The Brandeis Hoot 09/21/2018

Volume 15 Issue 15

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

September 21, 2018

Brandeis University’s Community Newspaper · Waltham, Mass.

New study spaces installed in Goldfarb Library

By Sabrina Chow editor

PHOTO BY SABRINA CHOW/THE HOOT

MAJOR RENOVATIONS DONE IN GOLDFARB AND FARBER LIBRARIES

Matthew Sheehy led the university in enhancing library infra-

structure.

Throughout the summer, both Goldfarb and Farber libraries have seen steady improvements to their infrastructure as well as gained additional study spaces for further student interaction.

Matthew Sheehy, the Brandeis National Committee University Librarian, acts as the strategic guide for the university as well as a supporter for the faculty in regards to different teaching methods and research. Sheehy reports to the Provost of the University, Lisa Lynch.

Sheehy went into detail about all of the renovations that need to be made at the library. Since Goldfarb was built in the 1950s and Farber in the 1970s, there are many areas of the library that were used in the 20th century that are no longer in use today, which

were the main areas that Sheehy worked to renovate. He explained that it would be way too expensive to tear down the current library and build a new one, given the limited capital resources he is allocated. Because of this, he is working to make due and renovate in the places where he can.

In general, Sheehy is looking to continuously make improvements as a community center, keeping all the main archives as dry spaces, making the library more environmental friendly and displaying student’s artwork around the library.

The first major renovation that was done was adding additional lighting to Farber one near the cafe area. According to Sheehy, the old microfilm room was no longer in use, so it was converted to help bring more lighting to the ground. Lighting was also added See LIBRARY, page 4

Brandeis prof. faces online threats amid feuding medieval academia

By Ryan Spencer editor

Amid an oftentimes public feud over the direction of medieval academia, Brandeis Professor Dorothy Kim (ENG) told The Brandeis Hoot that her colleague,

Rachel Fulton Brown, “crossed the line” when she tagged Milo Yiannopoulos, a conservative writer and provocateur, in a Facebook post concerning Kim. Since being tagged in the post on Sept.

14, 2017, Kim says she’s been the target of threats and harassments on the internet.

“Because the alt-right broadcast my office location, I had to secure my physical workspace. I had to explain the situation, request security and plan safety measures with my university administrators, campus security, family, academic collaborators and students,” Kim said in an op-ed pub-

lished on “Inside Higher Ed” last month.

“Brandeis has been very good about taking steps to address my online and physical security,” Kim said in response to questions from The Hoot. Due to the sensitivity of the subject, Kim would not discuss what measures the university

has taken.

Kim and Brown, an associate professor at University of Chicago, have engaged in sporadic online debate which Kim says began in January of 2016 when she responded to Brown’s personal blog, See MEDIEVAL, page 2

Anita Hill speaks about Kavanaugh confirmation hearings

By Celia Young editor

Brandeis Professor Anita Hill (HS) spoke out in a New York Times opinion piece, on Public Broadcasting System (PBS) Newshour and to The Washington Post, among others, about Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh’s confirmation hearings.

In the opinion piece, Hill calls for several measures to encourage a fair confirmation hearing that addresses the allegations against Kavanaugh of sexual assault.

Kavanaugh was accused by Christine Blasey Ford, a research

psychologist, of sexually assaulting her at a party when they were both in high school together. Kavanaugh has denied the allegation.

Hill’s opinion piece was published on Sept. 18 and immediately followed by her appearance on PBS Sept. 19.

In The Times opinion piece, Hill relates the current controversy to her experience accusing Supreme Court nominee Clarence Thomas of sexual harassment.

“Today, the public expects better from our government than we got in 1991, when our representatives performed in ways that gave em-

Inside This Issue:

See HILL, page 4

News: Memory research proves promising Ops: Mailroom struggles fixed Arts: Jonah’s Chicago Roundup Sports: Women’s soccer continues 5-0 streak EDITORIAL: Medieval feud gone too far

ANITA HILL SPEAKS AT A DISCUSSION ABOUT SEXUAL ASSAULT IN DEC. 2017

‘Break the Fast’

Page 3 Page 6 Page 13 Brandeis breaks the fast together.

Page 12 Page 10 NEWS: PAGE 4

Fall Flex Kiiara disappoints at Fall Flex.

ARTS: PAGE 16

PHOTO FROM WASHINGTONPOST.COM

NEWS

2 The Brandeis Hoot

September 21, 2018

Yiannopoulos spurs conflict in medieval academia MEDIEVAL, from page 1

“Fencing Bear at Prayer,” with a blog post of her own.

“I am writing this post today as a way to meditate on intersectional feminism and the difficulties that Medieval Studies seems to have with dealing with both gender and race,” Kim wrote in her response to Brown’s blog.

Kim told The Hoot that this post was a response to Brown’s blog post entitled “Talking Points: Three Cheers for White Men” which presented a numbered list of “talking points” about white men in the Middle Ages.

“When white women (see Marie de France and Eleanor of Aquitaine) invented chivalry and courtly love, white men agreed that it was better for knights to spend their time protecting women rather than raping them, and even agreed to write songs for them rather than expecting them to want to have sex with them without being forced,” read Brown’s first talking point.

In her response to Brown, Kim asserted that Brown’s post “valorizes the supposed whiteness of the Middle Ages.”

Brown refused to be interviewed by The Hoot for this article, saying, “I think it better that I do not contribute to your article, given that you are writing for Professor Kim’s own institution.”

She instead linked The Hoot to articles written by Yiannopoulos on the issue.

Yiannopoulos is notorious for provocative comments about race, gender, and sexuality.

Last year a video of Yiannopoulos singing a karaoke version of “America the Beautiful” as multiple people in the crowd raised their arms in Nazi salutes was published by Buzzfeed News.

“Both [Yiannopoulos] and I hope that his having covered the debate in depth will allow us all to put the matter to rest,” Brown told The Hoot in an email.

The Yiannopoulos articles which Brown linked to The Hoot in emails contained misleading and untrue claims that Kim’s “publication history is essentially non-existent,” and that she “invented stories about being harassed and threatened to destroy the reputation of a senior colleague.”

A review of Yiannopoulos’ Facebook posts about Kim as well as Kim’s Twitter feed showed numerous comments aimed at Kim,

PHOTOS FROM FACEBOOK.COM

who is Asian, which used racial slurs or were threatening in nature.

Kim’s C.V.—a copy of which she provided to The Hoot but is not available online due to her ongoing security concerns—showed nearly two dozen published articles, reviews and edited volumes with works published every year since 2012.

The C.V. lists three upcoming books and several upcoming articles and reviews.

A C.V., or curriculum vitae, is a document common in academia which lists an individual’s educational background, teaching, and research experience. Kim’s C.V. totals 16 single-spaced pages.

Kim’s C.V. also listed work she did on a digital project from 2013 to 2017 while she was a professor at Vassar College.

The project was funded by a $200,000 grant from the National Endowment for Humanities.

In his article Yiannopoulos erroneously claims that “in the six years since she received the money, Kim is yet to demonstrate any progress” on the digital project.

“The project was actually online and live,” Kim told The Hoot in an email.

She said the project was taken offline “to prepare for potential attacks and increase their digital and other security.”

She told The Hoot that the project will eventually be housed at Brandeis but that “it’s basically like the humanities version of moving a science lab” and setting up the completed project again will take some time.

Vassar’s website lists the digital archive as a “completed project.”

The debate over whether white supremacy exists in medieval academia and how the field should respond is “a debate [that] kind

of originated after the events of Charlottesville last year… but it, I think, it has been simmering for quite a while now,” Matthew Gabriele, a professor of Medieval Studies at Virginia Tech told The Hoot.

Last year Nazis and White Nationalists descended on Charlottesville, Virginia in a “Unite the Right” rally to protest the city’s plans to remove a Confederate statue. During the event a protester drov e a car into a crowd of anti-protesters, killing one woman.

“White supremacists were using medieval symbols in their rallies,” Gabriele told The Hoot.

He noted that this has caused some medievalists to ponder the “role we as academics have in how we teach this period—the Middle Ages—and how that can lead to dangerous or bigoted preconceptions.”

The other side of the debate holds that academics are just “outside objective observers who shouldn’t really play a part or don’t have a role to play in how these ideas, these discussions of the past, are being used outside of the classroom,” according to Gabriele.

Gabriele noted a similar debate is unfolding in the field of classical studies.

Kim is among those academics who have called for increased scrutiny of how medieval studies is taught.

“The medieval Western European Christian past is being weaponized by white supremacist/ white nationalist/KKK/Nazi extremist groups who also frequently happen to be college students,” she said in a blog post which she has said was a direct response to events in Charlottesville.

“Because you are the author-

ities teaching medieval subjects in the classroom, you are, in fact, ideological arms dealers,” she said in the post, referring to medieval academics and professors.

Kim has been criticized for aiming accusations of racism and white supremacy at Brown.

In an audio recording of Kim speaking at the Leeds International Medieval Congress in 2018, Kim can be heard giving a talk on how “medievalism, racism and internationalism surface in the public fascism of Rachel Fulton Brown.”

The audio clip was published on Yiannopoulos’s website in the article linked to The Hoot by Brown.

Kim has told The Hoot that recording the conference was against the conferences rules and that the recording was “illegally taken.”

“I am fighting to make sure that this field welcomes marginalized students—genderqueer, transgender, non-Christian, BIPOC, differently able, etc.,” Kim told The Hoot, in response to a question asking why she chose to speak out against what she sees as white supremacy and racism in medieval academia.

The feud between Kim and Brown has seen open letters from both sides.

The National Association of Scholars (NAS)—a conservative group which is concerned with, among other issues, “overemphasis on issues of race, gender, class, sexual orientation,” the “declining study of Western civilization,” and trends of “multiculturalism,” “diversity,” “sustainability” in higher education—penned an open letter on behalf of Brown.

“Professor Brown has argued fiercely against the invasion of social justice warriors into the field of medieval studies, where they make specious claims about

the medieval past,” the NAS read in an introduction to the open letter, arguing that Brown’s “beliefs have provoked a host of false accusations against her character.” The letter urged “that public vindications of Professor Brown’s scholarly good character be made

by President Robert Zimmer of the University of Chicago, Dean Amanda Woodward of the University of Chicago’s Division of the Social Sciences, Acting Chair Adrian Johns of the University of Chicago’s Department of History, and President David Wallace of the Medieval Academy of America.” The letter has received approximately 1,000 signatures.

An open letter to the Department of History at Chicago University from “a group of medievalists and other scholars deeply concerned about the recent words and actions of your faculty member Rachel Fulton Brown” garnered over 1,300 signatures, according to a blog post

by Bryan Van Norden, a professor of philosophy at Vassar College.

“To protect the signatories from harassment” their names were not included on the copy of the letter posted on Norden’s blog, the blog says.

“While tenets of academic freedom dictate that Professor Fulton Brown is allowed to express any opinion she wishes, we do not believe that doing so in a manner that puts an untenured scholar of color—or any scholar—in harm’s way is her right,” the letter reads.

The letter goes on to say Brown’s “ignorance of basic theoretical principles of race theory renders her an ill-informed and substandard interlocutor in the rigorous scholarly discussion of this important subject.”

The letter was sent in Sept. 2017.

Hiatt Career Center reaches 53 live videos

By Celia Young editor

Hiatt Career Center is in its second year of its Facebook Live show, #HiattLive, where students give advice primarily about the career search through livestreamed videos. Hiatt has made over 50 episodes.

In total, Hiatt has over 20,000 video views and their most popular video, a carpool karaoke spinoff where students sing songs about the job search, has gained 1600 views.

The episodes are hosted by Jackie Blesso, the assistant director for career development at Hiatt; Kristin Menconi, the assistant director of marketing and communications; and a Hiatt intern Dylan Corn ’19. In June of 2017, Hiatt was nominated for a National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) award in tech excellence.

“We were nominated in June of 2017. So, we’re still fighting for an award, we want to get back in the ring,” Menconi said. “We’ve grown a lot, but it was definitely stiff competition. We were up

against schools that were much larger than Brandeis, but overall it was so nice to be recognized for some of the strides that we’ve done in the office from a technology standpoint.”

All episodes are live and range from yoga sessions to employer visits. They come out every other Wednesday at noon. The videos also feature student clubs, such as Voicemale, and career fairs.

Student employees at Hiatt, including desk associates, advisors and interns, often take part in the videos. The episode topics are planned in advance, but the con-

tent is unscripted.

Hiatt’s next episodes are on the campus calendar, and there are six episodes left this semester. The episodes include discussions with the International Students and Scholars Office (ISSO), about how international students can plan internships and a Halloween episode where Hiatt staff will dress up as the jobs they want.

Menconi started the video series in 2016.

“When Facebook rolled out Facebook Live two years ago, I kind of got inspired by the major brands doing it… I figured that

that would be a great way to engage with the students,” Menconi said. “I started it in the summer because… it gets really quiet on campus over the summer months.

So to have something that’s a little more dynamic that can keep us connected with Brandeis students over the summer was a big deal for us. And it’s been successful ever since.”

Hiatt is looking for new students and clubs to feature in their upcoming videos in the spring semester. “We’re always looking for ways to engage with the Brandeis community,” Menconi said.

September 21, 2018

NEWS 3

The Brandeis Hoot

Graduate Student Union votes unanimously for contract

By Celia Young editor

With a unanimous vote of 35 to zero, the Graduate Student Union ratified its first ever labor contract with Brandeis University on Sept.

18. The agreement, if ratified by the university administration, will then go to the Graduate Union again. The bargaining committee, which worked with the administration to create the contract, will then sign and the contract will go into effect July 1 of 2019.

35 students came to register for the union and vote from 8 a.m. until 4 p.m. The vote was overseen by graduate students in the union who worked in shifts. When all the votes were in, two members counted the paper ballots.

When asked how she felt about the vote, Anna Henkin (GRAD), a graduate student pursuing a PhD in the Biochemistry department, said it felt “unreal.” She added that “this is two years of work, and I’m not TA-ing anymore, so I’m not going to see anything in this contract. But I am so proud that other people aren’t going to go through the things that I saw and that I got

mad about. No one’s going to have to go through things that made me want to unionize. This is important.”

