritzson Copy Editor Jennifer Cook Senior News Editor Celia Young News Editor Rachel Saal Arts Editor Jonah Koslofsky Opinions Editor Sasha Skarboviychuk Features Editor Shruthi Manjunath Sports Editor Sophie Trachtenberg Layout Editor Sabrina Chow Social Media Editor Emma Lichtenstein

Volume 16 • Issue 15 the brandeis hoot • brandeis university 415 south street • waltham, ma

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EDITORIALS

W

September 13, 2019

Hopes for a positive change

ith all the changes happening within the Student Union and university administration, we as an editorial board are unsure of how these internal instabilities will affect the student body. The administration has had a large staff turnover, and the Union has on occasion acted without the approval of the student body. Despite our past uncertainties, there is a lot of potential for positive change as new students arrive and members of the administration leave, especially with the recent election results for new Union members.

Student Union President Simran Tatuskar ’21 is in the first few weeks of her term. Fittingly after a semester of turbulent relations both within the Union and between the Union and the student body, Tatuskar’s campaign platform emphasized a more direct line of communication. Tatuskar also claimed in her campaign platform that she would be more approachable for students. Overall, it seems that Tatuskar hopes to break down the barriers between the student body and the Student Union, making the Union what it is meant to be: a place for students to come and voice any comments or concerns they might have about Brandeis in confidence.

In the past, we have encouraged the Union to do exactly as Tatuskar promised during her campaign— increase its transparency. Once the Union can accomplish this, the student body will understand its decisions and, more importantly, understand what the Union does

for Brandeis. As 17 new members are elected to various positions on the Student Union, we are hopeful to see what they have to offer, but we also want to reiterate the importance of keeping the student body informed.

The administration has had a similar problem with transparency, with student requests to reveal more about what is happening behind the scenes. These requests gained traction with recent events that resulted in a complete rearrangement of the athletics department. The shock waves from the firing of basketball coach Brian Meehan after a university investigation into his conduct and the resulting resignations and terminations affected the rest of the administration, causing the rearrangement of many high level administration positions.

The investigation demonstrated several problems with Brandeis’ complaint processes and how personal relationships between administrators, such as those between Meehan and his superiors, can cause a blatant disregard for students’ rights. As a university, we cannot forget the mistakes of the past for fear of repeating them in the future. The decision to hold and subsequently disclose the findings of the independent investigation was commendable, but action to counter discrimination at Brandeis cannot end with one investigation.

It must be a continual choice by administrators to act with transparency and actively combat it on a daily basis.

The recent expansion of the

Ombuds Office provides an additional confidential resource to the Brandeis community. Two of the three past part-time Ombuds staff members have transitioned into full-time staff members, according to an email from Provost Lisa Lynch on Aug. 29. The Ombuds Office is in direct communication with the administration and releases reports quarterly showing recent trends with complaints and gives recommendations to the administration.

On this same plane, we, as a student body, must stand up for causes we believe in, in order for the administration to take notice and make changes. We especially echo various student groups’ call for changes in accessibility and in ethnic studies.

As an institution dedicated to social justice, inclusion and diversity, we should be open to all students. But as Brandeis saw last year through a student letter sent to University President Ron Liebowitz, although the administration’s trajectory is promising, we are far from being a truly accessible campus. Several locations on campus remain inaccessible to students who use wheelchairs, and closed captioning could be better adopted across university classes and presentations.

Overall, it’s not just about the administration or the students.

It’s about the interaction between the two, and one of the Union’s responsibilities is to act as a bridge.

The Brandeis Hoot editorial board hopes that this upcoming year, the Union will act as a voice for the student body and the administration will act as a voice for the communi-

SPORTS

September 13, 2019

The Brandeis Hoot 9

Men’s soccer picks up two major wins

By Emerson White staff

This weekend, the Brandeis men’s soccer team added two wins to its record by beating the Clark University Cougars 2-1 on Wednesday and the Babson University Beavers 2-1 on Saturday.

With these two wins, the Judges improve their record to 3-1 on the season while the Cougars fall to 1-1 and the Beavers fall to 2-1.

Their first match of the week against Cougars was electric as the game went into overtime after the Cougars were able to net a goal in the 88th minute of play.

The Judges and Cougars were scoreless at the end of the first half despite the Judges efforts, outshooting the Cougars 9-2. The game was tied 0-0 at the 54 minute mark, when midfielder Noah Gans ’21 headed the ball into the net off a cross from Dylan Hennessy ’20. This gave Gans his first goal of the season and the fifth of his career.

Brandeis had almost closed out the game with the lead 1-0 when in the final two minutes of play tensions rose and fouls were drawn. Three yellow cards were

given out to Gans, Max Brriter, and Alex Walter, the Cougars were able to draw a free kick from one of the cards and Cougars’s Trevor Sheridan sent the ball to Evan Jurkowski who was able to connect with the net.

The game was sent to overtime and the Cougars were able to withstand two shots on goal from the Judges by Hennessey and Will DeNight ’23.

Then, only 59 seconds into the second overtime period, midfielder Colin Panarra ’20 sent the ball to Breiter who got the game winning goal for the Judges.

Overall, Brandeis outshot Cougars 18-6 for the game and also had 11 corners to Cougars’s three.

Then on Saturday, the Judges took on Babson at home in their 67th meeting in their longtime rivalry. Although the Beavers were the first to score, the Judges were able to come out on top 2-1.

In the 26th minute of play Babson’s Youcef Ziad sent a cross through the box of the Judges and Liam Hanlon was able to connect with the net for the Beavers. After this goal the Judges were quick to respond.

Twelve minutes later, Hennessy sent a ball to DeNight who was

Volleyball drops three on the road

By Caroline Wang special to the hoot

Brandeis Volleyball competed in three matches this past weekend at the Connecticut College/ Coast Guard Invitational, competing against DeSales University, Johnson and Wales University and host, Connecticut College.

In their first match of the tournament, the DeSales Bulldogs took a strong 7-1 lead against the Judges in the first set. A kill

by Emma Bartlett ’20 broke the streak. Unfortunately, the Judges lost the first set 25-18 with a hitting percentage of 0.094.

The Judges lost the second set by the same exact margin. Once again, the Bulldogs started the set off strong with a 6-1 lead. The Judges were resilient in trying to take each point back, highlighted by a kill by Kaisa Newberg ‘22, who took Brandeis back to being down only 13-8. However, DeSales remained strong and took the set back to 23-11. However, the Judges did not give up on the last two points, coming in with 2 streaks of 4 straight points to end the set at 25-18.

Brandeis then was able to bounce back in the third set. Kills

by Bartlett, Newberg, and Belle Scott ‘21 helped the Judges take a commanding 13-9 lead.

They won the set 25-22 with a hitting percentage of 0.308. Despite this late push, the Judges struggled in the final set of the game, with the Bulldogs winning 25-21. Newberg tied her career best in blocks and kills during this game.

Day two of competition saw matches against the Johnson and Wales Wildcats and the Connecticut College Camels. The Judges lost both in 1-3 decisions.

Against Johnson and Wales, the Wildcats came out strong in

the first set, leading 8-2, and ultimately took the set 25-11. The second set saw similar results, with an impressive comeback from the Judges. They initially trailed 6-19, but fought back to see the scoreboard at 16-23. The Wildcats won the second set as well with a score of 25-18.

The Judges came back strong in the third set winning 25-20.

Marissa Borgert ’21 led Brandeis in assists, totalling 35 throughout the whole game.

They once again started out strong in the fourth set, taking the lead to 18-13. However, kills

by Johnson and Wales helped the Wildcats to close out the fourth at 25-21, and therefore taking the match.

Brandeis hit the road running in the final match of the tournament against Connecticut College, winning the first set 25-13.

According to the staticians, the team made just one error in their 29 attempts and finished the set with a 0.448 hitting percentage, a season-high.

While the rest of the match was extremely close between both teams, the Camels took charge, beating the Judges in the second and third sets with scores of 2523 and 26-24, respectively. In the third set, the Judges rallied from 22-17 to 24-23.

Following a timeout from Connecticut College, the team managed to find the strength to finish out the set.

In the final set of the game, Brandeis once again had two opportunities at set point. However, Connecticut College closed out the game on a 4-0 run with three kills and one service ace.

The Judges fall to 1-5 on the season, and will return to action on Sept. 13 against Bates College in their home opener in Red Auerbach Arena.

JAKE WARREN ‘20 PUSHES THE BALL UP THE FIELD.

able to move up the field to the top of the box and soar a shot into the net from 20 yards out. Despite outshooting the Beavers 11-5 in the first half the Judges went into halftime with the score tied 1-1.

