The Brandeis Hoot 12/06/2019

Volume 16 Issue 25

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

December 6, 2019

Brandeis University’s Community Newspaper · Waltham, Mass.

Framework plan includes campus renovations

Giving Tuesday donations nearly double

By Rachel Saal

By Rachel Saal

editor

editor

Administrators are beginning to plan updates to the university, expanding upon the President’s Framework for the Future, according to President Ron Liebowitz, who has been having “open discussions” with various groups on campus about status report updates regarding the Framework.

These open discussions are meant to inform the community and gather input about the new proposals, Liebowitz told The Brandeis Hoot in an interview. Discussions so far have included a dinner with undergraduate students on Tuesday,

The university raised $865,000 from 2,559 gifts this Tuesday, a 60.2 percent increase in gifts and 97.4 percent increase in donation amount from last year’s $438,000 from 1,597 gifts, President Ron Liebowitz told The Brandeis Hoot in an interview.

“They [the Giving Tuesday committee] engaged and involved the alumni board leadership,” Liebowitz told The Hoot. “They brought this to the alumni board for the first time, I believe, and they made an incredible outreach to their classmates, friends and so forth. So it was much more of

See FRAMEWORK , page 5

KUTZ HALL Brandeis

is considering rennovating several campus locations, including Kutz.

PHOTO FRON BRANDEIS.EDU

See DONATIONS, page 3

Students run for Racial Minority Senator after Union apology

By Celia Young editor

Three students are running for the single open racial minority senator seat on the Student Union, which Brandeis students will vote in on Dec. 10. The three students, Ishaan Khurana

’23, Kurtis Lee ’22 and Sampada Pokharel ’23, spoke with The Brandeis Hoot at a meet the candidates event Thursday night.

The special election comes after the second racial minority seat’s vacancy since Oct. 6 after the then-vice president dismissed Rajan Vohra ’21 for not attending senate meetings.

The Union discussed filling the seat in a Nov. 13 senate meeting at the same time as a special election for the vice president to the Union. Student Union Secretary Taylor Fu ’21 sent an apology to the student body for not including the seat in the vice presidential special election in a Nov. 19 email.

“The Student Union has re-

ceived well deserved criticism about the lack of representation on the Student Union. The Student Union is a union that should represent the entire student body, especially those voices that are most marginalized. This was an all-around failure on our part, and one that we take full responsibility for,” the email read.

“The decision not to include the racial minority senator in this special election was one reached in an informal discussion in the Senate, and should have occurred in full session. This was a miscommunication between branches as well as a constituSee ELECTION, page 4

Branda team updates student body on app’s development

By Rachel Saal and Emily Botto editors

The Branda app is being updated to meet the unique needs of the student body, including addressing accessibility concerns, according to the app’s development team, who gave a community update on Nov. 22. Sam Stern ’20, who co-founded the app in 2018 with Benjamin Segal ’20, said that Branda has many potential sources of revenue but that the app will never utilize any of them because

Inside This Issue:

the team wants to continue to act in the best interest of the community.

From last year, the number of users has doubled and has grown by 15 percent in the last month, according to Ariel Ohayon ’21, one of the business coordinators. The app, which currently has 1.1 thousand users, according to Ohayon, currently offers Brandeis news, a calendar, hours of operation for different dining halls and services on campus, a shuttle tracker, a laundry track-

News: DCL looks into mold in Deroy.

Ops: Brandeis’ secret gem.

Features: Learn how to be sustainable.

Sports: Fencing competes at home.

Editorial: Support Brandeis faculty.

See BRANDA, page 3

Page 2 Page 13 Page 12 Page 7 Page 9

BRANDA PRESENTATION

Branda developers presented on the app’s status.

BLC Petition Brandeis Labor Coalition asks that dining workers be retained.

NEWS: PAGE 4

‘Marriage Story’ review Move over, “Joker,” this fall the real clown is divorce.

ARTS: PAGE 17

PHOTO BY RACHEL SAAL/THE HOOT

NEWS

2 The Brandeis Hoot

December 6, 2019

Deroy residents complain of mold, DCL addresses concerns

By Tim Dillon staff

Students in Deroy Hall believe there is mold growing in the building. None of the students interviewed had personally seen any mold, but several of them had heard rumors of its existence, according to four first-year students who live in Deroy. Those four students told The Brandeis Hoot that they knew of students living on the ground floor and basement getting sick and that those students attributed their sickness to the alleged mold. One student, who declined to be named, told The Hoot that they had heard tell of pending legal action by a parent of one of the residents of Deroy.

At the Senate meeting on Nov.

24, Senator Scott Halper ‘20 said that he had spoken with area coordinators about the concerns.

According to Halper, after receiving numerous reports from students, the area coordinators checked the rooms of students that had reported mold and did not find any signs of this. He said that the humidity level in Deroy was found to be below “50,” which he said was a “benchmark” of a safe humidity levels. Halper may have been referring to a relative humidity of less than 50 percent, which the Environmental Protection Agency recommends keeping between 30 percent and 50 percent to avoid mold. Halper also talked about personally visiting Deroy, where he said that he saw “stuff ” on the walls which he said could have been mold, but he cautioned that he does not

feel qualified to identify mold. He said that an ozone machine was used in Deroy following the complaints. Ozone machines are used to kill mold, but Halper said he was not sure whether the machine was used because the university believed mold was present or for the purpose of reassuring students. Halper did not respond to The Hoot’s request for a comment.

Senator Sagar Punjabi ‘21 also spoke at the meeting, saying that Assistant Dean of Student Affairs Tim Touchette said that there was no indication of any mold. Furthermore, according to Touchette, even if there were mold, the ozone machine would have killed it by now.

The Hoot reached out to the Department of Community Living, but they did not immediately comment on the matter.

Univ. philanthropist and humanist Barbara Mandel P’73, H’19 dies at age 93

By Sabrina Chow editor

Barbara Mandel P’73, H’19, wife of the late Morton Mandel P’73, H’89 and vice-chair of Brandeis’ Board of Trustees passed away on Nov. 21, 2019 at the age of 93, just five weeks after her husband’s passing.

The Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Foundation, which M. Mandel founded with his brothers, donated over $45 million to Brandeis over the years, according to a BrandeisNOW article.

The largest gift by the foundation, $22.5 million, created the Mandel Center for the Humanities in 2010. The auditorium in the center is dedicated in B. Mandel’s honor.

“Barbara was a remarkable woman—a dedicated philanthropist and humanist, who gave of her time and resources to improve the lives of others,” University President Ron Liebowitz wrote in an email to the Brandeis community about B. Mandel’s passing. “All members of the Brandeis community benefited enormously from her wisdom and experience, gained over a lifetime of volunteer work with Jewish, Israeli, and educational nonprofit organizations.”

At Brandeis, B. Mandel was elected to the Board of Trustees in 2005, according to a BrandeisNOW article. She not only served as the board’s vice chair but also co-chaired the Institutional Advancement Committee.

The Morton and Barbara Mandel Family Foundation donated $10 million to the Smithsonian’s Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum to help support new gallery space and renovations to the grounds, according to an article by Cooper-Hewitt. B. Mandel served on the board for Cooper-Hewitt since 1997 and was a member of the museum’s executive committee since 1998 until her death.

“Barbara Mandel is a cornerstone of the museum’s board of trustees and her leadership has been a guiding force for the mu-

seum’s transformation,” Smithsonian Secretary Wayne Clough wrote in the article. “Barbara and Mort’s generosity is truly enabling Cooper-Hewitt to deliver its mission and turn museum goers into designers.

B. Mandel also served as the national and Cleveland president of the National Council of Jewish Women and had leadership roles in Project Renewal and the Jewish Federation of Cleveland.

She was also the honorary chair and deputy chair of the board of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, which granted her an honorary degree. B. Mandel was the president of Hebrew University’s American Friends organization and also received the Hannah G. Solomon Award for the National Council of Jewish Women and was inducted into the Ohio Women’s Hall of Fame in 1985.

“Barbara Mandel was a compassionate, dedicated individual who believed in the vitality of cultural arts and the importance of the state of Israel to the Jewish community… She and Mort, her husband of 70 years, who passed away just weeks ago, changed

the course of our local and global communities and ensured a bright future for generations to come,” said Michael Hoffman, the president and CEO of the Jewish Federation of Palm Beach Country.

The chair of the Board of Trustees, Meyer G. Koplow ’72, P’02, P’05, said B. Mandel’s death is an overwhelming loss for the university.

“She loved the faculty, students and everyone who is part of the Brandeis family,” Koplow wrote in a BrandeisNOW article. “Her wisdom, her perspicacity, and leadership on our Board will be terribly missed. Barbara and Mort were among the greatest Jewish philanthropists of our time and their kind-heartedness will be felt for many years all over the United States and Israel. Her passing is an overwhelming loss for our University.”

B. Mandel is survived by her two daughters, Amy Mandel ’73 and Stacy Palagye, and her son Thomas Mandel as well as multiple grand and great-grandchildren.

IN THE SENATE: Nov 24, 2019 •

The Racial Minority Senator special election will be held on Dec. 10, according to Student Union secretary Taylor Fu ’21. The candidates running are Sampada Pokharel ’23, Kurtis Lee ’22 and Ishaan Khurana ’23.

•

Executive Board has been working on attendance, according to Vice President Kendal Chapman ’22. President Simran Tatuskar ’21 is making a more comprehensive outline for what is considered an excusable absence, according to Chapman.

•

Senator Dane Leoniak ’20 said “attendance should be a problem that solves itself ” because people who do not want to put in the work will be impeached and then only people who are paying attention will run in a special election.

•

Price said that he has ideas for an amendment that would pay club chairs to incentivize attendance at Senate meetings and lead to fewer elections with candidates running unopposed. He said that the money would be coming from the student activities fund. Coles, who is not in favor of paying club chairs, said “the first step is that they need to push themselves before they reward themselves.” Coles said that he wants to increase accountability by potentially reinstating mandatory office hours for senators.

•

Senator for International Students Shuorui “Capo” Wang ’22 and Senator for the Myra Kraft Transitional Year Program Erik Lambrecht ’23 each have three unexcused absences, so they were emailed that if they did not attend the next meeting, the Senate would move forward with impeachment, according to Chapman.

•

Chapman said that the relationship between Senate and E-Board hasn’t been “at its prime” and asked the Senate what they believe they should be doing to improve communication. Senator Oliver Price ’20 said that it would be helpful if Chapman had a more explicit E-Board summary and if they could have more detail. Senator Sagar Punjabi ’21 said it would be good if E-Board could come in every week, to which Senator Joseph Coles ’22 added that it would be good if a member of E-Board came in every week and a senator went to E-Board every week. Senator Scott Halper ’20 said that he was hoping that Tatuskar would come to the Senate meeting and speak when the judiciary case brought against her was happening.

•

Halper said that he is talking to area coordinators in the Department of Community Living about alleged mold in Deroy Hall. The area coordinators received a number of reporters from students complaining about mold, according to Halper, and they checked the rooms that were reported and there “weren’t any signs of mold growth.” Halper said that the humidity level was below “50,” which is a benchmark. An ozone machine, a device that they use for killing mold, was used and Halper said that he doesn’t know if they used the machine to make residents feel more at ease or if it was because there was actually mold.

•

Halper went to Deroy and said that he saw “stuff ” that could be mold on the walls but also said that he doesn’t have any expertise in identifying mold. Punjabi reaffirmed that Assistant Dean of Student Affairs Tim Touchette has someone on campus who said that there was “no indication from mold anywhere,” and the ozone machine kills off all organic growth, so there shouldn’t be anything now even if there had been.

•

DCL said that the Union can order kitchen supplies for Polaris Lounge, according to Senator Krupa Sourirajan ’23.

•

The bathrooms in East are locked because people have come into the building and used them, so they will be reviewing that, according to Senator Trevor Filseth ’20.

-Rachel Saal

PHOTO FROM BRANDEISNOW.COM

December 6, 2019

NEWS 3

The Brandeis Hoot

Brandeis establishes task force on campus sustainability

By Victoria Morrongiello staff

A new Task Force on Campus Sustainability has been created to help revise the university’s Climate Action Plan, according to an email sent out by President Ron Liebowitz. The university created its first Climate Action Plan in 2009, which was then revised in 2016.

The President’s Task Force is composed of five faculty members, six staff members and six students. This coalition is responsible not only for updating the university’s past Climate Action Plan but to update our Energy Conservation and Management Policy, make suggestions for more sustainable behaviors on campus, broaden the scope to become more climate resilient and look at the potential to formally address sustainable goals, said Liebowitz in his email.

Liebowitz said that this task force will be working alongside four working groups. The working groups include a group on Campus Operations, Community Engagement, Incorporating Climate Change into the Classroom and Climate Resilience. Each of these groups will provide aid, assessments and recommendations

to help achieve the goals set for the task force.

Professor Sabine von Mering (GRALL/ENVS/WGS) has been actively involved in the climate situation through programs both on and off campus, she said in an email to The Hoot.

This will not be von Mering’s first time as a co-chair to a campus sustainability task force, but she is excited to be working with her co-chairs, Manager of Sustainability Programs Mary Fischer and Oliver Price ’20, to help achieve carbon reductions, said von Mering.

A part of the task force’s responsibilities is to make recommendations to improve sustainability on campus. Von Mering is confident that these responsibilities will become a reality.

“I wouldn’t be interested in joining a task force that doesn’t actually deliver,” said von Mering in an email to The Brandeis Hoot.

“We intend to see measurable results, and we intend to ensure that there is follow-through beyond 2020.”

Von Mering additionally wants to see climate change become a top priority at all levels of decision making and see the university follow through with its commitments to see “forceful action”

against the university’s carbon footprint and seek different modules of sustainability through high levels of activism among marginalized groups and student club involvement, said von Mering.

Fischer said in an email to The Hoot that she hopes to see carbon neutrality achieved as a result of the task force’s efforts.

The task force will be looking at different types of practices to help reduce the university’s carbon footprint and is looking to seek responses from the community

for their ideas on the matter, said von Mering. There are too many tactics seen in other institutions to help reduce their carbon footprints, said Fischer, and the task force will determine those that are best for Brandeis.

The goals of the task force are set to be completed by the end of this academic year, according to the email sent by Liebowitz.

Fischer said she feels comfortable meeting the goals of the task force by this deadline.

“We all know that we should be

reducing greenhouse gas emissions yesterday, so I welcome the proposal to move swiftly,” said von Mering regarding the deadline the task force has been given.

Despite seeing progress from previous attempts to improve sustainability on campus, the task force and Liebowitz hope to see additional measures created.

Editor’s Note: Layout Editor Sabrina Chow is a member of the task force and did not contribute to this article.

PHOTO FROM HOOT ARCHIVES

Donations increase by 97.4 percent on Giving Tuesday, unrelated to Tuesday delay DONATIONS, from page 1

a concerted effort and focused.

But it’s incredibly impressive.”

Liebowitz said that Giving Tuesday was “unrelated” to the university re-opening at noon on Tuesday, debunking rumors that the school stayed opened to support donation events. The school’s delayed opening was due to “snowfall during the morning hours,”

according to a text message sent to the Brandeis community.

“I don’t have any input into the university closing,” Liebowitz told The Hoot. “Students were writing me emails, but we have a team that starts consulting with the weather the day before. They keep me informed but I didn’t make the decision.”

Most of the donors came from

the United States, with the second and third highest number of donors coming from China and Canada respectively, according to the Giving Tuesday website. The number of donations increased by 130.2 percent from the 1,099 gifts in 2017.

