The Brandeis Hoot 01/29/2016

Volume 13 Issue 3

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

January 29, 2016

Brandeis University’s Community Newspaper • Waltham, Mass.

Supreme Court Justice Ginsburg delivers keynote speech

By Hannah Schuster Editor

Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg commented last night on her appreciation for Louis Brandeis’ pioneering legal practice that used facts and the social conditions of the day to ensure that laws helped the people, addressing students, faculty, alumni and guests in the Gosman Sports and Convocation Center.

Her remarks and the panel discussion which followed kicked off a semester-long celebration of the 100-year anniversary of Brandeis’ appointment to the Supreme Court.

Justice Brandeis is known as “the people’s lawyer” who took on many social justice issues throughout his career as a lawyer, judge and Justice.

In what has become know as the “Brandeis Brief ” of 1908, he pioneered the use of facts to support legal arguments, as opposed to legal philosophy.

The brief argued in favor of an Oregon law that restricted womSee RBG, page 4

en’s work hours in factories.

“Let me explain why I applaud Brandeis’ methods but not the decision he sought and gained,” said Ginsburg.

“It was to be loaded with facts and spare on legal argument,” said Ginsburg, describing the research Brandeis’ team produced to argue that long work days were detrimental to women.

Brandeis used medical studies to argue his case, some of which would not hold up today, said Ginsburg, including a study which said women have more water in their blood and muscles than men.

“Women, Brandeis urged, were more susceptible than men to the maladies of industrialization and their unique vulnerabilities warranted the state’s sheltering arm,” said Ginsburg in a serious tone, eliciting laughter from the crowd.

Today, however, Ginsburg employs a similar method of factbased legal arguments inspired by Brandeis’ methods.

In the 1970s, a “turning point” in the women’s rights movement, “Brandeis-style briefs explained that as economies developed and society evolved, laws premised on women’s subordinate status” violated the Equal Protection Clause in the Constitution.

ginsburg

Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg speaks to Former President Frederick Lawrence

Portions of Usen Castle to be torn down, while parts remain

By Hannah Schuster and Emily Sorkin Smih Editors

Parts of the iconic Usen Castle, a sophomore residence hall, will be torn down in the summer of 2017, according to an email from Interim President Lisa Lynch.

Only Towers A and B, which include Chum’s Coffee House, are to remain standing.

Brandeis will build a new residence hall in place of the demolished towers to be completed by August, 2018. It will house 160 students, a 60 percent increase in occupancy. The construction will cost an estimated $37 million, not including work to preserve Towers A and B. The structure of the Castle has been in decline for years. Scaffolding covers portions of the structure, and residents have complained of inconsistent heating and water damage over the years.

The university’s plan aims to preserve the most iconic portions: the tallest towers and Chum’s. Towers A and B are in the best condition, according to

Inside this issue:

the email from Lynch, although they will still require significant renovation. The goal is for them to remain viable, although their long term purpose has yet to be determined, said Jim Gray, the vice president for campus operations and co-chair of the Castle Advisory Group.

The group will continue to plan for the future of the structure, becoming more active now as they work with an architect to design the new building, said Gray. He did not yet know where the money to fund preservation of Towers A and B would come from.

Students will be able live in the Castle through the Fall 2016 semester. However, students who select Castle rooms in the upcoming lottery will be moved to different on-campus housing for the Spring 2017 semester.

First and second-year students will continue to be guaranteed housing at Brandeis, with firstyear housing options remaining the same. With the over 100 Castle beds no longer available, sophomores will be able to select certain upperclassman housing options, according to Jim Gray.

Juniors and seniors are not

News: ’DEIS Impact celebrates social justice Opinion: When it’s not ok to use an accent Arts: Pottery club creates amazing art Features: Sodexo offers new service options Editorial: Univ. should clarify housing plans

guaranteed on-campus housing, and so until the new residence hall opens, fewer upperclassman will be able to live on campus.

The university considered many options for the Castle, according to Gray, including the possibility of a renovation that would preserve the structure in its entirety. This option, they decided, would not be feasible because a renovation of this scale required compliance with modern standards and codes, such as those set by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), which requires elevators, for example.

Attempting to renovate the Castle and meet the standards would have been many times the cost of the proposed construction and would have cut down on the liveable space inside the Castle, Gray said.

To preserve the entire Castle, the towers would “have to be almost taken apart and put back together again, which is so laborious and difficult as to make the cost way out of reach,” he said.

The new building will have single and double rooms. It will See CASTLE, page 2

relay for life Page 4 Students raise money Page 10 for cancer research Page 16 through Relay for Life Page 5 NEWS: Page 3 Page 10

photo by emily sorkin smith/the hoot

Senate explores club funding umbrellas

By Elianna Spitzer Editor

Allocations Board promoted the idea of collaborative events between clubs in an email to club leaders on Wednesday, Jan. 20th. In this email, Millie Wu ’18, A-Board Chair, indicated that these types of events would receive a larger amount of consideration during the upcoming marathon session. “If you request for collaboration events during this regular marathon in Spring 2016, you are much more likely to receive funding from A-Board,” wrote Wu. Collaborative events are single events run by two or more clubs.

They can be interdisciplinary events, meaning that two clubs with different purposes work together on an event. They can also be the result of similar clubs combining their efforts to put on a single large event rather than two separate events. David Herbstritt ’17, Vice President of the Student Union, cited two reasons for the push towards collaborative events.

castellani

GrubStreet Artist director delivers talk on the importance of point of view

ARTS: Page 15

“Our goals have largely been to simultaneously save money and build a greater sense of community. If clubs…hold joint events, the money that they are allocated will hopefully reach a wider audience,” wrote Herbstritt in an email to The Brandeis Hoot. The chair of the Senate Club Support Committee, Lorenzo Finamore ’18, reiterated Herbstritt’s sentiment for collaboration: “I think at Brandeis we have a bit of a problem when groups get split up. That can have the effect of making our campus divided.”

Finamore believes that collaborative events will spark change in the way students from different clubs interact with each other.

“This is to change campus culture, to get people to know each other, to get people to be more interested in other things and to utilize resources that they might not know exist,” said Finamore.

According to members of the Student Union, collaborative events are the beginning of a long term club reorganization process.

See CLUBS, page 2

NEWS

2 The Brandeis Hoot

January 29, 2016

Usen Castle to be torn down, with portions remaining See CASTLE, page 1

also “meet modern standards of student living and energy efficiency and would be designed to allow full accessibility,” according to Lynch’s email. It will have air conditioning, elevators and meet the LEED Gold Standard, at a minimum, according to Gray.

Buildings earn points towards LEED certification based on the energy efficiency of their design, construction and maintenance.

The Gold Standard is the second-highest level of certification, below Platinum. Brandeis pledged for all new buildings to meet the gold standard at minimum when it signed the American College & University Presidents Climate Commitment in 2009.

The Castle is an iconic building at Brandeis. US News and World Report named it one of “8 Cool College Dorms” in 2010. It was however, “not built to the highest standards when constructed during the Great Depression, and it is understandably showing significant signs of advancing age,” according to Lynch.

“Renovations were inevitable given that the structural integrity of the Castle is, in some places, uncertain,” said Castle Quad Senator Max Whitmore ’18. Past residences have had problems with inconsistent heating and in some cases, collapsing roofs. In 2009, The Brandeis Hoot reported that Kiernan Bagge ’12 was in

his Castle room when a piece of the ceiling fell on to his desk. He was reimbursed for the damage, but voiced his concerns about the inadequate handling of safety issues.

“Not only was the damage far from recent (the rebar mesh support was rusted to dust flakes), there was also mold damage in other sections of the Castle that required repair and caused inconvenience,” Bagge told The Hoot.

Leaks from rain and melting snow have caused some rooms in the Castle to grow mold. Madi Samus ’17 and her roommates were forced to move from the Castle to Ziv Quad after “consistent complaints to Facilities.”

“One night in an attempt to control the leaks we went up to the Castle common room and took two large trash barrels to put underneath to catch the water.

In the morning, the barrel in the common room was nearly half full,” Samus told The Hoot.

Though the leaking started in November, the students did not move out until March.

“Although I appreciated not having to live in our Castle room, I would have preferred to have had the issue settled far earlier in the school year.”

Chum’s is expected to remain open throughout construction.

It is said to be the inspiration for Central Perk, the coffee shop depicted in the popular TV series “Friends,” written by two Brandeis alumni. Chum’s employs several student workers and

Greess leads club funding sub-committee See CLUBS, page 1

The Senate Club Support Committee plans to take the lead on the endeavor. Nathan Greess, 2019 Senator and Club Support Committee member, is taking charge of an ad hoc subcommittee to oversee changes to club organization. “One of the biggest concerns for us it the way that we’re funding clubs,” said Greess.

Clubs are an integral aspect of campus life and funding them is an essential function of the union. Greess is concerned with A-Board’s ability to distinguish between clubs for the purpose of funding.

Occasionally two separate clubs will propose similar activities and or events to A-Board. “What ends up happening is we’re giving a little bit of money to two different [clubs] and neither of them have enough money to do what they want to do. That doesn’t make anyone happy,” said Greess.

Greess hopes that reorganization will improve the distribution of funding amongst clubs. He plans to work with other members of the union to implement changes over the next few semesters.

Greess feels that the first step is making sure that the Student Union has up-to-date information on over 260 clubs.

“We have a huge, long spreadsheet of all of the different clubs and we have to make sure they

have constitutions so we can figure out what they’re actually doing,” said Greess.

Next, Greess plans to weed out inactive clubs. He also plans to look at the constitutions in order to find any clear overlaps.

Greess acknowledges that overlapping missions would be the fault of the Student Union in the first place. Part of their job is preventing the creation of identical clubs. “The problem is [that] there is no institutional memory because everyone cycles out after four years,” said Greess.

According to Greess, the next step would be to look into new organizational models. One of the most effective models has been that of the Waltham Group.

Grady Ward ’16, Representative to the Board of Trustees, is a proponent of this idea.

“There is certainly something to be said for the constantly discussed idea of an ‘umbrella organization,’ a model which has worked well within club sports, and attempts to better facilitate an equitable funding process, where A-Board makes large scale funding choices which are then divided between clubs by the clubs themselves,” wrote Ward in an email to The Brandeis Hoot.

Greess stated that the re-organizational effort is a long-term project. As such, the changes will be gradual. “We’re trying to figure out the best way to aid clubs,” said Greess.

photo by sharon cai/the hoot

is a popular hangout spot on the weekends. The Castle’s pottery studio, located in a small building off of Schwartz residence hall, will not be saved.

Jack Holloman ’16, president of the pottery club hopes the studio could find a new home on campus. He contacted Gray after hearing the news.

Holloman is planning on “asking around this semester for potential home of the future

pottery club,” citing the Goldman-Schwartz art building or even remaining in a space in the Castle as ideas.

He appreciates the space, even now, with its “quaint charm.”

“Although the worrisome condition of the castle exists even in the pottery studio, that defines how I’ve come to know it and it wouldn’t seem right if the pottery studio reopened in a sparkling clean space,” he said.

Generations of students have lived in or admired the Castle.

However, Brandeis felt the structure’s present state demanded a response.

“I love the compromise that the board has struck because I love the structure and aesthetics of the building, but I am glad that students won’t be living there anymore as it is not a safe living environment,” said Samus.

MBTA revises schedule after public protest

By Max Gould and Zach Phil Schwartz Special to the Hoot and Editor

After an outcry from the public, including members of the Brandeis community, the MBTA revised its schedules, which are set to take effect after May 23.

The MBTA stands as a critical mode of transportation to and from campus for many members of the Brandeis community.

According to an email sent by Vice President for Campus Operations Jim Gray, the agency had announced last November “changes that would significantly decrease commuter rail service, including the Fitchburg line, which serves the Brandeis Station next to campus.”

“They listened and [we were] pleased that they decided to change the draft schedule to at least partially address our concerns about service to and from campus,” said Gray, who led the contact between Brandeis and the MBTA in an email to The Brandeis Hoot.

Opposition to the initial proposed schedule came from commuters and public figures alike, such as Massachusetts State Senator Jason Lewis. Commuters derided it as a poorly disguised cut to operation.

Although the new outbound schedule features six trains towards Brandeis, down from five, the overall outbound schedule on the Fitchburg Line will not be altered. It will continue to stop at Brandeis/Roberts 16 times during the day.

photos by marian siljeholm/the hoot

January 29, 2016

The Brandeis Hoot

Students relay to support cancer research

By Abigail Gardener Editor

Students attended Brandeis’ eighth annual Relay for Life in the Gosman Sports and Convocation Center on Saturday, Jan. 23. A 24hour fundraising event, the community comes together to honor and remember loved ones who have been lost to cancer and celebrate cancer survivors, all while raising money to fight back and find a cure for the disease.