But the Judges didn’t hesitate

in the second half. Babson was called for a foul giving Brandeis a free kick at the top left corner of the box. This allowed Adam Kulick ’23 to send a ball deep into the box giving Jake Warren the chance to head the ball into the

PHOTO FROM BRANDEISJUDGES.COM

goal. This was Warren’s second game winning goal in his career and first of the season. Goalkeeper Greg Irwin ’20 went on to make two big saves to allow the Judges to secure the win.

10 SPORTS

The Brandeis Hoot

September 13, 2019

Women’s soccer wins three straight, Carreiro garners offensive player of the week

By Camila Casanueva staff

The Brandeis University women’s soccer team defeated Bridgewater State University 3-0 in the Judges’ home opener at Gordon Field. It was quite the night for Juliette Carreiro ’22 as she netted her first career multiple-goal game. The start of the match was delayed by 45 minutes due to lightning but that did not slow down the Judges as they were on the board 12 minutes into the match. Carreiro opened the scoring in the 13th minute, after getting off the first seven shots of the game, she was able to steal the ball and dribbled in alone striking the lower-right side of the net.

The Judges would go on to double their lead in the 34th minute as a pair of rookies got on the board with their first collegiate points.

Midfielder Jessica Herman ’23 crossed a ball from the right side of the box over to fellow classmate Morgan Clark ’23 who punched it home for her first collegiate score.

The Judges concluded their scoring in the 50th minute as midfielder Daria Bakhtiari ’21 sent a ball from the right sideline, which Carreiro was able to pick up and chip it over the goalkeeper for her second goal of the game and third of her career.

Brandeis was able to outshoot Bridgewater State, 35-7, including 17-4 shots on goal, giving them the edge. In the goal, Victoria Richardson ’20 made three saves in the first 80-plus minutes of action, while Rebecca Gold ’22 made one diving stop in her 9-plus minutes.

In their second contest, the

Brandeis University women’s soccer team notched their first road win of the season on Saturday afternoon in dominant fashion, 7-0 over the home team, Johnson and Wales. The Judges came out of the gates strong as Makenna Hunt ’22 scored the first two of her five points on a goal assisted by Carreiro, who had five points of her own in the 5th minute.

The offence kept rolling for the Judges as Carreiro netted a goal of her own just 20 minutes later.

Continuing her dominant performance, Carreiro scored again in the 33rd minute off a Katie Romanovich ’21 assist, the first of her collegiate career, improving their lead to 3-0.

However, the Judges were not done yet as just before the half, Lauren Mastandrea ’22 netted a goal assisted by Jessica Herman, making it her second straight game with an assist. In the 53rd minute Emma Spector ’20 striked a ball into the back of the net for her first goal of the season, pushing the Judges lead to 5-0. Hunt would put another past the keeper in the 83rd minute and completing the scoring onslaught was Willa Molho ’21 who scored her first goal of the season off a Hunt assist in the 86th minute.

Although the Judges scoring was impressive in itself, their defense was just as dominant, especially the job done by goalkeepers Richardson and Gold. The two goalkeepers combined to face 5 shots on goal, saving all of them en route to the shutout win. Richardson had three to start to earn the win, while Gold had two in the second half.

On the road again, the Brandeis University women’s soccer team

took on Clark University. Led by Jessica Herman who scored her first two collegiate goals which would prove to be the only offense the Judges would need in a 2-0 victory. With the win, the Judges improved to 3-1 on the season, boosting their winning streak to 3 games. The first half started off slow as just five shots were taken, three for Brandeis, two for Clark.

In the second half, the offenses opened up as the Judges outshot Clark, 10-6. Herman finally broke through in the 62nd minute, as she fired an impressive shot from the right box that dove just under the crossbar for her first collegiate goal.

Katie Hayes ’20 was credited with an assist on the play. Herman would double the score in

OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK

the 78th minute as she took a long throw in and dribbled 10 yards to the top of the box before striking a similar ball from the left side.

With her two goals, Herman has notched a point in the last three games, all Brandeis wins. It also marks the Judges third straight game with a multi-goal scorer.

Herman nearly notched a hat trick but was denied in the final two minutes of regulation.

Goalkeeper Richardson made two second half saves to earn her first career solo shutout. The Judges have not allowed a goal since their season opener against MIT. Brandeis will return to action at home on Saturday afternoon at 1 p.m. as they host Babson for the 45th time, the most played rivalry in Brandeis women’s soccer histo-

ry.

The team had a terrific week, going 3-0 led by impressive performances by all players, but to little surprise Carreiro was selected at the University Athletic Association Women’s Soccer Offensive Player of the Week. This is her first career selection and Brandeis’s first UAA Athlete of the Week of the 2019-20 campaign.

Carreiro scored two goals against Bridgewater State University in a 3-0 victory, her first career multiple-goal game. At Johnson and Wales, she repeated the same feat with two more goals and added an assist as the Judges were able to roll past the Wildcats, 7-0. Carreiro is tied for second in the UAA with four goals and nine points.

Juliette Carreiro ‘22 advances the ball and looks to score.

PHOTO FROM BRANDEISJUDGES.COM

Andreescu stuns Williams in U.S. Open championship match

By Sophie Trachtenberg editor

All eyes were focused on tennis phenom Serena Williams last week, as she looked to bring home a seventh US Open title and a 24th Grand Slam title to add to her impressive collection. She faced 19 year-old Canadian star Bianca Andreescu, an opponent who she just recently lost to in the Canadian Open one-month prior, making the stakes incredibly high on both ends. However, the extra 18 years of experience had nothing on Andreescu, who ended on top for a second time against the veteran Williams within this short span of time.

Winning the title for the first time and becoming the first Canadian to win a Grand Slam in the singles category, Andreescu swept Williams in straight sets with scores of 6-3 and 7-5. Despite the scoreboard, the match was not an easy win for Andreescu, who felt Williams inching back after an early 5-1 in the second set.

The American veteran made a comeback to even the score at 5-5, showing a little life after her first set loss. However, Andreescu maintained her poise to finish out the match with a win, comment-

U.S. OPEN

Andreescu and Williams congratulate each other on a great match.

ing, “I just told myself to stick with my tactics...I just tried to stay as composed as I could. It’s hard to just block everything out, but I think I did a pretty good job at that,” in an interview with the U.S. Open. She was correct, as she polished off Williams to win the

prestigious honor in her very first US Open main-draw.

Not only is Andreescu’s win both impressive at her very young age, but so is William’s performance, as she returns to the court after giving birth to her first child Alexis. Just before the match was

PHOTO FROM USATODAY.COM

played on Saturday, September 7th, the Washington Post noted that if Williams won yet another Grand Slam after childbirth it “could be the mother of all accomplishments.”

While it may seem as if childbirth would be a setback for most

women in their athletic careers, it in no way should be placed as a disclaimer within highly-regarded media outlets as a limitation to one’s athletic performance.

Whether it be age, pregnancy, or any other varying factor that might affect one’s body, it is not these aspects of our identities that makes for winning or losing the world’s finest tennis tournaments. With that being said, the honor should be extended to both women for leaving everything out there on the court, and for competing whole-heartedly for the sport they live and breathe for.

To make note of the other results, Spainiard Rafael Nadal defeated Daniil Medvedev of Russia in five sets with scores of 7-5, 6-3, 5-7, 4-6, and 6-4. In women’s doubles, Elise Mertens of Belgium and Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus beat Ashleigh Barty of Australia and Victoria Azarenka of Belarus in straight sets, both by a margin of 7-5.

Lastly, the men’s doubles tournament ended win a win for Columbian natives Juan Sebastián Cabal and Robert Farah, as they polished off Marcel Granollers of Spain and Horacio Zeballos of Argentina with scores of 6-4 and 7-5.

OPINIONS

September 13, 2019

The Brandeis Hoot 11

Democratic nominees vs. climate change.

Who won?

By Sabrina Chow editor

It is becoming more and more apparent that we are in a climate emergency. People of all ages across the world are standing up and urging others to join them in making the difference to save our planet. Whether it is Greta Thunberg, a 16-year-old who skipped school to stand against climate change and started a movement of students across the world walking out on climate strike, or more recently in the CNN Democratic Presidential Town Hall: The Climate Crisis.

It was here that 10 democratic presidential nominees came together in New York City to speak about the climate crisis and what the nominees would do to address this crisis if they get elected to office. After a long seven hours of discussion, the town hall finally closed.