The university surpassed its goal of 1,948 donors, unlocking an additional $100,000 from Ma-

dalyn Friedberg, President of the Brandeis National Committee and Board of Trustees member.

Other challenges that were met included the Parent and Families Match in which $10,000 were matched, the First-Time Undergraduate Alumni Matching Gift in which $5,000 were matched and the Heller School Donor Challenge in which $1,200 was

matched, according to the website.

Donors could select what cause their donation would support including particular clubs, teams, departments, programs, professors, scholarships or The Brandeis Fund. Online gifts had to be a minimum of $5, and those who wanted to donate early could visit http://giving.brandeis.edu/ early or call at 781-736-4000.

Branda team works on fulfilling students’ needs BRANDA, from page 1

er and a map of Brandeis. Sarah Kosowsky ’22, an app developer, said that they are adding a function to the map so that students can find accessible directions to different spots on campus. The app currently covers 235 acres of Brandeis’ campus, according to the app’s website.

Ilan Hascal ’21, an app developer, has been working to install push notifications for Brandeis.

He said that last month, after sending out a post notification for an event that had sold 130 tickets, an additional 30 tickets were bought. Hascal said that he has been working to shorten the length of the notifications and work through some glitches.

Ian Smith ’22, an app developer, has been working to improve

the app design. According to Smith, “new features deserve a better looking app.” He said that he is trying to make software look more “native” to whatever type of phone the user has. In addition, Smith intends to create a new login and onboarding experience to offer better ease of use for the user.

Smith commented that he realized “how big of an effect that small changes can have” while working on the Branda app since the details he has worked on throughout his tenure have been small but made a large impact on the appearance and experience of the app. According to Smith, these changes include choosing one’s own notifications and “reorganizing the backend server… to make it more maintainable.”

Reese Farquhar ’22, webmaster

and app developer, was the first to join the team as a first-year last year, and he took on the responsibility of recruiting his peers for the project to prevent a lack of manpower when seniors Segal and Stern graduate this spring.

Farquhar also developed the Branda logo, implemented the advertising campaign and much more.

Hannah Liu ’23, one of the business coordinators, has been working on marketing Branda and has been working to increase the app’s social media presence.

In a week, Liu helped triple the number of social media followers, according to Segal.

Other team members include app developers Eli Miller ’22 and Sarah Baum ’22 and business coordinators Aseem Kumar ’20 and Brandon Musto ’20.

PHOTO FROM BRANDEIS.EDU

4 NEWS

The Brandeis Hoot

December 6, 2019

BLC wants dining workers to be retained in new contract, unionized workers expected to be retained

By Celia Young editor

Over 20 students led by members of the Brandeis Labor Coalition (BLC) walked to President Ron Liebowitz’s office on Nov. 22 to ask that Brandeis guarantee the retention of current dining workers as the university considers new potential dining providers.

Brandeis is seeking proposals for a new dining provider since the university and its current dining provider, Sodexo, mutually agreed to terminate the two organizations’ existing contract which will end in June 2020, according to an earlier Hoot article. The university invited Sodexo to reapply, according to an earlier Hoot article.

Brandeis sent the Request for Proposal (RFP) to between six and seven interested dining companies yesterday, on Dec. 4, according to the Student Union’s Senator-at-Large and Senate Dining Committee Chair Nancy Zhai ’22. And the RFP includes, in writing, that Brandeis expects its dining contractor to make every effort to retain unionized employees, under the union UNITE HERE Local 26, said Zhai.

“One of [the] expectations is that [the] bidder has to make every effort to retain the current workers and who are under the union contract,” said Zhai.

The BLC circulated a petition among the student body and tabled in Upper Usdan for signatures in the week leading up to Nov. 23,

gaining around 733 signatures by Nov. 23, according to BLC secretary Arthi Jacob ’21 in an interview with The Brandeis Hoot.

Another BLC member since her first year, Madeline Bisgyer ’20, told The Hoot she was impressed by the number of signatures collected.

“It’s just indicative that there’s a big connection between the students who go here, faculty members and dining workers,” Jacob said. “People want to make sure dining hall workers are respected and that they have job protections just like everybody deserves.”

A member of the group read aloud the protest to Liebowitz’s senior executive administrator, Heidi Popkin, since the university president was not in his office.

“We the Brandeis community demand an employee retention requirement be included in the Brandeis dining program Request for Proposal…After voicing the need for employee retention at the dining program open forums, we were told that employee retention would not be guaranteed in the RFP. This shows a blatant disrespect for the hardworking people who are vital to the functioning of the Brandeis campus. It also disregards the open process for community input in drafting the request,” read part of the petition.

Popkin thanked the students for coming forward, and said, “That was very well said. We all appreciate it and I will definitely pass this on.” The group of approximately 25 students then filed out

of Bernstein-Marcus administrative center to take a group photo in the light rain before dispersing.

Unionized, front-line employee’s jobs will likely be protected because union contracts are negotiated separately from the overall dining contract, according to an earlier Hoot article. It is unclear, however, if management will keep their jobs. Zhai said that the retention of managers would not be guaranteed.

“This is the most common question I’ve been getting from students,” said Zhai in an interview with The Hoot. “I see this as a really great thing… that we actually care about the people that cook food for us.”

Bisgyer said that no matter what, dining workers needed to be protected.

“No matter what happens if there isn’t worker retention, if workers here are not allowed to stay… we will ensure that that doesn’t happen,” Bisgyer said in an interview with The Hoot. “We will do everything within our ability to ensure that workers get to stay here.”

The BLC began to explore a dining campaign in early November when the organization partnered with Uprooted and Rising, a group focused on food sustainability, according to an earlier Hoot article. Uprooted and Rising criticized large dining corporations, including Sodexo

and Aramark, which provided dining services to Brandeis before the university’s contract with Sodexo. Since that initial meeting, BLC members and other students have met several times to discuss the future of Brandeis dining.

The Hoot reached out to Executive Vice President for Finance and Administration Stuart Uretsky about worker retention, but Uretsky did not respond by press time. In an earlier Hoot article, Liebowitz said more funds would go towards a new contract to provide better food quality.

The university had not responded to the BLC as of press time.

PHOTO BY CELIA YOUNG/THE HOOT

Three students run in Racial Minority Senator race ELECTION, from page 1

tionally invalid decision, and one that we are deeply sorry for.

Members of the Student Union are committed to amplifying marginalized voices on campus and we failed by not including this seat on the ballot,” it continued.

The Hoot sat down with the three candidates to discuss their experience, desire to run and what they hope to achieve if elected. The candidates are introduced alphabetically.

Ishaan Khurana ’23 Khurana was first introduced to the Student Union through a few friends who serve on it and said he decided to run to explore something new and to help the student community.

If elected, Khurana wants

CANDIDATES

to expand “I am Global Week,” an international education week, at Brandeis.

Khurana wants to bring small minority groups to the forefront at Brandeis and hopes to work with clubs to create events where other students can learn about different groups at Brandeis.

Khurana said he would “make sure people know that I exist and make sure that they are bringing their concerns to me.”

Khurana wants to focus on outreach to minority communities to gather their concerns and said his experience in high school as one of the few racial minorities in his club, the Lexington Youth Commission, taught him to advocate for himself and other racial minorities because no one else would do it for him.

Kurtis Lee ’22

Lee decided to run because he hopes to create greater racial justice on campus, promote more inclusive racial policy and foster more intercultural discussion between different minority groups.

Lee is a member of Brandeis Academic Debate and Speech Society, or BADASS for short, which he said will help him encourage conversation between persons of different backgrounds.

In high school, Lee participated in student government, helping to organize events; at Brandeis, he is a tournament director on BADASS. He hopes to push for more communication as racial minority senator.

“I myself am a racial minority, but given my own background and my own race, I can’t represent all types of racial minority groups on campus. However…

I have the ability to listen to and to actually represent these

From left to right: Ishaan Khurana ‘23, Kurtis Lee ‘22 and Sampada Pokharel ‘23.

PHOTOS COURTESY BRANDEIS STUDENT UNION

groups,” said Lee. “I am able to hear their concerns… and work through their concerns and bring a solution through the Senate and broader student government.”

Lee is also interested in social justice from his perspective as a philosophy and politics major and called real social justice deeply complex. To advocate for social justice on campus, Lee said, he would try to educate the Brandeis community on different minority groups and then encourage discussion.

Sampada Pokharel ’23 Pokharel decided to run for the racial minority position to promote minority culture festivals. Pokharel hopes to bring the celebration of culture at Brandeis to the university as a whole, and not just in individual clubs.

Pokharel wants to focus on fes-

tivals and events, and if elected, hopes to plan an event where minority cultures can showcase their culture to Brandeis as a whole.

“A major focus of mine would be promoting their festivals and their culture because I want to make sure they feel valued and respected,” said Pokharel.

If elected, Pokharel would start by speaking to different clubs and individuals at Brandeis to see what change they may want. Pokharel is a first-generation student and hopes to make Brandeis welcoming of all cultures and backgrounds.

“As senator, I’ll make sure I represent every minority group,” she said. “[I’ll make] sure Brandeis is welcoming of all cultures, regardless of first generation or minority [status], so students feel safe enough and feel like they have a group on campus.”

PHOTO BY CELIA YOUNG/THE HOOT

MEET THE CANDIDATES

The three candidates spoke to students in Upper Usdan.

December 6, 2019

NEWS 5

The Brandeis Hoot

Union to wait on club advisor project because of unpopularity, says Club Support Committee Chair

By Adian Vinograd special to the hoot

A bylaw proposal that would require all chartered clubs to have a club advisor is misunderstood, according to Chair of the Club Support Committee Joseph Coles ’22.

“It’s not being passed any time soon because it is very unpopular among clubs,” said Coles. “I think that people think that it gives the club consultant a lot of power over the club, and that’s not true.”

Senator Dane Leoniak ’20 told The Brandeis Hoot that he disagrees with Coles.

“I understand why Joseph [Coles] thinks it’s a good idea.

For clubs who aren’t on top of things, it would be helpful. But I do not think it is necessary for the majority of clubs, especially ones with long histories.”

Coles held office hours in order to advocate for the bylaw but said “unfortunately we didn’t get a big turn out, but I am still looking at things in the future to talk to clubs about it and change people’s minds.”

Managing Editor of the Justice

PHOTO FROM HOOT ARCHIVES

Jen Geller ’20, expressed her primary concerns with the bylaw.

“When it comes to the Justice and other media organizations, my primary concern is the ability for us to remain independent without ties to a staff or faculty member on campus, who people may perceive as having control over our content, even if they do not.”

Geller said that for some

clubs, the bylaw “might be helpful to have formal ties.”

“One of the challenges with the bylaw can be finding appropriate faculty or staff to advise these clubs because it is only adding things on their plate without pay,” said a faculty club advisor who asked not to be named. “Another issue is scheduling. Advisors work during the day, most club

meetings are during the evening.”

A consultant bylaw for secured clubs, clubs that have funding recorded in the Union Constitution, was introduced and passed in March 2019.

Coles on the other hand, said he is pushing for the law to extend to all clubs.

Coles also said that the clubs would only have two meetings a

semester with the advisors, which according to him, is little oversight.

Coles said that he will continue to reach out to clubs directly and add more office hours.

He also explained there are club conversations every semester, where all the clubs come together and discuss aid from the Student Union, and he will bring up the bylaw in those meetings.

President updates community on Framework proposals, plans residential and dining renovations FRAMEWORK, from page 1

lunch with graduate students on Wednesday, a staff meeting that would have taken place on Tuesday had the university not closed because of weather conditions, a faculty meeting next week and other planned events, according to Liebowitz.

“The plan in itself—the overarching plan—needs to be endorsed by the Board of Trustees before we actually move forward on any of our great ideas; although, I will clarify that by saying that of the 250 recommendations that came out of the task forces, some of them—a number of them—are already being worked on by the various offices that are responsible for those proposals,” Liebowitz told The Hoot in an interview.

“So, the Dean of Art and Sciences, the Dean of IBS, the various committees on campus, have been getting the recommendations that came from the task forces. The Framework, instead, is the overarching view of what

RESIDENCE HALLS

we are trying to work on for the future of Brandeis. It was really a two to three year process of trying to figure out what is the essence of Brandeis, what are the core strengths of Brandeis and what should be the future of Brandeis.”

Some of the new plans include returning to the university’s “founding ethos” by supporting the American Jewish community and making the school attractive to “Jews of all types,” creating a “center for civic engagement,” updating physical infrastructure and returning the faculty-to-student ratio to at least what it was in 2007.

This was before the university laid off faculty due to the recession and the university grew to its near 3,700 undergraduate enrollment.

The university also wants to increase horizontal connectivity among different departments to create “hubs for historical strengths” such as the Health Science and Social Policy program, according to Liebowitz.

Potential physical infrastructure changes include connecting

From left to right: East Quad and North Quad

the buildings in the humanities quad to increase accessibility and foster stronger connections, adding social spaces to residential quads, particularly those in North Quad, adding residential spaces and dining areas in Kutz Hall and centralizing student services in Lower Usdan. Other potential renovations could be made to Brown Social Science Center, Slosberg Music Center and Spingold Theater Center, according to Liebowitz. Sachar, Lemberg and Edison-Lecks may be adapted or reused.

Liebowitz said the residential halls were assessed and North Quad has “good bones,” but East Quad does not. He said that he thinks the quad will eventually be rebuilt but that its rebuilding is a longer term issue.

Lindsay Philcox ’21, who attended the Tuesday dinner, told The Hoot that she noticed that there was no definitive timeline and that the proposals seemed “pretty long term,” but she appreciated the awareness of a need for change.

Liebowitz said that there is a “semblance” of a “hopeful” timeline in place. He said that he hopes that the Board of Trustees will engage the plan at the end of January to at least endorse the concept of the Framework and the administration and trustees will begin to form a timeline and sequence of events.

The administration has pledged to spend from January to April to estimate the costs of the Framework ideas, according to Liebowitz. He said while there is not a definitive timeline yet, he “would hope that firstyears, sophomores and juniors will see the fruits of what will come from the Framework.”

The capital campaign to begin efforts to raise $1 billion to support proposals in the Framework will commence in the fall of 2020, meaning that the university will begin to accelerate its fundraising capacity at that time. He said that there hasn’t been a large capital campaign at Brandeis in at least 10 years and that campaigns like

PHOTOS FROM HOOT ARCHIVES

these are always about supporting student financial aid, faculty and academic programs and infrastructure because “that’s what it takes to run a university.”

There will be a silent phase of the campaign in which they won’t publicly announce it, but they will go to the university’s largest donors and ask for pledges.

In these types of campaigns, the initial fundraising efforts often attempt to account for 20 percent of the overall fundraising goal.

He said that once you go public, it could last five to six years and that if the university raises roughly $60 million a year over an eight year period, there would still be a deficit of $520 million.

“It’s not a full billion dollars to play with. But still, that $500 million goes a long way to achieving some of the goals that are planned here.”

Liebowitz said the administration’s priorities include the next phase of updating the science building—which Liebowitz said has been in process for over 10 years—and updating residential halls so that they are no longer simply “transactional sleeping spaces” but also community spaces.

Liebowitz said that he is comfortable taking on some debt to fund some new projects because the university has previously been risk-averse in their borrowing habits, and he thinks that the institution has “undersold” itself.