In 2016, a ruling by the National Labor Relations Board ruled that graduate students were allowed to organize. The Brandeis Graduate Union has been working since August of 2016 to unionize and is the second school in the nation to petition for a graduate union, the first being New York University.

The contract, drafted in 10 months instead of the typical 12-18 months it takes for a first union contract, provides several benefits for union members. The contract will affect graduate student teaching assistants (TA) and teaching fellows (TF) who are pursuing PhDs. The contract will not affect master’s students, graduate students receiving a university prize instructorship or graduate students in the Rabb School of Continuing Studies.

The contract also would establish embedded counselors so graduate students have better access to mental health resources.

TAs and TFs will also have access to more feedback on their teaching and opportunities for profes-

sional development. The contract provides that the graduate students will not go on strike while it is in effect.

Once in effect, the contract will raise the minimum wage for TFs from $3,200 to $5,000 for a four-credit course by Oct. 1, 2020, or fiscal year 21. TAs, who currently earn $3,200 in the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, $2,500 in the Heller School and $3,000 at the International Business School, will make $3,720 by fiscal year 21.

The union members were impressed with the turnout, despite the heavy rain. “That [the rain] definitely affected things,” said Henkin. “But we got a decent number of people coming in and it was a unanimous yes.

And honestly, I was impressed by the number of people who came out because it’s always hard to get people to show up since people are really busy; they’re really academic.”

The unionized students are part of the Services Employees International Union Local 509 (SEIU509). The representative from SEIU509, Matt Dauphin, attended the vote.

PHOTO FROM FACEBOOK.COM

IN THE SENATE: Sept 16, 2018 •

The newly elected Senate had its first meeting on Sunday, Sept. 16. They approved the new members of the Executive Board and discussed the functions of the different committees within the Senate.

• New Rules for the Senate • New rules for the Senate include actual enforcement for the rule that should a senator miss four meetings in one semester, they will be removed from office, as well as making Senate meetings open to the general public.

• A publicly accessible attendance document which lists every Senator and which meetings they have missed will be available.

• The Senate’s stated goal for this year is to make better use of the funds allocated to them.

• Approving New Members • The Senate approved Brandon Stanaway ’19 as the Director of Academic Affairs, Adrian Ashley ’20 as the Director of Programming, Emma Russell ’19 as the Chief of Staff, Rachel McAllister ’21 as the Director of Communications and Aaron Finkel ’20 as the Chief Strategist for the Executive Board.

• The Union Officer for Diversity and Inclusion Zoë Fort ’21 and Zosia Buse ’20, the Junior Representative to the Board of Trustees, are being confirmed by the Executive Board in upcoming Senate meeting.

• The majority of the meeting was spent discussing the seven committees of the Senate. The Bylaws Committee’s purpose is to enhance the efficiency of the Senate, to streamline the legislative process and help the entire Senate adhere to the rules and guidelines set forth in the Union Constitution and Bylaws.

• The Club Support Committee serves the clubs of the Brandeis campus by educating students on the resources available and acting as an outlet for club-advocacy related issues between clubs and the Union Government and/or the Administration.

• The Campus Operations Working Group (COWG) Committee works with University Services to improve Brandeis facilities. The Health and Safety Committee promotes and improves the well-being and security of students on cam pus.

• The Dining Services Committee coordinates with the University Dining Committee in representing the Student Union when dealing with dining services and other dining-related affairs. The Sustainability Committee investigates, advocates for and implements policies that help to create a sustainable, environmentally conscious campus.

• The Social Justice and Diversity Committee investigates, publicizes and acts upon student concerns. It also promotes institutional change and works to encourage interaction and connections among the different groups that make up the student body. The Senate Services and Outreach Committee provides services that the student body believes are lacking and works to create events that will boost campus morale.

- Sasha Skarboviychuk

Research shows promise for learning and memory

By Sabrina Chow and Candace Ng editors

Students and faculty gathered in Gerstenzang to hear a speech by renowned scientist H. Craig Heller, the Lorry I. Lokey/Business Wire Professor and a Professor of Biology at Stanford University on Sept. 18. Professor Michael Rosbash (BIO/NBIO) mediated the presentation.

Heller’s research is focused on the neurobiology of sleep, circadian rhythms and learning disabilities.

He decided to focus his research on discovering therapies that may improve the cognition of individuals with Down syndrome. In this talk, he shared his findings of how the reduction of Gamma-Aminobutyric acid (GABA) activity restores the learning and memory abilities in mice with Down syndrome. GABA is a major inhibition system in the brain that is heavily involved in sleep and circadian rhythms.

According to Heller, Down syndrome is a “complex, clinically heterogeneous disorder that af-

fects speech, language, declarative short-term and long-term memory,” affecting one in 700-1000 births in the United States every year.

Of the three types of Down syndrome, the most prevalent type is Trisomy 21, where an individual is born with three copies of the 21st chromosome. People with Down syndrome also have an increased risk for early onset Alzheimer’s disease.

Heller began the talk by introducing the “Ts65Dn Mouse Model of DS” (TS), a model commonly used to study Down syndrome and Alzheimer’s disease. In this model, mice are genetically engineered to have three copies of 100 genes; the modifications mirrors the symptoms of Down syndrome in humans, as well as severe learning disabilities. Professor Fabian Fernandez, an Assistant Professor of Psychology and Neurology at the University of Arizona who worked under Heller as a graduate student, hypothesized that the over-inhibition of the central nervous system inhibits the transfer of short-term memories to longterm memories, causes learning disabilities.

The Novel Object Recognition (NOR) test, one of the main tests to study learning and memory in mice, utilized the TS mice to study the changes in GABA within the brains of the mice. The overall purpose of the study demonstrated that mice are able to recognize patterns of change within their surroundings.

Another common experiment that is utilized is seminal experiments that help to find the effects of chronic treatment with GABA antagonists on different forms of learning and memory. Three different drugs were used the the light sleeping phase to see the effects. The drugs were given over a period of over 17 days and given through chocolate milk.

A week after the treatment was given, all the mice were tested.

Even though the medications did have a positive effect on their internal systems, researchers still do not why, or how, this occurred.

The overall conclusion of the study demonstrated that the short-term chronic treatment of the GABAA receptor antagonists at low doses improved the learning and memory of the mice, both in the short-term and long-term.

But the mechanisms that code for these are based on the circadian phase.

Heller then states that GABA receptor antagonists can enhance learning and memory in DS models, but in actuality, these mechanisms depend on the circadian phases and sleep patterns of the mice. Studies show that the circadian rhythms can be eliminated, but sleep cannot be compromised.

Heller and his team used Siberian hamsters to study our biological need for circadian rhythms.

Siberian hamsters are ideal for studying circadian rhythms because they follow Aschoff ’s rule.

Aschoff ’s rule states that if the intensity of light an organism is exposed to increases, the active period of diurnal animals shortens and that of nocturnal animals becomes longer than 24 hours.

Heller gave an example of how this rule applies to hamsters, saying that “if you put these animals on a plane and took them from Boston to San Francisco, they get jet lagged and you see this gradual re-entrainment to this light-dark cycle.”

Based on this rule, hamsters under prolonged light exposure,

such as having an extra five hours of daylight, will have a disrupted phase response, and their circadian rhythms are permanently damaged—hamsters are able to be active regardless of the time of the day. Clock genes continue to be expressed after the damage is done, but the hamster is arhythmic for life.

Heller shifts to talking about short-term and long-term memory, beginning this section by explaining memory patterns in the brain.

During memory creation, information that needs to be processed goes through the hippocampus and cortex, even though the cortex is unresponsive. However, while individuals are asleep, the hippocampus helps to strengthen the firing sequences in the primary cortex.

Memory storage is extremely vulnerable to changes during the transfer between temporary to long-term storage, which are housed in different areas of the brain. This means that memories are consolidated when individuals are sleeping, which can both be reactivated and modified during sleep.

4 NEWS

The Brandeis Hoot

September 21, 2018

Library expands study spaces, conducts renovations LIBRARY, from page 1

to “the dungeon” study space, located in Goldfarb three.

The previous accessibility room in Farber Mezzanine has been converted to another study space, doubling the study rooms on the mezzanine. Sheehy felt it was necessary to add this as a larger study space for students because it had no use as an accessibility room any longer. Two additional study spaces have been created on the first floor of Goldfarb in old office spaces.

Ever since the MakerLab began at Brandeis, it has continued to expand as more and more incoming students have gotten involved with research. Because the size of the lab has exponentially increased, additional space has been provided as an Automation Lab on Farber one to allow for further research and the expansion of the MakerLab. This space will also be

used to further integrate teaching and learning about robotics and other electronics.

The Sound and Image Media Studios (SIMS), previously known as the Getz Media Lab, has gotten more equipment for Basement Records as well as a glass wall in their classroom to allow for more seating.

Noah Harper ’19, Arts Editor of The Brandeis Hoot, works at SIMS and notes that “with the added glass panels and other renovations, the SIMS Lab finally feels like home.”

Faculty spaces also saw renovations. Faculty were too pressed for space in the individual faculty study rooms near the Writing Center, so the library built a faculty study space next to the Judaica Room on Goldfarb Mezzanine.

This space is for faculty, staff and visiting scholars to have an area to work outside of their offices to accomplish more tasks.

The Digital Humanities Lab,

used for scholars in the humanities to study ancient works, is currently under renovation. Sheehy explained that this space will one day be for more than just the humanities students and faculty.

Instead, it will be for all the social sciences together. Even though there is not a lot of work being done, Sheehy is looking to update the outdated technology in the room as well as make the environment more conducive to modern work habits, as opposed to the ones of previous decades.

A new Meditation Room is another addition to Goldfarb Mezzanine. Adorned with mats and pillows, students can come here for a quiet space in the library, regardless of their religious or personal beliefs.

Sheehy explained that back in the 20th century, it was necessary to have an additional projection room on the other side of classrooms to display things on screens. The room now hous-

NEW AUTOMATION LAB ON FARBER 1

ing the meditation space used to serve this purpose for the neighboring computer classroom.

With the change to projectors at the front of the room, projection

PHOTO BY SABRINA CHOW/THE HOOT

rooms became out of date, and the space could be used for something else, making room for the Meditation Room, which is open to the public.

Anita Hill speaks on Kavanaugh hearings HILL, from page 1

ployers permission to mishandle workplace harassment complaints throughout the following decades,” Hill wrote.

She continued, “That the Senate Judiciary Committee still lacks a protocol for vetting sexual harassment and assault claims that surface during a confirmation hearing suggests that the committee has learned little from the Thomas hearing, much less the more recent #MeToo movement.”

Hill goes on to call for sever-

al “basic ground rules” for the Senate Judiciary Committee, a committee of 21 senators which considers executive nominations for the Supreme Court, should follow.

Hill called for the committee to hire a neutral investigative group, one that has experience dealing with sexual assault, to investigate the alleged incident. Hill stated that their findings should “frame” the hearings, so senators would ask questions based upon the conclusions of the investigators.

Hill also called for the hearings to not be rushed, stating that “hasti-

ly appraising this situation would very likely lead to facts being overlooked that are necessary for the Senate and the public to evaluate.”

Hill also stated that the public interest in confronting the accusations of sexual harassment should not be opposed to the need for a fair hearing and that working on both goals together will encourage a legitimate judicial system.

Finally, Hill called for the committee to refer to Christine Blasey Ford by her name, saying, “Dr. Blasey is a human being with a life of her own. She deserves the

respect of being addressed and treated as a whole person.”

Hill compared the current confirmation hearings with her experience of appearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee in 1991, after she publicly accused Supreme Court nominee, and later Justice, Thomas of sexual harassment.

She opened her opinion piece with the line, “There is no way to redo 1991, but there are ways to do better.”

In speaking with PBS from Brandeis University, Anita Hill again called for a professional,

thorough investigation separate from the Senate Judiciary Committee. Hill stated that she believed a fair hearing of Kavanaugh is possible, if partisanship is put aside.

Recounting her 1991 experience giving testimony before the committee, Anita Hill recalled how most senators did not have an “open mind” when they questioned her. “The senators have already indicated that they have made up their mind about this individual. All of this to me just points to the fact that they are not prepared to have this hearing.”

Students gather for ‘Break Fast’ celebration

By Candace Ng editor

Hundreds of Brandeis students, faculty and staff gathered in a large tent on the Great Lawn for “Break the Fast” at 7:30 p.m. on Sept. 19. Initially created by former Senior Vice President for Students and Enrollment Andrew Flagel in 2010, “Break the Fast” strives to celebrate Jewish life on campus while building community.

Open to the public, “Break the Fast” featured an array of bagels, lox, hummus and tabouleh. This celebration follows Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, one of the most important holidays in Jewish tradition, during which many people of the Jewish faith choose to fast in order to more adequately reflect on the past year and look forward to the new one.

Richard Wiener ’21, leader of Cultural Jewish Services and co-coordinator of Shalem, the Jewish LGBTQ group, expressed how “Break the Fast” helped him feel more connected to the Brandeis community. “After a long day of fasting and working on myself, the break fast was a great opportunity to come together and remember why I’m worth working on: I’m part of something bigger than myself,” Wiener said.

Yom Kippur marks the end of the Days of Awe, the ten days

INSIDE OF THE TENT

following Rosh Hashanah that call for introspection, prayer and repentance. During this time, many Jews spend 25 hours abstaining from eating or drinking, wearing leather shoes, anointing one’s body, washing or bathing and engaging in sexual activity to cleanse their bodies and spirits, though exceptions are made to accomodate for health reasons.

Throughout the holiday, there were multiple services that served as opportunities for prayer and reflection.

According to the Brandeis website, this annual event reflects the institution’s history as a “pluralistic, non-sectarian university founded by the Jewish community,” as all community members are welcome, regardless of background or religious affiliation.

STUDENTS WAIT IN LINE FOR FOOD

Genevieve Brown ’20, who identifies as Christian, attended her third “Break the Fast” this year. Though she found the event “high-key overwhelming” due to the large number of attendees, she “felt close to the Brandeis community” as she was in a small space with all her close friends and acquaintances. She thought “the food and tea were good, and the fall decorations created a nice ambiance.”