Even though I personally was not able to listen in because who has seven hours of free time in college, I was very curious to see what the candidates had to say about the climate crisis in the U.S. and the whole and what they were planning to do about it. With climate change becoming a bigger and bigger issue every year, the time to start acting is now.

The best statistic I can give about how f*cked we are for climate change is looking at Earth Overshoot Day. This is the day when the people of the world use up all the resources that it takes Mother Earth one year to produce. This year, Earth Overshoot Day was July 29. In 1999, the year I was born, it was Sept. 29.

Here, I will breakdown the main takeaways from each of the candidates’ 40-minute sessions and give my own two cents on their aspirations. All of the information said by the candidates during the town hall are from CNN’s coverage of their event.

Julian Castro: As the former Housing and Urban Development secretary under President Barack Obama, Castro has a pretty good sense of how climate change is affecting communities, especially ones on lower ground in the U.S. His biggest course of action, of course, is to rejoin the Paris Climate Accord, which President Trump decided to leave in June 2018. He continued in his discussion to explain his plan to get the U.S. to net zero carbon emissions by 2045. Castro plans to do this through “incentiviz[ing] wind energy production, solar energy production, invest[ing] in renewables challenging the rest of the world to get to net zero by 2050.”

Like many candidates later on in the night, Castro presented his views on fracking. Even though he wants to end fossil fuel exploration on public lands, which includes fracking, he doesn’t want a federal ban. “We need to undo the damage that this administration has done and then expand the lands that we’re protecting in our country,” he said during the town hall.

Sabrina: I think Castro has some ex-

tremely strong proposals on how to combat climate change in the U.S. and to rejoin the Paris Climate Accord as soon as possible.

However, some of his plans seem extremely far fetched and not fast enough. While it would be amazing if we were at net zero carbon emission by 2045, recent data has shown that we need to hit net zero by 2030, 15 years before Castro’s proposed deadline.

Andrew Yang Andrew Yang is the only candidate left in the running who has had no prior political experience.

Similar to Trump, Yang is by trade a businessman. His major priority is to also move people from low lying areas to higher grounds. If elected, he plans to make federal funds available to pay for it and end fossil fuel subsidies. “There are already climate refugees in the United States of America, people that we relocated from an island that was essentially becoming uninhabitable in Louisiana, and we moved those people,” he said during his talk.

Yang also plans to increase the carbon tax and update the current Gross Domestic Product (GDP) calculations to include environmental factors. He also plans on investing in various unproven technological advancements, including cloud seeding. This practice is essentially spraying chemicals into the atmosphere that help to induce rain or snow, which can help during periods of extreme drought.

Another common theme of the night that Yang starts with is the autonomy of citizens in the U.S. to eat whatever they choose.

Sabrina: Similar to when Trump was running and we as a nation never thought that a businessman with no prior experience in politics could run the country, I was initially hesitant of Yang. However, he does pose potential solutions that may not do so well in the long run, but will definitely be beneficial in the short run. I applaud him for thinking of communities that are already seeing the effects of climate change, even in the U.S. Kamala Harris

If she is elected, Kamala Harris is planning on abolishing the filibuster if Republicans stand in the way of her legislation to combat climate change.

She is also directing the Department of Justice to go after major oil and gas companies that contributed to the climate crisis and sue them. Beyond this, Harris is planning on increasing penalties for companies that violate the federal pollution laws.

Harris also hopes to ban plastic straws but did acknowledge the difficulty of drinking with paper straws. She also seeks to ban fracking and offshore drilling, like many other candidates.

“Ultimately it’s about empowering communities that are often ignored. No community should be dumped on, and no community should be less than” pointing specifically at “black and brown and indigenous people,” she said in her discussion.

Sabrina:

Harris definitely has her job cut out for her if she gets elected. She is trying to do a lot in a very short period of time. I really do commend her for everything she is trying to do, though, and utilizing her executive power as president to challenge Congress to ensure that action is taken on climate change.

Amy Klobuchar In her speech, Amy Klobuchar outlined her first week as president.

Day 1: Reenter the Paris Climate Accord Day 2: Bring back clean power rules that Obama had pushed before Trump rolled back the legislation Day 3: Bring back the gas mileage standard for U.S. car companies Day 4: Focus on “sweeping legislation” to tackle climate change She continued to speak about the “tragedy” of the current Amazon Forest wildfires and move back on the Trump administration’s move on methane emissions. “I see natural gas as a transitional fuel; it is better than oil, but it’s not nearly as good as wind and solar,” she said in her discussion.

Klobuchar also plans to review all the fracking permits in the U.S. in the first 100 days of her presidency. She is also pushing to go completely carbon neutral by 2050 but pushing for a faster transition.

Sabrina: Finally, another candidate will immediately bring us back into the Paris Climate Accord! I realize that all the candidates will most likely try to get the U.S. back in the Paris Climate Accord, but I really appreciate how she specifically states it. Overall, an extremely solid plan for the U.S. Joe Biden Former Vice President of the U.S. Joe Biden brought the entire world into the conversation when speaking about the climate crisis.

“There would be no empty chair” in leading climate talks amongst the world’s most powerful nations, said Biden during his discussion.

He is another candidate that would not support a nationwide ban on fracking but does support “oil drilling or gas drilling on federal lands.”

Biden’s biggest goal is to push for mass transit and rail systems across the world to decrease the number of vehicles on the road.

“It would literally take millions of vehicles off the road,” he said.

Sabrina: Even though I appreciate how Biden did introduce the rest of the world into the conversation when speaking about climate change and what actions to take, there was so much more potential that he lacked in his discussion. And in the lines of his mass transit and rail system plan, while it would be great, it is extremely unrealistic.

We do not have the technology or capacity to build such a rail system.

TOWN HALL

Nominees give their two cents on the climate crisis

Bernie Sanders Bernie Sanders is bringing women’s rights into climate change. According to many studies, the best way to reduce one’s environmental impact is to have one less child. When asked if he would curb the population growth through birth control, he responded that “women in the United States of America, by the way, have a right to control their own bodies and make reproductive decisions.”

His top priorities if elected are health care, student debt cancellation and the Green New Deal.

When asked which one was his top priority, he did not prioritize any of them specifically.

Sabrina: Sanders really has an interesting approach to climate change: women’s rights. That’s all I have to say.

Elizabeth Warren Elizabeth Warren’s biggest opposition in the current forms of energy is nuclear energy. She hopes to phase out nuclear power by 2035. She highlighted that the “conversations around regulating light bulbs, banning plastic straws and cutting down on red meat are exactly what the fossil fuel industry wants people focused on as a way to distract from their impact on climate change.”

She also set plans for carbon free infrastructure. By 2028, mandating carbon free buildings.

By 2030, carbon free cars and light-duty truck production. By 2035, carbon free electricity generation.

Sabrina: Warren is completely right about how the fossil fuel industry is trying to distract us from the major issues with climate change.

I also really enjoyed her different goals for carbon-free infrastructure in the U.S. Overall, I approve.

Pete Buttigieg Pete Buttigieg says that combating climate change is more challenging than winning World War II and says that Trump will be remembered most as president for his “failure to act on climate.”

However, Buttigieg defended his stance on flying on private planes for his presidential campaign, even though planes cause an extremely high amount of pollution in the atmosphere. He said that “this is a very big country, and I’m running to be president of the whole country.”

Sabrina:

PHOTO FROM CNN.COM

Midwest coast, best coast. Just wanted to give a shout-out to Buttigieg for representing the Midwest. I do not agree with any of his claims though, especially justifying the use of a private plane for campaigning.

Beto O’Rourke Beto O’Rourke opposed the carbon tax, unlike some candidates, and instead hopes for a carbon cap-and-trade program with a shrinking number of allowances sold to polluters each year. He hopes to show these polluters that there is a price on carbon with a legally enforceable limit.

He also brought up thoughts about making Puerto Rico an official state in the U.S. When asked about food in the country, he rejects “any notion that we have to radically or fundamentally change how we eat or what we eat.”

O’Rourke also brought up plans to help people in flood-prone zones move to higher ground to avoid more serious disasters.

Sabrina: O’Rourke’s policies are definitely solid. The carbon tax is something that could definitely be changed, and I’m open to different options.

But bringing Puerto Rico as a state in the U.S., really?

Cory Booker Cory Booker is a vegan but won’t tell other people in the U.S. to stop eating meat. “Freedom is one of the most sacred values— whatever you want to eat, go ahead and eat it,” he said. He also tried to warm the audience up to the idea of nuclear power after reading various studies.

Sabrina: Booker was one of the biggest losers in my book during this climate crisis town hall. Decreasing the amount of meat consumption in the country is definitely something that is possible and while we should allow people to eat whatever they want, it’s something that is very realistic.