Vice President of Finance and Administration Stewart Uretsky previously told The Hoot that he typically favors not taking on more debt. “[Stewart Uretsky] and [Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer] Sam Solomon are very much engaged in finding the sweet spot in terms of how much debt we can take on without putting into peril our bonding rating and financial standing,” said Liebowitz.

“So he has to be the reality check.”

SPORTS

6 The Brandeis Hoot

December 6, 2019

Men’s basketball going strong with three-game winning streak

By Francesca Marchese staff

This week, the Judges improved to 5-2 on the season with a three game winning streak. The men defended their home court against Rhode Island College (RIC), after coming off of a tough loss against Suffolk University just a few days earlier. The Judges continued to find success, even on the road, as they handed the University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth (UMD) a loss right before the Thanksgiving holiday. The men rallied together after trailing by seven in the final two minutes of regulation to defeat Lasell College in overtime on the road.

The Judges faced RIC on Saturday, Nov. 23 for the first time since 2016. Midway through the first half, the men went on an eight-point run, turning a 17-16 deficit into a 24-17 lead that they maintained until the final horn.

Although RIC came within six points towards the end of the first half, the Judges closed the half on an 11-3 run to take a 45-31 lead into the locker room. Senior leaders, Collin Sawyer ’20 and Eric D’Aguanno ’20, combined for 18 points in the first half and three three-pointers; Nolan Hagerty ’22 added eight points and seven rebounds in the action.

The Judges came out strong to start the second half, D’Aguanno two made three-pointers in backto-back possessions to increase the lead to 21. Sawyer hit one of two from the line to make it a 22

point game—RIC chipped away at the lead, cutting the deficit to 10 points with a little more than two minutes left to play. With 1:52 remaining, RIC decreased the Judges’ lead even further, making it a nine point game. Brandeis, though, was able to maintain the lead, while handing RIC its first loss of the season—81-75. Four players finished in double figures for the Judges, and for the fourth game out of five this season, Sawyer led his team in scoring with 17 points. D’Aguanno finished with 16 points, while also hitting his 203rd career three-pointer, securing third place on Brandeis’ all-time three-pointer list.

Just a few days later, the Brandeis men’s team traveled to Dartmouth, MA where they went on an 11-2 run at the end of the first half to turn a five point deficit into a four point lead. Junior guard, Lawrence Sabir ’21, turned the game around with a key three-pointer, cutting the Corsairs lead to two points, while classmate, Chandler Jones ’21, joined in on the action, scoring the team’s final eight points of the half. Jones and D’Aguanno had eight points each, while Sawyer had nine going into the locker room at the half.

UMD came out strong, scoring 10 of the first 12 points of the second half, regaining the lead. The Corsairs failed to convert opportunities into advantage points, though, and rookie Dylan Lein ’23 and D’Aguanno capitalized, scoring buckets to tie the game up at 43 with 14:06 left to play. Tied

PHOTOS FROM BRANDESIJUDGES.COM

at 48 midway through the second half, Brandeis went on a 6-1 run and never trailed again.

Darret Justice ’23 finished a layup, increasing the lead to six points with seven minutes to go in the game. D’Aguanno then hit a dagger three-pointer that pushed the lead back to seven, after UMD had hit a bucket, cutting the lead to four.

The Judges defeated UMD on the road 78-65; Sawyer scored 12 of his game-high 21 points in the second half, leading his team in scoring for the fifth time this season out of six games. Jones finished the game with 15 points to accompany his six rebounds, while D’Aguanno scored 13; Sabir racked up three assists and Hag-

erty tied for game-high honors with nine rebounds.

In Newton, MA, Brandeis rallied together after trailing by seven with two minutes to play in regulation to conquer host Lasell College Lasers in overtime (OT). The Judges led 12-7 after five minutes in the first half; Sabir finished a layup to secure the lead. However, Lasell responded with a series of baskets, totaling 13 points, which gained them a 20-12 lead with 11 minutes left until the half. The hosts led by as many as nine, but Lein’s 3-pointer brought the Judges within striking distance, and Sawyer’s trifecta tied the game up, 35-all with 1:29 left in the half. Each team scored once more in the half, re-tying the score: 37-all.

The Judges struggled coming out of the locker room, as the Lasers re-established an eight point lead. Jones answered with the game’s next two buckets and Sabir scored, decreasing the deficit to two, just 1:44 later. The Judges, though, were unable to gain the lead, as the Lasers increased the lead to nine. Trifectas from D’Aguanno and Jones brought the game within five with 3:40 left in regulation; but, Lasell answered with a bucket, making it a seven point game with a little under two minutes to go in the game.

Rookie Lein came in clutch, hit two key buckets, cutting Lasell’s lead in half; junior Sabir had a big play, too, as he tied up a loose ball coming out of a timeout, winning the Judges an extra possession.

With 19 seconds to go, the team’s leading scorer, Sawyer, drove to the basket, finishing the threepoint play to tie up the game: 73all.

Forcing overtime, Hagerty hit a layup to give Brandeis their first lead since early in the first half

Stay active on and off the field!

Write for The Hoot’s Sports section.

Contact Sophie Trachtenberg at strachtenberg@brandeis.edu for more information!

of regulation. After Lasell bucket, Sawyer sunk a 3-pointer three minutes to go, but Lasell remainined tough, maintaining their two point lead, 80-78, with 2:35 left in OT. Jones hit a pair of free throws to tie the game up at 80, and then Brandeis grabbed two offensive boards, but turned it over with 1:06 to play.

On the offensive end, Lasell was unable to score and Hagerty converted a rebound into two points with 29 seconds to go.

The Lasers took a time out ten seconds later and Laser Masciarelli hit one of two from the line with 11.8 seconds to go. Sawyer grabbed the board and was fouled immediately. He hit both shots, icing the game with 11.1 seconds remaining. The Lasers were off the mark with their three-point attempt, and the Judges pulled away with their third straight win, 84-81 in OT. Again, the Judges finished with four players in double figures.

Jones led the team with 22 points, just shy of his season-best, accompanying his seven rebounds and three steals. Sawyer and D’Aguanno both had 17; D’Aguanno went 4-6 from behind the arc—he now has 209 career threes, tying Steve Harrignton ’92 on the Brandeis all-time list. Hagerty posted three career-highs, too, as he registered his first career double-double with 10 points and 15 boards; he also had a career-best with six assists, trailing Sabir’s seven for team-high. Additionally, Hagerty played 40 minutes.

The Judges return to action this weekend, looking to extend their winning streak to four in a row, when they take on Tufts University as part of the New England Big Four Challenge Saturday at Salem State for a noon tipoff.

December 6, 2019

SPORTS 7

The Brandeis Hoot

Fencing hosts invitational, celebrates seniors

By Sophie Trachtenberg editor

This past weekend, in between Thanksgiving celebrations and the start of finals season, the Brandeis fencing team hosted their annual invitational to close out their 2019 season.

The meet included competitors from Cornell University, St. John’s University, Yale University, Harvard University and the University of the Incarnate Word. On the men’s side, the team went 2-3, with wins over both Cornell and Incarnate Word. For the women, the weekend ended with a 1-4 record as they defeated Incarnate Word.

Overall, the men beat Cornell and Incarnate Word by the same score of 20-7, while falling to St. John’s by a margin of 6-21, Yale by a score of 5-22 and finally to Harvard 11-16. The total results for the women ended with an 18-9 win over Incarnate Word, while ultimately losing to Cornell in a 5-22 fashion, St. John’s by a score of 11-16, Yale by 6-21 margin and lastly to Harvard with a score of 8-19.

The men’s sabre squad saw the

most success during the meet, as they recorded a final score of 3-2. They topped Incarnate Word, Cornell and even upset Harvard with scores of 7-2, 8-1 and 5-4 respectively. Also on the winning side was men’s foil who beat out their opponents from Incarnate Word and Cornell both by margins of 7-2. Men’s epee was also successful against the Cardinals and the Big Red, as they won 6-3 and 5-4 respectively against these two teams.

Lucas Lin ’22 went 3-0 against Harvard in the sabre category and also 2-0 against Cornell. With the same weapon, teammate Shawn Pyatetsky ’20 also went 3-0 in his matches against Cornell. Rookie Dexin Huang ’23 was undefeated in sabre against Incarnate Word, going 3-0.

Charles Catino ’20 also came out on the winning side, as he defeated Harvard by a margin of 2-1 and was undefeated against Cornell, posting a score of 2-0. Lastly, first-year Ben Rogak ’23 was the sole men’s fencer to secure a win against each of the five opponents, performing his best with two wins against Cornell.

On the women’s side, Jessica Morales ’23 is continuing her impressive season by totaling

the most wins for the team with a score of 7-3 overall. The breakdown includes going undefeated against St. John’s (3-0) and Yale (2-0) while also going 2-1 against Cornell. Classmate and epeeist Paula Thornton ’23, Jessica Gets ’20 in the foil category, and sabrists Jada Harrison ’22 and Maggie Shealy ’23 all defeated Incarnate Word twice. Overall, the sabre fencers saw wins against Incarnate Word and St. John’s in a 7-2 fashion while also beating Incarnate Word in foil by the same margins.

After the tournament itself ended, the team celebrated the class of 2020, recognizing the seniors for all of their hard work and commitment to the Brandeis fencing program. The class includes Chris Armstrong ’20, Trevor Filseth ’20, Sam Chestna ’20, Catino, Ian Quin ’20, Pyatetsky, Hannah Mui ’20 and Gets.

For their performances, Lin and Morales swept the UAA’s fencing athlete of the week honors. This was Lin’s first time receiving such recognition, while this was Morales’ second.

The Judges will continue their season next year in 2020 as they take on the Philadelphia Invitational on Jan. 19.

Brandeis Judges spring 2020 sports preview: As the fall semester comes to an end and students are heading home for the holidays, the Brandeis Judges student athletes only get a short break before they’re back on campus practicing and preparing for the spring 2020 season. The spring season will see athletes from the following sports competing for The Judges: Men’s Indoor and Outdoor Track and Field, Women’s Indoor and Outdoor Track and Field, Men’s Basketball, Women’s Basketball, Men’s Fencing, Women’s Fencing, Men’s Swimming and Diving, Women’s Swimming and Diving, Softball, Baseball.

Come support your fellow students and Judges as they compete!

January: • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

FENCING

Class of 2020 fencers celebrate senior day.

Thursday, Jan.2, 2 p.m.: Men’s Basketball at Bowdoin College Saturday, Jan. 4, 2 p.m.: Women’s Basketball at Regis College (MA) Tuesday, Jan. 7, 7 p.m.: Men’s Basketball vs. Bates College Friday, Jan. 10 —Saturday, Jan. 11: Men’s and Women’s T&F at Reggie Poyau Invite at Brandeis Saturday, Jan. 11, 1 p.m.: Men’s and Women’s Swimming and Diving vs. Trinity College Saturday, Jan. 11, 1 p.m.: Women’s Basketball at New York University Saturday, Jan. 11, 3 p.m.: Men’s Basketball at New York University Friday, Jan. 17, 6 p.m.: Women’s Basketball vs. University of Rochester Friday, Jan. 17, 8 p.m.: Men’s Basketball vs. University of Rochester Saturday, Jan. 18: Men’s and Women’s T&F at Bowdoin Invite #2 Saturday, Jan. 18, 1 p.m.: Men’s and Women’s Swimming and Diving vs. Keene State Sunday, Jan. 19: Men’s and Women’s Fencing at Philadelphia Invitational Sunday, Jan. 19, 12 p.m.: Men’s Basketball vs. Emory University Sunday, Jan. 19, 2 p.m.: Women’s Basketball vs. Emory University Friday, Jan. 24 — Saturday, Jan. 25: Men’s and Women’s T&F at Terrier Classic Friday, Jan. 24, 7 p.m.: Women’s Basketball at Washington University Friday, Jan. 24, 9 p.m.: Men’s Basketball at Washington University Saturday, Jan. 25: Men’s and Women’s Fencing at NFC #2 (Chestnut Hill, MA) Saturday, Jan. 25, 2:30 p.m.: Women’s Swimming and Diving at Wellesley College and Merrimack College Sunday, Jan. 26, 1 p.m.: Men’s Basketball at University of Chicago Sunday, Jan. 26, 3 p.m.: Women’s Basketball at University of Chicago Tuesday, Jan. 28: Women’s Fencing vs. Wellesley University and Tufts University Friday, Jan. 31 — Saturday, Feb. 1: Men’s and Women’s Track and Field at Branwen Smith-King Invitational Friday, Jan. 31, 6 p.m.: Women’s Basketball vs. Case Western Reserve University Friday, Jan. 31, 8 p.m.: Men’s Basketball vs. Case Western Reserve University

PHOTO FROM BRANDEISJUDGES.COM

-Compiled by Sabrina Chow

A day in the life of a Brandeis athlete: Jonathan Ayash ’22

By Sabrina Chow and Sasha Skarboviychuk editors

This column will highlight a different student-athlete each week, striving to unearth what the hectic life of a Brandeis athlete entails.

With this in mind, such a collection of stories will serve as a testament to the hard work, passion and resilience that athletes at Brandeis specifically embody, hopefully working to bridge the gap between student-athletes and the rest of the Brandeisian community.

At the crack of dawn and up before the rising sun, swimmer Jonathan Ayash ’22 is out the door just a few minutes after waking up at 5:30 a.m. to make it to his 6

a.m. practice.

Practices always start in Gosman for dryland workouts for half an hour, followed by a two-hour swim, Ayash told The Brandeis Hoot in an interview.

After his workout, Ayash runs back to Skyline for a change of clothes before he is off to his 9 a.m. class. As a biology and business major on the pre-medical track, classes at all hours of the day are not surprising to Ayash anymore.

With all the random breaks throughout his day, he uses this time to study or eat to make sure that no time goes to waste.

But Ayash did not expect his college career to include swimming. “I wasn’t planning on being a student athlete,” he told The Hoot. “The athlete part came second.” He was told that he may get

a chance to swim, but it was not his focus. However, after he got to Brandeis, he was told to come to the first practice and then stayed on the team. “It was a hard transition,” continued Ayash, “I was not used to the swimming life.” Like many other sports, swimming is very time intensive.

Swimming has especially given Ayash a concrete schedule, he said.

“Without swimming, my life would be all too less scheduled.”

With practice every day and additional lifts, he needed to learn how to manage his time.

“Not every weekend has the same amount of time,” he explained.

“Some weekends we don’t have meets, but other weekends we’re away all weekend at meets. I need to know how to plan ahead and

do all my work on time. I know I can’t leave everything to the last minute because I have to go to bed on time.”

Swimming also gave Ayash an opportunity to have a guaranteed group of friends on campus. “Usually when you see one swimmer, you see a few,” he said.

“We spend a lot of time with each other so we’re all together… Everyone is friends with everyone, so you know that you will never eat a meal alone. There’s always someone on campus that’s ready to eat. It’s very much a family environment.”

With all the time they spend together at practice and meets, Ayash explained that the team is not only super close but also a great resource for academic help.

He said there is a good mix of humanities and science majors on

the team, so the upperclassmen are supportive and helpful with the underclassmen if they need help in any of their classes.

At meets, none of his teammates are ever at the sidelines quietly standing there. “Even if you’re not racing, you’re cheering,” Ayash told The Hoot.

“You’re making sure that everyone is hyped up and then you get hyped as well.”

One of Ayash’s closest friends on the team usually races in the same lane as him, so they hang around each other at meets a lot and cheer each other on. “Being around people is my way of hyping up,” he explained.

However despite all the changes and early mornings, for Ayash, being a part of the swimming family at Brandeis is worth it.