While Brown wishes there was more organization with the event, as “one line went all the way out of the tent and didn’t move,” whereas “another [line] went by in like two minutes,” she was happy to have attended the event.

Spoken like a true college student, Brown jokingly said, “I always take advantage of free food.”

BAE-GOALS

PHOTOS BY CANDACE NG/THE HOOT

September 21, 2018

FEATURES

The Brandeis Hoot 5

The do’s and don’ts of studying abroad in Japan

By Alana Hodson special to the hoot

Studying abroad is one of the most unique, rewarding and adventurous decisions one can make in their undergraduate career—or even in one’s lifetime. Last spring semester, I was fortunate enough to be able to study in Kyoto, Japan, where I participated in Columbia University’s intensive language program, the Kyoto Consortium for Japanese Studies (KCJS).

Given that I had been studying Japanese for three years and had done extensive research on Japanese culture, one might think that I was fully prepared to immerse myself in the society and that my study abroad would go off without a hitch. However, there were still things that threw me for a loop.

Whether you’re a seasoned expert in all things Japan or a newcomer to the wonders of the “Land of the Rising Sun,” there are some important tips that don’t often make it into the average traveler’s guide. Lucky for you, I’ve compiled a list of do’s and don’ts

from my own experiences, those of other Brandeis students who studied in Japan last semester and even advice from Brandeis staff to ensure that your semester or year in Japan will go down smoother than a cup of finely brewed sake.

DO: Keep an open mind and try new things.

I’m going to go ahead and throw this one out there first because it is by far the most important. For many people, studying abroad in college will be their one and only chance to live in Japan and fully immerse themselves in the culture. Don’t waste this precious time being shy, afraid or a picky eater (dietary restrictions and religious observances aside)—take the bull by the horns and truly experience all Japan has to offer!

Emily Choi ’19, who studied at Sophia University in Tokyo, recommends joining clubs, attending seasonal events such as hanami, or cherry-blossom viewing and trying foods unique to Japan, such as sushi, ramen and okonomiyaki.

DON’T: Be convinced that you absolutely have to go to Tokyo.

In speaking with Dr. Matthew

Fraleigh, professor of East Asian Literature at Brandeis, he notes that many students believe that they must go to Tokyo in order to have the true “Japanese experience.” Having spent time in Tokyo as well as the rural areas of Japan, Fraleigh advises that this notion is simply not true. Many cities and rural towns can offer a rewarding experience. In fact, where Tokyo is highly modern and heavily trafficked by tourists, the capital may offer a less “authentically” Japanese experience than one might expect. Brandeis has many approved programs aside from Sophia University in Tokyo, including IES Nagoya, CET Osaka, KCJS Kyoto and Princeton Summer in Ishikawa.

DO: Be conscious of societal rules and etiquette and do your best to follow them.

Japan doesn’t get the reputation for being one of the world’s politest and safest countries for nothing; Japanese people take rules and respect very seriously.

This includes not speaking loudly or eating on trains, not crossing the street while the light is still red, even if there are no cars in sight, standing to the proper side of the escalator, using chopsticks in the proper manner and more.

Another very important concept in Japan is mottainai, essentially “don’t be wasteful.” Japan is a resource-conservative country, so remember to turn off your lights and air conditioning or heat at night or when you’re not in the room, don’t let water run excessively and definitely don’t waste food—try your best to eat everything you take or are given.

DON’T: Cling to your English-speaking friends for dear life.

I’ll be the first to admit that Japanese can be a painfully difficult language to learn—seemingly endless grammatical constructs, a multitude of particles, and kenjogo and teineigo and sonkeigo, oh my! But stop that descent down the rabbit hole right there!

You didn’t travel all this way to trap yourself in an English bubble. Japanese people are often very enthusiastic—and probably relieved, too—when a foreigner knows any level of Japanese, so for

PHOTOS COURTESY ALANA HODSON

your benefit, the benefit of your waiter and that of the kind citizen you ask for directions when you inevitably get lost, use Japanese whenever you can! You’ll find that your reading, writing, listening and speaking skills will improve immensely while living abroad if you do your best to leave English behind in the U.S. DO: Apply for scholarships and manage your spending while abroad.

There are many scholarships dedicated to supporting students who are studying abroad, and a surprising amount tailored specifically to students studying in East Asia. If you are concerned about the financial burden of studying abroad, apply to as many scholarships as you can, talk to your financial aid advisor and talk to your study abroad advisor. One scholarship I would suggest that everyone apply to is the Benjamin A. Gilman Scholarship, as it is the one that gave me the freedom and peace of mind to experience as much of Japan as I could without digging a grave for my bank account. Whether you’re backed

by scholarships or not, keep track of your spending because living abroad has a sneaky way of luring our brains into our wallets. Luckily for those of us studying in Japan, the dollar/yen exchange rate works in our favor and since Japan is largely a cash-based country, spending money is a very transparent process. Amy Zou ’19 suggests keeping an Excel sheet of your transactions as an easy way of recognizing your spending habits and planning your budget. Also, be sure to check the foreign transaction fees on your credit card.

Of course, there is much more I could tell you about Japan, but why ruin the mystery?

Just kidding, I have five more do’s and don’ts coming up next week! While the advice listed above was more or less the general and straightforward tips for studying in Japan, next week will delve into more specific actions you can take (or avoid) during your time abroad. Hopefully, these tips and tricks of the trade will help make your transition to Japan easier and help your Japanese skills flourish.

Featured Events Calendar Bubble Soccer, Saturday, Sept. 22 6-11 p.m., Stein Diamond Student Activities and Intramural Sports host Bubble Soccer, a cross between zorbing and soccer. All are welcome and no experience is required. Open league, 5 vs. 5, 10 minute games; single elimination tournament. Advance registration is required at imleagues.com/brandeis.

BJEP Open House / Opening Day, Sunday, Sept. 23 9:30 a.m.-12 p.m., Olin-Sang The Boston-area Jewish Education Program (BJEP) invites the community to their Open House/Opening Day as they begin the 2018-2019 school term. Email info@bjep.com with any questions. Through an interactive curriculum, BJEP instills a sense of joy and belonging within the Jewish community and knowledge of Jewish traditions and the Hebrew language to students. #HiattLive Episode 54: Not So Thank You Notes, Wednesday, Sept. 26, 12-1 p.m.

A thank you note goes a long way, especially after a successful meeting or interview; but have you ever had those moments when you wanted to say thanks but no thanks? Taking Jimmy Fallon’s lead, we are writing “not so thank you notes” to the things that make the career journey not so pleasant. Tune in live on the Hiatt Career Center on Facebook to join the conversation.

Claudia Goldin - A Long Road: The Quest for Career and Family, Thursday, Sept. 27, 3:30-5 p.m., Liberman-Miller Lecture Hall The Women’s Studies Research Center welcomes Claudia Goldin, Henry Lee Professor of Economics, Harvard University to hold a Cascading/Downward Mobilities Lecture: “A Long Road: The Quest for Career and Family.” Professor Goldin is best known for her historical work on women in the U.S. economy and the gender wage gap.

Brandeis State of Sustainability & Sustainability Fair, Thursday, Sept. 27 5-6 p.m., Sherman Function Hall Kick start your year sustainably at the State of Sustainability (SoS)! SoS is for any student, staff or faculty member interested in learning more about Brandeis’ sustainability efforts and environmental clubs. Mary Fischer, Brandeis’ sustainability manager, will dive into our metrics as a campus and introduce new programs for the year. Attendees can visit tables to engage with clubs, take political actions, sign up for new programs and more.

Trivia, Thursday, Sept. 27 9:30-11 p.m., Hassenfeld Conference Center Test your smarts against other Brandeis students as teams compete for prizes.

- Compiled by Polina Potochevska

6 The Brandeis Hoot

OPINIONS

September 21, 2018

Mailroom is a good first step

By Ben Beriss editor

Those of you who were on campus early last year may remember the horrors of a mailroom unprepared for the most predictable rush of the year.

With the notifications system down, students were forced to visit periodically to check whether packages had arrived.

I personally remember my first two trips to that pit, each of which involved waiting at least a half-hour to be told there was nothing waiting for me.

I naively believed this, despite Amazon telling me the college supplies I had forgotten to pack had been delivered at least a week earlier, reasoning that the beginning of the year rush must bring delayed processing.

I made my third visit on a Saturday, a decision I came to regret after another thirty-minute wait in the never-ending line.

I don’t remember exactly how long I waited, but I do remember seeing a Hoot article pointing out that students were facing wait times up to ninety minutes.

Once I managed to make it to the counter, I was mercifully handed two large boxes to wrestle back to my room.

As I completed the sign-out process, I was told by an employee ignorant of my previous trips that the packages had been sitting in the mailroom for both of those visits.

I was admonished and told to come more quickly in the future.

The mail experience did marginally improve after the beginning of the year, once the initial rush died down and the mailroom started sending email notifications of packages received to first-years.

Despite this, the experience of receiving shipped items remained painful and depressing.

The mailroom’s old practice of checking people in by manually collecting batches of IDs trapped bunches of students in the room at a time, waiting for other students’ mail to be found but unable to leave without their ID. A lack of any line organization exacerbated this problem, making it difficult to tell who was waiting for packages, who was waiting to hand in their ID and who had just arrived.

The atmosphere within the mailroom was uniquely depressing for the Brandeis campus.

Often crammed full of waiting students, all irritated, the mailroom was almost always awkwardly silent.

The conversation which did occur was almost uniformly grim, as when a student explained to the staff a missing package contained essential medication.

The dim lights, gray walls and poor cell connection contributed to the miserable mood, making a simple trip to pick up supplies often feel like an isolated journey into a crushingly dull, “Office Space”-like dystopia.

Over the course of the year, these problems became routine and I became resigned to spending hours of my life picking up packages delayed far past their arrival date.

Until I came back this year and was greeted by a new mail system.

First-year students were incorporated into the notification system immediately.

A new, fully automatic software was implemented to make tracking packages and notifying students more efficient.

A kiosk was installed, allowing students to check with a sim-

ple ID swipe whether they have packages waiting and to tell the staff whether or not they wished to pick those packages up with the push of a button. Gone was the need to hand over my ID. Gone were long delays between a package’s arrival as measured by delivery tracking and the arrival as noticed by the mailroom.

Gone were the crowds which thronged the counter.

Without them, the lights seem a little brighter, the waiting room a little larger.

A new plant tops the transformation, showing life can once again flourish in the space.

The improvements can easily go unnoticed but have a significant impact on daily life.

Not having to worry about a small logistical problem such as mail makes the busy schedule of a Brandeis student much easier to plan for.

The convenience of online shopping has made Amazon one of the largest companies in the world and the newly improved mailroom allows us to take full advantage of this modern technology.

The enhancements are the result of improved planning, increased staff and, most importantly, a switch to Swiss Post Solutions (SPS) as mailroom service provider.

This is the second switch of mail manager Brandeis has made in the last five years, the first being a 2014 switch from Canon Inc. That switch left popular employees Bill “The Singing Mailman” Bowen and Nancy Landry, who had a combined 62 years of employment in the Brandeis mailroom, out of a job.

Canon Inc. was replaced with Xerox, who held the role for four years before

WITHIN THE NEW AND IMPROVED MAILROOM

their replacement this year.

This reflects a pattern in many of the Brandeis improvement projects which have taken place recently.

The construction of our new dorm, Skyline, is mainly a fix for the remarkably poorly-handled construction of the Castle, which created a toxic and unstable building.

The quiet adoption of toothless free speech principles is an attempt to soothe anger over the poorly communicated cancellation of “Buyer Beware.” (By the way, if you hadn’t noticed,

PHOTO BY CELIA YOUNG/THE HOOT

the page which used to list draft principles of free expression has been edited to show they were adopted by the university).

The mailroom improvements are a microcosm of Brandeis’ larger efforts to improve student life. The new postal system is an enormous boost to students’ quality of life.

It is an inspiring reminder of the university’s ability to solve problems relatively quickly. Yet when thinking about it, one must wonder what life at Brandeis could have been if basic delivery expectations had been met from the start.

Lather, rinse, don’t repeat (until next week)

By Sarah Terrazano editor

There’s something that most people are doing wrong in the shower: washing their hair. More specifically, washing it every or every other day.

Many people naturally think that their hair will be cleaner the more they wash it. However, the opposite is true––hair actually becomes greasier the more often it’s washed. This is because once hair gets used to being shampooed and conditioned, it expects to be washed more frequently and isn’t able to withstand going a few days between washes. Thus, the less often you wash it, the less oily it becomes over time.

I can easily go five days without washing my hair. I don’t notice any oil until day five or six, and that’s when I wash it. It’s not gross, and it doesn’t mean my hair is dirty.

Rather, I’ve been training my hair for years (since high school) to be washed less frequently. It is now

healthier, less dry and overall easier to maintain.

You can train your body to do almost anything. It will build muscle if you work out or adjust to a new sleep schedule if you consistently wake up at a new time every morning. And if you train your hair, it will become accustomed to less-frequent washes.

It all comes down to a chemical process. On a simplified level, shampoo dries out your hair, and conditioner attempts to replace that moisture. Shampoo also strips your hair of its natural oils.

So while you think you’re cleaning your hair, you’re actually subjecting it to a cycle of dependence on hair care products, when in reality, hair has no biological need to be washed so frequently.

This goes for men, women and non-binary people alike––whether you have short or long hair, it should not be washed every day.

Imagine if you washed a pair of jeans every day, and how they would begin to look ragged, faded and stiff. Why do the same to your hair?

It is hard at first; you can’t go from zero to a hundred. It takes time to build up to a new hair-washing schedule, and your hair will be more greasy than usual for the first few weeks. But the end result is worth it. Start by spacing it out in one-day increments––for a few weeks, add one day to the time you normally wait in between washes.

Then for the next few weeks, bump it up to two. Then three.

Your hair will eventually adjust, and you’ll achieve a routine in which you can go four, five or even seven days without washing your hair.

Also remember that since you’re washing it less frequently, when you do wash it, you have to be thorough. Really lather your hair with shampoo, moisturize with conditioner and make sure to completely wash out all the products afterward.

Washing your hair often is also a waste of water, products and time.