Jay Inslee: I know, Inslee is no longer in the race for the democratic nominee.

However, I do give all the credit to the former Washington Governor for fighting to bring climate change to the forefront of his campaign. Inslee’s main platform focused on combating the effects of climate change. And because of his actions, the town hall was created to address these issues, and I applaud him for that.

12 OPINIONS

The Brandeis Hoot

September 13, 2019

On leaving the nest

By Sasha Skarboviychuk editor

I moved to Massachusetts a year and 18 days ago. Fun fact: I still misspell “Massachusetts” every single time. How and why I ended up at Brandeis is a story for another day; all you really need to know is that I am here and ready to reflect on the last year of my life. According to Google Maps, I am 7,215 kilometers away from home, and I still don’t know if I fully comprehend that. Going to school so far away, like most things in life, is a blessing and a curse. I think it is an invaluable experience, others may still be horrified.

I was 17 when I left for Brandeis, and being so far away from everything and everyone you know makes you grow up quickly. My mother was no longer here to schedule my doctor’s appointments, do my laundry or figure out my life for me. I think many people would see this as a major downside of this experience, but I disagree. Although it was hard at the start, I am very happy that now I can proudly say that I make my own doctor’s appointments.

And do my own laundry. And (somewhat) have my life figured out.

I am very happy that I got this opportunity to learn how to “adult” quickly, because amid moving to a different country, starting college and being alone,

learning how to do all these practical things didn’t seem like such a big deal. I even iron now. Without someone telling me to. It might seem like I was just thrown out into the open with no lifejacket, and in a way it was, but I like the fact that I had no other choice. I feel like if my mother was close by she would be ironing my outfit for my 30th birthday party.

I also feel like the fact that I was so far away from home and the closest of my friends was in Chicago, really forced me to meet people at Brandeis and start making it a home. I didn’t really have another choice (other than being alone for the next four years I guess). And surprisingly, because of this dire situation I think I ended up adapting to college much faster than most people. I understand that this “sink or swim” situation would not work well for everyone, but it worked miracles for me.

But the new home comes with many other new things, starting from the language I have to speak to the way stoplights work. As much as I enjoy the fact that everyone speaks English, I have to admit that my Ukrainian and Russian skills have deteriorated greatly. I really don’t get much practice in either. And even I forget that I supposedly speak French.

Going to the grocery store was also an adventure, and honestly still is. What are these “pints” and “gallons”? Why can’t everything just be in liters? Pounds I somewhat understand now, or at least,

I know that a pound is roughly half a kilo, and that is enough for me. All my shopping lists are still written in liters and grams (what’s up with measuring everything in cups?) though thankfully most goods have labels with both measurement systems.

The one thing no one really converts is temperature. For the love of everything holy, why does America use Fahrenheit? For the first two weeks or so, it took me a minute to remember that 90 degrees is not near boiling, but merely a relatively hot day. But I am great at adding and subtracting 18 now. What a useful skill.

Though if you ask me what 75 degrees feel like, I will still not be able to answer you, it’s like really hot, right?

Of course I have to address the famous question of “don’t you feel homesick?” Of course I do. Everyone does, no matter how close Brandeis is to their home. There were many nights where I wished that I could go home, watch “Gilmore Girls” with my mother while drinking sea buckthorn tea.

Just for a night.

Even for an hour. Or just a hug, those are always nice. During finals week, I always dream about being back in my bed, surrounded by familiar things. But that was never an option, so those feelings had to go.

But as normal as they are, these feelings do not help with anything, they just make things harder to deal with. I was always scared of homesickness taking over my life,

so I tried my best to stay busy all the time, be it with homework, clubs or my new friends. That that was probably the best method to adjust: if you are always busy you firstly do not have time to feel homesick and secondly are already getting further ahead in making the new place your home.

As cold as this attitude may seem, it was a very effective one.

Food was a big thing for me.

Not because I am particularly fond of food, but just because my diet changed so much. It was very weird to see pizza and burgers for lunch and dinner every day. I really missed Borsch (which I never really liked anyway), and cottage cheese snacks. I still miss those.

I miss crepes, because American pancakes are the big thing here and I am just not a fan.

It is funny how much of a difference food can have. When I was home for winter break, I brought back some candy and snacks, and had them whenever I felt homesick. I do not know why it helped as much as it did, but it was almost like for a brief second I was back home. I still bring back food from Ukraine, but at this point it’s mainly because I miss the foodstuffs themselves rather than home.

I felt like I should include what, in my opinion, is the worst part about being so far away from home. The distance from my parents seemed like an obvious one, until I talked to my mother who reminded me of how much I love flying. Flying across the Atlan-

tic four times a year is the worst part. Not only do you lose four days of the year on traveling, I always happen to have something go wrong. Flying back after the summer, my flight was delayed by five hours. I do not know what it is with me and flying but we just don’t get along. When I first came to Boston, the airline lost all my luggage and I spent the first month here with just the things in my carry-on. What a great start to college right?

Looking back at all this now, I am very happy that my adjustment period was short and relatively unproblematic. I got used to most things in my new home, but the imperial system is not one of them. And if that is my biggest problem, then I think I am either very lucky or very adaptive. Or maybe a bit of both. Now I feel comfortable being entirely on my own, but going home and being taken care of will always be amazing.

And now my sophomore year brings even more changes to my life, not being dependent on Sodexo food anymore, I have to learn how to cook too. And figure out what to do with clogged toilets.

And deal with unwanted roommates (why are spiders actually everywhere?!). And a bunch of other things no one told me about. But taking one step at a time, I am sure I will adjust to all of that too.

Welcome to the world outside the nest.

SSIS: advice column Welcome back to the Student Sexuality Information Service (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 the Student Sexuality Information Service Facebook page. Any and all questions are welcome: there are no bad, stupid or weird questions! (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!)

By SSIS

special to the hoot

“Does SSIS have orgies? Like what’re you really doing in your office hours?”

Thank you for your question!

This is actually a misconception.

SSIS provides sex-positive resources to the Brandeis community and holding office hours is one way we aim to do this. These sex-positive resources include our products, library, workshops/ presentations, confidential peer support and referrals. Members of the Brandeis community are encouraged to stop by during our office hours to take advantage of these resources.

Perhaps one of our most well known resources, our products are sold in our office on the third floor of the SCC. We sell various barrier methods, toys, menstrual products, pregnancy tests and more! Members of the community can buy these products during our office hours.

Our library has many books of varying topics ranging from healthy relationships to DIY sex toys to erotica. While the office is open, people are welcome to peruse our library and either read in the office or rent books.

Workshops and presentations include our semesterly presentation during orientation, dorm raps, and workshops such as kinky craft night. Dorm raps are not exclusively for dorms; any group on campus (interest clubs, athletics, religion, you name it!) can email ssis@brandeis.edu to

organize a dorm rap presentation.

Most of our workshops are held in our office and are held once per semester.

Confidential peer support is an important aspect of SSIS. Any member of the Brandeis community is welcome to visit our office during office hours to receive confidential support from trained members of SSIS. We do our best to provide people with as many resources as possible, but we are not medical professionals or counselors or experts. We are, however, able to provide outside resources and referrals. For more information or specific questions, please stop by our office.

During office hours, our members are on-call to provide these resources. If not actively helping a community member, we may be found organizing our product display, preparing for a dorm rap, or researching new potential referrals. We hold office hours every day that classes are in session; Monday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., Tuesday through Thursday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Friday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

“I want to use lube, but I have no idea where to start! Help?”

You’ve come to the right place!

SSIS sells several different brands and types of lubes. We sell packets of lubrication for $0.25, small bottles for $3.50 and large bottles for $10.

Types of lube: water-based,

silicone-based, hybrid (usually around 85% water-based and 15% silicone-based), oil-based. It’s important to recognize the differences between these lubes, as the lube’s makeup impacts which situations they can be used in, and what materials can be safely used with them as well. Whether you purchase your lubes at SSIS or not, always be sure to check if the lube is body-safe (all of the lubes SSIS sells are body-safe).

Water-based lube is one of the more commonly found lubes; since they are water-based, they are easy to clean off of clothing and bedding, absorb into the skin, and are compatible with all sex toys and all barrier methods/ condoms. They do tend to dry out faster than other kinds of lubes but can be reactivated with water (or saliva). Some water-based lubes contain glycerin and paraben, so if you are sensitive to these ingredients or prone to vaginal/urinary infections, you may want to avoid lubes with these ingredients. Many people enjoy the thicker, “cushion-y” quality of water-based lubes. The water-based lubes offered at SSIS include Please Gel, Aneros Sessions, and Sliquid Swirl (which comes in six unique flavors!).