Forty-three teams participated in Relay for Life, according to Brandeis’ event page on the Relay for Life website, including Greek organizations, sports teams, clubs and groups of friends. A total of 487 people participated, raising $37,474.53.

Set up on the indoor track, at least one person from each team is required to walk laps for the entire night, symbolizing how cancer never sleeps—and neither will we in our fight to cure it.

During the opening ceremony, co-Chairs Eliana Rosenthal ’16 and Genesis Leon ’16 and Interim President Lisa Lynch spoke to the crowd, sharing their stories and providing words of support and inspiration in the Opening Ceremony.

“Cancer is something—speaking both as a survivor and as someone who lost both my mother and father-in-law to cancer— cancer is something that needs a

community,” said Lynch, a skin cancer survivor herself. “It needs a community to do the research, to find new ways of battling and curing and helping those of us who continue to battle with cancer to have a longer survival.”

After all the opening remarks had been made, Relay for Life officially began with the Survivors Lap, in which cancer survivors take the first lap around the track, cheered on by all the Relay participants, to celebrate their victory over cancer. Halfway through the Survivors Lap, the survivors are met by their caregivers, who finish the lap with them. After the first lap has been completed by the survivors and caregivers, the rest of the participants are invited to take their first lap around the track and begin the night.

Throughout the night, there were multiple performances and activities to participate in aside from walking laps. Demonstrations and performances included those by the a cappella groups Company B, Rather Be Giraffes, Proscenium, Up the Octave and No Singer Clef Behind, as well as dance groups Kaos Kids and Chak De, the improv group False Advertising and students from the Krav Maga club.

The annual Luminaria Ceremony allows participants to remember loved ones lost to cancer. Special to Brandeis, participants are invited to throw glow sticks into a large Luminaria bag in the center of the track to symbolize anyone they know who has been affected

by cancer.

“My favorite part is when everyone comes together for the Luminaria Ceremony because it shows how much we all care about each other and about trying to fight back and raising awareness, and it’s just really moving,” said Brianna Silverman ’19, captain of the United Freshman (TUF). The Luminaria Ceremony holds a special significance for Silverman, as she lost her father to a brain tumor when she was younger. “I usually ask my family members or friends of my dad to buy a luminaria, because the luminaria represent people that are fighting or have lost the fight. They line the track and it’s a really beautiful way of respecting those that we’ve lost,” she said.

Relay has a special meaning to many members of the Brandeis community, and they know that every penny fundraised counts, which is why so many people from different areas of the Brandeis community come together to support the cause.

“To me, Relay is the epitome of Brandeis,” said Relay co-chair Rosenthal. “As we like to say in our Committee meetings, Relay is the club that you can bring all of your other clubs to. It’s a community rallying together for a cause that unfortunately is so vast in its exposure that it has touched just about everyone on this campus.

Relay is truly a community event because it is accessible to everyone and creates so many different campus connections.”

Student Union elections fill open seats

By Samantha Lauring Special to the Hoot

Students were elected to fill 10 seats in the Student Union last week. The midyear election is held to fill vacant seats and select a senator to represent the new midyear class.

Open positions included senator seats to Massell, Rosenthal and Ziv Quads and the position of Off-Campus Senator, as well as senator seats for the classes of 2016, 2017 and 2018 and four positions on the Allocations Board.

Cacildia Cain ’18 was elected Class of 2018 Senator and plans to focus on sustainability issues, something she is passionate about, as a member of the Union.

Cain was elected to the position after former senator, Skye Golan ’18 transferred to a different school.

“I am often frustrated with environmental issues and sustainability not receiving enough attention at Brandeis and focus from the administration,” said Cain in an email to The Brandeis Hoot.

Issues she wants to take on include “addressing climate change by taking part in the fossil fuel divestment movement, advocating for energy saving habits amongst students and supporting renewable energy projects on campus,” she said.

Stephanie Reifenberg ’16, the new Class of 2016 senator, is also interested in sustainability issues. She worked with the Senate Sustainability Committee as the Student Representative to the Brandeis Sustainability Fund (BSF) last semester, according to a Facebook page advertising her candidacy in this most recent election . BSF provides grants to students for sustainability projects at Brandeis.

Morris Nadjar ’19, elected Mas-

sell Quad senator has goals he wants to achieve within the quad he serves. Improving bathroom standards, especially the showers, is one of Nadjar’s objectives. Nadjar ran to represent Massell because he wants what is best for his peers and believes it is important to represent first years fairly.

The Rosenthal Quad senator position was open as well. Claudia Roldan ’18 ran for the position and won. However, Roldan took herself out of the race so the seat remains vacant and will soon be filled in another election.

The new midyear class elected Vincent Lauffer ’19 as their senator. Although the Student Union announced the seat was vacant, Lauffer won with two out of five total votes.

There were no candidates running in the midyear election and only five votes cast: two write-in votes for Vincent Lauffer, one write-in vote for Michael Maglio and two abstain votes, according to Student Union secretary, Shuying Liu. Abstain signifies the voter believes no candidate is qualified for the position and is different from not voting at all. For “abstain” to win, it has to be the majority vote and two out of five is not a majority.

Liu met with Lauffer to discuss what his responsibilities as a senator would be and to help him determine if he wanted to take on the position, according to an email she sent to The Hoot.

Lauffer has accepted the position and believe he can be a reliable link between the midyear class and the Student Union.

Four new students were elected to the Allocations Board (A-board) in this election, which is a group of students that allocates funding to student clubs and organizations.

Students approved a constitu-

tional amendment last semester which expands the number of seats on A-Board from five to nine. The amendment, proposed in response to student frustration related to the allocation process, guarantees that there are always students on the A-Board who have experience and are aware of the current allocations process.

There are now A-board positions with two and three semester terms.

“The amendment opening up more A-Board positions will ultimately be very beneficial to the student body and clubs on campus. With a larger A-Board, we are able to represent a wider variety of interests and concerns of the student body,” said Emma Russell ’19, who was elected to a three-semester A-Board seat.

Russell decided to run for an A-Board position because she enjoyed working as the Non-Senate Chair of the Services and Outreach Committee, a Student Union committee that is responsible for programs such as the Midnight Buffet, throughout last semester.

Russell said she wanted to find more ways to serve the campus and student body.

Xinyi Xu ’19, a new two-semester A-Board member ran for the position because she gets to know what’s happening on campus and can participate in activities that she is interested in.

Jiabei Wang ’18 was elected to the Racial Minority A-Board seat and XiaoRan Wang ’18 was elected as a two-semester A-Board member. Other positions filled in the election include Mitch Mankin ’16 as off campus senator, Gwenyth Fraser ’17 as Ziv Quad senator and Ryan Tracy ’17 as class of 2017 senator.

Another election will be held to fill the seat of Rosenthal Quad Senator.

relay for life

Cancer Society

Students raise money for the American

NEWS

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photo courtesy fay laborio/the hoot

In The Senate: Jan.17 • Newly-elected senators were welcomed to the Senate.

-New senators had not been formally sworn in as of the meeting.

The new senate-elected Executive Senator Paul Sindberg ’18 presided over the meeting with new Vice President of the Student Union David Herbstritt ’17.

-Senators presented their interim committee chair reports.

-Many senate committees hadn’t yet met in the spring semester, though several had. Many regular activities will resume next week.

-Castle Quad Senator Max Whitmore ’18 reported that the Senate Sustainability Committee has had two meetings so far and is planning a four-part video series dealing with climate change.

-Racial Minority Senator Bethlehem Seifu Belaineh ’16 and Luxi Wen ’18 reported that the Senate Social Justice and Diversity Committee is officially sponsoring three ’DEIS Impact events.

• Funding requests -The Senate Social Justice and Diversity Committee requested $200 of discretionary funds in order to help fund a ’DEIS Impact event to “reclaim the African diaspora narrative through food.”

-The Senate passed the motion.

-The Community Service and Outreach Committee requested about $800 for a fundraising wristband initiative.

-A question arose regarding the eligibility of the funds to be used in funding other organizations. The motion was tabled until next week.

• Announcements and Initiatives -Applications opened for senators to apply for new committee chairmanships.

-Herbstritt announced that in his new role as vice president, he would serve increasingly as a meeting moderator, and “to facilitate dialogue but not guide content and allow for structured deliberation.”

-Charles River/567 Senator Valarie Timms ’16 is planning to meet with the Office of Preventative Services to discuss new bystander training for club leaders.

-Class of 2017 Senator Matt Smetana is working on his Brandeis meadow initiative and announced that he now has double the space and double the funding—now $5,000.

-A-board added new marathon sessions for clubs to take advantage of.

-The Student Union is contacting procurement services to acquire new office furniture.

4 NEWS

The Brandeis Hoot

January 29, 2016

Ginsburg discusses legacy of Justice Brandeis RBG, from page 1

In 1975, Ginsburg argued a case of a man whose wage-earning wife died in childbirth and was not allowed to seek the benefits which would have been available to a woman in his situation.

In cases such as this, “Brandeis style briefs explained that as economies developed and societies evolved, laws premised on women’s subordinate status” violated the Equal Protection Clause.

Brandeis himself adapted positions on women over the years.

While in the 1880s Brandeis opposed suffrage for women, by 1910 he was an “ardent supporter,” said Ginsburg.

One of Brandeis’ gifts was his ability to adapt his positions to changing social conditions, according to all of the speakers.

“Brandeis’ views could change when information and experience showed his initial judgement was not right,” she said.

The purpose of the celebration was, in part, to reflect on Justice Brandeis’ role in the world today.

There was disagreement on stage when panelist Jeffrey Toobin, who has written books and articles about the Supreme Court, took issue with Ginsberg’s claim that Brandeis would have opposed the Supreme Court’s 2010 decision in Citizens United, which struck down restrictions on campaign finance spending.

Brandeis was a supporter of free speech and the marketplace of

ideas, allowing citizens to hear everyone’s views and make reasoned decisions, but Toobin was not certain Brandeis would have supported the government’s attempts to regulate “speech” through campaign spending.

“If you believe that the government should withdraw from the field of any sort of speech regu-

lations, then you do let the Koch brothers spend whatever they want for the political goals that they share,” said Toobin.

Ginsburg and other panelists expressed belief that Brandeis would support campaign finance reform to allow all citizens the chance to participate in the democratic process.

“Democracy requires that everyone be able to effectively participate,” said Judge Mark Wolf, who believes Brandeis’ desire to keep the political process “fair” would have trumped his “unqualified...commitment to free speech.”

It is hard to conclude what Brandeis would have done, be-

photo by sophia he/the hoot

cause one cannot know exactly how he would have reacted to society today, said Strum.

“I think we really can’t answer the question of what would Brandeis say. But I think we can answer the question of what principles guided Brandeis and how we apply those to problems we’re looking at today,” said Strum.

Student Union elections have low voter turnout

By Ryan Spencer Staff

The spring student elections showed low-voter turnout as just 603 of approximately 3,570 students cast votes. Students were sent a link to the online voting, which was held on Jan. 22. Voting took place for eight open senate seats and four open A-board seats.

Election winners were announced in a follow-up email on Jan. 23.

Less than one fourth of Brandeis students voted in the spring elections. The class of 2018 showed the highest voter turnout, with approximately 21 percent of the class participating in the voting, while the Class of 2019 had the lowest voter turnout, with 13 percent of the class voting. The voter turnout of the Class of 2017 wasn’t much larger, with 14 percent of students voting, and the Class of 2016 had a voter turnout

of 19 percent.

Alona Weimer ’18 did not vote in the election because she “felt that the fall election was the main election,” and that the spring election “wasn’t that important, unless you were a midyear.” Weimer also said she did not vote because she “didn’t know anyone,” a point echoed by Jonathan Burdo ’18 and six other sophomore students. Burdo suggested that candidates “send out some informa-

tion about themselves.”

Other students suggested that candidates hold rallies or utilize social media to spread awareness and inform students of their message. Radhika Jangi ’18, who did vote in the election, said she chose to do so because she knew Cacildia Cain ’18, now Class of 2018 senator.

There were no official candidates, and only five votes were cast in the election for Midyear

Senator, meaning less than five percent of midyears voted for their student representative in the Senate. Vincent Lauffer ’19 won the position with two writein votes. Of the five votes cast, three were write-in votes and two were votes for abstain, a vote of no-confidence. Abstain has to be the majority vote for it to be the “winner,” according to the Student Union bylaws, and two out of five is not a majority.