Hair care products are a booming industry due to misconceived

notions that hair needs to be frequently washed. I save so much money on shampoo and conditioner by washing my hair once a week. It is also a time-saver—it’s so nice to just throw my hair in a bun, take a few minutes in the shower to wash my body and then not have to dry my hair. Taking the time to establish a new wash routine will be more than worth it when you save time on hair care on a daily basis.

There are difficulties that arise, perhaps the biggest being exercise. It is hard to work out regularly and not want to wash your hair. I solve this problem by pulling my hair back while I exercise, then bunning it in the shower and washing only along the scalp line, which is where the sweat emerges anyways (as opposed to on my loose hair).

Washing your hair less is also harder if you have thinner hair, and while training your thin hair might be more difficult, it is still possible.

For anyone having trouble with their new wash schedule and add-

ed grease, using dry shampoo is a much better alternative than washing your hair daily.

You can use dry shampoo, especially along your roots, in place of washes to space out your wash cycle and cause less damage to your hair.

As long as you’re not routinely stripping your hair of its oils and then falsely forcing them back in with conditioner, your hair will be healthier and much less dry.

There are other small things you can do to keep your hair looking healthy. For instance, don’t touch it as much––your fingers transmit their oils into your hair, which will make it greasier.

The fewer products you use, the better. Additionally, the less you expose your hair to heat, such as from a straightener or curling iron, the less it will dry out.

My next goal is to cut down to washing my hair every seven days, which is where I’ll stop.

My schedule is already pretty close, so after a few weeks, it shouldn’t be too difficult—and my hair will thank me.

September 21, 2018

OPINIONS 7

The Brandeis Hoot

Children should not have to suffer because of their parents’ religion

By Sabrina Chow editor

It’s no shock that certain religions prohibit various medical procedures. Jehovah’s Witnesses do not receive blood transfusions and Christian Scientists value faith-based healing instead of traditional Western medicine. Even though this sounds similar to osteopathic medicine, it is quite the opposite.

Osteopathic medicine focuses on using alternatives to attempt to treat an illness or issue before resorting to medication, while these religions choose to forgo medication completely and believe that their faith will heal them. I grew up as a child with an osteopathic doctor, so I didn’t immediately get antibiotics to help cure my illness but rather tried alternative forms as much as possible. However, sometimes the medication is necessary in order to get better.

Just recently, according to an

NPR article, the parents of a 10-month-old girl were charged with felony murder and first-degree child abuse for withholding medical care. The autopsy of her body showed that she was both malnourished and dehydrated when she passed away.

Due to the nature of the current court case and the privacy of the parents, their religious beliefs were not disclosed in the article.

The unfortunate thing about this case is that it is not the first time a child has died due to religious exemptions.

Over the past few decades, hundreds of children around the U.S. have died or been stillborn from neglect justified by faith-based healing. Every state within the U.S. has laws that protect children against neglect and abuse, but over half of the states have religious exemptions, which basically gives folks the legal ability to withhold treatment on the basis of their religious beliefs.

But similar to the campaign for

Retcons burden long form entertainment

By James Feltner special to the hoot

Retcons, or instances of “retroactive continuity,” are an increasingly divisive subject in the modern entertainment atmosphere of decade-spanning series and universes with dozens of sequels. Retcons are a type of literary device in which writers adjust, ignore or contradict previously established facts.

The competitive attempts of writers in every genre create interesting and emotional stories that naturally lead to narrative inconsistencies. And this comes at the cost of abandoning their already nuanced and well-beloved characters.

The intent of retroactive rewrites almost always need not be questioned as well-meaning, but the offense to fans cannot be overlooked. It can be quite the metaphorical slap in the face to invest one’s time into studying the lore of a franchise only to be rewarded with dismissal of relevant information from the canon.

Particularly large points like character motivation and pivotal events in a timeline are especially difficult for writers to alter without creating inconsistencies, and, therefore, a divide in their respective communities.

For example, in the later “Harry Potter” books, the authorial innovation of instantaneous travel made some transportation decisions by the characters a bit nonsensical in hindsight, yet it cannot be argued that much is lost in the way of gravitas due to this trivial change.

Conversely, when the popular soap opera “Dallas” inspired infinite parody by retconning an entire season as “just a dream” in order to bring back a character that had previously been killed off, the integrity of the show took a massive hit. There is simply no reason to make emotional connections to characters that can be taken away or returned from a story on the whim of a writer.

Certainly a case could be made for “Dallas” to be among the worst offenders in retcon in media history, and therefore most retcon could be mostly benign. It is important, though, to consider genres like science fiction, graphic novels and high fantasy, in which I find minor changes to be much more impactful.

Much of the appeal of these styles for fans is the discovery, memorization, and speculation about obscure facts. Change only the already established home planet or familial relationship of a character to fit a niche as George Lucas is notorious for doing many times with “Star Wars,” and a mess is made.

So how can we strike a balance between letting writers tell the stories they want and satiating their audience by keeping the story straight? Certainly the best case scenario would be doing both.

Additions can be made to previously established canon without negatively impacting the experience. Yet, this may not always be possible, so how much is too much when it comes to retcon?

Without drawing too hard a line in the sand, retcon becomes excessive for me when characters and narratives stop resembling themselves from before they were altered, regardless of whether the new canon is better or not.

In fiction, I find my ability to suspend my disbelief is highly contingent on the honesty and consistency of the writer. It becomes difficult to justify the time investment into characters that don’t develop realistically or into a narrative that doesn’t adhere well to cause and effect when there’s so much more entertainment out there.

There may sincerely come a time for every series when any sort of retcon is no longer worth the transparency it will surrender, and the sooner writers accept that, the sooner their fiction will have higher artistry and appeal— at least for those of us with a pretentiously vengeful eye toward inconsistency.

children to choose their own gender when they are able to understand the differences, shouldn’t the same be used for religion?

I realize that many people are extremely devoted to their religion, but it seems as though more and more of the younger generations are beginning to question their inherited faith and consciously decide whether their parents’ religion fits their beliefs.

Having not grown up in a religious home, I was able to create my own opinion on religion without pressure from my parents to follow a certain religion. Oftentimes it seems as though children are thrown into a religion by their parents, without even being given the option of backing out.

Although it is a common phrase at Brandeis, whether you’re Jewish or “Jew-ish”, (based on how devout you are), I don’t hear this as often with other religions.

Either medicine or religion have to adjust to the other in order to form a more perfect har-

mony. Although this is not likely to happen, the interactions between the two must improve in order to provide the best treatment and care for all individuals.

Duke University has created an interesting program within their Divinity School called “theology, medicine and culture,” which teaches medical school students about understanding different religions that may not trust modern medicine and how to deal with them respectfully.

While the question of religion in the realm of medicine is very controversial, I would like to believe that a child’s life is something worth fighting for.

They are the next generation, the ones that succeed us, the ones that continue to shape the world that we have given them.

When children are not even given a chance to heal with Western medicine before trusting everything to faith, I find issue in this.

Everyone should be able to

make their own decisions about how they live their lives, especially when it comes to one’s faith. No one should be forced to be a part of a religion they do not feel passionate about.

And innocent children who are unaware should not have to suffer just because their parents reject Western medicine and prefer to use faith in order to heal.

I feel like it is justifiable for the laws to have religious exemptions, but I believe there should be a limit to the extent that the exemptions can be utilized by religious people. Life is the essence of our being and cannot be taken lightly.

Until children are able to make their own decision about their religion, there should not be a religious exemption for parents who refuse medical treatment.

These children are the next generation, the new minds and thinkers of the world, and their lives should not be cut short because of beliefs of a religion they may not believe in.

The hunt for a washing machine

By Elijah Sinclair special to the hoot

Sunday, considered a day of rest by many across the nation, is the Brandeisian day of homework.

But this Sunday, I foolishly decided it could be more. Today? Today is also laundry day, and unless the gods of laundry fortune smile upon me, I know that I will waste hours questing for a functional laundry machine around campus. Regrettably, I no longer have Pokemon GO, so my miles walked around will not lead to a hatched egg but rather cut into my valuable sleep hours.

Unfortunately, this dire prophecy came to fruition, and I ended up visiting seven laundry rooms before I successfully found a single washing machine in Ziv. As a person who lives in the Mods, I did not enjoy having to trek all my laundry all the way up

campus. If this becomes a part of my laundry routine, I will not be thrilled.

At this point, I was ecstatic to spend one of the several currencies more valuable than the U.S. dollar, WHOCASH, in order to get my still wet laundry out of the dryer, halfway across campus.

Furthermore, my laundry stunk from a catalogue of old detergents and sported a crust from some remnant of past washes.

Having spent precious hours, vital energy and WHOCASH washing my clothes, I couldn’t help but be a little salty as I put on a freshly washed but wet and wrinkled pair of shorts. In reflection of this day, two major questions come to mind: Firstly, what level of service should be expected, given the amount we, as students, pay for housing?

Secondly, who is responsible for the lack of performing machines?

SINCLAIR IS NOT HAPPY ABOUT THE “DEPLORABLE STATE OF DESPAIR”

Personally, I have always found the facilities workers to be hardworking and overall wonderful individuals, so I find it difficult to blame them for the deplorable state of disrepair.

My understanding of the current situation is that Brandeis outsources laundry duties to a local company and, I would imagine, taking into consideration the amount of money we pay for housing and housing services, that Brandeis pays this company a fair sum.

With this in mind, I would ask that Brandeis either finds a new supplier of laundry services or that the current laundry company ups its game.

Otherwise, I can look forward to many more Sundays spent marauding about campus stealing other students’ laundry opportunities and generally not having a great time.

PHOTO BY NOAH HARPER/THE HOOT

8 OPINIONS

The Brandeis Hoot

September 21, 2018

High school should be more like college

By Alex Kougasian staff

Education is conducted very differently in different parts of the United States. No two high schools or colleges are identical in the way that they facilitate their students’ learning. However, colleges and high schools have very similar missions.

Colleges generally give students the freedom to pursue the subject matters that interest them while also ensuring that they learn about some other disciplines.

Meanwhile, high schools attempt to give students a background in many different fields, traditionally in the fields of social studies, math, English and science, with very little leeway in what sorts of classes

the student can choose to take.

The jump in educational style between high school and college is a noticeable one, and I found myself forming a much closer relationship with my education after starting my work at Brandeis.

While it might seem that giving students so much freedom carries some risk, I would argue freedom is much more vital to the education and development of students than the rigid curricula provided in high school.

There are some skills that are necessary for life beyond education, such as basic math skills and important writing techniques.

These skills should be learned throughout middle school and high school and there should be no leeway in regard to these vital skills. However, the rest of high

school should be taught the same way that college is taught: Through a student’s own decision-making.

In theory, a high school’s purpose is to help a student figure out what she wants.

The set system is to give each student a sampling of influential disciplines.

However, the same sampling can be achieved through a much less pre-choreographed educational experience.

There is no system that, when applied universally, will help every student flourish.

That is why education needs to be a communicative process.

High school is a clear place to start communicating with students because it is the point at which children’s development begins accelerating. Allowing students the

freedom to make decisions about what they learn is something that would be particularly helpful to children at a time when they are finding their own identity.

The freedom I describe should not be mistaken for neglect.

An important part of the college experience is guidance and this should be mirrored in the way that students go through high school.

I remember not getting very personalized guidance, especially because the subject that I was passionate about was not taught at my school.

Meanwhile, the number of people with whom I could talk about my career and life has become much larger in college.

I am very happy that I have so many resources now, but I do regret not having them back

when I needed them most.

I had felt lost as I was not stimulated by any of the subject matters I was being told to learn and all the guidance counselors could only recommend whether or not I should try an advanced placement course.

If high school provided guidance to its students like college has, students who do not find their passion in the subjects that high school exposes them to will be given a better understanding of steps that they should take in their careers.

College’s hands-on guidance and course selection are what have made it an enjoyable experience for me and almost any high school student’s learning experience would certainly benefit from the same luxuries.

What I wish I knew: transportation woes

By Renee Nakkab special to the hoot

One of the many perks of Brandeis’ campus is its unique personality. Whether it be the woodsy, nature feel, iconic castle or modern buildings, the blatant lack of a cohesive aesthetic is one of this campus’ most amiable, quirky qualities.

Aside from Brandeis’ lovable looks, it is on the outskirts of one of the most vibrant, youthful and opportunity-ridden cities in the United States.

Boston is a great college and post-college social hub to get to know other young adults, expand interests and try new things.

Let’s not forget about all the four-star rated restaurants, movie theater and the famous Lizzy’s Homemade Ice Cream, all conveniently located right in our neighborhood. Waltham provides a quick escape from campus that is often vital to students’ sanity.

Recently, my friends and I wanted to go into Waltham to check out Moody Street and catch a movie.

As the BranVan grumbled to a stop, it wasn’t until we began to shuffle in that we realized there was not enough room for all of us.

The driver asked if we made a reservation and we all stared back at him wide-eyed, obviously confused. With the empathy of a New York cab driver, he told us to get off and make a reservation.

Taken aback by the blunt, unexplanatory encounter, we resorted to Google to find an answer.

After one of my friends found the phone number of the BranVan, I called the operator to make a reservation.

Less than pleasant is an understatement in describing my phone call.

PHOTO BY CANDACE NG/THE HOOT

THE BRANVAN COMES TO USDAN TO PICK UP STUDENTS

The operator was easily frustrated and lacked patience for clarifying questions. We hung up without making a reservation and when I tried to call less than three minutes later, the call remained unanswered.

After waiting five minutes, I called back and was greeted by the same silent fate.

Brandeis advertises the vast and amazing transportation systems offered on and off campus.

However it is never discussed how to properly utilize them.

As I finish my first month of Brandeisian life, I have definitely learned these lessons the hard way.

Brandeis has a student-run Campus BranVan service that acts as a shuttle around campus.

Operating from 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 a.m. Monday to Friday and from noon to 2:30 a.m. on weekends, this service could save you from the bitter winter snow or from the daunting distance it takes to cross campus. Its ultimate purpose is convenience and it excels in such.

There is also a daytime shuttle that drives to Charles River apartments from 7 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday and a daytime Waltham shuttle that drives a 40 minute route 7 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday.