Silicone-based lubes are more slippery and longer-lasting than water-based lubes and are not water soluble. Thus, they are harder to wash off than water-based lubes. This type of lube is compatible with all barrier methods and with some toys. Silicone-based

lube can degrade silicone toys, however. The silicone-based lubes offered at SSIS include Pjur, Gun Oil and Pink.

Hybrid lubes combine the qualities of water and silicone-based lubes, often having the thicker quality of water based lubes with the longer-lasting properties of silicone lubes. If used with pure silicone toys, the lube may degrade the material, so do test out the lube on a non-essential part of the toy before using it on that toy.

The hybrid lubes offered at SSIS include Please Cream and Sliquid Silk.

Oil-based lube takes awhile for

the skin to absorb, so it is pretty long-lasting but can interfere with the vagina’s self-cleaning mechanisms and also destroy the material of latex and polyurethane condoms, so DO NOT use it in these situations. SSIS carries a penis-owner masturbatory cream called “Stroke 29,” which contains oil, so if you are using this product, be mindful of the safety concerns that come with oil-based products.

When trying any lube for the first time, test it out to see if the consistency and feel works for you and to make sure you are not allergic to its ingredients.

PHOTO COURTESY SSIS

ARTS

September 13, 2019

The Brandeis Hoot 13

‘Ready or Not:’ horrific and hilarious

By Lucy Pugh-Sellers special to the hoot

“With family, one hopes for the best,” the Le Domas matriarch, Becky (Andie MacDowell), remarks sympathetically to our main character, Grace (Samara Weaving), as she sips a glass of wine. With this line, she simultaneously sums up the humor and the horror of “Ready or Not,” co-directed by Matt Bettinelli-Olpin (a founding member of the punk band Link 80) and Tyler Gillett. The film is fun, creative and surprisingly tragic.

“Ready or Not” follows Grace, a newly-wed, navigating the first night of her marriage into a wealthy family. But this is not the usual social dynamics of a new spouse; rather, the film devolves into a deadly game of cat and mouse as Grace struggles to survive the night as the family tries to kill her before dawn. The direction doesn’t get boring but is unremarkable. The writing is

funny—at times stilted but overall fitting for what is undeniably an uncomfortable situation in itself.

The acting does not disappoint.

Although some characters come across more like cutouts thrown in for comedic relief, many of the actors are able to bring depth to their roles, especially Samara Weaving. It is a genuine pleasure to watch Weaving fully embody her character, avoiding what could have been a one-dimensional combination of stereotypes and “Final Girls.” Her performance comes across as deeply real and heartfelt, maniacal laughter and all.

The qualities that I previously found so annoying in Andie MacDowell’s past roles (“Groundhog Day,” “Four Weddings and a Funeral”) now work in her favor— her characters have often felt fake or forced, almost too smooth, qualities that as a confusingly sociopathic mother in “Ready or Not” work perfectly. The same can be said for Henry Czerny, who plays his classic role of a moral-

ly bereft patriarch (“Revenge,” “The Tudors”). Mark O’Brien and Adam Brody (Seth from “The O.C.!”) bring to life the most conflicted characters and are pivotal figures in some of the most interesting ideas of the piece: complicity, the influence of families and the insidious legacy of wealth.

“Ready or Not” has more in common with a comedy/meta horror feature like “Cabin in the Woods” than another entry in the playing-a-game-with-rich-people horror genre, “Would You Rather.” “Would You Rather” seems to hold the bleak and fatalistic outlook of one of its characters, who decides “I guess beggars can’t be choosers” before dying.

Meanwhile, “Ready or Not” instead seems to want its audience to come away with a slightly more hopeful message—the rich may be terrible and soulless but sometimes a curse will eliminate them!

Or that no matter our wealth, we can all make choices. At times, it does feel as if the movie is confused about its own message.

PHOTO FROM VARIETY.COM

PHOTO FROM VOX.COM

Can people break free of their own socialization? Does humanity contain an innate goodness?

These are questions the movie asks but doesn’t answer. Sometimes it seems clear that the film believes that people can change and, at times, that change is impossible. I don’t think the movie really knows what it believes, but it is entertaining to watch it try to figure itself out.

The ridiculous humor mixed with gore and dark undertones felt almost familiar, even inevitable, (and not just because I recently wrote my own murder-mystery-comedy)—it felt like an answer to soul-sucking horror movies of the past (the aforementioned “Would You Rather,” the “Saw” series, “Cube” and “13 Sins” come to mind) and an answer to the looming real-life horror of wealth inequity in America,

in the tradition of recent horror movies with something to say and a creative way to say it, such as “Get Out,” “Midsommar” and “It Follows.” More people, and, in an immediate sense, Grace, are being forced to deal with the consequences of centuries of the rich hoarding wealth while scapegoating the rest—they “earned” it, after all, by playing a game of Old Maid or Duck Duck Goose, and you can too, by surviving a deadly hunt! In the case of Le Domas family, the absurdity of this claim is clear, and viewers should carry that absurdity with them out of the theatre.

So If you’re looking for a horror movie that makes you feel more sad than scared, more horrified of society than any jump-scare, or if you’re just looking for a fun night out, “Ready or Not” is worth checking out.

Koslofsky’s Corner: Your New York Film Festival Debrief

By Jonah Koslofsky editor

Goodbye, Brandeis! I know, it feels like I just got here, but by the time you read this, I’ll be all packed for my two-week trip to New York City. What’s pulling me away from beautiful Waltham, MA and back to the grimiest metropolis in the world, you ask?

Only the 57th New York Film Festival (NYFF)!

I won’t mince words: I am very excited to be NYFF-bound. Organized by Film at Lincoln Center, NYFF is a superb gathering of filmmakers, actors, industry folk and critics. The fest has a focus on international movies, and its timing is strategically placed. Basically, in the movie world, fall is festival season. Most of the buzzy, Oscar-hopefuls premiere at the Venice, Toronto and Telluride festivals (which have been going on the past few weeks, if you heard

any buzz about “Joker,” that’s where the infection began). Anyway, NYFF marks the stateside premiere for a lot of these movies, a middle step on the road to wide release.

This will be my second year attending the festival, and my first time boasting press credentials.

As a result, I’ll be able to see the entire festival slate—except that I can’t quite justify missing more than two weeks of class, so I won’t be able to catch the Centerpiece and Closing Night selections.

I’ll be missing Noah Baumbach’s “Marriage Story,” his surreal tale of divorce starring Adam Driver and Scarlett Johansson. It’s fine; I’m not upset; I take my academics very seriously.

The first film I’ll be catching is also the one I’m most anticipating: Nadav Lapid’s “Synonyms.”

Anyone who knows me knows how much I appreciate a strong critique of Israel, and from everything I’ve heard, “Synonyms” is

PHOTO FROM UNIFRANCE.COM

nothing less. This is Lapid’s third feature following his exceptional debut “Policeman” (2011), and he’s already proven himself a gifted craftsman. “Synonyms” took home the top prize at the Berlin Film Festival earlier this year and follows a disillusioned ex-Israel Defense Force (IDF) soldier as he abandons the Jewish State, permanently moving to Paris and swearing to never speak Hebrew again.

You’ll be able to read my full review over on “The Spool” (another outlet I’m covering the festival on behalf of) before the end of the week, and some discussion of “Synonyms” will certainly come up in my first Hoot dispatch right here next week.

The final film I’ll be seeing is Bong Joon-Ho’s “Parasite.” You’re probably familiar with the South Korean visionary’s work—his “Snowpiercer” made a dent a few years back, while his first foray into sci-fi, “The Host” (2006) is simply exceptional. Bong’s latest premiered at Cannes this past May, where it took home the prestigious Palme D’Or. Reviews have been extremely positive, if specifically spoiler-phobic. I’m expecting a twisty-tale of class conflict, all staged with the style and charm Bong has always supplied.

Keep your eyes peeled for my review right here in The Hoot in the issue after next.

But NYFF’s biggest event has got to be the world premiere of Martin Scorsese’s “The Irishman.”

With a runtime of three and a half hours(!), it’s also likely the longest movie I’ll be seeing—the biography of longtime mobster Frank Sheeran (Robert De Niro) and his relationship with Teamster Jimmy Hoffa (Al Pachino), the film marks the first time visual de-aging effects have been used en masse, making De Niro and Pachino look younger so that the story can span decades. Of course, I have no idea if it’ll be any good—no one outside the Netflix brass has seen it yet, and it’s my understanding that the costly and intricate effects are being tweaked until the last minute. Still, watching Scorsese run wild with some of our best (if oldest) thespians, and 160 million of Netflix’s dollars is an exciting prospect. “The Irishman” will be released in select theaters on Nov. 1, and it’ll be uploaded to Netflix on Nov. 27.