Students explore social justice through ’DEIS Impact

By Hannah Stewart Staff

One hundred years ago, in 1916, President Woodrow Wilson nominated Louis D. Brandeis, “the people’s lawyer,” to be a Supreme Court Justice. This week, from Thursday, Jan. 28 to Sunday, Feb. 7, Brandeis will commemorate his appointment with a weeklong festival of social justice. ’DEIS Impact began in 2011 when Marci McPhee, the director of campus programs at the International Center for Ethics, Justice and Public Life, wanted to create a program that would unite the Brandeis community and offer the opportunity to consider different perspectives on the question, “What is social justice?”

“Back in 2011, then Student Union President Herbie Rosen and I began collaborating with our teams to build what we thought would be a one-time ’DEIS Impact,” McPhee recalled.

“The response was tremendous, and it’s been rolling ever since,”

said McPhee, who loves to see Brandeis students, faculty and staff come together to consider learn about important issues, consider social justice and put it into action.

This year, 37 events have been planned for ’DEIS Impact in addition to seven sessions of ’DEIS Impact College. The former have been planned by more than 50 clubs and student organizations at Brandeis, aided by a core committee of 14 undergraduate ’DEIS Impacters, who were selected back in September and have been meeting weekly ever since. ’DEIS Impact College refers to classes taught by Brandeis faculty from multiple departments: American studies, anthropology, English, legal studies, politics and theater arts. These classes are regular Brandeis courses that connect their respective material to the theme of social justice and are then opened up to the public.

Lindsay Mitnik ’16, the chair of the ’DEIS Impact committee, describes the festival as “a time

to not only celebrate social justice that already exists, but also our capacity and potential to make even greater changes in our world.”

Mitnik got involved with ’DEIS Impact in its second year and from then on has worked to make it as “impactful” as possible.

“I knew that the festival had the potential to teach and inspire this community to change the world, one person at a time,” she said. ’DEIS Impact involves more than just the Brandeis community. This year, the festival will also feature events sponsored by More Than Words, Waltham Family School and Habitat for Humanity.

For the fifth anniversary of this Brandeis tradition, the week of social justice will feature Germaine Ingram, a civil rights lawyer and jazz tap dancer, as the keynote speaker on Wednesday, Feb. 3 in the Shapiro Campus Center (SCC). During her address, Ingram will present excerpts of her performance, “Freedom Underfoot,” which will be presented in full on Tuesday, Feb. 2 in the

SCC Theater. The performance excerpts will be accompanied by violinist Diane Monroe and will serve to, “illuminates her [Ingram’s] lives in the law, arts and culture, and the broad civic arena as avenues for advancing fairness, respect, and inclusion,” according to the description of the event on the Brandeis website.

“I’m excited about this featured event: ‘Breaking the Story: How Eight Ordinary Citizens Took Down the FBI,’” McPhee explained. “It’s a remarkable opportunity to hear from two burglars who took ‘extra-legal’ actions to address injustice within the FBI, as well as the filmmaker and journalist who told their story.” The screening of the film and subsequent panel will take place in the Wasserman Cinematique on Feb. 1, 2016 at 6 p.m.

The highlight of the week, designed to commemorate the centennial anniversary of Louis Brandeis’ Supreme Court appointment was Thursday, Jan. 28’s “Louis D. Brandeis, The Supreme

Court and American Democracy” panel, featuring remarks from current Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. The panel was comprised of Ralph D. Gants, chief justice of the Massachusetts Supreme Court; Philippa Strum ’59, senior scholar at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars; Jeffrey Toobin, a staff writer for the New Yorker; and Mark Wolf, senior judge for the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts. -- if it makes layout easier this could all be deleted.-- Hannah Schuster Mitnik hopes the festival encourages students to take action.

“I hope that everybody is able to celebrate the amazing amount of good that has been done in this world, but I also hope that at the end of the festival students realize how much more work needs to be done,” said Mitnik, concluding, “We want students to be a different person when the festival ends, a person better equipped to change the world.”

January 29, 2016

FEATURES

The Brandeis Hoot

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Brandeis dining services to host new events

By Albert Reiss Staff

Dining hall food is often a contentious issue at Brandeis. Some students see the dining hall as a necessity, while others forgo the service entirely, opting instead to cook for themselves. In an effort to improve the quality and experience at the dining halls, Brandeis Dining Services has planned some exciting new events this year to share with its students. This week, The Brandeis Hoot spoke to Andrew Allen, general manager of dining services at Brandeis.

In the past, Brandeis students have inquired about having a more exciting and interactive dining hall service. In response, Allen said, “This semester we have a ton of awesome events planned.”

Among the various events being hosted, there will be a raffle for “specialty items from Coke for the Super Bowl at the Stein, celebrating Mardi Gras in the dining halls and offering an Elite Event, Steak Night on Feb. 24 in Usdan for dinner.” These events will be designed to allow maximum participation by students.

Additionally, in order to celebrate National Nutrition Month in March, Allen noted that dining services will be “bringing in Andy

Berler, the creator of the nationwide fitness phenomenon known as BMAX and professional trainer for the New England Patriots Cheerleaders to hold a free fitness class on March 23 from 5 to 6 p.m. in Sherman Function Hall. A smoothie bar and door prizes will be offered at that event as well.”

Sodexo will also be holding two national sweepstakes that students can enter to win prizes. Details can be found at www. brandeis.sodexomyway.com.

Allen also spoke about new trends in what he described as the “modern collegiate dining” experience. As Allen commented, the new college dining consumer “is far more advanced in their expectations than when [Allen] first started in 1987.”

“We need to offer a wide variety of foods that can be enjoyed by all,” Allen said. “We must continue to review and make adjustments to the menus and offerings to prevent folks from becoming tired of eating in the same operations day in and day out.”

While Allen is new to campus, he has over 20 years of experience in the industry. In particular, he has found the dining team to be very dedicated and motivated.

“That team consists of everyone,” he said, “from the person who makes sure the tables are clean,

dishes out on the serving line, the cooks and supervisors, to the management team. As I look at our staff and still see some of the very same folks I worked with in 1987, I see such a dedication to the community. My job is to lead this great team to bring to the students what they all desire—good tasting food and service each and every day.”

Among the popular events being brought back to campus is the Elite Steakhouse Event, which Allen said had such great feedback that they will be bringing it back on Feb. 24. Allen also noted that there will be a Harry Potter themed night in the dining hall on March 30.

According to Allen, the most important element in these events is involving students and developing some of their ideas for the community. “It brings additional variety and complements the goal of keeping the program fresh and exciting,” he said.

Many students may see dining services only as a source for meals.

However, Allen noted, “some events can bring an educational opportunity that can help folks make healthy choices, learn about new types of foods they might not have seen before, and bring a better understanding of the food we eat every day. Events can just be

general manager of dining services, andrew allen

fun to bring a relief to the day to day; others can bring a sense of social responsibility or education from a food perspective.”

photos courtesy lisamarie ianuzzi

With a whole palette of exciting events planned for this year at the dining halls, Brandeis students are in for a delectable treat.

Hunger and Homelessness fights poverty with service

By Jacob Edelman Editor

The Waltham Group is an umbrella service organization under which 20 service clubs operate, doing good unto the local community through coordinated volunteer activities. These clubs work with blood drives, adults with developmental disabilities, Waltham students who need tutoring and on many more community issues.

Lily Elderkin ’18 is a Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies and Sociology double major, originally from the northwest suburbs of Chicago—Park Ridge to be exact—also known as the youth homes of Hillary Clinton and Harrison Ford.

Elderkin is a coordinator for the Waltham Group’s Hunger and Homelessness club. Hunger and Homelessness works with the Community Day Center in Waltham, a day shelter that provides food and case management services for individuals experiencing poverty in the Waltham area.

As a coordinator, Elderkin is responsible for more than general volunteer work. “The most important thing I do is that I run Hunger and Homelessness with four other coordinators,” she said.

There are currently multiple programs under Hunger and Homelessness’ and the coordinator’s watch. Elderkin is overseeing the case management program of the club. Describing the program, she said, “We’ll be going to the day center four days a week in two groups, spending two hours with the guests there and providing case management services.

We’ll work with them on job applications, connecting them to re-

sources in the Waltham area like legal services and healthcare and essentially just providing additional support for the Community Day Center’s regular staff.”

Two of the five coordinators are currently in training, taking a semester to feel out the extent of the group’s commitment requirements. Coordinators attend Monday night meetings with the entire Waltham Group to discuss various aspects of service. Aside from coordinator positions, students interested in service can work as general volunteers. Volunteers can work anywhere from twice per week case managing, to once a year at the Hunger and Homelessness Drive. “There are a ton of different ways to get involved,” Elderkin stated. “We have options.”

Groups within the Waltham Group often partner with each other and sometimes partner with outside organizations as well. For example, Hunger and Homelessness is hoping to host a hunger banquet this March or April with Hillel. The banquet would be intended to showcase the unjust distribution of wealth, giving some guests an opulent feast while giving a larger number of people less, perhaps only a piece of bread.

Most recently, Hunger and Homelessness attended Team Day, which was a half-day Waltham Group retreat to talk about how to make a better organization. The day involved an information session about learning how to communicate successfully with various community partners and a team building exercise—an egg drop from which Elderkin’s team emerged victorious. “It was a day to reaffirm our commitments to the Waltham Group and to learn and re-polish our skills

hunger and homeless volunteers spend a day volunteering at the greater boston food bank last march

for things that come up a lot while we’re volunteering,” Elderkin said.

Soon, Hunger and Homelessness will hold its Wellness Drive.

Volunteers will go door to door, picking up clothing, basic hygiene products and personal care supplies. “Often people think of food, but there’s a lot more that goes into it. Shampoo, deodorant, tampons; whatever might be overlooked with people who are experiencing homelessness,” Elderkin noted, continuing, “It’ll probably last four to six hours, and after that we’ll donate all of the items to the Bristol Lodge, which is a night shelter in Waltham that helps a lot of people.”

Elderkin noted that one-time events can be helpful through a combination of helping others and getting more people from

campus involved in service. “Our programs only help at certain times, so if you’re not free on certain afternoons and are unable to come to our programs, our onetime events provide opportunities to volunteer where there’s less commitment.”

As a group, Elderkin sees their greatest challenge as not having enough time and resources to do everything that they want to get done. “We’re all very ambitious and really care, but there’s not enough hours in the day.”

This semester, Hunger and Homelessness is running a program that has them at the Community Day Center seven days per week; however, attempting to not overextend their time and resource commitments is something that hinders many of the

photos courtesy lily elderkin

group’s efforts.

Many students might not be aware of the wide variety of opportunities available with the Waltham Group, so Elderkin hopes that students who desire to get involved can find a program that works for them. “Work with kids, work with adults with disabilities, or us at the day center!

There are a bunch of different options and commitment levels and a bunch of cool people to work with.”

Hunger and Homelessness is currently hiring coordinators for its Wellness Drive, who will be in charge of planning the event and recruiting volunteers. Anyone at Brandeis can apply. Following the hiring and planning, the event will be held March 19.

SPORTS

6 The Brandeis Hoot

January 29, 2016

Ocel and Lanahan receive All-American Honors

By Lily Wageman Staff

The Brandeis men’s soccer team had an impressive season this year, finishing their regular season ranked No. 3 in Division III by the NSCAA with a 16-2-1 record.

Additionally, two of the Judges have been named D3soccer.com All-American honors. Conor Lanahan ’16 is a D3soccer.com first All-American defender for the second year in a row. Josh Ocel ’17 was honored as well, selected as a second-team All-American for the second time this season.

Senior and captain, Lanahan was previously honored as an All-American by the NSCAA as well, and was named the D3soccer.com National Defender of the Year as a junior. Lanahan is also the third men’s soccer player in school history to earn All-American honors in two different seasons. He is a Biochemistry major with a Computer Science minor.

After graduating, he hopes to go to medical school at some point, but as of right now he plans to become a Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) and work with patients in a clinical setting. He is also pursuing his dream of playing soccer professionally or semi-professionally before going into medicine, but even if this possibility doesn’t play out, Lanahan will more than likely find himself playing in adult leagues and coaching. Outside of soccer, Lanahan enjoys staying active and exploring the outdoors. Recently he began downhill mountain biking with his brother, so he’s look-

Josh Ocel ‘17 (above) and Conor Lanahan ‘16 (right) were recently awarded All-American honors after their team finished with a 16-2-1 record this pass season . soccer players receive honors

ing forward for the snow to melt to begin riding again.