Traveling outside Waltham, many students use the Boston/ Cambridge shuttle that leaves from Usdan Student Center and travels to Harvard Square in Cambridge, with a final stop in central Boston at the intersection of Marlborough and Mass Ave. It operates from 6 p.m. to 2:30 a.m. on Thursdays, 12:30 p.m. to 3 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays and 9 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. on Sundays.

Boston public transportation is always another alternative. While Brandeis services are free of charge and relatively simple, public transportation is a bit different.

There is a travel fare and no one to tell you the best routes to take. Not to mention, Uber is always an option. It is admittedly more expensive but always more convenient.

There is also the evening Waltham BranVan, the system I originally tried to use. After that frustrating, Waltham-less evening, I further researched the evening BranVan and found a great website that holds all of Brandeis’ transportation information.

If first-years were not going to be verbally informed about the transportation, the least that could have been provided was the fact that if “Brandeis transportation” was typed into Google a multi-faceted webpage with various links would emerge.

Perhaps researching more about transportation was intuitive for a couple of you, yet when the BranVan was spoken about by upperclassmen, Orientation and Admissions, I never was told that a reservation was necessary for entry.

In fact, all I saw was students who merely walked up the steps of the van and were whisked away; how was I supposed to know that it was not as easy as that?

Ever heard the statement, “there’s an app for that?” Well, Brandeis transportation is no different. Brandeis uses a helpful app called “Rider” that tracks the shuttles’ locations and provides stop locations. Some other apps I found useful are the Uber app and Boston T Map app that has train times, stations and routes.

For those who live in other states and want a cheap way of driving home, check out Go Bus. I went back home to New York for Rosh Hashanah and used Go Buses to commute there and back.

Unlike a costly flight or Amtrak ticket, Go Buses was $30 and an extremely easy trip. I would highly recommend downloading their app, which is an easier way to track times and purchase the ticket.

Ultimately, the transportation options are plentiful here at Brandeis. Although it would have been nice for us first-years to have gotten a crash course in how to get around, we will undeniably learn the ways of travel at Brandeis.

September 21, 2018

WEEK IN PHOTOS

PHOTO BY CANDACE NG/THE HOOT

All members of the Brandeis community were invited to break the fast, regardless of whether they were observing Yom Kippur. Read more in NEWS, page 4.

BREAK THE FAST

PHOTO BY SARAH TERRAZANO/THE HOOT

WALDEN POND

PHOTO BY EMMA LICHTENSTEIN/THE HOOT

GOLDEN HOUR

Sun sets over the Great Lawn tent.

YOU DON’T EVEN HAVE TO LEAVE THE LIBRARY

The Brandeis Hoot 9

A large bubble floats into Concord’s setting sun.

PHOTO BY NOAH HARPER/THE HOOT

WORK IN PROGRESS

Repair work for the underground phone, data and internet cable failure is still in progress.

PHOTO BY SABRINA CHOW/THE HOOT

PHOTO BY SARAH TERRAZANO/THE HOOT

A new meditation room on the Goldfarb Mezzanine allows even the most studious of students to take a mental health break.

Opening act ABIR steals the spotlight from Kiiara. Read The Hoot’s review in ARTS, page 16.

FALL FLEX

September 14, 2018

“To acquire wisdom, one must observe.”

Editors-in-Chief Abigail Gardener Sarah Terrazano Senior Managing Editor Elianna Spitzer Senior Editor Ryan Spencer Copy Editor Natalie Fritzson Deputy Copy Editor Jennifer Cook News Editor Celia Young Arts Editors Ben Beriss Noah Harper Opinions Editor Sabrina Chow Features Editor Polina Potochevska Sports Editors Zach Cihlar Shea Decker-Jacoby Layout Editor Candace Ng Editor-at-Large Emily Botto

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

STAFF

David Aizenberg, Juliana An, Caleigh Bartash, Kevin Costa, Olivia Ellson, Daniel Freedman, Ariella Gentin, Kevin Healey, Jonah Koslofsky, Alex Kougasian, Samantha Lauring, Ruoshi Liu, Rachel Wang, Chengcheng Xiang

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

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

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

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

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EDITORIALS

The Brandeis Hoot 7

Address intersectionality in ongoing medieval studies feud

D

id you know that a feud over white supremacy has been going on for three years in the field of medieval studies? And that this feud has caused academics to hurl insults at each other on #medievaltwitter? If medieval scholars participating in internet wars sounds strange to you, we would agree. But it’s also something you should pay attention to. Why? Because if we can look past the feud, we’ll find an important underlying message about the importance of intersectionality in academia today.

The uproar in medievalist academia related to the alt-right movement, white supremacy and online harassment involves Dorothy Kim, assistant professor of English at Brandeis. Fellow medievalist Rachel Fulton Brown, associate professor at the University of Chicago, attracted Kim’s criticism from her blog, including such articles as “Talking Points: Three Cheers for White Men,” published in 2015. Over the past three years, a debate has erupted in the medieval studies field between myriad reputable academics and professors, with insults and harassment hurled on both sides and an ever-growing debate about how a narrative of white supremacy intersects with medieval academia.

It’s no secret that medieval studies has a large focus on Western philosophy and Christianity, and has a Eurocentric viewpoint. But

the recent debate arose in large part due to alt-right protests using medieval iconography, and scholars debating white supremacy in medievalist work. This is the argument put forth by Kim—specifically in regard to Brown, the articles Brown wrote for her personal blog and for Breitbart, the far-right news site, and her friendship and strong support of outspoken, conservative writer Milo Yiannopoulos.

The volume of three years of blogs, Facebook posts and other online comments is too high to count and document here. This is an ongoing debate that neither side is willing to compromise on, and the academic trajectories of Kim and Brown are unclear.

Both Kim and Brown have been subject to online harassment and threats. Kim felt that her professional and personal lives were so in danger that she took down the project on medieval languages for the National Endowment for Humanities that she’d been working on for four years. Brown was publicly called a fascist by Kim at a conference.

When professors resort to tactics like these, it is hard to take their work seriously and respect them as professionals in their field. They should absolutely discuss the issues that matter to them, and be outspoken about their perspectives, but online harassment takes it too far.

Furthermore, the actual issues—

concerns about white supremacy and the lack of intersectionality in medieval studies—become obscured by Twitter arguments.

This may seem like an issue on the periphery of your academic career; Brandeis does not even have a medieval studies department.

However, this debate is indicative of more widespread problems in academia that can relate to fields in the humanities and the sciences alike.

Whitewashing is a problem from English classes to biology labs, whether in subject matter or teaching staff.

While Yiannopoulos claims that “Academia in general is a rich and warmly inviting environment for women and minorities,” many undergraduate women and minorities would disagree with this, whether due to Western canonical subject matters or the white male professors at the front of the classroom.

And although Brandeis does not have a medieval studies department, we do have a classics department, which is historically adjacent to medieval studies, and therefore is also struggling with the same questions of race and gatekeeping in the field.

Moving forward, we must learn from these academic internet wars, which is to say, move past them and focus on the real issues. Have meaningful conversation about how to diversify and bring intersectionality into typically whitewashed departments, instead of flinging insults.

September 21, 2018

SPORTS

The Brandeis Hoot 11

Men’s tennis shines at Middlebury Invitational

By Sophie Trachtenberg special to the hoot

The Brandeis men’s tennis team headed north to Middlebury, V.T. this past weekend to compete in the annual Middlebury Invitational, winning three of six brackets. Brandeis got players to the finals in five of the six brackets of the tournament, shocking the competition. Ultimately it was in the doubles category that the Judges really shined, as three out of the four pairs found their way to compete in the finals, bringing home first place in both doubles brackets.

The senior-freshman duo of Jackson Kogan ’19 and Adam Tzeng ’22 were champions of the A doubles flight. First, they defeated Colby College with a score of 8-4 before moving on to upset Middlebury’s top doubles team in the quarterfinals with a stunning tiebreaker that ended with a score of 9-8. Next, the Judges flew by Tufts in the semifinals, winning 8-5, cruising to meet Bates in the finals. Kogan and Tzeng took the tournament win in the finals after the Bates team withdrew midmatch at 4-0 due to injury.

In the B doubles flight, the

Judges took on their own teammates in the finals, as both the one and three seeds met to challenge each other in a Brandeis versus Brandeis final. First, Anupreeth Coramutla ’21 and rookie Colt Tegtmeier ’22 reigned as the top seed, as they beat Colby in a close match that ended with a score of 9-8. They then moved on to compete against the host team in the quarterfinals, defeating the pairing from Middlebury in another competitive match that resulted in a score of 9-7. In the semifinals, the duo reached another tiebreaker against a tough team from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI), ultimately winning 9-8 to propel them to the championship match.

On the other side of the bracket, the sophomore power team of Rajan Vohra ’21 and Nikhil Das ’21 comfortably conquered their opponents en route to the finals.

They first took on RPI, winning 8-4, and then handily beat a duo from Bates 8-1, using their pace from the baseline. In the semifinals, the Judges outplayed Tufts in an 8-5 win, leading them to play against competitors wearing the same uniform in the finals.

Vohra and Das finished on top, polishing off the bracket as cham-

pions and winning 8-5 against Tegtmeier and Coramutla.

After seeing Brandeis players in three of the four singles flights, it was the experienced Tyler Ng ’19 who shined playing singles, bringing home a win in the D singles flight with a clean sweep as a number three seed. In his first match against an opponent from Skidmore, Ng dominated to win his sets 6-0 and 6-1. In the second round, Ng cruised to victory against a competitor from Middlebury 6-2 in both sets. Ng moved on to beat Tufts, as he scored 6-3 in both sets, pushing him onto the finals against another Skidmore athlete, winning 6-4 in both sets and claiming his first place title in a competitive match.

Lastly, in both the B and singles flights, the Judges reached the finals but ultimately fell to their fierce competitors. Coramutla fell to Middlebury in the grueling final match of the B flight, dropping a 6-4 and 6-2 decision after playing all day Saturday and Sunday.

In the C bracket, Kogan was defeated in a close two tie-breaker semifinal against an opponent from Tufts, losing 7-6 (7-4) and 7-6 (7-4) in the two sets. The same Tufts singles player went on to

Men’s soccer proves dominance in an 8-0 sweep

By Camila Casanueva

defeat Brandeis teammate Vohra in the final. Vohra, gassed from playing three matches beforehand, dropped the match to Tufts 6-1, 6-1.

Overall, the Judges had one of the best showings at the Middlebury Invitational in Brandeis tennis history. The team won three of the six flights with no. one ranked Middlebury and no. 14 ranked

special to the hoot

MEN’S SOCCER STARTS SEASON WITH A 3-3-1 RECORD

night himself, scoring two firsthalf goals. The first came in the 8th minute off an AJ Mercer ’20 assist. Nardizzi wasted no time, just moments later in the 16th minute he netted a header to give him his second straight goal off a cross from Jared Panson ’22.

Four other Judges contributed to the historic eight goal effort. The next Judge to score was Devan Casey ’19 scoring his first goal of the season with an unassisted strike in the 44th minute. Rookie midfielder Panson notched his second assist of the game, this time to senior forward Andrew Allen ’19 as he was able to net his third goal of the season.

The sophomore midfield duo of Noah Gans ’21 and Evan Glass ’21 would come off the bench to combine for the nice score in the 55th minute as Gans netted his first goal of the season.

The last goal came from another sophomore, Chris Russo ’21, as the defensive back got involved on the offensive end and he knocked home the eighth goal of the game

PHOTO FROM BRANDEISJUDGES.COM

in the 68th minute of play, giving Mercer his second assist of the game.

Although it was quite the display of scoring, the Judges goalkeepers did not give up a single goal to the Maritime Mass Buccaneers. Three Brandeis goalies saw action, Noah Cohen ’20 got the start, recorded a save and got the win. Gabriel Sultan ’20 and Max Blacker ’22 came on in relief of Cohen, with rookie Blacker recording his first save of his young collegiate career.

The Judges were dominant from start to finish, giving them a win they needed to get back on the winning track, as they now improve to 3-3 on the season.

Brandeis will look to carry this dominant performance into their next match as they will face their toughest test as the no. 3 ranked Tufts Jumbos will come to Gordon Field looking to avenge last year’s 1-0 defeat at the hands of the Judges in the NCAA semifinals. The matchup will be Friday, Sept. 21 at 7:00 p.m.

PHOTO BY ZACH CIHLAR/THE HOOT

Tufts competing in the draw. The team will look to carry the winning momentum into the rest of the short fall season.

The Judges head back to Middlebury in two weeks to compete in the ITA New England Regional, where Brandeis’ top players will compete to participate in the ITA National to take place later in the fall season.

Cross country comes out on top

By Gillian O’Malley

special to the hoot

The Judges are off to a slow start to begin the season with a record of 2-3. After being ranked fourth nationally, the Judges have fallen out of the top 25 after losing two in a row last week. However, this is not the first time the Brandeis Judges have faced a slow start to the season. Two years ago, in the 2016 season, the Judges also faced a rough start: after winning their first three games of the season, they lost the next three, and one ended in a tie. Their record going into conference was 3-3-1 and the Judges still managed to get back on the winning track finishing the season 13-6-4, not to mention making it to the semifinals of the NCAA tournament.

Coming off the tough twogame stretch and a week off, the Judges were back in action Tuesday against Maritime Mass. The Judges bounced back in a big way, proving just how dominant they can be. It was a historic effort by the Judges, netting eight goals in the game while shutting out Maritime Mass. Brandeis men’s soccer has not scored eight goals in a game since 2011. Six different players scored, with transfer Bryant Nardizzi ’20 scoring two consecutive goals in the first half, and forward Jake Warren ’20 adding two goals himself to lead the Judges.

It did not take long for the Judges to get on the board, with Warren netting a goal just 33 seconds into the match, assisted by midfielder Max Breiter ’20 giving him his second assist of the season.

Warren notched his second goal with an unassisted 56th-minute strike. The outstanding performance gave the junior his second and third goal of the season.

Nardizzi had an impressive

JACKSON KOGAN ‘19 AND ADAM TZENG ‘22 WIN DOUBLES A FLIGHT

The Judges have earned the no. 25 national ranking from the United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association and are led strongly by senior captains Emily Bryson ’19, Julia Bryson ’19 and Meaghan Barry ’19.