You can watch it on your phone, if your battery can last for 210 minutes.

With the limited space I’ve got left, let me just shout-out a few more. Brazilian survival-horror parable “Bacurau” received rave reviews at Cannes, as did French queer historical drama “Portrait of a Lady on Fire.”

Speaking of the French, the other two movies I am hotly anticipating are both French films about the country reckoning with its colonial past by using the zombie as a central metaphor. “Atlantics” is the feature debut of actress Mati Diop, and was the first mov-

PHOTO BY JONAH KOSLOFSKY/THE HOOT

ie directed by a woman of color to compete for the Palme D’Or at Cannes. It’s supposed to be great: “Atlantics” left the festival with the runner-up prize (the “Grand Prix” award). Meanwhile, Bertrand Bonello’s last outing was the egregiously under-seen “Nocturama,” and I’m hotly anticipating his next work, “Zombi Child.”

Oh, and I can’t forget this Russian movie called “Beanpole” that’s also screening at NYFF. No wait, I promise this is a neat festival! Anyway, look forward to my coverage of “Beanpole” and everything else in the coming weeks—I know I can’t wait.

14 ARTS

The Brandeis Hoot

September 13, 2019

‘Patriot Act:’ Hasan Minhaj’s show remains an oasis amid the Netflix desert

By Medjine Barionette staff

Oh Netflix, consistency is not your strong suit. From the failure that was “Iron Fist,” the mediocrity that is and always will be the sixth season of “Orange is the New Black,” and the nostalgic brilliance of “Invader Zim: Enter the Florpus,” Netflix has an issue with reliably producing quality content. Despite this fact, I always get excited when Netflix decides to come out with new TV shows (chalk this up to naive optimism) as it’s another excuse to procrastinate. But my excitement is always infused with a sense of uncertainty; Netflix gives its creators and writers creative freedom, and they don’t always deliver their best material. But when I heard comedian Hasan Minhaj was getting his own web series I was genuinely excited. Hasan Minhaj is an alumnus of “The Daily Show,” has won a Peabody Award and is the first Indian American TV show host.

I believe Hasan Minhaj is rather funny, politically aware and not another white guy taking up TV air time (or in this case, web series air space).

“Patriot Act” airs every Sunday, with a few short haitiuses here and there. In total, there are four volumes with six to seven episodes each. Minhaj covers just about everything from, “Censorship in China” to the brand “Supreme” to “Student Loans” to “Fentanyl.” Essentially, his talk show is a “woke TED Talk”—his words not mine. He adds his own brand of comedy to these topics, but most importantly he talks through the reasons that matter without being too preachy.

His commentary is littered with pop culture references and millennial slang. His rants on the importance of keeping Jordans clean and the power of Hip Hop make it easy to understand the complicated problems he covers. Only someone who understands these significant cultural phenomenon can compare the income growth of Destiny’s Child using a graph of the overdose death rate of prescription opioids, heroin and fentanyl. Minhaj’s awareness of the current political and social climate makes you feel as if you’re having a conversation with your friend Jay from your Peace, Conflict and Coexistence Studies class.

PHOTO FROM HOLLYWOODREPORTER.COM

That being said, Minhaj has an extremely liberal viewpoint from which he presents this information. While I’d like to say that the web series is for everyone, it’s just not. Hasan Minhaj has left-leaning views and he talks about all subjects through that lens. He criticizes the Trump administration, and devoted an entire episode to depicting how members of Trump’s cabinet are systematically chipping away civil rights from minorities and members of the LGBTQ community.

“Patriot Act” is an entertaining way to get information about events happening around the world and in the United States.

His episode about Hip Hop covers its global reach and how it is used as a form of dissent all over the world. His episode about student loans details how our loan servicers are screwing us over.

Whatever subject he focuses on during the week allows him to explore problems with politics, culture and global issues.

Personally, I question the purpose of the show. If his aim is to simply bring awareness to these subjects and spark conversation, Minhaj is definitely doing that. I’m not ashamed to admit that I didn’t know how cruel the gaming industry was. Game developers are hired enmass to be overworked in efforts to meet deadlines just to be fired once the game is released. Job security is basically non-existent for the people who bring us hours of beautiful life-like gameplay that seems to get better every year. Minhaj’s episode titled “The Dark Side of the Gaming Industry” unveils the necessity for modern day workers unions that cover 21st century workers. Our video games should be exploitation free. They would take longer to come out, but we’d feel much better knowing that

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the people who made them were treated justly.

“Patriot Act” also has a way of confirming injustices that we all knew about but never had the research funding or data to prove. For instance, the incredibly frightening way police officers in this county are trained.

“Violence is your tool . . . you’re men and women of violence . . . if you properly prepare yourself, killing is just not that big a deal.”

These are the words of Lieutenant Dave Grossmen teaching future police officers how to be police.

Police officers are taught “to act instantly, not react, act.” For years, for decades, black people and our allies in the Black Lives Matter movement have screamed that America’s police are not taught to value the lives of the people they are meant to protect and serve but to prematurely become judge, jury and executioner without facing any consequences. They are free to make mistakes that ruin lives, devastate communities and completely disenfranchise generations of people.

Now, The Brandeis Hoot can’t afford to let me use the infinite amount of paper and ink it would take me to unpack and analyze Minhaj’s episode, “The Broken Policing System,” but it is the only episode that proves police officers are trained to protect themselves

and their fellow officers before the slightest thought about protecting civilians enters their head.

I enjoy the show and can appreciate Minhaj’s creative freedom and recognize the amazing opportunity “Patriot Act” is for a POC. His most recent episode is one of the only episodes I can’t allow myself to use as background noise while I scroll through Instagram and ignore my 10-page final.

Usually I characterize the show as “just good,” but some episodes are great. This isn’t because Minhaj is funnier, but because certain episodes pour kerosene on the dying embers of our anger.

For our generation, as Dave Chappelle says in “The Age of Spin,” “a spaceship explodes everyday” and we slowly stop caring. But it’s amazing to live at a time when we can watch a show that does not simply tell us why we should be mad but remind us that we have always been infuriated at the systems and institutions that only care for the most privileged and expect the rest to fend for themselves.

“Patriot Act,” like all shows, can have its lackluster episodes about frivolous things like over-hyped sneakers and the power of brand name shirts, but as long as there are enough episodes that actually matter, then this show is doing what it needs to be great.

‘New work from home and abroad’ wows

Students gather at Goldman-Schwartz to see artwork by Brandeis undergraduates who studied in art programs this summer, including Brandeis in Siena.

EXHIBITION

PHOTOS BY GRACE ZHOU/THE HOOT

September 13, 2019

The Brandeis Hoot

ARTS 15

‘Remnant: From the Ashes’ review: a stellar shooter with a bright future

By Stewart Huang staff

Prior to release, lots of people were calling “Remnant: From the Ashes,” “Dark Souls with guns.” The game features a lot of things that one would consider trademarks of the “Souls” games: a stamina system, rolling mechanics, bonfire-like checkpoints and difficult gameplay.

But the similarities stop there.

The “Remnant” experience is less like “Dark Souls” and more like a more difficult version of “Warframe” or “Destiny.” The game is a fantastic co-op (solo is an option) third-person looter shooter that only costs $40 (and there are no micro-transactions).

Set in a post-apocalyptic Earth, you travel to three other worlds in a quest to rid your planet of the Root, a plant-like hivemind.

While Earth’s landscape can be a little bland and boring, the other worlds are completely different, harboring a variety of unique enemies and geography. There’s a desert world with a juxtaposition between ruins of advanced technology and tribes of vicious mask-wearing locals. There’s a swamp world populated by blueskinned natives and ominous bug-like monstrosities. There’s a forest world perpetually in night time with goat-men flinging deadly shurikens and summoning lightning. Seeing these different worlds and exploring each of them is a big selling-point of “Remnant.”

The game’s map is randomized

for each playthrough so that you can encounter different NPC’s, dungeons and bosses (according to “Remnant’s” wiki, there are currently 29 bosses with more being added in the future as free DLC).

This boosts replayability by quite a bit, though it can be annoying if you miss the dungeon or boss you want multiple times. Luckily, adventure mode is being added into the game which lets you reroll a specific map for a specific world.

It will probably be out by the time this article is published.