8 SPORTS

The Brandeis Hoot

Decenber 6, 2019

Women’s basketball picks up two wins at home

By Emerson White staff

After bouncing back from a close loss against Tufts, the women’s basketball team picked up two wins against Salem State and Babson. After their 81-77 loss to Tufts, the Judges posted impressive scores beating Salem State 89-49 and defeating Babson in overtime 99-88.

The Judges faced Tufts last Saturday in a highly competitive battle but ultimately were unable to come out on top and lost to the Jumbos 81-77. However, it was an impressive night for the Judges, with guard Camila Casanueva ’21 scoring the game high 32 points and the highest in her career.

Casanueva sailed past Tufts leading scorer DeCandido who picked up 19 points. Of her 32 points, 15 were in the fourth quarter.

The Judges came out on top at the end of the first quarter with a 23-20 lead, with nine points from Casanueva. The Jumbos came out strong in the beginning of the second quarter, scoring seven of the first nine points, and were leading the Judges 38-37 with just under three minutes in the half. But then the Judges rallied an 11-2 run al-

lowing for the largest lead of the game and ended the half 48-40.

The Judges were off to a rocky start in the second half, allowing Tufts to score the first 10 points, leading the Judges 50-48. But despite their start, the Judges fought back to end the third quarter with a one point lead, with a score of 58-57. Ultimately the Judges fell to Tufts in the fourth despite impressive efforts by Casanueva who scored 15 points. In the game, Hannah Nicholson ’20 also scored in double digits with 10 points and an additional five rebounds. Courtney Thun ’21 was the leader of the team in rebounds with seven and also added seven points.

Overall the Judges shot well, hitting 11 3-pointers in comparison to seven for Tufts. But the Jumbos were able to outscore the Judges overall and outrebounded them 37-30.

But the following week, the Judges turned it around, adding two impressive wins against Salem State and Babson. Brandeis dominated Salem State with a 40 point win, beating the Vikings 8949. It was evident from the first quarter who was on top when the Judges jumped to an 18-1 lead, finishing the first quarter up 28-

PHOTOS COURTESY SABRINA CHOW PHOTOGRAPHY

12. They continued to put pressure on Salem in the second and went into halftime with a lead of 49-24.

The Vikings tried to come alive in the third quarter, but the gap was already too big, and the Judges closed out the game 89-49. It was a big night for the Judges, who were shooting 50 percent

from the field and outrebounded the Vikings 54-28.

Nicholson led the Judges to victory with 14 points and nine rebounds, just shy of a double-double. Emma Reavis ’23 also boasted an impressive 13 points, and a career high seven assists. Katherine Puda ’21 also scored in double digits with 11 points.

After sailing past Salem, the Judges went on to face Babson at home. In a back and forth game, the Judges prevailed and came out on top 99-88 dominating in overtime. In the win, the Judges posted the second-highest scoring total in program history, with 99 points. Nicholson and Casanueva led the Judges to the victory, each with 19 points. The Judges also had four more players score in the double digits, Lauren Rubinstein ’20, Jillian Petrie ’21, Samira Abdelrehim ’21 and Thrun.

Throughout the first and second quarters, the Judges and the Beavers were neck and neck, with Babson on top in the first 19-18, and at the half up 24-22. Babson came out strong in the second to give them an early lead up 38-32 and went on to reach the biggest lead of the game up 45-38. But the Judges came alive, after an open layup by Abdelrehim with 3:30 left

in the third. Brandeis then went on a 10-0 run giving Brandeis the lead after a three-pointer from Francesca Marchese ’23. Abdelrehim followed this making two free throws to put the Judges up 52-49. Rubinstein ended the third quarter with a three-pointer to give the Judges the 57-54 lead.

During an electric back and forth in the fourth quarter, Petrie hit a crucial three-pointer with just 12.4 seconds left in the game to put the Judges up 74-72. But Babson fought back and scored a quick layup sending the game into overtime. The Judges came out strong with a quick jumper from Nicholson, and they controlled the lead the rest of the game. Casanueva finished with an impressive 11 points in overtime.

Brandeis controlled the rebounding 51-35 overall and 7-1 in overtime.

After winning two of their last three games, the Judges improve to 5-1 for the season, and they will move on to face Clark this week, and Johnson and Wales over the weekend.

Editor’s Note: Camila Casanueva, Francesca Marchese and Courtney Thrun are all staff writers for The Hoot.

Swimming and diving drops a pair of dual meets

By Camila Casanueva staff

The Brandeis University swimming and diving teams headed on over to the United States Coast Guard Academy in New London, CT for a dual meet. Although the Judges dropped their dual meet, Olivia Stebbins ’22 and Tamir Zitelny ’20 were double winners.

The women were defeated 157131 but were led by Stebbins who swept the breaststroke events, winning the 100 yard breaststroke by four seconds over fellow teammate Christina McPhillips ’23 with a time of 1:12.90. She also edged McPhillips in the 200 yard winning by a margin of 0.82 seconds, with a time of 2:42.37.

McPhillips recorded her personal best with a time of 2:43.19 in the 200.

In addition, Bailey Gold ’23 continued her standout season with a pair of runner-up finishes in the backstroke events. She was

half a second behind the winning time in the 100 yard backstroke with a time of 1:02.61 and was close in the 200 yard breaststroke, finishing 0.17 seconds behind the winning time, 2:13.09. Gold also brought home third place in the 500 freestyle with a time of 5:31.81.

On the men’s side, the Judges were also defeated as they fell to the number 12 ranked Washington University Bears, 171-114.

Zitelny led the way, as he captured the 100-yard backstroke with a season best time of 52.93 seconds, edging his opponent by just over a quarter of a second. In the 100 butterfly he came away with a victory with a time of 51.55 seconds. Coming in second in a pair of races was Daniel Wohl ’21 as he posted a season best in the 500 freestyle with a time of 4:56.10, coming up just 0.13 seconds short of first place. In the 200 yard freestyle, he finished runner up with a time of 1:46.34, nearly four seconds behind the winner.

In their second dual meet of the week, both teams lost in their home meet against nationally-ranked Tufts University. The men fell to the No. 11-ranked Jumbos, 222-74, while the women dropped a 252-44 decision to the No. 8 Tufts squad. Three Judges would pick up individual wins in the process.

All three wins came on the men’s side, as Wohl got things going with the first win, taking the 200-yard freestyle with a time of 1:47.71, edging the runner-up from Tufts by 0.14 seconds.

He also finished runner-up in the 100 freestyle with a time of 48.85 seconds. Also claiming wins was Brendon Lu ’22 as he touched first in the 100-yard breaststroke, winning by one-tenth of a second over his opponent with a time of 1:01.77.

Lu also had a third place finish in the 200 medley with a time of 2:02.13. He scored one additional point by finishing in fifth place in the 50-yard breaststroke. Lastly,

PHOITO BY SABRINA CHOW/THE HOOT

Zitelny rounded out the Judges winners, claiming the 50-yard butterfly with a time of 23.71 seconds, more than half a second ahead of the runner up.

He also had a second-place finish in the 50-yard backstroke in which he was edged by 0.14 seconds.

On the women’s side, the top

performances were third place finishes from Gold in the backstroke with a time of 1:03.36 and Stebbins in the 50 breaststroke with a time of 33.52 seconds.

Both the men’s and women’s teams will be back in action on Friday, Dec. 6 at the Gompei Invitational, hosted by Worcester Polytechnic Institute.

EDITORIALS

December 6, 2019

“To acquire wisdom, one must observe.”

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

Volume 16 • Issue 25 the brandeis hoot • brandeis university 415 south street • waltham, ma

Founded By Leslie Pazan, Igor Pedan and Daniel Silverman

STAFF

Medjine Barionette, Emma Belkin, Camila Casanueva, Chris DeMena, Tim Dillon, James Feltner, Sam Finbury, John Fornagiel, Lucy Frenkel, Madeline Herrup, Stewart Huang, Gunnar Johnson, Alex Kougasian, Aaron LaFauci, Dane Leoniak, Jesse Lieberman, Josh Lannon, Francesca Marchese, Victoria Morrongiello, Zach Newman, Thomas Pickering, Lucy Pugh-Sellers, Madeline Rousell, Zachary Sosland, Courtney Thrun, Emerson White, Nicole Zador, Grace Zhou

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.

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A

The Brandeis Hoot 9

Support Brandeis professors

s the semester comes to a close, we, The Brandeis Hoot editorial board, would like to recognize faculty members who put in time and effort to improving our education and lives at Brandeis.

Brandeis would not be able to operate as it currently does without its faculty. Our professors have the capability to shape our entire college experience, grant life-changing advice, connect us to future employers and more. Faculty are those that help students find the subjects that they’re passionate about and allow them to grow in their field.

Brandeis’ struggle to retain faculty in the recent past, however, has made it more difficult for us to get closer to and fully appreciate the opportunities that these professors represent.

According to a recent Hoot article, a self study published by the university in September 2018 stated that Brandeis lost eight of 26 faculty members in the College of Arts and Sciences who received offers, and more were lost from the Heller School for Social Policy and Management and the International Business School (IBS) in 2010 to 2016. There are obviously factors

associated with Brandeis that are causing prospective Brandeis faculty to choose peer institutions over this one.

One of the factors we have identified is that half of the university’s professors are tenured while the other half are not. Those who are not tenured are mostly on longterm contracts and are not provided with the same rights as tenured faculty members. In addition, many contracted faculty members have annual contracts, which offers little job and economic security.

Non-tenured professors make up 46 percent of the faculty while tenured professors only make up 54 percent.

The previously mentioned selfstudy states that Brandeis’ percentage of tenured professors is lower than average. Without promise of a future at the school, professors will be less likely to want to work here, and without more long-term professors, students will be less likely to want to go here.

Another factor that might discourage professors from teaching at Brandeis is the incredibly high cost of living in Massachusetts. While Brandeis might be a great atmosphere for young faculty members, the Boston area is notoriously dif-

ficult to find housing. In addition to the high cost of housing, cost of childcare is also very high in the Boston area, which may play a role for young professionals. We think Brandeis could look for more avenues that would allow it to be more competitive against outside offers and universities.

Professors are an important part of Brandeis’ identity; if we keep losing our faculty, we will lose the base of our university. Without professors, there are no classes. We need to protect our education by protecting our professors and supporting better services and treatment for them from the university, both the administration and the student body.

Students may not be directly involved in deciding the salaries or tenure status of their professors, but we can make sure that the faculty feels valued. Simple actions like saying thank you or striking up a friendly conversation at office hours can ensure that a professor’s hard work is noticed and appreciated.

Editor’s note: Editors Sabrina Chow, Celia Young and Rachel Saal did not contribute to this editorial.

10 The Brandeis Hoot

WEEK IN PHOTOS

We couldn’t find anything besides, “Ohana means family. Family means nobody gets left behind or forgotten.” ~Lilo and Stitch.

OHANA

OSWALD

Dogs + portrait mode = pawfection.

XANDER

The teeth!

PHOTO BY POLINA POTOCHEVSKA/THE HOOT

WALLY

PHOTO COURTESY JOSH LOMBARDO

BAGEL

Under a ray of sunshine.

PHOTO BY CANDACE NG/THE HOOT

PHOTO BY GRACE ZHOU/THE HOOT

Say cheese!

PHOTO COURTESY VICTORIA SHARAGA

December 6, 2019

PANG PANG

This is “Fat Fat” in English.

PHOTO BY AARON LAFAUCI/THE HOOT

December 6, 2019

SNOW

Sun on the horizon.

PENGUINS

The emperor has found his empress.

BOOKSTORE

The dust of snow from a hemlock tree.

WEEK IN PHOTOS 11

The Brandeis Hoot

PHOTO BY SASHA SKARBOVIYCHUK/THE HOOT

SNOW PT. 2

PHOTO BY POLINA POTOCHEVSKA/THE HOOT

Walking in a winter wonderland.

PHOTO BY SASHA SKARBOVIYCHUK/THE HOOT

FROZEN

Do you want to build a snowman?

PHOTO BY EMMA LICHTENSTEIN/THE HOOT

PHOTO BY POLINA POTOCHEVSKA/THE HOOT

12 The Brandeis Hoot

FEATURES

December 6 , 2019

In search of a sustainable future

By John Fornagiel and Sasha Skarboviychuk staff and editor

In today’s world, talk about climate change is everywhere. It is an issue that is increasing in its global importance, and is slowly becoming the center of world politics. Although the three R’s (Reduce, Reuse and Recycle) are known by everyone, how many people can tell you what what sustainability is? How many truly understand what it is?

Sustainability is the main focus of Professor Dwight Peavey’s (CHEM/ENVS) Understanding the Chemistry of Sustainability (CHSC 4B) class. In this class, Peavey not only stresses why sustainability is a critical issue in modern society, but also how we can make ourselves and those around us more sustainable and reduce our carbon footprint.

The class is meant to explore the “green chemistry, nanotechnology, bioengineering, innovative design and greater reliance on renewable resources in achieving environmental sustainability,” according to the course description.

The goal of the course is to investigate how we determine what is sustainable and what is not.

There will also be a focus on encouraging healthier, safer and more sustainable chemistry. Students who take this course will

PHOTO FROM MLIVE.COM

also be able to look at a certain product or good from a company and determine whether it is ecologically friendly or not. From there, they can make a conscious decision about supporting certain products and materials.

A large part of the class is life cycle analysis, which will be used as the primary tool to determine what is sustainable. Currently, the lifestyles people lead in the developed and developing world are largely not sustainable. There should be a larger focus on transportation and manufacturing that do not emit carbon dioxide, as well as more renewable energy

and products that are better for the environment, aiming for zero waste and healthier foods. An emphasis on the restoration of ecosystems and building cities that are sustainable is also important.

The students in this course will learn what sustainability is as well as investigate the long-term effects of global warming on businesses, oceans, ecosystems and many other case studies. Peavey believes that by digging through and understanding the effects of climate change through many different case studies, students will be able to build a holistic understanding of why sustainability is

PHOTO FROM BRANDEIS.EDU

DWIGHT PEAVEY

a crucial issue. Peavey hopes that these case studies will also highlight the individual impact of reducing our carbon footprint.

The course itself is lighter in chemistry and focuses more on looking holistically at the idea of sustainability, Peavey told The Brandeis Hoot in an interview. He hopes to help students gain an understanding of what sustainability is—a continuously improving process. The main issues in developed countries are transportation and electricity, he explained. “Developed countries are not doing a good job of sustainability,” said Peavy.

However, Peavey also highlights that the question of sustainability is not only scientific, but a question of many other things, including practicality and economics.

He hopes that some of his students become CFOs and CEOs, and that they will know the right questions to ask and make the right decisions.

Understanding the Chemistry of Sustainability was offered this semester and is usually offered every second year. High school-level chemistry or environmental science/studies is required as a prerequisite, according to the course description.

Featured Events Calendar Molecular Genetics Journal Club: Unraveling Mycobacterial envelope biogenesis using Corynebacterium glutamicum as a model organism Thursday, Dec. 5, 12-1 p.m., Gerstenzang 121 Hoong Chiun Lim, a professor of Microbiology at Harvard Medical School, will speak on the topic of Corynebacterium glutamicum.

A Preview of an Impact Movie Documentary Project about Israel, Africa, and Solar Energy Thursday, Dec. 5, 7-9 p.m., Pearlman Hall 113 “Green Rebel” describes the journey of Israeli-American solar energy visionary, Yosef Abramowitz, and the groundbreaking work of his Jerusalem-based company, Gigawatt Global. Abramowitz guides Gigawatt Global to provide solutions to global climate change and combat unequal access to solar energy throughout Africa.