Finishing first and 13th, the women’s and men’s cross country teams held a strong presence at the UMass Dartmouth Cross Country Invitational this past weekend.

For the third consecutive time in four years, the women’s team won the team competition with 56 points and placed five runners in the Top 25. Emily Bryson had an exciting performance, winning the 5k individually with a time of 17:54.6. Not only did she place 20 seconds faster than the WPI runner up, but this was her second fastest time at the course by four seconds.

Joining Bryson were Rookie Jac Guerra in fourth place, Julia Bryson ’19 in 12th place, Danielle Bertaux ’20 in 16th place, and Niamh Kenney in 23rd place in her first race. Guerra had a remarkable 28 second improvement

EMILY BRYSON ‘19

from her collegiate debut at the Wellesley Invitational just a few weeks ago. Senior Meaghan Barry ’19 also had an impressive performance, placing two seconds behind Kenney and improving her personal best by two seconds.

Guerra is part of the “great group of freshmen” that Bryson claimed have already had such a positive impact on their team thus far. Barry has high hopes for the team’s future potential and working together this season, especially after “coming out winning the meet overall at the first competitive invitational.”

As for the men, they put up a fight to take home 13th by securing 411 points. Sophomore Josh Lombardo ’21 finished with the best time for the Judges, coming in 44th place at 26.25.9, a 14 place and 30 second improvement from his first run of the year. Not far behind him was rookie Matthew Driben ’22 in 45th place, Dan Curley ’20 in 87th place, and rookie Simon Powley ’22 in 119th place in his first collegiate race.

Both teams will race again on Sept. 29 in Brunswick, Maine for the Bowdoin Invitational, where the New England Division II Championships will also be held later in the season on Saturday, Nov. 10.

PHOTO FROM BRANDEISJUDGES.COM

12 SPORTS/FEATURES

The Brandeis Hoot

September 21, 2018

Women’s soccer continues undefeated record

By Shea Decker-Jacoby editor

The women’s soccer Judges took the field against their cross-town rivals on Saturday, Sept. 15 with the hopes of continuing their undefeated season.

The Judges are ranked 13th in Division III by the United Soccer Coaches and 14th by D3soccer. com and played like so against the Babson Beavers. The Judges ended the Beavers’ four game winning streak with a goal in the second half to continue their own winning streak improving their record 5-0-0, while Babson falls 3-2-1. This is the third time the Judges have started off the season with a 5-0 record in the past four years and the fifth time since 2012.

Sam Volpe ’19 snatched the game winning goal for the Judges for the second game in a row

in the 89th minute of play to earn the victory for the Judges. With only 43 seconds left to play, she beat out a Babson defender and the goalkeeper and sent the ball into a wide open net. This was Volpe’s second career goal. The Judges owned 15-4 shots taken,

PHOTOS FROM BRANDEISJUDGES.COM

SAM VOLPE ‘19

SIERRA DANA ‘20

despite possession being even almost the entire game. Julia Matson ’19 and Volpe tied the team with a total of four shots on goal.

Goalkeeper Sierra Dana ’20 made two saves in the first half of play, with classmate Victoria Richardson ’21 earning her first collegiate

win in the net.

This was the 44th time the Judges have faced off against the Babson Beavers, which makes it the most placed rivalry in Brandeis women’s soccer history.

With the latest win in Brandeis’ favor, the Judges record against

the Beavers advanced to 23-18-3 and continued the seventh continuous win and nine in the past 10 meetings.

Next, the Judges will travel to Medford, M.A. this coming Saturday to take on Tufts University at 1 p.m.

FEATURES (Cont.)

Spirit Fridays look to increase school pride

By Sabrina Chow editor

Since arriving this past April, Dennis Hicks, the new director of Student Activities, has been working to increase school pride at Brandeis. As director of Student Activities, Hicks oversees the Box Office, operations of the Shapiro Campus Center (SCC) and is an advisor for the Campus Activities Board (CAB) as well as the Undergraduate Theatre Collective (UTC).

A new initiative that Hicks hopes to introduce to the Brandeis campus is that of Spirit Fridays. Hicks wanted to create Spirit Fridays after seeing it at previous schools he worked at.

“I’m trying to get students interested and showing their school pride on specific days. We know that people own Brandeis gear, but we want them to wear them purposefully,” explained Hicks.

“Even the staff and faculty are getting involved. I love seeing the elements of school spirit show up in different departments across campus.”

With the program still in the works, Hicks is hoping to partner with different groups, on and off campus, to provide more incentive to students. “We are so centrally located that I’d hope that

different nearby restaurants could provide discounts on Fridays to students who are sporting their Brandeis gear,” said Hicks. He explained that these incentives will also benefit the restaurants from the increase in foot traffic.

Brandeis students know that attendance at athletic events is not the best, based on the rankings provided by the Princeton Review, ranking Brandeis the third worst for attendance at sporting events.

Even though Hicks did not plan Spirit Fridays with this aspect in mind, he hopes that both can run in tandem, with students getting special prizes if they attend events with their Brandeis gear on.

Along with more sporting events, the main event that Hicks hopes to increase attendance in is Homecoming, which happens in late September. He wants students to get behind the program and welcoming back alumni and supporting athletes at school more than they have been.

“We are wanting to get that energy from the student body that we are proud to go to Brandeis and proud to be Brandeis students,” said Hicks. “You should not be able to walk 100 yards on campus without seeing someone in some Brandeis gear.”

Hicks hopes to revive Brandeis’ levels of school spirit to what they used to be. Hicks recalled back in

2012 when Brandeis was one of the six finalists on Kathie Lee and Hoda’s competition on the Today Show. This contest would bring Kathie Lee and Hoda to the winner’s college campus for an hourlong broadcast. While Brandeis did not win, its levels of spirit were high enough to be considered, which is no small feat.

Events that have occurred so far this year in relation to the Spirit Fridays include “All Rise, Court is in Session: College Colors Day,” an event that took place Aug. 31 at Chapels Field to kick off the initiative. The first 2000 students in attendance received a free Brandeis shirt and also were invited to take a large group photo in the formation of a “B.” Free caricature artists and Xfinity representatives were also present with free gifts and information.

On Sept. 20, representatives from the athletic brand Reebok hosted a pop-up event at Fellow’s Garden behind the SCC, which included soccer games on the grass, and the chance to try on the new Fusion Flexweave sneaker in exchange for free overnight shipping codes and the chance to win free Reebok gear like water bottles, phone wallets and PopSockets. While the event couldn’t be scheduled on a Friday, it still hopes to engage the Brandeis community as the Spirit Friday

REEBOK POP-UP EVENT

events do.

Lisa Marie, a member of the Reebok team at the event, said that her team is touring the tristate area to spread the word about Reebok’s newest sneaker design. “What we’re doing is getting Reebok on students’ minds again… Our new sneaker is a fusion of innovative performance as well as a casual on-the-go type of sneaker, and we’re seeing that students are really interested in our campaign and the way we’re running it. We’re very happy to be on college campuses,” Marie said.

In addition, the Game Room in Lower Usdan will also be offering

PHOTO BY SABRINA CHOW/THE HOOT

free play on Fridays from 4 to 9 p.m. for any students who show up wearing any Brandeis gear, which comes in addition to the free play on Friday nights. Hicks encourages everyone to get more involved on campus, whether it is with a club on campus or community service in order to show their Brandeis pride.

Hicks adds, “I encourage everyone to show their school spirit and celebrate those who have school spirit. Showing your pride as a Brandeisian demonstrates a whole new level of pride when you see people wearing Brandeis clothes.”

We the Jury app encourages sports attendance

By Jennifer Cook editor

Although Brandeis school spirit may seem lacking to some, the issue could be due to the fact that most students do not know when sports games are occurring, or they are too busy to search for sports events to attend.

In hopes of changing this, the athletics department has set up a new rewards system to get the word out about sports events on campus and to reward those who attend.

The We The Jury app, according to the Assistant Director of Athletics for Marketing, Promotions

and Community Relations, Andrew Vatistas, is “primarily used as a way to promote student attendance at varsity athletic events.”

This somewhat new app, created last October, provides the user with a list of different upcoming home games under the “Events” section.

We The Jury operates on a points system based on the number of events that a user “Checks In” at through the app. In order to do this, the student has to be at the specified location for a given event and press the “Check in to this event” button at the time that “Check in” starts. For doing this, the student will earn a set amount of points; most events are worth

20 points.

Once users have saved up a good amount of points, there are a variety of prizes that they can redeem their points for. Under the “Rewards” section of the app, one can earn a five dollar gift card to Chillbox in exchange for 200 points. 850 points can be redeemed for a one-year Spotify and Hulu student subscription and 1000 points can be used to earn a pair of wireless Apple Airpods.

Vatistas noted that students can also interact with the app through “the fan cam or social media section of the app.” Beyond the app, Vatistas wrote in an email that Gosman and Brandeis Athletics

have also encouraged school spirit through “increased marketing/ signage in athletics and on main campus, improved @BrandeisJudges social media presence and teaming up with other departments on campus for co-sponsored events,” such as “DCL, Orientation, Student Union [and] Brandeis Beacons.”

Though he knows that students at Brandeis are very busy, Vatistas hopes that the We The Jury app will give an extra boost to student attendance at sports events.

“I think that students are passionate about their Brandeis experience, and it is up to them as to how/where they want to spend their free time. I think a big prob-

lem at any college or university is that there is so much going on in a given week on campus, it’s difficult to compete with other events that might be of interest to a particular student,” wrote Vatistas.

“As a marketer, it is my job to get our information out there as best I can and to make our product as attractive as possible in hopes that students will choose to come to an athletic event when they have free time.”

Though students at Brandeis are notorious for having a lot of commitments on their plates, the We The Jury app will hopefully make attendance at Brandeis sports events a bigger commitment for more students.

ARTS

September 21, 2018

The Brandeis Hoot 13

Big week for Chicago hip-hop

By Jonah Koslofsky staff

This past week has been crazy for Chicago’s hip-hop scene. After years of anticipation, three major projects have been released. This is the same scene that produced now-global superstar Chance the Rapper, so it’s always a good idea to keep an eye on the Windy City!

Noname Improves on “Lullaby Rap Music” on the Lean “Room 25” “My pussy wrote a thesis on colonialism,” says Chicago rapper extraordinaire Noname—tongue firmly in cheek—on “Self,” the opening track of her second album, “Room 25.” It’s just one of the endlessly quotable lines Noname tosses out with ease on her lean and relaxed sophomore outing. On a track by track basis, “Room 25” is easy listening, each song a laid-back journey through Noname’s thoughts. Taken as a whole, “Room 25” is a charming self-portrait of an artist who truly knows herself.

Born Fatimah Nyeema Warner, “Noname” has been a fixture of Chicago music for years now, first turning heads with a standout verse on the track “Lost” from Chance the Rapper’s 2013 “Acid Rap” mixtape. Noname’s talent has never been in question, but it was her first full project, 2016’s “Telefone” that really cemented her as a must-see solo act. At 10 songs and 34 minutes, Noname’s last project was an intimate and deeply-sad piece of music, an awesome album by anyone’s metrics.

Make no mistake, “Room 25” lives up to the high standards set by its predecessor. Aesthetically, Noname continues working in similar territory; the album sounds similar to other recent work from post-Chance Chicago artists, like, Saba’s “Bucket List Project” or Smino’s “blkswn.”

This makes sense, considering that she’s still closely collaborating with producer Pholiex (who also provides vocals on standout tracks “Window” and “Part of Me”). On the features front, the aforementioned Saba and Smino show up on the track “Ace,” along with newcomer Adam Ness, who rounds out a few choruses here and there. Like on “Telefone,” Noname gives herself a lot of room to shine, keeping features to a reasonable quantities and never letting her listeners forget whose project they’re hearing.

But “Room 25” makes improvements to the “Telefone” formula on two major fronts: lyrics and instrumentation. Noname is still sharp as a knife throughout, but this time around she seems much more comfortable experimenting with perspectives that aren’t her own, rapping a verse as a racist cop on “Prayer Song” or an adoring fan on “Don’t Forget About Me.” Whether she’s waxing poetic about her own hypocrisy while eating Chick-A-Fila or resisting the temptations of hedonist L.A. culture, Noname’s bars signal an attempt to hold herself accountable the same way she’ll indict an unjust system. As she raps on “Montego Bay:” “And yes and yes I’m problematic too.”

PHOTO FROM THENEWYORKER.COM

NONAME

Sonically, “Room 25” reflects a different shift, as Noname commits to instrumentals from a live orchestra. It’s a great choice, as the artist consistently tours with a full band and always sounds better over analogue instruments. The last time (I recall) a hip-hop record so fully embracing in-person instrumentals has to be Kendrick Lamar’s 2015 masterpiece “To Pimp A Butterfly,” and, frankly to compare any album to TPAB is high praise in itself. Like Kendrick, Noname’s pivots to a far jazzier sound on her sophomore outing, an ambitious choice that pays off in full on “Room 25.”

The album gets better as it keeps going: just as “Room 25” is starting to settle into a rhythm, the second half disrupts and revitalizes the project. The seventh song, “Montego Bay,” is a charming detour, and “Ace” is an-almost posse cut overflowing with personality.

Everything about “Part of Me” is lush and delightful. By the time the album ends you’ll be hungry for more—but after nearly a week of non-stop listening, I’m still chewing on a lot of these lyrics. A few day ago, Noname tweeted “I make lullaby rap music.” That feels right: Noname’s music is never abrasive. She really lets the listener in—a smart choice when there’s truth behind every bar.

CHANCE THE RAPPER

Joey Purp Finally Delivers the Album We’ve Been Promised on “QUARTERTHING” Ask any Chicago hip-hop fan if they’ve heard of Joey Purp and they’ll probably say yes. That’s for a number of reasons, but the main source of this reputation is from the high praise of his peers. For years, people like Chance and Vic Mensa have said the same thing in interviews: “Joey Purp is about to blow up.”