Now, many of you are probably wondering exactly how difficult this game is. Fear not—it’s not all that hard up until the higher difficulties, which most beginners won’t choose anyway. This is what the “Gun Souls” description fails to capture. The game is certainly challenging, but doesn’t feel as demanding as a “Souls” game.

Regular enemies have only one or two basic attacks, making them predictable and easy to dodge, though they come in numbers.

Bosses have a few more moves, but they’re all very telegraphed so that they’re easy to learn and avoid. The one thing that complicates the boss fights are the regular enemies that spawn continuously throughout. Simple enemies with simple attacks can quickly spell trouble if they group up, overwhelming you. How to avoid being swarmed or ambushed by hordes of enemies while also dealing with the boss is the most difficult part of “Remnant.” But then again, the bosses themselves aren’t that complex. The simple key to success is having good

awareness of your surroundings so you don’t get crowded.

You get a completely different experience on harder difficulties, however. On “hard” and “nightmare” difficulty, even smaller enemies are considerably harder to kill. On “nightmare,” they can often kill you in a hit or two, making the game extremely tedious and frustrating at times because you just die constantly and are unable to make progress for a few hours. Not to mention that enemies come in packs, so it’s easy to make mistakes or be surrounded.

This artificial difficulty scaling is my main complaint with the game. But that’s more of an endgame problem, and the majority of the experience is perfectly fine, so make of that what you will.

Contrary to some games where you’ll have to decide between two identical weapons with different stats, “Remnant” features 39 weapons, with more being added in the future that are mostly unique. By “mostly,” I mean that starting melee weapons are straight up worse than others, but I would hardly consider that an issue. Each weapon looks distinctly different from another and each handles and fires differently.

There’s a beam rifle that shoots laser beams, there’s a pocket shotgun that shoots bouncing bullets, and there’s a tommy gun that just sprays everywhere. Some weapons may be more useful than others in certain occasions, which is great because that encourages players to experiment with different weapons, but in general they’re all on the same power lev-

PHOTOS FROM PLAYSTATION.COM

el. It’s always exciting to get a new weapon because you know that it will be unique and viable.

To complement weapons, there are weapon mods, which you can equip onto weapons to create more variety in combat. These essentially function as active skills that provide you with different utilities like placing turrets to help you fight enemies, giving you a second life and summoning a “rattle weed” that attracts enemy attention. Not only are these mods extremely useful and fun to play with, they also change the appearance of the weapons you installed the mods on. I really appreciate this particular attention to detail.

There are also RPG elements in “Remnant.” These elements are like a trait system that gives you passive benefits as you level them up, armor set bonuses, rings and amulets that allow for a lot of choices in creating a build.

You can make a critical hit build, a health regeneration build, a mod-focused caster build or even a pure melee build. And experimenting with different weapons and loadouts and finding the best

gear to perfect your build is perhaps the best part about “Remnant.”

The game does have some flaws, like the artificial difficulty I mentioned. There are some technical issues like dropping frame rates and frequent crashes, but I have good faith that the developers will iron these out very soon since they have been keenly responding to feedback. The main hub area seems underused, with many NPCs serving no purpose at all.

The story feels unexplained and rushed, though the story is not necessarily important in a game like this.

Essentially, what you get from “Remnant” is a challenging and (for the most part) fun looter-shooter that provides solid variety, whether it’s in the campaign, in the weapons, or in the character builds. It will probably take you up to 70 hours before you find everything and experience every boss encounter. That’s pretty good value for 40 bucks. But that’s not all. More free content updates and paid expansions are coming to make the game even better than it is now. I highly recommend it!

‘It: Chapter Two’ is a thoroughly watchable sequel Zachary Sosland staff

“It: Chapter Two” is the long-anticipated sequel to the 2017 blockbuster horror film “It.” Set 27 years after the original, “It: Chapter Two” follows The Losers’ Club as adults who reunite in their hometown of Derry, ME in order to finally kill the murderous, child-eating clown known as Pennywise (Bill Skarsgård).

When I saw “It” in theaters, I initially thought it was an average movie that was overhyped. Two years later, I rewatched the first “It” in preparation for the sequel and thankfully liked it more. After seeing “Chapter Two” on Friday, I can definitely understand why it’s dividing critics.

Since I want to start this review on a positive note, I will say that director Andy Muschietti—with the help of his trusty film crew— once again succeeds on the technical front. In fact, “Chapter Two” is more filmmaker driven than its predecessor in some regards because it features tons of severed limbs, mutilated children and Stephen King horror. Although I haven’t read the book, this view is consistent with popular conception.

Checco Varese replaces Chunghoon Chung as the cinematographer in “It: Chapter Two.” His work here is impressive but lacks many camera movements and editing that helped make the first “It” so scary. Nonetheless, Muschietti’s framing as well as the stellar production design benefit

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the sequel’s chilling atmosphere carried over from its predecessor.

Conversely, the scares are not quite as good in “Chapter Two.” The first “It” has these unnerving jump scares that viewers anxiously wait for due to the intense build up. Those sorts of scenes are still in “Chapter Two” but I noticed its larger reliance on predictable and obnoxious jump scares that have long plagued modern horror. This is a shame because the tension-fueled jump scares helped set the first “It” apart from many of its contemporaries.

Fortunately, most of the characters in “Chapter Two” are great.

The Losers’ Club as adults is made up of both well-known and lesser known actors, in addition to the younger actors in flashbacks. James McAvoy and Jessica Chastain are of course great, but the true standout is Bill Hader as Ritchie Tozier. He brings that same comedic personality that Finn Wolfhard brought in the first “It” while also excelling in more emotional moments. After his HBO show “Barry” and this film, I’m excited to see Hader take on more dramatic roles in the future.

In terms of lesser known actors, James Ransone as germaphobe Eddie Kasbrak gives my close-tosecond favorite performance in the whole film. He looks and behaves exactly like Eddie would 27 years later and his back-and-forth with Ritchie is somehow still convincing. Adults throwing “your mom” jokes at each other should not be this endearing.

Isaiah Mustafa, best known for playing “The Man Your Man Could Smell Like” in Old Spice commercials, plays the older ver-

sion of Mike Hanlon. As the only Loser who hasn’t left Derry, Mike calls his friends into action and researches how to kill Pennywise.

In the first “It,” Chosen Jacobs played Mike, and he had way less material to work with than his costars. I am happy to say that Mustafa’s Mike brought a new side to the character, and he is now one of my favorite characters in “Chapter Two.” Of course, I can’t keep talking about the characters of an “It” movie without also discussing the clown in the room. Skarsgård is still phenomenal as Pennywise the Dancing Clown, or “It” in its true form. This monstrous creature is truly the Freddy Krueger of the modern age. It is omnipotent as a demonic entity yet is also smart in that it knows how to manifest into its victims’ fears before consuming them. The titular antagonist takes great pleasure in tormenting and butchering its victims, further embracing its clown persona. As someone who is yet to watch the 1990 miniseries, I honestly can’t see anyone besides Skarsgård portray It. The one character that disappointed me was Henry Bowers.

Actor Teach Grant is terrific as the older version of this deranged lunatic who terrorized the Losers’ Club along with Pennywise. How-

PHOTO FROM COLLIDER.COM

ever, the movie doesn’t give him much to do outside of serve as a jump scare every now and then.

Why is Bowers in the sequel if he doesn’t contribute to the film?

Considering that the first “It” dragged toward the end, making the sequel 34 minutes longer definitely hurts its pacing. I was never bored during the movie, but a nearly three-hour-long feature film should captivate me rather than make me look at my watch.

It doesn’t help that this movie features interesting ideas but failed to execute them well, such as the lackluster humor and most of the second act.

Fans of “It: Chapter One” will at least be happy to know that “It: Chapter Two” expands on the themes and messages of its predecessor. “Chapter One” is about growing up and coming together with friends to face fears while “Chapter Two” is about confronting the past to embrace the future.

Even if the emotional core isn’t as strong in the sequel, this heart is what separates both “It” movies from the crop of mainstream horror films.

“It: Chapter Two,” disappointed me in many ways. The performances and entertainment value made it watchable but the unnecessarily long runtime deters me from rewatching it.

16 ARTS

The Brandeis Hoot

September 13, 2019

24-Hour Musical: ‘Legally Blonde’ continues to delight

By Emma Lichtenstein editor

I am once again charmed by the unpolished, anything-goes nature of the 24-Hour Musical. I’m not the only one either, if the completely packed Shapiro Campus Center (SCC) Theater (full house, including people sitting in the aisles and in the front) is anything to go by.