Conversations at The Meeting Game: How to deal with bullying on campus Friday, Dec. 6, 1-2 p.m., Rose Art Museum Ombud Don Greenstein will

open a critical discussion on intimidation and coercion, how it appears in many forms across rank and role, and how as a community might envision various options to individually and collectively address inappropriate behavior on campus. This conversation will be facilitated with artist Caroline Woolard’s experiential project “The Meeting Game” (2019–ongoing), currently on view in “INDEX: The Meeting.”

Thesis Seminar: Temperature compensation and neuromodulation of the Cancer borealis gastric mill neurons of the stomatogastric ganglion Friday, Dec. 6, 3-4 p.m., Gerstenzang 122 Marder Lab’s Daniel Powel will speak on the topic of neurons present in the stomatogastric ganglion.

Being a First Gen Scientist Friday, Dec. 6, 5:30-7 p.m., Intercultural Center Lounge Society for Advancement of Chicanos/Hispanics and Native Americans (SACNAS) is hosting an event where individuals will have the opportunity to connect

and network with professors, graduate students and undergraduates in the sciences who all share one this in common, all of whom are the first generation in their family to pursue science!

Food from Guanachapi’s will be catered.

Through Lines: With Associate Professor of Sculpture Tory Fair Saturday, Dec. 7, 2-3 p.m., Rose Art Museum A part of the Rose Art Museum’s Through Lines series, Associate Professor of Sculpture Tory Fair (FA) will take viewers on a tour with “Gordon Matta-Clark: Anarchitect”. Professor Fair will bridge connections between Matta-Clark’s revolutionary cuts, the architectural framing of Mary Miss’s early sculptures and her own explorations of Miss’s post-minimal legacy.

The Through Lines series sheds light on the radical ideas and transformational, multidisciplinary processes that continue to shape artistic practice.

Fafali: Music and Dance from Ghana Monday, Dec. 9, 7:30-9 p.m.,

Slosberg Music Center Recital Hall Fafali—Brandeis Music Department’s Ghanaian drum and dance ensemble—will be performing music, song, and dance of Ghana!

Tauber Institute Colloquium: Sons of Light: Zalman Schachter, Thomas Merton, and Modern Monasticism Tuesday, Dec. 10, 12:20-2 p.m., Lown 315 In this session of the Tauber Institute Colloquium, Rabbi Or Rose, Director of the Miller Center for Interreligious Learning & Leadership at Hebrew College, will present his work: “Sons of Light: Zalman Schachter, Thomas Merton, and Modern Monasticism.” A Q&A and discussion will follow Rabbi Rose’s presentation.

Messiah Sing Wednesday, Dec. 11, 4-6 p.m., Shapiro Campus Center Atrium Messiah Sing is a beloved Brandeis’ tradition where the community gathers to sing selections from Handel’s “Messiah.” Conducted by Professor Robert Duff (MUS) and Professor Neal Hampton (MUS), Mes-

siah Sing features performances from the Brandeis Chamber Singers, the University Chorus and the Brandeis-Wellesley Orchestra. All members of the Brandeis community, as well as family and friends, are welcome to sing along, watch the tree lighting and enjoy seasonal refreshments.

The Department of Community Service will also be collecting donations of soccer balls, footballs, Elephant and Piggy books, gardening tools, educational games and card supplies to the Prospect Hill Community Center in Waltham.

Opening Reception: Senior Mid-Year Exhibition Wednesday, Dec. 11, 5-7 p.m., Spingold Theater Center Dreitzer Gallery Students in senior studio will be presenting their work in this mid-year exhibition.

-Compiled by Shruthi Manjunath

Interested in writing for Features?

Email smanjunath@brandeis.edu!

December 6, 2019

OPINIONS

The Brandeis Hoot 13

More than just looks: the cycle of body shaming in female sports

By Sabrina Chow and Sophie Trachtenberg editors

For athletes everywhere, us included, when we lace up our shoes and put on our uniforms, all we have in our mind is one thing: performing. Within this umbrella term of “performance” falls all the hard work, time spent training and hours dedicated to preparing to play the games we know and love. Athletes shape their lives around their practice schedules and recovery sessions in hopes that their commitment to their sport will shine once the lights come on, and it is ultimately time to compete. This passion and drive is what keeps athletes going, the idea that hard work will one day turn into real, tangible outcomes that reflect their previous efforts. Everyone can see the performance, but not the endeavors one undertook to get there.

At the very least, this ideal is seen in male sports, as the performance is what catches the eyes of spectators and reels them in to enjoy athletic glory alongside the athletes doing the competing.

However, in female sports, there is one thing that ultimately stands in the way of partaking in victorious moments such as these: our bodies.

While the human body is essential for performance, it too often becomes central to athletic spectatorship, drawing away from the initial purpose of simply competing for the love of the game.

Those on the outside, meaning the audiences that watch such sporting events, can serve as an avenue for support and encouragement, however, they can also find a way to act as the greatest critics of physical traits that are

of no importance to how one is able to perform in their respective sport. Even more disappointingly is that those on the inside, such as coaches and other authority figures, that reap this same mentality, allowing for societal norms and personal judgements to interfere with the mentorship that should be taking place.

This is creating an unhealthy environment for up-and-coming athletes, especially for girls, where judgment is based more on their appearance rather than their athletic ability. Therefore, sports become more than just an arena of free-spirited competition, turning into a site for destroying young female bodies at the expense of inflicting personal guilt, shame and ridicule upon hard-working athletes.

In professional sports, in order to get sponsorships, athletes are required to stay relevant, which ultimately comes back to one thing: winning. Winning is made to seem like it is everything.

Winning more races, games or matches inevitably means more sponsorships, more prize money, more fame and more glory. But at what cost?

Most recently in the news, the running community was struck

by Mary Cain’s story in a piece in The New York Times titled “I Was the Fastest Girl in America, Until I Joined Nike,” which is part of a series “showcasing the insurgent athletes dragging women’s sports in the 21st century.” The piece told Cain’s story as the youngest American track and field athlete to make the World Championship team at age 17 and how she signed onto the best track team in the world, Nike’s Oregon Project, to help further improve her skills.

But instead of improving as an athlete, Cain’s coach, Alberto Salazar, seemed to be more

PHOTO FROM CBSSPORTS.COM

focused on her weight. He even gave her prescriptions for birth control and diuretics to help her maintain her weight. “It reached a point where I was on the starting line, and I’d lost the race before I started because in my head all I was thinking of was not the time I was trying to hit, but the number on the scale I saw earlier that day,” Cain said in a video with The New York Times.

The immense pressure from Salazar to perform at her best level led to self-harm and thoughts of suicide. “I wasn’t even trying to make the Olympics anymore.

I was just trying to survive,” Cain added.

The most unfortunate part of Cain’s story is that she is not the only one.

When the piece came out, there was overwhelming support for Cain and people echoing her story. Amy Begley, an Olympian and former Nike athlete, tweeted that “After placing 6th in the 10,000 meter race at the 2011 USATF championships, I was kicked out of the Oregon Project. I was told I was too fat and ‘had the biggest butt on the starting line.’”

Steve Magness, a former Nike coach, said that he witnessed

what Cain and Begley were saying while he worked with Nike from 2011 to 2012. “It was the norm. It was part of the culture. It was abhorrent,” he tweeted.

But this should not be a norm that we see in professional sports.

With all eyes pointed to professional athletes, quite literally, the whole world is watching, meaning that young children with aspirations to enter these professional arenas are taking notice. What happens in professional sports inevitably translates to amateurs, with these messages permeating dreams and consuming young lives. Having a skinny appearance does not imply athleticism, just as having a broad appearance does not signify the inability to compete.

Why is it that we have this ambiguous need to accept our bodies, when this idea of approval should never be in question. These pressures, as has been explained, are not simply coming from within, but reflect external forces that are burdening women in unequal proportions. Take it from Serena Williams, one of the world’s most successful athletes, even when not discriminating along the lines of gender. After winning countless

Profile of a Brandeis gem: Dora Valle

By Ben Steiner special to the hoot

Every workday, Dora Valle wakes at 3:30 a.m. and, at 5 a.m., starts her custodial shift in the Lown building. The commute is rough. The days are long. The appreciation for her labor is lacking.

But Dora didn’t just deserve the Zirkel Award because she begins her work at an early hour—there are many men and women whose unrecognized, pre-dawn labor keeps Brandeis University running. Dora Valle merited it because her work ethic is unrivaled, her smile is unceasing and infectious and her generosity brightens the lives of those who know her.

Just about everyone has a Dora story, but those who toil alongside her benefit most from the camaraderie she fosters.

Just ask Kin Tang and Marie Germain, who have worked with Dora for years, Kin at the Abraham Shapiro Academic Complex and Marie at Olin-Sang. My questions about Dora elicited from

them a geyser of superlatives: the hardest worker (Dora never refuses to clean an additional building when Brandeis is short-staffed).

The best cook (she often makes lunch for the others, including Chinese food for Kin). The happiest moments on the job (inevitably those spent with Dora).

“I already talked to my supervisor, we have to do something for her,” Marie says. “It makes my day when I work with Dora. I love working with her—I request to work with her. I don’t know where the spirit comes from; you don’t find people like Dora.”

Yet, it’s not just about the quality of the food Dora prepares or how hard she scrubs the floors that distinguish her. “When I went on vacation,” Kin adds, “Dora didn’t just clean my building. She cleaned my [custodial] closet.”

Marie nods her head. “Her effort is 100 percent.” And when I asked Marie to name the best coworker she has ever had at Brandeis (where she has worked since 1994), the answer was immediate: “I choose Dora for myself and my heart and my soul.”

Maureen Russo, a barista at the Olin-Sang Café, offers similar praise. “Dora is the best, A-plus.

She is thoughtful, considerate— when I’m not here Dora washes my counter and even my refrigerator. She cooks for me; she gives me lunch. On my birthday, she brought me a cake, a delicious fruit cake. She is always working, she never stops. She is thorough, no matter what she does.”

Dora is an excellent worker and a consummate friend, and the mingling of those qualities is apparent in her simple acts of kindness.

And Dora gives her all despite the adversity she faces—caring for her 84-year-old mother with Alzheimer’s and worrying for her brother back in El Salvador. Dora came to America in 1983 because she feared for her life. Death squads roamed the streets of her country amid a 12-year civil war.

Now the situation is once again deteriorating.

Still, Dora is optimistic, this sentiment fueled, in part, by faith.

In her words: “I like to keep everybody happy, even with prob-

lems in my house. God gives me my strength. I am Christian and go to church. God blesses me a lot. Every single day I say thank you, God—thank you, God for my job, for my everything. I’m really happy to work at Brandeis.

I’m never leaving this place until I retire. The people are great. Other

titles and remaining amongst the top ranks in her sport, this powerful, relentless and diligent athlete nevertheless is subjected to body comparisons, shame and ridicule from countless others.

There is a fine line between one’s “performance body” and one’s “female body,” with society telling us that the two are unable to coexist. However, figures like Williams are constantly battling this assumption, showing young women that this implied societal rule of body acceptance is not something ingrained in us but is rather something that must be achieved.

Instead of focusing on our outer appearance, we can continue to reaffirm the resilience of female athletes and support their growth as both athletes and women.

Younger generations look up to professional athletes as inspiration. But if they continue to see only thin women in the professional leagues and listen to the chatter that shames athletes’ bodies, the cycle perpetuates.

Outer beauty is overrated. All that matters is the love for the sport, passion to keep going and a determination to be the best we can be.

places there is a lot more pressure.

Here, we do our job, no pressure.

Brandeis is a blessing for me.”

What Dora leaves unstated is that it’s reciprocal. Dora is Brandeis’ blessing, too. Finally, her exceptional work and character have been recognized at the highest level.

PHOTO COURTESY DORA VALLE

14 OPINIONS

The Brandeis Hoot

December 6, 2019

Hoot winter holidays

By Polina Potochevska editor

Christmas Unlike some other holidays which span the length of just one day, like Valentine’s Day or Thanksgiving, to me, Christmas is an entire season. It’s a time to drink copious amounts of hot chocolate, sing classic Christmas carols and search endlessly to find the perfect gifts for friends and family that will make them smile.

By Rachel Saal editor

Hanukkah It would be a lot harder to be a self-hating Jew if Hallmark would make just one Hanukkah movie.

Christmas gets all of the good songs and all of the decorations and all of the good traditions.

Anytime I’ve heard someone try to come up with a Hanukkah song, the best that they can do is “The Dreidel Song,” which is pretty much the equivalent of saying “who cares that Bentley got a snow day and we just got a delay—I’ll just grip the backpack of the person in front of me, name them Balto and trust that they’ll safely drag me to my 12:30 class.”

As someone who delights in driving around and looking at all the decorations, I certainly do not take issue with Christmas (or Balto, by the way). Rather, I take

By Aaron LaFauci staff

Solstice It’s the longest night of the year.

Some folks think about Dec. 21 with varying degrees of sadness and dread but why? I have found that Dec. 20 is the finals cutoff

It’s also The Nutcracker season, one of my favorite ballets that basically takes over my entire fall semester here at Brandeis (come see the show on Dec. 7 and Dec. 8!).

But it’s also much more than that.

The one thing that I don’t absolutely love about Christmas-time is the way that our society emphasizes the commercialization of the holiday. It’s not just about buying expensive presents and decorating homes lavishly with extreme amounts of lights and set-ups (does anyone else watch issue knowing that “the holiday season” really means “Christmas and all of the other holidays with the people that we really should include but that would mean we would have to figure out how to spell Chanokkka, so let’s actually not.” Songs with no mention of anything Christmas-related like “Let it Snow,” have been labeled as “Christmas songs,” and I’ve said it once, but I’ll say it again, Hallmark has not had a SINGLE Hanukkah movie, which I’m sure isn’t because its too difficult to make a movie about Jews

staff

Saturnalia It’s Dec. 17 in 43 B.C in the Roman Republic, the second Triumvirate is in full swing and no one knows of Marc Antony’s affair with Cleopatra yet! Times are great, and now it’s time to celebrate, cause it is Saturnalia! Oh… you haven’t heard of Saturnalia?

Well then, you’ve come across the right part of this paper, my friend. It may not be commonly known that before people celebrated Christmas, there was another similar holiday... and, you guessed it, that holiday was Saturnalia. People decorated their doors with wreaths, sang cheerful songs and gave gifts to friends and loved ones—sound familiar?

Also, I hate to break it to you, but

who have family drama. They are scheduled to have two movies coming out this year, but I wouldn’t be surprised if those movies are just Christmas movies in which DJ from “Full House” meets a man who owns a menorah and had a bar mitzvah. I understand that many secular people celebrate Christmas and that the Christian population is much larger than the Jewish one—I simply hope that “the happiest time of the year” can one day be the happiest time of the year for everyone.

PHOTO FROM KABBALAH.COM

for most American colleges—it is certainly so for Brandeis. The solstice presents the longest period of darkness all year, but for a non-working college student on break, that means nothing. The solstice can be the coziest night of the year, if you let it.

It isn’t like Christmas at all.

There are no familial obligations, gifts to wrap or dishes to prepare.