Is he? Until now, his biggest song has to be “Girls @,” which has racked up a few million YouTube views thanks to its memorable Chance feature. “Girls @” is the only track from Purp’s 2016 mixtape “iiiDrops” to make an impact. Purp also delivered a solid verse on the 2015 Chanceish album “Surf,” but other than that, I’m not quite sure I get the hype. His friends certainly believe in him, but where’s the Joey Purp we’ve heard so much about?

Two weeks ago, with the release of his debut album “QUARTERTHING,” that Joey Purp finally emerged. It’s an energetic and vibrant project, full of quick songs and tough beats. In fact, within the context of post-Chance Chicago, “QUARTERTHING” is far edgier than a “Telefone” or a

“Bucket List.” The album gets off to a strong start with “24K Gold,” which is a sweeping, serious track that does a good job setting the tone. Wu-Tang Clan’s RZA shows up on the second track, “Godbody,” doing his best to keep the epic feel going.

When the album does slow down, around the halfway point, it’s not the end of the world.

Joey Purp has finally lived up to his reputation. I’m not as hot on “QUARTERTHING” as I am on “Room 25,” but I can recommend a lot of tracks (I’m particularly fond of “Look at my Wrist”).

“QUARTERTHING” is solid.

A “Slice” of Disappointment Speaking of Chicago projects that have been gestiating for a while, Chance the Rapper vehicle “Slice” released last week. “Slice” is a movie that has all the ingredients of a delicious indie gem: a stacked cast, an engaging premise and an up-and-coming auteur, all backed by a production company that pumps out hit after hit. And though 2018 has been a great year for directorial debuts, alas, “Slice” does not belong alongside the likes of “Hereditary” or “Sorry to Bother You.” The movie is a mess.

In an unclear opening, “Slice” vaguely establishes that we’re in

PHOTO FROM SAINTHERON.COM

an alternate reality where the suburban town of “Kingfisher” is home to a sizeable ghost population. It’s not clear how or where this world diverges from our own, rather, writer/director Austin Vesely is interested in the undead as an easy metaphor for marginalized people. It’s writing as lazy as what you’d find in Netflix’s (terrible) “Bright,” and the extent of the supernatural forces that exist in Kingfisher is never clarified—“District 9” this is not.

Sloppy world building aside, “Slice” really fumbles everything in the character department. It’s never quite clear who our protagonist is supposed to be: maybe it’s Astrid, junkie/pizza-delivery woman played by Zazie Beetz (“Atlanta,” “Deadpool 2”), or maybe it’s Sadie, played by Rae Gray, a local journalist doing her best to keep the plot going.

Or it could even be Dax, the werewolf played by Chance the Rapper who, for some reason, is only introduced like halfway through. No one has any kind of humanity, no one has any kind of clear arc—calling the characters “paper thin” would be generous.

Chance fans have been anticipating “Slice” for a while now, making this even more of a disappointment. The film was first announced more than three years ago in July of 2015, and studio A24 (more on them later) released the first footage at the end of October 2016. We knew the movie was written and directed

by Austin Vesely, another up-andcoming Chicago artist and director of a bunch of Chance’s music videos.

But after years of waiting, my enthusiasm for “Slice” started to fade. The first “real” trailer hit the internet in August, showing that Chance would be joined by Beetz and Joe Keery (Steve from “Stranger Things”). The movie finally premiered last Monday in Chicago and other select theaters, and then was quietly uploaded to iTunes and other streaming services in a Beyonce-style shadow drop.

Clearly, A24 reached the point where they preferred to cut their losses rather than reshoot or keep reworking the movie Vesely promised. “Slice” is a shame because on paper, it looks and sounds like a really engaging piece. Unfortunately, the final product is barely a movie—82 poorly paced minutes that are neither funny nor scary. Vesely’s made some good music videos, but he doesn’t seem quite ready for a feature film: any scene that takes place at night has an amateur, unnatural feel, and nothing about “Slice” is cohesive.

The good that’s there in “Slice” can be found in the cast, which is rounded out by reliable comedians Paul Scheer and Chris Parnell.

Chance does what he can with an under-written part, and he’s got a relaxed charisma that carries his scenes (why Vesely would sideline him is beyond me).

I’d love to see a movie where he actually stars. More than anything I’ve seen lately, “Slice” is a testament to the fact that making movies is pretty difficult. Sometimes, the results are all too messy.

But “Slice” aside, it’s clear that Chicago is pumping out talented new artists and doesn’t look like it’s going to stop anytime soon.

And seriously, listen to “Room 25.

14 ARTS

The Brandeis Hoot

September 21, 2018

Stein Night shows off Brandeis talent

By Noah Harper editor

We need to prioritize arts and performance spaces on campus.

As a gloomy institution in an even gloomier town, it’s absolutely necessary that we have people and places bringing back life and light. We need more things like Stein Night.

Founded a few years ago by Michael Harlow ’19, a student and one-half of the band Late Night Thoughts, Stein Night has grown into an opportunity for students to perform, innovate and experiment with music. It doesn’t always work, but it’s not supposed to. Stein Night follows the openmic format: anyone that signs up can go onstage and play for 15 minutes. It allows for fascinating, entertaining unpredictability— you never know what’s next, and there’s something really compelling about that.

Last Friday, we got to hear jazz, rock, bluegrass, R&B—and even an Italian aria. The range of performances, the diversity of style and the quality of our student artists proved that Brandeis has got talent—and that these kinds of spaces are vital to the well-being of this institution.

Things started off with “In the Mudd,” a five-piece jazz band.

Any chance to hear live jazz on campus is worth it, and “In the Mudd” didn’t disappoint. With performers on piano, drums, bass, saxophone and vocals, the band did a good job of working together. I especially liked the blending of singer Maya Kattler-Gold’s ’21 voice and the saxophone; they

played off each other without drowning either one out. “In the Mudd” provided great grooves, and an excellent sax solo, that I wasn’t expecting and hope to hear more of.

I was impressed—even a little surprised—by how supportive the crowd was. After every performance people would always clap and cheer enthusiastically.

This is important for a creative, experimental place because we want there to be encouragement and support even if the performer had trouble. There needs to be room to fail, and Stein Night had that too.

The second act was impressive in a wholly different way. Eli Kengmana ’19 went up with just his guitar and began playing intense, intricate songs, as if he was playing an entire song with all of its parts on just his guitar. Kengmana would pause in between songs and shake out his hands from how intense the stress was on his fingers. There weren’t any vocals, but we didn’t need any; the crowd became spellbound pretty quickly. I hope we get to hear from Kengmana again.

A few acts later, Late Night Thoughts played. I’d never seen them live before, and I have to admit, the popular student group finally won me over. The duo, composed of Brian Rauch ’19 and Harlow, traded off on vocals while both playing guitar. We heard a cover of Daniel Caesar’s “Best Part” and an original unreleased track.

Their last song had the whole crowd clapping to the beat in unison.

Immediately after, first-year

LATE NIGHT THOUGHTS

Michael Harlow ‘19 and Brian Rauch ‘19 perform

Ashley Kamal ’22 took the stage and blew everyone away. Starting with an Alicia Keys cover on piano, Kamal demonstrated a considerable vocal range. Then she moved over to guitar, covering Gnarls Barkley’s “Crazy.” I’d never heard that song on guitar before, and I was shocked how well she pulled it off. She closed with a rendition of The Animals’ “House of the Rising Sun” that left me wanting more. Hopefully she’ll play at many Stein Nights to come.

Before ending around 1 a.m., we got another surprise. One of the last acts to go on was a threepiece bluegrass outfit led by Jake Sibley ’19.

I have to confess, I was getting a little tired of the singer-songwriters, so seeing people going

on with a cello and a violin was exciting. Maybe it’s because I secretly love bluegrass, or I was just physically exhausted by that point, but I really enjoyed Sibley and Co.’s performance and hope to see them more.

There were some negatives about Stein Night. The first is… well, The Stein. It’s a terrible, terrible music venue. Musicians were constantly having to compete with the employees yelling for people to come get their orders—“Sarah!”—and at one point the manager even took the mic from a poor performer to tell people to pay attention and get their food. Not ideal for the quieter type musicians, who couldn’t possibly compete with the din of drunken frat boys or exasperated

PHOTO BY NOAH HARPER/THE HOOT

employees.

Give student music a better place! Like Chum’s. Chum’s needs to have more going on. It’s an on-campus space with a stage, and lights—wouldn’t it be cool if more things were going on there?

Chum’s even serves food. Why are we doing this at the Stein?

Stein Night is a great idea. For the good of Brandeis, we need to have cultural events like this to gather around. We need to sustain and foster open-mic opportunities like this—and give them the right spaces to flourish in too.

Looking at you, Chum’s.

The next Stein Night is scheduled for Sept. 28.

Interested student musicians can sign up on the WBRS: Student Music Facebook Page.

Who is Sandi Tan?

By Noah Harper editor

“I see it as a very strange and round-about happy ending,” said Sandi Tan at a screening of her new film, “Shirkers,” at Brandeis’ Wasserman Cinematheque on Sept. 16. Tan’s film is a winding, autobiographical cine-essay about a movie—her movie—that dramatically changed her life.

It was Singapore in the early 90s, and the small island nation didn’t have much of a film scene.

In the face of increasingly strict and overbearing governmental policy—certain practices, such as chewing gum, were banned— director Sandi Tan and her other rebellious teenager friends found their outlet in counterculture, making their own zines and experimenting with filmmaking.

Because Singapore had virtually no film industry, when Tan and Co. began making an independent feature, it was special.

Written, produced and starring Tan, “Shirkers” was about a sixteen-year old girl who murdered anyone she loved. It was way ahead of its time.

Shot on a shoestring budget, with the producers going to Kodak every few days to beg for free castoff film stock, the production became something of a local legend.

When they finally finished, Tan and her friends had done the impossible: They created a movie with essentially no resources and formal training. Then they went their separate ways, back to universities across the globe.

But lurking behind the scenes was an oddball mentor figure: Georges Cardona, a man of dubious background and twice the age of the kids he was working with.

He claimed that he inspired James Spader’s character in “Sex, Lies, and Videotape.” He was obsessed with movies, especially the French New Wave—styling himself as a Laszlo Kovacs-type figure. After the shoot, Cardona, who directed the 1992 “Shirkers,” was in possession of all the footage.

I don’t want to divulge exactly what happened. The twisty mystery of why “Shirkers” was never edited and released is part of what gives the story of Tan’s new documentary film of the same name its charm.

Suffice it to say that “Shirkers” was never released, and the resulting documentary, made twenty-five years later, explores that mystery.

Tan’s new documentary looks back at what happened—how the non-release of this film affected the life trajectories of everyone involved. She goes back and interviews her friends and investigates what happened to Georges Cardona and the film—asking especially why, after all that work, he stopped the movie from being made.

The shreds of “Shirkers” —the fiction film—that we get to see depict a personal perspective on a bygone Singapore. For better or worse, “Shirkers” is an autobiographical film, and the time capsule aspect is particularly compelling.

Many of the places, like the Singapore-Malay railway, that were

filmed back in the 90s aren’t there anymore. The film fragments we see are a time capsule, showing Tan and her country in a really personal, unique way. We get to see a lot of Tan playing the protagonist “S” in 1992, but I wished that the film would have given us a better sense of who she is now.

It’s here “Shirkers” isn’t entirely successful, simultaneously too close and too distant from its director to develop a sense of her character.

I found myself asking, “Who is Sandi Tan?” We see interviews with old friends that worked on “Shirkers,” in which they say things to Sandi—but now she’s almost always off camera, leaving herself out of a fascinating story that she’s at the center of.

Tan got close to admitting as much, mentioning in the Q&A that an editor friend had told her to make the movie more personal and to film video diaries of herself throughout the process.

We needed a third-party perspective of Sandi Tan, and the film suffers for it. There’s autobiographical voiceover from her— and glimpses of who she was in 1992, but Tan obscures herself in the present-day portions of the film. If the director hadn’t been in the audience that night, I don’t think I would have been able to get a good sense of what this journey meant to her.

“Shirkers” is set to hit Netflix on Oct. 26. It was kind of weird seeing the Netflix logo for a movie on the big screen, but it’s encouraging to see the streaming service investing in higher-quality films

PHOTO FROM INDIEWIRE.COM

than most of the junk they’ve been pumping out. If you liked docs on Netflix like “Holy Hell,” “The Imposter,” or HBO’s “Tickled,” then “Shirkers” is for you.

Tan hinted at the end of the Q&A that she was in talks to do

more stuff, and I’m interested in seeing what she comes up with.

The film she set out to make in 1992 was groundbreaking, even if the one she made in 2018 wasn’t, and I’d like to see what she comes up with next.

September 21, 2018

ARTS 15

The Brandeis Hoot

‘Crazy Rich Asians:’ addressing mixed reactions

By David Cohen special to the hoot

Between international and domestic showings, “Crazy Rich Asians” has now grossed an estimated $167 billion since its release date back on Aug. 15, making it one of the highest-grossing films of the summer. The film has already earned a 93 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes and an A on CinemaScore, as well as numerous positive critiques for its representation and artistic creativity

by Rolling Stone, ScreenRant, and other news organizations. “‘Crazy Rich Asians’ possesses a sprightly, optimistic tone that pushes every pleasure-button of inveterate rom-com fans, including a fabulous [multilingual] soundtrack of Chinese language pop covers,” a reporter from the Washington Post noted.

The romantic comedy models the stereotypical challenge Hollywood couples face while fighting for love against familial intervention, and at the same time displays the difficulties of a relationship in which economic

classes clash. Moreover, director Jon M. Chu explained in numerous interviews that his film models life within an ultra-rich extended Singaporean family, as expressed in Kevin Kwon’s 2013 novel, “Crazy Rich Asians,” except it integrates aspects of the cultural struggles Chu faced as a California native and the son of a Chinese father and Taiwanese mother immigrants.

Unsurprisingly, the film has been praised for defying stereotypes and expanding public perception of the Asian narrative.

The small presence of Asian characters in Western media has led viewers to expect Asians to be depicted as intelligent (if old-fashioned) “model minorities,” or occasionally domineering and backstabbing, but “Crazy Rich Asians” defies these stereotypes.