There is no wonder that this is one of Brandeis’ most beloved traditions. This year the Undergraduate Theater Collective (UTC) put on a production of “Legally Blonde” in exactly one day. What, like it’s hard? Starting 15 years ago, UTC has done a 24Hour Musical every year, creating the entire production – including props, choreography and line “memorization” – from nothing.

This year’s show, run by president Haia Bchiri ’20, was fantastic, with a dedicated cast and crew.

Meg Rock ’23 played Elle Woods, everyone’s favorite Harvard law student. Despite having

less than a day to nail the part, her performance was strong. Yes, there were some mishaps, but she was able to adapt smoothly and go along with every little bump in the road. She delivered the Elle Woods we all love.

The audience was completely receptive to the comical style choices made with this production.

The “potato ensemble” was perhaps the biggest hit of the show.

Paulette Buonufonte, played by Kat Potts ’23, sang a song called “Ireland” while the potato ensemble — a team of dancers in black morph suits with kilts — joined her on stage, supporting her by dancing around while holding potatoes. From the moment they appeared, the audience was howling with laughter, and when they re-appeared in the second act, the crowd went wild.

When “There! Right There!” came around late in the show, the crowd was completely enthralled by the performers. Those onstage were popping up and down from their seats as they spoke, speculating about whether the smug pool boy Nikos (Jacob Keller ’21) was

gay or European. The dance between Nikos and Carlos (Kieran Whitney ’23) brought down the house with laughter and applause.

Another stand out song was “Whipped Into Shape,” featuring Hannah Novak ’22 who played Brooke Wyndham. This song, in the style of a Wyndham fitness tape in a prison yard, included what I consider the most impressive moment in the show. As Novak and the ensemble were singing, they started to jump rope, yet their pitch stayed strong. This song was also done off book, as their hands were all occupied with the jump rope.

Surprisingly, in a musical about female empowerment, some of the most popular moments were dominated completely by men.

It’s unfortunate that the men were so dominant, but I understand that it comes down to the amount of lines actors have to learn. Having significantly less lines and less songs than the women, the men were able to play up their roles, doing a really good job encapsulating the vibe of these well known characters. From as early on as

Warner Huntington III’s (Jacob Krah ’23) hilarious rendition of “Serious,” it was clear that the men of this production were committed. The second act brought some more strong moments, including Kyle “the UPS guy’s” (Jacob Ostfeld ’23) swagger whenever he was on stage, to H&H Salesgirls (Pierce Robinson ’22 and Jason Frank ’22) that demand attention even in what should be a significant scene about Elle and Emmett Forrest (Ben Helzner ’23).

The moment that garnered the biggest reaction was at the end of the musical, when Emmett literally leaps over a standing Warner.

Helzner received a standing ovation for his acrobatic trick, and even had a group of fans chanting “Emmett! Emmett!”

Garrett Tordo ’21 did a wonderful job as the villain of the musical, Professor Callahan. He was really able to capture the smarmy nature of the professor, especially in his feature song “Blood In The Water.”

The crew also clearly put in a lot of hard work in the short amount of time they had. Sure, nothing

PHOTO BY GRACE ZHOU/THE HOOT

was perfect. The house music was far too loud in the first act, making it hard to hear when cast members without mics would sing. The lighting was shaky, and props were tripped over. However, there was a clear understanding of how things were supposed to run. Last year was complete chaos, but this year had a strong foundation. Lining the front of the stage was a strip of LED light that changed color depending on the setting and song (pink for Elle and LA, red for Harvard, green for Paulette), which was a tactic that I found very effective. Props included tall columns decorated with feather boas, a “Hair Affair” sign, and brick lined with vines, a pretty solid showing for such a short amount of time to prepare.

It’s safe to say that the show was a success. Audience and cast members alike looked delighted throughout the entire performance. I look forward to seeing what UTC can bring next year, hoping for the same unabashed joy the 24-Hour Musical continues to bring.

PHOTO BY SABRINA CHOW/THE HOOT

Making the 24-Hour Musical: a behind-the-scenes look

By Aaron LaFauci staff

Allow me to clear up some technicalities for you sticklers out there. No, “The 24-Hour Musical” is not literally made in 24 hours.

That isn’t the point. Loads of time and labor are put into simply organizing the show weeks before the start date. Without that preemptive bureaucratic infrastructure, all but the most powerful volunteers would be dead four hours in.

That said, everything the audience sees during the show (including the set, the acting, and even the programs) is produced within the 24 hour pre-debut. It can be difficult to fully appreciate the sheer collective effort that goes into a standard multi-month production, let alone one as dramatically rushed as the 24-Hour.

To someone like myself with nearly zero experience on the production side of theater, this musical was a fabulously terrifying crash course in the art. I undertook the task of documenting the whole deal for the sake of posterity, and perhaps to convince a few of you wayward bodies to give it a try next year.

Prospective volunteers began to

crowd the Shapiro Campus Center (SCC) around 6:30 p.m. for staff introductions and a safety walkthrough, but the musical itself would not be announced until 8 p.m.

In a typical Brandeis production, each administrative position is filled by a single person. One director, one costume designer, one stage manager. To avoid utter chaos, 24-Hour necessitates the employment of three directors, three assistant stage managers, two choreographers, two assistant choreographers, two music directors, etc. The scope of the project was already beginning to wear on my mind. It was a sensation not dissimilar to the nausea experienced when beginning an essay the night before it is due, except in this case, the commitment is an inescapable 24 hours.

Despite my mounting terror, the staff did well to present the positive philosophy of the production. Haia Bchiri ’20, president of 24-Hour, kicked off the night with a proud speech declaring 24-Hour a “musical made for musical fans.” It is theater without the competitive edge. All volunteers that wish to be on stage will be. No cuts. Alina Sipp-Alpers ’21, co-costume designer, would later put it another way: the 24-

Hour Musical aims to provide all students with “a comprehensive theater experience.”

After the safety walkthrough, there was an opportunity for non-acting volunteers to meet with the production heads of the various departments that make up the backbone of the show. This period is a microcosm of the academic shopping period. I opted for costuming, but more technical volunteers could choose valuable hands-on introductions to lighting, set building or sound design.

At around 7:50 p.m. the introductory content was complete, and it was finally time to reveal “Legally Blonde” to the hungry masses. It was long rumoured that this year’s musical would be “Shrek,” but Ben Greene ’21, covice president, revealed that this was misinformation. It should be noted that he was wearing green face paint throughout the entire introduction.

By 8:20 p.m., the musical and cast list were announced, and the cascade began. The central atrium of the SCC immediately filled with actors desperate to learn their lines and stage directions.

Myself and a number of students interested in costuming were handed a pile of pink sweatshirts.

I believe it was at this point that

we were told that our department possessed no art supplies beyond a packet of 700 sequins and also that the musical was apparently already seriously over budget.

We didn’t even have glue. While I must assert that no theft occurred during the production, expeditions into the Student Union office resulted in useful loans of hot glue and paint. Our task was to produce the nine glamorous sweatshirts that together spell “ELLE WOODS” during the final song of Act I. The entire process of sweatshirt crafting took about four to five hours. All those hours invested in a few moments of glorious stage time. That is the power of 24-Hour. The first signs of exhaustion-induced mania began to show around this time. I had the pleasure of speaking to Zack Garrity ’20, a co-director, at around 1:30 a.m. He explained to me why he enjoyed theater: “I like doing the same thing over and over again and following directions,” he said. The SCC theater looked like a shipyard. Wires and lights hung about the stage while set builders scrambled about the wooden husks of stage pieces. Yet more students clambered along the catwalks that cling to the roof of the auditorium. Would I call

the scene apocalyptic? Maybe.

The costume designers and many members of the ensemble cast went to sleep at this point, since work would not resume for many until 11 a.m. (quite a few folks got the full eight hours of rest). By the time I made it back to the SCC in the morning, the place had been cleaned up and the husks were fully assembled and the brick set pieces were painted.

I dropped my costume responsibilities and joined the stage crew, where I was given a 10 minute tutorial on how to operate the rigging lines. All told, the quality of this year’s production seemed a magnitude above last year’s in sophistication, and it was all run by a couple of sleep-deprived stage managers with dysfunctional headsets and troops of inexperienced volunteers.

Seeing the show from the stage is a real treat. At 4 p.m. the full cast attempted a test run, so fans of “Legally Blonde” had the chance to experience it twice. I’ll never get these lyrics out of my head.

It was a lot of fun though.

Editor’s note: Aaron LaFauci is in a relationship with Amy Ollove ’21, who was an assistant stage manager in the 24-Hour Musical.