PHOTO FROM SMARTMEETINGS.COM

By Victoria Morrongiello

“My Crazy Obsession: Christmas Collection?”). To me, this holiday, and the entire season, is about connecting with others in meaningful ways and bringing happiness to people’s lives. Whether over a meal, a cheesy Hallmark movie night or cookie-baking, Christmas as it’s celebrated today, in my opinion, most importantly serves as a reminder to why this holiday exists in the first place: to celebrate the one who brings true joy, peace and hope into all of our lives.

the classic red and white hat worn by jolly old Saint Nicholas was used during Saturnalia to identify slaves who had been temporarily freed for the festivities-—so remember that the next time you go to a Santacon.

But the beautiful thing about this time of year that remains true, despite how far removed we are from the times of the Roman Republic, is the merriment and

All of that will come and go in a few days. No, the solstice is a night for you. Gather all the blankets and pillows in your home, bake some cookies and build a fire if you can. Do whatever brings you peace and comfort because you sure aren’t going to be relaxing with all the holidays coming up. Revel in the darkness, make it your own.

If you aren’t a big winter person, think about it this way: Sure, the solstice means that every trace of summer warmth is finally gone.

The next few months promise to be cold and icy, but no night will be ever be as long as Dec. 21. The evenings can only get shorter, and they will. In a month, the morning light will return, and 6 a.m. commuters will not have to drive in the dark forever. Soon, the heat will return, and you will have no excuse to do nothing. Enjoy the darkness while it lasts. joy that this season brings. The Roman poet Catullus described the celebration as “the best of days” and isn’t that how the holidays make us feel today too. No matter what you celebrate—or don’t celebrate—you can feel the joy of being with those you love and that’s what makes this time of year special. So Happy Saturnalia, my friends, and a Happy New Year too!

PHOTO FROM JEREMYVARNER.COM

PHOTO FROM GOLDENISLESMAGAZINE.COM

By John Fornagiel staff

New Year Picture your quintessential American New Years Eve: getting the day off work, partying with your friends and watching thousands of fireworks being launched into the air, illuminating the night sky. It may seem like this is how New Years is celebrated throughout most of the world, but many cultures celebrate the turn of a new year with their own unique traditions. These are some of the ones that I find particularly interesting.

In Spain, it is tradition to eat 12 grapes at midnight on New Years Eve. Each grape brings good luck for one of the 12 months of the year. In some of the bigger locations in Spain, like in Madrid and Barcelona, people will usually gather in large squares and eat all of their grapes together in unison! The Philippines follows a very similar tradition, in which 12 grapes are eaten at midnight.

However, on New Years Eve in the Philippines, you will typically find round shapes dispersed throughout the country. For them, these round shapes represent coins which symbolize wealth and prosperity. Some even wear polka dots for good luck.

This next one is my personal favorite. In Denmark, people celebrate the New Year by throwing glasses and plates against the doors of friends and family to

banish evil spirits. Panamanians (had to look that one up, and I love it) will also try and banish evil spirits by burning statues of well-known people to give them a fresh start to the new year.

The Danish also gather in large groups at midnight. When the clock strikes 12, they all jump off the chairs and land on the floor, “leaping” into the new year.

Many South American countries like Brazil, Venezuela, Ecuador and Bolivia wear specially-colored underwear on New Years Eve. One of the more common colors that they wear is red, to symbolize finding and falling in love in the following year.

Another popular color is yellow, which is thought to bring wealth and prosperity.

Russians are typically known for how well they can drink, and their New Year’s Eve tradition is no different. In Russia, in the minutes before midnight, people will write all their wishes down on a scrap of paper. They then burn the paper, throw the ashes into a champagne glass and drink it before midnight hits.

With New Years right around the corner, it is my hope that you will follow a very common tradition in America: making a New Year’s resolution. With the inspiration of a new year, hopefully we can all kick those undesirable behaviors.

PHOTO FROM SMARTMEETINGS.COM

By Sasha Skarboviychuk editor

Old New Year Old New Year? Isn’t regular New Year enough? Maybe for some, but in most Eastern European countries, Old New Year is a traditional holiday celebrated on Jan. 14. In the Julian calendar, it is the start of a New Year. It usually marks the end of the major winter holidays, which includes Orthodox Christmas.

Traditionally, the Christmas tree is not taken down until after Old New Year. How the day is spent, since it is not an official holiday in most countries, var-

ies from family to family. Some families celebrate in a Christmas-manner—with a large family gathering, food and carols, while others celebrate it in more of a New Year manner—they go out and party.

Although partying may be fun, I always preferred the more traditional sit-down dinner, especially because traditionally, you can find fun surprises in your food.

When dumplings are made for Old New Year, there is usually a small object hidden in one of them (like a button, or in my family, a dumpling full of peppercorn). It is said that whoever finds the special dumplings will have good fortune in the following year.

December 6, 2019

The Brandeis Hoot

OPINIONS 15

The mysterious case of delicious Stein pizza

By Aaron LaFauci staff

It probably doesn’t need to be said, but Brandeis dining has a quality control problem. Sometimes SubConnection gives you a nicely portioned buffalo chicken sandwich, and sometimes it gives you a puddle of sauce with enough lettuce to suffocate a cow. But sometimes the violent chaos that governs the Sodexo overbeing sees fit to grant something truly sublime, a mouthful of transient perfection. Something irreproducible. On one magical October evening, I was fated to experience one of these moments of dining bliss. Listen to my tale and weep at my fortune: It was a night of cool mist and drizzles, the 11th of October. I was in somebody’s Village single trying to convince a group to accompany me to The Stein. I was very hungry, but I would not content myself with C-Store frivolities. I wanted something hot.

A miscellaneous group of friends and myself eventually trudged through the rain and made it to the Sherman building a little before midnight. To my surprise, the cashier consented to making me a pizza, and it was the greatest thing Sodexo has ever given me.

Now when it comes to sheer quantity of hot calories, The Stein pizza is probably the best deal on campus. For just 10 or so points you will be served your own freshly baked full-sized pie complete with paper plates and napkins. This value comes with a tradeoff, of course. The pizza is cardstock with pasta sauce hiding beneath a continental mass of plastic cheese. Unless you order early in the evening and snag one of the pre-prepared pizzas, you can expect to wait anywhere from 40 minutes to an hour to receive

your food. In my experience, the cooks usually burn the first pizza they attempt to make.

That night, however, everything was different. We could tell this pizza was something special the moment we laid eyes on it—it exuded a kind of aura. The cheese was bright and thick with no burning whatsoever beyond the speckles of brown that leopard-spotted the surface of the cheese. And there was a lot of cheese, so much that the crust was nearly invisible beneath it. You could see the hot grease pooling on every fuzed slice. You’d expect a pizza like this to be a soggy mess, but the crust was crispy and fluffy at the same time. The sauce, which I suspect is the same gritty marinara served alongside the pasta in Sherman, seemed nonexistent. Either it was only lightly applied, or the proper toasting of the crust and the overabundance of cheese masked its flavor. Either way, the cheese did not slide around or completely peel off the slice when I attempted to take a bite. On the contrary, the surface of the pie was not unlike a sea of molten mozzarella with its cheese trailing off in gooey strands with every tentative bite.

In that sense, this pizza was also the best mozzarella stick I have ever had on campus.

If my descriptions sound a bit disgusting, that is because good pizza is inherently disgusting. It’s toasted bread heaped with congealed Italian cow milk. The milk is mixed with cheese and oil and heated to a lava consistency, and sometimes people put pink cubes of ham and chunks of beef on it.

This particular Stein pizza actually reminded me of Chuck E. Cheese birthday party pizza. It’s cheap and addictive, and it gives you the energy you need to jump right back into that sweaty ball pit. Is Chuck E. Cheese the bar Sodexo should be aiming for? No, but at least it is better than the middle

PHOTO BY SASHA SKARBOVIYCHUK/THE HOOT

school cafeteria grade food we are currently being served.

The impression this pizza left upon my skull filled me with such promise that I returned to The Stein the following night and ordered another one. Alas, good things do not last. I thought that perhaps a new recipe had been put into place, but the next pizza I got was nothing like the majesty I had received the night before. I have ordered a few pizzas since but no dice. In my desperation I have even asked the server to go light on the sauce and add a little

extra cheese, but my request was denied—the premade pizzas were being served. I fear the legendary pizza I received was the chaotic result of an inexperienced latenight employee throwing together whatever they could with the random materials on hand. It will never be recreated.

While my dreams of having easy/free access to delicious pizza on campus may never be satisfied, not all is terrible. While Sherman pizza is nigh unpalatable, Lower has been doing some neat things.

The crust isn’t so doughy anymore

and I particularly enjoy the crisping of the pepperonis. The pizza is very greasy, but I will take a greasy slice over a dry, undercooked slice any day.

Still, I catch myself walking beneath the lights of The Rose late at night, my thoughts tortured by longing and despair. I contemplate the fleeting realities of desire and happiness. Was that pizza actually any good, or did the unpredictable tides of mood and circumstance create something unreal? A mirage? Will I ever experience such elation again?

Beware of the strep

By John Fornagiel staff

As infants and children develop, their immune systems are not fully mature and often are not strong enough to fight off many infections. As a result, these children are often vulnerable to many painful and debilitating viral and bacterial infections. One of these infections is known as strep throat, a bacterial infection of the throat and tonsils.

When I was a child, both my sister and I had strep for a period of time, and for me, it was super painful. It got to the point where I would avoid swallowing as much as I could just to avoid the pain.

The first step to recognizing strep is to identify common symptoms.

After that, it is recommended to go to the doctor, as they can test you for it and prescribe antibiotics to facilitate recovery.

Identifying strep throat can be difficult, as it shares symptoms with the common cold. However, it does have a few distinguishing symptoms. As noted by my debilitating pain, the chief symptom that differentiates strep from the common cold is a very painful sore throat.

Although they can both have is different from the pain of the com-

mon sore throat. Pain from strep generally comes on much quicker than the pain from the common sore throat. Furthermore, it will also likely cause swelling of the tonsils, which the common cold does not. This is because the tonsils are one of the main areas infected, and they swell as a response to this infection.

Another characteristic of strep is tiny red spots on the roof of the mouth and white patches deeper in the throat. Another neat trick to differentiate it from a normal sore throat is that strep will not generally cause a runny nose, whereas a sore throat from a cold will have an accompanying runny nose. Some symptoms that they have in common include headache, appetite loss and fever.

Despite all the indicators, no matter how trained you are, it is impossible to tell if someone has strep just by simply examining their throat for symptoms. If you suspect that you or someone else has it, then schedule a doctor’s appointment to be tested and possibly prescribed an antibiotic.

When you are tested, the doctor simply uses a cotton swab to get a culture of the bacteria in the back of the throat and that culture is then tested for the bacteria that causes strep. This test is very quick, and you can get the

results within minutes. If you test positive, then the doctor will likely prescribe an antibiotic that lasts about a week. Please be sure to continue taking antibiotics for the remainder of the prescription even after symptoms fade, as bacteria can easily linger with no symptoms.

So, now you know how to treat strep if you ever get it. However, the biggest treatment is preventing it from happening in the first place. Luckily, there are many hygienic tips that accomplish just that.

One of these prevention tips is to use tissues for blowing your nose and sneezing. This traps bacteria into the tissue and protects those around you from the bacteria that is in your throat. Another prevention tip is washing your hands. By washing your hands with soap and water, you can kill the bacteria before it even has a chance to enter your body.

As a parent, strep throat is not one of the ailments that you would like to see your child have.

Although relatively harmless, it could be so painful for your child that they for some reason start spitting into cups and dishes. Being able to recognize strep and visiting a doctor quickly is essential to minimizing the pain caused by it. Take it from me, it

is not something that you want to delay treating.

(Note: These articles are goodfaith attempts to be helpful to the Brandeis community and are by no means to be taken as universal.

This article does not replace the advice of a medical professional.

This article is not written on behalf of the Brandeis Emergency Medical Corps (BEMCo) and is not affiliated with BEMCo in any manner.)

PHOTO FROM FINEARTAMERICA.COM

16 OPINIONS

The Brandeis Hoot

December 6, 2019

Why am I here? Winter without snow days

By Thomas Pickering staff

After just two days of snow, what was open green space on Friday is now white fields of snowmen. Not to my surprise, Brandeis students from places that do not get snow were more than happy to see it, perhaps for the first time. They went outside and made snow angels and snowmen. They were very happy to experience their first snow, however as a native Massachusetts resident—or Masshole, as we call ourselves— I am more than acquainted with the snow. While everyone was praying for a snow day on Monday, I was, as usual, right with my perfect assumptions and knew classes would not be cancelled.

The snow has been nothing but an enemy to me since I was little, and snow days were never fun.

My father believes in hard labor and “earning that hot chocolate.”

Seem messed up? Probably. Anyways, what that means is that my household does not own a snow blower, or leaf blower for that matter. As every season comes, so does a different form of cardio. Yeah, those were people that loved me that made me do their work for them. That means that instead of sleeping in on a snow day to Christmas music and hot

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drinks at 10 a.m. I was waking up at 6:30 a.m. to shovel our house out of the snow, so my parents could get to work on time.

Shoveling has always been an activity I have despised, and, honestly, it’s not the exercise that I mind. It’s when winter drops a four-foot deep pile of snow on you in the middle of the night, and your school assumes it’ll blow over. So instead of having the day off and just having to shovel later in the day, you need to wake up at 4:30 a.m., shovel for two hours and then STILL go to school. Now perhaps I have anger issues, totally plausible, but what I am trying to say here is that the joy people experience with snow is ridiculous.

Snow may be white and fluffy, but its ultimate goal is to ruin the lives of those it falls on.

Now I will say this about snow.

It can come in clutch and provide some good moments. My high school was, like Brandeis, built on a hill and walking from building to building allowed me to see all the freshman sliding down the hill on their butts because they slipped. It also provided me with some amazing moments with my roommate from Hawaii. On Monday night, he stood at the window, in his sopping wet clothes from the snowball fight he dragged me and his friends into and said, “I don’t know how people can hate the snow?” I immediately correct-

ed him and told him it’s actually very easy to hate snow. But he had a counter argument I was not ready for. He looked out the window and said, “Brandeis has one the ugliest freaking campuses in America, yet the snow somehow makes it all beautiful.” I have to say he is right about that. Then on Tuesday morning, I set an alarm for 6 a.m., and when I saw that we had no morning classes, I woke him up and screamed the news into his dazed face. On instinct he responded with the best phrase ever: “Oh my god, Ron Liebodaddy came in clutch for us.” He then went right back to bed but ‘Ron Liebodaddy’ is a phrase that will live on.

Now if you are looking at the photo and wondering who that ugly little kid on the left is, that’s my younger brother when he was 10 and that cool dude on the right is me at age 12. One winter, we got so much snow our banks were measured at 14 feet high.

Shoveling that amount of freaking snow sucked. So I hope from that visual, all of you people here at Brandeis are ready for what is to come in February and will finally be able to understand why every New Englander on campus has seasonal depression when winter comes around.

Editor’s note: This is the third part of the series “Why am I Here?”

More like over-hyped Friday?

By Sasha Skarboviychuk editor

It’s that time of year again.

You know the time I am talking about: When you get two thousand new emails everyday from various stores reminding you that they are having “crazy” sales. PreBlack Friday sales, Black Friday sales, Cyber Monday sales and whatever other kind of sales their marketing team came up with this year. I am seriously getting tired of deleting all those emails. But you know what is even worse?

That, to be honest, most of the sales aren’t even that great.