Lanahan considers his recent achievement to be “a really big honor … it’s very rewarding to get this honor after all of the hard work.” He has played soccer all his life, starting when his mom signed him up as a child. Lanahan says the seasons all blend together, between working out and the hours of playing with a ball at his feet. In addition to his own efforts he credits his team’s commitment to have inspired his own, and vice versa: “That’s why I love the guys on the team.”

Highlights for the past season have been winning the UAA championships and being one of three Division III soccer players who were put in the MLS superdraft. Another highlight for Lanahan was when the team was only allowed a certain number of play-

ers during the championships, and those that weren’t traveling to play made the eight-hour drive up to Rochester to support the team.

“It was an amazing moment to be supported by the guys like that,” said Lanahan.

Lanahan speaks highly of his “BMS family,” describing the team as his inspiration. Before coming to Brandeis, he says he has never worked harder for soccer in his life because the team pushes each other and makes the soccer program “so constructive and competitive.” His teammates work hard and he decided to do the same. “I couldn’t watch all of my soccer family work so hard for me to sit and do nothing, and that’s what’s led me to today,” he said.

This summer Lanahan and Ocel lived together, working to improve and push each other along the way. Ocel has another season

Women’s fencing fends off Wellesley

By Curtis Zunyu He staff

photos from brandeisjudges.com

with the Judges ahead of him, and is currently a Biology major with an Anthropology minor. He enjoys golfing and spending time with his family when he’s not busy with school and soccer. Ocel began playing soccer at a young age and his dedication to the sport appears to have been natural early on. His parents first told him that if he wanted to play soccer then he would have to learn to tie his shoes first. Ocel says, “by the end of the day I could tie my own shoes and my parents had no other choice but to sign me up.”

Since he was little, Ocel was always motivated by two people: his brother and his father. His brother has always been there to offer support “through thick and thin,” and they have pushed each other on and off the soccer field to be better people. Ocel shows great admiration for his father, who

was a three-time All-American wrestler at North Dakota State.

Ocel credits a lot of his success to his father for acting as a great role model and says, “Every time I step onto the field I play for my family because they are the people that drive me to be better and will always be there for me no matter the result.”

Being named All-American is a great honor for Ocel. He considers it very humbling, stating he could not have done it without his teammates: “This award reflects the team as a whole, not just me. We had a great year and a lot of the players stepped up at different positions. A number of individuals could have been recognized for this award.” Ocel also describes the team as having worked tirelessly during the off-season and the summer. He credits trainer Jason Byrne for doing a fantastic job at preparing them physically for the season.

Ocel says that since receiving the honor the only thing that has changed are his expectations for next season. “Our team has the talent to win a national championship and hopefully next year we can accomplish that goal,” he said. He describes some of the highlights of this past season as the first year they won while away at Emory and the first year they won the UAA conference. His absolute favorite moment was defeating their rival Babson. This win earned Head Coach Coven his 500th career win. Ocel says, “Coach Coven will always be like my second father. He is always there for me and I am honored to be part of such a great milestone.”

Men’s basketball splits weekend

By Sarah Jousset

Shortly after the strong finish at the Northeast Conference meet at Boston College on Saturday, the women’s fencing team continued to dominate as they rolled over the Wellesley Blue by winning all three weapons on Tuesday night.

The annual meeting between the Brandeis and Wellesley fencing teams ended with a total score of 19-8, the fourth straight win for women’s fencing when facing Wellesley in the annual dual.

While the Judges achieved another cheering victory to add to their overall 14-4 record, the Wellesley Blue fell to 7-8 midway through the season.

The battle started with sabre, in which the Judges were firmly in control and boosted their morale.

The sabre squad, led by Laura Broffman ’18 and Nina Sayles ’17, closed out the action with an 8-1 victory. Broffman and Sayles both showcased their dominance over the field with two solid 3-0 victories. Sayles remarkably scored 11 touches in a row facing her opponent and only surrendered one in her third match. Combined with her dramatic turnaround victory against Boston College with five direct unanswered touches, Sayles has just been named the Brandeis Athlete of the Week. Deborah Abiri ’16 also enjoyed victory with a score of 2-1, despite missing the chance of claiming the Judges’ fourth 9-0 clean record in

Editor

photo from brandeisjudges.com Laura Broffman ‘18 (above) dominated in sabre with two 3-0 victories in the competition on Tuesday.

fencing dominates

this season since November.

The epee team carried on with their steady performance throughout the season as they posted a 6-3 win over the Wellesley Blue. Sonya Glickman ’16 and Gwendolyn Mowell ’16 led the squad with two 2-0 wins and a cumulative score of 10-4. However, Wellesley Blue’s Cassandra decided not to make things easy for the Judges. She earned two winning points from both Liz Feller ’18 and Rosa Zhang ’16. The minor struggle didn’t hurt the Judges’ confidence as both Feller and Zhang fought hard and earned one win for each of their actions to secure the final victory.

The atmosphere began to heat up during the foil. In spite of an early solid 2-0 advantage won by Joanne Carminucci ’19, the subsequent games became breathtakingly close. After two tied matches played by Emilia Dwyer ’16

and Annie Kim ’16 and two tough 0-1 losses for Anna Craven ’18 and Chaya Schapiro ’17, the two teams were back to an even spot.

Taylor Hood from the Wellesley Blue was prepared for a complete turn-around performance herself with Wellesley’s rising morale.

But Judges Captain Caroline Mattos ’16 stepped up with a 5-0 personal victory over Hood to clinch a tough 5-4 win for the foil squad at the end.

With the boosted confidence and spirit from the Northeast Conference meet and the annual meet with Wellesley, Brandeis women’s fencing seems ready to return into action at home this Saturday. The Judges will be facing Stevens Tech, NJIT, Haverford, NYU and Hunter in the Eric Sollee Invitational at home at 9 a.m. to again test the sharpness of their swords and toughness of their minds.

The Brandeis men’s basketball team beat Washington University in St. Louis this past Friday, with a score of 69-66. The Judges stuck with Washington University throughout the game until pulling away with just 26 seconds left on the clock in the second half, 69-63. The Washington Bears answered with a three point play to close the gap to 69-66, but couldn’t come back.

Jordan Cooper ’18 lead the team against Washington University, with a team high of 23 points, five rebounds and five assists.

Robinson Vilmont ’17 followed close behind, contributing 20 points in the game. Cooper and Robinson scored 30 of the team’s 38 points in the second half. Colby Smith ‘16 and Time Reale ’17 contributed heavily as well, tying for a team-high in rebounds with six each. Smith also had four assists and three steals.

The Judges continued their journey on the road, playing the University of Chicago on Sunday.

The Judges lost 65-60 to the 12th ranked University of Chicago Maroons. The Judges stuck with the Maroons in the first half as the lead changed hands 12 times.

However, the Judges couldn’t keep up the momentum in the second half and the Maroons pulled away in the last ten minutes of the

photo from brandeisjudges.com

Jordan Cooper ‘18 (above) has been leading scorer this season. sophomore leader

game.

The Judges held on in the first half with 15 second chance points off their 10 offensive boards. Cooper led the Judges in scoring for the third straight game with 11 points, nine of those coming in the first half. Cooper was a force on defense for the Judges as well, with seven rebounds. Vilmont added to the Judges’ stats with eight points and three assists, a team high tied with rookie Michael McReynolds ‘19.

The loss brings the Men’s basketball team to .500 with an overall record of 8-8. The Judges are back in action this Friday at 8 p.m. in Red Auerbach Arena in the Gosman Athletic Center.

EDITORIALS

January 29, 2016

“To acquire wisdom, one must observe.”

Editors-in-Chief Theresa Gaffney Julie Landy

Senior Managing Editor Jess Linde Senior Editor Andrew Elmers Senior Copy Editor Allison Plotnik News Editors Hannah Schuster Emily Sorkin Smith Deputy News Editors Abigail Gardener Elianna Spitzer Arts Editor Sabrina Pond Opinions Editor Zach Phil Schwartz Features Editor Jacob Edelman Sports Editor Sarah Jousset Copy Editor Sarah Terrazano Photo Editor Karen Caldwell Deputy Video Editor Matt Kowalyk Editors-at-Large Charlotte Aaron Mia Edelstein Lisa Petrie

Volume 13 • Issue 3 the brandeis hoot • brandeis university 415 south street • waltham, ma

Founded By Leslie Pazan, Igor Pedan and Daniel Silverman

STAFF

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

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

SUBMISSION POLICIES

The Brandeis Hoot welcomes letters to the editor on subjects that are of interest to the community. Preference is given to current or former community members and The Hoot reserves the right to edit or reject submissions. The deadline for submitting letters is Wednesday at noon. Please submit letters to letters@thebrandeishoot.com along with your contact information. Letters should not exceed 500 words.

The opinions, columns, cartoons and advertisements printed in The Hoot do not necessarily represent the opinions of the editorial board.

CONNECT phone • (781) 330-0051 e-mail • editor@thebrandeishoot.com online • thebrandeishoot.com twitter • twitter.com/thebrandeishoot facebook • facebook.com/thebrandeishoot

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To reserve your space in the paper, contact us by phone at (781) 330-0051 or by e-mail at ads@thebrandeishoot.com.

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To learn more, send us an e-mail at join@thebrandeishoot.com, or visit our website http://thebrandeishoot.com/join.

UNSOLICITED SUBMISSIONS

We welcome unsolicited submissions from members of the community sent by e-mail to eic@thebrandeishoot.com. Please limit submissions to 800 words. All submissions are subject to editing.

I

The Brandeis Hoot 7

Castle renovations needed, but univ. should clarify housing plans

nterim President Lisa Lynch recently sent an email detailing the demolition and renovations that will occur on Usen Castle over the next two years. Despite concerns about the safety of the building, students will still live in the Castle for the Fall 2016 semester. Once construction begins in the winter, they will be moved to other living on campus.

Castle Quad Senator Max Whitmore ’18 said to The Brandeis Hoot that, “the structural integrity of the Castle is, in some places, uncertain.” The ceiling has collapsed multiple times in different areas of the building, in addition to mold and other concerning damages. The building has continued to deteriorate for years, and conditions have previously necessitated emergency evacuations in the middle of the semester.

While the editorial board supports the

renovations of the Castle, we are concerned that students will have to live in the Castle next fall because of the lack of other living space on campus. We as a school have determined that the Castle is unsafe to live in, which is the reason for the renovations in the first place. With a residence hall in this unsafe condition, how can we continue to allow students to live there?

The email did not go into detail on how students that live in the Castle during Fall 2016 will be accommodated when they have to move out in the spring, but one option is that sophomores will take the place of either midyears or study abroad students in the Village and Ziv. If it’s not midyears and study abroad students who will be affected, then the space could only be allocated by cutting down the number of upperclassmen included in the housing lottery for the fall. But then a set of upperclass-

men rooms should simply be included in the sophomore housing lottery from the get-go, rather than moving students around halfway through the year.

Brandeis has an obligation to student health and safety. All student housing options should meet a reasonable standard of living—not the bare minimum. Instead of cutting short term corners for long term solutions, the university should focus on taking the necessary steps to ensure the short term safety and comfort of students while ensuring an optimal future for student housing.

The editorial board does not want to preemptively endict any decision that the university may have made, but we ask that if specific plans are in place that they be made known sooner rather than later, so that current students can be prepared.

2011 alumnus passes in tragic highway accident

By Andrew Elmers editor

Charles Hu ’11, a graduate of Brandeis University, passed away this past Tuesday afternoon in a car accident while heading north on Route 128 in Lexington. He was 26. A computer science major, Hu had been living in Lexington and worked for athenahealth at their Watertown headquarters. Hu was involved in the Chinese Cultural Connection while at Brandeis according to his LinkedIn profile, and emcee’d BC3’s Lunar New Year celebration in

In an article printed on Jan. 22, 2015 titled “Tennis courts revamped” in The Brandeis

By Naomi Klickstein

2010, according to a Brandeis Hoot article from Feb. 12, 2010.

The accident occurred when a tire dislodged from a pickup truck, driving on the other side of the highway, bounced over the median and struck Hu’s car, killing him at the scene, according to a Massachusetts State Police press release.Investigations are under way to determine why the tire fell off of the moving truck and if any charges need to be filed. No charges have been filed yet, but service records of the truck, its current condition and evidence from the scene will be considered.

Additionally, the police will check to see if

any recalls had been announced on the vehicle—a 1997 Dodge Ram pickup—that lost its left rear tire, though according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) online database on vehicle recalls, there have not been any recalls.