Likewise, with a full cast of Asian characters, “Crazy Rich Asians” more effectively humanizes the Asian community. As the first film to do this since Wayne Wang’s 1993 drama “Joy Luck Club,” the film represents a major breakthrough in representation and hopefully will inspire both more fully representative films

in the future and more underprivileged minorities to fight for a position in media. Especially in America, where white perspectives dominate film culture, diversified representation can improve interracial relations by helping members of different races to see each other as equals.

Despite its advancements for the Asian community, however, many viewers have problems with the balance of Asian identities represented.

Singapore’s racial demographic includes Chinese, Malays and Indians, yet only the Chinese, the most dominant ethnic group, accounting for 76.2% of the population, is focused upon.

The film portrays members of other minority Asian cultures as inferior, taking up domestic positions such as guards and drivers, which has caused debate as to whether or not Chu’s film is making a statement about the power of the Chinese as their own group, or as a member of the Asian community at large.

A member of China Daily, the only English-language daily newspaper published in China, critiqued “Crazy Rich Asians” as

What Mac Miller meant to Pennsylvania

By Chris DeMena special to the hoot

Admittedly, I’m not sure.

I’m from a small suburb in eastern Pennsylvania, roughly six hours from Mac Miller’s native Pittsburgh. A Philadelphia artist like Meek Mill arguably should have been the more relevant musician in our area. Yet, while I was in high school, no artist was more widely listened to than Mac Miller. Kanye was considered hit or miss. Before “DAMN”, no one at my incredibly white high school could relate to Kendrick (I remember ScHoolboy Q’s “Banger” being more relevant).

But everyone (or at the very least, every dude) listened to Mac Miller. Maybe that’s a race thing. But most likely it’s a suburb thing. All I know is, I own two of his albums and a few of his songs are near the top of my most listened list in my iTunes, yet I’m still a below average Mac Miller fan where I’m from.

I’ve had a difficult time explaining what Mac Miller meant to people. I think the carefree high school-type vibe he had early in his career gave him initial appeal.

The more times you’ve walked into a 7-Eleven post-hot-box, the easier a song like “Senior Skip Day” is to relate to. But he wasn’t just EZ Mac with the cheesy raps.

After 2011’s “Blue Slide Park,” Mac took a turn into more psychedelic, darker sounds. But although drug culture was a central theme in his discography, he was not Trippie Redd. People related to Mac on a much deeper level.

Mental health was always a struggle for him. But not until very recently has mental health really been a focus in his music.

Instead it was always the subtext, especially on songs like “Ascension” and “Jump” on “GO:OD AM.”

On the former, there’s a set of bars that I think says a lot: “My eyes same color as cherry pie, whoa, see I’m terrified.” On its surface, that doesn’t seem like much, but let me explain. The people Mac Miller connected with the most were those who were most like him. Like him, Mac Miller fans were (and are) scared.

Of course, that is not unique to them. But because suburban life is supposed to be problem-free, those who originate out of it are likely to be scared to talk about their anxieties or confront them.

So one of the only solutions left is drug-fueled escapism, especially if you’re 17. Maybe just to distract yourself, maybe even to find some sort of meaning, whatever the case may be.

Mac represented this scenario more than any other artist. Albums like “Faces” and “Watching Movies with the Sound Off ” portray these attempts to escape depression, ennui or both while being ill-equipped to really do so.

And let me be clear, for a lot of people, Mac Miller’s varied discography is something you could turn to through the highs and lows, whether it be feel-good frat raps by a class clown when things were good or songs from someone vulnerable who wasn’t quite sure how to talk about it when things were bad.

Because of his unique trajectory, Mac was a rapper we grew up with in many ways. We went from this only-the-good-times-are-real vibe of “Blue Slide Park” to the bad-times-exist-but-we-can’t-really-deal-with-them of “Faces” to trying to redefine ourselves on “GO:OD AM” to leaning more on others in “The Divine Feminine.”

While nominally just a collection of love songs, “The Divine Feminine” is the first example of Mac focusing on someone other than himself consistently in his

a “white-bread film that follows tired old western tropes,” which undermines the film’s credibility as a paradigm of actual life in Singapore. Singaporean freelance journalist Kirsten Han similarly challenges the idea that telling a story of absurdly rich citizens is important. She contends such a story, which ignores Singapore’s civil and political struggles, will cause non-Singaporean residents to ignore those issues.

The focus on “crazy rich” Asians may affect the US as well. While the 2018 median household income in the Asian community is the highest among all racial groups, Asians also face the largest wealth gaps in income inequality. Asians in New York are the poorest immigrant group, according to the New York Times, with the amount of Asians in poverty having grown by 44% to 245,000 in 2016, from 170,000 citizens in 2000.

When asked about such unaddressed aspects of Asian life, Chu acknowledged that “the film is called Crazy Rich Asians, but it’s really not about crazy rich Asians.

It’s about Rachel (the lead character) finding her identity and find-

Arts Calendar “The Band’s Visit” Now a Tony award-winning musical, “The Band’s Visit” is about eight Egyptian musicians who find themselves in an Israeli town in the middle of nowhere. Following the screening, there will be a discussion.

A Women’s Studies Research Center Film Study Group event. Sept. 25, 12:30 p.m. in Epstein.

Chen Chen Reading Chen Chen, Jacob Ziskind Poet-in-Residence and author of the poetry book, “When I Grow Up I Want to Be a List of Further Possibilities,” will read selections of his poetry in the Harlan Chapel on Sept 25 at 5:30 p.m.

PHOTO FROM VULTURE.COM

music and turning to that person in times of need from time to time. Even if expressed in cliches on the album, Mac clearly realizes his relationship is a means to “seeing the sunrise.”

After his breakup, we were given “Swimming.” This is the first album where Mac most directly addresses his troubles, from the breakup to difficulties with fame in general. Mac displays a mature outlook in how he speaks of his failed relationship, taking responsibility for where he has messed up and not casting blame as to why things didn’t work out. Either as an artist or a person, Mac has developed to the point of being ready to get more intensely introspective.

This is the beauty of “Swimming” being his last album. Because, maybe inadvertently, Mac has taken this group of people who come from these sheltered backgrounds, where mental health is not something we talk about, touched them with his own struggles and now brought us to this point where we are on the precipice of being ready to tackle these issues.

And that’s awesome.

ing her self-worth through this journey back into her culture.”

Considering that Chu does not come from an ethnic background representing all possible Asian minorities, I believe he should not be held accountable to represent them all in his works; he does not have the credibility to portray cultures he was not raised with.

Likewise, viewers ought to keep in mind that “Crazy Rich Asians” is not a documentary about the juxtaposed conditions of Singaporean life. It is a romantic comedy featuring a fictional storyline, and thus is bound to forego certain elements.

The presence of other Asian minorities occupying stereotypically inferior positions could arguably be coincidental, as I find it unlikely that Chu would create a film featuring an Asian-American narrative while establishing an inner racial hierarchy that suggests the Chinese are most superior.

However, given the debatable implication of “Asian” in the film’s title, perhaps he could honor Asians of all ethnicities and present them occupying all economic class levels in future renditions to ensure complete inclusivity.

WBRS More Comedy Headliner Reena Calm is joined by comedians Matt Barry, Phoebe Angle, Alex Williams and Josh Day for a night of comedy at Chum’s. Sept 25, doors open at 8 p.m., show starts at 8:30.

Afternoon Jazz With Brandeis Jazz Ensemble Director Bob Nieske on bass, and local musician Billy Novick on clarinet. A 45 minute performance with a light lunch buffet to follow. Free and open to the public. Wednesday, Sept.

26, 12 p.m. to 1 p.m, Mandel Center for the Humanities Atrium.

Tuesday Smillie and “Passage” at the Rose Tuesday Smillie, the Rose’s artist-in-residence, has a collection of her work focusing on trans-activism and political protest on display in the Gerald S. and Sandra Fineberg Gallery. “Passage” is a 70-year retrospective of the Rose’s collection, including works

by Chagall, Picasso, Magritte among others. Both shows run through December 2. The Rose

is open Wednesday through Sunday, 11 a.m.-5 p.m., and always free.

Rachel Stern, “More Weight” A multimedia solo exhibition from the Philadelphia-based artist, exploring history, representation, and stories in connection to the Salem Witch Trials. On view at the Kniznick Gallery in the Women’s Studies Research Center until Oct. 26.

Expanse A multimedia collection of works focusing on the imagery of nature, and how a changing environment might affect humans. Includes paintings, photography and sculpture.

New Art Center, Newton. On view through Oct 27. Free admission.

“Through a Glass Darkly” Part of a centennial retrospective of the great Swedish director playing at the Brattle, Coolidge, and Harvard Film Archive, “Through a Glass Darkly” is the first film in Berman’s faith trilogy—“Faith, psychosis and sexuality.” Harvard Film Archive. Saturday Sept. 22 at 9 p.m., with repeat screening Saturday Oct. 6 at 7 p.m. $7 for students.

Jazz Along the Charles Starting at the Longfellow Bridge and extending all the way to Mass Ave, Jazz Along the Charles is an opportunity to experience 25 jazz ensembles in one afternoon. Sunday, Sept.

23, 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. Free to the public.

“Madeleine’s Madeleine” An experimental film that premiered at the Sundance Film Festival earlier this year, the story was derived from improvised theater sessions between the actors and director Josephine Decker. Playing at the Brattle Theatre through 9/24.

16 ARTS

The Brandeis Hoot

September 21, 2018

ABIR wows, Kiiara disappoints at Fall Flex

By Ben Beriss and Sabrina Chow editors

The Campus Activities Board (CAB) hosted ABIR and Kiiara on Saturday, Sept. 15 at the annual “Fall Flex” concert in the Shapiro Gym in Gosman. Despite flares of strobe lights and fog covering the stage during the performances, the event’s energy level was inconsistent, with the audience growing and shrinking throughout.

The opening act, ABIR, a 22year old up-and-coming artist from New York City, opened up the concert with a strong vocals-heavy ballad. After introducing herself, she moved into more upbeat songs, energizing the surprisingly small crowd which greeted her. Pausing between songs to introduce herself and vibe with the audience, she created an intimate mood.

Performing original songs, including two unreleased performance-exclusives, she created a feeling similar to having a conversation with that one person at a party you instantly connect with (except more amped up and with more dancing instead of talking). Her energy reached a peak with “Girls,” a sassy song inspired by behind-doors gossip, built around a dance-inducing heavy beat. Even alone on stage, ABIR brought a big mood, filling the gym with the party spirit only pop can bring.

The gym steadily filled during ABIR’s performance and the crowd continued to grow during the break between ABIR and Kiiara. A steady pulse of top chart pop hits played while the stage was empty, bringing in more concertgoers and hyping them up.

Kiiara’s set began with her drummer and keyboardist alone on the stage, building up her entrance. However, when Kiiara appeared on stage, she seemed

PHOTO BY SABRINA CHOW/THE HOOT

KIIARA

ABIR

disjointed from the audience, compared to ABIR’s soulful performance. The overall performance left the audience wanting more. She made heavy use of lip syncing, moved in the same “pop stars don’t have to dance” sway routine for every song and never seemed excited about the performance. The crowd agreed, many leaving shortly after Kiiara came

out.

The first big music event on campus, Fall Flex has the potential to set the stage for Brandeis’ concert scene for the rest of the year.

However, a headliner without a recent hit or excitement to perform here did not create a moment with enough momentum to fuel future events.

PHOTOS BY BEN BERISS/THE HOOT

24-hour ‘Annie’ brings improv spirit to Broadway production

By Ben Beriss editor

The twenty-four hour musical has become a sanctified Brandeis tradition, bringing throngs of sleepless theater kids and audience members alike to the SCC theater every year. The production, which this year brought ever-hopeful orphan “Annie” to the stage, is entirely created in exactly one day. The considerable talent of all involved created a surprisingly impressive product, given this limitation, but part of the fun of 24-hour is laughing with actors at their flubbed lines and desperate dancing, and “Annie” did not disappoint.

The show started off with an impressive rendering of “Maybe,” headlined by Mia Rubinstein ’22 as the titular Annie. Set up by an ensemble of adorably annoying orphans, Rubinstein showed her character’s signature optimism with impressive vocals. This was followed by the sarcastically suffering “It’s a Hard Knock Life,” led by the duo of Annie and fellow mischievous orphan Molly, played by Reika Oshima ’21.Despite occasional stumbling this complicated number was pulled

PHOTOS BY BEN BERISS/THE HOOT

off adroitly, with all the orphans pitching in for the classically light song of suffering.

Annie escapes the orphanage, with the help of laundryman Bundles, played by Sean Riordan ’22 which leads to several hilarious scenes where she meets stray dog Sandy, played by Emily Blackman ’22, who becomes a star of the show in her own right with total commitment to being a dog despite occasional ear-related wardrobe mishaps.

Eventually caught, Annie is returned to the orphanage in the middle of “Little Girls,” the laments of her “caretaker” Miss

Hannigan, played by Talia Jacobson ’22 with a raspily weary sort of cynicism.

Before Annie can be punished, the assistant to famously rich “Daddy” Warbucks, played

by Jolie Suchin ’22, comes to the orphanage in search of a child to spend the holidays with Warbucks. She takes Annie, threatening Miss Hannigan with a prim self-confidence.

The initial meeting between Warbucks and Annie is one of the high points of the show. Harrison Paek ’22 is perfectly bewildered as a businessman confronted by the demands of an insistent 11-year

old, who becomes hilariously manipulative in the hands of Rubinstein.

While the coherency of the show steadily begins to fall apart from this point due to a lack of rehearsal time, it loses nothing.

Forgotten lines are replaced by improvised jokes, and as the original Broadway production disappears, a uniquely Brandeis show emerges constructed of pandering to laughter and winks to the audience.

And while the feat of constructing a show in limited time is impressive, this is what truly makes the 24-hour a remarkable event.

Audiences, relegated to watching shows only once they are finished, rarely get a glimpse of one of the best parts of the theatrical experience: development.

As a show is created, it goes through absurd versions formed from the whims of a stressed and tired creative team but which never make it outside of the rehearsal room.

24-hour breaks down that barrier, inviting anyone to see a show as it slowly deconstructs itself back from practice and polish to a first-reading featuring performers reacting to, instead of acting out, their lines.