Let me take a step back. I didn’t grow up in America, so Black Friday and its tag-along sales are quite a new concept for me. Last year I don’t know where I was that I missed this whole thing. But fast forward to this year, where I am a lot more culturally aware and ready to shop. And don’t get me wrong, I love shopping and I love sales. There’s a reason why I’m

currently waiting for 14 packages and the mailroom probably hates me. My main problem with Black Friday is how much hype it gets and then when you actually go to look at the sales, they are not exactly impressive. Isn’t it so disappointing when you’re excited to get something on sale and then you see that it’s not on sale, or it goes from $145 to $139.99?

The online sales rarely differ from regular seasonal sales, or sales that happen on other days.

Especially when they do the whole Pre-Black Friday thing. Firstly, that takes away from the excitement of Black Friday, like there’s an entire week of sales. Also it comes with additional stress of deciding whether you should buy what you want now or wait until actual Black Friday for a better deal. What is even sadder is when some of those sales are better than the ones on actual Black Friday.

Isn’t the point of Black Friday having the best sales? And then Cyber Monday is also a thing, so I really do not understand why it feels like everyone is out to stop

Black Friday from being special.

Then you get the “not so special sale.” I’m sorry but if your discount for signing up is 15 percent, and your Black Friday sale is also 15 percent, you are not doing Black Friday right. Why even advertise that you are having a Black Friday sale if it’s nothing special?!

I also love the stores whose Black Friday special is free delivery. Like that’s nice and stuff but is the free shipping worth all the hype?

Going to an actual store is a nightmare of its own. A lot of people packed in a small store like sardines in a can, some even going crazy over some of the things they find. It even gets aggressive.

I watched a woman running around like crazy getting things like it is the end of the world. I understand that buying things on sale is great, but do you really have to get so crazy? And for what? Maybe 30 percent off if you are lucky? I am yet to find one sale that is actually worth all the hype.

What is even worse is that most of the time the stuff that is actually worth buying is not even on

sale. They have crazy sales on clearance and other things no one really wants. This Black Friday I was looking for a new muffin tin because my old one is rusty and scary. Nothing crazy, right? All I want is a muffin tin. What did I not find this Black Friday? You guessed it: a freaking muffin tin.

Everything that I found was either not on sale or seemed more expensive than they are normally.

Speaking of absurdity, there’s a website called Black Friday Death Count, which keeps track of all

the deaths and injuries that happened during Black Friday. As of today, there have been 12 deaths and 117 injuries since 2010. Isn’t that crazy? People died on Black Friday while shopping, and a lot of others got injured. Is a bunch of stuff really worth it?

Am I confused about something? Because I feel like a kid who just found out that Santa does not exist. This is supposed to be the greatest shopping day of the year, but to me it was the biggest disappointment of the year.

PHOTO FROM UPI.COM

ARTS

December 6, 2019

The Brandeis Hoot 17

‘Marriage Story’ review: one for the adults

By Jonah Koslofsky editor

Why does Nicole (Scarlett Johansson) love Charlie? He’s steady. He’s a great dad to their 8-year-old son Henry. He’s a good cook, and the caring head of the avant-garde theater company that employs both—he the director; she his lead actress. Why does Charlie (Adam Driver) love Nicole? She gives thoughtful, perfect presents. She’s a great mom, “a mother who plays, who really plays.” She’s every bit as competitive as he is. And she knows when to push Charlie to be a better man.

Then the montages and voiceover come to a screeching halt.

These lists, complemented by a slew of romantic, incomplete images arranged into a slice of Nicole and Charlie’s life, were an assignment, a task given to the couple by their mediator. Nicole, embarrassed, can’t even bring herself to read her list aloud. Theirs is not an everlasting love, even if we can hear the faint echoes of a union promised to withstand a lifetime.

Within its first 10 minutes, Noah Baumbach’s “Marriage Story” has more emotional weight than most movies can muster over their entire runtime.

So what happened? As Nicole leaves New York to film a television pilot, and Charlie gears up to bring their play to Broadway, the distance between the couple increases exponentially. Now, instead of sleeping in separate beds (well, Charlie’s been sleeping on the couch) and occupying opposite sides of the same subway car, there’s an entire country separating the two. While on the west coast, Nicole hires lawyer Nora Fanshaw (a fabulous Laura Dern), the first step in her search for what she actually wants.

“Forced” to find representation of his own, Charlie descends into a maddening spiral, as he attempts to keep partial custody of Henry.

He’s a better husband in divorce, it turns out. Dismantling Charlie’s selfishness with a painful precision, “Marriage Story” makes very clear that we are the architects of our own destruction—legally binding pieces of paper or not. Still, Baumbach finds some perverse fun in his examination of the bureaucratic labyrinth two must navigate when settling and closing a marriage. Separating was never going to be easy. But does it have to be this hard?

It’s a topic the filmmaker has given considerable thought, having already explicated divorce

PHOTO FROM COSMOPOLITAN.COM

with “The Squid and the Whale” back in 2004 and experiencing divorce himself in the time since.

(Baumbach says his ex-wife Jennifer Jason-Leigh “likes it [‘Marriage Story’] a lot,” a tidbit only relevant because I find it hilarious.) Here, Baumbach—a master of montages like the one that opens the film—slows down, a smart choice that allows both the material and his collaborators room to breathe.

Driver’s uncanny ability to embody both masculine assurance and deep sensitivity—simultaneously—has made him one of the most impressive actors of his generation. Still, he’s rarely been put to better use. Driver’s playing

a person in some ways defined by his egotistical delusions, yet there is still something sympathetic in his movements. We don’t spend as much time with Johansson’s character, and while the actress has been saying some really dumb stuff in public lately (defending Woody Allen, proclaiming “I should be able to play any person, tree or animal”), her work here is just as engaging. These people are out of sync: Nicole’s deep into her suffering when we meet her, with the film charting her re-emergence; Johansson humanizes a person learning to prioritize herself for the first time in years.

Of course, even as Charlie and Nicole move in different direc-

tions, their collision is inevitable.

It happens inside Charlie’s barren, new apartment, an argument so fierce it leaves a mark—on both the setting and the viewer, not to mention the characters.

The scene—along with an awkward sequence in which Charlie is served his divorce papers—is reminiscent of the extended slapstick set-piece in Baumbach’s “Mistress America,” and further proof this writer/director is the closest we’ve got to an old-fashioned comedy-drama auteur like Preston Sturges.

But again, the real secret to the success of “Marriage Story’s” is that Baumbach has stripped back his approach—this film never gets in its own way. This is about Charlie and Nicole, just two people.

We get in their heads, learn how they think, why they’re hurting and why they’re hurting each other. While it’s fitfully funny, this is a movie for adults, in all its maturity and nuance and careful rejection of vindictiveness. I daresay the average Brandeis student has not experienced the end of a relationship like the one on-screen; maybe in a decade I’ll have lived through a breakup like this. That Baumbach has been able to capture such a staggering reality is nothing short of astonishing.

‘We are Proud to Present...’

A striking and memorable production

By Uma Jagwani special to the hoot

“We Are Proud To Present A Presentation About The Herero of Namibia Formerly Known As South West Africa From The German Sudwestafrika, Between the Years 1884-1915,” by Jackie Sibbles Drury, or “We Are Proud to Present” for short, was a poignant depiction of colonized history and offers attempts at decolonizing said history. The six main and only characters occupy the small rehearsal stage at the Laurie Theater for the entire run time. They do not have names, and instead are introduced as “Black Woman,” played by Rose Archer ’20, “Black Man,” played by Trinidad Ramiksson,“White Man,” played by Ben Helzner ’23, “Another Black Man,” played by Anderson Stinson III ’21, “Another White Man,” played by Peirce Robinson ’22 and the sixth actor, presumed “White

Woman,” played by Renata Leighton ’21. Directed by Pascal Florenstal, the play overall seemed to evoke an anti-play attitude, a performance about the making of a performance.

From the beginning, the play exuded a satirical tone, proving, with much dialogue, that the brief history of the first genocide of the 20th century of the Herero tribe of Namibia by Germany, an event that has been belittled if not ignored throughout history.

Comments by the actors bring in the conversation of what actually happened, given the only primary source evidence available to the students are letters between German soldiers to their loved ones.

This spirals into an argument that poses the critical question of the show: Who tells our stories? How much can we take from “evidence?” What do we define as evidence for historical events?

It is clear these letters—the only primary sources accessible—do

not give enough of the day-to-day ongoings of the Herero genocide and how the Germans treated the native people they oppressed and eventually murdered.

In spite of these provocative questions, the dialogue between actors had a tendency to emphasize miscommunication in a way that left the audience feeling uncomfortable, which I would argue was a deliberate choice. Despite this, I’m not sure if these moments strengthened the poignancy of the play’s overarching themes. For example, “White Woman” pretended to be a cat for a while, pantomiming on all fours. There was an entire argument on how this actor was spending too much time thinking about what she was going to “be,” which seemed pointless and not as funny as it was supposed to be. Although I did not enjoy these script choices, the actors’ performances delivered. At one point, Stinson erupted into a rhythmic soliloquy that struck me as both powerful and added lightness to the heavy nature of the play’s discussion.

Overall, the play definitely sent clear messages when it came to the decolonization of history and who has the authority and perspective in the way stories are told. It spoke about these ideas in a way that made the audience question the narrative around this genocide. What I think the play is trying to convey is the idea that parts of history have been omitted by colonizers and oppressors. We need to fill in this void with our imagination, and what we construct is still considered truth. We know this is true because the same oppression occurs today on a daily basis. We don’t know enough, but what we do know is told by the wrong people. The Germans, the invaders, the conquerors, the

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colonizers—whatever you want to call them—cannot tell the story of the Herero tribe because only the Herero could have truly told this story. The play is definitely worth a watch and is important for everyone to understand.

The play closes with an attempt to reenact a murder of a Herero tribe member even though the event lacks specific historal evidence. This is the most heartbreaking moment in the play that is rendered truly captivating by the performance of Ramiksson.

By the end, I was left speechless.

The actors did not return to the

stage to take a bow, and the audience is abruptly left alone, not offered a moment of congratulations and instead left with the weight of this moment.

Ambiguities aside, “We Are Proud to Present” was clever, ambitious and imaginative; the actors were able to create an absorbing experience that puts the audience in a position to figure out these issues alongside the actors—exemplifying that no one really knows the answers to these inconclusive questions. Brandeis doesn’t stage shows like this often, if ever.

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The Brandeis Hoot

December 6, 2019

‘Fleabag’s’ Perfection Proves Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s Genius

By Lucy Pugh-Sellers staff

Where to start with the smart, snappy and sorrowful show that is Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s 2016 to 2019 creation “Fleabag?” Originally a one-woman play conceived, written and performed

by Waller-Bridge, “Fleabag’s” story translates seamlessly into genre-defining and boundary-pushing television.

The show’s trajectory follows a young London-based woman dubbed Fleabag (played by Waller-Bridge herself) as she deals with grief, death, isolation and being human in an increasingly disconnected world. Along for the ride, and often contributing to the chaos, are Fleabag’s family members, namely her sister Claire (Sian Clifford), Claire’s husband Martin (Brett

Gelman), her dad (Bill Paterson) and her Godmother/stepmother (Olivia Colman). Various other peculiar and human characters also flit in and out of Fleabag’s orbit, providing a narrow yet rich world for the viewer to inhabit.

And the viewer is allowed to inhabit the world, uniquely and thrillingly: Fleabag and “Fleabag” both break the fourth wall regularly, staring into the camera’s eye and inviting the viewer to exist intimately in this character’s story. She sees you, and by seeing you, allows you to see her, more so than anyone else who exists in her world. To see the character of Fleabag in all her messy glory, watching as her cracks reveal themselves, is to fall in love with “Fleabag” the show, just as to encounter Waller-Bridge in her normal persona is to fall in love with her. Waller-Bridge’s performance

is so genuine, so truthful (even as she lies to herself), that it becomes hard to not over-project onto the character and feel as if we know her. Waller-Bridge is a great creative mind, and the only person who could carry the style of the show. It feels exceedingly special to get such a singular auteur creation from her. In my opinion, she deserves every accolade she has received.

The reason Waller-Bridge has been getting more recognition recently, of course, is because of the very strange way that the seasons of “Fleabag” were released. Initially, Waller-Bridge had an idea for a stand-alone story, contained in one season of six episodes, dealing with one woman’s grief and identity. This idea was released in the form of the first season of “Fleabag,” in 2016. It received critical acclaim but not widespread attention. The first season successfully brought this story to life, especially thanks to the quality of the cast and, of course, Waller-Bridge herself. One of these cast members is someone whom I have yet to mention but who deserves a great deal of credit in the first season is Boo (Jenny Rainsford), Fleabag’s best friend, who glows warmly and honestly from the screen, with characteristics of friends we have all had and ones we wish we could find. She is also significantly and intrinsically tied to Fleabag’s own issues and projections.

Three years later, the second and final season of “Fleabag” was released. From the first to the sec-

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ond season, there is a shift, not in tone necessarily, but a shift from a show dealing with the past to one more focused on the present and future, as the character herself is allowed to evolve. Just as Boo was the breakout star of the first season (and Waller-Bridge is the breakout star of the whole thing), the “hot priest” (Andrew Scott) was the breakout star of the second. At once sensitive and intense, the priest is lovely to watch.

Also, no spoilers, of course, but the last shot is pure perfection, the faultless closer to the whole show.

It was hard for me to conceive of or begin to write this review because “Fleabag” is so near and dear to my heart. I was afraid that I would be unable to do it

Emma’s best books of 2019

By Emma Lichtenstein editor

2019 was a great year for literature, particularly young adult literature. Series began, capturing the hearts of readers and leaving them on memorable cliffhangers.

Series ended, wrapping up significant plotlines with a nice little bow. Stand-alone stories proved that sometimes the best work can be done in just one novel. Not every book of 2019 was a smash hit, but here are three that truly were.

Bronze Medal: “King of Scars” by Leigh Bardugo The first entry in Bardugo’s new duology, “King of Scars” took readers on a wild ride. This novel featured many characters fans of Bardugo already knew, as the

novel takes place shortly after the conclusion of her previous series, the “Six of Crows” duology and the Grisha trilogy, novels that led fans through the nasty world of thieves and magicians. “King of Scars” is a bit tricky to get into if you haven’t read the series, relying heavily on the premise that you already understand the world that Bardugo has created. We follow a few different characters: Nina Zenik, the badass Heartrender from “Six of Crows” who just lost the man she loved; Zoya Nazyalensky, the summoner and military leader who is just as pretty as she is powerful; and, of course, the king of scars himself, King Nikolai Lantsov, the ex-privateer with a strong moral code. Each character has a new challenge to work through in this novel as they explore the plot lines Bardugo set up for them in the conclusions of her other works. Nina has joined the military in her home country, but her tasks turn out to be far harder than she expected. It also doesn’t help that she’s being haunted by the ghost of her dead boyfriend.

Zoya is finally in a place of power, but being the King’s right hand man isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.

That’s because this king is no typical king—Nikolai is still reeling with side effects of dark magic that turned him into a feral monster. He is mostly human, but he still can’t fully control the beast.

Bardugo takes fans back into the world of the Grisha, but, like any good series starter, leaves the fans on edge for book two.

Silver Medal: “The Queen of Nothing” by Holly Black

ties, cleanly fixing the messes that have been made throughout the rest of the series. That’s not to say that it’s not interesting; the plot is still captivating and takes twists that readers won’t see coming.

However, instead of leaving fans hungry for more, this book will leave them completely satisfied.