A complaint left by a user on the website, however, mentioned that the lugnuts on their 1997 Dodge Ram pickup were not tightened correctly after having their tires rotated at their dealer.

This incident occurred in 2002 in Indiana, according to the corresponding letter to the NHTSA included with the complaint.

Hoot, the tennis head coach was incorrectly named David Lamanna.

The head coach of the men’s tennis team’s name is Ben Lamanna.

Down 1. May be exposed 2. e.g. bullets 3. Let off 4. Sprint 5. Wan 6. Diarist Anne 7. Spanish league 8. Severe 9. Fiancé 10. Accuse 11. Average number of noses per person 12. Sum 13. Opposite of WSW 21. Beatles drummer 23. Peaceful 24. Right-wing youth grp.

25. Israeli humanitarian Nathan 26. Primitive shelter 27. Wabbit hunter Fudd 28. German white lilac

30. Back muscle (abr.)

31. Option D, at times 34. One of seven (abr.)

35. Immature newt 37. Rust precursor 39. Pro vote 40. Mythical shield 41. Decay 47. Confuse 48. Glide 49. Nomad 50. Hospital worker 51. Compact 52. Room in many buildings 53. Org. for learning about learning 54. Islamic religious leader (var.)

55. Desire 56. Street ____, (measure of respectability) 57. Roman public games 58. Poetic night 59. Slang for handgun

Correction

It’s All Relative

staff

Across 1. Latin saint 5. Excess skin or fat 10. May be flat or sharp 14. Jane Austen novel 15. Asian staple 16. Unknown auth.

17. Pennsylvania Dutch 18. Water in Spain 19. Dole 20. Environment personification 22. Daredevil Wallenda 23. Sneaky 25. Bar order 29. Ice sheet 32. Short-lived brother 33. Actor Richard 36. Centers of many malls 38. Darth Vader’s famous reveal 41. Actress Zellweger 42. Act in a ceremony 43. Paul Harding novel 44. Ensnare 45. Hunger Games character 46. Chinese ‘path’ 49. Tonic’s partner 52. “I’ll be a…” exclamation of impossibility 58. May be sharp 60. Temporary settlement 61. Seinfeld episode now 62. Enthusiasm 63. Listing in an airport 64. Plant beginnings 65. Soccer targets 66. ____ Martin, famous cognac 67. Actor Murphy

8 The Brandeis Hoot

WEEK IN PHOTOS

January 29, 2016

photo by adam lampert/the hoot

photo courtesy pottery club

photos by allison plotnik/the hoot

January 29, 2016

The Brandeis Hoot

WEEK IN PHOTOS 9

photo courtesy fay laborio

photo by adam lampert/the hoot

photo by jackie hammond/the hoot

10 The Brandeis Hoot

By Helen Wong

OPINIONS

January 29, 2015

The Asian accent: when it’s not funny

Special to The Hoot

I’d be willing to bet that most of you reading this now have heard, at one time or another, someone crack a joke about Asians and put on an affected Asian accent. The amount of jokes that accent can be applied to are endless. Are you making jokes about being cheap?

Asian accent. About getting good grades? The accent. What about math nerd jokes? Again, the accent. It’s so applicable, isn’t it?

It can be hilarious. It’s very applicable to jokes, specifically jokes that play on racial stereotypes.

But here’s something that may be surprising to some of you: you shouldn’t make racist jokes unless you’re the race in question. I’m Chinese. I can make all the jokes I want about the stereotypes about my culture. I can make cheapskate jokes about myself in the same way you can call yourself a jerk but strangers saying that to you would be rude. Who are you to tell me how well I know myself and my culture? What gives you the authority to tell me when it’s appropriate to use that accent, an accent that most Chinese people learning English struggle with and are mocked for on a day-today basis?

Most of you might think I’m overreacting over a very small thing. It is a small thing, but small things matter. This ties into a much bigger picture.

The kind of racism that Asian-Americans face is distinct from the kind that African-Americans confront, which is the kind of racism that immediately jumps

to mind when discussing discrimination in America. Racism against black people tends to be overtly unacceptable, and most people, regardless of their race, can call it out whether they are black, white or Asian. The black community in the U.S. is admirably not hesitant about raising issues and fighting for the right to be treated fairly. On the other hand, Asians are often left out of the racial dialogue; when it comes to the Asian community, attitudes are different because the nature of the target group itself is different.

Racism against Asians is of an insidious nature, in the realm of “it was just a joke” or falling somewhere under the umbrella of “positive racism.” There’s a long history of the West reducing Eastern people to manageable stereotypes. Western colonial imperialism has left a mark on how the world sees Asians in a Western context such as America; Asians are considered a model minority here and reduced to a status that essentially equates to being seen as harmless, because Asians don’t tend to fight back the same way African-Americans can and do against institutionalized racism.

There is a strong feeling within Asian culture that one should keep their head down and out of trouble in the face of things like discrimination because it lessens the chance of harm. This worked in the interests of my parents, who were immigrants back in the late eighties and early nineties.

For their children like myself, we grew up in an America that gave us the ability and the nerve to talk back against problems just like this one.

The issue with racism against Asians is that it is culturally acceptable, and it is incredibly frustrating. This means that there can be smash Broadway hits like “Miss Saigon,” in which a Vietnamese prostitute falls in love with an American GI. The GI abandons her for his white American wife and the noble prostitute kills herself. Our cultural acceptance of Asian stereotypes means that there are white people wearing yellowface in classic movies, like Mickey Rooney’s role of Mr. Yunioshi in “Breakfast at Tiffany’s.”

And then there was the moment when Colbert satire went a touch too far with the “Ching-Chong Ding-Dong Foundation for Sensitivity to Orientals or Whatever.”

The production of stereotypes like the quiet nerd, the math geek, the shyest student, the quiet and submissive Asian girl, the number-crunching machine—it’s all so easy to shrug off as a joke. It boxes Asian people in, and calling people out for promoting those stereotypes all too easily leads to dismissal because those stereotypes are not overtly, in-your-face offensive.

Recently, a friend of mine told me that as a child, she had pointy eyes and “looked Asian.” When I told her that was kind of offensive, she said that she was stating a fact.

She later apologized—not for how what she said was mildly racist, but “if it made you uncomfortable.” She missed the fact that the issue was not that her eyes were shaped that way “as a kid” or necessarily that I took offense, but for the automatic way she associated it with Asians and then told me that to my face.

So, long story short: Try not to use fake Asian accents for fun unless you’re actually Asian. Respect the cultures, don’t be racist and do your best to not promote bad ste-

reotypes because it’s not that hard.

Try taking a look at the helpful flowchart alongside this article the next time you feel tempted to crack an accent-related joke.

photo courtesy helen wong

Remember Usen Castle in wake of impending demolition

By Nicole Porter Columnist

Everyone who has toured our campus has seen it. We were told the legends that surround it and how maybe some day we could live there too. I personally remember gaping in awe with my friend who visited with me only two short years ago. Usen Castle may be just another piece of non-cohesive architecture on campus, but it is the building here with the most history. Built in 1928 when Brandeis University was 20 years away from foundation, the Castle was the center of Middlesex College of Medicine and Surgery.

When Middlesex closed in 1945 and Brandeis University was born in 1948, the Usen Castle still stood. It has housed a dining hall, administrative offices, dormitories and Chum’s Coffeehouse.

But as of an announcement from Monday, Jan. 25, part of the Castle’s history is coming to an end.

After the spring semester of 2017, Towers C, D, E, and Schwartz Castle will be taken down. Towers A and B, which includes Chum’s, will remain standing due to it being better preserved than the rest of the castle. These will not, however, be used as dormitories. New dormitories will be built during the summer of 2017 to replace the lost portion of the castle. Many people are shocked and angered by this news, since the Castle has been an icon for many students and alumni.

There are many things that will be lost by the removal of this section of the castle and the retire-

ment of the Castle as a residence hall. The history that the Castle brings to Brandeis will surely be missed. After all, it is the oldest structure on campus. It has housed thousands of students and has stood as a symbol of Brandeis University since its beginning.

The loss of this piece of history will be missed both on campus and off.

The Castle is not only a piece of history, but a part of the draw of Brandeis. No undergraduates came to Brandeis just because

it will be gone, but not forgotten

of the Castle, but it stands as a landmark that makes every tour unforgettable. After my tour I did not remember the SCC’s name or where the dining halls were located, but I did remember that one day I could live in a castle on campus. It is a huge selling point for tour groups that are on campus and it is something prospective students could look forward to in their Brandeis future. Although part of the Castle will remain after the construction, tour guides will no longer be able to say, “One

day you too could live here.” Our princess and prince dreams must come to an end after fall semester of 2016.

There are also other concerns relating to the removal of the Castle that students have expressed.

Julia Ryan ’19 hopes that the new residence halls built in the Castle’s place will not be “shining glass buildings or plain brick boxes.”

The new residence halls’ exteriors should pay tribute to the fallen Castle and should blend well with the remaining Towers A and B.

Other students wonder and guess at the fate of Towers A and B; if they will just remain monuments or be repurposed for a new job.

Whatever may happen to those portions of the Castle, they will stand as a reminder of the landmark that will have stood from 1928 to 2017. We’ll have to wait to see what will become of the Castle and new residence halls, but for now we should all try to wander the endless hallways or climb to the highest point of the Castle and enjoy it while we can.

photo by sharon cai/the hoot

January 29, 2015

The Brandeis Hoot 11

The Brandeis Hoot

By Michael Wang

Living off-campus: is it really worth it?

Columnist

Housing is arguably one of the more universal topics of discussion that have made their way to the typical American college campus. It’s often the last of what I’ve come to consider the Four Cardinal Pleasantries one will likely resort to when making a new acquaintance: 1) What is your name? 2) Where are you from? 3) What are you studying? 4) Where are you living?

In any case, one would do well to prepare their future accommodations in a timely manner, as well as be familiar with the full breadth of options that both the Department of Community Living on campus and the privately operating landlords of Waltham might have to offer. Considering how I’ve personally resided in a Waltham apartment for the past few months, I’d like to offer a perspective on what might range from the final recourse of action for some people, to an unhesitating immediate first choice for other, particularly veteran and/or adventurous folk: the decision to live off campus.

Of course, there are virtues and shortcomings alike related to the three varieties of habitation available to students: home (commuting), on-campus and off-campus.

This article, however, is but a sample of one junior’s experiences living with four other people about a 12 minute walk from Brandeis.

One thought that frequently lingers in the heads of people who consider off-campus housing is the matter of convenience, since someone who lives off campus will inevitably be physically situated somewhere farther from Brandeis than anyone living on campus would. In other words, it’s getting used to shuttling back and forth between the university and home every day, whether it be by car, bicycle or the time-tested tradition of bipedal translation.

Maybe I’m just lazy, but let me tell you: It can be a pain when inclement weather strikes or one happens to forget their notebook or computer at Brandeis and has to walk back at 10 p.m. in 10 degree weather so they can finish their homework.

My advice, should the reader decide to live off campus, is to invest in a luxury that I am unfortunately unable to enjoy due to an acute sense of filial obedience: a bicycle. I’m afraid my mother fears that I may prove too weak to

resist the temptation to perform sick flips in the middle of the street and then be severely injured by a passing driver. Consequently, I am forbidden from operating a bicycle in Waltham.

One of the most important things that people occasionally forget to take into account, however, are the somewhat weighty variables of an apartment’s actual habitability and the personalities of one’s housemates. Truth be told, though my apartment is actually quite run-down in comparison to most I’ve visited, I’m nonetheless satisfied because it provides me a reliable place to bathe, sleep and sometimes cook.

My room is pretty clean, the bathroom is OK and my housemates tend to clean up after themselves in the kitchen. One couldn’t really ask for much more.

However, one ought to also be aware of certain complications that will inevitably arise during one’s stay in one of these apartments, whether they be interpersonal, mechanical or biological.

In my own experiences, these complications have taken the forms of randomly hurt feelings, clogged toilets and the occasional mouse. For example, I once raised my voice at one of my housemates for putting a piece of pizza directly into the microwave without a plate.

Essentially, it is in one’s best interest to make sure their future residence is actually livable and whether they are actually cool with their roommates before deciding to move into an apartment for approximately nine months.

However, I suppose the most prominently discussed issue on the topic of living off-campus would be its cost relative to commuting or living on-campus. Speaking from the shoes of someone who benefits rather handsomely from the largesse of Brandeis’ financial aid program, I can say living off campus has saved me… only a modest amount of money.

For those unfamiliar with the way housing financial aid (not overall, the financial aid office provides estimates) works, a rough approximation would be that one would normally receive no housing financial aid should they decide to commute, a generous allowance if they decide to live on-campus and a fraction of the award they’d otherwise receive on-campus if they instead decide to live off-campus. In other words, commuters get none, on-campus students get a bunch

on-campus housing

Is it really more expensive?

and off-campus kids get a smaller bunch.

Personally, my own reward was more or less slashed in half when I announced my intention to live off-campus. Now, don’t get me wrong; off-campus apartments are typically a couple thousand dollars cheaper than the school’s residence halls. The typical price ranges from around $5,400-$7,200 a year for Waltham apartments reasonably close to Brandeis, while the average on-campus housing arrangement costs around $8,000 to $10,000 per year.

Another factor that significantly impacts the quantity of resources one will expend on their college education is food. There is one completely unambiguous benefit I can claim lies with living off campus: the freedom to slough off the mandatory on-campus meal plans. As you might have heard from others, most of the mandatory meal plans are specifically tailored to rip you off. For example, I once compared the price per meal of the 80-block meal plan to the price per meal of the volun-

tary 90-block meal plan. Taking into account the number of points allotted to a customer, someone who bought the 80-block meal plan would essentially pay around $19.80 per meal, whereas someone on the 90-block plan would pay around $8.75. Anyone who would hypothetically purchase the 80-block meal plan would end up saving a substantial sum of money simply using cash instead.

So it all sounds like it kind of balances out, right? You get less financial aid (if you get any at all), but the raw amount of cash you pay is less and you get to avoid having your bank account chokeslammed into the slavering jaws of Brandeis mandatory dining services. Maybe you have to walk a little and maybe there’s a colorful mold growing near the foot of your bed, but you’ve saved a few thousand dollars and haven’t really had to put any effort in at all setting yourself up here.

There’s more to it than that.

You need to find subletters for the summer, since a lease typically lasts for a year—specifically, from the beginning of one sum-

MAKE YOUR VOICE HEARD Write a letter to the editor to express your views on our writers opinions and see yourself featured in next weeks issue! Submit to letters@thebrandeishoot.com Have a piece you want published? Submit it to us at eic@thebrandeishoot.com Have an idea for a column? Contact join@thebrandeishoot.com

photo by jacob edelman/the hoot

mer to the next. Due to the competitive nature of the subleasing scene during the summer, since there are few students and many accommodations available, you’d better bet you’re not going to be able to charge the subletters fullprice either.

However, the toils of summer subletting and the subsidies one typically needs to pay for their subletters are stories for another time. Suffice to say, preparing things for subletters and keeping them happy can be an ordeal.

Overall, living off-campus, while undoubtedly somewhat cheaper, hasn’t exactly proved to be that much noticeably cheaper or awesome than living on-campus in my experience. I think it’s fine, but if one were to give me the choice of living on-campus, off-campus or commuting, I would have to say the pros and cons of living in on or off-campus are arguably negligible. Perhaps it might be different for the reader; if they are interested, the financial aid office is ready to give estimates at any reasonable hour of the week.

SUBMISSION POLICIES The Brandeis Hoot welcomes letters to the editor on subjects that are of interest to the community.

Preference is given to current or former community members and The Hoot reserves the right to edit or reject submissions. The deadline for submitting letters is Wednesday at noon. Please submit letters to letters@thebrandeishoot.com along with your contact information. Letters should not exceed 500 words.

The opinions, columns, cartoons and advertisements printed in The Hoot do not necessarily represent the opinions of the editorial board.

UNSOLICITED SUBMISSIONS We welcome unsolicited submissions from members of the community sent by e-mail to eic@ thebrandeishoot.com. Please limit submissions to 800 words. All submissions are subject to editing.

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12 OPINIONS

The Brandeis Hoot

January 29, 2015

New tipping policy may cost local businesses

By Zach Phil Schwartz Editor

Clubs utilizing vendor services and hosting events, especially large events, now face a constraining tip policy aimed at cutting costs. In an email sent to the club leaders listserv on Jan. 26, Student Activities Specialist Robert Steinberg announced the new policy: a cap on tipping vendors of 20 percent or $40, whichever is lower. Such a restriction may serve to cut the overall costs of tipping, but may hurt local businesses.

Let’s say a club bought 50 pizzas for a large event it was hosting. At, say, $12 per pie, the cost easily reaches $600. If taken-out, the policy recommends that no tip be given. However, for all intents and purposes, let’s

say the maximum 20 percent policy is employed. The simple tip in this case is $120. Of course, stipulations in the policy restrict tipping to $40, so $80 worth of service compliments are lost.

It takes a significant amount of work to produce such large quantities of a good, and tipping helps to offset the financial and physical taxes of that work. When clubs with large fees do not tip well, it not only reflects badly on the university, but it also hurts the business. Most of that financial tax and physical labor that would normally be recovered in tip would not be under this new policy.

As mentioned previously, a lack of proper tipping reflects badly upon the university. Unlike with poor-tipping individuals, a business will remember when a Brandeis club places a large

order and does not tip well for it. If businesses feel hurt by a lack in tip, they may refrain from discounts or even overall service to Brandeis clubs and organizations in the future.

It isn’t fair to expect local businesses to understand the financial constrictions of the university as reasoning for diminished tips. According to Steinberg’s emails, clubs spent thousands of dollars in tipping last semester, but previous totals and the implications of such spending were never specified. We do not know how (or if) these cost-cutting measures are supposed to help overall finances. If we do not know the reasoning, neither will local businesses. Service is service, and spending caps should not serve to hinder a proper tip on said service.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not advo-

cating a $120 tip every time a club decides to place a $600 order for delivery. The point here is that these caps can act as unnecessary hindrances to a proper tip. Clubs should be free to compliment their vendors through tips they deem appropriate, not by what others deem as a maximum.

The cost-cutting policy is more concerning in a club budgeting context.

By announcing these limitations, Student Activities is obviously looking to avoid any miscellaneous expenses possible. The overall system of club funding is broken; many clubs receive less than what they need while others receive exactly what they request, but never use those funds. Some clubs are awarded huge sums of money. If a portion of those huge sums are redistributed to under-awarded clubs and reserved for tipping expenses, the

tipping issue would quickly become a non-issue. Perhaps Student Activities should look into restructuring how funds are awarded rather than restrict how clubs do business with the local community.

The alternatives to this new policy are far less detrimental. Giving clubs the freedom to do business with local vendors helps both the vendors and the university’s image in the community. Exorbitant tips are certainly counter-productive to club funding, but placing a hard cap on it only serves to make doing business more difficult both for clubs and especially for vendors. Although university finances must be taken into consideration, we cannot simply ignore the physical and financial efforts of our local community to help our clubs.

It’s not the Brandeis way.

Encourage participation in campus elections

By Matt Kowalyk Editor

Last summer, I worked on a local political campaign for someone wanting to retain their seat on the County Commissioners’ Board. The County Commissioners Board, as it works in my home county, is a triumvirate with the greatest concentration of power in all the land (that is Westmoreland County, PA). They make decisions concerning mostly major budget allocation issues among county departments and go to events to show that the local government cares about its people.

During my time in one of the Commissioner’s offices in the county courthouse and in his nearby campaign office, it pained me to hear people who didn’t know the dates of the local primary elections in May and general elections in the fall. It seemed to me that the only way to win the election was to have good word-ofmouth recognition and to remind people that there was actually an election taking place. There were campaign signs all over the county: on roadsides, billboards and in the fronts of stores and offices. Regardless of all of this signage, it wasn’t difficult for most of the county to proceed day-today while ignoring the entire election process, despite the importance of the positions and the local nature of the decisions.

The lack of popular engagement was similar, I noticed, during the week in which I ran for sophomore Class Senator here at Brandeis. I

made a Facebook page and had willing friends share it; some of them changed their profile pictures to a campaign logo I made, and just before Election Day, I went around talking to students directly. My strategy proved unsuccessful, as my bid for the only contested position in this round of voting was lost.

However, I had a chance to look at the analytics afterwards. I was glad that almost 190 people voted in the contest for Class of 2018 Senator, but most other positions were filled automatically. Hardly anyone ran, and hardly anyone voted, for positions that directly affect how their tuition is spent. Mind you, we pay so much for our place on this campus that Al Jazeera used us as an example of an expensive American institution last year. Why is it, then, that our student body cares so little about the elections for A-Board, the Student Union and the Senate?

To an average student, and to me until last semester, it would seem that their actions are invisible. Initiatives are not sweeping enough to be noticed by everyone, and PR only exists through a polished website and an infrequently updated Facebook page.

These facts are not criticisms, but are instead plain facts.

Further contributing to the problem is that no one seems to open their email. When promoting myself, I met too many people who say they don’t open their emails often—the same email inboxes through which we all receive class information, emergency updates and housing numbers,

among other important information.

The election form came through an email on Friday, and most people were not aware of this, even on Election Day. I can’t say exactly where the source of the student engagement problem really is. It could be that the Student Union doesn’t work hard enough to promote themselves or that their trust among the student populace fails to the point of not posting club funding statistics.

It must be kept in mind, though, that they are students with classes and lives, just like us, and deserve more credit for what they do than they currently receive. It could be that students aren’t engaged enough out of the laziness that is expected from college students, but the same facts pertain to us; we have classes and more immediate things that are worth caring about instead. When I ran for Senator, I ran on a platform of trying to increase the Union’s PR efforts, as they do undertake initiatives that affect us. My goal was to make more students care about these achievements. The fact that I see people frequently decrying the administration and student government and not participating just for the sake of doing so makes me wonder about the worth of such a plan.

The leadership at Brandeis is certainly not perfect, and we’ve seen that through several incidents over the past few years. Our side of the relationship with campus leaders seems only to see participation when something’s wrong. That’s even a stretch, as when the A-Board was shaken down

last October, the public address to students was attended by a few club leaders, union members, members of the campus press and some students who wandered by. The A-board is directly responsible for spending around 1 percent of our individual tuitions, and yet only a few people showed up.

On a side note, the senate has junior and senior ambassadors to the Board of Trustees, who are responsible with spending the other 99 percent or so of our tuitions.

I know we’re a community that can come together to do big things. We march, chant, fight for things and occupy buildings. We’re on teams and clubs, we volunteer and form many student organizations. However, it’s painful to see how few people care about what campus leadership does for them, how it is perceived that individuals’ opinions are not worth much to them, and that there is such a lack of interest even with our money in their hands. When it comes to administrative engagement, town hall meetings with Lisa Lynch are never well attended, and if anyone shows up, it’s mostly the campus press and less than 10 other students. I’d really like this detached, unmotivated attitude with regard to campus leaders, especially student government, to change.

I urge people to vote, to know the candidates running for positions that affect them and to get involved. Maybe our readers could encourage others to read their campus news publications, like this one. I don’t know what form a more involved campus would take;

photo by jacob edelman/the hoot

I only propose such things because it would be a much better experience for everyone if we did. Join a march, go to a basketball game, do things in large groups! We’re a small campus, but small still means around 3,000 undergraduates. Every time I walk past my own residence hall, I wonder how most of an 800-person class can live in the building, given that I hardly ever see many people moving in and out of it.

It’s harder for campus leadership to make the experience better on their end if students aren’t participating, because little student engagement gives them very little legitimacy or encouragement to do anything. Of course they can try to remain more connected and integral in campus life, but as I’ve already said, they have lives like us, and it might be a bit discouraging to post things on Facebook and have no one see them. Maybe we could all band together and like their page? It would certainly be a start.

We’re not Penn State, Ohio State, Texas A&M or the University of Central Florida, where campus elections could mean electing people to represent thousands of students. It may be true that such responsibility may not be left to their student leaders, given the numbers of students they are responsible for.

Here at Brandeis, we’re a smaller community in which students can easily band together to make things happen. Just a little more cohesion among the population and participation in elections would make our experience immeasurably better. I’m not sure where to start, but it could very well start with caring about elections next time around. I’ve been on a campaign trail once, and I’ve seen people care little about things that truly matter to them. Sure, not caring about results from rational calculation, but I’m sure we have the power and initiative to do better. The more we’re involved, the more exciting the experience will be for everyone. I recommend looking at your email more than once every few days.

Maybe you’ll see the election email next time, and maybe you can find the candidates on Facebook, or talk to people about who they are, before you cast your vote. Maybe you can run for something yourself and make the election more interesting while giving your two cents in campus decisions? The work isn’t difficult, as it just takes a little time each week and some wishful thinking to do good things for the campus. All you have to do is listen to people. I know that there are grievances to be aired, and if you participate just a little more than in the past, something can be done about them. Just check your email once in awhile.