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“The Queen of Nothing” is a stunning conclusion to Black’s “The Folk of the Air” trilogy.

Both “The Cruel Prince” and “The Wicked King” led readers through the mystical world of Elfhame, a land of magic, faeries, betrayal and deceit. Led by heroine Jude Duarte, this novel explores the family issues between Jude, her twin sister Taryn and her Uncle Madoc; the relationship between Jude and High King Cardan Greenbriar; and the struggles of running a country that is on the brink of war, led by an unpopular leader. “The Wicked King” left fans on a gut-wrenching cliffhanger, watching her get exiled from the kingdom. “The Queen of Nothing” allows readers to see how Jude finds her way back into the kingdom. She gets help from an unexpected source: Taryn, the sister who has backstabbed her countless times. This novel is full of character growth from all par-

Gold Medal: “Red, White & Royal Blue” by Casey McQuiston Easily my favorite book of 2019, “Red, White & Royal Blue” might just be my favorite novel of all time. Casey McQuiston’s debut is everything that I am looking for in a novel. The book follows lead Alex Claremont-Diaz, the First Son of the United States. Right off the bat, readers are thrown into the world of U.S. politics and international relations, as Alex shoves Prince Henry of Wales into a cake at Henry’s brother’s wedding. This chaos doesn’t let up until the very last page, letting readers follow Alex’s messy life as a 22-year-old college senior.

Every character in this novel is my favorite; I genuinely can’t choose just one. Prince Henry is compassionate, brilliant and secretly a giant softie. June Claremont-Diaz is a great older sister as well as an incredible journalist trying to navigate an unbiased career while having her mother lead the country. Best friend to Alex, Nora Holleran is a Jewish (!!) legend who is extremely gifted when it comes to computers and cracking codes. Best friend to Henry, Pez Okonjo is the energetic and charming life of the party that never fails to make the room smile. Ellen Claremont, the first

any kind of justice, so please, if anything in this review spoke to you, just go watch it for yourself.

“Fleabag” is clever, funny, sexy and inspiring but not sappy (but also sappy in the perfect way). It switches suddenly but artfully between humor and sadness, showcasing the connection between the two emotions both in Fleabag, the character. Humor and sadness complement each other, and here, their relationship makes for a heart-wrenching, evocative result.

It is (who would have guessed?) unequivocally my favorite recent show, and it is one of my favorite shows of all time. I give it my highest recommendation. In fact, I have inspired myself during the length of this review to start rewatching it right now.

female president of the United States and best mom of the year, is maybe the most underappreciated character in the story. Even as her campaign for re-election is threatened, her first concern is always the well-being of her children.

Plus, this novel has literally every trope that I’ve ever loved.

Like many romance authors, McQuiston knows that every good romance has at least one cheesy trope. However, unlike many romance authors, she is able to perfectly balance a myriad of recognizable plots, including but not limited to the main character being the last person to realize that he’s in love.

Out of the 60+ books I read this year, these three were top new releases. With such a strong showing, I can’t wait to see what the new year, and the new decade, will bring!

Decemeber 6, 2019

The Brandeis Hoot

ARTS 19

Death, love and pies in ‘Pushing Daisies’

By Olivia Ellson staff

It turns out that one of the best television series ever made was cancelled ten years ago. “Pushing Daisies,” in a two season run, delved into a genre somewhere between fairytale, murder mystery and magical realism. It’s a world where the sky is always robins-egg blue, city morgues are striped like candy-canes, the dead are key witnesses in their own murders and everybody loves pie.

This television show is so phenomenal that in just 22 episodes (aired from 2007-2009), it was nominated for 17 Emmy Awards, won seven of them, received enormous critical acclaim and currently has a 96 percent on Rotten Tomatoes. If you’re looking for something to binge-watch this winter break, “Pushing Daisies” is it, and it’s available to stream for free through CW Seed.

In the words of the show’s narrator (Jim Dale—yes, the same Jim Dale who did all the Harry Potter audio books), “the facts

were these:” Ned (Lee Pace) is an emotionally repressed pie-maker. He also just so happens to be able to bring the dead back to life. The rules of this ability are as follows: one, first touch brings the dead person/thing back to life; two, second touch, the dead person/thing dies again, this time permanently; three, if the aliveagain person/thing stays alive for more than a minute, something of equal value has to die.

Now, when Ned uses his gift to simply re-ripen rotten fruit for his pies, some flowers outside his shop (The Pie Hole) wilt and there’s not much of a problem.

When he reanimates murder victims to get the information needed to catch their killers, he touches them again before a minute is up and no one has to be the wiser.

But when Ned finds himself unable to let his childhood crush— Charlotte “Chuck” Charles (Anna Friel)—stay dead, after her 60 seconds are up, someone nearby dies instead. Naturally, shenanigans ensue.

And of course, as per the rules, now that Chuck is alive-again, if Ned were ever to touch her she

PHOTO FROM BUSTLE.COM

would be dead-again. This barrier becomes an issue when the pair fall in love, giving the show’s central romance plot the ultimate stakes: wanting something you can never have, on pain of death. It’s ridiculously poetic and heart-wrenchingly earnest in a way that’s hardly ever seen on network television.

Bryan Fuller, the show’s creator, said in a 2017 interview with “Vanity Fair” that much of Ned and Chuck’s relationship was based on his own experiences as a member of the LGBT community during the AIDS epidemic. When “unprotected sex meant death for so long…there was danger associated with intimate touch. I think a lot of those things were probably at the back of my mind as I was creating a universe where something so simple, something that is common in heterosexual relationships, was something that would kill you.”

This intention is clear as “Pushing Daisies” perfectly captures the longing and passion of loving someone when everything in the world seems to say you shouldn’t be together. And in a way which continues to resonate with LGBT audiences, it also depicts exactly what it’s like to stare those odds in the face and decide to love anyway.

Unfailingly optimistic, “Pushing Daisies” manages to tackle a lot of heavy content while staying hopeful and hilarious. “I hoped in the telling of this tale about pies and dogs and love and lost childhoods and reclaimed romance, we could find respite from what was essentially death, death, death,” Fuller said in the “Vanity Fair” interview. “We’re surround-

PHOTO FROM VANITYFAIR.COM

ed by death every day. If anything, [‘Pushing Daisies’] allows us to look with greater affection at the living moments rather than spending time wallowing in depression.”

Fuller succeeds in this regard, due in huge part to the show’s unique aesthetic. Prominent use of primary colors and geometric shapes in the set design, combined with similarly stylized costuming, make watching this show a quirky, visually pleasing experience. Olive (Kristen Chenoweth), a waitress at The Pie Hole and a friend of Ned, lounges around her apartment in pajamas made from the exact same fabric as her duvet and drapes. The Pie Hole itself is shaped like an actual pie, complete with a pie-crust roof and cherry-shaped light fixtures. It’s all straight out of the pages of a storybook.

Even the dialogue feels slightly elevated from reality, its lines packed with puns, repetition and wordplay. Chuck and Ned

hail from a town called “Coeur d’Coeur.” Chuck died on a trip she booked through Boutique Travel Travel Boutique. People go around saying things like, “You’re either living, or you’re dead. When you’re living, you’re alive; when you’re dead, that’s what you are. But when you’re dead and then you’re not, you’re alive-again.” And somehow none of it feels out of place, but rather perfectly incorporated into the show’s inherent charm.The close work between the writers, the cast, and the production team shines through, turning this show into a masterpiece. Not one detail feels accidental; every movement, line, set, and costume works together perfectly. All the best aspects of television are rolled into this one show. “Pushing Daisies” is, to put it plainly, a genuine delight. Its whimsy, wordplay, stunning visuals and a star-studded cast make it well worth a watch— even 10 years later.

Koslofsky’s ‘On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous’ is a Corner: haunting auto-fictional debut thanks to all

By Lucy Pugh-Sellers staff

By Jonah Koslofsky edior

Congrats, everybody: We made it! It’s the last issue of The Hoot for 2019, and, to be quite honest, I’m so proud of the arts section, and the paper as a whole. I’ll be uncharacteristically brief: Thank you so much to every single person who contributed to arts this semester. Whether you got roped into writing a single review of a Netflix original or contributed on a weekly basis, it was your passion that motivated me to spend hours gnawing at Adobe InDesign and compiling article lists. Thank you for engaging with my constant comments and occasionally questionable titles (working on it!). I really appreciate everyone’s hard work.

By my count, we had around 30 people contribute to the arts section this semester. That’s fantastic! But I’m not done yet—I’ll be steering this ship for another semester, and I’d love to bring in even more folks. At the start of the year, I asked for passionate people to contribute—well, I’m asking again. If you’ve got an opinion on a piece of art or a Brandeis-related arts event, I still want your words.

Essentially, 2020 can’t get here soon enough, and I can’t wait to get back to work!

Ocean Vuong’s debut 2019 novel, “On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous,” has been widely agreed to be one of the best books of the year. The book is written in the form of a letter from a son (known to most as “Little Dog”) to his mother, an American-raised child to his Vietnamese war refugee parent. This is just one of the underlying tensions that lends depth and texture to Vuong’s novel, which moves between childhood to adulthood lyrically.

Vuong is already an acclaimed

poet, and this is clear in the novel’s prose. It reads almost as a long-form poem, a Baldwin-esque form, with sentences flowing like poetry and evoking the same emotions in every phrase. Unlike Baldwin, though, Vuong’s writing reads as more commonplace, showcasing beauty in everyday words and turns of phrase.

There is an interesting consideration when reading Vuong’s work, categorized as a work of fiction.

It was impossible for me to not wonder how much of the work itself was drawn from Vuong’s own life. This brings up the line between forms of writing as much as the poetry/prose divide. How

PHOTO FROM NYTIMES.COM

does one determine what genre a book is, whether it is memoir or fiction? I suppose it is the author’s choice—who are we, as readers, to say that the book is true? What details, observations, events are allowed to come together in the pages to create a beautiful, realistic fabrication? Vuong’s book is an example of autofiction, existing in a liminal space in between definitions which Vuong deftly navigates.

“Little Dog” journeys through ideas and questions of family, belonging, violence and survival, understanding and connection.

These themes depend on and grow with each other, twisting

into the story of “Little Dog’s” child and young adulthood. The story is specific, the universality of human experience found in each individual explored.

If you are looking for your next book, I highly recommend “On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous.”

Vuong’s debut bodes well for his future work, and even if he were to stop writing now it would stand as an example of how to tell a life’s story—but it is clear from his words that he will not stop, that he is pulled to the act of writing, the act of communicating. In his own written words, “I wasn’t trying to make a sentence—I was trying to break free.”

PHOTO FROM PENGUINRANDOMHOUSE.COM

20 ARTS

The Brandeis Hoot

December 6, 2019

Brandeis stages ‘Little Women’... and it’s a big deal!

By Victoria Morrongiello staff

Set in the midst of The Civil War, hard times have hit many families in America, and the March family is no stranger to their share of difficulties. Yet, the four March sisters—Meg, Jo, Beth and Amy—find hope and happiness within their sisterhood. This story of coming of age, sisterly love and women’s empowerment has survived for 150 years. Add in a couple of musical numbers, an orchestra and some sick dance moves and Louisa May Alcott’s “Little Women” has come to life as a musical on the Shapiro Campus Center theater stage.

The tale is timeless, the songs are catchy and the characters are completely lovable—I was not disappointed by Brandeis’ rendition of this classic.

The highlight of the show was Elizabeth Hillard ’22 as Jo, the March sister who longs for adventure and cares not for society.

Hillard was cast perfectly, and Jo is by no means an easy character to play. The sizable vocal range required for the part makes it very difficult for an actress to perform, with notes ranging all the way from A5 to E3. At the same time, the vocalist must be mindful of

SOME THINGS ARE MEANT TO BE

the inflection required on certain words that are either soft and delicate or powerful and dynamic.

This is essential because, if done successfully, you allow the audience to truly feel how Jo feels in each scene. Not to mention that anyone playing Jo is following in the footsteps of the angel-voiced legend that is Sutton Foster—who is highly regarded in the musical theater industry.

Laurie Laurence, the heartthrob boy next door, played by Seth Wulf ’21 was equally fantastic. As soon as he came on stage, I was instantly smiling from his charm. He nailed the role, stealing the audience’s heart instantly and truly becoming the definition of a heartthrob. Though the number “Take A Chance On Me” had a few speed bumps, his performance reached its peak in the second act when he sang “The Most Amazing Thing” with Sophia Seufert ’22 as Amy March.

The casting was probably the best part of this production; the characters worked very well together, especially from a vocal point of view. In “Five Forever,” all four March sisters and Laurie harmonize beautifully. I also loved when Caroline Kriesen ’20, as Meg March, and Alex Ross ’22, as John Brooke, sang “More Than I Am” together. Their chemis-

LETTER FROM FATHER

Marmee (Adina Jacobson ‘20) reads a letter to the four March sisters.

try was evident, and their voices complemented one another very nicely.

However, there were some things I just could not for the life of me get past. For starters, everyone in Act I seemed to be running off the stage, like physically running, which creates a loud noise when you’re wearing character shoes and have the mics pick-

Beth (Sophie Lee ‘21) tells Jo (Elizabeth Hilliard ‘22) it is okay to let her die.

ing up every sound. To be honest, it made the play look sloppy.

Though I understand that the characters may have been running to portray a youthful sense, there were other ways to achieve this aside from running.

Another thing I could not stand was when characters turned their back to the audience while singing. The set design didn’t help with this problem because it forced characters to turn their backs to walk up the stairs. I know I can’t expect a character to be facing the front the entire play. However, when you’re singing a song like “Here Alone” where a wife is lamenting about her husband being at war, you don’t turn your back to the audience while belting out crucial lines.

One final choice I did not enjoy was made by Director Rose Freudberg ’20 in her incorporation of four female speechless characters who appeared between scenes. The girls were added by Freudberg to incorporate a modern element to the play, since she initially thought the play was “dated and unrelatable,” as she described in the director’s note. The addition was meant to represent the four March girls in the world

PHOTOS BY GRACE ZHOU/THE HOOT

today reading the novel to show that the lessons in the play are still relevant now. However, this is superfluous; it is obvious that the lessons in the play are still relevant today. Personally, I believe if this play was outdated, it wouldn’t be a major motion picture being released later this month; it also wouldn’t be a part of the reading curriculum in high schools. This addition simply annoyed me on principle; however, my dislike of the change grew at the end of the song “Some Things Are Meant To Be.” This is one of the most emotional songs of the play, where Beth, played by Sophie Lee ’21, tells Jo it is okay to let her die. The scene brought me to tears—until these four random girls came out onto the stage with their hands outstretched for Beth bringing her into the wings to signify her death. It completely ruined the mood, and I felt a sense of whiplash.

Overall, I greatly enjoyed myself at the UTC’s performance of “Little Women.” The cast did an amazing job with the play, and their hard work was evident in the quality of show.

‘Eurydice’ Preview Hold Thy Peace, Brandeis’ Shakespeare Society, will be staging “Eurydice” in Merrick Theater on: Dec. 5, 2019 at 8 p.m., Dec. 6, 2019 at 8 p.m. and Dec. 7, 2019 at both 6 p.m. and 8 p.m. The show will run for one hour and fifteen minutes with no intermission.

WEDDING

Orpheus (Kieran Whitney) marries Eurydice (Rachel Greene).

BIG STONE

Michela Grimes plays Big Stone, one of the underworld dwelling chorus members.

PHOTOS BY GRACE ZHOU/THE HOOT