January 29, 2016

ARTS, ETC.

The Brandeis Hoot 13

Prof. Hoover ruminates on dark themes in upcoming publication

By Alana Hodson Staff

Brandeis University is renowned for its extraordinary staff and high quality of education in nearly all areas of the liberal arts.

The literature department is certainly no exception to Brandeis’ theme of excellency in staff, and is fortunate to have Fannie Hurst Writer-in-Residence Michelle Hoover imparting her knowledge and experience on the budding authors here. Hoover is an acclaimed author herself, having published two novels already, “The Quickening” and “Bottomland,” and is currently working on her third. Hoover has also co-founded a program called the GrubStreet Novel Incubator Pro-

gram, designed to provide highly individualized instruction and support to upcoming authors aiming to get their books out on the shelves.

Being the head of the GrubStreet Novel Incubator Program is a special role for Hoover as she is able to work closely with students to provide them with the chance to really develop their novels. “I consider the novel the perfect form, but most undergraduate and graduate programs in fiction can’t handle it,” said Hoover, “so we started our program for people who didn’t have opportunities elsewhere, either to study writing a novel or to study writing at all.” This program accepts only 10 students per year, and the student must submit a full manu-

photo courtesy michelle hoover

script in order to get in. However, once in, the student’s full draft is workshopped twice during the year, they’re provided help with an additional 155 pages, the students aid each other through various media platforms, and there are also craft lessons and novel studies. Soon to reach 60 members, this program’s alumni network is growing strong, making GrubStreet a powerful resource for the next generation of great novelists.

Hoover’s experience as an instructor at Brandeis has also been greatly rewarding for her as well.

As Fannie Hurst writer-in-residence, Hoover teaches workshops in fiction and nonfiction and also gets to work with thesis students on more complex topics, “and working one-on-one with students on longer works is something I cherish,” said Hoover.

“The students here are so bright and motivated and tend to have extremely creative answers to prompts and assignments. There’s a lot of talent, and it’s great to be a part of.”

Her newest publication, “Bottomland,” which is coming out in March, has proved to be one of her most ambitious novels to date due to its intricate narrative featuring five different first-person points-of-view. However, this novel was also easier for her in many ways, “Because I’d been teaching novel writing, I knew better how to identify problems and I knew the tricks for fixing them. I also knew I COULD fix them, but that doesn’t make the act of doing so that much easier,” said Hoover.

“Bottomland” is a novel set in Iowa during the years after World War I, following the Hess family as they deal with the sudden disappearances of the two youngest daughters.

photo from michelle-hoover.com

The story was based off of her own family history which she had come across while visiting family in California. On her website, Hoover describes the real story behind “Bottomland,” explaining how an old family photograph set the wheels turning for her next novel. “When I started the novel, I had only this letter, the photograph and a vague idea of what might have happened … but I already knew the story, or at least I knew the story that I wanted to tell.”

In addition to leading the Novel Incubator program and being writer-in-residence here at Brandeis, Michelle Hoover has been a MacDowell Fellow, a 2014 NEA Fellow, winner of the PEN/New England Discov-

ery Award and winner of the 2010 Massachusetts Book Award “Must Read” for her first novel, “The Quickening.”

Her extensive experience as an instructor as well as a writer expands across many great institutions, including running undergraduate and graduate writing workshops at Wellesley College, Emerson College, Smith College and many more.

She has also taught writing at Boston University for more than 10 years and has been the writer-in-residence at Bucknell University. Hoover is an Iowa native and currently resides in Boston.

For those interested in gaining more insight into both fiction and non-fiction writing, Hoover will be holding a reading on campus on March 2.

Brandeis students use poetry to overcome social issues

By Santiago Montoya Staff

On Thursday, Jan. 28 the social justice festival ’DEIS Impact began with one of its first events, a Writing Workshop titled “Combating Oppression Through Spoken Word Poetry,” hosted by Talia Franks and Danni Tang at the Intercultural Center (ICC). ’DEIS Impact has about 50 different events going on until the Feb. 7.

First, Maggie Ziegel ’18 performed a poem—the setup of the space was designed as a circle, so that it would make the writing process smoother and more comforting. After she recited her poem, she invited everybody to participate and perform at the Chum’s Open Mic Poetry night, which happens every Wednesday at 8 p.m.

The workshop started with defining what “poetry” and “spoken word” meant for everybody present in the room. Some people described it as “therapeutic,” “no rules,” “personal,” a form to process difficult experiences and so on.

Every individual in the room had a distinct view of what poetry and spoken word meant to them and the role it plays in everyone’s life.

Then, the workshop talked about how poetry has different benefits for everyone, which ev-

erybody uniquely addressed according to how it has affected them.

The main goals of this workshop were to develop ideas and techniques, gain confidence about everybody’s unique voice, and start a poem.

The dynamic consisted of dividing the group into two smaller groups. Then everybody was told to think of seven different things, memories and events that have happened in their lives in the past three years, whether a terrible experience or a positive one. Then everyone was told to pen a haiku by selecting one of the seven experiences—the one that struck them the most.

Afterwards everyone in the different groups had the time to create their own haiku, and the circle was invited to share their haikus and elaborate a little on their significance.

Subsequently, Franks read a poem titled, “The Preachers Eat Out” by Vernon Johns. It talks about oppression and references racial segregation, yet demonstrates courage and confidence to stand for what you believe in.

In fact, the main point of this entire workshop was about how we, Brandeisians—who are known to be as authentic advocates and fighters for social justice—can communicate our attempts towards achieving just that. The belief that bound every-

one in this room was the rational thought that we can educate people through poetry.

It allows us to speak our minds because poetry is such a free art form, and as one of the people present at this event said, “It doesn’t have any rules.”

Another glimpse of combating oppression through poetry was by watching a spoken word video, titled “Black Life: A Slam Poem” by YouTube blogger Kelli Amirah.

Her spoken word poem talks about her viewpoint as an Afri-

can-American woman on bringing a child into this world, knowing that he or she will have a hard time through life as a person of color due to racism, microaggressions, racial profiling and the lack of representation and opportunity.

In the video, Amirah states that she is not afraid of having children, nor that she dislikes them, but the truth is that “it is not easy being black.” She talks about all she does not want for her children to experience, such as not even having the opportunity to climb the social ladder, and her refusal

photo by adam lamper/the hoot

to become the mother of another Jordan Davis, a 17-year-old African-American high school student who was shot at a gas station while he was in a car with his companions due to the music that was being played, which the murderer found objectionable and loud.

Indeed, everyone in the room feels differently and passionately about the many injustices that they desire to change and speak out about.

Other individuals penned poems about LGBTQ rights, detachment to religion and people with disabilities. There were various causes people were passionate about that were expressed on the paper and through the fluidity of their words.

In the last minutes, everybody was given some time to polish a little piece of poetry and share their work in progress with anybody in the room. After all, a piece of poetry would not be completely finished in just an hour and a half (which is the time that the workshop lasted).

Nevertheless, it was a good start that allowed more than one participant to utilize the workshop’s techniques, ideas and confidence from the other people present to begin something meaningful. It served as a push to make people pursue poetry as an art form that can withstand the different forms of oppression in our world.

14 ARTS

The Brandeis Hoot

January 29, 2016

Eddie Redmayne’s ‘Danish Girl’ a sensitive performance

By Emma Kahn Staff

“The Danish Girl,” directed by Tom Hooper and roughly based on a 2000 novel by David Ebershoff, tells the story of Lili, one of the first transgender women to undergo a sex-change operation.

The film, set in the mid-1920s, follows the journey of a marriage between Einar, later Lili, (Eddie Redmayne) and Gerda (Alicia Vikander) that must withstand the full force of societal pressure amidst an enlightening discovery for Einar. Although discourse surrounding the transgender experience would not become normalized for long after Einar’s lifetime, Einar is confident that she is a woman repressed in the wrong body.

There was no visible transgender community in Europe in the 1920s to which Einar could turn.

As a result, Einar could not make full sense of or fully verbalize her emotions in the way much of “The Danish Girl” audience could.

Much of the film is centered on dialogue of Einar and Lili as a ‘split personality,’ buying into much of the psychiatric world’s representation of Einar as schizophrenic or bipolar. As jarring as it may be today to hear Lili’s personality split into two based on her changing pronouns, this was the reality for the true Einar Wegener in 1926.

The scene is set first in Copenhagen, then Paris, showcasing the lives of Einar and Gerda as they work in their studio by day and enjoy extravagant parties by night, taking in the joys of an elite life amongst other artist friends. The two married artists probe gender boundaries when Einar steps in

photo from itelegraph.co.uk

for a no-show model, sporting women’s clothing in order for Gerda to complete an unfinished portrait. They name Einar’s alter-ego “Lili” and debut her in society as Einar’s cousin. Lili begins to take hold in the film, captivating the audience as she takes her place in society. Einar’s quiet contentment transforms into an itching desire for the tactile pleasures of womanhood; she sinks into the role of artist’s model as Gerda adorns her in smooth silk stockings and dress shoes, eventually urging Einar to dress as a woman for an evening out. What was once a fun game becomes a gripping reality as Einar realizes that Lili is in fact a very real part of herself.

The film takes us along as Einar summons the courage to seek professional help and is falsely diagnosed with various personality disorders. Einar can no longer continue her artwork or any aspect of daily life, and becomes muddled in a crisis of identity, re-

ferring to Lili in the third person and struggling to make sense of the conflicting realities that have emerged since Lili came to light.

With no predecessors or even the language to describe such overwhelming emotions, Einar becomes increasingly introverted, timid and scared.

At times, however, Lili takes hold, and presents herself as the true owner of Einar’s incorrectly assigned body. Her smile is iridescent. She tentatively steps into the world, learning how to behave outside of the confines of masculine life. Einar observes other women’s mannerisms and style of dress, slowly reversing the grip of masculinity that has plagued Lili for so long. Meanwhile, Gerda attempts to make sense of the changing attitudes and disappearance of her husband. The two travel to Paris, where Gerda gains success and prestige from the paintings of an elusive and captivating subject, Lili.

Einar’s transformation into Lili

is navigated by Eddie Redmayne, who delicately traverses between notions of masculinity and femininity, blurring a sense of gender binary and finding Lili, pulling her out of the confusion and sadness that Einar feels.

Finally, Einar and Gerda find a specialist who validates Lili’s existence. Meanwhile, Gerda must balance the fear of losing her husband with her support of Lili as a daring and revolutionary woman.

Gerda, as a wife, an artist and a liberal thinker, has a brilliant understanding of the journey that Lili faces.

Much criticism has emerged from the decision to cast a cisgender male in a trans woman role.

There appears to be a trend in the film industry of using stereotypical Hollywood-esque actors to fulfill nonconforming roles. In many ways, “The Danish Girl” has stayed safely within Hollywood’s norm by casting a cisgender lead and in beautifying the often insurmountable challenges

photo from vanityfair.com

The Art of Procrastination by Helen Wong

of the trans community. The film is also criticised for glorifying certain moments in the historical life of Einar for a more captivating plot. However, the consequences and rewards of playing it safe are difficult to ascertain.

Much progress has been made in breaking down homogeneity of gender norms and accepting those who fall outside the gender binary, but much of the world remains against such progress.

Since “The Danish Girl” has been in production, the trans community has seen a few moments in the spotlight; although Lili in certain ways may appear only a timid icon for the trans community, she may also serve to educate those entirely unfamiliar or unsympathetic to the trans experience.

The cast, director and crew have gracefully navigated a sensitive plot, committing to the historical veracity of a film set in an era of ignorance, while treading lightly to ensure the smooth reception of such a film in present day. To watch Einar evolve into Lili at times feels inconsistent with modern trans ideologies.

The dual-personality nature with which Lili and Einar are represented is not how we now understand the transgender community, but considering the historical period, this feels eerily real. Lili opens a certain intimacy with the audience, allowing us to feel her every emotion, every setback and every victory. There is no doubt that Eddie Redmayne fluidly takes Lili’s journey, crossing boundaries of gender norms with ease and effectively representing both Einar and Lili and the moments in which the two become one. Such amazing feats of style and acting almost gloss over the difficulty of the subject matter.

photo from blogs.indiewire.com

January 29, 2016

ARTS 15

The Brandeis Hoot

Castellani’s latest novel looks at the impact of P.O.V. on narrative

By Sabrina Pond Editor

Unlike other disciplines, which rely on the understanding of particular concepts and their subsequent application, it has proven much harder to break down writing in the same way.

Although professional writing may sound distinctly more eloquent than amateur writing, time and time again, writers have failed to pinpoint exactly what makes for better writing. Furthermore, no one has ever dared to make a checklist for writing the perfect novel, and for good reason—there is no straightforward answer.

Despite the insurmountable

task set before him, writer Christopher Castellani tackled this issue through his recent contribution to the “The Art of…” series. His novel, “The Art of Perspective: Who Tells the Story,” breaks down the impact that point of view has on the short story through the analysis of other author’s work.

On Tuesday, Jan. 26, in the Mandel Center for the Humanities, Castellani discussed his latest publication, with some insight into his extensive writing career.

The author of three novels, all of which have received critical acclaim, includes titles like “A Kiss from Maddalena” and “All This Talk of Love.” He is the artistic director of Grub Street, which is a leading nonprofit writing cen-

photo from amazon.com

ter in the country, and also has a teaching background.

“The Art of Perspective” is anything but a manual or “how-to” book. Rather, it is a collection of writing that showcases the methods of various writers utilizing point of view for different ends.

According to Castellani, however, there’s a lot more to it than just that: “Every story is ultimately about the narrator … and the way the story is told.” In his explanation about perspective, he put forth the idea that whatever point of view an author uses, there has to be a compelling reason for it.

Otherwise, the basis of the story is nullified, so picking a random point of view does nothing to further the author’s creation.

As each book in “The Art of...” series investigates a different facet of writing, such as intimacy, poetic line, syntax and description, this one is specifically a meditation on the impact that varying perspectives have on a story. Castellani continues his meditation on this subject with, “Each novel or story has its own requirements … What do I want the reader to know, to understand … how can I tell that story?”

Castellani’s book incorporates writing by E.M. Forster, Grace Paley and Tayeb Salih among others, representing a diverse subset of writing techniques. In “The Art of Perspective” he uses this grouping of writers to analyze the way that other well-established novelists have grappled with the issue of perspective. A truly groundbreaking investigation despite its simplicity, Castellani delves into subject matter that is not talked about very often in most writing courses but that is still incredibly important.

According to Castellani, first person is, only naturally, the most

photo from christophercastellani.com

intimate of the perspectives because it requires the reader to directly connect with the main character. Second person, on the other hand, is harder to gracefully grasp; it induces a sort of superficiality that only particular writers can sufficiently circumnavigate.

Third person, on the other hand, often creates a certain distance between the reader and the character. However, this is no longer a problem when the writer directly inserts the subject of the action, instead of filtering the action through an intermediary. For example, instead of saying that someone saw something, it would be more effective to simply state that which that person saw. Depending on the desired effect, each of these various perspectives can be manipulated to incorporate

the passage of time, give gravity to dialogue, add distance and increase the reader’s ability to connect with the main character.

As part of his presentation, Castellani went through a few examples of narration some of which he wrote himself and the others of which were not his own. Through this discussion he went through the effect that each of the various point of views had on the overall tone of the piece. Though it isn’t a hard science, there are definitely some advantages when authors use certain perspectives as opposed to others.

At the end of the talk, two copies of Castellani’s most recent book were raffled off to students in the audience, and other copies were sold at a very reduced rate.

Q&A: Prof. King on ‘Drunk Enough to Say I Love You’

By Conor Amrien special to the hoot

This week, The Brandeis Hoot sat down with Professor Thomas King (ENG) to talk about “Drunk Enough to Say I Love You,” the show he will direct this spring.

Could you tell me a little bit about your production Drunk Enough to Say I Love You? King: This is a play by Caryl Churchill...an important feminist, political theatre artist from England. She’s probably best known here in the United States for the plays Cloud 9, Top Girls, Serious Money, and a bunch of others. This is one of her more recent, very experimental plays. So, it’s even more experimental than most of her well-known feminist work. It’s a play that’s a strong critique of U.S. foreign policy, particularly the CIA during the history of the Cold War, the mid

20th century in the United States, and the legacy of the red scare in the U.S. and how it caused U.S. citizens to really identify with a certain image of American exceptionalism that required us to manage other sovereign states in order to ward off the threat of communism. It’s really a play about what we do as U.S. citizens when we identify with the idea of American exceptionalism and the notion that we have to protect America from foreign threats: the threat of communism, the threat of Islam, the threat of migration and immigration, of refugees crossing our borders to the extent that we identify with notions of not only American exceptionalism but also the pursuit of pleasure and the liberal democratic ideals of individualism. To what extent are we implicated in these foreign policies that serve to protect that pursuit of pleasure or those freedoms? Caryl Churchill sets this up in a really

photo from brandeis.edu

intriguing way because she investigates the way that we as U.S. citizens buy into this notion of the pursuit of pleasure and American exceptionalism by thinking about interpersonal relationships and sexual relationships, in this case between two men in a sexual relationship with each other.

As the play looks at interpersonal violence within the relationship, it becomes a metaphor for thinking about mass violence, but on the other hand it gets us thinking about any identity group within the United States in order to get full access to citizenship has to buy into certain American ideals and we may become implicated in certain foreign politics that we wouldn’t normally uphold. It’s similar to the certain queer critique of pink-washing in Israel right now. She’s looking at how liberal policies can inadvertently align us with things we wouldn’t otherwise choose to endorse.

Why did you choose to bring this show to Brandeis?

King: The most immediate reason is that the company that produced the show is co-founded by a Brandeis alum. Her name is Anika Reisch. There are a number of other Brandeis people involved as well. Three more alumni are in the show: Tony Rios, Julia Davidovitz, Ernest Paulin. A current student Bronte Velez is featured as a movement and spoken-word artist and a visual artist as well.

Another Brandeis alum designed the projections for the show and his name is Alex Wyak. A lot of else felt like this would be a way to give back to the community as alumni or as a professor here.

We’re adapting the script with permission from Caryl Churchill.

The script is written for two white men and we are expanding the play by adding an ensemble of people of all different embodiments in order to address a cou-

ple of questions. One of which is if what Churchill is saying about white gay men and being implicated in foreign policy is true for white gay men, what happens if the same text is spoken and embodied by other sorts of people.

What does it mean, for example, to be, as in the case of one our actresses who is Filipina, to recently receive citizenship and have to negotiate both the oath of loyalty to America and at the same time come from a colonized background? Two of our other actors are from Puerto Rico. So both ethnically and in terms of country of origin or the family’s country they have a different relationship to these issues. By bringing this to Brandeis, we’re doing things with this play that speak to the Brandeis community, especially recently with the important protests around racial inclusion and visibility on campus. So I think this is the right time to do this play at Brandeis.

photo from flickr.com

16 The Brandeis Hoot

ARTS, ETC.

January 29, 2016

Pottery Club re-invents the wheel, encourages student creativity

By Adam Lamper Staff

It is a firmly established fact that Brandeis, in its endless pursuit of fostering an all-inclusive environment, is home to many different clubs and organizations that allow students to explore their unique interests, while simultaneously being part of a larger collective.

However, as the already extensive list of extracurriculars increases annually, more and more clubs and organizations are pushed to the brink of obscurity.

One such group, the Brandeis Pottery Club, is hoping to fire up interest about the art in prospective midyears and other undergraduate students alike.

It seems unlikely that many millennials would opt for such a seemingly archaic art, given the opportunity to join clubs pertain-

ing to new-age media like photography or liquid latex. Perhaps this is the reason the club has experienced much instability in membership in the past.

“The club maintained its life by the few who knew how it ran and who went out of their way to take care of it,” said Brittany Finney ’17.

“But my sophomore year, when lots of people graduated or were studying abroad, the club was virtually gone, and I wanted to bring it back.”

In the past year, though, the group has noticed a flourish of new faces, partly thanks to an increase in advertisement by club leaders James Conlon ’16, Jack Holloman ’16, Marisa Rubel ’17 and Finney herself, and partly due to student interest in the only art that so adroitly combines both fashion and function. “Since then, we have more members than

ever. The studio is much cleaner, and people know more about the club’s existence and are really excited to join in on the fun,” Finney said.

In addition to branching out to students, the club is extending its roots outside campus, incorporating professor-led demos into studio hours and having club members present their work in various art shows.

Most exciting is the club’s newfound partnership with Babson University, with whom they had a partner lesson on making teapots just last semester.

“It’s a great way to branch out with our community members,” said Finney. She hopes that the club’s current trend of success and recognition will continue long after she and other club leaders graduate and that it will not fall back to its previous dormancy.

photo by brandeis pottery club

photo courtesy brittany finney

Unlike a traditional course in the arts, the club gives members free roam of the craft, allowing students to hone their skills or learn entirely new ones in all areas of pottery.

“Personally, I am a sculptor,” Finney explained. “I’m taking a class right now that goes into detail about bones, and I’m hoping to actually sculpt parts of our skeleton, just for fun.” In the past, Finney has created many animal-centric sculptures and firmly believes in the importance of combining similar or seemingly unrelated passions and attempting something new and exciting with them. “Clay is creation,” she said.

“You turn a lump of a ball into something beautiful, like a dragon or like an intricate vase. I love that ability to say that I made something.” Having only discovered her passion for sculpting by accident after a fiasco at the

spinning wheel in her high school ceramics class, Finney encourages students to attend a least one session, adding, “I hope other students can come in and find their own hidden talents, so long as they try.”

Offering hours daily at various times at their studio above the laundry room in Usen Castle Quad, the pottery club has made itself available to a variety of students who wish to dabble in ceramics. Just as the club allows members to explore all of the many techniques involved in pottery, it also encourages students of all experience levels to attend studio hours, even offering free guidance and hands-on lessons to beginners in the craft. “I hope to see more students come in to have some pottery lessons. It’s free and completely student-provided and Student Union funded,” assured Finney.

photo by brandeis pottery club

Savages’ new album ‘Adore Life’ delivers unapologetic lyrics

By Jess Linde Editor

Savages’ sophomore album “Adore Life” is a great album to have around because it does not fall victim to the second-album-slump that sometimes affects bands whose debuts were highly acclaimed.

For example, Jack White’s first solo album “Blunderbuss” was an interesting and fun garage rock album and expansion of White’s style, while his second record “Lazaretto” reeked with a lack of effort. Or The Strokes’ “Room on Fire,” which was just an uninspired carbon copy of their previous album. While “Adore Life” stays true to the same fuzzy

post-punk from Savages’ debut “Silence Yourself,” it adds just enough progression to remain a fun listen.

This progression is evident from the opening guitar riff of the first song, “The Answer,” an aggressive and speedy song about jealousy and longing. “If you don’t love me, don’t love anybody,” singer Jehnny Beth shouts through her English-French accent; “ain’t you glad it’s you?” she asks.

This is the lyrical tone through the rest of the album: angry, mean, sometimes violent love songs such as “Evil,” in which Beth sings as an obsessive, perfectionistic romantic. “Sad Person” makes the band’s influences most obvious (it’s straight off a

photo from newyorker.com

photo from iludditestereo.com

Fall record) while staying original, but “Adore Life” finds its life on the fourth track, the almost-eponymous “Adore.”

On “Adore,” the verses find Beth accompanied only by bass and notes on a single, unaffected guitar string, the choruses both fuzzed out and slowly sad.

“I adore life,” Beth sings, but from her tone and the tempo of the song, it’s hard to believe her. “Slowing Down the World” begins with an explosion of guitar feedback before sliding into a Wire-esque slow jam, and “I Need Something New” tells you exactly that, and loudly. Songs like “When in Love” and “Surrender” are dedicated to the messiness of love, including gendered power, intimacy, trust and sexual

photo from exclaim.ca.

self-discovery.

Drummer Fay Milton is steady and reliable underneath Ayse Hassan’s heavy picked bass and Gemma Thompson’s aggressive guitar work, and the band always sounds very together.

As sensitive and confused as the lyrical themes get over the course of the album, Savages never lose control of their own narrative. While the songs are often mean and angry, they are performed with power and edge that is very authentic.

It is clear that Savages understand they are a hyped and buzzed-about band, but also that they don’t owe anyone anything and make the music they want to make. The album’s penultimate song “T.I.W.Y.G.,” which stands

for “This Is What You Get,” is also its most self-critical, as evidenced by the lyrics that consist mostly of Jehnny Beth beating herself up over past relationship mistakes.

“Adore Life” ends with “Mechanics,” a very slow song that only features voice and guitar, both of which are mixed with various effects. “Mechanics” has Beth singing in tribute to someone she loves and makes her feel alive, hopeful that their relationship will stand the test of time, even though with her luck, it probably won’t.

Like the rest of the album, it is uplifting music underlined by possible tragic endings, and like “Adore Life” asa whole, it is enrapturing.